#not even to MENTION the new swimming mechanics oh my god it made everything so much easier

[syn4k]

the 1.13 aquatic update was minecrafts most gamechanging update ever no contest. i mean ok all of the updates change the game but that one was THE BIGGEST. new textures. Conduits. Coral reefs. Tridents. Sea grass. Kelp. AND THE UPDATED WATER MECHANICS OH MY GODDDDDDDD DO YOU REMEMBER HOW BIG OF A PAIN WATER USED TO BE BOTH TO TRAVEL IN AND TO GET RID OF? DO YOU REMEMBER HOW SLOW SWIMMING WAS?? DO YOU REMEMBER THE OLD BOATS??? if someone took the time and effort to fill ur entire house with water before 1.13 then u were fucked up ur ass and it didnt even look good but now we're able to WATERLOG CHESTS AND PARTIAL BLOCKS AND LIGHT SOURCES 1.13 did SO MUCH FOR US and we barely even appreciate her. minecraft 1.13 update i love you forever you will always have my heart

[andilovetowrite]

Really in Love? 🔥

Leo Valdez x Reader (Athena Cabin Reader)

Summary: Leo didn’t know what went wrong. One minute, he had a smashing goddess girlfriend and an equally awesome best friend. And the next? One of them in the Apollo cabin, and the other one in the Apollo cabi- well, infirmary.

Warnings: mentions of dying, cheating and some blood. Also some elusions to smut and making out. A lot of angst. That's all I’m gonna say.

Word Count: 1.6k

Masterlist and Prompt List ;)

100 Follower Sleepover

My requests are also open in case you have any more ideas and prompts!

Life for Leo Valdez had been going good. He had just gotten back from helping Apollo, or Lester, and things had been going well. Calypso had just come back from her camping trip, and she and Leo were inseparable.

Which made things a tiny bit hard for you. You were Leo’s best friend, and right now, you and him were tasked with making the new Big House for the camp. Normally, Chiron would call Annabeth, but since she was out of town with Percy for god knows what (you knew what, he was going to propose to her), he had put you in charge of this project. And since you wanted to make the new structure a bit more technologically advanced, you decided to call Leo in.

And the progress had been going well. Until Leo’s entire attention was given to Calypso. Nowadays, you couldn’t even get a minute alone with your best friend without his annoyingly beautiful and mean gf next to you. And off the record, you had been starting to like Leo a bit. When you both were in the quest, and the only two single ones on the ship, you kinda felt like there was something growing between the both of you.

Turns out you were wrong, because in a few months, after your best friend allegedly “died”, he came back on a flying dragon and a goddess in his arms. Too bad you couldn’t find a boyfriend to take your mind off Leo.

So, life was awkward, but fine. Well….until you got shot in the stomach by an arrow. Yeah, it wasn’t your best moment. It was the day after you had had your one-on-one with Calypso, and you had managed to avoid her, but whenever you tried to get Leo on his own, she just happened to be there. So you decided to get him by himself when you both were working on the project. But before that, you had archery. And least to say, you were quite sufficient at it. So were the rest of your classmates, or at least the people at the training room.

So you knew you didn’t get shot by a fluke. The question was that, who would shoot you?

And you knew the answer. Austin Lake. The only guy in the feild who had some sort of resentment towards you. Why? Because he was your ex. Your breakup wasn’t the smoothest one. There was a whole lot of screaming and yelling. Oh, and a couple of threats and slaps. But you would’nt think that he would shoot you. Where you could potentially die.

So for the rest of the day, while you were in the infirmary with Will, you racked your brain thinking of a reason. But it wasn’t until you saw Calypso walk in that you finally understood. She had come in around the time that Leo would be in his Bunker, banging out dents and marks in his newest projects, with everything else out of his mind. It would be the perfect time to sneak away. At least it would be for Calypso.

You had suspected that Calypso had been cheating on Leo for a while. But you had never had a chance to prove it. Until now, where you had a perfect sight of Calypso and Austin holding hands as they made out at the back of one of the beds.

The sight made you sick to the stomach. Surprisingly, it wasn’t because of Calypso kissing your ex. But rather your best friend’s girlfriend kissing Austin Lake. Your mind went to the hurt look on Leo’s face when he would find out, and you could feel the pain radiating off him.

But you couldn’t keep it from him, so you decided to tell him as soon as possible. Gritting your teeth, you tried to stand up for yourself, pushing your hands against the bed. The pain in your stomach intensified by about a 100x, but nevertheless, you tried to ignore it.

Suddenly, you heard a gentle yet cruel laugh. “Oh Y/N, what do you think you’re doing?” You whipped around to see Calypso standing above you, with Austin at her side, and with one pointed look, he took out an injection, filled with green liquid.

“I’m going to tell Leo-”

“No you aren’t. Because you will not get up to ever tell him”, she said maliciously, as you watched in horror. Austin grabbed your arm, and even though you were stronger than him, the pain medication didn’t allow you to push him back. He brought the needle to your arm, and growled at you, his face turned up in a deep frown. With a slight pinch, he pushed it in harshly, the needle cutting through your flesh. Instantly, you began feeling drowsy, as your vision started swimming.

“Y-ou wo-won’t ge...t away with thi….sss”, you tried to say, but all that came out was strangled mutters.

Calypso laughed, swiping her hand on your fingers as her nails dug into your arm. “Oh sweetie, you can’t possibly think a child of Athena would beat a goddess that’s been around for millenia, right? Otherwise, you would be even more stupid then I thought you were…”

And that was the last thing you heard before you drifted off into a inky black darkness.

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

Leo’s POV

Leo walked around the Bunker back and forth, confused on where you were. It was almost 6, and you still hadn’t shown up. Worried, he grabbed his tool belt, tying it around his waist as he left his workspace, going over to the Athena cabin.

“Hey guys”, Leo greeted, trying to spot any sight of you. Malcolm came up to him, his face etched with worry.

“If your looking for Y/N, she was in the infirmary. Apparently, some jackass shot her in the stomach with an arrow. We tried to find who did it, but nothing so far, so we are just waiting for her to wake up.”

As he heard that, he practically started running out the door but he stopped when Malcolm called him back.

“Visiting hours are shut right now. But Austin was the last one to see her, maybe check in his cabin?”

Leo nodded, and although he didn’t like the blond, muscular camper, he still wanted to see how you were doing so he made his way there.

And boy, did he wish he would have gone to see you instead. Because when he walked through the Apollo cabin door, he didn’t expect to see his girlfriend half naked with a shirtless Austin.

“Leo!”, she yelled, covering herself up.

“You-”

She tried to come near Leo, hands reaching for him, but he stepped back, as if her touch was burning hot. “Leo, I didn’t mean to…”, she trailed off, as she began to see the little sparks of fire starting to burst out from his fingers.

She stepped back, and for a second, you could see Leo calm down, wondering if he scared her. But when she reached for Austin’s hand, as she enlaced their fingers together, you could see the fire build up in Leo again.

“How could you-”, he shook his head, not believing it, “I-I was the one who got you off the island” He looked furious, but then his face crumpled as he stared at her. “I lied to my friends. Acted like I was dead for weeks. Just so I could save you, so I could get you off that prison!”

She didn’t say anything, as she just kept looking down at the floor. Half of you hoped that it would just swallow her whole.

“I literally gave my life, and you cheated on me?! You-you knew I had an issue with him-” Realization struck his face as he pieced two and two together. “Th-that’s why you didn’t want me coming with you to the infirmary, did you? Because he would be there. That must be your little get-to-know-you times, huh?”

She tried to shake her head, coming closer to Leo, but he ignited his hands again, this time making them burn bright. “You can’t possibly think that’s why-”

“Oh no, don’t try and make me think of something different. I’m a freaking mechanic Calypso! I wake up if I hear the faintest of sounds, and you wouldn’t think that I would find you sneaking out every night?”

Calypso stared at him, vision swimming with tears, but her face hard. Leo tried to find some bit of her left in there, but gave up, turning around to look for you. “How is-”

“Oh Y/N, I wouldn’t go to see her. Unless you wanna see her bod-”

“What the hell?”, Leo asked, his voice firm, as his mind went into overdrive. “What did you do Calypso?”

“Nothing much..”, she said, but he didn’t hear another word as Will Solace burst into his cabin.

Out of breath, and sweaty, he looked at Leo. “Y/N needs you… she is close to dying”

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

That was it, the first part! I’m sorry I didn’t get to the second part, but I think the cliffhanger may add to the storyline, so let’s see if that works out. Thanks so much for requesting this, and I hope you enjoy it :)

[starshipsofstarlord]

Vaping - Elizabeth Olsen x reader x JJ Maybank

Masterlist Link

Summary; introducing your girlfriend to your best friend takes an interesting turn. Much evolves from a couple beers and a vape, JJ finally lets go

Warnings; mentions of nudes, vaping, underaged drinking, mentions of sex, some angst, swearing, mentions of cheating, angst, rejection, unreciprocated feelings

As the two of you kissed, a strong scent hit you, like a ton of breaks causing collateral as it fell from a building, though it smelled specifically of a pungent lemon scent. The pair of you pulled away, and there was a vaping blond stood above you, quirking his brow at the sight. It was no surprise that he had chosen to intervene with your casual date, you knew how he felt about your new relationship.

As the two of you kissed, a strong scent hit you, like a ton of breaks causing collateral as it fell from a building, though it smelled specifically of a pungent lemon scent. The pair of you pulled away, and there was a vaping blond stood above you, quirking his brow at the sight. It was no surprise that he had chosen to intervene with your casual date, you knew how he felt about your new relationship.

He was appalled to hear that you were committed to another, angry, jealous, he could go on about the emotions that were raging on inside of him. Time before you had even knew of Lizzie’s existence, you and JJ had a thing, more specifically, you had broken the pogue on pogue rule. The two of you would go at it with ample lust fuelling your every action, but the stick in the mud was, JJ had actually caught feelings.

When you had cut things off with him, claiming that you wanted to see other people, he was outraged, though he played it off as though it were no big deal. You remained close friends, and hardly noticed how he had been reading your messages to Elizabeth over your shoulder, nor how he frowned every time he heard of someone by that name. It pissed him off, she had his prized jewel, she didn’t have to fight for you like he had tried.

She was gifted your affection on a silver and clean platter, there was no dirty or guilt ridden scrubs that endured the profanity in your relationships, the two of you could be open with your turn of adoration for one another, but when JJ thought that he had you, it had to all be a secret. Even the pogues weren’t permitted an insight of your transactions, even if they had a keen eye for how the pair of you mysteriously tended to wander off together.

Kie, Pope and John B had been supportive when you told them that you had began to like someone, at first they thought it was JJ, which had gotten his hopes substantially up, but then it was revealed there was a girl in the picture. It didn’t matter if she was pretty, or kind, or out of the class laws of OBX, JJ resented her, even though he was a stranger to her and vice versa. But the one thing he liked about this unknown lover of yours had been how she made you happy, that was always his goal.

Without it being the matter that he was supposed to be concerned about, JJ thought hard about his own feelings. Yes, he tended to be a screw up, but he had an inkling that he was more than smitten with you. He was in love with you, and staring down at you with this new partner of yours, gave him great staking pain in his chest. “Why are you here Maybank?” In defends, JJ raised a cartridge of four beers to your view, the cock of your head being an invitation for him to take a seat.

He cleared his throat, as though that would be a primal factor in establishing his dominance, as he turned to your girlfriend. “How are you liking Outer Banks so far?” He handed her a beer, to which Lizzie willingly accepted with a thank you and a too kind to hate smile. “Most tourists think the views are nice.” He prompted to the conversation, watching a riddle spur in the brunette’s eyes.

“Oh, the views are more than fine.” She looked at you, running her green orbs down your form as she shamelessly checked you out in front of the boy. Lizzie cracked the lid from the bottle, weaving it off as she took a gulp from the liquor, draining her extraction of it like a champ. “I’m Elizabeth by the way.�� Oh, he knew. A part of him wished that he in fact did not, the impartial knowledge of being aware of your exclusivity status had him crumbling from the inside out.

He had been getting into more fights with the kooks lately, taking his anger out on the prissy teens to establish some kind of reputation, even if that not carry the title of your boyfriend. “We get quite a few storms, like Agatha, she was a right bitch, didn’t hear from y/n for like a week. She was getting it on with Kelce, he’s from the other side of the island.”

“Figure Eight.” She noted, having recalled you mention it before. Your eyes widened, kicking him in the shin as you realised what he was doing. “How long ago was that, I know you said the power went out.” JJ realised what she was trying to do, it was her attempt at creating a time line of actions. She was building up a map of your entanglements with actions, and seeing if you could be held accountable for cheating.

“Just before the two of got together, which links to this funny story....” Oh no, no he wasn’t, was he? “We’d had our fun in the past, me and your girlfriend, and turns out when I heard about you two, we were still fucking.” Snatching the vape from him, you breathed it in, as though you were preparing for Lizzie’s reaction. She simply shrugged, taking the item from you and lulling in the acidic smoke that filled her lungs.

“That’s okay, we didn’t know each other too well then, and it seems there is quite the tight knit on the island.” God were you relieved, and endorsed in the sight of smoke blowing out of her nostrils as she took another swig of the liquidised joint. “I don’t have a problem with it as long as you don’t. What was your name again, I seem to have forgotten.” Forgotten on purpose it was more like, she wanted him out of the picture, he was simply a blockade in his way.

“Me?” He laughed lightly whilst pointing at himself. Yes him, the guy that was being an absolute dick and disrupting your supposed to be peaceful evening. “Oh, I’m JJ. I have no problem with you being here, in fact, I think it’s great. You’re just another hot chick that has caught y/n’s eye, when you go back to wherever the hell you came from, she’ll probably start hooking up with some random; wouldn’t be the first time, doubt it’d be the last.”

“I’m from California.” She stated unimpressed by JJ’s behaviour. You had mentioned him to her, filled her in on all valid details, but you didn’t say that he was this much of a dick. “And I don’t have to worry about that, I have my reasons.”

“Oh, because you trust her so much?” He laughed, taking a heavy slog of beer, hurriedly gulping it down as though it were some kind of coping mechanism. “She’s not trustworthy, she doesn’t give a fuck about any one’s feelings, she uses them for her own pleasure, and then makes things neutral between them.” Was he being over the top? Definitely. Were you astounded by the scene that he was causing? Sure as hell.

“J settle down.” You tried to coax him, but he swiftly stood, tears rimming the inclination of bud pain staked eyes. It was clear that he was not settling down; not in the slightest. He breathed in the vape once more, the lemony scent burning down through his chest for a moment, before he released the cloud out into the air, it swimming above like a wave out of the ocean.

“Don’t J me.” He mimicked you, rifling his destructive hands through his blond locks. “I don’t even know who you are, yet you took everything from me.” Lizzie felt a little bad for your friend, he was clearly experiencing symptoms of emotions towards you, it made her feel guilty for your shared secret.

“I’m moving JJ.” You revealed, his face becoming stoic with wide eyes. Lizzie squeezed your hand as you physically and mentally stood up to your best friend and past friend with benefits, causing him brash surprise that burned through his lungs. “To California.” You finished.

“With her?” He asked astounded, taking a step back as he dropped the glass bottle, allowing it to drop upon the dock, causing both you and Lizzie to jump from the smash. “I can’t believe you.” He breathed from his vape, turning away with a shake of his head.

“J.” You tried to call out for him, but he nevertheless continued on his path away. “Come on, don’t be ridiculous.” Him, being ridiculous? What a stupid annotation, he was allowed to be hurt. Yet it seemed that you wanted him to feel nothing, be a mute to emotions.

“I’m ridiculous?” He huffed, spinning around so that your noses touched, forcing you to throw your head back in shock. “You’re the one that ditched me, for some girl, that doesn’t know that you have a peeve of people not putting their ankle through the loop when they surf because otherwise it just hangs there, and how it makes you absolutely crazy when Kie dresses like a kook. Wait a moment, did you tell her that you were a kook?”

He laughed, noticing how a frown formed upon Lizzie’s face. “That’s truly amusing, lying about your wealth to attract the attention of a pretty girl, when you have a guy that absolutely adores you for who and what you are. He’s pogue and proud, and currently speaking in third person because he’s scared to openly admit that he’s in love with you.”

It was an unexpected reveal, that statement of how he truly felt, it unfortunately was not just a crush. “She didn’t tell me that she was a kook, you just want there to be issues between me and y/n, which there isn’t. So I suggest you continue walking, she is not interested in you, or your fucking feelings. We are dating, and she is moving with me, so grow up and deal with it.”

“Wait-“ your words ended as he continued walking. You knew he would take the news terribly, but you never guessed it would be him walking away, rather than the other way around. You were going to be 43 hours away from your home to spend time with the one that you were coiled in a relationship with. It was not how you wanted things to end, instead you wanted him to breathe his vape into your face and be like normal.

[thepropertylovers]

How I Really Feel About Living on a Farm

“What am I doing?”

This is a common question I ask myself out at the farm. I’m so out of my element here. I grew up in the middle of town (in the house we live in now, actually) so far from any kind of farm experience, and to be honest, I liked it that way. I had no interest in visiting or spending any amount of time on a farm, let alone live on one. The only “farm” I did go to when I was young was my grandma’s and it wasn’t even an actual farm- it was just a lot of acres.

Meanwhile, PJ grew up on a farm and spent every waking minute outside with his sister and cousins running around the pastures, swimming and playing in the creeks, climbing trees, and accruing just about every animal that has ever walked the earth. We couldn’t be more different in that regard.

So PJ, obviously, is very much in his element out here. He spends all day outside working on the land or taking care of the animals and it’s total bliss for him. Nature restores and relaxes him. It’s his happy place; a place he can be free to do whatever his creative mind and big heart desires. I’ve mentioned before how he always has to be doing something, and on a farm with a never-ending to do list, there’s always something for him to do.

On any given day, PJ could be burning brush, mowing the fields with his tractor and/or lawn mower (two machines he is obsessed with and for good reason: I drove the zero-turn mower a few weeks and that thing is so fun!), cleaning up the yard and trimming the trees, demoing the inside of Holiday House, installing lights, tending to the sheep and the geese, and calling a million contractors (who have been extremely difficult to deal with lately but that’s a story for a different day) to work on bigger jobs like building the fences and the ponds. My fingers are exhausted from typing all of that. I can’t imagine how he feels.

The crazy thing is, as he’s told me before: it’s not really even work to him. I mean it is, but it’s not. He enjoys it so much that I don’t think he considers it a chore or a burden that weighs him down, it’s just part of starting a farm and he isn’t (and has never been) afraid of putting in the elbow grease required to achieve his dreams.

Then enter me. For reasons mentioned above as to why I feel I am out of my element at OF (Ocoee Farm), I know absolutely nothing about starting a farm or caring for farm animals. I have read articles online about it and watched a few documentaries that inspired the hell out of us to actually do this thing, but I think I’ve determined I’m going to have to learn the old fashioned way: by experience. And of course, from PJ. I learn so much from him on a daily basis about the mechanics and workings of everything out here. He knows so much about so much (he swears he doesn’t but don’t believe him) that I never get tired of learning from him. Ever.

Though I feel out of place at the farm, I will be the first to admit, I love being here. I love living at our farm. I love the freedom and the space and the hills and the mountain (oh my god the mountain!) that is always watching over us from high above. I always thought I would hate living so far from town but I haven’t minded it one bit since we’ve been spending more time here. Now, that could change once school starts for the boys in the fall (and we have to drive 30 min just for school, which we may not even entertain that idea), but for now I am content; smitten even, with how far away from the outside world we feel. 

PJ’s mom and my mom keep checking in with me to see if I really do like it out here. They both admit they knew PJ would love it, but had their doubts about how I would feel not being in town anymore. They were relieved and maybe even a little shocked when I told them I was completely happy at the farm, and to be honest, I think I was a little surprised by how much I enjoy it out here, too.

All five of us just seem to function better at the farm. The kids have so much space to run and play and explore, and they’re so tired (and dirty) at the end of the day that they have no problem falling asleep at bedtime. And then there’s no need to go into anymore detail about PJ because you already know he is in heaven out here, so then that leaves me, and y’all, I am loving the new experiences that seem to happen daily at Ocoee Farm, for example, the other night I helped milk a goat (!) for the first time in my life. It was wild and different and beautiful and weird but the thing that made it so great was that I did it with PJ. Just the two of us and that beautiful, innocent animal. It’s hard to explain, but it was an intimate moment that I never would have gotten in town, and I’m feeling extra grateful for OF and for PJ today.

So after spending more than a month out here at Ocoee Farm and Holiday House, I’ve come to the conclusion that I know exactly what I’m doing here, even if I don’t always know how to do it. No, wait, that doesn’t make sense. Basically, I love it here because, well, I do, and my family does, and I’m 100% sure this is exactly where we’re all supposed to be right now.

This is our future, and I think it’s going to be a wild and different and beautiful and weird and great future for all of us.

[nibimatatabi]

Call It What You Want

@hogwarts-junkie

I have time to kill before work so buckle up buttercup I’m taking you on a ride.

A/N :: I love sad headcanons but I like happy endings so I’ma play god for a bit for kicks. This ended up killing like 9 hours of my life by the way and it’s missing giant pieces. Just so we’re all aware. Also yes - Taylor Swift title because it’s *fitting*

Somehow he survived. He wasn’t sure how, gasping and drenched in the middle of an unfamiliar living room, choking on air and the water in his lungs. But he was alive. Kreacher’s voice, the familiar, deep bullfrog sound, carried from above and to his left and he couldn’t figure out where the house elf was, or who he was talking to. He couldn’t even really make out words. His head was swimming and he was certain that he was still drowning - so sure, because now instead of Sirius’s disapproving face there was Cassandra, wide blue eyes and fear but Merlin was she like an angel. He didn’t deserve an angel. Heaven was not for him. The vision swayed and his arms buckled, sending him back down onto the rug, sputtering. It was as though he’d never been pulled from the water - he couldn’t draw breath anyway. Not that it mattered; he was dead anyway.

The jarring sound of something hitting the ground had woken Cassandra, followed shortly after by the sound of Sebastian growling. Low, steady, it was the feline ready to pounce. She shifted up, shoving her comforter away from her body and reaching for the lap beside her bed. “You.” Something croaked at her from the darkness and Cassandra’s entire body froze, attempted desperately hard to shut down against whatever phantom was in her room. Autopilot was all that got the lamp on and her wand in her hand. She slept with it on her nightstand whenever she was home, never knowing if she would find herself the target of an attack. “You can help him. You have to help him. Save Master Regulus, please.” The sight of the house elf in her room drew two or three questions from Cassandra’s mind, but more importantly she felt a different kind of fear settle in her chest. She couldn’t help Regulus, couldn’t save him - she knew that, had known that, he knew that.

“How did you get in my house?” She asked, voice very small as Kreacher came, swiftly, to her bed and grabbed her wrist, impatient. He was shaking, Cassandra noted, and- “What happened?” Kreacher shook his head, pulling her down the stairs and into the living room. Cassandra reached for the light switch as she was pulled past, her fingers just missing. Regulus was on his hands and knees, gasping for air and coughing - drowning, Cassandra thought. Drowning outside of water, dying in her living room for what reason? She dropped to her knees without thinking, her eyes wide as she tried to figure out what to do. She wasn’t a healer or a doctor, she was just a, now very scared, seventeen year old who didn’t know what to do. His arms buckled under him, and as he hit the rug, Cassandra thought he was dead. Even with that thought, she was moving her wand, hand perfectly still. It was eerie to her how she could be panicking inside and it only showed in her eyes. “Please God.” She breathed, trying to remember how to get someone breathing again - the muggle way or with her wand she didn’t care.

It was nothing short of a miracle that, five minutes later, Cassandra had gotten Regulus’s lungs clear. His breathing was shallow, but he was breathing, and while he was unconscious, that was workable. What wasn’t workable was the fact that he would be so easily hunted by the Death Eaters. The mark meant he could be tracked anywhere, and whatever he had just done, Cassandra was certain he was now the lamb for slaughter. “Kreacher-” she started, turning her head to look for the house elf. He was in the kitchen, fumbling in the dark, making tea. Well, to each their own coping mechanisms. “Never mind.”

***

Cassandra was anxious through finals. By anxious, she meant entirely ready to crawl out of her skin. Crouch had grabbed her when she had entered the common room, bewildering no fewer than five other people, and hauled her into the corridors. “He’s dead.” He had hissed, angrily. “The fuck did you do, Delacroix? You got him killed didn’t you? Made him turn his back on everything he believed in you-” Cassandra had been unable to draw breath, had burst into tears before he could finish berating her. That had thrown Crouch off. Cassandra didn’t cry - not around people. She became small, she turned in on herself, or she puffed up and took up as much space as she could, made herself a bigger target. But she didn’t cry. “Hey. No, you stop that. You caused this, you don’t get to- stop crying, Delacroix, dammit.” He had lost someone he considered his best friend. It wasn’t hard to see why he was tearing up too.

That did not make them friends. Cassandra tiptoed around Crouch, because if she slipped up even slightly it wouldn’t end well. Sunshine got a workout for the last part of term, flying back and forth from Hogwarts to - well, the where wasn’t important. Puffett grieved with Cassandra, and kept her close to him. Kept her at his side constantly with his Hufflepuff girls. He was ‘weirdly’ possessive of her. Cassandra counted down the days, once more, until she left Hogwarts.

***

“Be good. Your grandmama is very excited about you coming to live with her.” Her father took her moving back to Paris a lot better than her mother did. Cassandra was thankful for that. She loaded up Sebastian, finished packing her things, and left. She wondered idly on the plane ride how long they could run. Just how long they could survive.

***

“Got any Queens?”

“Go fish.”

Three months already. Three months of Cassandra being careful, pulling strings, walking on eggshells, and learning. Her grandmother helped - a lot. The woman had the connections that Cassandra needed, and Cassandra had the magic to back up the name. Here, so long as she never mentioned much more than her name, Delacroix carried weight. She wasn’t important in her own right, but her family was. Once they had been great - now only half of them were. Cassandra didn’t mind. “So when are you leaving?”

“End of the week.” Cassandra brought her eyes up from her cards. “Got any sevens?” The grumble of annoyance was her answer. She grinned.

“You’ll come back though, right?” Her little cousin looked up with wide eyes.

“I always do.” Cassandra assured her with a little smile.

“But not with him?” She looked past Cassandra, to the man sleeping on the couch, his hand just brushing against Cassandra’s back. The young cousin frowned softly, looking back to Cassandra.

“No, he won’t be back for awhile.” Gently, Cassandra took the seven from her cousin and matched it with her own, laying them down in front of her knees.

“How long is awhile? Abby likes when he flies with her.” The toddler, of course, would enjoy riding on a broom. Cassandra hummed softly.

“We’ll have to see.” The ten year old sighed, putting her elbows on her knees and her fists against her face.

“I hate when grownups say that. It means never.” She sniffled.

“No it does-” she stopped when Regulus’s hand moved, clutching the fabric of the shirt she wore. “Doesn’t. ‘kay we’re going to play another game, Ana. Hide and seek with Abby. I’ll count.”

“We aren’t done-oh.” They played hide and seek whenever Cassandra was thinking on her feet. Ana hopped up, taking the cards and quickly scampering off to get her little sister. Cassandra got up, stretching her legs and sweeping her wand idly around the room. She murmured enchantments to protect the family - and particularly Ana and Abby, who had already lost their biological parents to the war - before she looked at Regulus.

“Faster than last time.” He said after a few moments. Cassandra nodded.

“Yeah, well, they still aren’t catching you, now are they? I might not be able to outsmart your Dark Lord, but I can outsmart Rosier and Snape.” Cassandra opened the balcony door, stepping out and peering around the garden. Dusk, the only thing she could easily see was the family hippogriff - a great watchdog, who was staring at something just beyond the hedges. She heard the crack of apparation behind her and sighed softly - it would take her a month to find him again.

Two figures separated themselves from the horizon. Cassandra leaned idly against the railing, staring at them. She blocked the first attack on the magical beast below, giving him time to get aloft. The second strike, aimed at her, took out the metal rail. “Oi! How rude! Didn’t anyone teach you to leave the architecture intact?” She called down. Why they didn’t send, say, Bellatrix, after Regulus was beyond Cassandra. She couldn’t hold that bitch off - not even slightly.

“Where is he?” Amplified and distorted, Cassandra couldn’t tell what man was calling to her. She peeked through the twisted metal, flicking her wand and dangling one of the two upside down by his ankles.

“Where is who? Father Perrot? He’s at the church.” Ironic, given that Father Perrot was a wizard.”Or his son? Jaime is still at Beauxbaton but, I mean, you probably knew that already.” The one not trying to figure out how to stop dangling twelve feet in the air lifted his wand. Cassandra did as well, raising his friend higher. “Ahah~ careful now, if I have to move to block you, he’s going to go crashing down~” Cassandra trilled. By now, had Regulus been there, he’d have been fighting back. They all knew it. The man still moved to attack, and Cassandra’s wand shot in a zig-zag pattern, deflecting the attack back. Sure enough, the second man took a spill - though he was able to slow himself some.

“Mudblood bitch!”

“Get new insults!” She shot back, throwing a parting hex at the pair as they apparated.

***

Summer rolled slowly into fall, and as the leaves fell off of the trees, so diminished Cassandra’s hope that they could keep this up. The constant running was running Regulus into the ground, and he hardly slept when he was alone. Cassandra did better, knowing and learning every nook and cranny of France and having asylum with the French Ministry as she did. She was safe here - but Regulus wasn’t. If he went forward, they would jail him in a heartbeat.

“Come here you little orange-” she caught Sebastian as he ducked down an alley, the bell on his collar jingling a little louder than should be allowed. Given she had enchanted it to keep up with him, it didn’t startle her too badly. What did startle her was how fluffed up Sebastian was, hissing at someone who was quickly walking away. “Mm, bad choice, Kitty.” Cassandra murmured, snatching the cat up. While she didn’t know the person off hand, she was willing to bet he was a wizard, and probably a Death Eater. Damnable people. But, like her, they were just trying to survive. She was the link to a traitor - she could be good bait, if anyone could get their grimy little paws on her.

***

Things seemed to settle, just a little, in France. Cassandra managed to persuade someone to give Regulus a place to stay, though it was on a week-by-week basis for him. Cassandra stayed with her grandparents, but also with Father Perrot so she could mind Abby and Ana. That was where most of her money was coming from - being a babysitter in a way. “I’ll start Beauxbatons next fall. Do you think you’ll still be here? For Abby, I mean.” Ana said one evening over dinner, looking up at Cassandra and Regulus. He had been hesitant to return to the Perrot estate, but it hadn’t taken much cajoling to get him to tag along.

“Probably. I don’t exactly have too many other places to go.” Cassandra said after a few moments of thought. Ana considered it, and nodded her head.

“Yeah...I guess not.” She looked at Regulus, studying him quietly. He was quiet - always so quiet now - but Ana wasn’t afraid of him, and Abby, who had cried and screamed when she first met Father Perrot, had taken to him like a duck to water. To them, Cassandra and Regulus were more family than the Perrots. “Will you still be here too?” The girls didn’t know his real name, didn’t even know what to call him, and it was better that way. Regulus looked up from his plate, which he had been poking at moodily, and inclined his head slightly toward Cassandra.

“That depends on her.” He said softly. If she was able to keep up, if she was able to continue to outsmart the unmarked lackeys, if she could outsmart whoever Voldemort sent.

“He will be.” Cassandra’s voice was still gentle, but firm. He had nearly died to get the damn locket - she wasn’t letting him die because she couldn’t outmaneuver a few other Slytherins.

***

“Hello?” It was a weird hour for the phone to be ringing, number one, and number two, who was giving her grandparents a ring at this hour?

“Cassie?”

“Wh-Sirius? How did you-”

“I’m an uncle. A godfather.” The line went dead. Cassandra stared at the phone.

“You’re not a damn uncle, my girls aren’t even mine let alone your brother’s.” Cassandra sounded offended. The last of July, seeping into August, a whole year of playing the game. The very, very dangerous game. A whole year of watching papers, of listening, of moving among people she didn’t even like in order to keep up. And Sirius calls her to tell her he’s an uncle - a godfather. James must have had a kid.

***

News travels fast, and fourteen months drag by like molasses. Cassandra was picking up bread when she heard it. The silence that fell across the whole alley like a cloak, followed by soft murmuring, and then an uproarious cheer. “He’s dead!” Someone shouted, and a moment later sparks were filling the air. Cassandra spun around, blue eyes searching the crowd.

“What-”

“You-Know-Who is dead!” Her heart stopped for just a second. An older woman grabbed her and hugged her tightly. “He’s dead, he’s dead! London is safe!” The cheering and dancing and partying lasted well into the night, while Cassandra tracked down Regulus.

She all but burst into the hotel room he was in, in a seedy part of muggle France, and launched herself into him. “He’s dead. He’s dead, Regulus, we can go home.”

Regulus held her against him, quiet, confused. Dead. Voldemort was dead. He was dead, and yet that didn’t ease the worry in Regulus. Even if they went back, he had still been a Death Eater. Traitor or not, he would still end up in Azkaban, and he couldn’t- “We-no, you can, Cassandra, but I-he’s dead but-” he sank back down onto the foot of the bed, releasing Cassandra and looking up at her. Hollow, his expression, his face, he didn’t even feel human any longer. He had been running for over two years.

“Regulus...”

“I can’t. Not, with this mark, Cassandra. They’ll...I’ll end up in Azkaban.” He had been having panic attacks, the longer he was in hiding, the longer he was running from death. He couldn’t breath, and for a moment he was back in that cave, drowning, Kreacher’s hands grasping his ankle while bony fingers grabbed his shoulders, his cloak - and then it was Cassandra grabbing his shoulders, saying his name softly over and over again until he was aware of her.

“Where are we, Reg? How many times have we done this? I will not leave you.” Hotel. France. Not London. Not that damned cave. Too many times. She still hadn’t run. After everything the stupid muggleborn was still sitting there, holding onto him - him! - and looked entirely unflinching. How many Death Eaters had she sneered at, unflappable, unwilling to give him up, unwilling to protect herself if it meant leaving him alone? Too many.

“Please.” He whispered once he could breath again, unsure if he was asking her to leave or asking her to stay.

“We can wait.” She murmured softly.

***

“Here’s an idea, keep your hands off of me.” Cassandra tossed her hair over her shoulder as one Dolores Umbridge tried to haul her into the courtroom. She was watching trials, trials of people she knew and of people she didn’t, and she was also a character witness for Regulus. Like his mother. Who was seething across the room with such rage that it actually made Cassandra warm inside. Ah, to be the one who brought down the house.

“You’re an impertinent little girl.” The woman snipped, sniffing haughtily.

“And you’re a ridiculously overstuffed and overfluffed woman.” Crouch, stepping past them, snorted.

“Excuse me!”

“I’ve got her, Dolores. She’s always been a handful.” Crouch had been beyond furious to discover that Regulus had lied, but Crouch, for his part, considered that water under the bridge. He offered Cassandra his arm, and she tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes.

“I was supposed to lead her in, she’s a witness for Mr. Black!”

“And I thought I was his friend, so I have her, Dolores.” Perfectly level. Cassandra would have thought him being pleasant if not for the way Umbridge colored and lowered her head.

“Glad to see you’re still kind as always.” She muttered as they entered the courtroom. Igor Karkaroff was up first.

“Mm, and you’re bolder. I suppose we’re both growing stupid in our young age.” Crouch gestured for her to sit, and he planted himself beside her. Both looked bored, though Cassandra marginally less so every time she caught Walburga glowering at her. At those moments she looked positively smug.

Karkaroff’s trial was dragging, and ridiculously boring. Cassandra was pleased that Rosier had ended up dead (shame on her), but the surprise came when Crouch rose, excusing himself, and Karkaroff rounded on him. Cassandra’s eyebrows shot up. She tilted her head at the man who was trying to escape, and felt her body go cold at the total disgust in his father’s voice. Growing up with a father like Senior, Cassandra could almost see why the pureblood would go to the dark side (later, when she learned he and the Lestrange’s had been responsible for what happened to the Longbottoms, she would want to put his head on a spike herself).

“Son of a bitch.” She muttered in surprise as he was taken, blue eyes narrowing in disgust. Twenty minutes later, Karkaroff was taken away, and Cassandra’s anxiety shot through the roof. During the brief recess, she paced the hall like a trapped animal, anxious, nervous, terrified. What if they decided he had done everything oh-so willingly? What if they thought he was just running from the Ministry? What-if-what-if-what-if. And to make matters worse, Sirius had been wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of Lily and James. And Peter.

“Mrs. Black, if you could come forward.” Crouch didn’t seem too terribly shaken up about having thrown his son into holding. He was still covering the courtroom perfectly calmly. Walburga rose, elegant, graceful, and sharp, stepping down to stand alongside the cage that her youngest son was bound in. Even unable to see his face, Cassandra could almost guarantee that he was tense, waiting on the outcome he expected and trying not to show it.

Regulus’s nails dug into the palm of his hand, the only indication of how he felt, trapped like an animal. Why had he let Cassandra convince him to do this?! He was going to Azkaban - because of her. Because she thought she could outwit politicians - his mother even. No one could outsmart Walburga Black. “Please state your name and relationship to the Death Eater.” Moody’s voice was bored.

“Walburga Black, I am his mother.” The woman’s head was lifted, proud, defiant, and yet she ignored Regulus beside her, looking only at each person on the panel who spoke. “We are a proud family; my husband is dead, and I am a widow alone. You cannot possibly take my only son from me.” Regulus would have rolled his eyes, but that would have been an expression other than boredom, and that would have cracked his resolve.

“Our records indicate you have an older son, Mrs. Black. One Sirius-”

“I do NOT!” She half shrieked. Cassandra watched the panel, including Dumbledore, exchange glances.

‘Keep it up, lady. You’re about to make me seem less crazy.’ Cassandra thought, taking slow, deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

“I have one son, and you’re ready to falsely imprison-”

“With all respect, Mrs. Black, your son bears the Dark Mark.” Dumbledore spoke mildly, calmly, and Regulus felt a cold chill creep down his spine. He couldn’t help but wonder if Dumbledore had known all along - if he would send Regulus to rot because he knew. From the corner of his eye, he saw his mother struggle, seething, and almost wished she would draw her wand.

‘Do it. Do it, show them what we are.’ He thought viciously. If she struck, then Cassandra wouldn’t even have to consider lying. She could tell them it was Walburga’s fault, Walburga pushed Sirius away, pushed Regulus into the Dark Arts. But Walburga’s expression became calm again, and tears filled her eyes.

“Oh! Oh I can’t- it must have been that cousin of his! Oh, Bellatrix always acted before she thought.” Walburga turned on the waterworks, crying out and bemoaning how Bellatrix had a hand in this outcome, how it was Bellatrix who did this. Regulus felt sick. While it was Bellatrix’s fault he had killed someone, she had never suggested to bring him into the fold at sixteen. “I knew I shouldn’t have let her around him.” Walburga’s pleas were cut short, and Dolores escorted the sobbing mother back to her seat.

“Enlightening.” Crouch muttered, clearly not understanding the affection. “Miss Delacroix.” He gestured, and Cassandra rose, elegant, graceful, and soft. Much as Walburga, she came down the steps with her head up, focus set on Crouch, hands laced before her body. Her posture contrasted with Walburga’s, the difference night and day. Cassandra wasn’t here to defend herself. “Please state your name and relationship to the Death Eater.”

“Cassandra Marie Delacroix; girlfriend.” She heard a quick muttering - she had to be pureblood, or at least halfblood.

“What is your blood status, Miss Delacroix?” Dumbledore spoke mildly, looking down from his glasses. His eyes twinkled, warmth, fatherly affection, something that she couldn’t see in Crouch or Moody’s gaze.

“I am muggleborn.” She felt the heated glare on her back moments before she heard Walburga’s shriek.

“Filthy mudblood whore!” The woman screamed. Crouch shot up straight, staring at the woman.

“Get her out of my courtroom!” Regulus flinched, much as he could, in his restraints and it took him a moment to realize that Walburga wasn’t firing crucio after crucio at him or Cassandra. He had been so sure she would, had been certain that he would be tortured right there, unable to fight back. “Muggleborn, then. Were you unaware of the Death Eater’s status?” Crouch continued once the doors slammed shut, heavy, behind Walburga.

“I was not. Only a fool would put their life at risk in this way.”

“And yet you said ‘girlfriend’ and not ‘ex’ girlfriend. Miss Delacroix, does this not make you a fool?”

“I have never felt fear for my life, the life of my parents, or the lives of any other muggleborns I know when around Mr. Black. Compared to people such as Rosier, Mulciber, and Avery, who have called me ‘mudblood’ since I was eleven, I feel perfectly safe with him.” Cassandra waited. She wanted them to spoon feed her the answers, give her the opening she needed. All they had to do was point her, and she’d go.

“You never noticed anything strange about Mr. Black?” Dumbledore was patient, and Cassandra inclined her head, considering the question. She could almost feel Regulus begging her to keep her mouth shut.

“I-...once, he seemed, a little disoriented one morning, right, right before Easter break our last year of Hogwarts...I-I didn’t think much about it, I mean, it was finals time.” Cassandra bit her lip. “Maybe-maybe I should have mentioned it to Professor Slughorn...” she dropped her eyes. She waited. Regulus was frozen, waiting, hoping.

“Disoriented as if he had been confounded?” Crouch asked slowly. Cassandra, looked up, blinking back tears. Crocodile tears.

“It-not quite. I, I can recognize confounded...I mean, it-it wasn’t unusual for-” she wrung her hands, like she didn’t want to implicate anyone else.

“Less disoriented, or more?” Dumbledore coaxed. Cassandra wasn’t sure if he knew what she was doing, but she didn’t intend to ask.

“More.” Her voice was small. She lowered her eyes, glancing at Crouch through her lashes. His expression had shifted some, thoughtful.

“Miss Delacroix, clearly you stayed in contact with the-Mr. Black.” Crouch paused a moment, collecting himself. “How was that possible?”

“I went back to France, with my grandparents; Grandmama and her family are kneazle breeders, even though Grandmama can only do very, very simple spells.” Cassandra bit her lip. “He sent me owls, and would visit from time to time. He said getting away from work was difficult.”

“Did you ever ask what he was doing?”

“He claimed his father’s business.” Easy - because that��s what he was supposed to be taking over, after all.

“Very well. That’s enough, Miss Delacroix.” Crouch dismissed her, and Cassandra returned to her seat, leaving Regulus alone before his judge and jury once more. He didn’t want to look at any of them, while they whispered and muttered, shaking their heads, muttering more, and then, finally, Crouch exhaled. “Very well. Based on testimony, it has been determined that Regulus Black was placed under the Imperius Curse.” Regulus couldn’t breath. “He will be exonerated.” Now he really couldn’t breath. How?!

Cassandra waited in the hall, and the moment the bewildered man stepped out of the doors, she threw herself into his arms, burying her face against his neck. She beat Walburga by a mile, the older woman ‘restrained’ down the hall to keep from attacking Cassandra. “How?” He murmured against her hair, holding her tightly against him.

“No one gives me enough credit for what I am. Bright, loyal, and cunning as a fox.” Cassandra murmured in return.

***

 She said yes. Regulus hadn’t known how to propose to her, had been terrified, really, that she would come to her senses and walk away. But she didn’t; she hadn’t. She said yes instead. He had anticipated having no one show up for him - given his mother had disowned him with a swiftness and Sirius was in Azkaban. That was pending review, though. But the amount of people Cassandra had made up for it. Her parents, her grandparents, a few people her grandparents knew, Lucile and her husband, Evanna and her family who had adopted Lucile (Evanna’s father had given her away at her wedding, after all). It was small and intimate, and almost made up for the fact that Regulus’s blood family was- well.

“Oh! Hold on a second!” Cassandra’s grandmother clapped her hands. “Eddie, would you go get them? We have a little surprise before the bride.” The woman grinned. One of the friends jumped up and left for a minute, and when he came back it was with a family of three. “Oh I hope you don’t mind, sweetheart. I couldn’t bear-” Grandmama Delacroix had managed to convince the Tonks family to come. It hadn’t been hard, seeing as she was able to tell Andy ‘your little cousin is marrying my granddaughter - muggleborn. We’d love for you to come.’

***

By the time he was 25, Regulus had a wife, a future, a family that turned a blind eye. They pretended they didn’t know, or that they didn’t care. He had turned his back on his parents and their expectations - had gone against everything he had been raised to do. He had gone out of his way to try to take down the Dark Lord, even. In fact, the locket Kreacher kept for him was a reminder of that.

Regulus rolled over, looking at the woman asleep beside him. He didn’t deserve her, but she wouldn’t leave him. Regulus wasn’t certain that he hadn’t died that night in the cave, wasn’t sure that an angel hadn’t come along and finished the job the corpses had started. A grumpy growl from her other side told him he was alive, though - Sebastian still hated that his pillow had become someone else’s, even if it was Regulus. “Cat.” He murmured, wrapping an arm around Cassandra and letting his eyes close again.

[darlingpetao3]

Troubled Waters (Barry Allen x Reader)

Rating: G

Summary: After the Particle Accelerator exploded, many unsuspecting people began to show various and odd abilities. Following a vicious attack while night-surfing on that fateful day, you, the Reader, became one of those people. Thankfully, the brilliant minds at S.T.A.R. Labs (and the gorgeous Barry Allen) are willing to help you find your way and shield you from an intimidating organization.

'Come to S.T.A.R. Labs,' they said. 'It'll be fun,' they said.

You hadn't known what to expect when Doctor Harrison Wells contacted you out of the blue one day regarding your incident almost ten months ago. But since there were these strange people stalking you around every corner, you were relieved to have somewhere to hide out. Although, being here in the labs, with three pairs of scientific eyes on you, you feel like an odd specimen. And though the members of S.T.A.R. Labs seemed to have gotten the gist of your current situation, they were still very intrigued to know the full details of your story. To know about your very special ability...

“So let me get this straight,” Cisco Ramon, mechanical engineer, starts. You can sense the judgement in his voice. “You were surfing at night when the Particle Accelerator exploded? In December?” Just then, a breathtaking guy strides into the room. He's tall, has perfect hair, and a face like an artist had sculpted it.

“Who's night surfing in December?” he asks. “That sounds fun.” He actually sounds genuine about it. People usually think you're crazy for doing it. You almost forget to talk because he's so distracting to look at.

“That would be me. And, yes, Mr. Ramon” you say, crossing your arms defensively. “Believe it or not, December is a really good time to surf. The weather gets stormy and stirs up some nice waves. And I do it at night because it's peaceful and you get to see the city all lit up.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense. And please, call me Cisco. Mr. Ramon is my father. And I only let Doctor Wells call me that because he's already set in his ways.” You make a mental note. But back to the handsome fellow... Wells sees you’re distracted with Barry and makes the introductions.

“Barry Allen, meet (Y/N). Our new case study and friend.” Barry's face lights up in recognition.

“I've heard that name before,” he says, shaking your hand. Then it hits him. “You're Shark Girl! Sorry, I mean, that was the name the paper gave you.” He scratches the back of his neck, looking suddenly very embarrassed. Ah yes, the paper. When CCPN interviewed you about the attack, you didn't know they would give you a horrible nickname that would, unfortunately, catch on.

“The paper didn't cite everything I told them. Let me tell you the full story.”

You launch into the tale of your fateful incident, explaining that with this past winter being warmer than previous years, it was a perfect night to surf. You grabbed your wetsuit, board, and left to catch some late-evening waves thanks to the wind. You loved the quietness of the waterfront when no one was there. That, and the way the lampposts along the walkway and the lights of the city illuminated the waters.

At one point, though, things took a turn.

First, it started to rain. Which was strange, because the weather hadn't called for it.

Something brushed your feet underneath the water. That's too big to be a fish... you had thought. It brushed against you again. You saw a fin pop out of the water and before you had time to panic about the creature, an enormous, bright beam of light exploded from the other side of town. You sat in the water, momentarily transfixed at the sight. The light seemed to create a ripple effect, knocking out all sources of power, leaving the entire city dark.

Except for the erratic lightning flashing in the sky.

A surprise force pulled you off your board and you struggled to keep your head above water. Something had your leg in its mouth. You couldn't see, it was so dark. You were freaking out and screaming for help while accidentally swallowing water. The last thing you saw was a blinding light and the last thing you felt was electrocution...

You met the young couple that saved you from drowning in your hospital room after you finally woke up sometime following that night. They had heard your cries from the water and came running through the dark and sandy shoreline. Central City Picture News made them out as heroes, which they were, but ended up portraying you as the irresponsible dummy. And that is precisely why you don't read the newspaper anymore.

The doctor had disclosed to you that you were unconscious for an abnormal amount of time, plus he had to operate on your leg to extract multiple shark's teeth. Oh God. Thank goodness you were unconscious for all that.

But hey, free shark tooth necklace?

“In your email reply, you mentioned something about 'personal transformational issues.'” Caitlin Snow, bio-engineer, says. “Do you mean to say you have special abilities? Because after what we've seen recently, it wouldn't be abnormal.”

“I suppose you could say that. It all started happening maybe a month ago?” you offer.

“The approximate date does line up with the majority of other appearances of meta-humans in the city,” Wells confirms.

“Wait, what kind of abilities do you have?” asks Barry. Oh no, you don't want to tell him! It's so embarrassing and bizarre. You know you're just going to scare him away.

Maybe even literally.

“I can...” you mumble the rest of your words.

“I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. You can what?”

“I can turn into a shark.” There. The truth is out. Does Barry look... impressed?

“Narly,” Cisco says, biting into a piece of liquorice.

“Wow. That must be a real experience,” Barry muses. “Can you transform on command?”

“No, it doesn't seem to work that way,” you explain. Your head suddenly feels funny. You start feeling woozy and lightheaded, so you stumble, but Barry is extraordinarily quick to catch you.

“Whoa!” His hands grab your waist while yours hang onto his strong shoulders.

“What's wrong?” Caitlin asks, concerned. “What are you feeling right now?” Your head wobbles around and you tell her you need to get to freshwater and fast.

“But I seriously doubt you have a pool of freshwater in this place,” you say weakly.

“Not a pool, but we have a freshwater fish tank down in the lower levels!” Cisco pipes up. “This is gonna be so cool. And you'll be needing a new name for sure. 'Shark Girl' is just so, ugh!” Barry, Caitlin, and Wells give Cisco various dude, there's a time and a place looks.

“Please excuse Mr. Ramon,” Wells says as he turns around in his motorized chair. “If you'll just follow us. Mr. Allen, please help the poor girl.”

“Look at her go.”

“It's fascinating, really.”

“The fact that she needs to re-oxygenate her blood every so often is quite astounding.”

You can hear their distorted voices through the giant freshwater tank that you swim laps around. It feels so good to be back in the water. You can think so much clearer now. You notice Barry is following you around with his eyes while you're in your horrid shark form. You'll never have a chance with him now that he's seen you this in this state.

After you spend an adequate amount of time in the tank, you towel off and prepare to face the comments of your spectators. Your shark form is slowly receding upon being acclimatized once again to the air in the room. Caitlin, Cisco, and Wells confer with each other in a little brainiac huddle. Barry is the one that approaches you at the steps to the tank as you towel dry your hair. You bring the towel in front of your face to hide from him.

“Don't look at me,” you tell him.

“Why would you say that?”

“Because. In there. I was a monster, I was hideous.”

“(Y/N), listen, I don't know what kind of shark attacked you during the explosion, but I’m pretty sure it was a cute shark.”

Oh my god.

“I mean,” he continues, face growing pink, “most sharks are pretty scary looking, right? But there are cute ones out there too, and it would make sense it had to be one of those cute ones that... I'm just gonna stop talking now.”

“Barry, are you calling me cute?” you tease. Before the either of you can say anything else, the rest of the team comes over.

“Do you transform whenever you come in contact with water?” Caitlin inquires, pen and clipboard in hand.

“Like Gremlins...” says Cisco. You point a finger at him.

“Don't even think about nicknaming me 'Gremlin,'” you joke.

He puts his hands up in surrender. “How about 'Madam Shark'?”

You think about it. It's not bad. You go back to answering Caitlin's question. “Only when I come in contact with freshwater specifically, like down where I used to surf.”

At once, all of your heads turn at a clanking sound echoing from the hallways, growing closer. Men in heavy-duty black uniforms burst through the door. It's them. The people who have been following you around, lurking when they don’t think you’ve noticed. They have guns! Duck and cover!

A stone-faced woman walks in after them, in total command of the room. Frankly, she frightens you more than the big men with guns.

“Harrison,” she addresses Wells. “We understand you're harbouring a dangerous, what are they being called again? Meta-humans?”

“Ms. Waller,” he replies professionally. He steers his motorized chair in her direction. “We can assure you and the rest of A.R.G.U.S. that our friend here would cause no harm to anyone.”

“Tell that to hundreds of wounded citizens this city has acquired thanks to these corrupt meta-humans.”

“Not all the meta-humans are corrupt,” Barry says with annoyance in his voice. “Or have you forgot about the Flash?” This Waller woman ignores him and carries on.

“We're taking her in.” You stiffen. Where are they taking you? Who are these A.R.G.U.S. people and what will they do to you?

“Like hell, you are,” Barry says daringly while moving in front of you. You peek out over his shoulder that’s blocking your view. He makes you feel safe and yet you hardly know him. “We know about your organization's questionable methods for bringing peace. For all we know, you'll use her as some sort of human weapon.”

Yikes.

Wells cuts in again. “Amanda, why don't we discuss this elsewhere.” You’re fairly certain he gives Waller scary dagger-eyes as he rolls past her, signalling to follow him. Surprisingly enough, she does. There's something funny about Doctor Wells, but you can't place it.

Barry turns around to you and places his hands on either side of your arms, a comforting action.

“Don't worry. We won't let them take you. I won't let them take you.” The conviction in his words makes you believe him with all your heart.

“Why would you risk your life for me?”

“Because,” he takes a breath. “I know what you're going through.”

“How could you possibly...?” Wells rolls back in the room as the armed A.R.G.U.S. men begin to file out of the room. He wears a winning smirk and jokingly dusts off his hands as if to mean good riddance. “We won't be seeing them anytime soon.” Barry smiles in relief.

“I don't know how I'm going to keep living like this,” you murmur, motioning to yourself. He takes your hands and looks deep in your eyes.

“You'll have me. I will help you through this.”

In this moment you seem to know two things:

You could tell this guy brings trouble wherever he goes.

And you are falling hard for him.

~

Anonymous Request: Can you do a Barry imagine where on the night of the particle accelerator explosion the reader was surfing. But was attacked by a shark so now she has the ability to turn into a shark. The team finds out and wants to help. When that all meet she tells them about what happened and how she got her powers which is kind of shocking for them and she shows them her abilities and barry helps her deal with it and they grow close and fall in love. Sorry if this is weird.

A/N: I tried my best, Anon! I may not have gotten the full ‘fall in love’ part, but boy if they aren’t growing close! ;)