#shout out to the birds outside my window in the morning too/silly

[scarapanna]

Yippe we did it!!!

I've been brewing for god knows how long, and since I'm finished here's some food for y'all!!

This took me quite a while to finish, and I'd say it paid off pretty well. Plus there's some more lore regarding the AU for everyone!!

[hawksugarbaby]

Shinso x reader - Burning sensation

Fluff

Every morning at 7:00 you would meet shinso outside your dorm to head to school "Hey Hitoshi how ya doin this mornin" you asked sideling up to the boy who you had gotten to know quite well through your walks too and from school, and your time in class, and lunch, and training after school, you were never really away from each other actually. He took comfort in the time you spent together and you enjoyed talking to him and being his friend. It was pretty understandable why he didn't want to be friends, to begin with, but there was no way in hell you were letting the boy go through 3 years of school without any friends! So you made it your own personal mission to change his mind about you, and you were pretty chuffed when he actually stopped pushing you away yep this boat was firmly tied to the dock now. "I'm fine just tired" he was always tired.

The gleaming white windows of your school came into view lighting up the area around it like a child shining a magnifying glass on a bunch of tiny ants swarming to their colony. You nudged his side with your elbow getting his attention "SO I heard someone is getting transferred into the hero course next year!" you were so proud of him! This was his dream come true and he was finally getting his big opportunity "yeah it's pretty crazy" it was true he was more than thrilled to be joining the hero course but he felt like he was betraying you in some way, you should be in there with him! You were just as powerful if not more than he was. It didn't feel right leaving you "I can't believe it Hitoshi! I'm so happy for you, we should go get ice cream later to celebrate!" you walked through the door together weaving through the other people dotted around the corridor to reach your own classroom tucked away at the end . the thought hadn't even crossed your mind about how lonely you would be without Hitoshi, and it was coming up for the end of the year, you would have to cherish your time more than ever. "Ice cream sounds nice."

Th day went on rather uneventfully, thankfully it was lunch now so food was on the top of your mind "what should I get today?" you asked your lavender friend, you were determined to have everything on the menu at least once before you left school, you had quite a few options to go "what about a cappuccino and the udon?" it was pretty lucky he was keeping track of what you had and hadn't got yet otherwise you would never get close to finishing the challenge "you just want my cappuccino huh" you stepped up to the counter and ordered your food and drink which was ready in a flash thanks to lunch rush (give the dude some credit he does lunch for that entire school every day!) "maybe" he gave a lopsided grin and you rolled your eyes.

you both set off for a table near the back where you usually sat when a green-haired boy waving his arm caught your eye "hey Hitoshi is that one of your new classmates" you questioned gesturing to the freckled boy who was frantically trying to get his attention "oh yeah that's midoriya" he brushed off the topic and continued off to your table "hey wait you should go sit with them!" you called after the boy who groaned and span round his purple locks dangled in front of his eyes blocking his view fully but he could tell you weren't gonna let him leave. "but... why?" "because they're your classmates silly come on" you pulled him over to the table much to his dismay "h-hey shinso do you want to sit with us?" midoriya asked and everyone else at the table eyed him up like a flock of vultures inspecting there pray "can (y/n) sit too?" wait no what you weren't in that class why would you sit there? That was like... the top dog table right? "Of course!" oh well oh kay then guess you were one with the big leagues now. "Hi it's nice to meet you, I'm ururaka" she introduced herself with a big grin, you noticed she was holding her juice with 4 fingers and had pink pads in the middle of her fingertips "I'm (l/n) nice to meet you too" you sat down next to Hitoshi excited to make some new friends, maybe if you liked them he would like them more.

"So you and shinso are really good friends huh?" you nodded as you took a sip of your cappuccino and ultimately decided it was one of the less amazing things on the menu "yeah he's like my best friend and I'm pretty much his emotional support dog" you giggled and handed off the warm, bitter drink to him which he was more than happy to take off your hands "in all honesty she should be the one joining your class, daughter of the number 2 hero couldn't cut the hero programme" he teased and everyone else gasped "YOUR DAD IS HAWKS!" yep it was true you were the daughter of the number 2 hero hawks and someone else?? Mum didn't stick around long, your quirk was a little HOT TO HANDLE (roll with it) "what's your quirk! Can you show us!" midoriya begged from across the table which Hitoshi was not happy about he didn't like it when people gave you more attention than he did "um no I definitely cannot show you! But I can tell you what it iss" you sang and the boy grabbed a pencil and notepad out his bag "uh it's called Pheonix I have retractable wings... made of blue fire... and I can fly and shoot the feathers and I have the feather blades like dad and all that jazz" "she also has the same dumb personality" Hitoshi added and you gasped looking at him hurt "don't talk about my dad like that he loves you" he did actually like Hitoshi a surprising amount and you were pretty convinced he shipped you like a 15-year-old girl watching 2 boys in an anime about superheroes (-_-)

"But if your dad is the number 2 hero how come you aren't in the hero course" ouch. You gripped your chopsticks harshly "some bitch thought it would be funny to knock me out during the entrance exam and it was too late to get me in by recommendation" the chopsticks snapped splintering off into a bunch of smaller pieces. The lively nature of the cafe suddenly turned to one of concern when 2 mini puffs of thick smoke filtered out from the back of your blazer blanketing the roof and the smell of burning fabric infiltrated your noses "your burning" Hitoshi said from beside you "OH sorry sorry I didn't notice" you said and started to calm yourself down by stealing Hitoshi's lemonade "you must be upset about having to be in different classes after the new year" the boy with the bird head said. Well yeah but he wouldn't be leaving you completely, you opened your mouth to speak but before you could start Hitoshi started "I don't intend on letting her go half a year alone in that class, either she moves up or I go back down" he grit his teeth at the thought of you being alone in that class by yourself, and if it meant he had to give up his dream of being in the hero course he would. You smiled and then sighed when you realised you couldn't finish your udon since your chopsticks had transformed into toothpicks.

Ah yes, finally the end of the day. You and Hitoshi walked out of the nicely air-conditioned school into the dry blistering heat of the outside world "oh god whyyy" you cried and shook your fist at the sun then immediately regretted it as a bunch of white spots danced around in your eyes (FUN FACT THOSE ARE CALLED PHOSPHENES. Y'know, like phosphor) "so ice cream" you stumbled around trying to your friends and jumped when he put his hands on the back of your shoulders "just keep walking dummy" he said and you did so until you gained your sight back. "It's such a hot day this is evil" you crossed your arms angrily as you made your way to your house since you had decided to get changed before you got ice cream so that the sweltering heat didn't melt you both to a puddle of sweat and ew (THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING WITH OKAY).

"HEY DAD ARE YOU HOME?" you shouted into the house and a little red feather shot down to where you were standing "I'LL TAKE THAT AS A YES THEN" you and shinso wandered up to your room dumping your bags with an audible thud "crop top and jeans?" you asked holding up your clothes and showing them off to Hitoshi "sure why not," he said and pulled out the bag of clothes in the bottom of your wardrobe that you kept there for him. "Vest and shorts?" he held up the clothes and you nodded and he descended down the hall to the bathroom waving to your dad as he went past. It was such a perfect day, it was too good to be overthinking little things like clothes or how lonely you would be without Hitoshi or what he meant when he said when he wasn't leaving you behind or how he really felt about you or- "how's my chicklet?" (hawk's most defining personality trait is that he likes chicken don't @me) your dad asked ruffling your hair "it is too hot to exist right now but Hitoshi and I are gonna get ice cream" you grinned and cracked open your window hoping a breeze would come through and cool you down a smidge. "Like a date?" "No dad it's not a date" "finneee have fun" he pouted and left you alone to get changed.

"Hey, Hitoshi what ice cream do you want?" you asked looking over the menu on the side of the truck that was parked in the park... "it's a vanilla day I think," you stepped up to the counter ordering your ice creams both with a flake obviously and sat on a cool metal bench which was hidden by the big weeping willow tree, it was your favourite spot in the whole park because it was always shady and the big tree made you feel like little kids again, you were so small in comparison and when the wind picked up the branches whipped around like a carousel and tangled together like a curtain to hide behind.

"hey you'll be okay in the class by yourself for a while right?" he asked and took a pit off his ice cream "I'll have to be won't I. I'm really proud of you you know that" you stole the flake that he was about to bite into and took a bite out of it letting the chocolate bit's fall off and land on your crop top melting almost instantly "I know. But I promise I'm gonna get you up there with me. You won the sports festival I don't know why they're taking me" (ROLL WITH IT) he stole your flake in retaliation and started eating his ice cream "because you deserve it stop doubting yourself" you preached. You listened to the cars drive by and the angry drivers honking at each other, in all fairness there were indicators for a reason. The bustling life of the city drowned out by the calm bubble surrounding the 2 of you "well you deserve it too (y/n)" he argued and you both burst into a fit of laughter knowing that it was almost impossible to be mad at each other and this wasn't even close to a reason.

"Hey I need to tell you something" he whispered taking a bite out of the sugary cone "oooh~ are you going to profess your undying love for me" you giggled not knowing what you were getting into in the next few minutes "yes... I am" ".....WHAT!" WELL, THIS TOOK A TURN "I like you. Like in a girlfriend type of way" he sighed when a big flake of his cone cracked and fell into the dirt under him "oh. This is unexpected" you whispered taking a bite out of your own cone getting crumbs down your top "if you don't feel the same it's okay I just wanted you to know" he pursed his lips and drew little circles in the dry dirt "no I do, I do feel the same I guess I just didn't realise I felt the same... does that make sense?" it probably didn't.

Of course, you felt the same, he had been your best friend for a while now so obviously you caught some feelings but you had never given them a title like, a crush or love or anything like that, they were just there. They would either go away or they wouldn't and now you were here. You were glad they hadn't "yeah it does" he smiled and the wind picked up a bit lacing the branches together to create th perfect veil as he leaned down and kissed you softly, it was nice and filled with love and admiration and your face turned soft pink and matched the heat of the sun beating down right now.

It didn't last long unfortunately as 2 pillars of smoke started coming out of your shirt and burning fabric once again took over your senses "NO NO NO NOT NOW COME ON" you shouted feeling the fabric separating on your back and you held the front of your crop top on your front "okay well we're gonna not do that for now" Hitoshi said calmy and you shot him a panicked glance gesturing to your unfortunate situation with your other hand. The back of your top fell off and you arched your back when it came into contact with the cold rugged bark of the willow tree "OKAY WELL NOT WALKING HOME LIKE THAT" he shouted and took off his vest throwing it to you and turning away.

You put it on quickly after you calmed down a bit and you weren't burning anything. "Okay you can turn around," you instructed focusing only on the branches in front of you "what not gonna look at me?" "nope" "why not?" you cleared your throat and clicked your tongue "because if I do this shirt will just burn off too and then we'll have to phone dad and get him to bring me a shirt and then he'll ask how I managed to burn two of my shirts off and then I have to listen to him go on and on like a 15-year-old girl about how he totally called that we would get together and then-" "alright I get it," he said putting his hand over your mouth 'well you just set yourself up for failure' you thought and licked his hand which he pulled back and wiped on your jeans "your gross" he chuckled and stood up wiping the dirt off his jeans and standing directly in your eye line putting his hand out to help you up. Which you didn't accept since you were rather busy ogling those goddamn washboard abs "well your not burning yet but you might be brain dead" he flicked your forehead and you shook your head slightly accepting his help up.

You started to walk home as the bright blue sky turned to a medley of tangerine and lavenders with pink brush strokes in between. "We should get ice cream more often," he said his honeyed voice cutting the silence held between you "I agree, we train so much we deserve it!" you exclaimed "you just wanna see me shirtless" he teased. It took every ounce of willpower you had to not burn the shirt off by accident but thankfully you didn't "pfft no. I want ice cream the shirtless thing doesn't have to be exclusively an ice cream thing" you pointed out nudging his shoulder with yours as your house got closer and he rolled his eyes wrapping his arm around your waist pulling you next to him like 2 magnets sticking to each other.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow Hitoshi," you said once you reached your door "yeah see you tomorrow," he said pecking your cheek and walking off down the road leaving you astonished at your door. "DAD YOUR NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS" you screamed as you entered the house.

4 weeks later

"We have another student joining the hero course" the grumpy teacher announced and you bust into the 1-A classroom with your wings outstretched behind you "PUT THE GREMLIN BACK" shinso shouted from the back of the classroom "GO BACK UNDER THE BRIDGE YOU CAME FROM" you shouted back and took your seat next to him "dad wants to know if you're staying for dinner after training" you whispered, "yeah what are we having?" "chicken" 

[hopelesshunny]

the love languages part iv: quality time (f.w)

pairing: fred weasley x fem!reader

summary: fred wakes y/n one morning so that he can take her on a secret adventure.

warnings: kissing, mentions of war, mentions of death, mentions of eating/food, mentions of marriage/engagement.

word count: 2.2k

a/n: i was so excited to write this part as unlike the previous part of this series, quality time is my personal love language. i'm also quite excited to write the final part of this series as well as finish and post a number of wips so get ready for lots of writing soon!! luv ya'll so much.

*all photos are from pinterest*

series masterlist // part i // part ii // part iii

A quiet groan left Y/N’s mouth as the sun pushed its way through the sheer drapes of hers and Freds shared bedroom. As she began to regain consciousness she could hear the birds chirping outside the window, excited for the morning, she could smell the familiar scent of fresh coffee brewing, but most importantly, she could feel the bed sheets beneath her instead of the comforting rise and fall of her boyfriend's chest. Sighing, she pushed herself out of bed and followed the smell that was escaping from the kitchen, slipper clad feet padding across the wooden floors.

“Mornin’ angel.” Fred smirked, pouring her a cup of coffee and placing it in her eager hands. “Thought I might have to carry you out of bed.”

“What time is it?” She muttered, laying her head against his chest as Fred placed a hand on her back, rubbing small circles.

“It’s 7 in the morning love.” He spoke into her hairline, causing her to pull back from him with a bewildered look.

“It’s Saturday, Freddie.” She exclaimed, still staring at him with a slack mouth.

“I know.” He chuckled, placing a kiss to the side of her head. “I’m taking you somewhere, so drink up.” He said, tapping the coffee cup before pulling himself from her to head back to their bedroom.

She turned to watch him as he sauntered down the hall, a smile forming on her lips at the sight of him. Lucky was an understatement, Y/N often thought that she must have been a saint in her past life and was being blessed in this lifetime with Fred Weasley. From the moment she saw him in first year, her in a uniform that seemed much too big for her body and he with flushed cheeks and a bright smile, she swore to herself that he was the man she was going to marry. In her second year when she watched him and George prank the Slytherins relentlessly and laugh loudly at their stunned faces, she remembered thinking that his laugh was like medicine, it could surely cure any illness. During third year she often found herself staring at Fred constantly from across the Great Hall, hoping that he would return the glance. Then came fourth year when she finally caught his eye, so much so that as he and George ran down the hall, attempting to escape some self-inflicted trouble, he almost ran directly into a wall due to his staring.

Since that moment that had been inseparable - it had begun as Fred’s adolescent attempt to flirt with her but grew into the most beautiful friendship she ever had, when she couldn’t get the hint that he was interested in being more than that. Which is why his invitation to the Yule Ball shocked her in sixth year and his early departure from Hogwarts destroyed her in seventh year. Looking back now all of that seemed silly, from that first glance she caught of Fred she knew that they would find their way together somehow and after the war when she finally had the nerve to walk back into the shop to see if he made it out alive that’s exactly what happened.

The heavy door to the shop creaked as she pulled it open, her heart had plummeted to her stomach as soon as she saw the building from down the street. She was scared, terrified that the ghastly war had taken Fred as its own, so scared that she had pushed off confronting the possibility of it until now.

“Hello?” She called into the empty space. “Freddie? George?” Please be alive, please be alive, is all her brain could muster up to think.

“Y/N?” A voice called from the back. “Y/N!” George shouted as he came into view, running towards her to smother her in a hug.

“Hi.” She spoke softly into his chest, still fearing the fate of his twin. “Fred?” She asked quietly when she pulled back from the hug, concern and worry lacing her features. But the raging storm of guilt and terror within her was calmed when George flashed her a genuine smile and turned to call towards the back room.

“Fred! It’s Y/N, she’s alive.” With that Fred came bustling out from the far end of the shop, his eyes bloodshot, hair messy but that golden smile still plastered on his face. When she saw him tears that she had been holding back for days came flooding down her face as he picked her up, wrapping his arms impossibly tight around her body. George chuckled to himself before making his way up the stairs leaving two lovers that were too stubborn to realize they were lovers to finally become lovers.

“You scared me Y/N.” Fred whispered into her neck. “I thought I’d lost you.” She let out a choked sob before pulling back to look at him.

“There was so much happening, I couldn’t find you.” She said. “And then once it was all over I was worried th-that something had happened and that you w-were.” She trailed off, trying to find the words that made the most sense to her in this very moment but before she could, he was softly shushing her, planting her feet on the ground and placing a sweet kiss to her forehead.

“No need for any of that. I’m here, you’re here, we’re okay.” He spoke, her face in his hands. “I guess now’s as good a time as any to tell you that I’m in love with you Y/N.” He chuckled, earning a giggle from her.

“Fred Weasley, I am way ahead of you on that one.” She retorted, leaning up to capture his lips with hers.

“Okay Weasley, where are we going.” She said, emerging from their bedroom to find Fred on the couch, his head resting back on his neck before snapping it forward at the sound of her voice.

“You know.” He started, getting up from the couch to move toward her, placing his hands on her waist. “I see you every single day and it still feels like that first time I almost snogged the wall trying to catch a glimpse of you.”

“Always a charmer, you were.” She giggled before he reached down to grab her hand, pulling her out the door and down the street. He swung her hand in his as he pointed out abstractly shaped clouds saying they looked like her hair in the morning or her butt when she leaned over to pick something up.

“You still haven’t told me where we’re going.” She spoke.

“We’re going right here.” He said, pulling her into an ice cream shop. “Well, we’re starting right here.”

“Starting?” She questioned. “What do you have up your sleeve, Freddie?” He chuckled at her inquisitive state as she never really trusted Fred when it came to surprises because it typically ended in her hair being dyed a garish colour or something seemingly delicious tasting absolutely horrendous. But this surprise was good, he reassured her with a soothing hand on her back.

With ice cream cones finished and Y/N’s mind still wandering, the pair was now standing in a lush garden in the countryside, wisteria trees blowing gently in the summer breeze as Fred clasped his hands over her eyes. When he finally pulled them back to reveal the gorgeous sight in front of her all she could manage was a gasp, taken back by the pure beauty of the garden, so much so that she hardly saw the picnic blanket he must have set up ahead of time.

“It’s beautiful Freddie.” She whispered, her hand pressed against her chest in amazement.

“Just like you.” He said, wrapping his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on top of her head. “Hermione actually told me about this place after she leant you that book about trees.” He chuckled, recalling the memory of his girlfriend passionately telling him about a different tree somewhere in the world every morning.

With that he ran and landed on the blanket with a thud outstretching his arms as giggles bubbled from her mouth. She gladly accepted his offer however, laying on the blanket with him, her back against his side as she gazed up at the bright blue sky, through a veil of wisteria, her hands finding his to gently run her fingers along his knuckles. From their position on the ground Fred had the perfect view of Y/N’s face, the face he had memorized so many years ago, the face that lit up the first time he had ever spoken to her and everyday since then.

He and George sprinted down the hall, Filch hot on their heels as boisterous laughter filled the air, adrenaline running through both their veins like hot lava, setting their bodies on fire. Then he saw her, coming around the corner, books clutched tightly to her chest as her eyes wandered out the window, but his remained solely on her. A little too much it seemed because when he finally forced his line of sight away from her, he found himself face to face with a wall, just inches away from having his face planted flat against it. He brought up on his heels before ducking away into a closet, George after running far ahead of him.

He cracked the closet door open just enough so that he could steal a look at her, he watched as she giggled and shook her head and then made her way down the hall. Was she laughing at him? Was she laughing at him because she thought he was funny? Or because she thought he was a fool? He thought about this for a moment before finally deciding that he could make either one of them work. Once the coast was clear and he was sure he was no longer being chased, Fred practically fell out of the closet and began sprinting down the hall again but this time in the opposite direction, in the direction of her. When he finally caught up to her, he layed a gentle hand on her shoulder causing her to turn towards him before he doubled over out of breath.

“Just give me, give me one second.” He said, holding his hand up to signal for her to wait. She chuckled at him as he then decided to take a seat on the ground still attempting to pump air into his lungs. Y/N sat on the floor of the hallway with him, pulling her knees up to her chest as he looked at her in surprise. “I’m Fred Weasley.”

“I know.” She said before giving him a shocked look, angry at her mouth for betraying her. “I mean, I’m Y/N Y/L/N.”

“I think we’re going to be great friends.” He replied, while she flashed him a smile that could light up the entire castle on the darkest of nights.

Great friends they were, if you consider great friends, people who can’t sleep without each other, kiss each other good morning and good night and just about a thousand times in between everyday, they were the best of friends, if best friends were in love with one another. Fred couldn’t imagine his life without Y/N in it, couldn’t bring himself to imagine being with someone else, she was all he ever wanted, all he’d ever need.

“Is that a squirrel over there?” Fred questioned. “Climbing up that tree?” He pointed to a tree in the distance, causing Y/N to sit up straight, shielding the sun from her eyes with her hand as she squinted in an attempt to see what Fred was on about.

“I don’t see a squirrel.” She scoffed. “You must be seeing things Fre-.” She started, turning around to see Fred kneeling on one knee in front of her, a silver ring propped up in a velvet box grasped in his hands as his eyes searched hers. Shock ran deep on her face and a rush of nerves took over Fred as he couldn’t quite read her reaction.

“Y/N, from the moment I met you I’ve wanted to do this. I’ve thought about asking you to marry me almost everyday since fourth year and hell if I had a ring back then I would’ve done it. But I have one now so I’m asking-.” Fred began, still tentatively studying her face.

“Yes!” She cut him off, launching herself into his arms. “Yes, I’ll marry you any day and I would’ve married you when we were fifteen if you asked.” She peppered his face with kisses as he laughed loudly, slipping the ring onto her finger. Tears pricked her eyes as she pulled back to look at the new addition to her hand but her eyebrows knitted themselves together at the collection of numbers engraved in small font on the underside of the band.

“Numbers?” She questioned, shooting him a quizzical look as he chuckled.

“Coordinates.” He responded. “To the exact wall I almost hit the first time I saw you.”

taglist (join here!!)

@onlyfreds @fandomhideout @lilypad-55449@youngblood199456 @thanxxskz @emma67 @gaycatlord-stuff@alicetweven @a-castle-of-glass @youcantbesirius@omghufflepuff @izzyyy-1​ @70sweasleys

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[babbushka]

The Rabbi Is Coming

Flip Zimmerman x Reader (Darling Jewish Wife AU)

A/N: This oneshot is based entirely off of one of my favorite videos of all time, Company is Coming by Chris Fleming. Every time I see it, it reminds me of preparing for my own family holiday gatherings, so I’ve taken it and run with it lol. I just wanted to write something short and silly for Passover, lol, and I hope you enjoy! 

Also inspired by this prompt sent in by anonymous: From your Passover prompts, will you please do this one for Flip? It sounds just like him!“They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat.”

2k, crack treated seriously lol, humor. Putting a small cw for the Zimmerman’s son, in case folks don’t like reading about kids (this is the last time he’s mentioned for a while I promise lol)

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

Early in the morning, just after sunrise, Flip yawns and stretches awake. The golden light of morning shines through the curtains that gently move from the breeze of the ceiling fan, and a melody of chirping birds signal the official start of morning. Despite having to get up early for work every day, Flip isn’t much of a morning person. But something about Springtime and the warmth that’s on the way makes him appreciate getting up, even on the weekends.  

“Good morning, sunshine, light of my life – ” Flip rolls over onto his side, ready to coax you out of your sleep as well, ready to kiss you and start the day together, but when he reaches you’re your sleep-snuggled body, he finds the bed empty, and frowns.

Sitting up, he looks around the bedroom. Your side of the covers are neatly made, and Flip can only blink, his frown deepening. He clears his throat, raspy from disuse overnight, “(Y/N)?”

It isn’t until he hears the vacuum cleaner going downstairs, followed by a frustrated groan echoing through the house, that he remembers just what day it is, and falls back onto his pillow with a wince, lighting up a cigarette and scrubbing a hand over his face with a low,

“…Oh shit.”

He checks the clock, sees that it’s practically seven o’clock, and gets out of bed. Pulling on a casual t-shirt and a pair of worn jeans, he leaves his room to see his son standing tentatively in his own doorway, as loud sounds come from downstairs.

“Pop?” The five year old asks with no small amount of hesitation in his voice, immediately reaches for Flip, who scoops him up and balances him on his hip.  

“Mornin’ honey.” Flip kisses his son’s cheek, and the boy giggles, clinging to him as Flip walks down the stairs.

He’s obviously annoyed that it’s not you who gets to wake him up and carry him downstairs, as he normally prefers, but Flip doesn’t know how to tell him that today isn’t a normal day. Still, the boy is always filled with questions, and his little eyebrows furrow into an all too familiar frown as they move closer to the chaos that is you deciding to vacuum first thing in the morning.

“Why is Mama acting like that?” He demands to know, as the two of them stop at the landing, watching as you, still in your pajamas, are fighting with furniture.

“Tonight’s the first night of Pesach.” Flip explains.

“So?” His son challenges, and Flip wants to laugh, because he agrees with the kid, but when you get into a mood like this, there’s no stopping you.

“So, there’s a very special guest coming for dinner tonight, and she wants to make sure the house looks nice and clean for him.” Flip sets the boy down, and he purses his lips, like he’s trying to assess the validity of that, eventually settling on complaining,

“But we already cleaned the house.”

Flip sighs, because he’s right, you spent the entire week cleaning to prepare for Passover. It wasn’t like a normal house cleaning, Passover had special rules that had to be obeyed. One of which, was the complete and total elimination of chametz, or food made from leavened dough. The other, was the koshering of the kitchen.

But he wasn’t so sure his five year old would care to hear about all that this early.

“I know son. Let’s go see what she fixed up for breakfast,” Flip leads his son through the living room carefully, before crouching down to his level and saying very seriously, “And then when you’re done eating, just do whatever Mama says, you hear me? Whatever she says.”

Just then, you come barreling through the living room with the vacuum and a tangle of cord in your hand, shouting at a completely inappropriate volume for the hour, “Zeeskiet if you haven’t made your bed just throw it away it’s too late to make it now!”

The boy looks up at Flip, and Flip immediately shakes his head and amends, “Not that.”

Flip is a good helper. He likes to help, and he wants to help, but sometimes when you get like this, it’s a danger to himself and everyone around for him to try and insert himself into a situation where you are a hurricane of anxious energy. He busies himself with getting your son settled at the kitchen table, giving him a big breakfast of fresh fruit, nuts, and yogurt, before bracing himself to venture back towards the dining room.  

“The Rabbi is coming – get rid of the couches we can’t let people know we sit!” You shout, pointing an aggressive finger at one of the dining chairs, “This chair needs to be pushed in, there cannot be any signs of living in this house.”

Flip is quick to do as you say, even though what you’re saying is nonsense – he knows better than to point that out.

“I don’t care if we have to throw everything out,” You’re mostly talking to yourself at this point, just…loudly, and aggressively, “I want this place looking like a contemporary fusion restaurant by noon.”

It was a miracle and a half that the Rabbi agreed to lead your Seder dinner, and to say that the pressure was getting to you was the understatement of the century. You had everything picked out, what you were going to wear, what Flip and the kids were going to wear; you’d been cooking and prepping all week, and now the day was finally here and you were totally freaking out.

“Flip?” You shout, walking in circles around the dining room, trying to get rid of any possible point of contamination of chametz.

“Yeah?” Flip replies, already knowing that because he’s in the other room, you probably can’t hear him. He already is walking towards you when he hears you again.

“Phil!” You call a little sharper, and Flip huffs out a laugh, his suspicion correct.

“I’m right here ketsl, what can I do?” Flip startles you by suddenly being behind directly behind you, and you throw your hands up in exasperation.

“Oh my god – we need more pillows.” You gesture to the den where the conversation pit is decked out entirely with pillows. “Can you fluff the pillows? I need these things looking fluffed.”

Flip does exactly as he’s told, and the rest of the morning follows suit.

You wandered around the house cleaning; vacuuming sweeping dusting sanitizing every possible surface, the floors, even the ceiling, shouting out random demands and requests like:

We need more flowers. We gotta put flowers in every window. Philly can you put flowers in the kitchen?

We can’t have any clothes! Everyone take off your clothes!

At that, your son cast a semi-distressed look to Flip and asked, an uncertain, “Pop?”

“Not that either!” Flip immediately answered, lest his son think it’s okay to go running around in the nude tonight.

Somewhere around hour two, your mood shifts from manic to meltdown. Your son had been instructed to make sure his toys were all nicely put away in his room, mostly to keep him out of trouble or to prevent any accidental tripping over wires. Flip though, is still running around trying to keep up with you, out of breath from your own chaos.

“What is this?” You yank the perfectly good little towel out of the oven door handle where Flip had just watched you place it, and near-tears, you groan, “This is a dish towel! We need a hand towel! What are we, barbarians?”

He’s about to say something, try to console you or at the very least calm you down, but then you come to a complete and sudden stand-still and point out, “Phil oh god there’s muffins on the counter.”

Frowning, Flip whirled around and wondered how the fuck those even got there. All of your friends knew that there was absolutely no leavened product allowed in the house, Rabbi or no, and he’s trying to wrack his brain around where they came from as you back against the wall.

“Oh my god oh – that’s it -- we have to go into the witness protection program folks!” You chuckle humorously, effectively giving up. “Shalom Rabbi! Welcome to the Zimmerman household. We live outside. We eat mud. And sticks.”

At this, you give one big overwhelmed sigh, and a little sob hiccups out of your chest.

“Hey,” Flip frowns, kicking himself for not trying to get you to take a breather earlier than this, “Hey it’s going to be okay.”

Flip gets down on the floor with you, and pulls you into a tight hug. You shove your face under his neck and cry it out, and Flip soothes your back. He knows how big of a deal tonight is for you, and he wants to do everything he can to make you happy, but letting this go on any longer won’t be good for anyone.

“I’ll get rid of the muffins, we won’t tell anyone about it, okay?” He pulls you to face him, your eyes wet and wide, your chin wobbling. He thinks you’re so ridiculous, working yourself up like this, but he loves you so much to see it regardless.

“Did you fluff the pillows?” You ask in a small sad voice, and Flip nods seriously, brushing some of your stray locks that escaped the scarf you have wrapped around your head to protect your hair, away from your face.

“Yes ketsl, I fluffed the pillows.” He kisses each of your cheeks, the bridge of your nose, your forehead.

“Okay, alright okay, everyone calm down.” You say, wiping your tears away and taking deep measured breaths, suddenly asking, “What time is it?”

“Uhh,” Flip cranes his head around to try and catch a good glimpse at the clock on the wall, wondering how the hell it’s only, “Nine-thirty.”

You blink, and blink again, and then shuffle to sit upright there on the kitchen floor.

“Oh.” You reply, pursing your lips and scratching the side of your jaw. “In that case…I’m going to take a nap.”

Flip chuckles and lets you go. You’re too much all the time, and that’s exactly why he loves you. He’s never met anyone who cares as much about something like this, than you, and he wants you to go relax while he takes care of everything.

And he does, his son a proper helper as you snooze in bed, already having worked yourself to exhaustion and needing your strength back for the long dinner that’s going to come. The offending muffins are given to a neighbor, the surfaces re-sanitized, the kitchen all prepared. Your son even sets the table all by himself, enjoying being tall for his age thanks to Flip’s genetics.

When evening falls much later, and all your other guests have arrived, you feel your pulse spike as the doorbell rings. You’re dressed to the nines, as is everyone else, but Flip thinks that you’re the most radiant thing in the universe. You’re holding your son on your hip as Flip opens the door, already extending a hand for him to shake.

“Shalom Rabbi, thank you so much for joining us tonight, we can’t tell you how much of an honor it is.” You beam, as if you hadn’t had a total breakdown only that morning, as Flip invites the Rabbi inside.

“Of course Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman, the honor is mine. And may I say, you have a beautiful home.” He looks around appreciatively, giving a nod of approval that has all the air rushing out of your lungs.

“I’m thrilled to hear you think so.” You grin, leading him through your home and into the dining room where your other guests have been happily entertaining themselves, “Shall we get started then?”

“They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat!” Flip announces, and that has everyone laughing, including the Rabbi.

And as the Seder commences, Flip looks across the table and gives his son a wink. In return, he lets out a small giggling laugh, glad that all the preparations and chaos you put them through have successfully paid off.

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

Taggin’ some Flip lovin’ friends! @mochabucky​​ @sacklerscumrag​​ @artsymaddie​​ @bitchydecisions​​ @direnightshade​​ @reyloaddict55​​ @thembohux​​  @sunflowersinthesnow​​ @babayagakeanu​​ @safarigirlsp​​  @steeevienicks​​  @the-unmanaged-mischief​​ @materialisthicc​​  @hswritingrecs​​  @han68000​​ @rosi3ba3z​​ @chapterhappygirl​​​ @loverofallthings​​​  @bxnnywriting​ @groovetoob​ 

[ickymichi]

𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝.

a tendou satori x reader series.

✟ there’s always been the one rule every person who’s been in a band knows not to break, never mess around with your band mates. but Satori was sick of the groupies, sick of catching the bra’s and panties that were flung at him every night. he just wanted the one thing he couldn’t have.

✟ warnings: swearing, eventual smut, eventual angst(?), drug use, inappropriate themes, comedy.

✟ things to know: band au!, some timeskip careers mentioned, slow updates.

✟ if you’d like to be added to the taglist just send an ask! <3

✟ word count: 1.8k

✟ note: first actual chapter of this series! it’s nothing big but obviously i wanted to get something written for this series! but i hope you enjoy my dears! reblogs are greatly appreciated <3

all contents belongs to k1ttykawa 2021. please do not repost or modify on this or any other platform.

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𝟎𝟎𝟐:. 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐜𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬

The bright lights and screams from the small crowd in the underground venue was what brings you back down from the high you’re always on whenever you sit on the small bouncing stool behind the drum set on stages every second or third night. You heard Semi thanking everyone for coming and whatever shit he always says. Once you seen him bow and Tendou go to pick up the collection of bra’s and panties thrown on stage, you raised a hand and threw one of the drumsticks into the crowd, your own way of saying goodbye before making your way offstage. Semi and Tendou’s tall frames following behind, the same order as always.

The sweat was pouring out of you, tonight being more of a wilder one than the usual calm sets you’ve been having in bars or party’s recently. they were easy money, but they got boring after just a few hours. so all three of you were in desperate need of a night like tonight.

Turning the corner of the small, dark corridor to your dressing room for tonight you were met with the stench of weed, 3 different girls on the beat up leather couch, a rolled joint in one of the girls hands and white lines on a tray to the others left. Like always, you went straight to the showers to get the scent of sweat and fake smoke of you.

You really don’t know when but the cropped black tank top you had on was ripped down one side but your usual headband you sported every show was missing and it now became you new priority to track it down. “Satori! Where the fuck is my headband?” you stomped back out to see the wanted man desperately trying to pull the tight leather pants down his lanky legs. His head was whipped up to at the sound of your annoyed voice and then quickly darted his eyes over to the blonde that had previously rolled the joints and was now fawning over semi and his revealed tattoos. “oi” was all you muttered out behind her and holding out your empty hand—also noting some of your rings were gone. She turned her head to you with a scowl covering her features, which also revealed your missing accessory that caused your distress. “that’s her bandana and she’s quite obviously looking for it back,” Tendou quipped in making every one bar the girl laugh. After time, she untied it from the back and forcefully placed it back in your hand. Dramatically you held your arm, acting as if she pained you, tendou again laughing with you.

Finally you were able to hop into the shower and quickly get your self freshened and rub the accesses makeup off your eyes that was already smudged from your constant wiping, trying to stop the sweat dripping from your hairline.

“(y/n)!! please help me out of these, semisemi just keeps fucking laughing!” the peace and quiet you had was quickly interrupted by Tendou’s loud whining. “how the fuck am I not supposed to laugh when your walking around with them swinging around your ankles and your dick hanging out?” “what, Its out?!”

The large door separating the bathroom from the connected dressing room swung open and revealed Satori with his leathers pooled at his ankles and— surprising his dick not actually ‘hanging out’. “please help me sugartits, they’re fucking stuck even with my skinny ankles,” he hopped onto the counter and held his legs up for you to guide them off him. “well for starters, take your fucking shoes off!, and also I swear i saw these in the women’s section of some online store?” jokingly you shouted at him and moved to untie the doc martin’s around his feet. “yeah? You probably did, stole them from that chick that wouldn’t stop hanging off me last month,” both of you laughing at his silliness and falling into a comfortable silence.

The only noise was the voices off the others in the separate room and a recognisable Mötley Crüe song shaking the floor from the stage.

“what you think of tonight then?” the silence being broken by Satori like usual. “uhhh, it was definitely something but yeah, it was fun. Its nice to have a night like that every now and then, specially since we’ve just been in bars doing the same covers for the past two weeks. What about you huh?” he hummed, a noise of agreement showing he was listening, a habit you grew to learn. “I guess it was good fun yeah, although I didn’t appreciate nearly getting hit with a dildo within the first two songs. But I agree, it’s nice to do our own shit and not covers in a bar with a bunch of middle age boring shits. I think we’ve another show that’ll probably be like this again on Saturday.”

Saturday, today was Thursday so you’ve a nice day or two to just lie around, the other probably filled with travelling and setting up.

After about 10 minutes you had unlaced both his boots and chucked them onto the floor and not too long later his ‘borrowed’ pants joined them. “thanks chicken, lifesaver as always,” he pulled you into an embrace with one arm before leaving to find his spare clothes in the other room. He did always have the weirdest nicknames.

The night bled into the early hours of the morning, Semi and Tendou both getting their share of the girls there while you kicked your feet up, sparking up a conversation and passing the joints with your friend Taichi who was also your ‘manager’, he wasn’t really he just acted like it when venues would ask important questions and tagged along for the free show and nights at different clubs.

He was also the one who suggested you start moving to the motel down the street for the night before the venue boots you all out. Quickly you agreed, not fancying seeing any more glimpses of your friends and strangers body parts. Obviously the girls whined to the boys, asking if they could come, saying it’s dangerous for girls to walk home alone at night, “sorry ladies, but we’ll be sharing a bed tonight and I don’t fancy getting an unwanted facial on a Thursday night,” you butted into their persuasive conversation by wrapping an arm around the boys from the back of the couch and giving a friendly smile.

By the time you all got your equipment packed away and into the van it was nearing 4:30 in the morning and you, quite literally we’re going to fall into the bed. It wasn’t the nicest of places but you were just spending tonight and the next two there, unless you decided to go out after the shows and find some rando’s condo to spend the night in. All three of you pushed your way into the small room trying to get the edges of the double bed. And it wasn’t easy trying to squeeze through two 6’2 lean men, resulting in you again stuck in the middle of them staring at the blank roof, desperately waiting for the sun to rise so you could find some place to get food and away from the mess of limbs under the covers.

When you did wake up it felt like you’d only slept for two hours, when in reality it had been about 10. The afternoon sun melting through the old curtains and falling into your pillow. As you moved to see what had finally woke you from the deep sleep you saw Semi at the small table, his guitar resting on his knees and his worn, nimble fingers scribbling words on his notebook he kept for when lyrics would come to him.

“mornin’ early bird,” all you could let out was a groan, your mind still coming to its senses. “there’s food n’ shit there Satori went out to get it, we was the first up, surprisingly,” he breathed out the last remark before moving to pick up the red pencil and get back to writing lyrics before they left his head.

The food that Tendou got was still warm so he must’ve of been up long before you anyway. “where is he?” “beats me, probably wandering round like always,” quickly he responded and took the pic from between his teeth and started strumming a tune while humming, what you were guessing, was the lyrics on the page.

Letting your curiosity get the better of you, you pulled your phone from where it was connected to the wall by the charger and found Satori’s contact and pressed the call icon, moving away from the sound of Eita and his guitar you went to go outside and sit on the bench outside your rooms window.

“hello, hello,” his ever cheerful voice filled the speakers of your phone that was wedged between your shoulder and ear. “hey, I was just calling to see where you are that’s all,” you piped up when he went quiet, tutting when you realised you were out of cigarettes. “oh you know, just out sightseeing ‘tis all,” “cool cool, well i’m going to the store now you need anything?” he hummed into the phone, indicating that he was thinking of something he needed. “just cigs I guess and get me that drink I like while there, i’ll pay you later,” bidding him goodbye as the small shop on the corner came into view you slipped your phone into your sweatpants pocket and walked to the back where they kept the energy drinks.

Exiting the shop with everything you needed you walked to make your way back till you saw a familiar head of red locks across the street and quickly, but quietly made your way to his figure.

Sneaking up behind him and wrapping your arms around his middle, feeling his ribs press into your arms, something you’ve noted recently. He sucked air into his lungs and jumped slightly before laughing with you. “here you go your highness,” was how you greeted him and chucked him his requested items. “thanks muffincake, i’ll pay you back later I swear,” you scoffed and shook his offer off, suggesting you stroll around the city until Semi called either of you to ‘get your sorry asses back to the room’.

Your stroll progressed into a very long walk and by the time Satori suggested you head back with an arm around your shoulder it was already dark, the night life staring to come out of hiding. eyeing a club across the street you thought might be a good shout to visit in case you three got bored tonight, making a mental note of its location.

“Didn’t Semisemi say we need to go over the set list again cause, someone, messed up last night,” a sing-song voice dragged you out of your club browsing and brought a scowl to your face. “excuse me, you’re the one who told me we were doing ‘nasty’ after the interlude, prick,” he pulled his chin up and started to ‘think’ about your accusation before loudly dubbing it false; “nope, I don’t recall doing such a thing. I could never, but if it boots your already sky high ego then, of course I did my dearest apologies baby cakes,” “do you ever shut up,” “when i’m face first in pus-” “Don’t even!”

t a g l i s t: @evan-rose @elianetsantana @weebintheinternet @kuroos-roosterhead

please lmk if i missed you if your not there! <3

[spitpr1ncess]

BRUISED BODIES CHAPTER 2 LEVI ACKERMAN X READER

                                               (not my image)

Picking out a beautiful soft white linen dress you hum to yourself, Jools pulled through with your day off but had gotten himself roped into some business so was no longer free, not a huge loss because although you love spending time with him, it’ll be lovely to have some time to yourself. You ponder what you will do, whether you’ll read a book, draw or maybe even write something, you just feel in your soul that you need a break.

Pulling the loose dress over your head you pick out some white ankle socks, never being one to dress for anybody else but yourself, comfort is key and feeling good is the main goal. You glare at the reflection in the mirror staring wearily back at you, you feel more connected this time, yet you’re still unsure about who is staring back. Her eyes are sunken, her knees wobbly and her collarbones protruding in a boyish way. You wave off any ugly, intruding thoughts and slip your feet into the one pair of black shoes you own, you decide you’ll browse the shops before you finally head down to the local park.

Reaching for your shoulder bag you throw a couple of notes in, followed by a little pocketknife you had stolen from your father as a young girl, you can’t be too careful outside, especially wearing the branding of a working girl, everybody knows and nobody respects you except for a select few. You head out, closing the door and turning the key in the lock, you wear it around your neck with an old scrap of garden string.

You pass by Jools seat, occupied with one of the other men Boss employs whilst he was out with whatever emergency he was roped into, you notice that you miss him when he’s not here, the other stranger wouldn’t wish you a good morning on your way out.

Your mind wanders as you make your way towards the large, wooden doors in the entrance and you find yourself reminiscing over how much you’ve moved around, and how this has been your favorite base so far.

You’ve moved around a fair bit over the years as Boss has accumulated more money and has had more to spend on you. You’re currently located in a lard mansion, it has a sizeable forty rooms on each floor, with four floors in total, that’s without including the large ballroom, kitchen and diner rooms and a large lounging area. There is a basement too, full of rooms you’re forbidden from entering and a beautiful surrounding estate, it’s a secure, gated property, of course, so you can only leave with permission, given by Jools, with Boss entrusting him to be responsible with his decision. You’re allowed to freely roam the surrounding land; Boss even keeps a few horses that you and a few of the other girls happily care for. Hacking them on those gorgeous summer days and taking long afternoons just enjoying each other’s company, as an escape from your sad little lives.

You will often spend the summer evenings sat on the grass, allowing the sun to beat down onto your pale skin, allowing you to feel something, head buried in a book, escaping reality and taking ever-so-important time to yourself. The feeling of freedom you get is fleeting, but even that is enough to temporarily satiate your hunger to run away.

You look back over your shoulder and shout out to the man at Jools desk, “I’m going out into town, I’ll be back no later than six, you needn’t worry, I already have permission, it’ll say on my appointments tab on Jools computer!” he grunts, and waves you off, completely disinterested. You think back to the last time you were late home, true, it was an accident, you’d fallen asleep in the meadow and nightfall had come, Boss had sent out a search party, assuming that you had made a break for it and you could tell he was relieved more than angry when you were frog marched into his office and disciplined for your silly mistake. You shudder, thinking about Boss’s thick fingers coming into contact with your tiny throat, you live to please him yes, but it doesn’t mean you have like him.

As a direct result of your falling asleep and having a search party sent out for you, you weren’t currently a favorite between Boss’s men, with all of them being suspicious of you, expecting you to make a break for it at any moment. You were sure they’d had your face ingrained into the backs of their eyelids incase they ever saw you acting “suspicious”. You can hardly blame them but you do with they would stand down, it was exhausting having to calculate your every move, to stay out of the limelight as much as you could.

The streets are dotted with people, all busy and completely engrossed in their own perfect little lives, what you’d give to be able to live like them. A wave of sadness drowns you as you notice mothers and daughters, couples in love and shop keepers attending their stalls in the bright morning light. Your feet subconsciously decide your route as you make your way down the stone high street, enjoying the smells and sounds, the birds singing loud songs was like a beautiful music concert made just for you. You allow yourself to be completely immersed and wonder if you could slip away and never be seen again, if you could have that freedom one day, if you could be one of those mothers with daughters.

You swing a small glass door open and hear chimes ring as you step into your favorite hole in the wall café,

“Olive!” a voice booms from behind the bar as Mr. Benzo swiftly approaches you and pulls you into a bear hug, “we’ve missed you! Where on Gods given earth have you been!?”, you lean into the giant man and allow him to envelope you into a protective embrace, inhaling deeply, and imagining this to be what it is like to have a present father figure.

“Careful with her David! Hug her any tighter and you’ll snap the poor girl in half!” Mr Benzos wife stands a few feet behind, her aged and ring clad hands grasping together at her heartspace, “you’re wasting away my child! They cannot be feeding you! Come, you shall eat”, she gestures gently to a window bench, you are ushered over and take your seat, feeling utterly overwhelmed by the love coming from your favorite shop owners.

Mrs Benzo rushes herself around, building you a hearty spread, she grabs slices of bread, fruits, vegetables and slices of pies, laying them down at your table she grins, “whatever you don’t eat is going home with you”, she sighs, “and you shan’t pay a single penny, you’ll be blown away with the wind one of these days, think of it as an act of service. I mean look at you! Your eyes are so hollow that I’m afraid they’ll disappear into the back of your skull young lady!”. She brushes her finger against your protruding collarbone, you shudder, anxious at the touch of another woman, and at how maternal it was. She senses this and apologizes.

The Benzos know of your situation, they guessed as much after getting a glance at your brandishing. Mr Benzo had taken it upon himself to explain to his wife the full meaning. She had simply been heartbroken, set on spending every one of your visits spoiling and pampering you.

“Mrs Benzo, I cannot eat all of this, I might throw up, my stomach would not hold it!” You place a hand over your stomach and jokingly pat it, she tilts her head and smiles, letting out a small sigh.

“I’ve told you to call me Shirley, child. Enough with the Mrs Benzo. You are a friend here, remember that.” She sits quietly opposite you, watching you eat. Normally it might unnerve you, but her presence calms you today, you allow her maternal stares to engulf you, soaking in her care, allowing her to protect you, Lord knows you need it. David had gone back to serving customers, it was picking up into lunch hour, you hear his warming laugh as he makes conversation with them.

“Thank you… Shirley, it means so much to me, the way you treat me as a human, and an equal. You don’t see me for my brandishing, you see me as me. It’s refreshing.” You feel your eyes begin to ache as though they will cry again. She takes your delicate hand in both of hers, the warmth feels like a hug all over, you can see she has the same familiar feeling in her eyes. For a moment, you are the same. You feel safe. You feel loved. You are loved.

It gets uncomfortable for you to handle all these emotions and you pull your hand back, it’s too much vulnerability, Mrs Benzo understands, she knows it will take time for you to heal from your childhood trauma, and she has the patience of a lion, always willing to wait for you, you smile and continue to eat.

-

You leave Benzos with an abundance of food supplies, you’ll surely have enough to share with all the girls and Jools. Not that he needs it, he has enough supplies to last him a lifetime, after all. Smelling the air and closing your eyes, you turn and walk back towards the shops, enjoying the serenity of the early afternoon. You’re drawn into one stand in particular, a small jewellery stand, you approach quietly and notice a gorgeous emerald ring, it’s like it calls to you, you dare to reach out and touch it.

“You couldn’t afford that with all your life’s savings, silly whore.” A cold, harsh voice sounds from behind you, you turn, furious at the unnecessary comment directed your way.

“You really shouldn’t speak to wome…” you start.

“Do you know who I am? I will have you disappear if you so much as try to continue that sentence.” the cold voice shoots back. The voice grabs your wrist and pulls you close. It hurts, but you are used to being manhandled. You find yourself a little excited. Finally, something different. You slowly take in the voice’s harsh exterior. Smart black shoes, tailored black trousers, crisp and obviously ironed. A tucket white shirt and expensive cuff links. You inhale, expensive cologne, hints of pine and mint, you meet his eyes, staring into your soul, he licks his lips before continuing.

“You’re the little shit that missed her curfew. What on earth are you doing out here? Running away again?” his glare doesn’t falter, in fact, you’re sure it intensifies, your nerves are starting to get the better of you and you note that if looks could kill, you would be driving away in the back of a hearse right now.

“Speak.” The command is clear enough, yet a lump in your throat makes it impossible. You drink in his facial features, sharp and chiselled, like a God. His short black hair with a harsh undercut. It’s styled immaculately, not a single strand out of place.

“Are you a mute, whore?” the man continues, the grip on your wrist tightens, you whimper and plead with your eyes.

“No. You’re hurting me. I’m sorry, I’m allowed out now, I am. I have permission.” It practically falls out of your mouth as a measly cry.

“Do you expect me to believe that? I have half a mind to drag you by your hair back to Boss for questioning. You truly are moronic.” You consider arguing more, but deem it useless, this angry man is obviously set in his ways.

“Fine. Take me back, but I promise you, I can be out here.” You huff and stick out your bottom lip. It doesn’t go unnoticed, as the man slowly lifts his other hand, he rests his palm against your cheek and runs his thumb ever so lightly against your lip, you can sense his distraction and you curse your stupid, pouty lips. His eyes soften for a moment. Then he snaps back to reality.

“You will walk with me now, back to your house. Let’s go.” He loosens his grip on your wrist but does not let go. You begrudgingly begin the awkward walk back, nothing is said until you reach the gates.

The man buzzes the intercom and Jools answers, he must be back, internally, you relax, knowing that this will go a lot smoother than if the other man was still filling in.

“Olive? Is that you?” Jools questions, obviously anticipating your return, but not so early, his confusion is notable.

“It’s Levi. Open the gates.” The man answers back without emotion

Levi. You ponder on his name as you are practically hauled inside. You’re sure you’ve heard it before. Jools meets you at the entrance, he glances to Levi’s tight grasp on your wrist, you see the cogs going at maximum speed in his head and you know that he has assumed the worst.

“What have you done Olive?” His voice is flat but you hear the concern.

“She was out. Wandering around. Flaunting herself, like she is not on house arrest. Touching expensive jewellery, you should really pay more attention Wilkinson.” The use of Jools last name is alien, you’ve almost forgotten he has one.

“Levi” Jools begins cooly, he holds back a snort. “Olive is not on house arrest anymore, although I admire your commitment to your job.” You cannot make eye contact with Jools or you will be beaten for laughing, you are sure of it, Levi drops your hand like you have shocked him, he grunts and addresses Jools, “Wilkinson. Were you not one of Bosses favourites, I would break your nose. You are stupid to let her wander around alone. If I were in charge, I would leash her, like a little dog. A stupid, little dog.” you can tell this was one of his kinder name callings. “She has plans to get away. I can tell, and I’m warning you, she is not to be trusted,” Jools interrupts, his tone is equally aggressive as he bites back,

“Levi, Boss has not tasked you with worrying about the girls. You should go back to your real duties. Olive is my problem, not yours.”, You’re sure there is a little possessiveness behind his voice. For a moment, it is like Levi and Jools are facing off like two aggressive hunting animals, and you are the winning prey. Levi opens his mouth to say something, and then resigns himself, he sighs and turns away to leave.

“I will catch you when you try to run eventually, little puppy. And I will beat the living shit out of you for disrespecting Boss after everything he has done for you. Watch your back.”

He is gone before you can make a snide remark back, though you should know better, Jools would surely step in to protect you here, that you are sure of. You settle at sticking your tongue out in the direction in which he left, Jools laughs heartily.

“You stupid girl. There isn’t a person alive who has spoken back to Levi Ackerman, he is Boss’s right hand man, you should be more careful.” He ruffles your hair playfully.

“There is something about him Jools, that makes me want to provoke him. A feeling that he may not be capable of hurting me.” Jools snorts.

“You really are an idiot,” He pauses, “though there was something about the way he looked at you, like he wants to devour you alive,” he shudders, “creepy.”. Your cheeks blush, you would never say so aloud, but you might fancy the idea of being eaten by Levi Ackerman, Boss’s right hand man.

You breathe in and start, “I’m going to retire to bed Jools, I am tired. Give these pastries and pies to the other girls. Mrs Benzo sent them.” You hand the bag to Jools and smile. “What time is my first call tomorrow?” Jools looks at the screen of his computer, he clicks the mouse a few times and raises an eyebrow.

“10. Seems like Boss is set to be paying you a visit tomorrow. You’d better spend some time making yourself extra presentable tonight Ol, you want to remind him why you are worth keeping, and not discarding…” You shudder, Boss has made it abundantly clear that when you’re no longer deemed suitable as a working girl, he will send you away to be married off, or “dispose” of you, you don’t fancy either of the options and considering your savings are coming along nicely, you won’t have to endure this all for much longer.

“Thanks Jools. Love you.”. You turn on your heels and head back to your room. You spend the evening showering, shaving, sugaring and cleansing every inch of your body, ready for tomorrow, your mind keeps wandering back to a particular pair of sharp eyes and a chiselled jaw. How he would leash you and “beat the living shit out of you.”

You shake away the thought one last time and retire to bed. You close your eyes and pull your blankets up.

“Levi. Ackerman. Huh.”, you drift off to a comfortable slumber, something that happens once in a blue moon.

[thefloorisbalaclava]

pragma - part five

Pairing: Frankie “Catfish” Morales x Female Reader

Warnings: mentions of abuse, angry Frankie (but not at you), light smut ;)

A/N: Back to your POV. I’ve really been enjoying writing this and I love all the feedback I’ve been getting! Thanks everyone!

Summary: After spending the night with Frankie again, you get a phone call about the last person you want to see.

pragma masterlist

You were used to waking up to birds singing but this morning they seemed to be singing particularly loud. You blinked a few times and realized you were outside. When your eyes finally adjusted to the bright sun, you tried sitting up but there was a heavy weight at your waist that held you tighter when you tried to move.

“Mm…not yet,” Frankie said sleepily. “Stay.” His eyes were still closed so you weren’t sure if he was awake or talking in his sleep.

“We can’t stay here forever.” You would feel a little silly if you were talking to a sleeping person.

“Why can’t we?” Frankie asked and now you knew he was awake. You tried to think of an answer but nothing came to you. Why couldn’t you? Spending the rest of your life living under the open sky with the man you…loved? Yes. Loved. You had no answer for him. The only thing you could do was curl up with him again.

“Wanna make out?” you asked jokingly.

“Are you seriously asking me that? Do you really think I’d turn you down?” He tucked his fingers under your chin and lifted your head so he could get to your lips…

Then your phone rang.

“Damn,” you whined, reluctantly pulling away from Frankie to reach into your pocket. It was your lawyer. “Hello?” When you sat up, Frankie’s brow furrowed in concern. “Okay. Right. Bye.” You hung up and immediately slid yourself out of the bed of the pickup.

“What’s wrong?” Frankie asked.

“I have to get home.”

“Okay but what’s wrong?” he repeated.

“My ex-husband…he needs to come by and get the rest of his stuff out of my house.” You rubbed your temples and groaned.

“That’s bad?”

“I don’t wanna see him.” You looked at Frankie. “I had so much fun with you yesterday and today I have to deal with this.”  

“Hey, listen to me…” He hopped down from the truck and put his arms around you. “We’ll go and get it over and done with fast.”

“We?” you asked.

“Think I’d let you do this on your own?”

“Frankie,” you cried, wrapping your arms around him.

“Besides…I gotta see what this guy looks like. Is he one of those guys that wear a suit every day? And let me guess: he’s blond and has a name like ‘Bill' or ‘Tom’.”

You hid your face in his shirt and laughed. In a few seconds flat you went from crying to laughing. “He’s ‘John' actually.”

“Yikes…even worse than I thought.” He rubbed your back as you looked up at him. “What?”

“Thank you,” you murmured. Frankie wiped a tear from your cheek. “I’d love to stand here and let you hold me all day but we really should get back to my place.”

“Damn ex-husband.” He made a face and you laughed again before kissing him.

“You promise to behave?” you asked as he finally let you go and walked around to the driver’s side. He didn’t respond until you both were in the car.

“I can’t promise that. I already wanna punch the fucker in the face.”

“Frankie!” You slapped his arm. “Our lawyers will be there. No need to get you into any more legal trouble.” It came out before you could stop yourself but once you realized what you said, you froze and turned to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-"

“It’s fine.” He started the car and drove quietly for a while. “I’m not upset so stop worrying.”

“Still, I’m sorry.” You reached over and touched his thigh. He tensed then cleared his throat.  

“Careful,” he warned, smiling over at you before looking at the road again.

You took your hand away sheepishly and stared ahead. “You’re not really gonna punch him, are you?”

“I said no promises.” He was completely serious now. “He made your life harder by not just signing those fucking papers…and now he wants the rest of his stuff…” He scoffed.

“You sound angrier than me.” You leaned over and kissed his cheek. “It’s kinda hot actually.”

“Are you…are you serious?” he chuckled.

“Maybe…” You sat back down, playing with your fingers until Frankie took one of your hands and held it.

“You’re nervous. You always pick at your fingers when you’re nervous or scared.” This man was stealing a piece of your heart with every word. “Wait, you’re not scared of him, are you? Did he do something to make you afraid?”

You shook your head but couldn’t look at him. “No.”

“You’re not telling the truth.” His eyes were on you but you still wouldn’t look at him.

“Eyes on the road,” you said trying to change the subject. Suddenly, he pulled over and turned off the car. His hands wrung the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

“What. The fuck. Did he do?”

“Nothing, Frankie. He was just…controlling. That’s all.” Your eyes filled with tears but you kept your head down so he wouldn’t see.

“How many times?” he asked.

“I’m fi-"

“How many times?!” he shouted and you flinched. He noticed his mistake right away and reached over to pull you onto his lap sideways. It was a little awkward with the steering wheel there but he made it work. “I’m sorry. I just can’t stand…I can’t handle the thought of a man putting his hands on you that way.” He kissed the top of your head as you sobbed into his shirt. “Did he?”

“Yes, but I was strong. Like you taught me.”

“That’s not what I was going for when I taught you how to fight, sweetheart. Look at me.” His callused hands cupped your face as you lifted your head. “Oh, cariño…” He put his forehead against yours and closed his eyes.

“I’m okay, Frankie.” You said it but you didn’t mean it and Frankie knew that. When he opened his eyes there was an anger in them but also sadness.

“He hurt you,” he whispered. “I’m gonna fucking kill him.”

“Frankie…no.” You shook your head and grabbed his face. “No.”

“He ever leave a mark?”

“It doesn’t matter now…”

“Did he?” he asked again and you nodded. “Where?” You slowly pointed to both of your cheeks then your left eye. Frankie moved your hand and kissed each spot you pointed to. And when you began crying again, he kissed your tears away. You never thought to use the word romantic to describe Frankie, but maybe you should start.

You eventually moved back to your seat though you preferred his lap over anything else. He started the car again and drove quietly, looking at you every once in a while. The closer you got to your house the more nervous you became but you weren’t sure if it was because you had to see your ex or if you were afraid Frankie would truly kill him.

“Are you gonna be okay?” he asked as he turned down the road to your house and you nodded. “I need to hear you say it.”

“Yes, I’ll be okay.” You smiled at him but you knew he wasn’t buying it. “Promise me you’ll control your temper.”

“Absolutely fucking not. I’ll make you any promise you want, just not that one.” He slowed down as he pulled up to the front of your house, spotting three other cars in the drive.

Your lawyer, your ex's lawyer, and your ex were all standing there waiting. You took a deep breath and Frankie squeezed your thigh. You hopped out of the truck and Frankie followed closely, bristling beside you.

“Let me-"

“Took you long enough,” your ex said then looked at Frankie like he was disgusted.

“Hello to you too, John.”

“This your new boyfriend?” He nodded at Frankie.

“Let’s just go in-"

“Could be,” Frankie cut in.

“Frankie…please,” you murmured.

“You could’ve done better, hon,” your ex added. Before you could speak, Frankie had stormed up to him and you shouted his name but there was no stopping him. He grabbed John by the collar and pulled him in very closely.

“I heard you like hitting women, hm? And if that’s the case then I’m already way better than you’ll ever be, you sorry sack of shit!”

“Can someone get this caveman off of me?” You closed your eyes at John’s words because you knew what was coming next. You heard a hit connect and opened your eyes in time to see John holding his nose. “He broke my fucking nose!”

“Dammit Frankie.” You ran over and grabbed him. “Go get in the car.”

“Next time you wanna hit someone come and find me,” Frankie said before turning and walking away.

“I’m pressing charges!” your ex yelled and you rolled your eyes.

“Won’t do any good. Now hurry up and go get your stuff and leave, please. It’s all in the garage so there’s no reason for you to go anywhere else.” You smirked at him cowering and holding his nose before walking back to the truck.

“Don’t look at me like that. I told you I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t hurt him. He’s lucky I didn’t do more.” He massaged his hand and you got in the truck.  

“Let me see.” You grabbed his hand carefully and looked at it. “It’s gonna be bruised but you’ll be okay. Definitely better than John’s gonna be. I think you actually broke his nose.”

“I know I did. I heard it.”

“He says he’ll press charges but I doubt it. If he does then we’ll deal with it.” You kissed his hand before letting it go.

“Fucking prick,” Frankie mumbled.

“That he is.”

“Is he the reason why you didn’t come back sooner?”

You nodded and sighed. “If I came back to town with a bunch of bruises on my face…”

“Back then I definitely would’ve killed him. I had nothing to lose." He looked at you. “But now…” Your lawyer knocked on the window making you jump. You rolled the window down and hoped he wasn’t going to tell you bad news.

“John is not going to press charges,” he said. “You’re lucky.”

“Thanks,” Frankie said without looking at him. He looked up and saw John walking out the garage with a box. His hands immediately balled into fists but you touched his arm and he relaxed.

“Take care,” your lawyer said as you stuck your arm out the window to shake his hand.

“Thanks. You too.” You made sure Frankie stayed in the car until all three men drove away. The way he glared at John’s car as he pulled away made you worry that maybe he would chase him down. “Let’s go inside.”

*

You sighed in relief and leaned against the door as soon as you closed it. “That was…something.” You watched as Frankie walked around the living room. He had calmed down now but you…you were on edge and not in the bad way. You breathed heavier and had to bite your lip to keep yourself from sounding like you were panting.

Frankie had always, always, been attractive to you and right now it seemed like you were discovering how handsome he was all over again. You needed to stop. It was time to cool down.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m going to take a shower.” You could hardly look at him as you zoomed past him and up the stairs.

“Guess I’ll take one too!” he shouted up to you.

In your bedroom, you undressed quickly and got in the shower. You stood there for a time doing nothing. Well, you thought of Frankie and how he was prepared to beat the crap out of someone. How he answered ‘could be' when John asked if he was your boyfriend. How he could be so gentle with you and so rough with someone else at the drop of a dime.

“Okay. Okay. Enough.” You washed yourself then turned the shower off. After wiping the mirror clean, you brushed your teeth then wrapped yourself in a towel. The last thing you were expecting to see was Frankie standing there in nothing but a towel but there he was. You stumbled backward slightly and put a hand to your chest.

“Didn’t mean to scare you. I just…I couldn’t find the, uh…” He tried his best to avert his eyes. “The robe from last time.”

“It wasn’t down there?” you asked. Obviously not, you idiot.

“No…but I’ll go check again.”

“Frankie wait!” You grabbed his arm and he turned to you again. “I just wanna…wanna say thank you for…what you did today was…”

“I’m sorry you had to see it.”

“I’m not.” You pulled his head closer so you could kiss him. At first, he hesitated but when he heard you moan, he lost whatever control he had. Your towel was slowly but surely loosening itself from around your body but it didn’t matter. His lips on yours, his hands on your body, that mattered.

When you started to push him backwards towards the bed, he craned his head to see where he was going. “Frankie. Kiss me.” His legs hit the bed and he fell onto it, staring up at your now naked body.

“I’ll kiss you,” he said then began kissing the first thing his lips could find: your stomach. You pulled him away and climbed onto his lap. “Where else?”

“Just fucking kiss me. Please,” you begged. This time the kiss was a little rougher, teeth and tongue. If you nipped at him, he nipped back. You moved back on his lap a little and slid your hand down the front of his towel. He grunted and pulled away from the kiss to watch your hand. There wasn’t much to see because of the towel but he sure could feel.

“Jesus…fuck...” He pulled your hand away with a growl then lifted you so he could put you down on the bed. “I gotta ask…are you this turned on over me punching your fucking ex?” He smirked.

“And other things,” you breathed trying to pull him in for a kiss but he resisted and sat up to look at you.

“You’re fucking gorgeous, you know that?” His hands explored you, stopping at your breasts to gently pull on your nipples. You could tell he loved your reaction because he did it over and over again.

“Frankie, I need…”

“Need what?” he asked, leaning forward again and kissing your lips.

“I need you.”

“Are you sure you want this? Want me?” He kissed you again so you could only nod and make a sound of approval. “Need to hear it.”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m so sure.” You wrapped your legs around him and used your feet to push his towel off.

“Thank God,” he said. “Been wanting this for so long. So bad.” He kissed you all over, slowly working his way down until you felt his hair tickling your inner thighs. He took your hand and laced his fingers with yours before nipping at your thigh.

“Please…”

“Keep looking at me. Keep holding my hand, okay?”

“Okay Frankie.” You looked down at him and he pushed his hair out his eyes.

“Good girl.” The praise alone was enough to make you tremble, but he was about to make you see stars and you didn’t even know it yet.

[six]

Tags: @cable-kenobi​ @saltywintersoldat​ @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​ @pedrosdoll​ @psychobillybunny​ @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead​ @keeper0fthestars @mrsparknuts​ @thinemineours​ @huliabitch @synystersilenceinblacknwhite​

[themadauthorshatter]

Just because Charles is home safe, doesn't mean this series is over😉😁

Super quick recap: While Galeforce's plan kicks into high gear, Henry further chips away at Charles, seemingly becoming succesful in coveting the pilot. Despite his efforts, Charles manages to escape, with help from Galeforce and a hair's width successful plan.

For much more context, and seeing that glorious action, escape scene that was so expertly written it deserved an Oscar (sarcasim), be sure the check the links provided:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 & extention/revision

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

With all that said and done, let's go check on Charles!!

We find our friend sleeping on a really bed for the first time in forever, resting on his side, the one where he got grazed not the one with broken ribs and gash.

We can finally tell it's morning, too, because the sun is up, the birds are singing, and there's the rustling of trees outside as well.

Just as he starts to get a little fitful, hand reaches out to ruffle Charles's hair. He doesn't know who it is, exactly, but when he thinks he sees Henry, he wakes up INSTANTLY out of sheer panic, jolting off his side to sit up and back away as much as he can.

SYKE!

It's just Galeforce, who sits in a chair and holds up his hands. "Easy, son. Just me. You're alright."

Charles looks around and realizes where they are:

A log cabin in the woods(and not the murder-y kind either) that's cozy AF and is close to a river. There are glass windows, but they're not huge, everything has a very woods-punk to it, like antler lamps a few tapestries, and other stuff like that.

"Where are we?"

"Out of the city. It's better you stay low for a little while, until we know you're safe."

Charles relaxes and rubs his ear, which is bandaged; he has his ear muffs, but they're resting on the bedside table.

"How... How long was I out for?"

"Since we got you out. About two days. Here," Galeforce says as he passes a plate to Charles, as well as some ADD medicine(Turns out Galeforce is a good dad and stays up to date on what Charles needs.)"You look like you could use these."

Charles smiles and accepts his plate, eggs, sausage, and bacon(PROTEIN GAINS!!), and the medicine. "Thanks."

Charles indeed starts eating, and takes his meds, and it gives Galeforce a clear view of Charles's arms, wrists, and other injuries(he's wearing a thin-ish t-shirt), including some burns on his wrists from where he was electrocuted.

He also sees Charles tense up and freeze as he cuts up some eggs. It's only for a second, but Galeforce still catches it.

"Charelie, what'd they do to you?"

Charles is silent for a second before continuing to eat some breakfast. "A lot," he replies under his breath after eating.

"I'm sorry, General."

Galeforce gives Charles a confused look before Charles continues.

"He got the sapphire and the Captain got injured. And-"

Galeforce sets a hand on Charles's shoulder, now giving him a small smile.

"Canterbury's fine, just like everyone else. The sapphire's far away from here. Shipped it off a month ago. Trust me, Henry would have to be out of his mind to try getting it back."

Charles is so surprised to hear this, exhaling shakily, tears in his eyes.

Galeforce's smile remains as he pulls Charles close until the two are hugging, Charles semi-relaxing in the contact.

But there's still one thing on Charles's mind.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

The two pull away, that smile on Galeforce's face now replaced with confusion. "Tell you what?"

Charles has a quick moment of, 'Do I really wnat to do this?' before remembering Henry's smug face and clenching a fist.

"My parents. Why didn't you tell me about them?"

Galeforce pulls Charles close again, but they don't hug this time.

"They didn't get a chance to. Never said I could either," Galeforce explains. "Regardless, Charlie, they loved you more than they loved each other. Hell, they loved you more than me."

Charles stares at Galeforce with wide eyes, on the virge of tears.

"Trust me, son. I would've told you, even if they didn't want me to."

"When?"

Galeforce shrugs and gives a slight chuckle. "Whenever you asked. For the youngest pilot, you're a little..."

Galeforce trails off and gives a 50/50 sigm with his hand, which Charles straightens at.

"Hey!" Charles half-laughs.

Galefirce laughs with him before sighing. "Regardless, once all this is over, I'll tell you whatever you want to know, alright?"

The two hug again for real this time, Galeforce glad to have his son home and Charles glad to be home, relaxing fully now that he's back.

Well, at least until we cut to the orbital station.

Henry is still pissed at the fact that not only did they get duped, but now Charles is somewhere back on Earth.

He knows Charles probably isn't at his house, because Henry has the file that shows his address, at the base, or at The Wall, considering what happened at both locations.

He contemplates it all while holding the bottle of pills he'd taken from Charles so long ago before shouting and throwing the bottle at the cork board.

Oh, yeah, and the file was updated in 2017, and it's 2020 now, in our time-line.

So, yeah, Henry's a little pissed off at the moment, and the glass sapphire prank from the government did not make it any better.

Regardless, Henry groans and plops down in his chair, running a hand through his hair.

He reads through Charles's file again, this time looking for Charles's phone number again, trying to find a way to contact Charles again, find and bring him back by whatever means necessary.

Best way to do that is by going to Charles's home address, but that might be a trap, maybe go to the base, but, again, it might be a trap, so now Henry's caught in a spiral.

He rests his head against his arms, groaning again.

Doesn't know how(yet), but he's going to find Charles.

That's when he gets an idea and remembers a gold mine that just finished mining and putting away some gold.

BACK TO CHARLES!

It's been a couple days now and he's having a lovely time at the cabin, sitting on the porch, which has a top on it to block the sun, and drinking some tea, enjoying the wind, water, sun, and everything he's missed while captuve in the orbital station.

That's when he hears something and races inside, pulling his tea in, as well.

Charles ducks behind the island counter and grabs for a gun under the table, sneaking toward the door and hiding behind the wall.

The door opens and someone walks in, loudly, at first, before slowing down, creeping as well, with two other footsteps following.

Charles swings out, ready to shoot, but is glomped by Calvin and Konrad, who could not care less he was about to shoot them.

"Charles! You're back!"

"We thought you died!"

"He didn't die. Don't be stupid," Calvin snarks at Konrad.

"I know he didn't, but you never know!"

"Alright, you two," Rupert sighs. "Let him breathe for a second."

The twins reluctantly let Charles go and Charles sets his gun down as his gaze good to Rupert, who smirks and holds his arms open.

"What? Forgot your best friend?"

Charles gasps as his eyes widen.

From his perspective Rupert turns into Henry, who lowers his arms to extend a hand to Charles.

Charles backs away from him, muttering, "No. Not here. How did you get here?"

"Charles?"

Calvin puts a hand on Charles's shoulder and Charles jumps out of his skin, snapping back into reality.

Both twins look very confused, but Rupert's confusion turns into solemn understanding and then to barely contained anger.

"They really messed you up out there, didn't they?"

Charles tries to form words, stammering as he turns to the twins and Rupert, but Rupert holds his shoulders.

"Don't worry. You're staying on Earth, from now on."

Charles gulps and nods. "Yeah." That's when Charles takes a look at the twins and Rupert. "What... are you guys doing here, anyway?"

Calvin and Konrad exchange a small smile and pull Charles inside by the hand, not the wrist because Galeforce gave them a heads up.

"Day off! We're babysitting you, for a little while."

Before Charles can fully protest, Rupert cheekily ruffles his hair.

"General's orders, Charlie. Besides, you need to tell us how you got this place, because we got lost the times looking for it."

All three stop their toying around when Charles's shoulders start shaking and his breathing becomes uneven.

"Charles?"

Charles looks up at all three of them, smiling as he cries. "S-sorry. I guess... I really missed you guys."

The twins smile back and Rupert sl8ngs an arm over Charles's shoulders.

"Dammit, don't get me crying, too."

All four walk further inside, Charles going back to lock the door.

That's when he notices the pocket of his coat, the one he'd been captured in, and digs inside it, blood going frigid at what he finds.

There are a bunch of pictures held together by a paperclip, all that are from a security camera in Charles's cell, one of a few. There's a few of Charles sleeping in his restraints, some of him sitting on the floor and staring out the window, some of him right when he's been punched and kicked, electrocuted, wearing the suit from dinner, and, most horrifying, Henry holding and kissing him, even posing with Charles while he's asleep gagged with the duct tape.

Charles's hands tremble as he flips through them, completely unable to breathe.

When did he take these!?

"Yo! Charlie! You coming or what!?" Konrad calls.

Charles quickly hides the pictures away in his pants pocket and rejoins them, pale and trying to hold it together.

Thankfully, Rupert is the one who notices first.

"You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Charles shakes his head and nods. "Yeah, I... I'm fine."

Silly, Charles. Rupert can tell when he's lying, but won't push him; goodness knows Eupert and the twins have done that enough.

"Relax," Calvin says. "They're not goning to come here. Heard there was a raid going on at some mine a state over."

"Yeah, and if we had a hard time coming here, the toppats might, too," Konrad says as he tries to figure out the coffee machine.

I can think of a few things, Charles thinks as he helps out Konrad.

Good thing Charles is this on edge because we cut to Charles's house as the door opens, the lock having been picked open.

Henry walks inside, alone, and quickly takes his shoes off to hide any evidence he was inside as he looks around.

He moves very carefully, noting how everything is decently organized, not meticulous, but everything is where it should be.

Henry smirks at all of it, but spots the plants Charles has around, both wire and real, said real ones being a little droopy and sad.

He quickly picks up a small pitcher and gives the plants a drink, because he's a nice friend(NOT!!!).

He then continues exploring, checking out the bathroom, the laundry room, and even Charles's room, which he's much more 'thorough' with.

And by thorough, I mean he inspects the bed, the closet and all that freaky stalker stuff that just screams, "WE'RE NOT DEALING WITH GOOD GUY HENRY! THAT'S FOR NEXT TIME!"

Regardless, Henry lies down on Charles's bed, enjoying the scent of Charles(because it's freaky) when a phone rings, one of those wall house phones that connects to everything amd Henry immediately gets up to check it out.

Turns out someone's calling to check on Charles, who is not home at the moment.

Thinking quickly, Henry pickup the phone and punches in a number.

We return to Charles as he sits carefully on the couch with Rupert and the twins as they watch a comedy.

The phone rings and Charles jumps to answer it. "Hello?"

When there's no response, Charles gulps.

"Who is this?"

"Nice to hear from you, Charles. Miss me?"

Charles is dead silent as his eyes go wide as saucers.

He's desperately hoping that what he's hearing is just his mind playing tricks on him, maybe just his mind attacking him while he's listening to someone else, but Henry clears that right up:

"Charles? Can you hear me? Did you gwt the pictures I sent you?"

Charles instantly hangs up the phone, turns it off, and backs away, falling down as it very quickly becomes hard to breathe and he starts hyperventilating.

Thank goodness the twins and Rupert hear this and rush over to him.

"Charles? Hey, take a breath. You're alright," Calvin tries not to yell.

Charles pushes them back and pushes himself against a cabinet that's close to the floor, curling into himself as he holds onto his hair.

"I can't. No. No, no, no, no, no, I can't! I can't go back there! I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't!"

"What do you mean?" Rupert asks. "What's wrong?"

Charles takes a breath and gulps before speaking again. "He knows. He-he knows I'm here! He's going to take me back! He-he'll bring me back, I know he will!" Charles holds his head against his knees and groans loudly. "Why didn't I just shoot him!? I should've shot him, then none of this would've happened! Why didn't I just-"

Rupert holds Charles's shoulders and lightly taps on his shoulders to get his attention. "Charles? Hey, come on, look at me."

Charles's breath hitches before he turns his gaze to Rupert, and gives him a clear view of just how messed up Charles really is after this whole ordeal.

Calvin and Konrad, however, figure out what's up.

"Henry's here? Like, on Earth? Right now?"

Charles nods.

"But isn't the clan heading for the gold mine? That's where... we're waiting for them."

Charles's eyes dart from the twins to Rupert.

"He knows," Charles murmurs to himself. "He knows where-"

"Easy," Rupert says. "You're not going to be alone this time."

Charles nods again and Rupert helps him to his feet.

Charles, however, is wearing his thinking cap.

If Henry wants Charles, so be it.

CUT TO THE MINE!

The Toppats are on their way to get themselves some gold, led by Ellie, but are ambushed by the Government, and a very proud Galeforce.

"Evening, Ellie."

Ellie groans and holds her hands up, gesturing for the rest to do the same.

"You've got us, General. Well done. You arrested a small group of the Toppat Clan."

There's something very off about Ellie's words, and Galeforce catches it instantly, even as Ellie is put in cuffs and pulled away.

"Funny how Henry isn't here. Wonder where he went?" Ellie calls as she's hauled away.

Galeforce watches the Toppat members get put in a truck that is going to be sent to The Wall.

That's when it clicks, and we cut back to Charles, who's tense and trying to sit still until he stands up.

"Where you going?" Rupert asks, ever the lovely best friend.

"Just getting some water, don't worry," Charles replies with a smile.

Rupert eyes him before turnung back to the movie they're watching.

Charles takes this opportunity to pick up his phone and walk outside, dialing the number Henry used to call him with; the creep is probably still at his house.

Good thing I bring up Henry, because he is indeed resting on the couch as the phone rings.

He gets up and answers the phone, smirking at seeing Charles's number.

"You called?"

Charles gulps and clears his throat.

"What... Where do you want to meet?"

Henry's smirk widens. "I knew you missed me."

[that-bi-bitch-writes]

The Rumor Around Hogwarts (prologue)

Hi everyone!! This is the prologue and it is pretty much exactly what the author wrote and I don't take credit for it. I made a couple of changes to the chapter but it is towards the end so if you want to skip through you can until about the last paragraph to find the part about Y/N L/N. Enjoy!!

Male reader insert for now, future addition of they pronouns as it will lean more towards a non-binary insert with the only change being less reference to Y/N as a young boy and more gender neutral terms. Still masc/male aligned.

Previous // Next

Prologue:

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.

The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had two small sons, too, but they had never even seen them. These boys were two good reasons for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with children like that.

When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.

"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.

It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar -- a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realise what he had seen -- then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive -- no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.

But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes -- the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt -- these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.

Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.

He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. "The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard--" "-- yes, their son, Harry--" Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.

He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey Or Harold There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her -- if he'd had a sister like that... but all the same, those people in cloaks...

He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drill that afternoon and when he left the building a five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside of the door.

"Sorry" he grunted as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realised that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary his ace split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passerbys stare,

"Don't be sorry my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating this happy, happy day!"

And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.

Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.

As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw -- and it didn't improve his mood -- was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.

"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.

The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.

Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:

"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" "Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early -- it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."

Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...

Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er -- Petunia, dear -- you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"

As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.

"No," she said sharply. "Why?"

"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..."

"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.

"Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd."

Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son -- he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"

"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.

"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"

"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."

"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."

He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.

Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of -- well, he didn't think he could bear it.

The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on -- he yawned and turned over -- it couldn't affect them...

How very wrong he was.

Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.

A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.

Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."

He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again -- the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.

"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."

He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."

"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.

"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."

Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.

"Oh yes, I've been celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no -- even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent -- I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."

"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."

"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."

She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"

"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"

"A what?"

"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."

"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone--"

"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense -- for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."

"I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."

"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."

"Only because you're too -- well -- noble to use them."

"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."

Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"

It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.

"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are -- are -- that they're -- dead."

Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.

"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..." Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder.

"I know... I know... " he said heavily.

Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke -- and that's why he's gone."

Dumbledore nodded glumly.

"It's -- it's true ?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"

"We can only guess," said Dumbledore.

"We may never know." Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"

"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."

"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here ?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore -- you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son -- I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!?"

"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."

"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous -- a legend -- I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future -- there will be books written about Harry -- every child in our world will know his name!"

"Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes -- yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.

"Hagrid's bringing him."

"You think it -- wise -- to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore. "I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to -- what was that?"

A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky -- and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.

If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild -- long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.

"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"

"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."

"No problems, were there?"

"No, sir -- house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.

"Is that where -- ?" whispered Professor McGonagall.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."

"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?" "Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map o

f the London Underground. Well -- give him here, Hagrid -- we'd better get this over with." Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house. "Could I -- could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.

"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!"

"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it -- Lily an' James dead -- an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles--"

"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.

"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."

"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall -- Professor Dumbledore, sir."

Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.

"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.

"Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter -- the boy who lived!"

The boy who lived, however, was not the only threat to Voldemort's plans. There was another baby boy who would grow up to be extraordinary. His fame would not reach the height of Harry Potter, but he need not be the boy who lived for he will be the boy who decided to speak.

        "I heard a rumor"

[dancingkirby]

Fanfic: The Morning After

Sokka and Ty Lee have a little chat about their mutual lover, and then Sokka has an encounter with Azula herself.  This is a direct sequel to the Sokkla scene I wrote for the Chapter 69 special.  Like most of what I post here, this is a right draft.  I feel that the ending still needs some work, but I think the rest of it turned out well.  Especially since this was my first time writing Sokka’s PoV!

WARNING: Referenced past sexual abuse/incest.  Kind of par for the course with this series.

Waking up in the mornings was so, so overrated…especially when it was this early. Sokka had been wrenched out of sleep by a strong urge to pee, but once that had been taken care of, he found himself unable to drift of again.  The birds outside his window were causing a racket, and even when he turned his head away from the window, he felt as if it the sunlight was drilling a hole in the back of his skull.  Resigning himself to the inevitable, Sokka sat up in bed and reached for the stash of blubbered seal jerky he’d stashed under his pillow, only to be severely disappointed when he found that the bag was empty.  That was right…he’d eaten the last few pieces last night.

Last night…what had that even been?

He had, of course, been hoping he’d get lucky that night, since it was a wedding and all, so he’d come prepared.  But he would have never guessed in a gazillion years that it would be with Azula.  Yes, he’d been aware that she’d been looking at him all day, but he’d assumed it was because she hated him and was fantasizing about his death.  It turned out that her fantasies had actually been about something slightly less violent…and way more sexy.

(He hadn’t been entirely blameless in this either…he’d stared right back at her, thinking about how hot she’d become.  And not in the firebending sense.)

And then…they’d had sex.  In a closet that was so tiny that Sokka hadn’t been quite able to stand up straight. Azula had proven to be a screamer, and when they’d left the closet, they’d had to do a Walk of Shame through a large and boisterous crowd to get to the sleeping quarters.  

He held his head in his hands.  If Zuko didn’t know yet, he certainly would soon.  And then Sokka was really gonna get it.  Well, he might as well go outside for a walk first, so he wouldn’t face the Fire Lord with all this metaphorical gunk clogging his thoughts.  It was a testament to his current emotional turmoil that he didn’t even eat breakfast first.

They hated each other, right?  That much hadn’t changed.  And yet…that sex had been something else.   He’d heard about hatesex, of course, but he’d never thought he’d actually experience it. What was more, Azula had evidently been satisfied enough with how it’d gone to suggest that this could become a regular Thing.  However, that was before they knew that everyone in the palace was aware of it.

Sokka navigated the maze of corridors more or less successfully, and flung open a side exit door leading to one of the gardens.  When the spring air, still cool this early and laden with the scent of flowers, hit his face, he thought he already felt a little better.  As he started walking around the perimeter, he thought that surely no one else would be out here at this hour…

Except there was.

He had thought, upon initially passing it, that it was simply an ordinary bush with biggish pink flowers on it.  Sokka had no idea what the flowers were called. (Hey, he was the meat and sarcasm guy…not the plant guy!)  Then, he had almost walked by it when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.  He figured it was probably only the breeze, but turned back to look anyway,,,and saw that the bush had grown large eyes that were staring right back at him.  

“Whoa!” he cried out.  “Please leave me alone, Creepy Bush with Eyes. I wasn’t doing any…”

He broke off his sentence, feeling more than a little embarrassed at himself as he realized that the eyes did not belong to the bush, but rather to the now-giggling lady sitting next to the bush, feet tucked behind her head. (How could that possibly be a comfortable way to sit?)  Her pink outfit had made her blend right in.

Wait.  Pink?  This was Ty Lee!  Shit. She and Azula were dating, right? What if Azula had cheated on Ty Lee with him?  

“Weeelllll…it was really nice seeing you, Ty Lee, or rather not seeing you, but this is a little awkward, wouldn’t you think?  I think I’ll just be…leaving, and then we can both pretend that this never happened. Sound like a plan?”

But Ty Lee lowered her feet, stood up, and said, “Wait.  No.   I wanted to talk with you for a bit.”

Oh fuck, he was in for it now!

“What about?” he replied.  He was trying to be casual, but the fact that his voice was currently an octave higher than it had been in about four years gave him away.

“I’m not mad at you, silly!” Ty Lee insisted, sitting on a nearby bench.  “Just sit right here...”–she patted the spot next to her– “And we can clear some things up, okay?”

“About Azula?” Sokka sighed.  Ty Lee nodded.

“Yeah.  About Azula.”

Sokka gingerly sat, crossing his legs just in case.  “I take it you know about last night?”

“M-hm,” Ty Lee said. “But that…what you probably think is the problem isn’t.  Azula and I have…kind of an arrangement.  We see other people.  I’ve been starting to do a bit of dating myself.  Not that anyone’s really worked out for me yet, but…well, anyway, you don’t have to worry about that.”  She flushed as she realized that she’d overshared a bit.

“Then what is the problem?” Sokka pressed.  Ty Lee’s gaze flickered down to her lap, and she seemed to be trying to figure out how to put what she wanted to say into words.  

“Be careful with her, okay?” she finally said in a soft voice, pleading gaze back on him.

Sokka shuddered. “No need to tell me that twice.”

Ty Lee shook her head, braid swaying from side to side.  “Not like that.  Well, I guess kind of…but what I was trying to get at was, she’s good at putting on an act, but she’s still really emotionally fragile.  She…you were at the meeting; you know what happened to her.”

Yes, Sokka remembered that meeting well.  No sooner had Katara and Sokka gotten back home with Dad than they’d received a message telling them to return to the Fire Nation for an urgent matter.  Sokka’s first thought was that Iroh had gotten sick, but that proved not to be the case.  

As soon as he and Katara had arrived at the palace, they had been ushered into a small conference room.  Somewhat oddly, metal buckets had been placed by every seat.  The two of them, Aang, Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, Zuko, and Mai had been the only people in the room, and the new Fire Lord had sworn them all to secrecy.

“I’m not sure how to lead up to this, so I guess I’ll just come out and say it,” Zuko had said, face pale and grief-stricken.  The entire room was horrified to hear that Ozai had raped his own daughter multiple times, and not only that…he had impregnated her.  

It had quickly become clear that the buckets had been placed there in case anyone had to vomit, and Aang and Suki had had to use theirs.  Sokka hadn’t, although it had been close.  But Ty Lee had taken it the worst of all of them.  After a few seconds of shocked silence, she had burst into tears and been utterly inconsolable.  The only things she had been capable of saying were, “I should have known!” and “It’s all my fault!”

For all he knew, she could still be blaming herself for it…

Sokka swallowed. All he could trust himself to say was, “Yeah.  I know.”

Ty Lee squeezed her eyes shut, as if she too was revisiting that memory in her head.

She said, “Azula’s had a lot of relearning to do. And she’s trying to be a better person in her own way, I think.  At the very least, she’s realized that she wasn’t happy the way she was before.  But sometimes, she’s not quite there yet.  Be patient with her, that’s all I’m asking. And if she starts doing something messed up, you have to let her know about it.  And if you ever, ever take advantage of her…you’ll have to answer to me.”

That last part sounded slightly ludicrous on the surface, coming from such a sweet-faced woman, but Sokka knew well that her appearance was deceiving.  He held up his hands.  “Hey, no advantage-taking going on here!  I promise.”

“It’s okay.  I believe you,” Ty Lee stated.  She gave him a crooked little smile, while simultaneously blinking away tears.  “I…I was happy when I heard last night.  I think you might be the person Azula needs right now.  So…friends?” She held out her little finger to pinky-promise.

Sokka smiled as he linked her finger with his.  “Sure. Friends.”   Naturally, his stomach had to choose that very moment to give an audible growl.

“Whoops.  Guess I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast,” he muttered.  “Well, I should go now.  It was nice talking to you, though!  Glad we set things straight.”

“No problem!” Ty Lee replied.

Once Sokka had gone to the kitchens and successfully begged for some grub (They had leftovers from last night!  Score!), he encountered none other than Azula on the way back to his room.  She was dressed in her training garb, but had looked like she had been in no hurry to get to the sparring grounds.  In fact, from the way she’d been leaning against a doorway, it almost looked like she’d been waiting for him.

He sidled up to her, and whispered, “So…are we still on for tonight?” She nodded.

He couldn’t help it; he winked at her.  After all, he was Sokka, and he had to uphold certain standards.  Azula looked taken aback at first…but then she smiled.  She had dimples, and it was strangely adorable.

Before she could speak, though, a shout rang out from behind them.

“There you are! Mai and I heard some really weird stuff about…”  Zuko rounded a corner, and the “weird stuff” was apparently confirmed when he saw Sokka and Azula standing so close to each other.

“Yes, Zuzu, we fucked,” Azula said, sounding impressively nonchalant.  “Do you have a problem with that?”

A long pause ensued. Sokka tried to follow Azula’s lead and act casual by whistling tunelessly, but his attempt was much less successful than hers.  At long last, Zuko shook his head.

“You know what? Fine.  I don’t want to think about it.  Just…be sure to use protection, okay?”  And off he went.

“I should be off, too,” Azula said to Sokka.   She strode briskly away, but not before discreetly dropping a folded scrap of paper on the floor at Sokka’s feet.  Once he was back in the privacy of his own room, he opened it and read the few characters printed on it.

Eight o’clock.  Don’t be late.

He certainly had no intention of letting her down.

[xomarauders]

tw: character deaths, funerals

* * * *

The funeral was small. Close friends and family only. With the war going on, it was dangerous to have too many people attend in such a small setting— “an easy target” as Moody reminded everyone diligently. Remus sat with his hands folded in his lap next to Sirius, who was sitting very still and staring at the floor with a numb expression on his face. He had already broken down earlier that morning in their flat as the two of them were getting ready, and Remus had held him for several long moments trying to keep him together. Now, Sirius seemed determined not to show any emotion. It was for James’ sake, Remus was sure. Sirius wanted to be strong for his brother as they buried Euphemia and Fleamont. As they buried their parents.  

Remus glanced across Sirius’ lap to see Lily, sitting beside James and holding onto his arm tightly with one hand, the other resting across her stomach. She wasn’t quite showing yet, but Remus knew that she was thinking about the baby she and James were bringing into this world. A baby that would never know their grandparents. Peter was on the other side of James, twitching in his seat, unsure what to do with himself. He never knew how to handle situations like this.

Lily’s wet green eyes met Remus’ briefly and her lips twitched, as if trying to form a smile but the muscles in her face wouldn’t allow it. Remus himself just looked away, having nothing comforting to offer her in this moment. He himself couldn’t understand any of it. His own mother, Hope, had died a few years ago and it was bringing up a lot of emotions he had tried to repress ever since. Cancer. Dragon pox. It just seemed like such silly things to die from during a time of war and Remus didn’t understand.

The service was nice. James spoke beautifully about his parents, his tears never ceasing to stop despite his efforts. He talked of his childhood, how his parents were so patient with the whirlwind of a child they were given, how everything good about him had come from them. He talked about how proud he was to be their son. How he wished to someday be half the parent they were for his child. He had looked at Lily as he said it.

Sirius didn’t speak. Moody had insisted they keep the service as short as possible, giving only enough time for one person to speak. James had offered to split his time, but Sirius had declined, the insecure feeling that he was intruding on a family that wasn’t really his still so apparent after all these years.

“You, Sirius and Peter should come back to mine and James’ tonight. I don’t think we should be apart.” Lily said quietly in Remus’ ear as they found each other after the ceremony. James was at the door thanking everyone for coming as they left, Peter hovering closely behind in case he was needed. Sirius had snuck out for a smoke.

“Sirius might not agree.” Remus muttered. “He likes to mourn alone.”

Lily frowned, no doubt thinking about the self-destructive things Sirius partook in when he grieved.

“He’ll come.” She said. “He wouldn’t deny James.”

Remus couldn’t argue with that. He excused himself from Lily’s side to go in search for his boyfriend to inform him of the plans. He was stopped a few times by other Order members and Professor Dumbledore along the way, but eventually, he found his way out the back door of the building. Sirius was leaning against the brick wall, his hand dangling beside him, holding an unlit cigarette.

“You need a light?”

Sirius’ head shot up and Remus was surprised to see the wetness on his cheeks and the bloodshot look in his eyes. Sirius let out a humorless laugh and glanced down at the methanol stick in his hand.

“She hated when I smoked.” His voice cracked as he spoke. “I can’t bring myself to light it.”

Remus stayed quiet. He didn’t want to push Sirius to talk about his feelings, knowing that Sirius would just push him back and internalize everything. Instead, Remus focused on the weather, finding it oddly jarring at how bright it was outside with the sun shining and birds chirping. It was a great contrast to how everything felt. He looked down at his shoes.

“It’s not—” Sirius began, a choked sob escaping his lips. “It’s not fucking fair.”

“I know.” Remus said.

The dam broke again, just as it had that morning, and Remus lunged forward just as Sirius collapsed onto himself, sobs racking his body. A wet feeling spread across Remus’ shoulder as tight hands grappled at his back in a desperate motion and Remus felt his heart breaking. He could relate, on some level, to the pain of losing Euphemia and Fleamont because of his mother, but unlike Sirius, Remus was able to compartmentalize his feelings and control when and where he allowed himself to break down. Sirius was more prone to random bouts of anger and depression that were nearly impossible to predict.

“Let’s go to James and Lily’s tonight.” Remus whispered into the dark hair against his chest. “It’ll just be us and Pete there.”

“Remus—”

“James needs you tonight, Pads.” He knew it was a low blow, to use James to get Sirius to agree. But Lily was right, Sirius was never capable of denying James.

“Fine.”

They drove back to Lily and James’ in silence. Remus thought that disapparation may have been more practical transportation to and from the funeral, but again, Moody had been quite insistent on being cautious and apparating was a magical source that could easily be tracked by the Death Eaters and so, they had to do things the muggle way. It was probably for the best. Remus doubted any of them would be able to disapparate in such a state anyway.

Sirius reached forward and turned the radio on, the static cracking through the air as a song came on. It was a nice distraction from the noise and for a brief second it almost felt like a normal day to Remus with Sirius sitting beside him in the car, listening to tunes and just existing with one another. He wished he could go back to those days, if only to give Sirius one more moment of happiness.

When they arrived at James and Lily’s, Sirius walked through the threshold quickly and quietly, taking his place in the small, yellow loveseat by the window. Remus frowned slightly, wanting to be able to sit next to Sirius in order to gauge how he was feeling, but clearly Sirius wanted space. Remus sat down on the sofa next to Lily. James had rushed off to the kitchen, shouting something about getting drinks and Peter took a seat near the fireplace, still fidgeting in his lap.

“Alright,” James said as he came back into the room, hovering various beverages with his wand. “Lils, I brought you some water, Remus and Peter get tea and Padfoot and I get whiskey.”

He chucked a bottle of firewhiskey toward Sirius, who caught it with ease, immediately screwing the cap off and taking a long swig. Remus saw Lily give her husband a look of disapproval before taking a sip of her own water, choosing not to say anything.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to be drinking?” Peter said, unable to read the room like Lily had.

James just shrugged, practically pulling the bottle from Sirius’ lips to take a swing himself.

“Don’t really plan on being anywhere tonight, so I would say it’s perfectly fine to indulge a little bit. I mean, I did just bury my fucking parents, I think I’m allowed to have a drink, Wormtail.” His voice came out harsh and Peter’s face took on a look of deep hurt. James had never spoken to Peter with such venom before, even going to great lengths to tip toe around his friend’s feelings, knowing how insecure he was.

The sudden tension in the room made Remus’ skin itch. He wondered if the rest of them could feel it like he could or if this was something the wolf was able to pick up on. Lily kept tucking her hair behind her ear and opening her mouth to say something, though nothing ever came out. Peter stared down at his lap, either not wanting or unwilling to look at James, and Sirius seemed to have zoned out, not even registering the conversation that just occurred. Remus felt useless. There was nothing he could think to say or do to make the situation better for anyone. He realized that it was always James or Sirius who were the ones able to distract everyone else from their sorrows. Their boisterous personalities and witty remarks always putting people in a better mood, but now, both their lights were out, and no one knew how to fix it.

“Remember that time your dad caught us snogging on the roof?” Lily said, her eyes on James. “We nearly fell off it when we heard him open the window.” She let out a soft laugh and Remus watched the grip James had on the bottle loosen a bit.

“Yeah. He said we needed to find a new hide out.” A shadow of a smile flickered across James’ face as he walked over to Lily, sitting on the other side of her and taking her hand, the firewhiskey abandoned on the small coffee table.

“Remember when Euphemia made us all those biscuits when we went out to the lake?” Peter said a moment later. James looked up at him with a smile and nodded.

“She made nearly a whole basket for each of us.”

James laughed and Peter followed suit, happy that his friend was smiling with him again. Remus grinned, too, remembering the day fondly. Euphemia had baked nonstop the night before and presented the four boys with baskets of goodies to take to the lake with them that day.

“It came in handy,” Remus said, “considering we all had the munchies after smoking that joint.”

They burst out laughing, James crying tears of joy instead of sadness now.

“Do you think she knew?” Peter asked.

“That we were going to get high? No. I think that’s just what mum did.”

“She was an extraordinary person.” Lily mused. “So was Flea.”

“No one like them.” James agreed.

Suddenly, Sirius stood from his seat and rushed out of the room. Startled by the sudden movement, everyone’s eyes followed him, watching him enter the kitchen and then a moment later the sound of the back-door slamming echoing throughout the small home. James made a move to stand, but Remus raised his hand.

“I’ve got it.”

With tentative steps, Remus made his way outside, walking carefully as if he were sneaking up on some wild animal. He heard soft sobs coming from around a bush and maneuvered until he could see Sirius sitting there on the grass with his head tucked into his knees. His long fingers were pulling at his dark hair as his body shook and Remus knelt down, gently taking hold of Sirius’ wrists.

“Hey, hey. You’re hurting yourself, Pads.”

“I’m sorry I just—” Sirius gasped, brining his head up to meet Remus’ gaze. “I just don’t know how to be here. How to do this.”

“It’s okay.” Remus pulled Sirius to his chest, tears of his own suddenly sprouting in his eyes. He could taste the saltiness of them as bit down on his bottom lip, urging himself to keep it together for Sirius.

“They were my mum and dad, Rem.” Sirius whispered, barely loud enough for Remus to hear. “I mean, I know that they weren’t really my parents but…but they were my mum and dad.”

“I know. It’s okay to miss them, you know. To cry over them.”

At those words, Sirius’ cries renewed, and the two of them sat there in the grass until his sobs slowly turned into heavy breathing. Remus glanced down at the tear stained face resting against his chest to see that Sirius had apparently tired himself out. He looked younger as he slept, his features softer and less tense. Like a face that hadn’t experienced these things. Remus carefully lifted Sirius, wrapping an arm under his knees, holding him tightly to his chest and took him inside. Peter seemed to have left, but Lily and James were still in the living room, curled up against each other, now changed out of their dress clothes and into pajamas. They glanced up when Remus entered.

“He cried himself to sleep.” He said quietly.

“The guest room is all yours. Go get some rest.” James said, his eyes flickering with concern as he looked to Sirius.

“Thank you.”

Remus laid Sirius down on the bed gently before ridding him of his shoes and clothes until he was just in his pants and undershirt. He pulled a large quilt over his boyfriend, running a hand across his face to brush back the hair that had fallen there before sitting beside him. As he looked at Sirius, Remus couldn’t help but hope that the boy in front of him wouldn’t have to deal with anymore loss. It seemed a futile wish during times like these with disappearances and deaths happening every day, but Remus hoped that the universe would make an exception and spare his star anymore heartbreak.

[writinginthedarkwood]

Koma Inu! Kirishima x Reader: The Other Half

The Lion Dog Guardian of the shrine is a cheerful and strong protector of the shrine, but what is he doing all alone out here? Are you what the shrine has been missing all this time?

A tribute to my dear friend @kiriwhores-sama-main who is seriously a JOY to talk too and a talented author. 

Full list of my other Yokai works included in my Master List. 

Has nsfw content. 

“Something isn’t right.” Your grandfather was a quiet man. He preferred to sit propped up near the window so he can watch the day go by. He hasn’t been able to walk for a few years now, but that never bothered you. It was never a chore to care for him, in fact, you love that you can repay him for raising you alone. “Did I not add enough to the soup?” You asked sweetly before gently blowing on the hot liquid. You held the spoon up to him, but he didn’t look away from the window. “Something’s very, very wrong.” He squinted looking past your garden and towards the rest of town. He leaned just a bit closer and wiped some of the condensation off of the glass before sitting back in his chair. “The birds have gone off. There’s something wicked in the air.”

“Don’t be silly, everything is fine.” 

He refused to eat his lunch, not the rice, vegetables or delicious soup. “Would you like to take a nap instead Grandfather?” He shook his head no and continued staring out the window. 

You couldn’t wait around all day, not with all of the chores that need done. You clean up after the mess of lunch and head outside. You smiled and carried an empty wooden bucket toward town to fetch water. Grandfather had thought about having someone dig a well on our property, but I told him I didn’t mind the walk. The pathway through the forest is an easy one to stroll through. 

Usually the sound of chirping song birds joined you, or the sound of crickets as they hopped along the mossy stones. 

It was silent.

“Maybe I should check back up on grandfather...” You looked over my shoulder to decide if you should turn back. “Well we do need water for dinner...” 

Before you could move, the ground shook. 

The rocks jumped towards the air and rolled with the tremor. You fell to your knees as the ground around you cracked open, moving like it was made of water and not solid Earth. The trees around you lost their branches, slamming into the brush below. 

A thicker tree cracked down the middle and fell towards you. You shut your eyes and covered your head. You know the impact or the tree will kill you, but the hit never comes.

The shaking stops and you look out from behind your hands.

He was beautiful, the afternoon sun shone behind him, glowing off of his skin. His hair was impossibly red, it stuck out of his head and them rand down is back like a shaggy lions mane. He smiled down at you and tossed the tree away from the two of you. “You- you caught the tree- you... saved me.” You tried to stand to your feet but you couldn’t. The man laughed and crouched down. “Can I help you up?” He asked sweetly. You nodded your head, trying not let your mouth hang open in shock. He wrapped his hands around your waist and lifted you to your feet with no effort. You were shaky, but stood on your own. “I don’t know how I can thank you enough.” He started to respond to you before the realization struck you. Is grandfather okay? 

You quickly turned and ran away, shouting over your shoulder that you were sorry to the man who rescued you. Your feet carried you over debris, jumping over fallen branches and holes in the pathway. 

Your garden was spared, a few plants uprooted, but no extreme damage. 

But your home, completely crumbled to the ground. The roof had fallen in, the stone walls held towards the bottom, giving some structure to the building, but it was all completely destroyed.

You screamed and tore at the stones, but with every rock you pulled free, the debris would shift and fall even farther in place.

You didn’t know, but your pain was felt by all the forest creatures for miles. They wept with you, the sweet daughter of the valley who had already suffered so many times.

You didn’t mourn alone.

A few months later.

“Good morning Y/N, off to the shrine?” You nodded with a half smile and carried your parcel of lillies. “Off to visit Grandfather.” 

The mothers of town have always been kind to you, but they’ve pulled just a bit away. You hear the whispers, especially from the older crowd and the little children.

“She must be bad luck...” “Everyone she loves dies...”                                                                                     “She can’t marry MY son, I don’t have a death wish!”

They smile and wave, but you can see the worry in their eyes.  They’d probably be happier if you left.

You continued walking anyway, smiling as you go and humming the same tunes your Grandfather would buzz to himself. 

You did this a lot, almost every day if you could help it. The other villagers have neglected the shrine over time, but you worked diligently to keep it clean.

The gate stood beautiful and red in the afternoon sunshine, it’s arches stretching far into the sky. You always found yourself politely nodding to the guardian of the shrine, a beautiful Lion Dog statue that is worn like it has seen better years. It roared to the sky with a gaping mouth. You stopped and gazed at him a little longer today. It hasn’t rained in a few days, the statue looks sort of dirty. You smiled to yourself and decided to clean him up a bit. “Stay right there friend, I’ll get you cleaned up.” 

You set the package of lillies propped up against the steps and grabbed the wooden bucket and cloth you had hiding just inside the entry way. You always wash the walls of the inner shrine, and sweep the pathways among the graveyard. 

You scrubbed away what looked like years of grime, the stone statue darkening in color from the water. Bird droppings fell away, and the stone underneath looked smooth and better than ever. 

It was strange that the Komainu was alone. Parallel to this one is an empty place holder, a shadow remaining where another statue must have sat. After finishing your work you stared at the empty place for a moment and suddenly felt sad, the shadow instilling some type of longing in you, like something really was missing. You pulled a flower from the lillies you brought and placed one on the spot before walking the rest of the way into the shrine. 

You swept the pathways and abandoned stone memorials. Your fingers cramped as you scrubbed away dust and dirt from the walls of the sancturary, where the other villagers have long stopped worshiping. Grandfather insisted on being buried here, he was the last of his generation, a pillar in the spiritual community. 

You tried not to think too long whenever the thought of him passing alone crept into your head.

You stopped washing the walls for a moment as the sadness crawled up your spine. 

The water dripped down the wall and pooled on the floor. 

You sang to yourself to bring the mood up, smiling while you sang about nature.

As you started to lose yourself in the music, really ringing out the beautiful notes you felt a tingle of the back of your neck. 

Someone was watching you.

You looked stopped singing suddenly and looked around, feeling silly. Why would anybody walk all the way out here other than you? Someone could have followed you from the village, but that’s unlikely, why follow bad luck?

You sighed and carried the bucket outside where you dumped the water and refilled it for next time. The sun is setting, washing the statue kept you out here much longer than you meant too. You rushed to try and hurry back before dark. 

You stopped one more time at the beautiful wall of names, seeing your grandfathers on the bottom of the list. You removed the old, starting to wilt flowers and left the new lillies lying there.

Something strange halted your light footsteps, leaving you without any breath in your lungs.

The freshly cleaned statue was gone. You rushed over to it, waving your hands in the air over the pedestal to see if it would collide with stone. 

Your hand felt nothing, the lion guardian was gone. 

Backing away from the oddity of all your back collided with the other empty pedestal. You jumped like someone touched you, feeling incredibly skittish. 

The lillie you left as a gift for the lion dog was different now, it was made out of solid gold. “How is this possible?” You whispered to yourself before reaching out a shaking hand. 

The moment you touched the golden flower, the world around you warped and changed. 

The tree’s surrounding the shrine grew taller, reaching impossibly tall heights. The sky was a beautiful pinkish hue, it was terribly bright compared to the pastel pallet of the sunset before. The shrine was even bigger, the paint no longer chipping. The stone was sturdy and smooth, practically glowing with cleanliness. Even the air felt different, the mugginess of the summer was gone. It felt crisp and sweet, like flowers were blooming nearby. 

“H-hello?” You stepped onto the stairs, they’re far grander now. You held onto the railing to sturdy yourself.

You thought you heard footsteps, but saw nobody around. You called out again, your voice echoing around you, making you feel even more alone. 

You heard a strange noise nearby, the sound of something heavy falling to the ground. The further you walked along, the more audible another sound became. Someone was... grunting? Even yelling a bit. You rounded a corner to a deeper part of the shrine yard.

“Ohhh I didn’t see you there!” A voice called before you barely came into view. 

You gasped, the man who saved you during the earth quake was throwing rocks around the yard. 

He stretched his arms over the back of his head, pulling his sweaty ab muscles in a lightly obvious attempt to impress you. “I was just, throwing in an extra work out before sundown!” He sat down on a mossy rock and threw a towel over his shoulders. “But uh! Welcome! I guess I should start by thanking you!” He smiled and motioned for you to walk closer. You took a few steps into the grass, the blades tickled your ankles. “I should be the one thanking you...” You smiled toward the ground. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”  

The terrible loss of your grandfather clouded that memory for so long. It almost felt like a dream, like that moment was so far away from now. 

“Hey that was nothing! That tree was like a paper weight to me. It really is YOU that deserves all the praise.” 

A light blush freckled your cheeks. “But I haven’t done anything...” 

He stood up quickly, his long red hair flowing behind him. He flashed a bright mouth of sharp teeth at you. “Haven’t done anything? Look at this place! It looks amazing because of you!” He threw his arms out and motioned to the beauty around you two. 

It really was gorgeous. Huge flowering plants lined the walkways between the graves. Memorials were shining and polished perfectly.

“A human hasn’t loved and cared for this place like this in, well. Centuries! Your warm heart has really made it a more fun place to live.” His energy was infectious. He reached a hand out for you to take with a sweet gaze. “Can I show you around?” 

You felt no fear in your heart, you reached out and touched his warm hand, feeling nothing but positive energy radiate from him.

The two of you strolled around the shrine, the memorials seeming to go on forever. Some were grand tall statues, others were long trailing walls with hundreds of names on them. He talked while the two of you strolled together, and you noticed that he almost seemed, nervous?

“And- uh- yeah! That was the graveyard, a little sad I guess but up here is the inner shrine where I-I live!” He chuckled a bit and touched his hair. “If you’d like to see... that?”  He kind of drew out his sentence, looking at you with a cute scrunched up face. 

Seeing the inner shrine? You beamed. It’s not often people are allowed to see the inner shrine where the most sacred items are stored. “Wow really? You would let me inside?” You asked with wide eyes. “Of course I would!” He looked at you with a face that said he couldn’t believe you would even ask. 

The closer you walked to the shrine, the more different it looked. It was huge, like a palace. “Wow!” Your chest filled with excitement, it was unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing...” You said under your breath. “I guess it is a little impressive now. It looked terrible not too long ago, but since you’ve come around the place has really cleaned up.” 

Your bare feet padded against the marble pathway, the stone felt smooth and a little warm. Your skirt brushed gently across the ground, you almost felt the need to pull it up, the dirty cloth feeling out of place in such a grand setting. 

“I really did all this?” You asked looking around at the blooming cherry trees. “You sure did!” He smiled and gave your hand a pat. “It’s been, well. Really nice with you being here so often.” He looked at you with a sweet, smaller smile. “Are you the Koma Inu of this shrine?” 

“Yup! You figured it out.” He stretched his free arm out and flexed. “Yeah I keep this place nice and safe on my own. Bragging wouldn’t be very manly of me, but I’ve been watching over this place for as long as I remember. Nobody can mess with the dead when I’m around!” 

“You’ve been here all alone?” You didn’t mean to pry, you thought your question was innocent enough. His face dropped, his smile fading for just a moment. You stopped walking, just outside a very large golden door. “I’m sorry did I say something to upset you?” 

His smile bounced back to his face. “No! No never, not at all Y/N.” He put a hand on your face for a just a second, cupping your cheek. “I can’t imagine you saying anything to hurt me.”

Your face blushed bright red as he stared deep into your eyes. 

He dropped his hand and snapped his fingers, the huge golden doors creaking open. When stepping into the great hall, lanterns lit on their own, A fountain with intricate lion carvings in white stone erupted with flowing water. “Not so bad right? What do you think?” 

You covered your mouth, feeling very small. Your eyes watered,  “I- I’m not worthy enough to be here..” You stammered out, your voice almost failing you.

He spun around quickly and gently took your shoulders in his hands. “Y/N don’t you ever say that!” He said in a gentle tone. He wiped a stray tear off of your cheek.

“I- I am the unlucky girl of the valley. I have no family, no place to live.” You didn’t often get to speak to other people anymore, especially about your emotions. “I’ll dirty this beautiful place.” Your lip quivered and the lion dog’s face was horrified. He scooped you into his arms, firmly holding you against his chest. “Hey now, you don’t have to worry about any of that anymore.” He whispered against the top of your head. “What do you mean?” You looked up at him, puzzled. 

“Are you hungry? He asked with a grin. 

You were almost always hungry, but you were used to skipping meals.

The two of you sat together by a lovely stone fire pit. He cooked a large piece of meat while you chopped a few large vegetables. He told you stories about his heroic feats, how demons have tried to slink their way into the shrine to disturb the people resting here and eat the gold. You watched him tell his stories with bright animation, completely entranced. He spoke a lot with his hands, reenacting some of his best fighting stances. 

The two of you ate together until you were tired, laughing so hard between bites you almost swallowed wrong. You couldn’t see, but outside the sun had long gone. The night sky blanketing the shrine in a cozy haze, the clouds laying low to the ground in a misty fog.

After hours of talking, you hadn’t noticed how close he was sitting to you. Before long, you had laid your head on his shoulder, the warmth of the fire much kinder to you than the wooden floor at the hospital you slept on. 

Kirishima caught your slipping head as your sleeping body fell towards his lap. He cradled you in his arms for a minute before picking you up.

Your eyes fluttered open to the soft pale light of morning hitting your face. You were lying on a soft bed of silk. A thick furry blanket covered your bare skin. 

You sat up suddenly and pinched your arms, gasping and gripping different parts of your body. “What?” You looked around, wondering how you could wake up inside another dream. 

“Eijiro?” You called out, your voice barely able to shout.

The room you’re in is beautiful and expensive looking, but cozy at the same time. The porcelain hand painted vase was filled with wildflowers. The window was large and open just a crack. 

Your heart beat quickly, waiting for something to happen.

The door slid open kind of harshly, followed by a booming greeting. “Good morning sunshine!” He had his arms on his hips, still no shirt in sight. 

You had the blanket covering your chest, you’re only wearing your slip, your normal clothes were tossed to the side across the room. He sat down across from you on the bed. “How did you sleep?” He asked with a stretch. He yawned a big, sleepy yawn.

“I haven’t slept that well in a long time.” You felt very well rested, the usual soreness of your body was gone. Instead of a terrible hunger pain, you felt warm, safe and a little bit thirsty.

“That’s great! I’m so happy you’re comfortable-” 

“However...” You continued. Kirishima shut his mouth quickly like he knew what you were going to say. “Did you take my clothes... off of me?” You asked feeling horribly embarrassed and exposed. 

He nervously laughed and scratched his head. “Your clothes were really dirty, I didn’t want to get the bed gross. You must have been exhausted, every time I tried to shake your skirt off you just cuddled closer!” 

Your entire body flushed and you hid your face behind the blanket. It’s not like you to trust men so easily, you left yourself in a vulnerable position.

Yet somehow you felt nothing but comfortable with him. 

“Did you sleep in here with me?” Before you could even complete your sentence the guardian swung and arm over you, knocking you onto your back and snuggling into your neck. “I like to sleep in short bursts, won’t you come back to sleep with me for a bit before breakfast?” 

“I- I can’t stay in bed I need to get to town.” His breath was warm on your neck. “What’s in town that you need? I’m sure I have everything for breakfast already.” His voice was tired, his arm pulled you closer to him. Just his presence was lulling, your eyes suddenly feeling heavy again. “But if I don’t sweep all of the patients rooms before noon I won’t be allowed to eat.” 

He stiffened a bit, his breath catching in his chest. He leaned up on his elbow and looked down at your worried face. He gently traced a finger down your cheek. “Forget the hospital. Forget the town.” He said softly. “You could stay here with me, never feeling hungry. Never having to sweep for spare rice.” 

You opened your mouth to speak. He closed the space between you, pressing his lips gently on yours. 

It felt like a piece of you was completed. Like everything that was wrong, was right again. 

A strong warmth covered your body, a light glowing around you. You sat up with a gulp of air. Your hair grew thicker and ran all the way down your back. Your thin, starved body was filled with strength, muscles toning and adding padding to you. You felt a surge of power, causing you to cry out for a moment, your voice was replaced with a loud roar.

Kirishima put a hand on your back, keeping you steady as the power flowed out of you, leaving you winded. “I knew it!” He pulled you into a hug, showering you with kisses. “What just happened?” 

“My love, my darling. My other half!” He cupped your face and kissed you again. “Kirishima!” You said with a bit of a giggle. 

“The two of us make each other whole. Two halves to the same cycle.” 

“Your other half?” You couldn’t help but look at him with awe. His loving, handsome face so hypnotising. “Your luck isn’t ‘bad’. You just don’t belong with the humans.” He looked as if he might cry, but no tears gathered in the corner of his eyes. “Death follows you like a shadow, which for a race of people with very short life spans is catastrophic. Yet it’s a necessary part of balance.” 

“Why does death follow me?” You thought about all of the pain you’ve felt for so long. All of the people you’ve lost. Was it really your fault? 

“Because you complete me, the two guardians. One of life and one of death.” He pulled you into his lap and kissed your jaw gently. “Together we’ll protect the people of the valley, so that their ancestors may rest peacefully and their most sacred treasures will be safe.” 

You couldn’t help but stare at him with awe. His face so loving and gentle. Noticing you looking at him so intently something in his eyes changed. His crimson eyes flashed a mischievous look and he dipped your chin so that your lips would meet his. He playfully parted your mouth with his tongue, circling around and widening the space. Inching his way further into your throat until your eyes rolled back into your head. He pressed your hips down onto the blankets, his fingers digging into your skin. His hips grinded against your, slowly moving your body so that your legs parted for him. You gasped when he disconnected your lips with a small trail of spit between you two. He grinned down at your flushed face. “E-eijiro...” You could barely sputter out his name. “Yes my love?” He said between trailing kisses on your neck. “What are you-” He bit down on your neck piercing your flesh. The wound was deep enough that under any circumstance before you would have screeched in pain. You simply moaned in pleasure, it feeling more tingly than painful. The bite mark started to heal almost instantly. 

Kirishima growled in your ear, vibrating your head. He pulled away at the small amount of fabric you had on. It tore away from your body with a satisfying rip. He slowly moved his hips, rubbing his length against you. “Do you want to stay by my side, forever?” He pulled down his pants, his member bouncing free and touching your exposed slit. You gasped and he moved the tip to hover over your entrance. “Yes I do...” You grabbed onto his shoulders and he slammed his mouth down onto yours, pressing himself inside of you at the same time. You mewled into his lips as your body adjusted to his size, he moved his hips just a bit to let your moisture slick around him. His hands roamed all around your body, tracing your curves with his fingertips and cupping your soft breasts. He pumped harder into you, feeling satisfied with the way you fit around him. He pulled his mouth off of yours and put his face next to yours, leaning on his elbow to give himself better leverage. He panted in your ear as he slammed into you, groaning soft words of comfort and praise. Your body responded to his harder movements, the perfect pressure spot being pounded into sending you pulses of pleasure. With every stroke it felt like shock waves through your entire body, the heat burning in your chest through your entire core. He dragged his tongue from your collar bone to your ear, looping your ear lobe in his mouth and nibbling on it. “I love you Y/N.” He whispered. You cried out that you loved him too, as your climax built. Your body shook and chills covered your spine in goose bumps. Your guardian gave you a few long strokes before shooting ropes of cum into your throbbing body. He grinned down at you with his sharp teeth, specks of your blood still staining them and his lips. He kissed you one more time before pulling out and flattening his chest against yours in a cozy snuggle. “Ready to go back to sleep now?” He teased. You tried to giggle but his full body weight was crushing you a bit. He laughed and rolled to the side, pulling you onto him. “We’ll be more responsible tomorrow, can we just have a lazy day today?” He yawned and stretched. You felt full of energy, ready to take on the world. “You want to sleep all day? How can I sleep now?” You wanted to get up and run, testing out your stronger body and what it can do. “Hey I take my job pretty seriously, but I just want to enjoy being reunited with you for awhile.”

You smiled, but then realized his wording was strange. “You mean reunited from that day in the woods?” You questioned. He stiffened a bit underneath of you and you leaned up on your arm to look at his face better. “Is everything alright?” 

He smiled at you, his eyes soft and beaming with affection. “Yes my light. Everything is perfect.” 

If you enjoy my works and would like to offer me support, please consider donating to my Ko-fi account, right here. It is a tremendous way to help me put out requests faster, as I’m a disabled student. 

[rumpledgoldenweaver]

Priest Perfect Priest

Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling December mood board.  Set in Storybrooke at no particular point in time. Wasn’t really sure where this was going – I just had one line and it’s taken two months to get this far.. so there’s a statue, there’s a Belle and there’s a Rumple. That’s it really! Hope you enjoy!

Read on my blog: https://earlyrisingwriting.home.blog/2021/01/23/priest-perfect-priest/

Rumplestiltskin had always been fond of collecting, some may argue hoarding but no one except Belle would say that to his face. Various knick-knacks adorned the shelves, display cabinets with carefully constructed arrangements in order of how he valued them. Piles of books lay everywhere not just in the library, some had dried flowers or herbs pressed between the pages. He even had a pair of brass opera glasses though he could never recall how he’d managed to acquire them, it might have been something to do with Jefferson, the details were rather sketchy. Belle had been fascinated by them, so he let her keep them along with some of the books. She would spend hours using them to look out of the windows, just a little way beyond the castle grounds.

Outside were more objects, statues mainly, that had either taken the Dark One’s fancy as part of a deal or were his doing, punishment for those that did not keep their end of the bargain.

A large stone angel,weathered and partly covered in moss stood towards the back of the grounds, as if keeping watch. At least Belle had assumed it was an angel and not a fairy. Knowing Rumple’s immense dislike of them she would not have been in the slightest bit surprised if it had been. When asked about it, he’d laughed himself silly and refused to confirm either way.

When the dark curse hit the majority of his ‘things’ crossed over with him, some strewn around the pink Victorian Regina had housed him in and some in the pawn shop. After she’d regained her memories Belle looked for the statue but it appeared not to have made it.

Until it did.

It was a crisp early December morning, technically still autumn she supposed, the last leaves clinging to the trees, snow hadn’t arrived yet but it was on the way. If it didn’t show up on it’s own then either Rumple or Regina would provide it. If they worked together like the previous year Storybrooke would be a winter wonderland complete with elves and reindeer within an afternoon. Belle smiled at the thought.  Suddenly a flock of birds rose from the trees startling Belle. The breeze carrying the waft of something very distinct.

“Magic” she frowned. Following the scent she turned and headed down a path that led deeper into the trees. There in a clearing was the angel statue, standing as if it had always been there.

“What on earth are you doing out here?” of course the statue didn’t answer. I say of course but one could never be sure in Storybrooke. She pulled out her phone but there was never much of a signal out amongst the trees. Stuffing it back in her pocket she made her way back towards home. She was assuming this was Rumple’s doing, though his transportation spells were normally far more accurate. She was assuming he meant to put it in their garden not the middle of the forest.

If she could find him she’d ask him but as ever when she had an important question relating to her husband and the use of magic he was nowhere to be found. The closed sign was on the pawn shop door which was actually locked for once. Luckily she had a key to let herself in.

“Rumple?”

A quick search determined he wasn’t there, so Belle headed home.

~

In theory there are only so many places a person can hide, even within the walls of their own house. However when the person you are looking for is a hundreds of years old practitioner of magic, the number of hidey holes increases dramatically. Frustration overcame her and she shouted his name three times.

“Hey” he smiled

“Where have you been? And what have you been up to?”

“I was erm.. what do you mean up to? I haven’t done anything” his reply attempted innocence and failed dismally.

Belle glared at him “Remember the angel statue from the castle? It appeared in the woods this afternoon. By magic. Who do you suppose put it there?”

“Well it wasn’t me”

“It wasn’t?”

“No.. I would have put it in the garden not the woods”

Which granted was true.. Something still felt off though, he was very good at giving an honest answer that wasn’t exactly the whole story.

“So where have you been? I’ve looked everywhere for you and why…”

“Before you say anything else it wasn’t my idea”

“Right.. so why are….”

“All I did was agree to help. Like you said I should..”

“Rumple…”

“I’m just saying”

“You” Belle growled “are not actually saying anything. You certainly aren’t answering my question”

Defeated Rumple began a lengthy explanation – Belle refused his offer to “cut a long story short”

Worried about the various outside forces that seemed to be constantly attacking the town, Mother Superior had been encouraged to give the nuns their magic back and for someone – Rumple – in a twist of irony only Regina found funny – to educate in them in how to properly direct it when engaged in fighting. Grudgingly he’d accepted that some of them were skilled, the nun’s relishing the opportunity to flex their wings so to speak. Some, not so much.

After several near misses, one of which nearly destroyed The Rabbit Hole, it was decided Sister Astrid would be better off honing her skills moving people/objects from one place to another. Hence the statue’s sudden appearance in the middle of the forest.

“So. There you go. That’s what I’ve been doing” he smiled nervously.

“Wow” Belle smiled back “then I’m very proud of you..but Rumple..”

“Yes?”

“None of that explains why you are dressed as a priest”

“Ah. Yes. Well the Chief Gnat.. sorry Mother Superior was understandably not happy with my involvement, said it would taint the convent forever”

Belle couldn’t keep from sniggering “She may well be right”

That earned her a glare from Rumple “As maybe. After much discussion a solution was found. I would dress as a priest of this land. It would hopefully negate any unwanted effects and why are you laughing so hard?”

“I have never heard such utter rubbish in my life” Belle wiped tears from her eyes “whose bloody stupid idea was that?”

“Regina’s. Unsurprisingly. But the others thought it was wonderful and it put a smug smile on the gnat’s face for five minutes. You are still laughing”

Belle made a gallant attempt to straighten her face “Do you want to hear my confessions then?”

Rumple decided that maybe this priest business wouldn’t be too bad after all.

[silvanils]

can’t stay mad at you

I seem to have misplaced the ask(s) but this short fic came about when I combined a few prompts @curiousartemis sent me​! 

2 intimacy prompts + 1 cliche trope prompt

20. a hand written note

29. kisses when they’re mad

46. Argument leading to kissing/sex (Since they're always so fluffy, how about a little squabble?)

This short fic takes place after “Diplomatic Immunity” aka the quest that sends the Dragonborn to the Thalmor Embassy to steal stuff from them during a party. Aril and both of his siblings end up spending some time with the Blades while hiding from the Thalmor, while waiting for things to settle down a little bit.

If you prefer to read fic on Ao3, you can find it here!

Farkas,

I’m sorry it took so long for me to write you. If it were up to me, I would’ve done it right away, but (struck out) our new friend has been worried that we could still be discovered, which would be very, very bad. Obviously.

I just want you to know I’m alright, but… I miss you a lot. It’s cold and drafty here, at (big smudge) THIS Haven, where we are currently hiding. I know I’d be much warmer and happier if you were with me. I hope I can return to you soon — in the meantime, please, stay where you are. It’s much safer for you in Whiterun.

Miss you so, so much,

Aril

Barely a week after Aril managed to get a bird out, carrying that letter, he was surprised to hear a loud clatter coming from just outside Sky Haven Temple as someone frantically pounded the doors with armored fists. 

“Let me in, damn it! I know this is the right place!” 

Esbern and Delphine were both startled, sharing a glance as they started to reach for their weapons, but Aril jumped to his feet quickly and rushed to stand between them and the door.

“Wait! I know who this is! He’s… definitely not an enemy!”

“No one’s supposed to be able to get here,” Delphine said, glaring at the door for a moment before her cold gaze fell on Aril again. She studied him for a moment, then sighed and returned her half-drawn blade to its sheath. “Make sure he wasn’t followed — and make sure he knows he can’t leave until we clear him.”

“Yes, of course,” Aril hastily said, stumbling a little as he hurried to the door. As he started to unbar it, he felt Farkas slam against it again. He sighed, frustrated. “Give me a moment, won’t you? This is heavy, and... I’d rather not get crushed!”

When he finally got the door open, Aril only gave the cavern corridor outside a quick glance before his attention was completely captured by Farkas, who looked slightly singed. He’d probably set off most of the traps along the way.

Aril huffed, grabbing him by the arm to escort him into the temple. Esbern glowered at them both sternly as he took Aril’s place at the entrance. He’d probably double or triple check their surroundings before locking everything up again — but his paranoia wasn’t unfounded, so Aril left him to it.

He led Farkas down a hall, toward one of the unused side-rooms where the recruits used to sleep, back when the Blades had recruits. “Hold up, Aril,” Farkas said, his voice a little pained. “My leg’s — ”

“Hurt? Yes, I know,” Aril said, anger making his words clipped and venomous. “You really are stupid. I told you not to come! It’s dangerous! You’re lucky it wasn’t worse…!”

Farkas stopped walking abruptly, making Aril stumble. The only thing that kept him from falling was Farkas clasping his hand tight against his arm, his palm strong and warm. Aril shot an unamused glance over his shoulder, but his anger dissolved when he saw the look on his lover’s face. Those words had cut deeper than he’d intended, but the thought of what could have happened cut him deep, too.

Aril swallowed, suddenly struggling to fight back tears. “You could’ve died!”

His shout rang out in the narrow corridor. Farkas winced, pressing his hand against Aril’s a little harder. “I’ve been so worried,” he said, his voice barely a whisper, slightly cracked. “Ever since you didn’t come back, that night. You… didn’t even say goodbye.”

“Oh, Farkas…” Aril said, unable to hold back any more. The tears started streaming down his cheeks. There was no stopping them. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t — there wasn’t any time.”

He could tell Farkas wanted to pull him into a big, comforting hug… but he pulled his hand away before that could happen and pushed open a door to one of the old, barren bedrooms. He gestured for Farkas to enter, wiping at his face with his sleeve. “In there. I’ll… check on your wounds.”

“Right,” Farkas said, ducking through and taking a seat on the side of one of the beds. It didn’t take Aril long to prep some astringent and ointment, but he took his time helping Farkas take off his armor — wanting to be sure he didn’t miss any of the various burns and puncture wounds he had accumulated. Each one needed to be cleaned, healed, and soothed.

“Did you set off all the traps?” Aril asked, still a bit miffed, as he poured a little restoration magic into the worst of his wounds, where it looked like something had gone right through his calf. 

“There were a lot,” Farkas said, wincing as he watched his skin knit back together. “I figured, though, as long as I was still stumbling into traps… I was going the right way.”

Aril snorted, shaking his head. “Can’t argue with that logic, I suppose. It worked, even though it was a fool’s plan.”

“You’re still mad,” Farkas said, a little sigh leaving him.

“Aren’t you?” Aril asked, tilting his head to one side as he observed his lover for a moment. “I called you stupid, and a fool — ” He couldn’t find the right words, so he cut himself off and sighed, letting go of the newly-healed leg.

Farkas didn’t say anything in response, just frowned. Then he reached out to grasp Aril’s collar and tugged him in, surprising him with a rough kiss. Somehow, it conveyed all the emotions they were both still bottling up. Anger, yes, but also concern. Longing. Love.

Aril grunted when Farkas tugged them backwards, allowing Aril to pin him against the mattress when they hit it. He felt Farkas gasp quietly and press his hands against his belly, familiar heat quickly spreading from that point.

“Can’t stay mad at you,” Farkas said, before letting out a quiet, needy whine. “Couldn’t stay away either — don’t ask me to do that again.”

“I won’t,” Aril promised. He smirked a bit, leaning in to press Farkas down for another kiss while he started gently tugging at the drawstrings of his clothing. “Besides, you’re stuck here with me, now. The Blades won’t let any of us leave yet — hope you don’t mind?”

“Never,” Farkas said, a wolfy grin crossing his own face. “We’ll manage.”

The next morning, Farkas woke up alone — the sunlight from the window streaming in to illuminate a scrap of paper on the empty pillow next to his. He frowned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, then plucked up the note to read it.

Farkas couldn’t hold in a little smile as he let his eyes linger on Aril’s neat, delicate handwriting. The letter he’d sent before had filled him with worry, but this one warmed his heart the same way the morning sunlight was warming up the sheets.

Darling,

I wanted to stay with you until you woke up today, talk with you about all of this a little bit more, but… the Blades made me get up early, I’m sorry. I want our lives to return to normal soon — er, well, whatever counts as “normal” for us, right?

Oh, my silly wolf. I missed you more than I even thought possible. Perhaps I can make things up to you again later? That’s something to look forward to.

Love you so, so much,

Aril

[sun-summoning]

Summary: When Marinette’s plant shelf breaks, Adrien comes to the rescue. (Inspired by this tweet.)

Adrien only sees one problem here: he doesn’t think asking any of his father’s staff for power tools is going to go particularly well. Plagg, on the other hand, sees multiple other problems here.

“Beyond the fact that you aren’t even remotely handy--”

“I can be handy!”

“--you also don’t know how to use those tools--”

“Everything is on the internet nowadays.”

“--and you really don’t have the time for this project.”

“I’ll make time.”

Plagg sighs deeply. Normally he doesn’t have to play the voice of reason, but somehow Adrien got it into his head that he was the one who needed to help his friend after the plant stand on her balcony broke. Marinette had moped about it to Alya earlier that day, which immediately had Adrien looking up how to make one himself. 

It would be the perfect gift for the perfect friend. 

“I realize you’re against leaving dead birds on her pillow, but isn’t this going a step too far for your crush?”

Adrien’s cheeks turn pink. “Plagg, I’ve already told you dozens of times -- Marinette is just a friend.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, you know you can just buy one, right?” Plagg throws Adrien’s phone at him. “You can save the staff the headache of your hammering.”

“I can’t just buy one,” Adrien scoffs.

“She bought her first one.”

“Yeah, for herself. This is a gift from me.”

“Gifts are generally purchased.”

“Not with Marinette.” Adrien shakes his head. Positioned conveniently by the window, he leans against the panel and stares outside wistfully. The light hits him just so, making him look as lovesick as he denies being. And then to complete the entire picture, he sighs. 

Honestly, Plagg kind of wants to throw up. 

“Marinette always makes her gifts.”

“Marinette is also skilled in her craft.”

“Plagg, I’ll be fine,” Adrien assures him. “I’ve got this.”

-

So maybe Adrien did not have this. Not entirely. Not yet.

After deciding it would be best to leave power tool procurement out of any conversation he might have with Nathalie, he heads to the hardware store. He needs to get wood, a saw, a screwdriver, some screws, sandpaper, and some other things he wrote down on a list.

Eventually an employee with a kind smile comes to help him. “You look a bit lost,” the man comments.

Adrien tries not to look too bashful. “Is it that obvious?”

“Maybe I can help you?”

Adrien nods eagerly and hands the man his list. 

“I’m building a plant shelf.” He takes out his phone to show a photo of what he’s trying to accomplish.

“That’s quite the project you have there.” The man notices Adrien’s nervous grin so he pats his shoulder reassuringly. “Why don’t we gather all the supplies then?”

The man walks with him through the aisles and suggests which items Adrien should get. He asks what kinds of tools Adrien already has, but Adrien decides to just get everything new. Maybe there’s a drill or a some screws somewhere in the house, but he really doesn’t know where to look or who to ask. 

His shopping cart is mostly full when they get to the last item on Adrien’s list: paint.

“Do you have a colour in mind?”

“She likes pink,” Adrien says. “Do you have pink paint?”

“We have plenty of pink.” The man brings him to a wall of paint swatches. He chuckles when Adrien gawks at them, clearly overwhelmed. “Why don’t you take a few for now and think it over? You still need to build everything before painting.”

“That’s true.”

“And maybe you can consult the lady herself for her paint preference?”

Adrien shakes his head. “This is a surprise.”

The man smiles. “Then I’m sure your girlfriend will love it.”

Adrien promptly chokes on his own spit as he sputters out that Marinette is just a friend. In his pocket, he’s certain Plagg is laughing. 

-

Since his foosball table is the right height, Adrien decides to clamp a plank of wood to it and saw from there. 

He dons one of his older t-shirts and a pair of googles because safety is key. Then he gets to work. At first the circular saw makes him anxious. But a few levels to Marinette’s plant stand later, he feels confident. So confident that he’s humming a tune while working on the next part.

“Adrien, what are you doing?”

Apparently he hadn’t heard the door open over the sound of the circular saw. He turns the saw off and sets it down. Pushing his safety goggles into his bangs, he musters as innocent a smile as he’s capable of. If he’s learned nothing from his father’s unique brand of parenting, it’s that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission (largely because both yield the same results).

“I’m building a plant stand.” Then he pauses. “Plant ladder. Or plant shelf? Honestly, they all same the same purpose. This is going to look more like stairs when I’m done so plant...stairs?”

“Why are you building this plant--” Nathalie gestures at the pieces of wood sprawled out on the floor, “--thing?”

“Marinette’s broke.”

“And?”

Adrien shifts his stance, deciding to go for dumb rather than repentant. Repentant would mean he actually felt bad, whereas Adrien is actually really enjoying himself. “It’s...broken?”

Nathalie’s lips thin. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re building this.”

“It’s a gift.”

“And?”

“It’s...from me?”

“Why can’t you just buy one?”

“Why does everyone keep asking that?” Adrien mutters. 

Nathalie looks down at her tablet. “Your driver can take you to a furniture store to purchase one after your photoshoot tomorrow.”

“No thanks.” Adrien picks up the circular saw because Nathalie never explicitly told him to stop. He grins, but with a power tool in his hand, he probably looks a little bit silly. “I’ve got this.”

A muffled snort comes from his pocket.

“I do.”

-

Adrien is comparing swatches of paint with utmost concentration when Nino and Alya decide to join him. Alya mentions something new on the Ladyblog, and while normally Adrien is the quickest to contribute to any conversation regarding his lady, right now he’s trying to make a decision between Romantica and August Sunrise. 

“Okay, what are you doing?” Alya glances at the rest of the other eight swatches he’s considering. 

“That’s a lot of pink buddy,” Nino says.

“I know.” Adrien drops the two in his hands so he can pull at his hair. “This is so stressful.”

“Are you, uh, repainting your room or something?”

“Huh?”

Nino nods towards the swatches. “Trying to pick a new colour?”

Adrien snorts. “As if I’d be allowed to change anything.”

“Then what are these for?” Alya asks.

“Uh.” 

Adrien bites his lip as he looks around wildly. So far none of their mutual friends know about his little side project, and he really wants this to stay a surprise for Marinette. He knows Nino will keep this secret to himself, but he’s not totally sure about Alya. Then again, it’s not like he a choice right now. Alya leans in, a curious gleam in her eyes.

“I’m building something,” Adrien offers.

“What is it?”

“A plant stand.”

“I didn’t know you liked plants,” Nino says. “My mom has tons of aloe she’s always trying to give to other people. I’ll bring you one--”

“No!” They both look perplexed by his denial. Adrien swallows. He glances around once again to be safe. “It’s for Marinette.”

“Marinette?” Nino echoes.

“Marinette.” Alya leans back, a contemplative expression on her face. Finally, she smiles. “She told you that her old one broke?”

“Er, not really.” Adrien rubs the back of his neck. “I kind of overheard the two of you and she seemed really upset, so I...”

“You thought you’d replace it for her?”

He nods.

“That’s really sweet, Adrien.” Alya grins. “Marinette’s going to love it.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“But that doesn’t explain the swatches,” Nino says. He still looks confused. “Unless, wait--” His eyes widen. “Are you making it?”

Adrien frowns. “I don’t appreciate your tone.”

“Why can’t you just buy one?”

Adrien is starting to resent that question. He grumbles as such and crosses his arms. “Why can’t you just believe in me?”

Nino snorts. “Adrien, you’re so scrawny I can’t even imagine you picking up the wood.”

Alya bites back a giggle while Adrien makes a noise of indignation.

As usual, Plagg is quietly laughing at him too.

-

“Hey Marinette!” Adrien greets in the morning. She’s in the middle of stuffing nearly half a croissant in her mouth, so she chokes when she notices him there. He waves a hand, telling her to just finish, so she chews vigorously and swallows and then grins at him. “You’re here early.”

She laughs. “I decided it’s easier if I wake up early to work on my commissions and then go to class, rather than stay up late and tell myself I can wake up in the morning just fine.”

“Do you have a lot of commissions right now?”

Marinette nods. “Yeah.” Then she sighs. “I broke my old plant stand and wanted to replace it.”

His research showed him you could get some stands for cheap and that there were a lot of DIY methods on the internet. But from all the times he visited her balcony as Chat Noir not at all for treats and pets, he remembers hers to have been white and wooden and with intricate carvings along its edges. 

“What happened to it?” he wonders.

Marinette is quick to flush. Her cheeks are visibly pink when she looks down. “I, uh, fell on it.”

“Huh?” Adrien remembers that it was mostly against the wall right beside her chair. Personally, he’s also almost fallen on it, all those times he tried to land directly on her chair and narrowly missed crashing into all her plants instead. “How?”

“That’s really not the point. The point is it broke, okay?”

She sounds embarrassed, so Adrien backs off. Marinette always calls herself a klutz and he’d hate to make her feel worse.

“Do you have a new stand in mind?” he asks to steer away from that sore spot.

Marinette nods. “I do!” 

They still have a few minutes until class starts, so she pulls out her phone and goes to her screenshots. She swipes through a few versions, some ladder-like, some closer to bookshelves, and some that look like step stools. Her favourite one is painted a lovely dusty rose.

-

That evening, Adrien proceeds to assemble the pieces of wood he finished cutting and lightly sanding. He’ll do the rest of the sanding later on. For now, he balances and drills and uses the levelling tool to make sure the shelves are actually something akin to straight. When he finishes drilling in the last screw, he steps back and grins.

Plagg assesses his work with a shrug. “Not bad,” he says. “You actually did well.” 

“Why does no one think I can do this?” Adrien grumbles. “Fine, I’m not particularly handy, but I know how to use my hands for things! I can play piano! And fence! And speak, like, three other languages--”

“Kid, you don’t know Japanese. You’re just reading subtitles.”

“--and okay, that has nothing to do with my hands. What was I saying?”

Plagg plops down onto one shelf, eyes closed and body languid. He soon zips up though when the entire thing wobbles.

“Dammit!” Adrien shouts. 

“Huh.” Plagg hovers over Adrien’s shoulder as he steadies it. 

“This is your fault,” Adrien mutters.

“I’m not the one who can’t use a drill!”

“Look at your hands! You obviously can’t use a drill, Plagg!”

“Still not my fault?”

“I’m unlucky and it’s your fault.” Adrien throws upon his couch with all the grace of a distressed damsel. His hand rests on his forehead as he whines. “You and your ring and all the destruction and...and is that it? I can’t create things because only Ladybug can?”

“No.” Plagg floats over Adrien’s face. “You’re just bad at this.”

“Why can’t you just be on my side?!” 

After a sufficient amount of time spent wallowing in self-pity, Adrien stands back up and considers Marinette’s plant holder. Or, well, the plant holder. There’s a chance he might not bother giving this to Marinette. He pokes it lightly, resulting in a slight sway. Then he shoves it, mostly out of curiosity, and instead of wobbling, it just falls over entirely.

“Oh no!”

Adrien scrambles to stand it back up, but groans when he notices the way it leans to the left.

His door opens after the commotion. That’s not particularly surprising. Nathalie’s at the main office today which meant he could use power tools uninterrupted, but he supposes there’s only so much noise and yelling the staff can take before someone checks up on him. Soon, his bodyguard is at his side.

“I’m fine,” Adrien assures him. 

The Gorilla’s expression hardly wavers.

“This is my plant stand for Marinette. You remember her right?”

He nods.

“She’s my friend and she makes the best gifts! And I thought I’d make this for her but...”

“Where is this going?”

Adrien blinks. He didn’t expect his bodyguard to have anything to say. “Uh, her balcony.”

“Then it needs to be able to stand up to the elements.” The Gorilla picks it up like it’s nothing more than a handful of grapes. Then he starts to shake it.

“What are you--”

He sets it down soon after. “It’s not going to fall apart,” the Gorilla tells him. “Although, admittedly, it’s a bit wobbly.” 

Adrien tries not to bring his hands to his face. “Yes, I know.”

“Come,” the Gorilla says, leaving his room. Adrien barely grabs Plagg as he follows him to the car. The Gorilla drives them to the hardware store, where he directs Adrien to a package of L brackets. “Get these.”

“Okay?”

“Get some more screws as well.”

“Sure?”

“I’ll wait in the car.”

Adrien picks a set coated to look gold. That would look nicest with the dusty rose paint Alya helped him pick out. He pays for the brackets and then heads to the car. The Gorilla drives them back to the mansion. Adrien looks at him curiously and his bodyguard opens the packages of brackets and screws.

“Here.” He rests one edge on the shelf level and the other on the side. “Screw this in place to reinforce the shelves.”

“And then it won’t fall apart?”

The Gorilla’s lips twitch like he wants to smile. Instead, he shakes his head. “It was never going to fall apart,” he assures Adrien. “It just needed a bit more work.”

“Okay!”

The Gorilla holds the L brackets in place while Adrien uses his drill to get the screws in. 

He only hurts himself twice and his bodyguard once in the process.

-

A few days after building and painting, Adrien still hasn’t given the plant stand to Marinette. He feels like it’s missing something, but he just can’t put his hand on what. He’s too busy thinking to muster a decent greeting when Lila sits beside him at the library. 

Maybe he picked the wrong colour? No, Marinette wanted a pink plant stand. Maybe there were too many shelves? But Marinette had so many plants! She needed as many shelves as she could get. So then maybe his creation was too tall when it needed to be wider. If that’s the case, then he’ll just make her another one. Perhaps he can decorate it more? The plain pink is a bit boring. Maybe white borders? Or stencils! What would Marinette like? Little kittens? Leaves? Flowers?

Girls liked flowers, right?

“Do you like flowers?” he asks Lila.

Lila blinks, taken aback by his random question. Then she grins. “Of course.”

“Do all girls like flowers?” Adrien shakes his head and winces. “Sorry. No. I shouldn’t generalize.”

Lila shrugs, something he only notices because her shoulder is inching closer and closer to his, so he inches closer and closer to the opposite edge of his seat. “Were you planning on getting me flowers, Adrien?”

“No, it’s for this plant stand I’m building.” He’s awfully proud of his handiwork, so he pulls out his phone and shows Lila a photo of the mostly finished project. “It’s just kind of...plain. I was thinking maybe I could, I don’t know...put flowers on it?” 

“That’s kind of what it’s for, Adrien.”

“Right.” Adrien leans back in his chair. When he feels Lila a bit too close for comfort, he leans to the side. “What would Marinette like?” he wonders to himself.

He hears Lila inhale sharply. Glancing at her, he watches her cover that up with a look of concern. “This is for Marinette?” she asks.

Adrien nods, and because he can’t help himself, he positively beams. “I really hope she likes it.”

“Oh.” Lila makes a forlorn face. “Adrien, I don’t know how to break it to you, but Marinette already got a new plant stand.”

“What?”

Lila nods. He resents how eagerly she does so in the face of his obvious disappointment. “She was telling Juleka and Rose about it earlier. She said already filled it up perfectly. And there’s no room on her balcony for another.”

“Oh.”

Adrien looks down at his lap, completely missing Lila’s little grin. He supposes he could just scrap the gift. It wasn’t like it was Marinette’s birthday or anything. The plant stand was just to repay Marinette’s unfailing friendship. She always helped her friends without them even asking. He just wanted to do the same. The plant stand was one of those “just because” presents. Something to show Marinette that he knows she’s amazing and kind and generous and that he would give her the world if he could. Or whatever. Something like that.

Adrien sits up straight when one brain cell makes itself known. He turns to Lila. “Okay, thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem,” she replies slowly. “I’m sorry you wasted your time, Adrien. I’m sure there are other people that might appreciate your hard work though.”

“Nah.” Adrien shakes his head. He spots Marinette across the library and stands. He packs his bag, expertly dodging Lila when she tries to grab him. “It just means I get to buy Marinette some plants to put on it!”

“What.”

“Thanks for the idea, Lila!”

-

The thing is, Adrien knows nothing about plants. Fortunately, he has another friend that’s amazing and kind and generous who also knows a lot about plants. Ladybug is always careful about identities, but she has a habit of pointing out random plants they might see and mentioning that she has the same one in her garden. He hopes he gets to see that garden one day. And if Marinette’s plant stand turns out to be a hit, maybe he can make one for Ladybug too. 

“In addition to being my lady, you’re also a plant lady, right?” 

Ladybug snorts. “I can keep things alive, yes.”

“Great. I need to buy some plants for my friend but I have absolutely no idea what to get.”

“How many?”

“Uh.” Chat Noir starts doing some basic addition with his fingers. “I don’t know. Maybe three plants along four shelves?”

“What kind of lighting does this spot get?”

“Sun...light?”

“Direct?”

“Oh.” He nods. “Yes. I guess? It’s for a balcony.”

“That helps.”

Ladybug takes his baton from him and opens up the notepad app. She’s busy typing names of plants that thrive in direct sunlight, which these ones will inevitably get. She explains various things about those plants and their needs, but Chat Noir is mostly just thinking about how their “phones” have apps at all and how they connect to the internet. Were they hackable then? He had so many questions--

“Anyway, don’t fill the entire shelf up.”

Chat Noir blinks. Ladybug is giving him a look that tells him she knows he definitely wasn’t paying attention. When he grins sheepishly, she hands him back his baton and rolls her eyes.  

“How come?”

Ladybug smiles. “Sometimes plants get a bit too big for their pots, or they have little pups of their own that need repotting. If you get your friend some of the ones I wrote down for you, her garden will definitely be multiplying in a few months. She’s going to need the space.”

“But are you sure?”

“Why, kitty, are you doubting your lady?”

Chat Noir laughs. “I would never.”

-

As it turns out, transporting everything is difficult. There’s no way he can hand Marinette the plant shelf and the seven potted plants he selected at school, so he asks the Gorilla to bring it all with him when he picks him up later. Knowing Marinette has a student council meeting after classes end, he heads to her house where Sabine lets him in. When Tom notices him struggling awkwardly, he takes the shelf and tells Adrien to just bring up the plants.

After everything has been brought up to Marinette’s balcony, Adrien gets to work setting it up. He leans it against one wall and puts the wall brackets on Marinette’s chair so they can put them in later. As he arranges the plants he brought along with him, he notices all her other pots lined up against the rails.

Where was the new plant stand Lila mentioned?

“Really kid?” Plagg zips around with zero regard for the daylight and the people that are unlikely to see him. “She was lying.”

“What?” Adrien frowns. “Why would Lila lie?”

“I don’t know. Why do cats purr?”

“What?”

Plagg just shakes his head and floats down to Marinette’s chair. “Just let me know when we’re leaving. Or when the cheese arrives.”

Frowning, Adrien goes to retrieve Marinette’s original plants. He arranges them along the shelf he built her and mixes them among his new plants. When everything is settled, he grins. 

“Plagg, Marinette is going to love this--”

“Adrien?!”

Adrien looks down at the hatch and finds Marinette climbing out. She stares at him with wide eyes before her gaze falls onto the new set up for her plants.

“Oh, hey Marinette.” He winks. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I...what?”

He cringes. “Nothing. Hey.”

“Hello?” Marinette shakes her head. Then she laughs. “Papa said he sent you upstairs to the balcony and I ran up as fast as I could -- by any chance, did you have a look around my bedroom on your way up?”

“No?”

“Good.”

“What?”

“Nothing. So. What’s up?”

“Right.” Adrien beams at her as he gestures to the shelf. “This is for you.”

Marinette looks at the shelf like somehow she never noticed it there. Her lips part, like she’s trying to get something out but doesn’t know what. Her eyes go from comically wide before lowering. She watches him with wonder in her gaze, like she can’t comprehend a gift like this from him. He starts to fidget, worried she hates him and whatever he might want to offer him, but Marinette nods and bites her bottom lip. She continues nodding slowly, as if processing his words, and Adrien thinks her cheeks look a bit flushed.

Marinette nears the shelf and runs her fingers along the sanded and pink-painted edges. She touches the string of pearls and sniffs the jasmine. When she’s taken it all in, she turns to him with a smile.

“This is all so beautiful, Adrien.” 

Adrien rolls his eyes fondly. “You don’t have to lie to me, Marinette.” He knocks on the wood that, fortunately, no longer wobbles. “It’s not like I’m about to open my own woodworking company.”

“Wait.” Her jaw drops. “You made this?!”

Adrien nods. She continues gawking at him, making him blush. His hand finds the back of his neck and rubs at it nervously. “Er, yeah. It’s not the best, obviously, but I tried. I mean, you always make your gifts. I figured I should try doing the same--”

He grunts when Marinette pulls him into a hug. Her arms wind around his middle and after a moment, Adrien slowly puts his own on her too. She feels warm against him, and when she doesn’t seem like she’s going to let go anytime soon, Adrien rests his cheek upon her head.

“Thank you so much, Adrien.” 

She releases him, much to his dismay, and marvels at the display he created. She notices his scrawled signature on one of the shelves and runs her finger along the curves. 

“I love it.”

Looking into her eyes, Adrien wonders why he didn’t think to buy her bluebells. He promises her he’ll get them soon, but Marinette just giggles and tells him he’s done more than enough. 

[shellyeah90]

I don't usually post personal or even opinionated things. I primarily use social media for the memes and my preferred form of communication while here is gifs. But, to put things simply (because there aren't words to fully express my feelings), I am pissed.

Our state is in crisis and instead of handling the situation, Texas citizens have been failed in so many ways. No one here was ready for this storm. Hurricanes, we can handle. They happen yearly. But a statewide winter storm? We've never had one here. The cold, the ice, the windy chill... we don't know how to function in it. Other areas who are used to this weather can poke fun, but maybe consider hunkering down in your home because there's too many people to evacuate the city, being stuck while your power goes out and there are 130mph winds outside, watching helplessly while water rises above your roofs and ruins everything you've worked so hard for all of your life, and wondering just how you're going to keep your family safe long enough to catch a boat out. Because we do that shit. And it gets worse every year, but we keep working together to keep each other safe and help each other out. We smile and are friendly with each other, but we don't make fun of people in helpless situations.

Texas citizens aren't equipped for winter storms. We don't have snow tires, snow plows, or salt trucks. Our clothes aren't very warm, they're not snow or wind resistant, we don't typically use gloves, scarves, or whatever other accessories are used in snow. And we wear the same shoes in winter that we wear for any other season. Our homes aren't insulated for cold. Our pipes aren't insulated for ice. Our winters don't generally fall below 60°F and we're not prepared for it to.

So, when climate change (yes, it's real) took it's toll and brought a real winter to our state, it became a crisis... a statewide disaster, even. And the leaders that we rely on, the ones that were voted into office and are paid for by our taxes, not only failed their state, but showed calloused disregard for their citizens.

On 8am Monday morning, my husband and I lost power. And, with our water being sourced from a well, we had no access to water, either. At the time, we still had cell service and were in contact with friends that had lost power at 2am. It was approximately 25°F outside. At the time, it was 68°F inside of our house.

Hearing that the Super Stop on the corner of North Main and Cedar Bayou Lynchburg was open, my husband and a neighbor walked down together. The roads were iced and it was too risky to drive. They arrived to find that the owner was charging cash only and not using his computer (no paper trail) so that he could charge double for everything. $7 for a 24 pack of bottled water. $14 for a 4lb bag of charcoal. It is baffling how someone can take advantage of a terrible situation. It sickens me. But we needed water. And our neighbor needed charcoal. So price gouging continues in a vicious cycle.

We don't have children, but we keep many different exotic animals that need certain climate conditions in order to survive. It took two hours for the inside of our house to drop 18 degrees, down to 50°F, reaching deadly levels for most of our pets.

Our bearded dragon (Merlin), no longer having his heat sources, slipped into brumation. He is 3 years old and has never had to brumate before. Our pixie frog (Prince Charming, also 3yrs), burrowed down and began to hibernate for the first time. It was too dark for us to check on the red-eyed crocodile skinks (Big and Red) or the Vietnamese centipede (Burton), but they had seemed to burrow, as well. We couldn't see the axlotls (Silly and Willy) but we believed they were okay. Our green bottle blue tarantula (Pennywise), curled up and died. We blocked the windows to try and keep the cold from coming in and covered up habitats to try and keep in warmth. The green cheek conure (Jigsaw) and parrotlet (Navi) seemed to be well, just stressed and confused. We gave them extra seeds to keep them warm. The rats (Hannibal, Dorian, and Bilbo) huddled to keep each other warm. We had already blocked off the outdoor aviary containing a pair of finches and a pair of parakeets for the colder weather and they were all nesting to keep warm. The day before, my husband had brought in a half-frozen, near-dead lizard (Draco) and he was alive but not well in his temporary rescue home. The dogs (Kuzco and Lulu) and I all bundled together as we waited (and prayed) for our power to come back on soon.

The power did not come back on. And the temperature continued to drop. Still cuddled together, we could only hope that the inside of our poorly insulated home would at least stay above freezing point. But it did not. After a horrible night of silent, shivering attempts to sleep, we found that our house was at 32°F exactly.

The birds are my husband's babies. They've bonded and he loves them dearly. And as I was tending to my dogs, I had to watch him come out of his office cradling Navi in his hands. He had tears in his eyes when he murmured "Navi didn't make it." And it took everything that I had to hold myself together for him.

I waited until he went back into his office, still holding Navi, to be with Jigsaw before I checked on Merlin. To my horror, my bearded dragon was no longer just brumating. He wasn't just limp and unresponsive. He was frozen stiff. He wasn't moving at all. He was gone.

In a desperate effort to save their lives I called for my husband to go to the car with me. We bundled them in blankets and rushed to the only place where we could find warmth. With the car's heater on full blast we both held our beloved pets and prayed for a miracle. In our rush of panic, we both made attempts at compressions. We petted our babies to get their blood flowing. We did everything that we could think of to save them.

I remember holding my breath when I thought I saw Merlin take his. I watched closely to make sure that I wasn't seeing things. And when I saw his spikes moving and his stomach shakily inhale and then slowly exhale, I shouted excitedly "he's breathing!" My husband, also excited, leaned over to see. And we smiled at each other when the breathing continued. I watched my dragon revive. And I will never be able to describe the extreme sense of relief that I felt when he finally opened his eyes and looked at me.

Our little Navi and my sweet husband were not as lucky. And my heart is still breaking for them.

With a new sense of fear and loss, we brought our creatures into our bedroom and shut all of the doors. We stuffed clothes under the gaps in the doors. We blocked the windows as best as we could. We cuddled and bundled and just hoped that we wouldn't lose anyone else. There in the dark, freezing silence, we also discovered that cell service was shoddy, at best. We had no communication and no connection with the outside world, which seemed to have frozen over in an apocalyptic nightmare, we waited and hoped that power would come back soon. It had been more that 24hours, after all. Surely the electric companies would have figured out how to actually roll the blackouts by then, right? They had promised rolling blackouts. They had said it would be 30-45 minutes. That would have been well enough for everyone. We could have survived that. My babies could have survived that. My home wouldn't have become a freezing death trap if the blackouts were rolling. But they didn't roll. I had friends that never lost power. I had friends that went without it longer than we did. And all we could do was hold our beloved pets and wait.

By some luck, my husband and his brother were able to text each other, even though our cell phones were basically useless, and he invited us to his home. They had a generator. They had running water. They had warmth. Hope was on the horizon. But roads were still icy and chances of making it safely were slim. With our pets so at risk, and some barely alive, we felt we had no other choice. We loaded up the car with Merlin, Prince Charming, Jigsaw, the dogs, and whatever food we could fit. We didn't even pack clothes for ourselves. We just wanted to fit as many of our animals as we could and some food since they said they were low.

My husband fed Silly and Willy, making sure they ate. We read they could survive freezing temperatures and hoped they would be okay until we returned, whenever that would be. I filled up every bowl of food in my rats' cage and every water bottle, guessing it would last 2-3 days and hoping they could keep each other warm. It was still too dark to see my burrowed skinks and centipede. We tried to place everyone, including Draco, in the warmest areas (although with the house below freezing, there was no place that could be considered warm). We gave the outdoor birds as much food and water as we could. Every window was covered and every door was shut. We did everything that we could think of to protect our pets.

Stressed, weary, and down-trodden, we began the drive across Houston. Many roads were closed. GPS was down. Texts and calls weren't guaranteed to make it through. And there were so many people that still sped along the roads as if there weren't ice caked over it. We watched vehicles slide. We watched people, not knowing how to react, slam on their brakes when they lost traction. We kept our distance from other drivers and drove slowly, carefully, to our destination. We just wanted to keep our family safe and alive. And, fortunately, we only hit ice twice and both times we made it safely back to traction. A trip that usually takes about an hour with traffic took us over two with no traffic. But we made it.

Our sister-in-law was waiting for us in their standalone office where she had prepared a heater and space for our creatures. They set it up because it was warmer than anywhere in the house. And they diverted energy from their generator just for our pets. Uncomfortable and in tiny, traveling enclosures, our babies were lined up on their desk. They were far from home and didn't have their UV lights, basking lights, giant habitats, or familiar surroundings. But they were alive. And they were warm.

Relieved that at least some of our babies were well, we focused on getting the dogs settled and unpacking the food. We had brought nearly everything from our fridge and freezer, which we had saved by simply opening the doors and letting the chill of our house keep it cool when the power went out. Now we were packing it in snow to keep it cold. I went inside to comfort my dogs. Kuzco, my 10mo shepsky, is very skittish and I was worried about how he was doing. He and Lulu, my 8wk aussierottie (whom I had only gotten a few days before), had been quarantined in the dining room with the table being used as a wall. Kuzco couldn't see anything but the occasional child coming up to say hello. He was happy for the company but scared of the dark. As I was trying to comfort him, my husband came inside and said "you need to come and hold your dragon again." And the sound of his voice and the look on his face had me nearly breaking my leg to get out of that barricade and to my Merlin.

Between the rush of packing in the dark and the stress of everything we'd been through, I'd forgotten a few important things: Kuzco's calming treats, thermometers, hygrometers, and my contacts (my glasses are several years old and I can't really see well with them). We had been so relieved at having a warm space for our babies and having finally arrived there safely, that we hadn't realized the office was not yet warm enough for them. At least, it wasn't warm enough for Merlin.

He had been licking at the air, so I knew that he was dry. In my concern, I mixed water in with his fresh soil so that he could have some humidity. Again, I had forgotten the necessary tools to measure his heat and humidity, so I was just guessing. And in these mistakes, the damp soil got cold faster than the office could get warm and he began to freeze again.

I found my dragon brumating once again. This time, he was only partially stiff, so I knew that he hadn't left me yet. I held him close to my chest and sat in front of the heater, once again trying to revive him. We also placed the soil in front of the heater to warm it up and dry it out a bit. Eventually, Merlin became alert again. But I was sick at having gone through so much, come so far, reaching what I thought was safety, and almost losing him again.

After making sure that he and his soil were okay, I again had to leave him to tend to my dogs. My husband was busy with Jigsaw and the unpacking. Prince Charming, fortunately, was doing just fine. I made sure both puppies ate, drank, and pottied outside. And, after a long, damn near impossible day, my husband and I were able to sleep. Or rather, we were able to attempt to sleep.

I will never be able to thank my in-laws enough for everything that they did for us. They have 4 children and 2 dogs of their own. And they had their mom and her cat staying in their living room. It was already stressful for them to not have power when they had their own family to care for. But they took ours in, as well. And I will always be beyond grateful for that.

That night, in my nieces' bedroom, I held my dogs and wondered if I would have to endure the loss of anymore of my babies. And as I tried to find sleep, my Kuzco began to hyperventilate. He had just lost his brother, my Xander, a week before. And now he was in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people where he had to be isolated because the cat was not a fan of strange dogs (she literally went out of her way to attack him, even when he was barricaded). And my dumbass had forgotten his calming treats. All I could do was hold him tight and tell him it was okay. It took a while, but I finally got him to sleep. My husband set alarms and got up every two hours to check our other babies in the office and make sure that the generator was full and running properly. I don't think either of us really slept that night.

The next day, we checked with our neighbor and landlord to find that we still did not have power at our house. And my in-laws' house had lost water pressure the night before. Everyone in Houston had. So now, there were masses without power, without water, without cell service, and without the necessary means to survive the freezing temperatures that were now not only outside, but inside most homes.

On top of the obvious stress, my typical anxiety was kicking in. On a good day, I struggle to be social. And these were not good days. I was a guest in someone's home and I couldn't express how thankful I was because I felt so exhausted from all of the stress, grief, and constant fear. I felt terrible for feeling terrible. But I couldn't force myself to smile or be happy when I wasn't even sure who would survive or for how long. With the roads constantly melting and refreezing and more sleet/rain on the way, I wasn't even sure when we could get home or if we would have power when we needed to go home. I had left pets that I loved and the ones that I had brought with me were still not guaranteed to make it.

My in-laws were still so accommodating. But they wouldn't really let us help to clean or cook and that made us feel worse. In my anxiety, I kept thinking that I was in the way or that I was upsetting everyone. I still do. I don't like depending on anyone. It's an awful feeling. But in this case, it was necessary. I had no other choice, because I couldn't bear to lose another of my precious babies. I couldn't bear to see my husband's face or hear his voice crack as he told me we lost another one. Not if I could help it. I would do whatever I could to take care of them.

I took a moment of reprieve to watch Kuzco play in the snow. I hate the cold. But shivering out there, the feeling of needles pricking over my body and the cold burn of the wind as it cut through my 4 layers of pajamas and sweats, was worth it to watch my shepsky in his own winter wonderland. He ran around in their ice and snow covered backyard as if it were a mystical land and every icy slide and snowy mound were a magical discovery. And when he saw the snow flurries began to fall from the sky his furry face lit up with pure joy. I watched my happy not-so-little puppy excitedly jump up and try to catch the snowflakes in his mouth. His blue eyes were so bright and brilliant. And we both came alive in that moment. I wish we could have stayed there. But the snow turned to downpours of sleet and, unfortunately, we had to go back inside.

I had planned to keep my dogs in the office with me that day, but they were kind enough to put the pets on rotation, so my dogs were no longer confined. They were able to stretch their legs in the house and play with my nieces and nephews. They played fetch and they wrestled and they even played with balloons. The girls taught Kuzco how to keep the balloons from hitting the ground. It was fun to watch him jump up and boop the balloons with his nose whenever they called his name. Meanwhile, my pets in the office all seemed to be well. They were alert and lively. I still had no way of knowing their temperature or humidity level. But it looked like they would all pull through. Kuzco still had his moments where he would panic. It was a busy house with lots of people coming in and out (and even the generator scared him), but we gave him some extra love and calmed him down each time.

That night, the power flickered on for about an hour before going out again. Our landlord said that ours, too, had been on for a bit before going right back out. The rest of the week was still showing freezing temps, but maybe the powers that be were finally starting to figure out how to actually handle this crisis. Later, the water pressure increased. And, late that night, as we lied in bed and tried to sleep, the power came on. And it stayed on.

I didn't sleep. With wifi, I was able to pull up the security system to our house and see that we, too, had power. And I watched it through the night. There was movement in my rats' cage. I couldn't see how much food or water they had left, but they were still alive. I checked the temperature and watched it rise as the heater stayed on. Excited, I waited for my husband to wake up so I could tell him. I wanted to go home. I wanted all of us to go home. I had babies to check on and they all needed to get back into their controlled climates with a healthy supply of food and water. We all craved a feeling of normalcy.

My phone began to show notifications again... all of these emails and gaming things that reminded me the world was still out there, spinning like it should be, while my world had stopped and frozen still. For a while I was angry. How could things outside of my winter apocalypse still be happening normally? How could the rest of the world just keep on moving while I had just been struggling to keep my family alive? And then I saw memes and jokes on social media. And I got angrier. My family had been devastated. And I know I'm not the only one. I can't be the only one to have lost loved ones. I can't be the only one to have watched loved ones suffer. I can't be the only one to have stressed and worried about what's going to happen and what I'm going to do if/when it does. And yet there are people out there laughing at our situation. While families struggle to stay warm, to find food and water, to make it without the GPS, data, and communication that we're all accustomed to, to care for their elderly and disabled, to keep their children from crying and their pets from dying... there are actually people making jokes about it. Yet when our corner of the world gets record breaking winds and floods we step up and help each other. Companies do what they can to help the people. Employers cut their employees slack. And the rest of the world watches in awe. This is a record breaking storm for us, one that we were in no way equipped to deal with. And instead of empathy and aid, we're getting ridiculed? The only ones I see giving a shit are the people. The citizens that have been affected by this unprecedented crisis are all offering to do what they can while the government, power companies, and water companies make excuses. It's bullshit.

Our power was out from 8am on Monday morning to 10p on Wednesday night. For approximately 62 hours my home had no climate control. I have no way of knowing how cold it actually got inside. But below freezing is unacceptable. And to find out that there were some who went without even longer while some never lost it at all... who fucked up? Because someone surely did. And don't let them blame their failure to roll a blackout on a bad grid. They were just too lazy to figure out another solution.

We arrived home to piece back together what we could and try to reestablish our sense of selves. What had only been a few days felt like weeks of walking around in a living nightmare. The outside birds were still chirping. Draco actually survived and, due to our TLC, is better now than when we found him. Burton is hibernating (there's some sluggish movement, so I know he's alive) and I hope he wakes up soon. Silly and Willy are just fine. Hannibal, Dorian, and Bilbo are all okay, they just need some cuddles and de-stressing time. Big and Red froze to death. I found their stiff bodies near each other and in their ivy plant.

Due to fluctuating temperatures, we lost all of the food that we did not eat at our in-laws'. And most of the roach and cricket colonies that we use as feeders for our pets have been wiped out.

We have Merlin, Jigsaw, and Prince Charming back in their habitats. Charming and Merlin are grumpy, but they've eaten and they're well. Jigsaw is back to normal. Kuzco has finally calmed down and is happy to be home. And Lulu is completely clueless about the entire situation.

But this situation cannot die. It cannot go without resolution. Something needs to be done. For years, Texas has been told to fix the power grid. Texas insists on having its own so that they can avoid federal regulation. This is at the cost of being able to rely on the rest of the country and use its energy when we need it. All because Texas wants to be like the middle-aged husband holding out hope that he'll one day divorce his wife. Here's the thing Texas: your ugly ass wife is the only one who will tolerate you and you're too fucking helpless to take care of yourself. So stop buying those pretty, young things in the bar those drinks and then crying because they won't go home with you. Stop wasting your money on those hot rods. And own up to the fact that you need to work on yourself to be happy. Fix your fucking power grid and stop playing the blame game! Also, do something about the water situation. Take care of your damn kids. They shouldn't be struggling to survive, dammit.

Gas stations and grocery stores are empty wastelands of ruined food where people scour to find whatever they can to make due. Everyone's resources were destroyed from loss of power. And trucks haven't been able to get through the icy roads to resupply.

One winter storm should not send a civilized society into the stone age. It doesn't matter where you're at, your government should be prepared. Your elected officials are supposed to be taking care of this shit, not running their mouths. Meanwhile, there's an audacious mayor who grew such a big mouth he was forced to resign. The vote got Tim Boyd into office, folks. And here's what he has to say:

"The City and County, along with power providers or any other service owes you NOTHING! I’m sick and tired of people looking for a damn hand out! If you don’t have electricity you step up and come up with a game plan to keep your family warm and safe. If you have no water you deal with out and think outside of the box to survive and supply water to your family. If you were sitting at home in the cold because you have no power and are sitting there waiting for someone to come rescue you because your lazy is direct result of your raising! Only the strong will survive and the week will perish."

Yeah, he must have forgotten that those people he's bitching about are the ones that elected him into office and that they pay the taxes for his salary. And, in case anyone was doubting it, it is, IN FACT, the city and county's job to take care of its citizens. A government's basic functions are providing leadership, maintaining order, providing public services, providing national security, providing economic security, and providing economic assistance. And, as far as power providers and other services, I have contracts and I make payments. So YES, they owe me exactly what I pay for: the electricity, water, and cell service that they agreed to give me in the contracts that we both signed. So, Tim Boyd, as much as you try to backtrack and say you didn't mean it and you wish you could rephrase everything, we all know the truth is that you're just an idiot who doesn't give a fuck. I wonder how long you went without electricity. I wonder if you worried how long your family would survive. I wonder if you cried and had to bury any loved ones. This "week" will surely perish. It will be behind us, along with all of the other bad weeks that we've seen come and go. And so will you. Good riddance. You can spend your free time working on your grammar and spelling.

As far as Ted "Fled" Cruz goes, I hope he gets impeached. He sat by and watched while his state fell to shit, while his citizens suffered, and then he flew to fucking Cancun. Sure, he can say he was just dropping off his family, but we all know he only came back because he was getting flak for it. Do you know how many parents had to comfort their children in the freezing cold darkness of their quiet homes? Do you know how many scared families had no way out and no where to go? These are your citizens! And this is all after he actually made fun of California for their grid, knowing that ours needed to be fixed, knowing that we would suffer when disaster hit. He was elected to be our leader and he failed us so spectacularly. Where was the guidance for the power companies? Where was the communication? Where is the aid? People were unable to work and unable to provide for their families. And no one is offering to help them. Our resources have been diminished. What is the game plan?

And not only were there people taking advantage and price gouging during this dreadful time, but it continues to go blatantly unchecked. Plumbers are charging $800+ just to look at a problem with no guarantee of solving it. Gas station owners are marking everything up when they know people can't afford to not buy. And even the power companies are talking about charging more for the electricity that was used this past week, because it was in "high demand."

I will say that Xfinity gave us a credit on the days that our power was out, knowing that we were unable to use it. And my brother-in-law, who owns his own renovation company, is giving free consultations. He doesn't even give estimates until he's sure about the issue. And my aunts, who have always been such a blessing to us, were sweet enough to send us a door dash gift card so that we wouldn't have to worry about shopping right away.

And I cannot say enough how thankful I am to my brother and sister-in-law for providing us with a sanctuary for our babies. They were going through enough on their own and still, they invited us over and gave us warmth and safety. It was nice seeing them, my nieces, nephews, and near-mom-in-law, even under the circumstances. I'm sorry I couldn't be better company.

In the meantime, to all of you who went through it during this awful crisis, my heart is with you. What happened to the people of Texas during this weather is beyond unfair. It is intolerably savage. We deserve better. We deserve elected officials who care about us enough to step up and take care of us during a disaster, and not just when the media is on them. We deserve to get what we pay for and have our contracts honored. We deserve to have a power grid that can sustain us when we need it most. We deserve to have blackouts rolled instead of just having half the grid shutdown to fend for itself. We deserve to have a water supply that we can rely on. We deserve to have the cell service that we pay for. We should never be kept in the dark and in the cold.

This should have been a fun time for us. We see snow once every few years, if we're lucky. We should have been out there with our sweatshirts and sweatpants, sledding down the streets on whatever we could find, from trash can lids to screen doors. We should have been building icy snowmen and making snow angels. But instead, most of us were just trying to survive. We were running out of laundry and using every blanket that we had to keep our families warm. We were wondering if the food would make it and rigging ways to prepare it. We were scrambling to find water. We were worrying and trying to get in touch with friends and family with phones that were, at best, battery-draining flashlights. If we had generators, we were still struggling and conserving gas because there was none left at any of the stations. And if there was, the stations didn't have power to access it. And there are many more experiences that I'm sure I'm not covering because I was fortunate enough not to have to live through it all. But my heart aches. It aches for everyone that had to endure this tragedy that none of us should have had to endure.

My husband and I are still recovering. And this is far from over. But if anyone needs it, we'll help if we can. Just reach out. If anything, we can all be here for one another. Fuck Texas. It's not the state or the city that takes care of us, obviously. It's each other. We have always been able to awe and inspire with how we step up and take care of our fellow citizens. And that's just what we'll do.

For anyone interested in my sources or further reading, here you go:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Reliability_Council_of_Texas

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/18/texas-power-outages-ercot/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/17/texas-power-grid-why-state-has-its-own-operated-ercot/6782380002/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/18/state-energy-winter-protections-lacking-reports-have-suggested/4490501001/

https://ktxs.com/news/local/colorado-city-mayor-resigns-after-controversial-facebook-post

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/politics/ted-cruz-cancun-texas-disaster-electricity-power-water/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/19/politics/ted-cruz-cancun-texas/index.html

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Ted-Cruz-Twitter-California-blackouts-energy-power-15953893.php

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/17/how-the-texas-power-grid-failed-and-what-could-stop-it-from-happening-again.html

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas-ercot-power-outage-energy-demand-price-change/269-53ab63e2-8dcf-4485-8b9b-be6ad75316b4

https://www.curbed.com/2021/02/texas-blackouts-energy-grid-failure.html

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/17/texas-power-grid-failures/

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Ted-Cruz-Twitter-California-blackouts-energy-power-15953893.php