#that 'what happened?'... he can very easily see that bill is distressed

[eoinmcgonigal]

07: Bill/Johnny

Catching up! Here's my very late thing for @almost-a-class-act 's prompt: Character A's ex-lover/high school acquaintance/friend they haven't seen in years has just turned up on their doorstep. "The curse. It's real."

For context/warning: Bill is massively dysregulated at the start of this.

Also. This is long. Oops.

-

He could do without the buzzer going. He could do without a lot of things happening today, but the last twenty four hours have just been like that. He’s still unsettled from running into Pat yesterday, and could seriously have done without that reminder of the past. It’s been three years since high school, and not one single memory that’s come back to Bill in the years since has been a good or happy one.

The intercom is, of course, still broken. Bill tugs his keys from their peg, and goes to answer the door manually. Two floors, four flights of stairs, and then he’s hefting the lock of the front door open, yanking on the unimpressive thing. The door swings open, over the worn mat, to reveal a typical grey day, and someone Bill never thought he’d see again. His heart trips, and then sinks to new, unknown depths, taking Bill’s already shit mood with it.

As gorgeous as ever, as perfectly handsome as Bill tries not to remember, Johnny Cooper stands in the street, smiling his brightest everybody-loves-me smile.

Bill doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve this.

“The curse,” he mutters to himself, pulling the door back towards himself so that there’s no space for Johnny to see past him, into the hallway. “It’s real.”

Johnny’s expression falters, falling. “What curse?”

Bill has no interest in dealing with this. It’s already a bad day. Facing the person he had a crush on since S3 the day after he bumped into the guy he disastrously dated for a whole week in S5 really is torture. The universe is laughing at him, and Bill half expects someone else from school to jump out from behind Johnny.

No one does. It’s a start. But Johnny is still there, staring up at him. “Um, I…”

“Yes?” Bill prompts. He wants to get this over with. “What is it?”

Johnny recoils from the tone of his voice. Bill can tell it was perhaps a bit abrupt, but he really doesn’t care. “I, um…” Johnny repeats.

Bill lets out a sigh, aching to turn away. There’s a deep, familiar stinging in his chest, and he hates that, after all this time, it’s still there. He only managed to get over Johnny after school because he never saw him again, and Johnny became a sometimes-memory of the only person Bill ever felt genuinely attracted to. The fleeting, passing fancies he’s had since then have never got so deep under his skin, and never lasted so long.

“Pat said he saw you yesterday.”

“Great.”

He hadn’t meant to mutter that, but the filter between Bill’s thoughts and speech usually fucks off when he’s in a sour mood. It never improves matters, but Bill is beyond caring.

“Did you want something?” he bites out. The sooner Johnny comes out with it, the sooner Bill can retreat back upstairs and deal with the horrible nest sensations swirling inside of him.

“I wanted to see you.”

Bill snorts at that. “Well, now you’ve seen me.”

He leans against the door, wanting to shut it, just as Johnny climbs the step. “Bill…”

He’s reaching out, not to touch or anything, but… Bill’s attention falls to that hand for a moment, and then he looks back up at Johnny, hating that he now knows those blue eyes are as heartbreakingly beautiful as ever.

“What happened?”

“What happened?” Bill echoes, not understanding the question.

“I thought you might… want to see me?”

“No?” is Bill’s immediate response. “Why in the world would I want that?”

He can see how much his words hurt. The hurt little part inside himself is pleased, but the rest of him feels awful. Johnny actually looks upset, his eyes going wide as his expression falls. Regret comes hard on the heels of his own words, and makes Bill feel even worse. Why won’t this day just end? Why did he have to see Pat, and indulge him, admitting to things Bill never wanted to tell anyone else?

“Pat said…”

In his horror, Bill doesn’t know if he should slam the door, or scream. He freezes, his eyes starting to sting as he tries to defend himself. “That was years ago!”

He realises he’s breathing hard. It hurts. Why did Pat have to go and say anything? Why did he repeat what Bill told him?

Johnny leans forwards so subtly he probably doesn’t even realise he’s doing it, but Bill does, and he wants to run.

“I wish I’d known,” Johnny says.

Bill scoffs at that. He knows he’s being ugly, but he doesn’t know how else to be. He feels like a raw, exposed nerve, and needs it to end. “What, so you could laugh at me?”

Johnny pulls back. “What? No, of course not!”

When Johnny shifts his weight again, his shoulders soften, his expression gentle.

“I liked you too.”

Oh.

Oh fuck. No. This isn’t happening. It’s not.

Bill takes a step back, laughing harshly. His mind tells him that Johnny is being serious, but he can’t understand why the world has to be so cruel. He could have lived the rest of his life without ever knowing that. Now, if his thoughts drift back to that time, they’re going to be forever changed by the painful ‘what if?’, instead of the old, familiar knowledge that no one as handsome and perfect as Johnny would ever want Bill. No one ever wants Bill, which is just fine, really, in spite of the deep, aching loneliness at the core of him, because Bill has never wanted anyone anyway.

Well, apart from Johnny.

He lets out a breath, the laughter gone as quickly as it came. He doesn’t know what to say. Johnny is still standing there, gazing up at him, not leaving. Bill wonders what it would take to get him to go.

He wonders, and does nothing. It’s Johnny who leads, now. “Honestly?” Johnny continues plainly. “I still think about you sometimes. You are my ‘what if?’, you know?”

Bill does know, although he doesn’t know why he’s that to Johnny.

“So if you want to hang out, catch up, get a coffee…” Johnny trails off for a moment. “I would like that.”

Unclenching his jaw, BIll tries to get his tongue to work. He’s not sure he can trust this. It’s too good to be true. “Is that why you came here?”

“Yes,” Johnny breathes. “A few years late, I know.” There’s a weak little smile, something… shy. Vulnerable. Cute.

Bill swallows, not sure where he stands. He doesn’t feel better, but at least the swirling, angry irritation has shifted into something quieter. “Aren’t you and Pat…?”

Johnny shakes his head. “No. We are just good friends.”

“Oh.”

At least Bill hadn’t admitted how he felt about Johnny to Johnny’s boyfriend.

“He knows how much I like you,” Johnny continues. “I mean, he only found out after you two…”

Yeah, Bill would really rather not remember that disaster.

“Is that really why it didn’t work out?”

Bill isn't able to answer that. It's too raw, too personal and private. He’d carelessly admitted to Pat yesterday that when they’d had their silly little thing he’d liked someone else, and couldn’t get over them. His guard had been down. He’d admitted that it was Johnny when Pat asked, knowing even as the confession escaped him that he was going to regret it. Pat had gone still for a moment, and then chuckled a ‘Cooper? Damn’ before moving on.

He wonders if Pat also told Johnny that he’s still single.

“Well, anyway,” Johnny breathes, his tone shifting to something breezy. He seems dismissive, brushing away what he’s just asked. “If you want to, as friends or whatever, I would like that. I can give you my number?”

“My phone’s upstairs.”

“I can give you a missed call, and you can message me back.” As he speaks, Johnny gets out his phone and, feeling somewhat trapped and unsure how to get out of this, Bill automatically rattles off his number.

It’s only when Johnny repeats it back to him, and gives the call a few seconds to connect, that Bill realises he could have given the wrong number, and Johnny would never know.

“What sort of place would you like to go?” Johnny asks.

Embarrassed by his answer, Bill gives the only one he can: “The arcade.”

Johnny’s face lights up. “By the beach?”

Bill nods. “Yeah.”

“I haven’t had a chance to go yet.” His smile is distracting. “What about this evening?”

Bill doesn’t really feel like adding to today’s disaster, but the temptation of getting it over and done with, and not having anything up in the air, is stronger. “Okay.”

“It’s a date!” Johnny grins.

Bill flinches at that, not ready for it. “I don’t know you,” he points out.

Johnny’s expression falls, suddenly seeming sad. There’s something gentle about that look, though, making Bill want to reach out and do something to make it go away, because it feels like he could do something to make it go away. He is the cause of it, after all.

“You don’t have to know me,” Johnny says softly. “Wanting to get to know me is enough.”

“Oh.”

There’s a twitch of a smile, something very open and unguarded about Johnny, and in that moment Bill feels like no time has passed at all since that last day of school. Only, this time, he has a chance, and not just a cheery ‘good luck!’ that had felt false. Johnny had wished everyone luck—they still had exams, after all—and given everyone a hug. Well, everyone apart from Bill, who had curled his shoulders forward and wrapped his arms around himself, trying to keep his head down and survive without any unwanted touch. It had been a wretched day, and gladly forgotten once he was free of school walls.

Bill looks at Johnny, and forgets everything else. “Aye, okay,” he decides, and watches as Johnny smiles again, his whole face lighting up. It’s strange to know that he’s caused that.

“Text me the time, okay? And where to meet.”

He starts to nod, and then goes still. “Wait here.”

“Okay?”

Bill doesn’t hang around to explain. He turns, letting the door fall shut behind him as he darts back up the stairs. It’s suddenly urgent to check his phone, and he makes it through his front door to find his phone where he left it in the kitchen. There’s a missed call. With a sigh of relief, he bounds back down the stairs.

Johnny is still standing there, a step back. Bill joins him in the street, letting the door shut behind him. He hadn’t realised how chilly the air was. Lifting his phone, he shows the screen. “This you?”

Johnny peers at the number, leaning in close enough that Bill catches the scent of his deodorant. “Yes.”

Nodding, Bill pulls his phone back, and saves Johnny’s number properly. “See you later?” he wonders.

“Definitely,” Johnny smiles, and it’s then that Bill realises he has about an inch or two on Johnny, now that he stands up tall instead of curling in on himself. It makes Johnny feel different to him, new, while at the same time still the same person Bill fell for. It’s both dangerous and reassuring to know that Bill could easily fall for him again.

There’s nothing more to say. Bill lets out a breath, an agreement reached, and the unknown before him. At least he won’t have to wait long. He gives an awkward wave as Johnny takes a step back, and tries not to watch him go while he works his key into the lock. He doesn’t have a fucking clue how it’ll go this evening, but it feels so much better watching Johnny walk away knowing that it’s not forever this time. Well, not that it was forever last time, but Bill didn’t know that.

Safely back in his flat, Bill realises that the turmoil of earlier is gone. Another kind of turmoil has replaced it, but it’s not as distressing, nor as fraying. He’s excited, he realises, although has no idea how he’s going to apologise to Johnny for being so abrupt earlier.

Trying not to think about it, Bill sends Johnny a text telling him to meet Bill at the arcade at six. It closes at eight today, instead of ten. Two hours isn’t too long if it goes badly, but if it goes well they’ll still have time afterwards, maybe even to walk along the beach. Bill would like that.

With that in mind, he goes into the hallway and sets his army surplus boots in front of the door, hopeful they’ll be the right choice.

Some time close to eleven, he’s kicking them off again, and smiling absentmindedly to himself. They were a good choice.

War is Helloween

[rigginsstreet]

I'm not going to be teying defend Jason here. Some of his actions were terrible. The fact he felt the need to go all vigilante and round the town in like that was insane (like fucking Gaston over here) and that scene where he's intimidating Nancy is pretty godamn sketch. His friend threatens to break Erica's arms and that was really fucked (I did find an old ask of yours where an anon said that Jason said he though Lucas "was one of the good ones" but I can't find that anywhere, but obviously pulling a gun on him in the first place was very bad)

That said, as someone with a lot of religious trauma, I really understand his fear regarding the situation. Like... he saw that shit happen with Patric and with what he believes about the world, of course he would think it's some kind of demon shit. Honestly, if I was even just , like, medium religious and I saw that shit, I would probably become a bit of a nut too.

Now I didn't get a lot of talk about dnd but I did get a lot of fear mongering about ouija boards. I just thought that... idk, I'd bring it up. I see a lot of people talking about how people are shitting on Billy without addressing his abuse, but then those same people never talk about how Jason is clearly in so much emotional distress which is propagated by a system that people unfortunately just fall into. He's harming other people, yes, but it's clear he's terrified of just everything constantly, because the kind of religious circle he was probably indoctrinated into really drill that into you and then he's experiencing these gruesome murders. Who wouldn't become hysterical?

I try to be understanding of Billy even when it's hard to watch him get violent like that, but I see little grace for Jason who I relate to to an extent (as someone who was raised in a cult, funnily enough), and then the people who wholeheartedly support and defend Billy will act like Jason didn't have any understandable motivations. They'll literally make fun of people for even bringing up that his girlfriend died so it makes sense he'd be emotional.

I'm sure you'll try to dunk on me about this too, but I think that both Jason and Billy or morally gray and are both products of their environments and they're both sad. So... do you have any thoughts on that?

I mean I haven’t watched season 4 so any thoughts I have on Jason come from what I’ve seen others say, so truthfully I cannot give a firm opinion on him because I just don’t have the full context.

But I also have an interest in religious cults…(watch a lot of documentaries and YouTube video essays lmao) so I do often think about those aspects coming into play with Jason and the brainwashing that goes on. I get mad at a lot of religious discourse in tumblr for these same reasons cuz I don’t think people ever consider that these people actually believe what they’re doing is for the greater good/trying to help people get into heaven etc etc but that’s a whole other topic we don’t need to get into right now

So I can totally understand how in Jason’s mind he thinks he’s being a hero (which most good villain ideologies operate this way tbh. Or at least should). Like I don’t hate Jason. I’ve come around to him to the point where I joke about shipping him and billy. I’ll include him in things from time to time, granted not in the best light but if i straight up hate a character I simply do not include them at all

I think the difference between Jason and billy is that we SEE where billys trauma comes from. We have visual canon proof of it. So it’s a lot easier to look at that and go “ok now everything’s making sense”. With Jason, it’s not canon he was indoctrinated into anything (unless it is. Again, didn’t watch season 4). For all we know he could just live like that. Yes it can be easily assumed since he is still a teenager it is most likely his parents are also cuckoo and passed their ideologies down to him, but again, without any real confirmation, it remains a guessing game.

I also think with billy it’s like, he went after the people he went after for good reason (to him). Max gets his ire because they’re pitted against each other by neil, he goes after Lucas because he’s directly tied to max and everything that gets billy in trouble, he goes after steve for lying to him and being a creepy weirdo with his underage sister

As far as my knowledge of the Jason situation goes…there was no reason to go crazy on Lucas and Erica? Like yes they know Eddie and I guess it was about Jason thinking they were hiding him or something? But it’s like why do they need to be physically attacked (or threatened) so aggressively for it? The two situations in my mind are not the same. And maybe it’s because I’m a billy apologist. I’ll own that. But it comes down to billys safety specifically was in jeopardy the entire time, which led him to act out vs Jason just going on a vigilante crusade that ultimately had nothing to do with him

[liptonsbabe]

Chains of a family [B.W]

Bill Weasley x Grant! reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Summary: Molly thinks that Bill’s and the reader relationship is a mistake so she wants them apart from each other. Bill’s against his mother wishes and he find a way to drag the reader into the Weasley family officialy

Word count: 1.9K

Warnings: none

A/N: Hi! Part 4 of this thing lol. I’m so happy that you guys like this story. It’ll have like 20 chapters or so, i’m still deciding that so yeah, that’s pretty much the thing. Btw, from now on chapters will be more interestings... i hope so lol. Again, english not my mother language. Please let me know if something’s wrong. Aaaaaand if you want to be tagged in the next chapters tell me and i will add you! Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Arguments

The rest of the afternoon passed as normal as the days before your arrival. Arthur Weasley made sure of it. Even if Molly attacked you with her dagger gaze when you and Bill hugged each other after you were done with dessert.

You didn’t know what Mr. Weasley had talked about with his wife while you were taking a shower, however, you noticed the tension rising from their bodies after you sat down at the table next to Bill and saw an annoyance sign on Molly’s lips. Her temple was frowned, reminding you of your own mother's gestures. Those flaming eyes, cleft chin, and pinion lips. Both women contract their features too much when they were upset and in your distress, you knew that they must not be disturbed.

The last thing you wanted was to hurt a marriage as solid as the Weasley's. More than once you heard your mother talk about it with your nanny making a powerful emphasis on how Molly and Arthur were able to carry out their marriage even if their economic conditions were precarious and the war was on their heels. They were an envied couple. Few dared to expand the family as much as they did without money in their pockets and spreading their progeny like a plague. No one was surprised, not even your mother, not when her marriage to Evan Grant was merely for financial advantage. Now Arthur and Molly looked upset, too upset for your understanding and you just hoped they could get along soon.

You weren't sure you deserved the sacrifice Bill's father had made for you, yet a flame of hope lit up in your chest. If Mr. Weasley started to trust you that was a good sign for others to do as well, right?

The afternoon continued as normal, seeing how Bill's plans to distract you from the fervent harassment of his mother was marred by the twins intervention. They had just finished a new product for their store and needed a good taster to certify the quality of their merchandise. It was a bad idea, he told himself, because twins were just a disaster and you didn't know them well enough to deny their good-natured pretensions.

"Be kind!" He yelled at them as Fred and George pulled you into their. Bill exhaled, pleading that his brothers wouldn't bother his girlfriend more than his mother already had.

Before taking you home, he thought about the pros and cons of your stay in the burrow. His conclusion was based on the fact that his entire family welcomed Harry Potter with open arms, so you didn't have to be the exception. He knew the difference in conditions in which his theory developed, yet he put his trust in the good judgment of his family even if the Grants' past left much to be desired. Bill didn't talk much about you with his mother, in fact, your presence at home was the last of his worries, the real problem came at the time of joining the Order of the Phoenix, would you be willing to fight against your relatives even if that mean betraying your own blood? Bill hope you will

Coming downstairs, Bill found his mother storing the leftover food in the fridge while the dishes soaked in the sink. Then he watched her clean each plate with her bare hands, no magic. William knew his anger was real.

"Want some help with that?"

"I'd love to, honey, thank you," his mother answered without looking at him. Bill raised the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, dipping his hands into the tide of water and bubbles that flew across the kitchen. Molly was silent, drying the dishes and flying them to her place in the display case across the kitchen. Bill cleared his throat doubtfully "It never hurts to help, much less when I have so many things to do before the rest of the Order arrive"

"Don't worry, I'll help you with that too."

"Perfect"

"Mom, can we talk?"

"About what?

"You know what," Bill clicked his tongue, passing her the last plate from the sink to continue with the spoons. "(Y/N)..."

"Your father has scolded me enough about that girl, I don't need you to do it too"

"I wouldn't if you had a little consideration with her."

"More consideration?" Molly asked in a squeak. Bill shook his head. "I'm letting her stay at my home!"

"Our home, mom, ours," he corrected, drying his hands with a cloth. "This house also belongs to my dad, my brothers, and me. It's the burrow, a family property, not a secret club where some people can get in and others cannot."

"You know what I think of her"

"And you know I don't care." Molly looked scandalized at her son. She didn't understand what he had seen in someone like you or what you had given him to come out and defend you as he did "I don't ask you to love her, but at least you have to try...

"Have you ever wondered what will happen when she betrays us?"

"That's not gonna happen"

"You're very sure of that, William"

"I'm convinced, Mom. You don't know her like I do and, you know what? I see that wanting to talk to you was a mistake"

"Moody thinks like me," Molly stopped him when Bill was ready to go upstairs. The woman clung to the railing watching her son standing in the first step out of the kitchen "(Y/N) Grant is a danger to the Order"

"Really? Like Mundungus Fletcher? I beg your pardon, mom, but if there is anyone who represents a latent danger to the Order of the Phoenix, it's him and yet you have assigned him for the mission tonight"

Molly's lips parted and if it weren't for the fact that Bill knew her mother too well, he might think the woman was about to throw herself on the floor in a tantrum. Still, she clenched the bars tightly, her brow furrowed, and the redness on her cheeks washed over her forehead.

"William!" Don't talk to me like that!"

"I wouldn't if you had a little more respect for my girlfriend."

"Don't you understand? I care about you! For all of us!" She snarled angrily. "Having a Riddle in this house..."

"A Grant, mom, (Y/N) is a Grant and that's not the same." Bill descended his steps, approaching her mother, returning that angry look that she had inherited from him. It was a strange sensation. A dyad of emotions between joy and fear where the composed emotion was guilt. He had never exploded that way with his mother, but Molly hadn't behaved that way with anyone either "His grandfather is Lord Voldemort's half-brother and his brothers are all Death Eaters, what does it matter? (Y/N) is not. And when do we judge others by where they come from? If so, we could start with half of us. Being a Weasley is equivalent to being a blood traitor"

"William!"

Molly's face went from fury to shock to fury again. Bill's eyes were twinkling and Molly swore she had never seen any of her children this angry, or worse, this determined.

"What would you have done, Mom?" Bill questioned taking his mother by his arms in an attempt to make him feel her despair. Molly opened her eyes, scared. "When your family tell you not to accept dad? When your brothers object to your engagement, just 'cause the Weasleys have long been considered blood traitors?"

For the first time that day Molly's mind went blank, Bill guessed, rewinding the memories of how difficult it was for the Prewetts to accept the marriage. Bill pleaded silently, but pulled away from her when his mother gave no indication to be a little more respectful with you.

"We aren't like that. We don't separate people by where they come from, we hug them" Bill resumed his way towards the stairs, stopping a couple of steps up, turning to take a look at Molly's stunned figure "As you did with Hermione, Remus and Harry when you and Dad became his godparents after Sirius died. (Y/N) is no different"

"She will turn her back on us when the Order fight the Grants. That moment will come and you know it"

"Don't worry, i'll make sure that doesn't happen"

"She is not part of this family"

"That can be solved very easily," he said and the smile he wore gave her a terrible chill down her spine. "Because I'm going to ask her to be my wife."

Molly's gasp was the only thing Bill heard before climbing the stairs and heading to the twins' room. He always respected his mother a lot and even thinking of opposing to her wishes was inconceivable, but your well-being was something that was involved and Bill couldn't just let her mother control his life at her will. Maybe the mistake he made was not telling his parents the truth about you from the start or, in that case, mentioning that the woman he loved was the fucking niece of the strongest fucking dark wizard of all time.

Bill Weasley rubbed his face as he reached the twins' door. He no longer had to torment himself, it was done and the only thing pending at the moment was to get Harry out of his uncles' house, take him safely to the burrow and find the courage to do what he told his mother he would do.

Would you agree to marry him? He hoped so and if not, he wouldn't pressure you. You were young - even a little younger than him - and it would be understandable if you refused to tie your life to someone else's from one moment to the other. The war progressed every day and if you were going to do it, you would do it as soon as possible.

Loud laughings brought him out of his thoughts to observe you and his brothers sitting on the floor, right in the center of both beds, laughing at each other and touching your faces. From the doorway Bill can't see the full painted room, however George's face showed a rather abstract mural full of bright colors when he felt the presence of his older brother. Fred did the same showing his face in the same situation and then you turned to Bill, still laughing and your face smeared with paint. It seemed the twins had created a paint bomb in millimeter pills, that explode when you put a little bit of pressure. You tried to clean yourself with the sleeve of your sweater but you spread the paint even more. Fred and George laughed and so did Bill.

His heart swelled with love as he saw that at least someone in his family - besides him and his father - had hope in you. God, he may have even cried with happiness.

Bill never understood how a sunshine as beautiful as you was never accepted in your entire life.

Tags:

@purple-vodka-99

@vampirestrawberries

Thanks for the 100 followers!❤

[dianapana]

SH Day 9 – Never Have I Ever

@sasuhinamonth

Rated T, Modern AU, OOC

Oof , for this one ideas just wouldn't come to me, so once again I looked through older stories I never finished and found this one which I thought fit to a certain degree. I didn’t really wanna go the normal route of the game itself, so I just interpreted the prompt as a new experience. I hope you enjoy, ~Love, Dia

It wasn’t uncommon for people to randomly sit down at his table, especially if those people were girls. They’d stumble onto the seat and act like it was all an accident, like they didn’t see him and thought the table was empty, or that they tripped and ‘landed’ on the seat. Other times they’d ask if they could sit because there were no free tables anymore, granted this last excuse happened to be true once or twice, but usually, it was just a lie and the two would sit in awkward silence for a few moments staring at each other with a number of empty seats all around.

However, the person sitting across from him was a girl he saw around the diner quite often, urgency written all over her face. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, but the situation didn’t faze him at all, thus he continued eating, putting 2 French fries in his mouth and slowly chewing, waiting for her to state her reason and purpose.

“I need you to pretend we’re here together” Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. “My ex just walked in and I’m not in the mood to deal with him. If I’m here with someone, in this case you, he’ll either leave me alone or he’ll at least leave sooner.” His eyes moved to a guy that was just walking to the counter still obvious to his ex-girlfriend. “Please…” her eyes were begging him to help.

Sasuke sighed and pushed his milkshake her way. “It’d be strange if we were here together and I was the only one that had ordered something” Her pale eyes lit up like Christmas trees.

“Thank you so much. I’m Hinata by the way” She gave him a genuine smile. He nodded her way.

“Sasuke. I’d shake your hand but that would look strange since we’re supposed to be here together.”

For a second, silence fell over their table but Hinata started giggling at what he just said, her laugh could have also been intertwined with nervous laughter for it was a little too loud for Sasuke’s own liking, either way, he couldn’t help but smirk her. Naruto would freak if he saw Sasuke talking to a stranger, a girl no less, and not only that, but he was actually putting in the effort to help her and maintain a conversation. He had never willingly had a conversation with a stranger before.

Sadly Hinata’ sudden laughing fit turned the attention of a white-haired guy, also known in Sasuke’s head as the girl’s ex, to them. The said guy looked their way, moment in which Sasuke noticed the myriad of feelings showing onto his expression, he seemed to go from hopeful to confused to slightly irritated and then settle for putting on a fake smile and strolling their way.

“Hinata, long time no see, how are you?” The ex-boyfriend looked at her and gave Sasuke a not-so-subtle glare. He took in their table before raising an eyebrow and immediately asking another question, essentially cutting Hinata off before she could answer his first question. “Matcha milkshake? I thought you hated those”

“Oh, I used to yea, but I think they changed the receipt here. I tasted one sip from when Sasuke ordered one last time and it was pretty good, so today I wanted to see for myself” She said smoothly and took a big sip of her, well…his milkshake. “And I’ve been pretty good. How about yourself?” She smiled way too sweetly at him.

“Uh…can’t complain” He took another second to examine them again. “Well, I was actually thinking maybe we can get together and have dinner sometime next week?”

“Dude, you don’t ask out a girl when she’s already out with another guy, that’s just fucking messed up” Sasuke said, without actually meaning to his voice got deeper and he glared at the ‘ex-boyfriend’. He didn’t care that he and Hinata weren’t there together for real, it’s a universal rule you don’t ask out a girl if she’s there with a date, that’s just a douchey move.

Hinata was grinning at him from behind her hand, her eyes glittering with amusement. Sasuke had to admit something to himself, the strange girl was pretty, but she was even more beautiful while she smiled.

“Chill dude. I didn’t think this was a date” he said raising his hands as if trying to say he meant no harm. “I mean who the fuck brings a date at this shitty diner” He whispered under his breath, but both Hinata and Sasuke heard him and their moods turned pretty dark. Sasuke’s instinct was the punch the guy’s lights out, another new feeling he hadn’t experienced, at least not because of a girl. He is usually in control of his emotions and rarely loses his cool.

“Sasuke wanted to go have a sweet picnic in the park near my house, which was so thoughtful and sweet, but sadly the weather didn’t agree with him because it started raining. That’s when I remembered how I wanted to taste the milkshake, so I proposed we came here to wait for the rain to stop.” Sasuke had to admit, her lying skills were top-notch, her story had a natural flow to it, she composed a strong and believable narrative with pretty much no holes, her delivery too added to its credibility, fot she spoke with such ease. Hinata reached for his hand that was on the table and squeezed it while spreading her web of lies. Sasuke noticed the ex-boyf rolling his eyes, and a part of him felt utter satisfaction from the jerk’s annoyance.

“Whatever. I gotta bounce anyway. See you around” He turned and started walking out the diner without waiting for a reply. Sasuke snorted when he noticed that the ex didn’t even purchase anything. He was lost in his own world of trash-talking the guy but was got distracted by the petite girl in front of him that whispered not so quietly “I fucking hope not.”

“Well, that was fun.” He smirked at her. “Let me guess, bad break-up?” Hinata sighed and ran both hands over her face.

“The worst. It was a set up and we went on a few dates which were fine I guess, but I just didn’t really want a relationship at the time, or at least not with him. Either way, the break-up itself took like 3 hours cuz he just wouldn’t accept it.” She took another sip of his milkshake and gaged. “Oh god, I forgot how awful this tasted.” She said more to herself, it didn’t take her a full second to turn beet-red.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry this is yours. I d-didn’t mean to drink from it, it just happened. Let me buy you a new one” She got onto her feet but Sasuke grabbed her wrist and forced her to sit back down.

“Don’t worry about it. You barely drank any”

Had he been in his right mind he’d tell the girl to buy him extra fries too for the trouble and then he’d tell her to scramble. But for some reason or another, he didn’t want her to leave just yet. He pulled the glass back to him and drank from it just to prove to her everything was fine.

“I don’t understand how you can drink that. It’s not even sweet” Her nose wrinkled in disgust, Sasuke didn’t throw the world ‘cute’ around easily but she looked adorable.

“I hate sweets. So, this is perfect” Her jaw dropped, she looked like he had just said he hated puppies and his mother. Hinata blinked a few times, closed her mouth and opened it to say something, closed it back again. She looked genuinely confused, like someone that hated sweets wasn’t meant to exist.

“I-I don’t understand. How can you hate sweets? T-They make the world a better place. Don’t tell me that after a shitty day you don’t go home to eat a gallon of ice cream with a dozen of cookies because I will not believe you”

Now it was his turn to gag just thinking about the amount of sugar in the ‘snack’ she described. His reaction repulsed her.

“Oh wow. I’m perplexed. I had no idea people like you existed”

The fact that she said it with straight face made him believe she honestly didn’t think that what he said could be true, which for some reason he found extremely funny.

“Huh, you learn something every day.” She said with a smile, it seemed she had gotten over her confusion and found the whole conversation quite as amusing as he did.

A waitress came over to take Sasuke’s now empty milkshake glass.

“Would you like anything else?”

“Could you please bring me a veggie burger and a blueberry lemonade? And some fries too” She ordered and it relieved him that she did, he hadn’t had a lunch companion besides Naruto in a while.

“I’d also like some fries and another matcha milkshake”

“I’ll be right back,” The older woman said and left right away. When he turned back to the girl before him, she was staring at him with a small smile on her lips so he raised an eyebrow at her.

“I was sure you’d tell me to leave, or tell the waiter you’d like the bill and left yourself.” She put both of her hands on the table and played with her bracelet. “I’ve seen you around the diner. You’re not the…most welcoming face here and I’ve also saw you get up and leave on multiple occasions when someone sat at your table”

Her cheeks were a shade or two darker and she didn’t look at him but rather looked at her fidgeting hands. She was embarrassed for admitting she noticed him way before this encounter, she was nervous that she had crossed a line. What she said was true, he knew he wasn’t the nicest person but he did genuinely enjoy her presence, also he’d been in a number of situations where he would have liked someone to pretend to be there with him so he’d escape an acquaintance or a fangirl. Plus, the very same day Naruto told him he should do an act of ‘kindness’ a day or his karma would turn bad. He didn’t believe in the nonsense his blonde friend talked about, but when she sat down she looked in so much distress even he didn’t have the heart to tell her to leave.

“You’re right, But, you looked frightened, I’m not heartless,” He said in a neutral voice and Hinata blushed even redder. His lips twitched upward. Where did her confidence and acting skills go?

“I-I-I didn’t mean you are heartless…just…umm, uh” she was at a loss of words.

“It’s fine. You didn’t offend me” Hinata looked up at him relived.

“I didn’t? Oh, that’s really good, because I didn’t mean anything rude by what I said” her shoulders relaxed and her blush faded, not completely she was still a bit flushed but not quite as red as before.

“Since you knew there was a chance, I’d leave why did you sit here?”

Her smile softened a little. “Have you ever seen a person and had the urge to talk to them? For them to be your friend? I don’t mean to sound creepy, but every time I saw you here, I always wanted to talk to you, I just never had the courage. I guess the situation gave me the opportunity to do so. And I’m quite glad because, I don’t know about you, but I’m having a pretty good time talking to you” her cheeks flared even redder with each confession, for some reason admitting her thoughts in front of him was embarrassing. “Oh, just so you know, I’ve never done this before. I just had a pretty bad day and didn’t want it to get worse by having to be in his company for long.”

Their talk continued for a while longer until finally, their food arrived. The older waitress placed their orders on the table.

“There you go. Enjoy your food”

“Thank you” Hinata nodded at the waitress with a smile.

“I have one more question.” Sasuke said as Hinata took a sip of her lemonade, but gestured with her hand for him to go on. “What happened? When he was here you were a very smooth talker, but when you thought you offended me you seemed to be drowning in your own words”

Her blush came back and Sasuke decided he quite liked how she looked with it. She played with the tips of her hair, rolling it onto her finger. “W-when I was little, I was extremely shy, I couldn’t even look at strangers, my parents entered me in acting classes in hopes that I’d get over it. It didn’t really go as planned. I’m a lot better now, obviously but I still get anxious easily. Even so the acting classes did help me, when I’m in a crisis I seem to calm down and I’m able to collect my thoughts” She looked a bit over his shoulder in deep thought. “It’s like a defence mechanism but it doesn’t always work. Case in point when I o-offended you, which I’m sorry about again”

“I see…also you didn’t offend me, I told you this before. You only stated your opinion, which was true by the way”

She smiled at him once more and they started eating, it wasn’t complete silence, they made small talk asked about normal things, hobbies, friends, school and all that. Once they were finished and Sasuke asked for the bill since it was getting pretty dark and the rain finally stopped, he noticed her playing with the bracelet again.

“Something wrong?”

“Huh?” she looked up at him confused.

“You were fidgeting your hands like you did before when you were nervous. Is something bothering you?”

Hinata opened her mouth. They had spent about 2 or 3 hours together and he was able to pick up some of her habits already. He did seem like the type of person that paid attention, he was quiet but observing. Without meaning to she associated him with one of those old people from the park that sit on a bench and watch everyone pass by, like they don’t belong to this world, they just witness it, they are watchers that see the smallest details.

He didn’t know what she was thinking about, but her smile was beautifully tragic, she seemed sad, or at least contemplative.

“I was just thinking how much I enjoyed our…lunch? Dinner? And was wondering how awkward it would be to…a-ask for your number m-maybe?”

He also liked when she stuttered a little. “I don’t see why not. I enjoyed myself as well”

If only Naruto saw him give his number to a girl, the blonde would never let this slide, which was also why he’d never tell his blonde best friend about the petite blue-haired girl that made his ordinary day a little bit extraordinary, she proved that sometimes doing things you’ve never done can have a good end result, in this case talking to a stranger and pretending to date led to a pleasant evening and hopefully a friend and maybe more.

[chocoluckchipz]

Not a Spying, Not a Fake Date

The day Marinette met Adrien Agreste—the hottest supermodel alive, an only son of fashion icon Gabriel Agreste, and her long-time, embarrassing celebrity crush—was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Instead, not only did she present herself as a total klutz, but his friend Nino had stolen Alya only two weeks later.

On a Saturday afternoon, no less!

Don’t get her wrong. Marinette was happy that Alya finally was interested in a guy more than the latest scoop. And she absolutely didn't mind skipping one of their weekly get-togethers in favour of her BFF going on a coffee date with their new classmate. Marinette wouldn’t be bored. She could work on one of her projects or play video games… if the day wouldn't be so perfectly gorgeous and sunny. Wasting it inside would’ve been a crime. A walk around a local farmer’s market, on the other hand, sounded just about right. And if said market happened to be across the street from where her friend was meeting Nino, that was a pure coincidence.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Marinette was absolutely not spying on anyone, and if she glanced the couples’ way once or twice, it was only to appease her morbid curiosity. No harm done. She wasn’t interfering. She couldn’t even hear what the two of them were talking about. Surely not about Adrien. Or her. Or her and Adrien. Nope. No way. Impossible. She wasn’t curious at all.

“You know you aren’t very subtle?”

Marinette froze, her blood running cold. She knew that voice. It was ingrained in her memory by now. But there was no way Adrien Agreste was standing right behind her, whispering in her ear. It must be nothing but a product of her imagination. Yes! A hallucination of a post-pubescent girl with a crush of irrational proportions.

Still, she spun around just to check if it was time to make an appointment with a therapi—  

Her jaw hit the floor, eyes widening. The man in front of her sounded like Adrien, yet he barely looked the part. Most of his hair was hidden under a beanie, a pair of glasses framed his face. Baggy, black clothes covered his body. His chiselled jaw sported a light stubble, and a hippy backpack was slung over his shoulders. Not a shred of his classy self left, replaced by a sexy, casual chic version of the man.

“Adrien?”

He winked. “Looking beautiful as always, Princess.”

Her cheeks flamed despite her knowing better. He’d given her that nickname only because she was a clumsy mess, not because he was trying to flirt. Princess, aka "damsel in distress", someone in need of being saved. In her case, frequently being caught before she hit the ground as she kept tripping around him. Stupid Agreste and his stupidly handsome face.

A movement in the cafe caught her eye, and Marinette nervously grinned. Adrien was Nino’s best friend. There was no way he wouldn't know where Nino was taking Alya for their first date, which meant Marinette better be very careful in her words and actions, or else she wouldn’t be the damsel for much longer. The title of a “Creepy Stalker” didn't sound the bit least appealing to her.

“You look nice too,” she said, looking her best innocent self. “Different. I barely recognized you. I like the glasses. And stubble. Stubble is nice. Little of it. Not too much. Too much would look shabby. But yours looks good. Perfect. Not shabby at all.”

He chuckled, a corner of his lips curling into a smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should. It was one. A compliment.”

“Why, thank you.”

Another couple left the cafe, catching both of their attention. Marinette quickly shifted her gaze to the apples at the stall she was standing by. As long as she acted natural, Adrien wouldn't suspect a thing.

“So, what are you doing here today?”

She inwardly groaned and stashed a few apples in a paper bag. “Apples. I’m here for the apples.”

“What a coincidence.” Adrien picked one of the red ones and twirled it in his hand. “I’m here for the apples too. By the way… Nino just asked for the bill, so if you were planning to do more shopping in other places, I’d say that’s our cue to pay for these and get ready to leave.”

Marinette glared his way, her whole face burning up. That cocky smile, that glint in his eyes. Of course, he’d catch her. But she wouldn’t give up so easily or she wasn’t Marinette Dupain-Cheng: her papa’s pumpkin, her mother’s sweetheart, the future of Paris’ fashion! “I’m not spying on anyone if that’s what you’re implying.”

“I wouldn't dare to accuse you of such a thing.” He grinned, putting the apple back. “But… may I suggest a few tweaks to your disguise? You know, in case you’re still up for some non-spying activities today.”

“I don’t need any tweaks. I’ve been here for an hour, and they haven’t noticed me. I could tail them all day if I wanted to, and they would not notice me.”

She froze, the last of her hopes to escape this unscathed vanishing right before her eyes. Curse this man! It was his fault her brain was shutting down around him.

The corner of Adrien’s lips curled in a smile as he leaned closer. “You might be well hidden amongst the rainbow of produce here, but, believe me, as soon as you step outside, that bright red hoodie of yours will give you away instantly.”

“In your dreams,” Marinette huffed, folding her arms over her chest. “This hoodie is the only thing in my closet Alya hasn't seen yet. My sunglasses cover half of my face, and I let my hair down instead of my usual ponytails. They would never recognize me.”

“Well, I did, didn’t I?”

“That’s because you came close. They are at a distance.”

“Nino will notice someone trailing them in a bright red hoodie. Believe me, that man lets no detail escape him. But give me five minutes, and your own parents won’t recognize you even up close.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “What for? The date is over.”

“Far from it. Nino planned coffee, a walk around the city, and a movie. He bought the tickets this morning.”

Adrien seemed to be confident in what he was saying, but Marinette couldn’t trust someone she’d recently met over her best friend, even if she was in love with him. “I don’t believe you.”

“There is only one way to find out if I’m lying.” He stretched his hand towards her. “Shall we?”

Shall they what? Why was he even here? She had to get out of the house for physical rest and mental health. What was his excuse?

“And what are you doing here, M Agreste?”

“I told you already.” The corners of his lips curled up in a sly grin. “Apples.”

“Right. And you went all out on a disguise for that?”

“Precisely.” He grinned wider. “I also knew Nino was having a date nearby, and being the great friend I am, I didn’t want them to see me and think I’m spying on them.”

She wanted to smack that shit-eating grin off his face. But Nino and Alya were exiting the cafe, and Adrien tilted his head to the side, his hand still outstretched toward her. “So? Want to not spy on them some more, or do you have other plans for the day?”

No, she didn’t, and perhaps she should be smarter, but something inside her was melting by the second, Adrien’s smile slowly massacring any scraps of reason she still had. “If you tell anyone, I’ll deny every word.”

“No one shall ever know.” He grinned. “Now, may I suggest a few tweaks to your disguise? To minimize our chances of being discovered.”

“Fine, but be quick. They are walking away.”

Adrien nodded and pointed to her hoodie. “Take this off.”

There was no time for questions, so she silently obeyed. The moment Marinette removed the garment, Adrien was already pulling his black sweater over her head.

“Wait! What are you—“

“Black is less conspicuous.”

“But what about you? It’s chilly, and your shirt doesn’t look very warm.”

“I’ll be fine. I wore that sweater for fashion, not because I was cold.” Stuffing her hoodie in his backpack, he looked her over once more. His face suddenly brightened. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out to the street in the direction of the nearest convenience store.

“We don’t have time for this,” Marinette protested as they neared the door of said establishment. “We’ve already lost them.”

“No, we didn't. We might not see them, but I know where they are.”

“I know that, too,” she grumbled. “In Paris. Where else? Europe, Eurasia. Planet Earth, Solar system. Hard to miss if you fly toward the Sun. ”

Adrien laughed. Long and heartfelt, the sound of his laughter brightened the space around them. There was still a glint of joy in his eye and a hint of mischief in his voice when he recomposed himself. “Nino spent hours planning their route yesterday, and yours truly was helping him. I know where they are headed. We’ll catch up.”

Hesitantly relenting, she followed him in the store, and once inside, Adrien disappeared somewhere between the rows. When he walked out, he was carrying a hairbrush, a couple of pins and hair ties, a small mirror, a plastic tablecloth, and a can of temporary hair dye. Quickly paid for, Adrien pulled her into the nearby alley. "Do you trust me enough for a blind makeover?"

A loaded question. She hardly knew anything about the man behind the carefully crafted image of his public persona. But Marinette loved surprises, and it wasn’t like Adrien even had anything that could potentially cause serious damage to her appearance in his hands.

“You aren’t going to cut my hair, are you?”

“Wouldn’t dare to even think about it.”

“Strangle me with that tablecloth?”

“It’s to protect your clothes from the dye. And before you freak out, it’s a temporary one. It’ll wash out with the first shower.”

At least it was pink—her favourite colour. "Don't make me regret this, Agreste."

“I promise, you won’t.”

She sent a glare his way. “If I do, you’re dead.”

Adrien laughed and slightly bowed. “Your trust means the world to me, Princess. Now, if you’ll allow me, I shall start.”

Marinette nodded, removing the sunglasses from her face. Adrien quickly draped the plastic tablecloth around her shoulders. The moment his hands ran through her hair, her brain short-circuited. It felt like heaven. Pleasant tingles cascaded down her skin at every touch as he brushed, tied, and clipped for what felt like an eternity yet was way too short of a period before he whispered in her ear, “Close your eyes and hold your breath for me for a moment.”

That would not be a problem; Marinette wasn’t sure she was breathing for the last few minutes anyway. He was too close. She could feel the heat of his body, the warmth of his breath, and that was doing things to her she’d rather not experience in a random alley off a busy street in the middle of Paris.

Oblivious to her internal turmoil, Adrien sprayed her hair with the temporary hair dye and proudly pronounced his job finished. The plastic tablecloth off her shoulders, he pushed a small mirror in her hands. “You can open your eyes and look now.”

Her speech was gone the moment her eyes caught her reflection. Most of her bangs were pinned back in the middle, only some of the hair framing her face on either side. The rest was gathered in two cute, messy buns on top of her head that had pink highlights all over them, something the tips of her bangs sported as well. It was a look she’d never thought of doing herself, yet somehow found herself loving more with each passing moment.

“Not bad,” she said, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “Are you secretly a stylist by any chance?”

Adrien chuckled, putting her sunglasses back on her nose. “Nope. But I did grow up in a fashion tycoon’s house watching makeup artists transform people to an unrecognizable degree with simple tricks.”

“Well, you have a talent, M Agreste. I really like this.”

"Why, thank you." Adrien grinned. "I do like the outcome, too. You were always cute, but now you're straight-up adorable. Like a little mouse. An extremely lovely little mouse. ”

Marinette looked away, taking a step towards a street. He wasn’t flirting. He was just complimenting his own work. He wasn’t flirting. “As long as Alya doesn’t recognize me.”

“She won’t.” Adrien followed her. “Hey! Maybe we should hold hands and pretend to be on a date? They’ll never figure us out if we do that.”

Her eyes widened as he offered her his hand. “Are you… are you asking me on a fake date?”

“Do you want me to ask you on a fake date?”

“I’ve never liked anything fake,” she huffed. “Says a lot about one’s character.”

Adrien chuckled. “Then it’s good that all I’m asking is to hold hands. For a better disguise, of course. Not faking. Real hand-holding.”

An earnest smile on his lips, he stepped closer, silently waiting for her reply.

Marinette swallowed, her eyes falling to his outstretched hand, one that looked more and more appealing to hold by the second. How would it feel to have her palm in his? If she chickened out now, she might not get another chance to find out. “Only for the purpose of a disguise.”

"Only for that," Adrien assured, entwining their fingers together, his gaze on her soft and gentle. "Allow me to be your guide on this non-spying, not-a-fake-date mission, Princess."

His words fell on deaf ears as Marinette struggled to keep her composure. Big, strong, and very warm. Somehow safe and secure. Like a lover’s embrace. Holding Adrien’s hand was everything Marinette didn’t know she needed up until now.

He must have noticed something was amiss, cracking a dumb joke to break the awkwardness as they started their walk. Marinette tried her best not to laugh, but Adrien kept going, each joke worse than the preceding one. Ten minutes in, and she couldn't believe she ever had a crush on this… man-child. Adrien was the dorkiest dork she'd ever met. A dork who asked too many questions. So many it felt like he wanted to know everything there was to Marinette. She didn't mind. There were quite a few things she wanted to know about Adrien, as well, and what better way to ask if not as a retaliation to his inquiries?

About an hour later, they spotted Nino and Alya on a promenade by the Seine, walking hand in hand just like them. Her friend beamed, laughing so hard, Marinette could swear there were tears in Alya’s eyes. Nino looked no less happy, grinning at Alya with a satisfied look on his face. A smile found its way onto Marinette’s face. Adrien watched them mesmerized, slightly tightening his grip on her hand.

“Everything looks good,” he said, turning to her. “Their next stop should be a music shop a few blocks away, and there are a few cafes just across the street. Want to get a headstart and have an early lunch?”

Marinette nodded. She could use a drink or two right now. A nice large glass of the cold water because Adrien seemed to take their… whatever-this-was way too seriously, being all attentive and gentlemanly and extra charming, and if not for his assurance they were not on a date, Marinette would’ve surely thought otherwise. Just as she suspected, her silly crush on this man seemed to slowly be turning into something more than a simple attraction. Something different. Something deeper and more profound.

“Awesome!” Adrien grinned, turning back to the town. “I’ll buy us movie tickets once we’re there. Where do you want to sit? I prefer the middle, but I’m pretty sure Nino got the middle row seats, so that’s a bit risky. Shall we try for the back row?”

A pinch of guilt nagged at Marinette. Another glance at their friends in the distance and she stopped, slowly pulling her hand from Adrien’s grasp, mourning the loss with every inch lost. “Perhaps, we should stop here.”

He halted his steps, looking down. Seemed like she wasn't the only one feeling guilty about this. “You’re right. This wasn't a good idea.”

“They deserve more than two stalkers for friends.”

“They do. I was just too curious. This is the first time Nino’s been so crazy about someone.”

“So you decided to secretly third wheel them?”

He gave her an unimpressed look. “You don’t get to judge me. We’re in the same boat in this. Apples and all.”

Marinette couldn't hold back a snicker.

Adrien interlocked his fingers behind his head, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. “I was really looking forward to that movie, though.”  

“You’ll live.”

“Will I?”

“Absolutely, you big baby. Just go watch it by yourself if you want it so much.”

“But that’s not fun.”

“Better than stalking your friend on his date.”

“Then perhaps I should get my own. A date, I mean. For the movies.”

Marinette fell silent, her chest tightening. A guy like Adrien could have any girl he wished. And while she didn't think herself to be worse than anyone else, what were the chances he’d want her when girls like Kagami Tsurugi openly confessed their love to him?

“I guess you could,” she said, pulling out her cellphone to get an Uber.

“Then will you?”

“Will I what?”

“Go to the movies with me? Lunch and movies. A date. A real one. Nothing fake about it.” He was looking straight at her, a trembling smile on his lips, a soft glint in his eyes.

She blinked once. Twice. Her ears must be deceiving her. “Me?”

He nodded. “You.”

“But… Why?”

“Because I like you.” He stepped closer. “Because ever since you fell into my arms that first day, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“Excuse me, but I did not fall into your arms!” Marinette huffed. Amazing or not, she wouldn't allow him to trample her reputation like that. “I just tripped, and you happened to stand in the trajectory of my fall. Or rather, you moved into it because, if my memory isn’t failing me—and my memory never fails me—you almost ran across the room to catch me.”

Adrien laughed. “Guilty as charged, but can you blame me? You’re amazing, Marinette. You’re smart and brave and confident and so very beautiful. A guy like me could only dream of being worthy of your attention.”

“You kidding me, right? A guy like you can have any girl he wants.”

“But there is only one I need,” he purred, leaning closer. “Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I’d be the happiest man alive if she’d give me a chance. I’m prepared to beg on my knees if that’s what it’ll take.”

Somehow, her hand was in his. He brought it to his lips and laid a lingering kiss on her knuckles. How could she say no to those eyes and that confident smoulder with a hint of childish worry behind it? The way she felt about him, she wouldn't want to say no even if her life depended on it. Marinette kept her eyes on Adrien's when she shifted her hand in his grasp, entwining their fingers together. "Only if we go to a different movie theatre. I don't want to run into Alya and have to explain things."

“Sounds good to me.”

“And we’re getting soulmate ice cream at Andre’s before that. I want to check if we’re meant to be before I commit to anything.”

Adrien laughed, pulling Marinette into a hug. “I’m pretty sure I won’t even have to bribe the man to get the result I want.”

“You’re way too confident, M Agreste, you know that, right?”

“Only when it really matters.”

“And is this one of those situations?”

His gaze soft and loving, Adrien leaned down, his lips gently brushing against the flustered skin of her cheek. “You’re at the top of my ‘Really Matters’ list, Mlle Dupain-Cheng.”

Another kiss to her nose, he lingered for a moment before whispering, “May I kiss you the way I know you want me to kiss you now? Or shall I wait until the end of our date?”

There was only one answer Marinette could give him. “Right now would be perfect.”

***

This is a reworked chapter from my upcoming "Dreams of You" story. If you're planning on reading it, don't be surprised to see part of this as one of the chapters. Hope you'll enjoy both of them!

[elleonmybeloved]

“Why am I not surprised your name doesn’t carry anywhere near as much weight as your reputation. This is just sloppy.” Childe mutters snidely under his breath to himself from where he hides in the shadows among the trees.

The word in the streets was that La Signora’s people weren’t to use deadly force on the rumored traveler from Mondstadt, and Tartaglia would very much like to know why. The bitchy harbringer he knows doesn’t pull her punches for anybody, no matter how wealthy or powerful.

Unfortunately for the time and effort spent tailing his oddly clad blonde mark, it seems these brainless goons wearing Signora’s insignia didn’t get the memo.

The traveler’s silver shortsword clangs loudly against the base of the Hydro-Gunner Legionnaire’s gun, and takes out a chunk as it slides along the side of it. Compromised, the thing sprays them both with a jet of water before losing power. The large man gives an outraged yell and abandons the gun to bodily smack the small blonde across the face. She staggers back, but he’s no match for her unarmed, and he has to acknowledge the poetic justice in how she slices off the brute’s hands before finishing him off.

Unfortunately for her, she’s now wetter than a hydro slime in a rainstorm, and the Electro-Hammer Vanguard she’s fighting shows no hesitation in taking advantage of this vulnerability. A hefty swing catches her in the side with enough force that the chances she didn’t break a rib are slim to none. The next swing hits her lower right leg, and she cries out in great pain.

He’s beating the shit out of her.

Childe has no intention of letting this hilichurl-brained thug get rid of Lumine before he gets his hands on what he wants from her. Fluid bends to his will and forms into the weapon of his choice. How can he best phrase this to get her to feel thankful enough to drop her guard?

Lumine is sent flying by the next blow, but scrambles backward, dodging the next hammer swing by inches. She staggers to her feet, and he can see tears of pain join the wet on her cheeks. The Vanguard raises his hammer above his head, but before Childe can loose the shot from his bow, the traveler screams and there is a bright flash of pure gold energy that explodes from around her.

The Vanguard isn’t just cast away from her. He is completely obliterated, disintegrating into nothing. Childe flinches and quickly changes the bow to a shield, gritting his teeth against the pressure of the blast as it reaches him, even as far back as he is.

Blinking rapidly, he swears he sees diamonds of white behind her, like wings, for a second and then it’s gone. Childe blinks the fading spots from his vision.

Lumine staggers as she tries to step forward, fumbling with a handful of wolfhooks that she drops half of, and squeezes the rest in her bare hand to slather against the scrapes on her cheek.

He’s by her side in an instant.

“Traveler! What happened to you? Wow you look terrible, here, let me help.”

She gazes at him, confused. Her face is pale.

“Childe...? ...I’m fine just... give me a second to pull myself together.” She says, holding out her palm like she’s blocking him. “What are you-“ she breaks off to cough, and she swallows thickly with a grimace.

Internal bleeding then.

“Come on, you’re in bad shape. Wolfhooks aren’t gonna cut it.” He grasps her outstretched arm and tugs, overpowering her easily as he scoops her up into his arms. “There we go.”

He doesn’t even have to look around to know which direction the nearest teleportal is.

“Where are you -another cough, this time the blood stains her pink lips red before she can swallow- taking me?” Lumine asks, but relaxes, leaning heavily into him. It’s kind of cute how she still has attitude in this state.

“The hospital.” He answers her with a look, in the same tone as he would say duh. “In Liyue.”

“Childe I -kngh- don’t have enough mora... for-“

God he wants to laugh so bad, but it would jostle her and exacerbate her injuries. And probably make her angry.

“You should know better than to worry about mora when you’re with me, girlie.” He rolls his eyes and tightens his grip as he climbs over a few rocks. The teleportal shouldn’t be far now. Not that he’s struggling if course, she’s light and he’s carried far heavier for much longer. “Now stop talking and just trust me.”

Childe is happy to see that she seems to, at least enough to shut up and stop making her internal injuries worse. It’s kind of impressive how she holds on to consciousness long enough for them to go through the teleportation and for her to confirm they do arrive in the city. Though when she does go under, it leaves her fragile and broken and cradled in his arms like a lost lover, and that makes him uncomfortable.

Tartaglia has had numerous occasions to carry women like a damsel in distress, some enjoyable and others out of necessity. This experience isn’t anything like that though, it feels... weird, and he picks up the pace, wanting it over as soon as possible.

“Welcome sir, please, right this way.” The workers outside the hospital recognize him at the door and usher him inside at the sight of the wounded woman he carries.

“We will take care of her from here. The usual, sir?”

“Yeah sure, just make sure whoever you heal her with is competent. You know where to send the bill. Notify me when she wakes up.”

“Of course, sir.”

Some fancily clad hospital personnel offers him a look over as well, but he waves them off. Aside from the discomfort at the pit of his stomach, he’s just fine.

Besides, he’s got other matters to attend to tonight, and he would prefer them to be well over with by the time Lumine wakes up.

[plainbrunettelbl]

ABO (A) Togata Mirio & (A) Midoriya Izuku x (O) Reader Broken Bones and Notebooks

Word count: 3417

Warnings: None. 

ABO (A) Togata Mirio & (A) Midoriya Izuku x (O) Reader Broken Bones and Notebooks

Summary: Mirio finds himself in a hospital. Both Izuku and him start falling for the Omega doctor that takes care of him.

(Full credit to the gifs owner) 

🌻🥦-Izuku had gotten a call while at his agency that his mate was at the hospital. He dropped everything he was doing and rushed over. How did this happen? His mate’s quirk was built to evade attacks so why was his Alpha laying in a hospital bed sporting multiple casts and bandages? 

🌻🥦-His mate was still waiting for a private room to clear up so he was put in the ER. Izu wasted no time tearing open his mate’s curtain and rushing to his side. 

🌻🥦-“Mirio! What happened?” He cried, trying to give his mate a comforting hug without injuring him any further. 

🌻🥦-“It’s nothing, Zuku. I just got a little beat up is all.” The blond tried to smile despite how much pain his body was in. 

🌻🥦-At that moment the curtain pulled back once again. You walked in with a tray of food, wearing a white coat. A happy smile on your face present. You set the tray down on the removable table and put your hands on your hips. 

🌻🥦-“Hello, I’m Dr.L/N, I will be the one taking care of you until you are fit to go back home. I assume you are his mate?” You asked, turning towards the slightly distressed, green-haired Alpha. 

🌻🥦-Izuku blinked back his teary eyes and nodded. 

🌻🥦-“Yes, I’m his mate. Can you tell me how long he will be staying here? Are his injuries really severe?” Izuku frantically asked, worried how long he would have to be away from his mate at night. The thought of going home to a cold bed was already unsettling to him.

🌻🥦-“It seems he has three cracked ribs, a broken leg, a broken arm along with a few fingers. He suffered a blow to the head but his scans came back normal so we are not too worried about that.” You informed, looking at his chart that you plucked from the end of his bed. 

🌻🥦-“Usually he would have to stay here for a few months in order to fully recover but since I am taking over you should be out within three weeks or so.” You hummed, eyeing his X-rays. 

🌻🥦-Mirio beamed at his mate from behind all of his bandages. “See babe! I will be out here in no time.” 

🌻🥦-Izuku leaned down to kiss his mates bruised cheek before turning back to you with a curious look. 

🌻🥦-“How come he is going to recover faster than normal?” He questioned, smoothing a hand down his mate’s encased shoulder. 

🌻🥦-“My quirk of course! I am only assigned to pro-heroes most of the time. Since your mate fits the bill, I am here to help him have a speedy recovery.” You beamed moving the tray of food on the mobile table closer to the pair. 

🌻🥦-“My quirk is unique. It allows me to heal a person by feeding them the food I make. It takes a little time since the food has to digest and distribute my healing nutrients all around your body. Since you have so many injuries it will take a while but you will get there.” You revealed a small bowl of chicken broth. 

🌻🥦-You had made it yourself this morning. Your quirk wouldn’t work if you didn’t make the food within twenty-four hours. So freezing your meals and giving them out to patients wouldn’t work. 

🌻🥦-You were assigned to pro heroes because of this. The higher-ups thought it would be best to focus all your efforts on recovering pro heroes rather than handling multiple civilian patients. 

🌻🥦-“This is it? Just chicken broth?” Mirio slightly whined, his Alpha pouting at the lack of meat. 

🌻🥦-“If you can keep this chicken broth down till tomorrow evening I will see what I can do about getting you some real food for dinner.” You grinned, trying not to snicker at his pouting face. 

🌻🥦-These men might be pro heroes and Alpha’s but despite their intimidating status you Omega didn’t mind their presence at all. It was like she was standing around with an old pair of friends. 

🌻🥦-Maybe it was their calming scents. The blond had a warm scent that reminded you of sun rays reflecting off the ocean. The green-haired Alpha gave off a scent of wet soil and sweet sage. 

🌻🥦-“Thank you so much, Doctor. I’ll be sure to watch him so he doesn’t gulp it down in one swallow. His stomach is an endless pit.” The freckled Alpha lovingly looked down at his battered mate. 

🌻🥦-His Alpha felt a little calmer than when he walked in for some reason but he just assumed it was because he knew his mate was in good hands. It had nothing to do with the sweet scent of fresh bread and ripe fruit coming from the smiling doctor. 

🌻🥦-He brushed it off. His Alpha was just happy his ray of sunshine was okay. 

***

🌻🥦-A few days had passed and Mirio was already looking a little better. The first thing your quirk healed was his head. He was even more bright and smiley now that his headaches were gone. 

🌻🥦-He had proven that he could hold down liquids so he was approved for solid foods. You were sure his Alpha was very excited about the news. 

🌻🥦-You knocked before walking into his room, he had been upgraded to a private room and moved out of the ER. Izuku was sat at his mate’s side writing away in his notebook. You walked in with two trays and a happy smile. 

🌻🥦-“Hello, good morning!” You hummed, setting down the two trays on in front of Miro and Izuku. 

🌻🥦-“Hey, Y/N!” Mirio beamed, sending you a dazzling smile. 

🌻🥦-“Morning, Y/N,” Izuku replied softly not quite looking you in the eye, still not used to talking to females even though he has been a pro hero for years now. 

🌻🥦-“I brought you some pancakes and bacon. There is enough for you too Izuku.” You hummed revealing two plates to feed the Alphas. The tray was nearly overflowing with food but Alphas had big appetites so you knew they would clean the plates no problem. 

🌻🥦-“O-oh you don’t have to do that Y/N. I am sure another patient needs it more than I do.” He blushed, refusing the food. 

🌻🥦-“Nonsense. I know that the new mission you went on took a lot out of you. Plus I have seen you favoring your right hand. I hope you didn’t strain it too much.” You said, giving him a knowing look. 

🌻🥦-He flushed and pulled the food closer to him without further complaint. 

🌻🥦-“How did you get him to do that Y/N? Usually, I have to force him to rest and recover after a mission.” Mirio said, amazed you got his Alpha to comply so easily. 

🌻🥦-“An Omega secret.” You winked, smiling at the two before leaving. 

🌻🥦-Both Alpha’s left in a daze while they ate their breakfast. 

***

🌻🥦-“Come on! We have been looking for an Omega even before the accident. We want an Omega to complete us and she could be the one. Why not ask her out and see how it goes?” Mirio asked, his blue eyes shifting around trying to meet his lover’s emerald eyes. 

🌻🥦-“She is just nice to us because it’s her job. We have no reason to believe she will actually be interested in us once you are out of the hospital.” Izuku let out a small huff, his Alpha was telling him to pursue the Omega doctor but his self-doubt and nervousness were taking over.   

🌻🥦-Izuku’s eyes shifted all over his notebooks page, trying to distract himself from the conversation and the warm flush creeping up his face. 

🌻🥦-“We don’t know until we try. We don’t have to ask her now but just think about it, will you? This near-death experience really made me realize that I want to pursue everything my heart desires. I want to come home to my Alpha and my Omega. Maybe a few pups as well.” Mirio grinned, picturing the sweet scene in his head. 

🌻🥦-His Alpha was already bouncing with joy at the idea. He was already picturing your eyes looking up at him after a long day. 

🌻🥦-They had been on a few courting dates in search of a third partner but they all had ended with neither Alpha satisfied. His Alpha was telling him you were their missing piece. 

🌻🥦-“I’ll think about it, Alpha. We shouldn’t rush things though. You still need to recover. No Omega is gonna want to go on courting dates with us if I have to wheel you in.” Izuku laughed, picturing him rolling in his mate, at a coffee shop, sporting two casts.  

🌻🥦-“Really? I think it will add to my charm. No one can reject these baby blues when I am weak and injured.” He pouted his lips and widened his eyes at his lover. 

🌻🥦-Izuku giggled before leaning over and pecking a kiss on his lips.

🌻🥦-“I guess I can agree with that.” 

***

🌻🥦-“I brought lunch! It has plenty of meat so your Alpha will be quite pleased.” You grinned, opening up the door, Mirio was propped up on the bed. 

🌻����-You smiled at the blonde before noticing the greenette was absent. 

🌻🥦-“Where is Izuku? It’s odd not seeing him by your side.” You asked, setting up the tray in front of him. 

🌻🥦-“He had to go to the office for a while. He has been putting off a few things to stay with me so now he has to go in for a bit and catch up.” He said, sending you a big smile, the tinge of sadness was lurking in his eyes. 

🌻🥦-You couldn’t have your best patient getting sad on you. 

🌻🥦-“What do you call a pig that does karate?” You asked, lifting the top of the tray. 

🌻🥦-“What?” He lifted a blond eyebrow. 

🌻🥦-“A pork chop.” You replied, cutting your hand through the air. 

🌻🥦-You were glad your quirk had healed up his ribs or the belt of laughter really would have done a number on him. His loud chuckles was a welcomed sound, the slight sparkle in his eyes even more. 

🌻🥦-“I didn’t know my doctor was also a comedian.” He breathed, clutching his chest with his uninjured arm. 

🌻🥦-“I am many things.” You winked, pushing his plate towards him and setting in the chair by his bed, where Izuku usually sits. 

🌻🥦-“You are staying?” His blond brow went up again, his good hand already picking up a fork. 

🌻🥦-“I have to make sure you don’t eat your whole meal in two bites. I remember your mate saying something about your bottomless stomach. I can’t have my patient choking on me now.” You laughed, pulling out a small notebook from your white coat. 

🌻🥦-You would work on tweaking and editing some of your recipes. 

🌻🥦-Mirio’s Alpha was already purring upon hearing you were gonna stay and keep him company. His human half was delighted as well. 

***

🌻🥦-He had finished his lunch and his mate was still not back. His Alpha was pouting at his other half being gone but something else was bothering him too. It had been a few days since Izuku had given him a good scrub down and his dirty hair was starting to bother him. 

🌻🥦-He was known to take multiple showers a day when he was well. Now that he was injured and couldn’t exactly take as many baths as he pleased he was feeling off. 

🌻🥦-“Y/N could you wash my hair? I can wait until Izuku got here if you feel uncomfortable doing it.” He said, look at the Omega sitting by his bed. 

🌻🥦-“Mirio, I’m a Doctor, washing someone’s hair is the least uncomfortable thing I can do to a patient. Would Izuku be comfortable with it though? I know how territorial Alpha pairs can get.” You questioned, tilting your head. 

🌻🥦-“I am sure he would understand. You don’t have to worry about him going all Alpha on you. We wouldn’t have been going on courting dates to find our third partner if either one of us was easily jealous.” He smiled, strategically letting you know they were poly. 

🌻🥦-For some reason, your Omega purred happily at the news. You shoved her aside and professionally nodded your head and smiled. 

🌻🥦-“Well, that is good to hear. Would you like to do it here or in the bathroom?” You asked, taking off your white coat, you didn’t want to get it wet. 

🌻🥦-“The bathroom. I would like to keep my bed dry.” He grinned, reaching to grab his crutches leaning up against the bed. 

🌻🥦-He had his head in the sink while you intertwined your fingers in his hair and massaged the shampoo in. You took note of is soft hair the moment your fingers threaded through it. 

🌻🥦-You Omega was already sighing in bliss at the texture. Omega’s loved soft and silky things. 

🌻🥦-It seems you weren’t the only one enjoying the feeling. The poor Alpha was putty in your hands. If the chair he was sitting in disappeared he would slump to the ground. 

🌻🥦-You had a soft spot for the Alpha so you continued to massage his head even though the shampoo was already worked in well enough. Izuku walked in while you were doing so, he paused at the bathroom door. 

🌻🥦-Mirio had told you his mate would be fine with it but that didn’t stop your Omega from letting out a tiny chirp. Izuku had been nothing but nice to you. You were a bit embarrassed at your reaction but you knew of about Alphas and their aggressiveness when it came to someone interfering with their bond.  

🌻🥦-During your residency, you had treated a few cases of the unlucky ones caught flirting with a person’s Alpha. 

🌻🥦-Mirio had immediately opened his eyes at the sound. He sat up fast and seemed ready to fight off whoever it was that made you chirp. You didn’t know how he was gonna do that with two casts but it made your Omega swoon. 

🌻🥦-Once he saw it was just his mate he released his breath. 

🌻🥦-Izuku widens his eyes in surprise and put his hands up to show you he meant no harm. 

🌻🥦-“Y-you’re fine! I’m not mad! I know it is your job.” He rapidly said, taking a step back. 

🌻🥦-“You sure do know how to make an entrance, Zuku.” Mirio laughed, leaning his head back in the sink bowl. 

🌻🥦-“I’m sorry, Izuku. I know you wouldn’t hurt me but I have seen way too many Alpha attacks with my occupation.” You nervously bit your lip. 

🌻🥦-He is a Hero and you chirped in fear at him! You felt a flush crawl up your cheeks. 

🌻🥦-“It’s fine, Y/N. I understand.” He reassured, clutching a familiar notebook in his hand. “I’ll just wait by the bed.” 

🌻🥦-You nodded before getting back to scrubbing Mirio’s soft hair. You rinse and conditioned his hair quickly. When you were done you wrapped a towel around his neck and lead him back to his bed. 

🌻🥦-Izuku looked up from writing and gave you a small smile. You flash him one back before taking the towel around his mate’s neck and began drying his hair.

🌻🥦-The Alpha was in a state of bliss again. Izuku would be lying if he said he wasn’t a tiny bit jealous. He wanted to feel your soft hands against his hair too.

🌻🥦-“What are you always writing in that notebook of yours Izuku?” You asked, talking your eyes off the blonde for a second and giving him a curious look. 

🌻🥦-“I have been asked to review a few students from UA and come up with way they could possibly improve their quirk. I am just going over the notes I made and writing down what I think could help them.” He said, lifting his notebook and showing you a sketch of a student’s quirk and small paragraphs going over their strengths and weakness. 

🌻🥦-You were done drying Mirio’s hair so you walked around the bed and peered at it over his shoulder. This student had an ice quirk and could only make the ice stay frozen for a limited amount of time. 

🌻🥦-Izuku had draw lumps of ice that the student was only able to manifest. They reminded you of huge hail balls. It said that the student was working on their arm strength to be able to throw them at opponents. 

🌻🥦-“Mmm. What if the student could shape their ice into a morning-star ball? It would be harder for a villain to ignore if icy needles were stuck in them rather than a chunk of ice bouncing off them.” You said, tapping your chin. 

🌻🥦-Izuku was star struck looking up at you. He was glad you were peering up at the ceiling in thought, not noticing the look of pure awe on his face. When he had gone out on dates with Mirio all the Omega’s seemed to only like him because of his hero status. 

🌻🥦-None of them cared all to much when he started rambling about certain heroes or making notes in the tiny notebook he carried around in his pocket. They certainly didn’t engage and offer any ideas to him. 

🌻🥦-They kinda just ignored him while he scribbled away and focused their attention on Mirio more. 

🌻🥦-He was completely bewitched. A quick flash of him and you cuddled on the couch going over his notes in his notebook while you offer advice every now and then. You asked him about what you could do to add to your meals to help improve them, also taking notes in a small notebook.

🌻🥦-“That is a great idea, Y/N. I’ll write that down. Thank you.” He blushed, quickly scribbling down your idea. 

🌻🥦-He might have been a little hesitant before but now his Alpha was howling at the idea of asking you out. He shot his mate a look and instantly knew his mate was already on board.

🌻🥦-Now they just had to find the right time to ask you out. 

***

🌻🥦-It was Mirio’s final day at the hospital. You were bringing him his discharge papers. You knocked on the familiar door and walked in. Your Omega was already whining at you. She didn’t want that Alpha’s to leave.

🌻🥦-But the Alpha was as good as new. He had gotten off his casts already and the only things left on his body were a few light bruises and scratches. 

🌻🥦-His mate stood by him, helping him put on a cornflower blue jacket. A black bag on the bed told you that he was already packed up and ready to go. They both turned to look at you when you walked in. 

🌻🥦-Mirio was sitting on the bed with his back facing the door so he had to strain his neck to look over. You could have sworn a sparkle was present in both of their eyes when they looked at you. 

🌻🥦-You didn’t want to jump to conclusions so you convinced yourself it was admiration for helping the blue-eyed Alpha get better. 

🌻🥦-“It seems our time has come to an end boys. I can say that besides the corny jokes, you were one of my best patients yet.” You grinned, thinking of all the cheesy jokes he told you. 

🌻🥦-He said he had to outdo your joke by making you laugh harder than he did. So far all he got out of you was a few snickers and chuckles. He made it his life’s mission to see you wheeze in laughter.

🌻🥦-“I don’t think so, Izuku and I were thinking, would you like to come out to dinner with us? We feel like it is time for us to feed you for a change.” He offered, his smile still on his face but you could see the slight nervousness on his face. 

🌻🥦-This offer was clearly more than a simple thanks. Poor Izuku was fidgeting where he stood, not looking you in the eye. 

🌻🥦-Your heart warmed at the two anxious Alphas. 

🌻🥦-“Sure. I would love to.” You agreed, your Omega yipping with joy. 

🌻🥦-You couldn’t wait to see how this turned out. 

This is my first time writing for this pair so feel free to tell me how you feel about them! Thank you for the support. Please reblog and leave a like. Both really help keep me motivated to write. 💛💚

[rhydium]

fuck it starfinite drabble

its 12pm n i haven't slept, @ the two (2) other fans of these dumbasses come get yall juice ig ???? played around w/ a concept i had n figured i'll just ... post it. why not. this takes place in my android infinite au, pre-relationship!! u don't rly need context other than that tbh ((but feel free to ask me abt it i will gladly infodump))

cw: loss of limb (infinite's arm; it gets reattached), references to blood n stuff in the context of intrusive thoughts. please lmk if i need more!!

×

"what on earth were you thinking?" starline near shouts, his voice exasperated, shaky with adrenaline. he's angry and he's afraid and it's, it's stupid, really, he can fix this, but his hands tremble as he rummages through his toolbox, eyes darting over to infinite; missing their right arm, wires sparking, broken and it's sickening. he has to look away again. breathe.

"you can't keep... you — you're being too reckless!"

"i don't have much other choice." infinite says, so simply, so infuriatingly calm, so calm, such disregard for the fact they just had a limb blown off.

starline finds the last screwdriver he needs, but continues to sift around, poking and prodding and inspecting wrenches as if he's still looking for something. if he stops that means having to face this and he isn't ready — he needs to, but he can't.

"why?" he asks, ignoring the way his voice cracks, swallows the dry lump in his throat, "why, infinite?"

"is it really not obvious?"

starline grits his teeth, squeezes his eyes shut. his hands grip the edge of the box. "no!! it isn't!"

"i can be repaired. rebuilt. you can't. it's not that complicated. if one of us gets hit then logically it should be me."

his chest seizes as the words sink in, sink through his skin and down, down, down into his stomach like a stone; his gut churns and twists with guilt.

no... no, that's —

"that's stupid!" starline hisses. that self-sacrificing, idiotic...!

he whips around, locking eyes with infinite, don't look at their arm, don't look at it, don't look at the socket.

"don't speak like that. ever again."

whether it's his expression, his tone, infinite seems taken aback, almost appearing to flinch. they stare at him, frowning, though in a way more indicative of confusion than anger.

"like what?"

"like you're disposable!!"

...fuck.

there's a long moment of silence after starline's outburst. he pulls in a deep breath, pinches the bridge of his bill, averting his eyes to the floor, anywhere else, anywhere but infinite. he thinks about apologising — he shouldn't have yelled like that — but infinite is, this can't continue, they're being nonsensical, they keep endangering themselves, it can't.

"i... you just don't get it, do you?" he murmurs, shaking his head, running a hand through his hair. a small, strained laugh escapes his throat, voice thin. "do you have any idea how it makes me feel, watching you get hurt like this?? throwing yourself around like some kind of — like a living shield??"

he's not going to cry. starline is not about to cry.

"you... could have died." infinite says quietly. "all those times, and today, if i hadn't stepped in — for you those blows would have been life changing, if not fucking fatal. do you know how that makes me feel, star?! i can't let that happen. it's so easy to just, imagine you laying there, not moving, the blood, and..." their fingers — god, the ones they still have — twitch restlessly. infinite picks at their claws.

starline can hardly restrain the choked noise that fights its way out of him.

they're doing this for him, to protect him, this is all his —

"it's not your fault." infinite speaks firmly, as if sensing his thought process. "but objectively..." they wave a hand, sighing, "you know? this doesn't even hurt me."

"it hurts me." starline exhales through his nose wearily. "emotionally."

"i'd rather you be a bit emotionally distressed than dead," infinite scoffs softly, "let me repeat; the damage i take isn't permanent or painful. you, on the other hand, are one accident from being... i don't even want to imagine it."

"then what am i supposed to do?!"

"be more careful and i won't have to get involved." infinite shrugs.

starline groans.

"why does it bother you so much?"

"are you kidding?!"

the lack of response would point toward no, apparently.

"because i care about you, you absolute fool!"

infinite falters for a moment.

"...but. i'm not in pain. i can be fixed. what are you afraid of?"

starline gazes at them wordlessly.

i'm afraid one day i won't be able to fix you.

i'm afraid i'm going to lose you.

i'm terrified of losing you because i love you but you don't know that and you can't know that.

"...star?"

"i — look, forget it. i just, i don't want to talk about this anymore, i need to repair your arm."

"you're hiding something."

"aren't you perceptive..." starline can't help but mutter.

"are you okay?"

does it look like it?

"i'm fine."

"could at least put a little effort into it if you're going to lie." infinite mumbles.

"would you just...!" starline takes a deep breath. "be quiet. please."

infinite briefly opens their mouth as if preparing to protest, but ultimately falls silent. they look away, absently staring off at the far window.

starline grabs his tools. he just... has to focus on work. this will probably take a while, he realises. it's easily the most damage infinite has ever taken — at least during their time with him. he's worked with robotics a long time, but infinite is a highly advanced android, and they require extra care, presicion.

infinite's shoulder sparks again. they don't react.

"...you really don't feel anything, do you?"

infinite raises a brow.

oh. right. i told them not to talk.

they shake their head, and starline nods, uttering a quiet "sorry."

no reply.

"can i... start the repair?"

"...you're not just going to go ahead and do it?"

"no. never. listen, i've made habit of asking for your consent and i have no intention of breaking it. it's your body."

"...i don't mind."

"alright."

starline supresses a sigh and begins to tackle the rather daunting task of fixing up and reattaching infinite's lost arm, which has been laying motionless on the table for the past ten minutes. despite the lack of blood, absence of stench, as would be had if infinite was organic, it's still disturbing somehow. he shivers at the thought of dealing with dismembered flesh, of muscle and bone, and finds himself suddenly a lot more appreciative that infinite is an artificial being.

despite the knowledge infinite can't actually feel any of what he's doing, starline proceeds slowly, gently. regardless of whether they can feel it, their body deserves to be treated with respect. he fiddles with their wires delicately between his fingers, turns bolts and adjusts joints with only as much firmness as necessary, apologises when he has to snap certain supports back into place. now and then, he glances at infinite, who looks oddly tense, contemplative... uncertain.

"are you... uncomfortable?"

"what...? no, i... i told you i can't feel it, didn't i?" they say distantly.

"well — yes, but, what about mentally? are you alright...? do you want me to stop? i'm sorry that these procedures are so... invasive, and it probably, after —"

— no, no, what are you doing don't bring that up —

"...ah. nevermind."

infinite blinks, as if processing his words, and then their expression shifts in understanding.

"you're fine. i mean, this is.... i'm fine." they affirm.

"...okay."

"i mean it. it's... you're nothing like him."

there was once a time starline would have found such a statement insulting. nowadays, he can't be more relieved infinite thinks as such. he adjusts his glasses and continues tinkering away, figuring he won't get much else out of them, at least for now. whatever is on their mind, he'll let it be. the rest of the repair goes smoothly, time passing in a silence that is isn't uncomfortable, nor fully comfortable. he can't help but feel bad about the... was it an argument? he isn't sure, really. maybe that's what infinite was thinking about...?

as he wraps things up, closing the last panel on their forearm and preparing to request that infinite run through a few tests to make sure everything is working correctly, they finally speak; though it isn't anything starline was expecting them to say.

"you could destroy me," infinite utters softly, and they just kind of... look at him, something in their eyes that starline can't put a name to. "if you wanted to. you could rip me apart from the inside."

"i... guess i could." starline murmurs, his fingers lightly trailing over the panel, hidden beneath infinite's fur, the only sign of its existence being several small ridges and the bump of a screw head. "does that scare you?"

infinite smiles. "it's terrifying." they reply. "to allow myself to be so vulnerable... to — to want to let my guard down."

starline blinks in surprise.

to want to...? they want to let me in?

"then why...?" he tilts his head curiously. his hand stills, but lingers where it is.

infinite shrugs loosely. "it's you."

oh.

starline, don't you even think about it, that isn't what they mean...!

he clears his throat awkwardly.

"er... is that... supposed to explain it?"

"it's all i've got." infinite replies. the small quirk of their lips broadens a bit, and they chuckle. "sorry."

...starline finds himself smiling back.

god, he's tired, the past hour has been immeasurably draining, but... this, this makes it all worth it. seeing them like that... it lifts all the stress, the anxiety. he feels lighter.

"thank you."

"huh?"

"for trusting me. i know it... must take a lot."

infinite shifts their hand — the one that hadn't been damaged — and hesitantly, very slowly reaches over. they look between starline's hand still resting on their inner arm, just above the wrist, starline's eyes, his hand again, and starline goes to withdraw — but before he can do so, infinite places their own over it.

"thank you." they whisper. "for treating me kindly. for treating me like... a person."

starline's breath catches in his throat. oh god, he cannot mess this up. infinite never — they never initiate contact like this, ever. he can't scare them away, he knows it's difficult for them to be touched, let alone how much faith they're showing in him to touch, and he will not squander all their progress. nothing will ruin this moment.

"you are one."

"...i care about you too, star."

"i — what?"

"you said earlier that you cared about me. i care about you too," they elaborate, a flicker in their eyes, this time something starline recognises, as quickly as it's hidden again; fondness. a very specific kind of fondness that... no — he isn't sure if he's imagining this or not. he has to be. surely, he's making it up. wishful thinking, seeing what one wants to.

"...a lot. more than you know." infinite finishes.

starline gazes into their eyes steadily, searching, trying to find it again. infinite stares back, almost like they're looking for something, too. oh, how easy it would be; to lean down, move in, to kiss them, but starline is not going there. he has no confirmation infinite likes him like, well, that and, it would be far too fast even if they did. not to mention he certainly wouldn't do it without asking.

"...you're hiding something too, aren't you?" starline settles for asking vaguely.

infinite's eyes widen slightly, then glitter mysteriously, amused.

"aren't you perceptive?"

[sweeethinny]

The Duke - Chapter 9

well, it took a long time to happen, i know, but things have been happening and i stayed away from the document for weeks, because nothing felt good

I hope you like it, I loved writing this chapter, and was looking forward to posting <3

btw, thank you so much for the reviews, the theories, and even the comments saying that i was making it all too boring ahahahahahahah i love to see what you guys think about <3

AO3 | FF.NET | SIYE

| G.W |

'Daddy...' Ginny cried, running after her dad through the room he shared with Molly, watching him take the comb to fix his hair back, as he always did. ‘I’m great at duels.’

'I know dear, and I'm sure you would win against all those men easily,' he said, but Ginny already knew that a 'but' was coming next. 'But you are a woman, and as much as it pains me to say that, it is not respectable that a lady like you, duels men twenty years older.' Arthur kept the comb together with his other items, in the first drawer of the dresser. ‘Furthermore, this night will be the first party and I know that all women will spend the day getting dressed, taking care of their hair and choosing their dress, and I don’t want you to stay with the men in the quarry while you could be with your mum.’

'They hate me,' Ginny replied, exasperated, going after him when Arthur walked to the bedroom bathroom to get his cologne. 'They would be more than happy without me there. Please, let me just watch the duels, please, Henry will be with me, nothing can happen.’ She put her hands together, trying to make the best face to convince her dad, who seemed to believe nothing.

'Ginny, my dear, is not an appropriate place for women, not even with Henry by your side… And he will stay with me there.' That was the last straw for the despair that Ginny felt, and as if foreseeing this, her dad turned, placing his hands on her shoulders. 'You need to socialize with women, make friends, and Henry shouldn't be watching you when you're curling your hair... Be understanding, Ginny.’

'Comprehensive? Dad, none of them can look me in the eye, I- ’

'Enough,' said Arthur, as firm as ever, making her feel like a child. 'Now go, I want to see you beautiful tonight, I heard that there are some men wanting to take you out to dance.' Oh, of course, Ginny thought hurt, turning around and leaving the room her parents were in, furiously going to the living room, where she could hear other voices, looking for one of her brothers, wanting them to find a way to take her to the quarry, so that Ginny could see the duel.

She had never seen any, and Henry had trained her so well, she knew she was better than those men, but still, even if she couldn't duel, it would be fun to see them fight. Fascinating to say the least.

They were also not very kind to her, of course, they saw her as inferior and all those other things, and Ginny doubted that there were men, in the plural, wanting to dance with her. She had spoken to everyone, at least to introduce herself, and none of them took her hand as they did with the other girls, some of them seemed more frightened than the women, when they saw her approach.

Mr. Rosier greeted her, looking her in the eye at least, but something inside Ginny made her feel strange.

'Bill.' She intercepted her brother, if there was anyone who could take her to see the duels, it was Bill. ‘I’ve been thinking and-’

‘No.’ He denied it, looking sad to have to do this. 'I know what you're going to ask me, but I'm sorry, Gin, Dad was clear to all of us not to allow you to go to the quarry. And he is right. It is not a place for you.’

'Isn't it a place for me? I have been training for duels for two years. With a real auror. If anyone is supposed to duel it is me, don't you see that?' Ginny felt close to pleading, thinking that if Bill wouldn't do this then no one else would, he was the one who always pretended not to see her when Ginny ran to outside the protection of their house, just to pick the strawberries that were behind the lake. 'At least let me see the duel.'

'Stay with Fleur, she will entertain you, yes she will, Mom will be here too... Maybe some mum will see you and think that you are perfect for her son, who knows. Give them a chance.' Ginny denied, going after Bill when he started walking when being called by another Viscount's son.

'Bill, please,' she asked, just one more time, hoping he would realize that she was desperate. ‘Daddy will even take Henry, and I’ll be alone-’

'Which is even better.' He turned, sighing and running his hand through her hair as if she were a child. 'You will soon get married and Mr Figg will have to leave, it is about time you started to get used to it.' And with that, Bill was gone.

Ginny felt desperate, for the first time since she heard that they had been invited to The Duel Party. She looked around the room that was starting to get crowded, everyone talking and looking excited about the day's schedule, and Ginny felt suffocated. All those men and women seemed to have someone to have by their side, and she was there, standing in the center of the room, alone.

'Gin, honey, is everything okay?' Mrs. Potter's voice woke her up, preventing Ginny from panicking.

It was not just the fact that Ginny was not allowed to go to see the duel - women could watch, but only on the last day of the duel, when the finalists face off - but because the idea of ​​having to remain stuck in a place where no one liked of her, with no means of escape, suffocated her. Henry wouldn't be around if her magic got out of hand and she ended up destroying a mirror when all she wanted to do was make sure the flower in her hair didn't wilt.

'Oh, good morning, my Lady,' Ginny gave a brief salute, fingers trembling as she held the skirt. 'Everything is great, just ... just looking for my mum.' The woman didn't seem to have swallowed the lie, her hard green eyes analyzing Ginny like an eagle, and she wondered where else she had seen that expression.

‘I haven’t seen her yet, I think maybe she’s in the gardens.’ She still didn’t look convinced, watching Ginny closely, as if she knew something was wrong. 'Are you looking forward to the ball tonight?' Lily smiled kindly, as if she suddenly realized that it seemed that everyone in the room was evaluating the two of them, having to think about what the two were talking about, and how one day, Lily imagined it would be the mother-in-law of the girl in front of her.

'Yes, I'm sure it will be an amazing night,' Ginny lied, with a skill she didn't even know she had, smiling and hiding the nervousness she felt every time she noticed someone turning their head towards her.

'That’s great,' she smiled. 'I know you wanted to go and watch the duel, but I'm sure our women's day will be a lot of fun too,' But Lily didn't seem to believe that, Ginny would realize later, when she remembered the shadow that persisted in her green eyes, as seem to understand the anguish that Ginny felt.

'I do too, my Lady.' Ginny was never more grateful for someone calling her name, even if it was Fleur, and she said goodbye to Lily to go after her sister-in-law, who seemed more excited than ever.

'Come on, let's go, your mum wants to talk to you, and I already tell you it's about men.' Fleur smiled from ear to ear, taking Ginny's hand and pulling her out into the garden, not even seeming to notice the male heads turning to face accompanying her. 'Bill told me about the duel, I'm sorry, and if it helps you a little, I would also love to see the duel. Don't tell your mom, but some of those women seem to hate us. ’

'It's because they do hate us,' she said, noticing when a woman who was supposed to be Molly's age, made a face at Ginny, turning her face and pinching her nose. ‘Actually, it’s more me than you guys.’

'Don't say ‘zat, it's too cruel,' Fleur's French accent was more apparent whenever she was happy, and this time was no different. 'They don't like us because... well, because they are all idiots, don't be moved by that, your mum and I will be with you and it will be better than being among those men. Do you really prefer to stay with muddy feet, close to those ogres who never seem to have seen a woman?' Fleur grimaced, tossing her long blond hair behind her shoulders, and Ginny really laughed at how affected she looked at it, Ginny didn't even if she bothered with it and thought that well, they didn't look at Ginny the way they looked at Fleur. 'Besides, if you want to get a good husband, my dear, let them think that you are a damsel in distress and that you need them to survive,' Her sister-in-law stopped, Molly seemed focused on the conversation with another woman to notice the two there.

'But I'm not a damsel in distress,' Ginny sayed, thinking of how many asses she could kick in that duel, without even pushing.

'Of course not, none of us are. But have you ever seen me having to do anything that might make me sweat? No, because men seem desperate to do it for me, and I just let it.' Ginny laughed, not even caring about the people looking. 'Let them, the guys and the women, say whatever they want about you, paint you like crazy or like a damsel in distress. Only you know that you are not that, and you are the only person who needs to know. ’

'Don't women look you in the eye, too?' Ginny asked, watching Fleur arrange the light pink scarf around her neck.

'Of course, they think that I am the reason why their marriage does not work, and that I am to blame for their husbands cheating on them. Do I need to go there and say that this is not true and that I am very well and happy with my man? No, I just ignore it, and let them speak. Do not give more reasons for these people to have your name on their lips, Gin, who really deserves you, is close to you without you having to deny what they invent out there.' Fleur started walking again, with the confident steps of someone who knew she could crush anyone in a few seconds, and Ginny smiled as she followed, trying to imitate her.

She couldn't help thinking about Henry while she heard Fleur speak, he never doubted her strength, and he didn't even seem to believe the lies that came out in the newspapers. Without thinking, she put her hand on her injured forearm, it didn't hurt anymore, but her skin was still a little red, and Ginny had to bite her cheeks to keep from smiling when the memory of him taking off her clothes came back to mind.

His calloused but soft hands on her skin, the touch like a feather, igniting each part touched, and making her need a lot of strength to not turn and kiss him.

In her dreams that night, they did much more than kiss, at least.

'Oh, Ginny dear, how good of you to come, I was even starting to worry about your delay.' Molly greeted her, and the woman beside her tried to get up, looking offended, and Fleur, who didn't even seem to mind, sat in the empty seat. 'Did your dad put a little bit of judgment on your head?'

'He tried.' Ginny shrugged. 'But I would still prefer to go to the Quarry.' Molly denied, seeming to find it almost blasphemous, and Ginny laughed with a disapproving grimace. 'Well, but that's what I have left. May I know who is the mysterious man who seems to want to go out with me today? It seems like everyone knows but me, and just maybe, I don't know, I should be the first to know. '

‘I didn’t want you to be anxious,’ Molly said, and Ginny thought there was no way she was going to be nervous about news like that, but she didn’t want to spoil her mother’s mood with her usual pessimism. 'It's Mr. Rosier, he and your dad had talked before and your dad and I think he will be a great company for you, and if the other men see you dancing with such an exquisite man, they will take you to dance too. '

'When you talk like that it makes me feel like a goat on display,' she said, and her mum's eyes widened, while Fleur laughed and seemed to agree.

'Don't say that, of course you are not a goat on display, it's just a way to get attention dear, you know how balls like this work.' Yes, she had watched enough parties to know how things worked, and how a girl's first dance was important to tell what the rest of the dance would be like for her.

Unfortunately for Ginny, there was rarely the first dance.

‘Mr. Rosier?' She had spoken to the man only a few times, only when they were introduced, and he seemed a little socially out of place, as if he had never attended a party like that, and had never dealt with mums desperate to get their daughters married with the first rich man to appear.

He was handsome, tall, muscular, with gray eyes and well-combed brown hair, Ginny had seen one or another girl sighing as he passed, and he seemed to be well mannered, since even her mother had liked him. Molly was also a reason for men to stay away from Ginny, she could be quite scary and demanding at times.

'Yes, yes, a great man,' Molly continued to speak, listing all the man's qualities and a few more things that Ginny didn't pay attention to, watching from afar one of Mr. Potter's friends, talking to another man she didn't recognize from afar, the shadow of the trees making the person stay hidden. She did not know why that interaction attracted her attention, since she did not remember the name of that man, she only knew that he was a great friend of the Duke.

As if warned, the man looked at her over his shoulder, and even from a distance, Ginny knew that whatever was going on there was not something she should be looking at, and it made her turn her face quickly, not wanting to get in trouble.

‘Where’s Henry?’ They haven’t seen each other yet, which was weird, because usually he was always by her side since the time Ginny got up. And Henry might be good at hiding among the others, but she always knew where he was.

'He said that he would need to resolve some issues before he came, something involving his mum. And it's Mr. Figg, Ginny, please.' Molly corrected her, but she didn't care much, thinking that she would never be able to call him Mr. Figg. They had already passed the formality phase, at least while she was with the family.

Henry saw her naked last night, by Merlin's beard, they had already crossed that line!

When they came in for breakfast, Ginny didn't see Henry anywhere, just like after breakfast, when Mr Potter announced what the day would be like today. At least Ron had the decency to look upset when the man said that the duel would be seen only by men, looking at his sister as if he were very sorry that she had been born with something different between her legs.

Ginny did not express any reaction, not even when she heard a young woman look scared to know that she would be together with everyone else.

'We'll have to keep the mirrors away from this one,' she said, laughing with her friend, who seemed to be amused by the memory of when Ginny lost control of her magic in the bathroom of a party, one of the first she had gone to, and one of the first times she felt ridiculously alone.

She was nervous, trying to fix her hair, her dress, her lipstick, trying to find whatever was wrong with her, thinking that maybe the idea of ​​having her hair tied up with real flowers hadn't been smart, since the stuffy place made them wilted and embarrassed. There were other women in the bathroom, which made her even more anxious, and when she tried to cast a spell on one of the sunflowers, her wand exploded in magic, hitting the mirror and bouncing off one of the pictures, which kept screaming for help and calling more attention from whoever was out there.

'Yes, or we will cut their throat,' Fleur whispered in her ear, tossing her hair back, and looking at Bill as if she expected him to defend Ginny.

It was a losing fight, Ginny would admit to her later, it was better that they all pretended not to listen than to risk being excluded from even more events. Her brothers did not need to lose their friends, and no longer be called to the pubs, because they defended her.

She can defend herself, and sometimes Ginny would rather be silent than fight.

'It will be a great day.' Molly clapped her hands, smiling at Ginny and Fleur, as the men dissipated across the room, chatting animatedly about what they expected from this first phase of the duel and anything else men said. Ginny noticed that Mrs. Potter took her husband by the arm, whispering something to him that he nodded and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then whispered something back.

Ginny felt a little embarrassed to have seen that display of affection that seemed so intimate.

‘I promise I’ll tell you everything later,’ Ron startled her, appearing in front of her and preventing her from seeing if it was Henry who had entered the room. 'These men are all weak, you would humiliate everyone, which is why dad forbade you to go.'

‘You know that it’s not true, but thanks for lying.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll tell you everything too, and don’t worry, I’ll be sure to do a good advertisement about you, for Miss. Granger.' Ron flushed like a tomato, his ears looking like they were on fire, while he laughed awkwardly and denied it.

'Don't be an idiot,' he said, before ruffling her hair and following the trail of men who headed out of the house through the doors leading to the garden, leaving her behind.

Looking around the room one last time, she saw him, standing in the corner, watching like an eagle, someone Ginny had not identified, since all the men were together and could be literally anyone. He grimaced and took a deep breath, looking at other people until he found her.

Henry nodded, slightly and almost imperceptibly.

He was beautiful, as always, Auror's clothes were well ironed and aligned as always, his hair continued to be the usual mess, and his green eyes looked even more vibrant now that the sunlight was coming in through the windows, the beam of light making her perceive some copper-colored wires in the middle of the black ones.

Something inside her stirred, that restlessness of now seemed to multiply in a thousand, remembering how his hand felt on her skin, how careful he was and how that whole care made her feel loved in such a new way and almost suffocating.

Not that she was complaining, she would give anything to feel that way again, but she wanted Henry to touch her beyond her back and arm, and she wanted to be able to touch him back.

Before she could do anything, walk up to him, call him, try to concentrate enough for them to exchange a few words for legilimency, Henry turned and followed the flow of men, reminding her that today, she would be alone.

He was the last man to leave the room, and Ginny hoped that sometime he would look back just for her to wave, and maybe he realized that she didn't want to stay there, that her hand was shaking with the panic she felt at just thinking about everything that could go wrong, anything.

But Henry didn't look back, the glass door closing behind him magically.

| H. F |

Henry stayed behind everyone, as he used to be, watching men talk about things they would probably never say near their wives and daughters, and he wanted to roll his eyes at that, imagining that many there would kill the first man who did or said those things about their own daughter.

He watched from afar as Mr Potter talked privately to one of his friends, Mr Black, if he was not mistaken, who shared the same worried countenance as the other, always looking sideways and backwards, but never seeming to find the person he wanted. Henry realized that unlike yesterday, the other two men who were always around were missing.

'How do you feel knowing that I'm going to kick your ass?' He heard a son of a Viscount say, his nose up, the scarf tied tightly around his neck, and that snobbish way of being. The other seemed to enjoy the threat, taller and stronger than his friend.

'You won't even know what hit you.' The other said, the wand in his hand, but Henry doubted that it was going to happen.

He had seen many men duel, for several reasons; women, money, training and being rivals, and he could tell very well when someone was just showing off, and those two, were that kind of guy.

When he joined the Aurors, Robards did not take it easy on him, much less when he knew that he had never attended a wizard school or something, and the man made Henry learn, one way or another, to identify several small details that could make you stay alive during a duel.

All the men he dueled with, other than his gym mates, ended up dead. And almost everyone looked very much like that man in front of him. Too pompous to know what it's really like to fight for something other than male pride.

When he turned his attention away from the two brats, Henry realized that Mr. Rosier was looking at him, as if he recognized him from somewhere, his gray eyes fixed on him, his wand in hand.

Henry nodded, ignoring the restlessness in his chest, trying not to think too much of where he recognized this man. Mr. Weasley had told him about Rosier, a good man, from a wealthy family - but who was starting to face some problems after the war - and who could provide Ginny with a safe place to stay.

Of course, he didn't think those were good requirements for you to find a husband for your only daughter, but Henry couldn't wait for Arthur to find a man for Ginny to love.

This is not how weddings work for people like them.

Love is for those like Henry, who have nothing more to offer.

When they finally reached the quarries, he thought Ginny would love to go there, and maybe he could try to sneak her out here, there would probably be some spare time when they could sneak out and Henry would bring her here.

There was a large, well-kept lawn, a few trees ahead, but what really drew attention was what was aside. A clear and calm river, with huge cliffs around it, where they would duel was where the vegetation of the land ended, as now all around was water. He felt tiny amidst all the fallen rocks nearby, the cliff, and the blue-green immensity that stretched to the infinity of his vision.

‘Who's going to want to start?’ Mr Potter asked, looking at all the men standing there, all looking a little shocked at the sight. Yes, it was a shame that women couldn't see that too.

‘I will,’ One of the men said. He was too chatty, looking too proud that everyone was looking at him.

‘One more.’ Mr. Potter continued to stare into each of their faces, until he stopped at Henry, a slightly mischievous smile playing on his lips. ‘Mr Figg? Do you want to show us if duel training is good in the academy?’

‘Hm…’ Henry mused, a little embarrassed at having to speak in the midst of all those men. Of course the academy training is good, he wouldn't survive a day as an Auror if it didn't. 'Sure..'

Henry was seldom in the center of a circle, he thought he was not born to receive all the attention for himself, an embarrassed boy who learned early on that being silent was always the best option when it came to large crowds.

Now, unlike when Robards pushed him to the center of the dueling wheel, Henry was anxious and felt his hands trembling. Of course, as someone who had trained for years, he knew very well how to disguise it, but still, his magic trembled inside his chest, in that anxiety he had felt sometimes during his life. The eyes of all those men on him didn't help at all.

It wouldn't be the first time he'd dueled in front of an audience, but there was a difference between dueling other Aurors at the Academy, and dueling with a rich man who hoped Henry would lose so his ego wouldn't be hurt.

‘Greet each other.’ James seemed to love that bread and circus, all the while looking curious about Henry's movements.

He bowed to the man as usual, trying to ignore the comments some made. It wasn't hard to see that he wasn't part of any wealthy family, and that wearing the Aurors badge was the highest rank Henry would ever achieve.

Unlike probably 70% of those men, going to the academy was his only chance, not just a formality.

‘We won't have godparents, as our goal is not to kill the other,’ Henry noticed that the man in front of him didn't seem satisfied with the rule. Perhaps he felt affronted for dueling him instead of a Marquis. ‘If one of the two falls and doesn't get up within three seconds, or loses his wand, he loses. Do we agree?' The two nodded, and Henry pressed his wand against his hand, feeling more and more challenged every time he heard a man laugh and/or make a joke about him.

He and the man, Henry no longer even remembered his name, faced each other, raised their wands, and Henry thought his chest would explode when his opponent smiled and looked at his friend, who was also laughing. They seemed to disbelieve that Henry would be able to win, or at least know what he was doing, and it seemed to disturb him far more than the other times he had been through it.

When the signal was given, before he even thought, Henry flung the man away like a sack of potatoes, his wand flying into his hand while his own trembled slightly. All chatting and giggles ceased immediately.

‘Your grace didn't say anything about nonverbal spells,’ Henry muttered to James, realizing he hadn't even said the Expelliarmus.

‘It's within the rules,’ he replied, also in a low tone, before looking at the man lying near one of the rocks, who looked stunned, his white skin now red. ‘My dear Finneas, you lost the first duel.’ Henry walked over to him, handing back his wand.

‘It was a good duel,’ Henry said, as he always said at the end of duels, even though his pride was screaming inside him.

‘Sure.’ Finneas took the wand from Henry's hands, marching back to his friend, his chest puffed out as if to give him back some self-love.

'Congratulations, Mr Figg.' Mr Potter smiled, that same curious look from before, as if Henry had suddenly become an interesting figure for a Duke to pay attention to.

Something inside him warmed and again, his wand trembled in his hand, as it used to do when he was a teenager who had no idea how to handle the magic in his chest that always seemed close to exploding. It had been a while since he'd felt this way the last time.

‘The rules are simple, as you've all seen, we'll have no godparents, nonverbal spells are allowed, and the first one who loses his wand loses.’ He was now looking at other faces, which still diverted their attention to Henry. 'Everyone will duel against everyone, as we are in twenty men, obviously the ten winners of today, will move on to the next round which will be two days from now, as we know we have some who are too old and need to recover,' Mr Weasley, who was beside Henry now, laughed and nodded, seeming to be amused by the idea of ​​dueling as a joke.

‘Hope you go easy on me when we face off,’ he said, watching Henry, who chuckled sheepishly and nodded.

'Of course sir, I will let you hit me first.' Arthur winked at him, looking back at Mr Potter, who continued to speak the basic rules.

Henry wondered if Arthur would rather trade places with Ginny, and spend a few hours sitting around doing nothing and talking about trivialities. He had already seen the man duel, and no, he didn't need Henry to take it easy, he probably needed to be on the alert even more than the others, since the two had already witnessed how the other fought in a real duel.

Arthur didn't seem to need help when he killed that Death Eater with just one spell, anger burning in his eyes.

‘Miss. Weasley would enjoy watching all of these duels. 'Henry whispered, watching the Duke split the pairs.

‘Yes,’ Arthur looked at him, before he looked away and his smile died, and Henry watched as the man looked at Mr. Rosier, who kept looking at them, trying futilely to disguise it. 'But this is not a place for her.'

Henry wondered if Mr. Rosier was aware of Ginny's entire trajectory, and of her strength, or if Arthur had preferred to keep these details from him so that he could find a husband. He knew some men didn't like it when a woman looked stronger than they were.

Perhaps that was why he forbade her to come to the duel, because then a man could see her as that damsel in distress who needed to be saved they were so fond of. He didn't think she would like this if she knew.

Henry didn't understand why men didn't look at her, he'd been attracted to her since the first time he'd seen her, and since then that silly attraction had grown into a much bigger and dangerous monster that he felt he had no control over. Knowing that she wouldn't come to the duel, almost made him break some social rules, and if he had stayed in the room a few more minutes, or looked back, he would have picked her up and bewitched her so that no one would see her.

He felt he could do anything for her, and even then, it wouldn't be enough.

How did other men not feel like him? How they weren't lining up to kiss her hand, when she was wearing that cream dress, her braided hair, and that hat that made her look like one of those porcelain dolls that rich girls had.

Ginny was everything he could have ever dreamed of, and more, how could those men not see what he saw?

‘Mr. Figg, you will duel Mr. Rosier.’ He was awakened from his reverie, looking at the man who now had reason to watch him, gray eyes measuring him up and down, a pompous smile on his face. ‘And so, it will be the first round, I think we all understand?’ James said.

‘It will be an interesting duel, Mr. Figg.’ Rosier stepped closer, hands in his pockets. 'We were never introduced properly.' He held out his hand, and Henry noticed a large scar that came out of his palm and went up into his arm, hidden by clothes. 'Louis.'

‘Henry.’ He squeezed the man's hand, even though his gray eyes didn't look so trustworthy and something inside him looked uncomfortable.

The other men had already started to disperse, so that the duels could really start, Henry walked up to a tree with Rosier, thinking that a silly jealousy would not hinder his performance in that fight.

‘Greetings,’ Mr. Potter said, in the center, and he and Mr. Black seemed willing to make sure everyone followed the imposed rules. Henry bent over, thinking of a million spells he could start. 'You all can start.'

| L. P |

Lily took a deep breath as the third woman looked at her pityingly, thinking that the idea of ​​asking about Mrs. Brown's pregnancy had been stupid. She should have known better that no one would ever let her forget about losing her child, as if forever, talking about children was a sad subject.

It was, but Lily wasn't a broken vase that had been mended with tape, and every time they tried to fill it with water, it broke again. She knew how to hide her emotions and her joy towards that young mother, it wasn't even close to envy or jealousy, she really was happy for her.

She could still be happy, even if she had lost her child over twenty years ago.

"Isn't it tiring?" Ginny asked quietly, hands steady in her lap, not even daring to touch the cup of tea in front of her. Her red hair, much more vivid and orange than Lily's, was being magically curled, like that of most of the other women there, all sitting together in the tea room.

"What, dear?" Lily asked, glad the girl had opened her mouth at least once.

“All those looks whenever someone talks about babies.” Her cheeks flushed, as if she suddenly realized this wasn't something to ask a Duchess.

Lily smiled. ‘Yes, but I’ve gotten used to it.’

"Oh, I'm so glad it didn't rain today, it's a beautiful day, don't you think?" Lady Jillian spoke, her voice loud and excited as always, but looking curiously at the interaction between Lily and Ginny. 'You have an amazing garden, it's understandable why you spend so much time here, Duchess.'

"Yes, flowers are just one more reason, but the calm here is priceless, I'm too old for turbulent London." She continued to smile as it sent the etiquette, her cheeks starting to ache. If she expressed any emotion other than pure happiness, it would get out in the papers that she was in a terrible depression and that maybe James was cheating on her with a younger, happier girl.

"Oh, of course you're not old!" Molly shook her head, sipping her tea and shrugging as if that was bullshit, before turning to the woman beside her. “How was the trip to Scotland, Lady Finnegan?” The side conversations took place again, the younger ones talking to each other, laughing and whispering to each other, the mothers talking about travel, high society gossip, the dances, the husbands, and the widows liked to tease the youngest, seeming to enjoy watching the girls blush when they spoke the name of some man who was handsome.

Lily watched everything, sipping her tea and thanking no one talking to her, letting her have a moment where she didn't have to smile and answer the same old questions; Yes, it's a great time to buy herbs. No, unfortunately I didn't go to that ball. Oh yes I heard she got married. No, we weren't in town when this happened.

Ginny, who was standing next to her, also seemed to be watching everything, but unlike her, she didn't seem comfortable with her own silence.

She was a beautiful woman, and it was hard to think that she was no longer that little girl that Lily heard Molly talk about. No more climbing trees, climbing on roofs, running from her parents to hide, now she could attend dances, afternoon tea, and drink wine. Time had passed too quickly.

Lily couldn't help but wonder how the girls, a year or two younger than her, didn't include her in the conversation. Nor how men didn't seem to want to include her in the moments when they talked to ladies and courted them either. She was always alone. And Lily wished the two of them didn't share the same knowledge of what it was like to feel that way.

Unlike her, Ginny wasn't excluded or treated with pity for having lost a baby, but somehow, the loss of Lily had affected her too, which was unfair.

'Drink your tea dear, it will get cold and I don't think it will taste good' She said, not only because she didn't want the girl to feel lonely, but because Lily wanted Ginny to know she wasn't alone, and that she understood what she was going through.

'Oh, thank you, my Lady, but I'm not thirsty.' Ginny smiled, and Lily realized that she pressed her fingers against her palm, as if she wanted to avoid something.

'Do you want me to order something for you? A cookie?'

"No need to worry, thanks."

"I insist, I'm starving." Lily called to Fye, ordering, and the elf nodded before apparating to the kitchen. ‘We have delicious chocolate chip cookies, great for calming your nerves. I always eat them when I feel like I need something to bring me back to earth, you know? When I want to feel hugged.

'Do you want to feel that way now?' Ginny seemed to stretch her shoulders, a slight smile on her face. A real smile.

"Isn't that what we all want?" Lily arched an eyebrow, watching her nod. "A tight hug from those who look like they're going to break our ribs."

"I don't know when I last got one of these." She didn't look sad though. "But I think chocolate is a great way to feel that way."

'Course is. And I also think, none of these women are going to want to hug us right now, so chocolate is our best choice.”

"Oh no no, some of them would prefer death to that." Ginny laughed, and so did Lily, glad to have someone other than James to play the pranks without getting a pitying look.

"Thank you Fye, you can rest now." Lily thanked the elf, who nodded and left, unnoticed by the other women. ‘Take one, dear… Yes, you will see, chocolate is able to cure any sadness or anxiety, it is better than any potion I have ever invented.'

"So it's true, you invent potions?" Ginny was looking at her curiously now. "I've heard some people say, but you know, you can't trust everything that's said."

"No, definitely not." Lily took a sip of tea. ‘I don’t invent, I study the ones that already exist, and I do tests with some changes on top of those studies, trying to find a new result. Some work, and some just explode or boil over and melt everything around.” The two laughed, like they were old friends.

'Have you done this for a long time?'

'Since when I learned how to make a colic potion that didn't make me want to throw up all my lunch. It's been a few years... Then, over time, I've been taking more and more tests and studying more, and when you spend a lot of time alone, you start discovering skills you never thought you'd have.'

"Do you intend to come up with any specific potions?" She looked even more curious now, one hand tucked under her chin, supporting her face as she was slightly crooked in her chair to get a look at Lily, the other holding a cookie.

"I do." Lily thought of that old Slughorn note, that it promised a potion she could test if these people shared the same DNA. Until now, the tests had been flawed. "But I still haven't got the results I want."

The two continued to talk for a long time, discussing Lily's trip to India, then Ginny's trainings, and even boys - she said Mr. Rosier would dance with her, but Ginny didn't even look by far excited about it, and when Lily asked her what she thought of it, she said it was weird that she was the last to know and that the man had talked to her father first before her.

It was nice to have someone to talk to, especially a younger girl, it made Lily feel less old, as much as James continued to insist that Lily was not old, she knew she was. The forty-five years had arrived in her life and made her think about the years that passed.

When all the women had their hair done and ready for lunch, Remus walked into the room, not even bothering not to attract attention.

"I need you to join me, my Lady," he asked, bending over in front of her as if they hadn't been friends since she was ten, and that triggered a sixth sense in Lily.

“Excuse me, my dears.” She got up, smiling at the women who watched her looking curious enough to be able to follow her wherever Remus took her. "I'll be back in a minute, you can go to lunch without me, I won't be long."

Lily followed Remus without losing her poise, shoulders back, chin up, not wanting to show that she was distressed by the interruption. Where was James? Did something happen to him? Why wasn't Remus at the quarry with all the other men? What was wrong? Has Voldemort found them?

'What happened, Moony, you're scaring me.' Lily allowed herself to look nervous, far enough away from the house that no one could see her through the windows. Remus was leading her into the woods, a worried look on her face, looking anxious.

"I decided to call you after I show you what I found."

‘Why aren't you with James? Is he okay?” Lily looked at him.

'James is fine, Sirius is with him, I was… Well, we thought there was something wrong last night, and I stayed behind to investigate, and that's when I found it.' Remus and she stopped in the middle of the forest, and on the floor in front of her, protected by a spell, lay Harry's blanket that Lily kept with all the care in the world, one of the few things that still contained small traces of his DNA that she would use in the potion to try to find out. It had been a few years, but it still contained enough for one potion.

She floated the cover, her hands shaking.

No one had access to the dungeons where Harry's box of things was kept, protected from the weather, the dust and everything she and James could protect, trying to keep what was left of their son as immaculate as possible.

"Remus," Lily said, startled.

"Whoever took this knew how important it was to you," he whispered, and neither of them needed to say any more. Her heart broke.

‘Do you think… it's someone we know?' She asked, startled, carefully sending the cover back to the dungeons, making sure it was as discreet as possible.

'I've been thinking about it, and-' He was interrupted, a noise coming from the direction of the clearing that was nearby, the voice of someone cursing under his breath. Lily and Remus started walking, wands drawn, a bad feeling taking over her chest.

Each time they went deeper into the forest, it got darker, the tops of the trees covering the sky and preventing the light from entering, the ground a little damp due to this lack of sun soiled the hem of her dress and her sneakers, the wind icy very different from the heat she had been feeling before. She had never been so far into the Forest, James came here on full moon nights with Remus, but Lily kept her distance at all times, the feeling of claustrophobia that the place caused made her dizzy.

The noise kept coming from the highest part of the Forest, where James said it was the worst part, even darker, wetter and colder, in the opposite direction of the clearing she had told Ginny to visit last night.

Several crows flew over there, some stared at her from the branches of the trees, and Lily noticed that not far away there was some dead chick being devoured by vultures.

As they got closer to the noise, almost to the rock that bordered the end of where you could advance into the woods, they found a man, his back to them, his sleeves rolled up and looking annoyed at something. There were things in front of him on the floor, things that Lily didn't identify at first, but it didn't look good.

"Stopped." Remus clutched his wand in his hand, touching the back of his head with the tip, ready to react. Whatever that man was doing, it wasn't a good thing.

He froze in place, and when Remus was ready to cast some spell on him, something from his hand fell, and everything spun around her.

On his forearm was the Death Eater mark, Lily had seen several over the years, but that wasn't what shocked her, it wasn't what made her take a step back, it was the fact that that forearm belonged to Peter.

Peter, James' best friend, that boy Lily met at age 13 when they bumped into each other in the middle of a boring event. Peter, whom James treated as a brother, who took refuge with them the several times he saw death coming, during the Order's missions. Peter who was the first of the Marauders to arrive to see Harry, and who at his christening blessed him with several years to live.

This Peter had his arm marked by those who wanted her life, James, Remus, her son.

"Lily, it's not what you're thinking." He sobbed, dropping his wand to the ground and turning away. 'I can explain.'

‘What will you explain? What were you doing with my son's things?’ She wanted to scream when she realized what it was all about on the floor; Harry's things, things that Lily had ensured were kept without anyone touching a finger, were now strewn on that dirt floor and the remains of dead animals. "Peter, what the fuck is this?"

"He made me do, Lily, I swear." Peter looked increasingly desperate, keeping his face down as if he couldn't even look at her. "I did everything, Lily, I did everything for him to stay alive."

'He? He who, Peter?' Remus said, now assuming the position of Lily's defender and keeping his wand pointed at his friend- Peter. "What did you do, Peter?"

"Moony, you know me, Moony, you know I would never do this because I wanted to." He proceeded to plead with Remus, turning to him and clasping his hands together in prayer, leaving his scarred arm even more in evidence. Lily wanted to vomit. "He forced me, he told me that if I didn't, the boy would become a Lord of Death."

'The boy?' Lily seemed to have been awake, and in the next instant she was holding Peter by the collar of his suit, looking very, very close to killing him with her bare hands. ‘The boy, Peter? The boy was my son!” She pushed him with all her strength to the dirt floor, anger burning in her blood. "He was…Peter, he was a baby."

‘Lily you don't understand-’

"I don't understand?!" The crows nearby flew away at her scream, startled by her disturbance of her peace, as well as the noise of other running animals were heard as well. But Lily had blood pumping in her ears, blind with rage. 'What did you do with my son, Peter? I'll give you a chance to talk to me before I kill you.'

‘I needed to do this, he told me he would kill me if I didn't, so I… I did. Lily, forgive me, I tried to convince he not to, but-’

"I'm sure you tried," she said, the taste of blood in her mouth. 'What did you do? Tell me! Did you kill him as soon as you got him? Did you even bury him?” Lily didn't know if she really wanted to know that, but something inside her begged for answers, for an end. If she knew what had happened to Harry, she could finally say goodbye.

Lily didn't think she could take a few more years anyway, there was a very big hole inside her and having to face Peter, knowing that he who had made that hole in her made her relive that terrible pain and memories of days that seemed endless and tortuous, days when James needed to stay close to her at all hours so she just didn't end her own life.

That was a pain that no mother or father should ever experience, a pain that Lily wished she had never known about, because now, looking at the clothes, the teddy bears, Harry's pillow lying on the floor, she thought it was all useless. Useless and unfair.

All the memories she created to keep herself sane were now littered with dirt and the remains of dead animals. Lily figured Peter was probably about to set the whole thing on fire.

It would be too sad to have to tell James, and Lily was afraid her husband couldn't take it anymore.

A son killed by his own friend. What a tragedy. Newspapers would be supplied for more than a month with that story.

‘Lily I tried. I made sure he was fine, I made sure that the woman who found him was good, that she took care of him, Arabella believed in me as an idiot, so I knew she would be a good mom to him, I ... I swear.’ Peter stammered, eyes wide, looking like a scared rat. “Harry is alive, Lily, I didn't kill him. And he is here.’

[potionsprefect]

The Familiar Face

Pairings: Ethan Ramsey x Victoria Clarke

Word Count: 1.8k

Summary: The past has a nasty way of coming back to haunt you and Victoria must learn to deal with it

Category: angst, fluff

Chapter One: Nomination

It was a relatively quiet day at Bloom Edenbrook. There wasn’t any traumas coming in, the diagnostics team were not very busy. The day was spent catching up on paperwork from the previous day.

Victoria Ramsey walked down the corridor to the ER with a file in her hands. She had just successfully diagnosed a young girl with a rare form of Leukaemia and was about to put the files away. As she walked down the corridor, she could see the many doctors and nurses of Bloom Edenbrook working away with patients, refilling IV stands, bandaging wounds and drawing blood.

Victoria passed the office of the leader of the diagnostics team. He was probably busy with paperwork like Victoria was. She thought about going in and taking his mind off of all of it. She would once these papers were filed away. Then they could steal a few moments together before they got back to work.

Being with Ethan had made Victoria feel a kind of happiness she had never felt before. One that made her never want to leave his side. They had been married for just over 4 years. Life couldn’t be more perfect.

Victoria was surprised that Ethan was open to the idea of children. It was him that brought it up, saying that if he could get used to the idea of marriage, he could definitely be a father. And that’s exactly what happened. They had a twin boy and girl, Luke and Lily Ramsey.

As Victoria got closer to the ER, she noticed there was a large group of interns gathered in the doctors lounge. As she looked into the room, she saw them all transfixed on the TV screen.

“Do you reckon he’ll win the nomination?”

“He has to! He’s so popular amongst the older voters and they make up a large amount of the population!”

“You won’t catch me voting for him. He’s a creep.”

“Shh! They’re about to announce the votes.”

Victoria walked closer to the TV screen to see what was happening. It was the nomination for who to nominate to represent the Republican Party at the Presidential Election. Victoria had avoided reading anything about the election or watching the coverage on TV. She wanted no business in dealing with politicians or deciding their future.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce that former Mayor and Senator of Massachusetts Ed Farrugia has been selected as the Republican Party’s nomination for the upcoming US Election!”

The name Ed Farrugia was a name she wanted to leave in the past. Flashbacks to that night played across her mind and her hand started trembling. She knew she should get out of there as soon as possible. But for some reason, Victoria was rooted to the spot, watching Ed be congratulated by fellow nominees and hearing his name be chanted by the crowd.

“It’s a great honour to receive the nomination in my home state. And I make this promise now. We are going to do great things, we will get this country back on track and make it the same America everyone admired us by. I will do all I can to make America a safe and welcoming place for all. Thank you!”

The place erupted and some of the doctors watching nodded and murmured in support. Victoria realised she had heard enough and stumbled out the room, nearly walking into the doorway. She had to get out of there and fast.

As quick as she could, Victoria went to the one person who could calm her nerves down easily.

“Please be in your office.” Victoria said as she made her way down the hallway and into his office. She breathed a sigh of relief when he was sat at his desk.

“Hey.” Ethan said barely looking up from his desk. When Victoria didn’t respond he looked up. He noticed the distress on her face, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “What’s wrong?” Ethan said jumping up from his seat, guiding Victoria to the sofa and sitting down next to her, pulling her into his arms.

“I...” Victoria couldn’t get the words out, instead she just sobbed into his arms. Ethan looked at his wife with concern, he hadn’t seen her this distressed since that night. Something big must’ve happened. “He’s running for President. He’s actually doing it.”

Ethan knew exactly who she was talking about. She might’ve managed to avoid reading the news but he didn’t. He regularly looked for updates on Senator Ed, wondering what he was up to.

“It’s okay.” Ethan comforted her stroking her back. Once the tears had subsided, Ethan got up and made Victoria a cup of coffee setting it on the table.

“Why is he doing this? How can he do this?” Victoria sighed.

“Because he’s a very powerful man who wants a very powerful position.” Ethan replied.

“But hasn’t his reputation declined in the years? How did he get enough support?” Victoria asked.

“Unfortunately people who support politicians from the beginning can’t have their minds changed. And there were enough of them for Ed Farrugia.” Ethan sighed.

“You don’t think he’d come here do you? Start gaining support outside the hospital? I know he said he was backing down on his rehab bill again but he could easily change his mind and what about-“

Ethan cut off Victoria by pressing his lips softly to hers, cradling her face in his hands. She melted into the kiss before pulling away and rested her forehead against his.

“If he ever does come here I’ll make sure he doesn’t set foot inside the hospital. I will make that very clear at the next meeting I promise.”

“What did I do to deserve you?” Victoria laughed hugging Ethan.

“You didn’t have to do anything. I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you.” Ethan said.

“Don’t be silly Ethan.” Victoria giggled. “Will you do me a favour?”

“Anything.”

“Will you call your Dad and get him to bring the twins back tonight? I need to cuddle my babies.”

“Of course, I miss them too.”

— — — — —

A simple phone call and Alan was more than happy to bring Luke and Lily Ramsey back early. The twins however were sad that they were ending their sleepover at Grandad Alan’s house early but were excited to see mummy and daddy again.

Ethan kept an eye on Victoria throughout the reminder of her shift, he tried to persuade her to go home but she insisted she was ok. Ethan knew how stubborn his wife was so didn’t press the matter further. He did however turn off the TV in the doctors lounge, something the interns complained about but one silenced look from Ethan made them keep their mouths shut.

Ethan had also spoken to Naveen and Leland and told them that Victoria and him would be taking a week off in order to spend some time as a family, Naveen had no problem with it at all, Leland had tried to argue against Ethan but Ethan’s mind wasn’t about to be changed. He was going to take care of his wife, spend some time with his family and that was the end of it.

When they got home, they ate dinner and then retreated to the sofa. Victoria turned on the TV and was immediately met with coverage on Ed Farrugia.

“You don’t have to watch it Vic.” Ethan said.

“It’s ok. I know I’ve avoided it all so far but I’m not now. I’m not afraid of him. I never have been.” Victoria smiled.

The doorbell then rang and Ethan went to answer it. He was met with the smiling face of Alan and the excited faces of Luke and Lily.

“Daddy!” Luke and Lily immediately ran into Ethan’s arms, the latter bending down to greet the two tiny humans.

“I missed you both. Why don’t you go find mummy? She’s in the living room.” Ethan smiled at the twins watching them run off down the hall to find Victoria.

“You were exactly like that at their age.” Alan laughed.

“Yeah and now look at me.” Ethan replied although he couldn’t fight back a small smile. “Thank you for bringing them back early. It’s just been a tough day and Victoria really wanted to see them.”

“It’s not a problem. I did see the news earlier and I understand.” Alan smiled.

“I know. I can’t believe he would do this. He’s nothing but a...” Ethan checked behind him to make sure the twins were out of earshot. “A bastard.”

“I agree. I won’t be voting for him.” Alan replied.

Ethan said goodbye to Alan and made his way into the living room where he saw Luke and Lily cuddled up with Victoria. He sat down on the sofa and Lily curled up against his side, on the verge of falling asleep. Not wanting her to fall asleep where she was, Ethan picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.

“No Daddy. I’m not asleep.” Lily murmured laying her head on his shoulder.

“You’ll be more comfortable in your bed.” Ethan said carrying her up the stairs and helping her into her pyjamas. Victoria brought Luke up and both parents tucked their children in giving them a few kisses before they retreated from the door and went back downstairs.

“Do you reckon I can make them stay small forever?” Victoria said slumping back onto the sofa.

“I reckon you couldn’t stop them if you tried.” Ethan chuckled putting an arm around Victoria. “Although if you’re getting broody again...”

“No way. Two is enough for me.” Victoria laughed.

“I’m glad we agree on that.” Ethan grinned.

“Do you think Ed would win the election?” Victoria asked after a period of silence.

Ethan wasn’t sure how to answer that. Republicans were very powerful people and sometimes, powerful people did big things. Ed Farrugia was still popular amongst the public, apart from those at Bloom Edenbrook.

Ethan would never forget that night. Nearly having Victoria slip away from him was one of the worst moments of his life. Today he did all he could to protect her and if that meant refusing to let Ed Farrugia visit Bloom Edenbrook Hospital then so be it.

“I don’t know. He’s still a very popular man no matter what we think of him. Many people don’t know what went on.” Ethan sighed.

“That’s true. I wonder what the others will make of it. I hope Bobby and Danny’s family haven’t seen the news.” Victoria sighed.

“It’ll all be ok. Whatever happens. We’ll get through it.” Ethan replied. “Now am I going to have to carry you to bed or are you able to walk to the bedroom?”

“Are you trying to get me into bed Ethan Ramsey?” Victoria smirked.

“Is it working?”

“You’ll have to find out.” Victoria winked, walking to the bedroom.

Ethan followed her quickly not wanting to disappoint her.

— — — — —

New series is here! Had this in the drafts for a while.

Apologies if the way I’ve written how the nominees for President are chosen or the timeline for when they are chosen are incorrect. I am not American!

Also I’m not 100% sure what party Ed Farrugia represents and I don’t think it’s ever specified in the book, and I researched that Massachusetts hasn’t had a Republican Senator since the 80s but as this is a fictional world and given Ed’s attitude throughout book 2, I’ve placed him as a Republican, just to make the fic more interesting.

So, Ed Farrugia is running for President! Who would’ve thought! 😉

The big question is will he win the election?

Tag list: @ohchoices @openheartfan @queencarb @genevievemd @iemcpbchoices

[drarrysinful]

Draco and Harry find an stray kitten outside and bring it home, they take care of it and love it very much and Harry is like ‘look we have a child now darling’ (AND EVERYTHING ENDS WELL)

A/N: sorry this took so long, I promise I’m still working on these.

——————————

Whiskers

Hand in hand, Harry and Draco walked through the park near their flat, as they did most evenings to enjoy the fresh air and sunset.

Mewl

“What was that?” Harry asked, looking around.

“Sounded like a meow. You know there are stray cats around here.” Draco said, arching a brow at Harry.

“Yes but...”

“Harry...” Draco sighed, recognizing that look on Harry’s face.

“I just want to make sure it’s okay.”

“Fine.”

Harry smiled that bright smile that made Draco weak in the knees every time. He couldn’t help but give a smile back as he watched Harry looking for the source of the mewling.

“I found it!” Harry came back, cradling a small ball of grey fluff in his hands.

“Is it a kitten?” Draco asked, looking over at the small ball of fluff.

“I found it in a box, someone abandoned him.” Harry said, looking down at it. “I think it might be hurt.”

Draco leaned forward and checked out the kitten, it had a small injury on its paw. He smiled up at Harry. “Harry, stop panicking. You are one of the best Mediwizards at St.Mungos. This little one is in the best hands.”

Harry gave another smile and cradled the kitten to his chest as they walked back home.

—————————

As Draco had predicted, Harry was easily able to heal the small kitten once they got home. It had a broken paw and a small cut, which Harry healed very quickly.

Looking closer at the kitten, Draco looked over at Harry. “It’s eyes aren’t open yet, which means it’s still on formula. I’ll run to the store.”

With that he got up and headed out the door, Harry smiling at him. He may seem cold to others, but Harry knew he had a kind soul, and now that this kitten was in their house, it was theirs.

————————

“I want to name him Dobby,” Harry said sometime later, cradling the kitten as he bottle fed it.

“After father’s old house elf?” Draco asked incredulously.

“After the house elf that was my friend and died saving us from Bellatrix.”

Draco paused for a moment, “Fair enough.”

“Hey Draco,” Harry grinned, watching the kitten drink from his bottle, “Looks like we have a kid now.”

Draco just shook his head, but he had a smile on his face.

—————————

It didn’t take long at all for Dobby to start to grow under their care, and become an important member of their family. He was playful and curious, and one of his favorite places to be was in Draco’s lab while he worked on his potions. Much to Draco’s distress, as he liked to jump up on the shelves and weave through the fragile potion bottles. But Draco conceded that keeping an eye on the small cat weaving through the potion bottles was better than listening to Dobby screaming at him from behind the door wanting to come in.

Dobby was very attached to Harry, always weaving through Harry’s legs, climbing up his pant legs, and running up to the door whenever he got home from work.

Draco worked from home, so Dobby would cling to him instead whenever Harry was at work. As much as Draco grumbled about it, he did enjoy the small kitten’s company when Harry was away, especially on nights where Harry was working a double shift or was called into an emergency. Those nights he curled up in bed with the small bundle of fluff instead.

It also didn’t take long for Dobby to earn his namesake, as he had the tendency to make off with Draco and Harry’s shirts as well as socks to build himself little nests in hiding places all over the house. Harry thought it was cute, but it always set Draco off when he couldn’t find a favorite shirt or a single pair of matching socks.

———————

“Dobby, no!”

Harry looked up from the book he was reading with a concerned look on his face as a disgruntled looking Draco came marching into the living room, carrying a now adult Dobby by his scruff.

“What happened?”

“Your blasted cat got into the owl’s room again.” Draco grumbled as he deposited Dobby onto Harry’s lap. Nonplussed, Dobby curled up in Harry’s lap and started to purr. Draco glared at that cat, “One of these days he’s going to piss off Cepheus just a bit too much. He’s a great owl, but he’s still a bird of prey. And much bigger than you, you little prat.” He said pointedly to the purring cat in Harry’s lap.

Harry ran his fingers through Dobby’s fur, “Why is he always my cat when he’s in trouble?”

Draco gestured pointedly at Harry’s hand, “Because you’re always spoiling him.”

“He’s a cat, he doesn’t understand that he shouldn’t mess with Cepheus.”

Draco snorted, “He’s smarter than you give him credit for.”

Harry looked over at Draco, a curious look on his face.

Draco leaned over and absently scratched Dobby behind the ear, “Little bugger opened the door to Cepheus’ room.”

———————

“Draco, have you seen Dobby?”

Draco looked up from the potion he’d been working on and glanced over at Harry, who was standing in the doorway. “No, why?”

“I was looking for him as I was going to give him his dinner. It’s not like him to miss a meal.”

“He’s probably just napping somewhere. He’s getting pretty old, he’s been taking a lot more naps lately.”

“Yea, but...”

Draco sighed, “Give me a moment to get this potion to a stopping point. I only have a couple steps left and then it will need to simmer for about an hour.”

“Okay, I’ll start looking while you finish.”

They had been looking for about an hour and Harry was starting to get panicked as they walked back to Draco’s lab so he could finish the potion he was working on.

“What if Cepheus ate him?”

“That is highly unlikely, and we would have heard something like that. There would also be evidence of it in his room.”

“What if he escaped? If he can open the door to Cepheus’ room, maybe he can open the front door as well!”

“Harry, I have the whole house warded, I would have known if the door opened for any reason other than you or I doing so.”

“But—“

Harry stopped his worried babbling when they walked back into Draco’s lab, and found Dobby curled up and sleeping next to the low-burning fire Draco’s potion was sitting on.

Harry glanced into the kitchen, only to see all of Dobby’s food missing from his bowl. He looked back in at the slumbering cat.

“So...” Draco said, arching a brow, “While we were frantically looking for him... He came out of hiding, ate all his food, and then fell asleep in the one room that we didn’t think to look in...”

“Seems so.”

“I’m going to skin him.”

“Draco!”

“What?”

“He’s just proving that he belongs in this family.”

Draco rolled his eyes, picked up Dobby, and deposited him in Harry’s arms, so he could get back to his potion.

————————

“Harry.”

Harry was in his office at St. Mungos, when a small silver ferret appeared on his desk, opening its mouth and speaking in Draco’s voice. He sounded extremely distressed.

“It’s Dobby.”

“Expecto Patronum!” Harry said, his stag erupting out of his wand. “I’m on my way.” was all he said before the stag disappeared, heading off to Draco.

“Janet!” Harry yelled out the door, hearing his assistant’s answering call, “I’m going home early, reschedule my appointments! Something is wrong with Dobby!” Harry didn’t wait to hear Janet’s response before he had flicked floo powder into his office fireplace and stepped through.

After the swirling stopped he stepped out of the fireplace in his home and looked around for Draco.

He was sitting on the couch, cradling a very skinny and ragged looking Dobby in his arms. As he was walking closer, Harry got a flashback of Draco cradling Dobby in this same way as he bottle fed him as a kitten.

Draco looked up, his face red, “He isn’t eating and his breathing is so fast, I don’t... I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”

Harry felt tears stinging his eyes, he had an idea what was wrong, but he didn’t want to admit it to himself, “Let’s take him to his veterinary witch.”

“This isn’t something you can handle?”

“No, cuts and broken bones are similar enough to humans that I can take care of it, but I’m not a vet.”

Draco got up and hugged Dobby to him, the scruffy old cat giving a piteous mewl in response.

———————

“I’m afraid, Mr. and Mr. Malfoy, that there’s nothing we can do for him.”

Harry wiped his eyes and gave a nod, he had already expected this. Draco slammed his hands on the counter, “What do you mean there’s nothing you can do! You’re a veterinary witch, aren’t you?”

Harry put his hand on Draco’s arm to calm him, “Draco... as you like to remind me whenever I have doubts, I’m one of the best mediwizards in St. Mungos. But... even I can’t stop old age.” He gestured at the veterinary witch, “Neither can she.”

The witch nodded with an understanding and sympathetic expression. “At this point we suggest putting him to sleep. We have a few options past that, one of the more popular ones is extracting some of his fondest memories and preserving them in a small pensive with his name on it. It is however one of the more expensive options as well.”

Draco bristled a little at that, “We’ll do it.”

She nodded. “Would you like to say goodbye before we start?”

Harry and Draco both nodded, and the witch brought them both back into the examination room, where Dobby was sleeping fitfully in a bundled pile of Harry and Draco’s old shirts, the ones they had given up trying to take back from him.

Harry leaned down and wrapped his arms around the bundle, his tears fogging up his glasses, “Goodbye Dobby. I’ll miss you.”

Once Harry was done, Draco gathered the bundle into his arms, saying nothing but holding Dobby as close as he could without hurting him, his tears flowing down his pale cheeks.

Neither of them could bear staying past the witch extracting Dobby’s memories and placing them in the small pensive, which she had already magically carved his name onto while they were saying goodbye. They left the room and waited silently in the waiting room to pay their bill and go home, Draco holding the small pensive to his chest and Harry holding the empty cat carrier loosely in his hands.

———————

Many many years later, an elderly Draco and Harry we’re walking hand in hand through an ethereal version of Kings Cross Station. They knew why they were there, they were waiting on the train that would take them to the afterlife. They had both passed on in their sleep, going together as they had done in life.

“This is quite peaceful,” Draco commented.

“It’s definitely more comforting being here as an old man welcoming death rather than a young teen.” Harry said, looking around at his familiar surroundings.

“Really, there’s only one thing that could make this more comfortable.”

Mewl

A small grey kitten streaked out from under a bench, one of Draco’s old socks in his mouth, and weaved around both of their legs before attempting to climb up Harry’s pant leg.

They both smiled brightly, “Dobby...”

“We missed you.”

Mewl

[quazartranslates]

Welcome to the Nightmare Game - CH108

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

-----

Chapter 108: Slaughter Secret Society (X)

"Good, good evening..." Qi Leren, who came out of the basement after completing today's training task, glanced over and saw Ning Zhou sitting on the sofa. The uninvited guest sat straight on the soft sofa, who knows how long he’d been waiting.

Qi Leren, who was covered in sweat, subconsciously looked down at his clothes. This time he was fine, wearing a sports vest, and finally he was not curious-looking: "I’ll take a shower and be right back!"

With that said, Qi Leren ran upstairs to first wash himself quickly.

Perched on the coat rack, the big black bird let out a strange laugh and seemed to laugh at Ning Zhou, this master of its that had been left on the sofa. The latter gave it a blank look, and under the deterrent of its master's eyes, it made a whistling sound and looked in all directions casually.

After a quick shower, Qi Leren ran down the stairs with a boiling hot water kettle, and poured Ning Zhou and himself a glass of water. The big black bird that was not entertained rattled discontentedly, and Qi Leren had no choice but to pour it a cup. Unexpectedly, the bird was brazen and pushed its luck: "I'm hungry, I want something delicious!"

It also coveted the few rations Qi Leren had left!

Qi Leren was distressed. There weren’t many "pleasing rations". By now, they had all been fed to this bird... But this was Ning Zhou's bird. Right now, he had to count on Ning Zhou for help. Alright, let's feed…

"Ignore it." Before Qi Leren took out the food, Ning Zhou made a noise to stop him.

Qi Leren retracted the hand he’d been about to feed it with in good faith.

The big black bird looked at its master resentfully, pecked his ear discontentedly, and flapped its wings to fly away.

"Your bird has character... but its very smart. What's its name and breed?" Qi Leren asked.

Even outside of the mission, where Ning Zhou was no longer equipped with the Closed Meditation skill, he was still quiet, rarely saying anything: "It has no name, the species is an eagle, and its habitat is in the Jinghai Desert."

Qi Leren's regional understanding of the Nightmare World basically comes from his playing Nightmare Game, and he vaguely remembered that the Jinghai Desert was the location of the Underground Ant City, hiding the nest-like underground world under its scorching and horrible desert, as well as the scorching Purgatory deep underground, which was a place where demons ran rampant.

There were really too few topics between the two. They’d hardly talked during the Witchcraft Sacrifice. After that, every time they met, the unique circumstances hadn’t allowed them to sit down and chat, but now they were a little embarrassed.

"If it’s an eagle, then doessn’t it speak eagle (English)?" Qi Leren told a pun.*

*{E/N: Ning Zhou says his bird is an eagle (语鹰 yu ying), and Qi Leren tries to joke by saying oh, then wont it speak the language of the eagles (ying yu 鹰语; the same characters but switched), which is a homonym for english (英语 ying yu) } 

Ning Zhou gave him a calm, blank look, giving no indication of laughing.

Qi Leren froze, forgetting that Ning Zhou was not a person from the real world. He didn't know what English was!

"Ahem, in the outside world, there is a common language called English. We sometimes use it when we talk. What is Hello, Happy, Hani... Ahem, it’s nothing special, pretend I didn’t say anything." Qi Leren felt that he had suddenly become an emperor of silence, and his heart was in tears. Why was it that he could easily talk to sinister killers when he was acting as Red? Yet now, in the face of his own kind, he often made stupid mistakes?

In fact, he didn’t know what to say to the other party. Why did he say such a thing? Ning Zhou: "...Oh."

For some reason, this silent scene reminded Qi Leren of a long time ago. At that time, he had not yet entered the Nightmare Game, and he was still an unemployed youth who was looking for a job everywhere shortly after graduation. His parents introduced him to a friend's daughter. This sister was dignified and beautiful, that is, she was a little cold. After the exchange of "um, ah, oh, ok, thank you, you're welcome", there was no more…

At this moment, the scene was similar to the picture of that blind date, except the one on the opposite sofa wasn’t quite the right gender.

"I..." Qi Leren was ready to talk about the Slaughter Secret Society.

"You..." Ning Zhou also happened to speak.

The two voices collided.

"You go first."

"You go first."

Two voices collided again, and they went silent at the same time.

Qi Leren began to sweat again. It won't work! This communication is totally impossible! It's embarrassing to sit and talk!

"Are you hungry? I'll make some fried rice." Qi Leren was really a little hungry. It would be better to communicate at the dinner table.

"I don't..." "I'm hungry! I’m so hungry! I'm starving!" Ning Zhou had just said two words when his bird screamed at the top of its lungs, startling Qi Leren.

After being interrupted by it, the atmosphere in the room was finally better. Qi Leren showed a big smile and looked at it gratefully: "If it can eat, I’ll make three servings. Cooking at home is much cheaper than eating outside. Paying the bill when you eat out hurts."

Seeing Qi Leren’s offer, Ning Zhou didn't refuse and silently followed him into the kitchen... A win.

Qi Leren’s mood became complicated when he saw Ning Zhou cutting tomatoes with a kitchen knife. It felt like seeing Dr. Lu approach him; he always felt that the skill points were a little biased.

A pan of fried rice and a pot of soup were finished quickly, and Qi Leren's craftsmanship was OK. After all, he lived alone all the year round, and he would have to eat instant noodles every day if he couldn't cook with his own hands. Ning Zhou, though, seemed almost like a chef, and Qi Leren felt distressed when he thought of his own life experience.

But there was a feeling of friendliness with this chef, and the atmosphere was much better when the two people sat at the dinner table. Qi Leren told Ning Zhou about the Slaughter Secret Society while eating, and how when he saw Ning Zhou listed as the mission goal for the selection ceremony to decide the holder, he’d almost fallen into the trap. Ning Zhou gave him a deep look.

Qi Leren choked for a moment, and he found it was easy to misunderstand, but the explanation made it worse and worse, so he had to bury his head in his food, burping from the anxiety. He was ridiculed by the eagle, who was tasting its unfamiliar fried rice.

After eating, Qi Leren revived his spirits and began to tell Ning Zhou about his plan: "The Slaughter Secret Society’s internal struggle is fierce. The Court always suspected that they could catch Kunagshan because the present keeper agent Lie Yang (Luo Yishan) had secretly leaked his whereabouts, because once the keeper dies, the memento ring will fall into the hands of the keeper agent. Right now, the ring has lost its binding. No matter whose hands it falls into, anyone can use it, but the functions of the half-field are incomplete. The acting ring holder also has the right to hold a selection ceremony to elect the next ring holder, and the new ring holder binds the ring to restore all functions in the half-field. But my presence broke his calculations. He must be worried that I’ll find you before him and sacrifice you to the Lord of Slaughter to become the new holder, so he needs to find a way to get rid of me and hold another selection ceremony. There are too many variables now. So I guess he’ll get rid of me before I finish the task. When there’s only one competitor left, whether the task is completed or not, he’ll become the ring holder. "

Qi Leren's situation at this time was undoubtedly dangerous, but he felt quite safe in this house. After all, the Court’s people shadowed him all the time. It was very difficult for Yang to kill him here. If Yang was being careful, he wouldn’t assassinate him here. The place was too unfamiliar, and his likelihood of failing would be very high. Once he failed, Red would be more vigilant.

In order to assassinate the demonized Red, it was necessary to kill him with one swift and resolute blow and end the battle before he awakened his demonization. The best way was to carry it out in the field. When you entered the field with full confidence and wanted to complete the sacrifice and seize the memento ring…

"There’s a good chance that he’ll rally his men to attack me suddenly and get rid of me after I enter the field. I’ve heard that in many selection ceremonies, it was quite common for candidates to kill each other. The Devil of Slaughter is indifferent to this group of believers, looking at them as no different from beggars. He just likes to watch them kill indiscriminately," Qi Leren said with a frown.

"What are you going to do?" Ning Zhou asked.

Qi Leren glanced at Ning Zhou with trepidation: "This... requires you to be sacrificed..."

Ning Zhou: "..." He had a bad feeling.

Qi Leren was really becoming more and more skilled at convincing his teammates.

-----

Editor’s Notes: A thank you as always to Miko for explaining untranslatable stuff ^_^”

-----

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

[fenheart87]

Trading Circle of Hell

@semi-slaughtomatic happy belated birthday doll! I will be cross posting to AO3 later as well but I wanted to get this out there now that its done!

-start-

"Welcome welcome! Females to the left and males to the right! Look for anyone with a purple butterfly mask to make your purchase or ask for more information on our unique invenitory! Rumor has it our esteemed kings shall be here today, make your selection quick for I fear even I wouldn't dare say no to them...."

Viperion scanned the room in disgust, cages with humans, demons, various kinds of fae and more supernaturals were lined and spaced very strategically. Only one or two people could view a 'selection' at a time and there were plenty to choose from.

"This is not what I was expecting." Chat Noir spoke up, teeth bared in rage at what he was seeing. They had been tipped off there was an underground market, an illegal one even by demon standards, and here was the proof right in front of their eyes.

"Easy Plagg, we have time to browse and choose carefully from the... Inventory."

"Yeah yeah Sass, kumbyyah and all. I want one with spirit."

"I want one with some brains, the traps keep killing people." Sass responded, sharing a smirk with his companion and drawing his hood closer to his face. The last thing they needed was for someone to recognize them as they were investigating this horrid black market before they could shut it down. The problem with the recon mission was that they needed to be stealthy and being the Snake and Black Cat made them the best choice, even if they had more favorable morals and senses of justice within them unlike many other demons. It was the secret that made them good rulers and their following loyal to them and them alone.

"Welcome gentleman! Forgive me I have spent too much time topside lately, is there anything specific you happen to be looking for? Someone for manual labor or more physical labor in the place of rest?" The Showrunner as he chose to title himself wisely decided to not touch either of them like he had for many of the other buyers.

"I need someone with a firey spirit and tough enough to withstand the Hell Fires."

"Oh, you must live under our illustrious leader Chat Noir then, pray tell would a dragon suffice good sir?" Beady eyes were shining in glee as Plagg exchanged a glance with Sass.

"Depends on the age and gender, perhaps you can direct me where I could find such one?"

"Of course, in the front row at the very end of the left side. A Longg follower that is quite the spirited miss. And for you fellow good sir?"

"I need someone smart and cunning, quick as a mouse if you will,"

"Ah I wish we could've acquried a Mullo follower but alas not this round... I do however have a special quiet thing that could fit the bill if you're interested?"

"Perhaps, show me your inventory and I may still need to browse, I have other stations that could be filled if I do not find someone to my liking." Sass followed the leader and hid his disgust with all of his being, he wanted nothing more than to poison the man with a quick strike. The cages had various states of captured folk in various stages of distress or anger, the collars adorning their necks were equipped to restrain their unique talents and powers, preventing any type of escape from their cages. Guards and hired demons of lower levels were mingling around the crowd should someone get lucky enough to successfully escape from behind the bars.

"Here we have a pretty little thing but awfully quiet. she does have a voice but her glare usually speaks for her, I have had some issues with one so she is at a discounted price, only 150 thousand."

Sass raised a brow at the price, many of the others were easily going for ten times as much for a starting bid. Either she was too much to handle for the ring leader or she was damaged in some way. Finally looking at the cage, his breath caught. He would know those blue eyes anywhere and was glad that his self control was damn good. Her resemblance to her parents was uncanny, even if they had not been seen by a single eye in over 200 years.

"She's a looker but anyone who dares to get too close suffers, unless that's your type of ah, fun shall we say?"

"I'll take her, she'll make an excellent addition to the baker's guild. If she turns out she can't bake well, I'm sure she could plead to Tikki for help before she became the next meal."

"Very well, as with everyone else I'll collect the payment before the next round and after inventory has been checked and secured, you can take it home with you. If anything else catches your eye, please let me know." With that, the Showman left to prey on other prospective buyers and Sass glanced around, noticing only a few other demons looking at the few cages with interest. It was safe enough he supposed.

"Tell me little one, do you like sweets or cheese?" Pulling carefully on his power, he let flow enough to touch his eyes, making them turn mint green and seeing her eyes flash a pale pink, drawing a gasp from that luscious mouth. "So you are a true Mullo follower then."

"Snake." She murmured and smiled sweetly, eyes flashing once more.

"Black cat is here too, the Longg follower is coming with us and this place is done for." Sass whispered, directing his gaze towards the other side where he could see Plagg was prowling and looking at everything with a calculating gaze, casing the entire space.

"Kagami?" She whispered so softly he nearly missed it, drawing his attention and she flushed pink as she shrunk down.

"Well then, even better. Plagg, if you're ready I am. Nothing else has caught my interest."

"Good, let's find the Showman and collect." The green of his iris was gleaming, a yellow tint coloring them acid and the barely concealed rage shining. Their aura made everyone scurry away from their path as they followed the twists and turns through the cages.

"Ah, is there a problem, good sirs?" The Showman was on guard, eyes narrowed and watching carefully for any signs of aggression.

"Ah, he's a devout follower of Lord Viper himself, very covetous this one is. Terribly sorry but it would be in everyone's best interest if we were to collect and leave the place in one piece." Plagg smiled, fangs fully on display which kicked up the tension a few notches.

"Ah we can certainly make an exception but the prices do change for those in a hurry to get to the breaking in part. Do you have your own collars for your purchases?"

"Now now, it's not nice to insult paying customers, good sir." A black gloved hand produced two simple collars, the scent of ash faintly stirring the air.

"Ah, this way then." With a couple of gestures, two lizard demons who posed at security moved through the crowds and collected the cages, going down a different hallway then the trio did. The lanterns glowed eerily with the Hell Fire flames, Plagg and Sass having to bite back their power to prevent a surge in the flames and revealing themselves to the scum they were forced to follow.

"Alright, very simple to do. I'll deactivate the collars and you can place yours, once secure then I'll remove the standard ones. Precautions you know…"

Sharing a glance they split and stood in front of their chosen. The slimey demon brought over two charged stem crystals and with a small fizz of power the collars were deactivated. Sass noted the little mouse seemed upset but not scared as expected, carefully he stepped closer and leaned down slightly to secure the 'collar', a small whisp of smoke puffed to signal the lock was in place. Taking the other charged stem, the Showman waved it nearby and the slave collars fell off into his hands.

"Thank you for your time and interest gentleman, enjoy your investments!" Waving them to follow one of the guards and the other bringing up the rear, the four made their way out of the illegal catacombs market. Continuing on for a few tense miles until they were sure the guards had indeed returned, they stopped.

"Alright, introductions! I would happen to be Chat Noir, ruler of all the darkness and destruction. For stealth purposes please refer to me as Plagg."

"Viperion, Lord of Time and Incubi. Code name Sass."

"Kagami, a devout Longg follower. I work under the name Ryuoko." The dragon dusted herself off nonchalantly, eyes piercing in their intent to gage how much of a threat the two lords were.

"Multimouse, a converted Mullo follower."  Viperion ignored the sly grin and everything that it said from his fellow demon lord.

"So what's the plan?" Ryuoko asked, smirking.

"Well, do what we do best…" Blue eyes turned a shimmering green and emerald green took on an acid yellow green shine.

"Destroy those who break the Seven Hells contract." Each collar shifted into a choker, a reaction to the sudden leak of power from demon lords, this would boost both female demon's powers as well as protect them. The time of reckoning was at hand.

[gstqaobc]

CBC THE ROYAL FASCINATOR

Friday, April 09, 2021

Hello, royal watchers and all those intrigued by what’s going on inside the House of Windsor. This is your biweekly dose of royal news and analysis. Reading this online? Sign up here to get this delivered to your inbox.

Janet DavisonRoyal Expert

Prince Philip’s life of duty

(Adrian Dennis/Getty Images)

For so many years, Prince Philip was at Queen Elizabeth’s side — or walking just behind — deeply devoted in his duty as consort to the woman who is now the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

But the Duke of Edinburgh, who died this morning aged 99 at Windsor Castle, was seen by many as having his own role in helping an institution steeped in tradition try to find its way toward the future.

Much of that began nearly 70 years ago, after the former sailor who gave up a successful naval career saw his wife ascend the throne.

“What Prince Philip did was help modernize the monarchy in the 1950s,” Michael Jackson, president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada, said in an interview this morning.

“It was still a very tradition-bound institution…. We can credit Prince Philip, with the Queen’s full support, of course, with modernizing [its] finances, protocols, how Buckingham Palace was run … its outreach to the Commonwealth.”

Philip pushed to have Elizabeth’s coronation televised in 1953, an idea she did not wholeheartedly welcome at first.

“He was the modern person,” John Fraser, author of The Secret of the Crown: Canada’s Affair with Royalty, said in an interview this morning. “He was in touch with real people, non-royal people, and so he always had the instinct to reach out. He understood both the dark side of the media presence as well as the necessity of it.”

Fraser credits Philip’s profoundly unsettled early years, after he was “born in poverty and insecurity,” with how he looked toward the future of the Royal Family, and the monarchy.

“I do think those early years were the single biggest factor in his life and how he approached life,” said Fraser. “I think he never assumed things would last forever because he didn’t make any assumptions like that, and I think he certainly assumed the monarchy wouldn’t survive if it didn’t reach out more to the constituency that it had to serve.”

Fraser met Philip, and recalled him as a man who would revel in asking questions and challenging others.

“He was — charming is not the word I would use — but he was an invigorating person to speak to.”

Jackson, who was Saskatchewan’s chief of protocol from 1980 until 2005, met Philip during four visits to the province — three with the Queen and one on his own — and remembered a man with “a great sense of humour.”

“Sometimes people found him a bit abrasive, a bit abrupt, but that’s the way he was,” said Jackson.

“He was a straight shooter and he complemented the Queen beautifully because the Queen is a very soft-spoken, more laid-back person. Prince Philip really spoke his mind and occasionally made jokes and … put everyone at ease. I found him very refreshing, good to work with.”

With Philip’s death, there is an inevitable sadness for the Queen, and inevitable concern for how she will cope with the passing of her husband of more than 73 years.

Both Fraser and Jackson say the Queen will carry on, with Jackson noting “That’s the way she is. She’s a very strong person” with a deep religious faith that will sustain her.

“She’ll do her duty,” said Fraser. “And I think that’s the big lesson of him. He did his duty.”

For a full obituary of Prince Philip, click here.

For photos from Prince Philip's royal career, click here.

Family dysfunction

When Philip Mountbatten married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, the family he was joining was in marked contrast to the fractured one he had known in his youth. His parents' marriage broke down and offered him nothing like the nuclear family arrangement (mom, dad and two kids) that Elizabeth had known throughout her childhood. "In marrying the Queen, [Philip] gained that sort of stable home life that he didn't have when he was younger," royal author and historian Carolyn Harris has said in an interview. Philip's parents were Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Philip was born a prince of both Greece and Denmark on June 10, 1921, on the dining room table at Mon Repos, a villa that was the summer home for the Greek royals on the island of Corfu. He was the last of five children — his four older siblings were all girls. At the time, he was sixth in line to the Greek throne. But life in Greece didn't last long. His father, a professional soldier, was exiled from Greece in 1922 as his uncle, King Constantine I, was forced to abdicate. Philip's family fled, with the story being that Philip was nestled into an orange box as the family was evacuated from Greece on a Royal Navy ship. They eventually made their way to Paris. Philip's childhood took a "dysfunctional turn," author Sally Bedell Smith wrote in her book, Elizabeth The Queen, when he was sent by his parents at the age of eight to England for boarding school. The family eventually broke down. Philip's mother, who was born deaf, was ill periodically, diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent time in a sanitarium in Switzerland. His father went off with his mistress to Monte Carlo, where he died in 1944. Philip was left to be brought up in the U.K. by his mother's family, shuffled among various relatives and boarding schools throughout his youth. He didn't see or have any word from his mother between the summer of 1932 and the spring of 1937. "It's simply what happened," Philip said matter-of-factly in an excerpt from a book by Philip Eade, Young Prince Philip, Turbulent Early Years, published in the Telegraph. "The family broke up. My mother was ill, my sisters were married, my father was in the south of France. I just had to get on with it. You do. One does." As life went on, there really was no father to guide, consult or do anything else a father can do for his child. Several other close relatives died in his early years, including his favourite sister, Cecile, and her family in a plane crash in 1937. The following year, the 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven, his uncle and guardian, died of bone cancer. That left the marquess's younger brother, Louis Mountbatten, to bring up Philip. His family ties also extended into Germany. Three of his sisters were married to German princes involved in the Nazi party. Cecile and her husband, Don, had just joined the Nazi party before they died. Those family alliances had a visible repercussion when Philip and Elizabeth were married in 1947. "His sisters were not invited to the wedding as they were married to German princes who had been involved in the Nazi party during World War Two," Harris said. Philip's mother, Princess Alice, however, was at the wedding, and in her later years, came to live at Buckingham Palace. Alice had her own moment in the cultural conscience in 2019, as an episode during the third season of the Netflix drama, The Crown, focused on her. "She's just the most extraordinary character," Crown creator Peter Morgan told Vanity Fair. She set up charities for Greek refugees and later established a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns. During the Second World War, while her son was serving with the Royal Navy and her German sons-in-law fought for the Nazis, she was hiding Jews in Athens. As much as there was the distance between Philip and his mother in his younger years, there was a closeness later. Alice came to live at Buckingham Palace in 1967. Alice died at the palace in 1969 and was interred in the royal crypt at Windsor Castle. In 1988, her remains were transferred, as she had wished, to the church of St. Mary Magdalene in east Jerusalem. In a 1994 visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, Philip planted a tree in his mother's honour and visited her gravesite. "I suspect that it never occurred to her that her action was in any way special," Philip said during his visit. "She was a person with deep religious faith and she would have considered it to be a totally human action to fellow human beings in distress."

No stranger to Canada

(Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Prince Philip's last visit to Canada was a short one in 2013 — on his own, without the Queen — to present a ceremonial flag to the Royal Canadian Regiment's 3rd Battalion. It came as something of a surprise. Philip had experienced a few health scares in the 18 months prior. So overseas travel was not necessarily a given for the Duke of Edinburgh at the time. But given Philip's feisty personality, dedication to his role and some of the interests he showed over the years, his return to Canada — he made more than 70 visits or stopovers between 1950 and 2013 — may not really have been a complete surprise. The 2013 trip was billed as a private working visit and was only a few days long. But while he was here, he was finally able to pick up the insignias he had been awarded as companion of the Order of Canada and commander of the Order of Military Merit from David Johnston, then Canada's governor general.

To read more about Philip’s time in Canada, click here.

Royally quotable

“He is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.”

— Queen Elizabeth, publicly acknowledging Prince Philip’s importance to her during a speech on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.

To read more on what Philip meant to the Queen, click here.

Remembering Prince Philip

Royal Fascinator readers are welcome to share their thoughts on the passing of Prince Philip, and any memories they may have of meeting him over the years. We’ll include some in the next edition of the newsletter.

I’m always happy to hear from you. Send your ideas, comments, feedback and notes to

royalfascinator@cbc.ca

. Problems with the newsletter? Please let me know about any typos, errors or glitches.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

[remsmoonlight]

Title: safety net

Pairing: daryl dixon / original female character

Chapter: one

Summary: In a world designed to test your humanity, a woman fights to keep hers. But she walks a fine line between staying human and welcoming death and darkness. [ S2 - S4 ]

The light coloured gaze that belongs to a lone female almost darkens in frustration as she notices the sky beginning to dull and bleed into beautiful tones that always signified the oncoming approach of the night and the glistening stars that could only be seen more prominently ever since the world had passed its very own death day. Light pollution has become a thing of the past. Cassie hadn’t meant to stay out so late, but she had wanted to prove to herself and members of the Greene family that she was able to survive out in the town as she scavenged for things that would be useful to them.

Maggie had made many trips into town, always refusing Cassie’s help. Now, whether or not that was because she couldn’t trust her friend to hold her own, she doesn’t know but this was something that would only bring concrete proof that she was able to survive. She lets out a sigh at the whole situation, digging into her backpack for the half full bottle of water that she’d managed to ration very well -- you couldn’t be too careful those days. Such as when you lose track of time and end up staying out hours later than you should. They’re so gonna kill me later Cassie mentally remarks to herself, she thought it would be a quick trip but she’d gotten too distracted by trying to be useful.

The woman drops the bottle back into the backpack as she drags her feet along the cooling dirt that had suffered the heat from the punishing Georgian sun. She scans every building in her line of sight, call her a perfectionist but all she can see are the defects with the potential safe shelter. Are you trying to die out here? she asks, as she thinks negatively to herself. Too many breaks in that window, that door looks weak, not enough exit routes. The slow dragging of a pair of feet and snarls causes her to turn suddenly, she hates this part. Cassie knows she can handle herself, she’d done so with those things before she’d found refuge at her old school friend’s farm but it isn’t something she enjoys. It wouldn’t even be the first thing she wished to do, but it had to be done.

I don’t have to like it but I’ll do it.

Gripping the knife, Cassie slowly advances to meet the dead being halfway, studying its movements intently  -- a few seconds and it’s over. She pulls the knife from their head with little less fight than she was used to, I’m getting better at this she comments to herself in her mind, though a heavy feeling soon begins to settle in her heart as she realises that this person used to have life. They used to have friends and family, they used to have bills to pay, they used to have favourite songs to sing along to. They were human. Cassie doesn’t want to believe that she disregarded their humanity so easily in favour of thinking about herself and how well she was able to cope.

This is what you were afraid of. You’re losing yourself faster than you thought.

She pushes herself up harshly with a verbal shudder, tears beginning to build. She rubs her eyes with force to banish them away and sniffs. The young woman needs to collect herself before she finds herself in a situation she can’t get out of. One of the things she has feared ever since killing the first of those things was losing her humanity.. even before the world turned she knew how despicable people could become. She didn’t want to think about who she could become if she survived this world, Cassie didn’t want to lose her light or her life -- the world was dark as it was.

As if planned perfectly, her eyes settle on an aging liquor store.The cobwebs and dried spray paint were visible from the distance she sadly stood. I remember that, she mused fondly. It was when she and some friends were caught trying to convince someone to buy a bottle of alcohol for them as teenagers - before her father forced them to move out of the town to the next one over. It was a strange sight to see, how these places that held so much life now dead and silent.

Still, the stone walls and bars on the windows are perfect and wash a warming comfort over her entire body, it was safe enough to spend the night in. She only prays silently that  trouble doesn’t follow in her path.

A small grunt of effort is dropped into the open air from her parted lips as she dedicates little energy and force to open the doors into the building. People had been there before her, the assumption is only confirmed when she makes her way through the door and scans the area - everything, empty. A disbelieving chuckle erupts from her. The end of the world where the dead roam the Earth and what do people go and do? They leave the shelves bare from bottles of alcohol. When you need your wits about you and they want themselves inebriated, Cassie didn’t want to believe it. Human nature was still a surprising thing.

With a bicycle lock secured to prevent anything or anyone gaining entry into her temporary housing, the woman allows herself some steady breaths before she overturns one of the few chairs from it’s upside down position on the floor to sit down on it. There isn’t much effort when she lifts the bag to the table, not much was left to scavenge. Cassie is happy with what she did get however, smiling to herself when she pulls out dried food that would be beneficial in the long run and the batteries that would be needed soon. There were a few other trinkets that may or may not be of use but she proved something to herself -- and for that, she learnt something about herself.

Despite laying herself on the floor to sleep, it doesn’t come easy. Her mind is too preoccupied with the noises from the outside of the building, sometimes they were too close to be able to tell if they belonged to the living or the dead. She tries, however, to give a mighty fight with her own mind to fall asleep by scrutinising the dust that littered the creaky floors but it’s a fight she’s destined to be defeated in. When she finally spots sunlight beginning to break through the clouds to fill the dirtied room, Cassie makes no hesitation in deciding it is a good enough alarm clock. She swiftly realises that she isn’t  going to be getting anymore sleep and she’d rather be back at the farm anyway.

There’s an energetic spring in her step despite the lack of sleep she had been able to get but that doesn’t matter, she’s happy to be home soon. The nagging thought of Maggie and her family being furious with her lack of notification of her whereabouts lay heavily on her soul -- though she was good with confrontation though, her patience was almost never ending.

Her heart beats rapidly as she spots a group of people she had never laid eyes on in her life, they surrounded one of the wells on the property, standing out against the warm shades of the ever growing grass and oversized bushes that were everywhere. The only solace granted to her weary soul is that Maggie is standing with them and does not appear to be in any distress by their presence. She cautiously steps closer and closer to the scene, mentally placing the pieces to make a puzzle -- yet even then it’s as if her fingers are trying to force pieces that do not fit together.

“ Maggie! What’s going on? “ she calls out to her friend, closing the distance between them with each growing second.

“ Ca- where have you been ?! “ Maggie shouts, ignoring the question put to her. Maggie storms forward to her friend, eyes have been ignited with a growing fire as she sets her sight on the other woman.

“ I went out on a run, I .. I just lost track of time, I guess. “ Cassie shrugs effortlessly with an upbeat tone despite the tense atmosphere.

“ How do you lose track of time? “ scoffs Maggie, she could feel the panic merging with the pain in her veins to form a melted pot of furiosity. “ You didn’t -? We didn’t know where you were! Cassie, Otis is dead. “

The optimistic glow that had powered her journey back to the home is instantaneously diminished until it’s no more than dying embers as she allows the words Maggie had just spoken to her to soak in completely. The bag that she held on one shoulder fell to the hay covered grass with a flat thud as she moves closer to her friend to embrace her. In the time Cassie had known the man, he was nothing more than a gentle giant. She can physically feel her heart break into pieces at their loss, the woman clinging to Maggie as she disregards the others who watch curiously momentarily.

“ Mag’s.. I’m so sorry. “

“ Come on, let’s get you back. “ Maggie speaks, pulling away from Cassie. She tries to paint a lighter image on her features as this. She was grateful that her friend had not suffered a fate that is a mirror image to that of Otis. “ Everyone will be happy to know you’re here. “

“ What happened to him? Who are they? “ she asks with curiosity, as she’s led back by her friend with an arm around her shoulder.

“ They showed up last night, one of their guy’s with an injured kid on our doorstep. '' the two walk up the steps of the large house, facing one another. “ Couldn’t exactly say no. They showed up after. “

A storm slowly battles its through the woman’s features as she tries to come to terms with how inverted their situation had quickly become in the hours she had not been present, she doesn’t want to shed her tears in front of strangers but you never expected to lose your friends or family under such circumstances. She brings both of her hands to wipe her face - as if to wash the pain away until it was no more than a ghost across her image.

“ He died gettin’ equipment dad needed to help their boy. “

Cassie is hardly looking forward to any lecture that every Greene in the household probably had for her absence. She admits to herself she should have told them that she was going but her stubbornness prevented her, to her, it was just a quick trip. However quick trips were not to the corner stores now, but what used to be people’s own homes. Their sanctuaries that now have become their graves.. providing they were not graced with the blessing to escape from one nightmare into another, one they had more control over.

Her knees bob up and down at a brisk pace as she watches Hershel walk into the room from her seated position on the plush couch in the living room.

“ What you did was very irresponsible, Cassie. We wouldn’t have been able to send anyone out after you. Between the boy and Otis.. “ Hershel’s tones are filled to the brim with disappointment, especially as they had the little boy to deal with.

The eye contact shared is broke harshly, she’s unable to hold the connection under the burden of his disappointment.

“ I’m sorry, I mean it. But you guys wouldn’t let me out! Even with Maggie. “

“ You must understand there’s a reason for these decisions. You might not understand now, but down the road. “ Hershel replies gently, his voice is a step above a whisper. He’d known the woman since she was a child -- Maggie and her were both so close as children.

A cynical laugh hangs in the air over those in the room, she hates to be so disrespectful to the family who has handed her security with the seclusion the farm provides. On a rare occasion she would find herself forgetting that the world had collapsed into itself, the serenity providing her a peace that was often a missing part that her soul craved from time to time. Cassie certainly doesn't want to offend anyone but she needs them to realise that she wasn’t naive as she may present herself to be, she knows how the world works.. though his denial would prove a burdensome load on that plan of hers.

“ I understand! I mean it that I’m super grateful for everything, but you need to realise. It’s not what you think! “ she argues, feeling a tingle in the very ends of her fingertips from the emotion she felt.

“ I don’t want anyone in this house getting sick, that was the risk that you took without consulting us and it’s something that I can’t allow to happen again. “

Guilt begins to overwhelm her shuddering body, she knew she did wrong and it was the circumstances that really threw her plan of independence into the deep river of inconveniences but it was a battle she would lose and she knows it’s best not to argue. She truly does feel bad that she had added onto the Greene family’s stress those two days, she prefers not to burden people after all -- knowing there had been incidents in the past that had been out of her control yet she brought down the spectacle from time to time. However, within the dark corners of her mind she yearns to intently to yell at him, to scream they’re not sick but rather they are dead. Hershel was a man in denial, and there was nothing harder to break than a man who cannot confront the truth that is right in front of him.

“ You’re right, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. “

“ Look -- “ Hershel leans forward, and clasped his hands together. He could see both of her parents in her. “ I promised your father you would be safe here, and if you’re not here that can’t happen. “

“ May I be excused? “ she asks the man, inching towards the end of her seat.  

Hershel simply nods, he’d also rather wash his hands of the situation, especially as they had bigger things to worry about now. The new additions to the farm did not taste so sweet on his tongue and the sooner the boy was ready and healthy, the sooner they could leave.

As Cassie stands before the declining state of the mirror, small particles of dust lining the mirror as a light blanket she washes the cooling liquid running from the tap over her face. She can hear the voices from the unknown new arrivals from the open window, needless to say she was curious of the new situation but, there was also a sense of dread clawing its way from her gut. She had a bad feeling that a storm was on its way.

AN: okay this is the first time writing for twd and im nervous and excited, especially as i'm not used to writing in this style! but i hope this will be something you will like soooo just let me know what you liked or what could be done better! we'll be having team family interactions next!

[abrunettefangirlnerd]

Little Bird

Request: wanted to ask you if you could do a Loki x teen!Reader. Where the reader meets Loki in some way and she touches him and connect their souls 'cause she has powers she doesn't know about. And then some day she's in pain or smth and Loki feels it and comes to her. And she finds out she just can connect her soul with someone she trusts. And loki is all sweet ? And angst maby. Please and thank you.

Pairing: Loki Odinson x teen!Reader

Chapter: 1/2

Warning: some slight violence that it not really graphic but thought I’d warn you!

            The ground beneath your feet trembles as the latest villain of New York decides they are powerful enough to take on the Avengers. Living in the city you thought you would get used to this, but every time is different and equally terrifying. Your parents have suggested that you all move. A suggestion you have constantly protested till you were blue in the face. Despite all the danger, you feel as though it is where you belong.

             A team of nanobots cling together as they tear a hole in the wall in front of you. Before you could react, the nanobots swarm over your body and carry you out of the window of your high school. The wind ripples through your hair as your screams illuminate the sky around you. Then suddenly you are falling. The nanobots let go of you right over the chaos of moving cars and frantic people not paying attention.

             Two arms grab you from impending death and a sense of calm washes over you. Looking into an ocean of blue eyes, you find them looking into your (Y/E/C) orbs. An unnatural electricity travels from your skin into his fingertips. It is as if a part of you knows this man, but yet you’ve never met before. Despite the calming sensation radiating off of him, your heart begins to flutter at an irregular rate. Excitement, longing, and safety overwhelms your system as you feel the possibility of fainting approach.

“Hold on a moment little bird.” His accent leaks into your conscious and you find yourself releasing a breath you’ve been holding. “We are almost there.”

             Tearing your eyes from his, you try to take in the rest of his appearance. He is lean but still a little muscular. Shiny, long dark hair flows in the wind behind him like smoke. His face is slender and you swear you’ve seen him before, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.

             Your time is cut too short, to your dismay. The mystery man returns you to the front of your high school. His careful touch directs you to sit on the steps leading to the front set of doors. You look into his eyes one last time and feel a pain of sadness heave from your chest. All you want to do is stay in his arms and stare into his eyes.

“Oh my god!” Your best friend Cami exclaims behind you. “Loki just saved your life!”

“Who?” You slowly stand up with Cami’s help. Still dazed, but your eyes don’t leave him until he is out of view.

“You know! Loki is Thor’s brother, the Avenger. Super muscular, hot, and strong.”

             Loki just saved your life. A god you barely knew but somehow felt like you did. He stopped what he was doing and saved you, out of anyone else in New York. That kind of stuff just didn’t happen right? It just happened by chance, that must be the reason. Though, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself, there is something in the way it felt to be around him that you couldn’t shake.

Two Years Later

             Walking home from the latest dance club, you think about how much fun you’ve had tonight. Today was your 17th birthday and Cami took you out dancing because she knows it is your favorite thing to do.  You’ve always loved how the music can sway your body. For you it is much more of the feeling of the music versus the lyrics.

             You turn down an alley leading to a shortcut to your apartment a few blocks down. Normally you don’t walk alone at night or you get a cab, but there it is really hard to get a cab this late at night. Besides, it isn’t too terribly far of a walk.

             Two men lounge against an old rotting dumpster in the middle of the alley. They talk to each other in hushed whispers that sends an unsettling shiver up your spine. Everything about this feels wrong and you go to turn around when they spot you.

“Hey, don’t walk away from us!” The man shouts. “We know you saw us. Let’s just chat.”

             Attempting to sprint in heals is not a good plan. No one can actually do it and it is a good way to lose one’s balance. Thankfully you catch yourself before you completely fall to the ground, but it allows the men extra time to get to you.

             One grabs you by the arm and pulls your body close to his. You can smell the tobacco seeping from his clothes into your nostrils. You’ve never been one to like the smell, your uncle smokes and would often blow the residue in your face. The smell has left you extremely nauseous and sensitive over the years.

You almost don’t notice the gun the second man pulls out from his belt. As your mind detects what is going on, the man holding you grabs for your purse. It is small but does happen to carry your credit card, and a few twenty-dollar bills. You don’t put up much of a fight. You’ve always been told that if someone had a gun and wanted your purse, to just give it to them. It’s not worth your life.

“What do you think Hal?” The man with the gun asks. “Think we should let her go so easily? Or should we have some fun first?”

             A lump forms in the back of your throat as you process what he is saying. Limb paralyzing fear immobilizes your body. Your mind is screaming at your legs to move, but they don’t obey the command. The man holding you pulls out a knife and gently grazes the cool metal against your cheek.

“Pretty girls sting.” The man Hal sings. “But so do boys with broken wings.”

             A cool sharp pain congregates on your face, your cheek. The man holding the knife slowly cuts your skin deep enough for blood to slowly drip from your pierced skin. As an inhuman sound erupts from your throat, the second man covers his hand over your mouth and grabs it to keep from moving. Tears stream down your face. Forming a new gloss over your cut, causing it to sting worse than before.

             You can now feel the flat part of the blade float over your collarbone. The man removes it like before, and you await the next cut on your flesh. But it never comes. In fact the men release you from their grasps and you see them running for their lives down the alley. It occurs to you that you should be running too. If there is something scary enough to make them run, then you definitely do not want to stick around.

             However, your body still does not want to comply with your thoughts. One step in that direction sends your body tumbling to the concrete below. But like the second cut of the knife, you do not feel your body meet the ground. Instead two familiar arms catch you and curl you closer to their owner.

“You have some explaining to do, little bird.”

**

             You wake up in your own bed and in a fresh set of pajamas from your drawer. Remembering what happened in the alley your hand shoots up to your cheek. Feeling all around your skin; you expect to find stitches, an open cut, or at the least a scar. There is nothing. In disbelief you stand up and rush to a mirror in your room, but it only confirms the impossible.

“You should lay back down.” A deep alluring voice from behind makes you jump from your skin. “There is a chance you could be in shock.”

             Whipping your head around you come face to face with him once again. Your mysterious man that saved you in the clouds, Loki. Examining him, you see that very little has changed. His frame is still lean but muscular, tall, and his dark hair rests around his shoulders. Every inch of him calls out to you like before and you feel instantly safe.

“Why are you here? How did you know I was in trouble?” Your voice is horse, barely over a whisper but just as strong.

“I should be asking you that question.” Loki takes a step closer to you slowly, trying not to startle you. “Two years ago I started being able to sense when you are in trouble or scared. Most of the time is was false alarms. You getting in trouble at school, or with your parents, when you are watching a scary movie. Of which you probably should stop watching, I don’t think it is very healthy for your heart to experience such distress.”

             Loki’s movements continue, slow and methodical. As if he is approaching a wild beast and does not want to provoke it. The closer he gets the more intoxicated by his presence you are. Once he stops just a few inches from you, you finally process what he said.

“What are you saying?”

“I think you linked us. I don’t think you are an ordinary human like everyone else. There is something…” He smiles before continuing, “extraordinary about you. And I mean that in the best of ways.”

             Nothing could keep away the dash of blush that filters through your cheeks. Obviously Loki noticed it as well and a greater smile crosses his lips. You are hit with another wave of intoxication as you revisit the pleasure of how close he is to you. Before you could say or do anything, you feel your legs threaten to give way. Loki notices this too and gently helps you back to your bed.

             Loki peels back the covers on your mattress as you slip underneath them. A new sense of fear engulfs you at the possibility that he will leave. That he will disappear out your window and you’ll never see him again. Or at the very least, another two years.

“Please don’t go.” You’re voice sounds like a begging child. Signaling, you direct Loki to lay down next to you in your bed. He quickly obliges like he had no intention of leaving at all.

“How do you know where I live?” You ask.

“Don’t be frightened okay?” Loki’s fingers lightly trace your arm in a back-and-forth motion. “After the first intense episode of your distress, I was worried and wanted to check on you. I got your address from a… friend.” You smile as you get the feeling the person he is referring to isn’t entirely his buddy. “Then it just became a habit. At night I would visit to give me some peace of mind that you are safe. It’s strange, I’ve never cared so much for a mortal to stay alive.”

“But you said I’m different.” You interject and Loki just nods in agreement. “When you saved me a couple years ago, and even right now, I feel this connection like I know you. Or that I am supposed to know you. I swear almost every night I have dreams about you.”

             Loki’s soft chuckles lightly move your bed. Unsure of what could be so funny, you knit your eyebrows together and look up at his perfect god-like face. How is it possible for one person to be this gorgeous?

“I know you dream about me.” Loki tries to contain his laughter. “I’ve heard you call my name a few times. It is very fun for me.”

             You playfully smack his chest. Of which just makes him laugh more than before. Not able to resist the contagiousness of his laugh, you join in too as you hide your face in the side of his body. An uncontrollable heat spreads through your face and you would be embarrassed for him to see.

             But Loki doesn’t let you off the hook that easily. Knowing that you are virtually unmovable, Loki positions his body to shrink down to your eye level. His beautiful blue eyes pierce yours, bypassing your wards and right into your soul. Never have you met someone who can make your toes curl by just one look.

“Before two years ago I didn’t know what was missing.” Loki’s soft voice brushes against your nose, drawing you in. “I thought just watching over you during the night… I thought it was enough. But being this close. I don’t think I can leave.”

“Then don’t.” Your words are so soft, you’re not sure you actually said them.

             Loki’s fingers move some free hairs from your face, and you are reminded of how he is only a few inches away from you. Uncontrollably, your heart begins to race and you wonder if he can feel it too. If he does, Loki offers no indication of the sort.

As he tucks the last bit behind your ear his hand rests on the side of your face. His thumb strokes the skin just below your eye before his finger traces the line of your jaw. Keeping near the section that joins your neck, his fingers explore that part of you as well. Little electrical butterflies are left behind in their place, exciting every cell in your body.

Loki’s lips cautiously brush against yours. Lighting the ignition, you close your eyes and deepen the kiss. You become suddenly afraid he may take his initial action back. But those fears are chased away by Loki pulling your body closer to his own. Your limbs intertwine with his as you both attempt to close any gap between.

Still not satisfied with the perceived distance, Loki partially hovers his body over yours as his free hand travels down your waist. Meanwhile, you run your fingers though his locks of dark hair. Pulling on a strand or two, you find that he secretly loves it. Even though he may deny it later.

Your body glides with his as your heartbeats rise with new demands. Then suddenly there is nothing but air around you. Loki is gone. Taking the opportunity to catch your breath, you look around your room and find Loki sitting on your window sill. His breathing is has heavy as your own.

“I’m sorry.” He manages to say.

             Suddenly you feel very exposed. All your clothing is intact but you’ve never felt more naked. Does he regret what happened? Is he going to leave? Will he ever come back?

“Don’t mistake my apology as a sign of regret.” It’s like he can read your mind, or at least your face. “I just… I can be dangerous if I get carried away. I don’t think I could bare something happening to you, especially at my hand.”

             You nod, trying to decide if you believe him. Loki is almost out of your room, only one simple move and he can disappear well into the night. But he doesn’t. Instead, Loki slips back into your room and watches your eyes intently for a sign to stop. His body repositions next to yours and you rest your head against his chest as his arms wrap around you protectively.

“Sleep, little bird.” Loki’s voice draws you to sleep. “Tomorrow we will figure out how special you truly are.”

Chapter 2

Taglist: @drabby-abby​