#the snaps were like irrelevant by then I didn’t want her to have to listen to them lol

[aemondtragaryen-archived]

when the one person I had talked to about my sexuality crisis ghosted me and I just remembered this and I can’t talk to anyone else about this rn. happy pride. i guess

[rxgueone]

TRUST

Word count: 3,235

Summary: Austin gets ready with his family to the Elvis premiere.

Warnings: Fluff, all I can think of.

Tags: none.

Note: Bro, I wrote this while watching Skate 3 clips. My inspiration behind my stories actually sucks.

MASTERLIST — SERIES

—

The blonde sat alone. His gray eyes bore into the wall, with his hands clasped up into a fist. He wore earbuds, as far as he was concerned, grunge was the perfect genre to listen to when he needed to focus. He was silent, a furrowed expression plastered on his face. He had to go to his premiere soon, it was only a day away. And he was stressing out.

He had a little girl, about six to seven years old. Who hadn’t been in the public much, would be under immense pressure. He didn’t want her to get overwhelmed. Understanding the fact that she wasn’t use to having photos taken of her, he didn’t want her to stress out, or panic. He was worried over her, very worried about her.

His wife on the other hand, had been calm the entire time. She was cooing to their daughter, comforting her. His wife had known how important tomorrow would’ve been for him, how special it was, how dear it was. She wanted everything to be perfect for him. She was seen crouching down in front of their daughter. “Are you excited for daddy’s big day, Leia?” She cooed, holding her daughter’s little hand.

“Yep yep!” Leia jumped up.

“Alright sweet girl,” she smiled, “which dress would you like to wear?” Holding out two black dresses.

“I want to match with daddy!” She decided triumphantly. His wife frowned slightly, knowing that she couldn’t pick up a suit.

“We don’t have a suit for you.” His wife shook her head. “Unless-“ cutting herself off and poking her head up, she could see her husband spacing out. Looking back at their daughter, “wait here, darling.” She kissed their daughter’s forehead before walking back to her husband. “Austin,” snapping him back to reality.

He blinked his eyes, looking up. “Hm?” Taking out his earbuds. “Yes, Rose?” His music was blaring through his earbuds. Quickly getting his phone from his pocket, he stopped the music. Clenching his jaw from embarrassment.

Rose sighed when watching him. She knew the song was Aneurysm by Nirvana, she could tell by the screaming. Which was irrelevant to what she wanted to discuss with him. She looked at Leia who was focused on playing with her toy cars. Then back at her husband. “Do you have any of the suits you wore when you were little?”

“Why do you ask? I mean I do— but why?” He got off the seat, standing in front of Rose. The feeling of going through his closet to find them seemed inevitable to him.

“Leia wants to match with you.” She pushed her hair away from her face before folding her arms across her chest.

“But…” Austin breathed, glancing at the two of them, “I thought you two were matching dresses.”

“No- Austin,” shaking her head, “she wants to match with you. Do you think your suits fit her?”

He stood still, thinking to himself before nodding his head. Leia was about the same height as him when he was seven. So he figured his old suits would fit her. “Yeah, I got somethin’ babe.”

“Good.” Stepping away from him, she reached back to quickly peck his lips in thanks. “I’ll go get her and you go find your suits.”

“Well it’s just-“

“Hurry up, the day isn’t young.” Walking away from him quickly. He raised his brows with a smirk.

“Demanding as always.” He said under his breath before making his way back to the closet upstairs.

Rose crouched in front of Leia again. “Do you want to try on daddy’s suits from when he was little?”

Leia let out an audible gasp. Indicating that she was eager to try them on. Rose smiled and held her hand, leading her up back to their bedroom so they could go into the closet to find something.

Austin was digging around in his closet. Grumbling to himself as he searched for his old suits. His mother had given them to him, in case Leia would want to see what he wore.

Rose was standing behind Austin, and Leia had jumped onto his back. Which caused his knee to buckle from underneath him, his head hitting the wall. Rose smiled when she heard the audible thump, trying to hold back her laughter. “Hey Leia,” Austin turned his head to face his little girl with his hand rubbing his temple, “what’s up, princess?”

“Momma says you have suits from when you were little.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah I do.” He nodded his head. Rose listened to him digging through his closet before finding a little blazer, some slacks, and a little button up. “Here, see?” Holding it up so Leia could see. He got up from the ground, feeling Leia’s legs wrap around his waist as she held onto him.

He turned back to see Rose in front of him. “You found a suit.” She smiled when she saw him holding it out. “Good, thank you darling.” Going on her tiptoes, she pecked his cheek. He nodded his head, smiling proudly before handing her the pieces to make the outfit. She took it in her grasp, laying them out on the bed. Then went behind Austin to pull Leia away from his back, carrying their daughter in her arms before setting her down on the bed.

“Well, I’ll be outside reading.” Austin got the hint that Leia would be trying on the suit he managed to find. “Call me when you need me.” Exiting the bedroom, he went back downstairs to the dining room to read.

Rose heard the door shut, then kneeled down in front of Leia. “It’s black,” looking at the blazer, “it matches daddy’s blazer. Do you want to wear this?”

“Mhm, definitely!” Leia was nodding her head as she reached over the bed. Rose plucked her off the ground, plopping her down on top of the bed.

Rose smiled at her daughter. Leia was a daddy’s girl, she had taken the same interests Austin had taken. He liked cars, and books. Would often read alone, but at times. Leia would sit on his lap, while he would read a little story book to her.

Austin owned a white 2017 Mustang ecoboost, that he was currently working on it. He completely took out the L4 engine of the Mustang to exchange it for a 5.9 liter 12-valve cummins engine. Which to Rose was insane, but she supported the idea. Due to the fact the Mustang somehow got better gas mileage. 30 miles to the gallon, which was impressive considering it use to be 14 miles to the gallon with the L4.

Leia knew of this little project of his. She was there throughout the whole project. Even watched her own father tear the Mustang apart to put a new engine in. Watched him throw the hood off, attach a new hitch on the back, debadge the car, add a new shifter to it, change the oil, Leia was there throughout the whole process. She loved watching Austin and the team down by the shop work on the car.

When Leia had put the blazer on, she stood in front of the mirror. Her blonde hair was braided in fishtails. Holding her blue Mach One, she stared at the mirror with a smile. Rose stood behind her. “Whad’ya think sweet girl?” She asked her daughter in a soft tone.

“Good!” She beamed, satisfied.

“Wanna show daddy?”

“Nuh uh, I wanna surprise him for tomorrow.”

“Good idea.” Rose admitted. She looked at the little clock that was on their nightstand. 8PM it read. Letting out a hefty sigh. “Alright, off to bed hm? You got a big day tomorrow.” She kissed the top of Leia’s head. Who let out a whine, but reluctantly nodded. Knowing that her father would read her a bed time story.

—

Rose could hear the bedroom door open, and she saw Austin walk in with a book in his hand. It had a bookmark clearly visible, and she smiled. “How’d the story go?” Her voice was gentle, soft and delicate, soft like the setting sun.

“Good.” His voice was the polar opposite, husky and ragged, reflecting that of used leather. Walking over to her, they both exchanged a quick kiss. Putting the book down on the nightstand, he sat on his side of the bed. His fingers stroking the nape of his neck, thinking to himself.

“You alright?” She scooted closer to him, her hands massaging his shoulders.

“Course,” glancing back at her. He took her hand into his, kissing her palm, “to be honest, I’m kinda just stressed out for tomorrow.” He revealed to her. She nodded her head before wrapping her arms around his torso from behind him, her cheek pressed up against his back.

“Well, Leia and I just want you happy.” She spoke softly. “That’s all we want, just you happy. Seeing you stressed, stresses us out too.”

He nodded his head, his fingers caressing hers.

“You’ll do great tomorrow.” She continued on, knowing full well that he was intently listening to her. “Just be yourself, nobody likes someone who is fake.”

“But-“ slightly turning his head, her eyes looked up. Seeing a bit of his jawline. A bit of worry slipped into his tone, “my voice-?”

“Austin, that’s just what happens when you change your dialect for two years straight.” She brushed it off, slightly annoyed with why he was bothered with his voice. She liked it, she always did. “I mean personally, me, I still like how you sound.”

“Oh.”

“You’re thirty-one, not twenty-one, there’s obviously gonna be a significant difference.” Pulling away from him. She kissed the back of his head. “Plus Leia, thinks you’re still good at telling stories.”

“Leia’s a daddy’s girl.” He acknowledged.

“Exactly.” Getting off the bed quickly, she went to the bathroom, and he got off to join her. Knowing full well that they would always brush their teeth together. Sometimes when Leia was still awake, they’d brush their teeth with her.

When all was done. They had both laid in bed together. With his arm over her waist, their hands intertwined, and her head on his chest. Rose listened to his heartbeat, her fingers tracing little hearts on his chest. As she felt his hands caressing her waist. Austin had taken note of the pink nightie she wore and how pretty she looked. It was pulled up to reveal some of her bare skin. Which was soft and smooth, it felt nice to touch.

“Y’know Austin,” Rose started, “never blame yourself for what’s to come, okay?”

“Huh?” Austin was confused, raising a brow. “Whad’ya mean, darling?”

“I mean- if anything happens to our family. Don’t blame yourself, okay?” She propped herself up on her elbow. Her brown eyes bore into his gray eyes, she was serious.

He gave a proper nod. “I won’t honey, but whad’ya talkin’ about? You’re my forever, nothin’s gonna happen to you.” He scoffed, holding her hand.

Rose frowned a bit but gave him a gentle kiss, then laid her head back onto his chest. She said nothing for a bit as she listened to his heartbeat. “Austin, just trust time, okay?”

“I know.” He had gotten this pep talk before. Rose would often comfort him in his days of doubt with those exact words. “I know, Rose.”

“Good.” She closed her eyes. “I love you, and I’m so so proud of you. You’ve came a long way. And I’m sure Leia is proud of you too.”

“Thank you.” He replied, followed with a few moments of silence, and before Austin had known. She was already asleep. Poking his head up a bit, he smiled at the sight of his sleeping wife.

—

Austin stood in front of the mirror with Leia in front of him. He tilted his head a bit, and he could hear Rose behind him searching for her earrings. He was checking his black cufflinks, with Leia copying every motion he was doing. His fingers went towards his gold wedding band, fiddling with it and making sure it was straight on his ring finger.

Rose fell to his side once she found her earrings, touching his chest so he could turn around to face her. He leaned down a bit when he saw her, and she touched his bowtie. “It’s crooked.” She muttered, straightening it.

“My fault.” He apologized, his hand resting on top of Leia’s head. His eyes watched her mother and father, intrigued with how Rose was treating Austin. When Rose pulled away from him, he looked back at the mirror with Leia. His eyes wandering over to her suit, it fit her, although the bowtie that was given to her was much too big. Due to the fact that it was fit for a fully grown man rather than a small child. “Honey,” he kneeled down to his daughter’s side, “you wanna put on my bolo tie instead?”

“What’s that?” She looked at him.

“You’ll see, darling.” He got up, and Rose had already gotten his bolo tie, as if they were thinking the same thing. He kissed her cheek and whispered a gentle thank you against her ear, then quickly kneeled down to undo the bowtie that Leia was wearing. Replacing it with his bolo tie, which was of a cow skull.

He looked back in the mirror, nodding his head in approval. Which caused Leia to nod her head in agreement. Austin put the bowtie back on the bed, glancing at the time, then stood beside Rose. “We should leave now, the driver will be here soon…” he began, glancing at Leia who climbed onto the bed. Holding her blue Mach One.

“I have everything.” Rose nodded her head, knowing what Austin was going to say. Her fingers quickly intertwined with her husband, she called Leia over to join the duo.

The duo, now a trio had made their way downstairs then to the door, and Austin opened the front door. Letting Leia run out to the car, she was greeted with the driver, who smiled brightly at her. “Matching with your father I see?” They laughed.

However, before Austin and Rose left the house. Austin felt Rose slightly tug back on his hand. Which had made him recoil, looking back at her.

“What is it, my love?” His tone was sweet, but a hint of worry slipped in.

“Y’know,” she began, letting go of his hand to cup his unshaven face, “whatever happens, you shouldn’t blame yourself.” Her voice was soft, and her eyes seemed to be looking deeply into his gray eyes.

He said nothing for a few moments. His brows slightly furrowed from confusion as to why she would suddenly tell him this, considering their talk the night before. His eyes darkened a bit, they had been examining her face. As if searching for an answer as to why she would randomly tell him this. After a few moments of silence, he spoke. “I won’t, Rose.” Promising her that, he gave her a subtle nod.

“Good,” she smiled at his words, going on her tiptoes to kiss him. “I love you, never forget that.”

“I love you too darling, I love you more than anything.”

“Never blame yourself.” She pressed her index finger upon his lips. He nodded his head once more, promising her he wouldn’t. She giggled lightly, thinking he was silly. Finally, she walked through the door, with Austin following behind.

—

Breathing heavily, he brought his hand up to his face. Rubbing his eyes harshly, he sat up. Blinking his eyes wildly, with his hands brushing his hair back. Clearing his throat, he looked down at his hand. Which was shaking madly, holding it still with his other. He dug his nail into his wrist until blood seeped out.

“Another dream?” He heard a familiar voice. He looked up, seeing his butler. Fredrick stood above him at the side of the bed. “Your premiere isn’t in another few hours.” He commented, as if he was trying to put Austin back to bed.

“I saw her.” He simply said, ignoring the comment, he threw the blankets off of himself. Then sat at the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. “It was real Fredrick, I could feel her. Her skin… everything, I felt everything!” He snarled from frustration, glaring up at him before staring back down at the ground. “She spoke to me.”

Fredrick watched calmly. “What did she tell you.”

“Not to blame myself.” He spat through gritted teeth. Balling up his hands, Fredrick grabbed a handkerchief to wipe the blood off Austin’s wrist.

He made Austin hold out his hand as Fredrick began wiping it off. Staining the white handkerchief with crimson splotches. “She loves you, sir.” Fredrick knew Austin needed to be consoled. “It isn’t your fault, none of it is.”

“If I had-“

“No,” Fredrick cut him off, “Austin.” He crouched down to look at his friend square. Who was now nibbling on his lower lip with furrowed brows, his eyes were bloodshot, watery. His leg was shaking uncontrollably, fiddling with his wedding band to calm himself down. Fredrick inhaled, “it’s not your fault. What happened to Rose, none of it, none of it is your fault.”

“You don’t get it.” He growled. “I promised to always be there for her. I swore I’d love her forever. I swore it Fredrick!” Pure spite towards himself was the only thing Fredrick could sense. “I said I’d always be there for her! But, when she needed me I wasn’t—“ he cut himself short, his nail digging into his wrist again. Huffing, he looked at Fredrick. Blinking his tears away now. “I trusted time, and what did it to me? It took my wife from me.”

Fredrick looked at Austin in silence. Searching for something, but, it seemed as if he couldn’t find it. Fredrick knew for as long as Austin lived, he would keep blaming himself every single night. He stood up and walked over to Austin’s bookshelf, grabbing a journal. A pen out of his pocket, he walked back over to Austin, “Well, you don’t want to forget her do you?”

Austin tilted his head, puzzled.

“You said you were able to feel her this time, correct?”

Nod.

“Then write it down. So you’ll never forget this dream.” Fredrick advised. “You write down all your other dreams that are about her anyways.” He glanced over at the bookshelf. “Even though none of them have ever made you this upset… regardless, it is still a dream of your beloved.” Trying to find a way to calm Austin down, his hands held out the pen and journal, waiting for Austin to take them. “I suggest you write before your premiere starts, sir.” He had noticed that Austin’s eyes weren’t watery anymore, he seemed calmer, not as emotional.

“Right…” Austin finally took the journal and pen, opening it to an empty page. “I just… I just miss her, Fred.”

“Aye,” Fredrick nodded, understanding his friend, “I too, miss her every day. But,”

“Hm?”

“She showed you the bests in life, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And you have a daughter. Might I suggest,” Fredrick held his index finger up, tapping the air lightly, “you too, show her the best things your wife showed you.”

Silence.

“I mean, that’s what Rose wanted. To show you both the bests in life.”

Austin nodded his head in agreement. He smirked his head, shaking it before looking at Fredrick’s eyes. “Wanna know sum’n, Fred?”

Fredrick cocked a brow. “Yes, sir?”

“God played me with that fuckin’ dream, dude.” He couldn’t wipe that stupid smirk off his face. And Fredrick chuckled in both amusement as well as agreement, nodding his head.

[noodlecupcakeswritings]

A Second Chance - Chapter 5 (LokiXOC)

After the snap and losing her husband, Raven tries to settle on New Asgard with Thor and Valkyrie. But even after losing Loki twice before this time around doesn’t make it any easier. Until a variant of Loki shows up looking for her. Could this be the second chance they both need?

This the next fic in my canon Loki/Raven series. Obviously theres a big time jump from Thor (2011) to Avengers: Infinity War but this fic will tie up lose ends and cover that time jump at some point. So you will be filled in on what I have not written.

A/N: I am very sorry for the massive wait between chapters for this fic, was dealing with burnout and took a break and Im still dealing with day to day mental health struggles. But I will do my best to upload more regularly.

Warnings: Angst, Feels, Flashback chapter, Canon Character death, Technically no Raven in this chapter 

Chapter 5

Loki

After a drastic change in clothing and scenery, I was only given the bare minimum information by a small orange talking clock that called herself Miss Minutes. I was still just as clueless now as when the TVA had shown up. And what was more frustrating was learning that my magic didn’t work here, meaning I would have to go down the more difficult route if I wanted to escape. But if I could get one of their portal opening devices, I could go anywhere I wanted. And I wasn’t just limited to time and space. I could travel to an entirely different universe. Somewhere they wouldn’t find me.

Now I was sitting in what felt like an interrogation room, opposite Mobius. Whilst he claimed to be a fan and wanted to help, I couldn’t help but feel he was mocking me, being patronizing, and asking me completely irrelevant questions. Eventually, he grew tired of my metaphors and my refusal to believe that the TVA were the ones pulling the strings on everything in my life, in everyone’s lives. Pressing a few buttons on his computer, a scene was projected on the wall for us both to view.

It showed me being led into Asgard’s throne room in chains before there was a cold interaction between my mother and I. Whilst my mother was trying to lessen my punishment; I was still determined to push her away, as if she were to blame for all this. The scene changed to another interaction between us, mother was still trying to get through to me, but I was too stubborn, too angry to listen.

I didn’t understand what I was watching. It couldn’t be real; I didn’t recall any of this. “What is this?” I asked. “Your timeline. All the things that were supposed to happen, that have happened to another you. This is more of a highlight reel, though,” Mobius explained. “Another me?” “We’ll get that in a second.”

The scene changed again, showing me giving directions to a horned beast. “You thought you were telling them where Thor was,” Mobius spoke, “when really you led them to her.” I watched in horror as my mother’s death played out before me, a pit forming in my stomach. My eyes glassed over, and I averted my gaze, unable to watch any longer. “Stop it! If this is some kind of torture method, then you’ve made your point!” I declared.

Mobius fast-forwarded the tape, the audio continuing to play even as I refused to watch. “Loki, this is beautiful,” came Raven’s voice. Hearing her voice again hurt more than I thought it would, but it regained my attention. Even if it was just to see her through someone else’s memories. Raven and I were standing at the edge of a meadow on Asgard.

“I know I haven’t spent a lot of time with you lately, but I wanted to make sure we had our wedding anniversary together,” I said to her. We were soon sitting on a picnic blanket, sharing food, before I produced a square box and handed it to her. Raven opened it, her smile growing. She pulled out a gold choker shaped like a snake, its eyes made from emeralds, and put it around her neck. “It’s perfect, this is perfect. Thank you,” she said.

Scene after scene played out before me, Odin dying, Thor and I fighting side by side, the destruction of Asgard, and finally Thanos invading the ship for the tesseract. This was all too familiar to me, only this time it wasn’t Raven that was murdered by him. It was me. The footage ended and Mobius turned the computer off. “So, if I hadn’t taken the tesseract and escaped. If I hadn’t lost my wife and avenged her, I would have still died. All of that would still have happened?” I asked.

“It, technically, has happened. When you escaped The Avengers with the tesseract, you made an alternate timeline, meaning another you, he explained. “And Raven is alive in that timeline?” “Yes. She’s still alive.” Now I began to put two and two together. Mobius was using her as bait to get me to do what he wanted. But if it meant I could see her again, I’d do anything. It would be like her Loki had never left, I could replace him with ease and vice versa.

“I need your help catching a variant. I need someone who thinks like a Loki and who better than you? You do this for me, catch this variant, then I’m sure I can work something out and you can go to that timeline, be with Raven, and live happily ever after. But if you try anything or double cross me, then I’ll prune you myself,” Mobius warned. “Where do we start?” Mobius smiled, happy to hear I was going to be cooperative. The sooner I caught this variant, the sooner I could be with Raven.

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

Mobius had agreed to let me have a few of Raven’s tapes, only when I made progress. It proved to act as further incentive, although he was very selective about which tapes he gave me. Thankfully, it was nothing from her past before she had met me; I didn’t wish to see the abuse she’d suffered as a child at the hands of her father. Each tape came with a timeline number, date, time, and location. November 23rd, 2013, Asgard.

Raven was led into the throne room before Odin by two of the guards. Her wrists and ankles were shackled together, the cuffs likely special so that she couldn’t use her abilities to escape, much like I hadn’t been able to use my magic. “Those won’t be necessary,” Odin declared. The guards freed her from her bonds before being dismissed by Odin, leaving him and Raven alone.

“What do you want?” She spat, “unless you’re going to let me go back to Earth after I have buried my husband, I don’t care for what you have to say to me.” “Raven-“ “You know, whilst I didn’t agree with all of Loki’s actions, I know that he only did them based on what he’d seen or heard you do as a boy. Everything he ever did was to impress you so that you would love him in the same way you love Thor! But nothing was ever good enough for you! You're nothing but a cruel old man who didn’t deserve either of his sons!”

I watched, completely stunned by Raven’s words, her bravery to stand up to my father in a way I never could. I half expected him to banish her or strike her down there and there. But strangely, he only smirked before his form changed to her Loki. He’d been pretending to be Odin after having faked his death. This took both me and her by surprise. “Darling, is that any way to speak to your king?” He asked. Raven’s surprise turned to anger in a matter of seconds.

“You had me believe you were dead this whole fucking time?!” Raven yelled as she stormed over to him. “I had to make it seem believable, I didn’t want to keep the truth from you, but I needed you to play your part,” Loki explained. She still wasn’t impressed and slapped him across the face. “I deserved that,” Loki said.

There was a knock on my door, and I paused the tape, calling Mobius inside. It was only ever Mobius that knocked, anyone else barged in thinking that because I was a variant, I didn’t deserve privacy. Mobius stood in the doorway, smiling kindly. I had to admit, over the few months we had worked together; he had grown on me. “I got a lead for you,” he stated, “it might not be much.” “Something is better than nothing.”

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The female variant had been successfully captured and pruned after a year of chasing her across timelines and universes. A part of me doubted Mobius would stay true to his word, mainly because Judge Renslayer was still not a fan of me, nor I her. But thankfully Mobius managed to talk her round.

Mobius opened his tempad and input the details before an orange doorway appeared before us. I knew this would likely be the last time I ever saw Mobius, and I had to admit I felt a little heartbroken at the thought. He’d been a good friend in a time I had needed one most. “Well, this is it, one-way ticket to freedom,” Mobius smiled, “maybe if I ever get some time off, I could come visit.” “I’d like that. Perhaps we could rent a jet ski for you to finally try.”

Mobius chuckled, “I’d like that.” He offered his hand to me, but instead I pulled him into a hug. Mobius was surprised at first, but soon accepted it. “Thank you. For everything,” I said. We pulled away and Mobius wished me luck before I stepped through the orange doorway, ready to find Raven.

Taglist: @jana-banana-fana​, @afangirlshideaway​, @kittyofalltrades​

[mkfluffluv]

He Doesn’t Mind

MARC SPECTOR X GN READER

prompt : marc didn’t plan on falling for your loud mouth but he does anyway.

hello it me, back at it again with the writing. english isn’t my first language blah blah blah you get the gist. likes and reblogs appreciated!! leave me requests and i’ll (probably) write it :D

warnings : maybe slightly ooc? i don’t know, id like to imagine marc would be a nervous wreck when around the people he likes. other than that, this is just more fluff 

word count : 2334

italics is steven and bold is jake

masterlist

Marc Spector doesn't usually go on dates. After the events of Ammit and his divorce with Layla, it's been hard for him to really commit himself to relationships. Sure, he's had his fair share of drunken hookups that earns him a good and loud nagging from Steven with Jake snickering behind him whenever he's there, but long-term relationships have just never been something he looked for. There are too many risks, too many complications what with the two other men living in the body, and his nightly job of serving Khonshu as his fist of vengeance. Marc doesn't have time for relationships, and neither does Jake. Maybe Steven does but the man is as smooth as sandpaper so the chances of that are slim.

That is, until one day, Marc switches in the middle of Steven's morning shift as a gift shopist and is greeted by the sight of well, you. You were rambling about these weird-looking jellies that you waved around in your hand, talking on and on about their inaccuracies and irrelevance to Ancient Egypt history. He distinctly remembers Steven rambling about the same thing one moonlit night. Marc doesn't know why or how he switched in but this situation was not one he wanted to be in. But he stays anyway. You intrigue him.

"What I'm saying is that jellies weren't even invented at the time! They could've done anything else but jellies? It's ridiculous!" You continue to ramble, your hands flailing about as if that would help get your point across. When your gaze eventually looks away from the offending jellies and towards himself, Marc feels his breath blown away from his chest.

The glare that you send his way as if he was the one at fault for the sweet treats is, for lack of a better word, adorable. You have your arms crossed in front of your chest, nose slightly scrunched up, mouth pulled down into a frown, and brows furrowed deeply. Without Marc realizing it, he was staring with a stupid grin on his face.

When your head tilts to the side, Marc snaps out of his thoughts, mentally slapping himself. "Right, sorry. I don't handle those kinda things." He says. Your previously angry face contorts into one of confusion.

"You're American?"

Fuck. Sometimes Marc forgets that his other alter is British. Now see, he would love to attempt a British accent, but the last time he did that, an old lady had smacked him across the face, thinking he was mocking her. So, Marc decides to try and lie his way out of this.

"Yes."

Well, that wasn't really lying now, was it?

Marc mentally tells Jake to shut up, to which he does after cackling at him for a bit.

Marc clears his throat and tries to gain his composure back after his slip-up. Best Steven impression it is then. "Sorry. What was your complaint? I'll be sure to pass it over to my boss." He says, his attempt at a British accent possibly not as bad as before as you seem to shrug the matter off immediately.

"Never mind that I'll just talk to your boss myself." You say, before stomping off towards wherever Steven’s boss is.

After Marc sees that you're out of hearing distance, he quietly calls out Steven's name. He has a favor to ask.

-

Apparently, according to Steven, you are a regular visitor, always coming to the gift shop to complain about certain souvenirs to his boss, Donna, whenever she's there. Steven never interrupted them, only listened intently as you pretty much talk her ear off. He'd always found it amusing, but when you came to complain about the jellies to him, he panicked and switched with Marc.

Marc, wanting to see you again, asks Steven for a favor. At first, Steven did not want to be a part of whatever scheme he was trying to do but Marc then told him that it was to make up for switching with him when he wasn't prepared in the slightest, and Steven, after a few more minutes of convincing and an offer to talk to his boss about getting him the tour guide job, begrudgingly agreed.

The next day, you walk into the gift shop, and Steven switches with Marc. The plan was that Marc would talk to you and get to know you more like a normal person, but despite popular belief, Marc is not a normal person and is instead a nervous wreck when it comes to talking with people he may or may not be...interested in. ("Steven, I refuse to call it a crush, that is just childish.") So, all he does is gawk and stare as you talk and talk and talk, complaining about everything to Donna, starting with the jellies from before to whatever else there is to complain about the museum. Donna mostly ignores you though, seemingly used to this behavior from you.

Marc does eventually get the courage to talk to you though. Once you finish your complaining and Donna walks away from the gift shop, Marc clears his throat and greets you by going "So, jellies huh?" of all things which is so lame, that he briefly thinks Steven had taken over for a second. You're taken aback of course, probably by the American accent that seems to come from a man you previously thought was British. But you seem to completely brush it off and let out an exasperated sigh, though smiling at him nonetheless. "Donna never listens. I've told her so many times that the merchandise is wrong but she completely ignores me like I'm just some kind of annoying bug," you continue to ramble with Marc only half-listening to your words, nodding and shaking his head when necessary.

It is then that the friendship between you two really started. Conversations start short but as you get to know each other, they start getting longer and longer, with you doing most of the talking and Marc chirping in with his own opinions and stories now and then. Marc had come to really enjoy your company which is odd for him since he usually was not a big fan of people who talk too much. But for some reason, as long as it's you who is doing the talking, he doesn't seem to mind at all.

After a few weeks of doing this, Marc noticed that his interest in you ("Still not calling it a crush, Steven.") had grown stronger and, if Marc's body language reading is to be trusted, then you've been showing reciprocating feelings as well. So, one day, he asks you out.

It starts like any other day with you complaining to Donna about the usual stuff and Steven switching with Marc. It's started to become sort of a routine really, one that Marc very much appreciates Steven for doing with him. Maybe Steven just likes the fact that he doesn't have to deal with Donna because of this. Either way, Marc appreciates it.

After babbling to Donna and her leaving, you stomp over to where Marc is standing and talk his ear off, the anger visibly showing in your face as you punch the air and scream into the palm of your hand now and then to not disturb any other guests in the museum. To any other person, you would look insane but to Marc? You just looked very endearing and he just couldn't help himself.

"Would you go on a date with me?"

Your body stiffens, fists pausing mid-air-punching and mouth agape. You blink. He blinks. Everything is still for just a second before-

"WHAT?!"

Marc flinches at your loud and booming voice, the people around you two immediately turn their heads to stare, including Donna who is glaring daggers into your soul. Marc glares back and Donna visibly startles, but quickly puts on her usually cocky composure before scoffing and walking further away.

He then turns to you again and watches as you profusely apologize to all the other visitors and workers in the museum for your ruckus, polite "Sorry"s and "My apologies"s pouring out your mouth. When people finally look away and focus back on their work and the artifacts, your head snaps back to him so fast, Marc is concerned for the well-being of your neck. "Yes. Of course, I'll go on a date with you." You quietly proclaim, a wide and happy grin on your face. Marc can't help but let out a quiet coo which earns him a light slap to the face from you.

-

After exchanging numbers, (Jake scolds him for never asking before and Marc ignores him, as usual.) you tell him that you don't want the date to be something too big as you’re not very used to big crowds or fancy dinners. Steven advises Marc to invite you into their humble abode and watch a movie. Marc tells Steven "That's a stupid idea, our apartment is a mess, no thanks to you." He says, his eyes drifting across the room where a variety of Steven's books and other miscellaneous items are carelessly thrown around the small studio. Steven scoffs and offers to clean up the room for him to which Marc stares at him suspiciously but agrees anyway. Jake tells him to watch your favorite movie since apparently, Marc has bad taste in movies. He can't believe they're wingmanning him right now.

So, he texts you their address, asks what your favorite movie is, and sets everything up for your small movie date. Not Marc's ideal kind of date but, it's your favorite movie. You're bound to talk a lot and Marc loves hearing you talk.

He'll tell Khonshu he won't be going on patrol today, and he will accept it as it is no matter what.

-

You never stop talking while watching the movie, pausing and commenting on every little detail that appears in each scene, and usually, this would annoy the fuck out of Marc. He likes watching his movies uninterrupted. But when it's you, and you're giving him these looks and these smiles, with your hands waving about as you explain how a certain shot was filmed, he finds that he doesn't mind. He thinks that he wouldn't mind listening to you talk and talk all day long if you would let him.

He's got it bad

Oh definitely

"Shut up." Marc quietly mutters at the annoying idiots inside of his head.

But then he hears your mouth snap shut, the comforting sound of your voice gone, making Marc turn towards you in concern. Your eyes that last shined with excitement is replaced by a gloomy look and your mouth is pulled tightly downwards into a frown. You didn't continue talking. He tilts his head in confusion at your sudden silence but before he could ask, Marc's eyes widen at the realization that you've heard him and misunderstood. He raises his hands in an act of showing comfort, his gaze automatically softening. "Not you." He says, then hesitantly grabs your hands that you had clutched close to your chest and held them in his. "God, no, not you. Please continue, I like hearing you talk." His voice is quiet at the last sentence, the tips of his ears growing red at his straight-forwardness. He doesn't take it back though when he notices the abashed look on your pretty face, the faintest pink dusted on your cheeks. Your mouth is hung open and your eyes are looking at him with so much love and adoration. If this wasn't the first date, he would've given you a short peck on the lips with how adorable you absolutely looked. Kinda reminds him of Gus a little bit.

Marc stares into your eyes for a while, the warm feeling in his heart growing warmer and warmer the longer he stares. You look beautiful like this. All of your small imperfect details glow perfectly under the light that emits from the TV. He can hear Jake urging him to "just kiss already" in the back of his head but he knows better than to listen to the man. Again, this is the first date after all.

So he takes your hands and slowly brings them up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of your knuckles. The rest of your face goes bright red at this and you quickly pull your hand away and turn your face to go back to watching the movie. If Marc wasn't paying attention, he would've been offended at this gesture but it was obvious to anyone that you were simply only flustered at his flirtatious antics.

He lets out an amused huff of laughter and continues to sit and pretend like he's paying attention to the screen when it is obvious that the only thing his attention is on, is you. You and your flailing hands and beautiful voice ramble on and on, completely drowning out Jake and Steven's teasing coming from the mirror behind him.

There are a million other voices in his head, not belonging to any of the other guys but simply his own, yelling at him that this is a bad idea, that getting attached to you is a bad idea, that even being around you right now is already a danger to your life. But, Marc doesn't focus on that. Not right now. Right now, he focuses on you and the way you've just paused the movie again, pointing at one of the characters and spouting out whatever complaint or praise that you have for them.

Marc only stares with love-struck eyes, not paying attention and thinking in his head about how terribly screwed he is for falling so fast for your loud and non-stop babbling mouth with his stupid grin that never seems to leave his face when he's around you.

So what if he's acting like a lovesick fool right now?  

If it's with you, he doesn't mind too much.

[theiauwu]

You're Gorgeous (Bakugou Katsuki)

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x reader

Word Count: 900

Genre: one shot, minor angst, fluff

This is something I wrote about how a relative insults you and our favourite little bomber isn't gonna sit there and let you take it. Sorry if it's out of character or anything. I'm not too confident in my writing skills but I'm hoping to improve as I go. Enjoy!

Also reminder that you are all beautiful no matter what anyone says!

Content Warning: gn! reader, curse words (courtesy of Bakugou), insensitive comments about weight gain/loss, suggestions of starving oneself, a little angst but with fluff ending.

*Requests are also open, just click into my profile to check out the details!!*

“Don’t you think you’re eating too much?”

Y/N sighed as they put down the spoonful of rice that was about to enter their mouth. Nodding their head showing that they agree.

Their grandmother was visiting for the weekend just because she was in town and didn’t feel like paying for a hotel.

Y/N knew that their grandmother had good intentions, at least they think so.

Good intentions, bad executions?

Katsuki who was sitting beside them had steam leaving his ears but kept his mouth shut just because he promised his fiancé that he wouldn’t say anything rude to their relative, no matter how distasteful her comments were.

But he was almost at his breaking point.

The old hag had barely been staying with them for a day and she had already made Y/N as miserable as they can be.

The constant jabs at their weight were bringing back bad memories for them and seeing the light slowly disappear from their eyes was tearing the blonde apart. He wouldn’t admit it to them but he hated seeing them like this.

Usually they would’ve snapped right back at whoever made offensive comments at them.

Their wittiness was one of the most attractive things about them. He always thought it was sexy the way they could fight back at anyone who did them any wrong, never holding back.

That’s why it infuriated him that they were just sitting there, taking all this shit from the old sag of shit just because she was related to them and had to ‘respect their families’ type of crap.

It made no fucking sense.

Why respect someone who couldn’t have the decency to keep their irrelevant thoughts to themselves.

“Ya know something Y/N?”

The grandmother opened her mouth again as Y/N stood up to clean the table while she sat back looking at her grandchild up and down.

‘No one fucking cares.’

Katsuki thought internally but chose to stay quiet as Y/N gave him a pleading look knowing fully well what he was thinking.

“You looked better while you were studying overseas, skinner ya know, maybe starving really is the way to go about it. I get that Katsuki here’s cooking is nice and all but you really should lay it off if you want to keep hi-“

Snap.

The pair of chopsticks in the pro hero’s hand broke into two.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!”

Both the people in front of him gasped and looked at him with shocked wide eyes.

“Excuse m-“

“FUCK YOUR EXCUSES! LISTEN HERE SAGGY TITS, PACK IT UP AND GET OUT!”

He has had it with the degrading comments about his fiancé’s weight and size. That last comment was the final straw. The mere suggestion of having them StArVe themself just to look a different way was too much for him to bear.

“Katsu-“

Y/N spoke up most likely trying to calm him down and defend their grandmother even though they were clearly holding back tears from the hurtful words.

“OH HELL NO! AFTER WHAT THE EXPIRED BITCH SAID YOU STILL WANNA DEFEND HER??”

The elderly woman who had stayed silent after all this time even had the audacity to look offended after all the shit she put her grandchild through.

The fact that they didn’t say anything to her insults meant that they probably had endured this all their life.

Till now that is.

Katsuki was gonna kick the raisin lookalike out of their house and then his next goal was to lecture the shit out of his lover.

No way he was gonna let them allow those insults hit them and treat it like its nothing, family or not.

After screaming more insults at his supposed grandmother in law, he had forced her to pack up and leave while he made his partner sit down in the living room couch. Any movement from them in an attempt to help the lady and he would send them the nastiest look as a warning.

He still ordered a cab for the old bat, not because he thinks they deserved it, but because he knew his significant other would feel worse than they already did.

The young pro hero sat next to Y/N on the couch while holding them to his chest.

“She’s bat shit crazy if she thinks you need to lose any weight.”

“I know but-“

“No, fuck off with that shit.”

He shut them down immediately. Not wanting to hear any more of that nonsense.

Sure he was fit as hell but that was because his career needed him to be and he personally preferred to stay in top shape.

His fiancé is the most beautiful entity in the whole damn world and no one could say shit about it. Size didn’t matter as long as they were healthy. And according to his home cooked meals and the weekly (forced) exercises together, there’s no way they weren’t healthy.

Anyone who thought otherwise can fight him.

Rest assured, he will win.

“You’re gorgeous damn it. And it’s true if I say so.”

It was then he heard them laugh.

“Something funny?”

“Pfftt- you care about me.”

“You little-“

He tackled them down the couch and started tickling them all over.

“I fucking put a ring on it no shit I care about you!”

He grinned as he watched his whole world cackle below him, the light returning to their eyes.

Peace has been restored and he would do anything for it to stay that way.

[anxioussweasley]

Christmas Is Our Season|| J.P

James Potter x Reader

Summary: You’re n love with James. He’s in love with Lily. The whole friend group is confused about their feelings. And December is quickly becoming everyone’s least favorite month. Lightly based on heather by Conan Grey, that one scene from Friends, and incredibly self indulgent. Featuring: (slight) Jily and very heavily insinuates Wolfstar 😊

Warnings: cursing, angst, hurt comfort? jealousy, brief mentions of abuse, pinning, James being an oblivious idiot.

Word count: 11.4k (I got carried away 😩😭)

A/n: PLEASE READ!!!! omg this took forever. I am so sorry this is late but I figured I would wait and let this be my Christmas gift to all of you! Hope you enjoy! Also so much of this is unnecessary but I wanted to do it all!!!!!!!

Lily evens was a good person. She was your best friend. She was kind and smart and beautiful. It wasn’t her fault. Of course he loved her. Lily Evans was a good person, she wasn’t trying to hurt you. That’s what you had to keep repeating to yourself. Because it was hard not to be angry with her. You were in love with James and he was in love with her and she didn’t even care. So here you were suffering through slughorns double potions sitting next to your best friend and trying not to hate her.

“Hey, are you okay? You look unwell, do you want me to ask the professor to excuse you?”

Scratch that it was impossible to hate her.

“I’m okay Lil’s. Just kind of knackered.” You gave her a small smile and the girl sent back a small nod before turning back to her notes.

It use to be easy to ignore the fact that the guy you like was in love with your best friend. But that was back when Lily wouldn’t even give James the time of day. Now the whole group had become friends and even though James had dialed back on asking her out incessantly, he still made his affection obvious.

“Hey!” The quiet voice came from behind lily and you already knew exactly who it was. “Hey, Lily.”

The redhead glanced at you rolling her eyes playfully before turning around to look at James. “What, Potter?”

“Me and the guys were going to Hogsmeade later. Do you want to come?” Lily let out a small chuckle.

Scratch that you kinda wished she were dead.

“And why should I go anywhere with you, Potter?”

“Because it will be fun, c’mon Sirius and Remus are coming.” James tries to convince. “Y/n are you coming?” he added, glancing toward you. Lily just replied with a short we’ll think about it before turning back to Slughorns lecture.

Peter, who was sitting behind you, let out a small laugh at James' disappointment.

“Oh, shove off Wormtail,” James mumbled.

Classes dragged on with lily contemplating James' offer. You wanted to go, after all, you were invited, and you loved hanging out with the boys. But lily was new to the group and she figured James was just trying to get a date out of her. It was now your final class of the day and one of the few you had without Lily, so here you were sat next to Remus lupin listening to the professor drag on and on.

“So James said he invited you and lily to Hogsmede,” Remus whispered as the professor started on another irrelevant tangent.

“I don’t know if invited is the word I would use. I know he only asked me because he thought that lily would come if I did.”

Remus sighed. “Y’know that’s not true.”

“It is. I'm trying not to let it get to me.”

Remus took in a deep breath. He was smart enough to know the truth.“Y/n what happens if Lily ever says yes to him.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“C’mon Y/n. It’s me. That might work with Padfoot or Wormtail or Lily but I know everything.”

Of course, he knew, you weren’t exactly subtle. “I know. I don’t know what to do. She’s my best friend and I can’t blame her, especially since she doesn’t know I have feelings for him. And he-” You and Remus's attention snapped to the front as the professor coughed before he continued to ramble on. “Well, he’s James. I don’t know what I was thinking falling for him. He’s been in love with Lily since first year… Sometimes I hate him.”

“If it makes you feel better, I know what it’s like.”

You looked at him confused. “Moony, what do you mean?”

“I know what it’s like to love someone you can never have.” Remus fiddled with his hands, turning the thin leather bracelet on his wrist. A bracelet you recognized Sirius gave him. “And I know what it's like to hate them too.” You gave him a sympathetic smile. He smiled back. Remus really was your other best friend. The only person you could talk to about your feelings for James.

You and Remus shared a quiet laugh before you rested your head on his shoulder.

“We are quite the pair Mr. Moony.” You joked.

“Yes; It seems in misery we are equally matched.” Remus humorously replied with a small smirk on his face.

“So are you going to Hogsmeade with us?”

“I’ll have to check in with Lily but I want to.”

“Even if she doesn't, you should. We don’t hang out enough anymore.”

“I will.” You smiled in reply.

“Come on, Lily, it will be fun. You would like the boys if you got to know them. You like Remus do you really think he would be friends with bad people?”

“I don’t know what I think.”

“Well, I think you're confusing James for someone else.”

“Don’t bring up Sev.”

“You're still calling him Sev? Lily when are you going to get it through your head that he doesn’t care about you! His obsession with you isn't okay, not to mention what he did to that poor girl. What do you think he made that spell up for.”

“Okay, Y/n! I get it, Sev- Snape isn’t who I thought he was. But for merlin's sake y/n, you think I don’t know that? He called me a mudblood. I know I haven’t been fair to James, I just don’t understand why you care.”

You froze. You couldn’t tell her the truth; not like it mattered anyway. “Because they are my friends and you are my friend and I just wish you could get along.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll go.” Lily smiled.

It took all of three seconds for y/n to realize she likely just broke her own heart. One for James and Lily to make eye contact. One for the brightest smile you’ve ever seen to pass over James' face. One for Lily to smile back.

You sucked in a breath. Remus gave you a sympathetic look. James didn’t even greet you as he addressed Lily. Remus grabbed your hand and pulled you over to the entrance of the secret passage. Sirius stood there, glancing down at your intertwined hands before furrowing his brows.

“I think I made a mistake.” You whispered to Remus.

“It’s going to be okay.” He whispered back.

“What are you two on about,” Sirius mumbled. His eyebrows still furrowed as he looked between the two of you.

Remus squeezed your hand. “It’s nothing,” he answered.

“Whatever.” Sirius scoffed, crossing his arms and turning his head away from you. “Prongs! Are you coming or what?” Sirius shouted at the bespectacled boy.

“Shove off Pads,” James laughed before walking over to the entrance and stretching out his arm. “Ladies first.” He said to Lily, then noticed your presence glancing at you. Lily looked weary of the passage but you had done this before.

“It’s fine Lil’s. I’ll go first if you want?” The girl flashed her brilliant smile at you before giving a small nod.

It didn’t take long for the group to make it to honeydukes and it certainly didn’t take long for Remus to head over to the chocolate section making the whole group laugh. Lily kept close to you as the group split up in different directions to shop around the candy store. To no surprise, Remus joined you carrying a large bag of chocolate. Sirius followed him, shoving his wallet back into his pocket. You and Lily shared a knowing look. The both of you could see Remus's light blush.

Lily started up a conversation with the two leaving you to finish your shopping. You made your way to the back of the store, reaching up to grab a pack of sugar quills off the top shelf; your hand only an inch away before someone reaches up behind you and pulls them off the shelf. You whirl around to be met with James who hands you the package with a smug smile. “Careful love, don’t hurt yourself.” He chuckled.

You narrowed your eyes but couldn’t help the smile that broke across your face. “I am perfectly capable of getting my own sugar quills.”

“I know. Just wanted to be polite. I’m glad you came with us. It feels like it’s been forever since we hung out.”

You scoffed, trying to play it off as playfully. “Please, Potter. We both know you only asked me so Lily would come.”

“That’s not true.” James sounded a little offended which regrettably made you a little hopeful. “Y/n I’m serious.”

“No you're not; Sirius is over there.” You point with a nervous giggle.

James sighed. “I’m not joking y/n. I honestly thought you were avoiding us. Is it because of what happened with Snape because-“

“No James it’s not that. I mean what you did wasn’t okay, but it wasn’t unprovoked. I promise I haven’t been avoiding you.”

“I guess- I thought once Lily became friends with us we would hang out more, but it’s like you just disappeared.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I just,” he took a deep breath before giving you a small smile, “I’m glad you're here.”

Merlin, you loved him.

“Me too.” But something across the shop had caught James' attention. You followed his eyes to find Lily walking through the store with the two other boys. You looked back to James, something in you cracking as he watched her. He was in awe.

Merlin, you wanted to die.

After the group left honeydukes you made your way over to the three broomsticks for a butterbeer.

Hogsmeade was beautiful this time of year. Christmas decorations lined the streets, garland, and lights, and carolers, and snowmen wearing festive scarfs. The wind was blowing gently and snow fell softly all around you. It was beautiful but cold and you were shivering from it. The only one in the group that forgot to wear a heavy coat.

“Jeez, Y/n/n your teeth are going to fall out from all that chattering they are doing.” Sirius laughed as you shiver from the cold. Remus shot him a glare and moved to pull his coat from his shoulders, but his efforts were interrupted when James reached into his bag and pulled out a large sweater; throwing it over your head.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure our dear friend here doesn’t lose her teeth.” James announced.

The group kept moving forward as you paused to pull the sweater over your head. Hoping the heat in your cheeks wasn’t obvious. Although at this point it would be easy to blame the blush on the weather. James stood with you as your group carried on.

“Thank you.” You said as you finally pulled the garment into place.

James couldn’t help letting his eyes look you up and down. “No problem, love. I’m glad I brought an extra. Besides, it looks better on you anyway.” James mumbled the last bit and, luckily for you, turned away before you could react. You trailed behind him as he trekked to the three broomsticks. Only if he knew. Godric you wanted to tell him. You could stop him right here and confess. None of your friends would be there to witness it. No one would witness your humiliation when he ultimately told you he was in love with Lily. No one would ever-

“Do you think- that Lily really doesn’t like me?”

The question interrupted your train of thought and caught you completely off guard. “I- um, I- I don’t know.”

James didn’t look convinced. In fact, he deflated a little. “I know I’m annoying when it comes to her but I don’t know what else to do. I just get so nervous. I can’t think straight when she’s around I’m so worried about what she thinks. Sometimes I’m so nervous I feel sick. Y’know what I mean?”

You thought about it for a second. It was easy to immediately agree, but the truth is you didn’t feel that way. James had never made you that nervous. Yes, he gave you butterfly’s but he never made you so nervous you felt sick. “Not really, James. Honestly, I don’t think people you care about are supposed to make you feel that way.”

James was taken aback by your answer but he didn’t argue. He only mumbled out an “oh” before opening the door to the three broomsticks and gesturing for you to enter first.

Remus, Sirius, and Lily had all made themselves comfortable at a Large table. There were two empty chairs. One next to Remus, and one next to Lily. James sat next to Lily.

“Took you two long enough,” Sirius commented.

“Shove off,” you retorted.

“We already ordered drinks for everyone,” Lily smiled.

It didn’t take long for Lily to become completely at ease in the group. She had been friends with Remus for years and had been growing closer to Sirius and James for months. The group quickly fell into easy conversation.

James, whose natural defense to anxiety was massive overcompensation, had turned his flirting dial up to 11. He complimented her left and right, wiggling his eyebrows as he teased her.

It was painful to watch. And the more James flirted the closer you drifted toward Remus. He eventually threw his arm over your shoulder resting it on the back of your chair. He knew this had to be hard for you, and he was willing to comfort you any way he could. This however would lead to a whole new set of problems as both Sirius and James noticed. Sirius stared daggers into the side of your head when you weren’t looking.

James got up from the table, going to order more butterbeer for everyone. Lily smiled after him causing your heart to sink. “Wow, Subtlety is not his specialty is it.” She giggled.

“He’s nervous,” you replied, your voice was a little harsh despite your effort to keep a light tone. Your eyes drifted over to James. Lily stared at you.

“Right,” she mumbled, “I’m gonna go help him carry drinks.” She stood from the table and met James at the bar.

“I’m going to run to the bathroom real quick,” Remus announced, standing from the table and disappearing.

“What’s going on with you and Remus?” Sirius questioned suddenly.

You looked gobsmacked. “Nothing.”

“Don’t pull that shit with me Y/n. I saw you holding hands back at the castle, and all the whispering, and now he’s got his arm around you. So I’ll ask again: what the hell is going on with you and Moony?” Sirius’ voice was accusing. His glare could bring giants to their knees. You understood now why most people were afraid of him.

“Sirius, nothing is going on with me and Remus.” You stated quickly.

“I’m not an idiot Y/n.” Sirius was seething. “Are you two dating? Because if you're trying to keep it a secret, you're not very subtle.”

“What? Seriously, Padfoot, I’m not dating Remus! He’s my best friend. We are allowed to interact!”

“Then what the hell is going on with you? You’ve both been acting dodgy, and I don’t know what's going on-“

A loud laugh pulled both of your attention over to the bar. James had a huge smile on his face as Lily laughed. His arm was thrown over her shoulder. Nothing could stop the cold feeling from seeping into your bones. Lily laughed again, shoving James away from her playfully. She put on a playful glare, and James pouted teasingly.

Nothing was fair.

Sirius saw your face drop as you took in the scene, he saw the longing look in your eye, he noticed the pain on your face. “Oh,” he realized. Pulling your attention back to him.

“Oh, no. Y/n you can’t like-“

“I can’t like him. I know.”

There was a pause.

“But I do. And I know he’s never going to feel the same.” You sighed. “That’s why Remus and I have been so close lately. He’s the only one I can talk to about it.”

“I’m sorry about before. I guess, I um…” Sirius trailed off. Looking guilty but more so embarrassed.

“You were jealous. It’s okay. I know how you feel.” You looked back at James, who was now picking up drinks with the help of Lily to bring back to the table. Sirius followed your stare.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. You look at him the way I look at Remus,” Sirius let out quickly as James and Lily approached the table.

“Where did Moony run off to?” James said as he noticed the empty chair between you and Sirius.

“I’m right here,” the voice came from behind James as Remus made his way around the table.

Sirius sat up straight and pulled Remus’s chair out for him; inevitably pulling the chair closer to himself. “Are you alright? You were gone for a while.” Sirius asked.

“I’m fine, just having one of my headaches,” Remus mumbled quickly, hoping not to worry his friends too badly.

“Are you out of that potion Pomfry gave you? Do you want to go back to the castle? Are you sure you're okay?” Sirius rushed out.

Remus blushed, James wore a smirk on his face, you and Lily shared knowing looks. “I’m fine Pads, I promise,” Remus reassured.

By the time the rest of the group was ready to go your heart was in pieces. James and Lily got along swimmingly during the trip and you had even noticed a light blush paint her cheeks when James complimented her. Remus noticed your sinking mood and suggested you all head back to the castle. You did your best to avoid Lily on the walk back to Hogwarts but she noticed your irritation easily.

“Are you okay?” Lily asked once you returned to your dorm room. She was verily confused about your sudden mood but she didn’t want to push you. She thought it might have something to do with the way you were acting earlier in class.

“I’m fine Lil’s,” you answered quietly, sitting on your bed to take your shoes off. You had to admit you were annoyed at her and that only made you feel worse. It wasn’t her fault that he liked her or that you liked him. Besides you had begged her to go so it wasn’t her fault.

“No, you're not. I can tell. Y/n/n cut the crap, I can tell something is up, what’s going on with you.”

“It’s nothing Lily, will you just leave it alone.”

“Is this about the boys?”

“No! Bloody hell, do you always have to be in my business!” You regret the words as soon as they leave your mouth. You and Lily barely ever fought and you hated shouting at her.

“So this is about the boys?” Lily said accusingly. She was pissed. “I don’t understand what your problem is! You're the one that wanted me to be friends with them! You're the one that told me to give James a chance! I want you to be happy, but if that’s too damn difficult for you the least you could do is pretend!”

“I am pretending!” You shouted back.

“Then do it better,” Lily demanded.

“Alright, why don’t I go downstairs and tell James how glad I am that you're getting along.”

“Oh, so this is about James?” Lily interrupted.

“Yeah Lily,” you huffed, “this is about James.” Realization dawned on her.

“So why don’t I go down there and tell him how much I like him.”

“Y/n-“

“No. It’ll be good. I can tell him how much I’ve been thinking about him.” Lily looked shocked. She couldn’t believe she never noticed. “That I haven’t stopped thinking about him since the moment we met. That I’m so fantastically over the top in love with him that for every moment of every day I can’t believe my own damn bad luck that you met him first.” Tears streamed down your face as you realized what you had just confessed. Lily looked like a deer in headlights.

You couldn’t help but sob. Large tears leaving trails down your face as you cried. The sobs wracking your body felt never-ending. It wasn’t until you felt Lily’s arms wrap around you that you saw any end in sight.

“It’s okay. Shh, shhh, shh. It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Lily was crying now too. She couldn’t believe how blind she had been.

“I’m s-sorry, Lily. I’m so sorry, I know it’s- it’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have yelled. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault either. You're my best friend, I should have realized.” She assured, squeezing you tighter as she started rocking you both back and forth.

“Lily, I screwed everything up.”

“No, you didn’t. I’m not mad at you, okay?” You nodded. “Okay. Now C’mon, let’s get you off the floor.” Lily finished. Pulling you from the floor. You both made your way to Lily’s bed sitting up against her headboard.

“So you and James?” Lily giggled. You glared at her half teasingly before breaking into soft giggles. “What, too soon?” She asked wearing a small smile.

“Yeah,” you smiled back.

There was a long silence as you and Lily sat there. Neither one of you knows what to say.

“Lily, I know you’ve said it a million times before, but I also know people change their minds, so I need to ask: do you like James? Because if you do, well he likes you and I want you both to be happy. I don’t want to get in the way.”

Lily laughed. Loudly. Until she saw the defeated look on your face. She stopped, caught her breath a little bit, took your hand in hers. “Y/n I promise you, the only feelings I have for James are strictly platonic. You were right when you told me to give the boys a chance. They are hilarious and James is a good person, but he’s not my type. I’m glad you convinced me to get to know them, but trust me I’m still just as annoyed at James’s flirting as ever.”

You laughed softly at Lily’s response before giving her a brilliant smile. A smile that quickly faded as a new question popped into your head. “Lil’s what in Merlin's name am I going to do?”

“I have no idea.”

But the two of you quickly figured it out. As you both had learned when it came to dealing with feelings, and dealing with James, avoidance was key. And within the next few days, you basically had a routine. Breakfast together, away from the marauders; James was clingy in the mornings. Lunch with the marauders; Lily friend-zoning James every other sentence. Dinner with the girls; gossip and corny bets on when Remus and Sirius would finally kiss to follow. It was an easy enough plan and the boys didn’t even seem to notice. It made Lily becoming friends with them easier but took away the chances of James breaking your heart all day. And James quickly stopped flirting with Lily every time she was there.

The only problem was, James did notice. And given the fact that the Christmas holiday was quickly coming up, he was determined to figure out what was wrong.

“Hey! Y/n! Wait up!” James shouted as he jogged down the hall after you. You had finished your last class of the day and couldn’t wait to retire to your dorm. Midterms were exhausting and the last thing you needed at this moment was James’ antics.

“What’s up James?” You asked quietly. Continuing towards the common room.

James quirked an eyebrow at you. “I know you think I haven’t noticed...but I have.”

Your heart rate tripled in speed. “No-noticed what?”

“You’ve been distant lately.” Your heart rate decreased mildly. “The only time we talk is at lunch and even then you and Lily sit as far away from me as possible.” But that wasn’t entirely true. You had been distant for nearly 4 months now. The only time you have hung out with the boys like you use to was that day in Hogsmeade. “Y/n- what’s going on with you? We used to hang out all the time. I thought that after Hogsmeade we would go back to the way we use to be, but we haven't had a real conversation since. Is it Lily? Because I'm trying to act normal around her, I’ve stopped nervously flirting. I-“

“It’s not that James,” you interrupted his rambling. You sighed. He was never going to let this go.

“Well then what is it?” James threw his arms up in frustration. He always was one to talk with his hands. “Because, Merlin, I can’t figure it out for the life of me.”

“It’s none of your business James.” You raised your voice slightly to match his.

“Is it Remus? Because I’ve seen you two. You’ve been holding hands, and he had his arm around you at the three broomsticks, and he was going to give you his jacket. Bloody hell Bertha Jorkins has been telling everyone she thinks you two are together. She said you guys were cuddling in class the day we went to Hogsmeade. Are you two just fooling around or are you together? Because-“

“Excuse me?” You were livid now. “As I said before: it’s none of your bloody business! And even if you were right, which you aren’t, what makes you think interrogating me about it is going to fucking help!” You and James stopped walking. Turning to face each other in the middle of the hall.

James shrunk back a little. He had never seen you this angry. Well, scratch that, he had never seen you this angry at him. But he was angry too and James Potter had one large fault. His pride. “It is my business. He’s not right for you. You do realize he has feelings for Padfoot right? You are just going to hurt each other. You're my friend, but you are messing with his head!” By now everyone in the hall had turned to watch the show go down.

“Blimey, James! The only person messing with people’s heads here is you! Remus and I are friends! End of story! I’m so sorry that he happens to be a better friend than you! That he actually gives a shit about me!”

“I care about you!”

“If you cared about me at all you wouldn’t go flaunting how much you love my best friend! If you cared about me at all you wouldn’t be standing here yelling at me! If you cared at all, you would have noticed that the reason I’m avoiding you is that it hurts too fucking much watching you fall in love with my best friend!” You gasped as you realized what you had just confessed. Tears were forming in your eyes, a few had already escaped. James looked confused, and hurt, and shocked. You were both frozen in place. That’s when you heard the whispering. Everyone in the hall gossiping back and forth. Nothing felt real. The world was moving in slow motion. There was a ringing in your ear. You turned your head to look around, Lily and Remus were shoving through the crowd as Peter pointed out your location.

Lily got to you in a fraction of a second. Throwing a look at James, who still couldn’t find the words. There were tears in his eyes too. “C’mon let’s get you out of here,” Lily whispered, putting her arm around you and pulling you down the hall. Suddenly everything was real again. You could hear the people gossiping, could feel the stone floor under your feet. could hear James call after you.

“Wait! Y/n-“ but Remus grabbed his arm to stop him from following you and when that didn’t work he moved in front of James putting both hands on his shoulders to keep him in place.

“Stop, James. Stop.” Remus sighed, “let her go.”

“I- I don’t know what happened. I…” James trailed off. His cheeks were unbelievably flushed, tears streamed down his face. He couldn’t tell exactly what he was feeling. He knew he was frustrated, tired, hurt, but there was so much swirling around his head he couldn’t understand.

Remus looked around at the unmoving crowd. A glare took over his face as everyone watched. “Wormtail, get these people out of here.” He said over his shoulder to Peter.

Peter nodded quickly. “Oi. Clear out of here! This was awkward enough without you all poking your noses in!” The crowd quickly dispersed.

“Remus?” James asked, voice cracking. “What- what just happened?”

“Remus? James? What’s going on? Everyone’s been talking about a fight all up and down the halls.” Sirius said, rushing up behind the boys. He caught sight of James' face. “Bloody hell, what happened?”

“We’ll fill you in later, now let’s get out of here.” Remus brushed him off.

It didn’t take long for the boys to make it to their dorm; everyone whispering as they passed by.

“So what happened, James?” Remus asked. Peter had only filled him and Lily in on the major details when he rushed to retrieve them.

“I- I wanted to ask her why she had been so distant. Things didn’t exactly go as planned. I got annoyed and then she got defensive and then I accused her of sneaking around with you and then she got mad-“

“You did what?” Remus interrupted.

James stood from his bed running his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time since he arrived at the dorm.

“I don’t know Remus! I was angry and I noticed you two have been so close lately and there are all these rumors, and she’s been avoiding me and I said some things I didn’t mean.”

“Yeah, okay, that’s understandable, I did the same thing in Hogsmeade. Get to the point!” Sirius stated.

“I’m sorry, you what!” Remus directed at Sirius.

“Oh my Merlin, Remus, get over it! What happened next Prongs?” Peter sighed exasperatedly.

“She got really mad and told me it was none of my business. I - I guess, I kind of accused her of messing with your head.” James winced at his stupidity. “She said that the only person messing with people's heads was me, and then she said that I didn’t care about her, and I said I did, and she said if I cared about her I wouldn’t flaunt my feelings for Lily— she said she was avoiding me because it hurt too much for her to watch me be in love with her best friend.”

“Bloody hell,” Sirius mumbled. “James, mate, you're my best friend, my brother, but you’re fucking daft.”

“Don’t you think I know that!” James threw his arms up… again. His frustration with everything was only growing. He was mostly angry at himself. His stupid pride. His stupid ego. His stupid feelings. His stupid head. His stupid heart. His stupid oblivious self.

“Mate, what the hell are you going to do?” Peter inquired.

“I don’t know… I mean, what am I meant to do? I don’t even understand what just happened,” James sighed defeatedly. Once again making his way to his bed and threw himself back in it as he spoke.

Remus facepalmed.

“Oh, for fucks sake Prongs!” Sirius stood from his bed, nearly knocking Remus over with the momentum of it. “She’s in love with you! She has been for years! But you’ve been so focused on Evans you’ve never even seen it! You’re always ‘Lily that, and Lily this. And oh, Padfoot do you think she likes me? What does she think about me? No Padfoot, I don’t want to go prank Minnie, Lily thinks I’m an annoying stuck-up prat.” Sirius mocked. “Who cares! Who cares what she thinks of you? People you love aren’t supposed to make you feel that bad about yourself! Believe me, I know.”

Remus watched as Sirius’ eyes flicked over to his bedside table. Sitting there on top was a letter Sirius had received from his mother concerning the Christmas holiday. He hadn’t discussed any of its contents, but Remus knew it must have been bad. Sirius hated going home for Christmas, but this year he was downright dreading it.

James had rolled over to face Sirius as he ranted. He looked guilty, but also as if he had realized something. Remus wanted to ask what he was thinking; he didn’t.

“You need to apologize,” Peter added.

“Apologize? I didn’t do anything wrong! Okay, yeah, I shouldn’t have yelled at her. But it’s not my fault that she has feelings for me!” There was his blasted pride again. James hated himself.

Remus stood up abruptly. Making his way to the door.

James sat up. “Where are you going?”

“Honestly Prongs, I have no idea. Anywhere but here, because if I have to sit here and listen to you bitch, I am going to kill you. Y/n is a good person. She cares about you. She convinced Lily to hang out with us because even though she has feelings for you, she wants you to be happy. Even if that means you're with someone else. So I’m not going to sit here and listen to you complain about it. You’re a good person James. You’re trusting and kind and you love your friends unconditionally, but right now you're being an arse.” Remus slammed the door on his way out.

The three boys sat in silence for a while. James laid back on his bed fiddling with the snitch that he had stolen from the Quidditch gear his first year. Sirius seethed quietly. Peter pulled out a potions book and started working on his next assignment.

After about 10 minutes Sirius stood from his bed again. “ I'm going to check on Moony,” he grumbled quietly, exiting the room before James could get a word out.

“I’m going to the library,” Peter stated, before picking up his bag and heading toward the door.

“Wormtail, wait. How badly have I just screwed everything up?”

Peter, who was never one for brutal honesty, uncharacteristically decided not to sugarcoat it. “On a scale from one to ten, I’d give you a twelve.”

James groaned. Damn his stupid pride.

He needed to fix this, and with only 3 days till Christmas break, he didn’t have a lot of time.

“Remus?” Lily's voice startled the boy. Remus had made his way to the library, surprised when Sirius and eventually peter had joined him, but the two boys had quickly gotten bored and had decided to go raid the kitchens for snacks. Remus wasn’t sure exactly how long he had been there.

“How is she?” He asked.

“About how you’d expect. She’s heartbroken and this whole kerfuffle has turned her into a nervous wreck. That’s why I’m here actually, she wanted me to ask you for something.”

“What is it?”

“Well she doesn’t want to see him, and honestly neither do I. She said you guys have this map that can show you where everyone in Hogwarts is at any time. Which I’ll lecture you all about later; right now I just need to know who has it?”

“Yeah, honestly I debate on whether or not that map was a good idea anyway. You would like it though it's got a cheeky personality.” Lily raised a brow but the smile on her face betrayed her. “James has it.” Remus finally answered.

“Of course he does,” Lily rolled her eyes. “I need you to get it from him.”

Remus gave Lily a skeptical look.

“She doesn’t want to see him, Remus. You and I both know that he’s going to pull something to try and make this better but he can’t.”

“I’m not going to pick sides, Lily,” Remus responded. James had given him too much for him to choose Y/n, but Y/n was one of his best friends. She stood up for him when no one else could. They understood each other like no one else did.

“Please Remus, you don’t have to give it to us, just keep it away from James,” Lily begged.

Remus contemplated his choices. He could take the map from James, help out his best friend, and be accused of betraying James, or he could leave it be, and watch James break Y/n’s heart all over again. There wasn’t much of a choice. “Fine. But if anyone asks, this conversation never happened.”

“Has anyone seen the map?” James asked as he rummaged through his trunk. He had been looking all over for you before deciding that the marauders map was the quickest way to go. That is until he realized that the map too had gone missing. “Guys, seriously, where is the map? I can’t find it, and I need it to find Y/n.”

The room filled with dismissive grumbles as none of the boys had seen it. Remus had decided to compromise. Instead of taking the map from James he just happened to hide it in a place he knew James would never look but would be easily excusable once found.

“Maybe you should leave her alone James. Wait until after the holidays; give her some space,” Remus mumbled, turning the page of his book without looking up.

“I can’t Moony. I have to make this right.”

“James. You’re not going to fix this in an afternoon. You need to get your head on straight. You don’t have a plan, you don’t even know how you feel, you need to take a break from all of this.”

Whether James liked it or not he was forced to take Remus’s advice. The Christmas holiday came faster than expected and the next thing he knew he was at home thinking of how he could make things better.

It didn’t take long for Euphemia and Fleamont Potter to realize something wasn’t quite right with their son. James sulked around the house, spending hours in his room or out in the backyard practicing quidditch. He picked at his plate during dinner, he dodged his mother’s questions about his love life and his father's questions about his friends. Euphemia was growing increasingly worried.

“We have to do something Monty,” Euphemia insisted.

“What do you suppose we do dear?” Fleamont inquired.

“Well, I don’t know. He’s never acted like this before, I’m worried.”

“Come here, love.” Euphemia took a seat next to her husband, who put an arm around her. “I know you're worried. I am too. But this is James. He’s always told us everything, he’s a good kid. Maybe we should give him a little space. He‘ll come to us when he’s ready.”

“Maybe you're right,” the women sighed. “I’m going to talk to him tomorrow though. If he tells me what’s wrong, great, if he needs some time then he can have it, but I’m not going to sit here and act as if nothing is wrong.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” the man smiled at his wife, who leaned up to press a small kiss to her husband's lips.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

James sighed. “Come in.”

Euphemia wasted no time in swinging the door open. She found James laying on his bed. The boy fiddling with his stolen snitch. Thinking. “Got some time to talk with your mother?” The woman questioned as she took a seat on the foot of James' bed.

“Of course, Mum.” James sat up. “What’s up?”

“Your father and I have noticed you haven’t quite been yourself. And I know you're a teenager and you don’t want to discuss everything to death, but I want to know what’s wrong.” Euphemia watches as her son's shoulders slump forward. “If you need some time that’s fine. But your father and I can’t help you if you don’t tell us what’s going on.”

“It’s not anything bad, I promise,” James answered anxiously. “I-I just screwed everything up with my friends. Honestly, Mum, I don’t want to talk about it yet.”

“Okay, my love. Just let me know when you’re ready,” Euphemia stood from the bed. She brushed some of the curls out of James' face before placing a kiss on his forehead.

“I just— don’t want to disappoint you.”

“You never could.”

James took a couple of days to gather his thoughts. He didn’t know why he was nervous to tell his parents. They were unbelievably forgiving and had always made sure he knew just how loved he was. Their love was unconditional. That might be exactly why he was so nervous though, they had taught him to love the same way, and he felt he had failed miserably.

Euphemia and Fleamont Potter taught their son to take care of his own. They taught him to love extravagantly. It wasn’t a surprise James was a sucker for grand gestures, he loved big, and he wanted to make sure his friends knew it. But he had let them all down. He had broken your heart. Had disrespected you and your feelings. Had enraged Lily. Had turned Remus against him in the process. Had created massive tension in the group.

And now, after it all, he was even more confused about his feelings. He loved Lily, didn’t he? But maybe you and Sirius were right, people you love aren’t supposed to make you feel bad about yourself. He didn’t think Lily made him feel bad, she just made him… unsure. He questioned his worth with her. He cared so much about what she thought that one sentence could crush all the confidence he had.

You never made him feel like that. He was comfortable with you. Yet his many feelings involving you were starting to become overwhelming. He never felt anxious. He could be himself with you. But there was that flutter in his stomach every time you complimented him. That increase in his heart rate when you smiled at him too long. Not to mention that burning rage he felt when he saw Remus’s arm around you. The way his heart sank when he realized you were avoiding him. The heat in his cheeks when he saw you in his sweater. Godric, he needed to get his head on straight. He needed to take a break from thinking about it all.

James had made his way outside to practice quidditch though he didn’t feel much like dragging out his broom or any of his quidditch gear. This resulted in him tossing his quaffle through a short goal post with little effort. He charmed the ball to always come back to him which took even more effort out of the sport. It didn’t help that it was freezing outside. Not to mention the sun now went down at six o'clock leaving the yard dark and foggy. There was just enough light, shining from his parents' Christmas decoration, for him to see as he threw the ball.

“Well, I sure hope you didn’t become the greatest chaser in Hogwarts history practicing like that.” James turned to see his father looming by the doorway. James knew he didn’t mean to loom. Fleamont potter was a man who knew very little about how intimidating he could appear, a man who was so good-natured it didn’t occur to him that he might scare strangers. He started walking to his son.

“Not usually, but I don’t feel like trying today dad,” the boy responded. Just as the words left his mouth he realized the quaffle he sent flying moments ago was now barreling towards him. He quickly realized he couldn’t catch it and resigned to his fate of getting knocked down; it wouldn’t be the worst thing that had happened to him this month.

Luckily enough for James, his father had quick reflexes and caught the ball before it could hit him. “Maybe you should try a little harder.” Fleamonts voice was teasing as he smirked at his son. He undid the charm on the ball before throwing it toward the small storage shed where James kept most of his quidditch gear. “But not right now. Effie says dinner is ready,” the man informed as he turned to make his way back into the house.

“Dad wait!” Fleamont turned toward his son. “Can I talk to you about what happened back at school? I’m sure mum told you what I’ve already said about it, I just,- I want to know what I should do about my friends. I hurt one of them and now Remus is pissed at me and Sirius is on his side because, well it's Remus, and Peter is avoiding all of us because he doesn’t pick sides, and It's all my fault and I don’t know what to do.”

“Have you talked to them?”

“Yes. It’s not like we’re fighting but there is all of this tension and things are just weird. I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay. Which friend did you hurt?”

“I- well- Y/n. Apparently, she has feelings for me, but I've always had this thing for Lily and anyway, Y/n has been avoiding me and I thought her and Remus were secretly dating and I got pissed and things got out of hand. I really just wanted to talk to mum about that part but you’re going to find out anyway I guess.”

“Why were you upset when you thought she might be dating Remus?” Fleamont inquired.

“Because Remus has this thing with… that doesn’t matter. They just aren’t right together.”

“You know what? I think you would be right to leave this one to your mother.” James nodded solemnly. “I have one piece of advice about your friends though. The only way to fix this is to fix things with this girl. They are your brothers James. Don’t let your pride get in the way of that. Trust me, it's not worth it. Now let's get inside before Effie takes off our heads for being late to dinner on Christmas eve,” Fleamont smiled at his son, throwing his arm over his shoulder and leading him inside.

For just a few short hours James allowed himself to forget about everything else. He basked in the warmth of Christmas with his family.

“Okay. Okay, you can open one present.” Euphemia chuckles at her son and her husband's pouting faces. The two men jump up in victory. James rushes to the home’s large living area where their large Christmas tree sat. “But not the big one James that's a surprise.”

James scoffed playfully at his mother. He quickly reconsidered his options on that's of his presents to open.

“Well while James picks out a new gift,” the other man in the room started, “I have a gift you can open, Love.” Fleamont beamed at his wife.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Euphemia smiled at her husband as he handed her a small box.

“Just open it,” the man chuckled.

James watched as his mother pulled the box open, pulling out a beautiful locket. “I didn’t pick any pictures for it. I thought we could have some made tomorrow for it.” Fleamont informed.

“It's beautiful, love. Thank you.”

It was a beautiful scene. And James realized it was oddly familiar. The one Christmas he had ever stayed at Hogwarts over the break. He thought he was going to be all alone, that is until he found out you were staying as well. You didn’t know each other very well back then but you were friendly enough, and it was calming for him to know he wouldn’t be all by himself. And even though Sirius had decided last minute to stay at Hogwarts as well, you still spent time together. The three of you ate every meal together laughing and getting to know each other, you went on trips to Hogsmeade together, super excited to explore the village since it was the first year you were allowed to go, you even pulled some harmless pranks on Professor McGonagall. It was one of his favorite memories. When Christmas day rolled around you awoke to find your new friend had a gift for you.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, Jamie,” you smiled brightly at him.

“Of course I did. We’re friends now and I wanted to thank you for making sure I didn’t end up here all alone on Christmas.” The boy brushed you off. “Now go on; open it.”

You pulled the box open to reveal a gorgeous necklace. You gasped as you took in the circular pendant, it was beautifully crafted, silver, and hanging from a long chain.

“It's amazing James!” You squealed as you pulled it from the box.

“That's not all,” James commented. He gently took the necklace in his hand, sliding his fingernail between the edge to unclasp it. He showed you as he opened the locket, revealing a hilarious photo of you, him, and Sirius you had taken in Hogsmeade. The three of you were all laughing, the brightest smiles on your faces. It was a perfect picture. James realized now that you had been blushing in it.

“I love it!” you exclaimed again. You stood from the floor next to the Christmas tree and rushed over to a mirror. James followed as you tried to clasp the Jewlrey around your neck.

“Here let me help,” he mumbled as he took the ends away from you. He felt butterflies in his stomach as your fingers brushed. He quickly clasped the necklace together, watching as you took in its beauty.

“Thank you so much, Jamie. It's perfect. I love it.” Y/n beamed as she stared at the locket. “Merlin it's beautiful.”

“Yeah, beautiful,” James murmured in agreement, though his eyes never left you.

“James, which one do you want to open?” His mother's voice brought the boy back from reality.

“Oh, umm, how about this one?” James quickly grabbed a random box that had his name on it.

“That's a good one,” his parents answered.

The boy sat down on the carpet in front of the tree as he always did when opening gifts. His inner child refused to let him sit on the couch as he opened his gifts. He quickly pulled the wrapping off of the box turning it around to be met with a picture of a record player on the front.

“We know you and all of your friends like that muggle music so we thought this would be good for you.” His father commented.

James smiled widely. “It’s brilliant! Thank you.”

“We got you some records too, but you will have to wait for those till tomorrow,” Euphemia informed.

“This is amazing. I wish Y/n were here, she loves these. There's one in a shop in Hogsmeade, she loves It, she picks a record to play nearly every time we are there. I can’t wait to see her face when I show her--” The reality of his relationship with you suddenly hit him as the words left his mouth. He didn’t know if he would ever get the chance to show you. He didn’t know if he would ever get the chance to even speak to you again.

The boy's parents shared a knowing look.

“I’m going to start a pot of tea,” Fleamont said suddenly, “why don’t you two talk,” he suggested softly before leaving the room.

Euphemia smiled at her son, patting the spot next to her on the sofa. James got off of the floor and took the seat next to his mother.

“I’m guessing dad already told you what I said before dinner?”

“You would be right.”

“I hurt her mum. I didn’t mean to, but I did. I know I need to fix it but I don’t know-how. It doesn’t help that I'm so bloody confused. I don’t know how I feel. I thought I loved Lily, I always have but maybe I was wrong. Because everyone around me is telling me that love isn’t supposed to feel that way and I can’t stop thinking about Y/n.”

“How does Lily make you feel?”

“I don’t know. Like that stupid butterflies in your stomach thing… except they feel like wasps and they don’t want to be there. I want her to like me but honestly, I don’t know why anymore. And Y/n? She makes me feel like I can do anything y’know. And I thought that I had only ever seen her as a friend but that's not true. She gives me butterflies too, but these feel more like fireworks. I think I really fancy her…” James had a realization, “I think I always have. But I thought I loved Lily and I met her first. I’m just- really confused.”

“You know, my mother once gave me some advice I think fits your situation very well. ‘Don’t fall for the person who gives you butterflies, because that means your nervous, your anxious. Desperate for their approval. You fall for the person that you’re comfortable with. The person you know you can be completely yourself with. The person that makes you feel like home.’ James, I can’t tell you what to do. I can’t tell you who to choose. I’m your mother, it’s my job to support you. Your father and I taught you what love is, didn’t we?” James nodded. “Remember that. You already know what to do James. I believe in you.”

“I love you Mu-”

A loud banging on the front door interrupted James' words. Both of them stood from the sofa and made their way closer to the front door.

“Fleamont!” Euphemia shouted down the hallway.

When the banging came again James took a step forward, “I’ll open it.”

“James-”

But the boy had already unlocked the door and turned the handle. Nothing could have prepared him for what he was met with on the other side. Leaning against the doorway, James found Sirius Black. The boy's hair was disheveled and falling in his face, blood had made a trail down his face, he was clutching his side.

“Oh my god.”

“I did-didn’t know where else to go,” Sirius looked up at James who noted the tears in his eyes.

“Dad! Dad, come help me!” James raised his voice, pulling Sirius inside and placing his arm over his shoulder so that he could help him walk. “Mum go get some bandages, and your wand.”

“Merlin's beard! What happened?” Fleamont exclaimed as he finally made it into the room, quickly helping his son with his injured friend.

As soon as they got Sirius onto the couch, Euphemia was back wand in hand, bandages in another. “Sirius? Sirius, it’s okay, you’re safe. What happened?”

Sirius didn’t answer. He shook his head rapidly before hissing at the pain.

Fleamont pulled James from the room as Euphemia began patching Sirius up. “Do you have any idea who could have done this?” James didn’t take his eyes away from the door. He didn’t know when he had started crying but there were tear tracks along his face. “James?”

“His mum.” James shuttered. He had never been more sure, and he hated it. But he knew that Sirius's mother had hurt him before, and despite James’ pleas with Sirius, the boy always returned home.

Euphemia quickly finished patching Sirius up and made her way into the kitchen where James and her husband were waiting.

“Is he okay?”

“He’s going to be fine. Looked a lot worse than it is. Fleamont? I think we need to have a word.”

James made his way to Sirius's side as his parents conversed. And while Sirius told him his story, Euphemia and Fleamont decided that Sirius was never to return to Grimauwald Place again.

“So did you figure out what you're going to do about Y/n?” Sirius asked as he lounged on James' bed.

“I think I have an idea,” the bespeckled boy answered. It had been a few days since Sirius had arrived at the potter's house and the boys had been plotting.

“You just gonna confess your undying love for her?”Sirius asked sarcastically.

“No! Not like that would do any good, not to mention that never really worked out for me before,” James laughed.

“You should. It will be funny to watch her slap you.”

“Okay, ill do it, but only if you do the same with Remus.” James' smirk was unmatched. Sirius chocked.

“I- what- I don’t- what are you talking about?” Sirius was bright red as he feigned confusion. James nodded along, amused.

“Sirius, I may be a blithering idiot, but I’m not that blind.”

“Shove off.”

“C’mon pads, it's not a big deal.”

“How long have you known?”

“Y/n pointed it out to me last year,” James answered.

“Christ. Does everyone know?”

“The girls have a bet on when you are going to do it,”

Sirius choked again. James laughed.

“You're taking the piss aren’t you?”

“Only a little bit,” the boy smiled widely. Sirius threw a pillow at him.

“Lily! Lily wait! Please!” James shouted down the halls, running as lily tried to get away from him. James was faster than the girl though and once he caught up with her he quickly pulled her into an empty classroom. It was the first day back to school from Christmas break and James had come up with a plan. But he needed to talk to lily first, he needed closure, and he needed her help.

“What the hell do you want?” Lily barked.

“Lily, listen-”

“Why the hell should I listen to you! Honestly James there is not a single sentence you could say that would make me not want to punch you in the face!”

“Lily please listen to me. I know I messed up. I’m a complete tosser and if you never want to speak to me again after this fine. But I need to fix things with Y/n and I need your help.”

The redhead scowled at him. “Have you gone mental?” she fumed. “I’m not helping you with anything!” the girl yanked open the door ready to make her escape.

“I fancy her lily!” She shut the door, but James kept going. “I think I always have. That’s why I acted the way I did. I thought she and Remus were sneaking around and I was jealous. I made an arse out of myself but I want to make it right. I don’t need her to forgive me because she shouldn’t, I just need her to know that I’m sorry.” James took in a shaky breath. “Please Lily, I just need to make this better.”

Lily sighed. “You really are an arse… I’ll help you.” James smiled relieved. “But I need to make sure you actually care here. I need to know your not just saying this because she has feelings for you.”

“You really think I would do that?”

Lily didn’t answer.

“You know, you were the person to introduce me to Y/n. our first year. We had met on the Train. A couple weeks after school started Sirius and I sat next to you at dinner, and Y/n was there. I told some corny joke trying to impress you and she smiled at me. That one where her eyes light up and she scrunches her nose. You know the one?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I thought I was going to pass out. Because you had just rolled your eyes at me but Y/n had lit up.” James continued.

“I remember,” lily grinned.

“I never want that smile to leave her face. She looked so happy, like nothing in the world could ever go wrong. Merlin, I wish I had gotten to know her back then. I wish it hadn’t taken us till the third year to become friends. I wish I had realized sooner that I can’t live without her. I wish I had done everything differently. I am sorry for everything Lily. Not just with Y/n but with you too. I shouldn’t have pursued you for so long. I knew you weren’t interested and I should have accepted that. I’m sorry, and I promise to be better.”

“You really do fancy her don’t you?” James was taken aback by Lily’s question but answered anyway.

“I do.”

“So what’s the plan?” Lily wondered, a large smile on her face.

James didn’t have a real plan. Well, he had a plan for what he was going to say when he finally got the chance but he didn’t have a plan on getting you alone. Remus had forgiven James as quickly as Lily had and now the whole group was working together to help James get you alone. Plus Peter and Lily had provided James with a perfect gift. But you were smart enough to know what was going on and all of their attempts over the next few days ended up being futile.

“All I’m asking is that you hear him out,” Lily specified as you threw yourself down on your four-poster.

“Lil’s you of all people don't get to tell me to listen to James.”

“Y/n, I know your mad at him, and you have every right to be, but this needs to stop.” Remus groans. He was sitting on the floor back against your bed frame, an old book in his lap. “Seriously I’m getting knackered.”

“You two are not helping.”

“No, we are… You’re just too stubborn to see it.” Lily explained.

You stood from your bed and gabbed your bag throwing a book in there as well.

“Where are you going?” Remus quired.

“Not telling you. You'll both send James after me and then I’ll have to kick both of your arses,” you retorted.

“It’s nearly curfew though!” lily protested, but her statement fell on deaf ears.

“I thought you might be up here.” The voice startled you before filling you with dread. You had made your way to the astronomy tower, you weren’t sure how long you had been up here but you knew it must be past curfew.

“Use your special little map to figure that out?”

“No. I just know you,” the boy answered as he walked across the tower and sat next to you. You had your knees pulled up to your chest, and you refused to look at him.

“What do you want James?”

The boy frowned. “Look at me? Please?” Reluctantly you turned your head to look at him. His hair was that curly mess you always loved, his glasses were sitting crooked on his face and the urge to reach out and fix them was almost too strong for you. He wore a small sad smile. A smile begging you to forgive him. His eyes were soft and caring. Damn it, he hadn’t even said anything yet and your resolve was crumbling.

“Don’t do that,” you demanded.

“Do what?”

“Look at me like that. It’s not fair. You hurt me. You embarrassed me. You don’t just get to come up here and make it better with one look. It’s not fair. So stop. Stop looking at me like that.”

“Okay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

You looked away from him. You hated that he had this much power over you with just a look. You could still feel his eyes on you; though you've realized he probably couldn’t help it. James was one of the few who wore every emotion on his face.

“I have something for you,” the bespeckled boy offered. You looked back at him as he handed you a small box.

“What’s this for?”

“Christmas. And to say I’m sorry, well mostly to say I’m sorry.”

“You can’t just fix this with a gift.”

“I know. I don’t plan to. But I wanted to get this for you anyway.” James assured. He didn’t know how you were going to react. He could only hope you were just as cheesy as he was.

You pulled open the box, and much to your amazement found a beautiful locket. A locket you already owned. A locket James had given you. You looked at James confused.

“Open it.”

You did. Inside was the picture of you, James, and Sirius, where it had always been on the left. To the right sat a new picture. One you had never seen before. One you never knew had been taken. The picture was of you and James standing outside in Hogsmeade, you were wearing his sweater, a blush adorning your face, an unrecognizable look on James. Snow was falling all around you. The picture was beautiful.

“Wormtail gave me this when we got back to school. He took it that day we all went to Hogsmeade. I didn’t even know he was there I swear but the photo gave me an idea.” When you didn’t say anything James continued. “There is one more thing to.”

You looked back down at the box the locket came out of, sitting there was a folded piece of paper. You pulled it out and opened it.

Maybe Christmas can be our season?

You looked at James again. He smiled at you, before taking the gift out of your hand and sitting it down next to you. He grabbed both of your hands. “I am so, so sorry for what I did to you. I was angry and jealous, and I let my ego get the best of me. I never should have yelled at you. I know you're not just going to forgive me overnight, but I would like a chance to prove to you how much I care about you. I was so caught up with lily that I never realized it, but the truth is it's always been you. But I always told myself that you were my friend, that you didn’t feel that way about me, and that I had feelings for lily, but that’s not true. I was an oblivious idiot, and I swear if you give me a chance I will make it up to you every day. You don’t have to forgive me. But I never want to not be a part of your life.” His speech brought tears to your eyes though it was taking you a second to process everything.

“Yo- You were jealous?” You inquired. James had to fight the urge to smile, of course after everything he just said that's what caught your attention.

James blushed a little, nodding sheepishly. “Yeah. I was being an idiot.”

“I’m still confused.”

James laughed softly, “Jesus, Y/n I’m in love with you!”

You sucked in a sharp breath. This couldn’t be real could it? James was in love with you. You had to be dreaming right?

“Really? Me? You’re in love with me?”

“Yes, Y/n. I already told you, It’s always been you.” You smiled brightly at James’ words. Launching to wrap your arms around his neck. He let out a chuckle as he wrapped his arms around you. “I’m so so sorry, love. For everything.”

“I forgive you.”

“I love you,” He whispered in response.

“I love you too, Jamie.” You pulled back slightly. “Can I have one more thing for Christmas?”

“You can have anything you want ever,” James promised.

“Kiss me?”

“Well I would consider that more of a requirement than a gift considering we are sitting under mistletoe,” James smirked.

You looked up to see a small sprout of mistletoe blooming in midair over you. “You’re a cheeky bloke,” you giggled.

“You’ll have to get used to that because it only gets worse.”

Before you could respond his lips were on yours. You smiled into the kiss, causing him to do the same. It was messy, all wide smiles and clashing teeth and soft giggles between breaths but it was perfect.

“Maybe Christmas really is our season.”

Bonus:

“So you two finally got together?” Sirius laughed as you and James walked into the common room holding hands.

“Yep kissed and everything,” James laughed, causing you to elbow him in the side. He just put his arm around you and smiled.

“Look at that Remus I win!”

“Win what?” You asked glaring at them playfully.

“We had a bet on when you two would kiss. Unfortunately for me, I forgot how absolutely hopeless you were,” Remus conceded.

“And that means I win! So give it up Moony, I won fair and square!” Remus pulled a bag of chocolates out of his bag and threw them at Sirius. Hitting him in the face.

Sirius was unfazed even though the bag came dangerously close to the healing gash that ran across his forehead and threw his eye brow.

“How does it feel to be a loser moons?” Sirius badgered. His taunting was unrelenting and Remus quickly became annoyed. It didn’t help that Sirius was getting so close to his face as he teased.

“Shut up-“

“Hey don’t be a sore loser, Moony. It’s not your fault I’m so brill-“

You, James, and Lily (who had been sitting quietly in an armchair with a large smile) all gasped as Remus shut Sirius up with a kiss. When they pulled apart every ones eyes were wide. Including a very shocked and seemingly very dazed Sirius.

“Rem-“

“I said shut up.”

“Ah ha!” You jumped up, Lily groaned. Everyone’s eyes were suddenly on you.

“What you think you guys were the only ones with a bet?” You laughed when you noticed the attention. “Thanks to Remus here, Lily owes me 5 galleons!”

[scxrlettwxtches]

a crown of thorns | hwang hyunjin

genre: royal au, fluff/angst, fem!reader

warnings: pregnancy, slight violence

description: a few years have passed since your tumultuous beginnings with the enemy king, hwang hyunjin, and to everyone’s astonishment, your marriage flourished with an abundance of love. however, this was not yet a happy ever after, and danger still lurks within every corner of your peaceful kingdom.

word count: 14.0k+

a/n: ack the more i read this, the worse it seems to get haha. but guys!! this is my last fic on this blog!! thank you again for all the love you’ve shown me and my writing. <3 wishing everyone all the best!! 

As he sat on his throne, absently chatting away with foreign envoys, Hwang Hyunjin considered himself rather lucky for a multitude of reasons.

All the princes and the lords sitting around the table, enjoying the tea and pastries, had everything one could want in the world. Endless fountains of wealth, resources, luxury. Whatever they desired, they only needed to snap their fingers, and someone would provide. It was the type of life many in his kingdom could only dream about in their wildest fantasies.

But, underneath the splendor, Hyunjin could see it as bright as day. Beneath the material luxury was discontentment, unease, unhappiness. Many of them were married to people that they did not love, were tied to their own wealth as it was the only sense of stability in their lives. And above all, Hyunjin could sense their loneliness, the invisible--yet deadly--disease that latched onto the heart and knawed at it until it was nothing but a shriveled remain. It was a poison that had no identifiable cure, and its affects only magnified as time went on.

Hyunjin could see it all because, once upon a time, he was just like them. Sitting on the throne, he was merely staring at reflections of his past self, a shell of a boy that was forced into a position of power too soon with too few people he could trust. He saw himself in the young lord that was visiting from across the sea, his eyes alight with ambition and a thirst to prove himself. He saw himself in the crown prince of the neighboring kingdom, the mistrust laced in every sip he took of his tea. He was like that once: scared, angry, betrayed, and alone.

But with a strange twist of fate, his life changed for the better. He found people he could trust. He met the love of his life. Unbelievably, he even married her, slowly earning her respect and eventually, her heart. And now, Hwang Hyunjin was no longer the boy with a crown too heavy and a life too lonely. He had people he cared about deeply, he had people he wanted to protect with his whole being. Especially…

“Papa! Papa!”

Hyunjin’s ears perked up as the large, ornate wooden doors of the hall creaked open ever so slightly, and a pitter patter of frantic footsteps bounded into the throne room. Almost immediately, he felt a smile grace his face, all the tension draining out of his posture as he gazed at the little girl, his darling daughter. 

Even the most stone-hearted envoys and esteemed guests could not hide their smiles as the girl ran excitedly towards her father, “Papa!” She giggled again, clumsily climbing up the steps to the throne.

Hyunjin’s heart fluttered with pride as he watched his daughter clamber up the marble steps, and for a split second, the image of her sitting on the throne as the next queen flashed across his mind. One baby step at a time, he reminded himself, and he stood up, easily picking up the girl as she gripped onto his sleeves.

“Naeun,” he brushed the baby hairs out of her face and smiled at her rosy cheeks. Time and time again, he was reminded of how much his daughter had begun to resemble the both of you. She had his doe eyes, but her smile, that was all you. 

The meeting became completely irrelevant to Hyunjin as he lavished all of his attention on her, “What are you doing here?”

Naeun, who was breathing heavily from all the running she had done, huffed and pouted rather sternly, “Mama said that if you stay in the office all night again, mama will dwag you back to the bedwoom.” 

Hyunjin fought the urge to laugh, utterly charmed by Naeun’s petulant words. How hard had she prepared to relay such a fiery message? He climbed up the remaining steps with the girl in his arms and sat back down comfortably on the throne, gently placing her on his lap.

“Papa is very sorry,” he said solemnly, bringing her little hand to his lips so he could kiss the back of it, making her giggle and squirm, “Did your mama send you here to tell me that?”

“Nope! But mama miss you!” Naeun replied brightly, and by this point, none of the guests were able to hide their endeared smiles and chuckles. Hyunjin felt a strange rush of both protectiveness and pride as he observed how easily Naeun had stolen the spotlight in the room with her joy and her innocence. It must be a father instinct that he was beginning to develop.

“Ah, mama misses me?” Hyunjin didn’t even know his heart was capable of containing such unbridled happiness and love as he smiled at his daughter. Naeun nodded firmly, and Hyunjin rubbed her back as he smoothed down her pretty princess dress, making sure she was comfortable before addressing the guests.

“My apologies for the interruption,” he said with perfect politeness, ever the ideal host. As expected, not many people were even the slightest bit annoyed by the disturbance, and they all waved off his apology, continuing the casual conversations about trade, finances, and commerce.

When it was all over, and Hyunjin was finally able to adjourn with all meetings and any other activities he’d scheduled to entertain his foreign guests, he eagerly walked down the hallways to the royal chambers, with Naeun safely nestled in his arms.

“Papa?”

“Yes, my little one?” He replied, letting her rest her chin on his shoulder.

“What’s fin..finan…” Naeun’s face scrunched up with effort as she tried to put the word back together from her memory. 

Hyunjin smiled fondly; he’d noticed her eagerly listening during the meeting, trying to soak in all the new knowledge that was coming her way. Naeun was good at de-escalating tensions, especially when she did her usual thing of barging into meetings without a care in the world, but Hyunjin also liked to let her stay in meetings because the little toddler seemed genuinely interested. She never seemed like she wanted to be anywhere else, only blinking from person to person with her large doe eyes. 

“Finance?” He supplied helpfully, and Naeun nodded into his shoulder, “It’s grown up stuff.”

“I like grown up stuff,” Naeun said with all the seriousness that a three year old could muster.

Hyunjin laughed, “I know you do, petal,” he hummed, thinking of a good way to explain the concept, “You know when you like to play house with your dolls and Uncle Changbin?”

Naeun immediately brightened at that. She loved playing house with Uncle Changbin! He was always a bit grumpy, a bit reluctant, but they always had a great tea party whenever her mama and papa were busy. 

“Mhm!”

“And you always like to trade certain dolls for the dolls that Changbin brings?” Hyunjin asked. Once again, he felt enormous gratitude to his personal commander, Seo Changbin, for going beyond the responsibilities of duty to take care of Naeun. As much as you and Hyunjin tried however you could to make time for her, with royal duties, parties, meetings, and work, it was just impossible to spend large amounts of time with your lovely daughter.

“Mhm! Uncle Changbin brings pwetty dolls!” Naeun nodded.

Hyunjin felt the smile grow on his face as he held her in his arms. He’d been smiling more often ever since Naeun was born, “Exactly. And you always have to give a few of your old ones to get the new, right? Or choose a few toys to give to Uncle Changbin so he can donate them to the capitol orphanages?”

Naeun only nodded curiously. 

“That, in a way, is finance. Of course, it’s a little more boring than trading dolls, though,” Hyunjin tickled her tummy with his finger, distracting her as she wiggled and squealed. Truth be told, Hyunjin didn’t want Naeun to grow up so quickly, even if that was all she wanted to do. Hyunjin didn’t remember anything from his childhood except textbooks, lectures, and a crushing pressure from his father and mother to live up to their expectations. He would never wish that upon his daughter.

After one more turn around the corner, they finally arrived at the Royal Chambers, with Changbin and Felix standing guard on both sides of the entrance. 

“Hi, Uncle Changbin! Hi, Uncle Lixie!” Despite their attempts to teach Naeun royal protocol about how to address the Kingsguard, she had little regard for it, opting to wave from the safety of her father’s arms. 

Changbin’s normally passive, almost grumpy expression melted ever so slightly as he waved back at her.  Despite his constant statements about not wanting to marry and not wanting to start a family, having Naeun made Hyunjin realize that his commander was surprisingly good with children. But if anyone so much as mentioned it, Changbin would deny any evidence of such allegations. Felix, on the other hand, was absolutely besotted with the little girl and made no attempts to hide it.

“Hi, little princess!” He smiled, opening the doors to the most private section of the palace. Hyunjin chuckled, nodding respectfully to both men before walking in. 

“Now, where’s your mama?” Hyunjin murmured. Of course, you were supposed to be in the bedroom, but Hyunjin knew you better than that. 

Naeun giggled, as if she knew you were breaking some sort of rule, and pointed to the study, “There!” 

“Thank you, petal,” Hyunjin booped her nose fondly before walking into the study, creaking the door open slowly as not to startle you. 

Every time his eyes fell to you, he would be swept with a newfound love that was stronger and more powerful than the time before. Even though your back was turned slightly away, and he could only see the slight curve of your lips and the profile of you from the side, Hyunjin knew without a doubt that you were the most beautiful woman in the world. 

You didn’t seem to notice your family walking in, lost in thought as you stared at the window, a piece of parchment in your hand. Hyunjin smiled, knowing how concentrated you can get when it came to state affairs. He put a finger to his lips, indicating to his daughter to be quiet. Naeun covered her mouth with her little hands, nodding as he very gently placed her on the fluffy carpet so she could play with the toys on the ground.

“I believe the doctor’s orders were for you to stay in bed?” Hyunjin murmured softly as he gently draped a woolen shawl over your shoulders, his arms snaking around you from behind. Maybe you did know he was around, since you didn't seem startled by his presence and only smiled as his hands rested on your tummy.

“We have guests in our palace. How can I stay in bed when there’s so much to do?” You replied, leaning into his arms and physically relaxing against him.

“You can just leave the work to me,” Hyunjin pouted a little, feeling guilty that he wasn’t able to handle the entire burden of royal duties. He couldn’t when you were pregnant with Naeun, and he couldn’t now. His hands rubbed your tummy through the silk nightgown as he gently placed his chin on your shoulder, murmuring, “It’s not good for the baby…”

Every time Hyunjin touched your tummy, it made you airy with disbelief and awe at how fortunate you were to have him. When you were a princess, long long ago, you’d never expected yourself to look forward to starting a family. But with Hyunjin, Naeun brought so much joy in your lives that neither of you could help but want another, and your prayers were answered when you became pregnant again around the time Naeun turned three. 

Part of why you were willing was because it awed you every time you saw how much Hyunjin cared. You knew how kings were, always drowning in their work, their duty, which always led them to crave independence, and then occasionally, turning to other women than their lawful wife. You knew that was the norm. Care, much less love, was something that royal women would be lucky to have.

Yet, Hyunjin gave it to you in the spades. Hyunjin cared, Hyunjin loved so much. You saw it every time he looked at you, you saw it every time he would gingerly place the crown upon your head before formal gatherings. You saw it every time he’d keep you close at parties, made sure everyone knew how much he valued you and your opinion. You saw it every time he looked at Naeun, his eyes sparkling with childlike wonder that could only be reflected in your daughter’s own eyes.

And now, with the two of you expecting another child, you saw it in his fretting, his worrying, his constant attempts to keep you safe and healthy, even if he was a little overbearing.

“The doctor never said a little bit of work would harm the baby,” you pointed out, tilting your head back to look into his eyes as you cupped his cheek, “I’m checking myself, I promise.”

“I’m sure you are,” Hyunjin chuckled, and he could no longer stop himself, his lips pressing against  yours in a gentle kiss as he hugged you. You only hummed happily against his lips, enjoying the moment when you were suddenly interrupted.

“Yuckie!” Naeun squeaked out, causing both of you to pull away with a laugh. The princess was sitting on the ground with a soft plushie in her arms as she looked at her parents with disgust.

You burst into giggles, pulling away from Hyunjin to walk over to her, “Yuckie? It’s yuckie that your parents are in love?” You asked teasingly, pinching her cheek. Naeun giggled, trying to run away as Hyunjin suddenly lifted her up from behind, placing her in his lap.

“Kisses are yuckie!” She squealed, making both of you laugh as Hyunjin tickled her tummy.

Hyunjin smiled, chuckling, “Don’t ever let me catch you kissing someone else,” he warned. In all honesty, the idea of his precious daughter falling in love made his blood boil unreasonably. Especially in the royal realm, it was so hard to determine which ones were good and which ones were only hiding behind the mask of benevolence. Just the thought of Naeun falling in love, Naeun getting her heart broken by some good for nothing prince…

“My love,” Hyunjin’s eyes widened as he felt a gentle hand on his arm. You smiled fondly, almost as you already knew exactly what he was thinking, as you always did, “Baby steps, alright? She’s not at that age yet.”

“Baby steps!” Naeun chorused, although oblivious to the conversation at hand. 

Hyunjin felt himself relax, and he engulfed his daughter in a big hug, letting her snuggle into his chest, “Yes, baby steps,” he murmured as he left a kiss in her hair.

.

“What do you mean, they won’t allow it?” You asked angrily, following Hyunjin into his study as he ran a frantic hand through his hair.

Hyunjin sank into his chair, frustration clear in his face as he glanced up at you, “The letter from the council came back. Apparently, there were some strong voices of protest, and eventually they decided to rule against it. They won’t accept Naeun as the heir.”

“That’s ridiculous!” You snapped, feeling steam practically radiating from your ears, “She’s the eldest child, our first born! They've had three years to observe her, and she's performed well in all subjects. She’s practically a genius!" 

You whirled around, tightening the shawl around your frame as you made up your mind to go to the council yourself when Hyunjin rushed over, intercepting you as he gently grabbed your arms, “Y/N, my darling,” you shook your head, not in the mood for his cajoling and gentle attention.

“I’m going to talk to them. They were relenting a couple months ago! I don’t see why--”

“Hey, hey, breathe,” Hyunjin’s voice was suddenly stern, his hands running up and down your back to soothe you, “Calm down, love. Please. Think of the baby.”

You froze, the fight beginning to drain out of you as you tried to take deep breaths. Hyunjin’s hand trailed to your wrist, subtly taking note of your pulse to ensure that you were still alright. 

“I know you’re angry. So am I,” Hyunjin spoke, stepping closer to you and cupping your face in his gentle hands. Your eyes closed at his touch, feeling his warm embrace as his comforting presence, “But we need to deal with this slowly. There are foreign envoys still here, remember? We can’t go barging around the palace like we normally do, not until they leave.”

You huffed, knowing that Hyunjin was right, but still feeling churlishly angry at the news, “So we just wait?”

“We’ll discuss it once more when the council meeting is held again,” Hyunjin suggested, brushing a strand of hair away from your face, “I’m sure they’ll cave. Naeun is a perfect contender, the perfect candidate for the next heir. She’s just not what they’re used to.”

“And what are they used to? A son?” You said mockingly, your anger fueled by the ridiculous laws that were still in place. Your kingdom had long since done away with such petty things as male only rules, but it seemed like Hyunjin's kingdom was a little more traditional. 

“Yes, and you know how stubborn they are about it” Hyunjin murmured, palming your stomach, “They’re waiting for this little one.”

“They don’t even know if it’s going to be a boy,” you scoffed, but you could feel yourself relaxing in Hyunjin’s arms. The two of you were so alike and yet so different. Hyunjin was the cooling water to your raging firestorm. And you were the spark that light his ice cold heart alight with love for the first time all those years ago.

Hyunjin hummed at your comment, gently nuzzling his nose against your cheek, “I think it will be. Otherwise, I'd be awfully outnumbered in this family,” he said softly, kissing your cheek as he continued, “But no matter. I still want my precious Naeun to be the crown princess. The council just has stick up their ass.”

“Hyunjin!” You slapped his arm, pulling away to walk towards his study, sitting in the chair as you felt the baby kick once again.

The king only laughed at your glare, immediately rushing to your side as he took your hand, “The baby’s bothering you again, huh?” He asked, his eyes filled with wonder as he stared at your tummy. It was a silent, yet rather apparent question to you, asking whether he had permission to touch. It was almost adorable how childishly excited Hyunjin would get at the thought of his own children.

You gently placed his hand over the fabric of your dress, right over where you’d felt a slight kick just before, “It’s not a bother,” you said gently, “How can it be a bother when it reassures me that our child is safe and healthy?”

Hyunjin’s expression was nothing short of entranced as he felt a push against the palm of his hand, “I love you,” he murmured as he glanced at you, and he leaned forward to press his cheek against your tummy, to which you only smiled fondly and ran a hand through his hair.

“I love them, too,” he spoke to your stomach, as he had no doubt that your unborn child would hear it and know just how much their father cared.

The two of you stayed in that position, basking in the monetary relaxation for a moment longer, your hands gently running through his hair as he rested his head on your lap. It was definitely not a position that either of you would want to be caught in, but Hyunjin found himself rather fond of it, being able to let go of his responsibilities and rely on you for comfort without being anxious. 

You sat for a moment longer before a particular piece of parchment on Hyunjin's desk caught your eye, and you quickly reached for it as your husband continued to rest comfortably on your lap.

“There’s a party tomorrow night?” You asked, scanning the contents over as your free hand gently carded through his hair.

“Mhm, the envoys are leaving the morning after, so it has to be grand,” Hyunjin mumbled lazily in return, his eyes shut from mild exhaustion.

You hummed, putting the parchment down as you said softly, “If it’s the final dinner, shouldn’t I be there? I haven’t seen any of our guests except on the first day. It would be impolite if I missed the last event, too.”

“No,” Hyunjin’s grip tightened imperceptibly as he gently held your waist, lifting his head up to meet your eyes, “They understand your situation. It’s only natural that you haven’t been at all the events,” he said firmly, his hand absently moving towards your stomach.

“It’s still impolite. I should probably go,” you said softly, resting your hand over his, “We don’t want our guests to leave with a bad taste in their mouth.” 

Hyunjin looked uncertain, his eyes pleading with you as he pressed his lips to your knuckles, “If something happens…”

“Nothing will happen, my darling,” you cooed, trying to reassure your love as you sensed his fear. Hyunjin, underneath his cold words and powerful gaze, was just as human as any other man.

“It’s just a party. I won’t even dance, alright?” You continued with a cajoling smile, brushing your thumb against his cheek bone, “I just have to be there, Hyunjin. It’s my duty.” 

Hyunjin’s eyes fluttered shut as he melted against your touch, leaning his cheek into your hand and sighing softly, “I know I can’t change your mind,” he said, “You’re just stubborn like that, and I love it more than you know. But it scares me so much.” 

“It scares you?” You repeated his words, waiting patiently for him to elaborate. 

The king nodded, looking so vulnerable in your arms that you were afraid he’d break, “What if something happens? What if, one day, you overestimate yourself and you lose the baby? Or worse,” Hyunjin kissed your palm, holding your wrist in his hand as he gazed upon you with more pain in his eyes than you’ve ever seen.

“What if I lose you, too?”

Your heart shattered at the fear and the sheer amount of unconditional love that glistened in his eyes whenever they met yours, “Oh, Hyunjin,” you sighed, leaning forward to be closer to him, “It won't come to that.”

But Hyunjin couldn't hear reason at this point, frightening himself as he held your hand, “I can't rule this kingdom without you, without your love. You're the first happiness I've ever had in this lifetime.” 

“Hyunjin, you can and you have,” you argued, reaching to lace your fingers with his, “You were ruling wonderfully before we met.”

“It's not the same, darling, and you know it,” Hyunjin answered, kissing the pulse point of your wrist daintily, “You made me a better person and a better king.”

You couldn't help but smile adoringly, reaching your other hand to run your fingers through his soft hair, “I'm glad. You made my life happier than I ever dreamed it could be.”

Hyunjin sighed, melting into your touch. As always, he felt weightless in your arms, free of burden and responsibility. He didn't have to think of anything but you and him.

But alas, there was still a problem at hand. 

“Do you really want to attend the party?” He asked softly into the fabric of your dress, one of the comfortable ones he'd ordered to be specially made for you when the two of you discovered that you were expecting a second time.

“I do, Hyunjin. I think it's best that I take my place beside you, at least once before they leave. It'll quell any rumors about us and about my supposed ill health,” you explained your reasoning, understanding Hyunjin’s doubts but still feeling strongly about going all the same.

Hyunjin’s eyes opened slowly and he nodded in resignation as he stood up, “Alright. I won't stop you. But, my love, at least let me assign Changbin and Felix to you as your guards for the night.”

“Both of them?” You asked, standing up slowly to maintain your balance. Hyunjin didn't leave your side for a moment, holding your arm in case you fell, “Isn't that a bit much?” 

“It would make me less anxious to know you're well guarded,” Hyunjin pleaded with you, fixing the shawl around your shoulders as the two of you walked out of the study. It was already quite late in the evening, with Naeun having been sent to bed long before. 

Your fingers intertwined naturally, and the two of you headed to your chambers, ready for a long night's rest, “Alright, assign both of them to me,” you relented, “I still think it’s a bit overkill.”

“You’d be walking around the town without a single guard if we went with what you thought was overkill,” Hyunjin chuckled, beginning to shed his uniform.

“Not true,” you protested weakly as you climbed into bed, already in your nightgown.

Hyunjin joined you soon after, engulfing you in his arms and his comforting scent as you let out a sigh of contentment, burrowing in his embrace, “Let’s get some rest, alright?” You said, sleepiness laced in your voice as you hummed softly, “I love you.”

“I love you, too, my darling,” Hyunjin murmured his response without a moment of hesitation, as if he’d been waiting all his life to tell you, “so much.”

.

Parties were hectic enough already, even more so when you had a hyperactive toddler to manage on top of the plethora of things that could already go wrong, from the banquet food to the entertainment. 

"Weeee!" Naeun squealed, running around the bedroom like a madman and trying to escape changing into her party dress. 

Before she could slip away, you managed to snag an arm around her waist, lifting her into your arms with a grunt, “Where do you think you're going, little princess?”

Naeun pouted, whining as she wiggled in your grasp, “Want to go play! Want to find papa!” She said with a huff. 

“Papa is busy right now,” you said patiently as you gently plopped her on the bed, trying to help her out of her nightgown while Naeun fussed, obviously not wanting to do as she was told.

“But I want to play with papa!” She protested as she eventually lifted her arms, letting you help her change. 

You sighed as you helped her into the beautiful golden dress, the fabric laced with ruffles and sparkling thread that was fit for any little princess.

“Papa is a little busy, alright?” You spoke gently, trying to make your lecture sound less like a scolding and more of an explanation, “There have been guests in Mama and Papa's home for the last few days, and Papa has been busy taking care of them.”

“B-but...what about me?” Naeun’s lower lip quivered dramatically, and you fought the urge to smile at how utterly adorable she was, “Papa take care of me!”

“You don't think Papa takes care of you?” You asked, raising an eyebrow, “Papa spends all his free time with you, Naeunie. Papa takes caring for you very, very seriously.”

Naeun pouted still, her lip jutting out petulantly, but she let her head fall. Even for a three year old, the little girl was awfully perceptive, and knew when she'd lost an argument. And in her heart of hearts, she knew that her parents really did move heaven and earth to make her their top priority.

“Papa no stop taking care of me?” She asked softly as you buttoned the pearl clasp around her collar.

“No, my little one,” you answered with a gentle smile as you fixed her hair, “Papa and Mama will always take care of you. When this is all over, how about we stay a week at the summer residence? Just you, papa and me, and we'll have all the time in the world to play with you.”

Naeun gasped, bouncing on the bed, “Weally? Just us?”

“If you want, you can drag your Uncle Changbin to come with us, too,” you said slyly as you booped her nose, but instead of scrunching her face playfully as she always did, Naeun suddenly looked ashamed, head tilted downward as if she’d done something naughty and then felt guilty about it after the fact.

You were immediately concerned, “Little one?” You prodded, gently trying to tilt her chin up so she’d look at you, “Little one, what’s happened? You can tell Mama anything.”

Naeun hiccuped slightly, and your heart ached as you realized that she was on the verge of tears, “Mama, ‘m sorry,” she mumbled softly, eyes glittering with unshed tears and you quickly sat on the bed, pulling her into your lap.

“Why are you sorry, Naeunie?” You asked, trying not to sound frantic, worried, or anything that might frighten her more.

“Papa said Mama is tired, and that I shouldn’t bother Mama,” Naeun explained, large droplets beginning to roll down her rosy cheeks as she wailed, “But I’ve been bad bad! I make Mama worry!”

You tried to stifle your incredulous laughter as your daughter clung onto you, wailing dramatically as if the world was about to end. So that was what got her so worked up all of a sudden.

“Silly little thing,” you teased, cradling her in your arms as best you could with the bump of your stomach getting in the way. Still, you nuzzled your nose against her cheek, wiping her tears, “It’s mama’s job to worry. You’re a perfectly good girl, Naeunie. Mama and Papa are so lucky to have a precious girl like you.”

Naeun’s shoulders slowly began to shake as she rubbed her eyes, “Like me?” She repeated, a tinge of innocent hope and adoration laced in her voice that always raised your protective instincts, the instinct to shield her from any harm that this world could throw at her.

You smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as you spoke softly, “Just like you. Mama and Papa love you to the moon and back.” 

“And I love Mama and Papa, too! So so muchie!” Naeun parroted back happily, smiling with all the life and brightness that both you and Hyunjin lacked in your own childhoods. Maybe that was why the two of you were so determined to be there for Naeun in every way possible, to make sure that she knew she was so very loved. Because neither of you received that type of acceptance when you were children.

“Good girl,” you said, kissing her forehead once more before smoothing down her dress, “Are you ready to go?”

“Mm!” She nodded, clambering off the bed and standing tall, “Will Papa be at party, too?”

“Your papa is already there,” you chuckled to yourself, taking your daughter’s little hand and heading out of the bedroom.

Outside, both Felix and Changbin were waiting for you, dressed impeccably for the formal occasion. In normal circumstances, it would only be one of them waiting for you while the other guarded Hyunjin, but the king had not allowed any exceptions. Both of the strongest in the Kingsguard must be by your side for the day.

“Sorry for the wait,” you said to both of them as Naeun slipped away from you, skipping over to her two uncles, going especially for one in particular.

“Uncle Changbin, Uncle Changbin!” The man grunted as he caught her in his arms, shifting so she was eye level with him, her bright smile contrasting with his typical frown.

Felix walked with you as Changbin and Naeun entered their own little world, with the young toddler prattling his ears off and the commander listening with surprising attentiveness, “She plays favorites,” Felix complained playfully, clutching a hand to his heart as he stayed by your side.

“She definitely does,” you agreed with a fond smile, keeping an eye on your daughter as you walked down the halls, a hand resting on your tummy as you glanced at the man beside you, “Hyunjin is at the party, right? How is he doing?”

“When will the two of you ever not worry about one another?” Felix laughed, shaking his head, “Hyunjin caught me on the way up to your bedroom, asking about you as well.”

You shrugged, the sound and clamor of crowds and partying beginning to be apparent as you neared the ballroom, “That’s just married life, Felix. Trying to put the other person before yourself,” you glanced at him, the gaze in your eyes shifting into something more mischievous as you opened your mouth, “And maybe, you--”

“Nope! Not happening!” Felix interrupted you cheerfully, “You and His Majesty have just been on my ass about it, and it’s not happening!”

“Oh, but Lixie,” you laughed with him, taking his arm as you walked down the marble steps, “it’s really not all that bad!”

Felix’s gaze was soft as he gently patted your hand. He’d been assigned to the Kingsguard right around the time you were crowned Queen, and there was a sort of camaraderie that formed between the two of you from trying to navigate the ups and downs of palace life. He was a good confidante, and you very much valued his happiness.

“I’m happy here,” he said gently, looking into your eyes with his bright and genuine ones, “I’m happy looking after people that I care about. And for now, I don’t ever want to lose that.” 

You sighed, a smile gracing your face as you shook your head, “Alright. But if you ever change your mind…”

“You and His Majesty would be the first to know,” Felix promised.

The doors swung open, and the crowd quickly stood at attention as you entered the ballroom. Your gaze hardened ever so slightly, and your posture shifted, taking the persona of the respected queen that you were to the eyes of your people. Before you were a mother, or a wife, you were a symbol, an anchor of virtue.

Even Naeun was on her best behavior as she walked down with Changbin, holding his little pinky as she climbed down the steps. She seemed to sense her own importance, and did her very best not to mess up, making you break character for a moment as you smiled.

Your eyes caught sight of your husband standing near the throne, and his eyes twinkled with adoration when your gazes met. He put down his glass of champagne, quickly gliding through the room to receive you.

“God, he’s whipped for you, Your Majesty,” Felix muttered under his breath, “Does the honeymoon period never end--ow!” A discrete finger jab to the side was enough to shut him up.

Hyunjin’s smile was small and hidden, reserved just for your eyes as you made it to the bottom step, “Don’t you look beautiful, my Queen,” he murmured, chastely kissing the back of your hand before pecking your lips.

“Jinnie, not here,” you scolded lightly, letting him take your hand as Naeun rushed over, the crowd cooing with delight. Naeun had only been present in a handful of engagements before this particular party, and the people were still fully immersed in baby fever, entranced by the little girl.

“Papa!” She jumped at him, your husband bending down and catching her easily.

“Oh, my little petal!” His smile was bright as he held her securely, spinning her around, “Ready for dinner?”

“Mhm!” Naeun nodded, but not before placing a big kiss on her father’s cheek, “Miss you!”

You couldn’t help but giggle, watching as the princess’s actions completely melted the crowed. She was definitely a natural. You remembered what you were like as a three year-old, scared, terrified, and always trying to hide behind your mother’s skirt even as she forced you to be independent. 

Naeun didn’t need that push, and you were grateful.

Hyunjin carried Naeun in one arm and escorted you with the other. Your eyes scanned the room, automatically taking note of certain esteemed guests and nobles. In the edge of the room, you noticed a few council members sitting together at a table, refusing to stand at attention for your entrance. 

"Is everything ready?" You asked as you carefully sat down beside Hyunjin, "The dinner, the entertainment-" 

“It’s all done,” Hyunjin smiled, pecking your lips before he placed Naeun in her chair beside his golden one, making sure she was sitting still, “Nothing to worry about.”

You smiled, grateful that your husband was so accommodating and willing to handle so much of the work while you needed your rest. Gesturing to one of the maids, you waved your hand, requesting her to start ushering the guests to their seats as food was about to be served.

As you continued to observe the room, making sure everything was running smoothly, you felt a gentle hand take yours, rubbing it soothingly.

“I haven’t seen you all day. I missed you,” Hyunjin murmured into your ear, making you blush slightly. Even after all these years, his forwardness always flustered you, made you feel like a giddy young princess rather than an experienced queen.

“Hyunjin, come on...not here,” you whispered back, letting his hand glide to your stomach, hidden from everyone’s view by the table in front of you. 

“I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” Hyunjin protested in a playful tone, gently patting your tummy before pulling away and gaining back some of his kingly aura right as the first dishes were served.

The banquet went without much of a hitch, to your relief. The atmosphere was overall genial and it didn’t seem like any of your guests had malicious intentions. Hyunjin, of course, grew a little ruffled when one of the young boys from the envoy’s family, no older than five, asked to dance with Naeun, but you argued that it was rather endearing to see the children stumble around the dance floor.

“Mama, that was really fun!” Naeun reported happily when she was sitting back in her seat, her hair slightly messy from twirling so much, “Want to do it again!”

“Never, not while I’m still alive,” Hyunjin muttered, rubbing his eyes halfheartedly as the memory of his precious little girl dancing with a boy replayed in his head. 

You laughed at the two of them, reaching over to fix Naeun’s hairdo so she didn’t look like an absolute mess for the rest of the evening, “I think your father wouldn’t be very happy with that,” you said teasingly, kissing her forehead just as the crown prince approached your table with a glass of fine wine in his hand.

“Your Majesties,” he spoke respectfully, exuding the perfect mixture of gracefulness and charisma as he bowed, “If I could do the honor of making a toast for the occasion?”

Of course, the request was posed as a question, merely to play to the ego and the pride of the hosts, but a toast was usually not something you could refuse. Doing so meant bad blood, tensions, potential rifts in foreign relations. Besides, the prince didn’t look malicious; you normally had a good sense of intuition about people, and the man standing before you and Hyunjin didn’t raise any red flags.

Hyunjin didn’t seem to sense anything either, and with a courteous smile, he waved his hand in agreement, “The trade deals we’ve made this time around are definitely a reason for celebration,” he said, “Although, I’ll have to drink on behalf of the Queen as well.”

The prince smiled at that, gesturing to one of his servants as they walked towards the table, bringing two gold encrusted wine glasses towards you, “We would never want to leave Her Majesty out. In consideration of her pregnancy, I’ve brought a specialty drink created from a fruit that is grown only in our country. It is harmless to the body, and said to bring good health and longevity to expecting mothers.”

Gasps and noises of approval filled the air as you tilted your head inquisitively, looking at the wine glass being presented to you. You could feel Hyunjin’s hesitancy, and you studied the prince’s expression carefully, but there really didn’t seem to be anything wrong. There wasn’t any point in making a big fuss over nothing.

Delicately, your fingers wrapped around the glass, picking it up and looking at the orange liquid. Hyunjin watched you carefully before doing the same with his glass, which held red wine like everyone else.

The prince smiled, relief obvious in his posture as he held up his own glass. He obviously had worried that you might reject the gift, thinking that it overstepped boundaries. 

“May our kingdoms stay allies through peace and through strife. To friendship!”

The crowd chorused the sentiment as you merely lifted the glass to your mouth, the liquid just about to touch your lips when you froze.

That scent. You remembered it when your physician had warned you against certain plants that were harmful to your body. As the queen of two nations, you were an obvious target, and there was never any telling with when someone with a cruel heart could slip a poison into your food or water. The scent was almost imperceptible, but you knew it was there.

Someone was trying to poison you, and they chose the most opportune time to do so.

Watching as the prince and your husband both downed their glasses, your brain was working a mile a minute, scrambling for a way out. You could you say outright that there was poison in the glass. That would put both your own staff and your guests in a terrible position. You didn’t have any proof that it was actually the prince who was trying to harm you, and making those accusations would all but tear the alliance apart. 

Your heart must’ve been pounding so loudly that the people around you could hear. You kept your face placidly calm as you decided on your course of action, and very subtly tapped your finger against the wine glass three times, a signal that Changbin had taught you in order to alert the Kingsguard of danger.

Both Changbin and Felix saw your movement, and so did Hyunjin out of the corner of his eye. He turned, his expression slowly morphing into shocked anger, something you had not wanted to happen. Thinking quickly, you pretended to choke, coughing up a storm as you managed to put the glass down.

Felix walked forward and was beside you in an instant, catching on to your actions. He handed you a handkerchief, gently patting your back as Changbin was also by your side, a concerned expression crossing his face as he stood guard.

“Are you alright, Your Majesty?” Felix asked, keeping the attention on you as he discreetly slid the glass to the side, letting Changbin collect it and take it away, ensuring that it was as far away from you as possible.

“Y-yes,” you smiled shakily, pressing the handkerchief against your lips, “Just got startled when the baby kicked.”

The people around you, Hyunjin and Felix, instantly saw through your lie, but knew better than to question your words when everyone’s eyes were on you. You finally glanced at your husband, your anxiety spiking when you saw the way he looked at you, eyes filled with uncontrollable fury. 

Someone had really tried to hurt you, really tried to take his happiness right out from his grasp.

You placed a hand on his, and gave it a warning squeeze, “I’m alright, love, there’s no need to fret,” you cooed, putting on a show of calming him down so that his anger might be taken as anxiety instead.

Hyunjin caught onto your cues, and did his best to control the murderous emotions threatening to bubble out of his chest. Luckily enough, there was another distraction that waddled over, effectively putting the whole situation at rest.

“Mama! Are you alright?” Naeun ran over, her expression overly worried as she stood beside you, her little hands grabbing blindly for you and wanting to be held. As she was watching her Uncle Changbin, she’d panicked when he did, automatically thinking that something bad had happened to her mother.

“Oh, my little one, nothing happened. See?” You comforted her, bringing her hands to your cheeks as you smiled, “Mama is fine.”

“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty!” The prince stammered out as you gently placed Naeun in your lap, giving into her cries to be close to you, “I did not mean to cause you harm. Not in the slightest.”

“And you did not,” you spoke gracefully, a hand lightly squeezing your husband’s leg under the table as you took control of the conversation, sensing that the man was no longer thinking rationally. Hyunjin already suspected the prince as the main culprit, and any words that would leave his mouth from here on would be far from pleasant.

You smiled serenely, looking at the prince, “There was no harm done. Pregnancies are always unpredictable.”

The prince nodded, his expression still anxious as he excused himself and took his seat back with his family. Looking at his frazzled expression, the idea that the person who was looking to poison you was less likely to be him.

“Hyunjin, snap that glare off your face. People are beginning to notice,” you hissed in his ear as people began to dance and mingle now that the dinner part of the banquet was done. Naeun was still in your arms, having fallen asleep. It was far past her normal bed time, after all.

But Hyunjin’s fury was just barely contained, “How can I? Someone tried to hurt you, Y/N. Someone tried to do so right before my very eyes, right under the noses of our Kingsguard,” he spoke under his breath, the cold glint in his eyes growing stronger with every moment. The Hwang Hyunjin of old, the ruthless king that ruled without mercy, was returning, and you needed to stop him quickly.

“Making a ruckus will not serve us any good,” you said softly, continuing to bounce Naeun lightly on your lap.

“He needs to know what happens if he hurts a member of the royal family,” Hyunjin’s glare shifted to the prince, who was dancing with his wife amongst the crowd.

“It isn’t him, Hyunjin,” you took his hand, lacing your fingers together, “I’m sure it isn’t.”

“Then who?” He rounded on you, eyes filled with pain and anger as he tried to hide it from nosy onlookers, leaning closer to press a kiss to the crown of your head, “Who would dare hurt the most precious person in my life?”

“I don’t know, Hyunjin. But now isn’t the time to play detective. Let’s get through this party first, alright?” You asked soothingly just as Naeun shifted in your arms, mumbling.

“Papa…”

Hyunjin faltered at that weak cry, and you smiled in relief as you carefully handed Naeun to her father. The king held her in his lap, using her as his anchor. 

"Oh, my little petal," he sighed, letting the girl slump into his chest as she slept soundly, unaware of the turmoil raging through her father's heart. Hyunjin held her close, kissing her hair, and you were able to observe the party absently, letting yourself calm down after a near experience with death.

Who could've done it? The very idea of lacing the queen's drink with poison, and quite possibly starting a war in the process, would scare almost anyone away. It had to be someone with much more to gain from the incident, someone that feels sure enough of their position that they see the act through knowing it could never be traced back to them. 

You sat in relative silence for the rest of the evening, choosing to observe rather than participate as the guests enjoyed the many festivities you'd planned for the evening. One particular man, sitting at the table to your right, who looked suspiciously upset for such a joyous occasion, caught your eye. 

His motives certainly aligned, and he was of high enough status that he probably didn't even have to personally orchestrate any of it to happen. 

Could it be...? There was only one way to quell your suspicions. 

. 

The party ended uneventfully, and soon, many of the guests began to trickle out of the palace gates, ready to retire for the night. One man opted to take a less crowded route back to his estate, cutting through the palace passageways instead of braving the cold and the people. After all, he was no longer in a sociable mood after the events of the night. 

He should've  known it wasn't going to be so easy. The queen was not only royalty, she was an experienced general as well. It shouldn't have been such a surprise that she sniffed out the little surprise so easily. 

Still, even if it was to be expected, it was still a disappointment. If only she wasn't around, things would be so much simpler. He would've been able to further secure his position, maybe even take control of the military. Oh, the possibilities for him were endless if only- 

"General Lee Minho. It's quite late for you to still be here in my palace." 

If only you weren't around to stop him. 

Maintaining his composure, Minto turned around, giving you a perfect bow, "Your Majesty, I didn't mean to impose. I was merely trying to get home-" 

"Why did you do it?" 

Never one to beat around the bush, were you? 

Minho gave you a saccharine smile, his heart still relatively at ease. You had no proof. There was nothing that could connect the act to him. 

"Your Majesty, I don't believe I understand." 

It must've been the wrong thing to say. Your eyebrow raised inquisitively, and you took a step forward, your eyes cold and unwavering. You must've learned a thing or two from your besotted husband.  

"You're a cunning man, General. Our kingdoms profit off your intellect and your strategy," you said, looking straight into his own unflinching gaze.

"In fact, your cunning is the only reason you are still alive." 

The air seemed to grow thinner in an instant, and the pleasantries all but faded from Minho’s expression. You weren't inquiring, you knew it was him. This encounter was merely icing on the cake for you. The general was suddenly aware that the halls were completely empty save for the two of you, and there was not a sound to be heard. Not the sounds of a servant fetching water, or a maid finishing up her errands. Nothing.

Minho pursed his lips, giving you an unreadable gaze, “I wouldn't advise threatening me in your condition,” he commented, eyes falling deliberately to the swell of your stomach.

You couldn't help but smile in amusement at his thinly veiled threat, “I assure you, General, I am perfectly safe.”

“Oh?” Minho raised an eyebrow at your words, “And I suppose one of your two dogs that you call the Kingsguard is hiding just around the corner, waiting for a movement that would put you in danger before cutting me down.”

The silence screamed under the midnight sky, and the candles illuminating the hallway seemed to flicker as your smile turned icy.

“Do you really think I need Felix to intercede in order for me to kill you?”

Your words were barely audible, and could've easily passed as the murmurings of the wind, but for the first time, Minho didn't feel safe. There was something about the glint in your eyes, the way you stood before him like a storm just waiting to tear through him. 

All this time, Minho had not worried about the consequences of his actions. He did not believe that you were in a position to raise a finger at him, especially since the nobles were on his side. You were the former princess of a foreign kingdom, after all. You were the disadvantaged one here. If anything, he was worried what the king might do if his plot was discovered, knowing and having witnessed Hyunjin’s merciless punishments to those that defied him.

But standing before you, alone and without the bravado of his typical entourage, Minho realized. It was you that he should've feared. 

There was not an ounce of humanity, affection, or care in your eyes. The loving queen that had just been cradling her daughter in her arms earlier that night had all but slipped away. Standing before him was a battle-hardened warrior, a woman who had experienced too much suffering to ever go through it again, no matter what it took.

“What do you want from me?” Minho said, his innocent facade fading completely as he finally caved, the hatred seeping into his eyes as he glared at you.

“I want answers, and you will give them to me. If you don't know, which I doubt will be the case, you will direct me to someone who does.”

Minho’s jaw clenched, feeling the growing panic and fury clawing up his chest as he stood before you, with no more cards to play, “Alright.”

“Alright?” You raised an eyebrow, the simplest action laced with an unspoken threat.

“Alright, Your Majesty,” Minho sneered, wanting nothing more than to pull out his hidden blade and run it cleanly through your throat. He knew better though, especially since he was sure Felix had his eyes trained on him, ready to strike.

“Who else is in on this?”

“A few of the lords were vaguely aware that I was plotting something, but they did not actively participate in the act.”

“Were your actions supported?”

Looking down to the side, he muttered, “There were a few people that did not agree on my methods, but still want you removed.”

“Naeun. Is she in danger?” You asked sharply, for the first time, feeling a spike of fear hit you. If there was someone willing to murder your unborn child, you suspected that Naeun would not be safe either.

To your relief, Minho shook his head, “Not that I know of.”

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. As long as you and your child were relatively safe, you could continue the interrogation more seriously, “You laced my drink with poison, but it was not a large enough dosage to cause death. Why?”

“Your death would effectively sever any alliance between my kingdom and yours,” Minho gritted his teeth as he spoke, as if you were physically pulling out every single word from his mouth, “As much as I despise your kingdom for starting that useless war, I am not arrogant enough to deny that our alliance has benefited both of us greatly.”

“So you wanted my child,” you snarled lowly, your hand unconsciously reaching to touch your stomach as if protecting it, “You wanted me to miscarry.”

Minho smiled, all daggers and fangs as he replied, “If your baby didn't make it, you won't have a male heir. You would most likely have a harder time conceiving, and we'd be able to supply His Majesty with a suitable mistress.”

You stared at Minho, the pieces falling together in your mind as you thought of every moment when the general had tried to undermine you, make your comments less received by actively criticizing them, or scorn you for your status as a foreigner.

“You wanted me to lose favor with Hyunjin,” you concluded, feeling almost disappointed by the turn of events. No matter what kingdom, the power hungry were always the same, tearing down others for their own benefit. Doesn’t the battle for control ever get tiring for them?

Minho barked out a scathing laugh, “Of course I wanted you to lose favor with him. I wanted him to resent you, to hate you, to see you for what you really are, a viper hidden beneath that pretty, pretty face of yours.”

“Why?” You asked, genuinely confused, “Why must you go so far to stop me--to stop him--from being happy?”

“You think he’s happy?” The general scoffed, and against his better judgement, he took a threatening step towards you. The expression on your face barely twitched, but Minho could suddenly feel a murderous aura coming from behind him, and he knew better than to push his luck.

“Do you really think he’s happy?” Minho laughed, “You destroyed him, Your Majesty. You turned him soft. We were going to build the greatest, most ruthless empire the continent has ever known. And suddenly, after he met you, he decided to stop conquering, to take care of his people, to take care of your people after you lost.”

You weren’t expect such a barrage of anger and honesty, but you took the chance while you had it, “And what? You’re upset because you stopped gaining wealth and power in the spades like you used to?”

Minho’s scowl was pure wickedness, and you stared him down, an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, “I’m upset because you turned our king into a soft, weak little boy. The plan was to wring you and your people dry, taking all the resources before leaving you to fend for yourself. And, suddenly, after he met you, he wanted to do nothing but protect you, a cowardly, foolish princess that was nothing but her parent’s puppet--”

“Careful,” your voice was soft, its edges laced with poison as your eyes flashed with a silent warning, “You are alive still because I have use for you, but you run your mouth like that again, and I’ll have your tongue cut out before I slit your throat.”

The general realized the seriousness of your words, and his eyes narrowed, “You have use...of me,” he repeated your words, already disliking where this was going. 

“Of course I do. If I didn’t, your body would have already been dumped into the river by now,” you said pleasantly, the serene smile back on your face as you pulled at your lace gloves.

Minho raised an eyebrow, “Do you think you’d be able to get away with that, Your Majesty?”

“Oh, my dear General,” you couldn’t help but laugh, amused by his doubtfulness at your capabilities, “unlike you, I am not in the position where every move I make is another desperate grab for power. I am the Queen. The power stems from me and my husband. And do you think Hyunjin would care about the potential murderer of his unborn child if I told him the truth?”

Minho’s jaw clenched so hard, it was painful. He underestimated you. Hyunjin was not the ruthless one. You were.

Like a snake constricting its prey, knowing there was no hope of escape, you smiled, “You are in no position to threaten me, Lee Minho, and unless you want me to strip you of all of your titles or for me to tell Hyunjin about what has just transpired, I’d keep that snippy mouth of yours shut.”

How pathetic. You knew exactly what he valued in life, and didn’t hesitate in brandishing against him like a sharpened blade. All of Minho's actions were to protect his reputation with the king and to hold onto the power he'd already earned, and you were dangling that prize over his head, ready to rip it away from him at a moment's notice.

“What does Her Majesty require of me?” Minho asked through gritted teeth and a clenched smile.

“Stop with the schemes. I'm sick and tired of them,” you said tiredly, giving him a wary glare, “Stop trying to usurp my power and overthrow my position as Queen. It doesn't matter how many mistresses you want to throw at Hyunjin. He will always love me as I will always love him, and even if that doesn't come to be, he will always have respect for me.”

Minho felt his blood boil as he nodded, “Yes...Your Majesty.”

You didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing you smile, moving straight to the most important term.

“You will instate Naeun as the Crown Princess.”

“Are you insane?” Minho snarled, his anger spiking as he spat at you, “The people who supported me in ruling against her will think I've gone mad.”

“Maybe you should've thought twice before deciding on your vote then,” you smiled placidly as you took a step closer towards him.

“You will instate Naeun as the Crown Princess, no conditions, no what ifs. She is the heir. Understood?”

As he gazed into your eyes, each order you have laced with power and unspeakable threat, Minho saw himself in the reflection of your sharp stare. To you, he was nothing but a mere doll for you to manipulate to your own will, a being that could just as easily be discarded as it can be replaced. 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Minho said again, the hatred in his tone more than apparent.

“I expect the good news to be placed on Hyunjin’s desk tomorrow morning.”

Without another word, another acknowledge or even goodbye, you turned around, walking down the hall and leaving Minho to wallow in his own failure, leaving him to forever berate himself for the missteps he made, the miscalculations that had now put his entire career into the hands of the person he despised most in the kingdom.

“Sounded like things were going well, Your Majesty,” Felix commented nonchalantly as you passed him, the young guard having positioned himself in the adjacent hallway, waiting for any inkling of danger to jump in and protect you. You didn’t fail to notice the way he twirled his knife before slipping it back into its sheathe, obviously having pulled it out when Minho had made a poorly concealed threat regarding your condition.

“Yes, it seems like some good has come out of this ridiculous farce,” you sighed, placing your hand gently over your tummy as you felt the slightest kick against your side. With that conversation, you could only hope that the worst of the nobles’ spite towards you and your blood would soon be over. 

Felix eyed you carefully in the silent walk back to the Royal Chambers, noting both your emotional and physical state, “Are you going to keep this from His Majesty?” He asked, afraid of overstepping his boundaries by prodding too much.

“Eventually, the truth will come out whether I want it to or not,” you said as you entered the private section of the palace, exhaustion laced in your words. Truthfully, if Minho had decided to call your bluff and attacked you earlier, it wouldn’t have been as easy as you’d made him believe it to be. You had your reputation as a powerful general back when you were a princess to thank for how successful your negotiations went.

“Still, I think I’ll keep it a secret...just for tonight,” you confided to Felix tiredly, turning to him with a weary smile, “He’s worried enough already, especially after earlier.”

Felix nodded, and you didn’t need to ask additionally to ensure secrecy. Felix was good about those things. He was a good confidante, and once again, you felt immensely grateful for his presence. 

He gave you a bow, practiced ease and gracefulness exuding from even the simplest of movements as he spoke softly, “Take care of yourself, Your Majesty.”

You couldn’t help but smile, reaching over and gently patting his head, a silent gesture of praise for the young knight who’d done so much for you, “I promise. Now go get some sleep. It’s quite late.”

Felix excused himself politely, and you took a deep breath, heading to the bedroom where your lover was probably waiting anxiously for your return.

.

As you’d expected, Hyunjin was almost beside himself when you walked into the room, his hands freezing from where they were pulling at the roots of his dark hair when he gasped, “Y/N, my love!” He rushed towards you, pulling you into his arms and sweeping you into a tight hug.

“Where have you been? I was worried sick! Changbin said that Felix was with you, so I trusted that nothing was wrong, but you were gone for so long and I thought—”

“Shh, my darling,” you cooed, letting his hands touch you fleetingly everywhere he could, your shoulders, your waist, your tummy, anything to let him know that you were once again safe in his arms.

You smiled, cupping his cheeks as you leaned close, “I’m alright. Everything’s alright. I just needed some air after what happened today, so I took a walk in the gardens. Felix was with me every step of the way.”

Hyunjin let out a sigh of both relief and frustration as he held your hand resting on his cheek, looking into your eyes, “Please don’t scare me like that again,” he whispered, “Not after what happened earlier.”

“Nothing happened, Hyunjin,” you said softly, your thumb lightly brushing his face as you comforted him, “I’m here, aren’t I, safe and sound?”

“Things could’ve turned out so much worse,” he pressed a fleeting kiss to your palm as he held your hand, “I had the liquid inspected. At this very moment, you could’ve been unconscious, fighting for your life, our child...gone,” his voice cracked ever so slightly as he palmed your stomach.

“But it didn’t happen like that,” you reassured him, eyes widening as you saw his own eyes glistening with unshed tears, “Oh, Hyunjin.”

Reaching forward, you wrapped your arms around his waist, burrowing in his chest as Hyunjin easily fell into your embrace, burying his face in your hair as he hugged you tightly. The room filled with the comfortable silence, and your conversation continued without the need for words.

I love you. I want you to be safe. Please don’t do anything dangerous. It was all translated through your touch and the warmth you gained from one another.

Hyunjin’s hugs were warm. They felt like hot chocolate on a cold winter day, like a summer breeze that swept you away. You felt safe just being in his arms, and soon, you let out a quiet yawn, nuzzling into his chest.

“Let me coddle you tonight,” he murmured, sensing you slumping forward in his chest as his fingers lightly massaged your scalp, “I know you don’t like it very much, but just for tonight, can I please take care of you?”

You couldn’t help but smile at his request. As much as Hyunjin liked to be cared for, by you in particular, his favorite hobby was to spoil you in any capacity that he knew how. He loved to lavish you with gifts, shower you with love, and to do every little thing to make you comfortable. You weren’t the person that liked to take advantage of this little trait of his, since you were never one for lavish gift giving nor were you ever given such attention before, but seeing how earnest he was, you decided to compromise, especially after all the worrying Hyunjin had probably gone through just waiting for you to return. 

“Of course,” you nodded, pressing a kiss to his lips, “Let’s get ready for bed.”

Hyunjin was carefully meticulous as he  undid the corset of your party dress, pulled out the pins that held your hair up, and delicately slipped the silk nightgown over your form, all the while trailing kisses wherever he could. You did the same for him, helping him out of his uniform as your lips connected with his.

“I was thinking,” you mumbled absently as Hyunjin kissed you with abandon, his hands nimbly undoing the braids in your hair, “We should go away, just us and Naeun.”

“Oh? Do tell me more,” Hyunjin replied with a soft smile, his lips trailing down to your jaw as you tried your hardest to remember what you were trying to say. What a little brat he was being.

You sucked in a gasp as you rolled your eyes, amused by his antics, “Let’s spend a week at the summer estate. Naeun needs space to run around, and both of us need a breather from our royal duties. You especially.”

Hyunjin groaned at your words, “You’re definitely right about that. But can we afford to leave, with all the chaos going around?” He asked, as he began to usher you to the bed, his arms looping around your legs as he ultimately decided to just carry you.

“H-hyunjin!” You squeaked, surprised by the sudden action as your arms wrapped around his neck. Your husband paid you no mind, carrying you to the bed before placing you down delicately. His eyes met yours and you touched his face, “I’m sure we can make time. We can delegate some of the less important work to some of the council members. If not, we can just work extra hard after to make up for lost time. We all need a break.”

“Your wish is my command, my Queen,” Hyunjin leaned forward, pecking your lips before walking around to crawl under the covers from his side of the bed, “I’ll start planning the details of the trip tomorrow. Deal?”

“Deal,” you smiled, snuggling into the covers and scooting closer to your husband as his hand absently shifted to rest on your tummy.

“It would be good for this little one, too. Just to experience what life outside this stuffy palace is like,” Hyunjin mumbled, his eyes already closing. He was no doubt exhausted from hosting the party and all the preparations before hand.

You felt your cheeks heat up as you giggled. Hyunjin always had a way of bringing the conversation back to the baby, “Yes, it'll be good for them, too,” you agreed softly as your eyes began to close as well. The day had been far too eventful for your liking, and you'd like at least one full night of rest before having to tell Hyunjin about your conversation with Minho.

Suddenly, your ears perked up at the sound of the bedroom door creaking open ever so slightly. Hyunjin reacted instantly, pulling you close as he sat up to see who had come in.

“Papa…? Mama…?”

Naeun’s sleepy voice was soft and almost inaudible, but Hyunjin let out a sigh, relaxing as he could make out the little figure of his daughter standing at the door.

“Naeun, what’s wrong?” He asked gently, beckoning her over to his side of the bed, “It’s way past your bedtime.”

“I-i—” The little girl rubbed her heavy eyes as she waddled over to her father as she began to whimper, “I had a bad dweam, P-papa.”

Hyunjin’s heart and yours simultaneously melted as a silent agreement passed between the two of you. The priority was no longer to get a good night's sleep; it was your daughter’s comfort.

“Oh, petal. Was it scary?” Hyunjin cooed, reaching down and easily picking her up, settling her in the large bed. He placed her right in the middle, and you rolled over to your side so you could gently wipe her tears.

Naeun nodded at his words, her lips curled in a trembling pout, “Scawy. C-couldn’t find Mama—a-and people saying that Papa was gone…” Her lip quivered again and she began to cry just from remembering the awful images that passed through her head.

“Shh, shh. Oh, dear,” Hyunjin quickly grabbed a spare handkerchief on the night stand beside his bed as you sat up, murmuring comforting words as you cupped Naeun's cheeks gently. 

“Naeun, my little princess,” you said softly, looking into her sparkling eyes as large crocodile tears rolled down her cheeks, “Mama and Papa are right here. We'll always be here for you, alright? No matter what happens, your Mama and Papa would never, ever abandon you like that.”

The little girl sniffled as Hyunjin wiped away her tears, smiling fondly, “Your mother said it best, petal. No matter what, we'll be here to support you, protect you, and love you until you've grown sick of our coddling.” 

Hyunjin couldn't help but add in a little teasing, booping her nose as he said, “Even after you grow sick of us, we'll still stick annoyingly close.”

Naeun scrunched her nose as she always did when hyunjin messed with her, and she frowned, “I won't ever get sick of Papa and Mama. Never!”

“Oh, one day, you'll take those words back,” you added playfully as you tickled Naeun's little tummy, making her squeal with delight and effectively drawing the nightmare out of her immediate thoughts. Hyunjin joined in, tag teaming your poor daughter until she was too exhausted to keep her eyes open. 

"Love Papa... Love Mama," Naeun mumbled sleepily as she curled into the warm blankets, beginning to fall asleep. You smiled at her words, pressing a kiss to her hair. 

"Mama and Papa love you more than anything else in the whole world," you reassured her, brushing the stray hairs out of her face, "Get some sleep, little one.  Nothing can hurt you here." 

Naeun mumbled in acknowledgment, and her little hands wrapped around Hyunjin’s pinky, making her father’s heart positively melt, “Papa...sing.”

“Sing?” He repeated, slightly flustered as he shifted to a more comfortable position, making sure that Naeun was still able to hold onto his pinky. 

“Mhm, Papa sing,” Naeun nodded as she curled up into a little ball, bringing Hyunjin's hand to her chest as she began to doze off on her own.

You couldn't help but giggle as you burrowed into the covers as well, wrapping a gentle around your daughter as you smiled up at Hyunjin, “Won't you honor a princess’s request?” You teased.

Hyunjin pouted at you, scrunching his nose much like how Naeun had done only minutes before, “But I'm the king,” he said petulantly, making Naeun giggle at his antics, “I can do whatever I want!”

“Well, your Queen is now requesting a song as well,” you said with an air of playful haughtiness as Naeun and you shared a conspiratorial glance.

“Oh dear,” Hyunjin ran a hand through his hair, “then, I believe I don't have a choice if my Queen and my Princess so insist.”

“You don't!” Naeun chirped in, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

Hyunjin let out a dramatic sigh before propping himself up against the headboard and pulling Naeun into his chest so she could rest comfortably in his arms. He didn't forget you, of course, and laced his fingers with yours as you decided not to move around as much, resting on your side of the bed as you held his hand.

The sound of soft-spoken singing wafted into your ears like a gentle breeze. Hyunjin, albeit not a professional in any way, always had a nice voice. It was the kind of voice that could lull you into relaxation, the kind of voice that soothed your unsettled heart. Before long, your eyes grew too heavy to keep open, and you drifted off to sleep with your hand wrapped around Hyunjin’s.

Hyunjin gazed down at his family as he slowly stopped singing, noticing that the two of you had fallen asleep. Without the prying eyes of the world boring down on him, he could finally drop his guard and his cold exterior to fully admire the two people he loved, the little girl in his arms that he treasured so dearly and you, the love of his life that showed him what it truly meant to have a soulmate, a person to confide in wholeheartedly. 

It was his little personal heaven, just to see the two of you sleeping safe and sound, to lie in bed with both his daughter and his wife just at arm's reach. He savored it as much as he could, squeezing your hand once more before putting down himself, pulling the warm covers higher over Naeun to keep her healthy. And not for the first time, Hyunjin wistfully dreamed of a life where he was not the king, where he could be a simple man, only tasked to provide and love his family. 

Hyunjin knew he would be asking for too much. He knew what the two of you had promised to those that had put their faith in your hands. You'd promised to protect them, to wear the crown and carry the burdens of your kingdom, no matter how bruised, bloodied or battered the journey made you. 

But as he stared down at your peaceful expression, your lips slightly parted and your eyes fluttered shut, he couldn't help but remember the terror he felt just hours before, the all consuming fear that you would disappear from his life. And for the first time, Hyunjin was at a loss, facing a crossroad that—in the naivety of his youth—he never thought he’d encounter.

If he had to choose between you or his country, what would he do? If he had to protect the integrity of his kingdom and sacrifice Naeun, would he be able to do it? Before you came along, Hyunjin cared about nothing but his work, his duty. But now, he had a family that he'd do anything to protect.

At the party, Hyunjin felt anger like he'd never felt before in his life. It was more than fury, it was pure rage. He would've been willing to lock the doors and interrogate every single person present in the banquet hall if you hadn't calmed him down. He didn't want to become a king like that, he didn't want to become a ruler than put his own needs and his family’s needs before everything else. 

But if he lost you, if he lost Naeun, if he lost his unborn child, his whole world would shatter. It was almost terrifying how much the past five years had changed him. 

“Hyunjin,” his eyes flew open as he suddenly felt your thumb brush against the back of your hand. Turning his head, he realized that you had woken up, your eyes gazing at him with a mixture of sympathy and love that Hyunjin wanted to drown in.

“You're thinking too much again,” you murmured sleepily, playing absently with his fingers without jostling Naeun, “At this point, you'll have wrinkles before you're even middle aged.”

The king couldn't help but chuckle at your little quip, pressing a kiss to your hand, “I'm sorry, my love. Did I wake you?”

“No, I woke up on my own,” you reassured him, “But I'm glad I did. What's wrong, darling?”

Hyunjin bit his lip, hesitating for a moment. He shouldn't bother you with his feelings, not when you already had to worry about yourself on top of the baby you were carrying. 

“Hyunjin,” you murmured his name once more, and he felt his body shudder at how sweet, how loving you sounded, “You can tell me anything.” 

It was the only gentle nudge he needed.

“I'm worried about this,” Hyunjin said softly, “Our family. I can't stop worrying. I didn't know about the poison, even though all the food and drinks were inspected. When will it ever be enough?”

You squeezed his hand, “You're putting too much responsibility on yourself. The family’s safety is not your burden to bear alone, it is for us to share.”

Hyunjin nodded, “I know,” he sighed, running a hand through his midnight hair, “I know, Y/N. But I just wish I could do more.”

“You do more than enough for us, darling,” you reassured him, “You do more than any king would do for their families. It's alright, Hyunjin. You're doing so well.”

“I am?” Hyunjin sucked in a breath, placing your hand on his cheek as he closed his eyes, revelling in your words and your presence. 

“You are.”

These were not honey coated words to soothe a monarch and appease his temper. You meant them more than you could ever express. You knew Hyunjin was trying his best. You knew Hyunjin was most likely protecting you from forces that you weren't even aware of, just like the way you'd dealt with Minho just earlier. 

“I found out who did it, by the way,” you mumbled, figuring that this felt like the right time to tell him in hopes that Hyunjin might sleep better knowing that the problem was dealt with.

There was a moment of deathly silence before Hyunjin uttered a single word, "Who?" 

You sighed. Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all, especially since your daughter was soundly sleeping in the space between the both of you, "Promise that you won't do anything rash right now." 

"You're asking me not to do anything rash when I find out who tried to murder my unborn child and harm my wife?" Hyunjin asked in disbelief. 

“I'm asking you not to overreact now while your daughter is sleeping," you hissed back, "I handled it for the time being." 

Hyunjin let out a frustrated sigh, "Alright, you win. You have my word,” he said, lacing his fingers with yours.

You bit your lip, wondering if it would just be easier to be completely honest or to ease into it gently. After a moment of consideration, you decided on the former. 

“It’s Minho.”

Hyunjin reacted without thinking, feeling the rage run through his veins once again as he began to sit up, “That bastard--”

As he shifted aggressively, Naeun whined in her sleep, beginning to squirm. You wrapped your arm around her body as your other hand grabbed Hyunjin’s sleeve, “You promised!”

Hyunjin’s steeled eyes softened as he looked down at the little girl beside him, and he slumped back on the bed, pressed a kiss to her forehead and rubbing her back, helping soothe her back to a deep sleep, “I should’ve gotten rid of him earlier. I knew he disliked your presence, but I thought--I thought he’d be able to see past the differences.”

“As did I,” you admitted, running your fingers gently through Naeun’s hair as her whimpers stopped and slowly went back to soft breaths, “but it seems like he disappointed both of us.” 

The king sighed tiredly, feeling the rest of his fiery hot anger dissipate as he turned to lie on his side, his eyes trained on Naeun as he made sure she was asleep, “You said you handled it. Let me guess, it was when you ‘went for a walk.’” 

“You know me too well,” Flicking his forehead playfully, you couldn’t help but smile, “Yes, we had a quick conversation as I was walking back to the chambers. I don’t believe he will try it again any time soon.”

“I would ask what you told him, but I almost don’t want to know,” Hyunjin said with a hint of a smile as he closed his eyes, “My wife can be very scary when she wants to be.”

You shrugged, stroking his cheek fondly for a moment longer before pulling your hand away and lying back down, “I’m the same as you, Jinnie. Anything to protect this family we’ve created.”

Hyunjin hummed in agreement, his long arm draping over to wrap around both you and Naeun, “Anything. But for now, let’s sleep. Thank you, Y/N.”

“Whatever for?” You asked curiously, unsure of what Hyunjin was thinking about in that little head of his. 

“For being here. For loving me. For everything you do,” he mumbled, already beginning to fall asleep    as his words began to slur. Your heart felt warm and fluttery as you smiled, patting the back of his hand as you mumbled your sleepy reply.

“I’ll always be here for you, Jinnie. You’re not alone anymore.”

Hyunjin cracked a smile at that, and hugged you and Naeun ever so slightly tighter in his arms. You were right. He wasn’t alone anymore. He had you and Naeun, whom he loved with every fiber of his being. He had Changbin and Felix, who were slowly becoming less like guards and more like their surrogate family. 

And for all those reasons, Hwang Hyunjin fell asleep considering himself quite lucky. 

[styx1an]

A Chat about Chat

A short fic about how Chat came to be a singular being, written by yours truly. By all means, this isn’t canon, it’s just my interpretation of things.

Word count: 1,863

Fandom: RTGame, Miitopia (NGL I’m a little displeased with how I wrote the ending, but oh well!)

You know, there is this odd sense of irony in knowing how terrified Chat was of Magical John when they aren’t even human nor a singular being in the first place. Wait, so you didn’t know? Of how they became such a being in the first place? (They chuckle.) Then I suppose that means I’ll have to tell you their story. Well then, shall we begin the tale of Chat? (You see the twinkle in their eyes. They must’ve been waiting a while to be able to do this.)

> You nod. You’ve been waiting a while to understand Chat’s origins. Tonight, like many others, belongs to the storyteller.

> You shake your head. No thanks, you think you’re too tired. Dawn shall rise anew soon, and you will not waste your time with tall tales.

(They nod, pleased with your decision.) Then I shall begin to relay their tale.

Our tale begins in the vast lands known as Twitch, a domain that belongs to another, a far crueler being whose tale is for another time. It is a place where one is free to express their opinions and whatnot (as long as it suits the many whims of its Amazonian overlords, of course), and many are versed in the easy to learn, but difficult to master art of gaming. Many such masters have gained a large following, and even if they do not possess such skill, more often than not their humor and charisma paves the way to fame.

One example of the latter would be RTGame, a man of sizable repute. Aside from the frankly ridiculous story of the origin of his moniker, he is also known for doing some… questionable things for the sake of entertainment. There are still tales of his quest in the bathtub along with Gilbert (yes, the very same Gilbert on the quest to defeat The Darker Lord Khadgar!), the night of the Painted Wall’s Communion, the birth of Mr. Compost- But my dear, we are here for one of his lesser-known exploits, one that would change the world as we know it.

> You lean closer to the campfire, watching the storyteller with a renewed interest. Where does the tale lead? Where does it end? You need to know.

> It’s getting even later. You think some rest will be needed before tomorrow’s travels begin. Perhaps the rest of the story can wait another time?

It was a dark and stormy night. The then-Dark Lord Von Karma had just been unleashed upon the land, and I Want Die set along the path of salvation with his fellow party members, Mr. Bean the Warrior, Goofy the Thief, and Mint the Horse. He was pleased with the ease with which they vanquished monsters and saved (literal) faces, but the lack of actual conversation within the party had begun to get to him. Mr. Bean had nothing to offer other than a simple “Bean!” every now and then, and Goofy terrified him with all the “hyuck!” and talks of absolving the world’s many sins. Mint is a horse and therefore cannot participate in a verbal conversation unless you happen to understand what her neighs meant. She also happens to be the most normal member of the party, strangely enough.

Either way, I Want Die longed for a proper conversation.

And God took notice.

It was inevitable. The fourth party member was always going to join, whether he wanted one or not. It shouldn’t be notable in any way whatsoever, yet here I am regaling this tale to you.

It is not how Chat had come to join the party that I wanted to explain, but rather how they came to be.

Do you remember the man I had called RTGame? I hope you had not thought of him as irrelevant to our tale, as he is the patron saint of I Want Die’s adventures. Surely you know of the vast armory that belongs to the party? The various delicacies fed to the team? All his work. Along with his followers’ contributions, of course.

Chat was what he called his followers, the ones who watched his various endeavors as he traveled across the land of Twitch. Oftentimes the crowd would conversate with him (hence their name), offering jokes and sardonic commentary whenever he did anything remotely comedic. Other times, RT would have to tell them off for being such a rowdy bunch- the usual group of thousands could never keep quiet for long.

It happened that Chat witnessed I Want Die’s pilgrimage along with RTGame. They all looked upon him with a jolly sense of humor (after all, their master is well-versed in the art of comedy), some wondering where his travels will bring him. The others who knew how it would all end kept silent at the behest of RTGame. Either way, every single one of them was enjoying the show he had put on for them. 

And came the time to summon the fourth member.

As per usual, RTGame withdrew into his workshop, closing the curtains around him so no curious onlooker could see inside. But that did not stop Chat from yelling their predictions and demands.

“EDGEWORTH” one cried.

Another begged for a certain “End Mii!”

“CHAT CALM DOWN!”

“!uptime”

“69420toesucker just subscribed for 5 months!”

“TURG”

RTGame smiled at them. He wasn’t surprised at all at their reactions, rather it was something he had hoped would happen.

“Alright then Chat,” he said, “here they are!”

His pale, thin hands reached out to open the curtains-

And unveiled a faceless, empty husk of a being. 

Under any other circumstances, Chat would’ve rioted, demanded justice against the irony of sending a faceless doll to retrieve the faces of others. But they had no time.

Almost in an instant, the skies darkened. Clouds swirled up above with vibrant shades of violet, cobalt, magenta. Bright blue lightning strikes a tree and dissolves it into dust. Somewhere distant, something roars. The air feels thick- something magical, something electric is positively buzzing. Magic truly is in the air.

And thunder strikes once again. 

The crowd is gone.

Silence fell. All that is left is the master and the doll, no longer an empty husk.

> You look up to the storyteller, their eyes reflecting the blazing flames. You have a feeling that you know how this ends, but you’d rather have them confirm it first.

> You’re sleepy. As tempting as it is to continue listening to their story, you must admit that the very idea of slumber is even more tantalizing.

RTGame had managed to do exactly what he wanted. Chat’s consciousness, placed inside of a single, physical being. A puppet controlled by a hivemind would not be very easy to control, yes. But the idea intrigued him. And wouldn’t it be better than having a large gaggle of people constantly behind him, watching his every move? It could help I Want Die on his journey too.

So it is settled. It happened that one of the members of his temple had just crafted a rather nice puppet, in case RT needed one. And he did come to use it. It does look a little plain, as both body and head are painted in the same shade of bright white. However, the face was not white like how it was in the beginning, but a disturbingly pitch-black space. No, that’s not the right word.

Rather, it was like a void had formed. That’s also not the right phrase to describe it either, as there were drops of ichor dripping down onto the ground, dissolving the once green grass. But I digress. 

Chat broke the silence that had fallen between them, wailing as a cacophony of noises and emotions spilled out. Despite what RT had done to them, they were still determined to voice their opinions. Quite in character, really. 

“RT WHAT”

“NO NO NO”

“!uptime”

“I'M ON TV!!!”

“bazingabanana just gifted 5 subs!”

“that’s kinda meta”

As their voices grew louder, ichor kept pouring out of the void. As expected, RT thought to himself. He still needs to act fast. So with a quick snap, he fastened a wooden mask the temple-goer made; the same shade of white, a pair of beady black eyes almost as dark and soulless as the void, bright purple ears. 

The yelling and complaining didn’t stop of course. Still, as their voices were muffled by the mask, it was an arguably better experience than the previous ear-splitting wails. And it was less deadly too. Ichor had stopped dripping down onto the grass, which meant that the constant sizzling would finally stop.

Now, one last thing.

RT stared into Chat’s eyes.

This in itself wouldn’t have been quite a remarkable action had it been anyone else, but it’s Chat that we are talking about. The very sensation of doing something as simple as gazing into a hivemind’s many souls wasn’t anything ordinary, either.

It felt like you had just plunged one of your hands into ice-cold water in the middle of winter and not only are you freezing, you’re scared and you don’t know whether you’d come out in one piece.

They all stared back. Thousands and thousands looked upon RT, all different yet whispering the same things, each claiming to be an individual yet virtually nothing distinctive belongs to them. A true hivemind. It’s exactly what he wanted, but he wondered if perhaps other troubles would arise.

He let himself go from their gazes. It asks too much of him.

“Alright then, Chat. Ready?”

A gaggle of voices reply, sounding their agreements.

“OK then!”

--

I Want Die finally opened the inn door, after convincing himself that he’d like this new friend. That this one would be neither an anime villain, a comedy star or a horse. Someone with actual rational thoughts and words to speak.

In front of the door stood a short figure, clad in a purple mage’s robes. Their pitch-black eyes looked at I Want Die, and a chorus of voices came from their permanent smile:

“Hi, I’m Chat!”

And I Want Die wondered if he had forgotten to cross off ‘hivemind’ off his list of potential party members.

Chat’s introduction ends here, of course. But not their tale. The journey was far from over in fact. The party had yet to meet the Royal Court, witnessed the court’s love affair, or get kidnapped by the Dark Lord Von Karma. Even the party wasn’t complete, as it was only the first party I Want Die would encounter in his tale of redemption.

And it’s not the only story either. You haven’t heard of Magical John’s past life, or how Cupcake isn’t as pure as she seems. Gilbert’s fear of the kitchen. How Jefferson came to be, and Obama’s past life with Mr. Bean.

But I’m afraid I must stop here, for it is late already, is it not? Our journey must continue tomorrow. Let us rest. Goodnight, may the stars shine for you. (They head off into their tent, leaving you alone with the flickering embers of a dying fire.)

> You bid the storyteller goodnight. Perhaps they’ll tell you another one of their stories, underneath the moonlight once more.

[drabbles-of-writing]

Coming Home

AO3

third owl fight attack! This one’s prompt was “Hunter and Luz being siblings”, and I kinda ran with it

Summary: Saying that Hunter was worried for Luz would be an overstatement. He wasn't worried, he was just...vaguely curious. He knew that she'd take some time in the human realm, to be with her mother, but...well, it'd been almost two weeks, and nobody had heard a single thing from her. So, really, breaking and entering was an entirely reasonable reaction.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Now, Hunter knew, on some level, that Luz would be in the human realm for a while.

To be fair, he hadn’t had much time to think about it, what with  everything  going on. There was the Grimwalker revelation, which was also a kind-of clone revelation, and Luz offering an outstretched hand, and sitting on the ground in the human realm with the portal flickering and pulsing angrily, the dust settling as he held his uncles broken mask in his hands--

He’d been more than a little preoccupied, to say the least.

And Luz had gone through the portal the second it had all finally calmed, when there was nothing left to fight, with goodbyes he couldn’t remember. He wasn’t sure exactly when, everything had gone pretty numb by that point.

He just knew that after the first two days, when he was finally dragged out of his miserable wallowing in ditches by a very exasperated palisman and Owl Lady, Luz wasn’t there.

The others noticed her absence and the slight hole she left, he knew they did, but they never really commented on it. What with Bonesborough falling apart in a literal and metaphorical sense, everyone was kinda busy trying to patch all of it up. Like dealing with that one demon who kept talking about ancient magic, who was apparently the small rat demon's dad. And making sure Kikimora stopped escaping prison for five minutes. And dealing with the other Coven Heads. And apparently there was some people  mad  that the old wild witch ways were coming back--

Nobody really had the  time  to wonder about Luz off in the human realm, seeing her mother again.

And for the first week, he  didn’t  worry. He had an existential crisis and bothersome witches to avoid like the plague. His days were spent distracting himself by making everyone's lives miserable, since they kept insisting on holding him captive in the Owl House instead of letting him decompose in the woods for some reason. And honestly, Luz knew  way  too many people, because he’d stopped bothering to keep track of everyone by the fourth hour of being in that house. 

After he realized trying to run for it or annoying everyone into kicking him out wouldn’t work, he mostly hid in the dark corners where nobody would see him for hours at a time. Used to be for days, but apparently the Owl Lady was just as nocturnal as him, and they’d run into each other early in the morning when trying to grab a snack.

He had Rascal for company, at least. Say what you will about the little guy, but he was as loyal as he was stubborn.

But, after the first week, Hunter was starting to  really  notice a severe lack of annoying humans running around.

Apparently, so was the others, because he was noticing a few of them beginning to get a little antsy. He would’ve brushed it off, but he could hear a distinct influx of mutterings that sounded like ‘Luz’ and ‘portal’ and ‘human realm’ from his hiding places, when they thought no one else was around.

It was almost halfway through the second week before he knew it, and that was  far  too long for Luz to be away without so much as a note. 

And she was  probably  fine, he reasoned. But Luz being away without even a call was suspicious enough,  two  was downright concerning.

By then, Hunter was somewhat starting to recognize the faces that filtered in and out of the Owl House, and he began to plan. 

Somehow, he managed to wait until he saw a girl with familiar purple hair step in through the doorway, speaking words he didn’t bother to listen to as she sat on the couch he was hiding under. 

Rascal had, of course, chosen to perch himself on the head of a chair across the room, where barely anyone would care to notice him.

She was talking to some small illusionist he saw earlier (he may recognize faces, but names were a whole other matter. He’d never had to memorize names unless they were important to Belos, and if they weren’t, they were irrelevant. He should probably work on remembering their names), something about buildings and repairs or something, it wasn’t his problem. When the illusionist stepped away, off towards the kitchen to grab something, Hunter decided to poke his head out from underneath the couch.

“So what's the word on-- ow!”  He yelped, jerking back under the couch when he got a foot kicked into his nose.

“Titan,  don’t  do  that, you prick!” Amity snapped, inching a little further to the left as Hunter peeked out only one eye from under the couch this time, giving his best spiteful glare. “Why are you even  down  there?”

“Because nobody bothers me,” Hunter growled, holding his nose as he began to wiggle out. “Everyone’s so  clingy  in this house, it’s maddening.”

“Do you actually mean clingy, or are you referring to basic kindness?” Amity raised a brow, narrowing her eyes as he stood and brushed himself off from the dust bunnies that gathered under the couch.

“Irrelevant. Why hasn’t the human returned yet?” He demanded, leaning against the arm of the couch as Amity sat at the other end, giving a reasonable distance between them.

“Luz?” Amity blinked, clearly taken aback by the question.

“Yes, is there another, different human that you have to bring up every five minutes I should know about?” Hunter snapped, and got a curled lip and bared teeth from Amity in response.

“What, getting bored of the rest of us?” Amity snarked, crossing her arms. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, barely any of you were entertaining to begin with.” Hunter huffed. “Now do you know why the human is avoiding us or not?”

“Avoiding?” Amity frowned. “Luz’s not  avoiding  us, she’s just visiting her mom.”

“With radio silence for almost two weeks,” Hunter said, doing his best to stamp down his impatience. 

He  really  would have rathered asking the Owl Lady about this, but he’d learned from the last time he tried that she’d twist any conversation regarding Luz to be about him, so the next logical best bet would have to be her incessant, chattery, girlfriend. Titan, Luz had the weirdest tastes.

“She’s been away from her mom for four months.” Amity said, rolling her eyes like this was some concept he wasn't understanding. “She’s not gonna see her for a day and then come right back.”

“But still!” Hunter threw his hands in the air, ignoring Rascal’s minorly concerned chirp from across the room. “You think someone like  Luz  would go without contact for almost  two weeks?  She would’ve at least popped in to say hello, or go on some ramble about what’s going on in the human realm. She’d feel guilty about leaving you guys to repair everything on your own by the second hour.”

“It’s just...taking her a minute,” Amity said, and that was the first small crack in her resolve he saw. Had she not seen him at his lowest the first time they spoke, he would’ve been proud of the fact he could chip away at her far easier than she could at him. “Luz wouldn’t avoid anyone out of the  blue,  that’s not like her.”

And he  knew  she was right on that, as infuriating it was to admit it. Luz wouldn’t  abandon  people, she’d be more likely to keel over on the spot from spontaneously growing a bile sac. And perhaps a part of him  was  being a little over dramatic, but there was just this little twist in his chest that curled tighter when he considered going back to hiding in empty rooms and letting everything continue on,  waiting  to see if anything would change rather than  making  it change.

“Besides,” Amity continued. “As Luz’s girlfriend, I think that I would  know  if--”

“Oh  Titan,  just  forget it.”  Hunter groaned, tugging on his ears as he stepped away from the couch. “Whatever, you’re useless about this, anyway. If  you  don’t know when she’s coming back, and the  Owl Lady  doesn’t know, then nobody will.”

Amity stayed silent for a moment as Hunter stormed off towards the doorway that led to the staircase, Rascal flying off his perch to land on his shoulder with soft, almost melodic chirrups.

He contemplated if he could steal something from one of the spare rooms up there. Everyone was fluctuating between them the last few days, but they often left their stuff in there for him to take. It was fun watching them get so riled up about their missing junk.

“We,” Amity started, and Hunter paused in the doorway, one ear pricked. “We were planning on going into the human realm,” She admitted, voice quiet. “If we didn’t hear anything from Luz by the end of this week.”

Hunter turned around then, noting Amity had one hand bunched up on her leg, fisting the hem of her shirt and rubbing her fingers between it in a nervous tick. She avoided his gaze, and he saw, for just the briefest of moments, the uncertainty spilling off of her, possibly having been doing so for far longer than when he’d noticed the same signs from everyone else.

“Well,” He said, and she looked up at him then, and the vulnerability was gone in a snap, replaced by a curious, slightly accusatory, expression. It unnerved him how familiar it looked. “By all means, don’t go telling  me  about your super secret rescue missions, not like  I’d  want to join.” He muttered.

“Count it a blessing that I told you at all,” Amity hissed, ears flicking back. “Maybe if you promise to be nice, we’ll let you come along.” She taunted.

“Maybe if you people hadn’t  kidnapped  me, I wouldn’t be causing so many  problems.”  Hunter growled back through gritted teeth, breaking eye contact for only a moment when Rascal lightly bit and tugged on his ear, trying to urge him away.

“Like you need an excuse--”

“Uh, am-am I interrupting?”

The two turned their heads, realizing that the small illusionist, he’d figure out the kids name later, was standing in the living room again, a box of juice in his hands as his eyes flicked between them.

“No, Golden Boy was just leaving.” Amity waved him off, leaning back against the couch.

“You weren’t even clever with that one, Blight.” Hunter sneered, rolling his eyes as he turned to leave.

“Wittebane.”

“Call me that again and I’m ripping your teeth out.” Hunter threatened, pointing a finger at her as he backed out of the room.

“No name,” Amity amended, sticking her tongue out at him.

“You are on  thin ice.”

 ,

That night, Hunter was opening the window in Luz’s old room.

His escape attempts had never really worked before, the weird tube demon in the front door took his job of keeping him contained  very  seriously. Everyone else just liked watching the show and tapping in when needed.

However, he  also  knew, from the mutterings that Luz had told him in those few snatches of time in the days that they had talked before everything went wrong (or right, depending on who you asked), that she’d snuck out through her window  multiple  times without the demon realizing. Apparently she had bribed him once or twice, and now he barely reacted to the sound of her window opening, sort of like a reflex.

He’d meant to use it for his next escape attempt, just to see if it’d work for him, to run for the hills if it worked, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He’d be  damned  if they left him out of nabbing Luz from the human realm.

So Hunter tugged his cloak tighter across his shoulders, despite it being torn in many places, he had yet to rid it completely, and slowly opened Luz’s window.

He waited, tense, Rascal just as silent from within his hood. When there wasn’t the sound of a piercing voice after a few seconds, he cautiously poked his head out.

Nothing.

Either the bird really  had  grown to have no reaction to Luz’s window opening, or he was just as tired as everyone else. Or off eating bugs, that was plausible.

He slowly edged out, only having a moment to peer down at the ground below until he swung out of the window, hands gripping the windowsill as he edged himself down.

He hung in the air for a moment before releasing the windowsill, dropping to the ground below in a crouch. The perks of the Emperor’s Coven were few and far between, but hey, living there had made him an  expert  at being quiet.

He darted around the Owl House, crouching so as to avoid being seen through the first-floor windows, because there was always  someone  awake, no matter the hour. The portal to the human realm had been moved not too far away, but far enough that it couldn’t be, you know, automatically seen by anyone approaching the building.

He spared one last glance towards the house before he booked it off towards the woods, already mentally cursing himself for wearing a  white cloak  in the middle of the night. Why did he think that was a good idea,  why  did he think that was a good idea--

He made it to the cover of trees, somehow, without anyone sounding the alarm. He ducked behind a tree, catching his breath for a moment as he waited for shouting to arise.

Upon realizing he was in the clear, he pumped a fist in the air with a soft  “yes!”  and got an encouraging whistle from Rascal, who he gave a quick scratch on the head to.

He then hurried a bit further into the trees, soon faced with branches, vines, and bushes all stretched out across the beginning of a slope before him.

He reached out, grabbing one of the vines and yanking it aside, revealing the structure of the portal to the human realm, its soft humming mostly muffled by everything covering it. He ran his hand down the exterior of it for a second before pushing more vines aside, allowing a small enough space for him to crawl through.

He’d been to the human realm before, technically. Belos’s wrath had only just begun to reach into the human realm before he had managed to be stopped, and Hunter had a few moments out there, feeling the grass and seeing the trees. They really  were  green, and he couldn’t help but see it all and know with certainty that there was no magic within any of it. Hollow. It was a feeling he was familiar with.

But this time was different, and he inhaled for a moment before giving Rascal what he hoped was his best determined look.

“Alright,” He said. “Let’s see what’s been keeping her.”

 ,

He spent about half an hour in the woods of the human realm until he managed to find Luz’s house.

She’d never really said  where  she lived, just that it was the closest house to the forest. Nothing about directions, so he spent his time wandering about trying to find a house that wasn’t falling apart.

Rascal gave up and eventually flew off at some point, returning about five minutes later, chittering loudly and pulling on his hood. Hunter knew better to argue, and had followed until he came across a house that actually looked  lived  in, as opposed to the one he’d appeared in.

“If you led me to a random person's house, I  will  throw you into the sea.” Hunter warned, only getting a cheery whistle in return as he walked around the house.

He eventually found a window on the first floor, and pushing on it, was delighted to find that it was unlocked. He opened it, hoisting himself inside as Rascal darted in.

He realized the window was right over a kitchen sink, and lightly stepped a foot onto the counter beside it. He slowly swung himself inside, not even bothering to shut the window behind him as he dropped to the floor. He might need that escape route later.

Rascal was off exploring without a second thought, so he allowed himself to stalk throughout the kitchen, eyes flickering over photos and magnets stuck to the fridge. He saw ones that looked like letters, colors, and even saw a photo of a woman and a young, crazy-looking child.

He peeked around corners as he darted through the house, cracking open doors before continuing through hallways. One of the doors he opened  looked  like a bedroom, but he saw something with a scaly tail poking out, so he let that room be. The human realm was bound to have its own oddities.

The other bedroom he saw did have a person sleeping in it, but she didn’t look like Luz, much too old, so he quietly shut that door again and tried a different one.

He opened the last one, at the end of the hallway, already preparing to snap back that Rascal had brought him to the  wrong house,  when he took in the bedroom.

He only needed to see it for half a second to see the immediate resemblance to the mess that was Luz’s room in the Owl House. He slipped inside, leaving the door open just a crack in case Rascal showed up.

He crouched, eyeing the posters along the walls, shelves full of random junk, books strewn across the room. The figure sleeping in the bed was practically twisted backwards, blankets already halfway on the floor. He approached it, slowly standing up as he loomed over them, searching their face.

“Oh thank the Titan,” Hunter breathed, stepping back as he pressed a hand to his chest. That was Luz, for sure.

She stirred, slightly, hand twitching as she mumbled incoherently in her sleep. At least she wasn’t actually kidnapped or something, he reasoned.

“Hey, human,” He said, a little louder, but enough that he hoped the others down the hallway wouldn’t hear, shoving at her shoulder. “Wakey wakey.”

Luz mumbled in her sleep again, one eye barely cracking open before she turned over and tried to bury further under her covers.

Hunter grabbed her leg poking out from the blankets and yanked her off.

Luz’s yelp was cut off as he smothered the blankets over her, pausing as she fumbled around trying to get it off, ears pricked as he waited to see if anyone had heard.

“I’m  awake,  Vee, I’m  awake--”  Luz pulled the blanket off her head, her glare almost immediately replaced with shock.

“Hey,” Hunter grinned, flashing fangs. “Miss me?”

“Hunter?”  Luz exclaimed, before immediately covering her mouth with her hands, eyes darting towards her door like she expected someone to be there.

“Oh don’t sound  so  surprised.” Hunter scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You oughta step up your game if you think you can escape me in another dimension.”

“What are you  doing  here?” Luz whisper-yelled, scrambling to her feet as she looked wildly around her room. “Did-did the  others  come?” She asked, giving him such a scared look he was a little put off by it.

“No? I mean, they  will  be, I just got ahead of the curve.” Hunter shrugged off her odd reactions. “Made sure I got to you before they did, didn’t feel like being left behind on the ‘let’s drag Luz back kicking and screaming’ plan.”

“Oh no, oh no,” Luz shook her head, one hand on her head as she began to pace. “Are-are the others  looking  for me?”

“Will be by the end of this week,” Hunter said, watching her curiously. “Why? This a bad time or something?”

“Yes! Yes, this is a  terrible  time!” Luz exclaimed, barely managing to keep her voice down as she whirled towards him.

“Did you get grounded?” Hunter narrowed his eyes. “Because if so, let me just say, I know about fifteen different ways to lessen the extent of the grounding, and twice as many ways to sneak out, this place isn’t even all that fortified--”

“No! Well, I mean, I kind of am,” Luz winced. “But that’s not--you can’t--you need to  go.”  Luz said, gesturing back towards the door. “You can’t be here.”

“Do you need a body disposed of? Because I also know a lot of ways to--”

“I’m touched, but no.” Luz gave him a withering look. “Don’t even wanna know why you know that. You have to  leave.”  She insisted, beginning to shove him towards the door.

“Aw, but I came all this way to see you,” Hunter whined in a dramatic tease, slowly leaning back, therefore putting more strain on Luz as she tried to push him out. “You don’t want to see me?”

“Believe me, I’m  very  happy to see you’re okay,” Luz assured through gritted teeth, offering the smallest of smiles. “And I’ll bother you later. But now is  not the time.”

Rascal took that moment to poke in through the crack in the doorway, landing on a shelf and eyeing the two with what felt like judgement. Hunter promptly dropped all his weight on Luz, nearly crushing her. 

“Damn,” He whistled when Luz’s knees refused to buckle. “You got some muscle hiding under those skinny bones?”

“That, and you weigh as much as a half-filled sack of lumpy potatoes.” Luz muttered, already pushing back up to her full height as she took Hunter with her.

“You’re  impossible.”  Hunter huffed, standing back up onto his feet and snickering as Luz stumbled with the lack of weight. “Seriously, what’s the hold up? Are you getting bored with us already?”

“No,  first of all, I’d never do that.” Luz pointed a finger at him. “And I’m offended you thought I ever would be.”

“It’s a reasonable assumption.”

“It’s not. And second of all,  I’m  serious, you  cannot be here.”  Luz stressed, grabbing his shoulders, a movement that instinctively caused him to flinch, just the tiniest bit. “If my  mom  sees you here, she’s going to  freak--”

“Luz?” A groggy voice called, and Luz stiffened so quickly with such  terror  crossing her face that Hunter tensed as well. “Creí haber escuchado algo, are you--?”

Hunter saw the door to Luz’s room open, and immediately threw an arm out in front of Luz, giving a quick whistle that Rascal had learned to recognize by now. In a flash, he was holding his staff in his other hand, Luz pushed behind him as he pointed his staff towards the figure in the doorway, ears pressed back and fangs bared in a low, warning growl.

The person froze, eyes going wide, one hand still clutching the door handle.

He recognized it as the older woman he saw in one of the bedrooms, hair still mussied from sleep, the glasses on her face smudged from someone having grabbed them clumsily. The sleep had vanished from her eyes the moment she saw him, a faintly glowing staff pointed only a foot away from her.

“Hunter, Hunter, no, stop!” Luz was quick to grab Hunter’s arm after barely a second of tense silence, shoving the staff down. “She’s my mom, she’s safe!”

Hunter paused at that. Granted, his experience with biological family (as biological as Belos could be) wasn’t the best, but he had heard a few stories, here and there, about Luz’s mom. And Luz would go into a Slitherbeast den for anyone who asked nicely, but hey, he still thought that if someone was willing to fight  Emperor Belos  for them, they had to be something special.

“Oh, sorry.” He said, all hostility evaporating as he drew his staff back, holding it at his side. “Reflexes.”

“Luz,” The woman said, slowly, and Hunter was so instantly reminded of when the adults dealing with him were trying so hard to not lose their shit that he halfway raised his arm to shield Luz again. “Por qué hay un chico extraño en tu habitación?”

“Puedo explicarlo!” Luz was quick to exclaim, clutching Hunter’s arm, and he looked blankly between them. He’d heard of other languages in the Isles before, often ones spoken by demons, but this was a new one on him.

“Oh estoy segura de que lo harás!” The woman snapped back, hands on her hips now, not bothering to keep her voice low. 

“What’s she saying?” Hunter whispered to Luz, eyes still darting between the two. “Is this a ‘we’re about to start fighting’ situation or a ‘you’re grounded for life’ situation?”

“No te puedo creer.” Luz's mom grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Okay, so, uh,” Luz clasped her hands together. “I promise, mami, this is  not  what it looks like.”

“What does it look like?” Hunter blinked, giving Luz a concerned expression now. “It doesn't look like I’m a robber, right? Because this place has nothing  near  worth stealing.”

“Please stop talking,” Luz hissed out of the corner of her mouth, never taking her eyes off her mother. “Mami, this is, uh,” She faltered for a moment. “This is Hunter.”

Her mother cracked open an eye from where she was rubbing the bridge of her nose, sending such a seething glare that both kids shuttered. 

“You know what,” Hunter said, letting Rascal transform out of a staff and back into his usual self, letting the bird land on his shoulder as he clapped his hands together. “I can see that you're busy, so I think I’ll just be--why is she staring at me like that?”

The woman was staring at him now, well, Rascal, eyes locked on the cardinal on his shoulder like it had suddenly grown five heads. He flicked an ear in confusion, turning to Luz to ask what her mom’s problem was, only to see Luz immediately face-palm.

“Estoy atascado con un idiota,” Luz mumbled under her breath, and Hunter could pretty easily guess what the last word had meant, and bristled at it.

“Hey--”

“Okay,  so, Hunter,” Luz kept her hands pressed together, using them both to point towards him. “Thank you for the visit, really, but I think we’re done here.”

“We,”  Luz’s mom finally managed to speak, and Luz cringed with a sheepish smile. “Are going to have a  talk.”  She growled, though it lacked any of the reverberating sounds an actual growl would have. He always wondered how humans ever got the last  hit  of their point across without growls or clicks or hisses. He realized now that tone had a  lot  to do with it.

“And that includes  you,  young man.” The woman added, turning her glare towards Hunter, and he wouldn’t be ashamed to admit he wilted a bit under it. She could’ve disintegrated Kikimora on the spot with a look like that.

“Yes, ma’am.” Hunter ducked his head, and ignored the quiet snickers from Luz that she quickly tried to smother.

The woman stepped to the side, allowing the two of them to shuffle out of the room. Luz went out first, giving Hunter an expression that was somehow both  ‘sorry’  and  ‘I told you so’  and  boy  did he want to punch it.

Hunter hurried out after her, one hand cupped over Rascal protectively, unable to fight back the urge to hide him from everyone and everything new, that he’d be broken in half the second anyone got close.

As he passed her, he knew she was staring at him with a far sharper gaze than she had Luz. He glanced out the corner of his eye, and she was staring at his ears, at Rascal, and just as he stepped into the hallway, her eyes narrowed in on the scar along the side of his face.

He’d had people stare at his scars before, it wasn’t new. Scars weren’t uncommon in the Boiling Isles, but ones as big and prominent as his were generally expected of witches far older than him, far more known for their battles and their victories.

He growled in the back of his throat, briefly twitching his lip to flash a fang. It was near-instinctive at this point, a quiet reminder of who he was, of who shadowed over him, and that it was impolite to stare, to mind your own business.

Luz’s mom jerked back at it, a far stronger reaction than the ones he was used to getting. He was used to a quick aversion of the eyes, hurrying to turn their heads the other way, a simple glance to elsewhere in the room. She stared at him with even more apprehension and worry than before, like she was confronted with a wild animal in her home.

His ears pressed down and he hurried off down the hallway, almost stepping on Luz’s heels from how close he walked behind her.

He noticed an eye peeking out of a room up ahead, and Luz gave a weak, almost teasing, salute to whoever was inside. He saw a flash of scales and what might've been a pitying look until they slipped out of view.

Luz stood off to the side as she exited the hallway, and Hunter stood next to her. He gave her a questioning look, one she nearly missed from how much she was staring at her feet. He nudged her shoulder, gaining her attention, and Luz gave a weak, nervous smile.

Alright, so he was  definitely  missing something here with his woman.

“Kitchen table,” Luz’s mom said, pointing, and the two obeyed. Hunter had no real reason to, he knew this. She was human, he could just leave, and she wouldn’t be able to stop him. But she was important to Luz, clearly, and he knew, tragically, that he’d feel guilty if he left Luz alone.

Luz sat in one of the chairs at the round table, and Hunter took the one next to her. Her mother eyed them for a moment before taking the one across from them.

“Can I just say, that I did  not  invite Hunter here--”

“Oh, so  that’s  how it's gonna be?” Hunter whirled his head to her. “Throwing  me  under the bus? Sorry I wanted to  check in.”

“I am telling it  as the truth.”  Luz insisted, glaring at him. “Would you rather I tell her that I purposefully invited you here at,” She turned towards the wall, squinting at a clock hanging there. “Two twenty-three? Why did you come here so  late?”  She demanded.

“Technically, it’s early.” Hunter corrected. 

“I’m actually going to punch your teeth out.”

Rascal cheeped from his shoulder, and Hunter nodded sagely like he had said something. Rascal  could  talk to him, of course, in words that only he could hear, but he often didn’t. And the best part was that he could never prove to anyone that Rascal wasn’t shit-talking them.

“Enough,  both of you  . ” Luz’s mother said firmly, hands placed on the table that had them both straightening to attention. “Luz,” She turned to her daughter, rubbing her temple with one hand as she gestured with the other towards Hunter. “Explain him, please.”

“Like, life story, or why he’s here, or what he is, or--”

“Just  please  tell me he’s not from where I think he’s from.”

“Oh,” Luz glanced between Hunter and her mother, gears turning in her head. “He’s...not?”

“Dios ayúdame,” Her mother groaned.

“You told me to say he wasn’t! Actually,” Luz frowned as she turned to Hunter.  “Do  you count as someone from the demon realm, biologically? I don’t know how that whole, er, Grimwalker thing worked, like are you a direct clone, or--”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, because I’ve been avoiding dealing with that whole situation for the past two weeks, and I’m not about to start now.” Hunter raised a hand to cut her off.

“You…” Luz narrowed her eyes at him. “You need a therapist, dude.”

“You’re the fifth person to say that in the last week.”

“Why,”  Luz’s mother cut in again, silencing their conversation. “Is there a  demon boy  in my house?”

“I’m a witch,” Hunter corrected.

“Don’t you count as, like,  half  a--”

“What did I  just  say, Luz?”

“Right,” Luz snapped her mouth shut. “Uh, so, I’m assuming he broke in--”

Hunter groaned, gripping his head in his hands as he slouched over the table. Rascal chittered gently as he hopped off his shoulder and onto the table, nudging his arm.

“--but he wasn’t going to cause any trouble!” Luz added quickly, seeing her mothers expression continue to sour. “He just-he wanted to make sure I was alright.”

The woman eyed the two of them for a moment, and Hunter refused to look up and meet her gaze.

“Hunter, is it?” The woman said slowly, cautious, suspicious, but not accusatory. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Hunter sighed, relenting to lift his head, messy hair hanging in his face.

“How old are you, exactly?”

“Mami…”

“Sixteen, ma’am.” He mumbled, resting his cheek in his hand.

“And…” She hesitated for a moment.  “How  old is that in witch years…?”

“...sixteen?” Hunter gave her a perplexed look.

“They age the same as us.” Luz assured, and her mother seemed to relax just a bit.

“Gracias a Dios por eso,” Her mother mumbled. “Alright, and how did you get in?”

“Window,” He tilted his head off towards the one in question, still open over the sink.

“Of course,” The woman muttered under her breath. “The  one  time I didn’t lock it. Okay, now what is  that?”  She gestured towards Rascal on his shoulder, and he raised his hand to let the palisman hop onto his hand.

“My palisman,” He said, settling the bird down on the table, but keeping him a far enough distance from Luz’s mom that she wouldn’t be able to grab him. “I call him Rascal. Which reminds me,” He nudged Luz’s shoulder. “Where do you keep those seeds you have for your palisman? She keeps screaming at everyone and the Owl Lady doesn’t know how to make her shut up.”

“Is she okay?” Luz straightened.

“Yeah, little jays fine, she’s just being a pain in the ass.” Hunter grimaced.

“Watch your language, young man.” Luz’s mom leveled a finger at him, and he eyed it for a moment. “Now what do you mean ‘Luz’s pailsman?’ What in the  world  is a palisman?”

“Oh, uh, nothing! Nothing important, really. Just, like, staff things.” Luz said quickly, and Hunter and Rascal shared a look. Luz loved her palisman, as bratty as she was. And he knew from experience that Luz didn’t think of palismans as ‘nothing important.’

He drew a hand around Rascal and scooted him a little closer towards himself.

“Okay, okay,” Luz’s mother inhaled a steadying breath, as though to keep her cool. “And you are breaking into my house, early in the morning, to see my daughter.”

“Really just to make sure she didn’t, like, get kidnapped on the way up here.” Hunter shrugged. “Everyone's worried about her, so I took one for the team, and all that.”

“Everyone?” Her mother frowned.

“Her...friends?” Hunter gave Luz a sideways look, and she avoided his gaze.

“Mija, you have friends in the  demon realm?”  Luz’s mom balked, with the tone of someone who didn’t quite believe it, who almost felt as though they were being tricked.

“I told you a bit about them…” Luz mumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

“You,” Her mother chuckled, shaking her head, the first sign of anything lighter than what they’d had so far. “You really can’t help but be friendly to everyone, huh?” 

“It’s how she got stuck with me, it’s a real problem.” Hunter said, and got an elbow jabbed into him for his troubles, wheezing as he clutched his side. 

“Well, you certainly are an...interesting acquaintance,” Her mother said slowly, eyeing him, and he barely resisted the urge to briefly flash sharpened teeth when her gaze lingered on the scar across his face again. “And you showed up, by breaking in...just to check in on Luz?”

“Yeah?” Hunter managed to cough out, cracking open an eye to give the woman a confused look compared to her suspicious, searching one. “Why else?”

“...alright.” She said, and her gaze went back to her daughter. “I wasn’t aware that there would be... situations  where the demon realm followed you  back.”

“Neither did I, really.” Luz was quick to assure, hands raised.  “Hunter  of all people being worried about me is the most confusing and touching thing that’s happened so far.”

“I was not  worried.”  Hunter whirled to her. “I only came here because everyone  else  was, and they were going to leave me out of the rescue party.”

“Rescue party?” Luz’s mother startled, and he should really learn her name.

“Aha, he doesn't mean that.” Luz waved her hands quickly. 

“I do?” Hunter narrowed his eyes. “The others were planning on busting out of the portal to come find you by the end of this week. I didn’t want to be left out, so I broke in ahead of time.”

“There are demons coming  here?”  The woman exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

“Pretty sure the little rat dog is the only demon coming along.” Hunter corrected. “The others are witches.”

“You  know  his name is King.” Luz grumbled.

“Yeah, but it's way more fun to call him a rat.”

“Luz, cariño, are we going to have  more  witches breaking in?” Her mother stressed, stepping away from the table and already beginning to pace.

“Not-not when Hunter gets back to them!” Luz said, also standing. “He can tell them to hold off, that I’m fine, and all that.”

“And deal with them getting all pissy I broke out?” Hunter demanded, scooping Rascal up in his hands as he, too, stood.  “Hell  no, either they hear from me with you there, or I don’t tell them shit.”

“Watch it,” Luz’s mother warned him again, this time only giving a quick glare. “And Luz is  not  going back there.”

“Then you have two to twenty witches, plus one demon, knocking on your door.” Hunter shrugged. “What’s the big deal?”

“Luz, what did you get  into  while you were in the demon realm?” Her mother groaned, rubbing her temples.

“I mean, you didn’t ask a  lot... ” Luz tried, hovering about two feet from her mom.

“You have two to  twenty  magical demon people ready to break into our home to make sure you’re okay,” Her mother said, turning towards her daughter. “You didn’t...you didn’t tell me you had  friends  there.”

“I feel like I just said this,” Hunter squinted. “I told you Luz has friends in the Boiling Isles, isn’t that expected? She makes friends with  everyone.”

Luz rubbed her arm and looked down at the ground, and her mother’s mouth twitched downwards for a brief moment. He felt like he was missing something.

“Are all of your friends like him?” Her mother said after a moment, gesturing with a hand off towards Hunter.

“I resent what that implies,” Hunter huffed, ears pressed down as he tucked Rascal between his neck and cloak.

“I mean, personality wise? No, he’s the biggest brat of them all.” Luz assured, and Hunter visibly took offence. “Well, Matt was  also  a brat, but he’s a friend of a friend, and I think he’s calmer now.”

“They  are  annoying, though.” Hunter piped up, and prided on barely reacting under Luz’s seething glare.

“Well they can’t come  here,  your first friend has already caused enough trouble.” Her mother said firmly, and Hunter rolled his eyes at that.

“Please, breaking and entering is tame for me.” Hunter scoffed, and got an even more worried, and possibly judging, look from the woman.

“You're not helping.” Luz whispered, immediately turning back to her mother. “I’m sure we can figure this whole thing out. I can probably get Hunter to tell them to calm them down without me having to go back, Rascal can bully him into it, he likes me.”

“That’s a  low blow,  human!” Hunter hissed, a low, drawn-out sound that had the woman tensing and Luz only rolling her eyes. “I do so much for you, and  this  is the thanks I get?” He ignored Rascal’s gleeful chitters that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

“We’re  even  on that front and you  know it.” 

“Debatable,”

“This is  serious,  Luz.” Her mother said, and Luz’s mouth clicked shut. “Christ,” She sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d made  friends  in the demon realm?”

“You didn’t ask…?” Luz said slowly.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Hunter said, leaning against the island counter. “I drag Luz back, she hangs for a day or two to calm everyone down, and she comes right back to have quality family time, or whatever you guys call it, until you’re all finished.”

“Absolutely not,” Her mother said instantly. “Luz will not go anywhere  near  that portal.”

“It’s not gonna blow up, it’s stable.” Hunter raised a brow, not noticing Luz freezing up. 

“Luz is  not  going back to that demon realm,” She insisted, and he was sure she would be growling if she could. “Listen, could you please just tell the other witches to stay back? I don’t want any trouble from that realm coming through here.”

“Ouch,” Hunter said dryly, twitching an ear as he crossed his arms. “Why’s this got you in a tizzy? I came here to bring back Luz anyway, why is this an issue?”

Luz and her mother met eyes for a brief second, and Hunter knew then he was missing something, because it felt like a conversation passed between their eyes and Luz ducked her head again, ashamed.

“Luz,” Her mother spoke in soft tones, though she was rubbing at her face. “You didn’t tell your  friends--”

“I was going to--”

“Luz, honey, you can’t  omit details  from people--”

“I know, I swear I was just busy trying to see you--”

Hunter set Rascal down on the island counter and gestured towards him. The palisman fluffed his wings before proceeding to peck incessantly on the counter, making a loud clinking noise. It got both humans mingling words to come to a stop as they both turned towards him.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt, but I’m still here.” Hunter said, scratching his bird's head to get him to cease once he had their full attention. “What am I missing?” He asked, pointing between the two.

“I apologize Luz hadn’t informed you earlier,” Her mother started, and Luz gripped her arms and looked away from them both, shoulders hunched. “But she won’t be going back to the demon realm.”

He stared. He blinked once, twice. He could see Rascal staring too, just barely in his line of sight.

“Come again?”

“Luz had been trapped there for so long,” Her mother went on. “And-and she was surrounded by  demons  and rain that scalded skin and-and Vee told me of Emperor’s and experiments,” 

Hunter flinched at that, ears pressing flat as he turned his head to the side.

“It’s clearly not a safe place,” She continued, and her eyes dropped to his notched ear. “And...there’s much to catch up on, to talk about.” She said, in a polite tone that told him not to press that particular matter. “Surely, you can explain this to them?”

Hunter stayed silent for a moment, aware of Luz peeking at him with guilt across her features. He didn’t meet it, he knew he’d get more riled up if he did.

“Yeah, so,” Hunter said calmly, clasping his hands together. “That’s  not  happening.” 

“Excuse me?” Her mother reeled back a bit.

“Listen, Miss...what are your last names again?” He asked Luz, though he still didn’t let himself fully look at her.

“Noceda,” She said, sounding confused now.

“Ms. Noceda,” He continued. “I can speak from personal experience when I tell you that the Emperor and any experiments he had are  far  beyond gone,” He said, bitterness dripping from his words. “And I--  we  have your daughter to thank for that.”

Her mother startled for a moment, opening her mouth to speak, but he plowed on.

“Half the things that made the Isles dangerous, including the very reason your daughter was late coming home, are either burnt to a crisp or in the ground.” He said, holding her gaze. “And I can tell you this, with one hundred percent sincerity, that if I go back and tell Luz’s friends that she won’t ever be coming back, you’ll have witches and demons in numbers nearing the thirties knocking on your front door.” 

“Is that a threat?” The woman managed to get out first. 

“With all due respect, Ms. Noceda, it’s a promise.” 

“Thank you,  Hunter.” Luz was suddenly at his side, seizing his arm in a grip that felt like he was losing circulation. “That’s  enough,”  She said, giving him a warning look. “I think she gets the message.”

“Luz, what in the world is he talking about?” Her mother asked, eyes back to her child.

“It-it’s a long story, but he’s right about the Emperor!” Luz added quickly. “He’s...he’s gone, and-and I don’t think he’s coming back.”

“He won’t.” Hunter said, and left it at that.

“Luz, cariño, I’m sure we could work something out with your friends.” Her mother assured. “I’m glad a man like Vee had described is gone, but I’m sure they would understand.”

“That her mom won’t let her come back?” Hunter scoffed, and Luz tugged forcefully on his arm.

“Hunter,”  She hissed, and he looked at her then, and saw the fear practically  radiating  off her. He wondered if it was something she’d picked up from Amity or vice versa, to be brimming with emotions, but leaving them largely unnoticed until someone actually  focused.

“Look, I…” Luz hesitated for a moment. “I  promised  that I’d stay with her…” She mumbled, and the last piece clicked in his mind.

Luz had promised she’d stay, to a likely terrified mother, and Luz was never one to skimp out on promises. She either kept them or agonized over trying. And it’d make sense why she wouldn’t want to tell anyone, she promised she’d  leave forever,  and no plans or compromises from the residents of the Owl House could sate a mother worried for her daughter. 

Also made sense why she wanted him to leave. Her mom did  not  seem to like the place, and him being there had to be somewhat breaking the little ‘promise’ of interacting with someone from the demon realm at all.

“Oh,” He said, instead of all that, ears pricking slightly. 

“I’m sorry to have it all sprung on you without warning,” He heard her mother saying, though he wasn’t looking at her much in that moment, but she sounded genuine. “But the demon realm doesn’t necessarily seem to be...the  safest  of places.”

“It’s not,” Hunter confirmed, slowly straightening to face the woman again. “But hey,” He shrugged, feeling Luz letting up her grip on his arm. “It’s home.”

Her eyes dropped to his scar again, just for a moment, and he didn’t bother to hide his eye roll this time.

“Trust me, I’m an outlier in how deadly the place  actually  is.” He muttered. “These,” He gestured broadly to his face, not quite feeling the satisfaction he assumed he’d feel when he saw her wince. “Were caused by something  outside  the Boiling Isles, something that never should have been there in the first place. He’s gone now.” He rumbled a growl. “We made sure of it.”

She looked apologetic, and he’d give her that. But she shook her head with a sigh all the same.

“I’m sorry, truly, but Luz and I agreed, it’s not safe. I’m glad she could make friends there, I really am,” She said, and he wondered what kind of friends Luz had had in the past, because she said the word ‘friends’ like it could have five different meanings. “But it’s not safe for her.”

“And?” Hunter threw a hand out in a broad gesture. “It was never completely safe, no place is. You gonna look me in the eyes and tell me Luz would never sneak back out? I’m giving her another week at best.”

“Hunter!”

“Look, I’m  really  just trying to wrap this whole complication up,” Hunter sighed unsympathetically, aware of Rascal chirping and head-butting his arm. “Unfortunately, I  know  you, and I know you’d rather wallow in a chasm for eternity than never go back to the Isles. And as entertaining as watching a whole drama unfold would be when your mom would eventually find out, I  really  don't want to deal with that headache.” He grumbled.

Luz looked to her mother then, and her mother looked back. Luz’s hand was still clutched in his sleeve, watching her mother worriedly as she met her confused gaze.

“Luz?” Her mother said slowly, and Luz fiddled with Hunter’s sleeve.

“Mami, I...look, I didn’t...my friends, they...I don’t…”

“Hi, sorry, can-can I butt-in?”

The three whirled around, Hunter automatically putting an arm in front of Luz and taking a step back at the sight.

A basilisk lay in the doorway to the kitchen, tail curled somewhere out of sight. It was a young one, about the size of Luz. That’d work, he’d taken on bigger before, not like he had any magic for a basilisk to steal--

“Vee,” Luz’s mother breathed. “What are you doing up?”

And of  course  she was someone they knew. Amazing, wonderful, he loved being out of the loop that there was a  basilisk  casually within the house, that wasn’t unnerving at all.

“You guys aren’t very quiet,” The basilisk--Vee--shrugged as she slithered in, and Hunter took another step back, his arm in front of Luz causing her to be pushed back as well. “Hey there, uh, new guy.” She offered a small, shy wave to Hunter, and he eyed her before hesitantly returning it.

“Vee, I think you should go back to bed, we were discussing--”

“I know, I heard.” Vee brushed off Luz’s mom. “I actually have an idea for, y’know, this predicament. No offence, but I can't really sleep with you guys arguing.” She said, the wringing of her clawed hands the only sign she was nervous, stopping only when she was between them, with Luz and Hunter on one side, Ms. Noceda on the other.

“Should I be worried about this?” Hunter whispered to Luz.

“Nah, she’s cool.” Luz whispered back.

“What if, and hear me out...we all sleep on this,” Vee said, palms pressed together. “We think it over during the night, and when it's actually  light  out, we talk about Luz wanting to go back to the Isles and the rules that would have to be put in place. And also nobody breaks in.” She tacked on quickly.

“So you  do  want to go back?” Luz’s mother turned to her, and he saw the hurt and shock in her eyes.

“I…” Luz looked like she had a ‘no,’ at the back of her throat, and he truly did believe she would’ve said all her mom wanted to say. But he nudged her side, and she looked up at him, and clearly he was doing  something  with his face, because the empty assurances died out.

“Y-yeah, I do.” She mumbled, looking back to her mom. “I...really,  really  want to see them again, back in their realm.”

And he avoided looking at Ms. Noceda’s face, because the shock and pain increased significantly.

“Well, I, for one,” He said, ducking around Luz. “Agree with the lizard's plan. Sleep on it, talk in the morning with Ms. Noceda, yadda yadda, all that fun stuff.”

“Camila is fine,” The woman murmured, sounding a little dazed.

“Lizard?”  Vee hissed, tongue flickering out as she narrowed her eyes on him.

“Right, sorry, snake fits better.” Hunter said before he could stop himself.

“You have permission to beat him up.” Luz said casually, ignoring Hunter’s indignant shout of “traitor!”

“I, yes, yes,” Luz’s mother--Camila--sighed, stepping back and bracing herself against the kitchen counter. “Tonight has been...a hectic one. It’s far too late to be talking about things like this.”

“Does this mean I can go?” Hunter asked, pointing with his thumb behind him. “Preferably without alerting everyone that I snuck out?”

“I don’t know  how  you got past Hooty,” Luz sighed, tilting her head and beginning to walk towards the front door with a quick, affirming glance with her mother that both had barely managed to make, Hunter immediately following.

“I escaped through your window.” Hunter said simply, and he noted Camila looking up slightly at that, until Vee approached her, murmuring in soft words he knew better than to try and eavesdrop on.

“Of course you did,” Luz grumbled, opening the front door and practically shoving Hunter outside. 

“Alright, alright, I get it, I’m leaving--”

Luz stepped out onto the front porch with him, leaving the front door open just a crack, enough so that she could be seen through it, and in turn could see Camila and Vee talking back by the kitchen.

“Am I going to get a personal lecture?” Hunter asked cautiously, crossing his arms as his ears flicked down. “Look, in my defense, you didn’t exactly explain a lot of things to  me--”

Luz lunged, and he stepped back and raised his hands defensively. Instead of a mean left hook he was expecting, he got arms wrapped around his sides, squeezing the air out of him.

Hunter wheezed, and would’ve doubled over if Luz wasn’t in the way. She didn’t let up on her hug, and after a moment of trying to get his thoughts in order, he slowly drew his arms around Luz, chin tucked against her head pressed into his chest.

“I’m glad you're okay,” Luz muffled into his shirt, and Hunter may have clung on a little tighter, aware of Rascal watching this all from his shoulder.

“Feel like you said this already.” He managed to get out.

“I know, I just wanted you to know I meant it.”

And if Hunter tilted his head down to press his face into Luz’s hair then, she didn’t say anything.

“Good to see you still kickin’, too.” He mumbled. 

“Miss me?” Luz teased, throwing his words back at him as she pulled her head back slightly, and Hunter quickly did the same to look down at her.

“Hardly,” He huffed, clearing his throat to hide how it cracked halfway through. “I just didn’t want everyone leaving me out of all the fun.”

“Uh huh,” Luz raised a brow. “So you just  happened  to drop by to make sure I was alright on the one night you  actually  managed to escape the Owl House without being caught?”

“...listen--”

Luz laughed, and Hunter sputtered over his words. He growled and pushed her back and off him, knowing his face was flushing as he turned away and crossed his arms. Luz’s laughter didn’t stop at that, and Rascal sounded like he was laughing, too.

His ears drooped down and he half-heartedly bared teeth, in what may have been an attempt to hide a smile.

“You’re such a massive pain, you know that?” He growled. 

“I do,” Luz grinned, laughter calming down to giggles. “I learned from the best.”

“That, you did. That Owl Lady couldn’t be more overbearing if she tried.” Hunter muttered.

“She’s got a bit of an empty nest syndrome, you get used to it.” Luz lightly nudged his shoulder. “It’s her way of welcoming you to the family.”

And he didn’t even have the time to process  that  whole sentence, because Rascal was fluttering onto Luz’s shoulder, cheeping as Luz raised a hand to scratch at his head.

“Make sure they know not to worry too much, okay?” She continued, looking up at him. “I’ll try and sort this out.”

“Does that mean you’re coming back soon?” Hunter paused, tilting his head. And maybe there was a tone of hopefulness in his tone, maybe.

Luz hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly in thought. She looked back towards the front door, though he couldn’t see if Camila or Vee were anywhere near it, what with the angle being off and Luz blocking most of it. He wondered if they could hear their conversation.

“I think so,” She said, quieter this time as she turned back to him with a small smile. “I... hope  so.”

“So do I, they’ll be insufferable without you.” Hunter teased. “Have fun thinking up how to explain to them your apparent promise.”

“Don’t remind me,” Luz groaned, throwing her head back. “Look, it was a panicked situation, and I didn’t want her any more scared than she--”

“Save it,” Hunter said, not unkindly, raising a hand to silence her. “I’ve made worse spur-of-the-moment decisions. Contrary to popular belief, I know you well enough that you’d never stay away for long. You have a habit of being a people-pleaser.”

Luz relaxed, and raised her hand to let Rascal hop onto it. She offered him back to Hunter, and he took the bird into his hands.

“Still, I’m sorry.” She said, wringing her hands together. “For all of this.”

“If all goes well, you’ll get to tell them that yourself.” He said, and attempted a smile.

“Hopefully,” Luz said, glancing back towards the door. “So, that means you’re willing to tell them what happened?” She asked, a pleading note to her voice.

“As in, I tell them that I broke out of the Owl House in the middle of the night, escaped to the human realm, found you when I  knew  they were going to do the same thing, and then came back to the demon realm  without  you, just to tell them you’ll  probably  be back soon, but I don’t know when?” Hunter said, ears lowering more and more as he spoke, raising a brow.

“...yes?” Luz tried, hands clasped behind her back as she looked up at him with wide, puppy-dog eyes.

“...I don’t know  why  I put up with you.” Hunter groaned, relenting as his shoulders slumped, letting Rascal fly up onto his shoulder.

“Because you care about me,” Luz teased in a singsong tone, her relief immediate.

“Unfortunately,” He muttered unthinkingly, before the words processed in his head. He tensed right after, eyes locked on the wall behind Luz.

She looked surprised for about half a second before she practically  lit up,  beaming excitedly at him.

“Anyway,”  He said quickly, voice higher than normal,  knowing  he was flushed up to his ears. “I should be off before your mom gets even more pissed at me.” He said, sharply turning on his heel.

Rascal was most definitely laughing at him now, and he pulled up his hood before shoving the bird into it, silencing him. He leapt down the stairs leading up to the porch, instead of walking down them like a normal person.

“Well, in her defense, you  did  break in.” Luz reminded, though there was a certain giddiness to her tone as she watched him leave.

“Like you  haven’t  done it!” Hunter scoffed behind him, beginning to hurry back towards the forest, head ducked low.

“Yes, but we don’t need to  tell  her that!” Luz hissed, voice notably quieter as she fearfully glanced back. 

“No promises!” He called back, a grin forming as he picked up the pace. “Call it compensation for throwing me to the wolves!”

“Wh--Hunter!” Luz squawked indignantly.

He turned on his heel for just a moment, giving Luz a mocking salute before ducking between the trees of the forest, cackling as Luz’s calls of “don’t you  dare!”  faded behind him.

“Alright, Rascal, prepare yourself.” He said, hearing his palisman chitter from within his hood, with a hint of annoyance to it. “We’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

[ttuesday]

Hellooooo, I absolutely adore your blog. I literally check your blog everyday for new stuff, your writing soothes my restless soul.

If you'd want to and have the time, could we get some jealous (and maybe a lil bit possessive) boys (preferrably like dutch, arthur or hosea) when reader has to turn up her charms for a job? xx If it's not your cup of tea I understand <3

Keep being you and have a great day!

ANON I LOVE THAT IDEA

The Mayor of Saint Denis was throwing a party and Angelo Bronte had invited Dutch to go. It was Hosea’s idea for you to come too, knowing that your charm and friendly demeanour would help you get useful information from the other guests. And so you, your sweetheart and some of the other fellers bought some fancy clothes and headed off to the party.

Arthur

Arthur knows the only reason you’re here and being polite is for the sake of the gang. You don’t actually want to be hanging around with all these high society folk, or at least he hopes you don’t.

Whenever Arthur sees you laugh at a joke or smile at another man, he can feel a small knot of jealous grow in his gut. He rolls his eyes and mumbles a few snarky comments. He doesn’t mean to but he can’t help himself.

 As ye leave the party, Arthur asks “Y’sure you don’t wanna stay, looks like you’re really enjoying yourself”. That night when you’re both back at camp and inside your tent, Arthur makes sure to please you.

 When you think back to this night, Arthur wants you to think of the two of ye in your tent, not the party. Afterwards while you’re both cuddling, he opens up about how he was feeling at the party and apologises for being rude.

Charles

Charles is a very relaxed guy. He understands that this is all part of the job. It's not like you wanted to charm all these people, it's something you were doing for the plan.

That doesn't mean he has to like it though. A part of him feels silly for getting jealous but seeing you smile and make each of the guests feel special gets under his skin. 

He stays close to you throughout the night in case you need some back-up. Charles wants to make sure he can be there for you within a second. Half of the time he's there, Charles is hoping neither of ye have to go to another one of these parties ever again.

When ye get back to camp, Charles gives you a big hug. Honestly, he was waiting to punch each and every person you talked to but he's glad he stayed calm and didn't act impulsively.

Dutch

Dutch is convinced he's stuck in a nightmare. What was he thinking making you go off and charm all these irrelevant people?! Looking back on it, he thinks it was a stupid plan but he won't admit that.

A mixture of annoyance and jealous builds in his stomach. He keeps a watchful eye on you as he goes around the party, making sure to know where you are at all times.

Eventually Dutch can't take it anymore and he wraps his arm around your waist. He stays with you for the rest of the party, making sure to give you kisses throughout the night so everyone knows you're with him.

When you enter his tent after the long night, Dutch's hands are immediately on your body. Dutch needs to touch every inch of you so be prepared for a longgg night.

John

John really didn't think he was the jealous type. He knew what your job was at the party but there was a massive difference in hearing that you're going to be charming people versus actually seeing you charm people.

John subtly follows you around the party and whenever an other guest flirts with you, John butts in and tells the guest they have something stuck in their teeth. As they quickly go to find a mirror, John mutters an insult about them before distancing himself for you again.

It's very obvious that John is jealous and on the ride back to camp, Arthur and Dutch make sure to tease him about it. He just huffs and rolls his eyes in response.

As ye settle down for the night, John says he's sorry for how he acted and that he knows he was being stupid. He needs a lot of cuddles and reassurance.

Micah

What kinda bullshit is this? There you are, all dressed up and looking like you should be one of those fancy cigarette cards but you have to talk to other people?

Micah's in a rage. He can't stand seeing you smile and laugh with these snobby jerks. Micah spends the majority of his time sulking around the party and pouting.

They're lucky security took everyone's weapons at the front door, otherwise Micah wouldn't shot every single person who spoke to you... yeah, he's quite possessive.

As the fireworks begin, Micah comes up next to you and tells you that Dutch need ye to go into the mansion to look for something. He leads you through the house until he stops in a quiet corridor. Yeah, Dutch didn't actually ask Micah to go look for anything, Micah just wants to fuck.

Hosea

Hosea’s done plenty of cons in the past. He knows how it goes and he knows that charming is the most efficient way to get information. Hosea's aware that this is a part of the job.

He trusts you too but Hosea's issue is with everyone else at the party. He doesn't trust them in the slightest. At first, Hosea tries to distract himself by talking to other guests and trying to get information on any upcoming stagecoaches or trains but he can't stop thinking about you.

Finally, Hosea thinks that Dutch's plan isn't worth it and decides to join you instead. He links arms with you and joins you in charming people. It's a lot easier that way cause you can both work together.

Deep down Hosea knows he joined you because he was feeling insecure and jealous but luckily it worked out well and he didn't even have to threaten anyone!

Javier

Javier doesn’t get jealous easily. At first he actually thought it was amusing that you had to charm the high class people of Saint Denis. He hoped that after you spent a few minutes charming people, that ye could spend the rest of the night together.

Unfortunately it wasn’t that simple and it was like more and more people wanted to talk to you. That was when Javier stopped seeing the amusing side of it and began to get more and more annoyed as the night dragged on.

Finally Javier snaps at someone after they interrupt him when he tried to talk to you. And now when people try to flirt with you, Javier pulls you in for a deep kiss so they get the hint and fuck off.

Javier tells Dutch that ye won’t be going back to camp and instead he pays for a hotel room for the night *wink wink*. Right now, Javier needs you and he wants to remind you of how great he can make you feel.

Bill

Bill is jealous within the first five minutes. You go up to the first guest and introduce yourself and Bill is already grumpy. He wandered over to Dutch a few times, asking if you need to be charming everyone and if he could alter the plan a little.

The last thing Bill wants to do is put the plan in jeopardy so instead of completely disrupting you, he hovers around where you are and tries to subtly listen to your conversation... or well, as subtly as Bill can be.

Slowly he edges his way into the conversation. The guests you're trying to charm, look over that the man who's awkwardly joined the conversation and who has a big cheesy smile on his face.

 Yeah your charm doesn't work great with Bill there too but it's sweet that he wants to stay close.

Sean

Sean acts cool. Yeah you go do your thing, Sean will gladly cheer you on. He was excited to wear a fancy suit and go to some high class party. Sean was convinced it'd be fun...

But then he actually sees you talking to a lot of other people and Sean starts to feel left out.

He tries to distract him by throwing the finger food into the fountain, stealing people's top hats, stacking the wine glasses on top of each other but Sean still looks over at you every few minutes.

When he was passing by you, Sean was convinced he heard someone flirting with you. Sean instantly jumps into action, trying to be intimidating and blurting out a couple of threats. Afterwards you lead Sean away and explain that the man was talking to his wife, not you.

[translations-by-aiimee]

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Chapter 22

Original Title:  二哈和他的白猫师尊

Genres: Drama, Romance, Tragedy, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 22 - This Venerable One's Shizun is Getting Angry

When Chu Wanning heard this, he was so angry that he could barely keep himself from retracting Tianwen and slashing the Chen couple. But he couldn't open his eyes to confront them. Once he opened his eyes, the barrier would be broken. The Return to Truth barrier could only trap a ghost once. If his interrogation was interrupted, he wouldn't be able to listen to any more of Luo Xianxian's story.

All he could do was contain his overwhelming rage and continue listening to Luo Xianxian.

After she died, her soul entered the underworld, unaware and confused.

The only thing that she could make out was a woman wearing red and green robes with facial features that resembled the Master of Ceremonies Ghost enshrined in a temple. The Master of Ceremonies Ghost stood in front of her and asked her in a soft voice: "You and Chen Bohuan couldn't share a bed in life. Would you like to share the same grave in death?"

She hurriedly agreed: "Yes. . . Yes please!"

"Then I can let him come join you right away. What do you think?"

Luo Xianxian wanted to blurt out a yes, rushing to agree, but suddenly remembered something and froze. "Am I dead?"

"Yes. I am the Master of the Underworld Ghost. I can give you the destiny you deserve and fulfill your long-cherished wish."

Luo Xianxian was startled: "Then, if he comes to join me, will he. . . also die?"

"Yes. However, if loves persists in the afterlife, life and death are irrelevant. What difference does it make?"

Chu Wanning heard this, he thought to himself that he had been right; this Master of Ceremonies Ghost would persuade others to make a wish so that she could reap the benefits. This immortal was truly diabolical.

Although Luo Xianxian died unjustly, she hadn't yet become a malevolent ghost, so she repeatedly shook his head: "No. It wasn't his fault. You can't kill him."

The Master of Ceremonies Ghost smiled compassionately: "And what did you get in return for this kindness?" It didn't force Luo Xianxian to do anything. As an immortal being, they could persuade someone to make a bad wish, but they couldn't force them. Its figure gradually faded away, its voice becoming hazier and hazier.

"Return to the world in seven days. During those seven days, go and see how the Chen family is faring. After that, I'll ask you again if you still have no regrets about your decision."

Seven days later, the day arrived.

Luo Xianxian's soul returned to a conscious form and returned to the world of the living.

Following the old road, she eagerly walked towards the Chen house to see her husband for the last time.

Unexpectedly, the Chen house was decorated with lights, and outside the courtyard, there were fireworks. Bridal flowers were decorating the halls. and a big "double happiness" banner was hanging in front of the main hall. Madam Chen was radiant, not appearing sickly in the slightest. She was smiling and instructing the servants to wrap the bouquets with red silk.

Who. . . was having a wedding?

Who. . . were the bride and groom?

Who. . . no one was engaged, what was going on?

Who. . .

She walked through the busy crowd, listening to the sound of people in the world of the living.

"Congratulations, Madam Chen. Your son is getting engaged to the daughter of the county magistrate. When's the wedding?"

"Madam Chen, you're so fortunate."

"Yao Qianjin is truly the lucky star of the Chen family and they aren't even official yet. Madam Chen, you look so much healthier already."

"Your son and Yao Qianjin are a match made in heaven. I'm so jealous, hahahaha."

Her son. . . Her son. . .

Which son?

Which one was marrying the daughter of the Yao family?

She shuttled back and forth across the familiar front yard, growing more and more frantic, looking for that familiar figure in the midst of all the laughter.

Then she found him.

In front of the peony flowers in the back hall, Chen Bohuan stood with his hands behind his back with a haggard face and sunken cheeks. However, he was dressed in red. Even though it wasn't a traditional wedding outfit, it was a Caidie Town custom. When a prospective son-in-law comes to propose marriage, he should wear this type of red gown.

Was he. . . going to propose. . .?

The decorations in the whole house, the strings of gold and silver beads, was it all. . . was it all from Chen Bohuan, her husband, as a dowry for the daughter of the Yao family?

She suddenly recalled the time when they got married.

There was nothing but two people that shared one heart - nothing else.

There was no master of ceremonies, no bridesmaids, and no dowry. The Chen family weren't wealthy at that time and didn't even own a decent set of jewelry. He went into the yard and picked a delicate orange blossom from under the orange tree they had planted together and carefully tucked it behind her ear.

She asked him: "Does it look good?"

He said it looked beautiful. After a moment of silence, he stroked her hair with some sadness and told her: "You deserve so much better than this."

Luo Xianxian smiled and pursed his lips, saying that it didn't matter.

Chen Bohuan told her that when he married her three years later, he would hold a lively wedding banquet. He would invite people from all over the world. He would have her make a grand entrance on a large sedan chair. He would give her gold and silver to wear, and the dowry gifts would fill the entire main hall.

Those vows still echoed in her ears. Now, all those promises have come true, the hall filled with gifts and guests.

He was getting married, just not to her.

A monstrous flame of anger and sorrow surged through her. Luo Xianxian screamed, trying to tear at the hanging red silk in the room.

But she was a ghost; she couldn't touch anything.

Chen Bohuan seemed to vaguely notice something. He turned around, staring at the silk moving despite there being no wind. His eyes were dull and hollow.

His little sister came over, a white jade hairpin clipped on the side of her bun. She didn't know who she was secretly mourning by wearing it.

She said: "Big brother, go to the kitchen to eat something. You haven't had a proper meal in days. You have to hurry up and go to the county magistrate's house later to propose. Your body won't hold up."

Chen Bohuan suddenly asked without thinking: "Sister, did you hear someone crying?"

". . . What? No, brother, I think you're still. . ." She gritted her teeth and didn't finish her thought. Chen Bohuan still stared at the fluttering silk sheets.

"How is my mother? Is she happy? Has her illness been cured?"

". . . Brother."

". . . I'm glad she's feeling better." Chen Bohuan stood there, muttering to himself. "I already lost Luo Xianxian, I couldn't live without my mother."

"Brother, go eat something. . ."

Luo Xianxian wailed. She yelled and bawled with her head in her hands.

Don't go. . . don't go. . . please don't go. . .

Chen Bohuan said: ". . . Alright."

The tired figure disappeared around the corner.

Luo Xianxian stood alone in a daze, large tears rolling down her face. Suddenly, she heard the brothers of the Chen family who killed her approaching. The second eldest brother and the younger brother were whispering to each other.

"Mother is finally happy. Finally, things are going our way."

"Right? She pretended to be sick for half and year. Now that that cursed bitch is gone, how could she not be thrilled?"

The younger brother tsked and said, "How come she died? We wanted to force her out, not kill her. Was she really so stupid that she couldn't even find someone to help her?"

"Who knows. She was weak, just like her rotten father. It's not our fault that she died. Even though mother pretended to be sick to get rid of her, our family has its own struggles. Think about it, when the options county magistrate’s daughter and some pauper girl, only a fool would choose the latter. Besides, even if Yao Qianjin is a brat, she's got enough money to go around."

"Yes, she's so dumb. She didn't want to live so she let herself freeze to death. No one could've saved her."

The words drifted to her ears.

After Luo Xianxian died, she finally understood the so-called "Divine Fate". She was completely broke and couldn't compare to the county magistrate's daughter who was so noble and honourable.

Only a fool would choose the pauper girl.

She finally snapped.

She returned to the Master of Ceremonies' temple full of hatred and resentment.

She died there. Unlike how weak and helpless she was when she died, she returned with overwhelming hostility.

She used to be such a kind person, but now, all the hatred and evil that had been built inside her while she was alive came flooding out. She roared, her eyes turning red, her soul trembling.

She said: "I, Luo Xianxian, would like to give up my soul and follow the path of wickedness. I only ask you to avenge me! I want the Chen family - I don't want you to kill them!!! I want. . . I want to let my beastly mother-in-law kill her sons by her own hand! All her sons!!! I want Chen Bohuan to go to hell with me!!! Let him be buried with me!!! Do it for me!!! I hate them! I hate them!!!!"

The eyes of the clay sculpture on the shrine shifted and the corners of its mouth slowly raised.

A hollow voice echoed through the temple.

"I have heard your prayers. It will be as you wish. As an evil spirit - kill all those that you resent -"

A piercing blood-red light flashed, and Luo Xianxian couldn't remember anything after that.

However, Chu Wanning already what happened next. After that, the Master of Ceremonies Ghost manipulated Luo Xianxian's spirit to possess Madam Chen and force her to kill each member of the Chen family.

The red coffin on the top of the mountain, the reason why Chen Bohuan was dug up, naturally, was because the Master of Ceremonies Ghost was fulfilling Luo Xianxian's greatest wish - "Let Chen Bohuan and I be buried together." Moreover, it deliberately placed the coffin on the property of Chen Bohuan and his new wife as an act of spiteful revenge.

As for the floral scent in Chen Bohuan's coffin, it was the scent of the butterfly fragrance powder that Luo Xianxian had worn before her death. The resentment and fragrance in the coffin were both extremely strong because Luo Xianxian's soul was resting alongside Chen Bohuan inside it.

Luo Xianxian had no family. According to the customs, if a person like that dies, their bones should be cremated instead of buried. Therefore, she had no physical body and could only be contained within the coffin by the Master of Ceremonies Ghost. That's why, when Chu Wanning opened the coffin with his willow vine, Luo Xianxian had escaped the coffin's containment. Her soul flew away, and it was difficult to recapture. It was a situation of "a closed coffin being heavy with resentment but an open coffin being light".

But during the illusion, why did other people have dead bodies as their partners but Chen Bohuan only had a paper-mache ghost bride?

Chu Wanning thought for a moment and figured out this much:

The Master of Ceremonies Ghost didn't break its promise. The paper-mache bride was the "physical body" that it gave Luo Xianxian. It was a vessel so that Luo Xianxian could be buried with Chen Bohuan.

Everything was clear.

Chu Wanning looked at the weak and helpless girl in the barrier. He wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.

Elder Yuheng wasn't particularly good at comforting words. He couldn't think of anything, so he stayed silent, not having anything he could say.

The girl stood in the vast darkness with her soft round eyes open.

Chu Wanning looked at her eyes and couldn't bear it. He wanted to leave. He didn't want to take another look. He was about to open his eyes and leave the Return to Truth barrier.

Then the girl suddenly spoke.

"Lord Yama. I. . . I have something else I want to tell you."

Chu Wanning: ". . . Alright."

The girl suddenly lowered her head, covered her eyes, and cried. She said softly, "Lord Yama, I don't know what I did after that. But, I. . . I really didn't want to kill my husband. I didn't want to be an evil spirit. I really. . ."

"I didn't steal the oranges. I really am Chen Bohuan's wife. And I truly, truly didn't want to hurt anyone either."

"I truly didn't want anyone to get hurt. Please believe me."

Her voice choked and trembled, her words breaking.

"I. . . didn't lie. . ."

I didn't lie.

Why is it that, in this life, almost no one believed me?

She sobbed and screamed. Chu Wanning's voice sounded low in the darkness. He didn't say much, but he said it with conviction.

"Okay."

Luo Xianxian was shocked.

Chu Wanning said: "I believe you."

Luo Xianxian wiped her tears with her hands indiscriminately but couldn't hold them back. Hiding her tearful face, she lowered her head and bowed her head in his direction in the darkness.

Chu Wanning opened his eyes.

After he opened his eyes, he didn't say anything.

Time in the barrier wasn't the same as in reality. He had stayed there for a long time but, for the people waiting outside, it had only been a moment. Mo Ran hadn't returned yet. The few remaining people in the Chen family were still looking at him with bated breath.

Chu Wanning withdrew Tianwen and said to Madam Chen: "I'll avenge you. You can find peace."

Madam Chen froze and opened her blood-red eyes, and suddenly fell to the ground with a thud, knocked out cold.

Chu Wanning raised his head again. His eyes swept across Chen's face then landed on the youngest son. His voice didn't waver, and it was still frighteningly cold.

"I'll ask one last time." He said each word slowly and decisively. "Did you really not recognize whose voice that was?"

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

[honeymilkk00]

Haikyuu Boys: You Flinch

yooooo so my first post on tumblr,,, kinda scary but here goes nothing. if the characters are too ooc i apologise but it’s because this is my first time writing a haikyuu one shot. also i’m fucking obsessed with angst to comfort hmu with some good ones (hopefully i haven’t read them). also pleaseeeee this isn’t an attack on the reader, you all are so fucking gorgeous. i’m trying to write this angst with my personal insecurities in mind so it can be more realistic. remember to drink water and eat 3 meals a day.

characters:

-tanaka

-ushijima

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

Tanaka

Recently, you had noticed a strain in your and Tanaka’s relationship. Of course, you were always pretty self-conscious in the relationship- he always hung out with Kiyoko when he went to practise and spoke about her like she was a goddess.

That didn’t mean you didn’t like Kiyoko. In fact, you looked up to her a lot, heeding her advice every time she spoke to you. But, who wouldn’t be insecure? Kiyoko was everything you were not. She was smart, she was pretty, she was organised, and she had a great personality to go with it. Sometimes, you’d sit thinking that maybe Tanaka would be happier with her. 

And today was one of those days. It was lunch and, as usual, Tanaka was at practise. You didn’t mind and grew pretty accustomed to it, often sitting to the side of the sports hall, watching and cheering. You were happy that your boyfriend had such a deep interest in something. 

As you sat next to the coach, taking small bites out of an apple, you noticed Tanaka’s wondering gaze. Following his eyes, you frowned slightly when you noticed him staring at Kiyoko with a small blush on his face. An uneasy feeling in your gut made you stop eating, just watching. When Tanaka walked over to her and tucked her hair behind her ear after helping her pick up spare balls, you felt bile rise in your throat. Suffocating. It felt like suffocating as you watched your boyfriend touch and blush around your friend whilst right in front of you. 

Biting your lip nervously, you packed away your lunch and stood up. There was still 10 minutes left of lunch. If Tanaka asked, you could’ve dismissed it as simply wanting to get to class early. Nodding to Coach Ukai and Daichi, you swiftly exited the sports hall and walked to your next lesson.

_

Somehow, you had avoided Tanaka for the rest of the day. You knew you were probably overreacting, but the way he looked at her with such a loving gaze made you feel sick. He didn’t even look at you with that much compassion, and you were his girlfriend. 

So, you slung your backpack over your shoulders and made your way home. Normally, you would walk with your boyfriend, but not today. It was silent without Tanaka making small comments here and there and laughing. Insecure thoughts filled your mind, and, with no one to distract you from them, you listened.

You listened to every single thought that crossed your mind.

Why were you not pretty enough?

Why did Tanaka love Kiyoko more than he loved you?

Why were you so petty?

Why were you running away instead of talking to him?

Why were you not good enough?

You swallowed the bile that slowly rose in your throat and looked down at your hands that clenched together.

Just get over it. You can’t be better than her. 

A hand placed on your shoulder, snapping you out of your thoughts. Swiftly, you head diverted to look at whoever touched you right in the eyes. 

Shit.

“Hey, you’ve been ignoring me since lunch. Did something happen? Why are you walking home without me?” Tanaka let go of your shoulder and raised a curious brow at you.

You weren’t ready to talk to him yet.

Forcing a smile, you looked down at your hands instead of his gaze-his piercing gaze that left you weak and helpless. “Nothing is wrong,” you started, pausing for a second to recollect your thoughts. “I just wanted to get to class quickly after lunch... And I was walking home by myself because I have a lot of homework to do.” You lied smoothly, but of course, Tanaka saw through it.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Tanaka sighed and tilted his head, “are you going to tell your boyfriend the truth or continue to lie straight to my face? We’re partners- a team- you’re meant to trust me and communicate. Wasn’t it you who said that was important?” His voice gradually got louder with every sentence, his patience wearing thin. 

You looked back at him and opened your mouth, before closing it. Of course, trust and communication is key in relationships but... Your eyes glanced up at Tanaka. Opening your mouth again, you spoke, “It’s just...” You started and licked your lips, taking a deep breath, “You seem to be close with Kiyoko. Very close..” You whispered the last bit, but he still caught it. 

Clenching his fists, Tanaka frowned, “well excuse me, but she’s been my friend longer than I’ve dated you. I don’t see why it’s an issues now.” His voice was firm and loud, making you shrink into yourself.

“I get that, I do. But you can’t just get all close like blushing and tucking her hair behind her ear when you’re in a relationship.” You tried to reason with him. Yes, you know they were friends longer than you and Tanaka had been in a relationship and you respected that. That was why you never mentioned anything before. 

Tanaka made a ‘tch’ sound and took in a deep breath, glaring down at you. Like this, he looked like an alpha- strong, in charge, dominant. In normal circumstances, you might’ve blushed or even squirmed, but in this situation, all you felt was your fight or flight impulse going crazy. “Well I’m sorry, but just because you’re insecure about yourself doesn’t mean you can be a selfish bitch! Grow up (Y/n)!”

That was what made you snap.

“Excuse me!? Tanaka, you told me to communicate and so I did, but when I do my opinions and feelings are immediately shut down!? I’m not saying you can’t be friends with Kiyoko! You can! Just please don’t keep touching her intimately because it makes me think you’d rather be with her!” You shouted back.

Letting out a deep growl, Tanaka leaned over you with a menacing glare and quickly lifted his hand, which made you flinch violently and close your eyes tightly, lifting you arms to shield yourself. 

Snapping out of his rage, Tanaka’s eyes widened.

You flinched. You flinched at him.

Did you seriously think he was going to hit you? 

Taking a shaky breath, he gently placed a hand on your cheek, which made you flinch more and slowly open your eyes to look into his. Your eyes held nothing but pure fear. You couldn’t help it- Tanaka was big, strong and intimidating. Tears gathered in the corners of your eyes.

“Please don’t look at me like that, baby.. I’m sorry.. I’ll never hit you.” Tanaka whispered softly and pulled you in for a gentle hug. “I’m so sorry I scared you like that..” He murmured lightly.

Shakily, you took a breath, letting your tears slip down your cheeks. “Ngh.. ‘M sorry I annoyed you Tana...” You whispered softly, crying into his shoulder. “’M just... Scared. Kiyoko is beautiful and has the best personality and I’m just... Me.” You admitted, finally calming down when you realised that Tanaka would never ever hurt you, no matter how much you angered him.

Tanaka’s eyes softened and he gently stroke your hair. “Exactly. You’re you. That’s why I love you, baby.” He whispered gently and pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead. 

Slowly, you leaned into his touch more, “Okay...”

Tanaka sighed gently, “I didn’t realise I was being too touchy with her, but I’ll stop for you baby. I love you.”

“I love you too.” You smiled weakly back.

“Icecream?” He asked.

“Please.”

__________________________________

Ushijima

You always knew volleyball was his passion. It was his everything, and you respected that. 

Still though, when you became his girlfriend, you thought that maybe you’d at least tie with volleyball in importance. However, you soon realised three months into the relationship that what you believed didn’t seem to be the case. In fact, it seemed as if you were more of a chore for Ushijima than something he enjoyed spending his time on. 

Eventually, it all got too much.

You watched him practise from the side-lines, frowning since he barely even glanced at you, let alone said hello. Of course, you didn’t mind. He was focused on practising, so it would make sense if he didn’t acknowledge you.

Ushijima paused his practise to get a small drink and you took this opportunity to encourage him and drop off his lunch since he had a tendency to forget his. “Ushi, you’re doing so-” You started, but was soon cut off by your blunt lover.

“(Y/N), can’t you see I’m focusing right now? I’ll talk later, but right now volleyball is all that matters. You’re irrelevant right now.” He retorted swiftly, before shrugging you off and going back to practise his spikes. 

Biting your lip slightly, you swallowed thickly and looked down at your feet in shame. Those words hurt, even if they weren’t the most aggressive. Maybe he did only see you as a burden. The thought made you shiver and deepen your frown. The last thing you wanted was to hold your boyfriend back, even if it hurt you. Taking one last glance at Ushijima, you set his lunch down by his bottle and turned away, hiding the tears in your eyes by looking at the ground. 

It felt as if someone was squeezing your heart in your chest, and a lump soon formed in your throat. You choked on a sob and headed home, turning off your phone completely. 

Once you had reached the comfort of your house, you collapsed on your bed and sobbed silently into a pillow, curling tightly into a small ball. 

_

You were unsure as to how long you had been crying for, but you soon awoke from a slumber when you felt the bed dip and a large arm wrap around your waist. Biting your lip, you turned your head to come face to face with Ushiwaka. “Ushi...” You whispered quietly.

“My love, you have been crying. Your eyes are red and puffy.” He stated and frowned lightly. “What happened?” The male gently brushed his thumb against your hip, caressing it tenderly.

Tensing up, you sat up and pushed his hand away lightly. “Ushijima..” You started and looked down, clenching your fists together. “Is volleyball really that important to you..?” You whispered out, barely loud enough for him to hear.

The brute frowned and also sat up, narrowing his eyes slightly, “(Y/N), why are you so annoyed over my passion?” He asked and let out a scoff. “What, are you jealous of a ball? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?” Ushijima’s voice raised slightly, but he soon shut up when he noticed you flinch and sink deeper into the bed. 

You avoided eye contact from your lover and gripped the sheets tightly in your hand, “’M sorry..” You whispered out as tears filled your vision. “Maybe I am being ridiculous.. I just think that...” You choked on a sob. “That you’d be better off with someone else. All I seem to do is hold you back from doing what you love. ‘M just a pain..” Hurt filled your voice and you swallowed thickly.

Ushijima’s eyes widened slightly and he frowned, gently taking your hands into his large ones. “Darling... You are all I want. I am sorry if those comments I said earlier made you feel insecure, but I truly do care for you. You are the only person I want in my life.” Gently, he placed his forehead on yours and kissed away your tears. “You are anything but a pain, my love.”

Looking into your boyfriend’s eyes, you smiled lightly and pressed your lips against his delicately. “You’re forgiven, Ushi..”

[diaco1968]

Would you be willing to do a Chuuya x Reader? Maybe NSFW?

I am willing alright ;) , just hope he is not too out of character. One Chuuya NSFW coming right up for @kawaiiwinnerplaidempath

I can't seem to be able to tag this account sadly, sorry for that :(

Chuuya x Reader

Warnings! Nsfw, smut, fingering, heavy riding, light choking

"That stupid fucking bastard!"

You heard the door of the common room slam shut and glanced up to meet Chuuya's angry face.

"Wow so classy. What ruffled your feathers this time?"

His eyes snapped on you looking momentarily taken aback by your presence before he collected himself back together. Not good to look bad in front of yet another colleague right after being made a fool of by that shit face Dazai.

"The fuck are you doing here..."

You rolled your eyes before smirking at him sinisterly. He was already quite annoyed. You could see it in his slightly red face and darkened eyes, but you couldn't help it. He was just too fun to mess with.

"Irrelevant. I asked you first."

"You're irrelevant!"

You stood up to saunter around him teasingly inspecting his posture and you could almost feel his mood changing for the worst.

"What do you think you're looking at like that, huh?!"

"Like what, Chuuya?"

Like a predator ready to play with her food? It was a common pose for you. That is how you operated after all.

"Tch... piss off..."

He stomped away from you to grab something to drink.

"Aw why is it that only Dazai gets to play with you? So unfair."

"He did not get to play with-!"

His whole back stiffened as he slammed down the glass on the metal tray. There was no way you could've seen what just happened in the basements. It was humiliating enough encountering Dazai in any circumstance. You could not have been down there with them, he would've noticed you... so... did you just...

Your low chuckle as you brushed your fingers over his spine was evidence enough that you had tricked him into telling you more than he had intended.

And just like that he was tired of getting bullied by the 2 of you.

He grit his teeth before turning his head to the side to glance back at you.

"You want to play with me then, that it?"

You raised your eyebrow looking at him suspiciously. There was something about his expression and his gruff yet playful tone that had your heart racing in your chest.

"I am very very intrigued...so, yes?"

"Let's fucking play then, (y/n)."

You watched him as he turned around grabbing your chin as his other arm wrapped around your waist pulling you flush against himself staring you in the eyes for a few seconds. His eyes were still glinting but the malice was mostly gone. His hand moved from your chin to the back of your head, thumb grazing your cheek as his gaze moved from your eyes to your lips, licking his lips before he closed the distance and crashed his lips onto yours roughly.

Surprised but also delighted you hummed and slipped his coat off his shoulders before tangling your fingers in his hair pulling him closer as he moulded your lips with his wondering if he just wanted to shut you up and didn't know any better way for it.

Your thoughts were interrupted by his hand diving into the back of your pants groping your ass and making you jump forward and brush your front roughly against the hard bulge in his pants.

You pulled back to catch your breath and his lips moved down your jaw latching onto your neck, sucking and kissing as he kept his hand firmly on your ass keeping you in place till you started to grind back onto him. Then he started taking off your shirt by buttoning it down and slipping it off of you.

"There you go, you are learning how to play already. What a smart girl."

You puffed out your blushing cheeks, his lips working on your neck as his hands gripped and squeezed your hips creating too much heat already, that and the discomfort of your rapidly dampening panties.

"Is this how you play with Dazai? Must be fun- umph!"

Before you could finish he had spun you around and pushed you into the wall front first bracing your hands on the wall as he disposed of your pants, sandwiching you between the wall and himself.

"Oi don't you fucking bring that dipshit up now!"

He lightly kicked your legs apart and you bit your lower lip as the next thing you felt was his fingers rubbing between your folds, gathering up your moisture and dipping into your pussy knuckles deep making you hiss, eyes fluttering shut as he buried his face in your neck from behind, sucking on your skin roughly as he started thrusting his fingers and curling them inside you.

"Ooh nice, you are really enjoying this, aren't you?"

His fingers were deep and his movements jerky but somehow he was hitting all the right places edging you right on and soon enough you were a loud hit moaning mess clenching around his digits making him growl into your ear at the feeling, then removed his fingers right before you could reach your peak. You whined in annoyance but he cut you off with his fingers shoving into your mouth making you taste yourself.

"No baby girl, it's not over yet."

His fingers still rolling around on your tongue, he slipped his dick between your legs, teasingly rubbing it on your heat as you sucked on his finger eagerly. He hummed in pleasure nipping on the junction of your shoulder and neck, you shivering under his touch.

"You know what?"

You hummed in reply.

"Time to ride."

His fingers left your mouth smearing your saliva on your chin before pulling back away from you.

"Huh?..."

Dumbfounded you turned your head to look at him but he wasn't having it so slow as the palm of his hand met your ass with a sharp slap that had you jerk forward.

"Ride!"

You turned around immediately this time and he led you over to the couch, sitting down and making himself comfortable as he pat his lap.

His pants were long gone, discarded somewhere, and his dick was proudly standing at attention still a little slick from your juices.

Timidly you straddled his lap and grabbed his length to align him with your entrance, a shaky sigh leaving his lips at finally being touched.

You bit your lip and lowered yourself slowly onto him till you had him inside you all the way, your thigh meeting his lap. He threw his head back with a breathy moan as his hands gripped your hips tightly.

"Fuhck yesss..."

You were taking your time a little too much cause he slapped your ass again as he moved his hips up to usher you to move.

"Too slow, babe."

"Ah sheesh okay okay..."

His eyes watched your face intently as you moved your hips trying to find your best angle, your hands subconsciously gripping his shoudlers.

In just a few seconds you found what you were looking for and you started rolling your hips over his, fluidly moving over him. The way his face twisted in pleasure and the little moans he couldn't keep from escaping had you wonder just how it would feel for him to not be so macho... just a little test... he couldn't be too mad at it...

"You will not mind if I... you know..."

Your fingers slowly wrapped around his neck tightening ever so slightly as his eyes snapped on you with a dangerous glint. Your hand paused maoning as you hit a delicious spot  with your thrusts but he did nothing to stop you, so your gripped his neck tightly, restricting his airways a bit.

"Sshit..."

Much to your surprise he let out a strangled moan as his eyes rolled back. Fueled by his momentary submission you started moving your hips even faster and deeper, moans spilling out of your lips as your thrusts were now more towards your own pleasure than his. But he was not completely at your mercy either. He grabbed your hips once your movements became sloppy, clamping around him violently, and he started moving his own hips upwards into yours as he pulled you down onto himself to meet his thrusts sending you right over the edge. You colapsed onto his torso trying to come down from your high as you listened to his raspy breathing trying to catch his breath. But he was not going to give you time yet.

"Don't start what you can't finish brat."

You gasped as he gripped the back of your neck firmly keeping you leaned over him as his other hand grabbed your ass and he started rapidly thrusting up into your still pulsating over sensitive cunt. You didn't even have time to breathe or moan as you just whimpered, rag dolled by his rough thrusts. Just as you mewled with a forced orgasm ripping through your body caused by the rough friction he pulled out by pulling you off of himself and came all over your ass and his own lap, then letting you flop back down to catch your breath, panting as he rubbed your back soothingly.

You found yourself at a loss for words so you just hid your face in his neck, breathing in his ginger locks and taking your much deserved break.

"Well fuck, (y/n), I don't actually mind you playing with me more often, if this is what you mean."

"Shut up Chuuya..."

[amethystpath-writes]

So Cold

(NOT A PR0MPT)

******

“The world is ending. You realize that, right?”

Villain’s brow twitched before his eyes became squinted in a cool, calculated gaze. He realized, Hero knew, he just didn’t care.

“You’ve already won.” The statement- that admittance- it hurt. Hurt in a way Hero couldn’t have even begun to describe herself. It was emptiness and it was starvation, but it was necessary if Hero wanted any chance at receiving a semi-proper death. “I’ll die regardless of where. Let me go,” she said- rather begged.

Hero glanced down as Villain leant forward, newspaper in hand. She’d seen this paper before- seen it more times than she cared to count. It was part of Villain’s breaking in process. “The streets are empty,” Villain told her. She nodded.

“I know.” Her voice was quiet, hardly existent.

“You would rather die alone than in my company.”

Her chin lifted in an instant, and she couldn’t tell whether it was her own response, or if Villain had made her do it. Either was likely. Both was likely. “That isn’t what I said.” Her voice was already much more solid, albeit panicked. “I just…”

“Yes?”

“I want to see light again. Real light.”

Villain hummed, his eyes becoming hooded again as he brought the paper back to himself, leaning back in his chair, crossing his legs. “There is none.”

“There has to be. It’s warm in here; that means the sun is out.”

“It’s warm in here because the sun is too hot, too close for the air conditioning to stop us from cooking.”

It was this sentence that Hero had a revelation. He’s scared to die. Not only this, but he was scared to die alone. It was why he chose to keep Hero instead of letting her go. It didn’t matter to him whether Hero had her final moments with someone else, just as long as they weren’t without him.

“You would rather die in my company,” Hero whispered. “You don’t want to be alone when the world ends.”

There was something- something hidden- in Villains posture. He was grouchy all the time, but his posture was straight, confident, and otherwise concealed. He used his stances as a veil- a mask.

“You’re scared.”

“You are becoming cocky, Hero.” It was a warning, a threat of sorts, though there was nothing for him to do to Hero anymore. She might as well have been a pet parrot, a useless thing that spoke and mocked on occasion.

“I’m curious,” she piped. Any amount of fear or caution was slipping away, crawling down off her body like a thick and slow oil. “You won, finally. You could have- should have killed me, and I’ve wondered all this time why you haven’t.” She paused, and there was a heavy silence draped between the two of them. “It’s because you knew the world was ending…wasn’t it? Because you knew and you knew there was no one else to take advantage of which would give you so much satisfaction.”

Hero didn’t say it in hopes of besting him; she knew that was impossible at this point. Impossible when she hadn’t trained in a year. It took one capture, one method of restricting her. Of course, Villain had failed at first, keeping her from escaping whatever bonds he had her in. She would twist and turn, burn her wrists to get out- could never figure out the alarm system though. Regardless, Villain finally found a way that Hero couldn’t escape, and that was all it took.

“Are you the reason we’re going to die?”

Villain cleared his throat, and Hero knew she would need to sit down if she were standing. “Not exactly,” he admitted. The constant authoritative tone in his voice dropped, the sound of his voice becoming lighter itself. “What am I, Hero?”

“An oracle.”

He nodded.

“So, you did know the world would end,” Hero snapped. “If you are so scared to die,” she began to ask, “why not stop this? You must know the way.”

He nodded once again. “I do.” Villain rolled his neck, letting it crack one way, then the other. He was stalling, but there was only so much he could do before he had to fess up. “But I’ve never killed anyone before- only hunted them down and gave them to someone else. That someone else died before I could give them the person the world needed to die.”

An anchor dropped in Hero’s stomach. It didn’t occur to her yet that she was the one meant to die. “You’ve taken others?”

“Didn’t think you were the only one worth hunting, did you?” Villain scoffed, lightly. “Prophets are cursed, Hero. Plagued with every way the world could fall into catastrophe. It isn’t fixed in killing one person; someone else just takes their place. It’s like Earth wants to die, alright?” His fists were clenched, fingernails undoubtedly digging into his palms, likely almost enough to draw blood. “You’re the first one who can’t be killed.”

To both of their surprises, Hero said, quite simply, “I can be killed.” She wouldn’t meet Villain’s eyes as she continued by saying, “If it’d save everyone, even temporarily, I could be killed.” The idea had finally struck her- that she needed to die- but she couldn’t respond as fearfully as she typically would have.

The newspaper slid across the floor in an angry sweep. “You weren’t listening.” Villain stood, paced. “I can’t kill you, Hero. I don’t have it in me to.”

A silence laid still in the room. Neither’s breath could be heard, nor the scribbles within their mind. They sat, Villain, comfortably in a chair, and Hero, uncomfortably on the floor.

“If you couldn’t kill me, why be cruel to me? Why not just let me go?”

Hadn’t she already said it herself? Villain didn’t want to die alone.

“I thought if I could convince myself you were an untamed animal, then I could just put you down. Shoot you, or poison you, or shove an empty syringe between your toes, but…dying is worth it to not have to kill you.”

“I’ll die anyways.”

“We all will.”

“You can stop it!” Hero protested. “I can stop it! Stop everyone from dying. Why would you let the world end when you know how to prevent it?” Hero didn’t understand. If killing her would save everyone, even if temporarily, why not jump on the opportunity? Villain had been doing it all along, according to him. Maybe not the killing part, but generally. “I’m going to stop it,” Hero declared.

“You are? How do you plan on executing that plan?”

“I’ll hold my breath.” And she did, but not before sucking a breath in to hold.

Villain chuckled, “If your plan is to kill yourself, taking that big breath you did was pointless. The point is to not have air.”

Hero let the breath out. “So, you won’t kill me yourself to save the world, but you’ll instruct me on how to do it myself?”

“I’m doing neither. You’ll die with the rest of the world.”

Another stretch of pause. Hero spoke up, “And if the end of the world is more painful than anything you could ever do to me?”

This was an outcome Villain hadn’t thought of; Hero could tell. His posture slackened, shoulders dropping like weights had been placed on them.

“Would you kill me then? If you knew the alternative was worse?”

“I would,” Villain admitted, “but you don’t know what the end will look like.”

“Shouldn’t you, prophet?”

“I said if it were worse then I would kill you.”

The two never bickered like this. They only ever stared at one another, while Villain might have occasionally sent a soft insult at Hero, calling her a rat, or a pesky mouse. She would do nothing because there was nothing to do.

Now, though? Now, it was a matter of the universe, and Hero had every intention of saving it. Intentions meant nothing, unfortunately. “Why can’t you kill me yourself? Beyond the end of the world doing it more gently.” She stated this last part firmly, making sure Villain had no way to run around the question by giving the same answer.

“I told you. The person that could have killed you died. He’s dead, so you’re not.”

“That’s not you,” Hero once again protested. “Whoever that was, they’re irrelevant. You can stop this. This heat. This devastation. This end. You can stop all of it in its tracks.”

Hero clearly didn’t understand that it was Villain himself who he was talking about. She didn’t understand that a piece of him died at the thought of killing her. Her. Only her, dammit. Villain had killed so many people before her, centuries before her, and yet…he couldn’t kill her.

“I have a handheld fan. It’s about the only thing I have to cool you down. You want it?”

With the slightest nod, Hero accepted the offer. She wanted to argue. Wanted to keep going, keep pushing, but she was finally gaging that doing such was pointless.

The world was going to end.

[1littleshippergirl1]

Teachers have lives, too

Percy/Oliver

Modern AU with magic. Teacher AU. Zoom style

Prompt 23 (I think) from my challenge: secret relationship

My first and only Percy/Oliver fic. Hope y'all enjoy it!

__

"What, no robes?" Oliver raised his eyebrows when Percy came out of their bedroom dressed in one of Oliver's muggle style t-shirts and casual trousers instead of strictly adhering to the dress code of wearing his teaching robes like he'd set upon himself to do since the start of online school.

"I didn't feel like it," Percy shrugged as he took a much needed gulp of tea. Swallowing, he added, "It's Friday and I doubt the kids will care."

Oliver propped himself up on the countertop by his elbows, simply adoring the way his shirt highlighted the muscles that his boyfriend was adamant didn't exist. "You're staring," Percy remarked idly.

"can't help it. You're irresistible, love."

Percy scoffed, but Oliver saw that tiny smile appear when he made to turn around. Grinning, he maneuvered around the counter to sneak his arms around the red-head's waist, pressing a kiss to his temple. "We should take the day off," he murmured into his ear. "Tell Minerva we're both sick."

"Much as I would simply love to," Percy turned to face him, "we can't and you know that." He moved away and Oliver sighed dramatically.

"Don't see why we have to keep it a secret, Perce."

Percy shrugged again. "I don't want our private life aired out for everyone. You know how nosy the kids are."

"I know how nosy Phoebe is," Oliver chuckled as Percy snorted and rolled his eyes.

Phoebe Wren was one of Hogwart's newest students, a Gryffindor and a complete and utter chatterbox. She had no qualms about asking personal questions or blurting out whatever came to mind, no matter how embarrassing it was to the other person. She was a nice enough girl, a real sweetheart but that mouth of hers needed controlling.

"Didn't she ask you to take off your shirt so she could see if that rumor about you having a tattoo was true or not?"

Percy groaned good naturedly. "Don't remind me. I've yet to figure out who even started that ridiculous rumor."

Oliver's eyes dropped and a broad, yet sheepish grin came across his face. "Well-"

Percy's jaw dropped but he was smiling as well and choked out laughter. "You didn't."

"In my defense," Oliver chuckled, "I was bored and Phoebe was willing to listen."

"You should be ashamed of yourself, spreading rumors like a third year," Percy had a sparkle of mischievousness and playfully swatted Oliver's bum.

"I should be," Oliver agreed, smiling cheekily. "But I'm not."

Percy rolled his eyes good naturedly and opened up his computer. "Quiet, now,' he ordered mildly. "I don't want her hearing you."

Phoebe had a tendency to bring up irrelevant subjects in class that had absolutely nothing to do with the lesson. Other times she was late to another class because she stayed on chat with Percy to talk about anything and everything she wholeheartedly believed he needed to know. So, being that she was in his first hour of the day, he let her get on early so she could get everything out of the way ahead of time.

In a very unPrecy like manner, he curled up on the couch, with his feet facing one way and the computer resting on his lap. He clicked on Zoom, waiting for his students to sign on. In the meantime, Oliver moved Percy's legs, raising them up a bit and sat down, laying them on top of his upper thighs. The redhead raised his eyebrows but his boyfriend merely smiled innocently.

He didn't buy it one bit.

Oliver began to gently rub Percy's legs, massaging them. The redhead would be lying if he said it didn't feel good. "I know what you're trying to do," Percy closed his eyes.

"I'm just giving you a massage, love," Oliver momentarily passed, grabbing Percy's hand to press a kiss to his knuckles.

Quiet, Percy mouthed as Phoebe's window screen popped up. Immediately, red came into his vision. A bright red. She'd dyed the ends of her hair red with some muggle beverage. Today, she wore her hair in two knots on top of her head with the end pieces sticking upward for the world to see. She beamed as soon as she saw him, bouncing in her chair. He couldn't help but smile back. She was contagious in that aspect.

"Hello, Professor Weasley!"

"Hello, Phoebe," he said, warmly. "I trust you had a good weekend?"

"oh, yes! Unless you count my mum's mood swings. I think she's going through menopause."

"I see," Percy said as he noticed Oliver trying not to laugh and waved him off for it.

"Your mum's still around, right? Is she going through menopause, too?"

That was just something he preferred not to think about. "Remember what I said about asking inappropriate questions?"

"Yes," she nodded, more like bobbed her head up and down. "But it's not like I asked something personal."

"Actually-"

"Professor Weasley, how old are you?"

"Excuse me?" Percy raised his eyebrows.

"You're like thirty five, right?"

Percy spluttered indignantly. Oliver was laughing in one of the couch pillows to keep from being heard. "I'm not even thirty yet!"

"Really?"

"Yes," he said shortly.

"Woooow. Talk about being unlucky."

Percy pinched the bridge of his nose. He loved his job....he loved his job....he loved his students....

His thoughts were broken through by an excited squeal. "Oh my gosh! You should totally let me give you a makeover! I read this magazine and I can totally make you look twenty."

"As kind as that is," Percy lied through his teeth, "I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

She pouted.

Percy inwardly sighed in relief when the rest of the class popped up. They said their hello's and he allowed the kids a few minutes to talk before he dove into the lesson. All the while, Oliver had a free period so he stayed where he was, poking and touching Percy. First it was his knees, drawing circles on them. Then he grabbed the red-head's hand again, interlocking their fingers. When they couldn't keep it like that, Oliver's hand slithered up to Percy's bum--to what he could reach anyway--and the red-head gave him a subtle warning look.

He let out a grunt when Oliver gave it a squeeze. Oh, he was so in trouble once school was over. If it weren't for the fact he was still in charge of twenty five students, he would toss the laptop aside and tackle Oliver now. Soon, he promised himself. Right after class when he had a bit of a break.

"Professor Weasley!"

"What's he staring at?"

"I dunno."

"He looks constipated. Professor, are you constipated? I can relate. See just the other day-"

"No, Phoebe," he said, cutting her off. "I'm fine. Sorry everyone, just spaced out for a moment."

Discreetly, he mouthed to Oliver, this is all your fault

Oliver looked pleased.

Percy rolled his eyes.

"Professor, I was thinking about something."

"Yes, Phoebe?" He said, warily.

"You totally need a date!"

He spluttered. "Excuse me?"

Some of his students snickered and giggled.

"Men your age need that companionship. And the sex. Unless you're like a virgin," she said with a thoughtful expression. "Are there virgins at your age? Oooh, if not you could be the world's oldest virgin! Do wizards have a record book? Muggles do. I think you get money for it...."

Oliver's face was fairly red now from trying to refrain from laughing out loud.

He sighed heavily. He did not get paid enough for this job. "That is inappropriate to ask-"

"Do you fancy anyone? I could totally set you up. I've seen a gazillion rom coms. I know what to do!"

Percy checked the time. No he couldn't leave yet. He sat up straighter, figuring that if he started the lesson now, he could salvage what was left of the time.

And his dignity.

Suddenly, someone--Phoebe, of course-- let out a gasp.

" Professor, you're wearing Professor Wood's shirt!"

Percy's head snapped down to look at it. It wasn't anything distinctive that could be traced back to his boyfriend. Nothing about Puddlemere or how much of a fanatic he was (he'd gotten a shirt like that as a gift for Oliver's birthday once). Just a plain olive green shirt. How did she-

Oliver was surprised too.

"How do you know?" One of his other students demanded.

"isn't it obvious? He's worn it before."

"You also said it makes his muscles pop," someone else pointed out.

Shamelessly, Phoebe agreed and added, "No offense, Professor Weasley, but that looks hideous on you. That is so not your color."

"It's a good thing I have you, Phoebe. Otherwise I might have worn the bloody thing outside," Percy deadpanned.

She nodded vigorously in agreement. Then something seemed to click in her mind. "Oh my gosh!" She let out another squeal. "Do you guys know what this means?!"

Her classmates simply blinked.

"If Professor Weasley is wearing Professor Wood's shirt....they must be together or something!"

Alarm was clouded over Percy's face. He was rendered speechless at how she'd figured it out. Oliver jumped to his feet and came around to the camera on the laptop so the kids could see him. "Hey, kids," he waved.

"No way!" Phoebe exclaimed excitedly. "Hi Professor Wood! I can't believe you hooked up with our History professor. This is so cool! Everyone thinks you're both hot. This is like double hot....like fire!"

Both men regarded her with amusement.

"I feel like I should warn you, Professor Wood, that if you break Professor Weasley's heart, there's gonna be problems."

"Oh?"Oliver chuckled.

Phoebe nodded. "He's the nicest professor ever and if you make him cry just know I'm good with a knife."

"I have no intention of breaking Perc-Professor Weasley's heart," Oliver reassured her and kissed Percy on the forehead. The girls awwed and the boys grumbled about how gross it was.

Percy was grinning broadly. He'd been wrong about all this. Perhaps they didn't need to hide in the first place.

__

After class was over with, Percy placed the laptop on the floor and laid on the couch with Oliver on top of him, his head resting on his chest. The red-head threaded his fingers through his boyfriend's hair, craning at his neck at times to nuzzle him.

"Do you regret telling them?" Oliver murmured.

"No," Percy decided, dropping a kiss on Oliver's soft hair. "Not one bit."

"Me either."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Even if you are the world's oldest virgin."

"Oh shut up!"

[milkteahood]

What would happen if y/n was Karl’s assistant and he secretly has feelings for her? He gets jealous and angry when y/n has an admirer from the village and takes it out on her (non violence) Angst with happy ending pls?

I do apologize for any typos

The two of them have been working together for a while. She always listened to him and they roasted each other a lot. She was the only person he actually cared about and lately, he found himself caring in more ways. At first, he did not realize he was in love, and even as time went on, he kept denying it. There was no way he was actually in love, right?

Y/N always looked up to Karl. And felt silly about the crush she had on him. But there was no way he would actually like her back. Or at least, that’s what she always thought. So she tried to forget about it. There were plenty of guys in the village who were head over heels for her. None of them compared to him tho. But she was sure the feeling was not mutual and she didn’t want to ruin what they had by confessing her love.

Karl did not like the attention she received from all those guys. He wanted to be the one giving her that attention. So why on earth was she accepting the stupid gift from that asshole? He could make her better ones. He could give her everything she’s ever wanted. But he’s just a monster. A freak. A failed experiment. Of course someone like her wouldn’t want him. He tried to bottle up all this self hatred and jealousy. But you can’t fill up a bottle forever.

She wasn’t exactly happy. There was never anything serious between her and the guys in the village. She was simply trying to forget about her crush on Karl. But that was so difficult, since they basically lived together. She was with him most of the time and just stealing glances wasn’t enough anymore. But who was she compared to him? A nobody. Of course Lord Heisenberg wouldn’t want to date a nobody. He deserved so much better.

The last straw was a flower bouquet she received. It looked handpicked. It was beautiful, but nothing compared to what he could give her. Jealousy was boiling in his head and the moment he saw her putting the flowers in a vase instead of the trash, he threw them across the room.

“Karl what the fuck?” she yelled

“What do you mean what the fuck? I don’t want those stupid flowers in my factory” he said

“And why not exactly?” she questioned

And why not exactly. Her words were flying through his head. What was he supposed to tell her? That he loves her so much his heart aches every time she received those stupid gifts?

“Nevermind, get back to work” he told her

“I don’t think so. Not before you tell me why you threw the flowers. And not before you tell me why you’ve been acting so weird”

“It’s irrelevant”

“No, it’s not, please Karl”

Oh god, he really couldn’t say no to that. She knew exactly what buttons to press.

“Because I don’t like them”

“The flowers?”

“Yeah”

“Karl, don’t tell me you’re...jealous?” she asked, a smile appearing on her face.

He thought she was mocking him and his feelings, so he snapped.

“SO WHAT IS YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM? DON’T YOU HAVE SOME GUYS TO HANG OUT WITH?” he yelled “I AM SO FUCKING SICK OF THEM AND I AM SO FUCKING SICK OF YOU GOING OUT WITH THEM”

“Well..I-I..” she was struggling to find words. Karl never acted this way towards her.

“WELL I WHAT”

“I didn’t think you’d like me back” she finally spoke

“What” his brain paused. What did she mean by like me back?

“Oh come on, don’t tell me you’re that much of an idiot. I’ve been having a crush on you for ages. I just never thought you’d like me back”

“Oh I’m the idiot? You’re fucking stupid for thinking I don’t love you”

“Waaaait, you love me?” she asked smirking

“So what if I do?” he asked almost in a whisper

“Well, Karl, Mr. Heisenberg, whatever, just know the feeling is very much very mutual”

“So you mean to tell me, we both liked each other, and neither knew?” he facepalmed

“It appears so. We’re both idiots. But I suppose I can call you my idiot now?”

Hers. He smiled. There was no word more beautiful than that.