#this is just a lil scribble for a comment reply

[obsessedwithceleste]

Til It’s Gone

Theodore Nott x reader

Based on this cute lil request 🤗

Summary: It seemed like they’d always been there. An ever-growing thorn in Theodore’s side. He really didn’t realize what he’d had until it was gone. (Happy ending I swear)

word count: 3.2k

©️ obsessedwithceleste. all works posted here belong to me and should not be reposted or copied in any way or form.

Theo let out a heavy sigh as he slumped into his seat, ignoring the cheery smile on your face as you turned to face him.

“Hi Theodore!” You chirped brightly, gaze landing on the tall brunette boy coming to sit next to you.

Salazar, here we go, Theo thought bitterly.

“Theo.”

“Right. Theo. How was your day?” You continued on, seemingly oblivious to his indifference as you scribbled mindlessly on your parchment.

Theodore wasn’t stupid. Quite the opposite in fact. He knew you liked him. That much you’d made rather obvious. Especially as of late. If saving him a seat everyday in this miserable class didn’t make it clear to everyone that you had a certain affection for the boy, then the notes dropped in his bag, or kisses blown from across the Great Hall certainly did.

The only reason Theo even accepted sitting next to you was because the seat was positioned perfectly to be just outside of Professor Binns’ field of vision, saving him the work of pretending to care about whatever topic the professor was rattling on about.

“I don’t see why you even put up with it all,” Mattheo often said. “Just reject them and move on with it.”

“Or at least stop sitting with them. You’re only encouraging them,” Enzo would add.

Yet, here he was, still sat lazily in the seat next to you. Theo didn’t particularly care that you fancied him to be quite honest. He’d gotten used to the same pattern of stoically ignoring your chatter, copying your carefully organized notes, and leaving. So long as you weren’t too annoying, he didn’t see the harm in sticking around. Besides it’s not like you weren’t easy on the eyes. And he supposed there was something to be said about the confidence with which you acted that set you apart from the general hoard of girls harboring similar feelings.

“Theo?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he glances at you out of the corner of his eye.

“Fine.” He replied tersely before turning once more to stare blankly ahead.

He’d changed his mind. Absolutely not. This was horrible. At this point, Theo wasn’t even sure if you actually liked him, or were only claiming you did as an excuse to see how much you could embarrass him.

“Mate, this is getting to be Weaselette levels of weird,” Draco said as their group stared in horror at the third year who had approached them warily in the halls with a poem to read aloud in hand.

Theo visibly shuddered, remembering the awful valentine the youngest Weasley had sent Saint Potter a few years prior.

“Save everyone the embarrassment and walk away now, kid,” Draco told the boy. “Go on. Scram.”

The third year didn’t need to be told twice and quickly darted off, away from the group of Slytherin boys.

“It isn’t even 8am mate. Where does that girl get the time to do all this?” Enzo grumbles as they made their way into the Great Hall for breakfast.

Theo simply ignores his friend’s comments, something he was getting used to doing, as they all sat down at their usual table.

They’d all seemed to have an opinion on you as soon as it became apparent that you had developed a crush on him, and Theo had just about had enough of his friend’s seemingly endless comments regarding his not so secret admirer.

The familiar small parcel tied neatly with a white ribbon that sat waiting for Theodore in his usual spot didn’t go unnoticed, starting the whole thing up again.

“For Salazar’s sake Theo, do you not find it creepy?” Draco asks, eyeing the package.

Theo rolled his eyes at his dramatic friend.

“I don’t care. You all seem to be more interested in y/n’s little stunts than I am, and I’m the one they’re intended for. They’re harmless. Just leave it and they’ll probably get bored eventually.”

“Yeah, or they’ll just keep it up thinking you’re playing all hard to get or what not,” Mattheo snorts.

Theo just glares at his friend, stabbing a sausage with his fork. Just behind Matt’s head, seated at a table with your own friends, Theo sees you blow a kiss his way, winking cheekily.

“Aw, they growing on you? Who would’ve thought dark and broody would be into golden girl herself,” Mattheo teases, earning him a sharp kick from under the table.

“Morning Theodore,” you greet, as the brooding boy once again took his seat beside you, this time in potions.

“It’s Theo.”

“That’s what I said.”

You hear the boy let out a small snort and you smile to yourself. That was one of the biggest reactions you’d been able to get out of the boy.

Your friends often wondered why you so insistently pursued the grumpy Slytherin boy, despite his general apathy towards you, and honestly, it was as simple as the fact that you enjoyed the challenge.

It was like your own little game of cat and mouse. Constantly finding little ways to make the boy smile, even if he didn’t realize it was you. And the rush of excitement you got anytime you were able to elicit any sort of reaction from the boy was like a drug that kept you coming back for more.

You’d found that the best way to elicit such reactions was by staging little acts of public affection whether it be a kiss sent his way or an origami note perched on his desk. Each time, you could see the heat rise softly in the boy’s cheeks as he tried desperately to keep it at bay, sometimes even fighting back a small smile.

Today you had come to class a bit early in order to set up both you and Theo’s potion stations before the brown haired Slytherin arrived, taking extra care to gather enough ingredients for each of your potions. You weren’t even sure he realized that you were doing all this for him, but watching his satisfied smile as he brewed away made it worth it.

That was another thing you had grown to appreciate about the boy. While his friends were all rather light-minded and rowdy, his wit and level-headedness balanced out the group. Theo was smart, and didn't feel the need to make a point about it, flying under the radar of many of your classmates when it came to who had the best marks. Sure it was fun to tease the boy, but you also had a certain admiration for him that went deeper then the nonserious way you often conducted yourself around him.

The rest of the class passed in a sort of agreed upon silence as you worked on your potions. Of course you’d like to talk to Theo a bit, but you’d found he’d preferred the silence, usually not uttering more than a few words to you per class. It was something you could work on eventually you supposed.

“See you later Theodore,” you said brightly once you had finished gathering up your things. Joining your group of friends, you toss one last wave over your shoulder at the boy, smiling to yourself. He hadn’t bothered to correct you for once.

The last thing Theo expected while roaming the dusty shelves of the library was to hear his own name being whispered from deeper within the maze of books he was searching through. The library was where he went to escape his friend’s incessant gossip about the rest of the school’s population, yet he was interested in what was being said about him. He didn’t often venture outside his usual group of Slytherins, so he didn’t know exactly what he expected to hear.

Following the loud whispers, Theo stopped, looming in the shadows once he was able to make out the dark figures of students huddled in one of the many rows of books.

“Sure Theo might be one of the most attractive boys in our year, but his head is so far up his own arse, it’s a wonder he can see straight.” A voice practically snarled as its owner leaned lazily against one of the shelves.

Theo felt himself immediately tense. Is that what they thought now? His fists clenched as he refrained from crashing through the shelves to give these snots a piece of his mind.

“Honestly, being an arrogant prick isn’t something to be proud of. He’s just like every other Slytherin who makes being a pure blood their only personality trait.” Another voice adds.

“Oh fuck off you two.”

Theo’s ears perk up, surprised to hear your voice join the chatter.

“Please, like you’re one to talk y/n. You’re practically blinded by desperation. Theo Nott is an utter prat and he treats you like shit. Have some bloody self respect.”

“I’m not desperate, you git. And Theodore isn’t an arrogant prick. There’s nothing wrong with having a little bit of pride. It’s not like you see him going around bragging about how amazing he is. If you’re going to talk about arrogant pricks, talk about Cormac. Or Draco even.”

“Whatever. That still doesn’t excuse his behavior towards you. I don’t understand why you insist on embarrassing yourself when he clearly has no interest in you. But he’s too much of a coward to say anything.”

“Oh for the love of- Theodore doesn’t owe anyone anything. Me included. I do the things I do because I can and I want to, and quite frankly it isn’t anyone else’s business but my own. So why don’t you two get your heads out of your own arses and stop worrying about me, and stop worrying about Theodore.”

With that, Theo listened as your footsteps slowly got quieter as you stomped away, your words ringing in his head.

Theo had never been in love before. But in that moment, he was beginning to see the appeal. Fuck that was hot as hell.

For Theo, it all spiraled down from there as he finally began to see you. Really see you. And not just as some girl who had a silly crush on him.

It started with the notes. He hadn’t noticed before, but it wasn’t just him that you’d slip a note to in the hallway. After one particularly difficult transfiguration exam, Theo watched as you dropped a note with a chocolate candy attached into the bags of your friends.

Another day, he arrived to potions early to find you carefully setting up his station as he hovered in the doorway. After class, he didn’t rush out like he normally would and instead watched as you quietly slipped an extra copy of your notes to a student he knew struggled with the class.

And while you weren’t exactly blowing kisses to all of your friends across the Great Hall, Theo began to notice the way you didn’t hesitate to throw your arms around your friends, hugging them tightly when you got excited. Or grasping onto a hand as you wandered through Hogsmeade, arms swinging in carefree bliss.

It was about a month after Theo had begun his silent observations that he began to feel it. The slow pull away as your presence began to fade from his life. He almost didn’t notice at first. It had been about a week since he’d last found a note in his bag, or parcel waiting for him on his seat. You still smiled brightly at him if your eyes met from across the Great Hall, but now that he thought about it, Theo couldn’t remember the last time you’d blown a kiss his way.

It all came to a head the day Theo walked into History of Magic to see one of your friends sitting next to you in his usual seat, chattering away.

“Nice mate, they finally get the message?” Mattheo asks with a grin, elbowing him in the ribs.

Theo remained silent as he followed his friend to a seat in the back, eyes not leaving the spot where he should be sitting.

It continued on like this for what Theo thought was eternity. Salazar he missed you. Weeks passed filled with sleepless nights where he would stare at the ceiling contemplating where he had gone wrong. At the very beginning really, he thought dryly, remembering his initial feelings of agitation and annoyance. He wished he could go back and give himself a good smack upside the head.

The day Theo passed you in the hall and you didn’t even spare him a passing glance was the day Theo finally broke.

“Lorenzo.” He said, slamming the door of their dormitory open, startling his roommate.

“Theodore?”

Theo glares at the use of the name.

“You’re the romantic type. How do I do it?” Theo asked as he stomped his way over to his bed.

With a bemused look, Enzo swings around to look at his roommate, wondering if one of the ghosts had somehow possessed him.

“You want to know. How to do romance?” Enzo asks slowly, not fully believing he’d heard his friend correctly. Theo was probably one of the most emotionally detached people he’d ever met.

“Yes. Y/n. I want to make it up to her.”

"I thought we didn't like her?" Enzo said, growing more concerned for his friend's mental state by the minute.

"We didn't. But now we do, and I want to make things right."

Enzo blinked. Oh this was not going to be easy.

As you sat in the court yard with a group of your friends, textbooks in hand as you attempted to study for the charms test the next day, your eyes flickered momentarily as a sea of green wandered by. Quickly you look away before your eyes could meet Theo’s and you try to turn your attention back to your friend’s idle chatter.

It had been what? A month since you’d stopped actively seeking out the boy’s attention. Maybe more. And you missed him. His sarcastic smiles and pretty eyes that seemed to be fixed in a permanent glare.

But you were also tired. Mostly tired of the snarky comments. “Have some self respect.” “So desperate.” The voices of your classmates echoed in your head, and eventually you began to draw back. You knew he’d noticed. You’d seen his eyebrows furrow in confusion that day you’d let your friend sit beside you in class. A pang of guilt washing over you. But it’s not like he showed any signs of wanting things to go back to the way they were. So you simply stayed away. Maybe that’s what he’d wanted all along.

Your thoughts followed you as you eventually made your way back to your dormitory, wanting nothing more than to wrap yourself up in a warm blanket and disappear. As you approach your bed however, you make out something that definitely wasn’t there when you’d left that morning. A gorgeous bouquet of little white flowers wrapped in thick brown paper, tied off with a silky emerald green ribbon. Stamped on the corner of one of the brown folds, the letters TN shown at you in gold curls.

“Oh those are beautiful!” Your roommate gasps when she sees the flowers. “Lily of the valley! Those can symbolize renewal ya know. Usually they’re given as like, an apology of sorts, or if someone wants to start over.” She tells you. Ever the herbology buff. “Who are they from?”

A smile grows on your lips as her words sink in and you press the flowers close to your chest.

“Just a special friend,” you reply.

After all the months of Theo's coldness towards you, you'd never quite allowed yourself to truly believe the boy would ever return your affection, but maybe things were beginning to look up.

Over the course of the next several days, you begin to notice little things that had Theodore’s name written all over them.

After the charms exam the following day, you find a note of encouragement written in Theo’s familiar scrawl dropped in your bag along with a bag of your favorite toffees. How he’d managed to get it there without you noticing was beyond you.

There were little things too. Your stations in herbology and astronomy were always set up and waiting for you when you walked into class. The book on ancient runes that you’d been searching for showed up on your bedside table. (You weren’t sure how he was doing that either, but you weren’t about to question it.) And there always seemed to be a comfortable smirk on Theodore’s face whenever your eyes wandered over to where he sat with his friends, eyes seemingly boring into you.

Now, you sat quietly in your own little nook of the library, quill in hand as you scribbled away at your ancient runes essay, the book Theo left you being quite helpful.

You were happy he'd found his way back into your life, happier still that he was actually making a point to be included in your life.

“You don’t mind do you?” A voice asks, startling you and causing ink to splatter against the parchment.

With shocked eyes, you look up to see Theodore standing next your table as if your thoughts had summoned him there. He sets his books down, frowning at your now ruined paper.

With a flick of his wand, the mess is gone.

“Sorry bout that,” he mutters, sitting down across from you.

You blink, not entirely convinced you’re not hallucinating.

“You know, I remember you being much more talkative,” he says, a sly smirk reaching across his face as you realize you’ve yet to say anything to the boy.

“I remember you being significantly less talkative,” you blurt out before quickly covering your mouth with your hand in horror.

To your relief, the boy in front of you lets out a low laugh.

"Fair enough. See you've been liking the book," he says, gesturing towards the open text.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to say something, thank you."

"Don't worry bout it. I never said thank you for all the things you did. Probably should've." He replies, looking down as he pulls out his own quill and parchment. "I am sorry by the way."

"For?" You ask, head tilting to the side in curiosity.

"Everything. Or for doing nothing is probably more accurate," he says, flipping open his text book.

You can tell that he's nervous as he fidgets with the corners of the book's pages, and you desperately want to ease the tension between the two of you.

A moment of silence passes between the two of you as you debate whether or not to say anything more, or go back to your essay. Finally, you look up at the boy that you had been chasing after for all these months, and remind yourself that he had actually been the one to go through all the trouble of seeking you out tonight.

Gathering your courage, you open your mouth to speak. "Theodore?"

"Yes, Bella?" he replies, eyes carefully following the lines of next.

"Would you like to join me in Hogsmeade this weekend?"

His eyes snap up at this, and you see the familiar hint of red make it's way into his cheeks once more.

"Only if I can have my seat back in History of Magic." The boy replies.

"I think I can have that arranged."

Hi hi hi! I hope this lives up to all of your hopes and dreams, anon 🫶🏽

[iveseenstrangerthings]

must be love - a Steve Harrington imagine

summary: just a shorter imagine about a reader who works at a diner and Steve comes in with the rest of the friendship group (which you’re also part of). There’s a mutual pining between Steve and reader and eventually Steve decides to do something about it, just a lil fluffy imagine which got me going

warnings: brief descriptions of food and eating

word count: 2.5k

notes: shout out to one of my fave SNL skits of Debbie Downer thx for playing a small part in this imagine. if anyone has any ideas for an imagine plsss request i’d be happy to do some requests !! have a great day :) master list here

                                                   ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

“Have a great night, guys!” You call as the most miserable family you’ve ever served in your entire time of being at the diner slumps out the door. A small laugh escapes your lips, almost in disbelief at what you’ve just put up with, as you start to clear their plates. Clinks of metal cutlery scraping fired ceramic plates fill your ears as you gather everything in an impressive stack. Guiltily, you take the gracious tip they’ve left you and you suddenly feel awful for whining to yourself about how unpleasant they’d been. 

Behind the till, you place their cash tip into the tip jar and then take the plates to the back to be washed. The heat of the kitchen still overwhelms you as you place the stack of dirty dishes into the hot sink full of water. “Busy out there, yet?” Deborah, the main pot washer calls out from the break room, her evening drawing out slowly in front of her at the slow stream of customers. 

“Not quite yet, still early though, Debs!” You call back cheerily, behind her back you all call her Debbie Downer, no matter what you say Deborah will reply with something depressing that ultimately kills the mood of the conversation.

Last month, when you told her you’d got a new cat, she had replied, “Feline AIDS is the biggest killer of domestic cats. Hope you got it checked!” 

Pushing back through the swing doors, you see a few more groups had been shown to tables and you were ready to go over to welcome them in. One group you see, is your friends. 

An unsettled feeling stews inside you, you love that they come here to see you, but you hate how it makes you feel pressured. Dustin loves the shakes, Mike and El the burgers, and Steve loves to come just to see you. Not that you know that. You’re partial to a spill of a drink, or a burger to the floor as it slips off the plates as you try to juggle too many, and you do not want Steve to see anything like that. You’ll just have to try not to show off your plate stacking skills this evening. 

Whipping your pad out from the front of your grease-stained apron, you walk to their table and paint a smile on your face, beaming from ear to ear. “Fancy seeing you here.” You approach the table and stand next to Steve, who looks up at you with a small smile painted across his rose-tinted lips. 

“Do you even need your little pad, surely you know my order by now.” Dustin is quick to comment on his food, he must be starving. He didn’t mean it in an asshole way, you’re close enough with each other that you rarely take offence to anything now.  

You guffaw at his request and scribble down his order. Peeking over the top of your pad to see Steve slightly shaking his head and raising his eyebrows at him. “Max?” Your attention goes to Max now, awaiting her order.

“Just a chocolate shake, please.” She offers, sheepishly pushing the menu back towards you. You don’t push her on an order for food, as you know any of the other waitresses would, you just nod and jot down the code for a shake. She’s still recovering from Vecna, and you understand her lack of appetite, which she is grateful for. 

After finally scribbling down the group’s order in your illegible scrawl, which is only decipherable by the chefs, you turn to Steve who’s perched on the end of the booth. “And for you, Steve?” Your pen is ready in between your fingers, and you give him a patient smile. 

He quickly skims the menu, even though he knew what he wanted the minute he walked in. He relays his order to you before gathering up all the menus, making your job easier and quicker. “Thanks.” You take them from his hands and his cheeks flush with colour. He’s aware of the intense rush of heat to his face, as is everyone else at the table. Your heart skips and beats intensely in your chest as you relish in the sight of his flushed cheeks. You know you caused his blush, and it gives you a slight spring in your step as you return to the host stand with their menus, knowing you have the power to make Steve Harrington tint with crimson. 

Whilst his ears are trained into the conversation happening around him, he lets his eyes divert to your whereabouts. He watches intently as you balance the plates with skill before setting them all down on a nearby table, talking to your customers with expressive hands and giving them an effervescent smile before turning and going to attend to another table. He sees how your tongue slips out of your mouth, ever so slightly, in concentration as you place glacier cherries onto the top of a sundae before carrying it to an over-excited child who claps with your arrival. Your smile at the young boy’s happiness and delightful manners stays on your face as you make your way back over to the serving hatch, the bell ringing out continuously with the Friday night rush of families, friends and couples. 

“Dude.” Dustin starts, leaning in closer to Steve as he breaks away from the rest of the conversation. Steve leans in too. “Why don’t you just ask her out already?” The prospect of doing such a thing is enough to bring sweat to the palms of his hands. Noticeably so that he has to rub his palms over his jeans to get the wetness off. His mouth feels dry, so he runs his tongue over the roof of his mouth and swallows what little saliva he has down his throat. “It’s so painfully obvious.” 

“What is?” He quickly retorts, turning his face too fast so it’s left lingering extremely close to Dustin’s. He pulls back slightly and let’s Dustin observe how you make him feel. The slight tinge of pink has returned to his cheeks, and he hasn’t stopped rubbing his palms over his jeans. Dustin just laughs slightly and gives his head a shake before giving Steve an insignificant nod, indicating your return with an armful of their food. 

“Alrighty.” You say as you settle their food down on the table, sliding the plates in the direction of whoever ordered what. The table digs into your stomach slightly as you stretch across to push El’s plate to her in the far corner of the booth, meaning you slightly lean across Steve. “‘Scuse me.” You gently breathe as you pull back, the smell of your perfume lingering after you push back from the table. He quickly inhales, wipes the corner of his mouth with his thumb and then grabs the cutlery. “Max just let me grab your milkshake, I’ll be right back.” You dust your hands off on your apron as you make your way back to the hatch, collecting Max’s milkshake before ambling back over to their table. “There you go, sweetie.” You turn her shake towards her and her eyes light up, looking at Lucas with wide eyes in admiration at her humongous milkshake. You smile at the pair; glad Max has someone as sweet and caring as Lucas. “Okay, think that’s everything.” Your eyes skim everyone’s plates to ensure you haven’t missed anything. “Can I get you guys anything else? Anymore sauces?” 

Everyone replies with a cacophony of “No” and “Thank you” and you nod at them all, the boys already starting to shovel their food into their mouths as if they haven’t eaten for days. Max seems settled and Steve thanks you again before turning to his plate to eat. 

The next half an hour passes in a blur of sundaes, hamburgers, spilt milkshakes, and grumbles from Deborah as you take in another stack of greased up, ketchup smeared plates. As you stand at the host station placing clean cutlery neatly into white napkins, Steve wanders over to you as he opens his wallet in front of him. You place your hands down on the counter, keeping the napkin well wrapped up in your hands. “Hey!” You beam at him as he approaches. “Was everything okay with the meal?” You finally place the neatened cutlery and napkins into their box and return your full attention to Steve. 

“Was great. Five-star service, too.” The corner of his mouth hooks up into a smile and you reciprocate it broadly. “But I was wondering if I could pay now?”

You nod, taking their order from the small pile of tabs that you keep by the cash register. “Sure, you just wanna pay for yours?” You start keying in the price for Steve’s meal, but he cuts you off.

“No no, I’ll get everyone’s.” His offer is laced with the kindness he exudes, like warmth coming from a mug of coffee on a chilly day. 

Your head tilts to one side and your eyebrows lift slightly, “Steve, that’s awful kind of you but are you sure?” 

He nods, pulling out some cash he’s sure will cover it as he patiently lets you tot up the total for the meals on the register. “I’m totally sure.” He seems nervous, you notice from the corner of your eye his weight keeps shifting from one foot to the other. A small smirk forms on your lips, then quickly dissipates as you get ready to read the total out. 

He hands the cash over without question and tells you to keep the change for the tip jar. “Thank you so much.” You hold the cash in your hands gratefully as you look back at him. He’s still stood behind the host stand, his eyes travelling nervously around you. As you drop the cash into the jar, he leans onto the station with his elbows.

“I was wondering if you wanted to catch a movie? After you finish up?” The words tumble out of him quickly, but his question is laced with reluctance, like he’s already prepared himself for you to say no.

You study his features, the soft-hearted nature of him shines through. Him paying for all the kids’ meals and still asking you out afterwards, you feel on top of the world that he’s asked you. You think of how sublime it would be, spending the evening with Steve after work, but you don’t finish up until close tonight and you fear that would be too late for him, making him waste the night waiting for you. Although it would feel anything but a waste to Steve. A feeling of defeat washes over you as you worry this could be the only time Steve asks you to do something, and you fear he will think that you’re making an excuse. “I’m here till close tonight.” The words fall regretfully from your mouth, and you see his features soften with disappointment.

He nods quickly, pursing his lips as he pushes back from the counter, giving it a tap as he readjusts his posture, standing tall. “Oh, yeah. Totally. No that’s fine.” 

“But I could come over, when I’m done? I know it would be late, but I could bring us something to eat, and we could just, I dunno, chill?” 

Inside his chest, his heart soars around like someone has ignited him and soon the sweaty palms return. He came over here expecting you to say no, but he figured it was worth a shot. He did not expect, however, for you to then suggest another idea. His worries and anxieties about asking you now seem so farcical when all along you had wanted the same. 

He’s almost taken aback and has to bring himself back to the reality of being here in the diner, with you. “No, no it wouldn’t be too late. That’d be great.” He taps the counter again, the pair of you just looking over at one another, waiting for someone to speak. The pair of you never run out of things to say, never find it awkward to make conversation, never shut up really. But now, you both stand enthralled at the idea of spending some time together, just the two of you. 

“I’ll pick you up?” He poses the question to you in a gesture of what seems like good will, but it’s really just a way to get to spend more time with you. 

A torrent of emotion as intense as a winding river of rapids course through your veins and rise the temperature of your body, causing your skin to prickle intensely like tiny bolts of electricity hitting your skin. The flow of your emotional river ebbs, the source of the river stemmed as an anxious thought enters your stream of consciousness. You want Steve to see you at your best, not sweaty and smelling of cooking after a five-hour shift. “I will stink of grease.” You admit to him awkwardly. The perfume bottle you keep in your bag is a God send and you hope it will help to mask at least some of the smell.

He puffs air out between his lips and a smile softens across his face. “I really couldn’t care less.” He pushes his hands back from the counter where they’d been resting lazily, his muscles contracting underneath the sleeves of his t-shirt and you eye it quickly. The way the shape contorts and flexes under his skin as he pushes himself up from the counter again makes your eyes widen and your stomach throb. “Pick you up around ten, is that when you finish?” 

“Yes! That sounds great, thank you!” You radiate, your words landing like a verbal high five. 

He turns away, wordlessly, and gathers the kids up to leave. You click a few buttons on the register before finalising the receipt. They all wave and shout goodbyes as they make their way out of the diner, leaving as you turn to see your favourite group of regulars sat waiting for you to go over and take their order.

Outside, the wind turns to a chill and the clouds blow clear, leaving the sky black and bright above them. “So...” Dustin starts, elbowing Steve as they make their way to the car. The rest of the kids making their way to their buses home. “Did it work?”

Steve lifts his chin and laughs, “Quit making it sound like I’ve been doing some sort of experiment.” 

Dustin just rolls his eyes and waits, expectantly. 

“Yeah, it did ‘work’.” His fingers go up into air quotations before twisting the key to start the car with a low growl. “I’m seeing her after work.”

“TONIGHT?!” Dustin jeers in a high-pitched voice that makes his voice box squeal in delight. “Dude, how many times have I told you. She feels the same.”

“You think?” Steve quizzes, passing the conversation back to Dustin. 

“Hell yeah.” Dustin smirks, showing Steve all his ‘pearls’ as Dustin likes to say. “Offering to see you after a shift at the diner?” He tilts his head and brings his eyes down playfully. “Must be love.” His voice exudes sickly sweet confidence and Steve backs out the car park, turning up his radio and rolling the windows down, despite the chill. He drives back happily and hasn’t once tried to deny Dustin’s final remark. 

[fensherohair]

The Marauders & The Metamorphic Witch (Part 10)

Words: 2.4K Warning: None Pronouns Used: She/Her

Gryffindor Tower was filled with tension. Anyone who entered the tower upon returning from Christmas break could feel the thick, heavy atmosphere almost instantly. The break had done little in the way of helping the Smith Twins; if anything, it felt as if their relationship had somehow broken down even more. (Y/N) had been thrilled when Lily and Marlene had returned with stories of their Christmas and New Year celebrations. She'd been the same with Remus, Peter, and James when they, too, stumbled through the portrait hole. Unusually (Y/N) had greeted all of them with a friendly hug, most if not all noticed how exhausted the metamorphic witch appeared. 

"Let her sleep," called Sirius upon noticing Peter creeping closer to (Y/N), napping on the sofa closest to the fire, the book she had previously been reading resting against her chest, with her cauldron and potion ingredients abandoned just in front of the sofa. For once, the metamorphic girl was peaceful, having spent the last two weeks being a mediator between the warring muggle-born sisters. "The last two weeks have taken its toll," he added, moving with James and Remus to an area near the fire. James and Peter took up the comfy armchairs with Sirus and Remus sitting on the floor in front of (Y/N) as if guarding her and keeping watch of her potion equipment. 

"That rough?" asked James, recalling reading the letters Sirius sent over the two weeks, just as he remembered Sirius' worry for (Y/N); all the drama warring between the two sisters had taken its toll. James had written back almost immediately, advising Sirius to remove (Y/N) from the situation, giving the idea to share the otherwise empty boys' dorm with her. 

"To be honest, it wasn't that bad when they were apart or around the professors," replied Sirius, recalling (Y/N)'s elder brother helping by taking Isolde out for a while; sometimes, they wandered the castle and went on discovery tours together. Other times, they'd go to the library or Hogsmeed. Just things they could do together. Every time, Hunter, without fail, would thank Sirius for looking out for (Y/N). "It's when they're together when things get explosive. It got to the point where they couldn't stand being alone together; Allegra is jealous that Isolde has everything she wants: friends, a boyfriend, popularity, and a good school life. A couple of days after Christmas, things blew up between them; the argument got so bad, old Slughorn had to come to break things up." 

"Ah, so that's what Lil and Mar are doing," commented Remus; he refused to think what the girl's dorm looked like after that explosive fight; after all, Allegra wasn't above taking or destroying things that didn't belong to her. Nor was she one who took responsibility for her actions; instead, she'd make excuses to try and wrangle her way out of the trouble she found herself in. "I'm glad we get the simple task of making sure this one sleeps," added the intelligent teen, looking over his shoulder before turning to remove the book (Y/N) had been reading, at least before it slipped from her loosening grip. 

"Animagus," spoke Sirius, upon noticing the chapter (Y/N) was reading before she'd finally answered the sweet call of sleep. "She's been doing a lot of research to help us out," he added, picking up some of the potion ingredients to inspect them. A smirk soon appeared upon noticing the small scribbles of notes under the cauldron. 

"Here comes trouble," squeaked Peter upon hearing Allegra yelling at some poor soul who'd likely gotten in her way, no doubt an unsuspecting first year. Mere seconds after the words left his lips, the muggle-born in question appeared from the spiral staircase, anger written across her reddened features, her lips pressed into a tight line, and her eyes blazing with fury as she stomped past, pushing other students out her way. 

"I'M GOING TO TELL MCGONAGALL. AT LEAST THAT WAY I'LL HAVE THE DORM TO MYSELF!" screamed Allegra, as she made a b-line for the portrait hole. Her screeching forced many close to her to cover their ears, whereas others turned to see what the chaos was about this time. Standing on the balcony above the spiral staircase were Marlene, Lily, and Isolde. The other Smith twin shook her head as if she had long since stopped caring for the constant drama and empty threats. Marlene soon left her spot and walked down the stairs to join the Marauders at the bottom and comfort a confused (Y/N) who'd been woken by the screaming. 

"Please do. I'm sure McGonagall will be interested to hear what you've been up to over the holidays," groggily voiced (Y/N) as she rubbed her eyes and tried to blink away her tiredness. Slowly, she shifted, sitting up and looking around for the book she'd previously been reading. Smiling in thanks when Remus handed it back to her. 

"I haven't done anything," replied Allegra confidently, although much quieter than before and with a shakey voice, as if the thoughts she tried to avoid and bury were gaining fearsome power. "Isolde is responsible for everything. Plus, what would you know, you avoided both of us most of the time," rudely remarked the muggle-born witch, a smug grin appearing as if she believed she'd won. 

"What happens when a Metamorphagi loses control of their ability?" questioned James, finding himself curious. There was little information about the Metamorphagus's abilities due to how rare they were. What little information there was mainly consisted of theories and speculation. All that was truly known was the ability appeared at random, it wasn't genetic or confined to one particular line. The only other thing known was that those gifted with abilities were known to have a curious nature, being mischievous and clumsy. 

"No one knows, mate," replied Remus, suggesting he'd done his own research at some point. "If our sweet (Y/N) is anything to go by, then it won't be good. Especially with her talent and knowledge of spells and potions," he added, throwing a grin (Y/N)'s way as if to offer her some comfort now it was dawning on her who had disturbed her sleep again. 

"That silencing spell is looking really good roundabout now," replied Isolde from the balcony, a cold expression painted on her features as she all but glared at her twin sister. Although she hadn't told anyone what had caused the breakdown over the Christmas break, she was at least glad (Y/N) hadn't been in the room at the time. "Sorry you were woken up (Y/N)," spoke the younger Smith twin, with sincerity flooding her voice, as her eyes landed on one of the girls she'd consider a part of her found family. 

"Where are you going, Wolffe?" asked James upon noticing (Y/N) shuffling across the sofa to move. Pulling herself free from the plush cushions, she reached to tidy up her potion equipment and notes. 

"My bolt hole, if I don't get away from all this, I'm gonna snap," commented (Y/N), walking towards the portrait hole and all but ignoring the disgusted look Allegra threw in her direction upon realizing she was one (Y/N) was trying to get away from. "You're free to join me, Potter, same with the rest of you," she added before climbing out the door with the clanging sound following her. Marlene soon ran to follow, curious to know more about the hiding place and wanting to catch up with her best friend. 

"Wolffe has a secret hiding place and didn't tell us?" spoke James, surprise lacing his voice and an act of hurt painting his features, although a playful grin soon took over. "Sirius ... what don't we know?" he questioned while gluing his attention on the pure-blood wizard across from him. Sirius merely grinned innocently before standing to his feet and grabbing the vials (Y/N) had left behind. 

"She found it during Christmas break, said the room just appeared out of nowhere," spoke Sirius, recalling (Y/N) all but dragging him to the fifth floor to show him the room that had randomly appeared when she was pacing the hall, trying to think of a way to stop the ongoing war between the Smith sisters. "She found it by accident while hiding from everything," he added, recalling the nights both had spent there, even recalling how the contents of the room changed several times. Several times, it appeared as another quieter dorm, complete with Gryffindor banners, beds, and a small seated area with a cozy fireplace. 

"Sirius" called Isolde from the balcony, sorrow written across her features as she began to realize just how much the tension and constant arguing had affected others around her and Allegra. "Tell (Y/N) I'm sorry, please. I didn't realize how much of a nightmare the Christmas break had become," she added with sadness before walking to the stairs with Lily. The redhead girl had noticed Allegra all but beaming with pride about causing another to suffer as if the entire thing was part of a large plot she was working on. 

"Don't worry, Issy. I'll let her know. You keep working on that spell," encouraged Sirius before leaving the common room, being followed by James and Peter; Remus was just ahead, having run to catch up with the pair of girls. "So what's a transfiguration potion?" asked Sirius upon reading over the scribbled notes (Y/N) had made; still, he could recall trying to decipher previous notes she'd scribbled on other pieces of parchment. 

"Turns the drinker into a predetermined animal or object. Not sure which yet," replied (Y/N), as she turned onto the grand staircase; once again, the stairs were moving around as if to make the task of getting to a specific location more difficult than it had to be. "See you guys there," she added before climbing onto the banister and allowing herself to fall from the other side. 

"I hate it when you do that," called Marlene as she reached the banister, only to see a raven perched on the banister just below, gawking as if to respond to her comment. 

"At least she's not a dragon," replied Remus, his imagination conjuring up the chaos that would ensue if (Y/N) did decide to become a dragon. Even more so after the havoc in the common room upon successfully producing the Patronus charm. 

"So are we cluing Mar into our little plan?" asked James, as he threw an arm around Marlene's shoulders and walked with her up the changing staircases, being sure to dodge the steps with the boogy traps and security measures to catch intruders unawares. 

"Which plan?" asked Sirius, seeing Marlene throw a curious glance in his direction. "The map one or the one that breaks most school rules and is potentially life-threatening?" he asked, moving some of his fluffy hair from his eyes before tripping up one of the stairs. He quickly righted himself before continuing on as if nothing happened. 

"(Y/N) clumsiness rubbing off on you?" asked Peter, although his question was more of a statement. 

"Nah, I just wanted to give the step a hug; it looked a little lonely up here on its own," commented Sirius before running off to chase the raven (Y/N) had transformed into. 

"I'm both curious about your plans and terrified by them," voiced Marlene, resigning herself to the fact her best friend was likely already aware of both plans and somehow involved in them. 

"The map one is harmless, just to settle our curiosity of how big the school and Hogsmeade actually are. Believe it or not, Snape gave us the idea," called Remus, attempting to settle Marlene's growing nerves. "The other one is what we needed (Y/N)'s help with. The potion is a git to brew, and we thought it would be better to have someone trusted around in case anything went wrong. (Y/N)'s abilities are the closest to what we're trying to achieve," he explained, trying to put the blonde at ease while also emphasizing their attempts to be safe while not alerting the professors they were doing something they probably shouldn't. 

"You're trying to become Animagi?" asked Marlene, displaying her knowledge and her observatory skills; a small grin appeared across her lips mere seconds later when James and Peter shared a concerned look, and Remus looked unsure. Sirius merely called down from his position to ask how she'd worked it out. "The only ability similar to that of a metamorphmagi that can be learned is that of the animagus. The ability to turn one's self into a specific animal at will. Normally, whatever animal you are at heart," she explained, although she did not say how she knew the information in question. 

"Guess we weren't as sneaky as we thought," replied Remus, acting as if he too was a part of the plan to become an animagi, if only to cover the real reason for his disappearances every month or at least keep it hidden from Marlene for a little bit longer. Although James, Peter, and Sirius had been accepting, as had (Y/N), he was still sure others wouldn't be. He was a werewolf, after all, something many considered to be a dangerous and inhumane creature and a being almost all the wizarding world looked down upon. 

"Hey, I only know about it because I stumbled across it while looking for information about Metamorphmagus abilities," quickly replied Marlene, stating she'd come across the information by accident but remembered it. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about trying it, if only so she could share something unique with (Y/N). "I thought about trying it, but still not sure about the risks involved," she admitted, looking up in time to see (Y/N)'s confusion and Sirius' intrigue. 

"Woah, who turned you to the dark side?" called (Y/N) with a cheeky grin and a small chuckle. 

"You did," replied Marlene, "You're my best friend; I wanted to look out for you. When I came across the Animagus thing, I thought about it as something we could bond over. At least that way, I could have some understanding about your gifts, and you wouldn't feel so alone," she added, showing her reasonings weren't selfish. Instead, she wanted to understand her best friend and be there when (Y/N) needed someone the most. 

"Now I'm definitely going to do it. Can't have my dragon feeling lonely." declared Sirius as he walked down the fifth-floor corridor where the secret room seemed to appear randomly. 

"Wait, since when was I a dragon?" asked (Y/N), seemingly unbothered by someone claiming her as their own, or at least oblivious to it. 

"Since when was Black so damn open about his crush?" whispered James. 

"Looks like we missed a lot," replied Remus. 

"Oi Sirius, James wants to know when you become open with your crush on Wolffe?" yelled Peter before James could muffle his words with a hand over his mouth and a whisper shouted, shhh! 

(Y/N) and Sirius glanced at each other with mischief before chuckling and continuing to walk down the corridor. (Y/N) seemingly pacing as she waited for everyone else to catch up. 

"They'll work it out eventually," stated (Y/N), just loud enough for those approaching to hear and to spark more intrigue and curiosity. 

Series Masterlist

[toburnup]

Vio 💗I have finally found some time to start (!) reading the new chapter (so many things I want to read, so little time) and I'm yelling about the meeting at the gas station (of all places!), about Steve finding someone whose problems can be solved really easily (money) and I'm extra extra yelling about that really neat, short conversation Steve has with his mum ( "you're not still sulking ...") Because all these things are So Good. Anyway it's like an ask to let you know more yelling (via comment) is incoming in the near future, stay tuned (just need more time haha).

But I think this chapter especially like, does really well when it comes to showing things without putting them into words which is so good for Steve's narration as he's trying to not think about stuff

jsdfjsgdf i'm getting to this late but...... your comment...... i saw the first line ('tried to paste my comment and ao3 told me it's too long.') and almost died fr. i'm very excited to reply to it because!! you always give me so much to think about.

going to put a lil preview for ch 5 below the cut. dun dun DUNNNN.

He runs the flat of his thumb over the scribbled portion before sliding the tape into his player. Presses play and closes his eyes. Already knows that the first song starts just after the beginning. Doesn't know what song it is but he fell in love with it on the first listen. Likes it more when he thinks about Steve recording it.

Recording it for him.

yep!!!! we're doing it!!

[plaidbooks]

What about Wife/Mama!CarisiReader going to visit Husband/Papa!Sonny at work? Maybe he’s a detective or he’s an ADA? Maybe he texted her saying it was a hard case and he missed her and their lil bambinos, so she heads on down with their lil boys, a toddler and a lil baby (maybe she’s pregnant again.. breeding kink 100%)

Sonny's leg bounced as he waited, intermittently checking his watch and scribbling notes for his next case. Finally he heard the pitter patter of little feet and glanced up just in time to see his eldest son rocket into the room.

Sonny rolled his chair back, but didn't get a chance to stand as his son launched into his lap. He laughed, lifting his son up and giving him a hug.

"Where's momma and the baby?" he asked, and his son pointed to the door.

Sure enough, you were leaning against the door frame, a baby strapped to your chest above your new bump.

Sonny wrapped his son up and stood with him before making his way over to you. He gave you a sweet kiss, and kissed the sleeping baby's forehead before ushering you to a chair.

"Thank god the elevator's workin'," Sonny commented.

You chuckled--he would've ripped you apart if you walked up seven flights of stairs--and you lowered yourself carefully into the chair. Nonetheless, your feet were sore, so you planned to stay for a little bit.

"Dad, dad! Is that my picture?" his son asked, pointing to his file cabinet.

Sonny had pinned a drawing the boy had made for him to the front, so he could see it every day.

"It sure is. I get a lot of compliments on it. Thank you very much," he replied.

His son brightened. "I wanna make you another one!"

"I would love that!" Sonny replied, beaming.

You and the kids only stayed long enough for you to rest before you stood and gave him a kiss, letting him return to work. But it was enough for Sonny--he just needed the family time to destress.

[hphm-stuff]

Hi.. I saw your post about hphm writing ask. Would you like to write some fluff about Talbott and my MC Viviana (Viv) please. Even Any fluff about Talbott alone too would be more than enough for me 🙂. Looking forward to it . Thanks and have a great time 🌸

I love Talbott and was really excited to get this request! As a general rule, I just right x reader fics so that everyone can enjoy them. I’m more than happy to write the fluff, and I really hope you enjoy it! I took this and ran with it, so hopefully it’s to your liking!

Pairing: Talbott Winger x Reader

Warnings: None, pure fluff.

Word count: 1.9k

Summary: Lil’ eagle boy overworks himself often, and you have to step in to remind him to take a break, take a breath, and enjoy the little things. Like flower crowns.

Note: I can’t draw for the life of me, but I would literally pay for a picture of Talbott with a flower crown. Please message me if you would let me commission that or something.

Flower Crowns

It was a Saturday, and you couldn’t find Talbott anywhere. You knew, knowing him, that he would be studying somewhere. The library? Too loud. His common room? Also too loud. His dorm? Not enough room for all his books at once. Your feet took you toward the abandoned Transfiguration classroom before you even realized where you were going. It was quiet, out of the way, and empty until Monday. That was the perfect place for him to go to focus. You stopped in front of the classroom and pushed the door open. It creaked gently, and you winced as you stepped in. You knew your boyfriend, and knew that he hated to be interrupted while studying. His head whipped around. The look on his face was a mixture of stress and annoyance, but once he registered it was you, it was replaced with a gentle smile. “Hey.”

“Hey. I was just looking for you.”

His smile grew ever so slightly and his voice took on a playful tone. “Miss me that much? We just saw each other last night.”

With a roll of your eyes and a light smile, you moved to occupy the vacant seat beside him. You turned to him, noting the literal mountain of books beside him. They had to be stacked at least a foot tall. A sigh escaped your lips as you looked over them. “It’s Saturday, T. Saturday afternoon. It’s a beautiful day outside. Why are you in here?”

He was scribbling something down on his parchment and answered absentmindedly. “There’s a Potions test on Monday, love. Don’t tell me you forgot.”

“Of course I didn’t forget. Do you do anything other than study?”

He looked at you like that was the dumbest question he’d ever heard. “You know I do other things. We went to Hogsmeade last weekend.”

“After I practically begged for you to go. I’d asked you every week, and you finally relented.”

He shrugged, almost brushing you off. “I want to do well in classes.”

“Talbott, you already do well in classes. I can guarantee you that you’ll walk into that Potions test and ace it, without even trying.”

He sighed. “I just want to make sure I do that.”

“You need to stop working so hard sometimes. You’re so smart, T. So smart. You need to take a day to yourself sometimes.”

He was staring at his books, but you knew he was hearing your words. You watched him from your spot beside him, waiting for any sort of response. When he was quiet for a bit, you prodded more. “You need to think about yourself, T. You’re going to overwork yourself and burn out.”

“I’m fine. Really.”

“When’s the last time you went a day without cracking open a book when you didn’t absolutely have to?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Please, take a break today. Let’s go do something. I don’t want you burning out.”

“Let me just go over a few more things and then I’ll put the book away, alright?” he sighed.

You relented and kept him quiet company as he worked. It took hours of you trying to entertain yourself and pestering him for him to finally pack up his books. It was getting into the early evening when he finally packed up.

“Can we finally do something?” you asked.

There were only so many things you could do to keep yourself occupied in an empty classroom. You’d already roamed the class, looking at all the books that line McGonagall’s shelves. You’d looked through the books Talbott brought that he wasn’t using. You’d even stared out the window for longer than you even knew.

Talbott looked at you with a gentle grin and nodded his head. “We can do something.”

You grinned in response. “Meet me by the forest in ten minutes. If you’re not there, I’m coming to find you.”

“I’ll be there. I’m just going to put my books away,” he responded after a light chuckle.

You took his word for it and made your way back to your dorm, grabbing a bag and shoving a comfortable blanket in there. You also grabbed yourself a sweater, tossing it in the bag as well, just in case it got chilly later. Once you’d grabbed everything you needed, you set off toward the forest. Talbott had beat you there, and he greeted you with a playful grin. “For a second I thought I’d have to come find you.”

You rolled your eyes, grinning as you made your way toward him. You took his hand and led him toward the outskirts of the forest, far enough away to be safe. The area you chose was riddled with little flowers of all colours. You then set down the bag you brought with you, pulling out the blanket and laying it on the grass. You heard Talbott speak from behind you, the smile evident in his voice. “What do you have planned?”

You let out a soft giggle and moved to sit on the spread out blanket, patting the spot beside you. He sank down onto it, turning to you with a smile. You returned it. “I just wanted to spend some time with you. I feel like we haven’t had a full conversation in forever.”

Talbott was leaning back a little, his hands on the blanket behind him to support him. He scooted closer to you, his tone light. “Or, maybe, you’re too high maintenance.”

He was grinning, his tone light and playful. You gasped, feigning offence. “Excuse me?”

He laughed gently. “Clingy might be the better word? Attached? Maybe obsess-”

You cut him off with a kiss. He smiled gently against your lips as he returned it. When you pulled back, he was grinning. “What was that for?”

“Your Ravenclaw was showing. I needed it to stop.”

He laughed gently, leaning in to press a light kiss to your cheek. “You usually love it.”

“Not when you’re making fun of me.”

He grinned, moving to place an arm around your waist. You looked at him, taking in that beautiful moment with that beautiful boy. It struck you, just then, how far you two had come. Talbott, usually reserved, quiet and lonesome was different with you. He was almost carefree. It was a wonderful feeling, realizing that you brought this out of him, even if it was only with you. He pulled you out of your thoughts with a soft clearing of his throat. You felt a blush rise to your cheeks before looking away. “Sorry.”

He tugged you closer by the arm that was draped around you. At this point, your thighs were pressed against each other. You picked your head up to look at him, and found that he was already looking at you. “What were you thinking about, (Y/N)?”

You shook your head. “Nothing.”

“I don’t buy that,” he mused.

You gave him a timid smile. “Just thinking about you.”

“About me?”

“Yeah.”

“What about me? Good things?”

You giggled. “Always good things, T. Just shocked at how different you are with me than you are with other people.”

A grin took over his face. “What can I say? You bring out the best in me, darling.”

His cheesiness made you roll your eyes, but the smile on your face was sure to let him know that you appreciated the comment.

The two of you spent some time chatting out in the open field, enjoying each others’ company. You, at some point, absentmindedly started to play with the flowers around you. You picked one, and with a grin, stuck it in Talbott’s hair while he was mid-sentence. He turned to you, raising an eyebrow. “Really?”

You beamed at the sight in front of you. Talbott was a slightly intimidating looking guy, and the flower in his hair was in total contrast to that. “You look so cute.”

He dropped his gaze to the blanket in front of him. You caught the smile and the light blush that dusted his cheeks. You giggled softly, moving to lean into his side. He wrapped an arm around you. “Well, if it looks that good, I see no need to take it out.”

You continued to pluck some flowers, suddenly getting an idea. You started tying them together with the stems, starting to make them into a haphazard circle.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s a flower crown,” you replied as if it was obvious.

“A what?”

“Usually you need a wire to put the flowers on, but we don’t have that right now. You just tie the flowers together and make them into a circle that will fit your head.”

You glanced over at him and caught him starting to gather up his own flowers. A light smile found its way onto your face as you turned back to the crown you were working on. When you were finished, you proudly presented it to him. It was a floppy mess of stems and blossoms, but he looked at it like it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

“For you, my love,” you giggled as you set it on his head.

He grinned at you, halfway through his own. You took in the sight of him with the crown on his head, looking even more beautiful than he had with just the single flower in his hair.

The sun was setting, and the golden glow on him in that moment made your heart skip a beat. He looked so soft. So sweet. He didn’t even notice your staring as he was so focused on his own crown. He got it done a few minutes later and grinned as he held it up for you to see. It looked a lot worse than yours, but you loved it because he made it. He moved to set it on your head. “You, my darling, look radiant as ever.”

You giggled, and for what felt like the millionth time that night, blushed. The two of you sat together under the setting sun, chatting and cuddling up for warmth, or so he said. The night air was not, by any means, chilly, but you suspected that he wanted to be close to you without admitting it.

After sitting out there well past curfew, the two of you decided to pack it in for the night. Hand in hand, you walked toward the castle, still wearing your flower crowns. He walked you back to your common room and the two of you stood there for a moment. He finally spoke. “Thank you for convincing me to do something other than study. I needed that.”

You giggled. “I’m always happy to distract you. Those books get more attention than I do.”

“That’ll change, I promise.”

“It better,” you replied playfully.

He grinned at you, leaning in to place a delicate kiss to your lips. You placed a hand on your cheek as you returned it. When he broke away from it, he gave you a light smile. “Maybe we can do something else tomorrow?”

You grinned. “Of course. Any suggestions?”

“Doesn’t matter to me, as long as I get to spend time with you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After one more gentle kiss, he was off to his common room. You watched him go, only turning to head inside when he was out of sight.

[juu-riin]

Hi lovelies! If you follow me, you’ll notice that every so often I’ll post compilations of our harringrove boys in scribbly doodle form in all sorts of prompted situations~ I’ve taken prompts through my ig account, my twt account, and for the first time I’d like to try it through tumblr too 💖

Comment in the reply section of what you’d like to see these boys do! (Taking prompts just for today 4/17)

Here is some extra info:

- Must be SFW in content and light-hearted or fluffy: these are cute lil scribbles, sometimes there will be innuendo but please no prompts involving sex acts or serious harm ^^

- Again, they will be little quick pen scribbles like the one above! I really look forward to doing these because you all give such great ideas and it allows me to have fun little breaks between schoolwork~ and I’m sorry if I can’t get to all of them!

- I’ve gotten SO MANY prompts of “Steve and Billy get a cat/dog/demodog as a pet!” I love this idea so much of them having a sweet little pet but I’ve drawn it numerous times in previous prompts so I’m maxed out on these requests loll

xoxo

[aaviav]

🎄HAPPY HOLIDAYS, GUYS!! 🎄 2020 was quite a year for everyone, man. i'm so glad i decided to rejoin tumblr and because of that, i got to meet some super cool people. and i drew a fair amount of handsome 2D boys!! things slowed down in the last few months but i hope i'll learn to juggle uni and personal drawing better soon. fingers crossed 🤞

there was this post where people mentioned the ones they’re thankful for in 2020 and well... i thought it’d be nice to give a couple of shoutouts myself. “you”, you ask, “the one who is terrible at words and also expressing their feelings?” yes, absolutely. (also aaa thank u to @/otonymous @/scummy-writes  for tagging me back then ; ; )

TIME TO TEST THE LIMITS OF HOW MANY PEOPLE I CAN TAG?

@op-peccatori nanaaaaaaaaaa ;__; 💖 i'm so so glad i got to start talking to you this past year. i feel like we can relate on a lot of things, and somehow a few short sentences always evolve into walls of text???? like. bruh. how. 💀 💀 i know i take a while to respond sometimes but getting to read your replies is a joy every time. hope you're doing ok and please give Theo lots of kisses from me HAHA  💖

@beni-draw-ikemen-please BENIIII you're The Sweetest Ever™ 🥺 i mean it!! you're also so genuine and v v fun to talk to, i hope we get to do that more often in the future! ; v ; thank you for sharing your thirst and wonderful art with us all. ALSO ALSO: don't forget to take care of yourself. OR ELSE 😤 sending lots of virtual hugs your way! 💖 💖

@scummy-writes we're both shy beans but whenever i see you around or on on the occasional messages to eachother, you're The Sweetest Ever™ #2 🥺 for 2021 (and beyond) i wish you more confidence in yourself and your writing, because you're amazing! sometimes u just gotta channel ur inner Shea LaBeouf and Just Do It! i believe in u!!!! 💖

@littlegrrl7 hi! i appreciate you and the things you make!!! a lot!!!! you're a fic writing machine, haha. yours were the first longfics that i read and honestly, your writing is so engaging in that you keep it interesting and it's also fun and easy to read and with a healthy dose of smut cough cough. thank you for sharing! 🥰

@dear-mrs-otome Mrs O! i might or might not have been slightly intimidated at first hahah orz ANYWAY our Best Boi venn diagram might have the thinnest overlap ever but thank you for the support all the same, and i'll also always BE thankful for Drained Dry which feels like a sorta ikevamp themed discord home for me 🥺 🥺

@maanawa HELLO U!! thank u for becoming my first penpal in years!! 🥰 for some reason u always seem like such a unique person to me?? if u put a gun to my head and asked why, i wouldn't be able to answer bc i have no idea, but like. i mean it in the best way 0: 👌  

@hideoutpastel HI PASTEL, i'm glad i get to interact with u a bit more bc of twitter! u are a delight!! 😤 also i think u already know but like. ur art is so ✨ sparkly ✨ and bright and beautiful ok. kthx #bless 

@yenanng i might not always reply or interact, but seeing your twt updates is somehow v cool haha. i hope you get to rest and work on personal art soon! i'm cheering u on!!! \o/ 💖

@nan-chi @weird-profiterole HI HI! 🥰 we haven't talked to eachoter much but you guys seem super genuine and fun, i hope we get to interact more in the future!! also your art is so cute i cri 😭💖

@mikotomizuki LEO HOES UNITE 🤝 🤝 thank you for being hilarious and bringing your tiddy memes everywhere you go LMAO. let's keep our fingers crossed for more amazing Leo content in 2021 🤞💖

@pseudofaux you are delightful!! thank you for all the support always. you're an angel and we don't deserve you 😭💖 (also hello ur writing skills? y e s)

@pickle-scribbles Faa, I LIVE FOR YOUR THIRST COMMENTS. SERIOUSLY HAHA. and i die bc of your masterful smut 😭 just,, thank you 🥺💖

@otonymous i've probably mentioned this before but your fics were one of the first ones i read when i got back into tumblr, and honestly? what an amazing author to start with. #thepowerofthirst 💀 i kinda stopped consuming MLQC content so i haven't kept up w everything you put out but i know that you're still AMAZING and also so funny and just. 10/10 man 

@tacogawa @savourthelittlethings u guys are just. so cool!!!!! that's all thank u for coming to my ted talk 🥰

@akirafanarts ​ hi!! i haven’t forgotten u!! hope you’ve been doing ok!! 💖

@meowlayn-art you are v sweet! your art is gorgeous! and your OCs are amazing!! 🥺 i'm cheering for you! 💖

@incorrect-ikevamp-quotes​ a lil random but like. thank you for your insights on a bunch of idiots under one roof aka the ikevamp boys!! 💖 and also for the Top Notch 11/10 memes. bless  🙏 🙏

special shout out to everyone on Drained Dry that i haven't yet mentioned, u guys are v cool ; v ; 💖

and lastly, thank you to everyone who liked, reblogged or interacted with my posts or just took a second to appreciate my art, really. drawing 2D boys is a joy, and i'm glad if it brings even the tiniest bit of happiness into other people's lives too! you guys are the best 💖💖💖

[floralguccistyles]

wildflower ::  prologue

here’s the thing...

My sister Lily and I had a weird relationship.

From the moment I was born, Lily had been my person. When I had cried, it was her that I wanted and not my mother. She must have spent countless hours curled up on the couch, holding me in her arms. She had only been three at the time, but I was her baby. My mother couldn’t even remember us fighting. Every time there was a toy we both wanted, or I thought Lily’s food looked more appetizing than mine, she always shared. 

In fact, the only time I think we ever argued was when we moved to Ireland and she had met Niall Horan.

My father had gotten a good job in Mullingar, one that he had applied to at the request of one of his friends from college, Bobby Horan. We had moved from Michigan to Ireland when I was only four, Lily seven, and my mother pregnant with our younger sister Violet. Since we didn’t know anyone, Bobby had invited us over for dinner our first night there to introduce us to his family, since he had two sons. Greg was fourteen at the time, and therefore too cool to hang out with us little kids. His brother, the only sole reason Lily and I had ever fought, was seven.

This meant he and Lily were instant friends.

I wasn’t jealous of Lily for making a new friend so soon after the move. I wouldn’t be going to school for another year, and therefore I probably wouldn’t have any friends until I did. Besides, I would have baby Violet to look after soon. More so, I was jealous of Niall. Lily had never had anyone else to take her attention away from me. Now there was suddenly another person in our little duo, something I didn’t like too much.

So I had screamed and told Niall I hated him. Which, in turn, made Lily call me spoiled. Lily had never dared to call me spoiled. I’m pretty sure my mother’s jaw dropped when the words left Lily’s mouth. They were entirely true and looking back, I was rather a spoiled brat, but hearing Lily say something negative against me had made me burst into tears.

I had apologized to Niall almost immediately. Anything to get that look of disappointment out of Lily’s eyes.

And thus concluded my argument with Lily and started my respect and hesitant friendship with Niall Horan.

We were never as close as he and Lily. As we grew and went through school, the two of them were glued at the hip. He helped her with homework and she encouraged him to try out for the soccer team (I could hear Niall correcting me, “footie, Rose, you aren’t in America anymore!”). They stayed up for hours talking on the phone and texting about people from school. I had never seen two people click more than they did. One would never see Lily Fairbrough without Niall Horan and vice versa.

Which was why I wasn’t surprised when I woke up, hungover and bleary eyed in Lily’s apartment, to a grinning Niall Horan standing over me.

“Morning, Rosebud!” His voice was entirely too cheery for the morning. I blinked against the sun shining behind him, groaned, and proceeded to throw my body back against Lily’s couch, tossing a pillow over my face. His laugh, one of the most familiar sounds in the world to me, filtered through my ears. “Rough night, huh?”

“Can you...lower your volume?” I whispered, pleading.

“I’m whispering, Rosebud.”

“No you aren’t. You’re, like… incapable of whispering,” I countered.

He gave me approximately five seconds to wallow in my self-pity before he gently moved the pillow from my face. I was pouting at him, lower lip jutted out in a way I knew he couldn’t resist. If there was one thing Niall Horan was incredibly terrible at, it was resisting the Fairbrough puppy dog eyes. He was a sucker for it every time. 

“Don’t give me those big brown eyes, Rosebud. I got you coffee,” he said, and it was only then that I noticed the cup he had in his hands. His finger was hiding the writing on the cup, but I knew once he moved it, I would find his scribbled handwriting. It was something he did when I was still in college and crying at two in the morning because I had to study for finals. He would drop by with a coffee and a sweet little message on the cup, like you can do this, Rosebud! or you’ll kick the arses of these finals! Even though I was two years out of college, he still liked writing those little notes on the cups.

“Brought you coffee and not me,” the sweet voice of my sister said from the kitchen. I blearily pulled the upper half of my body into a sitting position and saw her, standing at her breakfast bar and preparing an egg sandwich. She was ready for work, hair in perfect ringlets and makeup done to perfection. For the moment, she worked as an assistant in a Dublin attorney firm, but the second she finished up law school, I knew she would get her own practice. There wasn’t much that could stop Lily when she set her mind to it.

“That’s because I’m getting you lunch,” Niall commented. He worked across the street from her firm at the college there as the athletics director. Not a day went by that Niall didn’t buy or bring Lily lunch, because that’s just the kind of guy that he was. 

Also, he was madly in love with Lily Fairbrough.

This was common knowledge among the Fairbrough-Horan clan. Ever since their first meeting, my mother and Niall’s had basically been planning their wedding. I think Maura had a heart attack every time Niall kissed Lily’s cheek, and my father cried whenever Lily looped her arm through Niall’s. It was such a sure thing that we had all made bets on when the two of them would stop ignoring their feelings and end up together. 

As I had bet on Christmas 2021, I was hoping it would be soon.

“True,” she said, coming around from the breakfast bar and giving him a quick kiss on the top of his head. “I’ll never starve with you around.” She thrust the breakfast sandwich in my direction. I would like to say that I did not devour it like a hungry bear coming out of hibernation, but that would have been a lie.

Niall handed me my coffee obediently when I made grabby hands in its direction. Now that I could see his little note, I eagerly read it. Even with horrific drunk morning breath, you look beautiful, Rosebud! I narrowed my eyes at him and he let out a true belly-laugh, holding his stomach while I took a sip. He magically knew my coffee order, like he had for the past fifteen years of my life. If Lily didn’t exist, Niall Horan was definitely the person who knew me better than I knew myself.

“You ready, Lil?” Niall asked, standing from the couch and wiping his trousers for any crumbs that might have stuck there. Unlike Lily, Niall didn’t have to get too dressed up for his job, but he was still clad in a sky blue button down and dress pants. I thought it was hilarious that the two of them had accidentally coordinated outfits, since Lily was wearing a blazer that was about the same color as his button down, but that’s what soulmates did. They bought each other lunch, wore matching outfits, and took their sweet time getting together even though their younger siblings bet money on their relationship.

“Yep.” With her briefcase in hand, Lily leaned down to flick me in the forehead. It was gentle enough to not hurt, but I was hungover and therefore groaned. “You can stay on the couch as long as you’d like, but you’ve got to get up eventually. If you make a mess in the kitchen, clean it up. Ni and I will be home around ten to six for dinner.”

“Is Niall cooking?” I asked, mouth full of egg sandwich. 

“I can if you want, Rosebud,” he answered, reaching his finger out. He quickly swiped his thumb across my chin, where I was sure bits of English muffin were sticking. “You want steak and potatoes?”

“You know me so well,” I replied, giving him a bright smile. “Have fun at work. I make no promises that I won’t spend your money and rent ten movies.”

“I figured,” Lily replied, “We’ll be home later then since we’ll stop by the grocery store later to get dinner stuff.”

I held my hands out and Lily grabbed them to lift me off the couch. It was silly and childish, but I couldn’t let Lily go to work without giving her a hug. It had been that way since she had been sixteen with her first job, and it was that way now. She smiled and pulled me into her embrace, squeezing me close in the way only she could. There were few things that meant more to me than hugging Lily. 

“Where’s my hug, Rosebud? I’m hurt and offended,” Niall pouted, jutting his lower lip out much like I had moments ago. Rolling my eyes, I moved away from Lily and threw my arms around his neck.

Few things meant more to me than hugging Lily, but hugging Niall was up there.

Niall Horan was an amazing hugger. The first time he had hugged me, I think I had nearly fainted. Not because I had feelings for him or anything, but because his hugs were like puppies and unicorns wrapped into the embrace of a single person. The second my arms came around his neck, his came around my waist and he was pulling me closer to him, squeezing me tightly but not tight enough to be painful. Since I was significantly shorter than him, he lifted me up slightly so my feet left the ground. I was pretty sure I was getting egg on his shirt, but he never cared. 

In reality, Lily and Niall were both too good for me.

“There, whiner. You happy now?” I asked, my face squished in his shoulder. I was glad I wasn’t wearing makeup so I wouldn’t smudge it on the pretty blue material. I felt him laugh, his shoulders shaking and I pulled away so his muscles wouldn’t bump my nose at an awkward angle. It was then that I noticed his eyes, bright and shining and so incredibly blue that it could have taken someone’s breath away.

Lily sure was a lucky girl.

“That color looks good on you, Ni,” I mentioned offhandedly and I pulled away from him even more. “Brings out your eyes.”

“A compliment of the highest order from the Rosebud.” His cheeks went pink, despite his joke, like they always did. Niall always went pink when I complimented him, like he wasn’t used to it. “See you later,” he promised, giving my shoulder one more squeeze before he and Lily linked hands. It sent my heart aflutter with the butterflies of someone who had six hundred dollars riding on simple gestures like this one. 

The two of them left Lily’s apartment while I took a long and deep gulp of the coffee Niall had brought me. And then I promptly flung myself back onto Lily’s couch.

Once upon a time, I hadn’t lived with Lily in her apartment. I had graduated college, gotten a posh job as a sales representative at a jewelry store, and had a small studio of my own. That was before my boss decided he wanted to offer a raise in exchange for sex, and I had kneed him in the groin so hard I was pretty sure he’d never have kids again. The funny thing about kneeing your boss, though, was that he would inevitably fire you. I had a sexual harassment claim that had been processed and sent to human resources that provided me with enough money to keep myself afloat for approximately six months. 

It had been a year.

Now, I worked as the front desk receptionist at a hotel. It wasn’t my dream job by any means, since I was genuinely great at selling things, but it was enough for now. But I was still childishly afraid to sleep on my own, in a studio apartment quite close to the jewelry store. Though I had gotten compensation pay, my boss hadn’t gotten fired. Just a slap on the wrist. And for some reason, when I was alone in my studio at night, I imagined him getting drunk and paying me a visit. 

When I had told Lily of these fears, she had demanded I move in with her until I found a place of my own. Lily was just good in that way. No one was perfect, of that I knew. But if anyone came close, it was my sister. 

Knowing that my sister was generous beyond belief, I did try to keep my presence in her apartment not well known. Which meant that because I had spilled copious amounts of crumbs on her couch while eating my breakfast, I would get out the vacuum and clean them all up. I also saw that she hadn’t had time to clean the pan she had fried the egg in, so I vowed to do that as well.

As soon as I moved from the couch.

Just as I was mustering the will to move, I heard my phone buzz. It was still on the coffee table, where I had tossed it last night before flopping onto Lily’s couch. I had my own room, but apparently drunk and stumbling Rose couldn’t make it through the small hallway Lily had in her apartment. Lifting it gingerly (and hoping there were no cracks in it), I opened up the text message from my younger sister, Violet.

I want in on the Niall and Lily bet.

I eyed the text message for a moment, completely flummoxed. Violet was no stranger to the inner workings of Lily and Niall’s friendship, but she had never really taken an interest like the rest of our family had. To her, it wouldn’t matter if Lily and Niall stayed friends forever or if they got married tomorrow. As long as Lily was happy, Violet would be happy. 

Do you even have a hundred bucks? I texted back, still a little hungover and confused.

Unlike you, I can properly save. 

My nose crinkled. While Lily and I had never fought, Violet and I were more stereotypical sisters. Meaning I’d die for her in a heartbeat, but if she stole my lipstick I’d kick the shit out of her. 

Fine twerp. What’s your bet?

It took her less than a second to text back.

They’re not going to end up together. It’s obvious they don’t fancy each other.

I snorted. Violet, while twenty years old and a very smart college student, was making a huge mistake. Quite a way to waste a hundred bucks, Vi. You’re on.

Lily and Niall were endgame. That’s all there was to it.

[thecrystalquill]

The Taming of the Shrew

A/N: hey hey it’s chapter 1!! Let me know if you want to be tagged or if I missed you out at all. And don't forget to read the intro bc I swear it's important that you get it!! Enjoyyyyy! :)

Masterlist      Series Masterlist    Prologue/Intro

•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•

Chapter 1: Technically-Philosophy and a Battle Against Society

•*•*•*•*•**•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•

Bianca Stratford was absolutely beautiful. Her short light-brown hair bounced at her shoulders and her eyes shone with an adorable sense of innocence - and by Merlin did her yellow robes suit her exquisitely. She sat in the courtyard on this particular afternoon, talking away with her friends and practically glowing in the sunlight. No wonder Regulus Black was completely infatuated with her - she was truly stunning.

“Staring again?” A voice beside him interrupted, causing Regulus to flinch back and tear his eyes away from the girl. Of course his best friend would catch him at a time like that - it was almost as if he did it on purpose. “I honestly don't get what you see in her though, mate. I mean, I get it, she's cute and all, but really?”

Regulus was almost offended by his friend’s lack of attraction towards the girl, shaking his head in an almost practiced defiance that showed how they'd had this conversation before. “What are you talking about? She's completely perfect, and smart and funny an—”

“—And how would you know?” Jacob mocked, moving his strawberry-blond hair out of his eyes. “You’ve never even talked to her.”

“That's not true…” Regulus muttered, frowning defeatedly.

Jacob scoffed. “Oh, forgive me. How could I forget? She asked to borrow a pencil once in second year and you told her she could keep it - such a romantic moment. I'm sure she's treasured that lump of lead ever since—”

“—Oh shut it will you?” Regulus elbowed him in the ribs, walking back towards the school slowly, hoping to catch a word of the girl's conversation as they would soon pass. “She's completely pure!”

“Not to mention vein.”

“Don't be ridiculous!” Regulus argued as they neared the group, “she's so—”

“—Supercilious?”

“No, you're wrong.” Reg replied, rolling his eyes. “She isn't like that at all, she's sweet and mindful and—”

“—Mhmm,” Jacob interjected again, “and deep, I'm sure…”

“Well you see, there's a difference between like and love,” they overheard, glancing over to Bianca and her friends, Regulus feeling a little smug after his friend's last sarcastic comment, “because I like my Witches Weekly subscription, but I love my Monthly Magical Makeup parcels.”

Feeling slightly less smug, Regulus continued walking as his friend snickered behind him. Well, he thought, it was still technically philosophy…

“Look, Reg,” Jacob continued, wrapping an arm around his shoulders comfortingly, “I’m just saying, you could do so much better than her.” It wasn’t that he didn’t necessarily approve of Regulus’ love interest, he just didn’t want him getting his heart broken by a girl that wouldn’t give him the time of day; he didn’t need that, Jacob decided, and he would be much better off falling for someone a little more in his reach – Bianca wasn’t even allowed to date, no matter how much she might want to. But never the less, Regulus just wouldn’t listen.

  “So, how was your day?” Lily asked, strolling next to the (y/h/c) in the hallway, handing her bag over so she could wrap her robe around her waist, whereas (Y/N) had discarded hers long ago.

The girl shrugged carelessly. “Oh, y’know, people suck, teachers suck, school sucks. The usual, really.”

The red-head laughed and nodded along; it couldn’t be denied, could it? “Well, on the plus side, we only have just almost two years until we can leave.” She reassured – she always has been the more empathetic of the two.

“I can’t wait two years,” (Y/N) groaned, feeling her life being wasted away by hours spent doing homework, “I want to get as far away from here as possible – Australia maybe.” She half-joked, smirking at her friend.

“Well, until then, how about we go change then do our homework by the lake today?”

“Absolutely.”

The nearest common room was Slytherin, which was of course where they went; luckily the two did this so often, that they both had clothes in each other’s dorms. Some thought it odd – a Slytherin and a Gryffindor being such close friends – some even frowned at the very idea, but the two had known each other for so long (even before Hogwarts, having lived in the same area and going to the same park) that something as silly as a house rivalry could certainly never separate them. And it only sometimes became a problem with having their clothing in the same draws; Lily was somewhere between sweet and girly and incredibly casual in her style. Whereas, (Y/N) had taken more of a tomboy fashion in these last years. Still, they would occasionally accidentally wear each other’s things – but hey, who cares?

The girls changed and re-packed their satchels with only the essentials before heading out again. Just as they stepped through the exit, their conversation was interrupted by an incredibly pretentious noise. “Well if it isn’t Stratford and her little Gryffindor pet,” Malfoy teased, only to show off to his party of snot-nosed prats. “What’s with the camouflage? Running off to that muggle military, are you? Let’s hope you don’t come back any time soon.” He laughed with his peers, obviously thinking he had offended her – which would be pretty impossible for him, given that (Y/N) would have to actually value his opinion in the first place.

She did nothing but roll her eyes in response, “Keep walking, Lucy,” she dismissed with a wave of her hand, then continued on her route. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a reaction; besides, calling him ‘Lucy’ was revenge enough.

Malfoy scoffed and angrily lead his friends into the common room, annoyed that his attempt was so easily deflated.

“Oough! Sometimes I really just want to hit him in the throat,” Lily growled, curling her fists at her sides. She hated Malfoy – they both did. He was a bully and an arrogant pureblood supremist who thought he could do anything just because he was loaded, of course they hated him! “Seriously, (Y/N/N), just give me the word and I’ll throttle him – I will!”

“I don’t doubt that, Lils,” she assured, shaking her head slightly in amusement. ‘Gryffindors’, she thought. “But if you really want to hurt him, I’d suggest going straight for the pride – cut off the ponytail.”

“Oof, that’s just evil… I like it.” She amused, subconsciously playing with her red hair.

It was an unusually sunny day today, considering that it was mid-October, but it wasn’t time for the snow just yet so they would make the most of their time while it was still dry, albeit quite cold. They sat against a tree on a plain of grass not far from the Clocktower Courtyard, and started working on whatever work they were given today; luckily enough, there wasn’t as much as usual.  “So…” Lily began, with a smirk that (Y/N) was both concerned and proud of, “off to join the military, are you?” They eyed each other playfully for a moment, occasionally glancing at their outfits before neither could contain their smiles.

“In a way, yes.” The Slytherin laughed and rolled her eyes mockingly, “I’m preparing for my inevitable battle against society.” She answered seriously, the corners of her mouth turning upward slightly as she looked down at her outfit: her comfiest cargo pants, her favourite boots, and obviously the camo-patterned vest she wore under her jacket. She looked comfortable, that was for sure, and anything but girly. But what was the social ideal of beauty compared to complete comfort?

Lily snorted. “Ever the dramatic, aren’t we?” She wasn’t surprised at all, to be frank. (Y/N) was very opinionated – which was a good thing, as far as they were concerned – and often felt at war with her peers and their social norms, so it was no shock that her style could reflect that; she always wore whatever she felt like anyway, regardless of what anyone would think. Lily hadn’t noticed that she had been too lost in thought to notice that (Y/N) had given up on her homework and was now reading a book. Frowning, Lily nudged her side to break the Slytherin out of her novel-induced trance. “Hey, you’re supposed to be doing Herbology,” she scolded; their observational notes still needed to be translated into read-able sentences and then converted into a short essay, “it has to be done by tomorrow afternoon.”

(Y/N) shrugged and turned a page. “Then I’ll do it tomorrow, at lunch. Right now though, I just want to relax a bit, yeah? Enough work for one day.” It was a new book that she was reading, having purchased it before the summer came to an end, and only now had she gotten enough time to make it past chapter two. It was an old muggle classic – as many of her books were – written in 1815 by Jane Austen. She wasn’t quite sure if she liked it or not yet, but (Y/N) was determined to make it at least half-way through.

“What are you reading, anyway?” Lily asked, still scribbling away at her parchment; she really was such a perfectionist when it came to her studies, making sure each sentence was clear and specific. “Any good?”

Lifting the book up higher in front of Lily, (Y/N) continued to read, letting her friend read the title and blurb. “S’fine I guess, can’t tell yet,” she mumbled, refusing to remove her eyes from the page.

“Picky…” scoffed the Gryffindor beside her, earning a kick in the foot, “just don’t forget about your homework, okay?”

(Y/N) only waved a hand in her direction. Although, she soon became bored of her book –  five chapters later –  and turned her head back to Lily, who seemed to be finishing her work already. How long had she been reading? “Lils, what time is it?” She asked, sitting a little straighter.

For about a minute and a half, Lily did nothing to answer the question, just held a finger up as she finished writing, crossing out a couple of things and replacing them; only when she read over the page to make sure that everything was correct and written as intended did she finally give her friend her attention. They stared at each other for a beat, until Lily recalled what was asked of her and looked down to the dainty watch on her wrist. “Half five,” She informed, catching the (y/h/c)’s eyes widen, “why?”

The Slytherin quickly started to pack away her things and stood. “I have to meet at my dad’s tonight, said I’d be there by five at the latest. I got to go – see you later, okay?” She rushed.

“What? No…” Lily complained, “lunch ends at seven, I don’t want to have to fend Potter off on my own!”

Five times a week, the Stratfords would meet at their family’s personal quarters – or rather, Professor Stratford’s personal quarters – to have a family meal and catch up and all that. It was usually quite tedious, but her father would go absolutely insane if they didn’t go – the man had issues. “I’m sure you’ll be fine for a while, I’m not your only friend y’know.”

Tag List:

@siriusement

@siriuslysirius1107

@missmulti

@izzy28901

[thefoundationproject]

32, 38, 41

32. Copy and paste your top three favorite lines/jokes/sentences you’ve ever written. What fics do they come from?

1- On the horizon, Valor ships sink out of the clouds like glutted great beasts. Behind him, Nova’s ground transport rumble to life in reply.  

- The Slow Road Home.  This is the scene where Kote has given the signal and the clones have rebelled.  It’s my favorite pieces of imagery I’ve ever written.

2- Not a sentence exactly but this exchange:

“Cody,” Ponds whispers urgently in the stunned silence. “Cody I love it.”

“I know you do Ponds,” Cody says.

“Cody it’s mine now.”

“I know you think so Ponds.”

- First Encounters.  Ponds has just met Rex, who has just turned up the sass to high and the ornery to overdone.  It really sets the tone for the rest of the Shebse’s interactions

3- Again not a sentence, but this exchange:

Kix groans. “You can’t adopt our Jedi, captain.” There it is, there it is. At ‘our Jedi’ Rex smiles, a tiny thing barely hiding at the edge of his lips but still radiating deep satisfaction.

“You think so?” Rex always did have a soft spot for shinies. This one, Kix realizes with resigned amusement, The Medic is probably going to lose.

“I think the combined conventional wisdom of the Jedi Order probably thinks so.”

“We’ll see.” Rex grins. It’s a hold my beer grin.

- Serenity, Courage, Wisdom. This is.  I mean it’s the entire series.  

38. What does your writing process look like? How chaotic is it on a scale of 1 (very tame) to 10 (you can’t handle this kind of chaos)?

Extremely tame I guess?  The editing is a lil technical but the writing is (ideally) me, my laptop, some assortment of cats and music.  I start at the beginning and write to the end (without stopping if I have the time) but specifically without editing as I go or I’ll get stuck in the edit spiral instead of finishing the fic.  Non-ideal is when I get the idea somewhere without laptop, seat and cats and I end up scribbling it on whatever is close by (fun fact, that’s how ‘Ever After, Happily’ got started: I scribbled that scene of Kit and Bacara being less awkward around each other with no further idea of what I was going to do with it).  So sometimes I’ll have a couple of folds of notebook paper strewn across the couch as I write to reference some idea I had during the day.  But that’s about it.  I keep track of things through OneNote because I’m too lazy to learn Scrivener.  Erm I can’t think of anything else. It doesn’t feel chaotic to me!

41. What’s your most popular fic (with the most notes on tumblr, most hits/kudos on ao3)?

I have no idea!  Hang on a tic.

Ah should have guessed.  ‘A Prayer For Strength in Adversity’ has the most hits/kudos/bookmarks.  ‘Ever After, Happily’ has the most comments.

[r6s-imagines]

Hello. I’m new to siege but I’m interested in making a request if that’s ok. Doklabei x male reader romance and reader has an eye patch he’s secretly insecure about. Thanks.

dokkaebi’s a big ol’ cutie tbh, and welcome to siege!

•••

dokkaebi x m!reader >> bad boy

•••

MASTERLIST

warnings: cursings, lil bit of sadness

•••

summary: your new friend learns more than they expected about you.

•••

doctor kateb stood outside of your room, waiting for you to dress yourself. you were mere days from being a full member of rainbow, and all that was left was a last-minute examination. once you presented yourself in jeans and light shirt, doc nodded and gestured a hand, leading you to his exam room.

“sit,” he instructed with a clipboard in hand. “when’s the last time you had a checkup?”

you thought, tapping your chin.

“since the beginning of my training,” you replied. “seven months, give or take.” he clicked his tongue and scribbled something down.

“...and how long ago was the ‘incident?’” doc inquired. you cringed at the thought.

“f—four months, doctor.”

“may i...?” you rested your hands on your thighs, letting doc put one hand on the side of your face and the other on your patch. as he pulled away the black cover, his brows furrowed in slight disgust seeing an empty socket. you started to sweat from shame. he continued his examination, sticking one finger out and implying for you to follow it. he took a step back and asked for you to grab it, which you missed due to your lack of depth perception.

“still needs a lot of healing, i say. assistance regarding vision may be necessary, as well.”

“you’re kidding!”

“i’m afraid not,” he continued. “losing an eye is a big deal, especially if you can’t tell how far away a threat is. it’s either therapy, or suspension.”

you couldn’t just lose the job you worked for years to get to. even with the minor slip-ups, this career path was the one for you.

“what kind of therapy?”

“an assistant,” he elaborated. “someone to get you around as you figure out the building’s layout.”

“like a lost child.”

“don’t think of it like that.”

“who would ‘assist’ me?”

“it would not be me, as i have my own tasks, and considering we have so very few people here genuinely knowledgeable in the medical field, i’ve instead selected someone more emotionally fit to be with you.”

almost on cue, a small, young woman walked into the office, meeting your eye with a smile. you quickly flipped your patch back down, waving uncomfortably with your other hand.

“this is miss nam. your similarities in age and personality concluded a compatibility.”

“grace, please,” the woman insisted, now standing beside the doctor. “or dokkaebi. i don’t mind.”

“dokk—miss— erm, grace!” you stammered. “y/n. or necro, i—i don’t mind.” she giggled, sending your heart into flutters. doc almost laughed watching you struggle, deciding to put an end to the awkward confrontation.

“if you could please take mister l/n back to his room,” he suggested, helping you stand. “i hope i made the right choice.”

“don’t worry, doc,” grace insisted. “him and i will get along just fine.” she turned to you with a grin, making you blush. the two of you exited, her arm on your bicep. you told her your room number and you set out, taking your time to keep your balance.

“necro, hm?” she asked sweetly. you nodded, turning to face the wall. “dark. how’d you get the name?”

“my gadget,” you explained nervously. “necrotizer. throw some of the mixture onto a wooden wall and sends it crumbling. silent but deadly.”

“i like it,” grace replied. “suits you.”

“hm?”

“you’re quiet,” she observed. “or maybe that’s just my effect on you.”

“oh, really?” you joked. “maybe i just don’t like you.” she gasped and placed her free hand on her chest, mouth open. you grinned, feeling a sense of comfort.

what if she saw me behind the eyepatch?

truth be told, you thought you were a monster. one-eyed and barely able to tell how far away something is is hard to cope with, especially with the physical and psychological healing you have to get through. if you just kept the patch on, it wouldn’t be a problem, right? capitão has one, and nobody says anything!

“how much about me did you know before we met?” you asked, curiosity taking hold.

“not much,” she admitted. “height, weight, age. saw your photo, too.”

“and am i as strikingly handsome as i seemed?”

“better,” she teased, laughing. “you‘re attractive, photo or in the flesh.” your stomach leaped, extremely flattered.

“you’re quite cute yourself,” you returned the compliment. she paused, caught off guard by the affectionate comment. then, her mouth turned into a line.

“your profile photo didn’t have the eyepatch,” grace mumbled. “is the picture old?”

“not really,” you explained. “the—the patch was, uh, recent.”

the two of you paused in front of your door, with you reaching out to open the door and let her in the continue the conversation.

“i don’t mean to be intrusive, but since we’ll be spending so much time together...”

you began to feel ill.

“how did it happen?” she asked hesitantly. suddenly, you heard it all. shouting, sirens, medical beeping...

“four months ago,” you began, quietly. “training.”

“something that bad happened during training?”

“it wasn’t supposed to go that way. i was a show-off with confidence that was too high for his skill. we were practicing with melee weaponry, and i thought it would be a good idea to end with a flourish. that ‘flourish’ landed straight in my eye instead of my opponent. if i wasn’t so god damned useless, i would’ve pulled it off, but what good can i do if i can’t even pass training without losing an organ?”

your explanation was short and simple, yet it still took grace by surprise. her eyes were wider, but somehow softer. she looked ready to cry, or run, or both. you locked eyes, waiting for her reaction of disgust and disappointment. she placed her hand on your leg, patting once.

“we... we all make mistakes we aren’t proud of,” she said. “sometimes, we lose things. that’s our job. our sacrifices and losses are on our shoulders, but the strength comes from learning to carry the past into the future, better than it was back then.”

she smiled, sighing.

“and, for the record, you look pretty badass with an eyepatch.”

“i do?”

“yeah, it’s this whole bad boy, sultry pirate kind of look.”

“you think i’m a bad boy?”

she raised an eyebrow, now smirking.

“are you?”

“if you want me to be.” you both laughed.

surely, with enough time, she’ll be more than your assistant, you hoped.

[lunatens]

felix felicis (i)

word count: 2.5k

part i/iv

genre: fluff, harry potter au

pairing: hufflepuff!felix x ravenclaw!reader

a/n: the drought is over....i’m finally posting again gsdjfhsjfh i hope u all like harry potter! i truly don’t know how many parts this’ll be so i guess we’ll see as we go. also i haven’t read or watched harry potter in a lil while so if some of the rules don’t make sense just ignore them (lol plus i can do what i want)

“you know, you don’t have to be the best in every class,” chan says as he slides into the seat beside you at your usual spot in the great hall. you give him a glare, then continue stabbing at your plate of eggs. 

“it’s not the fact that i’m not the best; if someone like seungmin, for example, did better than me, i’d be happy for him! it’s because it’s that stupid felix kid! he never pays attention in class, he rarely studies or does his homework, and he’s always out playing quidditch or visiting hogsmeade or something. he should be failing! not getting higher grades than ME of all people! i don’t know how he does it. i’m in the library like, 24/7, and i take notes in class and i don’t know i just...work harder than him. it’s stupid and unfair,” you rant, ending with an angry huff as you shovel a forkful of eggs in your mouth. chan stares at you blankly for a couple seconds, processing everything you just said. 

“you seem a little jealous, y/n,” he comments, and you glare daggers at him. 

“i am NOT. i just don’t understand how he, of ALL PEOPLE, was the only person in our class who could brew a draught of peace successfully,” you respond, and chan sighs. 

“maybe he’s just naturally really smart. or he’s just lucky. besides, it’s been 2 days since that potions class, maybe it’s time to stop being so bitter about it,” he says, patting your shoulder in comfort. “i gotta go, i’m meeting up with changbin and jisung soon. you coming to the quidditch game tonight?” he says as he stands up and gathers his things. 

“i don’t know, probably not, i have to stu-“

“wrong answer, you’re coming to the game. it’s ravenclaw against hufflepuff, you could at least support your own house,” he tells you. chan reaches over to snatch a piece of toast off of your plate, walking away before you can say anything. 

“i’ll be waiting for you outside your common room later,” he calls over his shoulder, and you glare at his back as he heads to class. it’s moments like this that make you question your friendship with chan. you finish your breakfast, then pick up the stack of books you’d been reading before going to leave yourself. you make your way out of the great hall, heading back to the ravenclaw common room to grab an extra quill and some parchment (chan always seemed to forget his, and you had muggle studies with him later). you whirl around the corner only to collide with someone so hard you’re both sent flying to the ground, your books spilling over the floor. 

“oops, i’m so sorry!” the other person says, and you recognize felix’s deep voice immediately. he begins picking up your books while you sit there fuming, staring at his mess of blonde hair. he stands up and brushes himself off, then reaches a hand out to help you up. 

“sorry, i always forget to watch where i’m going,” he says sheepishly. a faint blush grows on his freckled cheeks, and you hate how cute he looks. you swat his hand away, then reach to take your books from him as you stand up. of all people, of course felix had to be the one you ran into. 

“how’d you make that potion?” you blurt out; you don’t mean to sound so aggressive in your questioning—actually, you don’t mean to even talk to felix at all, you wanted to just leave without a word, but you have to know how he does so well. felix seems unphased at your bluntness. 

“beginners luck, i guess,” he says with a shrug. you squint at him, skeptical of his answer. 

“i don’t believe in luck,” you say. “for real, how do you do it? you’re always at the top of the class, but i’ve literally never seen you set foot in the library…”

“i don’t know, i just kind of show up and do my best. the universe must just like me or something,” he says nonchalantly. “you’re y/n, right? i think we have a few classes together,” he adds on. 

“yeah, we do,” you reply, your voice cold. how could felix be so friendly towards you when you’ve been nothing but rude to him? his laid back demeanour just irritates you more. “anyways, i have a class to get to. i’ll see you around,” you say, before slipping into the sea of students bustling around in the hallways, leaving felix behind. 

~

chan flops into the seat beside yours, sending an apologetic wave to the professor for being a couple minutes late. you slide your extra supplies towards him wordlessly, your other hand continuing to madly scribble notes. 

“oh thanks y/n, you’re a lifesaver,” chan says gratefully. “i got caught up talking about game strategy with changbin and jisung and lost track of time,” he admits. 

“mhm,” you mumble, too focused on the lesson to really pay attention. 

class is about halfway over, and your professor is droning on about microwaves and various kitchen appliances when a tiny paper bird lands on your desk, interrupting your note taking. you turn in your seat to see where it came from only to meet the gaze of felix, leaning back in his seat in the back of the class beside his slytherin friend, hyunjin (who you’re pretty sure is taking a nap). he waves at you, and you scrunch up your nose at him and turn back around. the paper bird won’t stop flapping around, so you shove it in your pocket to look at it later and continue your note taking. 

~

“can i change my mind? i don’t wanna go anymore,” you grumble as you walk to the quidditch pitch with chan, changbin and jisung. you stuff your hands in your coat pockets, trying to protect them from the biting cold wind. 

“it’s just a quidditch match, y/n, it’s not the end of the world,” chan says with a sigh. 

“it is when felix is keeper for the hufflepuff team,” you mutter to yourself. you pull out the paper he sent you in class earlier, creases unfolded to display the black ink on the crinkled paper. felix has crudely drawn (what you assume is supposed to be) him flying around in front of the hoops on the quidditch pitch, with you sitting in the stands holding a book. felix has given you a frowny face, and he’s drawn a little storm cloud above your head. underneath the drawing he’s written, in his sloppy handwriting, “you should consider taking your nose out of your books and doing something fun, aka coming to tonight’s quidditch game ;-).” 

“ooh, who’s that from?” jisung asks, grabbing the note from your hands to look at it. “felix? i thought you hated that kid,” he says before handing it back to you. the three gryffindors all turn to look at you. 

“i do, which is precisely why i didn’t wanna come to the game tonight. especially now—he’s gonna think i’m here because of him!” you complain. jisung laughs at this, and changbin smirks at you. 

“relax, y/n, it’s gonna be fine. he’s just being nice—maybe you should give that a try. besides, the stands’ll be packed, what are the odds he’ll even see you in the crowd?” chan asks. 

“besides, you’re clearly the best at taking notes, so we need you to write down what happens so we can crush ravenclaw next week. no offense,” changbin adds, and you roll your eyes at him. 

“you’re lucky i love you guys,” you say as the four of you weasel your way to the front of the stands. it’s not long before you hear minho’s voice booming across the pitch as he begins announcing the game, introducing the lineup for each team. you duck into chan as the hufflepuff team flies by, not wanting to be seen by felix. he laughs and ruffles your hair before nudging you off of him. 

“relax, y/n, it’s gonna be fine! look, the game’s starting—jisung and changbin, watch the ravenclaw beaters and try to figure out their tactics; i’ll watch the chasers and try to figure out their plays so we can copy them in practice,” he says, and the three gryffindor boys lean forward eagerly to watch as ravenclaw takes possession of the quaffle. your quill scribbles furiously as you listen to the boys’ commentary, taking notes so they can go over them later. you don’t really mind not being able to watch the game; you don’t really care much for the sport, plus your friends always take you out for butterbeer afterwards, so you don’t have any complaints. 

“damn, felix is really good,” chan mutters, and your head snaps up at his name. you watch as felix somehow deflects a ravenclaw’s attempt at scoring—you’re not quite sure how he even managed to make it in time, but you have to admit it was impressive. as hufflepuff supporters cheer in the crowd, felix does some goofy poses on his broomstick (honestly you have no idea how he hasn’t fallen off yet). 

“yeah that was a really good save—too bad he’s not a gryffindor, we could use a good keeper,” changbin adds on, and you giggle at the bitterness in his tone; last year’s keeper and captain of the gryffindor quidditch team, jaebeom, was amazing—after he graduated and appointed chan captain, chan had been left with the task of finding a keeper good enough to replace jaebeom. 

“yeah, we really could,” chan says with a sigh. the game continues, the ravenclaw and hufflepuff teams fairly evenly matched and the snitch nowhere to be seen. one of the ravenclaw chasers flies right overhead, a whoosh of cold air rushing over everyone in the stands as she races away from a bludger. you shiver, cursing yourself for forgetting your hat and scarf. 

“a little chilly over there?” chan says with a laugh as he wraps his scarf around your neck. the small bit of warmth is comforting, and you’re able to keep taking notes for the boys. 

~

“and first-year seeker, hufflepuff’s yang jeongin catches the golden snitch, ending the game with a score of 210-80 for hufflepuff!” minho announces, and the crowd erupts in applause. defeated ravenclaws (you’re not one of them) and ecstatic hufflepuffs make their way from the stands back to the castle. you pass your notes to chan, who stuffs them in his robes. 

“thanks again y/n, we’ll be sure to thank you when we destroy ravenclaw!!” chan says excitedly. “you coming to the three broomsticks with us?” he questions. you shake your head in response. 

“nah, i’ve got a herbology test tomorrow and i’m behind on studying. bring me back some candy from honeyduke’s though!” you say, waving as you head back along the path to the castle. 

you’re enjoying the quiet walk alone in the brisk autumn air; the chatter of distant groups of students mixes in with satisfying crunch of dead leaves as you shuffle along the path. the wind nips at your ears and nose, and you cozy into chan’s scarf for warmth. 

“y/n, wait up!” a voice calls from behind you. you turn to see felix jogging up the path, broomstick clutched tightly in one hand while his scarf trails behind him like a kite string, the yellow and black stripes standing out against the darkening gray sky. 

“oh, hi felix,” you mutter, turning around and continuing your walk. you don’t bother waiting for him to catch up, rather listening to his footsteps and breaths grow louder as he runs after you. 

“you came to the game!” he says, and his freckles cheeks are rosy from the cold. his slightly breathless, and his sweaty hair is blown every which way. 

“nice observation. i was only there because my friends dragged me along though, don’t get any ideas,” you tell him. 

“what, you’re sure you weren’t there to watch me play?” felix teases. “only kidding; i saw you bent over your parchment the whole time. do you ever take a break from school?” 

“it wasn’t for school, but yes, i take breaks. just the other day i walked up to the astronomy tower just to look at the stars, that wasn’t for school, just for fun!” you reply. felix’s eyes widen at your statement. 

“really y/n? that’s your idea of fun?” he questions, shaking his head when you nod. “you need to get out more; i mean there’s nothing wrong with stargazing, but you could definitely use a little more excitement in your life. me and my friends are going to hogsmeade this weekend, you should come with us!!” he says excitedly. you don’t say anything, but you eye felix suspiciously. why on earth would he invite you, when you (admittedly) have been super rude to him? 

“....okay, fine,” you find yourself agreeing—you aren’t quite sure if they’re your words or if someone put you under the imperius curse to say them, because why would you agree to spending a day with felix, your sworn enemy? 

“wait, really? not gonna lie, i was expecting you to say no. well that’s good, i was gonna bribe you with chocolate frogs, but i gu—“

“i’ll still take the chocolate frogs,” you say, and you find yourself actually smiling at felix. he smiles back, but you see his smile falter slightly and his brows furrow in confusion. 

“i thought you were a ravenclaw,” he says, gesturing to your scarf. 

“oh i am, this is chan’s,” you mention casually. you look down at the scarf (you’d forgotten you borrowed it, to be honest), and in doing so you miss the way felix’s face falls. “i forgot to give it back.”

“oh...uh, is he, um, are you, you know….like, together?” felix asks, and the question really throws you off. you almost laugh out loud at the absurdity. 

“what?? oh my god—no. definitely not. i love chan, but..no. he’s just my best friend,” you say, and you can practically see the relief wash over felix. 

“ah okay, just curious,” felix says, laughing nervously. you continue walking across the grounds, almost back at the castle now. you’re still keeping your distance, but you’re no longer walking on the opposite edge of the path as felix. maybe he’s not so awful; it’s not his fault he’s better than me….no, what am i thinking? i still need to find out how he does so well. he’s perfect in school, he’s somehow amazing at quidditch, and he’s also gifted with those looks?? something doesn’t add up, you think to yourself. 

“felix!! i caught the snitch!” an excited voice yells from behind you. you and felix both turn to see jeongin sprinting down the path, grinning ear to ear. 

“yes!! good job out there, innie,” felix says as he beams at the younger boy, and you melt a little at the sight. “i’ll see you in class tomorrow y/n!” felix says, waving as he and jeongin head to the hufflepuff common room, leaving you to question what the strange bubbly feeling in your stomach is. 

[click here for part ii!]

[maluminspace]

You’re A Soft Touch

Genre: parent!malum fluff

Pairings: Michael Clifford/Calum Hood

Word Count: 1768

Requested: by my sweet lil Vicky @myfalsedevotion for spooky!sos2019

Trigger Warnings: n/a

A/N: I love writing these two as sappy husbands and dads! I hope you all enjoy it 💕

Even when the heavens had decided to open mid-way through the walk home from school, Michael’s spirits were still high. He’d always loved Halloween and his enthusiasm had luckily been inherited by both of his children.

Tama giggled as he jumped into every puddle he came across. Unfortunately he didn’t let go of Michael’s hand at any point so the young father’s jeans were already soaked through. He didn’t care one bit, though.

“When can we go trick or treating, daddy?” Bonnie asked, her bright brown eyes peaking up at Michael from beneath the bright red hood of her raincoat. She looked particularly cute in her bright raincoat and rainbow coloured wellies.

“Later, sweetheart.” The blonde man replied. “I have a surprise for you at home, first.”

Both children grinned widely. “Ooh what is it?” Tama asked, finally taking a break from splashing in puddles.

“You’ll have to wait and see, precious!” Michael replied, “Your dad’s making sure it’s all ready for when we get home.”

Both of the twins squealed with excitement and Michael couldn’t stop the biggest smile from curling his lips.

The rest of the walk home passed by quickly as they discussed school and which of their neighbours the children thought would have the best sweets for trick or treating.

When they finally reached their cozy little house, the twins ran up the driveway, yelling for their other father to reveal their surprise.

Michael laughed to himself as he took off his coat and boots. The house was so warm and smelt of home cooking. Calum must have started dinner already.

“Woah there, you two!” Calum yelled from somewhere deeper inside the house. “You can see the surprise when you’ve taken off your wet clothes and helped your dad feed the kittens!”

There was a flurry of whining before the two children plodded back into the hallway. “Dad said we have to help you feed the kitties before we can have our surprise.” Tama pouted, kicking off his bright red wellies and shrugging off his blue raincoat.

Michael chuckled softly. “Let’s get you into some clean, dry clothes first, yeah?”

Bonnie was also shuffling out of her own raincoat when Calum appeared in the hallway to help with the post-school operation. “Can we change into our costumes?” The little girl asked, glancing between both of her fathers, her chocolate brown eyes sparkling with hope.

“Fine...” Calum replied, “let me know if you need some help putting them on okay?”

The twins giggled excitedly as they scurried upstairs and out of sight.

“You’re a soft touch, daddy Cal.” Michael smirked. “You say it’s always me that gives into them, but I think we’ve seen enough proof that you’re just as bad.”

“Oh yeah?” Calum snarled playfully, backing Michael up against the wall. “I think you’ll find you’re still the worst, actually. Maybe someone needs a bit of a Halloween spanking to remind them who’s the boss?” He insisted, pinning Michael’s hips to the wall as he allowed his lips to brush the blonde’s stubbled jawline.

“Calum...” Michael whined. “You can’t do this to me now, the kids will be back down in a minute.”

“Oh, I know.” Calum replied, his voice low and gravelly as his breath ghosted over Michael’s ear teasingly. “The wait will be all part of your punishment.”

Michael groaned needily. “Calum!” He gasped. “You can’t do this to me, it’s been weeks since we had time to... y’know...”

Calum giggled, pulling back from his husband before heading back down the hallway. “Well hopefully this will give you an incentive to get the kids to bed on time, for once.” He shrugged, glancing back to aim a wink at Michael over his shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen.

The older man had barely had chance to recover before Bonnie and Tama were scampering along the landing and down the stairs. They both had beaming smiles on their faces as they yelled for Michael to look at their costumes.

When asked what they’d like to dress up as, both of the five year olds had asked if the whole family could be pirates. Michael and Calum had agreed, happy that their ideas hadn’t been too outlandish this year.

To make sure that their costumes stood out amongst the crowds, the dedicated fathers had made each of the four pirate costumes themselves. They’d mostly used old clothing and distressed them using scissors and marker pens.

Of course, Michael had the bright idea of letting the kids make some of the design decisions for their own outfits. This had resulted in Bonnie requesting that almost every inch of her baggy, torn t-shirt be filled with a drawing of a skull and crossbone. Her outfit was completed by a little hat and the biggest sword she could find in the costume shop.

Tama had opted for a stripped t-shirt and bandanna. He’d decided to go for style over size regarding his sword which was much smaller than Bonnie’s but the handle was far more ornate.

“Wow!” Michael grinned proudly. “You look incredible!” He beamed. “Why don’t we go and show your dad, huh?”

The words had barely left the blonde’s mouth before the five year olds had sped off into the kitchen. Michael followed them, still beaming happily. By the time he reached the kitchen, Calum was already grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t wait to get pictures of us all when me and your dad are all dressed up too!” He said, giving each of the twins a huge hug.

The children squealed as they jumped up and down asking when they could have their surprise.

“We need to feed the cats first, remember?” Michael asked ushering the excited twins over to the little food bowls in the corner of the room. He grabbed the box of cat biscuits from the shelf they were kept on and handed it to Bonnie. “Why don’t you fill up Smudge’s bowl and then Tama can fill up Socks’s one, okay? I’ll fill their water bowls.”

The twins nodded and set about their task as Michael picked up the little ceramic water bowls and carried them over to the sink. As he rinsed and filled the bowl he was aware of Calum watching him and he felt his cheeks heat up under his husband’s gaze. “Why’re you staring?” He giggled, meeting Calum’s eye briefly.

“Just deciding what I’m gonna do with you later.” The younger man replied with a smirk, keeping his voice low enough that the children wouldn’t hear.

Michael bit his bottom lip between his teeth but otherwise didn’t acknowledge the comment. He had some parenting to do before he could get ravaged by his husband.

“We’re done!” Tama announced, holding up the cat biscuits towards his fathers. “Can we have our surprise now?”

Calum smirked at Michael suggestively - silently promising a good night later, before he crossed the room and took the cat biscuits from his son to store them back in the shelf. “Sure, buddy. It’s in the dining room. Don’t touch anything until we get there, though, okay? We’ll be there in just a second.”

Tama and Bonnie grinned widely before scampering off into the hallway without a second glance.

“You’re such a tease.” Michael pouted as soon as the twins were out of earshot. “I can’t wait for later...”

“Well you’ll have to.” Calum shrugged. “We have some serious pumpkin carving and trick or treating to do before I can focus all of my attention on you.” He made sure that his fingers brushed the back of Michael’s hand as he walked past.

“I‘ll hold you to that last part...” Michael grinned, feeling like an excited teenager at the prospect of sex.

The husbands made their way into the dining room to find the twins waiting impatiently by the table Calum had set up earlier. It had four pumpkins laid out on it along with the tools to carve them.

“I’m gonna make mine look like a cat’s face!” Bonnie announced, pointing at the smallest pumpkin of the bunch.

“I want mine to look like a ghost!” Tama added as he shuffled onto one of the chairs.

Calum placed a brief kiss to Michael’s cheek before taking his place at the table before confirming which pumpkin each of the twins wanted.

“Can we put candles in them afterwards?” Bonnie asked hopefully as Michael dropped into the seat next to her. “They’ll make the front garden look spooky!”

Michael chuckled, loving the way that Bonnie’s eyes sparkled just like Calum’s when she was excited or happy.

“Of course we can and they really will!” Calum promised, “but why don’t you two practice drawing out your designs on these pieces of paper whilst me and daddy hollow all of these pumpkins out, yeah?”

The twins nodded gleefully, each of them grabbing a handful of pens and a sheet of paper before scribbling down their designs.

As Michael and Calum carefully hollowed out all of the pumpkins, they couldn’t help glancing up to look at the twins occasionally. It was adorable how much effort they were putting into this and it made Michael melt a little. He almost shed a tear when Tama made a mistake on his drawing, his little face dropping into a disappointed frown before Bonnie helped him fix it. The cute moment brought a thought to the front of Michael’s mind and the words. “I want another one...” spilled from his lips before he even knew what he was doing.

Calum looked confused at first, before noticing that Michael was staring loving at the twins. “Another baby?” He asked, his shocked tone masked a little by the pure fondness he had for his family.

Nodding sheepishly, Michael tried to hide his his blushing face by leaning closer to his pumpkin.

Calum lifted his husband’s chin gently until their gazes met across the table. His eyes were full of some deep emotion but his facial expression was soft. “Mike, do want another baby?” He repeated, needing to hear the confirmation.

“Yeah...” Michael replied quietly. “I know I haven’t said anything before but I’ve been thinking about it and...”

“My too.” Calum interrupted. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot too... We can discuss it more when the twins have gone to bed, yeah?”

Michael’s heart was beating so fast as he leaned across the table to peck a kiss to his husband’s lips. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Calum replied, stroking a strand of Michael’s hair out of his face. “I think it’s about time the Hood family got a bit bigger, don’t you?”

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Tag list: @clffrd @byxthexway @afuckingunicornn @lukesahoy @thrillchaser @moonchildsblack @calumbbyyy @h0tsos @valentinelrh @sexgodashton @megz1985 @stonedahlia @myfalsedevotion @aulxna @honeyedlashton @tea4sykes

[artificialqueens]

Notebooks and Post-it's - Chapter 8 - (Branjie) - Thankyoumissvanjie

A/N: I mean… This is a bit of a respite before things will really start to hurt. So enjoy.

“Jeez, there some Nancy Drews here. Listen, I love Brooke Lynn, she a talented hoe and she deserved the crown and them coins. But we ain’t together, and we’re good with that. So slow down your clowney fanfiction asses!”

Vanjie sounded and looked sincere, smiling at the camera as he ended his rant with a tongue pop.

LINK TO AO3

It’s the weirdest things that I miss. Seeing your annoyance In the morning when you realise that I’m gonna wear a black shirt once again.

Fuck. Your loud ass laugh, when I try to be ghetto. I miss that you would always lean in for another kiss. How you would let me be vulnerable. How-

Her phone buzzed on the table, interrupting Brooke’s sad teenage-like scribbles about her ex. She was as usual way ahead of schedule and was in full drag even though the meet and greet didn’t start in over an hour.

Grabbing her phone, she saw the notification.

Vanessavanjie started a live video. Watch it before it ends!

If Nina were here, she would give Brooke a pointed look for still getting notifications whenever Vanjie did anything on Instagram.

But Nina wasn’t there.

So she quickly opened the app, immediately being met by Vanjie out of drag in some unidentified store - maybe Target?

“Okay, so ya’ll best be listening. Me and Silk are out in the big ass world. Yeah you guessed right, we be in target ‘cause silk is an idiot. Now, I be whispering so she don’t notice and get mad at me… So shhhh!”  Vanjie was wearing his signature cap and tank top combo, looking gleefully into the camera. It made Brooke smile, her heart aching as she wished she could see him face to face.

Bhytes has joined.

“Shit,” Hopefully Vanjie would be too distracted by his own shenanigans to realise that Brooke was lurking on the stream.

“So lemme just set the scene. Silk shows up t-to…” The slight widening of his eyes and the stuttering gave away that he had noticed Brooke’s presence. The smile was, however, quickly back on his face, as the comment section started being littered with OMG BROOKE and BRANJIE!

“Miss Silky shows up in L.A. with her big ass and her even bigger suitcase. I’m tellin’ you I could live in the suitcase like some troll or somethin’, Chile! I was gooped and gagged. I need to get myself one of them. Shit… she here shhhh!” The camera shook, as it was aimed at the floor, it was clear that they were in the clothes department, though where was anyone’s guess

“Bitch. Make yourself useful and help me pick which one of these will have the pleasure of touching this ass!” The camera was angled, so the viewers could see Silky hold up different types of boxers. Some in blue, some in red. Some in black.

“Fuck Vanjie! She will kill you.” Brooke whispered to herself, as she started laughing. These two idiots. She missed them.

“I don’t know, Mary.” The camera switched to the front, so his face became clear. He winked covertly - or knowing him it was more overt than anything - at the camera and quickly looked over all the comments.

“The people has spoken, Silk! They want that thicc ass in the blue, boo!”

“The people?”

“Instagram. Mama we live up in here!”

“BITCH! You shady lil’ hoe! America! Don’t be listening to this small cookie munching bottom girl! The T, Christine, is that I’ve forgotten to pack underwear!

“Oh that’s the story we tellin’. Then I will be all quiet about how that burrito you ate last night got you good. But okay, okay mama, live your fantasy.”  Vanjie cackled.

“You spreading lies again! I will not stand for this!” Silky tried to grab the phone, but Vanjie ran away, laughing his ass off.

“But Silk, me and the people like the blue. Also Brooke Lynn I see you lurking, which one you be likin?” The smirk that Vanjie was sending the screen made Brooke’s inside turn with lust, as her brain started to concure up different ways to wipe it back off of his face.

“You had to…” Brooke shook her head, typing her reply, as Silky’s face appeared behind Vanjie, laughing her ass off, as she tried to make Vanjie stop, though only half heartedly.

“Miss Hytes, don’t you dare! I know you shady, but girl!” There was a twinkle in Silky’s eyes and it made her realise how long it had been since she had last seen the bigger queen. Her laugh and mood always lightened up her day. Guess that was one more thing she had lost by letting Vanjie go.

She hit send.

Bhytes: Ya’ll are messy. But I agree with the children. Blue. Def.”

“She sayin’ blue. Oh, she be calling us messy. Mary, gurl. Here’s the T on Miss Hytes! Now she might seem all prim and orderly with that pageant face and ballerina toes… But Jesus Mary and motherfucking Joseph. I’ve seen that apartment in-ti-mate-ly! You messy. So bish! Think about them big stones and very small windows ya’ know.”

“Big stones and windows… what you on about?” Silky was shaking her face at Vanjie, looking perplexed.

“Ya know. Don’t be throwing with stones or whatever? My haiku ain’t working?” She turned away from the phone looking back at Silky.

Something about the way Vanjie had said that. The familiarity. It made Brooke’s eyes glaze over. Shit, when had he last been in her apartment in Nashville? October?

At least 6 months ago.

She dropped her phone onto the table. The live still going strong, as Vanjie was now showing how Silky boxers could be used as a dress if one was willing to stretch them a bit.

Brooke didn’t notice this, didn’t even hear anything.

Her eyes were blinking rapidly, and her breath was slightly laboured.

It had been six months.

“Fuck, this is getting ridiculous,” She whispered to herself, feeling an ache for a cigarette or a shot of patrone. Both bad choices. She just needed to get through this gig and then the one tomorrow.

Then she had a whole day in Nashville before.

Before… Before she would go to Europe and try to be okay for three weeks.

She was suddenly brought back to reality as Vanjie’s loud voice interrupted her spiralling thoughts.

“Jeez, there some Nancy Drews here. Listen, I love Brooke Lynn, she a talented hoe and she deserved the crown and them coins. But we ain’t together, and we’re good with that. So slow down your clowney fanfiction asses!” Vanjie sounded and looked sincere, smiling at the camera as he ended his rant with a tongue pop.

Brooke immediately turned off her phone. It was funny how knowing what was real and then hearing it out loud seemed to make it more tangible.

For some reason, Brooke had lulled herself into believing that at the end of this “ex’s who fuck” road there would be the hope of a relationship. She knew logically that it wouldn’t happen.

But that hadn’t stopped her from getting her hopes up.

She could feel the emotions bubbling inside of her, how her heart was beating faster as it was starting to crack open, how her eyes were getting wetter and her throat was starting to feel constricted.

She did not have the time fo-

“Brooke Lynn, meet and greet is in 10 minutes!”

Closing her eyes for a second, she gathered herself, before she turned around in her chair, smiling softly at the assistent, knowing that any trace of inner turmoil was absent from her face.

“Thank you, Linda!”

She wasn’t called the Ice Queen for nothing.

“So you are still being a stupid hoe,” Silky was half sitting half lying down on the couch, as they were both munching on some doritos, enjoying their day off together watching “keeping up with Kardashians”, before José was leaving for London with Jason.

“Listen, I am a 2+2 not knowing what the answer is stupid.” José sighed, hoping that Silky would let him be.

As if.

“That dick better be good, then.” Silk mumbled as her attention was split between Kim’s ass on the television, the chips and José idiocy.

“Chiiiiiile. He might be white, be he sure know how to move them hips if-” José stopped talked as he was hit squarely in the face by a Doritos.

“You nasty, I heard enough of that smacking on the show, don’t need no more details!” Before José could come up with an appropriate answer his phone buzzed on the table, lighting up with a notification.

Silky leaned forward as the phone was closer to her, checking if it was something important. She rolled her eyes and turned the phone to him.

Bhytes started a live video. Watch it before it ends!

“You still gettin’ notification on her? Gurl, why?” José grabbed the phone out of her hands, quickly pressing the notification.

“Shuddup and let me ruin myself in peace!” He cradled the phone as his screen lit up with the classic Brooke Lynn Hytes pre-show live.

“Hi! Hi… Thank you! Aw… I love you guys, too!” Brooke looked amazing, as usual in her almost patented blonde wig, purple eyeshadow and red lips.

Vanessavanjie has joined.

“I just wanted to check in with you guys. As usual I am done way before time.” She kept on fiddling with her eyeshadow, which made him smile, as he knew it was a nervous habit of hers, her attention span shorter than Soju’s stint on the show.

“Vanj…”

“Silk, boo. Don’t at me right now,”

“Oh Vanjie’s here. Hey! Yeah. We’re doing a tour in Europe soon. I am really looking forward to it. Yeah, with Nina, Morgan, Detox, Monique and Meatball,” The chat went insane the moment she called Vanjie out. It filled up with orange hearts that made his heart ache.

Fuck, he missed her.

He put the phone down, sighing as he listened to Brooke talking in the background, getting ready to face the disappointment of his friend.

“So… I still love Brooke,” José’s voice wavered slightly, as he finally spoke the truth he had known to be real for a while.

“I know.” Silky nodded, while looking very unimpressed.

“We’ve been fucking for almost two weeks.”

“Bitch. I know.”

“I don’t know what to do.” The eye roll he received spoke volumes to how some Silk was with his whiny ass.

“Ya’ll could do that communication thing. You know, listen to Kiki and ‘clear the air?’”

“All this communicato chit chat thing won’t work. He don’t want me no more, Silk,” José

“You sure? Cause he been lookin’ pasty and not in a white boy way but in a sad way lately. Boy just won 100k and he sad? Nu-uh. That ain’t right.”

“Don’t go all “riddle me this riddle me that” on this, Silk. We broke up, he wanted space and…”

“And now ya’ll fucking. That don’t look like space to me,”

“I don’t know.”

“You got two choices. Either you get back your man or you find a new one. Now you is Miss Vanjie, not some sad lil nobody twink. You a queen, too. Just ‘cause Brooke Lynn has a crown, don’t make that tall glass of Canada be better than you. So what do you want boo? America wants to know.” She threw her hands out to the side in a challenging motion, trying to rile José up.

“I–I don’t know.” His voice cracked.

The room fell silent, until.

“I just wanted to check in with you guys. Can you all have a lovely evening and I hope to see some of you at the gig tonight! Bye. Love you!” The screen went black, as the stream cut off.

“Well, you best find out soon.”

——————–

Sitting in the window of his hotel room, Brock was smoking a cigarette, while on the phone with Steve. Trying to figure out his schedule for the coming months.

It was nighttime and he had just gotten home from his last gig before Europe.

“So… change of topic… Uhm. You might not remember this, but you called me at 3 AM crying last night.” Steve’s voice crackled over the line. Brock could feel himself tensing - what had his drunk ass said?

“I… Am so sorry, Steve,” stubbing the cigarette, he immediately lit a new one, his hands shaking with anxiety.

“All I could gather were the words ‘José’, ‘Stones’, ‘Messy’ and oh yeah, you told me around 10 times that you love him. So… What’s up?”

“If I told you to let it go, would you?” He took a deep drag, letting the smoke and nicotine center him, giving him strength to get through this conversation without revealing too much.

“As your manager… Probably not. As your best friend? Definitely not.”

“I am being stupid, doing dumb things,”

“On a scale from showing your dick on live to that one time in Toronto that you and I don’t talk about, how dumb are we talking?” The question was ended with a light chuckle, which made Brock smile wryly.

“Like that time I broke up with Jo-Vanjie, stupid”

“Oh… No. Brock? Are you guys back together?”

I wish.

“We’re not,”

“Okay…Wait?” Brock call almost hear the gears turning in Steve’s head, “ No… Please don’t tell me that you guys are doing some stupid ex’es fucking each other benefit thing,” the sigh from Steve sounded disappointed, which instantly made Brock tense up.

“Okay, I won’t then,”

“ Brock… ”

“I know.”

Did he ever.

“ Jesus. Are you going to be okay for this tour? ”

“Of course,” Brock tried to sound optimistic, and not convey how very much he was firmly placed in the “not-okay” section of life at the moment.

“ You guys really need to figure this out. ”

“There is nothing to figure out. He doesn’t want a relationship after I fucked it up the first time. So I’ll take what I can get,”

“Even if it makes you call me drunk off your ass in the middle of the night, crying your eyes out?”

Trust Steve to call out his messiness.

“Hopefully that can be avoided in the future.” Brock took a long drag, blowing out the smoke as he looked at his gorgeous view of Montreal at night time.

“ Have you guys talked about this? ”

“He doesn’t want to talk, so we aren’t,”

“ This is a mess. ”

“Uh-hu”

“ So how are you going to get through Europe? ”

“As I always do,” he could tell that Steve was worried, and he needed to end this conversation before he ended up diverting too much information that could come back and bite him in the ass later.

“ Sheer willpower? ”

“Yeah.” And a fuck ton of cigarettes. And vodka, probably.

“ Promise that you’ll-

“Call if there is anything”

After hearing Steve’s goodbye, he quickly hung up and took a deep breath.

He was right. This was a mess. But right now, Brock couldn’t and didn’t want to find an alternative solution. He had missed touching and kissing and seeing Josè. He would take what he could get now, and then he could worry about his well being afterwards.

Stubbing his cigarette, he closed the window and walked over to his bed. He really needed to sleep before his flight for London tomorrow.

He eyes fell on the drink placed at his bedside table.

He took a swig.

He would need a lot more of those to get himself through the next couple of weeks.