#tumblr is the only place the tag for the book came up right away

[tundrakatiebean]

This made me start sobbing so hard

[image description: a quote card from kindle quotes reading “My birth family never understood these subtle movements, either ignoring them completely or reacting with downright contempt. However, my chosen family doesn't seem to mind. In fact, they're quite happy to dance along.” Chuck Tingle Camp Damascus

[dustofthedailylife]

No Gift Greater Than Love

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Pairing: Alhaitham, Ayato x (gn!) Reader

Summary: It's your birthday so he plans to spend some time with you.

Tags: Fluff, a teeny tiny bit of angst/uncertainty at the beginning if you squint, confessions, kissing, Ayato is being a smooth talker

A/N: I wanted to write a little self-indulgent fic for my birthday today, so here it is. Posting an HSR fic as well later! :3 I also can't add an animated header because tumblr hates me again so, sorry about that! ;_;

ALHAITHAM

You rarely ever took a day off work, not when you were sick, not when you were tired, and especially not when you had so many deadlines coming up. And knowing the perfectionist you are there was no way you’d even rest for a single day until everything was set and done. Only then you would allow yourself to rest. 

So you sat there, at your desk, on your birthday, with your head buried in your books and no other plans but to study all day long. But besides that, you still hoped your friends didn’t forget you and would at least come by to wish you a happy birthday or send you mail. 

Because despite not wanting to make a big deal out of your birthday and running around being like ‘Hey, did you know, today is my birthday?’, reminding people that it was your birthday and expecting gifts, you at least wanted some birthday wishes from your friends. That wasn’t too much to ask, right? Especially after your own brother forgot your birthday last year, which despite having a great day made you cry back then.

So you were positively surprised to find letters from your parents, your brother, Cyno and Tighnari in your mailbox on the morning of your birthday. Kaveh had stopped by before he visited another one of his clients as well to drop off his – quote: “magnum opus of birthday cakes”. Which was essentially just a one-by-one model of your house in cake form - with some additional tweaks he must’ve made out of artistic liberty here and there. It looked almost too good to eat.

Tighnari and Cyno both sent you a small gift and a letter with birthday wishes as well.

The only one who hadn’t yet sent anything or stopped by was Alhaitham. Not like you expected him to actually treat today any differently than any other day in the first place. Birthdays weren’t exactly something he cared about. Yet, despite knowing his attitude towards them, you felt disappointment welling up inside of you. You secretly hoped you would be his exception. But apparently not.

Swallowing the lump in your throat down you dove head first into your study materials to distract yourself. Successfully. Because before you realized the sun was barely just a thin line on the horizon and a knock could be heard on your door.

You peeled yourself away from your desk, stretching your exhausted limbs on the way, only for them to tense up again when you saw who was standing in front of your door. Alhaitham.

“You look tired.” He remarked monotonously.

“Good evening to you, too.” You rolled your eyes, but without being able to suppress a small smile. After all, you knew his antics by now and his blunt statement came out of a place of concern and care. He simply huffed in reply, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards in a barely noticeable manner.

However, you couldn’t help but wonder about his visit. Could it be that he stopped by because of your–

“Do you still want to go grab dinner?” He inquires, stopping your train of thought.

Right. It was Thursday. The day you usually meet up at the Tavern after work to get dinner with your other friends every week. It totally slipped your mind since you were so buried in your studies all day. Of course, he didn’t stop by just because it was your birthday, stupid.

You nod in reply to his question and quickly grab your keys before following outside into the still-warm and muggy fall air. It smelled like damp leaves that had begun to fall and spices that always seemed to hang into the Sumerian air. It had already gone dark and the moon was hanging high in the sky, framed by a myriad of little sparkling stars. You had always loved the night sky, especially on cloudless nights like tonight.

“Do you mind if we do a little detour?” Alhaitham questioned out of the blue.

“Uh…, no not at all.”

“Good.” He nodded his head to the side, urging you to follow him to wherever he planned to go.

He began walking up the ramp to the Akademiya again, which caused you to assume that he must’ve forgotten something in his office earlier. But when he walked right past his office door and led you outside again you were beginning to wonder.

You were now standing on a secluded balcony. On it stood a blue pavilion with a mosaic roof and a single stone bench that offered a perfect view over Sumeru and the beautifully illuminated night sky.

“Beautiful…”, you mutter in awe.

“Agreed.” Alhaitham mused contently. What you failed to notice at the moment however was, that, unlike you, he wasn’t referring to the view you were referring to. He was looking right at you out of the corners of his eyes.

“I didn’t know there was such a beautiful place up here.” You exclaimed in surprise, leaning on the railing of the balcony.

“I often come here to read. Not many people know of this place.”

You could definitely see why he loved this place so much. But one question began to push itself into the foreground of your mind more and more.

“Why… did you lead me here, though?” You questioned curiously but interrupted yourself when a shooting star appeared in your field of view. “Wait, was that–? Alhaitham, did you see that?”

You turned around excitedly gifting him a smile. And the shine in your eyes sparkled more intensely than the stars in the night sky ever could.

“Close your eyes.” He urged. “Make a wish.”

You grinned widely, turned around to face him, and closed your eyes.

“You have to make your wish too, though.” You reminded him teasingly.

“I already did.”

You tried to think of something to wish for. Especially after being led here you couldn’t think of anything you desired right now. 

Do you? Are you maybe not betraying your own thoughts again? 

No. You didn’t dare to think about what your heart really yearned for. What it truly desired. It would never come true anyway. Alhaitham would never feel the same for you. 

He didn’t even remember your birthday today.

You were just friends.

And yet you couldn’t get the image of kissing him out of your head, continuously replaying in front of your inner eye. No matter how hard you tried to push it away.

There was no way you could wish for–

You felt him inch closer to you. Leaning one hand against the railing behind you while the other hand brushed a strand of hair out of your face before he rested it against your cheek. Spearmint breath and the tangy smell of moss and pines from his aftershave ghosted over your face. He was so close by now that you could feel the heat that radiated off his skin and his breath fan over your lips.

For a moment you thought you could hear that his breath was shaky. Was he nervous?

Your mind was racing a thousand miles per hour at this point, and so was your heart. The irritated muscle was thumping against your chest with such ferocious intensity that you feared he may be able to hear it as well. Question after question and speculation after speculation popped into your mind, completely overwhelming your senses. 

What was he doing? Why was he so close? How long have you had your eyes closed already? What was his plan? All of these were questions you found no immediate answers to.

You slightly parted your lips in order to speak and were just about to open your eyes again when he muttered something. 

Happy Birthday.

Something that made your breath hitch and heart sing as your lips molded together, fulfilling what you had both wished for.

AYATO

You’ve been on your feet since roughly 4:30 a.m., running up and down the halls of the Kamisato Estate to help the Retainers with the preparation of the most important political meeting all year.

Much to your dismay it had to fall exactly on the day of your birthday and had to be held at the Kamisato Estate. Which meant you wouldn’t get to see Ayato for most of the day and had to spend it alone. Well, mostly. The staff, Ayaka and Thoma were still there, too, but just like you, they were busy helping as well. All hands were needed today.

Ayato woke up around the same time you had and wished you a happy birthday first thing before already having to rush out to run errands.

But you understood the importance of the ordeal and were not mad or disappointed. Which seemed to have not gotten through to Ayato yet, who seemed extra touchy today whenever you ran into him in the hallway this morning.

Just now as you were carrying some items into the huge room the conference was supposed to be held in, you walked past Ayato in the hall once again.

Gloved, slender fingers suddenly found a place around your waist and turned you around. One of his hands wandered to the back of your head, pulling your face against his chest while he pressed a kiss to the crown of your head.

He stayed quiet for a moment, soaking your presence in, and exhaling heavily before uttering yet another apology into your hair.

“My love, please forgive me. I’m so sorry we are not able to spend all of today together to celebrate.”

“How often do I need to reassure you that it is alright, Ayato? I’m not upset in the slightest. In fact, I understand the importance of this. It may be my birthday but at the bottom of it, it is just a day like any other.” You reassured, burying your face deeper into his chest and basking in his warmth for this fleeting moment while inhaling the familiar flowery scent that always seemed to linger around him.

You heard him sigh before you looked up at him. He pressed his lips together into a thin line, before kissing the crown of your head once more with a defeated look in his eyes. One that carried all his thoughts and emotions at once. You knew he was sorry, it was practically written on his face. 

Sorry, that he couldn’t spend your day with you, that he wasn’t able to give you all the attention to deserved, and that he had to waste his precious time away with some boring politicians.

The hand that rested on your waist gave you another reaffirming squeeze before he peeled himself away from you again with a slight frown on his beautiful features. The sadness and disappointment still lingered behind his lilac irises. He was definitely beating himself up over it way more than you did.

“Okay.” He nodded in defeat. “I will see you in the evening, yeah?”

“Alright!” You cheered, giving him an honest smile. “And stop beating yourself up over it, okay?”

He nodded, squeezing your hands with his for one last time before going back to work. 

You continued helping out around the Estate until all the guests arrived and the door to the room all of them vanished into stayed shut. You expected them to stay in there at least until the late afternoon, if not even the evening.

And you were right, the sun had already begun to set when you felt a familiar pair of arms snake around your waist from behind again. You had been sitting outside in the garden and reading your book, soaking in the soothing late summer breeze while eagerly awaiting the end of Ayato's meeting.

"There you are." You hummed contently carding through the soft pastel blue locks of your husband who had his head buried in the crook of your neck. "I missed you."

"And so did I. It's been a long and exhausting day." He spoke in a low voice, as if he was about to drift off to sleep any minute, and slung his arms impossibly tighter around your midriff.

"Let's go for a short stroll to the city, my love. Will you join me? It doesn't sit right with me that you had to spend your birthday in solitude." He proposed in an afflicted tone.

"Aren't you too tired for–"

"I will not hear any objections." He interrupted, lifting his finger against your lips with a smug grin. 

And so you found yourself strolling through Ritou hand in hand. By the time you had arrived, the sun had completely set and the paper lanterns illuminated the streets, draping a comfortable blanket of yellow light over the surrounding area.

It was a quiet night. Just how you preferred it. No massive crowds of people you had to squeeze through, no queues in front of restaurants, and no one who would stop you to talk to Ayato. Just you, him, and the cicadas in the trees that bemoaned the encroaching end of the summer.

"Do you want me to get us some milk tea? I saw that my vendor of choice is still open." He asked when you sat down on a bench underneath a tall maple tree just out of sight of potential prying eyes and not far from said vendor.

"I'd love to."

"Anything specific you’d like me to get?"

"You choose.” You smiled brightly. “Surprise me.”

“Alright. Stay right here, I’ll be right back.”

You watched as he made his way over to the stall, carefully studying the menu with squinted eyes and a hand on his chin. You bit your lip and laughed to yourself because, as always, he was taking this tea business way too seriously.

Eventually, he picked an item before going right back to studying the menu as if he wanted to burn the letters themselves, into his retina. The vendor was visually nervous to be serving the man in front of him in fear of messing anything up and was twirling a straw between his fingers to calm himself. Until your husband finally decided on the second drink he wanted to order.

The vendor carefully handed the drinks to Ayato and promptly refused when he was offered Mora in return. Ayato skillfully ignored the man and promptly put the coins inside the tray before walking back in your direction with two cups of tea in hand.

“So, what did you get for me?” You quizically raised your eyebrows at the drink he handed you.

“I guess there is only one way for you to find out.” He smirked, taking a sip out of his own cup.

You carefully did the same, subconsciously expecting something like salty algae tea with sea ganoderma pearls, because you knew your husband and his strange tastes. But alas, you had signed up for it.

But unlike what you were expecting, black milk tea with a tinge of honey and sunsettia pearls enveloped your tastebuds soon after. Your favorite.

You hummed and closed your eyes with a smile, raveling in the refreshing taste of the beverage, making you forget how lonely you had been most of the day.

“You chose well.” You contently stated after a brief moment of indulging in your tea and looked at Ayato with a smile.

He inched closer to you on the bench with a devilish smirk painted across his lips. He shifted your chin upwards, making eye contact with you for a fleeting moment before uniting his lips with yours in a tender, loving kiss. And after all this time, it never failed to make the butterflies in your stomach flutter about wildly.

He gently took your hand in his as he began to carefully twist the wedding band around your finger. He looked up into your eyes, a sly smile adorned his lips once more before he smugly whispered: “Of course. I always do.” 

Do not repost, copy, translate or edit - © dustofthedailylife || reblogs, comments, and asks about Genshin or my fics are always greatly appreciated and motivate me! Maple dividers are mine - do not copy.

[blueparadis]

▏CAN'T PRETEND ▏M.SANO ▏

+. content warnings — afab-reader, college au, modern au, college boy!Manjiro and college boy! Draken, enemies to lovers, angst, mention of Draken, Baji, Kazutora, Mitsuya, Emma, OCs, explicit smut, oral acts, mature language. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

+. synopsis — Draken, it was all draken; it was his fauilt that Manjiro came to know about your feelings for him but you didn’t regret it, you regretted what happened afterward. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

+. notes — HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SUNSHINE BOY ( I LOVE EVERY VERSION OF HIM) & this piece is a part of “begrudging beloved”, hosted by @hishalo .

— you can also read this in ao3. It took hours for me to format this post because tumblr decided to thrash my remnant energy.I'm so very tired that I feel stoned.

⌗ tags —» @fueledbysano @michiphoria @cursedmoonchild word count — 10k REBLOGS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED | tap here to view my works.

Manjiro Sano, the heart and sunshine of the college. He was good at sports, quite fertile-brained in academics, and always managed to be in good books with the professors even though he was the pioneer of anything that could sprout into a chain of never-ending trouble.

With Ken Ryuguji on his side all the time, he seemed unreachable yet he had a bevy of girls around him. Most girls swooned over him and he did not exactly enjoy the stares but never bothered to shoo them away. Why would he? He didn't have to do much for their attention; better put it to good use rather than throw it all away.

He was the most outspoken among his friends. Something about him stirred an affinity among most hearts. Was it his smile, his kindness, his mischievous acts? you couldn’t tell. He was a boy full of dreams and the heart wrecker of your soul.

He excelled at keeping up roses and sunshines reputation of his but when you first saw him it shattered too much to mend by itself. He was at the infirmary getting his cock sucked by a senior of his. Boxers gathered at the foot, the jersey tossed aside while his hands were rested on the bed.

There were rounds of practice matches on that day that provided him the perfect opportunity to sneak out. His skin glowing in dim light, soaking in sweat. Eyes closed, the head was thrown back and you exhaled a sharp breath when he flipped his head in the front followed by a husky groan.

At that moment, as you watched him struggle with his breath, gasping and panting heavily, his eyes fell over you. And you immediately vanished in the nearest girl's washroom almost under the reflex.

Sick. Horrid. Who does he think he is? It's not like no one's stopping them but why here? why here of all places? Unfortunately, that wasn't the last encounter. Since your art class was on the fifth floor, opposite the playground it gave a great view, a subject to think about, for most students but you, it turned out to be your maddening distraction.

Classes were fine and with a friend like Naomi, you couldn't ask for more. She was the principal’s daughter but she never exposed the flag to show dominance, to have her way with everything. And that's why you liked her.

Who the fuck cares about the talk going behind your back? And knowing Naomi, she couldn't bother to give a flying fuck who spewed nonsense into her ears, saying that you were trying to use her, to be in good books with her to clear semesters and blah blah blah.

“What’re you going to have for breakfast Nao?”, she peered through her eyelashes pouting a little trying to give thought to you.

“Unlike you, I eat my breakfast and don't stay up late either. So. . .”

“Yea! Yea! Yea! Got it. I'll be right back then.”, rolling your eyes heavenwards, you quickly ended her trail of talk otherwise she'd soon start sounding like your mom.

That was your routine and you never go out of it since this was the only time when you could know if he was absent or present, playing a match or not, having a practice study session, or just detention.

Somedays, Mitsuya, Naomi’s boyfriend came with snacks and you could still find yourself searching for him, Manjiro. It's a good thing that you've English in common with Draken otherwise it's like a circle in a spiral just to get a glimpse of him.

And without Draken, Manjiro hit like a cold wave washing over your soul every time you crossed paths with him. As you reached the food court, you beamed and your heart leaped with joy finding Draken at the usual spot. He was friendly, and well-mannered unlike his friend; why couldn't you just like him instead?

“How was the first class?”, Draken said as he grabbed his bag to put it near the foot of the table.

“The usual. I’m glad I pulled the all-nighter otherwise I would have lost this scholarship”, you quipped adjusting yourself beside him.

“ Da faq ”, Draken screamed. His eyes focused on your body, eyebrows growing closer with annoyance as you try to figure out his awful usage of words, that too in the morning. It's way too early for this.

“God! Sometimes I don't know whether you're careless or just thoughtless. ”, he gives his jersey to you gesturing to put it on. And as you did, you realize that the high-neck ivory top didn't do a great job hiding your bra color. The bra lining was perfectly visible if it were to be against the sunlight.

“I was in a hurry so…”, Draken's eyebrows jumped at your feeble try to put up an explanation as if he hasn’t heard thousands of lame excuses of yours, “Yeah, I’m sorry.”, you amended instantly putting those strained focused eyes of worry at ease.

After the first period, both of you had a free class and he has always been the first to hit the canteen since he has grown accustomed to your ways and habits — of being punctual even if it meant skipping your breakfast. Hence, he is always ready to pay for your breakfast. He is nice and kind but he isn’t witless. He knows which button to press to impress you, which to piss you off and which to use to get to his girl, Emma.

“I’ve one more class, that too a self-study one, then all classes are dissolved...Ah Shit”

“Why are you like this y/n?”, Draken tried to imitate your tone. silencing the call that lit up his phone he apologetically asked, “no but seriously y/n. Why are you so irritated?”

“I did not just come for a single class, well, it wasn’t all in vain . . . ”, of course, it wasn’t. Only two classes and the rest are dissolved. What could be more time-captivating than to watch him play while all you do is sit at a lonely corner of a bench to watch his current ‘fling’ being all over him?

She wasn't the one who had given him a blow job. She was different, a brunette and this one was a blonde bitch. Sometimes you just wanted to scream from the bottom of your lungs to tell everyone how much of scum is he but you couldn't just do that. It's not like he has come after you or harmed you but such a foul act of violating the rules made you snap every time you spotted him with a girl.

“Ken-chin.”, a high-pitched voice. “I knew I’d find you here”, created ripples in your pool of thoughts. It was him. The person you managed to avoid throughout the semester and you were successful if he hadn't just showed up in your favorite place. As much as his presence made you restless from afar, his very presence next to you boiled your blood oozing out annoyance, sometimes anger. He was way too full of himself, the only flaw you could pin till now.

Manjiro sat in front of his friend and before he could take a good look at you, you tapped Draken’s shoulders and left immediately. No words were exchanged and you wanted to keep it that way.

Even though you wanted to know him, you never wished to catch his attention simply because first, you wouldn't stand a chance against those popular girls he has been with or might not fit his needs or probably you're not his type.

Second, why would he even bother to look at you when he has a horde of hot chicks just a tap away? Moreover, it wouldn’t end well for you. While he’ll remain unscathed you’ll become more mutilated than before since there’s no coming back if he ever initiates the first step. After all, just like most of the girls you too had a crush on him.

That day at the infirmary when you saw him you knew you’d be treated just like others, a page to turn over. You could never blame him for that even in all your sanity. He dated girls, he fucked them witless, probably some relationships were broken because of him but you still didn't think he was bad.

They did say love is blind but if that was the case you would at least try once to be in his vicinity thinking he might be kind enough to pick a withering flower like you. But, he would never; Manjiro would never be the one to pick you because you are bad for his health, too pure for his bad habits, and, that he’ll know with just a glance.

Even if he accidentally picks you, all your emotions will come crashing down like a castle of sand struck by his wave of crude, cold tactics. There was no other result of such borrowed love.

Everyone was kind of aware of his flirty behavior but none knew he fucked girls witless in the changing room after winning the match except his team, the girls he tossed to Baji and then to Kazutora after a while getting bored with them.He hated losing. Miraculously, his team never lost official matches. He was always very passionate about what he wanted, be it victory or you.

“Na Ken-chin !…who’s that girl wearing your jersey?, Manjiro asked while his eyes watched you fade into the group of students like a hawk. “Tell me who is she.”

Draken has known him since his childhood and knowing Manjiro, he won’t stop chaffing at him throughout the day until he gets what he wants. Ryuguji lets out a sigh as his thoughts come to an end.

“She is y/n y/l/n. Arts major. quite quick on the tongue but doesn't talk much. she's good at sports too … and she likes to wear light-colored tops, mostly one-pieces. ” Draken states everything with a straight face except that you’re close to Emma since it would be troublesome for both of you. His eyes are focused on his plate that is getting emptied by Manjiro as he robotically spills every single detail he knew about you, that he has noticed since you've been friends with him from the beginning of the year.

And then, he pauses noticing his empty plate before finally adding the finishing touch for your introduction. Manjiro gives up searching for that familiar jacket in the crowd as his eyes finally focused on his friend.

“and today she's wearing a red bra.”, Draken utters meekly as his eyes dart onto his friend’s pale face from the empty plate. His cheeks flushed at his comment.

“Da faq Ken-chin”, Manjiro coughed covering his mouth with the length of his arm. “what’s it have to do with who she is?” He starts to cuss at him which does nothing but brighten up Baji's day who was watching all of these from the corner of the food counter.

Baji was sure taken aback when Manjiro showed interest in a girl. From what he has observed, he never had to take the first step, that is, to gather intel because it’s always the girls who lurk in his range like a moth. Manjiro was more than ready to burn their wings. But Alas! You were a butterfly, so very far from his range yet so tempting to his insatiable ways of hunger.

Draken tossed his bag over his shoulder leaving Manjiro in absolute dismal as he exclaims with a grin, “she’s too good for you. Don't get attached.”, before leaving the table.

Manjiro doesn't get to talk back much since he's still trying to recover from his thought about you since he has seen enough naked girls have an idea how you would be, under that white silk dress with red lingerie set.

But why the fuck Draken would notice such detail about you? You are just some random girl whom he has often seen around himself in breaks. Not that he was much bothered

But Manjiro always wanted to believe that it was a lot more than just some lucky coincidences. And, even though he knew you had seen him in the infirmary he never thought it would be wise to make you aware that he recognized you the very next day.

Still, he was hoping too much. After all, he has seen a lot of his friends going haywire in emotions, affections or love, or whatever they prefer to call it. To him, you were another passing cloud but for you, he was the whole sky full of grey hues, devoid of rainbows and sapphire serenity

“Emma you’re here? Don’t you have classes?”, Naomi’s voice was audible through the corridors. You smiled to yourself since it’s rare for her to come and visit your class. Thanks to whatever meeting the teacher’s council was having, the students could finally breathe freely and even fly.

“Well, it’s all dissolved and I know you two have another class which is more of a self-study period. So, I came to visit. I was getting bored.”

“I’m back”, Naomi and Emma were startled by your excitement. You quickly got rid of Draken’s jersey and handed it to Emma. At first, she hesitated but when you both of you smirked wiggling eyebrows towards her at a rhythm, she could not help but take it with a grin plastered on her face.

“Let me take some pictures”, you muttered taking the phone out of your pocket.

“Woah! You’re quick-witted. And good at this”, Naomi praised as Emma put the jacket on. It was double her size. Still, she looked so adorable.

After taking a few pictures Emma warned, “Do not show them to Draken.” “Aye Aye Ma’am”, you and Naomi, both said in unison perfectly making it clear, that Draken is getting those pictures before her. He’ll get a boner if he sees Emma in his jacket.

The clouds started to cluster at the bosom of the sky while the boys were at the peak of playing volleyball. You glanced through the window and it first fell on Manjiro, then on Mitsuya. You didn’t seem to find Draken, not yet.

“It might rain soon. The forecast said there will be a heavy downpour. Emma, why don’t you go home? I’ve car so I’ll drop Y/n home and we’re staying for a bit to work on our projects.”, Naomi suggested.

Although, Emma didn’t seem to like the idea. She agreed but she needed to inform her brother that she was going home early.

She faded into the corridor while you picked up your palette knife. Keeping the cake crumb in your mouth you started to paint the blank canvas. Naomi was talking to her mom. You noticed Emma running through the field to go to his brother.

“What the actual fuck?”, it took a while to connect the dots; Manjiro Sano, shortly Mikey or Mike. You were aware of both of his nicknames but Emma’s Mikey and the heart-throb of this college would be the same person was a tough fact to digest. You could feel your heartbeats against your ear drums while you watched Manjiro nod at his sister’s predicament and smile at her.

Now, that’s new. You’ve been watching him for months now, well you had to. If you could change your college you’d do it in a heartbeat but that’s impossible so as this; to get a glimpse of him smiling so happily. Even when he was with his friends it was close to scoffing or smirking.

You watched Emma run towards the school building with a grin on her face and when your eyes went back towards Manjiro, his eyes were already on you. Nerves stilled, breathing seemed to stop, you counted your heartbeats sitting like a statue eyes settling on him.

You pondered. Perhaps, he was watching someone else but when you looked towards the coach at the sound of the whistle, he immediately averted his gaze. He was looking towards the net, where players were yet to take positions and the coach was standing.

Damn, he was watching you. It was just a mere fraction of the moment like a flickering light yet it recoiled back to the first eye contact you had with him, vile yet exhilarating! You spotted Baji, Kazutora, and Draken as your eyes scanned the field.

The time flew faster than you imagined. Naomi was busy with her project and judging by the splotches on her dress she got stuck with her art project. Your canvas remained empty since every time you tried to give a shape to your thought his face would appear as well as vanish instantly. Your mind was restless, and so was your soul and you cussed him for that.

The rain had just started pouring. All the boys were still playing except Manjiro. It is not that hard to pick a blonde boy with a short stature among all of them or maybe he rubbed off on you. You scoffed as the thought of being bound to him by anything other than hatred crossed your mind.

The corridor was empty and devoid of the normal chatter. The only sound that prevailed was of the splattering raindrops against the window pane. Manjiro was merrily whistling walking through that lonely corridor and texting his friends to come over to Izana’s place.

Izana, Izana Kurokawa; his step-brother. He was still studying with the aid of scholarships. Unlike his brother, he wasn't very athletic. He was all brains and beauty. He graduated three years earlier than Manjiro. The smile in his yearbook photo declared that he could win many hearts in an instant.

Manjiro had no problem arranging for a place to chill and relax since he gets a little shy in front of his eldest brother, Shinichiro. It’s not the place, it’s the person, he would say. Being ten years elder than him, Shinichiro was like his dad. So, he was always confined in Izana especially in the matters of heart and girls because he believes Shinichiro wasn't like them;

While he held the ability to attract butterflies even though they never seem to come back, Izana and Manjiro were always the flames that would burn their wings. Such was their jealousy, their possessiveness.

Albeit, it would be less tedious to bring a girl over to his house rather than Zana's but Shinichiro had an idea how much it would mean to a girl while his gem of a brother would remain oblivious to such blooming emotions. So, Shinichiro declared a straight no to such habits.

“Listen, Zana. Emma went home early. We’re coming over to your place. Did you score?”

“Yep. How many are coming today?”, Izana exhaled as he checked the watch, 7:30 pm.

Manjiro paused. Draken went to drop Emma. Mitsuya would get busy with his girl.

“It’s just Baji, Tora. Two.”, he wiped his body with his jersey.

“No, make it three” He ended the call immediately and quickly hid against the turn of the corridor as he saw you standing absent-mindedly staring at the rain. There she is, the girl in red.

Without much thinking, he strolled towards you.

“Do you know where”, if he didn’t grab your hand you’d have bashed your head against the floor? His fingers remain clamped around your wrist. You exhaled strongly at such a surprise and before you composed yourself properly as he asked again, “Do you know where Draken is?”

“He went along with Emma to drop her home.”, It’s odd that he has to ask since you clearly remember Emma being all giddy while mentioning that Manjiro insisted on taking someone with her, someone as in Draken.

“Leaving you all alone…”, you quickly detached your hand from his hold and tucked it behind your waist. Your eyebrows congested at his remark.

What did he exactly mean by that? Why? Why would he leave me alone? First of all, why the fuck does he think we’ve something that might end up with him leaving me?

“Well, if you’re free you can come with us.”,

“She isn’t”, Naomi slipped in. Perfect.

Being Mitsuya’s girl as well as the daughter of the principal she was desired by many, perhaps Manjiro too but only to fuck her up. There is nothing he hated more than when he didn't get what he wanted and when his ploy gets an unmendable deviation.

“She is coming with us. I’m going to drop her home after Karaoke”

“What? When did that happen?”, Mitsuya’s jaw dropped because in this weather he would rather spend his time with Naomi rather than along with her friends in karaoke. Manjiro noticed how the love birds talked in eye codes and let out a short throaty chuckle. His pitch black pupils shun in thrill.

“So, if you change your mind. Let me know. I’ll be at the changing room”, he crossed by you leaving you in utter anger and disgust.

“I won’t. I won’t change my mind every time you ask.”, you bit your bottom lip inwards to control your anger but it was in vain.

“And as for Draken, he asked me before leaving with Emma.”, you lied and when he looked back at you, his aghast gaze was the greatest victory.

You walked away into your room leaving Naomi and Mitsuya baffled at your behavior. They kinda knew how you hated him but they happen to believe it’s the otherwise.

Manjiro didn’t realize he was grinning at your sharp display of wit until Baji smacked at the back of his head exclaiming that he looked like a stuffy toy, like Mickey mouse. He let out a trail of throaty chuckles this time gaining Baji’s stares.

“One, two”, Izana searched for number three as he held the door open with a cigarette pressed in between his teeth. He was barely dressed. “Where is number three?”

“Not coming.”, baji and Hanemiya followed as Manjiro stomped through his lavish apartment and sat in the middle of the sofa.

“She’s not easy.”, Baji added

“Ah, it’s a She”, Izana said with a dragging tone earning Manjiro’s stare.

“Yeah, she isn’t easy. Any girl would have jumped at an opportunity like that. How close is she with Ken-chin?”

“Quite close!”, Kazutora added as he started to roll a joint. Manjiro’s eyes flared at Baji and then to Kazutora who seemed too focused on his joint than usual.

“How close are they?”, Manjiro’s voice was stern, bold laced with possessiveness. At first, Baji hesitated, but when Izana nodded at the way he gave in.

“Well, word around the campus is y/n has a crush on him.”

“We all know about Draken but no idea about how he feels about y/n”, Kazutora finished Baji’s thought as he sealed the joint with the tip of his tongue.

For the first time, Manjiro felt awful about himself. Not for craving you only for himself even if that would last only for a few months, but because you saw right through him. He never bothered too much to find answers for why. He thinks those bring more trouble than lies. So, he didn’t give a flying fuck why he was so hooked on you. He just wanted you.

“What are you doin’?”, Draken asked from the other side of the phone.

“Ah! Cursing myself to death”, you said as you gazed at the imprint Manjiro Sano left on your right hand of his hold

“Ya’ know y/n Mikey was asking about you… and”

“And you told everything you know about me?”

“Fuck, at least be a little happy. At least you caught his eyes”

“Why? Why would I be? He is … forget it. I don’t wanna talk about it”

“Oh, c’mon do you think I wouldn't notice how you look at him? ALL THE TIME? ”

“I don’t know. You’re not getting those jersey pics of Emma's. Good night”, your cheeks flushed at his remark. Yes, you watched him. You watched him every chance you would get but if only Draken knew that you could never have him the way you wanted, only yours. So, you had to bury the feeling of liking him before it would bloom into love.

The next day, you couldn’t spot him anywhere on the campus. Even Draken didn’t know his whereabouts. Emma was hard to find too but since she was finally making some progress with Ken, you swallowed your curiosity, your bubbles of worried thoughts about him. Baji, Kazutora - those two were your only option since Nao as well as Mitsu would rather leap with joy thinking you’ve finally come to terms with their opinion. Sometimes, they’re so mom and dad to you.

It has been almost two weeks since you stopped going to the canteen; three since you didn’t spot Manjiro. The former had hurt you more since watching Draken and Emma soaked in happiness and with promised roses, it made you aware of how lonely you were. It is not that Emma stole your place; you never had a place, to begin with. You knew that from the very beginning but to see it all play out was such an eyesore.

At last, you decided to drop by the changing room. You could hear different male voices overlapping with each other. It was difficult to recognize. The moment you entered the volleyball court, there was a silent wave that washed over both of you as you spotted Manjiro spiking the ball. He noticed you since you leaned against the railing over the balcony. It is the last set and surely it wouldn’t hurt to wait and watch him play.

One more score and then the practice match would be over. It was Baji’s turn to serve. You inhaled a deep breath as you started to walk toward the exit but a sharp voice made you jolt. Still, it didn’t stop you.

“Hey the girl in red” “Hey y/n”, it was his voice, Manjiro. you searched for him and as your eyes landed on him he smiled brightly. Your heart leaped into the core of your throat.

“Wait for me. Please. Till the finish the game.”, with all the loneliness and sadness piling up inside your body, you barely could bite back like most of the time and hence you had to wait.

As the game finished you stood near the entrance of the changing room. Kazutora left without much fuss but Baji eyed you up and down, then looked at Manjiro before leaving.

“Thanks for waiting!”, he quipped as you offered him your insulated water bottle still trying to figure out your actions. If you still had a place to go after the first period, as you had a few weeks ago; perhaps, you wouldn't have been here. Thanks to Draken.

“Did you tell anyone?”, Manjiro noticed the confusion in your eyes. “About what you saw at the infirmary last semester?”, your eyebrows jumped as the memory flashed at the back of your head.

He emptied the bottle over himself and drank the rest of the cold water as his dark globes scanned you.

Manjiro was at his limit, cautious around you since he never dealt with your kind. The kind that would look breathtakingly beautiful while drowning in vulnerability. He didn’t know that until he noticed you coming day in and day out at the canteen. Watch you stare at Draken and Emma as you grabbed a packed food and then leave without a word.

Manjiro knew you were friends with his sister and secretly he was thankful for the friendship that kept you from being the third wheel in her relationship. But what he couldn’t digest was how you looked at Draken.

It is such a vicious cycle how Manjiro will never know how you looked at him, thought of him, and pushed him out of your soul before you gave in to the illuminating flame of affection.

“No” His eyes were pale. “My turn. Did you seriously make me wait to ask this?”

Even though Manjiro wanted to slam you against his closet, hold your thighs tightly to kiss those soft lips of yours, he couldn’t. Manjiro banged shut his closet making you a jolt.

“Sorry. Did that startle you?”, you felt awful when he thrashed your question just like Draken slowly forgot to buy food for you.

“No. your behavior did”, you tartly spoke and vanished from his sight as soon as possible. He watched you as your faded in your off-white dress. She likes to wear dark-colored inners.

It was almost the end of another semester. All were busy preparing for their exams and at a boiling moment like this, your phone rang in that familiar ringtone. It was Draken.

“Yes, what?”

“I need your help y/n”

“With what? Notes? We’re from different streams Draken. Plus, I’m sure Emma would be happy to help you with that. She knows everyone, bye”

“Wait, wait wait. I need your help” and that tone alone declared that he still hasn’t confessed his feelings. You rolled your eyes since even without the confession they looked like they made it official.

Around four o'clock in the morning, the call ended. He was complaining about how you stopped coming to the canteen and when you came clean, he was so nice to apologize at length, probably overdid it.

The day exams ended, Emma and Naomi insisted you on attending the party at Izana’s penthouse, more like dragged you in it saying it would be fun but here you are standing on the lonely balcony while others were dancing, drinking, and enjoying their youth to the fullest.

After the end of every semester, this was a must. And all thanks to Izana. After his mom died he inherited all the wealth. Even though, he was adopted he inherited all the property as well as the alimony. At first, he didn’t want it. Cursed money he’d say to Ran but the rumor has it a certain girl changed his devilish heart. They’re not together though; It is a wonder how a devil let go of his angel who was ready to soak all his sins.

As soon as you entered the room where DJ was set up, Draken pulled Emma after nodding in your direction. You smiled as you knew what he meant. He is going to confess today. Emma dragged you into the crowd. Emma is not much of a freestyle dancer, she wished to pursue ballet so she stood in a corner watching both of you go wild. You felt a bit remorse thinking she might misunderstand but then again you can’t say explain yourself not when she has not asked for it. It would backfire.

But when Manjiro saw you, you were already swinging your hips along with Ryuguji who seemed too absorbed in the moment. Naomi went to search for Mitsuya. You spotted a guy with a sleeveless vest, headphones around his nape moving his body in rhythm. His tattoo was glowing in the dim light. He looked so hot. You searched for a familiar stature since Rindou was never alone, he always had his brother, Ran by his side even if they were polar in every way.

As you skimmed through the crowd you bumped into Kazutora. He was a bit handsy, and so were you. You still couldn’t spot Manjiro which was a good sign. “Sorry Y/n”, his breath was refreshing non-alcoholic unlike other guys but his eyes declared how stoned he was.

You grabbed his hand and pulled him to a side where it’s less crowded. His ear-spread smile was enough to let you know how thankful he was. A dark-haired boy with emerald green eyes came to his savior. Kazutora immediately wrapped his arms around him and you excused yourself as you noticed the eyes of the other guy. Some would say he’s high but you tend to believe it was little more than just friends.

“Wanna paint your body y/n ?” speak of the devil. You turned your gaze towards Izana who just finished painting Manjiro’s body. A face of a lion on his back. No wonder Izana was selected as a guide for the previous art exhibition. Unfortunately, you missed it since you still hadn’t enrolled in this university.

Manjiro started complaining about how there’s no point in painting his body if he can’t see it. Izana ignored and nudged him to move aside. You hesitated at first, but when you noticed most of the girls were in short tops, you swallowed your inner thoughts before slipping the shirt on the floor.

Now, you were just in a skirt, a pant, and a lacy black bra.Izana grinned. He tapped the cigarette as he kept the brush in the paint bucket. He looked at Manjiro and then towards you before leaving. Great, so everyone knows how you hated him, liked him, or whatever.

Manjiro stood in front of you with that brush in his hand as every sound seem to fade. Can’t you just live for once? Can’t you just have him? Just for once? What could he possibly do in the remaining two semesters?

The moment he was about to say something there was a power cut. A shrill cry of disappointment echoed through the room while you thanked the heavens. You wanted to go away from this place as soon as possible and this seemed like a perfect chance. “Just stay.”, a feeble voice reached your ears while Manjiro pulled you to an adjacent cubicle where the moonlight fell over your face.

The power was back up, and so was the music. He still had the brush in his hand. “Why were you dancing with Ken?”, eyes boring into you as he cornered you more. “Because your sister dragged me”

“Half-sister”, he corrected.

“I don’t care. Move”, you raised your voice as you felt your pulse rising.

“What if I don’t ?”, he blocked the exit with his arm having your naked belly brush the length of his arm. “Look at me”, his lips brushed your ears.

“What if I don’t?”, but your words were responded with action. Manjiro swiftly pulled you against his firm chest. His skin was burning. You froze at his audacity and were ready to scream.

“You’re free to do anything you want”, his limb grazed your boobline. “And so am I”, he murmured before turning you around.

It happened within a blink of an eye. Your hands were above your head pinned by his, one of his legs shoved under your skirt as he sucked your lips. You wanted this, wanted to have him. So what if he forgets after a few months and calls you just for sex? You were not bound to answer him, were you?

“Do you still want me to move?”, he asked. Breathing perfectly normal while you struggled to inhale. You looked at him since his question is so baseless given the fact that he still held your hands above your head. “Right ‘course”, he let go of your hands. As he was about to walk away, you grabbed his toned muscular arm. He is strong. He turned around and nothing need to be said since he noticed your soft parted lips. And just like that, a butterfly was ready to burn its wings in fire, like an ordinary moth.

When you opened your eyes, you were in an oversized shirt, your pants and wrapped in his arms. Manjiro was still sleeping, his blonde strands of hair curled at the bottom. His back was half-clad with the cover. You removed the quilt from him in an instant as the last night’s impulse twinkled like a star. Thank god he is in boxers.

No discarded condom packet was lying as you scanned the floor and the dustbin looked intact. But that still doesn’t mean you didn’t do it. Your chest heaved at the thought of waking him up. You extended your hand and then retreated, then again extended it near his cheeks and instantly curled it in your lap.

“Woah! That was hard to watch”, Izana was so loud or maybe it was the booze that still fazed your senses. He majestically stomped into the room and smiled as he exclaimed, “This is my favorite part”

“Wake up Mikey.”, he grabbed his arms to jerk him a bit. He groaned and curled against your thighs. You never looked so lost before. What exactly you could do when your crush is still asleep beside you while his step-brother wakes him up?

“Shin called me ten times”

“T-E-N times ?!”, Mikey sprung up on the bed.

“He falls for it, every damn time”, Izana quipped looking at you before leaving his brother in absolute horror. Mikey jumped out of the bed and as he turned around he noticed you sitting like a good girl at his display. He swallowed hard noticing the bite marks near your inner thighs and neckline. “Just gimme two minutes, I’ll drop you home”

“No. Thank you”, and that surely woke him up if a lie like that didn’t. He sat near the edge of the bed. “I know girls like you”, he mumbled tapping your nose. He is not even sorry that he tosses girls so easily. You peered through your eyelashes, he continued, “Who thinks it’s a mistake, who thinks it’s bad to do something like this, who thinks they are bad to enjoy their life before marriage.” Your heart flipped inside your ribs as those very lips that spouted such sweet talk dashed on to your lips.

Yes, he knew everything. He knew how easily you would give in, how you were so stubborn to avoid him because this is what scared you the most; to be just another girl to him. If he remembered you as Emma's friend that wouldn’t be a bother but you lost the chance yesterday when you kissed him back.

You pushed him away saying, “I’ve to go” and didn’t pay any heed to his pout. You dressed in the bathroom and before leaving you remarked, “Good luck with that” pointing towards his boner. You smiled as he quickly covered himself.

Manjiro enjoyed this as much as you regretted it, for him, he had won this. He couldn’t care less about you, your silly crush on Ken-chin, or that you’re Emma's dearest friend. He had won the bet.

A new semester began. Naomi and Mitsuya were no doubt in utter shock at such vivid progress. You just had to go through another semester, then you don’t have to see him anymore and he would never know how much your heart ached for him. But things weren’t that easy. While you tried your best to avoid him, he used to pop now and then. He even stopped seeing other girls and the most shocking part is you didn’t even ask for it.

Most of the girls envied you and talked behind your back which made you feel awful since you didn’t ask any of these. You barely kept in touch with him. Sometimes, he would take you for a bike ride and talk about his dreams, and his friends but he neither asked about Ken nor Emma.

He was certainly curious about Naomi but you were lost in him. Those moments however seemed unpromising meant the world to you. Why? Because you had fallen in love with him. You no longer loath him with every beat of your heart. You now desired to let him burn your wings so that you could never leave him, even if your sane voice told you to.

The semester ended way too early or so as it seemed. And like a tradition, most of the familiar faces gathered at Izana’s penthouse. Baji mentioned that he saw Mikey on the balcony with Izana but when you reached there it was empty.

“Looking for Mikey I guess”, a boy with strangely symmetric scars at the edge of his lips asked you as you entered the lift. He followed. You searched his face trying to place if Mikey ever mentioned him in his talks. “Haruchiyo?”, you muttered gaining a wide grin from him. When you looked at him a little too long, he wore his mask. You wanted to apologize but the moment the door of the elevator opened, you stopped as you saw the blonde boy. He was sure with Izana; that was correct but Baji got the wrong floor.

“So, you’re gonna ditch her? Just like that?”, Izana asked.

“ I mean. We’re not together. We are not even official or anything like that. I’ll just walk when I’ll feel like it”, Manjiro puffed out a ring from his drag, as he continued, “I wouldn’t have bothered to do this if Haruchiyo didn’t point it out … that how close she was with Draken. I mean I would ruin everyone who would break my sister’s heart.”

“Still, she needs to know Mikey. It's better that way. She is different ya’know, she is …” Izana absent-mindedly glanced in the direction of the elevator.

There you were standing with blank eyes with Haruchiyo by your side who had no idea that his silly comment would turn into an obsession and eventually end with such an awful heartbreak. Izana was staring at you with parted lips.

“yep. She is different.”, Manjiro added following Izana's trail of vision. You snapped into reality and immediately took the stairs as your eyes met his. That was your last eye contact with him before you walked out of his life.

“Fuck Haruchiyo, move !”

“Mikey? You get most of the girls here and you pull this shit? When you talked about her to me over the phone I thought you changed. You didn't...”

“Fuck, fuck fuck…just move”, Manjiro pushed Haruchiyo aside and ran as fast as he could.

“y/n you're gonna hurt yourself. You're gonna fall off the stairs.”, Manjiro shouted as he ran through the stairs pushing through the crowd. When he reached near the pool area he saw you in a yellow dress running towards the main road.

“y/n STOP. Listen to me. ”, he panted as he saw you pause. “I can explain.”

“Manjiro Sano. I don't want your explanation. You're free now. So, stop following me.”, with that you slowly walked towards the mouth of the main road to catch a bus without looking back. For the first time Manjiro knew how heartbreak sounded. It sounded as if a wounded creature wailed all night till it was dead.

“For the first time in my life, I've seen you interested in a girl.” Manjiro shot his hazy gaze upwards.

“Ken-chin!”

“told you she was too good for you.”

“fuck you.”, Manjiro hissed as he took Draken’s hand to stand up. She indeed is different.

The next day was normal and the day after was too. You didn't speak of him to Naomi. Even, Mitsuya’s visits became less frequent. There were quite a lot of spectators so it's quite normal for people to know about it. Mikey's girls were smiling again but not for long. It was a week.

It was a week everything was like this. Slowly, people started to talk, blame you for Mikey's cold behavior, and hold you responsible if Mikey was absent. Naomi couldn't defend you anymore.

Rumors and lies spread like wildfires. Some even said that he left you because you cheated on him with Haruchiyo. It broke his heart when he saw you in the elevator with Haruchiyo. You pretended not to care while he did the same.

Haruchiyo was easy to find. He was a transfer student at your university. He always wore a mask most probably because he didn't want to catch anyone's eye but you saw him without his mask, that day, more like he let you. Why would he do that?

“Y/n what's wrong with you?”, a shrill high pitched voice gained your attention enough to make you look at the face of the person. You’ve been avoiding people’s faces lately.

Emma. You knew this day would come. You've prepared for this day. You exhaled deeply before she started to cuss at you but all you heard were words of apology.

“Why didn't you tell me? I could have talked to him. I could have talked to Shin— she was on the verge of crying because she held herself responsible when she heard every ounce of truth from Izana. Izana sure is all beauty and brains.

“Emma. Relax. Breath.”, you cupped her hands. “I knew it from the very beginning. I knew it all along. Just pretend that I was one of his easy fucks. that's it”

“is that what you tell yourself?”, Draken quipped. You wondered how long he had been standing near the door but he sure looked concerned, not sure for whom exactly — was it you, Mikey, or Emma?

“No. Because we never fucked each other ”,

“Rrrrr-right!”, he nodded and stared at you.

“We just like had … make-out sessions and bike rides...”, you trailed off when Emma and Draken both were shocked at your words. They couldn't believe it. “Why are you two looking as if I'm lying? Did Mikey already brag about how he fucked me or did he already tell that I was clean so that others could have me...after all I was Mikey's girl ?”

“This is serious.”, Emma remarked.

“Indeed.”, Draken nodded three times. “Mikey doesn't take anyone for a ride, for all the girls he has fucked and he is ...

“what Draken is trying to say is that he is himself with you.”, Emma picked up his cue, and before she could tell you to mend the broken ties you let out a snort.

“Emma. I'll talk to you later. I've classes today”, another lie along with a few thousand others. You checked your watch and quickly walked towards the exit. You headed towards the music class since it was empty at this time.

You were sitting near the window facing it at the music class when you spotted Haruchiyo playing baseball. You watched him through the window as he hit the ball flying across the field. He seemed happy. maybe he still isn't aware of the rumors.

“y/n, do you have class here?”,

“Yes. no. I'm sorry. I'll leave.” when you turned around you noticed a blonde guy and a familiar dragon tattoo peaked through his collar. Manjiro Sano. of course needed a change. He couldn't even look at you.

“We didn't have a proper chance to talk...I’ I’m sorry for all of these. I didn't realize it back then...

his words seem to fade. he seems to become hazy. You felt a burning sensation near your temple before you almost lost balance. you grabbed the handle of the chair but alas! the ball hit you hard enough to make you faint.

When your heavy eyelids opened, you noticed Emma sitting near your feet. Draken's bag was near the bottom of the door. The beeping sound slowly helped you regain your senses. You turned your head only to find Manjiro sleeping as he held your hand. His cheeks were pressed against the back of your hand. You didn't feel his warmth. The sedatives and painkillers were to blame.

You tried to move your hand a little as you tried to remember the last thing before you fainted. You remembered how Manjiro’s voice slurred as he held you in his arms, as you tried your utmost to say I love you too.

You closed your eyes thinking he might just act out of pity. After all, if you hadn't seen him at the infirmary, if he hadn't acted on such an impulse thought, if you didn't know Draken he wouldn't even give a fuck about you, maybe he still doesn't but the way he was grasping onto your palms screamed how desperately he wanted you to stay in with him, only him. You drifted to sleep again.

Damn ! the pills and baseball players. damn Haruchiyo. damn it. fuck everything...

It was night when you woke up in your vivid senses. Your parched throat ached for a drop of wetness. You manage to stand but with that slipper, you were bound to fall and it would surely knock you out forever with such weakness in your body.

The corridors were silent, devoid of bright lights. Your room was engulfed in darkness except for the light perforating through the glass windows. “You never learn do you?”

If it wasn't for the fall, you'd have died out of a heart attack. Who on earth does that?

“I’m thirsty.”

Draken switched on the lights. He texted someone. Probably his dearest friend, Mikey. Before leaving the room he handed you a bottle. You cursed how weak your body was since you were unable to open the cap. Fuck you Draken. You tried a few more rounds and then gave up.

“Here”, a small bottle finely opened with a straw dipped in it. “It’s chilled. Just like you prefer”, you knew that voice, those rough hands, long fingers with a firm grip. You couldn’t seem to get the name properly.

“Izana?”

“Uh…no”, he cleared his throat, “You don’t remember me? It’s Manjiro. Your Manjiro” You tried to gain your composure but finally gave in to his adorable ways, his long eyelashes that reeked of loneliness and surrender; his pink lips that slightly parted and trembled at the possibility of losing you. You had no idea you could wield such power, power to see him vulnerable, to see the Manjiro Sano on his knees. You started to drink the cold mineral water using the straw. Sitting on the bed, having him standing near your knee you left him bobbing like a broken boat with the greatest trail of confusions.

What if the concussion was too much? What if she seriously doesn't remember me? What if she thinks of Izana as me and me as Izana? Oh my god fuck! That’s even worse.

You noticed his grip stiffened and clenched the bed sheets. “It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m fine Manjiro”, you uttered giving him an apologetic look. His eyebrows knitted close. And so you kissed him clearing all his doubts, soaking all his waves of anger and disappointments, absorbing every bit of loneliness from his frail body.

“You shouldn’t have done that”, he remarked as you pulled away from the kiss. His hands were underneath your thighs while yours curled around his slim nape.

“Mikey. Control”, and both of you flew away from each other. Mikey even bashed the back of his head against the wall. He glared at Izana but a bigger stature appeared. It was Shinichiro.

“A word Mikey”, Shinichiro scanned you with suspicious eyes.

As both the Sanos were talking outside, well Mikey was on the explaining end that included lots of hand movements while Shinichiro listened keeping his hands folded in his chest. There was no doubt that they were discussing you since at every other minute Shinichiro looked at you with surprise in his. At each glance, the surprise kept swelling until Manjiro turned him around to make him face his back to you.

“Remember that rumor, that I changed myself for a girl?”, Izana gave you a lollipop because the way Shinichiro shook his head declared that it’s gonna take a little while.

“Yeah…”, you supplied as you took the lollipop.

“Well, it wasn't. It was him”, he popped out his lollipop and smiled looking at you. You raised your eyebrows at him.

“He is so handsome”, and Izana almost choked on his breath since he knew Mikey’s pout would last weeks long because of this. Both the Sanos left in a hurry after Shinichiro got a call. But Mikey came back to say. “Izana watch her. Just watch her”, no one would suspect Izana of being a tease the way he nodded his head like a good boy.

“Do you know why he got that dragon tattoo similar to Draken and Mitsuya?”, Izana asked but he rolled his eyes noticing your curious globes.

“He felt lonely. He was happy for Emma and Draken, for Mitsuya too. No doubt about that but he missed them. He couldn’t exactly roam around the campus like he used to” he looked at you pulling out the candy into his mouth and discarding the stick into the bin. “And then he met you. You whom he thought had a crush on his friend, Draken. So, trust me when I say that handsome brother of his might do the same what Manjiro has done with you.”

“I know I got lucky but that doesn’t change the fact that he is an asshole”

“A valid fact”, he shook his head. He took a few steps towards the exit. “Try to think”, he slipped before leaving you in all sorts of confusion.

When you were discharged from the hospital, it was Izana who came to take you. He brought his car.

“Your mom drained your father in alimony”, you remarked looking at his black Lamborghini. He simply smiled. It smelt of pride and confidence. The car ride was mostly silent but your mind was not. It was a pool of questions, questions like where is he taking you? Why did he come? Why Manjiro didn’t come? Is he angry? Or is he sick?

“I think you’re taking the wrong route”

“Ha-ha. No no. y/n. Mikey couldn’t come. He was nervous since he kinda blames himself for your accident. Plus, the doctor asked you to remain under watch. So, Mikey thought it would be better to take you to my house” Izana noticed your denial as you frowned. “Mikey told me you wouldn’t like the idea” and that softened your expressions.

“Your house? House as in your penthouse?”

“House as in my house”, he corrected. A staff got all your bags while Izana guided you up to your room.

“Wait here! Mikey will be here shortly” and with that Izana left the room.

You pulled the curtains and gasped at the view. The whole city was drenched in rain and the glass became foggy. You wrote, “I love you Manjiro Sano”, and felt childish about it.

“Can I come in?”, you immediately pulled the curtains back and turned around.

“Mikey. It’s you”

“You never call me Mikey,”, his eyebrows grew closer but this time there was a curve at the edge of those pink lips. “What did you do?”, he was wearing a black suit and his boots clicked against the wooden floor as he approached you.

“Stop right there.”, you exhaled “Tell me something, are you planning to take me somewhere and then marry me and then keep me somewhere away from everyone-

Manjiro walked towards you even with your disapproval. You closed your eyes, the curtains clenched in your fist hold as his body grazed yours while his hands swiftly made you release the hold on the curtains.

“I might!”, he whispered as he drew the curtains. “I think I’ve to if you keep doing things like these”

You grinned at him as his eyes bored into you without blinking. Your smile sublimed and a low gasp evaporated through your lips as he pulled you against him, his hands stilling around your waistline. Your nose crooked as he brought his face closer to yours.

"That day if I would have looked you in the eye and said those things, perhaps you wouldn't be so hurt..."

"That day if you looked me in the eye, I would have fled out of your sight", there was a smile on his face, a smile that wouldn't wither away. He took your hands in his and kissed your palms as he continued, "I'm...I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was such an asshole. All I cared about was winning, winning at everything and anything until I lost myself. I think I love you"

"You still think...?"

"Hey, At least I'm trying...", he muttered softly while your eyes darted to the view outside.

"I think I love you too", you murmured as he wrapped his arms around your belly pulling you close to his body. You were now facing the view again as his lips started to work its wonder.

“I remember how you told me that you’d win every match if I take you to arcade games”, his hands slipped under your dress. “You were so drunk that you barely let me do anything; I wasn’t drunk drunk but I’m glad it was your pussy that I tasted while going down on someone”

“Oh my god! Please stop talking right now.”, you palmed your face in embarrassment but he wasn’t going to stop, not anytime soon.

“And, when you talked about Draken and Emma, about how happy they were, about how lonely you were, I felt that too. It was so hard to hold myself back”, Manjiro sat at the edge of the bed having you in between his legs, his hands still clamped around your thin torso.

“Don’t tell me we did it while I was drunk”, you uttered in dismal.

“No, we didn’t.”, he chuckled as he swung sideways. “You almost cried saying that you’re strong, that a one-night stand doesn’t define you, and that you’re gonna prove Nao wrong”, that it is just a dried leaf of autumnal fall.

“So, try to trust me when I do this…

“Do wh-at …ah aH”, your hands flew back on his thighs. With a firm grip, you gasped as one of his hands massaged your boob while the other rubbed your feminity. You were squirming in his hold but that didn’t faze him. “Man-Ji-ro”, you moaned and it was responded with a harsh bite against your pulse point. He brought his slick wet fingers near his lips. You watched him lick it clean as his other hand rested over your tummy.

Your palm dived into his soft strands of yours as you kissed him instantly. You could feel his smile through the kiss. His hands gave a squeeze on your waist muscles. Manjiro felt you relax as he pulled the elastic of your panty and then released it. It made you flinch and immediately pull away from the kiss.

That was his chance, the only chance to turn the tables around. Within a blink of an eye, you were underneath him. “Fuck, you’re so gorgeous”, he murmured staring at you. You noticed the gleam in his eyes that roamed all over your body and stilled over your excited nipples. You got rid of the red dress that Emma brought you before the day you were discharged.

This is the first time he has seen you naked. You were far more angelic than what he had imagined. Manjiro latched his lips around your pebbled nipple as he interlaced his fingers with yours. You squealed as he sucked too hard before biting your flesh.

“Mikey”, and he rolled along your side. It was Shinichiro's voice. Thank god the door was closed.

He cupped your cheeks and rubbed his thumb over your flushed cheeks.

“MIKEY”,

“Yea! Coming”, he responded. He checked his watch. “Gimme fifteen minutes” and before you could ask him not to stall his brother further he positioned his mouth near your clit. He pushed aside the cloth and gave a broad lick.

A smirk laced his lips because it would take less than fifteen to make you cum. It turned him on as he smelt your arousal.

“Fu-ck! Don’t stop”

“As you wish babe”, his mouth kept altering between broad licks and strong sucks. He paused as he felt you struggle for breath, wraith under his touch till you came.

“May I know where you’re going?”, you asked as he stood motionless staring at your naked body that was glistening in sweat.

“Get dressed !”, he pointed towards your bag. “And stay close to me. Don’t go around jumping all over the place”

You frowned thinking how much of a child he thought you would be. You couldn’t exactly blame him since all he knew about you was from Draken. Mikey had no idea about how a lover acts when they’re around the people they fancy; After all, you are his first love.

networks — @tokyometronetwork

[mebemilena]

Every breath you take. Every move you make

A/N: I'm trying to organize it. I'm enjoying it so far and  I must practice my writing. I'm a comic book artist (writer and illustrator), and i'm slowly getting back on using Tumblr and writing fanfiction, english is not my first language. Feedback is welcome and THANK YOU so much for reading me <3

i think this would be between Bodyguard and We fight and breakup, We kiss and make up. it's a bit complicated to insert Reader on the episodes, sorry if it's a little messy. I prefer it much more whe we have more dialogues.

if you havent noticed, i love taking the titles from songs. This here is Every Breath you Take, by The Police.

pairing: maya lopez x reader AFAB reader

-

Arriving at Tamaha was the easy part. All you needed was a map and follow the track you put on Maya's prosthetic leg. You took the risk of her changing it, getting another. But you thought it'd be easy for her to steal another motorbike, or get a new phone than getting a prosthetic leg that fit her just right. Though you thought you could just put it on her favorite boots, you'd still pick the prosthetic leg. Something she couldn't just get rid of in a second.

As you drove an old Honda you'd keep yourself distant, the last thing you'd want now would be for Maya to find out you were following her. The only reason you knew about Tamaha at all was because she had told you before, when you were closer and she hadn't tried to kill Fisk yet. Before she broke your heart by running away without saying goodbye.

- - -

Watching Maya from afar was not difficult for you, as a Black Widow, you knew how to become invisible. But it hurt to see her so close yet so far from what you once had. You held yourself back as you watched stupid Vickie and those girls kidnap her, your blood boiling in your veins. But you knew better than to stop them at it,  curious at what the hell they were trying to do.

As you followed Maya's steps for the past few days, you took notes of your date ideas. "Her uncle owns a skating park!", you said

to yourself, way too excited for the possibility of skating with Maya, holding her hand at the sound of Love is in the Air by John Paul Young. Your fantasy came to an end when you saw Boonie being taken. You couldn't help a smile though. "Not like I wanted to meet you. But we have a girl's night some day, yeah?', you thought.

Temptation ate your insides. You wanted to help Maya, to give her some support and beat Vicky until he begged you to stop and apologized to your Maya. But you couldn't risk much more than you had already. If leaving New York wasn't an indication your relationship was on the line, taking her as a princess and fighting her dragons would set fire to it all.

You kept tracking Maya on your phone, watching her wander around the room through your phone screen. When Zane arrived with his gang you couldn't help but rolling your eyes at him. You hated him, he seemed to think too high of himself and you didn't like the way he chewed on toothpicks, stinking like testosterone. 

You took the time to enter the place and watch Maya from a tiny bit closer. You understood Vickies plan and it didn't take a genius to put two and two: he wouldn't get out of it alive. Stupid Vickie.

Zane's group filled the skating area, talking to Henry and Boonie. When Vickie got shot you rolled your eyes again. "Such a mess", you thought. "Where is Maya Lopez?", stupid Zane asked and Dragula by Rob Zombie screamed from the sound system all of a sudden. 

You had to hold yourself not to cheer aloud, trying to keep softly headbanging your head through the music. You loved that song, Maya knew.

You started wondering if she chose that one because she knew you liked it and it made her think of you. Were you being delusional? Also, wasn't it too loud?

Oh, right. It doesn't bother her. 

You got in the laser tag maze enjoying the music,  taking a few man down cautiously so that Maya wouldn't find out you were there. You wore a mask in case one of them recognized you decided to tell on you, if they survived. You caugth her kicking their asses by the corner of your eye and almost ran to her, to tell her how great she looked while fighting, how you missed her and how much of a wimp you were for her. But that'd ruin your plans and instead of a heart-eyes Maya, you'd get broken ribs or a broken heart. Again.

The fight was getting fun but they seemed like ants around a sugarcane, always coming for more. Maya threw herself and one of those man through the wall and you felt the urge to kiss her. She fought all of them, with guns first and the with her own wrists. It made you gawk at her, your heart beating faster. You were flustered. She used the pistol wires as a whip and you moaned in your mind. "That's kinda sexy.", you thought, taking a mental note of how much of Catwoman she resembled. You'd tell her later.

The jacket trick got you biting your lip, and you almost aplaused her flawless aim.

But then Zane brought Boonie and you grunted. "Asswhole.", you mumbled.

They gathered again, around Maya and Henry, guns on their heads. But you were ready too. With your gun in hand and your eyes on them, it'd take Zane down with a buttlet to the head in no time.

 But his phone rang and his plans changed. And so did yours.

You watched Boonie leave and had to stop yourself from offering some ice to put on her face. Poor girl, getting punched like that for free.  When Maya went back inside, you made up your mind about what to do next. After tonight's events, you had to talk to her.

-

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[hoffstrap-yuri]

A Small Observation

ao3 // masterlist

*Summary: A warm cup of coffee, a quiet rain, a person's life in her hands. Amanda was John's apprentice after all.

*Rating: E for Everyone

*Content/Tags: Gasshipping (Laura Hunter/Amanda Young), Pre Saw II, WLW Amanda Young, WLW Laura Hunter, Lesbian Amanda Young, Jigsaw Apprentice Amanda Young, Character Study

*Status: Drabble/Complete

Author's Note: A small request for an anon on tumblr looking for sapphic content. While there's not much there, I wanted something that hinted at Amanda pulling the strings earlier on in the game than the movie suggests so here we are! Also I liked finding out that Laura's actress was involved in making her more nuanced behind the scenes. So yeah, enjoy!

“And I will always love you.” The jukebox in the corner of the restaurant croaked out. There was a couple at a booth, and a few people sprawled across the counter seats. The song transitioned to something different and a bit more upbeat when the blonde approached the woman who was sitting alone.

“Anything I can get for you?” She asked with a smile. She flipped to the next page of tabs in her pocket book. The woman hardly looked up from the menu before replying,

“Just a black coffee.”

“I’ll be right back, just let me know if you want anything else.” She hooked the papers back into her apron and walked over to the coffee machine. The brown haired woman at the booth’s eyes shifted focus between the waitress and the raindrops that slid down the glass outside of the restaurant as she waited for her drink. Her head bobbed to the side as she saw a coworker of her waitress place his hand on the small of her back, only to have her squirm away from his touch. She didn’t really listen to what they were talking about, but he walked back to the kitchen soon after that. She came back, carrying a bowl over with creamer in it and dropped the cup off in front of the woman, “I know you said black, but just in case you changed your mind.”

“Thank you.” Her lip curled up at one end and brought the cup up to her face. The waitress turned back around, walking over to the other side of the counter to take another customer’s order. She shook her hand off from the heat under the table and looked at the cup for a second. It gave her mind something to focus on that wasn’t another game to set up, a trap to fix after Mark manhandled it… And her thoughts were drifting again. She took a deep breath and brought the cup back up to her lips when she knew the coffee would still be warm but not scalding. Nothing to write home about, standard restaurant coffee, but it was what she needed. She put one foot on the leather seat and rested against it before flipping through the laminated pieces of the menu for something. She raised a hand in an attempt to garner the blonde’s attention and the waitress walked back over to her.

“Changed your mind?” She smiled at Amanda

“Yeah, I’ll just take a plate of fries. And can I get a new ketchup bottle?”

“Sure, I’ll be back.”

“Thanks…” Amanda’s words trailed off as she realized it didn’t really matter what she said, the other woman was halfway to the expo window. She gazed as the girl talked up another co-worker of hers while waiting for Amanda’s food. Amanda absentmindedly bit her lip as she cocked her head to the side looking over her as she reached up and over the counter. A petite thing like her didn’t belong here. Neither did she deserve the ire of the Jigsaw Killer, watching over her like the grim reaper. Amanda whispered to herself, “Maybe… John was wr…” She couldn’t bare to finish the thought. It would destroy her. He couldn’t be wrong. Jigsaw doesn’t make mistakes. Amanda doesn’t make mistakes. No, underneath that bubbly exterior and smiles there must be something there that John knew she had done to deserve the test to come. He wouldn’t put an innocent into a game. Xavier was a drug dealer, Addison was a prostitute… surely she must have done something. The woman waved a hand at her co-worker and turned around to face the dining area. Amanda’s head moved slowly to face towards the entrance so as to not make it obvious she was surveying. When she thought no one’s eyes were on her, the blonde reached into the tip jar at the counter and plucked a twenty a customer had thrown in there about an hour earlier. Not daring to get greedy, she tucked it in her back pocket before turning to face the kitchen once more as the cook announced that the fries were up. She brought the plate over to Amanda with a smile, tucking her hair behind her ear after placing the food in front of her customer.

“Anything else for you right away?”

“Just some more coffee.” Amanda slid the cup towards her and with a nod she ran back to the machine. Amanda started to pick at the fries so as to give the illusion of eating. Another pass was made at the tip jar, this time pulling a five from the mix before finding its way back onto her person. In another life Amanda could have used someone as skilled in slight of hand as her. Someone that could’ve walked into Homeward Bound without so much as a trace and gotten the methadone for her. Just someone that cared about her and didn't see her as an item like Cecil had… but it was pointless for Amanda to think about now. She knew in her heart that John was right. That she belonged in the next game. She dropped the coffee off and asked about the fries,

“Everything okay?” Amanda nodded before replying,

“Yes.”

“Awesome, just let me know if there’s anything else I can get you” and she left like that. Amanda finished her things and went to the register to pay for her food. The blonde punched a couple buttons on the antiquated register before giving her a total. Amanda pulls out a couple bucks and a few coins before telling her to keep anything extra. “Have a good night!” Her hand brushed along Amanda’s for the briefest of moments as Amanda’s hand slid back into her coat pocket and Amanda’s face turned a soft red, turning away from the other woman. She walked around the block and hopped into her car before driving back to the warehouse. The flood lights were still on, John must be there. She walked in and stood before the man and told him,

“She needs to be tested.”

[aria-ashryver]

Starlight Smut Supercut - Burning Gasoline (CH28)

Book: Immortal Desires Pairing: m!Cas x m!Gabe x nb!MC (Luca O'Rinn) Ratings/Warnings: 🔥Explicit🔥 - adult content below the cut! Words: 3.9K

Summary: Gabriel goes full President Adalhard mode, a bratty Cas gets put in his place, Luca is more than happy to assist.

A/N: This is an excerpt from a much larger fic -- I've been wondering for a while whether or not to make a smut supercut from my ID longfic here on tumblr, and put scenes like this one in a masterlist of their own? Lmk if I should post more like this!

Tagging: @choicesficwriterscreations

Gabriel collected a keycard from the front desk of the hotel and swiped himself into their room on the third floor. The blinds were drawn and the shower was running when he stepped inside; Luca’s shoes and jacket were tossed on the floor, though there was no sign of Cas anywhere. He’d probably gone to buy Luca some lunch, Gabriel reasoned.

He downed a glass of water, running his tongue across his teeth and glancing at the door to the bathroom. Brushing his teeth likely wouldn’t do much to help the cotton-mouthed feeling of early-stage sun poisoning, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

Knocking gently on the bathroom door only to have it swing open at his touch, Gabriel wandered inside.

‘Hey, Luca, do you mind if I brush my—’

Gabriel froze in the middle of the glossy tiled floor, his eyes trained on the scene before him. The shower curtain was thrown wide, and Luca was definitely not alone.

Granted, the direction of Cas and Luca’s thoughts had been pretty clear in the van a bare half-hour ago —Gabriel had all but passed out when Cas had pinned him with a mere look— so really, it should have been no surprise to find them in the shower together.

But distant, half-knowledge of the kinds of things they might do together was so very different to seeing it play out right in front of him.

Luca gripped the railing below the showerhead with a strung-up desperation, their back arched and legs trembling. Their breath came in shallow gasps, water trickling down their sleek form as, behind them, Cas fisted himself in one gorgeously tattooed hand, stroking slowly over his cock. Two of the fingers of his opposite hand pumped lazily into Luca’s pleasure-wracked body.

A quiet moan tore from Luca’s throat as Cas worked him with his fingers, and Gabriel felt the sound arc through him to settle low in his navel. Steam curled through the air to kiss his skin, his shirt growing damp against his neck.

One of Luca’s hands flew back; he anchored himself on Cas’s thigh for a moment, his mouth popping open noiselessly before his hand drifted higher, trying to stroke over Cas’s hard length. Smirking, Cas gripped Luca’s wrist and held it in place.

‘Uh-uh. Keep your bandages out of the water, what’d I say?’ Leaning close to sink his teeth into the curve of their shoulder, Cas murmured a low warning as Luca whined. ‘You know what happens to brats who don’t know how to behave.’

The words hummed through Gabriel like a plucked string, pebbling the skin of his forearms. Part of his brain was yelling at him that it was inappropriate to stare, but the other half wasn’t listening; the moment Cas’s hand had lifted away to grab at Luca’s wrist, Gabriel was shamelessly ogling him.

He’d pictured Cas naked plenty of times before. There had been a day last summer when he’d bumped into Cas outside the Nexus, shifting a bunch of boxes into a truck for Astoria. Cas had been gloriously shirtless beneath the sun, and it had taken every ounce of Gabriel’s strength to stop looking — though the lean dip of his spine and the angle of his shoulder blades had kept Gabriel up for many a long, frustrated night.

He didn’t listen to that part of his mind telling him to look away this time. Gabriel drank in the sight of Cas; all clean lines and sinewy muscle, his height caging Luca in against the wet tile. His cock jutted hard and flushed before him, and Gabriel wanted to sink to his fucking knees and taste him as Cas came down his throat; he wanted to press his fingers into Cas’s thighs and hold him there; he wanted to know how it would feel to take Cas so deep into his mouth that he could feel the rasp of his neatly-trimmed hair rubbing up against his nose.

Gabriel wondered what it said about him that he could barely even think the word pubes without blushing, and yet he was staring at Cas’s dick like a man famished.

Cas cleared his throat pointedly, the sound proud and amused all at once. Oh god. Gabriel wrenched his head to the side, but he knew damn well Cas had already caught him staring.

‘I would say “take a picture”, Adalhard,’ Cas drawled, ‘but knowing you, you’d find a way to accidentally upload it to the wrong group chat.’

Jesus, why was it so warm in here? Gabriel tugged at the neck of his shirt, wanting to point out that a one-off mistake hardly counted as a habit, but the only words he could come up with at present were all alarmingly phallic.

He blew out a quick breath.

‘Um,’ Gabriel somehow managed to articulate through the fog of horny. He gestured at the bathroom counter. ‘I just wanted to brush my teeth.’

‘Go ahead,’ Cas said. ‘I’m not gonna stop you. I don’t know if you missed it, but I’m a little, ah, preoccupied’ —Cas’s fingers gave a demonstrative pump, and Luca whimpered— ‘at present.’

Gabriel was going to fall on his fucking face. Luca’s fingers curled around the shower rail again, and Cas hummed his pleasure.

‘Good,’ Cas crooned, all low and satisfied. ‘That’s better. Hey, since you’re in here, Adalhard—’

Gabriel firmly reminded himself that breathing was a thing he should do.

‘—would you mind passing me that bottle on the counter?’

Tension leaving his shoulders for a fraction of a second, Gabriel found the bottle Cas wanted, only for his stomach to grow tight all over again when he realised what it was. When on earth had Cas found the time to buy lube?

Gabriel passed the bottle to Cas, trying desperately to seem unaffected.

It was some bizarre streak of pride that had Gabriel holding Cas’s unflinching gaze as Cas drew back his hand, reapplied a generous amount of lubricant that he warmed between his fingers, before, smirking, he teased Luca’s entrance and pushed in with both fingers again.

Cas waited until Luca had finished letting out a shaky moan before replying with a simple, ‘Thanks.’

Gabriel wasn’t so sure his dry mouth was from sun poisoning at all any more. Clumsily, he found one of the disposable toothbrushes on the counter next to a complimentary tube of toothpaste. He ran the brush beneath the tap, just as Cas shot him a wink and wrenched the curtain closed.

It was somehow both better and worse, not being able to see them. By some miracle, he brushed his teeth without evaporating on the spot, left only with vague silhouettes, Luca’s breathy cries, and the stream of pure filth Cas was murmuring in Luca’s ear as he brought them closer to the edge.

Stubbornness had Gabriel straightening his shoulders.

‘Since your genius plan to steal a vehicle has brought us here far too early,’ Gabriel snapped, his voice coming out rough in a way he hoped didn’t reveal just how turned on he was, ‘I’m going to check there are no other vampires in the immediate vicinity. We can make a plan when I get back, grab some lunch, and head out when night falls. You better have some pants on by then, Harlow.’

Cas barked a dark laugh.

‘Sure thing, President Adalhard. Whatever you say.’

***

Gabriel supposed Cas had technically followed his orders. The door swung closed behind him a mere twenty minutes later —during which time, he’d steadfastly refused to jerk off in a random hotel bathroom somewhere— and the resounding click of the lock was deafening to his over-sensitive ears.

Cas was wearing pants. Even if he wasn’t wearing anything else.

Luca lay draped over Cas’s bare chest in a fluffy white robe, their thigh flushed pink from their shower where the split in the fabric left it bare. The two of them were making out —because of course they were— their touches heavy with slow-burning lust.

Gabriel was going to lose his fucking mind. He decided to fall back on an old habit and channel his frustration into administrative strictness.

‘Okay,’ he said sharply, and Luca jumped in mild surprise. ‘We have a few hours left until sundown which is more than enough time to make a plan of attack. I’ve managed to get a lead—’

‘If we have plenty of time, can’t this wait until later?’ Cas complained, stroking a hand over Luca’s hair.

Gabriel huffed an annoyed breath through his nose. ‘I’d really rather know what the plan is ahead of time so I can think through some possible contingencies.’

‘Okay, alright, fine.’ Cas tugged Luca to the side with a fistful of their hair, sucking a bruise into their neck. ‘You want a plan? Arson. Boom, done.’

Gabriel raised an eyebrow with every ounce of derision in his body. ‘Arson. That’s your plan?’

‘Yeah! Arson is always Plan A, duh. “Get a can of gas and set shit on fire” — as far as plans go, it’s literally flawless.’ Cas smirked. ‘I’m sure we can find a gas tank or two around here somewhere. In the meantime, someone was about to suck my dick, so.’

Cas gestured vaguely, impatient, and Luca snickered, before ducking their head, chastened.

‘Sorry, Gabriel,’ Luca said, scrambling out of Cas’s embrace and tugging their robe closed. ‘Making a plan is a good idea. We’ll behave.’

Cas waited until Luca stood before he pounced; he hooked an arm around their waist and tossed them, laughing, back down on the bed.

‘No, we won’t!’ Cas shot Gabriel a mocking smile that was half-lidded and all challenge.

For a moment, all Gabriel could think about were Cas’s whispered words in the shower.

You know what happens to brats who don’t know how to behave.

Suddenly, Gabriel’s temper flared again. If anyone was a brat who didn’t know when to fucking quit, it was Cassius goddamn hellspawn Harlow.

‘Can you not keep your hands to yourself for more than a minute at a time?’ Gabriel muttered, scrubbing a tired hand over his forehead. ‘Should have left you cuffed to the bed in the van.’

Cas’s eyes widened in shocked delight at Gabriel’s words — his gaze darted sideways to the bedside table, and Gabriel realised with a gasp what had caught his attention.

The handcuffs. Cas had brought them with him to the hotel room.

The air seemed to swim slow and thick around him as Gabriel found his words.

‘What?’ Gabriel said, his voice humming with barely leashed fury. ‘Is that what it’s going to take to get you to behave yourself for five seconds? You need me to handcuff you, Cas?’

Cas’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. ‘You don’t have the guts.’

Gabriel turned his head slowly, watching as Cas lounged back against the headboard. A curious tension vibrated in the line of his shoulders, the angled jut of his jaw.

‘Cassius,’ Gabriel said carefully, dangerously. ‘My patience is running thin. Now, if you actually want me to handcuff you to that headboard, then keep pushing me and see what happens.’

Cas blew out a long breath. Licking his lips, he glanced at Luca. The heat didn’t recede from his gaze; far from it, Cas’s pupils were blown and simmering with arousal. A slow grin spread on his face, and Gabriel felt his jaw harden in response.

Along with… other things. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, this wasn’t how this was supposed to go at all!

‘Now,’ Gabriel said, trying to forcibly wrench his thoughts away from the direction his dick was very eager for them to go, ‘Luca and I are going to think about how we might approach the enemy camp, and you are going to behave yourself.’

‘Make me.’

Cas’s words rang out like gunshots in the tense silence. Something authoritative and commanding in Gabriel roared to the surface, steeling his spine.

Gabriel was moving at vampiric speed before he even registered it himself — he slammed Cas’s arm up against the headboard, locking one end of the handcuffs around his wrist, the other against the ornate wooden post of the bed frame. He tugged his belt from around his waist, looping it around Cas’s other wrist and buckling it tight against the headboard so the leather bit oh-so-sweetly into his skin.

The whole thing took less than a second.

Luca looked between them, their mouth falling open. Gabriel gave the belt a firm tug to make sure the cocky idiot wasn’t breaking free any time soon, before stepping back from Cas with a satisfied smile.

‘What the fuck,’ Cas whispered. ‘He actually did it.’

‘Oh my god,’ Luca said, ‘what is happening? Because if you want to plan, I’ll totally plan, but this is alarmingly hot and I was really looking forward to choking on a cock—’

Gabriel’s eyes flicked to Cas. He allowed the smallest amount of smug vindictiveness to creep into his otherwise level expression.

‘I never said you couldn’t.’

Suspicion flickered over Cas’s face. Casting a grin at them both, Luca pressed a hand to Cas’s thigh, but Gabriel cut them off before they could move.

‘Oh, no, no,’ Gabriel said, his voice polite and measured in a way he knew would drive Cas insane. ‘I didn’t mean you could suck his dick.’

Gabriel tugged his sweater over his head and tossed it onto the bed. Cas’s eyes grew huge, until they were pools of molten chocolate, swimming and stark against the shocked pallor of his skin.

‘You motherfucker.’

Cas watched in a hypnotised trace as Gabriel unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, beckoning Luca toward him as he sank back onto the couch opposite the bed. Luca’s discarded towel lay rumpled and damp beneath his spread thighs.

‘What the fuck,’ Cas said again, a breathy whisper that ended in a gasp as Gabriel pulled Luca into his lap and drew them close for a languid kiss.

Gabriel smoothed a palm down Luca’s spine, tugging the robe off their shoulders until it pooled on the floor, the fingers of his other hand kneading the muscle of their hip. Luca leaned into the kiss, making short work of the remaining buttons on Gabriel’s shirt until it was hanging open either side of his body.

Cas let out a choked sound as Luca left a trail of wet marks down Gabriel’s torso, kissing their way from his chest to his navel to the dark trail of hair disappearing into his trousers.

‘O’Rinn, don’t you dare,’ Cas whispered, his eyes glued to the bare sweep of skin at the top of Gabriel’s slacks.

His jeans were looking uncomfortably tight, Gabriel thought, and his stomach grew hot at the idea that this was turning Cas on. After so many hours of letting Cas get under his skin, Gabriel was quickly finding how fun it was to have the upper hand. He stilled Luca with a light touch on their shoulder, glancing at Cas where he bucked against his restraints.

‘Are you going to stop being an absolute pain in the ass and listen to me?’ Gabriel asked.

Cas’s eyes glittered with eagerness.

‘No,’ he shot back. Goading him, challenging him. ‘Its not like you’re actually gonna do anything about it, Adalhard.’

‘Suit yourself.’ Gabriel popped the top button of his slacks, and Luca quickly got the hint — with a few quick movements, Luca freed Gabriel from his slacks, wrapping their fingers around him with an ardent hunger.

‘Oh my god,’ Cas choked, his hips jerking into the air, and the desperation in his voice was all the encouragement Luca needed. Licking their lips, Luca took Gabriel into his mouth and swallowed him to the hilt.

Gabriel released his breath in a long, shuddering exhale, biting down on his lip as Luca sank down on him again and again and again. Seeming to realise he might need a little more time to be eased into things, Luca pulled back, circling their tongue around the head of his cock before they licked a series of long, wet lines from base to tip.

Cas followed their every move with a spellbound enchantment. A flush rode high in his cheeks, his lips parted with a wild desperation. The minutes wore on as Luca fisted a hand at the base of Gabriel’s cock and drew out a kind of pleasure from him that Gabriel hadn’t even been aware it was possible to feel, narrowing the scope of his senses until all he could hear were the wet, sensual sounds issuing from Luca’s mouth and the hammering music of Cas’s heartbeat.

‘Alright, enough, Adalhard,’ Cas ground out at last, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. ‘Give me back my boyfriend already. My zipper is about to cut my fucking cock off, I’m that hard.’

Gabriel let his head tip back on the couch, his eyes fluttering closed. ‘You’re a vampire, Cassius. It’ll regenerate.’

‘Wait, actually?’ Luca stared up at him, a flush in his freckled cheeks and genuine interest in his eyes. He continued to stroke Gabriel’s length absent-mindedly with one hand, and Gabriel was abruptly caught in some in-between place as desire and laughter got all tangled up in his chest.

‘Does vampiric healing extend to regrowing limbs completely?’ Luca asked. ‘What if a person is missing a limb before they are turned, what happens then? Or if they have donated a kidney or something, does it grow back when they are a vampire?’

From behind him on the bed, Cas gave an agonised groan. ‘You seriously want a lore dump now?! Fucking hell, New Kid!’

‘Later,’ Gabriel chuckled, stroking a thumb across Luca’s cheekbone and relishing in the warmth of their skin. ‘I don’t think Cas has quite suffered enough yet, do you?’

Letting his expression grow more heated than he’d ever let Cas —let anyone— witness before, Gabriel took himself in hand, pumping over his cock in firm, relentless strokes. Guiding Luca forward, he lined himself up with their mouth once more.

‘Tus besos me enloquecen,’ Gabriel murmured, his gaze lingering on Luca’s mouth as he rubbed the head of his cock against their lower lip. ‘Let me feel your mouth again, mi corazón.’

Cas’s growl of frustrated arousal almost had Gabriel laughing; Luca’s tongue as he took him in his mouth again almost had him tipping over the edge.

Gabriel heard a metallic ping as Cas wrenched his arm forward, snapping clean through the chain link of the handcuffs. He watched, fascinated, as Cas popped open the button of his jeans, tugging down his fly to take his throbbing length in hand, his wrist still circleted by the broken metal cuff.

Fisting his hand, Cas began to jerk himself off with an almost violent fury. He shuddered out a breath, his neck arching long and taut with fine muscle, his chest expanding with every shaky inhale, and for the life of him, Gabriel couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Cas was exquisite. Unfortunately for him, Gabriel was still in one hell of a mood.

Gently, Gabriel tugged at Luca’s hair. Luca pulled off his cock after a few more strokes, gazing up at him in sated contentment. Gabriel cupped their jaw, stroking a thumb across the wetness of their lips.

‘Go let Cas know exactly what he’s missing out on, hmm? Don’t let him have anything he wants.’

A slow smile crept across Luca’s face. Blearily, they wandered over to the bed, settling into Cas’s lap and stroking their hands over his chest.

The two met in a kiss that was tantalising and slow. Cas dragged his teeth across Luca’s lower lip, the head of his cock nudging at the juncture of Luca’s thighs where they knelt above him. A groan tore from Cas’s throat; his hips snapped up, chasing some kind of friction, his free hand demanding as he cupped Luca’s ass and squeezed.

Gabriel clicked his tongue.

‘What did I say, Luca?’ Rising, and feeling a quiet thrill at the way Cas’s eyes snapped to rake over his body, widening as he drank in the sight of Gabriel’s flushed cock, thick and heavy before him, Gabriel drew closer to the bed. He placed a commanding hand on Luca’s lower back.

‘Cas doesn’t get anything. Not until he learns that his behaviour has consequences.’

Obediently, Luca pulled back, leaving Cas chasing empty air and swearing a blue streak. A seductive sense of power coursed through Gabriel’s body as Luca shot Cas a lazy smirk, then bent his head to take Gabriel back into his mouth once more.

‘Oh, fucking Christ, Adalhard!’ Cas’s thighs clenched and unclenched with desperate need that had nowhere to go, his cock jerking uselessly in the empty air. ‘Are you trying to kill me?’

Gabriel panted heavily, his head spinning in a dizzying rush as Cas’s eyes bored into him, their gazes locked and electricity crackling between them. If this was a challenge, Gabriel wasn’t about to back down.

He fisted his hand in Cas’s hair.

‘You’re already dead, my darling,’ Gabriel said, leaning down to whisper right in Cas’s ear. ‘I guess you’re just going to have to learn to take it.’

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, who taught him to talk like that?’ Cas said in a broken gasp. A moan punched out of him as Luca wrapped a hand around his cock, jerking him off while they sucked Gabriel until they choked. ‘Fuck, that’s so unfair! Hhh, god, yes!’

Spearing his fingers through Luca’s hair, Cas held Luca’s head in place for a moment while Gabriel was buried to the hilt. A ragged moan ripped from Gabriel’s throat as Cas started to guide Luca’s head back and forth over his cock.

Gabriel wasn’t sure what it was that pushed him over the edge; whether it was the utterly delicious feeling of Luca’s mouth dragging over his hard length, or if it was the sight of Cas unravelling beneath him, twisting and bucking on the precipice of his own orgasm. Either way, it came upon Gabriel in a tidal wave; his spine locked and he all but screamed his pleasure as he came hot and thick down Luca’s throat.

Luca didn’t swallow right away, and it was with absolute rapture that Gabriel saw Cas grab Luca by the chin, hauling them close to stroke his tongue across their lips, drawing them in for a kiss that Gabriel knew, he knew would taste of him.

Cas rolled his tongue into Luca’s mouth with a muted roar, coming in feverish waves the moment he tasted Gabriel on his tongue. His own release spattered in wet ropes across his abdomen. His whole body glistened with sweat as he sagged back against the headboard, one arm still pinned in place by Gabriel’s belt and his head lolling deliriously in Gabriel’s grip.

‘Fuck,’ Cas rasped out, his eyes drifting shut as Luca pressed an affectionate kiss to his neck.

Gabriel tugged his belt free, massaging Cas’s wrist gently as his arm sagged limp in his grip. Luca snuggled in next to him, catching Gabriel’s eye as their shoulders shook in quiet laughter. They prodded playfully at his shoulder.

‘Are we sure Cas is immortal? Because I think you actually did kill him a little bit, Gabe.’

Cas batted at Luca’s hand, grinning, his eyes evidently too heavy to open. ‘Fuck you both.’

Luca huffed a laugh. ‘Somehow I don’t think you really have the energy for that right now.’

But he would one day, Gabriel realised with a delicious shiver. One day, he was sure of it — Cas was going to pay Gabriel back for the exquisite torture he’d just put him through.

Gabriel just hoped the anticipation wouldn’t kill him first.

[sfb123]

I Know Places (Happy Birthday Burns!)

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam x Riley, Drake x Alyssa

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except for Alyssa Devereaux, who belongs to the birthday girl @burnsoslow

Summary: In a prequel to last year's birthday fic, Riley notices some odd behavior from Drake and is determined to find out what he is hiding.

Song: I Know Places - Taylor Swift

You are the only person on the planet who could get me to drop a Taylor Swift song anywhere. That's how much I love you.

Rating: PG (a couple of swear words)

Word Count: 2,703

A/N: Happy birthday to my wonderful friend @burnsoslow. You are so sweet, and funny, and thoughtful. When I came to Tumblr however long ago, and started obsessively reading your stories, I never, in a million years, thought that I would actually be lucky enough to call you my friend. I'm sitting here trying to put together words about how much having you in my life means to me, but I'm not sure they even exist. I just love you so so much, and hope that you spent today partying like it's 1999! 😘

A/N 2: No pre-reader, so you get what you get. If it sucks, and the grammar is terrible, that's all on me. Godspeed.

Tags: This is my first run with the new tag list, so if you're not on here but would like to be added, just let me know!

Liam and Riley sat on the couch in his office, reviewing their opening remarks for the Five Kingdoms Festival that would be happening the following day. A knock on the door pulled their attention away, Liam called for the visitor to come in.

“Well, well, well,” Riley said as Drake entered the room. “Look what the cat dragged in.” 

Drake rolled his eyes and approached the pair. “Hello Brooks.” He walked over to Liam, who was now standing. “Hey, Li.”

“Drake,” Liam shook his friend’s hand. “It has been a while.”

“Yeah,” Drake rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve been pretty busy lately.” 

“Why don’t you stay for dinner?” Riley suggested, noticing that something was off with him. “Eleanor has been asking for you, she misses her Uncle Drake.” 

Drake’s expression softened. He hadn’t been spending as much time with Eleanor as he usually would. She had just become a big sister, and he knew how hard it could be going from being an only child to having to share attention with a younger sibling. 

“I really wish I could…” He trailed off, his eyes darting between his friends. “I promised Savannah I’d go up to Ramsford tonight. But I’ll be at the festival tomorrow. I’ll take Eleanor for some cotton candy or something.” 

“Sure, she’d love that.” Riley agreed. 

Drake said his goodbyes and exited the office. Once he was gone, Liam and Riley settled themselves back on the couch, Liam lifted his wife’s legs to rest across his lap. 

“That was weird, right?” Riley asked. 

“Not really,” Liam shrugged as he slipped off her shoes and began rubbing her feet. “Drake and his sister are close, of course he would want to have dinner with her.” 

Riley sighed at her husband’s response. “You know, for someone who was trained to read people, you can be awfully thick sometimes.” 

Liam’s movements stopped as his head snapped in her direction. “Excuse me?”  

“Come on Liam, he was being so dodgy! He couldn’t give us a straight answer about where he’s been.” 

“To be fair,” Liam began. “We never asked him for one. Besides, Drake has always been a pretty private person, if he wanted us to know, he would have told us.” 

She returned her feet to the ground, retrieving her shoes and putting them on. “Ugh! You’re so bad at being nosy!” She groaned. “Let’s go, I miss our babies.” 

Regina had offered to watch Eleanor, and the newest edition to the royal family, Prince David, while Liam and Riley worked on the final preparations for the festival. They left Liam’s office and met up with Regina to pick up the kids before returning to their quarters for the evening. 

***

After dinner, and a few rounds of Candy Land, it was time for Eleanor to go to bed. In an effort to help her with the transition from only child to big sister, her parents decided to take turns putting her to bed each night ensuring she had some quality one-on-one time with each of them. It was Liam’s turn to tuck her in, so Eleanor said goodnight to her mother and brother and walked hand in hand with her father to her room. 

Liam sat on Eleanor’s bed, his arm wrapped around her, holding a book in front of them. Eleanor was learning how to read, so as they made their way through the story, Liam would pause, pressing his finger against the words, encouraging his daughter to read along, and helping her as she went. 

“... and they,” he pointed to the next word and nodded encouragingly at her. 

“Lived happ… happy…” 

“Almost, princess. Happil…”

“Happily!” She exclaimed, Liam chuckled at her excitement and kissed the side of her head. “Happily ever after!” 

“That’s right! Good work, Eleanor!” Liam pulled her close, kissing the top of her head before closing the book and carrying it to the bookshelf. “Now, I believe we have one more item of business,” he made his way to the collection of stuffed animals that were gathered in the corner of her room. “Who would you like to keep you company tonight?” 

Eleanor’s eyes traveled through the crowd, her index finger tapping against her lips as she contemplated her selection. Her movements halted, and her smile grew upon making her decision, “Hunny Bunny please.” 

“Excellent choice.” Liam turned to the pile searching for the golden rabbit. He moved the other animals around, trying to locate it. “Hmm… she doesn’t seem to be here.” 

“But where is she, Daddy?” Eleanor looked at her father with tired, sad eyes. 

“I’m… well, I’m not sure, princess. Where do you last remember having her?” He made his way around the room, looking anywhere Hunny Bunny could possibly be hiding.

“I… I don’t know.” Eleanor replied through her sniffles. “Daddy, please find her.” 

Liam looked up at his daughter, her eyes were beginning to water, and her chin was trembling. He knew between Eleanor being tired, and wanting her toy, a meltdown would be inevitable if they didn’t find this rabbit. 

“Oh Eleanor, don’t cry.” He rushed to his daughter’s side. “Why don’t we ask Mommy if she has seen Hunny Bunny?” Eleanor rubbed her eyes as she nodded at her father. He kissed her on the forehead before going to the door. “Riley, love, could you come here for a moment?” He called down the hallway. 

Riley entered the room to find Liam consoling a crying Eleanor. “What happened here?” She said as she approached the pair, placing a comforting hand on Eleanor’s back. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” 

“We can’t find Hunny Bunny.” Eleanor cried before falling into her mother’s arms. 

Riley looked up at Liam and she could see the worry in his face. “Okay, it’s all okay. Let’s just calm down here. She has to be somewhere, she didn’t get up and hop away.”

“When do you remember seeing her with it last?” Liam asked Riley as she continued to console her daughter. 

She racked her brain, thinking back over the past couple of days, trying to picture everywhere they went, when it suddenly hit her. “Ramsford! She wanted to show Bartie, so she brought it when we were there for lunch the other day.” Riley put her hands on Eleanor’s shoulders and pulled her back gently. “Eleanor, I’m going to go call Uncle Max to see if Hunny is there, okay?” 

Eleanor nodded as she rubbed her eyes. Riley stood from the bed and pulled her phone out of her back pocket as she stepped into the hallway.

“Hey Riley!” Maxwell greeted her on the second ring.

“Max, thank god! We have a bit of an emergency.” 

“What’s wrong? Who’s coming for the throne now?” 

Riley chuckled at his response, which helped ease her concern about the issue. After everything they had been through, if the worst thing to happen to them is a lost stuffed animal, then everything was going to be just fine. “It’s nothing like that. Eleanor can’t find her Hunny Bunny. I think we may have left it there.” 

“Oh yeah, she’s here. I’ll bring it tomorrow when we come for the festival.” 

“Actually, could you just give it to Drake? I’m sure he won’t mind dropping it off on his way home.” There was silence on the other end of the line. “Max? Are you still there?” 

“I’m here, but Drake’s not.”

“But he said he was having dinner with Savannah tonight.” 

“Nope, he hasn’t been by in a couple of weeks actually.” 

“Man, I knew he was being shady!” 

“Wait, what do you mean? What’s going on?” 

“I’ll fill you in tomorrow. For now, please please bring Hunny Bunny with you tomorrow.” 

“You bet, see you then!” 

Riley hung up the phone and took a deep breath before returning to her daughter’s room. Without Eleanor’s stuffed animal of choice, it was going to be a long night.

***

The next day, the royal family walked through the crowd greeting people, and exploring everything the festival had to offer. 

“I get what you’re saying,” Riley said to Liam. “But he’s not just not telling us stuff, he’s straight up lying to us. That’s not a Drake thing.” 

Liam looked at his wife thoughtfully. “That’s true. As much as he’s kept to himself, I’ve never known him to lie to me.” 

“So, we can confront him and ask him what’s going on?” 

“Uncle Drake!” Eleanor’s excited shout pulled Liam and Riley’s attention. They looked ahead and saw Drake approaching them. 

“Hey, kiddo.” Drake smiled as he lifted Eleanor into a hug. 

As Eleanor and Drake greeted each other, Liam and Riley had a conversation with their eyes. Liam pleaded with Riley not to confront him, to which she agreed. 

“So Eleanor, how would you like some cotton candy?” Drake asked. 

The princess’s eyes went wide as she turned to her parents for permission. Liam and Riley chuckled at her hopeful expression. “Mommy, Daddy, please?” Eleanor begged. “I’ll bring some back for baby David.” 

“That’s very sweet of you, princess,” Liam leaned in, kissing his daughter on the cheek. “But babies can’t eat cotton candy.” 

“That’s right, baby girl,” Riley added. “So why don’t you just go ahead and eat extra for your brother?” 

Eleanor cheered and jumped up and down in excitement. “Come on, Uncle Drake!” She grabbed his hand and rushed him toward the food vendors. 

A while later, Riley was mercifully pulled away from a conversation with Hakim and Joelle Theron when David started crying from his stroller. She excused herself, and once she was out of their earshot, she thanked her son profusely for his timing. 

“Riley! Riley, wait up!” Maxwell called as he rushed to catch up with his friend. 

“Diaper emergency Max, no time.” She replied, just as he fell into step with her. 

The pair stepped into the palace and into a small sitting area. As Riley set up a makeshift diaper station on a nearby table, Maxwell bounced on his heels behind her. 

“Riley, you’re never going to guess what I saw?”

Riley recoiled back as she opened David’s soiled diaper. “Ugh, it can’t be any worse than this.” 

“I think I know what’s going on with Drake.” 

Riley turned to face Maxwell. “Spill right now, Beaumont.” 

***

The next day, as the Royal Council meeting let out, Liam caught Drake before he could slip out, and invited him back to his office for a drink. As soon as they walked in the office, Liam’s desk chair slowly turned, revealing Riley, her arms crossed over her chest. 

“Welcome, Drake.” She said as she rested her elbows on the desk, steepling her fingers in front of her.

Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. When he and Riley talked about confronting Drake, they agreed that they would speak to him rationally. His wife appeared to have other plans. 

“What’s up with you, weirdo?” Drake asked at Riley’s dramatic display. 

Liam invited Drake to sit before stepping to the bar cart and making two drinks. He handed one to Drake before stepping around the desk and standing beside his wife. “Drake, we wanted to talk to you. To make sure you were alright.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He responded. “Why would you ask?” 

“Because you’re a big fat liar!” Riley blurted out. Liam placed a hand on her shoulder at the outburst as Drake’s brow furrowed in confusion. 

“Drake,” Liam interjected. “The other night, when you told us that you were going to Ramsford, Riley spoke with Maxwell, and he told her you hadn’t been there.” 

“Hold on,” Drake stood from his chair. “You guys are checking up on me?” 

“Not intentionally. We lost one of Eleanor’s toys, and I called Maxwell to find it.” Riley crossed her arms over her chest. “And don’t try to turn this around on us.” 

“Love, stand down.” Liam leaned down, kissing her on the cheek before turning back to Drake. “Drake, we’re just worried about you. You know we don’t mind that you keep to yourself, but it’s not like you to lie.”

Drake let out a deep breath as he fell back into his chair, finishing off the rest of his drink. “I’m sorry you guys. I didn’t mean to worry you, I just needed some time to myself for a while.” 

“Well that’s another lie.” Riley scoffed, Drake arched a brow at her. “You have a girlfriend!” 

Drake’s eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped. “How did you…” 

“Maxwell saw you canoodling at the festival yesterday.” She responded. “What’s wrong with her? Why don’t you want to show her off? Does she have an eyepatch? Pegleg? Hook hand?” 

Liam and Drake both froze and stared at Riley curiously. 

“What the fuck, Brooks?” Drake finally broke the silence. 

“Love, I don’t think Drake is seeing a pirate.” 

“Sorry, Eleanor’s been on a real Peter Pan kick. I’ve got pirates on the brain.” She shrugged. 

“Riley, can you give Drake and I a moment alone?” Liam asked. 

Riley stood from the chair, and moved to leave the office, pausing before she opened the door and turning back to her husband and her friend. “I just want the chance to be there for you the way you always have for me.” Before Drake could respond, she was gone. 

“I’m sorry, Drake.” Liam apologized as he sat in his chair. “I didn’t mean for this to be an attack on you.”

“It’s alright,” Drake shrugged. “And for the record, I’m sorry I lied to you guys.”

The pair sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Liam finished off his drink and stood, tilting his chin toward Drake’s glass. He nodded, affirming that he wanted a refill. Liam took the glasses and took them to the bar cart. 

“So,” Liam began as he refilled their drinks, “What’s her name?” 

“Alyssa, Alyssa Devereaux.” He said. Even with his back to his friend, Liam could hear the smile in his voice. 

“You’re happy?” Liam asked as he handed Drake his drink.

“I am Li, she’s amazing. I never expected to fall as hard as I did.” 

Liam nodded as he returned to his seat, placing his drink down in front of him. “Why wouldn’t you want to share that happiness with your friends?”

Drake shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, it’s just,” he trailed off, trying to find the best way to explain what he was feeling. “This whole world, the court, nobles, all that, it’s a lot. I know what it can do to an outsider, I wanted to protect her from it.” 

“That’s reasonable, I understand wanting to protect someone you care about, you know that.” Drake nodded in response. “But Drake, if this is something that you see as long term, it’s an inevitability that you will need to start introducing her into this whole world. As much as I know it pains you to admit it, you are a part of the court.” 

“Yeah, you’re right. There are just so many things that could go wrong. I don’t want to lose her, Liam.”

Liam smiled, he had known Drake his whole life, and he had never talked about a girl like this. He had it bad, and it was painfully obvious. “Why don’t you ease her into it. She doesn’t have to dive into it all at once.” 

“What do you mean?” Drake asked. 

“Introduce her to people that will be at court functions ahead of time. That way, she will have allies to turn to if she gets uneasy.”

Drake arched a brow. “Allies like the king and queen?” 

“If you’re going to have allies, it doesn’t hurt for them to be at the top.” Liam grinned sheepishly. 

Drake let out a deep breath. “I guess I can’t keep her hidden forever.”

“Wonderful!” Liam exclaimed. “You should bring her by for dinner this weekend. Just a small, unofficial get together. We’ll do it in our quarters, Riley will cook. Completely informal, just your friends meeting your… girlfriend?” Drake nodded, confirming Alyssa’s title. 

“I guess that sounds alright. I mean, if it’s just you guys, I can’t imagine what could go wrong.” 

Permatag:

@3pawandme @alj4890 @busywoman @charlotteg234 @cordonia-gothqueen @cordoniaqueensworld @differenttyphoonwerewolf @emkay512 @foreverethereal123 @hopelessromanticmonie @iaminlovewithtrr @imashybish @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @malblk21 @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nestledonthaveone @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @secretaryunpaid @sincerelyella @theroyalheirshadowhunter @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @txemrn

Liam:

@amandablink @custaroonie @jared2612

TRR:

@21-wishes @ao719 @belencha77 @burnsoslow @lovingchoices14 @the0afnan @xpandass420x

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Custody Battle--Third Visitation

Angel in Distress

(This cover was designed by @pigeondraws for last years Fandom Trumps Hate!)

The Ritual of Propagation has succeeded. Aziraphale and Crowley are ready to welcome the newest member of Their Own Side. But the Archangels have other plans. No young angel has ever been raised outside their closely guided care, and they have no intention of changing that...

After a very long break (and tons of help from my excellent beta readers) I now present part 3 of Custody Battle! In this newest chapter, Aziraphale struggles with the emotions of the last few days while he and Crowley try to prepare for the Archangels' inevitable return. More chapters to follow shortly!

Read it now on AO3!

(Note: this story is M rated and contains heavy CWs for noncon, SA, emotional manipulation, various forms of abuse, and a good amount of violence. Please check the tags. Continuing readers, please check if you read last month's update, there was no Tumblr post...)

--

He jolted awake, trapped, panicked, fingers desperately scrabbling for something, anything to hold onto. A heavy weight rested across his body, like a blanket, pinning him down, white, warm like a body, only—

Only it wasn’t trapping him, it was keeping him safe.

Taking a deep breath, he rolled onto his back and gazed up at his angel. Sitting pressed into the corner of the sofa, a heavy book wedged between his hip and the sofa’s arm, wings spread wide, softly golden in the sunrise light. Rubbing his eyes as he woke.

“Oh!” Aziraphale mumbled. “Oh, I must have dozed…” He glanced down at Crowley and smiled, a beautiful morning smile. “There you are, my dear. How are you feeling?”

“Nnh.” He stretched his legs, but didn’t otherwise move from the safety of the wing. “Shouldn’t’ve let me sleep.”

“You needed it.” Aziraphale stroked his husband’s hair and glanced up at the clock. “It was only two hours or so. We still have… almost six, before…”

Before Gabriel’s deadline. Before the Archangels came to take his family away.

“Really shouldn’t’ve let me sleep,” he growled, pushing himself up. Aziraphale’s wing flicked away, giving him space but leaving him cold and exposed. “Don’t have time for—”

“Yes, we do.” Aziraphale retrieved his notebook from the sofa cushions. “In between research, I jotted down some ideas on our… counter-offer.” His hands were starting to shake. “I think this will be enough to get them to the negotiating table, at least. Particularly once our… enhanced defences are in place.”

Crowley grabbed the notebook, hardly sparing it a glance before tossing it on the coffee table. The too-white pages of Gabriel’s offers lay scattered across it, more reading Aziraphale shouldn’t have had to do alone. Crowley took his husband’s hands, thumbs carefully brushing his knuckles. “And how are those coming? The defences?”

“I think I have enough for us to… to be getting along with.” Another smile, this one far shakier. “Now I just need to set everything up.” He squeezed Crowley’s hands, then stood, arching his back in a careful stretch, enormous wings briefly filling the room before settling to his shoulders. Then he held out the right again with a smile. “And good morning to you, Kokabiel. How was your first night?”

Moving more slowly, still shivering a little, Crowley joined him, slipping an arm around Aziraphale’s waist for support. “Hey, you,” he said softly, pushing his fingers into the feathers, and surrendering to a delighted smile when he felt the gentle tapping of the youngling. “Yeah, I missed you, too.”

Aziraphale kissed him, a careful brush across his cheek. “Another nightmare?”

Read the rest on AO3!

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

If DCLA characters had Tumblr part 10 🕺🏼

🛼 rollerskatingonthemoon Follow

Fun fact, because I am adopted I legit thought for a bit too long that everyone was concieved via adoption. Like babies just appeared and you went to adopt them.

I remember when I finally did learn how babies were made it kinda felt unreal

For context I had met pregnant people but I just did not reflect at all how babies came to be

💍 queenoftherink Follow

🤝

Although I remember asking my guardian ”well how did my MOM get me in the first place before she gave me up?? Did she also adopt me??” and her response was ”You see, sometimes flowers appear in the wrong hands, and thus they need to give them away to someone who can take better care of them”

So I… kinda thought I appeared as a flower inside my bio mom and she gave me to my guardian as she could take care of flowers better…

This also made me fear having a baby grow like a flower inside of me at like age 5 so. Yeah.

✌🏼 arodarmivida Follow

I love reading random lore about your lives you never tell us anything irl

9 notes

🌼 punk-not-dead Follow

@supernova-number-one Found a video that describes our relationship 💜

🌟 supernova-number-one Follow

Ew don’t tag me in ugly animated songs stop

🌼 punk-not-dead Follow

Phineas and Ferb is a masterpiece, you rat

🌟 supernova-number-one Follow

I never watched it. I don’t watch cartoons, it rots your brain

🌼 punk-not-dead Follow

I’m gonna break into your house at a random time next week and force you to watch Phineas and Ferb.

I won’t say when, I won’t say how. But beware.

15 notes

🥸 jeremias-realperson Follow

Should I be concerned if my daughter’s female friend climbs in from the second floor window at 1:20 AM, or should I just let it go and be supportive that she has friends?

0 notes

💅🏼 ja-jazmin Follow

Today’s question: If you woke up and realized you were 10 years old again, but you have all the memories and experiences from your current age, what would you do?

👩🏻‍🦱 dangerously-beautiful-ant Follow

Panic?

🎀 italys-biggest-bow-collector Follow

Yeah i’d… have an existential crisis.

🎤 singing-is-who-i-am Follow

My life literally started at age 17, imagine going back to being 10. And knowing that you have to suffer through almost a decade before your life starts again.

I guess the good thing is that i’d expose my dad of his lies right off the bat and maybe make some changes there. But. I’d still be 10. I don’t wanna be 10.

🏳️‍🌈 creyendoenmi Follow

Yeah like I’d get the feeling of wanting to be young again because of nostalgia and all that, but was it really that great? Sure, I’d get access to the movies and games I used to watch and play that I no longer have access to. Sure, I’d watch the kids shows again that no longer air. But besides nostalgia for media? Being 10 kinda sucked?? Is anyone in their prime time then????

📸 felicityfornow Follow

Adding to this ^ Imagine all the things that came out after you were 10. All the books, movies, shows… that you no longer have access to because they haven’t come out yet.

🎸 beanie-guitarist Follow

Anyone else getting an irrational fear of going to sleep and waking up as a 10 year old or is it just me?

298 notes

🏳️‍🌈 creyendoenmi Follow

The queer experience of meeting another person and just knowing… you’re one of us.

🌟 supernova-number-one Follow

Yeah…

🌼 punk-not-dead Follow

HOLD UP…

LUDMILA??

🌼 punk-not-dead Follow

Now you’re not replying.

I mean I always knew but i’m still like >:o !!

We’re gonna talk about this when I come and force you to watch some P&F tonight

🏳️‍🌈 creyendoenmi Follow

I love my posts being helped to further the plot of whatever is going on between you two

13 notes

💍 queenoftherink Follow

So I was in a singing competition once and I got in last. I’m usually very competitive, but I surprisingly didn’t care. Honestly, I was only joining because it was a competition, but I am not really interested in a singing career.

But I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I won? How would it have looked like if I had a singing career?

🎸 beanie-guitarist Follow

You wouldn’t like it if Bruno still was responsible. You’d be forced to "date" someone, have random made up drama…

💍 queenoftherink Follow

Oof yeah good point

✌🏼 arodarmivida Follow

Imagine if one of the people in the competition who was not straight won, and they’d have to be forced into a straight fake dating. And they’d also perform a love song and everyone would ask who it was about and they would not be allowed to say.

🍓 chico-fresa Follow

Why are you vagueposting like this??

✌🏼 arodarmivida Follow

Cause the person themselves can’t tell anything it or they would be found out by a certain someone who has not figured out their Tumblr blog and it’s just fun to keep the mystery

50 notes

🥸 jeremias-realperson Follow

Anonymous asked: You seem to be very interested if your daughter has a boyfriend. What would you do if your daughter has a girlfriend?

I have not considered that a thing that could happen!

Does this mean I have to keep an eye out for girls, too?!

0 notes

🌟 supernova-number-one Follow

I was bored and decided to prank my stepsister. I knew she had her friend at home, so I opened the door and yelled ”stop making out”.

Now, of course, they didn’t make out at all, but they got so startled by my voice they almost hid, as if they did something.

💍 queenoftherink Follow

I thought this sounded like a fun idea and went to do the same to my cousin, who currently has her friend over.

As I opened the door and yelled ”stop making out” the two did not get startled. Rather, they just stared at me dumbfounded.

I blinked and then closed the door again. I will not let the awkwardness get to me.

🛼 rollerskatingonthemoon Follow

Oh so THAT’S why you did that. I thought you for some reason thought me and Nina were dating (my mom thought that once so idk if that’s a rumor people for some reason have)

10 notes

📸 felicityfornow Follow

Just wanna give a shoutout to the passion fruit juice at Jam and Roller! It’s delicious!

🏳️‍🌈 creyendoenmi Follow

Ooh, we’re doing J&R recommendations? I recommend the chocolate-vanilla milkshake! It is the BEST THING I’ve tasted ever!

🍓 chico-fresa Follow

Wait a minute! I finally figured you out! I did it!

YOU’RE YAM! 🫵

✌🏼 arodarmivida Follow

HOW did you figure it out by this, out of all things?!

🏳️‍🌈 creyendoenmi Follow

I was about to lie and troll you by saying that I’m not Yam, but oh well.

Matteo, it has been an honor watching you absolutely suck at figuring out who I was. I mean, there were some OBVIOUS HINTS.

🍓 chico-fresa Follow

I just knew I had seen you drink that milkshake quite a lot, so I went from that.

I don’t really know what had been the clear hints

💍 queenoftherink Follow

Please allow me, as someone who does not often speak to Yam irl but observes and knows everything about everyone:

Hint 1: She enjoys singing. Sure, a lot of people enjoy singing at Jam and Roller, but she is our Singer.

Hint 2: Her unhinged behavior. You’re telling me you haven’t ever just noticed her being basically like Lunita but with a more brutally honest attitude?

Hint 3: Her gayness. Now, we should never assume people’s sexualities but Yam both here and much irl has been very openly gay during the last years.

Hint 4: The way she and Jim openly talk about their relationship here. Who did you think Jim was dating??? They haven’t exactly been hiding that much irl either.

🍓 chico-fresa Follow

I guess I just… didn’t think much about Yam. Sorry.

🏳️‍🌈 creyendoenmi Follow

That’s ok Strawberry face, I don’t think much about you either except when I troll you on Tumblr

🍓 chico-fresa Follow

Now I kinda wanna get to know you haha

Wanna go grab a drink? (If Jim sees this, I promise I won’t make moves on her)

✌🏼 arodarmivida Follow

I never in my life assumed you would try to make a move on someone who’s openly a lesbian but thanks I guess

🏳️‍🌈 creyendoenmi Follow

When you say ”grab a drink” please say you meant going to a bar I’d like to see you drunk

📸 felicityfornow Follow

Well. I guess I was right. Matteo did figure it out in the most unpredictable way.

102 notes

🌼 punk-not-dead Follow

My childhood rival included a Phineas and Ferb reference in her latest fic I’m so proud <3

🌟 supernova-number-one Follow

Stop reading my fanfictions

🌼 punk-not-dead Follow

You know fully well you update them only because of me 😘 Your little notes saying ”I know a certain someone who will like this chapter” is def for me

Also the fact that a character climbed through a window in one of them? Please you got that from real life experiences

🎤 singing-is-who-i-am Follow

What is happening between you two??

🌼 punk-not-dead Follow

Phineas and Ferb is what’s happening.

Also Vilu, please read chapter 43 of Ludmila’s 170 chapters fic, I am pretty sure she based that from you.

🎤 singing-is-who-i-am Follow

It’s just two best friends who everyone is sure is in love but they haven’t realized it themselves??

I don’t get it.

15 notes

[turtleybeachin]

Burnout in the Devildom: Solomon's Chapter

(re-post to share entire fic on tumblr)

Pairing: Solomon x GN MC Rating: G Word Count: 1.6k Tags: Fluff, Comfort, Platonic, Solomon's Cooking

You’ve been working hard in the Devildom. Classes are intense, especially when it feels like you’re having to play catch-up just to have basic understandings of things everyone else knows innately. Add to that living with seven avatars of sin who can’t go more than six hours without some sort of catastrophe, and somehow you’re always dragged into the middle of their chaos to sort things out and be their big sibling despite being the actual baby of the entire world?

You’re exhausted. The sort of exhaustion that does not just go away after a good night’s rest and an eye mask and a glass of human-world wine. The sort of exhaustion that starts sapping the life out of everything you do, everything you touch, until you feel like you’re just going through the motions and always one inconvenience away from a complete meltdown.

SOLOMON:

Sometimes he feels like you are the only one who truly understands him. The inverse is also true. Sometimes he believes he may be the only one who actually gets you.

In a world full of demons and sprinkled with angels, where magic is mundane and curses and hexes are as plentiful as weeds, it can be so easy to forget the simplicity of humanity. It can be dangerously simple to forget the magic in the magic.

You are a grounding force, reminding him to appreciate the awe of every moment and to stop taking a single day for granted.

But in this moment, you are also a reminder of the stark differences between humans and celestials and infernals. Humans deal with stress much differently, and life in the Devildom has been constant introductions of new varieties of stress.

It's a little astonishing, really. At least he came into this exchange program already self-sufficient and aware of the major players in this political sphere. He knew what he was getting into. You? You have been learning everything as you go, from the actual existence of demons and angels to the reality of magic to your place in this wider world.

You've been doing a fantastic job of it, MC; you roll with some very hard punches and never stay down for long. But it's clear that you're starting to feel it now. You're on your feet, as you always are, but your spirit is bruised. You're exhausted. You're showing all the human signs of stress and strain, physical and emotional and mental.

And you seem to think you have something to prove to everyone still. You think your humanity is a weakness to be overcome, when it is your most wonderful and genuine strength.

MC, you know you don't need to try to impress him, don't you? Nothing will ever make you any less impressive in his eyes.

So do him the honor and the privilege of letting him support you for a change. From one human sorcerer to another. From a friend to a friend. From your partner.

He knows your tendency to overthink the things you shouldn't (and your propensity to not think enough when you really should pause a beat), so he doesn't text or make a polite offer. He sweeps up beside you as you're walking off campus and smiles and asks if you trust him.

You know he's planning something-- he's always planning something-- but you've learned to roll with most of his magical punches well enough. So you say yes, because at the end of the day, you do. He keeps his secrets close, but you trust he has your best intentions in mind.

His hand slips into yours and the ground melts under your feet and you're falling. There's a shift of pressure and then he's gracefully settling on his feet on new ground beside you. (You really wish he'd give you better advance notice to brace for these things.)

You're in a library, but it's not one you recognize. There is light filtering in from windows that reveals you aren't in the Devildom right now. A table nearby has some books scattered across it and journals open to blank pages ready for notes. Two mugs of steaming tea and a plate of cookies sits in the middle of it all.

He's watching you take it in with a small smile, giving you a chance to puzzle things out for yourself. When you shoot him an expectant look, he tilts his head toward the table in invitation and waits for you to look over the subjects chosen for this surprise study session.

All of the books are about depression, anxiety, stress, burnout. There are books on neurodivergency from psychological and biological perspectives. No petty self-help books here, just research and realism. You look to him again, this time in wary understanding.

He gestures for you to have a seat. Leaning over your shoulder, he pulls a few books closer, and you can see they have little tabs sticking out to mark passages. 

There is no problem that cannot be solved, his charming apprentice; it is only a matter of reframing it and creating the answers you need. You see, sometimes you think that something different is something broken only because you do not understand what that difference actually means. 

Humans evolved to survive, and some of those evolutions branched off differently than others. That doesn't make those branches weaker. It makes them better suited for different situations. Anxious minds are more observant, and depressed minds are more realistic. Your only shortcoming is in not understanding how to best care for and protect your unique and beautiful mind.

He slides into the other chair, positioning it at your side but not too close, not crowding your studies. He folds his hands on an empty spot on the table, stretched between the two of you. After a moment's consideration, he gently catches one of your hands between his.

You are not weak because you have limits; you are not failing because you do not measure up to someone else's idea of success. 

There is no rush here; the books are yours, and this library is his own. While is it spelled to keep most everyone out, you are recognized and welcome any time you desire.

And should you want conversation between bursts of reading, he will always make time for you. After all, you can't possibly think he's lived this long and not wrestled with his own inner-demons, can you? He knows every person experiences things differently, and whether you just want to voice your thoughts aloud or debate the efficacy of a coping mechanism, he's your man.

But let's not fall too deep into the serious scholarly hole here! Who do you think he is, Lucifer? This isn't all work and no play, MC.

Sometimes, he admits with a broad grin, the real magic is just simple science. But a little alchemy and sorcery can make the journey more fun.

The only way out is through a problem, but who said you have to take the road most traveled by? Don't limit your beliefs and expectations by what you think is possible, dear apprentice. Together you can create new possibilities.

Why do you think he enjoys creating new potions and fiddling with charms and amulets, hm? Once you live a few hundred years, you get very tired of the same-old same-old. If you're this exhausted by life after a few decades, imagine how absolutely mind-numbing it gets after a few dozen. 

And of course you can start with the basics, the usual culprits. Is housework piling up because you're too exhausted to even think about doing laundry or washing dishes? He didn't live this long without learning some shortcuts for tedious chores.

Are the brothers driving you out of your mind with their neediness? It's both charming and alarming how seven avatars of sin could be so wild about one human. (Then again, it makes complete sense when that one human is you.) But he can teach you a multitude of spells, from forced boundaries to repel them to illusions to make you seem to be in multiple places simultaneously. 

Perhaps just some lighthearted fun, to fill your room with bubbles or change the color of your hair, to walk among stars or create your own symphonies and soundtracks. It's easy for him to forget the simple awe and joy of magic, but seeing that genuine smile on your face reminds him of the truly important things in life.

But think wilder, MC! Think broader! Ask pointless questions and make extravagant answers. Joy doesn't come by doing the bare minimum to survive, it comes by doing something new and exciting and absolutely unnecessary.

You don't need to create a bracelet that causes the wearer to speak only in bad puns, but it sure would be hilarious. You don't have to invent cursed socks that always slip down the wearer's heels, but it'd be entertaining. You aren't required to invent a potion that results in actual visual thought bubbles over the imbiber's head, but it'd make family dinners much more fun.

Name your wildest dreams, MC, and he'll help you learn how to make them reality.

While magic can't be used to change the way your mind works (such things are banned for good reason, and your mind is perfect the way it is), it can help you find new ways to cope and help you understand the root causes of your symptoms. It can give you avenues of discovery to find new purpose and meaning.

But most importantly, remember that you are not in it alone. Even in the Devildom, you do not have to face your humanity by yourself. 

Yes, your emotions and your pain can be a burden, but they are a burden worth sharing, a burden he wishes to help you manage. You are worth the effort, MC, and you are worth the struggle. 

Because that is the strength of humanity:  no matter the hardship, humans will band together and help one another keep standing and keep fighting. Not because it's the easy thing to do, but because it's the human thing to do. 

He had nearly forgotten his own humanity before he met you, but you've reminded him of how precious a gift it is. 

Now, please, have some cookies! He made them himself, and they're some of his best work if he does say so himself. They have a great little kick to them! .... Why are you making that face?

[britswriting]

Fallen For You |H.S AU

Fallen For You | Masterlist (I'll try and put them all under the #fallenforyoubybrit tag)

Read on Wattpad

Cover + edit made by me. Instagram watermark is my Demi Lovato edit account - I might open a Harry account but that's TBD right now

Description:

"Welcome to Fallen Ranch!" "Oh, I thought it was fall in. Like fallin' a part" Harry Styles was Boston Creek's must have rancher. He was hard to come by, hard to accommodate to, and a pain in everyone's ass; but he did a damn good job, which made him become very desirable. Everyone wanted him, and if you had him, you had to make sure you could afford to keep him. Not only was his pay out of this world, but he also requested room & board, including meals, a truck to get to town and at least one day off a week. If you wanted your chance at Harry Styles being your Rancher, there was absolutely no wiggle room for discussion. Delaney knew how much of a pain in the ass Harry Styles was. She grew up hearing the stories ever since he moved into town. "He's disrespectful", "He thinks his way is the right way" and the worst of them all? He didn't like dogs; but even with all of the bad mouthing the town has said about him, she couldn't help but notice his dreamy eyes and glistening muscles as he worked in the sun. The moment she found out her father had landed the Harry Styles, she was terrified. Her family couldn't afford her to make a fool of herself. If she wanted to keep Harry and everything that came with him, she needed to seal her heart up and throw away the key... right?

This is my warnings from my Welcome page on Wattpad before you read; the casting + their photos need to be viewed through Wattpad due to me passing Tumblr's photo limit per post.

~

Hello! Welcome to my new Harry Styles fanfic! - this is my first time writing a Harry fanfic since 2016, so honestly wish us all luck lol

This story will contain smut! - if you're uncomfortable with that, there will be warnings at the start of each chapter. 

I'm pretty warning heavy if needed, so if anything comes up that I'm aware of being triggering, I will put a disclaimer - if you find anything that I missed that should be a warning, feel free to comment! - I won't put a warning for "fat" comments due to they're not meant to come across has harmful or hateful - Delaney is plus sized and she is aware of that. Jokes get made, insecurities are shown but none of it is supposed to come across in a negative way. If those things are triggering, it should be very sparse due to I'm trying to write a confident plus sized character! 

Comment's Harry makes are never intended to be hurtful! He comes from a good place, it just all comes out wrong! <3

For those who came from the dadrry tag - it isn't immediate, but it's there!

This story contains lbgtqia characters, POC characters & plus sized characters - hate speech is not allowed, your comments will be deleted and you will be blocked. This story is a safe + loving environment for all! 

This story contains swearing! (I can't help myself I'm sorry lol)

Last prewarning, I write slow burn! - they will not be dating immediately nor having sex right away! I like writing the build up and edging in my writing, if that is something that bothers you, this book probably isn't for you! - Because it is forced proximity, they are always together and it doesn't take a million years lol they just won't be together by the 5th chapter unlike other books.

Tropes:

Rancher!Harryxplussized!OC ??

Grumpyxsunshine 

dadrry/grandparry 👀 - Harry is only 28/29! You'll understand later lol

Forced Proximity 

She falls first x he falls harder

The most important for anyone who doesn't want to see the full cast, is our MC (Main Character)

Here is Delaney! Also known as "Lane/Laney" by close friends + family

Chapter One

[princessfbi]

Five of My Favorite Fics I've Written

Tagged by @loveyourownsmiilee

I'm cheating and putting six cus no one is the boss of me.

In no particular order:

Buckley Bookshop AU

“Books are my love language,” Maddie said as she handed Chimney the book. “Movies are yours. This is a movie, right?” Chimney jerked his head up in alarm as he looked at her and Maddie couldn’t help but laugh as she dropped the ruse.“I’m kidding. I know Fight Club is a movie.”   The Madney Bookstore AU we all deserve and the Buddie Teen Romance to add a spice of chaos.

Falling Slowly; Sing Your Melody (I’ll Sing It Loud) 

Buck didn’t like him at first.  Eddie Diaz was all hard lines and strict rules with a bone structure that could cut through glass and scared away his fans. Which... if you asked Bobby, was the point but still!  He also yelled at Buck which was fine. It’s not like it hurt his feelings.  It didn’t.  It didn’t, Maddie! It also definitely didn’t turn Buck on either. Nope.  Stop it, Maddie! After a traumatizing home invasion, Bobby Nash decides to hire a bodyguard for his lead singer. Musician!Buck Bodyguard!Eddie

Tear Me to Pieces; Skin to Bone 

Bobby wasn’t comfortable with the LAPD wanting to use Buck as bait. Because that’s exactly what Buck would be: bait. 

The LAPD wants to borrow Buck for an undercover mission to hunt down a serial killer. No one is thrilled.

What a Wicked Thing to Do (to Let Me Dream of You) 

“It’s fine. You busy?”

Which was how Buck found himself waiting outside Eddie’s door with a jittery bounce in his step and a sense of delirious déjà vu of another time when he’d called up Eddie in the middle of the night feeling lonely.

The warm light of the inside of Eddie’s place basked around him like a halo and made him fuzzy around the edges as he opened the door. Warm and dreamlike that seeped into Buck’s muscles and made him relax for just a second.

“Hey—” Was all Eddie could get out before Buck was crossing the threshold and searing his lips against Eddie’s in a desperate kiss.

  Follow Up to No Strings Attached 

I Don't Mind Waiting (If It's For You)

“Victim is Charles Dumont. Three gunshot wounds to the chest. Looks like an attempted robbery. There was a case of bourbon with a bottle missing and we found Charlie’s wallet tossed a few blocks from here. And Eddie?” Athena stopped just as she got to the door and turned him with a serious expression on her face. “There’s a witness.” 

Her frown dipped under the professional mask she was known for and Eddie caught the flicker of concern pulling at her composure.

“You know him?” 

Athena pressed her lips into a tight line and nodded. 

“Evan Buckley. He’s the bartender here. He was helping Charlie restock tonight when he heard a noise and saw it happen.”

  Homicide Detective, Eddie Diaz, is called in to investigate the murder of a local shield and ladder bar owner. There he meets his only witness, Evan "Buck" Buckley.

  AKA The Trashy Romance Novel Murder Mystery Buddie AU

AKA Detective!Eddie Diaz and Bartender!Evan "Buck" Buckley

Smoke and Ashes Brushed Off with Ink

He needed to breathe.  He’d been in enough pain in his life to know that.  So, Buck, taking all the experience of growing up alone and seeking the attention even if came at the price of a broken arm or a skinned knee did what he knew would help.  He exhaled slowly and melted into the table. “Good boy,” Eddie said and all of Buck’s thoughts went silent as the buzzing that had been under his skin stopped.  Everything stopped.  Everything went still.  And Buck felt real for the first time in such a long time. Tattoo Artist!Eddie Diaz AU inspired by the tumblr thread about praise kink discovery when getting a tattoo.

I'm going to tag @lovebuck @homerforsure @mellaithwen @bigfootsmom @writerbri @djdangerlove @fleurdebeton @captainchimney @madneyfiles @dearestdiaz @fleurdebeton @renecdote @prettyboyandthekid @prettyboybuckley

[misscorn]

Day 2 Confusion/Blush

My second submission for @takaritsuweek a friend has informed me that for some reason Tumblr is messing with some of the formatting (italics in particular) but on my end it looks totally normal :( so I can't really do anything about it :( if you notice weird italics, I promise it's not me, it's Tumblr. Enjoy anyway!

**

Ritsu blinked at the screen of his flip phone a couple times. Then he rubbed his eyes and blinked again. He had to be seeing things, right? He was hallucinating this text message? It was ridiculous to even entertain the idea of it being real.

There was a message from Saga currently staring back at him. Ritsu had only just recently gained his contact information a week ago. Ritsu hadn't dared tried to text or call him out of fear of annoying Saga - Ritsu already spent nearly every day with him, so surely his Senpai would want a break sometimes. There was also the risk of being caught talking to his crush by his parents. Ritsu knew he wouldn't be able to get away with saying he was talking to 'just a friend'. His blushing face would give away quickly that it was in fact not 'just a friend' on the other end of the phone.

This was the first message that Saga had sent to Ritsu outside of an initial 'hey' just to make sure Ritsu had his number. The text was a little...confusing to say the least.

'Come let me in, I'm outside. Do you really live here? This place is huge.'

Outside? Outside, outside? As in, outside Ritsu's home? It was currently ten o'clock at night with their weekend off from school just beginning. Why would Saga be here? Was this...some kind of prank?

'I don't understand', Ritsu texted back honestly. He was currently in his bedroom, previously relaxing in bed with a book.

'What about my message was confusing', came Saga's lightning fast reply.

'You're outside my house?'

'Yes. Though house is an understatement.'

Ritsu wanted to scream. Why?! Why would he be here?! How was he here?! Ritsu sprung up from his bed quickly, but quietly. He knew his mother had retired to her and her husband's room at this point, but if he caused enough of a commotion then she would certainly stick her head out to investigate. His father was likely down the hall in his study still and would probably be there for a couple more hours. Ritsu peeked his head out into the hallway quietly just to ensure its emptiness before he nearly tripped over his own feet going so fast down the stairs. He managed to stay upright somehow and hurriedly went to the front door, unlocking it. He cracked it open very slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Despite Saga's texts, Ritsu was still flabbergasted to see him on the porch.

Saga himself was looking a little awestruck, not quite meeting Ritsu's gaze as he continued looking at the house.

"What are you doing here?" Ritsu asked, as quiet as he possibly could be in his panic.

"Is this a joke?" Saga asked, still looking at the house.

"I-I should be asking that!" Ritsu stepped out to stand on the porch with him, quietly closing the door behind him.

"No, I mean your house is..." Saga trailed off. "Are you a little prince or something?"

Ritsu turned red at the question, crossing his arms both in displeasure and due to the fact that it was a bit chilly out here.

"How do you even know where I live?" Ritsu asked.

"You have a tag on your backpack with your home address on it if it gets lost." Saga answered as if that were a completely normal response, putting his hands in his pockets, having seen that tag repeatedly during their time together.

"And you just....memorized it?" Ritsu asked, shocked to be on the receiving end of more stalkerish behavior.

Saga was silent for a good, long moment, staring off blankly as his actions started to dawn on him. "....Can we go inside?" He said instead of answering the question.

Ritsu huffed, surprisingly a little grumpy with his Senpai. "N-No we cannot go inside! My parents are home for one and my mother would absolutely kill me for sneaking a friend in-"

"A friend?"

"-and since I didn't know you would decide to randomly drop by tonight my room is an absolute mess. There's books everywhere and clothes-"

"What, you don't have staff for that?" Saga asked sarcastically, cutting off Ritsu's ranting rather sharply. Ritsu looked away and Saga held back a laugh of disbelief. "Holy shit."

"Th-They've gone back home for the day."

"And you managed to wreck your room that quickly? That's almost impressive. Oh my God, my boyfriend lives in a massive mansion with staff attending to him." If Saga hadn't already expected a certain level of wealth, he might have completely doubled over in shock. Still, there was a confusing amusement that accompanied his disbelief over Ritsu's living situation.

Despite the chill, Ritsu felt his whole body go warm at the word 'boyfriend', not used to being called that yet, but he couldn't allow his soft heart to distract him from his displeasure!

"Senpai, why are you even here? It's getting late and I could get in serious trouble." Ritsu complained.

"I just missed you." Saga said. "I didn't want to wait till Monday to see you. You're not happy to see me?" He asked, the slightest tilt to his voice making him sound just a tiny bit pathetic.

Ritsu was stunned, looking at Saga's frowning face with his own baffled expression. "I-I-"

"Come on, Ritsu-sama," Saga said with a smirk, making Ritsu cringe a bit, "live a little. Break a rule for once and sneak your boyfriend into your parents' big fancy house."

"...W-We can't do anything." Ritsu warned.

Saga raised an eyebrow. "Anything?" He echoed with confusion.

"Y-You know! That." Ritsu whisper-yelled.

"Okay." Saga agreed way too easily.

"Senpai, I'm serious! I can't - I c-can't stay quiet." Ritsu said, mortified at such a confession, but it was important that Saga understood.

"I said okay." Saga replied. "Can we please go inside now?"

Ritsu hesitated, looking pained at the question before he slowly turned back toward the door and gently opened it as an answer. Saga stepped inside behind him, Ritsu closing the door and locking it. He held a finger up to his lips to indicate to Saga to remain silent before taking his hand and leading him upstairs to his room. He hurriedly ushered him inside, shutting and locking his own door.

"I don't get a tour of the place?" Saga whispered once the door was closed.

"If you wanted that then you should've come during the day after my parents okayed a visit from a friend." Ritsu whispered back.

"A visit from a what?" Saga pressed, just to be an asshole.

"A friend." Ritsu repeated, not having quite picked up on Saga's meaning yet.

How many times was Ritsu going to use that word tonight? It was starting to piss Saga off a bit.

"Ah. A friend. Quick question, do friends usually do this?" Saga asked, wrapping his arms around Ritsu's waist and standing way too close for someone who just agreed five minutes ago not to try anything.

"S-Senpai-" Ritsu's hands found their way to Saga's shoulders, weakly attempting to push him away, but finding himself soon swept up into a kiss.

Despite Ritsu still being just a tiny bit annoyed - which was surprising and new, he didn't know he could be annoyed with Senpai - he couldn't help but to follow his lead, instinctively parting his lips the way Saga had taught him. That alone made his face burn, but he fought past the embarrassment, one hand shyly moving up to bury itself in Saga's hair.

The slightest touch from Ritsu was enough to make Saga completely disregard any risk that fooling around may bring and he gripped Ritsu tighter, starting to move toward the bed with him. However, in a moment of uncharacteristic clumsiness, Saga miscalculated a step and ended up tripping over one of the hazardous piles of books on the floor. He ended up falling to the ground, accidentally bringing Ritsu down with him, who let out an unintentionally loud yelp as he fell on top of Saga.

"S-Sorry, I'm so sorry-!" Ritsu hurriedly tried to stand back up without causing damage to the upperclassman. Saga was still a little dazed from the fall - and from having Ritsu's body weight suddenly coming down on top of him - but otherwise was relatively unharmed. Maybe there'd be some bruising, but he decided it was worth it. Now, Saga got to witness such a cute, cherry-red expression on Ritsu's face as he held out a hand to help Saga up.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? I told you my room was a total mess-" Ritsu fussed over him and Saga considered faking some kind of injury to have even more of his attention, but the moment was unfortunately cut short.

"Ritsu? I can see your light is on. I thought I heard a big thud. Is everything okay?" A woman called out from behind Ritsu's door, the knob jiggling as she attempted to open it.

Ritsu nearly screamed.

"I'm fine, everything's fine mom, one second!" Ritsu called out, quickly pushing Saga toward his closet. Saga hardly had time to resist as he was unceremoniously shoved inside, Ritsu saying a quiet 'sorry' before he closed the door.

Well, shit, Saga thought, standing there with his arms crossed. That hadn't gone as planned.

Ritsu ripped his door open, smiling in an attempt to alleviate suspicion, but it was far too wide and unnatural. "Sorry for waking you up mom. I just tripped over some of my stuff." He said.

Youko clicked her tongue in disapproval, shuffling inside Ritsu's room and picking up some of the clothes he had lying around. "Of course you're tripping over things, your room is a mess! The least you could do is hang up some of your clothes!" She exclaimed, turning toward Ritsu's closet.

"M-Mom! Y-You don't have to worry about that, I'll do it, I promise! J-Just go back to bed!" Ritsu exclaimed, taking the clothes from her quickly.

Youko narrowed her eyes at his eagerness to get her to leave. "Are you doing something you shouldn't be, Ritsu?" She asked.

"No! No, I just - um - I would feel bad if I made you clean up my mess. I can take care of it." Ritsu said, trying to calm down and behave normally for once.

"Hm. I don't mind helping." She said, though her tone suggested she wasn't so much helping as she was investigating. She turned to start picking up some books instead, examining them curiously as she did so.

Ritsu took the opportunity to shuffle over to the closet, waiting to make sure she was faced away before he opened it quickly. He shoved the clothes into Saga's arms in a panic before closing the door and blocking it with his body as he turned back toward his mom.

His mother put a few books she had gathered back on to his book shelf, going to continue her task before she noticed Ritsu's empty hands. "Where are your clothes?"

"I put them away." Ritsu said.

Youko put her hands on her hips and gave Ritsu an impatient look. "You put them away too fast. You couldn't have possibly put them away properly." She said.

"I-I did!" Ritsu insisted.

"Let me see." She replied, taking a couple strides to stand in front of him. Ritsu remained firmly planted in front of the closet.

"I-I put them away." Ritsu repeated.

"Onodera Ritsu, move away from the closet immediately." She ordered.

Ritsu winced, but accepted defeat as he stepped out of her way.

Youko opened the closet door, only to find Saga standing there with Ritsu's clothes still in his arms. She jumped back at the sight of a stranger in her son's closet and screamed.

"M-Mom, it's okay-!"

"Police! Ritsu, go call the police!"

"Mom-!"

"What do you think you're doing in my son's room, you hooligan?!" She demanded.

"Uh..." Saga blanked, understandably not sure how to handle this situation.

"Youko, is everything okay?!" Ritsu's father - Onodera Tatsuo - rushed in from down the hall, having heard his wife scream.

"We have a home intruder!" Youko shouted.

"Mom! He's my friend!" Ritsu said in a desperate attempt to cut through the panic. Saga awkwardly shuffled out of the closet and set the clothes down.

"Yup. I'm...a friend." Saga said through gritted teeth as Ritsu came to stand at his side.

"A-A friend? Why in the world do you have a friend over at this hour?!" Youko demanded.

"I..." Ritsu's mouth became dry.

"It was my idea. Ritsu didn't know I was coming over, I just showed up wanting to hang out. Sorry." Saga shoved his hands into his pockets, currently wishing he could just go back into the closet.

"Well, Ritsu, I'm very disappointed that you haven't picked better friends. I mean really, hanging around a delinquent who sneaks around at night!" Youko said, scandalized.

Ritsu looked down, tensing as he tried to fight back the tears that wanted to form. It was already embarrassing to be scolded by his mother in front of Saga, but the thought of his parents' first impression of his beloved Senpai being so terrible broke his heart.

"Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself young man?" Youko pressed.

"I..." Ritsu faltered, still trying not to cry.

"Youko, I'll handle this. You should go back to bed." Tatsuo said.

Youko hmphed and hesitated, but ultimately turned to head off, irritated at having her sleep interrupted for such a silly reason.

"Dad, I'm really sorry-"

"It's not Ritsu's fault, sir-"

Both teens tried to speak at the same time, but Tatsuo held up a hand to stop them.

"I never once snuck out to go hang out with a friend." Tatsuo said, slowly crossing his arms as a small smirk came to his face. "But, I snuck out all the time to see your mother."

Ritsu stared at his father for a few seconds before the implication fully hit him. "E-Eh?! W-What are you suggesting, dad? Hahaha!" Ritsu exclaimed with forced, panicked laughter.

Tatsuo chuckled at Ritsu's response. "Listen, your 'friend' can't stay the night, but we'll just let your mom think you're grounded for a week, okay?" He said. Honestly, he was a little relieved that Ritsu had harmlessly broken a rule. That was a part of growing up, after all. Tatsuo then looked to Saga, making the older teen stand a little straighter. "What's your name?"

"Saga Masamune, sir." He answered. Oh God, he had so not been prepared to meet Ritsu's parents, especially not like this.

Tatsuo gave a nod. "We'll have to meet again soon under more proper circumstances. Get home safe, alright? Ritsu, please show him out." He said before he left the bedroom to let the teens say their goodbyes.

"...Well, your dad seems cool." Saga said after a few moments of stunned silence.

"Oh my God, I could die right now." Ritsu said miserably.

"Did your mom call you Onodera Ritsu, by the way?"

Now Ritsu really could die.

[writebackatya]

Sorry you have to receive another message about this situation again but

Was there any proof of Shelly grooming anyone?screenshots or anything like that? I feel it’s not very good to accuse someone of that if there is lack of proof that they did so in the first place

Personally, I will no longer be interacting with Shelly due to their interaction with problematic and gross creators but still I felt this needed to be said

Thank you for discussing this; I do feel this is important and thank you for your time

There is no reason to apologize. We all need to be smart about this and make sure our facts are all straight

As for the grooming, in the time I’ve spent searching through Shelly’s art, Twitter and Tumblr accounts, and their art mutual’s Twitter profile; I found no evidence of grooming

I don’t think in any of my posts I accused Shelly of being a groomer, I did however put the tw tags of grooming just because there were mentions of it. And I think in my first post I wrote that anonymous’ accusations were accurate without specifying that it was about their Pokémon art and the people they associate themselves with. So I’ll be sure to go back to my original post and clarify that

I will say that when I got the original message I was working 2nd shift at my job, but it was not a super busy day and I had access to my phone and wanted to get to the bottom of it right away. I did get some interruptions and I did not feel all too comfortable looking through NSFW content of any kind while at work so my research was not the most thorough but I stand by that it was enough for me to let anonymous’ concerns be seen

I will reiterate my findings here. When I was searching through Shelly’s DuckTales artwork I didn’t find anything that made me raise an eyebrow. Any artwork that featured the young characters or characters when they were younger were in no way sexual. The only NSFW artwork I found was with the adult characters. I know everyone has their standards but I personally don’t see anything wrong with NSFW stuff when the character is an established adult

While I was on Shelly’s Twitter I decided to look into their art mutual’s Twitter page that anonymous mentioned and there I immediately found (thankfully) blurred out images of NSFW featuring the kid characters of DuckTales as well as links to the full art. Besides that I found that that artist made various edits to some of Shelly’s NSFW DuckTales artwork. And before you ask, yes I can confirm the two were mutuals following one another and this person wasn’t just a fan of Shelly’s art

After I came across that I just wanted to be sure if Shelly themselves has ever drawn anything that would raise any red flags. I went onto a furry website that I knew reposted art from the sites anonymous mentioned that I did not have access to. I went ahead and searched under Shelly’s name

Again, the DuckTales artwork did not raise any red flags in my book since all the NSFW stuff was with characters like Gyro or Mark Beaks, two characters that we know are adults. It was when I got to the Pokémon art work that the red flags were raised for me

There were a lot of sexual artwork featuring the Pokémon creatures and a good portion of them featured ones I considered cutesy such as Eevee and other little Pokémon that can easily be interpreted as young

The one artwork that made me end up my research and just respond to anonymous’ message was one that featured a Pokémon (I don’t remember which one) and a human character. After clicking on the picture I went down to the tags and saw that the human character was Silver who is a trainer and as far as I know, all the main trainers in any Pokémon games are children

Now past artwork might not be enough for some and that’s fair. Stuff we post in the past may no longer reflect who we are now and Shelly’s current artwork (or at least the stuff I have seen) did not raise any red flags for me but their association with that one DuckTales artist did. And I felt that was enough to warn the younger fans in this fandom about Shelly

Before all this happened, I will say I didn’t personally know Shelly. My interactions with them consisted of me liking and reblogging their artwork as well as a recent WIP preview they wrote

The only time I think they spoke directly to me was on a poll I ran on Tumblr. It was my “How did Della “greet” Gyro when she got back from the moon”. The poll’s options consisted of different acts of violence and pettiness from Della that she would do to Gyro that I felt were just cartoony and in no way mean spirited

I remember I did that poll because I always saw posts from the fandom like “Oh Della deserves to punch Gyro at least once” so I thought it’d be fun to do a poll on what Della did to get her revenge on Gyro for his black licorice gum. I didn’t want it to be too extreme or mean spirited so I tried my best to come up with violent and petty actions that I could see Della doing that were just cartoony. I even threw in a “the two just sat down and had a nice conversation with one another” as an option cause I wanted to be clear “I don’t hate Gyro”

Well Shelly saw the poll. She responded to it on her personal account and thought the poll was mean spirited towards Gyro. I don’t recall everything what their comment said but I do remember that what they wrote sounded very angry and seemed to take the poll really personally

Now to be fair, Shelly doesn’t know me and I can see how one can interpret that even if it wasn’t my intention. To show that the poll was in all good fun and that I don’t hate Gyro I replied to their comment with “but black licorice” because yeah, that’s a lame excuse and it’s the only reason Della is mad at Gyro. They didn’t respond.

A week went by and the results came in, the winner of the poll was “All the above”. After the results came in Shelly once again commented on the post in a rather condescending way, along the lines of “I don’t see why people voted for what they did when Della was to blame but whatever!” I didn’t respond

After that I wanted to show there was no hard feelings from me, so whenever I reblogged their stuff I tried my best to remember to add comments in the tags

Yes I could’ve reached out to them, but I’m bad at doing that to people I don’t really know. And looking back on everything, I’m glad I didn’t

[neonpaperlanterns]

Under the same Moon

[part two]

A/N: I said it in the tags but I'll say it here to, this work is heavily inspired by everlasting rain-fall. They created the pages au and with their permission I am posting this on my tumbler. Also you should totally check out their Tumblr. Minors do not interact. That is not a place for you. Stay away.

Noor was excited, she was happy. She had finished the final installment of her first book series. Under the same Moon wasn’t the most high brow novel out there. It was a cheesy, maybe a bit predictable romance. But it was hers and the fans that she had accumulated over the years, well she loved them. 

Letting out a sigh she looked over the book she had spent the last six months writing. It ended with a wedding. After all the pining Noor has injected between the characters of Junko and Sota she thought that them finally being together was a nice ending. She was still a bit unsure about the small epilogue chapter. Though it was too late to change her mind she was still iffy on it. Fans had begged that Junko and Sota have a family. They wanted to see their relationship come to a certain fruition. So for the people that had gotten her here she relented. 

Sighing Noor sat down at her desk, her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She was ready to start on another book.

What was she going to write?

She wasn’t sure.

But as she was about to jot down ideas her Den Den Mushi went off. Absentmindedly she picked up the receiver. Her pencil tapped rhythmically against the wood.

“Hello?” she asked as the other end was oddly quiet. That caught her attention. “Um hello?” she asked again. No one answered, there was only silence. Hanging up she pushed what just happened from her mind. It wasn’t the first time she got a bizarre call.

It was easy to forget.

So when she got another call a week later she answered without hesitation.

“Hello?” her brows furrowed as she heard someone breathing. Noor sighed and felt her shoulders slump. “Alright, I’m going to hang up now.” she heard a choking sound on the other end.

“Don’t you dare hang up on me again.” she felt her heart plummet into her stomach. The voice was high pitched and the words came out as a dangerous plea.

“Do you know how upsetting it was for you to not even let me speak last time? You didn’t even give me a chance.” her legs felt like jelly and she had to lean against the counter. She should cut the transmission but her brain wasn’t working. The caller let out a heavy sigh.

“It’s alright though. I forgive you. I understand that you didn’t mean it. I know how much stress you're under right now.” Noor’s ears were buzzing. “Being pregnant with that bastard’s child-” she interrupted the man on the other end.

“You have the wrong frequency.” she slammed the receiver down. The poor snail’s eyes went wide and then shut down. Clutching at her chest she had to sit down. 

Trying to push that interaction from her mind proved much more difficult. She didn’t get another call but the feeling of being watched started to permeate her entire life.

Going to the market left her feeling like every slightly darkened corner held a thousand eyes.

She decided to go to the new cafe that opened and she could swear she felt someone breathing over her shoulder.

Hanging her laundry out on a beautiful day left her with the feeling that someone was just behind the billowing sheets. 

The only place she felt like she wasn’t being observed was in her own home. It was the only place she felt safe but that was gradually being taken away from her.

Notes were being stabbed into her door. Or slipped under her door. Some of them were absolutely ineligible. The paper looked like someone had cried over it, the ink smudged and ran down the page. Then there were the ones that she could read. 

They were mad at her.

They needed her.

They hated her.

They loved her.

She broke their heart and deserved to die.

But they forgave her and they were going to take care of all of her problems.

She burned every last note. New ones would appear and she didn’t read them, just burned them. She started finding trinkets on her bedroom window sill.

She stopped sleeping in her bedroom.

Noor felt something break inside her when she opened her door and there was a horrifying pulsing mass of flesh. She had slammed her door shut and vomited all over the floor. She moved that night. Took what she needed and crawled through the window. 

She got a blissful three months until she woke up one morning with a note placed on her pillow.

I don’t need you to have legs.

Noor didn’t know what to do. They found her and she knew if she ran again they would still find her. And while the note was short it got their point across.

She stopped leaving her house. Stopped leaving her room. Instead she layed curled up on her floor staring at her ceiling. Watching the fan spin languidly as the sun passed outside. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do. 

How was she supposed to live like this? That thought plagued her as she drifted to sleep that evening.

Groggily Noor woke that night with aching limbs but feeling oddly coddled. She didn’t remember her bed being this comfortable. Letting out a soft sigh she burrowed further into the mattress. Sleep was about to take her again when there was a shifting feeling underneath her. Something cool slithered over her body as smooth feeling tendrils grasp her wrists. 

Noor has never snapped into lucidity so quickly. Surging upward she felt herself sink further into her bed. 

“Oh you’re awake.” The voice raked across her ears uncomfortably as her head turned sharply. Chest heaving and eyes wide she peered through the gloom of her room. Squished in the doorway was a pale grinning monster. Sharp teeth caught the little light that filtered through the room. 

“I wasn’t expecting you conscious so soon.” he let out a tsking sound as he crawled closer. A scream caught in her throat as she tried to throw herself towards her window. But she can’t move and the thing holding her shifts again. A jagged smile encompasses her vision and she feels her heart plummet into her stomach. A horrid shadow version of the grinning monster is looming above her. 

“Trying to leave?” She hears him laugh as tears well up and roll down her cheeks. Her mind was racing and she didn’t want to look at him. Didn’t want to see whatever he was going to do to her.

Was he going to kill her?

Torture her?

“Why are you crying? I haven’t given you a reason to do so yet.” Her breath caught in her throat as his hand came up to wipe her tears away. Almost gingerly he grabs her chin and turns her to look at him.

“I can give you a reason to cry later. But first I need to get you home.” His hand trailed down her neck and over her chest to come to rest on her abdomen. His fingers tapped along the flat planes of her stomach. A high pitched hum leaves him as he suddenly digs his nails into her skin.

Noor yelps in pain and tries to squirm away but he doesn’t let her get far. His grin dripped with malice as he chuckled.

“We need to take care of your little problem after all.”

[sunsents]

Content 2/2 - F.W (M)

Empty Chapter II

IT'S. OVER. Holy shit, this took way longer than I expected it to be. Yes, it’s 20k mf words and what abt it. Don’t look at me like that. I warned ya’ll 🙄. Now, I definitely made up some words while writing this. Like a shelved corridor, the heck is a shelved corridor?!?! Please tell me it makes sense…please for the sake of my sanity. The smut is kinda tame so I’ll whip out the chains on the next one.

CROSS POSTED TO WATTPAD HERE

Summary —> Years later you find yourself face to face with the person that caused your ruin - yet this time, somethings different.

Pairing: fredweasley x fem!reader

Word count: 20k... honestly I completely get it if ya'll wanna sit this one out

Warnings: *deep breath* a poor attempt at humor / gingers / pining idiots / normal idiots / excessive cursing / fred weasley in slacks / alcohol consuming / very little angst (its mostly just overthinking) to fluff / minor character death / smut / oral, (fem) / fingering / cum play / sexual mf intercourse mfs / protected sex (dont be silly protect your willy) / dirty talk / sappy stuff

Rating: 18+

DON’T REPOST MY WORK

tagged: @opalsheart @ronsbadidea @uselessmoonlight @boxofbadaddiction @lovenonymously @sergeantkilowog @rudypankowisdaddy, @nobutfredweasleytho some names didn’t come up when I tried, so what do we get from this? I can't properly use Tumblr <3

Five Years Later, 2003

"____, will you just calm down." Aleyna lets go of the book box full of bathroom supplies and they clink together, to which you wince because these are your stuff and you’re in a far too dangerous position to lose more money.

"How can I calm down?!" you exclaim dramatically, tossing your wand on the nylon wrapped couch. "It's all Stacey's fault."

Aleyna quirks a brow, "Whose Stacey?"

"That one chick from Magical Catastrophes who always has lipstick on her teeth."

"I don't think her name is Stacey though."

You send Aleyna a look that screams, stop being reasonable at a time like this. No, this was when you overpaid your TV cable to air The Twilight Zone and drank cheap wine while cursing out your boss who cared about your well being. Hermione had become The Minister of Magic, and of course you were proud of her. Though, this didn't mean she could let you have time off work whenever something insignificant happened.

"Probably not," you mutter, opening your fridge and coming face to face with the painful truth that it’s empty, and you’re hungry. Your hand unintentionally flies to graze over your scar as you survey your options, a small pack of ketchup and left over chips. "Suits her though, feels good to say 'Goddamnit Stacey' when something goes wrong in my life."

Stacey deserves it because Stacey doesn’t refill the staplers on purpose.

Aleyna snorts, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. "What did Stacey ever do to you?" Then she wheels across your new apartment to retrieve more boxes from outside.

You’re grateful for the support of all your friends, but the pitying looks they give you whenever someone mentions the words house and fire is enough to fuel into your secret want of setting their houses on fire. It was an accident, you were just trying to make the delicious recipe Molly had sent you, ignoring the small fact that you didn't know how to properly use an oven. The savings you lost from your bleeding bank account were not worth pasta with tomato sauce on it.

Though, your new apartment is big, bigger than your first because after making a name for yourself as an Auror money came easily. Wide walls for a projector TV, long tail shaped couch standing firm on varnished wood floorings, and two bedrooms that have their own - kind of unnecessary - bathrooms. Not to mention the giant kitchen with an island, only rich people had islands, where you could make plenty of Italian recipes and not worry about burning the house down because Aleyna fool-proofed it for you.

The flat was at the top floor of the new bar she just built, and she was kind enough to let you start renting the place. The residents of Diagon Alley had been fighting for this apartment for months, and you were proud to have snagged it before anyone could even offer.

Gripping the last two boxes, Aleyna pushes the front door with her foot and navigates herself backwards through the other dozen boxes you had just tossed on the floor. "These are the last two, are you sure you don't need anymore help?" she offers.

You shake your head, "I can just use magic, not in the mood for pursuing the muggle lifestyle right now."

Aleyna frowns, this reaches her eyes though. "That bad huh."

Simply nodding, you don’t bother getting into an in depth rant about how a simple fire didn't mean you had trauma, and that you didn't need to stop working for a few weeks. Not that being an Auror was hard, your work days have been quite uneventful if you didn't count a few "Revalutioners" sticking a muggle's head in a toilet.

"I know what will cheer you up," Aleyna chimes, already clad in her pea coat and sneakers. "Dinner, and it's on me."

You couldn't possibly say no to free dinner, also making food for yourself was probably not a good idea right now. Stay clear of ovens, you reminded yourself.

After getting snug in your coat and fluffing your hair, you fall on step next to Aleyna as the two of you chat.

The London cold is brutal, shivering whomever until their noses turn red and making their hands feel itchy when sudden warmth overtook. You’re used to it, as is anyone in Diagon Alley. People are crowding the stores, chatting loudly and waving their wands around at stores to reserve whatever crappy gifts they were going to buy for their family's.

You hate the holidays, refusing to go back to America and visit your own family. Your mother couldn't cook, nor could your father. Though, that didn't stop her from insisting every year and giving you, your father and the Burke's food poisoning.

After three years of sitting through awkward family dinners where everyone ignored the fact that you were almost Head of Aurors, and focused on Eva's collapsing career of Healer only to praise her, you had about enough and stopped attending. It had been two years since then, they didn't bother to write. Your dad occasionally sent you money in a horrible christmas card with an even more horrible pun written in red glittery letters that also sang Run Run Rudolph.

"Ugh, everyone's crowding the joke shop aga- oh." Aleyna pauses. "I'm sorry."

She knows about your past with Fred Weasley, considering whenever you rant about work it ends up with you cursing him and Eva out. He had such a blame-able face, just like Stacey from Magical Catastrophes.

You give Aleyna a look. "You act like I'm not a grown woman who can't get over something that happened eight years ago." you say, shaking off the small snow particles that begin to lightly fall. "You should be like this with, I don't know...my relationship with Theo! We broke up last year, why aren't you fragile with him, hmmm?"

Aleyna claps your back in a friendly manner all the same. "I know I know, but come on. This is childhood trauma we're talking about."

"Now that I think about it, seeing Eva's coochie was traumatic." you grin, and Aleyna's jaw gape even if she heard the story hundreds of times before. Not that Eva's...modesty was bad per say, just not a pleasant sight seeing as you guys grew up together.

Other than that fact, you hadn't talked, even seen Fred after the war ended. Sure, you occasionally stole glances at their very successful joke shop, but there was no point in dwelling and trying to fix an already withered away friendship.

You had fixed your relationship with Ron and Harry, having had no choice since the three of you worked together. "You were right ____, we were assholes. You don't need to apologize." they had told you, and that was that. The two families and well, you did weekly dinners and enduring the two men for Ginny and Hermione got easier as days passed, finally ending up in a good friendship like old times. It was casual between you, easy when no one mentioned how abruptly your friendship ended. No one dared to either.

Also, Harry was your boss and him remembering that you called him a drama queen wouldn’t do you any good in your career.

People bump at your sides as the two of you squeeze your way towards Sacree Fleur. The end of Voldemort brought a new, reformative era in the Wizarding World. Diagon Alley expanded, new buildings were built and culture grew. You were happy to see that Ollivendar's Wand shop renewed, along with other crumbling buildings that needed desperate attention.

Bandits lessened, and the utter arrogance some parents had by not sending their children to get magical education faded, partly because there was nothing to fear, and partly because more job opportunities arose, like said, money came easily.

Fleur Weasley, your good friend and someone who had done the impossible and won over a Weasley brother - though she was gorgeous and possibly the sweetest person you've ever met, so really they were perfect for each other - had decided on a whim to open a french restaurant. Bill couldn't say no to his wife, the rough man you had met years prior was softened with age and the struggle of raising children.

Good wine, deliciously soft steak that melts in your mouth and warm atmosphere that makes five o-clock feel like midnight. It’s by far your favorite restaurant and you'd much rather spend your Christmas Eve curled up next to a warm candlelit dinner on a terrace.

"Bonjour!" an obscenely attractive woman, Fleur greets the two of you when the revolving glass doors are pushed, and you break out in a wide smile seeing your friend at the door. "____, Aleyna! Come here, give me a big hug!"

"Fleur! What are you doing here?"

With dopey smiles, the three of you embrace.The door closes on it's own, and you shiver unintentionally, just now realizing how cold it is. Usually the big marble fireplace keeps Sacree Fleur warm, but even that seemed not enough and the restaurant is adorned with small muggle heaters, floating up above the ceiling and adding to the red light of the candles.

"You'll see. Came at a most amazing time too, silly girl always knowing when to show. Saw all the juicy drama when you were younger..." Fleur continues to joke lightheartedly, pulling away and leading the two of you through occupied tables as she faux scolds. People are content, it feels warm and almost soft. Conversation seems to flow easily and the unease you feel for the Holiday melts. Almost.

You blech whenever someone brings up the line ‘love is in the air’. It never made sense to you, because love was simply a fairy tale that would wither away with time. Also, how could love simply float? Of course, unless you count Amortentia fumes - which yours always smelled like sweat and crushed hopes. So frankly, you prefer expensive Dior perfume in the air rather than love.

Though now you find yourself doubting whatever you engraved in that well protected head of yours, love is truly in the air at Sacree Fleur. All kinds of love, mothers lovingly wiping food off their children's mouths, happy newlyweds clinking their wine glasses together with nothing but adoration in their eyes, friends enjoying sharing a simple dinner far more than should be done.

"My family, they're upstairs having dinner. The kids like the ice cream here, Mr Fortescue provides it well."

"Family? Ginny and Hermione are here?" you ask, lazily climbing the steps to the second floor to reveal the more, private part of the restaurant. Now, instead of wooden chairs with red cushions attached at the middle, there stand long booths with comfortable blankets and pillows with empty, eerily clean tables - except one.

The long table near the terrace is much livelier today, people sitting there whom you consider your own family. The three post luster that hangs low from the ceiling is turned on - it’s the first time you’ve seen the glamorous glass orbs in action. Its light ricochets off of several bright orange heads, simply calling it a lamp does no justice. The hue is yellow, low and it reminds you of the Christmas Eve fantasy you planned.

Said orange heads turn at the noise of delight you let out. "Oh Fleur! This is gorge- oof-"

"Auntie ____!"

A pool of orange locks squish into your stomach, snug in the soft fabric of your coat and you let out a chuckle. You can’t help it, even if you would never admit, he’s your favorite by a small number that-

"Well well, if it isn't Teddy Lupin."

The small boy chuckles, hair matching your black coat like a chameleon sticking itself on a flower and absorbing the color of the petals. You ruffle Ted's hair as the orange fades, he’s delighted to see you, and so are you yet your attention is quickly cut off by several disembodied voices thrown your way.

Bill Weasley is standing up, wine glass on one hand while grinning wide. “Look who my dear wife brought in!” his tidy yet visible scar stretches when his face brightens, you remembered again that day, just how much love you have around you.

“Hey everyone, hope we’re not interrupting.” you apologize, wincing but Bill quickly shakes his head and pushes his chair back.

You waddle your way towards the marble table, Teddy following suit with his face still smushed in your coat. He grips you tighter and you have to peel his small little limbs off your legs.

Aleyna scoffs, arms crossing together as she surveys Ted. “The blatant favoritism!”

Teddy rushes on his little legs to jump in Aleyna’s arms, and only then are you able to acknowledge the other - a little less important - people in the room.

“Happy holidays!” echoes around your head as several people embrace you all at once, and you have to simply stand and awkwardly loop your arm around whoever you can get a hold of.

Once the formalities are over, Ginny throws her arm around your shoulder. The red tresses of her dress hike up her leg from her slightly bigger stomach, and you can see the small broom tattoo on her thigh that she loves to display like a trophy. “You should’ve told us you were coming! We would have saved you a seat.”

A round of yes’s resonate around the room, and you take a quick moment to scan who’s afternoon dinner you’ve just interrupted. Hermione, hand resting on her very pregnant belly, is smiling warmly at you, and Ron quickly shoots up from his seat and wipes his mouth to catch up to his wife. Harry follows in his friend's wake, his hair has a white streak at the front and you furrow your brows.

“Age catching up with you Potter?” you grin, rubbing Ginny’s back fondly before she separates from you and greets Aleyna. “Or is it the pregnancy?”

Harry scoffs, pulling you in his embrace for a quick friendly second. “Always the charmer ____. I’ll have you know I’m handling it wonderfully, right Gin’?”

Ginny pauses, “Erm, yeah…”

Harry’s face feigns faux disbelief, and it quickly melts as you bombard the man with questions about how Ginny’s first trimester is going. You mentally take note of asking Ron about Hermione’s as well, your two best friends are fucking pregnant. It’s almost too happy, and slowly the anxiety creeping up from your spine wraps around your throat, ready to suffocate you whenever.

It was always like this, the past ready to make it’s deathly move, because nothing is perfect. Happiness doesn’t come this easily.

And you’re right, because not only a minute after the warm embraces of your friends comes the voice of the person you’ve been dreading to see.

“____?”

And then, you’re suffocating.

He’s a man. Of that you’re sure, because now his muscles stretch well over his broad shoulders, maroon satin shirt loose on his frame, tight around his biceps - properly sculpted of course - portraying defined collarbones.

His eyes are somewhat duller, though the same glimmer of loveable mischief he always had is evident. It will never go away, even after all these years, yet it’s tamer. That mischief caused him quite the trouble back in school, and now it seems he knows when to act, when to speak and when to stay silent.

His silhouette catches you off guard, his features are sharper, much sharper than how much Harry has matured. His biceps bulge obscenely when he rests his - also generously sized you might add - hand on the table, and the table suddenly doesn’t seem that long.

His forearms, on display with his sleeves rolled up, glistens under the soft lighting of the balcony. Your eyes fall on his bracelet adorned right wrist, one of which in particular catching your attention.

He’s still wearing the bracelet you gave him.

His face, always glowing, wears a large expression displaying his set of perfect teeth. He’s awestruck, you think.

You watch him push his large body out of the small chair, and wow chest, is your only thought. Then further down and...god damn thighs. Burly thighs - probably very comfortable too - squeezed in black tight fit jeans, however he managed that you don’t know but it was nice to imagine.

He’s leaned back, casual as he strolls towards you in two large steps, his long sculpted legs never disappointing.

Fred Weasley is genetically designed to ruin you and your insides with just one look, and you’re ashamed to have realized it all too late because when he speaks again you swear you saw stars.

“Wow - you,” he breaths, walking towards you with slow, unsure steps. “Grew!”

You raise a brow, Aleyna snorts. Grew? His steps should be unsure, because you want him to take them back, sit his fine fit ass back on that chair and pretend he never saw you.

Because this wasn’t your plan for tonight, seeing him wasn’t in your checklist. You woke up today, thinking nothing but coffee and a stressful moving day ahead. Not of the boy - the man you’ve been in love with since childhood, the man you blamed for your problems as an excuse to hide the heart squeezing pain of loneliness, the man you hadn’t seen in so many years you forgot what his voice sounded like.

You could have never guessed, and now you want to go back. Somehow rewind the clock to this morning when you were safe of your tucked away feelings trying to bulge, safe in your own little circle. All your efforts of leaving your house just a little early so you wouldn’t run into Fred seems stupid now. Your strategy ran smoothly for five years, it could’ve ran for more.

You would have continued avoiding him like your life depended on it, and his stupid joke shop, and the way he stupidly looked at you everytime he saw you. You’re reminded again, because no matter how older he looks he’s still Fred, and he still looks at you the same.

“I mean - beautifully! Shit I - fuck.” he groans, and George claps his brother on the back with a chuckle. Wherever he came from, because you were so entranced by Fred that you didn’t see George standing tall next to his family.

“____.” George stops before you, hands in his pockets. it happens too quickly that you’re forced out of your panicked state.

You raise a brow, and only then - Fred’s out of view with George’s figure towering over you - are you able to find your voice. “George.”

He pulls you in his tight embrace, “How come you never visited!” he scolds, chest stretching back to bring you with. “You’d think she’d bloody say hello once in a while! Maybe drop by our shop after 5 years, you quack!”

“George - can’t,” you heave and your legs wobble when he sets you on the ground again. You clear your throat, grinning widely at your...friend?

It would be fair to call him an acquaintance, right? You don’t know where you stand with the twins but you have love for them. This is clear from the way you can’t stop smiling like a sappy idiot - or perhaps it’s because of how contagious George’s smile is. You thought they hated you, but the youngest looks anything but displeased. He gives you a squeeze again before throwing an arm around your shoulder.

“I thought - I dunno. I thought you guys didn’t wanna see me.”

George scoffs, “Because you told us off that one time in seventh year?” he laughs, arms folding and displaying a set of bulging biceps much like Fred’s. “Yeah mate, you’re not that intimi-“

“George Weasley, finish that sentence I dare you!”

His eyes grow wide. “Sorry Ma’am.”

Someone clears their throat.

It’s Frederick Weasley, probably here to beat you to death.

“Hey Fred.” you greet, mouth dry. Get a grip, you scold yourself.

Fred opens his arms, “Well well,” he laughs, pulling you into a hug with a polite smile. His cheeks tint red when you shuffle closer, you would have missed this but you’re a creep, and you can’t stop staring at the beautiful man before you. He displays his beautifully indented smile lines, as if he was saying look at me! I’m perfect and sexy, I also broke your heart that one time, too bad I had no idea!

And it’s true, Fred never knew about your feelings. You kept them well hidden and they ate away at your organs from the inside, there was no reason to blame him. The realization is probably what compels you to accept him with open arms and wrap them around his neck.

You feel him shiver, dismissing it quickly because of the cold.

He smells good. Way too good that you melt in his arms and let him engulf you in his dangerous warmth. Manly, musky cologne, mixing with hints of cigar smoke that lingers on only certain areas of his shirt. You recognize the scotch in his breath when he whispers how much he had missed you, and his nape still has that cinnamon deliciousness he would parade whenever he came out of the shower, you fought the urge to shiver yourself, and it’s not because of the cold either.

It’s dizzying, and before you can start a detailed essay about how good his muscles feel, firm and digging into all the right places, he pulls away.

The past hits you like a ton of fucking bricks and crumbles down the firm foundations of the walls you have been building for eight years. You feel guilty, have you learned nothing? The loud pounding of your heart is a warning, yelling at you to stop getting swept away. Yet you can’t control it, just like how you can never control your feelings.

“I missed you guys too.” you breath shakily, you have to make sure to keep your distance. For your own good, you tell yourself.

Teddy pulls away your attention, and you silently add buy Teddy an expensively dumb toy to your checklist.

He sticks to your leg and is adamant on staying there. “I grew taller.” he says, looking at you between his eyelashes. “He says I didn’t, but I know I did!”

You chuckle, ignoring how Fred looks at the boy with such a warm expression, ignoring the way your heart nearly catapults out your chest.

“Well, stand straight soldier!” you demand.

Ted immediately lets go of your leg and straightens, hand going to his forehead to salute you. A giggle escapes him when you bend on your knees and act like you have a measuring stick on your hand. “Oh yes yes, seven feet tall and growing.” voice mock deep, you nod sternly.

“By this rate - I’ll pass you! Hah!” Teddy stomps his little foot on the stone floor, little sneakers barely making a sound.

You stand up again and fold your arms, “Well, I grow too you know! You can never pass me.” smirking slyly, you egg him on to see how much he’ll endure before he demands a ride on your shoulders - because that’s how giants saw the earth he told you. You doubt giants compare to a twenty four year old woman with attachment issues

Ted stands on his toes, struggling to tug on your shirt and bring you down. “No, I don’t like this game anymore…”

“Alright alright.” and with that you pick him up and prop the little boy on your shoulders.

Ted happily kicks his feet on your chest and you groan. He’s supposed to be five, not a midget wrestler. “Easy buddy boy.”

“You’re amazing with him, little twerp barely lets me tie his shoes.”

Fred’s voice startles you, only now do you realize that he had been watching you and Teddy. Speaking of, Ted’s busying himself with your hair, small hands pulling and twisting locks and mumbling incoherently.

Ear tips slowly catching fire, you chuckle. “Buy him a broom at four and see how he handles it.”

Fred shakes his head, tongue poking at the side of his cheek and you remind yourself to breathe. “You spoil him then? They say the way to a five year old's heart is money.”

“Damn, I’ll drink to that.”

Nuff words said, everyone soon sits on their designated chairs, and you pull one from another table, being the uninvited one.

Aleyna isn’t slick, you knew she had something up her sleeve the moment she had offered to pay for dinner. Though, this is your fault. You let her without calculating whatever end result was waiting to catch you off guard and ruin your entire life plan to avoid Fred Weasley.

Being the snake she is, snake Aleyna enticed you with nice food, dragged you to Sacree Fleur and did her little snake magic.

Awkwardly angled next to your best friend, you chat with Harry and Hermione while they tell you what you missed from work. (Not that you missed much, actually nothing different seems to have happened other than boring paperwork and Mrs Newersman’s new hairdo.)

Swirling your wine in one hand, the reflection of Fred from the rim of the glass keeps distracting you.

He’s changed, not personality wise though there were tweaks. Nor looks, he’s an adult now and his boyish charm is gone, but it isn’t quite that.

You can’t put a finger on it either, and you watch him laugh, carefree with his sister.

He looks relaxed, or maybe it’s merely the wine. Is it - no, couldn’t be. He looks happy. Genuine happiness and adoration for whomever. Love in his eyes as he looks at - Ah. He’s looking at you.

You jerk your head away and tip your wine glass back to gulp down liquid courage - because you need it tonight.  This is bad, you tell yourself, kick you on the shin and punch to your gut bad. This can’t keep up or else you’re going to end up right back in that hollow pit of empty hope and gooey saturday lasagna.

“So, any plans for Christmas Eve ____?���

Ron’s timbre voice thankfully grips your arms and pulls you away from said hollow pit.

“Uhh what?” you cough awkwardly, setting your now empty wine glass down.

“Christmas Eve, what are you doing? Going back home?” Ron asks, raising a brow.

You can lie but something compels you not to, maybe it’s how warmly they always welcome you, how they’re welcoming you now with open arms and nice food.

You shake your head, answering honestly; “No actually, I’ll just celebrate with Jambo and Christmas movies.”

And that’s exactly how you’ve been spending your Christmas Eve these past few lonesome years. It wasn’t that lonely, you had Aleyna and people loved her bar, you’d drop by and count down with people you didn’t know, at least you got to kiss a random stranger.

“Jambo? He’s still alive?” Hermione chuckles.

“No no, this is Jambo Fitzwilliam the Second, who is also a cat but don’t you dare tell him that!” smiling, you joke lightheartedly to conceal the harsh news.

Your hand reaches to trace around your scar as you speak.You know their eyes follow, and you know they stare at it when you’re not looking. Teddy asked you one day, even after Ginny’s scolding but you happily told him your heroic story and how Bellatrix smelled like piss and rum.

Sighing, you set your hand on your lap.

Jambo had unfortunately passed away because apparently dogs couldn’t live two hundred years, which you were disappointed because clearly Dumbledore could. You had already grieved and mourned, it left you with the happiest memories of your precious dog and you were grateful.

“Poor kitty doesn’t know he’s adopted?” George frowns, banging his fist on the table.

You roll your eyes, “I’m sure he’s caught on by now, he’s three.”

“So, you’re spending Christmas Eve alone?” Fred asks, too suddenly and you flinch. He probably sees this, his effect on you.

You nod, and your friends gasp. Surely it wasn’t that big of a deal, or maybe it’s because of how normal it felt for you to be alone.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Ginny says, hand shooting out to rub your arm.

“I’ve been trying to get her out for ages-“

“Aleyna, don’t.” you nudge her arm.

“No Aleyna, do!” Ginny protests. “You’re spending it with us and that’s that.”

“Wha-“

George throws up his finger to shush you, “No objections!” he declares fiercely. “We’re having a party at our flat and you both are coming!”

“Oh! Unless you and Blaise have any other plans.” Hermione’s quick to ask, she isn’t being slick though.

Aleyna chuckles, “We had dinner reservations but we can make it.”

Hermione grins, and you watch Aleyna pretend that she didn’t notice her friend ready to snoop in her relationship with an amused smile. Not that it matters - she and Blaise have that kind of love you hoped for as a young girl. There was truly no two other people so perfect for each other.

“How’s Blaise doing by the way?”

Aleyna takes a sip from her almost empty glass and tuts on the bitter after taste. “Amazing, actually. He just got promoted…”

Almost empty glasses are soon emptied bottles, and two steaks turn into a large brownie for the middle. You know that it’s a good meal, because as you stand outside in the midnight cold, arm around Aleyna, your legs wobble and your stomach aches from all the deliciousness you’ve consumed. More like inhaled, you only realized how hungry you were until the second steak arrived.

“Thank you so much you guys!” you wave your arm, overly theatrical, forgetting about what a day you’ve had.

Though, the thoughts catch up as you lay awake in bed.

It had gone by too quickly, and your heart is still beating louder than any chirping of the bugs outside. Your bedroom lacks furnishing, it only adds to your wild imagination. Your mind paints pictures on the blank walls as your eyes dart around, Fred didn’t look in your direction once that night.

Or maybe he did, only you didn’t see.

It’s strange, whenever you turned your gaze his way, he seemed to be busying himself with whatever, whether it be his fork or napkin. How interesting can a damn napkin be? Hopefully not any lesser than you.

And are you just going to ignore that goddamned bracelet? The one you carefully sculpted with beads in such a way that you were sure Fred would suspect at least a drop of your raging crush. He’s still wearing it, that piece of string and glass - the symbol of your love and effort - survived through a war.

Are you reading into things? Surely not, he greeted you as anyone else would. Or maybe he remembered - you don’t dare think of that night.

How can they act so normally, so brazen after everything? It’s been almost six years since you saw them, have they got nothing to say to you? Maybe an apology?

Frustrated, you turn to your side and force your eyes shut.

————————

When night bleeds into morning, every cat has a tendency to quip over to their owners on their cushioned paws - which makes no noise but simple claw scratchings on the floor.

Jambo’s no different.

So, you’d imagine the poor creature's shock when he finds your bedroom empty. If he’d bothered to check, you’re seated on your island stool, pen and parchment in hand and mug of hot coffee (instant given the circumstance) in the other.

You hung your new curtains this morning, and were making use of them by shutting them halfway on the hooks while your window stood half open. You watch the snow flurry outside and gulp. If this week was to go horribly wrong... at least you have nice curtains waiting for you at your ritzy new apartment.

Jambo wraps his tail around your dangling ankle like he always does and you barely hum in acknowledgement. He’s purring, and it brings you comfort even if it’s for a small moment. But your question still remains unanswered, What would a five year old boy want for christmas?

It had been exactly two days since Ginny invited you to spend Christmas Eve together, and you busied yourself with buying them gifts - a tradition you hated because 1. coming up with gift ideas is infuriatingly hard. It’s way too time consuming, nit picking every single personality and deciding what they’ll like and what they’ll pretend to like. Pretend like they’re going to use it, and then never touch it until that one very specific occasion.

Maybe it’s excessive, but you actually like these people. They somehow give you - a sad, lonely sewer rat that’d been a neglected child - joy.

And 2. you feel like those people you make fun of every Christmas. Though, somewhere deep in your heart, you know you enjoy being those people. You would never admit it though.

What? You actually relish in the idea that you belong to a group, and that said group causes you to carry out cliche holiday traditions?

Absolute blasphemy.

Finally deciding, you leave your apartment in warm but cher clothing. It isn’t as crowded this morning - or maybe it’s because it’s seven forty in the crack of fucking dawn. Though, with the amount of caffeine you’ve consumed, it feels like ten.

Would they even be open, you ask yourself, jogging quickly about the streets on your heels to avoid the cold. It’s Christmas, they have to be.

Of course your logic sucks.

Shivering, you round the corner tea shop and fasten your pace. Ass freezing, lip tucked in between your teeth, you realize you have underestimated the morning London cold.

Soon, thankfully, the giant head of George(?) you assume, comes into view. The animatronic is motionless, big porcelain eyes closed and displaying sinister gaping holes. You shiver, and not because of the cold either.

Keeping your eyes low on your feet, you push the glass doors of the shop open. You don’t bother to check the inside from the generous glass displays, it’s way too cold and you don’t want to spend any more time outside with the giant George doll.

A bell rings, a little jingle up above that puts a smile on your face. Jambo’s collar jingled like that whenever he got excited, whether it be a pesky squirrel ready to bum off your house food, or maybe a friendly one showing its face to piss off the house dog.

You sigh, and only then notice the delicious scent of fresh coffee roast. Invading through your nostrils and turning you into a drunkard, and you can’t help but gravitate towards-

Woah, you’ve had your coffee today.

“Who's here so early, couldn’t a man enjoy breakfa-”

You smile apologetically, it’s only natural that Fred just woke up. He isn’t a morning person, after years of knowing him you found out one way or another. In your case, he was mean to you and that’s when it clicked. Fred doesn’t like the early hours of morning, where his hair isn’t as tame and his lips feel like they’re about to pop. You find it charming.

“____?”, the man of the hour comes into view, standing at the top of the spiral staircase. The first step is a rung, rolling on the hinges of the wall's edges. The staircase rattles when Fred steps down, and you quickly jump forward in panic.

Mug in one hand, his fingers rake through his mussed morning hair then settles on the checkout counter. “Morning,” He smiles, and those dang smile lines greets you, as if they’re mocking you again.

“Morning, I know it’s early and-”

“It’s okay, have you had breakfast yet?”

Taken aback, you nod. Disappointment flashes through his face, and before you can analyze he straightens. Taking a sip of his coffee and humming, he fixes his pyjama bottoms. Red and checkered, loosely hanging from his hip and giving you a teasing view of his lower abdomen. “Can I get you anything?” he asks again, adamant on offering you something.

You shake your head no and you watch his face fall. Merlin, you would have come starving if it meant having breakfast with him. The view before you is enough to fulfill your darkest fantasies, and this is enough. Because you know that this is all you could get. His friendship.

But is it though? Is it truly enough? Will it ever be enough?

The questions that linger around your head have an answer that you wouldn’t dare set free. Everything you’re doing right now is wrong, how you’re standing in front of him, letting his delicious scent compel you further into him.

He smells almost alluring - he always does - less piquant than yesterday. Probably the after taste of neglecting a shower, yet his natural fragrance is just as charming. You remember those mornings at the Burrow when Fred stumbled down the stairs, sun early and bright, woken up just like himself. He smelled ama-

Woah, down girl.

Fred clears his throat, and only then do you realize how long it has been since you spoke.

“I need to buy something.” you blurt. Fuck, this couldn't get more embarrassing. “For Ted, his gift.” You finish lamely.

“Ah,” Fred chuckles, giving you a quick lookover. You flush. “You have come to the right place.”

It’s true, the shop is truly...something. A gateway to heaven for anyone twelve or younger. Fascinated, you take your time to linger your eyes on every little nook and cranny that catches your eye.

The shop feels much tamer without the telltale rowdy crowd, it’s almost comforting. You can really see a piece of each twin on each display, Fred’s being the Deflagration Deluxe. ‘A deluxe selection of Weasleys’ Wild-Fire Whiz-Bangs’ read on the big cardboard. You chuckle, he always had a bag full of them that he carried around religiously.

“Those!” he exclaims, scurrying over to the display, “New and improved by yours truly.”

You chuckle, and Fred breaks out into a smile. “Here, I’ll show you around.” he mutters, before you can utter a protest, he takes your hand in his and drags you to a shelved corridor. “This is his favorite section, explosives and quidditch.”

You smile as you scan the heaps of colorful products lining the walls, all engraved with the shop's signature logo. Fingers coming out to touch a few, you subconsciencly swing your encased hands together. “These are real neat.”

Fred smirks, though his palms feel hotter than usual, “Not so much when he’s blowing up the bloody flat.”

You chuckle softly, eyes fluttering to imagine little Ted shaking up a pair of fireworks, unknowingly setting them off and resulting in a giant black mark on the ceiling. Because only that explains the small black stains on the walls of the shop.

“See anything you like?” Fred offers, almost in a whisper.

“No I,” you turn back to him, and something flashes between the two of you. “I’m still…looking.”

The air feels tense, warm, affecting your body. Your breath catches in your throat, Fred’s eyes bore into yours with such intensity that you don’t know what to do. Even your breathing feels on edge.

He moves closer to you and your heart flutters. His exhales hit your ear, only a breadth away from your neck and you flinch. Chills lift up the hair on your arms, “No...erm.” you mutter.

“Alright.” he says softly.

His eyes are hooded, displaying a perfectly long set of eyelashes.

How, is the question. They’re long and thick, and you’re jealous. Yes, you might have ruined yours with your curler but still, if you were born with eyelashes like that you wouldn’t even need a blasted curler.

“What are you thinking ‘bout.” he whispers, long digit lifting to stroke your cheek. So soft that you barely feel it, before he trails it up your cheekbones, to the panes of your face.

The same alarms blast in your ears, and you can’t ignore them this time. It isn’t that you don’t like this, on the contrary you’re ready to jump him.

“Eva!”

Fred takes a step back, face falling. “What?”

You shake off whatever just happened seconds ago and focus on reality. “Gosh, I forgot to ask.” you exclaim, over excited but at what cost. “How is she doing? Is she up there in the flat?”

Fred winces. “Actually-”

“I’m guessing you guys moved in together, after all those years you know. Don’t tell me you guys got marr-”

“____!” he takes a deep breath, “We broke up a few years ago.”

You freeze. “What?”

They broke up? “Why, oh Fred-”

Fred shushes you with a finger. Embarrassed, warmth spreads through you like a tidal wave. “I fell out of love, but it felt nice to have someone around, you know?”

You don’t say anything, yes you know but his loneliness and yours is much too different.

Growing up, Fred had the support of his family, he always had someone there. You knew it was bad to dismiss him like this, but the aching in your heart wasn’t going to allow him to speak like that. He always had someone affirming that it would be okay, someone to pat his back whenever he scored a goal through a hoop, whenever he got a good grade or did a cool trick with his broom. He still had them, even if he was at his worst. He had endless support. You didn’t.

It wasn’t easy after the war, living alone with nothing but the collar of Jambo gripped tightly in your hands. He had died shortly after Voldemort fell, and you had to hang onto the last piece he left until your agony died down. That was your only support.

Ginny, Hermione and Aleyna were there of course, but everyone's way of coping is different, and they didn’t understand yours nor each other’s. It’s worse to try and forget, run away from that fear because it would always catch up with you, and you found that the best way is to sit and feel.

But that doesn't mean your friends weren’t any less supportive. The after effects of the war were way more harsh on you than you let on, you were stuck on autopilot - a painful loop that made your life feel worthless. Work, money, survival - the three main aspects occupying your mind at all times. You didn’t have the love and attention to give to friends or a relationship (maybe that’s why it never worked out) but soon, Ginny and Hermione had reached out to you.

It was a simple letter delivered by their family owl Nebula - a descendant of poor old Errol. You remember tears pooling in your eyes when they told you how much they missed you, they gave meaning to your life. It was no longer the painful loop, they invited you over for dinner, visited every other day after hooking up your house Floo Network, you were always a welcomed guest in their homes.

They made you realize that friendship didn’t need much energy nor hard effort, just being there for each other was enough. Love for someone came naturally, and you didn’t need to extract some of your own self-love to give to others. They were two different things.

Skimming past that, you watch Fred show you three different options of Make Your Own Fireworks kits. You smile solemnly, accept a random one and quietly follow him to the checkup counter.

“So.” he starts, wrapping the product with the paper design you picked. “How about you, anyone special?”

Drumming your fingers on the counter, you shrug. “I dated Theo Nott for a year, I knew nothing would come out of it but like you said, nice to have someone.”

He raises an eyebrow, “Nott? Really?” he frowns. “Can’t believe that tosser managed to-”

You snort, “What is that supposed to mean?”

Shrugging, Fred hands you the package. “Nothing, it’s just that -” he pauses and his eyes look at you like you should know what he’s talking about. As if the two of you have some sort of telepathic connection, Fred was always like this.

He would look at you like you understood a word you said, even though he’s been silent for the past minute or so. He always struggled to express himself, and you’re sad to see that this habit followed him into adulthood.

Nonetheless, you smile. “Just that what?”

“Nevermind,” he sighs. “That’ll be twenty five galleons.”

“Twenty what?” Your eyes widen. “You heartless man!”

Fred gapes at you, struggling to keep a straight face.

“Twenty five, to your oldest pal? Twenty and a stick of gum.”

Fred pretends to think. “How about you keep the gum and give me twenty four.”

“Twenty two.” you narrow your eyes, leaning forward on the counter. “Oh come on, it’s Christmas!”

Fred scoffs,“I am giving you the holiday discount!”

Grumbling, you reluctantly stick your hand in your purse and take out your wallet. “I won’t forget this. You’re in my book.”

Fred gasped dramatically, “Not the book!” he exclaims, “Twenty two then, please for the love of merlin not the book.”

You lift your chin, head tilting to the side to survey him mockingly. “Twenty two it is, you won’t get away so easily next time.”

The two of you giggling, you pay him the money and leave a few sickles. “For the great service.” you say, him pretend-blushing at your words and tucking a strand of his shoulder length hair behind his ear.

He speaks after some time, the laughter has died down and left it’s comforting after taste. “I missed you ____, why didn’t you visit?”

That turns the after taste into pure panic.

How can he ask that when the answer is so obvious. Fred’s still cruel it seems, he doesn’t bat an eyelash as he speaks. He knows the reason.

“Oh you know,” you start after some time, “Work and stuff.” you lie, and fight the urge to cringe at your words.

Though Fred doesn’t buy it, he doesn’t push it either. He simply nods, looking down at the checkout counter. You’re glad he’s avoiding your gaze, because it makes your departure much easier. “See you at the party Fred, thanks for the...uh. Yeah.” you awkwardly lift your bag up and give him a wave before pushing yourself outside. You can finally breathe.

——————

You look good.

Or, at least you think you do.

Blaise was arriving in exactly seven minutes and you barely just put on your dress. You’re sure of this because Blaise is always on time, he even has an unnecessarily expensive watch on his right hand that he obsessively likes to check. At least Aleyna’s into it, frantically trying to strap her heels, she’s wriggling herself towards the front door to somehow track her lover. You don’t know how love works, maybe they can smell each other from a mile away or something.

Shaking your head, you fluff your hair and wipe a hand across your under eye after wetting it with your tongue. You think Aleyna calls for you, you’re not sure because you’re too occupied trying to decide if you’re going to wear lipstick.

“Hey,” you walk out of your bathroom door and scurry towards her, “should I?”

Aleyna raises a brow. You scoff, “Stop doing that, you know I can’t raise mine individually.”

“Sounds like a you problem.”

“I’m about to make it your problem too if you don’t help me.”

As reflex, you roll your eyes. You only do this because you know it reminds Aleyna of that one chick from Blaise’s workplace - she knows no boundaries, apparently. It’s a shitty move, but it’s a shitty world.

Aleyna carefully inspects the two products you hold tightly between your hands. A simple shimmery gloss and a nude, almost dark red lipstick you stole - borrowed - from her. “Depends, who are you smooching?”

Throwing her an incredulous look, you hold out the two products on your palms. “I’m not smooching anyone.”

Unless of course Fred Weasley asks, if he does you would pull out makeup wipes from thin air and jump into his arms with naked lips ready to be kissed. Though, that’s only a fantasy and Fred is emotionally unavailable...scratch that, you are.

You’re not sure how tonight is going to end, and you can’t help but be aware of that looming clump of anxiety, clutching on your chest and refusing to let go until you're assured that it’s going to be fine.

“The gloss, just in case.” Aleyna stops your train of thought before it trashes off its tracks and crashes somewhere in Fred McDreamy land.

You nod, making no further inquiries and getting yourself ready as best as you can. Fixing your bodice and giving your scar a quick look, you finally hear the doorbell ring after a few long minutes, followed by Blaise’s deep voice greeting his girlfriend. You give the couple a few seconds to smooch - if you will, before walking back to the living room.

Blaise grins when he sees you, he’s wearing a sleek black suit with its first two collar buttons undone - you expect no less class from him.

“Happy Christmas!” you chime, pulling him into a hug and squeezing him tight just enough so you can whisper in his ear. “I hope you picked out the second ring, Zabini.”

Blaise swallows thickly before laughing, you know this because you physically feel him start to sweat. “I swear I did, don’t worry I have a plan.” he winks after letting go.

“I knew you were going to say that,” he loops an arm around Aleyna’s waist and pulls her by his side. “Only the best for my girl.”

Aleyna gives you both questioning looks.

You quickly clear your throat, “Anyways, let’s go before the serenading and the rose petals start.”

The three of you finally leave, the walk down your apartment building feels way too short, and the moment you exit you’re hit with the wonderfully chilly Christmas air.

For a moment, you forget where you’re going.

Lights are hung up everywhere, across shops, tangled through trees and some floating in the air. You can’t see the night sky, Diagon Alley has one of its own, adorned with radiant moons and luminous stars just bright enough for people to navigate themselves through crowds with zero accidents. It feels breathtakingly overwhelming.

Glass ornaments are charmed to fly across, a special show prepared by Madame Mulkin, and Mr. Eyelop tuned in by letting out a few snow owls rest around random trees to add to the warm atmosphere. There’s flavour wafting around the air, you inhale again to identify it better.

Speeding your way through - it hits you, gingerbread and chocolate.

You clutch your bag towards your chest, suddenly you feel disgustingly sappy. Though, you are in public so you decide to shake off that small warmth threatening your heart and continue walking towards Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.

The walk towards the shop feels too short again, you almost check your watch to see if Hermione’s playing with the time turner again.

You almost turn on your heel, dump the bundle of presents you’ve bought on their front door and leave. You can, in theory, you’ve separated from Aleyna and Blaise midway through and you can just run and never look back.

Tough luck, when you walk through the generously decorated shop and up the stairs, you’re disappointed to see their flat door wide open.

You stare at it, it feels too inviting. Frank Sinatra blares through the walls, you can smell hints of incense, trailing through your nose and tickling you, causing you to sneeze. You were always sensitive towards smells, and it never bothered you until now.

“Bless you!” George Weasley appears, rounding a corridor and greeting you with open arms into his neat dress shirt. He hugs you like you’re family, and if you weren’t holding a sack like Santa Clause with his your jolly ass hanging on by the mere piece of fabric of your dress you would have hugged back.

“Thanks, Happy Christmas George.” you smile when he takes the sack from your hands and weighs it with raised brows.

“You didn’t have to buy anything ____!” he pats your shoulder, hand trailing to your lower back to navigate you inside. “We are the gift givers, you’re our guest.”

You chuckle, walking through the long entrance corridor, “Of course I’m getting gifts you quack.”

George scoffs, “Using my words against me now are we?”

When you gaze up at the famous joke shop as a little civilian in the streets of Diagon Alley, you don’t expect to catch the sight of a flat this large. You knew it was sizable since two grown men somehow fit and live there, but you underestimated just how successful Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes was.

The floors are wood, clean with even several shoes stepping around, chattering with wine glasses in their wobbly hands. A bulletin board hangs next to a quidditch rack filled with different kinds of equipment - old and new.

Too entranced by the cozy interior, you don’t bother stealing glances at the bulletin board. The kitchen and living room are connected, yet they still somehow feel like completely different rooms. The den is lit up by a brick fireplace, lightly crackling and making the atmosphere all the more comfortable. The soft fur (faux you hoped, though Mr Weasley did have a muggle hunting rifle phase which you thoroughly discouraged) carpet tickles your ankles and you have to hold onto George’s arm for support

“Bevvy?” he offers you, holding out a pint beer glass and you shake your head, admiring the apartment further.

Most couches are leather yet they still look comfortable, the kitchen is big but not obnoxiously so, you can hear the clinking of a foosball table - commotion makes sense in their apartment - the wide living space narrows through a corridor, leading to what you assume must be bedrooms.

You’re glad Fred and Eva broke up, because you decide then and there that you’re going to visit the twins everyday despite your history, just to step into this apartment again.

“____!”

Angelina’s sweet voice causes your unease to vanish in an instant and you crush her in a tight hug.

“Merry Christmas!” you smile, looping an arm around her shoulder and letting her guide you through the flat. “You changed your hair!”

Angelina nudges you with her hip, “Thank merlin you noticed, George is clueless.”

“Oh? George? You never told me - Hey Cho!”

You’re cut off by several familiar faces greeting you and telling you to make yourself comfortable. And you do, right next to Hermione and Ginny, two pregnant and fierce women that keep bickering with their husbands because of their weird cravings.

“I’m with you on this one Gin’!” you snort, eyeing Harry. You have a wine glass in one hand and the power you hold makes you feel too confident. “If the woman wants sausages marinated with toothpaste, she’s getting sausages marinated with toothpaste!”

Harry grumbles, “Will you please stop fueling this!” he protests, downing his drink and banging this on the table. “Look sweetheart, you wanted onions and mustard just a second ago so I got you ‘em, what made you change your mind?”

Ginny bangs her fist on the coffee table, in addition to Harry’s outburst. It seemed everyone was banging stuff on tables, so you do too.

“You think I know? Sod off or get me my toothpaste!” Ginny yells, banging another fist after you.

Harry kneels down next to the foot of the couch and holds his wife’s hand, gently massaging her knuckles. “We can’t get you toothpaste,” he says calmly.

“Why!” says Ginny, banging another fist.

“I think you know why,” says Harry.

“Stop damaging my property.” says George, materializing out of thin air.

You feel bad for Harry, you truly do but it only lasts for a second because this is even more entertaining than watching Aunt Muriel try to play foosball while shouting ‘Come at me you haired back marys!’

You’re enjoying yourself, the buzz, the warmth, the scent of fire. It’s comfortable and not at all like a party. It’s as if you’re visiting your friends for thanksgiving, homely and welcoming.

Though, the first crack forms when you see Fred, eyeing you from the small bar of their kitchen.

Dressed in navy slacks and a red, turtleneck sweater, he leans against the counter with a glass of Firewhiskey clutched on his big hand. He swirls it as his lips twitch, keeping his gaze set on you. His hair falls on his eyes, mostly pushed back but how strong hair gel can really be?

He looks good, way too good for a party. But it’s not the outfit, it's his entire presence. The way he holds himself, acts, speaks - shit, it’s attractive. He can do anything and he’ll always have that charismatic charm, it makes you feel envious, not to mention incredibly horny.

It’s Christmas, it’s a sacred holiday. You can’t let Fred sexy Weasley get to you, no matter how unapproachable and out of your league he looks.

You’re the bigger person - apparently - and you decide to greet him first.

You don’t know what compels you to do this, but it must be quite a strong force because you feel yourself start to quiver when you abandon your place on the couch. It’s so strong that your wobbly legs carry you while you push through tipsy friends and hold you up all the way to the kitchen area.

“Merry Christmas.” you croak, pulling him in a quick hug which he returns happily.

“Merry Christmas yourself.”  he smiles, gaze drifting lower to your dress only for a second before he swallows.

His signature cologne that you’ve engraved deep in your head this past week bursts out again. You smile softly, relishing in him.

“You look,” he seems to be giving much more thought on whatever he’s about to say, he settles on; “Beautiful, you’re, uh - the dress.” he finishes lamely.

“Oh,” your face falls. The dress is beautiful, not you. Of course. “Thank you, I would say you don’t look too bad yourself but that would be a lie.”

Fred raises a brow, putting his wine glass on the bar with a clink before slowly turning on his heel. “Aw, cheers love.” he says casually, “Wore it for you,”

You raise both your brows, “Is that so?” you fight a grin.

“This little number is my lucky charm.” he smirks, pulling on his shirt. “Made women fall at my feet back in the day, maybe you will too.” he finishes, more bashfully than before. His cheeks are tinted pink and, now, for the first time, you feel clueless.

Your heart stutters when you speak, “Trying to butter me up Frederick?” you say shly, nudging the tip of his shoe with yours.

Fred winks. “And what if I am?” he suddenly straightens, arms folding together. His head bows as he continues with a smile, “I’m joking, got this a week ago for the party.”

You fight the urge to smile, “Ah, so not the chick magnet.”

“Well,” Fred laughs, “It’s still very wolfish.”

“Whatever you say, big ole pussy cat.” you pat him on the shoulder.

Fred scoffs good naturally, “Ah, you hurt my pride ____.”

When you don’t say anything, his gaze falls on you. He takes the time to look at you, really take you in and it makes your efforts feel appreciated for once. He takes a deep breath, head careening left for a moment.

“It’s not just the dress.” he rubs the back of his neck, eyes falling on your scar. “You really are beautiful.”

Your hand immediately flies to your brow, tracing a finger down the gash. It’s not as noticeable anymore and your hair grew back - thankfully - but the knowledge that it’s still there, parading itself to everyone makes you feel much more self conscious than you should.

Fred’s hand closes over yours and you freeze. “You might not think so, but not only is your scar a wicked bedtime story, it’s very attractive.”

Your ears feel hot, “You think I’m attractive?”

It’s a nice compliment - especially when it comes from a man like Fred.

“Do I think you’re,” he gasps, giving you an incredulous look. “Of course you’re - ! I mean you can’t be asking me that - are you, gah!”

A chuckle bubbles from your throat. It’s quite amusing watching Fred Weasley struggling to speak, clearly embarrassed. The knowledge that you made him this way, you were sleeping like a baby tonight that’s for sure.

“Look, ____. I actually wanted to tell you something really important.” he fidgets with his cuffs.

You furrow your brows, “Of course, what is it?”

“I used to, well I think I still do because it never truly went away but - okay, this is harder than I thought.”

You chuckle nervously. “Fred, you’re freaking me out here.”

You hear him mutter something along the likes of what’s wrong with me, until he speaks again.

“What I meant to say was, I wan-“

“Oh my god, ____, Fred!”

When you left your apartment a few days ago, your mind didn’t calculate the outcomes of meeting Fred Weasley.

The impact is so strong that it causes your past to - not flash, because this is painful - slowly start playing before your eyes, like a play you have to sit through because the seats were expensive, and the star of the show, the star of your own life is standing right in front of you.

She’s wearing a gorgeous, gold cocktail dress. The costume design is delicate, it’s the type of dress you flutter your fingers in (the fabric is ticklish and soft, you just had to touch it) before moving onto the next. The rack is full of other suitable options, because you know you can never wear a dress like that.

But Eva can. She was always gorgeous, you couldn’t compare.

Fred’s eyes are wide, the way he’s tugging on your dress makes worry wash over you. “Eva? Erm - who invited you?” His words sound more bitter than he intends them to, or at least you think so.

“Oh, is that how you treat guests around here?” she fucking giggles, playfully slapping his shoulder.

You can’t tell if she’s purposely ignoring you - you’re standing right there - or just forgot your existence after seeing Fred in those pants because sweet merciful heavens.

Fred shifts uncomfortably, “Right sorry well, Merry Christmas!” he’s back to normal, addressing her as he addresses anyone else you can’t help but smirk.

Of course, you immediately jump on this opportunity. Eva may have ruined most of your childhood, she may currently look gorgeous - mockingly so, but you’re not kids anymore. No matter how insignificant you feel, you still have your pride to protect.

“Merry Christmas,” you add, jumping forward. “How long has it been?”

Eva’s expression turns sour, though she conceals it quickly. “____! Oh I love your dress.”

She doesn’t wish you a merry christmas.

“Happy holidays Freddie! Where can a girl get a drink around here?” she squeaks? You’re not sure, her voice is too sweet and you don’t know how to act.

Fred grins, “Right there,” he points to a corner far away from the kitchen. “Lee’s in charge of drinks, I’m sure he can hook you up with something.”

Eva ponders, pausing for a beat. She’s expectantly staring at Fred, though when he shows no intention of accompanying her she gives you a menacing look and leaves.

You didn’t expect a big reunion because you saw Eva a few months ago at the hospital, you had sprained an ankle while training with Ron, and she tried to heal you before the Head Healer cut in and told her to take a walk.

Fred’s weight relaxes as soon as Eva’s out of view, it doesn’t take much to know something happened between the two - it wasn’t a harmless breakup like Fred had told you. You don’t push it though, if he wants to tell you he will.

“Well that was,” you say, and he hums in response, swirling his drink in one hand. You watch the gold hue with him for a moment. “Interesting.”

He snorts, “She drops by every Friday to give me green apples. I hate green apples.”

“How long did you guys date?” you can’t help the words that tumble out of your lips.

He stares at you for a moment, you swear his lip almost twitch in a smile before he clears his throat. “Three years, I thought I loved her for a year.”

“Well what changed your mind?”

Fred looks at you like you just asked the dumbest question a joke shop owner could hear. “You, daft idiot, you did.”

“Wha-” you stammer. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Fred groans. “I need a drink.” and with that, he leaves towards where Eva previously walked on her precious Chanel heels. Leaves you alone.

It wasn’t like you called the man's family a disgrace and cursed his entire bloodline. Confused, you decide that maybe you need a drink as well to survive this night.

Everyone you had talked to so far ended with a disagreement, except George because he probably felt bad for you and your huge red gift sack. Embarrassment fills your cheeks as you walk towards the beverage table, you shouldn’t have come tonight.

The cherry on top gets dropped on the shit sundae when Eva Burke bumps into your shoulder and causes you to spill your drink.

“Oops! Babe I’m so sorry,” She pulls a red cloth from the glass table filled with different types of intoxications and rubs it on the fabric of your dress, further ruining it.

Embarrassment turns into frustration, this turns into pure anger. You see red.

You snatch the cloth from her hands and lightly push her forward, Eva dramatically - and very theatrically - falls on the ground with a yelp.

“Oh get up!” you hiss, throwing the cloth on the ground.

Eva scrambles to her feet, holding her right ankle with dainty, perfectly manicured hands. “Oh, now we’re turning to violence are we? Some things never change.”

You let out a frustrated grumble, stumping your heel on the ground. “I really don’t have time for this Eva.”

“We’re just talking babe, I don’t understand why you’re so upset over this.”

“I’m not upset, I’m tired.” you sigh.

Suddenly with her magically healed ankle she trudges forward. “Is it the dress?” she pouts, bending down to eye the splotch on your chest. “I can pay for it, say...two sickles?”

Your eyes narrow, “How about this, you show me how your career is going and I’ll decide if you can afford a wash.”

Eva barks out a laugh, “How about this, I’ll show you a family picture album.”

Gasping, you hold back the urge to slap her. You never expected Eva to stoop this low, and you know you shouldn’t be upset over it but it hurts. It hurts how easily she can use your family against you with no remorse.

Beyond pissed, insulted and done with tonight, you pull out your wand and get ready to apparate. This time it’s not to run away, nor do you feel like a coward. You feel tired, using your palms to press into your temple and relieve your throbbing headache.

Eva grips your wand and tries to pull you forward with failed force. “Let’s get this straight, Fred’s not interested in you.”

“And you think he’s interested in you?” you laugh, “You broke up remember?

Eva flings her long hair back, “And I’m gonna get him back. No one breaks up with me.”

“So, you're still a narcissistic bitch.” you smile.

“And you’re still pathetically clinging onto whatever I touch.” She takes a step forward, and it hits you then and there that you aren’t going home sooner or later. “Wanna know why we broke up?”

You hold your breath, her perfume is too sweet and you can’t process her words.

“He caught me cheating.” she smirks. “And he still begged me to stay, after all that.”

Your nostrils flare, and you’re about ready to punch her. You’ve never seen someone so prideful, so proud to have done something so obaminable. But it doesn’t surprise you, you pity her.

“Some loser from the bank.” she mockingly wipes a nonexistent tear with her jeweled wrist. “See, that’s the difference between me and you ____. “

You almost scream bloody murder. “Oh do enlighten me.” Your voice is weirdly high pitched but you don’t seem to care.

“He begged me, not you. He’ll never want you. You’ll always end up with the leftovers ____, accept that.” she hisses, taking another step forward.

You don’t know what you’ve done to the woman standing before you with nothing but red fire in her eyes, she looks ready to pull out your hair follicle by follicle, yet it makes you smirk. With a shit eating grin on your face, it hits you. “I knew it.” you laugh.

Eva stutters, “What?”

“Why you’re actually delusional to think he’s taking you back.”

“Oh but he will.” she protests, stomping her heel.

“No, he won’t.”

When you see Eva stay quiet, you continue. ”You grew up spoiled rotten, your parents love you, hell my parents love you, you always had the most friends and always got your way.”

She smirks, you’re tempted not to continue but years of pent up anger is ready to burst through your chest. “Yeah, jealous are we?” Eve mocks, and you quiver as you speak. Stating the obvious doesn’t hurt you anymore.

“No, because you grew up thinking everyone will love you, no matter how wrong you are, or what horrible things you do, you’ll always think that people won’t stop being by your side.” you shake your head, tutting. “But you’re wrong. I guess that’s what too much love does to you - you think a simple sorry will fix what you did? Because no, it won’t.”

“Oh stop it, Fred wants me back, it’s painfully obvious.” Eva speaks, but she doesn’t sound sure at all.

“I’ll make it clear for you.” you smile. “Fred won’t take you back for cheating, you won’t get a second chance in your career, and you sure as hell won’t be getting an apology from me.”

By now, you don’t care who's listening, because they are. Oh, they’re eating this kitty fight up like free dessert Monday at Fleur’s. Your childhood friends are watching you with intense, widened eyes. And somehow, in a cruel, wicked way, you feel satisfaction. The harsh words slipping out of your lips like nectar, in comparison to the way they slap Eva across the face fills you with nothing but disgusting satisfaction.

Sure, it’s immature and yes, you could’ve worded everything much better to be even more impactful, but the way her eyes are bloodshot and vengenceful, it’s enough for you.

Eva grits her teeth, and you know she doesn’t have much to say. “I don’t need an apology from you, ____.” she speaks, and her next words cause you to freeze, because no matter what wrong doing, she’s still right. ”You’re right, I might not be forgiven, but in the end I will always be better than you. People will always favour me more and you can never change that.”

You try to lunge forward, teeth gritter. With harsh impact, you topple backwards. Strong arms are wrapped around your chest, holding you back from gouging Eva’s eyes out with the toothpick from the martini glasses.

“Nice weather we’re having,” Fred says, a deep rumble coming from his chest and against your back. You fight the urge to shiver, though you’re way too angry to be thinking of how good he smells. “Why don’t we sober up sweetheart.” he asks you, whispering.

“No!” you shriek, struggling to move forward. “This isn’t over until I break her nose!”

Eva laughs, “Oh come at me, babe! Let’s see what a traumatized neglected child can do, yeah?” her eyes flash.

A deep, growling of distress leaves you. “Oh let me go! Let’s see what a filthy adulter can do!”

“I didn’t mean to cheat you know!”

You groan, “Heaven’s above let me go Fred.”

Eva takes two steps forward before Lee grasps her arms. “But these things happen for a reason!” her shrill voice causes you to wince.

“Yeah, you!” you cry.

Eva shrieks, lunging forward in an attempt to reach you again, and at that moment Fred seems to have about enough.

“Alright, that’s it.” His stern voice causes you to flinch, muscular arms still holding you close to his chest, he yanks you backwards and starts walking towards the corridor. “That’s enough with the both of you, Lee take Eva outside, get her some fresh air.”

——————

Fred has the decency to take you to his bedroom rather than toss you outside like he had done with Eva.

If the situation was any different, you’d be over the moon right now. Alone? With Fred Weasley? In his big bedded, fireplace occupying, additional bathroom having bedroom?

Said situation did not have you sitting on a leather rocking chair, big mug of coffee in hand while Fred lectures you like a parent. Actually, you wouldn’t know.

You’ve been quiet for the past fifteen minutes, too scared to say anything and anger him further. You knew how much this party meant to him, and you had ruined it with your childish, pent up jealousy. It wasn’t just you per say, but you had let Eva get to you.

“Can’t the two of you act your age for one fucking second,” he groans, hand propped against the brick fireplace. “I know how infuriating she is, but you-” inhaling sharply, he strides towards you. “Say something will you?”

“Why didn’t you tell me she cheated?”

Fred’s expression softens. “What?”

You gulp, you shouldn’t have brought it up when he was agitated, but you can’t listen to him while the words echo around your head. You feel awful, insensitive, anything else to call yourself that makes you feel better towards your lack of judgement. “She cheated, you didn’t tell me. Why?”

Fred pauses, after what feels like a seconds he bends down on his knees in front of you while you watch him, engrossed.

“Been waiting for you to bring it up.” he chuckles, his smile disappearing in an instant. His ginger locks hang in front of you and you realize that his shampoo, like the rest of him, smells amazing. You fight the intense urge to card your fingers through.

“Merlin, I just,” he meets your eyes. “I felt ashamed.”

Suddenly standing up, your hands flail. “Why?”

Fred stands up as well. His stance alarms you, arms wrapped around himself, brows furrowed and defensive. “Not ashamed because of you, because of myself.”

You take a step forward when Fred indicates that he’s going to continue. “I thought you were going to judge me. Bloody coward, can’t even break up with his cheating girlfriend.”

You scoff, “Fred, I’ve known you since I was eleven. Sure we had some tough times but do you really think that low of me?”

Now he scoffs, it’s nothing short of mockery. “Tough times my arse. You avoided us like the plague, ____.”

“I had my reasons,” you raise your voice, wincing slightly and it only fuels Fred’s anger.

“Proper liar you are, you didn’t even write, or even just explain why you suddenly walked out.”

You don’t feel ashamed for what you did, it was for your own good. Though, Fred’s right. You never gave a proper reason other than those childish insults at Hog’s Head. But now, with your head banging, you can’t think logically.

“Again.” you grit your teeth, words spilling between like venom. “I had my reasons.”

Fred quickly stalks towards you, enough so you can reach a hand, grab his jaw and smash your lips against his. But you don’t. “Excuse me for not giving a rat's arse about your reasons, do you know how worried I was!”

His words pull a small gasp from your lips, you refuse to believe him. “If you were so worried, you could’ve spoken to me all those years. How about that summer huh? I stayed over.”

“But I did speak to you!” Fred shouts, and your fists clench. “You were a bitch to me, remember?”

Your groan is filled with contempt. “You take that back!” your fist lifts to smack him on the chest, and you curse his overwhelmingly hard and attractive biceps. Shit, you really shouldn’t be feeling like this during a fight.

“You wanna know why I did all that?” you cry out, tears ready to strain your cheeks but you won’t forgive yourself if you cried in front of him.

“Oh do tell?” he seethes, grasping your fist in a quick motion and holding it beside him before you can smack his chest again. “Merlin woman keep your-”

“Because I was in love with you, you dickwad!”

Fred freezes - second time that night.

Your heartbeat pounds against your chest, you feel vulnerable. Oh so vulnerable and stupid, you shouldn’t have said it.

Fuck fuck fuck.

You should have just kept your stupid mouth shut, dragged your stupid ass back home and took a stupid shower.

But it was too late.

Fred takes a slow step back, continued by several until he’s on the other side of the room with his arms propped against a wall, head hanging low. He’s breathing heavily, you’re finally crying.

“So you aren’t going to say anything?” you yell, stomping your heel on the ground. “Do you know how hard it was for me to watch you and Eva all those years, you wouldn’t even look at me.” you choke on your sobs, remembering everything. The painful memories, the emotions hit you like the Ford Angelia with Ron behind the wheels.

“The Yule Ball, I saw you two together. It hurt so much and I cou- umpfh”

You almost swallow your tongue.

Soft lips, those are the only words writing out in your mind. Fireworks erupting around the letters and causing shivers to run around your entire being. Taken aback, you can’t move until your mind processes that Fred Weasley is kissing you.

Fred groans, opening your mouth with his and grazing his tongue against your bottom lip. It’s so gentle that you doubt you feel it, until his hand grips the back of your head and presses you against him harder. Now you can taste the wet, warm feel of his tongue against yours, the certain flicks of the tip gracing your own.

He pulls back only slightly, panting against your lips and causing your breaths to intermingle intimately. “The Yule Ball,” he starts, going back in for another, hurried kiss.

“She told me, you - closer.” He yanks you in by your waist with his other hand, palm gripping your ass and kneading it with vigour.

“Told me she saw you with someone else,” he pulls you closer when your hands wrap around his shoulders. “It broke me ____.”

“Fred,” you sigh, gripping on his sweater tighter.

“That’s Freddie for you, love.”

Heat curls in your lower belly. His lips are on yours again, begging you for something you didn’t quite know yet. “Freddie,” you chant.

“That’s right.” he chuckles lowly, his rumbling voice against your chest.

You merely shiver, latch onto the tufts on his neck and anchor him lower to your lips until your lungs are overwhelmed with nothing but slow, languid kisses. Fred kissed really good - oh who were you kidding, he was the best kiss you’ve ever had. It’s addictively so, and you chase his lips when he pulls away.

“I,” he breaths, whispering. “I was so devastated by what Eva told me,” he hugs you tighter. “I loved - still love you so much, I didn’t know how to cope.”

“You love me?” Now, there’s more tears. You aren’t sure if they’re of pure joy, frustration or the ache between your legs. “For how long?”

“Since third year,” he murmurs against your cheek, breathing in your scent and shakily exhaling. “I still wear the bracelet, never took it off.”

“I saw,” you nuzzle your head in his chest, your heart feels like it’s about to burst. “It made me so happy, I thought you would have lost it by now or something.”

“Oh Flower, there you are hurting my pride again.”

The nickname knocks all the breath out of your lungs. You only hug him tighter, not daring to mention that throughout these years you flinched whenever someone said flower, or how you simply refused to visit any flower shop. Yes, it did cause problems during holidays and of course, funerals but at least your Disney gift cards contained sentiment.

“I wasn’t with anyone during the Yule Ball.” you mutter.

“I know.”

“Then why didn’t you come back?”

Fred shivers. “I didn’t know back then, Merlin if I had…”

“You’re an idiot.” you chuckle, hurriedly wiping away the drying tears from your cheeks.

“That’s right,” Fred rasps, pulling your face towards his. “I’m a stupid, stupid prat.”

That was, if the loud countdown roaring outside Fred’s bedroom door didn’t ruin the most pleasurable lips you were going to taste - yet again.

Your eyes widen, Fred whines and pulls you back into his arms but you’re already rushing to the closed door. “We’re missing the count down!”

“Oh come one,” Fred steps behind you, hand over yours to grip the knob. You struggle under his hold and try to turn it. “I’ll make you count, hop on the bed, love.”

You have to gulp down nothing but air to keep yourself at bay. God, yes, you would have shouted, stripped naked and let him have his way with you.

But you can’t, not with your friends right outside the door, slightly tipsy and merrily counting down from ten. Speaking of, they’re nearing seven - you have exactly seven seconds to push Fred off and throw yourself outside.

Six seconds until you turn the knob and ignore Fred’s protests, five until Harry and Ginny throw their arms around your shoulders, four until George decides not the comment on you and Fred’s flushed appearance, three until Fred does, two until you’re suddenly pulled forward - one, Fred’s kissing you in front of his friends and family.

Fuck.

It was that one, long second that Ron lets the confetti burst in utter silence while everyone stares at you. It’s a quick yet passionate peck - enough for couples to abandon their new year's kiss and focus solely on yours.

“Finally!” George yells.

Ginny cheers after his brother, “Took you ten bloody years!”

Last of the Weasleys, Ron, gapes. “When did that become a thing?” he mutters, completely oblivious but still happy nonetheless.

If Hermione and Ginny hadn’t swept you away, you would have spent your night glued to Fred’s side, demanding to show him off after all those years of pining.

Your two friends keep asking questions - not overly detailed considering Fred’s Ginny’s older brother. Your lips hurt from smiling by the end of your overly exaggerated story,

The end of the night brings tranquility over the apartment, after presents are ripped open and everyone says their goodbyes, you’re left alone the twins, helping them clean the flat with quick flicks of your wand.

Your watch reads one thirty, you need to leave soon. Aleyna and Blaise hadn’t shown, which only means the proposal was a success. You want to go home and congratulate them, but also spend some time with Fred.

Fred himself is busy wiping pint glasses and lining them neatly in empty cupboards. The both of you keep stealing glances at each other, and it would have been more romantic if George would stop scoffing whenever Fred bashfully smiled in your direction.

“____.”

You hum in acknowledgment, watching Fred’s back shuffle as he washes the dishes.

“Thanks for giving a hand, you didn’t have to.” George smiles kindly, hands tucked in his pockets.

You smile back, “Oh it’s alright.”

“I just wanted to apologize.” he looks down, it isn’t the dorky shyness George casually sports at times, he looks sorrowful.

“For what?” you ask, lips lowering into a frown to match his.

“For being a git all those years back. I was young and a shit head. I’m sorry.” he sighs, leaning his shoulder on the wall.

You chuckle, just the familiar voice of George resurfaces pleasant memories you wished you never forgot. “It’s alright, I’m over it.”

“Really?” he raises a brow. “Because I wouldn’t forgive myself personally. Go on, give me a smack or something.”

“I’m not smacking you George.” you say, you make sure your tone sounds playful to put his mind at ease. “We all had our issues, I probably should have talked to you guys instead of just storming off. Partly my fault.”

George smiles, “It wasn’t your fault, but I’m glad you can forgive me.” He squeezes your shoulder in a way to reassure you, while it feels like he needs it more. You nod fondly.

“And about Eva, we didn’t really like her, y’know. She told us that you needed space, and that we should leave you alone. Just now realizing how rubbish it sounds.”

“Took you long enough.”

He chuckles again, much more genuine like you prefer and pushes himself off the wall. “I better get some sleep,” he glances at Fred, “leave you two alone. And ____, please don’t distance yourself.”

“I won’t.”

Your lie slips so easily.

It’s the welcoming silence that accepts your doubts with open arms - everything was happening overwhelmingly quick, or was it just your fear of being left alone again?

You smile at George when he retires to his room, it’s more of a constipated grimace but George seems to have bought it.

You take this time to finally think, let your protective walls analyse what the fuck happaned in the last five hours because it was too good to be true. Fred couldn’t simply love you that easily, after everything he did. It didn’t explain why he started dating Eva without consulting you first, or how he was with her that night after the Yule Ball. If he loved you this much, why would he bury himself between her legs, abandon you in the hollow halls of Hogwarts? Why would he believe her so easily?

“____.”

Even his voice sounds distant. You can’t tell if it’s him speaking or your past.

“____, darling.”

Nope, that’s definitely Fred. His frustratingly sexy cologne is mocking you like every other amazing aspect this man has.

“Huh?” you snap out of your thoughts. “Oh, yes hello.”

Fred tilts his head to the side, expression softening the moment you speak. “You okay? Something on your mind?”

You tentatively shake your head. Fred sighs and reaches out to stroke your head - you close your eyes but the feeling of his calloused hands never show.

Eyes fluttering open, you realize your fears are coming true. He’s going to tell you that he changed his mind, that he doesn't love you and this is all a big mistake.

“Sorry,” he breathes, cheeks alight. You hold in your breath, ready to face the truth.

Fred’s silent; he’s doing that thing again. The thing where he somehow magically thinks he can communicate with you without saying anything.

“Fred,” you sigh, and his face drops. “Why did you date Eva if you loved me so much?”

There, you asked it. Because if you hadn’t, it would haunt you for the rest of your days, crawl around your heart like an infectious disease. You have enough of those, you don’t want another.

Fred breathing sputters, he looks at you like you know the answer. “Because…it was the closest thing to you I could have. I know it sounds awful-“

“Yes it does, and stupid!”

“I know!” he exclaims. “I didn’t know how to cope, she gave me the affection I longed to get from you.”

Your eyes start to swell, the sentence should make you remotely happy but it doesn’t. “Why did you stay with her for so long?”

“Look.” Fred cups your face, breathing heavily. “Yes, at first it was because I was petty. I thought you were with someone else that bloody night, I was heartbroken and needed a distraction. She was the closest thing.”

“That doesn’t explain the rest-“

“Let me finish!” He sounds earnest, adamant on wiping all your doubts and replacing them with nothing but his love. If only it was that easy.

“I can’t do this tonight Fred-“

“Please just call me Freddie.” he whimpers, kissing your cheek harshly. He stands there, face close to yours like if he let go you would leave.

I“I’m tired, I have a headache and my feet hurt.” you’re crying, again. Nothing out of the ordinary considering you’ve been doing it damn well for the last eight years.

“Stay over the night, it’s late. I’ll make you some chamomile, you always loved chamomile. Please.” Fred begs, lips against your cheek and you can feel the wetness of his own tears. His forehead presses against your temple. “Don’t leave me again.”

Your heart aches, it’s the most painful kind of hurt you’ve been dreading to feel again after all these years. This was worse than the neglect of your parents, the pain that night in the Burrow caused, watching Fred introduce Eva to his mother. This was why you’ve been avoiding him.

Because this time you know what to do, you know what’s for the best and it takes all of the protection you’ve built for yourself to push Fred off. Now, there’s none. Now, you’re standing before him, vulnerable and all your emotions on display.

“Goodnight Fred, merry christmas.”

This time, the door you walk out of feels much smaller and suffocating.

————

It’s ironic how the weather matches your mood for six days.

Saturday; clear skies with a blizzard hidden beneath the clouds. Aleyna’s engagement celebration. Show up with puffy eyes enough to make you blind, sit through nice dinner without crying, eventually start crying when she shows you the ring, act like you’re crying because you’re happy, get snot all over Aleyna’s ring, walk home while the storm finally presents itself and tells you that you’re a miserable piece of shit.

Sunday; small flurry. Spend your day weeping quietly and eating leftover takeout while browsing through your tv cable. Eventually watch a romantic movie, weep more.

Monday; cloudy, soft breeze. Cry more, hug your slightly overweight cat and get dragged outside by Aleyna because she figures out that you didn’t sob in front of an entire restaurant because your best friend was getting married. Sit at her bar, drink beer and stuff your face with cornish pasties while you tell her what happened, until you eventually pass out.

Tuesday; cloudy and dark. Spend your day thinking if you’ll ever be loved again. Regretful, pained, hungover and miserably under caffeinated.

Wednesday; crazy fucking blizzard that catches you so off guard you forget you ruined you chances with Fred Weasley for a moment. Aleyna tells you how stupid you are, you realize how stupid you are, then find out Aleyna is more of a snake than she lets on because she lets you eat a whole pack of doughnuts and that amazing Shepherd’s Pie her mom makes.

Thursday; clear skies. Not a cloud in sight. Your head is unusually clear, maybe too clear because you forget to feed Jambo and take out the trash. You think about running back to the joke shop, tell Fred you love him and that you don’t give a shit about the past anymore. But you don’t.

And now it’s Friday. You’re sitting on your bed, Aleyna in your closet, flinging clothes at you for you to try on because she insists you go out. It’s been a week since you walked out on Fred, again, and perhaps made the biggest mistake of your life.

“Stop wasting away your pathetic life here and do it outside!” she yells, voice getting closer when she comes into view.

“Aleyna, I’m really not in the mood.” you dismiss, laying back on your bed. “I just, should I go to him?”

Aleyna groans, pained. “Merlin forbid, this is the millionth time you ask me. I tell you yes, you don’t do it.”

“What if he says it’s too late, and it is! I don’t deserve-“

“Shut up. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. What matters is that you need to at least try.”

You need to at least try. Aleyna’s voice echoes around your head after she leaves and you're back to your routine. Get up, brush your hair because the tangles bother you more than you let on, (and sometimes your teeth, if you feel like it.) then stay in your pyjamas all day while lazing around your apartment. You’ve started making coffee for yourself again, which is a small step but still encouraging. Plopping down on your couch, you sigh. Jambo follows, leaving fur floating around the air in his wake.

Love To Love You Baby by Donna Summers plays softly in the background, your magic radio is mocking you yet again on how single and sad you are. Especially after how long it has been since you’ve had sex. It’s painful, but you can’t help but think of Fred whenever you try to at least relieve some stress. Of course, this ends with you curled in a corner and crying, it’s frustrating how much he turns you on, and now knowing you can never have him-

Jambo’s loud meow reminds you that you haven’t brushed him today and you slowly get up, striding to the kitchen. You try to relax your mind but your chest feels even tighter with your effort. Your house is an organized mess, you didn’t bother cleaning up throughout the stages of your grief.

You should talk to him. You should go outside, get fresh air, make out a game plan and at least talk to him. Fred’s kind, the funniest, most lovingly stubborn man you’ve ever met. He doesn’t deserve what you’re putting him through. You don’t want to leave things so bittersweet again, you want to keep seeing George, even Fred if time allows.

The pain of your past doesn’t allow you to follow your desires. You hate yourself for it and it’s only a matter of time before you break and go back to your old, quiet self. It’s as if the past got your wrists on lock, holding you back whenever you try to sprint free and love again. You thought Fred would have unlocked the chains and swept you away, but that was before you decided that he shouldn’t.

Gripping the fur comb on your left hand, Jambo watches you walk over to him with big eyes. He looks triumphant, lying on his chubby stomach and readying himself for the brush of his three year life.

Knock Knock

Perhaps this is why Jambo hates Aleyna. You chuckle. “Sorry Bo, give me a minute. She probably forgot her coat again.”

You put down the comb and rush over to the door. Not bothering to check through the peephole, you fling the door open while laughing. “Forgot your condoms or some-“

By the look Fred gives you, you’d think he hits it raw.

“Fred.” you whisper, frozen with your hand gripped on the handle.

He looks haggard, eye bags under his eyes with slightly damp hair sticking out obscenely from the sides. It looks longer, or perhaps it's the way he quickly runs a hand through it and smooths it back. You probably look no different, yet Fred still looks unfairly handsome, eyes dripping with honey and curved bottom lip tucked between his teeth.

Your heart hammers in your chest as you take in his appearance. He’s wearing a simple black pullover with a pea coat messily tucking in the material of his hoodie. You can see the after effects of the snow outside visible on his grey sweatpants, you can’t tell if he came to your house straight after working out for…however long he works out to have thighs like that.

“Can I-“ he gives you a look over and you blush. There’s a hundred different things you want to say, and you merely stay quiet and look at him with hopeful eyes. Coward. “Can I come in?”

You step aside wordlessly. He takes one, big step and he’s inside. Cursing his giant legs, you close the door behind him.

“Wow,” he clears his throat, looking around your apartment. “Nice place.”

“Thank you.”

Fred’s hand twitches when he hears your voice, as if he hadn’t heard it since he was a child. As if he was hearing it for the first time.

As soon as he steps in, his cologne engulfs the air around him - as if he’s marking himself in your house and leaving his delicious after taste. You would tell him he smells amazing but the air between you is too tense to say anything but;

“Fred I-“

“I wanted to-“

Fred breaks out into a smile, and you follow. It looks like a grimace, a hopeful one though. “I wanted to apologize.”

Your heart swells. You know it shouldn’t, because you don’t deserve an apology but the fact that he thought of you makes you feel like you have another chance. Of course you do, the poor man walked over to your house in the middle of a snowstorm. There’s got to be something there, right?

“Fred,-“

“No, let me finish this time.”

You stay silent.

“Been trying to think of the right ruddy words to say this past week but fuck that.” he growls, shrugging off his coat when you offer. “I’m not waiting any bloody longer.”

“I admit that at some point,” he starts, taking a deep breath. “I had feelings for Eva. That’s why I didn’t break up with her. It was well after three months of us dating and I thought I moved on.” you usher him to sit down, quickly following behind. Your legs feel wobbly as he continues.

“That’s why I didn’t break up with her, and I won’t deny that what I had with her was nice, but it wasn’t you. No one ever compared to you ____. I was fine until you decided to stop being our friend.”

“I didn’t decide that, It was something I had to do.” you defend fiercely, sitting next to him on the bar stool of your kitchen island. Damn rich apartments.

“I know that now, but at that time I thought you hated me. I clung onto Eva because I thought - seeing as she was your childhood friend - we’d be friends again.”

You scoff. “Look how that turned out.”

Fred raises a brow.

“Sorry, continue.”

“I started getting over it until that summer happened. It killed me to see you again, that’s when I realized I could never stop loving you. I blamed myself for everything, for fucking up all my chances even though I-“

You put a hand on his shoulder, “Freddie, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Fred pauses, squeezes your hand and gives you a wide, hopeful smile that punches you right in the heart. His head dips down to rest on your shoulder and he sighs. “You called me Freddie.”

“I did.” you smile.

“I wanted to talk to you, but you kept avoiding me. With the war and everything I just couldn’t, especially after that near death thing.”

“Near what?” You gasp.

Fred chuckles, as if it was no big deal. It makes your chest ache. “I got trapped under a wall, Georgie saved me. Owe him my bloody life. Took me sometime to get over it though, those were the times I needed someone the most.” he takes a deep breath before continuing.

“It was around those times that I found out Eva cheated on me. She was acting dodgy the past few months, and I feel awful for feeling relieved when we broke up.”

“But, that’s not your fault.” you sigh, hand caressing his back gently. He relaxes at your touch and a smile tugs at your lip at this. “You don’t owe Eva a damn thing. It’s okay to feel like that, because I do.”

Fred laughs, a small melodic sound that brings you pride that you pulled it out of him. “Oh, is that how it works now?”

“Yep, I said so.” you give him a toothy grin, and he chuckles, further causing your ruin.

But you can’t let things get too comfortable, not before you’re completely honest with him. Here he is, vulnerable and open, telling you his entire life story and you sure as hell are going to do the same - minus some embarrassing parts.

“Do you,” you clear your throat, awkwardly shuffling on your stool. The seat is uncomfortable and it makes everything all the more frustrating. “Do you want to know what I was thinking before you showed up?”

Fred pauses, gaze lingering over your face attentively. Breath catching, you let him look at you. Directly, fully look at you. He flushes, quickly hidden away by his hand when he nods his head slowly and leans on his palm.

“I was thinking of you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I was thinking if I should just go to you myself.”

Fred takes a quick breath. Shuddering because of the cold, surely, his tone is soft and barely above a whisper. “Why didn’t you?”

“I was scared you’d reject me. I was going to apologize to you, get on my knees and beg for forgiveness until you gave me a second chance.”

“Oh.”

You let him grasp your chin and turn your face towards his, he lovingly strokes your cheek, long finger somehow reaching easily. “I’m sorry Freddie, I love you.”

“I’ve waited to hear those words for so long.” his chest heaves when he responds.

“Well, how much of a let down is it?” you smile, nuzzling your hand in his palm.

He leans in and presses a kiss to your forehead, then to your cheek. “Let down?” he tells you, as if he heard the most obscene thing. “It’s so much better than I could have imagined, and I’m sorry too. I hate myself for letting you go through so much pain on your own. If I wasn’t such a clueless git I could’ve done this much earlier.”

“Do what?”

Fred kisses you. It’s not urgent, nor wanton, it’s soft and tender that still leaves you breathless. He leans his forehead against yours, and you ruin the kiss by smiling but he couldn’t care less. Opening your mouth, you let him flick your tongues together until it’s a sloppy, needy mess.

He groans, and that’s when you know the kiss progressed much too far to stop now. The needy ache between your legs pushes you to hover yourself over him, and his strong arms grasp you by the waist. His lips aren’t a perfect fit, it makes the kiss all the more pleasurable and it’s until he’s slowly walking towards your bedroom with your legs tucked around his hips that you break away.

“Fred,” you sigh when he sets you down against a wall. “I want you.”

He frowns, “It’s Freddie, how many times-“ he gathers your knee in one hand and pushes his crotch against your center with a grunt. “Do I have to tell you?”

You barely respond, clawing at his back. The curve of his thick cock gradually growing, his thighs encasing around your legs feels too damn good and you don’t know how long until you’re fully at his mercy. Fred roughly rolls his hips, a deep grumble leaving him and the stimulation is enough to make you whine. “Again,” you rock your pervis.

“Oh yeah?” he smirks, humping you harder. “You like this? How much? Let me feel.”

You rut against him desperately, trying to get off on the friction Fred barely decides to provide.

True to his word, Fred kisses you again with a groan, this time sparing you no tenderness and sucking on your bottom lip until it throbs. His hips continue to rut all the while his free hand slithers down your clavicle, down the sides of your waist - he makes sure to spread his palm wide to feel you everywhere - until he teasingly snaps the band of your pyjama bottoms. You yelp, relishing in his moans.

“If you like it so much- well shit.” his eyes flutter shut the moment he feels your slick from your underwear. “My love, you’re so wet that I bet I can taste you through your panties.”

If you weren’t wearing your yellow duck polka dot panties this would have been more sexier, and it takes Fred talking about eating you out to realize - oh my god, you’re wearing your duck panties.

“Fred, don-“

Fred has already pushed your bottoms down, revealing the abomination and further causing your face to feel hotter.

“Oh?” he smirks. “Sexy lingerie, all for me?”

You groan, hiding your face in his shoulder while he laughs at you. You feel his chest bob, and you can’t help but giggle alongside him.

“Now, strip.” he commands, and all the humor in the situation vanishes in an instant.

He lets go of your knee and you easily slip out of your bottoms, then slowly said polka dot panties. He grips your thighs, hoisting you up on his hips again and before you know it, he’s stumbling into your room.

His hand is cupping the back of your head, somehow gone there the moments he walked. You wouldn’t know, it’s hard to concentrate on anything else when the heat of his cock between your thighs feels like that.

Fred deposits you on the messily scattered forest you call your bed, and the smell of linen mixed with his cologne is enough for you to grind your hips on nothing.

Fred tuts, pushing a palm flat on your hip. He trails his hand between your legs and palms your pussy, bare. “Babe, you’re dripping. Since how long?”

You whine, “Since the moment you walked through - ah, my door.”

Fred’s eyes glaze over with nothing but dangerous greed. Dipping his knee on the mattress, he manhandles you into submission. “You think you can just get away with saying shit like that?” he groans, eyes fixating on wherever it lands on your body. It’s like he’s trying to take it all in, overwhelmed yet still wanton.

He shuffles to sit against your headboard and pats his large thigh, you waste no time crawling towards him. He quickly grabs your waist before you can approach him. Pulling you against him with your knees propped between his thighs, he’s face to face with your pussy and drooling.

“Such a sweet, pretty cunt.” he breathes, gently kissing your clit. You cry out, knees buckling but Fred’s large palms are flat on your ass and adamant on keeping you up and against his lips. Your center throbs, this is all you have ever wanted - the both of you have ever wanted and Fred has the audacity to tease.

“I know, I know.” He gently sushes. “I need to,” his head leans on your abdomen, desperate. “Need to get you ready for my cock.”

You barely nod, Fred seems to be in battle with himself. You don’t know which side wins, until he starts to suckle your clit with continuous, obscene kissing noises. You grip his shoulder, body bending in half. It feels so good, too good that you can’t hold straight. “Please - Fred,”

Gasping, your pelvis rocks forward. He keeps you still with his muscles digging in your hips, ass, back - everywhere he’s desperately roaming and memorizing.

His tongue finally darts forward - you knew that goddam tongue would be what did it - you nearly collapse, melting forward. It’s wet and warm and god - almost what you imagine his dick might feel like if it ever prods at your entrance.

He’s licking with bold, textured strokes. Your thighs are quivering, it’s the sudden brush of pleasure that meets your cunt every other second that causes this.

“Shit,” Fred pulls back, one hand holding your thighs wider. His thumb circles around your entrance and you cry out in pleasure. “My balls feel so fucking tight ____. If I keep this up, I might just come before I can put my dick in you.”

“Then - ahh Freddie!”

“Don’t get mouthy with me.” he smirks, sliding a finger inside. “I knew what you were gonna say before you opened that sweet mouth of yours.”

He fucks you like this, wet squelching noise mixing with your pants and moans. Working you open, Fred curls a finger inside and your thighs finally give out. “Merlin, you’re gonna get it,” he gives you a sweet kiss on the stomach. “I’m just as desperate to fuck you. Look,”

You do look, very gladly at that. He adds a second finger the moment your eyes fall on the wet patch of his bottoms. He’s rutting against nothing, all the while scissoring his fingers inside you - and from the look he gives you, you know he’s imagining what it's like to be inside you.

“Fred!” you gasp, rocking faster until your legs start to jerk and twitch. You don’t want to come yet, want to savor the way Fred’s fucking you with nothing but two fingers and it’s better than any sex you’ve had.

Your arousal pools between his fingers, dripping down his bracelet adorned wrist, all the way down to his veiny forearms. It’s a sight for sore eyes, Fred watches in a trance, gaze half lidded. You can see his cock twitch in his pants and he moans, “Fucking hell babe, look at the mess you’ve made.”

His thumb presses against your center with his two other fingers working, and he roughly drags it over to your clit to press. He’s licking again, slurping noises mixing with the pats of his tongue quickly dragging across your pussy.

That does it. Whining, and with quick breaths you hurtle towards such an intense orgasm that you swear you see Santa himself and his jingle fucking bells. It’s sudden and weakening, you barely register. Fred’s there all the while, desperately licking every drop of his hard work until there’s nothing. He groans and moans, like he’s having his thanksgiving now.

He’s not like a starved man, or any other cliche line you can think of. No, it’s like he has made a deal with the devil and is captured by the dark vitality of greed. He can’t stop, and merlin, do you not want him to.

“That was,” you breathe, taking a seat on his thigh when he allows.“That was the best orgasm I’ve had.”

“And that was the most gorgeous sight I have ever seen.” Fred smiles, it slowly turns into a smirk. The cocky bastard is way too proud of himself. He should be though, it’s been a while since you’ve had sex - if it always felt like this you would have never stopped.

But you know it never feels this good. No, it’s because of Fred. It’s him, and how much you love him, and how attractive he is - how skilled, amazing, passionate of a man he is. He’s perfect and way out of your league but you don’t care because he’s finally yours.

Said man is breaking out in a sappy grin, kissing your lips sweetly to whisper against them. “Get used to it.” He kisses you again. “I’m going to make you come again, and again, and again until you can’t walk.” he’s lowering you down onto your back, hands caressing your thighs.

“Really?”

“Especially now that I know how sweet and tight you are,“ Fred runs a finger through your pussy and you whimper. “How amazing you smell,” he dips down to lazily suck a hickey on your collarbone. “How soft your skin is,” his hands are lifting your waist up to unhook your bra. “How much I’m in love with you.”

Your gaze softens, and you let him undress you, bra after shirt until you’re left bare beneath. He shivers, his eyes are darting everywhere, to the curve of your hips, up your stomach - and finally, the slope of your breasts. He sucks in a breath. “You,” he rasps. “You had this bikini, that summer.”

“Wha- which one?”

“The white one.”

Your eyes widen. “Oh.”

“We all loved that bikini, especially the days when the lake was particularly cold. Your nipples would be crystal fucking clear.”

You should feel embarrassed, fuck you really should but you knew what you were doing when you bought that bikini. That doesn’t stop you from acting clueless though, “Fred you big oa - oh!”

Fred dips to suck on your nipples, mouth wide open and hungry. “From that day onward, I fucking knew your tits were amazing.” he groans, gazing at them for a moment. “ Shit, was I right.”

You feel his clothed cock rub against you as he speaks - and it finally becomes a problem.

“A-ah, Fred. Clothes,” you barely gesture, though Fred understands you quickly. Sitting back on his heels, he swiftly removes his hoodie overhead.

Of course he isn’t wearing anything underneath.

Of course he has abs.

You curse under your breath - Fred’s chest is well defined, as you expected it to be. Well toned pecs, pert nipples hard and on display, golden skin stretching over his abdomen and six pairs of muscles you’d like to mark. He’s lean yet buff, corded well with muscle and now you know where those enthusiastic years of Quidditch have gone into

You reach for his arm, Fred quickly obliges and lets you guide his palm flat on your body. You breathe heavily - you love how you're he’s feeling you up like this. His hand lands on your breast, and he gives it a rough squeeze before rolling off the bed to get out of his bottoms.

“Are you trying to kill me, doing that? Huh?” he rasps, stumbling slightly. He swings his socks somewhere and gets back on the bed. “Is that what you want?”

When you don’t respond, he chuckles. Slowly, he pushes down his boxer briefs. It’s teasing, this motion. But then again, everything about Fred Weasley is.

His cock slaps against his abdomen - that’s how big it is. You feel yourself salivate, pupils expanding at the thought of such a thick, attractive cock inside you. You almost jump forward and sit on it but when you see the angry red color of his cock, the twitching of his head and the pre-cum that drips, it becomes clear how much he has been holding back.

Fred grips his cock and the head gushes slightly, you feel your cunt flutter. “Come here.”

You let him grip your body and settle you on his lap, entrance inches away from the head of his cock. You’re making eye contact, it’s almost intimidating how intense his gaze is. On your heat, breasts and fucked out face. “Merlin, I’ve been dreaming about this for fucking years. Let me,” he breathes. “I should just take a picture and stare at it all day.”

“Why take a picture when you have the real thing.” you smirk slightly.

Fred groans, “Ohh, you’re such a good girl.”

You smile, “Freddie, please get a condom. Flattery won’t get you that far.”

“Damn it.” he smiles jokingly, reaching for your night stand.

“Wait, shit.” you get off his lap and down your bed, legs wobbling a bit as you stride towards your dresser with hurried steps. Fred whines when you leave but you pay him no mind. “Been a while, here.”

Grabbing the pack, you stumble back on the bed and sit on your knees.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Fred nods his head. “Put it on, baby.”

You rip the packet open and slowly roll it on him, his cock is already wet and glistening enough for it to be quick. Your center pulses with want as you do this.

Fred pushes you down and crawls on top, centering his cock with your entrance. “No more,” he grunts. “Gotta have you now.”

Gasping, you feel him rub against you. He continues to tease, until the tip of his cock finally pushes past.

You cry out and glance down at where his cock bulges, it’s a type of pain you’d love to feel everyday. “A-ah Fred!”

“I know baby,” he whines, pushing further in with a quick thrust. He strokes slowly to work you open. You cry out, arousal gushing out.

“Such a sweet pussy, taking all my cock so well.” he kisses your jaw, feathering his lips around your throat and lazily sucking. “Feel so good.”

It’s true, it feels so fucking good that you can’t hold in your moans anymore. Not that you were trying to, but the desire to chant his name becomes reality when he rolls his hips against your center. He’s so close to bottoming out and the woozy cloud floating in your head grows. “Oh my god, don’t want you to stop.”

The stretch feels so good that you can’t help but clench around him, pain jerking your hips up.

Fred's balls deep in, his chest heaves and his eyes squeeze shut for a moment. He pauses, letting the two of you adjust to the euphoric feeling of his cock inside. ”Why the fuck would I wan’t to stop?” Your insides are throbbing, and you find yourself arching your back every time he gives you a sweet kiss on your chest. “Why would I ever stop. Shit, baby, I love you.”

“I love you too - oh!”

Fred withdraws, then slams into you with such vigour that you scream. Another shameful flow of your juices gush out as pleasure rips through you. He continues this, another harsh thrust into your cunt that makes you arch in pleasure. “Freddie!”

“Just like that.” he grunts, rolling his hips. “Love when you call me that.”

His hand hooks your leg around his waist, and he speeds up his motion, soothing the needy ache you feel.

lt’s dizzying, how good he can make you feel. Like you’re the center of the universe and all that matters is Fred fucking you open with sweet, yet untetheredly rough thrusts. It’s scary how lost you can get in him, and it becomes haunted when he captures your lips in a kiss and lifts your leg up on his shoulder.

“You’re so tight, oh fucking hell. Look at you, my goodness you’re absolutely perfect.” he murmurs against your lips, muting your moans.

“Fred! Oh god - ah!”

Your cries egg him on, he’s ruthless with the way his fingers dig in your ass to slam into you faster. The angle, his thick cock, how he’s biting down on your lower lip, you can barely take in. You feel helplessly at his mercy, and soon he’s fucking you too hard to keep kissing. “Easy, baby,” he coos when you squirm underneath him. “I’ve got you - my sweet little flower. Feel good?”

The question itself is clearly hysterical, your pleasure is etched on to your face and your thighs quiver underneath him. His mouth hangs open, eyes droopy, yet he still wears that infuriatingly attractive smirk. “Yes! Feel so good - ah you cocky bastar - umpfh!”

He drapes your other leg over his shoulder, your breasts bounce as his thrust turns more languid. Your back arches, mouth hanging open. “Oh my god - Fred!”

It feels so fucking good like this, so deep and good and - fuck, everything else other than him becomes a distant memory.

“Ahh - shit baby. Doing so good,” he grunts, his moans turn more high pitched when you meet his thrusts halfways. “Drown me baby, my flower takes me so well,”

Fred’s hand curls around the mattress as his other grips your thigh. He slams into you, stretching you out so good that your orgasm builds rapidly within. With your legs draped over his shoulder, he bends forward further until he’s sucking in your chest and leaving red marks. “OH - Freddie,” you whine, clawing at his back.

“That’s it my love,” he croons, head thrown back yet still adamant on watching you. His hands tangle in your hair, carding through and gripping them hard. “Come on my cock - make a mess of your sheets. Doing so well for me, wanna feel you clench around me.”

His face contorts in pleasure when your cunt does clench, hair draping over his eyes to cover his glazed, blown out pupils. Fred reaches between your legs to sweetly thumb your clit, squeezing it between two fingers and it’s the final straw until you break.

You arch in pleasure, shuddering violently underneath him. Fred’s letting you ride it out, finally gasping and his hands clench around your thigh and the mattress. Your hand finds his, interlacing your fingers together as you messily grind your hips and finally come down. Ropes of hot cum fill the condom around your sensitive walls. You tighten, aching a little from the warmth that you can’t feel directly from the plastic barrier.

Fred collapses on top with panting breaths. His head rests in the crook of your neck, arms wrapped tightly around your waist.

“Well shit.”

“Yeah.” you chuckle breathily. The post orgasm clarity makes you realize; fuck, I love this man way more than I let on. You suddenly feel the need to show him, and yet you settle for tenderly brushing his hair back when he lifts his head.

Fred smiles, grin lazy and sappy. After pecking your lips, he slowly pulls out. You whine from the sudden coldness when he rolls out of your arms, then he grins at your noise of distress.

“Hold on love, be right back.” Fred pulls off his condom, ties the top and tosses it to the trash before collapsing next to you - way more dramatically. His arm drapes over you, pulling you to his chest and pressing a kiss on your forehead. “I love you.”

You sigh, content. “Love you too,” you smirk. “Would love you more if you cleaned me up.”

Fred’s eyes flash dangerously. “Oh?”

“Not like that you idiot!” you smile, gently slapping his chest. “Swish your wand or something, I don’t wanna get up.”

“Hm,” he taps his chin. “Give me a tour of your apartment and I’ll think about it.”

You sigh, propping yourself on your arms. Fred whines and tries to pull you back in but you don’t relent. “Alright alright.”

Rolling off the bed, you rush to the bathroom, ignoring the pulsing soreness in your core. “Wha - come back! What about my tour?” Fred yells after you.

You laugh at his eagerness. “You’re not getting it!”

After cleaning yourself up, you practically hurl yourself in his arms. Fred catches you with something between a grunt and a chuckle, leaning against the headboard and letting you rest your head on his chest. Your eyes lull around, begging to give into your exhaustion. “Close your eyes, flower,” he whispers sweetly, gently running his hands across your hair and massaging your scalp.

The snowstorm outside has gotten intense, the wind howls against your sealed windows yet the world feels much brighter from this morning. It’s hard to focus on anything besides the way your heart flutters, and the feel of Fred beneath you. Snuggling closer, his fingers gently trace around your shoulders.

“Freddie?” you murmur, cheek pressed against his chest.

He hums in response.

“You’re staying over, right?”

Fred peers down at you, his brows are etched together and the concern on his face nearly makes you sob. “Do…do you not want me to?” he answers shakily.

You let out a breath. “Of course I want you to!”

“Good.” he smiles, letting out a bigger breath than you. For a moment, you think you broke the man. “Because you’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.”