#uhhh this may be updated or changed at some point ! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pensivetense · 4 years

Text

A List Of (Mostly TMA) Fic Recs Sorted By Vibe

Not an exhaustive list by any means, just a few favourites that caught my fancy. I shortened many of the summaries for space.

I’m going to pin this here and update it as I go.

Also, I’m pensivetense on ao3

MELANCHOLY VIBES

for when you want to feel comfortably muted

(sad but not utterly bleak endings here)

Hope, Etc. (Dickenson, et al.) by yellow_caballero

Jonathan Sims, six months after the Unknowing, wakes to find himself without a daemon - without humanity, without a soul. It’s a cursed half-life, but existence as a shell without a heart isn’t so bad: between solving the mystery of a persistent illusion cast over his friends and some light pseudo-cannibalism, a life as a monster is better than no life at all. At least, it would be, if it wasn’t for the fucking Owl.

A freaking. Amazing. Daemon au. Ties the lore of Dust with TMA lore very satisfyingly, but is mostly about Jon navigating what it means to be human, or, in the absence of that, a person, and doesn’t require prior knowledge of His Dark Materials. Cannot recommend highly enough.

after one long season of waiting by nuinuijiaojiao

Annabelle is not used to having nice things. or, Annabelle heads to Upton House, muses a little, and gets some well-deserved rest

I love survivalist Annabelle and also the concept of the Web as kind of a horrible Patron, actually.

i love you. I want us both to eat well. by SmallishWormMasterOfTheUniverse

At the safehouse with Martin, Jon decides it's time to quit statements once and for all. The Eye disagrees. Martin just needs Jon to be okay. It's quite possible that nobody is going to get what they want.

Scottish Safehouse Era, Jon and Martin coping with their respective Entities... really, really good.

the friend by doomcountry

He always greets a new spider when he meets it. It’s instinct, born in childhood, the same way he instinctively counts magpies, or flicks salt over his left shoulder. A little harmless superstition. A bit of politesse.

A great Martin character study with eldritch spider horror included. The imagery regularly haunts me (in a good way).

autumn’s rare gift by bee_bro

Annually, the two meet, renewing the binding ritual where it had all started. The procedure simple: a waltz.

Singlehandedly made me ship Gertrude/Agnes so there’s that. It’s so bittersweet and bee_bro’s writing is, as always, incredibly poetic. (I’d recommend everything they write, actually.)

smile, you’re trending by Goodluckdetective

During an encounter with another Avatar of the Eye, Jon faces his past, Martin takes a turn at playing Kill Bill and Basira has a second look at the monster she’s determined to see. For three people associated with the Eye, they could all use some perspective.

Features an original Eye Avatar character who’s a YouTube personality; she is infuriating and inspired and genuinely frightening and I cannot say enough good things.

Humility by The_Lionheart

have you no idea that you're in deep?/i've dreamt about you nearly every night this week,/how many secrets can you keep?

An OC centric story but don’t let that put you off, it’s amazing. Very heavily focused around Jonah Magnus and the other Avatars as they change through the years. Also, I’d die for the OC.

oh, for one sweet second without the eye series by faedemon

Beholding does not like in the way humans do, but it likes its Archivist all the same.

I’m just so fond of the way this is done stylistically. I have a great weakness for dialogue only/dialogue heavy writing, not to mention all of the wonderful character beats and interplay of humanity/inhumanity for Jon and Melanie.

Rewind by WhyNotFly

It takes eight days of forced confinement for Jon to start hallucinating. [...] It’s Martin, though, that his exhausted brain conjures, because of course it’s Martin. After all this time, of course it’s Martin.

Jon willingly allows himself to be confined rather than hunting for statements, and examines his relationship with Martin.

for a firmament series by supaslim

There is beauty in destruction. There is art in becoming. In which Jon becomes the Archive, and the Archive becomes Jon.

Part two posted this morning and uhhh. Good. Also if you’re here for weird eldritch body horror (I am), this one’s for you.

ONES THAT JUST HURT

for when you want to feel sad

(somewhat bleaker endings here/everyone is NOT okay)

Feste by yellow_caballero

If asked, Martin would say that he became the shadow director of the Magnus Institute by accident. But nobody ever asked, and nobody ever cared, and it was in this way that Martin stopped lying to himself. Or: break free, Martin. All you have to lose are your chains. And your sanity.

Oh, this one totally didn’t go the way I expected it to. A study in isolation. Could go into the category above, as the ending is not bleak, but the tone of the whole is somewhat more depressing than most there.

Ghosts of Love by RavenXavier

Nothing made Martin more grounded in the world than yearning for Jonathan Sims.

Lonely!Martin that really captures a sort of visceral ache. Hurts me and yet I keep rereading.

i do desire (we may be better strangers) by godbewithyouihavedone

For ages, it only knew how to worship, taking human bodies and living off the fear of those who remembered. It never knew love until it became Jonathan Sims. Now it must fight against every instinct to save Martin Blackwood. Archivist Sasha, Not!Jon/Martin, and the worst kind of Fake Dating AU.

Oh, this one just made me sad. The poor not!them, which is something I never thought I’d say.

Apple Of Your Eye by fakeCRfan

In which the Eye is fond of Martin. Perhaps a little too fond for comfort.

Somehow manages to be both sweet and horrifying—the characterisation of the Eye is incredible. ‘The Eye loves Martin’ is a scenario that’s so utterly doomed to failure and yet the writing is packed with so much pathos that I just want them all to be happy. A fantastic use of themes of agency and choice, and the single best use of Beholding as a source of horror I’ve read.

The Last Press by copperbadge

Jon Sims is awake, and has begun preparations for the Rite of the Watcher's Crown. Peter Lukas, who woke him, would be content to rule at his side. Martin is very upset about all of this, and the Lukases aren't thrilled with it either.

I really can’t say anything without spoiling the end and it’s so good. An alternate take on the Watcher’s Crown. Not a pairing that I ever thought would work for me, but this made it work.

watch the blood evaporate by 75hearts

It starts, like so many things in Jon’s life have started, with a nagging itch of curiosity. Jonathan Sims uses his healing abilities throughout s4. Read the tags.

Dear God please read the tags. But this is some high quality pain if it’s for you.

the lighthouse series by low_fi

Peter Lukas is a lighthouse keeper. One evening, he gets a call from a cryptic overseer tasked with monitoring his work.

This is such a vivid and yet subtle story—from the setting to the emotions portrayed, it creeps up on you slowly. The ending was like the gentlest possible gut-punch. The sequel just completed, and yeah, just as wonderful. This one is very much LonelyEyes but I listed it here because it is just exquisitely painful.

SATISFYINGLY HOPEFUL VIBES

for when you want to feel cozy

Clutching Daffodils by Gemi

Martin has always liked the idea of love at first sight. It’s such a romantic idea, the whole thing of it. Seeing someone and instantly feeling that strange, twisting feeling deep inside that every single media likes to obsess over. Of knowing you are in love within the day, petals falling from your mouth and warmth filling your chest as love burrows deep, vines twisting through your lungs. He always liked the idea of it. And then Jonathan Sims starts working at the Magnus Institute.

Somehow manages to be lighter and fluffier than most hanahaki fare, despite the setting. I’ve reread this one a lot.

the least he could do by Prim_the_Amazing

Martin should in fact not pick this man, specifically because of how attracted he is to him. It would be the responsible thing to do. Except he’s already following him. And he’s hungry.

Fluffy vampire au which everyone’s probably already read, but was too good not to mention.

rather interesting by bee_bro

Jonah Magnus realizes that, for some reason, when he comes in contact with weed, Elias Bouchard's consciousness will come into his life banging pots and pans.

Oh boy. So these are all favourite fics but this one is a favourite amongst favourites. The way Jonah is characterised (i.e. incredibly sensitive to scrutiny) is my favourite depiction of him, and the slow-burn between him and Elias is far sweeter than it has any right to be. Also, it’s hilarious.

The Magnus Records series by ErinsWorks

In a world parallel to that of the Archives and the Institute, a supernatural sanctuary stands against a cruel and uncaring world: A world of bureaucracy and tyranny, of murder and carnage, of loneliness and surveillence, of plague and death. But in this world of fear and misery, 14 entities born of the hopes of the world have emerged. And one of them has made their home here, at The Magnus Sanctuary. Perhaps, the employees within may lead happier lives than their counterparts did in the Archives.

This is just so goddamn pure. The author writes a really imaginative, fleshed-out alternate world and alternate Entities with engaging, well-written short statements. All of the character voices are absolutely on point, and it’s overall absurdly hopeful without ever feeling overly saccharine. I love this series so much, you guys, you don’t even know. I want to print it out and paste it on my wall. I love it.

HARD APOCALYPSE

for when you want to feel dark and angsty (and eldritch)

Most of these are shorts/oneshots because it’s just that kind of genre, y’know?

Ashes to Ashes by marrowbones

A conversation at the end of the world.

Oliver Banks is one of those minor characters that I am overly attached to. Love him here.

Employee Benefits by equals_eleven_thirds

The Magnus Institute offered some normal employee benefits: a pension plan, holidays, travel subsidies, free lunch on the last Friday of each month. Rosie makes it work.

This manages to hit that perfect sweet spot of satisfying and hilarious. Rosie gets to torment Elias, as she well deserves.

a rose by any other name by Duck_Life

Part of Jon blooms in Jared Hopworth’s garden.

This one was sad and honestly too gentle to really belong in this category, but I love it.

Eye to Eye by Dribbledscribbles

In which Jonah Magnus attempts a post-apocalyptic pep talk.

Unreliable narrator at its finest, and the implications are suitably horrific.

commensalis by doomcountry

The tower is endlessly, impossibly tall, but Jon’s work is taller.

If you’re here for the eldritch imagery, then this has some of the best.

SOFT APOCALYPSE

for when you want to feel gently triumphant

apocalypse how series by sunshine_states

Humanity adjusts. The Entities have Regrets.

Some nice vignettes set in a kinder apocalypse.

ceylon series by Sciosa

The one in which Jonathan Sims decides that no, actually, he isn't going to let the world just end.

I include this only for the sake on completeness, as everyone has no doubt already read it.

rituals by doomcountry

Martin is the first person to knock on the Archivist's door since it arrived, fully, into its little waiting temple. The Archivist saw him coming from down the hall, but decides to feign interest when the knob turns, and Martin—still a little bit smaller, a little more translucent than before—stands uncertainly just outside the room.

This one’s a little less focused on the world at large and more on JonMartin specifically.

we raise it up by savrenim

Jonathan Sims reads a book and saves the world; although maybe the real salvation is the friends he makes along the way; (although perhaps the world itself and the darkness that exists behind it isn't quite as out to get everyone as it seems).

More ‘soft revolution’ than ‘soft apocalypse’, but has the same vibe. A time travel fix-it. Incomplete but worth it if this is a mood that appeals to you.

Scarred Ground by DictionaryWrites

“You see," Elias said softly, "people always have this idea that only living things can be scarred - and they're right, of course. But a building is a living thing, Martin. And the ground can be scarred, too." "I don't have any scars," Martin said. "Yes, you do," Elias said. "You just need the right light to see them.”

Falls somewhere between ‘Apocalypse’ and ‘Soft Apocalyse’ but I’m putting it here because I feel like it. Also technically a LonelyEyes fic. I found it hard to follow at first but it’s worth sticking with; things will eventually begin to make sense and come together.

LONELYEYES

for when you want to feel lonelyeyes

marrying anguish with one last wish by procrastinatingbookworm

In which Elias isn't Orpheus, and Peter isn't Eurydice, but Elias brings Peter home anyway.

Lives in my head rent free forever. My favourite lonelyeyes fic.

ouroboros by Wildehack

“You know,” Jonah says, a muscle in his calf quivering agreeably where it’s slung over Mordechai’s shoulder, “it’s really quite--fortunate--that I don’t care for you at all.”

Oh, this one hurts in the best possible way. The endless cycle of their relationship, the way it comes full-circle... yeah, good. Actually, no, this one might be my favourite. It’s a tie.

Breaking all the Rules by Thedupshadove

Elias proposes a somewhat...unusual wager.

Soft lonelyeyes? In my recs? It’s more likely than you think. Short, sweet, and... sweet.

Threefold by Sprinkledeath

Peter Lukas breaks three rules.

I’m just a slut for mythology allusions I guess.

Luck Be A Lady Tonight by prodigy

In 2014, Elias Bouchard takes a rare trip outside of his comfort zone. Peter Lukas wastes a bunch of money. You'd be surprised how many things can go wrong for two beings of cosmic power.

I love the sense of the history of them you get while reading this.

love is just a word (the idea seems absurd) by kaneklutz

"Something's wrong. It's stopped hurting" An avatar of the Lonely and an avatar of the Beholding walk into a bar relationship. It was bound to blow up in their faces.

Short, sweet, painful. Excellent exploration of their priorities.

Victor by penguistifical

elias tries something with his powers that he hasn't attempted before

The one where Elias tries to raise the dead. Not incredibly LonelyEyes centric but that’s still the pairing.

Simon Says by penguistifical

“Peter asked me to drop by and have a word with you, and, so, here I am.” Simon chuckles at Elias’s disbelieving stare. “Well, he asked in his own way. He’s not a complicated man, you know. He either comes from your arms looking like a stroked cat that’s been given a dish of cream or looking like he’s been in that toy boat of his out in an unexpected storm. He was far angrier than normal, so I daresay you weren’t cream today.”

I mean personally I’d just go ahead and rec all of penguistifical’s LonelyEyes fics but this is a standout for me.

AROMANTIC AND ASPEC MOODS

for when you want to feel Seen

The Aro Archives series by WhyNotFly

These are all just really really good. From Aro!Peter to two different aro-spec versions of the Scottish Safehouse to a long and beautiful aro hanahaki fic, this series is uniformly wonderful. The two Scottish Safehouse ones (Torn Edges and Murky Water) are my comfort fics.

and now all fear gives way by j_quadrifons

Before he can think it through, he murmurs, "Is that what it feels like? Being in love?" Martin's hand stills in his hair and Jon's stomach drops.

This one just. Wow yeah this is how it be. Another absolute comfort fic of mine.

Sweet As Roses by Prim_the_Amazing

Jon takes Martin by the shoulders, leans up on the tips of his toes, and kisses him.

I’m going to be honest—I didn’t know where to put this one. But it ended up here because the real standout of this fic for me is the portrayal of Sasha, and especially her portrayal as an aro character. So I’m putting it here. Mind the content warnings with this one!

HUMOUR

for when you want to feel delight

The Torment of Sebastian Skinner by Urbenmyth

After the Eye's victory, the statement givers are trapped in their horror stories, living them over and over again. Naturally, this works out better for some then for others.

Premise? Delightful. Execution? Fantastic. I read this one to cheer myself up when I’m sad.

Unlucky by VolxdoSioda

Jon’s dice betray him

Short, sweet DnD au, and the reason I cannot get DM!Elias out of my head now.

Voracious by beetl

A bird hits the window. Jon experiences The Flesh's thrall.

“Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” but make it literal.

The Stupid Endings by Urbenmyth

There are a lot of very deeply thought out and creative AUs on this site. These aren't among them. These ones are how the story could have ended, if Jonny Sims was a dumbass.

These are just uniformly hilarious, I cannot recommend them highly enough.

PODCAST CROSSOVERS

for when you want to make one of those “if I had a nickel for every time...” posts

The Sabbatical by morelikeassassin

Nicholas Waters is in need of an all-knowing eldritch entity beyond the confines of human imagining to help with his latest ritual. He'll have to settle for Jonathan Sims, who happens to have nothing better to do.

Crossover with Archive 81 (s3, specifically). Both fun and bittersweet.

The City And Its Sorrows by cuttooth

“What makes you think your friend is in Eskew?” David asks. He feels he can risk the scrutiny of the city that far. “I read that this is a place people end up when they get lost,” says the man. “This is a place people end up,” David agrees./The Archivist comes to Eskew.

Contemplative piece, and I love the way it presents David’s relationship with Eskew, the way he finds it horrible and hates it and yet belongs to it, is almost proud in the way he shows to to Jon. Great little vignette of two people oppressed by eldritch powers, intersecting.

Hiatus by bibliocratic

My name is Jonathan Sims, and I am in Eskew. (Jon gets lost in a Spiral city. It is not as easy as escaping.)

This one is far more focused on Jon than David, and is honestly more Eskew-weird than Spiral-weird. In the best way. Told in Eskew episode style, and is very good.

Sweet Music by Shella688

Eskew has a music to it, if you know how to listen. The percussion beat of thousands of footsteps, the melody in the squealing of the trains overhead. Today, the music of Eskew comes in the form of nine musicians, playing outside my office. My name is David Ward, and I am in Eskew.

Not TMA, but since a lot of Mechs fans go here—this one’s a Mechs/Eskew crossover. Short and simple, mostly David Ward centric, just a little well-written one shot I had to mention because I enjoyed it but it doesn’t have much traffic. Nice portrayal of the Mechs from an outsider’s perspective, and how genuinely strange and frightening they’d come across (especially if you’re already being haunted by and eldritch city). If you like Eskew-style storytelling, check it out!

NOT TMA

...but good enough that I physically cannot make a recs list without including them. Here!

#tma #the magnus archives #fic recs #long post #i'm not kidding you guys it's long #so be warned before you click read more #pinned on my blog

52 notes · View notes

thescatterbrainedwriter · 4 years

Text

Unexpected Karaoke

Word count: ~4,000

Warnings: none

Pairings: Oc x Cannon (lite)

Flash fanfic

**Note: at this point in time, none of team Flash know what Estrata’s real name is. Estrata = Emily. Also, Emily is my personal character. I just like to stick her in places 😅 Enjoy!! 🥔 🎨

——

Two weeks, only about two weeks had passed since the enlightenment was halted and Harrison was given his basic mind back. While he wasn’t the easiest person to deal with he cared deeply for the Team Flash of Earth 1, it just happened to be buried under layers of grump and grief and worry. It was so buried in fact, Emily couldn’t really believe she had taken a liking to him. Everyone was devastated when they heard what was happening to his mind because of the thinking cap, and everyone was equally ecstatic when Marlize was able to restore it, but Emily underestimated how much it affected her. Which is probably how she found herself in this predicament.

The last time Jessie had payed Earth 1 a visit, Emily gave her a subspace communication relay in order to contact the Lab on Earth 1 easier. It was able to link up to the coms to both her personal headset and the coms in the cortex, something she discovered was possible by accident when Thawn was masquerading as Dr. Wells. With this new avenue opened, they were able to keep tabs on the reconstruction of Earth 2 after Zoom and Jessie could ask Barry questions if needed without breaching. It also meant Emily could call Jessie and vice versa whenever the opportunity struck them, and the opportunity that presented itself to Emily had her debating wether or not to call.

Secluding herself in her accommodation room, she paced around. The constant mental back and forth had caused her heart rate to increase due to self imposed stress and indecision. It would be totally understandable to call and ask how he’s doing, given what he went through recently, she told herself. Besides, I’m sure the rest of the team would like a status update. We all got attached to him after all, I could even ask how the reconstruction was going, or how Jessie is doing. I’m sure it’s been hard on her too. She paused, turned on her heels, and reversed the circle she was walking in. No, no, I don’t want to bother her. I’m sure she’s busy with her own responsibilities. I don’t want to come off as clingy either, she contradicted herself. But I’m sure he’ll appreciate the fact we’re all thinking about him and checking in to see how he’s doing, she said reversing the circle again. Ugh, but what if.....what if the constant checks are irritating to him? It’s only been 11 days and he’s gotten 5 check in calls already. Then again, some of those check ins were about the reconstruction and Jessie, he just happened to be in the background. She smiled remembering one call where he managed to push Jessie out of frame a took it over, and another where he claimed to have borrowed the relay just to say hi. I’ll have to build him his own, that way Jessie won’t have to share, or at the very least have it stolen again. Yes, I think I’ll do that.

Having made up her mind and deciding not to call, she headed toward Cisco’s lab to see if she could find equivalent parts to the relay she already made for Jessie. She hadn’t even made it two steps toward the door when her earpiece chimed. Calling up the accompanying hud screen she was surprised to see Jessie calling. “Oh, Jessie hey! Believe it or not I was debating on if I should call you or not. What a coincidence.”

“Yeah, how ‘bout that,” Jessie replied with a smile. “I was just calling to see how things were going there. Anything exciting?”

“No, not really. Just, you know, meeting Barry and Iris’ daughter. Their future daughter.”

“Wait, what??” Jessie near yelled. “Future daughter? How??”

“Turns out she’s a little speedster herself,” Emily replied with a shrug.

“Wha— well actually that doesn’t surprise me, honestly.” They both laughed in unison before Emily paused. “Well, since you’re already on call,” she started, “how’s your dad? Is he still improving?”

“Uhhh, yeah,” Jessie replied looking around what looked like the living room behind her. “Yeah, he’s starting to be his old brainy self again.”

“Jessie? Is that you? Who are you talking to?” Emily heard a voice echo from somewhere behind the girl. “Yeah, it’s just me,” Jessie responded yelling off screen. “It’s Estrata, she was wondering how you were doing.”

“Estrata?” Harry repeated now sounding closer. “Hey, hey!” Harry greeted barging his way into frame. “Hi, what’s up?” Emily chuckled as Jessie groaned in protest at the intrusion. “Dad, c’mon really?”

“Harry, really. Give her some space, you’re practically melding your face into hers.”

“Oh come one, she loves this,” he teased rubbing his cheek against hers. “See?”

“Uuuugh, dad! Stop that!” Jessie complained pushing him away. “Honestly, I don’t know which version of you is more annoying.”

“Aww, he just loves you is all,” Emily teased with a chuckle.

“Oh not you too!” She whined with a laugh.

“So, you calling to check on me again?” Harry asked with a smile.

“Oh no, actually I was the one who called her,” Jessie replied. “Figured I’d be the one to check in for a change.”

“Oh, I see,” Harry said a little sad.

“She was debating on calling though,” she added with a smirk. Harry looked at her, then Emily. “Oh? You were? Why didn’t you?”

“I....didn’t want to seem like I was bothering you,” she explained. “It’s only been about 2 weeks and you’ve had so many calls already and—“

“Estrata,” he interjected, “it’s ok. Really. You guys are like family, and family makes sure everyone’s ok.”

*Yeah, family...* Emily thought to herself. *We’re family, not more.* “Well, since you seem to be well on your way to mending, and Jessie, you seem to be holding up pretty well along with Earth 2, I’m gonna go. I have a project planned and have yet to start.”

“Oh hey, wait!” Harry cut in nearly shoving Jessie out if the way again as he leaned over the back of the couch. “You had, wanted to, uh, see Earth 2 right?”

“Uh, yeah? Why?”

“Well, reconstruction is, as you said, going well, and while it may not look like— much like how it was before, it uh, it would be. Well it would be a good opportunity to come and, uh, see things. If-if you still wanted to, that is. I could even show you around, if yooouuu wanted.”

Emily paused with a small smile as he rambled and was amused with how he seemed to get flustered by the end of it. The pause seemed to make him more nervous as he darted his eyes toward Jessie. “Jessie could come too, if you wanted. You’re ok with that right?”

“Uh yeah, yeah sure. I, would actually love that.”

“See, she would love it. So, what do you think?” Harry asked with a hint of excitement.

“Ok, alright. You’ve convinced me,” Emily chuckled. “When would be a good day?”

Harry froze clearly not having thought this far, maybe not even thinking this conversation would even happen in the first place. “Toooooomorrow would probably be a good fit,” Jessie offered noting his brain freeze. “I can get the night off from being Jessie Quick, Dad’s taking fewer hours at the lab and by the sounds of things, you have one extra hand to help with whatever meta comes up. You should be able to get away for a night, right.”

Harry watched the screen in anticipation as Emily considered the points. “Yeah, ok.” She finally said with a smile. “I’ll tell them I’ll be gone tomorrow night. What time did you want to start the tour?”

“6:30?” Harry postulated looking at Jessie for confirmation. “That works for me,” she confirmed. “Hmmmm, yeah I think I can swing that,” Emily confirmed as well. “Please keep in mind though, it’s possible I’ll be late. We’re trying to find a particularly difficult meta, one that’s killing other metas. So it might get, well, a little dicey. I’ll call if I have to cancel, alright?” Harry and Jessie both stared at her with blank expressions. “You, uh, failed to mention that point of excitement,” Jessie said.

“Oh, I did?” Emily asked obliviously.

“Uh huh, yeah. You did. You only mentioned Barry and Iris’ daughter, by the way what was her name?”

“Wait, they have a daughter?” Harry asked with the news. “Future daughter,” Jessie answered. Harry sighed bowing his head. “Of course there’s time travel involved.....”

“Nora,” Emily answered. “Nora West-Alan after Barry’s mom. She also decided to follow in Barry’s footsteps by becoming a CSI.”

“I don’t think I could expect anything less,” Harry commented.

“Alright, so we’ll expect you by 6:30 but will plan for delays. Sound cool?” Jessie said getting the conversation back on track. Harry and Emily nodded in agreement. “Yes, that sounds like a plan,” Emily confirmed.

“Alright, I’ll— we’ll, see you tomorrow,” Harry said with an awkward smile. “Oh and, please. Be careful, with the, the murder, meta.” Emily smiled back with a wide grin. “I’m always careful, don’t you worry,” she said waving goodbye before Jessie ended the call. She stood dwelling on the conversation for a while before she continued toward Cisco’s lab, what better opportunity to deliver him his own relay than when she went to visit.

——

Shortly after Weather Witch was apprehended and her weather vein turned in, Emily hung around the cortex and waited for team to come back thinking of how to say what she needed to say. Once everyone was present she decided to just go for it. “Hey, guys?” They paused turning their attention to her. “I’m uh, I’m not gonna be available, tonight. I have plans.”

“What kind of plans?” Barry asked curiously. She never had plans and usually hung around the lab all the time. “I uhm, I am going to Earth 2.” Emily replied.

“Is everything ok over there?” Barry asked somewhat concerned.

“Oh yeah yeah,” Emily assured. “I was just invited to a tour around.”

“Really? A tour?” Barry asked sadly. Emily giggled. “Yeah, I had mentioned in passing that I wanted to see Earth 2 seeing as it’s so different and Harry said it was a pretty good time to see it since everything is relatively quiet now.”

“Harry invited you?” Cisco asked raising an eyebrow.

“Him and Jessie. She actually set up the time.” Cisco smiled. “Oh ok. She was the one who set up the time.”

Emily squinted at him. “....yes....? Anyway, I won’t be able to help with Cicada, but with Nora here I doubt you’ll miss me much.”

“You gonna need me to open a breach?” Cisco asked.

“No, Harry has that covered. Thanks though.” Cisco pouted having wanted to witness the potential awkwardness. “Alright, well, I’m gonna go get ready to leave. Behave and, don’t hurt yourselves too badly, alright?”

“Can’t promise you anything,” Barry said with a smile.

“We’ll make sure he’s safe. For the most part anyway,” Cisco adds. Emily smiles with a nod before exiting to start preparations to travel to Earth 2. As she was leaving Cisco’s lab having picked up some spare parts for Harry to repair his relay if needed, Nora came across her. “Oh, hey Estrata! What cha doin?”

“Oh, Nora!” she said in surprise. “Hey! I uh, I’m just. Uhhh.....” Emily paused trying to think of how to put it. “I’m going to Earth 2 for a tour with Harry and Jessie.”

“Like a date?” Nora asked.

“Erm, n-no. Not a date,” Emily stuttered suddenly nervous about such prospect. “No, with the reconstruction after Zoom well on its way, and I think near completion at this point, Harry said it was a good opportunity for me to get a good look around. I’ve wanted to see things since my first accidental visit.”

“Accidental visit?” Nora said quizzically. “What do you mean by accidental?”

“Well, you see, I’m able to make personalized wormholes to get to and from different points faster. Usually I’m able to use them without issue but, recently I’ve been ‘Earth hopping’ and somehow managing to travel to Earths in different multiverses. In this case I managed to stay in this particular one.” Nora stared at her trying to compute what she was just told. “Soooo, kinda like how my dad uses the speed force to go to other Earths?” Emily paused to consider the comparison. “Yeah, kinda. Just, with more room for unforeseen world travel. The way I do it can be wildly inaccurate.”

“Sounds pretty scary,” Nora commented.

Emily shrugged. “I was terrified the first time it happened, but now I’m pretty used to it, if not a little annoyed,” she sighed with a smile. “I’m ready to go home, but the places I’ve landed and people I’ve met have made me less homesick.”

“Hope I’m one of those people,” Nora smiled.

“Yes, yes you are,” Emily confirmed making her smile wider. “I can confidently say I’ve not met anyone like you in all my travels.”

“So how many other Earths have you gone to?”

Emily paused to think. “Hmmm, looks like......7 at the very least. Not including multiverse Earths.” Nora’s eyes grew wide in awe at the number. “Wow....” she whispered making Emily chuckle. “Ok, well, I have to finish getting ready. Could you try helping Cisco keep your father safe while I’m gone for the night?”

“Oh? All night?” Nora asked mischievously. Emily’s face dropped unenthusiastically and gave her a look. “No,” she said plainly. “Not for that.” Nora just smiled. “Ok, whatever you say.” Emily huffed before heading off to change. She wanted to see if she could blend in and not stand out so much and decided on straight brown pants, a green blouse, and some flats. She stood looking in the mirror wondering if this was too much before taking a breath deciding to forget thinking about it too deeply and left for the breach room.

On her way down one of her drones who were free roaming followed her whirring in curiosity asking what she was doing. “Oh, hey GP. Where? I’m going to Earth 2.” The drone whirred again in concern. “I’ll be ok. I promise. It’ll just be for a few hours,” she said only managing a few steps before the drone was in her face again rambling on about its concerns. She chuckled grabbing it gently with both hands, similar to cupping someone’s face, and smiled softly. “Is this your way of saying you wanna come too?” It made what sounded like a sheepish admittance sound making her giggle. “Ok, fine. You can come too. But we have to hurry, it’s almost time to go.” Just as she entered the breach room a connection forms and Harry appears. Emily smiled and waved, Harry returning the gesture with an awkward smile. “Ready?” He asked. Emily nodded enthusiastically. “Yes!”

He extended a hand toward the breach ushering her in first, Emily bowed with a smile before jumping through with Harry right behind. Jessie greeted them on the other side with a smile. “Hey Es!” She said with a wave. “Welcome back to Earth 2!”

“Hey Jessie!” Emily replied. “Long time no see! In person anyway.” Jessie laughed in agreement as Harry popped back through and the breach closed once again. “Alright, lets get going,” Harry said ushering them both out. “I suppose we’ll start with the Lab, it’s been refurbished since you last crashed in.”

“Alright,” Emily agreed. She had only seen the lobby last time and, while she didn’t expect many differences, she still wanted to see the rest of it. Since they were on one of the lowest levels, they stopped at the pipeline first. It wasn’t quite as repaired as on Earth 1, this Earth didn’t have an Eobard to repair it for his personal use, but it was a bit more than just run down. Walking onto the gangway inside, Emily was still filled with awe at the large structure even if it looked mostly like the one she was well aware of. “Can I take a look all the way around?” Emily asked already floating a few inches off the ground. Harry sighed recognizing she was asking out of courtesy and would investigate one way or another and nodded with a smile. “Sure, have at it.”

“I’ll race ya!” Jessie exclaimed before taking off. “No, wait, Jes—“ Harry began before cutting off his sentence as Emily took off after her. Jessie makes it back first with Emily close behind, the latter crashing into the former sending them to the bottom of the pipeline a few feet below. They erupt into laughter with Harry trying not to loose his cool resorting to just looking over the edge. “Are you two ok? Are you done?” He called down. Emily pops back up, Jessie in tow, with both confirming they were fine. Placing Jessie back onto the gangplank, Emily makes her way back around, albeit slower this time, and takes her time looking at the construction. It took 20 minutes but she eventually came back around, floating parallel to the ground facing the ceiling.

“Satisfied?” Harry asked when she stopped above the gangplank again. Still upside down, Emily looked over with a smile and nodded. “Yes, I think my curiosity is sated for now.” Harry’s heart fluttered for a moment at her smile and he couldn’t help mirroring it before reaching out a hand to her to escort her back in. Flipping around Emily landed and took his hand, Jessie watching the exchange with amused curiosity and following silently behind with a smirk playing at her lips.

Labs, offices, even just hallways, Emily looked over them all with wide hungry eyes. Harry didn’t understand but found it amusing how inquisitive she became. “This your office?” She asked after a while pointing into a relatively large room with a desk, chairs, coffee table and a medium sized couch. “Uh, yeah. Yeah that’s mine,” Harry responded as she wandered in. “Hmmm, you know. Come to think of it....” Emily said looking around. “I’m not sure Harrison Wells of Earth 1 had an office. None that I remember seeing anyway.” She paused. “Unless you count the time vault, but it looked like a futuristic closet more than an office. But who knows, maybe that’s how future offices look....” She turns and smiles wide. “I like the aesthetic of your office much better.”

“Aannnd what about it do you like?” He asked following her in. She shrugs looking around again. “I dunno, just pleasing to the eye.” Harry’s gaze lingered on her as she continued looking around before he realized what he was doing and snapped himself back. “Ahem, shall we see the rest of the city now then?” He asked trying to distract himself. “Yeah sure!” Emily says with a smile. Harry’s heart skipped but he kept his composure enough to turn around and lead her and Jessie out of the Lab. Jessie continued to watch amused, even more so at the fact Emily seemed oblivious. She trailed behind them as they continued walking around the city, watching in amusement at their interactions. Emily would pay close attention to what Harry was saying or point out, Harry seemed to get more expressive as he got more comfortable, they even seemed to walk closer to each other becoming more comfortable with each other’s presence.

“So, what do you think so far?” She asked Emily linking her arm around hers. Surprised, Emily paused before smiling at her and placing her free hand on Jessie’s. “This is amazing!”

“Yeah, my dad is pretty great huh?” Jessie asks with a grin. Emily trips having been caught off guard by the unexpected implication of the question. “I... wha...” She glances over at Harry, who had shot a look over at Jessie, and tries not to blush as she searches for what to say. “Well, I mean.... least he’s not grumpy anymore.” Jessie giggles and Harry huffs. “And he does know how to be very detailed,” she continued. “I’m honestly surprised how emotive he became explaining everything.”

“I can be enthusiastic,” Harry near pouted.

“Everyone *can* be enthusiastic, it’s just surprising *you* managed it. Given your past interactions, can you blame me for not believing?” Emily asked. Harry paused before shrugging. “Alright, I’ll give you that one,” he relented. Emily smiled before looking down at her feet while they walked, Harry doing the same, and they continued in awkward silence until Jessie spotted Jitters near by. How fortunate they were walking by at that moment, and it seemed they had a new venue featured. “Hey,” Jessie piped up, “why don’t we stop into Jitters for a bit? I could use a coffee or something.”

Harry looked over at the newly repaired bistro and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. What do you think Estrata?” Emily noticed the ad for the featured venue and pursed her lips with a pause. She had a tingling that Jessie was trying to fenangle something sneaky but nodded in agreement anyway. “Yeah, sure. Good idea, Jessie,” she said emphasizing the name with a suspicious squint her way. Jessie just smiled and pulled her along with Harry following close behind. “Oh? Open mic?” Harry observed quickly reading the sign. “That’s different.”

“Yeah....” Emily said eyeing Jessie again. “Quite the coincidence we happened to walk by as they were featuring such a thing. Huh, Jessie?”

“Yeah, I mean what are the odds?” Jessie tried to dismiss. “Hey, didn’t you say you like to sing in your free time? You should sing something!” Emily crossed her arms looking unamused. “Subtle....”

“Hey yeah,” Harry agreed. “Yeah, that’s a good idea Jessie,” he grinned at her, Jessie doing the same. “I’ll go get some coffee,” she said briskly walking to the counter. “He—wha—“ Emily stuttered trying to counter. “Ok, c’mon,” Harry said ushering Emily toward the back of the shoppe to sign her up. “Wai— n— “ Emily protests trying to switch gears. “Harry, no, please, I don’t— I don’t sing in public. Harry no, do—“ she cut her protests short in an effort to act natural when they met with the open mic organizer. “Hey,” Harry said with a smile. “Hi,” Emily added trying to compose herself. “Hey folks,” the man said with a smile. “Can I help you with sumt’n?”

“Yes! Yes, you can,” Harry quickly answers cutting Emily off before she could try weaseling out. The man raised an eyebrow suspiciously noting Emily’s nervous face and Harry’s overzealous behavior. “And in what way?” He asked cautiously.

“She would..... like to.... to.... sign up for the op—en mic. Thing....” Harry said amid Emily trying to cover his face with her hand as he spoke. The man still didn’t look convinced and darted a look between them. “She sings,” Harry assured. “I sing as a hobby,” Emily clarified. “And not in front of people!”

“Well lucky for you we’re open to all skill levels,” the man said with a smile. “And it looks like you’re the only one who was interested so far. I’ll put you at the top of the list, I just need a name.” Emily gave a long sigh and stared at Harry, who just smiled tilting his head encouragingly at the man, before begrudgingly answering. “You can put down Estrata.”

“Ah, what a unique name,” he commented scribbling it down. “We’ll be calling you up momentarily. We’re just waiting to see if anyone else is interested, but it’s looking like you’re the only one. For now anyway.” Harry smiled at Emily who just resorted to glare at him. “Hey have fun,” Harry said turning and briskly walking away and toward Jessie. “I don’t like you anymore,” Emily teased. “You’ll do great,” Harry assured with a wink causing Emily to just roll her eyes. All she could do was watch as Harry met back up with Jessie and they both took a seat to wait for things to start. They both grinned over at her and Emily just half smiled and chuckled shaking her head. “Walking migraines, both of them,” she muttered.

After a few more minutes of anxious waiting, the man greeted Emily again. “Looks like it’s your lucky night,” he said cheerfully. “No one else has signed up so you get the floor all to yourself.” Emily puffed her cheeks and sighed. “Well, maybe after I sing once, someone else will come up,” she wondered aloud. “May well be the case,” the man agreed before walking over to the mic. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank y’all for coming out to C. C. Jitters. Tonight, we’re gonna be trying something a little different, just to see what y’all think.” He smiled waving his hand toward Emily who stiffened out of anxiety. “We have a lovely young lady by the name of Estrata who has graciously agreed to sing for y’all tonight to get this open mic going. So please, don’t leave her all alone up here. If you like what you hear and want to join in and try your hand at it, feel free to step on up.” The man turned and smiled at Emily motioning toward the mic indicating she was free to start. “Just so you’re aware, I’m not a lounge singer in any capacity.” Emily warned. The man just smiled figuring she was trying to find an excuse to leave. “Give ‘em whatever it is you’ve got.”

Emily gave a nervous smile and cautiously made her way to the mic, it had been quite a while since she had done something like this so she was worried she would mess up somehow. “Aaaand I’ve suddenly forgotten every song I ever knew....” she muttered to herself. She looked around in a mild panic before realizing no one was really paying her much mind, Harry and Jessie excluded. “Right, right, lounge singers were somewhat like background singers.” GP popped up next to her and buzzed quizzically. “I dunno what to sing,” Emily hoarsely whispered covering the mic. GP buzzed again with a suggestion and Emily smiled. “Ah, how could I forget that one?”

“Aww, she’s nervous,” Jessie smiled observing Emily standing awkwardly. “She always seems so care free, this is actually really..... adorable.”

“Yeah....” Harry agreed absentmindedly with a smile. Jessie raised an eyebrow peeking over at him. “What was that?” Harry paused before burying his face into his coffee and mumbled something trying to dismiss her inquiry. She just smirked going back to sipping her own coffee and turned her attention back to Emily.

Emily took a deep breath and looked into the audience. Most were still not paying attention but she didn’t care, she’d sing one song and go. Just one. “I.... apologize in advance,” she said to the handful of people watching. “I’m a little rusty, and not a lounge singer so, here goes nothing....” she nodded to GP who started playing the music part of the song and she tentatively started.

* You light the skies, up above me*

*A star, so bright, you blind me, yeah*

*Don't close your eyes*

*Don't fade away, don't fade away, oh*

*Yeah, you and me, we can ride on a star*

*If you stay with me, girl*

*We can rule the world*

*Yeah, you and me, we can light up the sky*

*If you stay by my side*

*We can rule the world*

Her voice cracked and wavered every now and then and her posture was stiff. She felt the same as when she sang at her high school talent show and kept her eyes closed to stave off the panic seeded in the pit of her stomach.

*If walls break down, I will comfort you*

*If angels cry, oh I'll be there for you*

*You've saved my soul*

*Don't leave me now, don't leave me now, oh*

*Yeah, you and me, we can ride on a star*

*If you stay with me, girl*

*We can rule the world*

*Yeah, you and me, we can light up the sky*

*If you stay by my side*

*We can rule the world*

*Oh, all the stars are coming out tonight*

*They're lighting up the sky tonight*

*For you, for you*

*All the stars are coming out tonight*

*They're lighting up the sky tonight*

*For you, for you, oh*

She was still stiff but Harry could tell she was getting more comfortable. He saw her becoming more emotive, even just a little, and started putting some emotion into the lyrics. He smiled nearly forgetting about his coffee, Jessie smirked over at him and continued to sip her coffee acting as though she didn’t see.

* Yeah, you and me, we can ride on a star*

*If you stay with me, girl*

*We can rule the world*

*Yeah, you and me, we can light up the sky*

*If you stay by my side*

*We can rule the world*

*All the stars are coming out tonight*

*They're lighting up the sky tonight*

*For you, for you*

Getting a bit braver, Emily opened her eyes and smiled awkwardly as the new number of people watching, her ears got red when she realized Harry was watching quite close making her voice crack again. She griped the microphone pole tight to ground her so she wouldn’t loose composure as she closed out the song.

*All the stars are coming out tonight*

*They're lighting up the sky tonight*

*For you, for you*

*All the stars are coming out tonight*

*They're lighting up the sky tonight*

*For you, for you*

*All the stars are coming out tonight*

*They're lighting up the sky tonight*

*For you, for you*

Emily let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and bowed her head a little to signal the end of the song. A few people in the crowd clapped and praised her singing making her smile wide. “Oh, thank you!” she said bowing again. “I’m glad you liked it!”

“Sing another one!” Jessie yelled from the back.

“What?” Emily asked mildly panicking. It grew into a flush when she heard a few other people ask for another as well. “I.... uh...... hmmm....”

“C’mon, that was great! Pleeeease?” Jessie pleaded. Emily glanced over at Harry who had averted his gaze to closely examine a near by wall as he sipped his coffee that was somehow not yet empty. Emily sighed and rolled her head. “Ok, alright. Fine, one more. I’ll give you one more.”

“So, what would you little maniacs like to do first?” She asked after a pause to no one in particular placing her hands on her hips and wiggling her eyebrows as she started again. GP happily started the music moving in what could be interpreted as amusement.

*Watching through my fingers, watching through my fingers*

*Shut my eyes and count to ten*

*It goes in one ear out the other, one ear out the other*

*Burning bright right till the end*

*Now you'll be missing from the photographs, missing from the photographs*

* Watching through my fingers, watching through my fingers*

*In my thoughts you're far away*

*And you are whistling the melody, whistling the melody*

*Crystallizing clear as day*

*Oh, I can picture you so easily, picture you so easily*

*What’s gonna be left of the world if you’re not in it*

*What's gonna be left of the world, oh*

Feeling far more comfortable than before, she began acting out some of the lyrics and danced a bit in place. Harry even noticed she was smiling more, mainly at GP as he flew around her.

*Every minute and every hour*

*I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more*

*Every stumble and each misfire*

*I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more*

*Watching through my fingers, watching through my fingers*

*Caught off guard by your favourite song*

*I'll be dancing at a funeral, dancing at a funeral*

*Sleeping in the clothes you love*

*It's such a shame we had to see them burn, shame we had to see them burn*

*What's gonna be left of the world if you're not in it*

*What's gonna be left of the world, oh*

*Every minute and every hour*

*I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more*

*Every stumble and each misfire*

*I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more*

Emily paused and changed her posture to be a bit more composed. "If you want to be a party animal, you have to learn to live in the jungle. Now stop worrying and go get dressed,” she spoke, though somewhat exaggerated, before continuing singing.

*You might have to excuse me*

*I've lost control of all my senses*

*And you might have to excuse me*

*I've lost control of all my words*

*So get drunk, call me a fool*

*Put me in my place, put me in my place*

*Pick me up, up off the floor*

*Put me in my place, put me in my place*

A sudden small jolt of confidence and mischief prompted Emily to grip the mic and look into the crowd with a challenging look, amusement pulled at her lips every time she sang ‘put me in my place’ and her gaze swept the room ending in a wink.

*Every minute and every hour*

*I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more*

*Every stumble and each misfire*

*I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more*

*Watching through my fingers, watching through my fingers*

*'Cause every minute and every hour*

*I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more*

She smiled and giggled when the song ended, she had the attention of most of the room now and the applause was much louder this time around. She bowed again and attempted to leave when the crowd protested again. “No no,” Emily dismissed. “No, I’m— I was in the middle of.... something. I should get back to that. The.... thing....”

“Oh c’mon,” Harry called out. “You can do one more.” Jessie’s eyes grew wide in surprise as she looked over at her dad, his arms were crossed over his chest and he had a sly smirk threatening to spread over his face. She smiled and giggled turning to look at Emily, who was just as surprised, before chiming in. “Yeah, one more! Please?”

“Yeah, please?” a young woman called from another near by table. Emily recognized her and her two friends as the ones who hung around her table whenever she visited the shoppe on her accidental trip a while ago. She smiled awkwardly and chuckled nervously as her face became rather rosy. “Alright, alright. One more, but this is the last one!” The room cheered and clapped as they waited in anticipation. She gave a long sigh into the mic and gave a stern look at Harry. “You see, Harry, this is why I don’t sing in public,” she said with her mouth close to the mic. Harry just grinned with a chuckle. Emily sighed with a growl preparing for what she hoped to be her last number.

* Sometimes you need a reason*

*A little love you can't believe in*

*A little hug, a little day dreaming*

*Apparently there's some correlation*

*Between hearts and outer space*

*All I'm really trying to say is*

*That I'm just a Sagittarius and we're kind of spontaneous*

*So let's fly out to Vegas and find an Elvis to marry us*

*Don't try to argue with the moon*

*We can blame it on the stars*

*Oh, come on let your heart just breathe*

*Stars, oh, come one let your guard down*

*And we can blame it on the stars*

Having accepted the fact she wasn’t going anywhere any time soon, Emily decided to dance along while she sang as GP flew around adding to the up beat mood. Harry watched happily as she slid back into her carefree personality, Jessie also amused by the shift in behavior so quickly although more so with her father encouraging the events and enjoying himself.

* We'd like to think that we're waiting*

*On a previous reservation*

*It's all written in the constellations*

*Now I don't know, but neither do you*

*Truth is, it's a good excuse*

*For both our hearts to let loose*

*And I know that you're a Cancer*

*Which means you like holding hands*

*So show me how to do this dance*

*And spin me like a ceiling fan, oh*

*Don't try to argue with the moon*

*We can blame it on the stars*

*Oh, come on let your heart just breathe*

*Stars, oh come one let your guard down*

*And we can blame it on the stars*

* I read your horoscope*

*And baby you should know*

*Just what your future holds*

*Let your hips move*

*Let my fingers find you*

*Wrap my arms around you, here we go*

*Stars, oh, come on let your heart just breathe*

*Stars, the stars, stars*

*We can blame it on the stars*

*Oh, come on let your heart just breathe*

*Stars, oh, come one let your guard down*

And we can blame it on the stars*

*We can blame it on the stars*

~~~~

So I miss judged the length of this one and had to break it up. It’s juuuuust over the post limit. Stay tuned for part twwoooo 🥔🎨

#harry wells #harrison wells #the flash #flash fiction #fan fiction #oc x canon #my ocs #funny #nora west allen #barry allen

7 notes · View notes

icharchivist · 3 years

Note

hello icha!! i finally got around to finishing the stranger haha,, by which i mean i just watched it today. was veryyyy excited for it as i really like the poster design for this one. anyways. this event starting w/ the sort of portrait format or whatever / that narration is like. god. threw me right back to autumn troupe. I kind of love that the storytelling format itself is so distinct for autumn! the moment I realized it was omi I started getting teary… like oh man oh man… omi…. And the connection with him taking photos! ahh!! now that I think about it… omi kind of seems a bit like early version tsumugi, huh? also I keep forgetting this man is a college student lol. suspension of disbelief I suppose. onto the play i think like. mankai should invest in a fainting courch for tsuzuru. i also went to watch the play and 1) im betting yuki had a hell of a time costume design wise like the vines on the body? such fun costuming wise and 2) the ethical implications of whatever this play has,,, fun fun. tsuzuru was clearly having some kind of thoughts. i love zeros design and am always up for a3 characters crossdressing bc 1) i think its fun and 2) the costume design. i also dearly wish this whole thing was animated bc I feel like it’d be o fun to see taichi act as zero. or at least I hope this event gets full voiced one day... moving on to the scene where omi adds soy sauce to the paella I know it’s just like haha homare funny so lets five him a lil bit but like everyone in autumn troupe making their comments on the paella and like homare just jumping in. homare autumn troupe besties. just thinking. also the way they just r like. no no no omi it’s fine if u made a mistake!! it’s ok! we like it (you) anyways <3 it’s got it’s own special taste. something something omi’s perfectly pleasant as he is now but even if he weren’t on his a-game and was dealing with all of the biker gang stuff they would love him just as hard. another thing that got me was omi telling banri that he’ll give him something sweet so juza will stop grinding his teeth in his sleep… guys… guys you’ll give him cavities…. mb omi is a college student after all lol.

anyways when i saw the actual costumes. appreciative of them, i like the lil circuit-esque detailing on banri’s outfit, and that sakyo and taichi (nine and zero) both share that like collar detail? its very symbolic and probably also literal but its a nice way to sort of signify their relation to each other visually! also sakyo just looks nice. seeing him without glasses is so great. whoever thought up the like two mole detail for him was doing gods work.

something that confused me was ryo mistaking juza for nachi for a split second? like. does juza… look similar to nachi? or was it just that ryo only heard juzas voice and made that mistake. if it’s appearance wise too. kumon nachi confirmed. I’m joking lol bc I feel like I would’ve heard at least something abt it in one of the like small conversation comments, plus that doesnt seem like itd fit summer troupes style and kumon is for sure the wrong age… but still.

i really like how for this event, the roles for taichi and omi were kinda reversed. and taichis just so like. idk. smiley. rly lifts ur spirits. its kind of nice how this event contrasts to that cg where taichi is crying on omi. I also think like. idk. considering the story of the stranger. wolf gives zero a sense of purpose and life and I think that zero helps wolf lose his apathy. it’s about “the stranger” and the ending makes him like… not a stranger, right? because he’s got a companion. in the same way, taichi brings omi out of his emotional isolation. the picture taking! also the stickers coming back… thats such a good setup! the found family of it all!!

when he was trying to work out zeros character as soon as taichi mentioned a sharp speaking style I KNEW it was Yuki… yuki would never be as honest as zero is though lol… to me i imagine she’s got a sort of juza internal monologue feel? anyways. the taichi yuki dynamic intrigues me. havent yet decided how I feel abt it but when I do… yes. sorry that I make literally no sense. I think it’s very obvious that yuki is my fav chara kind of? I’m just. hmmm it makes me think! I’ve been monologuing to myself abt the yuki and juza dynamic lately which, to my a3 knowledge so far, doesn’t exist, but its ok bc I’ll make it exist! uhhh anyways this event was very good i liked the pacing. i think it didnt drag too hard and it really properly honed in on just omi and taichi, which was quite nice. they really did a lot for just an event!

time to listen to the event song,,, ok so. ah. i rly enjoyed just for myself it was very much to my taste so. out of curiousity i was like ok lemme look up the composer / producer AND IT WAS YUYOYUPPE....... that guy is like!!!! one of my FAV producers ever!!!!!! i know him from like. his vocaloid days and god leia is still one of my fav songs to this day...! this knowledge gives me so much joy omg!!! like wow!! wowwww!!! like i knew yuyoyuppe was out there doing other stuff (i know he worked on a lot of babymetal music which is cool) but like idk. to suddenly encounter it like this. heheh.... its so nice! made me soooo happy. going to relisten to leia now haha

WAIT ONE MORE THING. i was like "haha let me look at other songs i remember liking a lot" which. for me was rakuen oasis and don't cry. anyways. rakuen oasis is ALSO by yuyoyuppe???? oh my god!!! oh my god... sigh. feel like im in heaven.

OH HI FRIEND!! so good to see you with an a3 update!! :D

godd yeah The Stranger started so strongly and the idea to still incorporate portraits in his story was really something to make us cry!

And linking Omi and Tsumugi like this is pretty interesting :O <hat is your reasoning exactly? :O

For the fainting couch for Tsuzuru LMAO and i'm letting you know there's a webcomics that addresses it in Act 2 (hough there's no spoilers aside from the fact Chikage is here)

Im glad you liked the costume and the play!!! yeah i love the designs and it is always a blast to see them this into it, and yeaaah Tsuzuru has thoughts huh. It'll get voiced sooner than later hopefully and there we'll see more in details :3c but also that's what made the seiyuu live so fun bc they perform the songs in play cosplay and replay a bit of the play everytime and it's *chief kiss*

HOMARE AUTUMN TROUPE SOLIDARITY YES. LOVING IT.

And yeah the scene itself was so cute TwT they all want to reassure Omi and be there for him it's so sweet :( but yeah i love how you say it all, Omiimi TwT

and dLKFJDFLKJFDFD Giving Juza cavities is the price to pay for sleep i guess??

yeah agreed on the costume they all look so cool! and nice catch on how those three seem linked like that with their costumes, Yuki (and the designers) does such a good job! and god yeah for Sakyo.. yeah. He has sucha good design dLKJFDF

aND DLKFJD yeah no Juza is supposed to look like Nachi physically, but mostly his face? like i think Nachi was had green hair? we see a sprite of him in a future story, and yeah, everything is in the eyebrows. so Kumon should be safe? Omi mentions he sees a lot of Nachi in Juza, and while it is mostly due to their passions i think, the fact they're also rough looking guy with a heart of gold must play a part as well. but yeah, he does look like Nachi a bit.

and i love your deeper analysis of the event yeah!!

I feel like Taichi is really an emotional core of the troupe in the sense that is, he tends to catch on what others are feelings easily. And he uses it in the early chapters to ease off the tensions and stuff, but he was being held back by knowing he was deceiving them. So now that he's more free, he can be more of himself. but yeah i also love the contrast with how Omi was the one to help Taichi through his breakdown and guilt, and now it's the other way around, it's Taichi helping him through it. and the parallelism between the play and their dynamic is spot on imo! well said!!

and god yeah the sticker things made me cry sO HARD, and the pictures! and everything!! sobs it's such a sweet found family i'm going to cry :(

And! i love what you say about Yuki, Taichi and Juza on this one. I love that Taichi keeps bringing it back to "that childhood friend" and it's always like. so obvious who it is for us rip. But it can make you wonder if Yuki was more honest as a kiddo when Taichi knew him, though now he's clearly not. I love the mention of how Zero is more like Juza's internal speech (which, if anything is another argument about why you should let Juza wear a dress, cOWARD)

but also your mention of the Yuki and Juza thing, while i can't think of them having a dynamic per se yet, but i actually wrote a post during my reread about how i was baffled at the fact they treated Muku the same way?? like both of them tried to push Muku away because they were scared of how people would react if they say pure, sweet Muku was associated to them. And i find it fascinating because i guess those two are pretty aware of how the world see them, and it used to stop them from fully allowing them to be themselves.

I also find it relevant with the fact Yuki says in his personal song that while all of this way people judge him weight on him, he rather be himself, and "I want to love myself". Meanwhile we have Juza who's also aware of the way people judge him and it weight on him, and he wants to change himself from this person he hates, this self loathing - and in a way, he can grow in a way to be "someone" he may not hate, even on stage. I feel like those two have quite a bit in common in this way of being rejected by their peers in some sort of way.

I really want them to share some stuff at some point because there's really a groundwork on it all :(

But i'm really glad you liked that event!! agreed on the pacing and i do love what it brings to the characters! it really fleshes them out and have them move forward a little and it's pretty sweet.

AND OMG THAT'S SO COOL FOR THE SONG!! i'm so glad you liked it, but that's incredible it turned out to be from one of your fav producer!!! ahah sometimes life is like that where you end up finding the stuff you loved back into new stuff! and the fact Rakuen Oasis was from him as well... that's so cool!!! just, so so cool!

im pretty sure he has more songs going forward so i hope you'll enjoy the ride even more!!

thank you once again for sharing your thoughts about a3 :3c it always makes me so happy to see them!!!

Thank youu <3 have a good day :3c

#ichareply #ichafantalks a3 #sonnets of beauty #long post for ts

4 notes · View notes

malaismere · 5 years

Text

ok so hey here’s a super long meta about all the little details in the new costumes!

First up! Fjord

The really interesting thing is how little he’s changed - the upper half of his armor is the same as his original designs, and it looks like the under layer is the same, just lighter in color. He has his fancy new wrap, though, and his boots, while the same style, have definitely shrunk. The cloak is added on, and the clasp of it (beacon shaped) means it’s just picked up in Xhorhas. And, of course, new sword.

His hair is also the same, just longer. And he’s got tusks now! tusks!

The two interesting details are really small - there are barnacles on his chest armor and his boots (very Caduceus, Fjord) and a slight wave pattern on his armor. This might be from the transferred Mariner’s armor enchantment, or it might be some Wildmother Paladin shit. Either way, very cool.

Beau has kept basically nothing from her original look. Her belt is the same, she’s just no longer wearing it, and she still has the same earrings and the same staff (probably? it looks way more gnarled). Her hair is much longer, and she’s added a braid to the undercut. Very stylish. Very Yasha.

Her coat is the one she got from Avantika,and she has her night vision goggles and those very stylish bracers of defense over the maelstrom gloves. Her new shirt, gloves, pants, and boots are presumably xhorhassian style, and the gold accents (along with the brown underside of the coat, give her a much less blue aesthetic.

Also, scars! Beau has a new scar over one eye and two on her chest. This is what you get for being a front line fighter in a crop top, Beau. Very cool.

Caleb looks much, much cleaner. Like Beau, it looks like very little has been kept from his original look - his tunic and belts may be the same, just cleaned and with upgraded buckles, but it’s much more likely that they’re just new. He’s clean shaven, and has longer hair. Ponytail Caleb is now canon and that means the world to me.

Purple Xhorhassian coat, and the blue scarf is probably also Xhorhassian given the geometiric patterns, but there’s a chance it’s still the one that Jester gave him in Zadash.

Frumpkin is looking good. The shadows is just him blipping back into existence. Probably.

And, of course, Caleb is free of the bandages on his arms. He’s really come a long way.

Speaking of coming a long ways - Nott is also barely recognizeable from her first appearance. We have, uhhh, it looks like her pants might be the same as the bandages on before, and her foot wraps might be what’s under the boots, and she’s kept her piercings, but everything else? All new.

Yellow dress and short Xhorhassian jacket is such a look. The button necklace is adorable. Tinkertop crossbow and bolts, scimitar, and the endless flask all on display, and there aren’t any bandages or hoods in sight. Her hair is also braided (much like Veth) and looks a lot cleaner than what was going on before.

Sadly, given that they’re leaving Xhorhas, this look is not staying around for long. But hopefully it’ll be back soon because it’s absolutely beautiful.

Jester’s new dress is gorgeous. The traveller-green Xhorhassian coat is super cute, and the sparkly beading is super cute. The under dress is mostly hidden, but it has a nice frilly petticoat and long sleeves just like her original. The flower embroidery on the arms is super cute. It’s a little dark, but the pink socks, the haversack, and the jewelry make up for it.

Her jewelry is all the same, but it definitely looks like bells have been added - which I remember was the original plan for Jester but cut out in case Matt decided to impose stealth penalties for the tiefling covered in little bells. Path without a trace for the win. The symbol of the traveller has been moved to Jester’s wrist, and changed from gold to silver - maybe she made the new one herself, maybe it’s the one she picked up in the safehouse in Labenda swamp. And, of course, axe swapped for sickle, for all the use that gets.

Jester’s hair is also longer, and it’s now in fun buns (thanks for pointing that out, nerdymariamania). Absolutely adorable.

Caduceus has a lot going on. The breastplate is the same, but everything else looks new. His shirt and pants are close enough in style they may be just a different pair that got brought with him, and they may be new. The gauzy sleeve is also significantly more tattered. It was not made to handle all the shit the Mighty Nein get into.

The shield of retribution is one that got given to Fjord, but it may have been given back, who knows. The staff change is probably a sign that this is the staff of withering, but I don’t remember if Caduceus ever actually equipped that. The gloves and boots are new, and have already been infected by Caduceus’ spreading lichen, and the coat is also new and very Xhorhassian, and I don’t even know what’s going on with the magic there. It’s very cool, though.

((update, looking at the process notes from ariana’s twitter, i’m pretty sure the blue....is even more lichen. Caduceus has a theme and he is sticking to it.))

Also, that belt was totally one of Beau’s old ones, and I’ve already tweeted at Tal & Marisha to see if they’ll confirm this, but I know it to be true in my heart.

Caduceus’ hair has gone white, because apparently it’s pink because it has lichen growing in it? Caduceus, what is even up with you. It also is longer, and has added braids - very Yasha of you, Caduceus. He’s also shaved, got some sideburns, and styled his undercut with the Wildmother swirl.

And, thanks - Nerdymariamania & moriquendil & army-of-bee-assassins, Cad’s earring is now a lightning bolt for the Stormlord (curled in a similar way to the Wildmother swirl). I realized looking at the transcript of ep70 I misheard ears as ‘eaves’ which creates a very different view of that scene...

Yasha... all i can say is that I have no idea what parts of this costume change are hers and what are her involvement with the Angel of Irons. The cloak is the same style as her original, just longer and blue, and that makes me think it’s hers. The symbol of the Stormlord is hers as well, I think. The outfit... I have no idea. But it doesn’t feel like Yasha.

The chains are definitely from the Angel of Irons. Something something metaphor of the fact she kept the sign of her god but it’s been changed up. What’s interesting is the appearance of the pentagon that I’m pretty sure is used in Xhorhassian styles as a symbol for the Luxon. No idea what it means.

I want Yasha to be okay so badly, you guys.

#critical role #cr spoilers #critical role meta #cr meta #mighty nein #fjord #beauregard lionett #caleb widogast #nott the brave #jester lavorre #caduceus clay #yasha

790 notes · View notes

missjosie27 · 4 years

Text

Year 3 Part 8- Winter Battles

Hey, guys! New chapter is up! I hope I’ll be able to update a bit more often but in the meantime enjoy this longish chapter as a reward for patience! David’s got his hands full in this one broh!

Unfortunately for David, another Christmas passed in the usual manner in which he described it to his friends (give or take a few details). More than ever he eagerly anticipated coming back to Hogwarts to resume the search for the Cursed Vaults and his brother. He didn’t think he could take another holiday season in which his parents remained emotionally stunted about Jacob missing from their lives.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for things to pick back up again. It was mutually agreed that Bill would clear the corridor the next time anyone needed to enter his brother’s room to prevent any suspicion surrounding them or Snape finding out. Though the Potion’s master kept a sharp eye on him during class he did not say anything more about the vaults or make threats.

He did, however, receive an interesting visit from one of the school’s slowest during that same class. Barely a week went by after New Years break when he was confronted by none other than Barnaby Lee. The lesson was already over and David placed a bottle of his sample on his desk (which as usual Snape never acknowledged) when the burly Slytherin cut him off before reaching the exit.

“Merula told me to spy on you,” he said simply.

His expression was difficult to read and David wasn’t sure if he was making a threat or simply being a simpleton.

“Fantastic. Call me crazy but isn’t the point of a spy not telling your target that you’re a spy? Just food for thought.”

He was as sarcastic as ever, but for some reason it didn’t resonate with Barnaby. It almost never did.

“Is it? I hardly learned anything in spy class,” he wondered aloud. (When David realized he was being completely serious he resisted the urge to smack his forehead) “I wouldn’t call you crazy, though. Merula claims you are but you seem quite nice.”

“That’s because Merula is a two bit liar. Why are you even helping her anyway?”

Fully aware this was the boy who threatened to vanish all his bones at one point in time, David was careful not to antagonize him too much. That being said, Barnaby didn’t look angry, far from it, he actually appeared thoughtful.

“I don’t really want to but she promised to make me the most powerful wizard at Hogwarts. I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“There’s always a choice, Barnaby and there are other ways to become more powerful.”

“You’re certain of this?”

“I’m certain getting away from Merula will improve your life dramatically...it did wonders for me, though I don’t always succeed. Not for the lack of trying mind you.”

Despite the jokes, he could see his words were making something of an impact on the tall Slytherin boy. He just wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or bad thing.

“I never thought of it that way…”

Sighing, David knew he’d best skidaddle before Snape scolded them for loitering near his classroom.

“Look, Barnaby, great chat and all but I have places to be. And if you try to spy on me again you’ll have my wand to answer to.”

This time, Barnaby laughed, much to the Gryffindor’s confusion.

“I’ve never lost a duel, Grant. You don’t want to go against me.”

David looked straight back into the Slytherin’s bright, green eyes, his own hazel-blue full of steel.

“I’ve never lost either. I’d suggest you don’t sully your perfect record.”

He weaved around Barnaby’s massive arms and shoulders before he was called back one more time.

“Grant, Merula’s coming after you. Believe it.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No...I just...thought you should know.”

David said nothing else, grabbing his bag and heading out from the dungeons and to Care of Magical Creatures. However, Barnaby’s behavior intrigued him. Almost like he was becoming...less bad. Setting that private topic later, the Gryffindor teen set off.

He could already sense it was going to be a topsy turvy second semester.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The second semester also brought in a fresh round of boggart scares. The first two weeks back saw over two dozen cases in the hospital wing, suggesting heavily that they were either multiplying or coming from a direct source. No matter how many times the teachers seemed to get rid of them, another always popped up in its place. Dumbledore issued a series of guidelines to prevent more incidents (including never traveling the castle alone and avoiding dark places) but there was little doubt that Hogwarts was increasingly on edge. To add insult to injury, one of the victims was Ben Copper.

David, Rowan, and Charlie all decided to visit him in the hospital wing, knowing full well just how frightened their friend could get. Though long past his insecurities as a muggle born, Ben still lacked the necessary confidence to live up to his true potential. The rampant spread of boggarts only made that shaky confidence worse.

“Poor bloke,” Charlie said, shaking his head. “I heard the boggart kept changing into different things he was scared of.”

“Is that even possible?” David asked, incredulous.

“I suppose anything is possible with these boggarts. These aren’t standard ones after all,” Rowan pointed out. “The vault is clearly manifesting itself in the form of these creatures.”

“Does that mean the boggarts aren’t real?”

“Oh they’re real, however I think the power they induce clearly stems from the vault. It’s only a theory of course, but your brother’s writings indicate as much.”

Rowan had deciphered about a quarter of the notebook thus far though most of the information was more Jacob’s private thoughts on the vaults and what they were andwho built them. He referred to the current one as the ‘vault of fear’. However, there was still no indicator of a location or anything pointing to one for said vault.

“I never knew how much my brother researched about them,” David said. “That’s why I’ve got to get back inside his room. It could give us more clues.”

They shut their mouths, however, as they rounded into the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey alert. At least a baker’s dozen students were sitting on or by bedsides in some form or another. The majority were second year or below but a fair number were older students as well, many of whom were studying in the library when attacked according to Chiara. It seemed that the boggarts made no discrimination between child and young adult.

Chiara, who often worked at the wing to assist Madam Pomfrey pointed out where their friend was located.

“He’s...still quite anxious,” she told them. “Best to be gentle.”

“Thanks, Chiara. Don’t worry, we will.”

Ben was sitting at the far end of the wing, conscious but a tad disoriented similar to the previous year when he was found caught in cursed ice.

“Dave, Rowan, Charlie? Is that you?”

“It’s us, mate. How are you feeling?”

Ben didn’t immediately respond as he breathed in slowly and exhaled.

“Why am I always the one ending up in here because of a cursed vault?”

“Not your fault. It’s affecting a lot of people. Look around you,” Charlie pointed out.

“Yeah…”

Clearly he wasn’t feeling any better and the three Gryffindor boys knew that, nevertheless they tried to provide some measure of comfort.

“Ben we’re going to solve this. Just like last year,” David told him, trying to sound confident.

“Avoid it, Dave,” Ben replied, his chest rising and falling more rapidly. “T-the closet by the Great Hall...it’s there…”

He could only mean the boggart that attacked him but before any elaboration Madam Pomfrey quickly shooed them away.

“Mr. Copper needs more rest and another dose of calming potion. You may come back and visit him later.”

They obeyed without question (one never violated the rules of Madam Pomfrey’s wing) but just as the trio turned to leave, David felt a tap on his shoulder and was surprised to see Tulip standing behind him.

“Uhhh, hey. What are you doing here?”

“Hope you had a nice break too,” Tulip teased him. “I was actually looking for you, but this is even better timing. I overheard Copper talk about his boggart.”

“Why is that good timing?”

Rowan and Charlie looked at each other with raised eyebrows before turning back and trying to introduce themselves.

“Tulip, right?

“Hi, I’m Rowan. We’ve heard a lot about you.”

But the Ravenclaw carried on as though they weren’t there, which was disconcerting to all those present.

“Because, David Grant, we have an opportunity to practice our new spell. And Copper just told us the perfect place to do it.”

“And you want us to go now?”

“Why wait?” Tulip replied with that ever present mischievous smile. “The longer we tarry the longer these boggarts will keep hanging around and we get no closer to this vault. Follow me.”

As she left the hospital wing, David looked back at Charlie and Rowan, who were utterly nonplussed.

“What are we? Ghosts?” Charlie asked aloud.

“Ghosts may be transparent but at least you can see them,” Rowan complained. “It’s like we didn’t even exist. What’s with that girl?”

“I don’t know,” David responded, talking to himself just as much as he was to his two best friends. “But I’m going to find out one way or the other. Give me an update on Ben when I get back, yeah?”

And he set off to follow Tulip to the desired destination. Hopefully he could kill a boggart and find out the mystery to her odd behavior at the same time. Either way, curiosity and determination were abound.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

David tried to bring up the topic to Tulip before they entered the junk closer (otherwise known as Ben’s hiding spot) but she gave him little time to gather any thoughts.

“You know the incantation just like we researched.”

“Yes. Riddikulus.”

“Right. Remember, we have to laugh at this thing in order to get it to disappear. Once we master this, it’ll be time to go back into your brother’s room. Are you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he said. “But Tulip-”

“No time. We have to cast the charm before the boggart can scare us out of our wits.”

She opened the door and the two entered before David could raise more objections. But he wouldn’t have had time anyway. Though the room appeared like it normally did- full of junk, a chalkboard, and half open cabinets- a puff of smoke issued forth out of nowhere revealing the presence of the dark creature. He shut the door behind him quickly, and drew his wand; it would not do to have the memory of You Know Who visible to anyone else.

But when he turned around, it was a vestige of the Dark Lord, but Merula Snyde. Except it wasn’t Merula. This version of her sported torn, tattered clothing and looked completely demonic as opposed to just sour or grumpy. By far the most frightening aspect of all was her eyes, the whites of which were completely lavender, mascara running down her cheeks. Even more surprisingly, she wasn’t turned towards him but Tulip.

“I was your friend, your only friend,” the boggart Merula spoke in a high pitched, guttural tone. “You betrayed me…”

The Ravenclaw was white as a ghost and trying not to lose her composure.

“No,” she whispered.

“You’re a liar! A thief! A fraud! No wonder your parents sent you away!” it shrieked towards her.

“That’s not true!” Tulip shouted.

“I hate you! You’ll never be trusted! You’ll never have any friends! I HATE YOU!!!”

It was then that David suddenly realized he needed to take decisive action and fast. Pointing his wand at the phantom Merula he spoke calmly and clearly.

“Riddikulus!”

Immediately, the demonic version of his rival changed into something very un-Merula like. Tattered robes vanished replaced by a neat skirt, white tights, mary janes, and a white cardigan with pink flowers decorating it. Her hair was neatly combed, complete with a juvenile looking bow and her posture changed from that of aggressive and accusing to sugary sweet.

“Hi!” the boggart said in a supremely girly tone. “I’m Merula! I love rainbows, and unicorns, and kittens, and lollies! Do you love rainbows, and unicorns, and kittens, and lollies?”

“Merlin’s beard,” David said aloud, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing.

“Oh my,” was all Tulip uttered.

“Rainbows! Unicorns! Kittens! Lollies! Yay!!”

It was too much. Suddenly, the two teenagers started laughing uncontrollably. In fact David was chortling so hard, his stomach began hurting. Unable to stand the hilarity, the boggart vanished in a puff of smoke.

By now both third years had tears streaming from their eyes, but soon Tulip’s turned from joy to genuine sadness and overwhelmed from the change of emotions, had to sit down on the floor.

Unsure of whether he should comfort her or not, David decided on the former and sat down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. It broke his heart to see Tulip crying like this.

“Tulip…”

She kept on silently weeping, as though he weren’t there.

“Tulip,” he said with a little more emphasis but still gently. “It’s okay I’m here.”

The eccentric Ravenclaw hadn’t shown much true emotion thus far, David didn’t peg her for being touchy feely like Penny but in a split second she threw her arms around his shoulders, tears touching down on his uniform.

“I-I’m sorry, David. I’m being s-stupid.”

“No you’re not,” he reassured. “But I think I’m owed an explanation. Why have you been avoiding my friends? Why is your boggart Merula?”

Tulip wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and gave an almighty sniff.

“I suppose you deserve to know the truth, but it’s a bit of a long story.”

“I’ve got time,” David said kindly. Technically speaking it was true. He didn’t have Herbology for another hour or so but he would have skipped it all the same. Tulip adjusted her skirt and began to explain.

“No one knows this, but Merula and I were friends from the minute we arrived at Hogwarts. She invited me to sit at her table the first week and we instantly hit it off. I suppose I gravitated towards her because she had everything I wanted.”

“And what was that?” he asked, refraining from making a joke about Merula having anything anyone would want.

“Freedom,” came the simple reply. “Her parents are in Azkaban for serving You Know Who and they weren’t around all that much before they got arrested. She’s used to doing whatever she wants.” Her face turned resentful and angry. “My parents both work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. My whole life has been rules. I couldn’t so much as sneeze without permission.”

David could sympathize, in fact he did. He knew what it was like to have overbearing parents. But his weren’t always that way. From the sound of it, Tulip’s upbringing was far stricter than the one he experienced before and after Jacob’s disappearance.

“When I came to Hogwarts, I was finally free to rebel and do what I wanted. Merula and I started in opposite places, but we ended up the same. We learned new magic together, broke rules together, and played tricks together. Then we heard about the cursed vaults...from you actually.”

“Glad I could be of service,” he joked which caused some of the mischievousness to return to Tulip’s face.

“We made it our mission to find them first. To show everyone how powerful we were and prove ourselves. But I betrayed her…”

This part David was extraordinarily curious about. So she had betrayed Merula?

“Why?”

“A multitude of reasons,” Tulip answered honestly. “It was partially my fault. I wanted the glory for myself and began hiding clues from her. But that was because I started to see the other side of Merula...the ugly side. You don’t need me to tell you this, but she became controlling, domineering, and constantly cross. It was always about her, her glory, her vaults, her way of doing things. She was obsessed with you by the way, never could shut about that ‘smug arshole’ David Grant.”

“I always knew I lived inside her head, rent free.”

Tulip laughed this time and continued on.

“It wasn’t long until Merula found out and when she did we had a huge fight. In the end, we decided that if both of us couldn’t have access to Jacob’s room, no one could. We created a lock with two keys, took one each, and went our separate ways. We haven’t spoken until that day you dueled her and took the key back.”

“And when did this happen?”

“End of second year,” Tulip said sadly. “She’s right to hate me, though. And she’s right that I’ll never have any friends because I don’t deserve them. I’m not afraid of Merula, I’m afraid I’m stabbing people in the back...including you and your friends.”

Echoes of the duel in the courtyard reverbed through David’s mind as he thought back.

Watch out for this one, Grant. It's only a matter of time before she stabs you in the back

“That’s what she meant by that. And that’s also the reason you’ve avoided my other friends.”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to treat them like rubbish I just…”

She fell silent and David knew it was time. He smiled at her and spoke genuinely.

“It’s okay, I’m sure they’ll understand once they know the reason. Everyone makes mistakes, Tulip, but I’m glad we met. I’m glad you're my friend.”

“You mean that, David Grant?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “And like I said before, anyone I associate with, there aren’t any tricks or deceptions. We can be honest with each other. Finding the vaults for us isn’t about proving we’re the best. It’s about family.”

Except when it comes to my actual family...no one needs to more than they already do

Ignoring the image of Jacob that popped up, he offered a hand and pulled her up.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile devoid of any mischief, which David actually thought was quite cute. “Now enough of my moping. Let’s get back to your brother’s room and find the location of this vault.”

“I’ll do you one better,” David offered. “We’ll be able to go down to the room when no one is around so we don’t get caught this time.”

“And what’s your plan for that?” Tulip inquired.

“Two words: Bill Weasley.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That was the plan moving forward. In order to avoid the wrath of Snape, Filch, or any other authority figure Bill would take a shift patrolling the Herbology greenhouses on a Saturday evening, allowing Tulip and David unfettered access to the room.

In the weeks leading up to that however, the Gryffindor cursebreaker took the time to introduce Tulip to his friends in an effort to get her to feel more comfortable. The Hufflepuff table was most welcoming of course as its reputation preceded it. Penny and Chiara were ecstatic at the idea of having another girl in the group, while she also apologized to Rowan and Charlie for her impoliteness earlier in the week. Though Tulip loved to cause mischief and chaos, she and Rowan shared a love of knowledge that almost all Ravenclaws possessed.

“It’s a wonder you weren’t put in Ravenclaw,” Tulip laughed one day while studying in the library.

“I get that all the time,” Rowan said good naturedly. “I guess I wanted to be in the same house as Dave. The hat seriously considered it.”

“You told the hat you wanted to be in the same house as me?” David asked. He’d never been told that before.

“Yeah...you were the only person I knew, I guess,” Rowan replied, sounding a bit embarrassed.

“Hey you belong where you belong. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make you an honorary Ravenclaw,” Tulip told him much to the delight of the Indian lad.

But of all the people she became acquainted with, none had a bigger impact than Nymphadora Tonks. Spunky and precocious by nature, the metamorphagus also loved playing practical jokes and having a bit of fun at the expense of Hogwarts rules. Tulip’s creativity combined with Tonks’s powers made for quite the pair and the two became quickly inseparable. It got to a point where they received a stern talking to and a detention from Flitwick and Sprout respectively for an elaborate plan which involved dropping a bucket of porridge on Jane the Hufflepuff prefect. It was a fast growing friendship, and unlike Merula, Tonks didn’t have a mean or controlling bone in her body. And because of that, it didn’t take long for Tulip to assimilate herself into the group.

David was very happy to see his new friend endear herself and was even more excited to finally get back into his brother’s room. Though the thought of seeing You Know Who was still unsettling at least he could take solace in that it wasn’t real and could try to turn it into something funny, though he didn’t quite have anything in mind yet. There was another factor as well: Tulip had told him her backstory and the origin of her boggart, there was no doubt she was still curious as to why his boggart took the form of You Know Who. He wasn’t sure he wanted to reveal it because he wasn’t really sure himself. Helping people with their problems was one thing, but his own? He buried them deep and out of sight.

But he couldn’t avoid the day of reckoning. Bill managed to sign up for a nightshift on Saturday night, providing them with an easy pathway to the room. Facing the boggart was nigh upon him and it didn’t feel any easier when they approached the door.

“Remember, quick and easy,” Tulip reminded him. “Don’t get scared just because it’s You Know Who.”

“I don’t get scared,” David said in a monotone keeping his eyes forward in the door.

“Everyone gets scared,” Tulip replied astutely. “But you know the spell. You know what to do.”

“Right.”

“Ready? One...two...three!”

They opened the door, shut it, and peered back around. Tulip used the lighting charm to see throughout the room and sure enough a puff of smoke originated from nowhere and rising from it came the terrible figure of Lord Voldemort, wand raised, evil blood eyed stare and all.

Except this time, both teens knew it was a fake and David was ready. Despite the pounding in his chest, he issued forth the spell as loudly and clearly as he could.

“Riddikulus!”

The visage of the Dark Lord immediately erupted in a full clown outfit, big shoes, makeup, and a big red wig. It started dancing around in a silly manner. However, neither Tulip nor David laughed.

“I’m not sure I like this…”

“Yeah this is scarier than before...change it again.”

He performed the spell once more and the clown became a man stuck with a pumpkin around his head which induced the necessary laughter to vanish it in a puff of smoke.

“Dave you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to but-”

“Why is my boggart You Know Who?” David finished the question for her. “You told me the reason for yours, only fair I tell you mine. And to be honest I’m still not sure why. I remember looking over my dad’s shoulder when I was little while he was reading the prophet and I saw a photo of him inside. One of the few the Ministry was ever able to procure. It was terrifying.”

He pocketed his wand and looked around the dark, dusty room. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her the second reason why. It was rumored Jacob had actually joined Voldemort after being expelled from Hogwarts and the thought of his brother running around in Death Eater robes was a prospect more frightening to him than You Know Who himself.

Thankfully, Tulip made no further inquiries.

“That makes sense. Thank you for telling me that. Anyway let’s check this room out. Merula and I never had a real chance to explore it before our falling out.”

They used lumos to peer around and saw that the space was quite a mess. There was a desk, a board with several photos all pointing to each other in some manner or another, and hundreds of dislodged or disorganized papers skewed about.

“Mum never could get him to clean his room,” he muttered.

“Personally, I rather enjoy chaos as an aesthetic,” Tulip said with a smile.

“Yeah, it doesn’t help us find what we’re looking for. Let’s spread out and see what we can find.”

Finding anything amongst the messy remains of his brother’s room proved to be difficult. Some of the papers were blank while the drawers of the desk were stuffed with trinkets and useless crammed up notes that didn’t make any sense, almost like a schizophrenic wrote them. Some were in the strange Aramaic language and without Rowan there was no way of knowing what they said. But luck was on their side that day, as David flashed his wand over to the wall and found a note written in English.

“Hey, Tulip. I think I found something.”

He gestured her over and plucked the note off.

“What does it say?”

“‘When the vault was first tampered with, there were more boggarts in the library than anywhere else. The vault must be there.’”

David could have kicked himself. Of course. That’s why Madam Pince had been reducing hours and where many of the older students had been found frightened out of their wits. How could he have been so stupid?

“We have to explore the library then,” Tulip surmised. “It’s just as well. Tonks and I have been thinking of new ways to prank that hawk of a librarian.”

“I’m going to have to ask you to hold off on that until we actually find the entrance,” David replied. “There are thousands of shelves in that bloody place. How are we supposed to find it?”

“We should assemble a team to sort through it when we all have time. I’ll keep exploring this place for clues when Bill’s on his shift.”

David nodded. They finally had an inkling to where this vault was and it was another step closer to the ultimate goal.

“Then it’s off to the library.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A team was indeed assembled and it was the largest one yet in finding a cursed vault. Rowan and Bill were onboard as was Ben, who by now was back to his normal frightened self instead of a state of mass panic, though he hated the idea of seeing another boggart. Penny and Tonks also volunteered to come along, the latter becoming increasingly interested in assisting with the vaults herself. David was actually quite touched at the enthusiasm and even more amazed they all found time after lessons to head down to the library (Charlie was at Quidditch practice as per usual).

It also didn’t hurt that Bill was a prefect and therefore could give them a degree of cover, a job that Rowan had plenty of questions about as they walked down towards their desired destination.

“What’s it like being prefect?” the Indian lad asked enthusiastically. “Have you given out a lot of house points?”

“We mainly take away points,” Bill said honestly with a small smile. “To stop the younger kids from acting like gits.”

“But there have to be benefits right?”

“Oh yeah. You get a nice bathroom for starters, and you can be out as long as you want when you take night shifts in the corridors. Which is what I’ve been doing to help you lot, actually,” he laughed.

“I want to be prefect,” Rowan commented, beaming with enthusiasm. “Then I can become Head Boy and then the youngest professor in Hogwarts history!”

“Same!” Penny declared happily. “Dave might give you a run for your galleons, Rowan. There can only be one prefect per gender in every house.”

David scoffed.

“Please. I’m the ‘cursebreaker’, I break too many rules. Plus I’ve already received stern talking to’s from Dumbledore and McGonagall. Pretty sure I’m as likely to be prefect as Snape is at finding a bottle of shampoo.”

That caused the group to laugh, though Rowan beamed at him.

“You’d make just as good of a prefect as me.”

“Please, our own prefect doesn’t even like me. The chances are slim to none.”

That wasn’t strictly true, he and Angelica had gotten on quite a bit better than the previous two years since he lost his proclivity for losing house points. That being said his reputation preceded him. Jacob certainly hadn’t been a prefect.

“Don’t knock it, Dave. You never know,” Penny encouraged.

“And if you don’t, you’re still among friends,” Tonks chimed in. “You can always slag off with Tulip and I in detention.”

“Speaking of, where is she?” Rowan asked.

“Detention. Where else?” David snorted. “Got caught sending Filch a present. Turns out it was a dungbomb. What a shocker.”

“How did they know it was her?”

“McGonagall saw her transfiguring it near Filch’s table at the Great Hall.”

Bill couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh.

“I really don’t know how Chester Davies can handle her.”

The group chatted and bantered like this until they reached the library otherwise known as the lair of Madam Pince in which they quickly kept their voices to a dull roar and idle chat to a minimum.

“Alright we have to spread out and look for any sign of the location of the vault,” he said to them quietly as they gathered near one of the shelves.

“What should we look for?” Rowan asked.

“Yeah, a library isn’t exactly an unlimited space,” Penny added.

“Ordinarily I’d say use revealing or transfiguring spells as it was with the ice vault,” Bill suggested. “But Madam Pince isn’t too keen on students doing anything here except reading and keeping their mouths shut. So just look for anything that seems out of place.”

“We won’t run into any more boggarts, will we?” Ben asked fearfully.

“I’ll go with you just in case,” Bill reassured him kindly. “We’ll work in pairs. Let’s go.”

Tonks and Penny went as a pair and so did he and Rowan. They scoured the shelves and every corner of the old library for anything out of the ordinary but it seemed plain as could be. Once in a while they would pull a book off the shelf, look at it, then put it back to keep Madam Pince from getting suspicious but overall it was tedious work. That is, until Rowan’s genius and curiosity came in handy once more.

Working over near a shelf by the entrance of the restricted section, he pulled out a sheet of paper at the very end of a stack of books that looked ancient and unread for centuries. Opening the note, his eyes widened and he adjusted his glasses.

“David!” he said excitedly but in a hushed tone. “Check this out.”

“What?”

“It’s a half torn page with the same ancient Aramaic ciphers as your brother’s notebook. I can’t make it out but if there’s a half torn page inside somewhere-”

“-it could tell us the location of where the vault is.”

They quickly gathered the rest of their group to tell them the news but evidently they became much too loud because the next thing they knew Madam Pince was shooing them off with as though she were an old lady swatting away a dog.

Still, it was another lead and once Rowan was able to match the cipher with another inside of his brother’s notebook. David felt a new wave of excitement engulf his senses and in fact he was so caught up in this new breakthrough he did not notice a pair of unfriendly, lavender eyes watching him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

January moved into February and with it came ever more snow and windy weather. However, the days were getting slightly longer and with it some extra time to spend outside. Sometimes this meant snowball fights with Tonks, Penny, Tulip, Ben, and Charlie (Rowan was content to watch). But it also brought another pleasant surprise. One snowy Sunday he received word from Hagrid he was invited over for tea at his hut which David gladly accepted. In fact he felt almost guilty since the two had discussed meeting back during his first trip to Hogsmeade.

He soon found out the giant man held no grudge and was extremely warm and friendly like he always was. Fang was also there, (by now fully grown of course) and was excited to have company over just as much as Hagrid was. Of course, coming over to the hut also meant another surprise, one that nearly cost him a trip to the dentist. Not knowing what a rock cake was, David naively took one and tried to bite into it and almost cracked a tooth. In an effort to avoid hurting Hagrid’s feelings, he sucked on the odd treat for a while and noticed that while the taste wasn’t bad, it was still quite lumpy and its texture filled with something he believed were raisins.

At the very least the tea was delicious and more importantly, the third year Gryffindor got a chance to know the gameskeeper a little better too, especially since they were far away from the crowded and noisy Three Broomsticks. Hagrid regaled him with more stories from his own Hogwarts days, including the various exploits he got up to, though he was mum on the reason for being expelled (David didn’t press the topic). He also asked about Care of Magical Creatures classes with Professor Kettleburn.

“Well he’s kind of a loon,” came the reply. David didn’t have the heart to tell him it wasn’t his favorite class in the world. But Hagrid laughed all the same.

“He’s a good man, Professor Kettleburn. Really knows his stuff when it comes ter creatures. But he’s lost too many limbs fer his own good.”

“Sometimes he’s not always the best at practicing what he preaches when it comes to safety.”

“No denyin he’s gettin up there in age. Been there almost as long as I have…” he paused, bearded features suddenly becoming thoughtful.

“What is it Hagrid?”

“I dunno...forget it. It’s stupid.”

David smiled encouragingly.

“You can tell me. I’m sure it’s nothing of the sort.”

“Well I..err...I was hoping ter teach someday when Professor Kettleburn has had enough. Always been a dream o’ mine.”

The third year teen beamed at him.

“I think you’d make a great teacher.”

Hagrid’s beetle, black eyes watered with appreciation.

“Yer really mean it, Dave?”

“Absolutely.”

The vote of confidence seemed to put Hagrid in an extra jolly mood and the conversation continued. They talked of classes and Quidditch, something the big man loved as much as he. David also found out the gameskeeper was a Gryffindor like himself in his youth. However, the biggest takeaway he received from the experience was the unique brand of wisdom Hagrid seemed to possess. Though not worldly nor eloquent with words, it was the genuineness and sincerity of the man that made him so endearing.

“I’m glad ter see you’ve made so many friends, David. Truly, it’s a blessing.”

“I’m glad I have them too...did Jacob have a lot of friends?”

He asked this knowing full well his brother never told him anything about his time or exploits at Hogwarts. Curiosity abounded in him.

“He was much more of a loner, I won’t lie to yeh,” Hagrid answered truthfully. “Such a kind and polite lad, but he preferred his own company most of the time. That’s why I think it’s important yeh got the friends yeh do. Specially the Weasleys. They’re good folk.”

He poured David another glass of tea as well as himself, sitting back in his enormous, comfy chair.

“I may be speakin out o’ line, but I always worried yer brother was too obsessed with them vaults. Whatever’s to come, David, keep yer friends close. And remember that not everyone in the Wizardin World has yer best interests at heart. There are those who’d show their true colors in a minute if they could.”

The teen knew Hagrid spoke of the wizarding war and the Death Eaters who were never caught but he appreciated the sentiment all the same, especially when it came to his friends. He promised to keep them close as advised.

Before they could continue, however, a message arrived through the open window in the form of a paper airplane. Taking it with his hands he opened it and saw it was from Tulip which reported she had made a breakthrough in Jacob’s room and to come straight away. Though he hated to leave Hagrid, the gentle giant was understanding.

“Speaking of friends…” he began but he was waved off.

“Not a problem, Dave. We’ve been talkin fer well over two hours. Go and see em.”

“We’ll do this again soon,” he vowed. “Thank you for having me over.”

“My pleasure o’ course! See ya soon!”

David closed the door of the hut behind him and began trekking through the snow in his boots and warm overcoat. Though it was mild by the standards of the month, light flakes still fell from the sky as he raced back up the grounds and the visibility was poor, a light fog descending from above as the sun began to settle into the west in the late afternoon. But that didn’t concern him at the moment, so eager he was to find out what Tulip discovered.

He almost didn’t see the jet of red light that nearly hit him smack dab in the face.

Pulling his wand out he immediately took a defensive position before a jinx hit him in the back sending him face first into the snow. It was only then that his attackers came into view: Barnaby Lee, Ismelda Murk, and of course, Merula Snyde, who’s lavender eyes were alight with malicious intent, wand pointed directly at him.

“Fancy seeing you out here in the snow,” David told her, not moving from the ground in fear of being hexed again. “I thought snakes tended to avoid cold weather.”

“Be quiet or I promise you’ll never be able to use that mouth again,” Merula threatened not taking her eyes off of him for a second. “I’m going to say this once: I saw you and your little gang in the library and I know you found something. You’re going to tell me what it is or else…”

David couldn’t help but take another pot shot at her.

“Why on earth are you spying on us? Are you jealous I have actual friends and you have nothing but lackeys? I know it’s a foreign concept to you-”

A nasty curse he recognized as some kind of skin disfigurement sailed past his shoulder.

“Not. Another. Word,” she hissed viciously. “I want the information and I want it now. I’m not going to lose this time, Grant. It’s three against one.”

“Any sudden movements, you’ll be going back to West Country in a box,” Ismelda sneered.

David took a slight pause to take a look at his three challengers. All stood over him at a different angle. Merula’s intent was obvious and Ismelda, despite having only one visible eye underneath her black mop of hair, seemed gleeful, even hopeful at the prospect of harming him. Barnaby on the other hand said nothing and was stoney faced. In fact, it looked as though he didn’t want to be there at all.

It’s a shame what I’m about to do him next

Formulating a plan in his head, David suddenly grabbed his wand with his right hand and used his left to send a flurry of snow into Merula’s face temporarily blinding her. Caught off guard he bellowed, ‘Meteolo!’ at Ismelda. The effect was immediate as a concurrent of bad weather- hail, rain, and snow- began pelting the Slytherin girl and forced her to beat a hasty retreat as she cried out.

Spinning around he ducked below Barnaby’s stunner and sent a disarming spell.

“Expelliarmus!’

Barnaby tried to catch the dislodged wand in his wands, but as he juggled it, he lost his footing and tumbled to the ground in a painful heap. This left Merula as the sole challenger left.

Snarling with uncontained rage she sent a body-bind curse his way, which he dodged and returned one of his own. She in turn dodged it and caught him in the face with a curse that felt like he had been hit by the Hogwarts Express, which caused him to see stars. But David persevered, keeping his wits about him (despite knowing his nose was likely broken) and had just enough time to counter what came next.

‘Glacius!’

Merula sent a freezing charm his way and he countered with its natural opposite.

‘Incendio!’

Fire met ice, and the former prevailed as the heat caused Merula to stagger and sway off balance in order to avoid the flames. It was all David needed to finish the fight.

‘Depulso!’

The jet of red light caught Merula in the stomach, sending her straight onto her back and into the snow, skirt and stockings in disarray. The Gryffindor teen ran up and kicked her wand away in order to prevent her from pulling a fast as she was apt to do. In a twist, the roles were now reversed.

“Don’t you ever get tired of this?” he said through quick breaths. “What’s your deal anyway? Are you mad Tulip’s my friend now? It’s not my fault you treated her like garbage-”

Merula gave an unearthly scream and leapt at him from the ground but the snow under her boots caused her to slip and fall forward onto her stomach in a humiliating fashion.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t try that again. Not unless you want me to transfigure your nose into a rhinoceros horn, which I can do by the way.”

But Merula merely spat on the ground at his feet, digging her black gloved hands into the snow with unbridled rage.

“I don’t care about you or your stupid friends. Tulip’s going to stab you in the back, but I promise you the next time we duel I’m going to do something far worse. You mark my words, Grant.”

“Oh sure. I’ll just whip out my favorite quill and parchment and jot it right down. Just for you.”

The injury to the Slytherin’s pride seemed to outweigh the physical damage as hurt flooded back into the angry, lavender eyes which now seemed almost vulnerable.

“I hate you,” she practically whispered. “I-I…”

Just then Barnaby reappeared on the scene, though Ismelda was still nowhere to be found. He looked dumbfounded and more than a bit confused but he had his wand back which David and Merula seized on immediately.

“What are you waiting for?!” Merula screeched. “Hex him! Do something!”

But the burly Slytherin didn’t do anything. Far from raising his wand arm, it remained at his side, emerald eyes taking in the scene before him.

David switched his wand to point towards Barnaby but didn’t fire. He’d wasted enough time dueling with the trio as it was and he wanted to find Tulip. Slowly, he backed away, not taking his eyes off his opponents for a second. It was only when he reached the door to the inside of the castle that he turned and ran, but not before he heard Merula’s demeaning insults.

“...can’t believe you didn’t do anything! Honestly, I don’t know why I have such a pea brained idiot like you around!”

David didn’t really feel all that sorry for Merula.

He did, however, feel a pang of sympathy for Barnaby.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When he reached his brother’s room Tulip was there waiting for him but there was considerable concern etched on her face.

“Blimey, David. What happened? You look like you just battled through a blizzard.”

“Worse. It was Merula and her goons again. They attacked me when I wasn’t looking.”

Tulip shook her head.

“I’m sorry, I should have warned you they were skulking about. But they were on the grounds and not anywhere near here. How did you run into them?”

“I went to Hagrid’s for tea. Got ambushed on my way back up. Managed to get away though.”

“That’s obvious otherwise you wouldn’t be here,” the Ravenclaw pointed out. “I was beginning to get worried too. Wait…”

She came up to him and placed a hand on his cheek, a finger touching his nose which caused him to wince.

“That’s a broken nose, alright. Don’t worry I actually know a few healing spells.”

David didn’t have time to object but he did trust Tulip enough to let her try and mend his injury.

‘Episkey’

In an instant his nose shifted back into place, good as new though it still felt a little sore.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. That’s one of Merula’s signature moves. She likes to use the blunting curse. Small bit of dark magic but not anywhere near what she’s capable of.”

“Hallelujah,” David said sarcastically.

“Anyway, I called you here because I found something that might interest you but I wasn’t sure what it meant.” Tulip pulled out a note from her jumper pocket and handed it to him. “Do you have any idea?”

David took it and again saw it was in English. It was also very short.

“‘The book opens the way.’

Thinking back, it took a few moments for David to remember just what book his brother was referring to...the one he found in the ice vault the previous year.

“What does it mean?” Tulip pressed.

“He’s talking about the book I found last year in the previous vault. I found it there along with his broken wand. I temporarily forgot about it because it was blank and didn’t think it meant anything. But it must be the ticket to getting inside the vault of fear.”

“We just need the location of the entrance now,” the Ravenclaw girl added. “Once we know that, we can enter it and break the curse.”

“Rowan’s still digging through my brother’s notebook,” David said. “He’ll find the missing link and be able to work out the code to get us there. But there’s also another problem at stake here: Merula. She’s becoming more and more of a threat and she’s not going to stop harassing us until we’re out of her way.”

Tulip nodded in agreement.

“Indeed. Which is why we need a fast solution to said problem. Thankfully, I believe I’ve come up with just the thing. You know Barnaby Lee?”

“The huge, slow bloke that serves as a bodyguard for Merula? What about him?”

“I suggest we try to enlist his help. He’s the strongest wizard in our year and not to mention he’s a Slytherin. He knows things about that house we don’t.”

David thought back to his previous conversations with Barnaby and recognized a pattern to them over time. Far from being a typical monster, he was quite amicable as the year progressed.

“He seems nice sometimes, I’ll give you that,” he said to her. “Too nice to be working with Merula.”

“Exactly, and what better way to undermine Merula than to sway someone to join our side from her own. Believe me, I know what’s like to be ordered around all day by her and I’m sure he’s getting sick of it too…”

David had to pause for a second to ensure he heard Tulip correctly.

“Wait, wait...let me get this straight. You want to enlist a bloody Slytherin in our cause?”

“He’s not just any Slytherin, he’s one that fits multiple requirements to aid us in this quest. I’m aware that Gryffindor House doesn't take kindly to the house of snakes, you least of all, but look past it this one time. He could be a big help.”

David, despite his immense personal dislike of Slytherin, couldn't deny she had a point. Barnaby was strong and to convince yet another one of Merula’s ‘friends’ to switch sides would not only tip the balance further in their scale but it had the potential to be the knockout blow. And of all the snakes he had interacted with thus far (with the exception of Liz Tuttle) Barnaby also seemed to be the friendliest. After all, he failed to hex him when he very well could have not too long ago. And to Tulip’s point, he also seemed quite unhappy.

“Alright, you convinced me. I’ll try and talk to him. But what the hell am I supposed to say?”

Tulip placed an arm around his shoulder and gave a shifty grin.

“You have a way with words, David Grant and you’re quite charming when you want to be. Just don’t let your personal feelings get in the way of this one.”

Much as he was loath to admit it, she was right. In his three years at Hogwarts there had not been a single positive interaction with Slytherin and as a result he currently despised them, seeing them only as future dark wizards and fodder to crush on the Quidditch pitch. But now, it was time to swallow his pride even though disbelief still remained active in his mind.

He had to try to convince Barnaby Lee to jump ship.

9 notes · View notes

druid-for-hire · 5 years

Photo

UNSWAYED PT. IV

(pt. i) (pt. ii) (pt. iii) (pt. v) (epilogue) (askblog)

this update consists of a bit of the trek back to hadestown and the workers’ revolution that lasts the summer until persephone’s return in the fall, and being granted the chance to leave at last--to leave for real.

thank you so so much to all my friends @supercantaloupe, @unholy-boi (who helped write the Riots sect), @damondaunnodyke, & @s-aint-elmo

persephone has left again and sets to repairing the world up Top after the hurricane, now that she’s helped the lovers.

orpheus and eurydice are... on the exodus from the Beyond. it’s a long road--it’s a long walk. takes a week or two.

kampê slinks into the shadows and hides, bitter, among the smokestacks. she hurts and she fears. hades will come for her, she knows, but she knows this place far better than he--that man barely checks up (hence how her grip on the place has gotten out of control), hasn’t been there for all of the rearrangements and updates in centuries. she knows where to hide. he will not find her in her domain. this is her darkness.

the imagery of the Exodus is very much akin to/inspired by the same Exodus of the movie Prince of Egypt. u kno that one?

looks like this, yeah, but like... obviously without the fish, because the walls aren’t made of ocean in this au, they’re just rock

and orpheus and eurydice leading the pack, shadowed looks of determination on their faces

again: this is where Promises (But Sadder) happens

as eurydice takes orpheus back to the main parts of hadestown, she notices too many things: his legs tremble, his hands shake, he breathes just barely too hard and clears his throat and coughs too much; and as they talk about the small things to fill some of the quiet, orpheus asks “what’d you say?” too often

(it’s hearing damage babey!)

of course, no one is spared from the hardships of hadestown. but she... does not like seeing those scars on orpheus

this long walk is also the time they tell each other everything that happened to them since they last saw each other

reminder: orpheus is still weak & kinda sick! and it’s a long walking journey. and everyone’s tired. sometimes they all sit down and camp for the “night” or something.

the beyond’s not been kind to him; he’s pale as a corpse, with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks, looks as dead as he feels

(really, all the other workers from the Beyond don’t look much better)

it’s kind of a spooky sight when they stop for a few hours and he lays down to take a rest. the state he’s in...

and eurydice is a fairly good singer--nowhere near on orpheus’ (former) level, but good, and she probably sings him small tunes here and there just for the two of them, to relax and comfort and what have you

@axolotlbeans: at some point they stop for the “night” and orpheus collapses; eurydice, who’d been singing, gathers him in her arms and says, "Orpheus, you're shivering; is it cold or fear?"

and he interrupts her, burying his face into her neck and softly rasps "Just keep singing" in the smallest, weakest voice

when they arrive. it is... a lot.

the long train of people is... heavily distracting. and they seem to come out of nowhere--a lot of hadestown wasn’t even aware there was a Beyond ‘till orpheus got banished, and then they didn’t know the name or what it was, just that he got banished somewhere. even the foremen turn to see; everyone’s sort of like. uh. what the hell is going on? and work sort of stalls out a little bit

eurydice and orpheus go straight to hades and present their demands to let them go. let them all go. blah blah blah some other stuff it probably sounds fairer than that, i don’t have the brain energy to outline all their demands specifically

by the slightly edited words of my good friend supercanteloupe:

let us go, eurydice demands, and hades just laughs, jailbirds like themselves don’t get their freedom so easily. get back to work, songbird, and don’t let the foreman know you’ve been slacking. and all of the rest of you... you’d better return before you’re made to return.

they go, but they’re not done, not by a long shot.

they don’t go back to work.

orpheus cannot sing, but he is still a poet, and the workers have their voices too

the bristling unrest of Hadestown begins to develop into protests, and the protests turn into riots.

orpheus can craft all the words eurydice needs to say with her spirited and powerful voice, to hit every point to cause uprisings and to stab every point to whittle hades down

hades notices things are beginning to go wrong. machine malfunctions, damaged, outright broken; strikes, sit-ins. rolling blackouts. eurydice and orpheus come back and back, with more and more workers, the ones they led out from the beyond and the ones from the factories and mines, always to demand: let us go.

and hades grows only more calloused and bitter. you failed your test, you don't get second chances. Players who break the rules are banned from play.

and every time they turn back, back to their increased workloads and their stricter overseers and their hope now stretching thin, and their anger growing more

ok back to me writing: but enough pushing, and even the overseers are beginning to turn.

the furies, infamous guardswomen and union busters, are doing their best to do damage control. and they are fierce. they are vicious, nearly (but not quite) as bad as kampê, and there are three of them--but then there are only three of them, and they cannot possibly control every single instance of revolt when the ball gets rolling

eurydice and orpheus are now the leaders of rebellion, and both of them are marked for banishment. they have to run from god-king hades and stay out of the unrelenting sights of the Furies.

(and this also means they can’t work or the foremen still on hades’ side might turn em in. so they catch a break and a nap, finally, jesus christ)

but.

there is trouble (For hades) in the fact that kampê has practically gone missing. no matter how many are sent to the Beyond, now there is no one to stop them from just... making the trip back. sure. it takes a long time. about a week or so of walking, but they just... come back.

hades takes notice. hades visits the Beyond for the first time in so long and tries to find her, to no avail. the Beyond is far changed than when he last saw it and he does not have the time to spend to find her--he cannot step away from his children for more than a few hours, lest something go wrong again. this is just another inconvenience on his long, long list.

@lookoutitsregan: “they're legally allowed to leave after 15 minutes”

orpheus and eurydice will be dealt with by himself, and so they run--avoid him as much as they can, hide under his radar

by the words of unholy-boi: hades will not let go of his empire so easily. the building pressure only makes him clench his fists tighter, bend his back further, push further to his own breaking point (and towards everyone else’s).

he’s more likely to go down screaming that he isn’t, more likely to cling hard and furious to his city, push his workers into the dirt and further lose persephone in the process, the further this goes, the more against him, the more likely he is to furiously, dangerously fight back.

as summer turns late, hadestown doesn’t soften like hades may have had it for persephone in years long since past, hadestown turns from city to warzone

ok back to me again

for the songbirds: there’s the riots and them narrowly escaping hades like all the damn time while he pushes everyone else to their limits

and yet they refuse to be pushed and usurp their foremen as fast as he reinstates things

revolutions usually have unifying symbols of a sort, and the many isolated revolts do eventually coalesce into this all being an outright revolution--a workers’ movement, if you will.

the red carnation. though they don’t have it, they all remember seeing in orpheus’ hand before he was banished--the one solid sliver of the aboveground anyone saw in a long time

@s-aint-elmo: the red carnation becomes their symbol--though they don’t have it, they paint it in hidden alleyways and abandoned factory walls. they have red paper flowers and red cloth tucked into pockets and tool belts

or the red of some banner that waves in the acrid smoke-wind of hadestown’s false air fronts

flowers, painted and made and substituted, are cropping up all over hadestown, and in increasingly more obvious spots. life is blooming in the underground for the first time in so long

OH ALSO, another fun layer of symbolism with the red cloths:

in the staging of actual hadestown, when orpheus sings "and they're gonna bend their branches down and lay their fruit upon the ground; the almond and the apple, the sugar and the maple" the ensemble is on the tables, reaching over eurydice like tree branches in a sort of ^ formation; on "almond" and "apple," the first two layers pull out and dangle white cloth, but on "sugar from the maple," the dude at the top dangles a red one and drops it into eurydice's hands

so there’s that!

also being the bounty of spring above...... rejecting the underworld. some shit like that

in a musical there’d definitely be a sort of revolution song

like uhhh... Why We Build the Wall II. it’s Different this time. it’s not about the circular logic of the wall, it’s about rebelling against the order hades has set for them

There’s so many lines that can be drawn from elsewhere in the musical to be inserted into this

Why do we build the wall, my brothers, my sisters?

He said the wall would bring us peace, the wall would keep out the enemy.

mister hades set us free to work ourselves into the ground. a lot of souls have gotta die to make the underworld go round.

why are we digging out own graves for a living, if we're free tell me why we can't even stand upright?

some sort of rebellion/callback against “who are you to think that you can hold your head up higher than your fellow man?”

i’m gonna count to three, and then i’ll raise my head, singin’, one, two--!

(except they probably finish the count in this one)

also, because i am weak for really great chords being belted out by a big chorus and hearing every voice part slot together, because this is a revolution song with lots of people i think it should have that

everybody 👏knows 👏the 👏walls 👏have 👏ears 👏

thank u supercanteloupe & s-aint-elmo for ur additions on this

the fates’ voices still carry on the wind, hadestown’s false air fronts of stale and acrid air, but orpheus and eurydice have since learned to turn their backs to it

ALSO? Flags

with the revolution coming to span A Really Big Chunk of hadestown, most likely more than half, there’d probably be people putting up flags and banners

i’m just like, inspired by the imagery of the flag raisings in wwii and post-9/11, and also i’m thinking of les mis/french revolution in general not gonna lie

sure, the Furies are union-busters and come after any sign of revolution, but every revolution is a fight against something. there’s always blood spilled, what different is this one?

they can’t be everywhere at once and they’re not like the Fates--they get tired, they’re not omnipresent and omniscient, the people are not powerless

the flag is supposed to attract attention, the point is to be loud

and by god, they are screaming

this is what a steel mill looks like at night. hadestown was sort of already in a hazy blaze, but combo this with a revolution in its midst, with fighting and fire, and... well, it’s a mess

and through all the flames are the carnations blooming, painted and carved on walls and smokestacks and pathways

(it’s very poetic)

(tumblr will kill this post if i link to the source directly, so. photo taken by DragonWolfACe @ deviantart)

hermes still ferries on the train, but the schedule is all out of whack thanks to the strikes and riots turning the systems upside down. he witnesses plenty of the mess that hadestown has fallen into, and the fight the songbirds are fighting

he relays as much news as he can to persephone

(thanks @damondaunnodyke for helping write this bit w/ seph)

persephone... worries

she already snuck underground to help them once and a hurricane ravaged the Top for her absence. the songbirds have escaped, and now have to fight this fight for themselves--she can’t go back down to help them, because she has to bring the summertime to the Top, and she refuses to be the cause of another storm

so she’s stuck aboveground.

and she’s uhh. stressing. drinking. worrying.

everyone can tell there’s something off, but she doesn’t want to dwell on it, insisting that everyone else should just focus on the good times. let me tell ya something that my mama said to me...

she tries to not stress--there’s nothing she can do right now, why worry, you know? unless she wants to get more gray hairs than she’s already got

but during one of those celebrations she almost says “let the poet bless this round!” before catching herself, remembering that she’s... not there

a lot of people give her a glance; why’d she stop?

but she picks herself back up again, only a moment's falter, and just toasts to life and summer

the end of summer.

the revolution rages on. it’s not calmed down--the very opposite, in fact, more ferocious than ever

(and thanks unholy-boi for basically writing this bit for me HBGFHG)

persephone knows something is wrong when the train isn’t early--isn’t on time, but in fact late to pick her up. the summer has stretched on longer than it should, and in some ways, that is just as dangerous as the winter going on for too long

hades has been getting ready to bring her home. it takes browbeating and strongarming to get the trains running, far too late for his liking.

at last the train comes for her, and when it is hermes who offers his hand to bring her onboard, she knows that things in the underworld are bad--an inferno, dangerous if not dire, and she wonders if the songbirds are still alive, or if they’ve gone and the revolution still rages without them

hades aches for his wife, but he dares not step away from hadestown for a moment. he’s become obsessed and absolutely determined to quell, to crush this rebellion

hades is breaking, but refuses to bend, hades has refrains where he refuses to sing but slips into poetry and catches himself halfway through, hades is breaking, he puts in people he believes he can trust and they turn on him out of desperation, hades is running out of places to desperately hold and he is breaking. hadestown is oblivion. hades is wearing a crown that mangled his head.

persephone steps off of the train, and is taken aback by the state hadestown is in

the people feel her breeze in, and it is some relief, but the can’t tell how this will change things. if it’ll make things worse, if it’ll make it better

people ask for her aid; but she’s too busy looking around, trying to find the songbirds (after getting confirmation that they’re still alive) who are still hiding

and she finds them. she sees orpheus and eurydice (orpheus, who hades so clearly saw himself in, and eurydice, who she sees herself in) still fighting, still in love.

she sees hades’ mercilessness to the boy he sees himself in. she sees eurydice’s unending determination (in contrast to her own grown apathy)

and she’s reminded of times before. song or no song.

she decides that this cannot keep going, and hades will keep going farther and farther until he fucking self-destructs at the end of his fall and she wants to catch him before that happens

hades raises his fist against his people, persephone takes his hand and she starts singing. the old song. holding his hand. protecting the people.

la, la la la, la la la

and he realizes what he’s doing, as music swells, as the rest of hadestown, quietly, starts to join her in singing. as her warmth, her natural warmth, surrounds him, and he smells flowers and feels pollen and sunlight, and he--

well, the ice around his heart starts to crack, and the iron starts to melt

she catches him before he breaks

His Kiss, the Riot is... different

more emotionally charged, i think, because of the fight he’s been fighting for so long, so fiercely and ardently. he’s much more emotionally compromised, stressed and strung out and now everything’s been turned on his head

he can’t just let them go, but he can’t make them stay. he definitely cannot make them stay. and if the songbirds leave, they will take almost all of hadestown with them

it’s not like... Hellfire Notre Dame levels of dramatic. it’s still quiet, dark, and brooding, but hades is. more of a mess, really

but he comes to his conclusion all the same

that’s about all i got on this. i just wanted to make a note. i thought it was important

the task is given: they can walk, but eurydice must walk in front, and orpheus must follow behind. she must not turn behind to see if orpheus is following--if he has not collapsed, and she will not be able to hear if he has. if she turns, she may return above, but her lover will return to hadestown.

it’s given to eurydice instead because while she might be harder to instill doubt in, she’s as much susceptible to loneliness as any other. she may have been alone for so long, but she is desperate to not be alone again. and orpheus is still weak--still sick, and she fears he might give out before they reach the top, as much as he assures her he’ll be fine

and if they fail, well, they keep the poet, who was damned to hell anyway--a sentence is stronger than a contract

(Also, this is now Wait For Me III (the first being Orpheus on the way to Hadestown; second being Eurydice trying to find Orpheus; this is the third) and it is HUGE and GRAND, as the climax of the revolution. just as big, if not bigger than the bway version’s

(tho as per usual it’s tinged with sadness because of the circumstances, and the fact that, if this were staged, orpheus would be the only one not singing)

and then... doubt comes in

eurydice walks the path to the surface

hermes' warnings echo in her head, all the same he gave to orpheus in the normal timeline

it's cold

the fates badger her and bleed into her thoughts, systematically unwinding her confidence as she marches on through the dark

one foot after the other, she tells herself

after so long of turning her back to the wind, to the fates, she has learned to keep her head on straight

orpheus is not sturdy, especially now, but he is not so weak to fail on a walk like this--long, but simple, and upon even ground

he is there, she tells herself. he is strong enough to keep up.

his heart is strong enough. it has to be.

hades lied to everyone in the underground--hades lied to make hadestown, she thinks

hades...

just this once--

she chooses to believe he didn't lie to her.

(pt. i) (pt. ii) (pt. iii) (pt. v) (epilogue) (askblog)

bonus:

#unswayed au #hadestown #hadestown au #my art #my work #i'm thinking about naming each parts #like breaking up this story into sections #the first with orpheus' failing is Banishment #the second is Search / Survival a la eurydice looking for him and orpheus trying to last #the third is Exodus #the fourth is Riots #the fifth is......... youll find out later :)

425 notes · View notes

gaylotusthatexists · 4 years

Text

rises the moon - part one

Pairings: currently no major ones, but eventually parental moxiety and intrulogical, possibly either royality or roceit but haven’t decided yet

Summary: After running away from home, Virgil find the Forest, where he is appointed as the new Lord of Spring.

Trigger Warnings: running away from home, implied bad family relations

Word Count: 1500

A/N: Hello! This was written for the songfic challenge hosted by @sanderssidesfanfiction (which you can find the rules for here), based on the song 'rises the moon' by Liana Flores. Please check out the song, it's so good, Liana deserves more love honestly. Anyway uhhh I'm gonna try to update this every Friday, so far I've written the first five chapters soooo we're good for at least a month. But either way I'm very excited about this :D Hope y'all enjoy~

next || ao3

days seem sometimes as if they’ll never end

Virgil readjusted his backpack and walked down the road, the sun rising over the buildings. He was leaving and he wasn't coming back. He had packed his things and climbed out the window, not bothering to leave a note - he doubted the people back there would even care. He doubted that they'd even notice he was gone.

He turned the corner and continued to stalk the empty streets. It was too early for anyone to be up - too early for him to be up, really. The cold hair hit his cheeks, a hard wind attempting to blow him to the floor. He pulled up his hood and held it in place, fighting against the wind.

God, it had been five minutes and Virgil already wanted to go home. He wanted to get back into bed, where he was safe and warm, where he could sleep his worries away. But that just meant his worries would return in the morning. No, the best thing to do was go. He knew he couldn't run away from his problems, but at the very least running away would give him a chance to think. A chance to work through his problems.

His stomach growled. How long had it been? Fifteen minutes? An hour? He wasn't sure. He was still in the city, he thought, but he didn't recognise this place. He hadn't really been paying attention to where his feet were carrying him, as long as he was away from there . People were starting to emerge from buildings, go about their days, so he must have been out for a short while now.

He had to eat soon, though. He hadn't had any breakfast before leaving - which was normal for him, he supposed, but he also didn't usually walk this much. He glanced around the street, looking for anywhere where he may be able to buy supplies.

Christ, he hadn't even brought any proper supplies with him. He had packed a couple changes of clothes, a wash kit, and a couple personal possessions, but hadn't once considered to bring food with him. He hadn't even thought of a plan - he knew he wanted to run away, get out of town, but had no plan for where he was going to go, where he was going to stay. It wasn't as if he had any friends he could crash with, or enough money to buy a place of his own.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, checking inside. A couple twenty pound notes and a handful of change. Not exactly enough to book out a hotel room, or even catch a train out of here. But at least he had enough to buy a few supplies.

There was a corner shop at the end of the street. Great. They'd have food, right? He ran over, entering the store and looking around the aisles, trying not to alarm the cashier. He grabbed a few bags of crisps, some cereal bars, and a few bottles of Coke, taking them to the till.

"That'll be ten pounds," the cashier said.

Virgil glanced down into his wallet and took out ten pounds in change, a mixture of two pound coins, pound coins, and fifty pence pieces. The cashier looked somewhat annoyed at that, but nevertheless took the change and let Virgil go. He stuffed the food into his backpack, leaving out a cereal bar to eat as he walked.

And walked. And walked.

This was getting boring now. It would've helped if he had some music, or something, but he'd left his phone at home, for fear that they may try to call him. He wasn't about to let that happen. Still, he did wish he at least had an MP3 player, or something. They went out of fashion years ago.

The sun was high in the sky now. Not high enough. It couldn't have even been midday yet. How far away was he from home? It must have been a good few hours by now. He could walk a good few miles in the span of an hour, but this city seemed to go on forever.

He had to figure out where he was planning on going. It wouldn't be wise to just wander the streets, in the plain view. He had to at least get out of the city. Maybe there'd be a bus or something he could catch. Yeah. Where was the bus station again?

After a few more minutes of walking, he noticed a bus stop down the end of the street. Okay, that was good. He could catch a bus there, hopefully get back to the station, and then plan his next move from there. He walked up and stood at the bus stop, glancing around anxiously.

An elderly woman glanced up at Virgil, looking a little concerned. "Are you alright, dearie?"

Virgil shot her a smile. "Yup. I'm good."

"Shouldn't you be in school?" she asked.

"Nope. I'm, uh, homeschooled," he lied.

She frowned. "Well then, you should be at home, shouldn't you?"

Virgil internally groaned. It wasn't up to this woman to run his life.

"What bus are you waiting for?" she asked, after realising that Virgil wasn't going to reply.

Virgil blinked. "Uh, the... thirty-seven," he made up, hoping that she would just back off.

She hummed. "I think you've got the wrong bus stop. The thirty-seven doesn't stop here."

Virgil tapped his leg on the ground. "Actually, I think you're right. Sorry. I'll be off." He walked away, mostly because he couldn't be dealing with any strangers talking to him.

Maybe catching a bus wouldn't have been such a good idea, anyway. He had no way of knowing where he would end up - knowing his luck, he'd end up back at home, which was the last thing he wanted. So, he elected to continue wandering the streets, searching for a way out the city.

He glanced down one street, noticing a field at the end. Interesting. That meant he must be nearing the end of the city. He turned the corner and walked down the street, hopping over the fence and onto the field. Maybe if he could walk to the end of this field, he could find his way to the next city over. Maybe to a small village he could crash at for a couple days. It was a better plan than anything else he could come up with.

He imagined that he was trespassing by walking across the field, but at this point didn't care. He just needed to get out.

But he was getting tired. His legs were beginning to ache, and his back was beginning to hurt. Maybe a short break wouldn't do him any harm...

He collapsed onto the ground, taking off his backpack and setting it in front of him. He took out a bottle and began to drink, emptying the bottle in a matter of seconds. Wow. He must have been thirsty. He opened up a packet of crisps as well and began to eat, feeling somewhat satisfied once he was done.

Virgil laid down in the tall grass, letting it consume him. It must have been mid-afternoon by now, the sun casting an orange spell over the field. He breathed in and out as he stared up at the clear skies, half tempted to close his eyes...

When his eyes opened again, the sun had set, and the stars shone bright against the night sky. Christ, how long had he been sleeping for? He hadn't even noticed that he had fallen asleep.

He had to get back on the move, even if it was too dark to really see anything. He zipped his backpack back up and stood up, continuing his journey across the field. As he walked, fireflies emerged from the grass, creating a trail of light behind him. He smiled a little, allowing himself to get caught up in the beauty of it all.

Glancing back, he noticed that the city behind him was long gone, not even a trace in his vision. Looking forward, he couldn't find any signs of further civilisation either. Still, he walked. He wasn't even tired anymore, despite the fact that he must have been walking for the rest of the night, as the sun began to rise again.

Eventually, he came across a forest, a line of trees towering above him. He stopped, glancing inside. Leaves swirled around his feet, the wind pulling him closer. He tried to resist at first, but soon found himself standing in the forest, the leaves only picking up the pace.

He looked down, noticing something else swirling around his feet as well - tiny lights, multicoloured dots, or something... something flying, dancing around in circles. Probably bugs, some sort of weird mutated firefly, or maybe...

Nah, it wouldn't be a fairy, would it?

...would it?

This place was weird. Virgil wanted to leave, but his feet would not budge.

Someone stepped out the shadows.

#rises the moon #songfic challenge #sanders sides #thomas sanders #virgil sanders #ts virgil #my fanfiction #my fanfic #my writing

19 notes · View notes

bolbianddolanhouse · 4 years

Text

BNHA self insert AU [Book 3]

New? Read here! Then here!

Chapter 15: Why Do We Live? Just To Suffer?!

Beizu and I didn’t waste any time trying to escape for the weekend! It was our weekend! We agreed to go to our parent’s homes and hang out from there. I get home and nobody was there as expected. Saturdays are hang out days for the kids and short work days for mom and dad. I slam myself onto my bed, as I missed sleeping on my very comfy mattress. The dorm beds SUCK! I get coffee from the kitchen after a while and floated around.

“Hey Muffins, update me on the household since the last time I was here” I called out to the resting robo on the couch.

“It’s been 115 days since you’ve last been home, there’s been 4 fires and 7 gatherings at the house.” the robo listed “20 pictures has been added to the family virtual library. Mom didn’t celebrate her birthday. There’s been 2 lockdowns at the house, Tensei went to debate nationals in March, Hanaka got suspended from school that same week. Lili has video called every night for the past 2 months. And that’s up to date.”

“Only 4 fires? Huh” I took a sip of my coffee “Thank you for the update, whats the ETA for anybody?”

“Hanaka and Dad are due to come back from the doctors at 1pm”

“Doctors?” I whispered to myself “She never gets sick, hope she’s okay.”

It may not be obvious, but Hanaka used to latch onto me when she was a baby. She’d cry when I don’t acknowledge her before I leave the house and set my sweater sleeves on fire if I don’t hold her right away. She’s very much the little, bratty sister type but I still worry. She depends a lot on family support because of her fire quirk, it makes it very hard to live a normal life. Wonder if that’s the cause? I wait around and see them come through the door but it feels so off. Hanaka goes straight to her room in silence, ignoring the fact that I’m in sight.

“Hello Iwata, how was your trip home?” Dad said once Hanaka was in her room.

“It was fine but what’s up with her?”

Dad sighed “She had an episode where she couldn’t control her fire. Nobody got hurt but it happened at school and the school made it a big deal out of it, calling her a delinquent.”

“So what’s the diagnosis?” I asked, processing what dad told me.

“Anxiety trigger, the mix of her quirk and puberty hormones are making her unstable” Dad sets down his keys to wipe his glasses “I really don’t know what to do. And I’m scared its going to be like when your mom gets unstable.”

“Wait, mom gets unstable?” that was news to me. I know of mom losing her temper when she was younger but getting unstable?!

Dad nodded and put his glasses back on “It happens when she overworks and stresses out. Once I triggered the breaking point and I got hit by her psych-blast. If your uncle Jin didn’t set up the robo to sedate her at the right moment, she could’ve died.”

I looked toward the top of the stairs “Well you’ve dealt with mom’s and mine anxiety things, how is this any different?”

“You and your mom have the same quirk and therapy has helped you two” dad started “Your sister doesn’t have the same quirk to body part association. How do you contain a fire that water doesn’t douse nor can be snuffed out? I want to help, I know how much she wants to live a normal life.”

“Leave it to me then” I said confidently “Lili isn’t here to do a girl talk, but I’m here to do a big brother support conversation! Maybe I’ll break through to her, who knows?”

“If you feel like it will help” Dad smiled “then go and talk to her. I’ll be down here making lunch.”

I make my way to the girls room. Before I could even knock, I heard her deep and heavy sobs. It was unsettling as I’ve never heard her sob like this. I knock on the door.

“Can I come in?”

“No”

“Why?”

“I don’t wanna talk about things!”

“I don’t wanna talk” I shake my bag of snacks “I just wanna share cheetos with my little sister.”

“...what kind of cheetos?”

“Hot con límon.”

“...okay you may enter.”

I open the door to see Hanaka in a blanket burrito, mouth and nose peeking out. Trying not to laugh at the sight, I sit next to her bed on the floor and open the bag of cheetos. I float them between us so she could get some without reaching too far. We just sat there in silence for a while until she spoke up.

“Iwa, do you think I’m a bad person?”

I look over to see her face peeking out “No.”

“Do you think anybody would love me? Romantically?”

Oh its that kind of conversation “I believe there’s somebody for everybody.”

“It’s just that, I confessed to somebody and they said so many mean things” her lips started to quiver “Like I’m weird looking, my quirks are weird, that my fire quirk makes it so it burns to hold my hand and who would want to love me if they can’t hold my hand.”

“Well that’s rude! They should’ve just said no and be on their way!” I never wanted to punch a child so much in my life.

“What was worse was that all his friends were there to laugh at me and it attracted more kids to poke fun at me” Hanaka got teary eyed “And I just couldn’t take it, I got all shakey and just combusted into flames. The flames were strong enough to set the play yard on fire. Nobody got hurt but it was still scary.”

“Nobody helped you afterwards?”

“Tensei, Petti and Kyanka covered me until a teacher came” she wiped her tears with the blanket “But I caused so much trouble and it really upset the people in the office. They called me a bad kid and that it wouldn’t surprise them if I became a villain.”

Oh hell no, that school is on my hit list for saying something like that to a child! “Fuck that school! You know what Hanaka, you’re not a bad kid, okay? And you are capable of love and people love you back, do you think Tensei and your friends would do that if they didn’t love you?”

Hanaka sniffed “No...”

“Would you do the same for them if their quirk got out of hand?”

“Yeah! Of course I would!” she responded passionately “I’m their best friend, and friends don’t let friends do things alone!”

“See?! You’re not a bad kid, you love your friends and family” I encouraged her “You can worry about romantic love later, the one will come around soon enough. Right now just focus on school work and being a good friend.”

Hanaka loosened the grip she had on the blanket so it unfurled around her “I guess that does make me feel a bit better” she brought her knees up to her chest “But now I don’t even know if I’m going back to that school. Mommy got really upset like you did at the school office that she’s fighting with the school officials.”

“Wow, good on mom to stand up for you!” I gave props “I’d do the same. But lets not worry about that and trust in mom to make the right move. So, lets change the subject! What’s new?”

Hanaka blew her nose and disposed of her now highly flammable tissue “Uhhh, I made a new friend. Which so happens to be the daughter of one of mom and dad’s hero classmates.”

“Oh that’s tea, who?!” I was intrigued by that second part.

“Her dad is ‘Can’t Stop Twinkling’ the Sparkling Hero” she explained “She was the new girl at school this year and she’s just like me and the girls!”

Her usual giddy self came back, warming my heart “And what’s that?”

“We hate our hero dads, love shopping and wanna be goth” she grabbed her phone to show me her lock screen “See? That’s us right before that juice stand behind us caught on fire.”

“Did you-”

“I don’t think I was responsible for that fire” she clarified “We booked it just in case anyone wanted to pin it on me. BUT look at us!”

I squint at the lock screen picture “There’s glare on your friend’s face.”

“That’s her quirk, don’t be rude!” she scolded me “She’s so luminescent that it hurts to look at her sometimes, and in pictures she’s always glared out. But we put her next to Petti in pictures to offset the light and take a decent one.”

“I’m glad you made a new friend! Has she been to the house?”

“Yup, she’s not yet used to the spicy food we eat though” Hanaka stifled a giggle “Her dad says that she was born and raised in France. He brought her over here because the schools in Japan are better and the hero work is abundant.”

“Can’t wait to meet them”

“Lets see during graduation season” she started then her phone pinged “Oop that’s the group chat, they’re sending their concern memes.”

Before I could take a peek at her phone, Tensei busts in. Which was weird because he ALWAYS knocks.

“Rosa! Okay, okay, okay” he said quickly before calming down a little “I did...a thing...wait- Iwa? When did you get home?”

“I got here late morning but whats the haps lil bro?” I asked “You look like you landed in a trash heap.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that happened” he said closing the door behind him and locking it “But back to the thing I did. PLEASE don’t tell mom and dad! Because I’m still very fresh from the thing I did and I’m still processing it.”

“Okay just spill it” Hanaka was getting annoyed “You keep saying thing like you don’t know other words! What thing did you do on your sleep over with the boys?”

“This” he lifted his shirt up to his chest, revealing a belly button piercing.

I was shocked, so shocked that I dropped the bag of cheetos that I was floating. Tensei is this good boy image with a punk-like personality. To see this rebellious side to him made me proud in a way. He looks the most like our dad but with a darker skin tone, so I guess this is his baby step into his true self. Hanaka was so shocked that the waste basket contents caught on fire.

“What the- where in Japan did you go to get pierced?” Hanaka asked genuinely “Those jewelry places don’t let you get one without adult permission if you’re under 16.”

“Don’t get mad, but one of my band members has a cousin that’s a tattoo artist and does piercings at the place they work at” Tensei started to get red faced “Sooo I showed him that I could fix his little barbel piercings for free when the boys and I walked into his shop for fun... And he gave me this as payment.”

“Tensei! You got this i l l e g a l l y?!” I harshly whispered “Why did you agree to it?”

“Yeah! It’s not like you to do those things” Hanaka scowled in concern “What’s gotten into you lately? Ever since you came back from Nationals, you’ve been acting different.”

Tensei pulled down his shirt and sighed “I’m sick of being praised of being as good and law abiding like dad. I’m nothing like him inside! I’m not some capri-wearing rectangle!” he huffed “I’m way cooler, smarter and talented then people give me credit for. I don’t need the signature quirk to make my way in this world! And I wanna change my image so people take me seriously...no more orderly Tensei, I wanna be anarchist Oro!”

Hanaka narrowed her eyes, like she was shooting needles into her twin’s soul “Is this because you lost and can’t accept the L?”

Tensei turned red and scrunched his nose “No! I’ve already grieved over that and took and L” he crossed his arms “Nationals was just a tiny part of the whole reason.”

“What?” I was lost in this timeline of events.

Hanaka leaned over to me and whispered “Tensei cost his team majorly on all his debates. So bad that the team barred him from going to more debates this season and has to prove himself all over again to get back in the top 3 teams at school.”

“Oof that’s some sad boi shit” I winced at the recap “It’s okay to still not be over that L, you don’t have to spiral like this.”

“Well it’s too late, I got the damn piercing already and planned the next one” Tensei took a deep breath “I’ve been wanting this for a while, to just rebrand and have respect as my own identity. Not some clone of my father or just be the ‘other’ Iida twin. But until I take the next few steps, please don’t tell our parents about this. I want to tell them myself when the time comes.”

“Okay sure” Hanaka and I agreed.

Tensei turned to open the door “Thanks guys, it means a lot to me that you support me.”

Man, things are getting crazy here! My sweet parents have to deal with this shit on their own and they deserve a vacation or the Nobel peace prize for being the most supportive during life disasters. Seriously! I didn’t see mom until the evening, she looked a little run down but I really wanted to talk to her.

“Hey mom” I announced myself as I entered the living room.

“Iwata! I’ve missed you so much” Mom said as she used her quirk to pull me in for a tight hug “You’re getting so big, I can hardly wrap my arms around you!”

“Missed you too” I hugged her back “I just really miss being home.”

“I bet, heard you did phenomenal at the last practice test” she smiled and caressed my face with her hand “Just like your mama back in the day. I’m so proud of you for using the good old distraction card! That’s what I was well known for, wildcard and distractions.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about” I sat up straight “I don’t know how things are going to get for the Labyrinth practice test. You took the practice and the evaluated one, what’s the winning combo?”

“What? hahaha” Mom laughed for a moment “There really isn’t a ‘winning combo’, just being well versed in fighting techniques. That’s where your uncle Jin didn’t get to the mid-point, he’s a genius and has good speed BUT he lacks impulsive/on the fly thinking. Everything has to be calculated to the T for him and if too many things has gone wrong in his thought out strategy, those seconds he takes thinking of a new plan can be the death of him.” She sighed into another chuckle “And your aunty Mimi! Boy, she’s an amazing weapons user and she NEVER misses. But in the exam, she didn’t make it past the 3rd stage because the stand off was with someone that erases quirks. She depended too much on her quirk for her gun wielding and she got out because of it.”

“So you did the opposite?”

“I used my critical thinking to get me though all the stages. The place were I used my quirks the most were at the end to win the fight with the mock villain” she leaned back and looked up at the ceiling “The rigorous training I did for basically a year got me to the point of not depending on my quirks until the very last resort. Remember Iwata, just because we can do anything without lifting a finger doesn’t mean we should ignore how able bodied we are. So I suggest do some more strength and endurance OH and you might need to do some breathing training too! Never know if you need to hold your breath for a certain amount of time.”

“That’s a lot to train on, kinda makes me feel like I didn’t do enough” I got self-conscience “I wanna do good in this one! Not because I want to make you proud, but for myself. Maybe passing this will spark something in me that’ll give me an idea about my destiny.”

“Oh sweet child of mine” Mom looked over to me lovingly “This test won’t give you any ideas on anything, trust me. Both times I had to go into intensive care to make sure I didn’t rupture my vial organs, thats how hard I went in. Just give it your all and just ride the wave that comes next.”

“Did you think you’d pass?”

Mom snickered “Nope! The second time was easier by a little bit but I just keep telling myself ‘whatever happens, happens’. I didn’t think passing would lead me to the agent position I’m at today! Same how I didn’t think that giving the class a cookie would lead to finding the love of my life. So don’t let the ‘what ifs’ rule your self-worth, life has a way of surprising you at the very last second.”

That made me feel better about things. I’m glad I decided to go home this weekend, because I know what to do now.

-The next day, At Beizu’s house-

“...you still have this?” I said to Beizu as I was rummaging through his closet.

“Wha- oh that thing! Yea” he responded “You were my only friend in elementary school, so that graduation picture meant a lot to me.”

“Really? That’s why it’s framed” I looked closely at the picture of us holding hands “We look busted with all those missing teeth!”

“Don’t act like you didn’t cry every time you lost one” Beizu retorted back “Besides, it holds something more special to me...it was when I realized I loved you.”

I counted the years in my head “...damn, almost 6 years ago! Why so long?”

“I didn’t know if these were romantic feelings or not. And you did your own thing in middle school with band” he sighed and sat on the bed “I felt a little left behind and I tried really hard to stay in your interest. I wanted you to tell me I was yours, I didn’t care if that meant friend or lover” he turned red “It sounds silly now, but I was happy if you just said good morning or spent lunch with me.”

“Bei, you were always in my interest” I floated over to him “Nobody understood me like you did. You were never anything less than my best friend and it took some eye opening to see that we were basically lovers anyways.” I put my arm around his shoulders “Are you happy that we’ll basically wake up next to each other for the rest of our lives?”

“Are you kidding me?! It’s my dream come true!”

“Great! Just making sure” I kissed him bashfully “because I was getting ahead of myself and looking into apartments in Taito. We’ll be able to move in once I get possession of my inheritance money.”

“I don’t care if I have to wait until I’m on my death bed” he tackled me onto the bed “As long as I’m with you, anywhere is home.”

How everything was coming together nicely for us after UA. In between training and schoolwork, we looked at apartments online. Everyone was envious of us having things set afterwards, but to be honest, we only have an idea of things! We don’t know where exactly we’re going to work nor where to settle. It’s a bit bold to think our parents will give us work when we graduate. But I’m following my mom’s advice and just ‘riding the wave’ of what comes next.

-Fast forward, Mid October-

Beizu, Gee and I take advantage of the half-day of school by filling it with training in the disaster practice gym.

“Huh? The door is unlocked?” Gee said as she checked the door, key in hand “Did we come on the wrong day?”

“No, we have today reserved for us” Beizu pointed to the bulletin board next to the doors “See, we’re in the right.”

We walked on in and checked for anybody that straggled from the last session. But we found three people having banter on a rock.

“Remember the days of disaster training with sensei?!” said a familiar female voice.

“Ugh! Shut up or his ghost is gonna show up and bark at us to do wall sits” said another familiar male voice.

“Rich coming from someone that shat their pants the first time they shot a gun” shaded a Russian accent.

“Mom? Aunty and Uncle?” I spoke up as we got closer “What are you doing here? Aren’t you guys supposed to be agents today?”

“We came to interrogate the administrators here and since we finished early” Aunty Mimi explained “Your mom wanted to take a trip down memory lane. Back to the days of our youth.”

“Speak for yourself! I’m still nimble to go on a tussle like I did in high school” mom flexed her arms “They called me the sparring queen during my time here. I never lost a spar and I still maintain that streak.”

Uncle Jin rolled his eyes “Just because you still train like you’re gonna go to war! Bet you’ll get folded like an omelet if you did a one on one right now.”

“Alright bet!” Mom huffed at the challenge and pointed at me “Iwata, would you be a dear and spar mommy?”

“Oh shit your mom just challenged you” Gee gasped “What are you gonna do?”

“Fuckin fight I guess!” I said with my hands in the air “Let me stretch first though.”

Mom hopped and clapped “Yay! I’ll meet you in the circle in a bit sweetie.”

“Are- are they always like that?” Gee whispered to Beizu and I when the other three were out of earshot “I didn’t know your mom, aunt and uncle were so chummy with each other, like they’re teenagers.”

Beizu groaned into a sigh “All the time! You’re used to our aunt being on sensei mode when we do weapons class, but put them in the same room and they’re one bad decision away from throwing hands.”

“Don’t get us wrong! We love seeing them having fun” I say as I do my stretches “But when we get roped in, we don’t have the means to escape! And I can’t pass this up” I stretch my sides “I’ve NEVER sparred with my mom! She’s only quirk trained me but never the punchy stuff. I really want to see if I’m on par because we have the same quirk.”

We finally walked up to the sparring circle where the agent trio were still reminiscing.

“Ready to throw down nephew?” uncle Jin hyped me up “You’re in for the fight of your life!”

“Don’t scare him!” Mom scolded before dramatically pulling off her agent office uniform to reveal her two piece training clothes “I’d be shitting my pants if I had to fight my mom too. Your hype isn’t helping Jin.”

“Woah, your mom has an amazing physique!” gasped Gee, giving my mom the look over “And with the tattoos?! I can’t even tell if she gave birth to you. Man I hope to be that hot when I’m older.”

“I like your friend there Iwata, she knows what’s good” Mom said as she walked to the middle of the circle “Come now, step into the circle and show mommy what power my little baby boy can harness.”

I blushed hard as I walked up to her “Mom don’t coddle me in front of my team! So embarrassing!”

“Oop sorry baby!” she quickly covered her mouth “Force of habit!”

“Okay rules are first one to pin the other for the ten count is the winner. No weapons and no boundaries” Jin officiated “give the arm brace and assume the position.”

“What’s the arm brace? I only know about the bowing before starting” I whispered to my mom.

“Oh here, hold out your arm” she demonstrated then griped my tricep “now grip mine... there! This is how we show respect before an agent spar.”

I looked at our arms, then into her eyes. Those were the eyes of a woman that has 5 strategies ready to go to win. Those eyes has seen it all and isn’t afraid to do it all again. Wonder if she sees the anxiety in mine? I didn’t have the time to ponder these thoughts, the spar started and she didn’t let up. Immediately I felt the sting of a slap on my face, followed by the whoosh of her movement. What scared me a bit was that the whole time is was silent. Not a single grunt and her breathing was controlled, like she was conserving her energy. She dodged all of my attacks but didn’t land a single attack on me.

“Tired?” asked Mom as I stood to catch my breath.

“I can still fight” I wiped my forehead “hit me mom!”

The smirk that spread on her face was so wicked, I regretted my life because I just played into her trap.

“As you wish mijo!” Mom bellowed as she levitated herself up, followed by pistons jutting out of her body “Nothing personal Iwata” she pointed her palm at me, piston charging with energy “Mama isn’t ready to lose.”

And like the dumb ass I am, I charged right at her with my palm piston. And at the very last second...she grabbed me by the wrist with her other hand to seismic toss me onto the ground. I felt the weight of her foot on my back and knew that I was done for. My arm was locked and I was too tired to get back up, I saw uncle Jin’s feet near me.

“...8, 9, 10!” uncle Jin finished counting down “Winner is our undefeated Queen of Spars, Agent 19!”

“See? Told you I still got it!” She picked me up like when I was child “You okay? Did I hurt you?”

“No I’m okay” I responded to ease her worried tone “But I played right into your trap! You tired me out on purpose and edged me on to strike so I could lock my dominate arm. So simple but effective!”

Mom giggled “You’re so smart! I have a wicked high stamina and my quirk is amplified the more tired I am. So either way, my enemy isn’t leaving unscathed.”

“Wow! You’re absolutely incredible Mrs Iida!” fawned Gee “What else should we study before the test?”

“Just endurance and critical thinking” Mom responded “it’s that simple really. Wish the answer was more thought provoking or full of wisdom.” She looked at her watch “Well it was fun kids but we have to head back to our office to do all that boring office agent stuff.”

“Okay, bye mom! Bye Uncle and Aunty!” I chimed as I waved.

We watched them leave via portal and we continued with our training. I take the critical thinking part more seriously knowing that my mom applied it our spar. But I really don’t know if I’m going about it right! She makes it seem so easy and I wish I was at her level of super genius, big brain strategy.

-Day of Labyrinth practice exam-

“Bei, I’m shitting myself” I say as I finish suiting up “I’m so nervous that I just might anxiety shit myself.”

“That’s not a thing Iwa and you know it” Beizu responded as he finished lacing up his boots “Everything is going to go well! Watch, we’ll all pass and without intensive care afterwards.”

“I hope you’re right” I smiled at him “kiss me good luck?”

Beizu hopped and put his arms around my neck “Okay, one kiss. Then we go in the waiting chamber.”

Sooooo, things were not going well. Gee croaked at level 3 and Beizu didn’t even make it into the doors of the 5th level! He spent too much of his energy in level 4 that he passed out on the moving platform on the way to the next level. Now it’s up to me and I tried really hard not to tire myself out. I see where Gee failed in level 3, there was fast moving projectiles and she isn’t the fastest. Everything was going alright until the 5th level, my quirk stopped working and I panicked. There was nothing in the room and the exit door was locked. I had to think fast, what would I do if my siblings locked me in a room?

“Oh? Feeling trapped?” taunted someone that came into view “You can’t leave until you defeat me! But what is a quirkless agent going to do?!”

“I don’t need quirks” I reach for my gun and cock it “You really wanna fuck with me? I’m a child, WITH A FUCKING GUN! HOW FUCKED UP IS THAT?!”

The person was visibly nervous “Psh! I’ve seen plenty of gun fights!” they started to fumble their words “Come on, shoot me!”

“Naw, don’t feel like shooting you” I aim at the light fixtures on the ceiling “Eat broken light bulb BITCH!”

The lights went out and the sound of broken glass hitting the ground was oddly satisfying. I check to see I could use my quirks again and surely, I started floating. Once the door beeped to signal the level cleared, I made my dash to the next level before the final level. Next level wasn’t too hard, at least not for me, I knew how to swim and hold my breath for longer than 2 minutes. That would’ve sucked for anyone that didn’t know how to swim, gotta hand it to my mom for teaching all of us how to swim when we were kids. I get to the rescue part of the final level and it was fine until the ‘villain’ showed themselves.

“Not so fast agent! You’re forgetting someone important” said the villain as they walked into view.

“Nice try villain, all 8 hostages are safe and accounted for in rescuers care” I said smugly as I raised my gun at them “Lets make this quick.”

“I think you’ll want to put your gun down” the villain revealed someone tied up in a cage “You wouldn’t want to hurt my favorite prisoner.”

“Iwata, don’t shoot...please” said the hostage weakly.

I looked at the hostage closer and it’s...mom? That didn’t seem right to me. This person sounded like her and looks like her from the face. In fact, the whole room changed too! I was under some sort of illusion quirk and I didn’t want to risk shooting something that might cost me points. So I lowered my gun and started to scheme.

“Aww you don’t want to hurt mommy?” taunted the villain “To think that the hot shot agent, grown weak and aged terribly! Do something momma’s boy! Don’t you want to be a big shot agent like mommy? Or are you just as weak as she is?!”

I get an idea “Oye mama, tengo hambre!”

“What-” whispered the villain in panic.

“Que vas a cocinar hoy? Un pozole o taquitos?” I kept going, knowing that I threw the ultimate curve ball in this plan.

“I don’t understand you sweetie” responded fake mom “I’m so weak from my fight, that I lost.”

“That’s okay mommy” I smiled calmly “Will you sing me my favorite song? You’re never too tired to sing!”

“ENOUGH!” cried out the villain “make one wrong move, and I’ll kill her!” she took out a dagger.

“Okay then, fine” I stood completely still with my hands on my hips, ready to do plan B “I won’t move then.”

The villain was super confused on my erratic actions. But it was working because they started to pull back the illusion in the room. Once I saw the door, I knew that victory was in reach.

“We can stand here all day” said the villain bringing the dagger closer to fake mom’s throat “But think about your poor mother’s health! Do you really want her death on your conscience?”

“...any second now” I warned before I gave a content smile “You underestimate me villain! I’m not my mother, I am me! And I have a secret bio-weapon that I’ve just released into the room.”

“A bio-weapon?” the villain looked around frantically “I don’t- oh my- WHAT’S THAT HORRID STENCH?!”

I look at fake mom slowly fade and I knew that I was in the clear. The villain fell to their knees and vomited.

“Eat taser WHORE!” I said right before tasering them and put them in cuffs “do more research on our family next time and maybe this would’ve been a challenge!”

“LABYRINTH PRACTICE TEST CONCLUDED, AGENT 88 HAS CLEARED AND PASSED.”

The doors opened and I walked through to see my teammates, sensei and the test proctors waiting for me at the end of the hall.

“That was amazing!” cried out Gee “We saw everything on the proctor’s panels. How did you know that wasn’t your mom?”

“The person in the cage looked like my mom from the face but my mom is more petite,” I took my visor off “The one in the cage looked taller and didn’t have the big butt and thighs like my mom has.”

“Yo that spanish speaking was the biggest wildcard!” Beizu complimented “You knew that the villain had to break at that vital detail that they didn’t know. And that last line, chef’s kiss.”

“Aw shucks guys, I’m latino and can’t help but to be dramatic about it” I start blushing and acted coy “Kinda wish the illusion was more convincing though.”

“What was that ‘bio-weapon’ you released that made the villain basically pass out?” asked sensei “You don’t have the quirk that can do that.”

“Oh I farted” I confessed shamelessly “I’ve been holding that one in since I started the test...I also suggest decontaminating that room, my farts spread quickly and linger.”

Everyone but Beizu got visibly disgusted. Doesn’t matter because I passed and I can’t wait to tell my parents that I farted my way to victory. Nothing can stop me right now, I’m all the way up.

-Chapter 15, end-

<Previous-Next>

#mha #bnha #self insert au #book 3 chapter 15 #not canon #will update regularly #ask me anything #//Palma-sama Speaks #more big bro Iwata moments! I love his character as the older-but-still-middle-child in the family dynamic #The interaction with the twins is a big plot hint in the next book! And yes...Aoyama child confirmed BUT ya gotta wait #Quite a bit of skipping because their wasn't much in terms of main plot in between these events #Here you really see Iwa embracing what his mom taught him while staying true to himself and I love to see it #And yes... that last boss in the test was exactly who you think it is! More in the next book tho #next is the FAQ and there was a lot of good ones! You can still submit some as it will take me a while to organize the questions and answer #Thanks again for reading! I know I thank the reader a whole lot in the tags but I mean it! Thanks so much!

0 notes

cilliansaccent · 5 years

Text

Class of Temptation - CHAPTER THREE

Leave a like, reblog or comment below to show your support and love! Enjoy…

PLEASE READ:

No mention of Cillian’s true family or relatives. All names are made up.

This is a TEACHER x STUDENT fanfiction, it’s going to be kinky and very taboo!

I will write whenever the mood grabs me, so I apologise if there are long breaks between chapters :)

——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-

Background: Tessa is a twenty-three-year-old model from a broken-up family, living in London with her best friend and starting a course on Drama and Theatre. Though, when she gets closer to the super hot Mr Murphy who is her much older teacher, there is a battle of lust and love between them. They’ll have to figure out what to do with their tight relationship as other issues begin to rise and nip at their heels…

Word Count: 2,141

!!Warnings!!: None.

Chapter Name: First Day

Brief Chapter Outline: It’s Tessa’s first day of class and she goes through it without any hassle. But a letter comes in and her mood changes drastically...

——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-

Tessa was early for her first class, walking towards it. She wore wet look pants and a tucked-in black shirt with TOMMY JEANS across it in bold red writing. She had a pair of white sneakers with the trademark Tommy Hilfiger branding on the side of red, blue and white stripes. She liked the brand, most of her clothing was bought from the store. Well, she is one of their models for their brand.

She hoped no one was there already but also unsure if she was able to even enter the class. As she came to the door which was slightly ajar she peeked her head in.

Mr Mur- Cillian was already inside setting up the chairs in a large circle. She counted about forty chairs.

Cillian turned and spotted someone peaking in, "Come in." He called out, standing in the middle of the giant circle he had made.

Tessa pushed the door wider and stepped in, "Good morning." She said as her nerves began to start.

"Morning, Tessa. Welcome back." Cillian gave her that heart-stopping smile. He wore a button-down blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves to his elbow and black jeans and a pair of brown loafers. He looked good.

"Yeah. Nice to uh, see you again." She smiled as she stepped to the chairs. "What are you doing?" She asked seeing all the tables pushed against the walls.

"Preparing the morning class. Instead of the old, sit at your desks thing I thought it would be good to get everyone involved." He said as he gestured for her to take a seat.

"And what would that be?" Tessa stepped through and took a seat, setting her bag in front of her legs.

"Can't say. You'll see." He said as he finished up, "By the way, you are very early. Class doesn't start for another hour."

"Oh, yeah. I know. I wanted to make sure I was in the right class." She blushed lightly.

"You found the right place fast too. I had students who would come in with the campus' student guides cause they couldn't find the place." He chuckled as he came over and took a spot next to her, a chair in between them and crossed his ankle over his knee.

"Oh, well. You won't expect that from me, I'm pretty good at remembering where I have to go." She explained.

"I hope so. I'll make sure everyone comes early. Makes it better to start the class right away." He said, "So, tell me about yourself a little? I remember you said you're a model?"

"Yeah. I um, I work for an agency in Central London but I do shoots for various brands. Currently working with Tommy Hilfiger." Tessa said trying her best to meet his gaze. She wasn't used to this type of attention, most of it was through a camera lens which she never got to met the gaze of the person behind it.

"Huh, I can see the clothing you wear. What is it like?" He continued, genuinely interested.

"Fast-paced, constantly changing clothing, makeup and hairstyles to fit in with the shoot. Can be some hours to a whole day or a couple of days." She explained clearly. She was okay about discussing her work but never about herself to strangers.

"Seems intense. Do you think that will affect your studies? This class does have a lot of practical sides to it." He frowned a little.

"If it does, I will make sure to give you a heads up. I can miss some shoots but not all, it won't be seen as a professional." She stated.

"Hm, okay. We'll see how it goes." He nodded. "So you get to go overseas as well?" He moved on.

"Yep. I can when we have big events happening. I tend to go to as many as I can, I love it." She laughed lightly. "Most of the events are in Europe so its shorter trips."

"So I'm assuming you're quite a big deal?" He asked his smile never left his face.

"Uhhh... I mean, I don't know. Maybe not as big as you are but I do have a large following on social media." She shrugged. Tessa never saw her number of followers as important, just the support and care she received from her fans what made it important. She wanted to make sure she created a caring and supportive environment for all types of people.

"How big, may I ask?" Cillian was always curious about others especially if it came to learning that they worked in a completely different industry than himself.

"Well, almost six hundred and thousand followers on Instagram and about two hundred and fifty thousand on Twitter. I rarely ever use Facebook, only for updates for the ones who don't use the other two media." Tess shrugged.

"Wow. That is big." He chuckled.

"Yeah. But I honestly don't care about the number, as much as it sounds bad. I'm just after a good happy environment for all." She shook her head.

"I'm curious, how do you deal with it all though? Can it get daunting?" He asked her.

"Yeah, a hundred per cent. There are days where I take breaks from it all to recollect myself. I guess any person with a big following will always attract the good and bad kind, but I don't let it get to me. It's only words on the internet." Tessa stopped there. She felt like she was just blabbering on nonsense to him. Who wants to listen to that anyway? But Cillian did not seem annoyed or bored, he was really into it.

It made her nervous and intimidated. It showed.

Cillian spotted the odd look across her face as if she had said too much and began to step back. So he stepped back faster, "Nice, that's good. Well, I'll let you sit here and relax while I do some paperwork before the rest of the class comes in." He said and gave her a gentle smile as he stood and sat behind his desk. "Do you mind if I play music?" He asked.

"Oh go ahead. I don't mind." She gulped as she pulled out her laptop to set up her documents and look at her uni email for any updates.

Cillian played some cool jazz, rock, alternative, some genre she never really heard before. It was odd but she kinda liked it.

When the hour was up, people began to file in. A mixture of guys and girls all dressed in various clothing types. They took their seats around the circle until it was somewhat full, about five seats unoccupied.

Cillian started the class and began to introduce himself. Tessa could see some of the girls, the flashier ones watched him with such unashamed desire for him.

It made her internally cringe. What the hell?

The first thing they did was go around the class and introduce themselves. Their name, what they like, and why they picked this course.

Everyone seemed here for the same reason, to get into acting for a play or movie. Or whatever fancied them. A lot of book readers, she thought once it came to the five flashy girls.

The leader, or so Tessa thought made herself to be super good at... everything with acting. The other four nodded in agreement, but Cillian didn't seem one to phased by the sexual attraction the girls seemed to give the vibe of.

Tess wondered why they were taking this class in the first place if they claimed to be so good. They were the only ones who had said that.

Then it came to Tessa and she slowly stood. All eyes on her, "Hi. I'm Tessa Miller. Uhm... I love music and reading and uhm... Relaxing. I... Took this course because I want to expand my path into something new." She gave the class a tight smile and hastily sat back down. She had gripped her hands tightly in her lap and kept her eyes downcast.

The last ten people went before Cillian praised them all for telling him about themselves before they spent the next two hours playing games.

It consisted of a lot of small groups doing things, and she worked with a few different people in each game. Cillian tried to get every person involved and to constantly swap seats.

Then it got serious and he took them through the module for the first term. There was a small project that was to be started by the following week, a short play with two people that was basically a monologue and acting it out for ten minutes.

Tessa was paired up with a guy named Julian. He had blond hair that was combed back and faded edges. His eyes dark brown and his facial features were strong.

The class went on as they went through some basics and more introductions to the whole acting thing. By the end of the class, they were to state an interesting fact about their new partner and then class was dismissed after the tables and chairs were put back in order.

"So you're that model chick on insta?" A voice came from behind Tessa and she turned around to face of the five girls that had eyed off Cillian the whole time. "Didn't think you would actually do the course." Sofia laughed, flicking back her dark brown hair over her slender shoulder.

Tessa kept her face neutral. To be honest, she wasn't even sure what to make of this situation. "Okay? Your point?" Tessa wanted to head into the library ASAP to get the reading material for tonight's homework.

"I'm quite proud of you. That's so cool." Sofia said with that hidden malice that Tessa could easily pick up on.

She knew how people can act fake.

"Ah, thanks." Tessa gave her a smile, "I really must go. I have things to do." Tessa bobbed her head once.

"Okay. See ya next time, Tess." Sofia and her squad walked past her. Tessa watched them go, laughing and muttering to each other.

She would work hard and not let anyone else try and deter her from that. She was not the kind to let others trample on her.

She headed to the library and get to work on her task given to her. Once she had finished her given tasks, she had headed home to rest. On the train, she thought back to the class.

Most of the guys in the class had watched her like she was some meal as she did the warm-up games Cillian had prepared. She was used to the stares and tend to not pay much attention to it. If they verbally spoke to her in a way that would make her uncomfortable, then she would say something.

But she would stay alert no matter what. Especially towards those group of girls. They seemed off and trouble circled them.

She was glad to be back in her apartment and flopped on the bed as she discarded the letters on the coffee table. But one had fallen to the floor and she reached to grab it.

It had been addressed to her in that familiar writing she knew. She quickly sat up and frowned, this time it wasn't thick.

"Fuck." She muttered as she battled with her thoughts before she ripped it open. Time to see what else the bastard wanted.

Reading the letter felt like the world had stopped. Her father and his bitch of a wife was going to come down in December to have a Christmas altogether. He wanted the family back together and he was willing to make amends. Also, he had added he wanted to see how Tessa was going with her studies.

Was he really? Why now of all the times? She prayed silently to whatever God heard her in hopes that this wasn't some other shitty way of pinning the blame on her or her two eldest sisters. It would be totally messed up and would make her even angrier than ever.

Tessa chucked the letter aside and rubbed her eyes. Great, she did not want to deal with Grace or her stupid sons who always bullied her. This was not how she pictured it.

She tried to distract herself by playing her cello in her room, a cover of With or Without You and various other slow songs for the most of the afternoon until Esther came back from a shoot.

The pair made dinner but Tessa would not tell Esther yet about the news she received today. She wasn't in the mood for it and Esther seemed to sense Tessa's change in mood so she had left her to her own thoughts for the rest of the night.

Silence yet inside Tessa's head was a roaring tidal wave.

#cillian murphy #teacher x student #peaky blinders #thomas shelby #fanfiction

27 notes · View notes

sherlollydramoine · 5 years

Text

Another WIP Preview

Here’s another random update on some stuff that I’ve been working on. Anything posted here may possibly be a huge chunk of the fic, or just a snippet. All of these works are unedited and are in the rough draft phase of writing. Please leave me your feedback either via an ask, a message, or a comment.

1. Love At the Shore, requested expansion from a fic title request. RAMI X READER

Getting invited by your best friend, Alicia, from college to hang out with her in her hometown of LA for the last month of summer before you headed back to school was the best thing you’ve ever done. Glad to be free from your toxic family for a few weeks left you feeling excited, and perhaps way more than willing to let loose. So when Alicia suggests that you head to the beach for the afternoon, you were more than happy to go. You were going to miss this though, as the summer was quickly coming to a close, soon enough it was back to the grind of textbooks, tests, and the stress that accompanies college life.

Maybe it’s because she’s from LA, or just part of her personality but Alicia is a force to be reckoned with. She doesn’t take shit from anyone and is the biggest badass out of everyone you’ve ever met. Her enthusiasm and energy was relentless and also somehow infectious. She has always had a way of lighting up a room and brings the fun to everything. Most people assume that her attitude and demeanor makes her stupid which couldn’t be further from the truth. She’s pre-med, always made the deans list and is in the top 1% of your graduating class.

“Y/N did you grab the beer from the fridge and put them in the cooler?” she asks, as she throws her gorgeous brown hair up on top of her head.

“Yes. I also put all the snacks in there. Why do we need so much food?”

“The boys are joining us for some sun and fun, and they can eat.” she laughs out.

“Oh God Al-is this a good idea? I mean that suit is-it’s tiny.”

Her laughter was infectious and her brown eyes full of amusement.

“That’s the point. You are here to party before you get bogged down by school responsibilities. It fits you perfectly and honestly, you’ll have no problem finding some decent dick later if that’s what you are aiming for. And Sami’s brother is fucking hot. I mean, I may be biased, but they are also identical twins.. soooo.” she continues laughing.

“It always comes back to getting dicked with you doesn’t it?”

“Not always, I don’t get any when I’m at school unless Sami or I decide to visit each other. The pain of having been in a committed relationship for well over six years. So I guess, I don’t know, I need to live vicariously through you.”

“Living vicariously through me? You’ve pretty much been getting dicked the entirety of the summer, and you’ve disappeared on me several times while I’ve been here; for Sami’s dick.”

“The boy will be here soon, so go get your ass into your suit!”

Doing as she said you went to her spare room to change. Silently cursing her for insisting that you wear the tiniest black bikini known to man. It barely covered anything, and you felt uncomfortable. Throwing on the cutoff shorts and off the shoulder top she picked for you to wear over your suit, you head into the living room in search of your sandals your body.

“Hey Allie, can I borrow your-” you started, as you came around the corner of the hallway into the living room you collided with someone.

“Oh! I’m so sorry.” you mutter out an apology.

“It’s alright. You must be YN, I’m Rami, Sami’s brother.”

“Yeah I kind of figured.” you smile, as he shrugs and you watch something you think is amusement play across his face.

2. Animals - this is piece currently sitting pretty at over 7k. Enjoy this chunk. WARNINGS: THIS CONTAINS LANGUAGE & SMUT.. RAMI X READER

“C’mon babe it’ll be fun! Seriously, there is no privacy for us anywhere and I’m tired of sneaking around just to get an opportunity to give my girl some proper lovin’” he whined, in your ear. “It’s bad enough that neither of us have been able to travel as much since I left for school, and I miss you so fucking much. I get so much crap from my classmates about how much time I spend thinking about you.”

You were laying down in the backseat of his car, with him still on top of you, as you had just finished have some pretty incredible sex. And now he was trying to convince you that both should go on your first random road trip together. Or rather a spontaneous adventure as he kept referring to it.

“I don’t know. I have to work and you are only going to be home from school for a very short period of time. Your family misses you a lot and I don’t want to take you away from them more than I already have. I don’t want them to hate me more than I’m sure they already do.”

“Well, that’s up to you. I know you have quite a bit of savings, as do I. Believe it or not, I’ve managed to put away a decent chunk of money, even as a poor college student. Mama taught me how to be frugal. And don’t talk like that because you know for a fact that my family adores you. My brother keeps giving me shit about the fact that we aren’t married yet. He said that he was certain that it would have happened the day I turned eighteen.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that statement because marriage was something that both of you had talked about since we were sixteen. Both of you are fairly certain that it was an inevitability for you both.

“You know what? We are young, in love, so why the hell not. Let’s do it. I hate my stupid fucking job anyway and there will always be other job opportunities.”

“That’s the spirit! I love you. I’m so happy that you decided to say yes, because I have a few surprises that I had planned, if you had said yes to this.”

“When should we leave?”

“Tonight?”

“Great, but what time tonight? I get off work at 10, but I don’t want to smell like the diner so I’d want to go home and at least shower first.”

“Since I was going to drop you off at work, I can pick you up and take you home so that you can shower and then we go after that. Does that sound like a plan?”

“Yes. Now come here lover boy. I want you so bad right now. We’ve got time to make up for.”

“Again? Didn’t we just-” you cut him off mid sentence with a kiss. His mouth not putting up much of a fight against yours. Your fingers threading through his wild hair as you pull him closer.

Your naked bodies already tangled together in the backseat of the car, your hips bucked into his, and you can feel his hardening member against your thigh. He stops momentarily to grab his jeans off the floorboard to grab another condom out of his pocket, and he wastes very little time slipping it on.

“Mmmm baby.. I want you so fucking bad.” you murmur against his ear.

Your body so easily turned on by him, was already slick and ready, and you couldn’t help the low moan that escapes you as he slides into you. Wrapping your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist you buck your hips in time with his thrusts.

The only sounds you could hear was the squeaking of the car as it rocked in time with your joint movements, and the quiet moans that you were both letting out.

“Ohhhh. Yes baby… don’t stop…”

“Fuck baby, always so tight for me. I love you. You feel so good. Just.. uhhh.. Fuckkkk.. Yesss..”

Skin slapping skin as your hips meet in time with each other, your desperation for each growing in this heated moment. Your nails clawing at his back as his thrusts become more frantic in their pace.

Unable to restrain your pleasure you let it all out with a series of moans as you continued your assault on his back. Your moans only spurred him on further, your bodies slick with sweat, his moans in your ear getting louder.

“Yesss baby…. Godddd… yesss….please don’t stop baby.. Fuckkkk…. I’m so close… So close…. “ you whined in his ear.

His lips descend on yours for a heated kiss as he his hips pounded into yours, working to push you over the edge and into the depths of your orgasm.

It took a few more thrusts of his hips to get you there, but you came around him with a muffled scream of his name, your nails digging further into his back. You felt his cock twitch, body stiffen, as he followed you into orgasmic bliss.

His body collapsed on top of yours, as you held on to him tightly until you both were recovered enough to finally move again.

“Damn babe. That was hot.” he smiled, your naked bodies still tangled together.

“It always is with you my love.”

“I can feel it now babe, but seriously, I think you fucked up my back. Jesus woman, you are seriously like a fucking cat. I can’t take my shirt off for a while now, or my brother will give me so much shit and the rest of my family will know exactly what the hell we’ve been up to. They know we are together, but I think with them, ignorance is bliss.”

You giggled and could feel yourself turning red with embarrassment,”I’m sorry my love. I wasn’t even aware that I was doing it, but if it makes you feel better, I won’t walk right for a week.”

The smug look on face told you that he was happy with that compromise.

“I wouldn’t worry about your back anyway since we are leaving tonight, so who gives a fuck who sees you with a clawed up back. Maybe I was just marking my territory. Hell, I’ve got enough hickies all over me that I might as well be a walking advertisement for ‘committed relationships’” you shrug, as you both sat up in the back seat, and started to re-dress.

“I hate when our time together comes to an end like this, but I should probably get you home so that you can get ready for work.”

“Me too. I should just say ‘fuck it’ and just go to work all mussed and smelling like sex.” you giggled again.

“Oh fuck babe, that would be so hot, but no, I promised my brother that we’d go to dinner tonight. He knows how bad I want to see you though, so he suggested that we go to your diner for dinner. Their burgers at least are delicious.” he smiled into your hair.

“I love you so much Rami. I swear you are the best and bless your brother for giving up some of his precious little time with you just for us. Maybe I fell in love with the wrong twin.” you tease, laughing at the mock hurt on his face.

“How dare you!” he gasps in shock, as he dramatically places his hand over his heart.

“Oh you!” you poke him in his stomach and he yelps. “Always so freaking dramatic…”

“Ha! I’m an actor, that’s what I’m supposed to do. Ya know? Be dramatic!”

You roll your eyes at him,”You’ve always been a dramatic ass bitch, but it’s alright, I still love you anyway.”

“Ugh.” he dramatically sighed.

“Seriously? The dramatics again.”

His laugh was loud as he playfully shoved you, before he opened the back door of the car and climbed out, stretching his body. God you almost started drooling watching his body as it stretched. His shirt riding up on his stomach just a little bit, and for some reason you had to resist the urge to bite it. Next time, you are definitely going to leave a little mark there, right above the ‘v’ of his delicious hips. Leave your mark on him, like staking a claim, a little something that temporarily marks him as yours.

You followed his lead and exited the back of the car, smoothing your dress down over your hips before leaning against the drivers side door waiting for him to wander his way back to you. Once he was in front of you, you throw your arms around his neck and give him a sweet chaste kiss.

“I love you so damn much. How the hell did I get so damn lucky?” you smiled, tears filling your eyes from all of the random emotions swirling around inside of you.

“Aw baby don’t cry. I love you too! Don’t doubt yourself love, because I’m the lucky one. The luckiest man alive because I have you.” he reassured as you sniffled into his chest.

“No way. Me. I’m… I’m.. I’m.. just.. I’m so plain.” you gestured to your body as if to demonstrate your point.

“Excuse me. No. I wish you could see yourself the way that I see you. I see a beautiful woman with the kindest eyes, beautiful hair, and a generous heart. I’m the lucky one because have you seen me? The guy with big eyes that looks so different from the majority of my peers.” he tried echoing your earlier movements.

“NO! DON’T YOU EVER SAY THAT! You’re eyes are so expressive and gorgeous. I’ve known you forever and I still can’t figure out exactly what fucking color they are. They are… I call them ‘ocean eyes’ because they are ever changing from green to blue to sometimes gray. You are so talented and anyone that doesn’t see how talented you are is a fucking loser. And you will be successful no matter what because you want it, your live it, you fight for it. You are the love of my life, and I will stand behind you and support you no matter what!” holding him a little tighter now, because you know how insecure he can be about the way he looks.

“Oh babe. Look at us, arguing over our looks. If anyone overheard this conversation would think we are the two most shallow individuals on the planet.” he laughs, trying to lighten the mood.

“Rami, this is fucking LA, ninety-eight percent of the population is made up of a bunch of shallow assholes. So for someone to overhear a conversation about our looks would just think we are another bunch of wannabe somethings.”

Another bark of laughter from him before he kisses your forehead.

“Okay, we need to get going now or both of us are going to be late.”

It was your turn to laugh again before you pointed out the fact that his name should actually be Rami Late-For-Everything Malek. To which he actually just flipped you the bird and that made you laugh so much harder than you already were. That was your Rami, playful and fun, sarcastic and just.. he was always making you laugh.

Sighing you climb into the passenger seat and buckle up, he puts the car in drive and cranks the radio up. You both singing along loudly and off-key to nearly every song that came on. Time seemed to pass by all too quickly and before you knew it, you were outside your house. You lean over to give him a not so chaste kiss, pulling away all too quickly.

“I’ll see you in a few hours baby. Oh, I forgot to tell you, bring your birth certificate and passport with you, just in case we decide to do something reckless on our little trip.” he smiled conspiratorially at you, before giving you a wink. He can’t wink for shit, but it's adorable watching him try.

Confusion racking your brain, but not questioning his motives you shut the door, and watch him drive away. Feeling like you were floating on air you nearly dance your way into the house that share with your parents and begin packing for your trip.

You decide to pack fairly light, even though you have no clue how long this trip is going to last for and you grab the documents that he requested that you bring with you, putting them in a plastic Ziploc bag, and shoving them into your backpack.

Deciding to lay down for about an hour to take a small nap before work, your body a little tired from the vigorous activities earlier this afternoon. Waking with your alarm, you get up and take a quick shower, and then get dressed in your ugly work uniform, grab your bags and head out the door. Standing at the end of your driveway waiting for Rami to show, a little late like always, your mind wanders to what he had said earlier. What could he possibly mean by ‘if we decide to do something reckless?’ The thoughts rolling around in your brain, you must have looked like an idiot standing there lost in thought that you barely registered that he had pulled up.

“Yoooo babe!!!” he hollered out the window which snapped you out of your thoughts.

“Sorry, I’m comin!” you holler back. “Oh pop the trunk I’m going to throw my shit in there.”

He does as you ask, and you toss your backpack and small duffle bag into the trunk of his car, and you notice that he has several bags already in there, including what looked like a garment bag.

“Hey Sami!” you smile, as you climb into the backseat. You hadn’t even realized that his brother was in the car with him when he pulled up.

“Hey Y/N. How’ve you been?” he asks, a small smile on his face.

“Great. But you don’t have to ask, I just saw you last week before Rami came home. So compared to how I was last week I am doing so much better. Happier. Ugh babe, I can’t believe the seat isn’t dry yet. Jesus it’s had a few hours to bake in the sun and it’s still wet. Now my ass is going to be all wet when I get to work.”

Sami nearly spit his water all over the dash as his brother was now speeding down the highway towards your place of work, and Rami just wore a smirk.

“You two are fucking disgusting. Animals.” Sami grumbles.

“That we are Sami-cakes, but the sex is always worth it.” you managed to get out between fits of giggles.

“Dude, she just called me ‘Sami-cakes’ like.. Seriously?”

“She calls me Rami-cakes, so Sam that just means that she likes you. She did tell me earlier that she thinks perhaps she fell in love with the wrong twin.”

The twins laughter rang through the car, against the noise of traffic.

“So what the hell did you two do while I wasn’t around?

“The same thing we always do, just bro stuff.” Rami replied.

@txmel @xmxisxforxmaybe @itsme690 @mrhoemazzello @r-ahh-mi @free-rami

#Rami Malek #Another WIP preview #This is undedited #Some of these are long #Rami Malek Imagine #Rami Malek Fanfiction #Rami Malek Smut #Rami Malek Reader

15 notes · View notes

cbocstar · 4 years

Text

update update of my feeelings

i need to really use this blog as a way to write my feelings down instead of ...overly emotionally exhausting my friends with my emotions LOL. i guess because of the messages box it feels safe so i can unwind my thoughts to the point when it should of just been placed in my blog instead. I think that’s something i need to work on as well... to maybe seek therapy or seek help of jus talking to someone professionally on how to get my emotions out. anyway. heres to he update of the nitty gritty. There were a lot of red flags with steven. And i may have ignored them because I was being hopeful that he would wake up and realize that his actions were dangerous and harmful. But it was only until valentines day which was our last day together that hit me with the realization that he’s not going to change and that i deserved better, and to be FAR away FROM HIM. he drunk drive and blamed me for why he was driving recklessly even though. i didn’ have a curfew. And i didnt know he was drunk. i gave myself time to heal anyway i tried out the dating apps

i was talking to someone on the fb dating app. his name was nick.he seemed like a nice guy. So i sent him a message after we matched and he got so shocked that i sent a message and then we just were talking about disneyland bc his photo he had was a picture of him pulling out the sword in the sword in the stone and it was a fun conversation. it was only the first day and i was just like wow we clicked so fast. I felt like i could be myself already. It was nice. So we were talking for a few hours of that day during my breaks at work and just getting to know him and his likes and dislikes. Third day he was getting extremely loveydovey and I ws a bit cautious of it. because its only the third day. lol like it was extra flirty. But i didnt really know if it was like because i was enthusiastic with our conversation and he enjoyed that. Idk I try to channel or reflect myself personality via online as well through the dating apps bc of covid we cant meet ya know. anyway we were talking more and more and then we did webcam on the fifth day and it was nice it was fun. Then a week pass and he kept talking to me and telling me how he’s not talking to anyone and only me and how he had plans for us and i was just like wait a minute. we are still getting to know each other. lAnd then he started to talk to me sexually and ask my likes and dislikes and experiences so i was just upfront to him telling him that im demisexual and i dont have much experience and not really interested in sex until i feel emotional connection with someone. and stuff and hes just like “WHAT do U THINK OF ME???? and sent a a dick pic and im just like uhhh And hes just like “ DOES THIS AROUSE YOU?” and its like “ uhhh no? lol ii dont even know what im looking at. anyway a week passed and now its two weeks and he kept pushing me and i felt like it wasn’t fair for the both of us so i ended it. and then blocked hiim because i honestly felt likt it was for the best then he stalked me on his other account which i didnt know he had one lol so its like oh ok lol i guess ill block that ttoo and he just msgs me with somet manipulation gaslights shit asking me how i could be so hurtful to block him. And idk I guess yeah blocking is hurtful but i dont know after experiencing lovebombing in my past relationship. LOL anything similar that throws me back tto that is a red flag in itself. and like my gut feelings were off about something and i didnt know what exactly. I didn’t like it when he was condescending with me and would try to put me down for refusing to meet up with him because of covid. lol idk I just i dont see the point lol. its not safe. anywayyy Told my friend about the nick thing and she said I’m a heartbreaker. and that somehow scientists said that people can fall in love with someone within 24 hours bc of a connection so that 2 weeks is real. And how he deserves a hug lol and a pat on the back for getting his heart broken by me. And I’m just like lol where’s your source. Bc that doesn’t seem true to me. And 🙄 yeah poor nick blah blah blah guys have feelings yes blah I’m the bad guy blah blah blah I'm just like lol it wasn't intentional of hurting him. I didn't lead him on or anything but something didn't sit right. I didnt like the off balance of it. I told him that i am demisexual and that i dont immediately attach to someone and that it sometimes takes years to build a bond with someone and it being emotionally attracted to even be sexually attracted. and he kept pushing it with the lovey dovey overdrive and would gt upset with me ifi or just disappointed if i didnt reciprocate or say anything sexual and i just felt so awwkard and i didnt want to lead anyone on lol so i was just honest everytime and would hange topic about something i felt like we both can get excited on which was disneyland and he kept talking about wanting to take me there and stuff and it slike uh maybe? like we dont really knwo each other yet so its like youre still a stranger lol you could bea psychopath or a sociopath for alli know. lol and just the back of my head the amorous feeling thing just felt so scary familiar that it terrified me.

i mean

For all we know he could have been a really nice guy. But still lol I think there were some red flags 🚩 my feeeeelings matter and are important and they should come first

#personal

1 note · View note

emma-nation · 5 years

Text

Without You - Bloodbound AU (Chapter 9) *For You Sequel*

Summary: Gaius is back. While coming up with a plan to take him down, the gang must deal with some new life-changing events.

Genre: Angst/Adventure/Romance

Rating: T - Warning for violence and language

Tag List: @begging-for-kamilah, @lulu-the-cat, @ilovekamilahsayeed, @zoe6111, @kennaxval (If you want to be tagged in future chapters/fics of this pairing let me know!)

Notes:

- English is my second language, please forgive me for any mistakes.

- Hope you enjoy it, your reviews and likes are always appreciated.

- Things have went as planned again this week, so here’s another regular update for ya :)

- Slight MxF Smut Scene Warning in the Flashback session! If you’re not interested, you can just skip this part without affecting the understanding of the chapter.

- FxF Smut Alert!

Lysimachus

About thirty minutes earlier they were driving back home, in complete silence. A lot of thoughts and feelings consuming his mind. Never, in his 2064 years of life, he had seen a Vampire survive a Feral bite. It was an extremely painful death. Back on his days as a Vampire Hunter, he even extracted Feral's blood and injected it on Vampires, infecting them and watching as they went through the gruesome transformation, before killing them. It was one of his favorite torture methods.

When they entered his apartment, Priya gently grabbed his arm.

"It was nothing," she assured. "The bite was superficial, I'm not feeling a thing."

Lysimachus turned around to look into her dark brown eyes, for the first time since he spotted the wound on her shoulder. She was stunning, truly stunning. He still remembered seeing her on TV or magazines, prior their meeting. Or how Zoe would always grumble about never being able to afford a Lacroix outfit. He never cared. The Fashion world wasn't his thing. While he appreciated being well-dressed, the brands of his clothes never mattered, as long as they made him look sharp.

Until somebody, sold him the information Priya Lacroix was part of the infamous Council of New York. The one group who could lead him to Gaius. For months he studied the Fashion Designer, following her steps on social media, until her VIP party in Amsterdam.

----- Flashback (slight smut, feel free to skip it) -----

"Show me what you got," she ordered him to remove every piece of clothing he was wearing. He learned she was so selective with potential houseboys as she was selective with her models.

Following her command, Lysimachus was completely naked in front of her. She walked around him, examining his body features.

"Hmmm, not very tall... Only 5'8". But..." she dragged her nails on his toned abdomen. "You've got a nice pack here."

Then she went behind him, grabbing his buttocks.

"And here too."

Finally, she stopped in front of him, looking down at his crotch. She grinned.

"Interesting... I'd like to see it on full-mode, if you don't mind."

"Being around you, it won't be a problem."

After showing her what she wanted to see, he had passed on another step of her test. But as he was informed, there was still a lot he’d have to prove to earn her approval.

"Please yourself," she demanded.

"As you wish."

She watched him with arms crossed, head cocked to the side. The manner he pleased himself and the amount of time he was taking to finish made a hint of satisfaction appear in her face.

"Stop."

"Make me," he teased, knowing her tastes.

She slapped him hard on the face and grabbed his hair violently, making him face her.

"One final step, and you're mine."

With one move, she completely teared off her clothes.

"You better give me the good stuff... or..."

"Or?"

She approached, whispering in his ear.

"I'll kill you."

After extensive hours of rough, wild sex, he managed to impress her. No mortal could ever give her that experience. She had found someone of her level, of her tastes... she only didn't know he was a Vampire yet. Or a Vampire Hunter. But she was very close from finding out... Lysimachus smirked, as his eyes turned red and he exposed his fangs, ready to drink Priya's blood completely.

----- Flashback Ending -----

That was 8 months before. In that period a lot had changed, especially recently, after knowing who she truly was. In front of him he could no longer see a wicked Vampire, but a broken girl. Who had been abused and humiliated, trying to heal her wounds through revenge. Giving men and women the same treatment she received. Deep down, she desired to be respected. And loved too.

He forced a smile, knowing what she was saying wasn't true. The bite went deep down her flesh. At this point the infection must be going through her veins, and soon, it'd reach her brain.

"I mean it, Hunter. I just need to feed and this thing will be healed," she insisted, reaching her purse. "I'm gonna find someone on Bleeder and..."

That was the last thing she said before collapsing. On the floor, her body started twitching on a strange manner. Her veins becoming more visible and her skin more pale.

"Priya!" He shouted, kneeling beside her and holding her in his arms. It was happening. She was becoming a Feral. "S-Stay with me. Talk to me... You need to stay conscious..."

He took her to his bed, placing her comfortably on his pillows.

"T-Tell me something about you... like, uhhh... when is your birthday?"

Through the excruciating pain she was feeling, she still managed to give him a small laugh.

"Why does it matter, Hunter?"

"Because... we'll throw you the hell of a party."

"November 6th," she answered. "But... it's 8 months from now... I-I won't make it."

"Of course you will!" Lysimachus held her face with one hand, while the other grabbed her cold, shaking hand. "I-I... I know a lot about magic and there's a cure for this. I'm gonna call my witch friend and soon you will be... snatching wigs again."

Priya fought a smile.

After feeding her a blood bag he had stocked on a freezer, he gave her a strong shot of painkillers and tranquilizers. Before falling asleep, Priya noticed a stake attached to his belt.

"Just do it, Hunter. Please let me die decently, gorgeous as I am. I don't wanna turn into a disgusting Feral."

"Hey," Lysimachus stroked her soft hair, before lying next to her, "that one was for the Vampires attacking your club, not for you. Why don't you rest now? I called my friend and she's on her way. We'll save you, I promise."

It was a lie, he knew, but she needed to feel secure, while he was willing to try everything, until the last moment. Killing Priya was not an option. Not right now.

With barely no more strength or control left, she squeezed his hand.

"I... trust... you..."

----------

Kamilah

Kamilah had been locked in her home office for a while. She had a need of being alone. The first, but not her main concern, was Amy coming home late night, and drunk, after a night of fun with Lily and Jax. That wouldn’t have been a problem under another circumstances, but at that moment she needed to stay out of sight. Gaius had thralls observing each one of the clans and with that, he could easily figure out she was back from London.

Her main concern was Lysimachus. After driving straight to Priya’s club and not finding them, she headed back to her penthouse, where she started receiving multiple phone calls and texts from her brother. He was desperate for her help. Something had went terribly wrong.

Answer me, please. I can’t lose two people I care about in the same night.

While she didn’t care for Priya’s life, she felt extremely guilty. Accidentally, she had told Gaius’ about her relationship with Lysimachus. Her brother had fallen in love, and being alive for over two millennia is more than enough to figure out that love is a weakness, that makes you vulnerable and fragile.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

“May I come in?” Amy asked. “Please.”

Kamilah sighed and unlocked the door. Her fiancée came in, wearing a casual outfit after a cold shower, that helped to return to a more sober state of mind.

“I’m so sorry, Kamilah. I was bored and... I messed up, didn’t I?”

She took a deep breath, taking a moment to answer.

“Not as much as I did.”

“Why? You scolded me so much that I hadn’t even time to ask. How did the meeting go? Did Gaius do anything to you?”

“To me, no. But...”

She lowered her eyes, avoiding Amy’s gaze while she told her everything. Gaius’ plans for The Council members, Lysimachus reaction upon the attack to The Crimson Veil, her anger and finally, the possibly tragic outcome.

“Oh,” Amy looked somehow shocked. “Have you checked on them yet?”

“No,” Kamilah told. “How am I supposed to tell my brother I was responsible for whatever happened to Priya? She’s a heartless monster, Amy. But he cares about her, for some reason.”

“We should drop by his apartment. That’s the right thing to do.”

Kamilah agreed with a firm nod. Amy’s strength and confidence during moments of crisis impressed her sometimes. How could a mortal be so young and yet so decided and wise?

Minutes later she was sitting at her brother’s office, while he desperately put off books and papers from shelves and drawers, looking for anything that could prevent Priya from turning Feral.

“Brother,” she gulped. “I know you’ve spent a long time around witches but... I’ve never seen a Vampire that healed from a Feral bite.”

“We couldn’t go out in sunlight too, remember? Now we can. Because of Priya.”

Frustrated, he threw a chair against the wall, smashing it into a thousand pieces.

“There’s got to be something...”

“Even if it does, at this point her entire body is infected! She’s a risk to all of us!”

“What do you suggest then, Kamilah?” Lysimachus slammed his fist on the table. “That I enter that bedroom and stake her while she’s asleep? Wasn’t it the same that they did to your lover back in Italy? How did that feel, huh? How do you think she felt, when you weren’t able to protect her?”

The words hit her straight in the heart. She hadn’t though about that event for a while, but it was definitely a scar she carried. She never had time to protect her, to tell how much she loved her, or even say goodbye. While she opened her mouth to say something the bell rang and Lysimachus returned, accompanied by the young witch that provided them the rings.

Kamilah left them alone in the office, joining Amy at the living room. The girl held her hand in a comforting manner.

“It’s not your fault,” she said. “He’d have done it sooner or later.”

“I know. Gaius isn’t the kind that quits and my brother isn’t either. Lysimachus always thought he could save the entire world and that’s what got him in prison.”

Suddenly Kamilah noticed the looks of Lysimachus and the witch were at their direction. She furrowed her brows as she detected the last few words of their conversation.

“...maybe her blood could help.”

Lysimachus approached, dragging Amy by the arm.

“Amy, I need a favor,” he pulled a dagger from his pocket. “I need you to feed Priya some blood.”

“No,” Kamilah protested. “You’re not dragging my fiancée into this! She’s not even herself anymore. She could lose control and kill Amy.”

“Come on, Kamilah. It’s her only chance! Being The First Vampire’s descendant, Amy’s blood has powerful properties. She could save Priya.”

Kamilah pulled Amy back to her direction by the other arm.

“Guys,” Amy tried to settle things between them. “Why don’t we sit down and discuss our options?”

“Discuss our options?!” Kamilah shouted. “You’re not risking your life for a mistake I did.”

“Excuse me?!” Lysimachus questioned. “It seems like you have something to share, sister.”

“It’s my fault. I accidentally told Gaius’ about you and Priya. He was furious when you prevented the explosion and used it to get a revenge on you.”

Her twin brother was completely mute for a second. Then he looked at her in a way she had never seen before... there was fire in his eyes.

“Y-You... betrayed me.”

“I had no intentions, brother. I’m so sorry, he wanted information about you and this was the less important thing I could think of.”

“Less important?” Lysimachus let a sarcastic laugh. “Less important for who?! You know what? Do you know why we’re in this mess in first place? Because I gave up on the ritual. I gave up on the ritual because in order to kill Gaius we must kill Amy too. I protected your lover Kamilah, meanwhile you sacrificed mine for your selfish purposes!”

He punched the wall, opening a large hole on it before heading to the bedroom.

Kamilah sat down again, processing the words she had just heard.

----------

Amy

At the balcony, Amy breath in some fresh air, still undecided about what to do. She had no problem offering a small amount of blood to feed Priya, as Lysimachus wanted, but would that be enough? Kamilah also had a point, she was about to turn Feral. She could easily lose control and kill her.

And there was the ritual. To destroy Gaius, she’d have to sacrifice her own life.

“It seems like you’re carrying a lot on your shoulders,” the young witch appeared right beside her.

“Oh, trust me. Only a year ago I was only a small-town girl, who wanted to come to New York, get a decent job and enjoy life. Now, I'm engaged to one of the most powerful CEOs of the country, who's a Vampire and the fate of their race, and also the human race, depends on me."

"No evil doppelgänger yet?"

"To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if she just appeared at my door."

Amy laughed at their joke, breaking a little the tension of the moment. The witch girl was about her age, they could've been hanging out, going to a club or to a theater together, but they were both dealing with the supernatural.

"So what's your story?" Amy asked.

"As exciting as yours," the witch answered. "Grew up in an orphanage, got separated from my brother, messed with some dark forces to find him... Anyways, I decided to settle down at New York just doing the witch stuff, you know?"

Amy smiled again. Even with such a tragic past, that girl was able to keep a good humor.

"So, you know about the ritual. The one to destroy Gaius."

"Sorry, I tried my best to protect you when I discovered. This is what I promised my ancestors. But your friends are good at finding out stuff."

"Do I really have to..."

She nodded in response.

"Amy, do you want to hear an advice? Get debriefed, go away. Runaway from this world while you still can. If the information about your origins fall in the wrong hands, they'll start a war for your blood."

"I can't, I love Kamilah. More than I ever loved anyone in my life."

"But someday, you'll die. Kamilah won't. And she'll possibly find another Amy to love. Think about it."

Amy fell silent again, thinking about her words. She though about her family, her hometown, her old life and then... Kamilah. She was everything she ever wished for. The danger, the adventure, the passion she always looked for, she found in the female vampire.

"She's getting worse," Lysimachus scream echoed through the apartment. "Will you all just going to let her die?"

"I'll do it," Amy announced. "I'll feed her some of my blood."

"Have you lost all sense?" Kamilah followed her to the bedroom. "She's going to..."

When she opened the door, Priya was tied to the bed. Her eyes were blood-red and she was hissing loud. The only few words she was able to pronounce were senseless.

"She's losing her conscience," Kamilah told.

"Not if I can stop it," Lysimachus argued.

Amy grabbed his dagger, opening a gash on her palm and dripping some blood inside a glass. She handed it to Lysimachus who forced Priya to drink it. Surprisingly, the Fashion Designer eyes returned to their normal color and she calmed down.

"Hello friend with benefits," Lysimachus caressed her hair.

"Only... the... b... ben... benefits," Priya joked, making him smile.

"Feeling any better?"

She shook her head in denial, for his disappointment.

"S-Slipping... again... want... want to... kill... you."

Frustrated, the former Vampire Hunter punched the wall again.

"Just... do it."

Amy shared a look with Kamilah. Her fiancée had been completely closed down since learning about the ritual.

The young witch also watched the scene, with a puzzled look.

"She doesn't have a Brand, does she?" She asked.

"No," Lysimachus told. "She doesn't even know who's her Maker."

"The Brand is meant to keep the conscience tethered to the body. Maybe if we gave her one, infused by the blood of an older vampire..."

"I'll do it," Kamilah agreed. "It's my fault she's dying so..." she pulled her amulet and a lighter from her jacket.

"Noooo," Priya weakly whined. "Not... Kamilah's... tramp stamp..."

"Shut up! I'm trying to save your life."

"Wait," the female witch ordered. "I have a better idea. Seal the Brand with Amy's blood. Nothing is more powerful than The First Vampire's blood."

----------

Kamilah

Kamilah was browsing on her computer when Amy entered her dark office. After Branding Priya, she had gone home. The life of the Fashion Designer wasn't her priority right now, Amy's life was.

If Lysimachus was telling the truth about the ritual, she needed to act immediately. No one would sacrifice her wife-to-be, even for such a big purpose like destroying Gaius.

"How's Priya?" She asked, trying to show some sympathy.

"She has stopped losing her conscience, but the bite isn't healing. It has started to spread," Amy told. "I'm not sure if she's gonna make it. I wish I could do something more."

"Well, don't even say it in front of my brother. If he hears that, he may want to..." she stopped. "Nevermind."

Amy approached, sitting on her lap. She studied her computer screen, curious.

"Uhhh... Is that where you're planning to spend our honeymoon?"

"It's a house I own in Sweden. I've got it in a big deal I closed a few years ago. I was thinking it's a perfect place to start a new life, don't you think?"

"Do you mean... move to Sweden?"

"It's a small town. No one will ever find us. I have contacts, they'll give us new IDs and..."

"It's about the ritual, isn't it?"

Amy stared inside her eyes, Kamilah could see she was so lost and scared as she was.

"We're not doing it," she pressed her forehead on Amy's. "Never."

"But..." Amy placed a hand on the back of her neck, "it'd set you free."

"I'll never be free without you."

Kamilah pressed her lips on Amy's, kissing her slowly, while her fingers gently stoked the girl’s side.

"This is why we have to runaway. If the rest of The Council finds out... they'll come for you.

"I have another idea in mind."

Amy kissed her again, fiercely, firmly. With a force she hadn't felt ever before. She finished it by nibbling on her lower lip.

"Turn me," she whispered in Kamilah's ear. "Turn me right now. I'll become useless to the ritual and... I'll be yours forever."

"It's not that simple. Gaius would still come after you. And there's a lot you need to consider. What about your family? You won't be able to be so close to them anymore."

"I don't care..." Amy brushed her lips on hers again. "You're my family now."

"And you won't be able to have children."

"I can adopt."

"You..." Amy silenced her with her index finger.

"No more excuses, Kamilah. I give up on anything to spend the eternity with you."

"Eternity is a long time, are you aware of this?"

"Yeah..." Amy pretended to be pensive for a second. "But I think I can tolerate your temper and your cynicism for the eternity."

"In this case, I better work harder. Tolerating your insatiable hunger and your habit of losing stuff for the eternity may be expensive."

Amy laughed before pulling her for another kiss.

"I love when you try to be funny."

"Well, you started it."

The girls hand went under her shirt, feeling every inch of her stomach and chest.

"I was so afraid I wouldn't see you again," she spoke smoothly as her hands went down to Kamilah's pants, unbuttoning them.

"I feared Gaius had killed or even hypnotized you for real," Amy's mouth went down to her jawline and neck, while her hands traveled inside Kamilah's underwear. "Seriously, I even..."

"Amy," Kamilah interrupted her, rolling her eyes. "Can you not say his name while... doing this?"

"Of course," Amy apologized. "I'm sorry."

Kamilah closed her eyes, enjoying Amy's strokes on her most sensitive spot. She moved her hips, following the girl’s movements.

When she arched her back, finally reaching climax, she whispered in Amy's ear.

"This weekend... at the Hamptons' house. I'll prepare everything and... I'm Turning you."

----------

Amy

Lying on the bed with Kamilah, Amy grinned ear to ear. Being Turned and running away with her fiancée solved all their problems. Being biologically dead, she'd no longer be The One. Her blood would lose all its power. And also... she'd never have to leave Kamilah.

"Tell me about that Bachelorette Party," Kamilah broke the silence. "I'm not very fond of this idea."

"Oh, no big deal. Lily took me to this Strip club, full of hot guys and girls. Even Jax gave us a private little show inside the limo."

As Kamilah widened her eyes in shock then furrowed her brows, as if she was ready to explode.

"I'm joking," Amy quickly announced. "Only a few drinks among friends in a cool supernatural bar."

"Which one?" Kamilah wanted to know. "I know every supernatural bar in New York and none of them is safe for you."

"It's a new one. Founded by one of the Shadow Den members."

Kamilah didn't answer, but by her face, she still didn't approve the idea.

“Right,” Amy changed the subject, “now, what about that meeting? You still haven’t told me everything. There's something else in your mind."

Kamilah let out a deep sigh, that suggested something else was disturbing her.

"Hearing his revenge plans, the things he's planning for The Council members... makes me wonder what he's planning for me."

"Didn't you earn his trust again?"

"I know him, Amy. He would never forgive me for what I did. He's saving the worst for me, and he must be planning to use you or my brother for that."

Amy was pensive for a moment, then she grabbed a notebook and a pen from the nightstand drawer.

"What are you doing? Kamilah looked at her intrigued.

"Our own plan," Amy started explaining. "We have a head-start, you know what he's planning."

"A conflict between me and my brother was exactly what he needed. I’ve just made things easier for him, now I’m not in good terms with Lysimachus. God knows what stupidity he’ll be doing after Priya dies. "

"Okay..." Amy wrote Lysimachus name and pulled some arrows. "We need to ensue his protection."

Kamilah smiled and took off the pen from her hands.

"Let me take care of it, would you? You stay put, while I handle the tough part."

Amy pulled her by the shirt collar for a kiss.

"But I had a good idea... We can get some explosives, blow up that club and send Gaius, Jameson and the whole gang to space."

"You've been watching too much news on TV, little firefly," Kamilah playfully bit her earlobe, then pressed soft kisses on her neck. "Don't worry, I've got everything planned."

Kamilah grabbed her notebook and started writing her own notes. She had the prettiest handwriting Amy had ever seen in her life. She read the first word: 'Turning'. She smiled.

The female vampire proceeded with the next step of her planning sheet.

"Training," Amy read. "And then... Elope?"

"And the last..." Kamilah added, "Sweden."

Amy took the notes and started to adding some details.

"Right, Ms. Sayeed, CEO of Ahmanet Financial. What will be doing to this little company of yours?"

"I'll sell it," Kamilah was decided. "I can start something new. Something related to botany, perhaps."

"Will we have pets in our new home?" Amy asked.

"Cats. Many of them."

"Uhhh... children?"

"It's too soon to decide it, don't you think?"

"Hell yeah," Amy tossed the notepad aside. "We have a lot to enjoy before that."

Kamilah smiled before involving her in a warm, passionate kiss. Meanwhile, all Amy could think was about how excited she was for the weekend, when she'd become a Vampire.

----------

Lysimachus

"It has stopped spreading," he announced, examining Priya's wound. "It seems like Amy's blood has truly worked."

Lying on his chest, the Fashion Designer gave him a weak smile. Though she was no longer losing conscience or that the wound had stopped spreading, she wasn't looking any better. She was severely weak and pale, her skin was cold as ice. Lysimachus wore his leather jacket around her body and covered her with a heavy blanket.

"Hunter, stop fooling yourself," she mumbled. "It's not working. I'm dying... I... I wonder what the tabloids will invent. They'll say I died from an overdose probably."

"I-I won't let them... I'll say you contracted a severe and deadly infection, and that you fought like a trooper until the end."

At this point, he was holding himself to not cry. He hadn't cried for centuries. Not even when Zoe died. Although she was his best and closest friend, he knew about that risk. She was a mortal Vampire Hunter. Her life was always in danger. And he didn't watch her die. He didn't have to say goodbye. One move and Adrian broke her neck, far from his sight. Because he was busy, chasing Priya.

"Hey," he called, trying to keep her awake. "Last year, in your club, why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?"

"You're a bastard, like me, Hunter. I knew that at some point you could be useful."

"Fair enough."

"What about you?" Priya asked back. "That night in Amsterdam, why didn't you kill me?"

Lysimachus sighed.

"I knew that at some point you could be useful. And because I thought you were pretty."

"Oh, so you had mercy on pretty female Vampires?

"You were one of the rare exceptions."

She let out a small, weak laugh.

After a long moment of silence, Lysimachus felt her hand touching his under the covers.

"Hunter?" She called. "I'm afraid. Though it's something I'd never admit, but I am."

"Y-You don't have to be," he wanted to tell her that soon she'd be cured, but at this point, both of them knew it was useless to sugarcoat reality.

"What do you think that happens to Vampires after their death? Especially the baddies."

"I've never thought of this before."

"My people believe in reincarnation. This is what I'm afraid of, I don't wanna be born a dalit again."

"If you do," he kissed her forehead, "I'll find you and I'll rescue you."

"How are you going to find me, stupid?"

"Simple, I'll look for the girl who can make awesome clothes and snatch wigs."

Seeing Priya genuinely smile again made a single tear fall down from his eyes. He noticed her eyes were teary too.

"We never finished that conversation."

"We don't have to."

"Okay... at least I figured out what was missing."

He held her even tighter, appreciating his final moments with her. Thinking about the life he was willing to show her. A life she never knew... A knock on the door brought him back to reality.

"Lysimachus," his witch friend shouted, "I know why she hasn't been fully cured yet! There's one more thing."

"What is it?"

"I was speaking to Jax and he told me that feeding from someone that the Vampire has an emotional connection may help delaying the transformation."

"Goodbye, cruel world," Priya mocked from the bed.

After the witch left, Lysimachus sat by her side.

"No one?" He sighed. "Not even... Sergio?"

"Sergio, Hunter?!" Priya rolled her eyes. "Are you joking or you're really this dumb?"

"I know," he ran a hand through his dark hair. "I'm only trying to think of a manner to save you. I meant it when I said I care about you."

Priya studied his face for a second, before inhaling deeply.

"If you ever tell this anyone, I'll kill you."

She sank her fangs into his neck, drawing a large amount of blood, for long minutes.

Lysimachus wasn't sure of how much of that was real, but his only choice was to wait and pray that Priya's body would fight off the infection by itself.

Next: Kamilah takes Amy to the Hamptons to Turn her, but will things go as expected? Stay tuned!

#playchoices #choices stories you play #bloodbound #kamilah sayeed #kamilah x mc #bloodbound fanfiction #priya lacroix #lysimachus

43 notes · View notes