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speed-world · 7 months ago
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Idea for a story...based off something I saw somewhere else.
Y/n sucked into the cookie run kingdom game and transformed into a cookie and is a complete coward...like cookies, if they want y/n to come with them on adventures, have to bribe y/n into coming...or drag them as they scream in fear. They are terrified of plot because they know what happens in the cookie run story and feel like they wouldn't survive....
Buuuuut then, as they progress through the story, more cookies are revealed to love y/n and their presence in general make the cookies...nicer and more focused on making y/n happy than the plot lol. Like they start making sure y/n has their treats, that y/n is having fun, etc!
Cowardice…Pays Off?!
(Is this self aware? Kinda i guess right?)
You aren’t sure how or why this happened. One moment you were just by yourself, ready to play a newly downloaded Cookie Run Kingdom-The Game. You saw a lot of videos about its story and characters, and you wanted to give it a shot since it all seemed so cool!! Then, just as you started the game up, your game glitched and got stuck. The screen of your phone went blank. Then, like a vortex, it pulled you inside of the game and your entire body composition changed. You were flat, smelled appetizing, and you were a lot smaller than you were supposed to be.
You became a cookie…which horrifies you immensely!
Sure, it sounded neat to be surrounded by the characters that you loved, until you realize that you now have to go through the same story as them. A story that you knew most of the outcomes…
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As you finally came to, you heard the crashing sounds of asteroids from outside. You studied your surroundings a bit more until you realized: This is the Final Battle of the Dark Flour War, which surely means-
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“This is…Oh no, what a horrible sight.”
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“The whole place is covered in Cookie crumbs!”
You heard footsteps of 5 cookies approaching you. You vividly remembered there words as the same words from the Final Battle prologue scene. But of course, you were there. And you noticed that the Ancients immediately froze and changed once they saw you.
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“Despite the foul stench and scene, it appears that a Cookie made it after all…”
“Ah! W-wait, I-I’m not s-supposed to uh— p-please I-I’m so scared, d-don’t h-hurt me p-please!!” You freaked out at the realization, and buried your face in your knees. Tears welled up in your eyes as you began to weep.
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Pure Vanilla Cookie softly approached you and caressed your back. He sat down in front of you and held your arm.
“We promise you, the last thing we’d ever want is to hurt you! You don’t have to worry, we’re here to protect you with our own lives, you have my word! I’m Pure Vanilla Cookie, may I know who you are?”
With how softly and assuring he spoke, you held his hand and nodded.
“Y/N…I’m Y/N.”
You hugged him out of instinct, which definitely surprised the healer, but he didn’t mind at all. He reciprocated the hug and then hugged even tighter…as if he’s been waiting for this specific hug with you for a while
“A-wait! You g-guys have to leave!! D-D-Dark E-Enchantress Cookie is too strong for y-you all!! Y-you won’t win against her!!” You panicked as you remembered the fate that awaited the Ancients. They all looked surprised initially, but then they all looked more determined than ever.
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“While your concern is appreciated, we assure that we won’t back down from Dark Enchantress Cookie. We’ll take her down AND make assure your safety at the same time.”
You looked at Golden Cheese Cookie, quietly pleading with her and the other Ancients to not go and fight this battle. They all do their best to reassure and comfort you, hoping that you understand they can’t abandon this fight. One Ancient however, stared at you differently than the others. She looked at you as if…she actually knew who you were…
White Lily Cookie saw you catch onto her staring, and she shook her head to snap back to reality.
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“I-I believe we should get ready! W-We need t-to find Dark Enchantress Cookie before she finds us!”
And then, as if on cue, you all notice the sounds of Cake Hounds rapidly charging at you. The Ancients ready themselves to fight, and you trembled as you got to your feet. You hid behind Hollyberry Cookie, tightly holding onto her for dear life and shutting your eyes…until you felt various Cake Hounds nuzzling your legs. You opened your eyes to the cute creatures smiling at you and not hurting you at all, which confused the Ancients.
“Shouldn’t these Cake Hounds be attacking us? These are Dark Enchantress Cookie’s forces, and yet they’re…rolling around and nuzzling us?!”
“It appears they’ve a fondness for Y/N. We could use this to our advantage, let’s move!”
Dark Cacao Cookie scooped you up with one arm and carried you as the Ancients ran to the castle area where Dark Enchantress Cookie was.
You screamed and pleaded to not go with them since you knew what would happen. Since comforting you didn’t seem to work, two Ancients had the bright idea of bribing you to come along.
“Come now Y/N, I promise to gift with riches beyond your dreams after we win this fight! I’ll even let these Cake Hounds be with you, but you’ll spend more time with me, my closest treasure~!”
“I’ll be sure to grace you with the finest berry juice ever! My treat!! You’ll never have to worry with me around, I promise you!!”
You were more relaxed after hearing the offers of Hollyberry Cookie and Golden Cheese Cookie. After a while, you noticed everyone had stopped moving. You slowly looked up in horror…Dark Enchantress Cookie was waiting there.
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“And so, upon the ruins of your home we finally meet. And it would appear…that you brought an uninvited guest~.”
…She was talking about you. You met your worried eyes with hers, but she didn’t look at you with malice. More she looked down at you like a mother would a little child…and you had no clue how to react.
Pure Vanilla Cookie stood in front of you, and had hardened gaze on Dark Enchantress Cookie.
“Dark Enchantress Cookie! What is the meaning of this?”
“Now, now. No need to be so hostile. In fact, I have a…proposition for you lot.”
“Proposition? What nonsense are you rambling about now?”
Dark Enchantress Cookie focused her gaze on you. You hid behind Pure Vanilla Cookie, but Dark Enchantress’s eyes never stopped following your movements.
“I would like to believe that we have a common interest. The Cookie that you��re shielding - Y/N I believe was your name, no? - There’s something about them that’s quite incredible, wouldn’t you say~?”
“What…w-w-what are y-you getting a-at?!” You decided to speak, or more stutter, for yourself.
“I’m saying I believe we’ve all taken an interest in you. Dare I say, we can come to a deal: I’ll cease my own vision for the world in exchange for the safety and prosperity of Y/N. Does that sound alright with you?”
You were very reluctant to respond, mostly because of how much you were taken aback by this. Is this really the same Dark Enchantress Cookie you remember?! Apparently, the Ancients had the same conflicted expressions. None of them truly knew what to say about this ordeal.
“Can we really trust her words? This could easily be just another scheme-“
“I AM serious about this, mind YOU! It’s abundantly clear none of us want Y/N in any kind of danger, and I can see it clearly in your eyes—all of us feel a special attraction to them, despite the odd circumstance~. There’s no reason to lie about it.”
You looked to the rest of the Ancients in anticipation. You had zero idea what the right answer was, if there was one, but you just prayed that you wouldn’t be hurt in any way.
“…..Fine then. For the sake of all Cookiekind, and for Y/N, we’ll trust you. But know this Dark Enchantress Cookie, we will fight you again if you ever back down from your word!”
“Hah, you won’t have to look forward to it~…”
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It’s been a while since then, and you still have no idea how to feel about your situation.
On one hand, literally nothing wants to harm you in any way. Every Cookie you’ve met has been extremely kind and generous to you, even if they’re evil aligned. The Bear Jellies are so warm and welcoming, and the Sugar Gnomes have virtually become your best supportive friends. Not to mention the Cake Hounds being head over heels for you, which you reciprocated the love for them.
On the other hand…there always seemed to be some small layer of tension whenever Dark Enchantress Cookie comes to see you. She’s always super nice to you, giving you immense affection that at times seems out of character.
Of course, the Ancients always get slightly agitated when Dark Enchantess Cookie visits. Especially Golden Cheese Cookie and White Lily Cookie, who really got upset whenever Dark Enchantress took you away from them.
Granted, White Lily made some sense with her relationship with Dark Enchantress.
But Golden Cheese really took offense to whenever you’re attention was taken off of her
In any sense, the most confusing thing was whenever the Cookies wanted to take you on adventures. Mainly the Gingerbrave gang.
You were incredibly scared of going with them, mostly because you knew of the danger of their adventures and thought you’d either be harmed or get in their way.
Whenever a Cookie invites you to travel with them, they always make sure your safety is prioritized. Sometimes they’ll try to bribe you with treats, gifts, or rewards if you tag along.
But sometimes, they’ll abandon their plans just to be with you and make sure you’re comfortable.
This life of yours was so odd and scary, but your fears would eventually wash away with how much the Cookies would treasure your being above all else. You’d grow to enjoy and love the affection and care, even if it seemed to be overwhelming at times.
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intellectual6666 · 8 months ago
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I have some things to talk about, which I felt and saw after I got my CBSE 10th results.
Everyone takes credit. Like relatives who for the whole year kept saying, "our children also gave boards, why are they (my parents) acting like it's such a big thing?", "they are showing as if only they have work and they are busy, we are useless na", came to say, "she is our daughter/granddaughter, that's why she excelled in her exams." I do have a lot of respect for them and yes, I love them a lot too and also you can take credits of it, due to their ashirvad I was able to excel in the exams but why act like they are "only" reason I got good marks in it ? I would like to give 50% credits to my parents and the rest to me and my God. There was also a time when my father was not able to give the monthly fees of my school for 3 months, but he managed to keep me in a English medium private school by working his ass off. My mother left her social life, didn't even go to ISKCON (her favourite place) so that she can keep her full attention on me. We went through so much financial issues in 2022 and 2023 (first half) but my parents didn't let my education sacrifice. I, didn't take any tuitions so that I do not put extra burden on them (another reason I didn't take tuition coz I prefer self study more than tuitions). Me, who got so stressed because of my class 10 boards that by the time my exams were near my mental health worsened. I was getting suicidal thoughts and got introduced to new health problems which still haunt me, hypertension and palpitation. But still, I worked hard, my closest friends helped me, my parents helped me and most importantly Krishna ji, Ganesh ji, Radharani ji and Mahadev helped me. My struggle was totally mine and no one fought the war inside me other than me. So before taking the whole credit, atleast for once one should think about the people who really worked hard.
Second, this comparison shit kills one inside. No, I didn't compare myself to anyone as my parents never taught me that nor they ever compared me to anyone. Basically me and my maternal uncle's daughter are really close. And she is quite average in her studies. But trust me she is an amazing dancer, singer and artist. I envy her because of the great acting skills she have. But according to that typical thoughts, her parents always compare her with me and try to demean her, on the thing that she is not much good in studies and I'm comparatively good in it. Her results came out some days ago, as she used to study in an ICSE school and to be honest, she did amazing. Getting such marks is not so easy in ICSE board. Yesterday her mother kept comparing her with me and made her feel insecure and bad. Like why ? What do you get by hurting a child ? Why the actual fuck can't you ever be satisfied with whatever she got ? Praise her, tell her she is amazing, bring some confidence in her instead of making her feel so insecure that she starts to kill her feelings for everyone. Please freaking stop that. My mother, as usual a boss lady, replied her so sassily that my sissy ran to her and hugged her for 15 minutes straight. All of my closest friends got above 90% and I got below it, but God my parents didn't think about that for even once. They kept praising me.
So this was a rant post and you can totally ignore it if you want. Sorry for writing such a long ass thing, I had a lot to burst out.
And also sorry if there's any spelling mistake.
Congratulations to all the 10thies and 12thies for acing your exams. Everyone did amazing. I'm proud of you.
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welp-back-on-my-bs · 5 months ago
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Ok, here is my learning to love myself contributions!
Learning and Helping
Morgan grew up in Obsidian, a country of lies, war, and hate. They didn't take full notice of everything that meant, until they were older.
Over the years, they were forced to give everything to a country that gave them barely anything in return. A place that called them a freak, a whore, a bitch, a swinger, indecisive, and so much more.
It took them too long to realize they had to run, they almost died there. But... they managed to make it out... barely...
Now, they were in Bennonite, trying to find something for themself to do. They ended up wandering into the library of the Bennonite castle.
While wondering through the books of many different topics, languages, and so on, they found one in a field they haven't heard of. "Psycology...?"They murdered to themself as they grabbed it and started to read, and read, and read all of the books Silvio managed to gather on the one subject.
Hours went by, and said Prince was getting worried for his new friend. When he finally managed to find them in the library, he grabbed the book they were reading to see what it was
"Huh?- what- hey! Silvio!" They pouted
"Ya really like this stuff? I've heard some people call it a hack-"
"It's not-"
"What makes ya say that?"
"Well... reading up on things I've- connected with some stuff in there-"
"Uh-huh" Silvio took a seat by Morgan "What did ya find?"
"Awnsers- to questions- I didn't even know I had- like- why just living in Obsidian was so hard- when others thrived. Why I can get so easily distracted, why I hide away for some time just to be alone and unwind. I've found it-" They were smileing and crying. Silvio saw this and pulled them close, drying their tears.
"Well, now that you have those awnsers? What now?"
"I... I want to help... I want to help those who are like me... those who are differnt-"
Silvio smiled and nodded. "well- I think I got a good job for ya- but it ain't gonna be all sunshine and roses-"
"Hey- even just a little is more than I've experienced in years." They joked with a smile.
Silvio nodded and messed up their hair, earning a laugh from the enby.
"You're lucky you're cute, so I'll help ya"
"Really!"
"Yep"
They smiled and hugged him tightly. They were excited for the new start that they had. A new, better life to live.
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Mind vs Body
Morgan looked at themself in the mirror. It's been years since they have been to Obsidian... have they gained weight?-
They couldn't help but stare at their body, stuffed into a dress. It looked wrong. It felt wrong.
Gilbert walked into the room "there you are my Butterfly. How do you like the dress?"
"It feels... wrong... and bad..."
"Well, let's get you out of it then."
"It wouldn't be a problem?"
"Why should it? If others have a problem, they can deal with me. " Gilbert gave that smile that told them to just do as he says, so they did.
"Now, Silvio made sure to send clothes that would fit. Like, I don't already have some here that fit you as well. But you can go and choose what makes you feel better, my dear."
"Thanks Gil- you're... just the best-" They smiled and gave Gilbert a kiss before grabbing a differnt set of clothes and putting them on.
"Much better. Now you look like yourself."
"You perfer me like this?"
"Yes, because you're smileing in it. Remeber, I dont like anyone but me hurting my prey. Not even itself."
Morgan rolled their eyes and giggled sofrly "and yet you spoil me almost as much as Silvio~" They teased
"Maybe, but you've earned that much and more." he smiled at them and held them close. "You deserve the world..."
"Yeah, well... I don't want the world... I just want the home that I've made..."
Gilbert chuckled softly and kissed their forehead, before nipping their nose "alright, I guess we got to make it a perfect fit for you then. Let's go" he held out his arm and they took it with a smile
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theladyofshalott1989 · 6 months ago
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20 questions for fic writers
Thank you for the tag @heyitszev, @thetotomoo, and @infernalrusalka! It was so fun reading all of your answers, too <3333
1. How many works do you have on AO3? Eleven!
2. What's your total AO3 word count? 220,491 posted currently (about 60k more written but not posted yet).
3. What fandoms do you write for? Hogwarts: Legacy (10 works) and Bridgerton (1 work).
4. Top five fics by kudos? "Like Moths to a Flame", "Burning Bright", "The Reynolds Dilemma", "Heart's Pleasure First", "Love's Not Time's Fool".
5. Do you respond to comments? In the words of Severus Snape, "Always." <3
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? My Sebastian Sallow/You one-shot "What Was I Made For?"
7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Nearly all of my fics end happily, but I think from a "wow, the characters went through hell and back and yet they somehow got a happy ending" perspective, I would probably say "Burning Bright."
8. Do you get hate on fics? Not directly on them yet (thankfully), but I have definitely received anonymous hate here on Tumblr and Reddit. Those people can suck it. Affectionately. 🙃
9. Do you write smut? Yup.👍
10. Craziest crossover? No crossovers yet, although I'm hoping to write a Hook (the 1991 movie) & Peter Pan (the book by J.M. Barrie) long-fic someday. That's not all that crazy though...haha.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of, but I don't go looking. Eek.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but that would be very cool!
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I'm currently co-writing an MC x MC fic with heyitszev. Someday we'll (hopefully) finish it because it's SO FREAKING GOOD ALREADY. AHHH.
14. All time favorite ship? I have consumed many ships over the years, but the one that always sticks with me is Cassian/Jyn (aka Rebelcaptain) from Rogue One. My own ship (Sebastien, Sebastian x Damien) may also be added to this list soon as these boys have consumed my every waking thought for nearly a year and a half now. Lol.
15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don't think I've ever not finished a WIP? Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself...
16. What are your writing strengths? Banter, emotional whiplash (sorry lol), foreshadowing, and plot twists. At least I think so. Haha.
17. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? I like it! I minored in Spanish in college and have always wanted to use Spanish in a fic, but haven't really had the opportunity to yet. Maybe if I ever get around to writing a Cassian Andor-centered fic, I'll finally do it. We'll see.
18. First fandom you wrote in? Star Wars! I wrote a shit ton of Anakin/Padme when I was a young teen.
19. Favorite fic you've written? If you had asked me a few months ago, it would have been "Burning Bright", but it's now my current WIP, "You Cannot Put a Fire Out." I put a lot of myself and my insecurities into these two fics, and they were both written at a pretty emotionally turbulent time of my life, so they have a special place in my heart.
20. There's no twentieth question, so take this as your cue to give yourself a hug. (Yes, I'm talking to you!) <3
No pressure tags: @morelikeravenbore @endless-starlight-legacy
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maria021015 · 6 months ago
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SPOILERS AHEAD!
Zaida heard keys twisting in the lock as she pulled on her pajamas, hair still wet from her bath. Twisting her locks into a bun, she rushed out of her bedroom and into the main area, running to envelope Xander in a hug as he walked into the entry hall. “You’re back!” She exclaimed in relief.
“Woah, yeah, I’m back. It took me hours to convince Raphael not to press charges against Allison for that smoke bomb stunt she pulled.” Her brother wrapped his arms around her, inspecting her face when she pulled away.
“Raphael?” Her brows furrowed in confusion, not recognising the name.
“Agent McCall.” He corrected himself. Ah, Scott’s dad. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
“No, everything worked out. Everyone’s safe and relatively unharmed - except for Jennifer and Deucalion, who are both badly injured but free. Nothing’s wrong - just, I tried calling you and you didn’t answer. I was worried.” She admitted.
“I’m sorry, my phone died. I didn’t think…” He shook his head, cursing himself for not checking in on her. “You weren’t supposed to be in danger. You were supposed to find out where Jennifer was keeping Noah and Melissa, and Chris was supposed to handle it.”
“Well, Chris got himself kidnapped and then we had to ritualistically sacrifice Scott, Allison, and Stiles to find the Nemeton - which is where we figured out she was keeping them. Then everything kind of went to shit, but we got there in the end.” She recapped the events of the night in the shortest way possible, not wanting to go over it all when she knew he would simply freak out and then blame himself for not being there to help. “How are things on the police-side of it?”
“Agent McCall can’t figure out what’s been going on because he’s missing almost all of the pieces of the puzzle, and he’s taking it out on everyone he can, throwing blame left right and centre. We found Jennifer’s body by this huge tree stump - an anonymous caller left a tip. She’s dead - they called it an animal attack, like they always do.”
“That’s the Nemeton. Maybe Deucalion went back to finish her off.” Zaida offered an explanation. At least one of them was for sure dead and gone.
“Maybe - but it makes it pretty hard to pin a string of murders on a dead person.” Xander grumbled. “We should just get out of this town, Zaida. Trouble always seems to find itself here.”
“What?!” Zaida blurted, paling at his words. And she hadn’t even told him about how they had awakened a supernatural Beacon with their surrogate sacrifices. “No! No, I don’t want to move. We have a life here now, Xander. You’ve got the position of your dreams and I’ve got school and my friends. I’ve found who I am here - I don’t want to go someplace new and start all over again with people who have no clue what I am or what I’ve been through. These people - these people are my family now.”
“They’re not your family. I’m your family - one of the only family members you have left.” He shook his head, doubling down.
“If they’re not my family, then they’re my pack.” She snapped and he winced at her use of the word. Pack.
“I’m not going to lose you the same way we lost Mom and Dad.” Her brother croaked out and she stilled. “All of this - the werewolves, the hunters, the kanima, the dark druids and sacrifices and pack wars…it’s all too dangerous.”
“I know that this time I wasn’t strong enough, but I’m working on my powers and I’m getting better-” Zaida argued, getting defensive as her insecurities reared their heads.
“It’s not about that, Zay. I saw the way you fought that night in the hospital - I know you’re powerful and I know you can look after yourself.” He interrupted her, gripping her arms and leaning down to her eye-level. Despite it all, Xander wore an expression of pride when he looked at her.
“Then what is it about? My friends? I thought you said that you were wrong about them?” She didn’t understand what the problem was.
“It’s not about them. It’s this life. You kids all got out alive this time - next time you might not be so lucky.” He explained. “There are some things that all the power in the world can’t stop. Fate. Chance. Mom and Dad knew the risks and ultimately, they walked away because they didn’t want you getting involved in this.”
“What about what I want?” The girl pleaded with him. “Mom and Dad walked away and look where it got them. Maybe if they weren’t running, they would have seen Deucalion coming before he stabbed them in the back. I’m not going to make that same mistake. If he comes after me, I’m going to be ready for him.”
“Zay-” He began but she was having none of it.
“No, I’m not moving. You can’t do this to me.” Zaida insisted and Xander faltered at the desperation behind her glassy eyes.
“...If we stay, the next time something like this happens we are leaving. You’re not going to change my mind about that.” He locked his jaw stubbornly.
“So you’re saying that we can stay?” Zaida’s face brightened, focusing on the positives of his compromise.
“We can stay, but-” Before Xander could finish, Zaida hugged him once more. “But, the moment something else starts happening, we’re as good as gone. Okay?”
“Okay,” Zaida agreed, but she knew that if it came down to it, she’d do everything in her power to fight Xander on it. She wasn’t going anywhere if she could help it.
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“Yeah, my dad and I had a similar conversation. He wanted to pack the hunting gear into storage and run. The only reason we stayed in Beacon Hills after everything happened with Gerard was because we promised each other we wouldn’t get involved in the supernatural, and…well, you know how that turned out.” Allison scoffed as she leaned back against Zaida’s bedhead. The naiad was right beside her, with Lydia sprawled across the end of the mattress.
“What convinced him to let you stay?” The redhead questioned, propping her head up on her hands, lying on her stomach.
“I told him about how Beacon Hills might turn into a supernatural Beacon again.” Allison answered and Zaida gawked at the girl.
“You told him that? I specifically didn’t tell Xander about it because I knew it would send him dragging us toward the hills.” Zaida shook her head.
“I asked him to finish my training. If things are going to start coming for us, I want to be ready. We have a new code now - Nous protegéons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger eux-mêmes.” The huntress explained.
“We protect those who cannot protect themselves,” Lydia translated instantly. “That’s beautiful, Ali.”
“If your dad’s going to be training you…I want in on it.” Zaida took in a deep breath as both girls looked at her in surprise. “Like you said, if something is coming for me I want to be able to fight.”
“You mean Deucalion,” Lydia pointed out what the brunette was actually talking about.
“I know Scott believes that he’ll change, but Scott always sees the good in people. Sometimes, you have to look at the worst too.” Zaida justified her worries. “It’s not like I’m going to go hunting him down, I just want to be prepared.”
“We’re starting training next week. I’ll text you the details.” Allison agreed to Zaida’s request.
“Have the twins left town yet?” Zaida asked Lydia. The two were still recovering from what Jennifer had done to them, and with their reputation…it was expected they would have people coming after them too.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen either of them since I left the clinic the other night.” The redhead shrugged and a broad smile spread across Zaida’s face.
“I’m proud of you,” She encouraged the girl, glad that she wasn’t putting her heart on the line once more.
“I still can’t believe Scott’s an alpha now,” Allison shook her head at the thought. “And not just any alpha, some sort of special, super alpha.”
“I guess that officially makes us a pack now, huh?” Lydia mused, rolling over onto her back to stare at the roof.
“We should get matching wolf tattoos,” Zaida waggled her eyebrows jokingly.
“Pass,” The redhead snorted, wrinkling her nose in distaste.
“Oh, I don’t know, I think a big, growling wolf right on our left butt cheeks would look great.” Allison joined in on the teasing.
“Oh yes, definitely. Specifically on the left,” The naiad hummed and Lydia threw a pillow at them as the two brunettes howled with laughter at her reaction.
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Zaida hugged herself, wrapping her cardigan around her body to fight off the chill of the cool night’s air as she waited on the Stilinskis’ front door step. Every few moments she was checking over her shoulder to make sure nothing - or no-one - was sneaking up behind her as she walked her way through downtown into the suburbs. The front of the house looked decidedly empty with the absence of the Jeep, which was undergoing repairs following the car accident the week before. It had taken her a good half hour at a decent speed to arrive from the time that Stiles had called her in a panic. It was the third time this week, and whilst she knew it was against her best interests to come running every time he needed her, she couldn’t help herself. The boy was clearly struggling - all of them were. Not a single one of them was a stranger to the demons that came knocking at night to haunt them. It had only gotten worse recently - even Allison had woken up the other night gasping for breath during their sleepover. But Allison didn’t call her. Neither did Scott. Or Lydia. Stiles did. It didn’t take him long to answer the door in his flannel pajamas, ushering her inside silently.
They had fallen into somewhat of a routine - he’d call, she’d text him when she arrived, he’d open the door for her, and they’d silently go up to his bedroom where he would tell her about his nightmares and she would assure him they weren’t real. It’s okay, Stiles, your dad is alive. That’s not what happened, Stiles, Scott’s okay. It’s going to be alright, Jennifer is dead. She wondered what it would be tonight as she climbed the staircase, following him into his room and taking a seat on the end of his bed.
“I’m sorry, I just- I…I had to see you.” He paced back and forth, twisting his fingers as he stuttered anxiously. “I had to make sure you were okay.”
“Stiles, we’ve talked about this. It didn’t happen - they’re just nightmares.” She cooed and reached out as he walked past her, grabbing his hand and pulling him down onto the mattress beside her to stop his fidgeting.
“I know…I- I know, but they just - they feel so real.” He mumbled, his hold on her hand tightening as played with the rings that adorned her fingers. “You went through the windshield a-and…you weren’t healing…”
“Shh, Stiles, I’m right here. I didn’t go through the windshield because you held me back - you protected me.” She assured him, untangling her hands from his and running them soothingly up and down his arms. It was something she had learned was calming to him in these past few nights.
“I was driving recklessly - I should have been more careful with you in the car and maybe then we never would have crashed-” He began to ramble about the what if’s and Zaida cut him off sternly.
“Stop. Don’t think about what could have happened, okay? It’s behind us, you can’t change anything. We’re both okay. Everything is okay.” Zaida insisted in a low and slow voice. “Now you’re going to count with me, alright?”
“Y-yeah, okay,” The boy nodded, taking in a deep breath through his nose as his eyes locked onto hers. “Uh…five things…”
“Your shirt is red,” She started them off, mimicking the same deep breathing exercise he had already started. Two in through the nose, one out through the mouth.
“Your socks and jacket match,” He continued, gaze tracing the material that encased her calves up to her knees and also shrouded around her torso. Two in through the nose, one out through the mouth. “A-and your shoes don’t.”
“Well excuse me, but I don’t usually have to match my sneakers to my pajamas,” She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, smirking at his playfulness returning. That was always a good sign. Two in through the nose, one out through the mouth. “You have a hole in your pants, just above your knee.”
“You have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.” He whispered lowly and her grin instantly faded as her stomach twisted uncomfortably. Something like that should make her swoon, but it didn’t. Instead it simply reminded her of that day in the locker room. In fact, they were even sitting similarly, both so close together. Was he imagining Lydia when he was looking at her?
Not enough. Not enough. Never enough. Back-up. Placeholder. Second choice.
“...Um, four things.” Zaida cleared her throat, folding a leg beneath her so it wouldn’t be too obvious that she was shuffling backwards. Two in through the nose, one out through the mouth. “Your sheets are warm, but the air is chilly.”
“My pants are kind of itchy, and your hands are really warm.” Stiles continued. Two in through the nose, one out through the mouth.
“Three things…The air conditioner is humming.” She pointed out the loudest noise in the room. Two in through the nose, one out through the mouth.
“Those cicadas outside always stop me from falling asleep,” He chuckled lightly. Two in through the nose, one out through the mouth. “But the wind is nice - calming.”
“Two things,” This time when she took in a deep breath through her nose, Zaida registered the scents in the air. She could smell his cologne and his body wash and the way it lingered around the room - on his clothes and sheets but she didn’t want to admit to it. “I think I need to wash this jacket because it’s starting to stink.”
“It doesn’t, it just smells like your perfume. You know, the one that smells like candy?” He grinned at her and once again the intensity behind his whiskey-eyes as they locked on to her made her skin flush.
“It’s honeysuckle,” Zaida explained in a small voice, pulling her hands away from him and rising her to her feet as she took a step back. “I should probably get going before Xander gets up from work and sees I’m missing. We’re only just getting our relationship back to normal and something like that would throw things back into a spin.”
“Right, yeah,” The boy shook his head, as if clearing it. “Wouldn’t want that. Sorry, again, for this. I just…I don’t…When I get like this…nothing else really helps. But you do. You always find a way to make things better.”
That’s right. That was her - little miss helpful. Always coming running when people needed her, always there for everyone else. But never for herself. She couldn’t stay away from Stiles even if she tried. Even though she wanted to. The moment he needed her she was there, and maybe that was her problem. Maybe it wasn’t really his fault that he’d learned to always rely on her when his first choice wasn’t available. Maybe it was her fault for being there.
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"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Zaida jittered with nervous energy as she sat on one of the slightly uncomfortable beds, Allison and Lydia both sitting either side of her.
"Come on, it'll be fine!" Lydia encouraged her, grinning excitedly as they waited for their tattoo artist to return with their stencils given they had already agreed upon their designs. When Zaida had come in the day before to book three small fine-line tattoos, the young artist from last time had recognised her. They were lucky that he brushed off the fact that their parent permission slips were obvious forgeries.
“Yeah, it’s not like it’s anywhere that anyone is going to see.” Allison shrugged - ever so the calm and confident one of the group. “It’s just for us.”
“Oh, I don’t know, I might let that cute tattoo artist see it.” Lydia winked at them mischievously.
“Lyds, he’s the one who’s going to be tattooing us. Of course he’s going to see it.” Zaida rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.
“I meant later,” She clarified unnecessarily. “He’s not my usual type, but maybe that’s a good thing.”
“It’s definitely a good thing,” Allison snorted and Zaida nodded fervently in agreement.
“All right ladies, here’s the stencil. We’ll get it on you and see what you think,” Carlos re-entered the room with three stencils in hand. “Who’s going first?”
“Me!” Lydia’s painted lips spread into a broad smile, lifting the hem of her shirt to expose her side where they had all agreed upon the tattoo’s placement. Once the dark-haired young man applied the stencil, he guided her over to the full length mirror in the corner to admire the details along with the full picture of the image on her body. Her green eyes narrowed analytically as she took in the sight. “I don’t know about you girls, but I’m thinking it needs to be slightly higher.”
“Really?” Allison frowned, and hopped off the seat to get a closer look. “...Actually, I think Lydia is right. Come have a look, Zay.”
Following both girls over, Zaida inspected the placement of the tattoo closely, nodding slowly as she understood what her two friends were talking about. “Yeah, it does look a little bit off. Definitely needs to be higher - right about…here.” The shorter brunette indicated a different positioning.
“Yeah, I think so too.” Lydia agreed, turning to the side to imagine the new placement.
“You’re the boss,” Carlos winked at Zaida with a smirk and moved back to the office to print off another stencil. Both Allison and Lydia grinned at the girl suggestively.
“Okay, he might not be coming home with me later, but he would totally leave with you,” The redhead giggled, dropping her tone into a whisper.
“Yeah, he was hardcore flirting.” Allison waggled her eyebrows.
“Come on guys, you know I’m not interested,” Zaida sighed, her mood suddenly skydiving at the thought of Stiles entering her mind.
“It doesn’t have to be anything serious!” The redhead sang, but Zaida shook her head instantly. “I’m just saying, you’ve got options girl.”
Thankfully Carlos’ return meant the abrupt end of that conversation, and all three girls decided the new placement was perfect, meaning it was time to get started on the actual tattooing. Lydia lay back on the black leather bed and Zaida and Allison took the chairs by her side. Lydia used one of her hands to prop her shirt up, and the other was tightly gripping Zaida’s in apprehension for what was to come. As the needle took its first stab into her skin, she hissed and squeezed her eyes shut. This would quite possibly be the longest hour of her life.
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“What’s the final verdict, ladies?” Carlos asked, watching them all line up in front of the mirror as he cleaned and packed away his tools.
“We love it!” They all replied in unison and then broke into a fit of laughter, broad smiles across all of their faces as they admired the artist’s work.
He’d done splendidly, and though they were still sore and a bit red, their fresh ink looked amazing. It was almost the exact same design - flowers with vines and leaves crawling up the side of their right rib cages. However each of them had gotten the flower of their birth month in place of the blooms. For Lydia, that was daffodils. For Allison, it was violets. Zaida had chosen marigolds. The design itself wasn’t exactly all too meaningful, but it was what the matching tattoos represented that had more weight. It was a symbol of solidarity between them - a promise that no matter what came next, they wouldn’t allow anything to get in between their friendship. It was an oath to each other that the transgressions of the past were forgiven, and would never be repeated. Through it all, they had finally found each other again. Though they were all vastly different to the girls they had been before, they still had each other and, dare they say, they were all the better for it.
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“Hello?” Zaida’s voice was scratchy as she answered her ringing phone, her throat dry from sleep.
“Who is it?” Lydia grumbled from beside her on the mattress, rolling over in the dark so the light of the screen wouldn’t bother her. They had only just fallen asleep again after comforting Allison so any other disturbances were entirely unwelcome.
“Okay, I’ll see you soon. Stop it, you know I'm coming whether you tell me to stay here or not,” Zaida hung up with a long sigh, dragging herself out of bed. Her side was still sore from the tattoo and so her movements were stiff and short as she located her shoes and slipped them on. Carefully stepping over Allison on the floor so as to not wake her, she crept towards her bedroom door.
“Where are you going?” Lydia whispered, propping herself up to squint through the blackness at the brunette.
“To Stiles’ place. He had a nightmare… again.” She huffed, annoyance creeping into her tone, but not towards him.
It was aimed purely at herself for going out of her way to support him when she knew she was just continuing the same pattern of behaviour that had gotten herself into this mess in the first place. She knew she needed to stop, but she couldn’t allow herself to be selfish with him when she couldn’t shake the thought that the reason he was struggling so much was because of her. These nightmares had only really started since the three had died, and she had been the one to kill him. And maybe…maybe when she had pulled him back, their connection hadn’t been strong enough. Logically, Allison and Scott were both struggling as well, so maybe it hadn’t been her fault. But the guilt still gnawed on her insides.
“I’ll drive you,” Lydia offered, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
“No, you really don’t have to. I’m used to the walk now, and it’s kind of therapeutic, in a strange way.” Zaida immediately protested but the redhead shot her a stern stare that very clearly communicated she wouldn’t be letting Zaida walk the streets alone.
That was something that Stiles always protested against as well, however he’d always been grateful when she had shown up anyway. Until two night’s before, when he had specifically requested to see her, only for her to then find out it was because he’d dreamed that he had killed her in that car crash. The car crash that he had almost died in to protect her. So in a way she felt like she owed him this. It was a very complicated cocktail of emotions.
When Lydia pulled up outside of the Stilinski household, she waited in the car whilst Zaida got out, texting Stiles that she was waiting outside. Like clockwork, he opened the door, ushered her inside silently, led her upstairs, and began pacing back and forth.
“Stiles, that’s not helping,” The brunette called to him from her spot on the end of his bed, patting the space across from her. “Come. Sit. Talk.”
“It-it was just…I s-saw my Mom,” He stuttered, eyes swimming with tears as he followed her instructions, and her heart shattered for him. It was clear that this time he was less so panicking and more so breaking down emotionally.
“You don’t have to tell me about it if it’s too much,” Zaida shook her head, but made the conscious decision not to touch him. She had to draw the line somewhere and maybe this was a good start. Stiles simply nodded, his tears welling and catching on his long lashes before dropping down his face. It was almost physically painful to hold herself back from pulling him into her arms, but she managed it. Barely.
“I just miss her so much. I mean…it’s great now that Dad knows what’s going on. We had a talk about it and it’s brought us closer, in a way. But almost losing Dad just made Mom being gone hurt all over again.” He opened up and Zaida knew exactly what he meant.
“Yeah, I get it. Finding out who Deucalion was and then almost losing Xander felt like my parents were dying for the second time.” She let out a small puff of air through her nose - not quite a dry laugh, but also not really a sigh.
“She was disappointed in me,” His head hung low as he revealed more of his dream to her. “Said that I was letting her down for not doing enough. If Isaac and Allison hadn’t gotten there in time, the root cellar would have collapsed and Dad and Melissa and Chris would be-”
“But they did get there in time. Everyone is okay and your Mom isn’t disappointed in you. No one blames you, except yourself. You’re having these dreams because you’re putting too much pressure on yourself.” Zaida interjected, not wanting him to spiral too far, pulling him back from the edge.
“But I’m not doing enough. I didn’t stop my dad from getting taken. I didn’t get to the Nemeton fast enough because I was driving recklessly. I didn’t get you there to finish Deucalion. I didn’t figure anything out fast enough to make any kind of difference. Everyone was always steps ahead of me. I just…you all can do all of these amazing things a-and…I’m only human. It’s not enough. I’m not enough.”
“Hey! Don’t say that,” His words were like a knife twisting in her guts. She knew exactly what it was like to not feel enough and it was hell. “Yes you’re human, but you’re one of the best of us even without any super powers. Everyone struggled. I almost got my brother killed. Allison and Isaac messed up Chris’ shot at killing the Darach. Lydia got used by Aiden. Derek was literally sleeping with the enemy and it almost got his sister killed. We lost Erica and Boyd. We were up against the worst of the worst, and we survived. Your Mom would be proud of you. Okay?”
“Okay,” He nodded, gazing at her gratefully and taking in the sight of her before him.
He hadn’t seen her much this past week, what with school keeping them busy with mid-term exam prep and her spending so much time with Allison and Lydia. They were all coping with what had happened in different ways. For Allison that meant distracting herself with her friends’ company. For Scott and Stiles, it meant gaming sessions and studying. But at night when it was impossible to ignore the haunting dreams, this was how he coped - talking to Zaida. She always seemed to know what to say to make everything better, but even if she weren’t to say anything, the fact that she was willing to drop everything in the middle of the night to rush to him meant more than anything else ever could. It made his heart swell and his stomach flutter. How had he been so lucky to have met a girl like her? He wasn’t sure, but he thanked whatever higher power had brought her into his life.
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taexual · 8 months ago
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I was needing some serotonin and you came through, as always 🤭
Because obviously jk is the type to spend 0.5 seconds with his love, to feel like life is worth living, saying some shit like 'air? Oh yn breaths air *sights dreamily*'
“Yeah,” Jungkook said, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. “It’s the exact colour of her eyes.”
“Her eye—Jesus Christ,” Minjun groaned.
Just proving my point, once again
Minjun shook his head, half disbelieving, half resigned. He was not a doctor, and he would never claim to have any medical knowledge, but even his amateur eye could recognise lovesickness when he saw it.
Down bad is what we call it bestie, he's setting and beating his own record atp
Jungkook blew out the smoke with a heavy—and violent, too—groan, and it cut Minjun off. “I love her so much."
Girl.. Please I love them so much, oc really said, I'm gonna consume this man's every thought without even knowing, good for her 😌
Also this???
Closing the door of the dressing room behind himself, he abruptly remembered an ancient legend that his grandmother had told him—about Orpheus and Eurydice. And he knew, without any doubt whatsoever, that if he had to walk away from you without looking back so that the two of you could live, you would both perish.
He would always turn back to look at you one last time.
First of all, ouch, uncalled for :c
And second, jk is never escaping the Orpheus curse istg, first it was Art (onlyswan) and now you, yall are just on a mission to crush my heart and it shows
And man I love the plotting, Jude’s redemption arc (he had me anxious for a good while tho, the trust issues were showing) but he did great and I can't wait for Sid to eat his own shit :D
So, you had jokingly asked Jungkook if the Katana was the love of his life, too. And he’d responded, without missing a single beat, that it wasn’t. That you were.
He’d said it with a smug grin, so, of course, you assumed he was just teasing—because, in your defence, he often was—and you rolled your eyes and didn’t think much of it. But now, holding the keys to his bike that he’d given up, you accepted, finally, that he’d meant it, even back then.
Stop I'm tearing up, back when the bet was still going and all of that was going down, I kept debating how everything would play out, with the presence of that shithead, jk being his own enemy, and oc being unable to face her feelings for shit, but each day you prove to be an amazing writer, and through his actions, their attempts at communicating, getting Sid to jail obvs, and showing these moments of realization for each character, is just *chefs kiss*, it adds up so so well, and it has felt so natural going through this series c:
But back to this bitch
"He should have been grateful I even invited him to see me, he should have been fucking kissing my ass, but instead, he was trying to appear like a little angel to her.”
“He was—he was setting some fucking standard that I had to live up to. And why the fuck should I? I’m her only son. Who the fuck is Jungkook to her? Fucking nobody. He’s a fucking wannabe, that’s what he is.
I swear his soul dies slowly every time someone shows an ounce of decency and respect (not directed to him) in his presence, like how narcissistic do you have to be for this to be your thought process, my dude, get a grip, go to therapy, or fly yourself to the sun if you want, I'm sure his ego would like being the first there, considering he probably has the money to
Love oc constantly reminding us that she's a bad bitch, and that jk has every right and duty to go around bragging about her 🤭
Noticing the sight, the rest of the band members piled into the room, hollering war cries and jumping on the two of you in a chaotic group hug. They tousled your hair when they pulled away, and ran off, seemingly bouncing off the walls of the room as they went.
Ugghh, they're so freaking endearing, the definition of found family
And now for the continuation of jk and oc making my heart combust:
Jungkook did not feel like other people. He felt like you, as much as you felt like you. And right now, with the water running from his skin to yours, you felt calm. Easy. Solid, but serene. He was your safe space.
If you hear me screeching, no you don't
“You know, you say things sometimes,” you said, “and I know you know exactly what you’re doing.”
“Really?” His voice was exuberant. “Are you swooning for me, then?”
You grimaced. “I wouldn’t call it swoo—”
“Getting weak in the knees?”
“I don’t get weak in the knees.”
BUT I SURE DO, DUDE WHAT, STOP IT WITH THE FLIRTING, giving whoreish behavior 😑(respectfully)
“It wasn’t the bet that hurt me,” you said. “But you fixed every problem that did. We actually put one of them in the back of a police car tonight. And you and I learnt how to talk to each other in the process. Look at us now.”
YES LOOK AT YOU, I love this for them, this is what I aspire to be in life, yep
Also not you making me feel all proud and protective over fictional characters, Jesus
But yeah, if it wasn't obvious enough, I loved every second of this, I love your story, I'm gonna need an entire saga about this actually, spin offs, cameos, prequels and sequels, the whole thing (a special about Sid rotting in jail (or a mental institute) would be awesome as well)
I can't wait for the next one, I appreciate your work and the effort you put into these, which obviously pay off at the end, and I hope you're taking care of yourself, and enjoying life in the meantime <3
so i saw your ask as soon as i got it, the notification literally popped up before my eyes, and i was on a call with someone at the time but you bet i nodded and hummed without hearing anything for a few minutes, so i could read your message right away 🥹
i couldn't reply because Errands and then Sleep, but i want you to know that from the moment you sent this, i read it about a few hundred times, at least. numbers could be off by a dozen, i'm really shit at math
my point being, i love you so much that jungkook might have to pass down his Head Simp crown to me 🥺 seriously though, thank you for reading this and for taking the time to share your thoughts with me!!! if this story can be something that gives you the serotonin you need, i shall go to sleep happy every night
i was screeching the whole time i read this, that is all 🤍🤍🤍🤍
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petersbaby · 2 years ago
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Flannel - Gareth x Reader
Warnings: oral f receiving, smut, squirting
A/N: random, short. Gareth is aged up to 18
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You missed him so much, more than words could possibly describe. You hope he’s having fun, imagining where he is and what he’s doing. The band had started to take off, and you were so incredibly happy for them, as you’ve been their biggest fan since day one.
You were also sad, though, because it leaves you without your boy for 2 weeks. You lay in your bed with the red flannel, the one he wears nearly every day but sacrificed to leave with you. He thought it was so sweet that you just wanted something to hold and smell, so adorable that you’d miss him so much in such a short amount of time.
To you, it was forever, but 2 weeks was realistically not very long. You’d remained strong through it, settling for phone calls every night which you’d stay up and wait for in anticipation of hearing his voice. It was now the end of the second week, and you keep telling yourself “any day now.”
You decide to put the shirt on, needing a hug from him but knowing that was the closest you’d get, and put on some music while you write in your journal. It was a secret, something you kept under your mattress at all times. You wouldn’t call it’s contents embarrassing, but it’s not anything you’d want anyone you know to see.
Some things are just personal. You write for the third time this week about how you miss him and trying to describe the bittersweet feeling, and things you did that day to distract yourself. You don’t know when you got like this, so attached, but it was hard. You didn’t realize just how much you were until you spent time apart.
Your pen stops writing, seeming to have run dry. You viciously scratch the pen against the paper of the notebook in effort to get it to work again, but fail, throwing it across the room. Just as it clatters, you simultaneously hear the doorbell ring, and your heart dropped.
You were alone. You crept down the stairs, freaking out internally, being completely silent. Once you get to the door, your mind races with who it could be and whether you should even answer it or not. Maybe you could just act like nobody’s home.
“Cmon, I hear your little footsteps. Let me in.” A familiar voice calls, and your heart skips a beat (or several).
You quickly unlocked the door and pulled it open, finding your boy right in front of your eyes. You immediately rush to hug him, jumping up and wrapping your legs around him, and he carries you inside.
“You’re back.” You whisper into his shoulder.
“I’m back. Look at you, you look so cute in my shirt. So pretty.”
You didn’t respond, just breathed in his scent. He sets you down eventually, and looks slightly downwards at your face. Your eyes are glassy and glistening.
“Wait, are you crying?” He is evidently very confused. He expected you to be happy.
“No.” You try to lie, but a little tear drips out. “Damn it.”
You wiped it away and laughed at yourself.
“I just missed you. A lot.”
“You act like I went off to war, I wasn’t gone for that long.” He shrugs, smiling.
“Felt like it. I need you, you know?”
“I know. Needy sweet baby.” He grabs your face and kisses the top of your forehead.
You pull away, finally.
“Are you hungry, do you need anything?”
“No, I already ate with the guys before they dropped me off here.”
“You got back and came… straight here?”
“Yeah, of course.” He says it as if that was a ridiculous question.
You need to write that down later, the literal sweetest thing someone’s ever done for you.
You end up back in your room, but this time, with him. He laid in your lap on the bed and told you all about everything while you played with his long, fluffy hair. Ridiculously soft, as always, and extra curly for some reason. You run your fingers through it as you listen. You listen and listen, until he’s all out of words.
“I’m glad you had fun. It sounds like it was really cool.”
“It was, woulda been better with you, though.”
“Invite me next time, then.” You say, half joking half serious.
“Definitely.” He starts, and you’re surprised at the immediate and definitive answer, “You know, I missed you too, there were a couple of times where I really could’ve used your company instead of a bunch of my loser friends.“
He says that affectionately, he says it all the time. It wasn’t mean, because he included himself in the group of “losers”.
“What do you mean?” You sit up, eyebrows slightly furrowed as you question.
He chuckles awkwardly.
“You know… nevermind. Just missed you.”
“You got horny? I did too.” You say, plainly.
His cheeks start to blush at your straightforwardness.
“Yes. You did too, huh?”
“Mhm.”
A few moments of comfortable silence pass, and you lay back down in his lap. More comfortable silence, keyword comfortable. You were so happy to just be in his presence.
“You do anything about it?”
“Gareth, stop it.” You say, giggling and covering your face.
“What? You’re the one who said it, not me.” He clarifies.
“Did you?” You reverse the question and ask it back to him.
“I asked you first. But no. I was in a cramped motel room but a bunch of dudes every night. You, however, were alone, so I’m just curious.”
You giggle again. You forgot they were together 24/7 the whole time.
“Yep. Not the same as having you though. Not even close.”
“Poor thing.” He says, half sarcastically, but he did kinda feel bad.
“Can I make up for it?” He tilts his head.
You sit up, grabbing his face and pulling him down with you as you lay back, locking your lips to his.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He smirks into the kiss.
He pulls away from your lips to start trailing kissing down your neck, each time being harsher, down to the sweet spot where he added teeth. You gasp out loud, a little surprised. Your body starts to shift subconsciously, feeling fires start in each and every part of it. It was suddenly hot, and you shrugged the flannel off.
For a moment, he pulls your shirt down to reach your collarbone but decides to take the shirt off you completely. You gladly raise your arms to help with this and he finds absolutely nothing beneath.
“Jesus.” He comments, ogling at your bare torso.
“I’m not in lingerie or anything because I didn’t know you’d be back so suddenly today…”
“No, it’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
He leans in to kiss and bite on your collarbones, making his way down soon to your breasts which he places kisses on the tops of. He kneads them in his hands as he moves down, to your stomach, taking pit stops at your hip bones and giving equal attention to both sides.
“Please,” you whine, hardly able to keep your composure.
He grabs your shorts by the waistband, and you wiggle to help him get you out of them. When they’re off, you spread your legs for him, just wearing some plain white cotton panties but he swears you look irresistible, like an angel. He places a sweet kiss to your clit over the fabric before pulling those off as well.
Suddenly, quickly, he licks a stripe from the bottom of your slit to the very top, and you moan loudly out of surprise and pleasure.
“God. Can I touch your hair? Need to touch you.” You ask permission before grabbing onto his locks. It’s usually a hit or miss, sometimes he likes it tugged on and sometimes he doesn’t. Either way, you just had to have your hands on him.
“Yes, baby, go ahead.” He pauses to answer.
You reach down to run your fingers through the mop on his head before taking some of it in your fist, holding on to it while he eats you out.
“Fuck, fuck.” You moaned, gripping harsher and pulling at the hairs a little bit harder than you meant to. He groans against you with this, and you are assured he definitely likes it. The boy continues, switching it up between sucking on your clit and thrusting his tongue in and out of your hole.
Your eyes were closed, head leaned back. When you finally forced them open, you see him rutting into the bed. His words from earlier echoed in your head and you thought, “poor thing.” He needed release too, and you wanted to give him that.
“Come here.” You say softly.
“I wasn’t done…” he starts to protest.
“I know, but I want you inside me now. Can’t wait.”
He springs up, wiping off his lips with the back of his hand and climbs on top of you.
“Yeah?” He smirks.
“Mhmm.” You nod.
He presses his lips against yours again briefly before starting to take his clothes off. You helped tug off his shirt, but he did the rest. When he came back to you, he was ready and you were too. So beyond ready.
He sinks in. He sinks in with complete ease, your hole slippery and wet in preparation for this moment. You still felt the stretch, though, it was intoxicating. He filled up every little bit of space you had.
“Ahh, Jesus. Ah fuck.” He groans.
“You feel so fucking good inside me,” you whisper, breathing fast. “Finally.”
“So goddamn tight for me.” He says under his breath.
His pace picks up gradually until he’s desperately fucking you into the bed and slapping noises fill the air around you, along with the wet sounds of your pussy being pounded.
He lets his head drop forward to rest in the space between your neck and shoulder, kissing your skin sloppily, saliva shining on it in his wake.
“I’m gonna- fuck- I’m gonna cum soon.”
He had been pent up for a while, it only made sense that he wouldn’t last as long as he usually does.
“Okay.” You whisper, almost to yourself, nodding, and go down to rub quick circles on your clit. You want to cum for him one more time, so you had to make it happen, the faster the better.
The added stimulation quickly built up your orgasm, and it comes with next-to-no warning. You tighten completely around him, gushing out a little onto his cock and the sheets below you. You came with the most pornographic moan that had him falling apart as soon as he heard it.
“Fuck, fuck. Oh my god.” He pants, cumming, still thrusting slowly and lazily until he pulls out. Soon, the cum leaks out, dripping down to mix with your fluids in the wet spot beneath you.
You lay beside each other, catching your breaths, and he eventually breaks the silence.
“I didn’t know you could do that. Did you know you could do that?” He asks incredulously.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You reply, face burning up.
“Okay, so we’re just gonna pretend you didn’t just squirt and that it wasn’t the hottest thing in the world?”
“STOP. Please.” You cover your face with your hands, but he pulls them away and kisses your forehead.
The answer was no, you didn’t know you could do that, and you didn’t even realize you had. You didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or kind of proud. He said he liked it, so you decide you’re proud. He likes you, he likes you a lot, more and more every day. You climb beneath the covers and hold them up, inviting him in too. You snuggle up, on your side with your head rested on his chest.
“Oh my god, there’s something I completely forgot to tell you about, it was crazy.” You smile and nod, and he starts telling another story.
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thememerman · 3 years ago
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Can we just,.,.accept that both Crosshair and Hunter had their reasons for doing what they did?? And honestly neither of them really did anything wrong??
Hunter left Crosshair because he tried to kill them. He didn’t understand anything about the chip, he really thought Crosshair had just lost his mind. And as soon as he learned about it and how to fix it, we immediately jumped to episode 8 where Crosshair tried to incinerate them with a jet engine. He tried to communicate that the chip was affecting him, and Crosshair didn’t care. Hunter couldn’t even get himself or Omega out of that situation unharmed. He had no way to snag Crosshair from his squadron of stormtroopers out for murder. After Bracca, Hunter was focused on getting Omega back because she’s just a kid; she isn’t with the empire, she hasn’t been chasing them down and almost killing them. From Hunter’s POV, the possibility of getting Crosshair to come with them willingly or even at all is looking bleak and even though he knows it’s not Crosshair’s fault, he’s been so overwhelmed with trying to keep the people relying on him safe and right now he doesn’t think Crosshair is relying on him. And honestly, how were they even supposed to know where Crosshair was half the time? He wasn’t on Kamino 24/7 and the Batch isn’t exactly swimming in imperial informants. But that aside, of course he was thinking about Crosshair; Hunter is loyal to a fault and you can just see the emotional pain that flashes across his face whenever Crosshair is mentioned because that’s his little brother and he couldn’t save him and he feels like he failed. Hunter never was and I don’t think ever can be indifferent when it comes to the people he loves. Whether you like it or not, Hunter was trying his best to keep everyone safe and stop running suicide missions because the galaxy was changing and he was trying to change too. He did nothing wrong.
Now Crosshair.
To all of you calling him a Nazi and saying that the animators and writers intentionally lightened his skin just to make a racist show of dominance, stop it. He was referring to their genetic enhancements being superior. That’s it. He’s always hated regs because let’s be fair the regs were never exactly good to him either (AFTERMATH). Now let’s just take a look at how the chip works shall we!! We know from Rex and Wrecker that clones know what they’re doing while under control of the chip and they’re powerless to stop themselves. So we know in Aftermath that the chip was strengthened to an insane degree, and Crosshair could still see himself taking head shots on his brothers and trying to murder them and he couldn’t stop no matter how badly he wanted to. He was powerless. And then the Batch left; at this point he probably understands that his brothers had to go. They’d regroup. They’d know this wasn’t his fault and they’d come back.
Months pass. Crosshair doesn’t know about the solemn looks the Batch exchange when he’s mentioned. Crosshair doesn’t know that they can barely get food for themselves. Crosshair doesn’t know that Wrecker has flat out said he misses him. Crosshair doesn’t know how Tech said “it doesn’t appear he’ll be needing it” with a twinge of sadness in his voice while giving Omega his comm. Crosshair doesn’t know how much Hunter hates himself for leaving and that Hunter was always planning on going back to him someday because someday he’d have the perfect plan and he could save everyone this time. How could Crosshair know?
More time passes. Crosshair probably still has his chip on but he’s still in there, watching himself become more and more important to the Empire. No rescue attempts. Not one. How awful does he have to feel?? They went to get Echo out of Skako with no backup and they didn’t even know Echo and they can’t go back for him? And here’s the Empire, giving him power and some semblance of control. Things are changing fast and now he has nobody but himself to adjust with, and besides, he’s always had an egotistical side so maybe being a commander and putting the regs in their place isn’t so bad to him after all. He’s alone. He adapts or he dies, that’s the job and that’s all he has now.
Onto Bracca!! If Crosshair is telling the truth about getting his chip out, I firmly believe it had to have been after the events of Reunion. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise; “if I wanted you dead, you would be” sweetheart giving the order to have them incinerated and starting to walk away really seems like you wanted them dead and then going from ordering Omega to be executed to telling Hunter that if he cares about her he should let her go and be safe away from them??? You can’t tell me that Bracca!Crosshair wouldn’t have dragged Omega back into the training room and killed her right there just to keep them from choosing her over him. So let’s just assume for now that Crosshair wasn’t lied to and his chip is out (I’m still holding onto a scrap of hope to the contrary because A. there’s no scar B. HE’S STILL HOLDING HIS HEAD and C. my boy isn’t making any SENSE he just killed off a bunch of Imperial stormtroopers to convince the Batch to join his Empire that he cares so much about??) it had to have happened after Bracca I said what I said idc. If the chip is out, I’m sure his head is still an absolute foggy mess because lord only knows what cranking those chips up to full strength several times will do to you, but suddenly he’s realizing that he’s still angry with them. He’s still hurt. He’s still very much alone. Maybe they never cared about him at all.
And don’t get me started on any ���if he did any of this willingly he is irredeemable” garbage. How many times did Kallus almost kill the Ghost crew?? I’m sorry, was it not Kallus who ordered the Lasat genocide?? Don’t take this the wrong way, I adore Kallus and his redemption arc was one of the most beautiful things about Rebels but the point is if he can do all of those horrible things for the Empire for years and is still allowed a redemption stemming from realizing everything he thought he was fighting for was a fiction, THEN SO IS CROSSHAIR. With that side note out of the way let’s think about how alone and betrayed Crosshair feels by the Batch and let’s realize that after they left Ryloth, after they left him again, what does he want?? He wants them. He doesn’t want to kill them, he doesn’t want them imprisoned and he doesn’t want to make them pay. He wants to fight side by side with them again, he wants his brothers back. And even though he’s so beyond hope that they still care about him, heck he literally said “don’t make the same mistake twice; don’t make me your enemy” he thinks they were enemies and he still cares about them so freaking much that he went through an entire elaborate scheme to get the whole Batch on Kamino and set up the stormtroopers’ deaths to prove his loyalty that they could have if they just gave him some of their loyalty too. “Loyalty means everything to the clones” is starting to get a really bitter taste innit??
The point of this longwinded rant my friends is to beg y’all to stop being so black and white about these two. They’re both human, they both have made mistakes and have regrets, they’re both trying their best to survive in a galaxy flipped upside down. Things played out how they had to and they’re both victims of the real villain of Star Wars, who has always been Palpatine. The fact that there is so much to unpack with these two characters shows how flipping amazing the writers are!! They’re so layered and complex it’s literally like they’re real!! So please. Stop hating on them so freaking loudly. They’re my boys and they both deserve a warm hug and a nap after the season they’ve had
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issa-wasteland · 3 years ago
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Now that I'm reminded that sasuke used to have the rinnegan and traveled through different dimensions, you don't think there was a slight possibility that he took it upon himself to go to one dimension where he's happy? Where his family is alive, praised by his father, and maybe have friends???
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Hell, I might write it my damn self but what I came up with so far is where 9 years after the war. Some of the rookie nine are a couple or single. Naruto is single and hard-working hokage. Sakura and ino like to tease him about having a hard time to ask sasuke out. Meanwhile Sasuke who is a traveler as he's still not forgiving of what konoha did to his family, naruto, and many other victims who suffered under 'the way of a shinobi' as he continues tests his rinnegan of space-travel. I mean how else can one perfect it right?
-So Boom, he uses his rinnegan to hop from one dimension to another yet struggling and it takes most of his chakra to do it. Since he doesn't want to overdo it, he stops in one dimension where he's dead and had a small family with naruto.
-He learns this information because there's a special day celebration for shinobi's who gave their life to protect konoha as the sasuke from that dimension is one of them. He learns that a year later, Naruto and their child, Menma is still grieving from his death. He'll only stay in the shadows while trying to restore his chakra until one of akamaru's pups sniffed his existence out. Akamaru (who's a massive dog btw) drags him out and he's cover is blown. Some citizens think he 'faked' his death and twisted for him to do that, some are confused, and some just want to know how and why.
-All of the '9 rookies' except naruto cornered him until he had to confess of what happened and showed his eye to prove it. Since the sasuke from their world didn't have a rinnegan, they believe him.
-They observe him like he's a new species until Naruto had came to the scene to see if it was true. As much as he wanted to hug, kiss, and tackle that stubborn uchiha, he didn't. He's all teary-up but he can feel somethings off and becomes cold towards sasuke that's not his best friend/husband that he once knew.
-The naruto back at home is panicking and freaking out because he hasn't received any hawk messages from Sasuke and he knows it's not like sasuke to not deliver. He can feel it that something went wrong and frustrated that he cant pin point what it is.
-With sasuke not knowing what to do, he only asked for one night to stay to fully recover then he'll go back to his own world. Naruto accepts until he remembers how difficult it'll be for their son (who's only 7) to experience.
-It did become an awkward, sad experience to explain to menma who just misses his papa. While Naruto is distancing himself, he takes notice how this sasuke and their son interact. Almost as if sasuke never left. Menma even begged sasuke to stay in their world a little longer. It leaves both of the adults to look at each other as it's possible for this sasuke to stay, but it could mess things up back at home.
-Leaving the question, should sasuke bring this family closure and move on for their sasuke's passing to go home or risk to stay in this family and see what the future will bring them?
Anyone who read this and knows this could've went longer:
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rose-elynn · 2 years ago
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Let me tell you my journey that made me obsessed with OgCale. This gonna be long 😭😭😭
I love him so much and idk how to describe it. At first before he appeared, i just thought that he just some random lucky guy that can get away from wars. But then Cale finally told us that he actually from a world that full of monsters so I was like 'Damn. If they really did exchanged body, can that 18year old guy lives in that kind of world???' And then BOOM! ALL THOSE TURNED BACK TIMES THINGY GOT EXPLAINED AND OGCALE IS ACTUALLY ALMOST 40 YEARS OLD AND HAD LOST ALL THE PEOPLE HE LOVES AND HAD WENT THROUGH THOSE HELL 20 YEARS OF ENDLESS WARS AND MASSACRES WITH THAT WHITE STAR BASTARD!!!! HE THEN GOT SHOT BY WS AND MADE A DEAL WITH A FREAKING GOD TO SAVE HIS FAMILY BY SACRIFICING HIS OWN EXISTENCE IN HIS OWN WORLD AND WENT TO ANOTHER WORLD THAT HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!!! ALSO TO SAVE HIS MOTHER WHO IS ACTUALLY TECHNICALLY NO LONGER HIS MOTHER!!! Well, he got his niece as his own family now.
I love how he can still smiles brightly despite everything he had been through 😭😭😭😭 but it hurts of course. AND HOW HE CARES ABOUT BASEN??? DAMN! ANOTHER GREAT BIG BROTHER IS HERE😭😭😭 HE CHOOSE TO ACT LIKE A TRASH SO THAT PEOPLE AND OTHER NOBLES WILL LOVE HIS STEP FAMILY MORE THAN HIMSELF TO THE POINT HE WANTED VIOLAN TO KICK HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE! BUT OUR QUEEN VIOLAN OF COURSE WILL NEVER DO THAT😭😭😭 ALSO HE HELPED CALE BY TELLING HIM ABOUT HIS MOTHER'S ANCIENT POWER.
Also when we read about Cale and Jour's interaction, jour is such a bright and happy person😭😭😭 i must say ogCale is really similar to his mother since he seems to be someone who loves to show a bright and mature smile of his😂 he also seemed to be someone who is actually optimistic by the way he spoke to Cale.😭😭😭.My babyyyy.
Also his side story just makes my love for him grow even stronger 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️
HE IS CANONICALLY HAS MORE EXPERIENCES THAN CALE😭😭 AND THE WAY HE WANTS TO FLIP EVERYTHING OVER MAKES ME FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM OVER AND OVER😭😭😭JUST WHAT'S HAD HE BEEN THROUGH DURING THE WARS😭😭 NO ONE KNOW..ONLY HE WILL REMEMBER THOSE NIGHTMARES. HE DESERVES SO MUCH HUGS AND LOVES😭😭
I'm not comparing anything but I assume that what ogCe had been through during the 20 years wars are not like the 2 years of wars Cale went through. There are enormous gap of years. There might be much more wars than what Cale had been through. And the statues?? Idk if in previous timeline the ws released the monsters or not, but if he did released them, he would probably released all the 8 statues monster right? .... 20 years of wars are so longg... I felt tired by just reading that 2 years worth of wars in the novel..but 20 years???? NORMAL PEOPLE WOULD AT LEAST TURN CRAZY.💀💀💀
Also maybe because there's a huge difference between fighting many types of monsters in Earth 1 and fighting one smart crazy white radish that can control monsters and have goal to rule the world right?
Again, I'm saying, I'm not comparing our beloved Cale and our beloved KRS but there are clearly some differences between their way of living in their previous life. AND I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT KRS'S PREVIOUS LIFE. well, i mean our ogCale but he is KRS now.
I know KRS finally happy with his niece in the new world but I still think he deserves more. GIVE MY BABY KRS MORE APPEARANCES PLEASEEE😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
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nonokoko13 · 3 years ago
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Child!reader being adopted by spy x family characters Pt. 2
As I said in the previous part, these adoption headcanons are really specific, including your hypothetical pronouns and name; these two are extra so you can imagine yourself with your name and desired gender. You can ask for less specific headcanons if you want too. Part 1 here
Enjoy!
Sylvia Sherwood
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How you met
She carries the responsibility of WISE, she needs to be committed to it. More than ever now that the peace was threatened every day by those who wanted war to arise again
She missed her family, but she overcame it. Just like the HQ she had to be impenetrable
At least, that's what she thought
Because right in front of her there was the question which answers she wanted to hear. A kid.
It would be normal to see one if she wasn't at the HQ
It didn't help no one knew there was a kid there until you spoke up
The camera system didn't record you and there wasn't any entrance to the agency that had been forced. You weren't any employee's kid either
After scolding them and order to search your parents she met you again
"Hello little one. May I ask you how did you get in here?"
You smiled, seeming to have been waiting her to ask
"Because I like to play and explore! And I'm really good at hide and seek"
Sylvia raised an eyebrow. No matter how well someone was good at hiding there was no way you could break into the HQ; it sounded surrealistic
"But how did you find this place?"
"Because it was easy to find"
"Don't you think you could end bad breaking into unknown places?"
"If I don't know what isthis place how I'd know that?"
Fair enough
That conversation wasn't going anywhere, yet she was angrier with the security staff than you. You didn't look worried though
You gave her an idea
"Do you want to play with me?"
Both entered in the nearest police station, she talked with the officers before telling you to count until 1000 while she was going to hide. You started the count facing a wall
She felt bad, but there were some traffickers she had to catch before they made the exchange
She was following their car; everything fine until she believed to see a small hand greeting her from the car's trunk
She returned to the police station to find out that moments later of her departure you disappeared without anyone realizing. She went to the point where the delivery would be made
Outside the abandoned warehouse there was no signal that you were there until she saw you getting out from under the car on the other side
Something caused a shooting that would make the police come and caught her at any moment. The bands kept shooting at each other while you were behind a transport container
"What were you thinking?! I told you to stay with the police!"
"I'm sorry, I counted until I know, then I saw you following the car, so I followed too. But before they caught me I hid in there...I'm sorry..." You pulled out a walkie-talkie
"I got two from the police station. I left one in there so the others thought the guys of that car were betraying them, it should have worked to scape with no bad guys seeing us"
She was impressed. However, there was no time to ask where you learn that from
Analyzing the situation the principal scape was blocked, fortunately they hadn't noticed you yet so–
You pulled her shirt, pointing somewhere else
"Let's get out"
General headcanons
Sylvia was still surprised that your plan of exiting through a rear window she hadn't seen and walk away without hurry could work
She stopped walking to watch you smash the walkie-talkie and take out some matches to burn it
"Now they can't find footprints!"
The police may not get answers about it but she had many questions for you
She lied to you about the HQ, after the shooting her lie was on the floor. Thenceforth Sylvia's not able to tell if you were playing along and keeping her secret or you have no idea what's all about
You thought her name was Handler. When you knew she was called Sylvia Sherwood you pointed your hoody logo and say "S of Super, you're superman–Superwoman!"
That's how she begun to be mistaken with an endearing mother and her son. She was superwoman and you "kid", because you said that's how you were called, along with child, shrimp, demon...
"That's unacceptable". She handed you lists of names to choose, unfortunately no one convinced you
It wasn't until you two went to a jewelry store that you found the name
The casual way you break in HQ when you want still frustrates her, how do you do it?? You don't see big deal though
Fullmetal lady didn't remember how tough was motherhood
Anyone would freak out if they found out about spies. Yet there you are, admiring flying guys in underpants
Sylvia asked you about your family, but you always tell the same: you lived with dad until he left you with a woman that he said was your mom
The Handler found out your father is a repeat offender, currently on a maximum security prison in another country. Both him and the woman without offspring legally
"Please, don't tell me one of his criminal records is jailbreaking"
The informant doubted "Actually, that's the main one"
"..."
The Forgers
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Scenario where it's up to both of them to adopt you. To keep Loid's mental sanity safe it will be independent of the timeline where Yor has a kid on her own, feel free to imagine both kids being Anya's siblings at the same time. You can ask me to include that idea if I write more about this
How you met
As I said before Twilight wouldn't adopt anyone due his job, only one kid for Operation Strix and that was Anya. For now Yor didn't want more kids, she loves Anya and that's enough for them
Not for Anya. She wanted a little sibling
All started talking with Becky when Damian mentioned his brother. Back at home she brought the topic and neither Pa or Ma were giving her an answer of where babies come from
That's when she begun to feel like being a sister. Any plan helped her to convince her parents though
Anya remembered something Mr Henderson told them. "If you want something, take it into your own hands"
And she took it too seriously
Next day Anya and Bond disappeared, she was in the dogs park with Yor
While Mrs Forger panicked Anya had returned to the place she met Twilight
As the time passed the Forgers worried more. When they found Anya and Bond at their building's door they felt relieved
Your presence didn't make things better
They asked Anya where she had been and where did you come from. She said she adopted you
Of course Anya wasn't going to say she broke into an orphanage and took you
Loid's scolding made you cry
"Anya, we aren't adopting–"
"If she's not my sister I won't go to school ever again!!"
"Just for a trial period" that's what Loid hoped
General headcanons
Loid thought babies were easy because it's unnecessary (more impossible) communication with a living being that can't talk; after all babies only have basic needs. He was wrong
It would be easier if you could talk. Why are you crying? You have eaten! Are you sad? Cold? You dislike him?
Yor is not better either. Because her parents died when Yuri was a kid Yor didn't have experience with changing diapers, or anything related with babies
She was more scared than Loid to the point she didn't want to hold you. She broke Yuri's ribs with a hug when he was a toddler, what if she kills you with few contact?
In less than 24 hours you already had a crib and all kinds of things a baby would need. However, having three bedrooms and parents sleeping in separate rooms meant all your things ended in Anya's room
You cried at night until they discovered you calmed down when Anya let you a plushie to hug
She can't wait for the day pa and ma share bed to take back her bedroom
The second night Anya had an idea
Ma is scared of being your mom, solution? Leave you in her bed while Yor is asleep imagining that would work
Thanks God Yor doesn't move much when sleeping. On the other hand Yor is a light sleeper due not being used to sleep with someone so she woke up minutes later
She almost jump out of the bed, realizing that would make you cry made her contain. You groaned, did she wake you up? Yor wasn't sure of holding you, instead she laid down again and approached you to her chest
Seeing you so peaceful by her side melted her, thinking about it you looked a bit like her and Loid.. She blushed at the embarrassing thought
Bold of them to not imagine that's why Anya chose you
In the morning Loid discovered what happened and had a little words with Anya during breakfast before she went to school
Yor went to work and he decided to take a day off from his work to spend the morning with you. The Handler said the first days you should see them to recognize faces
Walks with Bond, buying toys, trying to teach you sign language...Normal stuff
Loid is glad you don't do anything but sleep and eat, except your obsession with munching. When you first kissed Yor he found it normal until you munched her cheek and now you do that to everyone; probably you're teething
Yor found it really cute, but you shouldn't go kissing and chewing cheeks. Anya thinks is funny just don't try to chew her hair again please
Another problem came with names. Loid was going through a list of 850 names in alphabetical order, meanings included; Yor didn't take it to the extreme
"Hum, what about Rose? I think it's a cute name, I mean it's both decision and I'm not good with names Loid–"
Welcome to the family Rose
A spy, an assassin, a telepath and... Well, a baby. Seems like a good mix
Yor Briar
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As we know Twilight only would adopt for Operation Strix's sake. Yor became mother by marrying Loid, but what if she had already a kid before being Mrs Forger?
Inspired by this post of @say-seira
How you met
Long ago before Twilight adopted the identity of Loid Forger, the Briars moved to a flat in Berlint
While the eldest sibling had recently become an adult Yuri was only a kid, Yor decided to move to the city so he had nearer his school. It was possible due her proper salary as Thorn Princess
This change would make her job easier too. She had a new client which death could pay Yuri's entrance to a good university
There was a politician who negotiated with terrorists, helping them to get into Ostania and providing them with weapons in exchange to gain good propaganda abroad and getting rid of competition
Knowing this was enough to make Yor's blood boil. He deserved to die, she was sure of it
Struggling with the security around him, Yor finally killed the target without leaving trace
The only inconvenience was a bad injury made by a bullet that she received. After removing the bullet the wound got worse
She went to the hospital to avoid an infection. In the waiting room she met a kind lady, Yor swore that she had seen her before
The woman was scared, but Yor reassured her she will wait her
While Yor was attended the girl was taken to another room. As she promised, Yor waited in the hall after her wound was treated; with a buttoned medical gown on because she didn't want to attract more attention due the bandaged wound in sight
Time passed and many people enter and exit from the room, but she didn't. A nurse carrying something mistook her for one of the staff and scolded her for standing there
"Here, take the baby to the nursery"
"Me? But— wait! What about the woman? Is she okay?"
From afar she heard the answer, but before Yor could explain the error the woman had left. She was shocked, how? She seemed fine
Against her will the dark-haired looked at the lump she was holding: rosy cheeks babbling in dreams, you were in peace
Her shock grew when she saw you shared the username that the man she killed had. That's why the woman was familiar: she was the politician's daughter
Yor searched someone who hand the baby when she recognized the doctor that guided the woman to the room, he was talking with a masked nurse
The fact they went to a private place and maintained their voices low made her suspect
"Did you take care of the mother?" the nurse asked
"Yes, they got ahead of us with her father but I think they will pay us anyway. When they found it was a medical negligence we'll be far from here"
Yor understood they were assassins as well, probably paid by a rival. Luckily they hadn't seen her yet
"Heh, do you they will pay more if we got rid of the baby?"
Yor left the hospital with you, unsure of what to do. Did you have more relatives? The widowed politician didn't have more kids, and your mother came alone. What if they wanted to kill the rest of the family?
A small hand grabbed hers, and every fear disappeared. Looking at each other, she knew you were safer with her. Perhaps it was only guilt or sympathy, but she would try
General headcanons
The moment Yuri saw Yor holding you was in disbelief. Yor said she found you in the streets and he believed it
At first he tried to convince her sister to leave you in a orphanage but once scolding was enough to cease
Still disliking you for the first months. It took some time until he saw you like one of his family
Yuri helped, although they had a rough time because you refused to eat Yor's purees. Your endurance might grew up to make you the only person who can eat her food without bleeding but it doesn't mean you like its flavor
She viewed you as a sibling until you were two, being called mom made Yor too happy to correct you. Yuri was just Yuri, you never feel like using formalities with him or addressing "Uncle" everytime you talked
Yor decided to let your belongings, it was better that way. When you were older, and only if you wanted, she would tell you the truth
She's bad with names, Rose was the only name she could think of but you're a boy. Yor's parents loved that Yuri and her had matching names, therefore you would be the sweet addition to it
The only name I could think of is Yuu because it's gender neutral and means "you" sorry
During the first year of your life she didn't try to hide the blood of her clothes from you. Yuri never suspected either and you wouldn't remember it when you grow up
Your lack of childhood amnesia was something she didn't have in count. Not that she knows you know anyway
Yor has been training you since you were able to walk, if she wasn't there when you needed at least you would be ready to defend yourself. Proud to say you're her strong boy
That said, if the assassins that tried to killed you found were you lived it's something you ignore. Being the protective mother Yor is they could be dead by now
Six years later, it was still Yor and you against the world, with Yuri being the only paternal figure you had. Before one day she met a man and everything changed
She said he will help her by accompanying her to a party so Yuri stopped worrying about her. She said it would be one night, and the next morning you woke up with Yor waiting to talk with you
In part she accepted because of you; you passed the Eden exam before knowing you needed a dad for it. That requisite seemed stupid for you, as you reassured her you could go to any other school; now you would be accepted into the best school!
You agreed and started packing. What else you could do? The decision was made before you were asked anyway, and you didn't want to argue with your mom because she was doing it for your future too
Of course it affected you. No matter how nice they were it was a huge change; in one day you had to move to a new place which didn't feel like home and live with strangers who you'll have to share mom with isn't easy
Anya was nervous too, but for different reasons. She was so excited to meet her soon-to-be sibling! For her, who was an orphan last week, having a pa, a ma and a friend to play with was great
Her expectations went down when she read your mind. You didn't think bad of them, but excited wasn't the word to describe your emotional state either
Loid may not be good at understanding children, but it was clear for him you wasn't comfortable. For him would be weirder if you didn't seem affected at all
On the contrary, Yor seemed cool with all of this to you. Even without any idea of how to be a wife or mother for Anya she enjoyed her time as Forger, which confused you a bit
Yor is happier, not only because she didn't have to worry about the SSS or Yuri anymore. They make her happier, it's just matter of time she could fall for Loid and have a baby that was her own, real kid
Being sure Yor loves you and your new family want you to feel welcomed doesn't make disappear the feelings you carry with. Still, if mom is happy you prefer to keep it to yourself and try to maker her smile too
If it wasn't because Yuri hates the idea of her sister hiding her marriage for a year and sympathized your situation he would have laughed at the irony when you told him during your uncle-nephew walk the next day of his meeting with "Loiloi"
He doesn't know they got married before you attended school so he assumed you had been holding it for a long time. He passed his fingers through your hair
"I understand it's difficult, but I'll be for you whenever you need me"
+ Honorable mention to compensate you for the mild ansgt without warning
Daybreak
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We don't know much about him but I included this dork for fun
Thinking about "Daybreak" and "parenthood" makes anyone's mind stopped working
Mainly because it's difficult to say which one would be the child
Not "How you met headcanons" because he wouldn't be able to adopt to begin with
From what we saw in chapter 27 he seems to live alone, depending on his amazing spy career to afford pork steak for dinner. So he must not live too good given that after his first mission he was fired
If he had a child, it would be likely because of a previous relationship he had and didn't end well
He didn't adopt you. You're his biological kid, the only not adopted of this gang
Sorry we can't choose our family good luck ig
Not necessarily ended bad, even remaining as friends, your mother took a different path and is happily married with another man
If she knew he wanted to be a spy either thought "it's a joke" or *sigh*
She was who brought money in the relationship, now you live with her and your step-dad but at the beginning you didn't want to
Daybreak talked with you and promised you could visit each other and even live with him when he could afford it
They don't get it
Who would take care of him? The idea of living on his own was frightening to you
Imagine being father and is your kid who worries about whether pops know how to pay taxes without mom
You took after him in terms of appearance. Any signal of intelligence was from your mother
Average smart but surely smarter than him
Probably he thanked God that you were a boy. He will love whatever you are but he was relieved of saving himself of buying female products when you were on that time of the month and guide you through puberty
As much as he says to be a charming man he's not good with women either so
Your name is Sunny. Guess who chose it
Probably you see him more on weekends than during the week
Until you showed him Spy Wars he didn't have no idea that existed such good series
Of course not cooler than the legend he is but Daybreak jokes about how reading that and seeing your cool pops in action would make you half as good spy as he is someday
Quite sad is that your common sense along with the things you see on TV are enough to be better spy material
You try to watch it with him to see if he learns something
Unsure of what you'll be in the future but in the mean time you had fun watching cartoons and liking kids stuff like dinosaurs and skateboard
Current status: Busy with your first year at school and getting him out of trouble
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astaroth1357 · 4 years ago
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Demigod MC Series: Hestia
This is another eternally virgin goddess, so we're doing another pseudo-demigod by adoption (like we did with Athena).
Demigod MC: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena, Hades Pt. 2, Poseidon, Ares, Hestia
Hestia is the goddess of the Hearth, Home, Architecture, Domesticity, Family, and the State. She's high up there (firstborn of Rhea and Cronus), but several factors have led to her falling into the background when compared to the other (flashier) Olympians. She swore to never marry, rejecting proposals from both Poseidon and Apollo, and is something of an antithesis to Aphrodite.
Lucifer
Honestly? He thought they were exactly what they were after. A weak human with no experience in the magical world what-so-ever.
Well… He was half-right.
On the surface, this is a pretty weak human. They don't have super flashy powers or a divine birth from the gods… but they do have a very protective adoptive mother.
The brothers had just settled in for their first dinner with the new human when the goddess herself strolled into their dining room, asked who was in charge, then dragged Lucifer away by the ear!
She's not even his mother, yet he felt the intense urge to apologize and put himself in his own room… Oh, the humiliation… at least she did the same to Diavolo…
The Prince was only able to calm her down by promising absolutely NO harm would come to her child… on their heads...
By the time the goddess finally let him go, Lucifer was about ready to shackle the MC to his wrist so nothing could touch them but he settled on keeping them with him like an assistant of sorts. They were in charge of helping him with the paperwork so he could keep an eye on them. 
What he didn’t expect was for them to be so… good at it? They could keep his offices clean, they managed his daily schedule, fixed up the House, and still have time to bring him tea and sweets every night!
They could even reign in his brothers somehow… They weren't strong or intimidating, but one or two mildly unhappy words out of them and everybody would be on their best behavior.
Was everyone positive they're only human...?
As much as he hated to admit, he may have a slight deep case of falling for the housekeeper… He would make a move, but well…
He has Beel to contend with first.
Mammon
Okay so, watching Lucifer get dragged out by the ear just like Raphael used to do to him was hilarious!!! The whole room got a good laugh! 🤣
Until Hestia glared at them and suddenly they all felt like they'd disappointed someone important….
And all that fuss over some dumb human??
So what if they made amazing food?
So what if they could clean the entire mansion in a day?
So what if they were the walking equivalent to a warm cup of cocoa on a winter's day??
So what if they were just the kindest, sweetest thing in this godforsaken hellscape and he would throw himself in front of a bus to keep them safe-
-Wait, when did that happen?!?
Seriously, Mammon's attachment to the MC came out of NOWHERE to him. One day, he was threatening to eat their soul and the next he's freaking out when they stub their toe!
He swears they have to have some kind of magic about them! A charm, or a spell, or… their lovable smile and warm, loving hugs...! 😊
Damnit!! They're too cute!! He needs them to go away but also never leave, thanks. 😒
In all seriousness, though their kind nature puts Mammon's tsundere self at a bit of a disadvantage, his protective instincts shoot through the roof whenever they're involved.
Naturally, that means his day is spent running them away from hungry lesser demons or shielding them from Beel and Lucifer's tug-of-war matches… He's a busy guy these days. 😖
Leviathan 
They're so… so… MOE!!!
That was his immediate thought when Mammon brought them home. He was expecting a defenseless human, but not one that could have stepped out of one of his slice-of-life manga!
To be honest, his instant thought was try and find a place to sit them on his shelves with the rest of the adorable characters he loves… 😅
And that was before they even opened their mouth! Five words into their introduction and he was ready to get their face on a t-shirt!!
Honestly, combine their natural cuteness with their household skills and they made for perfect waifu/husbando material… 
Not helped by the fact they found one of his maid/butler outfits while doing the laundry one day. Not only did they ask if they could wear it, they actually non-ironically liked it and started wearing it around the House!!
Oh he got cornered by Beel, Lucifer, and Mammon separately that day because they thought he was using them for fetish fuel… But it was their idea, he swears!!
I mean… He didn't discourage them or anything either but still…
If Beel hadn't claimed them on Day One, Levi might have eventually thrown his hat in the ring too... Oh well… he can pine from a distance… What else is new? 😔
Satan
He has a video of Hestia dragging Lucifer out of the dining room on his phone and it's one of his most treasured possessions now. 😌
He is perhaps the only person in the House who was not at all impressed with their little human.
So they could cook? So could he. So they can clean? That's not impressive. They could manage a household? Big deal, he's more or less been in charge of the same thing for centuries!
As far as he saw it, there was nothing the MC could do that he couldn't do as proficiently or even better. There was nothing remarkable about this human at all!
… except for one thing.
That maid/butler outfit of Levi's? The one they like to wear around?
It has cat accessories…
Either they don't notice or they don't mind it but they essentially walk around the House cleaning things with little kitty ears attached to their head and a bell on their collar…
Dammit… Why did Levi even buy that?!?
Satan ended up getting in trouble for enchanting their outfit to give them REAL ears and a tail "accidentally..." Lucifer strung him up by his toes, Beel gave him a black-eye, and Mammon still calls him a "perverted cat freak" but it was worth it, he says, worth it!!
Asmodeus 
Oh Beel…
Asmo saw Beel's feelings for the MC coming from a mile away. He didn't even need to confirm it with a sniff check, he had them scented by the end of their first night!
Lucifer, on the other hand, now that was a surprise... 😏
Ask him a century ago if Lucifer would ever consider a human lover, godly mother or no, and he'd have laughed! Yet here he is, giving gifts and sneaking whiffs of their adorable new housemate!
Of course, that's causing some commotion because they're pitted against each other, but Asmo finds it kind of cute honestly. 
Beel and Lucifer aren't fighting, not for real. The whole house knows Lucifer would win in a real brawl, but neither of them actually want to hurt the other… They're far too close for that.
So Beel tosses Lucifer around with kid gloves and Lucifer holds back considerably against Beel. It's pretty much just two brothers who love each other squabbling over the same toy… 🤭
Honestly, Lucifer might have bowed out by now and just let Beel have them but now his pride's on the line… thus an endless tussle between family and the sweet MC is in the middle, clueless to it all!
Tragic, is it not? But it certainly makes things more entertaining around here! (Good thing too since Beel beat him to the punch… If it's a fight against those two, he'll have to keep any of his own affairs with the MC under the radar... 😏)
Beelzebub 
He has claimed this one. Full stop.
For a bit of perspective: when Barbatos needs cooking tips, he calls Hestia. Hestia, the Divine Master of All Things Cooking. Hestia, the goddess who raised this MC… 
Needless to say if they have any magic at all, it's in the kitchen.
If food is the way to Beel's heart, this MC has claimed his heart, soul, and probably all of his vital organs. Their food is astounding!! Always perfect every time and so good it brings him to tears!
It started the night of that first dinner, prepared by MC. He was too busy scarfing down the table to even notice a goddess showed up and then he proposed to the MC with their own pig roast by meal's end!
They said no to marriage, but an instant pact agreement suited him just fine.
Beel didn't waste a single moment before he started treating them like a potential mate, territorial aggression and all, but there was a bit of a catch… He kept the MC totally oblivious to it.
Surprisingly, Beel's can turn the "They're MINE" part of his brain on and off pretty well. He's nothing but sweet and cuddly to the MC when they're around and even with his brothers!... as long as they don't try anything.
The moment he caught whiff that Lucifer might be pursuing them too, it was on. Suddenly the two brothers who almost never fight were in competition against each other! But of course, both have an unspoken rule to never do so in front of MC.
And now poor MC believes it's common for demons to "play wrestle" like puppies and hugs are traditionally supposed to be so hard they could snap spines… 
And it doesn’t look like they'll be backing down any time soon… Oh dear...
Belphegor 
You know what? For once, everything goes exactly to plan for Belphie!
No really, this MC has no hidden powers, no magic horses, not even Demon Nip. They are a helpless, trusting little human who just wants to help their big teddy bear get his twin back!
So, you know how it goes. The charm, the lies, the treachery and all of that. He even gets to kill them!! Oh, happy days!! 😁
Come to think of it, they did smell an awful lot like Beel… But who cares, as long as Lucifer suffers right?? And this whole "living together in harmony" crap fails, right?!
Wrong. 
Beel went ballistic. Lucifer did too, but Beel was what really hurt…
Belphie can safely say that in all of his life, Beel has never physically attacked him. Not once, or at least, not with intent to kill… 
But when the sixthborn's fist went crashing through the wall right by his ear that day, he knew his brother's first instinct was to aim for his head… and his second was to miss, as he still loved him, but only by just a little.
What the hell did he just do??
Thank their father for Barbatos and all the funky time stuff he can do because bringing the MC "back" snapped his angry brothers right out of it. 
Things should have been smoothed over at that point but as everyone was finally settling down for tea, Hestia made another appearance in the House… this time carrying a butcher's knife!
Time fix or no, Diavolo had promised her no harm would come to MC and at least one continuity of them DIED… so punishment was now on Lucifer and the Demon Prince himself!
Belphie, in a rare case of guilt and an expression of brotherly love, offered to take their place since it WAS kind of all his fault. His gesture softened the Goddess of Family juuust enough to lighten his sentence from execution to hard labor.
And thus, the MC had their own housekeeping assistant for a whole year, complete with bitter reluctance and a matching maid outfit! Cat-theme and all!!
He's sending nightmares to anybody who laughs… guaranteed. 😒
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dangerouslyallaboutdraco · 3 years ago
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Could you write a Draco Malfoy x Slytherin !Potter!reader. Y/N and Draco have been dating since first year but haven’t told anyone because people think she might be the only “good slytherin” and to prevent Harry from freaking out they stay quiet till the Quitage World Cup where she goes with Draco and his father and spent the summer with them rather than the weasles . Pansy and Blaise know about Y/N and Draco because the 4 of them became best friends through the years (and reader won’t be only friends with Harry’s friends) . Harry and Y/N get into an argument when they return to Hogwarts the summer of the Triwizard cup and how she’s a traitor (EVEN tho that’s her house) and a disgrace for being with him. So she accepted that and that he hates her so she spends the next year mainly with her house giving the trio the cold shoulder and when the war happened draco and his mother protected her and hid her so Harry was looking for her that time but she was gon so after the war the 4 (Draco Pansy and blasé) walk into the great hall and the golden trio see that Y/N is engaged to Draco and Harry just apologizes and they catch up after all those years.
The Potter Twins
A/n: This has got to be one of the best requests I've ever seen anyone answer. I'm so gratefully you asked me to write it!! Thank you. Also, I did use lines from the book just to make the story work. I could have probably written a whole series so this is very long, I'm sorry. @loxbbg
"Y/n Potter." Professor McGonagall's shrill voice boomed. Just like that, the whole school's attention was on Y/n.
So many students, so much older than her, all focused on her. Probably, she had only just discovered, because of her last name.
The girl and the boy who lived. Apparently, they were famous.
On their 11th birthday, she hadn't expected a giant wizard man to come and whisk the twins away from the horrible Dursleys. But, he was nice and he knew their parents.
Y/n was always treated better than Harry. Aunt Petunia seemed to love her more, even letting her have a big bedroom.
Hagrid, she found out, had taken them shopping and brought them ice cream. While she thought it was all a hallucination when she was able to run through a wall, she knew something strange was happening.
After that, she had met a redhead, Ron. He was dorky but kind to the siblings. And, he seemed to know a lot about the wizarding world.
Y/n took a few tentative steps before sitting on the stool. She was hyperaware of the fact everyone was watching, not able to keep the blush off her cheeks.
The heavy hat was draped onto her head, weighing her down.
"Hmm, the other Potter. You would do good in Gryffindor." The hat whispered to her, making her widen her eyes. She hadn't expected it to talk. It was an object. How could it possibly talk?
Y/n was amazed at the whole thing. It still felt like a dream. The great hall was phenomenal, and she couldn't wait to explore the castle. It was unreal.
Y/n flicked her eyes to her brother. He was already sitting at the Gryffindor table, smiling at her. She hoped she would get to be with him, even though she didn't grasp the house concept. Plus, he was near the other girl, Hermione.
Hermione seemed to know a lot about wizards, and Y/n wanted to be informed. It was like she had finally discovered her missing part.
"I remember your parents. I think you could do just like them." The hat continued. Y/n kept hoping. Hoping she wouldn't go without Harry. The thought of her parents made her heartache, she knew so little about them, but she had heard so much about them in the last few days.
"Slytherin!" The hat roared. Y/n's eyes instantly widened, looking frantically at her brother. How was it possible? The hat had decided she would do good in Gryffindor. She wanted to be with her brother and Ron and Hermione.
Just like that, the hat was off her head. Y/n was speechless as she wandered over to the Slytherin table. Somehow, they all looked mean.
She hadn't noticed who she sat next to until the boy spoke. "I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." He introduced himself, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Y/n Potter." Y/n introduced, despite knowing he already knew.
"I'm Pansy Parkinson." A girl with short black hair interrupted their conversation. "We're going to be sleeping in the same dorm, do you want to be friends?" She asked. A picture of confidence.
Y/n didn't know what to do but nod. "Yeah."
"Now shove off, Parkinson. We're talking." Draco interrupted the girls.
Y/n looked concerned at Pansy, but she didn't look offended at all. "Don't worry. Dracie and I have been friends since we were kids. He doesn't mean it." She reassured the girl, noticing her surprised look. The nickname made Y/n giggle, recognising the look on Draco's face as disgust.
"We're not friends." Draco joked, stoic face. Pansy hit him on the arm.
Y/n liked them already. She could tell they would be good friends. Plus, they filled the gap she was missing, not having Harry next to her.
Harry managed to get a chance to talk to Y/n after the feast. He quickly wrapped her in his arms, comforting his sister.
"I'm sorry we're not in the same house," Y/n told him, feeling guilty.
Harry shook his head. "It's not your fault. It's that weird hat's."
"It's strange, isn't it?" Y/n giggled, not feeling like crying anymore. "I don't know what so much of this means." She continued, feeling nervous about the whole situation.
"I know." Harry agreed with a nod. "We'll get through it together. I just want to know more about mum and dad, and it's good if we don't have to stay with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon." Y/n nodded to that. They were horrible people. "We should go to our rooms now. It'll be okay." He comforted her.
She gave him another quick hug. "Thanks, Harry." She told him before turning around to walk off.
"Wait, Y/n!" Harry called, she spun back around to face him. "I've heard Malfoy is bad news, be careful." He warned. Y/n nodded, reassuring him she'd be cautious.
She didn't believe it, though, as she skipped off to the common room.
~
It was only a week into classes when Y/n figured out not everyone at Hogwarts was nicer than the Dursley's. Mainly Professor Snape. For no reason, he seemed to hate Harry. They dissected it later in Hagrid's cottage.
"'S 'cause yeh look like yer mum." Hagrid offered as an explanation. That confused the twins and Ron, who came with them. Hagrid sighed, realising he had to explain it. "Snape loved her, way back, but she married yer dad. He couldn' stand yer dad. Anyway, tha''s all history now. Unfortunately, he's one to hold a grudge. Don' let it bother yeh." He told the children.
Harry just sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Okay, I'm used to Dudley, anyway." He figured Hogwarts was a lot better than the Dursley's house.
"What about yeh, Y/n, how's Slytherin? They're not pickin' on yeh?" Hagrid asked, switched his attention to the small girl.
"It's alright. I've made lots of friends." Y/n had actually had a rather good week. She'd befriended Pansy and a girl named Daphne. As well as Draco, with who she was very close. That was just in her house. Somehow, she'd managed to sit next to Hermione in a class, Lavender too, and a girl named Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff.
"Good." Hagrid nodded. "Yeh best be off now." He told them, taking the last sip of his drink.
The 3 of them nodded, getting up and leaving the cottage.
"You know, we've got our first flying lesson next week?" Ron asked the twins, trying to brighten the mood. He could tell they were both thinking about their parents.
Y/n did know. Draco had talked about it nonstop. He was beyond excited.
Harry nodded as well. "I'm not sure I'm going to be any good." He mentioned, lightly blushing.
"I'm sure you'll both be fine. It is in your blood." Ron told them. Y/n and Harry both looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, confused about what he meant. However, he didn't elaborate.
~
Y/n went to watch Harry's first Quidditch practise, despite him telling her not to. He said it was a waste of time when it was just practice. But she was extremely proud of him. She knew their parents would be proud too.
So she hid in the Slytherin bleaches, hoping Harry wouldn't spot her.
It was slightly chilly, the night wind whipping at her skin. That's when she felt the drape on a coat on her shoulder.
Y/n whipped her head around to see who it was, only to be met with the blonde's features. She definitely had a bit of a crush on him. He was cute and the first boy who had ever paid her attention.
Draco took a seat next to her, giving her a smile. "Hi." He whispered.
"Hi, Dray." It was a nickname she had quickly picked up, noticing how it made him blush. "You don't have to sit out here." She assured him.
"I want to," Draco confirmed.
Y/n knew he was jealous. Draco had done nothing but talk about how much he loved Quidditch. And Harry, who he thought was a blood traitor, had gotten all his success. So it was big that he wanted to sit with her.
They watched in silence before Draco spoke. "Did you know Pansy is dating Blaise?" He asked her.
Y/n shook her head rapidly. "I thought she liked you."
Draco stuck his tongue out in disgust. "No, I hope not. I did have a question though..." He trailed off, cheeks heating pink. He was bouncing his knee up and down nervously.
Y/n had never seen him like that. "What is it?" She asked.
"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Draco asked hesitantly. Y/n immediately nodded, accepting the offer. She had never felt happier and more relieved.
"Of course, Dray." She agreed immediately his face relaxed. Y/n reached over and laced her fingers in his, not concerned about how sweaty his palms were. "We can't tell Harry though." She suddenly realised, remembering her brother's words. Draco had never been kind to any of the Gryffindor's, despite them being her friends.
Draco nodded. "Okay." He accepted. Y/n was very thankful he agreed to her request.
~
3rd year was the most stressful yet, for Y/n. She and Draco were still secretly dating, much to Blaise and Pansy's surprise. They couldn't believe how long it had lasted. But Y/n and Draco were drawn to each other, as friends and lovers.
Summer break was also difficult for Y/n. Aunt Marge's visit had ruined the twins birthday. On top of that, apparently, a psychotic wizard had escaped. The Dursley's didn't understand what that would mean. But Y/n and Harry saw just what dark magic could do to Ginny Weasly last year. It was devastating and powerful.
Y/n ran away with Harry when he blew up Aunt Marge. Aunt Petunia had started being much meaner to her, the older she got. While Y/n didn't know Lily, she thought it might have been the reason Aunt Petunia started shunning her.
So, she stayed at the leaky cauldron with Harry. It was the first time she felt happy to not have parents, there were no rules.
Y/n was hiding something. All the letter her owl, Edwige, was bringing her. All from Draco. She figured Harry was too tied up in his own life to think anything was odd. He probably assumed it was Hermione.
The whole train ride all Harry, Ron and Hermione wanted to talk about was terrifying Sirius Black who was trying to murder the twins.
The train's sudden stop frightened Y/n. As the compartment grew cold, she thought it was Sirius, there to kill them. When the Dementor's bony fingers slide open the door, her heart raced, almost beating out of her chest.
This was it. She was going to die from a faceless ghost. It started to suck the life out of Harry and she froze, not knowing how to help her brother.
Thankfully, the cloaked figure in the corner sprung up, scaring the spirit away.
Y/n rushed to get to Harry, but he had already fainted. He was dazed and confused when he woke, Lupin, as Y/n had come to known, handing him some chocolate.
Once Lupin had re-explained what happened, to Harry, he left.
The Potter twins connection let Y/n feel the fear Harry was in, despite being the braver.
Y/n was more than happy to get off the train, being able to sit next to her boyfriend. The Gryffindor table couldn't see them, so they were free to subtly hold hands.
It didn't feel the same that year. Draco was much darker and meaner. He was mean to Hermione and Hagrid, two of Y/n's companions. She didn't understand it.
Their relationship issues came to a head on the date of Buckbeaks execution. Draco and Y/n didn't agree on the situation but it got worse as she roamed the castle with Harry, Hermione and Ron.
As soon as Y/n saw Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle hiding behind that rock she knew today was going to be her breaking point. She didn't understand why he couldn't just shut his mouth and not say anything.
"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he’s supposed to be our teacher!" The look on his face was pure disgust. His eyes flicked up to meet Y/n's, not back down from the remarks he'd made as she stared him down.
It was then she realised it. He cared more about maintaining his arrogant reputation than he did his own girlfriend. The thought broke her heart.
Harry and Ron both marched to him, with Hermione one step ahead. Y/n awkwardly stood there, not knowing how to come between her secret boyfriend and friends.
Hermione got to him first, landing a solid punch to his nose. It was as hard as she could, landing a solid sound.
Draco stumbled back, Crabbe and Goyle rushing to hold him up. He gave Y/n a final look as he ran past her.
Y/n's eyes were already filling with tears. Hermione noticed. "Are you alright?" She asked.
She quickly thought up a lie. "I'm sorry... It's just all of this with Buckbeard is difficult. Can you tell Hagrid I'm really sorry?" She stuttered out, the tears streaming down her cheeks.
They all brought the lie, Harry wrapping her in a hug before they walked off. She stood there and cried for a few minutes, all alone. Like no one in the world cared about her.
It quickly turned to anger, her blood boiling. She stormed off to the Slytherin common room, knowing Draco was too proud to go to the hospital wing.
She found him there, on the couch, Crabbe and Goyle at his side.
"I can't believe Granger," Draco exclaimed, not noticing Y/n. "She's a filthy mudblood I could easily get expelled."
"Tell your father." Goyle prompted. Crabbe and Goyle were the best henchmen, dumb and wanting to cause trouble.
"Goyle, Crabbe, I need to speak to Malfoy," Y/n announced. They didn't understand what she meant. "Alone." They finally understood, scurrying out of the room.
Draco didn't look concerned, his eyes challenging her. "What do you want? Hanging out with your idiot twin, that poor, blood traitor Weaslbee and mudblood Granger." He was just as pissed as Y/n was. Maybe, it was the anger for Granger he was taking out on Y/n.
She couldn't hide it anymore. "We're done." She told him. "I cannot be with you when you hate everyone that loves me."
"Fine." Draco shrugged. "I don't care."
That was the last thing Y/n heard from him as she stormed to her dorm room, a sobbing mess. Pansy quickly wrapped her in a hug, not needing to know what happened.
~
It was the end of term before Y/n even looked in Draco's direction again. She spent all those nights silently sobbing. The slight silver lining was she had gotten much closer to Harry, Hermione and Ron, no longer spending hours with Draco.
He'd trapped her when she was alone in the bleachers, just like he did on their first week.
He didn't place a jacket on her, rather some sunglasses. "Hi." He murmured, hesitantly sitting next to her. Draco was sure Y/n hated him.
"Hey." She replied. The truth was, she missed him. Draco was a part of her, they had grown up in love. They were never meant to fall out of it.
"Enjoying your last day?" Draco asked awkwardly. They felt like they were back in their first year, acting self-consciously.
She nodded, not interested in his small talk. "Yeah, I'm all packed as well." She still refused to look at him.
"I'm sorry." It came tumbling out like he didn't know how to say it. That made her turn her attention to him.
Y/n couldn't help but love him. She never wanted to break up, ever. "Me too." She replied.
Y/n wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. He just looked so precious.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" Draco asked, the question was phrased differently this time but it still reminded her of the shy first year.
"Yes." Y/n agreed. She had never known heartbreak like being without Draco.
"Also... I want it to be real this time." That made Y/n worry. She didn't want Harry to find out yet. There was no one Harry hated more. "Will you stay with us these holidays? And come to the Quidditch World Cup?" He asked shyly. That was the bashful boy she adored.
So far, Y/n's plans were to go to the Durley's. She'd just lie to them and say she was staying with Pansy. They wouldn't care because they didn't love her.
'Yes." Y/n told him. "I'm terrified to meet your parents." She admitted.
Draco took her hand in his. "Love, you have nothing to worry about." He assured her. In truth, he also had doubts about his father. Y/n was a Potter.
Once they left the bleachers, Y/n went to see Harry. The trio was in the courtyard.
"Oh Y/n, we were looking for you." Ron pipped up as she took a seat next to them. She tried to not blush too much. "Do you want to come to the Quidditch World Cup with us?" He asked. Uh oh.
"I'm really sorry. I told Pansy I'd go with her family." Y/n lied once again. She felt terrible doing it but she had to. Plus, they weren't going to find out.
"That's fine. Are staying with her the whole summer?" Harry asked. Y/n hated to have to nod. She knew they were keeping a brave face on but they were disappointed.
~
Y/n's lie worked. She made it to out of the station with Draco without anyone seeing.
They got in the car and, from there, they travelled to the manor. It was fabulous. Better than she could ever imagine. Pointed towers and perfectly done gardens, she was in another world.
"Hey, it'll be okay," Draco assured her, taking his hand in hers as they made it to the door. She had already met their house-elf, who carried the bags.
Draco knocked on the door, trying to seem brave. Narcissa swung it open, arms wide open to pull Draco in. Y/n admired how close they were. She had seen Narcissa once before when she came to see Draco. They weren't introduced but Y/n admired how elegant she looked.
"Y/n Potter, right?" Narcissa asked once she had let her boy go.
"Yes, Mrs Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you." Y/n politely said.
Narcissa giggled, shaking her head. "Don't be silly, you can call me Narcissa." She said before opening her arms up for the girl. She hugged for just as long as she hugged Draco, making Y/n feel very comfortable.
Lucius walked over, making Y/n's heart race.
"Draco." He greeted his son with a handshake, much less warm than his mother.
Then he turned to Y/n, staring down his nose at her. She had never felt as small. "You must be Y/n Potter?" He held out his hand.
"Yes, sir," Y/n replied, shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Lucius just scowled. Narcissa interrupted the tension. "Come, kids, we can talk in the living room." Just like that, she was part of the family.
~
The Malfoy tent at the Quidditch world cup was impressive. It was grand and dark like the manor.
Her summer with Draco was the best of her life, not that the others were much to compare to. Narcissa was the kindest woman she'd ever know. When she realised Y/n's birthday was the 31st of July, she insisted on throwing a large party.
She let Y/n pick out all the decorations, taking her on a shopping spree to Diagon Alley. Then, they had a spa day and afternoon tea party with Pansy and Daphne and some of Narcissa's friends. As much as she wanted to, Y/n figured it wasn't right to invite Hermione and Ginny.
That night, they had dinner out with the girls, Draco, Theo and Blaise. It was the best day of her life. It only got better when a massive cake was wheeled out, and a cart for of gifts. She was sure it was more than Dudley had ever gotten.
Draco's was the most special. It was a necklace, a traditional Black family one. On it was their initials.
Y/n made sure to stay in contact with Harry, but things had started to slip. She figured he was just busy but she missed him, and their other friends.
It was difficult for Y/n to get along with Lucius, knowing how close he was to Voldemort, the man who was trying to kill her. Somehow, they just didn't talk about it.
"Are you ready to go?" Draco asked, adjusting his black blazer. She couldn't believe how good he looked, a full black suit. His blonde hair parted in the middle. He had grown into his looks majorly over the summer.
"Yeah." Y/n nodded, putting her last earing in. They were a gift from Narcissa, real emeralds. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach she was trying to shake off as anticipation.
"Okay, Mum has already gone to our box. We're going in with my Father." He told her, walking over to grab her hand. Physical contact was something the couple had gotten used to. It was no longer awkward.
Y/n took his hand, lacing their fingers as they walked out of the tent. Draco was taller than her now, he hadn't been in first year. His slim thumb traced over her knuckles mindlessly.
Lucius didn't seem to mind the two of them being so close. The sky had darkened, and the crowds were already cheering. While Y/n had never been to a muggle sports game, she thought this was better. It was noisy but spectacular.
Draco and Y/n talked as they walked, him occasionally bumping into her shoulder. It always made her giggle.
When she heard Lucius' cruel voice, she looked back at him. He was looking up. Y/n followed his eye line. The Weasley's. Hermione. Harry.
Her brain stopped working, and she froze. The look on Harry's face was pure fury. He was looking between her and Draco rapidly, but it was obvious. They were holding hands, and they had just been giggling together.
Those smiles were long gone. The atmosphere had immediately blackened.
Lucius' threat to Harry made her wince. Harry didn't even look bothered, just furious at her. Betrayed. It physically hurt her, and she gripped Draco's hand.
The Weasley group turned to walk off so did Lucius. Draco pulled Y/n closer to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry. It'll be okay. Harry will calm down." Draco told her. She just hoped it was true. Harry didn't like to be deceived, and she had lied so much. Plus, Draco was never nice to Harry, Hermione and Ron. They probably hated her by association. "My father really shouldn't have said that." He grimaced. That's made her confident in her decision. Draco had changed.
Y/n nodded, trying to choke back the tears welling in her eyes. "Yeah, I know."
Draco stopped in the middle of the bridge. He took her face in his hands. "Hey, I love you." He reminded her before leaning down to kiss her. It was soft and filled her back up with warmth, making the chilling look Harry had sent her go away. She just hoped Harry still loved her.
Y/n tried to put Harry in the back of her mind the rest of the break. She did write him a few letters, but he didn't reply.
~
Harry was too busy to talk to Y/n on the first day of school. She hoped Hermione and Ron weren't giving her the cold shoulder, but they did.
So she spent the welcome feast with Pansy and Daphne. And, of course, her boyfriend.
He confronted her on the second day of school.
Y/n was in the courtyard when Draco and Harry had their quarrel. She always knew Draco was short-tempered, but she couldn't believe the things he was saying to Harry about their mother.
Y/n's shock grew when Harry spat back, knocking Narcissa. He didn't know her like she did. Narcissa had been nothing but kind to Y/n. That was when she knew she couldn't let Harry get away with it.
"Harry!" Y/n yelled, his attention flicked to her. His eyes were even more outraged than they were with Draco.
"What do you want, traitor?" Harry demanded, his voice was angry too.
"You can't say those things about Narcissa," Y/n demanded. Now she knew how mad Draco felt. Her jaw was clenched like her fits. "And, I'm not a traitor. I'm a Slytherin, that wasn't my choice."
Harry rolled his eyes and huffed. "You're sickening. Did you not hear what he said about our mother!?" He lectured her. "I don't know how you could be with someone so vile."
"Draco isn't who you think he is." Y/n defended. Draco loved her. He'd never given up on her like Harry had.
"He hates you!" Harry spat. He was closer to her now, towering over her. She had never seen anyone that mad. "You're not a Potter. You don't belong in our family." He said so lowly it made her shiver.
Harry was so close she thought he was going to hit her. That's when Draco jumped in the middle of the twins, pushing Harry back and shielding Y/n.
"Watch it, Potter." Draco threatened, glaring down at Harry. He was only an inch taller.
Harry scoffed, fists clench, ready for a fight. He looked around Draco, at Y/n. "Mum and Dad would have despised you. You're just like all those other awful Slytherins. I don't understand how you could be with someone as low as Malfoy." His words sat deep in her heart, and he didn't stop them from coming. "You're not a Potter." With that, he left, not looking back.
Y/n immediately burst out in tears. She couldn't stop it. Draco spun around to her, holding her so she wouldn't collapse.
"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay." Draco told her, wrapping her in his arms so tightly. He just held her. "You know they would be proud of you, Y/n. You're so strong and clever." He comforted her, his hands stroking her back.
Y/n shook her head. "No, I'm a Slytherin. They were all brave Gryffindors." She choked out.
"It doesn't matter what house you're in. You're so kind and talented." Draco reassured her. His heart was breaking, seeing his girlfriend in such a bad state. All he wanted to do was stop her from hurting. "I know how important Harry is to you. We can take a break until this all blows over." He reassured her.
Y/n shook her head, clinging to her chest. "No, no, please, Dray." She said as she cried out. "You're the last good thing I have left."
"Baby." He cooed, tracing her cheekbones. "I'll never leave you." He promised.
~
Draco stayed true to his word. He supported her throughout the whole year. Y/n was always worried for Harry. Despite the shunning, he inflicted on her.
It didn't stop with Harry. Y/n lost half of her friends that day. Hermione, the Weasley's and most muggle-borns refused to talk to her. She was always so kind that it troubled her.
Draco took her to the Yule ball, naturally. She saw Harry that night. They even made eye contact, but he didn't comment on her forest green dress. It matched her eyes perfectly, though, and Harry couldn't stop thinking about one photo of his mother he'd seen. They looked so similar.
She spent the Christmas break at the Malfoy's, receiving a sweater from Molly Weasley. That meant the world to her, despite none of them speaking to her.
When they got back to Hogwarts, Y/n figured out how irrelevant she was to Harry. Ron was the one that was taken for the second task. Everyone noticed. Not his own twin, his friend.
Y/n still remained close with Sirius. They wrote letters to each other throughout the year. He knew how worried she was about Harry.
The truth was, Sirius felt bad, James and Lily were his best friends and he knew they'd be disappointed to see the twins split up. Sirius was also worried for Y/n, he knew what it was like being part of the Black family.
He had hatched a few plans to get them to talk, but none worked. Not due to Y/n's lack of trying.
The third task was the worst thing Y/n had been through at Hogwarts. She could feel something bad was happening to Harry. When he came back through the portkey, she saw it. And it was distressing.
Voldermort was reborn, whether everyone believed it or not. Y/n could feel it was true.
~
5th year was exciting.
Y/n celebrated her 15th birthday before it started. This time, they had dinner with her friends. She didn't write to Harry.
Sirius sent her gifts, and he was starting to ask whether Narcissa was okay.
Just after her birthday, in August, Draco Malfoy and Y/n Potter were made prefects. They both read the letters at the breakfast table.
Narcissa was overjoyed for both of them.
At 11am, on the 1st of September, they got on the train to Hogwarts.
The rest of that year went on normally, apart from Umbridge's rules.
Christmas break was a sign that a darker power was brewing. Y/n heard the whispers under the door and she assumed the other side of the war also had meetings.
Y/n was shocked when Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban. After the Umbridge drama died down, they had to sit their O.W.L.s. That was rough.
One terrible day of June was Sirius' last. Y/n cried in Draco's arms for days over the death. She always thought Sirius was the only person who was going to be able to reunite the twins. And now he was gone.
~
Y/n knew something was very wrong during the summer. Draco told her he was a death eater. They cried about it together all night. The weeks following were stressful, and they weren't even back at Hogwarts. The war had started.
Draco and Narcissa kept Y/n hidden from Lucius' guests. O.W.L results were the first good thing that summer.
Y/n's 16th birthday was smaller than her last. Y/n, Draco, Pansy, Blaise and Theo were all hyperaware of the dementor attacks.
That weekend, they visited Diagon Alley with Narcissa. Y/n was at Draco's side the whole time, unfortunately, that meant she had a run-in with Harry and the Weasleys. It was awkward, to say the least. Her own twin still wouldn't acknowledge her.
Draco's task started at the beginning of the year. Y/n was the only one who knew about it, besides Snape.
Then Christmas, with even more death eater meetings. Y/n barely saw Draco. Narcissa had made her promise to take care of him, but it was difficult to get him to eat.
Draco continued his task during the second semester. Y/n knew that Harry knew about Draco. Their twin insight gave him the power to just know things.
It was getting difficult between Y/n and Draco. They didn't talk as honestly as they used to. He wanted to protect her. And she knew he needed to open up.
One day in May, Y/n rushed to see Draco in the hospital wing, concerned about how he could have gotten there. Did something go wrong with the vanishing cabinet?
"Draco!" She cried as she saw him lying on a hospital bed looking pale.
Draco waved at her, a little smile on his face.
"Potter." Snape hissed, looking down at the girl. Y/n didn't care he was there as she wrapped her arms around Draco. Snape was nicer to Y/n this year, which she didn't understand.
From a photo Sirius had given her, she knew she looked more like Lily than ever. She always kept the picture near her. It was the Potter parents holding up their twins, smiling.
"He's fine," Snape told her. "As for your brother, he's going to be in huge trouble." He continued before walking out of the hospital wing.
"What happened?" Y/n demanded, holding Draco's face in her hands. His cheekbones were more prominent now, and his eyes were more overcast.
Draco playfully huffed. "I was, uh, in the bathroom. Potter came in and used the bloody Sectumsempra spell on me." He complained, his eyes now angrier. She couldn't believe Harry would do something like that. But, then again, she didn't really know him.
Y/n noticed the way his voice faded when he talked about where he was. "Why were you in the bathroom?" She knew him well enough to push for an answer."
"Uh, talking." Draco offered an explanation. It wasn't good enough for Y/n to accept.
"To who?" She asked.
Draco groaned, rolling his eyes. He finally gave in. "Fine, I was crying to Moaning Myrtle." He admitted. His cheeks were pink with blush and he looked guilty.
"Dray." Y/n cooed, reaching down to hold his hand. "You can talk to me about anything you need to, any time." She assured him.
Draco nodded, thankfully. "He's going to get detention for the rest of the year." He told her, a self-satisfied smirk on his lips.
Narcissa was one of the last people Y/n expected to see walk into the Hospital Wing. She was in a black pantsuit.
"Mother." Draco greeted her, trying to move in the bed to get up.
"Stay put, you," Narcissa told him with a smile. She walked right over and hugged Y/n. "Are you okay?" She asked. Y/n just nodded. She knew a storm was brewing, but nothing had happened yet. It was only a matter of time. Then she turned to Draco. "Are you?" She asked him.
Draco already had a witty reply, clearly feeling like himself again. "Aside from my own mother preferring my girlfriend to me." He complained, a faux pout on his face.
Narcissa just rolled her eyes, like mother like son. "I can't help it. You get into too much trouble." She told him with a pointed look.
Draco scoffed. "Wasn't my fault." He complained quietly. The girls just gave him a look he knew too well. "Honestly, what are you doing here?" He asked. When Narcissa widened her eyes, he followed the question up with a statement. "Not that I'm not pleased to see you."
"I've actually come for Y/n." She explained.
Both Y/n and Draco looked at her in shock. "What? Why?" Y/n asked, most concerned.
Narcissa looked to Draco who sighed out an 'oh' and then back to Y/n before speaking. "You know about the cabinet." Y/n nodded. "They need it. The Death Eaters. To get into Hogwarts." That made Y/n worry. They weren't coming in to have dinner.
"You don't know this." Draco started, making Y/n's attention turn to him. "My task is to kill Dumbledore." Y/n's mouth gawked open. She could feel her hands shaking. More than anything, she couldn't believe someone would make a kid do that.
Narcissa grimaced. "It's all about to start." Y/n didn't need to ask what 'it' was. "So I'm taking Y/n away." She told them.
"Wait... for how long?" Draco asked quickly, gripping her hand.
"Draco, you sit in those meetings," Narcissa told him. "You know the plan is for them to take over the Ministry of Magic and persecute muggle-borns." That made Y/n wince. "It's not safe for Y/n to stay at Hogwarts, don't be silly about this." She strictly told him.
Draco sighed but nodded. He knew Narcissa was always right. "Can I still see her?" He asked, now thinking rationally. Y/n didn't like that she didn't have any say in the matter.
"Yes." At least there was that. "No one is going to know where she is apart from Lucius, you and I," Narcissa told them.
"Do I get any say in this?" Y/n finally spat out.
Narcissa turned her attention to Y/n with a pleading look. "You know we have to."
"I've still got a month of school left," Y/n argued.
"I know and I'm sorry we have to do this." Narcissa apologised. "It's all going to happen next month."
"Can't I stay until then?" Y/n asked.
Narcissa shook her head. "I promise you, if I thought you could, I would let you. You're a big part of what you-know-who wants, Harry more, but you must stay far away from this." She told her.
Y/n couldn't not agree. "Alright. We're leaving now?" She asked.
"Yes," Narcissa told her. "All of your things have been packed. Draco can come and see you once it's over." She promised.
Draco wrapped his arms around Y/n as he kissed her. It was one of the things she knew she was going to miss. She also knew it was time to go.
"Bye, I love you," Draco told her, waving from his hospital bed.
"I love you too," Y/n replied before walking out of the wing with Narcissa.
From there, they went out a secret passage, making sure no one saw. Professor Snape knew Y/n had to go, so he was coming up with the cover story.
Narcissa and Y/n finally reached a Slytherin scarf, which took them to a house she'd never been to. "Where are we?" Y/n asked, still holding on to the portkey.
"The South of England," Narcissa told her, making her brows furrow and eyes widen. "It's an old Black family house." She explained, opening the door. It was just as grand as the Manor, smaller, though.
Inside it looked just as gorgeous. All the decor was French country vintage. It screamed old money.
"It's beautiful," Y/n told Narcissa, having a look around the inside. There was so much light streaming into the room with wooden details.
"I'll make some tea. Your room is on the second floor, first door." Narcissa told her. Y/n nodded, walking up the stairs to find the room. It was decorated like royalty belonged there. There was a massive window that looked right out onto the coast.
It was then she realised the house was on a cliff. Y/n hadn't seen it from the angle the entryway was at. But it was spectacular. Lonely.
Y/n could spend her whole life there. She set her bags down and strolled around the room. It was smaller than Draco's was, at the manor. But it was much lighter. Almost the complete opposite of the Malfoy family home.
Once she had finished looking around, she went back downstairs to see Narcissa setting tea up on the coffee table. When she walked into the living room she saw the massive windows, showing the ocean.
"Sit," Narcissa commanded and Y/n did so right away. She poured tea for both of them before also sitting down. They sat in silence for a while, Y/n not knowing what to say. "I can tell you have questions." Narcissa prompted.
"Why is Snape protecting Draco and I?" Y/n asked quickly.
Narcissa sighed before answering. "Do you know what an Unbreakable Vow is?" She asked, and Y/n nodded. "Severus and I made one. He vowed to watch over Draco." Y/n nodded again. That vow must have expended to Y/n.
Y/n suddenly had more questions. "You need a Bonder, right?"
"Yes, Bellatrix was ours," Narcissa replied. Y/n was familiar with Draco's strange aunt. They had never met, out of Bellatrix's loyalty to Voldermort.
"Are you going to stay here with me?" She asked, concerned about being alone.
Narcissa shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can only be here sometimes. The story is you ran away, and no one knows where you are, so I can't be here too much." Y/n didn't know that before. Everyone was going to think she'd left by choice. Pansy, Daphne, Blaise, Theo. Harry, if he cared. She knew none of them were going to be able to know why she was gone.
"Am I safe here?" Y/n asked, now worrying about how she would be safe alone. The tea they were sipping seemed to calm her down.
"Yes, there are charms on the house so no one can get in. But, I'm also giving you this." Narcissa stopped what she was saying and pulled out a necklace. It was a heart-shaped gold locket. Narcissa placed it in her hand. Y/n looked at it. That's when she noticed the initials on it. Draco's and hers.
Y/n thanked her. "That's not it. If you open it like this." Narcissa instructed, opening the heart. Y/n noticed the emerald gemstone. "This stone is a portkey, right to the Manor." So Y/n would be able to get back to the Manor.
"I can't thank you enough, and I don't want to intrude, but I do have a personal question." Y/n was hesitant about what she was going to ask. But she needed to know. "You said before, in the hospital wing, that Mr Malfoy knew where I was staying. And I have a lot of respect for him, so I don't want this to come off badly." Y/n could tell she was rambling. Narcissa could as well, she slid a hand onto Y/n's to calm her down. "Why is it safe for him to know? He's you-know-who's number 2. Eventually, he's going to want me dead." It broke Y/n's heart, she knew it was going to ruin Draco's life. But, his father was going to have to kill her.
"Slow down." Narcissa smiled softly. That comforted Y/n a little. "Do you remember when we met, the summer before the World Cup?" She asked. Y/n nodded in agreement, not sure where it was going. "The night we met you, I knew. I knew Draco was in love with you. And, I knew Voldermort was going to come back and try to kill the Potter twins." Y/n's heart started to race at the mention of her parents' death. "I made Lucius make an unbreakable vow. Snape was the Bonder." Oh, it made sense. Lucius couldn't hurt Y/n, Narcissa had protected her.
She just didn't understand why so she asked. "Why? I mean, I appreciate it more than anything. But you risked your whole marriage." It was true, and Narcissa knew that.
"I've never thought you or Harry should be persecuted. My parents raised me as pureblood supremacists, but killing is wrong." Narcissa told her. Y/n was thankful for her honesty. She filled the place Lily had left, and Petunia hadn't tried to fill. "I love Draco, more than anything in the world. The only thing I've ever wanted is to see him happy. I knew he was happy with you." Y/n understood Narcissa's unconditional love for Draco, she felt the same.
"He's lucky to have you," Y/n mentioned, trying not to think about her parents.
"I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I'm very sorry about your parents," Narcissa told her. Y/n could feel the tears in her eyes.
She let a few of them fall. "Did you, uh, know them?"
"My last two years at Hogwarts, they were there. James was only 11 but he was loud and brave. He would even stand up to me with Sirius." Hearing both their names made Y/n cry more. She was crying for the dad she never knew, and the uncle she only had for a short time. "I noticed you at Hogwarts, I think during second year, and I had deja vu. You looked so similar to Lily. She always wore her hair just like you did." Y/n remembered seeing Narcissa but she didn't remember Narcissa seeing her.
"Would they be disappointed in me?" Y/n couldn't help but ask. Narcissa felt her pain, running deep. She immediately wrapped the girl in a hug, letting her cry.
"No, never for a moment." She confirmed. "I know it's not the same, but I'm proud of you." It wasn't the same, but it meant just as much.
"Thank you." Y/n thanked her again.
"No thanks are necessary. I should go back though." Narcissa stated, looking at her watch.
Y/n nodded, gently opening the necklace so she wouldn't touch the emerald. Narcissa held it, and just like that, she was gone.
Y/n found a good amount of things to do. There were movies and music. She still had some of her textbooks. Plus, exploring the house was fun.
But she did miss Draco. And the rest of her friends. Instead of using an owl, she decided to send letters by muggle post to the Malfoy residence, so Narcissa could send them to Hogwarts.
~
There was a knock on the door a couple of weeks after Y/n moved in.
She peaked out the window before seeing a tuff of blonde hair. It was Draco.
Quickly, she swung the door open, embarrassing him in her arms.
Draco hugged her back, lifting her off the ground and twirling her around.
"Dray, I missed you." She cooed, head buried in his shoulder.
"I missed you too, my girl." He replied, pulling her even closer. It was so tight she felt like she couldn't breathe.
When she pulled back, she had a thought. "How did you manage to come? Don't you have classes?"
Draco shook his head. "Quidditch match. It's Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw, so I came here instead." Y/n was very grateful for Quidditch that day.
They only had a few hours before people would notice he was gone. But they baked cookies together while Draco filled her in on everything she'd missed. As well as lots of kissing.
When it came time for him to leave, she was upset. But Draco made her promise not to cry.
~
Draco came back after the battle of the tower. Y/n knew there was something wrong. He didn't grin as wide when he met her at the beach.
There were already tears forming in his eyes, and it was late.
"Dray, talk to me, baby." Y/n pleaded as they lay together on the couch. It was far past midnight. Y/n was on Draco's chest and they were a tangle of limbs. She had her fingers running through his hair.
Draco sighed. "I couldn't do it." He sobbed out. "I couldn't kill him. Snape had to do it. It was so horrible, Y/n." He continued, tears still falling. "My father was so mad. He cares more about appeasing Voldermort than me." Y/n's heart clenched as she heard his words.
"Draco, he loves you." Y/n tried to reassure him.
Draco tried to accept it, but it was difficult. "I'm scared for what's going to happen." He told her.
"Me too," Y/n admitted. "How's it all going to end?" She asked him.
The truth was Draco didn't know. And she knew that. "They're talking over the Manor." He didn't want to be the one telling her the bad news. "They're going to go after anyone and everyone associated with Muggleborns. I'm not going to get to be here much." He hesitantly admitted.
"You've done what they needed you to do, though!" Y/n exclaimed, feeling outraged.
"I know. I'm not sure what they're going to do with me. Father lectured me and I just came here." Draco explained. It reassured her there might be some hope he could spend the summer there. "It'll be okay, Y/n."
She tried to retain that. "Can you come back on my birthday, at least?" Y/n asked.
"Of course, baby." Draco quickly replied. That brought Y/n some relief.
~
Draco was busy a lot of the summer. Despite having completed the task he was given, he was still Lucius's son.
He told Y/n all about how the Manor had been taken over by death eaters. It worried her. She also spent a lot of time worried about Harry. He was the only blood connection she had left in the world, and she had no idea where he was.
Draco came back on her birthday like he promised. He had more flowers than she'd ever seen in her life. That wasn't where the gifts ended. Jewellery, new shoes, perfume and a big cake.
Narcissa made it as well for dinner. She even insisted Draco stay the night.
By nighttime, they were lying in bed together. Draco's arms wrapped around her tightly. As usual, she lay against his chest. Draco stroking her hair.
When she looked up at him, she knew something was wrong. After all their years together, she could read him like a book. "What is it?"
"What do you mean?" He asked. His voice was a slightly higher pitch. Y/n recognised that as a sign he was hiding something.
"I can tell something bothering you," Y/n explained. "Let me in, Dray." She pleaded.
Draco knew he had to. "I have to leave early tomorrow morning."
Y/n knew that wasn't it. "I need the whole truth." Draco groaned, knowing she knew him better than he knew himself.
"I have to go early so I can be at the takeover of the ministry," Draco revealed to her. "They're going after Scrimgeour because he knows where Harry is." Oh. That wasn't good. Either the minister would give up Harry's location, and her twin brother would be killed. Or, the Ministry of Magic would be run by Death Eaters. Either way, their power was growing. Y/n knew Harry only had a matter of time. Then she would be next.
"So, no one knows where Harry is?" Y/n asked hopefully. Even if he hated her, she would rather he was alive.
Draco shook his head. "He's hunting the Horcruxes, I'd guess. Scrimgeour knows and maybe a few members of the Ministry." That made Y/n relieved, although she wasn't sure how good Harry's survival skills were.
"Am I going to be okay?" Y/n asked, fearing the worst.
Draco took a deep breath as he prepared an answer. "I'm never going to let him get to you, I promise. My Father's vow will make sure he can't either. No one else knows you're here." He reassured her. Y/n just hoped it was true, Draco could read that.
"So you're going back to Hogwarts?" Y/n couldn't help but ask.
Draco nodded. "I think Snape is going to be appointed Headmaster. I'll be safe there." That reassured Y/n to no end. He chuckled slightly, a smile on his face. "We were going to be Head boy and girl." He explained. Y/n's face dropped as she tried not to cry. "Hey, hey, hey." Draco noticed. "It's just the way it happened."
"I know." She nodded. "It just could have been the best year ever."
"When this is all over, we're going to have the best year." He assured her. Y/n tried to hang onto that.
It got difficult the further the year dragged on. Y/n barely saw Draco. She did receive letters about how horrible things had gotten. Hogwarts was gloomier, no one could find Harry, Snape's regime was intense. Y/n was thankful she was away from the whole mess.
Just before Christmas, she found out Luna Lovegood had been kidnapped. Draco had started to detest the cause he was fighting for. He never said so, but she could infer it from what he wrote.
In March, she discovered Harry had been captured. Draco was the one who had to identify him, and he felt horrible about it. He cried on her shoulder, begging her to forgive him when he came to see her. Y/n was never mad at Draco. She was smart enough to know he had to do it. And, deep down, she could feel that Harry was okay.
Draco was in a worse state when they escaped. Not because he wanted Harry to be killed. Because his own aunt had murdered Dobby. While he was taught to hate the house-elves, Dobby was almost his younger sibling.
All Draco could feel was split, unsure of what to do.
Draco told her it was all going to happen on May 1st. The battle of Hogwarts. Y/n spent the whole day riddled with anxiety. She spent a whole 3 days wide awake, waiting for news.
She felt a cursing pain through her head at some point on the 2nd of May. Then the visions started, of Harry and Dumbledore at a train station. She realised she was seeing inside Harry's vision. When he made the choice to return to his body, Y/n knew everything would be alright.
Y/n anxious sat on the couch until 3 people appeared. It was only the early hours of the morning. She immediately ran to Draco wrapping her arms around him. He was unkempt, and his hair was a mess. He hugged her back, pulling her into his chest. She had never seen him looking as disturbed.
"What happened?" Y/n asked, turning to give Narcissa a hug. Much to her surprise, Lucius shook her hand. It was the first time they'd ever done something like that.
"We left," Lucius told her. That was also the first time he'd ever properly talked to her. She didn't understand.
They explained it all to her. How Harry sacrificed himself, how he died, more importantly how Narcissa discovered he was alive. Y/n hung on every word as Narcissa told her how she had lied to Voldermort. She also told Y/n Harry asked if she was still alive. Harry still cared about her.
By that point Draco, Narcissa and Y/n were all crying.
The sun had just started rising when Y/n realised it.
Suddenly, she had a massive headache. The kind she knew Harry used to have. And she knew what it meant.
"Voldermort's dead," Y/n announced, causing all of their eyes to widen. "I just know. I can feel it. Harry killed him." She felt more connected to Harry than she had in years, but she knew.
There were no words any of them said as they hugged. She could feel her head beating rapidly, the same as Draco's.
"Who died?" Y/n finally asked the question she was terrified to ask. Harry was the only one she knew was alive from the good side.
"Bellatrix." Narcissa sobbed out, Lucius immediately pulling her into a hug. It was one of the first times Y/n had seen them acting so intimately.
Draco continued giving Y/n the list. Every second felt like an hour as she hoped none of her friends died. "Fred Weasley." She could only think about the heartbreak that would have caused her brother and his friends. "Snape too." Draco let a few tears fall and Y/n rushed to wipe them. "Lupin and Tonks." Lupin was the last person alive who really knew her parents. Now her chances of knowing about them were over. "There were a lot of others too but everyone else we are close to is okay."
"Good." Y/n nodded before wrapping him in a hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes. Both couples holding each other, all feeling extremely grateful.
"We should go back home," Narcissa told them, glancing at the clock on the wall. "We'll have breakfast." She promised.
Draco enthusiastically nodded. "I'm starving." He mentioned.
Narcissa reached out to grab his hand. "You haven't eaten in days."
Y/n quickly turned her attention to Draco. "Dray." She told him, hitting his arm. "You can't do that."
"I won't, ever again." He promised, his hand wrapping around her waist. "As long as you're there to cook for me." He cheekily quipped, looking at Y/n with a grin. It was the first one she had seen in a while.
Narcissa and Lucius both laughed at the younger couple who reminded them of themselves. "You're dreaming," Y/n replied, bumping into his shoulder. Y/n opened her necklace.
Narcissa, Draco, Lucius and Y/n all touched the emerald. Just like that, they arrived in the Manor living room. It was like Y/n remembered, still as dark. She did feel better about being there, knowing no death eaters were trying to kill her brother.
Over pancakes, they laughed and talked. The world finally felt peaceful again. It was the first time Y/n had been happy in weeks.
An owl knocked at the window, around midday and Y/n took the two letters out of its mouth.
"Dray." She told him, handing his one over to him. "It's from Hogwarts." She told Narcissa and Lucius. They both opened their letters and read them. "In June, they're having an end of year feast," Y/n explained.
"So, we've got a month off school?" Draco looked thrilled by the news.
Narcissa chuckled. "What does it say about your exams?" She asked.
Draco read further down. "Mine says my grades from last year will be considered my grades for this year and I can become an Aurora. Or I can go back to Hogwarts." There was hopefulness in his voice Y/n had missed.
"Draco!" Narcissa cheered, jumping up to hug him. "Congratulations."
"Mine says the same." Y/n realised. "But how is that possible?" She asked, looking at Narcissa.
"I'm not sure." The woman replied, looking just as confused.
"I may have a few words with the acting Ministry when Voldermort was in charge," Lucius reported. All 3 of them were shocked by the confession.
Y/n was overcome with appreciation. "Thank you, sir."
"Please, Lucius is fine." That surprised Y/n but it was nice to hear he might not have hated her as much as she thought. It was the first time Y/n had seen a smile on his face. "What are you two planning on doing with your time off?" He asked the younger couple.
Draco and Y/n met each other's eyes, they hadn't thought about it. "What are we meant to do?" Draco asked.
"The house on the cliff is empty, if you want to spend more time there, Y/n," Narcissa mentioned. Draco grinned widely, nodding his head. He accepted the offer. "Slow down, Y/n?" Narcissa asked, turning her attention to Y/n.
"Yes, I'd love to. Thank you." Y/n affirmed her boyfriend's acceptance.
"When can we go?" Draco asked.
Lucius chuckled. "You don't want to spend time with your parents, son?" He joked. Another first. "You're going of age now, Draco. Y/n too. I think you've both earned the privilege of being treated like adults." He told them.
"You have to be back for your birthday, Draco. We're going to throw a party." Narcissa instructed, raising her eyebrows at him.
"So I'm not an adult?" Draco quipped back.
Narcissa turned to Y/n. "Will you make sure he comes back?" Y/n nodded. "Then you are both free to leave after I get a hug." She informed them, opening her arms up. Draco hugged her first, standing much taller than her.
Then he left to get his stuff. Lucius followed him up the stairs. Y/n walked over to Narcissa, embracing her.
"Thank you, for everything." Y/n mentioned in her arms.
"It's never a problem, sweetness," Narcissa replied, kissing the girl on the forehead.
~
Y/n and Draco took a different portkey to the house. Both of them were buzzing to have a month together after being apart for so long. They finally felt free and independent.
For a few weeks, they just hung out, reacquainting with each other. They spent time in London, seeing muggle sights and shopping. As well as the small, nearby muggle town. It had the cutest cafe.
Draco and Y/n also hung out with Pansy, Theo and Blaise again. They were all thrilled to see her. She explained the whole situation to them and they completely understood.
Between them, it was like no time was lost.
One summer evening, Draco had insisted on cooking Y/n dinner. He explained it was a date. She was to dress up nice like they were going out. Draco was in a full black suit, matching Y/n's sparkling black dress.
He even set the outdoor table, making Y/n sit there and wait for him to bring out dinner.
It was a pasta dish. The same one Narcissa had made the first time Y/n met the Malfoy family.
"Thank you, Dray," Y/n said as they sat, looking out at the view. The sun was just setting and the whole sky was painted pinks and oranges. In the distance, there was the sound of waves breaking on the cliff.
Draco looked nervous, she hadn't seen him like that for a long time. "Uh, I had a question for you." He stuttered out, cheeks turning pink.
Y/n sent him a soft smile, trying to help him calm down. His nerves were worrying her. What could he possibly ask her? Y/n knew exactly what was about to happen when Draco slid off his chair and down onto one knee. Her hands immediately came over her mouth. Tears were already pricking her eyes. He reached into his back pocket, producing a green velvet box.
"I've, uh, I've thought about doing this for a really long time. When we first met I knew you were the one who was always going to hold a special part of my heart. It was everything about you. I never believed in love at first sight until I met you." Y/n was full-on sobbing at Draco's words. They were the sweetest thing anyone had ever said. "I knew from when I met you that I'd always love you. But I had no idea you'd bear to be around me for long enough. I was kind of insufferable." Y/n and Draco both chuckled. "I'm so grateful I even got the chance to know someone as clever, kind, funny and ambitious as you. Once I'd asked you out, I knew I needed you to be mine forever." Draco let a few tears out, stopping to wipe them. "I've done a lot of stupid things, hurt a lot of people and you're far too good for me, I know that. But, I swear, I'm going to spend every day making it up however I can. I'm going to spend every day making it up to you too. If you let me. I think I knew you before I understood myself. You truly are my best friend and the most important person to me in the world." Neither of them could stop the uncontrollable tears they let out. "So, uh, I've got to ask now. Y/n Potter, will you do me the honours of marrying me?" Draco opened the ring box, revealing a huge diamond ring. It looked vintage and the prettiest thing Y/n had ever seen.
Y/n wiped a few stray tears off her cheeks, leaning down to do that same to Draco. "Yes, Draco. A million times yes." He was grinning as wide as she'd ever seen as he slipped the ring on her finger.
He stood up, holding her face in his hands. "I love you." He told her, leaning down to kiss her gently.
"I love you too," Y/n replied, eyes closed with her forehead intimately pressed against Draco's. When she moved her eyes she looked down at the ring. "It's so beautiful, Dray."
Draco nodded before explaining the story. "It's, um, a Black family heirloom. If Mum, Aunt Bella or Aunt Andromeda were boys, they would have gotten it. Luckily for me, it skipped a generation."
"It's stunning." Y/n leant back up to place a kiss on his lips. "Now, what have you cooked for dessert?" She asked, giggling lightly.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Your favourite, of course, but only because you said yes." He revelled.
~
Y/n woke Draco up on his birthday with an assortment of gifts. After they ate breakfast and unwrapped presents, they went to the Manor.
Y/n knocked on the door happily. Draco's left hand entwined with her right one. Narcissa swung it open and embarrassed Y/n in an enthusiastic hug. She quickly grabbed Y/n's left hand, looking at the ring.
"I knew it would look perfect on you," Narcissa mentioned, tracing over the ring. Y/n grinned at her.
"It is perfect," Y/n said, grinning at Draco.
"You're perfect." Draco simply replied. Narcissa chuckled at the two of them. "Can I have my hug?" He asked Narcissa.
Narcissa dropped Y/n's hand hesitantly to pull him in. "18 but you're still acting like a petulant child." She joked making Draco pull a face of mock offence. "Happy birthday, Draco."
"Are you keeping them in here, Sissy?" Lucius asked, walking around the corner. Narcissa rolled her eyes at him. "Happy birthday, son." He said, wrapping Draco in a hug. "Y/n." Lucius turned to her.
"Mr Malfoy." Y/n greeted. She thought she was in trouble when he raised his eyebrows and shot her a pointed look. The smile on his lips assured her she wasn't about to be told off. "Lucius." She corrected herself.
Y/n held out a hand to shake his but he shook his head, opening his arms. "You're my future daughter-in-law, come here." He insisted, and Y/n hugged him, trying to avoid showing her shock.
After they had lunch and Draco opened more presents, Pansy, Daphne, Theo, Blaise, other friends and several Malfoy and Black family members came over. It was a phenomenal party.
Pansy raced right over to Y/n, flinging her arms around the girl.
"Hi Pansy, it's actually my birthday." Draco sarcastically greeted her.
Pansy rolled her eyes. "Happy birthday, you big baby." She said, giving him a hug too. "I'm sorry I missed my best friend." Draco faked offence.
Theo, Blaise and Daphne all came to hug the couple as well. Neither Y/n nor Draco had realised they didn't know about the engagement.
They all quickly got flutes of champagne, raising them to toast each Draco.
That's when Pansy saw it. "Oh, Merlin. Is that an engagement ring!?" Pansy shouted, grabbing Y/n's left hand.
Both Y/n and Draco awkwardly laughed. "Yes," Y/n confirmed as Pansy admired the ring, showing Y/n's hand to Daphne and the boys.
"That's not just any ring. That's a Black Family ring." Blaise noticed.
Y/n furrowed her eyebrows. "How did you know that?" She asked, looking back at Draco.
He was blushing pink. "Loverboy, here, has been talking about giving it to you since 1st year," Theo informed Y/n. "He wouldn't shut up about it most nights." Her eyes widened as she looked at a red-faced Draco.
"You never told me that," Y/n mentioned, nudging his chest. Draco groaned, wrapping his arm around Y/n's waist.
"Because it's really embarrassing." Draco quietly stated.
Daphne pattered Draco's arm. "Y/n used to talk about you in her sleep." Daphne declared. That made Y/n's cheeks heat. Draco and the rest of the friend group burst out laughing.
~
It was finally the day of the final Hogwarts feast. Y/n didn't ever think, at 11 years old, it was going to end like this. In 7 years, she had learnt so much more than most people learnt in their lifetime.
"Pans, Blaise." Y/n opened the door of the Black's seaside house to invite Pansy and Blaise in.
Pansy and Blaise were both dressed in formal clothing as they hugged Y/n. She was wearing a deep green dress that matched Draco's suit's tie.
"You look lovely." Pansy complimented her.
"Pansy, look at you!" Y/n returned the compliment, instructing Pansy to do a spin of her silver dress.
"Are we ready to go?" Draco asked, walking down the stairs. He was in a full black suit aside from his green tie. He bro-hugged Blaise and gave Pansy a hug before wrapping an arm around Y/n's waist.
Y/n nodded. "Let's do it."
Y/n hadn't seen how destructed Hogwarts was, but it now looked just like when she left. She couldn't help but feel sad at the tragedy that had occurred a month ago.
"It's odd being back," Pansy spoke what they were all thinking. Everyone gave her a nod of agreement.
The two couples walked into the great hall, hand in hand. Everyone was surprised to see Y/n. They still had no explanation for why she was gone.
Naturally, Y/n's eyes met her brother. She noticed how faded his lightning-bold scar looked. But she didn't go over to him, she just went to her house table.
McGonagall spoke, about the losses they had faced and how good always won in the end. Her speech was inspiring. Everyone was still distraught about the battle, it was evident on their faces.
They ate, laughing at their tables as the sky fell dark. Y/n had missed being at Hogwarts, it was like home to her. The couple finally made their way through the castle to go home when it was late.
"Y/n!" That was a voice she hadn't expected to hear. She hadn't heard him say her name in years. Harry. His voice was much deeper now.
Y/n stopped in her tracks, quickly turned around to look at him. She still looked like she remembered. "Hi." She greeted him, awkwardly rocking on her feet.
"I'll give you a moment," Draco mentioned, unlacing his hand with Y/n's and walking off.
Now, neither of them knew what to say. They were family but so disconnected.
"How are you?" Harry finally asked.
Y/n softly smiled. "I'm alright. And you?"
"Good." Harry stuttered. Silence fell again. "I'm so sorry." He blurted out. "I never should have said the things I did in 4th year. I was so angry about what Malfoy was saying and I couldn't believe it."
Y/n nodded. "I know, Harry, you don't need to explain it or be sorry."
"No, I do. I shouldn't have refused to talk to you for 3 years. It was childish and hurt you." Harry insisted. It made Y/n feel like the weight was off her shoulders. A weight she had been hauling for years. "I looked for you when I left Hogwarts for a whole year."
That was new information but it warmed Y/n's heart. "Harry, I had no idea." She replied, tears swelling in her eyes. "Narcissa told me you asked about me."
"I felt the worst I had ever felt. I was immature, and mum and dad would have been disappointed." Harry admitted.
Y/n shook her head, finally letting the tears fall at the thought of her parents. "Harry, no, please. They would be so proud of you for everything. I'm so sorry about everything I said as well. I just need to know if you hate me." She begged, looking into his matching eyes.
"I never hated you, not for a minute. I was mad but I was also stupid and prejudice." Harry told her, finally allowing her to relax. Y/n pulled him in for a hug without thinking about it. "I missed you so much." Harry was sobbing too, hot tears on Y/n's back.
"I missed you too. Ron and Hermione and the Weasley's too." Y/n told him, pulling back. "Would you maybe want to hang out sometime. Talk?"
Harry couldn't nod quick enough. "Yes, please. I'd really like that. We've missed a lot of time."
Y/n pulled him back in for another hug. It was like the two puzzle pieces were finally together. The part of her heart that was missing was now filled.
"Is your scar okay?" Y/n asked, running her left forefinger over Harry's forehead.
Harry nodded, glancing up at her finger. He noticed the ring. Harry grabbed Y/n's hand, examining it in front of her. "Oh my." He exclaimed.
"Please don't be mad." Y/n winced, breath shortening.
"No, not at all," Harry told her. "I just want to be a part of your life. Draco's as well." He told her honestly. Y/n had never felt better than she did right then.
"Thank you," Y/n told him. "Are you with Ginny?" She couldn't help but ask.
Harry smiled as he nodded. "Yeah. This ring is phenomenal though." Harry mentioned, smiling as he met Y/n's eyes.
"I know." Y/n agreed a giddy smile on her face.
Today just might have been the best day of her life. She had a twin brother she spoke to and an amazing fiancee. Life was perfect.
511 notes · View notes
crystalcow · 4 years ago
Text
𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑//𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑎𝑝 𝑝𝑡 4
Masterlist // child reader ML //
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Sapnap x reader !p !child reader
Pronouns used: none specified!
Warnings: swearing, mentions of death, casinos
➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳
𝐊𝐢𝐧𝗼𝐤𝗼 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝗼𝐰??
Quackity was telling you all of his plans
He rambled on for hours of his ideas for casinos and how he was going to marry Karl and sapnap
It sounded great
He had his whole plan set up! He even had Sam helping him with the building
But then he left
Just like everyone else
But that was fine! You were just with sapnap
Before Karl came running over rambling on about needed to move his library
He had a library?
“[Redacted] you need to stay close, please”
You looked at him weirdly
Who the fuck was [redacted]
“Karl my names Y/n you idiot” “flame..” “sorry”
He didn’t even notice it and then you had to spend the next couple days hauling over 100 books
“Oo hey what are these! The covers look really weird”
You had found his time travel books
Woops
That man raced over and in the kindest way possible, snatched it from your hands
“Don’t touch those, they are my special books”
You just shrugged and let him be, he freaks you out enough
So you all traveled to this area in the spruce forest and built a really ugly mushroom hut
But hey it’s fine! Foolish thankfully came around later that day and made everything better
So you stuck around
Maybe you needed this, this new start
Oh but prime knows that wouldnt last long
Karl started forgetting
At first it was simple things as just forgetting where he was or little stumbles with names
But eventually he was going away longer and longer
He started calling you by these strange names, some that sound Victorian and western and others that are unlike you
One day he didn’t call you by your name at all
You were hanging around the Sakura trees and the big yin Yang pond waiting for sapnap to come back with George
Then you saw Karl exit the library, running up to him for a hug
It’s been two months since you’ve seen him
You fucking hated it but you couldn’t help but consider him another parental figure
He loved it
But he just stood there as you wrapped your arms around him
Expecting the usual “[reda]- Y/n, I’ve missed you so much my sweet flame!”
But there was nothing just a sad one sided hug
“Hello? I’m sorry but do I know you?”
You were ready to cry
“I’m sorry, I uh must’ve mistaken you for the wrong person” “No that’s fine! Hugs are nice?”
So you left and ran into the library
Scouring throughout all of the books until you found them
The same 8 books you shrugged away
You read through all of them along with Karl’s other journals
You didn’t like going through his stuff especially, a whole invasion of privacy
The more you read the worse it got
What were you gonna tell Sapnap?
Who the hell is James, and [redacted]?
And why couldn’t he stop
It’s no use anymore
You were simply just forgotten
𝐋𝗼𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬
The closer you got to the large building, the sicker you got
Kinoko Kingdom was supposed to be your free pass
But somehow you always end up here
You called for Sam on the comms waiting for the beep
The inside looked great to say the least
“What are your past relationships with the prisoner?” “No answer.”
“Where are you currently resided?” “No answer”
“Do you believe the prisoner deserves his sentence?” “Maybe”
You put all your shit in the locker and followed him through all the safety checks
“I’m glad you didn’t bring anything with you”
You stood on the platform heart racing as the lava went down
It was like a ticking time bomb
The small squeaks and scratches of the hovering bridge
He just stared at you
That sick stupid mask was broken by tommy that day in the black stone room
So you had to look into his face
Lets just say he looks good in Orange
“Barrier up or down?” “Down”
He backed up into the corner as you stepped in
Smiling
Once the lava cascaded down your smile turned into a sick frown
“Hello” is that all he had to fucking say?
“Screw you. Fuck you. Damn you”
He just looked you a small chuckle escaping from his lips
“Those all mean the same thing.” “Well I’ve been living in cinnamon town for the past couple months, and I’m ready to fucking burn some buns”
Yeah he just laughed
“I’ve missed you Hot shot”
“You ruined our damn life!”
Someone went quiet
“If you didn’t have to have a petty little war, or criminalize children we could’ve been fine! It could’ve just been you, dad, me, and George.”
You were pissed, everyone just kept leaving you.
Tommy and Tubbo, Quackity, Karl, Dream, and hell even Wilbur
“You come and visit me, after not having seen me for months and you just yell? Not a hello or ‘how are you dream?’ ‘How’s prison dream’ ‘how can I help you get out of this damn place’ “
You just sat down ready to just walk out into the lava
“I’ve been stuck here for months! None of you even cared enough to visit me, hell even Tommy came around.”
You might have felt a little bad after leaving him
The prison was cold even tho lava was flowing right there
“Why would you leave the discs alone..” “Because I had to end it.”
What were you doing here
What were you planning on saying?
“So, what do you do in prison”
“I have a clock.”
You got up to go look at the pretty clock
Then threw it at his face
“Ow” “deal with it bitch”
The longer you stayed the worse the feeling in your stomach got
so you buzzed for Sam waving goodbye
“Wait.. Do they miss me?” “Can’t say, but I think this may be for the best.”
He wanted his best friends
But he just got the annoying teenager
Oh but that wouldn’t be the last
𝐋𝐚𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬
You got a letter in the mail one day
Who the hell uses letters??
You were shocked to see the address and the small post card
“Come around some time”-Quackity
Ans on the back it had the cords
Oh well what did you have to loose? Sapnap was focused on Karl
and well Karl didn’t even know you
So you set off
It took you a couple hours travel by horse to get to the desert area
The large sign blaring in the red text
You gotta admit the place looked beautiful
There was a giant dick and different shops
You were shocked to see this random un human like guy
“Hello, I am Charlie a totally human guy!”
Yeah totally not slime
“I’m uh, Y/n?” He reached out for a handshake sort of thing
“Dap me up!” “Another time Charlie”
Maybe when you had hand sanitizer
“Ohh so your Y/n! Mister Quackity talks about you all the time, come on in!”
You were skeptical but followed anyways
Stopping in your tracks when you saw Fundy
“Furry?” “Fire shit?”
You went over to give him a side hug, ruffling his fur
“What the hell are you doing here ginger boy!” “Oh you know, just escaping nightmares”
You were confused then just let him be
You walked to the entry way of the place
A beautiful pond with flowers and an arch
“Did what the place where Mr. Quackity was going to propose!”
Going to?
You shrugged it off following inside
You hated to admit it, but you were excited to see him
Yeah you really needed a parental figure in your life at the moment
So when you saw him, he immediately pick you up in a hug
You didn’t fail to notice his change in appearance
That beanie stayed the same tho
Thank god
“Hey hey! Let me show you around the place, we can also go for lunch and talk.”
The casino looked great to say the least
Loud music booming from the speakers, along with the live jazz band on the side
Slot machines were going off every minute
“Have a chip, something to remember this by”
He handed you a red poker chip
It was a cool one tho, in the middle has a blocky sort of smile
Creepy and dopey.. sick!
So you put it around a spare silver chain
“So how have you been kid? ‘Ts been a while hasn’t it.” “Could be better..”
You both walked around the city in silence, offering to go in the super model shop
“No” “why not” “keep walking”
On your way to lunch you had to squint at what you were seeing
“Oh my goodness you’re still alive?!” “You’re alive!?”
You and revivebur just stared at one another
“Yeah he came back after I died!” “you what now-“
You just stared at Tommy and back to Wilbur
Oh god those shrooms were messing with your head
You should’ve gotten out of there a while ago
Quackity came over placing his hands on your shoulders
“Do I have to execute you both? Get off my damn property”
“Sorry Q. Say, Y/n wanna join Lmanburg 2.0?”
You back away holding your hands up
“I denied that offer once, and I’ll do it again. Fucking zombie freaks”
You obviously muttered the last part
Why the fuck did dream revive those two shits??
When did Tommy even die??
Your visit here has just gotten weirder and weirder
𝐌𝗼𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬
Quackity got you away from the brits as quick as he could
So he brought you over to his office
“So kid, how’s your dad..”
Ah you expected this question
“How the fuck am I supposed to know. He’s living his life, Karl’s time traveling! Oh yeah did I mention he doesn’t even remember me.”
He looked at you with wide eyes
“So I’m not the only one they forgot..”
You slammed you hands on the fable dramatizing the situation
“How would you feel about moving here? I mean you could work for me in the casino!”
You thought about it for a second
You have two options
1. Live in shroom town with bubbles
2. Move to las Nevada’s with Quackity
You were sure Sapnap wouldn’t mind
I mean would he even care?
He hasn’t for the past couple months!
“You feel abandoned there, over here there are hundreds of people. You’ll have the time of your life”
You thought about it for a sec
“Alright hand me a contract”
So you signed
Making deals with the devil huh
Little did you know it would cost you your life
Devils little soul
➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳
and this is the finale! I will take requests for sapnaps child, and I’ll do some shit with Quackity and the casino and go in more depth if wanted!
As always request and ask anything! And ask if you want to be on a taglist (child reader or general)
For those on the taglist I don’t know if you wanted to be tagged for all child reader shit or just dreams child.. so please tell me :)
@creatorofstars @georgenctfound @samistheidiot @smolbox-png @ghostlysenses @stellarinstigator @bobaducky
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holdmytesseract · 3 years ago
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Mission (In)Complete
Kylo Ren x fem!Reader
Summary: You‘re on a dangerous mission for the Resistance, in which you have a important part. Destination? The Finalizer. You knew he would be there. What happens when your paths cross with the man you have a meaningful past with?
Warnings: quite angsty, a bit of fluff, the usual Star Wars things?
Word Count: 2,3k
a/n: I’m so sorry! I couldn’t help myself!
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My breathing was shaky, as I made my way through the sheer endless winding, grey and black corridors of the Finalizer. The mission was clear. A small group, consisting of Rey, Finn and me should sneak on board of the cruiser and turn down its main shields, so that the air attack - led by Poe Dameron could destroy their main weapons. Or better: The whole battlecruiser. After all, this was the flagship of the First Order and it would cause a lot of demolition, if we could make it to destroy it. It wasn't quite the easy task. It was risky and dangerous, but manageable. My part in this? 'While Finn and Rey are working on turning the shields off, are you, Y/N, going to make sure Ren can't intervene. We are most certain he will be on the Finalizer. The stormtroopers and the rest of the crew won't be the biggest problem. But Kylo Ren for sure is.' I heard Poe's words echoing in my head. It has been his idea. 'Do you feel alright with doing that, Y/N? You don't have to, you know that.' Leia's words and her worried gaze ghosted through my head as well. I didn't know if I was ready to do that, but I agreed nevertheless. And so, here I was now. I had hoped the entire time that he wouldn't be on the ship... Had hoped he was somewhere else in the galaxy, causing destruction. Just anywhere but here. But of course, he wasn't. I could feel him. I could feel his presence the moment I set foot in the big battleship. And I was more than certain that he could feel my presence through the force, too. After all, I was supposed to be his personal bait. It was my job to keep him occupied, so that the others could fulfill their part of the plan. An encounter was therefore seemingly inevitable. It was strange to feel his presence again after such a long time and I didn't know how I should feel about it. It felt good and comforting, yet dangerous and intimidating. See, we two had history. History, I partly wanted to forget, but also wanted to engrave in my memories forever. Bittersweet. "Okay... We meet later in the hangar again. You got this, Y/N?" I nodded at Rey, giving her a smile. "Sure. But you guys better hurry. I don't know if and how long I am able to keep him distracted." They both nodded. "Take care, Y/N. Please," Finn said, hugging me. "Of course. You two as well." So we parted ways, went into the complete different direction. Finn and Rey closer to their destination, while I went as far away from them as possible. My heart hammered against my ribcage, increasing in speed with every corner I took, afraid of when it was going to happen. My senses were heightened. Not just because of Ren, oh no... Because I was on the freaking biggest ship of the First Order! Other people would've labelled this mission suicide... I needed to be careful, had always one hand resting on my lightsaber, ready to use it. I tried to calm myself down, tried to reassure myself that I was ready for this... That I could do it. That I had the strength to face him. Well... Turned out I wasn't. The sudden sizzling sound of an awakening lightsaber behind me, made me stop in my tracks on an instant. He was here. And he was right behind me. I swallowed. Hard. "Y/N." The sound of my name, coming from his morphed voice didn't make it better. Oh hell no. It made my heart rate increase even more - if that was possible. But not out of anxiety... I hadn't heard him saying my name in such a long time. It gave me chills. "What are you doing here?" I clearly couldn't escape this anymore. I had to face this. Him. So I turned around slowly. And there he stood, in all his dark glory, encased by his black robes, face still hidden from my eyes by the helmet. His lightsaber glowed in a threatening red. This wasn't the man I knew. He looked... wrong. I took a deep breath, tried to get myself together and regain some courage. "What do you think I am doing here?" He didn't move a muscle for a few moments, before he levelled his weapon at me. "You better answer me now." What? Was he insisting of fighting me? Really? He couldn't be serious now. I shook my head, unhooked my lightsaber - and threw it away. I would rather die than fighting him. If he really had the heart to kill me, so be it. I hadn't. I could not even hurt him. "I am not going to fight you." He took a threatening step closer towards me. "That's foolish. You don't give me a chance. Talk or fight. Defend yourself or die." I couldn't deny that his harsh words hurt me. They cut like a knife. Would he really go that far and kill me? Apparently, he would. And that was like a slap in the face. But what I also couldn't deny was the simple fact that I still loved him. Nevertheless. But... Where was the man I used to love now? Kylo Ren certainly wasn't him. I decided to not let him see how much he hurt me with what he had just said. Maybe I chose the wrong words earlier... So I tried again. "I am not going to fight the man I love." Barely after those words had left my lips, I could feel the tension rising in him. I saw how he clenched his hand into a fist. He had certainly didn't see that coming. But his answers remained heartless. "The man you love died a long time ago." Yes, I could feel the tension, the anger, the hate - but I could also feel how torn he was. How my love declaration affected him. I didn't believe him. "Is that so?" I slowly took a step closer. "Because I don't think that." Another hesitating step. I approached him like he was a wounded animal, ready to eat me alive any moment. "I know that this man is still alive. And you know it, too. I can feel it. He may be locked away deep down in your heart, but he is still here. He still loves me. And oh, he is fighting against the darkness. Every single day." And another step closer. I couldn't see his face, but I knew how troubled he was. "Do you want to know why I know that?" He answered nothing. Of course he wouldn't. The only sound coming from him was his shaky breath. "Because if you wouldn't still care about me, you would've killed me a long time ago. A Jedi, unarmed on the biggest battlecruiser of the First Order. The Kylo Ren would have never missed the chance to kill that Jedi on an instant." I eyed him closely. "But you did. Because you still care about me. I am right, aren't I? You can't deny it. I can feel it. I can sense that you still have feelings for me, Ben." Ben. That was not what I wanted to say. At least not his right name. It slipped. But it certainly did something to him... He was the one now who took a dangerous step closer, the rage building in him once again. "Don't call me that. Ben is dead." Once again I shook my head. "You didn't answer my question." He didn't move, didn't speak, stood like frozen in front of me - until he suddenly turned off his lightsaber again and let it fall to the ground, leaving us both without a weapon. Seemed like I had reached him now in a kind of way. It made me braver, so I stepped again closer. So close, that I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to. "Take that helmet off." "Why?" He asked sharply. "What do you think you are going to see when I do it?" I swallowed, fought the upcoming lump inside my throat. "The man I fell in love with, such a long time ago." Once again, Ben didn't move a muscle. "Please," I added in a quiet voice. This wasn't anymore about distracting the mighty, dreaded Sith; leader of the Knights of Ren; apprentice of Snoke, Kylo Ren. No. This was personal now. This was about healing the scars of my aching heart and getting closer again to the only man ever existing in my life. Winning him back, in the best case. And I wanted him back. Desperately. I just learned to shut my longing for him out. Learned to banish them. Until now. It all came rushing back, as soon as I laid eyes upon him. That much was clear. My quiet plea seemed to do the trick. Ben hesitatingly reached his hands up to take off his mask, revealing the beautiful face I knew and loved so well. He hadn't changed - except for the big scar adorning his features. But beside that... There were still those deep brown eyes I fell for, although with a hue of yellow in them. His pitch-black curls framed his face, making my heart flutter. It was overwhelming to see him without his helmet after such a long time. It left me speechless for a few moments and I just stared at him, engraving in my brain what my eyes saw. "Why were you so hesitant to take your helmet off in front of me?" No answer. Did I leave him speechless now? "I know that this helmet's only purpose is to hide behind Kylo Ren, but... Why hiding from me?" Once again he didn't answer. He knew I was right. But I didn't expect that he said nothing against it. That he didn't try to deny it. But then his eyes reflected the answer. Anyone would've missed it. But not me. Even if he opened up for mere seconds. I caught the short troubled moment in his eyes. What I saw was fear, guilt and... shame? It made me gasp softly. "You... You are afraid..." I stuttered. "Afraid of what, Ben? Why are you frightened of showing me your face?" That question finally broke down his walls. Once again I saw how he clenched his hands into fists. "Because I am not the man you used to know anymore!" He bursted out. "I don't want you to see me!" "Why?!" Ben stared at me for a moment, panting. "Because I am afraid you are going to stop loving me, when I show you what became of the man you fell in love with." His voice had turned into nothing more than a whisper and his words left me stunned. I tried feverishly to process his words. They had hit me, making my heart ache for him. How could he possibly think of something like that? "Ben..." I said his name, softly and hesitatingly lifted my hand to cup his cheek. He flinched at my touch, a hiss escaping his lips - but he didn't back away. "I could never stop loving you. Nothing could ever make me stop loving you." I saw how his eyes glazed over; saw the hurt and fear in them. I took another step closer towards him and looked up to him, meeting his troubled brown eyes. "My heart belongs to you. It always had. Always will... No matter what..." A shallow breath left Ben's lips and he squeezed his eyes shut. I heard how his helmet hit the ground as he hesitatingly shifted, placed his gloved hands on my sides and leaned down to press his forehead against mine. Another gasp left my lips. We weren't this close for ages. To feel his touch made my heart skip not just one beat. It was actually so wrong, but to me it was more than right. "Y/N, I-I..." I merely shook my head, interrupting him with that gesture, before I moved both my hands to clasp them behind his neck, pulling him even closer. We were guided only by our feelings by now. Both our eyes were closed as we leaned in. Again I could feel how troubled Ben was. How his emotions ran wild inside him. The light battling the dark. I felt his shaking breath as his lips hovered above mine, not even one inch separating us. Time stopped, as we finally collided. The world around us seemed to explode, just like the feelings inside me. The first kiss in years. The first kiss since he left the Jedi temple behind in ashes. It was a delicate kiss. Slow, soft, sensual, but also so full with feelings. Feelings we both had shut out for too long. We were a bit shy and hesitant at first, but after we realised that it felt like coming home, we deepened the kiss - what Ben commented with a deep sigh. I would have kissed him much longer if the loud sound of the alarm sirens hadn't suddenly reminded me that I was still on a mission. So I retreated from his intoxicating lips and ended the kiss, but stayed close to him. "I know you are still somewhere in there, Ben," I whispered, hands grazing his cheeks. "Come home." "Stay." Ben prompted immediately, reaching for my hand. Once again I shook my head, tears starting to form in my eyes. "You know that I can't." I whispered. And before this all could hurt me even more, I reluctantly let go of his hand, picked up quickly my lightsaber from the ground and hurried along the hallway, leaving a completely stunned Kylo Ren behind. Our mission was a success, but it had left my heart bleeding.
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phykios · 4 years ago
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Five Times Percy Jackson Cheated At School (And One Time Someone Cheated Him) [read on ao3]
thank you as always to @darkmagyk for inspo and beta-ing 💙💙💙 and thank you to @arosnowflake for the homer idea!
1)
Percy squints at the paper prompt again, tilting his head, as if the new angle will extract some hidden information. It doesn’t change. The font is the special dyslexia-friendly one used by most departments at NRU, so he isn’t misreading it, either.
Your final will be an 8-10pp (TNR, 12pt, double-spaced) research paper expanding on one of the topics discussed in our class so far, or an alternate idea of your choosing, to be submitted in writing by May 7 with footnotes and bibliography. By 10am on the Wednesday before the Thursday class you will submit online a 750-word essay (word count does not include footnotes) on the research thread you have pursued that week (no written assignments due Week 6 or Week 12). 
Percy might hate college.
“Your neck bothering you again?” Annabeth asks, coming up behind him, her hands already on his shoulders. She’s sweaty, dressed in workout clothes, having just come back in from a jog. 
“My neck is fine,” he says. “Just preemptively freaking out over my Roman history final.”
He tilts his head back over the top of his chair, staring into the upside down, prettily frowning face of his girlfriend, and it does nothing to improve his mood.
“How bad is it?”
“Eight to ten pages,” Percy says, “not including footnotes.”
“Ouch.”
“And,” he grimaces, “it’s a topic of our choosing.”
Her mouth twists in sympathy. “Sucks.”
“Yep.”
“Anything I can do to help?” She squeezes his shoulders lightly, an open invitation. 
He shakes his head, stretching his arms back to grab her waist. “Promise not to break up with me when you catch me crying at 4AM over it.”
“Promise.” And she seals it with a kiss, bending down to reach him. “Dad wants to know if you’re free on the 16th.” 
“The 16th?” He wracks his brain. He’s pretty sure it doesn’t conflict with sailing, or Greek Club, or the monthly intra-pantheon relations council meeting that Chiron and Clarisse both guilted him into joining. “Pretty sure. Why?”
“Dinner--Charlotte’s out of town that weekend.”
“Sounds good.”
“Great, I’ll let him know. Now,” and she grins, “are you going to stare at that computer all day, or do you want to come and take a shower with me?”
Percy slams the computer shut. 
He doesn’t think about his paper topic for a while after that.
***
To his great dismay, Percy gets to her dad’s house first on the 16th. Drama in writing group 🙄 she texts him as he gets to the door, be there asap.
Great. Alone in the house with his girlfriend’s dad. Taking a deep breath, he knocks on the door. 
Not a minute later, Dr. Chase opens it. Last time they went to visit, Percy and Annabeth had ended up waiting outside for almost a quarter of an hour. “Oh, Percy,” he says, fumbling his flight helmet off his head. “Goodness, I thought I’d lost track of time again. Come in, come in.”
“Thanks,” Percy says, stepping inside and shedding his jacket. “Annabeth’s running late, but she said she’d be here soon.”
He frowns, looking so much like Annabeth that it throws Percy for several loops. “Well, that’s alright,” he says. “I’m sure we can entertain ourselves well enough until she gets here.”
“Yeah,” Percy chuckles, uneasy.
Several seconds pass. 
“Oh!” starts Dr. Chase. “Right, yes. Come in. Would you like something to drink?”
Spoiler alert: it doesn’t get much better.
A few minutes of staggered conversation later, it becomes eminently clear why they need Annabeth between them. It’s not the awkward small talk that doesn’t go anywhere (“How’s school going for you?” “It’s okay.” “Good, that’s good to hear.”) or the fact that Dr. Chase doesn’t really grasp how to relate to younger kids (“Have you heard of this website called ‘Vine’?”), but more that it’s just painfully obvious that the two of them don’t really know where they stand with each other. 
Now, he knows that Frederick Chase doesn’t hate him. Objectively, he’s aware of the fact that, if it weren’t for him, Annabeth never would have reconnected with her father in the first place, and he kind of owes him for that. Also, Percy knows that he’s a pretty chill guy--a little scatterbrained, but chill. 
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to make a good impression, though. Or that Dr. Chase thinks that Percy is smart enough for his daughter. Because, like, Percy isn’t smart enough for Annabeth--that much is obvious. Dr. Chase was courted by Athena. Percy barely made it out of high school calculus.
“Would you…” Dr. Chase hedges, plucking off his glasses and giving them a quick wipe with his shirtsleeve. “Would you like to see some of my current research?”
“Uh… sure. I’d love to.” 
At the very least, hopefully Dr. Chase will talk enough for the both of them, eating up time until Annabeth gets here.
A new spring in his step, Dr. Chase leads Percy to his study, where he’s got a setup worthy of Cabin Six: on his desk is a massive map of the Mediterranean, littered with miniatures of tanks, planes, and ships. Ringing the room are wall-hangings, depicting different types of planes, half of their structure in x-rays like people in an anatomy textbook, sandwiching the giant viking sword which hangs directly behind his chair. Every inch of floor space is occupied with a pile of books, some serving as additional desk space for mugs, notepads, spare toy soldiers, and, in one case, what looks like the leftovers of a handful of celestial bronze spearheads, melted down into shiny, useless nuggets. 
“You know I primarily study aviation,” Dr. Chase is saying, tidying up as he walks around the room, “but my colleagues and I are collaborating on an interdisciplinary re-evaluation of the entire North African theatre in World War II. It’s fascinating stuff; until very recently, they used to call it the ‘war without hate,’ given the lack of partisan roundups and, ah, ethnic clashes that you see in Europe--absolute garbage, of course. As if there weren’t civilians caught up in the fighting, too!” He chuckles, pleased at his own joke. Percy forces a laugh out of himself. “Anyway, with my prior experience studying the invasion of Sicily, I was brought on to assist in piecing the timeline together, working backwards from 1943.”
“Cool,” says Percy, filling the natural gap of conversation.
“Extremely! Operation Husky was a terrific endeavor of airborne, amphibious, and land-based combat.”
Percy nods. Amphibious? “Uh-huh.”
“Though, I must admit, I am having a little trouble retracing some of the ships.” Peering over his map, he leans down, fiddling with one of the ships. “You see this one here? The Palmer?”
Stepping up to the desk, Percy crouches down so the little toy ship is at eye level.
“Well, based on official records, the Palmer was supposed to have arrived at the rendezvous point at the same time as all the other ships, but ended up delayed by two days, and I can’t… quite…” He moves the ship again, frowning. “Figure out… why…” 
“Where were they sailing through?” Percy asks. 
Dr. Chase points to the map. “From Alexandria to Malta.” 
“They probably just hit a bad couple of currents,” Percy says, standing up. 
Tilting his head, Dr. Chase peers at him. “How do you mean?”
“If you’re going through the Cretan Passage, you’re going to hit all kinds of West-East currents which will push you backwards.” Snatching up a pencil from a nearby book stack, Percy lightly sketches on top of the map, tracing along the North African coast. “There are tons of overlapping currents in this area that push boats around in circles, especially around Sicily. That’s one of the reasons why so many historians figure that Homer was referring to the Strait of Messina when Odysseus goes through Scylla and Charybdis, here.” And he circles the strait, with a confident flourish.
When he pulls back, Dr. Chase is staring at him.
Percy blinks. “Um… sorry I drew on your map.”
“You--I have been trying to figure that out for weeks.”
He coughs, shrugging his shoulders. “Sorry.”
But Dr. Chase just laughs. “You can make it up to me by helping me with these next.” Clearing crumbs off of southern France, he bends over, pencil in hand. “So, say you were trying to get from Marseilles to Tunis…” 
Forty-five minutes later, still embroiled in battle recreations of the Mediterranean theatre, they don’t hear Annabeth letting herself in with her key, not even registering her presence until Dr. Chase, grasping for a notebook, spots her leaning against the doorway. “Don’t stop on my account.”
“Oh, Annabeth, dear! I’m sorry,” says Dr. Chase, going over to give her a hug. “We didn’t hear you come in.”
“I can see that,” she says. “What are you guys doing?”
“Percy here has been assisting me with naval movements,” he says, proudly.
Lacing her fingers with his, Annabeth steps over to Percy, studying their battle map. “Really?”
“Oh yes, he’s been phenomenally helpful.”
She kisses his cheek, pleased. “Look at you, Mr. ‘Phenomenally Helpful.’”
“It was pretty fun,” he admits, warm all over.
“I’d bet. Although, I guess this means we should probably order in for dinner…?”
Rubbing at the back of his neck, Dr. Chase smiles. “Yes, I suppose we should. Does pizza sound all right to you two?”
“Let me take care of it,” she says, slipping from Percy’s side. “You guys looked like you were in the middle of something. Extra olives, dad?”
“Don’t forget--”
“And anchovies, Percy, I know.” She rolls her eyes, taking out her phone.
Rather than the three of them move into the kitchen, Annabeth ends up bringing the pizza in with her, because of course she has opinions she’d like to share about the Allies’ naval movements. 
“You know, Percy,” says Dr. Chase, “I must say, you have a real knack for this kind of thing. Have you thought about what you might major in yet?”
Ah, the million drachmae question. “Not yet,” he says, fiddling with a pencil. “I figured I’d get through my gen eds first and then see which one I hated the least.” 
“I think you should consider majoring in history.”
Percy’s head snaps up. “History?”
“Specifically maritime history, I suppose. Your predisposition to sailing and ocean currents would be a huge asset to your research.”
“But--wouldn’t history have, like, a metric ton of required reading? I’m not really sure that’s my area.” He has a daughter with dyslexia and ADHD; surely he’d understand Percy’s hesitation.
But he just shakes his head. “Graduate programs these days are very favorable towards interdisciplinary methodology, I sincerely doubt you’d have to barricade yourself in the library. And recently there’s been a significant push to make the field more accessible to students with disabilities, including things like digitization, screen reading for people with vision impairments, and even restructuring programs all together so that students no longer have to memorize the Encyclopedia Britannica in order to pass their general exams.”
“That’s really nice of you to say, Dr. Chase,” Percy says, “But history class isn’t like talking over naval movements with you.” He thought back to the paper that had lowkey been haunting his dreams. “Like, in my classical history survey, I can’t just… talk about currents and battle plans. I have to come up with a topic on my own, and then write about that.” 
“Surely something involving Roman naval movements would be well within your skill set. You have a second sense about these things,” he chuckles, “clearly.”
Percy glances towards Annabeth, hoping she’ll back him up, but she looks thoughtful. Considering. Like she’s actually thinking about her dad’s proposal. “I can’t just choose something in naval history.”
“Why not?”
“Because… it's too easy?” 
If it was anything like his afternoon with Dr. Chase, it might even be fun. And school isn’t supposed to be fun. 
He repeats that thought to Annabeth as they drive home. “School isn’t supposed to be fun.” 
“No,” Annabeth agrees, “but I don’t know… I like my intro art history class way better than anything we ever did in high school because I actually care about it. Maybe if you write about stuff you’re good at, like my dad suggested, you’ll like it more.” 
The idea follows him all the way to bed, where he’s still mulling it over at 2 in the morning. Before he can chicken out, he grabs his phone, shooting off a quick email to his professor with his potential paper topic, then rolls over, eventually falling asleep.
By morning, he has a response. 
Sounds good! Looking forward to it.
***
With shaking hands, Percy calls his mom. “Yes?” 
“Hey mom.”
“Percy?” He hears her perk up, almost visualizing her sitting up in her chair. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
Mom instincts. They can always tell when something is different. His heart throbs in his chest. “Nothing’s wrong,” he says, smiling stretching across his face. “It’s just--I got my paper back.” 
Percy had ended up writing his paper about the Roman navy movements in the Battle of the Aegates in 241 BC. It was probably the most fun he’s ever had on a school assignment, or at least the most fun he’d ever had writing a paper. 
“And?” She sounds expectant, hopeful. His mom has always had such faith in him, even with thirteen years of schooling to prove her otherwise. 
He looks back at his email, just to make sure he’s reading it right. “I got an A.”
She gasps. He can hear the scrape of the chair as she stands up. “Percy, that’s wonderful!” 
“Thank you.”
“An A!”
He smiles into his fist, inordinately pleased. “Thank you.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I am so happy for you!”
“Thanks, mom.”
“I’m so proud of you, Percy.” Her voice is soft now, like twilights on the beach with blue marshmallows. “I know how hard you’ve worked for this. You should be very proud, too.”
“I am.” And he is, weirdly enough. “I just can’t believe it.”
“I can.” His mom must be grinning, her eyes sparkling. “I always knew you could do it.”
“Sally?” He hears in the background, muffled. “Is that Percy?”
“Paul, Percy got an A on his Roman history paper!”
A second voice crowds its way in, equally excited. “An A? That’s great, kiddo! Congratulations.”
Why can’t he stop smiling? “Thanks.”
“I bet that feels pretty good, doesn’t it?”
“It does.”
“Well, it is very well-deserved,” says Paul. “That was some great work you did. I could tell how passionate you were about your topic just from your first sentence.”
“Thank you.” Maybe he should be worried about all this praise going to his head, but damn, is it nice. “Listen, I have to go get started on dinner, but I just wanted to give you a call.”
“Of course,” says his mom. “I want to hear from you more, okay? Tell me more good news! Like when are you and Annabeth going to--”
“I’m working on it, okay?” says Percy, smiling even more broadly. “I’ll keep you posted, promise.”
She laughs, tinny and happy. “You’d better. Congratulations again, sweetheart.”
“Thanks mom. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” 
And he hangs up, puts his phone down on the table, tilts his head back, and sighs, full, happy, a release. 
Maybe college won’t be so bad after all. 
2)
“You don’t have to do this,” Frank says, hushed. “All you have to do is walk away.”
Five Greek Fire bombs, cloudy yellow, are lined up on the table in front of him, neatly laid out in front of five twenties. From the side, Frank stares him down, surrounded by an army of morbidly curious Romans. Someone turned off the music and turned on the lights a while ago, stopping the party in its tracks, every eye on Percy and his opponent. Figures, his first college party all year and he causes a scene. 
Percy grips the edge of the table. “He insulted the Mets,” he says for the millionth time. “I can’t let that shit stand.”
Frank sighs. “Annabeth?” he asks, hoping to stop this nonsense.
Turning to his side, Percy sees his girlfriend, two drinks in, her cheeks lightly flushed, but solid as she stands beside him, supporting him. Her eyes are hard, fierce, the warrior gaze of Athena all but leaping out of her. “Do it,” she says. 
William, the sour-faced Roman legacy of Juventus, scowls. “A hundred bucks on the table. Sixty seconds. No throwing them back up.”
“Deal.”
“Frank,” Annabeth calls. “Start the clock.”
He sighs. “You guys are idiots.”
“Frank!”
“Okay, okay.” He holds out his phone, thumb primed, hovering over the screen. “On your marks, in three… two… one…” 
He hits zero, and Percy grabs a shot glass. Squeezing his eyes shut, he brings it to his lips, and throws it back.
It’s… not what he expected.
The tequila is awful--no getting around that. Even to Percy’s untrained taste buds, having really only ever had some of Gabe’s sour beer (under duress) and some of the Demeter cabin’s strawberry wine (on his eighteenth birthday, a celebration for actually getting to graduate high school), he can tell it’s cheap, rank, unrefined shit, like he’s drinking straight toilet cleaner. But the garum, the weird Roman condiment that the shot is mixed with, the one that Percy had never heard of before, it’s… it almost tastes like the fish sauce that comes with the pork and rice noodles from the Vietnamese place down the corner of his mom’s apartment, only less… fishy? Yeah. Less fishy.
It’s a weird taste. It’s not bad, by any means, it just--straight up, it just tastes like saltwater. Like the sea. 
And, well. Percy can handle the sea.
He looks at William, and grins. “You are so fucked.”
The assembled Romans cheer, spectators at a gladiator show, as Percy knocks back the rest of the Greek Fire bombs, one after another, clearing them all in under thirty seconds. Annabeth swipes up the cash, shrieking as she throws her arms around Percy. William wanders off, red-faced and glaring, as whoever turned the music off before flips it back on, the night, and the party, saved.
Silly Percy. He should have known what was coming next.
Thirty minutes later, he is well and truly wasted.
“You’re, like, really pretty,” he shouts at Annabeth over the loud music.
She snorts, grinning at him. “Thanks.”
“Seriously,” he slurs, tipping forward on his feet. “You could be a model.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Remember when we were fourteen,” he yells, bracing himself against the wall, “and you got kidnapped by that monster?” Slightly soberer but still a little flushed, she bites her lip, nodding. “Well, I followed the rescue party--I told you that, that I snuck out of camp to follow the rescue party? Right?” 
“You did.”
He takes a sip of water, running his tongue around the inside of his mouth. Feels goofy as fuck. “We got hijacked by Aphrodite halfway through, and when I saw her, I thought--I thought, ‘Holy shit, she looks a little like Annabeth.’”
Her brows shoot up, smile pulling at her lips. “Really?”
He nods. “Totally! But you’re way, way p--” 
Still smiling, she silences him with a kiss, the lingering taste of hard cider on her tongue. “I appreciate it,” she murmurs, grinning, “but you probably shouldn’t say that out loud.”
“Gross.”
From out of nowhere, like he always does, the weasley little shit, Nico di Angelo is suddenly in their space, looking surly and emo as ever, red solo cup in his left hand. “Nico!” Percy crows, grabbing for him and missing. “How’s my favorite cousin?!”
Ducking his wildly swinging limbs, Nico grimaces in the way that Percy has to come to recognize as his attempt at a smile. “Better’n you,” he says, a little wobbly. “What’s up with him?” he directs towards Annabeth.
“Greek Fire bombs. Five.”
“You’re a psychopath.”
“What!” Percy pouts. “He insulted the Mets.”
“Aren’t you s’posed to be, like…” Nico snaps his fingers, words momentarily escaping him. “A--representation… person? For the Greeks?”
Percy waves his hand, hitting the wall. “Fuck that. The Greeks can handle themselves. The Mets are sacred!”
“Are you with anyone?” Annabeth asks, momentarily taking up Percy’s usual role of concerned parent friend while he is drunk off his ass. Theoi, he loves this girl so much. 
Nico shakes his head. “No, but Will and I are staying with--”
A thought suddenly blooms in Percy’s tequila-soaked brain. “Nico!” He shouts.
“What?” he hisses, glaring.
Percy pushes himself off of the wall, outstretched arms managing to box Nico in, falling on his shoulders and trapping him. He’s still a short, skinny little shit, the fuck, when are his Big Three genes going to kick in? “I need to talk to you about the thing.”
“The what?”
“The thing! The--the,” then he leans in, scream-whispering over the pounding bassline. “The thing.”
“That doesn’t help.”
“You know, it’s…” Percy licks his lips, language escaping him for a hot second. “Round. Metal. Jewelry thing.”
A beat, then Nico’s eyes widen. “Oh, that thing.”
“Yes, that thing!” Pulling back, he pulls Nico towards him, slinging an arm over his shoulders in a half-headlock. Annabeth watches, bemused, lips pursed as she tries not to smile. “I need to borrow Nico for a sec,” he says, words spilling out of him. “Back soon. Later. Soon.”
Her eyes crinkle, grey sparkling. She’s so fucking pretty. “Drink your water.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Then together, like some three-legged beast, the two boys lurch away deeper into the party, Nico leading them towards the kitchen. “Where’re you taking me?” Percy slurs. “‘M I being kidnapped again?”
“If I’m helping you plan out this stupid proposal,” he grumbles, pouring himself more vodka, “then I need to be less sober.”
***
Some mistakes may have been made.
“Where’s Annabeth?” Percy mumbles, looking back towards the house. The party is still raging, someone’s muffled Spotify playlist making a real racket, the greatest hits of ABBA still bouncing around his skull.
“Simp.” Nico, swaying a little, tries to stand up from his kneeling position, only to fall heavily back down on his knees. “She’s right where you left her.”
Discussing Percy's proposal plan had led to more drinking. More drinking had led to the two of them discussing their shared preference for blondes. (“Malcolm is pretty cute,” Nico admitted, flushing, and Percy almost screamed, “Isn’t he?! Sometimes I think about Annabeth with short hair looking like Malcolm and I almost start crying because she’d be so cute!”) Which then led to even more drinking. Which then led to general bitching about their lives, about Percy's hard-ass classics professor Dr. Bauer who he actually really liked but just pushed him so hard and expected so much of him, and Nico's half-brother Zagreus who was causing some family drama by picking fights with Hades all the time and also hooking up with both Thanatos AND the fury Megaera, which, ew, which then led to Percy inhaling his drink, nearly choking to death on unspecified college punch, Nico laughing at him all the while, as he had the most incredible idea.
"Nico!" He shouted, crushing the red solo cup. "Can you resurrect Homer for me?"
Nico gaped, staring. "What."
"Seriously! I need to ask him something for my paper."
"Percy." Nico gazed at him, all the power of the Ghost King boring into his soul, deep and haunting. Percy stifled a burp. "You're a fucking genius."
Which is how they found themselves around a shallow hole they had dug in the backyard, a large bottle of Pepsi originally intended as a mixer pilfered from the kitchen along with two slices of pepperoni pizza dumped on the grass beside them.
"Maybe we shouldn't do this," he says, uneasy even through his drunken haze.
"It was your idea!"
"I don't have good ideas."
“Fuck you, I’m doing it.” With all the force of a tiny, angry kitten, he snatches up the Pepsi bottle, wrestling with the twist cap for a good ten seconds. “I wanna give that bitch a piece of my mind for making me cry in school.”
Percy looks at him sideways. “Hector killing Patroclus got you, too?”
He snorts. “Fuck no. Achilles didn’t pay his dues to the dead.”
“Seriously?”
The cap pops off, and Nico tips the bottle over, dumping flat, lukewarm soda into the shallow hole. “It’s the ultimate dishonor!”
Freak. Percy would die for the kid.
“Let the dead taste again,” Nico mutters. “Let them rise and take this offering. Let them remember.”
“You’re so weird.”
“Says the guy who’s related to both horses and water.”
“I’m not related to water, I just control it.” 
The dirt turns black, dead soil mixed with sticky sugar water. Nico drops in the pizza, and begins to chant, that same ancient Greek that Percy heard in a dream once, talking of death and memories and returning from the grave or whatever. It’s still creepy as shit. 
Despite the warm California night, the air thickens with chilly fog. Silence, impenetrable, surrounds them, blocking out the noises of the party. From the earth, blueish, vaguely person-shaped figures begin to form, like thunderous clouds before a storm. “Which one is Homer?” he asks, hushed.
“Shh!” Nico hisses. 
Like little wells of gravity, the fog begins to coalesce. On one of them, Percy can almost make out, like, fingers. “Um, Mr. Homer? Sir?”
The figure doesn’t say anything. It lowers its mouth, drinking the soda out of the dirt. When it raises its head, Percy can see it more clearly, curly hair and milky white eyes and a straight nose. It--he?--seems a little more solid than your average run-of-the-mill ghost.
Nico frowns, eyes closed, concentrating. “What’s your name?” he mumbles. 
That mouth opens, soundlessly, jaw working on nothing.
“Speak.”
It--there’s a sound, like hissing, only it’s not coming from the mouth, Percy thinks. It sounds like it’s coming from the earth. “Nico?” he asks. “You good?”
The ghost opens its mouth again, moaning, raising its hands. Weakly, unsteadily, it stumbles forward on feeble legs, tripping over the shallow hole in the dirt.
“Nico?” he asks again, a little more forcefully. “What’s going on, dude?”
Nico blinks, slowly, mouth hanging open a little. “Uh.”
The… thing… raises itself up on its hands? He guesses, and knees, crawling its way over towards them.
Now, Percy may be drunk off his ass, but he has seen enough movies to know exactly what the fuck is up.
Moving with a speed he didn’t quite think was possible right about now, he grabs Nico’s wrist, and pulls him up, dragging him along as he lurches towards the house. “Percy…” Nico moans, stumbling over a rock. “I think I fucked up.”
“You think?” Percy wrenches the door open, tossing Nico inside, before following in after, throwing himself against the door. 
Nico groans, throwing his arms over his face. “Dio santo, my head.”
“Forget your head,” he says, “did we just raise a Homer zombie?!”
Panting, Nico stares up at him, sprawled on the floor of the house. “Oops.”
Percy thunks his head against the door. He does not have nearly enough mental capacity to deal with this right now.
But, he thinks ruefully, at least it’s just one. Even drunk, he’s pretty sure he can handle one zombie.
Nico’s eyes widen. 
Percy stares. “What.”
“I didn’t stop the ritual.”
His stomach goes cold.
Turning around slowly, he pulls aside the little curtain on the window. “What?” Nico asks. “What do you see?”
Percy can’t speak, mouth dry.
Slithering up behind, Nico peers over his shoulder. “That’s… not great.”
“Nico,” Percy says, eyeing the horde which slowly shambles closer, half-decayed bodies in togas bumping into each other, almost identical to the drunk college students inside, as the song changes, once again, to ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).’ “Please go get Frank and Annabeth.”
The following Monday, an announcement is sent out to the entire campus: Per new department guidelines, students may not utilize the ambassador of Pluto to interview the dead for academic purposes.
3)
Percy attempts to flatten his hair. He readjusts his shirt. He almost wipes his sweaty palms on his pants, before he realizes what he’s doing, and clenches them instead, nails digging into his palms. He turns to Annabeth. “Do I look okay?”
“Ooh, ‘Mapping Funerary Monuments in the Periphery of Imperial Rome.’”
“Annabeth.”
She looks up from her brochure. “Relax, seaweed brain, you look fine. You look better than most people here.”
“That’s because I bring down the average age of presenters by about thirty years,” he hisses, eyes darting about at the milling mass of attendees, all packed into the hotel ballroom. 
Dr. Bauer had alternately convinced/pressured/guilttripped him into attending this year’s annual conference for the Society of Classical Studies to talk about the research he’d been doing with her. This year, the conference was held in San Francisco, so at the very least Percy didn’t have to spend five hours stressing about his poster presentation while simultaneously up in the air. But now that he’s here, in the ballroom, surrounded by strangers who know way more about this subject than he does, who are actually smart and probably never nearly flunked out of school or got kicked out or--
“Hey.” Annabeth takes his hand. “I know that look. You deserve to be here just as much as any of them.”
“Do I? I feel like any moment someone is going to come over and throw me out for trespassing.” He vaguely recalls something similar happening to him as a kid after he had ducked into the lobby of a semi-nice hotel to dodge what he had thought, at the time, was just a weird stalker, but had later realized had only had one eye. In any case, the hotel security guard had practically picked him up by the scruff of his neck, tossing him back out into the street. 
“That’s just your imposter syndrome talking,” she reassures him. “No one is going to throw you out.”
He sure as shit hopes so. It would be a shame to have done all this work for nothing. 
Glancing back at his poster, Percy can’t help but feel… good. Accomplished. Proud. About a school assignment, of all things. 
His poster traces the development of the prow from the Greek penteconter, to the Roman liburna, and finally to the Byzantine dromon, looking at artistic depictions in history. Percy had picked the topic himself, spending hours in the library reading, writing, and hand-drawing cross-sections of the ships on the poster board when the images he had gotten from the Cambridge University library had been too small. It had been grueling, frustrating work, but fun, too. And not nearly as much reading as he had feared.
Dr. Chase proofread it for him. Dr. Bauer signed off on it. And Annabeth had taken one look at it, smiled, then kissed his cheek.
That was the best compliment he had gotten.
Though now he’s kind of torn between showing it off and hiding it away before one of these attendees figures out that he doesn’t belong.
He rocks back and forth and his feet, pursing his lips, randomly clicking his tongue. Annabeth nudges him. “Your ADHD is showing.”
That’s when, finally, one of the attendees steps up to his poster. He certainly has the look of a professor, in a black cable knit sweater with grey, curly hair and a receding hairline, thin, rimless glasses perched on his nose. He squints at Percy’s poster, rubbing his chin with one hand. “Interesting,” he murmurs, in a thick German accent. “Very interesting. This is yours?”
“Um.” He glances at Annabeth, who is frowning at the brochure, silently sounding out words that she can’t read. “Yep. All mine.”
“Very interesting.” He leans in closer, tilting his head. “So you agree with Pryor and Jeffreys about the skeleton-first construction, then?”
Percy blinks. Pryor and Jeffreys had written The Age of the Dromon, arguing that the ram, which had been a key feature of Roman liburnians, had gone away in ancient ship construction because of developments in how they built the hull. Right. “Yes,” he says. “The skeleton-first construction is a lot stronger than the, um,” shit, what was the name for this, Leo had only told him about a million times--oh! “Mortise-and-tenon!” He nearly shrieks. “The mortise-and-tenon method. It, um, it wears out a lot more quickly than the frame, so… yeah.” He clears his throat.
He nods. “Very interesting.” 
Percy stares. Can this guy say anything else? 
“This is very well done, young man.”
Oh. “Thank you,” he says. 
“Who are you working with?” 
“Um, June Bauer?” He winces at the accidental question. 
He frowns. “I’m not familiar with her work. Where does she teach?” 
What a loaded question. “Uh… New Rome University.”
“I’m sorry?”
“It’s--she used to teach at Northwestern, if that helps. Um, retired,” Percy says.
The frown stays, but at least he doesn’t ask any more questions. “Hmm. Well, this is excellent research, nonetheless. I look forward to reading your dissertation.” Then, distracted by something else, he wanders off, chin still attached to his hand. 
“Who was that?” Annabeth asks. 
Percy shrugs. “Beats me. Also, what’s a dissertation?”
“It’s like a senior thesis, but, like, five hundred pages long.”
Five hundred?! “Fuck me.” 
“Maybe later,” Annabeth smirks. “It looks like you’ve got company.”
Sure enough, a smallish group of four people are approaching, led by Dr. Chase, making a beeline straight for them. “Here we are,” Dr. Chase says, gesturing. “This is the project I was telling you about. Percy, would you mind going over your poster for us?”
“No problem, Dr. C,” says Percy, smiling his least-grimace-y smile. 
As one, the adults all turn to look at him, faces politely blank, expectant.
Percy swallows. “So,” he begins, “um, this research is about the development of ship construction in the Roman empire…”
He trips up on some of the words, and at one point, he sees Dr. Chase squint in the way that usually means that Percy is speaking too fast, but all in all, he doesn’t totally fall flat on his face. His audience looks engaged, nodding along as Percy moves from point to point, and no one accuses him of being a giant fraud, which is pretty nice. 
At one point, Percy turns to the poster to indicate a specific point on his ship diagrams. When he turns back, his audience has suddenly multiplied, four people turning into a whole goddamn crowd. Each person gives him their undivided attention almost unblinking.
His mouth goes dry. “Um…” 
Dr. Chase, bless him, saves his ass once again. “Would mind starting again from the beginning, Percy?” he asks, a little bemused himself at the amount of people that had suddenly appeared. 
Silence stretches on for a moment, the muffled noise of the rest of the conference like a dull roar in his ear. 
Annabeth, behind him, coughs. 
“S-sure. No problem.” 
Swallowing, he closes his eyes, breathing in through his nose. Why, oh why did he let Dr. Bauer talk him into doing this again?
He pictures the tides of Long Island Sound, gentle and rocking, unhurried and unbothered, tries to match his breathing to them. When he opens his eyes, unfortunately, the crowd hasn’t disappeared. Everyone is still staring at him. 
But Annabeth stands next to her dad, flashing him a big smile and two huge thumbs up.
Percy relaxes. He’s got this.
“Okay,” he says. “So, about the middle of the first millennium CE, ship construction went through a couple of major developments…”
This time goes much, much more smoothly. He’s not sure what it is--though it’s probably Annabeth, her face fixed in a gentle smile as she watches him speak. Gods, what did he do in a past life to deserve someone as amazing as his girlfriend? 
That’s the only reason he can do this. Hell, that’s the only reason he even thought to do this. If he didn’t have Annabeth there, encouraging him, cheering him on, he never would have had the confidence to put himself out there like this. She’s there to pick him up when he doubts himself, there to listen when he can’t explain himself, there to give him feedback when he needs to practice. 
She makes him feel so strong. She makes him feel like he can take on the world--or at the very least, that he can impress a handful of academics.
And they certainly seem impressed with his talk so far. 
“Excuse me,” says a nasally, pinched looking older British guy, face lined as though he lived his life in a state of perpetual squinting. “I find your conclusions to be suspect--wouldn’t the frame method be more susceptible to breaking than the mortise-and-tenon?”
Well, most of them, anyway.
Percy shakes his head. “You’d think, but no. If you look at the study by Steffy, you’ll see that the three-finned ram from the Athlit wreck was designed specifically to break the mortise-and-tenon hull by causing the planks to flex, so that they’d dislodge the joinerys right next to them. A blow like that can cause the wood to split right down the middle.” A blow like that had sunk Sherman Yang’s ship when they tested it out on the lake at camp last summer, the naiads practically hurling him out of the water so quickly Percy didn’t even have to dive in to save him.
“How were you able to do these strength tests?” asks another listener, an older woman with a thick Hungarian accent.
“Hands-on battle simulations,” Percy replies, easily. “We took our models and tested them in as accurate a simulation as we could make.”
“And how big were these models?” 
Percy holds his hands apart, a vague, entirely inaccurate estimate. “About thirty meters, give or take.”
Her eyes widen. “How on earth did you get your hands on such a large ship?”
Percy freezes. “Uh.”
Oh, shit.
He had forgotten--most people didn’t have dads who could summon shipwrecks from the bottom of the sea, dropping them off at Camp Half-Blood with nothing but a sand dollar and one or two exhausted, pissed off hippocampi who had had to drag them all the way there.
“Um,” he stammers, licking his lips, thinking fast--c’mon, Percy, think! “I…” He swallows, panicking. “I… b… built one.”
In the corner of his eye, Annabeth facepalms.
Simultaneously, every mouth in the crowd drops--in shock, outrage, and even excitement. “You built one?!” the woman yelps. 
Oops. “I had help,” Percy says, quickly. 
Annabeth adds a second hand to her facepalm.
“Where?” The first man asks, his bushy brows flying above the rim of his glasses.
“At my… summer camp…” 
Dr. Chase sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I mean,” Percy chuckles, shrugging his shoulders, trying not to sweat too obviously, “it was either that or lanyards, am I right?”
Dr. Chase, thank Athena, raises his hand, ready to step in. “What Percy means to say, I believe,” he says, attempting to draw their attention, “is that--”
“That’s amazing!” says another woman, probably a grad student attendee based on the fact that she’s wearing jeans. “Do you have pictures?”
Oh this is not good. “Um, not--not on me, but--”
“I do.” Annabeth takes out her phone, holding it up to the person next to her.
Percy blinks. “You do?” He doesn’t remember her taking any pictures.
She shoots him a look, two parts exasperated and one part “shut up and let me handle this,” with just a dash of fondness in the mix. Pointedly, she looks at him, eyebrows raised, indicating that he should continue.
Oh. She’s using Mist. And he needs to keep their attention on him so that they buy it. “Right,” he says, clearing his throat. “Any more questions?” 
His audience placated for now, passing around Annabeth’s phone, he manages to finish up his presentation. After fielding a few more questions, people start to peel off, distracted by other posters and presenters in the ballroom. When everyone has finally wandered away, Dr. Chase comes up and pats Percy’s shoulder awkwardly. “Nice work,” he says, and he seems like he means it. “A little touch-and-go there for a while, hm?”
“A little.”
He chuckles. “Still, you should be proud. I don’t know how many undergraduates would be able to handle that kind of pressure.”
“I mean,” Percy says, shrugging a shoulder, “it’s about on par with leading an army. Maybe a little less.” Honestly, maybe even a little more stressful. If a monster had decided to attack the convention center and interrupt his presentation, he probably would have been relieved.
He’d been worried for a moment that he’d undone all those years of work in making Annabeth’s dad like him. And that he’d be charged with some sort of academic fraud, for the whole “I have a boat” thing without proof. Thank the gods for Annabeth, as always.
She’s looking at him now through narrowed eyes. She at least can’t be surprised--that was far from the dumbest thing she’s ever seen him do. At least his “I spent most of my time at magic greek mythology summer camp” covers are normally better than hers. As someone who spent his formative years in the real world, he’s usually pretty good at keeping the demigod thing under wraps. 
“Come on,” she says, grabbing his hand. She pulls him off, through the dispersing crowd, lacing their fingers together, sweet and intimate, out of the hall and then down another one, and through a smaller corridor. Bringing them up to a little door, with a shake of her wrist, she pulls out her Estruscan keyring bracelet. About several of the keys have found themselves used in various misadventures, vanishing once their purpose is fulfilled, but her favorite key is still there. And, just like a clever child of Hermes, it can pick just about any lock. 
Inside is just an empty room, a little staging area surrounded by tiered desks going up, no more or less remarkable than any of the other conference rooms they’d visited before. 
“What--?” His question is cut off by Annabeth’s mouth on his. 
Surprising, but definitely not unwelcome.
It's a while before they separate again. “You’re so good at this,” she tells him, unbuttoning his shirt.
He runs his hands along the lines of her flanks. “I’ve had a lot of practice,” he grins. He’d practice kissing her all day long if he could. 
She smiles, shaking her head. “No, not this,” though she does lean in for another kiss, pulling at his lower lip with her teeth. “I know you’re good at this.” They break away, Percy pulling her shirt over her head, Annabeth shucking off his. “But history. Presenting.” She runs a finger over his chest, kissing his cheek, headed towards the sensitive spot on his jaw. “Gods, you’re so smart.” 
Something about the praise vibrates through his chest. She doesn’t sound surprised, or anything, just--turned on.
“You had all those crusty academics eating out of your hand. Just, so impressed by you, knowing you know way more than they do about naval history. When you were explaining the--” Her compliment is cut off with a moan, as he leans down and starts sucking on her throat. Her blouse has a high neck, so he feels no guilt for using his teeth.  
“Watching you today, gods.” Her breath is labored as his fingers play at the waistline of her skirt. “And then thinking of you defending your dissertation.” He bites at her jugular, and she lets out a long, deep moan. 
“I don’t know what that means.” Do academics fight each other? Like, with weapons? He’s pretty sure he can take most of the people he met today. 
“It means you get to show off how smart you are,” Annabeth says, grasping his shoulders, pulling him in for another kiss. “I was born the day my dad defended his. Gods, it's going to be amazing to watch you go.” She yanks his belt out of his pants, tossing it to the floor. 
They miss the panel on recent translation efforts. But Percy can’t say he minds one bit. 
And when Annabeth presents him with a positive pregnancy test two months later, Percy definitely knows he made the right decision. 
4) 
He almost doesn’t realize he’s having a dream-vision at first.
It has been literal years since he’s had a demigod dream. Hell, it’s been a long while since he’s had a dream, period--being a new dad to a one-and-a-half-year-old saps too much of his energy to even think about dreaming. Once Junie is put to bed, when he’s out, he is fucking out, and he does not have the brainpower to spare to manifest any messed up subconscious fears.
Which is why when he blinks open his eyes, taking in the too-bright colors of the Parthenon and the gleaming shine of the bronze statues which are somehow all looking at him--also, you know, how the Parthenon is complete, standing as it did thousands of years ago, and not crumbled into ruins--he knows, immediately, he is being contacted by a god.
And only one god in particular would bring him to Athens.
Without even checking, he heaves himself up off the ground, folding into a kneel. “My lady Athena,” he says, “can I ask for what quest you’ve brought me here?”
“Impertinent as ever, Percy Jackson,” rumbles the goddess, but Percy doesn’t think he can sense any ill will towards him. He hopes, anyway. “Perhaps I have summoned you here for a social visit.”
“Perhaps,” he says, choosing his next words as carefully as possible. “But I assume you have too much to worry about to randomly check up on your daughter’s boyfriend.”
He lifts his head, catching her expression--stoic as always, but maybe with just the barest hint of a smile. “You assume correctly. You have become, contrary to my initial expectations, very wise in the time that I have known you.”
“Thank you.” He knows better than to do anything but accept the compliment for what it is.
“I have observed your work as a scholar in recent years, and I must say that I am surprised, yet pleased, that you have chosen to pursue such a path. I had not thought you to be suited for a world of old men and dusty papers.”
He grits his teeth. Don’t rise to the bait, don’t rise to the bait, don’t rise to the bait--
“I understand, as well, that though you and my daughter have,” and here her careful composition cracks, just the slightest, the tiny lift of her lips falling, “made a child together.”
Percy swallows. He figured, you know, in the abstract, that Athena would know about Junie, but hearing her say it out loud is… well, he’s just glad that Dr. Chase has always liked him. “Yes, my lady.”
“It is customary in your time to marry prior to childbirth, is it not?”
“It is.” Oh, fuck, is she going to smite him for that? “I--that is to say, we, Annabeth and I, we, um, we definitely want to get married, but, Annabeth kind of…” 
He trails off. He can’t tell Athena, goddess of war, that his daughter pissed off the queen of heaven! And if he does, he definitely can’t imply that it was because she was being too stubborn!
“I know well of my daughter’s history with my father’s wife,” Athena says, smoothly. “I come to you now with an offer of peace.”
Percy straightens his back. Peace?
Raising one graceful arm, Athena turns, indicating the structure behind her. “Look upon my temple,” she intones. The white marble shines even more powerfully against the blue and red paint, intricate scenes and figures ringing the top of the columns. “In the time of Pericles, it was built to commemorate the victory of Hellas over the armies of Xerxes the Great. It was to be the shining beacon of our world, a triumph of our power and influence over the race of men.”
The race of men might have had something to say about that, he thinks to himself.
“But it was not to be,” Athena says, mournfully. “As our influence waned, so too did our temple, until its might was all but forgotten.” 
Before his eyes, the paint fades away, ceilings and columns collapsing, the destruction of the Parthenon playing out in front of him. 
“Some two hundred years ago,” she says, her voice taking on a darker, more dangerous tone, “a grave insult was paid to the ruins of my ancient sanctuary.” Like curtains falling on a stage, darkness swallowed up the structure, swift and impenetrable. “Many treasures were taken from my temple, stolen, by foolish, greedy men, spirited away far to the north, where they have languished in unworthy hands.”
He narrows his eyes. She can’t possibly be talking about--
Athena turns back to him, her eyes blazing, somehow twice as tall. “Retrieve my treasures,” she commands, war personified, “return the prizes of Athens to their rightful place, and I shall give you my support against my father’s wife.”
“You…” Percy leans back on his haunches, staring dumbfounded up at the goddess. “You don’t happen to mean the Parthenon Marbles, do you?”
“Yes.”
“The ones in the British Museum.”
“The same,” she says, imperious as ever.
Fantastic. “Welp,” Percy says, slapping his thighs, scrambling up. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to decline. Nice seeing you, by the way. I’ll tell Annabeth you stopped by.”
Her sharp gazes pierces him, full of fury. “You dare to refuse my support?”
He snorts. “When it means trying to get the UK to give the marbles back, absolutely. Do you know how stubborn they are about this?”
Lightning flashes behind her, nearly blinding him. “You will regret this,” Athena says, dark and foreboding. “You may have your father’s goodwill, but the queen of Olympus is clever and cunning, her displeasure swift and merciless.”
But Percy still shakes his head. “When Annabeth and I get married,” and it’s definitely a ‘when,’ it’s just a matter of when precisely, like after Junie can sleep through the night maybe, “I’d rather take my chances with Hera than try and untangle that particular can of olives.”
A growl, and a snap of her fingers, and Athena disappears.
With a start, Percy wakes up. Junie had gotten her chubby little hands around his nose, and had decided to pull.
“Ow, ow, Junie, hey,” he squawks, attempting to dislodge her grip from his face. “Hey, I’m awake, it’s okay.”
She laughs, illegally adorable, her grey eyes sparkling, squeezing harder. 
“Okay, okay,” he laughs along with her. “You got my nose, you win.”
As if she were waiting for him to admit defeat, she lets go, clapping her pudgy toddler hands together. 
“That’s right,” he picks her up, raising her above his head. “Barely sixteen months old and you already know how to take me down, don’t you? Just like your mommy.”
She smiles, waving her little fists.
Gods he loves this little monster.
Junie really is the best parts of both of them. She’s got her daddy’s hair but her mommy’s brain, quick and sharp and painfully adorable. She’s already learning to read Greek, Annabeth sitting her in her lap and sounding out vowels together, Annabeth taking her finger and tracing it over the letter shapes. This kid absorbs information like a sponge, which Percy can only assume is the natural conclusion of taking a son of Poseidon and a daughter of Athena and mixing their DNA together. 
Thinking about his dream, he frowns. “What do you think, Junie,” he asks his toddler. “Should I take her up on her offer?”
The baby says nothing.
“I mean,” he tilts his head, “Greece has been trying to get the marbles back for two hundred years. UNESCO has top lawyers on this. What does Athena think I can do?”
Junie blinks at him.
“On the other hand, I do really love your mom,” he admits, “and I really want to marry her. You’d like that, right? To have your parents be married?”
There’s no way she can understand what he’s saying, but she moves her head like she’s nodding. Or maybe she does understand. She is Annabeth’s daughter after all. 
Percy sighs. Dammit.
Time for a new project, he guesses.
***
Several months, a college graduation, and one relocation to Boston later, Percy growls, hurling his pencil at the wall. Mother fucker. Fuck the British Museum, fuck his tiny laptop screen, and fuck the Italian prick who decided to have the least ADHD-friendly handwriting of all time. 
Why the hell is he doing this again? Like, seriously. Why in all of Hades is he, an inexperienced, snot-nosed, first year master’s student deciding to tackle the return of the fucking Parthenon marbles of all things. Like, what is wrong with him? 
Roughly scrubbing his fingers through his hair, Percy stands up. He has to go for a walk, clear his head, or he might actually explode. 
Then he catches a glimpse of the photo pinned to the fridge.
Percy’s mom had taken it, a candid of Percy and Annabeth and Junie on a sunny day in Central Park. There, in perfect 1080p, Junie is laughing, at what he can’t even remember, her pudgy fists yanking on Percy’s hair, while her mother and the love of his life does nothing to extricate Percy from her grip, her face screwed up so hard she had tears in her eyes. 
Percy had talked a lot of shit to the goddess of war’s face, but truth be told… Hera still terrifies him a little. Which, he assumes, was her goal all along, but it would be nice to marry Annabeth without fear of something going terribly wrong--or, gods forbid, something happening to Junie. That simply was not a risk he was willing to take. Percy is content to spend the rest of his days as Annabeth’s life-partner and roommate, if it means that the queen of the heavens won’t have a reason to take out her issues on his children.
Even if the engagement ring in the back of the pantry is gathering dust. 
Sunlight, wan but warm, falls in from the window, landing perfectly on his pile of open books. “I know, I know,” he growls, speaking to the air, rubbing his face so it doesn’t get stuck in a permanent glare. “I just--I just need a few minutes, okay? Let me go down the block and get a coffee or something. Two minutes, Lady Athena.”
The light fades. Percy takes that as an acquiescence, angrily scribbling a note. He’s not sure when Annabeth and Junie will be back, but even angry as he is, he doesn’t want to worry them.
Snatching up his jacket, he slams the door shut, stomping out of his apartment building and down the streets of Boston. He must be accidentally doing his wolf stare, because people are practically flinging themselves out of his path as he hurtles down the sidewalk. Literally--some girl is walking her husky, and the poor dog actually whimpers, cowering as Percy rounds the corner. 
Coming to a stop, Percy slaps his hands over his face, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath. 
He might be in over his head a little.
Sighing, he looks to his right. He’s standing outside of a Starbucks. 
Percy doesn’t drink coffee, Annabeth does. And he knows exactly how much of a coffee snob his girlfriend is. Starbucks? Overpriced, overrated, over-sweetened garbage.
He pushes the door open, sliding up to the counter. “I’ll take a… iced mocha, I guess,” he says. “Large.”
“No problem,” chirps the barista. “I’ll have that out for you in a minute.”
“Thanks,” he mumbles.
One thing Starbucks does have going for it, though, are really good napkins for doodling.
Slumping down in his uncomfortable metal chair, elbows resting on the hard, faux-wood table, Percy takes out his pen, and doodles aimlessly on the brown napkins. No, not that pen. Just because it can write doesn’t mean that Percy wants to risk slicing his face open every time he has a stray idea. Completely out of the blue, Annabeth had gotten him a nice set of pens, and ever since then, Percy always keeps one on him. Now, if he could just remember to use the little notebook she had gotten him, too.
Percy is not an artist by any stretch of the imagination. He doesn’t have an image in mind, just lets his pen move, drawing endless chains of triangles and stars, nebulous shapes which form themselves into Greek letters. After he catches himself writing γλαυκῶπις for the eighth time in a row, he sighs, dropping his pen, and picks up the cup, taking a sip.
Yuck. At least the chocolate outweighs the coffee taste a little.
Gods, and their cups are always, like, drenched from condensation--not that Percy can feel it, but there’s practically a whole other drink on the outside of the plastic, dripping all over Percy’s pile of doodle napkins. That must be why they give out so many.
Grumbling, he mops up the mess, ink smudged into a blue-brown slurry.
He stops. 
He squints at one of his doodles. 
Not that anyone else could tell, but Percy had apparently been trying to recreate the signature of Ottoman sultan Selim III, the guy who had supposedly authorized the Earl of Elgin to take the Parthenon Marbles. Percy had been staring at copies of his signature all damn day, trying to tell if it had been forged or copied, but classical Arabic was just so far beyond anything he could even begin to wrap his head around. It was gorgeous work, but even looking at it made Percy’s eyes swim.
This particular doodle is not his best attempt. It looks nothing like the signature. It’s smudged, blotchy, but in a way that’s… weirdly familiar. 
Snatching the napkin up, Percy bolts from the Starbucks, leaving his mocha behind.
Taking the steps of his apartment building two at a time, he bursts into his kitchen. His set up is exactly how he left it, books spread out all over the table, laptop shut and laid askew, the dry, half-eaten remains of his morning muffin on a plate on top of his encyclopedia of illuminated manuscripts--except for one book, the one on Ottoman history of the nineteenth century. It’s been opened, its pages facing the door, in the exact opposite direction of all the other books. 
“Hello?” he calls into the apartment. “Anyone home?”
No response. 
Percy approaches the table. 
From the pages, Selim III stares at him, his portrait rendered in black and white, sitting just above a figure of his signature, his tughra. 
Percy picks up the book, squinting. 
The signature is crisp, clean, a work of art all by itself. 
He looks at his napkin drawing. Blurry and smudged.
Opening his laptop, he pulls up the scans of the documents in the British museum, zooms in on the letter’s seal.
Blurry and smudged.
Percy stares. 
It… can’t be that simple, can it?
In a daze, he fires an email off to his new grad advisor. Hopefully he won’t mind Percy sticking his nose in where he doesn’t belong. Hey Dr. T--was looking at the Parthenon marbles docs in the BM (don’t ask) and I noticed this weird smudge on the tughra. Lazy scribe, maybe?
And he closes his computer.
Later that night, while he puts Junie to bed, he gets a response. not sure. sent it to a colleague for a closer look. 
He can’t even be bothered to really think about it though, not with Junie looking up at him with Annabeth’s eyes, and asking for another book. “Alright, kiddo,” he acquiesces, settling in beside her. All her story books are in ancient Greek, and at age two, she’s starting to recognize the letters. “Which one are you thinking?” 
“Daw-fins, daddy,” she says, smiling.
“Dolphins, eh? Getting Mr. D on your side early, I see. As smart as mommy.” He leans down and kisses her forehead before he starts to read her the story of the sailors and their sudden dolphin madness. 
***
“Huh,” Percy says to himself a few weeks later, as he and Annabeth are chilling on the couch, watching some Netflix.
His advisor has forwarded him an article from the BBC (New evidence suggests Elgin documents to be forgeries) with an accompanying note: Amazing catch! 
“What is it?” Annabeth asks, nudging him with her elbow--a feat, since she also has an armful of a squirmy Junie to deal with.
“Update in the Parthenon marbles thing.”
That gets her attention. Anything Parthenon-related does. “Really?”
He shows her his phone.
Her eyes go wide as saucers. “Damn.”
“Yep.” He doesn’t realize he’s smiling until he feels his lips pulling at the sides of his mouth. 
“My mom is probably your biggest fan right now.”
He starts. “What did you say?”
Turning back to the TV, she still manages to cast him a weird look. “I said, my mom will probably love you for this.”
A beat, then Percy practically somersaults over the couch, darting into the kitchen. Wrenching open the pantry door, he shoves his hand behind their collection of flours, fingers grasping for--
“If you’re looking for any more sacrificial cookies,” Annabeth calls after him, “we burned them all when Junie got a cold.”
“Remind me to make some more,” says Percy, pulling out his prize. It’s a little dusty, streaks of flour clinging to the blue velvet. “I have a feeling we’ll need them.”
“Oh yeah?” She chuckles. “What, did Olympus put in a special order?” 
Percy slides back down next to her, ring hidden in his closed fist. “Can I have the baby for a sec?”
Eyes fixed to the screen, Annabeth passes her over. Junie’s hands automatically reach for his nose, ready to grab, but Percy places the ring in her grasp instead, kissing her forehead. “Hey, babe?” he asks Annabeth, handing her back. “I think our daughter has something for you.”
Annabeth takes her without a second glance. 
Then she does take a second glance.
Ring closed in her pudgy toddler fist, Junie holds it out to her.
Annabeth gapes. 
“So,” Percy says, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, “quick confession: I wasn’t just working on the marbles for fun.”
Annabeth just stares. Junie babbles.
“Your mom told me that if I helped get the marbles back, she’d back us against Hera if we ever got married. So…” He trails off, waiting for her response. As close as he is, he can see the tears start to well up in her eyes--a good sign. “Shall we?” he prompts.
“Oh thank all the gods.” Annabeth is crying, because she's Annabeth. And because she's Annabeth, she also wastes no time in transferring Junie to her other side, and holding out her hand so Percy can slide the ring on her finger. “I was so worried I'd have to have Chase on my Masters’ diploma, too.”
5)
Percy is making sauce when his phone lights up. He hits speaker. “Hey.”
“Hey man,” comes the tinny voice of Magnus. “Sorry I missed your call earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Percy says, “I figured you were dying or something.”
Magnus’ eye roll is almost palpable. “Very funny. What’s up?”
Bringing the spoon to his lips, he blows on it, taking a taste, before reaching for the salt. Needs way more. “Do you happen to have any Varangian guards in Hotel Valhalla?”
“Varangian guards? Uh, maybe. Probably. Why?”
“I’m doing a thing on the attempted reconquest of Sicily,” he says, lowering the heat a little to a simmer, “and I’m having some trouble piecing together the Battle of Montemaggiore. Know anyone who was in it?” 
Magnus hums. “I’ll ask around. Anyone in particular you’re looking for?”
Rifling through their little spice cabinet, he makes a mental note to get a new thing of hot sauce, tipping the rest of it into the pot. “If you have anyone who fought under Harald Hardrada, that would be great.”
“Hardrada? I’m pretty sure he lives on the fifth floor.”
Percy nearly drops the bottle. “No shit?”
“Big dude, long mustache, writes poetry?”
“Yes!” He picks up the phone, grinning from ear to ear. “Do you think I could come up and talk to him sometime?”
“Sure, but I thought you were doing something on Homer’s identity?”
He groans. “Backburnered for now until she stops driving me crazy.” No matter how many times Percy tells her, he can’t just drop the “Homer was actually an Egyptian woman” bomb without some serious evidence backing that up. And forgery is not one of his strong suits. Hence the need for a different topic for the time being.
“Has everyone ever told you your life is weird?”
“No, why do you ask?”
His phone suddenly vibrates, shocking him so badly he nearly drops it into the saucepan. Almost home, texts the love of his life, a shot of serotonin directly into his bloodstream. V hungry
“Sorry, Magnus, but I gotta run. Thanks for your help.”
“No problem. Say hi to my cousin for me.”
“Can do.”
“And make sure you pick a date soon! Sam needs to know so she can schedule her flight home.”
“Soon as I can.” You know, when his brain isn’t melting from grading undergrad papers. And making sure Annabeth and Junie are fed. And that Annabeth doesn’t lose herself in graduate school. And finding Junie a new preschool after she destroyed a classroom last month because of a monster. His toddler is a badass. But he’s a little worried she’s gonna follow Mommy and Daddy’s example as far as school goes. 
Sometimes, he thinks that their wedding just won’t ever happen. With Athena on board, he figured it would happen sooner or later, but time just… keeps getting away from them. Which isn’t the end of the world. A lifetime at Annabeth’s side is all he really needs, Mrs. Jackson or no. But he’s seen the silver fabric she weaved for her wedding dress. It would be a shame for all that hard work to go to waste.
And, yeah, he wants to see his little Junie dancing down the aisle flinging seaweed before her mother. He wants his mom to cry a little and he wants all his friends to be there to celebrate with them. Is that so much to ask? 
Speaking of his two favorite girls--”We’re home!” Annabeth calls from the hallway. “Junie, go say hi to daddy!”
Her bare feet slapping against the floor, his daughter comes toddling in, making a beeline for him. “Hey, kiddo,” Percy says, scooping her up. “How’s my best girl?”
“She’s just fine, thanks,” Annabeth says, setting her work bag down on the table. “Tell me I don’t have to wait for dinner--Margie kept me for the entirety of my lunch break, and I am starving.” 
“Just gotta make a salad and we should be good to go.” But he makes no move to finish chopping vegetables, entirely too enraptured with the way Junie smiles when Percy sticks his tongue out at her. “Let me guess,” he says. “Does my best girl want some olives?”
“Peas,” Junie says. 
“Oh, you want peas instead?”
She giggles, waving her arms. “Elaia, daddy!”
“Fine,” and he kisses her nose. “Extra olives for you.”
“Chip off the old block,” Annabeth says.
Handing her back to her mother, Percy sighs. “When am I going to get a kid who likes anchovies?”
“I’m doing my best here, okay?”
***
Hardrada is… not what he expected.
“Reputation isn’t that bad.” Hardrada is saying. “The production isn’t what it should be, but lots of her lyrics are still on point.” 
“The production ruins it,” Percy insists. “And as a follow up to 1989? It's just bad.” 
“And what about Lover?”
“What about Lover?”
“You can’t argue with the genius of that one.”
“It is terribly inconsistent,” Percy shoots back. “Yeah, ‘The Archer’ and ‘Daylight’ and ‘Miss Americana’ are sublime, but ‘ME!’? Come on!”
“Are you one of those people who thinks she peaked at Red?”
“Red is a bop from start to finish,” Percy fires back. “But she definitely peaked at folklore.”
“Thinking she peaked at folklore is just pedestrian when ‘tis the damn season’ exists!” Hardrada yells, drawing his axe, which is then promptly flung over Percy’s head. 
As the only mortal in a room full of armed, excitable, undead Taylor Swift stans, Percy beats a hasty exit, Magnus and Jason covering him as he flees, because they’re just so thoughtful like that. Percy’s pretty sure he saw Magnus take an arrow to the knee, going down in a heap, before he shuts the door to the hotel, finding himself in a Forever 21. 
Looking over his notes later as he gets back to his apartment in the North End, he frowns. They had spent… approximately twenty minutes talking about Sicily before getting solidly off track. Who knew an eleventh century viking would have such intense feelings about pop music? 
And now he’s singing “seven” to himself as he unlocks the apartment door, because it's a good song, and because it made him think of Annabeth. And he always wants to think of Annabeth. 
“Hey, babe,” he calls into the apartment, toeing off his shoes. “I’m back!”
He gets no response.
Percy looks up, confused. “Annabeth?”
“In the bathroom,” he hears, faintly. 
“Everything okay?”
“Yep! Totally fine!” she says, unconvincingly. 
“Alright,” he calls back. “Let me know if you need something.”
Moving Junie’s toys out of the way, he drops down onto the couch, grabbing his laptop. Hopefully he can make some sort of sense of the… notes… that he got from Hardrada. Though he’s probably going to have to trek out to Beacon Hill again, which, while not really out of his way, does mean he has to hike a bit from the Park Street station through the Commons, which makes him super sweaty and out of breath. It’s just embarrassing, walking into a hotel full of the greatest warriors of Valhalla, and Percy can barely handle a hill. 
However, he’s not so out of practice that he can’t sense Annabeth coming up behind him. “You good?”
“What do you think about getting married by the end of the month?”
“Sure,” he says, pecking at his computer. Damn autocorrect ruining all the Norse names. He keeps forgetting to download the right language package he needs. “But I thought you wanted to wait until after you turned in your portfolio?”
“Well… I might not be able to fit in my dress if we wait much longer.”
That gets his attention.
Percy turns around, slowly. Annabeth is grinning, holding a thin little piece of plastic with a circle on the end. She wiggles it. 
“Is that…?”
“Yep.”
“Oh.”
Her smile falls. “Are you mad?”
“What? No!” Percy slides his computer off his lap, twisting around to face her, up on his knees. “No, no, not at all. I’m not mad.” She slings her arms around his neck, pregnancy test warm against his skin. “I just…” 
Eyes warm, she looks into his, unafraid. “What is it?”
“It’s…” It’s silly, is what it is. But this is Annabeth. If he can’t tell her, who can he tell? “I just feel bad that I’ve gotten you pregnant twice before getting married.”
“Well, at least I’m not nineteen this time,” she says, raising an eyebrow. “But maybe we wouldn’t have this problem if you weren’t such a horndog.”
Percy snorts. “Me? What about you, Annabeth ‘3 AM anal before my first lecture’ Chase.”
“Jackson,” she corrects.
“Huh?”
“It’s Annabeth ‘3 AM anal before your first lecture’ Jackson.”
Grinning, he presses his mouth to hers. After all this time, she still smells like lemons, her lips soft and warm. “Not yet it’s not.”
“Then let’s make it happen.”
And, well, Percy can’t think of a better plan.
+1
Jamie hisses. “Fuuuuuck,” she whispers, the sound dropping like a stone in the dead lecture hall. “Goddamn shit fuck ass.”
And the worst part is, she’d actually spent a lot of time preparing for her Latin midterm. She’d made flashcards, she’d drilled noun endings, she’d even slept with the textbook under her pillow for fuck’s sake. 
Typical--the moment she sits down to take the test, it all goes out the window. 
“Legistne carmen longum de Troiano,” she reads under her breath, as though saying it out loud will unlock some hidden secrets of the cosmos. 
Nope. Nothing. The multiple choices remain as inscrutable as ever.
“Psst.” 
Jamie looks up. 
There’s a four year old staring at her. 
“Hi,” Jamie says. 
“Hi,” says the four year old. Junie, her name is, she thinks. 
Mr. Jackson, Jamie’s Latin TA, will bring his kids to class with him sometimes--his wife works full time, and Jamie guesses that they can’t afford a babysitter. She’s a cute kid, quiet, usually sitting in the corner of the lecture hall, drawing or even knitting, sometimes with her little sister playing with toy ships next to her. 
Now, she’s still staring at her. “What’s up?” Jamie asks.
“Bello,” says Junie.
Jamie blinks. “Sorry?”
“Legistne carmen longum de bello Troiano.” 
She squints down at her test sheet, attempting to visualize her flash cards. That’s… “Bello” is the right answer.
The fuck? The fucking four year old can speak Latin? “Thanks,” she whispers. 
Junie beams at her.
Darting her eyes to the front of the lecture hall, Jamie spies her professor, Buck, completely conked out at his desk, his chest rising and falling with his snores. Percy is nowhere to be seen, his laptop open at his chair. “What’s the next one?” Jamie turns her paper so that Junie can see better.
“Pluto Proserpinam infelicem cepit,” she announces, perfectly accented.
Jamie points to the one after that.
“Rex qui pontem fecit erat Ancus Martius.”
“Awesome.” 
The door to the lecture hall opens. Jamie whips around in her seat, startled, and sees her TA, walking down the steps. From the corner of her eye, Junie disappears, booking it to her dad, who scoops her up without missing a beat. “Hey kiddo,” he murmurs, smiling crookedly. “Were you bothering my students?” Then he glances at Jamie. “Sorry about that--hope she wasn’t too annoying.”
But Jamie shakes her head. “It’s fine.” Dammit. 
Still smiling, Percy makes his way back down to his seat. Junie grins at her over his shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around her dad’s neck.
At the beginning of the semester, Professor Buck had droned on and on about Mr. Jackson, about how he was one of the best up-and-coming classics scholars in the world, how he could have had his pick of PhD programs, and how NYU was lucky to have him. He got first pick of assistantships this semester, apparently, but had volunteered to teach Latin 1001, and they should all be grateful, because he had done some beautiful new translation of Virgil for his Master’s thesis, and they were all going to learn a lot from him. 
Turning back to her exam, Jamie snorts. Of course a guy like that would have a kid who could speak perfect Latin. 
She really should have just stuck with German instead. 
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