#(Could he have been a professor? Absolutely! But it hard to imagine him committing to it as a occupation in canon is all not impossible.)

[kitsunefyuu]

What do you think about the theory that AFO used to be a university professor before becoming a full fledged villain? This is based of of 369 where you can see the University of Tokyo in the background and would explain how he met Ujiko + gotten a lot of access to quirk research + maybe vulnerable youths to recruit.

Theory of a University Professor AFO??? I don't believe in that but that sounds like a great AU idea for the future. Great way to recruit disillusioned college students because honestly he be GREAT at it and I enjoy if it is true.

Tho the reason I'm skeptical. Is one, he's wearing a business suit even in flashbacks talking about his rise as a villain meaning if anything he PROBABLY was a businessman. Likely a reflection of Japan's terrible work environments in Black Companies that work you basically to death.

Those things were known for making businessmen suicidal because they just barely have time to go home. Even in the manga in his first appearance to the protagonist, he's hunched over. Given the image of being hanged, I do love imagery.

(Chapter 88)

Ujiko is a pariah, meaning both the government and Science community made a joke out of him. It would NOT be hard for AFO to seek him out as he seems attracted to those with nowhere to go. Ujiko could not continue his research when he was seen as a joke everywhere.

But also if want ideas on vulnerable youth I actually reference the idea in my fanfic Treasure Vault. As he apparently controlled orphanages way before Tomura or Touya. So it likely used it for recruiting before settling on Tomura as his vessel.

It was even mentioned that he thought he felt 'guilty' because kept seeing the quirks in his dreams which frightened him. But it was Ujiko that helped him find out more specifics and also All for One is shown to make him attracted to quirks. Kind of similar to how Toga can't HELP her admiration for blood he can't help admiring quirks.

Now imagine if your parents found out you are interested in these FREAKS of nature during the time when everyone was terrified of these people suddenly having powers. Trying to force him to be normal, have a normal job, normal life, likely dyed his hair-

Until clearly something happened since AFO said Yoichi was his ONLY family meaning either they abandoned them or died. Likely in a quirk-related incident.

Basically, AFO is a self-made man but not one that ever got the 'benefit' of higher education he worked his ass off constantly like a businessman. If was in fact taking care of his little brother, professors don't get paid too much compared to crimes while being very demanding. That is just my idea on his back story of course.

Also I've rp a teacher!AFO so I'm nostalgic now.

[seriouslysnape]

One Time Encounters

Remus Lupin x Fem! Student! Reader

Warnings: Sexual content. Smut. Mutual pining. Teacher/Student relationship. Age gap smut. 

A/N: Reader is of age! Part 1 here

Word Count: 3.5k

“I...I don’t know what to do now.”

Remus’ heart was beating a million miles a minute. His body was pumped full of adrenaline as his feet guided him through the halls of the castle from memory. Never in his life had he been so anxious to get to his office. His office was the target destination, and Remus was reeling the entire way there.

This is happening. Fuck. This is happening.

Remus was taking every back corridor and detoured route that he could possibly take. He was diligently making sure to avoid the Portraits, Filch, and any students roaming around after dinner. That was something that he knew that he couldn’t explain. Rushing through the halls while holding the hand of a student with a very obvious hard-on was NOT something he could cover up. The chances of getting caught were hardly a concern for Remus right now. He had a window of opportunity in front of him that was wide open. He couldn’t not take this opportunity. He’d always wonder “what if” if he didn’t take it.

It had only been in Remus’ dreams that he had been able to live this moment. In his mind, that would only ever be a dream confined to the walls of his internal palace. He had always scolded and corrected himself every time that train of thinking snuck up on him. Just the night before he had reprimanded and beat himself to hell because he had an orgasm with floating, moving pictures of you in his imagination. His self-control and professionality had always won out over his lustful thinking. It was always the same reasoning for why he absolutely, positively could not do this.

She’s a student, Remus. Don’t fucking do this.

He hardly considered this to be impulsive. Remus would be lying if he hadn’t considered possible ways to make this work in the best way possible. Remus had calculated the risks. He had weighed the options and ran through all the pros and cons. Of course he wanted this. He wouldn’t have kept bringing it up to himself if he didn’t. The main issue boiled down to one thing: you.

Remus would never forgive himself if you got into trouble on his behalf. You had so much life ahead of you. Your life as a witch was merely just beginning. The world of magic was just being opened up to you, and you were just now having the chance to utilize your skills. Remus couldn’t live with himself if he knew that was taken away from you because the two of you were involved.

He wanted to protect you, and he was trying to be the voice of reason for both of you. Somehow, he just couldn’t let this go. The woman that he was hand-in-hand with wasn’t helping his case because you were just as antsy as he was. 

“Professor, I’m not one to question the actions of my superiors,” You whispered harshly, barely able to keep up with his long strides as you rounded the corner to the hallway where his office was located. “But are you sure this is a good idea?”

Remus opened the door to his office with vigor, snatching you inside and practically slamming the door shut. He pressed you against the closed door, cornering you just as he had just a few moments ago.

“No.” He answered.

He kissed you then, desperately and with so much need that it nearly collapsed your knees. He felt a high then that was unlike anything that he’d ever experienced. His mouth on yours was beyond any of the ways he had imagined it. Just kissing you was making him grow harder by the second. His hand came to your face to draw you in closer as he used his frame to keep you pushed against the hard surface of his office door. 

Remus had committed himself the moment that he confessed that he harbored feelings for you that were less than student/teacher friendly. That line had been crossed, and there was no turning back now. He knew that this was against every rule written in the book. There wasn’t a single excuse or reason in the world that he could come up with that would grant him a pass for this. He was screwed if anybody were to know about this. 

This is fucked up, Remus. Obliviate her and forget it.

Remus gave that intrusive thought absolutely no consideration. Forget it? He nearly laughed out loud at that suggestion. He wasn’t going to abandon this moment and send you on your way magically brainwashed. Fuck the rules. This was something that he felt was worth the risk of breaking the rules and getting caught. 

It’s wrong, Remus. You’re better than this.

Remus’ internal debate was cast aside momentarily when he was forced to step backwards due to you pushing yourself off of the door that he had you pinned against. The kiss hardly broke, and Remus would’ve never wished for a moment where it had. He stumbled back further into his office that barely had any real illumination to it. The lamp that Remus had lit earlier in the day was still burning strong, but it only offered enough light for Remus to see what was directly in front of him. 

And oh did he love what he saw.

The back of Remus’ legs hit the edge of his desk, bringing both of you to a halt. 

The desk. How perfect. How convenient. 

Remus’ own subconscious had turned to sarcasm because there was no way of convincing him to back out now. If he was going to enjoy the journey, then so was his sense of morale.

“I never- I...I have to admit that I never really imagined this coming to life.” Remus babbled when the two of you stopped for air, but took the chance to begin getting the other undressed and out of your clothes. 

Nerves had plagued you. Your fingertips trembled ever so when you worked to unbutton the buttons on his dress shirt. The reality of what was happening, and what was about to happen had come to your realization. Remus didn’t even understand what kind of dirty things that you had imagined about him. If he knew even half of the scenarios that you had played out in your mind to get an ear ringing orgasm, it would bring a blush to his face.

The difference was that you hadn’t felt an ounce of guilt for it. Remus was a respectable, kind, and intelligent professor. He was a good person outside of a good professor. Why should you feel guilty for being attracted to someone like him? You supposed the answer was a weak one but still the truth -- and also one that you shared with Remus for his own dilemma.

You never thought that this would actually happen.

“Me either,” Your voice nearly cracked. “It doesn’t feel real.”

His eyes visibly darkened when your uniform blouse fell to the floor with a whisper of a thud. He almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. When he had imagined it so many times, and now it was actually happening in real time -- his brain found difficulty in making logical sense out of it. 

His hands were planted on your sides the moment that your bra hit the floor, pulling your breasts closer to him so he could put his mouth to work. His tongue swirled your nipple, sucking and kissing them shamelessly.

A strain of a moan shivered from your chest. Your mind was already on its way to being a foggy puddle, and it wouldn’t be long before you were completely clouded over.

Remus’ slacks were discarded and tossed somewhere in the room without much care or regard. The head of his cock teased and pressed at the space between your thighs underneath the skirt that Remus didn’t bother to remove. 

In circumstances that were less rushed, Remus wouldn’t be this fast paced and desperate to get things moving. He liked to take his time and savor the moment, but this didn’t quite call for that.

There was a new rush of adrenaline, and at this point he was running off of pure hormonal energy. He swallowed hard at the feeling of his tip being just mere centimeters from where it wanted to be. He was so close. So unbelievably close. He literally just had to part your legs and pull you over his waist and fuck you the way that he had longed to. But there was a moment of bold clarity that stopped him in his tracks. 

There was a slight shaking in your legs, and it wasn’t from the overeagerness of the activity that you were mere seconds from partaking in. The hint of anxiety written over your features was enough to make Remus stop cold. He hadn’t stopped to think about how this situation was just as high-stakes for you as it was for him. He wasn’t the only party here, and he wasn’t the only one who was going to be affected. He needed to be absolutely sure that you were just as willing to take this risk as he was.

“[Y/N],” Remus stopped completely, looking at you sternly. “If you don’t want this, tell me now. If you’re unsure of this or have any doubt, then we won’t do this. I have to hear you say yes.”

There was hardly a passing moment. It was the most confident, surefire acceptance he had ever heard in his life. 

“Yes. I want this.” You nodded, your words clear as day.

That was all he needed to hear for the last crumb of doubt to dissolve away.

“Come here.” He rumbled, spinning around to where you were sitting on the corner of his desk.

His hands gripped the sides of your thighs, dragging you as far to the edge of the wooden structure as you could physically go to wrap your legs around his waist. His cock was twitching with anticipation, basically begging Remus to just do it. 

“Next time I promise I’ll take my time.” Remus chuckled, a genuine smile appearing on his face as he looked down at your sprawled out frame over his desk.

“Will there be a next time?” You swallowed, a glimmer of desire sparkling over your pupils as Remus looked into them.

Fuck. What are you even saying? Remus scolded himself. Next time? Absolutely not, Remus. Just this once.

Remus said it to himself, but he didn’t believe it. If this happened now, then he was nearly positive that it would happen again.

“I hope so.” He shuddered, his voice husky and smooth.

There was a slight pause, a twin breath was taken -- and you entered the point of no return. 

He lined himself up and slid in with the slowest speed that he could maintain. He shuddered out an exhale as he did so, keeping his head as level as he could.

There was a shared groan at the feeling. Remus’ mouth fell open as he rolled his hips forward to completely bottom out. It was taking every ounce of what was left of his self-control to start slow and tedious. This wasn’t a throwaway moment. He wasn’t using this time or using you just for sex. This was meant to be just as special for you as it was for him. 

He felt the way that you stretched around him as he filled you. His hands tightened around your thighs as he stood motionless for a moment, allowing both you and him to soak up this feeling. 

It felt so right. It was like you were a perfect fit for him. He had never experienced something that felt so flawless and so seamless. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that he had imagined it so many times or if it was just that good -- but whatever it was, it was intoxicating. His head was buried in the crook of your shoulder with his chest pressed against yours.

“Doing alright?” Remus asked, his voice muffled against the skin of your shoulder that he had left a kiss on.

“Yeah,” You whispered. “I...I need you to-”

“I know, I know. Me too.” Remus took another deep breath as he stood tall once more, and pulled his hips back to withdraw his cock.

There wasn’t a pause before he pushed back in, allowing no time for second thoughts. He felt like he was spinning, and if it weren’t for his grip on your hips, he was certain he would’ve fallen over. Remus didn’t hesitate any longer or waste any more time. 

He found a rhythm, one that worked best for the both of you based on your most genuine noises of pleasure. It was a steady tempo, one that wasn’t too fast or too slow. He was consistent with his thrusts, and he didn’t leave any part inside of you untouched. 

The desk wobbled with his movements, and your grip on the edge of the desktop was the only thing keeping you from shifting out of place. It didn’t take long for stars to begin dotting in your vision. You had never had someone this experienced take this kind of position over you. It was new, and it was different. 

For now, any reservation that Remus had was gone. This was the rightest thing in the world to him right now. It was exceeding all of his dreams and expectations. How could he feel guilty about that?

Remus knew he’d be thinking about this for days. He knew that he’d be fantasizing about the next time and whatever he could dream up of doing to you. This was the beginning of something either really good or really bad...Remus wasn’t sure yet. 

You rotated your hips to meet his thrusts, allowing him to hit the perfect spot. You could tell with each push back in that he had been waiting for this moment. You could feel the pent up tension in every rough entrance.

“You’re taking me well. Atta girl,” Remus rumbled a chuckle, a little surprised. “How you doing?” Remus asked again, ensuring your comfort and complete pleasure.

“So good. Please don’t stop.” You pleaded.

Every nerve in Remus’ body was on fire. He was exploding with pleasure and satisfaction. The way that your mouth was parted in response to his thrusts and your eyes meeting his every so often was an image that he had to see again. The feeling of dragging in and out of you was addictive, and for a moment, he knew he wouldn’t be able to allow this to be a one-time occasion.

The noises were quiet. Remus’ awareness of getting caught hadn’t gone anywhere. Even with a locked door and dark room, he had a sliver of fear that someone would walk in. He’d never be able to talk himself out of that one. 

He needed to wrap this up. He feared that your friends would come looking for you or another professor would seek Remus for a work favor. In all honesty, it had been so long that Remus couldn’t last that long anyways. He couldn’t keep you here much longer, against his better wishes. 

If he could’ve had it his way, he would’ve kept you there all night.

His thrusts into you never stopped, and he could feel his tip prodding against the furthest part into you that he could possibly go. 

“I’m so...I’m going to...” You blubbered out.

Remus nodded with understanding, his head so full of fog that he couldn’t even form words. His grip on your thighs tightened, and he put all of his energy on making you finish. 

With that, you involuntarily clenched around him and a pitchy cry sounded out as you crashed over your release. He was close behind, feeling himself spiral. With just three more thrusts, he pulled out and spilled his own release. He let out his own groan of relief as you opened your eyes, beginning to float down from your climax. Both of you were breathing heavily, minds racing, and hearts pounding.

There was a brief moment of bliss as the two of you fell from your highs. You know good and well that you had never had it that good before, and it was taking you a little longer to recover. His chest heaved as he breathed, both with adrenaline and with realization of what had just happened.

He hovered over you again after a moment, watching you intently. He was careful when lifting your limp body to meet his. He recognized that starstruck, blown away look in your eyes. He didn’t know what to say. It felt unbelievably inappropriate to tell you how good you were, but he didn’t really understand why.

Remus felt fulfilled, but also very, VERY nervous.

This had to stay a secret. This was the most top secret, confidential, never-to-be-spoken-about incident to ever exist. Remus was a goner if anybody ever knew about this. He’d be shunned and disrespected, and rightfully so. This was over the line. Way over the line. 

He knew that he should’ve felt bad for having sex and sharing an intimate moment with a student that he was almost double the age of. He should’ve been ashamed of himself for breaking every rule and going against everything he ever stood for. He knew that he should’ve felt the absolute worst that he had ever felt.

But he didn’t. There wasn’t an ounce of remorse for what had just happened. As a matter of fact, he knew that this was almost a sorry attempt at what he could really do. 

This was a teaser. This was merely a taste of what it could really be like. This only made Remus want it a million times more.That scared him to death, and it made him do something that he rarely ever did.  

Remus began to panic. 

He reached for his pants (only letting go of you when he was sure you could hold yourself up) that were around his ankles, snatching them up and fastening them. He grabbed your discarded blouse as well, and he began to help you get dressed. You were looking at him anxiously, because he was making you nervous. He felt you staring at him, but he kept his eyes focused on his hands trying to get you dressed.

“Professor, I-”

“Shh. Stop,” He waved a shaky, dismissive hand. “Don’t say anything.”

His fingers trembled as he worked on getting the buttons of your shirt buttoned. Somehow, it felt worse putting the shirt back on you than it did taking it off.

“Professor,” You ignored him. “I...I don’t know what to do now.”

“I don’t either.” Remus adjusted the collar of your shirt back to how it was before.

You took it upon yourself to adjust anything else that was out of place while Remus put his own shirt back on. There was an extended silence while the two of you worked separately to compose yourselves, but it was an awkward kind of quiet that you couldn’t stand to sit in.

“Listen. I can’t just show up to class tomorrow and pretend everything is normal,” You grew stern with him. “We’ve got to figure something out.”

“I know, I know. You’re right,” Remus’ hands swept his hair back stressfully. “I just didn’t think this far ahead.”

You landed on your feet from sitting on the desk, and you stood just a few feet away from him with an apprehensive look. This was part of the whole “do now, think later” mantra. The problem was that the “later” had arrived.

“The professor-student relationship is still between us. We can certainly remain professional.” Remus said, taking a breath to settle himself.

“Yeah, but is it going to be uncomfortable?” You bantered back. 

Remus thought about that. He wasn’t sure how he was going to feel come Monday morning when you were sitting in your usual seat. Remus didn’t have an answer, which prompted you to go on.

“We’re mature. We can handle this the right way.” You reasoned. 

“Absolutely,” Remus agreed. “I just...need time to figure out what the right way is.” 

He felt stupid for being this unprepared. He should’ve been ready for this conversation. Now he felt like the world’s biggest douchebag -- rushing you out and not having an answer to any of your questions. 

“I...guess I need to go then.” You swallowed, taking heavy steps towards the door of his office.

Remus felt like he needed to say something. Whether it was something to ease your mind or something to make you feel better about this. But no words came out. He only watched you make it across the room to leave him in the silence and darkness of his lonely office.

“If this needs to be a one-time thing, I...I understand, Professor.” You stopped when you made it to the door, but he caught the slightest bit of disappointment in your tone

Remus weighed his options. Morally, that was likely the best solution. A one-and-done event. No strings attached. The two of you would go on your merry and separate ways, and neither of you would have that craving and nagging “what if”. That seemed like the most logical route, and the best one to take.

But deep down, it wasn’t the one that either of you wanted.

[coramatus]

A Unovan in New York City (part 2)

How exactly did Ingo’s brother wind up blasting himself all the way into a universe with no Pokémon?

Two years ago…

He finally had an answer.

After many long days and nights of extensive research, hunting down rare, antique book collections and driving librarians the world over up a wall, Emmet sat in silence in Canalave Library. His missing brother’s stupid face stared back at him from a yellowing photo taken over two-hundred years ago in a region almost halfway around the world.

He knew where Ingo went.

The questions, the guilt, the fear, all of it constantly swirling in his mind had gone quiet, stunned into silence by Emmet’s hard won discovery.

Next to Ingo’s picture in the journal of one Professor Laventon was a description of the picture. The passage was short but informative: Warden Ingo was a man of unknown origins, his past lost to him from a case of amnesia.

All it said of what became of him was that he left with the Sky Child, the main field researcher of the first Pokédex, departing through a portal of some kind.

…a portal, huh?

It was with that in mind that Emmet wound up coming up with the Actual Worst Idea of His Life:

He was going to Alola to steal a portal.

Not an actual, literal portal, of course. That would likely be physically impossible. But certainly a device capable of generating holes in space-time.

Those Aether Foundation guys had been going on about handheld machines that could punch through dimensions. Surely they knew a thing or two about that! Enough to know how to travel in time and space within the same dimension!

Right???

It made sense at the time as a viable way to launch himself into two-hundred-years-ago Sinnoh or Hisui or whatever to retrieve his brother..

But man… the brain cell must have been on Ingo when he got blasted to the past. Because the heist itself went about as poorly as he could have imagined.

Ultimately left scrambling down Aether’s sterile corridors, Emmet ran away at full tilt from the enraged shouts of security and scientists alike, a nondescript machine clutched tight to his chest. At this point, any and all preparations for a stealthy getaway were long out the window. Now he was flying by the seat of his pants, his long coatends trailing after him.

“Just give it back! We promise we won’t be mad!” someone shouted. A bit too close for comfort.

Emmet ignored this and kept going, eyes searching for his break-in point. Down the hall he spotted the door he’d marked when he began his heist and ducked inside, quickly shoving a filing cabinet and desk against the door to thwart his pursuers.

For a moment, it was quiet and he had to wonder if he’d lost them.

Then the heavy banging started. His heart dropped as he saw his blockade rattle and shift with each shove. Deciding he’d wasted enough time he checked the window he’d cut for a clear path, only to discover guards waiting for him outside. As they began to converge, Emmet shoved another filing cabinet over the window.

He was trapped.

He felt his heart pounding even harder as he tried to find a way out of this. He could use his Pokémon, but he didn’t want to hurt anyone in the process. Causing more pain just to ease his own went against everything he and Ingo believed in. But if he didn’t, then it was only a matter of time before he was caught and all this would have been for nothing.

He had nothing.

Except…

He held out the portal device and stared hard at it.

He’d intended to take it elsewhere to study it first, maybe gain a gradual understanding of it before finally committing to a portal to Hisui and Ingo.

It seemed like he wasn’t being afforded that luxury.

The door echoed with an even harder shove, the desk and filing cabinet scraping the floor with a shriek of metal. The remaining glass on the window shattered as security began to breach it.

He was out of time.

Armed with a backpack of supplies, both his and his brother’s Pokémon teams, and absolutely nothing to lose, Subway Boss Emmet activated the device. It started up with a droning whine, a holographic screen activating and flashing the logo of the Aether Foundation.

A window opened, prompting Emmet to input… temporal gravity weights? He squinted at it, bringing it up to his nose as if that would help make sense of what he was reading. Another window popped up, asking for atomic spatial fluctuations. Yet another popped up, requesting planar resonance calculations. More and more appeared, flooding him with demands for values he couldn’t possibly know.

Behind him the door shuddered with a bang. Emmet could hear more angry yelling from behind it but he paid it no mind. He was too busy trying to figure out how to operate the damn thing in his hands. He tried to exit out of the windows but they kept returning, more insistent than ever. More banging sounds filled the room as more people worked to smash the door open.

In the center of the whirling orchestra of chaos, Emmet found himself starting to panic as his senses were overloaded with noise and stress. He knew he was in over his head. He had no clue what he was doing. He was going to get himself killed at this rate.

For a single, sparkling second, Emmet’s mind was clear:

This was a terrible idea.

But if he turned back now… the consequences would be dire. The courts would not show him mercy just because he was the head of a battle facility. Not when he broke in on his own volition to steal dangerous tech. Meaning he would lose both the Battle Subway and any means to actively find Ingo.

Totally unacceptable.

In desperation, Emmet experimentally flailed his hand at the holo-screen, feeding in gibberish parameters. To his surprise, the windows began closing, seemingly satisfied at his nonsense keysmashing. When the final one closed, a simple prompt popped up:

‘Establish link to set target?’

Emmet smiled grimly. It was completely wrong but it would have to do. He needed to get out of here. To get to a siding where he could pull the brakes and think. Then he could fine-tune things.

He hit ‘Yes’ and the device began emitting a droning whine.

…was it too late to change his mind?

The doors burst open with a loud bang. Emmet had just enough time to look up and see the scientists’ faces turn from an angry red to a terrified, pale white. Before he could wonder why, everything was engulfed in a brilliant explosion of light.

For a split second, Emmet swore he saw a strange white, four-legged entity desperately trying to grab him as he flew past. But he shot away so fast that it almost instantly became nothing but a dot in the horizon. In the next second, it was gone.

[crying-over-spilled-feels]

Happy Wife, Happy Life

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the canon characters. They belong solely to Ali Hazelwood. No monetary gain is being made off of this drabble.

 --------------

           “Anything else you’d like to do today while we’re out, Olive?” Adam Carlsen inquires, his right hand turning Olive’s chin towards him where he can gaze into her eyes.

“Well…” Olive blusters, not quite sure how to bring this up, let alone how to bring up this idea in a group setting. “They’re having an adoption event in the park today…” she trails off, fixing Adam with her most innocent smile.

“Why, pray tell, are you wanting to go to this adoption event?” Adam questions, tossing a look at Holden for help.

“Well, I… I was hoping we could look at the animals and maybe pick one out now that we have a stable apartment living situation,” Olive begins to explain, her eyes sparkling in excitement as she imagines their life becoming even more complete with the addition of a pet.

“No,” Adam says, implying he is leaving very little room for discussion in regards to this matter.

“Adam, but why?” Olive asks, disappointment seeping through her body as she tries to process this blatant rejection.

“Olive, neither of us are home enough for a puppy, sweetheart. They’re a huge commitment, and both of us are working incredibly hard on our research,” the powerful STEM professor reminds, silently thinking of how proud he still is that Olive managed to receive a grant for her study.

 --------------------

           “You know what they say, Carlsen! Happy wife, happy life,” Holden beams up at Adam from across the table, absolutely taking Olive’s side on this matter.

“She’s my fiancée, not quite my wife yet, so I think I win this time on a technicality,” Adam smirks in that cocky yet sexy way Olive loves and is convinced only Dr. Carlsen knows how to pull off.

“Ah, but happy future wife, happy future life!” Malcolm calls in a sing-song voice as he returns back with three hot cocoas and a black coffee for the resident fall drink-hating member of their circle of trust.

Adam sighs dramatically, knowing when he’s been beaten.

“Olive, are you that serious about going?” he sighs, wrapping both arms around his fiancée’s back and shoulders as she drinks her seasonal hot cocoa.

“Yes, Adam! Let’s go see who we can open our home to!” Olive excitedly remarks, pressing a thick kiss to Adam’s cheek.

She could be quite convincing when she wanted to be.

 ----------------

           Adam Carlsen must admit that seeing Olive interacting with and holding various animals is indeed rather adorable and makes her even more irresistible to him. Currently, Olive is sitting in the middle of a pen filled with two litters of puppies, her laughter echoing as two puppies kiss her cheeks with their little tongues while another three tumble in her lap while a sixth pulls on her hair with sharp teeth.

“Olive, as adorable as you are, love, we agreed on no puppies,” Adam reminds, scooping the one puppy climbing up Olive’s back off of her to prevent the puppy from chewing on her hair.

Olive looks up at him holding the wriggling puppy and her heart swells at the sight of her well-known tough as nails fiancé pressing the chocolate-colored pup to his broad chest.

“Yes, I know, but they were just so cute that I had to play with them! That one seems to like you, Adam,” Olive smiles, love evident on every inch of her face.

“Yes, well,” Adam remarks, swallowing thickly as he hurriedly sets the puppy down before he and Olive can become too attached. “How about we go and look at the other animals to find one to possibly take home?” he smiles, offering Olive a hand up.

“I love you,” Olive grins, accepting the hand and pulling herself into his arms.

“I love you, too,” Adam breathes, encircling Olive’s waist with his hands.

 ---------------------

Author’s Note: Adam and Olive are one of my book OTPs now and forevermore! I never realized how much I would have loved the fake dating trope prior to reading this novel! I had seen it recommended on all different forms of social media and thought I would give it a whirl. Needless to say, I read it in less than four days even with three of those four days being ones that I worked at the hospital as a nurse! (Getting up at 4:00 to leave for work by 5:00 has its perks sometimes…) The idea for this fic came to me one day on a drive to work because I absolutely think that Olive is more of a cat person than a dog person anyway and that given her past, Olive is all for adopting the animals from rescues or shelters that no one else wants.  (I have volunteered and fostered in animal rescue for nearly seven years now, so trust me when I say that everyone always wants the ”cute, small puppies and kittens” but hardly anyone wants to give the older, mature dogs and cats a chance. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this drabble! There are sure to be more Adam/Olive stories coming from me, as I already have several ideas for them already! As always, likes, comments, or kudos are greatly appreciated. Have a wonderful day, afternoon, or evening! Until next time, dear readers!

[secret-sagau-my-beloved]

Ok genshin college au headcanon time because I had 15 minutes before my next class and nothing to do with it let's go

-

So Venti is totally the music major who doesn't bother with a minor

Whether or not he actually goes to class depends heavily on how hungover he is

Obviously he's forced himself to go to class when drunk/hungover out of his mind, everyone's used to it

Constantly has to flash his ID because he looks younger than pretty much everybody else, and will get approached multiple times asking if he's supposed to be there

Totally the type to adopt some introverted art major students

Becomes an absolute nuisance and decides to just invite himself to their classes because he's on good terms with like all the humanities professors

Will just walk into any sort of psychology class to critique everything that's going on and propose the most outlandish theories as a past time

-

Zhongli is obviously a business major with a focus in trade, and probably a finance minor

Absolutely the perfect student type, 4.0 GPA, perfect attendance, always polite and respectful during discussions

Keeps to himself and like never goes to uni events

Is definitely the type that kind of always ask for money in subtle ways, it's hard not to feel bad for him when he never seems to have any cash on hand at all

Commits light money laundering and nobody expects it

-

Ei would be a history major with a special focus on ancient civilization structure, especially in Eastern areas

I could see her getting a minor in music but not telling anyone about it

Venti caught her in the music building once and holds it over her head to get her help passing his required history classes

Professional but very strongly opinionated, will get into heated debates and is constantly scouted out to join a debate club because of it

I think she's totally the type to graduate a year or two early because of the amount of extra AP and honors credits she got through high school

-

Now for characters I don't do often

Albedo is obviously a science major with a specialty in chemistry, minor in fine arts

I imagine him pursuing a masters or maybe even a doctorate

Keeps to himself but has a soft spot for first years

Everyone's always super jealous because he's both good in the technical fields and the more creative fields

Is slightly considered the campus cryptid because he's never seen outside of class, almost as if he just teleports to and from, nobody's ever been able to catch him entering or leaving

-

Thoma probably got an associates degree from the local community college in general studies and decided to pursue a bachelor's in hospitality when he realized that general studies wasn't going to get him very far

Has a secret dream of simply being a house husband, but he would never share that, even though it's pretty obviously seen through some of his actions

Becomes like the local mom friend who everyone who wants a non microwaved meals goes to, he ends up creating a bit of a side business just selling decent food made in bulk at low prices to struggling students

Thought about pursuing a veterinarian degree, but ended up abandoning the idea after seeing how much time and money he'd have to devote to it

Always seems to be around when you need him, just casually walking around the campus, helping out people in his free time

Professors love him

-

Childe is a special case, he's more the type who doesn't put a whole lot of effort into classes and only takes a few per semester, so it takes him way longer to graduate than pretty much everyone else

I feel like he would go for a business degree just because it's so general, doubt he would actually try for any minor, but I could see him being interested in like computer science as a hobby type thing

He very rarely actually shows up to class, but he still manages to pass with a relatively good grade because of how he performs on tests

Is simultaneously both a good and bad influence

Is rumored to get into a lot of scuffles, but none of them are ever proven, so he's never actually kicked out

Totally rich kid vibes, but not in like an asshole way, he just throws around money like it's absolutely nothing

Might expand on this with more characters later ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[notanotherinfjblog]

The types as strangers I wish I had known (version 4)

Previous versions: One, two, three

INTJ: She was the first person to show me kindness in a new place. Moving across the country all alone in the middle of a pandemic is not exactly the ideal start of your first real job. So she took it all on herself to take me by the hand, to organise all the things that I had no clue about. She gave me a little tour around the workplace, recommended me places to eat once the pandemic is over, asked me about how I was settling in, remembered little things I mentioned. She was the only person not working from home when I first arrived and so it was just the two of us. She was quiet and reserved as most people here seem to be, and she was awkward in every way when interacting with me. But she tried so hard and maybe it’s just me projecting, but she said her son was in the very same situation as me right now, and it felt like she tried to help me in the way she couldn’t help her son, like she wanted to take me under her wing, but not make it awkward, and then actually making it slightly awkward in doing so. Her heart just felt warm and so did mine when I said thank you.

ENTJ: Everyone knows the classic character of a self-righteous doctor in a hospital show. You know that one. The one that everyone thinks may be hard-working and clever, but heartless and uncaring and egocentric, but a few episodes down the line you start to see that there is more going on underneath the rude attitude. I’ve always believed this to be a stereotypical depiction that is more of a caricature until I met her. She was a doctor at a hospital I stayed in, and damn, she was just like that. She stormed into the rooms, rolled her eyes at a patient whose German was bad, even though she had a thick accent herself, couldn’t be bothered to commit to polite standards of communication like saying hello or thanks, and she didn’t care to wait for just a second when a nurse was in her way and pushed her aside instead. Especially two young nurses were exasperated with her and complained about her as soon as she stormed out of the room. They really made me feel like I had gotten myself into a hospital show as a patient, it was fantastic. And I have to say, even though this young doctor had all of these flaws, she was the only one that actually talked to the patients and explained what was going on, hell she even talked to that woman’s daughter on the phone for a few minutes because the woman didn’t understand the language. Just like on tv, she may have been rude, but at least she seemed like a good doctor.

INTP: My university department held a conference and I was responsible for making sure that all these professors and PhD students didn’t die from their coffee cravings, so I spent most of my time running around with giant coffee cans. And I have to admit, among all the scientists that were roaming the halls, I couldn’t help but stare at him. He was a PhD student from the Netherlands and there was just something about him that did not fit in. You know how professors are often a bit eccentric or strange by normal standards (which explains why we had to explain to an unspeakable amount of them how a coffee can works), so you’d imagine he’d fit right in. But he didn’t. He was his own universe. While everyone was networking, he was studying the research posters in silence. Not because he was too shy, he seemed very comfortable in his own skin. He just didn’t seem to care all that much about other people. I got to listen to a few talks and as he sat in front of me, I saw him play a video game. At an international conference. With professors and colleagues sitting behind him. And he still managed to ask intelligent questions about the talk afterwards. No idea how. Part of me wished I could have talked to him, not because he was cute though he was, but rather because I really could not tell you what kind of person he was. Was he a good person? A bad one? Probably something in-between. But I don’t think my opinion would have fazed him all that much, since to me, he seemed like the kind of person that valued his own opinion on himself the most, and I think that’s a good thing that he’s got there.

ENTP: I had just moved to a different city in a completely different part of the country, and I had just gotten back from my first walk around town. Sounds exciting, but I got back to this unfamiliar flat that I was supposed to call home now and I was panicking. So I stepped out on the balcony hoping the cold air and the stars above could calm my nerves. But it wasn‘t them that did. I stood there in the dark and saw an elderly couple in the parking lot. The woman was in a very similar mental state as me. She was running around their car and was talking about all the things they still had to take care of and things they‘d need, but had forgotten, and her voice got higher and shakier with every word. And then her husband just went and hugged her. She kissed him goodbye three times and every time she did, he let out a little laugh, calm and gentle. He pat her on the back and said that everything was going to be okay, that they would see each other again tomorrow. She kissed him goodbye one last time before she drove away, and I stood there alone in the dark and thanked the universe that I was there at the right time to hear this old man‘s words. For some reason he always seems to appear every time I‘m feeling low and strikes up a little chat with me. And every time he leaves, I have already forgotten what I was sad about.

INFJ: I think everyone pursuing an academic career has this one hero, this one scientist that lit the spark in their heart to dedicate their life to science just like them. I know I have one. So when I started an internship at his lab with one of his colleagues, I didn‘t really expect to meet him. I had seen him around once in a while, yes, but who was I to approach a stranger to tell him what his work meant to me? But then came the plenary meeting that was meant to get more people of the lab to get to know one another - and he approached me. He sat down next to me, asked me about my academic past and future, asked about my current project with his colleague. And I still can‘t believe it. Only a little girl singing in the church choir who is suddenly approached by Beyoncé can hope to imagine what it felt like. He was an internationally renowned scientist, he would have had every reason to look down on the rest of us. Many of them certainly do. But here he was, talking to a little intern from abroad. He was such a genuinely nice person, was sweet and slightly awkward, he even mirrored my weird head nodding that I always do when all the words have left me. He felt like a kindred spirit. I didn‘t tell him what these few minutes talking to him meant to me though part of me wishes that I did, yet still he invited me to the meetings of his research team even though I was not a part of it. And when I came and sat down, he turned around, smiled at me and turned away again, and I can‘t tell you how insane it feels that all of this actually happened.

ENFJ: I’ve written about him before and I will write about him forever. I remember the day our eyes first met in that crowded school corridor almost half of my life ago. I don’t know why neither of us could look away that day, why neither of us could ever look away again from this day on. Somehow our eyes always found each other. I remember the snowy day at the train station so many years later, how he stood there alone in the cold and how he slowly walked towards me, his eyes glued to his feet that abruptly stopped right next to mine. And yet he stayed silent. As did I. So we stood there for an hour waiting for our train, quickly averting our eyes every time they came close to meeting. I remember him looking back at me over his shoulder once we got off the train. He seemed quite flustered that I was about to find out that he had parked his car right next to mine and so he fled. Both of us kept parking our cars next to each other, even when we didn’t see each other for months. But I could never follow him out. He was my own personal mystery. I spent countless nights staring at the ceiling wondering what it was, this strange thing that was going on between us, this little secret that we shared, and I wondered who he really was inside, not who he pretended to be in front of his friends. He was like an island in their midst, always a bit detached, always tucked away behind a smile. Soon twelve years will have passed and still we’ve never spoken a word, but somehow these dark brown eyes still feel more familiar than my own, these eyes that always seemed to look right into my soul. I could have stared at them my whole life. I honestly have no idea what it is that is tying me to him, what it is that I felt back then and what I’m feeling right now. Maybe I’ll never know. I haven’t seen him in three years, but I know our paths will cross again some day. I can feel it in my bones. This story is not over yet. Maybe then we’ll finally be ready to meet properly. Maybe then we’ll finally be able to speak. 

INFP: I happened to stand at the window when I saw the new postman approach our letterbox, and so I watched him throw letters and magazines inside - and stop. He moved his head closer to the box and a frown appeared on his face. He backed off, wanted to leave, came back again and didn’t seem to know what he was supposed to do. So he rang the doorbell. As I opened the door, there he was, shy and with slight panic in his eyes. “I’m so sorry”, he said. “There is a sign on your letterbox that you don’t want advertisements, but I saw that too late and I had already thrown it in. I’m terribly sorry. I can’t get it out of the box and so I thought, I should ask if that’s alright.” And my heart just went awwww, that’s adorable. I smiled at him and told him that it was absolutely fine. He seemed so relieved. So he went away and I closed the door.

ENFP: This is for the man with the kind, but heartbreakingly sad eyes who sometimes sits in front of the train station silently begging for money. This is for the grandparents who spent their train ride trying to teach their little grandchildren the numbers from one to five. This is for the old woman who always kneels down in the middle of the train station with her forehead pressed to the ground, keeping still for hours, enduring the devastation of thousands of people passing by without stopping. This is for the woman who knelt down next to a homeless man, who took his hand and asked how she could help him. This is for the man who made faces at the little boy sitting next to him on the train to make him laugh. This is for the anger I felt when I saw the distraught face of a 10-year-old boy coming out of the movie „1917“ at the cinema with his father. This is for the happy little puppy who lives next to the bakery where I usually grab my lunch. This is for the twenty people who decided to all speak a foreign language during a meeting with each other just because I was there too, a total stranger they had never even seen before who is bad at their native language. This is for the creep that asked me in the middle of the street at night to accompany him. This is for the two teenagers who went to buy sandwiches and coffee for a homeless woman. This is for the families I often see sitting at the train stations, sometimes with a baby in their arms, holding a sign saying „Syrian family. We are hungry, help us please.“ This is for the man who yelled at his girlfriend because she gave them some money. This is for the people who play music during everyone‘s morning commute on the train. This is for all the people who approached me speaking in French and started to laugh when I apologised for not being very good at it. This is for Paris, in all its beauty and all its ugliness. This is for humanity, in all its beauty and ugliness.

ISTJ: He was sitting alone on the train, looking out of the window while listening to something with headphones. He was a tall guy in his mid-20s, one with a full beard, long brown hair in a neat ponytail, and a t-shirt of some rock band that I had never heard of. So, I was sitting there, three meters away, minding my own business, when I suddenly heard a giggle. The entire car of the train had been quiet all this time as it usually is, so I looked up and saw this guy trying to contain his laughter. He pressed the lips together, scratched his nose in order to inconspicuously cover his mouth. I don’t know where this sudden burst of laughter came from. Maybe he was listening to an audio book and reached a funny part. Maybe he was listening to a voice message of a funny friend. Maybe he just had a very amusing thought, I don’t know. But I’ve always had a soft spot for people who randomly start laughing in public and get embarrassed about it cause it’s always, always adorable.

ESTJ: She was a PhD student at my university and she was the one who mainly organised the conference that the above mentioned INTP was attending, too. And even though she didn‘t get tired of complaining about how much work this all was, how typical it was of her boss to volunteer to hold the conference at our university and then not lifting a single finger, she was like a fish in the water, not out of it. She observed everything and everyone, immediately recognised little problems or things that could become a problem, she was constantly running around checking everything, and she kept so many things in mind, it was impressive. One of the attendees sat in a wheelchair and as soon as she noticed, she made us rebuild the entire cafeteria immediately so that everything was reachable for her. And in all the running around, all the obligatory smalltalk, all the stress, she still found the time to stand with us student helpers and joke around.

ISFJ: It was 6pm on a Friday afternoon when all of Paris was trying to get home in the middle of a train strike, so the trains that did run were even more crowded than usual. I did not enjoy sharing 5 square metres with almost 40 other people. But then he entered the train and stood right next to me, leaning against the doors without moving, looking like an intellectual in gangster clothes. We were surrounded by noise of people talking and of rails screaming, by strangers breathing onto our skin, and he just stood there unfazed by it all. He radiated calmness like I‘ve never seen anyone do before. Soon it reached me too, filled me up and left no place for any distress or anxiety. He was like an island in the storm that grew and grew and grew until all of the 40 people around him were safe. I felt safe. I don‘t think he has even the faintest clue about how special he is, but I feel like it has been a privilege to have crossed paths with him.

ESFJ: Did you ever meet someone who, on first glance, looks like the perfect example of a jock, just a short guy with bigger arms than he’s tall? But then you look again, take a closer look at him and you realise that his face has goodness written all over it. He may be horribly bad at grammar for a linguistics student and he may be a bit too sensitive for his own good, but he never made it a secret of how much of a sweetheart he really is. And in situations like these, when he talks about how emotional he got as a tutor when his student told him about a dying grandfather because he felt responsible for the student’s wellbeing, in situations like these, when he approaches my friend after a class to apologise for his harsh criticism of her presentation and to tell her that he didn’t mean it that way, to which she gets all confused because she didn’t take the slightest offence to anything he has ever said in his entire life and he mumbles that he may have to stop beating himself up about stuff like this, I just want to give him a hug and never let go. 

ISTP: I saw her on the metro during rush hour in Paris, and I immediately noticed her to be different. Everyone else always only stares at their phones or into space, everyone else always look like a tired zombie. She was not a zombie. She was leaning against the doors, shaking her leg in the rhythm of the music she was listening to. She was short and skinny, and not even her punk boots could hide that, but there was such a confidence shining out of her, a confidence in who she was that made her look like a giant. She looked like she‘s probably had it rather rough in life, but it didn‘t break her. She rose to the adversity, rose in spite of it all. She seemed to be capable of so many things. Intelligent enough to go into science if she ever wanted to, vicious enough to end someone who ever dared to cross her, warm enough to love deeply and with all her heart if she let it.

ESTP: It was a hot day and far hotter than a September afternoon ever should be. I was stuck in a traffic jam in the city, melting in my car as were so many others, waiting for that red light to finally turn green. And then he came, a young guy in an ugly shirt and with a hat on his head. He started to cross the street, but then stopped right there in the middle. And he started to juggle. In the middle of a traffic jam on a Friday afternoon, he juggled. Just before his green light turned to red, he bowed down to the cars a few times, and then jumped to the sidewalk and left. Thanks, mate, you enigmatic juggling traffic hero.

ISFP: I met him at a wedding. He was a bald man in his 70s with thick horn glasses and probably the most intimidating person I’ve ever met. Not because he was mean, but because he was so confident in himself and so observant. His gaze constantly changed direction. He took everything in that happened around him, he didn’t miss a single thing that was going on, and still he was calm and sure of himself that everyone at our table felt like they had to impress him in some way. Just by looking at him you knew he must have lived an extraordinary life and he really did. He liked talking about himself. He talked about living in the American desert, on a mediterranean island, in a Buddhist monastery, and on a cruise ship. He talked about the smell of the desert at night, about the taste of oranges picked from a tree. He talked about the people he met, about professors and musicians, about cooks and monks. He talked about how much his village loved him. But he also liked listening to others talk about their own lives. It was obvious that he treated life as an experience, as a journey that cannot be planned or imagined, only lived. When we said goodbye, he looked me right in the eye and told me that he thinks it’s great what I’m doing with my life and that he’s looking forward to meeting me again some day. It felt a bit like receiving praise from a deity. 

ESFP: He was a nurse in the accident and emergency department at the hospital and the first person to talk to me while I was waiting in front of an examination room. He was only passing by with a colleague, but he stopped the conversation when he saw me and put his hand on my shoulder. “Aw, sugarmouse, what happened to you?”, was the first thing he said to me. You know, if an unknown man in his 50s is coming towards you and calls you “sugarmouse”, you’re usually not exactly happy, but he was just an overwhelmingly non-threatening guy that called all of the nurses and doctors by kitschy nicknames and radiated warmth wherever he went. He had noticed that I was nervous, and so he came to me and tried to gently put my mind at ease and I was really grateful for it.

[butwhatifidothis]

So. Took a look into that fic @nilsh13 is going through the comments of. Dunno if I’ll actually go through the entire thing - 300k words is certainly a lot of words to read through, especially with it still updating, but I’ve read through/am reading through longer ones - but I jumped to the latest chapter to get a feel for where the fic’s at now.

I’m not halfway through the chapter and I have Words To Say lmao, under the cut

This is going to be as serious a critique about the sections I’ve selected as possible - I want to be clear why I think what is being written is not of high quality, pointing out specifically what I have wrong with it. 

Here are some snippets of the fic (boldened), and following those snippets are my thoughts on them:

“My actions have caused immense turmoil, pitting friend against friend, mother against daughter, and brother against sister*,” muttered Edelgard, desperately trying to drive any hint of self-pity (emphasis mine) from her voice. “My best friend has been disowned by her family, Hubert and Ferdinand’s fathers are dead or imprisoned, and the woman I love is now deemed a heretic by the Church that once offered her shelter. The weight of my decisions seems to pull down all who are caught in the shadow of the Imperial crown.” The Flame Emperor gave Professor Hanneman a wan smile. “Whatever imagined slights you believe you have committed against me, they pale in comparison to the carnage my own words and deeds have unleashed.” 

""I made my choice, the only choice I could make, and dragged this continent down to hell with me. It makes me a poor ruler, and an even baser person, but that was the path I knew I must take."" 

“"It is funny you use the word ‘choice’, Miss Edelgard. When I resigned my title to study at Garreg Mach, I lost marriage prospects, became penniless outside of a small stipend…I even renounced the opportunity to have a family.” Hanneman smiled, his whole body suffused with melancholy. “Really, how could I dare to dream of bringing a daughter into a world this senseless and cruel, knowing that someday, she too, could be hurt in such a way? I…I would not survive it.” The man’s body shook. “I sacrificed those things, things I desperately wanted, because the chance to allow my sister to rest in peace was more important. And I would make that choice again, despite all that it has cost me. You are much the same.”"

"“But your sacrifices were your own,” protested the Emperor of Adrestia. “Thousands bleed for the choices that I have made, and sacrifice themselves for the cause that I have placed before them. There is a profound difference-“"

"“We are both wise enough to know a painful truth,” said the scholar with a melancholy smile. “No matter how grave the sins, no matter how many innocents suffer…there will be countless individuals who will defend the law not because it is just, or righteous, but because it is the law. They will permit a hundred Abysses, and a thousand women to be raped, and a million dead children, as long as such actions do not disturb their order.” He placed a hand on Edelgard’s shoulder. “To stand against such moral rot, knowing that the world will despise and vilify you for it, is the truest sign of not only a just ruler, but a good woman.”"

"The academic’s words blazed with the passion of both a scholar and a man who had watched his world crumble to ash. A man who had been forced to live in the remnants of a life forever altered by the cruelty of both society and of humanity. And yet he had fought, the only way he could, to make the world better. It gave the Flame Emperor new resolve."

"“I…” He turned and looked away. “I believe in you, Miss Edelgard. When I see you, and your determination, your spirit, your bravery in choosing not what is easy, but what is right…it reminds me of her.” Fingers clenched around his locket. “I will fight for you, in the way I should have fought for my sister, long ago. My strength is meagre, and my courage more meagre still. However, all of it is yours.”" 

The author writes Edelgard as one trying to give pity onto herself for her actions, despite how negatively they affect her, due to the immense ramifications those actions have had on those both around her and those under her care. This is the appropriate response to someone who has done as morally dubious an action as starting and spearheading a war that has led to the deaths and suffering of countless innocent people, some of whom were undoubtedly already going through immense suffering without war compounding itself onto their already existing pain. She - rightfully - points as, as a negative towards herself, that she has forced thousands of people to sacrifice their lives, livelihoods, friends, family, homes, etc. in order to continue with her war. Edelgard's canonical self-justification - that she had no other choice to do this - is properly utilized, and further characterization is given to her when she herself recognizes that performing such horrendous actions on the people under her care makes her a poor ruler and terrible person. This is, in truth, a decent set-up for her to go onto a possible path of redemption or self-realization.

However, that progress is forcibly stopped and reverted by Hanneman justifying her actions and recontextualizing them in a morally good light. In fact, the entire story does this, as characters act wildly out of character in order for Edelgard to be seen as good in comparison to them. Focusing on the quoted lines, however, Hanneman relating him giving up nobility and going into momentary poverty - whether true to canon or not - to Edelgard's war actively paints her actions as something that she had a right to be making, which she does not, as they force others to make sacrifices for her cause. When she herself rightfully points this discrepancy out, Hanneman excuses her actions by pointing to another - supposed - source of turmoil and essentially saying "You are more right than x, therefore your y actions are not only better, but objectively good, and make you a good person." He says nothing of the inherent injustice of taking away the choice of the people to live as they want and fight for who they want as well as deliberately taking away any semblance of safety from them, and makes objective statements about Edelgard's moral righteousness despite her taking actions that would, by definition, make her moral righteousness a subjective matter at minimum.

Hanneman is projecting the image of his sister and his own personal sense of justice onto Edelgard, and thus sees her as just as much a victim of the war and society as everyone else. Edelgard is a young woman who has gone through trauma due to Crests, as was his sister, and he himself (in this story, though not within the quoted lines) wanted to beat the man who abused his sister to death, and so he sees Edelgard using violence as a means to achieve justice as not only not questionable, but morally good and brave, as he felt he was not brave enough to enact "justice" onto the man that caused his sister's death. Instead of this being settled, focused on, or even mentioned, despite its obvious nature due to deliberate connections Hanneman himself makes, it is used as a means to showcase that Hanneman is a, for lack of a better term, "expert" on what he is saying when speaking to Edelgard. He knows what it's like to want to force change, he has by-proxy experienced the apparent injustice of the Church - not human society, not his family's decision to allow his sister to be married off, not the man who caused her death's decision to discard her, but strictly the Church and only the Church - and so he can "rightfully" justify and excuse Edelgard's morally questionable actions and paint them in a solely positive light, with no nuance or gray whatsoever.

Edelgard, in the first quote, attempts to say her actions without a tone of self-pity, and yet the narrative itself pities Edelgard. She should be allowed to feel bad about her actions - not because they are causing unfathomable suffering on people who were underserving, but because they’re just hard decisions that she was good and brave to make and maybe she can feel a little bad for herself for making them. She shouldn't feel responsible for choosing to start the war - in fact, did she really have a choice, or did everyone else in society force her to? She shouldn't question whether she's a good person or not, because she simply is - no debate, no question. She is - “justly” - standing up against "moral rot"; that she does so with even more moral rot is irrelevant, because, according to the story, it is not as rotten as that she's up against, therefore it is no longer rotten in the first place. War has been completely justified, as it is now not the last resort of desperation that could only ever be morally grey at its absolute best, but an objectively morally white decision of an objectively morally white person who is facing an objectively morally black opponent.

The actions of other characters attempt to paint Edelgard as someone closer to the former, but I will - maybe - eventually go over how those characters are extremely mischaracterized in order to prop Edelgard as their moral superior. 

[dreamingofaizawa]

Leaving Him, Finding Her

Professor! Aizawa Shouta x Fem! Student! Reader

College AU

***18+ Fic***

If you are not 18 please make your way to the nearest exit, thank you and enjoy the rest of your day.

Warnings: smutty smut, HEAVY DADDY KINK, DD/LG dynamic, Daddy Dom Aizawa, complete sub reader, a temporary collar cuz I have a thing for collars (don’t come @ me, a real collar was too big a commitment to put in a forbidden hookup), praise kink in here, light oral (female receiving), bondage, shibari, unprotected sex, Aizawa being softer than a baby’s bottom, angst, fluff

Word count: 4.6 k

Author’s Note: Alright, ngl I cried writing the end to this cause I’m a little bitch when it comes to the softness after angst. Like, the only thing that makes me cry more than a sad ending is a happy one, and writing these scenes as they pley out is making me absolutely fucking weak. Also, my daddy and praise kinks are beaming, and so is my absolute love for aftercare. I’m lowkey super proud of this one, I’m a sucker for soft doms. 

Update: I'm editing it. Timestamp: 3:23 am Fri, May 14. (Very minimal) Editing completed: 4:20 am Fri, May 14.

Enjoy the read~

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He's beautiful. Ruggedly handsome in every way. Long, wavy, raven locks pulled into a slightly messy bun, revealing the scruff kept just barely tame on his strong jawline and chin. The dark circles under obsidian bloodshot eyes did nothing to steal from his allure. The scar under his eye and a frame too muscular for a simple college professor made you wonder what he’d done before lecturing in your physics class. It also had you wondering other things.

‘(y/l/n)’

What exactly did all that muscle look like? What did it feel like? Running your fingers down his neck and chest, trailing down his abdomen. Or crawling your hands up his legs, caressing his thick, muscled thighs. At night your thoughts ran rampant with images of your physics professor. A very naked professor, to be specific. And you had a title for him that you’d never want to reveal outside of your dorm bedroom.

‘Miss (y/l/n)’

What did he look like under the white dress shirt that was just slightly tight over his chest? And his pants that were fitted perfectly around his thick legs. You're experienced enough to know how submissive you are, and you wonder if he’d be a good dom, wonder if you could be a good enough sub for him. What did it feel like to have him bend you over his desk? Or tie you up as he ravaged your body? What did it feel like to let him have his way with you, to give him control…

“Miss (y/l/n)!”

You jump, immediately snapped back to reality, and recognize who had called your name. Your words came tumbling out without a second thought.

“Yes da-” you catch yourself, “Mr. Aizawa!... Yes, Mr. Aizawa?” Your face burned and your eyes shot wide at the fact that you’d nearly just called him the title from your fantasies. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice, and neither did any of your other classmates.

“If you aren’t paying attention perhaps the material is not challenging enough for you?” You swallow and shake your head.

“No, sir! I’m just a little tired, that’s all! I’ll be more attentive.” He raises an eyebrow at you, clearly unconvinced.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve been distracted during class. See me during office hours.”

With that he continued with the lecture on centripetal force. You groan inwardly, though you only have yourself to blame.

Your grades hadn’t slipped, even if you were zoning out in class. Mr. Aizawa hit the nail on the head when he asked if the material wasn’t difficult enough for you. You’d studied physics before, it was simple for you, and you only needed to ask for notes from your classmates to be sure you did the work the way your professor wanted it to be done. The only reason you’d been enrolled in the class was because it was a requirement, and it was your last year so you had to take it. If it weren’t for your smoking hot professor you’d have hated every second you needed to sit in the lecture hall. He released the class, and you quickly packed up and left, not seeing the darkness in your professor’s eyes as he watched you leave.

It's dark by the time you still back onto campus, Mr. Aizawa’s office hours are strangely extremely late. There's no movement in the dark hallways, the only light coming from underneath Mr. Aizawa’s office door as you approach. The fact that the institution is large enough to give every teacher their own office is beginning to bother you, your overactive imagination getting the better of you.

After a breath, you knock lightly, answered by a muffled, 'Come in'. Another breath. You twist the handle and step into the office, and the man mumbles, 'Close the door behind you please'. You oblige, though your heart is beating out of your chest.

“You wanted to see me, professor?” He hums, eyes flicking up to you as he sets a red pen down on the desk.

“Yes, miss (y/l/n). You haven’t been paying attention in my lectures.” You look down at your hands clasped in front of you, nerves and shame beginning to eat at your resolve.

“I apologize, I’ve been tired lately,” you lie, sticking with your story from earlier.

“And yet you have one of the highest grades in the class.” You keep your eyes glued to your hands, which are now fidgeting nervously. The silence is beginning to nag at your mind, your nerves buzzing.

“I think you’re lying to me.” Your eyes widen momentarily, then you force a confused expression as you look up at your professor.

“I’m not sure what you mean…” He leans forward in his chair, his elbows holding his weight on his desk.

“I mean I think you’re distracted for other reasons. If you were struggling to sleep it would be evident. I’m a prime example,” he motions to his face. You bite the inside of your lip, your heart thumping loud in your ears.

“W-what other reasons would I be distracted?” He stands up and slowly makes his way around his desk, stopping mere inches in front of you. The close proximity has your breath shallowing and your heart pounding. You keep your eyes locked onto his, something akin to fear - no, maybe it's closer to obedience - not letting you look away. He narrows his eyes at you, a skeptical but knowing look.

“Don’t think I didn’t catch that little title you let slip in class earlier.” Your eyes blow wide, your breath hitching in your throat. He walked to the door, locked it and walked back to you, his hands shoved in his pockets.

“I d-don’t…” Your words fall short when he leans down, his breath hot on your ear and neck.

“Don’t lie. What was it you almost called me?” Your body shook, your breaths jagged, but you don't answer. At your silence, he nearly growled in your ear. His left arm snakes around your waist, pulling your body into his. His right hand comes up under your chin, tilting your head up to look at him.

“Answer me, kitten.” The commanding tone of his voice sends shivers down your spine. You take a small breath before closing your eyes and answering.

“D-daddy. I...almost called you daddy.” He hums, the sound rumbling through your body.

“Open your eyes. Look at me.” You obey nearly instantly, swallowing as you meet his gaze. He let out a small sigh, words ghosted from his lips.

“Good girl.” The praise makes your entire body shudder, and a small smirk tugs at the corner of his lips.

“Now, tell me why you would call your professor ‘daddy’ so automatically.” You felt your face burn, a mix of embarrassment and arousal coursing through your veins.

“I… I think about you… at night…” He tilts his head and quirks a brow, urging you to continue. Your voice is shaky, your eyes struggling to keep eye contact as you reveal your darkest secrets to the man at the center of them.

“I call you daddy when I’m alone in bed…”

“Or when you’re in the middle of a lecture.” You bite your bottom lip and nod as he finishes your sentence.

“Such a naughty little girl, aren’t you. What should you say when you do something wrong?” You swallow thickly, your voice barely above a whisper.

“I’m sorry.” His hand under your jaw turns and grips it hard, just enough to make you wince.

“I’m sorry, what?” Your eyes widen and your jaw quivers. Is he asking what you think he is?

“I-I’m sorry… Daddy." His grip on your jaw loosens as he turns your face to the side, leaning in and leaving a kiss under your ear.

“That's right. Such a good girl.” Your body shakes again, the feeling of his scruff on your cheek, his lips on your skin, and his voice in your ear, making your body react on its own.

“Do you have classes tomorrow, kitten?” You search your brain for the information he’s asking for, closing your eyes in concentration. After a few moments, you find the answer.

“N-no…” He pulls completely away from you, moving behind his desk and leaving you dazed. You watch, your body still recovering from whatever just happened, as he gathers his belongings. He holds the door open, turning to you.

“Come now kitten.” You blink at him, your mind trying to make sense of the situation. You follow him anyway, letting your body move on its own.

He’s a few steps ahead of you, and you follow him as he walks to his car, opening the passenger door. You get in, not quite able to question what’s happening, but trusting the man regardless. Soon the car pulls into a driveway, and you get out and follow the black haired man into the house, still dazed. His voice brings your attention to him, his hand under your chin again.

“Do you want this, kitten?” You nod.

“Use your voice, pretty girl.” God, hearing the praise is making your head spin.

“Yes. I want you Daddy.” His thumb strokes your cheek idly, grounding you in the moment.

“Good girl. Do you know what a safeword is?” You nod, the concept is more than familiar.

“Yes Daddy.”

“Do you have one?” Another nod.

“Gemini.” His hand lifts your chin gently as he leans down and slots his lips against yours. Your body relaxes, sinking into the kiss, focused on the sensations of his touch. His lips are soft, gentle, and his hands smooth down your back, landing on your hips.

He separates from you, looking down at your half-lidded eyes and blissed out state. You're already slipping into subspace. Your mind is floating, wanting to zero in on something. Anything. Your eyes aren’t quite focused, searching Aizawa’s face for a focal point. He recognizes that look. You need a platform to stand on, an anchor, and you need it desperately. He grabs your wrist and pulls you along behind him. He reaches into his bedside drawer and pulls out a small, but sturdy, black fabric choker. A play collar. Moving behind you, he loops it around you and clasped it at the back of your neck. When it's secure, he quickly moves in front of you and loops his finger under the material, giving a gentle tug. You shudder and take a deep breath, your eyes fluttering closed. It was enough. He hums, stroking your cheek gently.

“Is that better kitty?” You open your eyes to look up into his, and he swears there are hearts shining in them.

“Yes. Thank you daddy.” He pulls you into another kiss, this one more passionate. When his tongue licked at your lips you let your mouth fall open, his tongue searching the wet cavern fervently. He pulls away and tugs your sweater up over your head, tossing it somewhere in the room, doing the same with your bra. With your top half bare he pushes you backward until your knees hit the bed and you fall onto it. He leans over you, leaving soft kisses along your collarbones as he removes your jeans and panties.

Completely naked, he lets his eyes rake over your form laid out in front of him. A small, elated sigh rolls from his lips.

“So pretty, kitten.” Your eyes flutter closed from the praise.

“Thank you Daddy.” Aizawa groans and leans down to kiss and lick at your neck, letting his hands smooth over your hips and legs.

“Such a good girl. So obedient for Daddy.” He feels your body shiver beneath his fingers from that bit of praise. Getting up off the bed he reaches into a different drawer, pulling out three bundles of rope. Turning back to you, he gives a command.

“Middle of the bed, kitten. On your back, arms up.” At the order, you move, getting into the position he specified. 

He crawls over and begins to tie your wrists to the bar at the headboard, the rope secure, but not too tight to be uncomfortable. When he’s done with your wrists, he moves down to your legs. One by one, he lifts them and bends them at the knee, tying your ankle to your upper thigh, and spiraling the rope up to your knee, tying knots down one side and up the other in a beautiful leg tie. Finished with his task, he leans back to admire his work. You’re nearly purring. You know how much you love being restrained, and this man had made you into an artwork, laying out for his eyes, completely at his mercy. He can see the doe-eyes you're giving him, see how still you're being, how trusting you are of him to take care of you. And he loves it.

He moves between your legs, you automatically spread them to give him room, and he leans over, whispering against your lips.

“Such a good girl for me,” before giving you a soft kiss.

“Stay still for me, pretty thing.” He gets off the bed and swiftly undresses, returning to you. You sigh out, elated as your eyes trace down his toned body, drinking in the sight of thick corded muscle rippling under scarred skin. Your gaze lands on his already erect member, thick and long, a prominent vein running underneath. You’d imagined what he could look like, but reality far outshone your imagination. The sheer awe shone through in your voice.

“You’re beautiful.” His eyebrows raise slightly, surprised at your words. Leaning down, he kisses your neck sweetly.

“Thank you kitten. Now let me take care of you.” Back between your legs, he sits on his knees and kneads your breasts in his hands, pulling and tweaking your already hardened nipples, making you mewl. Your skin feels hot at his touch, your body relishing in the pleasure his fingers give you. He leans down and takes a bud into his mouth, swirling his tongue and sucking it before pulling off with a small pop and moving to the other, giving it the same treatment. Rough hands grope and knead down your body, giving appreciative squeezes at your hips, before smoothing his palms down your pelvis. He sits back on his heels and gazes at your glistening pussy, already dripping with arousal. Swiping a finger up your slit, he gathers the slick there and brings it up to his lips, sucking your juices off his finger with a groan.

“You taste so sweet kitty.” You respond with a mewl and another ‘thank you’. He takes his finger and slides it into your heat, and you sigh at the sensation as he pumps it slowly, before adding a second finger. The stretch is wonderful, and he begins to curl and scissor his fingers, searching. You let out a small moan and your back arches slightly off the bed when his fingers curl and hit that spongy spot inside you.

“There it is. Does that feel good kitty?” You nod, floating on bliss.

“Yes, Daddy, it feels good.” He hums and returns his attention back to the task at hand, increasing his pace as he pumps his fingers. His other hand comes up to your pelvis, and his mouth latches onto your clit. The stimulation has you gasping and squirming under his ministrations, and the hand on your pelvis holds you still.

He slips his fingers out and holds them to your lips, and you open your mouth to suck your essence off of them.

You can feel the coil in your belly tighten, winding up as Aizawa hits all the right spots inside you that has you softly moaning and straining against your bindings. Your wet walls are fluttering around his fingers, his tongue lashing at your puffy nub.

“I can feel you. Cum for me kitty.” He reattaches his mouth to your clit and sucks harshly, his fingers digging into that soft patch inside you, and your walls clamp down as you come apart, the muscles in your abdomen tensing and arching your back off the bed. Aizawa releases your clit, but keeps pumping his fingers, letting you ride out your high.

“Such a good girl, kitty.” He pulls your hips up onto his knees as he rubs his painfully hard cock up and down your core, gathering the slick on his shaft. You desperately want to feel him inside you, but you still yourself and hold back your begging mewls. Your resilience and need to be obedient and good for him makes Aizawa groan.

“I want to hear you, kitten. Every sound you need to make, I want to hear it.” He lines himself up with your slicked hole as you nod. With that he pushes his cock into you, and you mewl out at the delicious stretch he’s giving you. You’re both panting as he bottoms out inside you and holds still, allowing you to adjust to him.

“You’re so tight babygirl. Feels so good inside you.” He grips your hips and begins a slow pace, grinding into you, making you moan and squirm, but it’s not enough.

“Please Daddy, harder, please.” The near growl that escapes him has you reeling.

“Since you asked so nicely, kitten.” He pulls out almost completely before slamming into you and setting a brutal pace, and you’re moaning out loud, your voice a sinful melody in Aizawa’s ears. Your limbs are struggling against the restraints, tugging and flexing hard. Before you know it, that coil is tightening again, pulling taut in the pit of your stomach, searing white hot pleasure pooling like magma. Your walls are fluttering again, and Aizawa reaches down to rub tight circles onto your clit, urging you to come undone. He’s pounding into you with reckless abandon, and as you feel yourself coming to that edge his hips begin to stutter, making known he’s close too. He angles his hips and ruts into you, hitting your g-spot mercilessly, and you’re pushed off the edge, moaning loud, toes curling, cumming hard and clamping down on his cock. A few more strokes, and he pulls out as he’s cumming, covering your chest and belly in his hot, thick cum. 

You’re both panting as you come down from your highs, exhausted and spent. After a few minutes, Aizawa gets up and disappears behind a door, returning with a damp washcloth. He cleans his cum off of you and tosses the cloth into a hamper, before beginning to untie your legs. Once they’re both free, he slowly pulls them out and massages them, relieving the slightly cramped muscles, and you’re sighing gratefully as the tension in your body is released. He does the same with your arms as you lay there, your body weak. When he’s done, he puts a palm on your cheek, and you nuzzle into his touch, tears beginning to form in your eyes.

“How are you feeling kitty?” You let the tears fall, the intensity of the night beginning to take a toll on your mind. He pulls your body into him, cradling you as you cry quietly, letting you ride out the emotions.

He rocks you in his arms, rubbing soothing circles into your back and whispering praises into your ear, until your cries subside into small hiccups. He leans back and looks down at you, nuzzling into his chest.

“You okay, (y/n)?” You nod and take deep breaths, relaxing in his arms.

“I’m okay. Thank you.” He hums and lifts you off the bed, carrying you into the bathroom. He plugs the drain and turns the handle, letting the tub fill with warm water. As it fills, he holds you close and places soft kisses on your face and lips, showering you with affection. When the tub is full he turns off the tap and sinks down into the water, your back to his chest, and the warm water soothes your aching body. Aizawa grabs the soap and washes you, massaging you as he goes. He scrubs shampoo into your hair, fingers massaging into your scalp making you hum appreciatively. He washes himself, then drains the tub and turns on the shower head to rinse the both of you. 

When you’re all rinsed, he steps out and dries himself with a towel, before helping you out and wrapping you with a fluffy towel of your own. Dried off, you leave the towel on the counter, and Aizawa scoops you up again and lays you down on the bed. He disappears again for a minute, and reappears with a glass of ice water, giving it to you to drink and climbing into bed.

When you finish sipping at the water, you leave it on the bedside table. Before you can move to get your clothes back on, Aizawa pulls you back into his chest, spooning you with his warm body.

“Sleep,” he grunts into your ear. You're too tired to argue, so you relax in his hold and let the blackness take over your mind.

You wake up in your professor’s arms. You turn to look at him, admiring his sleeping face. His voice startles you.

“It’s not very polite to stare.” Your face heats a little and you look away, suddenly shy.

“S-sorry.” He pulls you closer, nuzzling into your neck.

“It’s alright.” You sigh at the realization that this is going to end, that it has to end. You can’t share a bed with this man while you're his student, it could ruin both of you, moreso him. So you begin to move out of his arms, but he holds you tighter.

“Where do you think you’re going?” You sigh, a tired, sad sound.

“This can’t continue, Mr. - ”

“Shouta.” You blink.

“What?” He grunts, clearly unbothered.

“Call me Shouta.” You swallow down the lump in your throat.

“Shouta...this…can’t become a thing. You know that.” You can feel his breath on your neck as he sighs, and he releases you from his hold. Silently, you dress yourself. You dare to take a look back at him before you leave.

“Thank you, Shouta. I wish things were a little bit different.” He nods, whether in agreement or understanding you aren't sure.

“I’ll see you in class in a few days, (y/n).” You give a soft smile, and leave.

____

The few months before graduation were agonizing. Having to see Shouta three times a week drove you absolutely mad, and when you finally graduated you were almost happy that you didn’t have to see him again. But it was just as painful not seeing him. Your mind was riddled with the dark haired man for months after graduating. You’d lay awake at night wondering if you made the right choice, wondering if somehow you two could have met more often and kept the rendezvous a secret. Often you found yourself letting a few stray tears fall, wishing you’d been able to stay in bed with Shouta longer that morning. You were miserable. And you knew it was because even if the only intimacy you’d shared was the best sex you ever had, you had fallen madly, hilariously in love with your college physics professor.

____

Shouta stared up at his ceiling for what felt like the millionth time. His mind is on you. Always you. After you graduated, he knew he’d never see you again. And it killed him. Nearly 6 months had gone by, and he's still stuck on you, on your body. On your obedience. On your beautiful face sitting in his lecture hall. He’d seen you on the first day, and he was entranced by you nearly instantly. You were extremely smart, and he loved that. But he was a professional, a professor. Your professor. And you were his student. So he buried that attraction he felt and made sure to never let you see how much he wanted you. He only noticed you dazing off during class because he’d glance at you more often than he’d like to admit. He let it go, simply because your grades remained high. But that day he just happened to ask the class a question, and when nobody answered, he went to you because he knew how intelligent you were.

But when your words slipped from your mouth, something in him snapped. He knew there were very few explanations for you to use that title, all of them being you were thinking of someone using it. And by the near instant speed of your response, he could guess who was on your mind. That night was pure bliss. He loved every moment, and never regretted it. Even as you thanked him and walked out of his house, even knowing he may never get to spend another night with you, he didn’t regret anything. He let you walk away because that was the best thing to do. After you graduated, he could approach you again, and he’d get you back. But he couldn’t find you. 

In the time since graduation he’d told his best friend and fellow professor Hizashi Yamada about the complex situation. Hizashi felt for him, knowing when Shouta fell, he fell hard, and the situation is a bad one. He was never judgemental, as he’d had his fair share of forbidden romances. The blonde would visit him in class often, bringing a fresh cup of coffee for his sulking friend. The loss was affecting him more than he liked to admit, and his sleeping habits were bad enough as it is. Hizashi’s visits were always welcome, and a nice distraction, even if they were short. But he was still hooked on you.

He's sick of feeling so defeated. He's tired of feeling so lovesick. He needs a distraction. He needs coffee. He got up and showered, and got ready to drive to the nearest cafe a mile down the road. As he stood in line to order his coffee, he let his eyes wander the cafe, drinking in the soft pastel colors on the walls. It reminds him of you. You’d always wear pastel sweaters. Once again, his mind drifted and landed on you. 

And so did his eyes.

____

You had a day off work today. Deciding you didn’t want to sit around the house and sulk like you usually do, you took a shower, got dressed, grabbed your keys, wallet, phone, and a book to read, and headed to the cafe on the corner two blocks from your apartment. Sitting in the plush seat of the booth with your hot mocha latte, you cracked the book open and dove in. You got lost in the words on the pages, your mind living in the adventure written in black ink. You were ripped from your imagination when a deep voice interrupted you.

“Do you mind if I join you, kitten?” Your eyes froze on the page, jaw clenched, heart beating out of your chest. You tore your eyes from the book and looked up at none other than Shouta Aizawa. 

You haven’t seen him in almost 6 months, and the man still plagued your thoughts. But the sheer joy you felt seeing him overtook you as tears fell from your eyes. Not even a moment later, you leapt from your seat and threw your arms around his shoulders. He wraps his arms around your waist and holds you tight, afraid you’d slip from him again. You cry softly into his shoulder, letting yourself enjoy the moment with the man you know you love. You can’t help the words coming out of your mouth.

“I missed you so much, Shouta. I couldn’t stand not seeing you.” Somehow, he holds you tighter.

“I missed you too, kitten.” He reaches a hand up to pet your hair as he leans back, his dark eyes peering deep into your own.

“I’m here now. And you’re not my student anymore. So if you’d let me, I’d like to take you on a date.”

You freeze in place and look up at him, shocked at what you're hearing. You don’t know if he loves you the way you do him, but in this moment you know he has very real feelings for you. Like it's instinct, you lean in and kiss him passionately, letting your tears wash away the pain you felt ever since you left him that morning. When you broke away you were both breathless, and you nod your head frantically.

“I’d love to go on a date with you Shouta.” A genuine smile spreads across his face, a clear show of his happiness.

“Would you like to come back to my place?” You nod again, and grab your book and phone and follow him out to his car.

This time, you had no reason to leave.

This time, he had no reason to let you go.

This time, you’d stay.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Labelling Love | Part 1 (Collab)

Summary: Meeting you changed the way Eunwoo viewed romance and love entirely.

Pairing: Cha Eunwoo x female reader

Genre: university au / romance / fluff

Warnings: none

A/N: Welcome to the second series in the monthly Love In Fours Ways collab with @jackiejacks923​ @noona-clock​ & @this-song-thats-only-for-you​ . In the final week of each month during this collab, we’ll be each sharing a mini-series using 4 of the pictures/concepts illustrated in the book that inspired our series that I’ve credited below. 

Credit to: Puuung - Love Is In The Small Things // #76 , #60 , #4 , #33

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 // Collab Masterlist

Part 1 - Not Being Able To Concentrate Because She's There

Cha Eunwoo didn’t believe in love at first sight. Or upon a second or even a third look. He was certain that it was nothing but a phenomenon of the hopeless romantic. A guise that someone who wanted to fall in love badly held over the top of feelings that could be more easily described as attractive or interesting. Eunwoo had met many people in his lifetime that he could easily commit to saying he was attracted to or interested in upon first sight. Such was the nature of being human, so he thought.

However, love was something that came with time. A feeling that grew with experiences shared together, not something you felt straight away. He was a firm believer of this.

So what exactly could he call the feeling that was making his heart beat erratically in his chest as he watched you right now?

Blinking forcibly in attempts to regain control over his physical reaction, Eunwoo licked at his lips, realising his breath was heightened. Now clamping his lips together, he did everything he could to tear his eyes away from your direction and back to the guide in front of him.

“This is the campus library. I hope you took down notes on how to get here because you’ll be spending a lot of your time cramming here. There are eleven floors and this place houses pretty much every book about absolutely everything you could ask a question about. This area here is known as the main study lobby. Most students find the second-floor study area pretty noisy though so if you’re…”

Eunwoo lost his focus again on the tour and slipped back to you at one of the tables quietly reading a book. Sliding your hand onto your neck to better support your head as you continued perusing the pages before you, Eunwoo gulped as his skin began to tingle.

“Its attraction,” he breathed out slowly, trying to claim the feeling overwhelming him as that. It didn’t feel like enough to say it was mere attraction though and Eunwoo frowned. “I’m interested too.”

“And I’m intrigued,” another voice announced, nudging Eunwoo playfully. Glancing at the fellow freshman at his side, Eunwoo cringed at his high school buddy Harvey overhearing his outspoken thoughts. “Who are you attracted to? The tour guide? She’s like forty, dude.”

“No, but if you are, by all means ask her out when we’re done.”

“So then who? The rest of us are guys. But hey, if you’re unsure and want to experiment-”

“Could you stop yourself from talking instead?” Eunwoo replied dryly, dragging his feet reluctantly as the group started to move along. He glanced over his shoulder back in your direction, blinking when he found the table you had been reading at now empty. Spinning around, he thought he saw the end of your ponytail descending the stairs at the front of the building but he couldn’t be too sure.

Harvey jostled him around. “Whoever she is, maybe you imagined her. She could be the girl of your college dreams.”

“Sometimes I wonder if I would be better off imagining up a new friend than having you around, Harvey,” Eunwoo commented before letting out a sigh.

Perhaps you were just a fleeting moment of temptation, after all.

Eunwoo was simultaneously relieved and horrified to find that you existed the following day at his first lecture. Harvey’s teasing had simmered down somewhat when the tour moved out of the library and Eunwoo began to believe maybe his friend was right and he conjured you up.

Seeing you in the flesh again solved the puzzle of whether you existed or not.

However, as the hairs stood up on his arms and his eyes fixated on the side of your head as you moved across the front of the lecture hall to the staircase, Eunwoo was troubled by seeing you in person again.

His physical reaction only felt greater this time as well.

Not this row, he begged internally as you came closer to where he was set up, closing his eyes when you diverted towards him. Of course, the universe was testing him right now. Still, he didn’t understand why you of all the people in this world had to cause his insides to implode with nervous excitement like this.

“Hello,” you greeted softly and pointed at the seat you had stopped before. “Can I sit next to you?”

“Oh uh um well uh-”

You grinned. “It’s just the centre of the room and the row, so...”

“That’s exactly why I chose this spot,” he admitted and you bit your lip to control your delight before sitting down.

“I’ve always been the only one who chooses by the environment on where to sit that I’ve known of.”

“Well it makes the most sense to,” he managed to comment and you nodded along eagerly. “You have to be comfortable in order to learn.”

“Precisely! I’m so glad to finally meet someone who thinks the same. I’m Y/N and you are?”

“Eunwoo,” he replied, taking the hand you held outstretched towards him.

He had to clamp his mouth shut before the squeak building up in his throat was expelled, his cheeks feeling hot with his efforts. You mirrored the flushed expression before letting go.

“It’s nice to meet you, Eunwoo. I hope this semester will be productive for the pair of us.”

The first lecture was anything but productive. Eunwoo couldn’t concentrate for the first time in a learning environment in years. And when he hadn’t been as focused in the past, it was due to being unwell and needing to be resting at home, not because a gorgeous girl had sat down beside him. He was well versed in ignoring others around him when learning.

It threw him completely to be unable to focus at all with you next to him.

Eunwoo chalked it up to first day nerves. Or anything else he could kid himself of. But after a second lecture with no true coherency of what was being spoken about in the class and then on the third being called upon and blanking over an answer he knew in great detail from previous study, Eunwoo knew it was due to you.

The problem was he liked you too much to try and avoid you. It wasn’t just the physical reaction now either. Every time you arrived early for class and you chatted over topics before the professor arrived. He was enamoured by the way you thought. Conversation was all too easy between you.

Which was why you didn’t hesitate to gesture to his empty page. “Another day of not taking down notes?”

“Hah, yeah.”

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those geniuses who don’t need to write down information to remember and ace all your tests,” you breathed, leaning towards him.

Eunwoo wished right now he was one of those types. He was immensely grateful that all lectures were recorded so he could cram in note-taking later when he was back home. Staring down at his blank page, he let out a nervous laugh. “Nope, that’s not me.”

“Then? Is the content too hard? I could help you during lunch today to get your head around it?” you offered, blinking softly.

He should have been honest with you then, however, the offer to have a meal with you seemed more desirable than anything else and he found himself nodding along. “Could you?”

“It’ll be my pleasure! I can’t have you falling behind so soon into the semester.” Eunwoo groaned out loud as you giggled. Glancing at you with a brief pout, he then grinned. “I’ll buy lunch then for your help.”

“Ooh, deal!”

It was evident even to you after twenty minutes of attempting to explain the situation that Eunwoo was distracted. You didn’t know why, however. At first, he was determined to make his way through the entirety of lunch fully invested in what you had to say. And for that matter, he had been invested enough to hear each word you spoke, they just didn’t make enough sense. Was it because of the perfume you had on today? It had been fragrant in class earlier on, but now squeezed into a tiny table at the back of one of the bustling campus cafes, it washed over him completely. Was it the way you brushed your hair away from your neck and placed it all to one side of your head, exposing your delicate skin? Honestly, Eunwoo couldn’t tell why he was being like this, and admittedly he was growing quite concerned for his sanity.

You were driving him down a path he had never wandered before.

Harvey’s remark about university being known as an experimental time in a young person’s life came to the forefront of his brain. Was his physical attraction to you that out of control that he couldn’t focus in your company? Or was it just you as a whole?

He whimpered with the lack of an answer.

Glancing away from your book, you placed down your pen and sighed. “This isn’t helping, is it?”

“No.”

“And it’s not the professor that’s the problem, is it?” you continued and Eunwoo shook his head sadly. “I bet the content isn’t that hard for you-”

“It’s you.”

“Excuse me?” you asked slowly, brows knitting together. “I’m the problem?”

Eunwoo opened his mouth, only for embarrassment to flare up within his stomach. How could he tell you that it was because of boyish feelings that he couldn’t concentrate in your company? He’d barely known you for a week now. It would haunt him for the rest of his semester if he confessed this early into things.

However, his lack of response had done enough damage, your hands hastily grabbing for your belongings scattered over the table in between lunch. “I’m sorry I’m such a problem. You should have told me earlier, Eunwoo.”

“No, it’s nothing like that!”

“I’ll sit somewhere else on Monday so you can concentrate on the lecture. Good luck with your semester.”

“Y/N!” he called out hopelessly, reaching out for your lower arm. You halted all movement and stared at his gentle grip over your arm.

He knew he had no other option.

“I can’t concentrate because ever since I met you, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

_________________

Part 2

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[seriouslysnape]

Sneak Peek

Here’s a little excerpt from part 2 of “Corridor Confessions” -- feedback is greatly appreciated because I’m a bit stuck.

****

Remus would never forgive himself if you got into trouble on his behalf. You had so much life ahead of you. Your life as a witch was merely just beginning. The world of magic was just being opened up to you, and you were just now having the chance to utilize your skills. Remus couldn’t live with himself if he knew that was taken away from you because the two of you were involved.

He wanted to protect you, and he was trying to be the voice of reason for both of you. Somehow, he just couldn’t let this go. The woman that he was hand-in-hand with wasn’t helping his case because you were just as antsy as he was.

“Professor, I’m not one to question the actions of my superiors,” You whispered harshly, barely able to keep up with his long strides as you rounded the corner to the hallway where his office was located. “But are you sure this is a good idea?”

Remus opened the door to his office with vigor, snatching you inside and practically slamming the door shut. He pressed you against the closed door, cornering you just as he had just a few moments ago.

“No.” He answered.

He kissed you then, desperately and with so much need that it nearly collapsed your knees. He felt a high then that was unlike anything that he’d ever experienced. His mouth on yours was beyond any of the ways he had imagined it. Just kissing you was making him grow harder by the second. His hand came to your face to draw you in closer as he used his frame to keep you pushed against the hard surface of his office door.

Remus had committed himself the moment that he confessed that he harbored feelings for you that were less than student/teacher friendly. That line had been crossed, and there was no turning back now. He knew that this was against every rule written in the book. There wasn’t a single excuse or reason in the world that he could come up with that would grant him a pass for this. He was screwed if anybody were to know about this.

This is fucked up, Remus. Obliviate her and forget it.

Remus gave that intrusive thought absolutely no consideration. Forget it? He nearly laughed out loud at that suggestion. He wasn’t going to abandon this moment and send you on your way magically brainwashed. Fuck the rules. This was something that he felt was worth the risk of breaking the rules and getting caught.

It’s wrong, Remus. You’re better than this.

[springday-aus]

Bad Boy!AU with Seungcheol

—

moodboard link

Group: Seventeen 

Member: S.Coups / Choi Seungcheol 

Genre: fluff, romance 

Additionally: college!au 

Type: Bulletpoint AU 

Word Count: approx. 2.5k 

don’t worry, Seungcheol isn’t even really a bad boy

he’s really just… misunderstood?

actually that’s not a good word for it

it’s in the sense that his reputation makes him to be seen as a bad boy

it’s probably because of the leather jacket

and the motorcycle

and the piercings (mainly the ears)

and the tattoos

it also doesn’t help either that he’s keeps a small circle of friends

there’s nothing wrong with rolling with a smaller group

it just means a lot of people don’t actually know him and that causes more rumors about his personality

he hangs around Wonwoo and Minghao the most

Wonwoo is known to be handsome, but is also super cold to strangers

(more of a shy thing than a rude thing—a whole different story)

on the other hand, Minghao is one of those people who are brutally honest

(which makes him seem like an inconsiderate asshole)

and because people tend to lump people together

they just assume that Seungcheol is the same as those two are: cold and rude

in reality, he’s just a bit more reserved than others

makes people earn his trust, but some people found that unreasonable apparently

people are just so judgmental sometimes, especially in a small town where everyone wanted know everything about everyone

so, for college, Seungcheol picked out a city to study

because the larger populations lets him blend in with the others

tbh, let’s be real…. he def isn’t the only one who’s wearing all black on a college campus lmao

Wonwoo at some point: “look, we’re twinning”

Seungcheol: “it’s not twinning if you only wear black and keep wearing black”

Wonwoo: :(

anyways

he chose to study business

basic but it’s simple

it ensures that he’s going to have a stable job and by the of the day that’s all that matters to him

stability

also the business suit he has covers everything nicely, so it isn’t like he has visible face tattoos or piercings

not that it’s bad, but….. capitalism, you know? homeboy would like money

so, while his hometown called him a bad influence on other kids

the college sees him as another hottie in the leather jacket

he’s probably would’ve been the campus heartthrob—had it not been for the fact that he went to same school as Wonwoo, Mingyu or that new freshie who calls himself Vernon

there was one time in his theology class that he took off his leather jacket right?

the arm muscles flexing and the tattoo sleeve……….. it’s safe to say everyone took a double take during class that day

as for his academic marks……….

I mean, yeah, he doesn’t have the top grades to make it on a dean’s list or anything, but

he’s got academic scholarships and that’s enough tbh

he might not be a genius prodigy like Jihoon, but he isn’t stupid

Jeonghan: “wait, you’re not cheating off of him?”

Seungcheol: “no, Jeonghan…………. are you?”

Jeonghan: “yeah, no, I thought it was like a thing that we all agreed to”

Seungcheol: “Jeonghan, no”

Jeonghan: “Jeonghan, yes”

so he’s not like a major try-hard like all those A+ obsessive people from high school

but he does make the effort

he’s just trying to live a nice, quiet life on campus to graduate—just like everyone else here

although

there is this habit of his that he’s been trying to break: being late to class

his attendance record isn’t great……….

like he’ll be there….. but he’ll be there like five to ten minutes late so it doesn’t really matter but

it’s like a personal pet peeve about himself

granted, it doesn’t matter when most professors don’t even take attendance

but it’s also because he works really late hours at a nearby convenience shop on campus

so………. the end result is tardiness

and he’s trying to work on it

which is also how he meets you

you see, Seungcheol met you in a………… unique situation

so, Seungcheol has found it easier to go around in his motorcycle, especially in a city

and especially on a college campus

and it’s like 20x faster than walking

it’s also good for when he’s late for his morning classes because he can easily make it to the other side in campus in like 2 minutes vs the original 10 minutes

so on a bright Tuesday morning

after he overslept his alarm (once again)

he quickly got dressed and hopped on his motorcycle to get to the other side of campus for class

….. only for him to quickly stop after hearing your scream

he didn’t necessarily hit you per say but it didn’t mean you managed to pass by untouched

you were rushing off to class too

on all days to be late………. it just had to be the day you had a midterm that’s 30% of your final grade

so you were rushing through

unable to see the motorcycle that was heading your direction

which is your fault but that’s also his fault for not seeing you until you screamed when he nearly hit you, running over a toe or two

he immediately stopped, running over to you

Seungcheol: “oh my God, are you alright?”

You: hair messed up, in pain, and survived the heart attack he gave you

You: “sure”

Seungcheol: “are you sure? I can take you to the hospital or—”

You: no, no, I am already as late as is and, and, and…….”

you trail off, remembering the motorcycle that laid a couple of feet away

You: “instead of the hospital, how about a ride instead? I cannot miss this midterm”

Seungcheol was taken aback from your commitment and strange request, but complied nevertheless

Seungcheol: “are you sure?”

You: “absolutely, hustle man, hustle—we gotta go”

Seungcheol scrambles, starting up the motorcycle and handing you a helmet

which you gladly grab and attach yourself behind him with your arms on his waist

he’s a bit flustered from your proximity

what if he was a murderer and you just hopped onto his bike?

I mean, he obviously isn’t but still

You: “sir, chop-chop, pls move, my ass needs to get to McGregor”

Seungcheol: “yes, right”

it takes less than a minute to get there, especially since there weren’t many others on the pathways

you hastily get off his motorcycle, tossing his helmet back at him and running off

You: “thank you!!!!”

Seungcheol: “you’re welcome?”

he watches as you run into the building, with nothing more on your mind than your midterm

how odd

he shakes his head, clearing his head of you before going to park his motorcycle and locking it—he’s got his own problems to worry about right now

(he re-told the story to a couple of his friends, in which Jihoon said: “watch yourself, you could get a lawsuit coming one of these days” and Seungcheol just rolled his eyes)

it’s about two weeks before he sees you again

so fun fact, his college requires community involvement/field assignment

and he chose to be in the big brother program

so he’s a big brother to this adorable 6 year old girl named Rose

he filled his requirement long ago, but he highkey loved it so he remained as a big brother to Rose 

who he has to take out trick-or-treating for the Halloween event the program set up 

can you imagine Seungcheol in his leather jacket and tattoos and piercings with a little group of 6 year olds

the chaos

Rose: “what did you dress as?”

Seungcheol: “uhhhhhh….. Danny from Grease”

Rose: “who’s that?”

Seungcheol: oh my God I’m old

they get a door that’s got some fake cobwebs and bright purple string lights

Seungcheol: “go ahead little ones, knock on the door”

they yell out trick or treat and the door creaks open to…….. you

you and your friends happened to be gathering together for Halloween and decided to meet up at your friend’s old house which was in the neighborhood that Seungcheol was in

you all originally planned to watch a bunch of bad supernatural movies and give out candy to little kids

all of y’all took turns at the door and it was your turn

you give the kids a sweet smile in your doctor’s costume

(or, at least, he’s assuming it’s a costume—maybe it is and maybe it isn’t)

after you pass out the candy, Joshua, the other chaperone, rounds up the kids and Seungcheol’s eyes met your widened ones

You: “oh! it’s motorcycle dude!”

Seungcheol: “motorcycle dude?”

You: “........ you were the one who hit me with his motorcycle right?”

Seungcheol: “has anyone else hit you with a motorcycle?”

You: “so it is you!”

you two chat a bit, especially since they have to start moving to the next house

Joshua: “bro, we have to get moving, stop flirting in front of the children!”

Seungcheol: “I’m not flirting!”

he turns back to you

Seungcheol: “I’ll see you around, please don’t sue me”

You: “sue you?”

Seungcheol: “I’m a broke college kid”

You: “so am I dude”

Joshua gives him another look and another warning before they start to move to the other house

You: “you know, if you have spare time, you’re welcome to join my friends and I—we’re going to be making fun of Twilight later together”

Seungcheol: “I might take you up on that offer”

You: “well, we’ll be here, so”

you give him a smile that makes him stutter for a second, before he waves you goodbye to join the others

Rose: “Joshua says you like the doctor”

Seungcheol: “well, Joshua’s not that smart”

Joshua: “hey!”

he doesn’t know what compels him to go back to the house

but he does

(it might have taken a word or two from Rose and Joshua to encourage him)

and he has a really good time with you and your friends

hearing Seungkwan roasting Robert Pattinson was something Seungcheol didn’t know he needed

Soonyoung’s attempt of creating bgm on top of the soundtrack was also equally as hilarious

and then there were your side remarks with him throughout the movie

which he did enjoy

he left the house that night with a couple of new numbers in his phone

Jeonghan would be proud of him for making new friends on his own

after that night, you and Seungcheol hang out a bit more

you get to know each other

turns out the so called bad boy is actually just a major softie

surprise surprise, I know

he’s got a tattoo for his mom (a little heart on his heart)

he’s great at braiding (due to braiding Rose’s hair)

and he picked up sewing to patch up the holes that his friends created in their shirts

major heart eyes for Seungcheol

and he learns more about you and your little quirks

at some point, he even shares some things that happened back home

which was a bit hard for him to do but you were incredibly understanding

people just suck sometimes

one good thing about cities is that everyone minds their own business so

anyways

while he’s met your friends, you’ve also met his

you and Jeonghan are now the chaotic duo that Seungcheol wishes he can undo

Jeonghan: “are you fucking cheating? in front of my salad?”

You: steals another $50 bill from the monopoly pile

You: “no”

Jeonghan: “pay me off”

Wonwoo: “we are sitting right fucking here”

anyways

you two continue to hang out together as time goes and it’s great

sometimes you even hang out with him and Rose and it’s super cute

especially when you watch Seungcheol care for Rose like an actual sister

maybe that’s when the heart eyes started

he just……….. knows how to take care of people

he’s very attentive and understands that different people have different needs

it’s all……… very attractive

he’s very attractive

not in just the physical aspect

the inside *chef’s kiss*

Seungcheol doesn’t know when he started liking you either

maybe it was the way you really listened to what he said

you encouraged and supported him to do what he wanted

and told people off if they did say something about him

along with telling him to ignore them because it’s all stemming from jealousy and hate

and he knows that but it’s always nice to know he has someone on his side

so, what changes?

one movie night, there’s some generic rom com that you’ve already forgotten about

the blanket you’re both sharing isn’t the only heat you’re feeling

his knee knocks lightly against yours

your shoulders touching his

his fingers lingering on yours

then he’s moving closer

and closer

and then your lips meet

it’s soft, but firm

and that was the first day you started dating

dating bad boy!Seungcheol is basically the same as being friends with him only needier

he opened up to you as a friend

but as a boyfriend

you’re seeing EVERYTHING

he’s lowkey touch-starved so he’s very….. handsy

his hands got cold once and he straight up put his hands up in your hoodie

You: “thErE ArE pEOpLE aRouND sIR”

Seungcheol: “head empty, hands Cold”

lots of movie dates

(you asked if you should put on Twilight again and he said he could only take it one decade at a time)

lots of dinner and takeout dates

(the amount of menus you two have collected is insane)

lots of game night dates

which include Seungcheol’s friends

you and Jeonghan still team up to cheat, leaving the you two in the top to fight for the winning spot but Minghao always calls you two out

and then you start openly cheating

(Jeonghan literally flipped over an operations board one time)

you’ve also seen his tattoos

there are cute small ones and then there are bigger ones of flowers and patterns

You: “does it hurt more if you color them in?”

Seungcheol: “no, I was supposed to get them filled but Rose likes to color them with her markers”

You: “why are you two so fucking adorable”

You: “can I color it in?” c:

he let you

it was so much fun

on some days with Rose, you both color together on a shirtless Seungcheol

speaking of which

she loves you

Rose: “I told you you liked the doctor”

You: ?

Seungcheol: “shhhh, finish your cupcake”

oooh, also—lots of motorcycle rides

during the night is when it’s the most beautiful with all of the city lights

sometimes you stop by a park and just hang out to talk

not often bc like midnight murderers are a thing, but sometimes

it’s always a nice impromptu date

also, it’s been long overdue but he took you to the doctor’s once and brought up the whole running over your toes thing

and your toes are fine but

he still highkey feels kind of guilty but the kisses you give him compensate for the guilt

so bad boy!Seungcheol isn’t really bad just misunderstood

but like…. are we complaining? 

[firemblem-fics]

SFW alphabet. | seteth

-> Pairing: Seteth x GN!Reader

-> Warnings: None

-> Genre: Fluff, Headcanons

-> A/N: this was chosen by a poll on my discord server except i gave no context in the poll so this is for y’all :) also uh im sorry if i’m not active in the next week, i rlly just had the absolute worst nervous breakdown ive had in a long while LMAO so uh ya might stay away from the internet for a while

warning, long post.

A -> Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

with seteth, affection STAYS private. it will never ever be displayed out in the open, especially not around the students. he prefers to keep personal relationships out of professional life

when he does show affection, though, it’s super slow and gentle. he always hugs you from behind and just sways side to side, pressing little kisses against your temple and cheek while you lean i to his embrace and close your eyes.

B -> Begin (How did the relationship begin?)

it didn’t really have a solid beginning. you just kind of wormed your way into seteth and flayn’s hearts unknowingly. when he asked to court you, you were super super hesitant because you didn’t want to replace his late wife. he assured you that she’d want him and flayn to be happy and that she’d 100% approve of you.

you still have your doubts, but seteth is always there to reassure you.

C -> Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How do they cuddle?)

cuddling is saved for nights or early mornings on a day off. seteth is always itching to get up and get things done, so it’s a little on the tougher side to get him to stay. eventually he caves and lays in.

you cuddle facing each other, your head tucked underneath his chin and his legs entangling yours. his hand that lays underneath you plays with the ends of your hair while the other rests gently on your thigh, which is hiked over his hip.

D -> Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How good are they at cooking and cleaning?)

seteth’s thoughts rarely every go astray, but when they do, he imagines what life would be like, just retiring from the monastery and living a nice life with you. he’d like to settle down eventually, but not any time soon

he’s super good at doing his part in chores and duties! of course he is, but he’s very very reliable and does things when asked. it’s nice

E -> Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

he would sit you down and explain his reasonings and such. it hurts him, definitely, but he does well at hiding it. until you leave his office, that is.

F -> Fiancé(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quickly would they want to get married?)

not any time soon, as said earlier. seteth really will not stop his obligations towards the monastery and to fodlan. he wouldn’t have time nor would he want a very extravagant wedding, either. a simple ceremony would suffice.

G -> Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

physically, seteth is the epitome of a soft, romantic man. his touches make you melt and he’s always trying to keep you comfortable and happy. if you’re content, hes content.

emotionally, not as much. seteth has trouble sympathizing with some things. he’s used to pushing his feelings aside for the sake of fulfilling a duty or doing something, so he struggles sometimes to understand why someone else can’t do the same. give him time, though, and he’ll get better at comforting

H -> Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

seteth’s hugs are firm and warm. they’re always like a passionate embrace, as if it would be the last time he’d ever touch you

seteth really enjoys hugs and physical affection with you, but as i said earlier, it’s always behind closed doors. sometimes he calls you to his office just so you can sit in his lap while he holds you.

I -> I Love You (How fast do they say the L-word?)

NOT fast. seteth is kind of in denial that he even had feelings for you at first until flayn pointed it out, so it’s rather hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that he loves you.

he does say it first though, as you’re half asleep, making you wonder if you even heard it correctly. you did.

J -> Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

seteth doesn’t get jealous, really. there’s really nobody around to even like, make him jealous. he knows that a bunch of weird ass teenagers like sylvain aren’t going to actually come in between his and your relationship. honestly, most people in the monastery probably don’t even know that you’re both in a relationship.

if he is jealous, he stays relatively nonchalant about it, asking you to help him with a task somewhere else to take you away from the person

K -> Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

seteth’s kisses are very loving and passionate. every single one of them are full of adoration, even the little pecks. they never fail to warm up your entire body as everything melts away around you

he loves to kiss your neck. not just for more intimate reasons, but because he absolutely adores your giggles as his beard tickles your skin

this only happens when your relationship has been going on for a while, but seteth really enjoys it when you kiss his ears. they’re super sensitive and they always tinge as red as his cheeks when you kiss them.

L -> Little Ones (How are they around children?)

seteth is super good around his own child, of course, but he doesn’t so so hot around other children. theyre often too rambunctious for his liking, but he’ll tolerate them enough to entertain them sometimes.

M -> Mornings (How are mornings spent with them?)

three words. soft, soft, and soft

you usually either wake up in the same position that you fell asleep in, or you’re spooning. seteth’s always the big spoon, no acceptions. if you’re spooning, he kisses your shoulders and the back of your head until you wake up enough to turn over and give him an actual kiss.

N -> Nights (How are nights spent with them?)

also soft, but a little less.

seteth is always so busy during the day that when he lays in bed, he falls asleep almost instantaneously. if you want to stay up and talk or cuddle, he’ll try his hardest, but please don’t be upset with him if he accidentally dozes off. he’s a hard worker

O -> Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything at once or wait to reveal things slowly?)

this depends on who you are. if you’re the professor, you more than likely already know everything by the time you get in a relationship with him

if you’re not, then he trusts you enough to catch you up on most things in the early weeks of your relationship. sometimes there’s a little tidbit that he may have forgotten to mention in the talk that comes up later on, but that’s really it

P -> Patience (How easily angered are they?)

seteth has the patience of a saint

hehe

but no, literally. very rarely does he get irritated or impatient with you. you know how he is and know how he likes things to happen or be done, so you do them. kind of like in the Domestic headcanon, he does his part so you try your hardest to do yours. he doesn’t ever have a reason to be impatient with you and is actually rather understanding now that he knows how you function as well

Q -> Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

seteth remembers everything. literally everything. you’d think in his 1000+ years of life, he’d be an old ass man with shit memory, but no. to seteth, you and flayn are his number one priority and he’d never forget a thing about yall.

R -> Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

seteth’s favorite memory is when he accidentally walked in on you hanging out flayn. you two weren’t doing much other than reading and talking about your books, but it warmed his heart to see his two favorite people bonding

S -> Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

insanely protective, but like in things that matter. if you’re doing something that could get you hurt, he’s in defense mode trying to get you to safety. if you’re in battle, he’s sure to always know where you are just in case.

he’s not one to appreciate being protected- he feels like he failed to protect his people in the past, so to be the protected instead of the protector makes him a little iffy- but he’ll always admit that he needed the protection and will always show his gratitude

count how many times i said protect in that second paragraph wow

T -> Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, etc?)

seteth is romantic. he’s not much for physical gifts, but the memories and sentiment and feelings are so real and present that you really don’t need material things to know that he loves you

of course he does give you gifts, like a pretty bouquet of flowers that he saw in the greenhouse, or a necklace or something from the market that reminded him of you

U -> Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

seteth tends to forget to slow down and take a break every once in a while. he’s constantly finding tasks to do around the monastery and doing things to help rhea that he often neglects his own well being. you always remind him and try your best to help him out, but he never really breaks that habit

V -> Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks? Do your looks bother them?)

seteth is rather concerned about how he’s seen in the public eye. how could he not? he’s a very prim and proper man. this, however, doesnt extend to you as much.

he doesn’t expect you to dress up to the nines every day just to be seen around him or whatever. he may be like “darling, are you sure you want to be walking around the monastery in your pajamas?” but the minute you’re like “hell yeah” he lets you be.

W -> Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

this is a tough one, because i feel like seteth would do just fine on his own and would still feel relatively whole. but there would always be like this tiny little sliver of him that constantly misses you when you���re not around

X -> Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

seteth has a secret, super playful side that only comes out when you’re alone in your shared bedroom. he likes to play wrestle you and mess around just to hear your laugh and see you smile.

Y -> Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, in general or in a partner?)

in a partner, seteth wouldn’t really like someone who’s obnoxiously loud and blatantly disrespectful. it’s one of his biggest pet peeves and he wouldn’t date someone like that.

this doesn’t pertain to people who like, don’t realize their volume or is disrespectful to someone who deserves the disrespect, though. he doesn’t like just overly rude and jnconfiderate people who are like that for no reason

Z -> Zzz (What’s a sleep habit of theirs? Does it change around a partner?)

seteth is the lightest sleeper in the history of the world. he’s always on guard for something to happen. i dont blame him, but sometimes even the littlest bumps in the night wake him up almost completely. don’t ever try to sneak out of bed because chances are, he woke up from you just opening your eyes.

if anything, this habit becomes even more prominent when you start sharing a bed with him. he’s just afraid of losing you is all 😃

[bettsfic]

1/ hi betts. i have kind of a specific resume question that i'm struggling with and was hoping if you have any extra time i could hear your thoughts on? right after i graduated undergrad, a lot of Things happened and then i ended up having a good old bona fide Mental Breakdown™ and spent the next two years just living at my mother's house just straight up doing nothing. like, crawling out of bed at 7 pm to get water from the kitchen and then going back to bed for 2 years straight type nothing

2/ now, a little over 2 years later, i'm finally approaching the place mentally realizing i can start partially digging myself out of this via employment and my own income, and am starting the whole job application process. my undergrad degree was a combo of history + media studies, i had gotten in to do my history phd at yale, Things Happened before i could get there, all combined with the realization that a phd is not something i can commit to right now given the dismal career opportunities

3/ thereafter, so now i'm floundering and ready to apply to anything across the board, just ANY type of position to hire me so i can at least get on my feet after a couple of years and figure out what the fuck to do. except now, my problem and query, is that i have an over 2 year gap in my resume, with absolutely nothing to show for it, other than just straight up going batshit insane. i have no idea how to go about explaining that gap in future interviews, other than lying, and i don't even

4/ really know how to go about doing that either. i would really really appreciate any of your input on the situation, or any general advice? thank you either way. btw, your writing and multi-chaptered fics were one of the only consistent and good things about those two years and gave me something to look forward to and think about, and i can't even put into words how much that Helped.

first of all, thank you, and i’m glad my fics could help a little. second, congratulations for beginning to get out of what seems to be a very dark place. i’m sorry you’ve had such a hard time these past couple years, and i hope things continue to get better for you.

keep in mind, i’ve never been on a hiring committee before, so i’ve never seen this situation from the other side. i’ve only applied to a lot of jobs, and i had the opposite experience -- how to explain juggling so many jobs at once, and why i felt i had to do that? it felt the same though in some ways, two years of my life where i couldn’t grow as a person or feel any emotion, because i was working every minute of every day.

so, you can only really do 3 things: tell the truth, lie, or don’t mention it.

if you tell the truth, you put yourself in a difficult position. even though it’s horribly ableist, hiring managers may hold a 2-year gap in your resume against you. i imagine they’re looking for any reason to deny your application. that said, you could also indicate that you took a long-term health leave and not say anything more. they’re not allowed to inquire further, and you never have to give more information than you’re willing to. i think sometimes there’s this assumption you have to explain the why of things in the working world, but you really don’t. you may have a manager that demands to know things, but if you work for a corporation, even if a manager demands information, you very likely will never have to give it. at work, you are a veneer of yourself. you do not have to be vulnerable or open. you only have to do a job. in the hiring process, all you have to do is prove that you can do a job. so, focus on that.

i don’t like lying, but it might not be a terrible idea to indicate in a cover letter that you’ve spent two years as, say, the primary caretaker for a sick/dying relative. it’s noble, sympathetic, sadly very common, and nobody would interrogate it because it’s such a sensitive topic. the trick is how you would sell it in an interview, i think -- you wouldn’t bring it up on your own, and if asked about it, you would have to put on a professional facade over grief, in other words a non-reaction, and politely side-step the question to indicate it’s too painful to talk about, and you understand why they have to ask but you’d really rather not get into it. while i don’t think anyone would catch onto the lie, i personally would be nervous about the karma that would invoke. (to this day i still feel guilty lying to my professors about skipping class and late work by telling them i had to take my dad to chemo appointments. my dad was actually dying but i only ever took him to one appointment. on one hand, i forgive myself because i was clearly suffering in ways i didn’t yet understand. on the other hand, i feel bad for using my dad’s cancer to my benefit [but less bad knowing my dad, a serial work-skipper himself, probably wouldn’t have cared]). also, you’d have to keep up that lie for the duration of your employment, especially if the fake relative passed away, and that’s your reason for seeking employment. the good news is, in my experience, when my dad actually did die on my first day of work, nobody brought it up, because it was a very uncomfortable situation.

lastly, you could just not mention it. especially if you’re applying for entry-level work, it’s very possible your interviewers or hiring managers just aren’t going to care. depending on the type of job, they may just be looking for a body and it doesn’t matter where you’ve come from or what you plan to do. in the grand scheme of things, two years isn’t a long time. it’s possible, if the hiring manager is older, “2018″ and “2020″ are not far enough apart to put up any red flags. especially having just graduated, there are lots of easy assumptions that can go there. looking for jobs, pandemic, applying to grad school, etc. but, you know, that’s a risk. you might default to this option and see what happens. if you’re not getting any calls for interviews, then try a different option. 

personally, my belief when it comes to work is always, “it’s nobody’s fucking business.” i’m one of those people who only ever shows a very specific, narrow piece of myself to others that i think is most relevant to them, even in relationships.

(an aside -- one time i was complaining to my bff about money troubles, and keep in mind, we talk every day, and he was like, “well you could always get a job?” and that was when i realized, my best friend didn’t know i had a job. because i never told him i had a job. so he thought i just didn’t have a job. it’s definitely a consistent pattern, that i’ll say something about myself, and someone who thinks they’re close to me will go, “you WHAT” and i’ll shrug and be like, “i don’t know it just never seemed relevant.”)

which is all to say, in workplaces i’m even more of a closed book. whether or not that’s a good thing is debatable, considering how i’ve hated pretty much every job i’ve ever had (besides teaching). but the point is, professionalism is a performance, and the cover letter/resume is just a script. it’s a picture of you, not you, and you can choose how to portray yourself. 

sorry this is such a long answer for what amounts to “i’m not sure.” any followers who have experience on the other side of the hiring process, do you have any advice for anon?

[allthebooksandcrannies]

Bora Bora Chapter 3

Here is the next part of my Harry/Pansy fic for murkybluematter’s Rigel Black Chronicles.

Here is the link to read on AO3.

Here are the links to previous parts: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2

And here is the link for the first fic in The Rigel Black Chronicles.

Chapter 3: Must my Name until I Die be No More than an Alibi

When Harry and Archie were first planning their ruse with that dangerous combination of naivete and ambition that continued to land them in increasingly complicated and dangerous situations, Harry had known that it would be hard to keep such a significant secret for so long.

Back then, of course, she had been worried about things like hiding her gender or whether she could believably pass for a pureblood. Sure, those logistical concerns still chafed, but they seemed almost laughable after everything else she had done and been through these last six years. What was sleeping in her clothes and wearing layers all the time to hide the shape of her body compared to constantly pushing down the waves of guilt she felt every time her friends expressed concerns she couldn’t alleviate or made assumptions about a future she knew was never going to happen? What was answering to a new name compared to the isolation she felt with every reminder that everyone who knew and loved her only loved the façade she allowed them to see. She wasn’t even completely honest with Archie anymore since she didn’t want to burden him with the things he couldn’t do anything about.

Harry was a fantastic liar, but it was eating her alive.

There were so many moments when she had entertained the fantasy of telling her friends the truth. She knew she could never go through with it, but on very rare occasions she let herself imagine a world in which she could. A perfect world in which Draco looked at his halfblood best friend with understanding instead of disgust and Pansy told her that this didn’t change anything while the rest of the DA nodded along reassuringly. She knew that she was just torturing herself with impossibilities, that these were just dreams. It was always just going to be a dream: a nice thought but never a reality.

But that didn’t change that she wanted it to be real. More than anything she wanted to spill the secrets that separated her from her peers. Every lie, every excuse, everything. Maybe that was selfish. Oh, who was she kidding? It was definitely selfish. She would be putting Pansy in the position of having to choose between everything and everyone she loved or betraying a friend, just to alleviate Harry’s conscience.

But then again, Pansy was already offering to put herself in that position without knowing what Harry knew. They weren’t Hufflepuffs after all. It was insulting to think that Pansy would offer something like this if she didn’t think it was worth it. And she was doing Harry a favor even if she was getting something out of it herself. Wasn’t it only fair to tell her friend what she was really getting herself into, so she could prepare herself for all the possibilities? Maybe it would even bring Pansy comfort to know she wasn’t really offering to marry a stranger. And what kind of person would Harry be if she agreed to something so significant while hiding such a massive secret?

But no matter how much she had liked the thought of coming clean or how much she tried to rationalize the necessity of it now, it was still a terrifying prospect. There were a million “what ifs” she could be asking, but, at the end of the day, Harry knew what she had to do if she was going to be able to live with herself.

After what felt like an eternity, Harry opened her mouth only to choke on a sudden upwelling of emotion. Pansy, recognizing her friend’s distress even if she didn’t understand it, took both of Harry’s hands into her own, her forehead creasing in clear concern. Drawing in a shuddering breath, Harry tried again.

“When we first met… When we all first became friends, do you remember what I told you?”

Pansy raised a single eyebrow, nodding slowly all the while. “You’re referring to when you told us that you had secrets you couldn’t share, I assume?”

“Right,” Harry said. “I told you that I had secrets and that I was going to lie to you constantly, not because I wanted to, but because I needed to.” Harry met Pansy’s eyes with an embarrassingly imploring look. “I need you to know that this wasn’t personal, Pan.  I never wanted to hurt you, any of you, though I recognize now that that was most likely inevitable from the beginning.”

On any other day, Pansy probably would have made a flippant comment about how there was no need to be so dramatic, but that was a ship long since sailed. Instead, she remained perfectly still, as if afraid of shattering the moment and sending her friend’s secrets scurrying back into the dark. The almost imperceptible tightening of Pansy’s grip was the only signal she gave that she was ready.

There was no sugarcoating it at this point, Harry thought. Instead, she finally let herself come out and say what needed to be said: “Pansy, I’m Harry Potter.”

Harry hadn’t been precisely certain how Pansy would react to her announcement. Surely the practiced pureblood heiress had too much control to explode in anger the way Draco might, but she did expect some sort of emotion on Pansy’s face. What Harry wasn’t prepared for was the combination of owlish blinking and the slight slackening of Pansy’s jaw that she got instead.

“Er…alright there, Pan,” she asked tentatively when it became clear that the silence wasn’t going to end itself.

Pansy seemed to snap back into herself with the suddenness of a slamming door. “I’m sorry, I thought you just said you were Harry Potter,” she responded warningly. “I don’t suppose asking you to repeat yourself would change that statement to something less insane?”

“Umm, not really?” If she hadn’t been so preoccupied, Harry might have had the wherewithal to be amused by the fact that her voice had managed to cross into an entirely new octave over the course of those three words, despite the voice deepening spell’s best efforts. As it was, she found herself leaning forward earnestly, needing Pansy to understand, as she pressed forward with an “I know how it sounds, and I’m sure you have questions—”

Pansy pulled her hands free with all the force of a hurricane as she spun away from Harry to pace in front of the table. “Of course, I have questions! Like ‘what in Merlin’s name do you mean you’re Harry Potter,’ or, more importantly, ‘when the hell did my best friend lose his bloody mind?!’” She paused in her tirade to glance back at Harry. “Her mind?” Harry nodded hesitantly (too shocked at hearing her elegant friend cursing to do much else), and Pansy went back to pacing. “Her mind then.” She kept pacing but refused to meet Harry’s eyes as she started muttering to herself and started to twist at her fingers.

After a while, Harry couldn’t help but start to worry that she wasn’t the only one who had lost her mind. By the time Pansy stopped her muttering with a heavy full-body sigh, Harry was beginning to wonder how she was going to explain to Draco that she had broken their friend. Instead, she was left to meet the full force of Pansy’s accusing gaze.  

“You’ve always been Harriet, haven’t you? I keep trying to figure out when you managed to swap without us noticing, but there wasn’t ever any change to notice, was there? That’s why you tried so hard to shake Draco and I in our first year.”

Harry had never seen Pansy so openly intense or frazzled before. She wondered whether that was because Pansy was usually better at hiding it, or if she had finally pushed the girl past her limits. Maybe it was both. Either way, she wasn’t sure she could have lied under the pressure of that look even if she had any inclination to do so.

“Yes,” she said, wondering if this was how the prisoners her father interrogated felt when they finally confessed. “Archie wanted to go to AIM with me to study healing, but Sirius was insisting that he attend Hogwarts instead. And, more than anything, I wanted to study under—”

“—under Professor Snape,” Pansy finished with her. Her expression had morphed into something that could charitably be described as exasperated. “I hate how much sense this makes. You do know that you and your cousin are both absolute idiots, correct?”

Harry grimaced but nodded nonetheless. “In our defense, we were eleven, and we haven’t been caught yet.”

Pansy squinted at her suspiciously. “No one has figured out you’re not Arcturus Black? Not even Professor Lupin? Or Madam Pomphrey any of the many times you landed yourself in the hospital wing?”

“Well, I kind of avoided Uncle Remus like the plague, and my Archie cologne seems to have worked wonders for fooling his sense of smell. And, um, Madam Pomphrey is usually too busy wanting to strangle me for refusing treatment to wonder why. And, well, Flint didn’t really seem to care once I agreed to do his homework until he graduated?” Harry didn’t really want to get into the details of her sealing curse and Merriam’s situation until she had to.

Pansy was not moved by Harry’s sheepish smile and started to rub her temples as if her fingers would be enough to ward off the inevitable headache that was making an appearance. “We are definitely going to come back to the ‘refusing treatment thing,’ but are you really telling me that Marcus Flint knows that the Potter heiress has spent the last seven years running around Hogwarts committing blood identity theft, and your response was to do his homework?”

“I mean, he really didn’t want to do his homework, and he just thought I was some random poor kid that Archie hired to take his place. He didn’t even realize I’m a girl.”

She did not look convinced. “Do you have any idea how much danger— No don’t answer that. You do, and you’re probably convinced that it’s worth it anyway.” She ran a hand through her blonde tresses.  “I don’t know whether to call you a Gryffindor for being foolish enough to get yourself into this situation, or to be impressed that you had the cunning to be able to hide it from everyone who loves you so successfully for so long.”

Harry didn’t think that that last comment was meant to sting quite as much as it did. If there was one thing she had never wanted her ruse to do, it was hurt her friends and family, but somedays it felt like all she did. “I never wanted to hurt you, Pan. I promise I wasn’t trying to make a fool of you all. I know I don’t deserve your friendship, and I understand if you can’t forgi—”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Ry— Harriet. You’re hardly the only one in our friend group who lies, and it isn’t as though you didn’t try to warn us. We may have befriended you because of the last name you were using, but we stuck around because of who you are, regardless of what people call you.”

Harry felt her eyes warm with traitorous tears she refused to shed as she looked anywhere but at her best friend. “You really don’t hate me for lying to you? Even though I’m not a pureblood?”  She heard rather than saw Pansy come back to her side of the table but was still caught off guard when the other girl sank to her knees in front of Harry’s chair.

“Alright,” Pansy said, her voice quiet but insistent. “Look at me, Harriet.” When Harry failed to do so, she felt a slender finger gently guiding her chin up until she was forced to meet her friend’s blue eyes. “There you are.” Her mouth lifted into the slightest smile. “Now, you are going to listen to me, Harriet, and you are going to get this into that paranoid skull of yours.

“Am I angry with you? Yes. I am so incredibly furious with you that my words could never do the feeling justice. I am furious that after all the times Draco and I have tried to convince you otherwise, you are still convinced that you aren’t worthy of our affection. I am furious that you value yourself and everything that makes you you so little that the only problem you see with a scheme that puts you in this much danger is how it affects other people. I am furious that you have been so consistently misunderstood and failed by the adults in your life that you were able to pull this off without a single one of them noticing. I’m angry that you’ve been shouldering alone this for so long. I should be angry that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me sooner, though I understand why you didn’t, probably better than most. I should be angrier than I am that your odd behavior made me wonder and worry that you were being abused at home, though I’m mostly relieved that there’s a better explanation. And I should be angry that you benefitted from my connections and my advice when they were originally given based on a pretense, but that was my decision to make.”

“But do I hate you for being a halfblood? Do you really have so little faith in me, after all these years, to think that there was anything that could make me care for you any less?”

As if she was a puppet whose strings had been cut, Harry found herself falling from her chair and into her best friend’s embrace. She couldn’t have held back her sobs any longer if her life depended on it.

 -0

[PpPpPp]

-0

  Pansy clung to Harriet just as hard Harriet clung to her. The other girl —and wasn’t it strange to think of her friend as a girl— was sobbing into Pansy’s shoulder as if seven years’ worth of stress and fear and guilt was all trying to escape at once. Good. She was no doubt overdue.

As they swayed back in forth, Pansy let her hand glide over the other girl’s back in what she hoped were soothing circles. It was odd, she mused, how quickly the world could shift. For years, she had felt increasingly uncomfortable with how she had been raised to see halfbloods, and so much of it had stemmed from the girl currently falling apart in her arms.

Whether it was Rigel’s research into Riddle’s ancestry or the book she recommended after one Arithmancy lesson or “Rigel’s” steadfast insistence that Harriet and Lily Potter were just as worthy, just as talented as any pureblood witch or wizard, the pieces had always been there, even when she hadn’t wanted to see them.  “Rigel” had made her aware of just how talented a potion’s master Professor Snape was and had been the one to convince her to give Lupin a chance, and there had never been any doubt that McGonagall knew what she was talking about.  

The dissonance had only increased as they got older, and she started seeing more and more proof that her parents and the rest of the Party were wrong about blood purity’s effect on one’s magic. She remembered reading about Harriet Potter’s potions innovations and being immensely grateful for them when she learned how they had saved Draco at the World Cup. She remembered how fascinated Blaise had become in Lady Potter’s work incorporating runes into her experimental charms research, how he had spoken of the potential for it to revolutionize both flagging fields. She remembered how impressed she had been despite herself with Hermione Granger’s intelligence and performance in Riddle’s tournament, no matter how dramatically the odds had been stacked against her.

But Pansy had been raised to be the perfect pureblood daughter. After everything her parents had done for her, what right did she have to question their strongest beliefs? Didn’t she owe it to them, to everyone, to keep the status quo?

So, she had looked away, had squashed down that little voice in her mind telling her their arguments didn’t make any sense. She ignored how much the dual disappointment and resignation on Rigel’s face every time the subject of blood purity came up made her stomach twist, how much disappointing Rigel hurt.  It had gotten to the point, in those rare quiet moments when she was completely alone, that she had to admit to herself that she didn’t really believe that blood purity really made that much of a difference, though she was still enough of a coward that she could later convince herself that she was just confused, that a few exceptions didn’t necessarily negate the rule entirely.

But here was her best friend, risking their very soul to let her in on their deepest secret. Here was her best friend telling her he wasn’t the pureblood boy she had known, but the halfblood girl she had been raised to view with disgust. And, yet, everything she had told Harriet was the truth.

Because how could anyone look at Rigel Black, at the child who killed a Basilisk at twelve years old, and say they were unworthy of the education that allowed them to be present to do it? Who could look at Rigel Black, at the child who had risked life and limb saving a school full of people who would hate them for their duplicity over and over again solely because they were the only one who could, and say that they were lesser? Pansy certainly couldn’t. And more than that, Pansy realized all at once, as a heavy sense of resolution settled around her with the steadiness of a familiar cloak, anyone who thought there could ever be a world in which Harriet Potter was a mistake just had to be wrong. There was no other way about it.

Yes, as Pansy looked into Harriet’s eyes, in spite of the twisted mess of betrayal and grief and pride and anger and relief that coursed through her at the other girl’s admission, Pansy couldn’t just see the halfblood who had lied to her. She also saw her best friend, someone who was just as much family as her parents.  

Pansy knew she would need to work through the complicated emotions that would feel more pressing once things had had the chance to sink in a bit better. There would be time for hurt feelings later. But for now, what mattered was that Harriet knew that she was still just as loved as she had been that morning.  And speaking of which…

Pansy pulled back when Harriet’s sobs had subsided to quiet shuddering so that she could see her face again. There was another tug in her gut at how emotionally wrecked the other girl looked, but Pansy didn’t let it stop her. “We’ll have to talk about this more. I know there’s more you haven’t told me, and we’ll get there, we’ll get through whatever it is.” Harriet hummed her agreement.

“But now that I know the answer to whether or not Harriet Potter and I would get along,” Pansy asked with a smirk, “what I still need to know is how she would feel about marrying Pansy Parkinson.”

[philip-seville-archive]

You Need To Calm Down || Phinnip

Summary: Phinnip get into a weird fight at a beach party for reasons they are too obtuse to figure out. Typical Friday!! 

@oh-phineas​

Pip Seville

Pip went to more parties than one would think, thank you very much. It was how he kept his reputation as a mid-ranked popular kid-- cool enough to hang out with Tony Rydinger without being Tony Rydinger. He was thus extremely good at mingling, and drifted from group to group effortlessly as he did his own form of networking among the secondary-uni mix that congregated on the beach's shores during the summer.

Phineas did not have such grace. He always entered a group at a party like he was the guest of honor.

And so Pip rolled his eyes. "Cool it, Flynn, it's summer! Who wants to talk about school right now?"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas shot Pip a look. Why did he always have to have a comment like that? "It's like they say about work. If it's something you like, it won't feel like work. And I know uni's gonna be epic," he argued. "Plus, I've definitely heard you talking about NYU this summer."

Pip Seville

"Um, since when? You stalking me and taking notes?" Pip said-- in a playful way though, promise. He smiled and everything. "I think the only time I've talked about NYU is when you bring up uni first."

Phineas Flynn

"More like I have ears. But sure, if you wanna believe that I don't have anything better to do with my time." Phineas smirked. Honestly, it was kind of the opposite-- Phineas was so busy with the play and his new business, he didn't actually see Pip much except at some rehearsals. "You know, come to think of it, it's been, like, forever since we hung out. What's up with that?"

Pip Seville

"Well, we don't have SSIC anymore, so..." said Pip, trailing off with a shrug. "What would we even do?"

And he'd expected this. He and Phineas were friends of convenience. Yes, Pip had grown to really like the guy (despite him annoying Pip most of the time) and he would miss him, but he had always known that as soon as Phineas graduated, it was bye-bye. That's part of the reason Pip decided to be annoyed at Phineas most of the time, honestly. Didn't want to get too attached when separation was inevitable.

Phineas Flynn

Phineas looked at Pip quizzically. It was... true. And it wasn't something Phineas would have admitted, because he just wasn't blunt like that. Phineas liked to imagine everyone he met was one of his buddies, and act like they were best friends. Even if it was basically just the equivalent of being someone's coworker.

But he also had always liked to think he and Pip were really friends-- that fight back in January wouldn't have hurt as much if they weren't, right? But... yeah, what did they even have in common?

Phineas wanted to keep the idea of it going, though. "I mean, I dunno, we went to Alton Towers that one time. It was fun." He smiled, back to his typical jovial nature. "We should do more stuff like that! Right? How about a camping trip? You, me, Tad, maybe that other guy you guys were hanging out with, Louie if it's not gonna make it weird for you, lads trip!"

Pip Seville

Pip could not help himself. He scoffed, barely bringing up his drink in front of his face in time to pass it off as kind of a half-cough situation. There was just--

"Sorry, I-- I'm processing the concept of a lads trip, give me a second--" Pip said, making a face. Ugh, he was gay and loved boys, but sometimes boys (like Phineas) were just so... boys.

"Okay, I-- actually, I'm curious why you think camping is the right activity for you and me. Genuinely, I would like for you to explain the thinking behind that specific choice considering the year you spent getting to know me."

Phineas Flynn

Phineas didn’t think it had to be all that deep. But here Pip was again, looking at Phineas like he was a bug under a microscope. It was so weird.

“I dunno, it’s just fun, right? I didn’t really think about it that much. But if you think it’s a dumb idea, like, sure, I guess. You have a better suggestion?”

Pip Seville

"I just don't think we have to do a big thing every time we want to hang out," said Pip. Also, he would loathe camping. Anyone who knew Pip knew that, but once again Phineas was displaying an unsurprising lack of awareness of people other than himself (and this was why they were friends of convenience).

"Like-- okay. If you really wanna hang out, why don't me and Tad meet up with you and that girl you're seeing for lunch," said Pip. "Oooor you could come over for a movie marathon. Or a board game tournament, so I could kick your ass in Settlers of Catan.”

Phineas Flynn

Phineas wasn’t sure how Vanellope would feel about it, but he had a feeling she would be bored, going out to lunch. Maybe it was because she was so interesting that Phineas was scared of letting her down.

How would she feel about board games? Phineas couldn’t be sure.

“Sure, yeah, we could do, like, a couples thing if you want,” Phineas said nonchalantly. “Not that I’d call me and Van a couple. We’re just, like, chillin’. But I get what you’re saying. I don’t know if she’s really into board games, though. She’s from New York, so, like...” Phineas made a face as though to say She’s really cool. “I think she’s a gamer, though. You ever play League of Legends?”

Pip Seville

Oh great. Video games.

Not that Pip didn't like them. He just liked...certain kinds. He was not the must skilled gamer in the world and he didn't have a lot of time to explore a lot of types anyway. "Uh... no," said Pip. That sounded like something Tad would like though. "I guess I could learn though, if that's like, her thing?"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas smiled proudly. He always felt cool, talking about Vanellope. “Yeah, she’s really good at that kind of stuff,” he explained. “Like, anything techy, really. Did I tell you she’s helping with the coding for my app?”

Pip Seville

No, he hadn't, but it didn't surprise Pip at all. After all, that was Phineas's new project. So he had a new partner.

Not that Pip was jealous okay-- the idea actually sucked in his opinion, and he did not think it was going to get off the ground.

"Oh? That is cool," he said. He at least sort of meant that. "Is she like, an official part of the Phineas-Louie team then? Your official developer or whatever you tech bros call it?"

Phineas Flynn

Ohhh, that was a good point. “Well, she’s definitely getting a free jacket,” Phineas said authoritatively. “Once our investor money comes in. I guess she should probably get an official title. Maybe she can be CTO. Since Louie and I are co-CEOs. I want her to feel appreciated, you know?”

Pip Seville

Pip really needed to meet this Vanellope girl. He wanted to see the type of chick that liked Phineas. Everything that Phineas said tracked, but he had to wonder how much was getting filtered through that very specific Phineas lens, you know? And there was only so much one could pick up on social (yes, he'd stalked her!!! No shame in that, everyone did it!)

Anyway, he thought Phineas sounded a little condescending right now but hey, he didn't know the girl! "Right, I mean, I hope so. If she's actually helping you code the thing. That seems pretty important for getting it off the ground," said Pip. "Have you found any investors yet?"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas was... bending the truth a little here. “Yeah, Louie’s uncle is loaded so that’s pretty much a done deal. I might hit up Mr. Simba, too, I feel like I made a good impression. But that’s just the start. I’m really trying to network, you know? Once we get to Pride U it’ll be easier.” @SWOOPING EVIL laur

Pip Seville

"Oh, like for school-funded grants and stuff like that?" Pip asked, and again, this was a genuine question, not trying to cut Phineas down. As if Pip knew how Pride U's business school worked! Maybe they had grants or scholarships for that kind of thing.

Phineas Flynn “I mean, maybe!” Phineas said, not really sure whether or not Pip was being sarcastic or trying to catch him in a lie but choosing to believe he wasn’t. “I just mean the networking will be easier— I’m sure my professors will have been through it, and there’ll be societies for that kind of thing, and I can get in touch with alumni... Know what I mean? That’s why I’m trying to meet Pride U people.”

Pip Seville

Yes, for once, Pip did know what Phineas meant. And honestly?

He was jealous.

Wanting to go to NYU meant that he couldn't do any of that before the fact. There were like, maybe some zoom meet-up things... maybe. But everyone knew that was bullshit. You had to be on the ground. Shaking hands, being charming. AKA what Phineas was trying to do right now (and Pip was sort of keeping him from doing, whoops).

"No, no, I get it," reassured Pip, since he seemed a bit flustered out of nowhere. "You're lucky that you want to go to Pride U honestly-- and your sister goes too. I'm sure you'll be fine when the fall rolls around."

Phineas Flynn

Okay, that was kind of weird. Phineas almost wanted Pip to go back to making fun of him.

“I mean, hey, it’s not like you committed to NYU. Nothing’s stopping you if you end up changing your mind,” Phineas pointed out, interpreting Pip’s statement as being jealous that Phineas was going to Pride U, not being jealous that Phineas wanted to go to Pride U. “You’d know so many people at Pride U. It’d be super easy. Just sayin’.” @SWOOPING EVIL laur

Pip Seville

AND he was right back to rolling his eyes at Phineas. Seriously?! How many times were they going to have this conversation? And like, why? What kind of weirdo measuring stick contest was this Pride U vs. NYU thing??

"Oh my god, so? I mean would I like to have a leg up before hand, absolutely, but I'm not about to make the most important decision on my life based on how easy something is! Sometimes, and I know you might find this shocking, but hard things, things that take a lot of work, are worth it!"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas made a face. That comment hit him, maybe more than it should have. “Dude, are you joking? I work so hard. Do you think this business would’ve got anywhere if I didn’t, like, grind?” Phineas threw his hands up in frustration. “Just because you’re all Type A doesn’t mean you’re better than me. I just like to do stuff my own way. And I don’t wanna, like, leave all my friends and family just to go to college in a city where I don’t know anyone. So, like, judge me, I guess!”

Pip Seville

"Oh my god, I don't want to leave my friends or family either, it's not my fault my friends and family live across the freaking ocean! But sometimes you also have to take risks and be true to your dreams and mine are in New York City!" said Pip hotly.

Suddenly he felt like he was arguing with Amy. Out of nowhere. Which was weird, because Phineas-- seriously, why did he care??

"Why do you care?" Pip finally actually asked, flinging a hand out. "No seriously, why are you always on my arse about this?"

Phineas Flynn

Why did Phineas care?

He should have been relieved Pip wanted to move across the ocean and that Phineas would never have to do another stupid group project with him again. But a part of Phineas still kind of thought Pip would stay in Swynlake. It was just... well, SSIC had been Phineas’s first big project. And Pip had been Phineas’s partner in that. And how did you go through a kind of intense experience with someone like that and just never see them again in your life?

Because Phineas was sure about that. Once Pip went off to NYU, he was never coming back, and Phineas was never going to see him again.

“I— honestly, Pip, I don’t know! ‘Cause you’re really pissing me off right now!” Phineas retorted. “You’re always, like, jumping to conclusions about me! And I really don’t appreciate it!” Especially because, a lot of the time, Pip was right. That was the worst part.

Because somehow, Phineas did care.

Pip Seville

"I have literally never jumped to conclusions about you a day in my life. I draw conclusions based on evidence and observation and experience!" Pip snapped. "Though I don't even know what you could be talking about because all I said the past five minutes was basically that I thought you were going to find the connections you wanted at Pride U. Oh, and I complimented your girlfriend, you're welcome by the way!"

Phineas Flynn

“She’s not my friggin’ girlfriend! We’re chilling!” Phineas gestured wildly, spilling his White Claw in the process. He barely noticed. He was all riled up now. Happy Leo season. “Not the point! Stop appropriating the scientific method to act like you’re being the rational one here!” @SWOOPING EVIL laur

Pip Seville

"I always am the rational one!" exclaimed Pip to that. "What are you talking about? Where have you been the past year when I've been the one turning your insane whims into actual executable decisions? That's why you freaking like me, because I'm so "rational!"" Pip said with overexaggerated quote marks (sloshing his drink too). @emma

Phineas Flynn

“There you go again!” Phineas laughed harshly, stepping back and flinging his arms wide. “You think you know everything! What are you, a friggin’ mind reader?”

He was about to contradict Pip, but the claim made him wonder: why did Phineas like Pip? Because he did like him. And he did want to stay friends. And they barely had anything in common, it was true, and Phineas did find it extremely annoying that Pip always had a smug counter argument to all of Phineas’s crazy ideas. And yet it bothered him that Pip wanted to move to New York.

“That’s— I mean, sure I guess you’re good at that, but it’s also really friggin’ annoying! You think you know everything about me, but you don’t!”

Pip Seville

Pip made an amazed face, lifting his hand again like what the fuck are you even talking about? Because Pip, genuinely, did not know what Phineas was talking about. Hadn't Phineas said they made a good team because of what Pip just described? Yes, he said it with lots of silly buzzwords about like, people's working styles and MBTI or ... whatever, Pip didn't care. But he said it! How was Pip mind reading anything, and oh, if he WAS, didn't that imply that Phineas was mad at him for obviously being right?!

Basically this conversation didn't make any sense. "What are you even talking about? What are we even arguing about right now? That I'm right, and you're mad about it? That I want to go to NYU, and you're mad about it? Literally I am grasping for straws, so puh-lease enlighten me!"

Phineas Flynn

“I don’t know!” Phineas shouted, and then thought about it, and then realized 1. that he was shouting and 2. that he really didn’t know.

He looked around. Some random girl was giving him a weird look. Phineas put his hands up in a “surrender” gesture.

“It’s chill, dude. It’s chill,” Phineas said, his face tomato-red. “Let’s just... whatever. You gotta live your truth. I gotta live mine. It’s chill.”

Phineas didn’t even know what he was saying at this point. He was still vaguely pissed, but mostly, he was tired. And a little embarrassed. Why did he always start drama like this?

“I’m gonna take a walk.”

Pip Seville

This was the weirdest fight they'd ever had. For lots of reasons. The obvious first one was that Pip could not track its beginning. Normally when they fought, it was over a detail about something, or sometimes Phineas took one of Pip's jokes the wrong way, or sometimes Pip got annoyed when Phineas joked (they never seemed to be on the same page when it came to the right time to joke). But whatever this was, it was invisible, and sticky, and full of knots. The kind of thing that built up over time.

The second weird part of it was that it lingered in the air. Normally they both could shrug off a fight or break it by changing the subject, refocusing, putting their attention to someone else around them. Phineas tried to do that. But the air hung and Phineas's face was red.

Pip wondered for the first time if maybe Phineas was drunker than Pip realized.

That thought made his stomach drop. It also made him freeze there, for one more second than usual. Enough time for Phineas to peel off and Pip to like...not say anything. Also weird.

"Okay, whatever," said Pip though Phineas was already walking away. But yeah. Okay, whatever. It was whatever. Pip shook his head and peeled off himself, looking for Tad or Josh or-- literally anyone else. Whatever whatever whatever.

[kayr0ss]

Appointments Chapter 5: Headaches and Some Music

[LWA, Diakko, Small Town AU, Fluff and Slow Romance, Pining™ lol]  

Chapter 1 & Table of Contents AO3 Link

Diana pursed her lips, locked in a heated stare-down against the newest occupant of her apartment.

“Please behave yourself until I return.”

The cat ‘mew’ed’ in reply as though he understood and resumed licking the back of his paw. All things considered, he seemed to be a surprisingly well-behaved cat. Who looked polite. This small comfort was enough to make up for the ridiculousness of having to talk to a cat, and Diana realized that she had never been more excited to return to her clinic as she was now.

The normalcy of work, she thought to herself, is beginning to feel like a comfort versus the absurdity of my home’s current state of affairs.

She stepped through her doorway into a lovely Blytonbury morning. The habitual glance towards her watch read 09:51, urging her to walk at a quicker pace than usual. She regrettably strode right by Jasminka’s café—there was no time to pass by tea, and she hadn’t woken up early enough to make some for herself that morning.

Of course, because of the cat.

The day prior, she’d had to return home later than usual to fetch her feline tenant the basic supplies: a small can of cat-food, a litterbox, and two bowls for food and milk. The real challenge was in the ‘teaching him not to leave any form of excrement where he shouldn’t.’ Pleasant behavior aside, it seemed Toby was actually quite intelligent—although by the time it was two o’clock in the morning, her NewTube suggestions were a peculiar mix of medical lectures and ‘How to Potty Train Your Cat’ videos.

She made her way through the crosswalk—ensuring that no brunettes were running about—and mentally prepared herself for the day she was about to have. There were no scheduled patients before lunch, giving her enough time to review case files for a busy afternoon.

When she stepped through the glass door to her clinic, Barbara was already lounging behind her desk and flipping—as usual—through a novel.

“Good morning,” she peaked out from behind ‘NightFall 12: The Oblivion of Love’. “You’re on the dot today.”

“I always am,” Diana replied lightly. “Good morning to you as well.”

“You’re always at least fifteen minutes early,” Barbara corrected, smiling kindly. Then the nurse leaned forward, scrutinizing Diana with an observant gaze. “You’re…”

The blonde lifted her eyebrow in silent response.

“Something.” Barbara said slowly, as if trying to figure a puzzle out. She waved a hand to dismiss the thought. “Must have been my imagination, just thought there was something off. Anyway, I’ve laid down the patient files for the afternoon. We’ve got ourselves a slow morning.”

“Thank you,” Diana nodded politely, slipping into her whitecoat and thankful that she didn’t have to explain the kind of morning (and evening) she’d had. She settled into her chair, entertaining the thought of going through the documents Barbara had prepared before deciding she wasn’t in the right headspace for that. A headache. Massing her temples, she ascribed her irritability at a lack of sleep and constant worrying over her furniture’s wellbeing. She inwardly cursed her lack of morning tea—and really hoped her furniture were okay.

Learning back with a sigh, her eyes drifted towards a pamphlet at the edge of her table. It was the St. Beatrix MMC residency brochure on Cardiology. She’d probably read its contents nearly ten times over by now. In truth, the hospital had already reached out to her: she was “everything they were looking for”, or so the chief resident had said—a young doctor with an impeccable educational background. Diana had been truly grateful, but she was committed to taking the time she’d need to be absolutely sure. Which she wasn’t. At least, not yet.

There was a knock on her door, and Barbara was peeking through the doorframe. “Water. And an aspirin. Because for some reason you look—uh.”

“Off?” Diana tilted her head.

“Like shit.” Barbara nodded, and Diana would have had something to say about her choice of language if it weren’t for the fact that she was probably right. “Did anything happen?”

“Just a few issues to iron over at home,” she replied cryptically.

Barbara looked like she wanted to ask more, but decided not to prod. “That won’t do. We’re having lunch over at the Russian lady’s and getting those croissants you love so much, but in the meantime drink that Advil because someone’s gotta look after the doctor looking after everyone else.”

Diana smiled and felt a wave of gratitude pour through her over Barbara’s thoughtfulness.

“Which reminds me,” the other woman set the items down to Diana’s desk, “the cat’s gone.”

The blonde immediately looked down at the suddenly-very-interesting-patient-files. “I—Indeed.”

“You know, I think I’ll actually miss him. He was kind of cute.”

Diana was ready to remind her of the importance of workplace cleanliness when the front bell chimed louder than usual. The glass pane of the door practically swung open with force.

“Heya, doc! And miss nurse!”

Oh.

Barbara was the first to recover. “Where did you fall in this time? Was it a ditch? Or did you fly off your bike again?”

Atsuko Kagari-with-blood-ty—Oh, enough of that! She’s just Akko!—had come barging in with a large paper bag, effectively elevating Diana’s headache through several numbers up the VNRS pain scale.

“I—” Akko shot the nurse a smug look “—have yet to experience an accident this week!”

“That’s a first,” Barbara crossed her arms.

“But I’m here for you!”

Those stunning red eyes locked themselves onto Diana, and suddenly she couldn’t speak. Me? The brunette strode into her office. She dropped the paper bag onto her desk.

“I’m not quite sure I follow. What is this?”

“Child support!”

Diana flinched. Barbara blinked. Akko simply nodded to herself in smug satisfaction.

“For Toby. Since we’re co-parents now.” Akko clarified, looking completely serious. “There’s a bunch of cat food that should last a while, a cute mouse squeaky toy, and animal milk.”

The blonde felt her ears redden at the incredulous look Barbara was giving her, and seriously—was this seriously happening right now? “C—Co-parents?”

“Yes.” Akko nodded with a determined glint in her eyes. “And I’m no deadbeat mom!”

“I—I see.”

“Anyway,” Akko took one of the pens from Diana’s stand without asking (“Don’t do that.”), and leaned over to write on the blank prescription pad on the blonde’s desk. “Here’s my number so you can text me about anything he needs and so we can arrange my visitation rights!”

Visitation rights?

“Oh.” Akko paused, lifting her thumb to her chin. “We probably need to schedule a trip to the vet and get him a collar, too.”

We?

Not knowing what else to say and still completely blindsided by Akko’s—well, everything—Diana simply complied. “I… know a veterinarian. He’s a childhood friend.”

“Perfect!” Akko beamed.

Once again, it was disarming. She really had to stop doing that to Diana.

“I’ve got to study for a test so I gotta bounce but I’m so excited to see him again!” Akko leaned across the table, moving around at a pace faster than Diana’s sleep-deprived-due-to-Toby’s mind could follow. The brunette wrapped her hand around her forearm and gave her another smile. It was warm. “But really—thank you Diana! I’ll see you around!”

She turned on her heel like the bundle of energy she was and bolted right out the door with a wave to Barbara.

Barbara—who looked right about ready to explode into laughter in the wake of Akko’s departure.

“You kept him.”

“Please don’t.” Diana pleaded.

The nurse finally caved, leaning against the doorframe to her office for support while she snickered. “That’s why you look completely out of it! You’ve got to tell me everything.”

But then the thudding sound of footsteps interrupted their conversation yet again and the door swung open. Poor thing. Might need to have its hinges checked at this point.

“I almost forgot!” Akko came bursting into the room like a cannon ball. “I got this on my way here for you!”

She slammed a paper take-out cup from Jasminka’s café onto Diana’s desk.

“I have no idea what it is to be honest.” Akko yelled, already rushing back out in a hurry. “I just asked Jas for a cup of whatever your usual is! Okay-bye-for-real!”

She was gone in a flash. Diana could smell tea.

English Breakfast, prepared exactly the way she liked it. The aroma was enough to chase away the tension along her brow, and when she glanced towards Barbara, who looked just as lost as she felt—

—they shared soft laughter.

The whole thing was absolutely ridiculous. Including the fact that her cup was labeled: ‘Dr. Grumpy >:(’

 ---

 It was 5:30PM and Akko was in despair.

“Chikusho! That was a disaster.” Akko banged her head against the lecture room desk. She was reeling from the mental assault that was ‘Applied Physics Examination 1.’ Judging by the scowl on Sucy’s usually nonchalant face, it hit her pretty hard too. “How’d you do?”

“Tanginang test ‘yan.” She glowered in her native language.

“I’m going to assume that was a string of curse words.”

“For once in your idiot life, you are correct.”

“Mou!” Akko huffed.

“I’m out.” Sucy declared, and likewise, every fiber in Akko’s being wanted to get the hell out of this classroom as soon as possible. The purple-haired girl lazily slung her bag over shoulder and looked down at Akko (who was still very much slumped over the desk) through one eye. “So are you coming or should I leave you behind?”

Akko groaned. And then sighed. And then groaned another time while pointing towards the podium because—“First I have to walk over there and ask if she wants to join the running club.”

“The professor?” Sucy blinked.

“Ya, dude.”

Then Sucy was grinning daggers. “I think I’m gonna stick by and see if she’ll actually murder you this time.”

“Not funny!” Akko pouted while finally standing up and cursing the fact that she can no longer exist as a worry-free blob on a desk.

“It is. A little. Now go.” Sucy prodded on, repeatedly poking at her arm.

“Going, going!”

While the students slowly filed out of the room—in despair, mind you—Akko approached Dr. Meridies with Sucy lingering a safe distance behind her.

The lilac-haired professor looked up from a test sheet she was inspecting, looking, as one would say, way too tired for this shit. “No amount of begging is going to convince me to pass you.”

“I wasn’t going to!” Akko crossed her arms defiantly.

“Then why are we having this conversation?”

Well. There wasn’t any other way for this to go down than directly, so it was best to just blurt it out. “Do you want to join the running club?”

Dr. Meridies reeled, squinting. “The running club?”

“Yes.” Akko nodded. “The running club.”

“So many people are asking me to join this running club that I think I’m gonna start declining just out of spite.”

“Ugh!” Akko groaned. “I tried—can’t force you! Maybe Professor du Nord can, Kami-sama, why did I even both—”

“Wait wait wait—” Dr. Meridies raised a hand to shut Akko while scowling. “du Nord?”

“Yeah,” Akko said looked to the side with slumped shoulders, “the club moderator. And I’m here cause Diana asked so now that I’ve done that I’m just gonna boun—”

Oddly enough, the exasperated professor seemed to have tuned out. “Chariot du Nord, from Humanities?”

“Uh, yeah.” The brunette blinked. “Do you know her?”

“O—Of course.” The older woman began stare so hard at the table she could have burned a hole through. “Faculty and all.”

Akko caught on like a wolf, grinning mischievously. “You know her!”

“Like I said we both teach—”

“You know know her.”

“Out!” Dr. Meridies barked, “of my classroom!”

With a devious glint, which Akko swore she could see in Sucy’s eyes too, she waved in exaggerated politeness and made her way to the door.

“Okay, professor!” Oh, she loved this sort of drama! “Just saying—it’s on Monday evenings!”

--

“You should have seen her face!” Akko squealed with almost manic glee. “Oh, Lotte you’re gonna love it—I know you’re a sucker for this kind of stuff.”

“But I can’t imagine it! How does Professor du Nord—” Lotte gestured towards her life with both hands for emphasis “—who seems super sweet and kind of introverted but is generally made of sunshine, find herself with a history of romantic involvement with someone like Dr. Meridies—” she made a quick jerking motion towards the right. “Who I haven’t actually seen in person, and if I were to base my judgments off your descriptions she sounds like some mad-scientist antagonist in an anime who’d wear a cape.”

Akko blinked. “That’s a good one.”

Sucy actually nodded.

“It makes no sense!” Lotte shook her head. And then… she swooned. “But love never does, does it?”

“Makes about as much as sense as this idiot getting that doctor to adopt the cat.”

“’The cat’ is named Toby!” Akko chided, “and you’d be hard-pressed to deny him if you’ve seen that cute little face of his.”

The three women were lazing about Lotte and Sucy’s living-and-dining area, with Akko sprawled across the couch that she’d be sleeping on since the pair—or just Lotte—invited her to stay over. There was take-out and beer (which Sucy and Akko had picked up on their way home), and the mini-get-together served two purposes: to recover from that horrid examination, and to keep Akko company because “tomorrow’s my first day of work and I am way too nervous to fall asleep without beer or Lotte nagging me to!”

There was something deeply comfortable about the small apartment. The furnishing didn’t match up and yet every piece felt like they belonged. Pots and pans hung above the stove, used yet well-maintained. They always had an extra set of everything—as though guests were welcome and often come and go. She loved it. And loved how welcome she felt in it. And though she’d never impose unless invited, Akko felt… cozy. Books, and mushrooms, and odd test-tubes, and literary manuscripts and all.

Lotte was in the middle of sharing the gist of her latest writing exercise when Akko felt her phone buzz.

“Hold on,” she excused herself, “I swear if this is a Canvas notification I’m gonna cut a bi—oh!”

“What is it?” Lotte asked.

-

18:53 Good evening. This Dr. Cavendish’s number – I’ve been able to secure an appointment with Dr. Hanbridge, the veterinarian I had mentioned. I apologize for the short notice but his soonest availability is tomorrow at around 1:30PM. Check-up aside, an agent in his clinic should likewise be able to assist with any documentation that needs sorting out given our arrangement. Your prompt response will be appreciated.

18:54 Heeeya Doc! 😊 u sound like an e-mail. :P

18:54 But sure lol I get off work @ Arcturus school around lunch time

18:55 Is it gonna be far?

18:55 But srsly lighten up abit it’s just me we can me at the bus stop or whrvr

18:56 I’ll be hailing a taxi service from my home and will collect you from your workplace at 12:30PM. Please be on time.

18:56 PLS add me on WhatsUpp through this number PLS omg I want pics of my little bby!!!! DO U FEED HIM and I can send you memes to show him so he’ll laugh LOL

18:56 LOL wtf ‘collect’

-

“It was Diana.”

Sucy cocked an eyebrow, “’Diana’?”

“I have a vet trip with Toby tomorrow!” Akko buzzed. “Oh bother, now I’m never going to get any sleep.”

“Is she for real?” Sucy indifferently pointed towards Akko while speaking to Lotte. “She’s like some ‘instant-friendship’ anomaly. Even I feel personally victimized.”

Lotte only smiled. “You have to sleep lest you subject poor children to a zombie for a teacher tomorrow.”

“That’s mean!”

Akko shared a laugh with Lotte, urging her to carry on with her story. They were getting to the good part—Edmund was about to confess!

One successful synopsis reading and a few topic changes later, Akko’s phone had buzzed once more.

It was a picture.

She squealed so hard her cheeks hurt.

“Akko, down! Yes—I see him—stop screaming or else I’m going to poison your drink.”

 -

 The driver pulled up at Arcturus School’s main driveway at exactly half-past noon.

“Please wait a moment.” Diana politely requested, mildly aware of the fact that she was beginning to miss the luxury of having her own car and service.

“Sure, just don’t leave me alone with that little fella, don’t matter how cute he might be.”

With a sigh—which was one of many at this point—she gently peered over to Toby whose head was poking out of the most comfortable canvas tote bag she could scavenge. It was that or nothing at all, and no, she wasn’t going to carry him in her arms.

‘Mew.’ He stared back up towards her. At least he seemed comfortable—and she tried to fight it but then she gave in and chuckled.

“Oh, come on then.”

Diana stepped out of the vehicle with Toby in tow. She pulled out her phone, putting a call through for the latest addition in her phonebook.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Typical. She wasn’t picking up.

Fortunately she had anticipated this, there was a half-hour allowance in her schedule. Instead of bombarding the brunette with several missed calls, she opted to walk towards what looked like the waiting area where children were fetched. She took a moment to look around, noticing that the school grounds had an abundance of trees—much like the rest of Blytonbury and the campus of LNU. The morning classes were dismissed and children ran about. A few of them began to notice her special baggage, and one little girl ran up to her and nearly hugged her legs.

She had hazel eyes, and big, goofy grin. “You’re so pretty!”

Diana blinked. “Thank you.”

“Is that a cat?”

“Yes.” She lowered the bag a little, appreciating the wonder in the little girl’s voice. “But I can’t let you pet him yet, I’m afraid. He still bites.”

“But I—”

The little girl was cut-off by the sounded children cheering. Diana followed her line of sight and saw…

Akko.

She was playing music. And laughing. But more than that—everyone around her was smiling just as bright. Children sang while they danced in a circle around her, clapping their hands to the beat of what sounded like a ridiculously complicated rendition of the ABCs on the violin. The pace was quick while she played a progression of eight and sixteenth notes. The feel of the song was less classical and more like an upbeat Celtic dance.

And dance they did. Laughing, and clapping, and bouncing around in mirth without a care in the world.

Akko played with such joy and passion that Diana could feel the warmth from several meters away. She kept still—already forgetting her earlier dismay on being behind schedule—and simply watched.

“Do you know her?” The little girl with hazel eyes asked in a small voice.

Diana nodded, smiling to herself while trying to wrap her head around the conundrum that was Atsuko Kagari—who had red eyes, who tripped over nothing and scraped her knee, who could barely make it to her classes on time and yet could bewitch a crowd with a smile and a bit of music.

“She’s…”  

Even Toby looked he was watching.

“…my friend.”

 -

end chapter

-

A/N: Hello everyone! Hope you're doing well, stayin' safe and staying home. So anyway here's another chapter and admittedly I only have a very rough outline of where I want this story to be and well... I like writing one shots because I'm REALLY bad at plotting out longer stuff like seriously, when I started this, I thought it would be 5 chapters long at most and yet here's chapter 5.

So I've decided to just go with it and take the time to explore and narrate the relationships/interactions I've got in my head AND I don't know anything about taking care of cats I AM SORRY IT PROBABLY SHOWS

Hope you're enjoying it so far! (AND I still owe Diana a happy birthday fic that may or may not involve feet due to some shenaginas I've seen on tumblr which I don't know if are jokes or not)