#(and of course the bonus points for when louis gets to pull his hair back when lestat gets on his knees to suck him off <3)< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[covenofthearticulate]

tumblr won't let me find the post where i talked about louis constantly having hair ties and scrunchies around his wrists :( rude

[momrryfest2020]

You guys are AMAZING!!

Okay, so here’s the list of prompts, gonna open up author signups tomorrow...note, this is an all pairings space, so feel free to read these prompts as such! And if you want to provide something that is NOT a prompt, no worries, just submit to the collection when I open it up. This is gonna be *fun*, you went above and BEYOND on these!! <333

Prompt list:

1. Juno AU

2. During a mutual divorce, harry finds out he’s pregnant and has to navigate that with his ex and his new love interest!

3. Harry is pregnant and he’s all too happy to finally be able to put his pre-post natal yoga certification skills to real practice as he leads his class.

4. Harry has always been into dirty talk, especially “daddy” kink, and now that he (or she) is pregnant, his (or her) partner kicks it up a notch, calling her “mommy”

5. ANYTHING LACTATION KINK, DON’T CARE HOW.

6. Mommy + Pregnancy Kink please Harry calls his partner mommy and imagines getting impregnated by them.

7. Harry’s sad that he’ll never be able to get pregnant so his partner makes him feel better by “knocking him up” ie: lots of dirty talk about harry being fertile and barebacking and sweet talk afterward about what a good mum harry will be.

8. Harry just gave birth to their first child and is still very tired and exhausted, so Louis makes sure he is the best husband ever and learns more recipes to cook for him, takes care of their little bundle of joy and they’re just a happy, small little family :> lots of cuddling pls (and maybe at the end when harry’s feeling better a big family trip with both their families to a swimming hall)

9. That picture of Dakota Johnson at the farmer’s market, feeding a baby a fresh strawberry, you know the one…that’s it, that’s the prompt.

10. Harry gets baby fever after the last of his former bandmates has a kid of his own and he’s the last one standing. He decides he wants to adopt a baby with his current partner. A cute story about Harry adopting a baby basically

11. Harry is in that annoying part of pregnancy where he has to pee every 10 minutes. One night he’s having sex and suddenly has to pee. Person A doesn’t want to ruin the sex and begs him to just pee where they are. They both enjoy it more than they should??

12. The Back-up Plan (2010) AU - Harry conceives twins through artificial insemination, then meets the person of their dreams on the very same day.

13. Moving to a new town to start a new job is never easy. It’s even more challenging with two teenage daughters and a recent divorce from her husband of 16 years. Harry is at her wit’s end when her hair dresser suggests a single mothers’ get-together through the Meetup app. Despite being skeptical of meeting people from the online group, she goes. At the meeting she meets Louis, who also has teenage kids, and they end up falling in love.

14. cheaper by the dozen au

15. harry and his (or her or their) partner on their first night home with their newborn ft. some freaking out about being responsible for a whole human person but mostly lots of cuddles for everyone.

16. one of harry’s close friends just had a baby so he and his partner go to see them, during the visit his partner notices that harry is extra attentive/fixated on his friend while she breastfeeds so he brings it up when they get home and sexy times ensue

17. pregnant/just gave birth harry decides to go to a breastfeeding support group

18. Harry as cool mom inspired by the Cool girl monologue from the movie Gone Girl. Because i don’t get how society’s expectations of moms don’t leave all moms more bitchy, on top of that cool mom has to make it look easy and fun.

19. One thing that made me completely obsessed when I was pregnant, was the feeling that my body was changing but not being able to tell if it was all in my head or physical there. Having that sort of assessed and validated by my partner in a not clinical way has been super satisfying (both in a sexy and peace of mind way)

20. Harry, who has always enjoyed being everybody’s baby, is having a baby

21. Louis is an alpha and a new single father to a six months old or younger if you wish (the mother is not around). Harry is the nanny he hires to help him take care of the baby because he has no idea what he is doing. Harry is an omega and the baby takes an immediate liking towards him and his scent. The baby’s first word will be ‘mummy’ to Harry and him having a break down because he sees the baby as his own. (He and Louis obviously get together)

22. Mitch and Harry have to babysit Adam Prendergast’s kids for the day and Harry falls into the mom role easily.

23. Harry is a single mommy of a newborn that can’t seem to fall asleep at night. Louis is the nice neighbor that should be called baby’s whisperer. Strangers to Lovers AU with lots of kinks and fluff, please! (Bonus points for Louis being obsessed with Harry’s body) (Golden star for lactation kink)

24. Buns in the oven, babying a sourdough and kneading dough could make for some amazing suggestive dirty talk in any kitchen, especially for someone who ten years later still talks about their job at a bakery, loves baguette and is a little obsessed with pregnant bellies.

25. Louis and Harry are at a party that is related to Louis’ job, Harry is just being a good hubby and coming with him. Harry is seven months pregnant though and some of Louis’ colleagues keep staring at him in a flirty way. It makes Louis furious that they’re all staring at his baby mama like that so he takes Harry home and they have hot sex, Louis calling Harry mommy, add lactation kink if you want to and pls lots of mentions about the things Louis adores about pregnant Harry (aka bigger thighs, glowing skin, tiddies, tiddies, did I mention tiddies? you can also make this a/b/o of you want)

26. maybe a cute little collection of Louis’ and Harry’s firsts with their baby? first time they hear the heartbeat, first time they feel them kick, first time they see her after harry gave birth, first time harry breastfeeds, first time they say mama or papa, first time of them going to visit the grandparents, first time crawling, first bath with mama and papa… ugh my heart.

27. Harry’s and Louis’ son is like 16, so he is hanging out with his friends and his friends are teasing him about how hot his mother (aka harry) is, just like the 1d boys always did with harry about Anne. The son feels super uncomfortable and Louis is super confused why these little teenagers boys always stare at Harry’s body when he is cooking for them whenever they visit until he finds out they think of Harry as the hottest milf in town (more humor than actual sexual references pls, this is supposed to be more funny than awkwardly sexual :D)

28. Harry missing his pre-pregnancy body a bit after having his second child and Louis making him feel loved, them both going to the gym and working out together just to have hot kinky sex in the shower later, body worshipping and lots of sassy mommy harry please <3

29. I would love some sad sex fic. Being pregnant is a messy affair. You become a dual entity of you and the baby and are expected to be constantly performing happiness. Dads are allowed to be uncertain but moms are constantly asked how much they are looking forward to the baby. Sometimes you are in line at the supermarket and feeling a profound sadness and frustrating hornynes and being told you are glowing by some complete stranger is in no way making your day better, it only solidifies the feeling of having become your pregnancy.

30. Person A helps a miserably full and sore Harry when he starts to ween the baby from breast feeding but of course he’s still producing milk.

31. Mommy H is spoiled with a huge and extravagant baby shower. Ideally he’s huge and kind of miserable at this point but he’s being pampered and doted on and absolutely loves it.

32. So (optional abo) Harry gets pregnant from a night out at the age of 20 ish? When his kid gets to the age of 12 (Harry 32) he starts asking about his other dad and Harry feels bad his son doesn’t have a dad so he starts to research. He find 4 possible guys it could’ve been - louis, Liam, Niall or Zayn. He thinks he’ll just know when he meets them all. He was wrong. (Perhaps one of them turns out to be the dad, but Harry falls in love with another one For example: Louis the dad and Liam the lover or Zayn the dad and Louis the lover! Choose any pair combo!!! Whichever endgame you prefer)

33. lots of mommy harry with a newborn baby fluff and him being over the moon, loving his little bundle of joy and pls add a cute breastfeeding scene

34. The progression of Harry’s horniness during pregnancy to the point that his mans doesn’t think he can keep up with it

35. Harry’s been dating x person for a while and they have a healthy and diverse sex life. They both think it would be hot for Harry to be fucked by other guys while his boyfriend watches. Basically a cuck/orgy situation with some breeding/fertility dirty talk to make it kinkier. (Could be that he’s already pregnant and gets fucked by an outsider??)

36. Pregnant Harry gets his first bra to accommodate his milk coming in and he’s kind of obsessed with how he looks in it

37. harry + ot5 or ot4, being their intersex mate or omega, multiples in pregnancy and maybe a kidnapping, runaway magic harry using bond or mate pull to make it back to them as they also fight their way back to him

38. Harry Edward Styles, single father with a gorgeous six year old daughter. He works in an event management company, his specialty wedding planning,with his own personal office with a team and all. He is Arya’s mummy as he gave birth to her when he was eighteen year old. With a loads of baggage from his past Harry is a strong person who is giving his all to make a perfect life for his daughter. They are the dynamic duo against the world. (The name for the child can be changed as per author’s wish and Louis and Harry pairing please thank you)

39. Girl direction: Harry is excited to learn that her alien gf is ovulating and volunteers to be the incubator of gf’s self-fertilised eggs. Sexy oviposition and sharing the joy of motherhood.

40. Girl direction 70s AU: Harry and her gf secure a sperm donation and get busy with a turkey baster.

[themurphyzone]

Episode 42: Meap Me in St. Louis

A LONG TIME AGO,

PROBABLY A WEEK BUT THAT’S STILL KIND OF A LONG TIME, 

A WRITER DECIDED TO UNDERGO THE TASK OF GATHERING ALL SEEMINGLY UNRELATED SCENES FROM THIS TRAILER AND PUT THEM INTO A COHERENT STORY BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY GET PAID FOR THIS STUFF HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF MAKING THIS AN ACTUAL EPISODE. 

JUST PRETEND THERE’S AN EPIC STAR WARS-ESQUE FANFARE HERE. I DON’T HAVE A TEAM OF SOUND EDITORS AND AN ORCHESTRA FOR AWESOME BACKGROUND MUSIC. 

AND NOW I PRESENT 

THE CHRONICLES OF MEAP

EPISODE 42: MEAP ME IN ST. LOUIS

PART 1: THE MEAPENING 

Location: Space, the Milky Way Galaxy. Approaching Asteroid Belt at Warp Drive 2. 

Meap jerked the wheel to the left, barely avoiding a large asteroid which threatened to crash through one of the side engines. His tricked-out ship could withstand any kind of G-force, meteor showers, and the occasional laser blast from evil galactic overlords, but he wasn’t taking any risks. Unfortunately, the nearest aliens were the Martians, who were infamous for being one of the more primitive races of the universe, since they tended to break any kind of technology that came their way. 

He checked the rearview mirror, smirking when Mitch’s large and clunky ship got pelted with space rock after space rock. It would give Meap plenty of time to get to Earth without being followed. 

Clearing the Asteroid Belt was a cinch. As he passed by Phobos, he noticed a purple ship with its hood popped open on the rocky surface. A rather peculiar looking fellow with green, mottled skin and horns held up a sign that said ‘HELP. NEED REPAIR’. 

Meap instinctively recoiled, a normal reaction for his species when they saw something irreparably ugly. But as an Intergalactic Security Agent, it was his job to help the denizens of outer space regardless of species. He pulled out his favorite translator mustache, the black one that made him sound like Lorenzo Lamas. He parked his ship and hopped out, waving to the strange fellow. 

“Hello!” Meap said, holding out his hand in greeting. “My name is Meap, Intergalactic Security Agent, S rank. What seems to be the trouble today?” 

The strange alien’s pink eye bulged out toward him, while the blue scrutinized him closely. He didn’t shake his hand. “Broken,” he rasped. “Throw it away.” 

Meap leaned over the exposed engine, examining several of the close wires. “Don’t be so dramatic, friend!” he said, attaching the wires to their correct outlets. “Your wires just got knocked loose. It’s a common problem with ship models from the Cygnus cluster. How about I give you the coordinates to Dave’s repair shop? Real good guy, prices aren’t bad either. He deals with stuff like this all the time-” 

A shadow fell across him just as he turned around. A slimy, pink appendage was the last thing he saw before his vision faded to black. 

“You took her,” the raspy voice said. “Now you will be thrown away too.” 

Now entering Earth’s atmosphere. Autopilot set to land on North American continent. Target: The Flynn-Fletcher family.

“Happy birthday even though this song is copyrighted and we could get sued if we sang it the proper way on this show, happy birthday to you!”

Buford inhaled deeply, then blew out the candles in one powerful breath. “I totally meant to do that,” he said, laughing when all the frosting and candles stuck to Baljeet’s face from the sheer force of it. 

Baljeet grabbed a towel, glaring at Buford as he wiped the mess out of his hair. “Of course you did.” 

“C’mon, just hurry up and stuff your faces with cake already. I wanna get to the presents,” Buford gestured to the pile of gift boxes that overflowed one of the tables. 

“Oh, Buford,” Isabella sighed. “It’s not about the presents.” 

“Yadda, yadda, friends and family,” Buford rolled his eyes. “Could we save the afterschool special talk for when it’s not my birthday? You guys are killing me with the sap.”

“But the presents are a bonus,” Ferb sagely added. 

Phineas took a large bite of his chocolate cake, grinning widely. “Don’t let Mom’s cake go stale, you guys! Dig in!” 

Candace and Jeremy sat under the shade of the tree, completely absorbed in their own little world. “So yeah, that’s how I managed to fix the fryer with nothing but an empty ketchup packet and thumbtack,” Jeremy finished. 

She laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind next time I need to fix a fryer and I can’t immediately call my brothers for a quick fix.” 

“Jeremy!” a cute, bubbly voice squealed. “Kiss it! Kiss it better!”

Candace winced away when little Suzy ran up to her older brother, holding out her finger, which was streaked with red. Suzy not-so-subtly planted herself between them, her shoes digging into Candace’s exposed knee. It took all of her self-control to not cry out in pain. 

Gently setting Suzy on his lap, Jeremy leaned down and placed a large kiss on her finger. “Can’t have my favorite little girl getting hurt. How does it feel now?” 

Suzy giggled. “Much better! Thank you!” 

The scene would’ve been so much cuter if Suzy had actually cut her finger instead of scribbling red marker over her skin. 

“Suzy, drink something before you run off and play,” Jeremy said, handing her a cup of fruit punch. Suzy smiled sweetly at him before taking a sip. She took a step forward, then shrieked as she suddenly tripped and fell on her stomach. 

Candace yelped, unable to avoid the splash of fruit punch that soaked her face and part of her blouse. She was incredibly thankful her skirt hadn’t been in the line of fire. 

“Suzy? Are you hurt?” Jeremy quickly asked, his eyebrows raised in worry. “Sorry, Candace. I can grab you a towel if you want.” 

The opening of the cup was suspiciously tilted towards Candace, and he didn’t even notice. The thought of being left with Suzy made her shiver. 

Candace waved him off. “It’s...it’s fine,” she breathed, covering the wet part of the fabric with her arms “I’ll just go change and dry off myself. No problem here.” 

Jeremy glanced at his little sister. Her expression instantly changed from a malicious smirk into an adorable guilty face with watery eyes that were way too large for Candace’s liking. “Suzy, what do you say?” he prompted. 

“Sorry!” Suzy squeaked.

“Yeah, it’s cool,” Candace forced a smile, which quickly disappeared as she walked back into the house. The chatter died away as the kids watched her close the sliding door. 

It wasn’t fair, Candace thought sourly as she stormed up the stairs. Suzy was absolutely determined to keep her away from Jeremy at all costs, always ruining the moment, and humiliating her at every turn. At this point, Candace was convinced that Suzy was actually a criminal mastermind who got plastic surgery to look like a child because no police force on the planet would ever dare to arrest a four year old girl. 

She considered talking to Jeremy and his parents, but they would probably refuse to believe her and she would be forbidden to date Jeremy ever again.

“That’s rich,” Candace muttered angrily. “’Hey, Mrs. Johnson. Your beloved little girl is actually a psychopath who needs to be institutionalized before she murders me in my sleep with a hair tie and teddy bear. Maybe you should watch her because she is the living example of appearances are deceiving’. Great. It sounds stupid in my head. It sounds even stupider out loud. Sometimes I just want to stuff those stupid pigtails down a garbage can.” 

She changed into an identical red shirt and washed her face, sighing when she finally deemed herself presentable again. 

“Hey, Candace!” Phineas exclaimed the moment she walked outside, pointing excitedly at a familiar spaceship that had definitely not been there when she’d left. “Look who else showed up! I don’t think Buford and Baljeet have met Meap yet. Boy, are you gonna love him!” 

“Isn’t that the-” Baljeet instantly quieted when Buford shook his fist. 

“We had an agreement, don’t say anything about that time!” he growled. 

Baljeet crossed his arms. “Momentary lapse in judgment, I apologize. There is no need for threatening hand gestures.” 

The ship door opened, and Meap climbed out. “Can we keep him?” Suzy shouted, breaking the stunned silence. 

Jeremy chuckled. “Sorry, I don’t want competition for the cutest critter in the house.” Suzy beamed at that, then cocked her eyebrow at Candace in a silent ‘take that, pencil-neck’. 

Candace tore her gaze away from Suzy and focused on Meap instead, wondering why he hadn’t pulled out his translator mustache yet. He had a half-lidded, bored expression on his face. 

As he was walking towards them, his ship suddenly exploded. 

However, explosions were common sights in Danville, so nobody batted an eye at that. 

She felt like something was off, but couldn’t put her finger on it. 

“Meap! You came just in time!” Phineas exclaimed, rushing forward to shake Meap’s hand. The alien didn’t return his enthusiasm. “You’ve never met Buford, Baljeet, Jeremy, and Suzy, so here they are! It’s Buford’s birthday too, typically it’s Earth custom to give one a gift on birthdays, but you didn’t know so that’s cool-” 

Buford sniffed. “No, it’s not.” 

“Meap, are you feeling okay?” Isabella asked. “You look kinda sick.” 

Meap ignored her, stopping when he was in front of Candace. “You are my creator,” he spoke. “And you have thrown me away. Now it is your turn to be trash.” 

Candace raised an eyebrow. “Look, is this payback for me thinking you were a stuffed animal the first time we met? Cause I’m not following.” 

“Precisely,” Meap rasped. “Jerry the Platypus, the sleeping agent.” 

“Jerry the Platypus?” Candace asked, confused. A fat, dopey platypus in a fedora wiggled his fingers at them. Then he fell flat on his face, a loud snore escaping him. 

Meap’s eye twitched. “Excuse me for a moment.” He stalked over to Jerry, lifting him by the neck in a surprising feat of strength. “I did not mean you when I said ‘sleeping agent’.” 

“Why does he look like Perry?” Phineas asked. 

“And Meap needs a tool to speak our language. Usually with a regional dialect,” Isabella added. “And what did he mean when he said Candace threw him away?” 

Buford huffed. “First, leave the dunking people into trash cans to actual bullies. Second, can I open my presents now?” 

“I’ve never dunked anyone in a garbage can!” Candace threw up her hands in exasperation. “I’m just as lost as the rest of you!” 

“My deepest apologies about the wait,” Meap said, holding out a cylindrical container. “This body does not have a nose so I shall go unaffected.” He twisted the ends, releasing a sweet-smelling gas, which quickly covered the backyard.

Baljeet collapsed first, followed by Suzy, then Isabella succumbed. 

Candace coughed, then quickly held her breath to avoid breathing it in. It didn’t work, and she swayed on her feet. 

“Must...open...presents....” she heard Barney say. Or was it Bollock? Benny? The gas must’ve been affecting her mind. 

Her eyelids drooped shut just as she caught a glimpse of her brothers struggling to breathe. She reached out-was her arm moving at all? Then everything faded into blissful silence. 

“Then I will marry her. After that, she will be disposed of.” The alien didn’t have the hands or fingers necessary to tent his stubby arms together, but he was doing the equivalent for his species. 

And he was more mysterious with the black spinning office chair. Staring into the void and contemplating his meaningless existence was far easier than dealing with his subordinates. 

The two minions in his office saluted. 

“And have you contacted the other one? She is currently with Candace’s friend,” the alien asked. 

“Uh, she’s not interested, boss,” one of the minions stammered. 

“WHAT?” he screeched, his stubby limbs completely useless in whipping the chair around to face the minions. “Ugh, this chair is rubbish too. Get me a new one!” 

They scurried off, tripping over themselves in an attempt to get away from their boss’s wrath. 

“Waste. All of them,” he muttered. “What is she doing that’s so important anyway?” 

“Bunny-Bear, who was that?” Stacy asked as she laid two of her shirts on the bed. 

Bunny-Bear dropped the phone and inspected a shirt carefully, “Like, a bunch of lame-o’s. Now girl, if you go with the calm ocean blue that oozes coolness, but the tsunami blue screams wild and rocking that bod. It’s, like, your choice.” 

Stacy glanced at the blue shirts that were no different from the rest of her everyday clothes, then picked up the one that was apparently calm ocean blue. “You are the best fashion consultant ever.” 

“Tell it to my agent.” 

“How’s that Candace tracker working?” Jeremy called, bouncing Suzy on his knee as the group waited impatiently. 

Phineas gave his handheld device a light smack. “Yeah, the cuteness tracker has never been one of our more reliable inventions,” he admitted. “The program Ferb installed to block the interference from Isabella’s cuteness isn’t working anymore. Maybe we need an additional formula to block Suzy’s as well.” 

Suzy giggled brightly. 

Isabella sighed dreamily, her hands clasped against her head. “You really think I’m cute and not just because I weaponized it against Mitch?” 

“Well, your signal was a lot stronger than even an entire cuteness-based planet,” Phineas shrugged. “I never meant that the readings were entirely unreliable.” 

“Well, it’s not given in the most conventional way, but I’ll take it,” Isabella declared. 

“So we headin’ off now? Cause I haven’t been paying attention since we woke up from that sleeping gas thing,” Buford asked as he ripped open another present. “Oh sweet, a baseball bat! This’ll be useful for wherever we’re going.” 

Baljeet was dangling by his overalls from a tree branch, so Ferb handed him the equations to look over. “Why did I give him a bungee cord...should’ve made it a gift card,” he muttered. “Anyway, you could easily block out 76% of the cuteness emitted from fluffy puppies and kittens if you replaced the square root of three over unicorn with 4p, p standing for pastel.” 

Ferb nodded and adjusted the equation, then showed it to Phineas. He quickly plugged it into the system. 

“Guys, we got it!” Phineas shouted. “Meap’s on course to St. Louis! And he’s got Candace with him! But not Jerry the Platypus, guess he forgot him.” 

The group glanced at the pudgy monotreme, who hadn’t noticed that he’d been left behind. Isabella helpfully grabbed him a slice of cake. It would probably tie him over until they got back and figured out what they could do with him. Jerry dug in once the plate was in his hands. 

“Eh, I’m sure Perry will get along with him just fine,” Phineas said. “Speaking of which, hey-”

“Where’s Perry?” Suzy cut in. She cutely rocked on her heels. 

“Suzy, I know you were excited to have your turn, but interrupting people is rude. What do you say?” Jeremy gently scolded.  

“Sorry!” Suzy chirped. 

Phineas smiled. “Hey, no worries. Anyways, we’d better rig a teleporter so we can get to St. Louis. Which is kind of a strange place to choose a hideout. I was so certain we were going into space again.” 

Doofenshmirtz on the St. Louis bus system!

“Yes, I’m just a guy who’s a sucker for the sounds of mass transit!” Heinz sang, a little too loudly. Perry looked around, but nobody was showing signs of wanting to throw them off the bus and slapping a lifetime ban on top of the humiliation. “What, you don’t know that song? C’mon, Love Handel released this single after their bus turned over in Albuquerque back in ‘93! It perfectly describes the frustrations and weird things that happen when you take public transportation at odd times of the day. You should give it a listen sometime.” 

“Okay, okay. No need to shove me. Or lightly tapping me, in your case. I can walk.” Candace carefully nudged Meap off her leg and pushed the child safety gate open, which apparently led to the mastermind of the entire operation. 

Honestly, she was so much more irate at her phone being nothing but a smoking hunk of silicon and sparkly rainbow goop, courtesy of Meap. Her mom was not going to be happy about this. 

“Sit down, Candace Flynn,” the figure in the office chair rasped. 

Candace rolled her eyes as she obliged his request. Couldn’t she have been kidnapped by someone with a little more originality? 

“So, you’ve been living the good life. Without a regard for those you’ve tossed aside.” 

She shrugged. “Meh, I’ve been pretty unsuccessful at busting all summer. I don’t know if that qualifies as your definition for a good life. So, how do you know my name?” 

“I see you’ve already forgotten. Very well. You already know me as-agh, this chair deserves the furnace more than the other one!” 

Candace pitied him. She truly did. 

“I can’t do a dramatic reveal cause my limbs don’t have the length needed for this. Do you mind turning me around?” 

Candace spun the chair around, gasping when she recognizing the ugly,  mottled lovechild of a cow and frog. 

“IT IS I, SEÑOR FRAWG! MWAHAHAHA!” he cackled, then cleared his throat. “Seriously though, just call me Frawg. The señor part makes me sound like an uncle that nobody in the family ever talks about cause he’s a weirdo or something.” 

Candace screamed at the top of her lungs, shattering all the glass in the state of Missouri and causing the glassblower shops in the area to go out of business. 

TO BE CONTINUED 

DUN DUN DUN

[glorioussoulwerewolf]

The Switch part one

Jonathan grew up never knowing he had a twin brother.  His mother was a crack addict who sold her baby boys to support her habit right after giving birth.  A lovely couple in Greenwich. CT adopted him naming him Jonathan after her father , raising him to be their own.   It wasn't until the passing of his mother that he learned he was adopted.   She told him while on her death bed about his real mother and kept saying over and over how much she loved him.

He was only 6 months old when he was sold to the Baxter's of Greenwich, CT.  He grew up attending the best schools, wearing nothing but bespoke suits, and was molded into a perfect gentleman.  Growing up, he was never without a tie and jacket for his parents insisted upon it.  Formality at dinner was a requirement.  He would change into black tie unless there were guests over for dinner;  white tie and tails were required whenever his parents entertained.  He spoke only when spoken to, always rose when a lady entered the room, and held her chair as she sat.  His hair was always perfectly coifed; kept short  with a deep side part cut in and his bangs brushed back and to the side. His nails were well manicured with a shiny clear polish.  

When he turned six, his parents sent him to Phillips Exeter Academy where his class load included mathematics, science, business, foreign affairs, eight foreign languages to include Farsi, German,  Russian and Chinese, lessons in grooming, etiquette and dance, skeet, English style riding, and lacrosse.  After all, he was a Baxter and should be groomed knowing only the finer side of life. And that he did.  They even hired another student to keep his room clean, his clothing properly pressed, and his riding boots well shined; and when they weren't, he would use his riding crop to discipline him.  

At the age of ten, he started to remain in the locker room after lacrosse practice while the other boys showered.  He loved to smell their sweaty uniforms and jocks, and from time to time, a jock strap would go missing.  But Jonathan knew where it was.  He had taken it back to his room where he would put it over his head with the front pouch covering his nose and mouth.  He would lay in bed all night smelling it with delight.  

His school boy days would not last forever for young Mr. Baxter and off to Harvard he went where he earned a BS in Foreign Affairs and a MBA in Business.  Finding a job was not an issue at all for him as this smart Harvard graduate had a 4.0 gpa, money, prestige, looks and charm.  He had offers from all over the country but he went to work in Boston. His parents set him up with a modest five bedroom,  six bathroom condo that had an indoor pool and servants quarters.  He even had five parking spaces assigned to his condo which was a huge bonus for anyone living in Boston.  

Immediately after moving in to the condo, Jonathan had one of the bedrooms converted into a dressing room with closets built into two walls and mirrors covering the remaining wall space.  A dressing table in the center of the room held his jewelry cases which contained over 100 sets of cufflinks, shirt studs, tie bars, collar bars, rings, watches, bracelets and gold chains.  The closets were filled with bespoke suits and shirts, braces, shoes, and ties. One section of the closet contained his tuxedo collection in black and blue, shawl, peak and notch collars, single and double breasted, vests, shirts with detachable high wing collars, and even three sets of tails.  There were no casual clothes here as Mr. Baxter would never be seen in them.  He was always dressed well and his employers remarked on how superb he looked in the office to the point where they only directed the wealthiest of clients to him.

One day, he was out with a friend having a few drinks when this guy walked up to Jonathan and called him Jake.  Jonathan explained he must have the wrong person, that his name was not Jake but the man insisted and pulled up a photo on his phone of Jake with him at that same bar a month ago.  Jonathan stared at the photo as he knew this was his missing brother but did not let on. "You must be mistaken. That is not me as this is the first time I have patronized this establishment." "Whatever you say Jake.  You can dress up and speak to me as if I were some peasant but I know the truth about you." the man replied.  He left and Jonathan went deep into thought wanting to know more about his brother.

Jonathan spent the morning hiring the staff to tend to his apartment and then went to work.  He instructed his new butler that he dines in black tie nightly, to have an appropriate outfit ready for him when he returns.   He left for the office wearing his three piece navy blue pinstripe suit with a double breasted vest complete with a lapel, a crisp white shirt with a high collar, a red tie with white medallions, navy lapel flower, red and navy print pocket silk, navy sheer OTC hose, black wing tips with a high polish, and navy and white striped braces.  He chose the sapphire cufflinks with a gold tie bar and a gold Rolex with a blue face.   Draped on his arm was a cashmere overcoat as Boston tends to be cold in the winter.  Of course, he was the best dressed person in the office and several others who just started there wanted to know where he shopped for his clothing. "It is all bespoke attire, made especially for me to my specifications.", he replied. Emerson, one of his new colleagues, asked for the name of his tailor as he too would like to dress well. "Here you go my friend.  Give him a call. I do hope you have a large enough wallet to be able to afford one of his ties." Jonathan said with a chuckle.  

Once home, Jonathon found his new butler Harold had everything laid out for him and helped him change for dinner.  He dined alone and when done, retreated to the study where he sat down for a cognac and cigar.  Harold asked if there would be anything else but there wasn't and he was dismissed. This went on every day until the weekend when Harold slipped a ruffie into Jonathan's drink.  He passed out quickly and Harold moved Jonathan into his quarters where he strapped him into a chair, playing music for dear Jonathan. As he awoke, Jonathan struggled but Harold told him there would be none of that and quickly started a monitor with a spiral moving in and out.  "Stare at the monitor." and Jonathan did as he was told.  Eventually, Harold had control over Jonathan.  He planted a suggestion that Jonathan would only wear bow ties from now on, that he loved how they looked on him. Jonathan was released and he went out that afternoon to several shops - J. Press, Caramelo Clothing and Louis - where he purchased over 50 bow ties.  When he returned home, he instructed Harold to box up his neckties, donate them to charity and replace them with these.  "Very good Sir.", Harold replied and then assisted Jonathan as he changed into his attire for dinner.

After dinner, Harold put Jonathan under again.  He stared at the spirals on the screen while a tape played over and over "You are now a bow tie boy; my bow tie boy. Bow ties are important to you now as they make you more and more submissive every time you wear one. You love being a submissive, not being in charge, no longer needing to make decisions.  It is who you are.  You feel good with your new life and you will always follow my instructions."  Jonathan sat in his tuxedo, watching the spirals and listening to this over and over for the rest of the evening.  The next day, he woke, showered and dressed in a three piece grey pinstripe suit with a pink shirt and red bowtie with grey polka dots.  He wore his pink diamond cufflinks and tie tack, diamond ring and black Rolex with a grey face.  Instead of his usual boxer briefs, Harold handed Jonathan a pink thong, grey OTC sheer hose and grey shoes.  Jonathan did not argue; instead he just dressed in the attire he was handed.  He went to church and some of his acquaintances remarked over how well he looked in a bowtie.  In fact, they liked the new look.  He thanked them profusely telling them they were too kind.   He returned to the condo where Harold sat him in front of the screen and continued  his training. "You are becoming more and more submissive every day.  You can't help it.  You no longer see yourself as better than others; anyone I introduce you to is now superior to you.  You can't help yourself.  You must submit to them.  You want to submit to them.  It is important to you to submit to them."

That night, Harold introduced Jonathan to his new guests.  One was his brother Jake; the others were friends of his to include the guy at the bar.  Knowing guests were coming to dinner, Jonathan was dressed in white tie and tails. He greeted them and could not take his eyes off his brother.  "You look exactly like me. Same build, same facial structure, even the same height and weight. You must be Jake.  I've heard that I had a brother but this is uncanny.  All you need is a fresh haircut and you could pass for me.", Jonathan said as he welcomed his guests into the condo.  "Come with me my brother. I think we need to dress you in more appropriate attire."  They went into Jonathan's dressing room where he pulled out a second set of tails and helped Jake change for the evening.  He then applied some of his hair dressing to Jake's hair, combing just like he would comb his own.  "There, now you look like a true Baxter! Tomorrow, we will contact my tailor and have him make a completely new wardrobe for you .  I want you to move in here with me.  Is that ok with you?  Would you like that? And we need to take you to my barber to get you a fresh haircut." Jonathan said to Jake.  

Jake could not believe what he was hearing. He had been invited to dinner by Harold who noticed Jake living in his car in the parking lot of the local market.  Jake was down on his luck.  He had no place to live, no job, showered in the local Y and would rely of friends to help him out with a meal or sometimes a couch but living here? Heck yeah!  Who in their right mind would refuse this?  

They had dinner and when done, they retreated to the study for a cognac and cigar.  Jonathan was a bit uncomfortable as his thong was tight but he did not say anything.   They spoke for a while and Jake's friends departed while Jonathan and Jake had another drink and cigar. Jake sat there and was rather envious of his brother thinking how this could have been all his if he were the one sold to the Baxter's. Harold turned on the spirals and both men went under.  Jonathan became more and more submissive while Jake became more and more assertive.  Without thinking, Jake started to remove Jonathan's tailcoat and pants while Harold brought in a gurney, razor and shaving cream.  Jonathan was led to the gurney and as commanded, laid down on it. Jake proceeded to shave all the hair off of Jonathan - his balls and cock, anal cavity and legs.  He told Jonathan to remove his shirt and then he shaved his chest, arms and arm pits.  Jonathan was now devoid of all hair from the neck down.  He then pierced Jonathan's nipples and locked him in chastity. Harold left and brought in lace panties, fish net stockings and a garter belt and handed them to Jonathan who put them on without question. Jake then put him in a corset which was cinched tightly around Jonathan's torso.  High heels, a wing collar and bowtie, and white cuffs completed the outfit. "This is your new dinner attire. How do you like it?" Harold said. Jonathan replied, "If it pleases you, I must always dress like this for dinner Sir."  Jake shouted,  "Get me another drink boy!" Jonathan did as he was instructed.

Harold left them alone for the evening as he saw his plan coming together.  

[imwastingmylifeinhere]

Magnus Chase and the Obligatoty Hogwarts Au Ch18

On ao3

You know how I said last time that this is a big chapter> It's almost 9k. I hope you're happy, people. Anyways, please tell me what you thought of this because it took a lot longer than most chapters and I don't have that much experience with action scenes.

When breakfast ended the next day the three Champions were escorted out of the Hall of the Slain to get ready for the task as the rest of the students, teachers and people who had come to see the Tournament headed for the stands. They were almost at the door of a room Magnus hadn’t seen before when they noticed Raphael wasn’t with them.

“He must have stayed behind,” Headmaster Gilbert said with a sigh. “Could you go find him, monsieur Chase?”

“Yes, sir,” Manus nodded. He turned around and rushed back to the dining Hall, part of him glad that he got to postpone what he was about to take place in even if it was only a few minutes.

When he turned the corner to the Hall of the Slain he only saw Raphael and Louis there. The problem was that they weren’t simply talking, no, they were kissing. And pretty passionately too from what little Magnus managed to see before hiding behind the corner. Louis’s arms were wrapped around the other boy’s neck, buried in his hair. Raphael held the blonde by the waist and didn’t seem to want to let go.

“Just be careful, alright?” Magnus heard Louis say from where he was hidden. Or at least that’s what he assumed he said with his limited knowledge of French.

“Oui, oui. Don’t worry for me, mon cher, I’ll be alright,” Raphael said back in a lighthearted tone. There was something in how they spoke to each other that was enough for Magnus to know just how in love they were. The feeling seemed to seep into every word.

“You better be. I don’t want to take care of your injured ass.”

“Too bad, I’m sure you’d look great as a nurse.”

Magnus heard Louis splutter embarrassed and Raphael laugh, possible at his boyfriend’s blushing face. Magnus really wanted to sneak a peek to see if Louis was blushing like he thought, but this felt like a private moment and he didn’t want to intrude.

“You’re an idiot,” he heard Louis grumble.

“Oui, but you love me.”

There was a moment of silence and Magnus was pretty sure they were kissing again but he didn’t turn to look. He already felt weird enough listening in to their conversation.

“Raph,” Luis said quietly and Magnus had to strain his ears to hear. “There have been people who died at the Tournament. I know that was a long time ago, but Champions still get injured a lot. The last Beauxbatons Champion broke both her legs. I don’t want something to happen to you.”

“I know, mon cher. But I promise you to do my best to come back unscratched. Then we can go somewhere together to have a date, what do you say?”

Magnus heard what must have been Louis kissing Raphael on the lips before the blonde spoke again. “Alright. But I’ll make you carry me to the top of the astronomy tower as payback for all the worrying you’ve put me through. I swear I’ve lost five years of my life because of you.”

Raphael laughed. “Alright, I’ll give you a piggyback ride.” The sound of kissing again. “I should get going, the others must be waiting for me.”

Magnus quickly run to the end of the corridor, wanting to pretend he saw (well, heard) none of what just happened. It seemed to work, though he still felt uncomfortable for having eavesdropped on a private moment.

After Magnus arrived with Raphael, the three contestants were each given a uniform for the Task in the colors of their respective school and the school’s emblem over their heart. The pants reached Magnus’s knees and the sleeves his elbows. Where Raphael’s uniform was blue and Helga’s red, his was black, with lines in each house’s color running down the sides of his legs and arms. It fitted each Champion snugly and it was so light it felt like you weren’t wearing something. It was certainly made for running and moving a lot and the realization made Magnus’s heart speed up, anxious about what was to come.

Once they came out of the changing rooms wearing their uniforms the three Headmasters went on to explain to them what the task was and what they needed to do to win. The more they explained the harder Magnus’s heart beat. His hands got clammy with sweat and he wiped it off on his pants. How Raphael and Helga managed to look so calm he didn’t know. Freaking Helga looked so confident, like she knew she could win the Task without breaking a sweat.

After they were done explaining everything to them, Headmaster Gilbert and Headmistress Sonia took Raphael and Helga respectively and headed for each Champion’s starting point. Magnus followed Headmaster Odin to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, were a tall tree had small metal handles nailed onto it at odd places, like a weird ladder.

A small object flew close to the Headmaster. It resembled a Snitch, but it was at least three times bigger and made of a translucent material that looked like glass. Magnus recognized it as the wizarding world’s version of video cameras; he had seen a lot of reporters that had come to Hogwarts to cover the Tournament have one of those little things hovering over their shoulder.

The flying camera switched from crystal clear to red and Headmaster Odin turned to it and started talking.

“Students of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, my dear guests, it is finally time for the first Task of the Triwizard tournament!” Magnus head applause from inside the forest, were he assumed the stands were. “The Task is simple: each Champion will start at a different spot at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, each an equal distance from the center of the forest. The obstacle race that they must compete will not be a normal one, for it will take place near the peaks of the trees.”

As Headmaster Odin spoke about the obstacle course, Magnus noticed that the camera switched colors and he remembered how they explained to them how the audience would be able to see what they were doing. The stands were positioned along the obstacle course and magical screens would float in front of them so they could see everything that was happening out of their field of vision. Apparently the floating sphere-resembling cameras had become part of the Tournament some years ago so that the audience could watch even if the task took place somewhere they couldn’t see, like inside a lake or a maze. Magnus guessed the changing color meant that pictures of the obstacles were being projected on the screen for the audience to see what was waiting their Champions.

“At the center of the forest is a platform with three bottles on it. Inside each bottle is a scroll containing information on the next task. Each Champion must get one of those bottles. The first to do so will be awarded the most points and the last one the least points. To clear any potential problems, the first to touch a bottle will be registered as the victor of this challenge.”

Magnus’s stomach twisted into knots when he heard that. He already knew that the fastest one would win but hearing it again made him lose what little confidence he had managed to gather.

Well, it involves climbing, right? You’re good at that, you can do it.

“However, to get to the platform they must pass the magical creature guarding. And don’t think for a second that the obstacle course will be their only hindrance as they race to the finishing line. The Forbidden Forest is home to many creatures, and some might not take kindly to our Champions invading their territory.”

Magnus felt little reassurance knowing that the Centaurs wouldn’t be an issue. They had agreed to the first Task being in their forest after an agreement was made ensuring that their territory would not be harmed but expanded, as the Headmasters had explained to them. Seeing idiotic humans making fools out of themselves was an added bonus in the Centaurs’ eyes.

Still, even without the Centaurs being a threat, there were still many dangerous things lurking in the Forbidden Forest and Magnus would much rather he didn’t have to deal with any of them.

“The Champions are free to use magic to assist them in completing the obstacle course as quickly as they can. However, they must not stray outside of the obstacle course and completely let go of the obstacles, so flying over them is strictly prohibited, as is sabotaging another Champion. Doing either of those things will lead to a deduction of points from the Champion in question.”

The bitter, cynical part of Magnus corrected what Headmaster Odin had said in his head. Being caught doing any of those things will lead to a loss of points. Cheating was not uncommon in the Tournament by far, in fact it was almost considered standard practice. It was only bad if they caught you in the act, otherwise it was all well and done.

“But,” said Headmaster Odin, stressing the word, “I’m sure you’d all rather see the Task than just hear me describe it, so without further ado, let’s start!”

Magnus knew that was his cue to get ready, so he stood in front of the tree he needed to climb to get to the obstacle course and held onto one of the metal handles closest to the ground. He let his eyes wander up the tree, noting where each handle was nailed and what spots looked like good footholds and handholds.

“Champions, get ready!” Headmaster Odin, voice loud and booming.

Magnus took a deep breath and held it in, closing his eyes.. Calm down. This will be fine, you can do this.

“Set!”

Magnus exhaled slowly, opening his eyes and readjusting his grip on the metal handle. He licked his lips nervously as he felt his heart drum loudly, like dramatic music in a moving. It drowned every other sound out, leaving behind only it’s steady beat. Magnus took another deep breath and prepared himself for the final signal and-

“GO!”

With a strong kick, Magnus pulled himself off the ground and onto the tree’s trunk. He made his way up the tree steadily, though much faster than normally thanks to the metal handles. Even with them, this would probably still be difficult for someone who doesn’t know how to climb a tree. Magnus was thankful for all the hours he spent climbing trees in the park and on the camping expeditions he and his mother went on, even if she was always so scared he was going to fall down and get hurt if he went too high.

Now he wasn’t afraid he’d fall. He moved up the tree swiftly, only once losing hold of his grip and almost slipping off. He was distantly aware of cheering from somewhere in the woods where the stands were and he was sure his friends were among the loudest. But as loud as that cheering might have been, Magnus paid it no mind and kept climbing, completely focused on the feeling of the tree bark under his shoes and his naked hands.

The tree was much taller than what Magnus had ever climbed before, but he made it to the top, where a wooden platform was waiting for him. He pulled himself on it and took a few deep breaths as he stood up. His hands were throbbing, already reddening from the strain, but he ignored it, feeling much more sure of himself after the climb. I made it all the way up and didn’t fall, mum.

“And it looks like Magnus Chase is the first to climb up the tree!” Magnus heard Professor Thor say, his voice amplified by magic. Apparently he was the announcer for the Triwizard Tournament.

The next tree Magnus needed to get to was about fifteen meters away. Stretching the distance between the two trees was a rope net, held up horizontally by two wires the same way a climbing rock would have been.

I have to cross that, Magnus realized and prepared himself for what was to come. It would probably be easier to cross that a climbing rock since he could take hold of it much easier. Too easily, in fact, and that realization mad his stomach turn. There was no way this would be that simple.

He took hold of the rope in front of him and put his feet in two of the holes. The net immediately dipped under his weight as gravity tried to pull him down and probably break his bones with the fall. He didn’t let that stop him as he moved forward, inching along the net sideways like a crab. He pushed his weight forward in an attempt to gain more balance and made his way across the net as swiftly as he could.

He was hardly more than five meters away from where he started when something collided with him back. He cried out in surprise and flipped his head around to see what that was. His eyes scanned his surroundings frantically as he gripped at the net for dear life. Something hit him again at the left while he was looking towards the right. Then he was hit again at his right leg, the small of his back, straight to his belly. He did his best to move forward despite whatever those things that were hitting him from all directions.

It was only when one of them hit him in the shoulder that he was able to see what it was – a Pixie, its blue skin glistening and its wide eyes mischievous. Magnus felt dread fill his stomach; Pixies were known for picking up people and leaving the at the top of the trees and while he was already high up in the air he had no doubt the Pixies would very gladly pick him up and drop him down.

“And the Pixies are attacking, folks!” Professor Thor said, way too enthusiastic about Magnus being attacked by Pixies. “These mischievous little creatures will be given as much food as they can eat if they manage to knock one of our Champions down so they’re giving it their all!”

Oh, great. So they get food and I get broken bones. Weee!

Magnus started moving faster, eager to get to the other platform as quickly as possible. The Headmasters had explained to them before the Task that a charm had been cast so that the magical creatures attacking them wouldn’t be able to follow them once they finished the obstacle. Magnus could probably hold back the Pixies if he was able to reach his wand in the pocket of his pants, but the pocket had a zipper and he didn’t want to risk hanging from the net with one hand when manic Pixies were attacking him from all angles.

He was about to grab hold of the net again as he moved forward, only a couple of meters from the platform, when the Pixies attacked again. One hit his arm that wasn’t holding the net, knocking it back, and another took advantage of his surprised yelp to hit his other hand. His grip on the net had loosened by shock when the first Pixie hit him and the second one caused him to lose his grasp on the net completely.

He fell backwards, completely weight less for one horrible moment. His heart seemed to have stopped beating, like when you missed a step on the stairs and had a miniature heart attack. Except now he would probably break all his bones with the fall.

“Oh no! It seems like the Hogwarts Champion has been knocked off!”

In a rush of I-don’t-want-to-die energy, Magnus grasped at the net closer to his hands as he fell. His fall stopped abruptly and Magnus let out a cry of pain as his shoulder almost popped out of its place due to his momentum. The happy shrilling noises of the Pixies stopped when they realized he hadn’t fallen off and despite the pain in his shoulder, Magnus moved quickly, taking hold of the net with his other hand.

“But no! He managed to hold on!” Magnus heard applause somewhere in the distance but he was too busy trying to hang onto the net as the Pixies attacked him ferociously.

One hit him in the neck and he choked as he tried to breathe. Another one tried to hit him in the groin but (thankfully) missed when moved forward. He was hanging of the net like Tarzan and his arms were already burning from the strain of holding all his weight. He paid it no mind and moved forward as quickly as he could. He had to make it to the other side before he lost his grip on the net and fell and before the Pixies managed to knock him off again.

The closest he got to the platform the angrier the Pixies became, more desperate to make him fall. They concentrated their attacks on his arms and a few caught him by the shirt and started pulling him down. Magnus hands felt like they were being ripped off and it was a miracle he was still hanging there.

The platform was now only two meters away.  The Pixies had resorted to biting him and Magnus bit his lip as he moved forward to stop himself from yelling. One hand in front of the other and the platform was now one meter away. The pixies were pulling him by the foot. Magnus throws one arm on the platform and uses everything in him to hold on. The Pixies manage to pull off his left shoe but Magnus puts all his strength in his arms and manages to hurl his torso on the platform.

He pulls himself up straight, taking a deep breath. The Pixies are trying to get to him but it’s like they’re hitting against a glass window.

“And Magnus Chase has made it, ladies and gentleman! Helga Leifsson is only slightly ahead and Raphael Beaumont has only a few meters to go till he reaches the end of the first obstacle!”

As much as Magnus lungs and muscles heart from hanging off the net like an ape, he pushed on and turned to see what the next obstacle was. There was no way he was gonna lose to Helga.

In front of him, some twenty meters away, was the next platform Magnus needed to get to. It wasn’t perfectly straight ahead, though considering the route was made based on the already existing trees, it made sense it wouldn’t be.  Stretching between the two platforms was a wire, pulled taut between the two trees. Another wire run parallel to the first two meters above it. From it fell a thick rope hanging from a metal circle, probably so it would move easier on the wire.

He gets his wand out of his pocket and with his left hand casts a Sticking Charm on his left hand. He holds his wand with his left hand and shakes it to see if his idea worked. The wand didn’t fall or budge but stayed stuck to his palm.

Confidents that he won’t lose his wand, he takes the rope into his hands and carefully set a foot onto the rope.  He hugged it tightly as he put one foot in front of the other. His body swayed from side to side and he couldn’t find his balance easily. The available surface under his legs had suddenly gone from a wide platform to a thin wire and Magnus didn’t know the first thing about walking a tightwire. He recalled how acrobats would extend their arms at either side of their body to keep the balance, but he felt too scared to let go of the rope.  

Slowly at first, but then more steadily, he took a few steps on the wire. He tried to go faster after a couple of steps but he leaned dangerously far to the side. The rope, as helpful as it might be to hold on, would drag behind his body and it did little to help him move forward.

“ATTACK!”

Of-fucking-course. A rain of missiles came hurling towards Magnus. An arrow came zipping right by his cheek and it barely missed him. Another object him in the shin and bounced off. Magnus looked down (very bad decision when you’re twenty meters up in the air) and saw a heard of Centaurs looking up at him, bows and small catapults out.

Are you kidding me?

“Oh, we might have forgot to mention this, but the Centaurs were generous enough to agree to help us in the first Task!”

“Oh, come on!” Magnus yells as another missile (a small rock?) comes flying towards him. He manages to dodge it but he almost slips off in the process. You get Centaurs to fire arrows and rocks at us and forget to tell us until now?

As much as Magnus wanted to yell at whoever thought of these tasks, he had more urgent matters to deal with. He does his best to move faster, but it’s no use. Moving in the wire is much harder than moving on the net and Centaurs were much more precise with their aim than Pixies. They even started throwing rocks at the wires instead of at him to make them shake so he would lose his balance and fall.

Magnus glanced anxiously at the platform in front of him. It was still way too far away, he had hardly crossed one fourth of the distance. Maybe winging it and “running” worked with the Pixies but there was no way it was going to work with something as intelligent and skilled as the Centaurs, even with a Shielding Charm. He would have to think of something else.

He couldn’t fly off the course or he’d get penalized and even if he could he didn’t know any spells to do that. He couldn’t let go of the wire beneath his feet or the rope in his hands-

Wait.

An idea formed in Magnus’s mind and he quickly took the rope under his armpit. Having his hands mostly free now, he made a loop at the end of it and used a Permanent Sticking Charm to hold it like that since it was way too thick for him to make knot with it.

“Oh, what is Magnus Chase up to, folks? Maybe now isn’t the best time to do Art and Crafts.”

Magnus ignored Thor’s comment and gripped the rope as hard as he could. He put one foot through the loop and then the other. The rope bent under his weight where he was holding onto it and he found himself hanging off it with his back to the ground. He tried his best to hold himself up straighter and fixed his eyes on the tree he had come from.

“What the hel-“ Professor Thor was cut off, probably for using ‘inappropriate’ language. “Excuse me, what in Merlin is the Hogwarts Champion doing?”

Magnus pointed his wand at the tree and did his best to aim at it. The Centaurs, knowing he was about to do something, threw even more viciously at him. His Shielding Charm managed to deflect most of them, but it wouldn’t hold on for much longer. He took a deep breath before casting a jinx with everything in him.

“Ventus!”

A blast of spiraling wind rushed out of his wand, fast and powerful. The force of the wind sent him flying backwards much faster than he had anticipated. He zipped past the air faster than Firebold, his hair blowing into his face. Past the screaming wind, he head applause and yells and cheers.

His back hit the bark of the tree and he screamed from the pain the collision caused him. He tried to get off the rope and ended up flopping down on the platform.

“Magnus Chase has completed the second obstacle and he’s currently on the lead!”

Still surprised his idea actually worked, Magnus turned around to the next obstacle. The distance between the two trees was about the same as the first obstacle, but instead of a net, swings were hanging from the wires, their seats long enough for Magnus to lie down on.

Maybe it was being on the lead that gave Magnus confidence, but that didn’t seem so hard. Eager to stay in the lead, Magnus stepped onto the first swing.

Instantly, the wind started blowing. It came so suddenly it knocked Magnus off his feet and he fell on the swing on his knees. The wind blew so fast Magnus couldn’t hear what Professor Thor was saying. The wind sounded like screaming in his ears, fast and furious, it felt as if it was clawing at his skin.

He held his head up despite the wind making him wanna close his eyes and he saw the swings shaking back and forth manically in the wind. There was no way he would be able to jump from one to the other when they were moving so fast. Standing up as carefully he could, he held onto the ropes of the swings with both hands. His own swing was moving just as fast as the other ones and he was quickly getting nauseous.

I need to get to the next swing. Knowing that simply trying to jump to the next one would lead to him falling to the ground, Magnus pointed his wand at the swing.

“Accio swing!”

The swing stopped midway and swung back towards Magnus. When it came as close to Magnus as possible he took hold of one of its rope and jumped on. For that one horrible moment until his feet hit the swing he felt weightless, like when he almost fell off the net because of the Pixies.

Then his feet made contact with the swing and he gripped at the rope desperately, despite how much his hands hurt from everything had to done up to now. The swing moved violently, like it was enchanted to throw him off and he wouldn’t be surprised if it was.

He followed the same strategy for the next swing and the one after that and it worked, even if he felt like he was going to throw up everything he had eaten. He was halfway through the obstacle when the wind somehow changed. It still blew like he was in the middle of a tornado, but there was something else there too, like air was being generated by another, new source.

Magnus heard it before he saw it. A shrill, high-pitched shriek like a bird on steroids. Then a black blur entered his field of vision. It flew past him and the blast or air from its large, bat-like wings almost knocked him of his feet.

Magnus held onto the rope tighter and looked up at the creature in front him. No, not creature, creatures. Two, three, seven large Thestrals flew around Magnus and the swings. The flapping of their wings along with the still powerful wind meant of the swings at an even more erratic, unpredictable way.

Then they dived in and started flying in between the swings. One flew right in front of him and Magnus fell on his stomach, his feet hanging of the side. He pulled on the rope and tried to pull himself onto the swing, but another Thestral flew behind him and the only thing that kept him from falling off the other side was the death grip he had on the rope.

“What is happening now, ladies and gentlemen? Magnus Chase was knocked off his feet and he’s looking around like he was just attacked by something!”

Of course, Magnus thought. They can’t see the Thestrals.

He pulled his legs back on the swing with difficulty and never let go of the rope. The Thestrals kept bombarding him and he hardly had enough time to duck down when he saw a Thestral flying straight for him.

I can’t cross like this.

“Confringo!” He yelled, firing a Blasting Curse at the Thestrals. He wasn’t as good in offensive spells as T.J or even Alex, so his blasting curse looked more like fireworks erupting in front of the flying beasts. He took their moment of shock to Accio the next swing and jump onto it.

On top of his spell being weak, it did little more than annoy them. They flew at him with even more ferocity. One flew straight into his swing and Magnus might have yelled like a five-year-old who saw a monster in his closet but he didn’t fall off.

Okay, I can’t keep blasting them or they’ll knock me down and then use my corpse as a chewing toy. (Do Thestrals like chewing toys?)

He had to find a way to stop them from attacking him, then he would be able to deal with the roaring wind like he did before. But how is he supposed to stop them-?

That’s it!

Steadying himself, Magnus pointed at the first Thestral in front of him.

“Petrificus Totatlus!” The Full-Body Bind hit the bat-like creature and its limbs and wings immediately froze. Unable to use its wings to fly anymore, it fell to the ground.

Yes! It worked!

“And now the Hogwarts Champion is firing spells at the air! Maybe the height got to his head?”

Magnus, once again, ignored Thor’s attempt at a joke (since he probably knew about the Thestrals if he was the announcer). He fired the same spell at every Thestral he could see, narrowing the number of winged attackers down to two.

Two which seemed to be the most furious ones. Magnus used Accio and jumped onto the next swing right as Thestral Number 1 slammed onto the swing he just jumped out off. He cast the spell on the swing again and jumped on without caring to look where the Thestrals were. A grave mistake because Thestral Number 2 slammed into Magnus’s new swing before he was able to find his balance.

He shrieked as he fell forward. The swing in front of him came towards him, pushed by the wind and crushed into his gut. Magnus’s mouth flew open in a silent cry, but his hands managed to grip at the edge of the swing.

Hanging off the swing was much harder than hanging off the net. His hand couldn’t wrap fully around it and it was glossy and sleek instead of rough. He put all his strength in his hands pushed down. Trying to pull himself up was painful and his left hand bucked out under his weight. He screamed when he almost fell but managed to hold on.  

He managed to get hold of the other side of swing in his second try and he hurled himself up. He looked up as soon as he was fully onto the wooden surface; he was not going to let another Thestral catch him by surprise. It was good he did, because one of the winged beasts was coming fast towards him.

“Petrificus Totalus!”The spell hit the beast between its front legs and it fell to the ground. Magnus stood up quickly and searched the woods around him for the last Thestral. He saw it near the ground, flying straight up at him.

“Petrificus Totalus!” He cast the spell again and managed to hit the creature right before it collided with the underside of his swing. It fell down to the ground with a loud noise.

With no other Thestrals coming at him, Magnus made his way across the rest of the swings relatively easily. Once he reached the platform the sudden lack of screaming winds was jarring to him and he held onto the tree’s bark so he wouldn’t fall down.

“Magnus Chase has made it to the end of the third obstacle! Whatever the three Champions had to face, the Hogwarts Champion beat it first!”

Magnus looked up from where he was panting for breath surprised. He was still in the lead? Normally he was going to question that, but he knew both his opponents must be good wizards if they were picked as Champions so he couldn’t afford to stay where he was. He readied himself for the next obstacle, which was to be the last and most difficult of all.

In front of him was a bridge. It wasn’t a rope bridge or even a magic bridge made from floating rocks or something. It was a simple, completely normal wooden bridge that stretched between the two trees. At its end was the platform with the bottle Magnus needed to get to.

This was the first time Magnus had been able to see the stands. They were big, hovering at the same height as the obstacle course. Magnus could see a separated area of the stands were the news outlets must be seated. He didn’t think long about the fact that everything he was doing was being broadcasted to all over the UK, mostly because he spotted a head of green hair at the very front of the stands.

“Magnus!” Alex yelled at him. “Good luck! Kick their asses!”

Next to Alex were the rest of his friends, all as excited as Alex. Sam was cheering loudly along with her sister and T.J and Mallory were holding up a large banner with his name on it. Amir and Halfborn were going all out, dressed exclusively in Hogwarts colors and Amir had even brought a megaphone with him – though how it could work normally among all this magic he didn’t know. Magnus waved at them before turning his attention back to the obstacle.

On the opposite side of the platform he could see another bridge, and there was a similar one coming to the central platform form his right. Despite the trees having been between them before, Magnus could see the route one of his opponents had used. He looked back out of curiosity and he saw Raphael’s tall form on one of the last swings.

Spurred on by the sight of the Beauxbatons boy, Magus walked onto the bridge. He had only took one step when he heard the growling. Oh, fuck.

Like stepping out of an invisible portal, a beast walked onto the bridge. Its body was covered with black fur and its hooves clicked against the wood. A long, scaly green tail sprouted from its rear, curling in the air behind it. Its mane was a light, almost golden color, and its ferocious eyes glared at Magnus.

A shudder ran through Magnus spine. A chimera.

The Headmasters had told them that for the last obstacle they had to face an unknown magical creature. He knew he would have to fight something, but he hadn’t expected he would have to fight a fucking chimera.

The animal walked towards him with the slow, calculating pacing of a lion despite its goat body. Its snake tale had an actual snake head at the tip and it hissed at Magnus. Its lion head snarled at him and Magnus stepped back without realizing.

No, he had to do this somehow. He had to find a way to get past the beast, at least long enough to get one of the bottles. He wasn’t stupid enough to just rush at it and try to dodge it, there was a reason why this thing had the same classification as a dragon or a basilisk. It was fucking dangerous.

Another little detail popped into Magnus’s head and he blanched. Please let it not breathe fire, please let it not breath fire.

The chimera opened its powerful jaws and Magnus expected it to roar at him, but instead a stream of fire flew straight at him.

It can breathe fire! Magnus immediately fell to his stomach and held his breath as the fire soared over his head. They brought a fire –breathing beast to a task inside a forest. Oh, Merlin, who came up with this shit?

Once the fire stopped coming, Magnus got to his feet and cast a water spell behind him where the fire had hit the tree. He turned his attention back to the chimera and fired a Stinging hex at it. Like he expected, it did nothing. A chimera’s skin was resistant to most offensive spells. He knew it was weak to a specific kind of grass, but Magnus didn’t have it and he didn’t know how to transfigurate something into it. He would need to come up with something else.

He could fly over the monster, obviously, and even if he did it would still follow him and turn him into Magnus flambé. He had to get it out of the way somehow.

He was scanning his surroundings when he saw the railing at the edge of the bridge. He run to it and looked down. Yes, it was a long fall to the ground.

A plan forming in his brain, Magnus aimed at a pot in the railing in front of the chimera and fired.

“Confringo!”

The spell hit and blasted an opening into the railing it wasn’t huge, but it would work.

The chimera fired at him before he was able to cast his next spell. Magnus jumped out of the way, but the tips of his hair got caught in the fire. He extinguished it quickly and got to the task at hand.

The chimera’s fire had burned the wood of the bridge in front of the monster to a crisp, leaving a gap between the monster and Magnus. What little hope Magnus had that the beast wouldn’t be able to leap over the wide gap was crushed when it easily jumped over it.

It’s clever, Magnus thought. It has me trapped now.

Still, that wouldn’t matter since he had a plan. He would forever be grateful to Blitzen and Hearthstone for teaching him how to mop a floor with magic. He cast the spell and the surface of the bridge in front of the opening was covered with water. The chimera kept walking towards him.

Great, Magnus thought, probably the only time in his life when he would be glad a deadly beast was stalking towards him.

Once the chimera stepped onto the slippery surface, Magnus run to the opposite side of the opening. The chimera was a meter away from him and its heavy, stinky breath hit him in the face. His heart was beating, his palms were sweaty and every shell in his body was yelling at him to run before he became that thing’s snack. He could think of a million ways to die that would be better than this - hell, even falling off a bridge with a sword imbedded in his gut would be better!

“What in Merlin’s name is the Hogwarts Champion doing?”

“Magnus, get the hell out of there!” Alex yelled at him, worry clear in her voice. Magnus didn’t listen to her, as much as he wanted to, and looked the chimera dead in the eye. Then, with all he had in him, he aimed his wand at it and cast his spell.

“Ventus!”

The blast of air that had helped Magnus cross the tightwire burst from his wand’s tip and hit the chimera head on. The strong wind pushed the monster backwards and the slippery floor beneath its legs helped it slip towards the opening. It fought to stand its ground but its hoofed legs would hold onto the wood.

“Ventus! Ventus!” He cast the spell again for good measure and the beast fell of the side of the bridge, its hooves unable to hold it on against the powerful wind.

There was a moment of silence as Magnus and the audience took in what just happened. Then the stands erupted into a roaring applause.

“H-He did it!” Professor Thor yelled. “He did it! The Hogwarts Champion just defeated the Chimera!”

His friends were going absolutely insane at the front of the stands. Sam was jumping up and down, yelling “Yes! Yes! You did it!” again and again. T.J was spinning the banner in the air as he cheered, using a plethora of colorful words that wouldn’t be suitable for children and Halfborn somehow managed to be even worse. Mallory looked dumbfounded before she started yelling along with the others. Amir looked like his mind had just been blown and he yelled something about Magnus having won free falafel for what he just did (which Magnus really wished he meant).

Alex was leaning over the front of the stands, so far out Magnus was afraid she’d fall off, and she was cheering at the top of her lungs. “Magnus, you wonderful asshole, yes!”

Magnus couldn’t help smiling widely. His body was buzzing with the near-death adrenaline rush and he still couldn’t believe his idea had actually worked. He was this close to jumping up and down and celebrating like a little girl who just got a pony, but he stopped himself.

It was then, as Magnus was about to turn around and find a way to cross the gap in the bridge so he could get one of the bottles, that a scream tore through the air. Magnus, like everybody in the stands, turned to where the noise was coming from.

Raphael lay on the ground, clutching at his arm, his face twisted with pain. Blood run from under his fingers where his upper arm had been cut, and from how much there was, Magnus knew it wasn’t a shallow cut. The chimera stalked towards the French boy, like a lion going after its prey, and Raphael’s blood glistened on its jaws.

“RAPH!” Louis had rushed to the front of the stands the moment he saw what was happening to his boyfriend, eyes gleaming with unshed tears, and he was leaning so far out over the railing it was a wonder he didn’t fall off.

Raphael stumbled backwards, his knees shaking and his wand lying far out of his reach near the beast’s hooves. Professor Thor was speechless for once, unable to say anything as the deadly beast got nearer and nearer the Beauxbatons Champion, ready the tear up the helpless boy to shreds.

Louis cried out again and Magnus could hear the conversation he had overhead between the two boys in his head, Louis’s anxious voice from that morning in the corridor merging with his cries now. He remembered Alex’s worried words from last night.

Try not to get hurt, alright?

Magnus whirled his head around, scanning his surroundings. He saw Helga on the other side of the platform facing against her own chimera. If he went now he could probably reach the bottles before her – but the chimera would reach Raphael too. The platform he got to after he crossed the swings was relatively close to Raphael’s route. Maybe if he…

“W-What is the Hogwarts Champion doing?”

Magnus run back to the swings and called one to him. He held onto it tightly and swiftly cut the ropes with a spell. The wooden seat of the swing was heavier than he imagined, but he carried it anyway. He lied it down at the part of his platform that was closest to Raphael’s and stuck it there with a Charm. It was quick work and sloppy but it would have to do.

The other side of the swing’s seat touched Raphael’s platform and Magnus run across it quickly. It buckled under his weight and the moment Magnus had crossed it the Sticking Charm broke and it fell to the ground.

Okay, I’m not going back the same way.

Magnus rushed to Raphael’s side and pointed his wand at the chimera. His knees were shaking and he hardly had a plan, but he couldn’t let the beast kill the other boy in front of him like that. He couldn’t.

“M-Magnus?” Raphael stuttered, hissing from the pain of his arm. “W-what are you doing here? You should go get the bottle.”

“I can do that later,” Magnus said without turning to look at Raphael. He couldn’t take his eyes off the chimera or it could end badly for both of them.

Raphael’s wand still lay on the ground near the beast. “Accio wand!” The wand flew towards Magnus, zipping past the chimera’s head in the process. The beast glared at him annoyed and Magnus handed the wand back to Raphael. “Here, try to stop bleeding.”

Magnus pointed his wand at the railing of the bridge and cast a Blasting Curse at it but the chimera jumped in front of his line of fire. The railing was still intact and the chimera didn’t have a scratch thanks to its protective skin. Magnus tried again but the beast blocked his spell again. Cold sweat trickled down Magnus’s neck.

It saw what happened to the other chimera and knows what to do to stop me, Magnus realized with horror.

“M-Magnus?” Raphael stood on shaky knees beside him. His arm had stopped bleeding but the shirt was torn and covered in his drying blood.

“We need to distract it,” Magnus said. “Most offensive spells don’t work on it, we need to think of something else.”

“Can we drop it off, like you did?”

Magnus shook his head. “It learned from what happened to the other one. We have to find a different way.”

The chimera stepped towards them, its low growling vibrating out of its chest. Its snake tail hissed behind it and its hooves clacked as it walked, the sound almost deafening. Its amber eyes were focused on them, sending chills down both boys’ spines. No doubt to it they looked like two tasty snacks that were way too troublesome to catch. Magnus didn’t want to become that thing’s lunch.

“Raphael,” he said to the other boy, voice hushed as if the chimera would hear their plans and eat them before they could do something. “Are you good at making things float?”

“Yeah, but-“

Magnus cut him off. “On my signal, make the chimera fly off the bridge.”

The confused expression on Raphael’s face disappeared, replaced by one of understanding and he nodded. “Okay.”

Magnus focused, bringing in mind the rocks the Centaurs fired at him and surely at the other two Champions. With a deep breath, he raised his wand in the air. “Accio rocks!”

For a second he heard nothing. It didn’t work, he thought terrified. We’ll be eaten alive. The chimera had stopped in its tracks, confused by Magnus yelling, but when nothing happened it kept coming towards them. It bend its front legs, snake tail swishing in the air, ready to pounce at them and-

First there was a wooshing sound and then Magnus saw it – dozens of rocks, big and small, flying towards them. He directed the onslaught of rocks at the chimera. The large beast started jumping frantically from place to place to avoid the rocks and started batting the few that came close to it away (Magnus wasn’t going to kill it, chimeras are rare). Its sudden movements and nervous batting motions made it look like a frightened goat or a very angry, very large kitten (both of which it technically was).

“Now!” He yelled at Raphael.

“Wingardium Leviosa!”

Raphael’s spell hit the beast head on and the chimera floated into the air. It wasn’t flying far above the ground and it wobbled around since the creature was far heavier than anything Raphael had even used that spell on, but it worked. The chimera roared, thrashing around confused – it probably wasn’t used to being lifted into the air so suddenly.

“Wingardium Leviosa!” Magnus cast the same spell and helped Raphael hold it up. Together they moved the chimera over the bridge’s railing and lowered it to the ground. The chimera looked at its surroundings bemusedly, looking very much like a cat that had been picked up and put down at an unfamiliar setting.

“They – They did it! The Hogwarts and Beauxbatons Champions just worked together to defeat the chimera!”

Roaring applause erupted from the stands as the students of the two schools went crazy. Magnus’s group of friends were by far the loudest, jumping and hugging and yelling threats to kick his ass at him for the fright he gave them. Louis, tear tracks running down his face, was probably yelling the same kind of things at Raphael in French, though Magnus did catch a ‘je t’ aime’ somewhere in there.

Magnus shot a smile at Raphael, feeling proud of himself, and the other boy returned it despite the pain from his arm. They glanced at the central platform at the same time and exchanged a look before they started running towards it. Raphael run pretty fast despite his injured arm thanks to his long legs and all the strain of the day had finally caught up with Magnus, making his limbs fell like lead.

“This is the final race, ladies and gentlemen! Helga has almost defeated her chimera and Magnus and Raphael, bruised and tired, are running to the finish line! Who will make it there first?”

Raphael had gained ground on him and Magnus was struggling to keep on. Maybe if he pushed himself a little more he would be able to catch up to him-

Suddenly, something hit Magnus square in the chest and made him fly backwards. His back hit the hard wood of the bridge where it connected with the platform Raphael had come from after he crossed the swings. He felt something warm and sticky seep into the front of his shirt where he’d been hit. He touched the spot with shaking fingers and saw blood on them.

“Oh no! Helga’s stray spell seems to have hit Magnus Chase head on! The Durmstrang Champion is making her way to the bottles!”

“Magnus!” Raphael had stopped running and looked back at Magnus with worry in his eyes. He started making his way back to him but Magnus stopped him.

“No! Go get your bottle, I’m fine. You need to have someone see your injury!” Magnus tried to get to his feet and he stumbled, but he managed to stay standing. He started running back to the platform but a wave of nausea washed over him and he slowed down. Standing up made him feel dizzy but he could do it – he already made it this far.

Suddenly Raphael was at his side, hooking his unharmed arm under Magnus’s armpit to keep him standing.

“You need as much help as me, mon ami. I can’t leave you here after you saved my ass.”

Magnus opened his mouth to protest but he hissed in pain instead when the wound in his chest moved suddenly. Raphael muttered a sorry to him and tried to move slower.

“And the Durmstrang Champion is the first to reach the finish line!” Thor announced and a wave of nausea that had nothing to do with his injury hit Magnus. She had beaten him. Bloody hell.

Magnus and Raphael wobbled towards the platform, Raphael doing most of the walking as Magnus was close to passing out on his shoulder. The woods around him seemed to be spinning and he saw bursts of colors dancing in the air. Heh heh… pretty colors.

They made it to the platform and everybody in the stands watched him with baited breath.

“Come on, come on, Magnus. We’re here. It’s almost over, come on.” Raphael kept talking, probably to motivate Magnus to make the last couple of steps, but Magnus felt too lightheaded to care.

“Come on get the bottle, Magnus,” Raphael told him and Magnus span his head around, liking the way the foliage of the trees looked when he did that. It looks like Alex’s hair… is Alex’s hair soft? I wanna touch it.

Raphael tried to get Magnus hand and make him get one of the bottles but Magnus didn’t comply. He looked like a noodle, floppy and unable to stay standing. Helga’s spell must have been a tranquilizing one.

Finally, in his frustration, Raphael took one of the bottles and tried to make Magnus hold it. His grip on it was loose, but it was something.

Magnus felt the cool glass against his hand but didn’t register much else. The world was blurring at its edges, like a picture being erased by black paint. He felt tired, he wanted to sleep. Raphael’s shoulder wasn’t the comfiest, but it would do, Magnus decided.

“Raphael Beaumont has taken the bottle and finished second and Magnus Chase has finished last!” Magnus heard Thor announce before he drifted off and everything turned black.

Hope you liked it! Fun fact: I've actually done an obstacle course like this one (minus the magic) and it was fun, even if I almost fainted on one of the obstacles because it was too high for me. But I guess it was worth it cause I got inspiration for this thing, so it's fine!

[mildlymaddy]

A little canon OTRA Lilo, rated M, for @umthatsliam coz you’re pretty.  😘

...

“C’mon, try.”

“I don't want to.”

“C’mon… For me?”

Louis huffs. Using his puppy eyes on him… Liam's playing dirty. “I feel stupid,” he says, because he does. The arena looks ghostly and foreboding in the starlit night, and the stage is intimidating in a way it never is when the five… four of them are on it. “There isn't any music.”

“M’afraid blasting Girl Almighty might attract attention, Tommo,” Liam says with a chuckle, right into Louis's ear. Louis shivers. Liam is standing altogether too close for comfort, less than an inch of space between Louis's back and Liam’s front, Liam’s broad hands firmly placed on Louis's hips in an attempt at guiding him.

“C’mon, just try,” Liam says again, before launching into Act My Age, voice low and deep, gently pushing Louis's hips this way and that.

“I'm not sure a shimmy is the best choreography for this song,” Louis quips, feeling his cheeks flush and hoping Liam might mistake it for deep embarrassment, which isn't completely off the mark, either.

“First you shimmy, then you jump,” Liam says, getting back into the song.

Louis knows there’s no point arguing, so he tries to move his hips, feeling like a fool the entire time. He didn’t use to care about his stage presence. But ever since Z- ever since it’s only the four of them up there, he’s been feeling put on the spot. Harry is all over the place like a discombobulated giraffe, Niall’s got his guitar, and Liam… Louis can never look at Liam too much when he’s on stage or he starts forgetting the words to the songs. And then there’s him, standing in place like a flower pot.

He didn’t use to care, but… things are different now.

Which is why when Liam offers to coach Louis a little on “getting his groove on”, Louis readily accepts. The fact that this will score him some very alone time with Liam is honestly just a bonus.

At first.

Because now Liam’s hands are on his hips, fingers brushing against Louis’s skin when his t-shirt rides up from all the moving around, and sometimes Louis takes a step back when Liam takes a step forward and his arse bumps against Liam’s crotch and he can’t. fucking. breathe anymore. He doesn’t know why hitting Liam in the gonads in front of thousands of screaming girls leaves him perfectly unfazed and bumping against him when they’re alone makes his heart skip a bit, but there it is.

“Maybe we can try something else,” Liam says after a while, which Louis takes to mean he can’t even shimmy properly.

Liam places himself right besides Louis and jumps twice, two tiny hops from left to right, and Louis’s shaking his head before he even realizes where Liam’s going with this. “Oh no,” he says, raising his hands as Liam starts walking sideways in the little routine he and Niall always follow. “I’m not doing that.”

“C’mon!” Liam says, grinning, walking back to him the same way. “It’s not a hard one, and it’s fun!”

“It’s you and Nialler’s thing.”

“I’m not telling you to do it on stage, I’m just telling you to try it now,” Liam says, and why does he have to be so bloody reasonable, it’s infuriating.

Still, Louis executes himself. But where Liam looks playful and weirdly sexy, Louis just looks like a rusted up robot. “It's useless,” he says once they're both back in the center of the stage, wrapping his arms protectively around himself.

“That wasn’t so bad!” Liam lies, walking to stand in front of Louis with a smile altogether too kind considering Louis’s piss-poor performance.

“That was pathetic and you know it.”

Liam doesn’t say anything to that, but there’s a dangerous glint in his eyes as he takes one step forward, gently pulling Louis’s arms away from his torso to wrap his own arms around it instead.

“What are you doing?” Louis asks, feeling his heart picking up. Liam standing so close to him earlier was bad enough, but now they’re face to face, and alarms are blaring inside Louis’s head, telling him to get out of this jam as fast as he possibly can.

Liam’s lips are curled up in a small mischievous smile that turns Louis’s throat dry. “It doesn't matter how you move,” Liam says, moving one foot, then the other, taking Louis along with him. “You just need to get started. Even a slow dance will do,” he says, and that’s what it is, Louis realizes as his feet follow Liam’s lead. They’re slow dancing. At night. On a starlit stage. Perfectly alone.

Liam starts humming the opening bars to Night Changes, leaning forward so his stubble brushes against Louis’s cheek, and Louis steps away, forcing Liam’s arms off of him.

“I’m never gonna slow dance on stage,” he says, raking both hands through his hair to keep himself from touching Liam in any way.

“Who knows, we could,” Liam teases, reaching out for him, but Louis pushes him away, staggering backwards. His heart is pounding so hard he’s feeling a little sick with it.

“Fucking drop it!” he says, louder than he intended to. That stops Liam from reaching out again, at least, and Louis forges on, every inch of his body thrumming with the force of each heartbeat. “It’s a fucking stupid idea, is what it is. This entire thing’s stupid.”

He sees the hurt on Liam’s face, clear as day because Liam can never hide anything, never seems to want to learn. It should make him stop, but somehow it only makes it easier to continue digging his own grave, voice rising with every word. “I never even asked you for help, why the fuck do you insist so much? I'm a fucking embarrassment, is that it?!”

Liam looks crestfallen for a second, but then his features harden. “Of course not,” he says, voice so clipped it sounds like an insult and not a reassurance. “How could you think… I only wanted… I thought it’d be fun!”

“Well it’s not,” Louis says. There is a very sick kind of pleasure to be found in saying lies, like he's taken a step back and is watching himself spewing at the mouth with the detachment of someone watching a car crash. “Go be a good samaritan with someone else. Maybe Harry needs some help getting his arse kissed!”

The words are loud in the silent arena, each of them wrong in so many different ways that Louis can’t believe he’s said them. He doesn’t even know why he’s dragging Harry into this, why he needs to act like an arsehole just to make sure Liam doesn’t get too close. It makes no sense, but as he stares at Liam, chest heaving, he can’t seem to make himself take the words back.

Liam looks at him blankly, then shakes his head, and when he next turns his eyes to Louis he looks disgusted. It’s not a look Louis’s seen often on his face, and definitely not a look he’d ever seen directed at himself. Louis shivers, suddenly keenly aware of how cold it is inside the arena.

“I don't - You know what? Fine. Don't accept my help,” Liam finally says, hands curling into fists at his sides. “Heck, maybe don't accept my friendship, either. Let's just go back to the hotel.”

He’s gone before Louis can think of anything to say.

--

The ride back to the hotel is excruciating. Ten times, Louis opens his mouth to apologize, but the dark look on Liam’s face makes him falter. He's never been in a car with Liam without talking to him. He's never been anywhere with Liam without talking to him.

By the time they’re both standing in the elevator, Louis feels like crawling out of his skin. Liam hasn’t looked at him since Louis’s outburst at the arena, and he looks shut off in a way Louis’s never seen him. Even when they have fights (and they’re bound to, living on each other more than 300 days a year), Liam still talks to him, even if he pouts in that horribly adorable way of his while doing so. Not this time, though. Liam heads off for his room without a backward glance as soon as the elevator doors open.

“Well, that all went splendidly,” Louis tells himself ten minutes later, lying on his back and staring at the beige ceiling of his bedroom. He can’t believe how badly he’s just screwed this up.

He’s made it through everything: wrestling matches on the bus couch after too many beers and too little sleep, hurried showers taken together when they were too late for a gig or too tired to wait, early mornings crawling into each other’s beds when one or the other couldn’t sleep... all that, and he never did anything more stupid than press a kiss to Liam’s throat and pretend it was a tease, or let his gaze linger slightly too long down Liam’s body while Liam’s washing his hair.

But now he’s gone and made a mess of it all, and all for what? Some slow dancing in the dark.

“I’ve got to fix this,” he says to the ceiling, which does not offer any advice. He takes one steadying breath, then rolls off his bed, not bothering to put his shoes back on before padding down the hallway to Liam’s room.

Liam’s already stripped down to his pants and a fresh t-shirt when he opens the door. Playing dirty, again.

“What do you want?” Liam asks, looking guarded in that unnatural way that makes Louis want to kick himself.

“Can I come in?” Louis forges ahead without waiting for an answer, and Liam steps aside, which Louis decides to take as a good sign, but it’s still hard to turn back to him and get the words out. “Look, I… I wanted to apologize. I really appreciate you trying to help. I was a jerk for letting my frustration out on you.”

“... it's okay,” Liam says, and it’s so clearly a lie Louis wants to yell at him, except that would defeat the purpose of his coming here. “You were right, anyway. I shouldn't have forced this on you. Let's just call it a day.”

Louis wants to scream. “No,” he says, trying really hard to keep his voice soft. “I wanna try again. Please.”

“Louis, you don't have to… I'm a grown man,” Liam says, and Louis wants to tell him that he knows, because Liam’s standing there in just pants and a t-shirt and Louis can see how much of a grown man he is, it’s making his mouth water. “You don't have to pretend. I'm not hurt.”

“You're a man child and I'm not pretending,” Louis says, rolling his eyes. At least being sassy always comes easy to him. “Please. I really wanna try again.”

Liam looks at him long and hard, then turns away, walking to his bed. Louis deflates. Well, it was worth a-

The first chord of Girl Almighty erupts from hidden speakers, not very loud but still unexpected enough to startle Louis.

“At least we have music here,” Liam says with a little smile, walking back to where Louis's still standing. His eyes are twinkling with mirth as if he’s already forgotten all the crap Louis’s thrown at him, like a dog falling back in love with its owner the second they stop yelling, and his body’s already starting to move with the beat.

Louis can feel his palms getting clammy. Suddenly he’s not sure why he came back. He didn’t want Liam to be mad, but now he’s right back where it started, torn between saving himself and storming out, hurting Liam’s feelings again, or...

Just then Liam does that little move he always does when singing that song, hand clenched around an invisible mike, punching the air with it, and Louis’s brain short circuits. Taking a couple hurried steps forward, ignoring the pain as Liam’s elbow collides with his upper arm, Louis slips a hand to the back of Liam’s neck and tilts his own face up, crashing his lips against Liam’s in what is undoubtedly the most awkward excuse for a kiss he’s ever been guilty of giving.

It’s over in a flash, and Louis’s barely leaned away that he already can’t remember how it felt, having his lips against Liam’s. The shock of it kickstarts his brain back on, at least, and he steps back, cheeks aflame, instantly resolving to act like nothing’s happened, because what other choice does he have, really.

“So, um, like that?” he says, not meeting Liam’s eye, forcing his body to move in an approximation of Liam’s earlier beat. It’s probably terrible - he’s bad at this at the best of times and right now the music isn’t registering as anything but random sounds to his panicked brain - but for once he can’t find it in himself to care.

The problem is that Liam’s not moving. His fist is still held in the air, and when Louis dares glance at his face, it too looks frozen, Liam’s lips half open in a silent “oh”, his eyes unblinking.

“Liam, c’mon, show me,” Louis asks again, jumping awkwardly into place in the hope the movement might bring Liam back to his senses.

Liam blinks, then shakes his head slightly, as if to clear it, and stumbles to where Louis’s still jumping, extending his hands to rest them on Louis’s hips. Louis breathes a sigh of relief; he can still salvage this, he can-

He realizes what Liam’s going to do a split second before Liam’s lips brush against his, Liam’s eyes gazing nervously into his own before slowly falling shut. This kiss is soft, and goes on for long enough that Louis can finally take it all in, how plump Liam’s lips feel against his, the pressure exactly right until there’s no pressure anymore, just Liam’s half-parted lips touching Louis’s, a kiss that isn’t really a kiss but a caress that spreads like warmth through Louis’s veins. He’s still staring at Liam’s cheek, so he sees Liam’s eyelid fluttering before Liam opens his eyes, one worried pupil staring back at him, the both of them frozen in place.

Weirdly enough, with Liam’s eyes opened, it’s easier for Louis to let his own eyes fall shut and return the kiss, then another, and another, until somehow Liam’s hands are in his hair and Louis’s standing on tiptoes, and there’s not even tongues involved but Louis’s already breathless. Then Liam gently takes Louis’s lower lip between his teeth and tugs, wrenching a groan from Louis’s throat, and suddenly Louis finds himself pressed against something, he’s not sure what until he’s actually sitting on it, a chest of drawers that’s the perfect height for Liam to step between his legs, slide his hands to Louis’s arse and push him forward until their chests are flush against one another, Louis’s arms wrapping around Liam’s neck as they kiss. They’re properly snogging now and Liam’s letting out these high-pitched, eager sounds that make Louis desperate to hear more, brain flooded with all the thoughts he usually tries his best to keep at bay.

They only stop kissing when they can’t breathe anymore, foreheads pressed together and mouths open, taking in big gulps of air. In the speakers, Harry’s singing about not regretting falling for someone, and Louis can’t help but grin as he leans away, just enough so he can see the look on Liam’s face. If this is just a temporary lapse of reason, he’d rather know straight away.

Liam looks dazed, to be sure, but he also looks happy, the corner of his lips twitching up like a nervous tic as his eyes roam over Louis’s face, always coming back to his lips, getting wider when Louis bites on his lower lip, slow and deliberate.

“You kissed me,” Liam finally says, sounding awed.

“Well, to be fair, you kissed me a lot more than I kissed you,” Louis quips, punctuating his statement with another peck to Liam’s lips. He’s feeling bold in an entirely new way, and he intends to make the best of it.

“I did,” Liam says, grinning. Then his features fall. “That’s okay… right?”

“Yes,” Louis says, pressing another kiss to Liam’s mouth. It’s a good thing Four’s still playing, else he might actually break into a song. “It’s okay.” Another kiss. “You idiot.”

Liam beams, eyes turning into happy wrinkles, and Louis kisses him again, kisses his smile right off his face, as if he could taste it; and it feels like he can, a bit, as Liam responds in kind, slipping his tongue inside Louis’s mouth, still tasting vaguely of the beers they shared before sneaking into the arena. Louis clings to Liam’s neck as Liam pushes him backwards, wrapping his arms around Louis’s back to keep him up, and Louis wonders for a second if Liam intends to push him back onto the chest of cupboards, take him there like Louis’s a secretary in a 90’s porn movie. The thought probably shouldn’t turn him on quite so much.

Liam leans away when Louis’s head comes bumping against the wall, the furniture not wide enough to accommodate him. “Why are you sitting on this thing?” Liam asks, frowning at Louis’s lap.

“You put me there,” Louis says, trailing his lips down Liam’s neck, fingers coming up to tug at the collar of Liam’s t-shirt.

“Did I?” Liam says, groaning in a most satisfying way when Louis takes an experimental bite at his collarbone. He’s read somewhere once that sometimes when you love something too much it’s almost like you want to hurt it. Liam makes him feel like that; he wants to scratch and bite him, claim him for his own with love bites and carpet burn, and he wants to do it all in a way that’ll make Liam come his brains out.

“Yes,” he says, slipping his hands under the hem of Liam’s t-shirt and dragging his nails down Liam’s back, not too hard, but hard enough to show he means it.

He’s a bit fuzzy on what happens next, but Liam growls and then suddenly Louis’s lying on his back on the bed, Liam carefully straddling his body on hands and knees. He thinks Liam may have carried him there, which he’d usually protest about, but Liam bends down to press his lips against the hollow of Louis’s throat and all thoughts about complaining fly right out of his head.

“Okay?” Liam asks him when he leans back up, raising his eyebrows.

“Are you going to ask me if everything’s okay?” Louis asks, a little light-headed with how much he wants all of this. “Because in case you’re wondering, I’m okay with you putting your hand down my pants, just leaving it out there.”

His heart does a little somersault as he says the words, voice slightly strangled, but it’s nothing compared to the bungee-jumping it does when Liam cups Louis’s crotch, palm warm and firm.

“Like that?” Liam asks, and there’s nothing Louis can do to keep down the broken moan that comes out of his throat. He’s already half-hard, and it’d be mortifying if Liam didn’t look so pleased with it all, lips slowly stretching into a delighted smile. “I did that?” he asks, fingers curling down and making Louis arch back under him.

“Fuck! Of course you made me... hard. I'm only… human,” Louis gets out, one hand gripping the bed sheets and the other clenching down on Liam’s arm. It feels like being 14 again and wanting a girl so much she only has to brush her fingers against your crotch for you to blow your load, not that that’s ever happened to him. “Look I just want you to know,” he adds, not able to hide the slight panic from his voice as Liam presses two fingertips up the length of Louis’s cock over his flies, hard enough for Louis to feel them despite the heavy material of his jeans, “if I come in the next two seconds… I usually last longer than this.”

Liam chuckles, but his hand leaves Louis’s cock all the same, like he wants the moment to last. He trails his fingers over Louis’s t-shirt instead, stopping to tweak Louis’s nipple, eyebrow raising playfully.

“Oh shut up,” Louis says, forcing Liam’s head down so he can kiss the smugness out of him and hide the flush that’s spreading on his cheeks. Liam laughs into the kiss, and Louis thinks that coming might not be the only thing he’ll do too soon.

Knowing him though, Liam will probably meet him halfway.

[nialltopsnarry]

Hi can you please rec all the soulmate au's you know of ?? Thank you loads!!!

If I’m Lucky by thespacesbetweenus

Harry and Nick are on break from uni and decide to take a road trip to search for their soulmates. Harry is completely gutted when just a few days into the trip Nick finds his soulmate (bonus points if it’s Louis) but he begrudgingly continues on. Late one night in a pub he hears Niall, drunk and loud and he knows immediately - but rather than being excited he’s terrified Niall won’t like him so he spends the whole evening dodging around the bar to get away from Niall. Finally they connect and it’s of course, perfect!

Time Has Brought Your Heart to Me by issueswithsocializing

Harry meets Niall, and feels a connection, so he gets to know him just a bit more.

Or the one where Harry and Niall are soulmates.

When I Close My Eyes, All the Stars Align by FallingLikeThis (Zayniam)

Harry Styles looks out the windowed wall of his penthouse apartment, staring down at the teeming masses that bring life to the streets below. Any one of the people down there could be his soulmate. Or, who knows, his soulmate could be halfway around the world. Or dead already. There’s no way to know, really, since Harry’s affliction is so rare. He bears the soulmate mark. It occurs in maybe one in a million people. He’s one of the chosen few who has one, single person that’s meant for them. Everyone else has the freewill to love whoever they want but if Harry ever hopes to find true love, he’ll have to go through a damn scavenger hunt to get it. And as if that wasn’t enough, he has a time limit.

Or a Beauty and the Beast Au in which Harry’s only beastly qualities are his hair and his bad attitude and Niall arrives to spy on him for his sister but ends up staying for so much more.

We’ll be a dream by jstrattford

“But do you think so? Do you think you’ve found your soulmate?” Harry’s voice breaks through the impeding silence that it takes Niall a moment to realize that he’s asking him a question.

“What?”

“I mean, do you think you’ll find them? You know, since you seem to think that it’s real,” he says casually. It’s meant to be in a teasing nature but there’s a slight strain in Harry’s voice, trying to keep himself steady.

Or: the one about Niall finding his soulmate

Elapse by lostinyou

Harry had been around many couples and the sight of seeing them brings him down. Harry felt so lonely and thought to himself when will he find someone to love. When Harry suddenly feels ill and bruises begin to appear Harry had no idea what it was until he finds out who on New Year’s. Experience Harrys life to find out what happens to him. Will he find love he been hoping for?

Coffee is the scent of love by woodlazo

AU WHERE niall is tryna study but someone keeps coming up to his dorm room to stand outside his door and run back one second later so this time he is prepared to catch this person cause he’s unable to study. so he’s standing by the door when this person comes up to his door for the fifth time and as soon as niall opens the door his forehead is met with a slap of sticky note to his head and the boy in front of him is terrified and niall is annoyed but a s soon as nialls reaches to take the note off his head this boy immediately slaps his hand down and tears away the note and rips it while mumbling it’s nothing really important and now niall really want to know cause holy hell this boy is hot so he kinda just jokingly threatens him and this tall guy pulls a pained expression but introduces himself as harry and NO not harold but just harry. so now harry nervously admits that he’s seen niall in the record shop picking out harry’s favourite music and then just the other day harry again spotted niall in the library picking out a work by an author he worships and then the day before he spotted niall getting into his building and YES harry is convinced that they are soulmates and what the fuck niall realises he is in love.