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lodeddiperactivate · 4 months ago

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How to survive a horror movie / OBX x Scream Crossover

Word count: 2k

Warnings: drugs, alcoholism

Summary: You're the new kid in town, and simply trying to adapt to your new life in the Outer Banks when serial killer Ghostface starts their murder spree. Now, you can't really trust anyone, right?

Author’s note: I've had this idea in my head for so long now but I was just really lazy up until I started reading Ghostface smuts, and now, here we are! Depending on how well this goes, I might do several chapters of this where the reader has encounters with Ghostface but she also suspects a lot of people to be Ghostface. Idk I'll make it up as I go along. Also, I haven't decided what pairing to do. I'll make it up as I go along (but probably Barry or Rafe, maybe JJ?)

Your parents could not have chosen the worst time to move to this new town called the Outer Banks. The weather was definitely not something you were used to. You would do anything to trade this humidity for a nice crisp autumn weather back in New York. You groaned at the idea of having to leave the best city in the world to live here. Your parents were both in real estate, and you were an only child, which for them, means having the freedom to travel wherever their jobs take them because that would mean they only have one child to worry about. Once you've arrived at your new home, you think at least you'll have a nice big house with a huge garden and front yard, something you're not quite used to back in New York. As soon as you all stepped out of the car, it was business, business, business! You had moved in next to the Camerons who were also in real estate, and you quickly became friends with Sarah who was about the same age as you are. And for the next couple of months, you will find yourself adapting to the OBX lifestyle. You'd learn all about the kooks and the pogues, and John B and his friends. John B whose Sarah is so in love with, it was so obvious, you smirked whenever she would claim there's nothing between them. And then, there's Topper who scares the shit out of you, not to mention Rafe. That boy is bad news and you try to stay away from them as much as possible. During family gatherings or events at the country club, you'd stick with Sarah or Wheezie. There's an awful lot of stuff going on as well as if moving to the OBX was like getting sucked into some action-filled story with treasure maps and gold and all of that. Hearing Sarah tell you all kinds of stuff makes you wonder how long before you'll get roped into all of this. The truth is that you still miss New York, even after spending a few months in OBX. But you couldn't quite deny that there's something very exciting about being here.

That Friday was the first Friday both your parents and Ward and Rose Cameron were out of town, most likely sealing a business deal of some kind. And so naturally, Sarah wanted to throw a pool party. It was a couple of friends, no big deal. Rafe, on the other hand, wanted it to be a full-blown party with enough alcohol to make you go into a coma and of course, drugs. You like to think of yourself as someone who has lived a balanced life, you know how to have fun but you also know when it's too much. Whatever the hell Rafe is planning was definitely too much. You shared your concerns with Sarah just as people were starting to arrive but after seeing John B arrive, all she said was that you worry too much and that whatever Rafe plans on doing, it'll be on him.

"What if someone gets hurt?" You asked, worry is evident in your voice.

"No one is going to get hurt," Sarah replied. Wheezie was in the other room, looking at you and Sarah. She can tell you were not used to Rafe's antics. She added, "Even though it may not look like it, there is some common sense left in Rafe."

You looked at Wheezie then back at Sarah then back at Wheezie before letting out an exasperated "Okay. Fine!"

"Good! Now if you will excuse me, ladies," Sarah trails off to wherever she and John B would meet up. Wheezie rolled her eyes, you asked, "Does Topper know about this, do you think?"

"Nope. That dude is blindly in love with Sarah. Although, I assume it would not go well if he finds out," she said and shrugged before closing her bedroom door behind her.

You made your way down as more and more people arrived. You recognized some of them from school and said a few Hi's and Hello's here and there before you wandered into the kitchen where Topper and Rafe were laying out some food and drinks.

"Hey Y/N, have you seen Sarah?" Topper asked.

"Uhmm no, I haven't actually," you lied. Rafe grinned. He knew his sister well enough and so he knew you were lying.

"It's fine, man," Rafe said to Topper. "She's probably just getting ready for the party."

"Yeah, I should go look for her," and with that, Topper dropped the can of beers at the kitchen island and stormed out without looking back.

"Toph! You said you'd help me with this!" Rafe called out but Topper could no longer hear him. Rafe lets out a sigh, both his hands were on the counter as he gazed at the can of beers Topper had left. You always knew that Rafe had a temper, and having hanged out with the Camerons, you can almost always tell when he's about to lose it. You find it ridiculous how short his temper was.

"I'll help you. What do I need to do?"

Rafe snapped out of it and looked at you blinking before responding, "Uh yeah, sure. You can maybe start spreading out the snacks on the table outside?"

"Sure!"

"Okay then," Rafe said as you moved past him to grab the snacks he just brought in from the car. "Thanks, Y/N."

You looked back at him as you walked out of the kitchen, giving him a soft smile.

Outside, you started laying out the snacks as instructed. You came back to the kitchen and Rafe was nowhere to be found. He's probably unloading the car with the rest of the booze and snacks, you thought. You noticed that there were a few more snacks so you decided to spread them out on the kitchen island so it's a lot easier to grab when the ones outside were gone.

You started placing the bag of chips when all of a sudden, you noticed a presence with you in the kitchen. When did he arrive? Was he here the whole time? This man, probably a few years older than the rest of you, sat quietly on a stool near the sink by the window. He was dressed differently than the kooks so you thought maybe he isn't? He was watching you, and it appears he was waiting for someone. Probably Rafe? But you didn't think Rafe was someone who'd be friends with a pogue. You thought, what weirdo goes to a house party and sits all by himself in the kitchen. You thought that you were hallucinating. You know he already saw you but he wasn't speaking.

"Don't stop on my account, dollface," he said when he noticed you had stopped placing the chips on the island. "I'm just waiting for Rafe," he continued.

"Oh, I think Rafe's unloading the car for more drinks and snacks," you said trying to sound friendly. He looked serious, and scary, but you were intrigued.

"Nah, he ain't there," was all he said.

You placed the last bag of chips on the island, and opened one of the can of beers. Then, after some thought, you grabbed another one.

"Want one?" You make an attempt to start a conversation with this person. He looked at you and at the beer you're holding, you can tell he was getting agitated waiting for Rafe for whatever reason so maybe a cold one will take his mind off of it for awhile.

"Yeah, sure," he finally replied. He stood up from where he was sitting and walked towards you, grabbing the can from your hand. You noticed he smells really nice.

After both of you took a few sips, you asked him why he's waiting for Rafe. You were standing side by side, perched on the edge of the table. He looked at you from the corners of his eye as he took another sip and smirked.

"A pretty face like you don't need to worry about that."

You felt something flutter inside your stomach whenever he would call you "dollface" or "pretty face", you definitely were intrigued by this person. You leaned a bit towards him trying to smell him or achieve some kind of physical contact when you heard Rafe's voice.

"Barry, my man. Sorry for making you wait," he said.

"No worries, country club," he said eyeing me, "she was just keeping me company."

"Oh, I see you've met Y/N," Rafe said and looked at you. Actually, both of them were looking at you and it took awhile for it to register that they probably needed the room to themselves to talk about whatever Barry (you flushed at the thought of his name) and Rafe needs to talk about. So you excused yourself and quickly made your way upstairs.

As you make your way upstairs, you sneak a quick peek at both of them in the kitchen, and saw that Barry was eyeing you. You feel something flutter again in your stomach, butterflies?

Upstairs, Sarah was nowhere to be found so you knocked on Wheezie's room. She opened the door and waited for you to walk in but you stayed where you were, contemplating on how you're gonna ask Wheezie a question.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Oh no nothing happened, I was just wondering..."

"About what?"

"About...this guy named Barry.." you trailed off.

"Why are you asking about Rafe's drug dealer?

Your heart sank at the words "drug dealer", is he really? You asked the question in your head. Wheezie saw your expression changed and she's caught on quickly.

"Don't tell me you like him? You like Barry?"

"What?! No way!" Your response was too much, she can tell you wreak of lies.

"Yes, you do! You like him!" Wheezie said.

"Who likes who?" Sarah, who came from downstairs, asked as she walked towards you and Wheezie.

"Y/N has a little crush on Rafe's drug dealer," Wheezie said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Nooooo?" Sarah was shocked and looked at you with utter disbelief but she was also laughing.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing! Who knew that Barry was your type?" Sarah said and her and Wheezie started laughing.

You rolled your eyes at them and walked away, "You guys are bullies!" You said but you couldn't help but laugh as well as you bury your face in your hands.

"Awww no no, come here, it's okay!" Sarah said trying to comfort you. "Hey hey, Barry's a businessman so that's good, right?" You laughed alongside Sarah and Wheezie, and thought that yeah, maybe it was for the best that you do not fall in love with a drug dealer.

Besides, even if you didn't mean it then, you sure would've meant it in the coming weeks when news of a couple of teenagers were stabbed to death within your neighborhood. Luckily, there were a few Friday night parties at the time and the Cameron residence was not a target. You thought, the last thing you need was to start seeing someone who could be the Ghostface killer.

The Ghostface killer was the name given to the serial killer responsible for murdering 3 teenagers last Friday night.

"This Ghostface routine started in Woodsboro, California," JJ said to Pope and Kie as he shared a bunch of photos on his phone. You overheard them talking on the street as you were on your way to the country club.

"Yeah but what is that dude doing here?" Kie asked.

"Maybe he's looking for his next victims, wooooooh," JJ tried his best attempt at a ghost sound which was rewarded with a slap on his shoulder by Pope.

"Maybe it's a different guy," John B replied. "Or maybe it's some crazy guy in a mask who will soon be caught and apprehended so let's not worry too much about this?"

You couldn't have agreed more with John B.

part 2

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galaxiasgreen · 4 months ago

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📚🐦‍🔥Stay With Me

Slow burn Garreth x F!Reader romcom-mystery [T-Rated, 5.6k words]

You don't meet his eye. "I've prepared you some questions, for this... tutorship." You unbuckle your satchel and take out not one, not two, but four rolls of parchment, one for each subject, and slide them across the table. "It's simple multiple-choice so I can figure out how much you know. It won't take you long to do." He stares at them, open-mouthed. "You've set me homework?"

Garreth Weasley is good at Potions… and not much else. You, a bookish, lonesome Ravenclaw with a weighted family secret, are good at everything… except Potions. Assigned together for a mutual tutorship, Garreth is sure he won’t meet anyone more boring.

But the potions lab isn’t the only place where sparks will fly.

Tropes: romance/ humour/ drama, slow burn, fluff, tutoring together, grumpy x sunshine, strangers-to-friends-to-lovers, pining, love triangle, dark secret, sworn off love, Everyone Can See It.

[read on AO3, read on Wattpad]

A/N: Just to note, in this story Garreth and others fought Ranrok with MC. Enjoy!

He calls you Prim, mostly because you hate it.

It's not a nickname Garreth gives you for fun (though make no mistake, he loves to tease you with it). No, it's a nickname that's descriptive, deriving from your most cardinal trait. Prim, because you are. Prim and proper and academically minded. Meanwhile he's never had an aptitude for learning, preferring the freedom of exploration over the rigid structure of curriculum.

On paper, you seem like a match made in hell – but in practice? Well, he's always up for a challenge.

He doesn't get to meet you, though, until the dawn of his sixth year, when easy classes and free periods for the exam-weary older students are over. He doesn't even meet you on the day he first hears of you.

Back then, you were merely an illicit suggestion.

"I'm worried about you, Garreth."

He sinks into the chair in Professor Weasley's office. He's been here so many times now it practically feels like a second home, mostly for, ahem, disciplinary reasons, but there are the rare moments when his aunt calls him in for a quick catch-up, tea and biscuits, sometimes to discuss family news – a great grand-uncle dying or one of his cousins announcing a betrothal.

When the professor called him in this time, two days into the term, he thought maybe his parents were expanding their gnome collection and she wanted him to advise against it (there is such a thing as too many gnomes, and it's any number more than zero). Or maybe his sister Clara needed help adjusting to the school – she's a first year now, after all.

So it's like the rug is yanked from under him when she asks about his grades.

"It's two days into the autumn term, Auntie," he says, not prepared to have this conversation so soon. "What's there to worry about? I haven't even had all my N.E.W.T. classes yet."

"That's exactly what I wanted to discuss with you. You have so much potential, Garreth. You are incredibly bright and passionate, and I know you are capable of so much, but your O.W.L. scores left a lot to be desired, and I worry that you won't be able to handle the workload this year."

"Don't know if you remember," he says airily, "but I practically saved Hogwarts—"

"Yes, yes, last year in the caverns below with your friends, I know, Garreth. I was there." Her lips bunch. "But no school-saving antics will boost your grades. Your heroics are the only reason you don't have to repeat your O.W.L.s, and you won't have such an opportunity this time around."

He drops his head on the back of the chair, groaning. Imagine stopping a whole goblin rebellion... and still having to write history essays. He literally made history.

"Your father suggested something I actually like," she says, drawing Garreth's eyes back down. "It seems you need some motivation, and I know you work well when you're with your friends. Therefore he suggested you pair with someone. A mutual tutorship, if you will."

"You want to give me a study buddy?"

"Yes! Oh, I do like that phrasing much better."

"You can phrase it any way you want. Still wipes."

"Garreth..."

"Come off it, Auntie. What are they gonna' do? Sit with me doing every piece of homework I have? And I didn't flop at everything. I got an Outstanding in Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Which were your only top grades, half of which because Hecat saw fit to reward your capabilities against Ranrok last summer," she remarks shortly, taking a piece of parchment. "You don't need a study buddy for those subjects. You do, however, need one for History of Magic, Astronomy, Divination and," she stares meaningfully over the rim of her spectacles, "Transfiguration."

He grins sheepishly. "As it happens, I know someone who's great at it?"

She sighs, putting the parchment aside and dropping into her chair. "I know you want to become a potioneer, Garreth, but even the most famous potioneers are well-rounded individuals and excelled in subjects outside of their specialty. Look at Professor Sharp! He was an Auror!"

"Okay, I get it, I get it." All this talk depresses him – all this knowing that he's a problem depresses him. "I promise I did try. I just— find revising very hard and demotivating. And you know, the whole saving-the-world thing..."

Professor Weasley gives him the look.

"I made it to N.E.W.T. classes, didn't I? I'll try this year, I will. You don't have to get me a... study buddy."

"Oh, but I think I do, and as it were, I happen to know the perfect student to match with you. A very bright young lady one year your junior, a Ravenclaw. She excels in all her subjects" – she pauses – "except Potions."

"So you want me to teach her Potions," he clarifies, "and her to teach me everything else?"

"That's right."

"Doesn't seem fair."

"I think you'll find it will be." She makes a knowing face that he doesn't like. "So, what do you say? Want to give it a try?"

"... Can I say no?"

"No."

He sighs. "Brilliant."

His schedule's already packed with classes and homework, now that his education's ramped up for sixth year, and he mulls on the extra work a mutual tutorship will bring for the next few days. Explaining it is even more difficult, when he has to tell Leander he's missing Quidditch for this.

"A study buddy?" he scoffs, as they lounge in the Gryffindor common room after classes that day. "Sounds right horrid."

"Tell me about it."

"Who're you pairing with? Do you know?"

"No idea. A Ravenclaw in the year below, apparently."

"A younger swot? Merlin's pelvis, couldn't she have put you with, I don't know, Amit? Or Everett? If she wanted a Ravenclaw?"

Garreth slouches. The sofas are so comfortable he doesn't want to move. "Bet she knew if she put me with either of them we'd get no work done, Everett because he'd be too busy trying to prank me, Amit because he'd be wasting time describing irrelevant extra stuff."

"Oh, no," Leander panics suddenly, "if this works then she might start doing it to all of us. I don't want a study buddy!"

"Relax. It's only because I'm her nephew that she's testing it with me."

He's sure his aunt wouldn't care quite so much if the same blood didn't run through their veins. After all, she has no children of her own – so Garreth and his sister are the closest she'll get. All her motherly affection, and motherly reprimand too, goes to them.

So when he gets the owl on Sunday afternoon to meet promptly in the library during lunch the next day, he sucks in his gut and resolves to at least try and have fun with it. He likes meeting new people, even if he doesn't like the circumstances – maybe he'll get along with the new Ravenclaw. Maybe they won't be as boring as he suspects.

He heads to the library the next day – late, mind, because he didn't particularly feel like rushing from Charms – and spots Professor Weasley waiting by the front desk.

That's the first time he sets his eyes on you.

Waiting placidly at his aunt's side, you're perfectly put together, not a hair out of place. Your waistcoat is straight, your long skirt starched, your shirt tucked in and top button done. You hold your books in your hand – because of course you do – and the satchel draped over your shoulder bulges with more of them.

You're the picture of a prim Ravenclaw student.

And it fills him with misery.

"Hello, hello," he says to you both, "sorry I'm late." Not.

You purse your lips, like you can detect his lie, but say nothing as his aunt gives him an admonishing glare. "That you are, Garreth. Did I not say you were to be prompt?"

"I grabbed some extra parchment, Professor," he makes sure to use her epithet in the presence of other students, "because I didn't know if I would need it."

By the way her brow loosens, it was a good lie. "All right. Come along, I've reserved a table for you both."

He decides to introduce himself to you on the way upstairs. "Nice to meet you."

You introduce yourself as well, but it's clear by your aloof eyes that you were also roped into this arrangement. "Nice to meet you as well," you repeat awkwardly, voice high with tension.

Turns out, Professor Weasley reserved an entire table, right at the back of the top floor. It seems unnecessary, the isolation, how you've obviously been coerced.

"Now, your proper sessions will take place after classes finish for the day, so for now I believe getting to know one another's style of learning would be most prudent." Professor Weasley ushers you to two seats next to each other. "I'll be sitting over there to keep an eye on you. Madam Scribner has given you both permission to have a quiet chat, so why not break the ice?"

It feels so forced Garreth would prefer to get a Howler right now, but under his aunt's stringent gaze, he plops onto the chair and tosses his bag under the seat. You draw out the seat gracefully, fold yourself upon it, and gently place your satchel, then books, on the table. There is method, he realises, to your movements.

"So..." he claps his hand awkwardly. "Where are you from?"

You clam up immediately, and he doesn't know why that's the wrong thing to ask, but he backtracks.

"Sorry, I mean – you know, where do you live?"

Your frown is still pronounced, but some relief breaths free. "London. You?"

"Devon."

"Right. I've never been there."

"It's nice. Except in the winter. Then the sea air is like murder."

Silence. He has a feeling he'll have to nudge all conversations, which is simply brilliant.

"Have any family?"

"Just my parents. They— they used to live in Asia, before coming here." You shift. "You? I mean, besides the professor."

"How much time do you have?" When you don't answer, he tugs his collar. Tough crowd. "Er, I have a younger sister. Clara, she's called. She's just started her first year. Little menace. Was hoping she wouldn't be Sorted into Gryffindor, but I guess it runs in the Weasley blood. Then there's my cousins, but there's so many that if I named them all you'd miss all your afternoon classes. Hey, maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing?"

You don't even crack a smile. This will be a long, painful conversation.

"Why don't we get started then?" he suggests instead, because the faster he does this, the faster he can leave. "I mean, discussing what we're meant to be, er, learning together? Shouldn't take very long for you if you're only failing Potions."

Your cheeks bloat. "I'm not failing. I just... need a little boost."

Touchy. Okay.

"Well, I'm not afraid to admit I'm failing."

"Yes," you say, and you list on your fingers as you go. "Transfiguration, History of Magic, Divination, and Astronomy. That's four subjects."

"Hey, last year it was five, but luckily I managed to wrangle a Kneazle before it bit Professor Howin, so she bumped up my grade." He's still quite proud of that moment. You make an unimpressed face. "What? You should be grateful we don't have collect Flobberworm mucus together."

"Okay, well, I've prepared you some tasks to complete."

His amusement drains like pus from a Bubotuber.

"What."

It's a statement of disbelief so sheer he doesn't even accompany it with the tonal flick of a question.

He stares at them, open-mouthed.

"You've set me homework?"

"It's not homework."

"It's work that I have to do in my own time. It's homework."

Your lip curls in displeasure. "Like I said, if I'm going to tutor you, I need to know how much you already know. Then I can incorporate it into my lesson plan."

"Your lesson plan?"

"How else are we going to know what to cover per session?" you ask, bewildered. "You must have something planned for me, right?"

Of course he doesn't. He was just going to give you potions to brew and point out where you'd gone wrong. He rakes a hand through his hair, thinking about whether he could get away pretending to have a stomach/ head/ knee/ butt ache.

"If you don't want to do it later," you say, "you can do it now. Then I can be prepared for our first official session."

How about I run and never look back? With his aunt's watchful gaze on his back, he reluctantly unfurls the first scroll. Transfiguration. You hand him a quill and inkwell and he surfs through, ticking the answers he thinks are right.

"You're not even reading the questions."

"Am too."

"Glancing your eyes over words isn't the same as reading."

Oh, Merlin, you will be the death of him. Sniffing indignantly, he slows down, actually taking time to read the questions. How many exceptions are there to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration? He tries the rest, though not very hard, because just reading this stupid parchment has left him perplexed, and hands the scroll to you when he finishes.

He's halfway through puzzling when Geminis are born for the Divination quiz – he guesses February – before you roll his parchment up again.

"So? What's the verdict?"

You can't control the grimace on your face, and it's all he needs to know.

He's a total shambles. A failure.

"It's not— unsalvageable," you say hastily, your expression flattening. "But we have a lot of work to do."

He drops his head onto the table so loudly Madam Scribner yells "SSSHHH!" from the floor below.

When he's completed all your scrolls and falsely promises to make a list of things for your Potions O.W.L.s, you collect your belongings, slotting each book and scroll into its rightful place in your bag, give a quick word to his aunt in thanks and leave without goodbye. The whole exchange was about twenty minutes but to Garreth felt like twenty years. He tromps up to Professor Weasley in utter disbelief – and despairs in the way her grin unfurls.

"I told you it would be a fair exchange."

"She's made me homework, Auntie!"

"SSSHHH!" Scribner yells.

"Sorry!" he squeaks over the bannister. "Homework, Auntie. And— lesson plans. She told me I was practically unsalvageable!"

"I definitely heard not unsalvageable, Garreth."

"You can't be serious with this girl."

But Professor Weasley simply pets his shoulder.

"Your future is at stake here, Garreth. It's about time you start taking it seriously. She will help you. You will help each other."

But he really doubts it.

He waits for you outside of the Ravenclaw common room entrance for your first session later that week.

Dread roils through him as he leans against the bannister. Two hours of this, thrice a week, when he could be doing literally anything else. Quidditch has started again – which his aunt has barred him from playing due to his grades – but he could at least watch the Gryffindors practice, watch Leander and Eric Northcott toss Quaffles between them.

He's never had a mind for anything that doesn't interest him. History, divining the stars – both approaches. Even turning butterflies into bells doesn't capture his attention the same way potions do. There's just something about the way you can play loose and fast with the rules, with the ingredients, with the measurements, with the method, that delights his curiosity.

He wiggles his arm so it doesn't go to sleep. He's been to the Ravenclaw common room a few times, usually with Amit – for when they need to get back at Everett for catching them with a dungbomb. Unfortunately it means he's well acquainted with the eagle knocker.

"Honestly, Mr Weasley," it enunciates with that high and mighty tone, "if you sulk any harder and your expression will stick permanently to your face."

"Know from experience, do you?"

It doesn't bother to grace that with a response.

"What quandary plagues you so?"

"I'm doing a study buddy programme."

The knocker toots – literally, like a trumpet. "Hundreds of years I have guarded this tower, and never have I heard something so funny!"

"You could be more sympathetic."

"For the boy who thought it would be funny to tickle my nose with a feather when I was asleep? I think not!"

"I didn't think you had a nose!"

The door swings open then, and you step out. Prim, proper, picturesque. You startle at the sight of him.

"I thought we were to meet in the library."

"I was passing by, thought I'd come up and walk with you."

Suspicion flutters through your eyes. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"Why would you want to walk with me?"

He blinks. Is he being stupid, or has he missed something? "Er, because it's a nice thing to do, and if I have to waste six hours of my life on this mutual tutorship every week then I should at least get to know you better."

"I see."

Something not quite as strong as displeasure edges your voice, but you fall into step with him – not missing the way he makes a rude face at the knocker on the way downstairs.

"Look, I'll be honest," he begins, "I don't like this arrangement any more than you do, but I'm naturally pre-disposed to not taking anything too seriously, so even if we have to endure revision together, we can at least try to have a good time with it. Sound fair?"

You don't answer immediately. "What's the catch?"

"What? No catch. I just don't want to be totally glum each time I see you."

Something flashes across your expression, but it's too fleeting to identify it. "All right, that's... understandable."

"Great."

Conversation is stilted, however, even when you get to the library. You don't immediately warm to him, which is odd, because he's very used to people immediately falling for his magnanimous charms. You pull out your notebook – a timetable neatly journaled into the opening page – as he dumps out his parchment and quills.

"Since our sessions cover six hours per week," you say, "I thought we could work on your subjects for four of them, and then two hours on Potions for me."

"Right, fine." Sounds positively wretched. "My aunt's got Sharp's permission to use the potions laboratory this Friday, so I guess we can do it then."

"The potions laboratory?"

"Yeah. What? Did you think we could do Potions work without... potions?"

"Shouldn't we focus on the written portion?"

He frowns. "The written portion of the Potions O.W.L. is tiny. Like, miniscule. And boring."

You draw yourself up. "I don't find it boring. The essays are the best part."

Oh dear Merlin. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, but the majority of your Potions O.W.L. depends on actual potion-making." He grins. "Why? Scared, are you?"

"Why would I be scared?"

"You seem keen not to do it. Don't tell me you have some tragic backstory involving an exploding cauldron."

"No," you grind out. "I just... don't have a natural affinity for it like I do all my other subjects."

"That must've been really hard for you to accept."

He's teasing, but your face sours. Wow, you really are a tough crowd.

"Let's start. History of Magic."

This is one of those subjects he needs to know for his career choice – potioneers are expected to understand the history behind advancements in potion-making, after all – but Professor Binns makes it near-impossible to derive any sort of interest in the subject. The first topic of the year, the disbandment of the Wizards' Council in 1707, is already so dull Garreth can feel himself melting into the floor the moment the ghost opens his mouth.

"Now, I've already started the essay about the tumult of the Ministry of Magic's early years." You pull out a roll of parchment. "If we compare the key argument points—"

"Wait," he says, holding up his hand, "what do you mean, you've started the essay?"

"The essay that Binns set."

"You're doing N.E.W.T. level classes?"

"I'm doing N.E.W.T. level homework," you correct. "The professors assign it to me and I work on it with my regular homework."

"How do you have time to eat? Or sleep?"

You shrug. It's all so easy to you. You probably dream of your textbooks. It's so boggling.

"As I was saying," you continue, "we ought to start by comparing the points we've both made for the essay."

He just can't fathom it. Is there any point getting to know you when your spare time is dedicated to nothing but grades and studying? How can anyone be so academically good at (almost) everything, take on extra work, agree to tutor a frankly hopeless student... and still find time to enjoy other things?

"Right, yes, comparing essay points," he mumbles. "Sounds good."

Then again, he thinks, when neither of you move, and your eyes begin to narrow, you don't seem like the type of person to enjoy anything.

"You haven't started the essay yet, have you?"

"... Does a sphinx speak in riddles?"

You groan.

The first Potions session that Friday is a fun one – because now he gets to test you, watch you squirm and sweat. After the painful four hours together, scribbling theory for Divination and star charts for Astronomy, it's finally time to show what he can do. You're always so put together, so he wants to see how bad you are, see what it is that justifies asking for his help in the first place.

Professor Sharp is waiting in the potions laboratory when you both arrive, seated at his desk marking homework.

Garreth grins. "All right, Professor?"

His expression curdles exponentially. "I trust I don't have to keep one eye on you for the entire two hours, Mr Weasley?"

"'Course not, sir. I'm only here to supervise my charge. In fact, you could say I'm the professor here."

"That doesn't fill me with much more confidence," Sharp mutters, then flicks his quill. "I've prepared the one on the left. Work quietly, please."

You seem nonplussed when Garreth steers you to the potions station. "Do you have a... reputation?"

"Don't know what you mean."

"You must do, by the professor's tone. You're a— miscreant."

"I'm a creative," he corrects. "Professor Sharp just doesn't appreciate my artistry."

"I can hear you, Mr Weasley."

"See? No appreciation whatsoever."

He gave you a list of ingredients to bring, and as he lights the fire beneath the cauldron, you sort them on the table – a bezoar in a mortar, mistletoe berries tied together with twine, Mooncalf tears in a phial. He notices you spend an inordinate amount of time placing them in neat, agreeable piles, rather than, you know, starting the actual potion-making, and he tucks this information away.

"Right, so, today I thought you could brew the antidote to common poisons."

"Antidote," you say stiffly. "Common poisons."

"That's what I said."

"Isn't that a third year subject?"

"It is." He smiles devilishly. "But we're going to do it with a twist."

Your brow furrows. "You're supposed to teach me relevant things, Garreth."

"You'll be lucky I'm not adding my own spin on it. No, just a simple improvement to up the ante. We're going make sure our potion can also act as an antidote to spider venom."

"Spider venom?" Your hand reaches for the textbook, but Garreth palms it away. "But— I need the recipe."

"You won't get the full recipe in your O.W.L. exams. You only get a list of ingredients and vague instructions. But it's better to learn by doing, and you will be expected to understand how the property of each ingredient affects the potion." He gestures. "Shall we begin?"

Your lips are flat as you fill the cauldron with standard potioning water – two pints of it, until it bubbles nicely over the flames. You know the first step by heart, which is to crush the bezoar into a fine powder and add four measures. Good start. With each of his thorough explanations, you fidget, uncomfortable.

"Why not just feed someone a bezoar? It works, doesn't it?"

"Why do we extract essence of dittany instead of just nibbling on the stem? Because combined with other ingredients the potion is more powerful. A bezoar wouldn't work against more virulent spider venom on its own, but it will in the potion we're brewing, because its healing properties are enhanced. Also, have you tried shoving that whole thing in your gob? Tastes rank."

"Wait," you say suddenly. "I need to write this down."

"The tastes rank part, or shoving in your gob part?"

You ignore him, grabbing your quill and scribbling furiously.

"Watch your cauldron. It's bubbling over."

You squeak, dropping the quill and stirring. A sheen of sweat coats your forehead, which is pretty hilarious. You've only just started.

"What's the next step?" he asks.

Your eyes skim the ingredients, frantic. "Erm... Mooncalf tears?"

"Try again." When you grimace, he says, "Begins with Stuh. Ends with andard ingredient."

You glare at him. "This doesn't make sense. Why add that now?"

"It's a stabilising agent. It emulsifies the ingredients together."

"Like eggs in a cake," you murmur, which surprises him. "But we've only added the bezoar to the water. What's there to stabilise?"

"Bezoars don't dissolve in water, and this will help the ingredients we add next."

He can see your frustration. Suddenly it makes sense why you hate Potions so much. You don't understand the science behind it – ironic, for someone who seems so methodical, and so proficient at other more technical subjects like Transfiguration. You pour the herbs into the brew, watching cautiously as the liquid thickens and changes colour from grimy brown to forest green, and notes of saltiness waft into the air.

"Good." The potion isn't looking too bad – maybe a little too green, but not unworkable. "Now, what next?"

"... Mooncalf tears?"

"Nope. You need to desaturate the brew."

"So turn up the heat?" He gives a firm nod. "For how long?"

"Well, you've added standard ingredient, which acts as a thickening agent already, and bezoar powder burns easily, even in water. Do you think much heat should be applied?"

"... Maybe?"

"Bet your examiner would love that answer."

You scowl. "Just tell me."

"Bring it to simmer," he instructs. "But only for a few minutes. For the aforementioned reasons."

After you write this down, you nudge another piece of wood into the fire pit below, then adjust the knob for heat. After a few moments, the bubbles pop ferociously on the surface. He watches you watching it, transfixed, eyebrows sloping in intense concentration. It's clear you desperately want this to work – but something holds you back, whether it's just disinterest in the subject or not. You lower the heat after three minutes, leaning back.

"Now do we add the Mooncalf tears?"

He laughs. "Merlin's beard, you're desperate to get those tears in. No, now you wave your wand and let it stew. Do you know for how long?"

"I remember this," you say. "It was about thirty minutes."

"Are you sure?"

"Well now I'm not."

His grin only grows. "What type of cauldron are you using?"

"Pewter."

"How will that affect the time?"

"Isn't pewter less conducive of magical properties than the others, and therefore makes brewing time slower?"

"I don't know. Is it?"

"Garreth."

"Yes, you're right," he says. "You're a right laugh, you know."

"You're not," you remark tersely. "So it stews for more time then?"

"Probably about forty-five minutes, though I reckon with how you bunged all the standard ingredient in, it'll probably need a few minutes more. We'll eyeball it."

You squeak. "We can't— eyeball it!"

"'Course we can. When it's reduced enough, we'll take it off the heat."

Still, it's about a fifty-minute wait, and unfortunately you decide to get him back for all the fun he's having by asking how his History of Magic essay is going (... it's not). Even Professor Sharp laughs when he stumps at the first bullet point.

When the fifty minutes slog by (and they do slog – probably because Garreth dies a little with each legislative policy he has to know by name), you check the potion again. The water has boiled down to a gooey liquid, half the size it was before, and the colour has deepened.

"Now you have ground unicorn horn to add. This is where it gets interesting." His voice dances with glee, but you look like you'd rather get punched in the face. "The recipe for the regular antidote calls for a pinch of unicorn horn, then two clockwise stirs. But to work against a more potent poison like spider venom, you need at least two pinches, and double the number of stirs, to let everything combine."

You hunch over your unicorn horn powder. "Are you sure this isn't one of your creative exploits?"

"Hand on heart, this is all by-the-book," he says, then calls out, "In fact, I should really get some house points for it!"

"Don't hold your breath," Sharp calls back.

Garreth winks at you. "Worth a try, right?"

Your brow drops in exasperation.

Still, you follow his next instructions carefully. Two pinches of unicorn horn powder, then four stirs of the cauldron, and it hisses and pops as the powder melts into the solution. Finally you add two mistletoe berries, careful to keep the toxic leaves away, and wave your wand to finish. It's as expected – not bad for someone who claims to struggle at the subject, though he had to coach you through most of it.

"So... how do we know if the potion works?"

"Funny you should ask." Garreth reaches for his bag. "I have a spider I keep in a jar—"

You scrabble away at once. "What?" you shriek – it's the first explosive emotion he's seen from you. "No, no, no—"

"Merlin, that was a joke! 'Course I don't have a spider in my bag!"

Your shoulders drop. Your expression storms.

"Not. Funny."

But he giggles. "Come on. That was kind of funny."

"You really are a miscreant."

"Not a fan of spiders, are you?"

"They're detestable." You shudder, crossing your arms. "I don't know how anyone can stand the creatures."

"I think they're kind of cute. You know, in an ugly sort of way."

You step back to the station, gesturing with your chin to the potion again. "So? How do you know if we succeeded?"

"Colour, consistency, smell. Is it teal? Yes. Is it thick, and the bottom of the cauldron is only visible when you scrape it with a spoon? Yes. Does it smell like Graphorn dung?" He sniffs. Winces. "Oh yeah."

"How do you know what Graphorn dung smells like?"

"You don't want to know." (It involved Everett, naturally.) "So, with all those factors, we can safely say the potion was a resounding success. Huzzah!"

Yet you don't seem particularly pleased. He's not sure why, given that his aunt implied you were so poor at the subject even a mediocre brew was unthinkable. But maybe your bar to success is much higher than his. He helped you a lot, after all – maybe you'll only consider these tutoring sessions a win if you manage to brew an entire potion by yourself, without his ogling over your shoulder. Without someone literally telling you what to do.

And if that's what you want, okay. He's happy to help. The quicker you pick up these potions lessons, the quicker he is freed of your prickly company.

"Wait," you say suddenly, "what were the Mooncalf tears for?"

"Oh, those?" He chuckles. "They're not for anything. They're just to bamboozle you."

Your glare is potent enough to set him on fire.

"I am trying to learn here, and you fooling around is not helping."

"Who says this isn't helping? You'll never forget Mooncalf tears aren't in the antidote now, will you?"

"But— that's—!" You let out a groan. "You're being insufferable."

He just laughs harder. "You're so prim, it's hilarious."

"If wanting to learn things the proper way makes me prim, so be it."

"The proper way? Oh ho ho, no. There's no proper way."

"Written study is the proper way."

He leans on the potions station, grinning villainously. "Then I'll prove to you that it's not all about textbooks and words on a page. You're going to learn so hard you won't know what hit you. You'll see."

Your raise your chin, derision clear.

"Very well then, Garreth."

"All righty then, Prim."

He sees how it digs. "What? Don't— don't call me that!"

"Only calling you what you are, Prim."

When the session ends, he agrees to start that essay – or at least think about starting it – and you agree to review your notes for the antidote, but no matter how many times you remind him of your real name, he teases you with the moniker until you part ways. Unfortunately for you, insufferable doesn't quite have the same ring to it, and you wouldn't dare deign to his level of immaturity.

So at the end of the first week, you still call him Garreth.

And he calls you Prim.

[Next chapter coming soon] <3 [Divider credit, gorgeous art by Lyworth]

#hogwarts legacy #garreth weasley #garreth weasley x mc #garreth weasley x reader #hogwarts legacy mc #hogwarts legacy fanfic #prim #stay with me #acvasverse #my writing #my stuff

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wordsofelie · 3 months ago

Text

Chapter 8

🔥Phoenix and Ashes

Suna Rintarou x f!reader

Summary: “It’s funny how nobody believed that we could make it work.” - “Well-maybe they were right.”

Meeting Suna Rintarou wasn’t part of your plan. Dating him, either. Getting your heart smashed into the palms of his hand, even less.

Content Warnings: Timeskip, Manga Spoilers, Alcohol Consumption, Mention of 1 OC, yn is lost & confused

Word count: 4.5k

chapter 1 - chapter 2 - chapter 3 - chapter 4 - chapter 5 - chapter 6 - chapter 7 - chapter 9

184.

That’s the number of days that have passed since you last saw Suna or heard from him. 184 full days, mornings and evenings, without hearing his voice or touching his skin. You can't sleep a wink the night before the twins’ birthday party. You squirm in bed and watch the hours pass.

So many questions run through your mind.

What will happen when you see him? Will he talk to you; look at you? If you have the opportunity to hold him again—will you?

It’s raining outside. You hear the raindrops brushing the trees before crashing against your window. The moon is shining bright and high in the sky, at times, clouds hide it. It’s a typical autumn night, heavy and nostalgic. Just like your heart.

Around 3 a.m. you decide to text Umi.

“I’m scared to see Rintarou,” you admit.

It doesn’t take her long to reply, “I can come if you want.”

Osamu has invited your best friend to the party. Not only because he had known her for years but also because he would feel better if you had her by your side.

“D’ya mind?” He asked his brother.

“Do whatever ya want,” Atsumu said, he tried to look unbothered, but Osamu knew him all too well. Umi and Atsumu haven’t seen each other since high school and their friendship did not end up on good terms. The boy was still holding a grudge towards her. But if he admitted it, he knew his brother would make fun of him for acting like a child. So, he played it tough, pretending that seeing her again after years would be fine (but anyway, that’s another story).

“You should sleep,” you text.

“Says you haha”, followed by “but really, just tell me and I’ll come.”

You stare down at your phone, unsure of what you should do. Since Osamu told her about the party, she has been asking you if you wanted her to come, but you brushed her off each time. However, now that it is only a matter of hours before you see your ex-boyfriend again, you start to freak out.

“If you have nothing planned why not.”

“I don’t! see you tomorrow then, try to have a good night!”

The sound of the rain covers your heartbeat, the caress of the wind against your window masks the trembling of your hands.

It’s going to be okay, you repeat and repeat.

You arrive at the Miya’s apartment before anyone else. You tell Osamu you want to help them (or, rather, him) prepare.

Atsumu comes out of the bathroom when you put the beers you have bought in the fridge.

“Oya, oya dear Mademoiselle.”

You share a surprised look with Osamu—one tinged with mockery and pity. It takes you a lot of self-control not to burst into laughter.

“Ya speak French now? And don’t walk around shirtless.” Osamu sighs.

“Yer my mom or what?” Atsumy says while getting closer to you. “My abs deserve to be shown to the world.”

Your eyes immediately fall on his toned chest and belly. And you must admit that yes, Atsumu’s muscles are indeed well-shaped and nothing compared to his high school days. Despite his childish attitude, he is a man now.

“See, she agrees with me.” He wraps an arm around your shoulder and smiles teasingly.

“I never agree-”

“I’ll grab a beer.” The setter cuts you off and opens the fridge.

Osamu strides forward and takes the beer from his brother’s hand, “Calm down ya moron, it’s for tonight.”

“The night is young little bro.”

“Huh?” Osamu frowns, “Never call me that again.”

Atsumu mumbles something back and the argument escalates as always. The starting point of the fight is soon to be completely set aside.

You laugh so hard, that you almost forget the knot in your stomach. Atsumu decides to go back to his room, insults resonating in the whole apartment.

“Why do you guys live together?” You ask, wiping a tear from the corner of your eye.

“Gosh, I don’t know. He pisses me off.” He grumbles.

“But?” You put your hands on your waist and look at him, waiting for your question to be answered—honestly.

“But…” He hesitates then mutters with a shy voice, “Am just used to bein' with him all the time, ya know. It’s -” he clears his throat, “comfortin'.”

The vulnerability in his eyes soothes your heart, you tilt your head and smile. Osamu sees your nose wrikling. He turns around, “Shut up.”

You lift your hands in defence, “I haven't said anything yet”

“But I know exactly what yer thinkin’”

“Can you read my mind, Miya Osamu?”

“I’d rather not.” He glances at you, his back still facing you.

His left profile really is his best, you tell yourself.

You only chuckle after that and stop the conversation here. After all, he is not wrong. Why would he want to read your mind when it’s full of Suna? Paced with the memories of what you shared and tortured by the regret of what could have been. Maybe this incessant ache in your heart and in your thoughts is a reminder of how guilty you should feel for letting your relationship down, for not showing him enough support. Maybe you have been too hard to love and he is happier with someone else.

Or maybe, you truly deserved better?

Maybe he is the one who let you down? Who didn’t fight for you?

Maybe you should be happier with someone else—could you be happy again; loved again?

You open your mouth. Anyone who would see you might think you have seen a ghost. The questions make you feel dizzy so you decide to push them away. You feel the tension of your face ease a little and when Osamu calls you to help him cut avocados to prepare some guacamole, you take a deep breath and join him.

It’s time for the guests to arrive.

Since Kita has some last-minute inconvenience at his farm, Ginjima is the first to arrive. Half an hour passes and the place is almost full.

You stay with Osamu in the kitchen, even if “ya should go talk with everyone”, he tells you. “I like to be with you.” You reassure him—how can he argue with you after that? But your gaze travels to the living room, moves through the clock hanging in the entrance, and stops at the door. And it keeps going there, again and again.

There is a weird combination inside your heart—fear mixed with hope. And each time someone knocks at the door, it hits you like a firework against a dark night; it’s noisy and overwhelming, but it’s also colourful and exciting.

Osamu pours you a glass of lemonade (he bought your favourite) when Suna enters his apartment. You see the discomfort in your friend’s eyes and turn to the direction he is glaring at.

Your body freezes. Your vision follows every single one of his moves—he shakes Atsumu’s hand, smirks when Aran fist-bumps him, takes off his jacket, runs his hands through his hair. Everything is going so fast, or so slow. You don’t know. You start panicking when his footsteps get closer to where you and Osamu are. You look down at the floor, the light reflecting on it is suddenly replaced by Osamu’s shadow. He stands before you, his broad back and shoulders almost hide your ex-boyfriend.

They greet each other while you restrain the tears from falling down your eyes.

“Hey,” you believe you end up saying. He says something back before turning his attention to Osamu.

“Happy birthday man.”

“Thanks bro, it’s nice to see ya.”

You think Osamu is sincere. They are friends after all and you never wished for them to grow apart because of you.

You finally decide to look at Suna—or maybe it’s just instinct, a force stronger than you, which pulls you to do so. It’s the closest you have been to him in months.

His face is perfect, and the shapes of his body outstanding.

You do not meet his eyes though and your heart breaks. You feel stupid, why would he look at you? Why would he want to have a conversation with you? Why would he care about someone as insignificant as y-

“Yer lemonade,” Osamu gives you your drink and smiles, “Want somethin’ to drink?” he proposes to Suna, pointing at the fridge.

“Sure.” The other boy says.

You bite your lips and think, the evening is going to be long and lonely.

If not for the twins you would storm out of this room, run to your parents’ house and muffle your sobs in your pillow.

Atsumu is drunk.

“It’s not even midnight,” Aran says nonchalantly.

Kita lets out a faint sigh, his eyes narrowing as he steps closer to Atsumu. “Atsumu,” he begins, his voice soft but firm enough to catch the setter’s attention. “D’ya want some water?”

“Captain!” Atsumu spins around abruptly, “Am so happy yer here!”

The boy often gives a slap on the back to his friends or teammates, you figured it’s his way of being friendly. It never looks like it hurts (well, it would probably hurt you since Atsumu is a 6’ tall and full-of-muscle athlete, but nobody was ever injured, so he must know how to control his strength). However, with three beers and six shots of sake in his blood, he loses all sense of control.

The slap he gives Kita makes the former captain trip. Suna, who is standing next to Atsumu, steadies him.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kita apologises.

Suna doesn’t understand him at first, Atsumu is the one who acted like an idiot. But then, he starts feeling something stinging on his chest. He realises Kita’s drink has been spilled on his t-shirt (white, of course).

“Sunarin!” Atsumu shouts in Rintarou’s hear, it startles him, “Shit, yer shirt is fucked.”

“It’s fine,” Suna sighs, clearly exasperated.

“’Samu!” Atsumu yells, his voice booming through the apartment.

“Atsumu, stop screaming,” Suna pleads, rubbing his temple as if trying to ward off an impending headache.

But Atsumu ignores him, “go get Sunarin one of yer shirts.”

Osamu, who had been sitting on the couch with you, raises an eyebrow in confusion. “Huh?”

Even in his drunken state, Atsumu seems to pick up on the bothered tone of his brother. “Yer such a shithead,” he mutters, though he probably meant to whisper. He pulls off his own shirt, revealing his toned torso (again), and hands it to Suna. “Wear that.”

Suna hesitates for a moment, but he eventually complies, pulling off his wet shirt.

“Fuck, Sunarin, yer girl is savage!” Atsumu suddenly blurts out, his loud voice cutting through the room like a knife.

You are following the scene from the corner of your eyes. You try as much as possible to not look at your ex-boyfriend, especially not when you see him starting to get shirtless. But when the blond twin screams and an awkward silence follows it, you can’t help but turn to the boys.

If you weren’t sat on the couch, vision perfectly directed to Suna’s back, you wouldn’t have understood what Atsumu meant. But you are sat on the couch and despite the dim light you see the scratches on his back.

“Yer a beast or what?” he continues, giggling like a teenager.

“Atsumu, stop.”

Umi interjects with frustration, but it feels distant, almost surreal to you. She gets up and steps closer to him, placing a gentle hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him down. But Atsumu’s too far gone and he continues to tease the middle blocker. The tension in the room thickens.

Umi tries again, her voice firmer this time, “Atsumu, that’s enough.”

“Oh, so ya know my name, huh? I thought you had nothin’ to do with me.” His slams her hand away and looks down at her, eyes filled with anger.

Osamu sighs and decides to take care of the situation.

As soon as you are left alone on the couch, you slip away from the living room, quietly making your way to the kitchen. The cool air is a relief, but it does little to soothe the turmoil brewing inside you. The tension in the room was suffocating, and you needed to get away from it all—the memories, the stinging pain, the sight of Suna's marked back.

As you lean against the counter, trying to steady your breath, you hear footsteps behind you. You turn to see Osamu, his brow furrowed with concern.

“Yer okay?” he asks, his voice soft, almost hesitant.

You nod quickly, not trusting yourself to speak without your voice cracking. “Yeah, I’m fine,” you manage to say, forcing a smile that you know doesn’t reach your eyes.

Osamu isn’t convinced. He takes a step closer, his gaze searching your face for any sign that you might need him to stay. But you shake your head, more forcefully this time. “Really, Osamu. I’m okay. I just need a moment.” Leave me alone, you beg him in silence.

He hesitates for a moment longer, his eyes lingering on you. Finally, he nods and gives your shoulder a gentle squeeze before turning to leave.

The moment he’s gone, you feel the weight of everything you’ve been holding back crash down on you. You glance around the kitchen, your eyes landing on a bottle of something strong on the counter. If Atsumu can act so freely with alcohol in his system, then why shouldn’t you? Maybe it will numb the ache in your chest, even if just for a little while.

You grab the bottle and pour yourself a generous amount, the liquid burning as it slides down your throat. You don’t care. All you want is to forget, to drown out the thoughts that have been plaguing you since Suna walked out of your life.

With the drink in hand, you head back to the living room. The scene has shifted slightly. Atsumu and Umi are nowhere to be found, and everything seems to be back to normal. You watch Gin and Kosaku play some cards game with a detached interest, but your eyes keep straying to where Suna is sitting. The pain deepens.

Osamu catches your eye from across the room. He must see something in your face because after a moment, he looks away, as if giving up on trying to figure out what you’re feeling. The drink in your hand is half-gone, and the room starts to blur slightly around the edges. You down the rest in one go.

An hour passes, and you’re in a drunken haze. The sounds around you—laughter, music, chatter—melt into an indistinguishable sound. As you stumble towards the bathroom, you nearly collide with the door, your mind spinning. But before you can push it open, you see Suna standing there, his tall frame blocking your path.

“Hey,” he says, his voice low and familiar, sending a shiver down your spine.

“Hi,” you answer.

He is about to get out of the way to let you through, but a voice urges you to make him stay. You need to say something; anything. And suddenly, the words tumble out before you can stop them, raw and unfiltered. “I still love you.”

His eyes widen slightly, and for a moment, you think you see a flicker of something—regret, maybe—in his gaze. “I’m sorry,” he says after what feels like an eternity, but his voice is distant, like he’s trying to put space between you even if he stands right in front of you.

You take a step closer, “I never stopped thinking about you, you know. I'm so fucking in love with you, Rin...”

He hesitates, his eyes searching your face as if he’s trying to decide whether you’re being serious or if it’s just the alcohol talking. “Are you drunk?” he asks.

Before you can respond, he reaches out and gently takes the drink from your hand. “I’m gonna go find Umi,” he says, as if that will fix everything, as if walking away again is the solution.

But the panic starts to rise in you, sharp and unyielding. You can’t breathe; the walls feel like they’re closing on you. You need to get out—now. Without thinking, you turn and rush out of the apartment.

You’re almost outside when someone catches up to you at the stairs, grabbing your arm firmly to stop you.

Osamu.

“Hey, where're ya goin'?” he asks worried.

“I need to leave,” you choke out, barely able to get the words past the tightness in your throat. “I can’t stay here, Osamu. I just can’t.”

“Okay,” he says softly. “Let’s go to the restaurant.”

The ride is silent. When you arrive at the restaurant, Osamu parks the car and helps you out, guiding you inside. He leads you to a seat and disappears into the back, returning moments later with a glass of water.

“Drink this,” he says gently, pressing the glass into your hands.

You take a sip, the cool water soothing your parched throat. It feels good. But it does nothing to ease the void in your chest. The alcohol is starting to wear off.

Osamu sits down across from you, watching you closely. He doesn’t say anything. For a moment, you almost break down right there in front of him, but you force yourself to keep it together. You’ve already shown too much tonight.

“You’re always so kind to me…” You look down at your drink, fingers grabbing the glass tighter.

“We’re friends.” He simply says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“I don’t deserve it.” You’re ashamed to look at him.

He says your name firmly, “Don’t say that.”

But you cut him off, “I’m a mess.”

He gets up to get closer to you, you hear the chair squeak against the floor, and he grabs your shoulder to make you look at him. He’s so close, you think he can hear your heartbeats.

“Yer hurt. Ya haven’t seen him in months, it’s normal to feel like that. But yer not a mess,” he hesitates and smiles a little, “and even if ya were, I’ll be there for ya. That’s what friends do.”

You study each feature of his face; his eyebrows; his eyes; his nose and an inch further down…

Your lips end up on his.

You grab the back of his head to tank him down, his hands brush your skin all the way from your shoulder to your free fingertips where he intertwines them with his.

You’re kissing Osamu.

You push him quickly, “Oh my god I’m sorry.” You suddenly get up, panic invading you, “I didn’t mean to - oh my god… I must look so desperate right now.”

“Kissing me makes ya look desperate? Gosh Champion, that hurts.” He lets out a small laugh and his kindness makes you want to cry. You're too drunk to decipher how he really feels.

You finally explode. Tears flow like a waterfall. You friend pulls you against him, you feel the warmth of his shirt against your cheek, and you grab his back with strength, afraid that if he steps away, you’ll crumble.

You don’t remember what happened after that. What you know is that you fell asleep at some point and Osamu stayed by your side.

When you wake up, the sun has barely risen. Your back hurts, your head is pounding, your throat is dry. You take a look at your surroundings; you’re lying down on some bench in Osamu’s workplace. It’s calm, way too calm. You try to remember last night, but your headache makes it hard to think straight.

“Mornin’, should I take ya home?”

Osamu’s voice surprises you, you gulp and nod, unable to come out with a coherent answer. His jacket is covering your body like a blanket, you’re about to give it to him but he interjects quickly, “put it on. It’s cold outside.”

“Thanks,” you answer with a broken voice. You don’t even have the strength to argue with him.

Osamu tells you it’s Sunday and 7am as if he sees how disoriented you are. The neighbourhood is quiet, it reminds you of the day Suna broke up with you. The calm before the storm.

Speaking of storm, Suna is standing in front of your house, hands in his pocket, back lean against the wall.

You get out of the car with Osamu, confused.

Suna clears his throat and when he decides to speak, there’s hesitation in his voice, “Can we talk?”

Osamu is standing between him and you, but somehow, he feels invisible. The way you look at Suna like he is the centre of your solar system is threatening. He will always be your first choice; what did Osamu think? His body moves on instinct, and he takes a step back towards his car.

“I…” he starts, “’Tsumu probably made a mess, I’ll go check on the apartment.”

You agree but avoid his gaze.

A moment passes and you’re alone with Suna. It’s been so long you think you forgot how to be with him. How are you supposed to talk to him? Call him?

“I was worried yesterday. I went looking for Umi, but you had disappeared.”

“Were you really?” You ask, there’s poison in your voice. You feel the blood in your veins rushing through your whole body.

He takes the time before responding, “Of course.”

“Rin… You're telling me you're worried about me because I disappeared one evening, when you didn’t ask me how I was even once in the past six months? That’s nonsense.”

“I get that you’re angry, but I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

He seems honest and it kills you. You clench your fists. How are you supposed to react to that?

Your mind goes through all sort of emotions, incomprehension, anger, frustration. You finally speak again, “Why?”

“Why?”, he echoes, puzzled.

“Why did you break up with me? And don’t lie to me.”

His lips open and close a few times. His hands come in and out of his pockets awkwardly. “I… I was stupid. I guess I got tired of our relationship. Hiroshima, the club, my friends, everything was new, and it was exciting. And when we were together, it felt like it was holding me back.”

He looks at you and quickly explains more, “But I was wrong and stupid. You’ve been my pillar for all those years, ever since we broke up, I feel lost and I keep doing shitty things.”

“We did not break up Rin, you dumped me, like I was nothing.” You remind him. You can almost feel your nails rip off the skin of your palms from clenching too hard.

“I’m sorry…” He looks down at the floor. He looks so pitiful but even so, he is still beautiful.

You hate yourself for wanting to pull him against you. He is vulnerable right now, almost weak which puts you in a position of power, and yet, deep down, he has you wrapped around his fingers, still he has your heart caged in his hands. How unfair, how unfair.

“What do you want?” You ask him, trying to sound suspicious.

“I was hoping we…we could start over.”

“Loving you ruined my life Rin, how am I supposed to trust you again?”

Of course, you would ask him that. Suna is far from stupid—he knows exactly what he’s done. Until yesterday, he wasn’t even sure if you still loved him. Why would you, after everything? But perhaps, there is a tiny flicker of hope. So, he tries.

“Let me show you that it can be worth it.”

“Where-where does that come from? You barely looked at me once last night, I told you I still loved you and you said nothing back.” Your voice trembles.

“I did look at you, I swear, more than I thought I would. I didn’t expect to feel like that when I saw you, but something was weird in my heart and when you told me you loved me, I panicked. I acted like a jerk, you have all the right in the world to hate me,”

You cut him off, “I could never. You know that.” Your fists relax.

There’s hope, there’s hope, he hangs on to the thought.

“So… Please let me make it up to you.”

“Did you have sex with her?”

He squints as if the accusation bothers him, but you have to know the truth.

“Rin.”

He doesn’t ask who you are talking and simply answers with a shy “yes.”

You deserve better,

You will find someone else,

Let go of him.

Your heart sings and the words give you the courage to walk past him.

“Wait.”

He says your name and grabs your arm.

One touch. It’s all it takes for you to melt, for your heart to forget all the pain it has been enduring for months.

You hesitate but your hand finds his cheek and you brush a strand of hair. How soft, you think. He closes his eyes, and his forehead leans against yours.

“Please,” the murmur sinks into your body.

“Let’s try.” You give up. You have been waiting for him to come back to you for so long, you have dreamed about those words so many nights. You don't have any other choice but to trust him now.

A comfortable silence settles between you, it almost makes you believe you’re in a dream. You decide to take a step back, but Rin doesn’t let go of your arm.

“I forgot my phone at the boys’ apartment.”

“I’ll come with you.” He hurries to say, afraid you would runaway if he doesn’t follow you.

“‘Tsumu is still sleepin’, Umi left an hour ago.” Osamu explains with a quiet voice once you’re back in the apartment. He hands you your phone.

“O-okay.”

You look around you. The living room is a mess, more than what you remember from last night.

Last night.

Your heart skips a beat.

“Hey, Osamu?” you start carefully, he waits for you to go on, “is everything okay, I mean between us?”

“Sure.”

“Sorry about last night.” You feel extremely guilty. You might have gotten the boy you love back but you can’t bear to lose one of your best friends.

“Last night? What happened last night?” He smiles. You’re relieved; your secret will be safe with him (he is so precious, you tell yourself). You’re about to answer but he lifts his eyes from your face, and you turn to see what has caught his attention.

Suna.

“We should go.” You say.

Osamu thinks you’re talking to him but when he sees you facing your ex-boyfriend he is confused. Suna’s answer confirms his doubts. Something is going on between you two.

“Yeah.” He takes your hand, “thanks for last night Osamu. I have a game in Osaka next month, I'll text you.”

Osamu is unable to answer.

“I'll see you tomorrow at the restaurant," you conclude with a soft smile.

“Hmm, see ya.”

You're afraid to see disappointment on your friend's face so you don't turn back. Everything will be perfect from now on, just like it was before the break up. You are going to be happy and loved and cherished.

The knot in your stomach is normal, you try to convince yourself, there is nothing to worry about.

Absolutely nothing.

author notes: i won't get mad if you want to scream at me :)

Elie

taglist: @wolffmaiden, @obibiwan, @teyvatsunsets, @sugacor3, @hanadulsetaad

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fanttasttica · 1 year ago

Text

Male in the fox's mask

Eris x reader

You are betrothed to Eris, who was crowned as the High lord of the Autumn court recently. You don't know why he had chosen you and you are also mad at him. He made you feel like you were a cow for sale, so the night before your wedding, you decide to find someone, with whom you can lose your innocence. Will you get away with it?

warnings: smut

words: 3731

“This is a very bad idea and you know that.. I know that” You said to your friend probably for the tenth time this night, as she dragged you to one bar, where you definitely shouldn't be going. “Oh come on, Y/N.. For the last few weeks we were talking about this, planning this and now you want to run? If you truly wish to return to your home, we can, but this is your last chance to do this. Decide carefully.” She put her hands on her hips, waiting impatiently for your answer. You thought about it once more. Maybe you really should return, this was too risky and the consequences could be deadly for you. There is a possibility that your family could somehow find out what you did and they could disown you. Well.. that was a better scenario. You heard a story about Morrigan, who did something similar like you were planning and you also knew what her family did to her. Your family was similar to them, so you wouldn't end up better, probably. And Eris would be also mad, it would be humiliating for him, to have not one, but two fiances, who decided to lose their virginities before the wedding, with some other male, but on the other hand.. You wanted this, maybe it was some sort of rebellion, since you had no say in this matter. Eris asked your father for your hand, the very next day he was crowned as High lord of the Autumn court and your father happily agreed. You still didnt know why Eris asked for you in the first place, you spoke to him a few times and you didn't have a nice time with him. He seemed cruel, like his father. He obviously liked mocking you and his eyes were watching you like prey, like a fox watching helpless rabbit before catching and eating him. You could forgive him all that, well after some time. Right now, you were mad too much. He made you feel like a cow for sale, like your only purpose was to be an obedient wife and birth as many children as possible. You clenched your fists. “No.. Let's go inside.” You were determined to go through with it to the end. Your friend smiled at you “As I thought.. Now, come, we shouldn't waste any more time.”

This bar was overcrowded, music was playing out loud, and you were sure that waking up tomorrow will be very challenging, since your head was already throbbing. “Now, what should I do?” you raised your voice, because there was no way that your friend would hear you if you continued whispering like outside. “We should go dancing. There are a lot of single males, who will surely come to you and try to seduce you. Don't worry, we will find someone you can fuck tonight.” She laughed happily and you followed her into the middle of the dancing floor. Of course you were teached how to dance, but this was something new to you. At first, you weren't sure how to move, but after a while, music got into you and you started to enjoy this. “Okay, I am really glad we are here, it's way more fun than in the court..” You admitted. “Yeah, it is. But don't forget the real reason why we came here and try to concentrate for a while. Is there someone who caught your eyes?” You looked around yourself, lights were not very bright, so you couldn't see the faces of people next to you so clearly, but you tried. You wanted to find someone tonight. You wanted to sleep with some male, so you could lose your innocence tonight. Your wedding was tomorrow and with it also your wedding night. You were supposed to save yourself for Eris, but you didn't want to give him the pleasure of taking your virginity, that's the reason why you were so determined to have sex with almost anyone tonight. As you were observing the room, you catched some male, who was looking at you from the other side of the room. He was tall, leaning to the bar as he watched you with a drink in his hand. What was weird is that his face was covered by a mask, representing a fox. You couldn't see the color of his eyes, but you felt them on your body. You were wearing a red dress, which were very tight on your body and were complimenting your curves. You bit your lips and turned to your friends. “Do you see that male in the fox's mask? He is standing next to a bar.” She looked over your shoulder, grinning at you. “I see a male in the fox's mask currently walking towards you.” Your eyes widened as you suddenly felt the male's chest pressed lightly to your back. Warm, that almost made you moan, was coming from him. He hadn't said anything to you, but you still felt the urge to please him and do everything for him. “I will not disturb you..” Your friends winked at you and she danced away. “You dont look like someone who normally comes to these types of parties, little mouse.” That stranger whispered to your ear, his breath made you shiver. He seemed familiar, but you couldn't remember where you heard him. “It is my first time here..” You admitted, suddenly feeling his hands on your lower abdomen. He pulled you closer to him, brushing his lips against your ears. You started breathing faster. "I see that.." Your cheeks are red, he obviously knows that being in the bar for the first time isn't the only thing that is new for you. "And why is that? What are you here for?" You closed your eyes and smiled, feeling pleasure only by his voice. "I.. I.." You exhaled shakily. "I just want to have some fun tonight." You replied a little bit hesitant. You possibly couldn't tell him the real reason why you were there. He would see only as an insane woman and probably would leave you right here on the spot. And you didn't want that. "Hmm.. That's something I can help you with, little mouse." You could see him smiling. "Really?" You asked maybe too happily. He chuckled darkly. "It will be my pleasure.." One of his hands remained on your lower abdomen and was pressing you to him and the other traveled to your neck. His fingers brushed against your neck and squeezed it tightly. Moan escaped your lips, he seemed pleased by that. "You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into."

Suddenly your surroundings changed and you were no longer standing on the dancing floor. You were in the quiet room, it was dark here, the only source of light was fire in the fireplace. The walls in the room were painted red, the furniture was made of dark brown wood, but what dragged your attention the most was the big bed that was in front of you. "It's better here. We will have more privacy." Maybe you should be frightened, you didn't know this man and it was also so easy.. Maybe this was normal? In the end you never did this before. "Yeah.. It's better like this." You agreed with him. What should you do? What should you say? As if he was reading your thoughts, he kissed the back of your neck and continued to do so, while he started unbuttoning your dress. This was it. "You know you can move? You can touch me as you please. I will not protest." You listened to him, you turned so now you were facing him and put your hands on his chest, it felt so strong. You looked him in the eyes, as you slowly took off his shirt, so now, he was naked before you. Well.. the upper part of his body was naked and to the Cauldron. This man was perfect. You stroked him gently for a while, trying to remember this sight, because only Cauldron knows, if you will ever see this perfection again. He was standing still, allowing you to explore his body. You dared to do the next move, you kissed his neck and heard a groan which escaped his lips. You were doubting your skills, but it was nice hearing him, it gave you more courage to continue with this. “Jump” he gave you command and you obeyed him. Now, your faces were next to each other, he kissed you passionately, dominantly as he laid you on his big soft bed. His mouth traveled to your neck, leaving marks everywhere, it felt like he was marking his property. His hands moved curiously, at first they were holding your hips, squeezing them but now, you felt them on your thighs. He used them to open your legs for him, which resulted in you moaning. You felt so vulnerable, spread like this for the first time. Devilish smirk was playing on his lips, as if he knew what were you thinking now. One of his hands started to go up by your thighs, pulling up your dress at the same time. With his other hand, he decided to pay attention to your sweet core and you were really happy with that decision. You felt throbbing the whole time and release was coming. Firstly, he decided to use fingers, which were magical. After a while, you became a moaning mess, breathing faster than usual. “Please.. I want more..” You whispered, your voice filled with need. “What do you need? You have to tell my little mouse..” of course he wasn't going to give it to you so easily. “Anything you will give me, please!” You were already desperate. His fingers were awesome, but you needed more. He laughed “It's your first time and you are already so spoiled..” You weren't sure how he noticed that, but since yo couldnt think clearly, you let it go. In the end, it wasn't you who had some experience, unlike him. With the way he knew how exactly to touch you, it was obvious that he sure had many women in his bed. “But I will grant you your wish.. Now lay still.”

You were watching him as he knelt down before you and started devouring you with his mouth. You were crushing sheets in your first, as you felt your orgasm tonight building in you. It was amazing, how could you miss out on something like this for so many years? At the same time, you were also wondering. You talked with some married friends about this topic and none of them said, this is also possible and is so pleasurable. As you reached your peak, you moaned loudly, if you knew his name, you would be repeating it like a prayer. “I was imagining how you taste for so many months now.. But in reality, you are much sweeter..” Another word you didn't understand, but now, you were concentrating on your lingering pleasure, instead of this, thinking he was just weird. Maybe he saw you at the court? That could also be the reason why he felt so familiar. This would be really bad, since he could use what had happened against you, but again, this isn't something you could concentrate on at the moment. And it was late anyway. Maybe you hadn't had sex yet, but this was basically the same. He moved, now his body was covering yours, his eyes found yours as he kissed you again, but now it was slower, as if he tried to enjoy every moment of this, trying to remember how you taste. In the next second, he found a zipper on your back and unzipped your dress. He gladly helped you take off your dress and throw it on the floor. Now you were entirely naked, exposed to him and he sure was enjoying this. His eyes were eating you alive, you could swear that you saw fire flame dancing in them. He wasn't wasting any more time, only now you saw that he is naked too. You couldn't help yourself, you looked at his member, finding it… well big. It was bigger than you expected it to be. You knew, this can be painful for the woman, especially if it's her first time and if every man had something like this, it wasn't surprising at all. You inhaled sharply, your eyes filled with worries but with need at the same time. Maybe you were scared a little bit, but you still wanted to continue. “We can stop, if you want.” He offered you, his voice was soft and filled with understandment. You shake your head. “No. I want this. “You assured him, he studied your face for a while, but he wasn't trying to talk you out of it again. You both wanted this, wanted and needed more. He took you gently, trying to distract you with his mouth, which he used to kiss you, but also to bite your neck and nipples, which were hard due to his attacks. It was unpleasant at first, but after you got used to him and he started to move faster, with more confidence, you rolled your eyes with pleasure. “You are amazing, my mouse, taking me so well..” He was whispering to your ear, taking everything you offered him and you were doing the same. Enjoying the pleasure he was giving you, not holding back anything, not your moans, not your hands and mouth, which you were using to please him. His groans were like music to your ears, louder as he was closer and closer to his release. “Come with me.. now.” You were really close and his words set you from the edge, another wave of pleasure overwhelmed you and made you see the stars.

You were tired, so much tired and also terrified a little bit, not that you would admit it out loud. Today was your wedding day. It was supposed to be a happy occasion, well maybe in another court, in Autumn weddings being a happy day for the bride was rare. In this court, people were marrying off their daughters for political benefits, not because they were in love. This was your situation. You were hoping that after what you did yesterday, you will feel better, but you weren't sure anymore. You weren't much more confident at all. The thought of this act of rebellion still gave you some satisfaction, but at the same time, you were sad. Yesterday's night was magical, it felt so good and that man was so nice to you and you were sure that Eris will be different. And now, you were supposed to know, what are you missing out, again? That cursed male. It wasn't his fault, it was your. You shouldn't be thinking about him, but you were and not only because of the pleasure he gave you. You were also thinking about his eyes, about his voice, about the pet name he gave you.. About everything he did and said that night. You were missing him. This was crazy, you were crazy. You will probably not see him ever again, you had to stop thinking about him, but you just couldn't. Not when your maids were helping dress you into your wedding gown, not when they were doing your makeup and hair. You were even thinking about him even now, as you walked down the aisle to the priestess and your soon to be husband. You woke up from your trance, after your father pulled your hand. He gave you a warning look, before turning to the High lord and giving him your hand. Right at this moment did you dare to look at him and after you did that, the whole word stopped. There he was, High lord, your fiance.. and the male you lost your innocence with in the same person. He was glaring at your father angrily, but as he turned his gaze at you, his look became softer and there was a little smirk on his lips. He gently helped you to step closer to him and the priestess, if he hadn't done that, you'd probably be standing there for the rest of your life. You were lost in thoughts during the entire ceremony. You felt so many emotions and thought about so many things that you got lost in them. You didn't even know what to feel. Relief? Joy? Anger perhaps? Before you could figure it out, you were already Eris' wife and Lady of the Autumn with many people who wanted to meet and congratulate you and also with a big celebration ahead.

During the day, you hadn't had time to talk with Eris that much. Actually, he didn't say a word to you and you weren't sure if you wanted to talk to him at all. You were mad at him, but at the same time, you were glad that it was him yesterday. These feelings were complicated, the only fact that was worse is that you had only a little time to think about everything in peace. Currently, you were walking accompanied by your mother to your husband's chambers. It was your wedding night, the first night you were supposed to spend together and consummate your marriage. “Y/N! Are you listening to me? This is very important for us!” She barked at you. You frowned at her. “I know, mother. And I also know about everything that is expected from me tonight. You already told me everything. Don't worry, I will play my part well, like always.” Her expression saddened suddenly, only for a brief moment, before it was gone again. “Good.. I know you are ready. So.. go.” She nodded towards big mahagon doors which were guarded by a few guards and a few courtiers. Suddenly, you were nervous again. Knowing that they will be here, listening to you all night.. But there was nothing you could do. It was another tradition in the Autumn court. You walked to the doors, which were opened by guards, right on time. You inhaled deeply before stepping to the room.

Eris was already here, looking into the fireplace, holding some drink in his hands. Unlike you, he was still wearing the suit he was wearing during the wedding and later during the celebration. Feeling too exposed, you pulled your robe closer to your body, hugging yourself. “Do you realize, there is nothing I haven't seen before?” You bit your lip. “I am really sorry. I know what I did was.. irresponsible. It was a mistake that will never happen again, I assure you and ask for your forgiveness.” You felt his gaze on you, but you avoided his eyes. You were almost sure that he was going to punish you and you were too scared to look him in the eyes, when he says how is he going to punish you. Instead, he sighed and drank from his glass. “I knew what you were planning for a while. One of my men was watching you for a long time, since the first day we met. His job was to make sure my father didn't hurt you while he was still alive. When he died, I originally wanted to recall him, but.. I couldn't. Until you were mine, I wanted to know what you were doing and if you were okay. I wanted to know who you are talking to and if there is another man in your life.. And when I found out what you were planning.. I was considering letting you do it. You obviously really wanted it, but in the end I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to leave you for another man. I'm selfish, but I've wanted you for myself since the first time I saw you. Even before we first spoke.” This was too much, shaking your head, you looked at him and saw nothing but honesty written on his face. “I don't understand you. Everytime we spoke you were.. almost rude.” This wasn't making any sense for you, be he was willing to explain it to you. “I know, it was again, because of my father. I couldn't possibly tell him about.. my feelings. About our bond.” Your expression widened and suddenly, you felt it, the mating bond, forming between you two. “You are my mate, Y/N. That's why I couldn't let you leave that bar with another male. That's why I wanted to marry you in the first place. I will gladly admit it, I am a very selfish male.” He shrugged, turning back at you, again drinking from his glass. He was giving you an opportunity to think about what you are going to say next, but you didn't need that. Finally, you knew very well what you were thinking and what you wanted. Step after step, you walked towards him, placing your hand on his cheeks in a loving gesture. “Eris.. I think.. I love you. I think I always loved you, but my anger at many other things overshadow it. I'm ashamed to admit it. This doesn't mean that I am fully forgiving you. I am still a little bit mad at you, because you didn't tell me this sooner and let me wonder what my future is going to look like.. But I am not afraid any longer. And I am glad that last night.. it was you, who took me for the first time. I admit it, I was thinking about you all morning today.” You said shyly and he smiled at you, pleased at your confession. “You have been driving me crazy for a months now, my mouse..” He wrapped his hands around your waist. “I am happy that you are finally mine, even if you are still a little angry.. But luckily I know very well how to make you forgive me.” He said as he catched your lips to his. That night, he showed you, how he is going to make it up to you many times.

#acotar #acotar fanfiction #acotar imagine #acotar series #a court of thorns and roses #autumn court #high lord eris #eris x reader #eris acotar #eris vanserra #eris x you

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harringtonswriting · 2 years ago

Note

hehehe you & eddie adopting the lil black kitten that nobody wants and he's in loooovvveee 🥺

BESTIEEEEE this was so cute 🥺 and so fun to write!! im so sorry it took so long but i hope you love it!! this is absolutely dedicated to you 💕 she's a long one though, oops... but i have had SO much fun planning this with you and creating this chaotic duo!! (also if anyone wants to come yell with me about eddie and ozzy pls do i love them so much)

...

Every autumn, you like to do what you can to help out at the Hawkins Animal Shelter. You know they’re terribly underfunded and understaffed even at the best of times, but during the colder months of the year when you know they’ve got more animals than usual to try and feed and keep warm is when you try to do everything you can. In this case, that means donating a few bags of dog and cat food that you picked up on your last trip grocery shopping on a blustery Friday afternoon in November after you’ve finished work for the day.

This time, though, you’re accompanied by your boyfriend Eddie–he’d offered to drive you to the shelter in his van and help you bring all the food in with you. It’s been a long week and both of you hadn’t been able to spend as much time together as you wanted, so you were very much looking forward to this weekend together. Eddie’s hand hadn’t left your thigh since you hopped up into the passenger seat when he’d picked you up after work; the comforting weight is seeping warmth through the fabric of your pants, and one of your hands comes to rest on top of his and fiddle with some of his rings. They’ve picked up some of his body heat as well, the metal smooth and warm under your fingers.

He drives you back to your place, filling you in on his day while you listen and try to warm up. Or, well, you do your best to listen, but you’ve had a long week and being warm and in the presence of one of your favourite people in the world is relaxing you a bit too much. Just hearing Eddie’s voice in person and not over the phone for a few stolen minutes is enough to have you closing your eyes, a smile on your face as you temporarily zone out. Until, of course, he hits the annoying pothole down the street from your place and you’re jolted back to reality.

“Oh, shit! Sorry babe,” Eddie apologizes, his hand squeezing your thigh a little tighter before he continues, “Anyway, so my hand’s totally stuck in there, right? So I’m freaking out, Henderson is losing his mind, and I still have half a session left to DM. Can you believe that?”

No, you can’t, because you have no idea how that story started or what he’d actually been doing. But you nod anyway as Eddie’s van pulls up in front of your building. “That sounds completely wild, Eddie. What did you do next?”

“I saved the day, sweetheart, what else?” He grins at you, putting his van in park. You lean over and press a kiss to his lips, your hand squeezing his.

“My hero. Come up and help me get my stuff?” you ask, and he nods, messy black curls bouncing as he kisses you back. His hand reluctantly leaves your thigh so you can both unbuckle your belts and he hops down out of the driver’s seat to run around and open your door with a flourish and a bow.

The two of you make quick work getting up to your place, and Eddie gathers up the dog and cat food to put it by the door while you get changed and pack a bag to take to his place for the night. You make quick work of it, and then the two of you are making your way back downstairs while you tell Eddie all about the latest work gossip and drama.

The drive to the shelter goes quickly, too quickly, and before you know it Eddie’s pulled into the nearly empty parking lot and the two of you are grabbing the bags of food out of the back of his van. You push the door to the building open and the bells above it jingle as Eddie follows you in.

One of the workers emerges from the back as the two of you make your way up to the counter, and you recognize her from your time at Hawkins High School. Her name is Rory, you’re pretty sure, and you know her mom owns both the Hawkins Animal Shelter and the Vet Clinic located next door. She was in your year at school, and she was always pretty friendly with you in any classes you shared. You’ve been donating to the shelter for a few years now, and you’ve volunteered there before, so you know her pretty well, you think. You smile at her as you place your bags of food on the counter. Eddie follows suit before stepping back, slightly behind you. Rory smiles at you as well, taking a wary peek at your boyfriend behind you.

“Hi! Long time no see! What brings you in?” she asks, walking up to the counter towards you. You can see her spare a longer glance at Eddie now that she’s closer, and you turn your head a bit to see that he’s stuffed his hands in his pockets and is scuffing the toe of his shoe against the floor. You step a little further over, putting yourself between Eddie and Rory as subtly as you can to take the attention off of him. Anything to give him a little more room to breathe comfortably; given that most of the attention he gets around town is negative, especially lately, you do what you can to make things as easy as possible when you’re together.

“We’re here to donate some food,” you tell her, reaching one hand out to rub Eddie’s arm through his leather jacket. It’s a little cool under your fingers, but he leans into your touch. You turn back to face Rory, keeping your hand on Eddie’s arm.

“Oh, that’s really great! Thanks so much, we can absolutely use that,” she tells you as she grabs the bags and picks the bags up one at a time to deposit them on the floor on her side of the counter. She makes small talk with you as she does, asking about life now that you’ve both graduated; you can hear Eddie’s sneaker starting to tap against the tiled floor. You know he’s not trying to rush you; Eddie can get bored pretty easily, and you know he’s been looking forward to spending some time with you, just the two of you, this weekend. You have too, so you’re ready to leave when Rory clears her throat to get your attention.

“Do you guys want to come back and see some of the animals we have right now?” she asks. “I’m sure they’d also love to say thank you for the food, if you want.” Or maybe alone time with Eddie could wait just a bit longer because the idea of being able to see the adorable cats and dogs you’re sure are waiting in the back to be seen and loved is something you’re absolutely on board with right now. You find yourself nodding enthusiastically before turning to your boyfriend behind you.

“C’mon, Eddie, do you wanna see the cats and dogs?” you ask him, your hand moving down his arm to intertwine with his. He raises his eyebrows, and you decide to give him your best smile and bat your eyes. It takes him a minute before he sighs, his shoulders slumping.

“You know it’s not fair when you smile at me like that.” The small grin curling up the corners of his lips tells you that he’s not any kind of mad or upset. You squeeze his hand, moving forward to press a kiss to his cheek and he responds with a quick, chaste kiss to the corner of your mouth.

So Rory lets you both back behind the counter, your hand securely enveloped in Eddie’s as you follow her back to where the cats and dogs are kept. There are more than you’re expecting, and once you’re back there you let go of Eddie’s hand to pet a very lovely golden retriever named Daisy who comes to greet you at the door of her kennel. She snuffles softly against your hand, and you coo to her through the bars as you kneel down to be closer to her height. You hear Eddie’s footsteps move farther away from you as you scratch behind Daisy’s ears, letting her know what a good girl she is.

From Daisy you move onto Gunner the bulldog, and then Maverick the german shepherd, before you wander over to where Eddie’s hanging out with the cats. He’s currently standing in front of a kennel that has one lone black kitten in it; the kitten has long, silky looking fur, and big golden yellow eyes. It’s staring at Eddie, meowing and showing off teeth that look much too big for its tiny mouth, but it makes it look absolutely adorable.

“What’s this little guy doing?” Eddie asks, sticking his fingers between the bars of the kennel. The kitten meows loudly, sniffing them before starting to rub himself against Eddie. He starts to gently scratch the kitten along his back, and the loudest purring you’ve ever heard erupts from this teeny tiny black fuzzball.

“He’s the last one of a litter we got last week,” Rory says, walking over to the kennel to peer in from beside Eddie. The kitten meows at her too, and leaves Eddie’s fingers to come get her attention. She smiles at him, digging some treats out of her pocket to poke through the bars. The kitten takes them happily, scarfing them down with a tiny growl that has your heart melting. “He’s been in there on his own for the last few days since the last of his siblings got adopted.”

“How come no one’s adopted him? Is he sick or something?” Eddie asks, and Rory sighs.

“No, he’s healthy as can be. But he’s a black cat, so, y’know.” At Eddie’s blank look, she elaborates, “Superstition is that black cats are unlucky, so not a lot of people want to adopt them. Especially around this time of year.”

Eddie snorts. “That’s a load of shit. He’s a cat.” You see Rory’s posture relax just a bit, and Eddie’s shoulders, which are up near his ears, lower just a bit as the kitten goes back to rubbing himself on Eddie’s fingers again.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Rory is interrupted, however, by the sound of the bells above the front door jingling. She sighs. “Oh, that’s the door. I’ll be back in a couple minutes, okay?” You nod, and she turns to leave through the door you entered from.

Eddie takes the opportunity to grab one of your hands with his free one, bringing you closer to the kennel holding the tiny black kitten. “Babe… did you hear that? That little guy is all alone because people think he’s bad luck. Are they stupid? They gotta be stupid. Look at him. He’s purring at us.” He leans his head against the bars, his beautifully wide brown eyes staring at you with all the earnestness he can muster. His black curls fall through the bars, and the kitten starts swatting at them, curious as to this new potential toy he’s been given. “We gotta take him home. I’m not leaving him here.”

You’re more than a little surprised. Eddie had never struck you as a cat person, let alone any kind of animal lover. Not that you’re complaining, and you can see just how much this kitten seems to love Eddie already. It has your heart melting in your chest, seeing them interact, so you can understand how Eddie is feeling. However, you also know that Eddie currently doesn’t live alone, and while his uncle has been nothing but kind to you since you and Eddie started dating, you have no idea whether that man is pro-cat or not. He’s very hard to get a read on sometimes. “Eddie, you want a kitten? What’s Wayne gonna say?” you ask, and Eddie purses his lips for a moment before he shakes his head.

“Wayne won’t even notice. C’mon, babe, we gotta bring him with us,” he says, and there’s a determination in there that you don’t often get from Eddie. It’s the same tone of voice he uses when he asks you if Lucas Sinclair can crash your date night because his girlfriend just broke up with him again, or if you can pick up some very specific snacks for Hellfire night because one of the members has seemed a bit down this week; it reminds you of when you’ve seen him stay up into the early hours of the morning the night before a meeting to change some mechanics around or to switch up his map because he’s noticed that Jeff seems to be flubbing a lot of stealth checks lately and wants to give him a bit of a break without seeming too obvious.

Eddie looks so determined to have this kitten, this tiny little thing that’s chirping out little meows at you that’s been left all alone in this kennel, that you can’t bring yourself to tell him no. Not that you’d think he’d take no for an answer at this point, with the way he’s looking at you now, tiny kitten yanking on his curls and his almost glimmering brown eyes looking into your own eyes, almost looking through them and through you, under the fluorescent lights that blink every so often and make a low buzzing noise that acts as a backing track to your conversation.

The hand holding yours squeezes it gently, tugging you closer until you’re shoulder to shoulder.

That’s when the door swings open and Rory makes a reappearance. “Sorry, that was just my mom. She said thank you for the food, by the way,” she tells you, and Eddie jumps nearly a foot in the air. The kitten has his claws stuck in Eddie’s hair, and he tugs on a particularly big knot when Eddie does so, and your boyfriend yelps in partial pain and partial surprise. You can’t help the laughter that bubbles up from your chest, though you rub your thumb across the back of his hand to ease his pain and embarrassment. You can see the amused grin that Rory has on her face now. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I think so,” you assure her, and she nods. Eddie clears his throat, brushing his hair out with his fingers and letting go of your hand to point at the kitten in front of you.

“The kitten, that little guy. He up for adoption?” he asks, and Rory nods once again. “I wanna take him home.”

Rory unlocks the kennel, and the kitten is quick to try and jump out of it. She scoops him up in one hand with practiced ease, scratching him under his chin as she shuts the kennel door. She then hands the kitten to you, where he immediately attaches himself to your chest with his tiny claws. His big, round golden eyes stare up at you, and you smile as you start to scratch him under the chin, too. One of Eddie’s hands rests on your lower back, a comforting weight and warmth as Rory leads you back up to the front of the shelter through the door. The two of you come around to the other side of the counter, and she grabs a clipboard and the paperwork Eddie needs to go through. You decide to distract the tiny kitten, giving him your fingers to play with as you half-listen to what the others are saying. Thankfully Eddie fills it out relatively quickly.

“And you’ll just need to print his new name here,” Rory says, as Eddie flips to the final page, pointing to one of the lines near the bottom of said page.

“What do you think, buddy? What should we call you?” Eddie asks, studying the little kitten in your arms. You scratch behind the kitten’s ears, and hear the motorboat purr start up again. Eddie leans in close, reaching out his finger towards the kitten’s tiny pink nose. “What about… Ozzy? You like that?”

The kitten meows loudly, reaching a paw out to smack Eddie’s outstretched finger. He laughs loudly before he scribbles the name down on the form. You crane your neck a bit, and you can see he’s written Ozzy Munson as the kitten’s new name, and then you see that Eddie’s listed both himself and you as Ozzy’s adopters. Warmth blooms in your chest, and you bring Ozzy up so you can kiss the soft, long fur on the top of his head. Eddie pushes the clipboard back towards Rory and digs the cash for the adoption fee out of the wallet in his back pocket. She gives him the tags and paperwork he needs, which he stuffs in his other pocket, and then the two of you are leaving with the loudly meowing Ozzy. Eddie once again gets the passenger side door for you, closing it once you’ve gotten into your seat, and you manage to get yourself buckled in before you’re letting Ozzy crawl all over your lap and make himself comfortable. Eddie scratches behind his new kitten’s ears for a minute after he makes sure to turn the heating on, and then he’s turning the engine over and driving away from the shelter.

Eddie insists that Ozzy accompany the two of you into the pet store when he pulls into the parking lot and places his van in park. The little guy has been curled up in your arms the entire car ride from the shelter, and Eddie is quick to unbuckle his seatbelt and reach over to scoop up the newest Munson.

“C’mon, sweetheart, how am I gonna know what he likes unless I let him pick?” he asks, and he holds up the kitten next to his own face for emphasis. Ozzy’s giant golden eyes blink at you, right next to Eddie’s own very pretty, heart-melting brown ones. You know you’re in trouble, and this absolutely won’t be the last time because you can’t say no to both of them, not when they both look so sweet.

“It’s cold out, Eddie, and we don’t have a blanket for him,” you say, which gives Eddie pause for a moment. But then he’s smiling at you and opening his leather jacket under his denim vest and then he’s placing Ozzy inside. Surprisingly, Ozzy immediately starts snuggling up to Eddie, starting to purr loudly once again and you can’t help but start to coo at the adorable scene in front of you.

“Ta da! He’s a perfect fit.” Eddie looks so proud of himself. God, you absolutely wish you had your camera with you to capture this on film forever. You really need to invest in a Polaroid to take with you everywhere you go just for times like these. You don’t care what Jonathan Byers says, those cameras are the way of the future and not at all a waste of money. Not if it meant you can keep photos of precious memories like this, the autumn chill creating condensation on the windows, Eddie’s fuzzy black bats hanging from the rearview mirror and swinging in the slight breeze created by the loud heating system in the van. One of Eddie’s arms is supporting Ozzy inside his jacket, and the other is scratching Ozzy’s tummy–or it was, until Ozzy apparently decided that enough was enough and you saw his little claws dig right into the flesh of Eddie’s hand.

“Ouch! What the hell, man?” Eddie yells, jumping a little. You can’t help the laugh that bubbles up, and Eddie shoots you an accusatory glance as he brings his scratched hand up to his face to examine it. You look down at Ozzy, and you can almost swear you see a grin on the little black kitten’s face. You reach your own hand out towards him, and Ozzy leans out of the jacket to lick your finger. Eddie huffs, saying quietly, “Hey, I am your father, fuzzball.”

The two of you get out of the van, and you’re quick to get the door of the pet store open for Eddie, since he’s got his arms full with Ozzy, and you wave politely to the clerk behind the counter. The only ones in the shop aside from the two of you are an older woman and a little girl trailing after her, holding onto the hem of her coat. The woman takes one look at you, and then at Eddie, before she’s shuffling the little girl off to the other end of the store. You roll your eyes once she’s out of sight, grabbing Eddie’s free arm and leading him over to the cat section. Eddie’s eyes are immediately drawn to the many toys they have, and he opens his jacket a little wider to give Ozzy a good look at them too.

When he starts picking up different toys and letting Ozzy sniff and bat at them with his little paws, you start getting the essentials together. You pick out a litter box and a scoop, some litter, a bag of kitten food, some food and water bowls, and even some treats as well. When you make your way back to Eddie, he’s got an arm full of fuzzy mice, a few stick and string toys, and even a cardboard scratcher. You take some of it from him to add to the pile in your arms, and he grins at you as he holds up a bag of catnip as well.

“Babe, look, Ozzy and I can get stoned together,” he tells you, seeming so excited at the prospect of both him and his cat getting high. You shake your head, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“C’mon, troublemakers, let’s get this stuff and get home.” Eddie’s quick to follow you up to the front counter, where the older woman and the little girl are making their own purchase. The little girl turns to look at the two of you as you approach, keeping a respectful distance. You see Eddie grin, and he opens his jacket a little wider to show off the now meowing Ozzy. The little girl gasps before she starts giggling and tugging on the woman’s coat.

“Mom! Mom, he’s got a kitty in his coat!” she nearly shrieks, pointing at Eddie. Her mother shushes her, quickly grabbing her bag and sparing you a withering glance before they leave the store. You ignore them, placing your armful of cat supplies on the counter before Eddie deposits the toys and catnip he still has. The clerk coos at Ozzy, who purrs at the attention, and loads everything into a few shopping bags as the two of you pay (including Eddie attempting to unsuccessfully bat your hand away, which Ozzy thinks is a game and starts swatting at everything he can reach). You carry it all out to the van when you’re finished, loading it up into the back and then hopping up into the passenger seat. Eddie hands you Ozzy once again, and then the two of you make the drive back to the Munson home.

It passes by rather quickly, and before you know it you’re there. You pass Ozzy back to Eddie and grab everything you need from the back. Eddie’s already out of the van and unlocking the front door, holding it open for you as you make your way up the steps. Once inside, you toe off your shoes while Eddie kicks off his own sneakers. You make quick work of setting everything down in the living room, and grabbing Ozzy’s new litter box and the bag of cat litter.

“Where are we putting this?” you ask, and Eddie looks up from where he’s gently bouncing Ozzy in his arms. He pulls a face, thinking for a moment, before pointing towards the bathroom.

“Between the toilet and the shower? Will it fit there?” he asks in return, and you shrug. You take the items with you to find out with Eddie following close behind. You quickly tidy and rearrange the bathmat and the towel you know Eddie left on the floor earlier–Wayne knows what the function of the bathroom hamper is, unlike his nephew. You do manage to fit the litter box where Eddie suggested, though it’s a tight squeeze, and tear open the bag of litter to place some in. When you’ve finished, Eddie places Ozzy inside, and you watch as the tiny little fuzzball sniff around and kick at the litter with his tiny paws.

You lean against Eddie’s side, resting your head on his shoulder, and Eddie’s arm comes to wrap around your waist. His hand squeezes your hip gently, and he presses a kiss to your forehead.

“Hope you know that you’re on permanent litter duty,” you tell him. “He’s your son, you scoop his poop.”

“No, no, I put your name on his birth certificate too,” he tells you. Ozzy looks up at the two of you, and screams as he starts to do his business in the box in front of you. “Ozzy is our son, and we share poop duty, babe. With you getting the first shift, obviously.” You nudge his shoulder with your own, which starts a bickering and shoving war as the two of you leave the bathroom to give Ozzy some privacy.

You decide to give the living room and Eddie’s room a quick tidy while Eddie trails around after the newest member of the family; really, it’s mostly just Eddie’s shoes and clothes and his various D&D notes and maps that you have to pick up and put in their proper places, but you know how grumpy he’ll be if Ozzy decides to use them as toys, or worse, as a temporary bathroom so you get it done as quickly as you can. You then get Ozzy’s food and water bowls set up in Eddie’s room near his desk, and get to putting Ozzy’s new toys in various areas.

Once Ozzy has thoroughly explored as much as he wants, and Eddie’s run up and down the length of the living room what must have been a hundred times to get Ozzy to chase a feathered toy on a stick, the three of you move to Eddie’s bedroom. You pick Ozzy up, cradling him like a baby in your arms, before you put him down on the bed and you lay down under the blankets. Ozzy meows loudly, and you scratch under his chin as he walks around near you.

Eddie tsks, changing into a Motley Crue t-shirt before crawling into bed with you on the other side.

“Be careful, babe,” Eddie says, gently picking Ozzy up and placing him between the two of you so that the kitten is laying down too. Ozzy rolls onto his back, stretching out and letting out the tiniest, cutest squeak you’ve ever heard from a cat as he yawns. “He’s just a baby, y’know.”

You roll your eyes playfully, petting Ozzy’s chest. “Eddie, I was just playing with him.” Eddie rolls his eyes in return, but scoots closer to you on the bed until he can get an arm around your waist while Ozzy starts to snooze between your heads.

As you lay there with Eddie, watching him gently stroke Ozzy’s fur with one hand and drum absent patterns against your hip with his other, warm and content and absolutely in love with both the man next to you and the kitten between you, you decide that you never want to leave this bed as long as they’re here with you. It’s your own little bubble of contentment, growing with this tiny family you’re starting together, and you kiss both Eddie and Ozzy and relish the feeling of Eddie’s lips on yours as you pour all the joy and endearment in your heart into the kiss.

(That feeling only lasts until the next morning, when you hear Eddie shouting at you from the bathroom saying Ozzy wants to join him in the shower, and you swear you’ve never gotten out of his bed faster to save a trip to the ER)

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x y/n #stranger things reader insert #stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfiction #eddie munson #stranger things #sunshineperriee #emma 💕#i love this so much #and ozzy will be making appearances in the future #in both eddie-centric and non-eddie-centric works

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mothdapple · 5 months ago

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hi!! i just finished reading cold bloodlines and am curious to hear more!! answer as many or as little of my questions as you'd like; no pressure!

how did you come up with this story? how has it developed and changed since its inception?

what does the future hold for lizardstrike, dampfang, newtkit/mistkit, &/or pineshade?

do you have any scenes that were scrapped? little fun bits or plotlines you couldn't fit in?

how did you think of the old shadowclan traditions?

any fun bits of trivia you have about the characters?

Thanks so much for reading and for the questions!! I'll try to answer as much as I can :)

(For anyone reading this who hasn't read or finished my Warriors fanfiction Cold Bloodlines, this answer contains various SPOILERS for the entire fic.)

how did you come up with this story?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the very first idea that inspired this story centered on Frostmask and Paledusk's relationship. Basically, I wanted the main antagonist to be the main character's father, who was toxic and manipulative, and the story would end with the main character realizing the truth of his nature and defeating him.

Other key ideas I had from the beginning included Swoopstrike as Frost's mentor, and their improving relationship up until his ultimate death. The Autumn/Frost romance and the family they have together was also in the plans from the get-go to act as a parallel/foil to Frostmask's relationship with Paledusk. (Comparing their healthy and supportive love to Paledusk's conditional and manipulative "love.")

The other really central idea I had starting out was just that I wanted this story to ultimately be about finding a home/community/family.

how has it developed and changed since its inception?

Oof a lot lol. While the core of the story I mentioned above remained intact, so many more ideas grew out of it. For example, characters like Pepper and Salt didn't exist in my very first outline, and other characters like Pineshade had much more minor roles.

Initially, I'd conceived of this fic as being a much shorter story, but I definitely got swept away by these characters, their web of relationships, and all the side plots that built up to the main one. That's how this fic that I'd thought would be less than 100k words turned into a 450k word trilogy.

what does the future hold for lizardstrike, dampfang, newtkit/mistkit, &/or pineshade?

(Note that while these are my thoughts, I don't necessarily consider them "canon" since they aren't written in the fic. So you are more than free to imagine something different if you prefer!)

Lizardstrike has a long and happy life as a warrior, eventually becoming mates with his long-time friend Cedarfur :)

In the days after Dampfang leaves ShadowClan, he is pretty beat-up, which leaves him very injured in the unclaimed land in the space between ShadowClan territory and Highstones. Some kind loners/rogues that live in a barn in the area stumble upon him and pity on him. Despite his hostilities to them, he is too weak to resist their assistance, and their charity ultimately saves his life.

Afterward, Dampfang attempts to live on his own for a bit, but he finds it difficult both for practical reasons and because he'd spent his entire life living with other cats and is lonely. He ends up living with the small loner group. His experience as a rogue/with these rogues forces him to develop some empathy for them, and he slowly lets go of his hatred.

After he goes through this growth, him rejoining ShadowClan at some point down the line isn't completely out of the question, although I doubt it would happen while Sedgestar was still leader.

Newtkit and Mistkit's warrior names are Newtspots and Mistpool, but I honestly don't have a ton of thoughts at this moment about their futures specifically.

Pineshade and Murmurstep do officially become mates, and when Sedgestar loses his last life a few years after the end of the fic, Pineshade becomes Pinestar. Pinestar asks Frostmask if she will be her deputy, and after having spent several years as a normal warrior, Frostmask is ready to take on that responsibility again and support her friend, so she accepts. They make a very good team leading ShadowClan for many more years, but when Frostmask passes, it is ultimately Dawnstar (the leader of ShadowClan when SkyClan is exiled from the forest. She is not born by the time the fic ends) who becomes deputy and succeeds Pinestar.

do you have any scenes that were scrapped? little fun bits or plotlines you couldn't fit in?

Hmm there were several little things that I ended up scrapping, but the thing that is immediately coming to mind is the prophecy/vision given to Clearstream at the very start of the fic.

"I was walking through an unfamiliar forest covered in snow. I could not hear or scent any other cat," Clearstream said. "Suddenly, a large, white owl swooped over my head. I could tell it was hunting, and I was frightened for a moment since I was alone, and it could easily decide I was prey. But then I heard a voice speak 'ShadowClan does not need to fear the snow,’ and suddenly my pelt was warmed. All our clan-mates were clustered around me. We were keeping each other warm and safe, and the owl flew away."

Originally, that was going to be a bigger deal about Frostmask and her role in aiding ShadowClan by defeating Paledusk. The wording of the prophecy used to be more obviously about an individual cat (Frostmask,) saying 'ShadowClan does not need to fear the snow. From the cold, great strength soars.'

But when I decided that I wanted to keep StarClan's involvement in this story to a minimum, the vision became a much more minor plot point that was mostly about ShadowClan supporting each other through this difficult time, with only some vague hints about StarClan approving of ShadowClan accepting Frostmask ("ShadowClan does not need to fear the snow [aka: the frost]".) And, a bit of foreshadowing about Paledusk's threat. (At different points throughout the story, Paledusk is compared in the narration to a white owl, like the owl hunting Clearstream in the vision.)

Ultimately, I'm glad that I ended up changing this since like I said, I wanted very little StarClan shenanigans in this story. But, I also didn't want Cold Bloodline's premise to feel too much like Firestar's, with the outsider joining a Clan, along with a prophecy that they will end up saving it.

how did you think of the old shadowclan traditions?

As I mentioned above, it was important to me that ShadowClan felt like a rich, living, tight-knit community, so that's what first prompted me to try to think of more traditions to do that.

The traditions I came up with mostly came from me just trying to dig a little deeper into aspects of Clan culture which already exist in canon. For example, the Clans love having ceremonies about everything, so why shouldn't there be a more structured death ceremony/funeral, rather than simply just a vigil? I also thought a lot about the ShadowClan stereotypes, like being stealthy and independent, and tried to think of traditions that reflected those values. That's how I came up with things like the apprentice's night-time assessment, which is kept a secret from the young cats of the Clan so that it's a genuine surprise/test for them.

any fun bits of trivia you have about the characters?

Bingo, the kittypet who helps Frostmask navigate the twoleg-place, is a tribute to my childhood cat Bingo! The real Bingo was the most patient cat I've ever met in my life. He'd act grumpy, swishing his tail, while my siblings and I as very little kids pet/bothered him, but he never bit or scratched us. I tried to reflect his personality in the fic, with him seeming at times a bit grumpy and reluctant, but still being kind and immensely helpful for Frostmask.

#cold bloodlines #frostmask #warrior cats fanfic #warrior cats writing #ask answered

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spookyserenades · 1 year ago

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Hi 💓 I rarely say something like this on anyone’s blogs because I just wanted to say that I’ve been incredibly enjoying Trouvaille. Compared to reading hybrid au/omegaverse I’ve read before, I find Trouvaille to be the most refreshing, unique, and truly therapeutic. The whole environment in the plot nearly reminded me of Practical Magic (it’s one of my top fav witch and autumn movies - I suggest to watch it if interested). The stick-style house, nature, witchcraft, and all! I’m totally crazy for that kind of vibe and aesthetic. I guess that’s one of the reasons I couldn’t put down my phone without finished reading all of the chapters c:

While I’ve really appreciated the fact that you actually included something new with animals such as elk and coyote, I feel like I haven’t seen that often in other stories. I mean, I loved that I learned a bit about elk’s shedding season! I actually looked up online and I found it pretty engrossing.

Trouvaille has been really cozying me in the most possible way because of your imagination, creativity, your style of writing, and most of all, how you deeply portrayed the characteristics of BTS because THEY’RE EQUALLY PRECIOUS, I JUST CAN’T BUT SQUEALING WHILE SWINGING MY FEET IN AIR.

Ok ok ok lemme shut up for a sec - lastly, I’m really looking forward to new chapters you’re coming up with and I’m steadying myself before I burst out with an excitement! 😌

Submitted by @linlinlily

Dana's response:

Hi my love!! 🥹🩷 I'm so honored that you decided to send your thoughts on Trouvaille to me, thank you so so much! It makes me so happy that you've been enjoying Trouvaille. I'm glad that you find it refreshing and therapeutic to read, because it has been incredibly therapeutic to write and share with you all! Practical Magic is a major source of inspiration for not only the house they live in, but Y/N's spiritual practice, the town they live in, and even Y/N's mother (think of the aunts in that movie, same vibe!) I adore Practical Magic, and it is definitely one of my autumn faves, too! The whole witchy, cozy, autumn aesthetic is close to my heart. I'm ecstatic you love it too! 🥰

I'm also super happy that you love the type of hybrids I've chosen for each of them. I love wild animals and nature, and thought that apex predator species and bigger animals would be fun to play with. Jeongguk being an elk hybrid has been one of my favorite characterizations, I think antlers are beautiful and match his already sharp facial features. Also, I love that you've looked up some facts about elks, I, too, have been researching all of the animals that are in Trouvaille, and it's so interesting to learn about these creatures. Especially the sounds they make, their habits, and differences between one another! 😉

You're so so kind, and I sincerely thank you for your sweet words and compliments for my writing and Trouvaille. I hope it keeps you cozy throughout the autumn and winter seasons! And I also hope that you continue to love hybrid BTS in Trouvaille, I have so much more to share with you! 😍

Again, thank you for all of your love and support my dear, I cannot wait to share Chapter Ten with you on the 7th! Hope to hear from you again, sending you love and hugs! 🫂

#submission #response #trouvaille #dana's thoughts #linlinlily

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erinthesails · 10 months ago

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Inspired by @getmean, i did a little writeup of the books i read in 2023, and a little blurb about my thoughts! read 37 total, which isn't bad considering how busy it was, this past autumn especially.

organized roughly by genre because i thought the breakdown of what kinds of things i ended up reading was interesting, and marked my faves of the year with *s!

Novels

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

Did not start strong in this category, this book was truly awful. Like, I wanted to be able to just turn my brain off and at least enjoy a fun sci fi adventure but it was like. God. the worst parts of detective/noir novels and the worst parts of sci fi bound together by an interesting concept that the author had no idea how to handle. Im getting mad about this book again just thinking about it

Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi

Really really liked this! I love Oyeyemi’s prose and the way her writing always feels surprising. Read this in a group, with people who didn’t really enjoy it, which was unfortunate, but it compelled me a lot! I think i liked White is For Witching better, but still a really lovely interesting story

*The Dazzle of Day by Molly Gloss

This was probably my favorite new book of the year, and it came as a total surprise! Picked it up on a whim at a used bookstore and didn’t actually expect much of it, but was actually stunning. Super super highly recommend for anyone who likes sci-fi and thought experiments and the mundane realities and sacrifices of creating a livable future for everyone. It reminded me of The Dispossessed but like, a lot tighter and with characters who felt more distinct. Which is high praise because i fucking love The Dispossessed. Ursula Le Guin stans read immediately

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Soooo good, soso good. I was skeptical at first because like. A whole book where you never hear from the same character more than once is a very tough sell. Each chapter is from a different character’s POV, displaced in both time and space from one another, but Gyasi weaves the stories together so well, I felt newly invested in both the collective tale being told and the new people we were meeting every chapter. Another absolute banger

*The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

This was a reread, because I assigned it to my students and wanted to get it fresh in my mind before discussing in class. Tearing my hair out, collapsing to the floor in tears, etc etc etc. Book of all time forever

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

This one was a shocking disappointment! I absolutely love Celeste Ng’s other work but this one fell so flat. I’m not sure if it’s because she felt uncomfortable writing a child’s POV—but that wasn’t the problem, because the chapters from the Mom’s POV were just as flat—or if she was feeling self-conscious about the fact that it was speculative fiction (despite not being marketed that way at all) or if this was just a COVID project that got pushed into the world before it was ready… I’m really not sure what happened here, but again, conceptually interesting, but so unexciting in execution. Not enough to rattle my faith in her though, I’ll be back again next time Ms. Ng…Everything I Never Told You really was just that good

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Glad to have finally read this one! One of those books i’d always meant to read and expected i’d like but just never got around to until now. And I did! Love a story where the house is haunted by the people who live in it, love fucked up sibling relationships, love a child with murder on the mind. I kept expecting it to like. Do a little more with the conversation about class and historical power. But maybe that’s just because i’d read White is For Witching recently

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

Thought I’d like this one more than I did, but it wasn’t bad. There were parts where the metaphor really started to get muddled in a way that uh. Felt like it undercut the more interesting parts of the story. Like yes cannibalism is imperialist capitalism, but also it’s maybe factory farming? Which is a less interesting way of framing things? Imo? Also the actual descriptions were so visceral I kept getting queasy and having to set the book down, which doesn’t usually happen for me with books. So sign of effective prose I guess! But ultimately it didn’t feel like it was for me

Monkey King by Wu Cheng'en

WOOOHOOOO SUN WUKONG, EVERYBODY GIVE IT UP FOR SUN WUKONG

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

This one reminded me of Our Missing Hearts in a lot of ways, primarily that a) it felt like it was trying harder to be Important than to be complex and interesting, and b) it features a child narrator who Does Not sound convincingly like a child. It was fine tho, read it with my mom because it’s her favorite author, so that was kinda nice!

Nevada by Imogen Binnie

I always have a hard time with Coming Of Age In The Big City books, even and especially queer ones, but I did kinda like that this one felt So aimless and frustrated. I’m not sure if that was the author’s intention, as I think it was written as sort of autofiction, but I was compelled by how completely misguided the main character is, while still being sympathetic. Like you can watch her thought patterns taking her the wrong way realtime and still understand why they went there, and clearly see the core problem she’s avoiding, with it still being believable that she wouldn’t be able to see it. I like a character who has no clue what’s going on, what can I say! Unfortunately I’d also just read Zami which made this book feel lesser by comparison, but that’s not Nevada’s fault. I cannot hold it against Imogen Binnie for not being Audre Lorde lol

*The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino

This was the year of finally reading books that have been on my shelf for years!! Really liked this one a lot. It has a lot of the best parts of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s storytelling, with a bit of a thicker layer of realism, which sometimes serves it, sometimes doesn’t. Delightful overall, definitely a fave of the year! Favorite part though was reading this book with a friend who, when we met to discuss it, opened with “okay i didn’t actually expect this guy to spend the WHOLE time in the trees”

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

I happened to be reading this at the same time as Baron in the Trees, and i felt like the two resonated across each other in really interesting ways! I love when that happens, and it happened a few times this year, which was exciting. Woolf is always doing the most, of course, but a lot of the emotional landscape of the story really stuck with me, as well as the meditations on “what is art and the pursuit of creative fulfillment for, anyway?” Me too, Orlando, me too

Novellas

The Employees by Olga Ravn

Really interesting little book! Never would have heard of it if it wasn’t for a friend from grad school, but i really liked the structure of it and the way it used lots of different voices without having to necessarily make characters out of any of them

The Tale of the Unknown Island by José Saramago

Not sure if this can really be classified as a novella as I think it’s like less than 5,000 words long, but i bought it as a book, so a book it shall be! Lovely little parable and a strange moment in time captured on the page!

*Present Tense Machine by Gunnhild Øyehaug

Another total surprise picked up at random from a used bookstore! I thought the cover looked interesting and the book was too! This is like. The platonic ideal of a novella. Not too high concept, doesn’t work too hard to explain itself, but includes enough additional detail and character to allow the ideas to resonate further than it would have as a short story. Seriously, go read this is so good

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

We love a strange library! We also love an artbook! Honestly the design of the book was more compelling to me than the story itself, but it was a nice book to sit with for an afternoon and let yourself settle into the world of it

The Hole by Hiroko Oyamada

Ohhhh the tension and tone of this one is so well done…I know some people who felt like it was too slow and never got around to anywhere in particular, but I felt like the feeling it evoked while leading us by the hand was so clear and so unsettling it was worth it. It felt like the feeling was the goal, the suffocating, dead-end feeling of being locked out of the world by the expectations of motherhood and wifehood and the way suburban survival exists only to perpetuate itself…it’s good, it’s really good!!!

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez

Marquez is so good every time always. Another really excellent use of the novella form, telling a really dense story that feels like it’s meandering while actually packing in so many essential details. We’re running really hard in circles in a field and marquez is dragging us along and it feels like what the goddamn hell are we doing, what are we running towards is this anything or am i just being taken on a little adventure for no reason. Then you stop and look down and realize you’ve trampled the corn stalks down in a perfect fibonacci spiral that points neatly toward the solution. Or something.

Permutations Among the Nightingales and The Gioconda Smile by Aldous Huxley

Combining these two because I don’t have too much to say about either and they both came from the same collection. I liked Permutations a lot better than Gioconda because cyclic story structures always scratch my brain, but neither were too compelling. I’m beginning to think i just dont like Aldous Huxley

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Hmmmm I feel like…there is a certain kind of smug, sweetiepie speculative fiction that no one acknowledges as a particular movement in the genre, but that is really notably There and that Doesn’t Work For Me. Okay that sounds really mean. I didn’t hate this book! It just felt very self conscious about its project of like. “Queering the gothic.” And ended up feeling very sanitized and boring as a result. I don’t know, I felt about this book similarly to how I felt about Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers. Like, the Concept is good in theory, but it’s expected to do way too much heavy lifting in a story that, ultimately, feels more self-congratulatory than complicated or engaging. I don’t know how to explain it, but it feels like a story that was solved before the author sat down to write it. Not objectively bad by any means but just wasn’t for me

The Willows by Algernon Blackwood

Another instance of finally reading stuff I’d always meant to read! I know this story is often cited as the kind of “original” weird fiction/cosmic horror, so it was interesting to see how that played out. Definitely not quite either of those genres as I know them today, but there was still a subtlety to it that felt really satisfying. It was good! I’m glad people have drawn from it and written even better stories in its style! I can definitely see the way stories like Annihilation have roots (lol) in this story

Fiction Collection

*So Long Been Dreaming edited by Nalo Hopkinson

I often tend to meander through and not finish fiction anthologies, which is weird because i love short stories, but I almost always gravitate toward single-author collections and lit mags when I want them. But I’m really glad I finished this, because almost every story in it was excellent! I really love Nalo Hopkinson’s writing, so it was fascinating seeing her editing sensibilities at work

Fruiting Bodies by Kathryn Harlan

Just okay! Had some winners and some losers, as all collections do, but pretty much puttered along at a solid “fine” throughout. Nothing really stood out as particularly bad or particularly good, which is a shame because it seemed like exactly the kind of thing I’d be into. The title story was probably my favorite, but other than that, I honestly don’t even remember most of them

Afterglow edited by Grist

Another anthology, this one that I picked up because it had a cool cover and compelling premise (sci-fi climate optimism). Unfortunately most of the stories had the same sort of smug self assuredness that i disliked in “What Moves The Dead.” I’ve ranted about this at length but i always have mixed feelings about cli-fi, especially the subgenre of climate optimism. A story that has its tone and outcome so neatly pre-determined by definition has to work pretty hard to do anything unexpected, and most of these did not, HOWEVER, there were two standout stories I loved so much they made the whole collection feel worth it. Everyone read “The Secrets of the Last Greenland Shark” by Mike McClelland and “Broken from the Colony” by Ada M. Patterson!!!

Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz

A pretty solid collection that, again, didn’t have too many stories that really stuck out, though, again, the title story was the most memorable and it lingered with me much more closely than Fruiting Bodies

Memoir

Tranny by Laura Jane Grace

Yayyyy, Laura Jane Grace! I always see that quote from this book going around Tumblr and wanted to read it myself. I liked it a lot! It also got me to listen to more Against Me! because I’d really only listened to Transgender Dysphoria Blues before this. Which has been delightful!

*Zami by Audre Lorde

Major standout of the year, even though it took me a long time to read the whole thing. Each chapter is such a perfectly crafted, bite sized piece that I was just kind of meandering through one or two at a time, turning them over in my head as i went. I also read it right before reading Nevada, so unfortunately I already had the perfect Lesbian Coming Of Age In New York book on the mind that i couldn’t help comparing it to. We all know Audre Lorde is amazing, but this book is really truly gorgeous

A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid

Not sure where to classify this lil book honestly, as it fits here, and under novella, and under nonfiction topic, but it felt like there was a core of memoir there that stood out as i read. Another book i bought years ago and only just got around to reading, but it was extremely vivid, i love Kincaid’s voice

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Whewwwww this book was a lot. It is as good as everyone says it is but definitely hard to read at times. Not much to say other than it’s definitely worth reading

Nonfiction topic

Six Memos for the Next Millennium by Italo Calvino

Love the ideas in here, but imagine it would have been a lot more engaging to listen to them as lectures than to read them all together. Love Calvino but he does tend toward the abstract, and these were a bit dry. Got me thinking about a lot of literary goals and challenges though, which was interesting

*A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders

I liked this a lot! I tend to avoid “writing advice” type books because they’re so often preachy and not useful, but i really liked the format of this as a breakdown of what’s working in each of these stories and why. I also haven’t read many of The Russian Greats, but really enjoyed most of these ones he selected! My main takeaway is that Checkov kinda rules and Tolstoy kinda sucks. And i stand by that

Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert

Interesting collection of essays about climate change! It definitely had the journalist’s stink of “neutrality” at times, but gave some really fascinating accounts of people doing cool things in the climate change world. I really don’t read much nonfiction like this, so it was refreshing and informative and i learned a lot about carp

*Ezili's Mirrors by Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley

Okay so i really love Theory, but I never read it outside of class. I guess i always worried i would feel too lost without being able to check in with all the PhD people who are more versed in academese, but i decided to give it a go and i’m really glad i did, because i absolutely love this book. Such a fascinating mix of theory (she does open the book by saying “don’t read this as a book of theory” but like. Yeah there’s theory in here) and lived experience and history and mythology and storytelling and the myriad ways that gender is a story we tell and a story that’s inscribed onto us and a reality written by histories of colonialism and survival pushed into shape by self-expression and community……i liked it a lot!!! And if you’re interested in learning about anti-colonialism and gender, you’ll like it too!

Graphic novel

New Masters by Shobo and Shof Coker

Got this after dropping in on a panel by Shobo and Shof Coker at Emerald City Comic Con! Loved the way they talked about creating this world and you could really feel how much detail and care went into every part of it. Enjoyed it a lot, I hope to read more from them!

The Harrowing of Hell by Evan Dahm

Evan Dahm!!! My beloved Evan Dahm!!! He is always at comic cons and I was so obsessed with Rice Boy as a teen, I’m always a little starstruck by the fact that i can just walk up to his booth and talk to him lol. But I did and bought this book from him, and got it signed even! This book is so fucking cool and moody and manages to make it a story about Jesus in hell without it being. You know. The way it could be with that as the subject. Just a genuinely compelling treatment of Jesus as a character and person, with very cool art too. I also read it while i was listening to Unreal Unearth which i know is extremely. Uh. i don’t even know. Baby’s first Dante’s Inferno. But it absolutely contributed to the vibe and made it a great summer evening activity

#if yall read any of these lmk there are so many i have thoughts about

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writernopal · 1 year ago

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Find the Word Tag

Fair warning this is going to be a FAT post because I had several lovely peeps tag me for this one!

@captain-kraken, here

@toribookworm22, here

@autumnalwalker, here

@squarebracket-trick, here

@talesofsorrowandofruin, here

Thank you all so much!

Tagging (gently): @kosmic-kore @sunset-a-story and @sugar-phoenix

Your words to find will be: deprived, include, major, and hate

***

From Kraken:

faint (AASOAF 1)

And then, I heard a faint sound. A thud? I stopped, struggling to figure out what it might be, but my nervous breaths seemed to overshadow anything that my ears might pick up.

lonely (AASOAF 2)

In any case, they fed and clothed me without complaint and made sure I wasn’t lonely or wanting for anything, even going so far as coming to have supper with me in my recovery room. It was touching.

grow (AASOAF 2)

I looked down at my hands and chewed my lip. “I-I can’t help but feel as though there is something that you are not telling me.” My comment did nothing to make him speak, but I could feel the atmosphere between us grow heavy, sign enough that my suspicions were correct.

memory (AASOAF 2)

Who did I find? I’d been pining after her so desperately without even knowing who or what she was to me. His question and the memory of her cruel words further overshadowed my momentary happiness at seeing her again.

***

From Tori:

subdue (AASOAF 1)

As terrified as I was, I needed to be brave. I needed to protect Samuel, but to do that; I would have to subdue him, and quickly.

fate (AASOAF 1)

Why was he being cruel? I’d lost my livelihood because of him! Not only that, but managed to save his life once more! It felt like some sort of cruel joke that fate would force us to make such an unfair and savage exchange.

told (AASOAF 1)

She wasn’t even in half-mourning. Husbands had the option to be in half-mourning after the passing of their wives, but wives weren’t given such a choice. She should still be observing it if what she told Xaxxix was true.

believe (AASOAF 1)

Sometimes it was exceedingly easy to believe that they were my underlings. This was one of those times. And with their constant ribbing of one another, one might easily mistake them for brothers.

***

From Autumnal:

broke (AASOAF 1)

“She said wells be portals to the Kin’dom of Frogs, and I wanted to go there to see as so for myself. So I jumped into the first well I could find. Broke my leg and near scared my mother to death.” He said with a nostalgic look on his face. “It sounds less that she played the trickster and more that you were simply impatient.” I remarked with a giggle.

flattery (AASOAF 2)

“I’m not buying you more furs, Anise. We can barely afford to feed ourselves as it is. Do you think there is gold just lying about for you to spend?!” I yelled, throwing an angry hand up in frustration. “You have so much hair.” She said, changing her strategy to blatant flattery, “Wilkes is lucky he gets to sleep in it.” I smacked my lips in an annoyed fashion. “You and Wilkes are lucky I let either of you near me…”

miniature

I don't have this word! Have an AASOAF fun fact instead! I legitimately thought that everyone was going to hate Axtapor while I was writing AASOAF 1 so I was genuinely surprised that so many people liked him when I started sharing my work online.

rattle (AASOAF 1)

I tried to lift my head before a shock of pain thrust itself through the base of my neck. I cried out and heard the rattling of chains in my ears as I fell to my knees. The water is rising. No. I’m sinking. I struggled further and called out to anyone who might hear me, but there was no response. No echo. No sound.

***

From Kate:

smooth (AASOAF 1)

The pair of smooth sloped horns upon his head, his bright red eyes, and the ruby set in his forehead helped me confirm my suspicions about who he was, though they were hardly needed. He was unmistakable.

free (AASOAF 1)

“Do ye want to be free? Or will ye let them step on ye again?” “Even if I wanted to be, what can either of us do?” I whispered shakily. “It nay matters tell me what ye want.”

broken (AASOAF 1)

“Oxlo, Oxlo. First Mate, broken-hearted Dreamer. Broken man, broken heart, broken Dreamer. Nightmares. Dark. Terror. Oxlo.” “Aye, Kirik.” I responded with a frown as I pulled my pipe from my pocket and began to stuff it with tobacco.

slowly (AASOAF 1)

But we would need to stop to water the horse soon; the poor beast was foaming at the mouth and proceeding slowly after being worked so hard the night before.

***

From Nerissa:

anger (AASOAF 2)

He departed, and while I did my best to temper my anger, it got the better of me as I seized one of the paperweights from my desk and threw it across the room, shattering some glass thing wherever it landed.

opposite (AASOAF 1)

People bustling about and minding their own business seemed to suck whatever unique value such an environment could provide to any new eyes that might lay upon it. I let out a small sigh as I scanned the crowd in the opposite direction and felt my limbs become tense.

continue (AASOAF 2)

Of course, such things would not go unnoticed by her. She knew me well, and no matter how much I dismissed her, she would just find another angle and continue to prod, but where would I even begin telling her about what was troubling me?

answer (AASOAF 2)

I supposed his answer was sweet, and I should be happy that my grandmother would finally have a chance to be with someone who treasured her in the way she deserved, but I wasn’t. When it came down to it, I didn’t like his response at all, and I didn’t know why.

#tag games #find the word tag #manuscript search tag #writeblr tag games #aasoaf #aasoaf 1 #aasoaf 2 #mariel #axtapor #fay #my writing

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casiavium · 1 year ago

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Damage Control and Unbroken Spirit have been updated! If you've only been reading the T rated version, things are a lot different, and I had to cut out a part I really liked from DC because it didn't make sense with the other version of the story. So, spoilers, characters die in DC that don't in US, but this scene where Link mourns them was fun to write and I want to share it on its own

"Hylia above, and to the Golden Three," His voice did not waver as he recited a Skyloft lament, meant to aid the deceased with their passing. He wondered if anyone had already sung for him. "Guide this soul as they fly west towards your sunset, as they enter your realm..."

He had been to a handful of funerals in his life time. He was too young to remember his parents, just barely able to understand when he went to Zelda's mother's. Pipit's father had been a shock, recent enough that it was still taking its toll on their family but far enough in the past that it didn't cloud every day's thoughts. They had been just entering the academy then, and to watch the upperclassman change after the death of his father had been strange. Pipit seemed to work himself to death trying to make a ghost proud, and his mother had never really recovered.

Had they put on funerals for Zelda? Had they honored him as a knight? Did the people of Skyloft grant him rites he didn't deserve, did Zelda's father tell them what he was meant to be? Were they still holding out, waiting for hope one of them would return?

"Let them—let them go in peace, for all they've done for you, and—" Even as no tears came to his eyes, Link choked. He had never recited the prayers without a chorus of his friends and family. He had never spoken these words without the proper rituals, sending off the dead surrounded by friends. He had killed her, he didn't deserve to be standing here, speaking directly to gods that he had blatantly forsaken.

He had never even said these prayers for Zelda.

"Please, if you can hear me at all, if you ever chose me as your hero as they all say you did... let me save them from the suffering that's to come. I know I've knelt for a different god, a demon I should have—I should have defeated, but, goddesses, please... if not for me, for them."

Dropping the blade from his hand, Link sank back to his knees and clasped his hands together, pressing his fists to his forehead as his heart ached. There should have been celebrations. There should have been a stone, a send off, they should have let their loftwings fly away into the clouds and become one with the sky, protecting Skyloft as their riders had in life. Had they given him the knights' funeral? Had they laid an effigy at the goddess statue when they had no body, no sword to bury?

He mourned for the life he never got to live, if not for himself, for Zelda. For her father. For Fledge and Pipit and Karane, his friends, for the remlits he teased and the kikiwis he unwittingly terrorized, the spirit of the Goddess Sword and all those he never had a chance to say goodbye to. If Hylia had chosen him as her hero, then surely she had never meant for them to live.

He didn't even have the comfort of tears on his skin as he pulled himself away from his prayers, back to the looming body of a great spirit he had taken down by his own hand. The water that had once flown within her scales was rising in a spiraling pattern toward the sky, fading dots of light intermixed with the stream as the spirit of the forest was swept way like autumn leaves. Of all the times to be given a sign the gods had answered his prayer, why now.

"Ashes to ashes." Link murmured, though there was nothing burning about the dragon. He wasn't praying for her. "Dust to dust. May we all return as the wind in the air and the clouds in the sky."

He watched as the last light of the spirit twinkled out, far above the water she had once ruled. Alone now with not even a body to accompany him, Link knelt in the great hall of a god, having struck her down with his own hands. If Demise had doubted his loyalty before, he was going to be pleasantly surprised.

#cherrywrites #skyward sword

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speaking-at-the-theater · 1 year ago

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otgw

watching over the garden wal!!! obviously spoilers so like, watch out for that. this is gonna be a long one as i plan to do the whole series at once so we go on until the picture limit breaks and then we start another post

—

the intro has such vibes. the best part about it being a miniseries is that it doesnt worry about like. spoilers. it can just tell you “this is the short of it, now lemme tell you the long of it.”

–

the chorus that starts playing when wirt is like “where are we”??? haunting. where can i find it?

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whoever wrote this knows exactly how to write kids i love it

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“welcome to the unknown boys, you’re mor elost than you realize” indeed

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greg- greg no- bad idea. dont go towards the forest.

what is up with that turtle???

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“it is your burden to bear” thank you mr woodsman

ep 2

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the drawings in the wood in the intro. what’s up with that

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“the good woman of the woods”....i dont believe that. that’s sus.

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that festival seems so interesting??? –

what do you mean the fucking pumpkin *talks*

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love that “patient is the night” song

oo that was…a plot twist

…..

that “you’ll join us someday” is…….something

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the fuck. is up. with the leaf.

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ep 3-

“see, no willpower whatsoever” ms beatrice. what.

i mean its true though

–

aww, that school concert was such a clever idea! and that small twist. when you hear greg say “let’s steal the instruments” you think he’s still thinking about giving them back to the school for fun. but then the concert is revealed and you see “oh, greg isnt as stupid as he seems”, it’s cute.

–

ep 4

songs of the dark lantern??? sounds interesting

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that highwayman animation is so???? idk. it’s weird. thy were bordering the uncanny valley for this one and i think it was on purpose

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the fuck. is up. with those trees. i want answers.

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haha. the beast is fucking terryfying i’ll be seeing it in my nightmares now.

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ep 5

this illustration is so good tho??

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this guys just having an entire existential crisis mood

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beatrice used to be human? that’s interesting

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what is up with these fainting ladies and mr-s? –

two pennies for the ferry…like two coins for the charon?

......

also love how the twist here wasnt that there were supernatural shenanigans but that there werent supernatural shenanigans

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the fish?????? what have the coins got to do with anything??? hmm????

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ep 5

that frog song is really nice

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beatrice is sus.

also, i love how wirt is slowly warming up to greg??

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aaand yep. adelaide is bad. fairytale back. has anyone written a fairytale re-telling of otgw? it has the themes…

—

oh….poor bea

andd just like that the character development is gone.

–

chapter 7

also just noticed the eps are labeled chapters! like books! –

oh dear….the woodsman is….wow.

“ we should talk”

we’re never seeing the woodsman again i think.

–

auntie whispers is so fucking creepy??? is there a single adult with a house that is also not entiwned with any dark magic?? not a single one??

–

huh. so it was lorna alla long huh…..yk what they say about appearances

—

did whispers never think to say “begone evil spirit” or????

also. if whispers isnt lorna’s real aunt, but they still consider eachothr family…..how did they meet?

it must have been a sad story, though.

–

“there is only the forest and there is only surrender”

….

i want a story for the beast. even if it’s just “it sprouted from the ground one day”. i need mor eof it.

oh well, fics must exist. if not, i’ll make one.

–

ep 8

—

aand wirt lost hope.

bye.

–

this episode is…sooo weird

–

it’s snowing?? already?? wasnt it autumns just a few episodes ago???

—

….at least now i know where the edelwood trees come from.

—

what did gregory wish for tho???

—

.....

—

9 ep….were going at the speed of light huh?

—”into the unknown”....they do say be careful what you wish for, no?

oh….oh wirt’s…teenagery. which means Really Fucking Mean.

—

:((((

oh…sio the beast is setting tasks for wirt, fairytale style, so he’ll give up, huh?

…..

the beast’s eyes are the same as the dog’s after it ate the turtle…..maybe it’s some sign of corruption? or evil??

–

“take on the task of lantern bearer” how bout no.

–

WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THE BEAST WHATS IT MADE OF WHAT THE FUCK

it looks like wood but???? holy shit??? trypophobiaed wood.

if the beast is made of wood and it eats the sap (oil) from trees is it a tree vampire????

–

HOLY SHIT HE DID IT

–

….

lovely ending is lovely

this show met all my expectations, and surpassed them, too!

#otgw #otgw spoilers #ig?

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stuffgoeswrong · 2 years ago

Note

Maybe it's late but do chuuaku next if you feel like it!!! Have a sweet day 💕

Of course! It's never too late!

Chuuaku

Ship it

What made you ship it?

Honestly? This person's art--I mean look at it. I love their style, it's gorgeous. After that, I just started seeing more official art of them and hearing about the hype for Chuuaku on Twitter (or at least I thought it was fairly popular over there). Then I began to rethink the characters and what they could have in common, which turns out is kind of a lot. To quote my anime journal, they've both been hurt by Dazai and have been lone wolves for most of their lives. They've been through so much and I want them to bond over being used by people they once trusted (Aku--Dazai, Chuuya--Shirase, Verlaine, anyone else from Stormbringer? I haven't actually read it yet). They each ponder their self-worth but admire those around them (Chuuya admires Mori's leadership but worries about his own humanity, Akutagawa admires Atsushi for being able to stand up to him but doesn't see his own strength as good enough, and obvs Dazai). Listen, so we all know Chuuya is a loyal character, it's one of his core traits. But Akutagawa has that same potential too! He's kept his promise to Atsushi not to kill anyone for six months. I believe Beast even as an alternate universe implies traits that are there in every version of a character, so Akutagawa's protection over Gin can also be seen as loyalty. Any two people being fiercely devoted to each other or having that possibility is a huge plus for me. Yeah, they haven't had any actual scenes together in the main story (ig Dead Apple kinda counts, I always forget that exists) which made me a little iffy at first, but they've had a little screentime together in Wan! which is good enough for me and I ended up loving them!

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

Chuuaku's vibes are like off the charts emo autumn season and I love it. Their color schemes are so Halloween-y and I always picture them within an aesthetic collage of hot chocolate, falling leaves, and overcast skies. I also like how easy it usually is to come up with headcanons for them, like Akutagawa would be so bad at compliments (thinking about him like Kageyama saying knife instead of nice) and Chuuya would appreciate him trying yet he's so much smoother at it, they both shop at Hot Topic, love similar music, effective on missions together, find it easy to bully people together, and go on midnight motorcycle rides to help Akutagawa's lungs. Oh, I love that Chuuya is kind of the mentor Aku never had and so it's for sure just one of the most positive relationships Aku could have. Also, it seems to me they're both workaholics so it would be fun to see them realize this about each other and force the other to work out making time for fun things, not necessarily with each other. In my opinion, Chuuya needs someone calmer than Dazai and Akutagawa needs someone who's patient but still outgoing. Of course, I believe that with any Akutagawa ship, he needs to be less obsessed with Dazai to be more in tune with his partner. I think Chuuya could help him move past this because of his specific position in Akutagawa's life as a coworker and someone who knows Dazai pretty personally. Overall I like that this ship, like my other favorites, is pretty balanced power-wise, has a great aesthetic, is on opposite ends of the personality spectrum, and has room for "missing or behind the scenes" fanfictions. Also the possibilities for AUs (from mayoi alone we get detectives and bandmates)!

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Not sure since there aren't several fans I've talked to about Chuuaku, but I'm gonna use this opportunity to say that these are the top songs that remind me of them: I Will Follow You into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie, Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne, Better Than Me by The Brobecks, Easily by Bruno Major. Perhaps my unpopular opinion would be that they're actually just very domestic.

Thanks for the ask!

#asks #chuuaku #bsd #bsd ships #chuuya nakahara #akutagawa ryuunosuke

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pilferingapples · 2 years ago

Note

your questions for the meme! 1. what's your favourite wearable green object you own? 2. what wearable green object do you most wish you owned? 3. did you have a different Life Passion before you fell into les mis/french romanticism? 4. what is your very most favourite fact about gautier? 5. what are your opinions about christmas?

ooh these are fun, thank you:D

1- aaah I have so many good Green Clothes and some of them are even made by dear friends so I CANNOT choose a favorite BUT I do have a Most Frequent and it's this shawl :

It was made by a weaver who works the renfair circuit with a wooden loom! I get to go see her every year and anyone can watch her working! I know where she got the yarn and everything and I do in fact love knowing how almost every step of the process went! But also it's just a fantastic shawl, keeps me warm in the light-cool of spring and autumn and keeps the sun off my shoulders in summer. Heck, I wore it today (Texas. it was 72 F) and it was just the right Extra Warm over my sundress. And it goes with every dress I own! The joys of a chromatically unified wardrobe :D So: this!

2. what wearable green object do you most wish you owned? ...MAGIC CLOAK THAT LOOKS LIKE LUNA MOTH WINGS AND ENABLES ME TO FLY More mundanely, I'd love to get a custom corset by someone local enough I can actually go to them for a fitting? I've had customs before but I've always had to do my own measurements etc and do it by mail and I am just NOT an expert, even with muslins. There's just no one close by who does what I want, a peril of living in the middle of nowhere. :/

3. did you have a different Life Passion before you fell into les mis/french romanticism? HAH I had many!! Part of why the current situation is so enduring is because it fused many of them into one. But oh one that's stayed with me but I don't talk about much here is comics? Just. The art and structure of them! The potential! I kinda stopped talking about them in general spaces because STILL when I say " comics" people go " oh superheroes" and NO NOT SUPERHEROES THAT'S A GENRE, that's like hearing " books" and responding with " oh yeah, Harlequins" YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT LIKE TWO PUBLISHERS AGAINST A WHOLE MEDIUM , THEY MAY BE THE MOST POPULAR BUT THEY DO NOT GET TO DEFINE THE WHOLE FORM AAAAH anyway read Scott McCloud and also talk to me about the comics you love 4. what is your very most favourite fact about gautier? gkdghl I tried to write about the actual thing I've been turning over in my head lately but it got Too Long So for now: he started doing his arts columns with the idea that there should be someone critiquing art and writing who actually liked it

and then!! He was so positive about art shows and plays that some artists got together and tried to figure out how to make him stop because even though everyone agreed his critiques were accurate and honest, they were afraid they wouldn't be taken seriously without meaner reviews???

(they were unable to make him stop being nice?!? it was the lowest stakes conspiracy ever and it FAILED skflashgsakgh)

5. what are your opinions about christmas?

there are DECORATIONS there are COOKIES there are PRESENTS

there are THINGS TO DO that are actually accessible for me because lots of general-public events are being planned for people with limited stamina and wheeled mobility aids

there are GHOST STORIES

there is A STOP MOTION ANIMATION SPECIAL ABOUT SANTA BEING RAISED BY SOCIALIST FAIRIES

I don't approve of it taking over the entire back half of the year and i fully respect that it is aggravatingly dominant to anyone who's not into it but . I am in fact EXTREMELY into it. There's just so much completely weird lore and so many excitingly bizarre traditions, it's Haunted and Blessed in equal amounts, how could I, personally, ever not enjoy it?

#I am leaving out the sappy stuff on the last one too #but gosh it's such a wonderful weird time #anyway!#thank you! this was super fun #natter

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grahasblackmage · 2 years ago

Text

Reminisce

Pairing: Alyss Leonhart x G'raha Tia

Summary: G'raha and Alyss talk about their childhoods while gazing at the Crystal Tower late one night.

A/N: This came from a question one of my friends asked in our Discord about "what is a striking feature about your WoL that people notice first." So for Alyss it would be the scar on her cheek and I finally came up with a background for it. This one shot is basically piggybacking off that idea.

Takes place during ARR Crystal Tower Raids~

The night was crisp with a slight chill due to autumn approaching but that didn't bother the two Miqo'tes that were gazing up at the Crystal Tower and the night sky. The sky was devoid of any clouds granting a splash of stars across the sky that shined almost as bright as Syrcus Tower. G'raha had his arms wrapped around Alyss as she was nestled against his chest. The day had been long with fighting their way through the Labyrinth to reach the entrance of the Tower. So many traps and obstacles blocked the way but was not a hard feat for Alyss. G'raha thought it was incredible how Alyss faced the trials ahead of her without fear of what laid beyond those doors. This only made the Baldesion scholar admire the Warrior of Light even more.

After spending a few weeks together, they both have grown closer and closer to one another. First it was small glances and subtle smiles only to progress into checking in on one another to make sure one of them was taking care of themselves, sitting close while going over research into a book and brushing their fingers against the others. It was only when that night G'raha and Alyss snuck out of the camp to meet at the entrance of the Tower did they promise to travel together, sealing their promise with a kiss. As much as G'raha wanted to uncover the secrets of the Tower, he wished to run off on the adventures he and the Warrior would take. For now, he was content to be with her like this.

They were both restless and decided to spend time together away from prying eyes. No doubt that members of the Sons would poke fun at G'raha for getting close to the Warrior of Light. The last thing that he and Alyss needed were rumors of them throughout the encampment. They knew that this place was secluded and quiet; their own little getaway.

As Alyss' gaze was fixated on the Tower, she could feel her eyelids grow a little heavy. With the warmth of G'raha's embrace and hearing his heartbeat, she felt like she could fall asleep right here. Feeling his the back of his fingers lightly graze her cheek where her scar was had slightly awakened her from her daze.

"I never asked," G'raha started, "how did you get this scar? No doubt from a great battle."

Alyss lazily smirked and closed her eyes, "Stupidity."

Memories began to flood back to her as she began to elaborate, "I was stupid child and thinking I could take on the creatures of the Black Shroud." She let out a sigh and moved closer to G'raha as if to find more comfort in his arms as she told her story. "I had so badly wanted to be a great Black Mage like my grandmother. After hearing the tales of her youth as a fearless Black Mage, I couldn't help but admire her and want to be like her. I viewed her as the strongest person in my life... especially since she was all I had left after my mother passed."

"I'm... sorry," G'raha spoke softly as he slightly pulled his hand away from her face, "You don't have to dwell on such things."

Alyss shook her head, "No... it's all right. I just... never really talked to anyone about this before... or opened up about my childhood." She turned her head slightly to look up into his mismatched eyes, "I had learned some basic spells from my grandmother like Fire I and Blizzard I but that was the extent until I could master those. I was stubborn and wanted to learn more so I had made my way to the Central Shroud where I knew I could cast magic onto ladybugs and shrews. Little did I know I was near a nest of diremites. My Blizzard had strayed from a shrew and struck one, instantly angering the creature. The damn thing came barreling towards me and I did my best to dodge its attacks but one of its claws struck my face, giving me the scar." Alyss lightly touched the scar, "Thankfully, before it could kill me, my grandmother saved me by casting Fire IV on the diremite, instantly killing it. She was relieved I was all right but I got a severe scolding when we got home. Had me doing extra chores and no Black Mage lessons for two months."

G'raha gave a lopsided grin, "Tough love but you could tell she was grateful you were safe."

"Yeah, "Alyss huffed out a laugh, "I was furious with her but of course to a twelve year old, it was unfair. As an adult, I see why she did it."

"When I was growing up in my tribe, that's what my father gave me... at least, that's what I keep telling myself," G'raha replied softly.

Alyss frowned slightly and could see G'raha's gaze was off to the side, "Why is that?"

G'raha looked back at her but had a slight pained look on his face, "Instead of my father comforting me, he would tell me to tough it out and stand up to the other kits in the tribe. I was constantly bullied by them because of my eyes."

"Kids can so cruel," Alyss huffed, "If I was there, I would have kicked every one of their arses. I wouldn't let anyone treat my friends like that."

G'raha chuckled and smiled at her, "I have a feeling we would have been good friends."

"Best of friends," Alyss corrected giving him a sweet smile, "Besides, I love your eyes... they are very unique."

Alyss felt her face grow hot after she said that only for G'raha to give her a tender look while stroking her cheek lightly, "Thank you..."

G'raha leaned down to brush his lips against Alyss' only for her to slowly close her eyes. She nearly shivered from feeling his fingers continually stroking her cheek and nearly gasped as his lips pressed to hers. She melted against him as the kiss warmed her to her toes. After their first kiss, they were only able to share quick kisses and away from everyone at the camp. Slow and languid kisses like this made Alyss realize that G'raha really did care for her and he wasn't after something more. He always checked to make sure that she was eating and resting when she needed to; as she did for him. Every time she would glance at him, she felt like her stomach had moogles dancing around. She had the same feeling when he would smile at her and wiggle his ears a little. When he kissed her, she felt like the whole world has stopped and that they were the only two people. Even though they had known each other for only a few weeks, Alyss knew she couldn't let G'raha out of her sight. They had a strong connection she knew she had to hold onto that.

Growing up, she couldn't make friends with any of the children from her village and relied on her grandmother for any kind of friendship. She was so determined to become a Black Mage that it became her only goal. After the passing of her grandmother, she decided to travel to Ul'dah to join the Thaumaturges' Guild. After meeting a mysterious stranger, she had no idea what was in store for her when joining the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. She knew now that if she hadn't spoken to Thancred, she definitely wouldn't be here now with G'raha. Destiny was a funny little thing. This made her think of G'raha's childhood and how he mentioned he was sent to Sharlayan to stay with the Students of Baldesion to escape the Garleans due to G'raha having the eye of Allag. Alyss felt her heart break knowing that G'raha was forced to leave his home and travel far away from his family to a new place. Still he learned to adjust, made a name for himself, achieved his Archon marks and is now leading NOAH. She admired him for that.

G'raha pulled away to look down at her, "Are you all right? Did you want to go back to camp?"

She slightly shook her head and looked at him with worry, "Not yet... I want to stay with you a little longer."

She saw G'raha's cheeks turn a couple shades of red but maintained his sweet smile, "We'll stay as long as you want."

Alyss wanted to respond with "forever" but pressed her lips to his so she wouldn't embarrass herself to which G'raha gladly reciprocated her kiss. Alyss was grateful to have G'raha since it felt like he actually understood her and treated her like a normal person instead of the Savior of Eorzea or the Warrior of Light. She knew that there was a reason her and G'raha were brought together. Their destinies were now intertwined.

#ff14 gpose #ffxiv gpose #ff14 #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy xiv screenshots #final fantasy xiv fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv fic #graha tia #wol/g'raha #wolship #miqo'te wol #miqo'te #g'raha/wol

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pmwritesandpoems · 1 year ago

Text

A Timeless Hogwarts Legacy: Why do You Have to be so Mean? (2/16)

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy Main Title: A Timeless Hogwarts Legacy Pairing: Ominis Gaunt/Original Female Character Tags: Romance; Hurt/Comfort; Angst; Fluff; Friendship; Mutual Pining

Chapter: 2/16 Title: Why do You Have to be so Mean? Word Count: 4,537

Last Chapters: AO3 (All Chapters): AO3 Tumblr: Chapter 1

Last Chapter Preview:

“Enchanted to finally meet you, Mr. Gaunt.” Evelyn said with a smile.

“Enchanted to meet you too as well, Ms. Rose.” Ominis responded. Comforting silence accompanied them as they smiled at each other. Until Ominis cheekily continued, “Although, I must remind you again to not. Tell. Anyone. About the secret place you so stumble upon yourself.”

Evelyn laughed. She hoped that this interaction was the very first page, not where her story with him line ends.

Reminder:

I won't mention the main character house, you could choose her house yourself

You could change my original character name with yours, I’ll try my best to not mention her skin, hair, and eye colour so you could match it with your own.

I am no expert of the Victorian era, the use of the calendar system, etiquette, and many other things from the said era are changed as I see fit to support the story. Several insertions of modern era culture will be present as well to support the story.

You could also read this on AO3.

Enjoy!

2. Why do You Have to be so Mean?

Late Autumn 1890

It was freezing. Evelyn started to move in the direction of the staircase that led down from the upper astronomy viewing deck while still feeling the chill of the late-autumn air in her already trembling body. Since the shivering became greater with each stride she made, her steps are a little shaky. She hated the cold so much.

“Merlin, I never thought Professor Shah would actually make us observe the stars in this weather.” She complained to herself while trying to get more warmth by rubbing her hands.

“Yeah, she tends to do it.” A voice came from nowhere.

“Ah!” Shocked, Evelyn accidentally bumped into the girl beside her. “Sorry.” She apologised to the Slytherin girl, who was clearly annoyed that her stargazing was interrupted.

“But, isn’t it fun? You could see the stars clearer in winter,” The boy who surprised her continued.

Evelyn rolled her eyes, “Yes, it is a bit fun. Until the cold seeps in and hypothermia kicks in.” She then shied away from the girl she bumped into earlier, who was still giving her the killing glare even though she had already apologised. She sighed, “Or die because of someone’s death glare.”

Evelyn continued her way down in search of warmth. She needed something warm to drink or eat. Maybe the dinner hadn’t finished yet in the great hall. Oh how she wanted the—

“Sorry for that.”

Evelyn’s steps halted when she heard the boy talking again. She almost forgot about him. She sighed again and hugged herself before finally turning to see the boy who had surprised her. At least he has a friendly face. Evelyn knew him. From potions, if she remembered correctly.

“Hello again! I can't believe we haven't met again. I'm Amit. Amit Thakkar? We met in potion class.”

Evelyn nodded. She was right. “No need to be sorry.”

“I like Astronomy better since there’s less explosions,” he joked, probably to lessen the mood.

She smiled at the joke and hugged herself tighter due to another chilling wind passing through her. Her voice was low, “Well, I prefer potion with its explosions over freezing to death, thank you very much.” Amit laughed, and Evelyn continued, “Nice to meet you again, Amit.”

“I couldn’t help it. I love astronomy.” He smiled, curiosity in his voice, “Anyway, did I hear Professor Shah say that you don’t have your own telescope?” Sheepishly, he continued, “I... have a spare one you could borrow for the rest of the term.”

Evelyn was shocked by the boy once again. Her eyes went wide and both of her eyebrows shot up. Giving his old telescope? Isn’t it too much?

But with the Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment being out of reach in Diagon Alley and her economic situation entering a period of obligatory frugality, Evelyn eventually decided to accept Amit’s overly kind offer. However, she decided to ask Amit again for his willingness to give her his old telescope. “That’s very kind of you, Amit. Are you sure you won’t need it?”

“I’m certain. It’s my old one.” Amit spoke confidently. He began to talk animatedly. “I finally got my hands on the new Celestia Contemplor. You’ve heard of it. I assume? I mean, of course you have. It’s only the pinnacle of all personal stargazing implements.” He smiled with so much pride and then cleared his throat, “But my old model’s not too shabby either. Goblin-cut glass, first-rate optical enchantments... Hate to think such a fine instrument is just collecting dust.”

With her brain thinking only about how to get warm, Evelyn had a hard time listening to Amit fully. But thankfully, she still got the gist of it. Amit was giving her probably the best telescope in the world—well, second best after his. “Well I—um, I—thank you, Amit.” She said sincerely.

Amit shook his head, “Think nothing of it. Anyway, the telescope’s in the storage room right underneath us. You can’t miss it.”

Evelyn nodded. Storage room, below. A telescope that probably looks brand new.

Amit nodded as well and nervously continued, “I have some, uh, reading to finish on the lower deck. Come find me there afterwards—and bring the telescope. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Evelyn felt there’s something he hadn’t said yet, but she ignored her doubts as she saw the boy leave her behind. Even if there’s a catch to the telescope, it wouldn't be as hard as the keeper's trials, would it? She then walked to the opposite side of Amit's direction, where the stairs to the storage room were. Still hugging herself, Evelyn stepped down the stairs and found Amit’s telescope lying neatly on the desk beside the last step.

Astonished, Evelyn took the practically shining telescope, checking in from one end to the other, asking herself, “This was his old telescope? It’s practically brand new!” She grinned, “Called it.” She then tucked the telescope in her pocket and began her way back up.

“Now where is the snake constellation?” Evelyn heard a boy grumble as she took her third step up. She had a hunch about who was speaking. What was his name again? The one who was helping her in her first herbology class? Ah, yes, Prewett. Leander Prewett.

“Do you mean Serpens?” Another boy spoke. Now that’s a voice Evelyn definitely knew. She couldn’t be wrong to recognise the one who got her into trouble in her first class of potions. The red-headed ‘my aunt is the deputy headmistress and I am her pain in the arse’ Garreth Weasley.

With frustration in his voice, Leander answered, "I don't even know, Garreth."

“Hurry Leander. M-My brain is beginning to shut down because of the cold. Professor Shah’s just about as cold and distant as the bloody stars she wants us to chart.”

Evelyn giggled at Garreth’s comment. Well, she herself was also beginning to shut down. It was nice to know that she wasn't the only one who thought the professor was cruel. Even though Garret’s remark about the stars being cold was completely wr—

“Well if she assigned us to find a snake in Hogwarts, we would’ve probably been in our dorm room by now. It’s obvious where the snakes at Hogwarts are.”

Leander's fuss made Evelyn stop her thoughts. She obviously didn’t like his accusation, but decided it was none of her concern. She began her way up to the upper astronomy deck, taking the steps with a shiver.

“I-If it is a joke, I can’t laugh a-at it right now. M-my mind is fr-freezing.” Evelyn heard Garreth's frustration between his shivers.

“Well, you do know there is a house at Hogwarts that has a snake symbol on its crest? The house of cunning snakes and soon-to-be dark wizard hangout.” Evelyn's steps halted just as she arrived at the upper deck. Her eyebrows raised as she heard what the taller Gryffindor had said.

Leander then focused himself again on his telescope, probably still searching for the serpent in the sky. Before continuing with a tone full of accusations, “Even the direct descendant of probably the father of the dark arts is there. Surely the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. His ‘depression’ in being a Slytherin is obviously a farce. He’s probably practising the dark arts in secret and Merlin knows what he’s done with all the secrets he knows, being Salazar Slytherin’s descendant. I’ve even heard rumours that he even found a secret chamber that contains a dangerous beast that only submits to pure blood who understands snakes.” Leander stopped stargazing and chuckled at the other redhead beside him, “He might be planning something ominous. Get it?”

Garreth stayed silent at his friend’s joke, probably not expecting all the things that came out of Leander’s mouth.

Leander shivered and complained, “Ugh, maybe he could find this damned serpent constellation sooner than us…” He snickered, “But, then again, how could he?” And then swayed one of his hands in front of his eyes.

“Did the cold get into your b—”

“Why do you have to be so MEAN?!” Evelyn’s shout could be heard throughout the observation deck. Everything became silent. Even the wind stopped breezing.

Garreth, who was cut before he could give Leander a piece of mind himself, slowly stepped away, seeing how the new fifth year student was angry. He saw how Evelyn stormed towards the Gryffindors and shouted at Leander. Still shivering but reluctant to go as he wanted to see how Leander would end, Garreth stood approximately five steps away from them. He had been the recipient of Evelyn’s wrath before—the first potion class accident—and he didn’t want to be in that position. Ever. Again.

Startled, Leander stammered as he answered, “W-what?!”

"You heard me," Evelyn said, still in a high voice. Why you have to be so mean?”

“Mean?” Confusion could be heard in Leander’s voice.

In a matter-of-fact tone, Evelyn answered, "Yes. You’re mean. You pointed out and made fun of other people's flaws.” Anger then made her tone go up, “It is not a flaw in the first place!”

“I did—”

Evelyn was furious, saying, “How dare you?! Mock others behind their backs, ridiculing who you found different, and giving Merlin knows what gestures, while knowing that he, can’t, see it!” Evelyn then poked Leander’s shoulder in every word, “How, dare, you!”

Stunned and awkwardly stepped back with every poke he got, Leander responded in panic, “I—”

Full-on rage Evelyn ignored him, “You dare to call him something he is not. You dare to accuse him of something he certainly didn’t and won’t do. And you dare to spread rumours about him, when you don’t even know who he is! Do you even talk to him? Have you ever tried to have a conversation with him?!”

“Ominis and—”

“Don’t you dare say his name.” Evelyn cut off the boy's attempt to explain. She then continued sceptically, “Did you really see he was faking his depression? Did you really see him practising the dark arts? Hmmm?” Seeing Leander's face becoming red, her scepticism quickly turned into sneering, “Or did you just hear it from Merlin knows where since your ear is soooo big, it must catch all the gossip. Even from the merpeople of the black lake!”

Satisfaction came to Evelyn when she heard Garreth chuckle and saw Leander’s face beginning to redden even more. But it was not enough. “And about the secret chamber, maybe you’re the one who found it? You can certainly listen to all the whispers in this school. Even if it’s nonsense.”

Leander’s face was as red or even redder than a tomato. Desperately, he said, “I didn’t me—”

“Stop with your excuses.” Evelyn cut the poor boy again. Stern in her voice made it more prominent, “The more you talk, the more I know how lonely and pathetic you are. You called and picked on a man you thought was weaker than you. Never realise it was yourself who was weak.”

Evelyn paused. She held her head high in pride, “Ominis will be one of the greatest wizards of the century.” And then she narrowed her eyes to Leander, “And all you're ever going to be, is mean.” Her gaze contained so much repulsion that it made Leander cower. “Mean, old, man, who is alone in life, drunk all the time, and could only grumble to his own pathetic self.”

“I—”

“I’m not done yet.” Another cut from Evelyn. Solemnly, she warned, “If you still have even an ounce of conscience in yourself, you listen here and listen to me well, Leander Prewett. Stop with all your nonsense thinking about Ominis and Merlin knows, anybody else you got a whiff of rumours about. Purge yourself of this pathetic way of living. If you really want to insult them, at least do it in front of their face. Not behind them like a coward.”

With his face already more scarlet than his own ginger hair, Leander just stood there after hearing what the new fifth year had said. Five steps aside, Garreth was doing all he could to suppress his laugh. Which was failing as he snorted two times in a row. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, scared to ruin the solemn mood. This was better than Garreth ever imagined. The cold he felt clearly paid off. It was the best astronomy class session ever.

Evelyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Calmly, well, as calm as she could be, she continued, “So, Leander Prewett.” Her eyes looked straight into the embarrassed ginger’s eyes. “Why do you have to be so mean?”

“I….have no excuses.” In defeat and guilt, Leander sighed, “I am sorry.”

Content with his answer, Evelyn finally calmed down completely. She spoke softly, “Tell it to the one you insulted.”

Still rooted to his spot, Leander said meekly, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.”

Evelyn nodded and walked away, continuing her way to the lower deck. Not realising the other ginger followed her to the lower deck until he finally spoke jokingly, “I'm glad that I wasn't the one making you angry this time.”

Evelyn shrugged. “Well, I never thought he’s such a mean.”

“Leander sometimes doesn't think about what he’s saying.” Garreth said matter-of-factly. He then quickened his pace so he could face Evelyn as he spoke. Two steps ahead of her, looking straight at her, he teased, “But, he might not be in the near future. After what I dare call ‘a magnificent to watch scolding’ you gave him.”

Evelyn stopped when she’s at the same step as the ginger. Her eyebrows raised, she questioned the boy seriously, “I see that you want some scolding as well?”

His body rigid, Garreth replied, “No ma’am.” He continued seriously, “Sorry ma’am.”

Evelyn broke out in laughter after seeing Garreth’s antics. Garetth laughed with her as well, and they started to descend more. The laughter ceased at the bottom of the stairs. Seeing Garreth’s smile, she suddenly remembered what he said earlier. “Actually, stars are very hot.” Evelyn said.

“What?”

“The stars.” Evelyn gestured at the sky and said, “When you’re complaining and making fun of our professor? You said that she’s as cold as the stars.”

“Uhh….” Confused, Garreth scratched his head as he tried to comprehend what Evelyn just said.

“It was actually hot. Like the sun. The star of our solar system?”

“Ooookay…?” Still confused, Garreth decided to change the topic, “Anyway! This is not how I wanted to spend my evening. But thanks to you, it was quite entertaining.”

Evelyn smiled and bowed like an actress after her performance. “You’re welcome.”

Garreth smiled and put his hands in his pocket. Playfully, he asked, “So...if someone said mean things about me in front of you as well, would you come to defend me too?”

“Well—”

“Or is it just Ominis?”

Evelyn felt blood rush to her cheeks as soon as she heard what Garreth had said. She really didn’t find the answer to Garreth’s question. Of course she would stand up for her ginger friend as well, but to that extent? To the point where she also insulted the preparator?

“No comment.” She muttered, turned away immediately, and took rapid steps away from the ginger. She didn’t care where she was going. She just wanted to get away from Garreth and avoid further shame as soon as possible.

Garreth smirked and began to run to catch up with the running new fifth year, “Hey, Eve! Wait for me!”

Evelyn was walking down to the great hall after finally escaping Garreth when a playful voice came out of nowhere.

“Soooo…you think Ominis will be one of the greatest wizards of the century?” Sebastian caught Evelyn off guard. She stopped walking, making the brunette bump into her.

“Oof!” Sebastian distanced himself a bit from Evelyn, rubbing his impacted chest. “Are you that surprised that I know everything?” He said with a smirk.

Evelyn rolled her eyes and turned to him, Oh, please.” With her hands crossed in front of her chest, she continued, “Do tell me where you get that nonsense.”

“Leander suddenly apologised to Ominis when Ominis and I passed him a couple minutes ago. He is still listening to Leander as we speak. It was so awkward that I had to step away.” He shivered. “Look! My hair stands up when I remember it.” Sebastian gave Evelyn a clear view of his arm, its hair, indeed, was standing up. "I believed it might shower frogs soon," he said, trembling. But then the tremble stopped and a grin began to appear on Sebastian’s face, growing wider as the seconds went by, “Until I bumped into Weasley and finally knew that you’re actually the cause.”

Evelyn swore to herself that if she could, she would rip the grin off Sebastian’s face. But she couldn’t, so she turned and began to walk away with annoyance from the grinning brunette, quickening her pace as she went, wanting to get away as soon as possible.

Sadly, two steps Evelyn took were basically just one step for Sebastian, who has longer legs than her. Evelyn's attempt to get away failed quickly, as he caught up to her with just two strides. He continued to tease the poor girl, “I saw what you did to Weasley in the previous potion class. So I know how scary you are when you’re mad.” With disappointment, he said, ”Though I’m sad that I didn't get to witness you in action this time.”

Evelyn stopped, making the brunette surprised and halted late, just a few paces in front of her. “Continue to bother me,” she said, giving him a death glare, “and you will be the next one.”

Continuing her steps, Evelyn threw her head in a different direction as she walked past him. However, her threat wasn't perceived as one by Sebastian, who then chuckled and continued his steps until he took his previous spot on her left, and continued his teasing, “Cooome ooon, you’re practically a hero!”

Sebastian placed his hand on Evelyn's left shoulder, bringing them both to a halt. He turned Evelyn around to face him. With a straight face and in all seriousness in the world, he said, “Protecting and defending someone,” his eyes looking straight at hers, “when they didn’t even know they needed it.” His voice became more emotional, “You made me proud.” Then he annoyingly feigned to be touched and cried out of one eye. His hand wiped the imaginary tears.

Irritated, Evelyn shoved his hand off her shoulder and exclaimed, “I just did what a good. Human. Being would do!” She pouted, “Don’t taunt me about it!”

Sebastian laughed at her reaction. “I am sorry, but this is simply too good. I mean, you even made Leander tell Ominis what he did and apologise for it!” He exclaimed. Sebastian laughed more, making Evelyn sulk even more than before. “He never did it before!” He added.

Evelyn could only cross her arm, waiting for his annoying laugh to cease and for him to continue. Sebastian took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. I’m good. I won’t laugh again. I promise.” He proceeded to put his hand on Evelyn’s shoulder, “You really are a Hero.” He grinned and added, “At least to me. Thank you for the much needed laugh.”

For the second time today, Evelyn wished she could punch Sebastian as hard as she could. But, lucky for him, she took the high road and a deep breath. “Just stop bothering me, please.” She pleaded tiredly.

Another jesting voice came out of the blue, “Yeah Sebastian, quit harassing our saviour."

Evelyn groaned when she realised who it was from the softer tone the voice had. There’s only one person she knew who has that soft yet firm, sumptuous yet humble voice. You know, the one for whom she stood up so valiantly before? Yeah, that one. The one and only, Ominis Gaunt.

“Ugh, you’re just as awful as he is.” Evelyn grumbled as she turned towards the blonde on her right.

“I am only giving back what I received.” He joked with a smile making its way to his face.

“Ah, here he is, the damsel in distress who was rescued by our valiant hero.” Sebastian teased.

Ominis rolled his eyes. “Well, I never listen to the rumours since I don’t care about what people think about me in the first place. People already judge me with whatever prejudice they have when they hear my last name.” With sarcasm practically dripping from his voice, he chuckled, “I wouldn’t stand a chance of changing the spotless reputation of Gaunt that has been built hundreds of years ago. A gleaming reputation, which I should thank for helping me gain numerous acquaintances throughout my youth.”

Evelyn's heart wrenched when she heard it. It must be difficult to be judged solely on the basis of your name. People might be avoiding him unintentionally since Gaunt's name had long been associated with cruelty and the dark arts. Ominis, on the other hand, was not like that. He might be rough at first…she wouldn’t lie about it. But she found that he was a good person. With him assisting her with the schoolwork—begrudgingly, Evelyn noted, since he always scolded her first before showing her the correct way—and navigating the halls of Hogwarts whenever he found her as lost as a blind kitten—again, Evelyn perceived he did it reluctantly because he always complained about it for the entire journey to her destination—for the past few months since their first full conversation in front of the Undercroft entrance, Evelyn believed he must be a very good friend. Not to mention how much he cared for Sebastian. Evelyn could only hope she would have the honour to have him as one in the future.

Trying to clear the air from the bleakness he created himself, Ominis cleared his throat. He stepped closer to Evelyn and moved his body towards her before saying softly with a smile, “But, it is nice to know that someone has my back.”

Evelyn felt her stomach flip once again. She didn’t know why, but the combination of his soft voice, his genuine smile, and his body gesture that made her sure he was talking to her and her only made Evelyn feel... warm. Even though he didn’t really see straight into her eyes. And Evelyn thanked Merlin he didn’t. She couldn't bear the thought of him seeing her in her flushed state.

“Hey, I've got your back too!” Sebastian, who was in the middle, joined the conversation and ruined the moment.

Ominis chuckled and took a step back, giving space to Sebastian. Evelyn felt sadness as she saw the distance between her and Ominis grow wider. He then responded to the brunette sarcastically, “Well, I am glad that someone else has my back. Someone whose solution is not necessarily a duel.”

“I can’t help it when someone practically begs for a battle with the best duelist in the school.” Sebastian boasted.

“Are you?” Evelyn said, frowning.

“Our last duel in the defence against the dark arts class was a fluke.” Sebastian replied smugly to the frowning girl. “Your victory was pure coincidence.”

Infuriated, Evelyn turned towards Sebastian and answered with her voice raised, “Oh, really?”

“Meet me at the clock tower entrance in the afternoon, and we’ll see who’s the best,” Sebastian smirked.

Evelyn attempted to rise to his challenge, but she thought it was an empty one and changed her mind. She shrugged and turned away from the brunette. “You simply cannot accept losing.”

Smirking, Sebastian taunted her, “And you’re too afraid to show that your last triumph was not. Blind. Luck.”

THAT struck a nerve. Evelyn took a step towards Sebastian and said menacingly, “Oh, it’s on.”

“Yeah?” Sebastian teased.

“Yeah!”

Ominis shook his head while he put his hands between the bickering pair and broke them up, “Sometimes I wonder how I could be friends with you both.”

Evelyn’s anger vanished as she realised what Ominis had stated. “I’m your friend?” She said, surprised.

“Well, after your performance at the astronomy tower, I would be an awful person to not consider you my friend.” Ominis said with a shrug. He then turned towards her, practically blocking all things from her view except himself because he had already stood so close to her when he stepped between her and Sebastian.

“I…” Evelyn was flabbergasted. Evelyn could hear her heartbeat increasing at an alarming pace with him so near. She tried to calm herself down, but when she looked up and saw him smiling, her efforts crumbled.

“Thank you, Evelyn.” He spoke tenderly.

And once again, ladies and gentlemen, Evelyn Rose felt her stomach churn. Her breath was taken away. Standing so close that her nose almost touched his, all she could focus on was his eyes…blue like the misty sea... Wake up, you moron!

Evelyn shook her head in an attempt to clear her head. She lowered her gaze and looked back up at him from under her lashes. Smiling shyly, she answered, “You’re welcome, Omi.”

Ominis smiled and something flipped again in Evelyn's stomach. Upset with all these new sensations, she concluded that there had to be something wrong with her. She decided to go to the hospital wing to check it out after this.

“Ooohh, a new nickname for Ominis.” Sebastian excitedly barged in and yet again ruined the moment. He continued animatedly over Ominis’s shoulder, looking delighted to both of his friends finally becoming friends, “Could I call you Omi too? Ominis is too long for me—I will call you Omi too from now on.”

“Don’t.” Ominis spoke sharply.

“Omiii,” Sebastian teased while shaking Ominis’s shoulder.

“Stop, or I will throw you into the black lake.” Ominis threatened. His wand pointed directly at Sebastian’s face without him turning his body.

Evelyn giggled at both of her friends. She was brimming with happiness as she saw them continue to squabble. She was glad that Ominis had finally accepted her as a friend. Hey, maybe she could finally ask about his wand! It was the purpose of her chase for him in the first place. It wasn't so much that she wanted to become friends with him only as to inquire about that. But it was more to...that’s the first thing she found intriguing about him.

“Excuse me,” A voice came out of the blue and stopped Evelyn’s thoughts. It was Nerida Roberts, the Slytherin girl who attended the same astronomy class as Evelyn. “Amit told me to notify you that he’s still waiting at the lower observation deck of the astronomy tower.”

“Eve? Are you okay?” Ominis asked Evelyn worriedly after hearing her sudden intake of breath.

“Merlin, I forgot!” She exclaimed, didn’t even realise the nickname she got, and ran as fast as she could back to the astronomy tower. Leaving two confused Slytherin boys and one Slytherin girl behind.

A boy in a Ravenclaw robe was seen standing on the lower deck of the astronomy tower. His breath made a misty cloud as he paced back and forth in hope of gaining warmth in the cold.

“Where is she?”

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