#I just now realised that I have been spelling his name wrong and I am the first Google result that comes up if you spell his name the way I+

[th3-c0ll3ct3r]

Vivziepop is genuinely too smart to make Octiva character a "repeat" or smth

I want to hold firm with the theory that Stella ( / Aldruphous cooked up this plan) , has slowly been removing bits of her happy memories with Stolas, so any progress that Octiva made with developing a relationship with her father is continually undone because they're removing her memories.

And imma say it's Stella's Goetia ability. Because let's be real, Aldruphous is a frosty boy and the only thing that's cold about stella is her personality

We already know from some live stream (not leaks like they happened on youtube) that Aldruphous was neglected as a child.

And I would like to argue making their sibling dynamic even worse that their step siblings

And that Aldruphous' farther never really lived up to the expectations he was meant to so in turn his mother was given a new husband. Making Stella, the perfect daughter and the rest is history.

Aldruphous won't really grasp the full aspect of why they couldn't have the same Dad but what he probably will understand is that he definitely needs to be better and that he needs to live up to greater expectations.

It would give him a motive that doesn't seem very blank and empty, and it would also explain a lot of things.

1. Why him and Stella lack alot of qualities. We know that goetia demons don't have to be birds, we've seen a Tiger/Cat demon before. And it's yet to be confirmed what species of birds Stella is. We know Aldruphous is a Peacock, but Stella looks nothing like a female Peacocks, and is labelled in the wiki as a "White avian".

It seems like a detail that was purposely left out so that it could suggest that the similarity between her and her brother is that they're both birds but not from the same species and that's what makes them different solidifying them a Step siblings.

2. Stella wasn't given the same or even similar "royal duties", and it would genuinely be a waste of a Goetia to literally give birth to them for the only purpose for them to get married. We know from live streams also that Stella was the favourite child, and in a world where power means everything why would you favour a child that has no power nor any responsibilities?? That's because her responsibilities and/ or her powers aren't made as evidence as other people's and is seen as useful yet a lesser power.

Aldruphous ability is probably time managed the cold, which in Hell doesn't seem too useful.

This leads me to point 3

3. Stella royal duties were desired and quite useful. As we know you can literally pass on royal duties and essentially magic abilities to people if they have the proper equipment to get there.

I would argue Stella was born with her "royal duties" /ability, and that's why she doesn't have a special item or a certain skill that could get her in trouble if she didn't have it because all she needed was herself.

And I believe Stella's power is emotional manipulation/ the ability to distort someone's memories and mental health.

In Helluva Boss mental health has been a large arc for alot of character, but always comes up with royalty, and it would explain how she gets what she wants.

How Aldruphous does get mad at her but then says "you're so lucky that you're beautiful". We know that for 1. He's covering up his sexuality. 2. He wants to seem more normal because he's very isolated. But what if it was because Stella as stupid as she is realized that she was the favorite child and then was able to use her abilities to make her older brother always see her as a beautiful, useful and Powerful even though she really isn't.

It would also explain why Octiva never really learns the morals of any of her memories but still remember them. Like she never gets the correct interpretation of the meanings that Stolas is trying to convey, but she remember them happening. And the reason why she can't remember the emotion from those moments is because Stella removed them, being advised by her older brother to keep them vaguely the same so that Stolas would not catch on but keep them different enough for her to resent him even after gaining his forgiveness.

Literally planting seeds of doubt within her memory that aren't true.

And for Stolas, when she said she was going to make him miserable she did it literally with her abilities. She made him so dependent on pills, and made him always seem in a continually state of depression, because she purposely wanted him to be miserable.

How she had so many friends and parties, because she emotionally manipulated people into liking her more.

The magical and goettic ability to have control over people's emotions and their emotions within memories.

4. Since they're immortal, there would be no need for Stolas and Stella to continue having more children as there would be no need to pass on the abilities. Stella could just have this power for realistically ever, or until they thought she'd lived long enough and they need a "just incase" heir. And because of this Octiva whether she had that power or not could just learn Stolas abilities if she didn't gain Stella's.

So yeah that's my helluva boss theory

TLDR: Aldruphous and Stella are step siblings, and reason why Stella was the favourite it's because her goettic magical is being able to distort the memories and the emotions within memories of people allowing her to manipulate her way through situations which explains Stolas doubt, misery etc... Aldruphous' obsession with her. And Octiva forgetting all the moral and lessons she had with Stolas. And the only reason why Octavia didn't inherit these abilities is because you had to be born with them and that's why Stella does not have a special magical item that could be stolen or used. It's because she's born with them.

[delwrites]

HI HI james is my pookie rn too and I'm craving fics so !!!!

consider. James with a really studious kinda reader (I'm thinking Ravenclaw but house doesn't have to be specified), academic rivals to lovers? like reader gets the best scores in most subjects but just can't manage to beat James in transfigurations? perhaps one day they find themselves struggling so much they just HAVE to ask him for help (as much as they hate to admit it) and they realize he's actually not as insufferable as they thought he'd be... then study sessions (cough dates cough) get more frequent and I think you can imagine where this is heading

hope you understand what I'm trying to say ^_^ you don't have to write this if you're struggling or don't feel like it but thanks in advance if you do 💋💋

an- i have to be honest, i didn’t write this alone… @koishua posted a list of prompts for academic rivals and i used a few, big shoutout to them thank you so much, they helped a bunch <3 this request was amazing, thanks babe!

James Potter loved to get on your nerves.

The smug bastard had seen how good you were in all your subjects, so he just loved to hold your greatest shame over your head; transfigurations. That bitch.

His annoying attitude paired with his holier-than-thou perspective vexed you to no end. But what irritated you the most was how genuinely gifted he was, when you could barely understand the simplest of spells. It was unlike you, and he knew it, and gosh he loved to rub your face in it. You dreaded every upcoming test, and no matter how hard you studied, it made no difference when it came to putting the theory into practice. You hated him and his smug fucking face.

His smug, handsome face. 

Before you had spoken to him, you almost could’ve sworn your heart jumped in your chest a little. Before he had opened his fat gob, you’d almost thought you actually found him sufferable. Oh how wrong you’d been. 

“Exam coming up, sweetheart. I can’t wait to rub my superiority in your face, again!” You rolled your eyes as James took his respective seat next to you. Regrettably, you’d allowed him to be your seatmate, the first day of lessons your eyes following him as he smoothly slid down on the shared desk next to you. You didn’t realise, at the time, just what you were getting yourself in for.

“Oh shut it, Potter, this time is the time I get you back, just you wait.” You spat his name out with as much venom as you could fathom, before he let out a surprisingly loud laugh at your words.

“Please, oh I’d love to see that!” The bastard. You’d show him, you just had to.

The next day was the first time where this pointless rivalry had faltered, it almost made you like him. Almost. You were sick, in bed all day with a flu that was going around. It was hardly anything serious, you weren’t exactly bedridden, but you didn’t want to pass it on to any of your respective classmates (although you wouldn’t mind poisoning a certain one). 

It was late afternoon, just after last period, when a certain displeasing bespectacled boy was at your dorm room door, rasping a melodious knock that tore a groan from your throat. 

“Come in!” He peeked his head around the door, a cheery expression faltering at your state, before coming back tenfold, a detail you missed having your arm thrown over your eyes. 

“You had no right to get sick!” He all but whined. You looked at him incredulously, baffled by his sudden outburst.

“Who am I supposed to annoy now?” 

“Well I didn’t mean to get sick!” You reply, exasperated by his antics, and the annoying tone his voice was piercing your brain with.

He smirked at you, happy you still had your argumentative nature with him, even in your state, before handing you a bundle of parchment.

“Uh, here.” He gives you a lopsided grin, best he could muster for you right now, before clasping his hands behind his back, rocking himself back and forth from the balls to the heels of his feet.

Upon reading the parchment, you instantly knew what he’d done. You furrowed your brows upon glancing over his notes (in aggravatingly nice handwriting, might you add).

“What, and the joke is they’re all wrong or something?” you say, clearly irritated, waiting for him to get to the point, hit you with the punchline. 

“No! No, I just, um, want my win to be a fair one, you know? Can’t have you falling behind, can we?” By this point, his feet had planted firmly beside your bed, hand going up to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly.

“I, uh, used my best handwriting and everything. I know you always complain about how ‘illegible’ it is so I, y’know, wanted to make sure you could read them…” he says, his hand then gesturing to the aforementioned papers in your grasp. All you could do was stare at them, trying to figure out his real intentions. James Potter wouldn’t just do something nice for you, would he?

Upon your silence, his brain scrambles to fill it, “You can read it, right?”. You feel a smile fighting onto your face, a genuine, stupid smile trying to unabashedly show itself. 

“Uh, yeah, yeah I can read it, idiot. Um seriously, I- thank you?”

“Wow, don’t have to sound so genuine.”

“No, James, seriously, it, um, it means a lot…” your eyes stick onto the post at the end of your bed, your duvet suddenly feeling suffocatingly warm. 

James can’t help but feel stunned at your use of his actual name. It felt silly, but he could feel your resolve crashing down before him, it made his own rear its head into the room, before he heard your door open, signalling his departure.

“Right, well I’ll, uh, see you later.” He gives you his best grin, teeth and all, before scooting past your friend to go back to his friends, a confusing blush covering his cheeks. Shit.

Your next lesson back, you couldn’t help but feel your anger tenfold. You had read over his notes and, for fucks sake, they were amazing. You already had a better understanding of the subject just after two, maybe three sides of parchment. I mean wow, what a dickhead. A super smart, super hot dickhead. You took your spot next to him, not daring to give him a glance.

“Woah, you’re awfully quiet. Finally realise I’m so much better than you at this?” He turns to you, smug smirk on his lips that you just wanna smack (kiss) off his stupid face. You turn to him as well, so suddenly that he almost flinches. 

“Teach me.” 

It certainly wasn’t what he was expecting you to say, but if it led to you here, now, like this, then boy was he glad. You were sitting practically thigh to thigh in the library after school, you requesting his help right up until dinner (or however much of it you could take until then). 

After around two hours of his help, you hated to say that you were already seeing improvement on your behalf. You’d never seen him so serious, not shy to crack jokes of course, but you could tell he was genuinely trying to help you. There were points where you couldn’t help but get distracted, watching his hands run over the pages, using them to further drive his points home, not shying away from the proximity like you desperately wanted him to. Every time you asked him to repeat himself, he’d poke your side, asking if he’s going too fast for you (not quite as teasingly as you’d expect him to, though), before repeating himself in a way that he deemed would make things more clear for you. It’s his fault, anyway. If he hadn’t been so close, so touchy, you wouldn’t get distracted in the first place. Hell, you could practically feel his breath on your neck. Despicable. You could only pray he couldn’t feel your heart rate speeding up, body temperature rising. If he knew the reason for your getting distracted, he sure as hell wasn’t showing it, at least having the decency of saving you the embarrassment. 

It all came to an end (sadly) when Remus came into the library, looking for a particular book and finding more than he bargained for. A smirk overcame his face, before walking over to you both, bending next to James’ ear to mutter a quick “Sirius has been looking for you,” and leaving you both to your devices as he continued scouring the library for his book, discreetly eyeing you both up. 

“Thanks again for, y’know, everything.” You say awkwardly, wringing your hands together in a manner which had his eyebrows creasing, lips in a straight line before sucking in a sharp breath, replying with a genuine, “Hey, I get it. Having a reputation to uphold and what-not, it can be a lot…” You just nod, eyeing up his face for any indication of him not meaning what he was saying, sniffing out any traces of a potential trap. 

“No really, you make a great teacher.” You beam up at him, the closeness of him making your breath catch in your throat, faces so close you could almost…

“I am brilliant, aren’t I?” Moment ruined. 

You let out a genuine (albeit, surprised) laugh in his face before gathering your ink and quill, putting all the parchment used into your bag and holding out a hand to him. 

“Truce?”

“Truce.”

[animeismyhappyplace]

Passion Blooms Under the Influence

Female MC x Barbatos Smut

Summary: After a quick study session with her tutor Solomon, MC finds herself feeling hot and bothered. Barbatos finds her and calms the heat scorching through her veins.

TLDR, MC gets dicked down by Barbatos 🥵

TW: Aphrodisiac use, mildly dubious consent due to aphrodisiac usage, they do cover consent but just to be safe, pet names, Barbs demon form makes an appearance, monster fucking I guess? (You'll see what I mean)

Word Count: 3,217

The last few weeks in the Devidom had been a bit of a blur for MC. Leviathan had summoned Lotan again after a fued with Mammon which left her room flooded and unusable luckily Diavolo offered her refuge in the Demon Lord Castle in one of the many spare bedrooms.

Today's lesson with Solomon had taken a weird turn, after practicing some simple spells they had gotten onto the topic of her little crush on the demon butler himself Barbatos. Her mentor had given her the usual pep talk about just being upfront about her feelings over a shared cup of tea, he had also given her a potion which he clamied would help boost her confidence in the matters of her heart before sending her on her way to her temporary home.

On her walk she noticed a prickling sensation starting to climb up her arms and down her legs. At first she brushed it off but the nearby demons began to start staring at her as her skin got hotter and hotter. In the end she had to teleport herself to the guest bedroom she'd been staying in to save herself, and the rest of her demon friends, too much public embarrassment.

Barbatos, being the immensely powerful demon he is, much have sensed the magical power entering the Demon Lord Castle and came to make sure the human exchange student was well after her trip out.

He knocks on her door a few times but when he doesn't get an answer he makes his presence known and enters the room, just to make sure she was unharmed, "MC, I assume your lesson went well?" He smiles as he opens the door before stopping in his tracks when he finally lays his eyes on the girl.

He sees her laid on the neatly made bed with her body streached out, sweat is streaked across her forehead and she's panting hard "B- Barbatos! Thank you for checking on me, I know you're probably busy..." She gulps down the saliva pooling under her tongue as he watches her curiously "It had been going well until Solomon gave me a potion to drink that he's currently working on and now I feel hot..." His green eyes flick from her body to her face as he watches her "Oh dear... Well... I'm here to take care of you, MC. You don't have to thank me, I am just doing what Lord Diavolo would expect me to do" He reaches his gloved hand down to push the hair back from her face causing her to shiver and push her body towards his retreating hand making him frown.

His finger curls under his chin as he thinks about your predicament "Did he tell you what the potion was for?" She shakes her head as she lifts her body to rest her weight on her elbows to look at him better "Just said... It would help me... Express feelings I've been hiding or something like that... I can't remember anymore". Barbatos can't help the hiss that falls from his lips as he looks away feeling irritation bubble in his chest "I have a... Suspicious of what that devious human has given you... Let's see" He hums as he returns his hand to her forehead, pushing his fingers through the strands of her hair and down to lightly caress her cheek watching to see her reaction to the soft and almost non existent stimulation.

MC can't help the whines that tumble past her lips as she tilts her head back to present her neck to the demon before she realises what she's done and gasps "I- I am SO sorry Barbatos... I don't know what's wrong with me" She looks down to the bedsheets with a slight pout before another wave of heat flows through her and she flops back down onto the bed, chest heaving.

Barbatos chuckles softly at her apology as he places one finger under her chin lifting her gaze to meet his own eyes. "Don't worry about it, MC." His voice is warm and soothing as he runs his gloved thumb over her lower lip, slowly trailing his way along her jawline as her tongue slips out of her mouth in an attempt to chase his clothed digits "I suspect Solomon has given you an aphrodisiac" Her eyes widen at his words before he continues "It would explain your temperature and your body's... Shall we say responsiveness..." His voice begins to trail off as he watches her intently.

She nods as she tries to take in his words "Is there any way to... Reverse it's effects?" Her fingers reach up slowly to hold his arm in place as she leans fully into his touch, Barbatos bites his bottom lip softly as he watches the human girl keen for his touch in ways he's dreamed of but never thought would become reality "We'd have to call the shady sorcerer himself to know for sure... But based on most aphrodisiacs the only way to rid you of the effects would be to-" He can't help but hesitate to finish the sentence but she nods to him to continue "You will need to satisfy your desires" He finishes with a slight blush dusted across his porcelain cheeks.

MC frowns for a moment confused before the realisation flashes across her face, a dark blush rising to her cheeks "Well with that I shall bid you farewell so you may... Rid yourself of your afflictions..." The demon clears his throat and bows with his hand across his chest before he turns to leave "NO!" She shouts across the room as she bolts upright grabbing his hand to stop him, she looks away from him embarrassed by her own neediness.

Barbatos stares down at her in surprise, his brow furrowing slightly as he waits for her next move. "No?" He can't help the grin that spreads across his face as he looks down to see the place on his uniform her hand has gripped to keep him from leaving the room. "I-" She can't quite find the words to ask him what she wants, she grips his arm tighter and tugs him towards her as she gets on her knees and comes to the end of the bed to face him.

Barbatos' smile grows as he sees her come to kneel before him, his hands come to gently caress her cheeks as he takes in her beauty. "Tell me what you want, MC" He mutters softly as he brings her face centimetres from his own. A shiver racks up her spine and settles in her chest as she feels his breath hit her lips "Will you help me Barbatos?" She reaches her hands up to hold the base of his neck enjoying their closeness.

Barbatos smiles softly as he hears her plea, leaning forward to bring his mouth to hers as he kisses her gently almost treating her like she's ready to break apart at his touch. As he does this, one of his hands slides around her waist and pulls her closer to him, bringing them both even closer together. "Of course, my dear. I'm always at your service" He whispers huskily as he pulls away just enough to speak and give her a moment to back away from him if she doesn't want to continue.

A loud whine escapes her at his words as she tugs his back to her kissing him with as much passion as she can "You can't say things like that Barb... It makes me feel so hot". His eyes widen slightly at her response but he quickly recovers and continues to kiss her passionately, running his tongue along her own and down to her jawline while his free hand goes to her hair, pulling it into a tight ponytail so he can run his fingers through it.

After a few moments he breaks off the kiss and looks deep into her eyes "Last chance to back out little lamb before I can no longer hold myself back". She shakes her head as she looks at him as seriously as she can given her almost delirious state of lust "Want this... Want you Barbatos" She runs her hands over his covered shoulders as she pushes his jacket off "Please". The last threads of his resolve break as he helps her remove his coat and tosses it aside, then wraps an arm around her waist and lifts her onto the bed beneath her, taking advantage of her smaller frame to get on top of her pinning her beneath him as he leans down to kiss her again. "My pleasure little lamb".

MC bites her lip as she looks up at him and whispers softly "You don't know how long I've wanted this" Her arms loop around his neck as she keeps him close to her, licking her tongue into his mouth as she starts to explores his body. He feels her lips press against his and gives in completely, wrapping his other arm around her back and pressing himself against her as he begins to explore her own body. "I can't guarantee I'll be gentle with you my dear" He says breathlessly, letting his tongue slip between her lips and dance with hers.

She nods quickly to show her understanding as she threads one of her hands into his hair tugging gently at his soft ombre locks while the other caresses her thumb against his cheek, continuing to kiss him while she pushes her hips up to grind against his covered length. He groans softly when she pulls his hair and presses their bodies together more firmly, enjoying every moment of her kisses as well as her grinding movements. His hands slide from her waist to her ass, squeezing and kneading the flesh he finds there as he moves his hips slowly against hers. "You're driving me crazy little lamb..." He confesses to her as he enjoys the slow rock of his hips against her own.

She gasps as she feels his length pushing against her already wet clothed pussy "N- Need you... Please~" She begs sweetly as she moves her head to kiss and bite gently at his bare neck. He smirks at her begging tone and moans quietly, using his free hand to push a lock of her hair behind her ear. As she nips at his skin marking him as her own he reaches for the clasp on her dress and undoes it, pulling the fabric away from her body and exposing her to his hungry eyes while he pulls his dress shirt over his head.

He bends his head down to softly kiss her neck before moving down to her collarbone and littering her skin with bites marking her in turn "Now everyone will know you're mine" He grins at her slightly possessively before returning to her heated body. He skillfully unclasps her bra exposing her breasts as he encases her pebbled nipple in his mouth.

She lets out an drawn out moan as he gently bites and suckles on her nipple teasing the sensitive bud before moving to her other breast giving it just as much attention until she's squirming against the bed desperately needing him further down her body. Sensing her frustration he gives each nipple one last lick before trailing more kisses down her body before finally sliding down further to lick and nibble her thighs. She shivers under his touch and arches her back pushing her body closer to his teasing mouth.

As Barbatos pulls himself upright he takes a moment to enjoy the sight of the young girl in front of him marked up and desperate, the view he has from above her is enough to make his hardened length throb with need let alone the thoughts that invade his mind of what he would like to do to her. MC spreads her legs for him and he can't help the chuckle that leaves his lips "So wet already. My my that aphrodisiac worked rather quickly" He pulls her soaked panties down her legs and throws them to the side watching as more slick leaves her pussy and trails down her thighs.

Barbatos lowers himself back down to the bed as he removes his gloves throwing them to the floor then places his bare hands onto her thighs pushing them further apart so he can place himself between them. He moans as he finally gets a taste of her essence, first licking up the lines of wetness that coated her inner thighs before giving her pussy a long lick from her hole to her clit "You taste, dare I say, heavenly my little lamb" The way he slurps up her wetness lights her body on fire, only contributing to the aphrodisiacs effects.

MC's thighs twitch as she grasps his hair with both hands tugging harshly and shaking her head with tears rolling down her rosy cheeks "S'too much! I need your cock" Her head tips back as she rocks pussy into his face moaning as she cants her hips forward despite her pleas for him to just fuck her already. Barbatos lets out another laugh at her impatience as he feels her pulling on his hair. Had it not been for the aphrodisiac he may had punished her for being in such a rush, maybe next time he thinks to himself with a sinister smile. His emerald eyes dart over to her breasts and he smiles softly at how she's trying to push herself towards him. With a firm grip on her thighs he holds her still and licks her again from bottom to top and back down once more before circling her clit with his tongue "Need to prep you MC" He slides two of his thick fingers into her waiting pussy rubbing them against her throbbing walls.

MC's hand reach backwards to grab the sheets and grip them in her hands as she moans loudly "Barb" She whimpers out as her body trembles underneath him. The feeling of her inner walls tightening around his fingers causes him to groan out as he looks up at her face. Her juices are flowing freely and coating his lips and chin. He gives her one last kiss on her abused clit before moving backwards he licks her juices off his fingers "I believe that's enough teasing now my dear".

Keeping her legs spread for repositions himself and gives his leaking member a few sharp tugs before he runs his cock down to her sopping pussy to collect her juices lubing up his cock before pushing himself into her slowly letting her feel every inch as the burn of the aphrodisiac slowly starts to decrease. The dark haired demon smirks as he watches her reaction, seeing the relief spread across her face as he pushes himself into her. A low moan escapes her lips as he enters her fully. He waits for her to adjust before starting to thrust inside her gently but firmly, Barbatos reaches one hand up and intertwines his fingers with hers as he holds their hands above her head while the the trails down her side to grip her ass pulling her leg over his own keeping her close to his body. Each time he pulls out he leans down and kisses her neck before pushing himself back in, knocking the wind sinfully out of her chest.

As he starts to build up his pace rocking into her harder and faster her unoccupied hand finds purchase on his waist holding onto her demon lover as he pistons his hips into her own making the bed shake and buckle under his immense strength. Barbatos lets go of her hand as he feels her pussy throb and tighten around his cock and grabs onto her hips tightly. He begins to pound into her harder and faster each time slamming her further up the bed, her moans and whimpers increase in volume her hands reach up to grip onto her pillow tight.

His own moans are getting louder as he feels his cock head leaking precum into her pussy, he starts to feel himself losing control of his emotions when he suddenly shifts into his demon form due to the pleasure that racks through his body. She can't help the gasp that escapes her as she feels his body change under her fingers, seeing his demon form only makes her skin burn hotter. MC's hand grips his waist tighter her nails leaving crescent shaped marks as she reaches her other hand up to his hair to grip the base of his bone like horns.

The sensation of her touch sends waves of pleasure throughout his entire being. He lets out an animalistic moan and slams himself deep inside her "'M not going to be able to hold on much longer" He grunts while snaking his hand down between them to rub his fingers against her swollen clit. Her legs shake as he plays with her sensitive nub, she wraps her legs around his waist while her hands grip onto the base of his horns and his fork ended tail wraps around her waist to keep her steady. She matches his thrusts the best she can moaning loudly as pleasure shoots down her spine at all of the stimulation.

Barbatos kisses her deeply before moving his lips to her neck letting his fangs pierce her skin as he bites down in an attempt to control his moans, the painful pleasure from his bite sends her body over the edge into orgasm as he licks at the wound he's left behind "Cumming! 'M cumming!" MC moans loudly gripping onto her lovers body to steady herself as she cums hard, legs shaking violently.

Her pussy clenching hard on his cock and feeling her hands gripping his horns is the last drop of stimulation he needs to finally cum, Barbatos grunts loudly as he releases his load inside her as he continues to pound away at her releasing every bit of cum he has left. After several minutes of his own body shaking he pulls out and collapses beside her panting heavily.

As they both lay beside each other coming down from their highs the demon pulls her body to him as he gives her a soft kiss on her lips "Feeling better?" He asks chuckling softly as she simply nods her head clearly tired "Yes...I'm good now." She finally replies resting her head on his chest as her fingers draw delicate shapes on his sweat soaked body. His fingers slip under her chin to lift her head as he shifts out of his demon form "I'm sorry for shifting like that" He mutters as he caresses her face.

She leans into his touch enjoying the tender moment between them "No need to apologise, you're beautiful no matter what form you take" She smiles at him as she closes her eyes an ache seeping into her bones. "Thank you for taking care of me Barb.." She whispers quietly to him before drifting off to sleep. He gives her one last kiss placed against her forehead "Anything for you, my little lamb" He grins to himself softly as he allows sleep to take over his spent body.

[emeritusemeritus]

Vulnera Sanentur [Weasley twins x reader]

Part 3

Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Title: Vulnera Sanentur

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader x George Weasley {established relationship}

Timeline: DH1- set during the battle of the seven potters. Canon and certain plot points have been altered for the needs of the story.

Summary: The battle of the seven Potters throws your world into chaos when one of your boyfriend’s is cursed. As Snape’s ex-potions assistant and previous protégée, you recognise the inflicted curse immediately and demand answers from your mentor.

Warnings: Angst, mentions of war and Voldy, descriptions of injury and blood, descriptive smut, p in v sex, shower sex, tension. Outside sex. Semi public sex. None sexual nudity. Crying. Snape has a soft spot for reader. Arguments. Probably some cursing. Mentions of nightmares. Reader is part of the Order of the Phoenix. Mentions of death (Dumbledore). Mentions of Tonks’ pregnancy. Not spellchecked nor beta read, we die like Madeye.

With a loud clack you were gone and appeared only moments later in a small, deserted park, surrounded by metal railings and vacant benches, knowing you had to be safe and not go straight to your destination. You set off on your little walk and in no time at all you were facing Grimmauld Place. With a flourish of you wand and a wordless charm, the building began to rumble and pull back, sliding out between the next door residences that were totally black in the dead of night until number 12 was clearly visible.

"Homenum revelio," you cast as you walked through the door, looking down at the slightly illuminated hallway, the dark walls and grotesquely gothic architecture making you feel a little more than uneasy but you couldn't allow yourself to be frightened now. Nothing happened from your spell and you realised you were entirely alone in the property, an sigh of relief falling from your lips at the revelation.

"Lumos," you said quietly as you walked deeper into the safe house, illuminated wand guiding your way, walking directly up the creaking staircase towards the third room on the right, the bedroom you'd been sharing with Fred and George only a year ago. You prayed it was still here.

You didn't divert from your path and immediately crouched down towards the small round rug in the centre of the room as you entered your old bedroom and peeled back the rug to check the floorboards beneath it. Knocking three times, then two, and saying a muffled 'revelio', you watched as the floorboard popped up out of its socket just as it had been enchanted to do. You pulled the floorboard away and smirked to yourself as you saw the very thing you'd hidden all that time ago, still in perfect condition. The marauders map.

During your last year at Hogwarts, Harry had spent an agonising amount of time following Draco on the map, so much so that it was becoming detrimental to his school work, his sleep and his life. You and Hermione had both decided to remove the map from his possession, knowing the risks that the map held if it were to get into the wrong hands and so you'd each vowed to hide the map with only the pair of you knowing it's hiding place.

Pulling the map from its confines, you uttered the words you'd heard Fred and George say so many times before and right in front of your eyes the words appeared, brown ink bleeding onto the page.

I solemnly swear I am up to no good.

It took mere seconds for you to locate exactly what you were looking for, spotting the singular name on the map exactly where you'd predicted it to be. The climax of your plan could now take place.

You realised that this whole step of the plan could have been avoided but you wanted to make sure that the figure you followed on the map was exactly where you'd planned them to be, no doubt slipping into your determination.

"Mischief managed," you uttered, tapping it once with your wand and the writing began to fade away, leaving the parchment bare once again. You quickly stuffed it into the hole and replaced the floorboard, uttering the enchantment you'd placed upon it and exited the house completely. As you left, the creaking of the metal and rumble of the bricks faded into the background as the house fought to conceal itself once again.

You walked quickly back to the park and with a quick glance around to determine no one was around, you disapparated straight to your next destination.

Hogsmeade was notoriously cold early in the morning, in fact you'd called it the coldest place in the U.K. numerous times over the years and as your feet landed on the dewy ground, you had to hold back a shiver. Your stomach lurched as you landed, the multiple apparitions and disapparitions taking their toll on your body but you pressed on, wanting to get this over with.

You'd apparated just outside the border of the anti-disapparation jinx that was placed upon Hogwarts and the surrounding grounds, knowing the range of the jinx from a side along apparition you'd undertaken with Snape two years ago to collect ingredients for his personal store.

You trudged around a deserted Hogsmeade in the darkness using only your memory to guide you and appeared around the back of the only illuminated shop in the entire village; Honeydukes.

They were notorious for baking their homemade treats overnight, prepared fresh for the morning trade the next day. Fred had told you a while back that all their deliveries were made in the early morning as to have everything on hand for the busy morning rush; something he'd seen firsthand when him and George had been to visit a vacant unit in Hogsmeade after store close back when they considered expanding before putting that plan on hold. All it would take was a carefully timed entry through the small cellar door and you'd be on your way to your last destination. As you crouched in the darkness, concealed by the shadows of the nearby shops, you mentally wished that you'd managed to acquire Harry's invisibility cloak for your mission but there was no going back now.

As one worker excited the back door, leaving it swung right open, you ran in and rounded the corner, running straight down the back stairs that lead to the cellar, a route you'd taken many times with your boyfriends in your school years. With a quick look around, you lifted the slab and slipped into the passageway, carefully replacing the stone slab behind you. You breathed out a large breath and cast a light spell so that you could see, quickly making your way through the hidden passage that led to Hogwarts.

It was freezing and damp in the passageway and you briefly pined for the company of your boyfriends as you walked the long distance towards the castle. You took the time to consider how you were going to do this but quickly put it out of your mind, realising that your anger was your greatest weapon in this instance.

You finally appeared at the alcove behind the one eyed witch statue and expertly made your way around it like you had many times before, finding yourself in the deserted great staircase. Only once you'd breached the castle did the overwhelming sense of danger register with you. If Snape had turned in his allegiance, you could be in serious danger, coming face to face with a death eater, the same one that you knew had cursed your boyfriend so severely. The very thought of George lay there covered in his own blood and looking so gravely ill made the adrenaline inside you surge and suddenly you didn't feel fear anymore.

You marched directly over to the headmaster's tower, reaching the concealed gargoyle staircase that led to Dumbledore's office, or rather Snape's office now.

"Sherbet lemon," you said, expecting the staircase to appear but the Gargoyle you had seemed to disrupt from slumber suddenly cursed you out for getting it wrong. You hadn't considered that Snape would change the password, though of course it made sense.

"But, Dumbledore," you began to argue until falling silent only a moment later as the staircase opened up and slowly unfurled, making you momentarily frown in confusion.

Taking a deep breath, you ascended the moving stone staircase until you were met with the closed door to the office. You considered knocking, but thought better of it and burst through the doors, directly facing the man who had betrayed your trust.

He was sat at his desk, eyes wide open as he looks upon the indignant intrusion, first with a glare of complete outrage before it transformed into confusion and from what you could see, guilt, as he realised it was you that had stormed into his office.

It was the first time you'd seen him since the news that he had killed Dumbledore that night on the astronomy tower had spread around members of the order, though it was not known to the general public. Years of bonding and working closely together, of building something that could be described as friendship now felt fragmented and broken as you stepped into the office, your anger consuming you at his attack on George.

"Y/n," he says, rising from his seat, casting aside the book he'd been reading on the desk without thought.

"Save it," you spat out, your fury building within you as you slammed the door behind you closed with a resounding bang. You looked at him in pure disgust, with such hatred in your eyes that you could almost see his shoulders sagging under the force of your gaze. Clearly he had not expected you, nor had he expected to be on the receiving end of your fury.

"How could you?" You said, already raising your voice as the emotion overwhelms you, the memories from the formative years of you working hard under his initial harsh scrutiny, the slightly odd but important bond you'd formed, your important role working as his assistant and the time you'd shared together. "I trusted you!"

"Then you are a fool," he says quickly with a cold, dismissive tone, averting his gaze from you.

"Don't play that with me, you should know it doesn't work headmaster," you retort warningly, the last word dripping from your mouth with loaded sarcastic aggression.

You'd been used to his cold and harsh exterior, had seen it weaponised and utilised for his benefit many times before but you knew the real Snape, the intelligent and warm man underneath.

He turns and casts a few spells with a flourish of his wand that leads you to believe they are strong silencing charms as a translucent barrier forms around the room, as if keeping your conversation isolated.

"I had to watch the man I love be carried in, completely limp and haemorrhaging blood knowing there it was you that cursed him. He could have died Severus!"

"You have no proof it was me-" he begins to say, still keeping his hardened resolve, deflecting your accusations but it only infuriates you more, tears beginning to well in your eyes as the emotions overcome you completely as you interrupt his pathetic denial.

"No? I was there that night with you and Draco, remember?" You say hatefully, "I saw how that curse slashed Draco apart, the very same curse Harry found in your own copy of advanced potion making,

Sectumsempra."

For the first time since entering his office, Snape turned to look at you in shock, realising now that you knew all along. "You really believe the person that has worked with you closely and tirelessly over the years would fail to recognise your handwriting?"

He falls silent as he takes in your words, which prompts you to continue your verbal assassination.

"I saw the very same slash marks on George's head, I knew that curse could only have come from you. Funny how you knew exactly what incantation to use to heal the marks when it was an entirely unheard of curse! Do I mean that little to you that you'd go so far as to curse the ear off the man I love?! I thought we were... friends." A singular tear fell from your eye as the anguish inside you disappeared, leaving only sadness and betrayal.

He remains silent for a moment and you prepare yourself to walk out, realising this was a pointless and fruitless endeavour. Just as you turn to walk away, his quiet voice cuts through the silent, tension filled room, pausing your movement. It appears that your words and willingness to leave had broken his resolve, the truth finally coming out.

"It was never meant for George," he says quietly, not meeting your eyes. "There's so much of this you do not and cannot know but you must understand it was never my intention to hurt him, it was a miscalculation in logistics. I saw a masked one aim at Lupin and Weasley and I retaliated in kind, but it all moved so fast, the curse bounded towards him and I was powerless to stop it."

He turns to you then, looking directly into your eyes with a sadness that seemed to reach his soul.

"And to answer your question, your friendship means everything to me, you mean very much to me."

"Severus," you breath out, listening to his explanation and finding yourself believing him, though you tried to resist.

"You've always overlooked my predisposition for life's negativity, shown me kindness that no one else has in a very long time, like a beacon of goodness in what seems a lifetime of darkness and solitude. I value our friendship a great deal."

He looks up at you once again, focusing his complete attention on you.

"I'm sorry that George was hurt, it was very much never my intention. How is he?"

"Alive," you say, feeling suddenly exhausted by the journey and your emotions as you perch yourself on the edge of the chair. He nods solemnly just once, eyes lingering over you as an awkward silence falls between you both. There's so much that isn't said between you, of friendship and war and questions of loyalty, but all of those go unsaid.

"You're no longer on our side are you?" You said quietly after a moment, slowly looking up into his emotion filled eyes as you keep your tone neutral and unaccusing. You'd surmised as much, though you were loathe to actually believe it even after the events of the previous day which you assumed could only have been down to him. He had leaked the information to Voldemort, you were now sure if it. Mundungus might have had questionable morals but he wasn't brave enough to supply the death eaters with information, he'd have been too cowardly, which only left the one order member that wasn't present or assisting with the removal of Harry.

He blinks slowly and you can almost physically see him deflate as he looks into your eyes with a piercing intensity, not wanting to answer your question.

"I should go," you say, looking at the patterns in the stone floor. You don't hear a reply but you can envision him nodding in reply and so you move to stand, straightening out your jacket.

"Use the floo, Hogsmeade is no longer safe if not accompanied," he says, gesturing vaguely towards the fireplace in the corner. With a wave of his hand, the fireplace immediately ignites into green tinted flames, ready for your exit.

"Y/n," Severus says, stepping closer to you with uncharacteristic hesitation before you can step into the fire. He looks plagued, like he wants to say so much but can't for whatever reason.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, I hope one day you will understand and find it in yourself to forgive me."

You're briefly taken aback by his words, finally realising that from this point onwards you would no longer have the relationship you had always had, you'd be natural enemies on either side of a budding war. His words felt like a final goodbye and you bit the inside of your cheek to prevent tears from forming in your eyes once again.

"I hope you can forgive yourself, and I don't just mean for George. I hope one day you realise that you're a good man and finally see yourself the same way I have always seen you. Goodbye Severus."

Your eyes remain locked on each other for a few moments, sad eyes meeting as you part ways, both physically and emotionally. You take a handful of floo powder and with one last look at your now ex-friend, you speak loudly and clearly into the fire, 'Diagonal Alley' before the fire consumed you and you're transported to the Leaky Cauldron, just as you had envisioned in your mind, knowing their fireplace would be one of the few open for all use even at this time of night, or rather early morning. You exit the deserted Inn and exited onto the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, walking absently until you were directly outside your boyfriends' shop.

You wheezed and caught your breath as you stood looking up at the shop, guilt niggling at you as you thought of how you couldn't go straight to the Burrow, sensing that it would give Snape the advantage of knowledge that you could no longer entrust him with, if he hadn't known already.

You walked to the door of the shop and cast the charm to unlock the door, the specific spell that Fred had created that was specific to this lock and acted as an anti-unlocking charm that couldn't be penetrated by alohamora or even the more creative unlocking spells. Once inside, you pointed your wand at the lock and cast the charm to lock the door before closing your eyes and with tired determination, you climbed the stairs until you reached the flat you lived in upstairs with Fred and George.

Fred had cast a anti-apparition jinx in the shop and the surrounding areas that they owned as a precaution and right at this moment you were mentally cursing his efforts, feeling exhausted, though apparating your current state would be incredibly dangerous anyway, the tiredness in your body and mind would most likely have gotten you splinched.

You entered your flat and immediately grabbed a glass of water, taking a seat at the kitchen table, feeling suddenly very alone without the usual company of one or both of your loves, the flat seeming empty and without life. You needed to get back before sunrise and you maybe only had an hour before the sun would begin to peak over the lowest points on the horizon so you quickly went into the bathroom to relieve yourself and wash your face, changing your clothes on the way back through.

In your note to the twins, you'd lied and stated that you needed something from home and would be nipping back to get it so you moved a couple of things around on the coffee table and kitchen, as if you'd been searching for something before walking to the bedroom you all shared and pulled out your jewellery box, reaching for the locket they had bought you on your 17th birthday. Inside was a picture of each of them, Fred on the left and George on the right you'd taken at the Yule ball all those years ago.

You'd realised during the wait for the order to return that you'd forgotten to pack it and you knew the twins wouldn't question you going back for it, knowing how sentimental you were about this particular piece, making it the perfect rouse.

Stepping towards the fire, you yawned and cast one last spell to connect the floo, seeing green flames once again rising. You thought about Severus and felt a pang of sadness hit you but you carried on regardless, feeling more than ready to crawl into bed with your boyfriends again.

Hagrid, still sleeping soundly on the floor, no doubt knocked out by his firewhiskey intake, didn't even flinch as the flames surged in the fireplace as you returned to the Burrow, feeling exhausted. Your confrontation with Snape had been tiresome but cathartic and though there was so much that went unsaid, you were pleased overall with how things had gone. You were exhausted in both body and mind but somehow you didn't feel tired, at least not tired enough to sleep. You considered making a cup of tea but with another look at a snoring Hagrid, you decided it was best not to.

You trudged up the staircase, mindfully stepping in a perfected sequence that avoided all the creaking steps and noisy floorboards until you reached the door to your boyfriends' room. You gently twisted the door handle and crept inside the mostly dark room, the essence of first light creeping in over the hills.

Immediately, you felt yourself engulfed into a large figure and had to hold back a scream at the sudden movement, realising only when the voice whisper yelled at you that it was Fred.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" He asks in a harsh whisper and you freeze, realising with one single glance at his face that you'd never seen him look so worried before.

"Had to get my necklace," you said, your gut dropping as you lied to the man you loved, feeling more than uneasy about it. To solidify your lie, you reached into your pocket and pulled out your locket to show him. He visibly took a deep breath and pulled you deep into his chest.

"Next time let me go with you, I was so worried," he says, holding you tightly in his arms. You simply nodded and allowed yourself to melt into his embrace. "He woke up, asked for you."

Suddenly your guilt felt immeasurable, not being here for your other love. "Said you'd nipped to help mum, didn't want him worrying too."

"I'm sorry Freddie," you said with full honesty, feeling ashamed.

"You're back now," he says, stroking your back, keeping you pressed into him. "You must be tired."

"Not really," you admitted. Exhausted and weary yes but you could sleep if you were paid to.

"Want to go to our spot? He'll be knocked out for a few hours now, mum topped him up with some sleeping potion," he says, gesturing towards George who is evidentially deep asleep, mouth hanging wide open and breathing deeply and steadily from what you can see over Fred's wide shoulders.

"Lead the way Weasley," you say with a smile and he steps out of the room towards the top of the staircase and with two perfectly synchronised cracks, you apparate to the spot in the forest behind the burrow you'd claimed as your own years ago.

He took your hand as soon as you'd landed and lead you further into the clearing, stopping only briefly to help you over the little wooden stump and logs that created a barrier around your spot. You each sit around the fire that Fred starts with a flourish of his wand, sitting on the larger logs around it.

"I want to feel normal again," he says quietly a little later on as you sit in silence, Fred's wand enchanting some of flames to idly play with them as you watched the sun very slowly begin to creep higher in the sky, though it was hidden by the vast number of trees around you, keeping you mostly in the dark. You turn to him with concern, seeing his eyes blankly staring at the fire, his face expressionless.

"Seeing George like that, then waking up without you there, I've never felt so lost in my life," he says.

"Freddie," you begin to apologise, feeling overwhelmed by guilt again until he shakes his head.

"I'm just so used to always having one of you there, if not both. It's never been just me, always been 'the twins' or Gred and Forge and then you came along and we became a three. For the first time tonight I had a glimpse of being alone, completely alone without you both and it was unbearable."

"You're not alone, me and George will always be there," you say, shuffling closer to him to take his hand.

"We don't know what will happen, if something happens in the war and I lose you both," he begins to say.

"Then we'll still always be with you," you say firmly, squeezing his hand to force him to look up at you which he does.

He gazes at you for what seems like forever, as if he's searching your face for something before he leans in and kisses you with surprising intensity. You kiss him back just as feverishly, your body igniting under his touch as his hand creeps up into your hair to hold you to him. His tongue licks into your mouth and massages your own tongue as his other hand begin to wander.

"I need to feel you," he says breathlessly and desperately against your lips, never quite pulling away from you, "please sweetheart, let me feel you here with me."

"Freddie, yes," you say in reply, just as breathless as he. You sense a primal need in his desperate plea and can't deny him, nor did you want to. Much to how open you had both been during your shower earlier, you couldn't help but feel the pure connection between the two of you, the desperate need for comfort in the way only you could provide.

He blindly reached for his wand, still fixed to your lips and cast a spell against your lips that made a large blanket appear, a spell you recognised him creating a few years back when you'd pulled him right here to this spot for some alone time.

The past 24 hours had been a whirlwind of emotion, loss and pain. When George had been cursed, he became your primary focus and after he was healed, you'd been hell bent on getting answers if not revenge from your ex-friend and mentor, overlooking Fred and the torment you'd endured having to wait for his return, knowing he was in danger too.

You wrapped yourself around eachother, a tangle of passionate, sloppy kisses and wandering hands as you desperately clawed at each others clothes, needing to feel each other's warm skin and beating heart against your own.

Fred ripped off your shirt and wasted no time in lifting your bra up above your breasts so that he could bend down and suck on them, both of you finding comfort in the sensation of his lips sucking at your nipples as he briefly fiddled with the clasp before throwing the garment to one side, never once pausing his assault of your sensitive nipples. You had already tore away his sleep shirt and then pulled at his pyjama bottoms to feel him naked beside you. Your jeans were shimmied off somewhere along the way and your panties were physically ripped from your body at the waistband and thrown into the distance, leaving the both of you completely bare.

"Freddie, need you, don't make me wait," you said breathlessly, pulling away from his ravishing lips, feeling them connect to your neck almost as soon as you'd began talking.

"But," he begins to protest, his hand creeping down between your thighs to test how ready you were for him, not wanting to hurt you.

"I'm ready, fuck please I need you," you begged, opening your legs further as if to beckon him to you. You heard him groan as your words, capturing your nipple between his lips once more as he shifts to move between your legs, his muscular arms bulging either side of your head as he shifts into position, needing to see your face. He kisses you again and you feel the evidence of his arousal pressing into the crease of your groin before he pulls back to adjust himself and take hold of his cock with one hand and slides into you slowly and carefully. You both erupt in moans as you feel him sink into you, not stopping until you were taking nearly every inch of his thickness.

"Fuck, y/n," he groans, slowly pulling out of you before crashing his hips back into yours, making you throw your head back in pure pleasure, feeling his cock stretching you out and filling you in all the right ways. His eyes are clenched tightly shut as his mouth opens on its own accord as he begins to rock back and forth into you, building up to a slow but forceful rhythm.

Your legs wrap around his hips as your hand begin to grab at his wide shoulders, pulling him further into you as he reaches down to kiss you passionately once again. His hips speed up and he finally gives you what you want, both of you moaning once again at the change of angle, feeling him hit the deepest parts of you which makes you gasp and moan out his name.

It's primal and desperate as your bodies meld together, never really pulling apart even as his hips rock in and out of you with pure need. Neither of you can hold back your cries of pleasure, moaning each other's name and verbal curses echoing through the woods as he pounds into you. Suddenly needing something new, you place your hands on his chest and as he pauses his rhythm, you force him into his back and begin to ride him with all the strength you have left over. His big hands immediately lock onto your hips, guiding you and helping with your movements as he looks up at you with adoration in his eyes and mouth agape. His eyes are fixed onto your bouncing breasts and you make no move to conceal yourself as you bounce on his cock, hips bucking wildly and your hair falling over your shoulders. You steady yourself on his thighs as you lean back, giving him the perfect view of your bodies meeting and his cock disappearing in and out of you and he roars with arousal at the sight, hips thrusting upwards to fuck up into you as you both near your end.

Suddenly, his right hand reaches up to cup the back of your neck and he forcefully pulls you down onto him to kiss you again, sloppy kisses and teasing tongues as you lay chest to chest, his hips pounding into now. His other hand grins your hip and he lets out a loud groan against your lips as you feel him cumming. You're powerless to move as he holds you in place, fucking up into you with abandon and the sensation of him overpowering you hurtles you towards your own finish, your walls squeezing his twitching cock as you cum together, feeling his warm seed flood you from the inside.

As your orgasm ebbs away, the tingling sensation fading slowly, the world around you seemed to fade back into your conscious again. You looked down at Fred and saw him lay with his eyes closed, a peaceful look on his face with just the hint of a smirk tugging at the left side of his lips as his hands caressed your skin where he'd been holding you. His eyes slowly fluttered open a moment later and he looked up at you with love in his eyes, a look that you were certain was mirrored in your own.

You lifted your hips gently and his softening cock slipped out of you, both of you groaning in sensitivity at the sensation as you felt some of his load slipping out of you with the movement.

"I needed that," you half chuckled as you bent down and rested your head on his shoulder, legs extending either side of him so that you were essentially lay on top of him, which he was only happy to accommodate.

"Me too princess," he smirks, running his hand over your naked back. "We should get dressed, don't want you getting cold."

You dressed quickly with whatever clothes had survived your mass, frantic scrummage earlier. Fred ended up having to give you his sleep shirt as he'd literally ripped your T-shirt apart and your jeans chafed your bum uncomfortably as your panties were also beyond repair, leaving you without.

The sun had risen almost completely now, noticing as soon as you walked out of the tree line and you had no doubt that Molly would be up soon, delegating chores to every unsuspecting resident and guest. You wanted to be back with George, hopefully before he woke and so you both walked back and crept into the house, walking tiredly towards the twins bedroom where George was still sound asleep.

You took a moment to look at him, smiling and grimacing briefly as you saw the little puddle of drool that had formed on his pillow and the little snores he was omitting.

"I'll tell mum you've been brewing some healing potion all night," Fred says as you slip off your jeans, leaving you in just Freddie's T-shirt as you both slip into the small bed beside George's as Fred tucks the duvet around you both and pulls you into him so that you can cuddle into his chest. "At least you'll get some more sleep."

"Thank you Freddie, love you," you say sleepily, true tiredness hitting you immediately as you snuggled down into the soft covers.

"I love you too princess, so much," he says with a kiss to your head before your eyes close and you cuddle down into him, feeling sleep already taking over you.

Next

[sometimes-i-write-4-you]

Heartless - a criminal minds episode\\part 2

part 1, part 3, masterlist

- english is not my first language please exuse any spelling or grammer mistakes.

- this case is made up

- it happens around the.. 6th season, i think? so the team is Hotch, dave, Morgan, Prentiss, JJ and reid

- it will end up being Reidxreader kinda, tho my main focous is to create a plot line for an episode with a (y\n) charecter.

- lmk what you think - i try to make the charectes as in charecter i can :)

As per Hotches orders, once they've landed Reid and dave went to the MEs office, to take a look at the bodies. (y\n), prentiss and JJ joined Hotch and Morgan at the local police station, tho when they arrived the 5 of them split up - Hotch and morgan setteled in the station and talked to the chief officer, while the rest started interviewing the ex-soon-to-be-wives. … "Mr. Clark, hello, i am SSA prentiss" Emily says, shaking his hand as she sat down. He is wearing his work uniforms - a polo shirt with the symbol of the garage he workes for and a pair of dirty jeans with stains that are probably impossible to remove.

"i am so sorry for your loss, i can't even imagine what you are going through. The guy who was sitting across from her nodded, "thank you" he smiles weakly, clearly forcing himself to keep a more profational deminor, thoe he wasn't sure why, "and please, call me Daniel. mr. Clark is my dad". Prentiss smiles at him, trying to be comforting. "well, Daniel, i have a few questions for you, this might be… not so easy to hear, so take a moment, if you feel like you need it" Emily says, taking a breath herself.

This guy was already heartbroken over his murderd fiance, and now she's about to ask him if there is any chance he was being cheathed on. What an awful way to learn your partner may have been unfaithful. "go on, i am ready for whatever it is. i just want to know who did this to my… to the love of my life" Daniel says, and so Emily asks the question she has to. "Daniel, were there ever any suspitions your fiance was cheating on you?"

… "Mrs. garisson, hey" JJ smiles at the poor woman sitting on the padded chair, eyes red and hair in a messy bun. She is wearing a nice enough dress, clearly attempting to look okay. Layla wipes away the tears streaming down her face. "Hey" she says in a weak voice. "my name is Jennifer Jeroue, i am here with the FBI, we came to investigate what happend to James". "Thank you" Layla says, "i- i heard there were others. Other ones who lost.. lost their Fiance, others that…" she tries to finish the senence but failes. Her cries are painful for JJ to hear.

"Jennifer… why him? of all the people…" Layle askes, "he is such a great guy, everyone…" she stops, realising she is talking in present, "liked him. He was always so kind, and nice…" she continues to talk, tripping on her words. JJ lookes at her, wondering how would she be able to break her heart all over again. "uhm, Layla, i have to ask you this question - don't take this in the wrong way, please, we are just trying to make sure we are covering all our bases…" JJ starts, tho finishing the sentence is proving itself to be harder than she thought it will be, "has anyone ever suspected that james was't loyal?"

…

"you must be with the FBI" Winnoa says, reaching her hand out for (y\n) to shake. She is wearing a simple yet complamating button up shirt coverd in stripes that matched the ones on her pants. (y\n) cleares their throat and shake the hand that was offered to them, "yes, hello, i am agent (y\l\n), but you can call me (y\n)". "Thank you for coming" Winnona says, "this… this is awful. I don't think something like that has ever happened in our town. "well, this is part of the reason we are here, to help the local police deal with these horrible crimes" (y\n) says, sitting down. "is there anyway i can help? i was already questioned by the officers here, but maybe you can see something they couldn't see in my answears" The woman says, despreat to be of help.

"Winnona, i am very sorry for what i am about to ask…" they start, but they find it hard to figure out a way to finish the sentence. "whatever it is, please" the woman across from them is begging, and so (y\n) clears their throat to ask, tho they end up bearly forming the sentence. "is there any chance… do you think that maybe.. well, Winnona, i am so very sorry - have you ever suspected Sean was being unfaithful?"

…

"Well, no, never. Fiona was a kind soul, she could bearly hurt a fly. i highly doubt she would ever do such thing" Daniel says, "Why would you even feel the need to ask me this question?" his tone was laced with anger, but rightfully so. Prentiss expected that reaction. "well, just making sure we are looking at all possible leads" She says, "Can you think of someone that may have suspected that Fiona wasn't a great match for you? anyone ever objected to your engagment?" she asks this, aware of the facy Daniel is getting more and more upset as more words leave her mouth.

…

"i really don't think so" Layla says, her tone calm but her eyes full of pain. "as i said, he is- was, a lovely man, we loved each other, we were soulmates" her voice breaks as the word 'soulmates' leaves her mouth, and the tears fill her eyes once again. JJ smiled at her a sad smile, "Well. is there any chance there was someone who didn't agree with you on that?" JJ askes. Layla's cries grow stronger, and JJ's need to comfort her wins her need to be profitional. she gets up to rest her hand on Layla's shoulder. The woman leans into JJ, crying, and JJ's heart breaks.

…

"i never suspected such thing" Winnona says, "but, uh, my friend did. he was staying long hours in the office, and my friend who works at a similar posetion claimed she was never asked to stay so long at the office, not at that rate at least. I asked him about that, and he said that her boss is probably just less harsh than his is, and that he only has eyes for me, and that will never change. than he got on one knee and asked if i'll allow him to spend the rest of my life with him. i belived him, and said yes. my friend wasn't very happy about that, but she ended up being supportive. she wanted me to be happy".

"okay, thank you" (y\n) says, sad smile on their face, unsure if this possible lead is a good thing or no. "agent, do you think he was cheating? was my friend right? is that what got him killed?" Winnona askes, but sadly (y\n) dosen't have an answer, so they just say "we'll let you know if we find something".

…

"Garcia is calling" Morgan calls out and Hotch, Prentiss, JJ and (y\n) follow him into the office the BAU took over for their time here. "hey there choclate thounder" Garcia's voice says from the other side of the line. "Baby girl, you are on speaker. Hotch, Prentiss, JJ and (y\l\n) are here with me. did you find any connection between the couples?" Derek says. "hey there you beautiful agents" Garcia said, "i called to let you know there is no overlap in the victimis wedding planning - they looked at different venues, checked out different caterings… even the photographeres they reached out to were different… but i mean, that has to be it, right? i mean, i looked at their socials - they all have privet accounts so i highly doubt that's how the unsub found out about the engagment" Garcia says.

"well, we suspect the unsub could be hunting cheaters, so try to find any hint of cheating in the victims life" (y\n) says. "look at their emails, try to find their profiles on, ugh, dating websites…" JJ says. "Winnona said her fiance worked late but a friend says there is no way he needed to work that many hours" (y\n) adds. "okay, i will get back to you with all the answears, no stone will be ledt unturned. Baby girl out" the beeping of the call being hung up came soon after Garcia's last words.

…

"well, all three bodies had their hearts missing - that you already know, but it seems the cause of death was strangulation, but not manual. I think its some fabric, since they all had fibers under their nails as if they were trying to rip it off them" the ME, dr. Roland, says what she gathered so far. "the mark on the guys is about 3.25 inches, which is the typical width of a tie" Reid says, and Dave looks at him, catching up to Reids idea. "he could be strangeling them with a tie, symbolising the tie they could have been wearing on their wedding day" Dave says, and the ME sqints. "The woman… her mark is… texured, in lack of a different word - could be a vail or a garter" she says, "she also seems to have been dead for at least some of the time he strangeled her". "So he was angrier with her, she was closer to his ideal victim, meaning he was probably hurt by a woman and that's what triggered him to start killing" Dave says.

"dr. Roland, by your judgment, would it take any sergical skills to cut the hearts out the way the unsub did?" Reid asks. "well, the first heart had some cuts on it, meaning the unsub probably cut it while trying to cut it out. the cuts are… well, sonky, so i doubt they were done with actual medical eqipment, it looks like the work of a good quality meat knife. the cuts pn the hearts get fewer and fewer with the other hearts, so i belive he learns from his mistakes" She says. "well, thanks doctor, you helped us a lot" Dave smiles at her, and she blushes.

…

By the time Spencer and Dave made it to the police station, the team was all set up at the office they were assigned. the crime board done, orginised by dates and couples, as well as the note "cheaters?" under the line of photos of the victims. they walk into the room, and Prentiss welcomes them in. "Reid, (y\n), you are on the geographical profile" Hotch says, "prentiss, you and morgan will go interview the first wedding venue, Rossie, you will go with JJ to the second one and i'll go with the chief officer to check out the third one" He orders, "sdresses are waiting at your phones". everyone splits up. "well, the first body was found over here" Dr. Reid starts, grabbing the pen from the desk. well, not exactly the desk, as (y\n) was holding it. "hey!" They called out, But mr. pretty boy didn't mind much.

He marks the spot, "second one here…" he mumbles. (y\n) grabs the pen from him, "and the third one here" They say as they circle the spot. Spencer lets out a half-laught, and if it wasn't for the fact he was slightly rude to them a second ago, (y\n) would have thought it was cute. well, they did, actually. "the victims live here, here, and here" (y\n) mumbles, pointing at the town's map with the pen, but not marking anything. "the victims were'nt taken from their homes tho, so that won't help finding the hunting zone" Spencer sighs, "we should look at where the victims were last seen".

"well, that would be… sean at his job, he should be taking route 45 to get home" (y\n) says, reading from the file as spencer marks it with a different pen. "Fiona was at a lunch with a friend according to Daniel, and her phone pinged at a coffee place around… here" They say, pointing at the map to let spencer know where to leave a green circle. "and James's last text was pinged about 10 minitues from the gym he frequented, right about… here" spencer said. "these are all over the town, and not that close to the dump sites, so the unsub must be mobile. in order to move the bodies he will need a big veichal" (y\n) says, furring their eyebrows at the map.

"what about the wedding venues? they could also be the place the unsub chooses his victims" Spencer says. "we just talked to Garcia, and she said-" (y\n) tries to catch up Reid on the phone call he missed, but right on que there is another incoming call from Penelope Garcia herself. "hey there, Garcia, it's (y'n) and i here" Spencer says. "oh, if it's not my favorite wonder boy and wonder mind" Garcia says. (y\n) was also a genious of sort, but they didn't think they quite compared to Reid, tho with the iq of 130 they were the closest on the team. "Garcia, do you have any updates about the wedding plans or the cheting?" (y\n) asks, and spencer shoots them a slightly confused look, as he didn't get the chance to catch up on the team's idea for a lead.

"well, you know how at first i didn't find a connection between the wedding venues? i looked deeper, so deep i got to the very core, and you know what's in the core? Lave. major, hot lava" Garcia says, "it looks like all of the wedding venues are owned by the same major, greedy company. It's called Marry-go-round, and they own most of the wedding venues in the area. each one is designd to appeal to a different audience - they have gothic ones, hystorical ones, botnical ones… they share employees, meaning one guy might be working at more than one venue…" Garcia says, "and before you ask me to, i am already running searches to see who worked at all 3 the day those couples went".

"you are so great, Garcia, i don't know where we'd be without you" (y\n) says, smiling at the phone. "well, the answear is way behind. goodby lovies, sent the rest of the team my love and warm hugs, i will let you guys know once i have answears regarding to the victims… side-quests" Garcia says, ending the call with a smooch sound of a kiss.

…

Prentiss and Morgan walk into the "garden of eden" venue, that was the one James and Layla looket at. "hello" a woman in a bright red suit welcomed them. "my name is Diane" she said, reaching out her hand to shake the one of the pair infront of her, "it is lovely to have such a beautiful couple here, we actually never had such wedding here, so that would be great to have you two as the first one. "you mean… mixed couples?" Morgan asked, confusion in his voice and slight annoyence. "well-" Diane tries to save herself, but the sentence doesn't get the chance to be fully formed.

"mam, we are not here to plan a wedding, we are here to ask about a couple who did" Prentiss cuts her off, showing her the FBI tag. "well, that's unfortunate. I am sorry, but what does that couple has to do with my wedding venue?" Diane asks. "well, they looked at this… lovely venue, and now one of them is dead and the other one got her beloved boyfriend's heart in the mail" Derek says, sparing no details from the woman who already wasn't on his good side. "well, that's unfortunate, but i still don't see what that has to do with us" Diane stands her ground.

"have you seen anyone suspicius around? someone who looked at couples, trying to study them?" Prentiss asks. "do you think this murderer found them here? well that is impossible, only couples and employees are allowed on the premiss" Diane says. "do you ever have more than one couple looking around? this guy could come here with his own fiance" Derek says, the last part of the sentence directed more to his fellow agent than to the wedding venue annoying manager. "no, and i belive this is where we end this conversation. i have a tour here from an actual couple, so, bye-bye" Diane says, walking around the agents to welcome the couple that just walked in. "hello, my name is Diane, it is lovely to have such a beautiful couple here…"

the agents exchange looks and leave the venue, tho they don't think they are done there just yet.

…

"well, the venue we checked was orginised, they had a security detail at the entrence, even after seeing our badge we were'nt let inside, the manager came out to talk to us" JJ said. "he was a lovely man, once he talked to us for a bit he gave us a tour - i noticed they were fixing a broken part of the fence, but he said that it's usually hidden with flowers, so no one knows of it. he said he'd give us the records of the couples who came there the same day as Daniel and Fiona, meaning we may be able to identify his next victim" Dave said, waving the files in his hand.

"the venue we checked said they have double bookings, sometimes more than one couple is there. sometimes only one half of a couple arrives. we should check and see - mayby there is a couple, or someone who claims to be engaged who was in all three venues the same day as the victims, he could be angry with his fiance, unable to process that, and so he kill people who remind him of her in someway" Hotch says.

"and what about you?" Hotches eyes traveled to the two defided faces of his two agents who just walked in. "well, the manager was a bitch" Prentiss sighed, "she bearly answered our questions, and her whole deminor was just… off" Derek agreed with her. Reid and (y\n) come inside the room, holding 6 cups of coffee in between them both. "oh, you are my savior" Prentiss says as she grabs the coffee (y\n) handed to her.

after the coffee ceremony is done, the wonder due explains their findings regarding the hunting zone and the comfort zone, as well as catching their teamates up to speed regarding the connection between the venues.

just as they finished, the actual savior of the team called. "hello my darlings, it is i, Penelope Garcia, coming to you with a very, very sad news flash. i found some proof of unfaithfulness from all of our victims. It appears Sean was spending way too much time in his office, off the clock. He's work sheet says he finished work by 5pm, but his phone pings at home around 9pm, and before that it pings at many different sketchy motels. not once, not twice, but on a weekly basis. James was also being a bad, very bad boy - his pictures are on many different dating websites, and you may think 'well, it could be someone who is using his photos' but no, the some of the photoes on there are very nasty and very not on any of his socials" Garcias word flow stops as she takes a breath to continue.

"And Fiona… well, she was a little tricky, but i found these very much not PG emails between her and a bad.boy.rm@gmail.com, she used her work email, which is very icky of her, but it sure did keep it a secret". "Garcia, how hard would it be for someone to find out about the cheatings?" Prentiss askes. "well, it took me about two hours, so i belive that someone with the avarage hacking skill could get this information in about three days" Garcia says, slight cockiness in her voice. "well, babygirl, this is very helpful information" Derek says, smiling at the phone, "thank you". "can't wait for my reward" Garcia says, and the call is finished.

"It's likely our unsub was cheated on by a woman, since it looked like he overkilled the female victim, and it is possible they were engaged when he found out, that's why he attacks couples who are planning a wedding. He feels the need to punish cheaters" Reid says, looking at his team. "well, that has to narrow down the unsub pool" Dave says. "well, about 12% of married women admit that they have cheated on their spouse, and 20% of engagments end up being broken off, and 50% of those are due to financial stress. This town has roughly 7,639 people-" Spencer starts calculating, trying to figure out exactly how big is the suspect pool. "Kid, please. let's just have Garcia look it up" Dave cuts him off. "it's about 20 potentiol unsubs" Spencer mumbled under his breath, but his teamates don't react. "maybe his mom or dad were also cheaters, that could be the stressor and his partner doing the same thing to him would make one hell of a trigger" Prentiss says.

"well, i think it's time for the profile" Hotch says.

…

JJ, Hotch, Morgan and Prentiss are standing infront of the cameras. "we belive this unsub is a white male in his 20s, he recently expirienced a heartbreak over a cheating partner, possibly a fiance" Hotch says. "He has a high level technical knowlage, as it appears he took a deep dive into the victims life, finding out intimate details about their sex lives" JJ says, trying to not say the straight up truth of the cheatings he uncovered. "tho he has no prior medical skills, he appears to be learning how to perform his ritual with more accuracy" Prentiss says, "therefor we belive he is smart and possibly works at something that requires a similar set of skills as a surgen". "this unsub is sending the victims fiances the hearts he carved out, which shows signs of pshcopathic tendecies. this guy is probably cold, manipulative, and yet has a charm to him not many people see through" Dave continues. "we belive he may have had a parent who cheated on their spouse, making the cheating he expirienced triggering" JJ says. "if you know anyone who can fit this description, we encourege you to talk to us" Hotch says, and the cameras cut.

…

"Garcia and i just talked, she says there is one employee who was in all wedding venues the same day as our victims, but she dosen't fit the profile. happily married, 2 kids, grew up in a loving family" Derek says as he joins his team in the office, highlighting the word "she". "well, maybe the unsub wasn't on the clock, they could have some employees that get paid under the table" Prentiss says. "we profiled the unsub to be white, so it is less likely he is not listed" Reid says. "well, i guess we can't be sure, since he crosses race lines. the main reason we think he's white is because this town has so few pocs, and most of them arent able to afford the type pf education this unsub has" (y\n) says, spinning her chair as she thinks. A knock on the door makes the team look over. "they just found another body" officer Williams says. "let's go" JJ says, following the officer and the rest of the team follows her.

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hey cas, i just need to rant

I'm crying rn and i need to tell someone this

Ok this is a stupid way to start this but my duolingos nit working. Fine not a big deal. I went and told my mom and she didnt even let me show it to her and told me to get my dad to help me bc she doesnt know how. So later when my dad was awake i told him the problem and she was there. My dad was trying to figure it out and she asked if she could see my phone. The thing is whenever she asks to see my phone to fix something i end up seeing something and realising i might know how to fix it so i ask if i can have it back to try the thing and sge always yells at me and rips my phone out of my hand and says i have no right to touch it because its not really my phone. So i asked her what she was going to do on it because i think I've tried everything and i don't think it's going to help especially if shes not the one talking to the support people (my dad was). She got mad and said to stop complaining and give her the phone i calmly explained what i just did hiw when she tries to help it isn't helpful and it always ends in fights because she never allows my input (very calmly like i was literally just explaining my thought process and why i think it would do more bad than good) she interuppted my yelling and said that if when people ask to help me and i just call them mean and whatever then people aren't going to want to happen (side note the difference is everyone else who offers me help i am allowed to say no and choose wether or not to explain why as well) and then said if i dont accept help graciously then i don't deserve anything. (I have bad mental health and she knows that to an extent) so now im crying

And i KNOW if i were to bring this up in the future she would say "i dont remember that. That didnt happen. Youre making that up"

Every time i try to communicate how im feeling and why i feel that some things she does or says may be hurtful and damaging she takes it as a personal attack. I've been trying to get better at communicating my needs and feeling but everytime i do she makes me feel like im doing something wrong.

Sometimes i get so overwhelmed I'll start crying out of nowhere or yell or something and she'll either say im being dramatic or literally laugh in my face.

Thank you and sorry for punctuation and spelling mistakes i probably made a ton

Hi!

I can relate to this SO much, omg. My mom is just like this, and it makes you feel so crazy, right?

Please know you have a right to your feelings and if you communicated the way you say you did, you did nothing wrong! Unfortunately it sounds like your mom has some things to work out about not taking things personally.

As someone who also deals with this, I have to say that sometimes picking your battles is key. While in a healthy relationship, sharing your feelings is super important, with a relationship like this, it could just make things worse. So a lot of times I just ask myself- 'is it worth the potential fallout?' sometimes, if it's something really hurtful, it is. But sometimes, I just let her make stupid decisions. SO like in this case, maybe next time you could give her your phone, let her realize she can't help, and then move on to whatever the next step is. Because she's probably not going to listen to you, you know?

It sucks to have to think like this, especially as the child in the relationship, but it might be reality.

Sending love! Naming you duolingo anon

[poppitron360]

PART TWO!!!!

Okay, so I’ve already posted Pt 1 of this fanfic I’m gonna keep posting it bc fuck it I’m enjoying myself.

I’m posting this all under the tag #​PJO- THE NEXT GENERATION: OLYMPIA JACKSON-CHASE CHRONICLES so if you need to find the rest, that’s where to look. Not sure how many chapters there will be, as I’m still figuring out the story, but it will probably be for as long as I’m having fun writing it.

Tagging my mutuals who might be interested/ppl who seemed to like pt 1 (I’m trying to get better at tagging ppl):

@green-tea217 @123letsgobestie @fadas-are-important @imasimpdealwithit @coraldeermoon

Summary: Kind of an OC/FanChild fic about my hcs for Percabeth’s kids. VERY Leo/Nico heavy bc they’re my two favourite characters, particularly Leo. If you missed Pt 1, pls read it, but we’ve just ended on the line “I think I have news about your brother,” so ooooh chills cliffhanger scary.

TWs: Swearing, lack of smut (she is a teenager)

Disclaimers: I was between SoN and MoA when I wrote this chapter, and I am currently on HoH, so if I’ve missed anything that gets revealed later, that’s why. Also I listened to the audiobooks, so if I spell a name wrong, that’s also why, either that or I’ve spelt something the British way.

Chapter 2:

Olympia never talked about her brother. That was one thing the kids at camp didn’t know about her family. She had been five years old when he had been taken, on that stormy autumn night. She didn’t remember much, just yelling from the other room and a sound like an eagle screeching. She remembered her mom running in and scooping her up in her arms. More sounds. Her dad screaming. A sword being drawn. A baby crying. A window smashing. Her parents calling his name. She was sobbing. Her mom was holding her dad as he wept on the floor, glass shattered at his feet. Her baby brother, Tyler, was not in his cot.

They started going out every night, searching for a sign he was alive. Leo, Nico, Tyson, Grover, Rachel, Frank, Hazel- all of them helped. Olympia had begged them to take her with them too, but she was still too young. Six months passed. Nothing. A year. Two years. She didn’t know when exactly, but eventually they gave up looking. They assumed he was gone forever.

Her parents had seemed different after that. Her mother buried herself in her job, working day and night at the architecture firm so she wouldn’t have to come home to the gaping hole in their family. Her dad had tried carrying on as normal, but he’d become a broken man. The legendary Percy Jackson failed to save his own son from a monster, now his son was dead.

That’s what they had told Olympia. That was the story. But she refused to believe it. She always thought that with enough training and fighting, she could find him and bring him home. And then, they’d tell the story of the brave demigod who rescued her brother, maybe, just maybe, she’d no longer have to live as just “the daughter of Percy Jackson”, but could become her own legend.

Of course, that was only part of it. First and foremost, she wanted her brother back.

“Do you really think he’s dead?” She’d asked Leo one night, when she was about eight, while her Mom was at work and her Dad was off doing something at camp (he was often brought in as a Special Guest Speaker because he lived close to camp and was cheap, not for any other reason).

“No. Tyler’s not dead,” He replied.

She looked up, “Really?”

He nodded. “Remember that story I told you about Festus the Dragon?”

Leo was the only person she liked to hear stories from. He told them in such a funny way, she didn’t care if it was made up or exaggerated.

“Everyone thought he was super dangerous, but you fixed him and made him better, and he sacrificed himself to save you,” she recited.

“Yup. I didn’t give up on him, even though they told me it was hopeless. I’d waited ‘til I’d looked him in the eyes myself to realise it was hopeless, and then I still tried anyway,” he looked at Olympia, “I believe your brother isn’t dead until we’ve tried every possible way of proving me wrong, and then some. Your parents believe it too, but they can’t risk giving up everything they have, i.e, you, on what is most likely a hopeless case. Besides, Nico said his vision of his soul had been clouded by something- if he was just dead, why hide it?”

“I’m gonna find him someday,” Olympia said, determined.

“And I’m gonna help,” He replied.

She looked at him now, sitting on her bunk in Cabin 3.

“Wha- What news? What do you mean?”

“It’s not… it’s nothing concrete… just a rumour about an 11-year-old boy with dark hair fighting monsters with power over water,” he looked up at her, his eyes solemn, “Camp has a network of automatons looking out for potential demigods, we get alerts like this all the time, but this was different, Oly- I think… I think it might be him.”

She was speechless. All this time, she’d been telling herself she’d find him, but she’d never actually had a lead before.

“Well then, what’re you waiting for, little man?” She said, sliding on her shoes and shoving clothes into her backpack, “Let’s go find him!”

“Oly, not so fast,” he warned, jumping down from the bunk, “this kid- the message said he was pretty hardcore, the way he attacked. If he’s been running from monsters since he was a baby… I can’t think what that’s done to him.”

He put a hand on her shoulder.

“What if… what if he doesn’t want to come home?”

Olympia looked at Leo. Despite his jovial presence and cheery manner, he was dark and twisted just like the rest of them. He knew a thing or two about running away, he’d spent most of his childhood running from schools and foster homes. She knew with a sinking feeling that he might be right. She shook her head.

“We can’t let “What if’s” stop us now, you taught me that,” she said, and shouldered her backpack.

“I guess you’re right,” Leo flashed her his trademark playful grin, “Let’s go.”

The kid was apparently in Nashville, and had caused quite a scene when he’d fought off two wild dogs in the middle of a busy high street by pouring a bucket of water over them. At least, that’s what the mortals were saying online. When Olympia saw the video they’d posted, she noticed how the boy had no bucket, the wild dogs were actually wolves, and when he attacked them they hadn’t just ran away like the internet said, but had completely disintegrated.

She stared at her phone. Demigods weren’t supposed to have cellular devices, especially at camp- they acted as a beacon for monsters to find them- but Leo had found a way to scramble the signal. It wasn’t flawless, and it became more and more risky the longer you used it, but it gave Olympia an hour or so of doom-scrolling on Tumblr every day.

She replayed the video again.

“He doesn’t look anything like I’d expected him to,” she concluded.

“I dunno… he has dark hair, like you. And water powers, like you. And grey eyes, like your mom, and I guess like you as well,” Leo studied her mismatched eyes, “And the way he fights… That’s Jackson blood in his veins if I ever saw it.”

“But he’s… he’s older.”

“Yes. That’s what happens when time passes. Did you expect him to still look 10 months old?”

Leo grinned, the way he always did when he was being sarcastic. Olympia poked him, playfully, and then turned back to the paused image on the screen.

“And he’s so… thin.”

Leo nodded in agreement, “Though, somehow I doubt he’ll be showing up on the front page of Cosmo any time soon.”

She looked at Leo. He tried to hide it with baggy clothes, but she knew that his scrawny look and vertically-challenged appearance weren’t all traits he’d been born with, that the long months spent on the run with little-to-no food had definitely played a factor. He was probably a lot healthier now, but those hard years had scarred him in ways she couldn’t imagine- and had left him looking permanently emaciated. She couldn’t bear the thought of that happening to her brother when she had grown up healthy and strong.

“Come on,” she said, putting away the phone, “Let’s get Nico, and leave.”

“A quest must be undertaken by three,” he recited.

“Yes, but also he can shadow-travel so we won’t have to pay for transport.”

“And that.”

Leo’d managed to intercept the demigod alert from his automaton, and direct all other alerts straight to him so that they could track where the kid was, and so Chiron- or, gods forbid, Olympia’s dad- didn’t see them. He was smart like that, but it only delayed the inevitable. Leo reckoned it was only a matter of time before the Camp Satyrs caught up to the boy. They had to act quickly.

Nico Di Angelo was never the easiest person to find. Luckily for them, he had a soft spot for Olympia, and always made sure she was able to call on him when she needed to. Whenever she wanted help with homework, or a ride to a dangerous incognito solo monster-fighting death quest, all she had to do was knock.

She pressed her body against the floor of Cabin 3, and rapped hard on the wooden floorboards.

“Uncle Nico!!” She called, “I know you’re down there!! We need your help.”

“Boo!” Came a voice from behind them.

Leo yelped, “Holy Hephaestus, Death Boy, don’t do that!”

Nico gave him a skeletal grin. Leo took a deep breath and patted his own hair, which was smoking.

Olympia stood up, and pulled him into a tight hug. She was taller than him now, but he looked good for an 102-year-old.

“My gods, you’ve grown,” he remarked, breathing in her warm smell. His skin was icy cold and pale.

“You’ve been spending too much time in the underworld,” she said, “get some sun in you, man.”

“Oh I think he is getting some Sun in him, if you know what I mean,” Leo winked and turned to Nico, “Hey, Nico, how’s Will?”

Nico ignored the question, “Whatever it is you want me to do, I hope I don’t have to put up with hotshot over here the whole time.��� He jabbed a thumb in Leo’s direction.

“Hey!” Leo cried, offended.

Olympia rolled her eyes.

“I need you to take us to Nashville,” she said, “Leo thinks my brother might be there.”

An anguished expression played across Nico’s face.

“T-Tyler?” He asked, “You really think-“

“Yes. We do,” Leo said, confidently. They proceeded to fill him in on everything, even showing him the video on Olympia’s phone.

Nico’s face hardened.

“Right then. I will absolutely do anything I can to help. Nashville, you say? Peace of cake.”

He cracked his knuckles and rolled his head, like he was warming up for something. He then held out both hands, expecting them to take them. Olympia obliged.

“Do I have to?” Leo moaned.

“Don’t worry, Fire Guy, this won’t get gay,” Nico assured him.

“It’s not that,” Leo replied, “Your hands are just weird and cold. And small.”

“You’re one to talk,” he retorted, “I’d much rather just take Olympia, so if you want to be left behind, I’m sure-“

“Fine,” Leo groaned, and took Nico’s hand.

And then the world caved in.

[thenasoneshots]

Blaine Oneshot - Love Story

Requested?: No (Please request…)

Prompt: None

Type of oneshot: Fluff/ kinda songfic

Reader's Relations: None

Warnings:  Mentions of Transphobia and bullying/there is that in this oneshot, if it makes you uncomfortable, don’t read this

Other notes: Reader is ftm trans in this, but the first part takes place before she reveals it to anyone, (M/n) means male name, for the majority of this oneshot, the reader will have he/him pronouns used. The reader also has dyslexia in this (It’s not a major plot point, but it’s mentioned a few times)

-------------------------

I took a deep breath as I pulled down the zipper of my jumper that had been concealing my ‘what I don’t like about myself’ (I don’t remember what they called it) t-shirt, revealing the word ‘gender’ with an ‘I’m trans’ in brackets underneath. The whole room went silent as the rest of the Glee Club stared at me, increasing my anxiety, “I-is something wrong? Did I miss-spell something?”

“No, you didn’t (Y/n). It’s just that’s not what any of us were expecting.”

I gulped, “O-oh… so, are you guys okay with it? I don’t feel right in my body.”

“Oh please, (Y/n). You’re just doing this to get attention.”

I looked up from my feet when I heard that come from Santana’s mouth, “W-what? Listen, I know you can be a bitch sometimes, but I’m not doing this for attention. I genuinely do not feel comfortable with my body, and if any of you respect my decisions, then you’ll call me (M/n) from now on,” I spoke, feeling the tears trying to escape my eyes as I turned around, zipping my jumper back up and leaving the choir room, before remembering and turning around, “And for the record, I thought Glee Club was a place where we could be ourselves, but I see that doesn’t apply to me. Mr Schuester, I’m leaving Glee Club.” That was the last thing I said before leaving the room properly, letting the tears fall now.

I made my way to a small secluded area of greenery on the school grounds that no one else seemed to know about as I never saw anyone else there, and sat down with my back against the tree I always did, curling up in a ball and sobbing my eyes out. Eventually, I calmed down a bit, and that’s when my conversation with my mother from a few weeks prior came into my head and I pulled out my phone, went onto her contact:

‘Remember that conversation we were having a few weeks ago? I’ve made my decision. I want to transfer.’

“(M/n)?! I know you’re here!” My ears perked up at the sound of my new name, and I realised that at least someone respected my decisions and smiled sadly when I looked up to see Kurt.

“Hi.”

Instead of giving me a response, Kurt sat down next to me and pulled me into a hug, “Let it out, (M/n). You’re still fabulous to me, no matter how you choose to identify.”

“Thanks, Kurt. I’m glad I’ve got a friend in you.”

He just smiled at me and squeezed me in a tighter hug, but before he could say anything, my phone pinged. I opened it up and saw a message from my mother, “Glad you’ve made a decision. I will email now about your transfer, see you later.”

I sent a ‘see you later’ back and sighed, leaning into Kurt more, “I’m going to tell you something, and you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay? Of, if it does come up, then you have to say that you don’t know why, okay?”

Kurt nodded and I wiped my eyes, “I’m transferring.”

“Okay. Not what I was expecting you to say. Am I allowed to know where?”

I nodded, “Dalton Academy. Before you start saying it’s an all-boys school, my mum knows of my… change in gender, and when she does all my transfer stuff, my new name will be used, thank you again for not using my dead name.”

------------------------------KURT’S POV

“Okay. Sectionals are coming up and we need to decide what song we are going to sing. Any suggestions?”

“Mr Schuester, aren’t we missing someone?”

“Right. Unfortunately, due to your inability to accept (M/n)’s decisions, he’s transferred schools, so will not be joining us.”

“What? (Y/n) is going to be competing against us?!”

“And it’s your fault, Santana. You were the one that started all the hate off,” I decided to speak up, standing up and turning to the cheerleader.

“Excuse me, I don’t recall asking for your opinion, Lady Hummel,” she replied getting closer to me. I just raised an eyebrow, “Really? Does it look like I care? Because I don’t care whether you asked for my opinion, at least I can speak the truth, and that truth is that (M/n) has transferred to a different school because of all the hate he was getting from you.”

“If you know so much, where did she transfer to?”

“I am not allowed to reveal that information. I am indeed aware of where (M/n) transferred but I have been asked not to reveal it, and you should respect that.”

------------------------YOUR POV

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bump into you!” I squeaked out, helping the black-haired male up after standing up myself, the two of us having fallen over.

“It’s alright. I should have been looki-Do I know you?”

“I don’t think so. I’m (M/n). I just transferred here so I’d be surprised if you did know me,” I replied, smiling.

“Oh right. I’m Blaine. Do you need help at all?”

I shook my head, “Not at the moment, but thank you for asking. I hope that offer is going to continue to stand.”

“Of course. If you ever need help, you can come to me.”

“Thank you,” I smiled.

--------------------------

“So, (M/n), truth or dare?”

I let out a small chuckle, “Truth.”

“What’s your orientation? Like what are you into?”

I just blinked in confusion, “Huh?”

“He means what’s your sexuality?”

“Oh. Well, it’s complicated. The best way to put it is that I’m into guys,” I replied, trying to hide my face.

“And why is that ‘complicated’?”

“That is confidential. You don’t need to know,” I responded, “If you’ve got a problem with the fact that I’d rather keep some of my personal life private, Sebastian, then you need to think again because it’s called a ‘PERSONAL’ life for a reason.”

--------------------------

“Are you nervous?”

“A little. Actually, that’s a lie. I’m completely freaking out. Look my nerves are all shot. This is my first competition performance since I transferred to Dalton, and I’m just scared I’m going to mess it up and-” I was cut off when Blaine grabbed my cheeks and kissed me. Before I could process it, he’d broken off and was apologising.

“There you two are! Positions, now. We’re on in a minute!”

Immediately, I moved away from Blaine, giving him a ‘we’ll talk about this later’ look as I dashed to the other side of the stage, making sure not to bump into anyone. I could feel myself shaking as I stood in the wings, waiting until it was time to go on stage.

“And now, please welcome to the stage, the Dalton Academy Warblers!”

I took one last deep breath, before walking on stage to the top of the set of ‘stairs’ (for lack of better word) on the stage, the rest of the Warblers taking their positions too, Blaine standing at the front of the stage. Soon it was time to start our performance, “We were both young when I first saw you. I close my eyes and the flashback starts. I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air.” I sang, facing the front feeling the nerves leave my body once I’d started singing.

“See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns, see you make your way through the crowd and say "Hello",” Blaine sang as I made my way through the rest of the Warblers, walking down so that I was at the front too. We continued singing the song, thankfully me not forgetting any of my words or movements on the stage and soon we got to the ending, “Oh, oh-oh. I got tired of waiting,” I sung as Blaine and I were now standing not facing each other at the front of the stage.

“Wondering if you were ever coming around, my faith in you was fading when I met you on the outskirts of town and I said…” Blaine sang as I got out of the grip he’d previously had on me as I turned to face him, “‘Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone. I keep waiting for you, but you never come. Is this in my head? I don't know what to think’. He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said.”

“‘Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone. I love you, and that's all I really know. I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress It's a love story, baby, just say yes.”

“Oh, oh-oh, oh, oh-oh, oh.”

“'Cause we were both young when I first saw you,” I sang the final line looking Blaine directly in the eye. Once we were off stage, I released the breath I didn’t realise I was holding and wracked my hands through my short hair, trying to calm myself down. That’s when I felt a tap on the shoulder and I turned around to see Blaine standing there, an apologetic look on his face, “(M/n). I’m sorry about what happen-” I cut him off, “Don’t apologise. Just a question. What would you do if I asked you to kiss me again?”

His head shot up and he looked me directly in the eye, probably looking for any signs of hesitation. I waved a hand in front of his face, “Am I going to get an answer?”

“It depends, are you going to ask me to kiss you?”

I rolled my eyes, “Kiss me?”

Instead of a verbal response, Blaine just grabbed my upper arms and pulled me closer to him, kissing me, before breaking off, “There’s your answer. If you asked me to kiss you, I’d do it.”

I smiled, “That makes me happy to hear because I might just ask you to do it again,” I smirked, booping him on the nose, “And for the record, I like you romantically. I’m not just trying to get you to kiss me for the fun of it.”

---------------------------END OF ONESHOT

I’m just going to leave this here… I probably could add more, but ehh

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Little Mermaid Medley

I already knew right from the start that this was going to be a long post, but how am I only just now realizing that the video itself is like nearly 8 minutes long? Like I knew the Wicked Medley was one of Voiceplay's longer-length videos, but somehow I never realised that this video is in fact longer by 10 seconds! (I guess it's just so good that I never noticed!) God I hope I don't hit the picture limit on this one, because I have a lot to talk about, so let's begin!

Bit of a far cry from the Moana Medley 3 years prior, hey? (This was released in September 2020 btw). I may be wrong, but I believe this is called "we have a bigger budget now" 😂

Right, so Eli (already doing a subtle Eyebrow Raise, might I add), is dressed as Flounder, Rachel is of course Ariel, J is repping Sebastian, Layne is Chef Louis (I think that's his name), and Geoff went freaking all-out as Ursula (aka "Geoffsula"). The hair! The necklace! The airbrushing on the skin! (Seriously that ain't just a standard layer of face/body paint, there is shading going on there!)

(Also what's up with the green wristbands which I've never really acknowledged till now?)

J and Rachel echoing the "heave ho!" bit to each other (gonna try and limit my screencap-taking just a little bit, because I'll probably end up including a ton anyway)

Rachel slipped on that bracelet really smoothly, is it just me? Like girl how did you do that so easily?

Love the little detail of Rachel throwing up the fork (aka "dinglehopper") and it not coming down again. No clue how they did it

(Also that is a very pretty bracelet. And cute necklace!)

I wasn't exactly searching for this screencap, but I felt like I had to include it when I paused on it!

Layne "blowing bubbles" out his mouth!

I love J's little dance moves here 😄

Geoff on air bass again! (representing the line "the plaice play the bass")

Whose idea was this? 😂 (Layne was in charge of both the arrangement and the video, I'm guessing it was him?) And then Voiceplay stuck it on a shirt and made it into merch! (And also for J's farewell party, they got him a cake that had a picture of snail!J on it!)

We're about to get into my favourite part! (Also cool painting!)

Eli and J hamming it up as Flotsam and Jetsam 😝

J's face makes me laugh every time 😆

Purple flames in his eyes! (Voiceplay used a very similar effect last year, on Geoff again, during the Hellfire video)

Hang on what was that little move that J just did there?

"This one longing to be thinner, this one wants to get the girl, and do I help them?"

"Yes indeed"

(Also fun fact: the woman shown here is Rachel Evans, one third of the singing group The American Sirens, who collaborated with Geoff a year later on his cover of Mele Kalikimaka, and the man is her husband!)

"They come flocking to my cauldron crying SPELLS!" "Ursula please!"

(Also shoutout to Eli for the lighting design! He always does such a fantastic job!)

The colouration/tint of the lighting does really interesting things to Geoff's blueish skin colour in this video. In some shots the skin is a really vibrant colour (e.g. see a couple of the shots above), whereas in others, like this one ^ here, it almost looks close to regular skin tone.

This little moment greatly pleases my drama/theatre kid heart 😁

Not talking about vocals not talking about vocals not talking about vocals not talking about-

Okay but the signature bit was very cool, and definitely feels like something Voiceplay would not have been able to do back in 2017

Pfft 😂

Also the lighting here is making Geoff's hair (which got coloured grey for this video) look almost blonde!

Cool smoke effects!

(Also the only reason I haven't done fanart of "Geoffsula" (other than the fact that I don't wanna keep drawing him in black outfits) is that I would not be able to do the skin colouration justice here. Shoutout to Rick Underwood for the makeup!)

"Sing" (sir you're not allowed to look that pretty while looking like that!)

Yeah nah yeah they really went off with the effects on this one

I am getting dangerously close to the image limit and I don't wanna have to split this into two posts, but Layne's whole Les Poissons bit is comedy gold and screencaps don't do it justice anyway

To quote Elizabeth Zharoff: "it takes a confident man to Seagull!" 😂

Love Rachel's awkward-yet-cute little wave at the start of Kiss The Girl (and her dancing a bit further into the song!

Confusion(tm) 🤣

Firstly, Rachel's acting is 100% on-point, and second of all, I love Geoff's evil smirk here, doubly confirming that Rachel is being Vanessa, aka Ursula in disguise!

And now that "Ariel" has got her voice back, everyone else is super happy/animated, while "Ursula" is very subdued. Visual storytelling!

Just managed to avoid the image limit, thank goodness! Also J pops a bubble right at the end 😁

It's hard for me to say whether this is one of Voiceplay's best medleys or not, because how can you compare it to the Boy Band Medley or Trapped or A Chance To Fly? But I will say it is very deserving of the 5.5 million views it currently sits at on YouTube. A lot of effort went into both the arrangement and the video (well done Layne!), and honestly when it comes to Disney stuff, Voiceplay never fails!

[whumpbby]

A story idea for DMC.

Post assholes' return from Hell.

The brothers and Nero are on the same job -as it turned out, a big tree of blood fucked up the borders between Hell and Above, and also stirred up some of the Hell's hierarchy. There's always war in Hell, but now some of the stronger devils realised they can enter human world and get some food.

Thanks Vergil.

The current problem is a large gate placed rather inconveniently in a residential area, so all three Spardas + Lady and Trish have to join forces to dispatch it fast. Dante could do it by himself if pressed, but the name of the game is damage control, so it's a team-up time.

None of them is actually good at working in a team, so it's a bit of a clusterfuck and a bit of working it out as we go. Not made any easier by the fact Dante and Vergil are always game to steal each others kills and get in each others way for the purpose of being a dick.

Nero is "am I the only one caring about keeping these people safe or...?"

Lady "I'm here for a paycheck and these two are happy to show off, so yeah."

Trish is "It's been a slow week."

:read more:

Nero sighs. The gate keep spewing devil after a devil, some of them actually strong enough to cause probl ms and there's already some buildings that are in shambles. He wants it done fast, because the evacuation is still ongoing and people are still around.

He still has nightmares about Redgrave. If they'd just managed to close the Gate, it would be easy to deal with the stragglers.

At some point, he notices it, the obelist covered in runes that keeps the Gate open. If he can destroy it...

At the same time, Vergil is already there - he'd noticed the obelisc and worked out its mechanism. A bit more complex than the usual fare - without a magic circle from the human world, this one was set up from Hell. A small crack in the barrier was detected and a devil witch pushed a sygil through to the Human world as a foothold Key. So there are two obeliscs - one in each side, connected by energy stream that keeps the Gate open. Ingenious, if annoying. He'd like to study the Key on their side - should be easy to find a counter-spell that will circumvent the prolonged battle.

The Key needs to be preserved then, and the easiest way is to simply sever the connection. The Gate will close, they will mop up the devils remaining and he will take the obelisc home to study.

Vergil, being himself, doesn't seem it necessary to inform others about his plan. Dante will ficmgure it our and the rest is far enough that getting their attention would be a waste of time. He works out the best place to interrupt the stream and throws Yamato, point-first across the battlefield, intending to call it to hand once the job is done.

What happens then is a blur.

Nero, tied of wasting time, engages the trigger for a speed boost with the intention to carve the stone in half with the Red Queen. So focused on the task that the incoming danger registers too late - Yamato was his for while, his instincts didn't consider it a threat, didn't warn him in time - only when the blade tears through his side and pins him to the stone does he realise something's wrong... But then the world folds into itself before he can react

What returns to Vergil's hand (it was only a blink, only a flash, the rune was cut and destroyed in less than a second) is not Yamato. It's a snarling, snapping beast, his son in full trigger, roaring in rage before going for Vergil's throat. Behind, the Gate folds into itself and Yamato is nowhere to be seen.

That is a problem.

Not as much of a problem as Nero's human side finding itself on the other side of the closed Gate, thin and weak, and barely 16. A child with a single hand and a blade as tall as he is in the remaining one, sorrounded by devils and desolate landscape of Hell.

[beholdme]

dreamling darkest timeline

This is WHUMP kids, proceed with caution.

Written for @dreamlingbingo prompt 'darkest timeline'.

On ao3.

Hob Gadling wakes up in a medical tent towards the end of the second world war. He remembers nothing of the previous six centuries.

His clean slate becomes bloody very fast. Dream watches from his cage.

So we have Amnesia!Hob. 

A world war 2 explosion left him with a bit of shrapnel lodged in his brain. He recovered, of course, because he cannot die, but the metal damaged his memory, and it can’t heal unless it’s removed. But no one understands that, because. Immortality. 

Not even Hob knows he’s immortal anymore. 

He comes ‘home’ from the war but doesn’t remember what or where that is anymore. Something drives him to the White Horse, where he works for a few years. 

At some point in the 50s, he stumbles into a job at the Burgess house, working as one of Dream’s guards. “The Devil in the Basement” and all that. 

At first, Dream is. Hopeful. An emotion he hasn’t indulged in a very long time. When Hob doesn’t acknowledge him, he assumes he’s playing a con, getting into the Burgess’ good graces in order to stage a breakout. 

But time goes on. And on. 

It's the 60s and Hob hasn’t shown Dream any more interest than any other guard. Alex comes to visit and pleads with Dream to promise him safety in exchange for freedom. Dream sees Hob’s eyebrow twitch and thinks it’s a sign. He feels another bright spark of hope. 

Time goes on again. 

It’s the early 70s now. Hob has been back from the war for 25 years and he hasn’t aged a day. Watching the thing in the cell, his mind turns over and over, putting the pieces together. They are the right pieces, but they go together in the wrong order. 

In ‘72, Paul comments on Hob’s youthful appearance. Having been surrounded by the stink of spineless, greedy men, chasing the occult, all of Hob’s worst traits have been encouraged. 

He slits Paul’s throat, right then and there. He goes for Alex next. There aren’t many people working in the house anymore, so it is a quick thing to take care of them. 

He goes down to the cellar, to Dream, with a dripping knife and a grin on his face. He kills the second guard right in front of him, and Dream thinks the time has finally come. 

His traitorous spirit fairly glows with hope. With triumph. 

His friend has come for him after all this time. 

Only. 

He hasn’t. 

This Hob, you see. He’s never been in love. Never had a real friend. He has no anchor to meet him in the White Horse once a century. He is gluttonous, selfish, lustful. 

He is in a house full of spell books and insane amounts of money. 

He is his worst, most brilliant self. 

He smirks at Dream and practically purrs when he says, “I don’t know how I’ve done it, devil, but I’ve managed to steal your gifts after all. I am so interested to see what I can do with them, aren’t you?” 

“Dream of the Endless.” Hob laughs, a broken, awful sound that Dream realises he has missed acutely. “What a joke. Who wants to be endless in a cage?” 

Dream thinks he is most heartbroken to hear Hob call him by a name… a name he seems to have no recollection of ever having longed for at all. 

At first, nothing much changes except that Dream is actually alone down in the basement. No more guards. Hob watched him for long enough that he knows Dream can’t get out of that cage on his own, and he’s been reading, you see. 

He knows how the binding works, perhaps better than anyone ever has. He’s even improved it. Puts a second circle around the house, the sort that blocks all Endless power. Dream feels the moment it happens. The moment asking his siblings for helps becomes impossible, rather than just anathema to who he is. 

Something about this change shifts Dream’s awareness. Before he was contained in his prison, but now it has expanded. Not in a way that might allow him to free himself, to grasp his power in any real way, but now he can. Hear. Feel. Experience what is going on in the house. 

It is almost worse, like half-blindness that reminds him of the beauty of the world without showing him any of the sense details to make it truly inhabitable. 

But what is to be done? Nothing. 

So Dream sits in his bubble. He tracks Hob’s movements when he is at home. Sees him take the Burgess fortune and increase it exponentially. Watches as people come and go, more and more important people, who Hob seems to enjoy influencing, puppeteering, and manipulating, for no other reason than he can. 

A phantom in the dark, using his stolen power to change the world in ways it should never be changed. The Spectre, people call him, a name whispered in the meagre minds of men with too much fear and not enough originality. 

Dream cries more often now. His emotions, once too full of the collective unconscious to narrow down to his individualism, seem to fluctuate like the weather. Sometimes reluctant awe. Sometimes disgusted fascination. So often, there are tears in his pretty eyes. 

Hob enjoys coming down and visiting him, still, and those times when Dream is teary and visibly shaken are his favourite. All of those years, the Burgess’ couldn’t move Dream of the Endless, but now he shudders and spills tears for the Robbert Gadling of the 20th century. A man who has exceeded and destroyed all Dream’s expectations in such an unfathomable way that Dream simply. Does not understand the world any longer. If, indeed, he ever did at all.

Dream wonders if this was his sister’s purpose all along. 

But Hob visits and tells him tales of his adventures , of his triumphs, and Dream almost comes to treasure those moments. For it is then that he is reminded of those times so long ago, when Dream of the Endless and Hob Gadling met at the tavern of the White Horse, and Hob told him tales of his adventures. His voice, his curiosity, his very desire for life. 

Perhaps all Dream will ever be again is a thing in a cage. But at least he still has these stories, to nourish a part of him long atrophied, no matter how poisoned the source. 

The Prince of Stories and his Spectre in the dark. 

[geminiamethyst]

having a bit of a rant….

I’m sorry that this isn’t a chapter but I feel like I need to say it here. I might delete this after a couple of days but we’ll see how it goes first.

If you guys don’t know already, I post on Wattpad as well as Ao3. And up until now, this story has been going fine, no complaints. Until a month ago and last night. Both comments were done by the same account. I’m going to quote the comments in question and give some context.

So in the second chapter, Flameslinger gave himself his name. I realise that at that point in the story, he hadn’t picked up archery yet. Also, Stump Smash doesn’t have his name yet, he gives it to himself after his was attacked by the trolls. However, this comment says…

“This doesn’t make much sense. He gets his name from being a fire bowslinger. So far, in your story, he’s only known for his fiery eyes and his mind’s eye and not for archery. Just as Stump Smash doesn’t make much sense as a name for a tree, unmarred by troll cutters.”

I get that I might have made a mistake by letting Flameslinger give himself his name the way that I did, but because no one else had complained about it, I didn’t think that it would be an issue. I thought that it was a small mistake that if people had nit picked about more, I would’ve been happy to change it.

Also, as I have just said, Stump Smash hadn’t given himself a name at that point in the story, and later on, he had explained to Flameslinger what had happened to him and so on. I don’t know if this person had not read the chapter well enough, or they thought that I have typed in Stump Smash by accident (I hadn’t, I checked over the chapter myself), but he hadn’t been brought up in the chapter, even if it’s obvious to fans that know Flameslinger’s backstory.

Anyway, later on in the story Fright Rider is introduced. I am aware that Fright is also known as Ozzy, and Rider can be known as Fright Rider himself. I even have Rider call his steed Ozzy at one point in the chapter. However, this comment says…

“Fright Rider and Ozzy, not Fright and Rider. Check the fandom wiki.”

And I did just that. I checked the fandom wiki and this is what the first paragraph says:

“Fright Rider and his steed Ozzy (formerly known as Rider and Fright, respectively), are an Elven jouster and a skeletal ostrich, who together form an Undead jousting team. The two of them serve as one of the core Skylanders in Skylanders: Giants.”

So technically, this person and I are both right and wrong. I realise that I might have made another small mistake, but the Wiki does go on to keep calling Ozzy “Fright” and Fright Rider as “Rider”. Especially after telling their backstory and how they became to be part of the Undead Element. The only time that it doesn’t is at the start and doing some quotes from the books and the games. Also I’m not the only one that has done this. I just don’t understand why I’m the only one being told this, when a couple of other writers have done this as well.

And now this person is nitpicking everything in one of my newer chapters. First it was just minor spelling mistakes that I have apologised for and corrected. But now it’s starting to get a bit too far. They have started commenting on certain paragraphs and editing it to how THEY want to read it.

They’ve even told me to not ship Flameslinger and Stealth Elf. It’s not even confirmed if I am shipping them. I’m not even sure if I am going through with it. For now I’m having them as good friends/teammates. Not to mention, it’s MY story, not theirs.

I just want to say that I don’t mind getting a comment that is something along the lines of constructive criticism. Like if I had made a HUGE mistake that I didn’t realise and it was pointed out, I don’t mind, I’m more than happy to correct it. But these comments have started to make me hesitate posting future chapters on Wattpad now because someone is being so nit picky. I’m going to ignore this person for now. If they start causing problems, like having a go at me or something, then I will block them. So far nothing has escalated just yet.

If you have a Wattpad account, PLEASE DON’T ATTACK THIS PERSON!

Sorry about this rant, I just felt like I needed to get it off of my chest. I’m not going to post it on Wattpad because I don’t want this person to come at me there, I don’t want to start a fight or anything. I just want to write what I want and enjoy doing it.

[dumbledore-ariana]

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!

I also can’t emphasise enough how cruel Gellert was for putting him under the cruciautus curse too. Crucio is already such a inhumane and incredibly painful spell, and to place that upon a 15 year old? Oh my god? And don’t get me started on Albus begging him to stop.

Aberforth was terrified that summer, he had just lost his mother, and now he was losing his brother and sister- not to mention that his girlfriend had probably been sent away around this time too. He had suffered so much devastating loss and he was desperate, he was concerned for his beloved sister’s wellbeing. I think people need to realise that once Aberforth came to Hogwarts, it would have been incredibly hard for him to make a name for himself, because Albus had already take the spotlight and anything that Aberforth could have achieved, Albus had already achieved. So he most likely found a purpose for himself through taking care of Ariana, it was the thing he was best at, it was the thing that Albus couldn’t do. So to watch as the one thing that’s most important you is slowly being dragged away.. I would be angry too.

The Aberforth hate in this fandom is unreal. He will forever be one of my favourite characters; he has such a large heart and he loves his family so dearly. He was only 15 and he lost everything with no rich acquaintance in France to fall back onto or a best friend to comfort him at the funeral. He lost his best friend that night, he lost Ariana.

Should probably reinstate that I am not pushing the blame onto any character here but rather shedding light on to how Aberforth might have been feeling. I think a primary aspect with the duel was that in some way everyone was to blame, and I stand by that, this isn’t an attempt to pardon him of all wrong but instead to acknowledge aspects of his character that I rarely see discussed.

unpopular opinion somehow: Aberforth had every right to call Albus out. People who say Aberforth hates Gellert for no reason would be wrong. It is HEAVILY implied Albus neglected BOTH his siblings during that summer, and with Gellert being the focus of Albus's attention, Aberforth would hate him for taking it away: people forget Aberforth was still young (15) at the time of 1899. Young children do not respond well to neglect... this is common sense I fear. I will defend Aberforth's choices to call Albus out until I die.

[sassypotatoe1]

AITA for telling a contact that his press release is wrong and that it likely won't be published

It's all I'm anxiously thinking about so here's the tea. I also hate reddit so y'all can have it ig.

So this guy sends this press release (titled press realise) to me about his opera event which, according to this realise is the first opera event ever held at this venue (which is a huge old venue that has had many a concert) and it's just riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes and inflammatory statements that I can't verify. So naturally, I put the release through, but our fact checkers highlight factual errors and ask me to advise.

Now I don't have a clue about the things they noted, so I ask my editor what to do. She tells me to just ignore the whole thing because it wasn't even sent to her.

Me being me, I decided to be nice and let the guy know that he won't be seeing his release in the paper and why. I try my best to be kind and professional and neutral. He responds with "this is personal, what's your name?" and given his terrible grammar before I figured he meant impersonal because I didn't give him my name and so I give him my name, he says thank you, and I say "of course". Because I think he meant impersonal and was just genuinely thankful that I introduced myself.

Then, he tells me his realise was signed off on and to contact the event manager because she will vouch for him. I don't have the event manager's contact details, but I do have a general manager, so I ask her to get someone to check the release for factual errors and make corrections. She directs me to the event and entertainment coordinator who tells me he never saw the release and will send it to his team for corrections.

Naturally, wanting to assure this guy, I told him that I verified his claim and that I will be getting an official release from the venue, but that I'm not sure it will be published because we prefer to publish municipal releases and some other stuff, and he would have more assurance it would be published if he submitted it as an event for the event calendar, or took out a paid ad in the newspaper.

He then goes on this tirade talking about how I want to undermine him and sow doubt "which I deed" according to him, and how if I did my homework I would have known not to attack him, and how he knows who my racist source is, which of course makes no sense to me because I didn't have contact with anyone who meant to ruin his reputation and I would show them away quite rudely if they tried.

So I tell him that I understand his grievances and that he can direct them to my editor if he wishes and that I never intended to undermine or attack him. I think it's all over and my editor would have my back because this whole time I've been trying to do what she told me and to remain professional and courteous.

Apparently not, because although everyone in my life who saw the screenshots of the entire conversation thinks I'm in the right and that I remained professional, my editor, the regional editor, and the national editor all think I was arrogant and that my behavior was unacceptable.

So basically, my question is, should I have just ignored it from the start and let my editor handle it, or am I not the asshole?

[blu-joons]

When He Pouts At You ~ Enhypen Reaction

Heeseung:

Your brows furrowed as you looked to the figure just beside you, drawn straight away to the pout that was on Heeseung’s face as he watched you closely.

“What’s that look for?” You asked, opening up the kitchen drawer so that you could make a start on preparing dinner for you both.

“What do you think this look is for?” Heeseung quizzed in reply, raising his eyebrows expectantly, only for a stunned silence to come from you.

“That’s why I asked.”

“Why do you think I would pout?”

“Because you’re a giant kid,” you teased, beginning to pick up on what it was that he was hinting at, “you’re not going to have a tantrum right now, are you?”

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Heeseung groaned, oblivious to the fact that you were starting to pull his strings and annoy him.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” you pointed out to him, “what is that look actually for? Do you need something before I start sorting out dinner?”

“Oh, come on Y/N, just give me a kiss.”

Jay:

Your eyes rolled as you glanced up from your phone and saw Jay looking across at you, drawn straight away to the pout he had when his eyes met yours.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You chuckled, placing your phone down so that you were looking properly at Jay.

“Because I want your attention for a little while,” he huffed, immediately bringing the pout back to his face once he finished speaking to you.

“I’m right here.”

“But you’re playing on your phone.”

“All you had to do was say,” you groaned, nudging against Jay’s side. “You didn’t need to sit there and pout at me to get my attention you know Jay.”

“I can’t believe I had to ask for your attention,” he continued to whine, “shouldn’t you just want to pay attention to me anyway?”

“No,” you teased, knowing that you were winding Jay up even more, “if anything, I think I might spend the rest of the evening scrolling through my phone.”

“No, you can’t do that to me Y/N.”

Jake:

You looked back as you heard Jake calling your name, watching him lean against the doorframe with a pout on his face as you closed the boot of your car.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, confused by the silence that came from Jake after hurrying to call after you after you left home.

“You can’t just go to work without saying goodbye,” Jake shrugged, beckoning you over to him as his index finger tapped against his pouted lips.

“You want a kiss?”

“I just want for you to say goodbye.”

“Jake,” you chuckled, placing your bag into your car before walking across to the doorway, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Goodbye, have a good day at the studio.”

“That was a rubbish goodbye,” Jake scolded, pulling you back as you went to walk away from him, “you’re just saying that.”

“How else can I say goodbye?” You laughed back at him. “As much as I’d love to spend time with you and your pout, I really do have to go to work now.”

“Alright, I guess that I can let you go.”

Sunghoon:

Your hand grabbed at Sunghoon’s cheeks, pinching against them to emphasise the pout that was already on his face as he looked across at you, sniggering at you.

“What’s with the pout on your face?” You enquired, leaning forwards and pecking Sunghoon’s lips before letting him go.

“No reason,” he smiled back at you, rubbing his hands against his cheeks from where you’d held them. “I didn’t even realise that I was pouting.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, of course. Why’d you ask?”

“Usually when you pout or something it’s because something is on your mind or you’re worrying,” you reminded Sunghoon, knowing all of his many habits.

“I really am alright,” he insisted, offering you a smile, “if anything it’s actually been pretty relaxed at work, a welcome relief for all of us.”

“I’m glad,” you replied, matching Sunghoon’s smile. “If you start pouting though, then I’ll be onto you again to check up on you and make sure you’re alright.”

“Honestly, Y/N, I really am doing alright.”

Sunoo:

Your head shook as Sunwoo looked across at you, deciding to form a pout as he folded his arms across his chest too to try and get your attention looking at him.

“I’m not going to agree to what you want just because you’re pouting,” you quickly told Sunwoo, refusing to cave to him.

“Y/N,” he cried out, shaking his head back across at you. “You know full well that I’m right, why can’t you just admit it and do what I say that we do?”

“You’re not right though.”

“Why are you the one who’s right?”

“Because I’m the one that’s being normal right now and not pouting because we’re getting into a strop,” you challenged, leaving Sunwoo stumbling for words.

“I’m pouting because I can’t believe you,” he eventually explained, pouting his lips even more to try and convince you to listen to him.

“I’m still not agreeing,” you shrugged back at him, “you know if you pout like that for long enough your lips might not go back into a smile again.”

“How can you not see that I’m right?”

Jungwon:

Your smile was wide as you looked across to Jungwon, noticing the pout that was on his face as he stared off into the distance, in a world of his own away from you.

“Penny for your thoughts?” You teased, poking against Jungwon’s hips as he turned his eyes around to look across at you.

“Sorry, I’m just thinking about a few bits and bobs,” Jungwon responded, straightening out his pout so that he had a smile on his face once again.

“Anything particularly interesting?”

“You’d laugh at me if I told you Y/N.”

“Try me?” You suggested, looking expectantly back across at Jungwon, “you’d be surprised how unsurprised I can be when it comes to the weird things you do.”

“This time it’s stupid,” he quickly assured you, “I mean all that’s on my mind is trying to decide what I want to eat for dinner tonight.”

“You mean to say that you’re distant and pouting as you try and make up your mind as to what you want to eat for dinner?” You quizzed, “that is a bit stupid.”

“See, I told you that you’d find it odd.”

Ni-ki:

Your head shook as you walked out of the kitchen and spotted Riki still sat on the sofa, his arms folded across his chest, and most importantly, a pout on his face.

“Are you still being stroppy?” You called out to him, leaning against the doorframe to the living room, “your face is a picture.”

“Of course, I’m still being stroppy,” he huffed in reply, refusing to look across at you. “You got the wrong chocolate, that’s such a crime Y/N.”

“Have you heard yourself?”

“I have, this is a serious matter you know.”

“I can’t deal with you,” you chuckled, walking across to where he sat. “How long do we have to sit with you pouting until you finally accept that I made a mistake.”

“I’ll pout until I get the chocolate bar that I want,” he explained, “you know I’m pretty sure that the shop is still open, it’s not that late yet.”

“You want me to go to the shop now?” You challenged in disbelief, shaking your head at him. “It’s dark, and it’s cold, who knows what could happen?”

“Do you want me to stop pouting or not?”

---

Masterlist

[brunchable]

Into The Looking Glass - Part One || Doctor Strange x Reader.

Word count: 3.6K Brief Summary: Ever since a new relic has been brought into the Sanctum, Stephen get haunted by the same dreams everynight, until he found himself talking to the reflection in the mirror. Warning: First half is in Stephen's POV. Strictly do not: claim, repost, copy, translate my stories anywhere else.A/N: Inspired by JT's Mirror, I Hear a Symphony by Cody Fry and Short K-Film on youtube (I forgot the name but I remembered watching it). This is a Two Part mini series. Also I haven't forgotten about Can't love you in the Dark... I'm still working on it.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

"I used to hear a simple song, that was until you came along. Now in it's place is something new, I hear it when I look at you…"

I arose from my waking dream with beads of sweat clinging to my body. In an effort to regain my breath, I let out a forceful exhalation. It is always that song, accompanied by that sweet voice that seems to entice me to wake up in the middle of the night. I already have the lyrics seared into my memory, since it's always that same line, over and over. I tried searching for the song on Google countless times, but the search engine didn't turn up any results. 

After I had collected myself, I swung his legs over the side of the bed. I had no intention of returning to sleep while the adrenaline was still pumping through my veins.

As I stood up and moved to my dresser to retrieve a shirt, the creaking sound of the wooden floor followed my footsteps. It would serve me better to have just one glass of whisky to dull my senses and put me right back to sleep.

I plop down on my favourite armchair in front of the massive anomaly rue window on the third floor, a spell book in hand to read while I allow time to pass me by. Sirens wail past the street, flashing red and blue against my complexion. It was a cold night and yet the sky was shy of giving snow. In the winter, my grief over the death of my sister resurfaces, making the season almost unbearable to go through.

The whiskey seemed to have done its job, despite fighting it, I felt myself nodding off to sleep. 

"Stephen…" A tender voice, like a harmony of angels called my name,  "Stephen Strange…"

Being half awake, I looked around the room with bloodshot eyes, dubious whether I was dreaming again or not. I pinched myself hard, "Ow!" Okay, I wasn't dreaming.

"Over here, Stephen." The sweet voice beckoned me again and decided to eagerly continue to follow the female voice even though I was uncertain of where it was coming from, "Over here.." 

I stumbled around the dark and stubbed my two, once or twice. But I kept following the voice, the more I got closer, the more it sounded like it was speaking right next to me, it spoke my name for the last time in a whisper, "Stephen~" And I found myself in front of the large mirror almost as tall as I am, hanging on the wall with ebony black frames. 

All became so quiet that I could hear my own breathing synchronising with the ticking of the clock, I could hear the ominous creaking of the wooden frames as they adjusted to the changes in temperature. I felt a pinch in his heart the moment I realised that my reflection in the mirror was missing.

 "What the hell– Oh I'm definitely dreaming right now." I shut and opened his eyes multiple times expecting my reflection to be there, "Wake up Stephen, Come on, wake up!" I smacked my cheeks repeatedly. 

"You can't wake up when you're already awake, silly." A feminine voice giggles, causing me to turn around to find no one there, "In the mirror– always looking into the wrong places." 

I followed the instructions of the voice and found a female in the mirror instead of my own reflection, "Who– What are you?" I furrowed my brows cautiously coming closer and as I did, so did she, and I stepped back.

"I'm your future daughter, obviously from the future." She answered my question openly, her voice sounded clear yet muffled by glass, she probably noticed that pulled a face of doubt, she sighed, "Of course you don't believe me,"

"I'm talking to a reflection inside an ancient artefact that was brought in a few weeks ago, what do you expect?" I paused, posing a secured stance, in case she attacks, "For all I know you could be evil."

She laughed at me, "Where has your attention to detail gone? Look closely, Dad. I am doing exactly what you're doing, I am nothing but a reflection. I can't hurt anyone, I'm not going to jump out of here and strangle you." 

"That is oddly specific but I'll ignore it." I said and then waved my hand to test whether she was telling the truth and then made a couple of stupid moves.

"Stop that, we look like a dumbass." She said in a dead-pan voice.

I stopped, "Alright, fine. But the daughter thing, I find that very hard to believe." I crossed my arms, and so did she, "Tell me something only the people close to me would know."

"You have a third eye."

"What's my pet peeve?"

"People misinterpreting our last name for the actual word– it's my pet peeve too." 

I tapped my chin, she was getting all the answers correct but I wasn’t satisfied yets, "Tell me my favourite magic spell."

"You create magical clones of your body to fight for you when things get a bit rough." She sighed, "What more evidence do you need?"

I frowned when she got that question right once again, "If you really are from the future, tell me something that will happen with the exact date and exact time." 

"Later today, December 22, 2025, at about 8:20pm the first snow will finally fall and I also know that you find that barista at Stan's Coffee, cute. Do you need help getting a date with her?" She asked and I immediately felt embarrassed that she spoke of the truth, so I tried to play it cool.

"I don't have time for dates–" 

"Oh Dad, get your head out of the gutter. You can't fool me." The girl rolled her eyes at me, "Plus, I think you should ask her out on a date when the first snow falls, it'll be romantic!"

"Is she going to be your Mom?" I squinted my eyes, I could already smell what she was up to.

"I'm not telling you." She pressed her lips tightly together, "So do you want to get her number or not? I'll tell you how." 

I hummed as I thought about it, "Fine, how?"

"Yes!" She cheered and I imagined her pumping her fists in the air in my head, "You're a regular there so I'm assuming you guys have had small talk every now and then, correct?"

"Correct."

"Alright, next time you buy coffee, ask her what her preferences are… say 'So, Coffee, Tea, or maybe a date with me?' and just be yourself!" She advised me and I couldn’t help but snort out into a laugh at how cringey that sounded.

"I am not going to say that to her." I shook my head. 

"I already know what's going to happen and if you go about your traditional ways, you're going to blow it." Her voice became monotone and her facial expressions dead-pan, "Just trust me. It's going to work." 

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

America carried the paper bag filled with groceries close to her body whilst walking beside me. She practically begged me to walk home instead of using a portal. None of us spoke with one another because I was too occupied thinking about what the reflection told me and I could guess that America was busy thinking about the delicious roast pork that I said I was going to cook when we got home. 

As we were passing by Stan's Coffee by the corner and then I saw her, the barista whom I was taking interest in, "Want to grab some coffee?" I asked America out of the blue and she didn't even think twice to nod yes.

"But won't we be late for dinner?" She followed my direction and entered through the automatic doors. 

"Nah."

My senses were immediately overwhelmed by the enticing scent of the roasted coffee. The atmosphere was filled with a smell that was intense while still being warm and welcoming, and it caused my taste buds to ache for the dark and smooth coffee that I craved. I approached the counter and with my luck, she was the first to approach and serve me.

"Good Afternoon guys, what can I get for you?" She asked in a bubbly tone, she was always so welcoming and kind towards the customers. I thought she was a ball of sunshine and that's why I found her cute.

"Can I please get an americano and a butterscotch latté?" I ordered while gazing up at the menu overhead.

"I'm going to find a seat." America mumbled at me and carried the groceries with her towards the nearest table.

"Is that all for today?" She smiled and looked up at me. In the back of my mind, the words of the reflection who claims to be my daughter in the future echoed in my mind.

"Actually, I have a question.." I trailed off and the woman's brows quirked up.

"Yeah sure, I'll try my best to answer it." 

"I want to know whether you prefer Tea, Coffee… or possibly a date with me?" I eased in with the last choice since I wasn't sure if she was going to take it well.

She dropped her head as she exhaled a small chuckle, "Wow, I wasn't expecting that at all." She hid her smile behind her hand.

I laughed along with her, feeling pretty anxious internally, "So what’s your preference?" 

She nodded slowly, unable to hold back a giggle as she grabbed a post-it note from her pocket and wrote her number before handing it over to me, "I finish at seven, let’s have dinner. Stephen right? I’ll bring the beverages to you when it’s ready." 

My smile grew wider into a toothy grin as I took the piece of paper from her, "Awesome, I'll see you then." 

America saw and felt the shift in my aura as I sat down in front of her, "I smell something fishy going on… Why are you smiling from ear to ear?" She squinted her eyes at me because not too long ago I looked too deep into my seasonal depression.

“Nothing.” I shook my head and discreetly shoved the piece of paper in my pocket, “Can’t I be happy for having coffee?”

“Do you really expect me to believe that?” She leaned in from across the table, “You, Doctor Strange? Smiling like a Cheshire cat over coffee? Judgement day must be coming soon.” 

The smile disappeared from my face as she was starting to make fun of me, “There, the smile is off. Judgement day postponed.”

America snorted into a short laugh and shook her head, “Lighten up, Stephen. I’m just teasing!” 

“Butterscotch latte?” She approached our table with beverages in hand, America’s face lit up at the sight of her favourite drink and raised her hand, “and the americano.” She placed my mug in front of me.

“Thank you.” I looked up at her, making sure to put a smile on my face and she returned it with her own pretty smile.

“I’ll see you later.” She said and walked away to get back to work shyly.

America’s mouth hung agape and slowly turned her head and surprised gaze towards me, “Coffee huh?” She referred back to my lame excuse after finding out the actual reason behind my smile.

“Shut it, just drink your cavity drink.”

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

“So… I’m assuming by that big smile on your face that you went on a date with her?” My daughter wiggled her brows, seemingly excited to hear all about what happened tonight.

Late at night, at approximately the same time every night, I find myself talking to the image of my daughter that is reflected in this mirror. I went on a date and got home pretty late because it went really well, better than I expected, only I didn’t kiss her goodbye when I took her home, I felt like it was too early for that.

“Yeah I did, but America wasn’t too pleased since she couldn’t have the roast pork I promised I would cook for her and had pizza for dinner instead.” 

She softly laughed, “She’ll get over it. So, tell me all about her, Dad.” She anticipated from the otherside as I tried to formulate words to start with.

“Well. She was shy at first but she eventually came out of her shell. We had a whole debate about whether being short is better than being tall—she was great company, I really had fun. She has this habit of pushing her glasses from the side of the frame, which was very random for me to notice.” I chuckled to myself, I might’ve counted the times she pushed her glasses back since they kept slipping from her small nose.

She didn’t interrupt me once while I was blabbering about my date, instead she kept this soft genuine smile that made me feel like my heart was melting. I stared at her unmoving figure since I wasn’t moving and broke the short silence that fell between us, “How did you know it was going to snow?” 

We walked side by side, our shoulders touching every now and then when I moved to make way for other people on the sidewalk, then suddenly, she stopped walking, “Oh my goodness, look.” She pointed to the dark sky as different sized fluff of snow fell from it, “I’ve been waiting for some snow to come, it’s pretty late this year.”

“Huh.” I said to myself and pulled my coat sleeve up slightly to find that the time was 8.20pm, “So she wasn’t lying…” 

“Who wasn’t lying?” She gave me a funny look, I wasn’t aware I was speaking my mind.

“Oh one of my friends told me it was going to snow tonight—I didn’t believe her, but it turned out she guessed correctly.” I chuckled and told her a white lie.

“Who do you think? So do you believe me now?” She asked, and by the tone of her voice, she would’ve crossed her arms by now.

I sighed lightly and nodded, “Yeah, I believe you.”

“You should go and see her again soon! I want to know more, please tell me you planned another date together.” She insisted and asked. She’s really keen on me going out to go on dates, making me believe that this woman is really her future mother.

“Slow down, now that I think about it. You haven’t even told me what we named you.” 

“Oh– silly me. My name’s Donna.” She told me her name, my smile fading into a frown at the mention of my sister’s name.

“Donna… I named you that?” I asked, looking down. 

“Yes.” She answered softly in a low voice, she probably knew about her aunt and knew how sensitive of a topic it is for me

I shook my head, trying not to let my sadness ruin the great night I had, “Anyways. To answer your question, yes, but not straight away, because we have work to do.”

“Really? Where are you planning to take her next?” 

“There’s a musical event on the twenty-forth called In The Twilights at the time square, we’re going to watch some new artists together.” I told her the plan and if I wasn’t hallucinating, her facial expressions slightly became flat.

“Don’t go there. Do something else.” She demanded and I scoffed, her sassiness slightly irritated me.

“Why not? She said she’d love to go, so I’m taking her there.” I argued and firmly refused her order.

She sighed frustratedly, “Just promise me you’ll leave the area before 10.30pm, please.” She pleaded and was very adamant about it.

I raised my brows, “Why?”

“Just promise me. If you want to go, go but please. Leave before 6.30pm. Promise me that.” She clenched her jaw as she pleaded, her eyes solidly staring into mine. Her voice felt tense and I nodded and heard her sigh in relief.

“Okay… I promise, but can’t you tell me why? You’re freaking me out a bit.” I admitted, because I was. Was she going to be in danger? Is something bad going to happen? I need to know so I can prepare for it.

“I can’t tell you. L-look, Dad. I gotta go.” 

“Wait!” I yelled and before I could say anything else, she faded into nothing. I sighed heavily as I finally saw my own reflection in the mirror.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

I found her from across the street through the crowd, waving at me with her same bubbly energy. She wore a sage scarf in contrast to my red one, I guess we're really bringing in the spirit of Christmas along with us. As soon as the walking man turned green, she walked towards me, until she found herself directly in front of me.

She wore make-up tonight, it wasn't significant but she looked pretty nevertheless. 

"Hi. You're looking pretty handsome tonight." She greeted me with a compliment, swaying gently with her hands in her warm pockets.

"Thanks, and you look dazzling." I returned the compliment, getting a giggle out of her.

"Dazzling? I've never been called that before. I like it." Her smile stretched into a toothy grin, "So shall we?" Her eyes pointed at the barricades where they were accepting tickets.

"We shall." I offered her my arm, in which she clung onto and we made our way to fall in line. It took around five minutes to get in and another five to find our allocated seats. Unfortunately because we got these tickets at the last minute, we sat a bit closer towards the back. 

We shifted in our seats until we were comfortable and waited for the show to start.

“I can’t believe I’m having a date with the Doctor Strange.” She squealed out of her own excitement and for some reason, I didn’t like the sound of that. I faked a laugh and for the rest of the night, that was the only thing that was weighing on my mind. Was I just turned off by that? 

The show had some great musical artists that were just starting out, I’m surprised that not everyone was singing a Christmas song and for that, I am actually thankful or else I would just nod off to sleep.

I looked at my clock, it was almost 10.30pm and I had promised Donna I would leave, but I was thoroughly enjoying my date that I had forgotten until now, "Do you mind if we leave now?" I leaned in and asked.

"Oh, do you have other plans with your friends?" Her smile dropped and I nodded. I could tell that she put on a fake smile when she got up and left the row with me. We were making our leave from the event until I heard her, the voice singing in my dreams.

"I used to hear a simple song, that was until you came along. Now in its place is something new, I hear it when I look at you…"

I stopped my tracks, carefully listening and pinched the back of my hands to check if this was another dream. I slowly turned around, and in the big screens, I saw her, Donna, who was claiming herself to be my daughter, was now up the stage singing the song that's been stuck in my head for I don't know how long anymore.

"W-What?" I asked and found myself stuck to the ground. I can't leave. I needed to hear the rest of this song. Her song.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

Your soft angelic voice sang the lyrics that you wrote to the people of New York, your well experienced hands played the piano smoothly, closing your eyes from time to time as you lost yourself into your own melody.

"I know this isn't really a christmas song but, wouldn't it be magical to find yourself or your love in this fine night?" You spoke to the crowd who cheered in agreement before you sang the next lyrics.

"With simple songs I wanted more. Perfection is so quick to bore. You are more beautiful by far. Our flaws are who we really are."

You allowed your voice to have more impact compared to when you started and the way you were now playing the piano matched that energy. As the orchestra slowly eased into the climax of the melody. You took in a giant breath, your voice coming out powerful and perfect. 

"I used to hear a simple song. That was until you came along. You took my broken melody. And now I hear a symphony~ Ohhh~"

You drawled your voice three pitches higher, giving everyone in the audience chills and goosebumps. You have captivated everyone with the rawness, fullness and smoothness of your voice. 

The completion of the song was like the missing piece Stephen’s been looking for and he found his eyes watering at the godly sight of you. Your voice sounded immaculate but somehow he now felt a bit bitter and annoyed because you lied to him. 

"And now I hear a symphony…"

The crowd erupted into a clap as you finished your performance. You stood up and walked towards the middle of the stage, in your white fitted evening dress that shimmered softly against the light, bowing and thanking the crowd for the warm applause. Though you found Stephen staring at you into the crowd, you didn't think too much of him for you haven't met him yet.

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