#I think they would both be messy eaters and talk while chewing

[cupcakeshakesnake]

Pizza bagels!

[drawlfoy]

detention retention finale p.2 (the real finale!)

masterlist (catch up on parts 1, 2, and the first half of the finale here!)

request guidelines

pairing: draco x reader

request: no my original idea

summary: gryffindor and friend of the golden trio y/n y/l/n is tasked with getting close to malfoy to learn his secret in 6th year. things quickly become more complicated.

warnings: (please pay attention this time around) nsfw content, implied sex, swearing, character death. however, if you are sensitive to gore know that this one is a lot less graphic than the first half of the finale

a/n: wow. here we are! this part is going to be considerably more light hearted than the first part. ngl while writing this i reread my 8th grade diary when i spent hours overanalyzing what my crushes did/said and i kind of wanted to emulate that school crush feeling of “does he like me does he not”. if this seems like a weird turn considering how dark things were in the last chapter, i’m sorry i just really wanted to give poor draco and y/n a break fdajkfls. i hope you guys like it :) 

word count: 16.1k (the longest part of them all...lmfao)

tags! @sycathorn-slush @writeandtranslate  @gruffle1 @missmultifandommess @cleopatera @hahaboop @accio-rogers @geeksareunique @eltanin-malfoy @war-sword @cams-lynn @itsivyberry @ayo-cowbelly @nerd-domland @yesnerdsblog @shizarianathania @evanstanfanatic @strawberriesonsummer @hariosborn @night-ving @straightzoinked @imintoodeeptostop @naiomimoonshard @jejegu @ophelia-enthusiast @alwaysbeanunknownfan @nearly-memories @litty-dumb @callieclearwater @malfoy-wife15 @charlenasaxen @belladaises @fiantomartell @yiamalfoy @crystalox @dracoismybabey @dreamcxtcherr @decaffeinated-turtle @marrymetheonott @felicityofbakerstreet @daedreamss 

here’s a spotify playlist i made for this!

enjoy!

Back at the Gryffindor tower, she was met with a surprise: Ron, sitting cross-legged on her bed, paging through a random Quidditch catalog he stole from Fred. 

“Hi, Ron,” greeted Y/N tentatively. Despite the fact that Harry and Hermione had both been outwardly stand-offish towards her, Ron had, for the most part, remained neutral. “What’s up?”

He jerked his head upwards, his eyes wide. “Sorry, er, you scared me. Hey, Y/N.” Ron awkwardly waved. 

“Is something...going on?”

“Oh.” He uncrossed his legs and sat up straight, his thumbs twiddling together in his lap. “I just wanted to, erm, have a chat with you. I know Hermione and Harry are a little angry with you still, but I miss you. And I don’t think they’re right in doing this to you.”

Y/N allowed her shoulders to sag in relief as she joined him, letting the bed sink under both of their weight. “I understand why they’re upset. I just felt so bad, you know. Drac--Malfoy is going through a lot right now, and even though he’s been a prat to you guys, all of a sudden it was like I would be a horrible person to ignore what’s been going on with him.”

“Harry and Hermione think it’s because you’re a pureblood,” Ron said. “That’s mostly why I came to talk to you. Harry said something before the day in the bathroom about how he wasn’t surprised ‘your kind’ was so quick to turn on us.”

“Does he not know that you’re literally a--”

“Exactly.” A nervous laugh left Ron’s lips. “I mentioned that, and I think he realized how messed up that line of thought was. Anyways, he feels proper terrible about hurting you the way he did. I think you’ll have to wait around a bit before he swallows his pride and apologizes to you himself, but he hasn’t been the same since what happened before the break.”

“Wow.” Y/N allowed that thought to sink in. “And...Hermione?”

“She’s still hurt,” admitted Ron. “Can you blame her, though? One of her best friends starts messing around with her childhood bully?”

She winced. “I know, I know. Believe me, I know. But we’re not...like that.”

“I think you should try talking to her again. I’m not sure why you’re so insistent on keeping a promise to Malfoy, but nothing’s going to change unless you tell her why you did what you did.”

“Thanks, Ron.” Y/N reached out to lay her hand on his shoulder. “Also, I don’t want to be gossipy or anything, but I think you should leave Lavender for Hermione.”

Ron balked. “I’m sorry?”

“It’s just an idea,” said Y/N, shrugging. “I just have a feeling you two would be really cute together. I dunno what it is. Just an inkling of a thought.”

“I would never leave Lavender,” he said, frowning as his eyes hazed over. “I would never do that…”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Y/N smirked, elbowing him in the side. He grinned at her, the dimples easily forming in the freckled skin of his cheek. 

“Shut up, Y/N.”

Hermione Granger was not a difficult witch to locate. All Y/N had to do was wait until prime studying hours before searching the library’s long halls until she found the bushy head of hair craned intently over a large textbook.

“Hermione.”

At her voice, Hermione snapped to attention, a sour expression forming on her face. “What do you want?” She didn’t even wait for a response, dipping her head back down and continuing to take notes.

“I want to apologize, properly, for what happened,” Y/N said, settling into the seat across from her and dropping her voice. “I know I didn’t give you a very good explanation about what was going on, and I know I wasn’t completely honest with you.”

“I’m not interested in hearing what you have to say right now, Y/L/N.”

She brushed off the pain of her last name being used instead of her given name and continued. “I know you must be really hurt that I got close with Malfoy, especially considering how cruel he was to you.”

Hermione remained silent.

“I know that I’ll never understand how it feels to be an outsider in this world,” she said. “I’m sorry that I can’t change what happened in the past. You’re allowed to be as angry as you want with me. Believe me when I say that I never meant to lie to or to deceive you. You had to have noticed how different Malfoy looks. He needed someone, and I was there. He might not deserve that kind of treatment, especially not from you, but it would’ve been wrong of me to just let him suffer on his own.”

Hermione finally met her eyes, a few tears shining in the deep brown depths of her stare. “I don’t understand how you could overlook all the things he’s said about me. Is...that what you think of me, too?”

“Of course not, Hermione,” exclaimed Y/N. The angry shh from the table over made her drop her voice once again. “You’re twice as capable as my entire bloodline combined. You have every right to be part of this world. You are part of this world and you always have been. If I thought that Draco hadn’t changed, I wouldn’t have become friends with him.”

“You call him Draco now?”

“He’s my friend. And I think that if things were a little different, he’d actually defect from his family’s beliefs and join our side. Living firsthand in the close proximity of Death Eaters really took a toll on him.”

Hermione chewed her lip. “This is really hard. I don’t know what to say.”

“I miss you,” confessed Y/N. “And, to be honest, I felt quite left out, too. I know you and Harry and Ron have important confidential business to attend to, but the way it was treated made it seem like I was too stupid to hear about or understand it. Draco didn’t make me feel that way, and I liked it.”

To her surprise, Hermione’s features softened. “I’m sorry. I really am, Y/N. I don’t know why I didn’t realize earlier how unfair we were to you about that.”

“Really?” 

She shrugged. “I think so.”

“Are we okay, then?”

Hermione frowned a little deeper as her idle hand allowed her quill to dribble ink over the fresh parchment she used. “Not really. I think I need some time. It’s hard for me to feel like I can trust you again after all of this.”

“I completely understand,” Y/N rushed out. “Hopefully one day things will be better, yeah?”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Hermione offered her a small smile before turning back to her work. If it had been another time, Y/N would’ve invited herself to sit across from her and distract her as she tried to study, telling Hermione all about her day and how much she wanted to drop kick Goyle across the Quidditch pitch, but it was different now, and she knew that. 

Without another word, Y/N got up and left her old friend in her library. 

Her dorm was rather quiet as she settled back into her bed for the second time that day, this time happy to find it entirely empty. It was a Sunday, after all, and she had an entire stack of homework to try and drag herself through before her classes the next day. 

As her fingers began to card through the messy parchment of her desk, she took notice of an item that hadn’t been there before--a crimson red envelope, embossed with glittery golden piping and a roaring lion. Her family crest.

Y/N tore into the parchment as she wracked her brain to try and guess the contents. A howler? No, she’d been (mostly) good. A gift? She hadn’t been that good. What awaited her was much more underwhelming--just a boring old piece of parchment with black ink penned in her father’s handwriting. 

But the news that it brought her had the memories from Christmas Break rushing back.

~

The next day, he was sitting in his Potions seat, making small talk with Pansy that coaxed a few laughs out of both students like nothing had happened the day before. Their eyes met briefly before he uncomfortably cleared his throat and turned away, back to Pansy’s animated speech over how ridiculous this class was. 

Her heart ached at the sight. How could he act like nothing had ever happened between them? How could he just evade eye contact like that? Y/N felt a wave of uncontrollable jealousy wash over her when the thought of Pansy lying in his silk sheets with the knowledge that she was actually HIS, that he actually wanted her. It was all she could do to avert her eyes and pretend it didn’t happen, though Draco wasn’t exactly ignoring her anymore, which was almost worse. Now that she knew he only saw her as a friend, it only hurt so much more when he would chivalrously offer to walk her back to the library at night or say polite hellos to her in the halls. 

The days began to bleed into each other again, speeding along even quicker now that she actually had people to sit with during meals and to talk to during common hours. Hermione and Ron had begun speaking to her again, though Harry was still making himself sparse whenever she appeared in a group.

To her surprise, though, that changed one day when a paper crane fluttered onto her desk in Charms. She opened it quickly, hoping desperately (and against her will) that it was from Draco, but instead she was greeted with a messy scrawl that she knew very well.

Meet me after practice on the pitch if you’d be okay with talking to me. -Harry

Despite the recent events, Y/N couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nostalgia for the many times that Harry had written her similar notes, back when their relationship wasn’t rocky and she was actually helping the Trio. That wistfulness was quickly replaced with anxiety when she tried to figure out what to expect from Harry.

“Y/N,” he greeted her a few hours later. She rose from her seat on the bleachers and began to walk alongside him.

“Hi Harry.”

“Listen,” he began, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, “I know I’m not very good at talking about feelings--that’s why I’ve been putting this off for so long--but you deserve an apology for what happened in Myrtle’s bathroom. I don’t think I’ll ever understand your connection with Malfoy, but that isn’t an excuse for what happened.”

Well, this was going better than expected. “I’m not going to lie and say that it’s okay that you hexed me, but I don’t blame you all that much.”

Harry let out a nervous laugh. “That’s, er, really good to hear, Y/N. I am so, so sorry for what I did to you. Are you okay?”

“Just peachy,” responded Y/N. “Madame Pomfrey even said that the scarring might go away.” The way the blood drained out of his face made her realize that that probably wasn’t the right thing to say.

“Oh, Merlin, there’s scarring?”

“Forget I said that,” replied Y/N, placing a hand comfortingly on his arm. “Water under the bridge. It really is okay.”

“Well…” He coughed awkwardly as they neared the castle’s entrance. “I think I owe you an explanation as well. If you want one, that is.”

“Shoot,” she said. “Preferably not a deadly curse at me, though.”

If Harry thought that was funny, he certainly didn’t show it. “Looking back on what happened, it was all just a complete blur. I lost control.”

“Because I hadn’t told you about Malfoy?”

“Oh, well…” He cleared his throat, avoiding her eyes. “Obviously I was angry that you’d lied to us. And I was angry at Malfoy over Katie Bell. But that wasn’t what made me lose control. It was seeing you together. There was this moment before either of you noticed I was there and it just made me sick to my stomach to watch. Merlin, the way he…” Harry trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut. “The way he looked at you. It just boiled my blood.”

“What do you mean?” asked Y/N, beginning to grow more and more confused. How could Harry have seen something that wasn’t even there in the first place? 

“And the way you two looked at each other in Potions,” he continued, clearly not planning on answering her question. “It makes me sick. He doesn’t deserve you.”

“He doesn’t see me that way, Harry,” she said, her voice little.

“Has he told you that?”

“As a matter of fact he has.”

Harry’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh. Sorry about that.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” she replied, holding his palms up in a surrender. “It’s not as if it came as a surprise or anything. Plus, not like I care. Just because I don’t want to see him get hurt does not mean I have feelings for him.” Y/N was talking too animatedly, something that prompted her friend to tilt his head and send her a curious look. 

“Right. Well…” Harry stood up, brushing his robes off. “If I didn’t make it clear enough already, I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll ever understand what you see in him. But you haven’t lost me. I just hope I haven’t lost you.”

Y/N gave him a grateful smile before launching into his arms. He started, but once Y/N had her arms around his neck, he hugged her back. She breathed in the familiar woodsy smell she’d known since she was 11 and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I missed you, Harry.”

“I missed you too. So much.” 

She was just about to poke fun at him for being sappy when someone pointedly cleared their throat behind them, prompting her to spin around and prepare to tell someone off for interrupting her conversation. Once she saw who it was before her, though, she froze. 

“Try and keep the PDA at a minimum, yeah?” Draco Malfoy said, his lips twisted into a bored scowl.

“Draco,” she warned. He simply arched an eyebrow at her before swiftly passing by the two, being sure to brush harshly against Harry’s shoulder.

“What has gotten into him?” she asked in astonishment. “Merlin, it’s like we time traveled back to 5th year or something.” 

He scoffed at her side. “Y/N, what did I tell you?”

The next day, Draco wasn’t at breakfast. Y/N tried not to think too much about his empty seat as she listened to Ron ramble on about how crazy Lavender was being. She had finally migrated over to the Gryffindor table, bringing her new Ravenclaw friend along with her. Hermione was still giving her side eye, but it was better than being treated like a complete outcast. This time around, Parkinson was gone from the Slytherin table, too. The thought of Pansy being the one to comfort him filled her chest with the slimy coolness of jealousy, but instead of dwelling on it further, she stabbed her fork through the strawberry on her plate and took a bite. If he wanted to mess around with her, he could. Merlin knew he needed some sort of distraction. But her most private thoughts couldn’t help but wonder if he ever had feelings for her. There were so many moments that made her think otherwise--the way he’d blush when she said anything flirtatious, how eager he had been to walk her to her dorm, all the glances sent her way…

It was at moments like these when Y/N sternly reminded herself that they were just friends and that was all he’d ever seen her as. Friends brushed hands. Friends walked each other to their dorms. Friends stared across the room at each other sometimes. Friends gave each other gifts. Hermione, Ron, and Luna had all acted similarly to her in the past and it was entirely platonic. She was just overanalyzing.

He didn’t show up to Potions, Charms, or Defense Against the Dark Arts. Snape was giving her the eye, and Y/N uncomfortably shifted in her chair as she wondered if the wizard had found out it was her who stole the Veritaserum.

“As you all may know,” he drawled, stalking the perimeter of the classroom, “A particular potion of mine has been...misplaced. If any of you happen to know where it is, I suggest you confess now.”

Nervous chatter erupted around the room as Snape’s eyes bored into hers. Was he using Legilimency on her? Wouldn’t she feel something? Despite her worries, he broke eye contact and spun around to the board, scrawling the topic of the lesson on the chalkboard. Y/N reminded herself to breathe. 

He wasn’t at lunch, Transfiguration, or dinner. Y/N was starting to believe that Draco had just up and left Hogwarts as she began to get ready for bed, showering off the day and dressing in comfier clothes. For once, her homework load had been lightened to the point where she could put it off for a full day. Diffuser on, windows open, and sleeping clothes on, Y/N was ready and settled into bed early with nothing but her racing thoughts to keep her company.

Was Draco okay? Did something happen with his task? Where was he?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a light rap on her door.

“Y/N?” A young girl’s voice, muffled but distinguishable through the heavy wooden door shook her out of it. She groaned, throwing the blankets off her and closing her hand around the doorknob. She wasn’t even a prefect, but for some god-forsaken reason the first-years always went to her instead.

“Candace,” she greeted. “What’s cracking?”

“Someone wants to see you.” The first-year’s voice sounded shakier than usual. Y/N finally cast her eyes up from the short girl to take in the sight of a rather disheveled looking Draco Malfoy standing in her hallway.

“Draco? What are you doing here?” 

He cleared his throat. “Are you busy?”

“Candace,” Y/N said, addressing the eleven year old in front of her first, “Thanks for helping Draco. You should go to bed, you know. It’s late.”

Wide-eyed, Candace dashed off without any protest. Y/N cast a raised brow to Draco and tried to look like she hadn’t spent the past 12 hours obsessing over his disappearance. “You better have a good reason for showing up at my dorm in the middle of the night and scaring one of my first-years to death.”

“She wasn’t scared,” he argued.

“You must be horrible with reading children,” stated Y/N. “Anyways, is this a conversation that you want to have in my dorm hall? Or would you prefer to come inside?”

He tilted his head towards the doorway. “May I?”

“Er...sure. Come on in.” She bit back the quip about already offering. “What’s going on? You missed all your classes today.”

“I’m aware,” he responded drily as he sat down on the same spot she’d just been nearly asleep on. “I just...something happened last night. I didn’t know where else to go.”

Y/N tried not to blush at how flattered she was. He didn’t even like her. Why was she acting like that still? Friends did this sort of thing. Friends were there for each other. “Oh. Do you want to talk about it? Or do you want to just take your mind off of it?”

He seemed to ponder this for a moment before exhaling a deep sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe take my mind off it until I feel ready to talk about it.”

Y/N gave him a small smile, leading him by the cuff of his sleeve over to her window. “I think I know something we can do. Grab a pillow and a blanket.”

He did as she asked while she opened up the window wider until it was large enough to crawl through, spelling the tiles of the roof outside clean. 

“Are we going on the roof?”

“As long as you’re not too scared of heights, yeah,” she responded, using her desk as a stepping stool while she swung the rest of her body out on the old Hogwarts roof. Despite the age of the castle, the structure was thankfully sturdy. “Pass me anything you want out here. I’ll get it set up for us.”

“I’m not sitting on that dirty roof,” he said, his usual snotty tone creeping into his voice as he handed her a blanket for each of them. 

“Okayyy, Your Highness.” Y/N rolled her eyes. “We can sit on my blanket.” True to her word, she took the one she usually slept with and covered the tiles. “Will you come sit with me now?”

“Since you asked so nicely.” He settled in next to her, his own blanket barely draped over his knees while she sat cross legged at his side, trying not to shiver from the cold late winter air. “Wow. This is actually a better view than from the Astronomy tower.”

“I know, right?” she said, trying to ignore how her heart fluttered every time he looked at her. “You can see Hogsmeade from here, too.”

The pair watched the scenery before them in silence. Y/N drank in the landscape bathed in soft moonlight, the winding creeks leading into the Dark Forest reflecting the moon while the Black Lake’s waves gently lapped at the shores. 

“I come up here sometimes when I get stressed,” she confessed after a little while. Draco turned to look at her, his lips slightly quirked up and his eyes soft. 

“Yeah?”

“It just helps clear my head,” she continued. “I feel really lucky to live in the Tower. It must be kind of weird to know that if you opened your window you’d just flood your room.”

Draco snorted. “You get used to it.”

Y/N hummed in something that felt a little like agreement.

He shuffled, clearing his throat. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you this since that night. I’m…sorry that I can’t give you what you want.”

“It’s really okay,” she said, her cheeks growing hot. “I understand. You can’t change how you feel. I’m happy to be your friend and eventually that’s all I’ll ever want.”

Draco dipped his head in a nod of acknowledgement when a brilliant display of lights suddenly exploded over Hogsmeade. Fireworks. They were obviously magic, charmed to glitter in the shape of the words, “Happy Birthday, Margie!”

“Oh my god, happy birthday Margie,” Y/N echoed, eager for the distraction of their conversation.

“I wonder how old she’s turning.”

“I bet she’s 34,” said Y/N. 

“32.”

“33, maybe, but that’s pushing it.”

She returned his grin before she felt something hit the top of her head--a raindrop, fat and cold--and roll down the back of her neck. “Shit. I think it’s going to rain soon. Do you want to go back in?”

As if to accentuate her point, the clouds above them rumbled. Draco shrugged. “If you want. I kind of like staying out here, though.”

“Me too.”

They sat in the quiet for a few more moments, the only sound coming from the soft patter of the rain and the occasional boom of Margie’s birthday fireworks. Y/N began to shiver as the raindrops became more frequent, her loose sleeping shirt and her shorts not really doing much for her. All of a sudden, she felt something fuzzy on top of her head.

She looked to her left to see that Draco had lifted his blanket to drape over both of them, creating a tent of some sort. “Thanks, Draco.”

“Don’t mention it.” His smile set off the butterflies in her stomach once again, but she beat them back. The fireworks continued, now switching to a glittering sage green. “I bet Margie was a Slytherin.”

“Or maybe she just likes sage green,” argued Y/N. 

“Maybe.” He held her gaze for what felt like a second too long before clearing his throat and turning his attention back onto the night sky. It occurred to her at that moment that they could’ve just transfigured the pillows they were sitting on into umbrellas, but traitorously, she didn’t want to mention it if it meant she lost her chance to be near him. 

She felt something lightly brush past the hand she had rested in the space between them but thought nothing of it, instead focusing on her breathing and making sure she didn’t sound like she was hyperventilating because she most certainly felt like she wanted to. She’d never shared her special roof spot with anyone, not even Harry or Ron. But he didn’t know that. 

The fireworks exploded with a crescendo of motion as multiple green sparkles were launched into the air, crackling and sparking with energy. At any other point in time, Y/N would’ve found it easy to focus on the beauty of the show, but something else caught her attention: the fact that Draco’s hand was now set directly next to hers, the edge of his touching her with the lightest of pressures. Every nerve ending in her left hand felt like it was burning with energy as Draco, without even sparing a glance in her direction, inched his hand over just enough for his pinky to overlap with hers.

Y/N tried to remember how to breathe as her thoughts ran wild. Friends touched hands sometimes. Maybe it was an accident. Maybe he didn’t even know it was her hand.

She heard Draco’s own breath hitch in his throat as his hand finally slipped under hers, intertwining their fingers and turning them so her hand rested in his palm. 

Friends held hands sometimes. There was nothing romantic about this. Nope. This was normal. Y/N’s frenzied thoughts were interrupted by Draco’s voice.

“You know how much danger my family is in,” he said, finally revealing what had him so shaken up. “Well, I got a letter from my mother last night. Apparently she’s been getting these strange, veiled threats. She can’t identify the owl and it seems like whoever this is is hell-bent on breaking into the manor. My aunt and the rest of the Death Eaters have been ridiculing her for even worrying about it.”

Y/N started to feel a guilty pit in her stomach. The letter her father sent her was beginning to make more sense. “Draco, that’s awful.”

“Do you think that maybe they’re the ones who are sending them to her?” he asked, his voice raising an octave at the end, flourished with a small crack in his tone. “As a way to rush me to the end of my task?”

Draco had slowly leaned into her as he told her his worries, and Y/N found herself gently squeezing his hand. “I’m so sorry you have to deal with this on top of everything else. This isn’t fair to you. Is there anything I can do to help you? Do you need help solving the cabinet?”

He shook his head, casting his gaze down to their hands. “Is it okay if I just stay here for a little?”

“Of course you can,” she said, immediately regretting her words. Having him around would only make her feel worse. Was this how he treated all of his friends? She held back an ill-timed chuckle at the thought of him holding hands with Goyle. 

“Thanks, Y/N.” His eyes were so light that she could still see the silver hue of them in the dark, reflecting what little moonlight found him under the blanket. “You know, I’m glad we had detention together. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Pansy kept badgering me all day about how she could help instead of actually listening and Blaise just told me that if I kept moping around he’d nab my mother himself.”

“Oh,” said Y/N. Jealousy surged through her as she thought again about Pansy. When she held hands with him, she probably never had to wonder what it meant. “Do they know about…”

“Not everything,” Draco clarified. “That’s just you. They just know about my current house guests. I haven’t told them any specifics.”

Another pang of guilt rattled through Y/N as she ran through the information she’d gotten the night prior in her head while he squeezed her hand back, his thumb running along her skin. She felt like the shame of not mentioning it earlier was burning her up.

“Draco, I need to tell you something.” The makeshift blanket tent all of a sudden felt like the most intimate location in the world as he turned to face her fully, now gripping her hand with two of his own and leaning closer, his eyebrows raised in curiosity. “What is it?”

“I…” She trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut as she mentally ran through the contents of the parchment on her desk. For a moment, all she could hear was the pounding of rain and Draco’s breathing. 

“If this is what I think it is, then I--”

“I’m not about to confess to you again literally right after being rejected,” she snipped back, pulling her hands from his grip in a moment of unexpected humiliation. “I’m not that stupid.”

Draco took his own hands, now empty, and folded them neatly on his thigh. He stopped meeting her eyes. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t--I wasn’t going to--”

“It’s--no, I’m sorry.” Y/N found herself angry that she gave up her excuse to hold his hand. “That was just a little embarrassing for me. I promise I won’t bring it up again. This is something totally different.”

“It’s okay. I understand.” To her surprise, there was no usual teasing lilt to his tone; he was being entirely genuine.

“I want you to know that we can call this off at any time,” she began, watching his blank expression carefully should it change, “But I hope you think about this.”

“Think about what?”

“I’m kidnapping your mom.” 

There. It was out. Draco’s mouth had long since fallen open, a look of mild horror on his face. “What the actual fuck?”

“Let me explain,” Y/N rushed. “The Order owes my family a favor. My mom knew yours. I may have mentioned something about the treatment towards her over the holidays and now my family is orchestrating a way to fake a kidnapping-turned-murder situation to get her out.”

He blinked at her.

“Of course we can call it off anytime you want,” Y/N repeated. She cast a quick Accio (something she was surprised worked considering how shaky she was) and summoned her father’s letter from her desk, thrusting it into his arms. “Read this. It has all the details.”

Draco scanned the document without a single word leaving his lips.

“You’re scaring me, Draco. What do you think?”

“You have an Italian beach cottage?” he asked. 

“Apparently so,” answered Y/N. “I’ve never been there, but we haven’t actually registered it through the British Ministry. If we hide your mother there, no one is going to be able to find her. She’s not required to give up information to the Order, either--I mean, we kind of hope that she will, but there’s no mandated amount of intel to keep her safe.”

“And I can…”

“Yes. After your task is straightened out, you can join her if you want.” She hardly finished her sentence before Draco’s arms pulled her into the tightest hug she’d ever been given in her life.

“I can’t believe you did that,” he mumbled, his voice strained. “How did you...wow. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Her voice was muffled by his shoulder. “I’m just glad I could help.”

He finally pulled away, still keeping his hands gently placed on her forearms. She tried to keep her thoughts from straying too much as he gazed down at her, a slightly sad downturn in his lips. The way he was looking at her began to make her even more nervous.

“Well, it’s getting late,” she stated. “I want to get up early tomorrow so I’m not too late to Potions. Are you feeling better?”

Draco cleared his throat. “Er, yes. I suppose so. Thanks again, Y/N. I’m assuming this is when you kick me out?”

“Don’t say it like that.” She spelled her blanket clean from under him and stepped back into her room, turning to face him. “I’m just tired. That’s all. I’m glad you felt like you could come to me.”

He sent her a small smile before swinging his legs over the windowsill and making his way to the door. “I hope you have a good night. Sleep well.” He went in for another hug, but this time Y/N accidentally leaned the same direction as him, nearly crashing her lips into his.

“Shit, sorry,” she murmured as she quickly corrected herself to lean the other way--and was horrified to find that he had done the exact thing as well, barely dodging him this time and instead reeling herself back as far as his hold on her allowed. Draco let out a nervous laugh, letting her go and stepping away, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Well. That was poorly timed considering the conversation we had,” he pointed out. What stellar observational skills.

“Er, yeah. Well…” Y/N held her hand out and immediately felt herself cringe. “Here’s to being good friends.”

He took her hand in his and tentatively shook it, a sort of half-smirk dancing on his lips as his eyebrow raised. “To being good friends. I’ll see you later.”

Then he was gone, and Y/N was able to flop back on her bed and frantically sort through her thoughts in peace. He’d almost--no, she’d almost--well, they both had almost kissed. As friends, though. Obviously.

This is ridiculous. She pulled a blanket up around her and immediately froze when she breathed in--black tea and sage, just as she remembered. She decided it was high time to switch her blankets anyways and tossed that one in the laundry bin.

~

“And then guess what she said?”

“Come on, we’re waiting,” Y/N said to Ron as they chattered over their cauldron in Potions together, flanked by the rest of her Gryffindor friends.

“Lavender said I’m obviously pining after Hermione because I keep asking her to study with me.”

“No!” came from Neville after a theatrical gasp. “She did not.” 

“She literally did, mate,” Harry cut in. “I saw it myself. Honestly, I think she might be onto something. I’ve always sensed some sort of tension between you two.”

“I think Harry’s right, as much as it pains me to say it,” she teased, giving her friend a little shove. Seamus had just opened his mouth to start talking when the sound of shattering glass prompted them all to whip around to face the Slytherin section. Draco Malfoy stood awkwardly clutching the broken remains of a glass vial in his hand like he was still in disbelief over what had occurred. 

“Malfoy, boy, is everything alright over there?” Slughorn asked from the front.

“Yes,” he said quickly, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know what happened.”

“You should sleep more,” the professor continued. “It’s harder to control your magic when you’re young and exhausted.”

Draco just nodded, his gaze turning over to meet Y/N’s worried one. She tilted her head, mouthing, “Are you okay?”. He sent her a tight smile and nodded, though Pansy sent her a very dirty look. 

“So that was weird,” said Y/N, turning back around to face Harry. “I haven’t broken glass by losing control of my magic since I was a kid.”

“One time I let a snake out in a muggle zoo,” said Harry, his eyes miles away as he traveled down memory lane.

“You what now?”

“I can’t believe I never told you that.”

“I think I would’ve remembered that. What’d you do, whisper in its ear about how the only thing it has to lose is its chains or something until he was motivated enough to escape?”

Harry laughed. “No. I vanished the glass. And then it thanked me, which was horribly alarming for a kid who had no idea what magic was.”

“You poor, poor thing,” she mocked before Slughorn dismissed them and they began to make their way together down the hall. “Suffering from success.”

Harry chuckled, and Y/N felt a surge of affection for the fact that they were friends once again. “Basically the story of my life. Anyways, I’m off to see Snape.”

“Merlin, are you okay?” asked Y/N, holding her hand to his forehead and miming the motion of checking for a fever. “On your own time?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s alright,” he said, suddenly looking more somber. “I’m just serving detention for what happened in the bathroom. I am still very sorry about that, you know. If you wanted to curse me to get back at me, I’d understand.”

She shoved him forward, a smile dancing on her lips as she said, “Go on, suffer for my honor.” Then she felt a hand pull her back into an empty, dark classroom. 

“Let go of me!” she exclaimed, twisting around to try and see the person who had grabbed her.

“Boo,” whispered a familiar voice in her ear. 

“Draco, you do realize you could just talk to me in the halls like a normal goddamn person,” she chided, finally being released from his grip so she could give him a stern look. He only shrugged, a slightly impish look displayed across his features.

“But it’s more fun this way.”

She tried her hardest to frown at him, but it was honestly difficult when he was smiling at her the way he was. “So, what’s up? Did something happen?”

“Nothing really,” he admitted. “I just know that we both have free periods. Do you want to spend it together?”

Friends, friends, friends, friends, friends Y/N chanted in her head. He’s only saying this as a platonic thing.

“I guess I don’t really have anything better to do,” she teased. Despite her light hearted tone, she couldn’t help but notice the shift in Draco’s behavior. In a matter of days, he was looking more like himself than he had all year--the color finding its way back into his cheeks, the corners of his eyes crinkling up when he smiled, the food on his plate in the Great Hall actually being eaten. 

If there was one thing that Y/N was quickly learning about Draco, it was that under all of his snobbery, he was endearingly weird. He’d memorized all of the captains of the Slytherin Quidditch team, read everything there was in the library about alchemy, and always sent her the dorkiest fucking waves whenever their eyes met. 

So, in spirit of Draco’s newly recovered persona, Y/N spent the rest of her free period sitting in the empty classroom and chatting with him about a whole load of nothing. They’d both sat on top of adjacent desks, and sometimes Y/N would swing her feet so she kicked his shin. He’d always promptly return the favor.

“So,” she said after a while, “Have you been thinking about what I told you? My family’s plan, and all?”

He was quiet for a few seconds, his gaze cast down to his hands. “A little. I guess I’m just a little confused about what I should do with my task or when all of this is going to happen.”

“I’m only asking because I’ve been thinking about it,” confessed Y/N. “I think I’ve figured out what you should do with your task. If you want to, that is.”

“I’m listening.”

“We’ve already established that You-Know-Who has nothing to hold over your head without your mother at stake,” began Y/N, searching his face to find agreement, “But it’s going to look suspicious if you suddenly stop sending progress reports.”

Draco reached his hand up to scratch his cheek. “One problem, though. I don’t think I’ll be able to repair the cabinet. I’ve hit a complete dead end anyways.”

“That’s fine,” said Y/N. “That doesn’t matter. Fake the progress reports. I don’t think that you should fix it at all, to be honest. I think you should leave it broken and still invite Bellatrix and her friends to travel through it.”

“And kill them?!”

“Or maim them,” offered Y/N. “I know it’s not ideal, but I think that if I tweaked the cabinet’s lunar belt just right, I might be able to control how the space-time continuum is warped and simply incapacitate them so the Order can take them into custody. Of course, the dark magic as an element may throw a curveball, but it’s worth a shot. And if you do this, it’ll mean that the Order will trust you more.”

“Hm.” Draco caught his bottom lip on his teeth while he shut his eyes, obviously stewing over everything. “That’s quite the risk.”

“I can run it by my family to get their thoughts on it,” she offered. “But the only caveat is that I have to mention what you’re trying to do.”

His eyes shot open. “Maybe don’t mention the part where I’ve already made more than one attempt on the headmaster’s life if we end up going down that route.”

Y/N shrugged. “The Order might already know. Isn’t Snape onto you?”

“He’s not ‘onto me’, he was instructed to help--” Draco stopped in his tracks as he stared at her. “Wait, what?”

“Oh,” she said, both of them frozen as they realized what they’d revealed to each other. “Erm...forget I mentioned that.”

“Yeah, probably a good idea,” he mumbled, sending a half-hearted kick at her. “Let’s change the subject.”

“Love it,” she said absentmindedly. “Anyways, will you go to Slug’s Valentine party with me next weekend? As friends, of course. He wants all of us to bring dates and I don’t know who else to ask.”

Draco looked like he was glowing. “Really? You wouldn’t bring Potter?”

“Eh,” she responded. “I’m pretty sure he’s going with Ginny. Plus, I see him around the common room enough as it is.” Y/N waited a few moments. “So? Are you in?”

He shook himself out of what looked to be a weirdly stupified state. “Er, of course. Just let me know when you need me.”

The Hogwarts bells began to chime outside, signifying that the third period block was beginning. 

“Saturday at 8,” said Y/N, turning to leave. “You can meet me in front of the Great Hall.”

“I’ll just walk you from your dorm.”

“Then you have to be there earlier.”

Draco shrugged. “I don’t mind. Anyways, I’m off to Runes. Enjoy Divination.” He bumped her shoulder as he walked past, sending a thrill through Y/N. How had he even known that she had Divination? That was one of the few classes they didn’t share, and she probably just mentioned it in passing once. 

Then again, they were friends. And just because Ron and Hermione hadn’t memorized her schedule, it didn’t mean that Draco was the same kind of friend.

Things only got more confusing as time went on. Draco found any excuse to talk to her, especially when she was with Harry. If he were any other boy, Y/N would’ve immediately assumed the obvious: that he had a crush on her and was jealous. But, obviously, that was impossible. He’d told her upfront that he didn’t have any feelings for her. So why was his behavior so different after that night they spent together on the roof? 

It got even weirder on Friday. Draco once again pulled her away from a conversation with Harry to shove a little box in her hands.

“What’s this, Draco?” she asked, frowning as she turned it around in her hand.

“It’s just something I thought you might like,” he muttered, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Her interest piqued, Y/N opened the box.

“A quidditch bracelet?” Y/N gulped as she looked down at the enchanted diamonds, each glittering with a gentle silver pigment--as well as a slight lavender purple sheen. This was not a normal gift to give to your school friend. This was at least a few thousand galleons--probably even more, considering the enchantments that made the stones glow. Even her considerably wealthy family wouldn’t buy her one because of her horrid track record with jewelry.

He shrugged. “I picked it up while I was at Barnaby’s a bit ago. You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want. I remembered I had it when you asked me to Slug’s party and I thought I’d see if you’d be interested.”

“Erm,” said Y/N, stammering, “I’ve never gotten a gift like this from someone before.”

“Believable.” Draco snorted. “Take it and do me a favor. It’s not like I’d wear it. It might as well be appreciated by someone.”

“It’s beautiful, it really is. I’m just worried because I have a bit of a habit of forgetting I’m wearing jewelry and breaking it….”

“I assumed. That’s why I charmed it to be unbreakable,” said Draco quickly. “If you don’t want to wear it, I won’t be offended. I’m just offering.”

Y/N couldn’t help but be thankful that the abandoned classroom he’d pulled her into was dark. Otherwise, he might’ve seen how red her cheeks were. “I guess we’ll figure out how strong your unbreaking enchantments are shortly.”

“Is this your way of saying yes?”

“Help me put it on, will you?” 

She could see dimples form in his cheeks as he allowed a small, close lipped smile to spread across his face while he unclasped the bracelet from the box and gently turned her arm so her palm faced up to the sky. His touch lingered over her skin for a few seconds. Y/N had to remind herself to breathe.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, his voice suddenly low, “About what we talked about last time we were here. About the cabinet, and the Order…”

“Yeah?”

“I think I want to do it,” he said firmly, finally pulling his hands away from her arm and tossing the empty wrapping into his pocket. “Just tell me what you need from me.”

“Nothing yet, really. Just your consent to tell my family about your task. I’ll let you know if they want anything else.” Though Y/N’s response was truthful and concise, her mind was elsewhere as she came to a depressing realization. He wasn’t giving her the quidditch bracelet because he secretly liked her and wanted to spoil her or whatever. He was doing it as a thank you for what she was doing for him and his mother. An elaborate gift for an even more elaborate favor. 

“That’s easy enough,” Draco mused. “In the meantime, I’ll keep sending progress reports.”

“Good plan,” said Y/N, her voice a little deflated. “Thank you again for the bracelet. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She left the classroom and spent the rest of her night stewing over the poor decisions she’d made regarding her emotions over the past week. She knew about the effect that Draco had over her, yet she still invited him to Slug’s party like an idiot. And then she’d let herself get her hopes up over dumb little things like the way he looked at her in class or the quidditch bracelet when he was really just being a friend trying to pay her back for a big favor. 

Saturday night was going to be rough if she couldn’t get her feelings in line.

~

At 7:50 sharp, Y/N waited by the portrait of the Fat Lady. Peeves wailed above her as she tried to practice slow breathing--in for 5 seconds, out for 5 seconds. I am in control of my feelings. I control my own reality.

Then she saw him, and all of the work she’d done trying to quell the butterflies in her stomach at the thought of him amounted to nothing. He looked breathtaking. Y/N bit her tongue as she tried to violently beat back the thoughts of all the things she wanted him to do to her. 

“You look nice,” he said smoothly once he was close enough for it to be socially acceptable. Her mouth went completely dry as she drank in the sight of him in an all-black suit.

“Thanks. So do you.” She internally congratulated herself for getting through that without stumbling over her words too much. Gingerly, she pushed herself off her position of leaning on the wall and began to walk alongside him.

As they ascended the steps, her heel teetered. She reached for Draco’s hand in a moment of sheer panic--and, surprisingly, he latched onto her and held her up. 

“Didn’t your parents ever tell you to not wear shoes you couldn’t walk in?” he said, amused. He didn’t move to let go of her hand. 

“Don’t be rude, Malfoy,” she fired back.  

“You’re not wearing it,” he noted. His lips slightly turned into a frown as he cast his eyes downwards.

Y/N stared at him, her mind barely functioning at this point. “What?” 

“The bracelet,” he said, letting go of her hand to motion to her wrist.

“Oh,” she responded lamely. In truth, she’d tossed it into his quill box while she was in the throes of self-pity over the whole ordeal of unrequited feelings, but she could hardly tell him that. “I took it off to shower and it took too long to put back on.”

“You know, you could’ve just asked me to help again,” he said with a teasing lilt. “I’d only judge you a little.”

She smiled, grateful he wasn’t pushing it any further. “Ever the gentleman. I’ll keep that in mind next time.”

They made it to the fifth floor in no time. Slughorn only seemed slightly concerned with the presence of Draco, but he didn’t say anything to Y/N. As she expected, Hermione and Ron gave her a little bit of side-eye once they saw her choice of a date, but neither of them brought it up and even spoke to her for a little--though they never verbally acknowledged Malfoy. While she was constantly overanalyzing the little things that Draco was doing--the way he offered her a sip of his drink when she spaced out on the way his hands looked holding it for too long, the way he was always touching her in some way, whether it be a hand on her lower back or a lingering grip on her waist--she couldn’t help but feel overcome with the relief that her friends seemed somewhat accepting of her new friendship with Draco. 

Then Harry opened his mouth. 

“Malfoy,” he greeted through gritted teeth. 

“Potter.”

Ginny met her slightly panicked gaze with one of her own. To her surprise, though, Harry just flicked his gaze to where Draco’s hand was lightly poised on her waist, raising an eyebrow. “Congratulations for finally being honest with her. I always thought Y/N deserved a bloke who outright admitted his feelings. I never thought I’d say this, but maybe that is you after all.”

Draco’s hand immediately dropped. “Do me a favor and bugger off.”

“Or maybe I’m wrong,” replied Harry, looking Draco up and down with possibly the pettiest look she’d ever seen on a wizard before. “Enjoy the rest of your night.”

“That was weird,” said Y/N, though she secretly revelled in the fact that Harry was picking up on something too.

“I suppose.” Draco slid off one of his rings, running his fingertips over the ridges of his family crest.

“Hey, are you okay?” asked Y/N, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

He nodded. “I’m fine. Sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve just never really been a party person.”

“I imagine it’s probably not helping that Harry’s here,” she said, giving his arm a little squeeze before releasing him. “Do you want to just get out of here? I think we’ve been here for long enough to justify ditching.” His grateful smile told her everything. “I had a feeling. Where do you want to go?”

He pondered this for a bit. “I’m not sure. Anywhere but here.”

“Anywhere but here” quickly turned into his dorm as they wordlessly made their way down to the dungeons, passing by Marvin the raven outside Snape’s stores. Y/N’s pulse sped up every time their hands brushed--which seemed to happen far, far too often for it to be accidental on either of their ends. 

“I can’t believe you broke in there,” he said finally, chuckling as the raven cooed at her appreciatively. “And just for me? I’m flattered.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t mention it,” grumbled Y/N. Obviously she’d done it just for him--she was hopelessly obsessed with him. He knew that. She found herself profoundly grateful that she’d been under the influence of Veritaserum that time instead of now--if she’d had so much as a drop of truth serum, she’d spend the entire night telling him how much she wanted him. “Anyways, I’m sorry for how weird Harry was back there. I don’t get why he feels the need to make assumptions about everything.”

Draco hummed, tapping his fingers on her wrist. Just friends, just friends, you’re just friends. Merlin fucking damnit, why did he have such nice hands? “I don’t know. He was certainly sure about it.”

“And I have no clue why,” Y/N said, pretending like she was in disbelief instead of acute pain. “I know you don’t see me like that. I’m not really sure where he’s getting that from.”

“Oh?” Draco let his hand fall, a weird tone coming over his voice. “You aren’t?”

“Well, I remember what you said,” she said matter-of-factly, trying her hardest not to read into the way he was staring at her, watching every fidget of her hands. “It’s not like I’d be self-loathing enough to expect anything different.”

He let out a huff of frustration. “Y/L/N, honestly. I sent you a box of special Wurgie’s lavender chocolates on Valentine’s day. I spend all of my free periods talking to you.”

“Ok?” Y/N couldn’t help but be taken aback by how argumentative his tone was becoming. “I suppose I see how Harry could read into that. But I have to spend my free periods with someone, right? And sometimes I get my friends chocolate on Valentine’s day too.”

“I bought you a whole enchanted quidditch bracelet. It’s the only one of its kind,” he snipped, obviously becoming more agitated. “I spent an entire day trying to find the right unbreaking spell. My father literally wrote to me from Azkaban to ask me why the Gringotts bank statement recorded me taking out that many galleons at once. He thought someone had broken into our account.”

“He doesn’t know that.” Y/N was becoming keenly aware of how close he was standing to her now that they’d stopped walking, her back a few inches from the wall as he leaned into her space. “Even if I had worn it out, there’s no way he could’ve known it was from you.”

“That’s not what I’m--” he began waspishly before clearing his throat and collecting himself. “I’m just saying, those things aren’t exactly platonic.”

“Okay,” said Y/N slowly, trying to turn her thoughts away from how soft his lips looked, “I’ll concede that some things that we do can be read as something more than friendship. But I know how you feel. You told me.”

He wet his lips. “Do you actually think I care about whatever goes in that dim brain of his?”

“Normally, no. But considering the fact that we just had an argument over it, then maybe I’m incorrect in assuming.”

“Well, I don’t,” he said, his voice suddenly quiet. He was close enough that she could smell the traces of that expensive cologne he always wore that reminded her of loose leaf lapsang souchong and fresh parchment. “And I was never trying to argue with you about his perception. I was talking about my actual intentions.”

“What?” Y/N choked out as she tentatively glanced up to see his jaw set. Her heart was pounding so hard it must’ve been audible. What the hell was he talking about?

Instead of answering, Draco gently reached up to her shoulders, walking her back until she was pinned up against the wall. His other hand came to tilt her chin so their eyes met. She would’ve been deceived into thinking he was confident by his unwavering stare, but she’d felt how his hands were slightly unstable. “Merlin, are you going to make me spell it out for you? How many different ways am I going to need to tell you?”

In the end, she wasn’t quite sure who it was who closed the gap--just that, at some point, one of them did, and that she was all of a sudden kissing Draco Malfoy with a fervor that she didn’t know she had in her. His mouth was hot against hers as he pressed her up further into the wall, his knee rising between her thighs to prop her up.

In the recesses of the back of her mind, it vaguely registered that this didn’t add up with what he told her the last night they spent together--but she decided to brush all those concerns off to the nebulous concept of later when his hands tangled into her hair.

The sound of footsteps and students giggling echoed down the corridor, making the pair jump apart. Y/N wiped her lips, trying to fix the smear of her lipstick as Draco frantically straightened out his tie that she’d tugged loose. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t make herself meet his eyes. 

“Do you still want to go back to my dorm?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. 

She dared to look up at him, not expecting the sight of his pupils blown out and his cheeks slightly rosy. “If that’s okay, yeah.”

Neither of them attempted to make conversation as he led her through the empty Slytherin common room. She could feel her heart crawling into her throat. She’d never gone to a boy’s dorm before other than during the Veritaserum incident--sure, she’d kissed some boys before, she’d even gone to the Yule Ball with a cute Beauxbatons boy--but she didn’t know how this worked. Was she supposed to immediately start kissing him the moment his bedroom door was closed? Was she supposed to be kissing him now? Was she supposed to be kissing him at all after that?

They made it into his bedroom before Y/N could come to a decision on her next action, so she decided to just not make any moves. Fuck, that was almost worse. Where would she sit? At his desk? No, who the fuck does that? Next to him on his bed? No, too suggestive. Just stand by the door? Merlin, no. She wished that the ground would just open up and swallow her whole so she could sit back in her dorm and think about the way he’d kissed her in private. 

“So,” said Draco. 

“So,” echoed Y/N, finally giving in and sinking down onto the bed next to him. 

“So, I take it that you still like me?” A small smirk danced on his lips. 

Her cheeks blushed into a furious red. “Draco, please don’t make this any more embarrassing than it has to be.”

“What are you...huh?” He shifted so he was on his side, propping up his chin with his palm as he studied her with agonizing attention. “Why would it be embarrassing when I was the one who kissed you?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe the fact that this isn’t the first time? And the fact that I’m waiting for you to tell me you didn’t mean it again?”

“You think I didn’t mean that?” Draco’s eyebrows raised. “Do I need to do it again to get it through that thick skull of yours?”

“I--what--don’t be rude,” she stuttered. 

He rolled his eyes but didn’t lose the upturn of his lips. “I guess so. I suppose I was planning on it anyway.” 

All her nervousness melted away as Draco edged closer, the coolness of his rings pressing pleasantly into her neck. Instead of kissing her immediately like she expected, he traced the outline of her neck up to her ear where he wound his fingers into her hair, finally leaning in so their lips met. 

His skin was soft against hers as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss and pulling her into his lap, his fingers spanning the width of her waist and twisting in the satiny fabric of her dress. When she was out of breath and the pillow she was next to was beginning to get pushed dangerously close to the edge, she finally broke the kiss. 

“Can’t you just tell me how you feel with your words?” she prompted.

“Isn’t it obvious?” said Draco. 

“I thought it was obvious last time.”

“Well, it was. That was before I knew that I was relieved of my task,” he explained, his grip around her waist tightening to tug her ever closer. 

“Why would that matter?”

“Because,” he began, a slightly exasperated look in his eye, “If I had my task and my mother was still at stake, I would’ve had to go back home over the summer. And You-Know-Who would see you in my memories. Plus, I think that being a full-time Death Eater makes it very difficult to be a good boyfriend to someone who’s best friends with Harry Potter. That would complicate things. I knew that if I told you I felt the same way I wouldn’t be able to say no to you.”

“So…” She swallowed. “Does this mean that you’ve liked me all along? Like, from the start?”

“What do you think?” he drawled, his fingers ghosting over the zipper of her dress. “Do you think I just go around kissing random girls in my bed?”

“Well, what about Pansy?”

“Yeah, actually, what about her?” he asked, a little glimmer appearing in his eye. “We haven’t been together since, what, the middle of 5th year? I talk to her as much as I talk to any of my other Slytherin friends. I don’t know what’s got you so up in arms over her.”

“She obviously isn’t over you,” Y/N pointed out. “I just know it.”

“And? I’m over her.” He gave her a knowing look. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t know!” she exclaimed. “I thought that maybe there was something. It’s not like I’m keenly aware of the Slytherin social going-ons.” 

“Sheesh, so defensive,” he tutted, his thumbs now rubbing circles into her shoulders. “It’s almost like you like me or something.”

“Draco!” She swatted at him, but he caught her hand in midair and kissed each of her knuckles, giving her an almost sheepish look. It was all she could do to keep her laughs from getting too loud as he dropped her hand and swept towards her again, kissing her fully. 

Before she knew it, they were rolled over so he was on top of her, hovering over her with his elbows supporting his weight as he pressed warm, open-mouthed kisses along the bare curve of her neck. She closed her eyes and let a soft sigh escape her as his lips drags across the spot under her ear, pushing up further into him.

“You liked that, huh?” He looked far too pleased with himself.

“Shut up,” she said, reaching up to thread her fingers lightly through his hair. It was just as soft as she imagined it to be. Something possessed her to wind her fingers through the locks on the back of his neck and close them into a fist, awarding her with a sharp intake of air from Draco. “You liked that, huh?” she mocked.

He rolled his eyes, muttering a “fucking hell” so quietly that she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to hear it. Despite the exasperation in his tone, his mouth was still fixed in an upturn as he looked down at her, his eyes soft. She couldn’t help but move up to kiss him again, and again, and again, until her lungs were screaming for air and her neck was cramping from the angle.

She let her head fall back onto his down comforter, taking in the sight of Draco with swollen, well-kissed lips. 

“What?” He tilted his head as he regarded her.

“I just love you like this,” she said shyly. “Oh, Merlin, wait, I didn’t mean it like…”

Draco let out a chuckle. “It’s okay. I know what you meant. I love you like this, too. You’re not as difficult.” He rolled off of her, taking a moment to shed his dress coat and pull off his tie.

When he was close enough again, she rewarded his tolerance with a smile and a delicate, nervous kiss on his collarbone, dragging her teeth over his skin for just a moment. The hand that was placed on her back scrunched up the material of her dress as Draco’s breath caught. 

“Your hands are bloody cold,” he complained as her fingers wound themselves under his dress shirt, exploring the new expanse of exposed alabaster skin.  

“Do you want me to stop?” she asked, pulling away and letting go for just a second before he grabbed her wrists together and hauled her back.

 “No.”

“I’ve never…”

“That’s okay,” he said as she settled back onto his lap, reveling in the soft way that he was treating the skin that was exposed by her dress. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”

“I’m just scared,” she suddenly choked out. Where did that come from? “I want you, now, but I don’t want to wake up tomorrow to you telling me that you can’t do this or that you didn’t like it or…” She trailed off, distracted by the way he firmly tapped the outer edge of her thigh.

“I’m not going to do that to you,” he said. “I promise. I made that mistake once. Plus, the burden of the performance is kind of on me anyways, so there’s nothing to be nervous about if that’s a hold up.”

She snorted. “Don’t make me change my mind, Malfoy.” 

Despite her words, the corners of his eyes crinkled. “I mean it. If you want to just lie there that’s fine. As long as you enjoy it, it’ll be great for me.” His hand came up to gingerly brush away the pieces of hair that had fallen in her face before dropping to gently toy with the top of her zipper again--a question. Wordlessly, she allowed herself to be helped out of the garment, letting it fall to the ground before turning back to attack the buttons on Draco’s chest. He made an amused sound as she struggled, eventually unsheathing his wand and opening it up in a second.

“I could’ve done that, you know,” she said rather defensively.

“Yes, yes, I know,” he said, hardly masking his teasing tone. “You’re very capable. Now come here.”

 And so she did.

The idea of sex had always been scary to Y/N. Someone, especially someone attractive enough for her to want to sleep with him, seeing her fully exposed made her want to freeze up and dive under her blankets. But that was before Draco. Somewhere, hidden deep in the back of her brain, lay an anxious switch that flicked off as soon as she was pinned under him with his knee pushing up to part her legs. She no longer felt like she had to be self-conscious--despite how intimidated she was by him, she’d never felt more adored. 

Y/N learned three surprising things about Draco in the span of that night: one, that in some places his skin felt like crushed velvet under her fingers; two, that he melted in her hands when she pressed her lips to the sensitive spot on his neck; and three, that he had a freckle under his jaw. And on his left shoulder. And at the spot where his thigh met his torso.

“What are you thinking about?” he murmured to her after they’d slumped together, his duvet haphazardly flung over their bodies while his fingers traced patterns on her back.

“I’m just so glad you feel the same way,” she admitted. “I thought I was going crazy over your actions not lining up with your words. It was driving me insane.”

Draco let out a little laugh. “I thought it was painfully obvious.”

“Remember when you tripped up the stairs that time you walked with me after detention?”

“Remember when you tripped up the stairs today?”

“You’re ruining this,” she said sourly as she swatted his chest.

Instead of responding, he just snatched her hand and held it hostage. “I’m not the one resorting to physical violence. Which, now that I think of it, is pretty commonplace for you.”

“Hey! If I hadn’t thrown the york pudding at Pansy, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

Draco was silent for a few moments.

“You know I’m right,” she pressed. To her surprise, he shifted uncomfortably under her.

“I’m not so sure,” he finally admitted.

“Huh?” Her features flooded with confusion. “What does that mean?”

“I mean, I’m lucky it worked out like this,” he said hesitantly. “And...so soon. You hated me.”

She sat up, pulling away from his embrace and folding her knees under her. “What are you talking about?” 

“I dunno.” Draco refused to meet her eyes, his fingers instead playing with the edges of his sheets. “This is probably stupid, but do you remember the time we brewed Amortentia in Slughorn’s class?”

She nodded. 

“You told me that it reminded you of a memory,” he continued, “And that you knew you had to have danced with them at some point.”

“I’m aware.” Y/N blinked down at him as she tried to piece the puzzle together.

He finally flicked his gaze up to meet her eyes. “I guess you don’t remember it, but in fourth year we danced together once. I’d never talked to you before--I knew you were friends with Potter and the like--but I just never really stopped thinking about it since.”

“This is so embarrassing,” said Y/N. “How do I not remember?”

He shrugged. “I think you were a little tipsy at the time. I did, though. I’ve never forgotten.”

“Then why were you so mean to my friends?”

“I stopped for the most part,” he pointed out. “And, if you’ll notice, it was mostly towards Harry.”

“I thought that was because he’s the Chosen One.”

“No, it’s because I could see that he liked you and I was jealous. Eventually I just gave up around 5th year, around when I started dating Pansy. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell that I was ever going to be able to be with you, especially not after getting my task.” 

“Oh,” Y/N said as she mulled over this information. “My story isn't as romantic. I suppose I’ve always had a little crush on you too, but I was definitely in denial. I just always found you ridiculously attractive and tragically funny considering what you used to support.”

He glowed down at her, pressing the pad of his thumb into her cheek. “Well, I’m glad I can finally give you what you deserve.”

“Me too.”

~

The weeks began to pass faster after that. Draco never really struck Y/N as a PDA type of guy, but he was surprisingly affectionate. When they began to brew potions together again, he was quick to tuck away her hair behind her ear when she was looking over the cauldron and sent her sweet, private smiles that made her heart flutter. He even sat with her every once in a while at the Gryffindor table when the trio was busy doing whatever they had to do to save the world. Y/N pretended to not notice the whispers that were elicited from her peers when Draco would casually touch her.

They spent as many nights together as they could, but considering how often her friends were giving her dirty looks for stumbling into Potions after not being seen in the Gryffindor Tower for the past day, they had to be reasonable, cutting it down to three or four nights a week. 

Y/N treasured every moment she had with Draco, even when they were fleeting and in between classes. She learned everything she could about him--how he was actually terrified of snakes, how he preferred his tea black, how he had an elaborate morning routine he hardly ever deviated from--and committed it all to mind. Her favorite version of him in her head was the way he looked when he was between her sheets, fast asleep with his arms draped over her. Whenever she woke up before him, she tried to memorize it.

He was absolutely ridiculous with the kind of gifts he gave her. Y/N swore that one day she’d wake up to find that he’d bought the British crown jewels because he “saw them” and “just thought of her”. She now had enough Barnaby’s quills to rival the number of feathers on the country’s entire population of geese, but instead of feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, all Y/N could feel was the impending doom that, one day, those gifts would be the only thing she had left of him. He seemed to know this, too.

Draco always found some kind of reason to pull her away and kiss her senseless, whether it be behind a tapestry or in a broom closet when Filch heard them walking around the castle after curfew. In a way, it was like they were just normal teenagers, enjoying the thrill of the moment and acting out. When she thought of it like that, it made the inevitable events seem more bearable; at least they had some time together.

The letter came with no more context than just a simple “Tomorrow.” Y/N knew exactly what it meant--Narcissa Malfoy was going to finally be taken from the manor. Bellatrix needed to be convinced over the next 24 hours to enter the Borgin & Burke’s Vanishing Cabinet as a distraction, and Y/N needed to be sure of her work on the cabinet.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here,” Y/N mused absentmindedly as she sat in front of the cabinet. Draco’s head rested on her shoulder after recounting all of the changes he’d made. “That was clever, switching out the conductor clasp with a copper fitting.”

He smiled, pressing a kiss into her shoulder. “I’m not totally daft, you know.”

“Of course I know,” she said, her voice dropping into a soft murmur. Fingers pressed into the soft flesh of her thigh as he pulled her onto him. “Draco, I have to fix this first. Then we can do whatever you’d like.”

“Hm,” was all he said, burying his face in her neck once again and letting out a deep sigh.

“Are you worried?”

He was still for a few moments before dipping his head slightly in a nod.

“You’ll be okay,” she promised, winding his fingers through hers. “I’ll make sure of that.”

“I should be comforting you, not the other way around,” he said softly. “I dragged you into this.”

“I pushed myself into this,” she corrected. “And, plus, it’s not my mother on the line. It’s okay to care, you know.”

Y/N got up, making her way towards the cabinet and meeting his eyes once. They shared a knowing glance as she brandished her wand and whispered a quick fracturing spell, sending cracks down the eastern side of the lunar belt. Her hand shook as she shrank back onto the couch until his arms found her shoulders and turned her towards him. “I can’t believe I just...I just did that.”

Instead of responding, he simply sat up straight and delicately pressed his lips to her forehead, his hand coming around to cradle her for just a moment. “Let’s get out of here.” 

“Out of here” once again turned into Draco’s dorm room.

“I can’t believe this will all be over tomorrow,” Draco said, his back turned as he loosened his Slytherin tie. “I’m going to be gone by Sunday morning.”

“Yeah.” Y/N tried not to let the lump in her throat garner too much attention at the thought of losing Draco into what was essentially the Order’s witness protection program. 

He seemed to notice her uncharacteristic silence, frowning at his reflection before making his way towards her and diligently pressing kisses on her cheeks. Instead of grabbing onto his sleeve cuffs and pulling him closer like she usually did, she just let out a tiny sigh and kept her eyes fixed on the tie slung over his shoulder. 

“Hey,” he murmured, moving so she had to look at him. 

“Hey.” She sent him a watery smile, hoping that he couldn’t see how close she was to tears. 

“What’s wrong?”

Y/N just shook her head, anchoring her bottom lip with her teeth so she didn’t choke up. “It’s nothing.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Don’t pull that with me. I’m not falling for that. I’m going to ask again. What’s wrong?” His hand came up to pull her chin up again so their eyes were level, his eyebrows raised in expectation.

Y/N tried to tell him; she really did. It wasn’t her fault that the most pathetic sounding sob of her life came out of her mouth instead of a confession. Instead of asking any more questions or trying to get her to talk, Draco just pulled her into his arms and held her there, letting her weep into him. His hands came up to rub her back as she struggled to breathe normally.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” he whispered, breaking the silence. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“This isn’t about me,” said Y/N miserably. “It’s about you. What if something happens to you while we’re apart? What if I don’t get to see you again?”

Draco made a small sound in his throat, almost like he was holding back a sob himself. “Y/N, don’t worry about me, okay? It’ll all be alright, love. Don’t worry.”

Despite the fact that Draco was doing his best to comfort her, Y/N knew one thing for sure: his word couldn’t stand against fate, and if he were meant to die or disappear during the time that he was hidden away in Italy, there was nothing either of them could do about it.

She turned her head and found herself pressing her lips to his with so much desperation that she hardly even noticed the few stray tears that had made their way down her cheeks. He met her with much more tenderness, his fingers gently brushing away the wetness on her cheeks. For someone as cocky as Draco, he could be so shy when he kissed her, almost like he expected her to change her mind halfway through. 

“I don’t want this to be over,” she whispered as she pulled away, leaving the slightest gap between their lips. 

He cupped her face, his eyes shining. “It’s not over. We have a few hours left.”

To her horror, another strangled gasp left her lips. Draco had her tucked into his arms in an instant, his lips pressing into her hairline. “It’s not over, okay? I just don’t want to hold you back if you aren’t allowed to see me. Don’t wait around for me.”

“I don’t care,” choked out Y/N. “I’d wait forever if it meant I got to have you.”

“I know,” he murmured. “But it’s not fair of me to expect that from you. I don’t know how long this war is going to last.”

“I don’t care about fairness,” whispered Y/N. “I just want you.”

They spent the rest of the night tangled together in his sheets, just waiting for the morning to come. Neither one got any sleep. Instead, Y/N entertained herself by playing with his hands and asking him questions about his childhood--anything to keep her from remembering what was in store for both of them.

It had been decided earlier that Y/N would have no part in the cabinet plan after they ran the information by the Order. Actually, it was decided that she’d have no part in anything beyond just bringing the situation of Narcissa Malfoy to attention. “It’s crucial to your safety that you don’t connect yourself and by extension our family to this,” one of her father’s earlier letters had read. “Doing so puts you and everyone you love in jeopardy.”

That evening, just as dusk set in, she stood with Draco in her dorm for what was the last time, shaking with unshed tears. He just clung to her for the first few minutes, her head tucked under his chin as his hands were clasped around her back. 

“Give me your hand,” he said finally. “I want you to have something.”

She felt something slide on her thumb, her eyes widening as she realized what it was--his family ring.

“Draco…”

“I probably shouldn’t have this on me, anyways,” he explained. “And I want you to have something of mine, something that’s really mine, not just a gift. Just...maybe don’t wear it in public, and if you do wear it as a necklace charm or something. The last thing I want is you to get connected to this--”

Y/N cut off his rambling by pressing her lips to his, his hand feeling oddly bare as it came up to touch her cheek. “If anything happens to you, I love you. I hope you know that.”

He smiled, then kissed her again--so long that it seemed like he was savoring every moment of 

it before finally stepping away. “You know I love you. Always will.”

She managed to fit in one last kiss before he left.

Monday turned into Tuesday which turned into Wednesday which turned into the next week. Before she knew it, her 6th year was almost over. Neither Draco nor Narcissa had contacted her. The Order had been cagey about the details leading to the Malfoys--while she obviously had a general idea as to the location of her Italian vacation home and thus by extent the Malfoys, she hadn’t heard anything about their travels there. All she’d heard was the basic news that everyone had--that Bellatrix Lestrange had been found dead and that the Ministry had taken both Fenrir Greyback and Antonin Dolohov into custody with near fatal injuries.

But that didn’t make her miss him any less. Y/N found herself longing for the nostalgic, innocent time when she shamelessly flirted with him in detention and only worried about whether or not the Trio would like her again. It all seemed so long ago. 

Falling asleep was the worst. She couldn’t smell the lavender of her diffuser or her room spray without relating it to him, couldn’t slide under her sheets without remembering how it felt to fall asleep in his arms. Around May, Y/N came to the most disturbing realization: she wasn’t entirely sure if she remembered what his voice sounded like anymore. Not in the way that meant she wouldn’t recognize it if he called out to her--she would, of course she would--but she couldn’t replicate it in her mind or replay their interactions with convincing accuracy.

Sometimes, on the nights when she couldn’t sleep at all, she envisioned her last interaction with Draco: his snow blond hair ruffled and his face grim as he turned to leave. Even though she couldn’t hear his voice quite right as he told her he loved her, she remembered the scent of his cologne against her jumper and the feeling of his skin against hers as he slipped his family ring onto her hand. It was killing her that she didn’t know exactly what happened to him. He could’ve been taken by a surviving Death Eater and held hostage at the manor. He could be dead. The papers had printed that he’d been pulled into the Vanishing Cabinet and, true to the name, completely vanished, caught in the space passageway between it and the sister cabinet. She’d known that that was the angle the Order was going to take from the start, but it did nothing to ease her anxiety. 

It was even more concerning when she remembered that they’d never agreed upon anything in the future--just simply that they cared about each other in March. At that moment it had been enough. But it wasn’t anymore. All she wanted was for him to appear, give her that stupid wave he sometimes sent to her from across the dining hall when she saw him enter in the morning, and sweep her up into his arms. But that was hard to do when he was countries away. 

N.E.W.Ts had been cancelled, much to the dismay of Hermione, so Y/N had even less things to distract her with. Harry was off with Dumbledore doing Merlin knows what to try and defeat Voldemort. She was left with nothing to do but wallow in her own pity.

In early June, days before Hogwarts classes were officially concluded, someone knocked on her door.

“Come in,” mumbled Y/N. While she had thankfully gotten past the habit of crying every day, she’d instead slipped into a sort of anxious paralysis, lying on her bed after all of her tasks were done.

“It’s me.” Ron’s voice made her sit up in surprise. He hadn’t really spoken to her privately since he’d brokered the peace between her and the rest of the trio. “Do you have time to chat?”

“Sure,” she responded, moving over so he had room to sit beside her. “What’s going on?”

“Lavender just broke up with me,” muttered Ron, his hand coming up to brush at something on his cheek. “And I’ve never felt this way before. Is this what it feels like for you? With Malfoy?”

Y/N met his eyes and saw the same kind of hopelessness in them, the edges pricking with tears. “Yeah. I think so.” It was hard to choke back her own sob, so she just hugged him. He smelled of caramel and spring grass.

“Not to be a prat,” he said, “But you shouldn’t waste any tears over Malfoy. I don’t care if he switched sides in the end, he’s still a snot-nosed tosser to me. When this is all over, we’re going out together so we can find you someone better.”

“You know he switched sides?” She pulled back in surprise. Ron sent her a little wink.

“Of course not. I’m not sure why I said that. I’m sure if it was true, it’d be confidential Order information.”

“Who else?”

“Just Hermione and Harry,” he replied in a low voice. “But we weren’t supposed to figure it out--it was an accident over Easter break while we were eavesdropping on an Order meeting. That doesn’t change anything, though. You could definitely do better.”

“And so could you,” she said. “Remember what I said about you and Hermione?”

He laughed. “I’m working on it.”

Her conversation with Ron shed light on something else that had baffled her as of late--the tentative rekindling of her friendship with Hermione. The witch was actually inviting her to study nowadays, making small talk with her despite steering clear of all topics regarding Malfoy and Death Eaters. 

The last day of school rolled around before she was ready, the final ceremony being spoken by McGonagall instead of Dumbledore while he was still traveling with Harry. As she got up from her seat in the Great Hall, Hermione grabbed onto her sleeve.

“Let’s go for a walk, shall we?”

So, instead of walking straight up to the Gryffindor Tower on the route they’d used countless times since the beginning of their educational career, they took the scenic route along the Black Lake, away from the hordes of students. They walked the shore quietly until Hermione spoke up.

“Draco needs a tutor to cover what he missed this year.” 

Y/N snapped to attention. “What?”

“Narcissa Malfoy has been requesting it and all the professors are busy with Order work,” continued Hermione, not bothering to repeat herself. “They want me to do it. When they ask, I’m going to turn them down and volunteer you instead. Is that okay?”

“Um…” Y/N stuttered. “I’m going to be a pretty shit tutor. Why would you do that for me?”

“I’m going to try and help Harry this summer,” she explained. “And even if I wasn’t, consider it my formal apology. I know it wasn’t right how I treated you this year. I don’t expect you to forgive me right away. I just hope you understand why I was hurt.”

“Of course I understand!” said Y/N, reaching out to touch her elbow. “Considering the way he treated you, I can’t blame you for feeling betrayed. I should be the one apologizing. It just...happened the way it did. I didn’t want to fall for him, but I did anyway.”

Hermione covered her hand with her own and gave it a little squeeze. “I know. Do you think we can put this all behind us? I’ve missed my best friend. Ron and Harry have been driving me crazy this term. Ron told me to tell you that you have permission to smack me if I ever say something condescending to you again.”

“Please, let’s. And I think I’d resort to throwing a nice york pudding instead…”

The familiar bittersweet feeling of looking forward to putting school behind her yet dreading leaving her friends consumed her as she filed onto the Hogwarts Express, looking back onto the castle for the last time. She didn’t know it then, but she wouldn’t be returning. At least not for a long time.

“Luna!” she exclaimed as she ran into someone trying to find her seat. The blonde Ravenclaw sent her a dreamy smile.

“You certainly look happier.” Luna tilted her head as she studied her features. 

“I never got to properly thank you for this,” said Y/N, “But you absolutely saved me this year. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you in January.”

“You don’t need to thank me for being your friend,” responded Luna. “If you really want to, owl me this summer. I think I’ll miss you quite a bit.”

“I’ll miss you more.” She let her new Ravenclaw friend pull her into a hug before she finally retired to her respective seat next to Hermione, who pressed a package into her hand.

“McGonagall just gave it to me,” she whispered into her ear. “Don’t show it to anyone. I think it’s a Portkey.”

True to Hermione’s prediction, it was a familiar object from her manor--an ornate vase that was normally on display in the main foyer. A piece of parchment was rolled up inside.

Activates at 9am on the 10th of June. Closes 5 minutes after the hour. Do not be late.

~

Instead of feeling excited to see Draco, all she could feel was her nerves as she stared at the vase in front of her at 8:55 in the morning. It’d been so long since she’d kissed him that she wasn’t even sure if she remembered how. She literally felt as if her virginity had grown back like her leg hairs did the morning after she cast hair removal spells. 

And not to mention, seeing Narcissa again--that was terrifying. She’d always been a very intimidating woman, dressed impeccably with sharp, aristocratic features much like her son. Y/N doubted she’d take kindly to her son’s tutor being more interested in him than the actual job at hand. 

That assumed he even wanted her still, anyways. Maybe three months in isolation made him come to his senses and realize he’d been absolutely off his rocker for liking her in the first place. Merlin, did he regret it? Was he going to tell her they couldn’t?

Swallowing her worries as the clock chimed at 9, she wrapped her hand around the vase and allowed herself to be pulled across international borders.

The first thing she noticed was the smell. Instead of the florally pine forest that surrounded her family’s main manor, she was greeted with the scent of sea salt and the sound of cawing birds. The sun had long since risen, the temperature a pleasant warmth to her skin after she’d spent a year in the cooler English air. 

Y/N stepped forward, towards the looming white structure that she assumed was her beach cottage. Her feet sunk in the sand as she made her way across the beach. Did he even know she was coming then? She would’ve thought he did, considering that anyone approaching the safe house unannounced would no doubt send everyone into some sort of a panic. 

Finally, she made it to the front door, tapping her wand on the enchanted knocker to signal that someone was at the front door. It creaked, and all of a sudden she was looking into the silver eyes of Draco Malfoy. He looked less pale than he did the last time she’d seen him, like he’d actually begun to spend time in the sun instead of locked away in the Slytherin dungeons. His hair looked somewhat sunbleached. She could see the faintest beginning of unfamiliar freckles across his nose. 

“Hi,” she said shyly, toying with her nails in front of her and not sure whether or not to embrace him. “I’m not sure if you knew, but your mother wanted someone to review the material you missed this year and Hermione didn’t want to, so--”

She didn’t even get to finish her sentence before he crossed through the door, swept her up, and kissed her with conviction. 

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” he whispered when he pulled away. Her eyes pooled with tears as his voice re-registered in her head. 

“I missed you,” Y/N managed. She let her fingers run over his cheekbones and the rest of his face and hair like she couldn’t believe he was actually there in front of her again. “I thought something had happened to you.”

“Something kind of did,” he admitted. “My aunt died.”

“So I’ve heard. Sorry about that.”

“It was her own fault. She brought a dagger enchanted with dark magic and it messed with the energy.” His smile had morphed into something more tense, so she stood on her toes to press a kiss to the corner of his lips, a bit tentative after not touching him since March. 

“You were all I could think about,” she admitted. “I’m not going to be much good at teaching you anything because I honestly stopped paying attention after you left…”

Draco’s smile widened, and she felt her legs turn to jelly. “I don’t mind. You were all I could think about, too. If you ever run out of things to teach me…” His fingers ghosted along her jawline as he spoke, “...I’ve had three months with nothing better to do than to think up ways to make up for the time we’ve spent apart.”

As she basked in the warmth of his embrace and the gentle sound of the Mediterranean ocean lapping at the earth, she allowed herself to relax for the first time in months. There was a war on the horizon, her friends were in danger, and her parents were once again risking themselves to aid the Order. But she’d gotten Draco out of his task. They had at least a summer left together. And at that moment, that was enough. 

“What are you thinking about?” he murmured, tugging her chin up to meet his eyes once again.

She shrugged. “Nothing. Just kiss me again.”

And so he did.

final a/n: thanks for hanging in there! i hope you guys liked it! first off, apologies if my fluff scenes are choppy or repetitive. i’m not very experienced with writing them yet. also, i decided to write draco this way last minute because i like to imagine him as someone who has never had to actually admit feelings for someone and put himself on the line--instead i think he’d try his hardest to get you to confess that you like him if he’s afraid of messing it up. also if you were confused the quidditch bracelet is supposed to be the magic equivalent of a tennis bracelet lol...when i was shopping w my mom i may have been inspired when i saw those bc literally who wears diamonds around their wrist that cost thousands of dollars every day? i asked the saleslady how much the smallest one was and she was like “only 4k and you can wear it anywhere!” like girl i work a minimum wage customer service job and that shit would break in a few seconds. no i would not wear that everywhere. tennis bracelet rant over but anyways ig i was saying that a tennis bracelet def has draco malfoy energy per se

[kinkmaster3000]

oh wow if you can do more character a and character b things that'd be so cool!! maybe with an office setting, some secretary spread? >:9 im down for anything tho I'm still sad that other imagines blog is on hiatus :,(

This ask has been in my inbox for like two fucking years, very sorry to whichever beautiful person sent it 🙏 I mixed the genders up a bit just for funsies but they’re pretty much interchangeable with whoever you want to be in that role.

- A tends to be a comfort eater, and it’s been a very stressful day at work. He takes his lunch break and finds himself eating in the breakroom alone. He clears out everything he brought in about 5 minutes, and opens the fridge to get his drink, only to be tantalized by everyone else’s meals. He goes on a messy binge, devouring everything in record time and getting crumbs and condiments on his expensive button-down shirt. By the time he’s finished, the fridge and cabinets are completely empty and his shirt buttons are digging into his flesh. He feels too heavy and lethargic to move, and sits there in a daze. As the stupor clears, not only does he feel incredibly guilty about eating everyone’s food, but he remembers that he has a video conference in 15 minutes with some very important clients. The problem is, he cannot stop hiccupping and burping, so this would be a disaster. As he’s freaking out about his situation, his cute secretary, B, walks in to get a cup of coffee. He tries to apologize, feeling awful about eating her lunch, but she just smiles at him sympathetically, knowing the stress he’s been under. She just gives him a firm pat on the belly (bringing up a sizable burp) and goes off to call the clients and reschedule his meeting.

-Same as the one above, except character B is A’s client instead of his secretary. Even though B could be getting a better deal somewhere else, he continues to do business with A’s company because he finds A to be very attractive and likes dealing with him. He also happens to be a feeder. He’s excited for the video conference with A, and doubly so when he sees A miserably trying to stifle hiccups. He even awkwardly shifts his eyes downwards at one point, hoping to catch a glimpse of A’s stomach, before remembering that it’s a video call. A is looking increasingly more anxious by the minute, as he continues to hiccup and burp very softly behind his hand as he explains the figures, while B is just getting more and more giddy. Eventually, the tension in his stomach gets to be too much, and he can’t hold in a guttural belch that clips the microphone a bit. He’s mortified, apologizing profusely and trying to make an excuse to continue the meeting later, but B insists, lying and saying that he doesn’t fully understand the pricing yet. A reluctantly continues talking, accidentally burping a few more times, before he realizes that B doesn’t care at all. In fact, he seems very pleased. A begins letting out closed-mouth burps in-between sentences, regaining a bit more of his confidence with each bit of pressure that is eased out. B gives him a better offer than he began with, and (almost too) enthusiastically asks him to “talk about it over lunch” next week. A is thrilled about making a good sale, and has no clue about B’s devious intentions.

-A, a classy, serious woman who is in upper-level management at a prominent company, gets terrible indigestion from anything with even the smallest amount of spice. The problem is, she loves spicy food, the hotter the better. One day, during lunch, her bubbly, motor-mouth assistant manager, B, insists on the two of them going out to eat at a restaurant she just has to try. A reluctantly agrees to leave her work because B won’t take no for an answer). When they get there, she perks up a bit when she sees Phaal curry on the menu. It’s deliciously flavorful, and also packed with habanero peppers. She’s in heaven as she eats it, and then hell 10 minutes later as her chest starts to burn intensely and her stomach starts to roil. She tries to hide how bad she feels from B to maintain her image, but long, queasy belches that burn her throat start to come up involuntarily on the ride back. Her stomach is gurgling like thunder the entire time. She even has to pull to the side at one point and let the concerned and unusually quiet B, who is a notoriously bad driver, commandeer her precious BMW on the way back because she can’t focus at all on the road. A is completely undone, groaning, hiccupping and belching with increasing length and violence as they work their way back to the office

She manages to hold everything in as B ushers her up the stairs (wanting to avoid seeing someone else in the elevator), until she gets back to her private office. She’s horribly embarrassed and gives B a rare apology, saying that this often happens to her and she shouldn’t have gotten the curry knowing that. But before B can even reply, A’s notoriously strict higher-up gives them a call, wanting to speak with the two of them about some important matters. They know better than to decline the call.

The more they talk, the less A is maintaining. She’s having trouble keeping up with the conversation, and the pressure in her belly is becoming unbearable. Unable to take it anymore, she turns away from the machine and risks letting out a soft burp, but it keeps going and becomes loud and gravelly, tearing up her throat as it comes out. The entire room goes quiet, but before she can start apologizing profusely, B does it for her, taking the blame and saying that she ate too much at lunch. Desperate to save face, A scolds her and has her leave the room, apologizing on “her behalf” when the higher-up is displeased at her “unprofessionalism”.

After the call thankfully wraps up with no more outbursts, she rushes to find B, who is sitting at her desk and filling out paperwork, somewhat sullen. A apologizes for her actions, thanking B and saying she didn’t know what else to do. B simply stands up and knocks A harshly on the back, dislodging an even larger belch before. She asks if A “got it all out” and A just nods, a bit sheepishly. “That’s good and all, but I’m never letting you order spicy stuff ever again.”

- A and B are both receptionists for the same company, and work at the same desk answering calls. The two of them are close, and A has a bit of a crush on B, but she has a boyfriend and A is very shy, soft-spoken and dorky. B is kind of a glutton, which A thinks is adorable, and A loves to cook, which B thinks is adorable. So everyday, A brings B Tupperware of increasing sizes filled with delectable homemade meals. B can’t get enough of A’s cooking, and A can’t get enough of watching B chew and swallow and sighs in satisfaction. He finds himself listening very closely for little burps and hiccups, and when she wears blouses that are tight or sheer, he has a hard time keeping his eyes off of her belly. They do this every shift for a couple months, and B starts to get a bit of a stomach pooch. It drives A wild, but one day, B comes in looking distraught, and won’t talk to A. When she refuses his lunch, he presses her on what’s wrong, and she says that her boyfriend made an unsavory comment on her weight as she was getting ready that morning, blaming A for always pushing so much food onto her. A is hurt but apologizes, saying that it wasn’t his intention but that he thinks that she looks amazing with the extra pounds. B is touched and accepts A’s food, enjoying it as always, and finally starting to see him as maybe more than just a friend.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #463

“the siren sings a lonely song of all the wants & hungers  /  the lust of love, a brute desire”

Describe the person that you would like to be in three years. I want my mental health to be in great condition, I really want to be in much better physical shape, ideally be living with somebody in our own place, have a job I'm happy with, have an improved social life, my own license and car... Think back to when you first met your significant other (or ex). Was your first impression of them accurate? It's funny, I honestly don't remember what my first impression of Girt was. I don't even recall our first interaction. I'm sure it was most likely that he was friendly, because he is and always has been. What is your most noticeable personality trait? Probably that I'm really, really shy. What kind of natural disaster is most common where you live? Hurricanes. Which of your family members do you resemble the most? I guess one of my immediate sisters? People tend to say stuff like they can definitely tell we're related. Have you ever had an animal get into your attic? No. Who knows you better than anyone else? Hell, probably whoever reads these. When was the last time you started a “new chapter” of your life? I guess you could call dating Girt a "new chapter." I have a much, much stronger feeling of this attempt being more successful than the last now that I've been able to change my angle on how I see him. What’s the most expensive thing your car needed to get done? I don't have my own vehicle and never have. If you had a thousand dollars to spend on a pricey brand you like but can’t really afford (until now of course), which ONE brand would you choose? *shrug* Most products of highly expensive brands I find hideous anyway. Do you still talk to any of your old teachers? Yeah. One is a close family friend and actually our landlord. Does your family still use the home phone or are you all on cell phones now? We haven't had a landline is yeeeeaaarrrrsssss. Ever go to another school’s prom? No; my boyfriend went to the same school as me. Do you ever venture into the woods? What do you normally do there? No; we live in the city now. :/ When I DID live in the woods, I absolutely loved wandering around with my camera for stuff to take pics of. Does your significant other ever make you mix CDs? None ever have but omg I wish that would be adorable. How did you dress your freshman year of high school? I was one of them emo kids. Would you ever date your best friend of the opposite sex? WELP that's what I'm doing lol. Would you say you have a high sex drive or not so much? I'd call it normal? Higher sometimes, lower other times, but not to either extreme. Come with an unpopular opinion. Silent Hill: Homecoming is a great game and while there's a lot of fan service from the movie, it belongs in the series. It's actually my second (or third)-favorite installment. Most of the SH community absolutely hate that game. What’s the worst thing a friend has either done or said to you? A lot of shit Colleen would say if we got into arguments. She'd ridicule effects of my depression, said I'd never know what it's like to pay my own bills, stuff like that. She's hateful as fuck and everything cut deep. What’s fake about you? Like extensions, fake nails, botox etc. Nothing physical. If you got the chance, would you audition for a reality show? No. Have you ever gotten into a Facebook fight? More than once. What’s the cheesiest thing you’ve ever experienced irl? Hm, I'm unsure. Favorite flavor of jelly bean? Probably watermelon. Do you use Tinder? If yes, have you ever met up with someone you matched? No. You do you, but if I understand Tinder correctly, it just seems... really shallow to me. Like don't you JUST see their picture to decide if you're interested or not? It just enforces the false belief that appearance really matters in love. You just poured your heart out to your crush and all he/she does is respond “k”. What do you respond/do? Well, I don't have a crush anymore; my boyfriend and I literally exchanged "I love you"s last night. That's not a crush. But for the sake of the question, I'll imagine I was single and this happened, in which case I would be both hurt and annoyed. Like, either tell me you return the feelings or not. It's not hard. What's your favorite thing to order from McDonald’s? I usually get a quarter pounder w/ cheese or a McDouble, occasionally with a small or medium fry, depending on how hungry I am. When do you feel your sexiest? Never, hunny. What's your favorite emoji? I don't really have one? It just depends on what the situation calls for. What’s your skincare routine? I don't really have one... I just use a washcloth to clean my face. Who all out of your immediate family smokes? My dad and stepmom. Do you like incense or candles better? Incense, totally. Do you respect your parents? Yeah. What’s your bf/gf’s name? It's technically Donald Jr., but since high school, I've known him as Girt, a nickname I won't explain for his privacy. Do you wear glasses? Yeah. Do you like The Beatles? I honestly don't. Except "Hey, Jude." What was the last reason you got excited? Last night. When we were saying goodbye, I was scared to, but I told Girt I loved him, and he immediately said it back confidently. My heart did like five flips. I'm still over the moon about it. Yes, we just got back together, but we've been in each other's lives as a constant since HS, and after changing my angle of how I looked at him, it's not at all platonic anymore. Do you know anyone who drinks the pickle juice from the jar? Sara does alskdjfklwejrl;er Name something crazy that’s happened recently? Uhhhh... I dunno. My life is very uneventful to have something really "crazy" happen. Can you say for a fact that you’re happy right now? I'm happy about some things, but also nervous and self-doubtful. Have you ever zip lined? No, but they look fun. I'd just be really scared of losing my grip. If you broke your computer, would you be able to fix it on your own? Ha, no. Have you ever been on a boat and got sick? No, but the one time I was at the beach and on a boat riding to an island, I was TERRIFIED I was going to get sick because of the waves. I didn't, thankfully. Did you sleep well last night? For the most part. My new mask might just be working. Do your parents try and plan your life for you? Not at all. Do you have any pictures of you kissing someone? Yes. List two things about yourself that you find embarrassing. My weight and how dark my leg hair is. Do you like to cuddle with your pet when you are sad? Yes. Do you find piercing attractive or unattractive? h o t Do you have any secret hiding spots in your room? To put money, yes. Do you like parmesan cheese on your spaghetti? Ew, no. I don't like parmesan. Does your best girl friend have any talents that you don’t? Yeah. She can animate well, for one. And sing like a fucking champ. Do you have any video game systems in your room? Which one(s)? My Nintendo DS Lite is in here. Well, and my laptop is a gaming one. What color eyes does the last person you kissed have? ... Oh WOW I've known this man for a fuckin decade and somehow I'm not sure??? But I want to say light blue? Have you ever taken a ride in a helicopter? No. Have you ever visited hot springs? No. How slowly or quickly would you say you eat? I'm aware I eat too fast, because my mom will point it out almost without fail if we eat in sight of each other. I'm not a messy eater at all, just... fast. Chewing your food and swallowing isn't a complex task. I've made active efforts to slow down, I just haven't been able to succeed. It doesn't feel normal. That and I've come to discover that when I chew food TOO much, I don't like the mushy texture of it in my mouth. What did you do the last time you were with friends? Yesterday Girt and I planned to watch shitty Netflix anime for some laughs, but we wound up starting Attack on Titan, which I am officially pretty into. What kind of cologne/perfume do you like the opposite sex to wear? I don't care if they wear any or not, so long as they know how to clean themselves and therefore not actually smell bad. If you celebrate Christmas, do you get a real tree or an artificial tree? We always use a fake one. Is there someone who means a lot to you but they don’t know that? My sisters probably don't, really... Is money important to you? Live your whole life poor and I want to see you answer "no" to this. Have you ever watched a meteor shower? No. Do you like Slim Jims? LOOOOOOOVE them. Would you rather write a mystery or love story? Love story. Are you muscular? No. Working for it. Do you have one of those removable hand-held shower heads? Yes. Originally, this house didn't, but I hated it so much that Mom bought one. How many burners does your stove have? Four. Has your car ever been broken into? Mom's hasn't.

[ourloveisforthelovely]

The Fall 5

Harry Potter AU 

Pairings: Sirius Black x Reader 

Link to Chapter 4

Rating: M

______

You stood in the kitchen looking down at the potion that Tonks brought you for your hand.

“It will hurt like hell but you’ll be perfect as soon as it dries.”

You muttered a few choice words under your breath as Harry stepped in. He looked down at your hand with a knowing look. Harry had grown used to seeing you come home with random injuries from your job.

And for some reason, he wants to be an Auror too.

You thought with a smile as he walked over to kiss your cheek.

“Alright?”

You nodded.

“I will be. You should have seen the other guy.”

“That’s the same thing she said to me.”

Harry and yourself turned as Sirius walked into the room. It didn’t take you knowing the man better than anyone else in the room to know something had made him mad. He had that frown that made it look like he was ready to burn the world down.

You made a mental note to talk to him later about the conversation with Remus. Now, in front of Harry, it didn't seem like a good idea. The last thing that you wanted was to worry the boy with the concerns of adults.

“Let's take a look at that hand.”

Sirius said softly as he gently lifted you onto the table. You could automatically see Harry’s questioning gaze as Tonks gave him a smirk. He had probably gotten used to you screaming at Sirius whenever he was within 5 feet of you and now here he was standing between your legs. This would be another conversation that you would have to have with the boy later.

The pain shooting through your hand pulled you from your thoughts. Sirius slowly unwrapped the bandage and sighed at your scorched skin.

“Darling, this looks horrible.”

You handed him the potion and closed your eyes a little more dramatically than necessary.

“Just get it over with!”

Sirius shrugged and poured the liquid on your hand. You automatically winced in pain. Tonks definitely wasn’t kidding about this hurting!

“Fucking bloody hell!”

You groaned. Sirius’ eyes rolled to you with a smirk.

“That’s what happens when you have to be the rebel.”

You opened your eyes as the pain finally started subsiding. Your hand was perfectly healed.

“Well, I wonder where I got that behavior from.”

Severus Snape, who knew one even seemed to notice was in the room, stood. He had enough watching Sirius and yourself already!

“Let me guess the little power couple is back together again?”

Both Sirius and yourself automatically turned in Snape’s direction with matching scowls. You slid off of the table ignoring Sirius, who had reached out in some feeble attempt, to stop you.

“Looks like you can see things! Good job!”

Snape frowned. He already dreaded being on the same side as the two of you. Every time he looked at Sirius and yourself, Snape was reminded of his horrible childhood.

“Ms. Potter, your sassy attitude is no longer cute.”

You raised an eyebrow. Normally you wouldn’t argue with this tool in front of Harry but today was a new day.

“You know, Severus, you say a lot of shit for a man who doesn’t talk much. Oh, while you’re here, I thought that I would give you a friendly warning if I find out that you give Harry any trouble this year...I have no issue coming to Hogwarts and kicking your ass. I’ve done it before and I can do it again.”

“You little bit…”

Sirius stepped in at this point. He was perfectly amused watching you hand Snape his share of an ass-chewing but the moment the word “bitch” was about to be thrown out; Sirius was done.

“Whoa! I’ll give her a doughnut to kick your butt.”

Snape looked between the two of you with a scowl before turning and storming out. You smirked, knowing that you had won this round.

“See you later!”

You called out before turning back to Harry.

“That was fun.”

“Brillant.”

Harry said with a smirk as Remus walked in looking rather annoyed. Had it been another time, Harry would have asked Remus if he was alright, however, he was still taking in the news about Sirius and yourself.

“So the two of you are together now?”

Sirius glanced at Remus, who was shaking his head. You had quickly put together what happened and knew this would be a fun conversation later.

“Yes, we are.”

When Harry smiled a genuine smile, you were pleased. That told you everything was fine with him. Why it wouldn’t be, you weren't sure. Maybe now he could have the family that he wanted (and deserved).

“Cool!”

You reached out and attempted to fix his messy hair before turning your attention to Remus. The poor man looked dreadful. The full moon was the day before so the cuts on his face made sense. Walking over, you gently put a hand on his forehead.

“You’re burning up.”

You were used to being the one that took care of Remus. That had been your job as a kid and it just made sense to continue as an adult.

“I’ll be fine.”

Remus said, gently. He wasn’t about to snap at you. Why he snapped at Sirius, he wasn’t sure. Remus had a feeling that the two of you would be back together rather quickly. Maybe he was concerned that you would just end up hurt again like you had years before. If Sirius got locked up again, it would be Remus that would have to pick up the pieces (and he would do it without complaint). Maybe it was the protective friend that was trying to pop out

You, meanwhile, wasn’t about to let this go because Remus said I’ll be fine. He would be a fool if he thought for a moment that you would.

“We need to put something on your face. How is the scar on your chest?”

Remus sighed, miserably.

“Tore open again.”

He didn’t have to look up at you to know that you were giving him that motherly concerned expression.

“Take your shirt off. I can fix that too.”

Remus shook his head.

“It's okay, Y/n.”

You rolled your eyes ignoring Sirius’ worried expression. This was the argument that the three of you + James had every month when it came to Remus’ transformations. It was usually Sirius and James holding him down while you played doctor.

“Come on, Remus. I have seen every man in this room naked. No need to be shy.”

After that sentence left your mouth, you had to bite your tongue at the expression on Sirius, Remus, and Harry’s faces.

“What? It's true.”

You said with a smirk before walking to your bag and looking for the healing agent that you kept for Remus’.

“I really hate that thought.”

Remus muttered. You chuckled.

“Remus, it was hard being friends with you all and not seeing nakedness. I had to change Harry’s diaper, and Sirius...well...you can put that together yourself.”

Before you were able to even get to Remus, Tonks came back into the room looking rather pale. You knew that look well.

“What?”

You asked. Tonks sighed.

“Marlene Mckinnon’s niece was found dead today.”

You put the potion bottle that you were holding down and quickly looked up. Sirius and Remus were as pale as you had turned. Hearing Marlene’s name brought back even more pain.

“This is the one from Marlene’s brother that survived. Things look suspicious.”

Tonks said as she timidly held out a file to you. You quickly took the file and started reading down the report.

Suspicious was putting things lightly. This looked just like Marlene’s murder years before. You sighed. Looking up, you met Sirius’ gaze. The two of you had been there the night the McKinnon’s were found.

“Kingsley and I took the case...we knew that you would want to investigate.”

Tonks said softly. You put the file down before turning your attention back to Harry.

“Better go get your school things ready.”

Harry nodded and quickly walked from the room. He knew that expression on your face well. It had been the one that he saw the day that you read about Sirius escaping from Azkaban and many other unhappy times.

Once Harry was gone, you turned to Tonks.

“We should go.”

Sirius was by your side in an instant.

“Love, I really don’t think you need to be going out there…”

You turned to look at him with a sad expression that broke his heart.

“Sirius things are starting just like they were years ago. I owe this to Marlene. This is just an investigation.”

“Want me to go with you?”

He asked, softly. Your eyes immediately widened.

“Sirius, you know you can’t leave the house.”

Sirius rolled his eyes.

“Animagus here, love.”

You shook your head. This was the last thing that you were even about to agree to at the moment. Sirius was crazy if he thought for one moment that you would say yes! The two of you had just gotten back together for heaven’s sake. You were not about to risk him being taken from you in any way! If Sirius thought that he was going to be tagging along with you one every job to make sure that you didn’t get hurt; he had another thing coming.

Damn his protective nature…

You thought before wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

“No. I want you to stay here.”

“Y/n…”

“Sirius, no. I don’t want to risk anything.”

Sirius finally nodded. He wasn’t happy but he decided to back off. You were in a fragile state at the moment and he didn’t want to make it worse! It had everything to do with Marlene. Sirius knew that you were reliving another best friend’s death.

“Fine. Be careful.”

You nodded and kissed him softly.

A few moments later…

Tonks and yourself stood outside of an older home in the country. You smiled seeing Kingsley standing on the porch. He nodded as you walked up.

“Y/n, sorry to ruin your good day.”

You shook your head, politely.

“It's fine, Kingsley. I would have wanted the two of you to call me. So what have we got?

Kingsley turned as you flashed your badge to the two wizards at the door to step inside.

“There was no dark mark but everything was just like before. The place is destroyed and she was definitely hit with a killing curse.”

You looked around the disheveled living room before taking a breath when looking at Sarah McKinnon’s dead body on the floor.

“You would think the idiot would be a bit more creative...maybe take something from those muggle serial killers. Damn. Looks like we have some death eaters out of the closet.”

Tonks nodded.

“Which one could it be?”

You looked thoughtful.

“Well, there’s Malfoy, Kararoff, Pettigrew, and Greyback. The last two are definitely on my list.”

Kingsley looked thoughtful as he made a note on parchment.

“Well, start keeping a lookout for them.”

Walking back into Grimmauld Place that night, your mind was a pretzel of thoughts. You were thinking about Marlene, the murder of her family, and how you were going to get your hands on Pettigrew.

Sirius’ arms wrapping around your waist pulled you from your thoughts. You didn’t object when he turned you around. Instead, you snuggled your face into his shoulder. You smiled feeling Sirius press his face into your hair.

“Is it what we are thinking?”

You didn’t move from your place before nodding.

“It's exactly what we're thinking. Things are going to be like they were before.”

Sirius didn’t reply for a moment.

“We’ll figure it all out. At least you came home in one piece.”

You looked up with a smirk.

“Yes, I did.”

Sirius slowly pulled away.

“We should get you in bed?”

“Yours?”

You asked with a sly smile. It was a bold move. You knew if Remus was there he would probably be giving Sirius and yourself an earful about moving too quickly.

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“I figured we were going to do that whole taking is slow nonsense?

You smiled. Maybe taking it slow was the “smart” thing but after a day like today; you wanted nothing more than some physical affection.

“Since when have we been the whole taking it slow type of people?”

Sirius smiled. In the dark, he looked just like the man that you had fallen in love with all the years before. “Yeah, we are more like the hell hath no fury type of people. Come on.”

The next morning, you stood making sure that Harry had everything ready for school.

“I think that I’m good, Auntie.”

He replied after you checked his list for the 12th time. Sirius smirked from his place in the corner. This was your typical behavior. When the two of you were kids, you were the one that made sure that James and Sirius were good to go.

You smiled.

“Here is where I give you my ceremonial be good speech...be good.”

“That's it?”

Sirius asked with a laugh. You shrugged.

“I feel kind of like a hypocrite telling him to be good after all of the stuff that we pulled.”

Sirius was quiet for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, be good.”

Harry smiled. For the first time, he actually felt like he had parents. It was nice feeling like an actual family for once!

“Will you two be fine?”

Harry watched as Sirius and yourself exchanged looks. You smiled.

“Of course!”

Harry’s attention was drawn to Molly Weasely who was motioning him forward. He quickly gave Sirius and yourself a hug.

“I’ll see you both at Christmas.”

____

@lilulo-12

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[mingishoe]

The Christmas Dinner

Summary: You go to your parents Christmas dinner for work and you two get forced to sit next to each other

Reader x Seonghwa

Fluff and hints of smut 

use of the word “oppa” a few times (literally once)

25 Days of Christmas- Day 5

Word count- 2.3k (unedited)

12-5-19

_______________________________

You absolutely loved Christmas. It was your favourite time of the year, but this time specifically you dreaded. It was time for your mother's Christmas dinner. You were usually the only non-employee there because your mom usually takes advantage of the fact the company pays and you get a free dinner, which you aren’t really complaining about free food. It was normally a bunch of old guys and middle aged women along with two or three younger people near your age. It was a formal event so you wore the fanciest dress you could find. The dress you decided to wear was a short black dress that went a few inches above your knees. The top of the dress was embroidered with sequins and rhinestones that made your cleavage stand out. You looked in the mirror and saw your curled hair that fell perfectly around your shoulders and your sparkly makeup that would make anyone want to look in your direction. You honestly looked hot, too bad there wasn’t anyone you could fuck in the restroom. Just kidding… unless… anyway y’all were running a little late and it may or may not be your fault. Your family finally arrived at the restaurant and you had to practically run after your parents while wearing heels. You were way behind them since you decided to be an idiot and wear heels. Everyone was now sitting at the long table including your parents. Everyone’s eyes were on you, obviously, because you were running in the room with your heels clicking on the floor looking like a crazy person. You saw the only empty seat was at one of the ends next to a boy you didn’t know. You looked at your mom cursing her for leaving you by yourself. You awkwardly sat next to the boy after giving him a small smile. You immediately took the menu and began looking at it trying to make yourself look as un-awkward as possible. You honestly were too scared to look at anyone because you probably looked crazy. You look up and turn to find your mom but you immediately made eye contact with the boy next to you and you feel your heart stop in your chest. He’s cute. No, he’s perfect. You feel a blush start to creep up on your cheeks and you hear a chuckle next to you, “I’m Seonghwa.” You turn to look at who you know who is Seonghwa, “I-I’m Y/N.” You watched as his eyes scanned you, eyes lingering on your chest. You also took a minute to look him over, he had dark hair that went over his piercing brown eyes. He was so good looking it physically made your heart feel like it was gonna pop out of your chest. He looks back to your face with a smirk, “so, what’re you doing here?” You gestured to your parents, “they dragged me here so they wouldn’t have to make me dinner.” He laughed and even his laugh was beautiful, “Yeah same, except I volunteered to come for the free food.” You made a noise of understanding, “yeah, I did that the first year then my mom thought I liked it so now I’ve been dragged here for the past 3 years. Is your mom or dad new at the company? This is the first time I’ve seen you.” He nods, “yeah, it’s gonna be a year in late January. For the first 20 minutes we were sitting here I honestly regretted coming here. But then, a cute girl came in running in heels and it made it a lot more interesting.” Your heart was beating so hard in your chest, you were sure Seonghwa could hear it from where he was sitting. You looked down and bit your lip to contain your squeal. “Y-yeah… You’re gonna regret it anyways probably. I’m not the most interesting person to talk to.” He was about to respond but got cut off since we had to order. You usually got the garlic roasted spaghetti but now that you’re sitting next to a cute boy, you weren’t gonna do that to either of you. You were listening to the other orders to see if there was anything that caught your interest, but of course you didn't, so you end up getting the homemade ravioli. You and Seonghwa were basically secluded as you two were at the very end and there wasn’t any chairs in front of either you or seonghwa so it’s most likely no one is even noticing either of you. You were getting uncomfortable in the stupid dress you were wearing. You never wore dresses, not even to parties or certain fancy events, but since you were representing your mom you thought it was the least you could do. “So… Tell me about yourself.” You look up at him with a small pout, “I’m not very interesting. I like really boring things to be honest…” Seonghwa was already so interested in you he’d probably think it was cool if you said you collected sponges. “Umm… well, I like watching documentaries mostly ones about history and even the nature ones… like the ones about cute pandas and tigers. I also have a record player and I collect a bunch of vinyls because I like the aesthetic… Umm- I also study a lot about film making even though I really have no interest in actually ever doing it… S-sorry, I’m just rambling now.” Seonghwa thought you were literally the cutest. He knew you for maybe 30 minutes max and he already wanted to give you the whole world. You honestly looked kinda intimidating to him because of how you looked, like your makeup and the outfit you were wearing, but when you talked you sounded so soft and he wanted to cuddle you. “No, it’s okay,” he was looking at you with the cutest smile and honestly you were whipped and you didn’t even know him. “I think it’s cute, you’re cute.” You were blushing hard. It was obvious to the both of you. After a few seconds of just kinda staring at each other you hear your name being called. “Hey babe- say hi to Mr and Mrs Park, they’re Seonghwa’s parents.” Your mom calls to you from a few chairs down. You look to where she’s at and you see people who resemble Seonghwa so you assume they’re his parents. You greet them politely as they do the same. You look to Seonghwa and his cheeks are dusted pink from embarrassment. “Wow~ you’re so much more beautiful in person from the pictures your mom has shown me.” You thank her as she’s giving you more compliments, “you know… you and Seonghwa would make a cute couple, he’s only two years older than you. And he’s been single for quite some time now.” She winks at you and your mom laughs next to her. Poor Seonghwa looks like he’s about to die of embarrassment, his head in his hands and you can see how red his ears are, “you know Mrs. Park, I might just take up on that offer.” You wink back at her and she giggles turning to your mom as they have a little moment. You see Seonghwa peak out of his hands and look at you with wide eyes. Once again he was interrupted by the waiter starting to bring the food to our table. After you get your food you turn to Seonghwa and joke, “look, I’m a really messy eater so please don’t feel the need to see me spill all my food on myself.” He looks between you and your food, “hmm… tempting offer, but I’d rather watch,” you offer a scowl but smile right afterwards. You pick up a ravioli with your fork and you can feel Seonghwa watching you. You awkwardly turn with the food halfway in your mouth, Seonghwa laughs but turns so you can eat peacefully. You two eat in a comfortable silence for a while, “want a bite?” You offer with a ravioli on your fork. He nods and opens his mouth for you to feed him. You put a hand under the fork so you would spill anything and stain his pants, “swoosh! swoosh! swoosh!” You attempt to make the best airplane noises you could while bringing the fork to his mouth. You both start laughing as the ravioli enters his mouth. Seonghwa covers his face as his heart explodes in his chest by how cute you are. He nods in approval as he swallows a mouthful of food. He then offers you a bite of the stake he got. In acceptance you open your mouth and Seonghwa does a similar thing to you but makes cute “boing” noises as he feeds you the steak. You’re attempting to chew the steak with a huge smile on your face. You throw him a thumbs up in approval of his steak. You both fall into comfortable conversation about your life, school, and random things like what your favourite nature documentary is. In a span of around 2 hours you developed the biggest crush on Seonghwa and you don’t know what to do with yourself. You know that probably after this you’re probably never going to talk to Seonghwa again unless your parents decided to play Cupid. You know the dinner is almost over as you can see people starting to finish their dessert and for once you’re wishing it would last longer. You and Seonghwa were sharing a piece of chocolate cake and your mom decided it would be the perfect time to ruin the little moment you two were having. “Come on lovebird, we’re leaving.” You sighed disappointingly as you gave Seonghwa a smile and started to stand up. “Y-you know, Mrs. Y/LN, I drove here by myself and if it isn’t a problem I could take Y/N home sometime later?” You bit your lip trying to hide the smile that was threatening to take over your face. Your mother looked between you and Seonghwa then to your father who honestly just looked like he wanted to leave already. “Is that alright with you y/n?” Your mother asked and you nodded comically sitting back down, “y-yeah it’s fine.” You nodded blushing with a smile on your face. “Alright then, you’re an adult so it’s up to you what time you come home but don’t forget where the key is because I’m not going to open the door for you.” You laughed and nodded as your parents turned to walk out of the restaurant. “We can leave in a minute and go somewhere else, maybe walk around a little bit.” You agreed, 100x more nervous now you know you two were going to be alone. After you both finished your shared dessert Seonghwa told his parents you two were going to leave. You said your goodbyes to his parents and his mom once again winked at you. You grabbed your bag, double checking your keys were in there, and you and Seonghwa walked out of the restaurant. “I know you’re wearing heels, but there’s this really cute park about a block away we could walk to, only if you can if not… I can carry you.” He said smirking. “N-no it’s okay- we- we can walk.” You checked the time, only 9:13, and you made a mental note to not be home past 1am. Seonghwa walked Closely beside you, hands brushing every once in a while. Your feet were lowkey starting to cramp up but you tried your best to ignore it as Seonghwa grabbed your hand to hold it in his. You turned to look at him, he was really good looking. The street lighting were giving him a golden glow along with the coloured store lights that illuminated his face with splashed colours of red, blue, and purple. You felt him pull you closer to him by his side, “careful love, you’re gonna run into stuff if you’re not paying attention to where you’re going.” You snapped your head back to looking forward. You suddenly get a small surge of confidence and you riskily say, “sorry oppa, you’re just too good looking.” You feel his grip on your hand tighten slightly as he chuckles, “L-Look come on love, there’s the swings. Go sit on one and I’ll push you, okay?” You look up and see the park in view. You comply and go towards the swings to sit on one. You feel his hands on your back starting to push you softly on the swing. He was pushing you on the swing when he started to tell you how you interest him, “I don’t really know what it is or why I’m so interested in you,” you don’t really know if that’s a compliment or not but you decide it most likely is and you keep your shut. “But you do, and I understand we’ve known each other for like what? 3 maybe 4 hours now? But yeah I swear I’m not ever sappy like this but you’re honestly the cutest person I’ve ever met and you make my heart wanna explode by your cuteness. But yeah, let me just- stop now because I’m gonna creep you out if I keep going, but I’d really like to take you out on a proper date… if that’s okay with you?” You’re still being pushed in the swing so you can’t really turn to look at him but you agree to the future date you are going to take. This is just the beginning of the long ass journey of you and Seonghwa. And for the first time in 4 years you’re actually glad you went to your mother's company Christmas dinner. 

[popculturebuffet]

The Legion of Super Heroes Reviews: The Legion of Substitute Heroes or Unsung Heroes

Happy 29th Birthday to Me! Yes it’s my birthday which means it’s time for reflection, griping about getting older and cake. And after an exausting weekend of grappling with a growth, i’m not going to go into anymore detail, I can finally, relax celebrate and get back to reviewing. And since i’ts my big day, that means I decided to dedicate today’s reviews to things that mean a hell of a lot to me and in one way or another shaped me as a person. A self indulgant way to reflect on my past, look to the future and show y’all some stuff I really like. So with that out of the way let’s talk about the Legion of Super Heroes.. and their oddball sub team I love dearly. 

This is also my first chance to talk about DC Comics on my blog. I’m honestly shocked that in the year i’ve been reviewing stuff regularly, the other half of the big two superhero comic publishers hasn’t come up. While I do tend to lean towards marvel, in part because Marvel is simply better at collecting their stuff and putting it on sale more often, it’s still the home of some of my faviorite properties: Justice League International, The Green Lanterns (Minus Hal), Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, Oracle, Batgirl (All of them, particularly Steph and Cass), Young Justice, Supergirl, my personal boy The Martian Manhunter.. the list dosen’t go on by much but it indeed goes on. I”ve been reading dc comics since I was in middle school, and I haven’t stopped since and don’t intend to stop now and maybe in the next year I can get around to tackling some of their awesome cartoons and comics more eh? But yeah among these titans, including the actual titans, are the Legion, one of the most unique and awesome super team concepts in my humble opinon and , even for DC, one of the teams with the most tangled up histories. 

First created in the Silver Age by writer Otto Binder and Artist Al Plastino, The Legion of Superheroes is DC”s first successful teen superhero team, predating the titans by a few years, though I dearly love both wildly diffrent teams. The Legion is defined by their high concept: A thousand years into the future, three super teens from diffrent worlds who happened to be on the same ship with billionare RJ Brande, saved Brande from some goons hired by his crooked buisness partner. 

And exposed him. Inspirired by their courage, heart and skill, Brande latter called the three together to form them into a super team, one inspiried by the legends of teen hero Superboy. 

No not Conner though it was nice to get to show off my poster of him. While he was part of the second continuities legion, we’ll get to that, he’s not the superboy we’re looking for. He is damn great though and it’s good to have you back bud. 

Not Jon either, though I do miss this kid’s pre-bendis version and he was the inspiration.. for another version of the legion. (SIGH). Try. AGAIN IMAGE SEARCH. 

...... 

No not the cool bad boy turned troubled good boy, not the child who was inexpciably aged up by that bald smeghead, and not the great idea turned into a editiorial mouthpiece. I”m talking about THIS superboy. 

This is where the name came from: From the silver age till crisis on infinite earths, Clark Kent was active as a kid in smallville, and thus was Superboy, superman when he was a boy. He dealt with similar stories just with Lana replacing Lois, and Luthor as a ginger teenager. And it was these deeds as a teen hero on his own, one of the first honestly, that inspiried the legion and brande and forged the team. 

And it was naturally a super boy story where they were first introduced as the legion’s founders went back to recruit Superboy after putting him through some trials, and were intended as just one of many silver age one off concepts.. but caught on with the readers so much they were brought back, and had their ranks expanded and eventually not only added supergirl, yes the one your thinking of this time, to their ranks, and yes sometimes she and superboy were in the same place at the same time, Clark willingly had founding member and telepath Saturn Girl put a mental block in his head for any info he’s not supposed to know yet so it’s cool . But yeah not only that but they eventually became their own feature in Adventure Comics, where Superboy’s stories were published, but overtook him in popularity with time.  Over time a number of distinct aspects were established: The roster eventually got as large as 20 plus legionarres, almost all from diffrent worlds, and they eventually set up bilaws. Some are silly and dated such as “Legionarres marrying means they retire” which was eventually done away with in the 70′s, but others were simple logic: each member must have a unique power, no using weapons and such which rather than be super power snobbery is so said tech dosen’t fail and the legion later fully allowed Karate Kid, a martial artist, to join, no killing.. just common sense stuff that adds to it. And one of those is the centerpiece to today’s story, which we’ll get to in a moment.  Obviously given they’ve been around since 1958, there is a LOT more to the Legion’s history I will dig into at a later date: The short version is that Crisis on Infinite Earths, Dc’s first big reboot, fucked the team up badly by retconning superboy out of existance and dc editorial made it worse by shooting down EVERY solution the team came up with to fix the issue. So eventually things got so messy they nuked the whole thing during the event Zero Hour and rebooted fresh with Mark Waid taking the helm and updating the concept for the 90′s and being a more lighthearted, if still not without weight, comic in the sea of 90′s edge. Waid would reboot the team again due to sagging sales, a far weaker reason this time, with a more rebllion slant, the original team would be reinstated, and then ended for a while before recently being rebooted by Brian Micheal Bendis... who sadly is long past his creative prime from books like Ultimate Spider-man and alias and is instead stewing in his own toilet dinner these days and thus it’s not pretty.. well okay art wise i’ts VERY pretty, it’s just story wise it sucks dirty ass in thunder storms. There was also an awesome cartoon that sadly lasted only two seasons that I will DEFINTELY be digging into, especially since unlike x-men evolution, it’s not you know 50 some episodes and me biting off way more than I can chew but a slim 26 that still has fans to this day. I”ll get into ALL OF THIS, some ohter time hopefullly and I mostly outlined it since some of you might be familiar with another version or “Sigh” the reboot and this helps clear things up.  So yeah with all that out of the way we’re going back to the silver age and the first story I ever read of hte team, how I met them with “The Legion of Substitute Heroes” and a later subs story I genuinely love. I first read this story in one dc’s old expensive archives collections I got from the library. Oh how I miss the library. Your probably wondering who the legion of susbstite heroes are.. but since the first story covers that we can jump right in after the break!

So we open with a teen in a parka uniform disembarking from a spaceship from another planet, which a passerby notes is just like the airplanes people used to ride from country to country. 

But we meet our hero, Polar Boy, whose in a winter themed outfit and has come to try out. This is the tradition I was saving for now: The Legion Tryouts. Like a club or sports team would, but I like it because it makes sense: The Legion NEEDS to be as big as it is because while their headquartered on earth, their mission scope is anywhere in the united planets which spans GALAXIES. They could be called on any time and need their full force or need to have severa l members on a smaller mission and frequently having members away on a mission was cleverly used to reduce the cast to whoever was needed for the story. 

So it only makes sense to frequently look for new membbers to help strengthen their ranks... but given their teens and are recurting teens they need to be careful and need a logical way to reduce crowd flow. I mean you saw how many people used to line up for american idol before that died a justified death, people will do anything to be famous and they need to weed out those whose powers and skill just aren’t up to snuff yet, or those who are just dicks as, unsuprisingly, several stories have been built on assholes who applied and were rejected turning evil and attacking.. even though the Legion wasn’t even paticuarlly harsh. They also are more than fair as applicants CAN try again or if they prove themselves in other ways can be let in, as Bouncing Boy, my favoirite legionarre, was intially rejected for his power of .. well...

Yeah.. on paper inflating like a ball and bouncing around is kind of silly. In practice he can ricochet off enemies, walls, and obstacles and is fairly durable in that state. It’s why I don’t really brook mocking the guys power: yes it’s goofy.. but say that again when he hands you his ass. It’s the same with matter eater lad who yes is an actual character: While being able to eat anything is gloriously goofy.. it means he can chew through ANY substance and digest ANYTHING. Hell in the cartoon episode intorducing the subs they used both of these guys to great efffect: Bouncing Boy, who in the cartoon had to try out multiple times in his backstory, encouraged the future subs while Matter Eater Lad got in by EATING A FUCKING BOMB. He also had shades which I dind’t know he was missing but now I do. My point is the process is fair and well thought out and leads to some really fun scenes. 

But yeah joining the legion is naturally Polar Boy’s dream, as he walks down the avenue of heroes, basically a series of statues honoring the legion and hopes all his hard work paid off. We then cut to the auditions, where he apparently waited all night. What I like about this story is that unusually for the silver age legion where it was mostly a sea of powers attached to a bunch of cardboard, really the dc silver age in a nutshell and why marvel broke out so much for having more dynamic and realistic characters, Polar Boy has more of a personality. It’s not MUCH but he’s a dedicated, hard working kid who just wants to join his heroes and seems really in awe of htem, a feeling we can all relate to. We’ve all had people we’ve looked up to, admired, and we’ve all had groups we wanted to join as kids, teens or what have you. And of course.. we all know what it’s like to be rejected by someone or something you badly wanted to be a part of.  And that’s what happens to poor polar boy, who comes from a world with an intense sun thus his people developed super cold powers.. but he can’t control them well so while their impressive, they also freeze the legion. HIs powers are good... but due to their strength and radius he’s also a liablility. They give him an consolation anti-gravity belt.. they had these before eventually compressing them into the much cooler flight rings.. which I still desperatly want one of. I have the flash’s costume ring and a green lantern corps ring, but still no legion ring. 

Naturally this devistates the poor boy and he wonders around dispondent till nightfall, convinced he’ll never be one of them. He soon meets Night Girl, a fellow reject with super strength given to her by her dad’s formula.. but only in darkness as she’s from a world without sunlight. She also faces a “hopeless future” but it’s then Polar Boy’s true strength reveals itself: he decides screw giving up on their dream and if they can’t be in the legion they’ll start their own Legion. 

Though not to compete but to serve as a subtistute, in case the legion is ever incapacitated. So Night Girl gathers the other rejects the next morning. Cleverly one of them, Chlorophyll Kid was seen with Night Girl herslef at the tryouts behind Polar Boy. We soon learn about them and each of their origins: Stone Boy can turn himself into an immobile stone statue, as his world has half a year long nights and thus his people hybernate, Fire Lad who can spit hot fire literally and set anything combustable on fire and Chlorphyll Kid who can make plants grow rapidly. Each were rejected for resonable powers: Stone Boys powers too static, Fire Lad’s is too dangerous and Chorlpyl Kids toos pecific. But upon seeing all of this Polar Boy says they STILL have fantastic powers and still can help people and the legion. 

Thus the Legion of Substittue Heroes is born. And I love them as much as the originals. As a bit of a misfit myself I relate to these guys: They have strange specific powers, got rejected by the big team.. while that trope is nothing new at the time it was unique and even now it’s a nice and inspiring message. Instead of giving up they form their OWN team to do what htey can anyway. They might not be the best like the legion but they can still help and still do what’s right even if not on their scale. It’s a great concept and really makes them endearing. Again I have a thing for the underdogs but I still really like these guys. It’s why it annoys me they got kind of spat on with time: While I love Keith Giffen and Paul Levitz run on the legion, and feel it’s the best of that contnuinty it’s not without fault and the two basically spent a full issue mocking the team and split polar boy off from them before making their own subs with only ONE of the originals. It just felt.. disrspectful. And so far no continuity has used them again until the recent bendis run, which has them announced for the Future Slate special. It took BENDIS, who dosen’t get how to use the team properly and is up his own ass, to bring them back in a new continuity and I find that obnoxious. The subs are a great concept and deserve to be honored as such and as such are one of my favorite superhero teams. 

But their careers don’t start well as they doubt themslves, except for Polar Boy who boisters them along, and constnatly just end up going to missions the legion already has covered and when the legion go to fight some robot ships, they refuse the subs help.. which is fair though, as Brainy puts it they can’t risk putting untrained volunteers in harms way. Their about to just quit, in a really sad moment.. when CK, because I can’t spell cholophill and hate having to use spell check notices some odd seeds spread about.. and when he grows one a horrifying tree man shows up. They struggle with it till the setting son finishes it’s job, meaning Night Girl is at full power and whollops it and the subs spend the night destroying the seeds.  They  find out the next day the seeds came from the same planet as the robot ships, meaning the ships are a distraction for whoevers doing this and since they can’t just call earth, as the full force of the legion is needed with the robots and all it’d do is cause a panic, it’s down to them. Night Girl however is scared.. and I like that. It shows that while their regaining their confidence.. it’s sitll risky. Their a bunch of barely trained fanboys, and girl, going up against an alien invasion, with it down to them. They CAN save the world but it’s alright to be entirely terrified when your thrust into it this fast. 

They make their way to the planet, having built a ship earlier and lie low, finding out what’s going on: The plant men are fully intellegent, and grow themselves..though how they know to attack and go to the bathrom and what not out of the seed I don’t know but I assume it’s a genetic thing or they might be some form of hive mind. point is the seed plan is to grow troops all over the world via rockets for an invasion, and it’s a brilliant concept for one too. Aliens who simply GROW the troops right into battle, born with the knowledge to do so, and right where they can ambush them. It’s down to our heroes and Stone Boy, whose been the most pesemistic, valiantly dives in to provide a distraction so they can destroy the factory and the seeds. Turns out he is useful as the most the treeple have is a space lead pipe.. yes really. I love the silver age. But they’ll bring ray guns soon, so Stone BOy knows it’s a suicide mission and now our heroes have a timer. But luckily.. our heroes are stronger than they think. Night Girl punches a way in till Night passes, while Polar Boy and Flame Lad use their powers in concert to make an opneing.. but with time running out Polar Boy finishes things by having CK grow all the seeds now they have acess.. thus exploding the planets population, destroying several cities from the number of bodies, and thu discourguing the treeple from trying again. Stone boy is able to flee with the rest of our heroes and the day is saved. 

The heroes opt not to tell the public, as to take away glory for the Legion. It’s a noble gesture.. they do DESERVE credit, but they choose not to take it, preferring to let the legion get theres for stil lsaving the world from the robots. They stand firm, now confident they may someday make it to the big leagues.And it’s this that really makes me love them: Thier not the strongest or best, but they try anyway for the reasons a hero should: to help people, and not for the glory. THey remain unsung heroes and are fine with that.  Eventually the Legion WOULD find out about them, but naturally instead of being dickheads about it, fully accepted them, even offering them some contests for membership, but that’s a story for another day. THey’d remain stalwart allies and valuable backup in crisis situations for years to come until the bollocks outlined above. But they’d never leave my heart and thanks to them.. the legion never left either. 

Final Thoughts:  While I do love the story for it’s personal signifigance to me, It’s stilll a really good story for the time. A bit stilted as was the style, but still good, well paced and with an endaring cast of underdogs who prove themselves in the end. It’s something diffrent from the usual clean cut ahead in life wasps these stories usually followed at the time. While the team’s still all white and all that, their outcasts and misfits who just want to help and have trouble beliving in themselves. Their a good standard to live up to.. and a good inspiration for me and my constnatly self hating self doutbing self. And I hope you enjoyed htem too.  If you’d like to comission your own review, just dm me. It’s 5 bucks for individual issues. Later days. 

[sebseyesandbuckysthighs]

Three Soldiers and a Baby | Part Ten

summary: Three handsome bachelors find their day to day operations disrupted when an unexpected new roommate (who comes complete with a diaper and a pacifier) shows up at their doorstep. How will they deal with this new and baffling responsibility without losing their minds or killing each other in the process?

pairings: Bucky x Reader (eventual) featuring Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson

warnings: none, just make-believe goodness and cute boys with a baby

a/n: We’ve made it to part 10, hurray! Series is almost done, darlings! Just 5 more parts (including the epilogue) and we’re all done with this cute little series! Hopefully you’ve been enjoying the journey so far and are looking forward to the rest! I’ve already finished editing the remaining parts and now I’m itching to get back to more writing. What ever shall I write next????

*warning to mobile users, the “keep reading” tab may not work so apologies in advance*

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | 

| previously |

He needed to cherish every moment he had with her, so for the next half hour, Bucky spent his time walking around the apartment with his little girl in his arms. Talking to her was quickly becoming his new favorite thing to do as she seemed to cling to every word he said. Completely enraptured in the way his lips moved and the sounds she couldn’t comprehend. The times when she would smile or giggle were the best and Bucky was sure his heart stopped each time.

The next morning Steve and Sam woke up earlier than usual, practically jumping with anxiety about Bucky’s first night spent at home with the baby. Upon reaching the living room, though, they learned that all their fears had been completely unfounded. There on the large living room couch was Bucky with his hands protectively cradling Ellie, both sound asleep.

Bucky couldn’t get enough of Ellie. Every little thing she did was magical to him. He was completely enraptured by her. When she slept, he would watch her with a lovestruck gaze and keep a protective watch over her. When she was awake, he would be doting on her and caring for her every need. His favourite thing to do was making her laugh and kissing her soft skin. Despite his earlier apprehensions about being a father, Bucky seemed to be taking it all in stride and falling into the role almost seamlessly. By mid afternoon, he started going on and on about how they needed to go out to the shops and pick up more things for Ellie. He even went so far as to be upset with Steve and Sam for not already going out to buy her a crib and highchair at least.

“Buck, we can’t just go out and shop for baby stuff.” Steve tried reasoning with him as he held Ellie in his lap while Bucky fed her her afternoon meal of peas and carrots. “What if someone recognized us?”

“I don’t care,” Bucky said as he scooped up the little bit of puree that dribbled down Ellie’s lips. She kept wiggling around in Steve’s arms and humming happily like she usually did when they fed her. “You like this stuff huh, baby girl?” Bucky said as he gave her another spoonful. Proud that his little girl was such a good eater. 

Sam was standing nearby in the kitchen, preparing lunch for the three men. He was the self-proclaimed chef of the apartment and rarely allowed Steve or Bucky to even get near his stove. He had been listening to Bucky go on and on all day about Ellie and all the things he had planned for her. As much as the little squirt had grown on him, he was starting to get fed up with her annoying as hell father. “Listen, we can see that you’re getting all excited to provide for your little girl. That’s awesome, man, but we have to think about the big picture here. If the public sees one of the Avengers, let alone all three of us, shopping for baby stuff, that’s gonna be huge news. It might even attract unwanted attention to who the mystery baby is.” Sam acknowledged the realistic argument and hoped Bucky would see the reason in it. 

Only Ellie’s little baby sounds could be heard as nothing was said while Bucky quietly thought over Sam’s words. He always thought Steve was the more spontaneous one in the group, but now that he thought about it he may have been getting ahead of himself. “Yeah you’re right. Ellie’s safety is my first priority.” He finally conceded. “But guys, I don’t want her sleeping in that tiny ass basket anymore. I want...I don’t know. Dammit, I just want more for her.”

“You want to spoil your little girl, Bucky. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Steve smiled at the brunette man currently looking a little red in the cheeks as he motioned for Steve to hand over Ellie now that she was done her food. Bucky kissed her messy chubby cheeks and smiled when she gave him a cute little giggle. “We’ll just have to order everything online and have it delivered. Like everything else in this day and age.” Steve assured. 

“I’m sorry, but did he just say I’m right?” Sam cut in, holding a whisk and pointing it at Bucky. “Can I have that repeated and recorded please? I need a new text tone.”

A couple of hours and a few thousand dollars later, Bucky was finally somewhat satisfied with their haul for Ellie. Each of their credit cards were used to help the cause, but that didn’t seem to bother any of them. Well, not too much at least. There were a few comments about how expensive baby shit was, but when Bucky insisted he needed the best for his daughter, the others couldn’t come up with a convincing counter-argument to that. Not that they really wanted to. They even paid extra for same day delivery. 

It was when everything arrived later that afternoon that they realized they may have bitten off more than they could chew. The highchair, stroller, and baby jumper were all simple enough. It was the big ticket items, like the crib and changing table, that took every ounce of patience and sanity the trio had left for each other. Bucky even bought one of those video monitors so he could keep an even better eye on Ellie while she slept. As though he would ever leave her alone. 

All of her new clothes and toys were put away and the apartment was nearly done being baby proofed when they finally decided to call it a day on the baby things. Well, except Bucky of course. Sam was waiting patiently at the door for Steve to finish getting ready so they could leave together on their first night out of the house in a week. As much as he and Steve needed to get out of this apartment, and as much as they hated to admit, they were a bit apprehensive about leaving Bucky on his own for the first time with the baby. Aside from Steve being on his own for those few minutes during that first day while Sam ran out to get those supplies, there were always at least two people watching Ellie at one time. This was going to be another solo mission for Bucky and this time one could argue that the stakes were much larger.

“You sure you got this, Bucky?” Steve asked, trying to mask the hesitancy in his voice. Thankfully, Bucky was too distracted by Ellie to even notice. 

“Of course I’m sure. Nothing sounds better than spending the night in with my little girl. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?” He smothered Ellie’s face in kisses causing her to erupt into loud peals of laughter and rub her little hands all over Bucky’s beard. 

Steve smiled happily at the adorable pair. “Alright, but you’ll call us if you need anything, right? We’ll call during intermission.” He and Sam were finally going to go out and see that show with a few of the other Avengers, but they were less than excited about it this time. 

“Yeah, man. Just go. We’re going to be fine, Steve. Stop worrying so much about everything and just go out and have some fun, man.” Bucky cradled Ellie in one arm and pushed Steve toward the door with the other. With one final goodbye and another few pushes, the other two soldiers were out the door and Bucky was finally going to spend some quality time with his firstborn.

“Did you try his cell?” Sam asked, an edge seeping into his tone.

“Three times!” Steve exclaimed worriedly, gripping his phone a little too tightly that he was sure to break it. “He’s not answering.”

It was intermission at the show and as Nat, Wanda and a very human looking Vision were out at the concessions, Steve and Sam were off in an alcove trying to call home. 

“What the hell is he doing?” Sam’s irritation was starting to compete with his concern.

Steve’s face paled as his lips pulled into a tight line. “What if something happened to them?”

“What’s going on, fellas? Show’s about to start.” Natasha’s voice came from behind Sam, nearly causing him to shriek in surprise, but he thankfully kept his cool. Almost.

“Nothing!” Both men shouted in unison and completely unconvincingly, which was evident by Natasha’s raised brow.

“Uh-huh. Okay guys, spit it out. What’s been going on with you two?” She confronted them. “We haven’t heard much from either of you all this week. Then the one day you do come out, you’re both acting all sketchy and itching to get back home. And before you decide to come up with some bullshit excuse I just want to remind you of who I am.”

They told her everything. 

Steve swung the door open with such force he was surprised it didn’t come off its hinges as he entered the apartment. Not far behind him were Sam and the others, desperate to see what was going on. Just as Steve was about to yell out for Bucky, none other than the man himself waltzed into the living room and he was doing something none of them were expecting. Bucky Barnes was singing. 

“I've got sunshine on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May. Well I guess you'd say. What can make me feel this way. My girl.” He was swaying back and forth in front of the large window looking out onto the city. Ellie was wearing one of the pajama onesies they bought for her and he was in a pair of dark sweatpants and a tight tank top. The lights were set to low and there were even a few candles lit, but other than that, everything was as it was before the guys left.

“Bucky?” Steve called out, sounding a little like a frog was trapped in his throat. 

“Hm?” Bucky turned around towards the group at the door, only slightly confused. “What’s going on guys?”

“What’s going on?” Sam repeated, starting to fume. “What the hell do you mean what’s going on?! What are you doing, man? Why didn’t you answer your damn phone?!”

“Don’t yell, Sam. I’m trying to get her to sleep.” Bucky looked down to Ellie, kissing her head softly as she rested her head on his exposed chest. Neither of them seemed to sense the turmoil going on on the other side of the room as his friends stood there gawking at the scene before them. It was almost too much to process as Natasha, Wanda, and Vision looked back and forth between Bucky and the baby in his arms. They stood there seeing, just not quite believing it yet. 

“Bucky, we called you.” Steve breathed out, finally getting his heart rate to return to normal. “Why didn’t you answer?”

“Oh right, sorry about that, pal. I meant to text back, but me and Ellie were a little busy. Huh, baby girl?” He spoke down to her as they started to sway again. “We had a nice warm shower together, didn’t we? Then we played with some toys and I told her about some of the adventures I’ve had.” Bucky looked back up to the others. “Only the good ones, of course. Not the nightmares.”

No one at the door had bothered to make a move yet. Unconsciously deciding to stay rooted in place as the surrealness of the situation washed over them. Bucky started to pick up on their apprehension and instead decided to take action, addressing his curious friends. “Stop standing around like a buncha idiots and come meet my daughter, would ya?”

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[laughing-with-god]

Pandemonium XI

Words; 3.4k

“I don’t want to repeat my innocence.  I want the pleasure of losing it again.” 

The tension in the room always seemed to follow Namjoon.  

It was as if he carried the marvelous ability to take the thin air around him and bend it into a daunting aura.  The very presence of him screamed alarm to others, an alpha just begging you to fuck with him. One found it a bit of a task to just meet his eye line.  

You must admit, his little dialogue of his prediction of your ‘submissive’ side left a somewhat startled and taken aback feeling for you to process.  

Surprisingly, he did make a point of you aggressive persona being a lot to upkeep.  You weren’t sure if it was a defense mechanism or your personality, but you did feel a bit tired at times from having to keep a constant level of defiance.  Perhaps you did have a problem showing vulnerability, and that’s why you act so bold; especially in the face of men.

You found yourself in a position you rarely were ever in; flabbergasted and strangled by silence as your mind struggled to keep up with what was just said.  

Namjoon looked pleased, aristocratic features twisting up in a witty smile as if your confusion aided his pleasure.  His dimples made an appearance and you felt your own face scrunch up into a scoff. How befitting was it for such an adorable feature to be plopped beside the very same lips that uttered such taboo topics at the dinner table?

His smile sparked some annoyance within you due to it revealing the satisfaction that his plan was working.  

He wanted you to be freaking out right now.

He wanted you to feel exposed.

He wanted to plant a seed in your head.  

You wouldn’t let him.  

You leaned back in your seat and grabbed your glass to take a sip of whatever expensive wine he found necessary to splurge on.  ‘Rich people’, you thought while barely suppressing an eye roll.

“You know Mr. Kim, I think that perhaps your little male ego just needs to feel vital.  That’s why you enjoy the concept of being a girl’s ‘daddy’.”

A snark from his baritone voice.  His olive tone hand reached out to mirror your actions by grasping his own glass of wine.  “Charming analysis, really. Yet this doesn’t stem from a need to be in control and feel important.  Like I stated before nymphet, it works both ways. You’d be just as vital to me as I am to you.”

“Be that as it may, don’t you think that forcing a submissive role onto someone is just manipulative?”  You retorted.

“Not at all.  Tell me babe, exactly when did I force any type of role onto you?  In fact, I quite like you just as you are. I would be very bored if you were a utter doormat.”  

You snorted at this.  “And what exactly was that whole ted talk about your psychological analysis concerning my inner submissive side?”  

“My meer suspicions.  But let me ask you some questions.”  A pause as if to wait for your objection. You stayed quiet.  “Do you find it a negative that your partner would want to take care of your every need?”

You shook your head.

“Is it bad to depend on your partner?”

Another shake of the head.

“And will you admit that in relationships, one usually falls into a more assertive role while the other falls into a submissive role?”

A prolonged response, but you settled for a shrug.  

“And you have a softer side, it’s just hidden under a facade of aggression.”  

You placed your drink down quickly, and stuttered; “W-well, I wouldn’t say-” “No, no.  That wasn’t a question.”  His dark eyes glimmered with a knowing benevolence.  

You face warmed on its’ own accord.  

Logic was also something that was not wasted on this man by any means.  It was like you were debating against a world class lawyer. You felt small and somewhat stupid, trapped by the brilliant diction to escape those plush lips of his.  Of course, your immediate reaction was to yell and spark up another fight. He had tricked you.

Yet, you couldn’t.  You would be proving him right.

Perhaps you were too stubborn.  Maybe you were demonizing the idea of a dom/sub relationship.  As you searched your mind for one valid reason to take a strong stance against it, you couldn’t.  

“Are you two ready to order?”  This broke your trance, causing you to look up and see the anxious waiter, pen and paper in hand.  

You huffed and looked at Namjoon.  “Order for me.”

Namjoon smirked, “No allergies to speak off?”  

“Nope.”

Namjoon turned his attention to the waiter and informed him of the food that he would be expecting.  Meanwhile, you attempted to drown yourself in that alcoholic grape juice that suddenly became all too interesting.  Not noticing the very proud smirk Namjoon held.

--

“Any recent literature to capture my nymphet’s mind?”  

You shoved another fork full into your mouth, not knowing whether or not to be happy that Namjoon did indeed order something you found very delicious.  Not that you would ever tell him that, though.

“I finished Fitzgerald’s ‘This Side Of Paradise.’”  You bluntly responded.

“And your thoughts?”  Namjoon prodded.

“Amory Blaine was a player who got mad when he got played.”  

Namjoon laughed, “Really now?  I thought he was ahead of his time.  When he met a woman who was finally of his wit and standard, she rejected him because she was too clever.  Hell, Amory Blaine wouldn’t have married himself!”

“Sure, she was smart for dodging him and marrying someone rich.  Yet, he didn’t have the right to bitch about it.”

“He got his heart broken.”  Namjoon argued.

“He got his ego broken.”  You disagreed, remembering the protagonists’ self-entitled rants of despair.

“We should have our own book club.”  Namjoon suggested, seeming to enjoy the contrast of beliefs concerning classic novels.  

“No thanks, I would rip your head off if I constantly had to hear your propaganda.”  Chewing harshly on purpose, you glared straight ahead at him.

He smiled, amused by your lack of manners.  “You’re a messy eater.”

You chewed louder, mouth open to get the sound effect as well.  

“You know, you’re only proving me right by acting like a childish brat.”  He smirked before passing you over a napkin. “If it were up to me, you would have gotten something from the kid’s menu and be eating out of kiddie plates and sippy cups.”  

“I think you would find perfect companionship at a daycare if that’s what you would want to see someone eat out of.”  You swallowed loudly, taking in sick satisfaction from Namjoons’ eyebrow twitch,

“Someone needs to teach you manners.”  He stated.

“You’re right.  Maybe Mr. Kim or Yoongi would be up for the job.”  Using his brothers against him was cruel, but you couldn’t deny the opportunity to get under his skin.  

He halted his movement to slice through his steak and looked up to bore his orbs into yours, “Don’t you dare mention those buffoons when you’re with me.”  

“Why?  Does it grind your gears to know that one of your brothers could be a more capable ‘daddy’ than you?”  you couldn’t help but tease, feeling a level of power at finding a weak point at a seemingly powerful man.  

A silence passed and his head bowed to cut through his steak, more precisely and harshly than he was mincing it before.  You paused your consuming, partly startled at his sudden seriousness and lack of banter.

“Tell me something dear, were you spanked as a child?”  

You choked, “What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

He popped a dice of meat into his mouth to devour, “......because you’re about to be.”

--

Besides the obvious undertones of power-play, the dinner was perfectly adequate.  

Namjoon held qualities that you would’ve liked in a partner; intelligent, gentlemanly, well-read, respectful and clever enough to uphold a repartee with you.  He was one of the few people who you felt stimulated with by debating openly, one of the few people you respected as an equal footing with you. He challenged you. Some men you considered below you, knowing that their intentions were ill moraled and brains not nearly filled enough.  Other men you considered to be of a different world, too out of touch to ever be a match to you. Similar to how you felt when your relationship first bloomed with Jimin, a man who should’ve never collided worlds with you.

But Namjoon was someone you felt rather comfortable with.  After getting past the desperate swaying of dom/sub dynamics, you found yourself enjoying the company of the previously intimidating man.  He entertained your thoughts on culture, music and even absurd analysis on how Oscar wilde was the ‘first gay king’ as you lovingly put it.  

The meal was finished and he refused to beg for more of your time (something Jungkook or Jimin would’ve pulled.)  He paid the bill with the help of a shiny black card, laid a crisp twenty dollar bill on the table and led you out of the restaurant whilst guiding you via an arm around your waist.  

The car ride home was rather silent, the enchanting notes of Chopin played through the radio and draped an air of sophistication into the atmosphere.  Neither of you spoke, yet it was far from awkward. It was more like a mutual agreement to appreciate a stillness after such engaging conversation.

He pulled into your dorm parking lot.  Like an old fashioned bachelor, he exited his side to open the door for you and walk you to your door (or more like the dorm entrance).  

“Was I satisfactory?”  His deep voice rumbled, tone sounding more intimate as you were directly next to him...practically feeling the vibrations from his chest as he said his words.  

You two continued your walk, however you were setting the pace.  It was a slow walk, you had to admit, but you wanted to prolong the time and see how Namjoon would wrap the evening up.  So it was your little secret that you took your time with calculated strides.

“Compared to what I thought was going to happen….yeah, I’m pleased.”  

“And just what was your prediction?”  He chuckled.

“I don’t know.  Maybe you pulling a Cosby and taking me to a playroom or something.”  You laughed.

“Your humor is too satirical love, people overhearing might not get the joke.”  Namjoon pulled your form closer to him as a chilly wind passed through unexpectedly.  You breathed deep and briefly wondered if it would be weird to ask just exactly how much this fucker drops on cologne alone.  

‘He did tip a waiter like 20 dollars though….maybe I don’t wanna know.’

Sadly, you had approached the door and were forced to face him with goodbyes.  

“Well...I’m glad you got to spend a night with a man instead of wasting it on a little boy.”  

You rolled your eyes, and debated with whether or not you should say what has been bothering you on the drive over.

“A-are you going to teach me how a man kisses?”  This indeed was the reason you had agreed to the date in the first place; Namjoon claiming to blow Jungkook’s boyish technique out of the water with a much more experienced mouth.  It was something that was bubbling under the surface for you, making you prone to bursting if it wasn’t addressed.

Namjoon quirked his brow and rubbed the back of his neck, “I suppose, if that’s what the lady wants.”  

You waited, holding your breath subconsciously.  

He smirked and stepped closer to you, invading any realm of personal space.  God, he was tall. You felt vulnerable but surprisingly….you didn’t feel any disgust towards this new feeling.  It felt almost intimate to be so close to such a bigger frame than yours...

“Close your eyes.”  He purred. You obeyed, you didn’t know why you did it without question...but you obeyed.  

You waited for the feeling of his lips to touch yours.  

Would his kisses be rough and alpha-like, like the domineering persona seen before?

Or would it be careful and elaborate, similar to his manners and mindset?

You felt his hand take yours.  

You pursed your lips, not wanting to waste any time and cover the distance quickly.

You felt something warm and soft pucker against the back of your hand.

What?

You opened your eyes to witness something you weren’t expecting; Namjoon’s broad and receding back as he retreated towards the parking lot.  

Rage spurred within you.  

The fucker really just kissed your hand before trying to leave while you had your eyes closed and lips out like a fucking idiot?!  

“What the fuck Namjoon?!”  You called out, not caring how shrill and insane your own voice sounded as it echoed through the parking lot.  

He raised one long arm to wave back, still not turning around to face you.  “A real gentleman doesn’t kiss on the first date babygirl.”

You breathed in.

Your breathed out.  

“YOU MANIAC!  YOU CAN TALK ABOUT BDSM OVER DINNER BUT CAN’T EVEN PECK ME?!  ‘DADDY’ MY ASS! YOUR BROTHERS WOULDN’T TREAT ME LIKE THIS!” You hollered as Namjoon got into his car, not once acknowledging your temper tantrum and starting up the vehicle to drive away.

You heard a window open as a college student poked their head out to see what was going on.  “What the fuck are you yelling for? People are trying to sleep!”

You looked up and flipped the anonymous peer off while taking out your keys to enter the dorm.  

The Kim brothers were an interesting breed, you decided.

--

You laid in bed, scrolling through your phone as you awaited sleep to come.  

When you had got home, Kat was nowhere to be seen and you were left with the dorm to yourself.  She did mention a study dat before so you weren’t too concerned.

You decided to wash up and turn in, knowing how early your first class was tomorrow.  

A notification popped up on the top of your screen, halting your browsing.

It was a text from Namjoon.  

‘I fell in love with her courage,

Her sincerity and her flaming self respect.  

And it’s these things I’d believe in,

Even if the world indulged in wild suspicions

That she wasn’t all that she should be.

I love her and that is the beginning of everything.’ ~F. Scott Fitzgerald’  

Did he really sent you a poem?  

You spent about ten minutes reading the words over and over again, letting it warm your heart as you pictured Namjoon’s long fingers typing it down and thinking of you.  It was easy for you to connect the dots given one of the his favorite topics was your submission to him. However, this poem hinted that he was not at all turned off by your aggression and bratiness. Even if the world didn’t think think you were proper, your flaming self respect earned Namjoon’s fondness of you.  And like the last line said….

This was only the beginning.

You fell asleep with a smile upon your face.

--

Perhaps if you had looked up the horoscope for your astrological sign, it would’ve warned you of just exactly how cursed this day was about to be.  Maybe even told you to stay your ass home.

Sadly, you had to discover this bad fortune the hard way by treading out into the very world itself.  

First, you woke up late and thus had very little time to get pretty.  Not only did you burst into your first class about 15 minutes late, but you also looked like a hot mess.  

Then, you realized that you forgot to charge your laptop last night.  Meaning, all notes were now going to have to painstakingly be taken by hand.  This would have been longer and more carpal-tunnel themed but god decided to strike upon you even harder by making that pen explode on you, ink now staining your shirt.  

And the final nail in the coffin was in your early afternoon class.  Your professor was handing back grades on the most recent paper to be turned in, one that you have worked very hard on and missed sleep over.  

And what did you get?

A big, bright, red ‘F’.

Red was a hideous color, you concluded.  Maybe that’s why teachers used it? To make the letter grade look angry and disappointed.  It worked like a charm given the more you stared at it, the more heavy the guilt and inner-turmoil felt on your chest.  

You had enough of this day.  

You looked like shit.

Felt like shit.

And apparently your quality as a student was utter shit.

There was a silver lining, and in a facade optimism you tried to focus on it and nothing else.  

You only had one more class to suffer through today, after that you were perfectly free to wallow the rest of the 24 hours in bed with whatever items to satisfy a pity party.  

But while walking on campus to your next class, you had caught sight of something.  

A group of guys were lurking by the entrance to your next class.  

The closer you approached, the more clearer their faces became.  

It was a fuck boy pack, about five in total.  They were excitedly talking with one another, some even rough housing with those enlarged limbs of theirs.  You rolled your eyes and continued your stride, not wanting to pause and give them any more inspection. All you had to do was pass them and get into the classroom.  

A boisterous roar that made you jump, the sound coming from the group itself (which now appeared to be like a group of wild hyenas).  

You turned to see what the fuck can be such cause for such foolish hollering.

Only to see one of the guys pointing right at you while the others turned to face the direction.  

And what face was among them?

Jungkook.

--

The scene was reminiscent of ‘Mean Girls’.  

When Lindsey Lohan ate her lunch in the bathroom because she had no one to sit with.  

You were just like her.

Instead, you weren’t eating lunch so much as you were bawling your eyes out.

A girl could only take so much, you know?

After you saw Jungkook among them, you snapped right back around to head to a bathroom.  Not wanting him to bear witness to your now red face and watery eyes.

You promised yourself that you were just heading to the restroom for a second to process what just happened.  Not to mention you also wanted to avoid them. However the more you tried to process it from within the claustrophobic stall of yours, the more unbearable the situation became.  

Paranoia clawed at you and it quickly became apparent that either way, it wasn’t looking good for you.

What the fuck did Jungkook tell them about you?

Did he also tell them about your night together?  

Did he tell them that you were a poor commoner willing to set aside self-respect for the wealth of sugar daddies?

Just how much did he expose of your intimate side to his bros for the sake of a laugh?

Although Jungkook was the proud owner of doe eyes, iron man socks and IU posters….he still hung out with jocks and wore too much axe spray to be allowed.  Foolish it was to place any trust on a man like that. If he wanted to let the whole school know of your dirty little secret, he would have all the proof and popularity on his side.  

You sniffled.

You knew that today in general just wasn’t a good day for you.  Over-sensitivity was a given. But did being aware of your wounded heart make the pain go away any less?  No. Of course not.

You just felt so...small.  Hopeless. Meek. Like prey to anyone and anything that wanted to hurt you today.  

And you craved protection of any sort.  

Your eyes released more tears and another sob broke through your seemingly paper-thin chest.  Just when exactly did you work yourself into a incomprehensive hysteria? You didn’t know.

Working on auto-pilot, you felt your own hand reach for your phone and swiftly click a contact name, tears dropping onto the screen before you put it to your ear.  

A ring as you called the person.  

He picked up on the second one.

“Hello?”  his deep voice greeted.  

“Daddy!   Please get me….I-I’m  scared.” you pleaded, not understanding the words that left your mouth until it was much too late.

Namjoon was taken aback on the other line.

Maybe the submissive side wasn’t so hidden afterall.

(Sorry I haven’t touched this fic in a long time....Im trash.  tbh I hit a writers block and found nam kinda intimidating to write for. Is it obvious I haven’t written this story in a long time lmao? I have an outline though for the next few chapters so we should get back on track.  Im very proud of the other stories I put out tho so if you haven’t yet, please check those out.  Ask my character is available, tell me your thoughts on this chapter and I’ll catch you guys on the flippity flop.)

[asrasotherbottom]

Lucio x GN!MC

I don’t have a good title my google doc is named “Nasty Little Man Time”  @bazzpop @malakdevorak Summary: Demanding Feedee Lucio gets whatever he wants ;) 

Content warnings: ~LEMON~,  D/s dynamics, Feedism, messy eating, oral, thigh riding, dirty talk, alcohol

thanks @apprenticeofcups for your lucio eating post because i am...weak. 

Word Count: 2066 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lucio had been whining all day about how hungry he was; it didn’t matter that he had eaten thrice already today. You knew what he meant by the glimmer in his eyes every time he dramatically announced that he was practically wasting away. Your eyes slid down his body as you thought to yourself that it was very apparent he was not. 

You quietly had whispered to the chefs what sort of spread you wanted them to prepare for that evening. They had long since stopped asking questions about your requests, no longer under the assumption that it might be for a celebration or for guests. Lucio’s steadily expanding waistline gave them all the answers they could need. 

It had started so softly, so gently. For Lucio, food was comfort and security. It was something that for so long was hard to come by in his youth, hard won through pain and sweat. For three years he was starving as a ghost, no amount of pain or effort or longing could sate his hunger. Being corporeal again only made his hunger stronger. He was protective of his food, afraid that any bite could be his last or that he would be thrown into hunger once more. He ate voraciously and with passion, oblivious to your lustful eyes watching. 

He caught on eventually, that your wandering hands were more than innocent touches. He noticed the way you would whisper to the chefs and more food would be brought out, just for him. It became a show in his eyes, to have you watch. As time went by he was less worried that any meal could be his last, less insecure about his food, but he was no less voracious and no less hungry. It made you happy, watching him eat, knowing how good being full made him feel (never mind how him being full made you feel). He liked the attention and he liked the food and he liked you, so your arrangement progressed. Now he was demanding food and eating just as voraciously has he had before, less out of insecurity, more out of pleasure. He was safe, he was loved, and he was always hungry for more. 

A spread fit for a Count awaited him in his room. There were trays piled high with meats and cheeses and fruits, and even a tray filled his favorite rare bloody steaks. Not to mention, of course, the trays of sweets, pastries, and puddings that surrounded his plush red bed. Lucio pulled you into the room, letting you fall against his exposed chest. You kissed him deeply as your hands wandered to his waist. 

“Aren’t you eager? Well so am I.” With a smirk, Lucio threw his cape over a chair and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t really need all of this...restrictive clothing on, wouldn’t you agree?” You nodded, biting your lip and hurrying over to his side. You knelt down, sliding off each one of his boots and placing them neatly next to the bed. Carefully, you undid the strained button on his coat, followed by the even more tense button on his pants. His small, but notable, gut seemed to nearly burst out when the pressures of his clothes were taken away. You shifted slightly, noticing the pressure between your own legs. 

Making quick work of the rest of his disrobing, you neatly piled his clothes on the chair behind you. Lucio was laying naked on the bed, reclined back with one arm behind his head and one gently rubbing his chest. You eagerly grabbed a bunch of grapes and sat on the bed next to him. Lucio sat up and ran his hand through your hair as he kissed you, softly at first, but each kiss was deeper and more passionate than the last. He gave you a soft smile, and a wink, before his demeanor changed. 

“Well? Aren’t you going to feed me?” Lucio’s nose wrinkled as he reclined once more, mouth open expectantly. 

“Yes! Of course, here.” You slid a grape into his mouth, then another, then another. He ate quickly, and you were barely able to keep up. He let out deep moans of pleasure as he ate. When the bunch of grapes was finished, he leaned on his elbow and pointed to some cheese and crackers. 

You kept feeding him with your eyes looking at him nearly as hungrily as he was looking at the food around you. WIth no regard for cleaning himself up, he let crumbs fall over his chest and bed while he chewed. By the time he had cleared the plate your eyes were fixated on his stomach, amazed that he was still eating. The heat between your legs was only amplified at seeing how hard he was getting himself. You were snapped out of your thoughts by the sound of his voice. 

“This is taking too long. Give me that steak, now! If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” You reached over and handed him the plate, and he grabbed a piece of meat with both his hands, ripping off a piece with his teeth. He let the juices flow down his chest and onto his stomach. With each bite he let out what could only be described as an angry snarl. Lucio was a noisy eater, grunting and gasping and growling as he ripped off pieces of meat. He snapped his fingers at you. 

“Are you going to just sit there or are you going to make yourself useful?” 

“ What can I do for you? Please, anything.” Lucio grinned and pointed to another tray of food behind you. 

“Put that a little closer. And when you’ve done that, well, I shouldn’t be having all the fun here, should I?” He let out a bark of laughter and gestured to his fully hard cock. “Enjoy your meal,” he said with a sneer before sinking his teeth back into his bloody steak. Nodding your head you knelt between his thighs and pressed your lips to the tip of his cock. You took his head into your mouth, pressing your tongue against it firmly. Lucio looked down at you with a smirk before throwing back a glass of wine, letting it run out of the corners of his mouth and down his chin. 

You focused your attention on moving your mouth artfully along his shaft, swirling your tongue and cupping his balls in your hand while you worked. When you looked up at Lucio, you could barely see his face past his heavy, full stomach. With renewed intensity you continued to pleasure him with your mouth. Before long you could hardly tell if his gasps and moans were from the plate of sweets or from your tongue. For a brief moment you slid your mouth off of him, and sat up on your knees. He had stopped eating for a moment and was surrounded by empty plates.

“My meal isn’t done until yours is, don’t forget.” His voice was sharp but came out as more of a moan than anything else. With a smile, you leaned back down, slipping him into your mouth. Lucio was practically screaming your name with the pleasure of your tongue and the delicious pain of his fullness. He didn’t last long after that, arching his back and grabbing at the sheets in desperation as he came into your mouth. 

Lucio was breathing heavy, his stomach rising and falling in a way that was mesmerizing to you. You wiped your mouth on the back of your hand and climbed up next to him. His expression softened for a moment, before he wrinkled his nose again. 

“Are you going to just let me sit here covered in crumbs and food like this?” You shook your head, nearly springing out of bed to fetch the pan of water and wet cloth by the dresser. You bit your lip as you ran the wet cloth over his body. You wiped up his stomach and his sides first, before moving on to his chest. With the most delicacy you could, you wiped the wine stains from his chin and the corners of his mouth, leaning in for a kiss when you were done. You looked him in the eyes eagerly for a moment, when he suddenly put his arm around you, pulling you towards him so you were straddling his thigh. 

You pressed one hand against his stomach and he let out a sharp groan. Watching as your hands sunk slightly into his flesh, you let your hips twitch forward for a moment. 

“Oh do you like that?” You bit your lip and nodded, letting yourself rock your hips on his thigh again. “You’ve done this to me you know.” He prodded his gut, letting it jiggle slightly. Your hips steadily rocked against him, which contributed to that. You pressed your hands into his side, steadying yourself, but Lucio let out a low growl that was a mix of pain and pleasure. 

“I was never like this before, but you kept bringing me all this food. What did you think was going to happen?” His face twisted into a sneer as he saw you panting and riding his thigh. You knew how much he demanded but you knew how much you encouraged him. You closed your eyes and focused on the feeling of his soft thigh under you, rubbing against you as you moved yourself against him. The thought of the way he was comfortable eating for you and the security he felt to let his body change to indulge in these moments that you two shared, the feeling of his body underneath you and the thought of his growls as he ripped into food were all swirling in your head. 

“Fuck!” You cried out as you came, hard, shuddering against him. You collapsed by his side, panting. 

The dark demanding demeanor was gone, and Lucio was smiling down at you in earnest. You looked up at him and gave him a gentle kiss while he tucked you under his arm. You put your head on his chest and gently rubbed his full belly. 

“You did good, as usual. Did you enjoy yourself? Everything...okay?” His words were a smooth caress that washed over you as you tried to catch your breath. 

You grinned softly, still exhausted. “Mhmmmm. You did really great too.” You gave his stomach a playful pat before going back to tenderly rubbing it. Lucio practically purred at your touch; he was very sore, but very content. 

“You already knew I was going to give a good show.” Involuntarily, you let out a snort. He was right, though. You leaned over, kissing his cheek gently and then kissing his small double chin, letting your lips sink into it a little. Lucio craned his head back, giving you better access to keep trailing kisses down his neck.

Moving down his chest, you focused your attention more on his stomach, planting gentle kisses along it and giving it a gentle squeeze. Lucio’s eyes fluttered shut and he exhaled through his nose. 

“How do you feel about this?” Lucio’s eyes opened again at your words. 

“It’s good. Your hands always seem to know what I need.”

“I mean, all of this,” you gestured to the empty trays and gave his soft thigh a squeeze. Lucio closed his eyes again, laying back with his arm behind his head. His nose and brow were both scrunched, as he thought. Still slightly uncomfortable with the concept of revealing his emotions, his gaze fell on the wall above your shoulder as he spoke. 

“It feels,” he paused, his expression softening,”soft, hm, safe. I’m not used to any of this but...its good.” He turned over on his side with a groan. That was all you were going to get from him. You laid your head beside his, gently stroking his hair as he buried his face in your chest with an arm around your waist. 

“You are safe, and you are loved.” He let out a deep breath and pulled you in close to him, so that your bodies were flush up against one another. 

 You laid there in bed for a long while in comfortable silence with him,  both thinking about how lucky you were to have each other.

[maythewidowtakeusall]

Partners in Crime (Natasha Romanoff x f!Reader)

Wordcount: 1524

Warnings: death, funeral

Summary: A boring night of mission report writing with your girlfriend Natasha and your friend Clint takes an unexpected turn.

A/N: Inspired by Max Richter’s On The Nature of Daylight, my weird mood after watching the Arrival and my constant insatiable hunger for angst. To amp up the hurt, I highly recommend listening to the song while reading.

"This job will be the death of me one day."

Natasha hums and holds up a finger, chewing on the end of her pen. Clint just grunts, not even bothering to answer you as he stuffs another slice of pizza in his mouth. You crinkle your nose - you're a messy eater, but that boy can be downright nasty. Laying your head on your forearms and resting your eyes for a moment, you sigh. Being a SHIELD agent is all fun and games for an adrenaline junkie like you and your esteemed colleagues, but eventually, when the fieldwork runs out and the paperwork catches up with you (along with threatening messages from Director Fury to deliver your reports on time), you don't feel like it's all that amusing anymore. Being stuck at HQ on a Saturday night at 11 pm isn't your idea of fun. You ignore your badly typed up report in front of you as you gaze at your girlfriend expectantly, mouthing "entertain me" when she finally looks up. She rolls her eyes but smiles, her computer screen lighting up her face, lending her an almost ethereal glow. Natasha has always been an otherworldly phenomenon for you and probably always will be.

"Dying is pretty much part of the equation here," Natasha finally acknowledges you, leaning back in her chair. "Hate to break it to you, but we're constantly assigned the most dangerous missions."

"I meant the paperwork, not the missions," you grin, your face and hair a tired mess that is still the most beautiful thing in the world for Nat. She masks her admiration pretty well though, just so you don't know the true magnitude of your effect on her. She's not sure you're ready for that. Hell, she's not even sure she herself is.

"Well, look at you being all optimistic," Clint speaks up sarcastically with a mouthful of food. "Thinking you'd die of typing up a report instead of participating in a death-defying mission."

"I'm not!" you laugh. "Really, it's not like I am already planning my retirement or something."

"Yeah? 'Cause I am," Barton smiles, his eyes looking but not really seeing. He's seeing Laura and the kids and the house, and he sees himself teaching his children how to shoot straight with a bow and arrow and how to start a fire from scratch, and he's already saving up for their college tuitions. You look at Natasha, who just shrugs with a smile. "Never really had the chance to think about living to a ripe old age before, but better late than never."

"Wait, hold on - are you guys serious? You're really thinking about the future so... positively?"

"It's called hope, baby," Natasha teases you. You click your tongue in mild frustration. You won't be lectured about hope for the future by these two dramatic morons who would sacrifice their lives at a moment's notice if they thought that was the best course of action.

"Well, since you're both so awfully sure about surviving, I guess we need to talk about my funeral," you end up laughing, sleep deprivation soaking into your slurred words. Clint snorts. Nat furrows her brows in confusion. "No dress code. Have a good time. And yes, by that I mean throw a huge party in a fancy club. Oh, and blast Highway to Hell on maximum volume during the ceremony."

Facing your own mortality almost every day is a burden that cannot be carried without the soothing touch of dark humor to ease the constantly impending doom looming above your head. Clint is often game in jokes and ideas such as this, but it comes as a surprise when Natasha breaks into a tired grin too. "I'll start taking notes. Anything else you want? From us, maybe? Since we'll obviously outlive you by far."

"Wait, I have an idea!" Clint straightens his back, revitalized by this quality distraction from his half-assed mission report. "I'll come in full gear, arrows and bow and all, okay? So it's raining, right? Hair all soaked, I have this doom and gloom expression plastered on my face, and I just go up to your coffin, lay a hand on it and whisper some shit like, 'I'm too late... I was supposed to be the one to take you out.'"

"You gotta do your raspy, deep voice though," Nat laughs.

"Wait, are you saying my voice isn't deep and manly enough for you?"

"I'm sold," you say, electing to ignore Clint's last remark of faux outrage. "That leaves you, baby. I want you to wear something insanely foxy and elegant."

"And a pair of sunglasses, even if it's not even sunny!" Barton adds enthusiastically.

"Hey, I thought there was no dress code!" Natasha shakes her head, red curls bouncing around her face in protest.

"My funeral, my rules. Besides, you'll be playing the mourning trophy wife who's recently been widowed and has inherited a fortune. You have to look good."

"You have to marry me first to make me a widow." Her smile is seductive and loving and challenging. Your stomach flips from your sudden surge of anxiety and enthusiasm. Hopefully, someday, you want to say, but you glance at Clint and don't say anything. You're tired of him calling you cheesy and mushy all the time.

"And (Y/n) has a lot of paperwork to do yet to earn that fortune she keeps talking about!"

"You know what, Barton? Fuck you."

You haven't laughed this much in a long time. You look around the room with a wide smile on your face, trying to memorize these cherished little details that make the whole world bearable for you: the green flash of Natasha's cat eyes, the crinkle in the corners of Clint's eyes when he laughs, their playful banters, how Nat swats Clint's arm playfully when he says something stupid, flashing her pearly whites in an open-mouthed laugh. You're so overwhelmed with love for Natasha, the Bonnie to your Clyde, the Thelma to your Louise. You don't know if you could ever thank Clint for having your back no matter what. You want this moment to last forever, and in a way, it does. You've burnt it into your memory, imprinted into your heart even; so much in fact that when you took your last breath, you were looking at a terrified Steve Rogers trying to stop your burgundy blood from spilling out, but that wasn't what you were seeing. You saw your partners in crime, laughing over open pizza boxes and half-written mission reports on a cold December night at the SHIELD headquarters two years ago. You saw Natasha, her reflection dancing on the huge window behind her, as the lights of New York and the star-studded sky crowned her crimson hair. Even then, her eyes were the brightest things you'd ever seen. They will always be the brightest for you. She will always be.

Life goes on without you, even though they don't want it to. They have a promise to keep though, and they adhere to it, down to the last detail, because when they do, they feel like you're still alive. Fury is wearing a knitted sweater the color of orange. "For hope," he says, tugging on his sleeves nervously. Laura is there too, along with all those you had loved and who loved you. Clint wears his full gear, just like he said he would, and he does go up to your coffin, placing a hand over the smooth but cold wood. It's raining, and he's not sure whether the water drops on the polished oak are raindrops or his own tears.

"I'm too late... I'm too late..." he whispers, voice barely audible from the panic of your death dawning on him. "I was supposed to be the one to... I was supposed to be the one to save you."

Natasha never thought she'd ever cry over an ACDC song, especially not Highway to Hell, but today is a first for her from many perspectives. Her mascara is running down her cheeks in thick black lines, but she keeps herself steady because she made a promise to you, and so she obediently keeps pushing her big black sunglasses up that stubbornly slide down her nose every now and then. She is divine, even though she was thoroughly soaked before Steve came to stand with her, sharing his umbrella with her. Your favorite black dress of hers, paired with a black fur coat, delicate black gloves and a pair of high heels. Natasha knows that if this doesn't wake you up, then nothing will.

She is a widow now, truly. Her codename meant little to her before, but now she is merging with it fully. And the fortune you left her? Well, it may not be tangible, like money, or the little shared apartment of yours, or the wedding band the mortician slid off your finger and gave to Natasha - no, it's the memories. It's the nights spent together, the secrets whispered in the dark, the sunsets watched together, the dinners cooked in silent harmony, the love that was made in the symphony of your bodies.

Natasha doesn't know why, but she thinks back to that cold, cold Saturday night from two years ago. And she smiles through her tears.

[nordic-breeze]

Arthur Morgan x Female Reader: An Unexpected Offer

A mundane trip to Rhodes for the weekly grocery shopping has an unexpected twist in store for Arthur and the reader. AO3.

Words: 3704

A/N: my first RDR2 fic and my very first attemt at writing smut. An idea I got from one of Arthur’s ‘insults’. Written in first person as I can’t write in second person/you-form for the life of me. Explicit sexual content, 18 pluss, foul language. I suck at titles.

An Unexpected Offer

“There! That should be it.”

Arthur Morgan huffed with a slight strain in his voice as he tossed the last sack onto the buckboard. I helped him hook up the wooden barrier. I still couldn’t believe I was really here, in Rhodes, doing the weekly grocery shopping with Mr. Morgan. It had been his turn this time and I’d somehow managed to talk him into taking me with him.

Listen, missy. Out there be bounty hunters, lawmen, Lemoyne Raiders and other outlaws…

But you took Sadie with you last time.

Mhpf.

He’d eventually agreed, albeit reluctantly. As much as I loved spending time with Tilly, Mary-Beth, Karen, Lenny and Jack, I’d been stuck at Clemens Point for weeks and I was in serious need of a change of scenery and a much-needed break from Miss Grimshaw’s incessant commands. Don’t get me wrong, she’s not a bad person and by all means, keeping the camp tidy and clean indisputably requires determination and dedication, but her demeanor could be a bit too much at times.

“Hey, what do you say we get something to eat over at the Parlour?” I suggested, not quite ready to return to the camp just yet. Besides, despite his short temper and coarse persona, I enjoyed Mr. Morgan’s company – and quite a bit too, if I were to be honest.

I guess he did not share my sentiment. My companion glared at me under his hallmark black leather hat. He didn’t say anything. His eyes did all the talking. Did you forget everything I said earlier?

I wasn’t about to give up that easily. “I don’t know about you, but I am in serious need for something that’s not one of Pearson’s stews – not that it’s anything wrong with Mr. Pearson’s cooking,” I raised my arms defensively, “but his stews all pretty much taste the same and since we’re already here…”

I gestured towards the Parlour House across the street and to the right. Mr. Morgan half-turned his head in the same direction. A slight pull at the corner of his mouth denoted he was considering my proposal. I knew he appreciated Pearson’s effort to feed us as much as any of the veteran van der Linde’s, but the twinkle in his eyes when I’d mentioned the stews told me he didn’t exactly disagree. Not that it mattered much. He wasn’t exactly a picky eater. I reached into my hand-made satchel and pulled out a couple of dollars. Thanks to finding a washed-up chest on the beach near camp during a morning walk with Tilly last week, likely from that boat that had capsized a couple of days earlier, money was, for the moment, not an issue. An unfamiliar, but welcoming change. Even after donating our share to the box outside Dutch’s tent, there was still a handsome amount for the both of us. And now, I was about to put it to good use.

“My treat. Whaddaya say?”

Mr. Morgan let out a chortle and adjusted the brim of his hat. He was not the one to turn down a free meal. “Okay, Miss,” he agreed, pulling at the tarpaulin to cover our newly bought provisions. “But you’re buying me beer too.”

“Deal.”

I smacked my palm with the dollar bills and steered us towards the Parlour, hiding my smirk behind tresses drooping from my messy bun. From the corner of my eye, I noticed my travelling partner cooking an overbearing, but amused smile.

“You’re in an awful good mood today,” he commented.

“Oh, being in a good mood is awful, eh?” I teased. Mr. Morgan let out a sound that was a strange combination of amusement and annoyance.

“I guess finding a pile of money just lying there waiting to be found does that to ya.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t talk about that too loud.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I admitted. Truth be told, I wasn’t much of an outlaw. A dire situation and lack of alternatives had me join the van der Linde gang a few months ago. I helped out in the camp, and scrounged shacks and abandoned buildings for supplies whenever I could. I knew how to handle a gun and, thanks to Charles, the bow as well but I couldn’t bring myself to rob or steal. I’d never give any of the van der Linde’s up to the law, - except for maybe Micah. They’d saved my life after all, but I also knew I could never live like this. Not in the long run. I’d sworn I’d leave someday. Yet, now that I finally had more than enough money to start anew somewhere else, I couldn’t even think about leaving Tilly, Mary-Beth, Abigail and Jack, Sadie, Sean, Karen, Dutch, Kieran, Charles, Lenny, Hosea, the man walking next to me, - my heart started hammering really hard against my ribs. They weren’t perfect, true, but there was no denying I’d gotten fond of them.

“There be Lemoyne Raiders around and Dutch has asked us to keep a low profile so don’t draw attention, okay?”

Mr. Morgan’s gruff voice startled me and ripped me out of my train of thoughts as we approached the saloon entrance.

“Right on Sir,” I affirmed.

I had expected to eat in silence but to my surprise, my companion talked enough to keep a casual conversation somewhat going, asking me about my past life which led to me talking about my passion for books. After our meal, I made my way to the counter to help myself to a fistful of nuts as Mr. Morgan made his way to the door. A working girl entered as he was about to leave, and wasted no time asking if he was in want of a friendly smile for the night. Was it that late already? I guess we’d been sitting for longer than I’d thought. I was a few steps away but close enough to eavesdrop on the conversation. To my relief, Mr. Morgan politely declined. Why did I feel relieved? What did I care if Arthur Morgan was to buy himself company for the night? It surely wasn’t any of my business. The lady did not seem to take no for an answer and my fellow van der Linde declined a second time. I slowly made my way towards the door, unsure whether to infer or not. It may not be any of my business, but we had arrived together and if he suddenly decided to stay behind…

“You know what, you should be paying me!” he retorted in a tone filled with mockery.

“Oh you…!”

“Eh, honey. I think it’s time we go,” I inferred, just barely saving Mr. Morgan from a slap in the face.

“Oh, I didn’t know… why didn’t you tell me you was married?”

“I…”

“Let’s go, sweetheart.” I locked eyes with my fake husband and steered him towards the door. Don’t draw attention, remember.

“Um, thanks,” a visibly aggravated Mr. Morgan grunted once we were out on the street. The sun was still up, but it was getting chilly.

“You should be paying me? Really?” I mock-confronted as I shared my handful of nuts.

Morgan shrugged. “Lady wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he mumbled between chews.

I chuckled. “So, would you have?”

“Would I have what?”

“If a woman was willing to pay you for, you know, would you?”

I had no idea why I’d asked such a delicate question so bluntly. I had the habit of talking before thinking when excited, aggravated or agitated. Not my most charming side, I had to admit.

Mr. Morgan let out a dry laugh. “You really think anyone would be willing to pay for me?!”

“Okay but hypothetically, if someone was, would you?”

The man sauntering next to me lowered his head, the ever-present, wide-brim hat covering most of his face. We reached our carriage and he went to get the bridles.

“Hop on, we should get back while sun’s still up.”

I don’t know why. But I decided to make it my mission to find out just how eager Mr. Morgan was to make money. I retrieved a few dollar bills from my saddle. How does that song go again, a dollar each and three for two… Heart thumping, I poked his arm and waited till I had his absolute attention. Then I held up the bills in front of a befuddled Mr. Morgan.

“Five.”

“Excuse me, what?!”

A quick glance around to make sure no one was in hearing-range, I locked my <y/eye color> eyes with his frowning green, making sure he took note of the money in my hand.

“Five dollars for your, eh, companionship. Services. Or, whatever. What do you say?”

A flare of self-conscious, what-the-hell-are-you-doing? dread had me almost joking it away before I made an absolute fool out of myself. The pounding in my chest intensified and I could feel my cheeks tingle. I was undoubtedly visibly blushing. From embarrassment? Anticipation?

For half a second, his face displayed disbelief, then it shifted to mild annoyance.

“You gotta be joking.”

“I’m dead serious.”

The staring contest ensued. “Why?” he challenged.

“Because I dare you.”

Not really an answer, I know. But truth be told, I didn’t really have one either.

“I double dare you,” I challenged back, closing in the distance between us. “Ten dollars.”

“Lady, you’ve lost your damn mind.”

“Fifteen. And my name is <y/n>, not lady.”

This was absolute insanity but for once in my life I could use this kind of money without thinking. And as much as I was indeed embarrassing myself, I also found the whole situation, in all its absurdity, very amusing. It would make for one hell of a story to tell. Someday.

“Twenty dollars! And I’ll pay for the room.”

Okay what the hell, <y/n>?

“Get on,” he growled in that infamous I’m-not-in-the-mood tone of his that could make even the biggest fellar in town tremble. I trembled too but for what reason I wasn’t entirely sure. I decided however, enough was enough, stuffed the money back in my satchel and rounded the carriage to ascend on the other side, mentally preparing for an awkward ride back home.

“Wait.”

I spun around, a little too fast to be as nonchalant as I wanted to appear.

“You’d really pay twenty dollars? For me? Twenty dollars. Me?”

“Yes,” I responded innocently, straining to keep my expression neutral.

I could hear blood rushing in my ears and my knees were about to give in. My cheeks were burning and I struggled to breathe like a normal person. I was determined to not let it show. Too much.

“Why?” He was still radiating bewilderment and disbelief. “To prove some damn point?”

I shrugged. My intentions were not relevant. I crossed my arms, straightened my back, cooked a half-grin and arched a brow. In all my years, I had never felt such a rush of pure, delightful exhilaration.

“You know I’m good for it. Yes or no, Mr. Morgan?”

I could practically hear the gears in his head turning. What he was thinking, I had no idea. Was he really considering it? Would I go through with it? Surely, I couldn’t…?

The throbbing in my chest spread lower, to my abdomen and gradually moving south as heat was building up at my core. The mere sensation made my cheeks go warm - again. Stop it!

“Okay,” he agreed, hitching the horses. “Not gonna pass on easy twenty dollars or I’d be a damn fool.”

“It sure is easy money,” I chirped in a tone slightly too high. That seemed to amuse him.

“Sure is.”

A mischievous twinkle in his eyes meant he didn’t really think I’d go through with it. He’d agreed merely to see how far I’d go before inevitably backing out. Fine. I can play that game too.

“Okay then,” I affirmed, gesturing to the Parlour we’d recently exited, closing the deal.

“Oookay,” He leisurely echoed. Neither of us made any attempt to move. My companion mimicked my gesture. “After you.”

“One more thing…”

I narrowed the distance between us again, my face a mere inch from his. My eyes tracing his features, as if seeing him for the first time. Striking bluish-green eyes, all too often hidden under a broad-rim hat to conceal their sadness when he let go of his tough-guy act. A nose that looked like it had been broken at least twice. A pronounced jawline that despite being covered in a three-day stubble did little to hide the scars on his chin. Not that it did anything to make him any less attractive, quite the contrary. His mouth, full lips, now all of a sudden so very kissable.

“Um, I apologize for being so direct, but-”

He let out a dry, humorless laugh. As soon as the words had left my mouth, I realized the irony in my statement.

“Um, it’s just that…” I continued, refusing to falter. “Twenty dollars’ a lot of money and I just want to make sure that, eh,” twiddling my fingers, my mind scrambled for a suitable euphemism. Arthur’s stare made my cheeks feel like they were on fire. I was grateful dusk was settling in.

“Um, are you sure that you can- will be able to, you know… perform?”

He knew exactly what I meant to ask even before uttering the last word. He hesitated for a second, deciding whether to keep up the act or drop his game-face.

“That won’t be a problem,” he affirmed, cooking a smile, as if to teach me a lesson. Don’t you dare mess with Arthur Morgan.

“Great,” I chirped. “Let’s go then.”

My steps as fast as my heartbeat, I made my way the short distance back to the Parlour in record time. I expected Arthur to shout at me to stop this charade but he followed about one step behind, occasionally shaking his head as I entered the establishment, rented a room for the hour and made my way around the corner and opened the door to my newly booked accommodation, eye-stalked by the bartender and a couple of guests that had overheard our conversation.

I looked around the room to the sound of Arthur’s steps behind me. He came to a halt just inside the entrance. The lodging was plain and comfortable. Not super private but it would do just fine. I closed the curtains before turning to my companion. His jaw was tense and even with his hat obscuring the upper half of his face I could feel his eyes scrutinizing me.

“Um, you might wanna close the door.”

He did as I said, visibly surprised at my request. I twiddled my fingers.

“So, how do we do this?

He threw up his hands. “Lady, it’s your show.”

Okay. Fine. This is it. Either go through with it, or end it now. Fuck it. I lowered my forehead and locked my gaze with his.

“I told you, my name is <y/n>.”

“I kno-“

I approached him in three firm steps and before he could finish his sentence, I pushed him against the wall with full force. With a swift motion, I removed his hat and put it on my head, grabbed a hold of the lapels of his shirt and pulled down hard until he was within kissing-range. His body gave off an instantaneous jolt as I closed my lips over his. I used my right arm and hip to pin him against the wall, my left palm pressing against the wall a few inches from his head. He remained still, making no attempt to move or push me away as I continued peppering the corners of his mouth with feather-light kisses, all while keeping him pinned between me and the wall, but also making sure he could easily move away if he wanted to.

I backed away slightly and removed my lips from his, lingering a mere half an inch from his face. I could feel his warm breath on my flustering skin and the taste of him on my tongue, a faint hint of tobacco and beer. We stood still for a moment, wordlessly assessing the situation. My right hand resting on his chest, my left still lingering on the wall, his arms hanging to his sides. When I was sure he knew I was serious, I raised my chin to give him yet another soft kiss. He stayed still, but miniscule, involuntary jolts revealed the effect my body brushing against his had on him. My fingers glided over his chest and up to his shoulder and neck as I playfully nibbled on his lips. Slowly. Gently. I could feel him relaxing under my touch, his arms twitching, stopping mid-air, a moment of hesitation before gently but decisively embracing me.

I moved my hand from his shoulder and closed my palm around his jaw. My other hand gripped his neck, and I entwined my fingers in his hair. I used my thumb to gently push at his chin, coaxing him to open his mouth. He obeyed and we engaged in a heated kiss as I started unbuttoning his shirt. His hands moved to my blouse by instinct but then he stalled, awaiting permission. This was, my show after all. I started ripping at my clothes, feeling impatient all of a sudden as heat and anticipation was building up.

“<y/n>, are yo sure about-“

“Yes!” I assured, cutting him off, my voice teeming with want. Hell yes.

“Touch me,” I breathed into his mouth, placing his hands where I wanted them. “Yeah, that’s it.”

His hands brushed over my now naked body, trailing every curve, valley and dimple as he kissed his way down my jaw and neck, his thick, full lips finding their way to my shoulder, my collarbone, my chest. Overwhelmed by pleasure, I started letting out pleading gasps. It seemed to encourage him. His grip hardened, his kisses grew more intense, his touch more daring. I instinctively grinded my hips against his, feeling the bulge between his legs. He would certainly not have any trouble performing.

His hand caressed the inside of my tight, coming to rest just as his fingertips brushed against my entrance, waves of want raging through me. He continued the tantalizing tease a few more seconds, his fingers gliding over, around and barely inside my entrance, just out of reach of where I wanted him the most. It was torturous but oh-so-good at the same time, amazing and agonizing all at once.

“Please,” I groaned. “I need-“

My plead morphed into a moan as he slipped a finger inside of me. Slowly. Then another.

“You gettin’ value for your moneh?” he breathed against my ear. Sweet, tantalizing shivers spread from my core at the sound of his deep, gruff voice and from his fingers exploring the soft, moist and oh, so sensitive tissue between my legs. Stroking, rubbing and circling, making me moan even higher than before. I didn’t give a damn if the whole Parlour heard me. He was sensing, guessing, learning, observing my response, repeating what seemed to give the desired reaction. He was a quick learner indeed. A bit too quick.

“Yes,” I whimpered, twitching and lurching as his thumb rubbed my center. “Every cent.”

Getting close, I forcibly removed his hand and started unbuckling his belt, switching positions so that it was my turn to have my back to the wall.

“Oh no, for twenty dollars you damn sure are gonna fuck me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” It was but a mere whisper.

He grabbed the back of my tight and hoisted me up against the wall with one hand and freed himself with the other. Clenching onto his back, I gasped as his length slid inside me, filling me up. I arched my back and pushed my hips against his, earning a low, guttural growl in return. The bed was right there but neither of us cared. I closed my legs around him. Hard.

“Move like this.” I was so on edge, I could barely speak.

His hips started moving in the rhythm I had commanded. Each thrust harder than the previous, wringing from me cries and gasps of pleasure, bringing me closer and closer - until I came apart. This was, this was really happening. Me and Arthur Morgan. Against the wall in a hotel room in Rhodes, with our clothes lying in a pool at our ankles.

My legs and walls tightened around him and my body jerked, trembled and bucked in his arms as I reached my climax while crying out his name. When I relaxed, he slowed down, as if unsure he could take pleasure the same way. His body taut and uneven, sharp intake of breaths, I knew he was close. He had to be.

“Your turn. C’mon Arthur.”

I didn’t need to tell him twice. I clung to him as he threw me down on the bed and did a few more shallow thrusts before pulling out in the nick of time, spilling himself on my tights.

“There ya go. That’s good,” I praised, stroking his back and caressing his hair as he came to rest on top of me.

We laid still for a few minutes in silence, catching our breaths before he leisurely moved to the side where we laid on our backs staring at the ceiling, neither of us quite knowing what to say. It wasn’t until now I realized I no longer had his hat on my head. I couldn’t even remember it falling off.

“<y/n> you’re… you’re something,” he started.

“I know. And so are you.”

He chuckled in response. We stayed quiet for a few more minutes, internally reliving all that had happened the last half an hour. Heat building up inside of me again, I turned towards him, looking him in the eyes for the first time since entering the room.

“Now, I know we didn’t discuss a second round but if you’re up, I’ll pay-“

“Next round’s on me.” He cut me off by pulling me close and kissing me hard. I moaned into his mouth and felt myself relaxing in his arms and giving into his touch.

“Yeah, that’s my girl,” he growled.

[daddiesdrarryy]

Better Than This - Neville/Theodore

Read chapter 1 and chapter 2 here on ao3

Summary for chapter 2: Theo learns about Neville's childhood. After that, Neville is late for their anniversary and he decides to make up for it

Word count: 9727 (both chapters)

(I know this couple is underrated but that’s why I write fics for them, enjoy the big ass ‘lemon’ below xoxo)

_______________________

“…my father was a real git, he was like Draco’s father, but my mother was an amazing woman, I’m surprised she even put up with him. Well, she did tell me when I came out to her that if I ever find a man of my own, that man needs to think of me as his world, not the other way around, she did have a point, my father was stupid, but he did love my mother a lot” Theo touched Neville’s bare chest lightly with his finger and draped his leg over the other man’s thighs “So, that’s my horrible family stories, and how mad my mother got when I got a rainbow tattoo on my butt, but enough about me and my family, tell me about yours”

 “I…I don’t think you’d want to hear it” Neville stuttered and kissed Theo’s forehead, to distract him, it was what Neville always did when he felt uncomfortable talking about something

 “I know, it’s okay if you don’t want to, it’s only been a few months since we started dating” Theo sighed, he knew it was hard for Neville to tell him everything, he knew Neville was still very insecure, but all he wanted was for Neville to be able to talk to him, like partner to partner, Neville was the first and the only one that made Theo felt this way, he felt appreciated for the first time. Since the…destined day they met again, it has been two months and two weeks, Neville has been his best boyfriend ever, he held Theo’s hands, he kissed his forehead and cheeks a lot, like Theo was something special to him, no, someone special to him. Every former boyfriend of Theo has always been too pretentious and they considered Theo as an object for them to show off, rather than someone they love, being with Neville was something new, and exciting, and Theo loved it, so he just hugged Neville closer and kissed his cheeks before closing his eyes, they have been snuggling up like this for the past few hours and it was best that they slept now

 “My great uncle Algie dropped me out of a window once” The blonde said and Theo’s eyes opened in shock, he looked up at Neville and gaped

 “He what?”

 “I…” Neville kissed his temple and continued “You’ve met my parents twice, and my grandmother once, so I guess I could tell you about other members of my family” Neville smiled at him “I care about you, and I want to tell you this, it’s my decision” Theo nodded gently and let the man talked “My great-uncle, he… tried to scare magic into me when I was younger, he thought I was a Squib, so he kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me – he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned… but nothing happened until I was eight. He came round for tea and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my great-auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go...so…well I bounced, so it was all fine after all”

 “Neville…he dropped you off? That’s…insane” Theo couldn’t stop imagining the scenarios, it was utterly wrong to do that

 “Well, it’s all in the past now, and he died when I was in Fifth Year so…” Neville sighed out “It’s fine��

 “It’s still wrong, how could someone do that to their family?” Theo slid his hand up Neville’s hair and the blonde’s eyes immediately fluttered, he smiled brightly knowing that Neville loved being touched like that, it was soothing to him in a way, Theo hasn’t found out why

 “It’s okay, The—…” He stopped to yawn and pulled Theo in a hug “Come on, let’s sleep” Theo grinned and turned on his other side so Neville could spoon him, he loved being the small spoon

 “Goodnight Nev” He intertwined their hands and gave Neville’s hand a kiss

 “Goodnight, Theo” Neville said while yawning again, he kissed his shoulder blade before both of them fell asleep

    *

    “And I cannot believe he bloody threw Neville off a window? Like…why?” Theo groaned and ruffled his messy hair

 “Seriously? That’s why you called all of us here on a Sunday?” Pansy rolled his eyes at him and grabbed Hermione’s cup of coffee to sip on

 “Hey!” Hermione said and turned back to Theo “We knew, he did tell us that”

 “Yeah…he told us about him when he got the news that Algie died” Harry said while hugging Draco on the couch

 “Okay you need to stop with the grinding” Theo complained “That is my couch and you two are not gonna come on it”

 “Well I can’t leave his lap now, you guys will see his hard on” Draco smirked and everyone just groaned loudly

 “Come on, Draco” Ginny said “Pansy, why did you set them up again?”

 “Well they kept pining on each other for ten years so I thought it’d be good once they’re a thing, but now that they’re a couple it’s just getting more horrible each day with the grinding and the snogging, you two shag nonstop” Pansy said

 “You set us up, now you all have to face the consequences” Draco shrugged and turned around to kiss Harry on his lips

 “Back again to the uncle thing, what are you going to do about it?” Hermione asked and Theo shook his head

 “I wish I could just punch him or something, but he’s dead”

 “Well, they’re Pureblood right?” Ron chimed in and said, with Blaise draping an arm over him as usual

 “Yeah?”

 “So they’ll have portraits of the dead people” Ron shrugged

 “Oh right, Harry has this horrendous portrait of my great aunt and she is a menace, we eventually found a way to shut her up” Draco added and Theo hummed

 “Okay so…what do I do with a portrait?”

 “You obviously can’t punch a portrait, so you could obviously yell at it, I think”

 “When I told Draco about my childhood, he found my uncle and turned him into a pig with Ron” Harry suddenly said and they all turned to him

 “What?”

 “He was a pig” Draco replied plainly “I merely turned him into what he is meant to be”

 “Hey what are you guys talking about?” Neville walked out to the living room in his pyjamas and rubbed his eyes, then he looked at the room and paused for a second “Er…why is everyone here?”

 “Er…” Everyone just looked at each other until Pansy spoke

 “Luna draws” She pointed to Luna, who has been sitting there silently to draw something on her sketchbook that the gang bought for her on her birthday

 “Oh, nice, what did you draw, Luna?” Neville smiled and walked to her

 “Oh it’s just two cats…”

 “Aww” Everyone replied

 “Copulating” She finished and showed everyone her drawing

 “Oh my” Theo said, and it was all they could say

 “It’s very…realistic, Luna” Ron said “You are amazing”

 “I know right? I drew it based on our two cats at home”

 “But aren’t those two male cats?” Harry asked and Luna nodded, continued finishing her drawing, everyone shrugged and got back to what they were doing, they have hangout with Luna long enough to know this is a normal thing for her to do

 “Neville, go wash up, we’ll have lunch together” Theo pushed Neville inside and got back to the kitchen, leaning on Pansy’s shoulder and sighed

 “We also haven’t had sex”

 “What?” Pansy and Ginny squeaked in unison and Theo shushed them

 “Shut up” He ordered “It’s just…it’s Neville, I get it, but I am so so so so so horny right now” Theo said and chew on his lower lips. On the night they first met and first kissed, Theo had invited Neville over, but they ended up sleeping on the couch while watching a movie on his Muggle television, and they have tried to do it since “Every time we kissed, I want to grind against him but he just kept the distance, still kissing, but our lower parts…not even touching, I don’t get that part though”

 “Maybe he’s shy” Ron said “Just ask for it”

 “Who are you to say it? You and Blaise shagged on your first date!” Theo threw his middle fingers at them and sighed

 “I was going to save that for the third date, but I felt Blaise’s dick while kissing so…you know, it was destiny”

 “Eww, Luna’s here, bugger off with your gross stories” Ginny covered Luna’s ear and hissed at her brother “It’s nice to not hear yours or Draco and Harry’s sex stories once in a while”

 “Alright, sorry sister” Ron gave her a lopsided smile and continued eating his toast

 “Maybe I should talk to the portrait of Neville’s uncle, who wants to go?” Theo suggested and two of them raised their hands

   *

   “So, is it good?” Theo turned to ask when he saw Pansy and Ginny walked into the big hallway

 “Yes, apparently Draco’s really good at talking with old people, luckily we begged him to go” Pansy hummed “He has his way around them”

 “Okay so, the portrait is right there” Ginny pointed to the portrait at the end of the hallway “What do we do? Shout at him? Can we punch a portrait?”

 “No we can’t punch a portrait, Ginny” Theo sighed and made his way to the portrait of Neville’s great-uncle “Let’s just make this a…civil thing”

 “Ugh, civil, if I had known you’d be soft like this, I wouldn’t have come, I want to see quarrels and yelling and probably a punch or two”

 “See?” Ginny beamed and high-fived Pansy. Theo sighed in despair and finally stood in front of the portrait, the man turned to look at him and the girls and gasped

 “Filth! Scum! Why would anyone let you in this house you filthy Death Eater!” Theo looked down at his bare arm, where the Mark stayed put, he smiled, not because he had the Mark, the Mark was a stupid mistake he made just like Draco, but every night, Neville would kiss the Mark to reassure to Theo that Neville still love him despite it

 “Hey! Don’t insult our friend” Pansy snapped

 “There’s no need to shout, Pansy, calm down” Theo put a hand on her shoulder and looked back at him

 “Hi, I’m Theodore Nott”

 “I know who you are, and your vile father” The great-uncle glared at him with disgust “Your whole family is a disgrace to the Purebloods”

 “Oh I forgot to mention, I’m also Neville’s boyfriend” He said and folded his arms, waiting for the man’s reaction

 “Preposterous! Completely absurd! Why would he be in a relationship with a filthy Death Eater like you” The man started shouting

 “You don’t have a say in this old man” Ginny snapped as well. Theo didn’t think she’d say it

 “How could you torture your own great-nephew like that?” Pansy yelled at him and turned to whisper to Ginny’s ear “It’s great-nephew right?” In which Ginny nodded

 “How could you throw your nephew into a lake?” Ginny added

 “And throw him from the window just to force magic out of him?” Pansy said and Theo was surprise that the girls actually yelled at the man for him, he didn’t think he could say it now, his words were stuck in his throat

 “He didn’t show any sign of magic, and if our family had a Squib, it would be a dis—…”

  “Disgrace” Theo rolled his eyes “Typical. I can’t believe you are the man who gave Neville his first pet and gave him the enthusiasm to learn about plants, you are a horrible human being. You are a disgrace to this family, you should feel ashamed of what you did” Theo said, his eyes started watering, he didn’t know why, it was just too emotional for him, there he was, standing in front of a man, who almost killed the love of his life twice, or even more, his mind has come up with a few scenarios and it was all terrible. Neville looked nothing like this vile man in front of him, Neville is everything Theo could have asked for

 “How dare you speak to me like that you scum? I will—…” Before the portrait could finish, Theo was already walking away, he wiped the tears off his eyes and bit on his lips, it was alright, the past was the past, and Neville turned out amazing despite what his uncle did to him. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down, then he heard footsteps behind him

 “Theo, are you alright?” Pansy rushed to him and asked “We scolded him as well, threatening him too, but he’s already dead, so…”

 “Yeah, I’m fine, I got to talk to the man, that’s good”

 “I punched a portrait, if it makes you feel better” Ginny shrugged and Theo snorted at her

 “You punched a portrait? How is that even possible?”

 “Beats me” Ginny laughed and the three of them walked out of there

    *

    “Hey, what’s up?” Hermione answered the Firecall, her face flared on the flames and Theo sighed

 “What are you doing?” Hermione looked at him with her eyebrow raised

 “Theo, this is a Firecall, it’s for emergencies, what’s going on?”

 “Hey is that Theo?” Pansy’s voice echoed through and then her face was in the flames as well “Hey”

 “Hey” He said with a pinch of sadness in his tone

 “Aren’t you suppose to be eating with Neville by now?” Pansy asked and Hermione looked at her

 “What?”

 “Yeah, Ginny and I helped set the room, he cooked, it was amazing” Pansy said and paused “But…he’s not there, is he?”

 “I-…” He replied hesitantly “He must have forgotten about it, it’s nothing, I’m just bored”

 “Theo, it’s like…almost nine o’clock now, he’s still not home? It’s your date. He made a promise” Hermione said

 “It’s…nothing, you know, he must be grading the papers now, I get it” Theo said, it was true, sometimes Neville would get too busy and he tended to forget about things, but Theo didn’t mind it much, not really. He glanced over at the dinner table, where all Neville’s favourite food was there, he made it all by himself, Pansy and Ginny were not good chefs, but they did decorate the room and set the table. It was a few days after Theo and the girls yelled at the portrait and Theo decided to do something nice for Neville, but…well…

 “Theo, call him” Pansy suggested and her wife nodded along

 “No, no, he’s busy, well…I’ll keep waiting, bye girls, have a good night together” He said and before the girls could reply, he ended the Firecall. He got back to his seat and sighed deeply

 “He’s be here, soon” He reassured himself

   *

   “Neville?” Theo jolted from his sleep and sat up straight, an owl appeared on the window and he walked to it, didn’t look like Neville’s owl. He took the letter from the owl and opened it

 “If you’re eating with Neville right now, tick in the ‘Yes’ box, if not, tick in the ‘No’ box, send this back to me immediately” Theo sighed. It was from Pansy and Hermione’s. He gave the owl a few treats and let her go, he didn’t have the strength to reply anymore, he literally fell asleep while waiting for Neville. He glanced to the Muggle clock Hermione gave him on Christmas and stared at the time. 11:30pm, great. Theo left the kitchen and walked to the bedroom, not even bothered to cast the food under warming charm, he didn’t even feel hungry anymore, just…sad.

     *

    “Theo”

  “Theo”

    “Theodore” Theo squeezed his eyes opened and yawned, because someone was shaking him and whispering his name, and he was sleeping.

 “What?” He snapped at the blurry figure, it was dark, too dark to make out who it was

 “I’m sorry” Neville whispered in his ear and Theo flinched. Neville. What would he do? Be mad? Snap at him? Yell? Even punch him?

 Instead he turned on his other side and pulled the blanket over his shoulder, he decided to continue sleeping

 “Theo” Neville said again and he ignored him

 “Let me sleep” Theo closed his eyes and mumbled

 “Theo, I’m so sorry” Neville continued “I forgot, there were so many papers, and I had to deal with the detentions of some students, I forgot”

 “Neville Longbottom, let me sleep” He grumbled back

 “Full name, shit, Theo, I’m sorry” Neville said and put his hand on Theo’s shoulder, which the brunette shrugged it off and moved away to the middle of the bed

 “I completely forgot, I’m an arse, I was stupid and I didn’t remember and I don’t know what to do, Theo, don’t be mad at me” Neville pleaded him and Theo sighed

 “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed”

 “That’s worse, everyone knows it’s worse” Neville said and ran to the other side of the bed to lie down with Theo

 “Let me sleep, Nev, or I will actually be mad because you kept ruining my beauty sleep”

 “I’m sorry I arrived late, and forgot about our date, I’d never make you feel like this again” Neville cupped Theo’s face and kissed his lips, he moved closer and Theo could actually feel Neville’s robes, he didn’t change his clothes apparently

 “And do tell, what on earth will you do to make up to me, since you said I’m mad, which I’m not?” He opened his eyes and stared at the man next to him, Neville had lightened up some candles so now he could see Neville’s face properly. He looked…sad, he could never be mad at Neville for too long, just looking at his eyes made Theo felt soft again

 “What do you want? I will do everything”

 “Hmm” Theo sighed and closed his eyes, there was only one way he could keep sleeping, and he really wanted to sleep, so he touched Neville’s jawline and smiled

 “Fuck me”

 “What?” Without even looking, Theo could tell Neville’s eyes were wide and his mouth was in an ‘O’ shape right then. He smirked and pat Neville’s chest, humming quietly, he knew Neville would never do it, not yet, at least, so he could safely say it and then he could sleep

 “That’s right, let’s go to sleep now” He pulled the blanket up again and went to sleep

   *

   “Theo”

 “Hmm, Neville what are you doing?” Theo frowned because he was up again, it was barely five minutes, he opened his eyes and looked at his boyfriend

 “I…I want to…do…you” Neville mumbled and Theo immediately feel awake right then

 “I beg your pardon?”

 “I don’t want you to be sad, I said I’d do anything, and this time, I won’t break my promise”

 “Neville” He breathed out “You don’t have to do this, I know you want to take it slow, and I agreed to it, we’ll do it when you’re ready”

 “N-no, I’m ready” Neville replied “I…I want to make love to you, it’s just…I have a little problem”

 “Little?” Theo asked

 “Well, I’ll tell you later” Neville sat up and grabbed the blanket, throwing it on the floor, Theo gasped at the cold, he didn’t wear a shirt when he went to sleep, so now it was a bit cold for him, he was only wearing his boxer as usual

 “Nev!” He shrieked and froze a bit when Neville began undressing himself, he took his tie off and suddenly Theo felt like he was turned on by it so much, the only thing left was Neville’s red boxer. The blonde leaned down and put his hands on either side of Theo’s head, and he kissed him. Theo hummed happily, Neville was always good at kissing, his kisses were soft, gentle like himself, he could spend days and nights being kissed by Neville. When the brunette slid his tongue inside, Theo shuddered, the taste of Butterbeer and pumpkin pie, he must have had it during dinner at Hogwarts. Neville also has this earthy scent from him, he also smelled like parchment and ink, obviously. Theo let out a small moan when Neville stroke him through his boxer, then he trailed the kisses down Theo’s bare neck, sucking on the sensitive skin there, earning more whimpers from the brunette.

 “Neville” He wailed when Neville sucked on his nipple and played with the other one, fuck, his nipples were always the most sensitive spot. He wiggled his way out of his own boxer and sighed when he could finally stroke himself, but Neville grabbed his wrists and pinned it above his head, Theo’s eyes widened at his roughness

 “I’m sorry, but let me do it, I want to make you feel good” Neville whispered and nibbled on his ear, which brought shivers down Theo’s spine, then he felt lube inside him, well he was bloody good at wandless spell now, wasn’t he?

 “Are you sure you know how to do this?”

 “I’m sure, I was in the room when Ron asked Draco about…sex, and he also told me a few things on… how to…satisfy you if I ever needed to do it, because it’s what Harry often does to Draco, so yes, I’m sure” Neville nodded firmly and for once Theo felt scared. What if he didn’t know what to do? Theo might have to walk him through it, oh but it could be good, Theo loved taking leads on some occasions too

 “Okay, I trust yo—aah ah fuck” Theo jolted when he felt Neville’s finger making its way inside him, it was good, so he did know what to do. One finger slithering and pushing inside his lubed entrance slowly, carefully, the brunette arched his back, wanting more, and it was like Neville actually heard him. Did he say it out loud? But Neville was pushing another digit in, he began scissoring and Theo found it hard to breath, really hard, his cock was also hard.

 “Oh my god” Theo’s eyes rolled up to the ceilings as he felt Neville’s finger deep inside him, if he could roll his eyes farther he could see his own brain. Where the hell did he learn to do that?

 “Does it hurt?” Neville asked him and Theo shook his head “Tell me if it hurts”

 “No! No! More, I want more” He pleaded and his boyfriend obeyed, as he pushed another finger in, Theo grabbed on the bedsheets and pulled it, Merlin he felt it, his fingers were longer than Theo’s and it was making him feel completely in ecstasy

 “Is three enough? Should I add another?” Neville asked while he kissed Theo’s neck

 “Wait” Theo put a hand on Neville’s chest and looked up at him “Four?”

 “Yeah, I don’t want you to get hurt”

 “Hurt? I—…” Theo paused and looked down at the bulge on Neville’s boxer, he pushed his boyfriend back and sat up “When you said you have a little problem, what was it?”

 “I-…” Neville hesitated and sat on his heels “I’ve never…done it with anyone before because I’m afraid they’d get hurt”

 “What do you mean h—…wait” Theo chewed on his lips and crawled to Neville’s spot, he put one finger inside his boxer and stretched it out to see what was inside

 “Holy—…” He gasped and looked up at Neville, who was blushing “This is a little problem? It’s a huge one” Theo stripped the boxer off Neville and signalled him to pull it all off, he stared at Neville’s hard length, it was right in front of him, long, thick and leaking, it was…he could say it was the most beautiful cock he has ever seen, and he has seen a lot of cocks before

 “Oh Neville” He pulled him down for a kiss, his hand slid down to stroke Neville’s length “You are so sweet” He mumbled and sucked on Neville’s neck, making his mark there. His boyfriend was afraid he couldn’t take it, so he didn’t do it, how could anyone be so sweet like that? Theo wondered

 “I will suck you off until I gag, one day” Theo whispered in Neville’s ear and lied down on the bed, pulling the blonde down with him “But now, put that in me or I’ll put it in myself”

 “Which position do you want to do? Because Draco actually drew some of the positions out for Ron and I…and…he said if I did it to you from behind it wouldn’t hurt you as much?”

 “Oh honey” Theo chuckled “Okay, we can try” He rolled onto his stomach and Neville handed him a pillow to put under his belly, he smiled at the gentle gesture of his boyfriend.

 “Tell me if it hurts” Neville whispered in his ear one more time before angling the head of his leaking cock at Theo’s entrance

 “Oh wow” He gasped when he felt the head

 “What? Does it hurt?”

 “No, I’m just…surprised” Theo snorted “Come on, stick it in, like eating a banana, except your cock is the banana and my arse is the mouth”

 “That’s a horrible comparison” Neville laughed “Alright, I—wait”

 “What’s wrong?”

 “I want to see your face” Neville said softly behind him and Theo smiled

 “You dork” He said and rolled over, wrapping his arms around Neville’s neck “Now, first, I won’t get hurt, second, I like you a lot but I can hit you if you don’t put that in me right now, third, I won’t get hurt, trust me, trust us” He ghosted his breath over Neville’s lips “Kissing makes it better if you don’t know” He said and connected their lips once again. He felt Neville pushing inside, Theo could feel himself being stretched out slowly, he felt the burn, mostly, but the way Neville kissed him was making him forget it

 “Oh god you’re so big” He mumbled between their kiss and wrapped his arms around Neville’s torso instead, his heels digging into Neville’s thighs “More” He moaned, pushing himself back against the blonde’s cock, it was opening him so wide right now he could barely feel anything else, his eyes squeezed shut and he was chewing on his lips so hard he could cut it

 “Fuck I can’t believe it’s still not fully in yet” Theo breathed out heavily because he could still feel the push, the burn and the bliss. After a few more seconds his boyfriend finally stopped moving and he sighed

 “Neville, are you alright?”

 “Yeah” Neville murmured “Give me a minute, you’re so tight” He leaned his forehead on Theo’s and the brunette chuckled, kissing his cheeks. Once his boyfriend got his strength back, he gasped when Neville began thrusting

 “Oh my god” He moaned and clawed at Neville’s back, his mouth wide open from the feelings. His thrusts were fast and every thrust hit right at Theo’s prostate, it didn’t miss once. The bed shook as the blonde kept fucking into Theo, apart from his own moans, there were only the sound of Neville’s breath and the sound of skin slapping against skin. Theo has never felt this way with anyone before, all he could think of was that he was going to come soon

 “Faster” He whined, asking for more, and Neville gave him more, his pace became quicker and Theo found himself unable to make words anymore, he started babbling and their kiss became more frantic. And suddenly, Neville’s hand came down to stroke Theo’s member, the brunette cried out and came, shooting it all over his own stomach and chest, he hugged Neville closer and whispered in his ear

 “Neville come for me” He said and Neville continued jamming in, his body tensed up and then he was coming inside Theo, the blonde groaned and almost collapsed

 “Woah there big guy” Theo laughed and let Neville lied down on his side, when he pulled out, Theo could feel the hot fluids coming out of his still loosen entrance, he traced his finger over Neville’s jawline and gave his boyfriend a kiss on his forehead

 “Tired?” He asked and Neville nodded

 “Let’s go to sleep” He grabbed his wand from the bedside table and cleaned both of them up, then he pulled the blanket to drape it over them, Neville sighed, pulling the brunette closer and kissed him

 “I’m sorry” He said

 “It’s fine, Neville, I wasn’t even mad, father used to break promises all the time”

 “But I don’t want to be your father, I’m your boyfriend, and a promise is a promise, I won’t break it ever again” Neville mumbled and Theo brushed his boyfriend’s hair behind his ear, smiling

 “You’re sweeter than honey, and I like you for that, but if you fuck me every time you’re late, I won’t even mind it” He chuckled and hugged Neville back “Go to sleep”

 “Happy three months’ anniversary, Theo”

 “Happy anniversary, Neville” He kissed Neville one more time before both of them fell asleep together

    *

   Neville woke up to an empty bed, he yawned and put a boxer on, walking out of the bedroom, when he got to the living room, the first thing he heard was Pansy and Ginny’s shrieks

 “Congrats” Ginny squealed

 “You had sex” Pansy shrieked

 “You lost your virginity” Ginny added and Neville felt his cheeks burning up

 “Congrats” Pansy said

 ���I’m sorry, they got it out of me, I didn’t even say anything” Theo said, leaning on the kitchen counter

 “Oh my god is that scratch marks?” Ginny shrieked louder and Pansy gasped

 “I made coffee” Theo said and handed his boyfriend a cup of hot coffee, Neville smiled, putting the cup down and pulled Theo flushed against him instead

 “Aww” Both girls squealed and Theo glared at them

 “Get out”

 “Oh but—…”

 “Get out” He said again and the girls pouted, Apparating away

 “Good morning” He told Theo

 “Morning” Theo smiled and Neville looked at his boyfriend, he was a piece of art, he was simply beautiful and smart and perfect in every way, he was more than what Neville could wish for, and he wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world, for he already had the world in his arms right now.

[aweebwrites]

Fins and Hooves

Warning: animal death, mentions of blood (nothing too gross)

________________

Zane watched, perched on his favorite resting point in the lake as Cole ran along the shore. Cole himself had made the resting point using his affinity for earth. It was a shallow bowl shaped rising in the water, close enough to the surface that he could sit or lay down comfortably and still be visible above water while being just deep enough to keep his tail and gills submerged. There were two similar ones to his left for Nya and Skylor whenever they decide to come over to his side of the lake but his was hand carved with beautiful patterns and colourful stones embedded along it by his thoughtful mate.

Said mate who looked majestic running along the shore line, sending water splashing when the the waves came in too close. His hair had grown out over the winter and he had Nya pull it in a ponytail. He wasn't just running for fun however. He insisted that he hunt today. He found land animals unique in taste and while he loved fish, he like a change in diet from time to time. So after mentioning that to the kelpie during their morning swim (the sudden change in the dynamics of the lake confused breeding fish and a few who were supposed to be heading further north to lay their eggs had done so here instead. They decided it was a good thing and frequently checked to see how the hatchlings are doing), he took it upon himself to hunt for his mate.

“What has Cole so busy?” Nya says, sliding up onto the rest next to him.

“He's hunting.” Zane informed her, resting his chin in his webbed hand. “I've never actually seen him do it so I thought I'd observe.” He says and Nya hummed.

“I'm surprised he finds any prey with those thundering hooves of his.” She snorts.

“I thought the same thing at first.” Zane says quietly, watching him turn at the start of the fjord filtering fresh sea water into their new home, eyes on the small woodland bracketing a third of their home, arrow drawn tightly in his bow. “But he's being loud on purpose. It spooks prey out of hiding and their panic would make them uncoordinated and easy to take down. He's managed to do this for a few but he rejected them it seems.” He says, a little confused on the last part.

“Cole goes all out for you, no matter what he does. Of course he'll be picky hunting for you.” Nya says with a grin, nudging him with her tail and he smiled a little, blushing at that. “Oh. Looks like he's chosen.” She says and Zane watcher in awe as Cole went stock still, eyes focused on his target.

He breathed out slowly and let his arrow fly, a wounded yelp sounding after. He then grinned, swinging the bow over his shoulder and trotted off into the woodland. He reappeared soon after with a deer over his hide, blood running from its throat.

“Strong man.” Nya says, wagging her brows and Zane laughed, splashing her with the icy water.

They both slipped off the rest and swam towards the shore coming up to the place where both warm and frigid waters mixed.

“Big one. I know Skylor would love a taste.” Nya commented as Cole slid the corpse off of him.

“Which reminds me. She and the others should be here any moment now. I should get extra for them. You know how Lloyd is with deer.” Cole says, kneeling to steal a kiss from his mate.

“I'll help. If I recall, Master Wu has a taste for fish as well.” Zane says with a smile, cupping Cole's cheek.

“What's with the secret huddle?” They all looked up as Jay circled overhead before landing. “Oh deer! Get it?” He says with a grin, and Nya splashing him as Zane chuckled.

“Jokes aside, Lloyd is actually just starting to change his scales. He'll be here for a while before he has to leave for the Spirit Coves. Dragon growth spurt and all.” Kai says, hovering next to them.

Just then, a loud thud sounded and they saw a green dragon crain its head up and roar. It would have been intimidating if his roar hadn't cracked half way in. They were left laughing instead.

“You guys are jerks.” Lloyd huffed, crossing his front paws, before in a puff of green, he was his less scaly form.

In this form, he looked almost human if his slitted green eyes, pointed ears, peaking fangs, folded wings and scaled tail wasn't enough of a give away. Considering that he was part dragon, part Oni (demon) and human all in one, he leaned more towards his dragon heritage unlike his demonic father. Speaking of.

“Did Master Garmadon get your message Master Wu?” Zane asked the white dragon as he shifted into a similar state as his nephew.

“Yes. He should be back shortly after Lloyd returns from the Spirit Coves. The venom of the Great Devourer's bite may not be able to injure him but the effects have to be dealt with gently.” Wu says and Lloyd hung his head.

“Cheer up squirt. Your dad will be fine. He's tough, remember?” Cole says, ruffling his hair, earning a hiss and a swipe of claws in the direction of where his hand was. “Tell you what, how about we hunt you something to eat. The deer have wandered pretty close by…” He says, swinging Lloyd up on his hide and he beamed, near drooling at the mention of his favourite meal.

“Hey! How comes he gets to ride on your back!” Jay protested, zapping Jim for good measure.

“Ow! That's why you cluck!” Cole yelled and Zane laughed.

_____________________

“Hey Skylor! Where have you been?” Kai asked once she walked up to where everyone was eating on the shore outside.

“Molting. I hate it but at least it all goes one time.” She shrugged then walked over to Nya, leaning down and kissing her.

“I kept it safe like you asked.” Nya says, gesturing to her seal skin she wrapped around her neck.

“Great. Hold onto it for a while longer, would you?” She asked, sitting next to her and Nya nodded with a smile, returning to her meal, offering her some.

Zane on the other hand wasn't sure of what to do. The only ones he's eaten in front of was Nya, Skylor and Cole after a lot of reassuring. He feared his mouth may be unsettling for some.

“Aren't you hungry Zane?” Master Wu asked but before he could use that as an excuse, his stomach growled.

Loudly.

“Ha! Zane's stomach is more intimidating than you!” Jay grinned at Lloyd who glared at the harpy before plucking a feather, making him yelp.

“Serves you right.” Kai smirked at his mate as he whined into his feathers.

“Zane?” Cole's soft, worried voice called and he looked up at his mate before looking away.

“I… The way I eat is-”

“That's what this is all about?” He looked up at Cole, confused. “Snowflake, no-one minds or even cares how you eat.” Cole says, holding onto his webbed hand.

“Oh. Cold water mers have a very flexible jaw for the very big prey that live there.” Master Wu explained to a confused Lloyd.

“Ok. But what does that have to do with not wanting to eat? I'm pretty sure I can open my mouth wider than yours.” Lloyd pointed out before shifting and opened his mouth wide and took a big bite out of the deer he hunted all by himself.

“You might not have noticed but I don't chew. I eat my meals whole.” Skylor pointed out before demonstrating by swallowing down a large fish.

“I think Jay and I are the only ones who have small mouths but that doesn't stop Jay from getting food even on his tail feathers.” Kai says pointedly, to the messy eater who looked at him sheepishly, scales in his hair.

"The fangs are still new so my way of eating is a little different too." Cole says, nudging him gently and he smiled a little.

“There’s no such thing as normal. Everyone is unique in habits and more. Here, we are all family and we accept each other, flaws and all.” Master Wu says and Zane looked around at his strange pod before smiling.

“Plus, it'll be a shame for that deer to go to waste…” Lloyd says, licking his maw.

“It would be, wouldn't it?” Zane says, looking down at the untouched deer Cole had hunted and even skinned, just for him.

His stomach rumbled once more and he looked to Cole who nodded. He then sighed, letting go of insecurity. They watched in awe as he opened his mouth, revealing blue muscles in his cheeks and a very blue mouth filled with sharp teeth and a long dark blue tongue before he struck into the upper thigh of his prey, teeth cutting through the flesh easily and breaking bone. The group all cheered for him and Cole grinned, proud of his mate.

The rest of their meal was uneventful but the happy aura never left. Zane's pod was a strange one indeed but he wouldn't trade them for anything.

_____________

(Idk what to call this Au so I just put the first thing that came to mind. Also, Lloyd! He looks like his kid self now but after his trip to the Spirit Coves, he'll look like current Lloyd but with more demonic features. That's another story. Also, Lloyd doesn't know Misako. She was a human and died before he hatched several years ago from natural causes (I made her lay an egg that took years to hatch >:3 I also gave Garmadon the chance to raise his son). Finally, Garmadad isn't fully evil. He killed the last of the Devourers for the protection of Ninjago but got bitten in the process (the bite is treatable in this au because no angst! {Or very little at least}). He's in the first realm getting treated by other Oni (they're not evil like in the series but they aren't particularly good either. They look after their own and the Omega is fond of both him and Lloyd. He's super tsundere when confronted about Lloyd but he would high-key die for him. Same for Firstborne). Anyway, enough talking for now. I haven't slept yet... Weeb out!

[eternal-love-song]

Too Tangled to Separate Us From You

Midoriya and Shinso try to become friends wit Hatsume, which is a frustrating endeavor. Becoming something more turns out to be much easier. 

[Midoriya x Shinso x Hatsume] [ShinDeku, IzuMei, HitoMei]

[Established Relationship, Established ShinDeku, Polyamory, OT3, Developing Relationship, Developing Frienships, Friends to Lovers, Protective Shinso] 

A prequel to We Built This Machine For Us

Hatsume ignored the knock at the door. She was elbow deep in her latest invention and the time it would take to carefully pull away open the door before returning to her project didn't really seem worth the effort. Her hands were a little slippery with grease, meaning that would also need to wipe off her hands to be able to grip the door properly and she couldn't remember where she had left her rag. Whoever it was could let themselves in if it was important and if it wasn't, they'd probably just leave and she wouldn't have to deal with it.

She heard the door slowly creep open behind her as whoever came knocking hesitantly entered the room. "Um... Ha-Hatsume..." the voice called out quietly. She was too distracted to notice that it was Midoriya right away and he'd called her name a few times before it really registered.

"Oh, Midoriya," she finally looked up to smile at him. "What brings you here? Did you need something?" She was hesitant to stop what she was working on if he didn't. She was really close to a break through, she was certain of it.

"Um, well..." She could see him fidgeting nervously out the corner of her eye. "We had plans, remember?"

"Oh? Did we?" She pulled her hands from her project and wiped them on her pants absentmindedly. "I don't remembering you asking for anything lately. Was I supposed to be making something for you? Or maybe you were testing something?"

"N-no, nothing like that," he muttered.

Hatsume moved closer to him, smiling as she peered into his face. "Then you came to ask me to build you something? An upgrade, perhaps?"

"No," Midoriya sighed, ducking his head as his face lit up in a blush. "We were supposed to have lunch together. An hour ago. When you didn't show up I was kinda worried."

"Oh? Ah, sorry, Midoriya. I got so caught up that it slipped my mind entirely," she admitted.

Midoriya winced, wrapping an arm around himself and hunching his shoulders. "Yeah, Shinso said you probably forgot." He bit his lip before adding, "You know, if you didn't want to..."

"It's not that I didn't want to," she assured him. "I just... forgot. Hey, we can go right now if you want? I'll pay, to make it up to you."

Midoriya looked at her hesitantly, his eyes lingering on the stains on her pants where she'd wiped her hands not minutes earlier. "You, um, don't really seemed dressed to go out anyplace."

Hatsume frowned as she looked down at herself. She didn't really have a problem with how she looked, but she knew some places wouldn't let her in if she was a little messy. "I... guess you're right. Um, you pick a date. I'll treat you and make up for today."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You don't have to if you'd rather not."

"I've already made up my mind," she told him. "I have to make up for standing you up, so I'm gonna treat you.!"

"Alright." A hesitant smile spread across his face. "I'll ask Shinso when he's free and send you a message to confirm."

"Perfect!"

"Are you sure you really want to?" he asked once more.

"I said I'm sure!" she repeated loudly. "Don't worry about a thing but the date, Midoriya! I'll take care of everything."

Finally, Midoriya's smile returned to it's normal level of cheer. "I look forward to it, then."

Shinso didn't have Midoriya in his room very often. Shinso wasn't really fond of having people in his personal space that often, even when that person was his boyfriend. Today was one of the rare occasions that Shinso felt the need to pull Midoriya all the way to his room. He could tell that his boyfriend was both tired and disappointed after first being stood up by and then having to deal with Mei Hatsume. The girl was a handful at the best of time, anyone that spoke to her for longer than two minutes could tell that, and Midoriya wasn't exactly the best at dealing with forceful personalities.

This was different. This wasn't just Midoriya being pushed around a little as she tried too enthusiastically to help him, this wasn't just him being nervous and jittery trying to make a new friend, this was him being actively lead on and stood up and Shinso hated it. He hated watching his boyfriend look put out and uncertain over someone that was supposed to be his friend.

He pushed Midoriya onto the bed before sliding to the floor beside him. Midoriya didn't even argue the treatment as he usually would, just sighed heavily as let himself relax on the bed. They sat in silence for a while. Shinso was used to the quiet, but it was a little odd to be with Midoriya and not have him either talking a mile a minute about heroes or tripping incomprehensibly over his words.

Shinso slumped further against the bed. "I don't know why you insist hanging out with that grease monkey when she just cancels on you all the time."

"We're friends, Shinso."

"Yeah, well, she's a bad friend," Shinso told him.

Midoriya was quiet. It wasn't like him not to respond when Shinso said something about his friends. Shinso was right about Hatsume being a bad friend, but it wasn't right for Midoriya to think so, too.

"Shinso," Midoriya whispered. "Do you think... maybe she doesn't want to be my friend?"

Shinso moved onto his knees, propping his elbows on the bed so that he could look at Midoriya. "Anyone that doesn't want to be friends with you is a fool that deserves to be left to their fate," he told him. "You're an amazing friend, Midoriya. Don't you dare let her make you doubt that."

Midoriya offered him a small, shy smile. "Thanks."

"I'm not just saying it to cheer you up," Shinso told him, poking him in the cheek.

"I know."

Shinso sighed and laid his head down beside Midoriya. "We'll try this again," he said. "If she's more than ten minutes late, we'll just eat without her and I'll treat you myself."

"You don't have to do that," Midoriya told him.

"No, but I will if she doesn't show." He leaned his head against Midoriya's arms, nuzzling it slightly. "So don't worry about it, alright?"

Midoriya smiled. "Alright, Shin, I won't worry."

Shinso blushed at the nickname, burying his face further in his boyfriend's arm. "Good," he murmured.

"Hatsume?" Midoriya asked as he peaked his head in to her lab.

"Midoriya!" she greeted cheerfully, throwing the door wider and pulling him further into her lab. "Do you need something? Want another upgrade to your costume?"

"N-no, nothing like that," he answered.

"Oh? What is it then?" she questioned.

Midoriya held out a canned drink and packaged bread. "Um, I just thought I'd bring you something. I figured you would probably skip lunch, but it's not healthy to skip meals like that all the time."

"That's really thoughtful of you, Midoriya! Now that you mention it, I am really hungry." She took the bread from his hands, removing it from the package and digging in immediately. "This is really good."

He smiled at her. "Really? I wasn't sure if you would like it."

"I do," she told him. "I'm not that picky of an eater."

"W-well, I don't want to keep you from working,"

She grabbed his arm as she stuffed the last of the bread into her mouth. There was a pause as she chewed and swallowed her food, before she could speak. "You don't have to rush off," she told him. "Why don't you stay and keep me company?"

"If you're sure I won't be in the way?"

"Not at all," she told him. She reached for the drink, opening it and downing half of it in one go. "I'll tell you about my latest project."

He smiled at her and Hatsume realized she really was happy to have the company.

Hatsume was a smoking heap on the ground when the door burst open. It was pretty late, late enough that she wasn't expecting any other support course students to be using the lab. The smoke was too thick for her to immediately tell who was at the door and she coughed a bit as she tried to pat out her clothes. Her failed project was still smoking at her feet, but that was alright. She could just make another one and this time, she would be more careful that it didn't explode on her.

"Hatsume, you unkempt wrench monkey, where are you?" Shinso shouted.

She picked herself off the ground slowly, patting herself to make sure nothing was smoldering or on fire. "What's Shinso doing here?" she questioned out loud.

"I came here to get you," he answered. "But you're obviously too busy trying to blow yourself to remember that we had plans."

"Sorry, I was busy," she told him. "Whatever it is, can it wait?"

"Don't make plans that you have no intention of keeping!" he yelled.

"I wasn't planning to break our plans," she told him. "I just got busy."

"You always get busy," Shinso replied, folding his arms and glaring at her. Hatsume glared back. She didn't usually get bothered by people, but Shinso had a way of pushing her buttons easy. "And for what?" he asked. "More failure inventions that blow up in your face? Half the crap you make doesn't even work in the first place and yet you blow us off so that you waste away in here?"

"My inventions aren't failures," she replied. "And of course I'd want to spend more time making my babies even better. Maybe if you spent more time honing your skills you'd be in the hero course by now."

Shinso ground his teeth together, his glare intensifying. "Hatsume, you're a terrible friend. You're worse than me. You might even be worse than that explosive jerk from Midoriya's class. You care more about this junk that you do people's feelings." He stomped forward and slammed a hand on the table. When he pulled away, there was a piece of paper on the table.

"What's that supposed to be?" she asked.

"Midoriya felt bad that we went to the movies without you. He thought you might have a better time remembering plans if you had the tickets in advance." Shinso turned his back on her, but she could hear the anger still in his voice. "Midoriya's really too nice for you. I shouldn't have agreed to drop these off, but I didn't want you to hurt him anymore with your careless attitude."

Hatsume was torn between anger and guilt. She balled her hands into fist. "Careless..." she repeated quietly. "It's a group outing this time, so Midoriya won't have time to be hurt when you forget to show up. Again."

With that said, Shinso stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Hatsume stayed frozen in place a long time after he left. When she was able to force herself into motion again, she made an invention so that she wouldn't forget the date. And on the promised day, she even made sure to shower and stay out of her lab, lest she be tempted to lose herself to her work again.

Shinso woke up when his alarm went off at eight. He was in Midoriya's bed, arms folded over the text book he was supposed to reading, a blanket laid carefully on his shoulders. He reached out sleepily for his phone to turn off his alarm before lifting his arms over his head ina stretch.

"Oh, you're awake?" Midoriya asked. He was smiling at Shinso from his desk, pen still in hand.

"Let me guess," Shinso said around a yawn. "Hatsume didn't show up."

Midoriya shook his head, a small sheepish smile on his lips. "She remembered to text us this time though. She sent a message ten minutes ago apologizing and offered to show up anyway, but I told her it was late and she should just go to bed."

"As if that lunatic would ever go to bed on time," Shinso muttered.

"You're not mad this time?"

"Nah, I've figured Hatsume out." He stood up from the bed, shoving his unread text book into his bag. "She's a flake. It's her natural state. Getting mad at her for this would be like getting mad that a cat knocks things off your shelf. Yeah, it's annoying, but after a certain point you have to make your peace with it."

"I'm glad that you're getting along better," Midoriya said.

Shinso shrugged. "She's a little easier to deal with when she isn't making you cry."

Midoriya turned red and Shinso smirked at him. "She never mad me cry!"

"Midoriya, everything makes you cry. You're really easy." He put an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "It's the principal of it though. It really annoyed me when I though she didn't care, but I guess she's a little better now."

"She told me you show up without me sometimes now."

"I just have free time when you don't," Shinso said.

"You can just say that you're friends," Midoriya told him.

Shinso stuck out his tongue and refused to admit anything of the sort.

Shinso was quick and quiet as he snuck into the lab, trying to keep the door as quiet as possible when he did so. There was only the softest click to announce his presence and he was surprised to see that the sound caught Hatsume's attention. It was still weird to him to see her actually look up from her work to acknowledge when he or Midoriya arrived, but she'd been doing so on a near constant basis for a nearly a month.

"Don't mind me," he told her. "I'm just hiding from these guys I beat in a bet earlier. Sore losers, you know?"

"Ah," she nodded as she went back to working on her project. "Well, your usual spots clear, so feel free to hang around."

"Thanks." His 'usual spot' as she called it, was a space on the table that she cleared for him. It was out of sight of the door, relatively clean, and had served as his perch for the last few visits he'd paid her. He hopped onto the table now, pulling out a book from his bag and preparing to do homework until he thought his pursuers were likely to have given up. "So what are you working on?" he questioned.

"So you know how we were talking about your quirk last time?"

"You mean how you decided to ask me fifty questions?" he corrected. "I remember."

"So I was thinking about how your quirk works and what might helpful, so I'm working on a prototype for something that might be helpful to you."

Shinso looked up from his book, mouth hanging open. It was only after he realized that it had been quiet for too long that he realized he didn't respond to her. His thought felt dry when he swallowed and his face a little hot. "O-oh? I, uh, wouldn't have... isn't this sort of thing usually for Midoriya?" he questioned.

Hatsume shrugged. "You want to be hero, too. Why wouldn't I help you?"

Shinso tried to bury himself in his book, despite being sure Hatsume was too busy to turn and look at him. "You probably just wanted something to keep you busy."

"I always something to keep myself busy," Hatsume agreed. "But this keeps me busy and helps you. Right?" She turned to smile at him.

Shinso flushed bright red behind his book, holding it up even higher until he couldn't see her anymore. "I don't even know what is it yet, so how would I know?"

Hatsume laughed. "Maybe I'll keep it a secret until it's ready."

"Whatever. You'll probably tell Midoriya the first chance you get," he mumbled. Her laughter drowned out his words as he stayed hidden behind his book.

Shinso wasn't usually one for public displays of affection. He wasn't all that big on cuddling or hand holding, and Midoriya would probably freak out if he did. The thought was amusing enough that Shinso sometimes considered it, but they hadn't been dating that long and he didn't want to make his boyfriend freak out.

It was for that reason that it was really surprising when Midoriya found him outside during lunch and practically flung himself into Shinso's arms. Shinso dropped his phone as his arms automatically moved around his boyfriend. "Whoa! What's wrong Midoriya?"

Midoriya was hiding his face in Shinso chest, grabbing onto Shinso's shirt as if he was afraid that Shinso would leave him or disappear. "I made a fool of myself in front of Hatsume," came the mumbled reply.

"Impossible," Shinso told him. "And even if you had, I doubt she would notice."

"I'm serious, Shinso."

"So am I," he told Midoriya. "Hatsume is a lunatic. She wouldn't know weird if it bit her on the brain. Whatever you did, I'm sure it's fine."

"It's not fine! It's not fine at all!" Midoriya insisted.

Shinso sighed. He wasn't going to be able to calm his boyfriend down this way. He bent down to retrieve his phone before wrapping one arm around Midoriya. "Let's talk about this in my room."

If they went to Midoriya's room the whole class would probably be all over them trying to figure out what was wrong. Neither Midoriya nor Shinso needed that kind of attention. And there was always the chance Midoriya's friend would blame him for whatever was wrong with his boyfriend, and Shinso didn't want to go through that ordeal again. At least no one would bother them in the gen ed dorms.

Midoriya nodded his assent and allowed Shinso to heard him to the gen ed dorms. Once they were in Shinso's room, door locked and a blanket wrapped tightly around Midoriya's shoulder, Shinso joined him on the bed. "Alright, what's the big bad thing that has apparently ruined your image to Hatsume?" he asked.

Midoriya pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "You remember... what we talked about?" he asked quietly.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific than that, Midoriya. We talk about a lot of things."

"About Hatsume." Midoriya's voice only got quieter.

Shinso leaned closer to hear him better. "You mean about your crush on her?" Midoriya looked up with a betrayed expression and watery eyes. "Alright, alright!" Shinso lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Our crush on her. I remember. What about it?"

"I... I talked to Hatsume."

"You actually did it?" he asked in surprise.

"I told you that I wanted to!" Midoriya yelled.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you really would," Shinso told him. "That's... really brave of you Midoriya."

He seemed to relax a little at Shinso's words, uncurling from the ball he was in and staring forlornly at his lap. "Yeah, well, she didn't think. She didn't answer me at all."

"Really?"

Midoriya nodded.

Shino leaned back on his heels as he considered this. "Maybe she needs time to think on it. If she doesn't answer you soon, I'll talk to her."

"You will?" Midoriya questioned, looking at him with large imploring eyes.

Shinso rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "She's my crush, too," he admitted. "It's only fair that we both confess."

Midoriya smiled at him before asking, "You don't think I messed everything up?"

"Not a chance," Shinso told him. "If anything, she probably didn't even realize you were confessing. You're both equally dense, after all."

"Th-that's not nice!" Midoriya objected.

Shinso pat his boyfriend's head. "I'll take care of everything, Midoriya. You can count on me for things like this."

Midoriya laughed onto him, eyes watery. "Shinso!"

"Don't cry on me, Midoriya."

"But... but..."

Shinso sighed and resigned himself to his fate as a soon to be soggy boyfriend.

Hatsume looked up when Shinso walked through the door. He was staring at his phone, something that she found he did pretty often, but he'd proved himself to be pretty good at multitasking when he wanted to be. He shut the down behind himself without looking up and easily maneuvered through the mess to get to her side. She made a noise of objection as he swept a few things off the table beside her current project to sit on the desk, but he didn't seem overly concerned by it.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Sitting," he replied, still not looking at her.

"That's not what I meant."

"Texting," he added. After a few more taps to his phone, he looked up at her. "I didn't think what I did usually bothered you."

"It doesn't."

"Could have fooled me," he answered with a smirk. "Anyway, are you busy?"

Hatsume found herself smiling at him before she realized it. "If I was, you would have dropped everything I was doing to the ground."

"Pity that," he answered flippantly.

"I'm assuming you want something, right? You don't usually make this much fuss unless you want my attention."

"Yeah, I'm a messenger, of sorts," Shinso admitted. He leaned back slightly, foldin his arms over his chest. "Midoriya confessed to you the other day, did you know?"

"Huh? Confessed what?"

"That he has a crush on you?"

"What?"

"He wants to date you," Shinso clarified. "He was upset because he thought he did something embarrassing."

"I don't think he did," she admitted. "I don't remember he doing any sort of confessing, either."

Shinso laughed. "I thought that might be the case. Which is why I'm here. Are you interested? In dating us, I mean."

"Us?" she questioned.

"Midoriya and me," he told her. "We're a couple, you know."

"Oh? I... I didn't realize."

"You're denser than a brick, Hatsume."

"Yeah, well, bricks make good foundation," she countered. There was a pause as she studied him. "You're really asking me out? On a date?"

"No, asking you out on dates is kind of a lost cause, don't you think? We're asking you to be in a relationship with us both. You can do that right?"

"Uh, I don't see why not."

"Do you want to?" Shinso pressed.

Hatsume turned the idea over in her head a few times. Dating would only be a distraction to you and she didn't think it would be all that interesting. She already saw Shinso and Midoriya more than anyone else, there was no need to have anything complicated tied up with that, right? Maybe she liked Shinso and Midoriya more than anyone else, but...

But...

"Yes," she answered, completely surprising herself. "Yeah, I want to."

"Great!" Shinso grinned, hopping off the table. "I'll tell Midoriya. See you around, Mei."

He was out of the room before she had the chance to say anything more, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She... wasn't sure what actually made her say yes, but.. she couldn't say that she was uninterested in them.

"Hmm... this will take further study," she concluded. After all, if she didn't conduct a proper experiment, how would she ever find her answer?

[lacriemony]

Try to tame a dragon, would you?

Find Pt. 1 there!

Pt. 2

Her fingernails tapped in an irregular motion on her wooden desk. She sat behind it, in a wide chair, resemblind a throne. Her office was simple but luxurious and well thought.

Her eyes ran over the documents aligned in a perfect line down before her. She pursed her lips and stopped every movement.

A little later, she was sending two separate letters, allowing them to reach their rightful owners, a smile carved on her face.

.

Draco's eyes ran over the letter once, then twice. He frowned, taking another bite out of his sandwich. It was rare to receive a letter from the magical laws department. After further examination, he decided to open it.

His slender fingers pulled out the piece of paper and carefully unfolded it to reveal a neat and precise handwriting, which could only belong to Hermione. He read it, slowly, chewing on his lunch.

When he was done, he placed it back in the envelope and sighed painfully. Damned Hermione.

He brought his fist to the door and knocked twice. The dooe flung open and he walked in, head helf high. The first thing he laid his eyes on was Hermione, in her big girl chief of department chair. Then, he noticed a figure sited on the chairs facing Hermione. The man's hair was dark, and messy, and his outfit was one of an Auror.

Draco sat down in the available chair and bit the inside of his cheek, feeling Potter's gaze on his side.

"Okay." started Hermione. "As you both know, I'm runing for the throne in two months. I have many, many chances of winning, of course, but it all needs a little push. The Gods be blessed, something fell under my attention and I decided that it would be just the good kind of push." Her manucured hand pushed a document to them. The two men bent over to read it. Illegal dragon trade suspected, ex Death Eaters involved. "It would greatly benefit all three of us. Believe me, I thought about it quite a while. Harry, look, your popularity will only rise and people will finally see you as a worthy Auror, not just the boy-who-lived. For you Draco, your family's name will shine again, brightly and under positive lights. And me? My votes will go up." she continued as a smile appeared on her face.

Of course she knew that the two men would hate her for it. She also knew that they would do the job well and quickly and they really were the only ones she could trust with this. Quite frankly, she would have preferred to have someone like Neville do the work but he wasn't available for the call, nor experienced enough. She could see Harry's mood worsening as she spoke. Draco's face was blank, though, as usual.

"Come on boys. It won't be so bad. " she added, with a small laugh. Handing them the pile of information she already had about the case, she stood up. "Now off you go, boys!" And out they were.

They both stood outside of her door, awkwardly standing in the corridor. None of them talked. They just glanced at the floor, confused. It had happened fast and they hadn't even had the time to say a thing. Harry bit his lip and looked back at Draco, who seemed unbothered, as always. His anger took an unexpected sharp turn, coming back in waves.

Draco's voice broke the silence. "We should both study these before doing anything else." he said. Spliting the pile of documents in half, he handed one to Harry. "I think you know where to find me. I will send you a note when I'm done with these." he finished. Harry took the documents, nodding, and watched Malfoy leave gracefully.

Maybe it wasn't going to be that bad.

.

Two days later, the two men had agreed to meet at Harry's office. A loud bang at the door made the toung man jump. Yelling a simple 'come in', he sighed and looked back down at the documents.

It was a mess. The bits and pieces they had made no sense and he couldn't make a body out of it. The story was simple though. An illegal trade of dragons had formed at the border and it seemed to be way bigger than what they had anticipated.

"Potter." said a raspy voice. Harry flinched and looked upwards, to find Malfoy standing in the middle of his office.

"Malfoy." he responded in a low voice, his mood droping considerably. "Got anything?" he asked.

Draco sat and dropped his pile of papers next to Harry's. "Some names, some species, some locations, but its a mess. It really makes no sense and I don't quite know what to make out of it all."

Harry's lips curved upwards in a disdainful smile. "For once, something smart comes out of your mouth, ferret." he spat out, his hand gripping his coffee mug tightly. Malfoy's look of anger made him a little more amused.

"Fuck off, scarhead." he responded. "I was worried you were too thick to even read these papers." he added, causing Harry's smirk to disappear.

Without a word, the two men read some papers over and then, Harry broke the silence. "Fucking hell, this is madness." Malfoy's slight nod only made him gloomier and he sighed. "We need an actual source. Something solid. And that isn't it." he continued. Draco's eyes met his. "Let's put up some peace trade. Else we're going to spent months on this and I've already got a headache."

Draco's nod made him roll his eyes but he guessed it was better than a snarky comment.

A/N. Part 3 is up!