#I wish there were a cleaner answer to this kind of thing

[deoidesign]

Can you make a tutorial on how you world build and make ocs? I can't seem to make any people in my brain, but then when I try to come up with environments jobs, beliefs and little details to slowly come up with someone, I think: well I don't really know how people have influenced the world- it's a weird loop

To be honest, I don't think I can! Writing is an extremely personal process. The way I write is directly related to how I process things, what I find important in stories, years of my own analysis of my and other's writing, etc... The way you write will be unique to you, as well. But I can explain how I personally think of it.

The short answer:

Write. Write anything and everything, it's a tool to explore your ideas. Analyze your own writing, and write more. Then, as you discover which ideas you want to develop, write more to explore them more. You won't know what you want otherwise!

The long answer:

I think this kind of loop is common. It's easy to feel like everything needs to be done "at once," because our job as writers is to make elements logically fit with each other for our readers. But as you've discovered, developing multiple elements simultaneously isn't really possible, or at least is extremely difficult.

Personally, when I think of writing, I break it into three major elements; characters, world, and plot. As much as possible every scene explores one or more of these, and as much as possible these three things tie back into what I personally consider most important: theme.

Everything I do is in service of the themes I want to present. Without them my events feel aimless. It can take a while to discover them, but they're the core of my work. You will have to discover what you feel is the core of yours. Analyzing other media helps with this too.

Concepts in your brain exist in a state of infinite potential. But when you start writing you have to start making choices, which removes potential as you move forward... But you have to move forward anyways. If there's ideas you want to explore later, you can always explore them later.

What this ends up meaning, to answer your question, is that I don't think of my characters as "people in my brain" or my worlds as something people have influenced... Not at their core, at least. They are tools that I use to represent specific ideas. Obviously they're also my blorbos, but mostly they're serving a specific narrative purpose.

So above all else... Write. Write, and discover what you're writing about, and then start over and write with that in mind. Keep doing this. But you have to write!

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Any thoughts on the mystery behind the Veil of Death and the three brothers?

ana-lyz: So... What does it mean to be the Master of Death in HP universe? And like what does being MOD mean specifically for Harry?

Okay, funny thing is I got the first of your asks like an hour after I added to my drafts a post titled "Master of Death", so I was just thinking about it. And then I started answering it and you sent the second ask, so, great minds think alike, I guess.

Long post ahead:

The Veil, Death, and its Master

I'm going to cover what we know from the books, my opinions on it, and some of my evidence-based headcanons, since there is a lot of speculation on my part.

The Afterlife and the Veil

So, I wanna talk a bit about death, as it appears in the Harry Potter books. We know an afterlife exists in the HP world both when Harry dies and when he speaks to Nearly Headless Nick after Sirius dies.

I want to start with the scene in Deathly Hallows in the King's Cross limbo. Specifically these few sections:

Barely had the wish formed in his head than robes appeared a short distance away. He took them and put them on. They were soft, clean, and warm. It was extraordinary how they had appeared just like that, the moment he had wanted them. . . . He stood up, looking around. Was he in some great Room of Requirement?

(DH, 596)

“Where are we, exactly?” “Well, I was going to ask you that,” said Dumbledore, looking around. “Where would you say that we are?” Until Dumbledore had asked, Harry had not known. Now, however, he found that he had an answer ready to give. “It looks,” he said slowly, “like King’s Cross station. Except a lot cleaner and empty, and there are no trains as far as I can see.” “King’s Cross station!” Dumbledore was chuckling immoderately. “Good gracious, really?” “Well, where do you think we are?” asked Harry, a little defensively. “My dear boy, I have no idea. This is, as they say, your party.”

(DH, 601)

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?” Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry’s ears even though the bright white mist was descending again, obscuring his figure. “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?

(DH, 610)

I don't think this place Harry was in is the Afterlife, or even connected to the Afterlife. I think it is in Harry's head. Harry having complete control over it, actually calling it out as behaving like the Room of Requirement, Dumbledore not knowing where they are until Harry knows where they are, etc. All this doesn't fit with it being a limbo on the way to death and the figure there being the real Dumbledore. Dumbledore, throughout this scene, acts kind of strange, way more helpful and finally says all the right things Harry wants to hear.

Not-Dumbledore himself tells Harry he already knows everything he explains to him:

“Explain,” said Harry. “But you already know,” said Dumbledore. He twiddled his thumbs together

(DH, 597)

So, I truly believe it isn't really happening. That this isn't death and it isn't Dumbledore. throughout the scene, Dumbledore doesn't actually give Harry new information Harry couldn't guess on his own. He's just going over things Harry already knew and creating a nice narrative out of them. At some points, he asks Harry what he thinks, and only starts explaining once Harry knows the answer (or what he wants the answer to be). I think this is Harry's subconscious coping and not actual death.

Additionally, there's the disturbing baby Voldemort thing. Now, the real Voldemort is still alive, so contrary to what Not-Dumbledore says, it isn't actually Tom Riddle:

“Oh yes!” said Dumbledore. “Yes, he destroyed it. Your soul is whole, and completely your own, Harry.” “But then . . . ” Harry glanced over his shoulder to where the small, maimed creature trembled under the chair. “What is that, Professor?” “Something that is beyond either of our help,” said Dumbledore

(DH, 598)

What I believe it is, is the soul in the Horcrux in Harry. Separated from Harry's own soul within his mind. That's the only thing it can be, in my opinion. I don't believe the soul shards in the Horcruxes could pass into an afterlife, or even to limbo. They were created to be bound to life and passing away is against their very nature (unless, maybe, if you throw them through the veil).

Besides all these oddities in the scene, it just doesn't make sense for Dumbledore to be there. Nearly Headless Nick gives some insight about death and the Afterlife:

“He will not come back,” repeated Nick quietly. “He will have . . . gone on.” “What d’you mean, ‘gone on’?” said Harry quickly. “Gone on where? Listen — what happens when you die, anyway? Where do you go? Why doesn’t everyone come back? Why isn’t this place full of ghosts? Why — ?” “I cannot answer,” said Nick. “You’re dead, aren’t you?” said Harry exasperatedly. “Who can answer better than you?” “I was afraid of death,” said Nick. “I chose to remain behind. I sometimes wonder whether I oughtn’t to have . . . Well, that is neither here nor there. . . . In fact, I am neither here nor there. . . .” He gave a small sad chuckle. “I know nothing of the secrets of death, Harry, for I chose my feeble imitation of life instead. I believe learned wizards study the matter in the Department of Mysteries —”

(OotP, 861)

From the way Nick speaks, ghosts are caught between life and death, part of them remains among the living while the rest moves on. Ghosts live in limbo, unable to be alive or dead. From his words, it also implies the properly dead, those who chose to move on, stay dead. They stay gone.

If that's the case, how could Dumbledore come to greet Harry in limbo? He's dead, truly gone, and death has no exceptions. There is no reason Dumbledore could speak to Harry in limbo and his parents won't. Once you're dead, you reach the afterlife and there you stay.

So I don't think the white King's Cross in Harry's death vision was connected to the afterlife, nor was it the real Dumbledore there. So, what is the actual afterlife?

Well, we don't really know. But, I can cover what we do know about the nature of death in the HP universe.

From Nick's words, the afterlife is the better option, than becoming a ghost. Nick describes ghosts as imprints left behind, but imprints of what specifically?

I talked about this already when I discussed how to make Horcruxes, but in alchemy, everything is comprised of three things:

Sulfur - soul

Mercury - spirit (that binds the body and the soul)

Salt - body

A ghost doesn't have a body, and we know all that moves on to the afterlife is one's soul. Therefore, it stands to reason ghosts are an imprint of a soul, while the spirit leaves at the moment of death. That's what an Avada Kedavra does, it removes the spirit, the connection between the body and the soul. That's how it kills instantly and without a trace.

So, when someone passes into the afterlife, it's their soul that passes away.

What about the echoes of Harry's parents and Cedric in Voldemort's wand during the duel in the graveyard?

Well, they're dead, they moved on, so it can't be their soul. The figures aren't even described the same way as ghosts or diary Tom, figures we know are made of souls:

and then something much larger began to blossom from Voldemort’s wand tip, a great, grayish something, that looked as though it were made of the solidest, densest smoke. . . . It was a head . . . now a chest and arms . . . the torso of Cedric Diggory. the dense shadow of a second head, If ever Harry might have released his wand from shock, it would have been then, but instinct kept him clutching his wand tightly, so that the thread of golden light remained unbroken, even though the thick gray ghost of Cedric Diggory (was it a ghost? it looked so solid) emerged in its entirety from the end of Voldemort’s wand, as though it were squeezing itself out of a very narrow tunnel . . . and this shade of Cedric stood up, and looked up and down the golden thread of light, and spoke.

(GoF, 665-666)

Their bodies are buried, and Cedric's is just lying there, neither are they physical enough to be bodies. I believe this is their spirit. Remember what I said about the Killing Curse just now, it severs the tie, and as such, it keeps the spirit. So, Harry is speaking to his parents' spirit, the echoes of their lives, not souls.

Now, let's talk about the veil. The veil is one of the most fascinating things introduced in the books, and the way it is introduced is fascinating on its own, but that's for later. The veil is a physical archway into the world of the dead.

The concept of such an entrance exists in multiple mythologies. In Greek mythology, many heroes (Odysseus, Orpheus, Heracles, Theseus, etc.) all travel through the underworld in one way or another, this is why the hero's journey goes through the underworld, it's very common. In Mesopotamian mythology, Gilgamesh and Ishtar both travel to the underworld. The point is, a gateway into the afterlife you can travel through, is a concept humanity has been toying with for millennia.

What's interesting is that, like Thestrals, those who've seen death (Harry, Luna, and Neville) can hear whispers from it. They experience it differently from others who haven't witnessed death (Ron, Hermione, and Ginny) who feel unnerved by it (although, Neville and Luna react differently from Harry, but more on that later). Not much more can be said about it, except that unlike all these gates into the underworld from myths, the veil is meant to be a one-way ticket.

In general, the afterlife in the Wizarding World is a one-way passage. Once you're gone, you're gone. Hence the closest thing to proper necromancy they have is creating inferi, which are soulless since the soul can't be pulled back from the afterlife.

The veil was also there before the Ministry of Magic, which was built around it. My guess is that some ancient wizards made it, and how or why were forgotten over time.

As the Peverell brothers were born around the 1210s and the Ministry of Magic was founded in 1707, it's possible, that the same Peverells from the story have built the veil. I actually think it's quite likely.

Death Himself

The idea of death personified is just as old and prevalent in many myths and cultures as a gateway leading into the afterlife. Whether Death, as a being, exists in the Wizarding World, I'm uncertain, but I don't think it's likely.

God-like spirits like Death feel out of place in the world in a way. Like, having a pantheon of gods feels wrong for the world of Harry Potter. It feels out of place with the established lore and magic. We don't see any evidence of wizarding society having any kind of unique religion in which such beings exist. Death, in the tale, is also described as similar to a dementor, making the idea that the author based Death's appearance on that of a dementor plausible.

That being said, Death's similarity to dementors could be the other way around. As in, the dementors look like death because of their connection to him. And, Death from the Tale doesn't really act like a god. How he behaves and is spoken of in the Tale of the Three Brothers reminds me a lot of a fae-like creature. Like, a powerful being who's a trickster that twists your wishes into something that he can use against you.

However I look at it, I still don't feel a being like this would fit in the world of Harry Potter, it feels wrong to add gods (or fae) in there. We don't see any hint that such beings might exist, which makes me feel they don't. So, I don't really think a personification of Death as appearing in the tale actually exists, but they do have an afterlife, as established above.

The Peverells and the Hallows

So we all know the legend about the three Peverell brothers who cheated death and received his gifts. Dumbledore (the one Harry imagines in his death fever dream) is certain it went down a little differently. That the tale is to explain incredibly powerful magical artifacts made by extraordinary wizards:

“Oh yes, I think so. Whether they met Death on a lonely road . . . I think it more likely that the Peverell brothers were simply gifted, dangerous wizards who succeeded in creating those powerful objects. The story of them being Death’s own Hallows seems to me the sort of legend that might have sprung up around such creations.

(DH, 602)

While it's not really Dumbledore and more Harry's own mind, I agree with him the Peverell brothers were probably no run-of-the-mill wizards, and I agree it's unlikely they've met Death, as I don't believe he exists.

Now, all the Hallows have a sentience to them beyond just any magical artifact. Even the wand is more sentient than any other wand, which are already quite sentient ("the wand chooses the wizard").

The wand of the first brother is a Hallow I already wrote about how it chooses its master. It is a wand intrinsically connected with death, having a core of Thestral hair. (I wonder if a core from a Thestral would agree to work for a wizard who hasn't seen death, but I digress)

This wand is actually the least impressive Hallow, in my opinion. Even though it said to be unbeatable:

Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor

(DH, 352)

Its user is beaten quite often, that's how the wand changes owners, after all. This wand's tendency for even more sentience than other wands is what is particularly unique about it. How it chooses its master repeatedly, and sometimes even decides it prefers another over its current master, something unheard of for any other wand.

The Resurrection Stone has the supposed ability to pull a soul imprint from the afterlife:

“Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered.

(DH, 352)

Something that I just discussed above should be impossible. Once dead and in the afterlife, nothing comes back out. Harry uses it as well for the same purpose and describes them as being similar to Tom from the diary:

They were neither ghost nor truly flesh, he could see that. They resembled most closely the Riddle that had escaped from the diary so long ago, and he had been memory made nearly solid. less substantial than living bodies, but much more than ghosts, they moved toward him, and on each face, there was the same loving smile.

(DH, 589)

Because that's what the stone brings back, echoes of souls, but they aren't what Tom Riddle was in CoS.

“We are part of you,” said Sirius. “Invisible to anyone else.”

(DH, 590)

This line, made me believe the resurrection stone does something different than its name suggests and more similar to the lie Tom in the diary told Harry. They aren't souls, they're memories, echoes from within Harry himself. "Memory made solid"

Magic, in the world of Harry Potter, can't bring back someone who has moved on to the afterlife. It's a one-way ticket, as I've established before, once your soul moves on, that's it (if you try to resurrect someone immediately after they died and their soul hasn't yet moved on it's a different story). So I think, these shades are based on Harry's memories, and not actual souls brought back. It'll make more sense magically since his thoughts and memories are there, but the souls have gone on.

It also makes the tale of the second brother make more sense. He suffered because it wasn't really his wife that came back, but a shade based on his own memory. The tale said that she suffered, but I think it was Cadmus who suffered, not truly having her back. However, depending on how she died, her suffering might've been his memories of her that the stone resurrected, or the tale made it all up just like it made up Death.

The stone is just as picky about its master as the wand. It does not seem to have worked for anyone other than Cadmus Peverell and Harry himself. We don't hear of any Gaunts who used the stone, nor do we hear from Dumbledore he succeded in using it (I don't think it's actually Dumbledore in the conversation in King's Cross as I mentioned above). Regardless, I think the real Dumbledore probably did try to use it, and I will hazard a guess he failed. Since the stone didn't choose him.

The Cloak is unique in many ways. Lasting centuries, way longer than any invisibility cloak can, passing from parent to child for generations. It also does a better job of concealing you than another invisibility cloak, if, it still has its limits:

“...We are talking about a cloak that really and truly renders the wearer completely invisible, and endures eternally, giving constant and impenetrable concealment, no matter what spells are cast at it. How many cloaks have you ever seen like that, Miss Granger?”

(DH, 354)

The cloak is similar to the other Hallows in how picky it is regarding its master. The cloak wouldn't belong to anyone who just possesses it, it's not enough. It has to be passed willingly on the owner's deathbed, as they greet death as an old friend. It means that in the books, no one but Harry could be its owner.

All artifacts are powerful, but they aren't capable of anything that breaks the laws of nature (as the stone doesn't really resurrect), they are also sentient and picky, but it isn't something beyond the capacity of wizards. Why, we know of four wizards who made three sentient magical artifacts already — The Hogwarts founders.

The four founders enchanted the sorting hat together, but more relevant to the discussion of the Hallows are the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance.

At the precise moment that a child first exhibits signs of magic, the Quill, which is believed to have been taken from an Augurey, floats up out of its inkpot and attempts to inscribe the name of that child upon the pages of the Book (Augurey feathers are known to repel ink and the inkpot is empty; nobody has ever managed to analyse precisely what the silvery fluid flowing from the enchanted Quill is). Those few who have observed the process (several headmasters and headmistresses have enjoyed spending quiet hours in the Book and Quill’s tower, hoping to catch them in action) agree that the Quill might be judged more lenient than the Book. A mere whiff of magic suffices for the Quill. The Book, however, will often snap shut, refusing to be written upon until it receives sufficiently dramatic evidence of magical ability.

(from pottermore)

The idea of multiple sentient, powerful magical artifacts that need to agree is something wizards are capable of. And that, I think, is the secret to becoming the Master of Death — having all 3 Hallows pick you. Just like the book and quill need to agree a student should be admitted to Hogwarts.

Master of Death

Or more specifically what does that actually mean and why I think even if someone retrieved all 3 Hallows they wouldn't have become the Master of Death if their name isn't Harry James Potter.

This is definitely more in the headcanon territory, but the first scene that really made me think about it is the one in the Death Chamber in the Department of Mysteries. Because I think Harry and death always had a weird connection, it might've been around before the failed killing curse, and it was definitely around before Harry mastered all 3 Hallows.

So, why do I think Harry was always bound to be the Master of Death, and even if Dumbledore or Voldemort had all the Hallows it wouldn't have helped them?

There, are a few things that led me to this conclusion.

First, as I mentioned above, the cloak can not belong to anyone other than Harry in the books. It means that no one but Harry could master all of the Deathly Hallows, regardless of what they did.

Second, This first scene in the Death Chamber with the veil. I'll copy parts of it below and ask you to note, as you read, that Harry, Neville, and Luna are the only three who can see Thestrals and therefore should react more to the veil:

“Who’s there?” said Harry, jumping down onto the bench below. There was no answering voice, but the veil continued to flutter and sway. “Careful!” whispered Hermione. ... He had the strangest feeling that there was someone standing right behind the veil on the other side of the archway. ... “Let’s go,” called Hermione from halfway up the stone steps. “This isn’t right, Harry, come on, let’s go. . . .” She sounded scared, much more scared than she had in the room where the brains swam, yet Harry thought the archway had a kind of beauty about it, old though it was. The gently rippling veil intrigued him; he felt a very strong inclination to climb up on the dais and walk through it. “Harry, let’s go, okay?” said Hermione more forcefully. “Okay,” he said, but he did not move. He had just heard something. There were faint whispering, murmuring noises coming from the other side of the veil. “What are you saying?” he said very loudly, so that the words echoed all around the surrounding stone benches. “Nobody’s talking, Harry!” said Hermione, now moving over to him. “Someone’s whispering behind there,” he said, moving out of her reach and continuing to frown at the veil. “Is that you, Ron?” “I’m here, mate,” said Ron, appearing around the side of the archway. “Can’t anyone else hear it?” Harry demanded, for the whispering and murmuring was becoming louder; without really meaning to put it there, he found his foot was on the dais. “I can hear them too,” breathed Luna, joining them around the side of the archway and gazing at the swaying veil. “There are people in there!” .... “Sirius,” Harry repeated, still gazing, mesmerized, at the continuously swaying veil. “Yeah . . .” ... On the other side, Ginny and Neville were staring, apparently entranced, at the veil too.

(OotP, 773-775)

The interesting to note:

Luna, who can see Thestrals, also hears the whispering. I assume Neville does too.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny are mesmerized but unnerved by the veil. Ron and Hermione seem to fight this memorization in their fear for Harry as he nears the veil.

Harry is the only one who is drawn to the veil He is the only one that moved, the only one whose feet take him against his will to the dias with the veil.

Harry thinks of it as oddly beautiful.

He has an urge to pass through that no one else does. All of them are frozen in place.

Harry is so affected he needs to be reminded twice that he's there to save Sirius before he can draw himself away from the veil.

Third, later in the book, after Sirius fell through the veil, there's this part:

He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps. Sirius must be just behind the curtain, he, Harry, would pull him back out again. . . . But as he reached the ground and sprinted toward the dais, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back. “There’s nothing you can do, Harry —” “Get him, save him, he’s only just gone through!” “It’s too late, Harry —” “We can still reach him —” Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go. . . . “There’s nothing you can do, Harry . . . nothing. . . . He’s gone.”

(OotP, 806)

Harry's instinct to go through the veil to get Sirius out is so odd. The way he thinks that he himself can pull him out, not anyone else, but he... I don't know, but, this scene is interesting. It almost makes me feel Harry could pull Sirius back out. He defied death already once and will defy it again in the 7th book, so why not? Why wouldn't he be able to pull someone back from beyond the veil if they fell through just now (the timing is relevant, I don't think Hary could pull, say, his parents out).

My headcanon is that in that very moment if Lupin let Harry pull Sirius out, it would've worked. Caused a pandemonium about the fact Harry can apparently resurrect the dead (even if it's not really what he did), but that it would've worked. (I actually really want to write a fic like this)

Fourth, throughout the 7th book, once Harry finds out about the Hallows, he can't let the thought go. He knows his cloak is one, he is convinced the stone is in the snitch Dumbledore left him, way before he opened it. He just has a sense about it, and a fixation on it that's almost instinct:

Dumbledore had left the sign of the Hallows for Hermione to decipher, and he had also, Harry remained convinced of it, left the Resurrection Stone hidden in the golden Snitch. Neither can live while the other survives. . . master of Death. . . Why didn’t Ron and Hermione understand? “‘The last enemy shall be destroyed is death,”’ Harry quoted calmly

(DH, 374-375)

So, these are my reasons why I believe Harry is the only character in the books that could or would be the MOD. It's just that he always was, in a way. The Hallows already chose him before he ever held any of them.

But what does it mean to be the Master of Death?

“Well, of course not,” said Xenophilius, maddeningly smug. “That is a children’s tale, told to amuse rather than to instruct. Those of us who understand these matters, however, recognize that the ancient story refers to three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death.” ... “When you say ‘master of Death’—” said Ron. “Master,” said Xenophilius, waving an airy hand. “Conqueror. Vanquisher. Whichever term you prefer.”

(DH, 353)

We don't really get much besides this. Along with what's written on James and Lily's grave:

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

(DH, 283)

Harry believes all phrases, along with the prophecy are connected and lead him to believe he should become the Master of Death:

Three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death. . . Master. . . Conqueror. . . Vanquisher. . . The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. . . . And he saw himself, possessor of the Hallows, facing Voldemort, whose Horcruxes were no match. . . Neither can live while the other survives. . . Was this the answer?

(DH, 369-370)

So what can the Master of Death do? Death isn't a personified deity, what is defeating or contouring death mean? Does it mean immortality?

I don't know if I'll say full immortality, I think the Master of Death can die the same way Ignotus Peverell did. I think Ignotus Peverell was the first Master of Death, in a way, he at least represented the concept:

And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life

(DH, 352)

He was death's equal, he could escape it and live a fulfilling life, before choosing to meet Death on his own terms. I think that's what it means, that Death won't find Harry until he is ready to move on, and when he finally chooses to move on, Death would greet him with open arms.

The crux of it is the choice. That death can't touch you until you choose to allow it. And those who become Masters of Death, would always eventually choose to greet death, as these are the type of people the 3 Hallows would choose. It's all about choices.

(For the record, yes, I think there could be more than one MOD, I think Ignotus was until his death, and then in the books, Harry is)

And considering how much emphasis is put on choices and intentions in the magic of this world, it seems only right to be so relevant here too.

Like with the Mirror or Erised, which only let someone who wanted to have the Philosopher's Stone but not use it, have it; the Hallows won't choose a master who wouldn't, eventually, be willing to accept death. Because mastering death, isn't only not dying, it's understanding it, and accepting it. Both the deaths of others and eventually your own.

Also, as I mentioned above, I headcanon that Harry could pull Sirius out the moment he fell in through the veil. I don't think anyone but Harry could. I believe, as a Master of Death, Harry is the only wizard (well, being) that can go into the afterlife, walk past the veil, and come back out. A Master of Death is the only one who the afterlife isn't a one-way ticket for.

(Although, I think it's possible that if you wear the invisibility cloak you might be able to pass into the veil and come out even without being the MOD, but, I wouldn't bet on it)

Summary of my thoughts

The afterlife exists in the Wizarding World and nothing that passes beyond the veil can return. It's a one-way ticket.

The scene in Deathly Hallows with Dumbledore in King's Cross station limbo didn't actually happen.

Death, as a deity of sorts most likely doesn't exist.

The Peverell brothers were powerful wizards who made the Deathly Hallows and perhaps the veil too.

The Resurrection stone can't bring a soul back from beyond the veil so it does the next best thing — reviving an illusion of a memory.

All 3 Deathly Hallows are very sentient magical artifacts like the sorting hat. Each of them is very picky when choosing its own master.

When all 3 Hallows choose the same master, this person is the Master of Death.

Being the Master of Death means the MOD won't die until the time of their choice. But the MOD will always choose to die eventually because that's the kind of person the Hallows would pick.

There can, over time, be more than one MOD (not at the same time though). And it's possible Ignotus Peverell was one, in a way.

The MOD might be the only person who can go into the veil and come back out.

The invisibility cloak might also allow you to make a trip into the veil and then back out.

[hannahbarberra162]

Can't Fix Fix A Broken Heart

Now on Ao3

All chapters

This is my first OP fanfic. I love the Whitebeard Pirates and I wish Whitebeard was my dad. I HC Ace does sometimes talk like Luffy but only around other WBP and / or people he feels very comfortable with. TW: reader has significant trauma, will be explained in later chapters. let me know if you like it!

Synopsis - you are an anxious bar cleaner with a practical but otherwise uninteresting Devil Fruit. You're free from your past - until today. Can your new friends help you? Or do they just want to keep you for themselves?

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Letting yourself through the backdoor of the bar, you sighed heavily to yourself. The bar was more destroyed than usual - and that was saying a lot because it usually looked like a hurricane had come through and destroyed half the place. Looking at the few remaining kegs of booze on the shelves behind the bar, you could guess why. It looked like there had been quite a rager last night and it had gotten rowdy. Taking another deep breath, you went to get the broom in the cleaning closet. Waiting around wasn’t going to get the bar any cleaner. “The Brothers Bar” had gotten a reputation for being able to take whatever damage the customers decided to do, and you weren’t sure that was a good thing. 

The rays of sunshine streaming through the windows highlighted the dust in the air. You opened the unscreened windows as wide as you could to let in the refreshing, cool morning breeze. Like you did every morning, you put on your work apron and started by sweeping up what you easily could. It was a way for you to survey the damage done the night before and mentally prepare yourself for the tasks at hand. Sweeping up the broken glass, debris, dirt and was that a pineapple fruit crown? You looked about and in the corner, there was an immense pile of broken table legs and cracked table tops all in a heap. What had happened? A table throwing contest? Just one more thing for you to do. At least they were in a pile.

After you swept the small stuff into a dustpan and threw it away, you walked over to the pile of debris. It would be easier to clean the floor once all the large furniture was out of the way. Walking over, you saw something unusual - a large black boot sticking out of the pile. You carefully peered closer and it seemed the boot was attached to a leg. Sucking in a gasp, you slowly reached out to touch the leg. You had never seen anyone in the bar in the morning - the brothers always cleared out any patrons at the end of the night. Was the person dead? Would you have to deal with a dead body? You hadn’t seen anyone dead in a while and always hoped it would be a while longer. 

Your questions were quickly answered as your fingertips touched the smooth leg sticking out of the pile. The leg jerked back, and the person attached to the leg let out a huge yawn. Arms dusted in freckles rose out of the pile as a young man sat up and did a large morning stretch. Your eyes widened as he reached behind him with lingering sleepiness and reached for a black cowboy hat with some faces on it. He yawned again, put it on his head, and looked at you with a crooked smile on his handsome face. 

“G’mornin’”

You stared at the younger man. He had…slept in that pile of broken wood? He didn’t even seem confused or upset by his waking circumstances? He was starting to sit up, mildly scratching at his unclothed chest and stretching his torso. He seemed perfectly at ease and started brushing wood shavings off of his shorts. 

You backed away instinctively - anyone coming near you was enough to have you taking a few steps back just in case. A moment later, he looked at you again and smiled guiltily. You didn’t know what to say or do, so you did what came naturally: you laughed. A huge belly laugh - the kind you hadn’t made in a long time. He looked back at you surprised and flashed a genuine smile that made him seem much younger. 

Now that the young man was awake, you thought you recognized him. He was very handsome - dark black hair hanging in soft waves framing his face, soft dusting of freckles, big bright eyes looking your way. But what identified him for you was the “ASCE” tattoo along his arm and the giant Whitebeard tattoo across his entire back.

��You’re…hmm….Fire First Ace, right?”

“Yep.”

“Why are you here?”

“We’re on the island getting supplies for the Moby Dick.”

“No, I figured that. I meant, why are you in this bar right now? You should have been kicked out with everyone else last night.”

The young man shrugged his shoulders, seemingly unperturbed by the circumstance.

“I fell asleep and I guess no one saw me, so here I am.”

You didn’t really know what to say to him. He just…fell asleep? Usually the bar was raucous and you couldn’t imagine sleeping in a pile of lumber. You glanced at him sitting on the pile of rubble and he looked so….young. He was staring off into the distance not looking at anything. He looked a little lost and sad and cute and a bit like….but you didn’t have time to think about that right now. You generally were a solid judge of character and you had a pretty good feeling about Ace. Ultimately it didn’t matter since you had work to do and he didn’t seem to be interested in causing you harm for the moment. 

“Hey, get out of that pile. If you sit down at the bar I’ll make you my most amazing hangover cure.”

“Who says I’m hungover?” Ace said with a hand over his eyes, shielding them from the light.

“Just a hunch after a few hangovers of my own,” you said smiling again. “C’mere. I’ll make you a drink and then I have to get back to work. You can stay here for a few.”

Ace did one more stretch of his back and started meandering over to the bar and sat on a bar stool. “Sheesh,” he said, running his hand on the back of his neck. “I don’t remember us doing such a one over on this place. It looks like a shipwreck.”

You hummed but you were already behind the bar, grabbing the ingredients you would need. Lemon, honey, vinegar, chili peppers, seltzer, and of course, your secret ingredient. Mixing them all together, you handed the young man the beverage in a clean glass, which he accepted. You also handed him another glass of plain water.

“What is it? Looks like shit” Ace asked warily, swirling the beverage.

“Tastes like it too, but it’s the best hangover cure around. Chug it, then drink the water. Wait 5 minutes and tell me you don’t feel better.”

Ace must have decided the headache was the worse of the two, so he tipped back his glass and chugged the beverage. Afterwards, he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and stuck his tongue out making a face. “Absolutely disgusting!” “Yep, now the water.” He grimaced but chugged the water as well. After he was done he handed back the glasses and was still sticking his tongue out. You chuckled lightly and started to clean them behind the bar.

You couldn’t help yourself, he reminded you so much of one of your brothers. You teased him saying “you know, if you keep that up your face will get stuck like that.”

Ace grinned and said “haven’t heard something like that in a long time. So, what’s your name anyway? Since you already know that I’m Ace.”

“I’m Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, and thank you for the drink. I do actually feel better already.” You smiled warmly at him and moved back to the floor to start the real work of the day. 

“Do you need any help?” Ace asked, tilting his head to the side. “I can see how clearing this would take you all day. You’re…not very tall, I can’t imagine you lifting all that. Besides, you look pretty tired.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know I’m barely below average height on my home island! And besides, nah, I’m OK. Just sit for a few more moments and let the drink work its magic.”

With that, you continued walking towards the pile of broken tables and chairs. You held out your hand, crossed your index and middle finger and touched one of the pieces of the tabletop. Quickly, the broken pieces of the table flew together and combined themselves into their former state as if nothing had ever happened. You were a devil fruit user of a very practical fruit - the Fix Fix fruit. You had the ability to fix almost anything - tables, chairs, floors, roofs, forks, clothes, anything really. You had even started pushing the boundaries of your fruit and were able to “fix” broken bones and simple lacerations. You were how the bar went from destroyed to ready for business every night. 

Once all the debris was rearranged back into furniture, you looked back at Ace sheepishly. “See? Not a big deal. I do this all the time.”

Ace of course was known for having eaten the Flame Flame fruit - an interesting and useful fruit that had helped him become a famous Whitebeard Pirate with a huge bounty. By comparison, yours felt like the Loser Loser fruit. What was fixing some broken glasses compared with creating fireballs big enough to destroy ships and save your friends?

But Ace was transfixed on your work. His eyes were wide and he looked like he was watching you walk on water. You became a little embarrassed as he said nothing, so you turned away and started fixing the other furnishings in the bar that needed attention. 

“Is..is that your power? Your devil fruit power?”

“Y..y-eah. I know it’s not as amazing as yours but I can fix almost anything and it can sometimes come in hand-”

Ace didn’t let you finish your sentence before he was on his feet waving his arms and yelling

“DO YOU KNOW HOW HELPFUL THAT WOULD BE ON THE MOBY? OR EVEN ON THE MOBY JRS? Oh my God! We wouldn’t have to fix all those pipes! The pipes! Do you know how much time we spend fixing the goddamn pipes alone?! The sails wouldn’t require days and days of downtime to repair when they rip! We could fix the doors! The stairs! Can you fix broken Log Poses?! Do you know how many I’ve accidentally set on fire?! Come to the Moby please!"

Ace was clearly excited and eager to have you join in his happiness. But the noise of his sudden outburst made you flinch and shift your weight backward away from him as if getting ready to run. Your smile dropped and you looked at him with no expression on your face. Ace noticed your discomfort after a moment and held up his hands and said “hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just thinking out loud about how amazing that fruit power would be.” He sat himself back down on the stool as if to show he wouldn’t get closer. 

You didn’t blame him, you were a jumpy person. “It’s OK, I just haven’t seen anyone so excited about fixing tables before,” you shrugged and tried to lightly laugh off the awkwardness. You didn’t want to upset him - there was no telling what could set off a pirate. Especially one as strong as Ace. You wanted to show you weren’t upset with him - and you really weren’t. You were thankful he acknowledged your discomfort and settled down. So you decided to allow him to complete Step 2 of the Complete Hangover Cure if he so desired.

“Would you like to take a shower? It can also really help with hangovers, opening the blood vessels and all that.” 

“Hmmm…not too sure about that one.”

“You…smell…not great. You slept on the floor of the bar. There was a literal pissing contest here a few nights ago. I highly suggest you go shower. Come on, I’ll let you into the place upstairs.”

Ace narrowed his eyes, seemingly trying to determine if you were trying to catch him in a trap or use him in some kind of way. You must have passed the test because he agreed and bounded behind you as you led him up the stairs to your small apartment.

The Brothers were letting you live above the bar for the moment. It was great because they barely charged you any rent and you didn’t need much. It had a bedroom, a bathroom, and a very small living room big enough for a comfy chair and table, which was more than you had in years. Even though they were not always expressive, you thought they did care for you in their own way.

You let Ace into the apartment and showed him where clean towels, soap, and combs were. You really had to get back to work, so you told him just to come back downstairs when he was done. You also mentioned that you had half a loaf of bread on the table and eating some would be the final step to cure his hangover.

“Aren’t you worried I’m going to rob you or look through your things?” Ace questioned as you started to walk towards the door. He was giving you a strange look, like you were trying to trick him.

“No? I don’t have anything worth stealing. I don’t have any money or valuables. I mean, I would be annoyed if you stole the book I’m reading but I can always borrow another copy.” You left Ace in your apartment and went down the stairs. You heard the water running down the pipes so you knew Ace had at least started the shower. After his shower, you’d tell him to leave and come back when the bar was open - you’d be long gone and the Brothers could deal with all this nonsense. 

You were reflecting on what a strange morning it had been, but things needed to be done. You were really behind schedule now after dealing with Ace all morning. You started cleaning again when you heard knocking on the thick wooden door at the entrance of the bar. You looked at the clock - it still wasn’t close to opening time and the Brothers all had keys to the back door - so who was it? 

With a groan, you pushed a heavy bar stool towards the door. Since the Brothers owned the bar and had never hired anyone but you, they had put the lock where it was convenient for them. Which meant it was inconvenient for you since they were all at least two and a half feet taller than you were. Again, you were almost perfectly average size on your island! It wasn’t your fault all these people were so tall. 

After pushing the stool, you stood up on it and reached to open the old lock. “Just a second!” you called out, hoping the person on the other side wouldn’t push the door in causing you to fall. You heard deep voices talking on the other side of the door and for a moment you regretted opening it at all. But you got down off the stool and moved it aside. Grabbing the iron door handle and pulling it with most of your strength, you managed to crack the door about a foot open. 

There was a group of three men looking down at you. You smiled up at them politely and said “Hi, the bar isn’t open right now. You can come back again later when we are” and tried to shut the door.

One of the men, who had a funny hairstyle not unlike a pineapple, smiled back at you with half closed eyes and put his hand casually on the door, keeping it open. He said

 “We’re actually just looking for our brother-yoi. We couldn't find him and this was the last place we saw him.”

You weren’t sure what to do - you were almost positive they were on the same crew, but what if they weren’t? What if they wanted to hurt Ace? Wait, why did you care? Ace could handle himself. Taking the safest route, you asked “Who are you looking for?”

“Fire Fist Ace. He’s pretty short, black hair, freckles, charming, sleeps a lot.” The man, who you thought might be Marcott? Marcus? Something like that, you think you might’ve seen his picture a long time ago, held up Ace’s wanted poster to show a picture of him. 

“...um…” you were trying to stall for time to decide what to do. On one hand, you didn’t want anything bad to happen to Ace if they were bounty hunters or had a vendetta against him. On the other, you didn’t want to upset this new group of people you didn’t know. This is why you were the morning bar cleaner! You didn’t like to deal with conflict or these kind of issues. Why couldn’t one of the Brothers be here this morning? 

“Well, I’m the only person in the bar right now. I just clean here.” You decided to not exactly lie, but to obfuscate the truth just a little. It was true that you were the only person there - because you let Ace go upstairs to shower.

“Do you mind if we look around? We are getting worried about him - he can sleep in the strangest places.” The man wasn’t threatening you and he did seem genuinely concerned about Ace but you felt vulnerable and uncomfortable. You couldn’t think of a way to diffuse the situation easily so you just gave in. Maybe they would leave quickly?

“Sure, come on in,” you said as you pushed the door further open. The three men, politely waited until you moved out of the way and then followed you into the bar. All you had to do was hold out another 15 minutes and at least one Brother would probably be there to help you. The men were walking around the bar, looking a little puzzled.

“I thought Jozu accidentally smashed this table last night?” a man with a long mustache and black top hat said quietly to his companions. 

“Yeah, and Haruta definitely broke at least one chair.”

“They say this bar is magic and can fix anything inside it.” said a man wearing white with a yellow sash and a pompadour hairstyle with a grin.

“I’m not too sure about that,” said Pineapple Man while looking at you. You didn’t like him looking at you so you pretended to be giving all your attention to your cleaning. But when you heard the water in the pipes turn off, you glanced up out of habit. 

Pineapple Man followed your glance up and said with a small smile “Someone up there yoi?”

You swallowed harshly and felt a stiff pressure settle at the base of your neck. You were feeling unsettled and anxious. You just wanted everyone gone - and soon. Ace, these  men, everyone needed to be out of your comfort zone. There were too many people asking you too many questions.

“It’s not really any of your business. W-who are you guys anyway?” you settled on saying.

“We’re Whitebeard Commanders, I’m Marco. This is Thatch,” he said pointing to the man in white who smiled and waved, “and this is Vista,” jerking his thumb at the large gentleman who took off his top hat with a flourish. “We’re looking for Ace - he’s a Commander like us. Here, let me show you.” Marco then opened his shirt and showed a large tattoo that matched Ace’s, but Marco’s was on his chest. Your face flushed but you weren’t sure why. You’d seen many men shirtless before, but this felt weird. You were too out of sorts for people to be taking their clothes off.

Before you could respond, you could hear Ace hurtling himself down the stairs. Cringing at being caught not telling the truth, you went to go meet him at the door to the bar. Before he could enter the bar, you quietly said “Ace” so the others wouldn’t hear you “there are three men here looking for you.”

“Hmm? Who?” Ace replied, unconcerned. He was still shaking the water out of his hair, kind of like a wet dog.

“Do you know them? They said their names are Marco, Thatch and Vista.” 

Ace’s face lit up in a smile and said “oh yeah! My brothers! Wait till they meet you Y/N!”

His sudden shift in mood made you feel safer, but he also grabbed you by the forearm and brought you towards his brothers in the bar. You tried to recoil your arm but he held on tight. You were being pulled back towards the men - somewhat unwillingly. 

“Acey- boy!” Thatch exclaimed when he saw the young Commander. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your monthly shower?” he teased, eyeing Ace’s still wet hair.

“It hasn’t been that long,” Ace said, rolling his eyes. Ace started talking like an excited child about everything that happened thus far. It was a far cry from the cool and collected man of a few minutes ago.

“Y/N let me shower upstairs after I woke up here! I woke up in a pile of wood but she just laughed and wasn't mad at all. She was so nice, she made me this terrible drink that helped and I ate all the food in her apartment - literally, why don’t you have more food? Do you need more? All you had was that bread and I ate it. I feel kinda bad about that but now I feel great after you helped me fix my headache. And just wait until you see her Devil fruit powers! They could really help she can fix anything she fixed this shithole from everything we did last night in like two seconds….”

The longer Ace babbled the more anxious you were becoming. You started shifting your weight on your feet and trying to gently free your arm from Ace’s grasp again. You didn’t like being the center of conversation, you didn’t like strange men near you, and you most certainly didn’t like people discussing your fruit power like you weren’t even there. You wanted to run away and hide until they all left. You did eventually free your arm and you started to back away little by little from the group of men. You knew Marco saw you since he gave you an assessing look while saying “is that so?” and “interesting” at points in Ace’s story.

You heard the back door to the bar open and you breathed a sigh of relief. That had to be one of the Brothers coming in for the day. You still hadn’t finished everything but you just wanted to get away and come back when it was empty again. Oldest Brother came in, went behind the bar, filled a shot glass, tossed it back and grunted at you. He didn’t smile, didn’t say anything, and didn’t wish you a good morning. You hadn’t seen him for a few days since he had the weekend off. You felt better as things were going back to how they usually were. After his drink, he looked up to see the Whitebeard Commanders in the bar. He lifted the corners of his mouth until they weren’t locked into a frown and said “Vista. Long time no see, Brother.” 

Your day was not going to be getting any less weird it seemed.

[pocket-watcher]

Hero that is stronger than advertised and makes villains their servants in the manor that was generously given. Free labor and keeps them out of trouble, right?

We love a hero who helps rehabilitate villains out of the kindness of their heart.

No other reason.

Let me know what you think! :D

“It’s over. You’ve lost.” She cackled, manically, staring down at the crumpled mess of a body before her.

She’d been stronger than you thought. Much, much stronger. Impossibly quick, disassembling your machine and rendering you immobile in mere minutes.

She had a crazed look in their eye you’d only seen in the worst villains.

And that look was pointed right at you.

“You’re a hero, goddamn it. You’re… you’re not going to kill me… right?” You begged, struggling to keep consciousness. Your body was screaming in pain.

“Of course not, what do you think I am? A villain?” She laughed, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. “Oh… no no no. But you’ll be wishing I had…”

Everything went black.

Upon awaking the first thing you noticed was your healed wounds. You flexed your fingers cautiously, before lifting yourself to your feet, taking the time to look around the room.

It was modern, spacious. It would take at-least three good bank robberies for a space like this.

Then you realised your clothes had been replaced with formal attire. The collar of the shirt felt foreign around your neck, as did the dress shoes.

Who would have done this?!

Your question was quickly answered by the door opening.

“Another one… right, let’s get to it.”

Your eyes widened. You knew that voice.

You could never forget the voice of one of the most infamous jewel thieves in the entire city.

And here he was dressed like some sort of butler.

You stepped closer to him and realised he had an earpiece in and some strange chip implanted into his neck.

“What happened to you…?” You wondered, half asking him and half asking yourself as you reached towards the chip.

“STOP” a voice in your head commanded as you felt your thoughts silence instantly.

You scrambled away from him, fumbling to feel what you feared.

An earpiece you couldn’t take out.

A chip in a freshly closed wound on your neck.

“Now, then. Would you care to follow me?” He said, turning tail and leaving the room.

“FOLLOW.”

You were up and on your feet before you came back to your senses.

“So uh…” you looked around at the various villains working to keep the house in order: maids, cleaners, some simply standing at attention. “What is this?”

“This is your rehabilitation.” He said shortly. “You will work here.”

“What? To earn my freedom?”

He barked a laugh. “Goodness, no!”

The chip released a small amount of some chemical which made you feel happy. Floaty.

“You work to earn more of that.” He continued. “You’ll be working the front door. Be sure to great Mistress once she’s home and to get her anything she needs.”

You stopped as he continued up the stairs.

Mistress?

You stood for hours. Every time you tried to walk away, open the door, or simply sit down you found an order in your ear.

“STAND.”

“STAY.”

“OBEY.”

You felt yourself slipping more and more into a rhythm, until the door opened and you saw her.

Mistress.

Hero.

She smiled at you, handing you her coat.

“Excellent. It seems like you’re learning your lesson, aren’t you?”

[viburnt]

You did just amazing job portraying what divorce can look like especially with someone is IN DENIAL of their own actions. I wouldn’t let it past him that it will take years for him to get over you. Perhaps would never do.

But even his lawyer was like FREE THE POOR WOMAN 😭 that killed me.

The only people who could see the real issue are the lawyers behaviors see the behavior. No wonder the lawyers would be able on the wife side. No pity points for you Hero.

Poor ex-wife probably gotta move out of the country. The boy fan base is scary I can only imagine and his family and friends trying to but in into your business. Hopefully she stroke a deal to not have nothing from him since in paparazzi point-view could spin it differently.

The more I am imagining the more I am terrified.

YOU SHOULD BE TERRIFIED.

I don't think Izuku would ever understand the kind of prosecution he's putting you through by ventilating your divorce. The sea of photos, memes and articles berating you is enough to bury the little peace you could have in Japan. He doesn't get why you want to move far from the country, much less why you're not taking any of the things he had bought specifically for you.

And yes, considering Izuku's fan base, the risk of one of his stans trying to do something sketchy is high. He is somewhat conscious of that, meaning there's also a chance that someone is actively watching over you.

Izuku is definitely not getting over you by the way, doesn't matter if he later dates or remarries. You're still his wife.

"So, most of the goods you share are under your name, Mr. Midoriya. How do you wish to proceed?" Your lawyer asks, revising thoroughly the documents on her desk. She had to admit it was impressive to see just how much someone like Izuku had bought, but considering the side of him she'd been witnessing during the divorce process, it was clear he didn't mind spending money to fill the cracks of his relationship. "I wanna give it all to her..." Izuku said, looking at you with sorrow and shame. Part of him expected that you could forgive him that way, but he knew there was no return point. "No, thank you. I don't want anything from you." You bluntly answered; it almost made your lawyer snicker, but that would be unprofessional from her. "But, why? Honey, all these things-"

"All these things were bought with your money. I don't want people to say I'm a gold digger that wants to take you to the cleaners." Izuku heard you say. His lips curved into a defeated smile, trying to understand. "I see, then, what do you suggest? I don't wanna have something that's not mine."

"You can always consider selling the goods and splitting the money. That way your wife can decide whether she uses it or not." The lawyer suggested, waiting for you to speak. "Does that sound good to you, Miss?"

You nodded, "That would be for the best, I'll be moving out of the country soon." It was almost comical to see Izuku's jaw drop, but at least he was being more decent than in the first negotiations where he yelled. He'd try to talk it out with you outside the office, refusing to let you get away from him.

[tinyidle]

in (the summer) heat - jyh x yn x cjh

Summary: the heat in rabat is intense, and you wish to get a break and feel like the people you work for instead of cleaning their pools. fortunately for you, two handsome men grant your wish for you without you even asking.

Characters/Pairing: yunho x fem!reader x jongho

AU/Trope info: slice of life, strangers to lovers

Genre: smut, pwp

Word Count: 2.2k words

Warnings: coercion/peer pressure (consensual), foreplay: heavy petting/fondling, fingering, double-penetration (p in v + fellatio ft. deepthroating), multiple orgasms, unprotected sex (ofc don't do it), doms!jongho and yunho, sub! reader

Rating: M for mature

A/N: about two months overdue.. and i have even more in the drafts fifth submission to @wonderlandnet, tagging @strayteezsimp

it was the beginning of the afternoon, and you'd been cleaning pools since five in the morning, but still, you were getting paid for it, and your boss wasn't really giving you any breaks.

you were cleaning your last pool before going home for the day, and you were glad about it, too. all you wanted to do was go home, shower, and sleep. you'd been doing this for quite a few months now, so it wasn't a problem to do, but the fact that you were sweating and tired and your legs felt like they were going to collapse from the hot, humid weather was something that made it hard.

so far, all the hotels that you've cleaned pools in were all pretty basic and normal. but this one…well, this one was huge and luxurious, with beautiful decorations and the best views of the city. and you couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the rich people who got to stay in the hotel and experience it for themselves.

just as you were getting ready to leave, you heard voices and footsteps behind you, which startled you. you looked up, and your heart began to pound fast, your face turning hot.

they were none other than choi jongho and jung yunho, famous singers of a famous group who were currently on tour. you didn't think you'd ever meet them, but you've listened to their songs and hoped to see them perform on stage one day. however, since you were on the clock, you decided to continue dong work as normal.

later on that day, you got a call from your manager. "hello?" you answered. your manager said that for the next couple of days you would be getting paid extra to, not clean pools, but to help out two hotel guests who wanted you specifically. being a bit skeptical but also happy that you were getting paid to not be in the hot sun cleaning water garbage, you took the offer and got ready for tomorrow, as per instruction from the two guests.

the next day passed, and you were wondering who called for you specifically at the pool area where anyone could walk in. then you saw them: jung yunho and choi jongho. you were both starstruck and confused. what are they doing here?

you shyly did you best to greet yourself. "h-hi," you greeted yourself, along with stating your name.

they gave you a kind smile and introduced themselves to you. "hey, im yunho, and this is jongho. we're going to be your bosses for the next few days," yunho stated. when you gave a sort of confused look, he explained. "do you know why we asked for only you here? why we asked for you for more than one day? why we reserved the pool for two hours for each day we have with you?" you shook your head, feeling more out-of-the-loop then ever before.

jongho, whose been staring at you the entire time, spoke up. "we saw you the other day, and, even though it sounds crazy," he chuckled to himself before finishing off his point, "we want to get to have some fun with you."

"if you want to, that is," yunho pointed out, wanting you to feel at ease and not all pressured for sex.

this had to be the craziest thing you were asked of by a client, especially since clients barely gave you the time of day. you, a regular pool cleaner, caught the attention of, not one, but two handsome and famous men… and they want you? this had to be some time of joke. but, if it was, then why were they giving you that look? that look that makes your insides heat up and your mind go crazy, that look that you've only seen in those romantic dramas that you've watched?

"um," you stuttered. "what-what did you guys have in mind?"

yunho grinned. "since no is allowed to come here except for us three, we could do whatever we like."

"and since we personally requested you," jongho added, "you can do what we like, and in return we'll do what you like. almost like a mutual exchange."

the older nodded. "so, what do you say, pup?" your cheek tinged dark at the cute yet slightly suggestive pet name. "want to give us a shot?"

you gave them a smile and nodded. "yes," you agreed. you had a feeling this was going to be a lot of fun.

yunho's face lit up, while jongho gave you a sultry, teasing look. "good choice," the younger cooed.

without much warning, the two gave you a kiss on either side of your cheeks. jongho looked down at your casual clothing before asking, "do you have on a swimsuit like requested?"

you nodded, making the older hum in satisfaction. "so, you don't mind us taking your top and sweats off?" you shook your head in confirmation, allowing the two to discard your clothes (along with their own), leaving all three of you in swim attire before stepping into the warm pool. "you're really cute, pup," he praised as he came closer, his body just centimeters away from yours.

you were about to speak, but stopped when jongho suddenly put his hands on your waist, squeezing it. "i bet he's not the only one who thinks that," he mused. he leaned down and gave your lips a small kiss, before kissing down to your neck, sucking and biting on the sensitive skin, earning a low whimper from you.

yunho moved closer, moving a hand down to cup your core, gently massaging it. he gave you a deep kiss, which was different from the younger's, as yunho's was more passionate and sensual, while jongho was a little rough, a little more dominant, but still very good. the two's hands felt all over your body, from your shoulders to your back and your legs. their hands felt cool against your warm skin, which made you sigh, a sigh that was muffled by yunho's mouth.

suddenly, the two's hands stopped, and yunho and jongho's lips left yours. you looked up, curious as to why they had stopped. jongho chuckled and pecked your lips before he started, "you're already enjoying this, aren't you?"

yunho, who was behind you, nodded. "you're so cute, and you have a great body," he praised, making you blush.

"and since this is our first time together," jongho added, leaning into your ear and whispering, "i think we go slow, right hyung?"

yunho simply nodded while using one of his large hands to massage your left breast while his other went back to your core again, gently teasing it. jongho's hands were still on your waist, and they felt firm and secure, which was comforting.

you couldn't stop yourself from moaning at the new stimulation, with jongho and yunho's actions causing a small pool of arousal to form in you. the two smirked at each other.

"you like this, baby?" yunho questioned. "you like when we tease you?"

"use your words, honey," jongho purred, leaning in closer and whispering into your ear, "don't be afraid to tell us what you want." your mind was going a million miles an hour, and all you could do was pant and moan and nod. jongho clicked his tongue. "what did i just say, baby?" he teased, lightly nibbling at the shell of your ear.

yunho, who had now removed his hand from your core and was instead groping your ass, whispered, "be a good pup for us, okay?" you nodded. "then say, 'thank you for being so nice and touching me.'"

you felt a small pout appear on your face, but did as the two said, earning a smile and kiss from the older and the younger, respectively.

"you're such a good girl for us, honey," jongho praised.

"we're very lucky to have found such a cute, polite puppy," yunho added.

you could only whine, causing the two to chuckle.

"do you want us to make you cum, puppy?" jongho questioned.

"yes, please," you breathed out.

he smirked in response, "well, if you insist." before you could even react, jongho and yunho's mouths were all over you, and you were in heaven.

yunho's hand that was previously on your core had moved inside your bikini bottoms to massage your clit. the other was on your left breast, his hand gently kneading the soft flesh and playing with your nipple. jongho was still teasing your neck, but his free hand had moved up to play with your right breast. you let out a long, loud moan as you felt yourself get closer and closer to climax.

"god, puppy, you sound so good," yunho complimented.

jongho nodded and added, "we're so lucky to have such a sexy and submissive girl like you." the younger then leaned into your ear and whispered, "cum for us, sweetie. we want to see how much of a good baby you are."

and just like that, you were done for. with a final scream, you came all over yunho's fingers. he kept his hand there until you were completely finished, then brought his hand to his mouth, licking up your juices. "you taste amazing," yunho mused, his eyes dark and hungry.

"and we've only just begun," jongho chuckled before giving your neck one last kiss, going up to your ear to whisper. "we're gonna make sure this is the best pool experience you've ever had."

..

all three of you were now naked as plain day, with you currently having your mouth used by jongho and yunho stretching your cunt to oblivion, all while you were on your hands and knees. both men's cocks were huge, and you sort of wished your mouth would be stretched less from jongho's length while wishing yunho would go easier on the depth. nevertheless, you weren't at all complaining.

"you're so tight, baby," yunho groaned, thrusting himself into you at a faster pace. "so tight and wet."

jongho grunted, almost in agreement. "and her mouth is so hot, soft and warm. she's perfect."

your mind was going blank and hazy, and the only thing you could do was moan and cry out. the two men were doing a great job at pleasing you, and you were grateful to be the one they laid their eyes on.

jongho's thrusts were fast and deep, and you knew he was close by the way he was starting to tremble. you could feel yourself getting close, too, and from the sounds of yunho's labored breaths and grunts, he was, too. "shit, baby, im gonna cum," jongho growled.

"same here," yunho panted as his thrusts become less rhythmic and more erratic.

both men were now using you as their dump, and it was turning you on immensely. it wasn't long before the two of them were reaching their highs.

"oh, fuck, baby, im cumming!" jongho grunted, his body stiffening as he came in your mouth.

yunho was soon after. "shit, pup! im cumming!" he gasped, his whole body convulsing as he released inside of you.

as soon as the two finished, they pulled out and let go of your hair, letting you take a deep breath. they gave you a few seconds to regain your bearings before pulling you up, bringing you to a hug.

after a minute or two, the two pulled out of you and moved you to the next position. jongho was laying on a bench while you rode him with your back facing him, and yunho was jerking himself off to the sight of you in front of him. "god, baby, you're so pretty," the older cooed, stroking himself slowly.

"i love it when i see my cock go in and out of you," jongho purred. "fuck, you're so tight and hot, and you make such pretty noises." he moved his hips up into yours in a faster pace, holding you down to make you truly feel him.

you whimpered, feeling your second orgasm coming close.

"come on, pup, cum for us," yunho whispered. "let me see you cum all over jongho's cock."

and just like that, you felt yourself reach another high.

"thats it, baby, cum," jongho grunted. "such a good girl."

"you're so good for us," yunho cooed, reaching his second high, cumming all over your chest and stomach.

it wasn't long before jongho came in you, pulling your back to him so he could hold you while waiting for his length to soften before carefully pulling out of you.

yunho got a towel from the rack and wiped his release off your chest before helping jongho clean up your center cautiously. once that was done, the two held you close, kissing and caressing your face and hair.

continuing to hold you to make sure your aftershocks subside, he praised you"you're amazing, and we're so glad you agreed to this," jongho sighed.

"im glad, too," you panted.

the two kissed you one last time before taking you back to your room in the hotel, and, since it was late, they decided to stay with you.

it was the best pool experience ever, and you couldn't wait to do it again.

[spctrsgf]

Hello :3

Could you write something where it’s Steven’s birthday, but he rather not think much about it because he doesn’t have anyone to celebrate it with and it kind of makes him sad. However, as he’s stocking up some shelves at the shop one of his coworkers, the curator of the Egyptian exhibition, approaches him to wish him a happy birthday and she gifts him a small cake she baked (she definitely has a crush on him, but is as timid as him). And Steven just melts because he only mentioned his birthday once and here is his crush showering him with attention.

cake

word count: 1.4k

warnings: language (I think), just floof, no use of y/n, steven being lonely (not for long dw), reader and steven being oblivious lovestruck idiots

Steven never liked birthdays. 

Well, that’s a lie. He loved other people’s birthdays. He is a giver at heart; he always wants to shower people with attention and gifts in appreciation. With the few people he’d been close enough to call a friend, he was a ball of excitement when the day came along. He provided the “happy birthday”s and corny gifts he’d spent the whole year brainstorming on.

But his birthday? The energy seeps out of him.

What was there to celebrate? He was just another year older, and another year passed without so much of a happy birthday from anyone else. Why celebrate something, like a birthday, if you had no one to celebrate it with? Steven had seen all the balloons, happy faces, cake, and the countless other things that represented a birthday on the television. Though he yearned to experience it, he felt like all hope had been lost.

What did it matter if he celebrated it anymore? He could get by without it.

Even he knew that he was lying to himself. As he woke up on the day he dreaded all the other 364 days in a year, he found the daunting facts hovering over his head: no one would remember. When he strolled into the museum, on time for once in a while, Greg, yet to remember his name, the thought hit him again. All throughout the day, he shuffled about his day in a sort of haze, ready to be off of work so that he could buy himself a box of chocolates to eat while watching some sort of sappy romance movie and wallow in his sadness. 

But, no, the universe seemed to be against him. Donna decided to put him on inventory again. It was the third day this week, and it was as if she knew herself and was just out to make his life even worse than it was. So there he stood, the last soul in the museum other than the cleaners, spending away the last of his birthday at work. How miserable of him. 

He shook his head out of his stupor. Steven, don’t sit around and pity yourself! He scolded himself for what felt like the millionth time that day. So much for not thinking about it. Sighing, he put his brain to thinking about the newest documentary he’d found to watch when he got home. It was on the Greeks, which were admittedly less interesting than the Egyptians, but still good nonetheless. 

“Steven?” he perked up at the sound of his name, nearly dropping the plush Taweret he was holding. When the sweet voice didn’t call again, he chuckled lowly to himself. Look at you, imagining things. Bloody hell, mate, pull yourself together. The door opened before he could move to scan the Taweret, his grip on it tightening in automatic response. Then a head popped in, looking left and right, and his body immediately relaxed.

You.

You, the curator of the Egyptian exhibit he cherished so much. He’d been by it so much, in fact, that he could remember every bit of information that was there, but he still found himself back there again and again, always in awe of the sweat and tears he could tell you shed while crafting it. On the one occasion that you’d been by while he was there, you’d shuffled over to him when he timidly called you over and met his gaze with a slightly shy yet informed one as you answered his question, honeyed voice like music to his ears. He appreciated the determination set into your eyes as you argued with Donna to keep the exhibit up, appreciated the humbleness as you were met with yet another compliment on your work. 

You were perfect, and Steven couldn’t help but fall hopelessly for you, even though he could barely get words out when you stood in front of him in all your glory.

“Steven, hey! What’re you still doing here?” You smiled softly at him, still hovering by the door. “Uh, well, Donna decided to put me on inventory.” Steven took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heartbeat.

You frowned. “Huh, that’s funny. I told her not to do that.”

“Well, Donna doesn’t really listen to anyone who isn’t controlling her paycheck, does she?” He cringed as soon as the words left his mouth, too stunned by the fact that you’d asked Donna not to put him on inventory to form any coherent thoughts at the moment. Gods, he was down so bad if that was making him flustered.

You snorted, much to his surprise. “You have a point.”

“Is everything okay? Why are you still here?” He asked, taking in the way that you still hovered by the door, most of your body hidden. 

“Well, um,” you looked down, seemingly shy. “I brought you something.”

He furrowed his brows. “Why?”

You tilted your head. “For your birthday. Today is your birthday, right?”

And that, that right there, was the type of thing that would make his knees buckle. The fact that you, out of all people, remembered his birthday when he’d told you a grand total of once. It was an offhand comment, you were talking about your mother’s birthday and he’d shot in that your mother and he had the same birth week, to which you’d asked which day and wished him an early birthday before you’d been dragged away by Donna. The fact that you had gone out of your way to buy him something, that you’d spent time and money on something for him. 

He was sure you could hear the way his jaw clambered to the floor, could see the way his hands gripped the countertop and he leaned onto it for support. “For– for me?” He fumbled. You nodded. “For you.” With that, you came out from behind the door and into the room fully. In your hands you held a paper plate, and sitting atop it was nothing other than a birthday cake. You placed it on the counter in front of him, and he could see the little egyptian hieroglyphics you’d drawn onto it with navy blue frosting. 

Steven couldn’t function. It was like you’d fried his motherboards, like you’d just produced the key that unlocked his heart. He all but melted at the gesture now more than ever. 

“Aww, Steven, don’t cry.” Your voice brought him out of his head, and he brought his hand up to his eyes to wipe the tears that slipped out. “I’m sorry, it’s just–” he sniffled. “No one’s ever done this for me before.”

“You’ve never had a birthday cake?”

“Not one that someone else has made me, no, not for a very long time.”

“Steven Grant,” you rounded the countertop to stand next to him, your stern face slightly terrifying. “That is a very big problem. I'm glad I've cured you of that.”

He smiled earnestly. “Yeah, I am too.”

“Also,” you grabbed the edge of the plate, dragging it closer. “I hope you like vanilla cake. I actually couldn’t go out and get more cocoa powder, so… also, the frosting might be a bit strong– I put some cinnamon in it.”

“Yeah, that’s better than alright. I bloody love cinnamon. How’d you know?”

“I saw you when you found those cinnamon rolls at the cafeteria… and I supposed you liked cinnamon a lot. And then I found some at the store, so I picked it up.”

“You are amazing.” He was sure that sounded sappy and that he had a stupidly wide grin on his face, but he couldn’t even bring himself to care anymore. 

“Says you.” you shot back.

Steven chuckled, turning back to his cake and swiping a bit of frosting off in an attempt to save himself from turning into a blushing mess. 

“Listen,” you cracked into the silence, twisting your hands together impossibly tight. “If you don’t otherwise have plans, would you like to come back to my place? We could get pizza, watch some movies, but only if you want, of course. I don’t want to intrude–”

“I would love to.” the words were out of his mouth before he could even put together a coherent thought about it. 

“Cool, alright,” You beamed. “Grab your coat and let’s go, Grant.”

Oh, how he loved his birthday.

a/n: thank you for this, lovely anon, i enjoyed writing it! and also thank you to @themistwithinthemystery for proofing this! feel free to pop by my inbox anytime, everyone, and leave a request or just a thought :)

[wandabear]

WISH YOU WERE HERE - WANDA MAXIMOFF X FEMALE READER

ㅤㅤ Summary: 17 years ago, a New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team travels to Seattle for a national tournament. While flying over Canada, their plane crashes deep in the wilderness, and the surviving team members are left stranded for nineteen months.

Jules is portrayed by Adelaide Kane. Here.

chapter warnings: smut, angst, mentions of drug abuse and death.

CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN FINALE ㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤCHAPTER FIVE

ㅤㅤBEFORE

ㅤㅤ

Two weeks passed since the accident and since they found the cabin with the dead man inside, and nothing changed. No plane or rescue team had arrived for them, which meant that hope was dying and supplies were scarce.

ㅤㅤ

“So, do you think the guy shot himself?” One of the girls whispered. “He left some kind of note?”

ㅤㅤ

“Just that weird symbol.” Carol frowned at her somewhat disturbed. Ever since they found this man, they all had questions to ask that no one answered.

ㅤㅤ

“Maybe he couldn't stand loneliness and shot himself.” Pietro shrugged and looked at the rifle that was standing against the wall of the cabin. “We should take the rifle and try to get something to eat.”

ㅤㅤ

“Maybe it didn't want him to leave.” Jules murmured thoughtfully, looking at a fixed point among the trees. Since they arrived, she Jules had not stopped feeling a little uncomfortable there.

ㅤㅤ

“Shut the fuck up you and your ominous crap. You're going to scare everyone just because you're a little hysterical.” Grant groaned, completely sick of listing to that girl muttering weird stuff.

The man was barely holding on to a wooden crutch made from branches, but it wasn't enough to stay upright for long.

ㅤㅤ

Far from answering that with any sarcastic comment, Jules just looked away and crossed her arms a bit embarrassed.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey, don't talk to her like that again.” Natasha defended her, getting ahead of Y/N.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey, HEY! I think we should talk about the huge problem instead.” Wanda cleared her throat, trying to change the subject. “We're out of food. We're all feeling it.”

ㅤㅤ

Everyone was silent, the hunger they felt was beginning to make everything worse. Any small fight ended in shouting or bad mood.

ㅤㅤ

“Now, the good news is my father used to take me deer hunting every year as a kid.” Grant grunted and slowly, awkwardly reached for the rifle and held it up. “The bad news... yeah, I am down to one fucking leg.”

ㅤㅤ

The man clenched his jaw, trying to stay strong and keep feel that superiority, but it was more difficult when they looked at him with pity. “Which means that if we want to eat, one of you is gonna have to learn how to use this thing.”

ㅤㅤ

They all nodded, Natasha raised her hand saying that her father taught her to shoot and she was willing to teach Y/N or Pietro to do it. Maybe it took a while, but they managed to group up to go out and hunt. ㅤㅤ

That morning, Y/N, Pietro and Natasha left the cabin ready to find something to hunt. Even though neither of them seemed happy with hurting an animal, eating nothing but mushroom soup for days was starting to weigh on them.

ㅤㅤ

Many hours later, the sun was going down and Wanda began to feel anxious. She tried to convince herself that it was just because of Pietro, but deep down she knew that she also cared about Y/N. She came back with some 'clean' blankets in her arms, they had left several clothes drying outside.

ㅤㅤ

The cabin was a bit more cleaner, enough for them to stop breathing dust. As long as they all helped keep it that way. Some cheering made Wanda come out of the cabin, she finally smiled widely.

ㅤㅤ

“They did it!” Kate exclaimed happily seeing how Pietro, Y/N and Nat were carrying a deer. It didn't seem very big but enough to have food for a few days.

ㅤㅤ

Everyone came closer to see it, they seemed a little tired but definitely happy for what they had achieved.

ㅤㅤ

“Nice work, you guys.” Wanda put her hands on her hips, looking at the deer. She felt a bit sorry but she also understood that they were about to starve.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah.” Pietro smiled broadly and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.  “It was all Y/N.”

ㅤㅤ

“She did great.” Nat smiled too, they all started screaming excited to understand that it was the first sign that they could survive in that place, without knowing what awaited them next.

ㅤㅤ

Night came and they were grateful that the beginning of autumn treated them well for now. They were all surrounding the campfire, Kate and Jennifer were in charge of roast it and distributing the pieces of meat to the girls who looked starving.

ㅤㅤ

“Are you okay?”

ㅤㅤ

Pietro's voice took Wanda from her thoughts, while she slowly ate.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, better now.”

ㅤㅤ

“I was so hungry.” Pietro sighed then finished his first piece of meat, reaching out for another.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, me too.”  Wanda said as she wiped her lips. She noticed how the boy devoured the meat, so hungry, Wanda felt so guilty.

ㅤㅤ

“I'm sorry I brought you here.” She lowered her gaze.  “I know you came just for me.”

ㅤㅤ

Quickly, Pietro looked up and frowned, genuinely concerned. “No, sestra. Don’t be sorry.” He put his hand on Wanda's shoulder, who kept looking at the ground. “I would never leave you alone, you know that. This is not your fault, this was an accident.”

ㅤㅤ

“Okay?” Pietro held his gaze until Wanda nodded.

ㅤㅤ

“This is good, not as good as mom’s Chicken Paprikash but good.” He pointed at the food, making her sister smile. It was all he wanted, to take a great weight off the girl's heart.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda looked up and noticed that Y/N was chatting and smiling with Jennifer. She wondered what she was talking about, what was it that made her so excited?

ㅤㅤ

“You’re close to Y/N lately.” Pietro teased, trying not to smile.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, is it bad?” Wanda turned to see him, she sounded a bit worried.

ㅤㅤ

“No, not at all.” The boy took a bite. “She’s nice, all these crazy women, Y/n is who I like best.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda said nothing, just smiled tenderly and then fell silent.

The connection between the two had always been so strong, both twins were so close and although sometimes it was the object of mocks, they considered that connection something incredible.

ㅤㅤ

“Do you think they will rescue us?” Wanda asked a little more seriously this time, she needed her brother's sincerity now.

ㅤㅤ

“I don't know, Wanda. What Y/N is right about is… if they wanted to, they would already be here.” Pietro sighed, didn't want to talk about what he felt cause he didn't want to make her feel worse, but that was the truth, more than a week and they hadn’t received any kind of signal that people were looking for them.

ㅤㅤ

Not planes. No rescue helicopters. Nothing.

ㅤㅤ

“Did you apologize to Jules?” Wanda raised an eyebrow.

ㅤㅤ

“I did it.” Pietro smiled and nodded. “I think I saved her from stepping in a bear trap two days ago, and apparently, we're even.”

ㅤㅤ

“That’s good.” She smiled at the boy and squeezed his cheek, noticing how grown his beard was.  “Look at you, your beard has already grown.”

ㅤㅤ

“Oh, fuck off!” He pushed her hand away and they both laughed.

ㅤㅤ

“I love you, Piet.”

ㅤㅤ

“I love you, sestra.”

ㅤㅤ

Nodding, Pietro got up so he could go check that everything was alright with the Coach Ward, who seemed to be a bit distant from the girls. Recently, Pietro was the only one Ward let near or talk to.

ㅤㅤ

Seeing that now Wanda was alone, Y/N approached, sitting next to her on that log.

ㅤㅤ

“Hi.” Wanda smiled trying to hide that strange 'joy' inside. Why was her heart beating so fast?

ㅤㅤ

“How are you doing?” Y/N asked looking at her, noticing how beautiful she looked when the fire lit those green eyes. Maybe it was because almost two weeks ago they were in that place and everything seemed to get more intense but, wow, Wanda was so beautiful.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I’m good, how about you? I didn't see you today.”

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah. Killed a deer today so…” Y/N sighed and lowered her gaze somewhat embarrassed. More sad than embarrassed though.  

ㅤㅤ

Wanda hesitated for a moment but ended up gently squeezing the girl's hand. “I’m sorry.”

ㅤㅤ

“It’s okay, at least we have to eat. We needed this.”

ㅤㅤ The relationship with Wanda improved so much after the accident. After the fight at the party, both of them made up and improved their friendship. And Y/N was very grateful for this, although her best friends were there, the connection with Wanda was completely different.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey, you two.” Carol walked ahead of them making smooch noises, winking at Y/N.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N shook her head and noticed how Wanda quickly removed her hand, not out of embarrassment but out of fear that Y/N would be mocked because of her.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey. Do you want to go walk near the lake?” Y/N got up and stretched out her hand towards her, waiting for her to take it. “I can take the rifle if it makes you feel safer.”

ㅤㅤ

“Won't we get lost?” Wanda asked a bit worried but also an excited shine could be seen in her eyes. As if it was something forbidden and interesting, what more could they lose?

ㅤㅤ

“I know the way, Natasha owes me one so maybe she'll let us go. I found a nice place that nobody else knows about.” She turned to see how some girls kept laughing and chatting about boys now. “If you want to get away from all this mess, sure.”

ㅤㅤ

Biting her bottom lip, Wanda didn't have to think too hard. She took her hand and ended getting up.  “Yeah, I would like to.”

ㅤㅤ

They managed to escape from the place without anyone seeing them, but not before telling Natasha because otherwise she would start lecturing them and that was not the idea.

ㅤㅤ Y/N took the rifle and one of the gas lamps, both walked through the trees, following a path that only Y/N seemed to know.

ㅤㅤ

“Are you sure about this” Wanda asked worriedly as they walked down the path towards the lake.

ㅤㅤ

“Every day I walk through the same place. Nat asked me to start drawing some things to make a map.” Y/N reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it over.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda opened it but couldn't see much, just some lines and the cabin drawn in the middle. Y/N moved the lamp closer so she could see better.

ㅤㅤ

“I found this place when I was drawing the path to the lake and the place where the edible mushrooms grew.” Y/N kept walking and took a path to the left, behind some huge boulders. She helped Wanda so that she could climb them carefully, and after a few minutes, they both found themselves with a beautiful view of the lake and the huge starry sky above them. The moonlight made the lake look beautiful.

The trees and the boulders covered them, making it a perfect private place.

ㅤㅤ

“Y/N, this is good.” Wanda smiled widely, looking around.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N just smiled happy, both lay back on the grass watching the sky, enjoying the sound of the forest. After so many days, far from seeming creepy, they began to find some comfort in those sounds that they now recognized.

The hooting, the sound of crickets, the fluttering of birds.

ㅤㅤ

“Look at all those stars.” Wanda whispered completely gawking. “I never thought there were so many above us.”

ㅤㅤ

“Without light pollution it looks so beautiful.” Y/N sighed heavily, arms crossed behind her head. She didn't know how long it had been since they left the cabin, maybe a few minutes or an hour, she didn't know. Didn't care either.

ㅤㅤ

“Pretty.” The sokovian whispered.

ㅤㅤ

Pretty. 'That's what you are' Y/N thought when she turned to see the girl beside her.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda was so damn beautiful. Just look at those eyes, so pretty and big, curious to know everything life had to offer her. That adorable nose, she loved when Wanda scrunched it. Those lips, surely they were soft and sweet.

ㅤㅤ

“Wanda, I'd like to talk to you.” Y/N finally took courage, betting her whole heart on a single play.

ㅤㅤ

“You know you can tell me anything. What's going on?” Wanda turned to see her, worried. Y/N seemed a bit nervous, without a doubt it must be quite important.

ㅤㅤ

“I like you.” The girl released without waiting another second, leaving her heart open. But far from seeming like a confession of love, it seemed more like a release. Y/N sighed and sat up. “I'm sorry. I know you have a boyfriend, but even though it's obvious... and everyone knows it.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda said nothing. She was surprised and not at the same time, she always knew it and she knew it right now. Every kind smile when others teased her, every laugh they shared, every word of support.

ㅤㅤ

She knew that Y/N had a crush on her, why fake it? What she didn't understand is why.

ㅤㅤ

“I thought it would be nice to tell you myself.” Y/N smiled shily, playing with her fingers. “We're lost in the woods waiting to be rescued, and I don't have the time or the strength to hide my feelings. It's so fucking tiring… so that’s it. If that makes you uncomfortable, we'll have to deal with it."

ㅤㅤ

“I'm in love with you.” Y/N breathed out deeply and closed her eyes, the secret finally out and it felt so much better.

ㅤㅤ

Silence reigned for a moment until Wanda reached out her hand, taking hers.

ㅤㅤ

“Y/N? Please, open your pretty eyes.” Wanda asked with a soft voice and a loving look. And when she finally did, the brunette asked: “Y/N, what’s my favorite song?”

ㅤㅤ

Y/N frowned, not understanding what she meant by knowing that, but the sokovian insisted.

ㅤㅤ “Umh... I've noticed that you like 'Fade Into You', I've seen you rewind your cassette twice until you get to that song.” Y/N said sincerely but then she realized that maybe it sounded like she was keeping an eye on her or something, maybe Wanda would think it's weird. She quickly added, “It's not like I see you too much.”

ㅤㅤ

But Wanda nodded slowly. “What are my favorite candies?”

ㅤㅤ

“Twizzlers. You always eat them when you get all anxious in our matches.” Y/N answered again, feeling how her heart kept beating fast but the tension faded slowly.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda finally smiled, her eyes showing the tenderness and excitement she felt.  

ㅤㅤ

The times she had asked Vision that, well, the boy didn't know what to say. First he answered any popular song, and then he said 'had no idea what kind of sweets you ate because who looks at those things? I can buy you anything you want, just tell me.'

ㅤㅤ

“You really know me.” Wanda felt her eyes fill with tears, but she didn't shed any.

ㅤㅤ

“Well, yeah, that's why I like you. I do and… I wanna know more, if you let me.”

ㅤㅤ

“I like you too.” The sokovian blurted out, not caring about anything other than that moment. What else did it matter? They were in the middle of the forest, lost, trying to survive.

ㅤㅤ

And her heart just asked to be close to her, it always did, from the moment Y/N defended her from Sharon Carter.

Well, that was something Y/N didn't expect at all. With a dumbfounded face, unable to believe it, all she could say was:  “R-Really?”

ㅤㅤ

“I do.” Wanda bit her lower lip, as a signal which Y/N caught perfectly. She kissed Wanda's lips in a soft first kiss, enjoying that exquisite sensation. Hearts intertwining, two teenagers completely in love.

ㅤㅤ

“Is it wrong?” The sokovian whispered against her lips, barely breaking away. She felt completely enraptured in that feeling, so different from her when she kissed Vision.

ㅤㅤ

The truth is that Vision and Wanda had never gone far, just a few little kisses and caresses. The boy tried a few times to go further but Wanda always said that she wanted to wait. Now, she felt that self-control with y/n didn't exist.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N quickly shook her head, touching softly the brunette's cheek. “I don't think liking or loving someone is wrong.” She sighed, still sharing that closeness. “So, can I keep kissing you?”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda smirked, shortening the distance to kiss again. “Good, because your kisses are so damn good.”

ㅤㅤ

Both giggled before kissing again, only the stars being the witnesses of that youthful love that was born.

ㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤNOW

ㅤㅤ

The days passed and there was no news of the blackmailer. Maybe because money cooled things down, but not the concern of all of them knowing that they were outsmarted.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N was at the hotel, visited Jules some times, especially when Natasha was working. The doctor told them that the baby was in no danger yet, that no bleeding was positive, even when Jules told that she suffered a pretty bad blow.

ㅤㅤ

Doctor Cho said that they should be more careful and that so far everything seemed fine, but later they would know better with the ultrasound at the next week.

And the secrets cooled the relationship with Nat so much that, the redhead began to suspect that perhaps her beloved wasn’t happy. The silence at night became unbearable, and sadness weighed on their hearts.

ㅤㅤ

“Jules…” Nat said as she saw the brown-eyed woman come out of the bathroom with her huge T-shirt. She no longer slept in her panties, trying to provoke her. Sex had always been a big deal to them, the passion was increased by the unconditional love they felt.  “Are you going to talk to me?”

ㅤㅤ

Jules just curled up on the bed, trying to hide her face.  “Everything is fine, I'm a little tired.”

ㅤㅤ

“Okay, just tell me, what the hell is going on?” Nat sat up in bed, so done with this game. She was sick of all this strange tension that had been around them for a while. “I know you're hiding something, I know you since we were eleven. You've been so stealthy with Y/N, as if you were hiding a secret... and I am not worthy of  your trust.”

ㅤㅤ

“We have never been like this, Julia.” Those green eyes express the sadness and restlessness she felt.  “Don't you love me anymore?”

ㅤㅤ

Jules kept her back to her, trying not to cry when she heard the pain in Natasha's raspy voice.

ㅤㅤ

“Because if that's it, we can… we can try to go to those… You know? Couples therapy or whatever to get your love back. Or- or we can... I don't know, I don't want to let you go but, if you're not happy with me...” Natasha swallowed, the angst in her throat not letting her continue.

ㅤ

That was all Jules could bear. She turned quickly so she could see her, and that image completely destroyed her.

ㅤㅤ

“No, no, no.” Jules took her hand and hastened to erase any kind of doubt, she couldn't allow Natasha to doubt herself when she had always been wonderful. “Nat, that's not it, honey.”

ㅤ

“So what is it?” they entwined their fingers.

ㅤ

Jules hesitated for a moment, didn't know how to start. Just felt her eyes fill with tears.

ㅤ

“I don't want you to hate me.” The dark-haired girl sniffled. That worried Natasha even more, what was it that bothered her so much? So sad, that she couldn't even tell her.

ㅤ

“Moya lyubov, I would never hate you.” The redhead cooed softly, genuinely concerned about her, the love of her life.

ㅤ

“I’m pregnant.” Finally she let go, exhaling slowly.

ㅤㅤ

Couldn't take it anymore, soon her belly would start to show, what was the point of lying or keeping it as a secret? Lying to the person she loved the most in the world.

Natasha wasn't the type of woman to leave her just because she was pregnant, was she? No, she had always been an incredible, faithful, kind, loving, passionate woman. Maybe she was a little afraid of commitment at first but, once Natasha got over that fear, she was always there for Jules.

ㅤ “You… what?” The redhead blinked fast, it took her a few seconds to understand. Oh.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I’m pregnant, the IUI worked but we didn't notice.” Jules swallowed hard and wiped away the tears falling down her cheeks.  Was so pale that those lovely cheeks turned red, as did her nose and lips from crying. “I found out  about a week ago... or more.”

ㅤㅤ

A huge smile, a hug, endless kisses. That was all Jules hoped for, but what she got was Natasha getting out of bed, completely shocked and a bit pissed off.

ㅤㅤ

“What the fuck, Julia?!” The russian exclaimed in disbelief. Quickly, Jules covered her face out of embarrassment.  “Really?”

ㅤㅤ

 “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn't want you to be mad at me and hate me!” She whimpered, completely devastated.

ㅤㅤ

“Of course I’m mad at you!” Natasha exclaimed. How could her wife hide something like that from her? “You went to the meeting with the blackmailer and you are pregnant!”

ㅤㅤ

But far from seeming bothered by the idea that they were having a baby, or terrified by it, Natasha was completely mad because her wife put her and their child's lives at risk by going with them.

ㅤㅤ

“You were punched in the stomach, for God's sake!” Nat hurried over to put a hand on Jules belly, extremely concerned. “Don’t fucking do that again!”

ㅤㅤ

Surprised by that, noticing the concern on her lover's face, Jules just sighed. Her eyes swollen from crying. “I’m fine. We’re fine.”

ㅤㅤ

“How are you so sure?” Natasha insisted, looking at her and then at her belly. She caressed it gently, those green eyes brimming with tears of emotion.

ㅤㅤ

Of course, she would never be upset by the idea of bringing a child into the world, perhaps a little scared because all this would bring consequences and she was afraid that exactly what happened, would happen. That they were in danger.

ㅤㅤ

“Dr. Cho said she didn't think there was any danger because there was no bleeding, but we would find out better on the ultrasound next week.”

ㅤㅤ

Natasha sighed with relief upon hearing those words, all she wanted is for the baby and her wife to be okay. Jules nodded slowly, carefully watching all the gestures and looks of Nat. She felt so dumb, so stupid, how could she have thought that Natasha would be mad at her? Although her words had made it seem like she was glad the IUI wasn't working, Nat would never turn her back on her kid.

ㅤㅤ

“You’re pregnant.” Nat whispered, then allowed herself to smile. She was finally beginning to realize what that meant.  “Oh my god, we're having a baby!”

ㅤㅤ

“We are!” Jules smiled wiping away her tears.

ㅤㅤ

“We’re going to be moms!” Natasha exclaimed excitedly, taking her wife's hands and then hugging her tightly. “We must take good care of the baby, okay? We have to. Promise me.”

ㅤㅤ

“I promise… Are you really happy about this?” Jules giggled through her tears, completely happy to see her redhead so excited about the pregnancy.

ㅤㅤ

“You’re kidding? I’m ecstatic!” Nat leaned down to kiss her lips over and over again until she crouched down, facing Jules belly. “Hello there, Зайчик… I’m your mama Natasha. Your other mom in fact, because you have two, and that means you're going to be very, very loved!” Nat kissed her belly and leaned her forehead against it, smiling widely. Oh, it felt so good. “We love you.”

ㅤㅤ

The redhead spent a while 'chatting' with her baby and Jules watched everything with a look of pure love, until they both decided to jump on the bed with happiness, celebrating that beautiful news.

ㅤㅤ

Since the meeting with the blackmailer that night, Wanda was more nervous than ever. She was grateful that her little ones were visiting their grandparents that weekend, allowing her to have a bit of peace for at least two days.

ㅤㅤ

The brunette walked around the house, taking some things that the twins left lying around and putting them in its place. She didn't mind having to do it anyway, it was just throwing the clothes in the washing machine and at least it kept her busy with something.

ㅤㅤ

“Fuck.” The brunette muttered under her breath when she saw a sock under the furniture, those kids left their stuff all over the place. Wanda end up sighing and bent down to take it but something shiny caught her eye. As if from the dark depths of that piece of furniture, something shamelessly winked at her.

A black t-shirt, but the most important thing was that when she took it, her hands were stained with glitter.

ㅤㅤ

Hands that began to tremble just by seeing the shirt; the blackmailer's son of a bitch was none other than her husband.

ㅤㅤ

"VISION!” She exclaimed aloud, rushing out of the room to head to the garage, where he had his office. She entered without further ado, breaking in that 'sanctuary'.

ㅤㅤ

"Wanda, what's going on?" the blond growled, clearly annoyed by the sudden invasion.

ㅤㅤ

“What is this?" She held up that black shirt, completely covered in glitter. It didn't take an answer, Vision's surprised and terrified look said it all.

ㅤㅤ

“Wanda, I-” He exhales. “Okay. I can explain this.”

ㅤㅤ

Of course he doesn't know how to do it, especially when Wanda's eyes widened. Oh, she was mad. “Oh, my God, Vision. What did you do?”

ㅤㅤ

“Okay, just-just…” He got up from his seat and tried to get closer but the brunette moved away, looking at him with a truly terrifying fury and disappointment.

ㅤㅤ

“What did you do?” Wanda hissed.

ㅤㅤ

“Just listen to me.” Vision closed the door. “You were never supposed to get involved in this.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda remained still, waiting for a convincing answer.

ㅤㅤ

“It just... It got out of control.” The english man sighed and placed a hand across his face. “Listen, that damn store...”

ㅤㅤ

“Our store?” Wanda frowned and crossed her arms. Everything seemed to get worse and worse.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, but this new one... Bloody ElectronicsFam.com” He growled angrily. “They are running me out of business. They got virtually no overhead. They mass-produce all their own inventory. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

ㅤㅤ

The expression on the man's face only made Wanda want to slap him more and more. They had bought that store with the money the insurance gave her for the plane accident. She understood that Vision felt guilty but this was too much. “So you… you blackmailed us?”

ㅤㅤ

“Not you. I thought I had to...” Vision sighs, so defeated. “I thought... Jennifer, she's a lawyer and you know… maybe Y/N had the cash.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda closed her eyes, trying not to explode. She obviously murmured some sokovian insults that the man couldn't even understand. He wasn't a bad man, but he was a complete jerk sometimes.

ㅤㅤ

“I mean, I was going to lose the store, Wanda. First, I took out a loan. I just... I-I got a loan from these people, all right?” As Vision spoke and explained the whole situation, Wanda began to think that the decision that was on her mind lokg time ago was the right one. “And it turns out that they were... they were bad.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda inhales deeply. “Like... like loan sharks?”

ㅤㅤ

Vision just shook his head.

ㅤㅤ

“Like fucking mobsters, Vision?” The sokovian yelled furiously but Vision shooed her away. “Are they gonna kill us? Our kids? you didn't think of them! My god, Vision!”

ㅤㅤ

Of course she was terrified for her children.

ㅤㅤ

"Be quiet, Wanda!"

ㅤㅤ

"Don't tell me to shup up!" She snapped wildly, pointing at him. "Are they gonna do something to us?"

ㅤㅤ

“No, no! No! I paid 'em back. It's all good. No one is gonna die.”

ㅤㅤ

"My God, Vision." Wanda shook her head. “You have to pay Y/N.”

ㅤㅤ

"Wanda, you can't tell them it was me-" Horror flashed across the man's face. What if he went to jail?

ㅤㅤ

"You have to take responsibility for your actions, Vision. For fuck's sake, you just- they almost shoot you!"

ㅤㅤ

“What if they send me to jail? Natasha could do it.”

ㅤㅤ

“No one will do that. Just… get the damn money and you're going to pay it back, you hear me?” the brunette told him seriously, there was no way he could refuse that face of hers. She was adorable but a lot of times, she could scare you. "You're going to pay to Y/N, I'll apologize to them."

ㅤㅤ

Vision nodded quickly. "I'll do it, I swear for our children."

ㅤㅤ

Wanda sighed and walked towards the door, but not before giving a final stab. "And Vision? I want the divorce."

ㅤㅤ

"What?" He frowned, surprised and maybe a bit hurt.

ㅤㅤ

"Oh, come on Vis. Don't you think that's enough?" Wanda sighed deeply tired. "You don't love me, I don't love you. We are here for our kids and they know very well what is happening between us.”

ㅤㅤ

"I know you have a lover." She smiled sadly, because even though he was doing it behind her back, she was glad to know that he found someone. Besides, didn't feel so guilty that she didn't love him.

ㅤㅤ

"I'm sorry, Wanda." the blonde whispered, he took off his glasses so that he could clean them and avoid showing how ashamed he felt.

ㅤㅤ

"We've been friends for all these years, but we can't pretend we love each other. Let's just not make it difficult for the kids. They will understand."

ㅤㅤ

"They are lucky that we made that decision now."

ㅤㅤ

They both smiled kindly, like two old friends saying goodbye, a necessary goodbye in order to move on.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I will spend the weekend in a hotel, I'll go pack my things.”

About five minutes, that's how long it took Y/N to get to that woman's house, after Wanda sent her that message.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

‘Come to my house, we need to talk.’

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N sighed deeply and took courage, if Wanda needed to talk, perhaps it would be to yell at her some more things that she kept for a long time.

ㅤㅤ

“Hi.” Wanda waved when she opened the door, letting her into the house.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey.” Y/N came into the place, looking around with curiosity. She had never been there, but it looked like a rather… ordinary home? Normal? Pretty good, very cozy.

ㅤ

Noticed some family photos, mostly of two adorable little ones. Billy and Tommy.

ㅤ

She followed Wanda to the kitchen without saying anything, expecting to know what she had to say, but the brunette just kept silent.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Will the girls be coming soon?” Y/N asked in a low voice, as if she was about to break the moment and detonate the bomb. Kept her hands in the  pockets, watching Wanda's every move.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“It’s just us.” Wanda whispered as she took out some bread, jelly, and peanut butter.

Just them? That made Y/N frown.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So... why did you call me?” Y/N leaned on the doorway, watching as Wanda cut small sandwiches. “You're supposed to hate me.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I don’t hate you.” Wanda grunted under her breath. “I'm just mad at you.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I know its because of what I did-” Y/N tried, a tired sigh, but Wanda turned to finally attack.

So done.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“You broke my heart, TWICE.”  She snapped. Wanda spat out those words like poison that she had kept for a long, long time . “Not only when we came back from the forest and you abandoned me, but then you came back years later. You filled me with false hope and illusions saying that you loved me, that I should leave Vision and we should go together.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N swallowed; it was time to take care of all the things she did.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I did it! For you, because I loved you so much, I was madly in love with you! And when I came back to the hotel where we made love all night and you were waiting for me to do this together, YOU WERE HAVING SEIZURES.” She said with a shaky voice, those green eyes showing not only anger but also fear and sadness at that horrible memory. The scariest moment of her life.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

I’m sorry-”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“When I got back to the hotel, smiling, ready to face the world with you… you were choking on your own blood because you overdosed. AGAIN.” The brunette wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek.  “You died, I saw you die that day.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N was silent, couldn't say anything because she knew perfectly well that Wanda was right. How much she had hurt that woman was unforgivable, but love was always there.

Maybe love wasn't enough.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“And the paramedics brought you back to life.” Wanda turned her gaze to the sandwiches, taking a deep breath to calm down and put the tiny sandwiches in the fridge.  “You stole those drugs from the hospital, and you could have gotten Jules fired or jailed.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I know.” Y/N swallowed, looking down. “I did terrible things.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Yes, you did and everyone thinks I'm the bad guy, and i’m cruel or- or impatient, but I'm not! Don't tell me I hate you, because I don't.” The sokovian whispered so hurt. “I'm not the bad guy here. You broke me first, twice.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

But even though Y/N could have turned and left and not take all those words anymore, she came closer and put a hand on Wanda’s shoulder. And despite the fact that the sokovian refused at first,  slowly she allowed herself to be hugged tightly for a while.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Wanna tell me what’s going on?” Y/N sighed, knowing something else was wrong. “I know you're mad at me, but I also know there's more.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda looked up, Y/N knew her too well. The brunette moved away from the embrace, leaning against the kitchen counter next to Y/N. Like two old friends.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Vision is cheating on me.” Wanda started. “I've known for a while now.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N just nodded and then exhaled furiously, like a rampaging, raging bull. How could he do that to Wanda? Just like that?  To that woman? “’Kay… I’m gonna kick his ass. He is in the store right now?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, that’s not-” Wanda interceded, getting in the way.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I'm not going to let him treat you like this.” Y/N growled.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Stop.” She put her hands on Y/N and slowly pushed her back onto the counter, returning to where they were.  “That's not what got me like this!”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So what is it?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Vision is cheating on me, yeah… but I don’t even care.” The brunette shrugged lightly.  “It is as if we both know that we don’t love each other, but… the kids. You know? Anyway, that's not the worst or the most important thing.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N kept silent, hoping that Wanda would dare to say it, especially when the sokovian seemed to start walking in circles, trying to get up the courage to tell her the truth.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Vision is the one who's been blackmailing us.” Finally, Wanda released it as if it were nothing.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

And Y/N's reaction was exactly what she expected. The dark-haired woman just opened her eyes wide, her jaw tensed, making her look perhaps quite attractive, or at least that's what Wanda thought for a moment.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“What?” Y/N exploded angrily.  “The fuck?! I’m gonna kill him.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, you won’t.” Wanda pointed at her, trying to calm her down but Y/N frowned even more annoyed. Was she going to defend him now?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“H-he needed the money, apparently the store was not paying off.” Wanda pinched the bridge of her nose, even more frustrated than before.  “Because of this… online store or something.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ Y/N noticed that she didn't seem too happy with that news either. Surely Wanda was also upset when she found out.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“The business began to fall apart, he was asking for loans but it was dirty money.” Wanda sighed. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N nodded slowly, at least this meant something good and that was that no one else knew what they did in the forest. That was good.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So you both owe me 50 grand.” Y/N teased, trying to make her feel better or smile.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“HE does.” Wanda clarified, finally smiling. A genuine smile. Y/N won and her heart knew it.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I'm going to break his fucking legs, man.” Y/N exhaled deeply and shook her head. “At least we don't have to worry about our past getting out of here. Right?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda just nodded.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Does he know EVERYTHING that happened there? Did he read all your diaries?” she narrowed her eyes.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, he just saw the drawing and thought it was important. He doesn't know what truly happened.” Wanda began to play with her rings, so embarrassed, everything that happened was her fault. “I promise I'll pay you back.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, he will.” Y/N smirked. “We'd better tell the others. They'll be glad to know there's no danger.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I don't know, I don't want them to be mad at me.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N kept watching her, she was seventeen years later and she still looked so beautiful. Now she looked more mature, those green eyes showed how much she had matured but that made her more beautiful and sensual. And that body? Wow, she really was a mommy.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“You have to tell them the truth, that's what it's all about.”  Noticing how worried Wanda looked, Y/N placed a hand on her shoulder. “They love you, believe me they won't care as long as you're fine. Besides that you had nothing to do with this.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Do you think they won't hate me?”  Wanda's voice melted Y/N's heart, who only quickly denied.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“They have hearts too big, look why I'm here.” The taller one shrugged. “Plus, I think they have bigger fish to fry between them.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“What do you mean?” The brunette asked worriedly.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Jules is pregnant.” Y/N smiled happily, but after a few seconds she realized the huge mistake she made.  “I mean, fuck, I wasn't supposed to say anything! You can't say anything! I promised not to say it!”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N panicked, opening her eyes wide, but Wanda only opened her big eyes in surprise and couldn't help but smile widely. That was much more important than all this, her best friends were going to be moms. That joy cast out any fear she might have.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh my god, Y/N!” Wanda squealed.  “That’s good news, right? We must celebrate!”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So good, right?! But remember, don't say anything.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

They both looked like two excited kids, laughing over that beautiful news as if it were themselves.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“But wait, Nat doesn’t now that and Jules doesn't know how she's going to take it.” y/n pursed her lips watching as Wanda took out a bottle of wine from the cabinet and two glasses.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Damn.” Wanda said worriedly. “Oh, god, she was hit the other day! Is she okay?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“She is. I went with her to the doc, she's fine for now.” she nodded and took the glass, somewhat doubtful.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh, thank god. Thank you for telling me this.” She was going to take the bottle to open it but Y/N touched her arm gently, getting her attention. “I was so worried that-”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Wait, Wanda?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Yeah?” she frowned.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I don't drink anymore. I'm still recovering.” Y/N wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you but…" She swallowed and shrugged a bit shy.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“…OH! I’m so sorry!” The sokovian exclaimed in embarrassment, quickly setting the bottle aside. She didn't know what to say, feeling so ashamed that she was so inconsiderate. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“It’s okay, I’m trying my best. It's not like I'm desperate to drink anyway.” Y/N smiled kindly.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

And for a moment, Wanda felt that she was seeing that eighteen-year-old girl again, so kind, attentive and considerate. That Y/N that completely stolen her heart years ago.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Please, don’t look at me like that.” Wanda shook her head and turned to leave the kitchen and arrange some things in the living room, some thrown cushions and joysticks.  

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Like that?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Like a fucking sad but loving puppy.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Why?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Because I can't deal with your ‘unrequited love victim’ look right now.” Wanda shook her head. Y/N followed Wanda around the place, helping her to pick up some cushions. “Stop that.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"But I love you.” Y/N smirked, wasn't going to stop, not anymore.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Please, stop.” Wanda pointed her finger at her and ended up taking the cushion out of her hands.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I can’t.” She was willing to do everything to make it better, to have Wanda by her side, in any way. “It kills me not being able to have you, not being able to be with you. I love to see you happy, I love to see you smile, but don't think that it doesn't hurt me not to have you.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Well, you seemed fine when-”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I know!” Y/N stepped forward. She perfectly knew everything she did, and despite the fact that she has changed, Y/N knew that she would have to endure those comments forever. “I know, and it wasn't right or fair. I was sick and I was sunk deep into the abyss and I started to sink you too.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

She sighed heavily, taking over all her actions. As many times as necessary.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“And I’m sorry, but i'm done apologizing.” At Wanda's surprised look, Y/N stepped forward to take her hand. “I can't keep sinking anymore, that's why I'm here. Because I love you, because I love my friends, and because I want to love myself a little more. No one deserves what I did to you all, and I want to make it right. I have to do it, okay?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N sighed deeply. Would fight whatever it took to keep the people she loved close. Time to mourn was over, now she just had to build and take care of the future.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I am taking responsibility for it. We all screwed up in one way or another.  I’m sober, I’m better and I’m trying my fucking best.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda just nodded, completely fascinated by that image. With a different Y/N, mature and much more responsible. She looked so attractive… It was too much, so tired of fighting the tension between the two; Wanda ended the distance and kissed her lips with a passion that surprised them both.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N was quick to kiss her back, pushing the brunette against the wall. The warmth of her body and her lips wrapped around her in such an exquisite way, she felt like coming home.

Her heart beat again after so long, the reason why she was still alive was right there.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

It wasn't a cute and tender kiss, it was a kiss full of passion and need. From two people who missed each other too much and had been away for a long, long time.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Wanda, we're at your house.” Y/N cursed herself for being the voice of reason, but even so, she didn't stop and kept devouring the sokovian's neck.  “Vision or the kids could come.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

When was the last time Wanda felt wanted? Needed and desired. A long time ago, she hadn't had sex with Vision in a long time and right now, her legs were shaking like she was that same needy young self again.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“He’s not coming... the kids won't be around for the whole weekend.” Wanda could barely whisper, feeling how her legs were so weak. “Oh god.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Between kisses and caresses, both ended up in Wanda's room, tangled between the sheets. Their naked bodies complemented each other once more; Wanda's hands ran over Y/N's bare back over and over again.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Fuck me.” She whispered against Y/N’s lips between kisses and bites. “Now. Please.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Feeling that paradise existed in the hands of Y/N, she got carried away. Legs that trembled, lips that ran over the skin over and over again. Wanda bit her skin as if she wanted to mark that woman as hers once more.

Because she was always hers.

The moans, the screams of pleasure, the biting.

The way in which Wanda sought to take Y/N's hands for her to cling to before reaching orgasm, or how her tongue ran through that wet sex with a unique devotion.

The way their breasts swayed with each movement, how their muscles contracted and then released at the peak of pleasure. How Y/N's hands gently squeezed the brunette's neck, how she licked her thumb, teasing her. Needing more.

It was an incredible night for both of them, who ended up sweaty, sore and happy hugging in that bed.

So... 👀🐝 Now do you understand Wanda's anger better? And you haven't read it yet.

Hope you enjoyed, this is turning interesting and good. I'm already working on the finale and... it might make you smile, cry, or both. Some intense stuff is coming so, I just want to let you know that. Clearly many didn't survive the forest.

the cutest and lovely people tags ✨ @kaiidth-wandika @yourfavunsub @pawiie @fanboy7794 @sunsol-22 @scarlettbitchx @arcturusseer @imnotasuperhero @chtte @lesbians-in-outer-space @starry-night17 @cristin-rjd @kenlymar @chtte @marvelogic @druggedduck @aliherreraaa @widowwaddles @gingiesworld

ㅤ

[sidekickjoey]

"Hi Chrissy."

Sitting in the cool grass in Hawkins Memorial Cemetery, Eddie watches quietly as the sun shines down on the stone before him. Radiant is the only word that comes to mind as it glistens and stands tall. Then again, no better word could've described Chrissy Cunningham when she was on this Earth, or her smile. It's fitting it would also apply to her grave.

He picks a nearby dandelion and rests it at the base of the stone, just below an engraving of a sunflower - her favorite, he's learned. A few of the fluffy white seeds float up and wisp around the carved petals, giving it life. Motion. It makes Eddie smile.

"I'm sorry I've been sorta' shit about visiting ya'," he says after a moment, a shy little drawl to his voice making him sound quite endearing. Forgivable. "Wayne and I just moved into our new apartment last week and the whole moving in thing's wrecked us. Did you know that man had even more mugs hiding in storage? At least thirty, the maniac!"

He imagines Chrissy's own smile at that one. Sure, she had been scared out of her mind the night she entered his trailer, but Eddie can never forget seeing Chrissy's eyes comically widen at the sight of Wayne's collection of various mugs from around the globe. Most people do as such - even Wayne on some occasions, when he's tired and not prepared to remember his own expensive vice.

Eddie's finger traces the sunflower.

"I wish you could see the place. It's a lot cleaner and bigger than our old shit hole at Forest Hills. Plus, it's got this super big backyard with a tree that I'm thinking of putting a hammock under. I think it'd be a nice spot for writing songs. Isn't that just something, Chrissy?"

A brush of cool air past him has Eddie believing that yes, it is.

He picks another dandelion. Blows the seeds her way.

"I've actually got another something to tell you," he hints, waggling his eyebrows to no one. "It's even crazier than us having a whole house to ourselves, Wayne and I. It might've actually just about blown your mind if you were still around. It's been blowing mine for the last few days, if I'm being totally honest."

The sun brightens on Eddie's back. He takes a deep breath. Steadies himself.

"I, uh...I'm dating Steve Harrington."

The sun continues to shine.

The cool breeze returns.

Life goes on.

Eddie releases his breath.

"I hope you're not like, rolling in your grave below me right now," he chuckles, voice tight and nervy. "I know I'm the biggest hypocrite ever for falling for him, a known jock AND popular kid. It goes against pretty much everything I've stood for or yelled about at lunch. But, it's kind of like what you said about me, Chris. He wasn't what I thought he'd be like. He isn't."

He's way more, as a matter of fact. So much more that it hurts sometimes for Eddie to think about. Makes him question how he got so lucky to meet him, really meet him, in the first place.

"I wish you could see it for yourself," he says softly a minute later, now tracing her name with his pointer finger. "You two probably would've been great friends. He likes sports and doing his hair and goofing around. He's also weirdly good at baking. You were in the baking club, right? I swear I saw you selling gingerbread cookies before Christmastime. The little ones with the candy canes? Right?"

No one answers, but something in Eddie's bones makes that assessment feel right. He looks up to the sky, lets the sun soak into what skin isn't covered up by leather and denim for a minute, and imagines the dreamworld he described. He imagines Chrissy side-by-side with Steve in a kitchen, maybe with Robin if she stuck around or visited during college. He watches them as they get too messy, covered in flour and sticky from dough and icing, and smiles at the fact none of them seem to care. They're all so proud of their work and wanting Eddie to try everything. He can practically hear their laughter, their joy, their lack of care or fear as he does. He lets himself drown in it, just a little. Basks in it.

Stares back at Chrissy's grave seconds later with a piercing twinge of sadness.

Grieves.

Whimpers "You should be here still, Chrissy" to the stone.

Sniffling, he tries to laugh away the tears that have suddenly appeared like a tidal wave. It does no good, though. Not even the sunshine, the beautiful stuff that usually makes Eddie feel so seen and comforted, can whisk them away now that they've begun. He grips tight at his thigh. Desperately tries to ground himself.

"Steve's been reminding me that there was nothing I could do. Says I've been placing too much blame on myself for it all. Maybe I am. It's just that..." he takes a deep breath, "shit, I hate that you were the one made an example of in all of this mess. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to stop it and protect you from Vecna and the Upside Down and all that horrible crap you had no reason to be swept up in because of me. I'm sorry you can't be here and getting your own new boyfriend, or your own degree. I'm so fucking sorry."

A full-on sob hits Eddie then, knocking him off whatever ledge he had been teetering on right into a pit of anxiety and bottled-up sadness. It renders him shaky and a bit blubbery, and as another sob gears up in the pit of his chest, he starts to feel guilty he had shown up in the first place. If he'd just kept his news to himself, hadn't let himself dwell on all the milestones Chrissy would never reach, maybe he would've been okay. Maybe he would feel a little less broken, a little less wrapt with survivors guilt, a little less-

"Hey."

Eddie flips around in a fright to find himself face-to-knee with Steve Harrington.

The boy's face is gentle when he finally works up the courage to meet it. It's the same gentleness that had been there the first time Eddie confessed to wanting to visit Chrissy, and the same that had coaxed him out of the car when his nerves got the best of him. It's also the same that had gazed upon Eddie when he confessed to having a crush, and when he proceeded to say he'd be fine if they never spoke again because he gets why that would not be happy news to hear.

His gaze is somehow never pitying. Always achingly empathetic.

It tears another sob from Eddie.

Carefully, Steve sits down at Eddie's side and wraps an arm around him. His hand soothingly begins to rub up and down Eddie's arm, grounding him the best he can. Eddie leans into it. Hopes Chrissy is okay with having their private conversation shared. Sobs again.

"Hi Chrissy. I dunno if you knew me, but I'm Steve."

Eddie shuts his eyes and buries his face into Steve's shoulder.

"I'm sure Eddie probably already told you, but we're...we're a couple now, so I hope you don't mind me intruding. I know uh...I know he's kinda private about this stuff."

He means Eddie's feelings about Chrissy's death, about Chrissy in general. The whole lot of it. Eddie knows it in an instant - feels the way Steve's grip nudges them closer together in understanding.

"I'm not sure what you were chatting about, but I have something to tell you if that's alright."

Steve pauses.

Bless him, he pauses for the answer that won't come.

Eddie could - no, plans to love him forever for doing something like that for his sake. For Chrissy.

"He's been pretty torn up about you. We all are, but...well, it's hard. I've been through this four times now and that first time is still a lot to think over. But...uh, Robs told me that in movies, ghosts are always like, torn up and stuff about people being sad they're gone. Want them to live their life to the fullest. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm gonna make sure our guy here does that. For you."

Blinking up from Steve's shoulder, Eddie sniffles. "W-What?"

"Yeah," Steve says, keeping his eyes on the stone. "I'll make sure he has reasons to smile and...and reasons to get through the hard times. I'm gonna' be there to remind him what all that's like, okay?"

"Steve..."

"And I know it won't be easy, but...I think it'll be good. For all of us. Ya' know?"

Tears threatening again, Eddie places a small kiss to Steve's cheek. He feels Steve's grip bring him in even more, almost keeping Eddie in his lap. Comforting him. It's more than he could ask for.

The sun shines on him. Eddie feels it again - wills it to help.

"I can't do it all on my own, though. I could use a little divine intervention here and there, if you could spare some."

Eddie almost corrects Steve. He almost says ghosts aren't divine, how that's reserved for angels and God and stuff. But, on second thought, he figures if anyone from Hawkins was granted an angelic afterlife, Chrissy probably was first in line.

Instead, he listens to the beat of Steve's heart.

"But, I'll try. We'll both try. We promise."

"Y-Yeah," Eddie hiccups. "We promise."

Steve smiles into his hair.

"Got anything else you need to say, Eddie? Or do you want to go grab milkshakes somewhere before we head back to your place?"

Blinking his bleary eyes back open, Eddie gazes at the tombstone. Commits it to memory. Pictures Chrissy giggling and telling them to go have fun.

Really, who is he to tell her no?

"Yeah, I think we're good here," he says, finally. He nods once more to Steve and lets him pull him up to his feet, the shaky thing he is. His arm ends up around Steve's waist as they give a final look to Chrissy, and for a moment, he wonders what she must be thinking. He wonders if she is grateful for their promise, or if she is wishing she could have a milkshake with them, too. Eddie hopes, wherever she is, she can go grab one. Enjoy with them, and above them. He'd like that.

And, after today, he thinks Steve might, too.

They hold each other's hand tight as they leave the cemetery.

They hold hands even tighter when Eddie gets a tattoo of a sunflower the very next day.

[algumaideia]

Jason Grace was the bastard son of King Jupiter, which was far from being an impactful information. The King was known for his affairs and the amount of bastard children that came from them. The only unusual thing about the situation would be how Queen Juno dealt with the situation. She liked to be in charge of all of them. The boys became guards. The girls cleaners. All of them being supervised by the Queen constantly, working in the palace. She had trusted people in charge of them, reports were sent weekly. They could amount to no problem with the Queen herself controlling them.

It was because of this situation that Jason found himself in the Queen’s presence. He was a kid. Maybe twelve. Maybe younger. He had barely seen the Queen throughout his life. He had seen his father even less times. This was all to say that the kid knew something was wrong, he just had no idea what.

Jason was standing straight, not looking directly at the Queen. He hadn’t received enough instruction on how to behave. What if he made her annoyed and she asked to decapitate him? Could she do that?

“Your performance has been unsatisfactory.”

The Queen looked at Jason like she expected an answer. So the boy gave her one.

“I.. I don’t understand, Your Majesty. I’m as good as every other boy.”

“Exactly. You need to be better. No one can think the bastard children are being favored. This situation is already messy, don’t make it worse.”

The Queen waved her hand. Jason should go. How could he do what the Queen asked?

…

Nico di Angelo was the son of Hades. There weren’t many of them. The King loved his spouse dearly and it was very rare for any woman to catch his attention enough to be made concubine. Maria di Angelo was one of these rare women. Nico was one of the rare children. Persephone, Hades’ favorite woman, treated the situation with grace. She made sure all children received the same education and treatment, it didn’t matter who the mother was. Some people said she treated the combine’s kids like hers out of kindness and generosity. Others said she was only aware that the King wouldn’t see any sort of discrimination with good eyes. In the end the reasons didn’t matter, not to Nico anyway.

When a little boy he was allowed to be as hyperactive and enthusiastic as he wished. After the death of his mother and sister he was allowed to be as quiet and alone as he wished.

…

Some years later, Jason Grace was summoned to the Queen's chamber again. He was taller, bigger, stronger. No one could call him a child, but he was still a boy. He couldn't be more than 17 years old.

It was the second time Jason would have a conversation with the Queen. He was analysing his behavior in the past months, had he committed a great mistake? Was it a problem with his performance again? Someone heard that one time he complained about his father?

Regardless of all that, Jason was a boy with a mission. He would ask the Queen about his mother.

The Queen stopped working with her papers when Jason entered the room.

"You must be aware that Hades' ambassador is coming." Jason nodded. "He will bring his own personal guards, but whenever he leaves the palace he will have our guards to protect him. You'll be one of them. I believe I don't need to tell you how important this is."

"I'll do my best, Your Majesty."

The Queen seemed satisfied and went back to her paperwork without waiting for Jason to leave. The boy took a deep breath.

"Your Majesty, I do not mean to bother, but I was wondering if you could tell me about my mother."

"What about her?"

"You keep track of all the King's lovers, right? I wish to know what happened to her."

"Didn't your sister tell you? She died less than three years after you left."

Jason wasn't sure what to do with what the Queen had told her.

"I met her. You don't find many people who are not only aware of their shortcomings, but also honest about them. I admired her for that."

If you asked later, not that you'd know about it, but if you did Jason wouldn't know how to explain why he did what he did. But he'd tell you he was satisfied with the results.

"Aren't you like this, Your Majesty?"

The Queen blinked. She looked more amused than annoyed. Maybe Jason was lucky, maybe the Queen wasn't so bad.

"I'm not allowed to make mistakes. This whole deal with you and the other bastards… Sometimes I think that if one of you steps out of line, Jupiter will divorce me. I know in some moments it looks like I want to punish you all, and I'm gonna be honest sometimes I do, however in the end I just want to keep it up together."

…

The ambassador was handsome or so would Jason tell his sister. He had black hair that fell to his shoulders when free, olive skin, deep brown eyes, slim figure.

…

On his visit to Olympus, one guard caught Nico's attention. Hazel, his sister, convinced him to describe the guy to her so she could draw him. Nico spent an embarrassing amount of time starting the ready drawing.

…

Hazel loved horses, she would ride them as much as she could. Sometimes Nico would go with her. It was in one of those moments that Nico told the news to Hazel.

"Father wants me to become a permanent ambassador. He said I looked happier after the trip."

"Does he know about the guard?"

"He wasn't…. I didn't…"

"I'm just kidding Nico. I do think traveling to new places would be good for you. Would you take me to some of your trips?"

"Of course, as long as you want and Father allows, I'll be more than glad to have you with me."

…

Whenever Nico went to Olympus, which happened once every couple of months, Jason would be assigned to guard him. Some years have passed, they were both men now and Jason had guarded a lot of information about the ambassador. He enjoyed learning about the differences in cultures, didn't talk much until he did, he enjoyed playing games, silent places, liked listening to music more than going to the theater, had a specific taste in clothes, adored his sister, was good at sword play and could be really threatening.

Nico, on the other hand, knew nothing about the knight. He liked to imagine what the guard did on his spare time.

…

There was an attack. Long short story, they ended up locked in a room together in silence. For hours. Until Nico couldn't deal with it anymore.

"Can we please talk?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but this could distract me and endanger your life."

The guard wasn't even looking in Nico's direction.

"Please, I'm going crazy."

With a sigh, the guard nodded. Nico was surprised it didn't take any longer to convince him.

"What do you want to talk about, sir?"

"I don't know, anything. What is your name? What do you do in your spare time? What do you like? What do you dislike?"

"My name is Jason Grace. I like to read, tragedies are my favorites. I enjoy when we go to work on some construction, it makes me feel helpful. I like the rain. I don't like swimming."

"You did answer them all."

"I did as you asked."

Without knowing, Jason killed the opportunity to continue the conversation with the ambassador. Nico didn't want to feel like he forced Jason to do anything. So the silence came back.

…

On the next visit, Jason fought with Nico daily. He was the best sword fighter and therefore was chosen as Nico's partner when the man showed desire to train his skills. On those days they talked. Both men thought about the conversations all the months they spent away.

…

The next time Nico went to Olympus, the Queen asked to talk to him privately. He never told anyone about it. The effects of it were felt regardless. The Queen started playing matchmaker and the result was Nico and Jason spending more time together.

…

It wasn't a normal relationship and maybe it would never be. But it made both of them happy.

[stn-tmblr]

Hey Satan! It feels like we haven’t talked in forever! I was mainly busy with a romantic webtoon called Divorcing My Tyrant Husband! I realised how much I’ve been enjoying works that are centred around characters being married, which made wonder two things: 1. What does love mean to you personally? 2. Random, but how are female demons generally treated in society? Similar to female humans? Better? Worse?

For me, love is incredibly rewarding when you meet the right person. It’s the loyalty you have for someone who you want to cherish, and stay by their side through all troubles. It’s a unique connection that you can only imagine having it with your lover and no one else. Love has the power orchestrate anything from madness to peace

Have a lovely day/night!! -🐱💚

To answer your question, female demons are actually treated far worse in human society's eyes, I believe. Many think thank female demons are solely succubi, or not powerful, due to the fact that they are not a lot of demons in the current power structure. I would like to say that is a (temporary) unfortunate coincedince as opposed to sheer fact. I will say, though, their roles have changed over time. For example, Adam was the original sinner, for eating the apple and then lying that it was actually his wife, so for a while, men did hold high positions of power by virtue of being more sinful than women. But this changed pretty quickly as the number of sinners here grew exponentially, and then it was simply a process by birthright. Women in demon society are treated better than male demons, I believe, due to the fact their souls are -- keyword, generally, -- cleaner than males. Rather than hell being organized by effect of how "bad/sinful" someone is, it's mostly just by power, age, wealth, c. No different than the human realm. I wish I could say the afterlife was the great equalizer, it's not.

As for me, I think love is a bit of a misnomer. Love means a lot of different things to different people. I'm assuming you mean romantic love, but there are so many types of love I value equally, if not more.

There's a podcast (I'm slowly learning more about human culture), by a human author I like anyways. John Green has a podcast called The Anthropocene Reviewed. There's an episode titled Indianapolis and Love at First Sight which I think describes it quite well. Love is something that's built over long periods of time, and ultimately, requires effort, time, and is never perfect.

There was a human I had known a long time ago. At the time I did not know they were a human, but they were. I was enamoured by them. I know many of you will think I'm referring to MC, I'm not. This was about 2500 years before they arrived here.

You can ask Asmo, I was absolutely foaming at the mouth over them. I didn't know it was love then, in all honesty. He was a wealthy and young king. He had come down here, finding royalty unfulfilling. He was trying to reclaim the souls of his loved ones, thinking they had brought here. He was smart, kind, very well spoken, and likely the second least sinful person I know.

Because I was so enamoured with him, I devised a set of trials with obvious loopholes to win back their souls, at least personally to save them from hell. None of my brothers knew about this. However, the man was too honest, and refused to use the loopholes or cheat and was determined to complete the challenges "the right way". I watched him die at my own hands.

Obviously he must be an angel up in heaven, because I never saw him, or his soul since.

I hope that is sufficient, anon.

[lordamaranthus]

I’m trying to reign in my excitement for the Pokemon legends Z-A game since it’s coming out next year

So INSTEAD

I made a bingo prediction sheet. A large chunk of these are just things people have been speculating/hoping for, some are things I want, a few are things I do not want, and a few of them purposefully contradict each other

With some long winded, too detailed explanations for most of them under the read more :]

[These are just for fun, and purely speculation/hopes]

Mega Charizard Z: [/hj] For the love of fucking god GF I do not want to see this lizard anymore. I know you’re obsessed with him. I wish to be free.

Kalos Starters/Random Mix of Starters: I feel like even though we had a random mix in the first Legends game, it’s not a guarantee that they’ll be doing the same for this one; I think it’d be cooler to finally give the main three Megas instead, but I wouldn’t complain if it did end up being a random selection

Tera Raids of the box legendaries in SV: They were skipped over when they brought the older legendaries in the dlc; please, I would like to see my children again

[Fade to Black, SFX, Fade back in]: Since you’re giving the game an extra year and not forcing the Devs to spew out the game as fast as possible, that means we’re getting a little bit better animations, right?

…Right?

Set in the Future/Past: I’ve seen a lot of people go back and forth over this because of the crumbs we were given, so I figured I’d put both on here so I could win either way 💅💅

Megas are the next Nobles: I’m just going on a whim since this is only our second Legends game, so who actually knows what the plot points are going to be

Slightly Cleaner Art Style/Exact Same Art Style: This is another one I’m personally hoping for, I did really like the way the last one looked, but some things were a bit weird to me, like the light purple shadows on everything. When the trailer comes out I’ll be changing this card once I have my answer

AZ. In general.: I just wanna know more about him. Crumbs, even. Gimme info on that weird ass tall fucker.

New Megas: This is gonna be a free space, and immmm really hoping it is a guaranteed free space

Ultimate Weapon Plot Point: The emotions I felt coursing through my pre-teen body when the weapon fucking rose from the ground and knocked over several houses? Gimme that but multiply it.

More Lore of the War: Kind of a filler space, but also I thought it sounded funny when I typed it out

Emmet in Paris/Ingo: A lot of people immediately jumped to the conclusion that it would be Emmet becoming French for this game, but I’ve seen a few arguments[jokingly] for Ingo, so I’m covering my bases and putting both on here. I’m not getting my own hopes up, I’m going to assume neither are in the game juuust in case

New forms for the legendaries: I am a Gen 6-er who’s starving for crumbs. I never see my legendaries anywhere. I think Megas would be fuckin badass but honestly I’ll take a singular grain of anything

Xerneas and Yveltal fighting: God of Peace vs God of Destruction, fighting? Unheard of. Revolutionary story idea. I’d eat it up.

Diantha’s Ancestor: We got to see one champions ancestor, let’s see another’s :D However. They must be fashionable. This is non-negotiable.

Mega Mewtwo Z: Exact same as Charizard, I feel like if you give one a mega you’re obligated to give the other one as well, or else people will complain or question it too much. I put them in the same column because I feel confident that you can’t have one without the other

Volo: A lot of people are speculating this because he says some stuff after you fight him, and while I would definitely prefer to have a different antagonist for this game I wouldn’t really complain about it either

New Legendary/Returning Mythicals: Maybe a new one kinda like how we got Enamorous, but im mostly hoping that the mythicals come back for this game because I’m trying to have a living Dex in Pokemon Home and I have NONE of the mythicals. Like at all. I am not selling my soul to get them

[geralts-yenn]

~ 💖 ASK GAME 💖 ~

I got tagged by the lovely @littlefreya - thank you dear! Loved your answers ❤

📷 What’s set as your phone’s lockscreen? A winter landscape in pastel colors

🍫 Cheese or chocolate? I can't eat either of them, but if I could, I think I'd choose cheese over chocolate

✨ Do you have any nicknames? No, in high school some friends tried to make "Nini" a thing but I was not a fan

🎵 Last song you listened to? Teardrop - Massive Attack

✏️ Have you ever written fanfiction? Started writing 18 months ago - changed my life

😏 Are you on discord? 24/7

 💛 Do you have any piercings? Had ear piercings, would love to have more, but I'm allergic

🐰 What do you think says the most about a person? I always watch out how people treat animals. Also, if someone is rude to retail workers or staff, it's a red flag.

🍪 If you were a cookie, what kind would you be? lol, idk, an oreo? dark and hard on the outside with a soft core

🐶 Are you more of a dog person or a cat person? Both! I always had cats and thought I'd always be a cat person. But then we got the most precious little baby puppy and I absolutely adore her. She's not a puppy anymore but never stopped being the cutest little baby 😍

🎧 Headphones or earbuds? Both 😁 Headphones for sports and when the family is too loud, earbuds for at work when I still need to pay attention to others

🌼 What’s the last thing you said out loud? "Damn, dog, it's just a vacuum cleaner, it won't eat you!"

🙃 What’s a weird fact that you know? lol, that chickens DO have a navel. Had a heated argument with my Dad about that. Sweet memory ❤

🦉 Are you a morning person or a night owl? Is 3am morning or night?

🧸 Favorite place to nap? The hammock in my garden

🏳️‍🌈 Are you a member of the LGBTQIA+ community? I identify as pansexual heteroromantic

🦋 Describe yourself in three words. enthusiastic, awkward, introvert

👖 Jeans or sweatpants? Jeans

🥤 What’s your go-to Starbucks order? Believe it or not, I've never been to a Starbucks. But I drink my coffee black

🧡 A color you can’t stand? Every color has its own beauty

💎 What’s your most prized possession? My house?

☕ Coffee or tea? Both - lol, I'm really good at making decisions 😁

🦖 Favorite extinct animal? Ichthyosaurs - First fossil I've ever seen and combines my love for the ocean and dinosaurs

🌙 How long have you been on tumblr? A year and a month - yes, I'm a tumblr baby

🌴 Desert island item? A lighter

🐸 Describe your aesthetic. Ugh, these are really difficult! Industrial pastel?

🔮 What’s your dream job? Photographer!

💙 Relationship status? So very much in love - for almost 20 years now 😍

🌿 Describe your favorite outfit. Wide black shorts, sage green top, gray cardigan, barefoot (I need summer!)

🎤 Is there a song you know all the lyrics to? lol, is there a song I DON'T know the lyrics to?

🤎 What color is your hair? blonde

💌 Do you talk to yourself? I do right now 😁

💄 Do you wear makeup? If I feel like it, I love wearing makeup, but I'm also comfortable going out without makeup

🌸 Best compliment you ever received? "I wish there were more people like you"

💞 @ your favorite blog. @raccoon-eyed-rebel

No pressure tags: @ellethespaceunicorn @peyton-warren @gummydummy19 @mayloma @cardierreh15 @liveoncoffeeandflowersss @martha-oi @lostforparadise

[ask-healthy-light]

I posted 807 times in 2022

That's 807 more posts than 2021!

387 posts created (48%)

420 posts reblogged (52%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ask-healthy-light

@jdeck306

@nox-lunarwing

@ask-a-grumpy-melon

@duran301

I tagged 790 of my posts in 2022

Only 2% of my posts had no tags

#my little pony - 675 posts

#writing - 671 posts

#oc - 668 posts

#healthy light - 506 posts

#story related - 495 posts

#self reblog - 327 posts

#boomlord - 313 posts

#princess luna - 295 posts

#nox lunarwing - 281 posts

#princess celestia - 260 posts

Longest Tag: 69 characters

#please support your favourite artists! it means a great deal to them!

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Despite it being her day off, Melon can't quite seem to turn off her work brain and simply relax, even with her new staff encouraging her to do so.

Melon's Day Off

Early in the morning on her day off, when Melon awoke and headed to the Inn, planning to be busy the whole day, Selene, behind the front desk, greeted her with a gentle smile, and asked her for her name, to check whether her room was ready for her, to which Melon, who barely had any energy to spare, asked Selene, in an exasperated tone, if she knew who she was.

With a kind voice, Selene apologised, and replied that Melon did not appear to be on the Guest list, and asked her if she wished to stay at the Inn for the day, which Melon, through her confusion and fatigue, begrudgingly accepted, letting Selene lead her to a room, adjacent to one in which a Royal family stayed, after which she returned to the reception, leaving Melon by herself.

After neatly putting away her belongings, she headed to the main café, where a breakfast buffet had been set up by Doc, the head chef at the Inn, of which, she took a small plate of freshly baked bread buns, a cup of coffee, and some pieces of fruit, and took a seat further to the back of the halls, all the while, many more folks walked in as the morning progressed.

Seeing the large quantity of guests walking in, Melon became worried that the chef wouldn't be able to handle everything, so she left her table and headed towards the kitchen, hoping to find a way to help the chef, but to her surprise and relief, looking through the window, she found that Doc was managing well, able to keep up with many different things at the same time.

Slightly reassured, she returned to her seat, going down her list to find anything she could do, for she was getting restless, eager to work, when she remembered that there would always be errands that needed to be run, so she finished her meal and, after clearing her table, headed to the main hall where she put on her coat and grabbed a few bags, preparing to head out for supplies.

Or, at least, she planned to head out, when exactly at that moment, Banana, the errand runner of the Inn, happily bounced back in with a great number of boxes, filled to the brim with supplies of all sorts, hovering right behind him, courtesy of his magic, stunning Melon into silence once again, as this was yet another item on her rapidly shrinking checklist that she had to cross off.

Getting increasingly frustrated, yet feeling slightly calmer in the back of her mind, Melon sighed and walked over to the supply cabinet, for, surely, the Inn would still need to be cleaned, top to bottom, right? However, her question was answered when a blurry figure swiftly raced past her, shooting out of the supply closet, armed with a vacuum cleaner, for Squeaky Clean had arrived.

Feeling defeated, she returned to the main hall and sat at the counter, planting her head, face-down, on the countertop, bored out of her mind and bursting for the chance to work, when Doc walked out and happily greeted the understimulated Melon, asking her how her day off had been so far, now that all of her tasks were completed already, to which Melon gave him a confused look.

Apparently, after constantly watching Melon run around the entire Inn, completing chore after chore, her staff knew it would be only a matter of time before she burnt herself out, but as they remembered from the past, even if she had free time to spare, she would not do anything but work, no matter how much they encouraged her to give herself a break, so they formed a plan to help her.

Whatever she tried, for anything on her list that she had planned to do, from checking in guests, to working in the kitchen, running errands to cleaning the entire building, her staff would beat her to it, as they wanted to make sure that she had no choice but to rest on her day off, and from her stunned reactions, they figured they were quite successful.

Looking back at how her morning has been, Melon agreed that while it was surprising, it was rather pleasant that she was able to take it a bit easier, knowing that all chores had been completed already, so she thanked Doc and ordered a cup of tea, which he made for her with a smile, and as she took a sip and tasted its soothing flavours, looking out of the window, she wondered:

"What else could I do today?"

(Thanks for reading this request story! Hope you enjoyed reading it! If you'd like a story of your own, feel free to send in an ask!)

Featuring: Melon Grumps from @ask-a-grumpy-melon

33 notes - Posted September 9, 2022

#4

Magic

After a well-guided, safe, and fascinating expedition through the Northern Mountains, Tay Relic the Unicorn helped the group rest. They lit a fire, and asked all to gather, while the Sun slowly set.

For now, the group's young ones kept their distance. There was something in the eyes, neither good nor evil, but what it was, they knew not. Tay nodded, gently sat down and began to tell their tale:

"Writing stories, telling tales, everything that I do can be traced back to what I have done, seen, found, and lost. Although, when one captures the reader's imagination, they lose the tale's magic."

"Do not fret, for though the magic is lost, within the mind of the reader, the words, the stories, and the reader themself all come together to create incredible, beautiful and awe-inspiring magic."

"As a storyteller, I aspire to bring beauty, magic, and awe to all who read or hear tales of mine. Foals and adults alike of any race will all discover the many worlds of amazement within my tales."

"However" Tay said, as they shifted their body, "now that you are here, in my presence, I can show you the true beauty of the magic in the stories as it is but a fraction of the magic I can create."

"Everyone, with your consent, I shall show you my tales through my own eyes." Their eyes which held no pupils glowed as they spoke. Though it frightened the young ones, they moved closer, fascinated.

As Tay rose, their eyes blazed with flames, hotter than the campfire in front of which they stood. A moment later, their horn glowed, their voice deepened, and the flames followed their every move.

Every present being sat still, in complete silence, as all were in awe at the beauty of the story they wove. Within the flames that danced with them, it was as if the story itself was contained.

Using their magic, Relic told the group many tales. With their Mind's Eye, everyone saw it in their own way. Afterwards, they took a deep breath, and all was well once again.

No tale told since could match the awe which Relic conjured.

(Thanks for reading this bonus! If you'd like a story of your own, feel free to send a request!)

Featuring: Tay Relic from @ask-tay-relic

34 notes - Posted November 1, 2022

#3

Hello there, I'm Healthy Light.

After having been invited to visit a park, I came across a trap door leading to a dark cellar, the mysteries of which I'm trying to figure out. Do you have any thoughts on the subject, or would you simply like to ask something about me?

Since I'm a storyteller, there will be many long sets of text as I document the tales I discover.

Please feel free to send me an ask, either so I can document it in the story, or to help you understand me and my stories better.

New chapter uploaded every day at 16:00 GMT + 1 - 15:00 GMT - 10:00 EST.

Start at the beginning!

34 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

#2

The Confession

The rain and thunder intensified as the wind blew through the trees outside, the wood in the hearth cracked every so often, and Melon and Light sat closely together, quietly talking with one another.

After they had no more stories to tell, they greatly enjoyed each other's company. Still, Melon was very cautious with Light, for though their wounds were treated, she made sure she didn't hurt them.

To this, Light reassured Melon; they knew she was doing her best, and they trusted her. Even if she did hurt them, they said they knew it was accidental, as they placed their arm around her shoulder.

As Light pulled Melon closer, and sweetly took her hoof, they smiled, and quietly asked her if they could embrace her. A small smile grew on Melon's face as she blushed and leaned into their embrace.

She closed her eyes, laid her head on their shoulder, sighed, and told Light that she was glad they were here. Now Light blushed, and replied they were glad to be back, as they had dearly missed her.

When they realised what they said, Light blushed and chuckled nervously, and apologised. Surprised, Melon looked at Light, who had turned as red as a tomato, and giggled as she turned redder herself.

Both Melon and Light began stuttering, unable to get any words out. But without another word, Melon turned away, as she squeezed Light's hoof, as she had to take a moment to be able to calm her mind.

Eventually, after taking a deep breath, she asked them to wait a moment, after which she trotted to the hall to grab a few blankets. When she returned, Light had put a couple more logs in the hearth.

A grand smile grew on her face when she looked at Light, who lovingly smiled back. They sat down in front of the hearth when Melon draped a blanket over them, something they politely thanked her for.

When Melon sat down facing Light, she realised she could not look at them without laughing sillily. Light gently took her hoof, smiling warmly, and as she grabbed a blanket, they nervously asked her:

"May I... give you a kiss?"

And Melon softly replied:

"You may…!"

(Thanks for reading this bonus! If you'd like a story of your own, feel free to send a request!)

Featuring: Melon Grumps from @ask-a-grumpy-melon

Thanks ever so much to @allyooops for allowing me to write about Melon! It's been absolutely lovely to write such wholesome, gentle scenes, and I'm super glad that she asked to see stories more of Light and Melon together!

35 notes - Posted November 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Duty

Ever since the Lunar Incident, and the following discovery of the Solar Princess, unconscious, with her face stained with tears, we've had to deal with a lot - and I do mean a lot - of fallout.

For one, we had no idea what happened. A couple of weird gems on the ground, broken glass all over, and a head injury. So, we took her back to the Palace and found a safe room, far away from others.

The Doctor treated her as best she could, and told us to make sure she rested a while. It's been a few days, and I've been assigned to night watch, guarding her tower, but she hasn't woken up yet.

Fortunately, it's been quiet. The country doesn't know what happened or why the Moon has changed, but we promised to find out as soon as we could. But rumours started to spread, and fear grew.

Anytime there was a moment of quiet, I heard the other Guards talking about why she banished the Lunar Princess, and how much power it must have cost her. What would happen if she lost control?

I'm worried for her, especially since she's alone, and hurt. I've gone back to the location of the accident to stand guard, but since we found her, the gems we found laying around her have vanished.

Nopony went in or out, so I have no idea where those things are. But now, whenever I fly past her window, I've seen flashes of light in there. If it's those gems, goodness knows how they got there.

But during my flights around the tower, I've seen other Guards leave and head to a camp outside of town. A large group, growing every day. Now, I'm one of the only Guards left to guard the tower.

The plans I heard them discuss are grounds for high treason. I talked with the last few Tower Guards, and we knew the result. They assaulted the tower in the dead of night, trying to get to the Princess.

We stood our ground until the sun rose. By the grace of the Princesses themselves, I was unhurt. The others were not so lucky… This night, she woke up, but there is nopony else. Nopony but us.

I hope she trusts me. Neither of us has any other choice.

(Thanks for reading this bonus! If you'd like a story of your own, feel free to send a request!)

Featuring: Sky Warden from @asklostcelestia

A story about Sky Warden, and my interpretation of what happened before the events we've seen so far. Excited to see where her story goes!

41 notes - Posted October 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[harrietsdreams]

Chapter 5

From the shadows behind the rundown fountain, someone appeared. The dim light made it hard to distinguish features. Was it Theo? I threw that whimsical thought into a wishing well.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were-" I approached the stranger slowly. It was a guy, about my age. Dangerous. He blinked, glancing at me as if he was just now remembering something important.

"Good night? Who are you?" With the corners of my eyes, I searched for a way back.

"Don't you remember me?" he approached the fountain, palms in front of him, as if to show there was no danger. Hah, he underestimated what living in a big city taught me.

"That's not what I asked. Answer me or I'll scream!" He laughed soundly and stared at me firmly in the eyes.

"Oh, that kind of thing, you could say I'm your maid." Great, on top of being a stranger, he was out of his marbles. I should have never let my guard down and left my phone back at the house…

"Sure! It's the 21st century, that could happen. You can be anything nowadays, aha." I instinctively stepped back, on the brink of bursting out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

"Harriet. I am the housekeeper's son. Claude, the youngest of the Olives,” he said seriously. “I literally live right there.” He pointed to a smaller house in the middle of the garden.

"Oh, my mom did say something about that…" I approached slowly. With proper lighting, his red hair stood out and his face was familiar.

"I remember you. We built forts in the forest back when we were kids." He sat in a cleaner spot on the fountain.

“Sorry… I forgot most of my memories of that time.” I smiled, hoping he would move on.

“It was nothing important, either way.” He looked down at his shoes. “Did Lily arrive too?”

“At the exact same time as me-” He suddenly seemed down in spirits. “Is everything okay?”

“Just disappointed. You see, she used to meet me here…” I stood wide-eyed. “Not at night… I mean just normally-”

“Yeah. I will just let that go.” I strode forward determined to sit beside him. Lily also had some secrets, it seemed. “So are you friends with my sister? Before you ask, she is technically my cousin.”

“I know that. But how are you so similar?” He tilted his head.

“Nurture.” I flashed a smile. He seemed taken aback. Were we that similar?

“Whatever. She is really funny, isn't she?” I could physically see his attempt at continuing the conversation about Lily.

"We will have this conversation once. Siblings need to be praised but much more humbled.” His cheeks filled with a tint, resembling his hair. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything. You see, I also study at your university. I come back every weekend… Not important,” he paused. “I thought we were friends or more even, but this past week she just ignored me. We even had a group project to finish…” 

Oh. Wait, does this mean that she had someone else while Theodore was gone? And she just ditched him without warning?

The mere idea that my sister could do this was foreign to me. Did it make me feel less guilty about me and Theodore? For sure. Whatever is about to happen these following days, honesty seems to be due between us. Tomorrow is the day.

I tried to subdue my reaction and answer without the bias of the situation. “Well, she is the same, no matter the age. Strong, smart, and beautiful, but she has space to grow when it comes to relationships.” Holding back a smile, I swung my legs and arms in a strange pattern to emphasise the point.

“So it does have to do with that black-haired guy.” He chuckled, reading between the lines. “Is he her boyfriend?” Petrified, I had two paths to take: being petty after learning new information or being a good sister.

“Talk to her, just not tomorrow. Then you can ask her about him.”

He nodded. “Are you aware you talk like an old shaman?” he asked half-jokingly. "I am looking forward to seeing what is happening tomorrow," said the laughing boy.

"That's tomorrow. What are you doing here today and at these hours?" I asked playfully.

"The fountain, we tried fixing it all evening, but I guess the years don’t forgive." I couldn't tell if he was lying or if it was the truth. Just that he was a peculiar sort of individual. “Maybe it had fixed itself somehow, I know it’s dumb, but yeah…”

"This entire place is wonderful. I can tell your family takes care of that, of this abandoned castle. It's an old fountain, just replace it," I said nonchalantly. However, the lack of an old statue would reduce the cursed manor vibes this place sometimes had.

"I'm glad you can tell. About the fountain, Mrs. Allard says-" He started a phrase, but I already knew the ending.

Getting up, I could feel my jeans had tarnished my green vibrant moss. "Well, boy maid. I'm leaving," I said with my lips pursed, waving goodbye.

He waved back, and I swore he almost laughed at my bad joke. Now laying on my bed I cannot help but wonder. Could he be lying? Either way, it seemed that talking with Lily would be the right choice.

[nycnomad]

Hi there! Fellow FIRE aspirer here. My husband and I are considering a real estate investment opportunity in 2022. Any advice for a first timer? Things you wish you would have known or would have done differently?

Oh, why, thank you for asking!

Just for reference, we own two rentals in Panama City Beach in the same resort-style building on the beach. They rent short-term, weekly or monthly. We have a property manager who lists our properties on Airbnb, VRBO, and their own website, and they handle all of the booking, communication with guests, cleaning, and repairs. We pay them 20% of whatever we make on bookings, and we're welcome to block off whatever time we want for ourselves and just pay them to clean the unit once we leave.

Last year, after repairs like painting and new appliances where needed, we made a similar cash return on our properties as we would have investing the money in the stock market. HOWEVER, we bought one property at $340k and the other at $370k, and now same-size units in our building are selling for $520k-$600k. So obviously that's a lot more than we would've made in the stock market if we were to sell right now. But of course we're not selling right now, because we like being diversified, so it's kind of fake money. 🙂

Anyway, to actually answer your question, one thing I didn't know about myself is that I was going to be attached to the units and upset when people damage them. Every time we visit, my eyes immediately go to the neon yellow sticker someone has stuck to the wooden armchair, the bit of paint that's been scraped off the TV console we hand-painted, the place where the wicker chair has been damaged. How did someone dent the toaster? HOW?! It really tests your faith in humanity.

The other thing I didn't know is that everyone hates their property management company. Ours is a local mom and pop shop, and their communication with us is immediate and fantastic. They do nice little extras for us like go pick out paint colors when we say we want to have one of our units painted while we're not there. But it drives me crazy that we can't expect them to look at the places with the same discerning eye I do, that the cleaner will take a bedskirt or a chair cover to clean it and just . . . never bring it back. I also hate that when something like a new oven needs to be ordered, we have to place the order and schedule the delivery and then coordinate with them to be there. Just handle it and charge us for the effort, please.

I've talked to people who self-manage their properties, and they actually seem happier despite having to do the extra work. They say that people treat your units better when they're getting personal messages from the owner, and all you need is a local cleaner and handyman on call to handle anything else. Maybe a fun retirement "job" for me would be to manage our properties myself, because I love the idea of communicating with the guests and giving them local recommendations and such. But right now, we don't have time to be handling new guests every week.

I've heard from other owners that it can be easier if you do long-term rentals and get good renters, but if you get bad renters, they're cooking meth in your kitchen with no cleaner coming in week to week to notice. And our units list for ~significantly~ more as vacation rentals than they would as yearly ones.

Some other things we've learned are: buy all of the same brand of TV for every room so the remotes don't get confused, buy pretty furniture and wall-hangings instead of table tchotchkes that will get broken, get the extended coverage plan on everything you buy, sleeper sofas are too easily broken when metal-framed sofas exist, and spend extra to make the place look nice with the expectation that you'll make enough money to replace the things that need replacing.

I will say that it's much more of a headache/heartache than I would've expected, but the joy of owning a property in a place where I want to vacation is also much greater than I could've known! So I think if you want emotional joy from your property, tourist areas are great. But I've seen so many people on reddit making big money on rentals they have absolutely no attachment to in regular neighborhoods, so you can go either way.

I hope this helps at all! Glad to be working on financial independence alongside you!