#I’m just a stupid puppy who wants to wrestle w other puppies

[sageinacage]

lee!charlie and ler!quackity, that is all,, since charlie doesnt know much, quackity teaches him what tickling is and charlie is just enjoying it sm

Discovery (creative title ik /s) summary: charlie doesn't know what tickling is, and quackity is more than happy to teach his friend about it. a/n: lee charlie slimecicle my beloved. *holds him gently* warnings: i think like one swear word LOL w/c: 1.6k DSMP, Platonic

~

“Quahackity s- stoHOHOP IHIT!” Purpled wailed, kicking his legs out behind Quackity who was on top of him, his fingers relentlessly scribbling into a sweet spot right beneath Purpled’s ribs. “But I’m having so much fun, Purpled! We’re just getting started.” Quackity sneered, cooing as his ‘victim’s’ laughter grew an octave as his nails skittered against the sides of his stomach.

“Noho we ahaharen’t- NONOHOHO Q- QUACKIHIHITHIHIHIY!” The boy screeched when a long raspberry was placed over his waist, small raspberries then peppering across his belly to reach his other side.

“You’re more ticklish than I remembered! Huh, this is good news- well, for me at least.” Quackity snickered as he watched his friend trash under him and smiled to himself as high-pitched cackles tore through the room.

In the room next door, a fellow named Charlie was deep in thought studying the new machine Sam built in the Casino. It would be a lot easier to think if he didn’t hear bloody murder in the room next door, though. “What is all of that about? Is someone in trouble?” He spoke to himself, peeking out in the hallway to make sure the coast was clear.

The worried boy glanced inside the room he heard all the yelling from, only to see his two friends... wrestling? “Are you okay?” He called out, Purpled about to yell for help before Quackity drilled his fingers into the sides of his belly. “Yeah, all good in here, bud!” The one clad in a dark beanie grinned widely. The slime hybrid nodded; as curious as he was to what they were both doing, he went back to trying out the new machines Sam had worked hard on.

Eventually, the laughter and yelling died down and Las Nevadas went back to calm (well, as calm as it gets). Charlie was still curious and seeking answers to what Quackity was doing to Purpled, as it looked quite fun as he learned quickly that laughter is a positive thing friends do together.

He walked around, peeking in each room he came across until he stepped in front of the door of Quackity’s office. Charlie knocked on the door, smiling as he heard his best friend inside. “Can I come in, Quackity?” He asked sweetly, excited to see his friend. “Of course, come in!” Quackity smiled fondly, permitting him.

The door flung open, the boy running to Quackity to pull him into a hug. “Alright, alright.” Quackity laughed, unfolding Charlie’s arms that were tight around him. “Okay, I’ve been thinking. Very hard, in fact. What were you and Purpled doing earlier?” Charlie asked straight to the point, pushing his glasses up that was a bit tilted from the tight hug.

“I was giving him a piece of my mind for trying to cheat against me in a game of cards.” Quackity chuckled softly, organizing more papers on his desk. “Cheat?! That’s no good!” Charlie put his hands on his hips, tilting his head down to look at his friend. “And that’s exactly why I tickled him.” He smiled up at Charlie.

“Tickled?” He asked, putting a finger to his chin. “You don’t know what tickling is? Ohoho…” Quackity devilishly giggled, then cleared his throat. “I mean- I can show you, but at your own risk.” He offered, the slime hybrid immediately shaking his head excitedly. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you though! Alright, can you lay down over there for me? It’ll make it easier.” Quackity motioned towards the couch in his office.

Charlie obliged, practically skipping towards the soft couch and laying down. “This should be fun.” Quackity thought out loud, before going over to Charlie. In all honesty, Quackity is expecting Charlie to either not be ticklish because hell, can a slime even be ticklish? Or just dip out immediately, because that’s what most people do when tickled.

“Reeeady?” Quackity drew out, wiggling his fingers over Charlie’s sides. The confused boy nodded, moving his hands out of the way. Right as his fingers made contact with Charlie’s sides, he immediately squealed and laughed out. Though, as he squirmed out of instinct, he never tried to squirm away.

“Ah, so you are ticklish!” He exclaimed, his fingers drumming against Charlie’s upper ribs. “Ihit- *hic* feheheels fuhuhunny!” Light-hearted laughter poured out of the hybrid, the sensation new but it honestly felt nice.

“Yeah? I bet it does. How does this feel, though?” The casino owner sniggered evilly as he fluttered his nails down his ribs, then tracing into his waist. “Feheheels nihihice…” Charlie’s sugar-sweet giggles filled up the room. Quackity paused, sitting up with an eyebrow raised.

Charlie stumbled on his words, stuttering nervously. “I- Is thahat a bahad thing?” He panicked, still feeling the sensation of a few fingers continuously wiggling around his side. “No- no. It’s not, definitely not. It’s endearing if you ask me.” Quackity smiled down at his friend, putting his other hand to use and gently squeezing his hip. Happy laughs emitted from Charlie again, untensing his body as he enjoyed himself.

“Charlie- I do have one question, though.”

“Whahahat is ihihit?”

“How many ribs do you have? Y’know, as a good friend I need to make sure that you have all of them.”

“I dohohon’t k- knohohow?” Charlie giggled as Quackity playfully clicked his tongue and shook his head, properly straddling him. “I’m gonna count them then, alright? If you dare push me away then I’ll have to start alllll over, got it?” For emphasis, Quackity dragged his nails down all of his ribs and wiggled them along Charlie’s lower ribs.

Charlie nodded, his laughter growing as excitement overtook him. Quackity internally ‘awwed’ at the sight, but not letting himself get all soft as he massaged his fingers into Charlie’s lowest ribs. “QuahAHACKITY!” The hybrid’s laughter grew as his friend’s hands slowly rose to his ribcage, starting to feel more and more sensitive.

“Charlie!” Quackity playfully retorted, looking up at Charlie’s face then cooing at the sight. Charlie’s cheeks were bright green, and his hair was messy and disheveled, while his glasses were crooked on his face and tipping off his nose. He was adorable, to say the least.

“N’awww, is somebody having fun?” Quackity teased, a smirk growing on his face. “Does somebody love the tickles? This is so much fun!” Charlie swore he felt something flutter in his stomach. Is that what butterflies were that everyone talks about? The name matches, that’s for sure.

Wanting to be honest to his best friend, Charlie nodded as his face grew an even brighter hue. “I’m so glad, I could honestly listen to your laugh forever, y’know.” Quackity chuckled as his fingers finally reached near the top of Charlie’s ribs. His laughter grew hiccupy and squeaky, a sweet spot being hit.

“It’s sohoho… hahahAHAPPY!” Charlie squealed as fingers continued to vibrate into his top ribs. “Happy?” Quackity asked, tilting his head. This boy was going to be the death of him, Quackity decided. “YEHEHAH! HAHAP- *snort* HAHAPPY!” Charlie nodded, smiling with content.

This went on for a bit until Quackity thought that Charlie deserved some sort of ‘Grand Finale’. “I think I know someone that wants to meet you, Charlie.” Quackity tittered, his smile growing. “A nehehew friehend?” He smiled excitedly when Quackity nodded. “Yep! It is I, the tickle monster!” Quackity said in a booming voice, wiggling claw hands at Charlie.

“Wh- where’s Quahackity?!” Charlie’s eyes widened, staring at who is now apparently the ‘tickle monster’. “Whahat did you doho to my friend?!” He panicked, Quackity unable to keep up the act as he burst out laughing. “Don’t worry Charlie, it’s me! I was Quackity the whole time!” He giggled, smiling at the relaxed sigh from Charlie. “You scared me, friend!” He exclaimed.

“I’m so sorry, let me make it up to you.” Quackity smiled, sneaking his hands up Charlie’s t-shirt to dance his fingers along his belly. Charlie couldn’t stay grumpy for long as his adorable giggles started up again, filling the room with the feeling of fondness and happiness.

“Hey Charlie, out of curiosity- do you know what a raspberry is by any chance?” Quackity asked, pausing his fingers. “N- Nohoho? I dohon’t think soho!” He tilted his head like a curious puppy, making the other chuckle to himself. “Alright, prepare yourself then.” Quackity laughed before leaning his head down, earning a confused look from Charlie.

Before Charlie knew it, a raspberry was blown right in the center of his belly, the vibrations from it shooting through every nerve in his body. “QUAHAHAHACKITY!” Charlie convulsed, his back involuntarily arching in surprise. He felt Quackity smile into his stomach before blowing yet another raspberry. Another shriek escaped the hybrid, gently pushing at the tickler’s head.

“Quackity are yo- oh. Alright.” Purpled paused in the doorway, his antennae drooping down a bit in surprise at the sight, and sound in that fact. “Oh, came back for round two, bud?” Quackity raised an eyebrow at the boy in the purple hoodie, his antennae immediately flicking up. “No, I am not doing a stupid round two, you ass. I came for revenge, obviously!” He sassed, crossing his arms.

“Alright Charlie, how about I teach you how to tickle someone, yeah? Seems like fun?” Quackity urged, smiling at the slime hybrid. “I get to make my other friend laugh? Yes! Teach me, Quackity!” He excitedly sat up and approached the alien, who decided to bolt.

“Alright! Step one: the chase. Pretty straightforward. Let’s catch him!”

[kindness-bliss]

New Beginnings Ch. 8

Timothy Thatcher x OC

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: none

Maya got ready at her shoot as she looked at herself in the mirror and scrolled through her instagram feed to let time pass, searching Tim’s name in the search bar as she looked through as raised a brow at how many fans adored him and posted pictures with him and events   “Well damn, he’s wanted” she nodded impressed as she continued to read captions, not understanding most of them since they were in German, raising a brow as she saw heart emojis on captions “Too bad he’s mine”. She grinned as she saw more and more from men she assumed were his friends always talking about how respectful and hardworking he was in the business   She sat up startled from her lurking when she heard a familiar voice and sighed “Are you kidding me ? What the hell are you doing here ? This is a private shoot”    Marcel sighed as he stepped through and thanked the security guard “I saw you on the same company’s page who works hair and makeup for NXT, I put 2 and 2 together when I saw their stories and you happened to be tagged. I know, it’s very stalker of me”    “Extremely” she answered sternly as she covered herself in her robe “who does that ? This is my job you psycho. Once again, head empty no thoughts in that pretty big ass head of yours”    “I don’t even know what that means” He admitted quietly as he stood in shame in front of her “are-are you calling me stupid ?” Maya let out a breath as she shook her head “Kind of, now tell me why you’re here ?” she asked as she got touched up “and make it quick preferably, this is my work remember”     “What’s this I heard about Tim insulting you ? Why didn’t you tell me when it happened ? I’m gonna assume that’s why you were crying the other day at the store ?” he asked, giving a small nod when he saw her face look down at the floor “and yes, Walter told me everything so don’t worry you don’t need to go into details I just wanna know if you’re okay”   “I am fine, we’re all good” she nodded “I’m going to see him tomorrow, he has a match and he invited me”

  “What ?” he whispered as he looked up at her “y-you’re gonna go see him ? After what he did ?”. Marcel knew how much wrestling meant to him, how much he prided himself in his work. He knew Tim inviting Maya over was a big step for him in how he felt about her.

  “Absolutely I am, I wanna see him wrestle and how he is in that environment. I’m gonna assume you’re gonna be there too ?” Maya asked as they got her ready 

  “Yeah, we have a match too and well chances are Tim’s gonna introduce you to me so what are we gonna do ?”

She stiffened at his question and fixed her curls as she looked in the mirror as she slid off her robe revealing a one piece bathing suit with a deep plunge as she turned to look at him “If you think I’m gonna tell Tim that you and I had a 3 year long relationship then you’re dead wrong. No way I would ever tell him something like that at his workplace, so let’s get this straight alright ? Tomorrow you keep your mouth shut and you tell your little friends or whomever to not say a thing or I’ll have my other model friends put a word out that you guys like screwing around when you’re on the clock”

     Marcel widened his eyes at her look and tone as he clenched his jaw “Maya I-”

“Maya nothing” she snapped back “You really think I didn’t know ? You really think Walter also wouldn’t tell me that you tried to get Alex and Fabio or whatever the fuck his name is to tell Tim for you ? To do your...our dirty work ? He texted me everything just before I got here, how you wanted to tell Tim abruptly and then I’d have to deal with the rest. Alex ? Yeah did you forget I also helped his wife out with her bridesmaid dresses and got to know the both of them really well ? He sent me an instagram DM telling me everything too, basically apologizing for your shitty actions. You’re a spineless little coward Marcel, 3 years and you haven’t changed one damn bit”

  “I-I...it w-wasn’t like that” he stuttered out nervously stepping forward

“Bull shit !” she exclaimed as she slapped him across the face and breathed heavily

Marcel stood back as he rubbed his cheek and gave a frown as his blue eyes stared at hers “I’m sorry, I just….I still love you” he whispered as he left hastily

  Maya sighed as she rubbed the feeling back in her hand and let the makeup artist fix her eyes “Mickey, did you tell him I was here ?”

 “You try saying no to that piece of German goodness” Mickey shook his head “His accent came out and I melted, then he did the whole pleading puppy dog thing with his blue eyes and well, I was sold. I’m sorry Maya, I didn’t realize how big of an issue it would be. You really gave it to him good though, he walked away as if you stomped on his heart”  

“Yeah well I didn’t wanna do that exactly” she admitted “He’s just being sneaky and I hate it, it reminds me of what happened when we were in a bad spot”   

“Well I’ll tell you this girl, Timothy Thatcher is all man and would never do that shit to you” he giggled Maya raised a brow as she let out a chuckled “and how do you know I’m seeing Tim, what’s going on here that I’m not aware of ?”   Mickey smirked as he dabbed some gloss on her lips “Tim from what I’ve seen and heard is quiet but apparently he told some of the guys that you’re gonna go see him and he’s a little...giddy. Now I’ve been working hair and makeup there a while and I’ve been there since he got there and nothing has made that man do a complete 180 like you have”   She blushed as she listened and looked around the room “So you think he...likes me likes me ? Like he wants me to be his...you know ?”   “Girlfriend ?” he chuckled “oh yeah, I heard from Candice, who heard from her husband Johnny who heard from his friend Oney that Tim told him tomorrow was pivotal”  “Oh” she whispered softly as she walked with him “I’m not gonna expect anything though, especially after this whole fiasco. I’m gonna have a nice day with him tomorrow and focus on that. Now let’s get this thing done so I can call him”   “You’re just as whipped as he is” Mickey chuckled as he helped set her up ______________________________________________________________ “What’s with that face ?” Tim asked Oney “You’re red and you’ve been on your phone for like 5 minutes, Oney ?” he sighed as he walked over and took his phone and let out a tight cough “this-this from today ?”   “Yeah” Oney nodded as he took his phone back and put it in his pocket 

“Um all I can and want to say is….you are one very very lucky man Tim, very lucky”

  “I like her for other things besides her looks” Tim rolled his eyes as he grabbed his gym bag “she’s a good person, she’s understanding, she’s really smart and funny. She’s a great cook, she’s super funny” he chuckled “and she-what ? why are you looking at me like that ?”

  Oney grinned as he walked with him to the showers “You really like this girl, it’s not just a little rendezvous like you had thought it’d be. I’ve known you for a while and never have I seen you act this way towards a girl”

  “Don’t” Tim warned as he took off his shirt “It’s just that I like her and I feel she feels the same about me and you know that’s it”

  “So it’s okay if she dates other guys while talking to you ?”

“I never said that” he said almost immediately as he turned around “Why ? Is she ? Have you heard anything ?”

 “Chill out, I was just joking but point proven” Oney chuckled “I say you ask her out, officially like to be your girlfriend”

  Tim nodded as grabbed his things “I was thinking about that after tomorrow”

“I think you should” Oney nods as he looked around “oh look it’s Marcel, shit look at his face” he grimaced

  “What the hell happened to you ?” Tim asked concerned “Your cheek is red as can be, are you okay ?”

“We need to talk” Marcel said sternly “Alone, and it has to be now”

Tim nodded as he changed and followed him outside

   Maya arrived at her apartment as she exited her elevator and saw Tim standing against her door “hey” she grinned “what are you doing here ?”

  “So when were you gonna tell me you were engaged to one of my closest friends ? Or did you plan on keeping that a secret forever ?” he asked wasting no time as he crossed his arms trying his best to stay calm

  Her stomach turned as she blinked trying her best to catch her breath “I-I…. Tim listen, I wanted to tell you I did, I promise I did but things happened and then the Walter thing and I just couldn’t find the appropriate chance to do so but I promise I was. I promise, you have to believe me” Maya pleaded as she reached for his hand flinching when he yanked it back

  “I don’t believe a word you said, I don’t. I don’t even trust anything you’ve told me in the past, probably more lies from you. I’m not gonna insult you or demean you like I did last time because quite frankly...you’re not worth it” he said coldly as he stepped back “Have a nice life and don’t contact me again”    

 “Tim, please don’t do this” she whispered tearfully as she grabbed his arm lightly

“Don’t touch me” he responded quietly as he carefully lifted her hand and placed it by her side “Goodbye Maya”

  He left her apartment quickly, and didn't look back knowing if he saw her face he wouldn’t be able to leave. Once in his car, he wiped his eyes quickly as he turned on the radio and sped off back to his place where he knew he could release his emotions freely and privately

  “What did you do !” she practically screamed into her phone “You fucking told him !”

“It needed to be said” Marcel said quietly “I’m sorry, I am but we both know you were gonna wait it out too long and it would only make things worse. I did this for the both of us”

  “I fucking hate you” she spat out “and I will never ever speak to you again in my life, ever. You’re dead to me” she hung up

  Marcel rubbed his face as he threw his phone across his room and laid down in bed as he looked up at the ceiling and drifted to sleep, trying his hardest to forget about the chaos he selfishly created

  All eyes were on Tim as he entered the Capitol wrestling center the next morning, he heard and saw it all as he walked into the locker room. The looks of pity people gave him, the mumbles and whispers they gave each other as rumours about what had happened at the gym went around. None of it mattered, at least not to him. The damage had been done and if there was one thing that was hurting him other than his heart it was his pride. He knew deep down it had been kept for him for a reason, but the lying and deceiving still hurt.

  “Hey” Marcel said quietly as he opened his locker “Listen I won’t bother you but I just want to say I’m sorry about what happened and it's my fault entirely. Maya wanted to tell you after today” he finally admits “After your match, she wanted you to have a good match and then break it down to you on he own time and I selfishly told you because I still love her and in my stupid head I thought that once you knew and let her know she would somehow want me but instead she told me I’m dead to her”

   Tim nodded as he laced up his boots and didn’t bother to look at him “yeah well, that makes two of us. I don’t want her around me, I don’t wanna hear from her again or anything like that. It’s done and over with and we should just not speak of her again. She’s something of the past and well I’m not gonna hold your past against you”

  Marcel furrowed his brow “Y-you’re not going to attempt to talk to her ? She’s pretty sad Tim….”

“Nope” he shook his head “She’s the one who started this so it ends, I don’t like things like that and I can’t just let it slide by. Her choice was made to lie, so now we leave it at that please. I don’t care nor do I wish to hear about her again”

  “I understand” Marcel nodded as he put on his tracksuit and headed down seeing everyone glare at him as he sped down the hallway to catering sitting down by himself in a table and beckoning over Fabian and Alex “Over here guys”

    “No thanks” Alex muttered as he looked at him and turned around “I prefer not to deal with you unless it’s necessary for tv”

“Agreed” Fabian nodded

“I know it was a mistake okay, you can stop with the harsh punishment.I should have never tried to involve you two either and I’m sorry I did. I regretted this whole thing as soon as I opened my mouth and saw his face. I was selfish and it was wrong, can we just stop now ? Please” he pleaded “I hurt Tim, I hurt Maya, Walter isn’t answering any of my messages or calls. I get it now, I do” Marcel rambled “Please just sit with me, you don’t have to talk to me but just sit with me so I can at least have some company while everyone stares at me”

    “No” they both answered in unison as they shook their heads and left him alone

Marcel looked down as he played with his plate of food feeling all eyes on him as he tried his hardest to ignore the stares and whispers and took out his phone seeing still no messages or calls from Walter and sent one last message   “Hasst du mich jetzt ?” (do you hate me now ?) “Nein, nur sehr enttäuscht” (no, just very disappointed)

He sighed and put his phone away as he shook his head, upset at himself for what he had done but knowing deep down he didn’t regret it. Maya was his one true love, the one person who understood him and helped him cope with the loss of his father and deal with the emotions rather than ignore them and hold them in.

  “Are you gonna go after her ?” Tim asked nonchalantly as he sat with him “because you can, I don’t care”

  “What ?” Marcel asked his head shot up quickly

“Don’t act stupid Marcel, you still love her and I know you did this in a way to get me to be mad at her so I”d leave her alone and therefor you could go after her”

   He knew him so well, so well it truly fucked with him “Yeah” Marcel nodded “I let her go once and it ruined me and now she’s here and right now she wants nothing to do with me but I’ll give her that space and then I’ll fight, I’ll fight like I should’ve fought for her 3 years ago and this time, she’ll end with me” he looked in his older friends eyes “We’ll get that happy ending we both wanted”

  Tim simply give a short nod as he sipped his water “Then go ahead”

Marcel looked around as he got up and left back to the locker room, not wanting to cause anymore awkwardness between them and sat by himself as he listened to music

  “Well if it isn’t the life ruiner” Oney rolled his eyes as he stood in front of him “Are you happy with your actions ? With ruining the one thing giving Tim genuine happiness ?”

  “Oney, please” he rubbed his face “This is something you don’t understand, don’t get involved”

“You ruined the one thing my friend wanted, I’m sure as hell gonna get involved you traitor” he shoved him 

  Marcel sighed “Don’t do this, I don’t have the energy to-” he stumbled back as he held his eye and groaned

“You deserve that and way fucking more” Oney spat out as he left ______________________________________________________________    Maya wiped her eyes for what seemed like the 500th time as she once again got sent to voicemail and let out a frustrated cry getting up when she assumed her takeout was delivered “I said to just leave it at the door” she whined putting on her hoodie “stop knocking !” she finally yelled as she opened the door ready to rage “I clearly said-” her eyes widened at the scene in front of her “what the hell happened to you ?” she asked   

“Oney punched me” Marcel said quietly as he removed the ice bag he had and revealed a bruised and bloodied eye

  “Oney ? That’s Tim’s friend” she said as he remembered his face from the gym

“Yes him, he punched me in the locker room for….for what happened” he said quietly “I needed to get out of there and the only place I could think of was here. I know you hate me and wish I was better off dead but I just had to come. I’ll leave though if you want me to”

  Maya looked up at him as she opened her door and stepped aside “come in”

He stepped inside and sat down on her couch “I’m sorry, I am so so sorry” he whispered “I acted so selfishly”

    “What’s done is done” she whispered “You unfortunately can’t take it back, and truth be told you were right” she admitted “I would’ve just kept waiting and waiting to tell him and let time pass by, in a way what you did benefited me more than anyone Marcel, you did the hardest part and all I had to do was explain myself”

  He shrugged as he bit the inside of his cheek and looked up

“Don’t cry” Maya chuckled weakly “I’ve been crying since last night, and I’m positive I can cry for the both of us and this whole fiasco

  “I’m not” he blinked away tears quickly

“You’re doing the thing, the cheek thing and looking up. You really think I wouldn’t forget how you try to hide emotions after all this time ? she scooted over as she gently patted his hand “You’re the ugliest crier too” she joked trying her best to lighten him up

Marcel gave a light laugh as he sniffled “You’re really good that you know ?”

  Maya gave him a small grin as she dabbed his cheek with a tissue and got the alert of her food delivery “stay for dinner ?”

“Absolutely” he answered as he nodded. Sometimes life truly does work in weird weird ways.

[rocket-remmy]

Bent, But Not Broken||Morgan and Remmy

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @mor-beck-more-problems and @whatsin-yourhead SUMMARY: A long needed talk. And a well deserved cry. CONTENT: PTSD metions, kidnap mentions, death mention

The door stood in front of them and Remmy felt like it was a canyon. Morgan was just on the other side. She’d been at the ring. She’d tried so desperately to reconnect with them and Remmy had pushed her away at every point. The fear that Jax had pounded into them still hadn’t quite left, but they needed to explain themself. They needed Morgan to know that they never meant any of that, anything they’d said. They needed her to know that they weren’t mad and that they never were and that they missed her and they needed her. God, did they need her. But there was a door between them and her and they couldn’t find the strength to lift their hand and knock yet. Their mind was racing. What if she didn’t want to see them? What if she said no? What if she’d only come for Nell? Morgan was part of their coven, it was logical. It would make sense if she never wanted to see or talk to Remmy ever again, even though she’d agreed to let Remmy come over. They had to believe that was good, right? That had to be a good sign. And they owed it to her, to at least explain everything. To finally explain everything. Maybe they even needed to explain everything to themself. Finally, they lifted their hand, and knocked. And waited. And when the door finally, opened, Remmy looked up at Morgan with as much of a grin as they could manage. “Hey,” they said, “Um...can I come in?”

Morgan stood on the other side of the door, hands numb and idle. She just had to look through the peephole or the window to confirm it was Remmy, but her legs were heavy and slow. It was easier to stay here and run over all the things that this could be about. Maybe she really had done something wrong and not realized. Maybe Remmy had thought things over and decided they really didn’t need her hovering at the corners of their life like some stray puppy that didn’t know what ‘go on and git’ meant. And maybe they were going to say that it was fine now and they could try to go back to something good or close to it. The only thing keeping her from finding out was that door. Morgan put her fingers to the handle and searched for something inside herself to brace against for impact. Finally, the ache of not knowing what kind of talk this was going to be won out over her nerves and she opened it quickly. 

“Remmy…” she whispered. Her eyes looked them over, sad and searching. They didn’t look that much better from when she’d left the hospital. Clean and healed, but still too lean from being starved by those awful people, and there was still the collar to deal with. No matter how much she tried to hold their gaze, she couldn’t figure out if this was going to be one more push to get lost or something else. “Y-yeah, of course,” she said, stepping back to give them room, flashing a small timid smile. “I said you could, you know?” She closed the door carefully behind them. “It’s just us right now, but if you wanted to stick around to see Deirdre, she’d be really happy to see you too?” Her voice croaked on the last few words. Stupid nerves. Stupid anxious lungs. “W-we um, can go sit, if you like? I could grab snacks, if you’re hungry? I um, I tried out this..brain salsa experiment?”

Remmy wondered at what point it was too late to turn back. They weren’t sure why their nerves were screaming at them to run, as if their flight sense had not turned off even though the arena lights no longer shone in their eyes and the cage bars no longer rattled in their head. It occurred to them that they’d lost the will a long time ago to fight their senses anymore, even if running at this moment wasn’t an option. It wasn’t the cage that had made them feel as if their only options were only ever fight or flee, but it was the place that perfected it inside of them. The place that beat it so soundly into their skin it felt like a part of them now. Like they were nothing without the jitter of their hands or the tense movements of their muscles, even as they stepped inside a house that had once felt like a sanctuary. Everything on alert, body taught, as if preparing itself for the blow that was surely coming. Physical or emotional, it was always the same response. The pain was the same, after all. Especially to an undead creature that could no longer feel fully anyway. 

“M-maybe,” they stuttered, unsure why the thought of seeing Deirdre made them want to dash for the door again. It was two feet behind them and they were already finding themself wishing it were still open. The walls closing in temporarily before they blinked and looked out the window and remembered that nothing here was locked. This place was not a prison nor a cell. It was just a house, with a door, and a friend. They turned back to look at Morgan, finding it near impossible to catch her eyes, their gaze shifting to the floor, the walls, their hands wringing together in front of them. “Let’s sit,” they said through an exhale, “o-outside?” There was a second question that needed answering, but Remmy couldn’t remember what she’d said. “Um...that’s...that’s okay.” Looked back at the front door again, as if memorizing where it was from the spot they stood in, and from the spot they were heading to. 

Morgan couldn’t tell why Remmy was nervous and all at once she couldn’t remember if she’d ever been able to read Remmy well. Maybe what times she’d thought she had were lucky breaks. Maybe she hadn’t understood them at all, maybe even all the times she thought she was helping she was really just-- Morgan wrestled her sense around the thought and stopped it before it could get any further. She did not have any comforting truths to anchor herself with, besides that Remmy was here and there was at least a fifty-fifty chance this going to be okay. It did not soothe her very much, so she counted her senses down from five as she nodded along to Remmy’s words. “Sure. Um, the back porch? There’s lots of wildflowers growing there now. We can--yeah, we can sit out there?” She started leading the way, pinballing her attention to as many sights and sounds as she could so she didn’t go off the rails. She sat down at the edge of the porch bare feet on the grass, knees pulled up to her chest. She looked up at Remmy, still coiled tight in themself like a spring. She wanted to reach out to them, or to reach out and muss their hair, give them a hard time about something stupid. But she couldn’t tell what they really wanted. So she looked up at them, searching, silently pleading for a hint, and waited.

Remmy wasn’t always decent at reading emotional situations, but something inside of them always felt as if they had an inherent understanding of another person’s needs in times like this. But now, as they watched Morgan flit and fiddle on their way to the back porch, they found themself lost as to what to do. As to what she needed. As to if they could even give it to her if they tried. At a loss, they scooted forward and sat next to her, trying their best to not fall directly into a springboard of explanations. They didn’t know what to offer first, arms folding into their stomach as they leaned forward, picking at spots on their knees. The silent plea of Morgan’s look hadn’t gone beyond them. But how could they tell her what they needed when they didn’t know themself? They’d convinced themself they’d never get this moment, and so they hadn’t prepared for it. Jax had taken all hope from them, little by little, until he knew they were nothing but a broken mess. And when something else had given them hope, he’d broken that, too. Made them break it. Their hands shook as they remembered seeing his blood on their palms, red and dirty and smeared. They closed their eyes to try and make it go away, but all they saw behind them was the floor of that cage, the multitude of bars standing between them and Nell. The fence of the arena. Jax’s sharp eyes from the other side. 

Remmy snapped their eyes open and looked over at Morgan. “Are you mad at me?” they finally asked, still unable to hold her gaze. Shame and guilt wrought through their body as they curled into themself, making themself as small as possible. Taking up as little space as possible. “I-- it’s okay if you are. I haven’t exactly been...a good friend lately. Or a good-- anything. And I-- I understand if you are. If you don’t--” but their voice caught and they couldn’t finish because the fear of the answer was almost as great as their fear of the cage.

“W-what?” Morgan’s look turned into one of confusion. “I’m not the one who-- You hit me. You hit me and you yelled at me and you wouldn’t talk to me and you left me and--” She stopped, trying to swallow back tears. “You said it wasn’t my fault, okay, but am I supposed to believe that when you wouldn’t explain and you won’t even look at me. And I’m right here and--” Her efforts were not going very well. She scrubbed her hand over her eyes. It all still hurt like new,  just alluding to everything that had happened had microwaved the pain fresh again. “I think I’ve said the same thing every time,” she whispered. “I just want to be your friend, Remmy. I was just trying to be good to you and listen to you and I’m sorry if I did it wrong but it…it’s still the same stupid answer. I still do. How can you ask me a question like that? Shouldn’t I be asking you?” She heard her voice rising with exasperation and grimaced, digging her fingers into her knees. Tried again. “You don’t have to answer that. Just...talk to me, Remmy. At least tell me what you want. Just tell me and I’ll do whatever it is. Whatever it is this time, I’ll just do it, okay?”

“I-I know I did! That’s why-- that’s why I thought you were mad at me!” Remmy exclaimed, suddenly nervous, hands shaking. “I-- I was so cruel to you. I was-- terrible. I don’t-- I don’t want anything from you, Morgan, I just want to explain myself. Because I-- i owe you that much, don’t I?” They pressed their palms into their eyes, rubbing hard, before shaking their head and looking back up again. “I can’t look because I’m ashamed. I-- I gave up, Morgan. I gave up and I let them take me and I hurt a lot of people in the process, it--” they paused, trying to regain their balance on what they were trying to say. Or what they even needed to say. Nothing made sense in their head, words and memories a jigsaw puzzle spilled across the entirety of it. “It...the collar,” they pointed to it, “he put it on me after...the gargoyle incident. Um-- Jax. I-- I don’t know if Lydia told you about him. But he-- he tricked me into a promise and then he put this on me and he-- he used me. He took-- he took everything from me and when I finally had something back he just...he took more, and I--” they wrapped themself up and bent over, burying their head in their knees. “I don’t know anything anymore, Morgan. But I’m not mad at you, I’m not, and I’m sorry I hit you, I just didn’t want-- I couldn’t let you get hurt because of me. I couldn’t let that place get you, too.”

Morgan listened, heartbroken, as Remmy finally started to unload the terrible things they’d been carrying. They hadn’t been trapped for a week, it had been months of torture, and Remmy, in their sad, awful way, had been trying to protect them all. “Oh, Remmy…” She whispered, reaching out for them. “Hey. Hey....it’s okay. It’s okay, alright? You’re not there anymore, okay?” She placed her hand on Remmy’s arm, knowing they would barely feel it at all unless she squeezed, and bent her head down to be at their eye level if they would only look up at her. “I’m not mad. And you don’t have to be ashamed. You can look at me, okay? I’m right here. I’m still right here.”

Remmy stayed curled in on themself. They could still remember the pain of being torn apart, and they could still remember, vividly, the smell of their cell. The sound of water dripping. Voices just outside. Food just out of reach. And Ben. His soft, kind eyes. They could still see his dead body as they tore through him. Still see his blackened blood crusted on their hands. Remmy didn’t try to fight the tears that came but they swallowed sobs as they tried to claw their way up their throat. “I killed him,” they finally croaked, “I-- we found him and I killed him, Morgan. With my own two hands. I saw him and I tore into him and I did it because I-- because I wanted to. Not because I had to or because I needed to, I did it because-- because he’d taken so much from me and I just...I wanted him to hurt. I wanted him to know how I felt.”

Morgan moved her hands up to cradle Remmy’s tired head. “Good,” she said. “I know you’ve never wanted to hurt anybody. I know you are kind and you want to be better than that, and that taking a life is awful. But if anyone had earned their death that night, it was him. He deserved what he got after what he took from you and I’m not sorry he’s gone or that you did it. Fae or not, I’m glad you gave him hell. You can feel however you want about it, Remmy, but I’m not going to guilt you about it.” She combed her fingers through their hair, dragging through the roots so they might feel it. “I’m sorry he put you in that place to begin with, that he took from you, that he drove you that deep into the pit. But I still love you, Remmy. You’re still a kind person and I still love you.”

Remmy broke. They couldn’t hold it in anymore. They’d thought that perhaps they’d broken inside that cage, but it wasn’t true. In there, they’d just given up. They hadn’t truly broken, even when their fist had torn through Ben’s chest and ripped out his heart. There had been something left inside of them, but now it was all pouring out. So suddenly, so wildly. Overwhelmed with the choices they’d had to make and the things they’d had to do, Remmy couldn’t hear Morgan’s words without feeling a hole rip into their heart. How could they be good after everything they’d done? How could their hands be gentle when they’d done so much violence? Remmy folded, crumpled, leaned into Morgan and sobbed. Loud, and painful, and strained. Crying for all the things they’d lost in there, and for all the people they’d lost along the way. A wail not unlike the one they’d let out in the arena, bent over their friends’ dead body. They couldn’t hold onto it anymore, onto the strength that kept them standing. There was still so much distance between them and Morgan and they didn’t know how to cross the gap, how to close it up. They couldn’t reach the otherside anymore. “I didn’t want to,” they managed to say through their grief, “I didn’t want to do any of it. I never wanted any of it. I just wanted to feel better. I just wanted to be better.”

Morgan caught Remmy as they fell into her arms. She bundled her arms around them close, crushing their body against hers. Stars, they had gotten so thin, so hard. How badly had they been starved? What other kinds of torture had they been put through? Morgan tucked Remmy’s head into the crook of her kneck and pressed one hard kiss to their hair. “I’ve got you now,” she said. “And I know, Rem, I know you’d never. You’d never want that, that’s not who you are. And you don’t have to anymore, not ever. You don’t, okay? You’ll find a real way to ‘better.’” She dug her fingers into them, tight enough that they were sure to feel it, tight and heavy and safe. (Oh Earth, how long had it been since Remmy had felt safe?) She repeated her words over and over and variants of the same theme. She didn’t know how much Remmy could even hear over the tide of pain moving through them, but maybe the meaning of it, the intent, could pass through her and into Remmy like magic and skip all of the worries and insecurities between them.

How were they supposed to explain all of this to Morgan? Where were they even supposed to start? Remmy leaned into Morgan and let their head rest in her lap, bones creaking as they went. And despite the collar no longer functioning, sometimes they swore they could still feel its pulses. Like ghosts under their skin. Haunted by something they’d longer for. They needed to stop crying, they needed to get themself together. They needed to be able to explain everything to Morgan, because she deserved it. She deserved the whole truth. Sitting up slowly, they rubbed their hands across their face, trying to scrub away the tears and weariness and the shaking in their bones. Fingers curling into skin. “I-- I need to tell you,” they said as evenly as they could, voice wavering, “I need to tell you the whole story. Please. I want you-- I need someone to know,” they swallowed, “I need someone to understand.”

Morgan tumbed away Remmy’s tears and brushed her fingers down their cheek. “You can,” she said gently, straining up to kiss their forehead. “I’ll listen, okay? But you can take your time too, Remmy. There’s no rush, and I’m not going anywhere. You can tell me however you need to.” She let her hands fall down towards theirs. She thought she could sense the pain these hands had endured, had carried in their fists. Had there been a better way to go about getting them free? A way that hadn’t left so many dead bodies behind? Morgan frowned as she thought. She would do it all again and maybe ask the universe to bring them worse if she had the chance. Their suffering wasn’t even close to balance next to what had happened to Remmy. “I want to know, too, okay?” She said softly. “I want to know everything you can tell me, Rem. However long it takes.”

“I killed him,” Remmy said, words tumbling out of their mouth like they no longer fit inside their throat. “I killed him because I-- I didn’t want to die.” Their hands shook as they looked at them and all they could see was the dark brown and red of Ben’s blood. The bright, angry red of Jax’s blood. The blood of all the creatures they’d slain on their way out and the blood of all the creatures they’d slain thinking somehow the violence was alright. They’d chosen that path again, after everything they’d said. They’d chosen the path of violence because it was a familiar feeling and familiar place. And it had destroyed them, yet again. When would they stop? Why couldn’t they stop? “He made me kill him. I-- there should’ve been more of us...that got out. He should’ve been able to be free again, too, but I--” they clenched their fists, tight enough to press imprints into their palms. “Jax made me fight another prisoner, and I--” they choked, “I killed him. He was like me and I killed him.”

“It’s okay,” Morgan said, pressing her head to theirs. She didn’t know who Remmy was talking about, if this was some guard or some opponent in the ring. She grimaced bitterly because it had all started so stupidly, because Remmy just didn’t understand, didn’t trust their friends to talk to them about it first, or didn’t listen to the right people if they had. They had paid for it too many times over since, but Stars, things this bad were so much more cruel when they started out so simple, so easy to turn back until they weren’t. “You did what you had to. You survived, Remmy. You came back home. That’s what matters most. You survived, Remmy. If it was either do that and live or lay down and die again, I’m glad you picked your life.” She took their hands in hers, cradling them gently. “You made the choices you had to. And now that you’re free, you have the chance to make better ones. You can have more. It wasn’t your fault you had so few choices in there. It wasn’t; I hope you know that, okay?” 

Survival wasn’t something Remmy had thought about in a long time. The base instinct of survival. Was that really what it had been? Survival? Had they chosen to survive over death this time? Were they once again the one left behind? No-- it wasn’t quite the same, was it. Remmy closed their eyes, tried to draw in a calming breath. It was the motion itself that gave them a small relief, a moment of calm. “I don’t-- I don’t know anymore. I should’ve-- I tried to listen to you but it was too late.” They looked at Morgan with a tired eye, one still empty. Their heart felt like a stone in their chest. “I’m sorry. For everything. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you or-- I was so angry because I couldn’t understand. I didn’t know what I was feeling and I-- I’m sorry,” they said, their voice hiccuping, “Please forgive me. I’m sorry I made you like this, I’m sorry.”

At Remmy’s look, Morgan’s eyes spilled over. “Yes,” she said, shaking them. “Yes, you should’ve. You should’ve told me, Remmy. You should’ve told me sooner! You shouldn’t have been there, putting yourself through that in the first place.” She pulled them back close again, squeezing tighter than ever. “You’re kind, Remmy, you’re a good, kind person and I still love you. And you don’t have to be sorry for what you did to me. You don’t, okay? It’s fine. It’s fine, okay? I forgive you.”

Remmy finally wrapped their arms around Morgan and let the next wave of pain rush through them, tearing apart their chest. “I never wanted this life for you,” they said into her shirt, “I wanted you to be happy. And I thought-- I thought I took that from you. I didn’t know what to do anymore, I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t-- you were so far away and I didn't know how to reach you anymore.” They shook in her arms, finding stability in the stiffness of her body, the coolness of her skin a distant comfort. They shook their head. “Please don’t leave me like that again,” they murmured, “please. I need you. I know it’s-- I know it’s not fair to say that but I need you.”

“I know,” Morgan whispered, face pressed near their ear. “I did too. And it went away for a while, but that’s not all that happened, you hear me? It came back, and even if I’m not the same person who died, I’m still someone who loves you, okay? I love you so much, Remmy, and I won’t go anywhere you can’t get me back from. I want you to come get me no matter what, and I’ll be right here. I’ll be here with you no matter what. Because I need you too, you doofus.” She sniffled, hiccuping a sob. “I need my best friend too.”

“I’m sorry,” Remmy repeated again, no other words finding their way through the maze in their head. “I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I’m sorry I was mad. I was-- I was jealous and I took it out on you and I’m sorry.” Pressing closer, holding her tighter. Finger digging in, knowing they couldn’t really hurt each other. Knowing that Morgan truly was the only person that could understand how they felt. Knowing that she was the only person they could hold this close, to their body, their heart. “I won’t do it again, I--” but the word stuck in their throat and a flash of Jax’s face, his silver tongue, was all that replaced it. They clenched, shook their head. “You’ll stay? You’ll-- keep your word?”

Morgan felt Remmy clench and shudder in her arms. She bundled them that much harder against her, squeezing as if she could wring all the pain out and leave them with just gentleness inside. She squeezed Remmy until she felt one of their ribs give way beneath her arms and even then, she held them. The promise binds Jax, the ones Lydia had worked to undo. Stars, she couldn’t even promise them anymore. What else had been stolen from Remmy? “Yeah,” she whispered shakily. “I’ll keep my word, okay? I mean it. I swear--I--I just will. Believe me that I will. I’m in this with you, Remmy, as long as you’ll let me.”

Their bones could bend and stretch, but never break. Maybe it was an obvious metaphor, but Remmy couldn’t help but think about how that was the same as the bond between them. They’d thought they’d lost Morgan for good, but after everything that had happened between them, it was obvious, now, that what they had could only bend or stretch, never break. And so they let her hold them so tight their bones bent, and they took in her words and kept them safe in the place in their head where nothing could touch them. “I believe you,” they said after a quiet moment passed, “I believe you.” 

[jflashandclash]

Tales From Mount Othrys

Fidget Spinners IV

           Once they were aboard the Ferry of the Dead, riding down the River Styx with Charon in his proper creepy and grim black robe, Alabaster stopped vomiting. The ship was an old Greek vessel, something Matthias could have identified immediately. They sat as far from the stern as possible. Apparently this boat was usually brimming with ghosts, but Charon had shoved the three of them aboard in such a hurry, less ghosts had flooded the space.

         This gave them the room to sit on the edge of the boat so Pax, Lou Ellen, and Alabaster could stare off at the inky, polluted river. They wanted to be as far from the ferryman as possible. Charon was cursing under his breath, something about children being electrocuted in bathtubs and getting into car accidents.

         Maybe, in a normal tour, Pax might have been excited by the black stalactites and terrifying horror movie set. For now, all he could do was rub Alabaster’s back. Lou Ellen sat on his other side, pulling one finger off and putting it back in a different one’s place, frequently messing it up. This was her way of acting concerned.

         After he was certain Charon couldn’t overhear them, Pax whispered, “You died coming after us?!”

         Before now, he couldn’t process what was happening enough to ask. The sight of Alabaster with his intestines dragging on the floor and blood spewing out of his mouth—it was enough to make Pax tremble more. And he was already trembling pretty hard in this cold cavern.

         “Of course I died!” Alabaster’s voice rose, making Pax and Lou Ellen flinch. “How else would I be in the Underworld?!”

         Tears threatened to spill down Pax’s cheeks. He could hear Lou Ellen sniffling. Crying would really make her missing-eye illusion less believable.

         Alabaster sighed. Pax thought he was reaching for something in his pocket.

         Alabaster wasn’t. He grabbed the end of his intestines. Casually, the child of Hecate wound them up around one wrist. Once he got towards the end, he ripped off a chunk.

         Pax shrieked.

         “Be quiet,” Alabaster snarled. Softer, he grumbled, “And Mercedes thinks you can keep it cool in enemy territory.”

         Pax wanted to point out that enemies (hopefully) wouldn’t be ripping off pieces of their organs. Was that a thing they did in Camp Half-Blood? Did Percy Jackson, in fact, an organ-eating zombie?

         Before Pax could withdraw his hand, Alabaster shoved the chunk into Pax’s palm.

         Pax almost screamed again. Maybe this was an experience he should have smiled upon—after all, it isn’t every day that your crush tries to hand you an organ, granted, a heart might be better.

         “I knew you idiots wouldn’t bring enough snacks,” Alabaster hissed, shoving another chunk into Lou Ellen’s hands.

         “Oh my mother…” Lou Ellen whispered.

         Pax didn’t want to watch as she held up the chunk for investigation. Then he saw what she saw. The scent of iron vanished like it had been a whiff from a distant breeze. That chunk had some kind of label covered in blood—not blood.

         Pax sniffed.

         The scent of barbeque sauce became overwhelming.

         He rubbed his own chunk with his thumb. The sauce smeared to reveal a packaged sausage, like the kind you’d have on a cheese platter. There was even a bright label on the protective packaging.

         Pax stared at his hand. The spell had been so convincing.

         Lou Ellen made a low whistle. “You’re good,” she said, “Titans, can you teach me how to do that?”

         “When you have enough discipline to pull off your nose instead of your chin,” Alabaster scolded.

         Pax couldn’t think about the spell or the sausage.

         He threw his arms around Alabaster.

         Alabaster made a grunt of annoyance.

         Slowly and firmly, as though not to draw attention to them, Alabaster removed Pax’s arms. There was an embarrassed hue to his pale cheeks as he scowled from Pax to Lou Ellen. “You didn’t come to me to devise this plan?” he demanded.

         “We thought you’d be mad,” Lou Ellen meeped. She sheepishly poked at the fake dent in her head. By comparison to Alabaster’s effects, hers looked like something out of a D-rate horror movie.

         “Oh, I am mad. When we get back, I’m killing you, and then you’ll have to march right back in there and explain to Charon how you’ve shown up twice, then you’ll have to see what he does with you,” Alabaster said.

         Pax couldn’t help but grin. Threats aside, he couldn’t handle looking at this very-much-alive Alabaster. It was cute thinking about it: Alabaster finding their, “Went to Underworld. Will bring back souvenirs,” note and stuffing a bunch of sausage links into his shirt, cussing at the confused centaur that could swear he just took Alabaster and Lou Ellen off the ship. He really cared. At least about Lou Ellen.

         “Are you making us go back?” she whispered, shuffling away from a wandering soul and closer to her brother. Pax understood. Everything here was cold. Touching another warm person was a nice reminder of the above world.

         “How, pray tell, am I to make you go back in our current situation?” Alabaster closed his eyes and rubbed his eyelids. “Mercedes warned me you’d want to go after Axel. I didn’t think the two of you would be stupid enough to throw away your life chasing him or smart enough to get off the boat undetected.”

         Lou Ellen and Pax exchanged a glance over Alabaster’s shoulders. Neither could decide if the comment was more compliment or insult.  

         “So, we’re going after Axel?” Pax clarified.

         “We’re certainly not going back the way we came. I have no interest in angering Charon on his own boat,” Alabaster said.

         That meant that Alabaster had come down here with his own plan. Even if he didn’t have one when he left, trying to catch them before they went into DOA Recording Studios, he would have come up with one by now. Before Pax could hear any awesome details, their ship pulled up along black sand.

         Pax guessed that Hades hadn’t heard the memo—that pink was the new black. If Pax ever got scared while he was down here, he would have to remember to visualize the Underworld in various shades of Easter egg with magenta stalactites meeting a sparkling, rose floor. His stomach dropped about what shade of pink the river would be with its thick eddies. That went too Mayan in his head.

         Alabaster tossed the plastic-wrapped suit backwards into the boat, quickly shuffling the younger two off. They didn’t wait to hear what Charon thought of the contents.

         They walked towards the airport-like security with ghoulish attendants separating people into various lines. There were signs above the lines, ones that Pax couldn’t read since the letters jumbled into incomprehension.

         A low whine, like that of an injured puppy, echoed around the chamber. Yea, there were wails too, but those were human wails. Pax was way less interested in those. He couldn’t find the source of the animal noises until Lou Ellen tugged furiously on his jacket.

         Pax didn’t know how he missed the view before. Unlike Alabaster, Lou Ellen, and Axel, he struggled to see through the Mist. Even so, the Mist deserved a pay raise.

         A few yards ahead of them was a massive Rottweiler with three heads. Maybe the truck-sized dog would have normally been intimidating; Pax had heard some intimidating stories about Cerberus. Instead, the dog just looked pathetic, curled up and nursing a paw. Pax could see why.

         There was a sword imbedded between two toes.

         “He’s hurt!” Pax cried.

         “Ajax, no,” Alabaster growled.

         Lou Ellen joined in the cry, “We have to help him.”

         “What part of—”

         “Please!” Pax and Lou Ellen said together.

         “Grant me the patience of the Furies,” Alabaster said under his breath.

         One of the heads must have caught their scent. It perked up and glanced in their direction, growling.

         The other two were licking at the injured paw still. He looked cute, the way a monster truck might if painted with bambis and rabbits.

         Alabaster stopped in his tracks. He fumbled with his intestines—sausages. Pax really needed to stop thinking of sausage as intestines. “Who do you think stabbed him?” he asked in his you’re stupid if you can’t answer this question and I know you too well to let you play dumb. “See many stray demigods wandering down here with blades?”

         “It wasn’t Axel,” Pax said. Axel was obsessed with mythical creature rights and would have known Cerberus was just doing his job. One caged animal to another—Axel would have likely tried to play-wrestle with the beast. “I’ll bet it was Luke.”

         “Yea, Luke’s an asshole,” Lou Ellen said.

         The two of them vigorously nodded their heads towards Alabaster.

         “Lou Ellen,” Alabaster chided, “I expect more creative insults than vulgarity. And you aren’t going to win me over by insulting Castellan.”

         Despite him saying that, the corner of his lips twitched into a smile. Until then, Pax hadn’t realized how glad he was to have Alabaster along. The Witch Boy would know his way around the Underworld, or Pax guessed he would. Alabaster held that easy calm, even amongst the dead.

         Pax and Lou Ellen would have feigned calm confidence. But, uh, that would have only lasted so long as they got closer to the line’s attendants.

         Another of Cerberus’ heads noticed their movement. It raised and joined in the low growl.

         The noise didn’t seem to bother Alabaster. “How were you planning on getting past?” he asked, gathering the rest of the sausages from his waist—he must have wrapped them under his shirt, and withdrawing them like a towel around a hand wound.

“We brought a chew toy,” Lou Ellen said. Pax could tell that she wanted to sound proud, but had realized a flaw in their plan. There were three heads and only one chew toy.

“Seriously?” Alabaster’s growl chimed in with Cerberus’.

“I heard it worked for Annabeth,” Pax said.

         Although Pax couldn’t see it, he could feel Alabaster roll his eyes. “The amount of inconvenience that girl has caused,” he said under his breath.

         Pax hesitated. Cerberus’ growls were making his body vibrate. This dog was massive, the size of a truck. Pax didn’t even come up to Cerberus’ chest and Cerberus was half-laying down. One of his heads still licked the sword hilt imbedded in his paw. Focus on that, Pax thought, and not on how his teeth are about as long as that sword.

         “We have a treat for you!” Alabaster called. His voice was way too cold for dealing with a ball of cute fluffiness and death. Pax had a feeling that Alabaster had never been allowed pets as a child. Other than Axel and Pax. Pax was fairly certain that they were pets to Alabaster.

         Cerberus stood up. When he applied pressure to his front paw, all three heads whimpered. They pulled the paw up slightly, to alleviate the pressure.

         “Go fix his paw if you wish. I can only hold him for a few moments with this,” Alabaster said. “If you take too long or are sloppy, you’ll get yourself killed.”

         For an instant, Pax wondered if Alabaster was nervous. The Witch Boy unwrapped a link of sausage and tossed it into the air towards Cerberus.

         The two heads less affected by the wound snapped at it, nipping at each other to bite it to pieces, probably the same way they would do with Pax’s limbs if he was caught.  

         Its breath flooded over them, almost as bad as Pax’s little brother’s, Hiro’s breath.

         “You suck at this,” Lou Ellen said, pulling a link from Alabaster. “You heard him, Pax. Have fun getting that sword out. Hey puppers! Look what I got for you puppers!”

         Her voice raised in pitch and excitement. The sentiment worked. Cerberus sat upright, letting his butt drop back onto the ground. From what Pax had heard of Annabeth’s interactions with this dog, he thought their red ball plan might have worked with Lou Ellen’s charm. Uh—natural charm. No witchy charm required.

         Pax puffed up his cheeks and popped them, realizing Lou Ellen had volunteered him for the harder job. His heartbeat pounded in his head. It’s just a cute, injured puppy, he told himself, It just so happens that it wouldn’t need to chew to swallow you.

         Alabaster gave Lou Ellen a look that might have been reproachful or approving. He handed her the rest of the sausage as Cerberus’ short tail thumped against the black sand, echoing around the chamber. Pax thought it was weird that interacting with this dog wasn’t a red flag for the Underworld Security. What dead person wanted to poke at the landowner’s attack dog?

         Alabaster made a few signs in the air around Pax’s head, muttering in Latin. Was he making him invisible? Or at least making him blend in with the stone? Or smell less like a delicious treat? Pax hoped all of the above. When Pax glanced down at his hands, they still looked visible and potentially delicious to a monster.

         “We don’t have enough sausages for you to hesitate,” Lou Ellen said.

         Pax swallowed. He thought about Juana, Axel’s jaguar. Their father bought it for him a few months after they were forced back “home.” Axel warned his siblings not to go near Juana without him, since she could tear them to shreds. Juana was a tenth the size of Cerberus.

         From what he knew of Juana, there was no point in trying to sneak up. He approached Cerberus’ injured paw, hands outstretched in attempt to look non-threatening. Not that a 4’7 rail of cuteness could look threatening.

The other two heads were locked on Lou Ellen, or fighting over bits of sausage she threw.

         The last head faced him. The eyes didn’t quite focus on Pax, showing Alabaster’s spell must have done something. Pax heartbeat thudded in his head as he took the last few steps to Cerberus’ foot. The dog hadn’t batted him out of existence yet.

         The head whimpered and pulled its paw closer to its body.

         “It’s okay,” Pax said, the way he did when his littlest brother had a nightmare. “I just want to help. It’ll be quick, like ripping off a Band Aid.”

         That felt like a threat to Pax. Just gonna take that sharp, pointy thing in your paw and move it around a bit.

         “Pax,” Alabaster said in warning.

         Pax didn’t look over to see why. He figured it had to do with how the middle head had turned to sniff furiously in his direction.

         Now or to Xibalba, Pax thought. He wrapped his fingers around the cold metal of the hilt and pulled up, trying not to twist the blade or yank at an angle.

         It slid out easily.

         Pax wanted to gloat about the Sword in the Paw and how he’d be king of the Cerberi.

         His mouth went dry instead.

         When he wretched the blade out, dark liquid splattered up from the paw. Something clear and goopy dropped on his head from above—saliva.

Pax puffed up his cheeks and popped them, looking up. The other two heads glowered down at him. Their teeth were barred within inches of his face. Their low growl rattled his skull.

He trembled, thinking at least one good thing would come out of this: if he died in the Underworld, he didn’t need to worry about going through Charon’s Waiting Room again.  

 ***

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed! And I hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and safe!

Stay tuned next week for part X!

[leaveharmony]

** this got mad towards the end and it wasn't a targeted sort of mad at anyone in particular so much as a tired & probably-stemming-from-always-having-thing-I-enjoy-and-the-way-I-engage-with-it belittled sort of mad.  And as my father has always taught me, having or expressing emotions is shameful and wrong, so sorry.

Idk I think it's like....harder for me to cast judgement RE: ~cheating scandals~ or w/e because it goes back to it all being completely theoretical to me. No one's ever, face to face, at any time in any way expressed any kind of romantic interest in me whatsoever, I've never been in a relationship of any kind.  It hasn't come up, and that's fine.  Whether this is a case of you cannot miss what you've never had or whether I'm just like....a broken empty vessel for whom the yearning for human contact has gone beyond recall or desire, I dunno, and it doesn't concern me.  This isn't a pity me statement or an uwu secret crush notice me statement, I literally don't care at this point and tbh can't remember ever having done so.

Probably my oldest friend at this point, she....like as long as I've known her she's dated married men almost exclusively (and this started when we were both in highschool, when she was screwing around w/ her married english teacher - something I now understand was shocking predatory behaviour and probably statutory rape besides, but she does not acknowledge it as such so bring it up isn't my place).  She's been seeing the current one for at least three years now, I think, and he's married.  It's certainly an uncomfortable thing, and god knows I don't believe he could possibly think much of her or his wife if he's been doing this for so long and never once manned up and been honest or seriously considered ending his marriage.  But it's her life and we don't talk much anymore anyway, so I've never felt like it was my job or my place to be her therapist RE: holy shit what the fuck is wrong with you why do you do this to yourself and how could you do this to someone else?

Like full disclosure she started ‘seeing’ that english teacher when we were sort of puppy love internet-together (another long story but she wanted to or at least said she did and I sorta went along with it cos I didn't want to hurt her feelings...which of course, then it certainly seemed v. much like she didn't have many of, considering within a week she was having it off w/ someone else...again, this was a detached ‘Oh’ kind of moment, not really connected to any real hurt as she had instigated this and I hadn't really felt anything myself...it was upsetting in a sort of, ‘so this is what people do when they tell you they love you, that is disappointing but I guess life is not fiction’ kind of way but not in a ‘how could you, I love you’ kind of way.  As a first/only experience it could have gone better tbh, but it certainly gave me the right level of expectation afa being used & discarded when someone more convenient came along).

It's possible that most of the people I have ever known have just been fundamentally really bad at relationships and so I just sort of assume this is a normal thing; my father is an abusive shitbag and we're inescapably trapped with him, grandpa was a sort of...disinterested stick in the mud with a frightening temper for whom my grandmother gave up all her interests in sports and the outdoors because he did not share them.  Wabs never married, Tosh told me like she was expecting a pat on the back and a medal that she'd been faithful to her husband as he died of cancer 'even though she  ‘didn't have to be.’  And my instinctive reaction wasn't GOOD FOR YOU so much as it was “....what?!” but again...I didn't speak, because what the fuck do I know?  Maybe ppl run off and start seeing other ppl as soon as their partners get so much as a headcold all the time.

Ppl just sorta get abused and trampled and left and cheated on and discarded, or they do the same to others, and it just looks like a hell of a mess I'm well out of, tbh.  Which I guess is another reason...unless somebody's getting beat or otherwise abused, I feel like it's none of my business.  So honestly, “Tana slept around when he was single and one day some chick he canoodled with for like two months stabbed him for it” is filed under “Yeah that'll happen, thank god he didn't die” rather than “Hahahahaha karma amiright he totes deserved it, domestic abuse and attempted murder are hilarious when they’re directed at men who’re full of themselves!”

Nobody needs to tell me to have low fuckin' expectations for men, ok, I live under the boot of one of their idiot kings.  Tell me Tana fatshames his family for eating, tell me he gaslights them or acts like when they’re hurt or injured they’re making it up to personally inconvenience him, tell me they have to rigidly control their emotions around him to avoid setting off his violent temper, and ok.  Tell me he's a bigot, tell me he hits his family, tell me he hates women, tell me he's a rapist, ok.  But like...’he had a lot of sex and probably hurt people's feelings’ is not really high on my list of cardinal offenses b/c as far as I can tell, that's fucking everyone.  It isn't like he still does, it isn't like he's not tried to put it behind him and grow from it and be better.  It's practically his motto.   Why is ‘I acted in a shitty way but I'm trying to atone and I still look back and feel guilty about it’ only an admirable, affirming  thing to aspire to when it's a tumblr post & not when a guy is straight up saying it?  Which he has, on multiple occasions.  Can't change the past, can only try to learn from it.

At.  Least.  He.  Fucking.  Tries.

When has redneck george ever walked back his comments about gay ppl or his Islamophobia, when has Lesnar?  Beyond a token apology and chasing it w/ a dozen I'M NOT A RACIST THO interviews when has Hogan really acknowledged the depths of how he fucked up?  When did Warrior apologize for his vile bigotry, where's Elgin sincerely regretting being a fucking piece of shit dragging a rape victim's name through the mud?  Jericho's response to ‘hey maybe you shouldn't be advertising your cruise by saying there will be loads of bikini-clad women there available for you to ogle’ was essentially ‘are you triggered, bro, y so srys?’ and at no point did he objections seriously.  Orton never so much as thinks for two seconds before condemning BLM protesters or footballers who take the knee, AND he voted for Trump, but other than hollowly chanting that he's not a racist while blatantly doing things that are racist, silence.  Honma beat his girlfriend, Snuka murdered his partner, Austin smacked Debra around, Angle got stoned out of his mind and broke into his ex's apartment, X-Pac hit Chyna, exactly how often do they refer back to what happened, when did they apologize or express regret or even acknowledge any of it?  I mean I guess Benoit can't, what with the fucking suicide after he bashed in Nancy's skull and murdered his son.

Ppl have different things they can tolerate and forgive, is I guess my point, or at least one of them.  Which is fine!  I mean...I'd sure fucking side-eye anybody who writes any of the above a pass, but, I guess everybody's stories and reasons are different.

I like Tana.  I'm a fan of his.  Ok?  Like it probably sounds like I think he's a flawless angel crowned with light b/c compared to my fucking father, he IS.  It doesn't mean I'm being willfully blind to mistakes he's made or that I'm absolving him of every sin he's ever committed.  I think he's a good person and it's heartening and encouraging that he's in the world and if saying so without adding 18 asterisks about past behaviour and an disclaimer acknowledging all men as shit and all people as inherently flawed makes me a gullible childish ~fangirl~ than ok, I guess I am.  Everybody knows my tags for wrestling/wrestlers, which are there as much as a courtesy to anybody who needs to blacklist as they are a filing system for me (that’s why there’s a catch-all!  For ppl I haven’t thought up tags for yet or don’t intend to!), and tumblr savior is right there if me being silly about my favs in my own space bothers everybody so fucking much, god knows it wouldn't be the first time I set somebody cringing and they had to tune me out before they quietly dropped my ass like a particularly stupid puppy on a country road.  That I am a sloppy fawning emotional mess of untreated neurosis who hyperfixates on things & people who make me feel halfway hopeful for entire minutes at a time & gets stupidly overexcited about stuff isn't new information to me, so if you can't deal with that then... Well...sorry, honestly.  Like sincerely.  I know how I am and I try not to be but I can't help it sometimes when I like something.  Don't feel bad about leaving if you don't want to deal with it, cos I get it, honestly.  Have exactly zero (0) guilt feelings about it.  I’m a fundamentally repulsive creature, ppl have hard limits on how long they can put up with me, and so it has always been, and so it goes.

[thecreativeangel]

Choosing (Peter Parker x Reader) Hogwarts AU

Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

Part three of the Improper series

*Please don’t plagiarize my work, thank you :3*

Summary: Your and Peter’s friendship is growing more strained by the week, from his friendly attitude towards your bully, to your new friends, who seem to steal you away from him.

Warnings: Cussing, fighting, Quidditch injuries, Inigo being a lil bitch and violent beating.

Words: 4,000

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You allowed your body to rock from side to side, following the trains movements. Peter sat opposite of you on the Hogwarts Express, rambling on about something you don’t care about. It was sad, but these days you and him didn’t seem to have the same interests anymore, and that was becoming painfully obvious. If you listened for even a second, you would have heard Liz Allan’s name, or the words “beautiful” or “amazing”. As you found out, Liz had visited Peter in the Hospital Wing on one of the days you couldn’t come. Liz had no problem with Inigo, she was older, popular, untouchable. As a result, Peter was now in love with her. You ruffled the fur on Bear’s head and she barked, licking your hand. Thank god the Magical Menagerie found there are breeds of dogs that stay puppies forever, or Bear would be found by the caretaker and confiscated. Those are the kinds of thoughts that floated around in your head as Peter kept talking.

“-and she smiled at me and said ‘see you later’! What does that even mean?” Peter gushes. He opened his mouth to continue but stopped when he saw you weren’t paying attention. “...And you spaced out. Really?”

You blew a noisy raspberry at him. “I get it Peter, you’re whipped.” You tease, enjoying the cute defensive expression he wore. As soon as you thought that, you mentally choked. What. I thought I got rid of that lovey dovey shit in the first year! You could almost imagine your subconscious shrugging apologetically. Peter toyed with the cord of an Extendable Ear, wrapping it around his finger. His mood seemed to worsen the longer he looked at it and his gaze went from the toy to you a couple of times before he spoke.

“Hey, um… Can-can I ask you a question?” Peter stutters, suddenly very interested in his Extendable Ear.

You chuckle, amused by his awkwardness. “You just did, stupid.”

Peter bites his lip, thinking hard. “Right, right, I know but-” He glimpses at you, and focuses on the hem of his shirt. “Hypothetically, if you had to-to chose between Gryffindor and Slytherin, which would you chose? Hypothetically.”

“Gryffindor. I mean, I’m already in Gryffindor.” You reason, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear.

“That’s not what I-” Peter cuts himself off. “Look, if you could choose again between Gryffindor and Slytherin-like the whole Sorting over again. Would you still be in Gryffindor?” “I don’t know.” You answer, brows drawing together. “Abby and Keira and Erin in Slytherin… We’d have more classes together.”

You looked away as Peter winces, lips pressing together in a thin line, shrinking back in his seat. “What about me?” He whispers, just loud enough for you to hear.  

“Wait, Peter, no! ‘Course I’d stay in Gryffindor. You’re here, and-” You falter. He’s my only friend in this house. I don’t have anyone else.

“No you wouldn’t. Not if you knew that all your friends would be in the other house.” Peter snaps bitterly.

You were dumbfounded by his sharp comment. Peter was usually serene and shy. “You’re my friend, you twit.”

“You don’t act like you are.” Peter mumbles under his breath, sinking even lower in his seat. This comment you did not catch. He drummed his fingers on his leg,one of his many nervous ticks.

Without warning Peter jumps up and grabs his kitten. “Shit! I forgot I’m supposed to meet someone! I have to go!”

“W-What?” You said, watching him rush around and gather his things. With the trains rocking and his footsteps, you doubted he heard you. “Peter, wait! We sit together e-”

“I know, I know-I’m sorry,” He sputtered, already one foot out the door. “Maybe next time, right? I’ll see you later!”

The glass door to the compartment slides closed.

“But we sit together every time we get on the train,” You murmur, eyes glazing over. “It’s tradition…”

It didn’t matter what you said. Peter was already gone.

Quidditch these days brought an even more tense atmosphere than ever before. No one spoke of how quiet the halls got whenever a match drew near, but everyone was thinking it. The opposing teams tried to avoid each other almost altogether, and even professors were frosty to other members of staff on a rival team. This match you feared the worst. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Your Slytherin friends hadn’t changed their attitudes, on the contrary; the upcoming match became a subject of jokes in the group. Your relationship with Peter, however, was suffering. You regretted hesitating at his question so much. The classes you two had together were almost all of them, and it was horrible. As much as you wanted to reach out and talk to him you couldn’t and Peter looked like he didn’t want to, so you kept quiet about the subject. On the field though, you and him talked like nothing ever happened, and it drove you crazy.

“I’m tired of saying I want you dirty little shits to play nice, so do whatever you want.” Coach Wilson yelled. Even he was tired of the petty rivalries going around.

You mouthed ‘good luck’ to Peter and rose into the air, both hands on your Firebolt. Since the match with Lisa-Marie, it was hard not to be paranoid whenever a player came near you. Thank god Erin’s a Beater for the Slytherins. You think while trying to shake the Slytherin seeker off your tail. So far, you noticed that the other houses in the stands had taken to a specific pattern. When Gryffindor scored, the Hufflepuffs cheered. When Slytherin scored, the Ravenclaws, cheered. The game was almost over, the Slytherins winning by a small set of point when you saw the two captains arguing furiously mid-air. Fredericks, the Gryffindor team captain had gone completely red. No one else seemed to see this over the loud roar of the crowd. You kept a wary eye on them, preparing to interfere at any moment. A couple minutes pass peacefully before the disaster.

Both captains got closer and closer until one of them exploded. Fredericks punched the Slytherin team captain square in the jaw and the whistle was blown almost immediately. You flew down as fast as possible, hoping to pacify them. All you heard was swearing. The moment your feet touched the ground the two team captains had forgotten their wands and began to wrestle on the ground, a blur of limbs. The most revolting part was the people cheering them on, laughing and a few pulled out cameras and phones to record it. Teachers were trying to calm the hoard of students without prevail and Professor McGonagall looked faint. You would have backed away and let it play out but Erin chose to break through the crowd, pulling both boys up and forcing herself between the them. For one moment they stopped, and you exhaled with relief.

You relaxed too soon. Within second Erin was caught in the fight, hopelessly attempting to keep them apart. Your insides burned as she was shoved by Fredericks while he tried to punch the Slytherin captain, then elbowed in the gut by her own team captain as he swung his fists in a blind rage. You pushed people aside to get to her, praying she would be smart and back off. Not Erin. She would never step back or surrender. Breaking through the mass of students, you rushed to her aid before you could think of a plan. Both captains would have ignored you if Fredericks hadn’t attempted to rip Erin’s hand off his shirt as she held them apart. Everything else happened too quickly for you to comprehend.

While giving a last ditch attempt to rip Erin away from the fight she elbowed you in the nose. You fell on your back, your head hitting the ground with a dull thud. This was all it took for Erin to stop trying to break up the fight and rush over to you, her horrified face appearing over you. Peter also dropped down next to you, brushing the hair from your face. Erin gave you her hand to pull you up, apologies streaming from her mouth but Peter knocked her hand away, yelling obscenities. You heard everything like you were underwater, muffled, but recognized Peter and Erin shouting at each other. Rubbing the back of your head, you stood up, head throbbing. The other fight with the team captains had ended and no one payed attention to the small argument between your two friends.

“Stop!” You yelled, bringing a hand up to pinch your bleeding nose. Peter and Erin stopped shouting, thank Merlin.

You wiped your nose on your sleeve and sniffed. “Peter, i’ wasn’t ‘er ‘ault.” You say thickly, rubbing your nose on your robe to stop the flow of blood. “She was tryin’ tah stop the fight.”

“Are you kidding?” Peter asks sarcastically. “You’re defending her after she hit you?”

Erin pulled some crumpled tissues from her pocket and handed them to you. “I’m so, so, so sorry! Bloody hell, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, please don’t hate me!” She pleads, her brown orbs giving you puppy dog eyes.

“It’s fine.” You assured, taking the tissues gratefully.

“Fine?” Peter asked shrilly.

“Don’t be a prat Peter, I’m fine.” You huff. He looks furious and betrayed at the same time and it kills you, but he was being unfair to Erin and you knew it was more than her hitting you that made him angry.

“Know what, I’m done!” Peter hisses, throwing his hands up and picking up his broom. “I’m sorry for-for being such a bother!”

“No, Peter! I didn’t mean it-please!”

He storms off to the castle, dragging his Firebolt with him. Your eyes glaze over watching him leave. He was so angry, so resentful that you didn’t see the way he slouched in defeat, the way his hand was over his mouth to keep from sobbing.

I’m sorry. Come back, please. In need you.

Those words repeat in your mind over and over, but are never said out loud.

Not this again. You think, watching Inigo pick on yet another shy Ravenclaw. Holy shit-can’t he just keep his damn mouth shut? Most Herbology classes were like this. Professor Barton was usually a bit late, providing Inigo with an excellent chance to make fun of some poor kid. Ever since the fight at the quidditch tournament it’s been mostly Slytherins, Ravenclaws and you.

“Bug off Inigo, you titchy little shit.” You drawl out sleepily, laying your head on your desk. “I’m surprised you’re desperate enough to pick on someone smaller than you.”

“Shut the hell up you traitorous bitch.” He snarls from across the table.

Feeling cocky, you choose not to back down. Most of his friends weren’t here, so that was something. “Or what?” You ask casually, doodling on a piece of parchment. “You gonna dye my hair the same ugly color yours is? I mean, come on, dude. White hair? Your barber must hate you.”

“Maybe I got poisoned when I met you,” Inigo fires back. “Just being ‘round scum like you must've given me radiation poisoning.”

“And how did that happen, hm?” You question, blowing a bit of hair from your eyes as you finished drawing the jaw on your skeleton.

Inigo looked pissed that you weren’t paying him much attention. “Well lets see, you’re a poor excuse of a Gryffindor, a Slytherin spy and-”

“Enough Mr. Preta!” Professor Barton commanded, finally entering the greenhouse. “I’d take points off Gryffindor but you were harassing another member of your house. It would be unfair to Miss (Last Name). Don’t let it happen again.”

You would have been pleased, but it came to your attention that Peter wasn’t sitting anywhere near you. There go my plans to say apologize. I mean obviously he wouldn’t sit near me. The really saddening thing was that when you looked around, you saw him right away, next to Inigo. Where he has been sitting for a couple months now. You held your quill a bit tighter, staring hard down at the old table and clenched your jaw. Okay, scratch that. Apologizing’s gonna be fricking impossible. Great.

The lesson was boring, just shrivelfig and the healing properties of its leaves. You and Michelle managed to get five pages worth of notes.

“I have no idea how you’re not in Ravenclaw,” Michelle complained as you walked out of the greenhouse. “I mean, you tricked your bossy ass mum into signing the Hogsmeade form.”

You shrug, the subject of your intellect was not very uncommon to discuss, as well as the fact that your mum was extremely controlling. “Both my parents are Ravenclaws-guess it just passed on.”

Out of nowhere, Michelle poked you in the arm. “Hey, didn’t you want to say sorry to the loser?” She whispered, pointing to the group of boys ahead of you. “‘Cuz he’s right there.”

“I did, but not with them there.” You say, tilting your head to your classmates who surrounded him.

“Get it over with.” Michelle urges, pushing you forward. “The worst thing that could happen is that you’re embarrassed for a day, big deal.”

“Yes, very big deal.” You whisper back urgently, digging your heels into the ground to slow down her pushing. “Stop it Michelle! Please don’t make me-I’ll do anything!”

“Too late!” She blurts, giving you one more push. “Hey, Parker!”

Peter stops walking and whirls around. He regard you with cold eyes. Despite this, you smile kindly. “Peter! Hey, can we-”

He ignores you and speeds up, disappearing into the flow of students. “Wait!” You yell, hopping up and down to see over the crowd. “I just wanna talk!”

“But Pete doesn’t want to talk to you.” Inigo goaded, leering at you. His mates begin to advance on you and Michelle. You freeze, your body heavy and paralyzed. “‘Said so himself. Damn, you fucked up your little friendship, didn’t you?”

“Get out of the way.” Michelle orders, making an effort to squeeze between two of Inigo’s bigger friends.

“No, I can’t let you see Pete. Get it in your head, weirdo!” Inigo laughs wickedly and gives his mates a quick look, some sort of signal. His gang keeps coming nearer and nearer to you and Michelle, making your sense of dread heighten by a tenfold. “I was having such a nice day, too. Then you just had to interrupt me during my fun. That wasn’t nice.”

There was no one else left in the hallway. Your biggest fear had somehow come true; you were alone with Inigo and his friends. It was as if your system was being overridden by a virus, shutting down your ability to think and react.

“I didn’t do anything!” You hiss, making it up as you went. “I stopped you from hurting Manda-that’s kinda brave, don’t you think?”

“You stopped me there, yeah. Congrats,” Inigo jeers, a revolting sneer on his face. “But who’s going to stop me from hurting you?”

Michelle was trembling. Michelle never trembled. “Wha-”

There was no time to call for help or get your wand out. A dark haired boy wrapped his arm around her mouth and you felt a hand over yours. The door to a nearby out of order bathroom was propped open and both of you were thrown in, sliding painfully across the slick tile. The door’s lock clicked shut as the boys towered over you, vile enjoyment in their eyes. You were pulled up and slammed against the bathroom wall. You yowled when your head hit the mirror in the exact same place that was hit when you fell in the quidditch field.

“You’re not a real Gryffindor, so…” Inigo trailed off and pulled the robe from your neck, choking you. Your hands clawed at his as you coughed and retched, flushing red. Complete panic filled you, clouding your mind. The collar ripped and the robe snapped away, allowing you to inhale deeply. “Oh, almost forgot!”

Inigo tore the Gryffindor crest from your uniform and dropped it in a toilet. Your robe was thrown on the floor.

A tall ginger aimed his wand at the robe. “Reducto.”

“No!” Michelle cried, struggling to escape the grasp of the dark haired boy. “Stop it! Stop it now!”

Inigo rounded on her, eyeing her up and down. “I mean she were a bit rude.” He announced, regarding Michelle. “How’d you like your head down a the wash? We can see how long you can hold your breath.”

His friends howled with laughter, urging him to do it. “Don’t touch her.” You rasped, still clutching your throat. “Don’t you dare touch her.”

Inigo snickered and waved his hand. On command, a burly brunette grabbed the front of your uniform, lifting you up to sit on the edge of the sink. “Peter didn’t specify how to keep you away… The school’s changing (Name). The Ravenclaw brats support Slytherin but at least we have the Hufflepuffs, amiright? Oh Merlin, there’s so much I wanna repay you for.”

He sighed sadly. “But I wouldn’t want people to ask questions. Just as a reminder, though. If anyone asks, you fell during quidditch practice. Micheal?”

The boy holding you grinned cruelly, grasping you and Michelle by the hair and smashed your heads into the mirror, cracking it. Michelle screamed, a terrible, desperate sound. Tears forced themselves from your eyes, streaming down your face. Your muscles were stiff, trying to fight the force that was attacking you. Pain came in sharp eruptions every time your head hit the glass. It was almost dulled now, the minor concussion distorting reality and blurring the edges of your vision. You squeezed your eyes shut, praying it would be over soon. Blow after blow came, and it seemed they would never stop coming. And then, they stopped. You fell from the edge of the sink, landing on your side on the bathroom floor. Somewhere near you the door slammed shut, a loud bang echoing in your head.

You rolled over on your back and sat up. Right away the dizziness returned, spinning your brain around inside your skull. Michelle moaned, still slumped on the sink. Your gut wrenched when you saw  thick scarlet liquid dribbling down the mirror behind her. Feeling something hot rise up your throat, you ran to a stall and threw up over a toilet. When you stumbled out, leaning against a wall, Michelle was already off the sink, staggering to the door. She nearly fainted but you caught her in time, placing her arm around your shoulder for support. Both of you shuffled down the deserted corridor, aimlessly wandering around.

“We have to-we have to get see Keira.” Michelle mumbled, her eyes unfocused and distant. “She has free period...In the Slytherin common room.” You veered the other way, walking down the stairs with great difficulty. The entrance to the Slytherin common room was already visible in the distance.

“I can’t…” You murmur faintly. “I can’t walk much longer.”

Michelle didn’t answer. Her body slumped completely against yours and you suspected she had passed out.

“Living Death.” You croaked at the door and it pushed open, revealing the almost empty Slytherin common room. Sitting cross legged on the carpet was Keira leaning against a plush chair. She jumped up upon seeing you, her expression changing from delight to horror in seconds. You let Michelle fall into a leather chair near the fireplace and then let your figure relax, collapsing on the fuzzy white carpet.

“How-how-what happened?” Keira screeched, shifting Michelle’s body over to a more comfortable position.

“I-shit, can you get some towels? I’m gonna make the entire frickin’ rug red.” You slur, rolling over on your stomach and face planting in the soft carpet.

“Who gives a fuck about the carpet-you’re bleeding!” Keira exclaims, pulling a quilt off the floor and placing it under Michelle’s head.

“Uh, huh. That’s great. Fix Mick up and then help me? I think I may be a little hurt.”

“Don’t pull these jokes right now!” Keira says, clearly irritated. “Accio ice pack.”

A plastic bag flies down from the girls common room, landing in her hand. “D’you…d’you have an ice pack on deck at all times?” You muse, reaching for it and giggling. Which was weird; you never giggle. “That’s stupid. You could be like-like the new nurse. Nurse Keira.”

“Why does it sound like you’re high?” Keira asks, looking unnerved and horrified. She presses the ice to the back of your head, as your face was still squished against the soft carpet. “Did you hit your head?”

“Nope.” You grin at her with your eyes closed, feeling cheeky. “I got my head fricking bashed in against a mirror. Crazy, right?”

“Oh Merlin, I’m going to be sick.” Keira retched, wiping blood off your neck with the corner of her skirt. “I t-texted Erin and Stella in-in class. They should be here soon.”

On cue, the door to the common room slammed open all the way and the rest of your friends sprinted to you and Michelle. Erin flipped you over on your back and took your face in her hands, checking your injuries.

Abigail was pacing around, releasing random strings of threats and cursing. “I’ll break his wand into splinters! I’ll feed him to the squid! I’ll cruciate him in front of his entire family and watch as he cries for mercy like a little bitch and I’ll stand there and-”

“Abby!” Stella scolds. “Hush up, will you? Mick’s waking up.”

Michelle was indeed sitting up and rubbing her eyes, blinking hard against the light. “Great, she’s awake.” Abigail says, laying down next to you on the floor. “Now tell us what the happened or I’ll hex you too.”

You open your mouth to start talking. “Ini-”

The girls erupt with groans and yelling, shouting more curses before you could even get his name out.

“I knew it!” Erin shouts, waving her fists in the air. “I knew it! I’m with Abby on this-let’s go feed him to the squid. The dirty little jackass cornered you?”

You nod meekly, resting your aching head on the carpet again. “I wanted to talk to Peter, y’know? I wanted to say sorry,” You sniffed, refusing to cry over this. “And Inigo said Peter told him to keep me away ‘cuz he hates me now.”

“Peter told Inigo to beat you up?” Erin gasped, clenching her jaw.

“No! No, Peter would never do that!” You insist. What if he wanted you to get hurt? The voice in your head whispers, feeding your insecurity and doubt. He hates you, he hates you, he hates you. That pushed you over the edge. The words flowed from your mouth, explaining everything that happened in the bathroom. The choking, the bleeding, the threat...You had to stop a few times because your body trembled so badly.

“He said the school was changing,” You finished, sitting up and hugging your knees to your chest. “He said that the school was changing and-and that the Ravenclaws joined Slytherin but the Hufflepuffs joined Gryffindor. Is that true? The houses have basically picked sides?”

Stella looked grim. “I heard some older kids talking about the rivalry. They think it’s time to choose a side, and they chose Gryffindor so… everyone else in my house just followed them. Without thinking.”

“There’ve been fights.” Michelle adds weakly, placing the ice pack to her head. “Professor McGonagall tried her best to keep them secret but she won’t for much longer. I mean she’s ancient! This kinda thing isn’t good for someone her age.”

“We’ll figure it out tomorrow.” Keira advises, rubbing her temples. “I need a butterbeer.”

“Yeah we’ll figure it out, we’re unstoppable!” You put in, trying to cheer everyone up. I have my friends, that’s good. But it wasn’t true and you knew it. Peter storming off into the crowd played over and over in your mind. Well, most of my friends.

Tags: @madithemagicalfangirl,  @makaylahoran

[werenzki]

Andre Burakovsky #1.4

PART ONE // PART TWO // PART THREE

Anonymous said: holy crap the andre series is amazing!!!! pls pls PLS write more theyre so cute!!!!

Anonymous said: omfg the new andre one was so good i forgot about your writing tbh until it popped up on my dash and i saw the word count and i was so excited!!!! i finished it in like 2 secs i couldnt believe it was already over haha! if you dont mind, woudl you write another part? (or 5 or 10 more? lol)

Anonymous said: can you do more burky? like either a continuation of what youve already written or something new if youre bored w that storyline? i dont have any specific ideas though so idk if this really counts as a request lol

Anonymous said: this isn’t a request, i just wanted to say that i loved your writing, especially the andre ones :) they’re so so adorable and he’s such a cute boyfriend/fiance! i’m looking forward to 1.4 :)

A/N: i’ve never gotten so much response from a imagine before wow thanks guys :)))) but wow i thought the last part of this little series was long, then i wrote this, yikes, sorry???? (also sorry for any errors or if it dragged on, i got really into it oops)

Word Count: 4,179

Your heart was pounding so loudly you could feel it in your head. The sound was deafening. You shut your eyes and inhaled deeply, then you opened your eyes again and let your last burst of adrenaline push you to keep going. Through your headphones Drake played, but honestly you could barely here it over your rapid heartbeat. 

As you rounded the corner you saw your house in the distance. Which caused you to only push yourself harder, wishing to get this stupid run over with. You had a full day planned, and the sun was only just rising on the horizon behind your house. Upon arriving at your front lawn, you stopped sprinting and bent over so your hands were on your knees. Then you fell onto your back swiftly and laid there as your heart continued to act like a jackhammer. 

Truthfully, you used to work out occasionally before, but after the proposal you realized just how much you needed to get your butt into shape. So early runs and late night gym sessions where the only things that fit into your schedule. Like today, most of your days were busy - from dusk till dawn. Setting up a wedding wasn't easy by any means.

Finally finding the energy, you let out a deep breath and got yourself off the front lawn. With the moisture adding to your sweat, your shirt was wet and reminded you that these warm summer days were seriously coming to an end. September ended today, which only meant it was another month away till your wedding day. 

"Kino," you hushed the black lab puppy. The little thing was predictable, and was jumping up at you the moment you unlocked the door. 

Some days you questioned why you let Andre convince you to get the new puppy. But other days, like today as you sat on the couch with a bottle of water and him nibbling on your fingers, you couldn't imagine not having Kino around. He was just a bundle of joy and you loved the little guy. Maybe not when he peed inside or anything like that, but he was learning.

As you went to refill your water, you opened up the back patio door, Kino got so wound up he ran right into the screen door. You laughed and then pushed back the screen so he could run into the backyard. Immediately he went to the bathroom, proving your point of just how much the little guy was learning.

"Kino!" You called for the pup, who quickly perked up his head from where he was digging - in your garden - and ran towards you. He got into the house and you shut the door behind him, then filling up his food and water dish before you went upstairs. 

Andre was still fast asleep, and you knew practice today wasn't going to be an easy one because the new season started up next week and the coaches weren't messing around. First game back for the defending cup champs was going to be a big one, like all the rest of their games too. So after a quick shower, you got changed into a pair of blue ankle jeans - which you rolled up at the bottoms - and a white off the shoulder top with some cute flower stitching. 

As you were putting in a pair of earrings and slipping back on your engagement ring you hear rustling from the bedroom. Then Kino was yipping and a low chuckle came from Andre. A flutter of butterflies came to your stomach as you leaned against the en suite bathroom door and watched as Andre wrestled with the rambunctious puppy. In the back of your mind - maybe a little closer than the very back - an image of Andre with your kids in the early morning came to you. 

"Good morning," Andre smiled at you as he caught sight of where you stood across the room. You smiled back at him and walked towards where he laid. 

"Morning," you muttered before pressing your lips to his. Andre had let the kiss become a lazy but passionate one, looping a finger into your jeans and bringing you closer to him till you were basically laying on top of him. You giggled and kissed him again, and then again. Then Kino was getting between the two of you. 

"Kino," Andre said while pushing the dog back, only he was right back in Andre's face in an instant. 

You chuckled and shook your head, "you've got practice in two hours, I'm going downstairs to make some breakfast," you stated while making your way towards the bedroom door. 

"Will you make pancakes?" Andre asked while throwing his legs off the side of the bed. As you turned around, Kino was jumping off the bed and running towards you, then out and down the stairs again. 

"Yes, and eggs or else your nutritionist will murder me," you said. 

"Works for me," Andre shrugged before walking into the bathroom. You walked downstairs, finding Kino playing with one of his toys, which you were just thankful it wasn't one of your shoes. Then you got working on breakfast. 

Most days out of the week you didn't get to just sit at the dining room table and enjoy breakfast with Andre. Which you were okay with, seeing as you were going to be spending the rest of your life with him. There were plenty of days to sit and enjoy breakfast and a coffee. Thankfully today just got the be one of them. As Andre poured your mugs of coffee, you dished out your guy's food and then set it on the table. Just as you took your seat, Andre brought over the coffee and sat in the seat beside you were his food was awaiting him. 

"How was your run?" He asked between a mouth full of food. 

"Good," you took a sip of coffee to wash away the food in your mouth. "I'm doing almost double as I started with a month ago now," you stated. 

"Nice," Andre nodded. "Soon enough you'll be running a marathon," 

You chuckled and stabbed your fork into another piece of pancake. "As if, I'm too busy for that," 

"Speaking of," Andre sipped his coffee and leaned back in his chair. He patted his leg, motioning for you to rest your feet in his lap, but caused Kino to be by his side. Andre shooed him away and let his hand rest on your bare ankle. "What are you getting up to today?" 

"Wedding wise, or just in general?" You asked. 

"In general," he shrugged. 

You smiled and took another sip of coffee, relaxing in your chair as Andre rubbed circled on your ankle. "Well after you leave I'll be in my office for a while, going through my upcoming appointments and such, then my mothers coming over," 

"Oh," his eyes widened, clearly surprised. 

"Yeah, she suggested to come over and help with the invitations," 

"Alright," Andre nodded. 

"It should be good," you said, playing with the food on your plate, "fun, maybe?" You questioned it, but shrugged in response to your own question. 

"I'm sure it will end up being a good afternoon," Andre smiled. "Was there anything else we needed to go through before you made the invitations?" 

"Uh, no," you pondered a few things but as far as you knew everything was pretty set in stone. "Date, colours, we picked out the venue. You trust me with the design?" 

"Designing is literally your job, babe, of course I trust you," Andre chuckled and as he made movement settling his fork and knife on the empty plate, you placed your feet back on the ground and held your mug to your lips. 

"Good," you smiled over the rim of the mug and took a sip. 

"I've gotta get going to the rink, keep me updated on wedding stuff," Andre said while standing from his chair and bringing his dishes to the sink. He finished his coffee and then walked back towards you. "I'll be back before dinner," he stated. 

You nodded in response and smiled at him, leaning your head back in your seat to look up at him. Andre mirrored your smile and then leaned down to peck your lips. You said your goodbyes and then you watched as Kino followed after Andre, barking as the front door shut and he walked him through the living room windows. Finally you called for the pup, setting your own dishes in the sink and filled up your coffee, before grabbing one of Kino's toys and making your way to your office.

You threw Kino's toy in the bed you had for him in the corner beside your desk and then took the seat in your chair. The sun was shining through the blinds, so you turned in your chair and pulled them up, revealing the beautiful day and lovely back yard. The engagement party was two months ago now, but the lights still hung above the yard and you loved it. 

Checking the clock on your desktop, you saw you had just under two hours till your mother was to show. But also, knowing your mom, that meant you had maybe an hour till she was to call and asked if she could come earlier - which meant she would show up earlier. But that gave you enough time to finalize some appointments and deliveries for your current projects. 

As expected, you got a call from your mother, then she was knocking on your front door moments later. Kino jumped up from his bed and ran towards the door, barking at the intruder like a true guard dog. You decided to play it safe and scooped up the puppy in your arms before unlocking the door and welcoming your mom. 

“I didn’t know you got a dog,” she said while stepping into your home. Kino was still barking at her, but you kept hushing him and trying to get him to calm down. 

“Yeah, about a month ago now,” you stated. 

Kino sniffed your mother as she got close, she smiled at the pup and then pet his head once before turning around and taking off her coat. Your parents were never really pet people. There were a few cats here and there, but they were mostly to keep you company. In fact, you didn’t get your first dog till little Kino. 

“I’ve just got to finish something up for work, then we can get going with the invitations,” you said to your mother as you set down Kino. He immediately jumped up so his littler paws hit her legs. “Kino!” You scowled at the puppy. 

“Interesting name,” your mother muttered. 

“Uh, yeah, Andre named him,” you said over your shoulder as she followed your down the hallway and into your office. “It suits him,” you exclaimed as the pup stubbled over his little paws and gathered him toy between his teeth. 

“He’s cute,” your mother smiled down at the pup who was holding the toy for her to grab and play with him. As if that would happen though. 

“Thanks?” You chuckled, unsure if you were supposed to take the compliment for your dog. 

“How’s business?” She asked as you bent at your waist and clicked a few things, then typing some more and keeping your eyes on the desktop to keep focused. 

“Good, really good,” you nodded, “I’m actually redoing a home just down the street, so that’s a bit easier. Also have a few bigger projects besides rooms or apartments so,” 

It was weird, or at least it felt that way for yourself. After everything your parents had said and done lately, it was hard to fall back into the relationship you had going. Not that that was amazing by any means. But it was nicer than this. You glanced away from the screen to see your mom still standing near the entry of your office, Kino had settled by her feet - realizing she wasn’t going to play. 

“That’s exciting,” you mother smiled. 

“Yeah, it’s going to be great,” 

“Well,” your mother sighed just as you closed your tabs and put your desktop on sleep mode. “I’m proud of you, Y/N,” she said in a soft tone. You felt taken back, but it was nice to hear. After all, they didn’t always keep tabs on your career. 

“We can sit in the dining room, work out a design and everything for the invitations, then get on that pesky list,” 

You offered your mother something to drink once entering the kitchen, only she declined while you filled up your mug. It took you nearly an entire mug of coffee to even think up of everyone from your side to invite. Then you were cutting off a few, like you great uncle Joe, and then you were quick to bring up Andre’s - you very well knew this was going to be the hard part. After many years in hockey, he had many teammates and friends and important coaches and you knew he wanted to included everyone. 

“Andre wants to include Kino in the ceremony, somehow,” you stated while scrolling through your laptop. 

“What? How?” Your mother questioned, just as confused as you were when you and Andre had this talk last week. You quickly put a pin on the topic though and he ran off into the backyard with his puppy. Well he was yours too, but he loved that dog like it was his son. 

“Like the ring bearer or whatever,” you shrugged. 

“No way,” she scoffed. “That puppy would swallow them whole right in front of everyone in the church aisle," 

You inhaled and looked at your mom across the dining room table. "Mom,” You began - dragging out the single word till she looked up at you from the wedding magazine she was looking at. 

“I know, I know,” she waved at you, “no church, you want an outdoors wedding, yeah, yeah,”

“I’ve had this day planned for years,” you stated, looking back down at the screen that was still a mess of a invite list. There were teammates, friends, coaches, family, family-friends, and it felt like the list went on and on. You were now wishing you had tackled this even a few days earlier. 

“I know,” you’re mother sighed again. Glancing up, you caught the sad look on her face. “Well actually I didn’t, but I figured. What girl doesn’t, right?” 

You were biting down on your lip to refrain from saying anything more. It could very quickly turn into an argument, that you weren’t ready to fall into right now. Instead you needed to focus on making sure Connor McDavid and Dylan Storme got an invitation, after Andre’s time on the Erie Otters with the two you knew he’d like them to come. Same with that coach too. Another coach, another address and email to gather. 

“I have to feed Kino real quick, can you just write this address down on the list?” You asked your mother. She nodded while you rose from your seat. 

It was a good system you had going so far. You figured out who got the cut on the list of guests, then you contacted them to get their address and email. That way the printers who were in charge of making your invitations knew where to sent both the physical and digital copy. But as the time passed, you knew little Kino would be needing something to eat and maybe even a treat for being so good while you worked. 

“There you go, baby,” you cooed to the pup as he pushed past you leg and started eating the food. You got up, after petting him, and reached for the drawer in the kitchen that contained Kino’s things. Inside you found his favourite treats, causing him to leave behind his food dish and jump up. “Down,” you ordered. 

Kino took a moment, getting a little shove from you and another order barked at him before he got down. “Sit,” you ordered. It was still new, training him and all, but you tried your hardest. Finally after a few tries you simply just got tired and gave Kino the treat. 

As you walked back to the dining room table, you peered at your laptop screen - that your mother was intently looking at - and saw she was no longer on the tab you left her on. Instead she was on your Pintrest board, and not the wedding one either, the baby one. You swallowed and rested your hand on the back of the chair you had been sitting in. Realizing you were back, your mother looked away from the screen and back up to look you in the eyes. 

“You’re having a baby?” She questioned. You couldn’t even read her facial expressions right now.  

“Not now, no,” you answered, “but one day, yes, I’d love to,” 

Despite the tough upbringing and now currently relationship with your parents, you’ve always wanted to be a mom. Since before you could even remember you’ve had baby fever. But in no way were you rushing into parenthood. There was simply no shame in preparing yourself and also liking pictures on some website. 

“You’re not ready to be a mother,” she said. 

“What?” You scoffed. 

“You’re not even married yet, you can’t be a mom, Y/N,” 

“What are you-” you stopped yourself as you voice raised a bit. Inside you felt anger, upset over the fact your mother was overreacting so much. “I’m not trying to have a baby right now, mom, relax,” 

“Don’t tell me to relax,” she said back in a hard tone. 

“Well you freaking need to!” You threw you hands up into the air, “this is my wedding and my life, so just take a step back and quit judging me for a second, please,” 

Your mother didn’t respond. Instead her lips formed a thin line and you could see her mind was racing. She wanted to keep fighting. It seemed that was all she wanted to do since you gave her that call back in Sweden. She was realizing it finally - that you were no longer in her, or your fathers, control. 

“I,” you paused and closed your eyes while taking a deep breath, “I think I’m going to do the rest of these tomorrow, I need to start up dinner before Andre gets home,” 

“I should leave, your fathers flight lands in an hour anyways,” she exclaimed while getting up from her seat. She gathered up her things and you followed her to the front door. As she put on her jacket, she turned back around and gave you a smile. “I’m sorry,” she said. 

You nodded, “me too,” 

“I want you to know that your father and I are happy for you, and we want to be involved in this day as much as you’ll let us,” 

“I want that too,” 

“It just scares us, Y/N,” she sighed, “you’re our only child, and you’re just doing all this and growing up, and it scares us,” she stated. You could tell this was a conversation that she was planning to have over coffee while we chatted during the wedding planning, not while I basically kicked her out. But still, hearing her say this made you feel a lot better. 

“I know,” you nodded. “I’ll give you guys a call in a couple days, when I get a little less busy, plan something,” 

“Maybe a dinner, with Andre too,” she suggested with a smile. 

“Maybe,” you smiled. 

“Bye,” she said before opening the front door and walking out. Kino seemed to get the memo she was leaving a little too late, seeing as he was busy in the back yard, and ended up just barking out the front window as she got into her car. You let him bark while you walked over to the couch and sat down. You mind was racing, and your eyelids got heavier while Kino settled down. 

Then Kino was jumping up onto the couch and sitting next to you. You brought him closer, cuddling him while you got comfy on the couch and shut your eyes. Napping wasn’t the plan, but it seemed a lot better than sitting there and overthinking some more. Plus, you could use a nap. 

You woke up to the door opening and Kino jumping over you to race to see who it was. You already knew, it was Andre, and stayed where you were huddled up on the couch. You listened as he greeted the excited pup, then his footsteps went across the hardwood floor and into the kitchen, then down the hall, finally you peered up to see him looking over the back of the couch. 

“Afternoon nap?” He asked, smiling down at you. 

You nodded, “Kino napped too,” 

Andre chuckled and walked around the couch, then sitting down at the end of the couch, he lifted your feet and let them rest in his lap. He was looking down at his phone while gently rubbing your sock covered feet, Andre was just like that - always absentmindedly caring for you. It was one of the many reasons you loved him and were marrying him of course. 

“What’s for dinner?” He asked, glancing away from his phone to where you laid. 

“Shit,” you cursed under your breath and then let out a yawn. You closed your eyes and rested your arm over them. “I, uh, napped instead of getting dinner ready,” you admitted. 

“That’s fine,” Andre said. You opened your eyes and saw him smiling at you. “Gives us an excuse to go out for dinner,” 

You smiled back at him, “perfect,” you said. 

Andre got up off the couch, his movement causing Kino to start running around the living room with excitement, and then he put out both his hands for you. You smiled and grabbed onto them both, letting him hoist you up off the couch. Once on your feet, you leaned lazily into Andre - pressing your face against his chest. Kino began to bark then, running around at your feet. 

“Kino,” Andre bellowed, dropping his voice into a deep demand. You giggled as the puppy stopped barking and sat there. 

“He’s excited you’re home,” you stated as Andre put his arms around you. 

“We’ll put him in the backyard while we’re gone,” Andre said. 

Andre did just that while you made your way upstairs to freshen yourself up, putting your hair into a cute ponytail and fixing your makeup. Then you threw on a leather jacket and waited while Andre got dressed into a grey long sleeve and jeans. He looked damn good, causing you to stare at him while he drove down the streets of Washington. Andre smirked, clearing catching you looking his way. You weren’t being settle by any means. 

“Like what you see?” Andre teased. 

You smiled and tilted your head to the side. “Yup,” you answered. 

Andre laughed, turning the wheel with one hand while grabbing ahold of yours with his other. He lifted your head to his lips and kissed your knuckles. “Well, if it weren’t for our safety, I’d be staring right back at you, baby,” he said. 

“Where are we going to eat?” You asked, looking out at the Washington night. The street lights were turning on as the sidewalks looked busy with people. 

“Your favourite, of course,” Andre shrugged. 

You chuckled, “you know, Andre, we can go to your favourite sometimes too,” 

“Well, your favourites aren’t horrible,” he smiled. 

“You’re too good to me,” you sighed as Andre parked the car outside of the small local Italian restaurant that you’ve loved for years now. You had found it one day during your junior high years, going on lunch dates with your best friends on the weekends was one of your favourites things to do back then. 

“It’s obviously you that’s too good to me, baby,” Andre smiled. You chuckled under your breath and shook your head at him. 

Leaning over the console of the car, you got closer to his face while the smile only grew on both your faces. You tilted your chin upwards and licked your lips while watching Andre - who was watching you, of course. His hand had found yours that rested on the console, his fingertips brushed over the top of your hand gently. He was sure to touch the diamond ring on your left hand.

“I can’t wait to marry you,” you said, “and spend the rest of my life with you, Andre Burakovsky,” 

“Me too, Future Mrs Y/N Burakovsky,” Andre said with his smile only getting bigger. 

An explosion of butterflies came over your entire body, somedays with this young man in front of you felt like it was all a dream. But as you leaned a few inches forward and brought your lips to his, you were proven that this was all reality. You really had found the man of your dreams, the one you were meant to spend forever with. 

[hisuuuuuu]

I was tagged by: @ackermannlevi thanks!! 😘

Five Things You’ll Find In My Bag 1. phone 2. money 3. tissues 4. mints 5. keys

Five Things In My Bedroom: 1. wii 2. ps4 3. stereo w disco lights 4. bookshelf of dvds, books & games 5. mikasa and sailor moon poster

Five Things I’ve Always Wanted To Do In My Life: 1. go to disneyland/universal studies 2. watch the sunrise with a special someone 3. be loud and stupid in public (tastefully of course lmao) 4. travel more in general 5. have a job that I absolutely adore

Five Things That Make Me Happy: 1. music 2. my puppy 3. kind-hearted people 4. snk 5. my phone (its my happy place tbh it’s like my only personal thing I’m super protective over it)

Five Things On My To-Do List: 1. apply for jobs 2. get new songs 3. clean out drawers 4. make more space on phone 5. book driving practices

Five Things People May Not Know About Me: 1. I’m a spoonie 2. I’ve never eaten a mango before :’( (one day I’ll go to the shops when they’re in season) 3. I dressed up & impersonated harley quinn to promote suicide squad at the local screening 4. when I was really young I went into the big brother house to meet the contestants and then got lost and was still in there when they were filming lmao I wish there was proof but I think that was before the internet w youtube haha 5. I make video & aesthetic edits and write fics sometimes

Rules: BOLD the statements that are true for you! (I’m on mobile so I’m just gonna tick)

APPEARANCE: I am 5'7" or taller I wear glasses ✅ only to drive or look at a computer/tv screen I have at least one tattoo I have at least one piercing I have blonde hair ✅ I have brown eyes ✅ I have short hair ✅ ish My abs are at least somewhat defined I have or have had braces ✅

PERSONALITY: I love meeting new people ✅ I do but my anxiety doesn’t if you feel me People tell me that I’m funny Helping others with their problems is a big priority for me ✅ I enjoy physical challenges ✅ I enjoy mental challenges ✅ I’m playfully rude with people I know well ✅ I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying it ✅ There is something I would change about my personality ✅

ABILITY: I can sing well I can play an instrument ✅ I can do over 30 pushups without stopping I’m a fast runner I can draw well I have a good memory ✅ I’m good at doing math in my head ✅ I can hold my breath underwater for under a minute ✅ I have beaten at least 2 people in arm wrestling I know how to cook at least 3 meals from scratch I know how to throw a proper punch

HOBBIES: I enjoy playing sports I’m on a sports team at my school or somewhere else I’m in an orchestra or choir at my school or somewhere else I have learned a new song in the past week ✅ I work out at least once a week ✅ I’ve gone for runs at least once a week in the warmer months I have drawn something in the past month I enjoy writing ✅ FANDOMS ARE MY #1 PASSION I do or have done martial arts

EXPERIENCES: I have had my first kiss I have had alcohol ✅ I have scored the winning goal in a sports game I have watched an entire season of a TV show in one sitting ✅ I have been at an overnight event I have been in a taxi ✅ I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year I have beaten a video game in one day ✅ I have visited another country I have been to one of my favorite band’s concerts

RELATIONSHIPS: I’m in a relationship I have a crush on a celebrity I have a crush on someone I know I have been in at least 3 relationships I have never been in a relationship I have asked someone out or admitted my feelings to them ✅ I get crushes easily I have had a crush on someone for over a year ✅ I have been in a relationship for at least a year I have had feelings for a friend ✅

MY LIFE: I have at least one person I consider a “best friend” I live close at my school My parents are still together I have at least one sibling ✅ I live in the united states There is snow right now where I live I have hung out with a friend in the past month ✅ I have a smartphone ✅ I have at least 15 CD’s I share my room with someone

RANDOM SHIT: I have breakdanced I know a person named Jamie ✅ I have had a teacher with a last name that’s hard to pronounce ✅ I have dyed my hair ✅ I’m listening to one song on repeat right now I have punched someone in the past week I know someone who has gone to jail I have broken a bone I have eaten a waffle today I know what I want to do with my life I speak at least 2 languages I have made a new friend in the past year ✅

I’m tagging: @yaboylevi @tatakaeeren @sanspert @leviackrrman @eren–gayger @gpesiot @ymirie @ackerman-angel @fuckingkirschtein @starrymir @kenken-chan @titan-meredith – only if you guys want to of course!!!✨