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fizzingwizard · 7 months

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I feel a need to write about today minute by minute. It's always annoying to forget details and remember them inconveniently at the wrong time, but not at the right now. And I need to vent as usual lol. Oh work.

At 9:45, I take my students to the bathroom. One pees on the floor. I am calling and calling his name, I am standing next to him, looking right at him, but he is just staring at nothing, peeing on the floor and his shoes. I absolutely do not get it. He was in another world. So I'm dealing with the mess and ask my coworker (A) to switch lesson time with me so she can teach during my slot while I clean.

When I get back to my room, 1 is teaching and the kids are misbehaving. Coworker 2 is there. B2is brand spanking new. Joined us literally last week. She is nice and hard working, I don't think she has much experience with little kids though. I have no doubt she'll get the hang of it soon, but as for now she really doesn't know what to do. I do my best to get the class in order as well as prep for the next things.

1 finishes and I teach my lesson. Challenging student A is crawling around the back of the room. 2 is trying to stop A. I try to tell her to leave him alone. We suspect he's on the spectrum, but he's too young for a diagnosis, so my choice has been to let him take the lead with what he wants to do as long as he isn't a danger to himself or other kids. There is too much pressure on young kids in Japan to be "well-behaved," and while in a school group certain behaviors are important, I'm not trying to force my students to be robots. 2 just isn't familiar with A, but I, the teacher who is familiar with him, have to teach my damn lesson. Then Challenging student I kicks up his usual mid-lesson fuss, so I ask 1 to take him for a walk outside for a couple minutes. I can't go handle him myself because I. Am. Teeeeeaachinggggg. 1 has a tough time with him and the manager gets involved.

I finish the lesson and get my kids ready to go outside. We go to the toilet then have a drink. I ask 2 to help the kids get their water bottles because another student is having a melt down, so I'm dealing with them. When I look over, the kids have all attacked the water bottle basket. They are supposed to sit by the wall and wait for their name to come get their water bottle, but they either didn't listen to 2, or 2 didn't understand how much leadership is needed with toddlers even over very small things. So I have to go and fix the water bottle situation. Then Youngest student K pees all over her pants, despite sitting on the toilet not five minutes ago and refusing to pee, lol. So 1 comes back and changes her. I don't even remember what 2 was doing at this point, but she was occupied with something.

The energy among the kids is Chaos. You get familiar with it. After trying everything in the book, I finally decided we were not in the right atmosphere to go outside. I had them sing a quiet song, fix our listening ears, and then, one by one, I called them by name to chose an activity to do indoors. After a while 1 is done cleaning up K, and I have no idea what 2 was doing. I facilitate everything with the activities and it's the most peaceful it's been all day.

We clean up and then go back to the bathroom. I send 1 and 2 back with about half the class to start getting ready for lunch. When I get back with the rest of the kids, it's loud and crazy, A is crying on the floor, 1 is trying to calm him down, 2 looks like she doesn't know what do first. I give A a hug and he calms down right away. I get my toy megaphone and have the kids sing a song with it. We have lunch. I'm dying.

After lunch: A refuses, as he always does, to clean up his fork and spoon. He throws his jelly cup. 1 takes him aside to explain to him why it's dangerous to throw things. He throws a fit. I don't know this is going on because I'm helping other kids. I don't know what 2 was doing again except for understanding she couldn't be left to make decisions. So I can't leave the room for the next bathroom trip while 1 is with A. She's gone for a while and A is just crying and crying. Finally she comes back, and I just grab 2/3s of the kids and take them to the bathroom. I am not "supposed" to have that many kids with me by myself. But this is the fact: I was better equipped to take care of that many kids than my coworkers were to take care of the few who I left behind with them.

I did have to leave Challenging student TE behind because he was so over the top wild all day, and had just been hitting and poking other kids. Since I had to leave, I had him sit in a chair and told him, as well as both co-teachers, that he needed to sit there for one minute, then he would be allowed to go read a book. When kids are this young, making them sit somewhere to "think about their actions" is totally counter-productive. They forget really fast what they're even supposed to be reflecting on and only remember that they're unhappy. There is no point and it's mean to do it to them. The point of putting TE in the chair was for him to calm down. Ideally I would have been with him, but if you haven't noticed (which I think my school hasn't sometimes!) I am only one person and can't be EVERYWHERE, I DO need support from co-teachers. But I did my best to compromise - since I couldn't be there, I made sure my co-teacher understood TE could leave the chair and read a book, he was NOT in time out or any kind of punishment.

We luck out that being so late means we don't have to compete with other classes for the toilets, and we're done in ten minutes. We get back to the room. Two teachers with a small group of fairly easy kids and the room's not clean yet and the kids aren't all cleaned up from lunch yet. AND!! T is still in the chair. Not only is TE still in the chair, but N has crawled behind him and they're giggling together. This means TE was in the chair for at least ten minutes, WAY too long. (And much longer than I had specifically said!) Also no one was watching N. Again, there were TWO teachers in the room with a small number of kids - so small that it was under ration for JUST ONE OF THEM. I HAD ALL THE REST. BY MYSELF. I want to cry I swear I want to cry just remembering it.

Well anyway! Fizz is back now so let's get things in order. I ask 1 to take the kids who had been left in the room to the bathroom. 2 finishes the cleaning while I watch the class play. Peace finally returns for a while. It's clear we aren't going to do ANYTHING constructive today, but sometimes with toddlers it is what it is. At least they are happy and playing well together for the most part.

So, when 1 comes back, I decide it's time to deal with A. A is extremely, extremely challenging. He is a total sweetheart, but he's got what we'd call a defiant personality. He simply doesn't understands the difference between responsibility and being forced to do things. Choice is very important to him. That is fine in general, but it's not fine, for example, if his choice is to whack another kid with a toy, or to stick his hand down the toilet, etc.

A's mom is trying hard to potty train him, so she is sending him in underwear every day. The problem is, A is defiant about going to the toilet. So he wears underwear but holds in his pee all day until he wets his pants. Our strategy, with mom's approval, is not to force him. Of course we don't force ANY of our kids to do things, but what I mean is, to A, things feel like being "forced" which to other kids are just "mild persuasion." We don't want A to feel that using the toilet is a negative experience where his feelings don't matter. We also know A does much much much MUCH better one on one than in groups. So we have found that if we take him to the toilet AFTER all the other kids have already gone, he can do it.

1 had a hard time with A today because said "it's scary" and "go away" and was rude to her. I did explain that A is only saying these things because they get a result. He's not actually afraid of the toilet. He uses it perfectly fine when he's in the right mood. He also isn't afraid of A, who is, if anything, too nice with the kids lol. He has said the same things to every other teacher as well. It's a power move: he isn't hurt. However, since 1 and A have had a few unproductive clashes all day (and still are: A is refusing to clean up from lunch even now), I decide it's not a good idea to ask 1 to take A to the toilet. However, A still needs to go. It's not good to hold your pee in so long. And having random days where he doesn't get a chance to use the toilet at the usual time is not good for his potty training either.

So I talk to 1 and 2 individually and tell them that I am taking A to the toilet, and that they don't have to do anything except watch the kids play. I tell 2 especially which kids need extra careful watching because they sometimes play rough. It's peaceful when A and I leave the room.

Well, I got A to pee in the toilet no problem. He said "no" only a couple times and then just went and did it. Yay. It took some comforting first but progress is progress.

I get back to the class and - someone bit TA on the hand while I was gone. NEITHER of the two teachers in the room saw it. Full disclosure - it happens. We do our best, but not even pre-K teachers have eyes on the back of their head. But this coming after the entire rest of the day - I just felt like I couldn't leave the room, but also no one else could leave the room when kids needed to. I had to be there and be elsewhere and be with every kid somehow. 1 and 2 tell me they think S bit TA because that's what the other kids said. This is terrible news, because S does not handle being "in trouble" well, no matter how much we reassure she isn't. But I have no choice: I have to take S and TA into the hall so we can talk about what happened.

I have no intention of accusing S of anything teachers didn't witness her do. My intent is to ask her if she bit TA, and when she inevitably said no, to explain to both of them why gentle hands are important during play time, and then let S go back to playing. If no one saw her and she says she didn't, I have to believe her. Besides - in my own opinion, it's unlikely she bit TA. She can get rough sometimes, but it would be the first time she ever used her teeth. TE, however, was a biter in the spring. He got much better for a while, but only a couple weeks ago he bit both me and 1. He bites as a form of play, not in aggression. Since we have a biter in the class, I think it's more likely him than S, who has never bitten another kid before. However, I wasn't in the room at the time, and my impression from what the other teachers told me, just then, was that they thought it was highly likely S had bitten TA. Only later did I find out they weren't really sure. What I would have done if I'd realized is talk to the class as a whole, rather than take one child aside.

S had a total melt down. She's a fighter, thrashes, kicker, and screamer when she is upset. I asked the manager to help because while I speak Japanese, my sometimes awkward grammar can be an impediment to an upset child, or an upset child's voice can be more difficult for me as a non-native speaker to understand. I tell the manager I want S to understand that I am not angry, she is not in trouble, we just want to hear from her if she was involved with what happened to TA, and that if she says she wasn't involved she will be believed. But S is too upset even to listen in her own language. It's clear that she's turned off words completely and is just melting down. In the end, she bumps her head thrashing. It's hardly a bump, and tbh I'm grateful for it, because it calmed her down enough to listen to me offer to take her to get some ice for it. Once I have the ice, she lets me hug her and finally lets me tell her that I love her and she is just fine. I ask her if she did anything to TA. She says no. I say okay, I believe you, shall we go play? And we go back to the manager to say thank you for helping, because I want S to have a good relationship with the manager too.

Get back to the classroom it's 1:40 aaaaaaahhh. I let the kids play a few minutes longer so that after all that drama S doesn't have to immediately clean up the toys when she finally gets back inside. We're late going to the bathroom. Somehow I get all the kids in and out, diapers changed, and ready for good-bye time and I get all their valentines sent home. We don't have time for more than one song, then it's nap time.

During nap time I direct my coteachers (a fourth part-timer, 4, has shown up just before good-bye time - I don't usually have three helpers, but I assume she was added to my room because the manager anticipated, to some extent, how rough we were going to have it with just me and two newbies) to change about five kids clothes. Because yeah, it's February, but holy shit it's HOT outside. I kept wanting to turn off the heat, only to look at the thermostat and realize it wasn't even on! I can't switch it to cool air by myself, so we just had the fan on, but with so many bodies it hardly helped. The kids should have been changed into cooler clothes much earlier. It was just another thing that I couldn't get done by myself. But now we're changing clothes left and right, especially those fleece-lined pants I despise so much. They're nice if you're outside, but little kids overheat in seconds: don't put them in heat-retaining clothes if they're going to be running around a lot, even in winter! Some kids are wearig threeeeeeeeeeee layersssssss. I know it's winter but it's winter in KANSAI it's nOT that big of a deal. We had two weeks below zero which was too cold for my heater, yeah, but only lasted two weeks! It's now warm enough in midday to go out without a jacket even! (Which is weirdly warm for the time of year even here tbh...)

I stay in the nap room through part of my off-duty time to make sure all the difficult nappers go to sleep, because yesterday they didn't, and another classroom teacher who had nap duty with them for a while afterward kept talking about how they were playing during nap but slept because she "didn't let them not sleep." Which made me feel like I was being accused of not being firm enough with them. Again, like I am the only teacher there. To be clear, I don't think that's what this teacher meant to imply. I think she was just talking. It's because I feel so pressured to do everything and to never take my own break time because my own kids need ME and won't accept the other teachers. It isn't because I'm too nice to them. It's because the other teachers are new and inexperienced, or part-timers who barely even know the kids. Of course they don't respond to them as easily. Of course they get better results when I'm there instead. But if I'm always there, I'm never off duty. And even if I never took breaks, I still have to do progress reports, lots of other paperwork, prep crafts and activities, wash and organize things, as well as my own daily assigned cleaning duty. I HAVE to be away from the kids for SOME portion of the day. The other teachers NEED to be able to put the kids to sleep without me!!!

Surprisingly at this point I wasn't feeling super stressed. We had survived the day - a kid got bit, which is never good, but it didn't break the skin, he's perfectly fine, and not to be cavalier about it but I've seen way worse. (Way worse happened in other class the same day actually.) If a class of toddlers gets to nap time safe and happy, the day's a success... that's the bar you shoot for sometimes lol.

But as I'm a huge overthinker, by 3:30 I had starting doom-telling the future, where I continue to have this situation of my kids being wild and me being the only teacher in the room with a voice. Me having to direct not only my students, not only one new co-teacher, but BOTH coteachers. Me having barely any support every day. My usual partner every year, 3, has wanted to quit all year. Her plan was to quit in September. No replacement was found by then, so she was convinced to stay till December. Surprise surprise, STILL no replacement. She agrees to stay till the end of the year BUT only three days a week, and what days those are keep changing. (Also, even on days when she's here, there's enough general chaos that she or 1 get sent to other classes to help them instead. So there's very little stability in my room apart from myself.)

I am questioning whether I should have stayed in the classroom when I left, or left when I chose to stay - I'm questioning every single thing that happened all day and it's like I just can't be everywhere. I need support. I can't be needed with the challenging students because 1 and 2 aren't able to handle them yet, but also needed with the rest of the students because 1 and 2 don't know what to do with so many kids. This is impossible, isn't it? This is ridiculous.

So I talk to the manager. She is very meek - clearly expected something like this. But she doesn't have anything to say. It's not in her power to make the experienced co-teachers we desperately need appear. It is the company's fault for continuing to enroll students even while we're understaffed :) and the majority of our staff now is very inexperienced :) :)

So she can't reassure me that this won't keep happening. (BTW, it's not the first time I had this coworker situation in the classroom - just more my breaking point.) She asks i I want her to talk to my co-teachers. I definitely don't. 2 only started last week - imagine getting a talk from the manager after only one week of work, while barely out of training, even a "nice" talk. 2 is a hard worker and I have no doubt she'll be great when she has some experience, but it's not going to happen fast, let alone in one week. And 1 has been here since June, but it's still her first year, her first job with kids, and she's barely 20. She's also trying super hard. I have no complaints about either of these coworkers that don't amount to they're just not ready for the level of responsibility they inevitably have when there are no more experienced teachers around. (Or only me, I should say.)

I did talk to 1 just to see how she was doing. She is a very upbeat person. I was nervous she would feel I was criticizing her, which is the opposite of what I want, but she was honest about her struggles with A and listened to my advice about letting him take the lead as long as he not dangerous. I also talked to her about letting TE sit in the chair so long and why it's not good for little kids. She was lovely the whole time. She's a very refreshing change from sensitive coteachers who treat every bit of not overtly positive feedback as a personal attack.

I'd like to say that's the end of my crazy day but guess what there's mooooore!!

PART TWO UNDERSTAFFING STUCKS

So like I've talked about endlessly, we've been understaffed all year. Our schedule was created under the assumption that 12 full time teachers would be at the school the majority of the time. The reality of this year, however, is that during our busiest time of day, from 4:00, we have like. Five.

My cluster of classes is particularly affected. I am the ONLY full time teacher there every day. One teacher always leaves at 4, two teachers are sometimes there with me but twice a week go home at 4:30 and may be off duty at 4:00, and one teacher is there till 4:30 but only three times a week. Since November we also got a bunch of part-timers who come in the afternoons. As nice as it is to have their help, they are a big part of the problem: the kids don't know them and they don't know the kids. They tend to sit in silence while the kids play and do very little to stop their misbehavior.

They also can't hand out snack because of allergy concerns. That is the reason why, since the beginning of the year, I have been on snack duty almost every day. As 1 got more accustomed to working here, she now helps with that, and another coworker from another class is there regularly now as well. But because I'm the only one guaranteed to stay at least until 5, it's still usually me. This duty is exhausting because kids are messy and there's a lot to do, and it's been an entire day so your body is ready to give out lol.

But the problem now is less that I'm tired while on snack duty and more that on days when the other teachers are gone from 4:30, I have to do ALL the duties to some extent. Today, for example. 1 left at 4:30. I was the only full-timer. One of the other teachers there is a sub, but one who is usually at our school four days a week. She's been with us all year and does know the kids. It's usually fine to have her in the room, except that she is a very quiet person and not very active. She listens to direction but doesn't necessarily notice things on her own. This wasn't fine today because the other two teachers were both brand new part-timers who don't know the kids.

All three of them were just. Sitting on the floor. Watching the kids play. Changing some diapers and struggling with the fussy kids because they don't know how to handle them. So who handled those kids? I did. I go over and voila, the kid who has been refusing to change her diaper for ten minutes suddenly is changed! Magic.

And the kids playing on the floor: they're gonna fight over toys, right. So who is going to mediate? Not the teachers SITTING RIGHT THERE ON THE FLOOR WITH THEM. Nope. Fizz is gonna have to put the vacuum down, pick my way through the kids with my gloved hands, and negotiate sharing of toys, then go back and continue to clean. And repeat over and over. When do I get to sit on the floor?? Lol.

It was a particularly messy snack (we all hate it) today, and usually the cleaning teacher can clean the silverware in the staff room. But because of the... uh... teacher situation, I didn't feel comfortable being out of the room even that long. So I stayed after I clocked out to clean it.

I also managed to take A to the toilet a second time!!! This is huge because he has so far refused to go to the toilet no matter what after nap, and I hated that he was just holding it in. He definitely has to pee after nap but just won't go. But I talked to him for a while, and suddenly he told me he would go if I carried "all" his toys. He enjoyed listening to me count them as he piled all nine of them x'D into my arms. Any other kid I wouldn't allow to do this, but A needs to feel like he's the leader and making his own choices. It's not dangerous, and it's getting him to go to the toilet happily for the first time ever. Which he did. He was an angel in the bathroom. I could have cried for the nth time today, but happy tears this time. I'm really proud of him.

Finally we reach the end of my day. It took an hour to type this out how I wanted it. But I'm glad, because I want to remember as many details as I can about what today is like. I had trouble figuring out what the core of the struggles today were. I tend to blame myself. Especially as the most experienced teacher, I felt everything that went wrong as a reflection of my lack of ability. But, while maybe it's difficult to say for certain about myself, after typing this I gotta admit I don't think I made bad decisions. I think I did the best that I could with what I was given. When I talked to the manager, I said "If I could do today over, I would skip brushing teeth time," because that is something we are allowed to skip if it's truly necessary - but then I realized that actually, the situation would have occurred anyway, because the kids still need to go to the toilet. They're potty training, they need to go the toilet no matter what. There's just no way I and my students could be in the classroom all day without ever leaving.

So on looking back I feel I really was put into a ridiculous situation, and have been all year long. I sometimes get so frustrated and feel like I'm an emotional wreck for getting frustrated easily. Then, when I really stop and think about the year as a whole, I wonder why I'm not MORE frustrated. I wonder why other teachers aren't more frustrated too. Or if they are and just quiet about it. It's just so ridiculous that all these problems would have been avoided by JUST STAFFING THE SCHOOL ADEQUATELY FROM THE START OF THE YEAR OMFGGGG

You'd think nearly every teacher quitting in a single year would signal something, but heads are turned the other way so convincingly that even I, who was there suffering with them, and am here suffering now too, start to think I'm the one who's perspective is skewed.

One final thought: part of the reason it's hard to talk about it at work when things are difficult for me is because another class has had an even rockier year. They went through THREE main teachers. Two quit. The third is a sub who didn't want to be a main teacher but was forced into it. At least she's still here. (And annoyed that she was refused the option of going back to subbing next year.) One of her part-time coworkers quit suddenly in January. The other part-time coworker is a sub (the quiet one I mentioned above). One full-time coworker only joined us in like September. She's good, good enough we often forget she's so new. But she IS new and that's just gonna be rough sometimes, no getting around it.

Also this class keeps getting given new students????????? I am SO confused why that is. The other comparable class has gotten a couple new kids, but it's like 2 kids to 5, AND that rocky class also has THREE kids who are technically "baby" age still. We used to have a required 1:3 ratio for that age of kids - used to until this year when the company needed to get more tuition money while paying fewer teachers 9_9 That age is hard AF. Also one of the new kids throws up. Like. Constantly.

#work #fizz's life #a novel

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curiousaboutcreativity · 1 year

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The thing about creativity and art to me

Up until earlier this year I had been writing my fiction novel. It was many, many years in the making and in the final year of it, I was able to focus on it so much, putting other things aside, finding satisfaction in it every single day and having many people admire my conviction to really go through with it.

Well, I finished it. I mean, as much as I could finish it. I finished it as much as I could before I let outside forces in on it: feedback, revision, consideration, plans, time passing. At this point I'm not sure that I'll ever be done with it.

The thing that was done though, was focus.

I couldn't focus on completing my story anymore - that was done. And then I struggled to focus on walking the path towards publication. Among the many reasons for that included my never being super sure that writing a book was actually my thing. I wrote "a book" because I needed to write this story that lived in my head for 1-2 decades. But I never felt certain, that a book was the way to express my voice.

And then I hired an editor who confirmed that notion, which was good, in one sense. They were direct and honest. And it made me face reality. I still see a lot of truth in what they said.

But what they also did was to shatter my little bit of self esteem and hope that I had for the story and my skills. While trying to keep a friendly tone, they conveyed that I must have never heard of "show, don't tell" and that I should start attending some workshops since apparently I hadn't understood anything about writing. My story isn't publishable and even if I rewrote the whole thing for a few more years, there may be no hope whatsoever that I could ever publish it. The reason I wasn't able to write an exposé isn't because I struggled with conveying my story clearly, it was because my story wasn't clear to begin with. It might be enough to give it to a few friends and family who appreciate it.

It was a very hopeless, defeating conversation and it made me feel stupid and naive. I do accept and appreciate the truth in those words, but there was a cruelty underneath that said "You don't know how it's supposed to be done. How dare you" - at least that's what I perceived.

And then in the following days and weeks and months I started to go within. To explore what I want and what my voice is. I shouldn't focus solely on facing my creativity outward but I can't help but want to put something out into the world after all these years of only having worked creatively for others.

But creativity really - that's what I'm coming to understand more than ever now - for me is a way to exist mindfully in this world. The joy comes from being present with the thing that was or is being created. I didn't think I would ever say this, but I found a profound sense of fascination, awe and inspiration in taking photos of flowers. It's become a meditation for me.

My macro lens truly is teaching me a thing or two about focus. About looking closely. About discovering more of what's already there. The camera has become a meditation tool for me and is showing me that for me creativity is mindfulness. Mindfulness is creativity. I don't need to achieve. Observing, often, is enough.

Depending on where the focus goes, completely new images can arise, new details come to light, literally. New sets of colours and textures. And then the next day, it can all be gone, wilted or a new flower may have blossomed that was only a green speck the day before.

It's all transient.

So, my mind has been scattered as fuck. I have a thousand ideas and I feel like I'm not getting anywhere with anything, as if I was stuck. And that's frustrating, to say the least.

But now, my mission for this season is to focus. Focus on the joy of mindful creativity. I have a new project for my story and I want to see if my voice comes through with this one. It's not going to be a book. I'm leaving the book behind. But as a wild creative multimedia scholar, freelancer and low key artist, I decided I'm going to not give a crap about how things are supposed to be done. I don't want to put my voice into a pre-arranged box that it can't fit into anyway. I'm exploring my own creative expression and I'm trying my darndest to stick with it and to leave the doubts by the wayside.

If any of this resonates with you, I would love to hear from you, your project and your experience. Let's fuel creativity.

#Mindfulness #creativity #art #macro photography #photography #meditation

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mywildcreativeself · 1 year

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The thing about creativity and art to me

The thing that was done though, was focus.

And then I hired an editor who confirmed that notion, which was good, in one sense. They were direct and honest. And it made me face reality. I still see a lot of truth in what they said.

It's all transient.

So, my mind has been scattered as fuck. I have a thousand ideas and I feel like I'm not getting anywhere with anything, as if I was stuck. And that's frustrating, to say the least.

If any of this resonates with you, I would love to hear from you, your project and your experience. Let's fuel creativity.

#Mindfulness #creativity #art #macro photography #photography #meditation

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zi-i-think · 4 years

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12 | The Universe has Other Plans

Pairing: Zuko x Ama (OC)

Word Count: 6200+

.☽☼☾.

~ Ama ☾ ~

The bachelorette party came way too quickly. Katara happily agreed to letting Suh join us. Something about how I've made her feel uncomfortable, and that she needs to feel safer with us girls. Oh if only she knew that Suh wasn't here to stay.

By midday, everyone stood at the village entrance to bid farewell to the groomsmen. The walls of ice were curved around the town and there was a large archway with the Water Tribe symbol carved at the top as the entrance.

"Have fun, you guys." Katara told all the men, stealing a hug from her fiance.

"Oh we'll have lots of fun!" Sokka exclaimed with excitement. "Booze, strippers and parting is what I've been waiting for." Suki playfully smacked Sokka's chest.

Aang tilted and shook his head. "Sokka, that's not what's happening."

"What!" Sokka gave Aang a disappointed look and then looked over at Zuko. "What kind of bachelor party did you plan?"

Zuko looked a little uncomfortable with the sudden question. "He planned the kind of bachelor party I asked for." Aang responded for him.

"Sokka will you act civil for once in your life?" Katara reprimanded her brother with her hand on her hip.

"The answer is very simple. No." Sokka grinned just to taunt our sister. I chuckled at them while Katara sighed in disappointment.

"Alright, well I think we should go if we want to make it Milu Island before sundown." Aang interjected the bickering. "Bye, sweetie." He leaned down to give Katara a chaste kiss.

Suh skipped to Zuko, wrapping her arms around his neck to give him a hug, he in turn wrapped his arms around her waist. He and I shared a quick look. Reminding me that I had to keep a close eye on the suspicious girl.

After all the short goodbyes, the four men climbed up Appa to go to the small Earth Kingdom island. "There's still gonna be booze though, right?" Sokka wondered as he climbed over the saddle's side.

"Alright, miss maid of honor," Toph started to ask, drawing the attention to me. "What do you have planned for us?"

"Well, as per Katara's request. We don't have strippers." I turned to my sister, seeing her shake her head at me.

"Wow, you and Aang really are meant to be." Toph quipped.

"What is it with you all and strippers?" Katara wondered loudly. Her expression was genuinely confused and she looked a little concerned. "Don't you all think it's a bit degrading?"

"Course not." I shook my head and warped an arm around Katara's shoulders. "They're wonderful people. I spent some time with a small group a few years back. A lot of them enjoy what they do and get paid well. I learned a few moves, too. If you want sis, I can teach you for your honeymoon."

My sister immediately turned red and shoved me off her. "Ama!" The girls and I laughed at her reaction. "Can we just get to the bachelorette party! Please!"

"As you wish, princess." I teased her. "First stop is the spa." I announced, leading the group of girls through the town and towards the beginning of what would be an insane night.

.☽☼☾.

After spending a couple hours at the spa, we headed back to the palace. I had some of the maids decorate the living room so that it would look more like an actual party than some boring hang out.

There was blue and yellow confetti on the tables, where there were some snacks like seal jerky and kale cookies placed on top. The couches and the floors were covered in blankets, because I doubt any of them will make it to the bedrooms. And my favorite touch to the setting. An ice sculpture of shirtless Aang, posing with his air-staff.

Katara hated it at first, but quickly gave in to her own embarrassment. Blushing a deep red, but still taking the seats closest to it. I didn't find Katara's modest behavior annoying or weird. I knew that Katara just liked to keep some things private and I respect it. I just couldn't help but tease her and push her a little bit out of her comfort zone. I made sure that the sculpture was the only thing that was over the top.

The girls were chatting for some time and eating the snacks set forth while I grabbed an activity. I made sure to keep an eye on Suh. Currently, she was talking to Suki. And I noticed her glance out the window.

"All right ladies, we have one game to play before you all black out and I have to keep you all from puking all over the place. Grab a drink and take a seat." I announced, handing Katara a glass of hard wine. I gave the others a moment to get settled in their seat before explaining what was happening.

"So, this will be more on the bride-to-be than anyone else." I started. "Basically, I asked Aang a series of questions, but Katara doesn't know what he answered. So I'm going to ask the questions and if she answers the same as he did, you all take a sip from your drinks. But if she doesn't, she has to take a sip."

"Ha!" Katara laughed confidently. "Aang and I know everything about each other. I don't think this game will get me to drink a lot."

"We shall see dear sister." I cocked one of my eyebrows and unfolded the paper with the list of questions and Aang's responses. "First up. Who's the better kisser."

"Easy. Me." Katara gave her self-assured answer.

I shook my head. "Apparently your fiance believes that he's the better kisser."

Katara scoffed and shook her head as the girls giggled. "That doesn't sound like Aang. Are you sure that's what he answered?"

"Positive." I nodded. Katara sighed, but still took a sip from her glass. Her face cringed a bit at the strong alcohol.

"Looks like you two don't know each other as well as you guys thought." Suki teased.

"Oh please, it was one question." Katara pointed out, still being confident about how she'd answer. "Next question."

Holding up the paper again, I looked at the next thing on the list. "Who said "I love you" first?"

Katara smiled lightly, taking a moment to think back. "He did."

"Correct-a-mundo." I nodded and turned to the girls. "Ladies take a sip."

"Katara better get most of these right cause I'm trying to get wasted tonight." Toph commented before grabbing her glass.

"Me too." Mai, surprisingly agreed. She was usually a light drinker, but I guess this was the one exception.

I chuckled at them and took a quick look at Suh. Noting that she was hesitant to drink and glanced out the window. Perhaps Zuko and I were right. Maybe she was anxious because she was supposed to be meeting the others tonight, but was here instead.

The night proceeded. I made sure to keep Suh in my line of sight. She avoided me for the entire night, which I was glad about. Instead she was speaking with Ty Lee, who was just a bit more chipper than usual with the alcohol in her system.

Suki and Toph were both talking with Katara. The bride-to-be was the most out of it compared to everyone else, followed by Suki and Ty Lee. Toph was the furthest from a lightweight, her words slurred a bit but for the most of it, she could hold herself up. Suh had barely drank anything since the end of the drinking game earlier.

Mai was slouched across the sofa and I sat on the floor beside her. I had to be completely sober to be able to properly manage everything. And Mai, despite being a bit tipsy, could still hold a decent conversation. The alcohol made her more giggly than talkative, which I admit was a bit weird.

"Ama, are you even listening to me?" She frowned with a whine.

My head snapped to look up at her. She held her head up with her hand and looked at me with confusion. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I was talking about how Kei Lo's mom absolutely hates me." She stated and glanced over to where I was just looking. "You've been looking over at Suh a lot tonight. You really are jealous."

"Am not." I rolled my eyes. Here we go again.

Mai repositioned herself to lay on her stomach and rest her chin on her hands. "Ama literally one week ago, you and Zuko were cuddling up on the couch. No one asked what happened that night, but-"

"We told you all, we were reading and just fell asleep." I interrupted to remind her.

"Okay." She huffed an unbelieving laugh. "You're just lucky Suh wasn't the one who found you guys like that. I don't think I'd be able to handle another one of her screeching rants." Mai rolled her eyes and sipped her wine. "I really don't want to deal with her. As a Zuko’s advisor I’m bound to run into her at least once a week."

I wanted to tell her that she wouldn't have to worry about that because Suh was a fake. But then again, while Zuko and I were almost positive of it, it was just a conspiracy. "Good luck." I told her instead, getting her to chuckle.

Loud shrieks caught our attention. I was almost ready to get into a fighting position, but it was just Suki and Katara. Their arms were wrapped over each other's shoulders and their glasses were held high up in the air as they sang loudly.

"Horror, let's talk about the horror!" They sang incredible out of tune. Toph sat beside them with her hands covering her ears. "I'm the melancholy one! I live my life as if I'm yearning!"

Mai and I laughed loudly at them. Katara and Suki couldn't even finish the song because their giggling kept getting in the way. Katara set her glass of wine down and doubled over in laughter. Lucking they were sitting on the floor.

I shook my head at her and grabbed my glass of water to have a sip. Until a large crash interrupted everyone's good spirits. The large living room window was crashed into by two large men completely dressed in black and ski-masks covered their face and hair.

I jumped up immediately, so did Toph and Mai, ready to fight. Suh scurried away, pulling the drunk Ty Lee with her. Toph stood in front of Suki and Katara protectively. The two girls were trying to get off the ground, but they had way too much wine and their stances were off. I found it ironic that the two girls who made it the most clear that they wanted to be drunk were the two most sober to fight off the intruders.

The men rolled on the floor and stood up. They used earthbending to pull up chunks of the stone floor up and throwing them at us. Toph, protected herself and the two girls behind her by creating a wall out of the stone floor. Mai and I dodged the chunk thrown at us. Each of us in different directions.

Mai being the prepared person she was, had her knives with. So while dodging the chunk of stone, she threw the knives at our attacker. It barely grazed his arm, cutting through the black fabric.

I was jumping in the direction of Katara and Suki. "Get behind the couch!" I ordered them.

"No, we can help." Katara claimed. But based on her slurred words and her weak waterbending beside her, I knew she was way too intoxicated.

"Get behind the couch!" I repeated, more violently and authoritatively. I'd be damned if I allowed her to fight in the state she was in. She could barely stand correctly and she wanted to fight?! She'd get hurt.

With a frown, Katara and Suki scurried behind the couch. I bent the water that Katara just had and held it by my side. I scanned the room for Ty Lee and Suh. But they were nowhere to be seen. They must have already hid somewhere.

Bending the water, I used it to create a chunk of ice and threw them at Mai's opponent. He had his attention on Mai, throwing stone after stone at her while she gracefully dodged each of them. He didn't see the large ball of ice and it crashed into his side and threw him on the ground.

Toph slammed her foot into the ground and the stone floor shot up, engulfing her attacker. He was unable to move, thus unable to bend. I took her example and bent my water to engulf Mai and I's attacker completely in ice.

"Too easy." Toph said cockily.

"It was way too easy." I grumbled skeptically as I walked to one of the glaring men.

Toph went over to the other with her arms crossed. "They over estimated themselves, obviously. A bunch of intoxicated girls in one place alone." Her hands rested on her knees while she bent down to one of them. "We just need to know why they did it."

I sighed, but supposed she was right. At the same time, Toph and I removed their face covering. My breath hitched when I pulled the mask off. I knew this man. He had light brown hair, a wrinkled forehead, despite not being middle aged yet, brown eyes and an unmistakable deep scar that ran across his face.

I felt like I couldn't move. He just looked up at me with a knowing smirk. He recognised me. He was getting joy from seeing me after he hurt me in the most painful way possible.

"Ama!" Katara's voice shouted fearfully. My head snapped around. My eyes widened even more when seeing Katara being held by none other than Azula. She stood behind my sister with one arm around her neck and blue fire in her other hand.

"You know, you should really invest in some better guards." Her venomous voice said while Katara desperately tried to remove Azula's arm. But the firebender only tightened her arm, choking my sister lightly.

"Let her go, Azula." I demanded with a glare. I wasn't completely sure what the connection was between Azula and the earthbenders that just attacked. I just knew that Azula had my sister in a vulnerable state.

The woman snickered at me. "You saying that has no effect on what I choose to do."

"And what if I caved your face in with a boulder." Toph growled, bending a large piece of stone beside her.

"But you won't." Azula confidently smirked. "Cause I have the Avatar's finance in one hand, and a fire in the other. And it's getting dangerously close to her face." The fire only got closer to Katara's cheek. "What do you say? Should I give her and Zuzu a matching scar?"

"Stop!" I ordered, but it came out more like a beg.

Azula looked at me with the most menacing smirk on her red painted lips. "Drop your weapons and stop your bending. And free my friends." She told us. Mai, Toph and I all shared the same questioning look, before dropping our knives, water and stone as well as freeing the two demons. "Thank you. I'm just here to talk." Azula said, moving the fire away from Katara's face, but keeping it ablaze.

"Is that why you sent two guys to attack us and now have my sister?" I snarled the question.

"When was I ever one for a less than dramatic entrance?" She pointed out arrogantly. "I'm just a little offended that I wasn't invited to the wedding. After all, if it weren't for my threatening to capture you all, who knows if the bride and groom would even be in love today."

"Get on with it, Azula." Mai grumbled at her ex-bestfriend.

Azula sighed and shook her head. "Mai. So impatient. I'm just here to leave a warning. To Ama" I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head. "You remember when you chained me up all those years ago. You interrupted the Agni Kai between Zuko and I. That was cheating."

"You lost that Agni Kai when you aimed for me. And I couldn't just let you hurt Zuko more than you already did." I clenched my jaw, wondering where she was going with this?

"This isn't about him. This is about you." She scoffed. "You beat me. Hurt my pride a bit, I'll admit. But no worries, cause I'm here to take it back."

"You're doing all this cause you got your feelings hurt?!" Toph shouted.

"Well it's not like I have anything better to do." She laughed. This absolute sociopath. "Look, this doesn't end here. I just need to give Ama a bit of insight about what I'm capable with. Remind her about what she still has to lose." Azula started to move around the couch and moved towards the broken window, dragging Katara with her. The two men also walked closer to the window. "Your little girlfriend was just the beginning."

Once that was said, Azula threw Katara on the ground and the three of them jumped out the window to escape. I skid over to my sister, holding her in my arms as she wept out of fear. Mai and Top ran to the window. Hoping to maybe take them on now that Katara was safe.

"They're gone." Toph announced with confusion.

"They're gone?" Suh's voice came in, peeking her head into the living room from the hallway. "Spirits, that was terrifying."

I was too concerned with Katara than to stress over Suh. Even though the annoying woman wasn't involved in this little fight, I was somehow even more convinced that she was involved with Azula.

"I'm going to kill her." I grumbled with my jaw clenched and my arms holding Katara tightly.

.☽☼☾.

The boys finally got back sometime during the afternoon the next day. After Azula left, the bachelorette party was essentially over. No way was anyone able to get back to that festive and joyous feeling.

Appa landed in the courtyard and Sokka jumped out first. "Suki, I wrote you a song!" He announced with a grin. But the atmosphere was gloomy and no one smiled with him.

Katara ran to Aang, engulfing him in a tight hug. "Sweetie, what happened?" He asked her with so much concern.

"Zu-bear!" Suh ran to Zuko and jumped on him for a hug. "It was so bad. Azula came in and..." She explained everything so rapidly.

Zuko looked over at me, but I was looking somewhere else completely. My jaw was clenched and I fiddled with my nails. My anger or nerves haven't calmed down at all since last night. I barely got sleep. And I still didn't completely understand what was happening.

I knew that Azula threatened my sister and basically just told me that she was behind Mulan's death. But also. I looked at the face of Mulan's killer. The man who took her from me. It was all too much too fast. I felt hurt and sad and angry and a thousand other emotions at once.

I refused to look at anyone and just headed back inside the palace. Tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

.☽☼☾.

The night sky was filled with bright stars. Being a waterbender, I've always been drawn to the nighttime more than the day. And since a child, I'd stare up at the night sky, keeping an eye out for constellations and finding patterns.

Mulan and I layed in a clearing together, our shoulders touching as we looked up. Her rough hand was intertwined with mine while my right hand was pointing up, showing her the constellations. "...and if you look there, you can see the twin badgermoles." My hand outlined the stars.

Mulan didn't say anything for a moment as she tried to find where I was pointing. "I don't see them." She shook her head and her eyes shined in bewilderment.

"Here." I said, I took my hand that was intertwined with hers and pointed up again. "It takes a moment, but focus more on the brighter stars."

"I think I see it." Her tone was unsure. I couldn't see her, but I was positive that she had one of her eyebrows cocked upwards and a lopsided grin on her face.

"You think or you know?" I giggled, letting our arms fall back beside us.

She giggled along with me and brought her hand up to her face. "I don't know. I think I see it but I also might be psyching myself out." I shook my head and moved to my side to wrap an arm around her waist, keeping my eyes up at the sky.

"Hey, Ama?" She started with a questioning tone. I hummed a 'what', allowing for her to ask her question. "What do you think about settling down soon?"

I moved off of her and rested my head in the palm of my hand. "What do you mean?" I wondered. I mean, I was sure she meant what I was thinking, which was stopping from fighting bandits all the time. But I didn't want to just assume.

Mulan moved into a more seated position to lean on her elbows and look at me. "Well not now, but maybe like next year or something. What if we moved on from this chapter of our lives. We could buy a house. I've always wanted a big one. Somewhere to house all the kids who've been kicked out by their parents."

I grinned widely at her. She was so pure I loved it. Despite wielding a blade and having a fighting personality, Mulan never killed. She always had hope for people and always looking out for the underdog. Specifically children. I wasn't surprised at her idea to house rejected kids. After all, at 13 her own parents kicked her out for her sexuality.

She looked down at me, seeing my loving gaze. Her cheeks flushed red and a nervous laugh escaped her lips. "What?" I shrugged, moving to sit next to her. "I think that's a great idea." I told her, looking into her green eyes. "Someplace by a lake or ocean, preferably."

"And fertile soil." She added, biting her bottom lip in a happy manner. "I want a garden. Or two. One for vegetables and one for flowers." If there was one trait she took from her hateful parents, it was her love for nature and plants. She knew more about them than anyone I'd ever met. Other than Ursa, that is.

"We can sell our harests for money." I added, already planning a way to earn money.

"Su Ga Village." She grinned. "It's out west, the beaches are so clear and blue, you'll love it."

"Sounds like a plan." I laughed excitedly.

"Really?" A soft exhale left her grinning lips.

I moved to sit on my knees and got closer to her. My hands cupped her cheeks and smiled contently. "Really." I finalized and leaned down, pressing a chaste and loving kiss on her lips. Mulan's hands cupped my cheeks as well, deepening the kiss.

She pulled away first, with the happiest smile. "So it's settled. One year from now, we're going to get the house."

"And we're settling down." I finished. Or so I thought.

"And I'll finally meeting your friends and family?" She gave me a hopeful shrug and pressed her lips into a thin line.

I took a moment to think. I loved Mulan so, so much. It was time I got over this fear of not being accepted, and introduced her to the other people that I loved. "Yeah." I nodded. "It's about time they knew about you."

She squealed excitedly, peppering kisses all over my face as I laughed. "We'll invite them to some sort of housewarming party! You can make your cookies and I'll do the lemonade! Oh, I hope they like me."

I chuckled at my girlfriend, pulling her face closer to me. "They're going to love you. You know how I know?"

"How?" She intertwined our hands together, leaning even more until our noses touched.

"Because I love you." I told her. "And if they don't I'm just going to have to freeze their bodies until they do."

She shook her head at me. Lightly pushing me back until my back was on the grass floor and she was on top. Our hands were still intertwined. "I love you." She said softly, kissing me passionately. I responded blissfully. Slowly, her lips started to go down my neck and I moved my head back to give her more access.

But a loud crash interrupted our moment. Mulan jumped off me and I sat up. We exchanged the same concerned look. It sounded like a small scale rock avalanche, which was already concerning as is because we were at a mountain side. But what made it even more terrifying was that it came from the campsite. Where everyone else was.

The two of us jumped up and sprinted to the campsite. We were both incredibly shocked to find the scene. We were idiots to pick a place by a cliff. The entire side of it had collapsed, burying out entire site in it's gray rock and yellow-brown dirt.

I sucked in a sharp breath and started to look around for any sign of the rest of the Miraculous Bastards. "Masha!?" Mulan shouted. Getting no response. "Bono!? Taon!?" I ran to the rubble, digging though the rock and dirt.

They can't be gone. They can't. I'd never have another taste of Masha's meals. Bono would never share his poetry with me. Taon and I wouldn't go on another adventure. They still had lives to live. Masha and Taon were going to get married!

I breathed heavily, ignoring the light jabs from the small rocks. Mulan skidded next to me, digging through the rock and dirt with me. She already had tears streaming down her face. They were her family. She knew them since her teen years. They were outcasts together.

Neither of us saw it coming. A rock about the size of my head was hurdled at us. Luckily, it didn't hit either of us. We jolted our heads up, seeing two men standing at the top of the fallen rock. Both were quite buff. One had light brown hair while the other pitch black hair.

They had disgusting grimances on their faces while they bent more chunks of earth by their side, throwing them towards us. Mulan and I had to jump away from the rubble to avoid the rock.

The men jumped down towards us, each landed a few feat away from us. I opened my waterskin, bending the water out and created ice bullets from it. One by one, I shot them at one of the men while Mulan had her katanas out and fought the one with light hair.

The man I fought with shot columns of earth out at me, but I dodged each of them. My feet stepped lightly from one place to another in a spinning motion as I maneuvered through the moving rock and towards the attacker. Once I got close enough, I created ice claws around my fingers and threw them at the man. They stuck into his bicep and he cried out in pain.

I sprinted even faster. The man used his good arm to create a wall of earth between us. I almost crashed into it, but stopped just inches away. I grumbled in anger and used a jet of water to push myself off the ground and over the wall. Jumping down the wall, I used the jet of water and forced it onto the man.

He didn't see it coming and it pushed him back. He fell on the ground and I created an ice sword, pointed it over him. "Where are my friends?!" I demanded to know, refusing to believe that they were dead. The man clenched his jaw, looking at me at me like I already knew.

A screech caught my attention. Mulan. She was in trouble. I immediately abandoned the man there and ran in the direction of the cry. Using a water jet to push myself over the wall I ran to the scene.

Mulan was stuck in between the ground and a boulder pressing on her. The earthbender had a satisfied smirk on his face as he saw her struggling against the rock. He saw me running over and in the last moment before I could waterbend at him, he raised the rock a few feet above the air and then let it fall.

It seemed to be in slow motion. Mulan let out a blood curdling cry while the boulder fell through the air. I made an attempt to save her, sending a forceful push of water, turning into ice at the ends to push the rock away. But it was too late. It crushed her, hitting her chest and gut more than anything else.

I let out a horrifying shout at the impact while Mulan's voice stopped. In anger, I turned to the man who just crushed her. Light beads of sweat dripped down his face and a pleasurable smile was on his face. I used up all of the water from my waterskin, but there were still the trees.

I focused on bending the water out of the trees, and the bark and wood broke off, killing the piece of life. I sent ice spears at the man. His smile went away real quick and he jumped back. And I sent more spears while he jumped back more and more until he tripped over a tree root and fell.

"A-ama..." A weak voice called for me. I immediately stopped my bending, but kept my arms out. This was my chance to get back at him. Bu Mulan needed me more.

I glanced at the man. "Run." I growled at him. And he did. He scurried up from the floor and ran away.

I sprinted over the Mulan.The boulder still pressed on her. I bent the water from the ice spears towards me and turned them back into ice under the boulder. I created it like a ramp and the giant rock rolled off of her. I immediately turned the ice back into water and let it float beside me.

I knelt down to my girlfriend and pulled her weak body onto my lap. "Hold on, okay." I held the tears in. I bent my water over her chest and it glowed over her while I tried to heal her. But even I, a moderate healer, could feel that there was so much damage in her chest. "Hold on."

"Ama." Her voice was raspy and choked up. I looked from her chest to her face. There were cuts and bruises on her once rosy cheeks. Scarlett blood dripped slowly out of her mouth. Her rough, bloody hand reached for my wrist, removing it from her chest and pulling it instead to her cheek. "It's okay." She assured me with a weak smile.

"No. No." I shook my head and tears already spilled from my eyes. My thumb lightly wiped across her cheek to make her feel safe with my touch. "We have a plan. We need to get that house. The kids, they need us. And your garden."

She gave me a tiny smile, her green eyes looked at each of my features as she took me in one last time. "Maybe in my next life." She told me. Her hand that held mine on her cheek got noticeably weaker. "Ama, I love you."

I tried to speak. I tried to tell her that I loved her too. But instead I was choked up and a sob escaped my lips instead. Mulan dragged my hand to her lips and placed a soft kiss on my palm. I shook my head. I couldn't let her leave me. We just planned our future. "I love you, too." I finally choked out.

The redhead smiled that lovely smile, her teeth shining and everything. And then her hand spilled off of mine and her body went limp. I held her in my arms as her soul left her body. "No!" I sobbed. My heart broke right then and there. I hunched over and cradled her into me.

I shook my head. My tears were making my hair stick to my cheeks. All I could think was that this couldn't be real. The woman I loved couldn't have just died in my arms. But she did.

I wept for what felt like hours. Finally, I set her body down on the ground. Her eyes were still open. The once bright green eyes were now dull and painful to look at. Another sob forced its way out. My hand covered my mouth as I reached over, closing her eyes.

This was all his fault. He killed her. Murdered her and then I had to watch the life leave her body. This wasn't fair. Everyone was gone. I was alone. But all I saw was red.

.☽☼☾.

It was only nights later. I spent my days tracking them. The two men responsible for my pain. My heart was broken and they were about to feel my pain in a different way.

They were sitting by a fire. Having casual conversation and drinking beer like they hadn't just murdered four people nights before. They were truly monsters. I clenched my jaw and my blood boiled at the sight.

I jumped out from behind the tree, a curved ice swords in my right hand. They both jumped up at my surprise attack, I kicked the dark haired man back. And my sword swung to the light haired man. I didn't realize how close I was to him, because my sword cut his face. It went from his forehead down to his opposite cheek, being deeper at the cheek. Really, it worked in my favor.

I breathed heavily in anger. The man touched his cheek, and looked at the blood on his fingers. "You bitch!" He growled and looked at me. His brown eyes glared at me, and I glared back.

"I'd rather be a bitch than a monster like you." I snarled. He and his friend both levitated chunks of rock to hurdle at me. I frowned and took in deep breaths, knowing that I had the upper hand.

Not only was it the middle of the night. But it was also a full moon.

I created two large walls into a triangular shape in front of me to shield me from the rock they threw at me. While being temporarily protected I got into my stance. And when I was ready, feeling the energy of the moon, I let go of the shield and they splashed into the ground.

I focused on the water into the men's blood. My eyes were closed, hands were out in front of my and my fingers straight. The grunts of pain from the men confirmed that I was indeed bloodbending. I opened my eyes, seeing them hovering over the ground with stiff bodies.

"You will pay." I said through gritted teeth. My left foot moved to step in front of my right and my hands went down, my fingers curling slightly to suffocate them lightly at first. I could only admit this to myself, but I enjoyed seeing them like this. Terrified expressions and slightly trembling. Completely at my mercy.

"Please." The dark haired one pleaded. "We can explain."

I shook my head. "I don't need an explanation. I need revenge." Venom spilled from my lips. They killed Bono. They took away the lives of Masha and Taon. They murdered Mulan.

I was about to do it. I was about to crush their disgusting bodies and rid the world of these horrid excuses for men. But I couldn't. I thought back to what I said just moments before. That I'd rather be a bitch than a monster. Would I be a monster if I killed them?

This technique itself was invented by a woman so unethical, that it's now illegal. But even Hama never killed anyone. Just imprisoned the citizens of the FIre Nation. Now I was planning to take someone's life with it.

They deserve it. My own voice told me. And they probably did. But Mulan wouldn't want me to.

I didn't realize that I was hyperventilating until I let go of the bloodbending. The stress on their bodies for so long made the men pass out the moment they hit the floor. I fell to my knees, more tears of grief and terror escaping my eyes.

.☽☼☾.

I hope there was enough angst. I haven’t written fanfic for like a year because of school, so I think I’m starting to get the hang of it again, but even before my writing was trash.

Hang loose, amigos 🤙🏼

#zuko x oc #zuko fanfic #avatar fanfiction #waterbender oc #zuko x waterbender oc #her sun his moon #zuko #fire lord zuko

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torikyles55 · 4 years

Text

Belphegor X Reader

Fandom: Supernatural

Word count: 4900

Warnings: language, violence, end of main story gets a bit spicy

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You can't come into my life,

Make me completely fall in love,

And then just leave.

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Prologue

A chill in the air is what disturbs your slumber. Your eyes slowly open a vaguely familliar voice echoing in your head from your dream.

"Welcome to the end."

Shaking your head to try and wake up a bit, you turn onto your side to check the clock on your bedstand table, seeing that it reads twelve (12) PM.

"How the hell am I only waking up now?" You mutter mostly to yourself, before groaning and leaning back against your pillows. The chill is still in the air, and you sigh again before reaching over blindly to fumble with the lamp on your nightstand table.

Clicking it on, you wait until your eyes adjust, before swinging your legs off the bed.

With all of this running through your head, paired with the fact that you can now see your breath, you can only assume the worst.

A slight flicker of light from the lamp makes you freeze, and you look over to it. You were always very careful with your lighting, changing the bulbs in every room at least once every three months, and you had just changed this bulb last week. The power never malfunctions in this town either.

Ghost.

Flinging yourself off the bed, you hear a shriek of laughter from the other side of your bed as you reach under it and pull out your hoola hoop. That's right. you're going to stop a ghost with a hoola hoop. stepping into the rather large ring, you shuffle around the room, making sure to keep your feet inside the hoola hoop as you grab your iron, salt infused knuckles from the drawer of your nightstand and your rocksalt gun from behind it.

The blood spattered clown howls with laughter at it tries to approach you with it's knife, but it quickly finds itself unable to get past your hoola hoop.

"Haha salt circle triumps ghost even if it's inside a hoola hoop. Bitch you've been defeatetd by a freaking hoola hoop." You let out your own mocking laugh, but don't take the time to gloat before heading towards the stairs.

"Now lets deal with you after I figure out how you got past my other defenses... stay here you ugly bastard."

Main story

"Woah easy! Don't shoot damnit!" The shorter man drops down into a crouch beside the taller one, his eyes trained on his ally as you wince and reload your shotgun.

"It's just rock salt. Hurts like a bitch but it won't kill him. Who are you?" Your tone is clipped as the taller man groans, bringing one hand up to his chest as he drops his head back against the floor.

Another bang echoes throughout the house as you shoot the ghost through the head, and it disappears. Your eyes are hard as you keep yourself alert, and the second you hear the slightest whoosh of air, you're swiveling on the balls of your feet to face the ghost again, shooting it in the chest this time. Only this time it's not a ghost, and the person flies back as the rock salt hits them.

"I'm fine Dean." His voice sounds pained, and for a moment, you pity him. But then your walls are back up and you're rolling back your shoulders and starting to scan the room once again.

The taller man grunts out a yes as he rises to his feet, rubbing the sore spot on his chest.

"You a hunter?" 'Dean' speaks curiously as he finally looks around the room, seeing the weapons on the walls and the extensive amount of bookshelves full of old books on even older creatures. You sweep the empty shotgun shells into a corner with your foot, and give a swift nod.

"Yeah. You?"

"Sam? Dean?" A low voice calls out from upstairs, and you narrow your eyes, readying your shotgun once again, but as the sound of footsteps echo down the steps, you lower it. A ghost wouldn't approach with so much noise. They're smarter then that.

"Who are they?" Jerking your chin towards the two newcomers, you turn to finish the spell you had started on the table. Knowing that the two men were hunters gave you a sense of reassurance, as it's hunter rules to always watch eachothers backs.

"Right yeah. I'm Sam, this is my brother Dean. Then the guy in a trenchcoat is Castiel and glasses is Belphegor." Their first names seem slightly familliar, but you keep your focus on the spell.

"You the Winchester brothers by any chance?" Sprinkling the final amount of salt over the fresh human heart, you murmur out the words to complete the spell, and a satisfied smirk spreads your lips as an orangy red wave washes over the room. Assuming that the spell worked, you turn back to face them, but see only hostillity.

"What? You don't like it when people know who you are?"

"That spell needed a fresh human heart." Castiels voice is dark as his eyees sear into yours, and you feel a shiver run down your spine att the intensity of the glares you're receiving. Although the Belphegor guy doesn't seem to care.

"Okay first off, rude. Are you assuming I killed someone? Come on. I'm a hunter, I hunt monsters not people. This was my neighbor. He was killed by the same ghost I was shooting at before you arrived." Wrinkling your nose, you start loading weapons into a duffle bag, throwing in a couple of your most important spellbooks while you're at it. Ignoring the looks on the faces of the men, you saunter towards the stairs, preparing to leave the house.

"You're leaving?" Belphegor speaks first, his voice pleasant to your ears as he follows you a few steps behind. Your eyes lock on to where his eyes should be behind those sunglasses of his, and you shrug.

"You're staying? I need to figure out how to get these things back to hell. Feel free to stay in my basement if you really want to though. No hard feelings if you're too chicken to fight the good fight."

A steady grin widens Belphegor's mouth, and he turns back to the other three men. "I like her. She's already more fun then you are." With that being said, Belphegor heads over to your side, and for a moment, you could swear you saw a bit of back on his skin around the edges of his glasses around his eyes. But then he's walking past you, and the other three men are following. Leaving you to scowl as you're somehow the last one out.

It takes only a few minutes to get to the barrier, having only stopped once after adding a woman and her daughter to the group. As you're a few feet away from the border, having hung back a few steps to make sure no one was left behind, you feel it. The slight drop in temperature makes you tense, and your eyes dart around, one hand shooting out to grab Sam's shoulder, who is walking a few feet ahead of you.

"Sam I think-" You don't manage to finish your sentance, as a pair of hands grab your arms, and rip you away from the more experienced hunter.

"Y/n!" He takes aim with his own shotgun, but as you feel the cold starting to seep into you, you realise what's happening. Eyes wide, you thrash in its grip, managing to beat it back with a punch from your iron, salt infused knuckles.

"Screw you Casper!"

Sam shoots the ghost the second you're in the clear, but your head still feels a bit foggy. Shaking away the sensation, you stumble forwards, and Sam supports your trembling body.

"I'm so happy I'm wearing iron right now." You choke out a laugh, still a bit shaken, and Sam guides you the final few feet to the barrier where the others are waiting.

"So am I." He breathes out his own short laugh, more of a huff if anything, but you take it as relief. Reaching a tree just outside of the school, you take a moment. Leaning against it to gathet your wits about you. In the process of doing so, you realise an important piece of information.

"My bag!" Looking back over to the town, you slump into a crouch, burying your head in your hands. "This day literally cannot get any worse." Narrowing your eyes, you quickly reach behind yourself to knock three times on the bark of the tree behind you. Just in case.

"I think you dropped this back there." The smooth voice of Belphegor, paired with a light thunk of something hitting the ground makes you look up, and you breath out a sigh of relief as you see your duffle bag. Belphegor moves around to sit against the tree beside you, and you lean your head against the rough bark.

"You didn't have to do that. Something could have happened to you." Holding back a worried glare, you peek over at him. But his head is down as he snaps a stick in his hands. Peeling off a patch of thinner bark from the stick, he shrugs and looks back up to you with a lopsided grin.

"Nah I'm fine. S'not like I can be possessed anyways." He reaches up to take off his sunglasses, and you jerk back in horror as you see that his eyes have been burnt out.

"What the hell are you?" Stumbling to your feet, you can only watch as he groans and slides the glasses back on, hiding his charred flesh from you once again, and you shudder as the image replays in your head. Something about eye injuries always make you uneasy.

"Oh I'm a demon. This was just the best looking dead body I could find at the time when I got out of hell."He rises to his feet, stretching out his arms and smirking suggestively.

"Dont'cha think it's cute? Personally, I was a bit taller when I-"

"Belphegor! Quit flirting and get your ass over here damnit, we're supposed to be making a plan." Dean calls out in annoyance from beside a sleek, black chevy impala, and you noticeably relax as Belphegor sighs, trudging over to where the rest of the hunters stand.

The next few days go by suprisingly easily. You yourself, mostly patrol the town. Occasionally with other hunters you haven't learned the names of yet, but mostly with Belphegor and Castiel. After getting over the fact that you're now working with a demon and an angel, you settled in quickly to everything else. You spend most nights now with Belphegor, Asking him about the world when he was human, and teaching him some stuff about the world as it is now.

It's another one of those nights as it seems. Around three (3) AM, and you just got back to your assigned room from your patrol. You're just stripping off your dusty shirt when you hear the door open, and footsteps sound against the wooden floor.

You lay there for the next minute in shock and a bit of arousal as Belphegor gets dressed, and leaves the room with a wink. "See you at breakfast Y/n~"

"Do you ever knock Belphegor?" You throw the dusty shirt towards a corner, and turn to face the demon, who's now leaning against the doorway and letting his eyes trail up and down your body.

"Nah. Not when I get a view like this. I mean wow, you're gorgeous." He smirks, licking his lips with a chuckle, and you feel yourself growing warm.

Narrowing your eyes, you snatch a watergun from a shelf, and spray it at his legs.

"What the hell?! Come on!" He leaps away from the stinging holy water, and you turn back. Satisfaction practically dripping off of you as you pull on an oversized sweater that falls down to mid thigh. Tugging out of your leggings, you throw them over with your shirt in the corner, and slide on a pair of shorts.

You flop down onto your makeshift bed, pulling aside the covers as Belphegor strips of his shirt and jeans, leaving himself in only his boxers as he drops down the pile of blankets a few feet away from yours. Rolling over under your thin blanket to face him, you watch as he pulls up a blanket to cover only up to his navel.

"Do you even need to sleep? Or is it just an instinctual thing?" The question slips out of your mouth before you can stop it, and your mouth quickly snaps shut right after that. Not knowing why you asked such a question.

Belphegor looks over to you from where he's laying on his back, and thinks for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah. I guess it kinda just feels right to sleep you know? I don't actually know if I need to sleep because I've never tried not sleeping." He closes his eyes, and leans his head back to face the ceiling. Removing his sunglasses and reaching up to place them on a chair.

You however, are starting to get cold. Most of the people here either had someone else to stay close to for warmth, or was buried under extra blankets in a more crowded room. With only you and Belphegor in the room, you can feel the chill seeping through the blankets on the floor, and settle into you. A shiver wracks your form as you pull the blankets closer, and curl up into a ball. Cloing your own eyes, you manage to slip into sleep after a few minutes, but from there, things only got worse.

Only an hour later, through your nightmare you manage to hear someone calling your name, and you inwardly scream out again. Hoping that someone would wake you up already. You had already tried praing to Castiel, but seeing as you still weren't awake, you assumed he couldn't hear you.

The ghost from a few days ago had managed to do something to you, and now it plagues your nighmares. The first two nights you had thought it was just any regular nightmare, but after waking up with unexplanable bruises, you realised that something wasn't right.

Now you're running again. Trying to escape the ghost of a man as he cackles and follows behind you.

"Belphegor! Castiel! Someone please! Wake me up!" Your throat feels raw, and you eventually just curl into a corner, having no where else to run. Screwing your eyes shut, you wait with shaky breaths as the laughter draws near, and clench your fists.

"-N! Y/N Damnit why won't you wake up!?" Hearing a voice outside your dream, you prepare yourself to yell out to Belphegor again, but before you can, you feel an odd tingling sensation run through your body, stemming from your mouth. Suddenly, Belphegor appears in front of you, eyes scanning your nighmare to find the ghost standing a few feet away with a sharp, bloody knife.

"Stay away." He steps towards the ghost, noticing your form huddled in the corner. "From my girl." He lunges forwards, colliding with a ghost much more solid then he had expected, and he pushes it back. Seeing a fireplace in the room adjacent to the one he's currently in, he punches the ghost square it it's annoyingly solid face, before flashing over to grab an iron poker. But the demon drops it with a hiss, realising that it's salt infused.

"Smart..." He mutters under his breath before grabbing a blanet from the couch, ripping off a piece of fabric and using that to cover his hand as he grabs the poker. Darting back over to you and the ghost, he swings the poker with almost all of his strength, sending the spirit flying back into a wall wailing in pain. Belphegor drops the poker, lunging to your sides and grabbing your hands.

"Y/n! Come on you have to wake up." He moves to cup your face in his hands as you look at him in a daze, and you close your eyes, finally feeling safe. The moment that feeling of safety washes over you, the ghost disappears, and Belphegor feels your body waking up.

The demon exits in seconds, not wanting you to be mad at him for possessing you, and you awaken with a cough as your eyes shoot open, just in time to see the last of the black smoke entering his former vessel. Your through tingles, prompting you to cough a few more times as Belphegor jumps to attention. He's by your side in a heartbeat, opening his mouth to speak, but you shush him, pulling him down onto the blanket and wrapping your arms tightly around his midsection. The demon stiffens. Not quite used to gentle touches. Neverless, he leans back and slides under the covers beside you. He knows he's pressing his luck, but right now he just wants to sure you're alright.

"Thank you." Your voice is muffled as you speak into his bare chest, and Belphegor pulls your blankets back up over the two of you, rolling onto his back and pulling you with his so that you rest on top of him. One of his hands tangles in your hair, the other rubbing circles on your back.

"No problem. I've gotta take care of my partner don't I?" Something in his chest churns at his own words, and he closes his eyes tightly as if to repel the thought. "Go back to sleep. It's still dark out and I'm here now. I'll keep you safe." He relaxes against the blankets on the floor, feeling the comforting weight of you on his chest as you snuggle closer, and he grits his teeth. "That bastard will die by my hands I swear."

The next morning you're awoken by soft breathing and the faint scent of sulfur. The blankets under you are deliciously warm, and you smile as you cuddle closer against them. Only to shriek in suprise when you hear a sleepy mumble of your name as feel two arms around your waist tighten. You stiffen as your eyes snap open, to see bare skin against your cheek, and beel the body under you rise with a shuttering breath.

Lifting your head, your eyes are met with the face of Belphegor, and the events of last night play through your mind.

"Everything okay in there? We hear a scream." Sam's voice from outside the door makes you heave a sigh of relief. Knowing that he won't just barge in, you take a hot minute to assess the situation before replying.

"Yeah sorry. I think a mosquito landed on my neck or something it just suprised me!" Sam leaves the hallway from the other side of the door, and you feel the deep vibrating chuckle rumble from Belphegor's upper stomach to your chest as you realise he's awake. Of course the fact that he doesn't have functional eyes doesn't exactly help with figuring that out.

"Let go of me damnit we need to go." You squirm in his grasp, but he only smirks, pulling you up a little to bury his nose in your hair.

"Just five more minutes. I've finally got you where I want you and I don't want this to end." He mumbles softly against your hair as you feel yourself growing red, and you try to twist around your head to face him.

"Belphegor come on... What are you, human? You're not acting very demon like" Struggling more in his grasp, he growls, the sound making you freeze as he flips the two of you over. Suddenly, with him hovering over you, you don't feel like moving anymore, and as his head draws closer to yours, you find yourself clenching your eyes shut and moving your hands to press against his chest.

"I said. Five more minutes." He lowers himself onto you. Remarkably careful not to hurt you as he settles comfortably between your legs. His chin rests against your shoulder, his softs breathing tickling the skin of your neck and making goosebumps arise.

The demon smirks as he feels you shiver, letting his forearms hold him up as he hovers over you, and he slowly, ever so gently brushes his lips over the exposed skin of your shoulder as your hoodie is pushed to the side by one of his hands.

"Would you rather I act differently? The things I could do to you right here, right now would certainly convince you that I am plenty demon like." His voice is low as he breathes on your shoulder, his head moving slowly so that his lips are just barely brushing against your neck, and a whimper catches in your throat as his lips meet the warm skin of your neck. He doesn't go easy on you when he starts. His mouth bruising against your skin as he lets one hand roam up your side to twine his fingers in your hair and pull your head to the side, giving himself better access to your supple skin.

"I could take you right here, right now babygirl." With each word spoken, he grinds his hips against yours, making you gasp and arch your back as you feel him press against you. "But like you said," Belphegor pulls away from your neck, his lips just almost touching yours as he leans back over you. "We have things to do, and my five minutes are up." With that said, he flashes you a lazy grin, before rolling off of you, and standing up.

Belphegor hums against your skin as you twist your fingers into his hair and give a light tug, his lips leaving a trail of hickies in their wake as he works his way up your neck.

Epilogue

Raindrops streak against the windows as you sit silently in the livingroom. Your eyes are unfocused, the television playing on mute across from the couch as you sit in silence. Jack and Castiel are in your guest rooms, either resting or planning, you're not quite sure yet. Hearing soft footsteps, you assume Jack has come downstairs, and you pull your knees up to your chest as you keep your head turned to the window.

"Hey." Your voice is soft, and you avoid looking over. Knowing that seeing the nephilim would only mack your heart ache even more. You get only a soft hum from him as he sinks into the plush cushion of the couch next to you. Feeling his eyes on you, you finally gance over, keeping your gaze locked on his hands instead of looking at his face as he opens his mouth to speak.

"Castiel said I should ask you to sleep with me tonight." Your breath hitches in your throat as you hear his uncertain voice, and you slowly look up to his face as he continues. "I've been having trouble staying asleep, and he said that you might be able to help with that."

The thought of being so close to Jack makes your heart ache, especially knowing that he won't ever be Belphegor again. You slowly nod your head yes. Praying that it'll get easier.

That night as you lie down on the soft sheets next to Jack, and he pulls the covers over you, you can't help but try to imagine him as Belphagor.

His arms hesitantly circle your waist, and as he pulls you against his chest, you close your eyes, picturing Belphegor's cocky smirk and confident hands. As Jack rests his chin against the top of your head, you find yourself unknowingly relaxing, pretending that he's Belphegor is making this much easier then you had thought. That or you were just more lonely then you had thought.

As you drift into sleep, you hear a quiet 'thank you', and then you're out like a light. The feeling of Jack's arms around you make you slip into a pleasant memory of the first time you and Belphegor had shared the bed.

Something disturbs your sleep halfway through the night. A chill in the air making goosebumps rise on your arms as you scrunch up your face and press closer to Jack for warmth.

"Y/n?"

"S'nothing Jack. M' just cold." Your reply is almost instant, and for a moment you don't even realise that the voice didn't come from behind you. But once it sinks in, your eyes snap open.

There. Right in front of you on your side of the bed, stands Belphegor. His eyes are trained on you, his gaze sharp as his mouth curves up into that oh so familiar grin.

Your eyes glisten with unshed tears as you see the flickering form of Belphegor standing by your bedside. He's still using Jack's body even when dead, and he offers you a soft smile.

"Hey gorgeous."

You find yourself pulling out of Jack's arms, who frowns at the loss of contact and reaches out in his sleep to try and pull you back. Eyes darting between the two, you slide off the bed, and slowly approach Belphegor's fading body.

"How are you here? This doesn't feel like a dream." Reaching out, you brush your fingertips over his cheek, and flinch as you feel him. Solid, but cold.

His hand comes up, his own fingers wrapping around your wrist and pulling you closer to his chest."I don't know. But I'm not wasting this time." His other hand comes up to cup your cheek, and although you know that Jack could wake up at any moment, you find yourself leaning into his touch. Your eyes close as Belphegor's cool fingers glide over your skin, feeling his grip on your wrist loosen as the corner of his mouth quirks up into a smile. "Fuck, I missed you babygirl."

Belphegor wraps one arm around your waist, pulling you flush against him as he leans down to connect his mouth with yours. Hands moving by themselves, you quickly find your fingers tangling in his hair as you feel a single tear escape your right eye. His mouth is soft yet demanding on yours, his lips slightly warmer then his fingertips, which are grazing gently over the exposed skin of your waist.

Your mouths part, and he wipes the tear from your cheek. Shaking your head, you press closer to the demon, leaning the side of your face on his chest and wrapping your arms tightly around his waist. "I missed you too. So, so much." His fingers stroke your hair, and he presses his lips to the top of your head.

"I know." His body flickers again before resolidifying, and you hesitantly pull away.

"If this is a dream, I really want to wake up now. I don't-" You pause, reconsidering your words, and looking up to meet his eyes. "- I can't, lose you again." Stiffling a sob, you watch as he frowns, one hand moving back towards your face.

"I didn't want to leave you Y/n. You know that right?" Belphegor cups your cheek in his hand once again, wiping away another tear as it trickles down your cheek, and looking over your shoulder to see Jack still asleep.

He considers his options. If he were to try and leave with you, the Winchesters, Castiel and Jack would definately find you both and kill him. But he could be with you again. He can't repossess Jack, as the boy is alive again and would be able to overpower him, and he doesn't particularly want to find a different vessel. His gaze falls to Jack, who is stil asleep on the bed, and something within him solidifies.

"Are you two..." Belphegor makes a vague gesture, and you quickly shake your head.

"He chases away the nightmares, and I help him fall asleep." You reach forwards once again, connecting your hands with his as you lean your forehead back onto his chest.

"That was supposed to be my job." He reminds you with a grin, and you suddenly wish he had escaped hell sooner to find you.

With a small smile of your own you look up to his eyes, now in death having been restored so that he can properly see. Jack's face stares back down at you, wearing an expression that the nephilim never would. Reaching up, you pull him down to press a lingering kiss to his cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow night. Now get back into that bed before the nephilim wakes up and sees me." With that said, Belphegor turns your face to kiss your lips properly, and as he finally fades from view, you get to see his eyes staring back into yours before fluttering shut, to be opened the next night in your dreams.

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probably-lucifer · 7 years

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The Beginning of a Harry Potter has a twin sister story I'm writing

When Harry, and Hylo were nine they runaway; and with good reason too, all the various forms of, what they now knew as abuse, wasn't worth it. After all, who wants to be beaten, treated like a slave, and given The Bad Touch just because they exist? Certainly not our intelligent twins-who-lived. And so, this is how we find them Saturday night sneaking things to take with them. They've got one thousand dollars they've been swiping for over a year that's hidden in a box in the front garden, all the portable food they could fit in one suitcase, and the other they're filling with they're blankies, books, and clothes. It only fits because they've three outfits between the two of them, not including what they're wearing of course. It's only when they're about to walk out of the door that they look to each other. "We'll never get past the ticket person dressed like this; Uncle Vernon makes us dress like "typical hoodlums"." Harry points out, Hylo however comes up with an idea. "Why don't I swipe one of Dudley's dress shirts, and we can try that thing Ms. Morell showed us in class last week?" "The dress thing? Yeah that could work. Yeah, let's do it, quickly; you pick the shirt and meet me in the bathroom, yeah?" Hylo nods and walks briskly up the stairs, the Dursley's shouldn't be home for awhile yet, but it's better safe then sorry they've learned, so the bags are hidden in the cupboard when they go. No one will look in there until morning even if they're caught so they know they're safe. 'I know just the one, and I'll leave him a lolli for helping us too, I'll hide it under his pillow.' Dudley had been helping them for years now, ever since they started school, and Dudley got picked on for being overweight. We were, thankfully, invisible. Grabbing the shirt he hated most because of the color she turned away from the closet, hid the lollipop, undressed, then put the dress shirt on, buttoning it fully. A quick look in the mirror confirmed all the buttons were done, and she ran downstairs, packing away the raggedy cloth, then runs to the small bathroom immediately afterwards. Harry was already there with the scissors from the kitchen. "Ready?" He asked; with a nod he cut up all the way to the top of the sleeve, then cut it off completely. The shirt, or dress now, ended just below Hylo's knees, and it looked as though it was supposed to be cut where the sleeves were, the dark blue color was Hylo's favorite, and the silver pokadots were Harry's favorite color. It looked like a baby doll dress. "Perfect." They said in sync, they giggled at each other after. They pulled out their cases, and left them by the door, then made it look like they were asleep under the stairs via various hair trimmings, and a small blanket around two broken balls Dudley had hidden away previously with their instructions. Satisfied they had everything Hylo dug the money up from the gardens, while Harry grabbed two water bottles. One last time they looked at the house and said "Goodbye." simple as that, no fuss, no worry. Unknown to them wards quickly dissolved from the house, and into their individual persons. The two walked quickly, and silently out down the street. It took them nearly an hour, even though they only took one five minute break during their five mile walk to reach the train station, Harry hid in the bathroom while Hylo went to buy the tickets; Harry would meet her by the train. A bored looking, dark skinned lady with hair in a bun, and a magazine in her hand was the only sign of life around aside from the odd straggler or three. "Pardon me ma'am." Hylo put on her "well mannered daughter" mask, of which she thought suited her well, even with her tan skin, and long curly, nearly unmanageable hair. The lady, Erica according to the nametag looked down, and raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "May I purchase two tickets to central London please? For the next train in, 20 minutes I believe my papa said." The lady seemed sceptical and wary. "It's only, papa is testing me to make sure we, that's my brother and I, can get a ticket home on our own, I know he's waiting on the train, mum is watching us from just outside the station were I "can't see her", and I really would like to impress them. It's the only way I can visit my friend Lulu this summer, please help me." Pouting, and adding in the eyes, with slight waterworks made Erica cave in with a small, amused smile, and in no time at all Hydrangea Lotus Potter had acquired two tickets for her, and her brother. She thanked Erica profusely, and went to wait on the platform. Meanwhile Harrison James Potter was in the bathroom, changing into an outfit hidden in a plastic zippie bag on the back of the toilet for him by Piers, who had lost a bet about how far Hylo could throw. He would miss games of hunting with Dudley's gang, and using his, and Hylo's cunning and intelligence on them. It was quite fun most days. Dragging "his" suitcase he sat by Hylo and handed her the premade sandwich and chips he'd asked Piers for. (Who by the way did not cry at all when he heard the twins were running away) The two sat, and ate quietly, stomachs churning with anxiety, and excitement. Eyes far older, wiser then any nine year olds should be, hearts heavier then expected, and hands shaking they ate. Thanks to the school year just ending they'd been eating somewhat regularly, and since the Dursley's were celebrating Dudley they didn't have any fresh wounds to be seen either. They were just throwing away their garbage when they noticed the third man watching them curiously. He seemed shocked when they looked right at him, and then he opened his trunk, and WALKED DOWN INTO IT. The twins ran over to see how, cases being pulled behind them, not even noticing the odd feeling passing over them known as a muggle repellent. The man looked up, not too surprised 'Probably muggleborns.' "Would you like to see inside? You can leave the top open, and your cases up there if you'd like." Using a thing they called Twin-Telepathy they quickly decided they were far too curious not to look around, not to mention neither felt the bad energy they felt when they were in danger. After setting their cases aside, and leaving the lid open (they've a bit of self-preservation after all) they went down the plain, softly carpeted stairs. The walls were blank, and white, there was a couch on a wall against the bottom, and a window that once tapped by the odd man's stick thingy let in a lively sort of light, though the sun was nowhere to be found. The floors were some lightwood or another, and there was even a nice kitchen, with plenty of space. The man showed them around two bedrooms, furnished with fully dressed beds, and dressers, not to mention closets, and each had an ensuite bathroom. Plus the one in the hall. Once they had seen everything the man said, not believing they'd have enough regardless, and that he could simply hand them a book or two from his shelf (that he hated, as the place was his ex's, and what kind of guy wants to stay in his ex's place) to help them ahead-"I'll give it to with everything, or mostly everything, heaven knows kids don't need firewhiskey, for 100 pounds." After another Twin-Telepathy conversation Harry spoke up. "No tricks?" The man was shocked, though as a Slytherin he didn't show it (much), they had the money; though he didn't mind, he really does not like this place. Besides they'd probably use it as a play-house when they got home anyways 'Rich kids probably given the clothes." "Not a one, though I'll need one of your cases too if you don't mind, I've not got a single suitcase in here." Pulling Harry off to the side(The man, who's name is Terry by the way) had gone to make tea no one dislikes tea. A few moments later, with money in her hand Hylo said "This place will be great, we will be set so far ahead hear, did you see the kitchen island? It's got a garden! We can plant our own food, and get whatever we need, plus it won't be hard to win a few games, and get payed for that like we usually do. Plus, we can do other work, it's not like we don't know how. Chores and such." Harry nodded having already thought a lot of that. "I can't see any downsides, besides maybe how to hide it." The man had come back by then, "Here you are, I noticed you only had waters earlier, and you finished them, have some tea, here's the sugar, and not to worry, you could park this baby in the middle of central London and only others like us would see it, and be able to touch it, though if you buy I'll teach you how to lock it, I've a feeling you can do it." The man is confident with their magic levels wandless magic would be easy. The twins were happy, and sated once they finished tea, and smalltalk (one shouldn't seal a deal too soon, it's amateurish, and unwise.) They held out the money. The man, who had introduced himself as Terry finally, had then showed them how to lock the door (after taking a small drop of blood the twins weren't much worried about anyways, more curious how that "wand" works really.), he explained that until they turned eleven he would still be able to unlock it, but that if he saw them again, he'd knock first. (He was joking, but Fenrir Terry Greyback is a very peculiar man, and wolf. Usually a good one, however when, quite literally forced, he's quite terrifying. For a moment Terry would entertain the idea of these being the children that took off his leash so to speak when The Moldy Egg™ died. The twins however were completely serious, and as they did not yet know Sirius, though I'm sure they will, they can not laugh at that amazing pun.) Terry boarded a train to Wiltshire, and said something about looking up the Malfoy's if they're ever in town(he's quite sure Lucius was unhappy being a maniacs puppet as well, and, being the petty, spiteful man he was he'd adopt them if, at all, possible, purely out of spite, and pettiness.) Twenty minutes later the twins are sleeping on a train to London, and, though they did not yet know it all would be well. Lily, and James were working hard to make sure of it.

#slytherin #slytherin harry #Harry has a twin #harry potter au #hydrangea lotus potter #fenrir #fenrir greyback #Fenrir Greyback is a good guy #the moldy egg had a certain potion in his control #and thus the wixen world in general

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