#If only she knew

[flowers-in-your-basement]

( this is dedicated to @according2thelore I love your fics more than life itself) (outsider pov weecest)

the boys at the corner booth seem hungry. They're different ages, one of them older- maybe 20, one of them probably around 15, looking young in a starved kind of way.

they're loud in a quiet way, bickering about nothing at all then falling silent for minutes, just traded glances and expressions.

They seem like good friends, ones had since childhood, cradle to grave, grave to whatever else. She had a friend like that once. Lisa. They carried eachother but Lisa didnt make it past 17. Barely out of the cradle, into the grave.

they order more food than she expected- all cheap but filling. Two home fries, two orders of toast, one burger. No drinks. The older one jumps when she approaches, eyes locked onto her.

He has a black eye. It doesn't marr his beautiful face, too model-pretty for that. But it does make her worried. She offers him ice and he declines.

He flirts with her a little, half-commited. The younger one glares at him the entire time.

Later she catches them kissing in their booth. So the young one can't be that young, or maybe the old one isn't that old. They're a cute couple. She "accidentally" gives them more food than they ordered, pays them back by comping their entire bill. The look the older one shoots her- so much gratefulness and thanks- almost makes her cry.

They seem like good kids.

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

Chunky Velez Being a metaphor for his relationship with Nancy

[antarcticlovebirds]

watching more of the terror with my mom. Got to this scene

and she just yelled out “gay!”

[moonsnightowl]

[im-not-a-joke]

So I’m forcing my friend to watch gomens w me and we finished s1 today. She thought it was crazy that I was sobbing my eyes out during the Ritz date,,,, I’m so excited for her to feel my pain

[sinsiriuslyemo]

Chapter Eighteen: Diagon Alley

The longer Sirius thought about how to make Penny look like a witch, the more he realized that she wouldn’t need to look like a witch at all. There were only two days until the students would board the Hogwarts express for the new school year. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to see a muggle in Diagon Alley, nor would it be unusual for one to traipse into Gringotts to exchange money for some gold. If there was ever a chance she could go into the bank without arousing suspicion, it was now. Of course that didn’t solve the problem of how she would gain access to his vault. Goblins almost never interfered with Ministry business, but they did take their charge of securing every last vault in their bank seriously. But there had to be a way around it. There just had to be.

   “Do you really think this is gonna work?” Penny asked, sitting beside Sirius while he made a list

   “No,” he replied.

   “Least you’re being honest,” she mumbled.

   “Well, this is going to be incredibly risky,” he said. “Truth be told, I was hoping to avoid having to go to Diagon, but —”

   “How are we even going to pay for this thing, the… what did you call it?”

   “A sneakoscope.”

   “Yeah, that. How are we supposed to pay for one of those?” she asked again.

   “We’re going into Gringotts to get money from my vault,” he said, regretting the idea the moment it left his lips.

   Her eyes cut to him. “Are you totally gone? Didn’t you say we had to stay out of Gringotts?!”

   “Yes, I said that,” he replied. “But I don’t know how else to get gold to pay for what we need. Besides, this way, you’ll have some on hand in case you ever need it after I leave.”

   “I already have a plan to get wizard money after you leave,” she said.

   “Oh really?” he asked in a chuckle.

   “Yes,” she answered. “And it doesn’t involve me or you going into the lion’s den either.”

   “I’ve thought this through,” he said. “I just need to find a way for you to explain why you have my key.”

   “Key? You have a key? What key?”

   “During the first war, I became a bit… paranoid if you like,” he answered. “It didn’t feel safe to leave my key just lying around, so I had transformed it into a tattoo. I knew it would be the last place anyone would look if I was killed.”

    “That’s grim,” she mumbled. 

   “No, love, that’s war.”

    Penny arched a brow as she took a deep breath in. “Right. Wait, I never saw any key tattoo.”

   “Well, you haven’t seen me with my pants off yet,” he replied before he could think better of it. He bit the tip of his tongue hard enough to keep himself from looking at her.

   “Yet?”

   Heat spread on his cheeks. “Apologies, it was a slip of the tongue.”

   “I mean, don’t apologize for giving me hope,” she mumbled.

   Doing his best to suppress a grin, Sirius turned his head to look at her just as a delightful shade of red bloomed on her face. 

   “Please tell me I didn’t say that out loud,” she groaned softly.

   “Fraid you did.”

   “Of course I did,” she whispered, closing her eyes beneath furrowed brows. “This plan is insane.”

   “I know it’s a risk. But there’s only two days left before the start of term, which means that students and their parents are going to be buying all of their school supplies. Which means no one will think twice about a muggle being in Diagon Alley.”

   “Why do I even need the stupid sneakoscope? Why can’t we just use a different spell?”

   “There aren’t any that wouldn’t require us to go out and buy something. For that we need gold. There’s only one place to get my gold. Thus, we have no choice. Unless, of course, you’d prefer we steal the gold from someone, but that might invite more risk of being caught out.”

   “No, we’re not stealing anything,” she replied immediately, shaking her head.

   “Right, then Gringotts it is.”

   “Yeah, perfect, this plan is totally not a terrible idea at all,” she replied with an air of sarcasm.

   “Oi, have a little faith, yeah?” he said, looking back at her. Just then, another thought occurred to him, one that wouldn’t require her to use his key at all. “There is another way. The goblins will be expecting muggles to come into Gringotts to exchange their muggle currency for gold.”

   “I have to pretend to be a mom?”

   “Yes. Don’t worry, you’ll do fine. You just have to behave like you’ve never seen Goblins before. Easy, right?”

   “I don’t know, Sirius,” she sighed. “What if they ask a bunch of questions that I don’t know the answers to?”

   “They won’t. All they’ll want to know is how much you’ll be exchanging. You’ll need to ask for enough that would cover the list of supplies that first years need.”

   “Uh-huh, and how much is that?” 

   “70 Galleons.”

   “How much is that in pounds?”

   “Bout 348 and 59 pence.”

   “Just for fucking school suplies?! Jesus, Hogwarts is expensive,” she replied.

   “I can still give you my key,” he offered. “I have plenty of gold. I’m sure there’s a way to —”

   “No, no, it’s okay,” she replied, gently waving him off. “As it happens, I have plenty of money too. Besides, it’s going to a good cause, right?”

   He smiled at her. “Yes.” he answered. “I can pay you back just as soon as I’m no longer a wanted criminal.”

   She smiled softly at him and shook her head. “You don’t have to pay me back.” 

   A movement below his eyeline caught his attention, and when he looked down he could see she was picking at a hangnail on her thumb. Reaching, he put his hand over hers to get her to stop, and waited until she looked up at him.

   “It’ll be alright,” he said. “You can just be yourself, they’ll expect that you’ve never been in our world. Any odd behavior will just be chalked up to that. And I’ll be with you the entire time, alright?” 

   Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Penny nodded. “Okay.” 

   “Alright,” he said, giving her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’m already thinking up ways that I can make all this up to you.”

   “It better be something good,” she replied with a smirk. “Like unlimited foot massages or something.”

   “Foot massages?”

   “I work at the library, I’m on my feet for most of my shifts,” she replied.

   Lowering his eyes to her feet, he nodded once. “Alright then, unlimited foot massages. Anything else?”

   “I’m sure I’ll think of something else,” she answered. Taking in another deep breath, she let it out in a loud huff as she stood. “Okay, let’s do this.” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh! Wait!” Scurrying into the kitchen, she came out a moment later with his lead. 

   “Bloody lead,” he mumbled to himself.

   “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Quit your whining,” she replied. “Well, alright, come on. Ipso chango.”

   Arching a brow, he decided against asking her what that meant and transformed into Padfoot, letting her put the collar around his neck before they left her flat.

They had stopped at the muggle bank first so that Penny could use something that she called an ATM, a contraption attached to the side of the building that dispensed money. It was quite an odd thing to see, but what had captivated Sirius the most was how bland it looked compared to the crooked shape of Gringotts. Indeed the muggle bank looked like any other building, with just a sign with what he assumed was the bank’s name on it. It hadn’t taken long for her to withdraw her muggle pounds, and they were off again. He led her toward the Leaky Cauldron and to the back exit of the pub. Luckily there was no one else there trying to get into Diagon Alley, but he knew he didn’t have much time before someone inevitably came.

   Penny pulled out his wand and held it out so he could take it between his teeth. Standing on his hind legs, he tapped the three of the bricks with the tip of his wand, and jumped down, waiting for her to take the wand from his mouth. The blocks began to split, opening up to the wizarding village beyond just as she put his wand back into her purse.

   “Whoah,” Penny breathed, her eyes soaking in the various shops on either side of the cobblestone street. “It’s beautiful.”

   Part of him wished he could be in his human form for this. He imagined she likely had a thousand questions running through her mind. He took a bit more time than he would’ve liked, allowing her to take in her surroundings as he led her straight ahead, toward Gringotts. Her head tilted back to take in the bank’s height just as a group of children ran past, their parents calling out after them. As Penny continued to stare up at the old bank, Padfoot led her inside, past the guard near the front door, and to the window where she could exchange her money.

   Penny jolted slightly when she first saw the goblin behind the high counter, staring at her expectantly. “Oh! Hi… I’m here to exchange this.” She set the envelope of muggle money on the counter and gave the goblin a friendly smile. “It’s my first time.”

   The goblin regarded her for a moment before he reached up and pulled the envelope toward him, counting what was inside before he turned in his seat and walked toward the back. 

   “Are you an American?” 

   Padfoot turned his head toward the voice, finding a young girl about Harry's age with bushy brown hair staring up at Penny. 

   “Oh… yeah, I just moved here,” Penny answered. “Came to get all my kiddo’s school supplies.”

   The young girl’s brows furrowed. “Why aren’t they with you?”

   Padfoot licked his lips nervously. This girl was entirely too curious for his liking.

   “He’s got chicken pox,” Penny answered after a moment. “Everywhere. Spots. Itching. Crazy. Anyway, I just figured I would go ahead and grab all his stuff so that he’s all ready to go to Hogwarts. You know how it is. Or, actually…” She turned to look at the woman standing beside the young girl. “You know how it is.” She looked back at the child. “You don’t, you’re too young.”

   The girl’s curiosity had apparently not been abated, and she tilted her head slightly and asked, “But wizards have found cures for all muggle ailments —”

   “Hermione, dear, why don’t we leave the nice lady alone,” said the man standing on the other side of her.

   Padfoot let out a silent sigh of relief, and hoped that would be the end of the interaction. But apparently, hope was futile whenever Penny became nervous.

   “Oh, it’s okay,” she said, gently waving the man off. 

   Padfoot groaned internally. Penny, shut up.

   “You know, he just wanted to experience one last muggle thing,” she said, bobbing her shoulders. “We were gonna take him camping, but chicken pox had other plans, I guess.”

   “Will you be needing anything else?” 

   Padfoot turned back toward the counter as Penny took the brown bag of gold that the goblin held out.

   “Nope! I think that’ll do it for me! Thanks!” she replied with a cheerful smile, pulling Padfoot toward the door. “Bye now!”

   Padfoot quickened his pace, wanting to get her out of Gringotts as quickly as possible before she decided to add any other details to her cover story.

   “Jeez that was close. Okay, where next?” Penny asked softly as they walked down the steps outside the bank.

   He kept his head on a swivel as he led her to the Daily Prophet’s main office, where she purchased a subscription, and took a copy of the latest print, tucking that into her bag as well before they were off again. This time it was to Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment for a sneakoscope. 

   He was about to lead her back to the Leaky, relieved that their trip had gone so smoothly, but wary of pushing their luck. Apparently Penny didn’t share the sentiment when, as they walked past Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, she gently tugged his lead, turning toward the shop. Padfoot barked, the sound ending in a low growl.

   “Come on, it’s hot as balls outside,” she said to him, pulling him toward the ice cream parlor. “I’ll get you one too,” she added, hoping the promise of ice cream would entice him.

   Padboot growled lowly, biting down on the lead and pulling her in the opposite direction. They had gotten what they had come for. Staying any longer than necessary was risky, especially if the Dementors thought to search Diagon Alley.

   “Come on,” she groaned, putting some of her weight into it when she pulled the lead toward the parlor again. 

   Padfoot began to growl again when he caught sight of the boy sitting alone at one of the tables outside, eating an ice cream and doing what appeared to be school work. 

   Harry.

   Relief flooded through him at the visual confirmation that his godson had made it to the Leaky without incident. And now that Padfoot had a much better look at him in the light of day, he couldn’t help but notice how small Harry was for his age. Just what sort of muggles were his aunt and uncle? Hadn’t they been feeding him?

   “Hey kid,” Penny said.

   Harry looked up at her from his work, glancing in Padfoot’s direction.

    “What flavor is that?” Penny asked, gesturing to his cup with her chin.

   “Oh!” Harry looked at his cup as well. “Choco-nut sundae.”

   “Is it any good?”

   Harry nodded. “Yeah.”

   “Thanks!” Penny replied, and pulled Padfoot toward the door of the parlor. 

   “Sure,” Harry replied, his eyes shifting to meet Padfoots as the latter was tugged backwards into the parlor. There was a flash of what appeared to be recognition in Harry’s eyes. Had he seen Padfoot that night outside of number four Privet Drive? 

   No. He couldn’t have.

   Still, the way Harry looked at him was as though he had seen a ghost as Penny pulled him into the parlor. 

   “Harry!”

   Glancing toward the muffled sound of his godson’s name and saw the young girl from Gringotts skipping toward him, holding a large, fluffy ginger cat in her arms. Her parents lagged behind her.

   “Can I get two of those Choco-nut sundaes?” Penny asked.

   Padfoot turned his head to look up at her and for the first time wished he could transform and tell her that he much preferred the strawberry and peanut butter. She paid for their sundaes and glanced around at the tables inside.

   “You wanna sit outside?” she asked, looking down at Padfoot.

   He gave a half-hearted bark. Yes. If they sat outside, he could eavesdrop a bit and perhaps learn a thing or two about his godson. Of course, the girl might continue to be curious, but he hoped that Penny would put her sundae to good use and keep her mouth full so as to avoid speaking anymore.

   When they got outside, Penny sat down at the table beside Harry’s and put his sundae on the ground at her feet just as the young girl asked, “So you just left?”

   Lowering his head, Padfoot began to lick at his ice cream, his ears perked up as he listened.

   “I couldn’t just stand there listening to what they were saying about my parents anymore. I’m not even sorry about Marge. She got what she deserved,” Harry answered.

   “But where are you going to live?”

   “I thought about asking if I could spend next summer at the Weasley’s,” Harry answered.

   Padfoot stopped mid-lick. Weasley. That was the name he had seen beneath the photograph in the Prophet. The one with him in the photo. Wormtail was much closer to Harry than he initially thought.

   “All I know is that if I never walk into that house again, it’ll be all too soon,” Harry said, eating some more of his sundae.

   A moving figure caught his attention a few inches below his eye level, and Padfoot looked down just as the cat that the young girl had been carrying stepped up to his sundae and began to lick at it. Padfoot could only stare for a moment before he lifted a paw and tried to gently push him away, groaning softly.

   “Crookshanks!” the girl exclaimed, popping up from her chair and scooping the cat up into her arms. “That’s not yours.” She turned to Penny. “Hello again, I’m so sorry. I just got him, we’re still getting to know each other.”

   “It’s okay,” Penny answered in a chuckle.

   “If you want a sundae, I’ll get you one of your own, you only need ask,” the girl said quietly to the cat as she walked toward the door of the parlor. “I’ll be right back, Harry.”

   “Right.”

   Penny looked down at Padfoot at the sound of Harry’s name, mouthing, ‘Harry?’

   Nodding once, Padfoot glanced at his godson, who had gone back to working on his assignment. He whined under his breath, forcing himself to look away and go back to eating his sundae.

   “Harry!” another voice cried out.

   Padfoot turned his head just as the red headed boy from the photo ran toward his godson. And in his hands, fluffy and fat as can be, was the bloody traitor himself. Glancing down at the lead, he was relieved to see that Penny had dropped it on the ground. Padfoot slowly backed away, using the table to keep him from Wormtail’s view. He couldn’t risk the traitor seeing him before they reached Hogwarts lest he manage to disappear again. Turning, he quickly trotted away from the parlor, hoping Penny would think to follow.

   “Hey! Wait! Where are you?” she called out after him.

   But he didn’t turn around or stop until he’d reached an alley between buildings. A moment later, Penny came running around the corner, luckily holding the bag of their purchases. As soon as she reached him, he glanced toward the street to be sure no one was walking past before he transformed, grabbed her around the waist and turned in place, apparating them back to her flat. It was a risk to be sure, being in his human form even for a moment in Diagon Alley, but they needed to leave there as quickly as possible. There was nothing quicker than apparition.

   Of course, he hadn’t given a second thought to the fact that it was Penny’s first time apparating, and so when she vomited on his shirt as soon as they were in her sitting room, he wasn’t terribly surprised. 

   “Oh God, I’m so sorry,” she said, one hand covering her mouth as she stared at the mess on the front of his shirt.

   “It’s alright,” he replied, pulling out his wand and vanishing the smelly mess. “Most people vomit the first time they apparate. Are you alright otherwise?”

   “Yeah, I think so. What the hell was that back there? Why’d you freak out?”

   “The boy,” he answered. “The Boy that was running toward Harry. The one holding the rat.”

   Her eyes flashed with understanding. “That rat was him?”

   “Yes. I couldn’t risk him seeing me just yet.” Running a hand through his curls, he reached into the bag in her hand, he fished out the latest copy of the Daily Prophet, frowning at the image of himself on the front page as he sat down on the sofa.

   “Whoah,” Penny breathed as she looked down at the paper. “The pictures are moving.”

   “Yes,” Sirius replied. “It’s a spell that’s used when you’re developing the photos, it makes them come to life.”

   There was a moment of silence as she continued to stare at his photo, watching as he silently laughed and screamed while a pair of hands held his shoulders, his prison number on the card he held in his hands.

   “You look absolutely unhinged,” she observed.

   Glancing at her with a sigh, he swallowed and said, “I was unhinged. My entire world had been torn to shreds and hung upside down mere hours before this photo was taken. I had just realized that I’d given Wormtail everything he needed to get away and never have to answer for his crimes.”

   “Oh, he’ll answer for them,” she said, waiting until he met her eyes before adding, “I swear to God, he’s not getting away with it. Because I won’t ever give up, and I know you won’t either.”

   Smiling at her, Sirius swallowed as he turned the page, and felt the color drain from his face. “Bloody hell,” he mumbled to himself, folding the paper so that he could read the article behind the front page.

   “What the damn hell is that?” She pointed to the photo above the article.

   “That is a Dementor. They’re the Azkaban guards,” he answered. “And it appears they’re going to be at Hogwarts this year.”

   “Is that bad? That’s bad isn’t it?”

   “Aye, that’s bad,” he answered. “They’re looking for me.”

   “Okay, so maybe it’s time to think about a plan B,” she said. “We can go back and see if that kid is still there with the rat. Just snatch him up now. I can go out and get a cage for him and meet you back here.”

   He snorted softly and shook his head. “No, I can’t take him in the middle of Diagon Alley. Far too many witnesses, and I sincerely doubt they would be open to hearing an explanation if I was caught.”

   “Well, you can’t go to Hogwarts with a bunch of those things there,” she replied. “What if they catch you?”

   “I’ll be given the kiss and thrown back into Azkaban,” he answered matter-of-factly.

   “So don’t go,” she said. “We can figure out another way to get to him.”

   “There is no other way,” he said. “He’ll be going with his wizard to Hogwarts. So that’s where I need to go as well.”

   “It’s insane,” she said, shaking her head. 

   “Well, insanity does run in my family,” he mumbled.

   “Can’t you just come at it from another angle? One that doesn’t require you to risk your freedom? Your life?”

   “Even if there was, who is going to believe me without any proof?” he asked, looking at her. “I’m not naive about how risky this will be. And I’m under no delusions that this will be in any way easy, but it’s the only way. If I’m to even attempt to expose Wormtail, I’ll need him in hand. To do that, I need to go to Hogwarts.”

[aragarna]

If I were a man, I would do something, and it wouldn't be writing a letter! - Guy Williams as Diego de la Vega and Sandy Livingston as Rosarita Cortez (Zorro, 1957, 1x20)

[bearsbeetsbeskar]

Whenever I’m at my grandmothers we always end up watching the Mandalorian cause my grandma loves grogu, it’s really one of the only shows that she enjoys watching nowadays ❤️

[thedummysdummy]

Gender Reveal

The previous part to this series can be found here: When Memory Fails

Her hand went automatically to her belly, just as it had a million times since she’d learned of the little spark growing inside. She glanced through the window, looking for the familiar black car to arrive with her best friends inside. However, it was still nowhere to be seen and she slumped back onto the couch. 

She’d never really thought she’d look forward to doctor appointments. But each time she sat on that crinkly paper and looked at the strange black and white images on the screen, an excitement grew inside of her. The tiny beating heart made her own flutter as she watched it beat away inside the tiny bean she carried. Every appointment showed her a more and more recognizable human being. 

And today, she’d know if her insistence was correct.

The buzzing of her phone pulled the girl out of her thoughts. Immediately she flicked on the screen and scanned the text message. “We’re almost there. Are you ready to go?” 

Anna’s smiling face reflected in the girl’s happy eyes as she read the text message and replied in the affirmative. The slightly older woman was far more than a coworker; Anna had always been one of the girl’s closest confidants and took on an almost motherly role from the outset of the pregnancy. Between Anna and Goldman, an assistant to their company’s largest investor and close friend, the girl found herself supported at every step. 

Another glance out the window revealed Goldman’s sleek black car had arrived in the lot of her apartment complex. At the same time, her phone buzzed with another message. “We are here! We’ll be up in just a minute!” 

“Oh, don’t worry about coming all the way up here! I can make it to the parking lot by myself, you know.” The girl giggled as she pressed ‘send,’ knowing that nothing she said would deter her friends from coming up for her anyway. Surely enough, a final glance out the window showed the pair hustling across the parking lot in an attempt to reach her before she made it down alone. She indulged them by returning to her couch and waiting for the doorbell to ring. 

Her bounce up to answer the door was slightly slower than usual, the pregnancy sapping some of her energy reserves the further along she got. It opened to reveal the beaming faces of her friends, Anna wrapping her arms securely around the girl’s shoulders in a tight hug. “Hey, you. How are you feeling?” 

“I’m doing fine. A little tired, but that’s normal apparently. I can’t believe we’re over halfway there.” She rubbed the growing bump, quite visible within the last week, and let out a half sigh. “He moves around quite a bit now. It’s really a strange feeling. Takes some getting used to.” She allowed Anna to take her hand and lead her out into the hallway before turning to lock the door. 

Both Anna and Goldman nodded, their grins eclipsed only by their seeming nervousness for her well-being. They stood on either side, brushing her shoulders and elbows as they walked, eyes flickering between her and the floor ahead. The girl shook her head slightly, but did nothing to prevent their care. 

Goldman opened the passenger door and offered a hand to support her as she lowered herself into the seat. “Are you alright? Let me get the seat belt for you.” He pulled the clip away from the wall of the car where it hung and handed it to the girl so she wouldn’t need to twist her torso, waited until she had clicked the belt securely, and closed the door with care. Anna had already climbed into the back seat with her phone in hand, tapping away at what was most likely some work-related email. 

“You two are so funny. I’m not made of porcelain, you know. But I really do appreciate your help.” 

Her friends nodded and patted her shoulders as Goldman kicked the engine to life. “Absolutely! Someone has to keep an eye on you. Especially since the father is a scumbag who-” Anna paused, not entirely sure where her anger was leading. “You haven’t managed to remember anything yet, have you?” 

“No…I feel like there’s something locked away that I really, really should remember, but I just can’t seem to break through to it. Maybe it’s just because I’m scared to know what it is? That maybe it’s something better left forgotten.” Her eyes dimmed, her heart telling her a different story than that. If something horrible had happened…wouldn’t there be other signs? Wouldn’t she have a lingering sense of dread, not an empty feeling that something important had been lost? 

Anna reached forward from the back seat and placed a warm hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Hey. Don’t stress yourself out over it, okay? I know I’ve told you a million times, but I’ll say it again. Whatever happened, it wasn’t your fault. Maybe someday down the road, you can submit to one of those DNA ancestry database things and see if there are any clues?” 

“Only if you want to,” Goldman interjected, looking over as the car came to a stop at a red light. “If you think it’s better left the way it is, then that’s completely up to you.” He frowned in that concerned sort of way that he adopted every time the topic came up. The girl smiled and patted the back of his hand. 

“It’s fine, Goldman. Maybe I’ll try it someday. I appreciate you looking out for my well-being, though.” The air in the car felt a little heavy as they continued on their journey and the girl searched for a way to lighten the mood. “So are you really not going to let me know the gender today? That’s so not fair!” 

Anna began to laugh with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Of course not! That would totally ruin our plans for a gender reveal party! And we are going to make sure that you have every single positive experience that any other expecting mom gets along the journey. No matter how you got here, you deserve nothing but happiness.” Goldman nodded along with a soft grunt of agreement. 

“We already have a small list of guests put together. Kiki, Willow, Minor, and Kiro are all coming for sure. Officer Gavin insisted he will be there as long as nothing emergent happens that day, and Professor Lucian said he should be available but won’t know for a few more days. Was there anyone else you wanted us to invite?” 

After a few moments of thought, the girl shook her head. There weren’t really any others in her life who knew of her situation, and the last thing she wanted to do was explain to a room full of her family and friends that she was pregnant for no apparent reason. It had been hard enough with her coworkers and closest friends. While none of them had blamed her or treated her differently, she couldn’t help wondering what they really thought. 

“Fair enough. Have you come up with any girl names you like?” Anna tapped the back of the girl’s head and giggled. “You still don’t know for sure you’re having a boy!” 

“I just can’t get the name ‘Victor’ out of my head. Sometimes it just bounces around in there like an old screensaver. So I’m positive that’s supposed to be his name.” 

Both Anna and Goldman sighed, having been through this conversation way too many times at this point. “Well, can we at least add Victoria for a girl? That’s close enough, right?” Goldman’s eyes flickered over for just a moment to check his friend’s reaction. She shrugged with a thoughtful look on her face. At least she seemed to be considering it!” 

Minutes later they were in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, thumbing through the same magazines they’d been poking at for the last five months. The girl felt a little bit nervous as her name was called and the nurse led her back to the familiar exam room and ultrasound machine. Soon. Soon she would know.

~~~

The five days between the appointment and the reveal party were the slowest the girl had ever experienced. She alternated between being completely positive that she carried a boy, and slightly worried she was having a girl and had nothing prepared. Had she already begun collecting little boy clothes when she was shopping on her own? Definitely. She even had an outfit picked out to bring him home from the hospital: A little panda-themed onesie, hat, and booties. Perhaps a little bow glued to the hat would make it girly enough…

Pink and blue balloons, streamers, confetti, and other decor had been lovingly distributed from one end of the office conference room to the other. A betting pool had been set up in one corner, boy or girl, with a prize basket for those who guessed correctly. Snacks and small sandwiches covered the entire conference table with a tower of cupcakes being the crown in the center. “Don’t touch until reveal time!” announced a card next to the cupcakes. 

All eight guests had arrived early and the gift table on the far end of the room was overflowing with packages. The girl watched each guest arrive and pile their gifts onto the table, feeling just a little overwhelmed by the amount of love being shown by every single person in the room. Minor and Gavin chatted quietly with plates of snacks in hand, while Kiki talked at Kiro and Willow leaned against a wall, listening to Lucian explain some project he was working on. Anna and Goldman were finishing the last few tasks before calling everyone’s attention to begin the party properly. 

Anna placed the final plate of sliced fruit on the table and clapped to turn everyone’s eyes toward the front of the room. The low grumble of conversation faded away and Anna smiled. “Welcome to our dear friend’s gender reveal party! Enjoy yourselves with the snacks and be sure to cast your vote at the betting table. We’ll do the actual reveal in about thirty minutes!” With a wave at the food from Anna, everyone returned to their conversations. 

The girl wandered from group to group, accepting hugs and well-wishes from those she loved. But her eyes kept wandering to that pile of cupcakes, knowing they held the answer she was seeking. The time passed painfully slowly no matter how hard she tried to get sucked into conversation. 

But as time does, the thirty minutes eventually came and went. This time Goldman took charge, standing proudly at the table with his eyes staring everyone down until the room fell quiet. “Alright, it’s time for the real reason we all came tonight! These cupcakes have been filled with either pink or blue frosting. Come on over here and let’s end the anticipation!” He picked up a cupcake and extended it to the girl, who held it in her hand for a moment. She just examined the white-frosted top with pink and blue sprinkles, the confetti cake beneath, and the “boy or girl?” wrapper. 

“Come on, quit stalling!” Kiki shouted, causing the room to erupt in soft laughter. The girl blushed and pulled away the paper on one side of the cupcake. Everyone held their collective breath as she opened her mouth and took a large bite, eyes closed tightly. She chewed and swallowed before opening her eyes, finally brave enough to see the results. 

“It’s a boy!” Minor yelled, pumping his fist in the air. “I knew it! I guess you were right, Boss. See guys? Always trust the boss! She knows what she’s talking about!” 

Everyone again began to laugh and helped themselves to the rest of the cupcakes, the excitement three levels higher than before. Anna made her way over to her friend and gave her a tight squeeze. “Well, Victor it is,” she teased, pulling back slightly to look in the girl’s eyes. “Congratulations, Boss. How about we go open some gifts?” 

The girl nodded and allowed herself to be led to the far side of the room, feeling relief flowing through her entire body. While she still didn’t know why the little boy’s name had to be Victor, some of the anxiety surrounding it managed to evaporate into excitement. Mysteries could wait. Today was the time for celebration.

[arctichotch]

I went to a convention yesterday and bought art prints of Ghost, Jason Voorhees and the Mandalorian.

My mom said, “damn, you really like guys in masks” I’m dying, dead 😭

[deathinfeathers]

[cookieg122]

Aha!! :0 You caught her with the bread again! Aya being an alien, has to eat a lot more than the average human. So!! She is always munching on her favorite snack- bread!! How does she get SO much? I dunno Khalan just makes it happen. My friend @pekoeboo was experimenting with drawing Khalan in a manga style, so I wanted to give it a try as well with the Lil GORL! >w</

[anna1306]

Grandma, who sat next to me in the bus: reading Bible, looking very strict

Me, reading smut with killer-vampires right next to her: you are lucky you don't see it, grandma

[ohtobeleah]

*

[moonsnightowl]

Whatever life messes up, Sirius in a bath towel can fix ✨️

[angelxd-3303]

*All of the above

*mouse/rat

*yes

*whatever Nimona is

explain your gender in 10 words or less without using boring words like “male”, “female”, “nonbinary”, “masculine”, “feminine” or “androgynous”.

go!