#LET THEM BE NEMESES TO LOVERS!!!!!!!!!

[cak31ssuperi04]

uve prolly gotten this before but y ship the blondie and oreoy,,,, curious

Is this about Izuchi and Sagara??

For what little we see of it I like their potential dynamic. They're so particularly annoyed by each other. I like that most of Izuchi's presence in the story shows him as a hyper-smart prodigy who thinks he's better than everyone, only for him to get lame and pathetic in Sagara's 3rd event because the competent bonafide genius is weak to the Weird Anime Kid. She's able to bring him to her level and cracking through his ego, which is maybe more fragile than he lets on. He's stubborn and likes challenges, and she wants her unhinged mad scientist antagonist-figure to clash with. He acts like he's above the petty rivalry but folds after one childish insult. If that's all it took, and if Nanashi had to get between them this time, I 100% think this happens regularly and has escalated before. They're silly.

They're both jaded teens who have an inflated sense of self-confidence. They do what they want without regard for what people think(though I will draw the distinction between how she's just kind of annoying and he's actually harmful) and end up detached from them without much of a drive to change that, but they take it in different directions, with Izuchi being pragmatic and serious and Sagara being a chuuni who's easygoing and kind of making it up as she goes along a lot of the time. He's arrogant and will wrong others to further his research but can be capable of and willing to help others(re. Meru's event). She ultimately means well and is a nice person but will casually threaten strangers and target people because she thinks they're weird(her dialogue regarding him as an organization member indicates that she doesn't seem to actually know about any of the legitimately shady shit he does and just messes with him because the genius schtick is bizarre. Again, Kind Of A Bully Maybe is really not on the level of Human Experimentation but then the game doesn't treat that very seriously either. And also Sagara's still capable of knocking him on his ass)

It definitely would take some sort of development for them to come to like each other or for romance to come into question, but I think it could be fun. They'd challenge eachother. She'd keep his ego in check and make him see the value in things that aren't strictly logical and he'd act as a voice of reason(to an extent…) and help strike some balance between reality/fantasy, but they still wouldn't really care about what people think. Menaces always.

[thefriendlyferretwriter]

Weasel

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Ravenclaw!F!Reader

Summary: A back and forth with the infamous Fred Weasley sends the two nemeses into a back-and-forth that lands them in detention, where both their frustration and anger send them into a deep argument full of insults, tension, and revelations.

Warning: LONG, 8k words, lots of scene cuts becuz a LOT happens, rivals to lovers (not really, Fred's obsessed with reader and is a little shit), boy pulls on the pigtails of the girl he claims he dislike type trope, was forced to give reader at least a last name, same for her best friend ( went with one of the most generic name Tiffany), Fred being a little shit, argument, tension, reader is unhinged

A/N: Fun fact about this fic it almost included a Pygmy Puff before I checked and discovered that they were created by the twins for their shop and since they are still students I had to go and swap it up with a baby puffskein. No idea how to describe that fic, there will definitely be multiple parts, enjoy!

There are no other places like Hogwarts.

The scenery, the castle's secrets, and the yearly competition between houses are something to behold.

But what might be icing on the cake is the library. The place where I can lose track of time all the while learning about the magical world.

The library has a hush rule but you can't help the coughs, the few ink pots falling to the ground, or even the giggles here and there but it doesn't bother me one bit, it even helps me focus as I enjoy yet one more day in the castle.

"Hi there Raven."

And there goes my enjoyment.

With a roll of my eye, I direct them toward the annoying voice belonging to none other than Fred Weasley who stands there with his satchel on his side leaning against one of the book-filled shelves.

"Weasel," I acknowledge him with a sigh looking back down at my page.

"Weasley," he corrects drily.

I brush him off as I finish my inked sentence and wait for it to dry before turning the page and asking him what he's doing here.

He leans on the table by his hip and crosses his arms inclining his head towards me, "What is it to you?"

"You being here is a bad omen so either you're here to sell your stupid stuff to the first years," I say glancing at his sachel for a second before looking back down at my work, "Or it involves annoying me and I'm having a good day to waste it dealing with you today."

I don't look at him and instead focus on my next sentence when I hear some shuffling and a piece of rolled-up parchment drops next to me that I recognize all too well.

"You must be kidding me," I groan snatching the parchment from the table.

"Unfortunately no. McGonagall benched me and said that if I wanted to stay on the quidditch team I needed a tutor."

His speech makes me groan as the lines reiterate his rant in a distinguished manner and is signed at the bottom by Professor Flitwick.

"McGonagall sent me to Flitwick who recommended you. Said you needed tutoring on your record."

I let go of the paper and join my hands together placing my thumbs on the base of my nose to try and diminish the incoming headache.

"Soo," he draws out attracting my gaze, "See you later, I'll be waiting for your owl."

I see him walking backward, all cocky as he dares to wink at me before turning around and descending the spiral stairs.

I audibly scoff and slam my notebook closed.

Yet another day ruined by that damn Weasel.

"He's a pest."

"You're exaggerating again," she laughs at me standing up from her seat.

"No, I'm not!" I say shoving the last book in my bag as class just ended, "He's obnoxious and annoying and a nuisance to my peace," I stand up and follow right after her.

It's been a few days since my unfortunate meeting with the least likable Weasley in the library and the meeting with Professor Flitwick and McGonagall this early morning couldn't have gotten any worse since no amount of pleading on my part could get them not to assign me with him. As a supplement I had the redhead walk in on me pleading which had him reveling at my misery digging me into a deeper foul mood.

"He's a funny guy that sometimes goes too far," she says pushing a chair that wasn't tucked under its assigned table.

"He's the bane of my existence," I say full of venom.

She laughs walking toward the classroom's exit," That's romantic."

"No, saying someone is the bane of your existence isn't romantic."

"I'm sure you could turn it into something romantic, like a poem or a book about forbidden love," she daydream walking through the door.

"You read too many romance books," I say stepping outside the classroom when I freeze and feel like I'm going underwater as my body is iced out for a moment.

It feels as if I've been hit with glacius but I'm able to use my voice and squeal in shock as the feeling subsides and I'm brought back from my shock by two giggles.

I see two first-year Gryffindors laughing nervously before they simultaneously decide to run away, one of them letting loose on her wand that was levitating the bucket letting it fall on the ground with a loud clash.

I'm left in the middle of the open hallway surrounded by classmates who just exited their class.

The wind hits me and I feel my body shiver before I look up at my friend whose mouth is covered by her hands in surprise.

I hear it.

The annoying infuriating sound of distant laughter, one I cannot mistake for another.

My eyes zero on him sitting on the transfiguration courtyard's tree clutching his stomach as he laughs balancing himself on the branch.

"You were saying?" I ask her rhetorically still dripping in the pink-colored jelly-like liquid.

She lowers her hands and approaches me slowly trying to wipe my face.

I feel the bubbling of rage making its way up my throat with my breathing taking up seeing him seated up there on the branch looking like a king sitting upon the throne of his buffoonery surrounded by his brainless friends, or rather, George's brainless friends and it makes me snap.

I push her hand away and stomp my way through the hallway onto the courtyard's grass toward him.

"Weasley!" I yell as I march to him.

"Oh, now she remembers my name," he laughs out loud for his twin and his friends to hear as the number of students stopping by increases.

He slides off the branch with ease and starts strutting to me with this damn cocky smile.

George stands up from his leaning stance on the tree, "Fred," he says.

I don't know if it's a warning or a scolding but his intent doesn't matter to me.

My hearing is replaced with the beats of my heart drumming in my ears as my face feels as hot as lava.

My steps get bigger and bigger and the closer his infuriating smirk approaches, the rage escapes me as my hand swings back and closes into a fist before landing in his face mid-step.

The audible hit is met with a groan and while I'm far too small to send him to the ground with a punch it does send him swaying back and hunching over.

In a second George jogs to his twin and hands him support grabbing his elbow as Fred's groan turns into another one of his annoying chuckles.

"You see how she hit me?!" he shouts looking delighted by the situation before he lays his gaze back on me with a bit of blood on his teeth.

His smirk falls and I believe for a moment that I finally did it, I finally managed to instate fear in this jackass before I realize his gaze moved from my frame to someone behind me.

The buzzing in my ears ceases and my hearing comes back to me as the grass crunches under one's weight indicating someone approaching.

A cold sweat travels through my body when I turn around and spot none other than Professor Hooch standing tall in front of us.

By instinct, I take a step back and bump into Fred before jumping aside as if he burnt me which isn't far off as my knuckles are calling out for help burning and tingling from the impact it had on his cheek.

She sends us both one of her infamous hawk looks that could petrify Dumbledor himself, "I presume that display of violence can be explained by your appearance?" her pointed look is directed at me.

I try to wipe the substance off my hair with an annoyed huff.

Her eyes travel to Fred whose head is pointed down grabbing his chin and messing with his mouth moving his jaw from side to side.

"That rewards the both of you with an hour's detention," that answer makes him groan and I point at him with outrage.

"But he-!" My disbelief doesn't reach her before she cuts me off.

"You're both dismissed. Mr.Weasley, I advise you to escort your brother to the infirmary to tend to his injury. As for you, I advise you to go clean yourself up before heading to the infirmary as well, perhaps at a time Mr.Weasley won't be there," she finishes her sentence looking at George who acknowledges her insinuation with a nod.

Still clutching his jaw, Fred is led away by his elbow by George as Hooch walks to stand in front of me, "While I understand your frustration I did expect better from you than violence."

My eyes widen and the breath I take in is cut off, "He-"

"This isn't about Mr.Weasley's childish behavior, he will receive his punishment either way. What disappoints me is that you could've avoided any punishment by reporting this to me or any other professor in the area but instead, you will ecope of an hour's detention as well."

She says shaking her head as she walks away leaving me standing here in the courtyard covered in the substance and an aching fist that doesn't even feel satisfying knowing it didn't teach the jerk anything.

"Why is it so windy today?! I thought it was supposed to be sunny!" I complain trying to be louder than the wind.

"No it's supposed to switch all day, look," my friend says motioning to the daily prophet in her hands bringing the paper closer to my face so I can see the weather section indeed announcing an insufferable change of weather all day.

"You can still spot the puddles from the rain earlier," Luna Lovegood points to the Quidditch pitch where the grass is still two shades darker and the random puddles of water stir with strength from the wind blowing.

My venting is interrupted by a loud collision that sends me twisting around back to the pitch to see Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teammates fighting over the quaffle like rabid dogs in what is supposed to be an amicable match as a form of training.

"Remind me again what's the point of an amicable match if there is no amicability?" I ask turning to face them just to miss the apparent goal from a Gryffindor through one of the Ravenclaw's lowest hoops.

I groan when I recognize the face of the person who managed to pass our defenses as he basks in the small victory.

"What is it raven?! Can't take in the sigh of greatness?!" he gloats seated comfortably on his broom with his red hair all tussled.

His pretentiousness blinds him and his arrogance leaves him to ignore the whistle suggesting the match continues and leaves a fellow Ravenclaw to score in a flash right behind him. The only indicator that anything happened at all is the small thunder of applause and shouts of approval coming from the small gathering of students who decided to kill time and participate in the amicable match to cheer each team on.

His head whips around and the sight of the opposite team scoring sends him tilting his head back with a groan that he tries to conceal but it doesn't escape anyone's notice.

The karma is enough but it is so rare to catch the weasel in one of his life life-learning moments that I don't hesitate before deciding that I need to add my little grain of salt to the wound.

I have it, I have the perfect response to give him right on the tip of my tongue and I wonder for a second if the smirk grazing my lips isn't a giveaway but my witty taunt is stopped when a broom enters my line of vision.

"See?! I told you your presence would do me good. Look at that, bullseye!"

I'm sure he means no harm, I know him to be humble but the poor lad either didn't see Weasley or simply decided to ignore his presence.

The fact that he is being ignored after being wrecked is sickly satisfying and my smirk manages to widen somehow.

It is clear he simply didn't see Fred as this one's scowl sends him silently flying away in an awkward, one-sided staredown that ends with him glancing at me with an uncomfortable wide-eyed stare, silently asking for help.

I stare at him flying further and further away and only look back when I notice George approaching his twin on his broom.

His frustration is clear and the eye roll along with his head thrown back pleases me a great deal.

The devilish idea is too good and it doesn't take a lot of self-convincing before I fall for temptation.

"What is it Weasel, too busy drowning in your own ego you can't pay attention?!" I shout so my sickly honeyed voice reaches him and George as I tuck my now pastel pink hair behind my ears.

'The concoction should last less than a week. This Flemont Potter was a genius!' nurse Pomfrey said.

The scowl adorning his face fills me with warmth and electricity buzzes through my veins knowing I have the last word for once.

"Nice hair," he tries himself at a desperate dig that does not work as Professor Hooch whistles for him to fly back to the match.

Turning his back to me, he flies back to the center of the field I can't help but laugh realizing that it's the first time he turns his back to me without walking away with the last word.

The whistle is blown and the speed at which each team goes at the other's throat could cause whiplash if one wasn't used to it.

I'm focused on a group of players when my peripheral vision drags my eyes to my friend throwing the quaffle with all his strength leaving another small group of three players to speed away.

Taking a moment to take in his throw he looks back down and waves at me with a smile, satisfied with his play.

I wave back with a grin of my own before he disappears out of my sight as a bludger hits him straight in the back of the head with a resounding thunk throwing him off his broom and crashing to the ground.

I hear a loud yell and realize it comes from me as my body instinctively reacts and bolts toward the pitch.

Professor Hooch is already by his side by the time I run to his limp self.

"Is he okay?!" I get caught off guard by my friend reaching him and kneeling at his side before I do.

I stand there looking down at him in shock as people start surrounding the area trying to take a look at the wounded on the ground when I notice the Gryffindor team lowering themselves on the ground including the culprit.

His quidditch robe swings with each one of his steps as he walks towards the commotion very slowly like in a trance.

"You too bring a stretcher," she says shooing away both a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw player.

I hear George Weasley calling after his brother who has now reached Professor Hooch kneeling on the ground

"Is he okay?"

How dare he. His filthy meek voice asking about his well-being as if he isn't the reason my friend is lying unresponsive on the ground.

That familiar boiling sensation in my chest rises again and I feel my fists clenching by themselves.

Before I can comprehend my thought process I am bolting toward him. Still, before I can reach him George jumps in front of him getting ready for whatever, a whatever that does not come as I am held up by the waist by two Gryffindor players sensing the hostility.

"What is wrong with you!" I holler up in the air struggling with all my might against the hold of the chasers which is useless against the player's strength.

The rest is a blur, George pushes the douche towards the locker room as I follow the stretcher closely to the infirmary.

"If you stare any harder you're gonna be the first third year student here to achieve wandless magic," she chuckles "It's you! You did this!" he yells shoving me back and sending me stumbling on the ground probably trying to get me as dirty as he is. back down at her textbook.

"False," I utter not leaving the weasel out of my burning stare.

I notice her raising her head from my side view in wonder.

"Granger," I state chewing on my thumb's fingernail.

The sight of him simply sitting there without any consequences under the excuse of 'it's part of the game, nobody can prove there were any malicious intents behind that strike' drives me mad and haunts my head with multiple scenarios of murder that keep replaying again and again.

"You have to let it go. Pomfresh said he'll be fine."

"He didn't deserve that strike it was targeted to piss me off because I got the last word," I say wincing when I realize I bit my thumb a bit too hard and drew some blood.

"It's part of Quidditch, many, many people took strikes to the head."

"Bullshit. A strike to the head during an amicable match? Come on," I roll my eyes frustrated that everybody seems so eager to just brush this incident off.

"I'm gonna start thinking you're checking him out and not actually glaring at him."

"Have you lost your mind?!" I say louder than intended, my head whipping left to glare at her this time.

There is no silence as the Care for the Magical Creature class takes place outside and the lack of chatter is covered up by the sound of wind rustling the nearest tree's leaves and the distant purrs and grumbles of the different creatures in their pen.

"Is there a problem?"

Unlike McGonagall or Snape, Professor Hagrid's tone of voice isn't accusatory but genuinely one of concern. This concern eats at me as the idea that he might believe even for a moment that my words are targeted towards him makes bile rise in my throat.

"No!" is my immediate response to reassure the professor but the rest of my explanation seems to be stuck in my throat as I have a hard time imagining myself explaining to the class that I was just defending myself at the mention of me hypothetically checking Weasley out.

That same person here in the open classroom with a side smirk plastered on his annoying face trying his best not to laugh at me, not because it would be rude but because not laughing at the right time alongside the rest of the class wouldn't be as satisfying as a full-on public humiliation.

I see Hagrid lowering his chalk and I can already foresight him asking what he might have done wrong which is not something you want to ask as a teacher in front of a bunch of ruthless teenagers.

His other hand joins in on the other starting to mess with his chalk making him appear anxious and way less mighty.

The awkwardness doesn't begin to measure to the remorse of having put him in this situation because of my impulsive nature.

"It's my fault!" my friend shouts in my defense.

Looking at her, Tiffany managed to snatch up a baby puffskein and hold it up to Hagrid's sight.

"I put him in her hair and she was afraid he would do a pooh."

The laughs are inevitable but I'm certain the 'do a pooh' will haunt my nightmare.

The mocking is a harmony of taunting and I can only look beside me to glare at her sitting there with the puffskein in hand as I wish he would just 'do a pooh' in her hands this instant.

At least Professor Hagrid seems reassured, smiles as the misunderstanding is cleared up, and turns back around to continue the lesson.

We're sent to different enclosures containing different creatures and are instructed to feed them to create a bond.

"Look at him acting casual as if he didn't send someone to the infirmary with a trauma to the head," I say full of venom seeing him being buddy-buddy with another Gryffindor girl as they try to feed Mooncalf in the open and have a laugh as they are surrounded by the eager herd starving for pets and seeds.

"Will you quit it and enjoy one of the only course that's relaxing here," she scolds kneeling closer to the ground to feed a diricawl who nibs at her finger affectionately before walking past her hand and pitter-pattering to her to lay his head on her chest to receive pats on his head.

"Plus you've already been told we can't know if the blow was on purpose."

"That's a load of bullshit and you know it, he's one of the best beaters here," I say with a pointed look at her throwing a violent handful of seeds towards the rest of the diricawls.

"Did I just hear you compliment Fred Weasley?" she says looking up at me with a teasing smile.

"It's not a compliment I'm just stating a fact, the probability of Weasley hitting someone right on the head by accident at such distance is close to none," I say throwing another handful as my eyes catch a paddock with dubogs in it, one in particular who is devouring the weasel with his bulgy eyes.

There are three dubogs in the small paddock and two of them are cooling off in the dirty pond uninterested in anything else but sunbathing with only their eyes above the murky water blinking one at a time as the third one is eating up Weasley with his eyes.

A devilish idea makes its way into my head. The opening I get is served to me on a gold platter as Tiffany is distracted by the herd of diricawl overtaking her landing her on the ground, surrounded.

My chance is heightened by Weasley's back turned to me talking with his little girlfriend.

I take my chance disregarding any rational thought invading my head. Sneakily climbing over the fence, I crouch and walk toward the desired enclosure. The creature doesn't seem to sense me approaching and if he does he doesn't seem to care one bit licking his eye and pawing the ground with his hind leg.

A part of me wishes I could egg him on and ask him if he wants to nibble on the Weasel's ankles but I'd rather not throw my plan out of the window. Instead, I carefully slide my arm to the latch and pull on it slowly to make sure not to make any noise before giving the door a small push to create the crack that seems to be enough to throw the creature out for a jog as he crashes against the paddock's door.

I don't get to see the seconds before the disaster as I have to hurry back and jump over the fence once again, running back to my friend and free her from the diricawl's clutches giving her a hand and raising her back up as the show starts.

The screams that grace my ears aren't from fear but more from shock as the tall redhead lands on the ground when I finally get to lay my eyes on him. The dubog licks him from bottom to top with the creature's natural dirt and slimey skin rubbing off on him as his Gryffindor girlfriend screeches for help calling for Professor Hagrid who runs up to help in a flash.

The man's height isn't only impressive and intimidating but also a great advantage to grab the massive creature off and drag it back to its enclosure where the other two are still sunk in the water, sunbathing and behaving.

Once shut close, Professor Hagrid grips the wooden bars of the enclosure to gather himself before turning around and helping Weasley up with just one hand gripping the back of his blouse. While he seems shaken up by the encounter, he tries to rub off some of the mud on his face but only manages to smear it looking around at the rest of us.

The reactions vary, some are as shocked as he is and others shrug off their worries and are now laughing at his appearance now that they've established that he is healthy and no longer in danger.

I myself giggle knowing that while I can't get him punished for his action back on the pitch, I get to watch him look like a fool and even up the score. My friend does not agree and lets me know by elbowing me in the ribs making me groan mixing laughter and painful grunts.

Laughter that is spotted by the redhead when his head whips to me before his eyes light up.

His eyes shift from eureka to burning hatred. Shrugging off the hand of his friend trying to tidy him up and storms in my direction.

"It's you! You did this!" he yells shoving me back and sending me stumbling on the ground probably trying to get me as dirty as he is. The confrontation is cut short when Hagrid once again showcases his immeasurable strength by yanking the weasel back with a tug on his now mostly white blouse and throwing him behind his eleven-foot frame that stands now right in front of me.

"Enough with the both of you!" his voice booms in the open area.

He takes a step back and I can get a peak at the redhead enough to see him huffing and puffing from being thrown around like a doll.

"This is a classroom, not a pub. Now the both of you will walk all the way up to Professor McGonagall's office and explain exactly why I had to send the both of you to her and she will be the one to give you your punishment!"

I look at him now, hair disheveled and his tie undone covered in dirt and mud and slime. He still looks somewhat decent as he pushes his hair back with a huff.

I must look just as messy with my pink hair having been thrown on the ground and I decide to tug at the end of my own blouse trying to tidy myself up and avoid any more wrinkles on it.

"Miss Granger, please accompany those two, you know what to do if they misbehave."

"She tried to kill me!" Fred yells pointing at me.

"Do you have any proof, Mr.Weasley?"

He seems to hesitate for less than a second before motioning to me with his hand in frustration.

"It's logical thinking, she hates my gut and she's crazy!"

"You jerk-!" I bellow throwing myself in his direction before I'm engulfed in the Professor's arms.

"Enough!" He yells once more letting me go only when I stop fidgeting in his hold.

"There is no way of proving the Miss did anything. This paddock's lock has been faulty for a while and after this incident, I will personally see that it is dealt with."

He says as if he was addressing the whole class who is still standing all around us watching the event unfold.

"As for the both of you, you will do as you're told and let Miss.Granger accompany the both of you back to the castle and receive the punishment the both of you deserve for the waste of both my time and your classmates' time."

The tone is harsh and the decision is final.

"I am very disappointed in the both of you. You're worth so much more than this petty rivalry," the man shakes his head walking away.

Those words seem to have the same result on both of us. We look down a bit ashamed before we are ushered away by Hermione as we start the long and silent journey back to the castle.

We both stand in silence, side by side with yet a respectable distance as the two professors stand in front of us with judgmental stares that don't need any words to transcribe their distaste…or is it disappointment?

We were sent to our respective bathrooms to clean up 'as best as you can' while my request to wash off completely was denied by both teachers and so here I stand with the back of my blouse tainted by dirt as Weasley could barely wash the slimy texture out of his own blouse and barely dry it with what I believe might have been a spell.

And so here he stands looking dirtier than me despite the order to clean up.

"Now that the awful stench has been managed I believe a proper punishment is in order," McGonagall says with her hands joined in front of her.

"I agree, my cauldrons are in dire need of a scrub," Snape says with his usual disinterested tone.

Weasley starts protesting and claims that I should receive a harsher punishment for my so-called actions.

"She tried to kill me!" he protests.

"And as I told you Mr.Weasley there is no way for us to possibly prove this claim as Professor Hagrid did not see any of this unravel."

"Just like no one saw you throw that bulger." I bite under my breath.

"Exactly Miss.Hermlock. And I would suggest you speak with your full chest if you have any objection." Mc.Gonagall drily berates me.

"Snape-Professor Snape," he quickly corrects himself, "said multiple times that in such cases veritaserum should be used, and since she's SO confident saying she didn't do anything she won't mind doing this, won't she," he says towering over my side.

"I've always known you were a moron but I never thought you would outdo yourself in front of teachers," I smirk crossing my arms.

"Mr.Weasley, even with Miss.Hermlock's permission, the usage of such beverage on a student is forbidden. I would've hoped that with a father working for the ministry, you out of all of us would remember that."

My smirk doubles in size which I thought would never be possible.

In the end, my smirk is wiped away when we are both awarded two hours of detention with Snape. And as if it wasn't enough the punishment is cleaning the endless potion class's cauldrons.

We're ordered to go clean up, thoroughly this time and go for lunch before being expected in the dungeons for our detention hours.

We arrive at the same time just as the last student exits the class, we are left standing side by side, or more precisely 3 feet away from each other as we walk in right in front of Snape's office where he is seated with his head down to his paper purposely stalling and letting us stand there in awkward silence.

What must've been minutes feel like hours as I try my best not to side-eye the redhead standing silently beside me.

I wonder if I should've refrained from opening that damn pen when I hear those continuous scraping of pen meant to insult us as the dark-haired teacher ignore our presence.

He finally puts his feather back in its inkwell before he stands resting both his hands on his desk, "I believe I don't have to remind you what you need to do during those two hours of detention."

Neither of us answers and that seems to egg him on to stand straight and walk around his desk to stand right in front of us, his hands placed behind him.

"You two will clean every single cauldron here, I made sure none of my classes cleaned their equipment to make sure the lesson will stick and you won't have to keep me company again on such a fine day," he says bending to my height and looking straight into my eyes for just a moment before moving his sight onto Weasley, "At least one of you will learn."

Standing back up his speech is interrupted by strong stomps getting closer.

Turning around, the three of us look towards the class's entrance as we spot for a single second a figure sliding across the entrance and disappearing with a loud thud that sounds painful.

It is the first time I make eye contact with the weasel since the last time we butted heads and it is to share a sour scrunched-up expression for the victim of the fall who we hear grunting in the hallway before the sound of their footsteps echoes once more and we see the face of the one who rushed here most likely to speak to Snape.

He's bent over leaning on the door out of breath.

"Berkshire, if you're done fooling around you may grace us with an explanation as to why you're disturbing this detention."

Still out of breath, Enzo Berkshire huffs and puffs for a few more seconds before settling down still bent over.

"It's Nott," he exhales deeply before breathing in once more, "He and Wood started a brawl between quidditch teams, Hooch told me to come get you."

Turning back to the teacher, his eye roll is noticeable and his silence is an obvious assessment of the situation as he probably is planning what to do now that he is torn between us two and the alleged brawl.

"Alright, As the head teacher of house Slytherin, I will accompany Berkshire and assist Professor Hooch in this conflict."

He points to us, "As for the two of you. You will stay here and complete your detention without any complaints. If you leave before your time is up, I will know and that will reward you an entire week of detention."

Pointing at Berkshire, Snape walks past us and orders him to lead them away and with a flick of his wand makes it known that it is thanks to that maneuver that he'll know of us potentially leaving the classroom.

"Behave." is all he says before walking right behind a speeding Enzo Berkshire.

I wonder if he was referring to the both of us or maybe just Weasley.

I don't get to ponder on that before my thoughts are drawn elsewhere at the realization that my worst nightmare is unfolding before me, I am now stuck with the most insufferable student here for two hours doing the most aggravating task besides cleaning the house bathrooms.

I only get back to reality when I hear him throw his robe and satchel on a nearby station.

Being left alone with him, the task at hand, and the absence of Snape to muzzle the redhead angers me as I frop my own bag and stomp to one of the sinks filled to the brim with dirty cauldrons.

I don't even get to enjoy a full minute of tense peace as the douchebag starts his usual yapping.

"Can't say I'm surprised he would leave me alone with you, Snape has always hated me and it's no wonder he left me with you considering you tried to kill me," he mouths off as always lifting a cauldron from its stove and piling it on top of another one.

"And yet you're still breathing, what a shame." I roll my eyes as well as my sleeves picking up a scraper.

A moment of silence passes and I pray this is the moment he realizes he needs to shut up so we can endure the rest of this detention in mild peace but alas this is a good idea and everyone knows that Frederick Weasley never had one of those in his life.

"Damn. The sorting hat must've made a mistake, maybe you belong with the other psychopaths in Slytherin." He throws both cauldrons beside the filled sink with a loud clang.

"I'm sorry but I'm not the one cladding the scales." I bite back.

"Oh, she has claws," he draws out loudly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"What is wrong with you?" I ask genuinely turning around to face him.

"No, the question is what is wrong with you," He asks back louder.

"Nothing is wrong with me! You're the one who can't figure out when to stop, you're the one who always goes too far and you're the one who went too far once again, so much so that you ended up sending my friend to the infirmary!" I hurl and see him losing that fire that usually overtakes his pupils showing he enjoys egging on people once they are set off.

"It's the risk when you play Quidditch," he tries and fails to sound firm in his statement making me scoff.

"For Rowena's sake, you're still acting as if you didn't purposely throw that bulger at him!" I say running my hands through my hair in frustration.

"I didn't!" he says even less believable.

Done with his excuses I turn back around to give all my attention back to the dirty cauldrons when he manages to slide between me and the sink making me take a huge step back.

"I didn't mean to throw it that hard."

I stare at him, no, I glare at him feeling the urge to punch him again but I remember that it didn't do anything for me the last time and instead opt to let out my frustration by hollering at him and walking away before I make the mistake of punching him and have a Professor magically appear out of nowhere to give me more detention again.

Even when I think I finally win and have him admit to his wrongs he still finds a way to make excuses for himself.

"What were you expecting?! I'm a beater that's what we do!"

Does he really think I don't know what a bloody beater is?!

Is he trying to make me pass off as an emotional wreck because of my appropriate reaction to such injury during a supposed amicable match?!

Any beater whether amateur or professional could agree that either maliciously or not that throw was unwarranted during training.

"There really is something wrong with you," I walk right in front of him, toe to toe, and spite my statement right in his face pushing him aside to gain back access to the sink.

I start scrubbing as my mind throws all the different reasons I despise the fucker. Irresponsible, unfunny, no compassion.

I'm so lost in my spiteful analysis of him that I don't register that my thoughts aren't my own anymore as I unconsciously start rambling out loud.

"An idiot who doesn't even think before taking people down with him," I grumble scrubbing away.

"Come on now it's not like he's dead," He nips throwing down yet another pile of small cauldrons beside me.

"I'm talking about me!" I yell letting go of my current task and letting the pot fall and clang with another one causing a ruckus in the sink.

"Not only is my friend in the infirmary because of you but I'm also stuck with you trying to teach someone who I learned has never been slacking in muggle history before recently."

His jaw slacks open and his eyes double in size like the breakfast sausages I had this morning.

"Wait a minute. You think I'm doing this on purpose?!"

You do everything on purpose! Your dad works for the ministry, he is a Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office employee dammit! If anyone is an expert at muggle stuff it's your dad!" I say as a matter of fact.

"And tell me exactly what would it bring me to purposely be bad at this subject all of a sudden?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe to annoy me more often than usual." it sounds like a question but I know I'm just clarifying the situation.

"You think I'm gonna waste my days stuck with you in the library acting dumb for fun?" he tries to ask sarcastically.

"And why not? Beside the library part isn't that what you do all day anyways?"

The quick wit seems like it struck him as he scoffs with a broad smile.

"If you want to be a failure for the rest of your life go ahead and be my guest but I'll ask you not to take me down with you."

That same disbelief smile disappears and leaves place for a blank look that doesn't often grace his face.

"Unlike what you think, success doesn't necessarily come from academic prowesses." he tries to bite.

"Obviously not when it comes to you." I mock before turning back around feeling satisfied for getting him not once but twice in a row.

The triumphant silence doesn't last long before he dwells in a monologue that I don't bother listening to. Instead, I tune him out and start scrubbing which helps to cover the annoying sound of his voice.

His speech feels like hours long but is probably just a few minutes tangent as by the time my ears recognize his next sentence I'm only done with the first cauldron.

"-With such a nasty attitude it's no wonder Murphy didn't show up to your date."

The cauldron clashes with another as I let it fall back into the abnormally huge sink before turning my head toward the nuisance of my life.

"How do you know about that?" the voice that comes out of my mouth is one I don't recognize.

He pauses and seems to hesitate.

"Heard Katie talk about it to her friend."

"I never said anything about it to Katie, 'matter of fact I never said anything about this date to anyone ever so there's no way you heard this through gossip."

"He told me." he tries again even less believable than the first time.

"Bullshit." I seeth.

It's bluff, while I believe I might know Murphy it's not to say that he isn't just like any other guy and simply good at hiding his real intentions.

He starts ranting about some story I can tell is made up on the spot and it's like the wheels stopped turning and the lightbulb lights up in my head with such intensity that the next words come out of my mouth in a loud realization that echoes his own.

"You did this, It was you!" I accuse him with a rageful glare.

He steps back and rolls his eyes tilting his head back, "Oh my-you know what?! Yeah, I did. I warned the guy and I did well because he deserved better than to be stuck on a date with a stuck-up cunt like you." he finishes his tirade by sticking his index finger in my enraged face.

"You're fucking evil." I spit it like it's a statement everyone agrees upon watching him turn his back to me walking farther away.

My outburst is so intense that I have to take a shaky breath and keep my tears at bay as my better judgment is thrown out the window and I decide to finally pour all my frustration out.

"You know, you always take some sick pleasure in telling me I'm cold-hearted," the beginning of my speech is shakey but I quickly regain strength in my voice to let out all my poison,"But you can't even own up to your own fucking flaws and the fact that you're nothing but a jackass who use your so-called 'pranks' to harass everyone in school because they know better to be friends with an asshole like you who's only friend is his twin because no one else wants to be around you!"

My rant is over and the only noise filling the space is my heavy breathing. Catching my breath I feel hot and can barely focus on anything other than my heart beating in my ears as I feel my boiling blood travel all through my body as I stare dead into the eyes of the one who brought me to such an extent of anger.

When my heart settles and I can finally hear my breathing slow down I can focus solely on him and realize that his stare is dead.

He's not glaring, he's just looking. All trace of anger is gone and he's left staring at me or rather through me with dead eyes.

I seem to have struck a nerve and for once the guy doesn't have a comeback. Instead, I'm rewarded with the shoulder shove of a six-foot-something figure who passes me to walk to the sink and starts scrubbing away…

What the heck?

The feeling of regret invades me for a moment but is quickly replaced by one of annoyance.

Why should I feel regret? It's not like he ever feels regret for the horrible things he does. He never apologizes to anyone no matter how far he crosses the line.

The regret quickly fades and I instead let the small spot of confidence inside me grow. It's the first time I've ever shut the mouth of the biggest jerk there is, why shouldn't I enjoy it as long as it lasts?

After everything, I'm entitled to this. I'm entitled to twist the knife.

I take a first careful step and then a second, more confident one closer to him and the sink.

"Yeah, I might be a cold-hearted bitch. But you're an arrogant jackass who's not even funny." I say more calmly yet still petty.

"Oh piss off!" he shouts throwing the cauldron back into the sink with a smash that I wonder might have actually shattered or maybe chipped one of them.

I jump aside to avoid another shoulder shove and follow him with my eyesight to spot him grabbing his stuff and realize he is trying to escape this detention to avoid my lash-out.

Figuring out his plan I catch up and run past him to stand in front of the door blocking his way out.

"No! No, You called me what you called me and now I get to call you whatever I want!"

I wonder for a moment why he doesn't push past me, for sure his frame can easily overpower mine but instead of crashing into me to walk out of the potion class he instead turns around and throws both robe and satchel on a station with a shout that almost rivals mine.

"Alright then let's go ahead, get it all out of your system sweetheart." He snarls standing in the middle of the class, his arms expanded before he places them on his hips.

"You!" the bitter tone escapes me in a rough huff as I point at him, "Have done nothing but make my life hell since the day I arrived." I start walking towards him, "And for what? I have NEVER given you any reason to hate me and yet I have been the target of so many of your pranks that I started being known as the damn Weasley's guinea pig!" I throw my finger in his direction before it falls back on my sides as I walk slowly but with conviction towards him.

"There we go!" he says faking being proud probably to egg me on in my rant with a sick smirk bending down to my eye level and crossing his arms probably to toy with me and undermine me as he always does.

"You do nothing at school but be a nuisance and waste everyone's time including mine and it's so sick to think that you can't even let others be successful just because you can't achieve anything on your own, it's pathetic!" I'm getting closer, almost toe to toe with the redhead who doesn't take a step back and stays planted where he stands or rather is bent over.

"Come on let it all out," he snarls.

"But somehow I was still stupid enough to think that this time you would have the decency to at least admit you went too far and apologize for hurting my friend but even then you cannot take responsibility as always," I finish my tirade taking my final step right in front of him as our noses brush.

"Anything else?!" he angrily spits in my face with a scowl.

I breathe in harshly wishing I could punch him or clap back like I did before but realize if my rant hasn't aroused all kinds of empathy it is useless to keep calling him names it won't male a difference.

"Yeah, your attempt to make me look ugly by turning my hair pink completely failed because I still look good unlike you," I say sourly throwing a glance at his mop of hair.

He sneers.

His arms that were crossed in front of him manage to travel up and brush strands of hair behind my ears before his fingers slide down and twirl the locks in his hands toying with them.

When I'm done bathing in the hatred coating his eyes I notice I'm not the only one panting when I feel his breath brush my face.

Why is he panting? I'm the one who just rambled angrily for five minutes.

"Got it all out?" he says calmer this time around.

I look at him and my eyes make the mistake of switching between his eyes and lips just a second to see his doing just the same and analyze my face.

We haven't moved from our spot and I don't know why.

"Yeah, I think so," he whispers his lips brushing over mine with each syllable.

He stands back up, his hands leaving my hair and falling back to his side as he brushes past me leaving me to stand there frozen trying to comprehend the goosebumps littering my body and my hands shaking by my hips.

I manage to turn around and see him grabbing his stuff and making his way to the class entrance once more.

I find my voice, less confident than before but still strong enough to try and stop him.

"What are you doing detention isn't over yet!" I begrudgingly state.

"Then I guess I'll get a week's worth of detention!" he announces walking out with one hand clutching his satchel and the other one throwing his robe over his shoulder.

He's gone, and in the newly found silence, I breathe out through my nose and assess what just happened.

Weasley just mocked me, pissed me off and egged me on, undermined me, and left me in a classroom filled to the brim with cauldrons to clean all by myself after toying with my anger, my hair, and…

My hand bolts into fists and my nails sink into my palms as I conclude what I already know.

I hate him.

[myfairkatiecat]

Gonna write an AU one of these days where Keefe was brought up with the neverseen so he doesn’t meet Sophie at foxfire. They meet when he’s a part of the team that kidnaps her and Dex—and he stages their “accidental” escape. Gisela is with the neverseen and bringing Keefe up with them has convinced the neverseen by this that her little legacy plan can be useful to the neverseen’s motives.

Keefe wasn’t prepared to see the version of him from the other side being hurt like that. She was his age and everything. She didn’t look bad or evil or twisted—she looked hurt and scared and innocent.

Sophie can’t stop thinking about the boy who set them free

They continue to run into each other when they encounter the neverseen. Keefe is super powerful and has all his abilities unlocked and merged or whatever (I’ll wait to write this until after the real book 10 so I have a better idea about Gisela’s plan for him) and they really are nemeses. Keefe doesn’t know another way but can’t see how the girl can be evil. Sophie knows he is the enemy but also sees that he is a good person.

At some point they end up with the same sort of connection from Lodestar where she mentally reaches out to him and they talk. Obviously they get there way differently

Keefe slowly eventually converts to the black swan side as he realizes that the other group isn’t on the side of the council or prejudice either and is also a group trying to push for change for the greater good. But since he’s been a part of the neverseen his whole life they ACTUALLY trust them, and bc Gisela’s plans with stellarlune and with Keefe’s legacy have been accepted into the neverseen’s lodestar initiative so Keefe is actually integral to their vision. So the double agent thing works A LOT BETTER

Enemies to lovers

Sophie discovering Keefe is actually funny for the first time would be an amazing moment in this

All the things I could write with this??

Anyway if anyone knows a similar AU I could read in the meantime do let me know bc I need reading material for Sunday. But this is definitely something I want to write

[waves-against-a-cliff]

Nemesism - König x Reader

Nemesism

(n.) frustration, anger, or aggression directed inward, toward oneself and one's way of living.

Masterlist - Next Chapter - Series Masterlist

Summary - After a mission goes wrong, anger rises to the surface.

Content - 3k in words, Self loathing, enemies to lovers, first attempt at a slow burn, eventual smut, Reader has callsign (Birdy), König x Reader

Scope steady, the wind blowing through the tree leaves and the ghillie suit you wore to provide much-needed relief during the muggy weather. You watched with bated breath, like a guardian angel overseeing the mission and giving callouts on what you see. You fucking hated this. You hated watching them scurry around, busting down doors, and hearing their banter over comms; the twisted sense of humor pulling chuckles out of the men. Meanwhile, you lay up on a hill; being a good little sniper. They had entered the building and your thermal scope couldn’t help them now, so you switched it off with a click but kept your focus on the windows. Any guess on how enemies waited in each room would be beyond helpful towards this mission. The last one and a half years have been spent with this group. Despite the time spent with the rowdy men, who had tried to get you to join in on their journeys to the bars and pubs, to get you away from the base. You had brushed off each invitation, each insistence that you come along. “Come on now Birdy, don’t leave us hangin’.” Birdy, what a stereotypical name, always in your sniper nest like a bird. No matter how much you begged and pleaded to be sent in with the others for once, to let you prove how good you were. At first, you had leaned into the nickname, used to send out whistles to mimic the songs of birds but it had soured over the past few years. 

Their voices crackle to life over comms, “Birdy, got any idea how many are inside the north room?” It comes in a whisper but you’d recognize that voice instantly, Rick. Mostly because he had been the one on the team since the start. You glance over to the area he was referring to, trying your best to pick out how many enemies stood on the other side of the door. 

“Four, maybe five, be prepared.” You say after a moment, you begged for another gust of window to soothe your hot skin. The mission continues, you hear gunfire in the great distance, the loud cracking of shots being fired but you hear no panicked words through comms; when you glance through the scope one more time, you see Rick giving you thumbs up from the window. You huffed as you finally got off your stiff position on the ground, desperately removing the sweaty and uncomfortable ghillie suit. Stretching your limbs as you stood before grabbing your sniper rifle and you make your way to the exfil location. Softly, you whistled back the tunes of familiar birds and enjoyed the moment of silence before you reached the clearing and waited for your team to arrive. 

As the team sat, waiting for exfil and treating minor wounds, they chatted; about leave mostly, seeing as two were going on for different reasons. Reasons you were sure you were told at some point but forgot. Mostly because you didn’t care because you wouldn’t be here when they got back. “Last mission, huh Birdy?” Taffy asked to stir you from your deep thoughts. You blink at him a few times, sniper rifle resting against the same tree you stood against. 

“Yeah.” You finally answer. Being reassigned wasn’t unusual for you but it's not like you were constantly being tossed around like a doll between little girls. This, however, had been one of your shortest assignments to date. You are spared from any more prying questions as the distant sound of helicopter blades breaks through the silence and the men continue to converse amongst themselves. You dart your eyes between each man, names or code names coming quickly to mind; Rick, Taffy, Quinn, and Gus. All good men and probably good friends to have but your wonderful personality keeps you from that. Or rather, you keep you from that.

When the helicopter landed back at base, the sun had begun to set but that didn’t stop the burst of energy from hitting your system. The idea of taking a shower, no matter how cold or hot, was invigorating. You scrambled to get your gear put up and locked away, peeling off the vest and extra tactical gear. The feeling of the cold water hitting your skin, washing off the dried sweat and dirt from the mission. Letting it run down your back and neck, shivering as your body reacted to the cold water. Goosebumps appear along your arms and legs as you scrub away the day with the knowledge that you had a flight to catch soon. 

-

The flight is long, and you feel like you're gonna fall asleep standing up from the jet lag that haunts you. From being in America to the U.K was a dramatic change, not just in culture but in time. You can see his mouth moving, hear him talking but it's all going in one ear and out the other. John Price, that was his name, the knowledge not coming willingly to your mind. “Birdy, are you awake?” Price asks and you numbly nod, following him through the new base towards the barracks. “We currently have a few operators from a PMC, KorTac.” That rang a bell instantly in your head. You had worked with a few operatives from that PMC, Roze, and Zero. They were good soldiers and Roze had managed to crack a joke that got everyone to at least smile after a rough mission. 

“Who are they?” You ask but Captain Price insists he’ll introduce all of them tomorrow along with the rest of your team. He brings you to your quarters, telling you to rest up before leaving the room. With a long sigh, you place what little items you brought with you in their respective places. You crawled into bed, uniform ready for tomorrow, and were whisked away by sleep.

-

The alarm blared, heavy eyelids lifting to make eye contact with the alarm clock that alerted you that it was officially 5 am. The very little sleep you got felt like torture, a taste test with no promise of the full meal for another day. Still, you trudged out of bed and got dressed in the uniform you had laid out for yourself. Rubbing your eyes as you struggle to remember the directions that your new Captain had given you to find the place you were meant to meet the team you were going to work with for the foreseeable future. With a mixture of wandering around and a small miracle, you found where the team was waiting. They stood in two separate groups, not by much but enough for anyone to notice these guys didn’t work together often, if at all. 

You look at the rest of the team. Another man, not nearly as tall as the giant but who still towered over you, wore a skull mask with a U.K. flag patch on his vest. His brown eyes burned into yours and urged you to pull eye contact away, which you did once you spotted the slightly shorter man beside him who had a mohawk. Mostly definitely out of regulation and a Scotland flag patch, with the most lively blue eyes you had ever come across and a smile on his face. You find the brown eyes and sepia-colored skin, with a mustache that he must be very proud of or didn’t bother to shave off. And finally, your eyes drift over to who must be part of the KorTac group, and much to your slight delight (read: massive delight), Roze was among the three people. You cracked a small smile at seeing a familiar face before you looked at the two you didn’t know. 

Immediately your eyes were drawn to the giant that seemed to consume so much space within the room, his sniper hood with what looked like bleached tear stains causing goosebumps to sprout up across your arms. Noting the Austrian flag patch, you looked at the third person, finding yet another masked man with sunglasses and a South Korean flag patch. You almost felt out of place among so many masked people. “Birdy, glad you found your way here.” Price said, who stood off not far from the two groups. “This is Ghost, Soap, and Gaz.” He said, subtly pointing at each one. Fitting, you thought, that the man with the skull mask was named Ghost. At least he knew what he was about. “And these are the three KorTac operators who will be sticking around for a while, Roze, Horangi, and Konig.” 

You make eye contact with all of them as Price lists them off and introduces you, “This is Birdy, they’ll be with us for a while so try to treat them like you would anyone else.” You almost rolled your eyes at that, having heard it too many times for your own liking. “We got a mission in a day, so better get to know each other quickly. I don’t want any fuck ups.” He said, his coarse British accent clear as he slipped clearly into his Captain role. At least you wouldn’t be the only American with Roze nearby. 

-

You were wrong. Roze wasn’t on this mission, much to your hidden disappointment. You were glad she wasn’t for the moment, as you ran through the forest with a pistol in hand and your heavy sniper rifle on your back. “Fuck, fuck.” You cursed under your breath. Your spot had been compromised, “I don’t have enough sleep for this.” You complain softly, ducking behind a tree to see if you have lost your attackers. “This is Birdy,” You mutter into comms, breathing heavily and labored, “My spot was compromised.” You glare at the massive masked man who had moved, silently warning him not to move another fucking muscle.

“Heard, can you two make it to the second spot?” Ghost’s voice came from the comms and you sigh heavily, thinking about calling it quits for just a moment before steeling your resolve.

“Yeah, we can make it.” You answer, pulling your sniper back into position on your back. He answers, telling you to do it quickly. That they needed eyes from above. You turn to Konig, narrowing your eyes to warn him that this is far from over as you sprint toward the second spot. Quickly resetting your spot back up, you turn to Konig. “Don’t.” You hiss, “Fucking do anything.” You say.

By some miracle, the rest of the mission goes off without much more fuss. A few near misses and new bruises bloom on the 141’s bodies. Standing at the spot you were meant to get exfiled at, everyone avoided you with the understanding that you were seething. Beyond pissed and weren’t coming down from your anger any time soon. As soon as the plane landed back on base, you cornered the giant. Your vision is nearly red with the silent anger that had been boiling the entire time. “You.” You hiss, grabbing his sleeve to pull his attention towards you. “What the fuck was that?”

You began to scream at him, not caring for the attention you were quickly drawing to the entire situation. “Are you a sniper? Because it seems like you’re just a big asshole who managed to compromise the first position.” You raved.

“Don’t yell at me,” Konig said, meeting your eyes and only finding unbridled rage in them.

“Don’t yell at you?” You scoff, nearly laughing, “How about you don’t fuck up so spectacularly? Huh? How about that?” You point a finger into his chest, ignoring the immeasurable height difference. “I have never seen anyone compromise a position that quickly. Do you understand you have to be still to be a sniper? Or does that fucking mask of yours help you ignore that fact?” You knew you were being rude. Mean and a bully, that you would feel shame for this later if not sooner. 

“Birdy, that's enough.” Captain Price snapped, you turned your head towards him. Noticing that Konig had his fists balled up and was nearly shaking, still, your rage continued.

“He’s not a sniper. Don’t fuel his fantasy of being one.” You snap before storming off, leaving the entire team with a very terrible first impression.

-

You sat in your quarters, wrapping the bandages around your knuckles with tears nearly in your eyes. Whether it was from how much your knuckles hurt or the deep burn of embarrassment you felt in your soul. The room smelled stale, something you hadn’t noticed until you had slammed the door so hard it shook the walls. You knew you would get a yelling from Captain Price and you ignored the part, the sick part of you, that almost wanted it. For the screaming and berating that surely awaited you after what happened. But still, an ember of anger burns inside you and you rage in your head still. What had given anyone the idea to give the man who couldn’t sit still on the way to the location, a sniper rifle? You didn’t care how good he was at practice, those targets stand still. You clenched your fist and sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. 

A sharp knock rapped on your door, pulling you from your thoughts. Getting up from where you were sitting on the bed, you opened the door expecting Captain Price. But it's him instead. “What do you want?” You snap, expecting him to flinch at the harshness of your tone but see no reaction from him. Those icy blue eyes stare into your soul, his mask with those bleach marks that look disturbingly like tears making goosebumps rise up on your skin. The silence draws out for a few seconds, building the feeling of uncomfortable 

“I’m sorry.” He says, his accent thick. You can’t tell if he actually means it, his eyes like a stone wall and his face hidden behind the mask. “For screwing up on the mission.” He adds on a second later after he notices the soft raging sea behind your eyes rises into a storm. He’s fidgeting again, picking at his nails and the skin. 

“No.” You respond, glaring up at him. “Fuck you.” You watch on with bated breath as his icy walls melt from the intense heat of his anger rising to the surface. You can see his brows appear within the eye holes of the mask, a soft blonde.

“What?” Konig asks, fist clenching at his sides. Konig could feel his rage boiling, staring down at you as you denied his apology. “I am sorry.” He says again. He didn’t want to do this, make trouble amongst the group he was contracted by. You scoff, crossing your arms and it sends him over the edge. “You had no right to yell at me the way you did.” He finally snaps, “None!”

Another scoff leaves your mouth, disguising the way your heart leaped into your throat at his yelling. “I had every right.” You laugh out the words. “You fucked up and I don’t even know why they would ever let you even try to be a sniper. You couldn’t even sit still on the way there.” You raised your voice.

“I don’t care! I know I screwed up, I didn’t need you screaming at me in front of everyone else!” He screamed back, standing to his full height. “If you would just give me a chance-”

You cut him off, “I did.” You growl, narrowing your eyes at him, “I did and you fucked up so horribly, that you managed to compromise our entire position. It's a miracle that no one got injured.” You look at his full height and want to roll your eyes. “You are far too tall to be a sniper anyways.” 

He opens his mouth, about to say something again before he's cut off by the appearance of Captain Price. “Konig, to your quarters. Birdy, with me.” He says. Konig immediately walks off, stomping down the hallway. You watch him go before following Captain Price until you reach his office. He opens the door and ushers you in with a grim look on his face, sitting down behind his desk and you sit down across from him on instinct. “Birdy,” He starts.

“Sir I am so sorry.” You quickly say, about to start the long apology and accept whatever punishment he saw fit for your reaction today.

“I know. But that's not the main issue here,” He says and you look at him with disbelief, questioning what he meant. “I was hoping that all of you could work together well without even a week to prepare you. It's clear that all of you need some team training refreshers.” You feel your stomach sink.

“Sir I really don’t think-”

“This isn’t what you think, it's what you need. Naturally, you’ll be paired with Konig.” He says, looking at you before pulling out a cigar from his desk drawer. “I expect no more screaming matches this late at night and leave the berating to your Lieutenant or me Birdy.” He adds after taking a puff from his freshly lit cigar, blowing the smoke away from you. “Dismissed Sergeant.” You nod, getting up and not bothering to argue anything different. There was no point, you dug your grave and now you had to lie in it. 

You lay in bed, knuckles sensitive after you went back to the gym to punch the bag a few more times despite the way they were already aching from the previous session. Your mind swam with anger and annoyance, fucking Christ. You turned over on your side to find a different position that might coax your mind to sleep.

The morning came sooner than you wanted, waking up before your alarm from your restless sleep with a groan. Getting dressed before making your way to the mess hall, where breakfast was being served. After eating, you followed the rest of the team after being informed team training started soon in the training area.

[swordsonnet]

okay i lied, i am going to be talking spoilers (because i have no self-control, and i've seen other people share spoilers in the magnus protocol tag, so i assume it's fine?). assorted rambling thoughts on the premiere under the cut:

-ngl "rusty quill presents... the magnus protocol" made me so emotional

-ah yes, a civil service data entry job that has you working night shifts for no discernible reason. that's not ominous at all

-i love the new characters already! they all have such interesting personalities and relationships with each other, can't wait to see how they'll be developed in further episodes. colin is probably my favourite so far, we stan a grumpy IT guy

-speaking of colin, i'm glad we've got a scottish character this time! i love TMA to bits, but it had a lamentable lack of scottish accents

-alice is so much fun as well! i love how jonny described her as a "tumblr shitposter par excellence"

-sam is such a sweet guy, but i'm sure he'll be introduced to The Horrors™ soon enough... although maybe he already was! he seemed to be familiar with the magnus institute, and just like the trailer, this episode also hinted at something traumatic in his past that led him to join the OIAR. probably something to do with those dubiously ethical child psychology experiments...

-i hadn't even considered what OIAR would sound like spoken out loud, and it's so awkward lmao. really doesn't roll off the tongue

-i kinda ship alice and gwen now tbh. i'm getting prime "workplace nemeses to lovers" vibes from them

-okay, let's address the thing everyone's probably thinking about: i'm not sure how to feel about jon and martin's - sorry, chester and neil's - involvement in protocol. (i mean, it's not 100% confirmed that it is jon and martin, but it seems pretty likely.) like i've said before, i would have preferred to keep the ambiguity of their original ending, but on the other hand, this could be shaping up to be a really interesting plotline. plus, y'know, i've gotten pretty emotionally attached to these characters (*gestures vaguely at my ao3*), so i wouldn't be opposed to seeing them again!

-i guess the guy alice nicknamed augustus is going to be jonah magnus, then? that idea is just so funny to me. imagine being trapped in a computer with your boyfriend (who stabbed you) and your evil boss (whom you stabbed)

-i really like the vibe of the new "statements"! i particularly enjoyed the forum entries, i always appreciate the use of unique formats to tell a story. it reminds me a little of analogue horror, though of course it's the exact opposite of analogue - you could call it digital horror, i suppose? anyway, much as i loved the more traditional horror story structure of the TMA statements, i think it's super exciting that they're branching out and trying new things with protocol. looking forward to see what else they'll come up with!

[thepenultimateword]

Thoughts on hero x villain's henchman or villain x hero' sidekicks? Whether it's friends, roommates, lovers, enemies, etc.

This dynamic is so under appreciated, but I love it!

1. Everyone thinks Hero has really cracked down on putting Villain behind bars, what with the daily infiltrations of the criminals base and the egging on fights, and all that. But really they’re just trying to see that cute henchman they ran into a few months ago.

2. Henchman and Hero have been dating for a while now, and they have a strict no talking about work agreement in their relationship. This keeps both of them from compromising their positions in their respective organizations, as well as saving them from any physical harm—a precaution that must be considered when working for criminals and suits. It all seems to be going fine. Until Villain finds out.

3. Villain knows that Henchman has a massive crush on the Hero, so they begin planning their schemes around pushing them together. Henchman suddenly finds themself in a lot of one on one fights with Hero as well as with lots of solo guarding time whenever Hero is trapped or hostage.

4. Hero is always ok. They never get afraid or upset or panicked. If they don’t come up with a plan, they have their brute force and unshakeable will power to rely on. Henchman is used to Hero being ok. Because of this, they don’t realize that it might be bad timing to ask Hero out when they’re trapped. And they don’t notice the hero’s mask of okayness is slipping.

5. Villain Sidekick is older than the villain they’re partnered with, and they’re already insecure about it. It doesn’t help that their villain’s nemesis, Hero, is always teasing them that they’re too old and saying they should be their own villain by now, not someone else’s lackey. As if they had the means for something like that. Sometimes they wish they could just shut that hero’s mouth.

6. Villain Sidekick and Hero met first. It was a one time thing when Hero caught Villain Sidekick doing some solo thieving but still; Villain Sidekick thought there was chemistry. Now Hero and Villain are nemeses and they’re always fighting and bantering, and Villain Sidekick is getting jealous.

7. Hero breaks out of Villain’s secure holding cell. To make sure they escape completely off Villain’s base, they take one of the henchmen hostage and threaten them into giving access codes and guiding them safely to the exit.

8. Henchman tried to be a sidekick first, but had a bad experience with heroes and turned to villainy instead. They are none to happy to find out that their boss’s new nemesis is none other than Hero, the hero that put them off heroics in the first place. They’re not sure if they should hide or give the hero a piece of their mine, but…does Hero even remember who they are?

9. Henchman met Hero as civilians at a coffee shop yesterday. Now Hero has recognized them on Villain’s base and is blatantly hitting on them in front of their boss and coworkers.

10. Henchman goes to a work party with Hero at the Hero agency, and soon enough the other heroes (some more maliciously than others) start poking fun at Henchman for their job and relationship with Hero. Hero gets really protective.

11. Henchman is captured by the heroes, and through long sessions of interrogation Hero is slowly getting them to spill info about Villain. But Hero begins having conflicted feelings when they start to genuinely care about Henchman and their wellbeing. Especially when they know that Villain will not let snitches live and that Henchman’s betrayal is Hero’s fault.

12. Henchman kisses Hero on a dare. They don’t think much of it at the time, but they are soon surprised to find the hero actively pursuing them as a romantic partner, and they have no idea how to feel about it.

[wearingaberetinparis]

Call It What You Want - Chapter 3

An Indulgent Jily Workplace Enemies to Lovers AU

The sex was supposed to have been a one-time thing. It was a mistake, shouldn’t have happened in the first place. The other one had just been there at the right place at the right time. It had everything to do with needing to find a release after a most difficult and stressful day at work. It had absolutely nothing to do with them actually liking each other. Please, they were frenemies at best, nemeses at worst. This is a Jily Workplace Enemies to Lovers AU written for and inspired by @athenasparrow. Title and chapter titles inspired by Taylor Swift’s reputation.

Let the games begin! Read Chapter 3 HERE!

Thank you so much for those who have read Chapter 1 and 2 and have been enjoying this story so far. I hope Chapter 3 lives up to your expectations. Next update Sunday 27 August 2023!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb:

Former friends and former flames reunite on a mayhem-spike quest in this cozy romantasy perfect for readers of Legends & Lattes and lovers of Shrek.

“This delightful novel has the best The Princess Bride vibes.” —Jodi Picoult

TEN YEARS AGO, THEY SAVED THE REALM. IT RUINED THEIR LIVES.

Everyone in Mythria knows the story of how best friends Beatrice and Elowen, handsome ex-bandit Clare, and valiant leader Galwell the Great defended the realm from darkness. It’s a tale beloved by all—except the heroes. They haven’t spoken in a decade, devastated by what their quest cost them.

But when they all receive an invitation to the queen of Mythria’s wedding, it’s a summons they can’t refuse . . . and a reunion for the ages—with Clare secretly not over his long-ago fling with Beatrice, Beatrice fighting the guilt she feels over how everything ended, Elowen unprepared for the return of her ex-love (the cunning Vandra), and all of them lost without Galwell. And if reuniting with former friends and lovers wasn’t perilous enough, dark forces from their past have also returned.

Dusting off old weapons and old instincts, Beatrice, Clare, and Elowen will face undead nemeses, crystal caves, enchanted swords, coffee shops, games of magical Truth or Dare, and, hardest of all, their past—rife with wounds never healed and romances never forgotten.

This time around, will their story end in happily ever after?

Review:

What happens to heroes after the quest is finished? What happens when a group of friends loses one of them, and now ten years later are dealing with the aftermath of their grief, romances, and friendship. Two set of ex lovers, a road trip, and facing off against a new evil.... maybe a new quest can help mend the pains of the old one. Ten years ago, four people, four best friends, went on a quest to save the realm... but in doing so ruined their own lives when their leader dies. now ten years later there is Beatrice (freshly divorced and dealing with her hatred for Clare), Clare, a handsome ex bandit who has been nursing a crush on Beatrice for ten years.... and despite hating her for what she did he can't seem to let her go, especially now that she is divorced and free, and finally there is Elowen, a recluse who has run away from her ex-love ( a cunning assassin named Vandra). When their leader and best friend died, all of them separated... and have not been in touch for over ten years but when they are all asked to attend the Queen's wedding they all have to face one another again.... and when the Queen's fiancee is kidnapped they'll have to go on one last quest, but it could either break them apart further or finally heal them all. This was definitely a book for fans of second chance romances and DND adventures. It just kind of fell flat for me personally and I wasn't all that invested in the characters and their romances. The characters just felt like they were missing something and that they could have benefitted from a bit more personality. Overall it just didn't fit with me but I do think it would be a fun read for others.

Release Date: October 29,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[transingthoseformers]

You should make some kind of starter kit or guide to writing MegOp cause I have a MegOp fic idea but have no idea how to approach their relationship it seems so daunting. Like I'm scared I'm gonna get it wrong somehow- (this isn't a request or anything you're not obligated to actually do this just to clarify)

I suppose it depends a lot on continuity (how much do they have in common, do they have previous history?) on how it affects it, but it's this sort of push and pull dynamic.

I actually don't really know how to describe it because I accidentally-ed my way into Megop being my main pairing

I've seen video essays and posts before talking a lot about homoerotic nemeses being a ✨thing✨ in other fandoms but I think it applies well here. We know in canon there's often this sense of obsession, whether it's one sided or mutual, with the enemy and for me it doesn't take much to twist it into a salacious dynamic.

It's the good guy with a soft spot in his bleeding heart for the bad guy.

It's the bad guy with a soft spot in his hardened heart for the good guy.

It's the hero of the story saying they want to be better™️ than the villain by not killing him, but it's truly because they can't stand to think of a world without them.

It's the villain of the story letting the hero go again and again because they want to brag they want to challenge they want to needle at the hero to get a reaction.

I love the whole idea of "fall in love on the battlefield behind the blade"

If you're dealing with a situation where they did know each other before the war, you get the juicy friends -> enemies -> lovers or often lovers -> enemies -> lovers again, a favorite of mine for tfp Megop. Love twisted into something ugly and that something ugly twisting into love again

Or both! It being complicated enemies with benefits or enemies and lovers!

I'm still here for aus where they were/are always on the same side or no-war too! I just love these two, no matter which ways they fit together or which bodies they fit together in

[latveriastrong]

I had a weird(?) dream last night that Victor was a priest. Reed was in the dream too but I can’t remember what he exactly was, only that he was still Victor’s enemy but their relationship is super complicated so he’s both Victor’s nemesis and a lover at the same time? I wish I remembered more in details lol. Anyway I thought I should share this with you

Okay but Victor would make an excellent sexy priest, I mean I'm biased of course (also not Catholic, so let me apologize in advance for whatever blasphemy I might be engaging in here) ...but he does have that kind of intensity when he needs to, and I mean he has technically been an actual god a couple of times now, in the comics? So uh. Idk, he's got theological experience there, right? 🤭

Them being simultaneously lovers and nemeses I think just reflects the canon facts, so your subconscious did a good job there, imo. 👏

[monkeymindscream]

Character breakdown: my main girl Krang Two.

How I feel about this character:

If she came and killed me I'd use my dying breath to thank her.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Just two at present, one's a crossover dreamed up while talking to Wig, the other has been slowly gas station-hotdog-rotating in my mind for the last week or so.

First, Ch'rell from the '03 series:

Because listen to me: Two would beat the SHIT outta this guy. Mr. Big-Bad-"I AM THE ONE TRUE SHREDDER" over here talks a huge game (not without merit, mind you! He's very formidable, especially within his own canon. Even more so when you consider that, according to the wiki, he's supposedly only nine inches tall). But nothing I saw in the '03 series would suggest to me that he'd be able to do absolutely anything against a being that could survive getting a hole burned clean through her face. And then impaled with metal support beams. And then getting a wrecking ball dropped on her. Even in his full Shredder get-up, Two could and would take him apart piece by piece if she so chose.

Now: Imagine that she didn't choose to. Imagine she found his attempts to be threatening/attempt to fight her cute. Imagine she decides she's keeping this one. I implore you, imagine this chihuahua of a space-squid realizing he is, in fact, no match for Two, not even in her ballpark, realizing she could wreck his shit if she wanted, and then realizing he kind of likes that.

Can you imagine the emotional fallout on Ch'rell's part. He'd rapidfire through the five stages of grief in five seconds and then blue-screen before he could process "acceptance." The ERROR.exe messages his brain would have to sift through to get up and running again would be insurmountable. It'd be so fun. I'm obsessed.

And then the second that I've basically been microwaving in my head: Ms. April O'Neil.

Obviously, insert a series of events that lets them move past the "hey, we tried to kill each other!" aspect, but just try to tell me it wouldn't be a blast to watch their personalities play off each other. Or - and I'm admittedly getting a little sappy here - how satisfying it would be to see Two's murderous tendencies turn protective? Someone's messing with April (already a bad idea, considering the family she's canonically been adopted into/her own record of kickassery), but then they're quickly made to regret their choices. Even if I doubt they'd be allowed to regret them for long.

(Also, frankly, I can't pass up a good Enemies to Lovers ship. They're basically each others' nemeses throughout the film, or at leas April becomes Two's. April's the one who burns out Two's eye, and the one who basically defeated her. That's the good shit.)

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Her brothers!! They are a SET how dare canon separate them!!

My unpopular opinion about this character:

For as much as Splintz was like "you have no character development!" I'd like to point something out: Her character archetype is the crazy, violent "all I want to do is kill!" villain, right? Think back to every other instance you've seen this type of character. If they're working for another character, who for some reason or another doesn't want them to behave violently (or at least not as violently as they'd like to be), what's their relationship usually look like? Typically pretty vitriolic, right? The Crazy-Violent character usually resents the character holding them back?

Two wanted to rip out Raph's tongue for the insult of speaking to her. She stops and backs down the second Uno enter the room, and instead immediately moves to do a little bow to him. Which, okay, the Krang are the bad guys after all, and Uno's clearly the strongest of the lot. Maybe she just fears him more than she wants to kill, and doesn't press her luck?

Except we have literally zero evidence towards that. Not only does Uno never so much as raise his voice at her (at either of his siblings, actually), but whenever she speaks to him, she's actually incredibly polite. (Again, to both her brothers - "if you two don't mind" as she excuses herself to viciously eviscerate things.)

Anyway, put it all together and I just don't feel that "psycho-killer" really encompasses all Two is. She's got layers! (Even if it's only one layer, and that layer is literally just "she likes/respects these other two guys.")

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

I really just would've like more time with her, y'know? Like I know the movie could only be so long, and it was definitely more important to spend the time they had on our protagonists, but I really really would've liked to just watch her do more of her thing. Interact with her brothers a bit more, y'know?

[ltwharfy]

Can you tell us some headcanons for older!Chlogan? 👀

Awwww, Pom, your enthusiasm for rare pairs- your own and others- is just the best! So, Chlogan, the relationship between aged-up Chloe Barbash and Logan Bush...

I will admit, it first started as a joke that amused me on a couple of levels, the main ones being "wouldn't it be funny if Louise's nemeses got together?" and "Chlogan is a fun portmanteau ship name- her name flows right into his!"

But when @sailoreuterpe was doing the rare pair ask game last year, I asked her about Chlogan and she gave a thoughtful answer, which included this: "However, considering who Chloe and Logan are, it's just as likely that their parents hate each other for dumb wealthy WASP reasons. If that's the case, Chloe and Logan could very well date specifically to piss of their parents." That sort of inspired the most developed idea I have about the two of them getting together.

I imagine them knowing each other as kids (ie- at their current ages in the show and maybe even longer) because of their parents (who dislike each other) being in the same social circle. They do not get along either. They each find the other annoying- Chloe thinks Logan is gross, Logan thinks Chloe is a spoiled brat. At best case, they ignore each other, at the worst they fight.

However, as they get older, Chloe, to her chagrin, starts finding Logan attractive and thinking of him as a "cool bad boy"- at least, in the context of her privileged social circle. By the time Chloe graduates high school, she is really starting to chafe against her parents and their rules and their expectations- so she seeks Logan out to teach her how to be rebellious- and hoping to eventually get him to date her to annoy their parents (but that's not her only reason..)

Eventually, in romcom fashion, everything resolves as follows: 1. Chloe realizes Logan actually isn't much of a bad boy or rebel after all; 2. But by that point they actually just like each other anyway; 3. It turns out their parents don't actually care if they are together.

That's the main idea I have about the two of them. Here are some jokier alternatives (which could also incorporate the childhood/family animosity background):

-Rudy sets them up. I imagine this being when they are further in adulthood. Rudy and Louise are married; Louise is running the restaurant and Logan also has a store on Ocean Avenue (skateboards or something) and they've become friends (friends who annoy each other, but still). Rudy ends up reconnecting with Chloe (maybe interviewing her for some story he's doing for public radio) and comes up with the idea of setting Chloe and Logan up. Louise mocks him for it and everyone thinks its a bad idea (including Logan and Chloe) but it works out. This idea amuses me, but I doubt I'll do anything with it because it really says more about how I see older Rudy (a romantic who thinks everyone deserves happiness) rather than Logan or Chloe themselves.

-Rewatching "A Few 'Gurt Men" for my episode ranking rewatch led me to think (based on my experience as a lawyer) which "Bob's Burgers" kids would succeed in law school and the practice of law- and honestly Chloe and Logan were two of the top names on my list (along with Tammy- being a lawyer is not about being smart, it's about being confident). I could easily see them going from work rivals (within the same firm or on opposite sides) to lovers.

Thanks for letting me talk Chlogan! I don't know if I'll ever write anything about them. I love Chloe (and have written from her POV once) but I'm not super interested in writing about Logan. I don't hate him (Linda's parents are the only "Bob's Burgers" characters I might say I hate) but I don't find him particularly compelling. That said, "Jade in the Shade" was probably the most I've enjoyed his character- and the first time I ever felt empathy for him- so who knows what the future may hold!

[mara-and-its-the-same]

Masterlist

Welp, here's what I've got so far <3

If two of them have matching emojis by them that means they go together

Stranger Things

Steve Harrington

Lets Let Steve Harrington Be Happy For Once Masterlist

Room 217 -Fluuuuufffff

2am at the Diner - self explanatory I’d say

So Stressed -giving Steve a massage cus he is sleepy, stressed, tired boy

Take a break - Steve takes care of reader after they've been over working themselves

Distraction - Hurt/comfort :((

"So this is goodbye" - What do you think it is

Crunchy Dad!Steve -He just wants to take care of his little garden ok??

Robin Buckley

11? 11. -'nemeses' to lovers, massive fluff

Hydrate, babe 🍓-Flustered Robin

Probably not 🍓 -More flustered Robin

Eddie Munson

Handfasting ceremony head cannon

Jim Hopper

Calling him Jim for the first time word vomit

Platonic with a capital P

Karen Inspired by a very very bad day at work

Steddie

Ren faire hc

midnight steddie thought #1

Narnia

Caspian

Morning kisses- It's his birthday, it's adorable, go read it

Spiderman(s)

TASM!Peter Parker

Study Session -they read, they cuddle, they're adorable

Outer Banks

JJ Maybank

Dad!JJ- Dad!JJ x Mom!reader taking their family to the store; minor angst, huge fluff, mean old ladies

Squish, Part 2 -ADHD!reader; Kiara doesn't like how distracted and excitable she is; angst and comfort

Bullet Train

Tangerine

"You saved my life"- pretty self explanatory

"Smile" -A kerfuffle at your mother's gala...

[wavex2]

humanformers sixshot/ultra magnus, plus a twitter prompt with actual robots (boy I can’t draw robots for shit)

there is one person on this rarepair ship and it’s ME and IM GONNA SAIL TO THE NEW WORLD ON IT

[clarrissanewt]

Kiss, Kill Or Marry?

Pairing: Remus lupin x fem!reader

Warnings: college!au, enemies to lovers, marauders era, james and sirius get the best ideas

(edit: A/n- merrrryyyyyy christmass!)

“Let’s play a game…”

Y/n sighed as Sirius turned on his torch, his otherwise good-looking face looking horrendous by the way James had draped him with the white sheet, his struggle for trickling horror into the spine of his three friends failing miserably as Remus yawned beside him.

Remus Lupin. He was a party popper anyway.

“I beg to interrupt from the bottom of my heart,” the girl scooted her chair away from the brunet, and nudging James out of her way, commented with faux-regards, “even the cloudy night can’t make your game scary.”

“It’s kiss, kill or marry-”

“No way in hell!” James flexed his arms prudently. “The first round starts and either Moony or Y/n would be dead.”

“How disdainful,” Remus rolled his eyes mockingly, his attention going straight back to the book he was reading before Sirius decided to bring him to the couch in a firm headlock.

“Moony agrees with me!” Prongs grinned challengingly at Y/n, well knowing how prolific nemesism can be.

“Go on, Sirius,” Y/n chimed in, passing a faible glare in Remus' direction. “Faites vos jeux.”

“Certainly, I'd put my stakes,” Sirius shut the torch the moment James turned on the lights. “But when I raise them up, don't whip.” Y/n tutted in his direction. “Like I said, it's kiss, kill or marry-”

“I'd rather crash and call it a night.”

“Padfoot, first do for Moony!” James inwicked his arms around the brunet, thus successfully preventing his escape.

Sirius nodded in agreement, his face unnaturally serious as he pulled out four chits from the pocket of his sweats. “Pick one, Moony. If you are unlucky enough to get hold of your own name, we'd gladly change it.”

Lupin shut his eyes in feigned exhaustion. “If it's my own name, I'd go to bed.”

“We can definitely see that you pick one up.” James and Sirius grinned knowingly, and as soon as one chit was picked, they sat back in faux curiosity.

Let Hurricane Lupin and Storm Y/n reign.

“Did someone get a flesh creep?” Y/n passed on a look to the three boys, two of whom seemed to have a time of their life, and the pain in ass Lupin was standing transfixed. The book in his hand, almost on the verge of tumbling down.

“Yeah, who is it, Moony?” Sirius pressed as the said boy shook his head.

“You cheated,” Remus threw the book at James as he snatched the chit from him. “There is no way I could get her!”

James gave a low whistle while both Sirius and Y/n gasped (Sirius, of course, dramatically, and Y/n out of offense) as Hurricane Lupin thrashed his book onto the floor.

“Why would I cheat? We play fair-”

“We are fucking college students and I should not have been playing this game of your in the first place!”

“We play fair,” Sirius repeated solemnly, and Y/n had to admit any seriousness on him was a sign before the storm. “Moving on. For the third time, it's kiss, kill or marry, but the real fun starts from tomorrow...”

Out of all things Remus could guess (yes, he guessed it would be Y/n's name; yes, he guessed this will not end on a good note for him), this game was something he even shuddered to guess.

“I back out,” Y/n blurted, her expressions showing the very doubts on Remus' face. James and Sirius pairing both of them together definitely meant no good.

“Too late Y/n,” Sirius smirked as he got up with James in tow, “because I did faites mes jeux, now don't whip.”

➶ ｡˚ °*. * ·

New days, new problems- uh, in James' words, new day, new propositions, and McGonagall pursed her lips at the proposal.

“I don't see what's the need to do this, Mr. Potter,” the Professor perched her specs higher, her stern eyes examining 'woah, that was a prank, professor' element in her student. “I'm sure, I've lods of work to complete rather than teaming for your God knows what plan.”

James internally screamed but nonetheless casually shrugged. The moment he stepped out of the office, the lady visibly relaxed, which didn't stay for long as James poked his head back inside.

“Are you sure, Professor? We have a bet...”

Sirius slacked back on the chair beside Remus, who was staring ahead at the Professor-less lab, and Y/n, who was sitting two seats away from him (presumably she left them for him and James or the other way round- they can't tolerate each other), was doing the same. He had this sudden, itchy feeling to point out how similar they both were, but instead decided to gasp and snatch the peace out of Moony.

“Moony! Do you know where Prongs is?”

Remus, who was more than acquainted by his sudden seizures of dramatics, shook his head. “Ask her.”

“He's gone to the washroom; or so he told,” Y/n shrugged at Sirius. “Where were you though?”

“Oh? Me? Well, you see, I happened to wake up very late today, burnt my breakfast, realised that my shirt had two top buttons broken, and totally forgot to nick my bag before I came, so I had to rush back!”

Remus turned to Sirius in new found interest. “You woke up late today?” A nod. “I woke you up at 7.”

“And you didn't even make the breakfast,” Y/n noted. “Prongs made it today and all three of us saw you eat it.”

“You never mind broken buttons,” Remus tapped his fingers on the desk, “in fact, you break them on your own for reasons.”

“And,” Y/n jabbed him in the chest, “You still don't have your bag with you. It's not Lily you are talking to. Where were you?”

“Woah! Woah!” Sirius breathed, albeit he mentally facepalmed himself for making such an unbelievable story. “Are you planning to marry Moony? Huh? Yesterday's game- yeah? He acts like my dad, and you are like a mum.”

Before either of them could retort with a sharp 'shut up' or 'no', James entered the lab, heavily panting and thus attracting a large tumult of attention. He smugly ran a hand through the mess of his hair, which all three of his friends knew meant 'I know, I'm hot as hell' and dragged himself inside, shortly followed by none other than Professor McGonagall herself.

“And what about you?”

“Washroom, darlin'.”

Y/n just rolled her eyes. “Washroom. Very well.”

“Mr. Lupin!” The Professor's nose flared with anger as she flapped through some pages, and Remus leaned forward, although a sane portion of his brain tried to trudge back. Woah, boy, she seemed lethal. “Oh. Nothing. My bad, I meant for Mr. Black.”

James thumped his best friend on the back as he gritted through his teeth and walked to her (not forgetting to smack Snape on the way). “Well, well, a Black at the back is lethal.”

Y/n sniggered lightly, which made Remus feel hot in the face. Did Y/n and McGonagall hear his thoughts?

“Miss Evans, if you would shift to the third row? Don't you dare to move, Mr. Black!”

Y/n watched as the Professor strode towards Padfoot and judging by the non-existent movement of her lips and the way Sirius looked

The fun starts tomorrow.

Fuck.

She definitely knew that Prongs and Padfoot were armored enough to pull a professor in the fun.

Five minutes later, James had been bustled off to some other corner in the front, leaving Y/n two seats away from Remus.

Two- it's supposed to be a lucky number, right? Good things come in pairs; heck, did bad things come too?

"And you two at the back," Y/n snapped her neck at the Professor, who was pointing a slender, perfectly manicured finger at them, "you both seem fine. Miss L/n, just move two seats closer-perfect!"

"Two semesTER??" Y/n winced and rubbed her ears as her 'whole semester lab partner' screeched in disbelief.

Number two turned out unlucky, true, she hates him as much if not more, but could he just make her feel a little less offended?

Oh, wait-he doesn't care.

➶ ｡˚ °*. * ·

James and Sirius fake grinned in terror as they waved at Y/n, who rolled her eyes in pure rage and didn't forget to stand at the door for a minute for no reason other than not to seem like she had been following Remus.

"Just go Y/n," James gulped, trying not to infuriate her much. "It's not your fault that you both go to the same college-"

"With a few same subjects," Sirius chimed as he sing-songs.

"Hell yeah, but it's totally both of your fault that we both are stuck under the same roof! You," she threateningly pointed at them, and Sirius has already planned his whole funeral, "never mind. I'd have better luck bragging about my feelings in front of a wall than genuinely opening up in front of you all!"

"Take care," James jumped off the couch as the literal girl on fire stomped away.

Still no luck, Remus grimaced as he realised he was two seconds late for catching up the tram to the college, and his sixth sense almost wailed when he heard Y/n stand at least ten metres away from him.

She didn’t look like always, there wasn’t a ghost of smile she generally had after bidding goodbye every evening to her friends; instead, her loud ragged breaths were perfectly audible to him over the crowd. Her grip on the strap of her shoulder bag was lethal- ahem, never mind, the grip was torturous.

And he knew no matter how much they ignored each other’s presence, there was no way he could escape her wrath.

For the next ten hours, he kept his distance, followed and tried to ignore her altogether. For a sane person, all the three together were not possible in the same entity, but hey, he’s got enough experience with this girl.

“And why have you been following me since the morning?” Y/n snapped as he finally stood in front of her in the chokingly full train.

“Who said I’m following anyone?” he flashed a smile, and she swerved her head away. “I- I just wanted to,” Remus faltered, trying to make up a believable story. James and Sirius might be tossers when it comes to brewing up stories. But he could manage them just fine- just say she forgot something, act as if he was trying to find it in his bag, apologise that maybe he left it too, and then a nice, thick blankie of silence will set in. Perfect. “I wanted to give you your book- that one you had on your desk in Slughorn’s class- yeah, that one!”

Y/n actually wanted to inform him that it wasn’t hers and that she had safely returned it to Madam Pince in the library, but well knowing what kind of geniuses her three roommates were, she willed herself to keep just and just nodded.

“I’m positively sure,” he feigned to rummage through his bag, “I had picked it up so that I could return it to you, but I don’t know why it’s not there.”

“Maybe you forgot- just like me.”

“Probably,” his fingers brushed against some papery material at the bottom of his bag, and he lunged his arm towards the pole to steady himself as the tram jerked suddenly, he kept fishing so intrigued, not noticing that his palm were encased over her’s (she did notice, but boy, look at his expression! For a moment, she actually thought he had nicked out the book somehow).

Out came four chits, crumpled to death by now and both of them gaped at it, then at each other with their mouths hanging low in disbelief.

Y/n Y/n Y/n Y/n

“SIRIUS!” Remus screamed, not minding the weird looks he and Y/n got. “JAMES!”

“I’m killing those brats,” Y/n seethed in a low voice, not wanting to put a cherry on the top of the ongoing scene in public. “I’m fucking stabbing them.”

Remus did some weird pole pulling, solely for the purpose of encouraging her to definitely finish off his friends. “Do it! I’m in it too!”

To their utter dismay, Sirius and James were off at Lily’s for that evening and the sight of the empty couch reminded her- fuck them. Fuck this partnership. That was perhaps just the heat of the moment, right?

➶ ｡˚ °*. * ·

With half of the semester rolled away, McGonagall often huffed out in satisfaction. Half a semester and the calm albeit explosive partners in the lab had fallen silent, like they had gotten used to each other’s inevitable presence, an uncomfortable boundary of hundreds of misunderstandings, unsaid feelings and guilt, all bubbling up each day but, holy moly, that’s out of her arena- she’d leave it to her master students.

So, as soon as she stood up, she gestured for Sirius and James to follow and there another started another meeting of their council.

“Can you smell it?” James popped up behind Remus, making him jump on his seat.

Y/n found this the perfect moment to initiate her plans. No professor, no attention- Mission scoot away!

But just as she pulled her chair to a distance, Sirius emerged from the side and leaned on the desk. “Smell what, Prongs?” He sniffed his way around the desk, a few times on Y/n also (no doubt he got double forced swats when he hoped for double cheese burgers), still trying to be in his ‘moral limit’ as told by the Professor.

“You can’t?” Prongs enquired as he waved his hand in the blank space between Y/n and Remus. “The sexual tension?”

Y/n choked on air and Moony doubled over as he was snatched away by his giggling mad friends. “What the fuck was that for?”

James looked from behind his glasses, with what Remus would call foolish dramatics, foolish intentions and foolish plans. “You don’t want a guy’s time? Away from the college…away from your girlfriend…”

Remus coughed. Badly. “Sure…but I’ve no girlfriend.” He looked back a last and saw Y/n rubbing her eyes…Jesus, she looked cute-

As Sirius shrugged nonchalantly, he forced his attention back. Of course, no girlfriend.

“You remember our game back then?” The brunet hadd this unending urge to bark, no, lost my memories for the good, but nodded anyway. “Yeah, I thought let’s stop it.”

“Stop? I thought the game was over that night itself.”

“Maybe,” James nudged him inside the house, “maybe not.”

“Now that’s bloody barbaric. What’s even going on?”

“Uh- Moony,” Sirius trailed behind him, “we both just thought, let’s catch up the years back. It’s been so long we have had some time alone-”

“Of course, if only you both hadn’t literally begged Y/n to be our roommate. Everything would have been fine.”

“Let’s leave that part, okay?” James took the bag from his shoulders, though their overflowing smoothness should have alerted Remus, he decided to ignore it anyway. “Go, have a bath. We’ll go for dinner.”

“Why do I need to have a bath for that?” Moony raised an eyebrow.

“BECAUSE YOU STINK!!”

Remus scowled in Sirius’ direction. “GEE, THANKS! I CAN ASSURE YOU I STINK LESS THAN YOU!!”

“Shoo, shoo, he’s mad,” James shooed him inside, just to text Sirius that the perfect time had come.

“Aaaaaahhhhh! Prongs!” He heard the click of the door being open, and diving at the knob, he locked it shut. “Hey? Prongs? The door is locked! Open it!”

Sirius jogged into the corridor and dramatically wiped sweat from his forehead. “What’s up Moony? Anything wrong?”

“The lights went fucking off.”

“Oof.”

“And the door is locked from outside- wait. I know you both did it! Open it!”

“Sorry, Moony,” James sympathetically patted on the door. “But it’s time for tea with Y/n.”

➶ ｡˚ °*. * ·

The unnaturally silent flat made Y/n step back. What must have happened here? A fight? A theft? A murder?? Why was everything so quiet even though the two gremlins made in heaven were guffawing leisurely on the couch?

“No Remus?” She asked casually, not expecting a reply.

“No, darlin’,” James shook his head. “He’s out with his girlfriend.”

Girlfriend? Y/n almost laughed. “He doesn't have one.”

“You bet!” Sirius straightened up. “You don’t get to talk here. You don't even know where he keeps his chocolates, and what is the password-”

“As a matter of fact, I do know that he keeps his chocolates on the topmost shelf in the kitchen, the corner one on the right, yes. And I also know that the password of his laptop is ‘chocolate’. Kiddish.”

“Never mind Moony then,” Sirius replied sourly. “Go freshen up. We will have chocolate cookies.”

“Tell me you didn’t use his chocolates-”

“You are a genius, Y/n. May I lead the way for my lady?”

Even though James and Sirius were mostly generous when it came to addressal and hospitality, she couldn’t help but shudder.

Band, bang! Hello? She reminded herself. They are your friends too.

Remus blinked harshly as the light in the bathroom somehow mysteriously lightened, nearly blinding him

Click.

He lunged at the door, ignoring the fact that he had been standing in a highly uncomfortable position for the past half an hour.

Much to his horror, well…

He’d not forget to appreciate the fact that even though mastermind Sirius and James did throw Y/n in the bathroom with him, they did not shut the lights.

“We are off at Lily’s!” James. Definitely him. “Might be back by midnight!”

“Don't-” Y/n’s felt her voice dissipating when she felt Remus’ hands firmly resting on her waist. Scarred, cold and ethereal.

“You better be back soon,” Remus retorted, the brown eyes settling intently on her. “I’d want to murder something.”

“Your grip hurts.”

“Don’t lie, Y/n. It doesn’t.” Y/n shut her eyes. What was supposed to happen? “Look up. Look at me.” “Why?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need your sorry!” Y/n felt the corner of eyes prickling. “It’s not my fault that James fell for Lily on the first day! It’s not at all my bloody fault that Sirius and James came to me-”

“What did they ask you?” Remus asked with mild interest.

“Stop changing the fucking topic, Remus!”

“Sorry.”

“Tell me something that’s not a sorry,” Y/n looked away harshly, wiping some stray tears. “You know even today if we both are on opposite paths, James and Sirius would always choose you. I’m simply no one-”

“You have a depth in your eyes.”

Y/n blinked. Once. Twice. “Excuse me?”

“Just thinking something that’s not a sorry,” Remus smiled sheepishly.

“Don’t give me that stupid smile. Just accept you were- I don’t know what!”

Moony nodded. “I was insecure. I was rude. I did feel that my friends would leave me at some point. I was… everything bad towards you.” He tilted his head with flickering mischief. “Hey, by the way do you like my body? Prongs told me girls would drop dead at the sight.”

Y/n looked down at the path to dropping dead, and when she realised that Remus was indeed shirtless, she felt her face grow hot and Remus hugged her tightly, tucking her head under his chin. “I’m really sorry. Just give me another chance.”

Accio bonus!

Remus paced in his room. 2 am was not a good time to wake someone up. Nonetheless, he did creep out of his room, trying not to make any noise.

“Hey, Y/n?” He gingerly sat on her bed (should he inform that she is his girlfriend for over a year?). “Y/n, wake up. Wake up.”

“Mmmm?...what is it?”

“I… er-”

“You know what?” Y/n rolled towards him, snuggling closer, “You could have chosen any other time of the day to bother me. Say it now.”

“I realised that I love you.”

“Mmmm, love you too. Do you mind to get in my fucking bed now? You are warm.”

Remus still remembers that night when Sirius and James did open the door at midnight.

“Our game,” Sirius’ eyes were practically twinkling as he saw both of them hugging each other, “is yet to finish.”

“Kiss, kill or marry?”

Y/n had quickly kissed Remus on his forehead, and excusing herself out of the bathroom, winked at him. “All three. In the same order.”

_

tagging the wonderful @scandalous-chaos!

[sanguinarysanguinity]

You have many blorbos that I know mostly through osmosis!! Let's see how I do: William Bush (for his devotion to duty and service, his fierce competence and drive to provide for Horatio's wishes, expectations and needs as perfectly as humanly possible, and his straightfoward, sincere acceptance and love for the man as he is); Horatio Hornblower (because he evaluates himself so harshly and believes he's vastly more guilty and unloveable than he is, and his pain and mental illness were viscerally portrayed in the canon but never healthily and constructively addressed and are thus incredibly fertile ground for fic); Joan Watson (for her self-respect and loyalty and anger and intelligence, and for all the potential for character growth that wasn't sufficiently honored in the show, also somehow for dinosaurs & though I don't fully understand how you got there I support you entirely in this); Kat Loving (I think she is an indigenous woman in the historical Canadian West who is a badass and whose role in the story reclaims classic Western genre tropes from their typical colonialist narrative maybe? she's a woman who loves women as well i think?); Ewan and Keith from FotH (for their unabashedly knightly nemeses-to-lovers arc and for Keith's grumping about the Highlands & increasingly hilarious barely-even-in-denial-yet-still-very-in-denial of his own Thirst in asides to the audience); Alan and Davy from Kidnapped (I know nothing at all about this except that there is hurt/comfort and one bodily carrying the other and that hurt feelings can resemble the end of the world for them); Callisto (i assume for the insane, hot, and devoted nemesising with Xena threaded through with traces of vulnerability? plus lots of good hitting and knives?); Diana of Themyscira (for many things, but most of all for the way she consistently recognizes, respects, and rejoices in the strengths, contributions, and virtues of people who have less power or experience than she does, and how she refuses to treat them as lesser in any way.) I salute your blorbos! I am glad to have gotten to know them through you!!