#Poor Poppy though she's STRESSED

[rainbyte]

So I've recently seen your Grove AU, care to tell me a bit about it? :D

Of course!!! Here is!! A bit of a messy tldr of the story? Though I haven't figured everything out yet 🎉

In Welcome Grove, it takes place on the actual set that they used to film the show- which then was eventually cancelled. The entire set , props were just left to sit there. Which!! Unfortunately was the fate of a lot of older TV shows or films at the time.

Time would carry on, and nature does what it does best. It reclaimed the building - the once sparse woods surrounding it growing thick and old. The Neighborhood set outdoors was certainly not spared from the elements. Even the studio building it's self becoming carpetted with grass, vines hanging from the walls.

All of them had been stored away inside the Studio building, with the expectation that the crew would be returning soon. All of them except for Wally Darling, whom had been left inside Home, seeing as normally he would have been perfectly safe in there. Home was meant to be pretty structurally sound and the door locked!

But.

Eventually, one day. They woke up again. Not all at the same time- Wally was the first. He then eventually braved the Studio halls to find the rest- repairing them so that THEY could also wake up.

From most of puppet's perspective- everything was perfectly okay in the neighborhood one day. Then the next they woke up and everything was in disarray! The bugs looked completely different, the leaves green, the stars far brighter! Yes- this was definitely not the neighborhood they knew before. It was all very exciting and frightening at the same time!

But it's the only home they ever knew. This was their neighborhood and they were going to reclaim it! Bit by bit, and piece by piece! After all before all of this they were a perfectly well functioning place, everyone helped out in their own ways. Just as before really! It was a .. A lot harder in some ways! But they managed. And eventually the Neighborhood became Home again.

But.. They all can't help but wonder about that abandoned Studio nearby, and the outside world it represents.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

My Little Twinkling Star ~ Ominis Gaunt x Slytherin!Reader

Summary: Reader misses her family to the point of crying, but is too afraid of telling Ominis, knowing his bad relationship with his own parents.

It was no news for anyone that Y/N loved her parents more than she loved life itself, almost to the point of obsession. Why? Certainly, no one could really understand. Most of the children her age were attached to their parents, yes, but not like this - Not to the point of crying just thinking about them. And the more the years passed, the harder the separation became. Once again, not even she could understand why - After all, she had the best of friends in Sebastian and Anne, and an absolute angel of a boyfriend in Ominis. Not only that, she loved her time at Hogwarts, the studying, the Professors, the environment, the creatures, the forest; There was not a single thing she disliked about her years spent at Hogwarts... But at the end of the day, she knew she wanted to return back at her home village and be close to her mum and dad.

Now, in her last year of Hogwarts, with the stress from the NEWTS weighting so heavy on her shoulders, she wrote to her mother more than ever before - In fact, if the poor Owl could handle the tedious flight, she would write her parents ten times a day, at the minimum. At some point, she even asked her mum to send her a few Howlers, just to hear her voice, as so many months passed without seeing each other, without feeling her warm, loving touch, or her protective embrace.

It was always late into the night, when sleep refused to visit her, that she’d go to the Common Room, with a calming tea laced with some sleeping draught and honey, that she would listen to the sweet voice of her mother, calling her all sorts of cutesy nicknames, like ‘My little twinkling star’, ‘My precious little angel’ or even ‘My beautiful sweetheart’. 

Of course, she got along very well with her dad too, always playing around and going on adventures, playing games or doing tech-stuff, as he was a muggle carpenter and built everything around their home, including the cozy little cottage all with his own hands... But there was always a special connection with her mum, her guardian angel, her most beloved person alive.

And tonight, like during many other nights, she laid on the couch, hugging the plushie that her mum gifted her on her birthday many years ago, along with the fluffy blanket, and she opened the envelope. A bittersweet smile appeared on her face, hearing that tender voice, telling her words of love, of the mundane, and how much she misses her little twinkling star. Y/N’s face became wet with tears, hugging the plush tighter to her chest and stifling her sobs in the blanket.

Oh, how she wished she could explain what she was feeling, how she wished to talk to someone without sounding pretentious or spoiled. Sebastian and Anne both lost their parents, and her sweet Ominis... He didn’t even want to hear about his dreadful parents. Poppy’s parents were just as awful, and she ran away from them... Though perhaps she would understand, as she loves her grandma as much as she loves her mum... And then there’s Natty, who still blames her father’s death on herself, and she has a little bit of a rebellious state with her mum.

Y/N was so absorbed in her own thoughts, comforted only by the envelope’s voice looping the message over and over again with each flick of her wrist, that she didn’t hear the sound of soft foot steps, until a familiar voice called out her name, confused. “Y/N?” Ominis called out in a soft voice. “O-Oh! Ominis, h-hi! It’s late, why aren’t you sleeping?” she quickly closed the envelope, hiding it underneath the pillow. “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d get a glass of water.” he explained. “I can only guess you’re pretty much in the same boat as me, huh?” “Y-Yeah... Sort of. I made myself some sleeping draught tea with honey. It’s still a bit warm, if you want some.” she offered, patting the spot on the couch next to her. “Sounds lovely, thanks.” with a soft smile on his face, the boy sat next to her. “I heard your mum’s voice. Is everything okay?” Y/N’s breath was hitched in her throat, unsure of how to answer. “Y/N? Are you okay, my darling?” he asked again, hearing no answer. “Ah, y-yeah, of course, everything is alright, no need to worry. I, uh... I guess I just miss my parents, that’s all. No big deal.” Ominis, however, frowned. He might not be able to see the blatant fidgeting of her body, or the way her eyes were looking everywhere but at him, but her voice was betraying her. “Y/N, come here.” he extended his arms, and by instinct, Y/N cuddled into his embrace, getting herself comfortable and covering the both of them with the blanket. “Please, tell me what’s bothering you. I’ve heard you crying on a couple of occasions - And it’s not only me worried, but Anne and Sebastian too.” he tenderly caressed her hair. “Is it the gossips from those nasty girls? Because, if it is, I don’t want to hear any of that. I won’t accept you agreeing to some low-lives degrading you for your softer nature. I have told you once, and I will tell you again - Your emotions are endearing, and the fact that your love for the people you care for is so strong that’s overflowing... I think it’s beautiful.” “Ominis...” she whispered his name in disbelief, feeling his hands softly make their way to her face and wiping away her tears. “It’s a selfish reason, I don’t... I don’t want to bother you with it. It’s really... It’s really silly, you know?” “Is it exam stress, then?” the boy could feel her head nodding at first, only to shake just after. “So not only that.” “I just... I just really miss my mum, okay? I know, it’s a stupid reason to cry. It’s very, very stupid. But I just want to go home, and... And hug my mum, and joke around with dad, and play with my puppy, and be in the comfort of my own home... If it makes any sense at all.” she sighed deeply. “I’m stressed from the exams, yes, but... I don’t know why I’m so emotional. I thought I was getting older, tougher, more mature... Instead, I’m just turning into a huge weeping mess. It’s... It’s stupid. It’s ridiculous!” she gritted her teeth in exasperation. “I have the perfect life with my family, and I feel like I’m selfish if I cry about it, when people like you are one step away from being estranged for not sharing the same bigoted beliefs as your family, or -- Or Sebastian and Anne, whose parents died... Or Poppy who ran away from her criminal parents... I just... I don’t want to burden you with my silly, makeshift problems... Because they aren’t even problems, I’m just being a spoiled brat.”

Ominis was silent for a few seconds, before pulling Y/N into a sweet kiss, and smiling at her like the loving angel that he is. “Now, now, didn’t I ask you to tell me, whenever something bothers you? Even the little things? You missing your family is included, you silly little lady.” he chuckled softly. “It’s not your fault that my family sucks. In fact, I think your family is more my family than my own family ever was. Didn’t your mum say two years ago that I’m as good as her son?” his smile widened. “I’d say, I miss your family too.” “R-Really? You do?” Ominis nodded affirmatively. “Then, after we finish Hogwarts, would you like to move in with me, in the same village? A pretty little cozy cottage, just the two of us, in the comfort of a familiar and very friendly village - Which so happens to be rather close to Sebastian’s?” “Ahh, you want the world to explode, don’t you? If the four of us are reunited after Hogwarts ends, then no doubt, bad things will happen. Either the end of the world, or... Erh... Sometimes similar.” Ominis joked. “But I do fancy that idea, I can’t lie, especially if I get to taste more of your mum’s cookies or meals. They were positively fantastic.” “Ominis.” Y/N abruptly murmured his name. “It was me who baked the cookies.” “Even better!” he exclaimed in surprise. “I just have to wife you now, and it’s all good. Everything is going according to the plan.” If only he could see the heavy blush painted on her cheeks - Though Y/N suspected he could feel the warmth at least, as the cheeky grin never did leave his face. “Ah, you got all quiet, have I flustered you so? Forgive me, my little twinkling star. Just wait a bit more, until we’ve graduated, and I can get you a proper ring, beautiful, to match your own charm.” Y/N had to bury her face in the crook of his neck from embarrassment. “It’s times like this when I’m really upset I can’t see. I would do anything to see that look on your pretty face.” he just won’t give her and her beating heart any break, will he?  “Ominis, you’re embarrassing me!” she finally managed to whine.  “I might have done that, but at least you’re not upset anymore, so I don’t regret anything. After all, I meant every word I said.” he rose her face, just enough to place his forehead against her own. “The love you have for all of us is magnetic. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s what attracted me most to you. You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever met in my life, and I never want to lose you. All jokes aside, I hope you will actually come to me, no matter what silly thing bothers you so. I can feel when you’re upset, just as you always could with me. We are connected, the two of us, didn’t you say that - Remember, when you touched my wand, and you said you felt happy? That you felt a comforting warmth take over you? That’s what I feel whenever I’m with you. Any bit of sadness I have, simply disappears. Do you know why?” “Why?” Y/N dared to speak, though her whole being was frozen from all the heart-warming words addressed her way. “Because I love you.”

[theplanetofthesnapes]

Happy Accidents

Sorry it’s been such a long time since I posted anything. Life happened and then I struggled to find the motivation but I hope you like this one.

Summary: You find out you’re pregnant after a one night stand with Snape.

Warnings: talk about pregnancy, menstruation that kinda stuff, also references to sex and minor bad language.

I woke up and it felt like a normal day. I get in the shower and get dressed for another day of work as assistant in the greenhouses at Hogwarts. Today I have a great day ahead of me…not, repotting the mandrakes is my least favourite job and I always end up with a massive headache no matter how tightly I put on my earmuffs.

I go to the breakfast hall and sit at my normal seat at the end of the staff table and look out at all the students and smile because those Weasley twins seem to have put something in Lee Jordan’s pocket and I can guarantee it’s something that Lee Jordan probably wouldn’t want in his pocket. Soon enough I can hear a small chirping sound and Lee Jordan looking rather annoyed as he pulls a handful of crickets out of his pocket and attempts to dump them on the twin’s heads.

It’s all going great until he walks in, he walks passed where I’m sitting. “Morning Severus”. I say cheerily.

“Morning” he retorts not even glancing in my direction. My heart sinks, I mean it’s not like I expected him to be in love with me or suddenly be my best friend after what happened the other week after Slughorn’s party but did he really need to act like he didn’t even know me? Maybe I’m thinking too much into it, I mean so what we had sex and now I like him but he clearly doesn’t feel the same way. It’s not like I won’t get over it right? But he could at least smile when I say hi and not just treat me like anyone else, the same way he treats his students.

I shake my head determined not to let his not so warm greeting get to me and ruin my day and start chatting with Poppy who is sat next to me.

After breakfast I go down to the greenhouse where Pomona was taking her 3rd year Herbology class, I sit at the back and start preparing the pots for the mandrakes that I am going to repot after the students leave. “Okay now I need to pop to the greenhouse next door I will be back in 15 minutes until then carry on with your venomous tentacula dethorning and any problems talk to Miss Y/L/N at the back” Pamona said as she nods at me and walks out of the classroom.

Ten minutes later a nervous looking Ravenclaw approaches me. “Miss Y/L/N?” she says timidly.

“How can I help?” I reply smiling warmly to try and ease her anxiety of whatever she’s about to say.

“I kinda need to go to the toilet, it’s um girl problems” she replies not looking at me.

Now this I can sympathise with, I write her up a pass and allow her to leave without question and as soon as the professor gets back I let her know she’s out of class and carry on my business. The interaction though got me thinking, it’s been a while since I last had my period, I count back in my head and shit I’m about a week and a half late. Shit shit shit, okay don’t panic, I mean I’ve been stressed recently and I’ve literally only had sex once with one person in the last month and I was careful. Except I’ve never been this late in my life. Oh man “don’t freak out, don’t freak out” I tell myself.

Once the break after first lesson arrives I tell Pomona that I have to slip out for a minute and briskly walk down to the hospital wing. Poppy is talking to a student so I wait a second. “Hey Y/N can I help you with something?” Poppy says after the student leaves with what looks like the cure for the Weasley’s puking pastilles, poor kid.

“Um yeah I was wondering if you maybe had anything, I don’t know how it works in the wizarding world being muggle born but um something to test for pregnancy.” I say trying to sound calm, I don’t want any rumours to be spread and Poppy is known to be a bit of a gossip so if I act panicked she’ll expect it to be some big scandal. Which if I am pregnant it probably will be, oh god no I can’t think like that.

She doesn’t even look phased “Oh yes, well I do have the wizard methods but I’ve found the muggle pregnancy tests to actually be much more effective, here you go all you have to do is…”

“Thanks Poppy, yes I know what to do and um could we maybe keep this between us, I’m barely even late yet I don’t want it to get out, it might not even be…” You trail off.

“Oh of course my darling, I take an oath as a healer I would never tell anybody. But sweetie if it’s positive please let me know if I can help you out in any way.” She replies with a warm smile.

I run to my room where thankfully I have my own private bathroom and do the test. The next three minutes are torture as I pace back and forth not daring to glance at the stick that will soon predict my future better than Professor Trelawney ever could. Finally my timer goes off and I go quickly to pick up the stick not being able to bare waiting anymore and glance down.

My heart feels like it stops. Two lines. I’m pregnant… and Severus Snape is the father.

The next two days are fuelled with anxiety and indecision. I did three more tests to make sure and they were pretty conclusive. So I made up my mind I do need to tell Severus as soon as possible so then I know what page he’s on and I can then decide what to do but every time I build up the courage to walk to his office I chicken out. Finally I see him walk down the steps to the dungeon after classes have finished for the day so I follow him. I see him in his office through the frosty glass window and I’m about to knock the door when I chicken out again. I’m about to walk away when I hear “Is someone out there?” Shit Severus noticed I was there well I guess there’s no turning back now.

“Um yeah hi, it’s me I err I was hoping maybe we could talk.” I say and my heart is racing so much it can’t be good for the baby.

“Very well come in then.” He said sounding bored with the conversation before it’s even started.

“Hi” I say as I walk in slowly.

“Hello” he replies warily.

“God okay so umm you know that thing that happened the other week after Slughorn’s party that we haven’t really spoken about or even acknowledged or anything.” I say rambling because I really don’t know how I’m going to start what I’m going to say.

“Yes I’m aware of when we had intercourse after one too many firewhiskeys” he smirks.

“Ah yes well about that” I say still stalling.

“Look I’ll save you the trouble of you telling me how much you regret it, I understand that in a sober state no woman would want to be with me and that you must be repulsed by yourself right now and I was trying to save myself by avoiding you the last month in order to maintain at least some of my dignity.” He says seemingly getting annoyed now.

I’m shocked “What? Severus, oh my god no I don’t think that, I don’t regret it at all. In fact I was honestly kind of upset you were ignoring me, it felt like you had just used me and then treated me like everyone else like what we did that night meant nothing, less than nothing in fact.” I can feel my eyes start to well up as I speak. “Don’t cry, don’t cry” I tell myself internally cause that really won’t help the situation.

“Wait, are you telling me you really don’t regret that night?” He responds hopefully.

“No I don’t Severus and even if you never want to see me again I’m happy we did it, I feel like I saw a whole new side of you that night. One that was kind and caring compared to this hard shell I’ve seen since then.” I reply softly.

“You’d want to see me again?” He looks a lot less solemn now as he replies, maybe even happy I can’t tell.

“I mean yeah but I ugh that’s before I”

He cuts me off “Oh I see you found someone else” his face falls again.

“No damnit Severus please just let me talk, I’m trying to tell you I’m pregnant.” I say almost shouting it at him. He looks shocked, the tears that were threatening to leak out before now do and roll down my cheeks. “And it’s yours just in case there is any doubt” I say in almost a whisper at this point.

Severus stands up and walks over to me, he pulls me into his arms and lets me cry. After a minute he says softly “How long have you known?” There was no hint of anger in his voice anymore “I did notice the last few days something has been off”.

I pull back to look up at him “You noticed that? I found out two days ago, I’ve been building up the courage to tell you since then” I say weakly.

He chuckles. “Yes I did notice you skulking around the dungeons a lot, and I thought it must be because you wished to talk to me but I didn’t say anything since given how I thought this conversation was going to go. I wanted to avoid it at all costs. Have you thought at all about what you want to do? It’s okay if you haven’t there’s time and it must be a shock to you. If I’m honest I don’t know how to process it myself just yet but my priority is making sure you are okay.” He says surprisingly calmly.

“I don’t think I could live with myself if I.. well if I at least didn’t try. But I don’t expect you to be part of anything you don’t want to be, I’m strong I can do this by myself if I need to.” I say determined this time as I wipe my tears. It’s the first time I’ve let myself consider this but I know in my heart raising this baby is my only option, the amount of love I feel for it already is crazy . But I don’t say this part to Severus, I don’t know where he stands on this or even if he can think about that right now after the shock of hearing this.

“I have no doubt you can raise a child by yourself, you will be an excellent mother. I see you with the students, how kind and compassionate you are. Any child you would be mother to would be lucky to have you. However if you will let me, I would love to be part of the child’s life. I never believed for a second I may have children of my own and I have to admit that it’s not something I ever envisioned for my future but the idea of raising a child and even more so raising it with you, the women that I’m in love with fills me with a hope I don’t think I’ve ever had before in my thirty eight years of life.” He says with a kind tone that I’ve only ever heard him use once before, when he was asking me permission to kiss me before we did the thing that got us into this mess.

“Wait? What? You love me? I… Severus” I stutter really not knowing what to say except actually I do know what to say. “I think I love you too, What do we do now?”

“We figure it out together, but first are you free this evening? I think we might have skipped a few steps and it might be about time we have our first date” He smiles.

I smile back and pull him into another hug, he kisses my head and I smile into his shoulder. Maybe everything is going to be okay after all.

[shirogane-oushirou]

poppy red, chocolate cosmos, and maroon for ren? :3c

nick my friend nick~!! hope you're having a friend lead-up to valentines day with kylar and rika and the squid kids~~~! you're going to have a busy day KJNASKJDN. 🙏🏻💕 ty for the ask!!!

Poppy Red: How familiar is your f/o about Valentine's Day or their source's equivalent of it? What's their opinion of it?

ren has had a number of partners in the past, and so has had multiple experiences with valentines day, ranging from "that was... fine...!" to "DISASTER" :'( he tried to make up for a socially isolated childhood by finding Someone. Anyone. to be in a relationship with, and he'd often flip from completely overdoing things to trying to play it too casual. his partners would inevitably leave feeling some level of disappointed... so the day's somewhat tainted by bad memories. that plus his general negative feelings towards holidays (family shit yippee) makes valentines supremely stressful for him, even though the /CONCEPT/ of the day seems nice! it takes someone with similar social expectations and views of most holidays (hieeeeee. smile.) to finally find a good middle ground approach to the day that works for both of us!.... it still stresses him out though. poor thing. 😫

Chocolate Cosmos: If your f/o was talking about you to someone like a close friend, how exactly would they talk about you? How would they describe you? Characterize you? And how often do they talk about you to other people?

before dating, doc! and v!ren spend a lot of time trying to avoid the fact that he likes me (doesn't want a repeat of past bad relationships, doesn't want to ruin something good, etc), so i feel like he's the "oh they're such a fun FRIEND, i love being their FRIEND, my FRIEND ro showed me this thing--" type, like he's trying to convince himself that that's how he sees me. most others see right through him though KJASNDKJN. r!ren doesn't have as many hangups about his relationships so he's more straightforward. if he was talking to his coworkers, he'd keep things to a Normal level. he'd mention me if he needed to refer to me for something ("oh, ro said that movie was good, do you recommend it too?" "ro and i went to a botanical garden this weekend, how about you?"), though if he was watching me stream art during a lunch break and someone asked about it, he'd fawn over me ("YEAH it's cool right? that's my FRIEND ro, they drew all of these things, look look look you can see them drawing now, they're--") kJNASDKJN. around his sister, though? no holds barred. she's the one who puts it in his head that he's ALLOWED to try romance again, and that i seem sensible and that we'd be fairly attuned to each other, so ofc she's the one he always goes to if he needs to gush. i think he'd focus on my perseverance and passion, but also my art skills, the efforts i've made to improve myself, the "gap moe" between my resting blank face vs my care for others + excitement over my interests, and uhhhhh how cute he thinks i am KJNSKJN. and i think he'd want to stress how much calmer he feels in our relationship. his past relationships all ended up being pretty shallow and unhealthy because he wasn't in the right mindset for it. now that he has a relationship that, even on days when we don't agree w each other, is infinitely healthier and easier... he wants anyone listening to know that i'm irreplaceable to him.

Maroon: What are both of your love languages? How much do they clash and/or mesh with each other?

his are quality time + physical touch, mine is acts of service. i feel like we've worked things out pretty well, actually! when he's done with work, we'll spend the evening just sitting together, snuggling and enjoying each others' company and catching up on each others' days. i like to cook nice meals for him when i can; no matter which ren it is, he could use a little extra nutrition sjkdfn. if i'm in his place, i also like to tidy up while he's out, and with my health situation, i deeply appreciate when he goes out of his way to bring things to me or help clean things around my place when i can't get up ;;; 😭 and we'll sometimes do things that combine all of our languages together!! once in a while, we'll take a night to shower together, one of us sitting in a shower chair while the other thoroughly washes their hair and body, massaging their scalp and helping them relax, and then we switch places. then we get into soft pjs, dry each others' hair, maybe continue with some skincare... yknow. just. spending time really focusing on each other, connecting physically in a non-sexual way, and doing something kind to help let out tension. 🥺💕

(ask game here)

[newtonsheffield]

I want to see Tharman in trouble with his parents for not telling them about Mary! Grandpa and grandma Sharma were the gift I didn’t know I needed!!

Happy New Year Molly!

Oh Poor Tharman. He got himself into such a pickle. He didn't tell his parents about Mary because he thought Mary was bound to come to her senses sooner rather than later and he didn't want his Mum making a big deal out of the fact he was dating again. And to be fair, he didn't think he was going to be getting engaged when he went over there, he didn't think he'd been spending thousands of pounds on this ring either,

He's had a stressful few days

Tharman knew he'd made a mistake the second he opened the door. And he'd had such a good morning. He really had. He'd woken up with Mary tucked against him, both of them still warm and sated from last night and instead of the panic he thought he'd feel in his chest at being engaged to his girlfriend of four months, all he felt was satisfaction. As though something in his life had clicked into place. He'd felt the same, watching Mary with Kate this morning, watching Mary walk with Kate standing on her feet and his daughter giggling happily into the hall to see him off to get eggs. He'd whistled all the way there and back, even when Gary behind the counter had blinked.

"You're cheery this morning." He'd drawled, "Where's your little hellcat?"

"She's at home." Tharman had said, dropping chocolates on the counter at random along with his eggs. "With my new fiancée. I got engaged yesterday."

"Congrats, man." Gary whistled, "Excited for you."

"Yeah, me too. Mary's great."

He'd whistled all the way home, humming happily. Right up until he'd thrown open the front door of the flat and seen his mother, tugging Mary back into the kitchen. Mary's eyes were wide her hand twisted in the front of the King's college shirt she'd tugged from his dresser this morning as her tongue tangled with his and her hair had tickled his nose

"Oh Fuck!"

His mother's eyes shot to his spinning around while Mary waved awkwardly at her side. "Yes! Do not cuss at me Tharman! You're in rather a lot of trouble young man, get inside!"

He shot forward scampering after Mary and his mother.

"I'm so sorry! Mary, I love you!" He hissed at her, "God, please don't split up with me, I got you a double-decker!"

Mary blinked bemusedly back at him, "Well if you got me a double-decker I suppose we're locked in for life."

"I like this one, Tharman." His mother chuckled,

"Now, Son," His Dad said as he turned the corner, Kate sitting on his knee, her legs swinging, grinning up at him.

"Papa! You're back! Can you start on the pancakes? I was so good, you can ask Mary. Right, Mary?" Kate called, lining up the sweets his father had given her already on the table.

"You were great, sweetheart," Mary said gently, kissing Kate on the forehead, the scene making a lump rise in Tharman's throat.

"Son, why were you hiding this lovely girl from us?" His father smiled, patting the seat beside him, while his mother pushed on Mary's shoulders until she sat.

"I wasn't hiding her from you, exactly." He swallowed. "And Appa, can you please not give Katie sweets? it's 7:30 in the morning."

"But she's such a sweetheart." His father said, kissing her on the forehead. "She said Please Poppy, and what was I supposed to say?"

"You used to tell me Broccoli was sweeties." Tharman sighed dryly.

"Do not change the conversation!" His mother hissed. "I didn't even know you were seeing anyone. Can I not even be trusted with that? Am I so ridiculous that I can't be trusted with this information? Were you not going to invite us to the wedding? Do I need to call your sister?"

Tharman sighed, "Please don't get Im down here."

"In Tharm's defence," Mary said gently, "I asked him to marry me a little... spontaneously yesterday. He had no idea."

His mother softened, turning towards Mary, "Mary, darling, you don't have to cover for him."

"That's true though!" He said a little indignantly.

His mother sighed, "Oh throwing your wife under the bus. Tharman."

"Bad move, Son."

"I was going to tell you?"

"After I died?!"

"Amma, you and I both know you intend to never die so, that'd be pretty impossible." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"For the last time, Tharman, Someone has to be the first person to live to 200: Why not me?"

And god help him, he caught Mary's eye, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

[paper-starz]

*walks in in a very normal fashion, nothing weird about it at all*

Hiya it's me, Dot's friend again.

So.

*AHEM* I want to ask both you and Dot this (it's about Dot's OC Effie) (feel free to ignore)

Hypothetically speaking, what if Effie was apart of the SAS AU? Do you have any ideas on how she would react to finding this stuff out, or how she would cope, etc.

Hehehe! What a coincidence! (I just finished drawing her!)

Hypothetically, I see Effie as a very capable girl. At first, (just like Howdy) she would deny such things! Her? In a children's show? Cannot be possible! Her memories said otherwise! (Plus, Frank was the one who told her... and she isn't very keen on trusting the butterfly enthusiast's words...)

But, the evidence kept on adding up! She couldn't really avoid it much longer... She tried telling Howdy about this.... but he stayed in denial much longer than her.

She was a bit confused, a bit angry. Wondering if her feelings towards Poppy were even real, were they even meant to be real? How can something as simple and as joyous as love be... forbidden in the rest of the world's eyes?

But while she was angry, she also knew she just had to help somehow. She stays near Poppy, trying to calm everyone down as best as she can (she also tries to help Poppy as best she could too! She doesn't want to her love to overwork herself...)

Whatever Poppy needs, whether that would be getting some needles, some thread, some stuffing, or holding down a screaming puppet while Poppy sews their arm up... she would do it, no hesitation. (Sometimes she wonders how Poppy sleeps at night.... do the screams keep her awake?)

As for Howdy, she tries as best she can to get Howdy to stop drinking. To see her best friend let himself go like this breaks her heart. Sometimes she's successful.... most times she isn't (and ends up taking care of the poor guy).

Her coping habits aren't as bad though. She smokes a bit more often (but not as much as Barnaby! They are smoking buddies :D)... But i feel like her biggest coping mechanism is making sure everyone has at least a little bit of fun... She's based on the flapper ladies of the Roaring 20s! She knows how to have fun.

She acts suave, elegant, and confident, which puts everyone at ease! She puts on some music and makes everyone dance (the charleston of course!) And she won't stop until she sees everyone smile (even the butterfly enthusiast!).

She's unsure how to feel about Wally. Sure, he's innocent but.... he's kinda the sole reason everything is happening the way it is. She somewhat tries to be friendly with him (at least when Poppy's around, mama bird still genuinely loves Wally, so maybe Effie can pretend to like him.)

One thing is for sure, Effie hates Home with all her heart. It's the reason everyone is so fucked up, it's the reason Howdy can barely look Wally in the eye (and drinks himself silly in the Bugdega), it's the reason that Poppy is stressed out of her mind trying to keep the rest of the neighborhood safe...

She wants nothing more than to burn that damned building down to the ground.

(EFFIE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME, she belongs to @dottyorange )!!!

[ketho484]

Part two of my collab with @nonomives. We decided I'd write and she'd draw what I write. Please check out their art. It's seriously incredible.

Also, the first part will be seen as a prologue, so this'll be seen as the first chapter. Hope ya like it!

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Chapter 1: Establishment of Trust

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The door opened and the little puppet took a few steps back, fear invisible thanks to her mask despite the tears pouring out. A puppet with yellow skin and blue hair opened the door. The moment their eyes met, he became very concerned as he pulled off his blue cardigan.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" He asked, wrapping the cardigan around her damp shoulders "Not only is it late, but it's raining too…Are you lost?"

That kind smile he wore felt…different. The little puppet's initial fear quickly faded into confusion. She wasn't sure why he didn't drag her inside. Why didn't he hurt her? Why did he seem so concerned? Why…Why did she want to hug him? She was aware of why they were meant to be close, but why did she feel better just being in contact with him? It was all so overwhelming that she fell to her knees and began to weep. She didn't hold back, either. She started ranting, trying to unburden herself from all this stress and fear she's been dealing with, her voice soft and broken in spirit.

"I-I'm sorry to bother you, Mister Darling, but I need help. I-I went to check on Howdy, but he was on the ground, so I went to find someone else to help him and-and I found them all in the same condition. H-Howdy, Julie, Sally, Poppy, Frank, Eddie, Barnaby, th-they wouldn't respond. They…They all stopped moving…"

All movement ceased the moment she said that. Wally's eyes were wide with surprise and fear as the little puppet cried harder, putting her masked face into her hands in a futile attempt to hide it. They…stopped moving? What did that mean? Was something wrong? Did they get sick? Whatever it was, it had rattled this little kid to her very core. She thought she was alone, didn't she? She thought she'd find Wally and Home like that too, didn't she? It broke Wally's heart to think about it. This poor little girl must be so afraid. Though…Why did she think to come here last?

Wally took a deep breath and stepped closer to her. He would table the questions for later. For now, he had to get this little kid out of the rain. He placed a hand on her head and she jumped a bit as he gently ruffled her soaked hair. Her teary little eyes looked up at him through the blank mask as he reached out a hand. She took it and he helped her to her feet before placing a hand on her shoulder, giving her the kindest smile he could muster.

"It's cold and dark out here. How about you come inside?" He asked quietly as not to startle her

The little girl peeked inside. It was dry, and it did feel warm, even from here. Where else would she go, anyway? Wally and Home were the first signs of life she's seen all day. She had to take a chance if it meant safety. With a timid nod, she let Wally lead her inside, Home closing the door as they went.

Crrrreeeeeaaaaaaak!

Click

[pixiepixells]

From my “leaving home” au

What the puppets be like after many years of staying in the real world?

Hello! Sorry for taking so long to answer this! Anyways here you go: All the puppets have become desaturated from dust and grime from the human world! Some also started to wear some human clothes for comfort or disguise to fit in. Its been a number of years since they left home so I believe most of them would have come to terms with the fact they were apart of a kid's show and know the basic gist of how the human world works.

(characters below cut!)

Poppy: -Primary caretaker for of everyone! She is the only one who knows how to sew so therefore she fixes wounds! - I feel like in the beginning she would of struggled a lot with realizing that she was from a kid's show. Mainly because people were watching her. Her every move. (she seems to be a pretty introverted bird and at most a hermit, so this realization was probably terrifying for her) -She is still an extremely anxious bird so when she needs a break from everyone and everything, she alerts Howdy and he takes over. She loves her friends and every time they get hurt she gets so sad. Like "OH NO! my poor friends! who did this to you :(" This all is still so overwhelming for her even though it has been years of doing it. Its so much responsibility for one puppet. She blames herself when they get hurt and how she should of prepared better for it.

Sally:

-Still a very dramatic and elegant gal. However is much more in touch with what her new friends are feeling! It's important to know what's up in order to help them. She managed to find old typewriter and is now writing up new scripts and characters (its very therapeutic to use it! great for her wellbeing when she's stressed). Wally:

-He has been so used to being the only one that knows about the audience, that he wasn't used to anyone else figuring out about it. I feel like the sense of needing to evacuate the show caught him by surprise. He couldn't bring home and he has never felt so guilty before. If he stares at home themed item for too long he starts to tear up. He blames himself for his friends leaving.

-Since it's been many years since they left, he now understands more complex emotions like sadness, anger, disgust, embarrassment, etc. He has more wisdom. He still likes to keep up his appearance, unfortunately for him the hairspray he uses now is not as strong as the one in the show.

Barnaby: -Comedian and Caretaker. makes sure that everyone can get a good chuckle -He has grown to be rugged and makes much more dark jokes. I mean it's not like a kid's watching you, so you matters well. He seems to be very caring to rebels so I feel like he has been dub caretaker of the group. (Also he knows how to cook)

Howdy: -The shopkeeper also kicks out thieves and criminals.

-He has grown to be aggressive but also still has that "nice customer service" personality so he can switch it out like an flip of dime. It's terrifying. He is very protective of Eddie and Poppy because they are all he has left from his former life.

Eddie: -The delivery man! He helps Howdy and Poppy put things into shop. He misses frank the most out of everyone. At least he still has Poppy and Howdy. His temper has gotten worse since leaving the group. Frank: Since he is now a scientist fighting for a cause that they are very passionate about. They are very diligent, determined, and very easy to upset. He doesn't like talking about his past, Frank seems like the type to suppress things. Julie: Is extremely helpful and most likely the most chaotic of the rebel group. Since they can't die, she doesn't mind running into the battlefield to protect her fellow rebels. She is full of rage and aggressive kindness.

[echantedtoon]

Love Is For Bloomin' Pecknecks! Ch2 Apologies And Acting

From that day forth the two would barely interact with each other. She felt bad at first but Mr. Grooves reassured her everything was fine.

"That old bird was due for a telling off, Darling. I'm just surprised no one's told him those things sooner. He'll be fine. If anything the Conductor's a rough old bird, so it'll take a little more than a small spat to scare him off."

To his credit the moon penguin was right. Because she ended up seeing more and more of these two having argument. Or more precisely Conductor yelling at Mr. Grooves as he stared back calmly but whenever he saw Cookie he would shut up, turn tail, and quickly stomp off yelling at nothing which Mr. Grooves didn't care about...At first. As the months went on a lot of things happened. Cookie ended up visiting the girls more with Muriel and one day met their new live in babysitter when cooking something for the girls to eat when they came back. A girl from the country with flaming red hair named Poppy. Poppy Rose Bloomington. Poor thing was wet and cold and starting a cold. Never fear! Cooking cat is here! She made sure she got a bath and washed her dress for her, making sure to hand over back her bracelet that fell out of the pocket, and made sure she had a hot meal before she was forced to leave to make sure Muriel was alright. Poppy was such a nice lady, poor and lost, but nice. She could sorta relate to that. Though there was something else happening too. Mr. Grooves had noticed the way the cat had acted so motherly around Muriel, and sweet to the moon penguins and stressed Express owls. Everyone seemed to love her. BAH! What do they know!? She was just a cat! A thieving. Bad....Nice...K-Kind. Pretty colored. Cute giggles. Feisty...She'd be a good grandmother to his little wee ones- That thought made him shake his head and pull at his yellow feathers! Stop that! She was a cat! A cat that was...r-really pretty and ...and not afraid to own up to her mistakes. He should know because it was the first time anyone had apologized to him genuinely. She felt so bad for yelling at him. He remembered well. He was on Lunch break when she came over. The first thing catching his attention was the sweet smell of birdseed cookies, and a second later a small plate of freshly baked cookies were set down in front of his sandwich by an orange paw and he looked up. Nearly choking on his sandwich when he saw HER there. Staring with a guilty kicked puppy expression hat in her hands staring at him.

"L-LASS!!," he choked out as he swallowed the food but she stopped him from talking further.

"Please don't say anything," she replied calmly with a guilty undertone to her voice, "I just came to apologize to ya."

And his mind blanked. "......Wot?"

"Ah've been thinking about it a lot lately and well-..I feel really bad for yellin' at you like that. I mean..You didn't even know me. For all you knew I was a thief. I can't blame ya for feeling that way when my kind haven't really done anything to squelch those fears of yours. So.." She gestured to the plate of cookies in front of him. "I hope you like cookies, and that you can forgive me. I-If not for my sake then for a better workplace?"

He stared at her. Then at the cookies. Opening his mouth and closing it a couple times before turning red again. She cooked...for HIM!? After a moment of awkward of silence he cleared his throat. "It's...Tis n-nah a problem!" He looked away quickly grip tightening on his food. Why was he feeling like this. "Tho...I-I guess I was in the wrong too. *ahem* Apologies a-accepted..An..Given back to ya?"

Cookie blinked back in surprise as well before smiling. "Well ah'll accept the apologies given back to me. I'm just glad we could come to an understandin'. And here others said you were unreasonable." ...Wait. He snapped back at her- "But that's fair from the truth ain't it?" She sat down next to him making him pause as she giggled. "Mr. Grooves told me about how much ya care 'bout your grandchildren and son."

"...Oi. He did did he?" He asked slowly raising a brow. The peckneck was talking about him huh? "What else has that flipper flapper said?"

"Oh nothing bad. Just that you had a family and you ran the train on top of being a movie director which I must say is quite a feat. I'm impressed by your skills and dedication." Her smile ever genuine. "I adore some of your films."

His feathers puffed up more as she smiled widely. "I-I-I w-w-wot-"

"The Cactus Casualties! I never expected that an actual cactus enchanted by a Sand Witch was the culprit. I could've sworn it was the saloon owner puttin' the cactus juice in the nutmix!"

"Ahehe. Well I-..Wait." His head snapped back to her faster than a bullet. "Ye actually knew that was nut mix and nah birdseed!?"

She nodded. "As someone who works with food you have to pay special attention to food details. It's a habit I formed so I noticed it straight away. It's the small details that count. Dontcha think?"

"Ah...." He smiled back at her. "Aye. Tis the details that make ye movie. ..Y'know. Ye was the first one to point that out?"

"Wait. Really? I thought it was obvious it was a plain old nut mix. Birdseed is totally different. Those owls were totally confusing the audience calling it birdseed all the time."

"That's wot I said but it was too late to change the script!! And refilming everrrrything would've been too much time! That's why I now write me own scripts! Hmph!"

Her eyes widened. "You write your own scripts too!? Wow! You're better at multitasking than I am with three pots on one stove."

He nodded. "...Oh. By the way, Lassie. That DJ Pe-...*ahem* Grooves wouldn't have happened ta mention anything else about me to ya, would he?"

"Hm? Oh no. Not really. Only that you had a family and liked birdseed cookies." He sighed reaching for a cookie and deciding to toss it into his mouth. "Oh. And that you were single."

Conductor choked on his cookie-

Things weren't tense anymore. Well..at least back to normal tense concerning the Conductor and Cookie now. The two waved when seeing each other and sometimes she'd come bring him lunch on his breaks where they'd talk about his movies and she'd give him tips on food presentations for his movies which he took serious. He was a perfectionist when it came to movie details after all, and it didn't hurt to have a pretty lady cooking for him. And OH PECK!! Her food was grand. He never liked sweet things like cake before but she revealed his hidden sweet tooth for her-..uh these things. The owls were still yelled at by him and he still yelled at most people but with less bite until one day. The theme for the Bird Movie Awards was announced. Romance. Why? Well with a few of the judges for the movies falling ill the date had to be pushed back to allow them to recover and that put the new rewards ceremony close to Cupid's Day, so Romance would be the new theme. And with her first season of her cooking show coming to an end so Mr. Grooves could focus on the movie- No wait. Play he was working on she was glad for the break and was happy for him. He had gotten the idea from a very popular children's book and he seemed super excited to try it out. As for Conductor he was working on his own movie which was coming along great. At his rate he should have it done long before Cupid Day was here. Or at least we would've if it wasn't for an accident. Cookie had taken Muriel with her to the little aliens ship and met up with Poppy again. The poor dear was so cooped up she invited her to come shopping with her and the girls in Express Town and she agreed. After grabbing some gold for money the five ladies made their way into Express Town. Exchanging the gold, buying some new clothes, things like that. And when everyone got hungry she offered to give everyone a free lunch at her cafe, only thing wrong was that she accidentally left her purse inside her set up at the studios again so they had to take a small detour to grab it....She was only gone for fifthteen minutes! No more and no less! And in those fifthteen minutes Conductor's entire movie was destroyed, a fight had broke out between the bird and Poppy, Poppy had somehow accidentally broken the Directors' shared VERY expensive camera, Poppy agreed to work for Mr. Grooves for free in exchange to pay him back, and now Conductor was forced to resort to another idea since his first movie was completely wrecked and it would take too long and costly to refilm everything in the original. .....All she did was get her purse and come back! How did these things keep happening to her!? Sigh. Oh well. At least it wasn't something caused by Muriel's stunts again. Cookie was given the chance to catch up on what happened taking them to lunch and keeping the three company until the next train back to the Moon City.  From then on for a while things were calm for now but she was wondering how Conductor was doing now that he was set back farther back than Mr. Grooves now. Last she heard he was looking for someone to play a southern bell damsel in distress but had no luck with any of the ladies who auditioned. Which lead to one fateful encounter when they decided to grab some food from the Jukebox Cafe and load and behold there was Conductor sitting in a quiet corner. His jacket was discarded next to him at the booth, looked to be on his hundredth cup of coffee, a stack of what must've been script in front of him lying on the table, and he mumbled to himself over nothing staring at the papers in front of him. So naturally Cookie walked on over to him with Muriel trailing right behind her.

"Mr. Conductor!" The owl gave a squawk as he jumped up towards her. In return she gave a big smile towards him. "Ah wasn't expecting to see you here today? What do I owe the pleasure?"

Conductor stared at her for a moment before opening his mouth, turning red, and clearing his throat. "L-Lassie! A-Aye was just...M-Mullin' over me movie scripct! Yeah!"

"Oh how nice. And how's that comin' along?"

He gave a long sigh before his hand reached up before rubbing his head. "Nah good. I got rrrroles to fill in but nah anyone I look at is good at the bloody roles! If only I had snagged that country red haired lass ta play the darned role! She would've had the accent for it at least!" Oh. He must've meant Poppy. The two of them had similar accents. "But nnnnooo!! She's working for DJ Sunglasses while m' stuck with empty slots like a broken poker game!"

"Oh I see. Poor man. Must be exhausting. Let me get you some food on the house."

"Wot? Nah! I can't ask ye to do that, Lass."

"You aren't. Ah'm offering and I insist. This is my cafe after all. It's the least I could do."

"Yer too kind, Lass."

Cooking looked over as Muriel also tugged insistently on her shirt. "Hey! I'm hungry too! How am I supposed to defend the world if I have an empty stomach?"

"Oh alright. My children have a healthy appetite. Waiter!" She waved to one of her employees who immediately paid attention. "Bring out two orders of burger and fries and another coffee for this gentlemen, and some katsu curry for myself."

The waiter disappeared and five minutes later the two girls were sitting in front of Conductor with their respective foods chatting away although he was still mostly thinking about his movie. He was more behind than that flashy peckneck by now and no one was fitting his darned roles! It shouldn't be this hard! Where was he supposed to find a southern bell that was kind and caring with a really sweet personality!?..Reality then hit him in the middle of taking a bite of his hamburger. When Muriel happily eating her own burger got ketchup and mustard all over her face. Cookie fussed and scolded her lightly in a motherly way before taking a couple napkins and hastily wiping at the fussing girl's face. Such a kind, sweet, and caring gesture. Then it hit him with the speed and force of his own train. 

"THAT'S IT!!" His voice boomed out happily in new found excitement and he smiled startling the two ladies into looking at him. "Ahehehehe!! That's it! That's wot I've been missing!"

...Cookie blinked. "Uh..W-What?"

He pointed right at her. "You, Lass! You're the perfect one to play the rrrole of Catrina in me big film!"

Cookie's fur fluffed up in surprise as Conductor rubbed his hands together in glee. Napkins dropped so her paws could point at her. "W-Who me!? N-Now Mr. Conductor you must be mistaken! I-I haven't gotten an acting bone in mah body! I wouldn't be able to perform none!"

"Lassie please!," Conductor begged, "Ah now you'd be perfect for the rrrole! And I need ye help with this! I nah can do it on me own! And the deadline is leavin' me with nah choice! I'll make it up to ye in whatever ye want! Please help this old bird out once!"

Muriel's eyes widened at the thought of Cookie acting and snapped to her. And Cookie looked at the desperate bird in shock. Conductor was quite literally begging with his hands clasped together looking at her with a pleading frown on his face. She'd never seen the proud bird act like this before even when he was stressed so he must've been really desperate if he was resorting to begging out in the open where everyone could see him. And she couldn't blame him. Losing his first movie and scrambling to finish a second one must've put strain on him. She felt bad for him and she could help him now. Couldn't she?

Cookie continued to stare at him for a long moment before sighing. And smiling at him. "Well..If it really means that much to ya then I guess I could lend a hand."

"YES!! THANK YE LASSIE!! YA WON'T REGRET IT!!"

"Hey! What about me?," Muriel exclaimed with a frown, "Don't I ever get to do anything?"

"Oooh! I think I got the rrright role for the wee one!"

"hmm. What kind of role are we talking about here?"

"A hero! One who'd be the key piece ta helpin' the lassie escape from ye train mugger!"

Muriel looked real interested now. "A hero huh? Alright! Ya got yourself a deal! I can't wait to see everyone's face when I nail that bad guy in their ugly mug!"

"Ahahahaha!! That's the spirit! Ooh! We're surrre to kick that peckneck out of the rrring now!"

Now all his roles were filled in! They could begin filming now! HA! Watch out DJ Peckneck! His winning streak was back on track now!....And then he was scolded by Cookie for using the p word in front of Muriel. 

[agereoneshots]

(I'm including my They/Them Rika headcanon for this.)

Larry sighed as he stared at the paperwork on his desk. Today was going to be long...and what didn't help was Poppy calling him every 15 minutes for a challenger.

After what had to be the twentieth person that morning, Larry sat down at his desk to get through the paperwork again. He picked one up and started reading it. He frowned, why was it so complicated? Larry groaned and put his head in his hands. He was slipping, and at work of all places. Larry stood up. If he was going to get through the day, he'd have to find Hassel. He hasn't seen him since the first battle but he had to be in his office, right? Before he could even leave, Poppy called him. Sighing, he made his way to the challenge room. The trainer was easy and he only had to use Ruffles. The problem was that Ruffles clearly caught on to him slipping and now refused to go back into his poke ball.

"Fine. Just follow behind me." Larry mumbled as he walked off to find Hassel.

"Hey Larry! Wait up!" Rika called out. Larry stopped to let them catch up.

"What is it?" Larry hoped he sounded normal.

"During the fight, I got a message from the front desk. Brassius stopped by to see you and Hass for lunch."

"Oh. Thank you for telling me." Rika nodded before going back to their own duties. Larry walked to Hassel's office.

"Larry!" Hassel hugged him as soon as he stepped in. Larry hugged back.

"Brass stopped by for lunch."

"Well then! We shouldn-"

"Mr. Larry!" Poppy called out. Larry sighed.

"Sorry, I have to go." Hassel waved to Larry as he headed back to the challenge room. The fight didn't go as well, he won with only his tropius, Banana, and his Alteria, Cloudy. The frustration caused him to slip enough that he had tears.

"You ok Larry?" Rika asked concerned.

"I-im fine." Larry said, wiping the tears away before Poppy could ask.

"I'm going to go find Hassel." Larry quickly healed his pokemon before leaving. He found Hassel in the lobby with Brassius.

"Larry!" Brassius ran up and kissed him. Larry simply laid his head on Brassius shoulder.

"Long day?" Brassius asked. Larry hesitated before responding.

"small..." he whispered.

"Oh you poor thing..." Brassius led Larry over to Hassel.

"He's small." Brassius quietly explained.

"Do you know how small you are?" Hassel asked Larry.

"Months..." Larry mumbled, saying he wasn't even a year old.

"Too young to be in the elite four. Hassel, you take Larry to the picnic spot, I'm going to see if I can convince Greeta to let Larry go for the rest of the day." Brassius explained.

"She won't...too many challenges...." Larry mumbled again, trying to stay big. Brassius was about to speak when, as if on cue, Greeta showed up.

"Larry! Challenger! Let's go!" Larry sighed and followed her to the challenge room. When he lost, he called for Hassel and practically stomped his way to the sidelines with Rika and Poppy.

"Mr.Larry, are you ok?" Poppy asked.

"Yes, today is just stressful." He hoped he sounded big. When Hassel won and the challenger left, he walked over to the three.

"Hassel, what's up with Larry?" Rika asked, crossing their arms. Before Hassel could come up with an excuse, another trainer walked in.

"I hate it when Greeta double books challengers." Rika sighed. The trainer managed to get to Larry. Even though he had slipped enough to fumble his poke balls and throws, and almost slipped so far he couldn't give commands to his pokemon, he still managed to win. As soon as the trainer left, he went straight to Hassel, no longer having the energy to even pretend to be big.

"Wait...this is a shot in the dark....but....is....does Larry....age regress?" Rika asked. Hassel was surprised Rika knew what that was but nodded.

"That explains his behavior..."

"What's wrong with Mr.Larry?" Poppy asked, concerned.

"Well...Mr.Larry does a thing called age regression. When things get too stressful, his brain handles it by making him younger. His body is still the same age, but his brain isn't." Rika explained.

"So...Mr.Larry is younger than me right now?" Poppy asked.

"Yes. Right now, Larry is the youngest...not even a year old..." Hassel mumbled the last bit but both Rika and Poppy understood.

"You take him to Brassius, I'll talk to Greeta." Rika left, searching for the champion. Poppy opened up her key shaped purse and pulled out a doll.

"Here you go Mr.Larry. You can have her until you're big again." Poppy handed the doll over. Larry took it and held it close.

"Thank you Miss.Poppy." Hassel said before taking Larry by the hand and finding Brassius at the picnic spot.

"Larry! Hassel!" Brassius patted the spots next to him on the blanket. Hassel sat on his right while Larry sat on his left.

"Where'd you get your dollie?" Brassius asked.

"Poppy gave it to him. Said he could keep it until he was big again. He didn't have the energy to keep pretending to be big after the last fight. Rika's talking to Greeta."

"Well then, I'm glad I went home and grabbed his bottle and pacifier then." Brassius brought out the sandwiches he prepared and the three ate, Hassel and Brassius taking turns to feed Larry. As Larry drank the angel milk Brassius had made for him, Greeta and Rika walked up.

"See? I wasn't lying." Rika gestured to Larry drinking from his bottle. Larry looked away, a little embarrassed but too little to care.

"When Larry's big again, have him come find me. I've had gym leaders and elite four members in the past regress. I made a protocol for this." Greeta waved a hand as she spoke before walking off.

"How's the little guy doing?" Rika asked. Larry looked over, done with his bottle.

"I think he's doing better than earlier in the day...eating lunch is less stressful than fighting challengers." Brassius half joked as he traded Larry's bottle for his pacifier.

"Well, enjoy your afternoon guys!" Rika called before heading back to the elite four office. Larry curled up closer to Brassius and yawned.

"Is the little komala getting sleepy?" Hassel asked. Larry responded with a small whine before closing his eyes. Maybe today would be shorter than he thought.

[plotandburn]

Harry Potter Gets Adopted By ....

ok so, before anything starts let's get to the rules:

No reader-inserts, self-inserts or unhappy endings are allowed.

spanking, watersports, extremely underage ships or parent/child incest are only allowed if portrayed on a negative light.

Peter Petigrew and Dolores Umbridge must be bashed

Dumbledore must be gay and atracted to Grindewalt and Grindewalt alone.

poor grammar is not allowed (you don't need a beta but at least use grammarly some form of grammar corrector)

You are not allowed to bash Severus Snape, Sirius Black,Draco Malfoy or Remus Lupin

Hagrid can only be paired with Madame Maxine and no one else

8. Mad Eye Moody and Amelia Bones can't be paired with anyone

9. Minerva Mcgonagal can only be paired with Poppy Pomfrey or anyone on the staff that she never taugh herself.

10. Crabbe and Goyle can only be paired with Daphne Greengrass, Astoria Greengrass, Milicent Bulstrode, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, each other or an Oc.

Now,just to clarify, Harry won't be adoted by all the mean girls at the same time ofc. You get to choose. Here's how i envision him turning out if adopted by each of them:

Harry James Heron Samuels (Adopted son of Cady and Aaron):

+Crazy good at math. As expected since Cady is his mom.

+Like Cady, he loves animals and nature so he ends up being as found of magical creatures as Charlie, Newt or Hagrid.

+Also compares high school to a jungle.

+Highly observer/this nigga is in no way in hell oblivious like his canon self.

+Loves Pranks.

+I'd imagine he is a major bookworm, specially since canon Harry most likely would be if it weren't for the Dursley's

+Gryffindor through and through.

+ Takes Care and Artimancy.

+Goes on to work with magical cratures.

+Has a major vengefull streak.

+recomended ships: Harmony, Huna , Notter and Charry (is this the oficial name for the Harry/Charlie Weasley ship? )

Harry George Oman (Adopted son of Regina and Shane ):

+A major Jock, who like his mom, uses sports as a way of relieving stress.

+Can be hella intimidating but would never bully someone since his mom learned from her past mistakes and taught him better than that.

+ Also Has a major vengefull streak.

+Also highly observer/this nigga is in no way in hell oblivious like his canon self.

+ an extremely good liar and manipulator.

+Extremely confortable in the leadership role.

+Slytherin through and through.

+takes care and runes.

+ grows up to become a professional quidditch player.

+Recomended ships: Drary, Blarry, Hinny, Haphne, Hansy, Hastoria.

Harry Wieners (Song of Gretchen and...someone):

+Major gossiper. his mom is Gretchen afterall.

+ also Highly observer/this nigga is in no way in hell oblivious like his canon self.

+also an extremely good liar and manipulator.

+Fluent in Vietnamese thanks to his mom.

+ Takes Ancient Runes as one of his electives.

+ Grows up to become a jornalist ( something his canon self would probably never do but it's dowright perfect for him)

+Slytherin through and through.

+Recomended ships: same as Harry George Oman but with the inclusion of Harvati and whatever the name of Harry/Lavander Brown ship is.

Harry James Smith ( Adopted son of Karen Smith and someone....Her cousin Seth? idk you get to choose):

+Extremely Responsable.

+Does the taxes for his mom, since i'd rekon she wouldn't know how.

+Major Mother Hen.

+ Friends with everyone

+As oblivious as his canon self, not due to being unobservant but to often being to distracted thinking about other things.

+Either a Puff or a Raven. Not Slytherin or Gryffindor though.

+Takes care and Artimancy.

+Grows up to become a teacher or a healer.

+Will cut ties with anyone that calls his mom stupid or anything or the sort.

+Recomended ships: Harmony,Huna,Hinny, Hedric.

You can also make Harry be adpted by two plastics at once, in wich case the traits will be combined.

++++++++++Bonus:

Harry James Ian ( Adopted son of Janis Ian and Kevin):

+Major Goth

+ Also Crazy good at math.

+Good at making plans that actually work.

+Loves pranks.

+Hates bullying but has a bit of a mean streak.

+ Also Takes Artimancy.

++ also Highly observer/this nigga is in no way in hell oblivious like his canon self.

+Goes on to do something in the ministry(you get to choose)

+Gryffindor through and through.

+Recomended ships: Hinny,Huna, Hedric.

Harry Cocco ( Glenn Cocco and Someone):

+Glenn Cocco is a blank slot so in this case the sky is the limit.

[angelonasher]

my last post was an elaborate ruse to get to ramble about my own hanahaki au idea

because i dont anyone will read this but i need to talk about it-

(it's myct btw)

ahem anyway-

So we mainly follow Pearl, our wonderful Pearlescentmoon, as she hacks out flowers into her trash can. Does she know why she's coughing up petals? No. But she's been doing it for a while, so maybe its time to stop procrastinating and search up her symptoms online.

Hanahaki. (wha-)

anyway she finds a website about a (somewhat experimental) program relating to the hana-diseases. she's like aight seems legit, seems cheap, why not?

So, hanahaki's been around as long as soulmates have been around (nobody knows when soulmates became a thing) but its only in the past 10 years that people have really started studying it (and trying to find more reliable cures)

Hanakanjo and hanauso have been studied for even less, but apparently this program is reaching into those too.

Anyway, she goes to the program place, and meets some people, other patients, basically.

A larger facility, with more patients and volunteers, it would be sorted by which hana-disease you got, but this is fairly small, so it's separated between platonic and romantic love.

(There are some other sections of the program, such as the very experimental stuff regarding the side-effects of/recovering from hanahaki surgery. but not what Pearl's here for)

the person in charge of our little ragtag group of flower-related relationship problems is uh- i never actually thought- Stress. yeah. why not.

to top it all off, here's a list: (everything's platonic unless i say otherwise)

Pearl: hanahaki. it- it's scott. of course it's scott. they were really good friends but the second they became/discovered that they were soulmates, he suddenly wanted nothing to do with her. very sad :( she got yellow roses and burgundy dhalias. can't really tell that they're yellow- cause- blood- but yeah

Tango: hanakanjō : got lots of flowers and a lot of thorn-shaped scars. poor guy :(

Joel: hanahaki : he mostly just vibes and makes jokes. and coughs. his hanahaki's gotten pretty bad, and he's had it for a while. he's got a whole array of flowers, but mostly irises and yellow roses

Scar: hanauso : at first, he'd make small talk, show around his cat jellie, scam everyone else out of small things like pencils, and started making a credit system. (except he somehow scammed jimmy into life-long loyalty? pearl has no idea how that works) but as his disease got worse, he can't talk so much. now it's just jellie. he still manages to scam people, though. He refuses to talk about whoever's causing it, and mostly grows poppies.

Martyn : double hanahaki : pearl hates him. that's all you have to know

Fundy : hanahaki : everytime i think i'm out of the dsmp fandom I stuff dsmp!fundy somewhere- is the dsmp even a fandom still? he's had his hanahaki for the longest out of anyone (although it's not as bad as joel's), familial hanahaki, actually. wilbur bcuz why not. he's accepted that he's just going to have it instead of opting for surgery, and he uses an oxygen tank a lot. purple hyacinths and petunias. he's in the program not because he thinks it'll help, but because "his friends convinced him to"

Jimmy : he's just there to be Tango's supportive soulmate. and he brings little gifts and snacks. he's very much appreciated (and by very much appreciated i mean everyone teases him but wouldn't trade his friendship for the world.)

Etho : he's actually from another part of the program but pops in from time to time. gives advice on how to manage hanahaki while he's there

Lizzie : Joel's fiance and sometimes comes to say hi. brought cupcakes once. she's apparently jimmy's brother

Bdubs : came twice with etho, once looking for him. apparently a volunteer at the program.

Grian : he appeared once and seemed to know Scar and Jimmy. in a very strained relationship kind of way. he had a whole lot of white lilacs in his outfit. seems familiar

as you can see it's mostly double life people because yeah. i am not big brain enough to think of more people right now

if you got to the end, thanks for that, actually /gen

[sleepypz-blog]

the Alchemist's Rot

Elies scratched his spiny horn, though it never itched, it purely became a habit, during stressful situations, a sort of comfort, despite hating it. Everyone was disgusted at seeing it, sprouting from his head. How they threw stones at him, some even trying to burn him with torches, like he was a monster. At least that's what his father always told him, because of this curse he couldn't quite remember, which forced his father to have to remind him why he should never leave the forest.

No, no no, He thought, rapidly scratching his horn. Seeing the large monster lumbering towards him. It looked alot like a chimera, a mixture of wicked and grotesque beasts. It possessed a head of a bear, tentacles sprouting from its massive back and a deadly scorpion tail. Poor Elies's knees were shaking, due to the grave aura the mighty beast was giving off. Should he run? Would it chase him if it did? Perhaps chucking stones at it would cause it to flee, but it also could enrage it.

All of this contemplating didn't help him in the slightest, his mind continued to run wild with what he should do rather than what he should be doing.  The  dark red fur of the monster was like blood, perhaps it was, coated from its last victim. As soon as the young boy could see the fierceness in the monster’s amber eyes. He finally realized he needed to do something. But what?

On a whim he removed himself from the bark of the tree and ran for his home. Luckily he wasn’t too far in and knew his way. But Elies didnt think about those two things. No, he was more concerned about the loud, and closer encroaching crunching noise coming from his backside, oh how the sticks cracked and broke beneath such a creature. One could mistake it for the sounds of bones snapping. The frightened boy did not turn to see the snarling face that he believed would be there, waiting to pounce and rip him apart as soon as he turned. No he continued to run, faster and faster, as the noise became louder and louder.

His home looked as if there were deserted ruins. Nature overtook the man-made cabin. Vines crawled up the sides, slowly strangling it like it wanted to drag it down into the dirt. It was on its last legs, the window shutters hung asque from its hinges and the roof was concave, like it would collapse in on itself if something heavy would fall on it.  But seeing that rundown home of his was a joyous sight to behold. But right before he made it to the door and into sanctuary, his foot caught a root, tripping him in the process. He quickly flipped around, throwing his arms up, somehow thinking that would shield him from the many teeth and claws that were about to leap upon him. But strangely they never came.

After a moment of hesitation, and panicked breaths, Elies removed his hands, placing them down at his sides. With wide eyes he stared ahead,waiting for the monster to appear, but it was gone, like it was a figment of his own imagination. Tears began to swell in his eyes, believing fully that he was about to die a moment ago. Only after his nerves settled and streams of sadness left his face did the young boy stand and hobbled inside his home.

Thanks to that root, each step he took, the feeling of a bitter pain roared up from his ankle. His ankle was red and beginning to swell, but seeing no other option he persisted through the house. He noticed his father wasn’t around, most likely working hard in the basement again. There was a feeling of loneliness that always seemed to infect his heart whenever he entered the house, like his body knew something his mind didn't. His father always spent his time in the lab, at least as far as Ellies could recall. This hollowness, thankfully faded  quite quickly after he paid a visit to Poppy. She was clawing at the cage, when Elies entered through the door.

He unlatched the cage and held open the door for her to exit, which she did with stride. Her appearance was strange, and her species unknown. Elies wasn’t sure exactly what kind of species it was. It had long ears like a rabbit, a lizard-like tail and a small pear shaped body. his father only ever mentioned that he created the creature one day, while working on his cure. So it had no use being classified as a specific species. She gurgled and clung to Elies’s leg with her little soft paws.

“You wouldn't believe the day I had.” Elies said, rubbing his hand through the fluffy chestnut fur that covered her skin. She began to tug at his pants leg, and then she ran to the door. “Sorry but you can't go do your business outside today. There's something bad out there.” He said, peering out of the window, looking for the whereabouts of that ghastly beast. “But don't worry.” he looked down to look at Poppy, who was currently clawing at the door, gurgling even more. “I’ll put down some rags or old clothes for you.” He smiled. She did not look pleased.

The alchemist slaved over his table, violently mashing up pits of fungus root with his mortar and pestle, muttering about formulas. It became like white noise within the room, constantly echoing across the many glass bottles and jars of varying sizes. He never ventures away from his work bench. It was important after all, if he could just find the right combination, everyone would know his name. They shall deem him the greatest Alchemist that ever lived, rather than a fester fool that wasted what little time remained.

 He did not leave his work long, not even to sleep or eat, he rarely showed himself in sunlight, why would he? He had too much to do. If he didn't do it, someone else would, and he sacrificed too much to allow that to happen. He only left his dank basement for two reasons. One, to resupply his dwindling assets, and the other was to test what he had created. 

Elies, who was currently humming to himself while fixing himself and Poppy food. Only when those shrill hinges screamed did his playful humming stop.  “Are you hungry? Do you want me to fix you something?” He said looking over to the wild eyed man that he called father.

“No time, no time.” the alchemist stuttered. He then stumbled over towards Elies like a man with two left feet. In his hand was a small bottle with a strange elixir inside. The liquid had a foggy pink tint to it. “ Here boy drink, quickly now, quickly! Before the sediments settle.” his voice was ragged and unhinged, like his own mind unraveled like a piece of string that was unknotted.

This happened a lot, the constant drinking of various medicines his father cooked up. He remembered not having to do it so often when he was younger, but now he did it almost daily and still he was no less cured then when he begin. Elies reached for the drink but paused for a moment, his attention being stolen by poppy. She was tugging at his pants even harder. She was always stubborn, especially when it came to going outside. Eventually, He grabbed the potion and being the good boy he was he began to drink from the small glass bottle until the entirety of the liquid vanished down his throat. It was for his sake after all.

Elies could taste a slight bitterness to the drink, not overwhelmingly bad, certainly not good either, most of what he foraged for his fathers research were mushrooms, corpse flowers, and certain bugs only native to this region.

After drinking the odd mixture. His father watched with wondrous anticipation. It caused a powerful feeling to run throughout his entire body. From the tips of his toes to the point of his horn it verberated within him, growing warm, eventually becoming a painful burning sensation. He could no longer escape this turmoil that his creator had given to him.  His vision began to warp and spin. In order not to vomit, Elies had to close his eyes and hold his mouth shut, refusing to allow his body to cough the medicine up.

The Alchemist stared widely at his son as his breathing became heavy. His father began to stroke his mighty, tangled beard in delight. Was this it? Was this the right combination? The wrinkles in his face began to tighten as his mouth shifted into a giddy smile. All of his painstaking work, all of his sacrifices. Was this the day that the alchemist finally did it?

Elies’s body began to grow, noticeably  like he was growing into an older version of himself. to both his and his son’s dismay. A twisted horn began to protrude from ELies shoulder causing him great pain, causing him to drop to his knees. Slowly it dug its way out from beneath the poor boy's skin. The shrieks he gave off,  it was lucky they lived deep within the forest because many people would confuse the screams of Elies for a terrible murder, but in their fairness they sounded very similar.

Only when the new horn stopped growing did Elies become silent and his wet eyes opened. One of them, now jet black, both the iris and sclera were now void of color, completely dark, almost as if it wasn’t even an eyeball anymore. His vision was still slightly blurry , but he could still see his father, examining him still. His smile faded into a more serious look. “It seems I'm still far off from the right formula,” he muttered. From his pocket he pulled out a clean vial and scraped a bit of sweat that now coated his woozy son’s flesh. He returned to his subterranean laboratory to further his research, while his son is forced to figure out what exactly that potion changed within him, as well as out.

Elies sank down further to the floor, not having the strength to stand up any longer. Poppy hopped towards his face. She gurgled dreadfully and rubbed her head against Elies chest. Like she was trying to provide comfort to him. His head slowly swiveled over to the crooked horn that was stabbing out from his shoulder.

He didn't quite understand what had happened. The cloudiness in his mind felt like a dream. Am I sleeping? Thought Elies, but that couldn't be, his eyes were open. But that horn, this strange creature nuzzling him and this place… Where exactly am I? He thought before he faded away into a deep sleep.

All of his memories returned to him after he awoke, at least he thought so. There was still a strange feeling lingering in the air, most likely due to his new found deformities but the young boy paid it no mind, he still had chores to do after all.

Poppy joined him as he journeyed up stairs. The second floor only had three rooms in it, his room, his fathers room ( even if he doesnt use it much) and the third was his older sister’s room, but now it was used for storage. Elies lit the candles and began his dusting. Since his father had to much important work on his plate, it was up to him to keep the cobwebs at bay.

He first started with his father’s room, even though Poppy insisted on the storage. But the young boy never listened to his pet, he wanted to make sure as soon as his father finally completed his work, he would have a nice clean bed to sleep in. Elies hummed as he went around cleaning the shelves and de-webbing the corners of the room, Poppy watched from his bed, looking a bit down since he awoke, perhaps she was frightened by his new form, it was all for the best. His father was trying to save him. Since his mother and sister passed from the same affliction as he. He did nothing but put in every second he had into finding a cure for his son. After the first room was completed, he entered the storage room. Poppy raced in ahead of him and disappeared behind boxes. It was filled with things from their old life. The belongings of his sibling and dear mother were also stashed here, untouched. He sometimes came in here to visit them, to remember things he’s forgotten, they helped him remember them if only slightly, it was more than a feeling he got, then a past vision, a feeling of happiness and safety that they are still with him.

Poppy seemed to have perked up a bit, and began to adventure around the room. She sniffed and crawled around many old relics of the past. Elies was busy wiping clean the old wheat scythe that laid propped up against the wall. When a small chest crashed to the floor, severing the old lock on it and scattering its contents across the floor. “Poppy!” He yelled at the adorable little creature who had undoubtedly knocked it over. He couldn't stay mad at her, with a slight smile on his face , he began to clean up the mess.

 As he was stacking the papers in the box, one of the books caught his eye. It was a leather bound one with a strap on the side to keep it closed. But what stole his attention was the name written on it, It was a name so familiar, so, so safe that it brought forth a bloom of the past. The Alchemist didn't mention his wife much, not after she passed, but Elies knew what his mother’s name was, it was the same one written in this journal. It seemed he would never forget that.

Opening it he discovered her hand writing, beautiful and elegant, perhaps she came from nobility, It talked about her life, Marrying his father, having her daughter and son, but after they all moved to this isolated home, her hand writing became much more scratched on then how she began her journal. It read, I don't know what's happening to me, my hair began to grow abnormally, turning scarlet red, when it was before black. I can't seem to remember my past, whenever I try to recall my parents, my mind becomes foggy. What is happening? My dear husband said it is a curse placed upon me, and says he can cure it. I hope he can, Please my beloved save me. I don't want to forget our children’s faces. He continued reading, completely until the last page written on, which read, the medicine, it's always been the medicine. What is he doing to me.

Elies wasn't sure what to make of this. Was she talking about his father? And the same medicine he takes? No it couldn't be? I just remembered. I need to leave this place quickly, with my children and escape this mad man. Her panicked scribbles abruptly ended, as if ripped away from her desk. 

A New idea began to form with Elies’s troubled mind. It was true his memory was flawed, but he now could sense danger with in the house, with in his own father. The worried look upon his face grew terribly. Seeing this made Poppy excited, she jumped brightly on his shoulder. All he was concerned with now was getting out of the house.

He crept down the stairs, hoping not to stir up too much trouble. the  small creaks in the steps now sounded like loud shockwaves. Before he made it to the bottom steps, His father whipped open his lair door. “Elies! I have a new mixture to try!”  he yelled, searching the kitchen. When the mad man’s eyes were set on his son, he was observant enough to know something was different in the boy. He usually jumped towards him at his medicine. His eye fell down towards his hands. Elies was holding something.  A book? It was hers! He yelled again “Elies, give that here!” but that started a fire by the boy’s feet. Dashing for the door as quick as he could but his father was closer grabbed him and through him down on the wooden floor. The alchemist held his son down and pried open his mouth. “Please!” He begged his father, but he wasn't listening. The mad man poured the blue tinted liquid down his throat causing Elies to cough and choke. “That's it” his father said through gritted teeth, not leaving a drop in the vial.

Many weeks went by or maybe it was only just a few days, Elies never could tell anymore, between the constant potion trials and never changing environment surrounding him, as well as his dwindling memory, time no longer was relevant to him. The things his father asked for were becoming more and more obscure. Just last week he requested an albino toad. But that was fine, he’s trying to cure his ailment after all. He forgot all about what had transpired after he read his mother’s words. He never found that journal again.

Nowadays the wind that occasionally drifted through the trees had a strangeness to it. Perhaps the seasons were changing or a storm was encroaching, or maybe the many twisting horns that grew from the poor boy’s body played a part. He looked alot more like a distorted porcupine, both his eyes were now pitch black and his body grew large he was now over five five feet tall. Ten years old and he was now the same height as his own father.

Ever since that first sighting, the crimson beat never returned, Although Elies could still hear its cries echo through the trees. It  sounded bleak and angry, with a hint of sadness with each roar. Elies was glad it was gone, but he wondered why it vanished so suddenly before. Perhaps it was for the best. Before he knew it, somehow the very sky was black. How long was he out here? It couldn't have been an hour since he left, but that was in the morning. This happened a lot recently, how time just slips by. Elies’s mind became much more hazy, like it was filled with a constant stream of static. Sometimes he even woke up outside, unaware of how he got there.

I need to save him. That is easier said than done, everything she tried failed and he was already forgetting himself. All that bile is rotting his brain. He doesn't even remember her anymore. She was at least lucky enough to retain her intellect. Poppy gilded her paw across the bars of her cage. As she did she reminded herself that she already tried to kill that batty man, but this body that she now resided in was no more lethal than a still stone. What could I do? She paced in her cell. When Elies finally found his way home it was nightfall. He’s been coming home later and later recently. Most likely forgetting where he lived. Oh how she wished their mother was here, but she was gone too, lost forever stumbling through this forest.

The mad man barged upstairs, most likely hearing his son’s large feet scraping the floor.“Finally “ he said, ignoring his son’s tortured posture, and swiping his bag that was tangled between the ridged horn like spikes sprouting from his arms. “Give it here!” he barked, ripping it off him. He gazed upon what was inside and smiled a hellish grin. “Finally!” he shouted throughout the wilting house. He rushed back down stairs to get to work on the formula that finally do it.

Elies, sat at the chair, his mind was drifting, he usually let Poppy out of her cage but not today, he completely forgot about Poppy, just like he did when she was once his sister and just like his mother before her. Poppy saw him hanging on by a thread, she began to rush back and force, hoping he could break through the small cage. She tackled the door. It didn't budge. She did it again. It still didn't open, but the cage did move, if only slightly. It was up to her to save her little brother. She no longer had the journal to bring light to her father’s crimes, she saw it herself. He burned it, and then… wept to the sight of it. Perhaps inside he still had some semblance of how he used to be, before he became obsessed.but even so he was a monster that needed to be stopped. 

To Poppy he was gone and he did too much to her and her family to ever be forgiving. She rammed against the cage again, harder this time. Beyond the short fur, her body was especially squishy, but with determination alone, she still managed to get her prison closer to the edge. One more should do it, she thought, pressing herself against the back of the cage, before charging against the front.

Her cage crashed to the ground, grabbing her younger brother’s attention. “hmm “ the nothingness of his eyes focused on the cage on the floor with the small creature inside, looking awfully dazed. After a moment, he remembered “Poppy?” he said, his voice now deep and frightening. He walked over and bent down, to open the small door. Poppy quickly regained her wits and crawled her way out.

Now that Poppy was now free, there was only one other option that she could think of at this point, it was dangerous and might not work, but it was either this or watching him slowly become someone else, worst case they all died quickly.

She ran over to the door and began to scratch at it. Elies stumbled over to let her out, as soon as he opened up, Poppy bolted past the tree line and into the forest. She ran as quickly as her small, rabbit like legs could carry her. She was determined though, to saver her brother and end her father tyranny. She needed to find their mother.

The forest that surrounded the haunting the house was vaste, filled with flora and fauna a plenty, well more flora and fauna. The ripped apart corpses of deers and wolves made it seem more like a feeding den rather than a forest floor.  Despite her many warning signs to turn back the small creature persisted.

A teeth shaking roar lured her closer. She hopped atop a low hanging branch to get a better view and that's where she saw her, the crimson beast. It was over top of a large bear, gorging on its abundance of flesh. Poppy’s heart raced at the sight of her. Of all this time she never caught a glimpse. She remembered he slowly changed into the ravenous monster she now witnessed. She wished she could have realized sooner, cursing herself for being so naive. To think her father wanted only to destroy, rather than heal their mother. Poppy took her small paws and slapped her bouncy cheeks, she couldn't think of that right now. If mother was still inside that beast of gorey red, she needed to find her.  She hopped down from the branch and approached her.

Poppy’s first words were supposed to be mother, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a purring, gurgling sound. It must have been loud enough because she stopped eating the bloody meat she scooped out from the bear’s remains.  Eying the small creature before her, the beast growled as she turned around to face her new prey.

Mother, please! Its Elies, you need to help, she tried desperately to plead with her, but her voice was gone, and her mother didn't even recognize her. Her new body came with new instincts as well, ones to sense danger. These alarms were screaming at her right now to run, but all she wanted to do was cry, to let whatever happen happen, but when she thought of her poor younger brother still being subjected to those horrid experiments…

Poppy turned around and wiggled her rump towards the maddening beast This way mother, she thought before taking off towards their once warm home. Her little butt wag worked a little too well, as the crimson beast that was soaked in blood was right on her heels, the only thing that slowed her down just short of getting her were the abundance of foliage and stone, she swiftly glided through. The sound of small trees breaking and the pounding of her large claws against the soil filled the air, like it was a dust cloud moving across a plain.

When Poppy finally made it into their yard. She was panting heavily and her eyes were focused on her mother who halted her pursuit at the tree line.  refusing to step any closer, she remained just beyond the clearing, still growling, no longer at Poppy, but at the house itself. The beady eyes of hers stared at the looming house like it was about to grab her and pull her closer. Her daughter noticed this, this must mean she still had a bit of her former self within her. She at least hoped so.

What could she do to get her closer, to remind her of who she really was? That's when an idea struck her like lightning.

The alchemist toiled in his laboratory. Every concoction he mixed turned into was a complete failure. What was he missing? His son’s withering mental state was also costing him valuable and much needed resources. Elies was out there for hours and yet he only procured enough supplies to hold in one palm. He stopped thinking about what to do about his gathering issues. He was too focused on his latest feat. This one for sure! It had to do it. Eternal youth, that's what it will bring, for both his name and mankind.

When his father made his way up those shaky steps. He found his son holding a broom in the other room, staring blankly at the cold fireplace. The same fireplace where they once shared memories together and the same place where he had burned his wife’s journal. “Elies, I believe I have done it this time. Your cure. Try it!” he said, handing over the potion. His son slowly turned his head to face him. The mind was all but absent from this task now, it was merely instinct at this point. He had done this so many times that it had been ingrained into his very muscle. He removed one of his hands from the broom handle, showing off that they had changed too. Insead of five fingers he was born to, he now had three large ones, like the extra two were absorbed by the others.

He slowly brought the potion to his lips, but before it could reach his mouth and fall down his throat, Poppy came bursting through the window and knocked the elixir from Elies's mangle hand. The glass vial smashed into pieces, spilling the bubbling mixture everywhere. “You! What have you done!” He had said to his former daughter, as he clutched his head in frustration. To make matters worse she taunted the grief stricken man. Wagging her dairy air at him, much like she did with her mother. Things were dire and she needed him to follow him and boy did he ever.

He let out another anger-filled grawl as he barreled towards Poppy, but thanks to her agility and small frame, she easily maneuvered around him, much like a mouse. She jumped through the same window she entered from. The alchemist raced out the door, after her. But when he did He saw something he preyed on never to see again, his wife’s angry face staring back at him. “M- Mar”  he began, but soon went cold. Like Poppy hoped for, the beast removed herself from the safety of the trees, her eyes firmly set on the demented man that cursed her and all her kids. All of the anger she felt, that festered inside of her heart, finally remembered the object of her hatred.

Elies watched his father and his pet chaotically dash around the room. It didn't dawn on him until the two took their chase outside, that he had dropped his medicine. He stared down at the liquid that was now spread across the floor. Perhaps it was still good? His father did seem sure of himself with this one. He slowly fell to his knees and began to drink up as much as he could.

The scorned mother stumped towards The alchemist, growling and roaring. It was like she was trying to yell at him, to curse his name. The old fool tripped backwards as she approached “Ma- Ma- Martha” he said quickly “ I am doing this for everyone’s sack, humanities, imagine how far our kind will expand, if we no longer aged.” he pleaded, hoping she could still understand him. In his eyes he was a saint, a man willing to sacrifice anything to better the world. But to everyone else, he was a twisted mad man bending morality to his design. A foolish man playing god.

Martha seemed to want to hear him out, or perhaps she liked seeing him in this panicked state. She bent her face down and bared her massive teeth inching them ever closer to her husband's pale face.  He crawled backwards until he felt something hard behind him. It was the steps of the house.  his  eyes were large and shaky as he stared down her vengeful eyes. He was so close, so very close, he could feel it. And yet it was gonna end here, his work unfinished, his name forgotten. “No!” He refused to let that happen. He found a nearby branch and pointed at his former wife.

Poppy sat on the side lines, watching the miserable man stumble and crawl away from her mother. She couldn't help but to feel happy, maybe even a little bit satisfied with her action, but in the chaos she forgot to check up with Elies. When she ran back inside she found a horrific scene. Elies was licking the remains of the potion up. Poppy tried to stop him but it was too late, the potion was already taking effect.

The three fingered hands grew more claw-like, much like a mole’s, his jaw began to grow wider, creating a large underbite, revealing sharpened teeth, and his two large blackened eyes became one. When  Elies, the cyclops saw Poppy he yelped, frightened at seeing her.  His vocal cords seemed to only give off loud aching sounds when he tried to speak. Even he was surprised at this, clutching at his neck. Poppy yelped and gurgled trying to make him calm down. In his new form. She contemplated doing a little dance or rolling over to better soothe him, luckily he seemed to have settled. Until a mighty roar shook the house. Elies, curled up clutching his ears tightly.

The alchemist stormed into the house, only pausing at seeing what became of his son, his face grew more irritated then frightened. It didn't work, he thought for sure it would have worked! Did the roots already? He completely forgot about the monster he was running from, until she made herself known again.

Martha crashed through the wall right behind her husband, barely missing him with her sharp, poisonous tail. He dashed for his beloved basement door but she did not pursue him. She froze just like her husband did at the sight of her son. It wasn't to figure out some god foreskin mixture that would probably never grow fruit of eternal youth. No, it was of a mother gazing upon her son, her once beautiful child that looked so sweet and innocent, now a monster. She saw Poppy trying to comfort the scared little boy she gave birth to. Martha looked back over to the closed basement door, the alchemist’s  sanctuary, his room of evil.

 She could have easily tore it to pieces and gotten to him, but… should she? Death could be a blessing, for a man that lost his mind, that would be constantly tormented with his desire to achieve greatness. Perhaps a lifetime of obsession and loneliness was a suited punishment for a man that brought rot to their once happy family. So that's where she left him, toiling his days away in his own creation. While she took her kids, and tried to pick up what remains of themselves and start their new lives together.

[talesofealdancynedom]

Tales of Ealden Cynedom: 34. The Green Letters (2/4)

34. The Green Letters (chapter 2 - Floral Arrangements 2/4) part 8. Stories of Dreams.

none

“Dear paternal traitor,

Though I nearly incinerated your letter, the bride showed investment in your efforts. Additionally, I don’t want to stoop to your level. Morgan said he wanted Delphia to wear the dress late prince Ethelstan designed, for the promised Daneia Lady whom Delphia is to replace. Morgan assured me you have those records.

Regarding his clothing, he wishes to wear the Emerald Gryphon robes he restored this year. He also indicated that he wanted the celebration to be blue and pink, and clove duck served. For flowers, he asked for white columbine and white poppy, with ribbons tied to the right; And purple hyacinth and verbena, with ribbons to the left. I stopped asking after a certain point. Flower’s are my little sister’s thing, and he is a Seer after all.

It is also worth mentioning, that Delphia is being held hostage in Pepperidge, by an Earl Kjiatin Torchblood. You should plan how to transport her, and preferably not return her. Pepperidge seems to still have low opinions of her. I’m not sure how I personally feel, now that she quit monopolizing my nephew. They do get along.

Though I want you to know as little as possible about my family, I have you know Morgan’s voice coaching has gone well. He goes mute sometimes, due to the trauma you caused him. It was triggered when Emilia left for her first tour, and his friends were busy. I should’ve been more available, but I also have to feed him. Me and Jupiter are a little sad these days; Our daughter moved out and I can’t sleep. Do you even remember Reggie?

Also, since Delphia mentioned it, can I be invited to the ceremony? To make sure you don’t hit my nephew again? Or will my sister Icthya keep you accountable? I wonder why she stayed with you; Was it True Love’s Spell, or the complexity of domestic violence? I wouldn’t know, because I don’t neglect those I love.

Tell Icthya I miss her.

 Whale, hope this doesn’t help,

Mr. Dawnhill.

 P.S. You can send letters directly to me. I live in my dead parent’s house; We painted the kitchen white.

16 Tower Rd, E

Pepperidge, Anglia Mainland: GW1 P42”

 Odysseus slouched in his saddle. He was in only his boots and underwear, trying to pull a horse out of a muddy ditch, as the Duke of Northpoint read him the letter. In Cetus’s absence, Duke Ravensong had been good company. He attended every traditional celebration hosted at the ranch. Like Odysseus, he had a bloodline title that gave him little importance these days. However, as good a friend he was, he did slap Odysseus after the domestic violence charges. Even being a witness to remove custody. He was no replacement for Cetus. Cetus was a bucket of laughs, and a poor looser while playing darts. Odysseus was cut deep, but not surprised, to hear that Cetus still hated him. When the horse was free, Odysseus staggered to the bath room tracking mud.

“Are you ok? Did my brother write back?” Icthya called, picking up the dirty letter.

“I miss our son and Cetus. Also, you’re a florist; Do the flowers mean anything to you?” Odysseus called down the hall. Icthya opened the letter; She frowned before giggling.

“No. But they’ll compliment the pink and blue decorations.” Icthya chimed back. She knew exactly what Morgan was conveying with the flowers: An Old-fashioned floral burn. Icthya continued to examine the letter.

“Wait, does Cetus mean the Kjatin Torchblood of Peak Suna? He wed to your big sister, right?”

Odysseus slid deeper into the tub. His sister had leaked the secret constitutional monarchy to the Torchblood family. That meant Kjatin would be at the ‘wedding’, with a smug look on his face; Having appeased some higher-up wizards to give his niece a step up. All it took was abusing some teenagers. Odysseus was livid.

******

Fear of death makes people stupid. A year of comparison, and the stress of near-death, cause Delphia became obsessed with being worthy. She’d never match Emilia, but she needed to do something. Proof she was on Pepperidge’s side. The wedding was never a priority. I need a grand gesture. Delphia thought, adorning her pink gilded dragon robes; Not enchanted, but perfect for a wizard. She tied her strawberry hair back with blue finger loops, revealing the rings of silver in her ears. But in the mirror, she saw a familiar face at the door; A built man covered in mythical tattoos, blue eyes, and a golden mane twisted and clipped with silver.

“Uncle Kjatin? This is the tower of Tiberius Gate; You shouldn’t be here. How did you get past all the fey?”

“Casually.” He grinned. Delphia, tensed, as he approached.

“May I help you?” She suggested. Kjatin scowled. He walked right up, and tore off her wizard robes, and stays, down to the chamise. They slid into threads on the floor. Delphia froze solid. He then ripped the silver from her ears, cut her hair and the finger loops, then pushed her over to rip her traditional knit stalking’s. Delphia found herself gripping her arms on the floor crying and cold. Kjatin whipped the Kohl from her face, with her own tears.

“My wife informs me that a bride to Anglia cannot bring her culture with her; Nor be a wizard.” Kjatin whispered, slowly bending and snapping Delphia’s wand, inches from her face. Years of school, and a dream, in splinters. Kjatin walked off with heavy steps. Delphia had never felt so helpless. It was so surprising she had gone rigid. She would feel guilty calling Morgan for help; She wasn’t even sure he could help. She felt pathetic.

While everyone was at work, Delphia shoved her shredded belongings into a trunk, and applied first-aid. Her condition might cause Morgan to panic. Applying gauss to her ears, she looked out the bubble glass window of the great tower. She saw the expanse of the encircling black walls of the gate. Within the tower, she was at its center. The Shadow Veil before her; A grand gesture of dedication. Echoed in Delphia’s mind.

Anyone who is not a mage, will succumb to the severe hemorrhagic fever from going dark upon entering the ether. The depravation of the senses in the Shadow Veil, causes turmoil great enough to kill. But that plane contained the Beast Kings. As Morgan was King Mage, they saw him as a sibling. Now that is a grandest gesture, to prove one’s love of magic and dedication; Risking one’s life to appease magic itself.

*****

Cetus walked into his tech shop, on call, only to see his mailbox full after the weekend. To his dismay, there was a green letter.

 “To my one true beluga,

Thank you for your correspondence. I know you have harsh feelings towards me; justifiably so.

Tell Morgan I’ll have the dress made, and that Icthya is taking care of the flowers. Morgan’s request made her laugh. I love when she laughs.

I forgot to add that Raven Queen Odette, the lost princess of Anglia, is coming. I told her to wear the periwinkle dress. Morgan might be thrilled, since he’s so close with the Beast Kings. Personally, I think she’s a romantic under all that regality.

Regarding Kjatin, he’s technically my brother-in-law. I don’t think he’s dangerous, but if you find him, report him. I’m removing him and my sister from the guestlist, for inciting violence; And involving wizards in mundane matters. Two can play at forgotten decree abuse. As for your family’s invitation, I’m unsure as of now.

Additionally, there is little I can do to help Delphia get here safely. She didn’t ask for any of this. Just like Morgan. Maybe you know a paladin?

I hope everyone is well. Send a smile to Emilia, Jupiter, and Delphia, for me.

 Kind Regards,

Oddie”

 “He doesn’t know when to stop, does he? Too much heart to keep it to himself. I wonder how he’s doing, even though I want to not care. I never thought to ask after he lost custody; I hope it hurt. Bet he still tortures himself. That bastard owes me a third chance at goat tossing. I should be the uncle attending that meaningless pageantry. Its bad enough Morgan’s best friend isn’t; A friend who is a loyal paladin too! What a mess.” Cetus rambled, as a customer stared from the camera section.

NEXT--->

<---PREVIOUS

[smallraindrops-blog]

Made To Break

Part two.

4k

Warning: noncon/dubcon sex, yandere, talk of death. No beta. Read at your own risk.

Note: never wrote something like this before. Hope it was worth wait. Let me know if you like it! Enjoy!

Time dragged on, especially without your phone. You watched the clock, not able to pay attention to anything else.

The house felt different without the god inside. Your gut had been right the first night, he had been here the whole time.

You still regretted returning Hypnos his cloak, it was the only thing keeping you warm in the drafty house. 

You debated trying to escape but you held off. Where would you even go? There was no one else who could help. Even if Hypnos was keeping you trapped, he could be the key to getting your dad back.

Also you're pretty sure Hypnos would follow you to the end of the world and then some. 

Maybe if you just play along for now, you could show him the truth later when the spell doesn't work on you and he would be forced to admit you weren't the one he was looking for. 

"Just one more day." You told yourself. 

That's what Hypnos told you, "And when time gets close to twilight, make sure you are by his side." He said, locking his cloak in place.

You agreed, "Is there anything else I could do?"

Hypnos grinned, and tapped his lip, "How about a kiss good-bye?"

You rolled your eyes at him even though you were charmed by his cheekiness and shook your head. You knew that if you responded to his flirting, it would make the letdown worse.

"Oh well, can't blame a guy for trying." Hypnos said before he vanished before your eyes. 

You had a sinking feeling of realizing that you wouldn't have been able to outrun him.

💮

It was in the middle of night during another round of tossing and turning when you realized something wasn't right. 

There was a humming under your skin, like little jolts of energies that never stop moving. 

Maybe you couldn't fall asleep due to stress or maybe you got used to Hypnos being around. He was the god of sleep, he must have played some role in helping you rest. 

You crawled out of your bed and went to the window and stared out to the backyard. Little red poppies stood out from the blanket of snow, gently swaying in the wind. 

Magic was real and Hypnos was as well, he felt human when you touched him. His grief when he talked about his lover sounded real. And he seemed hellbent making sure not to lose you.

Is it really that impossible that you were someone in a past life, a deity even? It sounded like something out of the fantasy books you read as a child.

You pressed your forehead against the cold glass, an welcomed sensation. You didn't want to admit it. Not to yourself at all. 

But something in you has changed or is changing you just don't know what yet. 

You just hope you don't lose yourself in the process.

💮

You were in line for coffee when the thought came. It was some honey glazed  pastry you just happened to notice and thought  'Hypnos would love that especially with his sweet tooth.' 

You froze, how in the world would you know that? You don't even know if the god could or want to eat. 

You rubbed your eyes, it was the lack of sleep you told yourself.

You got to the hospital at the end of dusk, a coffee and a breakfast sandwich in hand. You took a big bite, trying to finish it before getting to the elevator.

It was early but you wanted to be here, even if Hypnos couldn't help, you wanted to at least be with your dad for what time he had left. 

You slipped the coffee, grateful for the warmth. After getting in the elevator, you tabbed your foot nervously. Even the last bite of the sandwich couldn't calm your stomach. 

You almost didn't see them when you stepped out, had you not glanced to the left you would have never seen them at all.

"Mrs. Johnson?" You asked, even in your anger at your ex, you still liked their mom. She mothered everyone and she always made sure to have your favorite cookies when you visited. She turned to face you, her blonde pixie hair was unkempt. Her red and puffy eyes widened in surprise. You tossed the coffee in the trash can as you made your way over. 

"Oh my god, Y/N?" Mrs.Johnson sniffed, "Are you here to visit?" Even her voice sounded rough.

Your heart dropped, "For my dad, I don't know if they told you but he is in a coma right now." 

"Oh honey. I'm so sorry, I didn't know." She hugged you tightly, her rose perfume was a comfortable smell in the hospital. She took your hands, her tears still flowing. You tried not to roll your eyes, of course your ex wouldn't even care enough to tell their mom, the sweetest person ever.

"Why are you here?" You asked worried for the poor woman.

"Something happened to (Ex/N), they were out partying and I don't know. Their roommate thinks they hit their head and haven't woken up since. It's the oddest thing, they couldn't even find where the brain bleed was. Or any marks." She shook her head, "it doesn't feel real."

You gasped, not able to make sense of her words. "Like they just went to sleep?" You asked, feeling like you've been dropped in ice. 

She nodded, not saying anything.

"How long ago?"

"Two days or so, late during the night." She replied, she didn't notice the dread on your face. Did Hypnos use your phone? You had a feeling he was the one who took it but there was so much going on you had forgotten about it.

"Can I see them?" You asked, you need to see with your own eyes. Surely, this had to be a coincidence.

"Of course, hon." 

💮

You had fully planned on never seeing your ex again. You kept meaning to block them but You weren't ready yet because you didn't want to admit you wasted your time.

You stared down at them, at the tubes, at the heart rate monitor. And You knew (Ex/N) was paying the price for your inability to block them. 

You didn't love them, not in a way a person should love another you think. But you cared for them and wanted them to be happy. It wasn't until the cheating started, that it got bad.

Mrs. Johnson sat down in the chair and held their child's hand. Her face showed her heartbreak and every time there was twitch, there would be a hopeful look in her eyes only for it to die when nothing happened.

It was just like your father's coma.

You closed your eyes, anger boiling inside your chest. At yourself more so than Hypnos.

How could you been so stupid?

💮

You stared outside the window. It was the first clear day in weeks and the blue skies with the fat, lazy clouds seemed so more vivid than you remember. 

Your father's heart monitor beeped steady and true. You couldn't look at him, guilt and anger was warring in your chest.

You had brought in the story Hypnos weaved for you. You didn't know how much was truth or lies. You think it was a healthy mix of both and it made it so much harder to know what really happened. 

You covered your face with your hands, trying to make sure the tears didn't come out. 

How could You get out of this? You saw some of Hypnos' powers, and you knew that it was the tip of the iceberg. 

You couldn't stop thinking about the book, the warnings that you didn't see. This was a god that had once put the world to sleep, and you couldn't see a reason why he wouldn't again if he didn't get what he wanted.

it felt more cruel that he was playing games with your life, with all their lives. It would have been kinder to just kidnap you and leave everyone else out of it. 

You looked up at the clock, just a few more hours left to go. 

You really wished you brought your bat. 

💮

Twilight was beautiful, even with the city skyline. You paced around the room, waiting for a change or for him to show up. 

You almost didn't notice, too deep in your anger.  

Your father's hand twitched, and you paused, not wanting to get your hopes up. Then his head turned to the side and you rushed to him.

"Dad! Oh my god, dad." You touched his arm gently, not wanting to spook him. His eyes opened up groggily, his head turned to you. He didn't react to seeing you but you weren't worried. 

"I will be right back, I'm getting a nurse." You rushed out, giddy with relief. 

💮

He doesn't remember you.

Your own father doesn't remember you. 

You collapsed in the chair, the doctor tried to calm you down but you couldn't hear anything over the buzzing in your ears.

You knew. You just knew this was Hypnos' doing. Your hands tighten into shaky fists on your knees. 

How fucking dare he do this. You gave him a chance and this is what he does.

Without a word, you stormed out the room.

💮

 

You don't remember getting in the car or the drive home. You knew Hypnos would be waiting for you.

He wasn't going to stop, you could feel in your bones. He would do to you in every single life you live and he won't care the cost it will take.

You slammed the car door shut, not brothing to hide your presence. You stood in the cold, uncaring how bitting the wind felt against your skin. Snow was still on the ground and little red poppies peeked through, bright against the snow. 

Your breath came out in white puffs as you stared at your home. For all you knew this would be the last time you ever see it. 

You took a deep breath, gathering what strength you had left. 

It was time to face the music. To face him.

💮

You stopped in the entryway, not wanting to get closer than you had too. You could see even in the dark that the books were gone as well as the horrible eye and words. The one thing that lit the room was a single candle on the side table.

You looked at the other walls and saw pictures of you had been taken down. Fear tightened your throat and you stepped into the living room. Your eyes darted around but there was no sign of Hypnos. 

You stepped into the living room and after a moment, you walked to your bedroom.

You whimpered when you opened the door. Everything was gone. The bed, the desk, all of it. 

You took a step backward and another without looking away from your room. 

Your heart stopped when you bumped into a warm chest. His arms wrapped around you tightly and his cheek pressed to your head.

"It's time to come home, Y/N." Hypnos said, tightening his hold to the point you couldn't breathe. Or scream as you watched the world you once knew vanished.

💮

You kicked and twisted in Hypnos' arms. "Let me go." You gasped, "I can't get air, please." 

He loosened his hold but you were too busy gulping for air to care. You pushed away from and he allowed you to, unconcerned about you escaping. 

You tried to steady yourself only to stumble, Hypnos grabbed your elbow. 

"I'm sorry I forgot it takes some getting used to." Hypnos said. "You should have seen my brother the first few times. He used to get sick all the time."

"Don't touch me." You snapped, jerking away.  You've been here before, the sound of water rushed to your ears. You turned to face him, to tear him a new one but when you saw him, you were shocked into silence.

Hypnos smiled, and pointed at his head. Two white wings had appeared out from his head and in the middle of his forehead, a single red and gold eye stared back. "So tell me Y/N, what is more surprising; the wings or the eye?"

You shook your head, "What the hell, Hypnos?" Your voice cracked. "Is this what you normally look like?" At least before he looked closer to humans, just a little odd looking. This was something else.

"Hhm, not when we first met but after the... you know, I just have these sometimes." Hypnos shrugged, his golden eyes on you. 

"How could you?" You asked and Hypnos tilted his head at the question. 

You took a step forward even though all you wanted to do was run. "I know what you did to my dad, to (Ex/N). Was it all a ruse? A game to you?"

Hypnos scowled, "I really don't appreciate hearing that name." 

You stamped your foot, "Unbelievable! Is that all you have to say?" 

"Oh no, the person who hurt someone I love is now having to suffer the consequences. How sad for them." Hypnos rolled his eyes at you. You have never wanted to choke someone more.

"His mother is suffering, just like how my dad is!" You yelled, hating how helpless you felt.

You walked closer, you knew he could grab you again but you needed him to listen. But Hypnos spoke before you.

"Your father isn't in pain, if anything I fixed it. He doesn't remember you or his wife. He will live out the rest of his days without you but you know humans are so quick to replace family." 

Hypnos sighed, "I really did try to help him for your sake, Y/N. I felt sorry for him since he and I were both familiar with this kind of pain. But he already messed up once, I couldn't trust him not to try something else." 

You were silent for minutes before you spoke. "You said you would never hurt me."

"And I haven't." Hypnos replied, he almost moved closer, wanting to comfort you.

"Liar." You spat out the word. "You have done nothing but hurt me since you showed up." 

You glared at him,"You may have not touched me but you had caused so much hurt to everyone around me."

"And what makes you think I should even care about those humans?" Hypnos hissed, he grabbed your arm but you willingly went along with his tug. Words were your weapons now. You glared up at him, mere inches between you and him.

"Because I do. That should be more than enough for you." You licked your lips, "This isn't the first time we had this fight." 

His gaze sharpen, golden and hard like a predator. "No it isn't." Hypnos agreed. 

You could tell he wanted to ask more questions, to know exactly what you started to remember. Good. 

"I had held my part, Hypnos. I agreed to come, to do whatever you needed from me." You said, "in a twisted way, yeah I guess you did help my dad even if it hurt me. And you warned me."  You closed your eyes for a moment before meeting his again.

Hypnos stayed silent, his eyes watching you.

"But none of the other stuff had to happen. Mrs.Johnson was good to me, she was the closest thing I had to a mom." You whispered. 

You didn't know how but something in the humming inside of you knew Hypnos would bend to you. His biggest weakness had always been you.

You laid a hand on his chest, "Listen to me, I'm willing to stay. I want to stay." You thought it would sound like lying but it didn't. Your heart twisted because you weren't lying and you knew it. 

Was it really that easy to walk away from your human life? 

"But I can't have you hurting people just for the sake of revenge. That is not who I am and that used to be you too." You murmured.

"Things changed Y/N." Hypnos murmured back. Just like before, he covered your hand gently. 

A faint memory rises from the depths of your soul. Of Hypnos admiring your hands, always touching or holding them. You took a breath, not yet you thought to this other side of yourself, not yet.

"Then change again, Hypnos. For me." You pleaded. 

"It's not that easy." But his tone was softer, you just had to push a little more. 

"You once put the whole world asleep because you loved me. You became softer, kinder because you loved me. This is nothing to you." You keep your tone soft, not willing to break the quiet.

His eyes, all three of them, closed in defeat. "Okay...Okay Y/N. Just answer me this, do you love them?" 

"No." You said bluntly. "They were a friend once but even though you were a jerk, I felt more with you than I ever did with them."

Hypnos nodded, the third eye opened again while his golden ones stayed close. "Good." He held a palm up, and a small dark, almost black mist formed, you could faintly see your ex and Mrs. Johnson. 

The mist swirls quickly, and it changes into a soft white cloud. "It's done. They will wake up, and they will live." The cloud faded away and Hypnos dropped his hand. 

His golden eyes opened and looked at you. 

"Thank you."  You told him. You cupped his cheek and he pressed into your hand with a sigh, his eyes closing again. "Darkness' sake, I've missed you." Hypnos said. 

You leaned into him and hugged him. After a moment, he hugged back, resting his chin on your head. Neither one of you said anything for a while, just holding on each other.

"What do you remember, Y/N?" Hypnos asked, and you shrugged. "Honestly, just small bits here and there. I remembered you like honey."

Hypnos hummed, "I do. Is that all?" 

You yawned, "No, sorry, it's mostly just me going by instinct or this feeling of deja Vu." You pressed into his chest. "I'm really sorry."

Hypnos rubbed your back slowly and you felt your body relax against his. This was so much nicer than anything you ever felt before.

"Come, let me show you where we can get some rest." Hypnos spoke, something was off about his tone.  But you followed along anyway, too tired to even think.

💮

"You said anything, right?" Hypnos asked as you wandered around the cave. There wasn't much of anything. You see baskets of pomegranates, onions and other stuff in one room as Hypnos gilded you past it, his hand on your lower back. 

Books were stacked on a desk but weren't what caught your attention. There was a bed, big and piled high with blankets and pillows. It looks like what exactly a god of sleep would want. 

"Oh wow, this is the biggest bed I've ever seen." You walked toward it, "What side do you sleep on?"

You walked around the bed, keeping one eye on the god. "The middle but you can pick whatever side you want." 

"O-oh." You stopped at the realization that of course this would be the only bed. There would be no reason for him to have a guest bed.

"You didn't respond to my question, Y/N. You agreed to do whatever I needed you to do, correct?" Hypnos said calmly as he held something in his hand. A small glass bottle. 

You walked toward him, your heart racing at the almost predatory look he gave you. 

"I. I did, yes, to get my memories back." You stopped just out of his reach. "Will that thing help?" You pointed down at the bottle

"In a way." He said and you stared at him. 

"What are you not telling me, Hypnos?" You stood your ground. "I thought we were getting past this."

"You're right. It's going to hurt, just a bit. But it will help restore you." Hypnos held it up between his fingers, inside the liquid looked like water. 

"Why do I feel like you're downplaying it?" You muttered. You took the bottle and popped open the cork. 

You sniffed but it smells sweet, almost too sweet. 

"Make sure you get every last drop, Y/N." Hypnos said, his golden eyes watching your every move.

You knew he wasn't being honest about something but you will have to deal with it later. 

"Well, bottom up." You swallow every last drop. It didn't taste bad or anything at all, not even like water. 

You felt his hands on you could do anything else. He pushed toward the bed and that when it hit you. A wave of dizziness made the room spend and he laid you down.

"Oh, I don't like this." You moaned. You didn't notice until it was too late, that he had pulled off your shirt. His hands felt too warm against your skin and you tried to push him off. 

"I know, my love." Hypnos comforted, "I wouldn't do it if I didn't need to." 

"Why?" You slurred, "I thought we were…" but you couldn't continue.  The heat and the dizziness was too much for you.

"We are. We really are. But If I don't do this now, I won't get a chance until you are older and I can't risk you dying on me."

"I wouldn't have said no." You closed your eyes.

Hypnos pressed a kiss against your forehead tenderly "Yes, you would have, my love. You would want us to have more time. This way I can make sure we will have nothing but time."

His hand slided down your pants and past your underwear. He kissed you on your mouth, and pressed down against you. 

You couldn't stop the gasps you made against his mouth as he rubbed you with his fingers. The pleasure you felt was far more intense than what you were used to.

"You even respond the same as you used to." Hypnos told you. "Blood and darkness, I could watch your face all day like this." 

You hide your face in a nearby pillow out of spite and embarrassment. "Shut up." You moaned, hips arching against his touch.

Hypnos yanked the pillow away and tossed it out of your reach. He grabbed your chin to kiss you again. You met his kiss with as much force as you could. 

"I hate you." You tried to pull away but he just pulled you back into another one. You could the heat building inside you along with the humming, the always moving energy built inside of you 

And Hypnos himself consumed you,all of you and you wanted him to. Fates help you but you did. You wanted him to make you whole. 

You moaned against his lips, tears running down your face as you arched and peaked. 

You collapsed against the bed, Hypnos pressed kisses against your neck and collarbone. 

You closed your eyes, shaking with the heat. "Hypnos, what did you give me?" You sobbed. The heat nor energy still haven't died down yet. 

"Just gimme a moment, Y/N." Hypnos pulled away from the bed, and you sobbed again. 

He came back and shushed you. His hand pulled down your pants, yanking your shoes along off them. You flushed at your nudity. 

Hypnos loomed over you and he pulled you into a kiss. You buried your hands in his white curls as the kiss deepened. His knees nudged your legs apart as he broke the kiss. 

"If I have to be nude, so do you." You tugged at his cloak. Hypnos laughed, "No, later."

His fingers worked you open and you found yourself spreading your legs more.

"You're so good, so so gorgeous. Y/N, do you know how good you look like this?" Hypnos priaised. And you somehow just flushed even more. 

His fingers left you and he crawled toward you. "Kiss me." He demanded and you obeyed, the kiss you gave him was sweet and slow. He hummed against your lips and you felt him pushed inside you. 

Your head tilt back to the bed with a gasp. You shook as the moment seem to stretch out, a endless moment of being taken.

You never felt so full and damnit, you hated how good he felt against you. The soft clothes gave you goosebumps as the brush against your bare skin. You sobbed as he moved inside you leisurely, like he had all the time in world. 

"Hypnos, please." You begged. Your fingers curled against his tunic, trying to ground yourself against the feelings.

He shushed you, "I've been waiting for you for so long." 

"I'm sorry, Hypnos." You whimpered as pleasure built back inside of you. 

"Don't be." Hypnos groaned, his hips started moving quicker. "Losing you killed me, Y/N. I never thought I would have this again."

You were lost for words and just pulled him into another kiss, hoping that it will say everything for you. 

During the kiss, his hips snapped against you quickly, fingers digging into your thighs.  

"I love you Y/N. Fuu- I love you." Hypnos murmured against you. In a whisper, "I love you, Hypnos." 

He moaned and you feel the hot wetness inside you. You trembled as you followed him. 

You stared upward and the humming had become overwhelming. This was it, you thought weakly. 

You don't remember closing your eyes.

💮

Later you wake up, Hypnos sleeping next to you and holding you tightly. He looked so much younger like this. 

You could remember everything. The people, your role as an deity, Hypnos, of loving him and he loving you in return and... and your death.

You grimaced as you rubbed your chest, you could feel the sharp burning pain. Of magic that kept from dying like a normal deity.

But now you were reborn in a way.

There was strength in you too now. A sureness you didn't have an human. You blinked at Hypnos' sleeping face. The third eye was gone but you wasn't sure what it meant exactly. You both were going to have relearn one another. 

You reached up and touched one of the wings. It twitched at your touch, and you smiled, amused. 

"I missed your smile." Hypnos said, his voice rough with sleep."I think it worked, Y/N." His golden eyes studied your face. You stared back. 

Then you reached up and flicked him on the nose. "You should've been honest from the start." You said.

"Ow! And I was, it's not like it was my fault humans won't listen." Hypnos scowled at you.

"Not that. About restoring me. I understand why you wouldn't be but you need to more honest with me from now on. Especially since I know it cost you some of your powers." You said as you pulled Hypnos closer. Tears had filled up in both of yours and Hypnos' eyes.

"Thank you. For bring me back. I felt something was missing in me since I was born but you found it. You found me." You  kissed him, chaste and sweet. 

Hypnos sobbed and held on to you tightly, his face in your neck. "It worked. It really worked." 

You kissed his head, your tears matching his. The both of you weeped with joy, with sadness and relief of having each other again.

"I'm so sorry. It was my fault. I should had gotten there sooner." Hypnos said roughly. 

"It was no one fault, we didn't know." You brush his curls to smooth him. "I don't blame you."

He nodded against your neck and you held him. 

After a few minutes, he pulled away to look at you. His hands cupped your face. You cover his hands with your own, smiling.

"I still haven't told you everything." He said softly. 

"That can wait." You murmured. "We got all the time in the world." 

"We finally do, huh?" Hypnos said, and you meet him a long, slow kiss.

It was good to be home.

[ghostlywritten]

If Only I Had Stayed In The Shadows - Chapter Four

James Potter x OC

Words: 3,3k

Prologue  Chapter One  Chapter Two   Chapter Three

A few weeks passed and we soon had reached the second half of November. By now, it was snowing heavily on the Hogwarts grounds, footsteps barely printing the ground before it was filled with a new batch of the white powder.

The classrooms were thankfully warmed and for once I didn't wish the lessons to end to avoid going outside. Letters to and from the outside world had stopped unless it was a big emergency to let the poor owls rest. Lucky for me, I had sent the last letter for the year to my parents consisting of the message that I would not do an internship at the Hospital Wing in the near future (or at all, but pssh). Lucky because my parents wouldn't send our family owl back no matter how angry they would get. Thus, I wouldn't have to think about their wrath until Christmas break.

Madam Pomfrey - whom I started calling Poppy in my head after hearing Dumbledore call her that once - still got half of the small packages of sweets once a week without a word. The other half went into James' stomach, who insisted he could still maintain his abs with playing Quidditch.

Practice was a pain in the ass and the next game against Slytherin was not something anyone of us were looking forward to. Especially the Captain was annoying during the time before this game, insisting to have more sessions than normally scheduled.

It was usual for people to watch practice – mainly the respective partners or friends – but only the supportive – and therefor maniac – ones would stay outside in a blizzard-like weather like this. I tried sneaking off from time to time but James was always already there to intercept me in my escape route.

Imagine my surprise when I saw not only Marlene next to Alice but also Lily, huddled closely together on the stands between the other stranded ones.

"Alright Beaters up now, I'm gonna release the Bludgers. Try to improve your aim." Sirius und Frank grumbled as they stayed up on their brooms whilst the rest of us got down, breathing heavily. "We are probably going to have to play in a weather like this! So we better be prepared!" James yelled after them, releasing the Bludgers.

"Have you looked at the stands already?" I asked as I resisted the urge to huddle into him, choosing to just place myself behind him for wind protection.

"Yeah, I'm always on the look-out for the sneaky snakes," James replied with a smirk over his shoulder, causing my heart to leap slightly.

"A-alright…but have you also noticed a certain red-head up there to your right?" I leaned over just in time to see his eyes flicker towards that area.

"Yeah, I have noticed," he said with an indifferent tone.

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for a second, "…And?"

"And what?"

"That's it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You see the love of your life and all you have to say is 'Yeah, I have noticed'," I mimicked his voice, causing him to raise an eyebrow at me, "Didn't you promise that you wouldn't give up on her? I haven't seen you trying to pursue her in the past weeks."

James stayed quiet for a while, shouting an order towards the two Beaters. "James?"

The dark-haired boy sighed before he turned to face me, "And what about you? I haven't seen you try to get that internship, either."

"I have!"

"Leaving the sweets at her door is not trying."

"How do you know about that?" I asked surprised.

"I have my ways," he winked, "So what's going on?"

It was my turn to sigh this time, "...She is just been stressed and very unapproachable. Especially last week…," I hinted, watching his smile fade in realisation. It had been a full moon night. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Well, you should maybe not try then anymore."

"….Oh? All of a sudden?"

"Yeah. And I'm not gonna try, either."

"What?" I stared at him in surprise, "What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm just sick of chasing something that seems unavailable," James said indifferently, "That promise was a dumb thing to do."

I swallowed slightly, wondering why I felt hurt about him breaking our promise. "Hey, listen," he appeased, noticing my expression, "I mean, I shouldn't have made you promise to keep asking her when it seems that she won't budge at all."

Nodding, I figured he was right. I wasn't really trying for good reason anyways. And he seemed to have realised that it wouldn't work out, either. But how…

"Why do you think that all of a sudden?"

"Er…," he scratched his neck, "I might have tried to persuade her to take you in." My eyes bulged. "What?!"

"Yeah…I kind of…had a slight – a very slight – suspicion why she wouldn't take you in as an intern," he started slowly, looking everywhere but at you, "And I offered a solution…but she still refused."

I stared at the shuffling boy in front of me, "You…tried to get that internship…for me?" My voice was almost breathless as I thought about what he had done more deeply; he had actually tried to find a solution for me despite his best friend's secret. "What- what was that suspicion?" I forced myself to ask, wondering what he would tell me.

"It doesn't really matter," he waved off quickly, "I just suggested to her to schedule your training periods around the…suspicion…yeah…and it didn't work."

…

I had the sudden strong urge to grab him by his Quidditch robes and kiss him senseless.

"Thank you, James," I said sincerely, blushing at my own thoughts, "Really…that's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." His cheeks already slightly flushed from the harsh wind reddened some more. "It's nothing."

"No, it's not nothing," I insisted, placing my hand on his arm. He didn't know I knew but I still wanted him to understand how important that was to me, "I'm really, really thankful, James."

"It didn't even work out, you don't have to be so embarrassing now," James tried to joke slightly, swallowing as he watched my beaming smile. Biting my lip, I forced to keep my arms down in order to not crush him into a hug, "Why are you staring at me like a creep?"

I shook my head with a grin, "I guess I'm just surprised what a sweet person you can be?" He spluttered slightly in protest, "Oh yes, Potter. Underneath all that prankster façade is a tiny, sweet boy…," I teased him before turning slightly serious, "who would do anything for his friends."

James puffed out his chest in pride, nodding, "I agree with the last part."

Laughing, I shook my head and let go of his arm. "I owe you something, siriusly."

"It didn't work out, though?" James questioned before shaking his head, "Nevermind, why am I complaining?" I laughed again as the Beaters went down, puffing heavily.

"Are we done yet?" Sirius huffed.

"Oh. Sorry, Padfoot! I didn't watch. Do it again!" James yelled over the wind, causing the two to groan in annoyance, "Hey, now. This is not the way to groan at your Captain!"

"Stop flirting then and pay attention!"

I was glad for the harsh wind now as it hid my tomato face. James chuckled slightly, "Sorry Pads. Couldn't resist."

"Oi, what the hell are you on about?" I grumbled, punching his arm.

"Ouch, woman," James complained, and I rolled my eyes, it wasn't even that hard of a hit, "I was just kidding. Now get your ass up there. It's time for an actual game!"

Needless to say, practice got us cold and sore after another hour, leaving us to yearn for nothing but a nice hot shower. I was about to head inside the lockers room, smiling tiredly at Marlene, Lily and Alice as they came up when James called me back to him.

Figuring he was just going to comment on my training session, I trudged back with curses muttered under my breath.

"Are you going to Slug's Party this weekend?" James asked outright and I blinked for a second in surprise at the sudden topic.

"Yeah, why?"

"Cool, let's go together then," he suggested, ruffling my hair with a quiet smirk as I stared at him dumbfounded.

"Ehm, what?" I mumbled; my words overshadowed by Marlene's shriek of 'WHAT', "Why?"

"Why not?" James asked back, leaving me slightly speechless when I had no argument against it either. "It's settled then. I will pick you up at the Common Room at eight."

"Alright," I muttered as he walked backwards towards the locker rooms, waving goodbye at me before he turned and went inside.

What just happened?

-

"I told you!" Marlene squealed, bouncing on her bed as we all got ready for the evening, "I told all your asses this would happen!"

I rolled my eyes as I shuffled into a plain blue dress, charmed to keep me warm and deciding to just leave my hair down for once.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked indifferently, looking stunning in her long red dress whilst she put on some earrings. She even managed to straighten her hair, which I still wondered why she would in the first place. I had straight hair, so I am a reliable source when I say it's boring.

"I mean," Marlene pressed, "That James Potter has actually started to look elsewhere for once. And his eyes are now set on Cecily!"

"You are being ridiculous," I said, trying to hide the tiny flush creeping up my cheeks, "He asked me as a friend. And you are still my date, you know?"

"Doesn't matter," the brown-haired beauty said dismissively, "It's the first step to romance. Pretending to be friends."

"Then why hasn't he ever tried to use that move on Lily?" I pointed out and she went quiet for a second, pondering on it before she said, "He's just dumb." A collective sigh resounded through the room. "I'm serious, though. Why is no one seeing this but me? It's so exciting, too. Cecily is finally getting a boyfriend!"

I sat down on my bed to put on my shoes, a tiny smile gracing my lips without my intention. "Look, how happy she is!" Marlene pointed at me almost accusingly as she looked at the others for confirmation.

"Oh, shut up already," I grumbled, embarrassed and she threw me a sleazy wink.

"Lily, what do you think?" she suddenly asked the too quiet girl in the back, who was absently fiddling with a chain in her hand.

"What?" she asked, blinking slightly.

I smiled. 'Who is the daydreaming one now?' "You need help with that?" I asked, ignoring Marlene's chatter in the background about my non-existent love life. Lily nodded, smiling back softly but stayed quiet otherwise.

"You must be relieved, too, Lils," Alice suddenly pointed out, appearing from the bathroom in a cute white dress, "With James finally stopping his pestering."

"Yes, for sure," Lily said but I noticed the usual fervour in her voice whenever she talked about James was missing, leaving it mellow. As I looked up, she was watching me through the mirror with a thoughtful expression.

"Everything alright?" I asked and she simply nodded, turning away with a 'Let's go'. Shrugging to myself, I followed the girls out towards the Common Room, fashionably late…I hated being late.

"Damn, what took you so long?" James greeted me with an eyeroll as he stood up from his hunched position with Sirius in front of the fireplace.

"Hello James. I'm fine, thank you. You look fancy yourself," I said sarcastically, and he gave me a peeved look, though his lips were twitching upwards.

"You would be the same if someone made you wait for half an hour, woman," he complained after the others greeted each other and we started heading towards the dungeons.

"I would still be polite in my greetings," I said poshly whilst wondering about the eager-looking Sirius peeking at us over James' shoulder.

"Oh yeah?"

"No. I would punch you for wasting my time." James laughed quietly, hooking my arm through his as we walked down the steps. "Hello Sirius, by the way."

Sirius perked up. "Hello to you too, dear Cecily. How are you feeling this fine evening?" he asked with a overly nasal tone.

"I'm feeling just splendid," I replied in the same voice. James made a face when I gave him a look. "This is how you greet someone, James."

"Please no," Sirius said in his normal tone, "It's the way purebloods greet each other."

"I was just going to say that reminded me of the way Slytherins talk," James laughed, causing some peers around us with green ties to glare in our direction.

"Or Ravenclaws when they recite something from the books in class," I added, and they nodded in agreement.

We entered Slughorn's class and I had to momentarily blink at the different sight from the usual dark interior. Every year Slughorn would change the décor and theme of the party although it would always be a little Christmas-like for a little thrill of anticipation. For me, it only reminded me of all the presents I had yet to shop for.

"Hello, my dear students," Slughorn greeted us with wide arms, ushering us inside, "My my, almost all my best students from Sixth Year at once!"

"Except for Marlene," I muttered, nudging the girl's shoulder teasingly and she slapped my arm painfully. Hey, she got here only because of me, I was allowed to poke fun at her for once. Her glare turned into a smirk when she noticed the arm hooked around James' and I looked away pointedly, ignoring her giggles at my red cheeks.

"Professor Slughorn, you have really outdone yourself with the decoration," Lily commented politely as the rest of us saw no point in making conversation with him and longingly stared at the food across the room instead.

"Finally," I muttered, grabbing myself a plate and handing one over to James to pile up something to eat. Marlene had slapped my hand away from anything edible throughout the whole day, insisting to keep my stomach from bloating to have a good figure for my dress. A dress that wasn't even tight-fitting.

"Someone's hungry," James remarked as he watched the pile on my plate grow higher and higher.

"Got a problem with a girl eating?" I asked with a raised eyebrow playfully and he grinned. "Not at all," he replied and put a cherry on top of my pile, causing us to chuckle.

We spent the first hour sitting down on one of the tables and chatting about nonsense as we ate, Slughorn occasionally fluttering past us, stopping for a quick talk and leaving as fast to attend to others. Looking around I was positive that there had never been so many people at one of his parties than this time around.

"He must be still looking for potential candidates for his trophy stand," James mused as if reading my thoughts. I noticed he did that a lot; knowing exactly what I was thinking.

"Hm, we must not be enough for him then," I commented. Sirius placed a hand over his heart dramatically, "How can you say that? We are lovely!"

"Lovely doesn't get you anywhere," James argued and puffed his chest out as I laughed, "Manliness does."

"Touché," Sirius agreed, puffing his chest out as well.

"You look like dumb idiots," I said with a shake of my head, still chuckling.

"Dumb and idiot mean the same," James said in a posh tone that would make a Ravenclaw proud.

"Two are better than one to describe your idiocy," I said, causing them splutter indignantly, "Oh hush. I'm just joking."

"You wound me still," Sirius said with a sniff.

The evening continued with the same light conversation and I couldn't help but settle in my position comfortably. Usually I would feel totally out of place in social circles like these, having a hard time to come up with mindless small talk, but it was somewhat easier with James on my side and Sirius on his respectively. The tables disappeared after a while to clear space for the dance floor, leaving me to mourn after the food that went with it.

"Now let's shag some legs!" Slughorn exclaimed enthusiastically. I choked on my drink whilst Sirius and James had a hard time keeping their laughter in as the music started blaring louder, soft classic music making space for some Wrock bands.

"Is that actually a real Muggle phrase?" Sirius asked between his barks of laughter whilst I watched Lily talk to Slughorn with a flustered face, probably trying to explain the right phrase to him. I bet you ten galleons that she was the one telling him about it in the first place.

"Something along the lines," I said with a small grin, rolling my eyes at the cackling boys next to me.

My feet were starting to ache from the heels Marlen had forced on me after a few more hours and I couldn't help but sigh in relief as James agreed to leave the slowly dwindling party close to midnight. "This was actually nice for once," James interrupted the sudden silence surrounding us, my ears still pounding from the too loud music.

"Yeah, it was way more fun than usual," I agreed.

"Was it because of me?" James asked with a wide grin and I rolled my eyes, bending down to get rid of my shoes to hide my blush. The dark-haired boy gave me his arm for support, and I sighed in relief as my aching feet hit the cool ground, immediately soothing my sore joints, "Wow, those heels were really high, weren't they? You are suddenly ten inches smaller."

"Oi, I'm not that small," I protested, looking back up only to have to crane my neck to see his crooked grin. "Oh, shut up," I mumbled, suddenly shy as I noticed how close we were standing. James chuckled softly before nudging me, "Come on, it's getting cold. Let's get you into the Common Room."

"You could lend me your robe like any gentlemen would," I pointed out and he gave me an affronted look, "And what about my freezing ass?" he asked in shock, causing me to laugh. I couldn't remember a time where I had laughed as much as this evening, my heart feeling light and floating around as if on clouds; an unusual but welcoming feeling.

Muttering a Heating Charm, I heard James sigh quietly in relief, apparently having felt really cold. "You know you are a wizard, right?" I asked him amused and he gave me look before grinning himself, looking away out of the window. We reached the Common Room, which was completely empty, and I would have almost automatically walked towards the fireplace if it hadn't been for the pure exhaustion from the evening catching up on me.

"You should sleep, we have class early in the morning," James said quietly as he watched my eyes droop every few seconds. He nudged me towards the staircase, "I can't carry you upstairs, the stairs are cursed."

I chuckled, walking up the way to the girls' dormitories as he stayed back, "It's not the staircase, it's the boys who are cursed."

"Cursed to fall at your feet," he added charmingly, smirking. I looked over my shoulder, shaking my head slightly. He had the most random bursts to flirt than anyone I had ever met before. "Good night, James," I simply said.

His brown eyes softened and for a second we stood there, staring at each other from across the room. I couldn't decipher anything from the distance, but it felt like something shifted in the atmosphere in that moment.

"Good night, Cec," he said faintly.

Chapter Five