#SO GLAD MR PUZZLES IS JUST HERE NOW HE JUST SHOWS UP NOW IT'S SO FUNNY

[its-a-me-mango]

On sight, no hesitation, ultimate Mr Puzzles DNI move.

[shygirl4991]

Haunting Past

Summary: After failing to stop Mr Puzzles at the meme factory, SMG3 drinks his pain away hoping to forget how much of a failure he is. Lucky for him things aren't how they use to be and he has someone watching out for him.

Tags: Drinking to cope, Alcohol, drunk smg3, emotional hurt/comfort, sleepy cuddles, boys crushing on each other

SMG3 sighs as he takes a swig of his drink, the burning sensation reminding him how far he has fallen. He thinks back on the battle back at the meme factory, he couldn't believe he failed. Though thinking about it more, that was the story of his life. In the past he made it his life mission to ruin SMG4, to the point he lost himself and attempted to kill them all. The one thing he was glad to fail, he couldn't picture his life without these idiots in his life. He stares at his drink frowning, he was a failure of a villain isn't he? 

He attempted to follow his dream, opening a cafe with both of his favorite activities. Drinking coffee and dealing with explosives, he remembered how exciting it was when everyone started to show up. He was making something for himself he thought, till one day no one showed up. No matter what he did no one wanted to be in his cafe, again he was failing while SMG4 was flying having everything handed to him. He lets out another defeated sigh as he finishes his drink, he just wanted to forget how much of a failure he is. He couldn't even stop mr.puzzles, the moment he was out done by that monster that has haunted them for months. Frustrated from the memory Three throws his cup, he breathes heavy as he watches the cup shatter in pieces. Four arrives at his castle with a huge smile, finally they are free from Mr.Puzzles. He was glad that they were able to pull the plan off, what he didn't see coming was how much meme energy it was gonna take out of him. Hoping to get some energy back, he walks into the kitchen where he gasps at the sight in front of him. A depressed Three was sitting at the counter getting ready to open another bottle, SMG4 runs and takes the bottle away from him “Three! Why are you surrounded by so many bottles?!” 

Three smiles brightly at four “Hey! So happy to see you, give me a hug!” Four panics seeing the man throw himself at him, dropping the bottle he catches the drunk man who cheers. “Three, how long have you been drinking?” He watches as the man stumbles away from Four’s arms. Concerned that Three would fall he follows every step ready to catch him at any moment, Three giggles as he pokes Four’s cheek “Since the whole puzzle thing!” Four sighs as he gently grabs hold of the guardian “Three lets get you some water okay?” Four helps Three to a chair before walking away to get the man a glass of water, seeing his partner walk away Three starts to cry “Where are you going? Are you leaving me because I'm such a failure?” hearing that causes SMG4 to freeze. He turns to see his partner, it was strange for him to see his ex rival sitting there crying. Walking over he gently rubs the man’s back “Hey, i'm not leaving you i just wanted to get you water.” With a sniff he looks up at four, wiping his tears “liar…” he whispers, Four sighs as he pulls out a chair to sit next to Three “Do…you want to talk about what got you drinking?” 

Three turns looking away from Four “How long have we been here?” Confused by the question Four looks at the clock “A few minutes, why?” Three frowns thinking, he knew he came to the kitchen for a reason. He kept trying to think why he was there only to get distracted by his partner, Three smiles softly “You're so handsome it's annoying.” SMG4 blushes, rubbing the back of his neck “Oh uh thanks! Now not to change the topic but I do want to know, did something happen today to get you like this?” Three’s eyes water looking down, seeing this Four reaches out grabbing his partner's hand. It always tingled when they held hands, the energy that flows between them was strangely reassuring. Three keeps looking down and starts to cry “I’m a failure…i fail at everything i do,” hearing his words break Four’s heart. 

Getting up from his seat, Four grabs Three pulling him into a hug “Dude, you're not a failure. You have done such amazing things, you're so smart…please stop saying this about my best friend.”  Three holds on to Four, he yawns starting to feel drowsy “You're so much better than me…why are you my friend?”  he mumbles out as he battles his need to sleep. Four frowns hearing the pain in his partner's words, slowly he adjusted himself to hold Three better “I should be asking you that, I have done nothing but treat you like nothing.” He hears a sniff before Three sleepily looks at Four, with a gentle smile Four wipes the man's tears “Okay, we are friends because you're more amazing then you think. You never give up no matter how hard things get, I honestly admire that about you.” Three lays his head on Four slowly falling asleep “You..liar” with those words the man fell asleep. Four frowns as he lifts up Three to carry him, the cafe was close by though the idea of using an elevator with SMG3 in his arms didn't appeal to him. He walks to his room and gently places SMG3 on his bed, he removes the man's hat. Smiling softly he kisses the man on the head “I hate seeing you like this Three…im sorry im failing at being your friend.” He grabs Three’s hand frowning “I promise, I will be better so this won't happen again.”

Making sure Three is tucked in, Four walks back to the kitchen to clean up the bottles. He looks at the bar filled with different drinks and throws them in the trash, seeing how depressed his partner is he needed to make sure the castle is safe.  Once everything was cleaned he returned to his room, he felt the fatigue of the day hit him. Not caring at the moment for Three’s reaction when he wakes, Four lays in bed next to the man. He squeaks in surprise when three cuddle up to him, with a soft giggle he lets himself enjoy close contact as he drifts to sleep in SMG3 arms. 

[purplecoffee13]

Mr Sunshine - Part Three

Summary: “Harry takes you somewhere to celebrate, and it leads to some clarifying revelations.”

Wc: 5k (I’m guessing)

Tropes: grumpy!mc x sunshine!H

Warnings: talks about being drugged, SA, trauma

A/N: Hi! I’m back😎. Here’s the new sunshine chapter and the next one will be coming soon (and will be steamy! Be prepared!)

Series Masterlist

General Masterlist

************************************************

On Saturday evening, at 3:34 p.m. to be exact, Harry calls you. You aren’t quite sure why you remembered the exact minute. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that you rarely ever received calls from anyone that wasn’t your family. You had never thought it to be pathetic, but knowing the exact time at which he called made you realize that maybe it was.

You stare at your phone with a frown on your face. What on earth could Harry be calling you for? Once out of your state of shock, you scramble to grab your phone and answer his call.

“Hello?” You say, in a rather confused tone. For a second you wonder if something terrible has happened. Maybe he is in the hospital!

“Guess what.” Harry says from the other side of the line in his usual chipper tone. You roll your eyes and let yourself fall back onto your bed. You guess you’re glad he isn’t dying, but what on earth could he be calling you for then? And now you had to guess it? This guy could never just cut to the chase.

“What?” You huff.

“You have to guess, otherwise it’s not fun.” He insists, a breathy chuckle escaping his throat. “So… guess!”

“The world is ending.” You reply in your staple, monotone voice, laced with a thick layer of sarcasm. A sigh sounded from the other end of the phone.

“Is there not an ounce of positivity in your entire body?”

“What?” You faked your offense, trying to get on his nerves for once. “You told me to guess.”

“But why is it that something sinister like imminent doom is the first thing that comes to your mind?” He asks, sounding genuinely puzzled about it. You fight your lips from quirking up.

“I mean, it’s bound to happen eventually.” You shrug, even though he can’t see you. “I figure, if I guessing it, one day I ought to be right.”

“I will never be asking you to guess anything ever again.”

“Smart boy.” You praise him. “Now are you gonna tell me what’s up?”

“Right, yes.” Harry takes a deep breathe. “I passed— the test, I mean. I got an A.”

You smile, but try your hardest not to let it show in the way you talk. “I told you you were gonna ace it, dumb ass.

“Thanks… I think?” Harry replies after a few seconds of silence born out of confusion. He chuckles ever so awkwardly, shaking his head at your unusual ways. You can’t see it of course, but he is grinning from ear to ear. You are the first one he called actually. There was no one in the world he would’ve rather told first. Not even his mom, who had been drilling him about the exam for the past weeks.

“Yeah, never doubt you teacher again.” You say sarcastically, laughing along with your friend on the line.

“I won’t, I promise.” Harry assures you. “But it’s not the only reason I called you, though.”

Your swear you feel your heart stand still for a second. An overwhelming amount of anxiety takes over your body the second the sentence falls from Harry’s mouth and you find yourself beginning to sweat.

“Oh?” Is all you manage to say.

“I am also calling to tell you that you need to be ready by eight.”

“Why?”

“We are going to celebrate of course!” Harry’s voice rings through your phone and your eyes close as you let out a little sigh and mutter an ‘oh God’.

“God won’t release you from the wrath of my grip, sunshine.” You quite literally hear the smirk in his voice.

“Now who’s being sinister?” You say, shaking your head slowly.

“Well, I learned from the best, didn’t I?”

“And the brightest.” You add cheekily.

“Sure. Be ready at 8.” Harry reminds you. You give him a small ‘yes’ as a confirmation, but before you can hang up, Harry adds: “oh, and don’t bring your ego, it won’t fit in the car.”

You let out a loud sigh in response and hang up the phone, but your cheeks are burning and your mouth hurts. Weird, your mouth never hurts. You catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and instantly relax those muscles. This is ridiculous. You will not be giggling over some guy.

“Stupid girl.” You murmur, pointing to your own reflection in the mirror.

But your confrontation with yourself does not quite stop you from counting down the hours until it is acceptable to get ready. You take a long shower and blow dry your hair, instead of letting it dry like you normally do. You also apply more make-up than you do on the regular. You would wear more make-up on a daily basis—you love to use it—but you have a tendency to oversleep.

Instead of the usual five to ten, it actually takes you fifteen minutes to pick out an outfit. There is a dress that has been hanging in your closet for far too long. And you really want to wear it, as this is the first time in almost a year that you have made concrete plans with a friend. The thought of it pains your stomach. God you have really isolated yourself ever since…

Oh well, that’s all changed now. You actually have a friend these days, or at least you think?

Nevertheless, you spend ten of the fifteen minutes wondering if the dress is not too much (it is the most casual dress you have hanging in your closet), and then you spend the remaining five actually putting the piece of clothing on your body.

It is 7:30pm by the time you give yourself one last look in the mirror. You put on a comfortable pair of high boots and wait on the couch until Harry arrives. You sent him your address after the call, and so far you haven’t gotten any messages about him being lost, so you think he’s good.

Sure enough, at 8:00pm on the dot, the bell rings. You force yourself to slowly walk to your door—you have no idea why—and take a breath before you open it up.

Upon opening the door, you are met with Harry’s wide smile—which he always wears. His hands are in his pocket and you watch his mouth slowly open—as if to say something—and close again before letting his eyes trail down your body. He looks quite surprised. You don’t blame him—you aren’t often in clothes like these.

Harry himself is dressed up a bit too. Not as much, but he doesn’t need to if he wants to look good; he just kind of does. The all black outfit works for him. The short sleeved dress shirt and the pants go perfectly together, as do the boots and belt he paired them with. You’re almost jealous of him for making such a simple outfit look so fabulous.

“You look…” Harry says, then trails off while he does a weak attempt at trying to find your eyes again. You are the most beautiful person he’s ever seen, how can that be? “Wow.”

“Wow?” You echo.

“Unexpected.”

“I look unexpected?” The corner of your mouth lifts but you hold it as best as you can.

“No— I mean yes— wait…” He frown, as lost in his words as you are, and thinks for a second before offering his final answer. “Yes, you look unexpected.”

“In a way that makes me want to say ‘thank you’ or throw the door in your face?” You tilt your head ever so slightly. Harry chuckles and shakes his head.

“I just mean to say that you always look good, and tonight you look good in an unexpected way.” You notice his cheeks turning a bit pink, and in turn so do your own. You have to bite the inside of your cheek to refrain yourself from giggling like a fucking idiot.

“Well, thank you, then.” You say. Harry murmurs a ‘your welcome’ and nods his head to the car before taking a few steps back, signaling you walk with him. You close your front door, lock it, and follow him to his car. He opens the door for you, and upon entering the car you don’t forget to tell him that he’s an ‘idiot’, but your heart flutters anyway.

Harry is mysteriously vague about where he’s planning on taking you, and he doesn’t say anything other than ‘you’ll see’ the entire drive. Your stomach drops when you finally do see.

You are parked in front of the frat house that was throwing a party tonight. You were already confused as to why you guys were driving through campus, but now you know why; it’s the quickest way to get there.

Your terror filled stare finds Harry’s face, who wears some sort of a pride filled smirk, but it fades a bit at the sight of you. You are starting to freak out. What the hell does he think he’s doing?

“Hey, it’s okay.” He says in a soft voice, but you just shake your head. Instead of saying anything else, he steps out of the car and walks to the door on your side, opening it for you. He holds out his hand, and despite the slight panic that has been ringing through your body, you take it. Harry leads you to the trunk of the car. He lets go of your hand to open it, and when he does, you’re met with three cool-boxes, all lined up in a row. When he takes off all the lids, you see what is inside.

Every cool-box has different drinks in them. The far left one has got water, sparkling water, and water with different tastes to it. The middle one has all kinds of sodas, and the one on the right is filled with juices and smoothies. Apple juice, orange juice, a mango and banana smoothie… you name it.

Your mouth hangs slightly open, taking in the view of the trunk. You want to form a full sentence but your mind can’t comprehend much right now.

“What…” You begin to say, but your mind trails off.

“You said you don’t drink at parties, at all.” Harry turns his body towards you, despite the fact that you are still staring at the cool-boxes. “I don’t know why that is—and you don’t have to tell me—but I assumed it had something to do with a bad experience. Anyway— I thought this was the perfect solution. This way we can stay hydrated and nothing can happen to the drinks because the car is locked. You can keep the car key in your purse if that makes you more comfortable.”

You don’t say anything, just stare at him with wide eyes. Harry isn’t quite certain what your take on the matter is, and it is starting to make him doubt his decisions.

“I— I’m sorry if this crosses a line. I just really wanted to bring you along and meet my friends.” He scratches the back of his neck as a nervous tic. His jaw is clenched the entire time as he looks back into your eyes. Your gaze is terrifying to him, in spite of it seeming softer than normal.

“Thank you, dork.” You say after finally being able to gather your breath. It makes you realize that you are utterly screwed. You like Harry. As more than a friend? Maybe? You don’t know, you haven’t experienced something like that before, but you know that your connection with Harry runs deeper than you had planned.

“My pleasure, sunshine.” Harry responds, and his dimples start to show. Your head turns back to the cool-boxes, hoping Harry can’t see the blood that has rushed to your cheeks. You start eyeing all the drinks, but settle on water in the end.

“Can I?” You ask ever so hesitantly. Harry gets all fuzzy the second you ask the question, and happily nods. He watches with a big smile as you reach for the water and open up the bottle, sitting against the trunk as you take a few sips.

There is no exchange of words between the two of you, only glances. But those tell you a thousand things, though. He seems to be pleased, and your eyes tell him that you are too. In a burst of spontaneity—and something else that you are not sure of what it is—you begin to confess.

“Uhm, in my first year, I went to this party at a frat house, and someone spiked my drink.” You say, and Harry’s head flies to you. He is frowning. You aren’t sure whether that is just him concentrating or actually being shocked by your statement. You decide to take your eyes off him and keep looking straightforward. “I was unconscious and then when I woke up, I was lying on a bed with this random guy over me…”

Harry’s hand is balled up into a fist, initially because of the nervousness, but now he’s hurting himself with how hard his nails press into his palm. He never really gets angry, but these are situations in which he just can’t hide his pure unfiltered rage.

“But I did scream, a—and I said no. But it was a bit slurred, I think.” You say with wide eyes, still staring into the distance. You always quick to defend yourself on this topic, even though Harry hasn’t uttered a word yet. It is kind of preventive, you assume. That way no one can ask you what you did ‘to stop it’ and you won’t have to break out in tears, because questions like those form a lump in your throat that you fear will never go away.

“He should have never gotten alone with you in the first place, sunshine. He’s the one at fault here, not you.” Harry assures you, and your gaze automatically searches for his. It doesn’t feel quite as scary anymore to look him in the eyes. You suppose it always has felt safe.

“And he is also a dead man walking, if I ever find him.”

Your eyebrows raise at his aggressive comment. Harry had never talked about anything remotely resembling to violence. It truly catches you off guard, but it also makes your heart warm to see that he is so adamant about defending you.

“Anyway…” you trail off, hoping to calm him down a bit with the positive end to your story. “two girls in the hallway heard me and they got him off me. My roommate at the time brought me to the ER, and after that I went home.”

You temporarily pause when you hear the sigh that comes from Harry’s mouth. It doesn’t sound bored or rude, rather tired. Like he feels the weight of the burden you have carried on your shoulder for so long. Besides your parents and your former roommate, no one knows this story.

“After that, I didn’t really want to drink or go anywhere anymore. Eventually I got over my fear of going to social events, but I still don’t want to drink anything. Maybe it’s paranoid, I don’t know.” You shrug, massaging your neck a bit, mainly out of awkwardness.

“It’s not paranoia’, it’s trauma.” Harry bents down to meet your eye level, making sure you see him when he says the reassuring words. The logical part of your brain knew that, but sometimes you would get frustrated. You hated how long you had let this experience rule your life for the past three years, and quite frankly you were embarrassed about it.

You felt like getting drugged that night shattered what you thought you knew about yourself, and still do. You don’t trust yourself like you did before. That night was the ultimate example of your incompetence; it showed you that you couldn’t be trusted with yourself. It took years of therapy to mend that broken view, and the destructive thinking pattern would re-enter your brain at times.

“I don’t have many friends, none actually; my past experiences made it a bit tricky.” You blurt out, and turn red when you see Harry smile at you with his furrowed brows. “I mean— what I’m trying to say is: thank you.”

“For what?” He nudges you in your waist. You shake your head at him, a faint smirk lingering on your lips from his teasing touch.

“For being a friend.” You say, and Harry’s mouth falls open.

“Did you just refer to me as a friend?!” He gasps dramatically, leaning into you as the sentence leaves his mouth. You close your eyes and let your head fall back.

“Oh god.” You mutter tiredly. Here we go.

“Can you say that again? I want to record this.” He whips out his phone and you put your hands over your face as you let out a groan.

“You know you’re basically saying you love me more than anyone else in the world right now.” He begins to annoy you, knowing damn well what he is doing. You refuse to answer him, not wanting to play into these antics of his. “I’m interpreting your silence as a yes, by the way.”

“You know what? I’m gonna walk home.” You push yourself off the trunk. You want to walk away a few steps for dramatic effect, and like you expected, Harry puts a stop to his teasing. You don’t expect him to pull you back by your waist and turn you around towards him, though. It catches you off guard and you can’t do anything but stare at him with wide eyes.

“You’re not going anywhere.” He says, voice rougher than just a few seconds ago. Your hands are still on his chest from trying to catch yourself when he spun you towards him. The proximity of it all slowly starts to get to you, and suddenly you’re aware of how good Harry smells. He always smells good, but right now it is causing a physical reaction from you. You feel yourself start to get hot, as if the temperature just rose a couple degrees.

“Let’s go inside.”

And so you do. Harry grabs your hand like it’s no big deal, and you spend the short walk to the frat house trying to convince yourself of the same. Once inside, you stay a bit closer behind Harry, holding his bicep with your free hand as he leads you through the house.

What you don’t know is that Harry is freaking out inside at how you are touching him. He can’t believe it; you are here with him and you’re holding him like he’s yours. Even though he’s not, but he is enjoying the idea for now.

You enter the backyard, and it is full of people you have seen on campus or in class. Most people don’t bat an eye at you; they are mainly focused on Harry. A few look a bit confused at the sight of Harry with a girl, but you try your best not to overthink it all. You both finally arrive at where Harry’s friends are standing, and he is quick to introduce you.

“Everyone, this is Y/N. The girl who saved my life this term.” He says proudly, and he catches his friends looking at him knowingly. They’re probably going to be a bit of a pain in the ass, but he hopes maybe it’ll make you realize that he likes you as more than just a friend.

You smile and let go of Harry’s hand when you see two of his friends glance at it. You lean closer and greet each friend individually with a handshake. The last one, Mikey, offers you a drink and you kindly refuse. So far, it’s going great.

“How come we haven’t seen you at parties before, Y/N?” Another friend of Harry asks. You fiddle with your hands a bit, nervous because you haven’t met this many people at the same time in a long time, and you haven’t cared what this many people thought about you in a long time either.

“Uhm, not really my scene, I guess.” You answer with an awkward smile. Harry’s friends ask you some more questions and you answer all of them, even cracking a joke here and there in between. It is nerve racking, especially since you are talking so much.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” One of the girls in the group—Dina, if you remember correctly—suddenly asks. You are glad that the group has divided into small sections a bit, and only another girl and guy will hear your answer.

Harry is chatting with his friends left from him, but once that one question leaves Dina’s mouth he checks out of the conversation. He knows the answer, of course, but he still wants to hear what you have to say.

“Nope.” You shake your head, and Dina nods.

“No one on the horizon?” She asks again, excessively glancing from Harry to you. The two others start to giggle and you feel the heat rising to your cheeks. Before you can respond, Dina continues talking in a slightly louder tone. “Because if not, I have a friend of mine I can set you up with. He is great! He’s somewhere around here actually, I could introduce you if you want?”

You suddenly feel a hand snake around your waist, and you already recognize who it is before you have proper time to process it. You worry about that; is it bad to be so familiar to ones’ touch?

“D’ya want to get a drink?” Harry asks, a bit more serious than you’re used to. You nod and excuse yourself from the conversation before letting Harry lead you to his car. His hand on the small of your back makes you have to restrain yourself from melting into a puddle.

You arrive at the car and wait for Harry to open the trunk. To your surprise, he lifts you up and seats you on it, before grabbing your already opened water bottle and taking off the cap. You take it from his hands and take a few big gulps, trying not to sweat profusely at the way he is looking at you, so concentrated.

“Having fun?” Harry asks you, and you look at him, nodding your head.

“Yes, you have nice friends.” You reply, your voice a bit breathy when you realize that his left hand hasn’t left your waist.

“You feeling good then?” He asks, tilting his head ever so slightly, and for a moment you feel like all the oxygen is sucked out of your lungs. He raises his brows a bit when you don’t respond to him—instead staring at him as if in a bit of a trance—and you have to regain yourself, nodding profusely.

“Yeah?”

“Yes.” You confirm again. He grins at that. You feel like you could be set on fire any second now. You hate yourself for the way you get when he’s so close like this. You haven’t really experienced this before with him, not with anyone actually.

“One of them already tried to set me up with some guy.” You say, hoping it would throw him off and grant you a little bit of space, but instead he comes closer.

“I heard.” Harry murmurs, eyes flicking from your mouth to your eyes, calculating your every reaction in case he gets any indication that you are not comfortable. But there isn’t, because you aren’t.

“Do you think that would be a good idea?” You ask in what could almost be classified as a whisper.

“Do you?” He touches your nose with his, and there is only millimeters left between your mouths. Your eyebrows furrow at the little gap there is left. You lean forward to press your lips against Harry’s but he pulls back ever so slightly, tutting you. Before you can even stop yourself, you let out the smallest whine that could almost be passed for a huff. Harry just smirks and leans in a bit closer again, brushing your lips over his. “Well…?”

“No.” You breathe out and push your lips against his, your hand around his neck, as if it would keep him even closer than he already is.

The weeks and weeks of tension between you fades away with every second that you kiss him. The way Harry’s hands have got a hold of your hips drives you absolutely crazy and you don’t think you have ever wanted something like you want him. It’s the first time your body takes over your brain and it suddenly makes sense; why people do stupid things for love.

If your crush on Harry—or however you want to define your feelings for him—already has you clamping against him as if his touch keeps you alive, you couldn’t imagine what a fool like you in love would do. But if this only feels half as good as the real thing, you aren’t so opposed to finding out.

Harry deepens the kiss and moves one of his hands to hold your face with it, and you become even more intertwined than before. Every sense of yours is occupied with him, and vice versa. Harry feels like he might have died and gone to heaven. Either that, or you are a fallen angel that he was lucky enough to encounter.

The sound of people cheering and a couple of honks breaks the both of you out of the spell you’re under. Upon pulling out from the kiss, you see the pick-up truck with all the people on it drive by as they cheer you on. And suddenly the realization hits you: you were making out with Harry in the middle of the street!

“Y/N… I—” Harry tries to get a word in but you don’t let him, because the sound of him addressing you by your name freaks you out.

“We should get back to the party.” You blurt out, trying to walk back towards the house.

“Y/N!”

You freeze at Harry’s urgent tone of voice, and the volume of it too. He has never sounded so stern before. You slowly turn around, terrified of what he’s going to say. Or maybe you are terrified because there is something you want him to say.

“We should talk about this, sunshine.”

You feel your insides twist. There is a happy surge that is waiting to make it to your brain, but that godawful, dreadful feeling gets the best of you; fear. A fear that overflows any happiness about resolving whatever is going on between the two of you. A fear that maybe this is all a game, and you can’t trust him like you want to, because you haven’t trusted yourself again from the moment you got drugged. So, instead telling Harry how you truly feel about all of this, you just shake your head in disbelief.

“I can’t do this.” You sigh a hopeless sigh, hands on your hips. You stare at the ground; there isn’t a realistic possibility in which you could look into his eyes right now.

“Do you want to go home?” He asks, and you respond with a nod. Harry shuts the trunk before walking over to the driver’s seat.

The second you step into the car, it falls silent between the two of you. You sit with your knees away from Harry, body towards the window. You listen to the radio music that is vaguely playing in the background.

Harry always puts on his own playlist, but he felt that wasn’t very fitting right now, so he just left the radio on. He tries to avoid giving into the heavy pit in his stomach, but it grows with every intersection and stoplight where once again nothing is said. It irks him that you are so silent and he would throw himself out the window if this is it. If he’s blown his chance.

Harry stops right in front of your apartment complex. You don’t even realize at first, and when you do, you feel your own body almost trying to keep you in the vehicle, urging your stupid mouth to open up to him, but you don’t. Harry does instead.

“I like you.” He blurts out before he even knows what he is doing. He feels his cheeks getting red as the sentence leaves his mouth. You freeze, and slowly turn to Harry, unsure what to make of his words.

“I like you, sunshine. As more than a friend, or a tutor, or whatever you want to call it. I have had a crush on you ever since that first project we did together.” He sighs, feeling like a big weight has already been lifted off his chest. “I’m not going to waste time by being vague or playing hard to get. So I’m telling you: I like you. You can do whatever you want the information, it’s up to you. I just needed you to know.”

You stare blankly at Harry. He feels himself getting nervous again. Did he forget to add something? No… right?

“S— so, that’s all. Have a good night, Y/N.” He adds on, looking away from her confrontational eyes and focusing on the empty road in front of him instead.

A scoff. A scoff leaves your mouth as you unbuckle your seatbelt and open the door. Harry’s heart drops; he messed this up. How did he ever think you liked him? He knew you were way out of his league. Why did he even try—

“No, you know what—” the car door slams shut and Harry looks to his right to see you sitting next to him again. Your face is on scary mode and he is quite intimidated by it, to say the least. “You don’t get to do this! You don’t get to give me coffee, and touch me and kiss me and make me all confused, and— this! And why are you suddenly calling me by my name?! You can’t just— do that!”

The faintest hint of a smirk appears on Harry’s face. He can’t think of anything else but how beautiful you look right now. That pouty, confusion filled angry face you have on.

“You’d rather have me call you sunshine?”

“That— That’s not what I meant— You are so annoying, you know that?!”

“Then what do you mean, sunshine?” Harry asks, tilting his head a bit. He is being a bit cocky; he likes seeing you struggle with this, but trying to communicate anyway. He’s proud of you. He feels like he knows you better than you think and he is aware that this is not easy at all for you.

“You— you just barge into my life with those caramel macchiato’s and flip everything I know upside down. And giving me that… nagging feeling. All the time!” You keep ranting, unaware of how amused Harry is because of it.

“Sunshine… are you trying to tell me that you like me back?” He wonders carefully. It is hurting his lips trying to fight them from forming into a smile.

“What?” You ask breathily, as if he’s caught on to you. Harry bites the inside of his lip and leans forward. There it is again, that nagging feeling.

His eyes trace down to your body and he carefully placed on of his hands on your stomach, then he looks back at you. He is almost as close as how he was before you two kissed, and your body immediately feels like it’s on fire again.

“That nagging feeling, do you feel it there? In your belly?” He asks you softly, and you could melt from just his words. You say nothing, do nothing. You just clench your jaw, unwilling to give into him. The reason why you are defying this is becoming vaguer and vaguer by the second, though…

“Because I do. I feel it all the time. Whenever you’re close, whenever you enter my mind. I’ve never longed for a stomach ache so bad in my entire life.” He explains to you, and your mind feels so clouded. You know exactly what he means.

“I know you’re scared, and I know you don’t trust this. But please, let me in. I wouldn’t think of letting you down. Ever.” Harry pleads, and your eyes flutter shut.

All you can smell now is his perfume ans all you can feel is him even though he’s not touching you all around. You lean forward, forehead against his. You both stay like that for a second or two, but when you open your eyes and his lips are the first thing you see…

You break.

Within seconds, your lips are back on his and you just know it was the right thing to do. There is nothing you love more than being close to him right now, and you are really relishing in the fact that that seems to have overshadowed your fears.

Your hands finds its way to his neck while one of his cups your jaw, keeping the both of you steady. There is so much passion in the kiss, and it feels so satisfying. It is why it’s almost impossible to pull away from him, but you do anyway.

“Do you want to come in?” You ask, out of breath. Harry’s mouth breaks into a wide smile as he nods.

“Yes, please.”

…

TO BE CONTINUED

[yullalightk]

WOTFI IS HERE!!!!!!! WHOOO!!!!!!

I'M SO SORRY I'M LATE! But! I watched it after the livestream countdown, and, BOI! Do I have a lot to say!! and I'll make a part 2 of the WOTFI review cause, I don't think I'll be able to fit everything in one post. And with a lot of school projects on the line. So, I'll work on pt 2! and post it tomorrow!

!Also, spoiler warning!

So... we good? Okay! strap in!!

First off the thumbnail looks AMAZING!!!!! It really got me excited as soon as I woke up at 1 in the morning lmao😂

As soon as I watched it I was actually surprised they decided not to go with the horror route like in the trailer.. But personally, I'm not gonna complain I mean that should've been expected imo.

Also, the poster is soo fricking cool!!!! Like, I can't get enough of this art style and THE WAY IT WAS ANIMATED WAS LIKE A MOVIE INTRO!!!! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!!!!!✨

The intro/Puzzles' backstory

So, I'm glad that Mr Puzzles gave us a more clearer explanation to his backstory. Even though it was something a lot of us knew already. None the less it was nice! I'm curious about the mother though, like, what was she like to Puzzles? Was she someone who didn't believe in her son's dreams as well? Or maybe someone who encouraged him to keep trying? Idk honestly, but maybe we'll get that answer in next year's WOTFI!

I also don't think he just sat in his room all day to adulthood, maybe he left his home to chase his dream but failed on multiple occasions. (Kinda like in the series where he tries to kill the crew but fails all the time) or, he watched TV all day as a coping mechanism. Trying to escape the cruelty of the world he lived in.

Also, wdhm when he said "The rest is history" like, we need more. Like how you got godlike powers? maybe that'll be explored more in WOTFI 2025!

Side note: Leggy's face when she dropped little Puzzles was funny for some reason help! IT HAD NO REASON TO BE THIS FUNNY!!😂😂

HE SWORE!!!!! YESS!!!!!!!! I swear he needs to let his anger out more, You gotta give kudos to him for enduring Mario's chaos😂

The casts!

I really LOVED the character designs! I can see how they are freaks now!

My all time favorites are SMG3, Bob, and Karen! They're designs stick out the most in the cast and I do like how they are all under Puzzles' control, like the PV movie!

Wish Saiko had more screen time though, I'm just a little disappointed at that. They could've done something interesting for her. Heck, they even gave the rest of the main cast more screen time than her.

But, maybe we'll see that in the next WOTFI? Hold up- wait a sec, I'm seeing a pattern of sorts... are, the stuff that felt lackluster in the 2024 WOTFI coming back as something better in WOTFI 2025?? That could be a possibility. I might make a theory on that, but hopefully when I'm not busy.

Side note: I swear this episode made me ship Mario and Puzzles so much!!😂😂 I mean- It's just hilarious to me!

Like when he said "Dear Mario" I know he hates him but like the way he says it made it feel like he likes him, or just toying with him!! Marware fans are eatin' good today! And he also complimated Mario on his performances on the fire perfomance!!! I know... he was doing what a judge does, try say something nice to the performers. But! That won't stop me from shipping them! And don't forget! Mario also still wanted to stay despite the hell Mr Puzzles put them through, in the rap Mario still wanted to have some fun in the amusment park! But, also glad he attacks him when Puzzles harms Mario's friend. And can be scared of him sometimes.

Now listen, I know he was trying to get Mario back so he won't ruin his show again but to me it also looks like he wants Mario to pay attention to him! kinda like a yandere😂😂 I'm just letting Marware infect my brain at this point haha.. it's becoming a curse.

Anyway that's part 1 for now. Part 2 will hopefully come out tomorrow as well, and I also have some projects to do so I know I said I will post every Saturday but that may be a little difficult, I'll get part 2 out tomorrow and I really hope that'll be the end of my review of this year's WOTFI!

Thanks for reading! hope ya'll enjoyed my WOTFI 2024 review pt 1.

[acesofspadess]

Little Freak

harry styles x black!reader

a/n: this video has a permanent place in my heart

It was a rather gloomy day in Japan. You were visiting for the Harry Styles concert but you had been here time and time before. You were a fan of Harry which is what started your obsesion with Japan. 

Walking around aimlessly at 5 in morning wasnt what you had planned for the night that had come and gone, but here you were. You were glad your curly hair was pulled up into a bun and you're ‘pleasing’ hoodie was pulled up around your face under your track suit, as you felt the soft patter of the rain against your exposed skin, and it seemed everyone but this select figure had realised too.

He looked around at his surroundings and there was no mistaking who this mystery man was. You werent an idiot, knowing he probably wanted to be alone, but no way would you let him walk around in the rain. Quickly grabbing your umbrella from your bag you opened it up and quickly made your way over to him.

He felt your presence next to him before he felt the patter of rain against him stop. He looked up before looking down at you. You had kept walking in silence next to him but you felt his eyes on you, you looked up in his direction. You couldn't determine the look on his face and you weren't sure you wanted to. 

“Did you want a picture?” hearing his voice in person and not through a microphone or your phone was much different. You could thoroughly hear the baritone in his voice more clearly, but you didn't miss the way it seemed clipped, a forced smile gracing his features. You just shook your head, “why would i want a picture?” and raised the umbrella a little higher, he was taller than you expected.

He looked at you puzzled before you went on, trying to soothe him and the walls you saw he put up. “It was raining and you had no protection.” you shrugged off the service while looking straight ahead.

“It's nothing I haven't experienced before.” He was still looking at you, though the puzzled look was now replaced with one of curiosity. “It's different when you're performing and have no choice. Besides, you like the reaction it gets from fans.”

You turned towards him as you said it, and watched as a small smirk graced his features. “So you do know who I am.” you shrugged your shoulders at him, a small smile of your own tugged at your lips. “I never said i didn't Mr. Styles.” he turned away from you and you could see the fallen expression on his face.

“I'm not here to bug you or ask you invasive questions.” you watched as he nodded his head curtly. “Then why are you here?” it came across harsher than you expected he wanted as the instant hiss escaped his mouth. “I’m-”

“Don't apologize. I understand. I know what it feels like to have people constantly watching your every move, crossing the invisible -but not unknown- line of boundaries.” you paused as you realized you didn't answer his question. “Treat People With Kindness includes yourself Mr.Styles.” When he stayed silent you knew it was time to say goodbye.

You handed him the umbrella handle which he took with a question on his tongue. “I have a hood, you don’t.” as you went to walk away he grasped your hand and pulled you back.

“What's your name?” you took your hood off before you answered. “Delilah.” you bumped his shoulder as you said it and watched the recognition flash on his features. “From the Birthday show?” you were shocked to say the least. “You remember?” you looked up at him and saw his smile reach his eyes. “How could I forget?

“Are you okay?” you shook your head no, but told him it was okay because it was his birthday, to which you wished him a happy birthday. “Well thank you. Happy Birthday to you as well. When is your birthday?’

You yelled today and the girls around you cheered. “Today?! Well happy birthday.” you both heard someone say ‘lucky bitch’ and he laughed. “I know I am. Sharing my birthday with someone so beautiful.” then walked away as if nothing ever happened.

He must have recalled the moment as well as he looked down with a smile -he was still holding your hand. “I never got to say thank you. So thank you.” he nodded bashfully. You dug in your bag and handed him some angel wings. “Go on.” you took the umbrella back and closed it as it had stopped raining for the time being. He shook them at you and laughed and you swore it was the most beautiful thing you'd heard. 

“Earlier, you said you knew what it was like.” you knew he wanted you to explain, but did not ask for the potential of overstepping. “Yeah im an actress and a model, but mostly the former.” he looked at you with a little shock.

“Yeah, I'm in the new season of Bridgerton but don't tell anyone I told you.” He laughed with you and you knew he understood what you meant when you told him who you were.

“H.” When you looked at him with your head cocked he smiled. “You called me Mr.Styles. My friends call me H.”

You nodded with a smug smile. “So we're friends now?” you nudged his side again and he nudged you back. 

“For now.”

[theresawritesstuff]

First of all, you are such a talented writer! Love all your work!

My prompt is as follows: Joel and Lenny meet, and Joel slowly realises how much Lenny really means to Midge.

Thank you!

Thank you so much! This was the sweetest message to receive ❤️ Sorry for the delay. Hope it's worth the wait!

It was another packed house.

Ever since she went rogue on the Gordon Ford show Midge had been drawing in crowds all over town. It seemed like every one of her sets, no matter the venue, was a guaranteed sold out show.

The Button Club was no exception. 

Two weeks later and Joel still had Mrs. Moskowitz turning folks away at the door so he didn't have the fire marshall breathing down his neck.

He'd had worse problems, that was for sure.

The crowd was eating out of the palm of her hand tonight. It used to bother him but now…

Now he mostly just felt proud. 

Mostly…

He looked out over the crowd from his place at the bar, watching the smiling faces watching her with wrapped attention when he noticed a man enjoying the show from the back of the room who'd managed to sneak in late.

He was about to tell him they were at capacity when the man turned for a cigarette and he was able to better to see his face.

Wait. Was that…

Holy shit it was Lenny Bruce! Lenny Bruce was in his club. The Lenny Bruce! At the Button Club! His Button Club!

Holy shit…

Joel poured himself a quick shot at the bar to drown out his nerves before rounding the bar to go talk to him.

Lenny Bruce was in his club!

He cleared his throat. "Mister Bruce? Hi. Joel Maisel. I'm the owner."

Lenny turned to acknowledge him at his elbow, cigarette dangling from his mouth. "Oh hey. Got a light I could bum?"

"''Course! Of course." Joel cleared his throat as he fumbled in his pocket for a lighter. "Thanks for joining us tonight."

"Sure."

"Are you enjoying the show?"

Lenny smiled to himself, taking a drag. "It would be hard not to. Midge is really on her game tonight. Then again, she's always sensational."

"Yeah. Yeah, she is, isn't she?"

Joel nodded along, looking off at the stage with what could surely only be described as a dopey grin.

Lenny Bruce was in his club!

Then it hit him.

"Sorry…You know Midge?" he wondered, confused.

Lenny shrugged. "I did once upon a time. It's been a while. Hope to again if she'll let me…"

"Right…"

Joel's brow furrowed as he puzzled the cryptic reply.

He didn't have long to mull it over however, as Midge made her way across the room, her set finished for the evening.

"I thought that was you I saw lurking," she teased, greeting Lenny with a warm, if somewhat surprised smile. "What are you doing here?"

Lenny chuckled. "Well I heard a rumor some cute uptown chick shanghaied Gordon Ford's air time and has been killing it in every club she goes in ever since. Seemed like something I should check out for myself."

Her smile softened as she raised a brow. "Called me cute, huh?"

The comedian shrugged almost sheepishly, holding her gaze with equal softness.

Joel cleared his throat, interrupting whatever moment was happening between the two performers.

"Well we're certainly glad you could join us," he interjected, feeling the need to remind them he was still there. 

He couldn't say why, exactly. It wasn't like she and Lenny were close or anything…

Right?

Midge shook her head, her attention still on Lenny. "It's funny. That set almost didn't happen but…"

Lenny cocked a curious brow as she hesitated, looking at her shoes.

Wait, was she blushing?

"I remembered what you said that night," she confessed.

"That you're more important than God?" Lenny wondered with a smirk.

Midge rolled her eyes fondly. "Not that."

She glanced up at the comedian, then away as she pulled a little slip of paper out from where she had been keeping it tucked within the neckline of her dress. "I,um… I found it in my notebook just before. Took it on set with me for luck. It worked so…"

She shrugged lightly, folding it back over carefully in her hands.

Joel blinked, looking from her to Lenny and back again.

She'd been keeping it, whatever it was, with her for every performance since the Gordon Ford Show. 

Not just with her, but in her dress!

Because of something Lenny had said to her.

Because it was from a time, a night, that they'd shared…

"Glad to see you found your spotlight," Lenny murmured.

Joel felt his hands grow clammy, his throat go tight.

He knew from the talk around the club scene that Lenny hadn't been in New York for quite a while.

How long had this been going on?

"Can I buy you a drink? Catch up?" Lenny asked her, sounding tentative but hopeful.

So hopeful.

Just what exactly was there to catch up on?

"I'm actually kind of hungry," Midge admitted. "You wanna get out of here? Get some sensationally mediocre Chinese food?"

Lenny smiled. "I know just the place. You remember our deal?"

"Yes. I'm buying," Midge laughed, turning to Joel expectantly, suddenly remembering he was there. "Think I can get my payment now instead of later? Sounds like I've got a date."

"Y-yeah. Sure…" Joel stammered, glancing between the pair.

"Great! I'll just grab my coat and we can go," Midge promised, touching Lenny's arm.

Joel watched her walk off towards the back room, looking back at Lenny utterly baffled.

Lenny shrugged, patting his shoulder as he moved to wait by the door.

"Thanks for the light. Nice place you got here."

"Y-yeah…S'cuse me."

Joel took off to follow Midge into the back, shaking his head.

He watched her a moment from the office doorway as she put on her coat.

"So. You and Lenny…" 

She shrugged in reply, but her smile said it all.

Fuck…

"Were you ever planning to tell me?" he wondered.

"Nope." She picked up the envelope with her money inside from his desk, strolling out of the office. "Have a nice night, Joel. See you Wednesday with the kids."

"Later Midge," Archie greeted, popping into the office for more bar napkins. "Great set tonight."

Archie turned to him. "Hey did you see the guy who looked just like Lenny Bruce?"

He heaved out a sigh.

Midge was fucking in love with Lenny Bruce...

"I'll be at the bar."

[zooophagous]

The fatal flaw of a shared living arrangement is there's really no "getting away" while you're in it. The institute was large enough that Strauss could exist more than a city block away from Director Van Helsing- as he had gone back to using formal titles- and still occupy the same building. Despite that, their routines had considerable overlap.

Giving her space to sort her feelings wasn't easy when he could not, under pain of death or capture, actually leave her space. He made his way down the hall to Ursula's office and quietly rapped on the door.

"Come in."

"Guten abend. I have a request."

"Hello Mr. Strauss. If your request involves a library book you will have to wait until I can fetch whatever you're looking for. You're still banned from there."

"It is not that. I was wondering what I would have to do, to gain leave from the institute for an evening."

"Why are you asking me? You've already had several field trips with Artie. Ask her."

"You misunderstand. I am asking for leave to go out without the director. Alone."

"Alone?" Ursula peered at him from over her glasses. Her exaggerated raised eyebrows already showed him the answer.

"You know you aren't allowed out alone."

He fought a frown that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Troy is allowed out alone to visit his partner."

"Troy didn't break out, spend several days on the run in the street, maul someone and rob a pet store, Strauss. Artemis may have forgiven you for that indescretion, but I'm not about to forget it. I don't know exactly how you can make that one up to me but you haven't done so. That answer is final."

He let out a heavy sigh. No point arguing with her.

A heavy hand clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey bud. I was just about to hit the town with Sam for a bit. You wanna come?"

Troy smiled at him and then turned to Ursula. "That ok, boss?"

"If it is alright with both you and Sam, I suppose I don't care." Ursula huffed. "Both of you are going to be wearing the GPS while you're out, though. Beyond that, be home by sunrise."

"For sure, wouldn't want to bring home any deep fried vampires, eh? What say you Strauss?"

Strauss paused. He was caught off guard, but he knew this game.

"If you are quite sure I will not be spoiling your evening, I would be glad to stretch my wings a bit."

"You? Ruin an evening? Surely you jest." Troy was all smiles as he led Strauss away from Ursula's office with his hand on the vampire's back.

"Sorry to butt in like that bud, but you sounded like you needed a hand. Hope it's ok I had to come with. I won't step on your toes on purpose while we're out."

"No, it is fine. I am more worried I am stepping on yours. I was under the impression that Sam hated me."

"He's not 100% ready to make friends but I wouldn't go that far. Just be polite for the ride, once we get to the bar you can mosey off for a bit. Anything specific you want to do?"

"No, not really. I just... need some space that I cannot get here."

"I take it the talk you had with Artemis the other day didn't go so hot? You've been acting like a sad lump ever since."

"That is just the thing, I do not know how it went." He huffed, and knit his brow in frustration as they made their way to the car loading bay.

"At first it went well, then I thought it went very well, and then it fell apart without either of us even saying a word. I wonder if I hurt her feelings, or worse, harmed her in some way. But you know that manners of socializing are all puzzles to me. I cannot tell which of us, or even if either of us, is at fault."

"Sounds complicated."

"Very."

"Well, I can't fix that, but I can get you drunk. Will that help?"

"May as well. It isn't as if it's about to get any worse."

"Drunk it is then."

Troy Nabbed a set of keys and led the way to an old, beat up SUV. The notion that Troy could drive planted a tiny seed of jealousy in Strauss. He never did learn to drive. One had to be allowed outside to drive.

It was late enough in the evening now, in the dark and cold of winter, that Strauss didn't bother wearing a hood or a hat. In fact, he'd sort of forgotten to grab winter gear at all just to keep up the illusion of normalcy. Oh well. Sam was the only one who'd be around to ask questions, and he was sure he could find a way to wave him off.

The car at last pulled up to Sam's apartment. Sam himself wandered down the steps and stopped when he looked into the vehicle and saw two faces looking back out. He approached the car slowly. Strauss, despite his height, began to feel very small, and all but shrank in his seat.

"Hey Sam." Troy said with a smile as his partner climbed in and shut the door.

"Hope it's ok if we give my buddy Luther a ride into town? He doesn't have to be part of the date or anything he just can't drive."

"Guten abend, Sam." Strauss greeted him meekly. He didn't know Sam's last name (Sam declined to share any details with him) so his usual tactic of formal titles wasn't available to him. he felt very strange.

"Hey." Sam replied curtly. "I guess it's fine if he can keep his hands to himself. Is he even allowed out without supervision like this? They know he's here right?"

Sam talked as if Strauss wasn't there, talking about him and not to him. It only made him feel smaller.

"It's fine, security signed off on it. He's... medicated. Technically I'm his chaperone but I'm not following him around all night. He's just gonna have a few drinks. He's had a shit couple days, I wanted to make him feel better."

Troy spoke with an insistence in his voice that he hoped drove home how much he understood that this was awkward, but it had to happen anyway. Sam seemed to understand, though he rolled his eyes.

"Fine, it's fine. I can make nice for a little bit. I guess if anyone is going to make sure he goes out and doesn't kill anyone it may as well be someone who can handle him."

It was Strauss' turn to roll his eyes. Sam very much could not handle him, he'd already proven that much, not even when the vampire was on the brink of fainting. He'd let Sam have his bravado, though, if it kept the peace.

"I promise you I am as docile and quiet as a little church mouse. I just need to get drunk and forget my woes."

"What woes might that be?"

"Eh... I rather would not say. Suffice to say it involves a woman."

"Girl trouble? You?" Sam asked with a slight mocking tone. "I didn't think they'd let you have a girlfriend in the loony bin."

"They let Troy have you."

"Troy doesn't bite."

"No?" Strauss said with a sly grin. Troy blushed deeply and cleared his throat.

"Oh look! the bar! We don't have to keep talking about this anymore." He pulled the rusty SUV into an only slightly crooked parallel parking spot and the trio were free. Strauss was already regretting his decision. He didn't really like this bar, and the sensory overload was almost worse than being alone with his thoughts.

"I am going to walk around the block a bit before I join you."

"Oh no you ain't." Sam shook his head. "I know what you're capable of, if we're out together you're staying where I can see you."

Strauss frowned. He would begrudgingly tolerate Troy playing chaperone to him, but Sam was a much harder pill to swallow.

"I am capable of minding my own business for a few minutes."

"This says you ain't." Sam raised his arm and showed off the jagged pink line of a bite scar. Strauss set his jaw in sullen silence.

"Stop fighting for like five minutes? Please?" Troy whined and held open the door. He leaned in conspiratorially to Strauss as he entered.

"Look, wait till he has a drink or two in him then just excuse yourself to the restroom and go out, ok? Just play it cool. I know you're cool but he doesn't."

"I get it." Strauss handwaved Troy's concern away.

"Let me at least get you one drink. How about a bloody mary? eh? cuz you're a vampire? get it?"

"No."

"Dirty Shirley it is then."

The inside of the bar was loud and close. It was almost loud enough to make him forget his problems, mostly by giving him newer, more annoying problems to focus on. Troy immediately set to work fetching some social lubricant by fetching the group drinks. The cocktail for Strauss, and a pitcher of beer for him and Sam.

"Danke." Strauss sipped his drink with a stifled grimace. It was syrupy sweet, unpleasant, but the alcohol in it promised a pleasant dulling of the senses. He finished it quickly. The jukebox was playing a song he recognized as coming from a band called 'Kiss,' a band he had encountered while perusing classic rock, and one he'd decided he hated. The outing was not bringing him the peace he'd hoped for.

Troy ordered food from the bartender, who looked a bit concerned to see Strauss.

"Is he cool to be out of the hospital right now?"

"Wouldn't be here if he wasn't cool. Can you guys relax?"

Troy had his back, but Strauss knew when he wasn't wanted. Worse, his impeccable sense of hearing meant he heard every remark, no matter how quiet they thought they were being. There was, however, an out.

"I have to use the restroom, excuse me."

He pushed himself away from the bar and found himself to the dark hallway leading to both the bathroom and the kitchen. The bathroom was on his left, so he swung right, into the racket of the back room, and kept walking towards the illuminated green "EXIT" sign.

"Woah hey man you can't be back here-"

It died in his ears as he walked straight past them and into the alley behind the building. The heavy steel door swung shut and locked behind him, and he was, for a moment, free. He breathed deeply and rested his back against the spraypaint-covered wall and took in the street art.

The alley was dark and quiet and mercifully empty, though it stank of old grease. He stuck his hands into his pockets and straightened up.

"You may as well come out. There will be no better time than now."

WHUMP.

A heavy black shadow fell to the ground from the roof of the bar. Sylvain stepped into the ring of dingy light being cast from the single porch light by the bar's back door.

"Aw, I was trying to sneak up on you."

"You are not very quiet." Strauss replied with a cold sneer. "I had figured I would be able to find you in town, and I was right. What you're doing is very foolish, you know. If I can track you this easily I imagine it would be quick work for Frau Harker."

"You didn't track me. I'm the one tracking you, remember?" She smiled, showing off a sharkish row of sharp teeth.

"You seem eager to see me again, though, so I take it my little reading assignment must have gotten through to you. Did you find it illuminating?"

"Mostly I found it very sad. Was this all some sort of attempt to gain my sympathy?"

"More of an attempt to warn you."

"Warn me of what?"

"Oh come on, you can't be that dense. You already know they're lying to you, and you've already seen that they'll turn on one of their own in an instant. As soon as you outlive your usefulness they'll discard you the only way they know how."

"Is that so?" He bared his fangs at her. "Because the way I heard it, you were given more grace than you deserved even after you cut out Director Van Helsing's eye."

"Oh, she told you that little story, did she?" Sylvain mocked, and paced around him in a wide circle. Much about her was shark like, and the predatory circling only completed the illusion. As did her eyes, which were now dilated to the point of empty blackness.

"So you did rat me out to the boss lady?"

"No. Nobody knows you're here. Not because of me, anyway. I can't speak to the consequences of your own carelessness."

"Now isn't that sweet! You really kept your mouth shut this entire time? I figured you'd have blown my cover in the first fifteen minutes."

"I didn't want anyone to chase you. I was worried they would get hurt."

"I knew you weren't all dumb. You're right, they would have. Of course, now they have the opposite problem of not being at all prepared to meet me again. Don't worry so much for their safety, Strauss. You can't buy it. Not from me."

"If I cannot purchase safety I will take it."

"Try it. See how far you get. You're built like a rake. Didn't you read the medical textbook? You're sick, Strauss. You're actually probably dying. Fighting you would be like fighting a small dog."

She took a threatening step towards him. He squared his shoulders and drew himself up to his full height. He was bigger than her, for certain, older too- which usually gave an immortal being like a vampire the advantage. Her words of warning weren't lies however- he was sick. Emaciated. Sylvain had no qualms about feeding herself. If she came at him it would be over fast and not in his favor.

"Hey!"

Strauss turned his head. Sylvain's gaze followed his to see Sam coming down the alley. Strauss' hands began to tremble involuntarily.

"There you are! Did you think you could just wander off through the kitchen and nobody would tell me? Ma'am? Is this guy bothering you?"

Sylvain stared at Sam with a wide, entertained smile. "Who is this? You know him?"

"Frau Pietra, don't."

"Ma'am I'm sorry this guy isn't supposed to be away from his helper."

"Is he usually this stupid? Doesn't he know what I am? Can't he see?"

"Frau Pietra, leave him out of this, he has nothing to do with this."

"Are you coming inside or not? What the Hell are you guys doing out here?"

"Shut up." Sylvain snarled the order at Sam, who very suddenly did as he was told mid-sentence and stood standing struck silent and wide eyed.

"What are you doing to him?!"

"You know, Strauss, when a vampire loses their inhibitions, they can take control of more than just horses."

"Let him go."

"No."

"Let him go or I will force you."

"Ha!" She let out a loud, mocking laugh. "Watch this. Hey buddy." She turned to Sam with a bright smile. She waved her hand casually towards the street at the end of the alley.

"Kill yourself."

Sam took off at a dead run down the alley. Strauss bolted after him. Sylvain's hollow laughter echoed off the brick walls and died behind him. The alley was icy. He slipped once, scrambled to his feet and kept sprinting after Sam.

There were cars coming. He could hear them. The light of their headlights glinted off the ice that covered the city. Sam cleared the curb and ran into the road. Strauss jumped after him and shoved him bodily across the street and into a snowbank. He was momentarily bathed in a halo of light.

Then the vehicle struck him.

Strauss went up and over the hood of the SUV and tumbled onto the roof before finally falling into a broken heap on the road.

There were a lot of things a vampire was immune to. Through the years, Strauss had survived poisons, bullet wounds, extreme cold, toxic gases and even a couple of deadly plagues and come out nearly completely unscathed. He was not, however, wholly resilient to a concussion.

The world came through in waves. There was a lot of arguing going on, some crying too. He couldn't parse from who. Troy was there, insisting he be brought back to the Institute. "The Hospital," Troy called it. Strauss tried to raise his hand, to wave off their concerns.

"I am fine. Do not worry about me." He said. But it didn't quite come out. His mouth had somehow come disconnected from his brain. So had his hand, which lay limp on the ground. How annoying.

Troy was hovering over him, telling him to... do something? To play it cool? Play what cool? He understood the word "ambulance." He did not want to ride the ambulance. It didn't look like he'd have much of a choice.

Time felt too long and too short all at once. He was... levitating? No. Lifted into the back of an ambulance. Oh, a human ambulance. That probably wasn't good. They would ask questions. His insistence that he was ok oozed out of his mouth in a series of dull slurs. He wasn't putting on a very good "did not just get hit by a car" impression. Best to sleep it off.

So he did. He retreated deep into his dreaming. The body would heal with rest. Whatever happened now was beyond his control, and beyond his care.

[ch4rryc0smos]

REVERIE | 14

I'D RATHER DIE THAN HAVE TO CRY.

synopsis ┊kenji sato returns to japan, leaving behind everything he's ever known. and fate plays a cruel joke on him, when hazel vellichor walks back into his life, albeit not by choice. she makes a trip to japan, for a charity event, for another speech, and somehow; media wrangles her in for more drama. what they don't know is that she's ultrawoman, and kenji's ultraman, and there's more than to the eye here. they're well intertwined and every time they tug away, the knot gets tighter. everything leads them to each other, and now japan is in their hands, and they have to unravel every secret they refused to acknowledge prior to this. and they have to accept every role bestowed upon them, whether they like it or not. somehow, all of this leads to is them learning that there was always more to their friendship, and that they were truly two puzzle pieces, fit right next to each other.

genre ┊ childhood-friends-to-strangers-to-lovers, slight angst, tooth rotting & chaotic fluff, co-parenting (?)

pairing ┊ken sato x fem-self insert/oc, ken sato x public figure!self insert, ken sato x childhood-friend!self insert

warnings ┊ mild cursing, mentions of drinking, trauma, heavy topics (?), events in ultraman: rising take place alongside this story.

word count ┊1.6k

author's note ┊shitty parent mention chat. i just finished my studying for the day, will write in my wip a bit, clear up some doubts, and head to bed probably? i hope y'all have been doing good though. happy reading!

prev | next

The next day, Kenji spends the whole day tending to Hazel. He tells his team that he’ll show up late to their little party. Hazel knows he loves them. Although he might be the only person she knows that would go to a party with an injury. She’s been acting like she doesn’t feel guilty about dropping all of that shit on him the previous night. He’s been trying to convince her the whole day that he couldn’t really give one shit. He’s so glad that she opened up. The whole day she spends wrapped up in his embrace, with his stupid jokes, and his charming ass grins. Mr. Sato sends them a video of Emi at some point. He says that she’s trying to be like Ken.

“She’s so much like her dad,” Ken says, clutching onto his chest. 

Hazel shakes her head, “do you think she’s anything like me?”

“I think she’s a lot like her mom too.”

Now Hazel’s blushing. Ken doesn’t even react. If anything, the asshole looks like he’s trying to not grin. If Hazel wasn’t feeling so tender right now, she would’ve slapped him right there. 

They spend most of the afternoon calling Hayao and listening to Emi chitter in the background, even confirming a visit within the next two days. Both Emi and Hazel are elated. And Mr. Sato is grinning more every time Ken places his chin on Hazel’s head. She blushes, but is so grateful that Hayao doesn’t bring it up. 

The night rolls around rather quickly, and Ken now seems a bit more hesitant to leave Hazel, but she stands up, almost tripping on her knitted dress and coat as she places a soft kiss on his cheek. She’s barely done this before, and when he grins, she thinks she might explode.

“I hope that you don’t hurt yourself when you go to that party,” Hazel says.

Ken reaches up with his right hand, cupping one side of her face. “I’ll try not to, I can’t wait to get this off and be able to hold you up all I want.”

Hazel might lose count of how many times she’s blushed already. 

“Stay safe, asshole.” She’s waving him off as he laughs to himself, getting into his car. Hazel’s happy, she hums as the door clicks, meaning it’s locked.

She’d been hoping that the happiness would last, but Aurelia just has to ruin everything. Hazel’s relaxing on the couch, almost dozing off as the T.V drones on in the background. But then persistent ringing erupts from her right and she glances at her phone, and the caller ID makes her heart jump into her throat.

She thinks she might have been hallucinating, but the more she looks at her phone, it doesn’t stop.

She ignores it the first time, the second time—She ignores it until the fourteenth call. That’s when she declines the call. And now it’s late. And she’s wondering where the fuck Kenji is because admittedly she’s a bit worried. She considers calling Mr. Sato, maybe not to ask him, but maybe to just talk. 

She does end up doing that, because she thinks otherwise she’ll get too anxious. Emi’s there to chitter to her, and she’s feeling much better. Until she gets another call, and it’s Aurelia again. She apologises to Mr. Sato, and hangs up. Places her phone down on the coffee table and stands up. 

After a few seconds, the ringing halts, and she sighs, but she’s far from relieved. She strides over to the door because she thinks she’s heard the engine of a car, and she opens the door. She smiles so big when she sees Ken grinning down at her. He wraps his right arm around her, pulling her close as he leans his head down, his breath warm against the shell of her ear. 

“I missed you, baby.”

“How many have you had tonight, Ken?” she asks, cupping his face, making him meet her eyes. He tries to kiss her but she stops him. “You reek of alcohol.”

“Just five, that’s not much!” He’s stumbling over to the couch, and Hazel’s phone catches his eye.

“Hazel…” his words are getting slurred now. She’s quick to help him sit down. “Twenty sixth missed call from,” he glances at the phone, “Aurelia.”

Hazel’s heart jumps to her fucking throat. She glances at Ken, and then at her phone, and she fumbles with it, she’s about to pull up her contacts but then the ringing returns. And it’s Aurelia again.

This time, she picks up. Despite how badly she doesn’t want to. She sits down on the couch beside Ken, gulping.

Here it comes. “How dare you decline my call, young lady?!” Aurelia’s loud, angry voice echoes through the house, and even the drunk Ken beside Hazel has gone silent, eyes blown wide as he stares at the phone, and then at Hazel.

“I was busy,” Hazel says, but she’s lying. She just doesn’t want to talk to me.

“You’re busy with saving Tokyo, huh? Can’t spare your mother a minute?” Aurelia sounds like she’s hissing, she snarls the words at her daughter.

Hazel actually flinches, closes her eyes, wills herself to not frown, to not react anymore. Ken is staring, and it’s making her feel shitty. Then a warmth envelopes her, and she’s pulled into Ken’s side. Aurelia continues yelling, Hazel can’t process more than two words at a time.

Ken smells like alcohol but Hazel’s breathing shallow and she thinks her bones are shaking with the way Aurelia’s screeching now. 

“You want to be Ultrawoman! You don’t value our words at all, I hope you rot.” 

That’s the last of Aurelia’s words and she hangs up. The silence that follows is deafening, Hazel’s shaking. And even in Kenji’s intoxicated state, he’s holding her to his chest, and he’s muttering threats to her mother, even though Aurelia can’t really hear shit. 

Hazel inhales shakily. “I hope I rot, too.” 

“Hazel, I don’t want you to rot.” She looks up at Ken, he’s pouting. He tucks her hair behind her ear, she leans into his touch. He takes that moment to kiss her. She sighs against his lips.

Pulling away, she stands up, he’s leaning back against the couch, and frowning at her. Goddamn, he looks so cute. But he’s drunk, and Hazel feels like shit right now. 

“You look stunning, baby,” he slurs.

She sighs, holding her hand out. He accepts it happily, stumbling into her arms. She flinches a bit when he wraps his arms around her torso. Apparently even while being drunk, that doesn’t go unnoticed by him. He starts apologising against the top of her head. 

“It’s fine, let's get you into bed, love,” she whispers against his neck. The proximity is making her heart hammer, even with the tear stains on her cheeks making her feel like she needs to scrub off her skin. 

Ken clings onto her as she makes her way to their bedroom. She sits him down on the bed and wants to start a bath for him, but he tugs on her wrist, pulls her onto his lap, arm latches around her waist. He’s pressing his lips onto her neck.

She can’t help but sigh shakily, trying to push away.

“No, Ken, you need a shower, and some sleep.”

“But I want—”

Hazel doesn’t let him continue, she places a finger against his lips, shakes her head. She finally gets up, walks to the bathroom, and starts filling the bathtub up. The water is lukewarm when she dips her finger in. She calls out for Kenji, but when she turns back, he’s already there, and he’s pulling off his shirt. 

Maybe it’s the exhaustion, but she can’t help herself when she’s staring at the way his muscles flex, and she only stops when he turns around and he’s grinning.

“Enjoying the view, hm?” he asks, and he’s stepping out of his pants. 

Hazel turns away completely, doesn’t even bother to answer his question. She hears water splashing and assumes he’s gotten in. He sighs, and she turns towards the door.

“Won’t help me, baby?” he’s asking.

“No.” 

Hazel walks out, fighting the urge to turn around and look at Ken’s face. She closes the door behind her and changes into a nightgown. And then she sits down, closes her eyes. And she’s reflecting on her mother’s words. She places her head in her hands, sigh muffled as it leaves her lips. 

Now she’s thinking about her gran. If she were here, she’d comfort her. She knew it. Ken is singing to himself, and that makes Hazel laugh, but it’s not enough to keep her smiling. 

She’s thinking about her grandmother, and one fond memory she has of her. Telling her about Ultrawoman. She closes her eyes, thinks back to it. Maybe it’ll bring her some comfort. 

Her grandmother places her calloused hand right over where Hazel's heart should be. And the young, green-eyed girl looks at her gran with the innocence of a kid, the one thing her gran allows of her. 

“And Ultrawoman?” Gran starts, smiling, the wrinkles on her face stretching to form a beautiful spider web, weaved with love over the years, and with wisdom in every crevice. “She's you.” 

Hazel tilts her head, and then she smiles. Her grandmother chuckles softly. "I am Ultrawoman…?" 

Her grandmother nods. “And you’ll do great, great things, bub.”

Hazel can’t truly linger on the thought, because the mattress shifts beside her, and when she peers up, Ken’s smiling at her as he pushes himself onto the bed, patting the space beside him. She hesitates, but the way he’s smiling, and with his arm sprawled out, she can’t deny him any of that. She crumples right in his embrace. 

He holds her close, the scent of alcohol isn’t strong anymore, it’s just… Kenji. 

It’s like as soon she’s in his arms, he’s fast asleep. And she’d like to be off before her mind weighs her down for the night. She closes her eyes, and black takes over.

ch4rryc0smos © 2024 … do not repost, alter, translate, or steal my work.

[duffslut]

Meeting Axl Rose

Modern Axl Rose x Reader

My Masterlist.

Word Count: 1047

Warnings: Fluff!

You were driving through the streets of Malibu, just getting to know your new neighborhood. You had moved a few days ago and didn't have much to do on a Thursday afternoon. The day was sunny and warm, you were driving quietly with one arm leaning on the open car window, sunglasses on your face.

You nodded to a man walking down the street, he wore sunglasses just like you and had a beautiful red hair. He waved back, you slowed the car down.

- New resident? - he asked, keeping a respectful distance from your car when you stopped, his voice was surprisingly thick and sensual.

- Yeah! Do you live near here? - you asked, taking off your sunglasses.

The man smiled, his perfect teeth hypnotized you for a while, even without understanding the reason for the fun, he seemed to find your question funny.

- Axl Rose. - he held out his hand, your eyes moving up to the tattoos on his arm before greeting him.

Holy shit. Axl fucking Rose was literally inches away from you, with a smile on his face as he waited for you to come out of your trance.

You finally shook his hand gently, blushing when you realized your hand was probably sweaty.

- Y/n. - you introduced yourself.

A few seconds of silence passed, only the sound of the waves crashing near where you guys were could be heard.

- It's a pleasure, Y/n. And to answer his question, Yes, I do live near here, actually right in this house. - Axl pointed to the mansion literally right down the street where you were, the gigantic house that you barely noticed was behind you because you were still mesmerized by Axl being in front of you.

You tried to speak but you just muttered nonsense words, gasping.

- May I invite you for a walk at my house? I promise I'll get you back before dark, you're too young to be driving around alone.

You sighed, trying to formulate a concrete word.

- Okay. - you said.

You parked the car properly and walked beside Axl to the driveway of his house.

- I don't usually do this. - he said as you walked through the big garden, you were still so in awe of the beauty of his house that you didn't even hear him speak.

Axl laughed at your concentration.

- But there's something about you that caught my attention - he said as soon as you walked through the door and entered the large living room.

Now you were listening to him, you blushed again, playing with your fingers.

- So I can consider myself special? - you said smiling at him.

Axl laughed in relief, as if he was afraid of what you were going to say, he took off his sunglasses and looked at you respectfully. Your mind was still in a trance with everything that was going on.

- You can. - he said.

A few minutes passed while Axl showed you some of his things, little by little you became calmer with his presence, as if you had known him for a long time. Your eyes met his at one point and you had to silence the intrusive thoughts in your head so you wouldn't kiss him right there, he probably wasn't thinking of you that way, the age difference between you was completely noticeable, but not that you cared.

- I... I think I need to go now. - you said, breaking the silence and realizing that it was almost dusk.

Axl nodded and walked you to your car.

- Thank you so much Mr Rose, you really have a wonderful house. - you said sincerely.

- Just Axl, please. - he smiled, you nodded. - And it was a pleasure Y/n, I hope we can see each other more often.

You looked at him puzzled.

- You do!? - you asked in disbelief at what he said but immediately regretted it for sounding too excited. - I'm sorry, I used to be a big fan of yours when I was younger.

Axl stared at you.

- Glad to hear that! - he smiled. - It's good that you moved here. - he said.

You smiled, the few minutes of conversation that passed after that felt like a dream, you handed your phone number to Axl on a little piece of paper you found in your car, and as soon as you got home he called you, inviting you to lunch the next day, and saying he could show you his favorite places in Malibu.

You breathed a sigh of relief that you were home alone and no one could see how blushed your cheeks were and how excited you were for the rest of the night, having to take pills to sleep at night.

The next morning, when Axl parked his BMW in front of your house, you greeted each other with a hug.

At the restaurant, people looked at you curiously, Axl waved at some of them, probably already knowing them for as long as he lived there.

- I hope you don't mind that. - he said, referring to the curious looks that kept following you as you sat down at the table.

- I could get used to it. - You said smiling and Axl laughed, staring at you while shaking his head slowly.

- Where did you come from Y/n? - he asked, not taking his eyes off yours.

You were about to answer him, even though the question didn't really seem to mean where you came from, but then the waiter approached you.

- Mr Rose! It's a pleasure to have you with us! - the waiter said politely, and then turned to you. - New friend?

You smiled shyly at him.

- No No, she's more than that. - You looked at him in surprise, biting your lips to hold back a smile. - That's Y/n.

Axl introduced you to the waiter and you waved at him in greeting.

You and Axl placed your orders and the waiter walked away.

- I'm glad you invited me to lunch, Axl. - you said, trying to stay calm so your voice wouldn't crack with nervousness.

- I'm glad you accepted my invitation, it's been a long time since I've met someone so... special.

Axl touched your hand gently, the touch of his fingers on yours almost made you melt.

- I can definitely get used to that. - You two smiled.

[startanewdream]

Captain Potter

Summary: Lily Evans has a secret that the army cannot know and it doesn't help that her captain is trying to be her friend.

Note: So I was watching Mulan and it's Shirtless JP May and this got me into googling shirtless army man, so please enjoy this piece of very much self-indulgence set in another AU. Also, I have no knowledge of military ranks, so bear with me.

Read on AO3 or below:

‘Evans’, the captain calls, and Lily turns to him, slightly afraid as she always feels when she hears her name. Maybe this is the day her secret will be found, this is the day she will be expelled and will fall in disgrace —

But Captain Potter has one of his carefree trademark grins, none at all looking as if he is about to arrest her. He looks at ease, leaning against one of the training posts, arms crossed lazily, watching her with interest shining in his hazel eyes as if she is a puzzle he will understand someday.

Lily truly wishes he won't, so she avoids looking at him directly in the eyes.

‘Captain’, she answers at least, saluting. That seems to amuse him.

‘I have a name, you know’.

‘Hum’, she stops, unsure. Her interactions with the captain have been restricted — well, her interactions with everyone have been limited —, but she has watched him from afar.

He is young and yet he never tries to act bossy with all the other soldiers, never tries to impose himself. He may have a more affinity with three of the soldiers (his friends for a long time, as she gathered), but he tries to treat everyone fairly, encouraging and teaching all soldiers equally, from the weakest of them to the strongest, and it’s not hard for her to see why everyone is willing to follow him into battle. The only one that he hadn’t been able to reach some sort of relationship was with her.

Something that had fit Lily’s plans and worries very well.

‘Captain Potter?’, she tries.

‘I am someone besides a rank’, he suggests.

‘Mr. Potter’.

‘That would be my father. I am James ’, he says at least, as if she is unfamiliar with the name of the youngest captain of the army.

‘I know , but — it would not be proper —’

‘Liam’, he stops her and, just as anytime someone uses that name, Lily wants to look around searching for that person until she remembers her situation. ‘Can I call you Liam?’

‘I’d rather Evans’, she answers, grimacing, and when he looks dismayed, she adds quickly: ‘It’s how everyone calls me. Not… it’s more personal, really’.

‘Fine, Evans’. He grins again. It’s a beautiful smile, so open and inviting, that again Lily has no difficulty understanding the success he makes with all the other soldiers, why their unity is unanimous in praising him. There is something on him that draws people to him — her included. ‘Well, call me James. I can order you to if it will make it more proper’.

Lily lets out a laugh before she stops herself, biting her lips, worried. She shouldn’t laugh; though she can disguise her voice mildly well, her laugh is too thin, too sparkling. It’s not a man’s grave laugh.

Fortunately, the captain doesn’t seem to find anything amiss. He looks just… glad with her reaction.

‘So you are capable of laughing’, he notes teasingly. ‘I had my doubts, you know’.

‘There has never been an occasion, Cap — James ’.

He opens his mouth in an offended expression; it’s so dramatic that, again, she wants to laugh. ‘I beg your pardon? Yesterday, when someone — a very clever someone, I might add — pretended to be shot by an arrow? That was an occasion!’

‘Wasn’t that you?’, she asks, raising her eyebrows. It had been a long tense one minute in which one of the other soldiers, Sirius, had been sure he had shot by mistake the captain and his best friend before James had revealed himself alive, laughing hysterically and showing the fake arrow attached to his badge.

Sirius had punched him, all rank forgotten, but then he was laughing too and everyone thought it was hilarious.

‘It was fun ’.

‘It was terrifying’.

‘Oh, so you were terrified I’d died?’, he jokes, his grin now very smug. ‘And I thought you didn’t like me’.

Lily blushes, lowering her head and hoping he hadn’t noticed it. Truth was she had misjudged him on the first day, annoyed by the way he acted with that captain badge pinned on his chest. He came from a long family of militars, after all, and he was very young, no matter what his father would praise about his grades in military school, so she had truly believed he didn’t deserve to be a captain, that he had only got there for his family name.

In the last few weeks, though, she was forced to admit he was a good captain. He had the vision for it, good ideas, an efficient way of training everyone and, of course, he was a leader.

‘I have nothing against you, sir — James’.

‘I’m glad to know’, he says, sounding earnest. ‘I am worried about you, you know’.

‘Have I done something wrong?’, she asks, surprised, fear involving her again. Lily had taken care of doing all exercises, overworking herself, all to prove that that stupid rule that forbid women in the army did not make any sense. They needed everyone in the fight against Voldemort, after all, and she would not wait patiently, especially when people like her were one of his targets.

‘No, no, you’ve been perfect, really, no one dedicates as much as you’, he assures her. ‘But you don’t socialize. You stay quiet during dinner. You don’t participate in any of the games', he pauses, before adding again dramatically: 'You don’t laugh at my pranks!’

All of it is true. Lily has purposefully gotten away from everyone, afraid they would notice something different about her, though that quiet soldier, Remus, had tried to talk to her. She just feels she can't risk.

‘I do not think it’s time for pranks, James’, she answers, deciding the last point was probably the easiest.

He shakes his head. ‘We are at war, Evans. If we don’t laugh now, we may not laugh after’.

She supposes he is right. And even though he enjoys more pranks than she thinks it’s reasonable, she knows he worries too. More than once, when she is on guard duty, she has noticed the light of his tent is on very late in the night. James may look carefree with everyone else, but he has concerns about the war — and what lies in his shoulder.

‘Your work has been impeccable’, he adds quietly. ‘I just want you to get to know more of your colleagues and for them to know more about you’. Lily presses her lips, hoping her worry doesn’t show on her face. That was all she was trying to avoid. ‘You will need to count on them in the battlefield and they will need to know you have their backs too. And the only way to do that is if we trust each other. Can we do that?’

James is waiting for her answer, his eyes boring into hers firmly, and Lily can’t turn away now. In the light of the morning, with the sun shining on his face, his hazel eyes seem to glint in gold, the pupil barely visible. He has wrinkles on the side of his eyes, and she suddenly wishes they weren’t meeting in the army while she is pretending to be an introverted thin young man.

He seems the kind of guy she would like to meet in college, or to grow up together with, or even in a dancing club with her friends; they would talk and she could be then fully herself, could share with him her witty side and even help him in a prank or two. In that other life she would appreciate how nice and beautiful he is, with that black hair that’s always messy no matter how much he tries to comb, and those hazel eyes that were made for laughing, not to be worried for the war.

But that’s not her life and she is sure that if he ever finds out about her, he will hate her. Somehow, with how much she has learned to admire him in the last weeks, she fears his rejection more than she fears being expelled from the army.

Lily knows she would trust James Potter with her life, knows she would do her duty and die for him if it was needed, and yet she also knows she can't ever tell him  her secret.

So she does what she has been doing best ever since she joined the army.

‘We can trust each other’, she lies.

He beams. ‘Great, Evans! And I thought we could start sharing your mourning runs’. He raises one eyebrow when she looks surprised. ‘I’ve noticed you awake at dawn to run’.

‘I like to train’, she admits. ‘I am… thinner than the others, so I am trying to get fitter’.

‘You look a lot better’, he compliments, touching her arm, where her biceps have been evolving nicely. It’s a pat, a soft brush, and yet it sends shivers down Lily’s spine; his hand is warm . ‘Mind if I join you?’

She hesitates just a little. ‘I will stay quiet’, she warns him. ‘I like to think while I run’.

‘Works for me. And if you want to share a thought or another, well, I’m here, Evans’.

He winks at her, again so friendly that she turns her eyes away, wishing she could tell him the truth. But she can’t, so she presses her lips, ties the ribbon around her hair so the bun stays in place, and kneels to make sure her shoes are tied. Then she raises and her heart stops for a full second.

James has taken out his shirt. She knows he is fit — there is no way he can’t be with all the years of training he had — and she has seen before shirtless, but only when she was far away in the line, hoping to get unnoticed as she trained the movements.

Now, it’s only him, his tanned skin glistening under the morning sun, a god coming out of her dreams. She is staring and she knows it, but there is no way she can avoid it; weeks at the army have made her lost a lot of discomfourt around men's body, but this... This doesn't seem fair.

She watches the muscles in his arms, his biceps far more evident than hers will ever be, and it suddenly occurs to Lily that she would like very much to feel them around her, involving her, holding her. There would be only benefits in hugging him, she realizes, as her eyes move to his torso, enjoying the firmness of his chest and the muscles in his abdomen, a six pack that seems drawn perfectly. In his arms, she would glide her hand through his chest, would place a kiss over his heart and then she would raise her head and they would be so close —

And then James stretches his arms, raising them above his head, and she notices the hair on his torso, a few patches near his chest that shine with a few drops of sweat she wouldn’t mind drying, and then the darked patch over his abdomen, in a path that goes on vanishing inside…

When she finds herself staring at his pants, Lily decides she has crossed more limits that it's reasonable.

She turns, all her concentration in avoiding glancing at him again, though she feels it's fruitless. The sight of him seems to be recorded in her mind. He will appear on her dream, she is sure of it.

‘Everything all right, Evans?’, he asks, right behind her, and she jumps. 'You look red'.

Lily knows it; her face is hot, burning even before she has started to run, and she won’t fool herself pretending she doesn’t know the reason.

‘I'm fine, let’s go’, she answers quickly, heart racing in her chest. This was a horrible idea; mourning runs with her very gorgeous hot captain will do no good for her keeping her secret.

She sprints without warning, but he catches up with her easily. She keeps her eyes ahead. Don't look, don't stare, don't ogle.

‘There is something special about you, Evans’, he declares, the run not seeming to disturb his breathing. ‘I will find out one day’.

[nightowlfandom]

Billy Loomis and Stu Macher x Reader- 27 (Part 3/Finale)

Read Part 1 | Read Part 2 

CHECKOUT MY MASTERLIST HERE!

Alright you weenies, here’s the last part of 27....

I realized I’ve also made an error, I forgot that they already killed her other boyfriend, so let’s say the ex they killed in the previous chapter was a different ex.

leggo

...

Today was the day and you were excited.

Vengeance, the cherry on top, the final piece of this damned puzzle. You had snapped. You were completely bloodthirsty now and you WISHED someone would try to stop you. You had come a long way. A VERY long way. It was safe to say both Billy and Stu rubbed off on you a tremendous amount and you were absolutely fucking ready!

It didn’t help that you had two killers hyping you up to all hell. From Billy whispering how many hours were left in the day to Stu commenting about how hot he’d think it would be to have sex in a pool of blood.

When it came time to leave, the boys offered to walk you home.

“So who you gonna get first?” Billy held your hand as Stu stood your opposite side with an arm around your shoulder. 

“Definitely the old man.” you declared. “I want to watch the life leave his eyes. He’s the reason behind all this.”

“How so?” Stu asked.

“He’s convinced I’m not really his child, he’s been trying to get me out of that house since I turned 12...” the guys noticed your significant mood change. “Nevermind that.” you shook your head. “My mom can fuck off with the rest of them, her and her can-do-no-wrong, perfect home bullshit.” you seethed. “I’ll explain while everything’s going down.”

...

“I’m home...if anyone gives a shit.” you grumbled the last part. You walked in to see your mother and father along with Hannah’s mother and father. They were all sitting at the table. Hannah’s mom and dad were bawling their yes out while your parents comforted them.

“Y/N...I’m glad your here.” you father spoke up. “We were talking about funeral arrangements.”

“For the daughter you wish you had instead of me? Not interested.” you rolled your eyes. “If you need me, I’ll be doing homework. Parentals, friends. Friends parentals.” you shortly introduced Billy and Stu to your folks. 

“Nice to meet you.” Billy managed to express. Stu put on a fake smile and waved. 

“Keep your door open so we can hear you!”

“Why would I close the door? You guys would just kick it open anyways.” you grunted. 

You had no reason to be cordial with your family anymore, just because they wanted to put on a show for your guests, you’d give them a damn show.

“Y/N don’t talk to your mother like that.”

“Then I’ll talk to Hannah’s family.” you turned to the two mortified adults.

You could see Billy and Stu out of the corner of your eyes, both looking like they were about to burst out laughing.

“Y/N we have nothing against you.” Hannah’s mom wept. “We knew Hannah could be a bit much.”

“Hannah was much? Oh No Mrs. Doyle. Your husband screwing around with your teenage secretary was much.” you crossed your arms. “Your daughter was a fucking nightmare and I’m glad no one has to put up with her shit anymore.”

You wanted to see just how far you could take this before your parents exploded. 

“Y/N L/N!” Your father rose from his seat, ready to storm over.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Stu was first to stand in front of you. “Mr. L/N with all due respect, I’d advise you against that.”

“And just who do you think you are?” 

“The man whose about to be responsible for your funeral if you take another step.” Billy stood next to Stu, the both of them making a human wall, separating you from them. “Geez Y/N you weren’t kidding.”

“You should see our security camera footage.” you scoffed. 

“Well this has been a lovely chat but we really must be going.” Mrs. Doyle stood to her feet. 

“Oh nononono~” Billy sang with conviction. “Sit your asses down...let’s play a little game.” (I know Saw hadn’t been made yet, just go with it.)

...

Watching back the camera footage hurt a lot more than you thought it would. You couldn’t imagine how everyone else was feeling. Both of Hannah’s parents were tied up with blindfolds over their eyes. Stu had knocked out your dad and tied him to the table while Billy handled your mom, duct-taping her hands and wrists to a chair...

“Look at that. An innocent little girl...” Billy shook his head as he listed to your parents berate you to your face. You blocked everything out while you watched. How Hannah and her would smile in your face all the while being your biggest tormentors. How you couldn’t tell your mother or father because they never believed you the first ten times you tried. 

It was all crashing down on you now.

There was an eerie silence as your crying voice filled your own ears. You were used to crying yourself to sleep by that time. All of this happening a little before you met the boys.

“Y/N, whatever you have to tell us, we don’t have to involve them.” your mother sobbed.

“Mommy....you’re crying.” your voice broke as you opened your mouth to speak for the first time in a couple of hours. “But what about when I was crying?....What about when I was in the hospital scared for my life? What about when you guys were threatening to ship me across country....” much like you did with Hannah, you kicked the chair sending your mother falling back.

“And you.” you turned towards your dad. “I know you don’t believe I’m your biological daughter...and guess what...I hope I’m not either.” you growled, staring down at the now cowering man. “You are pathetic...both of you.” you turned back towards the TV screen. A video of you in your bedroom (since your parents didn’t believe in privacy) was playing. You were on the phone with your friend Kyla.

“No, no I know Ky.” you laughed. You had a much different laugh than you do now. “...I don’t know, it’s hard to trust cute faces like theirs.”

Your eyes widened as you listened to what you were saying. Before you could go to turn it off, Stu had taken you in a hug. “Oh no princess, don’t be rude...let the video play!”

“Do I like them?....Maybe...okay totally!” you watched yourself squeal as you threw the pillow you were hugging across the room. “Kyla I wish you were here to see them THEY ARE SO-” you covered your mouth to stop from shouting too loud. “They are so cute and so hot and they wanna be seen with me!...of all people! No I’m not gonna make a move on them.”

“Awww Y/N has a crushy wushy on us!” Stu gushed. “We love you too baby!” Stu abruptly kissed you, right there. You almost forgot Billy was standing there. 

“Woah...” you almost lost balance. 

“Young lady! How dare you-” You father tried to said.

“Oh shut up!” Stu took it upon himself to finish the job. 

(OKAY SHEILD YOUR EYES NOW)

Stu wrapped a hand around your dad’s neck and applied pressure, so much to the point where his face went blue within a mere 5 seconds. Stu laughed maniacally, only seeming to tighten his grip while Billy continued to antagonize your mother, laughing in her face while she watched the horror happen with her husband.

“Y/N...why?” your dad choked as he struggled.

“Why not...and while we’re here.” you shrugged. “I killed Hannah.”

“WHAT?”

You almost forgot Hannah’s parents were in the room, listening to everything go down.

“Oh yeah.” you shrugged. “Bitch had it coming...the better question is what should I do to you two.” you crossed your arms as you thought.

...(Time skip)

“Pretty isn’t it.” You gazed up at the stars. 

“Not as pretty as you.” Billy flirted, using his sleep to wipe your face. As you all sat on the front steps of your porch, ambulances and cop cars lined up the street for many blocked.

“I agree.” Stu wrapped an arm around you waist. “Be honest, how do you feel?”

“I feel free.” you replied, letting out a large sigh. The cops had just finished questioning you. Your story was clear. Your dad lunged at your mom first and Hannah’s parents saw too much...then he accidently tripped and hung himself. Perfect crime. Billy and Stu were walking by when they heard your cries for help and they hopped in.

As to how you three managed to escape unscathed, they got you out of there in time just as he was hanging himself. As for the tapes playing on the T.V...they were watching old videos to find something to ground you for. (Something they usually did anyways.)

“Good.”

“I just don’t know where I’m gonna live now. My aunt lives the next city over and that’s a long drive.”

“Hm...just gonna have to live with us now!” Stu shrugged, we’ll all be like a married couple!

“All...as in-”

“Yes, the three of us.” Billy grabbed your attention. “Lucky you, eh?” He pecked your lips when the officers wasn’t looking just as Stu planted a smooch on the back of your head.

“Young lady.” the officer walked up to you three. “You’re lucky to have escaped them, that psychopath stabbed your mother 27 times...who does that?!”

You paused before you gave your answer. “I guess he was just fed up, officer.” 

Stu tried hard to contain his laughter while Billy coughed into his hand, you all knowingly shared a look.

Yes...fed up indeed.

(So...I guess this slasher stuff might be a regular thing...I kinda like it)

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1012: Another Fun, Relaxing Beach Time (King of Fighters)

1:34 p.m. Beach Resort......

Antonov: (Places his Fists on his Hips With a Hardy Smile on his Face) Alright, Private Misha! (Points at the Other Side of the Volleyball Net in Front of Him) Examine our opponents' stats with perception!

Misha: (Immediately Salutes to his Teammate) YES SIR, MR. ANTONOV, SIR!! (Pulls his Binoculars From Out of his Swimming Trunks' Pocket and Takes a Look at his Opponent From a Distance) Hmmmm......Ramon Cortex Rodriguez. (Watches Ramon Flexes his Muscles) A tough Lucha Libre Wrestler with quick acrobatics to boot. (Now Sees Ramon Flirts With Two Ladies Walking By) As well as being popular woth the ladies? I think?

Antonov: (Grabs his Chin While Thinking) Hmm.....A Casanova eh? Perhaps we should devise a plan to distract him of some kind.

Misha: (Nodded To his Idol in Agreement) Yeah. We should. (Puts Back on his Binoculars and Looks Back at his Opponent) And then we have the King of Dinosaurs.

K.O.D.: (Roars Loudly in the Distance) RARRRWWRRR!!!

Misha: .....Who is just as roar-y as he always was at every ring. (Turns Back to his Teammate) No doubt he'll be the toughest to beat.

Antonov: True......(Turns Back to Mishamiles Confidently) But it isn't to say we shouldn't get tougher too, am I right?

Misha: Yeah. (Puts his Binoculars Down While Looking Away a Bit Sadly) But.....u-um....

Antonov: (Starts Frowning in Worry) What's wrong, Lil' Misha? (Kneels Down to his Fan's Level) Are you feeling nervous already?

Misha: Not entirely. It's just that....Well....Are you sure that having me on your team is a good idea? You guys are so big and strong while I'm just so....(Looks Down at the Sandy Ground) small, weak and ordinary.

Antonov: Hey now. That's not true. Well, you being small is, but everything else besides that is false! You may not be strong in a physical standpoint, but I believe that you have the biggest passion and heart out of the rest of us here.

Misha: (Eyes Widened in Genuine Surprise) You do?

Antonov: (Happily Nodded) You got that right. Not to mention that you're also the smartest too. Remember that time you were able to complete seven crossword puzzle pages within an hour or so? Now, that's something to be proud of right there.

Misha: (Smiles Sheepishly While Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth) Oh come on now. It wasn't really anything to wrote home about. I'm sure you guys would've been able to complete it if you-

?????: Ahora!

Antonov and Misha turn their heads to their opponents staring at them at/ he other side of the neat.

Ramon: (Smirks at his Opponents) Are you two pollos gonna stand here and talk all day or we're gonna get this volleyball match started?

King of Dinosaurs: RAWWR!

Antonov: Guess we kept them waiting long enough. (Turns to Misha With a Confident Smirk on his Face) Ready to give our foes a show?

Misha: (Smirks Back at Antonov) I was born ready.

As Antonov gets up from the ground, him and Misha rushes over to net screams out "VOLLEYBALLLLLLLLL" as they begin the first round of the match.

Angel: (Sighs Relaxingly While Watching the Volleyball Match in the Distance and Cuddling with Krohnen on a Two People Sized Bench) I remember the day when me and mami played volleyball for the first time~ Good times~

Krohnen: You know, you're always welcome to chime in and play a round or two.

Angel: Nah. I'm too relaxed and cozy to play right now. Besides....(Snuggles onto her Boyfriend) If there's anyone I want to team up with, is would be you, cookie.

Krohnen: (Smirks a Bit) Well, I hate to be that guy, but you're gonna have to find yourself a new partner. Don't know how to play the sport.

Angel: (Turns to Krohnen While Sliding her Shades Down) Seriously?

Krohnen: Seriously. (Grabs his Chin) In fact, I don't think I've ever played a sport before. Unless you count doing 24 hours of "exercise" tests in a lab all day as sports related.

Angel: (Gives Krohnen a Worried, Frown on her Face) No. I don't. (Went Back to Hugging Krohnen) I am so glad we are out of that hell hole, carino....

Krohnen: ('Sigh') Ain't that the truth. It might've been a long time coming, but we finally got the freedom we need to survive out here. No more running, no more N.E.S.T.s agents following our every move-

Angel: You still have K' and Kula to worry about.

Krohnen: (Slowly Turns his Head to Angel With a Deadpinned Look).......I was hoping I would never hear those names again today, but thanks.

Angel: (Smiles Brightly) De nada!~ Ooh! And you also have to worry about tin man, whip girl, Diana, and Foxy girl you tried to-

Krohnen: Okay, okay! I get it! (Starts Rolling his Eyes) I swear, it's like you wanted me to get killed or something.....

Angel: (Gasps Loudly Before Giving her Boyfriend a Pouty Look on her Face) Bueno, yo nunca! You know I would never let anyone hurt you! Especially from some palillo de dientes who doesn't know how to stop herself from ramming into a wall!

Krohnen: (Chuckles Lightly) Yeah, yeah. I know. I wouldn't let anything happen to you too, babe.

Angel: ('Hmph') (Went Back to Hugging Krohnen With a Satisfied Smile) You better or we're gonna have some problems, mister!~

Krohnen: ('Heh) Please. (Gently Places his Finger Under Angel's Chin) The only problem we're going to have is you not being anymore cuter than you should~

Angel: (Stares at Krohnen For a Few Seconds Before Snickering) What!?~

Krohnen: (Starts Looking Away While Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth) Sorry.....I've been thinking of a pickup line to give you once we got here and this is one I came up with....Terrible, isn't it?

Angel: (Starts Shaking her Hand) Mmmm....I'd give it an average score at best. (Gently Move Krohnen's Head Back to her Direction While Smiling at Him) But I appericate the effort, cookie~ (Starts Kissing her Boyfriend on the Lips) Very....('Mmwah') much so~ ('Mmm~')

Krohnen: Thanks~ (Continues Kissing the Love of his Life)

Ramon: (Groans While Rolling his Eyes at the Couple in the Distance) Look at them, already smacking lips everywhere we go..... Couldn't they get a room already? We are AT the beach!

K.O.D.: Rawr.

Ramon: Wha- (Turns to His Volleyball Partner Next to Him) No, no, my friend. I don't mean in a literal sense. I-ARGH!(Suddenly Gets Hit in the Head to the Floor by a Volleyball)

'THAWCK'

Ramon: (Gets Back Up and Glares at the Other Side of the Net) Oye! Who said we're resuming the game now? (Starts Rubbing his Head)

Misha: Sorry, Mr. Ramon!

@keyenuta

@tampire

@illyrilex

@theweebmaster31

@cyber-wildcat

@albion-93

@caleb13frede

@ma-lemons

[gleamglowsgraveyard]

How about Sirius finding out the reader has a crush on him...and gives her her first kiss? 😘

cigarettes and firewhisky

pairing: sirius/reader

word count: 2.4k

summary: amortentia is no fun to make when you’re partnered up with the person you know it’s going to end up smelling like.

content: fluff, me being bad at writing slughorn, very brief mention of sirius’s family issues, confessions in an empty classroom, kissing but nothing spicy (edit: rereading this i realized i made the reader pretty gender neutral! no pronouns or anything like that :)

you know i had to pull the amortentia trope. this was a cute request, thank you so much! also thank you to my anons who sent in what they thought sirius smelled like, you guys were a lot of help! (except the person who suggested that sirius smells like wet dog. you know who you are.)

This was the worst thing that could possibly happen to you. Surely some higher power was laughing at you from above, taunting you and your dreadful luck.

Your heart was beating a million miles a minute. How on earth did you end up being paired up with Sirius Black of all people?! And - even worse - making the worst potion ever concocted?!

If you weren’t in public you’re sure you’d be letting out a crazed laugh out of pure mania.

So far you’ve been able to dodge all of his attempts at conversation, quickly sending him off to find another ingredient as soon as he got too chatty. You’d hardly made any eye contact at all, and any time he handed you something you were careful not to have his fingertips even slightly graze your own.

In truth, you’ve had an enormous crush on Sirius Black since third year, and it had only gotten worse as the years went by. This meant that by now, you had become a bit of an expert at avoiding him at all costs.

But now it was all ruined. Years of hard work spiraling down the drain all because of fucking Amortentia.

Why couldn’t it have been a simple calming draught? Or a shrinking solution? Hell, you would’ve even preferred to make Slughorn his lunch!

And it’s not as if you can sabotage the potion, either! That would mean Sirius’s grade suffering too. You just couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

There was no way out but to lie about what the potion smells of if he asks. Simple! That way no one finds out - more importantly, that way Sirius doesn’t find out - about your silly little crush. Foolproof. Genius. Inspired-!

“Do you like me?”

“What?!” You jolt as panic overtakes you, snapping your head up to meet Sirius’s eyes.

“Do you like me?” he repeats, smiling slightly. “I can’t help but feel like you hate me, seeing as you haven’t looked at me or talked to me at all.”

Internally, you breathe out a sigh of relief, glad you had misinterpreted the question.

“No! I-” Your voice is much too high, you stop to clear your throat. “I do! I do like you, I um... Sorry! I promise I don’t hate you, I guess I’m just... shy.” You finish your blabbering by looking away, pretending to inspect the fire below your cauldron.

When you raise your gaze again Sirius is still looking at you - observing you as if you’re an interesting puzzle that he can’t quite figure out.

“Um!” you quickly turn your attention to the potion, hoping he does the same. “Nearly done, right? Here.” You hold out the wooden spoon for him to take. “Five more clockwise stirs.”

He looks at the spoon but then folds his hands behind his back. “You do it,” he offers instead.

You purse your lips but nod anyway, bringing the wood up to the cauldron’s opening. The pearlescent liquid shifts under the spoon as it touches the surface, and once it’s fully submerged you take a deep breath and start stirring.

One... Two... Three... Four...

As soon as you finish the fifth stir your nose is assaulted by a suffocating aroma of cigarettes and firewhisky. You quickly step back, coughing and tossing the spoon on the table, but the scent follows you.

That doesn’t smell very appealing! Had you done something wrong? You could have sworn you’d followed the recipe exactly!

But then suddenly the scent changes, rapidly becoming much more welcoming. Cigarettes and firewhisky quickly turns into the undertone to something different... Cinnamon shampoo? But also... cologne, and... You could also catch the faint whiff of a brand new leather jacket.

“I think...” you start, eyes trained on the potion that now has delicate tendrils of steam coming off its surface. “I think we did it.” You laugh a bit in astonishment, proud of the fact that you’d managed to make such an advanced potion.

When you turn your head Sirius is looking at you again, in that infuriating way with his gorgeous eyes and stupid grin. You desperately want to look away but just can’t bring yourself to do so.

“How can you tell?” he asks quietly, and you suddenly feel everything else in the room slip away until it’s just him in front of you.

“I... It-”

“What’s it smell like?”

His low voice puts you in such a trance that for a moment you think you’re about to tell him the truth, but you quickly remember what you’d decided on earlier. Lie.

“Ban-” Bananas? No! “Bal-” Balloons? What would that even mean?! “Bu... bblegum. Bubblegum.” You finally land on, and then give a minuscule wince.

Bubblegum?! Although, you suppose it’s better than balloons...

“Bubblegum?” Sirius repeats, brows furrowed.

“Yep! And is that...? Oh! Firewood!” you continue, pulling lies out of thin air. Sirius’s furrowed brows fade away, and an amused smile starts to form on his features instead.

“And, um... And sun cream! Huh, weird.”

“Bubblegum, firewood, and sun cream?” Sirius lists, as if needing clarification from you.

“Well, I-”

“And look what we have here!” Professor Slughorn’s booming voice is suddenly feet away from the two of you, standing right beside your cauldron. “I do believe we have our first finished brew of Amortentia! Although I can’t say I’m surprised, Mr. Black,” Slughorn beams, giving Sirius a knowing look.

Sirius just shuffles awkwardly.

If Slughorn notices Sirius’s discomfort, he doesn’t show it. Instead, he continues, “You know, your father was an exceptional potion maker. Very talented indeed, and you and your brother seem to be following in his footsteps! Although I must say, young Regulus has been a bit unfocused lately, he-”

“Uh, professor?” you speak up when Sirius flinches at his brother’s name.

Slughorn blinks and then looks at you as if he’s just noticed you were there. “Oh- Yes?”

“So... The potion? Did we do it right?”

“Oh, yes, yes, of course! Full marks!” He waves you off, as if you were being silly for even asking. “And ten points for each of you!” he adds for good measure before strolling off, most likely to go torment some other student with a famous surname.

After that, Sirius doesn’t much seem to be up for talking anymore. He focuses all his attention on cleaning up your station, closing up jars of rose petals and pearl dust. You follow his lead, albeit a bit sluggishly.

A few minutes ago you would’ve been okay with Sirius’s silence - happy, even, if it meant you didn’t have to deal with your little crush. But now you would give anything to have him cheerful and smiling again - even if he looked at you with those annoyingly pretty eyes.

Once class is over you’re quick to duck out of the room, desperately wanting to leave Slughorn and Amortentia and the smell of cigarettes and firewhisky behind you.

It’s all over now, everything went according to plan and you can finally go back to doing what you do best. Secretly pining after Sirius Black from a distance.

It’s safe. It’s what you’re good at.

You’re just about ready to forget about this day entirely when you hear a familiar voice calling your name.

...Maybe you were hearing things.

You speed up your steps but then he calls your name again and you’re forced to slow down, waiting for him to catch up. When he does he gives you another winning smile and your heart does a flip.

“Hey, listen,” he starts, and you listen intently. “Sorry about uh... Just... Thanks.”

You’re a bit taken aback. You’re not sure what you were expecting, but it certainly wasn’t a ‘thank you’.

“I... For what?” you ask, genuinely perplexed, but trying not to sound rude.

“Getting Slughorn to leave,” he clarifies with a grin. “He’s always been the same... I’ve been dealing with that for seven years now.”

There’s laughter in his voice but you can tell it’s a bit frayed at the edges. He’s clearly trying - and failing - to play it off as no big deal.

“Sorry,” you offer lamely. “That doesn’t sound fun.”

It really doesn’t.

You don’t know much about Sirius’s family, but you know enough to understand that he probably doesn’t like to be constantly reminded of them. Sharing their last name and seeing his brother in the halls was probably more than enough.

“It’s fine. And, I didn’t just want to thank you,” he says quickly, realizing that the conversation had gotten gloomy.

“Oh?” you voice with a bit of a nervous smile.

“I wanted to ask what it smelled like. The Amortentia.”

There goes your heart again. A million miles a minute.

“What do you mean?” you ask, laughing a bit. “I told you. Bubblegum and um...”

Shoot! What were the other two?!

“Firewood and sun cream?” Sirius prompts, and you nod frantically.

“Yep! That was it!” you’re quick to blurt out. Unconsciously, you pick up your pace, now traveling at a slight speed walk.

Sirius keeps up easily. “But you’re lying,” he accuses, pointing a finger at you, and you swear you start to sweat. “You started coughing when you finished stirring. What did you smell then?”

“I-! Well-! The bubblegum was very pungent, and I-”

“And it looked to me like you were just naming anything that came to your head. Were you about to say balloons at one point?”

“You know, I don’t appreciate being interrogated like this, and quite frankly I- woah!”

You suddenly find that you’re being pulled somewhere by the elbow, and only when you hear a door close behind you do you realize that Sirius has dragged you into an empty classroom. You don’t even have time to take in your surroundings, because Sirius is asking you again:

“So what did you smell?”

You consider lying again, but he’s staring at you with his big, pretty eyes, just waiting for you to tell the truth and all of a sudden you really, really want to.

You thought - you really thought - that you would be content to just go back to crushing on him from a safe distance, but then the Amortentia had happened and he had looked at you different. He was looking at you differently even now - eyes glittering, listening attentively for your answer. And suddenly pining from a distance doesn’t seem so appealing.

You groan in frustration, bringing both of your hands up to cover your face. You just can’t believe what this boy is doing to you.

“It’s so stupid,” you admit, feeling your cheeks head up beneath your palms.

“It’s not,” he assures you, gently wrapping both his hands around each of your wrists, silently asking you to stop covering your face.

You shake you head. “It is, and if you’re asking then you already know.”

“So humor me.”

You abruptly drop your hands to look up at him and, woah - had he always been that close? He’d definitely gotten a bit closer since you’d closed your eyes.

You let out a shaky breath. “Cigarette smoke... Firewhisky...” you trail off. You mean to keep going, but decide to wait for Sirius’s initial reaction first.

Sirius blinks. “Gross,” he says after a beat, and it startles a laugh out of you.

“Yeah, a bit. I thought we messed it up, but then... Um, it changed.”

You search his features for any signs of discomfort, but find none. In fact, Sirius seems to be basking in every word you tell him.

So you keep going, very quietly, “Cologne and...” Without thinking you bring a hand up to rest delicately on his shoulder. “Leather and... Cinnamon...”

You hand moves of it’s own volition, resting on the junction of Sirius’s shoulder and neck and you stare dazedly at it for a moment. You blink and then realize what you’re doing.

You pull your hand away as if you’ve been burned. “Sorry, I-”

But then Sirius is leaning forward fast and - Merlin, was he about to kiss you?!

You panic for a moment, knowing you have to think quick. Your hand darts up again, this time landing on his collarbone, putting your palm flat up against him and pressing firmly, willing him to stop.

He gets the message and quickly pulls back. “I’m sorry-”

“No!” you blurt out so fast that it sounds more like a squeak. “No, no, it’s not that I don’t... I mean I want to, I do I just...” You screw your eyes shut. “I’ve never kissed anyone.”

“Fuck,” Sirius lets out a laugh.

Your heart sinks as you open your eyes. Was he laughing at you?

“Sorry, I’m not laughing at you,” he clarifies quick, as if reading your mind. “For a second I thought the Amortentia was a big coincidence and you didn’t like me at all.” he smiles, and you realize his laugh was a laugh of relief.

“No! I-!” You groan again and lean against the closed door. Was it confession day or something?! “No, I’ve... I’ve liked you since third year.”

“What about first and second?” he fires back quick, grinning stupidly.

You don’t miss a beat. “I was scared of you, then. You were too loud.”

He barks out a laugh and you suddenly feel the urge to look away, feeling as if you’re intruding. And then you remember you’re not. It’s just you and Sirius here. So many times you’d seen that laugh from a distance, across a crowded Great Hall but now it was just for you.

Sirius speaks up once his laughter dies down. “Look, you don’t have to-”

“No, I want to-”

“I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable-”

“You haven’t! I just-”

“We can just go to class-”

“Sirius!” you say sharply, and he looks at you with wide eyes. “Kiss me. Please,” you say with a laugh, wanting him to shut up already.

He grins and then wastes no time in leaning forward, taking your face in his hands and pressing his lips to yours. You smell it again - cinnamon shampoo, cologne, new leather, and - very faintly - cigarettes and firewhisky.

You melt into the kiss, bringing you hands up to rest at the nape of his neck, idly playing with the strands of hair you find. It’s awkward at first, but you try your best to relax into it, following Sirius’s lead and just doing whatever comes naturally.

He pulls away and you slowly blink your eyes back open, willing yourself out of the trance Sirius’s lips had just put you in.

“Fast learner,” he whispers, smiling, and you laugh.

“We should get to class...” you suggest halfheartedly, not stepping away or making any move to leave.

“Yeah,” Sirius agrees, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. “Probably...”

You both look at each other for a few beats, but then you each break into a smile.

And he kisses you again.

.

.

.

taglist <3 // @isxfisticated @l-adysansa @tomshollandz

[teawaffles]

Louis and the Aquaria: Chapter 2

Two days after that. The normally-unused hall had undergone a complete transformation — and Fred was stunned.

“Wow……”

Sitting before him were three large water tanks, roughly five metres wide. Within each one were some aquatic plants, as well as 20 to 30 fish in a range of vibrant colours and distinctive appearances. They swam through the water, sometimes gracefully, sometimes powerfully — the beauty of the aquaria was simply overwhelming.

“What do you think, Fred?” asked Louis, as he walked up to him.

Without taking his gaze off the tanks, Fred shared his thoughts.

“I’ve never seen such beautiful fish. Are they all from other countries?”

“Indeed. Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America — I heard that they were collected from these three regions and brought here via special channels. There was a concern that the quality of our local water would not be suitable, hence even the water has been directly imported from their native rivers and lakes.”

“The scale here sure is different……”

Even the water that filled these tanks had been procured from the fishes’ native habitats: once again, the thoroughness of this endeavour left Fred in awe.

“I’m planning to bring in more of Herder’s equipment at a later date; but for now, all I can do is to watch over them like this…… Oh?”

Noticing something strange, Louis peered into one of the tanks.

Before his eyes, a small pufferfish was biting the fins of its tank mates. Looking at the other aquaria, it was clear that other tiny skirmishes had broken out.

Seeing the colourful fish engaged in unbecoming violence, Fred looked puzzled.

“It seems even fish need to be compatible with one another.”

“Indeed. It looks like it isn’t enough to simply divide them by their native regions.”

Hesitating a little, Louis slowly put his hand into the tank, and broke up the fishes’ fight as gently as possible. [1] Confirming that the conflict had been resolved for now, he breathed a sigh.

However, Fred spoke up in concern.

“If it’s already like this from the start, Mr Louis, then it looks like it’s going to be quite difficult for you.”

“Still, it must be done. ——For the sake of William’s plan.”

Hearing those words filled with conviction, once again, Fred could feel the strength of Louis’s emotions toward his brother.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Two days after the fish had moved into the mansion, the hall underwent another transformation.

The curtains had been drawn, and the entire room was dim. The large water tanks had been removed, and around twenty small aquaria were now lined up in their stead. Each tank was outfitted with the latest cutting-edge machinery to assist in the fishes’ upkeep.

In charge of their care, Louis quietly strolled among the tanks, scrutinising the fishes’ appearances one by one.

“Yo, Louis. How are they?”

Just as he’d completed his round of checks, Moran and Fred entered the hall.

Looking at his notes on the conditions of his charges, Louis answered in a businesslike manner.

“There are no problems at present. I’ve finally managed to understand their individual dispositions, hence their care should proceed more smoothly from here.”

“That’s great — though, it has gotten a little crowded in here.”

Moran looked around the room. Beside him, Fred was staring curiously at a device attached to the top of the tank.

“Is this machine necessary for taking care of them?”

“Yeah, it’s called a filter: it serves to improve the water quality,” Louis explained briefly.

In order to ensure he'd covered all bases, Louis spared no effort in his research, making detailed reports to Herder as he employed a variety of equipment in the fishes’ care.

Certainly, for the aquaria to be mechanised to such an extent, the level of technology required was several steps ahead of its time. To use such revolutionary technology for the sole purpose of rearing tropical fish: one could even call it extravagant.

As Moran watched the machines in operation, a dubious look crossed his face.

“These guys have been living in the wild up to this point, so it does feel a bit pitiful for them to be shut indoors all day. Why don’t you let them swim in the big pond outside once in a while?”

But Louis gently dismissed his proposal.

“I understand where you’re coming from; but we have to consider issues like how they would adapt to the water, and so I have refrained from doing that.”

“Then, at least bring the tanks outside so they can enjoy the sun.”


“That can’t be done either. If the aquaria were to be placed under direct sunlight, there would be other problems such as algal growth and spikes in water temperature. Hence, the day-night cycle has been replicated using artificial light.”

“An artificial sun, huh. All thanks to the development of industry,” Moran muttered.

Louis turned his gaze toward the lights installed above the tanks.

“These incandescent bulbs and other electrical technologies are still yet to be widespread — one can really feel the portent of Mr Herder’s work.” [2] [3]

As the two men made small talk, Fred watched the fish in the aquaria, his face aglow.

Then, the door to the hall opened.

Rhythmic footsteps echoed, and in came William.

“Nii-san.”

Louis broke off his conversation with Moran, and turned to face his brother.

“How has your work been?”

“It’s going well. Once we convey to Stapleton that we’re keeping tropical fish, I’m sure his interest will be piqued.”

“That’s good to hear. I hope your contact with him will be a success.”

“Thank you. And I’m glad to see that the fish are doing well. As I thought, it was the right decision to entrust their care to you, Louis.”

“I owe that to both your and Mr Herder’s help.”

Even as his reply was modest, Louis puffed out his chest.

Watching how close the two brothers were, the elder Moran smiled. But as he looked at the aquaria again, a tiny doubt suddenly struck him.

“By the way, we’re keeping these fish so we can meet with this Stapleton guy, right? Then when that’s done, what’ll happen to them?”

Louis tilted his head slightly as he pondered.

“Well…… As far as I understood his nature, in all likelihood, he’ll want to take the fish. In that case, we’ll probably hand them all over to him.”

He’d said that with a straight face, and Moran was stunned.

“Really? Don’t you think we should keep at least one of these tanks in the mansion?”

“No, not at all. These fish were collected for the sole purpose of my brother’s plan — they are simply a means to an end, and I hold no greater affection for them beyond that.”

“I-I see……”

For Moran and Louis, even as they shared William’s ambitions as his comrades, they knew full well they were but one of his chess pieces: if he were to order them to die, they were prepared to lay down their lives at any moment.

These fish were also no more than tools — everyone in the room understood that. But upon hearing how bluntly Louis put it, the older man could not hide his astonishment.

Next to them, William glanced over the fish.

“Still, they do look rather healthy, swimming around like that. For one, the colours of these Puntius rhomboocellatus are rather vibrant.”

“Ah, so that’s their name? It’s quite a mouthful.”

What William had just mentioned was the scientific name of the fish. In the event that Louis was unable to care for the fish, Moran and Fred had also familiarised themselves with their names just in case; but since they felt rather formal, Moran didn’t use them very much.

At his brother’s satisfied expression, Louis beamed with joy.

“You have a wonderful eye for aesthetics, nii-san. Besides those, I would also recommend the Mikrogeophagus ramirezi.”

“Hm, they’re a beautiful shade of blue. Though I personally like the Neolamprologus brichardi over here as well.”

“I see. Then what do you think about the Julidochromis transcriptus and Pelvicachromis taeniatus? Both are from Africa too.”

“……You know, it’s great that you guys get along so well — but can we leave it at that?”

Moran’s eye twitched. But they ignored his puzzlement, and continued their jargon-filled exchange.

“Still, taking the practical view, I quite like these Corydoras paleatus for cleaning up remnants of food from the tank. On the other hand, these Laubuka dadiburjori will jump out of the aquaria if they’re left uncovered, and I had a hard time finding tank mates for the Boraras urophthalmoides.”

“Speaking of utility, Louis: I suppose you would fancy the algae-eating Siamese flying fox as well?”

“Fufu, you see through everything, nii-san. Oh, please look over here: the Nannostomus beckfordi are spreading their fins.” [4]

“——Stop! Stop! No more of that talk!”

Reaching the limit of his patience, Moran stepped between the two brothers, yanking them out of their own world.

Their conversation interrupted, Louis looked puzzled. “What’s the matter, Mr Moran? I was just about to show him the Triple Red Apistogramma cacatuoides.”

“You guys are getting completely carried away, and leaving the rest of us behind! And what’s with those bloody names? This isn’t some university lecture!”

Beside him, Fred was pointing at the fish one by one, murmuring the names that had come up in the brothers’ exchange. Clearly, he was making sure he remembered their names properly.

Quizzical, Louis responded. “They might be troublesome for you…… But my brothers and I memorised them in one shot.”

“Y-You’re kidding, right?” Moran paled.

“They really are on another level……”

Astonished, Fred also stopped what he was doing.

Hailing from a noble family, Moran himself was an Oxford graduate; in addition, Fred also possessed an above-average intellect. But when confronted with the intellectual abilities of the three Moriarty brothers, who were able to memorise such complex names in just one go, the two men were unable to hide their amazement.

“I mean, wouldn’t it be easier to give them nicknames instead?”

At Moran’s suggestion, Louis put a hand under his chin.

“Nicknames, hmm…… I haven’t had any problems so far, but giving them simpler names might be a good idea.”

“Right? It’s insufferable to have to listen to those curse-like words every time I come here.”

“Let’s try it then. But I will be rejecting any distasteful ones,” Louis quipped.

Moran looked around the room, his gaze landing on a tank with a school of guppies swimming within.

“Alright….. Then how about we call these ‘Fred’?”

Behind his glasses, Louis’s eyes widened.

“We’re giving them our own names?”

“It’s fine, innit? It’s a lot better than calling them ‘Mr Guppies’ or something.”

“It’s certainly easy to say—— But even so, why call the guppies Fred?”

“Because they’re small and agile, aren’t they?” Moran grinned.

Fred shot him a dubious look. “Is your reasoning that simple……?”

That logic did seem a little problematic; William, who’d been watching from the side, made a troubled face.

“Since you’re adept at disguising yourself, Fred: if we were to name a fish after you, it should something like a leaffish that uses mimicry. Moreover, guppies already have a rather simple name, so I don’t think it’s necessary to give them another one.”

“It’ll be fine — it’s best to go with your gut for such things. Anyway, it’s decided then: the guppies will be called ‘Fred’.”

It seemed that for once, Moran was unwilling to listen to William’s words.

Then, another aquarium caught his eye. Fascinated, he gazed at the sole inhabitant within.

“Ooh, this guy has the tank all to himself, eh? I like that feeling of aloofness — this one’s gonna be called ‘Moran’.”

The fish Moran had just given his own name to, was in fact the tiny pufferfish that had to be isolated on the very first day, after attacking the other fish.

“Ah, about that one……”

Louis did want to explain why the pufferfish was all alone; but seeing how excited Moran was, he hesitated.

However, Moran seemed to have taken that pause in a different light.

“Oi oi, did you like this one too? Sorry, but it’s first come first served — so I get to name him.”

“R-Right. If you’re fine with that one, then……”

Moran looked like he was really enjoying himself, and so Louis decided to keep his silence on the truth about Moran’s new namesake.

Along with Louis, Fred had also witnessed what the pufferfish did on the day it arrived. It pained him a little to see Moran blissfully unaware of that, and he looked away.

Then, a certain tank caught his eye.

“These are quite like Mr William and his brothers.”

“Eh?”

Intrigued, William and Louis followed his gaze.

Dancing before their eyes was a group of beautiful fish with an almost divine air around them — ones that could even be called kings of the aquarium.

“——Angelfish?”

Within the tank, three angelfish were swimming in close formation. They had glittering silver scales, with black stripes running vertically down their sides. That closeness truly reminded one of the Moriarty brothers, bound to one another with firm ties.

Their name brought to mind angels, and William could not help but chuckle in self-mockery.

“I think that’s the last thing we should ever be called.”

“Not at all. In a way, you three are angels — but more of the ones who sound the trumpets in the Book of Revelation.” [5]

At that ironic turn of phrase, William let out another meaningful laugh.

Beside them, with a somewhat absent-minded look, Louis admired the fish he’d grown so familiar with.

“Though, just as Fred said, their elegant appearance certainly befits both William and Albert nii-sama.”

“No need to be modest, Louis: you are just as noble as they are.”

“T-Thank you very much, nii-san.”

Louis turned a little pink at that. Looking at the three fish swimming together, Moran nodded enthusiastically.

“Then starting from the front of the group, their names will be ‘William’, ‘Albert’ and ‘Louis’.”

“It’s a bit embarrassing……” William smiled bashfully.

Moran walked away from the tank. “Both Louis and Fred agree with it, so it’ll be fine. Anyway, I’ll be off.”

“Eh? What about the rest?”

Fred called out to him just as he was about to leave the room, and Moran ruffled his hair as he replied.

“Now that I think about it, there’re just way too many of them. We’ve already named five of them after ourselves — that should be fine for now.”

“I guess……”

Faced with Moran’s overly freewheeling attitude, Fred was lost for words.

“…………”

Under normal circumstances, Louis would saddle Moran with some chores at this point. But his attention was still drawn to the tank with the angelfish.

He had yet to notice it himself; but their three names, now conferred onto those fish, had set off tiny ripples in his heart.

Footnotes:

T/N: Yuumori is set in the early 1880s — you can read more about that here.

[1] Yes, Louis did just put his hand into a tank with a pufferfish 😥

[2] Edison’s first light bulb had been invented less than ten years prior, and this used a carbon filament — tungsten filaments would not be developed until the early 1900s. (Wikipedia)

[3] At this time in history, electricity really was the preserve of the rich and few — even in 1919, only 6% of UK households had electricity (Science Museum UK). Interestingly, AC (alternating current) power systems were starting to be adopted in the UK around this period. (Wikipedia)

Aside: The ‘artificial sun’ gave me flashbacks to the manga Letter Bee… (Wikipedia)

[4] This is a form of threatening behaviour between fish.

[5] Moran is referring to the seven angels that blow trumpets to bring about seven cataclysmic events, as described in the New Testament (Wikipedia). Seraph of the End fans would be familiar with this one :3

Translator’s notes

Louis’s honorifics

I know I used “Louis-san” in the manga scanlation, but I’m just going to go with my gut and use “Mr Louis” here :x

[tomtenadia]

Remember Us - part 1

Here I am with a new Rowaelin. This will be a much shorter than ALB both in chapter length and story length. The idea came to me while on the bus home after work. It’s angsty,

A special thank you to @whimsicallyreading for being my wonderful beta <3

------

Rowan is involved in a motorbike accident while on his way to work. A crash that will have some consequences on his marriage with Aelin when he realises that he has lost his memory. Day by day they will have to find their way back to each other and and survive the challenges that life throws at them. 

-----

When the silver haired man opened his eyes it took him a moment for his vision to focus and take in his surroundings. The walls around him were a pale beige colour and the smell of disinfectant was the first thing that hit his senses. In the background there was a steady beeping sound and when he moved his head towards it he saw a machine tracking his heart rate. Hospital. He was in a hospital. A couple of bags with liquids were hanging from hooks at his side and the long plastic tubes ran to his hand. Another gentle motion of his head and he saw his right arm in a splint and his right leg propped up and enveloped in a protective support.

The man pushed his head back in the pillow and groaned. He was in an hospital. And slowly he realised that’s all he knew. His mind felt empty as he tried to think about how he got there. But nothing. There was nothing. He closed his eyes and blackness hit him. He clearly broke his arm and his leg, but how it happened? He had no idea. Slowly he realised that all his memories had started from the instant he woke up. That was all he had and a wave of panic hit him.

In that instant a nurse walked into the room to check on him “Oh, Mr Whitethorn, you finally decided to join us. How do you feel?”

“Whitethorn?” His voice gruff.

“Yes, that’s your surname.”

The man looked at her with a confused stare.

“Do you know where you are? What day it is? Your name?”

The man shook his head “but from the fancy machines and your attire I guess I am in hospital.” He managed to utter, his throat feeling scratchy from disuse. How long had he been asleep?

“Let me go and call the doctor.” And she hurried out of the room.

Whitethorn, his surname was Whitethorn. That was a start.

A moment later a woman entered the room “good morning you. Glad that you could finally join us.” She smiled at him and checked a few things. The doctor flashed a penlight in his eyes then held a finger in front of him “follow this.” She moved the finger from left to right and back and he followed it with his eyes.

“So, the nurse said you don’t remember much.” She straightened her back and saw her write some notes on his chart. 

“I can’t…” he whispered “why am I in hospital?”

“Your name is Rowan Whitethorn. A month ago you had a motorbike accident on your way to work. You have been in a coma ever since. You had a helmet on but still sustained some serious head injuries and you are now experiencing amnesia. It will be temporary and the memories will eventually come back.”

Rowan closed his eyes, he had a name now, another small piece to add to the infinite puzzle in front of him.

“I will schedule another MRI to check your progress since surgery. Now rest, I will get in touch with your wife and let her know that you are awake.” And the doctor left.

Wife. He had a wife. He was married and his name was Rowan and he had an accident.

*

Aelin left the OR exhausted. The last surgery had lasted for hours but she had saved a kid’s life. She threw her OR scrubs in the trash and walked back to her office, looking forward to sit down on her chair for half an hour at least. Her back was killing her and she definitely dreamed about a back rub in that moment. But her plans were thwarted when she got a page from doctor Westfall. Rowan was awake. He was finally awake. She told the nurses she was going to the neurology ward and that she had her pager on if they needed her and she ran to the elevator.

Once on the correct floor, she stopped. She had been waiting for that moment for a whole month and now she was scared. She was a neurosurgeon as well and, although she was a paediatric one, she knew what his injuries might cause. She spotted Yrene in the corridor and ran to her in a frenzy “Yrene, I got your page.”

“He is awake,” said the brunette “his functions are okay but he is has amnesia. We talked about the possibility.” She explained and Aelin nodded “I have ordered another MRI and I will have a better idea after.”

“Can I go in?”

“Yes, but remember that he might not know who you are.” And she patted Aelin’s shoulder in support.

Aelin nodded and pushed back the tears that had been forming at the corner of her eyes.

Rowan was awake. She had awaited that news for the last month but the happiness in her soul was shackled by fear. Deep unyielding fear. She might have him back but at what price? She knew that the type of injuries he had suffered could affect the memory. As a doctor she was prepared to face it, but as his wife, she could feel her heart aching at the possibility of being a stranger to the man who held her heart. Of him not recognising their children. With a deep breath she steadied her nerves and eventually she opened the door to his room. She had been waiting for that moment for so long, for the day she would go inside and find him awake, his pine green eyes on her once again.

A step inside and her hand went instinctively on her belly over her scrubs where her bump had barely started to show.

“Rowan…”

*

“Rowan…”

A female voice distracted him from his thoughts. He turned his head and saw a woman with golden hair and the most amazing blue eyes with a ring just as golden as her hair. She wore scrubs, probably another doctor checking up on him. But the way she had said his name was different from how doctor Westfall had said it.

She was stunning. That much he could admit.

“Ro…” she said it with a soft tone and moved a step toward him and he had a feeling she was not just a regular doctor checking on him. Why was she crying? Then his eyes moved to her left hand on her stomach and spotted a ring. He looked at his left hand and saw a matching one on his fourth finger.

His breath hitched at the realisation. The doctor had mentioned a wife. Was it her? Panic rose in him. He was not ready.

“Who are you?”

“Aelin. My name is Aelin Whitethorn-Galathynius.”

Rowan froze. That was his surname and she had used it with what was possibly hers. The woman never moved from her spot. She just stood there staring at him, her blue eyes on him and he had no idea how to react. This woman was apparently his wife. What could he say to her?

“I am Rowan.” He said feeling stupid. She knew already but in that moment was all he could say.

“I know.” She whispered, finally moving a step in his direction “I have known your name for a very long time.”

“I don’t know you.” He admitted feeling his chest tighten.

“I know.” She sat on the chair beside his bed “I know. Amnesia will be temporary. It will slowly start to come back to you. You just need to be patient. Both of us.”

He looked at her and something tugged in him. It was as if although his mind could not recognise the woman in front of him, his body could. It was a strange sensation. The sense of familiarity. His guts were telling him to trust that woman.

“We’ll face it together. To whatever end.”

He had no idea what she was talking about but he wanted to believe her.

“Do you want me to tell you something about us?”

Rowan nodded, eager to piece together some pieces of the mystery his life had become. How had he ended up with her?

Aelin’s hand caressed her stomach.

“We met at University of Terrasen. You were studying law and I was in med school. We had friends in common and I met you at a party and  I thought you were the most obnoxious and annoying man alive.” He heard her chuckle “until a year later when you brought me coffee in the library while I was cramming hard during an exhausting exam session. Then you brought me cake and slowly I realised you were not that annoying.” She continued her tale while her hand gently brushed the tip of his fingers.

“You kept me company and studied with me while I was rambling on medical terms, procedures and other crazy stuff.” He heard her sob “and then we both realised our feeling had changed. We dated. A year later we moved in together. Once we graduated you proposed to me. We got married.” Aelin stood and paced and a ragged sigh left her mouth “after a lot of heartbreak and miscarriages we had our little boy Thomas. A year and a half later Freyja came along as well.” 

Rowan gasped. They had kids. He was married to this woman and they had a family and he could not remember any of that.

“Stop.” He said in a harsher tone than intended “This is too much.”

His wife sat back down and her puffy eyes broke his heart. How was it possible that he felt so heartbroken for a woman he had just met?

Except he didn’t. They had been together for a long time and that feeling of familiarity came back to hit him like a sledgehammer.

“I need to be alone.” He said, turning his head and heard her sob loudly and felt the urge to reach out to her. But he fought it.

He needed space.

“I have to go back anyway.” She stood and pressed a kiss on his head “I will see you later.” And left the room.

Rowan threw his head in the pillow and felt his eyes swell with tears. Why was he crying? Why sending that woman away hurt that much? No, not just that woman. His wife. He had a family, a wife and two kids and all of it felt overwhelming.

He wanted to know more, but at the same time he was scared. What if turned out he hated the life he had? Until his memories started to return he had to trust her. Believe that he had chosen that life.

He sighed and his thought kept going back to Aelin.

Eventually he fell asleep with the smell of lemon and verbena still tingling his nostrils.

Aelin quickly went back to her office, locked the door and collapsed on her chair. And cried. She knew it was a possibility. She had discussed it with Yrene after his surgery. She had been preparing herself for the last month but it turned out she had not been as ready as she made herself believe. In that room she had been a stranger to Rowan. Their kids were strangers to their father and she could not tell him again that another baby was on its way. It would have been too much. 

She cried, remembering how happy Rowan had been when, two months before, she told him she was pregnant again. 

They wanted a big family. They both had good jobs and could afford it. After years of loss they finally had their dream. And then that blasted accident happened. The car driver had hit Rowan and her life was suddenly plunged into hell.

A hell in which for a month she had to tell their kids why dad was not home yet. Console them when they could not play with their dad or have him read stories before bed. Her mum had been helping her looking after the kids while she was at work. But they missed their dad. Freyja especially who was his exact copy and not just physically.

Her sobs grew in intensity. 

She missed her husband too. Her heart ached for him. For the comfort she would find in his arms after a bad day at work. 

Her pager went off and Aelin quickly brushed her eyes and cleared away the tears and left her office in a rush.

She could hide her pain into work. Pretend, for a few hours, that she was not living in a nightmare. That her life with Rowan had not been put on hold. 

For a few hours, inside that OR she could just be Aelin.

[mindofasupernova]

The Inventor Part 2

Kaz Brekker x reader

Description: A killer is on the loose, eliminating Kaz's informants. In a desperate attempt, Kaz meets a certain inventor that has his mind racing, trying to figure out the complex puzzle she is.

Hope you like it, let me know what you think.

Kaz

A corpse? That's what she wanted? Did she think that he just kept all the bodies of his deceased workers in his room? How the hell was he supposed to get his hands on the corpse of one of his poisoned informants?

One day after meeting the young inventor, Kaz had sent Inej to gather answers to the Y/LN Manor. And just as promised, the girl had already identified most of the compounds, but due to "careless and messy manipulation", clearly referring to Kaz's pouch, she had been unable to determine a specific substance that acted as a catalyst. Inej returned to the Slat with Y/N's message asking for a meeting and a request Kaz wasn't exactly expecting.

According to Y/N, it was of the utmost importance for her to examine the body if she hoped to pinpoint the missing compound not to mention it provided a perfect opportunity for Kaz to tell her about how the poison had captured his attention.

Inej had returned later than usual, smiling and carrying a small brown bag that wafted a sweet and delicious scent. When Kaz had raised his eyebrows in question, Inej had told him Y/N had given her some recently baked cookies. He grunted in response and kept working, but his mind kept drifting back to the cookie bag and what that small act meant.

Inej was cautious but he also knew that she always searched for kindness in people. That snack could have been simply just a gift but Kaz wouldn't have made it this far if he considered all people as kind-hearted. Y/N was a stranger, a rich stranger from the highest of ranks of society who probably didn't care if Barrel rats like him lived or not. Y/N hadn't asked for a favor nor did she need money, she just wanted to know, that unsettled Kaz more than he liked to admit.

He had spent the day gathering information about her, her personal life, hobbies, and all the rumors he could find. He had found absolutely nothing that could give him an insight into the girl's intentions, he had finished empty-handed with the information he already knew: she was the only daughter of one of the richest men in Ketterdam, the perfect personification of a wealthy royal daughter, an innocent and pious little thing that went to Church with her family. Kaz scoffed at that, the defying look she gave her at their secret rendezvous accompanied with her enthusiasm for carving a corpse open proved she was far from innocent.

No, until he had more facts he wouldn't let his guard down. And yet, a small part of him yearned for her actions to be good-intentioned. Stop, hope is a dangerous thing. He had already made the mistake of hoping when he was nine and look where it got him.

Kaz returned his gaze to the papers in front of him, huffing in annoyance, he started writing down orders to get a corpse for Y/N.

_______________

Y/N : One day after the meeting

Y/N was quietly sitting at her vanity, a soft smile adorned her face, gaze completely lost on her new device when Inej, soundlessly crept inside her bedroom.

After Kaz Brekker had left the shop near the Church of Barter, she no longer felt the giddy spark she had when she left her manor. She couldn't blame Mr. Zhang for telling Mr. Brekker about their association, he was an old jumpy man who wished no trouble upon no one. She had left all the concoctions that Mr. Zhang had order, but she didn't show him her latest joy, she no longer felt as excited.

This new invention she had come up with consisted of a music box. But it was no ordinary music box, far from it. Y/N had noticed how most of the music boxes got damaged with time when the metal rusted and the music no longer sounded like a melody but more like a haunted house. So, instead of depending on metal to play music, why not use water vapor. Yes, she had spent four days perfecting the pressure at which each piston released the water so it was a perfect copy of one of the melodies in the Komedie Brute. Four days making sure that the amount of heat the flame distributed was enough to transform the water into vapor but not so fast it was gone before the song ended. And now, here it was, a vapor-based music box with a decorative firebird in the center that literally caught fire, warming the water below.

Mind too caught up on the mechanics of her own work, that, when the Wraith materialized from the shadows behind her, Y/N sent a rain of screws and nuts toppling down the floor when Inej's hand landed on her shoulder.

Wide-eyed, Y/N turned around to face the apparition in her room. The Suli girl raised her hands, to show she intended no harm and in a kind voice spoke:

"I'm not here to hurt you. Kaz Brekker sent me to check up on your progress."

With a sigh of relief, Y/N straightened relaxed her posture. "Why, of course, should have assumed Mr. Brekker would send someone. Please, take a seat. " with a small smile, she gestured to a plush burgundy armchair.

"As promised, I have successfully identified most of the compounds. However, I fear identifying the catalyst agent won't be possible unless I conduct a thorough autopsy on the unfortunate victim. The needle I was given was in an atrocious condition, too many foreign compounds had already interacted with it." Y/N answered, finishing with a hopeful tone.

Inej nodded her head and responded, "I'll let Kaz know, thank you Marchioness Y/LN." Inej turned around, making a bee-line for the window.

"You must not be thinking of going out in this beastly weather. Please, stay until this horrendous downpour ceases." Y/N quickly called back, wrapping her silk shawl around her petite frame, as if the thought of stepping outside was enough to send a chill running down her spine.

Inej hesitated, directing a fleeting glance at the crying sky outside, she resumed to her previous seat.

"Would you like a piece of Cinamon-coated Pavlova? I guarantee you won't regret it, the caramelized peaches are sinfully appetizing!" and before the Suli girl could respond, Y/N was rushing out of her room, the dainty patter of her heels clicking down the stairs.

Her room was exactly what Inej had expected: luxurious and overly grand. But there was something about it that Inej couldn't quite place, her room was tidy to the extreme, all the expensive perfume bottles lined up, gaps between that appeared as if they had been measured with a ruler. Nothing in her room showed a preference or indication of what she truly liked, at first sight, the room would have seemed like the perfect fairytale but now, upon close observation, the room looked generic, hollow, and cold. The spy wondered if all the riches were worth living into a life as impersonal as hers.

Y/N returned, carrying a tray full of fancy desserts Inej couldn't even pronounce.

"The baker proclaims himself a master of crème brûlées. I prefer his fruit-stuffed truffles, though. Mouthwatering" Y/N commented, gingerly placing the tray on her small mahogany table.

Y/N waited for Inej to take a bite out of the coffee tiramisu, after the Suli girl let a soft hum of appreciation, Y/N smiled and questioned: "I hope I'm not being too invasive, but how did you manage to climb all the way to my window? There are no nooks where you could have possibly held onto, you must have an incredible balance to perform such a feat."

And that's how Inej told her about her life as an acrobat, proudly sharing brief glimpses to her past, seeing no harm in the girl next to her. Y/N was more than happy when Inej started talking, she was glad the bronzed-skinned girl didn't treat her with timid whispers afraid of offending her royal title. It felt nice to have a normal conversation, being able to share honest opinions instead fake smiles and condescending words at galas, afraid that if the wrong statement slipped they'll become the next party gossip.

____________________

The morning after, Inej returned bearing Mr. Brekker's message agreeing to a nightly meeting where she'll be able to examine the corpse.

Saying that Y/N was thrilled, was an understatement, apart from a chance to put her brain to good use, it gave her the perfect opportunity to try a device she had specifically designed for creating an alibi while she was sneaking outside at unlikely hours.

Y/N hated piano. Don't get her wrong, it wasn't the instrument, it was the music, her music. Because for an unknown reason, her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own whenever she tried to. She admired the focus and dedication of musicians, she really did, but her mind easily got distracted thinking about her latest reading material instead of focusing on the notes. So, she had created a system capable of pushing the tiles as if her own fingers played the music. She knew it was wrong to fool her parents in such a way but it gave her a perfect cover to go in secret missions her parents would never approve of.

Proper ladies don't get excited over knowledge, much less probe in repulsive matters such as corpses. Look at you, Y/N, what would future suitors think if they discover you all cheerful over someone´s murder? The scandal! Zia Francesca's reprimanding voice resonated inside Y/N´s head. But she could care less about what the whole Ketterdam thought about her, science was her passion, and she would abandon it until the day she died.

Already outside, a navy blue scarf wrapped around her head to shield her delicate features against unwanted attention, Y/N waited for Inej at their chosen meeting point.

The sly girl slipped into view, with a grace greater than the one of a feline, leaving the shadows as if she and the night were one. With a brief nod, Y/N followed the girl into the awaiting hands of darkness. Leading her towards the Barrel, a place where monsters lurked behind every corner impatiently waiting to pounce any minute. Nonetheless, Y/N felt ecstatic, warm excitement pulsing through her veins, a river waiting in anticipation to break the thin modest facade she kept up to let her curiosity resurface in search of enigmas to solve.

When they arrived at a place named "The Crow Club", Inej went to get Kaz and some "others" and told her to wait. Y/N observed the lively atmosphere, seeing customers from different countries around the world when her eyes landed on a familiar head with wild red curls.

"Mr. Van Eck?" Y/N questioned in disbelief, the boy perked up at the sound of his last name, locking eyes with the hooded girl.

Never would she have imagined finding Wylan Van Eck down in the Barrel. She was shocked, Wylan supposedly should be in a music school outside of Ketterdam. Both belonging to affluent families, Y/N had met Wylan Van Eck at several parties. She hadn't gotten to know him very well, but she liked the quiet boy who shared the same look of misfortune Y/N had every time they were thrown into a classy social event. When his father had announced he was leaving to study abroad, Y/N was happy for him although she would miss being silently miserable together. But it appeared Wylan had been doing something far from studying, now sitting next to a tall Zemeni boy with his arm slung around his shoulder.

"Marchioness Y/N, I never imagined...W-What brings you here?" replied round-eyed Wylan, confusion, and astonishment written all over his features.

But before Y/N could respond, steps and the tapping of a cane interrupted their little meeting, Inej small silhouette trailing behind Mr. Brekker.

"So, you know Wylan?" he interrogated in that characteristic rasp, coffee eyes scrutinizing Y/N's form.

"Yes, Mr. Van Eck used to come to our social gatherings."

Wylan just nodded shyly while his long-limbed companion kept drowning shot like they were water.

Dirtyhands humphed in acknowledgment "Nice, know that we are all together let's go to...Jesper, I don't pay you to drink the bar dry. Get your ass down here and let's get moving so our dear inventor can examine the body, shall we?

"Wait, she is the contact you talked about?" the Zemeni, Jesper, questioned. Eyes going from Kaz Brekker to Y/N, as if this was some kind of joke.

"Wylan called her Marchioness? You asked for a royal's help?" Jesper asked, an incredulous mocking smile on his face. "Who are you and what have you done with Kaz?"

Mr. Brekker scowled at him and without another word turned around not even waiting for them to follow.

"Well, nice to meet you, my lady. The name's Jesper Fahey," he said, bowing down and kissing her hand, sending her a mischievous wink.

"Very nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Fahey. And please, there's no need for formalities, just call me Y/N." she comforted, as they finally reached the others. Glancing at the rest while finishing her last statement, prompting the rest to call her by her first name.

________

Kaz

Y/N radiated waves of elation, her whole face lighting up at the thought of an adventure, a star amid the tumultuous dark waters of Ketterdam helping him find his way to the shore.

Kaz wore an amused expression at Y/N's amused gaze roaming the dirty streets of the Barrel, a new unknown world full of carnage and sins. She isn't fit for the Barrel thought Kaz, her eyes dancing in amusement at every little detail that caught her interest despite her efforts to put on a serious face and regal posture. She probably saw wonderous adventures while Kaz saw the Barrel for what it really was: a ravenous, savage beast waiting to swallow the weakest whole and drain the lives of the ones who survived its ghastly bites. And somehow the concept that she didn't belong in this world, his world, made Kaz's heart wrenched a little.

During their walk, Kaz shared the details about the latest killer on the loose and his dead informants, all the while, Y/N remained quiet, evaluating every one of his words.

When they arrived at an abandoned building, a single man was stationed outside, leaning on the tainted wall with a tired look in his eyes. Kaz nodded at the guard who gave him a set of keys and trotted out of sight. Kaz guided them inside, careful no prying eyes had followed them. Kaz turned on the lights, briefly disconcerting his companions, and pointed to a table with a big bulk covered by a dirty cloth.

"As you requested, the unfortunate victim" announced Kaz as Y/N placed a small suitcase she'd brought with her forensic equipment and tenderly pried the cloth covering the thing that once had been alive.

Y/N didn't bat an eyelash when she saw the corpse's face, not even when Jesper started gagging or when Inej turned around and started quietly mumbling prayers to her saints. Kaz focused on her face, the calm inquisitive look of a scientist, he had expected a gasp at least. Kaz was impressed by her cool analytical demeanor when a simple glimpse of the man was enough to send Kaz back to the ocean, rotting flesh beneath his fingertips. Kaz shuddered at the thought, forcing down the vomit rising in his throat.

"If you need an assistant, Jesper is willing to help" Kaz stated, stabilizing his voice so it wouldn't show his true feelings.

"What?! Me? Umm..no...I...Helping isn't a Jesper talent." Mr. Fahey said, a fearful look in his eyes, face white as a sheet. Kaz hoped he didn't look as terrified as him.

Y/N stopped her scan, looked up at the two boys, and with a small smile spoke: "I appreciate it, but there's no need. I'm certain I can handle it on my own."

Quickly discarding her coat and scarf, pushing back the sleeves of her rouge-colored blouse, and pulling long laboratory gloves over her hands along with a white apron over her head, she set up to work.

Kaz stared at her features, as she transformed into an eager forensic, light illuminating her face, falling in the right places giving her an otherwordly glow. Rebellious strands of hair framing her forehead, a pink hue staining her cheeks indicating her joyous state. The sight before him would have put any masterpiece to shame, Kaz wondered how she could stare at a corpse and find glee in such a morbid image. But Kaz liked it, the brilliant gleam her eyes portrayed, her childish joy at the promise of adventure.

The spell was broken when she started pulling out scalpels, syringes, and other items Dirtyhands couldn't bother to learn the name of. Pulling the flesh taught beneath her fingers, Y/N made a Y incision, skin splaying open.

Cold lifeless hands gripped Kaz's throat. his brother's icy whispers brushing his skin. He turned his head away and as if perceiving his discomfort, Y/N's bewitching doe eyes stared back at him.

"You can wait outside if you prefer to, I'll notify you when I'm done." her gentle voice reached and Kaz couldn't have been more grateful.

With a sharp shake of his head, Kaz limped towards the exit, Jesper, and Inej quickly following his movements.

--------

After Y/N finished, she eagerly started explaining her findings, a prideful gleam emanating from her.

"Well, Mr. Brekker I must admit this case is a peculiar one. The simplest ones always prove to be the most challenging."

"Here I thought that after years of fancy tea reunions you'd know the meaning of a vast number of words. I'll be sure to buy you a thesaurus." mocked Kaz, a wolfish smirk creeping onto his face.

The inventor frowned at his comment, racing her chin higher, and started her rant, thoughts racing to prove her point.

"Oh no, Mr. Brekker do not confuse simple and easy. Simple is straightforward, plain facts to the observer. Ordinary details are hard to pinpoint, effortlessly found everywhere, which makes it harder to find unique characteristics that could serve as means of identification since their nature is so elementary." Y/N spoke swiftly, pacing around the room, eyes never faltering from Kaz's.

"And that's exactly what happened in this case. As I had mentioned, my extraction wasn't entirely successful, for an essential reactant was missing. However, it wasn't the only reason why I insisted on examining the body, no, a very simple and ordinary substance appeared when I separated the poison: Helianthus annuus or more commonly known as sunflowers." Y/N paused glancing at their surprised faces, clearly pleased with their reactions, she continued, the corners of her lips tugging upwards.

"You can imagine my surprise when I found sunflower pollen as the main component of the poisonous agent. I ran several more tests and the result remains the same, our killer is using these lovely flowers as a weapon. Now, back to the catalyst, the easy part of the equation. This component isn't as fastidious as the previous one, why, you may ask. Well, its vast majority consists of average materials but a small percentage of it contains alloys that are only produced in Ketterdam, that combined with the peculiar way they were fused, suggests a Grisha alkemi made this solution." Y/N concluded, grabbing a piece of paper and hastily writing before she handed it to Kaz.

"There are no signs of struggle, meaning either they knew the attacker or they were taken by surprise. A swift prick to the femoral artery, a clear pathway for the poison to reach the bloodstream, infecting the body within seconds."

"It shouldn't be very hard to find the alkemi. They aren't very popular and most of them are indentured. Here is the list of all the reactants, the specifics, and where I believe you might find them. " finished the girl, looking at the trio expectantly.

"If you don't mind, I have taken a sample to examine more carefully at my house. I'll try to find any details I might have overlooked."

Briskly reading the list, Kaz frowned and then pocketed the small scrap of paper. "First thing tomorrow morning, ask around for an alkemi who might have bought these materials. "

Kaz turned to look at his fellow crows, content with their nods of approval, grabbed his cane, and sauntered towards the door. Her chemistry knowledge was astounding, a marvelous domain of anatomy, and an even more gifted engineer from what he had heard. Hers was an indeed beautiful mind, not that he would ever tell her.

"Mr. Brekker?" her light voice shattered through the gloomy night. Kaz craned his neck, gaping back at her in question.

"Is there perhaps a place where I might be able to tidy myself up?" Y/N questioned, Kaz finally looking at her messy red-stained apron and her exposed arms displaying strokes of red all over them.

Kaz hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should bring the girl back to their home. "You can use the restroom back at the Slat." The girl had risked her reputation sneaking out on ill-advised affairs to help them, it was the least he could do.

"Thank you" Y/N replied as she carefully peeled her apron, attentive at not brushing her arms against her blouse.

___________

Once she had freshened up, Y/N stumbled upon the young Van Eck talking with a couple. The green-eyed girl was about Y/N's age, a generously carved complexion, holding the hand of a tall Fjerdan.

Y/N inclined her head as a form of salute, "I never pegged you for the rebellious type, Mr. Van Eck. I never thought you hated music lessons that much to run away." she told him in a joking tone.

"And I never thought you were the type to sneak out at ungodly hours just to play detective. " Wylan replied, a grin beginning to form on his face.

"Well, I suppose everyone has secrets."

"You must be Y/N, Inej told me you were the help Kaz so desperetly needed. I'm Nina, he's Matthias and well you already know Wylan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Inej had briefly mentioned them, she knew now that Nina loved food, maybe next time she'll bring those exquisite truffles she had so eagerly talked about. If there is a next time Y/N reminded herself, she desperately hoped so, but now that her work was done she wasn't so sure Kaz Brekker would ever seek her again.

"Well, you have saved me the introductions." Kaz sarcastically glowered at the green-eyed girl, Nina kept talking as if she hadn't heard him.

It was one thing for Kaz to admire her intelligence, it did not mean he trusted her, though. Pieces were still missing to the intricate puzzle she was and until that changed Kaz did not like the way she rapidly befriended his crows, her intentions were still blurry to Kaz, and even though he would never admit it he cared deeply about their well-being.

"You should stay a little longer, we could go for waffles as a way of thank you." prompted Nina.

"Your offer is very tempting, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I should be returning home." Y/N declined, grinning at Nina, blissful someone had invited her for waffles.

Kaz stared at her and wondered how many times someone had done something similar, not to thank her but rather to use her, so that such a simple gesture put her in a joyful state.

"Scared of what your parents may do if they found out the truth?" Kaz quipped once his crows had left the two of them alone. A teasing tone masking true concern.

"Terrified. Someone may notice I've been playing the same four songs for the last couple of hours, always missing the same notes every time and they might get ideas of checking up on me," she confessed, mischief coating her features.

"Good night, Mr. Brekker. I'm happy I could be of assistance. Please, let me know if you find your killer or if my experience is needed again."

Kaz just bowed, signaling for his Wraith to get Y/N back to her manor in one piece.

Both girls disappeared into the night, leaving Kaz pondering what the hell she had meant with playing the piano.

___________

Y/N

Almost two weeks had passed, no signs of Kaz and no visits from the Wraith, well not that she was aware of. Y/N caught herself glaring at no point in particular, she readjusted her expression and plastered a well-practiced look of keen interest, trying to focus on Lady Stathos' rant about the attractiveness of the Viscount of Chagny.

Y/N politely excused herself, with no intention of making a fool of herself if Lady Stathos posed a question related to her gossip.

Too busy drowning in her own sorrow, knowing that Kaz had probably captured the culprit and was happily celebrating his success and no longer needing Y/N's help, that she stumbled forward, barely catching herself when someone bumped her from behind.

When Y/N turned back around, searching for that someone, she was met with a sight she had only seen once in an abandoned warehouse late at night. One that made her mind scream: Helianthus annuus.

Mercher Dupont's eyes were deranged, veins gruesomely popping and blood spilling from his lips, before toppling in the middle of the dance floor, taking his final breath.