#Wattpad doesn't hit the same as AO3
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whoopsiesnodaisies · 1 year ago
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Once I get approved to post on ao3 it's over for you bitches
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just-a-lesbian-octoling · 1 year ago
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[I've been using Wattpad for the time being and i hate it so much]
[There's barely any wlw agent 24 fics i haven't read and i can't find the same good fluff/sumt i can on AO3 for all my ships]
[Im freaking out im gonna find the people who did this and they aren't gonna have fun like im going to]
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lizzy06 · 3 months ago
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Sero Hanta x Reader Fic Recs!! (Tumblr/Ao3/Wattpad)
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My Hero Academia Fic Rec Masterlist
all in a day's quirk/tumblr link ✨✨by @andypantsx3/ andypantsx3 (oneshot, friends to lovers, fluff, smut<18+>)Sero gets hit with a quirk that makes others see him as the person they are most attracted to. Which you really wish you had known before you opened your mouth and gave him your usual, “Hey, Sero!”. [COMPLETED]
Trash Polka-- A Sero Hanta X FemReader/ Tattoo Parlor AU  ✨✨ (neighbours, fluff, humor)Today is move day, and unbeknownst to you, you actually rented an apartment right above a tattoo parlor with an exceptionally cute owner, who is now your new landlord. .. But you don't particularly mind… and, the owner seems sweet, so who are you to complain ?[COMPLETED]
Infiltration Complete! ✨✨by animepseud (multipurposeroom)(fake dating, fluff, humor)The adventures of Sero (codename Hunter), you (his pretend wife), and your attempts at investigating a murder while trying not to fall madly in love with each other by the end of it (mission impossible).[COMPLETED]
 he was like the Sun ✨by @rainybubbles (oneshot, fluff) Maybe it was your childish obsession with stars that led you to him. After all, if you took a closer look, he was like the Sun.[COMPLETED]
skintight✨ by @saturnsorbits (oneshot, suggestive, fluff) Sero's got an embarrassing problem.[COMPLETED]
it’s a date ✨by @shinaus (oneshot, fake datings, friends to lovers)The invitation was to a party this coming weekend, which they have insisted within it that you had to bring your boyfriend too.[COMPLETED]
do re mi by @mythiccheroacademia (oneshot, angst, toxic relationship, cheating) Sero loved you. He loved you with everything he had. But he thinks he hates you just the same.[COMPLETED]
Fall In Love With Me. by Itsjustadrian(neighbours, friends to lovers, fluff) You have had the misfortune of being neighbors with the pro-hero cellophane. It wouldn’t be bad if you didn’t embarrass yourself the first encounter you had with him.[COMPLETED]
Daddy’s Little Hero ✨by Madysenpai(oneshot, parent! sero and reader, domestic fluff, family feels) Pro hero Cellophane tends to stay busy with his hero work, but on his day off he forces you to get out of the house while he spends the day with your daughter.[COMPLETED]
your initials paint my skin ✨by whatisreggieshortfor (oneshot, soulmate au, angst with happy ending)You just want to be a hero. You don’t want a soulmate, don’t want the bond. But… you’re kind of stuck to him. Pun intended.[COMPLETED]
always have, always will by Kumi(oneshot, childhood friends, angst) Sero Hanta doesn’t know a life without you by his side. For as long as he can remember, you’ve always been there. You’ve always been his person—always have, always will. Or so he thought.[COMPLETED]
Love (Sero Hanta x Reader) by dirtyoatmeall(oneshot, fluff, insecure! reader, comfort)In which you are insecure and believe Sero couldn't love you back. In which you are so utterly wrong.[COMPLETED]
Why Kaminari Is Not Allowed To Do Grocery Shopping✨ by jumix  (oneshot, fluff, humor) It started, as many things in Sero’s life apparently do, with Kaminari wanting Oreos. aka 5 times Sero goes to the grocery store + 1 time he left with more than just the groceries.[COMPLETED]
Like Father Like Daughter ✨by Jessimatsu_girl(oneshot, fluff, just parenthood guys) Your sweet little girl is worried that she'll gets a quirk like her Papa.[COMPLETED]
Spider-Man✨ by animepseud (multipurposeroom)(oneshot, fluff)Sero is a pro hero and an adult who struggles with being a pro hero and an adult. You are (kind of) a Cellophane fan. Though things get cute nothing really gets resolved but sometimes it doesn't really matter.[COMPLETED]
It Started With A Postcard by NyxDeLaNuit (oneshot, strangers to lovers, fluff, smut) Sero loves his friends, but he's desperate to talk to someone who doesn't know who he is…[COMPLETED]
Me & You Together by kingexpl0sionmurder(oneshot, fluff, secret admirer) “What? Who sent me flowers?”[COMPLETED]
It’s worth it. by Madysenpai (friends with benefits, friends to lovers, fluff, angst, smut)Sero and you are friends with benefits, you wanted more but knew you couldn’t have it. Sero knows your relationship with him only goes so far, so why is he so jealous of Todoroki?
The Things That Bind Us by lunadoesntexist(fluff, friends to lovers, mutual pinning) You were alone… and then he showed up.[COMPLETED]
Blankets & Banter by Stumbleduck(oneshot, fluff) It’s the Bakusquad’s not so weekly sleepover of shenanigans, video games and hopefully no fires. But after getting very little sleep the night before you start to doze off on a certain tape user’s shoulder…[COMPLETED]
BREADTH: Sero Hanta by KaigaraX (oneshot, fluff)Someone You Loved - Featuring: The Hero & Exactly As You Saw.[COMPLETED]
A Sign of Love✨ by @dira333/ Fogfire (oneshot, soulmate au) Everyone has the first words their soulmate says to them tattooed on their body. Well, everyone but Sero.[COMPLETED]
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startrekfangirl2233-writes · 3 months ago
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When Our Lips Meet Again
Part 15 of Sometimes All You Need (A Getaway Car)
Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Reader
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Description: You're not the biggest party person, preferring quiet nights at home. But with Jake deployed and your dad asking you to attend a fundraising gala as a favor, you're in need of a distraction. If only you knew that a pretty girl in a cocktail dress would be like catnip to all the single men prowling these events. Only a surprise can turn this night around, and what a surprise it is!
Disclaimers: Smut
Warnings: Female Reader. One jealous man who is jealous cause Jake gets Gorgeous and he doesn't. Gorgeous gets called a slut by a random guy she snubs.
Word Count: 3160
Author Note: Hiya Lovelies! I can't believe it's been 6 months since I posted the last chapter for this story! This chapter is lovingly dedicated to the beautiful @sarahsmi13s who requested 💜 surprise kiss / impulsive kiss during my pairing kiss game for the couple of my choice. So here we are! I hope you love your surprise kiss, Vin!
AO3: Cross-posted Here!
Wattpad: Cross-posted Here!
My Masterlist
Previous Part | Series Masterlist | Next Part
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There has to be a limit for the number of times you can get hit on at a gala, right? Because it feels like you’re hitting your limit tonight. You're used to being a wallflower, perpetually ignored. Maybe the attention is on the dress you've been forced to wear tonight. It's the complete opposite of the cute a-line gowns you prefer, and you think you look the opposite of flattering in it. On second thought, maybe it's the open bar's influence?
“What’s a pretty girl like you drinking all alone tonight?”
Of all the lines in all the bars in the world. You just wanted an escape from incessant small talk, an opportunity to relax a little bit. You definitely wanted to relish the top shelf whiskey the foundation had selected. What you didn't want is a man in your personal space, his cologne too-strong and stinging at your nostrils. Your eyes roll, even as you take a fortifying sip of your drink and paste an easy smile on your face. It’s not the first time you’ve been asked whether you’d like another drink “on me”. But this guy is a little more persistent. Your politely brusque denial of a drink didn't dissuade him at all.
“How many of these galas do you attend in a week, huh?” He grins at you, leaning against the bar with a cut-crystal glass in his hand. There’s a ring on his pinky, the gem large enough, ostentatious enough that you’re sure he’s overcompensating for something. “That dress, the way you’re sipping on a real drink instead of champagne is proof. You come to these galas a lot, and damn you're gorgeous.”
Hearing that particular endearment from someone other than Jake makes a shiver of disgust trickle down your spine. It makes you miss your fiancé, too. Because Jake’s not at the gala with you tonight, no matter how much you wish he was. Instead, he’s thousands of miles away on an aircraft carrier, leaving you to the mercy of all of the single men cruising these galas for a girl to take home for the night. Your lack of response doesn’t seem to bother the guy chattering your ear off, nor does your placid smile in his direction. You don't attempt to respond, not that he’s noticed since he's chattering on without even glancing in your direction.
“I attend at least four galas a week. It’s so boring, you know? You see the same people, talk about the same things and then donate money for whatever the cause of the evening is. I’m not all that impressed tonight by this new foundation.”
Something about his tone rubs away what is left of your patience. It's either his tone or his callous dismissal of a cause you’re here to support.
“That’s nice.” You let just a little of your bubbling rage show up in your smile before turning around. “It was lovely to chat, but I do believe I saw a colleague I haven’t chatted with in a few months.”
You leave your Old Fashioned on the counter as you stride away, only bemoaning the loss of the top-shelf whiskey. 
Galas aren’t a thing in your quiet white-collar world. Jake has told you stories, some of them good and some bad, about the naval galas he’s attended. And of course, you’ve had the first-hand experience of sitting up in bed for your dad to kiss you goodnight before he left for one of his Naval galas. But somehow you have the feeling at least at a Naval Gala, you’ll be able to chat with the other attendees and have a little bit of fun.
Right now, even if fun isn't an option, you can find your aunt for a little bit of protection. She’s the other reason why you’re wandering around this ballroom in heels pinching your toes with a fake smile plastered across your face. Diane Kerner is what most people would call a force of nature. She’s your dad’s younger (and only) sister and probably the reason why Ron ‘Slider’ Kerner, a man who grunts at least ninety percent of the time as his sole form of communication, joined the board of the Navy NGO whose gala you’re at tonight.
“Darling! There you are!” 
Think of the devil and there she is! She’s glittering (literally) in the periwinkle gown she’s chosen to wear tonight and with her blonde hair teased into the biggest bun you’ve seen out of magazines since 1980, you’re not sure how you missed her earlier. With her carrying voice and even more eye-catching personality, Diane Kerner is always in high demand.
“Auntie Di! I just stepped away to the bar to grab a quick drink. I was a little parched.”
“Who needs a drink when you’ve got all these gorgeous young men at your feet?”
“Auntie!” Your laughter spills out across the room as she pulls you seamlessly into the conversation she's having with a large group of older women. They coo and fawn over you in the way older women do, and you relish in the attention. Here, you know the role you have to play.
“This is my niece.” She introduces you proudly, and while she's waxing poetic about your skills in the way only a Kerner can, you're fighting off your embarrassment. At least the ladies are better than the flirting men.
“Not only is she gorgeous, but she's got an absolutely amazing fiancé, too! Show them the ring, honey bun!”
“Auntie!”
You protest, but show off your engagement ring as ordered.
“Tell the kind ladies about your fiancé, honey-bun.”
You can feel a smile curl your lips just at the thought of Jake. 
“His name is Jake.” You start off easy, telling them how he’s a Lieutenant in the US Navy, based out of North Island and a naval aviator to boot. “He would have come to this gala with me, but he’s deployed right now.”
Your aunt trills happily, “and he's so fine ladies that were I twenty years younger, he'd be my fiancé instead of honey bun's!”
“And were you twenty years younger, Diane, I'd happily accept my fate.”
Your heart flip flops in your chest and the ever present butterflies in your stomach take flight just at the sound of his voice. Honestly you should probably upgrade the butterflies to F-18s, because it feels like you can't hear anything but the sound of the jets at North Island taxing for takeoff. His arm wraps around your waist and it's pavlovian how you sink back against his chest. The kiss he presses, tender and soft against your burgundy lips makes you feel like you're flying faster than Jake's jets ever could.
“You must be Jake!” The ladies are cooing at him like he's the best thing at the gala, and well, you're not going to disabuse them of the notion. You're content to reclaim your prior wallflower status and luxuriate in the familiar scent of his cologne. The old fashioned he'd pressed into your palms helps as does the distracting circles he's making against your hip with his big hand.
“She's absolutely brilliant, ladies, I know. Can I tell you all a secret?” You can't hide your fond smile as he leans in closer to the ladies, who are all leaning in rapt in the face of his charm. “I still don't know why she agreed to marry me.”
“Because I love you.” Your voice carries just far enough for your little group to hear.
“Did you hear that, ladies? She loves me!”
His grin makes your heart stutter in your chest as you drink him in. His eyes are the same shade of green you adore, though the bags under them are concerning. His smile is the same too, and you're sure you'll never tire of how it makes you feel. He's wearing a crisp suit, and though it's a little baggy around his waist, you’re content just having him here with you. You can fix his restless nights and lack of appetite soon. Right now all you want is to kiss your fiancé.
“Now if you ladies would excuse me, I've got a gorgeous fiancée to take for a spin around the dance floor.”
He bows to the ladies, kisses your aunt on her cheek and whirls you away. You can hear the pleased laughter, and you're laughing yourself as he pulls you onto the dance floor.
“Have I told you how gorgeous you look tonight?”
His hands are sure as he tugs you in until there’s barely an inch between the two of you.
“Because I've been dreaming of you for the past few months and seeing you in this dress is enough to wonder if I'm still dreaming. I really need to thank Diane for putting you in this dress because you look incredible.”
You shiver as he presses a kiss against your mostly bare shoulder.
“I think I have to thank Aunt Di, too. Because looking at the smug grin on her face, she planned this.” 
As Jake whirls you around the dance floor, you can see your Aunt standing at the edge of the floor with a polaroid camera snapping away. Her smile is from ear-to-ear and you can practically hear how she is ordering everyone to look at her niece and nephew-to-be.
“Both your dad and aunt were involved, Gorgeous. They told me you weren't exactly taking care of yourself.”
You grin up at him, aching to kiss him.
“As if you're one to talk. You've got bags under your eyes and you're too thin!”
“Mmm, but those are explainable. I didn't have you, or your heavenly bed.”
You kiss him then, curling your fingers into his hair. This kiss, an echo of your first all those months ago, feels infinitely more special. When you pull away, it is to light applause as the waltz ends.
“How soon do you think we can get out of here, Gorgeous?”
You shrug, pretending not to notice the heat in his eyes.
“I think Aunt Di wanted me to chat with a couple more people for dad's sake.”
You tap your bottom lip wonderingly, but you don’t get the chance to put up your charade for long. Before you can blink you're being led out of the ballroom. Instead of leading you to the valet stand or calling a taxi, Jake pulls you into a deserted coat closet.
“What exactly are we doing here?”
He presses you up against the door and kisses you again.
“You've gotta be good for me, Gorgeous. It's been so long since I've had you. I can't wait to get you home.”
You gasp as he rucks your dress up, calloused fingers feeling perfectly rough on your legs as he bares you to his gaze. Your lingerie tonight matches your dress, the lace dampening quickly at the gusset before his eyes.
“I missed you, really I did, beautiful. But I think I missed this pretty little pussy more.”
He growls the words as he licks a wet strip up your slit. You gasp, head lolling backwards as your fiancé, your gorgeous amazing fiancé eats you out like a man starved. You were wet just at the feeling of him against your skin. You've been aching for him since the first kiss. Now, you're not letting him leave this coat closet until you've had him. Your hands cradle his head as he licks at you, pushing his head where you need him, uncaring of how the rough silk of his stubble prickles your most tender places.
“God, Jay.” You're shivering against him, nipples hard points you can see against the silky fabric of your dress. Your chest heaves for breath as your fiancé drags you closer and closer to an orgasm.
“I'm so close, baby. Fuck, right there!”
You're babbling, cursing. The dress feels like too much material on your skin, and your fiancé is no help. Each stroke of his tongue feels like heaven as he drives you higher. At least until he kisses your thighs and rises, lips glistening with your wetness just before you cum.
“Jay!” You're whining, lips dipping into the brattiest pout you can muster as you take in the satisfied look on his face.
“Nuh-uh, gorgeous. That was an appetizer. I'm not letting you cum until you're riding on my cock, screaming my name.”
You rub your thighs together at his words, barely noticing how he stuffs your panties into his trouser pocket. You're more than a little dazed as Jake leads you to the valet stand and has the valet retrieve your car.
“Slut.” The word scoffed in your direction is barely audible, but it jerks you out of your horny daze.
“Excuse me?” Jake's glare is out in full force as he stares down the man who called you that. Of course it just has to be your friend from the bar.
“She heard me.” He puffs up in his tailored suit. “Bitch was flirting with me at the bar not ten minutes before you walked in.”
“Now she’s all over you.”
“Son, I don’t think you said what I think you did. Not to my fiancé.” The other man's face blanches as Jake marches up to him. They're standing toe-to-toe and physically, you know Jake could beat him up before the other guy could even blink. He's probably spent hours in the gym every day while deployed.
“Now apologize to the pretty lady who is so far outta your league that she did you a favor by talking to you at the bar and walk away.”
The other man grumbles, but he walks away with a muttered apology in your direction just as your car pulls up. You tip the valet with a weak smile and collapse into the passenger seat. You feel every inch of the slut he called you at that moment. The intrusive thoughts spiral as you scan your memory for the reactions of all the people who could have seen you staggering out of the coat closet with Jake on your heels. You can only imagine the way you looked, with your hair in a disarray and your lipstick smeared across your face.
“Gorgeous? Sweetheart? Baby, can you look at me?”
You're not sure when Jake started trying to get your attention. You’ve been so stuck in your thoughts, you barely noticed the drive home. Now he’s standing in the driveway, your door open, kneeling on the dirty pavement, uncaring of how the dirt must be soaking into the knees of his trousers.
“You know what he said was wrong, right?”
“How? I was supposed to be networking and convincing people to donate money to the foundation. Not jump my fiancé the moment I saw him.”
“You didn’t jump me the minute you saw me, gorgeous.” Jake helps you out of the car, swooping you into his arms like you don’t weigh a thing at all. “If you had, then all those rich people definitely would have gotten an eyeful.”
You snicker weakly as Jake shoulders the door open and closed again before practically vaulting up the stairs.
“You have no idea why that guy said what he did, do you?”
You shrug, "Because I was acting exactly like he said I was?”
“No, gorgeous.” He kisses you then, slow and sweet, so sweet you feel like crying when he pulls away. “He was jealous. Jealous because you brushed him off. Jealous because you let me kiss you in front of everyone in there when he so desperately wanted to. Jealous because he realized then he would never get to have you - never be lucky enough to have you, like I am.”
“You’re lucky to have me?”
The smile taking over his face is breathtakingly gorgeous. “More lucky than you know.”
“Can I show you how lucky I am?”
You’re nodding before he’s even done saying the words, wrestling with the zip at the back of your dress, the heat you’d felt earlier sinking back through your veins. Your lingerie disappears like you weren’t wearing it at all, and you’re sure you’ll find the pretty lace ripped in some corner of your bedroom later.
“There’s my pretty girl, my gorgeous.” He drags kisses over your skin with each word, and it feels like you could cum just from the growl in his voice as he worships you.
“I missed you, you know?” He flips you on the bed until your ass is up, his big hands kneading the cheeks in a way which has you a little light-headed, though that is probably easier to blame on the alcohol at the gala.
“I missed the way you hum, absentmindedly when you’re puttering around the kitchen. I missed the way you curl into me in the middle of the night, like you can’t bear to be away from me even for a few moments.” 
He presses a kiss against the nape of your neck, clever fingers cupping your breasts tenderly.
“And god did I miss the way you sound when I’m buried in you.” He presses a tender kiss against the nape of your neck before he sheathes himself in your heat. You moan, the sound reverberating through the room.
“Just like that, gorgeous.” The soft exhale of curse words against your skin has nothing to how good Jake makes you feel, how he always makes you feel. The orgasm he’d kept from you earlier crashes viciously over you. Usually your endurance is a bit better than this. But usually, you’re getting fucked the way you like every day.
“I'm so close,” You’re sobbing, he feels so good. Your voice is strung out, unsteady, each snapping thrust making you cry his name into the silent night air. 
“Cum for me, my gorgeous girl.”
It's like you're conditioned by the sound of his voice, the feeling of his skin, because every time you lose yourself in him, you find a bit more of yourself in the process. You can feel the aftershocks of your orgasm even when he pulls away, the sensations shuddering over your skin.
“I'm sorry,” you murmur hazily against his collarbones after you're both clean and are under fresh sheets. “Tonight should've been about me, not you.”
“My gorgeous girl, taking care of you makes me happier than you know.” 
He pulls you in until your back is pressed against his chest, one big hand cupping your breast.
“And I'm going to do it for the rest of my life. No matter who hurts you, how life punches you down, it's going to be me and you against the world. Never question that.”
The earnest emotion in his voice has you choking up. You can’t think of the words to say, how to respond. So you pour your love into a kiss, drowning in the feeling of his lips against yours, sure he has you, and convinced you have him too.
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I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORK POSTED, TRANSLATED, OR PUBLISHED ON ANY SITES OTHER THAN ON AO3, ON WATTPAD, OR ON TUMBLR BY ME. IF YOU SEE MY WORKS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN AO3, ON WATTPAD, OR TUMBLR, THEN THEY HAVE BEEN POSTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND I WILL BE WORKING TO TAKE THEM DOWN.
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Taglist:
@love2write2626 @little-wiseone @eli2447 @f1maverick @djs8891 @shanimallina87 @chaoticassidy @kmc1989 @dempy @mamaskillerqueen @abaker74 @marvelouslyme96 @daddymack01 @essie1876 @desert-fern @horseshoegirl @dakotakazansky @teacupsandtopgun @sarahsmi13s @dizzybee03
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bellekawata-san · 4 months ago
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𝐌𝐘 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍 (art)
Lila rossi/Volpina
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⚝Lila Rossi: Lila Rossi is a compulsive liar, always dressed in the best clothes to maintain her façade. Lila constantly boasts about traveling the world and claims her parents are close friends with the Supreme. Despite her desire for attention, she never told anyone that she received a Miraculous. With the same personality as in the series, Lila craves everyone's attention all the time, often stating that she turned down various modeling offers and claiming to be friends with famous people. Her lies come almost naturally. It's a shame that no one knows the truth—except for Adrien, who is aware of her deceit.
Lila is the best friend of Chloe and Sabrina. However, just like Chloe, Lila also uses Sabrina as a servant, though she doesn't treat her as poorly. In fact, Lila is so manipulative that she has convinced Sabrina that their friendship is normal and that the way they treat her is acceptable. Lila's manipulation extends to the teachers as well, making them see her as a good student. She has influenced the principals, teachers, and students to not care about the trio's bullying.
What no one knows is that it was Lila who made Chloe change her bullying target from Juleka to Marinette. The reason? It seems that the baker's daughter was getting too close to the truth.In her civilian form, Lila, like Chloe, just ignores your presence. She genuinely doesn't care about you or even about Chloe's crush on Adrien. She also pretends to have a crush on Adrien herself, just to keep up appearances and ensure no one notices where her true affections lie. In reality, her heart belongs to a certain holder of the Snake Miraculous, though she never shows it.
⚝Volpina:I kept the same name for her akumatized form, Volpina, as it suits her character well in "My Poisonous Villain." Volpina received her Miraculous after Shadybug and Clawnoir (who received theirs simultaneously). As the newest Miraculous holder, she has a strong infatuation with you, the Snake Miraculous user. She constantly seeks your approval, and your reserved demeanor only makes you more attractive to her. Her feelings intensified significantly when you caught her in your arms before she hit the ground during Hesperia's attack.
Volpina believes in you completely, to the point that Queen Bee finds her infatuation somewhat foolish. Volpina and Queen Bee have a relatively normal relationship compared to Shadybug and Clawnoir. Like Queen Bee, Volpina mocks the constant bickering between Shadybug and Clawnoir and often claims she is better than them. She frequently flirts with you, though you barely pay any attention to it. Volpina's respect for you is immense, especially after learning that you are the Supreme's official right-hand. To her, this revelation was simply magnificent.
Volpina simply hates Souris Sombre, and her passion for you rivals his. Competitions between them happen all the time. Her hatred for him is so intense that if she could, she would either kill him or steal his Miraculous. Unfortunately for her, she holds back, primarily because she doesn't want to be the cause of your anger.
⚝ Trixx: Trixx is the kwami who always listens to Lila's words of hatred against Souris Sombre, as well as her declarations of love for you. Unfortunately, Trixx can't say much, but considering how Pollen is treated, Trixx is better off than Pollen. However, just like Pollen, she is forbidden from saying things that Lila doesn't want to hear and is not allowed to leave Lila's side. Trixx can only sigh at having such a terrible partner.
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✧Playlist:
YouTube
Spotify
✧ Outras contas:
Ao3
Quotev
Wattpad
Spirit Fanfic
✧masterlist
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asykriel · 1 year ago
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Love is the Death of Duty - 11.
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® do not repost or translate !
☆ Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Male! Targaryen OC
☆ Status: Ongoing 
☆ Summary:  
“He is half of my heart.”
War made monsters of them all, but it also brought the two second sons together in a flurry of death, love, deceit and delusion. The story of Aemond Targaryen and the eldest son of Daemon and Rhaenyra, Maegor Targaryen, second of his name. 
☆ Warnings: Sexual content, explicit violence, dark themes, targcest etc.
☆ AO3 ☆ || ☆ Wattpad ☆
☆ CHAPTERS: (Prologue) / ( 1 ) / ( 2 ) / ( 3 ) / ( 4 ) / ( 5 ) / ( 6 ) / ( 7 ) / ( 8 ) / ( 9 ) / ( 10 ) / ( 11 ) / ( 12 ) / ( 13 ) / ( 14 ) / ( 15 ) / (16 from now on upcoming chaps only on-  AO3  ||  Wattpad  )
☆ Masterlist ☆ ||  ☆ Spotify Playlist ☆
➸ Previous part
➸ Next part
CHAPTER 11
Lord Corlys, all I ask of you is spare a ship and a handful of men to take my brother to Dragonstone. 
I promised my mother I will keep him safe.
────────────────────────
With dawn comes the clash of steel and wood, arrows whirring through the air, the roar of dragons echoing across the tumultuous sea and flames burning brighter than the sunrise. 
Maegor and Aemond flank Dorne's armada from opposite sides while Addam Velaryon with the Driftmark fleet meet them heads on. The two Targaryen Princes fly and torch in sync and this time Vhagar is not kept in the shadows as a backup plan.
Like the war machine she is, Aemond unleashes her and she seems to remember from the old days how the Dornish smelled when they got charred. It fills her with renewed vigor and youth because not even the few scorpions that manage to scrape her or latch into her flesh slow her down, instead they only make her burn with more fury. And perhaps even Saagael's ferocity reminds her of the times she fought side by side the Black Dread.
As more of the Dornish ships burn or get sunken beneath the waves by the Driftmark soldiers, Maegor steers his dragon and torches right through the enemy again, scorpions flying without precision, failing to hit the swift target. This time he doesn't turn the Cannibal to circle around and launch another attack, instead he keeps on flying straight ahead, leaving Aemond behind to assure the destruction of the fleet and the Seasnake's victory.
When the time is right, I will make my move. I trust Prince Aemond with my life, and so can you.
The black dragon soars through the skies, cutting through the clouds as his wings beat faster than ever before and Maegor has just one target in mind. 
Sunspear.
Dorne, a land known for its independence and resilience, has become Maegor's obsession since last night, his mind churned with plans of conquest. And not only this, but a chance to prove himself once and for all in front of his family and anyone else that might dare question his worth.
I'll show you a real dragon.
House Martell was always too prideful, stubborn and hot blooded. It led to poor decisions and now they had to pay its long awaited due to House Targaryen.
It was Princess Alliandra Martell, seventeen of age, who became the current ruler of Dorne. Her father, Qoren Martell died at the hands of Daemon's spies, years after the first war in the Stepstones, while she was still just a child, not to young to forget however.
She has made a fatal error by sending the majority of her forces to conquer the same barren islands. An inexperienced and reckless choice enabled by her own small council. A mistake that Maegor intends to fully exploit, using her negligence to strike at the heart of Sunspear itself. Now the city is weak and it beckons to him like a ripe fruit ready for picking. 
The distance between the Stepstones and Dorne is covered quickly on the back of a dragon as fast as the Cannibal, and by the break of noon a shadow begins to grow larger and larger upon the sand walls and buildings in Sunspear.
Rare clouds in the sky casting their shadow on the lands, the Dornish think  at first, until the form becomes larger and clearer and they hear the deafening roar that turns their blood cold under the desert sun.
They don't get the chance to react. Maegor spares no time or mercy and he allows the Cannibal to do what he loves the most.
Burn.
Mass hysteria settles in. The people below scatter in fear, scrambling with no direction, their voices echoing with cries of panic as they try to run for their lives and find a hole to hide in. 
But nothing escapes dragonfire.  
Fools did not keep a single Black Scorpion in the city, sending them all with the ships instead. Chaos erupts as the remaining soldiers scramble in a desperate attempt to defend their home. But the arrows shooting at the beast do nothing against the armor that were his dark scales. It was a futile struggle against the might of a dragon and the ambition of a Targaryen.
Every corner of the city is engulfed into blaze and panic. Maegor slowly becomes drunk with bloodlust and power, laying waste to everything below him. His ears pound with adrenaline. The hopeless screams of suffering fuel him more instead of making him take pity in them and cease his attack, while the Cannibal shows them why the smallfolk call him a harbringer of death.
By now half of Sunspear and its people were in flames. A blazing inferno.
The seat of House Martell is left untouched however, on purpose. Maegor wants them to watch from the balcony of their Old Palace how he turns sand into ashes. Break their minds first so that they will bend the knee easily. 
Burning the city continues, until he hears the loud rumble that reverberates through the air. The sign that Maegor was eagerly waiting to hear. It meant only long awaited victory and peace of mind for him, knowing that his lover is unscathed. Not that he ever doubted him or his dragon's might.
Aemond and Vhagar, having decimated the Dornish ships alongside the Seasnake's fleet, appear on the horizon and the older Prince's eye is fixed upon the blazing city, his nephew's masterpiece. The scorching ceases momentarily so that the two of them can be reunited in the air. Maegor wastes no time and takes the lead, flying the Cannibal straight towards the Old Palace with Vhagar on his tail, their presence a formidable display of power.
The two dragons land in front of the castle's gates, flattening whatever structures or humans were under them and the ground shakes under their sheer size. 
Aemond and Maegor dismount and they begin walking together in silence, stealing a few glances from eachother, towards the last feeble display of defiance. No one tries to oppose or stop them. The surviving Dornish soldiers, now faced with the terrifying presence of the Targaryen dragons, can only submit to their riders and they lay down their weapons as both beasts bare their sword like teeth.   
Even if she did not burn this time, the sight of Vhagar alone,  sends shivers down the spines of the Dornish people. The stories of Visenya Targaryen riding Vhagar during the time of Aegon the Conqueror have been passed down through generations. The dragon's flames had scorched the Dornish lands, leaving scars upon the sands that still whispered tales of devastation. 
Now, Vhagar's presence once again cast a long shadow over Dorne. The people see in her the  symbol of the Targaryen might that almost crushed their ancestors' resistance. And today might be the day when she might finish what she started decades ago.
As the two Targaryen enter the main hall of Old Palace, the Princess, her steward and two knights from her guard meet them halfway, the rest of her small council and the courtiers watch in fear and anxiety from the shadows, behind pillars or from balconies. Maegor notes how she immediately locks eyes with him and Aemond, walking with a regal aura around her, trying to seem like she is still in power while her city is smoldering.
Aemond watches her and her knights carefully, a hand on the hilt of his sword as his shoulder is pressed against his nephew's, both of them keeping close to each other at all times. If anything goes wrong he is confident him and Maegor alone could slice through all of them without the aid of their dragons.
"Alliandra Martell." Maegor calls out first, the tone of his voice cold and commanding.
"Maegor and Aemond Targaryen." She mirrors him but her tone is full of spite at the word 'Targaryen'. 
Maegor's jaw clenches slightly.
"Your pathetic attempts to claim the Stepstones have left your home vulnerable and weakened. Without an army too, I made sure of it." Aemond scoffs at her and the two knights exchange worried looks behind her back. A few gasps are heard throughout the hall at the news.
"Surrender now, and I will spare further bloodshed. Dorne shall bend the knee and unite under the Crown's rule with the rest of the kingdoms." Maegor wastes no time laying out exactly what he wants.  House Martell has no options left anyway. Him and Aemond could wipe out every trace of their bloodline, if bastard-making was not one of their main hobbies.
Hushed whispers begin to echo around the main hall, some blaming the poor decisions of the Princess and being in favor of uniting with the rest of the kingdoms. Even in Dorne, Targaryen loyalists emerge, especially in the face of death.
"Our sands have weathered countless storms, including you, Targaryens . We shall weather this one too." Princess Alliandra, her expression a mix of defiance and desperation, takes a step forward. 
"Dragonfire fire burns hotter than any Dornish sun, you should know this by now." Aemond says sharply.
"I'm being generous by giving you a choice, bend the knee and spare the rest of your city and people. I will take Dorne either way, it matters not to me if it's just sand and ash." Maegor was slowly starting to lose his patience going back and forth with her. The Princess needs to decide fast.
The courtiers' voices become louder by now but neither Princes pay attention to them.
"You're no better than Daemon Targaryen. He did the right thing by naming you after a mad tyrant. Perhaps you will have the same fate as him?"
"Watch your tongue." Aemond sneers at her, taking a step in front of Maegor, protectively.
The two Dornish knights both instinctively grip their curved swords.
The younger Prince places his hand on his uncle's elbow, rubbing an unseen thumb against the fabric of his coat to get him to relax. 
"Spare me the history lessons. You don't know anything about my house. And I'm starting to lose my patience." Maegor glares at her harshly. 
Time is ticking against the Martell. 
"Perhaps some more burning will make the Princess decide faster , wouldn't you say nephew?"
Before Maegor could answer his uncle, the steward excuses himself and takes Alliandra aside where they are joined by the rest of the Martell council. What begins as a hushed choir of whispers soon starts into senseless bickering and both Princes can feel their nerves stretched out to a breaking point, especially Maegor who was already irritated from the start.
"Your time has ran out Princess. I've been more than patient, considering I've been dealing with your Triarchy mongrels for a long time." Maegor barks, his voice echoing through the hall. This seems to finally get the Princess and her council to fall silent.
A subtle change is noted by both Princes, Alliandra Martell no longer holds her head high and confident, instead she is frowning at them with visible anger on her face.
Aemond keeps a close eye on her. Wary of the sudden change of attitude.
Instead of her coming before them again to speak, the steward, an elderly Martell man does, bowing his head and keeping it low when he closes some of the distance between them.
"My Princes, we accept your conditions and generous offer to unite under the same Crown, but we beg of you, spare the rest of Dorne."
This is it? All her initial defiance just to be outpowered by her own council?
Somehow Aemond is not buying it, but nonetheless he gives his nod of approval when his nephew glances at him, almost as surprised as him by the sudden change.
"Some wisdom at last." 
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(Art by me)
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Time passes quickly and by the time the flames throughout the city die out, night settles in, as well as momentarily peace.
 Realizing that resistance is futile, the Martell Princess feigns submission and disappears from their sight, leaving her steward to invite Maegor and Aemond to a lavish feast in their honor as it was protocol. The Targaryen Princes, reluctantly accept the invitation, keeping their guard raised with a sense of caution lingering in their hearts, while the dragons still rest right where they were left, keeping guard and forbidding anyone to enter or exit the castle.
While preparations for the feast are taking place, Aemond never leaves his nephew's side. They are both given their own private quarters, but neither of them feel comfortable being alone in what not long ago was their enemy's lair. 
"We should send out ravens." Aemond suddenly speaks from the large divan he is lounging in. He raises his nose from a random Dornish book he picked to look at his nephew.
"I'm sure they found out from other sources by now." Maegor sighs, leaning back against the armchair he is sitting in. Weeks of build up exhaustion really caught up with him by now. All he wishes is to be done with this charade and fly out somewhere with Aemond where he would have some peace alone in his company. He's not exactly keen on breaking bread with the Dornish and faking enjoyment, especially since some hours ago he was burning down half of Sunspear.
"Which is why we should personally send ravens. Unless we want our families to go at each other's throat for this piece of land." Aemond puts down the book and stands up from the divan.
"You know they will either way. But if you insist, write the letter, uncle, I trust your words better than my own." Maegor closes his eyes, resting the back of his head against the armchair as he feels his uncle's fingers carding through his silver locks.
Just for a fleeting moment he wants to freeze time like this. Even behind enemy lines Aemond could put him at ease with simple gestures. 
"There's still some time left. Rest up my Prince." Aemond leans over to plant a kiss on his nephew's forehead before he takes a seat at the desk, paper and quill in hand.
The corners of Maegor's mouth twitch into a subtle smile and soon enough he dozes off, lulled by the sound of the hawk quill dragging ink against the paper.
With that, Aemond sets to work, allowing himself the freedom to carefully write a piece of information that none of the possible sources know. Not even his nephew, at least not yet. He keeps it short and brief, no need for bragging and boasting in a letter. 
They could do that later on when they would eventually return to the capital, or at least Aemond hopes they will. He still has to find a way to deal with his mother and grandfather and keep his drunkard and nosey brother at bay, if he wants to take Maegor back to King's Landing with him. For now their relationship needs to stay private, away from the prying ears and eyes of his Hightower side of the family. If the harsh slap that his mother would deliver to Aemond's face, would be the only consequence that resulted from their relationship becoming public, the Prince can gladly take it. But he knows there's no way the punishment will be so light. And worse, Maegor will surely suffer more gravely than him.
At least he comforts himself with the thought that Helaena would surely take their side and support them, she knows best what's it like to be unable to choose who you want to love.
Outside of the quarters, across the hallways, the ruckus of the servants making the final feast preparations grows louder. It doesn't take long for a guard to lightly knock on the door, without daring to enter. Aemond doesn't answer verbally, so that his nephew can be spared a few more moments of sleep. They'll attend the feast when they please, now that Dorne was under their rule.
Instead, he makes his way to the door and demands a raven cage to be sent over. Naturally the guard obeys and swiftly fulfills the command with no complaints. He is simply glad to be alive. Even if a lot of Dornish people hold deep hatred for the Targaryens, House Martell especially, they are now powerless. Between submission and dying an agonizing death ripped apart or burned to death by a dragon, the choice is obvious.
Once the letter is complete, the older Prince rereads it twice before writing another copy, sealing both of them with melted wax and the Targaryen seal.  Two ravens are sent with the letters, one meant for the Iron Throne and the other for Dragonstone.
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I pen this letter with a heart filled with pride and admiration for my beloved nephew, Prince Maegor Targaryen, Second of his name. In the recent war for the Stepstones, Prince Maegor displayed unparalleled courage, determination, and leadership. He led our forces with unwavering resolve, fought fiercely in the battles, and ultimately triumphed in conquering Sunspear and the lands of Dorne. He succeeded what the Conqueror before us could not, uniting all Seven Kingdoms under the same rule.
It is with great honor and privilege that I announce to you all that, in recognition of his valor and dedication, I proclaim Maegor Targaryen as the Prince of Dorne and Ruler of Sunspear. His tireless efforts and sacrifices have earned him this title, and I have no doubt that under the Crown, Dorne will see a new era of unity, prosperity, and peace.
In the name of House Targaryen and the Iron Throne, I ask all the Lords and Ladies of the Seven Kingdoms to recognize Prince Maegor  Targaryen as the rightful ruler of Dorne and offer their loyalty and support to his rule and rightful claim.
Prince Aemond Targaryen.
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The older Prince is positive his nephew will be as shocked as the recipients of the letters when he finds out about his titles. But he deserves them, and who else is better fit than Aemond to give them to him? 
Poor Maegor is still sleeping soundly in that armchair, exactly how his uncle left him. Aemond lets out a silent chuckle and barely brings himself to stand from the desk. He does not want to do this, but they need to show their faces for a few hours in the main hall at least, unless they want House Martell to get delusional ideas once again.
"Ñuha jorrāelagon, dombo ēdrugon." The older Prince whispers against his nephews ear.
Maegor jolts awake, finding Aemond looming over him, hands on both sides of the armchair.
"Qybor." Maegor groans at Aemond, his body relaxing in an instance at the familiar face so close to his own.
"It's time for the feast, nephew. You can rest more, after." Aemond smiles at his annoyed face. His hands are itching for more contact, but if they want to ever reach that feast he needs to keep himself in check. And his nephew.
Maegor groans louder in annoyance, rolling his eyes. He doesn't want to endure any second longer in the presence of any Martell or Dornishman.
"Don't worry, we can leave as soon as dawn breaks and we settle our affairs here. I've already sent out the letters." Aemond reassures him.
"No. We leave after the feast, I'm not planning to exceed my stay in Dorne." Maegor stands up stretching  his tired arms. Even at night the heat and dry air of the desert is unbearable, especially since he was still cladded in his dragonrider garments.  He could swear he has sand in his boots too.
"Our dragons are tired as well as we are. You especially. When was the last time you had a good night's sleep, Maegor?" Aemond rubs over his eyepatch, turning back to the desk to dispose of any drafts he started. 
Tiredness is slowly creeping on to him as well but he can endure it longer, after all his arrival is still a recent one. It was Maegor who had weeks of fighting before him and he's surprised that his nephew is still holding himself out so brazenly. It's to be expected, he's a dragon and a warrior.
"If my head wasn't spinning from all the Arbor wine that night, I'd say when I had you in my bed." Maegor follows his uncle, closing the distance between them. He hugs Aemond from behind, pressing him against the edge of the desk. 
In a year at most, Aemond is sure that Maegor will reach his height, if not even surpass him.
"You can have me in your bed again. After the feast." The older Prince emphasizes and turns around to face him. 
Maegor scoffs at the sound of that dreaded dinner again and drops his hands to his uncle's waist.
"Or I could have you now and we can forget about that whole charade. We can have our own celebration in private." The younger Prince presses his lips against the side of his uncle's neck.
Aemond exhales a shaky breath. He can feel his willpower and composure slowly slipping. His nephew is turning into a cunning fiend right before his eyes, but he has to resist the temptation.
"You know how things work, Maegor. Bare with it for just a few hours." He runs a hand through his nephew's hair, untying the messy half ponytail that were keeping his silver bangs from Maegor's eyes.
Teeth suddenly sink into the side of his neck and Aemond lets out a soft wince. Someone clearly doesn't agree with him.
"Fine. But you need to make up for this, uncle." Maegor sighs dramatically and raises his head from his neck to look at him.
"Ao gīmigon kesan, ñuha dārilaros." Aemond chuckles. His nephew's childish stubborness and playful antics are like a breath of fresh air after the recent events.
A glint of something shines in the younger Prince's odd colored eyes.
Suddenly Maegor presses his lips against his uncle's and Aemond soon enough finds himself with his back flat against the desk, his nephew's body  pushing down on his own. 
Aemond groans in his mouth and Maegor keeps kissing him like his uncle is his sole lifeline. Wild and desperate. Maybe it was the pent up anger and exhaustion that gathered during the weeks at war, but he's starving and hungry for Aemond, worse than before their first night together.
A knock at the door reminds the older Prince that he needs to recollect his scattered thoughts and find his willpower again to be able to attend to their duties. However, Maegor doesn't seem to pay attention to it. 
His uncle's fist in his hair yanking his head back snaps Maegor out from his feverish state. They stare at each other a little longer and Aemond notes how wide his nephew's pupils are blown. 
You'll be the death of me.
Aemond clears his voice. Another knock, and the steward's voice excusing himself can be heard from outside the quarters.
Maegor slams a fist against the desk, groaning in annoyance as Aemond stands up, fixing his clothes before fixing his nephew's garments as well.
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The feast is held in the grand hall of Old Palace, with house Martell courtiers and Targaryen loyalist nobles gathering to witness the pivotal moment. 
Much to both of their irritation, the Princes are seated opposite from each other at the high table. Maegor next to the Martell Princess at one end and Aemond at the other end next to the steward.
The younger Prince could feel his blood boil the moment he sat himself in the chair and felt Princess Alliandra's presence uncomfortably close to him. This arrangement was on purpose, he's sure of it. 
Aemond watches him all the time and begs him silently to keep his calm, for his sake at least.  Maegor swallows down his anger and keeps his usual stoic facade in front of all the eyes that are upon him. Only one matters however, his uncle's violet gaze is the only ounce of comfort that keeps him grounded and collected.
All kinds of lavish dishes and drinks are brought out, carried by the servants on huge plates. Neither Aemond nor Maegor touch anything before they make sure everyone around them does. After all, if pride is the first thing house Martell is renowned for, poisons are a close second. They have to be vigilant.
Maegor tries to zone out and shut off all the noises and voices around him until he feels a light touch on his arm that makes his anger flare out instantly.
"Prince Maegor, I offer my deepest apologies. My house and people have a lot of pride, it's not like us to bend the knee so easily, surely you can understand." Alliandra Martell speaks in a smooth voice, rubbing her hand over his forearm.
For a swift second Maegor contemplates if he should rip her hand off but sucks in a sharp breath instead, removing his arm from her touch politely as he hums in approval. If he speaks now he'll say something that he'll regret. What is the Princess even playing at? First she wishes death upon him and now she's trying to seduce him.
At the opposite side of the table Aemond buries his nose in a wine cup so that the anger that makes his expression contort at the sight displayed before him doesn't become so obvious. His nephew meets his violet glare with an apologetic one and Aemond shakes his head. It's not Maegor's fault. They both have to bear this night without deciding to burn down the other half of Sunspear still standing.
The Martell Princess doesn't quite catch the hint unfortunately and keeps touching and trying to make conversation with Maegor. He's so tensed up he can feel his flesh hurting.
Suddenly she stands up, and the hall falls silent, the courtiers moving their attention to her. Aemond glares daggers at the Princess but it seems like she either does not see him or simply ignores him. 
"After many thoughts and advice from my council I wish to come forth with a proposal, one that will perhaps solidify the union between Dorne and the rest of the kingdoms." Alliandra says looking at Maegor with a smile on her lips, fake obviously, as she raises her wine cup.
The Prince raises an eyebrow and only nods, feigning interest. He's certain delusion runs deep through house Martell but he needs to play along for now.
"I propose we marry each other, that way we can strengthen our houses and forget about our clashes." 
Aemond's slams his empty wine cup loudly against the table, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword at the audacity. All attention falls to him now.
However, before Aemond can utter a word, Maegor lets out a harsh, mocking laugh that reverberates through the grand hall. 
"Marry you? Have you forgotten your place, Princess? Shall I remind you that I've brought Dorne to its knees along with you? You must confuse the term prisoner with betrothed." Maegor lets out another chuckle, staring at the Martell from his chair.
"I haven't, but I believe this marriage would be beneficial to the realm and our houses." Alliandra's expression falters but she tries to keep her composure and deceitful smile.
The Prince scoffs, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He stands up from his chair, towering over the Martell Princess as he looks down on her.
"Half of Sunspear is in ruins, your army is charred and you've lost your kingdom. This isn't an alliance proposal, it's an act of pathetic desperation. And even if the circumstances were different, I already belong to someone Princess, someone who will have my heart until the end of time." Maegor eyes search for his uncle's for a moment then they return to lock with Alliandra's.  
With her plan crumbling before her, Princess Alliandra's expression turns dark with anger and her facade of hospitality is shattered as she returns to her true self from the beginning.
"You dare to mock and reject me?" she hisses, her hand reaching into a hidden pocket of her dress from behind, from an angle where Maegor can't see.
But Aemond can. And his sharp eye is following her closely as all of his senses are on high alert. 
"Have I not been clear enough, Princess? Stop embarrassing yourself any further in front of your whole court while I'm still asking nicely." Maegor scowls at her, clenching his jaw and fists and doing his best to control the anger that was boiling under his skin.
"Prince Maegor, Prince Aemond, I wish to make a toast." The old steward suddenly calls to the Targaryens as he stands up from his chair next to the older Prince, wine cup in hand.
This brief distraction is all that Alliandra needs. In a fit of rage and swift motions, she pulls out a small vial from the hidden pocket and quickly brings it to her lips. 
By the time Aemond snaps back his attention towards his nephew it's too late. 
With a sinister smirk, she forcefully presses her lips against Maegor's, forcing him to swallow down the liquid.
Gasps echoes through the hall as the horrifying scene unfolds before the courtier's eyes.
Maegor grabs her by the throat and she laughs in his face. He tries to choke her out but almost instantly he feels all the strength draining from his body. His knees buckle under his weight and he falls against the table, his vision clouding. A surge of immense pain follows and he grits his teeth trying to cling to consciousness.
"You treacherous harlot!" Letting out a snarl of desperation Aemond jumps over the table, drawing out his sword in the process and slicing through the steward who, no doubt had a big part to play in this sick plan. Only two foolish guards try to stop him from reaching the Princess, the same two from earlier. 
"I'll send your father my deepest condolences." Princess Alliandra leans over Maegor, whispering in his ear. 
"A shame though, you were such a looker." She traces a nail over a thin scar across his left cheek.
Adrenaline courses through his veins. Acting on instinct, Maegor musters all remaining strength left and, with a fierce determination, he hurls himself from Alliandra's embrace against the floor. He shoves his fingers down his throat, retching until he manages to vomit all of the contents of his stomach in an attempt to rid his body from the poison before it's too late.
Aemond mercilessly cuts through the guards, blinded by sheer fury before he rushes to his nephew's side.
"Seize her!" Aemond shouts but no one dares to move yet, too frozen with shock or fear or perhaps they are all part of her plan. 
The loud growls and restless rumbling of the two dragons right outside the castle walls reminds them of their presence and they quickly make up their minds. By now both beasts sensed something was wrong, especially the Cannibal through his strong bond with Maegor. Eventually house Martell's own guards finally seize their former ruler, awaiting further orders from the older Targaryen.
Princess Alliandra simply stares at Aemond with a satisfied smile on her lips. She knows the outcome of this, but if she can take at least one Targaryen with her, it's a victory in her book.
"Qibor.." Maegor coughs and lets out raspy breaths. 
"Shh Maegor. Ȳdra daor ȳdragon, vīlībagon. Nyke kostagon daor ojughagon ao." Aemond's hands tremble as they cup his nephew's face. Suddenly panic settles in, the thought of losing Maegor like this before they even got the chance to spend their days together is unbearable.
Whatever the poison, it is a very potent one and Maegor would surely be dead by now if it wasn't for his quick thinking. Judging by his state, there are still some traces of it left in his system.
Rushing to the table, Aemond grabs a bowl of salt and pours it into a water pitcher before running back to his nephew.  He forces Maegor to drink large gulps of salt water and waits until his nephew starts retching and vomiting again until there's nothing left to come out from his body.
"You fool, he already swallowed some of it. Your nephew will die and you will make sure to watch." A sudden laugh makes Aemond see red. 
The urge to cut Alliandra's head off her shoulders gnaws at him, but he can't allow her such a sweet, painless death. No. She needs to suffer the same way she made Maegor suffer.
"I'll make you pay. You and all of your treacherous leeches that aided you. Take her outside." The tone of Aemond's voice drops to a dangerously calm.
Throwing his nephew's arm over his shoulder and wrapping an arm around his waist, Aemond heaves him up. Maegor feels like he was threading the thin line between consciousness and total darkness while the sharp pain still tears through him, from head to toe. His legs feel boneless as he is suddenly raised up, but he struggles to stand despite the pain and helplesness and stumbles along, supported by his uncle. The guards follow, Alliandra now silent behind them. 
Even in this state, Maegor is raging in his head, angry that he ended up being defeated so easily. 
Angry that he cannot rip the Martell bitch limb by limb with his bare hands.
At the entrance of the Old Palace, the dragons are restless and distraught under the night sky. At the sight of his rider's weak body getting dragged by Aemond, the Cannibal lets out a roar, seething with fury. The beast lowers his head bearing his teeth and growling dangerously at Aemond. Vhagar rumbles and snaps her jaws in the air, close to Saagael's head as a warning.
"Daor! Lykirī!" The older Prince shouts at the two beasts. The last thing he needs is for them to start ripping each other apart.
Maegor groans painfully trying extend a hand to his dragon. The moment he lets go of his uncle however, he almost crumbles to the ground if not for Aemond to pull him back against his body.
The Cannibal lowers his head further, bringing it closer to his rider. He inhales and exhales deeply, taking in the scent of the young Prince before he lets out a low, silent cry.
"Ziry gōntan bisa." Aemond tells the beast and there's no doubt that he immediately understands by the way he reacts.
 Slitted sapphire eyes like Aemond's gem get locked on Alliandra's form. Her face suddenly drains of color when she meets the Cannibal's cold glare.
"Bring her over."  
The guards reluctantly obey and approach the Princes, all while both Vhagar and Saagael watch, sizing them up with a predatory glare as the men cower in fear before them. 
There's no trace of pride or ambition left on the Martell's face. All of her previous confidence and foolish bravery is now replaced by dread and fear.
"Mazverdagon zirȳ hīghagon." 
A final command is given.
Make them scream 
Before the guards or the Princess can react, both dragons lower their head in synch, opening their massive jaws and closing them around the three at the same time, with Alliandra being in the middle. Despite their sheer size, both Vhagar and the Cannibal act with precision, careful to keep their main target alive long enough to be able to feel the pain. The two guards are ripped apart swiftly and almost too painlessly, they aren't the main course however. Alliandra has the privilege of getting torn apart methodically, limb to limb like Maegor wished until her agonizing screams turn into a gurgles and eventually die out completely just as quick as they started. 
If they had any time to spare Aemond would have personally dealt with her, but Maegor is the priority now and he can feel him get weaker by the minute. There's no time to waste. He needs to take him to be tended by maesters as fast as possible.
Staying in Sunspear is not an option. After the scheme that Alliandra pulled on them, there's no one trustworthy in Dorne and he's not stupid to risk getting Maegor poisoned again and killed under the pretext of receiving medicine and care. 
The Stepstones are the closest, but even if the Seasnake's maesters are skilled, there's isn't a lot they can do with the few rations left and even less medicine.
The second closest option is King's Landing. That plan too falls through as Aemond can't risk suddenly bringing Maegor in such a vulnerable state. He barely got away with flying to the Stepstones in the first place, after much nagging from his mother and grandfather. It will raise up too much suspicion if he suddenly shows up with his nephew like this and it will surely cause an even bigger rift between their families as he's certain both Daemon and Rhaenyra would misinterpret and accuse him of poisoning the younger Prince instead.
So Aemond chooses the third option, the safest bet. For Maegor at least.
Dragonstone.
────────────────────────
Translations:
Ñuha jorrāelagon, dombo ēdrugon = My love, wake up
Qybor = Uncle
Ao gīmigon kesan, ñuha dārilaros = You know I will, my Prince
Ȳdra daor ȳdragon, vīlībagon. Nyke kostagon daor ojughagon ao = Don't speak, fight. I can't lose you
Ziry gōntan bisa = She did this
Mazverdagon zirȳ hīghagon = Make them scream
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millylotus · 2 years ago
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DeadLights [Danny x Duke | DP x DC] Masterpost
THE WINNER OF THE POLE IS DEADLIGHTS!!! FUCKING LOVE THAT!!! Here's the masterpost for all the contestants, all of them will be posted in due time :]
So this post is going to have all the AUs in a line, and if you don't wanna be jumping around on Tumblr, I'll be posting these on Ao3 and Wattpad soon.
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Spotify Playlist
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GENERAL NOTES
Just the things that are gonna be consistent across all the AUs unless I say so.
Pt.2 [Claim Sheets]
THE FICS | AO3 SERIES
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I SEE ALL OF YOU & YOU ARE MAGNIFICENT - monster x monster :
Danny and Duke see each other for the first time and are absolutely mesmerized by how gorgeous the other is. They fail to realise that being around another monster has made them both more comfortable letting their glamours fall.
MEMES!!!
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WRITTEN IN THE STARS, BEFORE WE WERE EVEN BORN - betrothal au :
Light and Time met at the beginning of existence and made a deal. To make sure the other wouldn't back out and take everything, they invested in a collateral. Two of their kin to be born, will be wed. Betrothal contracts were not what Duke or Danny wanted for breakfast.
MEMES!!!
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"YOU TAUNT ME, I CHASE YOU" "YOU CATCH ME, THEN LET ME GO" THEY DO IT AGAIN THE NEXT DAY - bat x cat :
Catwoman has a Kitten following her around, and that Kitten just so happens to like messing around with Batman's Sunshine Birdy. No Duke isn't a furry, Tim shut the fuck up you still haven't confessed to Kon! He and Bruce don't have the same type! Besides, the new kid Danny is much prettier than Selina's nephew. Tucker and Sam say Danny has a "vigilantes who can beat his ass" thing, which is stupid cause it's more of a "people who can beat his ass" thing. Cause like Duke Thomas from Algebra is hot.
MEMES!!!
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MESMERIZED BY A BANSHEE'S SCREAMS - rockstar au :
Ember, Johnny, and Danny decided to fuck off to Gotham and start a punk-rock band. The new band that Dax found is fucking amazing, but Duke's eyes keep drifting to the pretty bassist.
No Memes, but there's a Spotify playlist on the post!
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RASBERRY & LEMON DELIGHTS - countryboy!danny x emopunk!duke :
Duke and Damian go to the Kents for the summer, just for fun. The cute boy from the farm on the edge of town is definitely making the summer less lonely and more fun, they get to make sweets together. Danny is taking a gap year and has been staying with his Aunt Alicia since last summer. Things are boring until their closets neighbors the Kents get visitors. Hanging out with the pretty punk boy is making farm life fun.
MEMES!!!
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THE CORPSE GROOM - corpse bride au :
Duke makes the mistake of playfully preforming wedding vows while playing pretend, and just so happens to put one of his rings on a branch that is not a branch. Now he's stuck in the underworld with a clingy new husband who insists that they're made for each other. TW: KIDNAPPING, NON-CON TOUCHING, OBSESSIVE BEHAVIOR, THREATS ON ONES LIFE - when you think about it the Corpse Bride is a fucked up story, this Au doesn't get anywhere near the topic of sex or anything sexual, but Danny is mentioned and stated to be overly touchy with Duke when he doesn't want it
MEMES!!!
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What Happens In Vegas, Stays In Vegas - drunk vegas wedding :
It's completely on accident when they wake up in each other's arms thinking they're married. Danny was just so nice to get that creep away from Duke. Duke was happy to have a new friend to hang out with. Neither where all there during the wedding. The dress and suit are very pretty though. TW: DUBIOUS-CONSENT - both Duke & Danny where kinda drunk when they have sex, even though I didn't right the scene it's literally stated as INSERT SEX SCENE
MEMES!!!
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"LOVE ME, LOVE ME, LOVE ME, LOV~" - love pollen :
The Everlasting Trio is visiting Gotham for a nature convention/meet up thing. A villain just so happens to attack and Poison Ivy takes great offense to them attack the few humans who care. During the scuffle Danny gets hit with a boat load of experimental pollen Ivy was making. Signal just so happens to be the hero who finds him among the rumble. Also being the first person Danny lays eyes on.
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DANI DOESN'T HAVE TO WORRY BUT ACCIDENTLY CALLING MR.THOMAS DAD ANYMORE - teacher x single parent :
When Danny & Ellie where traveling around the world, Dani makes the mistake of accidently drinking some Lazarus water. With his daughter rapidly de-aging to a six-year old, Danny runs and finds his sister. Jazz suggests getting Ellie enrolled in a night school, and for Danny to get a job gooning for a bit. It's a plus that Mr.Thomas isn't all that hard on the eyes.
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MINI FICS
I WANNA BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, NEVER FEELS LIKE I AM - popular boy!duke x loner new kid!danny :
The portal to the Ghost Zone has finally closed and The Fenton's decided that it's better for them to just start anew and move to Gotham. Danny's never been the new kid, but he can be the weird loner. People have always adored Duke because of the way he shine like no other, and Gothamites had never experienced that before. Duke never got a big head about it, his mother never let that happen. But that doesn't mean he didn't become the most popular boy where ever he went.
MEMES!!!
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MESMERIZED BY A BANSHEE'S SCREAMS - rockstar au :
Ember, Johnny, and Danny decided to fuck off to Gotham and start a punk-rock band. The new band that Dax found is fucking amazing, but Duke's eyes keep drifting to the pretty bassist.
No Memes, but there's a Spotify playlist on the post!
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GHOSTLIGHTS EVENT FICS - @dcxdp-ghostlights
To See Your Face Again, is to remember you're not really there - 'I thought I knew you' :
Join Me, he beckoned. Stay With Me, he cooed. Love Me, he demanded.
He didn’t need to ask for the last one.
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PENDING FICS THAT MIGHT HAPPEN
Myths
Hades x Persephone : Either or really
Eros!Danny x Psyche!Duke
Atalanta!Danny x Meleager!Duke
Noble Boy!Duke x Kitsune Servant!Danny
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Dynamics
Rivals to Lovers
Guardian Angel!Duke x Demon!Danny
Bodyguard!Danny x Famous!Duke
Actor!Duke x Techie!Danny
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General
Secret Identity Shenanigans
Royalty
Hanahaki Disease
Dancing
Roommates
Neighbors
Coffee Shop
Fairies
Space Things
Fake Relationship
Swapped Phones
Haunted Houese
POV Outsider : Who's your boyfriend? | Those two are so weird | Accused of cheating with your partner's secret identity
Messy Relationship [I like Drama] : Stalking | Kidnapping | Break Ups | Cheating on each other | Cheating on their partners with each other
Soulmates : Timer to meeting | Timer to Death | Death Marks | First Scars | Soul Marks | Red String | Body Swap | Body Doodles | Black & White then Color | Soulmate Goose of Enforcement [I said what I said]
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ngl I am so fucking proud of this banner, worked so fucking hard on this bitch MM!
They're free to use with credit btw [with like a few minor nonos]
231 notes · View notes
saiilorstars · 2 months ago
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Ch. 40: Hidden Deals
Fandom: Harry Potter (Hogwarts years 1-7) Pairing: Draco x OFC
taglist:@ocappreciationtag @arrthurpendragon  @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @foxesandmagic @kmc1989 @caplanbuckybarnes 
​​​​Story Masterlist // Romina’s Masterlist
Fanfic • Ao3 • Wattpad
If you’d like to be a part of this OC’s work/edits, let me know
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When Arden returned from the library to find her friends all huddled in the common room like there was nothing to do, she was very much irritated. "Am I the only one who studies here?"
At the same time she asked, Romina, who sat cross legged on the floor in front of the table, flicked a piece of paper across the table to make a goal over Angel's fingers. Romina, gleeful, looked up at Arden. "We did our studying. Now we're relaxing. I've got 5 goals under my belt."
"That's cause you know the game," Angel reminded and lowered his palms to the table. His makeshift goal with his fingers was about the only concrete part he understood of this football game Romina talked about.
Romina shrugged at him. "Doesn't mean anything."
From the couch, Carolinha looked up from a magazine Daphne had let her borrow. "Pretty sure that means everything."
"Who's side are you on?" Romina shot the brunette a look over her shoulder. Angel, in turn, smirked proudly.
"Unfortunately, familial ties require me to be on his side," Carolinha said, and Angel's smirk dropped.
Romina let out a loud "Ha!" that cut through the room. Angel reached for one of the crumpled balls of paper they were using as footballs and flicked it towards Romina only instead of reaching her, or making a goal for that matter, he somehow got it to flick in Arden's direction and hit her nose.
Arden flinched. "Hey!"
Angel apologetically smiled. "Sorry. I've never played any form of football."
Arden shook her head. "It's actually not that hot today. Why don't you go to the lake today or something?"
"Who are you, our mother?" Carolinha raised an eyebrow at her. "And how come you're not coming?"
"I have Divination."
"I told you not to take that class," Romina said, readying herself to flick another paper football towards Angel's finger goals.
"No you didn't."
"I didn't?" Romina paused to think. "Oh, right, that was Hermione."
"A legend, by the way, and not in the best way in this class," Arden said. Everybody knew how Trewlany had publicly declared Hermione's lack of divination skills the year before and how Hermione had reacted in response.
"Still funny," Romina snickered. "Every time you remind her, she gets so mad."
"I think she's better in Ancient Runes," Carolinha said, finally giving up the magazine in her hands. "I ask her for help all the time in that class. I gotta say, she was better than any of the private tutors Mum and Dad hired for us before coming to school."
"You guys had private tutors?" Romina said, making a face and glancing over her shoulder to Arden. "They had private tutors, Ard..."
"Of course," Arden did a fake curtsy for the twins.
"What a shocker," Romina said right before flicking her paper ball. It hit Angel between the eyes.
"Hey!" He frowned.
Romina giggled. "That counts as a goal."
"I'm pretty sure it doesn't…" Angel's head turned in Arden's direction, "Does it?"
Arden rolled her eyes. "Romina, quit being mean."
"Arden's right guys, why don't we go outside?" Carolinha suggested, finally putting down her magazine. "Or we could go see if anybody else is putting their name into the Goblet?" The room of the Goblet of Fire was a hot spot and it would continue to be one until Halloween night when the champions' names were called.
"What for? I already got my fill when Fred and George did their little aging number," Romina said, resting her palms on the table. Angel called quits on their game. Ten to 2 was something to ponder for him.
"Then let's go to the lake! Oh!" Carolinha hopped off the couch with a lit up face. "You can show us that violin of yours!"
"You brought it?" Angel asked Romina, fairly curious as his sister had been when she first saw the instrument.
Romina nodded. "I thought it would be nice if it didn't collect dust this year."
"Let's do that!" Carolinha exclaimed. "Can we, Romina? Please?"
Romina shrugged. "I guess. But I stand by my warning that I only know muggle tunes. It's a muggle class."
"Something different," Angel smiled. "We'll love it, I'm sure."
Romina flushed. "Alright then. Be back in a bit." She pushed herself up from the ground and headed for the hallway.
"And I guess I'm off to Divination," Arden said, making a face. "Will you guys still be there afterwards?"
"Yeah," Angel nodded. "I want to listen to as many tunes Romina can play."
Arden smirked knowingly. "Oh, I bet you do."
"Arden," Romina's call was sharp and full of warning. Arden decided to hurry along for her Divination book in her room.
"So, Romina, are we doing it?" Carolinha eagerly asked.
"Yeah, why not," Romina started pulling herself up from the floor. "I win, Angel."
Angel sighed. "Not much of a game if one of the players doesn't know how to play."
Romina pushed her hair behind her shoulders, smiling smugly. "Doesn't mean anything." She started for the hallway.
"Pretty sure it means everything!" Angel called after her, making her laugh.
~ 0 ~
The lake wasn't that crowded given that classes had only started a couple weeks back. Students were still grappling to their new schedules. Those lucky enough to enjoy some time off, like Romina, Carolinha and Angel, had found ample space to relax in.
Romina had been shy carrying her violin all the way down to the lake. Several students had given her strange looks for owning the instrument in the first place. The Beauxbaton girls were the only students who seemed slightly impressed...as if no Hogwart student could be graceful enough to use the instrument correctly.
"That looks new," Carolinha remarked as they sat down on the mushy grass. She and Angel sat opposite of Romina.
"It sort of is," Romina said, placing the violin over her lap, "My aunt and uncle bought it for me last year as a Christmas present. I've only ever really played it during last summer."
"Arden said you were taking classes, right?" Angel asked. "Or that you had started it up again?"
Romina nodded. "Before coming to Hogwarts, I took violin classes after school. You could say that the violins have grown with me."
"That's cute," Carolinha giggled. "Poetic."
"Yeah, that's about the only poetic thing about me," Romina said, sharing a laugh with her afterwards. "But in all seriousness, I do love this thing so much. I may be a loud mouth, impulsive, and my character could use some more ladylike traits but when I play the violin...I feel like I'm truly elegant and graceful."
"You can be those things when you want to be," Angel said, "And even if you aren't, who cares? You're still great."
Romina smiled sweetly at him. "Thanks."
Carolina cleared her throat with purpose. She was beginning to think her brother was going a little overboard with his crush. Annoying was crossed a long time ago. "Anyways," she said, throwing her brother a look for him to calm himself, "I want to hear something."
"Well," Romina said, pausing to think for a second, "Before we came back to Hogwarts, Arden and I were practicing this cover of Halloween muggle movie we watched."
"What was it?" both Carolinha and Angel inquired, even sharing the same curiosity that only twins could.
Romina was shy when she answered in a whisper. "Hocus Pocus…"
"Hocus what?" Carolinha lifted an eyebrow at her. "That sounds weird, even for Muggles."
"It's a Halloween movie. A comedic Halloween movie," Romina reminded them, "It's about 3 witches who come back to life after being lynched in the Salem Witch Trials—"
"That's supposed to be a comedy?" Angel made a face. "The Salem Witch trials are terrible, Romina. Nothing funny can be made out of it."
Romina sighed. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised that even the twins didn't understand her muggle ways sometimes. "It's supposed to be fake, guys," she said quietly.
"But it's not," Carolinha said adamantly, "Witches and wizards used to be hunted down for real until we decided to go underground."
"I get that but this is just a movie and you know what?" Romina frowned at the pair of siblings. "If we're going to be on the honesty part—those witches deserved it. If anybody's stealing youth and killing children, then they should be killed." She opened her arms to wait for a counterargument from either sibling.
Of course, there was none.
"Thank you," Romina said, rolling her eyes, "Now then, would you like to hear the version of the song they used for the movie? It's catchy, I swear. And the title…?"
"Yeah, I guess," Angel nodded, slowly. He could see where Romina's annoyance stemmed from and over a movie. Maybe he and Carolinha were over-exaggerating a little bit. There was no way Romina would ever be okay with the Salem Witch Trials.
"The song's called 'I Put a Spell on You'," Romina said, earning a combined laugh.
"Of course it is," Carolinha shook her head. "Okay, maybe it's not that bad."
"The way Winnie sings it is hilarious," Romina continued with more giddiness now that they were focusing on the 'it's a movie' part. "She makes the humans dance. But the actual song is a little bit more...sensual, I think."
"Oooh," Carolinha's eyes widened, her lips curling into a smirk. "Now I definitely want to hear it."
"I'm not sure I want to anymore," Angel muttered. Carolinha promptly elbowed him on his side. "I'm just saying!"
Romina laughed. "You should hear Arden sing it. She's actually really good. If this whole witch thing doesn't turn out, we might go into show business. Arden sings and I play the violin."
"I'll pay for the tickets!" Carolinha quickly volunteered.
"Oh alright, can we just hear it?" Angel asked, preferring to get it out of the way before Carolinha started going on in a ramble.
Romina thought the same. "Okay." She pulled her violin over her left collarbone. It took some adjusting but she'd remembered everything Mrs. Vale had taught her. She'd only been going to Mrs. Vale's class since forever. Soon, she was delicately moving the bow over the strings to create—to the best of her ability—the melody of the song. To help the twins imagine the song better, she decided to hum along.
Whatever qualms and annoyances that had occurred were forgotten in a matter of seconds. The twins were dazzled with Romina's talent. The melody truly did sound like it was trying to tempt you into something, taunting even. Carolinha swayed her head, imagining what it would sound with even more instruments. Angel listened as well but he was more focused on Romina. It looked like she had forgotten they were even there. Her hums grew louder yet remained soft to stay between them.
"Sing," Angel suddenly requested. He had done so breathlessly that Carolinha sent him another 'calm down' glance.
Romina's eyes flickered to the twins, smiling lightly. "I'm not much of a singer," she reminded them. She continued to play without the humming. "Maybe when Arden gets out of class, she can help."
"You're playing amazingly," Angel said.
"You really are," agreed Carolinha.
Romina was flushed with embarrassment. "Thanks guys," she said. "You want to hear more? I've got Disney classics under my belt."
"Disney?" Both twins chorused with the same confusion.
Romina laughed. "Oh dear, I've got to catch you up."
~ 0 ~
Divination could not have ended any slower. Arden was ready to leave, especially today. Trewlany had, had some crazy ideas and suggestions about rearranging seats for the class and Arden wasn't very content with her new partner. The only thing that they could agree on was that neither one wanted the other for a partner.
"Hey King!" she heard the call from the steps above.
"No," Arden said sharply when she turned to Draco coming down the stairs.
"I haven't said anything," the blonde said with a frown.
"I don't care," Arden snapped. "You saw who I got stuck with as a partner!" She flapped her arm in the direction of their class. "You really think that after sitting next to Pansy for what seemed like an eternity, that I would have the energy to handle whatever the hell you're going to send my way?"
"Kinda weak there," Draco remarked, smirking when he could practically see the fumes coming out of Arden's ears. "I was just going to ask if you had any idea where Oswell would be right now? I have something...fun to show her."
"Oh, I bet," Arden rolled her eyes. She was also in no mood to handle the petty war between the two. "She's at the lake. I sincerely hope she'll shove you into the water. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the library to get a headstart on that homework Trewlany assigned. Fancy making predictions?"
"Not unless they include me winning," Draco was quick to answer with. He moved around her and went on his way.
Arden went in the opposite way for the library.
~ 0 ~
Maybe it was a little late to enact another round of retaliation but after thinking about it during Divination class—because Draco pretty much thought about anything but the actual class—he decided that he earned some fun times. Trewlany made time go so unbearingly slow.
"Remind me again why we can't go back to the Common Room after a long day?" Blaise asked him as they trudged down towards the lake. Like Draco, and Arden for that matter, Divination had sucked the life out of him.
"Because you can never miss an opportunity to stick it to Oswell," Draco answered automatically.
"On the contrary," said Theodore, rolling his eyes, "I don't think any of us care enough like you do. Is it really that important?"
"Absolutely," Draco said confidently. He was sure that if Romina had thought of the same thing he had, she wouldn't waste a second in enacting it.
"And why are we here again?" Blaise asked with a sigh.
"Because I require an audience and you two have nothing better to do."
"...fair."
Draco thought as much. He picked up his pace, leaving Blaise and Theodore to do the same. The closer they got, the more they started hearing what sounded like music. It took them a short moment to realize it wasn't exactly music but a product of a violin. And with that violin came the giggles of familiar girls.
Draco immediately picked out Romina's from Carolinha's, the latter having a more squeakish type of giggle. He soon spotted the pair sitting on the ground and, unsurprisingly, it was Romina who had been playing the violin. Then Draco saw Angel sitting a bit too close to Romina. In fact, during her fit of giggles (apparently over something Angel was proudly saying), Romina occasionally let her head fall over his shoulder. And of course Angel lived for it. Of course he did. Draco knew he did.
"Are you going or not?" Blaise demanded beside Draco, very much tired.
"Seriously," Theodore threw his head back impatiently.
Draco continued to watch in silence for a few more minutes. He knew he got angry a lot—it was part of his personality—but he couldn't ever remember a moment where he felt this type of anger. It was an unjustified anger—he could admit that to himself and only to himself—and it consumed him in under a minute. A record time; something else he was aware of but would only admit it to himself.
"Look, she's clearly not even thinking about your stupid war—can we go now?" Blaise said, despite already turning away. Theodore was doing the same thing.
No, Romina clearly wasn't thinking about anything else that didn't have to do with that violin of hers and Angel sitting perhaps but a centimeter from her. Draco had never turned so fast, that Blaise could ascertain, considering he was shoved to the side.
"Hey!" Blaise called after him but Draco was too far ahead to notice or hear anything, not that he would even if he had been close.
"What the hell is his problem?" Theodore rolled his eyes and got started walking back to the castle.
~ 0 ~
Arden lowered her parchment to see both Harry and Ron staring at her with wide blinking eyes. They'd been working quietly in the library since they'd found each other. They were also taking Divination which led to a lot of common ground between them, mostly questions about how to do the assignment. Arden had long lost patience and when Ron suggested they just start making up their predictions for the month, Arden went right with it. Now she was done and she was ready to present her homework to them.
"Erm…Arden…" Harry said a minute later, he and Ron both looking at her chart, "You wrote down that you're going to get run over."
"Yeah," Arden shrugged. "So what?"
"Getting run over implies cars and...there's no cars at Hogwarts," Harry said, pressing his lips into a thin line.
"Huh, you're right." Arden planted her arms on the table and thought for a second. "Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "I can get trampled over! She can't question that with the Beauxbatons' horses out there."
"Sounds good," Harry snickered as he handed her parchment back.
"I hope she buys it though—Trewlaney," Arden said.
"She will as long as we put ruddy stuff like the 'planets aligned'," Ron mimicked their professor's tone, causing a fit of snickers amongst them.
"King!"
Arden groaned. "Not again," she whispered just as Draco strode up to the table. "I thought you were going to the la—"
"We need to talk, now," Draco declared, "Get your stuff and let's go!"
Arden raised an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"
"Now!"
"You can't talk to her like that," frowned Harry.
"For once in your lifetime, Potter, stay out of it," snapped Draco without so much of a glance in Harry's direction. His eyes were glued on Arden as he waited for her to pack her stuff up.
"That's rich coming from you," Harry scoffed.
Draco paid his remark no attention. "King, let's go!"
Ron looked between Arden and Harry, sharing the same surprise and genuine curiosity. It wasn't every day that Draco Malfoy ignored them. They wished that would happen more often but sadly reality wasn't that kind to them...which begged the question of what had caused such a phenomenon in the first place.
"I will get your stuff and shove into the bag," Draco warned Arden, "and whatever homework you got done—"
"I get it," Arden said, raising a hand to keep him right where he was. "Sheesh, what the hell got into you?" She started rolling up her parchment. She packed up quicker just out of sheer curiosity. "I guess I'll see you two later—ah!" Draco had yanked her away from the table before she could finish saying goodbye to Harry and Ron. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Arden exclaimed against his hard grip around her arm.
Madame Pince shot them both a look for the disturbance but since they were on their way out anyways, she didn't bother with anything else.
"Would you let go of me? Since when do you touch me anyways!?" Arden wrestled out of Draco's grip. "And how can I make that never happen again!?"
"Shut it!" He snapped. "And listen!"
"Not like I have much of a choice," Arden muttered as she rubbed her arm. "What's gotten into you?"
"You...you were right," Draco said after much struggle, "I...I think I need to fix things with Romina."
Arden paused, her head turning slightly. "Oh, you're serious." He huffed. "You used her first name. How'd that happen in the course of an hour?"
"Doesn't matter," Draco said, "I just need...some...help." The struggle to admit any of that was enough to send him to the nightwing with stomach pains.
Arden's eyebrows raised. "Oh? My help?"
Draco nodded. "Unfortunately, the only people who really know Oswell are you and Potter. And I will die before I ever ask him for help."
"Yeah, yeah you would," Arden agreed. "And you're in luck, Harry lives a few houses down from Romina but I live right next door to her."
"I know, that's a torture I don't even want to imagine...for her, you know."
"You want my help or not?"
"...yes," Draco admitted.
Arden tilted her head. "Say it completely. I require a full admission before I offer my services."
"Seriously?"
"Mhm. You fucked it up, therefore you gotta work for it."
"Oh I bet," Draco grumbled. He had thought long and hard before coming to Arden and as such, he expected a couple things. "Fine," he relented, "I need your help. What's it going to cost from you?"
Arden grinned. "Two things," she said, much too quickly...almost as if she'd expected this situation to happen. "One," —she raised a finger—, "you have trade Divination partners with me."
Draco's face filled with horror. "You want me to take Parkinson!?"
Arden nodded. "Absolutely."
"No, no, anything else!"
"That's one of my prices!"
"Nott doesn't even like you!"
"Not my problem, I'd rather work with him instead."
"NO!"
Arden crossed her arms. "Why not? She's like in love with you so you could get her to do your work."
"It's not worth it!" Draco said far too quickly for Arden not to laugh on the spot. "I mean it!"
"That's part one of my deal," Arden said, "Take it."
Draco passed a hand over his face, groaning, "Fine! How will you explain that to Trewlany anyways?"
Arden cleared her throat and proceeded to answer in the voice of their professor, "Because my birth planet would be out of its orbit if I was next to Parkinson." She laughed shortly afterwards.
"What else?" demanded Draco before he truly lost it.
"I've seen you talking to Viktor Krum—I want an autograph."
"You don't even like Quidditch, why would you want an autograph from him?"
"Because then I'm going to sell that for a couple galleons," Arden answered matter-of-factly. "I can definitely start a schoolwide bidding for it," she smirked.
Draco paused and looked at her. "I am...very tempted to say I like your style."
Arden nodded. "We can work well together."
"Fine, I will switch partners with you and get the stupid autograph. Will you help me fix things with Romina?"
Arden held her hand out to shake with him. "Done deal."
Draco begrudgingly shook hands with her. "Not a word to anyone," he warned. "That's my end of the deal."
"I don't think they'd believe me anyways," Arden pointed out.
In that, Draco could relax but everything else...it seemed impossible. He had yet to flush out the anger he felt from the lake.
~ 0 ~
"I'm so tired," Arden said as she and Romina made it into the courtyard, "And you Romina, you look so…" Arden finished her sentence cautiously when Romina threw her a glare.
They had just finished a Care of Magical Creatures class and the skrewts were getting too big for either girl's liking. They were burning more. Romina had marks on her arms to prove it. "I love Hagrid but I'm afraid he's going to kill us," she said on their way to Great Hall.
Arden laughed. "I know."
"The only good thing is that it wasn't just me who looks like this," Romina held her arms out for Arden to see. "Draco had the lovely idea to say I should connect the dots with them as if he didn't have a big mark on his neck."
Arden snorted. It was actually a fairly funny joke. "I mean…"
"Shut it!" Romina snapped. "I'm going to get him back for that one too."
"Again with that? Aren't you getting tired of that?"
"It's like you don't know me at all."
"I'm just saying…" Arden wouldn't say that she was saying it in the first place because of the deal she'd made with Draco a few days back, "Don't you think it's kinda childish?"
"Maybe," shrugged Romina, "But it's also kind of fun."
Arden took note of the smirk on her friend's face. "It's more like weird flirting, you know."
The smirk dropped right off Romina's face. "I will punch you if you ever say that again to me."
Now it was Arden who was smirking. "Why? Cause it's true?" Romina said nothing before punching Arden's arm. "OW!" Arden yelped, hand clapping over her arm.
"I warned you," Romina said, entering the Great Hall. She was extra hungry after dealing with burning Skrewts.
"I was just saying—" Arden stopped altogether when Romina's fist raised again. "I meant maybe you should call it a truce already."
"Why would I ever do that?" Romina found an empty spot at their table. "It's not like Draco will."
"You never know," Arden said, taking a seat beside her. "You could try talking to him."
"Why bother? What I really want to hear from him will not be coming out of his mouth anytime soon." Romina reached for the bowl of peas. "I think he's forgotten the reason why we're in this in the first place."
"You mean because of what he said at the World Cup?"
Romina nodded. "Yes. Until he shows me a shred of decency, I can't forgive him."
"But...even Hermione doesn't seem that mad about it anymore and it was directed at her," Arden reminded. She'd done her due diligence and fished it out of Hermione herself. If anything, Hermione was more concerned that Romina would end up pushing Draco too far and would get hurt because of it.
"It doesn't matter," Romina snapped, "It's what he implied for the rest of muggles. I have to be honest, I still think that maybe, just maybe, he didn't mean it."
A silver lining. Arden jumped on it. "So use that and go talk to him!"
Romina shook her head. "No way. He'd laugh in my face for sure. He doesn't want to talk to me."
Arden cocked her head to the side, lips pursing as she mumbled under her breath. "You'd be surprised."
"Did you say something?"
"Huh?" Arden jumped. "Nope! Well, I was just curious…"
"About what?"
"Well, look, I'm kind of tired of this bullshit so excuse my curiosity. What do you really want Draco to do?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes!"
Romina side-glanced her friend with some suspicion but given that Arden was pretty much everywhere, Romina decided not to think about it so much. "I guess...I just want him to be honest. Mainly, I'd like to know that he's not as terrible as everybody says he is. Human decency, you know? He's not willing to let somebody die." Romina stopped eating altogether. She hadn't meant to be so specific. It was almost like she'd been thinking about it nonstop—which she hadn't. "I need to go change."
"What?" Arden frowned when Romina started getting up. "But we just sat down. You said you were starving!"
"I had my fill," Romina said quickly before rushing off.
"With what?" Arden was left calling. She took a look at Romina's plate and saw it was still pretty heavy on the load.
Half an hour later, Arden was relaying the conversation with Draco. They walked alongside each other down the bridge
"So basically you have nothing for me," Draco said sourly, shooting Arden a glare. Arden rolled her eyes in return. "I've already paid you but I will take my partner back."
Arden snorted. "No way in hell I'm giving Nott back. He's actually not that bad." Somewhere in the distance, she was sure Theodore would be hexing both her and Draco for using him like that. "And calm down, drama queen, I'm doing the best I can but you sincerely fucked it up."
"Wipe that smile off your face," Draco snapped as soon as he saw Arden close to laughing. "You said you were going to help me. Deal's a deal, King."
"Yeah, yeah," Arden waved him off. "I am. I had to do some fishing before I could actually help."
"That implies you've figured it out, then?"
"Mhm." Arden came to a stop, prompting Draco to do the same. "You want to fix things? You need to man up and go talk to Romina—and listen extra close for this one—without any tricks and jokes. No more retaliations, no more tricks. You need to be serious for once in your life."
"I thought I gave the implication that I was very serious when I agreed to take Parkinson off your hands," Draco reminded her.
Arden would bobbed her head. "Yeah, okay." That was a sacrifice all on its own. "But I meant what I said. Honestly, you just need to talk. I can help arrange that."
"No," Draco flatout said.
"Why not?"
"Because…" Draco struggled to come up with a decent answer and it was simply irritating Arden to no end. It was like he was purposely sabotaging his own attempts.
"I'm calling the shots now," she decided and took off for the courtyard.
"What—get the hell back here!" Draco rushed after her. Arden was surprisingly fast for someone petite like her. "That's not what we agreed on!"
"We agreed that I would help you and if I have to drag you there myself, I'll do it," Arden said, making the motion that she was more than willing to pinch him by the ear if she had to. "I have a younger sister and brother, you know. I'll do it for sure."
"Malfoy?" The pair stopped at the call. Theodore was coming up to them with a fairly confused face. "What are you doing with King of all people?"
Arden audibly groaned. "Dating—is it any of your business?"
Draco could have strangled her at that moment. He cast a deep glare in her direction but Arden was long used to the looks Pansy always sent her.
"Seriously, think about it. Talking is the way to go," she warned him before taking off.
"What the hell was that?" Theodore asked, or rather demanded, from Draco when Arden was gone. "First, you make me switch partners and now you're spending time with her? Dude, what the hell is going on?"
"None of your business," snapped Draco before he, too, took off. He had to consider his very few options before Arden decided to follow through with her threat to arrange things.
~ 0 ~
Romina felt like she was being watched in a way. She had no idea what it was, nor who it was, but she felt the presence of someone's eyes on her. She wouldn't realize it until a couple of Beauxbatons girls came up to her one day with the message that their headmistress—Madame Maxim—was waiting for her in the courtyard.
"But why is she looking for me?" Romina dumbly asked the seventh year girl who'd relayed the message. Don't be stupid, you know why, she reprimanded herself. She'd been wondering how long she could put that awkward conversation off.
The answer was a month.
So, after getting herself a little more ready for the meet—because she couldn't meet Madame Maxim without making herself a little more presentable—Romina went to go find the woman in the courtyard. Sure enough, there she was with a couple of her students.
Romina cleared her throat the closer she got. One of the girls informed Maxime about her presence and were promptly shooed as Romina arrived.
"Ah, bonjour Miss Oswell," she greeted cordially.
"Hello," Romina said, feeling like she probably should have said something else, something fancy.
"It's very nice to meet you," Madame Maxime said, smiling politely and cordially. "I believe your grandmother talked about us? The Beauxbatons Academy?"
Romina nodded. She sincerely hoped that her grandmother hadn't mentioned the big time gap since she first requested she (and Rolf for that matter) speak to her old headmistress.
"Abigail Gejél was one of my prized students back in the day," Madame Maxime remarked, her expression growing distant as she thought of the past. "I had just become the headmistress of the academy. Your grandmother, bless her heart, made my job a lot easier."
"I get the idea that she does that a lot," Romina said. It was embarrassing to admit that she didn't yet know her grandmother like a true granddaughter should.
Madame Maxime made a gesture for Romina to walk with her. "Oh yes, as a young girl, Abigail showed clear signs that she was poised and disciplined like a young lady should be."
Back in the day, Romina sourly thought. They were talking about the early 20th century of course. She, however, was not as "poised and disciplined" as her grandmother. She doubted she ever would be.
"She grew up to be a prized example of what all Beauxbatons students should be like," Madame Maxime said. She brought Romina to an empty bench where the two could sit together. "And she brought more recognition and pride after her work against Grindelwald."
"Who?" Romina asked, making a face. She regretted it the moment Madame Maxime looked at her crazily.
"You do not know of your grandmother—your grandparents'—history in the wizarding world?"
"Um...I have a complicated past myself," Romina said, biting her lip. "I only just discovered that Abigail was my grandmother. I heard a few things about a war but...I don't really know the exact details."
"This is an important history. Your grandmother fought to keep everybody safe, she helped fight one of the most powerful wizards apart from You-Know-Who."
"I didn't know," Romina admitted with shame. Maybe she should spend a little more time with history books rather than play tricks on people.
"I suppose Abigail didn't want to talk about the dark past with her grandchildren," Madame Maxime said, shrugging her shoulders.
Romina had to wonder if Rolf knew about this. Of course he has to. He's known grandma forever. Romina could feel a sting in her heart. What if her grandmother hadn't said anything because she didn't want to? Maybe she doesn't trust me enough.
"How old are you, Romina?" Madame Maxime inquired as she looked Romina over to calculate her own answer.
"Fourteen," Romina said.
"Ah, prime year to get ready for your exams the following year," nodded Madame Maxime. "As I have told Abigail time after time, the doors of the Beauxbaton academy are always open for her family."
Romina's eyes widened slightly at the idea of her actually attending Beauxbaton Academy instead of Hogwarts. It was terrifying to say the least.
"She's never taken my offer, though," Madame Maxime lamented, "She and her husband decided to send their kids to Hogwarts." She made a weak gesture towards the school. "I deeply respect Dumbledore but I must admit I have a little sore spot when it comes to my alumni."
Romina could smile at that. "I'm sure my grandmother doesn't think any less of your school. There's just something about Hogwarts, I guess. My father's family is originally from Columbia and they emigrated a long time ago to England just for the school."
Madame Maxime eyed Romina with genuine surprise. "Really?"
"Mhm," Romina nodded. ""Long time ago. Whole generation of Oswells have been coming here..."
"Well," Madame Maxime said with a huffy sigh, "I suppose I still have a chance of nabbing another Gejel when you and your cousin grow up."
Romina laughed for sheer embarrassment at the implication. "I'm fourteen, Madame!"
"Right now you are, but don't forget about Beauxbaton when you have your little ones, alright?" The woman winked at Romina and chuckled when she saw the bright blush on the girl's face.
~ 0 ~
It would be days before Romina could even glance in Madame Maxime's direction during meals in the Great Hall. Even then, Romina preferred to mostly focus on her meals. She did, however, nab the first opportunity to speak with Rolf later that week.
"She got to you too then, huh?" Rolf was shaking his head when Romina finished telling him the awkward conversation she had with the Madame. "I love grandma Abby, but that Madame is a little weird." Rolf hopped onto one of the windowsills for a seat. "And very obsessed with having more Gejéls at her school."
"Oh God, did she talk about that with you too?" Romina now felt mortified for the two.
"My future kids and whatnot! Lady, I'm 14!"
"And a guy, for that matter," Romina added, nearly snorting when Rolf went with a sharp 'yeah!'. "You're a scaredy cat."
"Oh come off it, you thinking about your future children already?" Rolf shot her a look.
"Of course not," Romina crossed her arms over her chest, "It's just not as terrifying as it probably is for you guys. Women are just inherently braver, hence the reason we're the ones who have kids."
"Whatever," Rolf said, rolling his eyes. "At least we got that stupid conversation over with. Now we can report back to grandma and that'll be that."
"Yeah, about that...Madame Maxime taoked a lot about grandma's history?" Romina decided to take a seat beside her cousin. "She was talking about these important battles that Grandma supposedly fought in the past? And I had no idea what she was talking about. Grindelwald?"
Rolf nodded. "Yeah, both grandma and grandpa had to do their share of fighting against that guy. He was almost as bad as You-know-who."
"Powerful — that's what Madame Maxime said about him," Romina remembered. "How come grandma hasn't told me about it?"
"Probably didn't want to talk about that the first time she met you," Rolf shrugged. "Not exactly the most cheery way to greet your granddaughter for the first time."
"But them afterwards? Not even grandpa said anything."
"To be fair, grandpa never likes talking about that dark period. He's more shut off about it than grandma."
"It just feels like they don't really trust me," Romina admitted.
"Don't go there, Romina," Rolf warned.
"Why not?" Romina huffed.
"Because it's not true?" Rolf said in a manner that expressed this was logical thinking. "You have no idea how much everyone lamented that they couldn't meet you, but no one more than our grandparents."
"Then why didn't they tell me any of this stuff?"
"Because it's full of darkness, of-of endless fighting. They didn't want that story to be the first thing you heard of them. Do you know how long it took me to hear the story? Ages."
"It's not like I haven't heard worse," Romina said quietly.
Rolf stayed silent. He knew exactly what she was talking about, ironically the other reason why their grandparents hadn't said anything either. They knew Romina's past already held much more darkness than any fourteen year old's past should.
"Romina," Rolf reached for his cousin's arm, gently squeezing it, "They love you. Don't you dare think otherwise. It's not fair to either side."
Romina could agree with that sentiment. Her grandparents had shown nothing but deep affection for her since the moment they met. She shouldn't start doubting them after one conversation with a woman she barely knew.
"You're right, I'm being stupid," Ronina shook her head. She felt silly now that she thought about it.
"I wouldn't go that far," Rolf said with a light chuckle and pat on her arm. He slid off the windowsill. "Now c'mon, we have Muggle Studies today."
Romina agreed and moved to slide off the windowsill as well until she heard her name. To her surprise it was Theodore approaching her.
"What's up Nott?" Romina raised an eyebrow at him.
"You tell me," he responded rather sourly, something that Romina and Rolf exchanged glances for. "Since you seem to be besties with Arden."
"I don't 'seem to be', I am," Romina corrected. "Have you not being paying attention for the past 4 years?"
Theodore rolled his eyes at her. "Where the hell is she? I can't find her."
"Why are you of all people looking for Arden?"
"Well, I've been trying to get a word with Draco but he keeps blowing me off!"
"And the connection between that and Arden would be…?" Romina made a gesture with her hand for Theodore to get on with it. Beside her, Rolf wanted to laugh at how his cousin was handling things. She just had a way, didn't she?
"I was partners with Draco in Divination and then suddenly he says he's taking Parkinson instead and that I have to be Arden's partner now."
Romina paused just to replay Theodore's words in her head and make sure she heard right. "Sorry, you said…"
"No explanation whatsoever and whenever I try to ask about it, turns out neither Draco more Arden can be found!" Theodore scowled. "And the moments that I've caught them, they're always together."
At that, Romina had to laugh. "Yeah right!" Theodore wasn't laughing. He stared at Romina long and hard until she got the message. "Oh, you weren't kidding…" She blinked. "That makes zero sense. They couldn't stop complaining last year that they were stuck as each other's partners for Divination. In fact, the only thing they could both agree on is that this year it would be better because they wouldn't be partners anymore. Why would they be doing favors for each other?"
"Really Oswell? You can't figure it out?" Theodore snapped.
"Figure what out?" Romina made a face. She glanced at Rolf and saw that he was more or less agreeing with Theodore. "What? What am I missing?"
"They're either together or nowhere to be found, which is really just the former," Theodore said, "They're seeing each other in secret. They're dating — which is disgusting!"
"They so gotta be," Rolf agreed, crossing his arms and nodding his head.
Theodore gave him a grateful gesture for seeing it his way. "Right? Thanks, Gyrffindor."
"My name is Rolf."
Theodore ignored him in favor of Romina who had yet to say anything. "Well, Oswell, Arden's your friend. Get her to leave my things alone and by that, I mean keep her paws off—"
"No," Romina spat, her nose crinkling.
"Romina, just use your connections—"
"No!" Romina yelled with a sudden rush of anger. "You're mad if you think you're right!"
"No I'm not," frowned Theodore, "I've been chasing them down for a whole week. I have eyes, Romina. They're always together!"
"NO!" Romina's anger kept rising like bile in her throat. "That's not true! They're not dating!"
"Romina," Rolf gently called to calm her down. He didn't think she'd want the attention from others in the hallway.
Romina drew her arm away when Rolf attempted to touch her. "He's being stupid, Rolf," she said in reference to Theodore, "The last people who would ever date each other in this world are Draco and Arden!"
"Then how do you explain the switcheroo Draco pulled on me?" Theodore challenged her. "Unless he did it to spend time with Pansy—"
"NO!" Romina said just as loudly as before. Neither option settled well in her stomach.
"God, Romina, why are you so mad with me?" Theodore made a face, genuinely insulted that somehow he was on the receiving end of her wrath. "I'm just as lost. If you see either of them, send 'em my way will you?"
Romina's entire face scrunched with anger. With no words to describe her emotions, she settled for attempting to shove Theodore.
"Woah!" Rolf quickly reached out for his cousin and grabbed her arms.
"Dammit Romina, you're mad!" Theodore took several cautious steps back from her.
"And you're a liar!" Romina snapped. She wanted to free herself of Rolf's grip but he was surprisingly strong.
"I will leave her with you," Theodore said to Rolf. His eyes flickered back to Romina. "Talk to me when you don't have flames bursting from your head."
Romina glared daggers after him. "He's lying, he's got to be," she said. "Arden would never!"
"Romina, calm down," Rolf urged her. "Why are you so mad?"
"Because Theodore's making up lies about my best friend, Arden!" Romina wrestled free from his grip even when it ended up hurting her elbow a bit.
"That's it?" Rolf asked cautiously but still ended up getting a crazed look from Romina anyways.
"What do you mean 'that's it?'?" She frowned. "Of course it is! What else is there?"
Rolf seemed like he wanted to answer that but for safety reasons, he decided to hold his tongue. "You know we're family right?"
"Obviously!" Romina exclaimed, exasperated.
"So you know I'd never say anything, right?"
"The hell are you talking about?"
"Nothing," Rolf said, shrugging his shoulders. "Just a reminder. Let's go to Muggle Studies, yeah? Calm down a bit?"
Romina nodded slowly. Her heart was beating too fast like it would implode any moment. That wasn't healthy.
"You want to come into the Gryffindor common room?" Rolf asked, grinning.
"I can't do that, Rolf…"
"Yes you can. There's no rules about it in any of the books."
For the first time since Theodore had shown up, Romina managed to smile. "Who are you, Hermione Granger?"
Rolf laughed. "That's my cousin. C'mon." He came up beside her and slung his arm around her shoulders.
Romina walked with him, slowly but surely. She couldn't help scan the corridors for Draco or Arden no matter how much Rolf tried distracting her. Theodore had gotten into her head and worst of all, Romina didn't understand why.
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himbobathwater · 10 months ago
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VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT POST!!! DO NOT SKIP OVER THIS
it has come to my attention that ao3 is unfortunately modded by zionists. as an anti zionist jew this is not only disheartening but appalling. i've been using the site for years both to read and publish fanfic, and seeing this news is very disturbing to me.
HOWEVER. ao3 is a nonprofit website. by simply using it, you aren't giving them any money. so what do we do from here?
well it's simple. just don't give them money. don't donate to them. use an adblocker or vpn if you really want to be sure. just visiting and using the site as normal does not benefit them monetarily at all. all of my fics are accessible regardless of if you have an account, and many writers are the same. so if you haven't already, don't make an account.
in the near future, i will be looking for alternative websites to post my work. i will not be using wattpad, as i have my own issues with it. all of my work on ao3 will remain up, and i will continue to post my work there for the time being, however once i find an alternative place to post my work i will be posting it there alongside posting on ao3 (in that case, please hit me up with any recommendations).
remember-- protesting works. boycotting works. but when the thing you're boycotting doesn't make any money in the first place, it's all performance. this is an issue that is very personal to me, and i've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make my voice heard. i encourage all of you to do the same. go to a protest. call your representatives. boycott where it matters.
the most important thing to remember is that zionism hurts everyone, even jews. i'll keep doing what i can on my end. i'll see you all later.
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jillsandwhichs · 3 months ago
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Cleon Oneshots/AUs Collection , Chap 11 , Dancing
Masterlist
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Pairing: Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy
Summary: While Claire & Leon are on their midnight walk, they go to a gazebo and dance together
Status of their relationship in this one shot: Dating
WC: 2.8k
Type: Sfw
A/n: Hi! Hope you all enjoy. Please check out my masterlist, there's a lot of stuff there. You can get to know me, you can see the rules of my blog and then you can see all of my fanfictions. You'll be able to find the previous chapters to this fic and upcoming ones. You'll also be able to find my Wattpad & AO3. Comments, reblogs & likes are appreciated. Thank you
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The night was young, it was only 12:00 AM. Some street lights had been shut off but a few remained enlightened. The moon and it's stars have fully made their appearance too, both bright & beautiful. There was no one outside either. Everyone was in their homes, getting ready to sleep the night away. That wasn't the same for Claire & Leon though. It's rare but on occasion, they'll take a good chunk of the evening to walk around the downtown part of the city they live in. It's a nice way to clear their heads.
Local shops were all closed for the night too. It's a bummer to Claire because she wishes she could do some late night shopping. The only time stores are ever open this late are during big sales like Black Friday but she's either working or busy, of course. As for Leon though, he doesn't really care. He just takes these walks for the fun of it. And also, of course, because he's with Claire. Holding her hand, strolling down the eroded sidewalk and feeling the refreshing wind hit his face was a peaceful time for him, he'll take it any chance he gets.
The path they take each time is great, scenery wise. They get to see all the homes, shops and attractions. One of Claire's favorites is the large statue that stands inside of a massive fountain in the center of town. Claire doesn't have a single clue who the man carved into the sculpture is, probably some big hoss from back in the day, but it's just very pretty to her. The way the water sparkles & glimmers at night is breath taking. The atmosphere is also a giveaway considering it's so calming.
Leon didn't have a favorite one considering his favorite thing to look at is Claire. He once told her that if they were visiting an art museum together, the only work of art he'd be entranced by is her. She found it corny but deep down, it was truly sweet.
Their hands were locked as they walked side by side together, passing all the small business owned shops. It was like your average downtown look, small clothing stores, thrift stores, coffee shops and little restaurants. It was like a shot out of a movie.
"You feeling tired at all yet?" Leon asked of Claire, wanting to make sure she wasn't too sleepy. If that was the case, he'd walk her straight home. The two were currently staying at her place. They both agreed they aren't deep enough into their relationship to live together. But that's just the situation for now. "No, I'm okay, how about you babe?" "I'm doing fine." Leon sneered, Claire could feel his thumb caressing her hand. It felt nice. Claire adores his affectionate side as she herself isn't all that physical. It's easier when he initiates it.
"Thank you for cooking tonight, by the way. I never took you for someone who could work a grill." Claire snickered out, giving him a quick look of love before her head went back to looking straight in front of her. Leon chuckled, "If I'm in the mood, I can cook just about anything. I haven't made plantains in a long time so I'm glad they turned out as they did." He explained, also looking in the same direction as she was. "You should be, you did great, they were super good. The last time I had grilled plantains was at a Thanksgiving dinner at the orphanage." "Were mine any better?" "Don't be dumb." She playfully rolled her eyes at his stupid question.
"When we get back home, we should watch a movie or something, even a show, if that's what you want." Leon expressed to Claire. Funny enough, Claire was surprised by this. Leon is never the one to plan things out like this. She felt appreciated. "Oh, that sounds really good. A movie would be nice, especially on a night like this. Got any genre ideas?" Claire posed the question. "Honey, you should know by now to not ask me that because every single time I'm just gonna say Action." Leon snorted. "Right... Well, even Action would be okay with me. We watched the Alien series and I enjoyed that." Claire said softly.
Letting out a cute chuckle, Leon corrected her, "That was Sc-Fi babygirl but I see what you're saying. But, there was one movie I've been wanting to check out. It's called 'Point Break'." "Hmm, never heard of it... What's it about?" "Well, from what I've seen, robberies, heists, epic sequences... Has Keanu Reeves in it." Leon spoke about the movie passionately ; Clearly, he really wants to check it out. "We can watch it then, I don't mind." Claire smiled at him. "Great, and I promise, we'll watch a movie of your choice next." He teased, placing a kiss on the top of her head.
In the downtown area, there was a small pond on the side of it. A lot of people would go there from the park to feed ducks and watch the geese. It's very serene, especially in the early mornings. Sometimes, on her way to work, Claire will stop by and just bask in it. Near the orphanage she grew up in, Claire vaguely remembers the pond nearby and how she'd sneak out to play near it. She felt as though she grew a type of bond with the wildlife there. It wasn't the best condition, living in an orphanage, but there are some fond memories of it.
"Can we go to the pond real quick, I just wanna see if any animals are out right now?" Claire muttered out kindly, lightly jerking Leon's hand to turn left with her. "Sure thing baby." Leon agreed. It wasn't like it was out of their way or anything, it was close by actually. Leon enjoyed it too, he found gracefulness within the wildlife around here. He remembers growing up, he saw a wild fox and ever since, they've been one of his favorite animals. Claire's favorite animal is either a polar bear or red pandas, she switches it up often.
"Do you think there'll be any animals out at this time of night?" "Maybe, we'll see babygirl." Leon reassured her, the pond was visible in the distance. Lights dug into the ground lit up the area around the body of water. The moonlight also shimmered onto it, making it look even more winsome. There was a small wooden bridge that led up to it, it was sort of worn out and always creaked when you walked over it. It definitely needs some repairs but there's nothing they can do about it.
Once the pond was in her full view, Claire released a quiet sigh as she saw no ducks or geese around. It wasn't a big deal, Claire just likes spending time with them. "Sorry sweetheart, tomorrow we can walk up here in the early morning and check again, ok?" "Okay baby." Claire said. She dipped her petite hand into the water and swished it around, feeling how cold it was. "It's so cold." Claire giggled, taking her hand out of the water & shaking it off. "That's probably why they aren't out." Leon voiced, his arms crossed as his eyes remained on her.
Claire nodded her head in response, standing back up and holding her hand out for Leon to grab ahold of. "Let's walk down to the gazebo and then we can head back to my place, yeah?" "Yeah baby." Leon whispered in reply, locking his fingers with hers.
The two of them found their way back to the sidewalk. The street lights behind them were turned off now, the curfew for minors was up in their city. Kids have to be home before a certain time around here. It doesn't apply to Leon and Claire, luckily. "I think we should get a dog... Well, when we live together." Claire expressed, her lips glimmering up at him. "Oh really now? That's perfectly fine by me sweetie." "I want a big dog though, one that'll crash into bed with me and be the best cuddle buddy." Claire snickered. "We'll figure it out hun."
The gazebo they stop at on every single one of their walks in just up ahead. It's always lit up. Stringed lights are wrapped all around it. It was added not to long ago, no particular reasoning, just for comfortability for pedestrians. It even has built in cushion seats. It's very cozy, especially with the setting of it.
In the distance, as they continued to convoy down the pavement, the sound of faint classical music was heard. Both of them were confused. Where was this music coming from? It sounded very elegant - Like a song that was meant to be played at a Ball. "Baby, where is that?" "No clue, maybe a speaker?" Leon posed the question, analyzing his surroundings. "It sounds so beautiful but where the hell is it?" Claire chuckled out, her tone genuinely sounding puzzled.
They wandered onwards and searched for the source of the music. As they continued to keep going forward, the louder the music would get. It wasn't as if it was blaring, but it wasn't quiet. There were lights inside of a large building across the street, although neither of them even knew what the place was used for. "You think that's where it is coming from?" "Has to be." Claire mumbled out, squinting her eyes at the building.
"Maybe it's being rented out for a party or something." "That would make sense." Claire replied to Leon before talking again, "We can keep going now, I'm just nosey." "Of course you are." Leon huffed, a slight titter coming out from him.
The gazebo was in their line of view now, as they intended, it was lightened up. "Adding onto that dog conversation, if we do get one, we could take them on walks with us!" Claire exclaimed, an adorable giggle emitting from her. "Most definitely." Leon responded, giving her a quick grin. "I would like a cat too, Chris and Jill recently got one." "Oh did they?" "Yeah!" Claire smiled at her boyfriend. That music still hadn't stopped, it was still playing and each step they took, it only got more audible.
Leon stepped up onto the gazebo and sat down on it, patting a spot beside him for Claire. She let out a soft chuckle before sitting beside him. "I love how peaceful it is." Claire vocalized, her hands resting in her lap. She recently got a manicure so her nails looked all dolled up. "Me too. It's very calming." Leon agreed with his girlfriend. Even in silence, it felt tranquil. Nights like these are truly unforgettable. "Can I ask you something?" Claire said to Leon. "Ask away baby."
"Do you think our lives will ever get easier? You know, like with our line of work?" Claire had a melancholy tone. She didn't mean to bring the mood down or anything, she just sometimes thinks about the possibilites for her future. It's a scary thing to wonder about. "Oh honey." Leon said softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I really hope so." He muttered before kissing the top of her head. "I think it has a chance." Claire spoke with ambition. "That's a good mindset to have, my love." Leon praised her, she was very smart.
Claire and Leon sat in silence, just enjoying each other's company in their own ways. Claire rested her head on his broad shoulder, feeling at utter peace with him. Leon couldn't help but caress his thumb up & down on her shoulder, breathing deeply each time he stroked her. It felt so refreshing to spend the night out like this. Leon wishes they could do it more often but it's just not possible every single night like they'd hope for.
Within the distance, the both of them heard a new song begin to play. Claire shot her head back, a leer forming on her precious face. "Oh baby, I love this song!" Claire exclaimed, resting her head in her hand. "It sounds very romantic." Leon snickered out, listening in on the tunes as well. "Yeah, it's 'Forever' by the Little Dippers." Claire spoke sweetly, clearly she was admired by the song playing. "Yeah, I'm guessing there's a party on." Leon confirmed onto his statement from earlier.
Words began to form in the song rather than just the instrumental, the lyrics were one of a kind. Instantly, they reminded Leon of Claire. And Claire thought of Leon. "Baby?" "Yes?" Claire responded, her gaze stocked on his. "Have you ever like..." He paused, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Ever slow danced?" He mumbled out, adjusting his hair to try and act natural. "Oh, I mean, yeah, but not recently." Claire glimmered at him. "Why do you ask babe?" She wondered.
"Dance with me then." Leon stated, standing up and holding his hand out for her. At first, Claire didn't even know what to say. She could never even picture Leon dancing, let alone slow dancing. Giggling cutely, Claire set her hand in his, standing up alongside him. "But I don't really know how!" Claire snickered, placing her arms around his neck. "That's okay sweetheart, we'll learn together." Leon chortled, placing his hands onto her waist.
The two of them swayed together to the beat. Claire couldn't help but hum to the music as they danced together. "This feels so awkward." Claire whispered out, her eyes looking all around as if to not make eye contact. "A little bit." Leon cackled, squeezed her hips firmly momentarily. Leon's hand was pressed to her back, rubbing it as they danced. His other hand held onto her hip, holding her close to him. He could feel her hands roaming through his hair and rubbing his neck.
"I love when you touch me like that." Leon heaved out, closing his eyes as he held her close. "I know you do." Claire hushly spoke, her nails caressing through his hair and rubbing his neck firmly. Claire stared at him intently, watching his face as they danced together. The song seemed to have gotten louder but Claire couldn't tell whether or not it was her head or was reality. It really felt like it was just the two of them with the music. One with the song.
"I love you so much." "I love you too Claire." Leon muttered out. Claire sighed deeply before she then rested her head on his chest, her arms now wrapped around him in an embrace. Leon soughed and encased his arms around her shoulders, stroking her hair gently. Claire's nails dug into the back of his shirt. At this point, the dance slowed down immensely, it was just a long hug. Claire felt safe like this with him. "My pretty baby." Leon whispered before kissing the top of her head softly.
The song slowly began to fade out ; It wasn't a very long song to begin with. Although, Claire and Leon didn't let go of one another, they just continued to hug. "The song is over." Leon said to her with love. "I know handsome." Claire mumbled against his chest, her head was nestled against it. "Do you wanna go home now? Are you sleepy baby?" Leon asked her with kindness, his hands now caressing her warm back. She seemed spent.
"A little bit... Let's just stay like this a little while longer." Claire articulated, her body bundled up against his. "Okay babygirl." Leon chuckled. A new song began to play, this time, neither of them knew what it was called yet it was still such a romantic sounding song. Maybe someone was having a Wedding reception go on? Leon had no clue but it felt super fitting for the events of the night.
"I think we should move in together soon." Leon said calmly to her, pulling away to get a better look at her face. Claire's head shot up to look at him, a radiant look plastered on her face. "Do you seriously mean that?" Claire questioned, her hands gripping onto his shirt. "Baby, of course I mean it, it has to happen sooner or later." Leon snorted, moving his hand up to her face and stroking her cheek with passion. "I love you." Claire giggled out, standing onto her tippy toes, planting her lips against his.
Leon breathed in deeply, snuggling her close to him as he kissed her back. His heart warmed up completely as she kissed him. Their lips moved together in harmony. Claire pulled away and sighed again, yawning alongside it which also caused Leon to yawn too. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sleepy." Claire chuckled, grabbing his arm to hold on to. "Okay baby, let's get you to bed." Leon snickered.
"But I thought you wanted to watch that movie?" Claire asked, wandering off of the gazebo with him, the two of them beginning to walk home. "We can watch it tomorrow baby, I want you to get some rest." Leon snickered out, helping her step off of the gazebo. "If you say so honey." Claire replied, the two of them officially making their way home.
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tamelee · 6 months ago
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i gotta say that wattpad sns fics kinda hit different
i might be biased because i read my first sns fics on wattpad but they lowkey kinda just capture my attention plus the reader comments on random sentences lmao
where do you think is the best place to read sns ff?
Hi @mxhirus ! Oh I have a confession to make... I've never read SNS fics outside of ao3. It's definitely ao3 for me, but that may be biased from me as well>< I got scolded by my friend because my opinion on y/n fics isn't great, so she sent me a few from Tokyorev to read on Wattpad. Well, my opinion didn't change after reading them. I have thoughts on this... But I'll digress... Reading on Wattpad is annoying, I don't like it. Do you pay for it? These advertisements in between are obnoxious. If you don't 'save' the story then forget finding it again because it's literally gone when the stupid app logs you out every time for no reason. Sometimes it doesn't swipe correctly and it sends you a chapter back, but before you can correct that mistake, you first have to sit through a bunch of advertisements again omg. (Unless you of course pay which is a question that pops up every chapter too -.-) And they're loooooong as well D: Or ugh, those banners that literally cover the text, hello??? None of this is an issue on ao3. The little side-comments... I guess it's nice to read in between? I'm not sure if I'd feel the same as a writer though. There was one fic where the writer made a decision and there were a bunch of comments saying how they were going to quit reading and bashing them. It's a bit of a double-edged sword I think.
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hello-nichya-here · 11 months ago
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hey you expressed support for Palestine before, i was wondering what ur thoughts were on a volunteer for AO3 being warned and canned for supporting palestine? i don't see a lot of big fanfiction writers on ao3 talking abt this, and you aren't obligated to, but i feel like you would have a unique perspective (in a good way)
Okay, I've tried looking into it but everytime I just get linked back to the same post that talks about what alledgedly happened, but no links or screenshots to the actual thing, so if anyone can help me out with that so I can check how true it is, I'd appreciate it a lot.
Now, if it turns to be true... man, what a fucking disappointment. Not just because, obviously, supporting literal genocide is attrocious, but also because for years ao3 has been the anti-censorship website, so it suddenly deciding "Actually, we ARE going to ban you if you say stuff we don't like/agree with" is a terrible sign.
Again, if this is true, hit them (and especially OTW, who own them) where it hurts: no donations, and make sure to send emails contacting them to demand explanation/make it clear that the reason for lack of donations is them supporting genocide going back on their word and censoring people despite their main thing being "We're a goddamn archieve". It's an organisation that functions through volunteer work after all. After all the years of always surpassing their goal and getting extra donations all the time, that should scare them enough to bitchslap some sense into them.
As for the possibility of changing to a different site, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you guys that, but nobody who got used to ao3 is changing to fucking Wattpad and the likes because these sites are unusable, and Fanfic.Net is basically dead and glitching all the time AND a large portion of ao3's userbase jumped ship from Fanfic.Net and they're not coming back. There's a reason ao3 grew so fast it's because it was literally the only site that wasn't broken, unusable or heavily censored - and again, even if this fuckery is true and that last part seems to be at risk of going out the window, that still makes it the only fic site that is in any way functional.
Even if a perfect alternative were to magically appear today, it'd still take time for people to try it out, get used to it, like it, post stuff both there AND ao3 on the regular to build a community, and then finally move to the new alternative exclusively. It won't be an overnight thing.
As for the inevitable "but how can you continue using ao3 knowing what it supports" I'm gonna get even if this turns out to be a lie or misunderstanding: there's a big difference between a major company or super relevant government supporting something attrocious and a fanfic site supporting something attrocious.
Ao3/OTW doesn't have the money to buy Israel more guns and bombs. It isn't funding illegal mining in Congo that is killing toddlers like Tesla is, or making a bunch of chinese children work as slaves like Apple, and it is OBVIOUSLY not the same as Biden not only continuing to fund Israel's war effort but also randomly attacking Iraq and Iran just because americans always look for any excuse to bomb the middle east.
Ao3/OTW supporting Israel would be the popular kid in school or the neighbour everyone likes supporting Israel - disappointing, and at worst makes you worry about them influencing some morons to go "Well, BOTH sides have done bad things" or "It's just different opinions", but it won't actually kill anyone.
For now, I'm still on ao3, and on Belletristica despite their search function sucking, and I'm one of the five people that is still on Fanfic.net and will likely stay there until the site implodes for good. Worst comes to worst, you guys just have to google "Zucest" over and over until you inevitably find me somewhere.
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strawberryfairi · 7 months ago
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“I loved you then…back when I knew you”
Synopsis: 💎 When your old high school best friend, and admittedly, first love randomly shows up at your door one morning after a bit over ten years apart, your memories of him that you once locked away comes flooding back. Are you open to hearing him out after all this time? (In other words…will you take your man back or nah?)
♕Pairings: Kazutora X Black Fem Reader 🤎 (ANYONE CAN READ)🛑Content: 18+ Eventual smut, Some grief, Some angst ~Crossposted On: Wattpad & Ao3
w.c. 3.6k💠 Released April 14, 2024
NOTE🧚🏾‍♀️: Things are getting spicy!!! Love this fr
C.W.: Semi-naked, nipple play, mostly foreplay action
Previous | Next Chapter Chapters Masterlist
CHAPTER 12; GOOD ENOUGH
Kazutora was bewildered. The question of how did he get here rang in his mind for a while as he laid naked next to you in the soft, plush bed. Well, he knew how he got here, it's just...the fact that he actually managed to get this far, initiating it and pulling it off by himself, he was just...bewildered. If he were being completely honest with himself, he never imagined he'd ever get this far with you just after the first date. Originally all he was hoping for was a simple kiss, but he ended up scoring way more points than he anticipated. Maybe he really should give himself more credit?
Flashback Maybe two hours ago? Tora really doesn't know...
You could tell there was something wrong with him, with the way he's been so quiet and still held on to such a disappointed expression since the ride back to your apartment. The two of you stood out front of your door, a heavy silence hovering over the both of you.
"K, what's goin' on?" You ask softly, brows slightly furrowed in concern. He sighs, not really meeting your gaze.
"I just..wanted today to be perfect-good enough for you, but it ended up being the worst date you've probably ever been on." His tone sounds so defeated and sad, it really pulled on your heart strings.
"No, that's not true! I loved it! All I wanted was to just spend time with you, there's no need for anything to be perfect. Honestly, all the effort you put in to plan this entire day out for me is as perfect as it gets." You smile warmly.
There really was nothing wrong with how the day went overall, he just seems to be stuck overthinking. It was truly a sweet and well thought-out date. A few hours train ride to walk around this pretty botanical garden you've never been to, topped off with a picnic at the beach just twenty minutes away from the garden. It was all great...though he forgot to factor in just one thing. The weather. It rained as soon as the afternoon hit, and well, as soon as you both  left from the inside part of the garden.
His eyes go wide in complete shock. "Really?"
"Yes, I'm dead serious. It's not often guys put this much genuine thought and creativity into a date; especially not the first one." You assure.
"Well then...would you wanna do another one? Maybe not as hectic next time?" Kazutora asks with a little nervous chuckle.
"Absolutely." You nod, leaning up to give him a kiss on his cheek. "Would you wanna come inside for a while, I mean, since it's still raining pretty bad?" You suggest a bit uncharacteristically shyly, motioning towards the front door of your apartment.
"I-..are you sure? I wouldn't wanna be a bother-
"No, I want you to stay with me."
Something about the way you said that, with your eyes all sparkling up at him like a treasure chest full of shimmering diamonds, made him fold instantly. His thoughts echoed in his mind for a moment, repeating the same phrase.
She wants me to stay with her...
All he could do was just nod as he let you lead him inside your apartment. It was such a different experience from last weekend, when his heart was pounding in fear of how you'd respond to seeing him after such a long time away from you. Now his heart was racing for another reason, one that honestly excited him to the bone.
It's already pretty late, and now the two of you were here alone once again at your place. He hoped and prayed on the inside that he'd be able to build up the guts to finally make a move and kiss you, the same way you smoothly transitioned into that heated make out session with him the last time he was here. Admittedly, you'd somehow became much bolder than him over the years. He remembers way back when the smallest little things would have you blushing and looking off to the side in embarrassment. Ah, how the tables have surely turned.
Kazutora's just standing there in the center of your living room watching as you take off your coat, exposing that pretty floral dress he's been staring at nearly all day.
"You alright?" You snap him out of his daze with your innocent question.
"Y-yeah, sorry." He stammers, shrugging off his own coat and going to hang it up next to you by the little closest he didn't realize was even there until this moment.
"Let's hang out on the couch." You suggest with a lazy shrug, walking over to the cream colored couch, taking off your heels and leaving them by the side of it. Kazutora trails after you, trying yet failing miserably at calming his rapidly beating heart. When he sits down, his heart nearly stops as he looks down at you with wide eyes. You were leaning in so close, reaching a hand over near his waist. Were you already making a move?! He barely sat down for even a second!
But no, no you were not making a move. You were merely reaching for the remote that happened to be on the right of him.
You could have just asked him to grab it...Were you trynna be slick?
If so it was absolutely working to get him flustered like a little school girl. He watches from the corner of his eye as you sigh deeply, waiting for the TV to boot up so you could turn on Netflix.
Every time he's close to you it's like he finds something new to be mesmerized by. Your pretty brown eyes and long curly lashes, the way your hair is always just so big with those cute little coily curls, the way you smile- even how you're sitting so comfortably next to him in that little dress. The warm lights of the living room bounce off of your soft, smooth looking skin-gosh! It's just too much for him all at once. You're too much for him.
"I say we watch something sci-fi like. Whatever Netflix suggests I'll just turn on at random."
Kazutora just nods, not really caring about whatever movie you decide to turn on. His mind was too busy being occupied by you. 💎
Minutes turned into a half an hour turned into a full hour, and still no moves were made. In all this time his heart continues racing, his mind rapidly surging through his pitifully vacant inventory of ideas of how he could smoothly initiate a kiss.
What should he do? Should he hold your hand? Nah nah, that seems so cheesy, and he's not really sure how that would turn into a kiss.
Damn his lack of experience...
There was a sense of urgency that settled into him, time doing nothing but breezing  by as the night continues on. At some point he'd have to leave, and he refused to end the night without a kiss.
His eyes shift over towards you for the millionth time. You look so relaxed compared to him, sitting there next to him with your eyes fixed on the screen, fully invested in whatever was going on in the movie. Kazutora frowns, and the insecurity he's been feeling all day seeps its way back to the forefront of his mind.
I don't even deserve her...
The thought is so quiet yet it sets off the loudest alarms in his mind. You're so beautiful, and smart, and sweet. Basically everything he's not. All these years you've thought of him, and you cared about him even after the way he treated you that night he broke off your friendship. You even went and blessed him with a kiss the very same day he came back to explain himself to you!
On top of that, Kazutora's done some treacherous things-everyone knows that-but you, you're like an angel compared to him. You don't ruin every good thing you get your hands on like he does. Who's to say he won't turn around and hurt you all over again?
Then there's his complete and utter lack of romantic experience. Someone like you deserves a guy that can do all those romantic things for you well, satisfying you, and always being there for you. You should have-
"You ok? Why d'you look so sad?"
The sound of your pretty voice and little hand resting on his breaks his train of depressing thoughts.
"No, no I-..I'm fine." He shrugs nonchalantly.
"You lyin' to me?" You furrow your brows, voice sounding a bit shocked. Kazutora's heart sinks. You're way too observant.
"I'm sorry. It's really nothing." He asures, trying to put on his best pleasant tone. You look at him with a raised brow, clearly not buying it.
"You know, if you're gonna get into the whole lying gig, at least try not to wear your emotions all over your face." You advise softly, looking him right in the eyes. "You're obviously upset, so what's wrong?" You add, grabbing the remote and turning the TV volume down a little.
Kazutora bites his tongue. Sometimes your ability to read people comes along at the worst times. "I just..." He trails off, not wanting to lie but also feeling embarrassed about what was on his mind. "'S it about me? Did I do something?" You ask, eyes glossy with concern.
"No!" He responds faster than he intended. "No, you're...perfect." He sighs.
"It's really about me. Sometimes I...feel like I don't deserve to be around you." He admits somberly, not even bothering to look up at you. "What do you mean?! You can be around me! It's been so long!" You furrow your brows, placing your hand on his arm. "I know but, I mean, look at me. I'm nothing like you, you're so-
"So happy that you're in my life again. I understand after what went down between us years ago that you probably feel guilty still, but I already told you I forgave you for that. I like being around you; I love it even. All day I was just happy to do things with you like back then."
Kazutora's heart clenched tightly in his chest. Your words ring out in his mind like pretty wedding bells. For a while he was completely speechless.
She loves being around me...
He figured after such an endearing little speech like that, and with the way his heart felt so light and warm, this had to be his chance. Without another thought, Kazutora hesitantly leans in, placing his lips onto yours in a gentle kiss,..and you respond so fast. Your hand on his arm slides upwards until it rests on his shoulder, pulling him in a bit closer.
A heavy sense of triumph rests on Kazutora's shoulders, like a prince being crowned king, adorned with an opulent, long red and gold cape. Finally he made a move, and now he wants more. Your lips, your touch, your voice-just everything. Damn, you have so much power over him. You make him feel so weak yet so strong all at once, it's overwhelming.
Boldly, Kazutora takes the kiss a step further, placing his hands on your waist as his tongue eases its way passed the gateway of your lips. His cheeks turn deep pink as a little, airy moan from you vibrates against his lips. His thumbs gently caress your sides over the fabric of your pretty floral dress, the bottom now scrunched around your knees. You start to come closer, allowing Kazutora's hands to guide you further onto his lap. Using your hand on his shoulder to keep yourself stable, the other reaches for the hem of your dainty dress, hiking it up to your thighs as you sit down, your legs straddling either side of him.
Slowly you pull away, both of you breathing heavily as you look him in the eyes. "Still think you don't deserve me?" You ask in amusement. Your soft voice sounds like a song to him. "It's hard to think at all when you're on top of me like this." He admits with a bashful chuckle. Your light laughter joins in with his, making his cheeks darken even further.
"Do you like me on top of you like this?" You ask him playfully, enjoying the adorable look on his face. "Yeah." He says with a slight strained rasp. It was a miracle his voice didn't crack. His short lived moment of boldness was quickly disappearing on him. "I like it too. A lot." You whisper, sending an electric shock wave all throughout his body. The two of you lean in at nearly the same time, lips meeting each other half way for another passionate kiss.
This time your hands can't help but start to wander, slowly trailing downwards from his shoulders to his chest. A light giggle comes from you, hearing him let out a little gasp and tighten his grip around your waist. With a small grin you pull away from his rosy lips, plastering sweet kisses along his chiseled jawline then down to his neck, right on top of his tiger tattoo.
"I've always wanted to do this." You hum, the warmth of your breath tickling his neck. Kazutora feels himself visibly shudder, his heart beating so vehemently he was sure it was trying to force its way out of his chest. He didn't know kisses on his neck would feel so good. Instantly his breathing becomes heavier- breathier, subconsciously turning his head to give you more access. You react to him so quickly, spurred on by the low, sensual sounds he was making- alternating between kissing and sucking gently.
Kazutora feels hot all over, so damn hot, and what you're doing to him is even hotter. His eyes are closed, brows furrowed as he tries with everything in him to keep his moans more on the quiet side. He feels your soft moan and sigh against his skin as you plant another wet kiss on his tattoo, and then, your lips drag upwards until you reach his ear and whisper so seductively "I want you."
He nearly winces at the way his heart aggressively skips a beat in his chest. There's no way he heard you right. You want him? For real?!
"M-me?" He stammers dumbly, embarrassing himself.
"Mhm." You giggle lightly, pulling back so you could look at him. His light brown eyes are wide open, lips parted in shock.
"You mean like...?" He asks hesitantly. He had a pretty good feeling what you meant, it's just he couldn't believe it was true.
"You know what I mean." You answer softly, fiddling around with the hem of his shirt. Kazutora's gaze shifts down at your fingers messing with his top then back up to your pretty eyes.
"Do you want me?"
Your words unlock something deep inside him. For years he's never had anything close to a moment like this with you; or any girl for that matter. He's never had the chance to know what it feels like to be touched by someone else, only ever accustomed to the pleasures he'd give to himself. He realizes there's a whole world he's never had a chance to explore, of lust and sensuality and desire with another person- the world that you were more than willing to show him, right here-right now. The feelings he'd been so nervous and self-conscious to show had risen to the surface. He wants you bad, so bad he doesn't even bother to respond with words.
Without even a second of hesitation, Kazutora's hand slips behind your neck, locking you in place as he pulls you into a kiss that sets your whole body ablaze. This was different from before, he was less timid this time, less reluctant. It didn't take words to understand that his response was clearly and undoubtedly yes. He puts his all behind this kiss, leaving behind any lingering shreds of apprehensiveness.
Both of you moved with a particular desperation, like an itch you just couldn't reach. Your movements are impulsive, hands swiftly making their way underneath his cotton fabric shirt, and roaming around his muscular torso wherever your fingertips pleased. Kazutora follows your lead, his hands trailing down your back and resting on your plush thighs, barely covered by your lifted dress. Your skin is so smooth, so soft against his calloused hands. In perfect harmony you moan together, the mellow hums reverberating against each others lips.
You were becoming impatient, you needed more. Swiftly you take his hands from your thighs, dragging them over your body as you pull away from the kiss. He locks eyes with you, watching intently like a dedicated student as you bring his hands to the straps of your dress, eyes going wide in a conjunction of nervous excitement. Your heart is racing, feeling heat rise to your cheeks as the shyness kicks in.
He notices you hesitate, your gaze shifting downwards at the little flower designs on your dress, hands still resting atop his. It seems at the same time the awareness that there'd truly be no going back from this point hovered between the two of you. You both realize that, this entire time, you two were never really friends. It was always something more, but back then the both of you were too shy-too innocent to act on it. And now, a bit more than a decade later, there's nothing to hold either of you back; not anymore.
The sudden sensation of his fingers lightly dragging the left spaghetti strap of your dress off of your shoulder makes your heart jump. You raise your head, looking up into his eyes shyly. He continues, taking your other strap and shifting it off your right shoulder, looking up at you with his eyes ablaze with desire. Though his movements are slow, he seems braver than you in this moment. His pointer finger dips between the valley of your breasts, pulling down on the heart shaped neckline of your dress, exposing the upper half of you.
Kazutora sucks in a breath, his face piping hot as he takes in the sight of you. It was nearly killing him looking at you like this, sitting on top of him, half naked and shy. You're too damn cute, and beautiful, and sexy all at the same time. He wonders for a moment how that's even possible.
"Your staring is making me nervous..." You admit softly, turning your head to the side as you cross your arms over your exposed chest. "Sorry. I-I just-...you look beautiful." He fumbles for the right words, taking your arms and removing them from your torso. His mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts that he can barely keep up with, he could hardly manage to speak. He wanted to grab your pretty breasts, squeeze them, lick them- suck on those pretty, pebbled nipples.
So he does just that. Shakily his hands cup your breasts, eliciting a soft gasp from your lips. Damn, they're even softer than he imagined. Instinctually his thumbs raise to your nipples, lightly brushing over them and watching attentively for your reaction. An airy moan like a soft whisper reaches his ears, echoing through his mind like a song on repeat. He needs to hear it again.
He runs his thumbs back and forth against your nipples, basking in the way your brows slightly crease together, and the way your chest rises and falls with every labored breath you take. You seem sensitive here, every little movement gives him the prettiest reactions. He takes things a bit further, leaning forward and giving your left nipple a gentle kitten lick. That makes you gasp, and moan even louder than before, and he loves it. He licks another time, and once more, swirls his tongue around your bud like a lollipop, then takes your soft nipple between his lips. At this moment Kazutora swears he could die like this, it's just so perfect.
No, you're so perfect.
The way your hands run through his long hair, resting there and slightly pulling him closer-ughh, it's turning him on such an indecent amount. His free hand snakes across your waist, shifting you towards him as much as possible. Then your hips move on their own, steadily grinding into his ever growing erection. He sucks in a breath, hands quickly grabbing your hips in a tight grasp as he sets his attention on your other breast. Unconsciously, your hips are guided back and forth by his hands, the friction utterly dizzying.
Kazutora trails his tongue hungrily from the valley of your breasts up to your neck, scattering light kisses and gently sucking all along the way. Softly you pull away from him, tugging on his shirt to signal you want it off. He obliges, leaning up from the couch so you could lift his shirt over his head. Seconds after you throw his shirt to the side your lips are crashing together in a needy kiss. The feeling of your bare chest against his has him damn near seeing stars. And then, you pull away, whispering breathlessly into his ear "Wanna go to my room?"
A/N🧚🏾‍♀️: Stoooop Ik y'all are mad at me, the cliffhanger is HEINOUS😭 But don't worry I'm cooking up the next chapter right neeooooow👩🏾‍🍳
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olderthannetfic · 2 years ago
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I'm not sure if anyone has said this before, but I always thought the reason why m/m dominates in fandom (generally speaking) is because a lot of fandom writers are women who grew up suffering under the patriarchy, and they want to see romances where they can project themselves onto either lead character without having to experience misogynistic attitudes, negative female stereotypes, and subconscious biases directed at either character.
I know that's why *I* personally started reading m/m, and over the years I've wondered if this is the reason why m/m has surged in popuarity with cis and het women.
Certainly, I read m/f and f/f too, but it just doesn't feel the same. Most writers grow up shaped by societies that favor men, and many stories will feature societies that favor men, and having this be a world-building *factor* is almost inescapable. Every female character I read is either consciously or subconsciously fighting against/fulfilling society's expectations of her, and it's exhausting after awhile because it hits too close to home.
Of course, there's great value in showing women tackling these systemic prejudices. We absolutely need these stories too. But when it comes to romance, I just want to be swept away to a place where I don't have to think about any of that for awhile, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to project myself onto a male character, who is romancing another male character.
Because while these characters might face prejudice of a different sort, any kind of homophobia aimed at them usually targets both simultaneously, making it a shared burden. Whereas in m/f, misogyny will single out the woman. (And f/f will sometimes have the characters face homophobia + misogyny, a depressing double whammy.) But M/m has a way of equalizing the two parties in a way that frees them up to deal with romantic obstacles unrelated to patriarchal bullshit, and personally I find that extremely comforting and inspiring to read. Yes, it's wish-fulfillment. But isn't that why we read romance in the first place?
--
M/M does not dominate in fandom.
It dominates on AO3, a site set up by m/m shippers to protect m/m fic from being deleted.
There's plenty else we can discuss here, but it's pointless to even start if people don't have the basic starting knowledge that FFN and Wattpad are full of het.
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oceangirl24 · 8 months ago
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Flashbacks: Glory Days 1
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It was incredibly frustrating to hit more than one perfect shot yet having each one end up nowhere near the hole. He took that frustration out on the ball with a wonky, thoughtless whack that sent it straight through the pipe and into the hole.
Shawn stared at the course questioning his life choices before Jon pulled him on to the next hole.
The Windmill, which was his best hole on the Jersey Shore, was abysmal in Lancaster. He could not get the shot he wanted, which was the windmill itself. Jon got aggravated and told him to just play around. Shawn had not "played around" since he was eleven. He wasn't about to start again at fifteen.
However, the course insisted that he did.
The Windmill mocked him as it lazily turned in the breeze. He was way over par and holding up play for everyone else. Jon, apologizing to the families behind them for his son's silent temper tantrum, confiscated Shawn's putter and all but carried him to the next hole.
As Jon and Audrey took their turns, Shawn watched the family behind them.
The seven-year-old got a hole in one.
"She cheated!" he squawked indignantly, shoving his putter in the girl's direction. "Look! She picked the ball up and set it right in front of the windmill. That's illegal."
Distractedly, Jon looked away from Audrey who was lining up her shot. "She's a little kid, Shawn."
"So?" He stared in horror at the same hole. "Ah! What's that!?"
The youngest child in the family, five at the most, kept hitting his ball before it came to a stop, counting one every time the putter touched the ball. He made the hole with "one" shot.
Shawn was infuriated by the unfairness of it all.
"Lemme ask you somethin'," Jon said, amused by Shawn's dramatics. He put his hands on top of the putter's shaft and leaned on it.
"What?" he snapped, still glaring at the little kids.
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen,' he snapped sullenly. He caught Jon's look and explained, "Mr. Matthews wouldn't let Cory and me do stuff like that when we were little kids. He made us play like adults."
"So?"
"So why don't they have to play like adults?"
Jon gave the little kids a puzzled look then nudged Shawn to take his turn on the current hole. "I don't know, they aren't my kids."
"I'm your kid," he said, stubbornly refusing to move on. "Do I have to play like an adult?"
"Are you kiddin' me?"
"Dead serious, man." Shawn glared at the windmill.
"You really wanna do-over on the windmill, don't you?"
"That kid got one!" He shrugged his shoulders trying to line up his shot, but he couldn't focus. "That stupid thing killed my score."
"Yeah" Jon sighed, rubbing his thumb across his forehead. "And Audrey is killin' us both. It really doesn't matter anymore."
Read the Rest:
AO3 FFN Wattpad
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bardicbeetle · 8 months ago
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hey. Hey. You got any analysis of the Lost Boys or thoughts on the movie to share? who's your favorite character in it and why??
@abalonetea
Analysis on the movie I've been many levels of obsessed with since age 14 you ask?
...this is going to end up undercut for length I can already feel it.
The Lost Boys is my comfort movie, my I-feel-like-shit-nothing-is-fixing-it movie, my I-can't-write-please-help movie and my go-to for when I am inflicting media upon a new friend. I know it backwards forwards, upside down and inside out, I own the out of print novelization written by Craig Shaw Gardener, I posted the original prequel script to fanfiction.net in the early 2010s because I found it buried in a forum post and wanted it to be easier to find, I have listened to every version of cry little sister that G Tom Mac has ever put out in addition to the entire stage musical he produced. The fic I wrote for it in 2011 is still on Wattpad and to this day for some fuck ass reason gets 1000s of hits per year. I have another fic for it on ao3 that still takes up brainspace for me on a minimum weekly basis.
I.
Honestly do not know who I am as a writer if not for this film.
It is such a huge part of who I am as both a fan of media and a vampire writer and as a horror enjoyer in general.
And it is undeniably, baked into its bones, queer as fuck.
Not just from the overt point of here is a film in the 1980s about men sharing blood, directed by an openly gay man, hands us platonic and familial and romantic interactions between male characters, who are allowed to hold one another, allowed to express emotion, allowed to exist freely and without shame I am--so very abnormal about this movie.
I'll be the first to admit it's not perfect by any means, it very much exists a time capsule of its era, but also, to momentarily put the bar on the floor, it isn't slur laden and full of take-backs for any of the emotional vulnerability like other things around then were (see: Once Bitten, which while unarguably very much more on the comedy side of horror-comedy, i'm going to put into the same category by virtue of Camp Vampire Movies of the 80s).
It hands us one of my favorite mothers of all time. Lucy Emerson is a treasure, she spends the whole movie trying her goddamn best to remember that she is stronger than anyone gives her credit for. That she chose to divorce an abusive man, pick up her two sons, and leave without more than signing the papers and getting out. She doesn't care if they're poor, she doesn't care if she could have gotten something from her ex-husband, she wants her boys safe and there is a very large implication that sticking around to do the whole song and dance would have ended badly. Lucy lives for her sons, she wants so badly to make the world easier for them than it was for her, she wants to be part of their lives and part of their interests even if she does not understand them, and I maintain that Had Max Actually Succeeded, it would not have been long before the Lost Boys themselves were Lucy's as much as her own two sons, and that would not have ended well for Max. Protecting mother, lioness, made to be underestimated so you are always caught off guard.
Edgar and Alan Frog are near and dear to my heart, these idiot vampire hunter children were just so very much what my brother and I were in terms of Making Up Games To Play--ignoring the fact that for these two it's real, not that it ever had been before the Emerson family rolled into town and Sam's brother got mixed into the Lost Boys group. Edgar wanting to be in charge of things and wanting to protect the people he cares about and the town he is too stubborn to admit he loves despite being what, 12? 14? Alan being quieter but just as absolutely ready to go "yeah we are totally experts at this" as his twin, the fact that neither of them have any idea what they are getting into. Dipping barely into the sequels territory (which...they aren't good. by any definition. but Edgar and Alan are the best part of them both) we get Edgar dealing not only with his perceived loss of Alan to half-vampirism, but his whole loss of Sam after having to kill him and I just.
Ugh.
NOW, dipping into the main event there is Michael, who spends this whole movie just trying to figure out where the hell he's supposed to belong at this point. He doesn't see any point in starting a new high school in his senior year, he doesn't want to upset his mother by just absolutely dropping off the planet, he cares deeply about his family and wants to help however he can because they are struggling for money. So what does this seventeen year old kid do? He starts picking trash up off the beach for eight hours a day. He gives that money to his mother under the guise of it being "leftover from christmas" because he doesn't want her to worry about him working. He feels so fucking lonely without the friends he left behind in Phoenix and he feels like he's too old to supplant himself into a new friend group in Santa Carla before everyone goes their separate ways after high school anyways.
Enter Star and the Lost Boys.
Yes, Michael is taken in by Star because she's beautiful and mysterious and he's a teenage boy seeing nipples through a tank top, but beyond that he sees in her, in David and the others, how self sure they all are of the decisions they've made. This group is all within his age, they're all living in a goddamn sunken hotel half claimed by the ocean, they have motorcycles like him, they smoke weed and eat chinese food and Marko keeps pigeons and Dwayne can skateboard and Paul is a music nerd and what the fuck how do they manage to seem like they have their lives more together as a group of teenage runaways than he does?
He's enamored with it, obsessed with it, the movie speeds up a timeline of something that does in fact happen over the course of a couple weeks, of him hanging out with them, slowly experiencing more and more symptoms of vampirism from the blood he drank the first night, unable to stop coming back, unable to really figure out what it is they have figured out that he doesn't, and hoping that maybe if he stays with them he will eventually feel the same confidence in his own existence that they do.
But couple that with the horrifying reality that he is becoming a monster. His younger brother is terrified of him, the family dog bites him, the horses won't go near him, he pulls a mouse out of a trap freshly dead and squeezes it like a spent juice box into his mouth, he is falling apart at the seams by the time David decides it's time to finish things. And that's what David wants, he wants Michael in a position where he is no longer lucid enough to resist once there's blood in the air.
And it almost fucking works.
I stand by my belief that the entire movie hinges on the beach party where the Lost Boys kill a whole bunch of Surf Nazis. The whole thing, the outcome of the final fight, the failure of Max's plan, all of it hangs on that one night, and whether or not Michael can actually manage not to give into the bloodlust. He does manage, obviously, he leans into the shock and fear and near throws himself out of that tree because he knows that if he doesn't, he will join the blood bath happening not ten feet away. He is starving and exhausted and everything in him is screaming that if he just gave in, it would all feel so much better.
But he doesn't.
He lays in the sand until he cannot hear any heartbeats left.
Lays there clawing his hands into the ground like if he can hold himself still enough then maybe this will stop being real.
Three of the four boys don't pay much mind to this, Dwayne Paul and Marko have slipped back into regular antics despite being coated red. Their faces have returned to normal, their eyes no longer brilliant gold rimmed red, they are laughing and shoving and having a good time.
But David is furious. He's quiet about it, he isn't loudly angry, something I think he probably absorbed from Max over the years, he tells Michael what needs to be done if he wants to stay with them, and then he and the other Lost Boys leave him there in the sand, burnt flesh and ashes drifting down to him on the breeze.
The thing about David is that he realized the night on the train bridge that he didn't care about Max's bullshit plan. He didn't care that he was originally going to feed Michael to Star. He is fixated on getting Michael to join them, not just for himself, not just to keep Star around, but also because there's a refusal to give up in this kid that has him excited, a stubbornness that he wants to break. It's the thing that eventually leads to his death.
ANYWAYS.
I think, perhaps, I have yelled enough.
Oh, shit, favorite character.
I think without any doubt it has to be David. Especially after reading the novelization, the comics, the original prequel script, he's just, he is such an interesting character and his motivations are so obvious despite how much he would appear to hold them close to his chest. He's a root character I can trace a lot of the tropes that carry over in my own antagonists to, and some of my protagonists as well.
double anyways, camp vampires from 1987 my beloved.
Thank you Katie <3
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