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my-unmanageable-mischief · 4 years ago

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New Norm Part 2

Hello!!! I’m back with the highly requested part 2 of my New Norm series. I am defiently open to a part 3 as well if people continue to enjoy it. Not too too much ‘plot’ here, just getting back to school while trying to navigate a new relationship. Some tender moments, and some very cuddly Sirius. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it!!

Part 1

Sirius Black x Reader

The last few weeks of summer we’re the longest and most brutal weeks of your life, and for the first time you felt you understood Sirius and how he became the lighthearted boy he portrayed daily at Hogwarts. When dealing with trauma, and Merlin his mother was traumatizing, people adapted in different ways. Never have you seen such polar reactions as you saw with Sirius and the dutiful Regulus.

Sirius spent the first week you were living at Black Manor picking fight after fight with his mother. Not that she didn’t start her own plethora of ‘disagreements’. You could tell Sirius got something significant out of disobeying her and making her angry, much to your demise; as the woman began taking it out on you as well. She would nitpick you worse than your own grandmother. Sit up straight, ladies shouldn’t speak out of turn (Not that she didn’t do plenty of speaking), and most recently, a wife should know how to cook. So you spent hours of your day locked up with the awful Kreacher in the kitchen.

After a conversation one evening in hushed voices, curled up under the covers he had apologized to you.

“I’m sorry about my mother,”

“Sirius, it isn’t your fault,” You assured, playing with a loose string of his duvet.

“I don’t help it,” He admitted, staring up at the ceiling. Your hands paused and you turned your head to look at him sadly.

“Maybe not, but I can’t blame you either. She’s a witch, and I mean that as an insult. Like the Snow White kind.” Sirius turned to you making a face.

“What’s a Snow White?” You chuckled, shaking your head.

“Oh nevermind, just.. God I know it’s easier said than done, but, try and ignore her? We’ll be back at Hogwarts in no time, away from her. And then my mother said next summer we will have our own home.” Sirius gazed at you for a moment before turning away to look at the ceiling again. He didn’t answer, though you gave him room to do so. Finally you stopped your fiddling with the string and reached over, taking his hand in yours and squeezing.

“We’ll be alright.” You promised him as well as yourself. You had to be, you had no choice. Sirius squeezed your hand back and didn’t let it go for the rest of the night. Eventually silence ebbed into static breathing and light snores, and when the sun peeked through the window, you were still in bed, fast sleep, hands clasped. Sirius woke up first that morning and laid there for a while longer as you slept. He remembered his vows, that he would protect you, and that included from his own mother. If that meant becoming complacent in her demands for these next few weeks- that was something he was willing to do. For you.

Finally the morning of September 11th, 1978 came, it was a cool morning for the end of summer, but sunny. You and Sirius were dropped promptly at Kings Cross station, receiving lectures on behavior. Sirius and his father shared a few words in private that left him scowling for a good majority of the morning, even after you had found Potter, Pettigrew, and Lupin in one of the train compartments.

They eyed you funnily the entire train ride, and you did your best to ignore the gazes. Sirius had told you that he had told them about his wedding, but it was different now in person.

“So is she going to be hanging out with us now? All the time?” James eyed you skeptically and you raised your eyes from your novel to narrow them at the boy.

“She has ears, and is capable of responding to you herself.” Sirius glanced at you, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. It was the closest you’d seen him to smiling since you boarded, and that fact was not lost on the other Marauders.

“Are you going to be hanging around all the time now?” He asked, pouting slightly. James Potter could have received straight Os if being a git was a class at Hogwarts, but you knew he was also a sweet and caring boy, when he wasn’t being 17. You had a feeling he wasn’t keen on sharing his best mate, not that you blamed him.

“James, she’s my wife now.” Sirius muttered, glancing out of the window. Potter made a face.

“I know and it's weird.” You rolled your eyes, opening your book back up and slouching in your seat.

“And you think that is lost on us? We know it’s weird. We’re living it.” James looked ready to continue but Remus cleared his throat and gave him a warning look. A silent conversation you weren’t privy too took place between the two boys and James shrugged, going back to his Quidditch magazine. You finally reached the doors to the Great Hall hours later and Sirius turned to you.

“Sitting with us?” He asked, you looked past him to James and shook your head.

“I think I��ve intruded on boy time quite enough for one day, I’m going to go find my dorm mates.” You admitted, James had the decency to look guiltily at his feet.

“Alright, I’ll see you later.” You hadn’t kissed since you were pronounced man and wife, but you had taken to holding hands in rare private moments you had gotten together. He reached out to you, allowing his hand to awkwardly drop onto your shoulder. He squeezed before letting go and you offered him a smile before turning to go find your friends, you had missed them.

That night was the first night you had not eaten together in a month, and it was weird for you. You glanced down the table a few times, making eye contact with Sirius. When your eyes would meet he’d smile at you reassuringly, and you always returned it. Meanwhile, your friends gushed about how lucky you were, married to the most gorgeous, the most wanted man at Hogwarts. You didn’t feel very lucky, nor did you think they could understand. So you smiled and nodded, and laughed, like things were how they always were. But they were not. They never would be.

When you entered the common room that night Sirius and his crew were already sitting in their seats closest to the fire, Sirius waved you towards him, but you were in the middle of a (dull) conversation with your friends about whose bum had gotten the fittest over the summer, so you shrugged, going to sit with them. About half an hour later someone approached your group and you looked up surprised to see Sirius.

“Y/N,” He greeted you, and you smiled.

“Hey, what’s up?” Your friends around you tried to stifle their giggles and hid smiles behind hands, something Sirius was used to, but for some reason, in that moment it bothered him. Were they laughing at him? Had you been laughing at him?

“Can we talk for a mo?” He asked, and for a moment he almost looked nervous, but mostly he looked slightly ticked off. You frowned. What had you done?

“Of course,” You nodded, getting up from the armchair you had been longing in. You followed Sirius silently through the common room, aware of his friend’s eyes on you as you went. You reached the corridor and he walked you a little further before sitting in an alcove. You sat with him.

“Are you angry with me?” He asked so suddenly it took a moment to process, your frown deepened.

“Merlin, no, should I be?” You asked, turning to face him, with your hands rested in your lap. He shrugged and wouldn’t look at you. “Have I done something to upset you, Sirius?” You asked gently. He shook his head no before shrugging.

“Why were your friends laughing at me? Why didn’t you sit with me?” He asked, and you sighed, taking his hand gently in yours, causing him to look at you.

“Because they think you’re cute,” You smiled slightly, nudging him, “And they think it’s brilliant I’ve gotten to marry you when half of Hogwarts would die to get ten minutes in a broom closet with you.” He smirked slightly, which made you feel better. That was the Sirius you knew. “And I didn’t sit with you because.. Because I am trying to give you space. This is new and scary. For both of us I’m sure. I don’t want you to feel like I’m smothering you, and I can tell James isn’t too keen on me, I don’t want him thinking I’m stealing his best mate.”

“But were different. I’m not married to James.” You laughed at that,

“I wouldn’t tell him that.” You joked and Sirius let out a small chuckle himself.

“You’re not smothering me. I... I enjoy you being around. I would like you to know my friends, they’re my real family after all.” You squeezed his hand again and he lifted your hand to his lips, kissing the back of it.

“I’ll sit with you lot more often then, just tell James to go easy on me. And don’t think I will be helping with any of your tomfoolery,” You chided jokingly, “My mother will have a cow,”

“Well good thing I’m your husband, I’m in charge of you now,” He grinned and you used your free hand to whack him.

“In charge of me?” You laughed, “Watch yourself, Black.”

“Oh Black huh? Well you’re Mrs. Black.” You froze at that, and something truly haunting dawned on you. Tomorrow classes started. You were no longer Ms. Y/L/N... would your teachers be calling you Ms. Black? If the whole school didn’t already know by now, they certainly would tomorrow.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He asked, resting your entwined hands in his lap.

“I’m Mrs. Black,” You repeated, he nodded, not catching on. “Everyone will call me such.”

“Does that upset you?” You shook your head.

“No no, not upset. I mean, everything is just different now? Even my name.”

“I don’t really fancy it either, don’t worry,” He joked, but you knew he was serious. “We can change it.”

“Sorry?”

“When you graduate, when we move and have jobs we can change it- to whatever you’d like.”

“I’m not sure your mother will allow that.” Sirius shook his head defiantly.

“Once I, well now you I suppose, graduate, I have no intention of doing anything that old bat has to say.” He puffed his chest out slightly, putting on an air of confidence. Your head swum slightly. If that were the case, wouldn’t you simply divorce? “Y/N,” He continued, voice lower and more gentle.

“Hm?”

“It’s going to be weird sleeping alone tonight,” He admitted sheepishly, glancing at your hands, “I’ve gotten quite used to you, I admit.” You smiled at that, leaning against him.

“I won’t miss the snoring,”

“Oi, I don’t snore!” He laughed and you grinned nodding your head.

“You do, love. But I will miss it too,”

“Come visit?” He asked wiggling his eyebrows at you again, you whacked him once more.

“No I think I’ll let you suffer, just for that.”

“Evil.”

“That’s me,” Sirius stood up, bringing you with him before releasing the hand he was holding to put his arm around your shoulder.

“Come sit with us?” He questioned, “I promise James will be good.” You nodded, leaning into the boy's touch.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me.” You spent the rest of your night at Sirius’s side.

James was civil but you could tell he still wasn’t fond of you or your newly added presence. From that moment forward you spent nearly all your time out of class with the group of boys. You found a friendship in Remus, he was a kind boy, with similar interests. You enjoyed studying together while the others mucked around, and you talked about literature together. Even James was coming around on you, though you two still bickered constantly. Sirius once called it “Sibling rivalry.” which made you laugh. But you could tell how fiercely James cared for Sirius, it made your heart feel warm, knowing he had people to look out for him. Even Peter wasn’t bad to be around, he was funny when he wasn’t being vulgar, though he loved making jokes about the fact that Sirius was now a married man and ‘on a leash,’.

You didn’t feel like Sirius was on a leash, and certainly not your leash. You were married by your parents' request, not dating. If he wanted to go snog some slag he was more then welcome to. At least that was the lie you told yourself. Girls continued to throw themselves at Sirius, I guess a wedding ring didn’t mean much to them, and you were increasingly more surprised every time he politely turned them down. You began to relax more, maybe he wouldn’t?

One evening you all sat in the boys dormitory. Peter was practicing chess, Remus was reading and taking notes. James was laying on his back at the foot of Sirius’s bed, you were sitting back against the boy’s pillows, as he was resting his head in your lap. Sirius and James were debating the validity of some prank they wanted to pull- whether they could pull it off or something like that. You weren’t paying attention, you were reading, occasionally running your fingers through the hair of the boy who was in your lap.

“You’re making me sleepy,” He suddenly yawned, turning away from James and burying his face into your jumper. You smiled, not looking up from your reading.

“So go to sleep,”

“Get a room, you two.” James complained, whining from the bottom of the bed.

“We’re in a room, you’re the one in my bed mate.” Sirius laughed, wrapping his arm around your middle and cuddling into you. As time past Sirius became more and more physically affectionate with you. Not that you minded, it was comforting having someone around whom you could simply touch. James huffed, dramatically getting off the bed, pulling the curtains shut with a great flourish.

“Use a silencing charm for our sake!” He called.

“Piss off mate,” Sirius laughed and you chuckled slightly rolling your eyes.

“He’s just jealous you don’t cuddle him like you used to.” James made an indignant noise from the other side of the curtain and you heard him stalk away to his own bed. You carded your fingers through Sirius’s hair for a few more moments before letting out a yawn of your own.

“I should go to bed,” You murmured, hand stilling. Sirius let out a small whine and you smirked, gently tugging on one of his locks.

“So go to bed,” He joked, mirroring your earlier words. You started to move and Sirius’s arms around you tightened, pulling you to him. “Here,” He asked and you sighed, patting his head.

“And if we’re caught?” You questioned.

“Live a little, love. Girls are always sneaking into the boys dorm for sleepovers, at least we’re married.”

“I doubt McGonagall will care for that small difference.”

“Please?” Sirius asked, looking up at you through his lashes, batting them at you sweetly. You sighed, shaking your head.

“Fine, you’re a bad influence one me, you know that?”

“That’s the kindest thing a woman has ever said to me,” He grinned, peeling himself from you to sit up, “I’ll get you something to sleep in.” You hummed softly. Sirius disappeared for a moment and came back with a t-shirt for you, handing it over. You watched from your position on his bed as he undressed himself, you felt your cheeks going rosy. Once Sirius was down to his boxers he crawled back into bed beside you, nudging you. “Get changed, I wanna cuddle,” He murmured to you and your blush deepened. You stood up, standing beside the bed and facing away from Sirius as you removed your jumper, pulling the shirt on over your head. It was plenty long on you. Next you removed your skirt, leaving your clothes in a pile beside his head. You turned back around and Sirius was watching you, his own small blush. “C’mere.” He offered you his hand and you took it, allowing him to pull you down to him.

You situated the covers around you both before allowing the boy to snuggle up to your side, his head on your chest. You resumed your earlier activity of running your hands through his hair.

“Thank you for staying,” He murmured and you smiled, dropping a kiss onto the top of his head before you could think about the action.

“Of course.”

“You’re welcome in my bed, anytime.” He promised and you rolled your eyes, gently tugging his hair again.

“Don’t ruin the moment, arse.” He chuckled, tangling your legs together beneath the duvet. Sirius fell asleep to the sound of your heart beating firmly in your chest, it was the best lullaby he had ever heard. You played with his hair until his quiet snoring started before simply resting your hand on his head. It took you longer to fall asleep but you eventually did, enjoying the company of the other- you hadn’t realized how much you missed just sleeping with the boy. And this new found cuddling between the two of you really added to the whole experience.

In the morning you were rudely awoken by James, who threw the curtain of your bed open with a scowl.

“Are you wearing clothes?” He questioned, “I was kidding when I said to use a silencing charm, I don’t want you two shagging when I’m five feet away-”

“Mate,” Sirius groaned, rolling over, glaring at the boy, “Shut up,” James huffed, crossing his arm.

“Y/N better get back to her dorm before all her roommates wake up and wonder where she’s been all night.” You groaned, stretching your arms over your head.

“Thanks Jamie,”

“Don’t call me that!” He whined, shuffling away, you laughed as you untangled yourself from Sirius’s limbs, standing up.

“Do you have to go?” He asked, frowning.

“I will see you at breakfast,” You rolled your eyes, grabbing your discarded clothes from the floor. Sirius frowned, flopping back onto the bed, crossing his arms. It made you laugh, god how he and James had grown to be alike over the years. Or maybe they found each other because they were already so alike.

“Do you want to go on a date?” Sirius asked you one morning during breakfast, your mouth full of food. You raised an eyebrow at him as you swallowed.

“Hm?”

“A date, Y/N.” Like that clarified anything.

“Is there a Hogsmeade weekend coming up?” You questioned him and he grinned, shaking his head no.

“So what, you want to go on a date in the common room?” You laughed, shaking your head at the boy, “Don’t we do that every night?”

“Not the common room, I want to show you something.” You eyed him suspiciously and he flushed slightly laughing, “Not that, who's got a dirty mind now?”

“Still you mate,” Remus interrupted and Sirius shot him a glare, but he quickly recovered, grinning at you again. You weren’t sure you liked that look.

“Sure,”

“Brilliant, be ready tonight at 8pm, in the common room.” You nodded your head, continuing to eat. Whatever he was up to, you were sure you’d be finding out soon enough. That night you got dressed, listening to advice from all your dorm mates.

“Wear a dress!”

“Let me do your makeup please!”

“No no wear the blue skirt with the cream jumper.”

“Do you think you’ll snog?” You shrugged helplessly, ignoring all of their advice and going with your favorite pair of jeans instead and a black and white striped jumper.

“I hardly know.”

“I think it’s weird. You’re married but you don’t snog.”

“They cuddle, that’s for sure.” You flushed slightly, rolling your eyes.

“We sorta skipped a bunch of steps. It’s hard. Our relationship is unique.” You tried to explain to them. You and Sirius didn’t have some play book you could look to to figure what you should be doing and when. You were all on your own in this, on your own; together. You allowed your friend to apply a small amount of makeup to you, no more than you would wear any other day. You didn’t want to seem like you were trying too hard- because you weren’t. You shouldn’t be. It’s not like you had to woo him or anything. Right?

You went down to the common room at 8 where Sirius was sitting with the boys waiting for you.

“Y/N!” He called excitedly, jumping up from the sofa, “You ready to go?” He asked and you nodded, coming to him and accepting his outstretched hand.

“Be good!” Remus called jokingly, waving from his spot in one of the armchairs.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” James added and Sirius threw them the finger over his shoulder before leading you from the common room.

“So,” You started, skipping slightly beside him, grinning up at the boy, “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, you’ll see.” You followed Sirius up to the 7th floor corridor and were met with an expanse of blank wall, you eyes him suspiciously.

“Very nice, Sirius.” You put the hand not holding his on your hip.

“Just watch!” He assured you excitedly, “Me and James found this place 5th year when we were running from Filch. Suddenly it was there,” You listened intently, still staring at the blank wall. Maybe you were missing something? “So we did some experiments, and I think we figured it out. Remus read about it in a book we nicked from the restricted section. Apparently it’s called the Room of Requirements, or the Come and Go Room.” You looked away from the wall up at Sirius, blinking at him. He smiled down at you, nodding towards the wall, when you looked back there was a door and you gasped.

“How?”

“No idea,” He shrugged, “But it turns into whatever you need it to.” You looked at the door in awe.

“Really?” You asked, shocked.

“Yup, come on,” He tugged you forward, opening the door and ushering you in. Once you were inside you were met with a small room that closely resembled the Gryffindor common room, but maybe only one forth of the size. It had a sofa in front of a large roaring fire, there were candles lighting the rest of the room, and a few fluffy blankets sitting on the sofa.

“This is lovely,” You breathed. He pulled you towards the sofa and you allowed him to guide you. He sat down and pulling you down beside him. You sat close to him and he placed his arm around your shoulder. You pulled one of the blankets off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around both of you, leaning into him.

“Thank you,” He smiled, glad you liked it. It had taken him ages of brainstorming to decide what you both needed, for your first proper date. And in the end, he decided, simpler was probably better. You weren’t really one for grand gestures.

“How are your classes,” He asked, playing with a lock of your hair, looking at you. You were warm from the fire, but your chest felt even warmer, something fire couldn’t cause. You shrugged, leaning slightly into his touch.

“Alright, not as hard as your stuff I’m sure, but everyone’s making sure we’re preparing for the NEWTs already. It does my head in.”

“I’ve never asked you what you want to be when you graduate,” He tilted his head thoughtfully and you smiled slightly looking down.

“I’d like to be a curse-breaker,” You admitted, Sirius nudged you until you looked at him.

“That’s brilliant, you’ll do wonderfully.” You shrugged, flushing slightly at the complement.

“Maybe. I’m struggling with charms this year though.”

“Is Remus helping you?”

“Yes but still,”

“You’re brilliant, Y/N.” He assured you, resting his forehead against yours. You smiled, leaning forward slightly to nuzzle your nose against his. “You can do anything you want to do, believe that.”

“I will try. What will you do? After you graduate.” Sirius hummed softly, and you cuddled even closer to him, practically sitting in the boys lap.

“I want to be an Auror.” He spoke softly, “I want to save people, protect them. War is coming, Y/N. I want to make sure I am on the right side of history.” You took his free hand in yours and held it tightly.

“That’s sweet, you’ll make a brilliant Auror.” Sirius smiled.

“James heard his parents talking about some... organization, they call themselves the Order of the Phoenix. I want to join as soon as I’ve graduated. Their goal is to be prepared for when Voldemort finally makes his move.” You nodded, trying to swallow down the worry you felt rising in your chest. You didn’t like the idea of Sirius out there battling dark powerful wizards without you there by his side.

“Good,” You squeezed his hand tightly, “That’s good. You’re a good man.”

“My mother will disown us, she supports those pure-blood ideologies.” He spat the words out and you flinched slightly. You didn’t want to think about what your own family thought of those horrible people. Especially not your father or your grandmother.

“We’ll be alright.” You assured him. Sirius looked at you for a long moment and you smiled softly at him, nudging your nose against his again, “Alright?”

“Alright.” He assured, “Y/N...” He started before trailing off.

“Hm?”

“May I kiss you?”

“Of course,” You whispered, blushing slightly. Sirius smiled before leaning in, he didn’t have to go far before his lips were on your lips. He kissed you softly, his hand that was playing with your hair stilled, resting on the back of your neck to keep you close. You kept one hand in his and moved the other one to his chest, placing it over his heart. He broke the kiss and pulled back just far enough to look at you before his lips were on yours again, this time with more eagerness. He kissed you, lips smashed up against yours and you kissed back, moving your hand from his chest to wrap around him, pulling him closer. He parted his lips slightly, testing the water. You allowed your own lips to open as well, inviting him in. Sirius kissed you with emotion you were surprised were capable of being put into a simple kiss. Everyday Sirius surprised you more and more, and everyday you found yourself falling more and more in love with your husband. It might not have been traditional, or even preferred. But it was working, you were going to make it work.

You spent the rest of the night alternating between speaking to each other in soft voices and snogging. It was the best, and last first date you had ever been on. Sirius was becoming you safe haven in a confusing world. He was becoming your new norm.

Tag list : thebrigheststarinthesky , all-art-is-quite-useless , lindatreb , paosesposts

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in a part three!

#Harry Potter #sirius black x reader #Sirius black #sirius black x y/n #james & peter & remus & sirius #sirius black x you #new norm

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missskzbiased · 4 years ago

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The Three Lessons

Genre: Angst, Romance, Fluff (Hm…), Witch! Au, Love Triangle

Pairing: Chan X Fem! Reader X Seungmin

Word Count: ~5,1K

(The First) (The Second) (The Third)

Warnings: (Mild) Mentions of [Death, Burned Witches, Torture, Poisoning]

Reminder: I’m not a witch and do not have knowledge of any kind about the matter in modern days. It’s mere fantasy writing. It’s not intended to reflect Neopaganism since I’m not versed in it.

Notes: Reference to Songs: “The River Is Flowing” (Lindie Lila) [I modified the lyrics to fit my need] and “The Ghost of Pagan Song” (Donovan)

Updates: I’m writing the 2nd Chap yet. As soon as I finish it and review it, I’ll post it.

Tagging: Please, send me an ask/DM me if you wish to be tagged

////

CHAPTER 1: The First Lesson

There are only three lessons you should never forget, kiddo…

The voice faded away like a thin fog vanishing from your view, and you couldn’t help but wonder why your sub-conscience felt the urge to remind you about it every single day of your life. You fluttered your fingers ─intertwined on top of your chest─ beginning to regain your consciousness over your body, feeling every inch of your form wake up along with your mind before you slowly opened your eyes to fix your gaze on the ceiling.

At the age of seventeen, you should be used to have this same dream over and over again ─ as if your brain was some kind of broken parrot, who couldn’t stop replaying it on your mind every night ─ but you weren’t, and you didn’t really feel like you would ever be.

The ceiling looked like the usual: Woody and leafy, as you liked to define.

You didn’t need to look around to know exactly what it looked like because, for seventeen years of your life, you woke up in the exact same spot. You lived in the exact same place. You interacted with the exact same people. You lived the exact same life. You had the exact same dream. You heard the exact same voice. You learned exactly… Well, at least you learned different things over your life.

And again, none of those answered your questions.

You felt your sweat dripping slowly from your forehead; all your body burnt as if you were baking something all day long ─ except you weren’t ─, and at this point, you weren’t even surprised anymore. Every day you woke up like this: Dripping sweat and burning fever.

The Coven swore to you that you weren’t sick.

It was just Nature manifesting itself.

You never saw Nature manifesting like this on any of your fellow members.

You knew it had something to do with your dream but you couldn’t completely understand it. The scenes were blurry ─just like when you’re crying and the tears make it impossible to discern anything before your eyes ─, and the voices that surrounded you were loud and incomprehensive enough to confuse you to the core. The only thing you could really point out was that at the center of whatever place it was and surrounded by the crowd, something was consumed by the flames.

It was easy enough to assume that something had a name…

It was only logical to assume that the voices resumed the existence of that something ─ who was indeed a someone ─ in the only thing they could understand; chanting it in a tone filled with hatred and fear… You could only assume that the nameless figure who was engulfed by the flames ─ the only discernable thing in your dream, a bright orange-ish dance that emanated all the warmth that you felt burn your body at night─ was being called a witch.

Just like you.

You couldn’t even count the times you woke up afraid of being that nameless figure burning down on that stake… You couldn’t even count the times that you prayed for Nature to protect you like She had protected so many of yours… You couldn’t even count the times that you wished your undiscovered power wasn’t premonitory… You couldn’t even count the times you asked for The Elders to take this away from you.

Yet, They couldn’t.

Nature wants you to live with it, They said.

Pretty convenient.

“Do you need me to throw cold water on you or will you raise that butt by yourself?” The door shoot open as the old lady ─ also known as your grandma─ opened all the windows with a flick of her hand. The wood slammed on more wood, sounding loud and clear into your head, and all the brightness of the day got to your eyes, hurting them “I’ll give you three seconds!” She chanted, walking around the space, and picking up things around.

She was loud as hell.

You would expect an old lady like her to be really slow and quiet, maybe feel a lot of pain and complain a lot.

Actually, one of those could be checked.

She complained a whole lot.

“And three!” She snapped her fingers.

You felt the mattress whip under you ─ twitching in a way that projected your body out of it─, making you yelp as your body raised in the air, limbs floundering around as you waited for her to do something to prevent you from falling to the ground. You raised your voice as you yelled, eyes widening and heart bursting out in your chest, feeling despair wash over you as your body began to make its way to the ground.

“And two!” She snapped her fingers again, sounding giggly as she did it, and you made a mental note to make a hell out of her life by the end of the day.

The vines that hung from your ceiling came to life, tangling over your limbs to pick you up right before you hit the ground. They lifted your body enough to get you to her eye level, and she grinned at you, looking harmless as her eyes molded into crescents. You shot her a scorn grimace, waiting for her to give the order, so the vines would peacefully place you to the ground. She took one step back, taking the bucket she had under her arms and smiling brightly at you before snapping her finger, a coil of fluids forming of thin air to fill it up.

Oh, boy.

“And one!” She sang before jolting the bucket and hitting your face with cold water. You shut your eyes, mouth agape as you felt the drops rolling down your face, the cold feeling penetrating your skull and waking you up completely “Let’s go, we have a lot to do today!” She dropped the bucket with a loud thud before clapping her hands twice, turning her back to you and heading to the door.

“A little hand here?!” You yelled as she disappeared from your view, and her head came back into your view, peeking over the doorframe slyly. You waved your arms in the air, gesticulating to yourself and tightening your lips, suggestively looking at her, so she would realize you were still stuck on there.

“Oh, right!” She chuckled dismissively “Vivi, let her go, Sweetheart!” She said friendly, and the vines ─ Vivi, as they were called─ promptly dropped you to the ground. You hit the floor with a loud thud, arms preventing your face to smash on the floor, raising your head to glare at your grandmother.

“Really?!” You whined, yelling so she could hear you after disappearing again behind the doorframe. You rolled over your back, watching as the vines retracted to the ceiling, adorning the wooden beam there “Well, thank you, Vivi!” You sneered but they didn’t give you any attention, tangling over the wood and resting peacefully.

“What is all that commotion?” You tilted your head back, taking into your view an upside down Chan framed by the door “Again?” He giggled, dimples digging his face as he approached you, extending his hand for you to take. You took it gratefully, standing up with his help and dusting off your clothes, trying to look presentable enough.

The blond warlock didn’t seem to mind your soaked self or your sticky hair to your face, keeping his smile as if he didn’t even notice the mess you looked like right now. He ruffled your wet hair, chuckling as you shrank embarrassed, before he raised his index finger, spinning it around. The warm and soft air jet that twirled from his fingertip slowly dried out your hair and clothes, and you took the opportunity to fix them once again.

“This is so cool!” He chirped “I never thought I would have this honor” He sighed, satisfied.

Chan was an expert among the few Warlocks you had at The Coven. It was general knowledge that magic manifestation in natural forms ─ such as elemental spells ─ was uncommon for Warlocks but there he was, playing with the warm air. No one believed him when ─ at the age of nineteen, only halfway through his witchcraft studies ─ Chan said he learned to use some basic air spells.

It had been a week and he had yet to grow used to the idea.

Although some of the others related his abilities to the fact that he was the grandson of The Airy Elder, you didn’t agree with them. None of the others could make spells, and some of the Warlocks, such as Changbin, were grandsons of other Founders too. The fact was that Chan had a pure soul; pure enough for Nature herself to grant him the honor to hold her power.

You may be a little biased, though.

“First, stop flattering yourself!” You joked, pushing him lightly, getting a giggle out of him “Second, I was totally going to get up!” You defended yourself, which he dismissed with a knowing look that made you blush. You cleared your throat ─ a vain attempt to hide how your heart drummed inside your chest ─, feeling embarrassment wash over you at the mere thought of your painfully obvious crush being there for anyone to see.

It was especially uncomfortable to know that Chan had a great hearing.

The young Warlock specialty was to hear the soul and heart’s voices.

At this point, you could just deafen him just by your heartbeat.

“Oh?” He blurted out, arching his brows as he shot a look to the ceiling. You followed his gaze to meet a small bird flying around in a spiral right on top of you two. He extended his finger in a twig-like gesture that invited the tiny creature to approach him, which it did. The bird landed on his finger, fleeting and tilting its head to glance at both of you, blinking rapidly. You stared at it curiously, tilting your head to the side, and it funnily mimicked you.

Stop flirting around and come help me, you ungrateful child!

You rolled your eyes when your Grandma’s voice sounded through its opened beak, embarrassed. Chan seemed to find it funny enough, though, because soon he was in stitches, holding his stomach as his laughter sounded like jingling bells. The bird flew off right after, startled by his sudden motion, letting you and the amused boy by yourselves once more.

He recomposed himself, wiping a tear from his eyes and chuckling before looking softly at you and gesture to the door, accompanying you out of the cottage. You closed the door behind you ─ rubbing your arm awkwardly as you averted your eyes ─, trying to figure something cool to say that could cover up all the embarrassing moments before. He took it in the wrong way, though, taking off his coat and covering your shoulders with it, throwing you a warm smile.

“Oh, no! There is no need for such a thing!” You rushed to say, trying to take out his clothes. He grabbed your shoulders, squeezing them lightly before chuckling. You glanced at him coyly and he patted your shoulders, fixing his gaze somewhere behind you before leaning closer to your ear, his breathy giggle fluttering some hair strands on your temples.

“Keep it… Who knows how many surprises she holds for you?” He whispered, turning you around to look at your impatient Grandma, tapping her foot on the ground. He pushed you lightly, waving goodbye when you threw a look over your shoulder before picking up your pace to reach the upset Elder.

/////

The trees' crown rustled, allowing the thin light beams to dance on the ground.

The gleam caught your eyes for a split of a second, bringing a content smile to your face as you felt the warmth of the woods impregnate your body; the blowing wind inciting you to spin around with the dancing trees. You fluttered your limbs in a dainty motion ─ spiraling once while feeling the breeze dance along with you ─, connecting yourself with every single living creature around for just a brief moment, enough to bring you to tears.

The moment was overwhelming and you felt your heart swell before the gentle breeze and calming tune that came from the deepest parts of the woods shattered in small pieces right before you. The silence that came along was overbearing. It was like every single one of the creatures mourned and yet gloated, choosing to retire themselves for a while; a suffocating hollowness falling to the woods.

The sudden gale hit you like a slap, pushing your body backward before spiraling around you ─ and you around ─, bringing altogether thousands of voices that didn’t seem to belong to anyone, and yet seemed to belong to everything. You shot your head up, eyes roaming around the woods as you tried to spot whoever was the source of such powers, but meeting no one to the sight. The whispers resounded in your mind, bewildering you, and the mix of voices buzzed to your ears before dying out gradually.

Nature allows you to be who you truly are… Never turn your back on her

The First Lesson was chanted by a soft voice brought by the wind, a voice that soon enough fell silent again; just like the woods. You roamed your eyes around ─ urging to make sense out of the suspicious situation ─, noticing how the animals hid far from the sight, a less than best-case-scenario for your hunting.

The silence was broken once more by the wind itself, a sourceless yowling blown into your ears, making you snap your eyes to the side, startled. Once again, no one was in sight. You had this odd feeling in your gut, like an intruder just came into your home, and the bitterness that grew on your tongue prompted you to grunt, sharp eyes darting between the trees.

“Reveal yourself!” You demanded, head swiveling but meeting nothing but the forest before you. The wind blew again, whispering through the leaves, and this time you followed its flow cautiously, eyes attentive to every single flutter you caught in the way. It faded away just like this, without a path for you to follow, and you groaned in frustration.

What ─ in the name of the Goddess ─ was happening here?

“H-Help…” Your ears perked up, eyes shooting to your left “P-please…” It was a small voice, undoubtedly owned by a human, and the realization made you shiver. You closed your eyes for a few seconds, sighing as you pondered what to do. Should you pretend you didn’t hear it?

The wind blew again, violent, as a not so silent warning.

You tsked, sighing before slinking through the trees for a few minutes until you spotted the boy on the ground, curled up. He seemed to be young ─maybe around your age─, dark hair stuck to his sweaty skin and eyes unfocused, roaming around. There was no doubt that his intoxicated figure ─pale skin, delusional eyes, and dry lips─ were caused by the one thing that had your hands tied: The River.

As much as you pitied his agonizing end, he deserved it.

You would never forget the day when all of the younger ones ─ such as yourself─ joined to ask The Elders why you couldn’t go into the woods like the older witches and warlocks, upset that you couldn’t do anything for The Coven.

You would never forget the way your Grandma looked at you ─ letting the pain wash over her features right in front of your eyes─ before averting her gaze to the horizon, a stern and distant self that seemed to look directly to the past as if she could see everything unraveling right before her eyes.

“The Humans… They were cruel to us” You remembered her saying “They tortured us over the years in ways that I wouldn’t dare to tell you kids in details… The Coven is protecting you from them and you should listen to us because no one else out there will care for you as we do” Her answer wasn’t satisfactory for any of you, so you whined, prepared to make a commotion. She stomped the ground ─a loud roar echoing from under her foot─ and looked at each of you with a steel-cold gaze.

“Take a look at those” She raised her feet, exposing burn scars all over the sole, making all of you gasp in unison “I was captured by The Humans ages ago… Before The Coven was even founded... I and tons of other witches were tortured for being what we are… Women. They hate us and persecute us. They wanted us dead…”

“They restrained us to the point we couldn’t feel our own blood running through our veins… The blood that connects us to this Nature… Some of us lost our hands or our feet… Some of us lost our lives at this point… It didn’t really matter to them” The pause revealed a suffocating silence but none of you dared to interrupt her rewind, keeping your breaths withhold “The ones who survived were already deprived of water, food, or light… We had only ourselves, our voices, our hope, and our faith with us. We didn’t even have clothes, as they stripped us and let us freeze to death. Some of us did. Some of us didn’t”

“The ones that still survived all that were beaten up to the ground… Battered to the point they couldn’t even bear to stand up and fell dead right there, in front of our eyes… I wish I could say it was just it… Just once… They selected some of us to go to the woods, to let us have the chance to survive” She scoffed, looking away “The ones that weren’t selected were allowed to drink some water before going through all that over again… And again… And again… They had us for about three weeks” Her eyes teared up, and you still had the urge to cry until today whenever you remembered her broken voice.

“When my time to go to the woods came, I discovered we weren’t simply thrown in the woods… No, we had to bear with our bare feet the red-hot soil under tender skin… Dehydrated… Starved… Ruined… I almost wished they could only burn me down at the stake. They didn’t. All of the survivors were marked for their lives… Not only here” She pointed out to her temples “But in a way that they could identify us in the future…” She raised her feet.

“They said the ones who survived were witches and the ones who didn’t weren’t… So we couldn’t have any winners. It didn’t matter if you survived or not. It didn’t matter if we were witches or not. All of us somehow deserved to be dead…” She looked at you filled with sadness and regret before she averted her eyes, ashamed “They even poisoned the river… They knew the first thing we would do was to look for water, drink to relieve the dryness of our soul and body… And so did tons of us… Especially the younger or the least experienced ones… The exhausted souls that couldn’t think of purifying the water anymore… Who couldn’t handle it” She sighed, lowering her head “All dead”

It wasn’t out of vanity that The Coven enchanted the river.

The first thing they thought you at the age of fourteen was how to purify water so it would be safe to drink from the river; so you wouldn’t be killed by the cruelness that flowed through its waters if they ever did it again. The enchantments and spells threw all around the place were the only way to protect all of you from them… The only way you could afford to have somewhere to survive. The only way that you could be yourselves.

If it meant the death of some meddling humans… Let it be.

They killed you enough for regret to wash over your souls.

The River now was a symbol of your rebellion, of your power and urges to live… It was also the symbol of all the deceased witches you had because of their cruelties. It was the blood that ran through your veins. It was the magic that imbued your souls and body.

The magic that ran through the body of this unaware guy struggling right in front of your eyes… The magic you couldn’t undo even if you wanted to…. He was a lost cause. You turned your back to him, ready to go back to your hunting and leave him behind, but one broken sentence was enough to make you stumble over your feet.

“I don’t want to die all alone…” He cried, holding his throat tightly in despair.

Never turn your back on her…

You sighed before approaching him, sitting right beside him before taking his hand into yours. He shot his eyes at you, startled at the sudden presence, and you made your best to throw him a gentle smile even though you could see his face slowly swelling up as he suffocated right in front of your eyes.

“The river is flowing… Flowing and growing… The river is flowing down to the sea…” You chanted, caressing his hair gently “Mother, carry him… Your child He’ll always be… Mother, carry him… Down to the sea…” You wiped his sweat, opening your canteen to give him some water to placate his thirst, wetting your hand before carefully rubbing your palms over his face.

You could feel how the woods sang along with you, the soft rustles of the leaves following your tune, and birds tweeting to the rhythm. You felt your heart swelling, connecting to your surroundings once again, and even his heartbeat seemed to sing along with Nature for a split of a second.

The attuned orchestra was interrupted by his muttering ─ soft voice under his breath─, something impossible to comprehend that made you nod anyway. You kept your smile firm on your lips to reassure him in his last moments, hoping that Nature could have some mercy on him. He tried to hum along with you ─ like he was tempted to pray before his end but could only follow your lead ─, and even though his rattling lungs couldn’t keep up with your chant, you slowed down a bit, getting a single grateful tear from his eyes.

The emotional moment was broken by his strangled gasps ─a desperate attempt to breathe normally─, and you made sure to avert your eyes to look straight ahead. You shouldn’t witness his moment of weakness like this. You squeezed his hand to reassure him, to remind him that he wouldn’t die by himself, and as soon as he squeezed back ─ as strong as he could, trying to get your attention─, you obliged yourself to return your gaze to him.

“K-Kim Seungmin” He struggled to say, sharp intakes of breath hinting he wouldn’t last much longer.

“I’ll let your family know” You lied, bringing his head to your lap so he could feel more comfortable, allowing a little bit of air to get to his lungs. He tried to nod, and you averted your eyes again, looking into the woods to distract yourself.

And distracted you got.

The scene that met your eyes was, to say the least, amusing; your Grandma strode in your way, staff floundering in the air as she approached the guy in a rush. She took a look at him, musing before shoving some herbs inside his mouth out of nowhere, gripping his jaw in a way to force him to munch it.

You looked at her startled but utterly ignored as she snapped her fingers over and over again.

“Come on, young man” She said in her best elder lady voice you had ever heard “Gulp it down so you won’t die” She instructed, snapping her fingers to get his attention. Except it wasn’t the case. You could almost feel the frisson around his body as she kept snapping it over and over again, drawing circles in the air. The heavy layer of magic covered him like a blanket.

He gulped down before you heard a sharp intake of breath ─ one that signalized he could really breathe right now─ and he gasped, again and again, feeling the air burn his lungs as he coughed for dear life. His torso snapped up, hand meeting his throat as he tried to recompose himself, practically back from the dead, eyes roaming around the place.

The purple that once painted his face dissolved into a more healthy color and flushed cheeks. You took a better look at his face, warm brown hair hiding his forehead and dark eyes that were big as saucers for the moment, completely taken aback by his luck. He had just survived. He opened his mouth a couple of times, and you couldn’t help but notice how red his lips were right now, and also exceptionally well-shaped.

“Don’t talk right now” She advised, taking the canteen from your hand “Drink this… You must be thirsty” She said kindly, adjusting the object so she could allow him to drink some of the water inside it. He took large gulps, eyes overflowing with relief before he had enough strength to raise his hand to the canteen and stop her motions.

“I don’t know how to express my gratefulness for both of you” He said sincerely “I own you my life” He was quick to kneel, lowering his head in respect, one arm bending on his back and the other one rested on top of his knee. You extended your hand, ready to dismiss the unnecessary formality, but your Grandma seemed to think otherwise.

“You do” She agreed, standing up and supporting herself on her wood staff, like an elder. You almost scoffed at her antics but a single twist of her feet made you shut your mouth, the hard inaudible pang on your ass making you think twice before disrespecting her “Unfortunately, I may have to take some of it from you” She smiled apologetically.

She acted before you could even understand what she had just said.

The staff was raised to strike his stomach in a quick motion ─ so quick that he couldn’t help but hunch his back, hands over his stomach as he huffed in astonishment ─ before her hand covered his face to push his head to the ground, tipping him over.

“What strings are plucked beneath the mound? Awake the seeds to break the ground” She chanted, hand gripping his head firmly. You could see his right eye widen, peeking between her long fingers, mouth opening to scream for help. She jerked his head once, the sudden movement silenced him, and as you watched the scene with your mouth agape ─ utterly startled─, you noticed how his eyelashes fluttered close, hinting he was under a sleeping spell.

“Grandma, what are you doing?” You hissed, looking around the woods as if Nature herself would come to punish both of you.

She raised her other hand in a sharp movement, signalizing that you should keep quiet. You shut your mouth, pursing your lips to make sure not a sound would drop from you. It didn’t prevent you from stretching your neck, trying to get a better look at whatever was happening right in front of your eyes.

The scene before your eyes had your head tilting.

You never saw an enchantment like this.

You watched as strings of translucent energy oozed from his ears, slowly drenching the ground underneath his head in a spiral that seemed to fuzz the grass. The delicate flutters of her free hand seemed to hasten the energy flow, and soon enough she released his head, fluttering her fingers as if she was seasoning him. The mere thought of the unconscious boy being treated like a roasted chicken made you chuckle, and she shot you a glare to keep you quiet.

“No question asked… No answer found” She continued, and the energy coiled to the ground, knotting there before a small flower gradually sprouted, “Young man, now list to me…” She snapped her fingers, and all the fuzzing you felt around vanished. She caressed his head, thumbs running through his cheeks “It’s all a strange dream; don’t worry too much about this… It was really dangerous to fall asleep in the woods, wasn’t it? They should be worried about you by now…” She sighed, getting up and gesticulating for you to follow her.

You straightened up, prepared to obey without a question.

A sudden breeze made you shiver and you stared at the boy on the ground, musing for a second before taking Chan’s coat from your shoulders and covering him up. You threw a look over your shoulder to check up on him as you rushed to your Grandma, watching his asleep form snoring peacefully in the middle of the woods, resting next to a tree as if he was in a secure field. When you finally got on her tracks, you threw her a look, clearing your throat before voicing your thoughts.

“Shouldn’t we wake him up? He could be eaten by a wolf…” You pointed out but she kept her pace, waving her hand dismissively.

“He’s not our problem anymore” She shrugged, walking fast “Furthermore, it’s not the time for his death yet…” You narrowed your eyes at her, humming in wonder.

“Was that why you meddled?” You asked curiously, and she finally glanced at you over her shoulder, pursing her lips “I never thought you would save a human” You admitted.

“My mission is to respect Nature… If Nature herself wants this young man alive, I’m not the one to go against her wishes” She declared, intending to drop the subject. You hummed again, and before you could open your mouth, she cleared her throat “I thought it was clear that neither of you should approach a human until the age of eighteen” She stated matter-of-factly.

“I’m just a few months away…” You rolled your eyes before grinning “Also, I thought the first lesson of The Coven was to never turn our back to Nature… As you said, Nature herself didn’t want the young man to die” She scoffed, amused by your retort “Who am I to go against her wishes?” You chuckled, noticing how she shook her head in disbelief, though it was clear she found it funny.

“Don’t forget the other ones” She muttered seriously before snapping her fingers twice, probably releasing the poor boy from the sleeping spell.

////

I won’t lie to you all, I’m really excited about this SUHAHUSAHUSASHUAUS It’s the first time I’ll be writing any kind of fantasy stuff. I have the general plot in my mind and I may be dropping some hints to make some kind of spin off if people like it or if I feel like it in the future lol

I really hope you guys like it!

Any feedback is more than welcomed, especially vocabulary and stuff like this. Feel free to criticize me (just do this in a constructive way, please LOL)

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writerofblocks · 4 years ago

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🖊 🖊 🖊 🖊 🖊🖊 🖊 🖊 🖊 🖊🖊 🖊 🖊 🖊 🖊 🖊 🖊 there now we're even LMAOOOO

me right after getting this: ALL RIGHT, BET.

(several hours in) I have made a mistake

[ask meme here]

Lucia Lieberman (Lone Wanderer), Miles Young (Sole Survivor), and Gabriel Young (The Courier)

🖊 All of my Fallout protagonists are related because the idea of one family getting drawn into world-altering events not because its their destiny to but because they all happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time makes me laugh my ass off. Using Miles as the point of reference, it goes as follows-

- Adam Young (Fallout 1): grandnephew

- Noah Young (Fallout 2): great-great-grandnephew

- Gabriel Young (Fallout 3): great-great-great-grandnephew

- Lucia Lieberman (Fallout 3): great-great-great-great-grandniece

🖊 Miles's sister Cassidy Young was living on the West Coast at the time of the Great War; she was one of the original inhabitants of Vault 13 and is Adam's grandmother. Lucia’s mother Catherine is one of her descendants; she moved with the branch of the Brotherhood of Steel across the country, where she met James (last name Lieberman, at least in my canon).

🖊 Lucia actually ends up meeting both her living relations during her lifetime because I like shenanigans. After the events of Fallout 3, she winds up heading west and ends up in New Vegas. When she walked into the bar where Gabriel was staying, Gabriel noted the resemblance, became concerned that he might have had a dalliance with a woman that resulted in a child that he’d forgotten thanks to the bullet in his skull, and immediately hid behind the bar. Of course that only drew Lucia’s attention, and the rest is history. After the events of New Vegas she moves to the Commonwealth, where she ends up encountering Miles.

🖊 Lucia has a bonafide, genuine guitar taken from the same vault she retrieved the Stradivarius violin from. Maintenance is difficult, but music stores aren’t big targets for looting so she can usually find parts/replacement strings, if not figure out a substitute on her own.

🖊 Lucia was raised with 50′s suburb values in mind and will not swear except under extreme duress. This has led to difficulties writing her, as I swear like a goddamn sailor. The plus side is, it’s incredibly easy to tell when she’s extremely pissed off.

🖊 Lucia’s big brother/little sister relationship with @himborc‘s Melik will always make me smile. Sometimes a family is a buff, gruff cyborg man with issues, a tiny golden lesbian also with issues, and their vaguely dog-shaped creature who has no issues and is in fact the best boy.

🖊 Lucia’s Catholicism and subsequent struggle with faith are based on two things. The first thing being the result of the G.O.A.T. test she took in fallout 3, which said she was going to be the vault chaplain. (fun fact- the result you get is based on the highest skill points you get on the test. Lucia’s was barter.) The second thing is that a) I was raised Roman Catholic and b) I like dumping my problems on my OCs, so Lucia inherited my crisis of faith. Whoops.

🖊 Miles is a DILF, with his specific Dad subclass being the Quiet, Crafty Dad. He’s a little reclusive, preferring to spend his time creating things, and its hard to show his love in traditional ways. His love language is acts of service- if you need something, he’ll retrieve it for you. If you need help, he’ll help you. And he’ll do it all without trying to draw attention to himself.

Benjamin Anderson, Branwen Greenleaf, and Ahkasa Sohloni

🖊 Ahkasa and Benji started out as characters I played in Skyrim, funnily enough. Ahkasa is a Khajiit thief and Benji (there named Bun-Jah Andreesar) is an Argonian mage with a focus on Conjuration.

🖊 Related to the above- Benji’s anxiety issues and association with necromancy started due to the number of explorable crypts in skyrim. I thought it would be funny to have someone who tomb-dove on the regular also be afraid of the undead. This rapidly disintegrated into him being afraid of a lot of other things.

🖊 Branwen started out as my very first DnD character, a halfling Life Domain cleric. The campaign she was in petered out, but I’d always wanted to use her again somewhere. Luckily I was working on Benji’s backstory one day, and needed a character to be a mentor for him, so I retooled Branwen to be a Grave Domain cleric and unleashed her on the world once again.

🖊 Ahkasa and Branwen are the only two OCs I pay attention to currently that have good relationships with their parents. Whoops.

🖊 Ahkasa likes making things with her hands, and can usually be found whittling or knitting something at camp.

Bridget Summers

🖊 Ah, yes. The OG. The firstborn. Her design started out because I took umbrage with how the default SR3 Fem!Boss was supermodel thin; I wanted to make someone who looked a bit more like my body type (but with a few more muscles). She has gained her own voice since then and my life has not known peace since.

🖊 I’m forever grateful to @autumnyte for helping me in the early days with Bridget; she wouldn’t be half the character she is nowadays without those RPs with Alair, and no matter what she’s up to nowadays he’s still important to her and in her heart.

🖊 Bridget’s my usual test dummy for first playthroughs of games because I know how she’d react to things. Also because I like seeing her in different character creators. So sue me.

🖊 Bridget has ADHD (again, because I like dumping my own experiences into my characters), though she didn’t have a name for it until she started going to therapy sometime between SR2 and SR3. It’s part of the reason why she had a hard time in school- a limited attention span, difficulty completing things once the novelty has worn off, and a preference towards things that have her brain and her body fully engaged does not mix well with traditional American teaching structures.

#DEAR GOD THAT TOOK FOREVER #oc: bridget summers #oc: lucia lieberman #oc: miles young #oc: ahkasa sohloni #oc: gabriel young #oc: benjamin anderson #oc: branwen greenleaf

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trvelyans-archive · 4 years ago

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i am on my hands and knees begging for u to tell me about lila and margot 🙏

jasmine.............. thank you for this gift

under the cut because i expect it’ll get very long <3 :) update after i finished writing: it is, in fact, very long and also took me over an hour. so. take that as whatever sort of warning you might want.

let’s start with margot !

she was born to a couple of really young parents who..... did not want to be parents. at all. they were still in the party-and-get-drunk phase of their life and didn’t want to have a kid to worry about, so a large part of her childhood was spent couch surfing between relatives, mostly her grandfather.

they were really close! he would help her with her homework, they would cook together, he would let her drink underage so that she was well-versed in beer by the time she was like. idk. 16 lol. but she felt closer to him than her own parents, who were good when they were around but. they mostly weren’t around <3

when she was 19, her grandpa starting showing pretty serious signs of memory loss and whatnot and eventually had to be moved into a home. she was living with him by that point, so she had to continue to spend a year or so of her adult life couchsurfing. it didn’t help that she was in school full-time to get an engineering degree of. some kind. i think mechanical engineering. idk. and didn’t have a job, so to pay back her roommates she took up a majority of the housework as well as picked up odd jobs on the weekend. her grandpa’s health continued to decline through this time so she didn’t actually mind being busy because then she. didn’t have to think about it at all <3

and then.............. when she was 20......... her boyfriend of a year suggested that she not only move in with him but that they get married and margot, who has never had stability ever in her life, jumped at the opportunity !

after she graduated, she found it incredibly hard to find a career (even though they were in the same program and He had no trouble finding one), so she was back to not working but her husband didn’t mind and he supported her whole-heartedly. during this time she started running and then eventually started going to a gym with a couple of her female friends from their neighbourhood! she would also spend a lot of time at her grandpa’s but his health was still rapidly declining. eventually her now-husband said that she should probably stop visiting him and margot was like “.... ok i guess”

And then. :)

she kept spending time outside of the house and started taking self-defense classes with a few of her friends and her husband was started to get very antsy. he wanted her to be at home, told her that he didn’t like her going out at night or, eventually, at all, and would find ways to keep her home every night so she didn’t go out. during this time he also started getting. um. very manipulative. he was easily triggered into starting arguments. so she increased the frequency of her self-defense classes and, eventually, they became Very Useful in an argument with her husband. so. we hate him :)

after that she filed for a divorce, moved away and changed her name to her late grandmother’s last name. she started working at a gym in her new town and eventually decided to open her own ! she had gotten the building about 2-3 weeks before the outbreak hit and didn’t have any furniture or equipment of any kind, so she met up with 2 middle-aged women from her old gym and they travelled together until one of them was bitten in a fight with walkers and dragged into a big crowd of them to be eaten and the other one was bitten and margot had to shoot her when she got zombified and tried to attack. :(

that’s where i have left off for now but i am going to develop her More the more i watch the show !!!

okay. backstory over. now for the fun bits:

her faceclaim is mackenzie davis specifically in terminator (without the. lines on her arms and whatever idk what those are) and this picture is the most margot-vibe imaginable.

the haircut was an incredibly recent choice but it came in handy during the outbreak because she didn’t have to worry about keeping hair out of her face. girlboss !

she is 6′2 :) her and her husband were funnily enough the 2 tallest people in her graduating class

she spoke occasionally to her parents after graduating and moving away but they fell out of touch a year or so before the outbreak began and she......................... unsurprisingly doesn’t miss them at all

she has 1 keepsake and it’s an old keychain of her grandpa’s and if anything happens to it. she will kill everyone in any room and Then herself !!!

she likes to where tank tops to show off her big arms. is this very ergonomical in the apocalypse where zombie bites can kill you instantly ? nope! will she do it anyway to intimidate people ? yup!

she Cannot cook. at all. she lived off of take-out and microwavable meals for the first 20 years of her life and then she always had someone else making food for her until she moved away on her own when it was back to takeout.

on the topic of food :) her fave foods are mac and cheese with breadcrumbs and meatlover’s pizza !

she will do literally anything for a good beer. anything. she keeps an eye out for them every time she goes scavenging in buildings and will try to get at least 1 bottle per trip. girlboss !

she cannot sing. in fact she’s not just average, she’s Terrible. she can, however, play mad guitar because her grandpa taught her.

now onto miss lila :)

she was born in a town a couple over from rick’s and was the younger sister of 2 ! she had a really great family and a very very happy childhood :) her dad was a wildlife rehabilitator and her mom was a landscaper who took a lot of pride in their nice big backyard and garden and Land where they. you know. rehabiliated the wildlife and what not

she worked a lot with her dad and mom at their wildlife centre and also helped her mom garden a lot (their house was on the same property as the centre so it was a nice big plot of land). she took a lot of interest in rehabilitating animals and it sparked a very early childhood interest in Caring for things (namely little wild critters) which extended to her helping out little kids on the playground when they got scraped knees and things. she always had a package of bandaids in her backpack from second grade on. an angel <3

in her final year of high school she had a very quick fling with a boy from her high school that ended… poorly. and then she got pregnant! which she. Did not expect. nor want. nor need in her life because she was planning on moving to atlanta to go to medical school and kickstart her career. her sister, who had recently dropped out of school and lost her job, decided to Take One for the team and claim the baby as hers so lila could go to medical school and stuff. their parents promised to take good care of her and they all made a plan to hide lila’s pregnancy from their town (although i’m sure literally everyone knows anyway) and then she moved away in the summer after giving birth to go to school

she quickly finished up her nursing program but was out of job for a few years until she got a job offer to be the nurse at king county elementary school aka the school were one Carl Grimes goes to school. she moved there in may and one night, when her car Squealed to a stop in front of a dog who had run away from his home and was being chased by. Um. a certain sheriff’s deputy who was intending on bringing the puppy back home <3 they got to talking and. Well. the rest is history…..

she was a very beloved member of the staff and kids would often fake sick just to come to her office and get a sucker and she grew esp close to the grimes family :D after a couple of years living in king county she got a job to start working at some fancy prep school in atlanta and decided that actually she might want to. You know. start being a mom now that she was finished with school and had a career. so she moved away from king county at the end of the next school year and was unfortunately in atlanta when it was bombed by the government at the start of the outbreak so she and her daughter and sister all died :) and that’s that !

some fun facts because that was a very depressing end to her story:

she always has suckers in her office at school and her favourites are the watermelon ones.

she can often be found gardening in her backyard or watching the birds in the trees like a little nature baby !!!

she is very meticulous about planning. she Does have a daily agenda. she Will kill you if you touch it. shane likes to leave her little notes in it for her to find when she’s at school. sometimes they are not Just cute. she usually erases those.

she likes collecting ugly thrift store paintings of animals and hangs them up in her dining room and she Does think they are incredibly funny.

she is a vegetarian !!! very unwavering about it. shane finds it annoying because he’s good at cooking steak but she just has a salad and then they’re both perfectly happy <3

sends basically everyone she knows a Christmas/holiday card every year. even the teachers at the elementary school who don’t like her and or barely talk to her !!!

she is a terrible maker of tea and usually forgets about cups before she’s even halfway through them (thank god for her). makes everyone tea when they come over except shane (stupid ass) because he doesn’t like it and usually people just politely swallow it even though it’s too steeped or. sorry idk how tea works. she just Makes It Bad ok

she perpetually forgets to do laundry. Most of her non-scrubs have dirt stains or dressing stains or whatnot (except for her Really nice clothes) which is why she tries to buy a lot of patterns. makes things easier to hide <3

and that’s it for now !!! i have so much other lore for them but i will stop here for now :) thank you very much if you read this also i’m very sorry i have twd brainworms i cannot help it. anyway ok that’s it thanks love you bye

#me writing nearly 2k of oc facts that is literally nothing more than comprehensible gibberish ? yes #also ig i'm just a villainfucker now sorry not sorry babes can't be helped when your villains are mr. jon bernthal :/#BUT ALSO we only stan pre-outbreak. after that he is dead to me so.#ANYWAY YEAH JESUS CHRIST these are probably shitty backstories and also just um lame ocs but <3 that's that #oc: margot #oc: lila #ask #thank u jasmine.... i love u

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percywinchester27 · 5 years ago

Text

A lot like ‘Us’ (Part-7)

Word count: 5K

Pairing: Sam X Reader AU

Warnings: fluff, feels... like a lot of them ;)

Series Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is eager and honestly, still in awe that she managed to get herself an acceptance from Stanford Law School. On the face of it, her life seems as put together, mysterious and independent as one might hope for. On the insides, she carries the burden of past that haunts her till date. Seemingly, she’d left it all behind; that is until she sets foot in the class of the Law School’s youngest, most promising professor.

A/N: The story employs two different timelines. The present timeline for the story takes place in 2014. Please let me know what you guys think :)

Beta: @deanssweetheart23 You da best <3

A lot like ‘Us’ masterlist

14th August 2008

It was the third time you were looking into the mirror, straightening the pleats of your dress and smoothening your hair. It absolutely refused to behave today.

“Y/N!” Jo yelled from downstairs. “Sam’s here!”

Your heart beat reacted to the news before the rest of your body. You stared numbly at the reflection in the mirror and it stared back at you stupidly.

Sighing, you picked up the coat which you had washed and pressed, and folded it on your arm.

Sam met you at the base of the staircase just like the last time.

“You-” he started to say; in your nervousness you cut him off. “I’m just gonna tell aunt El and Jo that we’re heading out.”

Your aunt was at the table chopping onions and Jo was grinning at you widely over the top of her book.

Ellen smiled, “Have a great time,” she said, then a little louder. “You have her home by ten, Samuel.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sam made a big deal out of bowing.

Jo winked at him and mouthed ‘hot stuff,’ which you weren’t supposed to see but did anyway and blushed.

“Where are we going?” You questioned, as Sam opened the door to his brother’s car for you.

“There’s really only one good place in the town,” he said apologetically. “Dean felt so bad about it that he even lent me the Impala. That way I can at least notch up some impression.”

You laughed and he gave you a winning look. The sort of look one would have on their face if they came across a twenty dollar bill out of the blue.

“How’re you holding up?” He asked, averting his eyes from the road just for a bit to look at you.

“I’m okay,” you answered, honestly. “I miss her awfully, and I feel lost sometimes, though the more I think about it, the more I feel relieved that she passed away peacefully and painlessly.”

She had been happy till the last day of her life, and you were trying to draw some peace out of that. Gran would have wanted you to.

“Here,” You handed him his coat, as you stepped out of the car in front of the restaurant. It was the same one that he had offered you on the day of the average birthday. You had never gotten around to return it.

Sam didn’t take it. “You hold on to it a little longer for me,” he said with a cryptic smile.

The restaurant was crowded, as was expected out of a Saturday night. The hostess met you at the door and when Sam gave her his name, she led you to a corner table. Sam pulled your chair for you like a true gentleman and then nudged the menu towards you.

You took a look at it, ordering the first thing that appeared familiar; some type of red sauce pasta. The table had lovely roses in a vase, with water sprinkled on them like dews. Underneath the vase and over the table was an expensive looking lace tablecloth.

“You’re very quiet,” Sam said after a while. “What’re you thinking?”

“This,” you gestured towards the table in front of you and the restaurant in general. “I’ve never done this before.”

He looked confused. “What do you mean?”

He really didn’t know. “I come from a small town, Sam. We didn’t have fancy restaurants there. Just one crappy diner and few take outs, and I’ve lived there all my life. In fact, the only few times I went to a city was to Topeka; once with Aunt El when I was thirteen and then a couple of times with a neighbour, to help my Gran with some bakery stuff. I’ve just never been to a fancy restaurant before.”

It baffled you that Sam even wanted to date someone like you who knew so little about the world, when he had been to Stanford and then to Yale and New York. What could he possibly hope to find in common with you?

You were expecting him to look at you funnily. Instead, you found wonder in his eyes.

“Yet, you wanted to apply to universities so far away?”

You looked down at where his hands lay on the table, and nervously placed yours over his. At first his hand jerked, as if he hadn’t expected it, but then flattened against the table top, allowing you to cover it with yours.

“My dad was a lawyer,” you said. “First person from that town to ever actually get out and get a degree, and Gran was so proud of him. I don’t remember much, but I remember him getting smartly dressed in the morning and mom picking a tie for him and tying it around his neck. Every morning she would do that, and every morning he would swoop her in his arms and kiss her.”

The waiter arrived with your food, and you quickly jerked your hand back. Sam looked bereft at the loss of contact. He didn’t press you for conversation though.

The spaghetti was good; mouthwateringly so and you worried about how much it cost. You wanted to split for the dinner, and there was just so much money you had. You were hoping that the food wasn’t so expensive that you wouldn’t be able to pay. Sam had ordered what looked like a somewhat unappealing salad. You wanted to offer him your spaghetti but weren’t sure if that was against the etiquette.

Uhhggg curses to the small town upbringing. You knew nothing about this sort of thing, or even how to talk to boys. Maybe telling them on the first date about how woefully limited your knowledge was of the world was actually a bad idea.

You were hell-bent on making it worse.

“When I said I’ve never done this before,” you said slowly, rolling the fork in your spaghetti. “I also meant that I’ve never been on a date before.”

“What?” His fork clattered into the bowl, the shock clear on his face.

Maybe now you had done it. You still wanted to clear it up. “I just- I don’t want you to think I’m super cool or something, when I’m not,” you stressed. “I don’t want you to have any expectations from me that I won’t be able to live up to.”

“Y/N,” he said. “It’s not like that. I’m just surprised that I’m lucky enough to be the first person who had actually managed to convince you into going out with him. Can’t say I’m feeling too sorry about all the poor souls who didn’t get the chance.” He grinned.

He was just so good with words. It did relieve you of some of your worry.

“Seriously,” he insisted. “Please don’t think that. All week I was worrying if you had changed your mind.”

How could you not think like that? He was the male model adonis type, from the big city and you were just so inexperienced. Sure a couple of guys in high school had asked you out, but no one had ever appealed to you the way Sam had. There was just something about him that was reassuring, like he would never break your heart. Like nothing could ever go wrong when he was around. When he was gone, however, the worry that he didn’t feel the same way about you started to seep in.

You ate the rest of your dinner quietly, feeling a bit stupid. Way to ruin your first date.

Afterwards, Sam absolutely denied splitting the bill even when you insisted. You noticed that he also tipped the waiter well.

You were upset with yourself as you walked out of the restaurant. After dreaming for days about how amazing it would be to finally go out with Sam, you had gone ahead and made a mess of it. Worrying about what must be going on in his mind, you turned towards the parking lot.

“Hey, you mind if we walk back?” Sam asked in an unsure voice. “Dean’s close-by and he always keeps a set of keys, he’ll drive the car back home.”

“Sure.”

It was cold outside, and the thin-strapped dress you were wearing was not helping with the wind at all. So you unrolled Sam’s coat and pulled it over, regretting that unlike the last time, it wasn’t smelling like him. He saw you rolling the sleeves up and smirked.

As you stepped onto the pavement, Sam offered you his hand and you took it gladly. Maybe the whole evening wasn’t ruined.

“Sorry I’m making you walk,” Sam confessed. “I didn’t want the night to end just yet. I feel like I’ve been a terrible date tonight.”

What?

“I had a great time!” You protested.

“Did you? Really?” He looked chagrined. “I am still being terrible. I wanted to tell you how beautiful you looked the moment I saw you on the stairs; I didn’t. In fact you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. I didn’t tell you that, either.”

You bit your lip, unsure of what to say. This felt unreal… not just because of his words, but because of how dazed he sounded.

“That’s not the only reason why I like you though,” Sam said hurriedly, as if he was scared of offending you. “It’s because you are one of the bravest people I know. Seeing you hold yourself at your Grandmother’s funeral, after losing everything… It was the hardest thing I’ve ever seen anyone do.”

You had stopped walking. The two of you were simply standing in the middle of the sidewalk, hands interlocked.

“And you’re so bright, so ambitious. Despite every shit hand that you’ve been dealt, you want to make something of your life. You have goals and a desire to prove yourself. How could I not want to be with you?” His eyes were melting, and so were you inside.

“Beyond that, you are kind and patient,” he said. “And I never told you any of it. I thought of it, over and over and yet I never said a word. So of course I’m a bad date.”

He was standing so close now, close enough that you could feel his warm breath on your face. You moved closer still and closed your eyes.

“What is it?” He asked softly. “Is it something I did? What aren’t you telling me?”

You placed your hands on his arms, more to steady yourself than anything. “I’ve never felt this way before, Sam,” you admitted. “I think of you all the time when I’m not with you, and when I’m with you, I feel giddy with happiness. I guess, I’m just scared that one day you’ll wake up and not find me interesting anymore.”

“Have you considered for a second that maybe I’m scared, too?” He asked. You opened your eyes and looked directly into his unearthly ones. They were reflecting the same need you felt, a strange and unknown hunger to touch, lean in just a bit closer and…

You gave in to that instinct just as he did, your lips colliding with each other’s. Sam was gentle at first, hesitant as he pressed his full lips against your bottom lip, drawing out the moment, but there was something desperate within you. You raised your hands and snaked your fingers through Sam’s hair- they were just as soft as you had imagined them to be- and dragged your teeth along his lower lip. Sam moaned into your mouth and his whole body shuddered. His muscled arms wrapped around your waist hoisting you up and he gave up on all attempts to be gentle, following your lead.

This was happening, you were actually kissing Sam. A giggled escaped you, and Sam pulled back, reluctance clear on his face.

“What?” He asked, face flushed, lips parted. You didn’t answer him, diving right into another kiss.

“One other thing,” Sam mumbled against your lips. “Of all the things that I should have said already, and I didn’t, I’m not going to hold back this one. It could be years and years from now, but I would never not find you interesting. I’ll never not want to just keep looking at you.”

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

Sam’s POV:

“What the hell are you still doing here?” Jody asked, coming to stop over him.

“I ask myself that question everyday,” Sam said, without looking up from his laptop.

He could feel Jody roll her eyes. “Stop being a smartass. I meant aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

Sam read through the last line and closed the file. In fact, he took his time to push away the laptop, then remove his glasses, clean them with the tip of his tie, before looking at his now colleague. Jody had been a new addition to the faculty when Sam had been a student here. She had been one of his favourite professors then. Now, she was staring down at him with amusement in her eyes.

“I don’t have to go in today,” Sam said. “Chase said he’ll fill in at the hearing. I can just look over the papers from here.”

“If I didn’t know better,” she said sitting down next to him. “I’d think you were finding reasons for sticking around.”

Sam did a double take, “What? What makes you say that?” Surely she didn’t mean it.

Jody laughed. “I’m kidding. What’s got your panties in a twist? Loosen up.”

“It’s just that I’m not used to being alone. And I worry about him all the time,” he sighed.

“You know what you need?” She said, “You need alcohol in your life! Make the most of the alone time. He’s a good kid, you know that. He can take care of himself.”

“I know,” Sam said, feeling lame.

“Seriously, what’re you doing Friday evening?”

Sam didn’t even pretend to consider. He didn’t have a social life. “Nothing much.”

“We’re getting you that alcohol.”

“Sure.”

“If you’re sticking around,” she said too nicely, “Why don’t you help me grade the assignments?”

“Yeah, no thank you,” Sam said firmly. “I got enough of my own and you’re not dragging me into your bundle.”

Jody tried to smack him, but Sam ducked to the side, grinning.

“Eh, it’s not that bad,” she waved her hand. “The fresh batch is actually pretty impressive. I heard you let them off easy with just a case brief for an assignment.”

“I figured with you guys setting up the heavy essays, I’d let it slide this time.” He stood up to gather his files.

“It’s not the only thing I heard,” Jody said, eyes on the papers in her hand. “Your TA, Paul, said you were particularly happy about one girl’s brief. What was her name again?”

Sam swore internally. “Y/N. Her name’s Y/N Y/L/N.”

She turned around to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “You remember the names already.”

He gave a noncommittal shrug. She didn’t press. “I actually checked through my stack for her essay, and what do you know! She’s actually gifted.”

Sam already knew that. He tried his best to not show it by attempting to look busy with his bag.

“It’s really funny,” Jody continued, looking at him curiously. “You know who her writing reminded me of?

“Who?” He asked, already dreading the answer.

“You.”

“Really?” Sam said hurriedly packing his things.

“It’s actually quite weird,” Jody mused. “The same style of paraphrasing. And I’d know. You were one of my first students, and good, too.”

All packed, Sam turned and smiled tightly at her. “I’m still your favourite, though.”

“That you are, Winchester,” she winked. “Heading to the library again?”

“Yeah, I gotta return a book,” he said grimly.

Thankfully, it was only 4:30 and Molly was at the desk. It would be another hour and a half before her shift ended. She gave him a bright smile as he placed the book on the desk. “I need a huge favour,” he said urgently. “Can you quickly pull out the Development Control and Promotion regulations for San Jose? I need a specific hard copy. There are yellow tags on the pages.”

“Right up.”

Molly disappeared into the shelves and Sam congratulated himself on finding a quiet place to go through the references for the case he was working on, where no would quiz him about his past life. The solution for the case was in semantics, he knew that. It was still a lot of research and he needed to verify what his junior had sent him.

“Here you go,” Molly handed him the exact copy he had been working out of on Friday. “I don’t know why the hell you’re still living in the 90’s with paper tags, but to each his own.”

“Molly, you’re a lifesaver!”

She blew him a kiss and he went off to the farthest corner of the library. Sam had discovered this spot when he was a student here. No one ventured this far back, and it was well hidden from view.

He set up his laptop and got to work. It was all there. In bits and parts he put together a pretty good defense for his client. It did help that the client was wrongly accused of property damage to begin with, and the timeline of how things had gone down worked in his favour. Before he knew it, he had a rejoinder of his own ready to go for the next hearing.

Sam stretched his arms, and looked up to see that it was dark outside. Already?

He flicked his wrist to look at the watch. It was quarter past 7. Where had the time flown?

Sam craned his neck sideways to look at the librarians desk and there she was in front of the computer, looking intently into the screen. From here, Sam couldn’t see Y/N’s face. Just her profile. She wore a pale grey t-shirt and jeans underneath, not what she had worn to class today morning. Sam hated the fact that he noticed as well as remembered what she was wearing each day. He forced himself to look down and concentrate on the work at hand. He just had to phrase the concluding statements and it would be done. However, all the force that had been driving him for the past few hours seemed to disappear just like that. Try as he may, he got stuck on simple words. Soon he had read the same line five times. It didn’t help that he kept stealing glances at her.

This wasn’t like class, where he had so many eyes trained on him, where he was obligated to deliver a perfect lecture. No one was watching him now, which made it thousand times harder to keep his eyes off her.

She was busy working, completely unaware of his presence. Hadn’t she spent the past years like that? Completely unaware of what was happening with him. Anger burned bright and new within him. When he had read the brief about the Weather man case, he was already impressed before seeing who had written it. It had to be her! Sam had fought with himself over announcing her name in front of the whole class. But if it had been any other student, he’d have praised them, right? So he had to be fair and praise her, too. Never-mind that the words would burn on their way out. He had swallowed his feelings and done what was right.

Every little thing about her, may it be those cookies, or running into her in the corridors affected him to the point where it was all he could think about for the rest of the day. So had he been under the wrong impression all this time? Had he not moved on at all?

Y/N was still engrossed in her work, but as Sam looked closely, he soon realised that she was rubbing the nails of her hands against each other. Her feet were drawn up on the chair, under her legs and her shoulders were hunched. He squinted and could make out the slight shivering of her frame. She was cold.

He looked away. It wasn’t his problem. Y/N was hypersensitive to cold. She knew that very well, and made it a point to carry sweaters. If she was indeed that cold, she could just pull on one.

Sam went back to his rejoinder, typing out two more sentences of the conclusion. However, his eyes kept flitting towards her, as she rubbed her hands. Y/N smiled at the people who came by, asking for books. By this point it wasn’t hard to see that her lips were quivering, maybe her teeth were chattering, too. There was no sweater nearby.

There were so many reasons that stopped him from helping her. So many. And for all his anger and seething, all Sam wanted to do was go over and hug her so tight that she would stop shaking. He couldn’t. It wasn’t his place to do that anymore.

Sam’s fingers balled into fists in frustration and helplessness, nails digging into the flesh of his palms painfully.

Just then a girl came wandering over. She looked in her teens and Sam wondered what she was doing here.

“Are you from the college?” Sam asked her, certain that he had never seen her before.

The girl gawked at him. “I’m seventeen, dude!”

Sam didn’t care what she was doing here, but the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. “Hey, if it’s not too much to ask, please could you help me with something?”

Reader’s POV:

It had been a slow morning and an even slower afternoon. After Professor Mcleod’s class, the last one for the day ended, you decided to duck back to the apartment for a while. Madison asked you to hang out with her afterwards, but the thought of hanging out with Brad and the rest of that girl gang, didn’t appeal to you much. You had thought that you’d get over their raving about Sam, but the more you listened the harder it got. Neither could you say anything. You didn’t own Sam. So it was better to avoid them as much as you could for the sake of your own mental peace.

Since it was only two, you could actually catch some sleep before heading for the night shift which started at 6 pm and ended at 2 am. Usually everyone emptied out the library by then. You could clock in an extra hour if someone wanted to stay back. There was a Librarian’s room which you could use to catch your sleep, but from having worked two nights, you figured it was better to walk back home and grab a few hours in your own bed before classes. What was the point of living so close if you weren’t going to make the most of it?

The apartment building was too quiet and empty at this hour on a Tuesday. The only other people were Pam and Cas, both knocked out after the night shift. Even Kevin had to show up at work today. You contemplated whether to start reading for college but decided against it and headed to bed instead.

It turned out to be a bad idea, because given your track record of not waking up to the alarm lately, you slept on till the front door banged open. You sat up straight, disoriented.

“Y/N?” Meg called, uncertainly. “You’re home?”

“Sure am,” you answered through a thick throat. Like an idiot you had fallen asleep in your morning clothes and were sweaty and icky now.

Meg appeared at the door of your room. “Whoa, you’re sleeping! I thought you’d be at work.”

“Why would I be at work,” you said, sleepily, turning to the clock. “It’s only- 5:45! Shit!”

You jumped out of the bed and ran straight for the shower.

“Doesn’t your shift start at 6?” Meg shouted from outside. She sounded amused and it only worked you up as you stripped at a super speed and got into the shower. The water was cold and it was all you could do to not yelp at the sting of it on your skin. Thankfully, Meg hadn’t stuck around in the living room, when five minutes later you made a beeline for your room wrapped in just one towel. At least you didn’t have to worry about what to wear this time. A pair of jeans and any top would do. On your way out, you grabbed your bag, laptop and keys.

“Meg, I’m so sorry I didn’t cook. I was just so tired, I fell asleep.”

Meg, who was filling her nails with what looked like a pen knife, gave you an incredulous look.

“Y/N, fuck dinner! I might just go out anyway,” she said, shaking her head. “You go go go!”

You muttered a thanks and then sprinted at full speed, coming to stop seven minutes later in front of the library.

Molly was fixing the slips for the day.

“Molly, I’m so sorry- “

“Save it,” Molly waved her hand. “It’s just 6 o five.”

“Yeah okay,” you sat down, catching your breath.

“Hey listen,” Molly said, “There’s a few kinds from Palo Alto high school. They’re visiting with their teacher. That woman you see-” she pointed towards a middle aged woman who was breathing down a teenage boy's neck- “that’s her. The kids are well behaved, but they’ll stick around till dinner. You think you can manage?”

“Sure, I can do that!”

“Good luck,” she gave you a thumbs up before leaving.

As had become your unwitting habit lately, the moment you were free of a conscious thought, your mind went to Sam. He had been so frequent to the library before- Molly had been clear about that- but since your joining, he had not shown up once. Maybe your face was still that repulsive to him.

Feeling dejected, you slid your bag under the table, plugged your laptop on charging and settled into the seat, ready to go through the night’s tasks. It didn’t take you longer than five minutes to figure out that you had left your sweater at home in all the hurry to get here. Suddenly, the conditioned air in the room felt ten times colder and you grabbed your arms, hugging yourself. Oh, this was going to be a terrible evening. You briefly contemplated calling Meg, then remembered that she might have gone out for dinner, and both Kevin and Jack were out. Even Pam and Cas would have returned to their night shifts by now.

You would have to sit through this.

The high school teacher came over and introduced herself, then pointed at the seven kids she had brought with her. You barely managed to listen to what she was saying though, trying your best to warm yourself by chaffing your hands against your arms.

“Hey, you think you can grab a copy of Lord of the rings for me?” One of the kids asked, coming up to you.

You forced a smile. “I’ll have to check if we have that one. We d-don’t stock too much fiction here. You would find multiple editions of it in the Central Librar-ry th-though.”

You typed in Tolkien in the catalogue. Somehow one copy was still there.

Shivering, you turned back to look at the boy. “We have t-two towers. If you’ll give me a minute, I can get it for you.”

Breathing in and out of your mouth, you walked to the shelf and retrieved the book for him.

“Here you go,” you said. “Be sure you h-hand it in b-before you go.”

Maybe you should call Meg anyway, you thought. There was no way you could get through the night like this with nails turning blue and your teeth chattering.

“Hey!”

One of the school girls was standing before you with a blank expression on her face. “Here.” She put down bunched up fabric in front of you.

Thoughtlessly you took it, unfolding it to realise that it was, in fact, a grey coat. The sort that was part of a three piece suit. You ran your fingers over the fabric. It was soft and expensive, but felt so warm.

“Put it on!” The girl said. “You look like you’re about to faint.”

You held up the coat. “W-Who gave this to you?”

“That dude sitting at the back,” she said. “He asked me to give this to you. That’s all I know.”

You twisted your torso to glance at the table the girl had pointed to. It was empty.

Strange.

You put on the coat nevertheless, shivering violently as the fabric began to contain the body heat. Soon enough you stopped shaking completely, the warmth reminding you of happier, easier times. You walked around the corner to see who it was, but there was no one there. Shrugging you pulled the coat closer around, inhaling deeply. The scent of his cologne hit you like a ton of bricks.

It couldn’t be.

You took a look at the coat again, remembering what Sam had been wearing in the morning. It was a grey suit- in fact, this very grey. Without thinking, you rushed back to the very end, looking for him, but he was most definitely gone, leaving you with his borrowed warmth. You sank in your chairs, tears blurring your vision.

Sam was here… and he still cared.

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

A/N 2: Aaaaahhhh so what do y’all think??? I mean the reader will have to do something with the coat, right? Do you think it will finally make them talk? ;)

I’m beyond grateful for all the feedback. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!

PLEASE let me know what you think of this story?

If you want be tagged, you can send me an ask or add yourself to the taglist here.

Or here’s my side blog @percywinchester27-writes. You can give that blog a follow and turn the notifications on to know about updates.

ALLU taglist:

@feelmyroarrrr @gabavaldman @im-a-light-child @cosicas-cuquis @bllyjianne @hoboal87 @i-is-for-inspiring @daughterleftbehind @wackiekebab @mylovelydame21 @dancing-the-hellfire-rumba @superbadassnatural @bellastellaluna @babypink224221 @badlittlehabit99 @anathewierdo @sams-bubblegum-bitch @damn-it-now-im-obsessed @fandomoverdose666 @superstarmarvel @atc74 @aiofheavenandhell @rebel-author-chick @death-unbecomes-you @cookiechipdough @kbl1313 @angreadsficsandauthors

#sam winchester x reader fluff #sam winchester fanfiction #sam winchester reader insert #sam x reader #professor!Sam #lawyer!Sam #allu7 #Ana writes ALLU #anawritesspn #anawrites #spn fanfiction #spn reader insert #mutual pining #q

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originofjaehyun · 5 years ago

Text

Prelude: After Story | Part 1 | Punch

Prelude: After Story Masterlist

Word count: 2,929

Warnings: None

Part 1 | Punch

“‘Cause I’m a clean fighter.”

Read Interlude: No More Drama

Tag list: @justineasian @elauniesdream

“Make sure you tell him how you felt.”

The remark only received a giggle from the other party. “I’m not promising anything, Yuta. It will take time.”

Yuta took a final glance. There’s a hint of despair in the way he looked at her. “You packed everything?”

She nods. “I think so. Let me know if I left something. Well, that if you don’t mind. Else, you can throw them away.”

“Alright, I’ll let you know.” He smirked. There’s a pregnant pause before he continues. “I’ll see you when I see you, [Y/N]. Until then, please be well.”

Yuta could see she welled up, holding up her tears. He wished he could hug her and tell her that it will be fine, but that only contradicted the brave front he showed to her.

She finally waves her final goodbye, closing the door. It is a signal for Yuta to finally embrace his sadness. Legs gave in, he immediately crouched down, sighing.

“Damn, who would’ve thought I could fall for someone this much?” Brushing the hair that covers his forehead, he asked himself, with no one to answer.

Yuta walked to his bathroom, thinking that he would cool his head by taking a brisk shower. He took off his shirt, pausing in front of the sink before he entered the shower booth. He stared at his own reflection, blankly. No thoughts, head is empty. He just needs his time to process and to cope with his own heartbreak.

There are few objects that don't belong to him, and by then he noticed that she forgot to visit the bathroom when she cleared her stuff, leaving her toothbrush behind. He curled one side of his lips up, sighing regretfully before throwing the toothbrush to the trash bin nearby.

This is so I can forget about her faster.

Yuta taught to himself, before spotting another foreign item.

A pair of rose gold stud earrings. Yuta knows his pieces of jewelry because he never took off his. The simple design of the earrings is also a bit too plain for his liking, and the owner of them is no other than the person who just left this place.

He grabs it, about to throw them away. But hesitates, gripping the earrings inside his palm.

Yuta looks at the earring once more.

Maybe, just maybe, this is the only part of you that I could keep?

–

Days pass per normal for Yuta. Except that the people around him notice that he’s anything but it.

“You alright, bro?” Doyoung tapped his shoulder, waking Yuta from his daze.

“What do you mean?” Yuta leans to the wall, inhaling his IQOS.

“I don’t know man, you’re off these days.” Doyoung took a sip of his grapefruit drink. “It seems like you have something on your mind. Have you talked to [Y/N] about it?”

Ah, so she hasn’t told him.

Yuta thought to himself, not responding to Doyoung as he drew out a translucent smoke.

“She might not be the best at giving advice, cause even she had a hard time figuring out herself. But I promise she’s a good listener, I’m sure she'll be able to give you some sort of comfort.”

Yuta just nodded to his statement.

He nodded because he himself knew how comfortable it was to be around her.

–

Yuta holds grudges. It was hard for him to admit it at first, but eventually, he accepts the annoying part of his personality. Fast forward five months after she left, Yuta still refused to go out. This clearly weirded everyone out since Yuta is the social butterfly. For him to reject their offer to visit the bar after office makes the lines on their foreheads more apparent than ever.

Yuta just needs some time, alone. He doesn’t know for how long, but what he knows is that he’s just not in the mood to put on a fake happy smile when his own heart is like a shipwreck.

So he spent another night in at his apartment, opening a bottle of rye whiskey. Truthfully, Yuta prefers sweeter booze –something that is more fruity like his usual Cassis Orange. However these days, those cocktails couldn’t shred his woe. He needs something stronger. He needs to be able to feel the burning sensation on his chest, replacing the pain of his heartache.

He went off to flump into the leather couch, putting down the glass of whiskey. He grabs the remote, browsing through the Netflix catalog. He stops, at one move named Kimi no Na wa.

He probably already watched this for million times. He loves this movie. Not only because of the well-executed animation and storyline, but it also reminds him of home.

And it painfully reminds him of her too. How she loved anime, and how her eyes glimmered every time Yuta told her a fun fact about Japanese culture.

“Did you know there’s a trivia behind her name?”

“Who? Mitsuha?”

Yuta nods, “Her name means three leaves. Funnily enough, it started from her grandmother, Hitoha which means one leaf. And you guessed it, her mother’s name, Futaba, means two leaves and her little sister, Yotsuha, is four leaves.”

“Whoa!” She shrieked excitedly. “That’s cute!”

Yuta laughed at the sight of her getting excited over something simple like this. It’s nothing much for a Japanese man like him, but for her it’s something new and Yuta finds it very adorable.

If she was still here, he would cross his arm over her shoulder. Cuddling her.

But right now, all he could do is to rest his arm on the backrest of his couch. The only warmth that he could feel is from the whiskey.

Unable to focus on the movie, so he diverted his attention to see his phone.

Oh, how he regrets it.

He saw her social. She was with a group of people that Yuta knew from that party. But his finger reactively clicked on one of the tagged name’s profiles.

Just to see him posted a photo of her. It was a candid photo, the person captured in the picture seemingly asked the photographer to stop. Her hands were blurred because she attempted to cover her mouth.

But she wasn’t quick enough to stop the photographer from capturing her smile. A smile so bright Yuta knew he wasn’t able to create. A smile that Yuta definitely misses.

The agony he felt amplified once he read the capture below the photo.

“I was yours, before I knew; and you have always been mine too.”

Yuta rolled his tongue over his front teeth. He knew he shouldn’t feel this way, not when he is the one who let her go. But he is pissed, throwing his phone away.

He moves his palms to cover his eyes, resting his head. He lets out another sigh, but no matter how much he exhaled, no matter how much alcohol he drank, the rain cloud seems to follow him around.

“Fuck this shit.” He hummed to himself.

He took his phone again, this time opening a different app. It took him a bit longer this time, but at least whatever he was doing, managed to put a smile on Yuta’s face.

He then proceeds to dial a number.

“Hello, Doy? I’ll take a week off. I’m flying to Osaka tomorrow.”

–

“How could you come back home without noticing us?”

Yuta puts down his bag, worn out from the flight, “I can’t even visit my own home now, Nee-san?”

“What I meant was,” His sister crossed his arm. “Last time you visited Osaka, you’d stay at the hotel because you wouldn’t stay long. Mostly due to your business trip. What makes you suddenly miss home?”

“I just feel like taking some days off, Nee-san.” He replied without looking at this sister, busy unpacking his stuff. “Also, Imouto has been texting me, telling me to bring her some signed goods from TVXQ.”

“Well if you said so,” Her sister knows how stubborn Yuta is, so she decides that she won’t press him further. “Come down when you’re ready. If only you told us you were coming earlier, mom would’ve cooked us Nabe. But we don’t have the ingredients, so you have to settle with curry tonight.”

Yuta finally looked back to smile at his sister, “Curry sounds great, Nee-san.”

–

It’s great to be home, Yuta thought to himself.

The familiar road. People talking in his mother language. Food that is catered to fit his taste buds. He loves Korea, and everything it has to offer, but nothing could replace home.

“My, Yuta is that you?!” An elderly woman called for him, snapping him from his day daze.

“Oh, Baa-chan!” Yuta subconsciously lets out his signature radiant smile. “How are you? I hope your back is fine now.”

“Oh, you’re as sweet as I could remember, Yuta!” She giggled. “You never visit your home, this Baa-chan misses you a lot, you know? I don’t know how to use… what do they call those these days? Line?”

Yuta laughed. “Yes, Line, Baa-chan.”

“Right, I can’t contact you! You should come home more often. I could write you a letter but I don’t know your address in Korea.”

“I miss you too, Baa-chan. Sorry, I promise to visit again.”

Baa-chan sells taiyaki in his neighborhood. Yuta is her regular customer, and she has witnessed how much Yuta grew from a small boy who aspires to be an Ultraman to a successful businessman he is right now. Yuta settled on the bench in front of Baa-chan’s store, filling her with the missing information pieces where Yuta finally left home for his career.

“Now take this,” She offered him a bag of taiyakis.

“Oh, no Baa-chan. Let me pay,” He rustles his pant pocket, trying to find his wallet.

“My dear Yuta!” She pushes the paper bag to him, “This is a gift from me, as a thank you for visiting this old lady. Next time, bring your friend here so they can pay instead. Baa-chan wants to see your friends, I want to make sure they are good people.”

He lets out a soft chuckle. Baa-chan is always kind, and it touches his heart. Yuta treats her like she’s her own grandmother. “I’ll note that, Baa-chan.”

He waves goodbye to her and marches his way to a nearby park. The park used to be so big for the small Yuta. He used to think it would take forever to catch a ball that flies after his friend kicked it too high. But now that he’s a full-grown man, he even wonders how the hell he was able to play soccer with his friend in this field.

He sits down at the bench, taking a bite of the fresh taiyaki. Baa-chan’s taiyaki is the best. It might be a biased opinion, but every bite is like a memory lane for Yuta. The irreplaceable taste of childhood.

The dusk is near, and there is no child laughter at these hours since all of them have their curfews. With nothing to keep him entertained, he unlocked his phone, casually browsing through his social before pausing his munching at one post.

“Can’t believe this man asked me to spend the rest of my life with him while I’m about to throw the trash away. I hope your future daughter will experience a much more romantic proposal, you weirdo.”

Involuntarily the red bean paste from his bread squirted out, due to the fact Yuta unconsciously squeezed them. Was it out of anger? Out of disappointment? Or out of regret?

His blood is boiling, and with nobody around, nothing stops him. Yuta is usually calm, but right now he just wants to transfer the excessive anger somewhere. Heck, the tree next to him can be his punching bag.

My mom always told me to finish my meal so you’re not leaving until you eat everything.

But right now, Yuta is unable to take another bite. He even forced whatever he had left on his mouth down to his throat.

Why did I let you go?

He scoffed, mocking his own thought, “Damn, what a pathetic person you are, Yuta.”

Your first impression on Yuta is probably how strong his aura is. His gaze is sharp, complemented with a well-chiseled jawline. So you would never think that the same person has a sensitive soul. Ever since his trip to Japan, the Nakamato residence in Seoul is always decorated with fresh flowers, handpicked by Yuta himself. This is his way of finding peace. He always wanted to have a pet, but his busy schedule makes him unable to own one. Instead, he’s been paying more attention to greeneries in his home. He said it was a therapy for him, and having a living plant makes the place alive, so he claims.

The bell on the door jingles after Yuta pushes the door open, cueing the staff who were busy arranging a bouquet to greet him.

“Welcome to Paradise!”

Yuta nods at the staff, telling her to continue with her arrangement and let him browse the flower catalog by himself.

Soon after, the bell jingles once more —only to reveal a young man with a sparkly eyes.

“Sorry, __! Taeyong left his apron behind so I have to make a visit to Kitchen Beat first.”

The person at the counter chuckled, “Don’t sweat it, Mark. We’re not that busy today anyway.”

“Let me put my bag first, then I’ll help to cut the stems of the carnations—“ Mark’s eyes grow bigger once he sees the familiar figure. “Yuta-hyung? Ah, I mean, Sir!”

Yuta turned at the sound of his name. “Oh, if it isn’t Mark!”

“Didn’t expect you to come here, Sir.”

“You can talk to me comfortably, Mark. We’re no strangers.” Yuta smiles. “Fancy seeing you here, too. Are you part-timing here?”

Mark nods. “Other than my job as an English tutor, working here actually calms me down. Maybe the flower gives the peaceful atmosphere?”

Yuta hummed, agreeing with his statement.

“Also, I can rest a bit because working here is not as busy as working at a cafe.” Mark continues, “Though we’re going to be busy pretty soon since Jaehyun-hyung ordered so many orchids for his wedding. Man, not just any orchid! If only he knows how difficult it is to obtain—“

Mark stopped at the sight of Yuta’s awkward face.

“Shit, Mark, how could you forget that he was your Noona’s ex-lover.”

He whispered to himself, but the store was fairly quiet with only faint instrumental song in the background —enabling Yuta to listen to each of his words clearly.

Your noona.

“Mark, go change to your uniform.” A female voice breaks the tension, flinching Mark who reactively gives Yuta a deep bow afterward.

Yuta definitely needs time to process what just happened. Pressing his lips together while occasionally biting the skin.

“A cheerful young boy, isn’t he?”

Yuta woke up from his daydream following her calm voice. “Mark is energetic, and I love how positive his energy is. Though sometimes, that can cause him to be slightly dense, too.”

Yuta couldn’t help but to let a single soft chuckle.

“So please forgive him, yeah? I’m sorry I couldn’t help but to overheard your conversation. Don’t take it to the heart, Mark was probably too excited. He didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know. No offense is taken. I just need some time to digest it.”

“Take your time,” she continued with her bouquet, tying up the ribbon as the final touch. “Though, if I could suggest, I think our daffodils are very pretty today.”

“Daffodils?”

“Yes, the yellow ones on that corner,” she pointed at a bunch of yellow flowers. “I’ll help you with a bunch. It’s on a house, as an apology from making you uncomfortable just now. Are you going to put it on a vase like the usual or are you going to give it to someone?”

Yuta widened his eyes, quickly shook his head, “Oh please no need, I’m not offended by all means.”

“As the owner of this shop, I insist, Sir.”

Yuta hesitates, but eventually gives in. “The usual. Actually, a single bloom is fine. I would feel bad, you know, if you're going to give me a bunch. Business is still business after all.”

His remarks only caused the other party to scoff, “Our business is doing well, Sir. So please don’t fret on it. Anyway, it would mean a different thing if I don’t give you in a bunch.”

“Different thing?”

“Ah,” She closes her mouth with her hand. “Don’t mind too much on it.”

After spending the whole day outside, all Yuta needs is a refreshing shower to wash down his sweat. He placed his new floral arrangement on his dining table, before taking his shirt off when he walked towards the bathroom. He threw his shirt to the laundry bag, and unlocked his phone, ready to play his shower playlist.

Bunch of daffodils?

He suddenly remembered how the florist mentioned the different meaning of daffodils. He quickly changed the tab, typing the question on Google.

Smirk appeared on his face, after so many days shied away from the surface.

“Rebirth and new beginnings, huh?” He said to himself. “How cheeky.”

He puts down his phone on the countertop, resting his arms at the sink before looking at himself in the mirror.

Yuta is determined.

He picks up his phone once more, dialing a number.

“Doyoung, do you know the best hair salon here?”

A/N: We’re back with this!! I’m so so excited to continue this hehe~ To be honest... continuing this series gives me a lot of anxiety. What if the audience don’t like it? What if the one who loves Interlude won’t like my approach on continuing the story in Yuta’s POV? At some point it was difficult for me to write this, but as I persistently write this, it became more and more enjoyable and eventually those thoughts don’t appear as much!

Another thing to note, to prevent any confusion, the reader for Prelude will be ___ instead of the usual [Y/N]. [Y/N] belongs to Interlude! So think of her as another character for Prelude!

Also again, I’d like to remind you guys again since there’s only three additional songs, this would be a mini-series instead of a full series like Interlude. But hopefully, you would still give Prelude tons of love too!

#yuta scenarios #yutaxreader #yuta fic #yuta angst #neowritingsnet #yuta fluff #commoner!au #commoner!yuta #yutafluff #yuta #yuta scenario #fic yuta #angst yuta #prelude after story #nct scenarios #prelude #punch

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bee-kathony · 6 years ago

Photo

“It’s Been a Long, Long Time” - Jamie & Claire One Shot

a/n: So, this is based off of my grandparents relationship. If you didn’t know, last week, my grandfather passed away and so I’ve been hearing tons and tons of stories from my grandmother, many I’ve never heard before. She told me how they met and funnily enough, it was because my grandpa asked his sister named Jennie (just like Jamie’s sister!) if there were any girls to date in town when he was home from serving in the military. My great aunt set up my grandpa with my grandma and the rest is history! My grandma told me that on their second date, my grandpa took her hand and kissed it and her heart melted and she knew that he was the one! For this one shot, I took some of those events and twisted it a bit to fit Jamie and Claire. My grandparents actually met in 1958, not 1948 as this fic is set in. Anyways, I hope you enjoy a few sweet moments I wanted to share! <3 the title of this fic is inspired by this song (x)

November, 1948

It had been three years since Jamie Fraser had returned from the war. He was stationed in France, fighting alongside the English. His Scottish ancestors would have rolled in their graves if they knew who he was fighting with. But the enemy had been extinguished and now the nation — the world — was in a time of healing and peace.

Jamie enjoyed fighting for his country. Of course, it wasn’t actually enjoyable most of the time, with planes bombing almost every night. He enjoyed the camaraderie amongst the soldiers and in the time he had spent away from home, he grew from a boy into a man.

At twenty-six, Jamie was a strapping fellow, with flaming red hair, proudly standing at six foot four. He’d had girlfriends before the war, but ever since his return he’d never been interested. That was until one night he asked his sister about any new lasses in town, trying to get her to stop asking him about it.

“So, Jenny,” Jamie unfolded the napkin over his lap as the family started to eat dinner. “What’s the word around town? Any new lasses ye think I’d be interested in?”

His older sister scoffed and looked at him, open mouthed. “Ye are askin’ me about lasses? And here I thought ye werena lookin’ for that sort of thing.”

“Well, I’m askin’ ye, so I must be looking,” he raised his brows, waiting for an answer to his question.

“If ye must ken,” Jenny smiled, “there is a lass that has been askin’ about ye. Her name is Mary McNabb.”

“Isn’t she marrit?” Jamie squinted and picked up his glass to take a sip of water. His parents, Brian and Ellen watched their children with a keen interest, but said nothing.

“She was marrit,” Jenny said. “Her husband died in the war, I thought ye kent that?”

“I dinna ken everything about everyone like ye do, Jenny,” Jamie snorted and picked up his fork. “I’m no’ so interested in any lasses that used to be marrit.”

“Then perhaps ye’d be interested in Claire Beauchamp,” Jenny said, then took a bite of the potato on her plate.

“Claire Beauchamp?” Jamie paused, wracking his brain for the name. “I dinna ken of her, she’s new then?”

“Oh, aye. Well, she actually lives in Inverness. I met her a few weeks back when I was in town for some shopping.”

“Inverness is nearly an hour drive, Jenny. No’ exactly close,” Jamie smirked, taking another bite.

“I was just saying to yer father, Jamie, that I needed to go to Inverness to pick up a few things,” his mother said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Aye, son, she was,” his father added with a grin to match his sister’s.

“Oh, are ye all in on it?” Jamie laughed and looked around at his family. “Fine, if ye say this lass is worth meetin’, then I’ll go into town this weekend and see what she’s all about.”

“Verra good,” Jenny smiled, feeling rather satisfied.

They spoke no more of Claire Beauchamp or any other lasses for the rest of dinner. Jamie knew it was odd for him to be nearly thirty and not married. His own parents had been married when they were just eighteen. But Jamie wanted to be sure — he wanted to find the perfect lass he would spend the rest of his life with.

As the rest of the week progressed, Jamie caught his mind slipping to thoughts of this Claire Beauchamp. What would she look like? Would she be interested in him? It was this line of thinking that distracted him so much that he stepped in a pile of manure as he walked into the barn one morning.

“Och, Christ!” He shouted, making the chickens squawk and run away.

Come Saturday afternoon, his mother had given him a list of bits and pieces to pick up while he was in Inverness. And his sister Jenny had been sure to tell him exactly where it was that she had met Claire Beauchamp.

“She works in the Bed and Breakfast, Mrs. Baird’s it was,” she smiled and straightened his collar over his jacket. “Ye look dashing, Jamie.”

“Tis not like I’m goin’ on a date,” Jamie scoffed and waved his hand at his sister to get her to stop choking him.

“Och, but ye might,” Jenny huffed and put both her hands on her hips. “Now, be off!”

“I’ll see ye in a few hours,” Jamie smiled and climbed into the family car, laying down the list on the passenger seat. The car roared to life and a minute later, Jamie was on the road, set for Inverness and a one Claire Beauchamp.

++++++

Claire had moved to Inverness only a few months ago. At twenty-one, it was unusual for an unmarried woman to move to another country on her own. Originally from Oxford, England, Claire Beauchamp had no intention on ever leaving her home country. But her parents had both perished during the war — her father caught in a bombing and her mother to an illness. What was once her home had become a memorial for her parents and the memories they had made there.

So it was with a fresh start in mind, that she relocated to Inverness, Scotland. She took the first job she was offered, at Mrs. Baird’s Bed and Breakfast and lived a simple life. At least, it was simple until a tall red haired man walked in through the door.

The little bell chimed, and without looking up from her book, Claire shouted from the back, “I’ll be with you in just a moment!”

There was no response from the guest who had just walked in. Marking her place and laying her book aside, Claire rose from the cozy chair in the back office and came out to the front counter to greet the new guest. She noticed his height at once. Then his bright red hair and as he turned to look at her, she noticed his striking blue eyes.

“Can I help you?” She asked in a thick British accent.

“Yer British?” The man asked to which she merely nodded. “Sorry, where are my manners,” he shook his head and then offered his hand. “I’m Jamie Fraser.”

Claire shook his hand, feeling a tingle crawl up her arm. “I’m Claire Beauchamp. And what can I do for you, Jamie Fraser?”

“Umm,” he mumbled and looked down at a list he had in his hand. “Well, I dinna come to Inverness verra much. Would ye be able to tell me where I can get these things in town?”

Claire took the list from him and scanned it several times. “There’s a small bookshop around the corner, and the grocer’s is next door to that, rather hard to miss. Most everything on this list will be in the shops down the lane.”

“Thank ye, lass,” Jamie smiled and tucked away the list into his jacket pocket. “I best get to it,” he smiled, but just one side curled up that made Claire’s stomach flutter.

“You have a long list there,” Claire nodded. “You’d better hurry.”

“Thank ye, again.” Jamie said again and backed up to walk out the door, his eyes never leaving Claire’s.

“Anytime,” Claire laughed softly, watching the strange man leave the building.

Once the door was closed, Claire leaned against the counter, crossing her arms in front of her, “What an odd man.”

++++++

Jamie felt like a fool. He’d hardly said anything to her, only asked her to look at his list. He should have asked more questions to get to know her, but what does one do when they walk into a bed and breakfast and aren’t looking for a place to sleep?

For the next two hours, Jamie traveled up and down the streets in Inverness, gathering one by one the items on his mother’s list. He checked the last item off and started towards his car to put everything away in the boot. Even though he had no reason to stay in town, he didn’t want to leave just yet. He had come here to meet Claire after all…

Jamie locked the car and cursed lightly under his breath, feeling his heart start to race as he walked towards the bed and breakfast for the second time that day. The same little bell chimed and she was there behind the counter, as if she hadn’t moved in the last two hours.

“Can I hel—“ she said, but stopped when she noticed it was him. “Was there something you couldn’t find on your list?”

“Aye,” Jamie nodded, walking to stand at the counter. “I ken ye dinna know me verra well — at all, really — but, I came to ask if ye’d go out on a date wi’ me.”

Claire didn’t say anything, just looked up at him with wide, unblinking eyes. The silence was maddening and now all Jamie wanted to do was run out the door, hop in his car and forget all about Claire Beauchamp. But then she opened her mouth and said something he would always remember.

“I’d love to,” she smiled, a bit of pink on her cheeks. “When were you thinking?”

“Well,” Jamie rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “Seein’ as how I live an hour away and I’m here now… are ye free tonight?”

“My shift ends in thirty minutes,” Claire said. “Does that work for you?”

“Oh, yes!” He said and grinned widely, his heart hammering loudly in his ears. He had thought of what Claire would be like all week and now she was standing before him and his imagination didn’t do her justice. “I’ll just wait in my car until yer done.”

“You can wait in the back if you’d like?” Claire pointed behind her. “I don’t want you to use up all your petrol.”

“Aye, I can do that,” Jamie grinned and Claire lifted part of the counter and he followed her to the small office located behind the front area. It was small, with a desk and chair. He noticed several books littered around the area, all with dried flowers as the bookmarks shoved in different places.

“Make yourself comfortable,” she said. “When Mrs. Baird comes in for the night, we’ll be free to go.”

“She won’t mind that I’m back here?” He asked.

“Oh, she probably will, but I’ll tell her you’re a friend,” Claire shrugged and went back to stand at the counter as the door opened and the bell chimed.

Jamie picked up the book on the desk closest to him, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway and opened the front cover. From where he was sitting, he could just see the back of Claire’s curly head and the hem of her blue silk dress. He’d come to Inverness, his heart still warming up to the idea of meeting a lass, but now here he was — waiting to go on a date.

++++++

The next thirty minutes were the longest minutes of Claire’s life. After Jamie had left the first time, Claire had tried to figure out what was so captivating about him, and when he returned, she still couldn’t figure it out. Perhaps it was his charming highland lilt, or how she felt she had known him her whole life.

She kept peeking behind her to look into the office. He had picked up her copy of A Farewell to Arms, reading it with a very concentrated look. Claire didn’t really know why she agreed to go on a date with a near stranger. Surely that’s not what acceptable young ladies did. But Claire wasn’t the usual young lady.

Claire had only had one boyfriend, three years ago when she was eighteen. He had been charming and said all the right things, but Claire knew she would never marry him. By now, all her friends back in Oxford were married, getting married or already had a child.

She didn’t want to just date anyone. Claire wanted it to mean something, which is perhaps why she said yes to Jamie Fraser. The sincere look in his eyes had made her heart stop and her skin grow warm. Even though she had a boyfriend all those years ago, she had still never been kissed, and that… she definitely was saving for the right man.

Finally, Mrs. Baird walked through the door and Claire nearly jumped for joy at the sight of her.

“Hello, lass,” she kissed her on the cheek. “Ye look well.”

“Thank you,” Claire said as she started to slip on her blue wool coat.

“Off in a hurry, are we?” The older lady laughed, noticing how quickly Claire was gathering her things.

“Yes,” Claire smiled and then went to the back room to tell Jamie they could go. When Claire returned to the counter, followed by a tall red haired man, Mrs. Baird nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Don’t worry, he’s my friend,” Claire said and grabbed Jamie’s hand to lead him out the door, it was best they were quick about it and avoided any questions Mrs. Baird shot their way.

“Have a nice evening, then, Claire!” Her employer said as Claire practically raced out the door.

“Ye dinna like yer boss?” Jamie said as they made it to the street and slowed down. They were still holding hands.

“I do, she’s wonderful!” Claire smiled. “I just knew that she would start asking questions neither of us are prepared to answer, so best to leave fast.”

Jamie laughed, squeezing Claire’s hand. They both felt a bit awkward, not really knowing what to say as they walked down the street. They had only meet several hours earlier and had exchanged barely a few sentences.

Claire was leading them to the only open place with food in town, a small pub that Jamie had passed several times while finishing his list.

“I figured since you don’t live here, you would want me to pick the place?” Claire looked up at him as they sat down at a small booth in the corner.

“Aye, tis perfect,” Jamie said, then took off his coat and laid it next to him.

Time seemed to stand still as they began talking. Jamie told her everything, well, almost everything. He kept the small detail of coming to Inverness to meet her to himself for now. Claire opened up to him in a way she didn’t know possible and even told him stories of her parents.

“That’s why I moved here,” she shrugged, her fingers sliding along her glass. “It was too painful to live in that house without my parents. To be surrounded by so many memories, happy as they were.”

“I’m so sorry, Claire,” Jamie reached out his hand and took hers in his. “Ye dinna ken anyone here? Why choose Scotland of all places?”

“Well, as a child, my parents and I visited the highlands and I fell in love with it. The beautiful moors and kind people,” she looked up at him, smiling softly. “I knew that if I really wanted a fresh start, it would have to be somewhere so unlike my surroundings.”

“Ye picked well,” Jamie lifted his glass and tapped it on the side of hers before drinking.

“And you’ve lived in Scotland your whole life?”

“Aye,” he grinned. “Besides the few years in France during the war. I was born in the very house I still live in wi’ my sister and parents.”

“I always wanted a sibling, someone to grow up with,” Claire said.

“Jenny’s great when she’s not gettin’ on my last nerve,” Jamie laughed.

Claire laughed with him and raised her hand to order another round of drinks.

It was a shock to both of them when the pub owner came over to them and told them the place was closing for the night.

“What time is it?” Claire asked.

“Nearly eleven,” the owner said and walked back to the bar to clean up.

“Eleven, Christ!” Jamie’s eyes widened. “My family is probably wonderin’ what happened to me.”

“Oh goodness,” Claire blushed. “You’d better get home. I didn’t realize we’d been talking for so long.”

“I didn’t either,” Jamie smiled across the table.

They both rose and as they put their coats back on, they realized they were the last two customers in the pub. Claire’s shift ended at 4 p.m., which meant they had talked for seven hours!

Jamie took Claire’s hand in his as they walked to Claire’s house which was just down the street.

“I’d like to see ye again, Claire,” Jamie said as they reached her door.

“I’d like that very much,” Claire agreed. “I work every day but Sunday.”

“So yer not workin’ tomorrow?”

“No,” Claire smirked.

“If yer not busy, then would you like to go on a picnic wi’ me?” Jamie asked, feeling brave.

“I’m not busy and I would love to,” Claire smiled and then stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

“I didna expect to meet someone like ye, Claire Beauchamp,” Jamie sighed, still holding her hand.

“A tall red haired Scottish man was the last person I expected to end the evening with,” Claire laughed and Jamie wanted to drown in the sound of it.

He wanted to kiss her very badly, but instead he brought her hand up to his lips and placed a kiss to the back of it. At that moment, Claire’s heart melted and she knew that this Jamie was something special.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” she grinned.

“Tomorrow is a long, long time,” Jamie said softly and kissed her hand once more before watching her open her door and go inside.

Neither of them knew it then, but that was the start of a beautiful relationship and legacy. Jamie and Claire would meet the next day and many days after that. They would spend hours in the car driving back and forth from Lallybroch to Inverness just to see each other. Only six months later, Jamie would propose to Claire and a year later they would welcome their first daughter.

They would be married for fifty-eight years until death do them part and they would live a life full of so much love and joy. A simple meeting in a bed and breakfast set off a chain of events that neither one of them saw coming.

#outlander fanfic #jamie x claire #it's been a long long time #one shot #for my grandma and grandpa <3 #jamie fraser #claire fraser #outlander #outlander fanfiction

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theycallmemoosey · 6 years ago

Text

Welcome to Hogwarts (1/7)

Harry Potter x Teen Wolf AU

Chapter 1/7 (Chapter 2 Here)

Derek Hale x Reader

A/N: Guess who’s back!! This was requested by @drunklili and I really hope I have given it justice. I have poured everything into this because I am such a huge fan of both fandoms so this literally gave me life. I will be back to writing all my lined up requests and ideas soon, it has just taken some time for me to get back on my feet. I really really hope you enjoy my first series! Moose :)

---------------------------

Standing in front of that legendary wall was terrifying, knowing that your whole future was right through that pathway to the greatest wizarding school in history.

“Go on, sweetheart, you’ll be ok” your dad stroked your back, sensing that you were nervous.

“Just run. You’ve seen others do it, right?” Your mother added, smiling lovingly.

“I just wish you could come through with me”

“We wish we could too…would it be easier if we said goodbye and left? So you could go alone now?”

“Maybe” you nodded, reaching up to hug your parents for the last time, waving them off as they climbed back up the steps to the cafe. Turning back around, you kept staring at the wall, trying to convince yourself to just run through it.

“Your parents can’t go through either?” A voice asked next to you, standing and staring at the wall just like you.

“No” you laughed, “This is my first time”

“Oh me too” she smiled. You turned to look at the girl, who appeared to be the same age as you, with a head of messy, curly hair, “I’m Hermione”

You shook her outstretched hand, “Y/N”

“So you’re muggle-born too?”

“Mu-muggle?” You laughed, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion.

“Non magical people…so we are witches, obviously, and our parents are what we call muggles. We are muggle-born because we are the only witches in our family”

“You sure know a lot about this whole…thing” you chuckled, fiddling with a tag on one of your trunks, “I only found out about this last month! Since then I’ve been learning something new everyday”

“I read a lot” she matched your laugh, “Want to go in with me? I’ll sit with you on the train and tell you everything I know”

“That would be amazing” you smiled, your eyes flicking to her trolly full of her belongings, landing on a cage with a ginger cat, “Oh your cat is beautiful!”

“Thank you! His name is Crookshanks” she smiled proudly at her cat, “What pet did you buy?”

“I-I didn’t” you looked back at your trolly, noticing how empty it was, “My parents’ and I didn’t realise that we are allowed one until we left Diagon Alley. We completely overlooked it with the excitement of the whole…you know, ‘You’re a witch, Y/N’ thing”

“Maybe next year” she placed her hand on your arm in comfort, “Want to go through together?”

You gripped onto your trolly, “Let’s go”

————————————

“So…what are the house names again?” You asked Hermione, having learnt half the history and general knowledge of Hogwarts before the train even set off.

“Gryffindor, house of bravery, loyalty and courage; Ravenclaw, the house of wisdom, intelligence and creativity; Hufflepuff, the house of dedication, patience and fairness and finally Slytherin, the house of ambition and determination. Although, arguably, Slytherins are known for-“

“Oh my god, finally! A near empty carriage!” A red-headed girl cried out when she looked into the compartment where you were sat with Hermione, “I hope you don’t mind but literally every compartment down this train is full or…have weird looking people in it”

“It’s ok” you laughed, offering the seat next to you, “I’m Y/N, this is Hermione”

“Lydia” she smiled back, placing her white Persian cat next to her, “So how long have you two-“

“SCOTT! HERE’S ONE!”

“Oh good” Lydia sighed, “Here they come”

A trio of boys stumbled into the carriage, taking their seats. A jet black haired boy with broad shoulders sat opposite you, smiling politely at you. You quickly looked over towards Hermione, who was blushing just as much as you.

“What are you three doing here?” Lydia huffed, crossing her arms.

“You know these guys?” Hermione asked.

“Hermione, Y/N, this is Scott” she pointed to the boy with dark, wavy hair before pointing to the boy opposite you, “That’s Derek”

“I’m Stiles” the third boy said, his cheeky smile making you giggle slightly.

“Nice to meet you guys” you smiled at them all individually before raising your eyebrows excitedly at Hermione.

“Jesus, Lydia, did you have to let Prada walk around the train freely?” Stiles pointed towards the white cat, who was scratching at the compartment door.

“She doesn’t like being confined in small spaces”

“So…” Hermione cleared the air, “How long have you guys known each other?”

“Well, Derek and Scott are brothers and we’ve all been friends with each other from at least third grade, which in this country is what they call…year 4?” Stiles explained.

“Longest 3 years of my life” Lydia groaned.

Lydia and Scott squabbled about their friendship while Scott started to get to know Hermione. You giggled and looked out the window, seeing Derek open his book from the corner of your eye.

“Have you always known you were…magic?” You blurted out, your eyes widening when you realised what you had done.

“Sorry?” Derek laughed, lowering his book.

“How long have you know that you were a wizard?”

“Well…ever since I can remember”

“Oh! Your parents are magic too?”

“Yours aren’t?”

“I’m what they call a muggle-blood” you stuttered, seeing him smile.

“Because that isn’t obvious enough”

“Excuse me?”

“Muggle-born. The phrase you’re looking for is muggle-born” he chuckled, “How much do you know about this world?”

“I know that I am a muggle-born and what a Hogwarts is”

“You’re in for a long 5 years” he smirked and leant back, going back to his book.

A small, bucktoothed boy slid the door open, stopping the loud chat of the compartment.

“Has anyone seen my toad?”

—————————————

“Oh my-“

“Hagrid!” A dark haired boy with glasses ran past you happily towards the giant, who was towering above half the year.

“Harry! Good to see ya!” He chuckled, “Right, first years! Follow me! Off to the boats”

“That’s Harry. He’s a legend in the wizarding world” Hermione explained as you stared in his direction, “I met him on the way here”

“Why is he a legend? He’s 11” Stiles pointed out, butting in between the two of you.

“He survived ‘You Know Who’”

“No I don’t know” you furrowed your eyebrows.

“You don’t know about the dark lord? The most evil Wizard in the world?”

“Funnily enough, no”

“It’s not a story for now” Lydia interrupted, “She’s just learnt she’s a wizard, we don’t want to worry her anymore”

“Alright kiddos, listen up!” Hagrid boomed, “Get into groups of 6. The boats will steer themselves but a couple of you will have to take the torches”

As Hagrid climbed into his boat, Scott offered Hermione his hand and helped her into the boat, shortly following her. Stiles clambered in behind his best friend, followed by Lydia, Harry, a chatty red head boy and a tall boy with a head of curly locks.

“Thanks, Scotty” Derek huffed, climbing into the next boat. You cleared your throat as you realised that you had been left alone on the docks.

“Want to sit with me? Seems like we’ve been left by the rest” Derek offered his hand, and you took it smiling.

“Thank you” You sat down next to Derek and passed the torch to him, “You nervous?”

“Nervous?”

“Yeah, about starting school? I mean…look at it!” You chuckled breathily, gesturing towards the towering castle.

“You’re telling me you’re not excited? You get to live in a castle and learn magic. That must be pretty exciting considering that not so long ago you thought you were a muggle”

“It’s terrifying” you whispered, feeling your heart race as you approached the place you would call home for the next 7 years.

———————————————

Having met back up with the rest of the gang, you were introduced to Harry, Ron and Issac, who Hermione had met on the train. The castle grounds were huge and you thought that you were dreaming. It was everything you could have imagined and more.

“God these stairs go on forever” Stiles whined behind you, making you giggle as the rest of the students chatted around you.

A woman with a tall, pointy had stood at the top of the staircase, with a warm sort of smile you would expect from your grandmother - firm, but caring.

“Welcome to Hogwarts” she proudly said, “Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But, before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. Now while you are here, your house will be like your family”

“Trevor!” Neville randomly cried out, rushing towards the toad that was sat at the woman’s feet, making the rest of the crowd giggle, “Sorry”

“We’re ready for you now” she stated calmly, “Follow me”

You gulped as the crowd began to follow her.

“Calm down, you’ll be fine” Hermione said encouragingly, taking your hand.

“Let’s just hope we’re sorted into the same house”

The great hall was enormous and make your heart stop. Students were sat patiently at the longest dining tables you had seen in your life. And the candles - oh my god, the candles, were floating in mid air.

“The ceiling…” you whispered to Hermione.

“It’s not real” she explained, “It’s just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History”

“Oh” you muttered, “Mind if I borrow that book sometime?”

“Is that a hat?” Stiles pointed out in front of you, “It’s a shabby old thing”

“He’s going to have the shock of his life” Derek chuckled with Scott. For a pure-blood wizard, Stiles wasn’t the most knowledgable about Hogwarts and it’s ways.

“Will you wait along here please?” The professor asked, the students in front of you gathering in a circle, “Now before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words”

“Who’s-“

“Headmaster” Scott whispered quietly to you.

Dumbledore stood and announced the start of term notices, going on about Forbidden Forests and corridors that would lead to a most painful death…what had you gotten yourself into?

“Now when I call your name,” the professor continued, “Come forth and I shall place the sorting hat on your head and you shall be sorted into your houses”

“Good luck, guys” Scott whispered.

“Hermione Granger”

Hermione gasped and released a long breath. You smiled and squeezed her hand before letting her go to the chair, hearing her mutter words of encouragement to herself.

“Mental that one,” Ron said, “I’m telling ya”

“Ok…GRYFFINDOR!” The sorting hat yelled, causing the table directly behind you to clap and cheer. Hermione jumped off the chair and smiled quickly at you before joining her new house.

“Drace Malfoy!”

“Y/N, if I can offer you one piece of advice, it would be to stay away from him” Lydia warned.

“What? Why?”

“Remember that story Stiles and Hermione tried to tell you earlier? Let’s just say that Draco is a huge fan of that story”

The hat hadn’t even been placed on his head before it was announced he was a Slytherin.

“Of course he was sorted into the house of the evils”

“The house of the what?” You turned back to Stiles

“Most of the witches and wizards that were in Slytherin would always turn out to become evil and work for the dark lord. It’s just tradition!”

“Ronald Weasley!”

“He’s a Weasley? Automatic Gryffindor” Scott joked, making the rest of you laugh when the sorting hat had announced that he was, in fact, a Gryffindor, shortly joined by Scott, Stiles and Derek.

“Lydia Martin!”

“See you on the other side!” You smiled, moving to stand next to Harry as Lydia confidently went towards the sorting hat.

“RAVENCLAW!”

“That was quick” Harry announced, “She must be really intelligent”

“Harry Potter!”

The room went silent as Harry’s name was announced.

“Go on, it’s ok” you tried to encourage him, pushing him up the steps gently. It took a while but he was finally sorted into Gryffindor, the entire house standing up to cheer. You were happy for him as he joined the rest of your newly made friends.

“Y/N Y/L/N”

You hurried up the steps, feeling your hands shake when you saw all eyes on you. Your friends at Gryffindor smiled at you and you sat down carefully, hoping and praying that you would soon be sat next to them.

“Mmm…ok…I see…” you heard the hat say, making your heart race faster, “A tricky one I must say…but I must go with my instinct and it says…”

“Come on Gryffindor, come on Gryffindor…” you thought to yourself, closing your eyes in hope.

“SLYTHERIN!”

Your eyes snapped open and your heart dropped, you saw the smiles fall off of the people you desperately wanted to be sat next to.

“Off you go, dear. It’s ok”

You slowly made your way to your new house, the rest of the students smiling and ushering you to your seat. You had been ushered opposite the one student you prayed you wouldn’t sit near.

“Y/N, right?”

“Right” you looked down at your hands.

“I’m Draco” he smiled, “You’re not nervous are you?”

“Would it be so wrong if I was?”

“What’s there to be nervous about? You’ve just been sorted into the best house in the school!”

“Right” you nodded sadly.

“I have a feeling we’re going to be great friends” Draco stated, before continuing watching the sorting ceremony.

You already wanted to go home.

————————————————

The feast was well under way and everyone was talking about their summer holidays and tucking into their endless plates of food. You, however, hadn’t eaten anything and you were already homesick. You looked over your shoulder at the rest of the gang talking and laughing. Lydia had already made a few friends in her house, talking with a girl with long, wavy, brown hair. You were happy for her, but part of you wished it was you.

“Hey, kiddo…everything ok?”

“Hm? Yeah, fine” you mumbled, picking up a spoonful of peas.

“Yeah you sure look it…” he chuckled, “What’s your name, kid?”

“Y/N”

“I’m Jackson. 3rd year”

“Nice to meet you” you shook his outstretched hand.

“Didn’t want to be a Slytherin then, huh?”

“What?” You said quickly, watching Jackson laugh to himself, “I never said that”

“Oh come on. I saw you look at your friends over there at Gryffindor. You wanted to be with them, right? Or were your parents in Gryffindor?”

“Oh, my parents didn’t come-they aren’t-“

“SHHH” Jackson quickly hushed you, looking around his shoulder before leaning in closer towards you, “Are you…muggle-born?”

“Yeah…why is that-“

“Listen, you can’t tell anyone, ok? At least, no one in the house. Slytherins are known for being pure-bloods”

“What are they?” You asked confused, looking around you to see if anyone was listening in on the conversation.

“You don’t know-how long have you know you were a witch?”

“About a month or so?”

“Oh kid” he laughed to himself, sitting back up, “Listen…tell no one. If anyone finds out, there will be consequences”

“What does that mean?”

“Just…trust me, kid. I know first had what some of these people will do to you if they find out you’re not….pure”

“You’re a-“

“Don’t say it out loud” he mumbled, taking a bite of roast chicken.

“You’re like me?”

“And you’re like me” he smiled, “Just stick with me, kid. We’ll make a fine team”

———————————————

“Am I late?” You rushed into the classroom, sliding in the seat next to Lydia.

“No, no you’re good. You look like rubbish though”

“Is it really that bad?” You looked at her wide-eyed.

“Um…why were you late?” Lydia tried to change the subject.

“I overslept. I couldn’t sleep last night”

“How come?”

“Nerves? Homesick? The fact that I’m in a house that might hurt me should they find out I’m not pure or whatever?”

“Who told you that?”

“A third-year…he said that I shouldn’t tell anyone that I’m muggle born or I might be in serious trouble”

“He’s right” Derek piped up from behind you, “Especially that Draco boy. If he asks, lie. Seriously, you don’t want him or his family to find out that you’re a muggle born”

“Noted” you breathed out, the class hushing around you as Professor McGonagall, you learnt her name as, walked into the classroom.

“Alright students, open your textbooks to page two and start the questions on the opposite page. Begin”

You huffed and turned the page, looking up momentarily before witnessing a fully grown woman shrink down to the size of a cat. Oh, no wait…a literal cat.

“What the…”

“Animagus” Lydia explained, “A wizard or witch that has the ability to transform into an animal. Apparently its a very difficult and dangerous spell to perfect. But you couldn’t expect any less from McGonagall. She’s incredible”

“You’re telling me” you laughed breathily, shaking your head and turning your attention from the cat sat on the desk at the front to your textbook.

You were shortly interrupted when Harry and Ron noisily ran into the classroom, walking at a fast pace and out of breath towards the front desk, muttering to each other. McGonagall lept from the desk in between the two of them and transformed back into her usual form.

“BLOODY HELL!”

—————————————

“You weren’t at dinner”

You looked up from the book you were reading, jumping at the sound of Jackson’s voice as you had thought you were alone in the common room.

“Not hungry” you shrugged, going back to reading your book.

“Liar” Jackson laughed, throwing a wrapped up sandwich onto your book.

“Thank you” you mumbled, placing the book next to you and unwrapping your dinner.

“This is the third day you haven’t eaten with us”

“And…?” You asked, a mouth full of food.

“It’s not healthy! You can’t isolate yourself for the rest of your time here”

“I can and I will”

“I know you’re scared and I know you don’t know half of what’s going on around you, but you can get through this”

“Scared? I’m terrified of talking to anybody in Slytherin. I barely get to see the rest of the guys I met on the train and my only true friend is a 3rd year. That’s kinda sad”

“Why don’t you try talking to someone then?”

“Didn’t you listen? I’m terrified of-“

“No, no I heard. But if anyone asks anything that may, you know, expose you…just lie”

“No way. If anyone found out I was lying, I would be in more trouble than I would be if they found out that I’m a mud-blood”

“A what?” Jackson’s tone sounded harsh and it made you flinch slightly.

“Mud-blood”

“Who taught you that?”

“I just heard it being mentioned around the others” you whimpered, fearing you had upset and offended Jackson.

“A mud-blood is a derogatory term for people like us. You can’t just throw that word around, Y/N”

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know”

“No, I know you didn’t. How could you have done?” He sighed, leaning back into the sofa opposite you, his eyes drifting over towards the entrance of the common room, “Here comes the rest of them. Try and talk to someone…make a friend”

“I have one”

“Someone your own age” Jackson winked, standing up quickly and heading up towards the dorms.

You sighed and picked your book back up, only to be interrupted once more by a boy you really could not be bothered to talk to.

“You weren’t at dinner again, Y/N. We’re beginning to think that you may not like us”

“No need to worry, Draco. Jackson brought me something back” you said, not looking up from your book.

“Jackson? As in Jackson Whittemore? The third year?”

“Yes, as in Jackson Whittemore”

“You want to stay away from him, Y/N. My father says that he’s a mud-blood” Draco chuckled, making you cringe, “He denies it of course, but there’s something up with him. I know it”

“He’s in Slytherin and he’s not a bully…maybe that’s what is confusing you” you smiled patronisingly at him before standing up and heading back to the dorm, but you paused when he spoke up once again.

“You really don’t help yourself, Y/L/N” he taunted, “I know you don’t have many friends around here. I see you on your own most of the time. Pansy tells me all about the ways she and the other girls tease you in the dorm. But when someone charming and willing to be your friend comes over to try and talk to you, you just push them away. I may have been joking earlier but maybe I was right….maybe you don’t like the rest of us”

“It’s….It’s not that I don’t like you” You answered, turning back to him, “It’s just that, I’m not like you”

—————————

“HERMIONE!” You called out, running towards Hermione in the courtyard.

“Hey Y/N, everything alright?”

“I was wondering if you would be able to help me? I am so behind in potions class right now and I can’t get to grips with the homework Snape set us”

“I’d be happy to help you. We can go to the library just before dinner?”

“Oh, Hermione, you lifesaver thank you so much!” You squealed, squeezing her arm in gratitude.

“Honestly it’s not-“

“It’s LeviOOOOsa, not LeviosAAA” Ron mocked to the rest of the Gryffindor first years in front of the two of you, making Hermione pause mid-sentence, “She’s a bloody nightmare, I’m telling you”

“Hermione don’t-“ you started, but she had already picked up the pace and started to walk past the group of boys.

“It’s no wonder she hasn’t got any friends!”

Hermione budged past Ron, making the group of boys stop in front of you.

“I think she heard you” Harry stated plainly.

You huffed, “Now you’ve gone and done it, haven’t you. You and your big mouth”

“Come on, Y/N, I was only kidding”

“Yeah, well, funny joke, Ron. As you can see, everyone is laughing” you scolded, running off after Hermione.

You found her later in the girl's loos, hearing her sobs echo in the tiled room.

“Hermione?”

“Y/N? Is that you?”

“Yeah…yeah just me. You’ve had me worried sick all evening!” You laughed breathily, standing in front of the toilet cubicle door Hermione was behind, “Lydia saw you come in here earlier and told me you were crying…is this about Ron?”

“Of course it’s about that big headed, big mouthed idiot!” She burst out of the toilet cubicle angrily, her eyes were red and puffy with tears threatening to fall down her flushed cheeks.

“He doesn’t have a filter…sometimes he can’t help it. I’m sure he-“

“Of course he meant it, Y/N!”

“That’s not what I was going to say” you said sternly, “I was going to say that I’m sure he was only saying those things about you because he’s insecure about himself! I mean, think about it. He’s the fifth Weasely to come to Hogwarts and he obviously isn’t matching up to his brother’s standards. You’ve seen how humiliated he gets in classes, especially Snape’s”

“Snape has it out for everyone” she laughed in between her sniffles, a small smile creeping onto her face.

“Let’s be honest, Ron is just jealous that he gets picked on in class and that he can’t match how incredibly talented and smart you are. You know, for a muggle-born, you probably know more about the wizarding world than any pure blood there is”

Hermione giggled and wiped her nose with her robe, “Thank you, Y/N. Really”

You went in to hug her, “It’s just the truth”

“Y/N…”

“No, I mean it Hermione, it’s the plain honest truth and-“

“Y/N!”

The panic in her voice made you let go and turn around, only to come face to face with a giant, green and warty troll carrying what looked like a large log. You gasped and the two of you walked backwards until your backs hit the door of the toilets.

“Quick, in here” Hermione grabbed you and pulled you into the cubicle, shutting the door instantly. With a heavy swipe, the troll had broken the tops of the toilet cubicles, causing you and Hermione to scream loudly.

“Y/N? HERMIONE?” You heard Scott call out, the door to the girls’ loos slamming loudly.

“MOVE!” Harry ordered, rushing towards the troll as the two of you crawled underneath the toilet cubicles.

“HEY! PEABRAIN!” Ron called out as they were chucking the splinters of wood towards the troll.

“Peabrain? Really, Ron?” Stiles snarked, Derek looking at him with wide eyes.

“Stiles, in case you haven’t noticed, there’s a great big troll there!”

“And he’s coming towards us!!” Scott yelled, hurling another splinter of wood at the troll.

In a blind panic, the log hit one of the ceramic tiles above where you and Hermione had decided to hide, causing the pipes to burst and a cloud of dust to make you both cough.

“HELP!” Hermione cried out.

Harry rushed forward and grabbed onto the end of the log, crying out when the troll had lifted him 6ft in the air, making him land on the troll’s shoulders. Harry stuck his wand into the nose of the troll quickly, trying to cause a distraction to let you and Hermione scurry away out of danger.

“Ewwww” Ron and Stiles said in unison.

“Scott, help Harry!” Derek ordered, rushing to help you and Hermione out from underneath the sinks.

“WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!” Scott pointed his wand at the log that the troll had started to swing at Harry, causing it to float directly above his head. It dropped and instantly knocked the troll out, Ron and Stiles rushing to get Harry out of the way before he was crushed.

“Is it…dead?” Stiles asked cluelessly.

“I don’t think so…just knocked out” Harry breathed out heavily.

“Are you two ok?” Scott asked, concern in his voice.

“Fine,” you both said in unison.

“OH!” McGonagall cried when she had rushed into the entrance, followed by Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell, “EXPLAIN YOURSELVES! ALL OF YOU!”

“Well, uhhh, you see” the boys stuttered.

“It’s my fault, Mrs. McGonagall” Hermione announced, causing the rest of you to turn and stare at her bewildered, “I went looking for the troll. I’ve read about them and thought I would be able to handle it. If they hadn’t found me, I probably would have been dead”

“Be that as it will, it was an extremely foolish thing to do” McGonagall scorned, “I would have expected better from you, especially you Miss Granger. Five points from Gryffindor for your serious lack of judgement. As for you boys…”

“We promise we didn’t mean any harm!”

“Be quiet, Mr. Stilinski! I hope you realise how fortunate you all are. Not many first-year students are lucky enough to tackle a troll and live to tell the tale. 5 points to Gryffindor. Each! For sheer darn luck!”

“Pardon me, Professor but…Y/N…she helped too” Derek pointed out, making you blush.

“So I see. 5 points to Slytherin too. Now all of you, head back to the common rooms and explain to your prefects why you are late!”

All of you stumbled away, talking quietly amongst yourselves about the battle with the troll. You lingered at the back, joined by Hermione.

“You alright?” She asked.

“You didn’t have to take all the blame. I was there just as much as you were. And why lie? You didn’t go looking for the troll!”

“It was easier than explaining why Ron has such a big mouth”

The two of you laughed, but were shortly interrupted by Derek as you approached the corridor where the two houses would part ways, “Y/N, can I speak to you for a second?”

“Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow?” You asked Hermione, who smiled and nodded before joining the rest of them, “You didn’t have to ask McGonagall for the points for me”

“You deserved them just as much as the rest of us” he smiled, “You sure you’re ok? Lydia told us you went to go and speak to Hermione after seeing her cry. What was wrong?”

“Oh, just Ron being Ron. You know what he’s like” you laughed, “In fact, I think I might just…you know...trouble always seems to follow those two”

“Harry and Ron?”

“Those are the culprits”

“I think that’s a good idea. I’m not sure Scott or Stiles would agree, but I think you’re right”

“I’m going to head back. I can’t imagine how many questions I’m going to be bombarded with when I get back to the dorm”

“How is the dorm?” Derek queried, also having noticed you weren’t going to any of the feasts recently.

“I mean…it’s a dorm. Girls are mean. Boys are mean. People are just generally mean. Doesn’t help I’m in the house of the mean”

“Do you really see it that way?”

“Doesn’t everybody else?”

“I guess so. I’m not sure why, but I feel like I was always destined to be a Slytherin”

“Is that so?”

“It is so” he smiled, a small silence passing between the two of you, “Well, goodnight, Y/N”

You smiled and waved as Derek went on his way back to the dorms, “Goodnight Derek”

—————————————

The sound of cheers echoed across the school grounds as the quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was in play. You promised Harry you would go and watch him, but you couldn’t bring yourself to spend any more time with the horrible girls that would tease you. You found yourself perched underneath the largest oak tree in the grounds, right in the middle of one of the castle’s many courtyards. Everyone was at the match, so you were surprised when a voice pulled you away from the book you were reading.

“Thought I would find you here”

“Why aren’t you at the match, Derek?”

“I could ask you the same thing” He laughed, taking a seat next to you against the tree, “What you reading there?”

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”

“Oh yeah? Any good?” He grabbed the book from your hands and flipped it over, inspecting the cover.

“It’s interesting…never knew there were so many magical creatures”

“You muggle” he laughed, making you slap his arm in offence, “I’m kidding. It’s a lot to take in for someone who’s not known about the wizarding world for long. You’re doing well”

“I wouldn’t say I was doing well”

“You kidding me? You’ve already mastered some spells that took me years to learn!” He said, giving you back the book and leaning against the tree with his arms crossed, closing his eyes as he took in the midday sun, “I would say you’re doing exceptionally well”

“Thought you would be at the match this afternoon? Harry’s playing” you broke the momentary silence.

“I’m not a fan of sports. Never have been. My brother on the other hand? He wants to play quidditch professionally. He loves it”

“He must be pretty jealous Harry got on the team first then, huh?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe” he chuckled, looking at you from the corner of his eye, “I saw Jackson Whittemore was playing this afternoon”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“I always see you two together. At the dinner table, between classes and during free time. I thought something was going on between you two”

“Awww you jealous?!” You teased.

“As if!” He exclaimed, “I just thought-“

“Well, you thought wrong. We just get on and he’s really the only nice one to me in the house”

“The only one?” He said, surprise in his voice.

“Well, I mean…Draco is nice to me. Not that I want him to be”

“Oh, he definitely has something for you”

“Ew gross” you shuddered, “Never going to happen”

“W-w-what are you t-t-two doing?” The voice of Professor Quirrell made both of you jump, “Why are you not at the qu-qu-quidditch match?”

“Sorry, Professor, I didn’t realise we had to go” you apologised quickly, closing your book and standing up.

“Hurry b-b-b-back to your dorms now before someone else f-f-finds you here and you get in w-w-worse trouble”

“But Professor, other students aren’t at the match”

“Are you arguing w-w-w-with me?!” Quirrell raised his eyebrows.

“No, not exactly, but I just feel that you are being rather unfair and-“

“D-D-D-DETENTION!”

“WHAT? What for?!” Derek shouted.

“Derek, leave it. Don’t argue with-“

“F-F-For both of you!”

“Hang on, she didn’t do anything!” Derek argued, following Quirrell who had already started to make his way back to wherever he came from.

“Derek! Just…just leave it. It may be detention but it will beat having to hang around in the house”

Derek sighed, still looking in the direction Quirrell went.

“You ok, Derek?”

“Fine…fine…I just feel like something is…off with him”

“He’s just got a stutter”

“Mmm…” Derek hummed, turning back round to you, “Want to go and play a game of Wizard’s chess?”

“Sure” you smiled, following him to the great hall.

——————————————

“Derek? What are you doing here?”

“Of course you two are here” Derek laughed, noticing Harry and Ron stood outside Hagrid’s house, “And of course you managed to drag Hermione into this too”

“Y/N?” Hermione and Draco said in unison after seeing you emerge from behind Derek.

“Hey”

“Ok, I have to admit, I am the ONE person I thought would not be caught dead in detention, but yet, here I am. What are you all here for?”

“Out of bed after hours” Ron explained, leaning in slightly towards you and Derek, “Draco the snake over there ratted us out”

“What were you doing?”

“We were seeing Hagrid. We had to ask him about something he said and-“

“Alright then, let’s head into the forest” Hagrid announced, fixing up his crossbow.

“The forest?! Students aren’t allowed to go in there!” Draco exclaimed, sounding more worried than ever, “And there are werewolves in there!”

“Ah there’s more than werewolves in those trees, Malfoy” Derek teased.

“That’s enough from you, Derek” Hagrid warned, “Let’s go”

The group of you followed Hagrid into the dark shadows of the forbidden forest, accompanied by Fang, Hagrid’s slobbery dog. You all stopped suddenly when Hagrid spotted a pool of liquid shining in the moonlight.

“What is that?” Harry asked inquisitively.

“See that?” Hagrid asked, showing the tips of his fingers covered in the mysterious liquid, “That is unicorn blood, that it. This one has been hurt bad by sumfin. So…it’s our job to find the poor beast. So, Ron and Hermione, you’ll join me. Harry and Derek, you go with Fang. Malfoy and Y/N, I’m afraid you two are on your own”

“Fine by me” Draco smiled at you, making you cringe slightly.

“Stay safe” Derek whispered as you and Malfoy passed them, heading off into the unknown.

“I’ll have my father informed about this. This is servants work!” Draco moaned.

“I’m sure you will, Malfoy”

“How ironic that we were put together, Y/N. I finally feel like I can get to know you”

“There isn’t much to know about me, Malfoy”

“How many times? Call me Draco”

“Again, Draco…there really isn’t much to know about me”

“You’re so quiet and shy. I only ever see you nose deep in a book”

“I enjoy reading. Beats sitting around doing nothing” you grunted, climbing down a steep collection of rocks.

“You don’t have very many friends…why is that?” He asked, making you sigh in frustration.

“Honestly? No one in the house likes me. All the girls tease me and-“

“They’re just joking” he interrupted.

“Well, it’s not very funny”

“You hang out with that Jackson guy a lot…in the third year is it?”

“You certainly ask a lot of questions, don’t you Draco?” You huffed at him.

A moment of stunned silence passed before you heard Derek shout for help.

“DEREK!” You shouted, running towards the sound of his voice, eventually bumping into him at full speed.

The both of you groaned, Derek offering his hand to help you up, “You alright?”

“I-I’m fine. What was wrong?” You asked with panic in your voice, looking behind you to see Draco panting.

“It’s Harry. We found the unicorn”

“Harry’s in danger?!”

The three of you ran towards where Derek and Harry had found the unicorn.

“Woah” you breathed out when you came to a halt, seeing Harry talk with a centaur, of all things.

“HARRY!” Hermione called out from behind you, Fang having led them to where they were. The centaur galloped off and Harry turned back around, seeing the anxious faces of the rest of you.

“Are you alright, Harry?”

“Fine…I’m fine”

“Well…I suppose it’s time we headed back to the school now, hey kids”

“You don’t say” Draco huffed, already storming back towards the castle grounds.

“You sure you’re ok?” Derek asked, hanging at the back with you.

“Yeah, just a little shaken that’s all. How are you doing?”

“I’ll live”

“For now at least” you joked, making Derek laugh quietly.

“Let’s just…not get into detention again, agreed?”

“Agreed”

———————————————

“Y/N! It’s been forever!!” Lydia slid into the bench opposite you, Prada walking across the table freely.

“Lydia! How are you?” You smiled at her, “Prada still claustrophobic?”

“Always. She’s been a nightmare. I might just leave her at home next term. How are you? Made any other friends in the house yet?”

“Friends? No. Enemies? Perhaps”

“Oh, Y/N” Lydia stroked your hair, “You can always come and find me or any of the boys during free time”

“I don’t want to be a burden”

“Oh don’t be silly, I miss talking to you!”

“What about you?” You quickly changed the subject, “Any new friends?”

“Of course. From the first day! In fact, here she is now” Lydia pointed to the doors of the great hall where the girl with long brown hair you saw sitting next to Lydia on the first day was.

“Lydia, you left Prada’s bowl by your bed”

“Thank you so much!” Lydia smiled, “Y/N, this is Allison”

“Hi, nice to meet you” she greeted you, sitting down next to you, “Slytherin?”

“And you’re a Ravenclaw” you smiled tight-lipped, “What time does the train leave tonight?”

“6 I think…can we sit in the same compartment?” Lydia begged.

“Oh, I-I promised Hermione that we would travel together. We live pretty close to each other so we’re going to-“

“I’m sure there will be room for more than 2 people. We’ll come and find you later”

“Sounds like a plan” you gave up, “It was nice to meet you, Allison. I’ll see you later?”

“See you later” she waved, following Lydia and Prada.

You spotted Hermione talk to Ron and Harry and decided to join them, “Hey guys”

“Hey Y/N” Harry greeted, Ron grunting after him as he was focusing on the wizard's chess game.

“Are you two not going home?” You asked the boys, noticing that they didn’t have any of their things with them.

“Mum and Dad changed their plans. They’re going to visit my brother Charlie in Romania”

“Is that the dragon training brother?” Hermione piped up.

“That’s the one”

“What about you Harry?” You asked him.

“My uncle and aunt don’t want me back” he sighed, commanding a chess piece to move.

“You’re welcome to stay with me, Harry. Same for you, Ron. My parents’ wouldn’t mind”

“Thank you, Y/N, but we don’t want to be any trouble”

“Where are the others?” You asked, searching the hall for Stiles, Scott and Derek.

“Stiles left a couple days ago, his dad wanted to take him away for the holidays and I think Scott and Derek have already gone to the station”

“Oh” you sighed, wanting to have wished them goodbye before you left for a month.

“Hey, do you want to go?” Hermione prompted you, pulling a hat over her head.

“Sure” you nodded.

“Remember, the restricted section” Hermione raised her eyebrows before heading off towards the door.

“Oh, Harry…” you started, before leaning down to whisper in his ear.

Harry smiled gleefully, “Bishop to D6 - checkmate”

“NOT FAIR!” Ron groaned, folding his arms in a sulk.

You laughed, “Merry Christmas guys”

——————————

Months had passed since you left the castle for Christmas. You returned, meeting the same old group on the train and laughing about your Christmases and awful presents you all got from various old family members. The next few terms went a lot better since the last term. You think Draco had asked the girls to stop teasing you, as they would try and get along with you instead. Behind their bullish facade, a lot of them were just normal girls that had normal interests. You got along well with a girl named Astoria in particular.

Harry, Ron and Hermione ended up going on a huge adventure and they all ended up coming back from the depths of the castle with cuts and bruises. Harry was even hospitalised. They never told you what it was that happened, but as long as they were safe, you weren’t too worried about the whole story. However, it was to your surprise that Professor Quirrell disappeared suddenly one night. Many of the girls theorised that the man had driven himself mad and he walked straight off the cliff. You didn’t believe them, but you did agree with Derek’s earlier prediction. Something wasn’t quite right about that man.

It had come to the end of the year, and it was evident that Slytherin had won the house cup, so the house had a pre-ceremony party in the common room beforehand.

“Y/N!” Jackson called out, “You came!”

“Astoria dragged me here, although she’s over there with Blaise…” you pointed to where Blaise and Astoria were sat on one of the sofas, chatting away about god knows what.

“I’m glad you’ve made another friend other than a stinky third year”

“Well I didn’t want to say anything” you teased, making him push you lightly.

“Go and socialise and I’ll see you in the great hall for dinner” he smiled.

He kept his promise and slid into the bench next to you when the time came. The banners were Slytherin green and silver and the feast was twice as tremendous as usual. When Dumbledore announced the houses’ positions, your eyes flickered over to the Gryffindor table. Much to your dismay, your group of friends loomed more than disappointed. Stiles, in particular, looked to be having a strop right next to a fed up looking Derek. However, Dumbledore announced the final points for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and much to everybody’s surprise, Neville Longbottom. You couldn’t show it, because god knows the bullying you would receive as a result, but you were beyond happy for your friends. Draco caught the small smile on your face and breathed heavily, catching your attention and making your smile drop immediately.

“I know they’re your friends or whatever, Y/L/N” Draco hissed under his breath to make sure that you were the only one who could here him, “But at least try to act like you belong here”

You gasped a little bit and looked down, feeling Jackson’s hand on your lower back in comfort. When the house cup was awarded to Gryffindor, the rest of the houses celebrated and threw their hats in the air. You wanted to celebrate, god knows you wanted to celebrate, but you knew you couldn’t.

“You can be happy for them, you know. Don’t feel like you can’t” Jackson whispered in your ear.

You smiled and nodded subtly in agreement.

“LET THE FEAST BEGIN!” Dumbledore announced, and the houses began to eat their food greedily. You looked up from your plate and saw Lydia, who smiled politely at you before going back to her conversation with Allison. Your eyes then flickered over to Gryffindor, where the rest of them were all chatting happily. Derek made eye contact and smiled, winking at you quickly. You blushed and waved slightly, much to the annoyance of Draco.

School had ended for summer and you rushed out of the Slytherin dorms to meet the rest of your friends at the station.

“Y/N!” Lydia cried out dramatically in true Lydia fashion, “We were beginning to think you would never come”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss getting in a compartment with you crazy people for the world” you smiled.

You all clambered on the train and squeezed into the compartment. The sound of Stiles going on about how his owl had ruined all his term papers drowned out as you watched Hogwarts slowly become smaller and smaller as you left the station slowly.

Sure, this year may not have been the best year it could have been and it certainly wasn’t the year you were expecting to have, but you wouldn’t have changed it for the world, and you couldn’t wait to come back next year.

73 notes · View notes

northofsomewhererp · 5 years ago

Text

Your Name, Age (17+), & Timezone: mars, 22, cst ? i think?

Roy Rahim turned 33 years old on October 7th. He’s a police detective in Greensville. His face claim is Riz Ahmed.

Admin note: *SQUEALS*

Bio:

It was hard for people to find words to describe Roy Rahim. He was a criminologist turned police detective who kept his life, for the most part, private. He had a few close friends he trusted and sisters he talked to every day, but even they didn’t know what he was up to most of the time. They knew he was immersed in his work, locked in his apartment with a few beers and some take out, and that was it; that was as much as he let them know. He kept his job and personal life as separate as they could be, and his meticulous personality made sure they stayed that way. He’d made that mistake once before, with Isolde, and he vowed to never do it again.

Their marriage ended abruptly. He should’ve seen it coming - they weren’t happy anymore - but the months prior had been pretty good. He thought they were fixing up their marriage, working through their issues. He’d been more supportive of his wife, and they’d been going to couples therapy, which was all he’d ever wanted. Roy, always obsessed with the mind and how it worked, was completely baffled by the way his wife’s did; she’d go from warm and affectionate to cold and emotionless in less than 3 seconds. Isolde had convinced Roy to give them a second chance after he slid the divorce papers across the table during their 3 year anniversary dinner. A heartless move, but the only way she would listen. Eyes wide, she cried that it wasn’t fair - she thought their marriage was going great, and if it wasn’t, that she was willing to change. 2 months later, Roy got home to find divorce papers stuck to the fridge with a souvenir magnet from their honeymoon in Hawaii. It dawned on him later that Isolde didn’t want to fix their marriage, she just wanted to have the last word.

Around the time his divorce finalized, Roy’s grandfather, Apa, fell sick. He decided to take some time off work to return home to Windsor, Ontario to take care of him and spend time with the rest of his family - his grandmother, Ama, and his two sisters, Seline and Zara. He hadn’t seen them in a while because Isolde always conveniently fell sick when they were supposed to travel to Windsor - she said it was probably because she didn’t feel very comfortable around them (– and funnily enough, neither did they), and the nerves made her sick.

Roy’s parents died in an accident when he was 6 years old. They were headed back from the airport after celebrating their 8 year wedding anniversary when a drunk driver crashed into them. Roy and his sisters were waiting for them eagerly at their grandparents house, but they never arrived. The police showed up at their door with the news, and everything that came after - them going to the police station, Roy’s grandparents identifying the bodies, the funeral - was completely blank for Roy. Before he knew it, he was living with his sisters at his grandparent’s house and his parents were gone.

This loss was very hard on them while growing up, a little harder on Roy because he, in his grandfather’s words, was the man of the house now. He had to be tough and suck it up because men didn’t cry. Although he had always been very sensitive, he believed that for the longest time, and shoving those feelings down for so long made him cold. He shed all of that - those ideologies, those thoughts - when he moved out to go to college in Boston. It was challenging everything he knew about the world and about himself, but he was different now. He could be vulnerable when he wanted to, he showed affection and love and kindness. Working at the police force was like moving back a hundred years, but then he found that his empathy, his sensitivity, his passion was what made him good at his job.

Three weeks into taking care of his grandfather, when Roy was starting to think maybe he would stay a little longer, maybe take a break from work, got a call that they needed a detective to investigate a few murders happening in a town in North Carolina. They were stumped and needed fresh, new eyes for the case, and they thought he was perfect for the job. He debated rejecting the opportunity and staying for a month or two, but his Ama and Apa told him to go, that they would be fine. He said goodbye, packed his bags, and left. Unable to find any housing in this other town, Roy rented an apartment in Greensville which was close enough. It was supposed to be temporary - he was supposed to return to Boston when he was done - but he decided to stay and work there instead. He’d made a few friends already, and it wasn’t half bad.

Activity (1-10): 6? More or less?

Have you read the rules?: removed

In the event that you leave, can we keep your biography for future use? I’m going to say no, sorry love u.

Any comments/questions?: I’m really eager to play Roy, but you can 100% hold this application until I’m back because ya girl is about to request a teensy hiatus. I just wanted to send it in because I just finished his bio and I’m excited about him. (and I hope you are too. I love him)

Sample (2+ paragraphs):

Roy’s apartment building held meetings on the first Tuesday of every month to discuss different, very important building matters; whether they would use blue or green tiles for the pool (they picked blue), whether they’d put a fountain in the back garden (which was voted no by Norma Jane Grace-Barnard because she was afraid her son, the 20 year old Harvard student, could fall in and drown), and the latest was whether they would fix the elevator because it had broken down 3 times in the past month, and Roy had been in it two of those three times. It was this incident that made him reluctantly agree to go to the meeting.

“You’re a victim, Roy,” Norma said with her funny little Southern accent as she felt up his bicep. “You’re a victim of the building administrators disregard for our safety.”��

He agreed. Not with the victim part, but about the building administrators tendency to ignore real problems and instead focus on stupid non-issues like whether the lobby should be painted pearl or cotton. (“What the fuck’s even the difference between those two?” he’d asked his friend Carter as he tossed a stress ball in the air. “Pearl and cotton - they’re both fucking shades of white.”)

The meetings were held at the conference room next to the gym - a place Roy had no idea existed until he read the notice in the elevator.

“ALL MEETINGS HELD IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM. BRING FOOD TO SHARE.”

He arrived early with a box of donuts he’d stolen from the station (box he promised he’d replace the very next day), and he dropped it off at the refreshments table. Norma Jane Grace-Barnard was the first one to greet him. “Hiiii!” she’d waved from her seat. “Saved ya a seat, hun bun,” she said, patting the spot next to hers. Roy had been the subject of today’s unofficial pre-meeting: Roy Rahim, the attractive, mysterious police detective would possibly be attending the meeting. Would they in trouble? Would he arrest them? Cuff them? Norma Jane was excited and she wanted to go first, a fact she’d told Roy and then giggled about. Roy just chuckled and shook his head. “I might have to, Norma” and he winked before pulling out his phone and texting a simple “WTF” to his sisters. “Strangerville @ meeting.”

The meeting wasn’t so much a chat about the building and more of a mixer for the single tenants. Roy and the six other people who’d gotten stuck in the elevator talked about their experience and then the meeting was adjourned. Final verdict: they would be fixing the elevators. After that, it was like a new season of the bachelorette; wine was being served, spilled, and he was pretty sure at least 2 people interrupted his conversations with an “excuse me, can I steal you for a sec?”

Roy didn’t know anyone at the apartment building, but he’d investigated most of them on his first week living there. “I have to know who I’m living with,” he’d said to himself to justify the snooping. He’d found a lot of very interesting things about the tenants, like the fact that the girl from 302 had been arrested for stealing other people’s dogs 5 times already and that the guy from 506 had a restraining order put against him by his college professor. The one person he knew was the 23 year old who lived upstairs, Max, but only because he’d had to arrest him twice for getting in bar fights or shoplifting. Max Lawrence, who was walking into the conference room with a black eye, a beer, and an unbuttoned flannel shirt.

“Yo, Rahim,” he said, throwing his limp arms around Roy. “The elevators working yet?” He reeked of beer. Roy chuckled and shook his head. “Dude, you smell so good.”

He was the perfect excuse to leave. He raised his hand up at Norma and her friends (Amy, Stacey and Natalie? Or was it Anna, Casey and Natasha? Either way, he had to take this drunk idiot back upstairs.) “Sorry, gotta take care of this now, ladies. It was nice talking to you,” he said as he put an arm around Max, who winked at the ladies and then proceeded to burp in their faces.

“Sorry,” he slurred, tipping his invisible hat. “Ladies.”

They both walked out of the conference room, Max dragging his feet as they walked, winking and doing finger guns at anyone who looked his way. As soon as the door closed behind them, Max stood up straight and pushed Roy off. “You’re welcome, Rahim. You owe me now,” he said as he wiped his hands on his shirt.

“I owe you? Who bailed you out last week, huh?” he asked, shoving him playfully. “You had me there for a second, Lawrence – I really thought you were drunk.”

“Well, years of practice,” he said, bowing his head. “What do you say? Take out and a beer? My dad’s treat,” he said, already running off toward the elevators. Roy smiled and shook his head.

“Take out and a beer.“

#original character #submission #accepted #nosaccepted

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irepookie · 6 years ago

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Infinity Chapter 5

Summary: QUEEN AU where Rog (aka Rowan Queen) is a young single dad struggling to make it into music industry.

Warnings: not really. Just fluff, sappiness and swearwords here and there

Disclaimer: I don't own the pictures. The boys are based on Queen, but Piper, Gina and Callie are mine.

CHAPTER 4: MEET THE FAMILY PART II

In which Row and Gina finally confront each other.

"Thought you didn't want anything to do with us" Row made his presence noticeable for the woman sitting on the rocking chair.

He had been watching them for a couple of minutes, since returning from a last supply run for Piper's stuff. He was only gonna get a few more onesies, but ended up with:

3 rattles, six onesies (one of each color of the rainbow),

a nightlight (which, come to think of it was ridiculous because his room didn't have lids so it was never really dark due to street lamps)

and another two pinkies to add to the collection of 9 he already had at home.

Gina looked up from her granddaughter and to his son, who leaned against the doorway with arms crossed.

"If you can't beat them, join them. Is that what you're doing, mom?" He added, before she could speak.

"I'm not your enemy." She said

"Bloody seemed like it."

Gina sighed. She really didn't want to fight now, so she looked down to the infant again "Gotta admit she's gorgeous." She grinned.

He beamed proudly "You bet"

"And how are you?"

"Nearly as gorgeous"

"I mean mentally. Cause you look like shit"

"Why, thanks Mom"

She rolled her eyes. "How are you sleeping lately?"

"Funnily enough I can't sleep at night because I'm worrying about her. Really. Had a week when I could last sleep through and I couldn't"

"Good start"

"I'll manage"

"Just promise me something"

"Depends"

" If she's actually yours..."

"She's mine mum."

"Listen. There will be times when she won't let you be. On your bloody ears for days on end. I believe you made me lose half my auditive capacity. And that's stressful. Now, you've never been the best on anger management..."

"Mom..."

"Let me finish. It's normal. It will happen. You will probably want to suffocate her with a pillow -I did sometimes when you were this little-. If that or any close thought comes to mind just put her down and walk away from her, and hit something. Do whatever you have to do, and call me. I'll help you out. But put her down first somewhere safe. Understood?"

"Mum I don't need~"

"Understood?"

"Understood"

"It's not her fault"

"I know"

"Don't make her pay for it"

"I'd never"

"I hope so"

"Really mum. I love her. I'm gonna do my absolute best, I'll be the best dad ever, I will always be there for her, I'll put her always first, I won't let anything happen to her."

"I just don't understand why you want to do this"

He shrugged, reaching over to caress her warm cheek "I just can't get enough of her, I guess. I can't explain it. She makes me... I don't know. But I can't imagine her with any other last name or any other father."

Gina grinned to herself. It made perfect sense "Speaking of last names, you got a full name?"

"Oh yes um... Piper. Piper Rock Queen" he smiled

"Oh... Err, Rock?"

"As in Rock'n'Roll of course"

Gina couldn't help an eye roll "It's too late to talk you out of it, isn't it?"

"Very much so. She's already registered." Row smiled as he had already predicted mom wouldn't like it. The idea of naming her Gina had briefly crossed his mind, but that was more common. And he knew his daughter was special, so she deserved a cool, unique name.

"So Piper Queen" Gina looked.at the tiny being in her arms.

The mentioned opened her baby grey eyes as if she knew she was the topic of conversation.

Gina had to smile. She was beautiful. She already had Row's eyes.

"Hello there Piper . I'm grandma." She cooed instinctively.

Row would deny it, but he was relieved to hear her say that. She was there for him. For them. And that was more reassuring than anything.

"Yes, hello dearie."

She let out a distressed moan

Row looked at his watch "She must be hungry" then leaned over until he was inches away from his daughter, in her short distance field of vision "You wanna come with Daddy? I bet you do." He cooed, and carefully slid one hand under her the back of her neck and her back

"Mind the head"

"You're 8 days late" he said, taking her with ease -as he had been doing it for a week- and nestled her on the crock of his arm "Good morning, you beautiful thing. We're going home tomorrow. Yes we are, I'm so excited" he spoke with high pitched voice as he gently bounced her, and Gina had to admit that he was quite a natural.

The genuine love in his eyes was the same -or even more intense- as he had have 8 days before when he had first laid eyes on her.

But that could still change quickly, a little voice reminded her.

"You're so lovely, darling." Her son continued, eyes fixed on his new daughter as if she was the only thing that existed.

His daughter.

The realization that she was now a grandmother shrunk in Gina.

Damn she felt old

And if this was to become a tradition, 19 years from now maybe she'd be a great-grandmother.

God no.

She then registered what he had said

"You're getting discharged tomorrow?"

Row looked up at her voice as if he had been snapped out of a trance "uh?".

"You're getting discharged tomorrow?" She repeated

"Oh, yes" he smiled, looking down again "Yes we are. We're going home! Yes darling. And we'll have so much fun..."

"Do you have the equipment?" Gina had to interrupt their little conversation:

It was good that he was genuinely looking forward to it, but that didn't mean he had any clue or had thought about alll of the things a newborn needed. We're talking about a boy who tried to put the washer on without detergent, and who would always leave coins in his jeans when throwing them in the laundry.

He was capable of letting her sleep in the couch and feed her cow milk from a tin a can and a straw.

"Yes. The basics anyway. Carseat, clothes, bottles, formula, diapers, pinkies, more pinkies, more clothes... Oh, hopefully I'll get the boys to help me out building the crib. Haven't had the time yet"

"Where will she sleep until then?"

"With me in bed. I know it's dangerous cause I could suffocate her and blah blah blah, but that's not gonna happen. I'll be careful and... Well let's face it we're not going to sleep much, are we?"

Gina had to chuckle "You have it all thought through."

"Of course I do"

"Okay, not bad. What about bathing?"

"The sink will do cause she's so little, right?" he cooed, and she whined in response so he went to a bag and got a bottle out "Yes sweetheart, that's your milk. Yes. I'm gonna have it heated up for ya, okay? We'll get Callie." He smiled, and as if on cue, the young woman walked past the room. She stopped for a moment when seeing the older woman.

She smiled: she knew she'd come. She stuck her tongue out at Row when he noticed her, as if saying <<I knew it>> and he waved her away with a wink, tossing her the empty bottle so she could refill it.

Gina stayed the rest of the morning. She was curious, actually, about seeing her son as a father. Turns out he handled it quite well. Once she was fed, he changed her, played with her (game consisting on him making all sorts of faces to her as she stared intently up at him, one hand on his hair and the other around his index) until she got tired and fussy. After that, he only had to call Callie once cause he had really messed up with the swaddle and both him and his daughter had lost their nerves.

"There, all done. Don't worry baby, your daddy will get it eventually." The nurse cooed at the bundle, as Row scratched the back of his blond head.

She then turned to Gina with a bright smile, and repeated the same words she had told her When they had first met 8 days earlier.

"And you must be Grandma"

And this time, Gina smiled and nodded "I am"

Then the nurse turned to Row, whose attention was back to his child, and mouthed an "I told you."

And when he had have to go the the toilet and the babe had woken up, there had been nothing Gina could do that had calmed her down until Row finally came out and held her on his chest.

"Already a Daddy's girl. Goddamn it" the new grandmother commented with a slight grin of disbelief and marvel.

"Well I'm not complaining" Row smiled back, as he walked around the room in hopes he'd get her to sleep.

"Wait until girl wants daddy three times in the middle of the night" Gina half teased.

"Well, daddy will get up. As many times as she needs me I'm gonna be there" he kissed Piper's forehead, as she began to let her eyelids drop.

Her smile grew at the confidence in his words. Perhaps they could all make this work.

She watched as he walked the room a few more times, humming a little tune Gina hadn't heard before, and only when being sure she was off, he laid her down and sat on the sofa, between the cot and his mother.

"She's a real doll" Gina commented quietly as they both watched her sleep. "Or at least appears to be."

"Yea. She manages to stay cute even when she's crying like crazy."

"That's cause she's your daughter. I thought the same about you, but that's bullshit: every newborn baby is, objectively, ugly. But we love them anyway and that's why they become, in our eyes, the most beautiful thing in the world" she looked through her purse and got out a cigarette. (Remember this is the mid 80s, where smoking was allowed everywhere, as far as I'm concerned).

"No, mom. Not here" his eyes flicked to his sleeping daughter

"Why not?"

"It's not good for her."

"The cigarette's for me, not for her."

"She'd be second hand smoking. And her lungs are very vulnerable."

Gina scoffed. "Dear, I smoked through the first three months I was pregnant with you, then, as soon as you were out my butt, the first thing I asked for: a cigar. And then your father too. And you're fine"

"I had pneumonia three times as a kid"

"Oh please, don't you dare blame me for that"

"I'm sure they were related"

"That's bullshit! That's a bunch of shit the government made up to raise the price of cigars and rip us off!" Gina always raised her voice when sensing she was losing an argument.

Which never failed to set his son off too.

"It's a fucking scientific study!" He yelled.

"Says the boy who would take money from my jackets to buy tobacco at 15!!"

"Yea so?"

"Don't go all anti-smoking on me, when you smoke just as much!"

"I've quitted, just so you know!"

Gina laughed "Yes right." and put the cigar between her lips, getting a lighter out her pocket.

"Get the fuck out of here" he stood up, as he tried to contain his anger.

"What?"

"Get the fuck out of here!" He repeated, louder. He could handle her questioning him: they were both stubborn as hell and he was used to it. But he wasn't gonna let her get her way and disrespect him this time, especially when it was his baby and her health at stake.

"Oh c'mon Rowan"

"You light that shit up and you won't have to worry about being a grandmother, or a mother for that matter"

She froze and looked defiantly at him with at him with the corner of her eye.

"Was that a threat?"

"Of course it was!"

"Oh c'mon, you wouldn't be able survive on your own for a week, let alone taking care of a baby!"

"Just you watch! I don't need anything from you!" It wasn't true.

"Oh please! Don't be ridiculous. Last week today you lost the last copy of your flat's key, and guess who had to save the day? Oh, I got it, the same woman who helped you buy the damn house in the first place!!!"

"Well that's what you wanted, huh? 19 years up my ass, telling me how bad you wanted me to come of age so I'd be gone!"

"Yes because living with you was a nightmare! Always had to clean after you, and make excuses for you when one of your "conquers" from the night before turned up on my doorstep because you hadn't called them back or whatever bullshit! And now this?" She pointed at Piper

Row stepped in front of the cot protectively, staring menacingly at the woman "This what? Huh?"

"I don't know what the fuck you think you're playing to, but I ain't taking care of her when you get tired of pretending to be Mr.Mom!!!"

"Oh believe me I'd rather leave with a raccoon than with you"

"Well that's a relief. Any raccoon would have a more stable life and responsibility than you!"

"Oh yes any raccoon would have more support than what I'm having!"

"I told you where I stood from the beginning! I told you I'd wash my hands off you if you chose this!"

"Then what the fuck are you doing here now?! If you washed your hands off us, why did you come? To judge me? To repeat all the bullshit you already told me 8 days ago? Or to try and convince me to turn my back on her like you? Well, bad news for you, Gina, that ain't gonna happen. I love this kid unconditionally, more than anything, above myself and anything else, which is apparently way more than you ever loved me.

>>And you know how I know that? Cause I'll support her in everything. Even if I don't agree with it. And I won't push her, or put pressure on her to finish school or get a job. And if 19 years from now I've become a grandfather, I'll be there for them. And if she wants to drop out school cause she's sick of it, I won't force her. And if instead of a secure stable job she wants to follow a dream I can't even begin to understand, I'll help her in any way I can." He kept stepping closer to the woman as they made unbreakable eye contact, until she was against the wall, and snatched the cigar from her. "SO I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR BULLSHIT OR YOUR GODDAMN OPINIONS! SHE'S MY GODDAMN DAUGHTER, AND I SAY WHAT I WANT HER TO BREATHE!"

The small whine that usually preceded a cry broke the air, and Row instinctively reached over to put one foot on the cot's wheels to rock it back and forth and try to calm her down before she woke, holding his mother's defying gaze at all times.

It didn't work though and a wail escaped her lips, drawing her father's full attention as he turned around to look at her (with an automatic soft features that had nothing to do with the agressive behaviour he had showed no less than a second ago).

"Hey prune princess" he cooed, resting a hand on her stomach. He didn't want to pick her up while fighting with Gina. He didn't want to scare her further than he already had with that shout. "Hello sweet stuff. Everything's fine, go back to sleep, c'mon"

She whined again. Row sighed, leaning towards her untill their foreheads were glued so he was in her short distance field of vision and began to pat her tummy in gentle rhythmic patterns. He forgot Gina's presence, and their argument all together at the sight of her, because she was all that mattered.

She quieted down instantly, safe and warm below the familiar mop of blond hair that she already associated with calm and shelter. He remained in that position until she was asleep again, gradually slowing down the rhythm, untill he stopped.

But still he didn't move. He didn't want to. He didn't want to resume the fight with Gina. Why did every single one of their conversations have to end in an argument?

So he stayed glued to her, taking in all the strength and the power of will he was gonna need to face his mother again.

"I came here to meet her" she spoke, this time in a calm manner.

He sighed, pecking Piper's forehead before stretching up and turning around "And?"

She sighed. She sucked at this. But he -well, they- were her only family left. And inside, she had to admit she was at awe at his decision and determination to follow through.

Who said he couldn't make it work?

"And to apologise" she finally said.

"What for?"

"Oh you know it."

"Yea but she doesn't."

"She won't remember any of this."

"But perhaps one day she'll want to know, and I'll have to tell her Grandma was too proud to admit she was wrong."

Another eye roll "Alright." She walked to the small bassinet, which was still being moved back and forth by Row's foot "I'm sorry I was such a bitch about all this, dearie. I just know your... " She sighed, the next word still tasting weird in her mouth "your dad too well and I guess I'm worrying. Cause that's what family does. I just hope it's in vain this time. Good luck, you little bugger"

Row smiled. Gina's apologies wouldn't mean a thing without a couple insults towards him here and there. That was just her way.

And he guessed she had passed it down to him, just like one day Piper would get retention for shouting a few f words in kindergarten.

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Author's Note:

Please please whoever's reading this, reach me out. I'd really like to know if all this hard work is worth it!!! Reblog, Ask, Comment... Even a single emoji would make me smile.😍😍

And as always, Hola to my dearest @definitely-darcy whose marvelous mega-paragraphs help me improve way more than any English class ever has.

-Pookie

#queen band #roger taylor #single dad! roger taylor #ben hardy! roger taylor #queen fic #queen fanfiction #queen fandom #bohemian rhapsody #bohrhap #infinity fic #is anyone reading this #no smut just fluff #stories

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theblueskyphoenix · 7 years ago

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I was looking through my old Don’t Starve pen sketches back from 2016 and I stumbled across Edward’s old sketch set and... I have to admit I started laughing at how different he is now compared to what Storm and I first drafted with these sketches.

It’s... kind of a funny story.

So, back in 2016 when we started doing the planning and drafting of Survive the Shadows we originally didn’t have much planned for Wilson’s family. We just knew he was estranged from them and he had issues.

Our first pitch was he was neglected by both parents growing up and didn’t really know any form of love save from his grandfather, Percival, explaining his inability to emote well when it came to showing his feelings and not really understanding what love is. (The guy wasn’t even sure how to smile properly.) It worked okay but then other ideas came in which brought us to our second pitch.

Second pitch, his mother cared for him along with his grandfather and grandmother but his father didn’t and was... to put it bluntly, an abusive jerk who didn’t care one bit about his son and was embarrassed by the fact he had a son like Wilson. He only married Cecelia for money and never really loved her and would eventually leave her for someone else. We ran with this for quite awhile during chapter draftings but then...

Alright, small detour from Survive the Shadows, one of the reasons we decided to look more deep into Edward and how he ticks was because of one of the AUs Storm and I cooked up known as the Wilson and Albert AU, a Phineas and Ferb-esque AU. (Actually it’s because of this AU we decided to change a lot of things but that is a story for another time.) Anyways, this was the AU, at the time of creation, we joked was the AU where Wilson was at his happiest and his dad actually loved him. Edward got to grow as a character in this AU since he was actually a good guy but admittedly didn’t get a lot of screen time since we didn’t have much for him since with his canon counterpart, we didn’t want to get too attached because in our minds he was still the abusive jerk and he wasn’t supposed to be interesting or anything and funnily enough he was supposed to finally wind up dead in a gutter somewhere.

... Till Storm and I started thinking.

We started wondering how such a guy came from people like Melinda and Percival. He would’ve been raised well and taught to respect women. He would’ve been taught to be a gentlemen and if he started showing signs of being the least bit cruel they would’ve set him straight.

So came the third pitch. Edward was originally a good father and loved his wife and son but was driven mad by nightmare monsters because of Melinda’s connections to the Shadow World/The Constant, which lead to him resenting his family and was eventually committed to an asylum because of the insanity. This pitch came about before WnA since we started thinking of the idea when we decided Wickerbottom would be related to Wilson but WnA pushed us to try it out since again, Edward was starting to get more interesting. We left it at that but Edward didn’t have much to his character. He was rather flat as it were. Then I watched a particular movie that served as an inspiration for Edward as a character and for how him and Cecelia met.

Corpse Bride was something I remembered fondly and rewatched while I was working on drawings for Don’t Starve content. Storm and I were watching together and we started d’awwwing over the idea of Edward and Cecelia having a similar meeting of an arranged marriage. It had always been that way from the start but we thought it would be sweet if they could meet like Victor and Victoria. Be in something that was arranged but they actually grew to love each other. Then we started playing with the idea and fell in love with it. On top of that, I started pitching the idea of Edward being a bit like Victor. Little awkward and had a gift for music. That’s when the 4th pitch came in along with his middle name.

The 4th pitch was Edward was a kind man, a great musician, loved his family and wanted to be there for them but sadly went mad due to nightmare monsters which lead to him eventually being committed to an asylum because of insanity. We were pretty satisfied and figured this would be it for Edward and that this what we would write for his entry in Book of Shadows when we got to it but of course other ideas came out after I started looking into other things like the music from The Count of Monte Cristo Musical and we brought in characters like Cato and fleshed out Maxwell.

Why would Maxwell’s fleshing out matter in regards to Edward? Well... Okay, this is going to get a little disturbing but bear in mind this is no longer canon and will never happen but it was something we thought of.

Originally, Maxwell was going to be the one trying to possess Edward but failed and Edward still went mad because his mind was left weak and perfect for nightmare monsters to attack. Reason we even thought of this idea was when I did a concept sketch of the Shadow Maestro and we played with a small AU where Maxwell had actually done it and it fit well with what we had going on for Maxwell which was him possessing hosts every so often since the current host was growing too old and Edward would’ve been perfect since he was half shadow being. (More power, afterall.) Edward was the failed attempt and William would be the successful one afterward. (There’s a reason Maxwell picked him but that is yet another story a for another time and spoilers.) It was interesting but after fleshing Maxwell out in Fallen King and Dark Knowledge we started wondering why in all the hecks would Maxwell do that. He respected Melinda and Percival, why we would he target their son if he respected them? On top of that, Maxwell wouldn’t want to make scene or tear apart a family like that. He had been through it himself and wouldn’t want to force it on another, especially someone who was related to people he had connections with. So, we ditched the idea entirely and were originally going to go with nightmare monsters only then we thought back to Cato and thought he would be more likely to do something like that because he wanted revenge for what Maxwell did to him. Thus, the final pitch came.

The final pitch, was Edward was a musician, a good father, a loving husband, a kind and good man who was driven mad by a man named Cato who wanted to possess him so he could have his revenge on Maxwell. A man who would spend a good number of his years in an asylum trying to hold on till a cure was found so he could be with his family once more, playing music in his cell to fight off the nightmare monsters picking at his brain, using magic he didn’t realize he possessed that he had inherited from his mother. Losing half his mind in the whole process before certain things came to pass.

Those certain things would be events such as becoming The Count of Umbra Rosa in the Don’t Starve Together Journals Timeline and other things that I can not speak of at this time because they have not been revealed.

So, yeah. This is what developing a character looks like. It’s a wild ride but totally worth it and fun to look back and see what happened along the way and giggle at how different things turned out from the initial pitch. Seeing how a character develops flaws, quirks, goals they have, loves, etc. This is one of the many reasons I love being a writer.

And with that, I am done gushing. Thank you if read all the way through this long ramble of mine. Just felt like sharing. Hope this was interesting.

#don't starve #don't starve together #don't starve oc #don't starve edward higgsbury #don't starve edward #edward victor higgsbury #edward v. higgsbury #edward higgsbury #edward #survive the shadows #don't starve together journals

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moonguardsecrets · 7 years ago

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Hi, I'm Telriah

Most of you on here refer to me as the Sparklebarrier GM, or Glittershield GM, and while they are very great names for anonymous posts, I'm here to say thank you for all of you who've posted about us, and actually shown us things that needed to be fixed. So many internal problems in our guild have been solved, funnily enough, through this blog that is a bunch of drama posting. I've come onto Tumblr, and seen posts about us, mentioning my character wanting to be a Goddess, but no response when I give references to the character in question which is her grandmother. I've seen posts about my guild and its lore, and posts making me out to be a horrible person, to which my Co-GM, Keanu/Matrix Guy/Neo, has responded and given even more evidence that what you've said is wrong, and still has received nothing in response, aside from more shit posting from people who are hating us just to hate us.

I've even seen posts accusing me of abusing a former RP partner, by forcing them to RP what I wanted, when the fact of the matter is, I've only had two RP partners, the second of which is now Keanu, and the first one was never forced into anything. I was wondering if the next post to come was accusing me of sexual harassment, and if I should worry for my guild being blasted off the server because of a false accusation spreading into wildfire.

Thank you, Moon Guard Secrets, for not posting stuff about me, or my guild, like that. Thank you for giving me the courage nowadays to actually speak out against people who would speak ill of my guild, to make me strong enough to say something and get defensive about my lore, and accept facts when I need to. If anyone has anything at all to say, to criticize without insulting, or give feed back, please, message me on Discord.

Kasrkin Embershield#2632

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jerseydeanne · 7 years ago

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Roseberrycupcake-A doctor’s point of view

To those who cast doubt on Harry’s future:

Harry was born with a voice others have to spend decades to earn. Despite his previous dalliances with celebrities, he’s not a part of that culture; this means his platform comes with a level of respect. It’s a tremendous blessing, and he has already begun practicing this God-given gift to change lives. To those who doubt his abilities, I want to illustrate just two ways he can improve his pre-existing campaigns.

#1. AIDS campaign: I know some will disagree with my assessment of his AIDS campaign; but personally speaking, I think there are some rooms for improvement. While lending his voice to the matter gives much-needed publicity to the AIDS charities, he has the ability to do something more. For instance, it seems like the catchphrase these days is that “AIDS is just like diabetes.” This analogy bothered me quite a lot. While I fully understand the good intentions behind it, such words can be dangerous for following reasons:

A. Diabetes is a chronic disease, full of dangerous complications; just because diabetes has become common with the rise in obesity in our society, it does not mean it has become any less dangerous. Diabetes is a risk factor for all sorts of life-threatening diseases. In fact, many diabetics will see their visions decline and their kidneys fail as a natural progression of their disease. The newer pills out there can’t replace insulin as the last resort. I’ve seen diabetic patients plea endlessly to avoid insulin injections; no one likes getting shots, after all; but insulin is just one of many pains diabetics go through in their lives. They can’t eat whatever they want, which is more restrictive and more frustrating than some realize. They have to check their blood sugars and record them, which means they have to poke themselves with sharp needles everyday. If they’re unfortunate enough to give themselves insulin shots, their bellies may have lumps from the many injections they get. I know some will be saying that I’m preaching to the choir by reiterating common knowledge; but I’m trying to highlight the fact that using an analogy that “AIDS is like diabetes” comes with the risk of coming across as someone ignorant of the dangerous of diabetes and as someone apathetic to diabetics’ plight.

B. AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease (mostly); diabetes isn’t. Yes, I know vertical transmissions (from mother to child) is possible. I’m well aware that IV drug users who share needles are also vulnerable to AIDS; but at its core, AIDS is an STD. It’s an infectious disease that raises a serious concern, because it’s a disease with serious consequences that can be spread unknowingly. You can’t catch diabetes by kissing a diabetic; but you ARE exposing yourself to likelihood of getting an HIV infection if you have unprotected sex with someone infected. This means sexual partners have to be open about their infected status; and these patients have to be open when they visit the hospitals. While destigmatizing HIV/AIDS will allow them to come forward, I feel like the motivation for their honesty is misplaced; it shouldn’t stem from the fact that this is somehow a “light” disease they shouldn’t be ashamed of; it should come from the recognition that it IS a serious disease with dangerous complications; this is very crucial, not just for the general public, but also for the HIV patients themselves. Some HIV/AIDS patients have very poor compliance when it comes to their antiviral medications. While denial and medication costs (depending on where they live) may contribute, this behavior stems from the fact that leukopenia (decreased white blood cells that fight infections) is asymptomatic (without symptoms) until you get sick. It’s not uncommon to see HIV patients come in because they feel like they have a cold only to see that their white blood cell count is ridiculously low. It’s a proof that they haven’t been taking their medications properly; and that’s because they haven’t understood the dangers of their disease completely; unfortunately, by this time, their illness have progressed too far; and it’s the patients who end up suffering from this misunderstanding.

Destigmatizing AIDS and trivializing it are two different matter. I’m not sure if Harry ever used that aforementioned analogy consciously, but in my opinion, it may send a wrong message to all parties involved: diabetics may feel like their sufferings are being taken lightly and HIV patients may feel like their disease is not something to be taken seriously. While HIV/AIDS is a disease public is familiar with, not many fully understand its psychological impact. For one, you can’t ever have unprotected sex with your partner if you’re infected with HIV. If you’re single, you have to risk losing the person you love by disclosing your status. Assuming you’re married, conceptions will become an issue. If you’re a male patient, you will have to go through IVF to have children; if you’re a female patient, you will always have that nagging thought throughout pregnancy regardless of the antivirals available. Just because there are drugs that can manage it now these days doesn’t change its nature; and its nature is what causes such restrictions that will impact them psychologically. I think addressing the issue from this angle will come with several benefits: public won’t feel forced to change their previous opinions on AIDS, and therefore will be more willing to understand; the HIV/AIDS patients will understand that it’s OK to feel frustrated with their disease; younger (and not-so-younger) generations will be more cautious in their sexual practices once they understand the lasting impact of AIDS.

If you’re unconvinced, allow me to give you an example of a successful anti-smoking campaign. Anti-smoking lobbyists have tried for many years to try to educate the public on the dangers of smoking. They’ve made posters with tarred lungs from autopsies, oral cancers, you name it; ironically, the most successful campaign poster they’ve made was one with a wrinkled woman; they used the picture to highlight the fact that smoking hastens the aging process. A simple idea, for sure; but funnily enough, that picture put quite a lot of female teenagers off smoking. I think the reason this poster was so much successful than the other ones was that it played on imminence rather than chance. When we think of cancer, we know it’s a matter of chance; many of us had heard the line “my grandmother smoked for 70 years, but she lived to be 90!” at least once. When you’re a smoker, it’s easier to overlook the percentage of people who DO get cancer from smoking than it is to look at the people who DON’T. But with age, it’s a different matter. We can’t stop ourselves from getting older; and this unavoidable fate is what put many female teenagers off. The success of this campaign is what makes me think that approaching HIV/AIDS campaign in a similar manner will be successful; in fact, it will broaden its scope from destigmatization of AIDS to promotion of safe sex. Like cancer, people know getting STDs of any kind is a CHANCE. But many of those same people want to get married and have children someday. If they fully understood that lasting impact of this disease, they’ll be more likely to practice safe sex; safe sex will decrease the chances of STD infections; STD prevalence will decline, and AIDS will be one of them.

#2. Veterans campaign: Brave men and women in uniform are an inspiration to us all; but if there’s one thing that they have in common, it’s that they have very high tolerance to pain. They’ve been conditioned to overlook bruises and aches. While such tolerance makes great warriors, the problems surface once they retire from the army. Even if they were fortunate to avoid the lasting physical injuries of army life, they’re so used to ignoring pains that they’re in danger of overlooking danger signs of heart attacks and strokes. While many countries have spent bottomless funds to educate the public on the danger signs of heart attacks and strokes, these two diseases are still the number one killers in our society these days. By now, all of us know that if you have a chest pain that radiates down to your arm, you may be suffering from a heart attack; if your speech is getting slurred and you feel weakness on one side of the body, you’re experiencing stroke. What many people don’t know is that these “typical” symptoms of heart attack and stroke are not as common as they think. In fact, women, elderly, and diabetics are in dangers of suffering “atypical” episodes. This means instead of chest pain, they may experience jaw pain, shoulder pain, or arm pain. Or they may just experience nausea and vomiting! These uncharacteristic symptoms mean that these patients are likely to overlook the likelihood of heart diseases (because they were so well educated on the “typical” symptoms) and think they’re just suffering from a stomach bug. Regarding stroke, slurred speech and hemiparesis are also not as common. I was just talking to a rehabilitation specialist the other day, and he commented on how 1/3 of stroke patients he sees die, 1/3 are disabled, and only 1/3 recover. When I asked him the reason behind such ridiculous figures, he talked about how it’s ALWAYS too late when these sort of patients come to the hospital. While early recognition is the key to treatment of these sort of diseases, the patient group makes the process difficult. The elderly patients are more likely to complain of general weakness and that “something’s off” rather than the familiar signs of stroke. By the time family members decide to bring them to the hospital, the golden time has already passed.

Through his work with the veterans, Harry can discuss these uncommon signs of heart attacks and strokes; and he can highlight the importance of admitting to pain and going to the hospital. Such education can help save these brave heroes’ lives. These veterans may have been trained to be ruthless back in the day, but they’re were never meant to be machines. In addition, if the veterans learn to be comfortable enough to admit to their physical pain, they may find talking about their emotional sufferings easier. Physical health and mental health are closely intertwined; you can’t ignore one while talking about the other.

If someone like me were able to come up with two light suggestions to improve his current campaigns, I know Harry and his team will be able to do a better job. After all, they’re much more experienced in the matter; but what makes Harry special isn’t his PR. Harry’s a good soul. If I didn’t believe so, I wouldn’t feel compelled to be here. Even his current predicament serves to prove his good heart, because he was the one who got betrayed; it is a result of a lapse of judgement and not a reflection of poor character. Harry’s a good soul who’s doing a good job. Harry can and will recover from this. I know that for sure.

-Roseberrycupcakes (RCC)

Thank you so much, it’s always a pleasure to read your point of view

#PrinceHarry #submission

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