#also i got rid of the distracting beard scruff

[somanyjacks]

One thing about me is that I go into video games almost completely blind. I don't read beginner tips and tricks and I avoid spoilers as much as I can. Usually my first playthrough is a bit mid because I made a shitty character but it's just how I roll.

So when I FINALLY started BG3 a few days ago, I had no real plans for a character. I figured I would wing it the way I always do.

But I immediately realized that it's way more like actual D&D than I thought. And the only D&D characters I've played were druids, but I was pretty sure there's already a druid character based on thirsty gifsets here on Tumblr dot com.

So in my frantic attempt to whip up something different on the fly, I made my Tav the least original OC ever. In fact I'm positive hundreds of people probably did the same thing as I did.

Meet Edgin Darvis:

[svnflowervol666]

Crisp Trepidation (Harry Styles x fem!Reader)

Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: angst, mentions of smut, pregnancy

Author’s Note: Here she is! The promised “Y/N is pregnant again before she’s ready” fic. I ended up liking this a lot more than I thought I would, so I hope you all do as well! Take care and TPWK. 

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my favorite tiny human,” the pediatrician chimed as she kicked the door to the small examination room shut with her sneaker.

“You must say that to all of the parents that you see,” Y/N blushed, unable to hide the smile that tugged on the corners of her lips.

“I don’t, actually. I’m being honest when I tell you she is the cutest baby I have ever seen in my life. Those curls! Are you kidding me?”

She padded over to the miniature exam table to get a better look at the infant that was lying contently on her back and chewing on her pudgy albeit still tiny fingers. 

“Let’s take a look at how you’re doing, sweet pea.”

The doctor, Lisa, lifted the stethoscope that was looped around her neck and placed it correctly into her ears. Listening to the baby’s heartbeat to check for any abnormalities, she couldn’t help but give a sympathetic frown when the tiny girl under her tensed up from the cool touch of the metal.

“Nurse’s notes say she’s put on quite a bit. She’s finally caught up to her age group in weight. I’m assuming breastfeeding is going better for you both now?”

She lovingly squeezed the extra chub around her thighs.

“Yeah. We don’t really use bottles anymore. Finally got her to latch on and now it seems like all she wants to do it eat,” Y/N chuckled.

“Good! That’s good. There’s nothing wrong with formula like we talked about, but it’s even better to breastfeed when you can. Is she hitting the milestones? Rolling over? Propping her head up? Babbling a bit?”

“Babbling, definitely. She keeps us up sometimes because we can hear her talking to herself through the monitor at night,” Y/N poked her tongue out at her daughter in an attempt to get her to smile.

“Having a bit of trouble propping herself up though. She can only do it for a little bit and then she’ll give up. She’s got Harry’s giant head, though, so I’m sure it’s a bit of a struggle.”

Lisa laughed loudly at the mention of her patient’s father, knowing good and well what Y/N meant. She scribbled notes onto the file attached to her clipboard, checking off the baby’s progress and coinciding what the nurse that came in before her documented about her length and weight.

“She’ll get to it eventually. All babies are different. She seems to be coming along quite nicely, though. Nothing abnormal or anything to fuss about. A perfectly healthy six-month-old in my book.”

Y/N sighed in relief, though she knew there was nothing to worry over to begin with.

“How’s mum doing? You taking care of yourself, too? You’re just as important as baby.”

“When I can. Harry’s really good with her. He’ll take over when he sees me struggling, but it seems like she only wants me these days. Think I might be coming down with something, though. I’ve been feeling awful for a few weeks. Like I got hit by a train. I keep reminding myself to go get checked out, but I always get distracted taking care of her,” Y/N gestured to her daughter that was now drooling onto the parchment liner and staring up at the ceiling as if there was something ornately interesting about the popcorn texture that had been stippled onto it.

“When you say, ‘hit by a train,’ what do you mean? I can examine you here if you’d like. As long as it’s nothing serious, I can send you something off to the pharmacy.”

Lisa re-fastened the snaps on the infant’s onesie, making sure not to pinch her chunky legs and placed her back into her mother’s lap.

“Ummm,” Y/N began, “Just extra drained, I guess? Kinda nauseous. I’ve been getting migraines a lot and even when I do get a good night’s rest, I still feel like I could go back to bed for the rest of the day. Maybe I’m just exhausted, I don’t really know. But it just feels a bit different than being worn out like I have been before.”

She could see the wheels in Lisa’s head turning, noting each of her symptoms and trying to align them in a path that would lead her to the root of the problem.

“Can I ask you something that might be a bit personal?”

Y/N nodded, rubbing her fingers absentmindedly along the bridge of her daughter’s socked foot.

“Have you and Harry been intimate since she was born?”

She was taken aback by the question, not understanding where Lisa was going with this or why it was relevant.

“Umm,” Y/N stuttered, feeling a static-y surge of embarrassment travel up her neck and onto the sides of her face, “Yeah. We have.”

A whole fucking lot ever since I’ve been cleared for it, she thought, but kept to herself.

“And can you tell me when your last menstrual cycle ended?”

Then it clicked. She genuinely couldn’t recall her most recent period and even the thought of what Lisa was alluding to made her stomach twist into thousands of tiny knots.

“I- I don’t know. I’ve been so busy with her I don’t even really think about what’s going on with me half of the time.”

Y/N tried to make excuses, anything to avoid the obvious, but judging from the quizzical look on her daughter’s pediatrician’s face, she knew exactly where this was going.

“There’s no way,” she whispered, “I can’t be.”

Lisa’s face dropped, now tender and apologetic when she realized that this was news Y/N was not ecstatic to hear.

“I know I’m a pediatrician, so that’s obviously the first thing my mind goes to, but can we at least get you to take a test? That way we’ll know for sure?”

//

Harry came home to a quiet house. It wasn’t unusual, but seeing as it was well after six o’clock in the evening and his wife wasn’t in the kitchen making the curry that she’d been oh-so so excited about earlier in the week and swaying along to the playlist they’d curated together as she stirred a pot filled with vegetables was. Their grocery store had been out of coconut milk for several weeks and she’d nearly tackled him to the ground out of excitement when he’d come home from the grocery store with it the night before, so he found it awfully strange that she’d yet to start cooking it. Had he not seen her car in the driveway, he probably wouldn’t have even suspected her to be home.

He checked the living room first, and it was desolate apart from the playmat on the floor that was littered with a few of his daughter’s favorite rattles and teethers. Her coat and purse were abandoned haphazardly on the couch, almost as if she tossed it aside in a hurry to get somewhere.

“Baby?”

Nothing.

His head peaked into the nursery, stealthily and quietly in preparation to walk in on his daughter taking her scheduled nap before her actual bedtime. He’d gotten good at hushing his footfalls to almost complete silence as to not wake her, having made that mistake more than a handful of times. 

And he was right. There she was, sprawled out in her crib with her arms outstretched over her head like a tiny starfish. Her chubby cheeks were smushed against her bicep, drawing her lips open the tiniest bit so that Harry could see the tops of her fleshy, pink gums and the barely-there nub of her first tooth peeking through. More than anything, he wanted to wake her up - lift her from the plush mattress and cuddle her close, shower her with kisses and tickle her with his scruff that was teetering on the line of becoming a full blown beard to hear those baby squeals he adored so much, but he needed to find Y/N first.

She had to be in their bedroom, he thought to himself. Maybe she was taking advantage of their baby girl napping to also get some rest. She had been rather exhausted lately. Maybe she’d had a rough day and was relaxing in the clawfoot, porcelain bathtub that had been the selling point of the home they now lived in. Or maybe she was keeping to herself peacefully somewhere else in the house and she was being so quiet that he just couldn’t hear her.

Turns out he was right again. Like he had done with the nursery, he held the wooden door tightly in his grip to keep the hinges from creeking and pressed it open gently. The room was completely dark, but he could make out the lump underneath the duvet on their king-sized bed as his wife. 

Good. She was sleeping. 

He padded across the hardwood floor, still being as quiet as he could until he crossed the threshold of the bathroom. There, he rid himself of the uncomfortable clothes he’d been wearing all day. Curse these professional business meetings about his tour schedule that forced him to dress nicely. 

All throughout the meetings, he wanted nothing more than to be home with his wife and baby, cuddling the afternoon away and watching shitty reality television while his daughter cooed and grunted and gurgled in her baby voice that he loved so much and could listen to all day. Maybe it was the fact that he’d been having to partake in these boring work meetings a lot more lately, which caused him to miss even the smallest aspects about his everyday life with his family like changing diapers or checking the baby monitor eight hundred times throughout the day to make sure his daughter was still breathing. Or maybe it was the understanding that by this time next year, he’d be halfway across the globe and physically unable to hold her in his arms. Perhaps he’d just been getting sentimental, but it was an unpleasant feeling nonetheless.

His thoughts were interrupted when he deposited his rings into the dish he kept on the counter and he heard a quite yet still prominent sniffle among the clattering of metal against the glass dish.

“Honey? ‘S that you?” Harry peaked his head out from beyond the bathroom door. 

He saw her body shift under the covers, but she gave no response. So he called out again.

“Ye’ sick? Can hear ye’ snifflin’.”

Nothing.

Pivoting back around to the inside of the bathroom, he quickly shut off the light and carried himself over to her side of the bed where he could see her properly. Her face was tucked into her chin and all that was visible to him was the top of her head.

“Hey,” Harry cooed, petting what he could reach of her hair and speaking even gentler than he had been, “What’s wrong?”

And that’s when he heard it - an almost inaudible choking sound of Y/N trying to catch her breath that immediately let him know she wasn’t sick. She had been crying.

“Whoa, baby,” he was already pulling the covers back with force, honestly not caring whether or not she minded the intrusion.

“Tell me what’s going on.”

She was emotionless when he saw her face, her puffy, bloodshot eyes and swollen lips the only indicator that she was upset. She didn’t even react to Harry tugging her head out from where it had been buried in the covers, simply rolling onto her back to stare idly at the ceiling.

“Y/N,” he called for her again, this time much more stern, “You’ve got to talk t’ me.”

She took several deep breaths through her nose, allowing her lungs to fill to their maximum capacity before exhaling with a sigh. Harry could have sworn she was sucking all of the oxygen out of the room along with his patience each time she did so. 

After what felt like ages, she parted her lips to speak.

“I went to the doctor today.” 

“Yeah? For the six-month check up, right?” Harry asked, not seeing why that was important but his mind quickly went to the worst scenario possible despite having just seen his daughter sleeping peacefully in her crib.

“‘S she alright?” his voice now demanding urgency in the delivery of her response.

“She’s fine,” she quickly dismissed him, internally kicking herself for making Harry worry.

“I was telling Lisa about how sick I’ve been lately and she -,” Y/N gulped and rubbed her knuckles against her tired eyes, bracing herself for whatever events unfolded after she said what she was about to say.

“She, umm. She made me take a pregnancy test.”

Now it was Harry’s turn to be speechless. He stared at her with furrowed brows and his mouth slightly agape. His palms suddenly felt clammy against the white sheets that they rested on and his stomach felt like it had turned in on itself from how badly it was churning. Of all of the things he had expected to be wrong with her, this was certainly the last on the list. 

“And?” he asked after a solid sixty seconds of staring at her and saying absolutely nothing, though he already knew the answer.

“Ten weeks.”

Silent tears now spilled over her eyes and down past her temples. She couldn’t even be bothered to wipe them, instead letting them dampen a small patch of hair on either side of her head. Pregnancies weren’t supposed to be sad, but somehow, she had barely been able to stop crying since she left the pediatrician’s office.

“How,” Harry whispered, moreso to himself than to her.

“I think you know how babies are made, H,” Y/N quipped.

“‘S not what I meant,” Harry fired back just as quickly, “It’s just...She’s still so little.”

He thought of his daughter asleep in the next room. She was the most perfect thing he’s ever seen and on the day that she was born, he knew he wanted nothing more than to fill his and Y/N’s house with as many curly-headed babies as he could fit beds in each room. He just hadn’t expected that his only child’s first birthday present was going to be the gift of being a big sister. 

It was all too sudden.

“I just don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner. I mean,” Y/N raised her arms above her head before huffing and letting them fall to her sides, “I guess I was just so caught up with the baby that I hadn’t even had a second to think about what’s going on with me. It’s like I don’t even matter anymore and I-”

“Hey, hey now. None of tha’,” Harry shushed her and curled up next to her frame as she began to sob.

He tucked her head into his neck, hugging her shoulders tightly as if he was trying to hold the pieces of her together before she shattered. His mind was running a mile per minute. It killed him to see her like this, killed him to be in this situation. The last time they had found out this news, there were happy tears - tears of joy and celebration and relief after having tried for what felt like years. Never had he imagined that the next time they were presented with the very same news, that there would be tears of sadness.

Her voice was muffled against his now wrinkled blouse, but he could still make out what she was saying beneath her blubbers.

“I can’t do this.”

“Wha’ do yeh mean, pretty? Of course yeh can. I’ll move some things around and we’ll make it work. We’ll be alright,” he ran his hand up and down her back in attempt to soothe her.

“That’s the problem, Harry.”

He lifted his chin from here it was resting on the top of her head to look down at her.

“What?”

“You have to move everything around. You’ve already been gone for almost two years. This sets you back at least another. You can’t keep pushing shit back.”

“Erm,” Harry paused to break away from her and sit up straight against the headboard, “Yes I can? I couldn’t care less about tour...Did yeh think I was gonna leave yeh here on your own with a fuckin’ newborn?”

“No. I didn’t think you were just going to leave,” she almost sounded annoyed, which didn’t sit quite right with Harry.

“But do you see what’s happening? Everything is fucked.”

His voice wasn’t so calm anymore.

“No, Y/N. I honestly don’t. I mean I know this is all happening much earlier than we expected, but what else is there t’ do? Tour can wait.”

“People are counting on you, Harry. Millions of them. We’re not the only ones that matter in this situation.”

“Will you please tell me what yeh gettin’ at, because I’m starting t’ get upset.” 

Harry’s lips were pressed in a thin, straight line and his nostrils flared with every breath. Why was she being like this? 

“I don’t know what I’m fucking getting at. I’m just overwhelmed."

“And yeh think I’m not? ‘M tryin’ my best to keep it together for your sake if yeh haven’t noticed,” it almost condescending how the words rolled off his tongue.

“Oh, excuse me,” Y/N laughed sarcastically.

“Didn’t realize you were the one carrying our fucking child. Didn’t realize you’re the one that has to grow all big and gross and swollen and be in pain every fucking day to the point where walking to the bathroom feels like a fucking marathon. Didn’t realize you’re the one that has to push a football-sized human out of your vagina and just lay there while a doctor you’ve never seen before stitches you up because it literally tore your insides. Didn’t realize you-”

“For fuck’s sake, I get it!” Harry was yelling now.

“It’s not the same and I’m sorry for suggesting tha’ it was. ‘M not sure what it is that yeh want me t’ say though. I’m sorry? ‘S that it? Sorry for gettin’ yeh pregnant? Sorry for havin’ a job that were well fuckin’ aware of when yeh met me? Sorry that I do everything I possibly can to keep you and the baby and everyone else on the fuckin’ planet happy?”

“You’re being an asshole, Harry,” she was just as angry as he was, scowl evident on her face even in their dimly lit bedroom.

“And you’re not makin’ any fuckin’ sense! Are yeh tellin’ me yeh don’t want t’ keep it? ‘Cos I never fuckin’ said that yeh have to.”

The thought had crossed her mind on the drive home from the doctor’s office, but the feeling left as quickly as it approached. She’d taken one look at her daughter in her car seat through the rear view mirror happily sucking on her teether and knew without a doubt that she couldn’t.

She felt a tidal wave of fresh, salty tears peaking and about to crash over her.

“I don’t want - fuck,” she put her head in her hands. 

“I just-,” and then she broke.

Sobs wracked her body, making her shoulders shake up and down. She wasn’t even sure how she had any more left to get out, but it just kept coming. Over and over and over again until it felt like she was being suffocated and that no one was going to save her. She felt Harry’s hands move to rest on her shoulder blades and heard gentle, cooing-like sounds coming out of his mouth, but she couldn’t make out what he had said over the sounds of her own wailing.

“Baby, it’s okay. Just breathe f’ me. It’s alri-”

His attempt at subduing her was cut short by shrill cries coming from the digital monitor that sat on their nightstand. Harry peeked over his shoulder at the screen, seeing that their daughter had woken from her nap and was now demanding the attention of her parents. He couldn’t help but wince as he watched her socked feet flail around in the crib; it was without a doubt that the screaming match they’d just encountered had stirred her from her sleep, and that hurt him just as much as it did to see his wife crying right in front of him.

Y/N heard it too, somehow. Perhaps it was because she’d been trained to react to every minute sound that she made and could recognize her cries from a mile away in the paralyzing fear that something was wrong with her or maybe it was because she looking for any and every excuse to get Harry’s hands off of her so she could get away from him and escape the argument they’d just had without making the situation any worse than it already was. Regardless, she turned her own neck to peer at the monitor and sighed heavily.

“I’ll go, Y/N. Just stay here.”

“No. I got it. It’s after seven. She’s probably hungry.”

She shrugged Harry’s hands away from her shoulders like his touch physically pained her and climbed over his body and off the bed without another word, not even giving Harry the chance to take her hand and help her over the edge of the mattress. He knew she wasn’t going anywhere but down the hall and into the nursery, but he couldn’t help but feel like she was walking away from everything.

//

Y/N stared her daughter while she nursed. She started from the top of her head that was riddled with chocolate brown curls and worked her way down to the tips of her toes that would occasionally flex themselves out of habit. Her hair? Undoubtedly Harry’s. Her nose? A perfect, narrow line down her face that led to a button-shaped tip akin to Harry’s. Her lips? The same almost inhuman shade of bubblegum pink as Harry’s. Surprisingly, the only physical trait she’d inherited from her mother were the color of her eyes, which was funny considering that was the one thing she’d wanted Harry to pass down to their daughter; Y/N had always hated hers.

She was content, suckling away at Y/N’s breast - her cries of hunger long forgotten. The infant hadn’t even flinched when a few more of Y/N’s silent, cold tears spilled over and left small wet spots where her onesie rested over her belly. She had no idea that her parents were upset with each other and she had no idea that in a little more than six months time, she’d be a big sister and there would be two babies fighting for their attention. Y/N was also clueless, but only as to how she was going to take care of a newborn and a one-year-old simultaneously. She’d always thought she’d have more time than this - more time to spend with just her daughter and Harry before they decided to have another, but just like her eyes, things always had a funny way of never working out in her favor.

Three soft knocks on the wall withdrew her from her thoughts and she was greeted by her husband idling in the doorway like he needed permission before entering a room in his own house. He had changed out of his dress clothes and was now clad in his favorite pair of joggers that were permanently stained with spit-up. Y/N had tried everything under the sun to get the spots out, but he’d been persistant on not throwing them out.

“Can I come in?”

His voice was barely above a whisper and much calmer than when he’d been yelling at her about twenty minutes ago. He still hesitated crossing the threshold even after Y/N had given him a skeptical nod, but allowed his bare feet to pad over the plush carpet as he joined her on the loveseat in the far corner of the nursery.

He watched their daughter just as Y/N had, taking in her tranquil state as her fingers brushed reflexively against the underside of Y/N’s breast. He’d never been able to pry his eyes away every time he watched her nurse. There were no ulterior motives behind it, nothing sexual or erotic whatsoever. It amazed him each and every time, how Y/N was able to provide their child with everything that they needed to grow with only her body. At first, Y/N hated that Harry loved sitting in on her feedings, feeling exposed and unattractive despite Harry’s continuous affirmations that it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever had the privilege of witnessing, but over time she’d grown fond of it.

“‘M sorry for yelling at yeh,” Harry started.

“It was uncalled for.”

Y/N sniffled, rubbing her swollen eyes with the back of her free hand that wasn’t supporting her daughter’s back as she held her.

“It’s okay. It was a lot to take in. I’m sorry for yelling at you too.”

She couldn’t quite look him in the eye just yet, but she was slowy but surely getting there.

“’S not okay, actually. You’re right. I’m not the one havin’ the baby. It’s you that’s got t’ do all the hard stuff. Should’ve listened to you more.”

He shifted towards her on the cushions, afraid to touch her just yet but still yearning to be closer to her.

The best Y/N could muster was a quiet, “Thank you,” before she busied herself by attempting to run her fingers through her baby’s hair and untangle the mess she’d created while she was sleeping.

“Can I hold you? Please?”

Now was when she turned to face him and she was met with eyes that were just as red-rimmed as hers. She had heard the bathroom sink running for an abnormally long amount of time and a hard, frustrated pounding against the wall shortly after she’d gone off in the nursery to feed the baby, which meant he must have been trying to muffle the sounds of his own crying when she left their bedroom.

Y/N didn’t say anything, only shifting her weight onto one side so Harry could easily lift her onto his lap in one swift movement without disturbing their daughter. He tucked her shoulder into his neck and softly kissed her skin and his hands moved to mimic hers so they were both holding the baby that was nodding off again in their arms. She found herself relaxing into his loose grip, her head tilting to the side to rest against his. 

“I love you so much. Yeh know that? I know it’s difficult always having t’ think about everyone else, but you’re what’s important t’ me. I’d drop everything for you if I had to. End it all today.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” she refuted, but there was no malice in her tone.

“I wouldn’t let you.”

“Well, just know that I would if yeh wanted me to. I’ve thought about it a thousand times. I want t’ be here f’ you. For her. Don’t want t’ miss anything. I finally got my shot at bein’ normal when I met you and I hate myself for even thinkin’ about going back on the road and leavin’ yeh.”

“Don’t,” Y/N paused to press a chaste kiss to Harry’s cheek.

“You’re a good person, Harry. A good dad. A good husband. Please don’t ever think that you’re not.”

She felt moisture pool in the dips of her collarbones where Harry’s chin lied, but she didn’t acknowledge it.

“I’ll be okay. Sorry if I freaked you out earlier. Think I just need some time to get used to it all. Just wasn’t expecting Lisa to drop the ball that I was pregnant when all I was expecting was for her to tell me that our kid is in the 99th percentile for weight and then send me on my way.”

This got a chuckle out of him, almost causing him to choke on his tears. He quickly rubbed the sleeves of his jumper against his eyes to dry up any remaining wet spots on his face. 

“She is pretty chunky, isn’t she?” Harry jested while thumbing over his daughter’s rounded tummy.

After a moment of admiring their little chunk of a baby, with her milk-drunk eyes and puckered lips, Harry spoke again.

“Two babies,” he huffed.

“Two babies,” she repeated.

His hands moved to caress Y/N’s stomach. She clearly wasn’t showing yet considering that neither of them had even known she was pregnant up until today, but he still held her like her belly was the size of a watermelon and he was waiting anxiously to feel a hand or a foot press up against his palm.

“Might be kinda nice. They can share everything and we’ll only have t’ have one birthday party ‘cos they’ll be born around the same time. They’ll go t’ the same school and probably have the same friends. Kinda like twins.”

“Based on the fact that you’ve already picked out the outfit this one is wearing on her first birthday that’s still six months away, I highly doubt you’ll stay keen on them sharing a party.”

Harry pursed his lips and blushed, recalling the garment he’d spotted during one his fittings with Gucci that he vowed to have for his daughter.

“Guess you’re right about tha’.”

Their banter was interrupted by a grueling rumbling sound coming from Y/N’s stomach that Harry could feel throughout his entire body.

“Jesus, Y/N. You hungry too? When’s the last time you ate?”

“Uhh...this morning I think?” Y/N sighed.

“Couldn’t stomach anything when I got home.”

Harry’s heart dropped when he thought of how distraught she’d been all day while he was gone and with everything in him, he’d wished he would have postponed his meetings to go to check up with her and they could have found out together, but it’s possible that the topic might not have even come up if he had been in the room with her and the pediatrician.

“Found coconut milk at the store the other day, remember? Want me t’ make that curry for yeh?”

“Ohh, yes please,” she immediately purked up at the thought of warm spices and rice.

“Starting to wonder if curry was a craving now that I think about it. Didn’t we have it, what? Three nights in a row a while back?”

Harry giggled as he reluctantly removed Y/N from his lap and stood up from the sofa.

“Thought tha’ was a bit weird that yeh wanted it so badly, but I didn’t dwell on it too much.”

“She’s going back down. If you give me a minute, I’ll come downstairs and help you,” Y/N said, pulling up the straps of her tank top after realizing her daughter had long since forgotten about her breast and was conked out in her arms.

“‘Ve got it, mama” Harry quickly refuted.

“Take a bath or somethin’ and I’ll bring it up t’ yeh when it’s done.”

“Okay.”

Y/N couldn’t fight the grin growing on her face at the nickname Harry used that she still hadn’t gotten used to.

When she placed their daughter soundly in her crib, Y/N’s fingers stayed put from where they sat on the railing as she caught herself staring at the sleeping infant once more. Though she’d felt like her world was caving in on her just a handful of hours ago, the pieces were all coming back together now. 

Of course, she wanted more children with Harry. And now she was getting what she wanted. Just like he’d told her back in the bedroom, it wasn’t ideal, but they’d make it work. They always did. 

With two babies.

[mihidecet]

Sbi&CO d&d AU: A Familiar Face (1/?)

WELCOME WELCOME EVERYONE! Today, the tournament arc begins! I do hope you’ll enjoy this ahahah

I dedicate this to all the wonderful people of the Au’s Discord - hit me up if you wanna join! Also, a special thank you to @traitorous-bisexual and @awebo without whom this arc wouldn’t exist <3

Finally, before we start: make sure you check out @whatimevendoinhere , @spout1nk and (soon) @julius-ranch for art and fanfics about the AU!!

It was a lovely morning. 

The sun shined through the tinted windows, turning the light a soft orange glow that lessened the glare of it against his eyes. 

It was a welcome respite: during the months that involved preparing the tournament, days were quick to melt together, nights becoming just darker afternoons as Scott and everyone around him hurried to make everything look ready for the contestants' arrival. So, not having the sun shine directly into his eyes as he looked over the final challenges that had been chosen for the tournament was a relief. The cup of warm tea by his desk was also a saving grace.

Stifling a yawn, Scott figured that he could let himself take a stroll. Maybe open up his window, let the room freshen up a bit. 

With his window overlooking one of the many parks inside the Academy, maybe he could distract himself for a moment and see if his protege had finally started warming up to his teammates. 

That plan had flown out of the window almost immediately. Or maybe it would be better to say that it had flown into the window, along with a green tipped arrow that had suddenly appeared in his field of vision. 

Now, Scott hasn't been adventuring for a while, but it would be foolish to think that he's forgotten how the world works - with a flick of his wrist, a translucent dome of purple arcane energy materializes between him and the incoming arrow, which impacts with the barrier a split second later. The tip goes through, piercing the veil of his magic, and for a terrifying moment Scott thinks it's not gonna stop, but it simply stops, held in place as if caught in a web. 

Which is a relief, the amateur that tried to attack him - an Archmage, in the middle of his own Academy - failed to get their first shot in and this will give him the time to step back and call his most trusted in order to quickly and efficiently get rid of the problem at hand. He has other more pressing matters to attend to, he's not going to waste his time on this. 

As his Shield spell fades, it congeals like a shimmering second skin over his upper arm. Maybe calling the guards isn't that pressing, he's got this. 

Or maybe he doesn't, he thinks as he get a second, much more terrifying surprise - in the span of a couple of seconds, he really can get no breaks.

A figure materializes in the air in front of him, with a dark hood over their head that covers most of their features except for a huge - terrifying - grin and an intricate bow strapped to their back.

The figure appears with a puff of iridescent smoke, crouched in the air as if they'd been in the process of jumping before they decided to teleport, and- crashes into him, the force of the impact and the shock of it happening making him lose his balance and start falling back. 

There's a moment where Scott is confused: is this some sort of strange tactic? Did the stranger misjudge their trajectory? Are they going to wrestle on the ground as if they weren't both magic users? 

Then, a brief split second of panic - he didn't look what the stranger was holding, and he is currently falling on his back. He is going to get stabbed, at the very least, and that conviction is only made stronger as he feels the stranger's arms close in around him. 

But then, Scott has simply enough time to blink in shock, as the arms just wrap around his back, before his world is literally turned upside down.

One moment he is falling on his back, already anticipating the pain of a knife to the back - please no vital organs, spare him the need for an extremely expansive healer. The next the is wrapped in a hug and grunting in pain as his knees impact with the ground. 

"Ah, fuck that hurt- Scotty are you alright?" 

Scott refuses to believe this. He pushes against the chest under him - the arms give, letting him go - and finds himself face to face with a sight that is both very familiar and weirdly unusual. 

"You-" Scott says, tone an unconvincingly mix of menacing and angry as he jabs a finger into the not-so-stranger's chest -"Are lucky to be alive. I could have murdered you."

Hbomb's worried glance instantly brightens, despite Scott's best hopes, and he throws his head back to laugh. No matter how irritated he is at his friend, he can't help but huff out a laugh himself, and a moment later they're both chuckling together on the floor. By all the gods, it has been some time.

"You are a dumbass, H. You couldn't just use the door? You know, like a normal person?!" Scott asks, holding himself up on his left elbow because H has always been one to laugh with his whole body and Scott is still recovering from jamming his knees into the floor, he's not in the mood to be jostled around by an enthusiastic ranger. 

"Aw, Scotty, aren't you happy to see me?" The half-elf asks, putting a hand on his chest as he fails to pretend he's insulted. Scott flicks his nose. 

"Ah- that hurt!"

"I know, I meant it to hurt. Now, do you want to tell me what you're doing here? And what is that doing on your face?" Scott demands, serious at first until he realises that H has been growing out his beard well past what he considers to be a good length - H's pout is barely visible under all that scruff.

"Well, now, that is unnecessarily rude. I've been traveling for a while now, and I wasn't gonna risk injuring myself-" Scott grabs a wandering hand and brings it back on H's chest. 

"H." Hbomb has a tendency of gesticulating when his hands aren't being kept busy, and while he did figure that his friend had simply forgotten to shave, he has known him long enough to be able to recognise when H is going off on a tangent - which is perfectly fine - and when he's changing the subject because he doesn't want to answer. 

He knows he's right when H simply shuts up, eyes wide like those of a deer - quite fitting, considering where he enjoys spending most of his time. But instead of looking pensive, or starting to answer, H just … looks down. At where their hands are. 

Normally, he wouldn't think much of it. But H looks almost sheepish, and his eyes keep moving from his face to their hands, so Scott looks down. 

His brain screeches to a halt, and suddenly he stands up a little straighter, sitting on the floor next to H as he grabs his hand in his. 

Around his fingers wraps a perfect replica of a silver winged fae dragon, while in his palm- one of the most accurate representations of the different Planes. 

Scott turns his stare to his fiend, who looks more calm than Scott feels he has any right to, and when he speaks he sounds almost breathless. 

"What happened to you?"

The tale of how Shubble's patron reached out to him to grant him powers is exhilarating. Not in the "funny" sense, more in the "my friend who is usually not that fond of talking and interacting with people especially when he's not in a place he is familiar with, was transported to a different plane and spoke with a being of transcendent power". So maybe a bit in the "funny" sense. 

The only negative side of the whole affair is the fact that Shubble is currently not present. 

She actually teaches at the Academy, so H was right in his assumption that reaching this place would have helped him out, but he just barely missed her by a couple of weeks. She's recently left, called out on an urgent mission by her patron themselves, and a part of Scott's mind can't help but feel like it is an extremely weird coincidence: he respects power gained through pacts, but he fears deeply the machinations of otherworldly beings' minds and the power they hold over his friends. He'd much prefer dealing with forces controlled by his own self, so that when a spell backfires comically he only has himself to blame. 

But all things considered, he's glad to see H is still alive and seemingly doing better than ever. He looks fine, happy and more confident than the last time he saw him - the way he stands and moves more firm, more secure, filling his space in a way the Hbomb of some time ago wouldn't have. 

It's nice to see him like this. 

What isn't nice is the way his increased confidence leads him to suggest how good of an idea it would be for him to take part into the tournament. Which is a horrible idea. 

"Listen, I know I am banned from playing again-" H starts, arms spread open with a mischievous grin on his face. Scott has sudden flashbacks to all the times he'd seen that grin from the other side of the battlefield and shakes his head firmly before pointing a stern finger at his chest.

"You still have a year before you can." 

H huffs, shoulders falling, and he adopts the most fake-innocent expression Scott has ever seen. 

"But I'm just here to say hi!" Scott levels him with a blank stare, using all of his willpower and internal strength to avoid bursting out laughing. Because for all that his friend's expression is hilarious, this is really no laughing matter. He can't have him win again. 

"I said what I said." H's head hits the desk with a groan of protest. 

On the other side of the table, Scott pinches his own arm in order not to laugh. 

He fails.

H still manages to pout his way into getting a free room to stay in for a while - just like the old times, come on! - and seems to be alright with being left to his own devices for the rest of the morning. 

Knowing him, he'll take it as the perfect chance to snoop around, make new friends and bother the tournament's contestants. 

As Scott turns back to his schematics, the only thing he does is chuckle to himself. 

[theriversarebroken]

OCs in a video game

This post is inspired by @chickypoodoodloos brilliant one, which you can go look at here!

The setting of the game would probably be in space. Sci-fi to the max with multiple planets you can travel to, some that it’s recommended you don’t since it’s dangerous (need to be a higher level) but still can if you want to. I don’t know about the storyline, but I know your character would be a type of rebel/pirate/mercenary type. I love it :D. I’m tempted to write a story about all this from a second person perspective.

Rei: the first NPC you meet and she cannot stand you, but you can’t help but love her yet at the same time want to strangle her. She helps you learn how to play, telling you to press certain buttons and if you press the wrong one/do the wrong thing/walk where you’re not supposed, she groans so loud and says “C’mon dumbass! It’s not that hard. We need to get this down before we report in.”. She’s one of the main characters of the game, goes with you on your first mission. As the game progresses, she opens up to you and you grow to be good friends. Men and women can romance her but she isn’t a complete romance. She’s one of those almost romances that ends up pulling away. The rest of the game’s dialogue with her is horribly awkward if you attempted to romance her (unless it has to do with the plot). If you try to bring it up, she recoils and says, “I don’t want to talk about it. Forget it.”. She’s the one who would teach you to run stealth missions, always has extra blades on her person. Her idle animations would be her impatiently drumming her fingers on her thigh, rolling her eyes, and crossing/uncrossing her arms.

Loyalty mission - she won’t tell you exactly what she wants but you break into one of the galaxy’s most dangerous mercenary homebase. At the end you learn it’s a rare ingredient for a cake she wants to make (which tastes amazing, btw). You can choose to yell at her or just… just deal with her idiocy and eat delicious cake.

Nami: the space pirate who you meet on a mission at the start of the game, puts a gun to your head, a split second from pulling the trigger. She stops once she hears her baby sister shouting her name, which is the other woman you brought on this mission. After a bunch of dramatic confrontation, and proper decision making, Nami will assist and join your team (if the right decisions are made i.e not yelling at her sister, showing your a decent human being). She’s the bonafide badass. The first impression of her would be the “heartless raider” but it turns out she only releases slaves, saves towns, and does good. Should she not join you, you can speak to her whenever you want to for advice, usually hanging out in bars around the areas you can travel to on various planets. She is romanceable, though. Only women can romance her and if you do, she’s a bit… out of practice. She’s clumsy, but genuinely loves you. Her idle animations would be her cracking her knuckles, pulling out a flask, and having a sideways grin.

Loyalty mission - going after a slaver who is stealing young women and young men from unprotected settlements. Turns out this slaver is the one who stole Rei and Nami from their home. Nami goes into a blind rage and after she kills the slaver, and most of the gang, she’s a boss fight for you and your team, to which she never stops apologizing for.

Juno: the blind woman you meet on the Federated planet. She’s a high ranking politician although it seems like she’s pretty much done with working for the Government she’s with. She’s Rei’s inside informant as to where there are jobs for you and your friends to pick up. Eventually, she sends you on a job that ties you into the plot (the new species, and villains, nearly blowing you and your crew to bits). After that mission, she joins you, abandoning her position and taking all the information she can get her hands on with her. She is a skilled fighter and sniper, which you learn the hard way should you choose to say something about blind people or politicians not knowing how to fight. She hits the bullseye about ten times in a row with her sniper rifle She will join you on missions, though hangs back and higher up to get rid of enemies without them knowing. Women can romance her and at first it seems pretty easy to romance her since Juno is kind, loving, and just a great person but hooooly shit does she hide so much shit from you. It can cause a big rift in the relationship if you let it slide, or take the wrong route while trying to talk to her about opening up. Her idle animations would be her pulling the rifle’s sights up to her eye, fixing a braid in her hair, and seeming to pause as she listens for something.

Loyalty mission - Juno received a lead from Lavinia on the creatures, a possible home base. But once you arrive, you find out it’s a trap and the information wasn’t from Lavinia. Juno gets poisoned by the creatures, and you have to fight your way out, nearly dying in the process. Lavinia joins your team and works with Liz to keep an eye on Juno, since she is growing weaker from the poison.

Damien: Juno’s brother and also the pilot of your ship. He’s a rebel pilot, learned how to fly outside of the Federate planet’s classes and was only kept secret due to Juno’s political status. And once Juno’s on board you can’t help but ask why he never bothered to mention it?? He is a ridiculously talented flyer and fighter, though can get a little too risky at times. You seem to need to remind him that the goal is to live. Not die in a fiery wreck. Damien also seems to have a shit load of contacts for you to meet, which are all from being a pilot his entire life. Lots of planets, lots of friends. Men can romance him, and Damien is just so surprised when you express interest. “I’m just the pilot… and now I’m the pilot of your heart too.”. Whoops, regret it already. He seems to be more careful in flying after you begin to romance him. His idle animation would be looking up puns that he shouts over the loudspeaker.

Loyalty mission - Damien seems to be distracted while flying and, once you ask, explains how it’s about a distress call he got. It’s from his fellow rebel pilots. Their home. You go to find it wiped out, Damien in a terribly distressed state. With more investigation, you find the flyers who did this and wipe them out, though Damien doesn’t know if it helps him feel any better. After a talk, he admits he’s still heartbroken.

James:  the guy you meet on the ship that’s been stalking your own for days. You finally manage to confront him (after shooting some warning shots at his ship), and meet an all too cheerful gentleman with blue hair and a blue beard. He admits to following you since his sister is one of the people you are chasing. He’s annoying. Or adorable. Depending on how you view people who are still smiling after a bloody nose. He joins your team and, damn, he is a brilliant strategist when it comes to bringing him on missions. Saves your ass more times you can count, but never holds it over you. He also makes it easier to track the villains of the game since, again, one of them is his sister. Men and women can romance him and it’s super simple because he already likes you so much. He’s super supportive of you no matter what, romance or no. He’ll be your bff. His idle animations would be “nonchalantly” flexing his muscles, rubbing the scruff on his face and rubbing his fingers over the scars on his knuckles while sort of staring off into space (haha puns).

Loyalty mission - his sister reached out to him and he asks you to come as back up. She beats him within an inch of his life. You can choose to pursue her (does nothing, but James is grateful you went after her) or stay with him (relationship building argument on why you didn’t go get her). James is off your team for a while in the infirmary.

Liz: the crazy scientist you meet on a “junk” planet. You recruit her onto your ship to help with the oddities and researching the strange new species you’re fighting against. She cannot be a part of the team you bring on your missions, but she is simultaneously running samples on all the new species you encounter and trying to care for the crew (until you find a Doctor). Hahahah overworked much? Plus, if you enter into a conversation with her it… never… seems… to end. But she always seems to talk about interesting and important things so win-win. Occasionally she’ll drag you into her lab immediately after a mission to get some goop off your armor, or clean your wounds, or whatever she can get her hands on to experiment with. There’s only one instance where she’ll go on a mission with you and she asks you to knock out a “space beast” and she crawls into its body… while it’s still alive. It’s at that moment you realize she’s either completely lost it, or completely brilliant. Men and women can try to romance her but she’s so oblivious to it all. It just never works. Her idle animations would be her rifling through her lab coat, basically spinning in circles to look for something, and staring at a tablet, pushing her glasses onto the top of her head then back down.

Loyalty mission - helping her with the space beast, which has a possible antidote against the new, dangerous species. She almost gets digested so, on a timer, you have to figure out how to help her out. She explains it as the greatest experience EVER and gains a good amount of info on how to combat.

Sorina:  the crazy, robotic armed woman who blows a hole in the side of your ship like it’s no big deal. It wasn’t to any parts that will kill everyone inside but… still. It’s a hole. After the confrontation, she says she thought of it as an audition to join your crew, since James was taken on after doing a terrible job of stalking you. You can choose to tell her to go away, but bringing her on your team is loads more fun. Plus, she’s friends with Liz, who vouches for her. She repairs the hole in a matter of hours (which is faster than most mechanics can do). You have your mechanic/explosives expert now and it miiight be a better idea to leave her behind on some missions… since her explosions can sometimes be bigger than she thought they’d be. And maybe you’ll lose your eyebrows more than you’d care to. Women can romance her but she’ll really only hop on you if you’re smart. She just likes to have talks where she doesn’t have to explain every big word to you. It might come across as bitchy but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Should something go wrong in the romance, she’ll delete the romantic memories of you from her brain and act like it never happened because, to her, it didn’t. Her idle animations would be her pulling images through her arm and typing notes and trying to pulls knots out of her hair.

Loyalty mission - going to get special parts as her memory component seems to have been hacked. The one hacking her is a salvager she used to run with and isn’t happy that she stopped sending part. Sorina forgets who you are for a bit after the mission, which is frustrating.

Cadi:  The character you meet on a run through a tough level of thick woods on a far off planet. The level is easy to get lost in, and you only meet her if you explore every inch. She’s a hidden teammate that a lot of players miss. She’s found in an abandoned shack and she seems to have been surviving off of what little food she could find. She doesn’t know how to speak any languages and she’s your silent teammate. She’s never seen the advanced technology you have, so it’s pretty funny the first time she’s brought on the ship. As the game progresses, she seems to get more protective of all the teammates, and there’s a certain scene (if you bring her on the mission) where a teammate is grabbed at a bar and she breaks their arm in two for that. Very, very protective. She’s not someone who fights with guns, she’ll sneak around the battle and literally shred her enemies apart. You can romance her and it seems like there’s a whole different side to her once there’s a deeper love between you two. Her idle animations would be her anxiously looking around, and growling at what she thinks is moving.

Loyalty mission - Cadi just… leaves while on “shore leave”. There’s no explanation, but you can follow her trail which leads to bodies, which leads to you finding Cadi in a fight. She’s very badly injured, which causes you to intervene. Turns out the people she killed/fought turned her into a weapon, forcing her to destroy her planet and people. You can allow her to kill the last few (Cadi will seem conflicted afterwards because she realized she was doing what they designed her to) or call the law enforcement and get them arrested (she lashes out but you can talk to her and help her realize why killing them won’t help).

Lavinia:  a “friend” of Juno’s who still lives on the Federated planet, feeding you information after Juno joins you. She is not a party member, but you can visit her whenever you’d like on that planet for information. She does not have the same level of clearance of Juno but still gives you good information. Plus, she’s pretty medically savvy so if you try hard enough, later in the game (after Juno’s loyalty mission) you recruit her as your ship’s Doctor. Men and women can romance her but once she’s recruited as your Doctor, she breaks it off since patient/doctor relationships are super unhealthy. She’ll flirt, but the relationship won’t move past that until after the game, and that’s only if you don’t want her as your ship’s Doctor. Her idle animations would be shuffling through papers on the desk in her lab/office, checking the medical inventory, and wave as you pass (romance only). Should you run past multiple times she’ll roll her eyes and laugh.

Loyalty mission - she’s conflicted coming to you for help, but she brings bad news. She and Juno have been declared enemies of the Federate planets for abandoning their jobs. As you go to clear her name (Juno doesn’t care anymore), you find out someone has been dirtying it and chase them and fight until they decide to tell the truth.

Hadley:  one of Damien’s many contacts know as the Web. She has information on everyone and everything. Every city, every citizen, even you. And that’s the only reason why she joins you. You’re the only one who actually sees the threat and is actively fighting against it. She’s the Federated planet’s public enemy number one, so she rarely, if ever, leaves the ship. And if she does it’s with the most ridiculous disguise. She joins your team and hacks into the enemy's’ armor, guns, whatever she can get her hands on. Men and women can romance her, though Hadley is a tough cookie. She’s very reclusive, as if loving you would hurt her too much. And she questions how healthy would it be since she knows everything and you know nothing. Have patience. Her idle animations would be (if she’s around Sorina) hacking Sorina’s arm, changing the color of the lights, and tucking her pant leg into her boots.

Loyalty mission - Hadley isn’t someone who gets scared but you find her… shaken. And when asked what’s wrong, she shows you a video of someone showing everything they have on her. Which is impossible she doesn’t even exist. After tracking this person down, you find a bit more about Hadley’s past and have to make a decision: Hand her in to the Federated planets (Hadley vows to get revenge), or make yourself an even bigger target and keep her safe (She explains why she did what she did).

Helene:  she was working with the villains of the game, and basically fucked with you for most of the game but comes to you bloodied and bleeding and asking for help. She gives you all the information on those she was working for and does whatever she can to get you to try and trust her. It’s up to you whether or not to and what you decide will cause some issues with you and your crew. But Helene is genuine in her change of sides and information. Although, you might catch yourself second guessing everything once you find out she’s super into substance abuse. She can join you on your missions and usually gains the enemy’s’ trust and information before killing them (you can let them live but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ they’re bad people). Men and women can romance her but she seems very manipulative and only interested in sex at first. She’ll try to keep her distance and let it be a fling, but if you pursue the relationship, you’ll find out how broken Helene actually is and all the villains did to her. Her idle animations are kicking at the ground, dropping her head back from boredom, and winking at you.

Loyalty mission - Lavinia calls you to the infirmary where you find Helene, doped out of her mind, looking nearly dead. Helene asks you for help with her addiction, telling you there’s a plant on a far off planet that can help stop her addiction without the withdrawal. You go there and find a gang has taken over the planet, manufacturing the plant as a highly addictive drug, which causes the argument of Helene only wanting this for a better high. All-in-all it’s being manufactured for the wrong reason, you take out the gang, and Helene is clean.