#and as much as it made me laugh the fact that they follow my mum is. a little suspicious.

[nothing-particularly-exciting]

this account is the most cringeworthy thing i’ve seen all day but it’s also hilarious because a) they refer to themselves as a west brit unironically and b) they follow my mum who posts stuff like this: 

[charlesf1leclerc]

Summary- one day your whole world turns upside down and where will your lives go from here 

Warnings- Brest feeding , teen pregnancy, quotes and references to how to lose a guy in 10 days. Not proof read so let me know if major errors

A/N- please note this story is only for entertainment and not in anyway linked to what real life people mentioned in this story may do or how they may act! 

SERIES MASTERLIST

I sat in the back of mums car motionless as I looked at the little living thing sitting in the car seat next to me. I still couldn’t believe that this thing came out of me. She was a piece of me and… him. 

It’s also far worse because she’s not an ugly baby , so it’s even harder to not like her just a little. She was kinda cute with her little gurgles and the way she looked up at me like she didn’t care about anyone else.

Mums voice broke me out of my trance

“ so I got you some things, needed to stock up if she’s gonna be around for awhile” she spoke looking at me through the car mirror.

“Mum don’t tell me you went all out she’s not staying “

“ sweetie I think you really need to think about this, this is a big decision I want you to really think about this. I’m going to be here for you, you don’t have to worry about the support I want this to be your decision”

“ I just need time” I spoke

“ I know sweetie but I really think we should also involve the father , doesn’t he have a right to know”

“ leave it!” I groaned 

And she did. I knew this was a big decision and my daughter’s little face was not helping me. I also knew that her dad had a right to know, but how are you meant to tell a 17 year old he was a father. Particularly one you hadn’t spoken to since you slept with him. Like what should you say ‘hey long time no see…… so you’re now a daddy’

We had pulled up to the house and unbuckled myself along with removing the little things from the car. Once I arrived in my room I realised that it was actually no longer my room. 

My mum had brought a bassinet winch sat next to my bed, there was a changing table , boxes upon boxes of diapers, and a massive tub of clothes all pink or white.

Little dresses, little onesies , little socks ….. it’s all to much!

“ you happy?” I looked at the little baby in my arms

“ you have taken over my room and my life” I joked

I placed her down inside of the bassinet before going back down to the kitchen. But upon arrival I was met by loud screams, screams that made your body shiver.

How can one little things make that much noise?

My mum came running down the hallway

“ you can’t leave her alone y/n” she made her way into my room.

I slowly followed after her, stopping to lean against my door watching while she bounced my daughter in her arms. 

“ I think she’s hungry “ she looked at me

So feed her I thought….. until I realised.

“No way I’m not doing that”

“ you have to, it’s part of being her mother”

My mum urged

“ well how did they feed her at the hospital?” I asked

“ that was only because of the state you were in, but now you have to at least give It a try.” She looked longingly at me .

“ I promise it’s not as bad as you think”

I really didn’t like the thought of it.  But I really didn’t like the sound of her cries either.

So I walked over and sat on the edge of my bed

“ well tell me what to do then” I sighed

I unbuttoned the buttons on my shirt until I was left exposed. 

“ here hold her like they showed you in the hospital” my mum placed her in my arms.

“ now face her to your chest and place her level to it.” I did as she told me.

“ then touch it to her lip and she what she does” I slowly did so adjusting her hoping she would latch and like magic she did.

“ wow she’s a fast learner you didn’t latch that fast” my mum laughed 

It felt weird like something I had never felt before. But I wasn’t grossed out, I was kind of in awe at the fact my body could do this.

My mum looked up at me “ you’ll need to name her you know, we can’t keep calling her , her” 

Naming her felt very personal, it felt like something I could only do if I was keeping her, but I knew mum was right. 

“Ok but it’s only temporary you know ” I nodded back at her

My mum only smiled before leaving the room, leaving me with my daughter attached to my chest. There’s nothing bad about her she’s so perfect and she’s mine. But I knew I couldn’t want her.

———————————————————————

It was now far later in the day I sat in my bed, all the lights off my room now only illuminated by the TV. Next to me lay my daughter in her bassinet staring at the ceiling.

I scrolled through looking for something to watch because there was no way I was ready to sleep yet. Eventually I decided on my all time favourite , the classic ‘ How to lose a guy in 10 days’.

As the movie began to play I noticed the movement of my daughter in the bassinet and her quiet gurgles which were now growing louder and louder.

Sighing I sat up and looked into the bassinet.

“ hey what’s wrong?” I whispered leaning and picking her up holding her in my arms.

“ what’s wrong huh?” I slowly began to sway her in my arms, until eventually she calmed down and just stayed gazing up at me.  

She really did make me feel soft, I have never felt such mixed feelings for a person before. 

“Hmm I guess you really do need a name , don’t you?” I smiled at her , stroking her check

“ let’s see, Emma?” I suggested like she was going to reply

“ No… Lola? “ I suggested again. She dosent look like a Lola

“ Andie it’s brilliant “ the TV spoke as the movie continued to play. I looked at the TV and then down at the baby in my hands

“ Andie” 

“Andie, you like that baby” I smiled at her. To me it was perfect my favourite character and my little girl having the same name.

“ I think we just found your name” I grinned. How could something be so beautiful and so prefect. It began to make me think maybe this could work, maybe I could do this, maybe I wanted to do this….. I want to do this.

I lifted myself off the bed still with Andie in my arms walking toward the door of my mums room. She sat in bed reading her book with the night light illuminating her room.

She looked up at me as I walked in putting her book down for a second.

“ Andie, I named her Andie” I smiled moving to sit in the bed next to her.

“ oh it’s beautiful” she looked down to stroke Andies head. “ it suits her” she pulled my head closer and kissed the top of it.

“ Mum” I whispered 

“ hmm “ she hummed still looking at her granddaughter 

“ I think I want to keep her” her head rose and she looked at me 

“ you do?”

“ yeah I think I do, if I have you i think I’ll be fine”

“ of course you have me” she smiled. “ you’re going to be a amazing mum “ she pulled us both closer towards her.

———————————————————————

I had decided to go back to my room and finish the film. Andie settlers in her bassinet, my mum asleep and just me in the dark. Before my phone vibrates on the night stand and the light fills the room.

I groan leaning over to see what’s on my screen. But become frozen as I see the message before me.

Lando Norris ( don’t message ) 

Can we talk ?

typing………

Please?

A/N- SO SORRY if you don’t like the name! You can just change it in your head, hope that’s ok.

Taglist:@barcelonaloverf1life@harrysdimple05@hc-dutch@formula1mount@itsbwokenln4 @phantomxoxo @dorothea47 @emmaweasley @joannamuns9n @alexisquinnlee-bc @g3org1al33 @ladyoflynx @dr3wstarkey @lewishamiltonismybf @janeh22

[iwritefandomimagines]

MISTLETOE — JESS MARIANO

masterlist

pairing: jess mariano x reader

description: when lorelai gilmore insists on hosting a christmas party, you might just catch yourself under the mistletoe with the boy you, like, totally don’t have a crush on or anything.

warnings: swearing as usual. fluff & a tiny bit of angst. jess smoking and u having a tiny smoke.

author’s note: u asked for more festive jess, and i am hear to answer ur cries! jess mariano i adore you !!!

“Y/N! You’re here!”

Lorelai Gilmore had never looked quite so pleased to see you, her eyes twinkling as they scanned over the Christmas jumper you were (rather reluctantly) wearing.

“Hi, Lorelai,” you smiled, handing her the bottle of champagne you’d been given to bring as a party favour, to which she grinned, “Thanks sweetie, come on in.”

You followed her down the hall and were embarrassingly pleased when your eyes caught those of a miserable looking Jess Mariano.

The moment he saw you he seemed to perk up, and you couldn’t help but notice Lorelai’s smirk as she watched you immediately beeline for him.

“Hey Y/L/N,” he almost smiled, picking at a piece of bread he’d been toying with eating for a while, “You got roped into coming too then?”

You scoffed, “Like Lorelai was going to let anyone get out of the biggest event of the festive season?”

“Don’t let Taylor hear you say that, his 300 different pointless events will be crushed,” Jess laughed, and you couldn’t help but revel in the sound.

You couldn’t quite pinpoint when the joy at finding a friend with whom you had so much in common had become something more, but you didn’t like the way butterflies consumed your stomach when you were around him.

He was your friend, nothing more, and so — how cliche — you wouldn’t even really admit to yourself that you really liked him.

“Nice jumper,” he smirked, and suddenly you regretted adhering to Lorelai’s supposedly strict rule of no entry without a Christmas jumper, “Very festive.”

He was stifling a laugh, and you shook your head as your cheeks burned crimson under his intense gaze.

“Oh fuck off,” you looked down at where Rudolph and Santa were emblazoned on your chest, “I didn’t think I’d get away with no jumper and I didn’t have one, so it’s my mum’s.”

He chuckled now because he already knew that, having already seen your mother wearing the jumper the previous week, accompanied by the fact it was adorably oversized on you and he found it cute that it swamped your frame.

You’d tried tucking it into your jeans to minimise the bagginess, but to no avail.

“It’s cute,” he teased, swiping his tongue over his lips as you looked away, “But it looks warm. Like, crazy warm.”

“Oh, it is. I’m dying here. Anyway I didn’t think you’d actually come,” you shrugged, “If I’d known I wouldn’t have worn the jumper. One, there was no chance you were going to actually listen to Lorelai, and two, I could do without the teasing!”

Jess raised his eyebrows, “Hey, I’m not teasing,” he raised his hands up as if in defeat, “But you think I’d miss all this?”

The sarcasm in his tone as his eyes scanned the room made you giggle, “Of course. Nothing says Christmas like Taylor arguing with everyone and Lorelai running around being the fun enforcer.”

You both watched as Taylor seemed to be enthusiastically explaining something to a frustrated looking Sookie, and saw Lorelai still flitting around the room trying to ensure that everyone was having an at least somewhat pleasant time.

“I could do with some fresh air,” Jess’ eyes almost challenged you, because you knew he was going out to smoke and that Lorelai was inevitably going to have an issue with that, “Wanna join?”

You were well aware that it was in your best interest to not follow him around wherever he went, but you were so drawn to Jess that it was impossible not to.

“Yeah, sure,” you shrugged, gesturing for him to lead the way, “But you better not expect me to cover for you when Lorelai’s like a sniffer dog and finds you smoking.”

Jess just rolled his eyes, “Sure, officer.”

“Woah, woah, woah, where are you two going?” Lorelai asked, eyes immediately catching you both quickly exiting the room and widening in dismay.

“Y/N is wearing the clothing equivalent of a sauna over here, she just needs fresh air,” Jess crossed his arms over his chest as Lorelai’s eyes narrowed.

You smiled sheepishly, “We won’t be gone long, I promise.”

Lorelai didn’t appear convinced, but her expression suddenly lit up when she noticed where you were currently stood between rooms — directly under a doorframe adorned with mistletoe.

“Well, well, well,” Jess smirked, leaning an elbow on the doorframe as he watched you grow shy under his watchful eye, “Pucker up, princess.”

You shoved him slightly, and he almost toppled straight over, “Right, yeah. Like I’d kiss you.”

“Ouch,” Jess pouted, “You wound me.”

“I think your ego can take the hit, Jess,” you bit your lip, overwhelmed both by embarrassment at him joking about kissing you in front of the whole room and the urge to just say “fuck it!” and kiss him.

For a moment he looked genuinely hurt, but he soon resumed his usual nonchalant expression and continue his pursuit outside for a cigarette.

You followed him quickly, scurrying along behind him as he pulled a cigarette from its box and lit it without a moment’s thought once he’d passed the decking.

“Dude—slow down,” you huffed, “You invited me outside and then ran off like you didn’t want me here. What gives?”

Jess rolled his eyes, “Oh please, if you’re going to just question me then do me a favour and go back inside.”

“Woah,” you warned, taken aback by his sudden rude tone when he’d been joking around just minutes prior, “What the fuck is going on here? What have I done in the last 30 seconds that’s pissed you off this badly?”

Jess’ face seemed to drop, like he’d realised he shouldn’t be snapping at you like he was, “It doesn’t matter, Y/N. Just— just go back inside, alright? I’m sorry.”

You weren’t for even a moment going to accept that dismissal, instead sauntering to his side and snatching the cigarette from his fingers to take one single drag.

You didn’t smoke, made abundantly clear by the coughing that followed, so you weren’t sure why you’d so frantically taken it from him.

You shoved it back towards him and he accepted it with a laugh.

“Now you’re laughing? What is up with you?”

Jess rolled his eyes yet again, “I just don’t understand you, Y/L/N.”

You gulped, finally overcoming your coughing fit as your face was lit with confusion, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You came straight over to me when you got here. You giggled and you blushed and you smiled and,” he paused, like he was regretting opening his mouth, before he caved and continued, “And then when everyone’s watching you laugh at the idea of kissing me.”

You scoffed at that, “Says you Mr. ‘Pucker up princess’? Since when did you care if I want to kiss you under the stupid mistletoe or not?”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know… Since the countless fuckin’ weeks I’ve been flirting with you?” he was gesticulating wildly as he spoke, as though what he was saying had been obvious the whole time.

“You tease me, Jess, you don’t flirt with me,” you shrugged, breathing ragged as you pondered what it was he was really saying, “We’re friends and you know I—you just tease me about little things to wind me up. You’ve never ever made any suggestion that you like me.”

“God you’re so oblivious, man,” Jess shook his head, extinguishing his cigarette and tossing it out of sight to step closer to you.

Normally you’d hate the lingering smoke smell, but on Jess it was almost a comfort — though it did nothing to calm your racing heart in this moment.

“I’m hardly good with like, feelings, am I?” he leaned forward, so close you could feel his breath on your face, “I thought I was doing a good enough job at, like, I dunno— I mean I called you princess, for fucks sake. You think I’d do that if I didn’t like you?”

You sighed, “I just assumed you were joking around, trying to make me flustered to get a laugh out of it… I mean, princess? Really? That’s an awful choice and— I just don’t believe for a second that you like me.”

“And why not?”

“I—, well—,”

He didn’t let you fumble over your words any longer, dipping his head to press his lips firmly to yours and pulling you closer to his chest.

“I really do like you Y/N,” he exhaled as he pulled away, his voice quiet and low, “I should’ve made that clearer, and I just got annoyed that the mistletoe could’ve been my chance to kiss you and you blew it off like it was a hilarious idea.”

“Only because you joked like it was!”

“To protect my ego as you so kindly put it,” he quirked his brow, no longer mad and instead still giddy from the kiss, “But I got my kiss in the end, eh?”

You chuckled, “Don’t push your luck, sunshine.”

“You haven’t even told me you actually like me back yet, either,” Jess huffed, and you could detect the faintest pout on his lips as he paused, “This is going to be hard fucking work, isn’t it?”

You leaned in to peck the corner of his lips gently, a small smirk playing on your face, “Mhm. Get used to it, Mariano. ‘Cause I like you too. A whole fucking lot, in fact.”

“Good, now do you fancy going back in there and giving the mistletoe another try? I’m sure it’d spice the party right up.”

You shook your head, eyes rolling at the teasing look on his face, “Let’s just stay out here for now, huh Romeo?”

You were silent for a moment until he kissed you again, hands wrapping around your waist as yours found the back of his neck.

“Sounds good to me, princess.”

———

thanks for reading guys !!! this was a lil ooc but fun to write so i hope you enjoyed. please let me know what you think ! <3

here is my masterlist for more of my works :-)

[takenbypeter]

Hii! I just saw Wonka for the first time and I loved it, everything was soo good I’d love to request something. Could I request something with Wonka x fem!(or gn)reader in which reader comforts him after everything goes wrong with his shop? He was so sad and it broke my heart when he said that his mum didn’t show up and everything was just a stupid dream, I wanted to give him a hug so bad. Feel free to ignore this if it doesn’t inspire you ofc, have a great day 💞

I Believe In You

Willy Wonka x reader

Words: 658

Love love love this request💖sorry I suck at angst but I hope you still like it 

None of you could’ve ever predicted what just took place. 

Melted chocolate and burned candies surrounded all around as you stood there in disbelief. 

The crowd that quickly grew to love Wonka’s chocolates turned on them just as quickly. All because of something that wasn’t even his fault. 

You, along with the few others who helped, stood, unsure where to go from here. Noodle ran to Wonka trying her best to motivate him, but Abacus gently encouraged her to give him some time before he left. Then Piper left, and one by one the others followed. 

You stuck close to them, about to take your own departure and leave the chocolatier to his own thinkings, but you stopped in your tracks giving it another thought. You couldn’t just leave him there. It wouldn’t be right. 

So back you walked and you parked yourself beside him. 

You sat there noiseless, as you were unconfident of your next words. What do you say to a man who’s lost so much. 

“Willy this is just a minor setback,” you start. 

“No it’s not. This all is just some stupid dream and it didn’t even work. She didn’t even show up.”

Your brows furrowed together, the crease between them deepening. You know grief is difficult and different for everyone, no one reacts the same way and you knew Willy truly believed his mother would appear. Although you didn’t know Willys mother personally it broke your heart to see him like this. 

“She wouldn’t break a promise,” he whispered more to himself with his eyes downcast. 

You made a little, hm, noise pondering on your next words, “…maybe this wasn’t the time.”

Willy’s eyes finally raise, meeting yours and although they still hold emptiness in them you can spot the tiniest glint of curiosity. 

“Think about it. Things went wrong, horribly wrong. I mean it could not have gone any more wrong,” you said getting louder with every sentence and Willy couldn’t help but spit out a single self deprecating laugh at how true your words were. 

“So maybe this wasn’t the time…we try again and when things are right it will happen,” you say sounding more positive than you expected yourself to be, “she will be there. Maybe not in the way you think, but she’ll be there.”

“And what if she’s not.”

“And what if she is.” You said raising your brow in questioning. He seems to mull your comments over. 

“If not for yourself, do it for Abacus. Do it for Piper; Chucklesworth, Lottie, Noodle…do it for me. You have touched all of our hearts. You make us believe in our own dreams because you’re so passionate about yours. Even if you have to start everything all over again we will be right there starting over with you. So just…don’t give up. Please.”

Willy peers up at you, his expression still disheartened. He knew you meant well and he appreciated you for that. It did help to know he had a group of capable people following behind him. 

Willy loved making chocolate, that is a fact that would never change. The way his chocolate affects people is beyond all imagination. But to start over, especially after he disappointed you all. He wasn’t entirely sure if he could do that again.

You wait patiently as he sits there in thought. “Willy,” your hand rests on his giving it an assuring squeeze. “I will be right here with you.”

Willy finally expresses an appreciative smile while he turns his hand in yours, squeezing it back. 

With his cheeks a bit rosy from either the embarrassment he felt or the warmth of encouragement you gave him, he says, “it’ll take some time.”

You nod, “then it’ll take some time, that’s fine. Whatever you need.”

Willy didn’t know exactly how it would all workout but he could tell you truly believed it to be true and because of that…he started to believe it too. 

~

Feel free to request more Wonka pics I love this man!!!!!

[writerswall26]

My Sweet Cairo (Part 8)

Synopsis: The Ravens' Soccer team Captain fell in love for Cairo Sweet

Warning: Slight cursing, Emotions, Mention of death and SH.

Words: 2.4k

Masterlist | Previous Part | Next Part

A/N: I was so pumped while writing this. I enjoyed this part so much. We get to know what really happened and flesh out R's father's mind. We also saw Cairo being responsible and using the advices she received to get some help! Happy Reading!

Y/N tried to avoid being alone the entire day, not wanting to give Cairo the opportunity to have even a minute to talk to her. What Cairo told her a few nights ago is still stuck in her head. She doesn't know if she should be afraid or what.

"Hey, Y/—"

"Will you walk me home?" Cairo cut Jasmine off as soon as Y/N got out of her last class of the day. She was not expecting Cairo to wait for her!

Y/N looked shocked and confused. She gave Jasmine a look. But her friend just stood by and watched the scene unfold. Traitor!

"Y/N, walk me home, please?" Cairo said, sweetly this time, with a smile on her face.

"Uhm, I'm sorry but I have—"

"Uh no, we're not going. I gotta study for a pop quiz tomorrow. Winnie's coming to help me, I'm sorry dude." Jasmine cut the taller girl off.

Y/N glared at her while Cairo smiled widely. "So?" Cairo asked cutely, for fuck's sake!

"Uhm, sure." Y/N said hesitantly.

"Great!" Cairo said happily before she held the taller girl's hand and pulled her.

Y/N didn't say a single word as she turned to Jasmine and gave her a look, mouthing "I'm killing you tomorrow, you traitor!"

On the way home, the two of them did not say a word. They went with Y/N's route instead of Cairo's since Y/N has her bike with her.

"I've talked to Mr. Miller." Cairo started, causing Y/N to stop for a moment.

"Why?" She asked before she followed Cairo again.

"I went to apologise." Cairo started, causing Y/N to furrow her brows. "I'm seeing a therapist now," Cairo said, glancing at Y/N who looked really confused, and cute. "Your mom referred me to a work colleague of hers. Told me it might help with the issues I had."

Y/N is confused, like really confused. "Mum did that? Why?"

Cairo shrugged. "We were together for a few hours before you came when we had dinner. She confronted me about what I did. Told me the same thing you said, how messed up it was. Then she told me about a friend of hers, a therapist, she told me I should check it out, see if it helps. That's why I went to Mr. Miller. I want to sort things out before graduation."

"What did Mr. Miller say?"

"We sat down, talked about what went wrong, what happened. He apologized to me too. He accepted the fact that he was in the wrong too, that he wasn't careful and clear, that he stepped the boundaries and led me on."

Well that's... incredibly surprising. Y/N never thought she'd be hearing a redemption arc between two messed up individuals. Although, she's happy to hear that Mr. Miller's finally seen what he did wrong. That's a huge point. And she's happy that Cairo's seeking out help.

"So, how long would you be going to therapy?" Y/N asked, glancing at Cairo who pursed her lips.

"I don't know. As long as I need, I guess. It's not really that bad." Cairo said, smiling at the thought that Y/N is finally talking to her with anger and resentment in her voice.

"How about when you go to college? You wouldn't know anyone around there."

"My therapist knows a friend where I'm going to go. She said she'd refer me to him and continue therapy there."

Y/N nodded. "That's a good thing."

Cairo looked up at her, a smile on her face, her dimples showing. "How long have you gone to therapy?"

Y/N pursed her lips. "A year and a half, I guess? My therapist told me she was proud of my progress so she adviced that I spend my time being a normal kid. She told me I should come to her whenever I need and so far, it's all good."

Cairo nodded. "That's good. I'm proud of you."

Y/N chuckled, lowering her head. "Alright, mum." She said, which made Cairo laugh as well.

They continued walking silently, comfortable silence this time until they reached Cairo's place.

"Here's you." Y/N said, stopping in front of Cairo's house.

The brunette turned to her and gave her a smile. "Thank you for walking me home."

Y/N nodded. "It's no biggie."

Cairo leaned up and gave her a kiss on the cheek before she walked inside the house, throwing a glance at the tall girl who waved at her.

When Y/N was sure Cairo's finally inside, she rode her bike and went home where she waited for her mum to come home to ask questions.

That night, when Y/M/N came home, she was immediately cornered by Y/N at dinner.

"I was wondering," Y/N started. "What were you talking about with Cairo before I got home that night?"

Y/M/N gave her a smile. "You, Mr. Miller, dad." The older woman answered shortly.

Y/N furrowed her brows. "You talked to her about dad?"

Y/M/N nodded. "Yes, I wanted her to know how terrible of a person she was for doing what she did. But then there's Mr. Miller."

"Who's not entirely at fault."

"But he was indeed the adult in the situation."

"You're defending Cairo, mum."

Y/M/N looked at her daughter, seeing the problem once and for all. "I'm not defending Cairo, what she did was wrong, yes. But don't you think what Mr. Miller did was far worse than that?"

Y/N stayed quiet, thinking.

"Honey, Mr. Miller's case is different from your dad's case. You have to see that." Y/M/N explained, Y/N is being blinded by what happened to her dad.

"I know. I know it's different."

"And?" Y/M/N tried to probe further.

"I'm not defending Mr. Miller either, mum. If that's what you think. Maybe I'm over compensating. Maybe I thought by helping Mr. Miller, I gave justice to what happened to dad. But what if I'm wrong, mum?"

"Are you? Look at it from an outside perspective, honey. Look at it both ways."

Y/N furrowed her brows. She doesn't know where to go from here. It's weird talking about this with her mum but at the same time, the answers are clearer. Her mind wasn't being blocked by her emotions, her father's connection to the case. If there's anyone to blame, it's the both of them, Cairo and Mr. Miller. There's no one to defend, no one to side with.

"There's always a connection, honey." Her mum brought her back to her senses. "But there's a huge difference and that's what I want you to see. Yes, Cairo was in the wrong for seducing Mr. Miller. But is it entirely her fault? Is it really? Why would she act that way if Mr. Miller didn't do anything wrong?"

"Was I wrong for helping Mr. Miller?" Y/N finally asked, looking at her mum with worried eyes.

Y/M/N gave her a smile as she held her hand, squeezing it to assure her. "You did what you thought was right at the time. You saved both of them by doing so. Don't beat yourself up for it."

Y/N stayed up that night thinking of what her mum had told her. She wasn't really thinking when she lent a hand to Mr. Miller. She knew it was wrong, she heard it from Mr. Miller himself. And yet, she still sided with him for what? For her father? No, she thought. It's for personal gain. She had the power to turn the story around, and she did. So what  does that say about her?

She's no different from those students she despises the most. Maybe even worse. Her thoughts are so incriminating, so powerful that she did not blink sleep that night.

So the next day when she got to class, she was noticeably tired. She looked like a walking zombie and anyone who sees her thought so too. Her friends and Cairo saw that too and they were worried.

"What happened to you?" Winnie asked over lunch when Y/N didn't even touch her food, she's usually a foodie.

Y/N gave her a tired look and shook her head. "I'm just tired."

"We can see that, dude. You have dark circles around your eyes." Jasmine said, as worried.

Y/N sighed. "Did you guys think I made the wrong decision? When I stood up for Mr. Miller?"

Winnie and Jasmine turned to one another, giving each other looks.

"I mean, what Cairo did was fucked up. She literally wrote a porn story between her and Mr. Miller." Jasmine said, as a matter of fact.

"However, I don't think Cairo's entirely at fault. I mean, she messed up but not entirely her fault." Winnie said, on the other hand.

Y/N groaned. "Maybe I should've just shut my mouth and let them do whatever to Mr. Miller."

"Hey, woah, hold up." Jasmine started, getting the attention of her friend. "You did what you thought was best, okay? Both of them fucked up, that's a fact. The other one stepped on the fine line, and the other one was led on. There's no winning in this situation."

"Whatever you did, you did it for them both. Struck two birds with one stone, as they say." Winnie said, holding Y/N's hand and squeezing it gently.

Y/N gave them a small smile and nodded. "Maybe I shouldn't really beat myself up with this one."

"Damn right, you shouldn't." Jasmine said, giving her an assuring smile.

After their class, she was already outside Cairo's last class, waiting for the girl to come out. When Cairo saw her, an immediate smile drew her face.

"What are you doing here? You should've gone home and got some sleep. Look at you." Cairo said, holding a gentle hand to Y/N's cheek to look at her face.

"Can I walk you home?" Y/N asked with a sheepish smile.

Cairo was shocked to say the least. She did not expect that. She was expecting Y/N to come around but not this fast. Still, she was happy about it.

"Sure." Cairo smiled, holding out a hand to Y/N to shake her head.

"That's reaching."

"Oh." Cairo said, a bit disappointed but she smiled it away.

"Come on."

The duo walked out of school together. They're all smiles and shit but still, Y/N cannot take her mind off her conversation with her mum. She might as well talk to Cairo now.

So when they got to Cairo's place, the brunette did not expect that Y/N would park her car on the fence and followed her to her front porch. The taller girl sat on the step and patted the space beside her.

"What's going on?" Cairo asked, sitting beside Y/N who gave her a smile.

The taller girl stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened."

Cairo nodded. "What do you want to talk about?" She asked, wanting Y/N to start the conversation.

"I don't know. I just want to have clarity. I had a talk with my mum last night. It was a hard pill to swallow but, I guess it was needed."

""What happened to him? Your dad?" Cairo asked, glancing at Y/N who was looking at the trees ahead.

"My mum didn't tell you?" She asked, confused. She thought they spoke about her dad.

"Not all of it."

Y/N glanced at Cairo, contemplating if she should tell her about it or not. A part of her doesn't want to, because talking about it means relieving it and she hates that. She hates that she's going back to that time. But a huge part of her wants to let it all out, just throw it out there and forget about it all.

She chose the latter.

Y/N took a deep breath.

"I don't know when it started. My dad was really passionate about teaching. He was really good at what he did. He's a great father, you know? He was always present and attentive to my needs." Y/N started, smiling at the memory of her father in every soccer game, every recital, every academic competitions, everything. He was always there, always smiling and looking proud.

"One semester during sophomore year, he came home all happy and giddy, it wasn't unusual really. He was always happy and giddy. But this one's just different. He told us he had met this student in class, he thought she was brilliant." Y/N stopped for a moment, trying to calm herself down before she started crying and shouting.

Cairo noticed how hard it is for Y/N to continue so she held the taller girl's hand in her own and squeezed it. "You don't have to continue. I believe I got the gist of it."

Y/N shook her head and turned to Cairo with a pained smile. "I want to continue."

Cairo looked worried, but she nodded nonetheless. "Okay. But you can stop anytime." She gave out an assuring smile.

Y/N nodded, squeezing Cairo's hand gently. "He told mum and I all about this girl. We were amazed by her. So we told dad to bring her home one time so we could talk. He did. We had a barbeque one saturday, family's all there and she was there. I thought she was brilliant, she was so fascinating with all the things she knew. Little did we know, she would cause the biggest heart break to ever happen to us."

Y/N shook her head. "During the middle of the semester, my father started to act weird. He started getting drunk, not sleeping, he started being absent. One day he came home and told us he was let go of his job. My mum and I asked why, he never answered. The days after that, he became difficult. He would pick a fight with me and mum. He would get angry. He would get drunk, pass out on the couch. I slowly watched my father become a shell of what he used to be. He just stopped functioning."

Cairo could not help it anymore. She stood up and went in front of Y/N, hugging the girl in her arms tightly as she gently brushed Y/N's hair with her fingers, wanting the taller girl to know that she's there, that it's okay. Y/N leaned in Cairo's arms, sighing heavily.

"Then my mum knew about what happened. Turns out the girl orchestrated a plan for my dad to get fired. She invited my dad for coffee one time, asked a friend to take a couple of pictures that looked intimate. The school board didn't like it. Had an entire meeting about it. My dad tried to fight with all his might. Turns out when he started acting weird, that's when he was battling with those accusations. It took only 3 photos and one girl for my dad to lose everything. One day after I won a game, I showed my medal to my dad but he didn't say anything. Next thing I know, I was running to their room. Then I saw him, blood everywhere, his body unmoving. He was gone, Cairo."

This is the most Cairo has seen Y/N vulnerable. Now she understood perfectly why Y/N wanted to help Mr. Miller. What happened to her dad was unjust. So when told the school board that Cairo's accusations were baseless, this is what she meant. What happened to Y/N's father were baseless accusations.

So, she just stood there, holding Y/N in her arms, letting her let out all the frustrations and emotions she's bottled up the entire time.

[cher-rei]

afterglow- pt 6 [ T.A.A ]

pairings: trent alexander arnold x fem!reader

summary: young and aspiring marketing and business major jamie carter (you) is privileged with working alongside the liverpool marketing and public relations team while also getting entangled with their star player and right back, trent alexander arnold.

genre(s): friends to lovers, workplace romance, fluff

[wc: 4.6K] [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [part 12]

notes: this chapter is a bit longer but it was so funny to write. and of course, it was sitting in my drafts for like 50 years... enjoy!

if someone were to ask you to pick between your mother and your father you wouldn't be able to answer the question, much like most people in the world. they both offered qualities you needed respectively and you were grateful to have them both in your life. kind of.

seeing as you spent most of your life in london, despite being born in liverpool you grew up with your mother and spent a solid 22 years in her presence with nowhere to go. you loved it in london, it was your home and you couldn't let it go. but what it lacked was your father— your best friend.

you were living with him right now because of the whole "alex has chicken pox" situation but you were welcomed home to a facetime from your nephew so that was fun. it was easier with your father, you didn't have to walk on eggshells around him, you could talk about anything and laugh about everything together and that's what you loved about him— his neverending support.

it started with taking you to football practice without your mother knowing, her thinking that he was accompanying you to weekly ballet. when instead, he'd have your kit in the car ready at all times, and supporting you from the sidelines all the way until high school.

and then when your mum was against your university major in marketing instead of law as you had "agreed" upon, your father took the drive from liverpool to london so that he could have a chat with her. and to your surprise she gave up and let you do as you pleased with much reluctance.

so when they got the divorce when you were 16 and he moved back to liverpool, the decision was seamless but you still stayed with your mother seeing as maya already had a job position on that side. after all, you couldn't leave your mother alone. the woman gave birth to you for crying out loud.

all that just for you to move to liverpool eventually because of a really bad break-up. which brought you to your current point— the one where your father wanted to wring every single man's neck no matter how they looked at you.

you felt like a teenager sneaking out like this but you had no other choice. you were going on a drive to lord knows where with a freaken football player, "the most unloyal men on this planet", as your father liked to say.

but of course, he had to catch you in the act, a look of confusion plastered on his face as he stood in the living room, getting ready for bed. "why are you walking around like you did something wrong?" he gasped at your guilty expression, "are you leaving me already? you're just like your mother."

your anxiety vanished in an instant at his joke, an attempt to get the truth out of you. "it's too late to be making jokes like that."

he crossed his arms over his chest. "and it's too late for you to be walking around the house like you're in the 'quiet place'. seriously jamie, why are you tiptoeing?"

you raised your hands in defence, "I thought you were sleeping. my bad for being considerate."

he let out an unconvinced hum and eyed you up and down. he took in the fact that you were in a pair of sweats and a navy blue zip-up hoodie. "you're not a teenager anymore." he shook his head and let out an amused chuckle.

you watched as he made his way to the kitchen and you couldn't help but follow behind him, "what's that supposed to mean?"

he didn't answer your question for a moment and continued to rummage through the fridge for something, happily taking out a box of doughnuts you two had bought earlier. "it means that you can leave the house when you want to. just tell me first."

it was times like this that you forgot you were an adult. to be fair you never really considered yourself to be one, or to act like one either. "oh." there was a moment of silence that passed but it was interrupted by your phone going off.

the way that you darted to check the message said enough to your father, and he let out another amused chuckle. "go on now. don't keep the boy waiting."

your eyes widened in shock, your mouth dry in disbelief but he waved you off. "leave before I go outside to meet him. or should I just--"

"--stay here! I'll be home soon!"

"so do you always drag girls out of bed to keep you company in your car?"

trent rolled his eyes at your question from the driver's seat but kept his attention on the empty road, only the city lights illumating the dark night. "first of all: I didn't drag you out of bed, you could have said no. and second: no I don't usually do this."

you looked at him with your eyes narrowed, not sure what possessed him to call you at 10 in the evening for a drive. "oh so I get special privileges now? care to explain why?"

"I just wanted to go for a drive that's all," he answered honestly with a shrug of his shoulders but that still wasn't quite the answer you were looking for.

you fought back your amused smile. "you have friends for that trent, I'm sure."

the car stopped at a red light which allowed him to look over at you sitting comfortably in the passenger seat of his car. it wasn't the first time after all— there were many trips to the academy, sometimes having to shoot content with him and even that one morning when he picked you up at your sister's apartment for work.

you'd never forget that day and the innocent look on his face when he called you to say that he was outside just as you were grabbing your car keys. it was strange but you didn't mind it.

he let out a sigh and continued to drive after the light had turned green. "all my friends prefer to spend their evenings with their girlfriends and wives so yeah no thanks. and besides--" he shot you an appointed look, "--are we not friends?"

your mouth dried up. that was a little more than you wanted to get out of him, not sure how to respond. colleagues? definitely. banter buddies? sure. but friends?? you were sure that there was some sort of boundary for that and you were never sure if you two had managed to get there yet.

"you could have asked skylar."

oh shit.

you bit your tongue in immediate regret. it was a genuine accident at how quickly it left from your lips and telling by the flicker in trrent's expression, you had hit a nerve. you were just about to apologise when he interjected.

"skylar," he emphasized her name, his lips curved into a smile as he spoke to you, "wouldn't be caught dead eating takeout in a mcdonald's parking lot at 10 in the evening with me though."

you didn't know what to think of his answer, but instead of overthinking it, you decided to make the most of the moment at least. there was no point in making this awkward and it's not like you didn't enjoy his company. trent was easy to be around. most of the time.

so that's how you found yourself parked at the far end of an empty mcdonald's parking lot with hardly any street lights in sight. you unbuckled your seat belt and reclined the seat further back for some more leg room, trent watching you as you did so.

"oh, you're definitely not new to this."

which was true, you weren't. you've had your fair share of late-night drives to get some fresh air back in london. the only difference was the person you were with, a distant memory that you weren't too fond with but maintained at the back of your mind.

you were sat with a large fries, a chocolate milkshake and a mcflurry. you dubbed it the ultimate late-night combo and trent was eager enough to take your word for it, and to his surprise it did not disappoint despite being so simple.

it didn't take long for the atmosphere to clear and for you to ease into conversation. dabbling a bit in random aspects of your lives, to movies, to football and to just nothing. you loved how easygoing it was, not much thought had to be put into anything you said which left you with room to just relax.

"so your mum's not from liverpool?"

you shook your head and took another sip from your milkshake. "she's from london, my dad's from liverpool. but they lived together here for a bit, and two or three years after I was born we moved back to london."

the explanation made trent tutt in disappointment. "and here I thought you were a purebred brit. your accent's probably fake too."

"the accent is real thank you very much," you defended with a hand to your chest.

he quirked a brow, "let's be honest here. you probably dated colwill. you were probably neighbours or something."

your eyes widened a fraction at his comment in utter shock. "levi?" well wasn't this just lovely, you couldn't help but laugh at the thought. "he's three years younger than I am."

trent scrunched his face at you, not convinced by your answer almost as if he knew something you didn't. "age is just a number or whatever they say. but no," he thought for a moment, "you couldn't have been with him because he would have said something by now."

it was strange to see this considering that trent literally played with levi in the england team, so the dots would've been connected long ago if you were in fact in cahoots with levi. it was quite the compliment, knowing that you were paired up with someone that attractive.

"if I were with levi then I wouldn't be in liverpool right now. I'd be back in london living my best life." your answer seemed to pique trent's interest, questions bubbling at his throat the more he found out about you.

"why is it that you left london?" he leant back into the seat, his full attention now on you in the dimly lit car. "I'm sure it's not just because of work."

oh definitely not. you just happened to get lucky there.

your lips pursed as you thought, not sure just how much he wanted to know or how much you were willing to tell. but it wouldn't hurt right?

"uhm," you cleared your throat, "bad breakup."

trent's intrigue increased at your answer, one that he wasn't expecting to be honest. he was expecting something more along the lines of running away from home because your parents' divorce or to be closer to maya.

"you don't look like the relationship type," he answered truthfully and your eyes widened in slight shock, feelings mixed and a bitter taste in your mouth.

how were you supposed to interpret that? negatively? positively? was he calling you independent?? the internal struggle was mind boggling.

you pushed the comment to the back of your mind and let out a hum. "no yeah, he cheated on me."

"oh fuck."

"with my best friend."

"oh fuck."

a laugh escaped your mouth at his reaction and how it got progressively more concerned with each passing second, and your nonchalance wasn't making him feel any better. he fumbled over his words for a bit, switching between the usual "I'm so sorry" and "you've got to be joking right now".

you assured him that you were fine, a closed lippsed smile drawn across your lips. "but like hey," you raised your hands jokjngly, "his name was michael so..."

trent blew out a breath at that and quirked a brow. "yeah, no you definitely asked for it then."

your rolled your eyes and played along for a moment, "I know right. and it didn't help that she was literally his best friend before we got together."

it was every cliché in the book to trent which only made the situation less serious, and seeing that you weren't showing any sort of discomfort towards it he didn't stop himself from laughing and getting back at you. "you just love making horrible life choices."

you nodded eagerly in agreement, saying that it was actually your forte— a gift that you just happened to be born with. it didn't take long for you to ask trent how he didn't know about the breakup. "I'm not famous but it was all over twitter for quite some time."

you came to learn that he wasn't a social media buff and preferred to keep to himself by just staying at home and enjoying his own company and you respected him for that. for you however, it was slightly different because your entire life was on social media but you didn't regret it.

the people that you met and the content that you had the opportunity to create were more than you could ever ask for. but obviously there were the downs— public breakups, hate comments, death threats. nothing out of the ordinary. quite a bit of your life was on display for the world to see so you understood trent's want to keep his life as private as possible.

you were getting to that point as well. you had a total of two friends— maya and clara. your daily routine consisted of waking up, going to work, pilates, pop into a barnes and noble, settling in at home and going live for a few hours. that was your quiet life and you were thoroughly enjoying it.

and trent did a damn good job at keeping his life private, skylar was an absolute myth to everyone. that and you felt that it was time to shift the attention to him for a bit.

"so what happened between you and name not to be mentioned? seeing as we're getting emotional here."

he wouldn't use the word "emotional" but a heart-to-heart was blatantly taking place, even though it wasn't planned. there was a look on his face that screamed how do I explain this? and it had you chewing on your lip for answers, any sort of answer.

it took trent a moment but he eventually let his guard down. "well rumors say that I cheated on her with some random youtuber's girlfriend— which is insane by the way."

not really.

"we dated for nearly two years, she was nice, came to my matches, said I made her heart do flips or something like that." the way it fell from his lips wasn't the slightest bit tasteful, no good reminisce or fondness in his tone at all.

you continued to listen to trent as he explained his relationship with skylar a bit more, furthering into how they met and whatnot. it wasn't anything crazy, just through a mutual friend and he decided to take her on a few dates just for fun, until they're eventually hit it off.

"I thought it was going well but then she said she needed a break out of nowhere, and I was like excuse me?" he said with just as much enthusiasm as if he were still in the moment, his forehead creased in confusion as he looked at you.

he was hurt and it was subtle but not subtle enough to miss. "and she just left without explaining?"

"no," he sighed. "she said she couldn't handle the restriction and needed some time to live her life but obviously the lads thought otherwise. robbo said it was emotional manipulation but I don't know."

"that girl is insane trent. she uses your bank card more than you do. she flakes out on most of your dates and when you try to speak to her about an issue or how you're feeling she gets emotional and starts playing the victim, while you try and apologise. get her out of your life."

this was at least a ten times worse than your situation and you were sympathising at this point. skylar was in fact a manipulator and trent wholeheartedly did not want to admit that.

"and now what? she just shows up and you're fine?" the question came out a little harsher than you intended so you immediately apologized, not wanting to ruin the moment and make him feel awkward. but it was a genuine question and you were borderline worried for him.

there was a moment of silence that enveloped the two of you, filled with even more uncertainty than before. "I don't know to be honest. she hasn't said anything yet but I haven't really been in the mood to confront her yet— I have bigger things to worry about right now."

okay, that was true. his head had to be in the game, and with his team, not some girl who came to lounge around for whatever reason. but you genuinely felt bad for him, a new light shone over him after this evening— one that revealed a little more vulnerability than he let on and it tugged at your heart strings.

driving home about an hour later with that knowledge sitting at the back of your mind wasn't the easiest and you just knew that it was going to keep you up tonight. plaguing your mind, sounding over your other thoughts that were probably more important, for example— the script that you had to give to one of the p.r members for an episode of Up the Reds!, the schedule for certain uploads and how the accounts had to be managed, as well as certain photoshoots and interviews that needed to be prepared beforehand and the packing you had to finish before--

"hey sweetheart," you cooed into the receiver end of your phone which just happened to catch trent's undivided attention but yours was out the window, as you adorned a soft smile.

"don't 'hey sweetheart' me," the voice of the teenager bit back but you swear you could hear him smiling. "you didn't tell me you were making the trip."

oh, he just had to go and tell the entire world huh?

you huffed out a breath, "in my defence, I only made the decision today." an unconvinced hum rang through your hear and you stifled a laugh. "are you going to be there?"

"no duh."

you rolled your eyes at the attitude he was giving you, which was nothing out of the ordinary. "I'm leaving in two days for the week so--"

"a week??" the shock in his tone was evident and you knew were this was leading. "he convinced you to stay for the week? and you said yes?!"

"I said yes so I could spend more time with you I swear. if you really think about it, I'm doing this for you."

"hm, oh really?" he dragged out and you pursed your lips to stop the laughter from escaping your lips. "I'm holding you to this. bye I'm leaving to try and comprehend the amount of lies that just came from your mouth."

"come on you can't be a--" you interjected but the boy was adamant.

"--bye!!"

you laughed sheepishly. "I love you."

"liar!"

that was nothing short of the usual phone call you seemed to get, a ghost of a smile still on your lips as you put your phone back down into your lap while trent mustered up the courage to say something.

"so." he gained your attention, his gaze immediately averting in front of him to the empty road as he drove a little slower than usual. "you're going somewhere?"

you perked up and nodded. "It's supposed to be to relax but I'm pretty sure I'll be more stressed out on that side of the world. I'll be back by next week though."

he probably should have asked where you were going but before you knew it, you were in front of your dad's house. and as suspected, all the lights were off but you knew he wasn't sleeping. he wouldn't even think about it until he knew that you were at home safely.

it was exactly 1:42 a.m., and only then had it hit you just how long you had stayed out. trent got out of the car and watched as you walked to the front door— the urge to say something tickling at his throat. something other than "goodbye" but it wasn't there yet.

you gave him a small wave and put your hand on the door handle, but before you could turn it, it was pulled open from the inside— your dad stood against the doorframe with a sly grin that you were so close to slapping off his face but he was quick.

he put his hand out and waved at trent, the footballer slightly amused at your reaction and harsh movements to push your dad back inside, a laugh echoing as he waved back politely. "good evening mr carter."

you whipped around and sent a glare trent's way but he was far more than pleased.

"jamie, why didn't you say that your boyfriend was a footballer?"

your heart dropped to your stomach. "dad! i swear I'm going to--"

your father continued on playfully. "and he plays for us? so you do have reasonable taste in men. and here I thought I raised an idiot."

trent was as a loss for words by now, his eyes flickering from you as you tried to loosen yourself from your father's grip on your shoulders. he knew you were blushing, but his was masked well by the lack of lighting.

"anyway, thank you so much for returning my daughter in one piece trent. I hope she didn't bother you too much." he tightened his grip on you and ruffled your hair. "she's rather irritating in my opinion."

"not at all," trent managed through a laugh. "she's great company."

your father didn't agree with his answer at all and he made it blatantly obvious until he finally bid trent goodbye and got back into the house where you basically jumped onto his back, your arm wrapped around his neck in a chokehold.

"why are you like this?? I have to see him at work!"

"that's your fault for dating a colleague!"

"we're not dating!"

"that's exactly what your mother told me about her and shawn. and now look where that led us!"

[metalmonki]

Objection!

Rafael Barba x fem!Carisi!reader

1k word count

Summary All you wanted was to be a lawyer like your big brother Sonny. So what happens when you get a job working under the famous ADA Rafael Barba

slow-burn, colleague to friends to lovers

Next Chapter

The day had finally come. I had successfully graduated Harvard Law. My Mum, Dad, brother Sonny and sisters Bella, Teresa and Gina had made the trip out of Staten Island to witness the graduation. The youngest of the Carisi clan, I choose to follow Sonny into the criminal prosecution career track. Sonny had recently transferred to the Elite Manhattan Special Victims Unit and was also studying at Fordham Law ‘to make myself a better detective’ he had said. Sonny and I, despite our 11-year age gap, were completely inseparable. He had been the one who got the rest of our family together to be here today. Sonny is the whole reason I was graduating today. He had encouraged me even after Mum and Dad had voiced their disappointment at my choice.

I had barely made it off the stage when Sonny had scooped me up in his arms and began spinning us around. He had the worlds biggest smile on his face and repeated over and over again how proud he was of me. Our parents and sisters soon joined us.

“I’m going to cook a big feast tonight just for you” Mom smiled.

“You always cook a big feast, that’s every meal for you” Dad scoffed.

“Oh shush you cranky old man” Mum swatted at him with open hands.

We all laughed at the pair and walked off to the cars. We had a long drive ahead of us back to Staten Island. After dinner I would then have to drive back into Manhattan with Sonny. I had come here with Sonny yesterday from his apartment in Manhattan and had no choice but to go back there with him tonight. Now I had graduated I had no clue what I was suppose to do. I had been applying for positions in almost every law firm in New York with no luck. I’d even applied for the DA’s office with no success. I knew Sonny would let me live with him for however long it took for me to find my feet. He had insisted on it in fact when I’d moved back to New York last month. This had been Mum and Dads complaint. I would waste my time on a piece of paper that would lead me nowhere. I’d even put in an extra two years on a masters degree just to increase my chances.

“Hay kiddo is everything okay?” Sonny spoke up “You’ve been silent for the last 45 minutes and you look worried”

“Maybe Mum and Dad were right” Was all I could get out.

“About what? Don’t tell me your doubting yourself now” Sonny smiled over at me.

“I spent the whole month applying for positions with no luck, all I’ve managed is a minimum wage bodega job. I can’t rely on you forever Sonny, you have your own life, the woman at work you said you fancy, while I just wasted six years to get a piece of paper that’s turning out to be useless. I wanted to be up there with the greats like Alexander Cabot and Rafael Barba” I sighed picking at my nails.

“Y/N Carisi always worrying” Sonny chuckled “Give it time you’ll get something soon; you don’t need to rush”

“I’m not trying to rush I just don’t like not knowing” I threw my hands up.

But wait I did. For 9 months I applied for any law jobs that came up. I worked my ass off at the bodega, saving every penny I could to get out of Sonny’s flat. Then one day it happened. I had been busy cooking dinner, a simple chicken alfredo, when Sonny basically smashed his way through the door. I hadn’t expected him home until much later. I knew they were having trouble catching the Central Park Strangler as the papers had dubbed him. A horrid man who would stalk lone women in central park, strangle and rape them. Sonny had said he was escalating an attack every night, he hadn’t killed anyone yet but Sonny was sure he would soon. He had made me promise not to leave the flat alone at night until they got the guy. He had left DNA at every scene so as soon as they got him he was going away for life. No chance of a plea bargain, no way to weasel out of it. Sonny had a huge smile on his face as he walked into the kitchen.

“I’m guessing by the smile on your face you caught your guy? That or you finally grew a pair and asked Amanda out and she said yes” I chuckled.

“Yes, well no, but yes” Sonny stumbled over his words while he hung his coat up and took his shoes off.

“Well which is it?” I laughed.

“We caught the guy, Barba had him shipped to rikers an hour ago” Sonny put his brief case on the bench and dug through it producing a manila envelope. “I also got this for you” he handed the envelope to me. 

I wiped my hands off on my apron and took the envelope. I turned it over in my hands taking note of the District Attorneys office logo in the corner. I disregarded it as just being an envelope Sonny had handy. I turned the envelope over once more and unwound the string keeping it closed. Inside was a stack of paperwork maybe 30 pages thick. Written on top of the first sheet in bold letters were the words OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT. I looked up shocked at Sonny before looking back at the papers. We are pleased to offer you a position as an assistant to ADA Rafael Barba at the New York District  Attorney Office.

“Oh Sonny this is amazing thank you”  I pulled him into a hug.

“It was nothing I just called in a favour when I heard Barba needed some extra help”  Sonny chuckled “All you need to do is fill in the forms and drop them off to Barba tomorrow. He says he’ll in his office from 3 onward”.

“I’ll fill them in first thing but for now lets eat!”.

“Oh you mean the food that’s burning on the stove?” Sonny chuckled.

“Shit!” I spun back to the stove but it was pointless the chicken had already started turning black and the pasta was almost boiled dry.

“I’ll order out and you can trying to salvage my pot and pan” Sonny laughed walking off phone in hand.

[unluckyhoneybee]

Hi i LOVE your “Baby Hughes” one and begging you for another dad!Quinn Hughes please!!!! but this time can you add angst into it? When Ellie was about 11 months old, Quinn and the reader took Ellie to Michigan to spend the summer there with the Hughes family, and one day the Hughes family decided to invite close friends and family to join a barbecue party. But the reader did not know that there was a close friend (also an ex-girlfriend of Quinn, Quinn childhood friend), until Jack told the reader, after jack told her that the reader was always acting strangly and but reader didn’t notice, Quinn wants to clear things and prove to the reader that he has no feelings for that ex-girlfriend anymore.

And of course, during that party, readers caught both of them interacting

sorry about my bad english 🥲🥲

Baby Hughes.

Note: honey, your English is good! I loved the idea btw.

You paced around the backyard with Ellie perched on your hip. The people, music and fun going around her had her all excited and definitely not sleepy.

Ellen had invited some close friends to spend the warm and sunny Sunday by the lake and you were having fun. You truly were. But every once in a while, that redhead caught your eye. She was beautiful and looked like a model. Ellen had told you she was her friend's daughter and neighbors. Her name was Susana and she had spent the whole day around Quinn.

You didn't want to be jealous. You trusted him so much. But still, you mind wandered. She was pretty and single and definitely hadn't had a kid. Plus, she made him laugh a lot. Your Quinny was laughing so much around her and somehow you felt less unique on his life.

There was also the fact that she hadn't acknowledge you or your daughter in the whole day. Not even when Ellie had been playing with her dad by the water. She had just ignored the sweet little girl and had gone directly to him.

"Here, have this" Jack passed you your favourite soda and sat next to you. Ellie instantly squeaked and made grabby hands. "Wanna come with your favourite uncle?"

You chuckled and passed the girl to Jack. "She just loves Uncle Jacky a lot"

"Jacky" She giggled and patted his chest.

"And Uncle Jacky somehow always gets her to sleep so he is going to help mum, right?"

Jack shook his head with a laugh and laid Ellie back against his chest. He had discovered one day that running his fingers over her little feet was magic.

You observed how Ellie slowly fell asleep and then how Jack put her in a more comfortable position.

"What's wrong YN?" He whispered.

"Nothing is wrong."

"I know you. You are... You are not yourself today" He explained.

You looked down at Ellie and played with her blonde curls.

"Who is her, Jack?" You asked without looking at him. Somehow, he already knew.

"Susana..." He took a deep breath. "They dated for a while. We had all been good friends since childhood"

You bit your lip and looked at them. They were with other people but still, she was closer to him than anyone else.

"You don't have to worry, YN"

You sighed.

"You mum only told me she was a friend" You wondered why Ellen hadn't told you more.

Jack took a deep breath. "I don't think they ever knew about it, to be honest. It was something short. A summer break thing"

You bit your lip and looked away. "She is..."

Jack felt horrible. He loved you like a sister, you were a really important part of the family now and he hated to see you so sad.

"She is not you" Jack said with half a smile.

You looked at him.

"What does it mean?"

"You are his only one"

Those words from Jack kept playing in your mind during the rest of the day. You didn't doubt Quinn's love and loyalty to you, but he was a famous and talented hockey player that could probably have anyone he asked for.

"Tss." He called you from the stairs when you were turning the TV off. "Come here"

He had a smile on his lips that eased your worries a bit. You followed him to Luke's bedroom. On the big bed, that was now pushed against the wall, Luke and Ellie were peacefully sleeping. The iPad was in front of them and the film kept playing. You chuckled and turned it off.

"Should we leave her here?"

"He will have a heart attack if he wakes up alone"

You smiles and covered them with a light blanket.

Quinn and you left the room and he took your hand. Once the door closed behind you, his arms snaked around your body.

You didn't know, but Jack had quietly talked to Quinn about you.

"Sorry about today" He whispered.

Your eyes filled with tears. You had been swallowing them the whole time and you knew you were about to break.

"I didn't know you were feeling like that. I should have paid more attention"

You took a deep breath and turned around. You cupped his cheeks and softly kissed his lips.

"It's okay"

"No, sweetheart. I never told you about her because it wasn't that important. We dated for one month and a half when I was 18."

"Quinn, you don't need to explain anything to me" You whispered.

"I know, but I want to." He insisted. "I love you. I love you so much, okay? I know you know that. But I hate that you had to doubt about yourself, YN. There is nothing Susana can give me better than what I already have with you."

The tears were already rolling down your cheeks. He brushed some away with his knuckles and kissed your forehead.

"You gave me a daughter and made me the happiest man alive. You deal with my family every day and have kept me close to my brother's even when they live in the opposite coast. You love them just as much as I do and... You love me just for me. You don't only love Quinn Hughes, but also just Quinny" He chuckled with the last part. "My feelings for her are long go and right now... You ruined everyone else for me YN. There is no way I can find anyone that makes me happier than you."

"I think this is the longest I've heard you speak" You chuckled between tears. Then you cupped his cheeks and kissed him. "I'm sorry I got like this... You are just so sappy"

He pulled you closer and hugged you tight.

"You are my everything, YN. Always remember that. You and Ellie are my world."

"I love you" You pecked his lips and then hid on his neck.

"What about tomorrow we spend the day together? Just the three of us somewhere by the lake"

You nodded. "I'd like that very much"

He kissed your temple and grabbed your hips. "Okay, words have been spoken. Now let me show you, yeah?"

Heat raised to your face and you bit your lip. "I'm all yours"

[ghostofbambifanfiction]

CYOA C46 Longer Snippet

It might be a while before I can get chapter 46 updated because I'm not feeling particularly well or energised lately, but I did get one scene fully edited to a standard that I'm happy with so the least I can do is share that with you guys while you wait. I've shared a section of this already but changes have been made.

Anyway, check under the cut if you fancy it!

Private WhatsApp Chat Resumed: Saturday 5th March, 2022, 07:53 Members: James Potter, Remus Lupin

================================

James Potter: is there a tribunal you can report employers to when they go out of their way to set employees up with random celebrities who for all we know could be high-ranking members of all sorts of illuminati-run sacrificial sex cults?

Remus Lupin: What on earth are you talking about?

James Potter: andrew garfield hasn't even WON an oscar remus he lost out to casey affleck CASEY AFFLECK how bad does a man have to be to be the most problematic brother in a family that includes ben affleck, remus?!!!

Remus Lupin: Right.

James Potter: he lost out to a man who has been ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, REMUS if that's not proof that he's a talentless hack I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS

Remus Lupin: In defence of Andrew Garfield, I don't think that's a fair assessment of the situation.

James Potter: and what about the cults the illuminati cults what of the cults, remus? don't try to claim they don't exist i've spent time in la in tinseltown el pueblo i've seen that city's seedy underbelly in the flesh

Remus Lupin: I say this with love; if you ever happened to find yourself in the seedy underbelly of any city, you'd shit your pants.

James Potter: i would not shit my pants i'd be uncomfortable but i'm not incontinent and aren't you supposed to be on my side?

Remus Lupin: I am on your side, but you have a tell when you deflect your anger to the wrong target, and it's pretty much what you're doing now. You know that your mother wouldn't hurt you on purpose, and Andrew Garfield, poor as his timing was, certainly didn't do anything wrong. Neither of them are the actual problem. If you want to talk about the actual problem, I'm all ears, but I can't help you with things that don't need fixing.

James Potter: i should have had him assassinated when i had the chance

Remus Lupin: You never had the chance.

James Potter: i could have had the chance my parents have money

Remus Lupin: They have money, not mafia money.

James Potter: they might do you don't know my mum can be pretty shifty

Remus Lupin: Mate.

James Potter: no i know did you see your girlfriend's instagram post?

Remus Lupin: I didn't know you were following her?

James Potter: i don't, but i've been checking her posts in case lily showed up in any of them and please don't lecture me about how sad that is i'm aware

Remus Lupin: I have no intention of lecturing you. I saw her post, yeah.

James Potter: so you'll know

Remus Lupin: Know what?

James Potter: that she's not upset

Remus Lupin: Lily?

James Potter: yeah

Remus Lupin: You can't really believe that.

James Potter: yeah i do believe it in fact i don't think she ever was upset

Remus Lupin: I don't know how I'm supposed to respond to what you're saying, except to say that I simply don't think that's true.

James Potter: no no it is true she's not upset at all, she doesn't care about how i'm doing or how it would make me feel to see those photos if she did she wouldn't have let beatrice post them, would she? well?

Remus Lupin: I don't know, I don't think she's curating Beatrice's posts.

James Potter: she doesn't care that i'm stuck here dying for love of her, does she? because she's in fucking paris with her champagne or her baguettes or whatever else they eat over there escargot cheeses and shit she's laughing and posing for photos with a famous actor's arm around her waist as if everything is dead brilliant all of a sudden sorry remus but that's not what upset people DO

Remus Lupin: That's what a lot of upset people do. To save face.

James Potter: but SHE doesn't do that! not with me, never with me, we've always said we'd be honest

Remus Lupin: Maybe that's true, but she doesn't really have you at the moment.

James Potter: i'm right here! i'm not the one who cut her off and i'm not the one who thought we needed a break from each other that was HER, that was all her idea, i've been waiting for her like a dickhead for four days and she hasn't said a word but hey! she's over it! partying with celebrities! now that she's met andrew fucking garfield she's all cheered up and enjoying herself so good for her i guess was he all it took for her to stop giving a shit about me? she doesn't even KNOW him he is LITERALLY just some guy!

Remus Lupin: That's exactly what he is, just some guy who she will never see again after last night, and his meeting her doesn't suddenly mean that she no longer cares about you, or that she isn't upset about your fallout. I have it on good authority from Beatrice and from Lily herself that this isn't the case. In the grand scheme of things, Andrew Garfield doesn't matter.

James Potter: you'll eat your words when it comes out that they fell in love last night i saw his hand on her hip

Remus Lupin: His hand was on her hip because they were posing for a photo.

James Potter: yeah and they're probably sneaking off to some romantic parisian hotspot right now having sex on the eiffel tower

Remus Lupin: What, in front of the tourists?

James Potter: don't laugh at me

Remus Lupin: I'm not laughing. She's not with Andrew Garfield. She's been with Beatrice all day.

James Potter: then he had a prior engagement and they've exchanged numbers and they've been texting at every available second same difference

Remus Lupin: That isn't going to happen.

James Potter: it already happened why wouldn't it happen? why wouldn't he want her? the casey affleck thing aside, i'm sure he's not totally useless

Remus Lupin: It hasn't happened because the hold she has over you is not universal, much as you might believe otherwise. And because Beatrice told me what happened. They chatted sporadically throughout the evening, took a few photos and that was it.

James Potter: maybe beatrice is lying to you because lily doesn't want me to know the truth

Remus Lupin: Why wouldn't she want you to know the truth?

James Potter: because she's figured out how i feel about her and she's trying to let me down easy

Remus Lupin: Given what happened with Skylar, I doubt that she has.

James Potter: please don't mention skylar i regret everything about skylar and you might doubt, but lily's smart enough to get to the bottom of it

Remus Lupin: I think, in this case, that you might be hampered by your understanding of your side of the story. Which Lily has not been let in on. Just try to remember that you don't know hers either. Nor will you, until you talk to her.

James Potter: she doesn't want me to talk to her

Remus Lupin: She probably thinks that you don't want to talk to her.

James Potter: she's the one who asked for a break

Remus Lupin: After you started an argument. Which I don't blame you for, in case you ask me for the twentieth time. But she's had a few days to process it all now, and Beatrice says she's calmed down. Talk to her, and if she doesn't respond you will be no worse off than you are now.

James Potter: if she doesn't respond i'll be much worse off if she doesn't respond it's the end of everything

Remus Lupin: Even if it is, at least you'll know.

James Potter: even you wouldn't be this pragmatic if you were walking in my shoes right now

Remus Lupin: You're right, I have no defence for myself. The only thing I can do is advise you in the way I think best.

James Potter: heavy is the foot that wears the air jordan, i suppose

Remus Lupin: That's odd. Sirius said that you were more of a Crocs man nowadays.

James Potter: i have never bought crocs

Remus Lupin: He said you bought two pairs of Crocs

James Potter: fine, i'm going to drown him in the bath

*

He isn't doing well.

Sure, James has devilry enough inside him to chuck a vengeful mug of cold water over Sirius while he's lounging in the bath, and laugh loudly at the subsequent, Jaws-like thrashing (he never bought those Crocs! Merely considered it!) but in general…

Yeah. He isn't doing well.

[cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu]

The story of how Mordred called Merlin mom and then proceeded to call Arthur dad and now he's adopted into the family – part 2

♤•°•♡•°•♤•°•♡•°•♤•°•♡•°•♤•°•♡•°•♤

"Sire, the outer walls need repairs but I believe a new design for better structure and materials..."

Mordred had stopped listening an hour ago, he noticed he wasn't the only one as he saw Sir Gwaine wiggling his eyebrows at Sir Elyan who was trying not to snort at Sir Gwaine's ridiculous facial; Sir Lancelot seemed to be one of the few attentively listening when the conversation was interrupted by the King.

"Sir Mordred, what are your thoughts of bridging the gap between Camelot and the druids?"

'What...? When did the topic change?! I should've paid attention!'

King Arthur stared expectantly at him, they all did even Merlin which at this moment made him nervous and just a tiny bit giddy of receiving his Lord's attention that he was bound to say something stupid.

He did in fact, said something stupid.

And utterly embarrassing that he yearned for a hole to magically appear and swallow him up.

"I believe Momlin, I mean mum, er no, uh Merlin can help because we druids would follow Emrys...did I say I'm a druid?"

King Arthur's eyes widened in surprise and as Mordred took a quick peek at Merlin, he saw how much paler his lord looked.

'Oh Goddess this is my fault! I've ruined everything!'

"Mom I'm so sorry. I meant Merlin, I didn't mean to say mom but it's a habit now, an internal one." He nervously chuckled.

Mordred could hear Sir Gwaine laughing probably, maybe he could help Sir Leon tomorrow provided he doesn't die from embarrassment or thrown in the dungeons perhaps.

Of course he's digging his own grave.

Hands clenching he blurted out more treasonous words.

"Forgive me mum—Merlin—Emrys my lord! It's just your magic is beautiful—"

Percival the gentle giant whispered sincerely to Gwaine, "I never knew Mordred was Merlin's son, Merlin must've had him at a young age."

Gwaine loving the drama added his own to it.

"I knew Merlin had experience in being a mother. How else would he have survived years being Arthur's manservant? Aren't mothers great!"

Gwaine grinned and relaxed in his chair, this roundtable meeting has turned out to be unbelievably interesting and enjoyable.

Elyan pitched forward, voice soft and curious.

"Since when did Merlin have magic? Is that how he gave birth to Mordred?"

Mordred prayed for a miracle or for something to shut himself up from blurting out more ridiculous sentences; he would also appreciate it if someone could stop the knights from theorising whether Merlin was his mother or not.

Because that would be impossible. Maybe. Who knows? Magic is natural and weird.

"—which in turn brings out your ethereal beauty, not that I'm flirting with you because that would wrong when I see you as a mom and uh..."

'ABORT! ABORT! STOP!' His brain tries to tell him however his mouth is running on automatic.

"Sir Mordred—" Arthur began to speak when Mordred turned to look stiffly at his King before words rushed out of his unreliable lips.

"Sorry dad...Er I meant—"

'WHAT IN THE AVALON POSSESSED HIM TO SAY THAT!?'

Mordred felt sick.

Literally he wanted to vomit out his guts because first he called Emrys his mother than outed himself as a druid and pretty much told everyone at the roundtable about Merlin's magic! Then he called the King, Arthur Pendragon, his father...in what realm of unfortunate situations and unbelievable events made him call the King his dad!?

He has to do something to salvage the situation and hopefully in Emrys eyes he could be forgiven, maybe King Arthur would forgive both of them.

'Think Mordred, think! What can I do to change this around!?'

For obvious reasons, Mordred's brain refused to think, therefore it spewed out whatever thought was in his mind at that very moment and vocalised it to the world, or at least to just everyone sitting round the table.

"I AM A SORCERER!"

♤To be continued♤

Part 1

[inthepeakymidwinter]

Bon Voyage (Thomas Shelby x Reader)

This was based on prompt 22 for the lovely @the-fangirl-diaries , I hope you enjoy it!

Prompt 22- playful teasing

(Still taking requests. Prompts here)

Summary: Thomas comes to visit a workaholic horse trainer Y/N and tries to whisk her away on vacation.

Word Count: 754

TW: Horses

—————————————————————

I was brushing Mr. Shelby’s race horse in the stables I inherited from my late father. I was trying to prepare the horse, named Gypsy, for the next big race. The race it was supposed to win. I heard strong footsteps coming from the front of the barn and hurried up my brushing, turning my head to get a glimpse of who was entering. It was none other than Thomas Shelby in his dark haired glory. The man with a fine taste in suits here to enter a dirty old stable. “Mr. Shelby, what a surprise” I said from behind the horse. He walked up to where I was brushing the horse and fumbled with his coat pockets.

“I’ve heard you haven’t had a day off” He spoke in a deep voice that came so naturally to him.

“Have you been talking to my mother?” I grew frustrated.

“Y/N, she’s a good woman. It’s not my fault she happens to like me more” He teased and walked up closer to me, making me simultaneously frustrated and nervous.

“We all need to take breaks, Y/N. Even the best horse trainers in the world take breaks” He informed me.

“And yourself? Do you go on breaks Thomas Shelby?” I scoffed.

He smiled back at me with those crushing blue eyes. I could get lost in them for eternity.

“As a matter of fact that’s why I came here, Y/N. I’m taking a nice long break and I’d like you to join me” He invited.

“Well that’s nice and all but I have to take care of the horse” I tried to shrug off his invitation. It was too much for me to even consider. Going out with a man who I barely know. Who is my boss and could release me from my contract at any moment. It was out of the question.

“I arranged for Curly to take care of the horse while you’re gone. We’ll be gone for barely a week-“

“A week?! Mr.Shelby I have strict plans for this horse I can’t be gone for that long!”

“Curly can follow every instruction…if its something you want” Thomas spoke carefully considering my angsty body language.

“You know you don’t have to be scared of me” He teased again.

“I’m not I-“

“I just know that I used to be the same way as you. Hard working. No days off, but slowly over time your mind starts playing tricks on you. It starts telling you that all you have is your work and that no one else can do what you do…but the truth is we’re all replaceable anyway…So you have to learn to take time for yourself. No one else is going to” He sighed and looked down at the hay covered floor.

“Fine, but I’m only going because my mom told you to do this” I huffed and walked out of the stables with him.

“It was all my idea. Your mom just gave me permission” He smiled.

I laughed and looked into his blue eyes once more. He was growing softer on me. It was a good look for him.

As we neared the driveway I noticed his all black car ready to go.

“I’ll let you pack and you can meet me here when you’re ready” He explained.

I nodded at him and walked up the porch steps, entering my home to find my bags all packed and waiting in the hall. I shook my head and thought about how my mother is never up to any good.

“Goodbye mum” I shouted at the top of my lungs. She was always in the kitchen cooking something.

I heard her footsteps race out to the hallway. She embraced me in a big hug, wearing her apron covered in flour. “Have a good time dear” She blessed me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I picked up my two sets of luggage and made my way out of the door, finding Thomas standing against his car the whole time with a cheesy grin on his face.

“About time princess” He teased.

“It hasn’t even been five minutes Mr. Shelby!” I scoffed and gave my luggage to him.

He gently placed it in the back of the car and opened up my passenger door for me. I got close to his face and placed a soft kiss upon his cheek that made him turn crimson red. “Thank you Mr. Shelby” I smiled and got into the car.

Maybe I did need a break.

[aissa-snapped]

Rescuing A Friend

Summary:After Eloise meets notorious Sirius Black at a ball, she thinks they will become friends at school, but that wish comes to an end the moment he sees her sitting with Regulus Black, thinking she is just like the rest of them.

Word count: 6k+ 

Pairings: Sirius Black x OC

'' Don`t know mate. All I know is that I don`t want to go to that stupid ball my parents are throwing.'' Sirius huffed angrily, placing his chin in the palm of his hand, resting it on the table, unavoidably pushing his plate filled with scrambled eggs and sausages to the side.

'' Well you don`t have much of a choice now, do you?'' Remarked Remus as a matter-of-fact. He took a sip of his pumpkin juice, followed by a bite of toast.

The dark haired boy glared at him, huffing at his comment.

'' A little support from my friends would be much appreciated Moony!''

'' Ok, ok. I am sure it will all go well and you`ll have fun.'' James reassured his grumpy friend, patting him on the back.

'' More like it will go by fast, hopefully.'' Grumbled Sirius, aware that this was their last day of school and tomorrow he will be heading back home for the summer, where his oh-so-lovely mother decided to host yet another fancy ball for the pureblood families across all Europe.

'' Bye Prongs. I'll miss ya. Write to me.'' Sirius hugged his bespectacled friend, pulling away sadly. ''You two as well.'' He glanced at Remus and Peter, who were waiting on the Potter boy to accompany them.

'' Of course we will Pads, but I can`t say the same about you.'' James raised his brows, acting all serious for a few moments before laughing and hugging his brother from another mother a second round. '' Oi I told ya my mum grounded me last summer. There was no way for me to contact you.'' He reasoned.

'' Well then behave this summer lad. Be good and we might see each other sooner.''

'' Ye ye all right. Bye.''

'' Oh I`m so happy for this event. I even dare say I`ve outdone myself!'' Walburga exclaimed enthusiasticaly, clasping her hands together, and taking a step back to admire her work. She gazed around the room, where the ball was being held, to take a look at the fine decor that complimented the walls and ceiling.

'' You mean to say the house elves have outdone themselves.'' Corrected his mother smirking, whilst leaning half his body on the entrance into the room.

Scoffing at her rebel son, she rolled her eyes turning to look at him. '' I was the one who coordinated the whole planning of this. Therefore, it was all my efforts that are now paying off!'' Argued back the annoyed mother.

'' Yes yes but technically it was their physical effort that made it-'' '' WHAT are you still doing here? The guests will be arriving shortly. I do Not have time to waste my energy on such matters. Go get dressed.'' She waved a dismissive hand at Sirius, ushering him back to his chamber.

Defeteadly, Sirius huffed, making a piece of curly hair that was hanging around his face fly away in the process, turning smoothly towards the stairs.

Hours later, the ball was in full motion. Various families were dancing, drinking and conversing delightfully, overall creating a pleasant atmosphere.

At such times you were able to tell the heavy contrasts between the two Black brothers. Whereas Regulus was already blending in and courting several young women, Sirius begrudgingly sitting in a corner of the room, itching to go light up a cigarette but thinking of the consequences, knew better than to do it.

Hovering his eyes over the room looking for a potential person to chat with, his looks rested upon an unfamiliar face. The young girl seemed to be just as out of place as him, so with a grin, he strode over to her.

'' I don`t think I`ve ever met you before. You seem... Lost.'' He remarked, beaming his charming smile at her. The stranger blinked up at him, moving her shoulder length hair our of the way.

'' Yes well, that would probably be because I have never been here before. Hi I am Eloise Montalli.'' She offered her hand for a shake, and Sirius took if gleefully, feeling her soft skin against his own.

'' Sirius. Pleasure.'' He bowed lightly, making her giggle at his courtesy. '' Montalli... Mon-ta-lli. I don`t seem to be familiar with your family. Half-bloods?''

She frowned her brows, shaking her head almost as if insulted. ''Purebloods. We are from Italy.''

''  That explains the slight accent I sensed.At what school do you go to?'' Truthfully, Sirius thought her accent was rather cute and quirky. He liked it.

'' I-... I was home schooled. Our whole family was. We always believed that we can get the most education if we had the teacher`s full attention on just a few of us, rather than a full class.'' She shrugged neutrally, reaching next to the table to grab a snack. '' Oh yes, I understand. And what year are you going into?'' '' 6th. Though, my parents have been asked to move their work specifically here, by personal request of the minister.''

At this, Sirius widened his eyes, piecing all the newfound information in his head.

'' Wait.. so.. does that mean... you're transferring to Hogwarts?'' He asked hopefully, feeling a sudden warmth taking over his insides.

'' Oh.. I- I don`t know yet. Perhaps. ''

They conversed for the rest of the night, Eloise laughing once in a while at a corny joke Sirius cracked from time to time. Usually, the dark haired boy hated these sorts of gatherings. It was no secret he was against everything the pureblood high society stood for. But for once, he seemed quite pleased with this night and he seemed to enjoy every second of it.

Regulus eyed his brother once in a while, noticing his joyful state and getting a slight wave of jealousy seeing him flirt with a pretty girl.

The night eventually came to an end. With sad looks and sighs, the two parted ways, but not before Sirius took the initiative and hugged the Italian girl. Getting a whiff of a sweet flowery scent, he inhaled it deep in his lungs, hoping he could hold onto her smell a little longer and wouldn`t forget her so easily.

Before he even blinked, summer was over and he was returning back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Seeing his friends for the first time in a few months was always a go-to. Reuniting with them felt like his heart was full again.  He could go back to pulling pranks and having a hearty laughter.

But at the back of his head, there was that lingering scent of the stranger girl he met at the ball, wondering if she will show up at Hogwarts. Not knowing if she did, he thought it unimportant to tell his friends about her YET.

The celebration was as boring as ever. Being a first year and getting placed into your house for the next seven years surely was a nerve wracking experience. But as one of the older students, you couldn`t care less about the youngest ones being placed in their respective houses, unless it was a know relative of course.

Sirius couldn`t catch a glimpse of the girl amongst the first years, so he sadlt dropped his gaze on his lap, ignoring his friends talking around him.

'' You all right Pads?'' The scarred boy checked on him, seeing he kept glancing at the first years. '' You looking for someone familiar?'' James asked curiously, forming a grin in a teasing manner.

'' OH no no. I was... just observing the children. They are so tiny, can`t believe we were like them just a few years ago.'' He sighed sadly, trying to convince his friends this was what was keeping him so lost in their conversation.

'' Yeah.. right.'' Peter agreed, looking at him weirdly and then going back to conversing with James.

Unbeknownst to Sirius, the said girl had been sorted into her house previous to the arrival of the rest of the students. She found herself sitting with none other than Regulus Arcturus Black, who was more than happy to welcome her to her new temporary family.

First day of classes was the hardest. Reprogramming your mind to waking up early in the morning, adjusting to both classes during the day, as well as during the night for Astronomy and finding the time to study or do your homework in your free time. Not that these were all things Sirius truly cared about. He was lucky having grown up in a pureblood lineage. They had access to education and all sorts of knowledge that was introduced to them very early on in their lives. So naturally, he was a fast learner and unlike his friends, he spent the least amount of time dedicated to school, since he only needed a few repetitions to fully understand something.

'' C`mon hurry up. I am hungry.'' Peter whined, waiting impatiently by the door, already dressed up and ready for the first day of classes.

'' You don`t have to wait for us. Just go and stuff your face with food.'' Remarked Sirius grumpily, who was putting on his white shirt as slowly as ever.

'' Ugh. You lads always make me miss the first round of sausages. '' And with that. Peter left their shared dorm and with heavy thumping sounds, he rushed towards the Great Hall.

James laughed, glancing at Remus and Sirius, and finished knotting his tie, ruffling his hair a bit followed by placing his glasses on.

'' Don`t worry mate. No matter how hard you try, Evans won`t agree on going out with you today either.'' Reassured Remus, before checking his school bag to check if everything was in order.

With a gasp, James stood agape for a few moments, before he started reasoning with Remus as to how he has been developing some sort of strategy that will DEFINITELY make Lily go out with him.

'' - and when she`ll hear it, she will come to ME to cry to-who you laughing at Pad? Put some bloody pants on and fast cuz we want to go down to breakfast.'' Sirius begrudgingly obliged, and with rushed steps they all headed towards the Great Hall.

They were scanning the Gryffindor table in search for their friend, when Sirius glanced by the Slytherin table by mistake and spotted his brother. However it was not his brother that made him pause his movements, but rather the person sitting next to him. It was HER. How come she never told him she was here? And how come he didn`t see her yesterday during the sorting ceremony?

Feeling a pair of powerful eyes on her, Eloise turned to look around for whoever was studying her. When she noticed Sirius, she happily waved at him, showing him a beautiful genuine smile. However, her beam faltered when she noticed he was not reciprocating her actions, but worse, he was glaring at her and quickly turned his back to her.

With a sad gaze, she turned back to her breakfast, only she was no longer hungry and slightly pushed her plate away. Regulus, who was smirking from the previous interaction between the two, altered his emotions, looking at her with pityful eyes, rubbing her back.

'' I told you. That`s how they act. They have no respect for us and turn against you once you join this house.'' '' But- we talked. At the ball... We had a great time..'' With a roll of his eyes, ensuring she wasn`t looking at him, he placed an arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him, feeling her weight slightly shift into his side.

'' Who was that mate?'' James asked the instant they were all seated. '' Hello?!'' He repeated, seeing as Sirius completely ignored the question. Finally acknowledging his question, he raised his eyebrows at his friend, as if asking silently if the question was directed at him.

'' You were asking me?'' '' No, he was asking your mom.'' Remus remarked, huffing at the marauder.

'' Don`t know. I don`t think I`ve seen her around here before though.''

'' That`s because she is new. Transferred here this summer.'' Chipped in Lily, who just happened to be passing the boys before going to sit down next to her friends.

'' Then how come we didn`t see her at the cer-'' Sirius couldn`t finish his question because Lily was already heading towards her group and James in a rushing tone yelled after her if she wanted to study with him after class.

'' I`ve already promised someone I`d study with them.'' She said cheekily, winking at James and sitting down a few seats away from them.

''Bloody buggers. I hope it`s not that mop of greasy hair.'' He grumbled under his breath, biting down his toast with anger, which caused the other marauders to chuckle at his flustered state.

'' Potions as first class in the morning should be illegal. I can`t brew anything this early in the morning.'' Complained Sirius to James, who was nodding along and taking steps towards the classroom. They were usually partners in Potions whilst Remus and Peter would pair up together, or in this case, they had different classes than the two pureblood marauders.

Taking a seat in the very back of the class, they pulled out their textbooks, and kept themselves busy chatting with one another, planning future pranks and such. That only lasted until one certain student took a seat in front of Sirius, gesturing with his hands for another one to come take the available seat next to him.

Sirius turned towards James with a grimace on his hands, mouthing the word 'Snivellus' and both of them sniggering at the whole new pranking possibilities to make this class more entertaining, for them two at least.

Sirius` snorting stopped, once he recognized Snape`s Potions partner. The girl lightly twisted her body towards the marauders to collect the textbook from her bag, and attempted another smile at the Curly haired boy.

James returned her gesture, already being a gentleman by introducing himself. '' Glad to meet you. I see you have already been corrupted with sitting with the snakes. But I guarantee you, should you change your mind, our table is more fun and friendlier.'' He flirted, taking her hand and kissing the top of it. Not knowing how to respond, she giggled, trying to ignore the rush of heat that was making her way towards her cheeks.

Snape glared at James, and placed a firm hand on the girl`s shoulder, forcefully turning her around towards the front and with her back towards the boys. James frowned at that gesture and Sirius, who had been sitting quietly near his extroverted friend, furrowed his eyebrows at the action, but remained quiet.

A few weeks into the new school routine, Sirius found himself telling the marauders about his encounter with the girl during the ball in summer, followed by his revolted opinions surrounding her sitting with the snakes.

'' Not once did she seem like the rest of `em. I s`pose it was all in there hidden. All that time.'' He commented distastefully. As much as he pretented to now despise the new-come girl, his friends could see how affected he was by her being a Slytherin. It was as if, that small feeble stream of hope that she could`ve been friends with him, all dispersed once he saw her with that grotesque emerald green colored robe.

Eloise would try to greet Sirius every Potions class and sometimes in the hallways, but in vain, as he blatantly ignored her. His friends however often times would say a 'hello' back to her to save her the embarrassment of her being completely ignored.

Weeks later, she came to realize that her greeting attempts were not being reciprocated and so she eventually gave up on him. She strenuously let herself be taken under the wing of the Slytherins. After all, it was them she shared a common room with right?

That, however did not mean she could finally say she had found her people. With each passing day, she would be reminded time after time the reason why this house was so hated. Most Slytherins were too stuck up to even glance at muggleborns, or to ever apologize for something they did wrong. No wonder they all had such a bad reputation. She experienced this on her own skin when she was once being interrogated by her so called friends for reasons she was hanging out with 'mud-bloods'.

'' We were just studying. I was helping Lily with her birthchart, plus she's super nice. That doen`t mean we`re friends.'' She tried defending herself in front of half of the Slytherin students. Even though she started to consider Lily her friend, she wouldn`t dare say it out loud under these circumstances.

That night, remained forever scarred inher brain, as well as her body. The Slytherins saw fit to 'punish' her 'traitorous' actions and, just as taught from their parents, used some sort of stinging spell on the girl, that left her with a fresh wound on her arm.

It was a few months well into school, and the girl had no choice but to comply to the bullying of her own housemates. Not that it happened so often, however, she felt like a prisoner, always being watched by them, abused verbally and reminded not to associate herself with 'mutts'. Though she grew up in a pureblood family herself, she never experienced real school life until now. Her parents never forbade her from talking to muggles, moreover, encouraged her to learn their way of living, to see how they exist without magic. She had a balance around the area. Not obsessed with them but not hateful of them either.

Everytime Lily came up to greet her or ask her about her day, she had to sadly ignore her or keep the conversation as short as possible, seeing as her housemates would have a go at her again. And she was right. She even sensed a joy in all of them whenever she was inflicted in pain, and her cries were not helping her, but rather fueling their resentment towards her.

She had been desperately searching for a safe space for her to hide into, where she could let her tears and sadness out. And that happened to be the bathroom on the second floor, which was already with its own resident, a ghost who seemed to be weeping just as much as her nowadays.

She found the presence of the little girl quite comforting, since she was also sharing her sentiments. Though sometimes she did wish she could be fully alone, she learned to accept the phantomatic presence.

Her crying sessions would usually last hours after dark, with her only returning back to her dorm when most of the students were already fast asleep.

While she was making her way to the dungeons quietly, she heard footsteps behind her. Checking for any signs of a teacher of prefect, she simply couldn`t see anyone. With a new sense of fear, she was hurrying towards the common room, when all of a sudden she felt a hand grabbing at her forearm, stopping her from going anywhere.

Instinctively, she let out a scream out of shock, her heart beating faster than it ever has in her life.

'' Shh... You`re gonna wake the whole castle up.'' And as if out of thin air, none other than Sirius Black appeared before her. More confused than ever, she tried grasping her head, not knowing what just happened.

'' You- out of nowhere-h-how?!'' She breathed out words between each exhale.

'' I`ll explain it later. But more importantly, what are YOU doing here at this hour, and almost every night?'' Eloise was trying to come up with an excuse but then frowned at the words spoken by the boy. '' How do you know I come out here almost every night?'' The Slytherin interrogated smartly.

Sirius, seemingly speechless, gulped as quietly as possible, forming a believable answer to the girl, without giving away their beloved bewitched map.

'' I`ve-... Seen you other times as well. Just didn`t want to come and bother you.''

''Oh.'' That`s all she could say, hoping she was now free to go, seeing as she was becoming tired and needed as much sleep as she could get.

'' Well? What are you up to!?'' He pressed impatiently.

Scoffing, she crossed her arms and scowled at him, something she picked on from her housemates. '' Why should I explain myself to you?'' Acting all tough and mighty, she forgot one minor detail. Her eyes gave away everything.

Sirius was scanning her face, not even flinching at her cold stares.

'' Have you been crying?'' '' WHAT?! You`re honestly so ridiculous. You ignore me all these months, giving me the cold shoulder as if we`ve never met. And I-'' her voice cracked, which took both students by surprise. If she was able to conceal her sadness before, right now a new wave of tears were coming in strong, as she was no longer able to control them.

So she simply allowed each tear to flow down her soft skin, and blinking madly trying to clear up her vision, she proceeded to continue. '' You have NO idea what I`ve been through. And-'' Another voice crack paused her speech. ''- to think I was so happy to come here knowing I`ll have you as a friend...'' She shook her head, simply letting her angry tears take over her as she was starting to shake.

Sirius was speechless. He had no idea what to do at this moment. He was never the right type of person to comfort another, and in this exact moment he was reminded yet again of his incapability of it. So instead of sitting there like an idiot, he decided on a few pats on the shoulder, along with a bit of caressing them.

Eloise was bawling her eyes out in front of Sirius Black, and she was fighting against her own emotions, attempting at caging them inside her. Minutes later, she was finally able to calm down, with only a few sobs here and there. Her breathing was also slowing down, leaving space for her to blink any last tears away from her vision.

Sniffling, she shrugged Sirius` hand off her and dusted away at her clothes.

'' Goodnight.''  Not leaving any room for Sirius to speak, she swiftly turned back around and jogged down dungeons, the Gryffindor being left there in complete shock.

The morning news was the first priority of the day for the marauders, and for Sirius, it was the moment he told me what had happened the night prior.

'' What do you reckon happens to her?'' Asked James, who seemed to be quite involved in this new matter of business that revolved around the Slytherin girl.

'' Couldn`t exactly find out. She was almost choking on her tears so she didn`t have any room for an explanation.'' Half joked Sirius, which caused the werewolf sitting next to him to hit him in the stomach with his elbow.

'' OW. MOONY. IT WAS A JOKE ALL RIGHT? Ugh you and your bony arms'' He grumbled in pain, rubbing at his stomach.

'' I say we go and ask her.'' Shrugged Remus simply, sipping on his pumpkin juice and reading the Daily Prophet.

'' Yeah, that is a good idea.'' Chimed in Peter, who out of all, he seemed the least interested in the matters that involved the girl, but for the sake of his friends, tried to appear useful.

James, who was sitting in front of Sirius, had a clear view of the girl, who was squished between some Slytherin boys, and seemed to be feeling uncomfortable. Sirius followed his gaze, also observing the little hints that might be an indicator as to what happens to her when she enters the coomon room.

The marauders were all revising for a Transfiguration in the warm common room, when Lily and her pals entered all chatting worriedly, instantly getting the attention of the nosy teen boys.

''Lily, my angel. What is the matter?'' James found himself gazing up at the redhead, grinning her way. Her face scrunched up at the nickname, but approached the boys anyway.

'' Eloise, she was crying in the bathroom again. Said she had stinging pain all over her arms. Those heartless idiots..''

'' What are you ever talking about?'' Sirius asked more confused than ever. ''Listen. I shouldn`t be telling you this since it is not my business. But I am worried about her and I trust that in your most absurd and stupid ways possible, you could help her.'' She started, getting their full attention, even Remuses, who until now was still reading from his textbook, but now it sat closely in his lap.

'' She said the other Slytherins used a stinging jinx on her whenever she was seen talking to me or other... Muggleborns. Said they were giving her proper 'education' and she told me we can no longer be friends because she feared going back to her dorm.'' She finished sadly.

'' What the bloody...-'' '' Godric`s knickers I-'' '' We have to help her!'' Exclaimed Sirius, ignoring the weird stares from his friends for his choice of exclamation words. '' Yes but how exactly? We can`t exactly fight off the entire Slytherin house!'' Exclaimed Peter in fear of what his brave friends might be thinking as a solution.

'' Oh but Pete... Can`t we?'' Smirked James, who placed an arm around his chubby friend`s shoulder. '' We are the MARAUDERS. We love a challenge. And this certainly is a big one. We will prank them ALL.'' He concluded the leader,  winking at Lily who rolled her eyes and called on her friends to go up the dorms.

Sirius was satisfied with his friend`s response, nodding eagerly and ruffling Remus` hair in happiness and excitement.

'' Calm yourself Pads before I plant my elbow up your-'' '' OK GOT IT.'' They all laughed at their antics, and began planning their newest and probably biggest project, with homeworks and textbooks seemingly forgotten on the side. Eloise tried to spend as much time away from the dungeons as possible. So she found the library to be one of the best spots for finishing up her homeworks, doing her lectures and being left alone. There was also the fact that she was able to talk to other students from different houses without fearing that a Slytherin might spot her and report it back.

She was returning to her common one afternoon when she came across 4 figures standing ahead of her, at the end of the hallway. Her heart jumped a little, scared they might`ve been the Slytherins but to her relief, she was a reflection of gold and instantly knew those were just Gryffindors. Inhaling deeply, she worked herself up to get the courage to pass through the group since they were in the way. However, as she aproached, she noticed who the group actually was.  

'' Good afternoon, Montalli.'' Greeted James politely. '' Uh, hello.'' She waved shyly, splitting the 4 and trying to find her way out of the hallway but a hand caught her in the same style it did that night.

'' Why the rushing? Running away from someone perhaps?'' Sirius asked intrigued.

'' No-no. I have to get back to my dorm. That`s all.''

'' We wanted to ask you something.'' Imposed James, in a serious tone, unlike him.

Eloise was dragged, almost unwillingly, into an empty classroom where she was interrogated by the 4 teen boys, each taking their turn to question her. She even shed a few tears towards the end of the discussion, yet again unable to control them. What warmed her heart and gave her some sort of comfort was when they told her she was going to be sitting with them during meal times.

She couldn`t really understand why they asked her all this, though they did say if anything were to happen to come and find one of them and the rest would follow. Whilst she was pouring her heart out, she often times felt Sirius inching closer towards her, placing a reassuring hand on her knee or shoulder, which in return made the girl a bit flustered.

After the confessions were made, she solemnly told them she really had to get back to her dorm, so they all offered to escort her there. Positioned in the center of the group, with Sirius and James on both her sides, she felt happy and safe for the first time here at Hogwarts.

Sirius took the indicators that she was feeling better as a sign to confidently grab her hand in his, holding her palm and giving their now locked hands a natural swing whilst they were making their way to the 'snake`s pit'.

What made them pause their walk was a group of Slytherins,  with an ugly sneer on their face. '' What do you think you`re doing down here? You blood traitors?'' Spat Mulciber, one of the students to blame for Eloise`s new forming scars.

'' Escorting a young beautiful lady to her dorms to ensure she arrives safely, something YOU couldn`t be bothered with it seems.'' Snapped Sirius, scanning the venomous students and noticing Snape was amongst them. He got excited silently at this opportunity to bully him.

'' What`s wrong Snivellus? Got jealous Eloise was spending more time with Evans than you?'' He teased, knowing damn well this was a tender subject.

'' Shut your mouth, Black. Leave, all of you before we decide to curse ya.'' He threatened, gripping his now pulled out wand, initiating the same action from the other Slytherins.

Eloise was grateful for what they have done, but she knew that this was not going to end well, and since it was because of her they all came down here, she took a few steps towards her fellow housemates, which in return shocked them at her unexpected actions, but quickly recomposed, wands at the ready to attack the Gryffindors. Sirius and James both frowned at her, motioning for her to go back to their side, but she simply shook her head.

'' Thank you boys, really. But let`s not cause a big fight alright? Have a good evening.'' She said her goodbyes, in hopes of dispersing the tension, but the moment she turned her back, she heard a spell being cast, and fortunately, or not, it was not casted towards her.

Avery, the third Slytherin that was present, directed a jinx towards one of the marauders, which was the trigger for a duel to break loose. Eloise was behind all the comotion, sitting there mouth agape and her heart pumping blood faster. She didn`t know what to do, should she join and protect her friends? Or just sit there awkwardly and try to stop them, fully knowing she wouldn`t be able to do that.

Attempting to shout a 'stop' once in a while, but in vain, she only hoped this would stop soon enough. A few jinxes later, some extra hands and antlers growing uncontrollably out of Mulciber`s head, the marauders all snickered at their results. She took one glance at them to make sure they were all right, and it was safe to say they seemed to have experience in duels, seeming as they all looked fine, with the exception of Sirius who seemed to be annoyed at his now 'ruined hair' and was trying to fix it. She smiled at that, which caused Sirius to look at her and wink.

The Slytherins had to rush to the infirmary to get their abnormalities off them, which meant Eloise saw a perfect escape for her to run up her dorm and lock herself in the safety of it.

The next morning, she remembered how the marauders Insisted for her to join them for breakfast, knowing full well it would cause an ugly reaction from the serpents. She timidly entered the Great Hall, in hopes that she might be able to go unnoticed by the loud group of mischivieous boys, but no luck, as she was spotted moments after she entered.

'' Oi, Montalli, here, here.'' Shouted Sirius, waving his hand and indicating to an open seat between him and that tall boy, Remus. Eloise looked to her left, noticing the Slytherins already whispering to each other as if planning something, but she jogged towards the marauders, making herself as comfortable as one could be around those loud baboons.

'' How did you sleep? Did they bother you?'' Sirius asked concerned, but for odd reasons not touching her as he used to do other times.

'' No, I was in my dorm the whole night. They can`t come up there,y`know. But I wanted to thank you guys for what you did. You truly are brave as they say.'' She complimented, making Sirius look down at his food to try to hide what looked like a blush.

'' Why thank you. But that was nothing. Can`t wait for you and others to see what we`ve planned.'' James informed excitedly, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

Eloise, confused, raised a questioning brow at him, silently asking for a further explanation, but none came as he dove in his breakfast leaving there dumbfounded.

But her wish was about to come true as Mulciber and Snape were fastly approaching the Gryffindors table, specifically for the girl, and when Sirius noticed her heart beating faster, he smirked the Slytherin`s way, whispering a ' relax' to the girl, which wasn`t the most reassuring at the moment.

'' So now you`re ditching your OWN HOUSE, to sit with with these?!'' Mulciber argued angrily, throwing the girl and the boys one of the most venomous looks she had ever seen.

'' What`s it to ya mate? She can sit with whomever she likes yeah, now c`mon leave us, you sort of interrupted our morning chat.'' James waved dismissively, only angering the two boys.

'' Move. Come on get UP.'' Mulciber persisted, directing his full attention on the girl who was shrinking in attempt at becoming invisible. She couldn`t understand how the rest of the marauders were so calm, and even more, smiling. They seemed to have everything under control, which further confused the spooked girl. Feeling a new wave of courage wash over her, she made direct eye contact with the aggressive Slytherin, and squinting her eyes, she said lowly: '' No...''

Mulciber and Snape, shocked at this newfound rebellion, decided to act physically. So then Mulciber went for it and to grab her firmly by her forearms, dragging her towards the green table.

'' You... You.. Associating with such beings. You`re insulting our HOUSE. Ruining our reputation... Can`t believe you dared do that aware of the consequences that lay ahead...'' He started spitting, but towards the end trailed his words, noticing almost all of the Great Hall was staring at him, laughing and pointing his way. This only railed him more as he continued to drag her towards the final destination, but something felt weird. He glanced down, maybe he had some stains on his white shirt, however something even worse was going on.

His pants were laying on the ground, exposing his boxers and his pale scrawny legs. The marauders let out the loudest barks of laughs, pointing at him shamelessly and therefore redirecting the attention of even more students on the hot-headed Slytherin, who had let go of the girl in an attempt to pull his pants up, but due to the anger blinding him and the attention of the laughing students, couldn`t successfully do so, without almost tripping and falling face first on the ground.

Eloise let out a laugh as well, deciding he was too busy trying to scurry away from the shame and went back to sit with the Marauders, who laughed and explained to her how they came up with a charm that whenever someone were to touch her, their pants would fall off.

Over the next few days, life was good for the girl. She was no longer afraid to speak to Lily, or even the marauders, knowing that she was protected by this charm of the boys.

Other instances happened when Snape was the one trying to lead her back to their shared common room whilst she was in the middle of the hallway with Sirius, but the same thing happened to him, causing Sirius to have a go at him in the midst of all the laughter.  

'' Oi Snivellus. I think you dropped something. Oh by the way nice knickers you`ve got there. You shopping from the ladies section?''

It only took this much for the former bullies to drop their interest in the girl and to avoid her at all costs like she was the walking plague. She couldn`t be more grateful for it, so she wished to thank them.

She was walking outside, on a sunny warm day, searching for the boisterous teens, but she could only find the black haired boy, so, with a grin, she approached the peaceful Gryffindor, who was lying on the grass, seemingly taking a nap.

'' Hey.'' She greeted softly, not wishing to disturb the peaceful state he was in. She crouched down next to him, so she was at the same level. Opening one eye only, searching for the intruder, he found the girl that had been making his heart rate go faster each time he was around her, so with a soft grunt, he opened both eyes and propped himself up, resting his upper body in his elbows.

'' Hello there sweet pumpkin.''

Eloise scrunched her nose at the nickname, snickering at it before reminding herself why she came up to him in the first place.

'' So... You see, I wanted to thank you for everything you`ve done for me. I have no idea how one manages such a charm but, I appreciate it and I am glad you`ve helped me.'' She confessed shyly, feeling the grass between her fingers.

'' You want to thank us... or me personally?'' He flirted cheekily, wiggling his eyebrows, causing the girl to blush at his inuendos and scoff playfully.

'' Well obviously all of you. You all had your part in it.'' She decided to continue timidly. '' But... I suppose you more. You seemed to be by my side more often than not.'' Rubbing her neck Ina nervous manner, she looked around her, to avoid staring into Sirius` eyes, who were burning on the side of her face.

Sirius Black seizing the opportunity, smirked and moved his hair out of his face.

'' Yeah, well. I know one way you can repay me for what I`ve done.'' He suggested cockily.

'' Oh yeah, and how might that be?'' She caught on, flirting back slightly, which was something unusual for her. Sirius inched closer to her, Eloise following his lead and eventually being only a few inches away from eachother, to the point the girl was able to feel his soft breath hitting her skin.

'' Move a little closer...'' He whispered, closing his eyes in the process, causing her to do the same thing. Eventually, they locked their lips in a sweet, short kiss, Sirius having placed his palm on the side of her face.

Pulling away shortly after, they both smiled at each other, and just when they were about to go in for a second time, Eloise started giggling uncontrollably at Sirius, which made him furrow his eyebrows questioningly. But when she pointed down at his pants, which left his legs bare and briefs in plain view.

'' Oh nice knickers you`ve got there.'' She imitated his voice mockingly, the same tone he used on Severus a few days prior. Sirius rolled his eyes, but nonetheless grabbed the girl`s face again, bringing it closer to his. '' Oh shut up.'' He grunted before smashing his lips on hers a second round.

[unicyclehippo]

Blossom

ever since orym was very young, lanh hadn’t changed very much. he’d always been quiet and quick and had his head in the cloud or something so close to it that it caused his mum a world of worry wondering whether today would be the day he fell out of some tree or another. not that lanh would allow that.

lanh mostly took the form of a monkey, and it was the most common thing of all to see orym and his dæmon swinging up into the low branches and cliffs and into creeks. he liked to explore and to understand and to hold the things he found—rocks and twigs and bugs and all—and four hands were better than two for that. orym was curious and kind and he was never cranky with lanh except for a few afternoons when he told him, softly, that he was a little jealous of his tail. and how easily he made friends.

‘people like you!’

‘they like me at the start,’ he told him, and concentrated very hard on making flowers bloom beneath his fingers. a big pink one unfurled and orym beamed, even though two of the petals were too small and the pink wasn’t quite natural, because it was the biggest one he’d managed to make and the first pink one. he took it carefully from the stem to tuck into lanh’s fur. ‘i think people don’t like me when they get to know me. i don’t have much to say. hallor says i’m weird.’

‘so what! what do they know? they’re weird. they smell like clay. their dæmon’s a hamster.’

orym hid his grin behind his hand. lanh didn’t. he bared his big teeth down at the tops of the huts; he liked to be big and loud, liked nothing better than puffing out his chest and hollering, hearing the mountains echo. he liked it when orym followed suit and got big and loud too.

‘hamsters are nice.’

‘they’re dull.’ lanh stripped some bark from the branch above him, winding it into a loose bracelet. orym held his wrist out to be sized and lanh wrapped it around it twice. ‘you’re my favourite thing in the whole world,’ lanh told him. ‘if you want me to bite the hamster, i will.’

orym laughed. ‘you wouldn’t.’

‘i would for you.’

that was probably true. leaning back into the cradle of tangled branches, orym considered what he would do if anyone were mean to lanh. he’d bite hallor, clay-smell or not.

their hideaway tree was at the top of a small hill that only the best climbers bothered with; there were too many rocks and too much sunlight for mushroomers, so the fact that this tree had such a clear view of the village was, in orym’s mind at least, their little secret. they could watch people come and go and hardly anyone ever looked up.

will and blossom did.

orym caught the glimmer of dark hair. will had taken to wearing beads and ornaments tangled in it recently; orym thought it made him look lovely, like the night sky had loaned him a little of her splendour, stars in the dark. he watched will swing ever so gracefully out from his home and stop in the middle of the street, shading his face—orym admired the sharp bend of his elbow, his pointed chin.

‘you’re blushing,’ lanh pointed out. he waved down to will and blossom when orym did. ‘is there someone you hope doesn’t think you’re weird?’

orym nudged lanh with a bare foot. ‘stop it. and don’t get into a fight with blossom again when - if he comes up here.’

‘if he does. sure.’ lanh swung up onto a higher branch. ‘you know that boy is smitten with you.’

orym flushed a sunny pink and all around, the tree flushed with him. he was still trying to pick all the dozens of pink flowers, hide them, when will clambered over the rise.

will’s eagle dæmon, blossom, flew ahead of him by a few dozen feet. her golden eyes were piercing, calculating. they missed nothing—not the flowers, nor his matching blush, nor lanh figuring out if he could swing from his tail to the next tree.

‘good afternoon, miss blossom,’ orym greeted her politely. if lanh was orym’s herald, blossom was will’s protector, keen-eyed and sharp of beak.

she regarded him coolly, as ever, before settling in the branches above them. a regal nod her only reply.

‘orym! you’ll never guess - ugh damn tree - you’ll never guess what dad told me—we’re in! we got in! he’ll train us!’

‘what? when?’

will caught him around the waist when he tried to push past. ‘hold onto your kite, orym, let me finish!’ he laughed. ‘next season, he’ll start our lessons.’

‘next season! but - but that’s forever away!’

‘it’s not so long. only six weeks.’

‘like i said—forever.’

will laughed again. orym relaxed into the half-hold half-hug, grinning; there was nothing in the world like will’s laugh, being the cause for it.

‘you know, everyone thinks you’re so serious but i think I’ve figured you out,’ will told him, laughter fading from his voice but not his brilliant eyes. he looked very smug as he said, ‘you’re kind of an idiot.’

orym grinned. ‘finally catching on? bird brain.’

‘hey!’

//

they had their first kiss there, beneath an old and beloved tree pouring with vibrant blossoms. they were wed there, too, some years later, much to the irritation of everyone who had to climb the difficult slope. and it was to the same tree that orym vanished time and again in the months after his husband’s death.

with a rustle of feathers, lanh perched on the branch above him. orym caught the movement out of the corner of his eye but didn’t turn to look; he would have to, sometime. he ought to know what lanh looked like now, what his soul looked like. orym steadied himself and, body aching, heart aching, turned to look. gone was his lithe, playful, golden monkey. in its place—not an eagle, he was - relieved? - to see a falcon. yes. that made sense. small, fast, deadly. lanh’s feathered talons curled around the branch, leaving long pale scars behind. golden eyes scanned the valley below them.

‘is it wise,’ he asked orym, speaking silently, ‘to leave? she could be targeted again.’

‘she has guards. more than before. ones that didn’t fail her.’

lanh glanced sharply at orym but didn’t disagree. he shuffled on his perch then, carefully, as though afraid orym might push him away, began to preen him. sharp beak sifting through orym’s hair. it was so gentle, and the touch of his soul so soothly, that orym could not keep from crying. he shot up to his feet and pulled lanh close.

‘i thought—i’m sorry—i shouldn’t have shut you out. you loved them too. i know that.’

lanh said nothing for some time, only returned orym’s embrace as best he could—a tight claw locked around his wrist, just shy of painful. ‘you didn’t want to feel it. i understand. how could i not?’ he said, and pulled back so orym could take in for the first time his powerful, sleek build, the gloss of his feathers, the wickedness of his beak. he had changed, profoundly, after losing will and blossom. they both had.

orym petted the feathers of his head and his wings, admiring, grieving. never again would lanh hold his hand, or holler down the mountainside, or climb a cliff face with him. never again would will kiss him, or argue with him, or spar on a lazy summer morning. never again would blossom land her enormous heavy frame upon orym’s shoulder and let her-will-orym’s souls tangle together, trust and love and home so entwined as to be one. until - until. and now seperate again, now split. what had been more painful, orym tried to recall—losing will, or losing the part of him that had been lanh?

‘we are still here,’ lanh told him. ‘is that enough?’

‘we have a duty and a direction too. enough for now.’

[pkmntrashcan]

Language Barrier

This story is complete ☀︎  | Oneshot | AO3

Summary: It felt like second nature to fall for Arven and maybe Juliana should have done a better job to stop her feelings, but when he speaks Paldean to her she can’t help but to crumble.Now...if only she knew what he was saying.

--

“Juliana.”

If there was one thing Juliana got used to growing up was how common her name was on other people’s lips. She was always the new kid, the one everyone wanted to talk to, the one whose name buzzed around the halls until she up and left after a few weeks. From the hard J’s in Galar, her home region, to the blurred pronunciation of the “l” in her name in Kanto. She’s recently discovered her name sounded best with the softened “J” in Paldean especially when spoken by Arven in front of her.

And while “Juliana” was the one word she could discern…everything else struggled to translate over.

“¿Me entiendes?”

The only reason she could tell Arven was talking to her wasn’t the use of “me.” Or even the fact that he was tapping his pencil on her notebook. (Ironic coming from the guy who hated studying in the first place.) But instead it was his intense gaze, turquoise eye staring right through her– she’s sure at a certain point his patience would wane like it would with Penny or Nemona and yet with her, it never seemed to happen.

She felt lucky for that.

“Juliana,” he repeats, the syllabic word sound more and more like a song every time he called for her.

She’d be a liar if she said the extra hours with Arven weren’t the highlight of her day. Eagerly running from class to his dorm room just for their tutoring lessons.  The lower octave of his voice when speaking Paldean putting her attention in a chokehold, perfect for learning she told herself, even if everything he said went in one ear and out the other.

She blinks, unsure of how many seconds have ticked by as she thought about the very guy in front of her, and yet he was still staring at her, waiting for a response.

“Poco…slower” she gets out, forehead furrowing in concentration as if it would make her ears work more efficiently. How much brain power did it take her to use one word in broken Paldean? Pal..arian? The mishmash of languages that Arven affectionately would call her “Juliana-ese.”

He chuckles warmly, a sound she swears is only made for her as he leans in closer into Juliana’s space. “You know when I asked you to slack off for me, I didn’t mean it literally,” Arven flawlessly switching over to her native language.

“Remind me who is the one who has moved to every region in existence?” He’s teasing, mouth pulling into a coy smirk–reminiscent of his Mabosstiff who was currently curled up on his bed a couple feet away.

“Now aren’t you cheeky?” her nose crinkles, “besides my mum speaks Galarian to me” she states matter of factly, aware of her accent making a strong appearance more than ever with that phrase.

It doesn’t deter Arven who once commented that her accent was endearing. She reminded herself of that daily.

She sighs, resting her cheek into her palm,  “besides move too often and you gather nothing if you have no one to speak with.”

A low hum blesses her ears. If there’s someone who understood the pain of being alone, it was Arven. But he doesn’t sound sad in his contemplation, well aware she was no longer alone with him by her side.  Instead he was deep in thought in trying to fix her current predicament.

“Maybe Mr. Salvatore was right, we gotta stop giving in and speak more Paldean around you instead.”

A breathy one noted laugh escapes her. “Oh that’s a bad idea when you and Nemona go at it I have zero clue what you’re saying.”

It’s funny to her how the only context clues she’d get of their… discussions was their body language. They’d start off in hush whispers, trying to be conspicuous, but things would get heated–fast. Voices would rise, desperation evident in their tones as speed became the priority in the flurry of words and flailing arms that Juliana could never follow. More often than not she wondered if she was the topic from how Nemona would point incessantly at her.

Sometimes Penny would translate to clue Juliana in. Other times Penny would scoff, a sound rooted in annoyance and grievances as she’d  join in on the jabs against Arven–at least that’s what Juliana assumed given how proud the two girls would look and how red in the face Arven was by the end of it.

“Trust me,” he mutters, “you don’t want to know what the student council girl is saying.” There’s a second of quiet. “You know it’s concerning. How are we ever going to speak if your understanding is mediocre at best.”

“Hey,” Juliana retorts. “That’s not fair, I think my pronunciation is great.”

A eyebrow quirks at her. He doesn’t need to say it; she knows what he’s thinking.

“Fine, it’s decent at best,” she mumbles in defeat. She’d never understand why Director Clavell ever said she was to be a model student because to her the perfect student should be able to say more than “hola”, “gracias” and “tengo hambre” (the latter  specifically only to Arven) after 6 months.

Then again half of that time was her on her treasure hunt and the other was filled with classes in… Galarian .

Oh she was doomed.

The soft thud of a book closing claims Juliana’s attention once more.

“Alright, from now on you are only allowed to speak Paldean,” Arven looks proud, “we have to test your pronunciation then. So copy me.” He scoots his chair closer to her, “tres.”

Her head tilts, unsure of where he was going. Numbers, though important, didn’t seem like the biggest contributors to function well in conversation Paldean.

“Arven, how is that going to help–”

“Tres,” he quickly interrupts. “¿Y por que estas hablando Galarian?”

Her shoulders drop in defeat. “Fine, fine, tres.”

He’s smiling a little too widely now. “ Tres tristes tigres tragando trigo en un trigal .” Tongue effortlessly rolling every emphasized sound as Juliana found herself stuck immediately at tres once again. A word she wasn’t even saying right.

Her eyes go wide, mouth parted in indignation.

“H-hey! No, no that’s too fast, too difficult. What are you even saying three what are doing what in the where?” It’s a flurry of questions as Arven laughs. Really laughs. It’s a low vibration, warm and laced with honey as tears began to prick his eyes. She gets broken words from him this time, “at least” a laugh “you kinda” another “got the gist.”

But that’s not enough to halt her embarrassment.  “How does your tongue even form those sounds!” She yells, doing little to end Arven’s laughter. The sound getting closer and closer until he’s about an inch or two away. His sturdy hands coming to squeeze her cheeks together, lips forced to purse.

And maybe her mind was playing games, but Juliana swore he was staring right at them as he did so.

He’s still beaming, coming off the high, “you’re gonna take your lips and relax them,” his hold on her face releasing only ever so slightly to show her the difference. “ Press your tongue to the top and push out,” he then trills his r without even prompting.

“Don’t you roll your r’s at me,” Juliana pouts, pretending to be angry, pretending her heart wasn’t racing a mile a minute, pretending that having Arven this close to her didn’t effect her.

Because it wasn’t the first time Arven breached her personal space. From the quick shoulder taps, to the lingering  hand holding, to how their knees were currently brushing as his fingers danced on her skin. Then there was the faint memory of his hand on her waist, pulling her closer, keeping her safe while right up against him. Just the memory of it served as a reminder that he was always there, and he was her friend, and her heart yearned for more. And every time he’d touch her he’d stay for as long as she’d let him, never pulling away and always leaning just a little more in.

Arven was oblivious to how powerful he really was, and to how much she wished they were more than best friends.

But right now her cheeks incriminate her. Could he feel the heat radiating off of her? Or worse hear the drumming in her chest? Could he ever put two and two together about her feelings, but then she feels it all come to a halt when he whispers. Nearly pleads :

“Pequeñita, just try. You’re safe here with me.”

Her head tilts at the sound of that new…nickname?

And she can’t help but to ask.

“Que.. es.. Pe..peque..?” tongue stuck on the ñ as she in turn pleads for answers to her own curiosity. Anything Arven says she wants to know.

Instead she watches his cheeks turn pink, his eyes nervously bouncing around, his throat clearing through the heavy silence of her curiosity. “You don’t wanna know,” he mumbles.

“Si. I do!” She attempts to demand. Feistiness and eagerness not as impactful in a language she didn’t have grasped. His gaze softens as he locks eyes with her, a little sigh leaving him, bracing for impact as he sits back just enough and mutters:

“Tiny.”

She jolts ever so slightly, but his hands never move. A scoff in offense, “I am not! I am not…pequenita!” Juliana retorts with a squeak,  eyebrows furrowing angrily as she cranks her head back to look up at Arven as menacingly as she can.

“Your neck says otherwise,” and that’s when one hand moves effortlessly to the back of her head, gently coercing it back down. But their eye contact remained leveled and Juliana became highly aware that Arven has been the one bridging the height gap between them, lowering himself to remain close.

“One sentence,” his forehead touches hers, “A full one,” fingers playing with the tendrils of hair on the back of her head. “ Then we can end this charade for today and get dinner,” he chuckles though a tinge of sadness is evident in his voice. Almost as if he didn’t want the session to end.

But the feeling was mutual.

Then he lets go. The distance feeling too wide for Juliana to be okay with it.

“Just try to make a sentence it can be anything. It can be Mabosstiff is brown. It can be sandwiches are good.”

And he smiles, warm and genuine like the meals he presents to her nearly daily. It’s an act of encouragement, one that believes in her, and one that she wishes she could press her lips against taking it all in for what its worth.

So she scoots back in, her index finger bouncing on her lips , “how do you say this?”

His eyes following every motion. And that fuels her.

“Boca.”

Determination etches her features, a look she only gets when she’s in battle calculating every next move. “Mi boca,” she stands. Her voice is steady, lips pulling playfully as Arven watches her come closer.

“Your mouth.”

She doesn’t have to lean much at all, reaching forward her fingers to graze his own lips. Pride swelling at feeling them part almost naturally under her touch.

“Tu boca.”

He swallows slowly, Juliana taking in every motion of his throat bobbing. “My mouth?” His voice is dry, raspy, it’s a question and yet it wavers on wanting. His gaze no longer fighting to stay on her eyes, they’re locked onto the topic at hand.

But Juliana spends a moment, she’s gotten this far. This far to make a move. This far to show Arven she wants to be more than just his little buddy. But the word escapes her. She doesn’t think it ever was on a test. And as much as she has daydreamed about telling Arven how she feels she has not once thought to look up “to kiss” in Paldean..

And was her sentence even grammatically correct to begin with? But by then it’s too late, milliseconds turning into full seconds and she gets a goofy grin.

“Mwah.”

It’s not Paldean, and it’s not even Galarian at that point. A full onomatopoeia to try to convey what she was trying to say. She’s full on smiling at this point watching the realization etch its way onto Arven’s expression.

She breaks into a flurry of giggles.

“I don’t know how to say kiss in Paldean.” It’s a dash bashful, and whole lot more  honest, her shoulders lifting and rising with every sound. She didn’t even have a chance to feel embarrassed as the adrenaline washed over her.

She feels relief, and joy, and even if Arven has yet to react at least it wasn’t an automatic rejection. She tried, that counted, and maybe he’d start to consider her as something more than just his best friend.

“I hope,” her fingers fiddling with her braid, “ the point gets acros–”

The sentence is swallowed by his mouth crashing onto hers. It’s slow and a bit clumsy, but she tastes peppermint. Fresh and slightly sweet, like the garnish he adds in her cup of hot chocolate.  His hand holds her waist tight, desperately bringing her closer til she’s stumbling into his lap with a little gasp.  Her own hands looking for leverage on his chest as Arven seeks to memorize her taste with every pass of their lips.

“Besar,” he parts, but just barely, as if he’s aiming to return to where he belongs. His breath dances on her lips. It tickles ever so slightly. “Me besas. Te beso. Nosotros besamos.”

And Juliana takes a second to rewire. “Mi boca, tu boca, beso,” before closing the gap between them once again.

[canirove]

Bluebell | Chapter 19

Author’s note: If you want to send me an anon message commenting this chapter, please write spoiler at the beginning just in case someone who follows me and hasn’t ready it yet sees it 😊

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"Lindsey, hurry up, we are gonna be late!"

"Mum, relax! The polls are still open for a few more hours" she says from upstairs.

"I know, but I want to meet with the girls and have a chat!"

"You mean gossip!"

"Whatever" Mrs. Smart says, rolling her eyes.

"We'll have plenty of time, don't worry" I say.

"I know, I know. Was Rúben nervous about today?"

"A bit, yeah. I texted him earlier and he said he didn't expect my uncle to win, but..."

That's all I've been doing with him and Mason since I decided to take a step back and think about what I wanted. Share some texts here and there, ask how they are doing. We haven't had time for much else, all of us busy with our jobs.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━        

"And there she goes, on her way to share the latest news" Lindsey says after while we watch her mum walk towards her friends.

"Hello there."

"Declan, hi" I say. "Did you already vote?"

"Yup. And don't worry, I voted for Rúben, not your uncle."

"Thank you. Though you didn't have to tell me."

"Nah, it's ok. Did you vote?"

"I'm not allowed to yet. Maybe on the next ones."

"Shame... What about the other poll going on? Did you already decide who you are voting for?"

"The what?"

"Mase told Ben and I about... You know. You finally deciding to pick one of them."

"Oh" I say. "He told you about that."

"We are his best friends" he shrugs. "And I'm sure Lindsey knows too."

"I know that she has finally chosen someone, but not who is the lucky one. Which is very rude if you ask me."

"They deserve to know first" I say.

"And when are you telling them?"

"After all this is over and we have a new Mayor.”

It took me some time, but I've finally made my decision. I did as Mrs. Smart told me, and thought about what I wanted. About my present and my future. And there was someone who I kept seeing when thinking about those things.

"Oh, we will definitely have a new Mayor" a high pitched voice says behind me. Victoria. Has he heard everything we've been talking about?

"Hello, cousin" I say, turning to look at her. "How are you?"

"Definitely better than you. You could do with a nap and some tanning, you are so pale..."

"I've spent the whole summer working, I didn't have time to lay in the sun doing nothing. Though it isn't something I enjoy" I shrug.

"Yeah, you prefer stealing boyfriends."

"You had broken up, Victoria."

"We were on a break."

"That isn't what Rúben said."

"Whatever" she says, moving her hand way to close to my face. "Once daddy wins the elections, your happy days will be over. He's gonna do everything he can to take Daisy's from you, and I will also win Rúben back. You'll be alone and penniless. Not even that stupid bartender will want you back."

"I'm not a bartender" Mason says behind her. "And you didn't call me stupid at Barbara's 21th birthday party. In fact, you called me..."

"Shut up!" Victoria says with one of her high pitched screams.

"Wait, did you..." I say, my eyes going wide.

"Yes" Mason says.

"No!" Victoria replies. “Nothing happened, and if you ever mention it again, I will ruin your life, Mount. Daddy will close that horrible place of yours, and you will find yourself living in the streets!"

"Oh, daddy, yes. That's what you called me."

"I.... Ah!" Victoria screams, everyone around us looking at her while she disappears among the crowd.

"Mason, did you really..."

"It was actually me" Declan says.

"What?" Lindsey and I say at the same time.

"I don't know, she's always been hot. A bitch, but hot" he shrugs. "We both were very drunk, and she thought I was Mase. Since then we've kept trolling her about it because... she kind of deserves it. She's never been the nicest to us."

"Oh my God" I say, trying not to laugh.

"And did she actually call you daddy?" Lindsey asks.

"She did. And it was... Awkward. Especially knowing that she calls her father daddy too."

"Ok, this is starting to get too weird for my taste" I say. "Should we go get something to eat? I could do with some chocolate."

"Oh, that sounds lovely. Boys?" Lindsey asks.

"I have to go back to the pub, everyone is going there now to have a drink" Mason says.

"We'll take you something. Recharging is very important” I say.

"It definitely is."

"Ok, those smiles are telling me there is some inside joke going on here, and I think I don't want to know about it" Lindsey says. "We'll see you later, Mount."

"Bye, guys" he says before leaving.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━        

"Rúben?"

"What?"

"Are you texting him?" Lindsey asks. "You have that stupid smile on your face, the one you always have when you text him."

"I don’t have a stupid smile when I text him” I say. But I do. I know I definitely do.

"Sure... Anyway, how is our brand new Mayor doing?"

"Busy" I say, sitting down at the kitchen's table. "What is that smell?"

"My eggs Benedict. The man who is staying on room five asked for them."

"And why do they smell so bad?"

"They don't smell bad" Lindsey says, leaning over the pan.

"They smell horrible. I think… I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh, c'mon, don't be mean."

"I'm serious, Linds. I... I..."  I say, quickly running to the sink.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━        

"Here" Lindsey says, giving me a glass of water. "Did you have anything different for breakfast today?"

"No. Same as always."

"Maybe ate too fast?"

"I don't know. I was feeling ok, and suddenly..."

"You smelled my eggs, and boom" she laughs. "That was a super weird reaction. Reminded me of when my cousin Charlotte... No."

"No what?"

"Nothing, nothing. You can't be that stupid. Or can you?"

"Lindsey, I'm not following" I say, resting my head on the table.

"When you got all horny on your birthday, did you use protection of any kind?"

"I... No."

"You didn't? Oh my God, you didn't! Why?"

"There wasn't time."

"And now you can be pregnant."

"What?" I say, lifting my head so fast that everything around me starts moving.

"What I said about my cousin Charlotte... That's how she found out she was pregnant, because the smell of coffee made her sick."

"Oh... My God."

"Exactly."

"What am I going to do? Lindsey, what am I going to do if I’m pregnant?"

"We don’t know if you actually are, it may just some virus that is going around town. We have to make sure of it, and then, if it isn’t a virus... Then you need to tell them."

"But I don't know who..." I don't know who could be the father. What if he isn't the one I chose? What if they can't get along and I end up alone and with a baby? What if...

"Hey, it's ok, it's ok" Lindsey says, hugging me. "We'll figure this out, and we’ll doing it together, ok?"

"Yes" I say between sobs.

"I'm here for you. Always."

[wastelandmoony]

Déjà Vécu: Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: Hunky Dory

Characters: Remus Lupin/Reader, Sirius Black/Reader (no use of y/n), James Potter, Petter Pettigrew, Lily Evans, Mary MacDonald

Summary: Someone is catching on to Remus' furry little problem.

Warnings: Minors DNI, 18+ only!, angst, anxiety/overwhelming feelings, language, mentions of death and self harm.

Read on AO3

Companion Playlist

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

She didn’t speak to Remus for the rest of the evening, in fact, she avoided the boys altogether. During the Halloween Feast, she sat with her fellow Hufflepuffs making polite conversation and trying to enjoy the festivities. The Great Hall had been completely transformed for the occasion. Instead of the usual floating candles, there now hovered glowing jack-o-lanterns, casting an amber hue over the tables below; the sky above transfigured into a stormy night, including sporadic flashes of lighting and scattering bats that swooped low over the tables, scaring a few of the newer students. 

She overheard a 5th year talking about the party that was going to be held in the Hufflepuff common room tonight, and she made a mental plan to try and sneak out somewhere quiet without being noticed. Across the hall, she could see her friends at the Gryffindor table laughing and joking around, all except for Remus, that is. He sat beside Sirius, stone faced and staring at his plate of food, of which he was pushing around aimlessly with a fork. She thought back to what he said earlier: people like us. He had stared right at her as he said it. Like us? What could he have meant by “us”? Remus wasn’t a muggleborn, his father’s a wizard, though he did talk about muggle things often thanks not only to his mum, but by hanging out with her and Lily; none of which she could justify labeling as “unacceptable and subhuman”. 

A loud clap of charmed thunder echoed through the hall, signaling that dinner was over and dessert would be appearing shortly. She took this as an opportunity to sneak out and head back to her dormitory, eager to get a head start on trying to find a hiding spot to avoid the noise of tonight’s party. 

She quickly slipped out of the large doors, padding down the corridors as silently as possible. Inside her dorm, she grabbed a few things including her sketchbook and a pencil, throwing them into her bag before heading out. Students were starting to fill the hallways, milling about and discussing their plans for tonight. As she turned a corner to the main floor, someone collided directly into her person. 

“Oh! Sorry,” she steadied herself to find Peter staring back at her. 

“Where’re you headed? I didn’t see you in the Great Hall…” he sounded a little sad.

She began to continue walking, Peter following beside as they wound their way up the stairs.

“I was there for a bit, over at my table, but I left a little early.”

“Are you coming to the party tonight in our tower?” Pete asked hopefully, pausing on one of the staircases as it shifted, moving across and coming to a rest at a separate entranceway. 

She shook her head, slightly annoyed that now she would have to find another way up to the astronomy tower, “No, sorry. I just…don’t feel like partying tonight, I guess.”

Pete groaned, “That means it’ll just be me, James, and Sirius, and you know how they get,”

She smiled, knowing full well the weird line between friendship and romance those two seemed to teeter on, “…what about Remus?”

He shook his head, “He isn’t really speaking to any of us. I asked him earlier about it and he just ignored me. He gets like this sometimes so I’m not—“

“—what do you mean ‘he gets like this’?” She stopped abruptly in an empty corridor, spinning on her heel to face him.

“He just…gets weird? It happened last month too, he just gets angry and moody for a stretch and we all give him space. He’ll be over it eventually,” Peter shrugged. 

The gears in her head started turning, and she very much desired to go to the library. She checked her watch, it would be closing in a half hour so there was no point in making the trip now. Maybe tomorrow…

“I’m gonna post up somewhere and do some reading, Pete. Can you do me a favor?” She smiled sweetly at him as he nodded.

“Can you keep an eye on Remus? Just…make sure he’s okay?” 

Peter inclined his head again in confirmation, wishing her a good night before heading back down to Gryffindor Tower. 

The Astronomy Tower wasn’t too far now, just up another winding staircase. As she carefully maneuvered each stone step in the dark, Remus continued to float through her mind. His chosen phrases of “people like us”, “subhuman and unworthy” echoing on a loop through her conscious. 

She wasn’t sure what exactly, but he was hiding something. 

The tower was dark, except for the strips of moonlight illuminating the open circular floor. She sat by one of the open archways, dumping her bag and pulling out the sketchbook. Looking out over the Black Lake, she was in awe of how beautiful the landscape was. The Forbidden Forrest was pitch dark, the rusting of trees heard faintly through the night accompanied by the occasional coo of a passing owl. The almost full moon glistened against the choppy water, creating thousands of shimmering diamonds atop the lake. It had been three months since she found out this world existed, weeks since she started attending Hogwarts, and it all still did not seem real. 

She started to sketch, trying to capture any ounce of the beauty on paper. So engrossed in her work, she didn’t hear the footsteps ascending the stairs; not until they were right beside her. 

“Jesus—Remus!” She exhaled a sharp breath, clutching her chest in fear.

He smiled slightly, taking a seat against a stone pillar across from her and staring out at the view, “Sorry, I thought you heard me, I wasn’t exactly trying to be quiet.”

“I wasn’t paying attention,” she went back to drawing, “…what’re you doing up here anyway.”

“Looking for you,” he met her eyes as she looked up from the paper, “Pete told me you were up here…”

She hummed in acknowledgement, going back to her sketch.

“I brought you something,” he raised his eyebrows.

“What is it,” she didn’t look at him, still hurt from his outburst earlier and his subsequent avoidance. 

“…an apology,” he placed a bottle in front of her, and she furrowed her brows.

“It’s butterbeer,” he chuckled, “I knew you probably haven’t tried it, so I wanted to be the first to introduce you.”

She reached out and took the cold bottle in her hand, watching as he opened the cap for her. It smelled like butterscotch, and though hesitant at first, she took a sip to find that it tasted almost like cream soda, only a million times better.

“This is…amazing! Where did you get this?” 

Remus laughed, “I stole one from the common room before I left, no one seemed to notice.”

She held the bottle out to him, and he gladly took a swig.

“I’m sorry for how I acted earlier, I was a right git to you—“

“—and to James, and Sirius, and Peter—“

He glared over the bottle at her, “—Yes, I know. I’ll make amends with them later, but right now I’m trying to apologize to my best friend.”

The phrase took her aback, startled at the vocalization of something she had been feeling since they met on the train. Remus Lupin was her best friend, only she had been too terrified to ever admit it out loud. 

She slid over beside him, leaning against the stone and squirming into his side, “You’re forgiven, though I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t physically attack another student ever again, even if they are a slimy, arrogant, wanker.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer as they both gazed out over the grounds, “I promise to try my best…”

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, finishing off the bottle and listening to the wind blow through the turrets of the ancient castle. 

“Rem,” she whispered, her head falling to his shoulder, “…are you alright?”

He hummed in response, something she didn’t want to push at the moment. 

“Are you going to Sirius’ birthday party?” She looked up at him, watching as his eyes shut and his head fell back against the stone.

“When is it again?” His voiced sounded strained.

“This Friday…”

Remus nodded after a moment, eyes remaining closed as she shifted against his side. She watched as his mouth twitched into what could only be categorized as a grimace. 

———

November 2nd, 1971

“Whoever decided that scheduling double potions on a Tuesday was a good idea, needs to be fired,” she groaned as Peter escorted her to the Great Hall for dinner. The first year Gryffindor’s had a free schedule after a morning Transfiguration class, so the other boys were already waiting. Peter, always the gentleman, offered to meet her after class so she wouldn’t have to walk up alone from the dungeons, a notion she greatly appreciated. The dungeons never ceased to make her feel uneasy, something about the lack of windows, or light in general, made her feel isolated and was borderline suffocating. 

They made their way into the hall towards the Gryffindor table, and she saw James’ unruly hair before she set eyes on the rest of them. As they walked up, she noticed an extra spot; Remus was absent again. 

“Where’s the other Musketeer?” She pointed at the empty space beside her as she swung a leg over the bench.

James swallowed a gulp of pumpkin juice, “Sick, said something about a headache again?” 

Her brows furrowed, “Is he back in the infirmary?”

James nodded sadly, helping himself to another spoonful of potatoes. 

It had been exactly a month since he was last in the hospital, she thought back. It was too late to go and see Remus, the infirmary closed just before dinner had begun. She’d have to wait to check on him until the morning. Speaking of tomorrow…

“How does it feel,” she asked Sirius, “eating your last meal as an eleven-year-old?”

He sighed wistfully, running a hand through his hair, “It feels great. I’ll let you know tomorrow what it’s like being a grown-up—“

She threw a bread roll at him, “You’ll only be twelve, you idiot…”

As he picked it up to toss back, James grabbed it from his hands, “Knock it off, both of you. It’s not polite to throw food.”

Both she and Sirius stared at him in shocked confusion. 

“Who are you,” she annunciated, “and what have you done with the real James Potter?” 

Sirius leaned across the table to whisper, “Look who just sat down—“

She glanced to the left of James, and saw Lily Evans chatting with a few other Gryffindor girls within earshot. 

“—he’s been trying to act ‘more mature’ to get on her good side lately. It’s really been putting a damper on things,” Sirius rolled his eyes as James blatantly ignored them. He instead chose to stare longingly at the little redhead, to which she eventually caught on to and promptly turned away. James sighed and continued eating.

The entire exchange was not lost on Sirius, who immediately locked eyes with her across the table, raising his eyebrows in a silent “yikes”.

“So,” she changed the subject, “what’s the plan for your party this weekend?”

———

November 5th, 1971 

She’d barely seen Remus the entire week leading up to the party in Gryffindor Tower. The day after he had missed dinner, she went to the hospital wing that morning before class only to find him already gone. Madam Pomfrey said he had been released on orders to rest in his dorm, and since she was already running late to History of Magic, she couldn’t go up to pay him a visit. During their shared Charms class, he sat beside her as usual, but the two had zero chance to talk about anything other than the proper wand motion for a body-binding curse. As they listened to Professor Graves’ lecture, she noticed Remus was breathing a little weird; not full-on wheezing, but inhaling definitely seemed to be a bit of a struggle. When class was dismissed, he quickly muttered something about running to the library before taking off completely, leaving her alone in the emptying classroom. 

The night of Sirius’s birthday party couldn’t have come soon enough, and by Friday evening she was practically skipping up to Gryffindor Tower. 

“Occultatum,” she announced at the portrait, heart skipping a beat as she was granted passage through. 

She could hear the music as she walked through the short tunnel that led to the common room, the smell of the fireplace and over arching sweetness of candy and butterbeer permeating the air. As she emerged from the entranceway, Sirius and James both spotted her immediately, the two of them yelling loudly at her arrival.

“My favorite little bee made it!” Sirius grabbed her into a bear hug, while James thrusted a bottle of butterbeer into her free hand. 

“Happy birthday—“ she choked out as he squeezed her, “—you’re going to break your gift, calm down!”

He quickly let go, as she shook out her arms to regain their normal blood flow. 

“You brought me a gift?” He seemed shocked at the sentiment, something that gave her pause. He came from a very wealthy and well known family, why would a birthday present be something worthy of surprise?

She handed him the tightly wrapped flat parcels, and he trotted over to the fireplace to open them. Remus was lounging on the sofa looking worn out, his face brightening slightly when he saw her and Sirius sit down around the fireplace. Sirius tore open the brown paper giftwrap to expose the covers of three muggle vinyl records: Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, Led Zeppelin I, and David Bowie’s Hunky Dory. He stared at them for a moment, registering exactly what they were, and still coming up a little short.

“…They’re muggle albums. It’s music,” she said slowly, worried that she had committed some sort of major wizard faux-pas. Sirius looked up, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. 

“These are…” he shook his head, “…this is perfect. Thank you, I just…don’t know how to play them?” 

A girl she remembered as Mary chimed in from a windowsill behind the couch, “We have a record player in our room, Lils brought it from home. Want us to bring it down?” 

Sirius nodded vehemently, as Mary’s curly head bounced up the stairs. 

When she reemerged, James swiftly took the record player from her arms, setting it down on a table near the window. 

Lily came over to show everyone how it worked, “It’s charmed so that it doesn’t require electricity, so you don’t have to plug it in or anything,” she looked directly at her and Remus, knowing that they were the only two in the general vicinity that even knew what that meant. She turned to Sirius, “Pick one,” motioning towards the three albums. 

“I uh—I like the colors on this one, plus it’s like it was made for me,” he pointed to the Black Sabbath logo on the front, making her smirk. 

“Good choice,” she murmured, “this is one of my dad’s favorites. He was very excited when I asked him to send it to me.”

He stared back at her, eyes widening, “You had your father owl-post these?” 

She nodded like it was no big deal, and he watched with silent gratitude as she placed the vinyl onto the turntable and pulled the needle over.

Generals gathered in their masses

Just like witches at black masses

Evil minds that plot destruction

Sorcerers of death’s construction

It’s one thing to experience love in the first person, but to witness someone else fall in love is something else entirely. Watching Sirius Black fall in love with muggle rock n’ roll was something she wanted to remember for the rest of her life. 

The moment he heard Ozzy Osbourne’s vocals, his eyes closed, and she watched as he was transported. He listened intently as the verse progressed, eventually opening his eyes and settling them directly on her. His gaze said every thank you that needed to be expressed. 

The rest of the night was filled with violent games of Exploding Snap, accompanied by the background sounds of Sirius’ new records. On the second go-around of Hunky Dory, she got up from the floor in front of the couch and looked for Remus. He was nowhere to be found in the common room. 

She asked around, finally finding out from James that he had apparently been seen walking up to their dorm, complaining of a headache again. Seeing as how the other three boys were within sight, she knew he was alone and decided to see if everything was alright.

Following the direction James had pointed in, she found their dorm up a set of spiral stone steps. Knocking first, she slowly opened the door when an answer wasn’t received.

“Hey…” she whispered as she spotted him lying in bed, arm over his eyes.

He hummed in response, moving his arm to look at her. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and she didn’t know if it was from the late night or something else entirely. 

“…You okay?” She sat down next to him, brushing a stray hair from his face.

“You ask me that a lot,” he closed his eyes again.

“Stop worrying me, and I won’t have to.”

The noise he made bordered on a growl, “I’m sorry…”

“Remus, please…talk to me, I know something is going on…” she pleaded.

“I—I can’t…I’m sorry…” his voice was filled with restraint, his eyes stayed closed to avoid looking at her disappointed face. 

“I can’t make you talk to me…but is there anything I can do to help you?” She was almost begging for him to give any tiny shred of insight into his world at this point.

“Would you…will you stay with me?” He whispered, sounding much younger than he was. 

She nodded, no questions asked, curling up beside him as he buried his face in the covers.

———

As she opened her eyes, the realization set in that she couldn’t move her legs. Looking down at the end of the bed, Sirius was passed out sideways across her and Remus’s lower halves, clutching one of his vinyls. Beside her, Remus faced the far wall, but she could tell by his breathing that he was still sound asleep. As gently as possible, she pried her legs free from under Sirius’ body, slipping out of the dorm and down the staircase. The common room was quiet, save for the soft snores coming from a sleeping James on the couch, a few other older Gryffindor’s were strewn about the place as well. The only other person awake was Peter, sitting on the floor near the fireplace playing wizard chess against himself. She walked over and leaned over the back of the couch carefully as to not wake James.

“Hey,” she whispered, making Pete jump slightly.

“Wanna go to the library with me? I need your medical expertise,” she wiggled her eyebrows at him.

He smiled, “I’d use that term loosely…”

“Don’t sell yourself short, you know more about healing that any of us,” she frowned. 

He put on a serious face, considering her offer, “Can we get breakfast first?”

———

Clutching three heavy tomes against her chest, she reached up for a fourth in the Magical Maladies section of the library. Behind her, Pete was bored and skimming over the titles on an adjacent shelf. 

“What’s this for again?” He whined.

“I told you, I have an essay due about healing werewolf bites that I still haven’t started,” It wasn’t entirely a lie, she did have an essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts, but it was already completed and turned in. She had breezed through it earlier in the week, not realizing the clues were right under her nose the entire time. 

Pete took some of the books out of her arms, leading them over to a secluded table. She pulled out a notebook and quill and began searching through the closest text for a chapter mentioning lycanthropy, “Pete, tell me everything you know about werewolves.”

Turns out, Peter knew a lot more about werewolves than he let on. His mother, being a healer for many years, had seen the worst of it, including numerous werewolf attacks. He didn’t know much about the semantics, but he explained the symptoms of lycanthropy and how one wouldn’t normally come across a werewolf in everyday life, so they weren’t really studied often.

“—but how would you even know? They’re regular people up until the full moon,” she whispered.

“I suppose you wouldn’t,” he thought, “but all I know is that a lot of them take themselves out of the public eye…one way or another.”

Her stomach dropped, “…what do you mean?”

Peter swallowed, “I’ve heard some of them, after they’ve been attacked. Mum’s healed a few at home. I’ll never forget their cries…they beg to be taken out…they’d rather die than live with it.”

The room started to warp. 

She wanted to cry, or scream, or both. 

More importantly, she wanted to hug Remus and never let go. 

———

She didn’t clue Peter in on her actual motives, nor did he seem to wise up to them on his own. They parted after the library, and she headed back to her dorm while Pete met the others for lunch. As much as she wanted to see her friends, she needed to collect her thoughts before she came face-to-face with Remus again. 

Reading the notes from earlier, she sat cross legged on her bed with the curtains drawn. Everything was making sense now; the monthly disappearances, the outbursts before an “unexplained illness”, the scars she had seen on his neck and hands that day on the train. From what she had read, lycanthropy was highly stigmatized and people inflicted with the ailment were usually shunned from society. No one could catch on to what she knew, it would have detrimental effects to the one person she cared about more than anything. 

No one could find out that her best friend was a werewolf.