#and like. the marauders are the four of them. he needs to be included because like hello??

[calamitoustide]

new ship unlocked?

[odillisea]

The Marauders and their animagus forms - part 1, Wormtail

Peter has always been good at sneaking around. Not just sneaking, but making himself unnoticeable. Easy to be looked over.

Most people wouldn’t like that. Most people, especially his friends, are quite the opposite. James; warm and loud with a steady presence. Sirius; bright and shining, always the centre of the room. And Remus; direct and blunt in an impressive sort of way that meant he could quiet a room with a single word. All of them nothing like Peter.

But he was okay with that. Because while his friends were so lovely and brilliant and vibrant, he could sit back and observe everything, completely unseen. He would take notice of the little things - about people, their surroundings, anything really. Being able to overhear all the going ons of people all across the school without them quieting for worry that he might overhear.

The way he puts together the pieces of his observations and ties it all together is often downright impressive. Just from the sheer amount of information, he can figure out just about anything about anyone. After all, he was the first one to figure out Remus’ furry little problem…

While not seen as one of the “figureheads” of the marauders, he’s just as important as the others, for what would be a marauders prank without his sneaking around to keep them out of trouble and to hit as hard as possible?

Just like a rat, Peter blends away and out of focus when needed, sitting back in the shadows and taking note of everything of interest.

[brokenmenswhore]

first | poly!marauders

pairing: poly!marauders (james, remus, & sirius) x fem!reader

summary: virginity loss trope :)

warnings: smut (MDNI 18+), language, gender swapped dorcas cus i said so 🤷🏻‍♀️

────── ☾ ──────

“That’s ridiculous,” you said, body halting as the staircase began to shift beneath you, “and completely untrue.”

“Oh come on, you never do anything interesting! For your sake, it has to be true,” Sirius teased.

You turned to him, mouth open in offense. “I’m plenty interesting.”

“But not interesting enough to lose your virginity to Meadowes in the library during fourth year?” Remus raised an eyebrow.

“No! It didn’t happen!” you protested, “now please, let it go.”

“How would a rumor like that even get out if it isn’t true?” James asked genuinely.

“Probably because everyone knows Meadowes has the hots for her. Bet you he started it himself,” Remus answered, distaste evident in his voice.

“Are you three done now?” you asked, whispering the common room password and letting the boys in.

“So if it isn’t true, how did you lose it?” Sirius pressed.

You looked at him stunned, eyes wide in disbelief that he would ask you something like that out of the blue.

“Absolutely not,” you said, raising a finger toward him, “I’m not playing that game.”

“Oh come on!” Sirius raised his hands and smiled, “you’re no fun.”

“Yeah, now I’m curious,” James continued on, “if not Dorcas, who?”

You sighed, placing your books down and tucking a piece of hair behind your ear, turning toward them exasperated. “Why does it matter?”

“You know seventeen of the girls I’ve slept with by heart,” Sirius replied, “I’d say it’s only fair.”

“Sirius, you told me about seventeen of the girls you’ve slept with. Willingly. Without me asking. Ever,” you said, earning a laugh from James at your disgust.

They followed you up the stairs to your dorm, empty from everyone sneaking off to a party in the Ravenclaw common room that you were supposed to be getting ready for, but alas, you were late and distracted.

You sat down in front of your vanity mirror, ready to start applying makeup, when Remus placed a hand on the desk in front of you, leaning his face in close to you, his hair falling slightly in front of his face. He was completely in your personal space.

“Come on, Y/N, tell us who got to fuck you first.”

Remus’ voice was low, and his breath fanned your face as he spoke. You locked eyes with him, a sigh leaving your chest that you weren’t aware you were holding in. You were nervous to have him this close.

“No one has. Sorry to disappoint. Now drop it, will you?”

Remus didn’t move. You continued to look up into his eyes, your voice a little shaky, and you didn’t know what to do. You moved to get up, but Remus caught your chin between his fingers, pulling your attention back to him. “Meaning what?”

“Did you not hear me? Cus you’re like 6 inches away from me, so if you didn’t, you need to get your hearing checked,” you said, annoyed at your current predicament, just wanting to make the embarrassing conversation end. Remus finally let you stand, but Sirius and James were right behind you, stopping you from leaving the room. You opted to sit on your bed.

“You guys are insufferable.”

Sirius cleared his throat. “So you’re-“ he trailed off.

“A virgin, yes, wow, how crazy of me. You know, it’s not that weird, you all just have a personal body count higher than everyone at this school combined. And everyone else’s body count includes you. Can we please just forget about this?” you begged.

“Such attitude,” James teased, “from such a good girl.”

“Oh, so I’m a goodie two-shoes now that you’ve all discovered I’ve never had sex?”

“Kinda, yeah,” James giggled.

“Fuck you guys,” you sighed, partially lighthearted and partially annoyed, “it was my choice. You think I couldn’t have screwed Dorcas Meadowes in the library if I wanted to?”

No one had a response. Sirius’ nostrils flared, and Remus sighed. They almost seemed… jealous? at the thought of you and someone else.

You four were ridiculously close, anyone could see that, and you would be lying if you said you haven’t thought about them in that way, but you were best friends, and you didn’t want to risk ruining that.

“You ever think about, like, just doing it?” Sirius asked.

“What?” you replied.

“Do you ever think about just saying fuck it and asking someone, like, I don’t know, one of us, to just take your virginity?”

Your breathing caught in your chest. You stared at Sirius, a million thoughts coming to your head but you couldn’t articulate any of them. You had no idea what to say.

“I mean, I’ve thought about losing my virginity, yeah, that’s normal,” you explained.

“To one of us?” Remus asked.

You could lie. You could act disgusted at the question and walk away now, or, you could tell the truth, and risk ruining your entire friendship. You could also tell the truth and potentially gain everything you wanted.

Your voice became small, your eyes watching your hands fidget in your lap, “maybe.”

The boys all exchanged a look between one another.

James was the only one who was able to pull himself together. “W-who?”

You titled your head up at him. “What?”

James sat down on the bed next to you. “Which one of us?”

You could physically see all the boys tense up, ready to be filled with either pride or jealousy. Sirius and Remus were staring daggers at you, anxiously awaiting your answer. James kept his eyes on you as well, trying to make you feel less intimidated and tense than Sirius and Remus were.

Your eyes darted between all of them, “I-“

You were evidently nervous, and Remus felt bad. He knelt on the ground in front of you, taking your hands in his own. It was the most intimate gesture you’d received from him yet. He kept his voice soft. “Angel, you don’t have to tell us, but we really want to know. I promise none of us will be too hurt. Please,” he almost begged.

You sighed. You weren’t worried because you only thought about one of them, you were worried because you were embarrassed to tell them the truth. You took a deep breath. It was now or never. “All of you.”

They were not prepared for that answer.

Remus and James stared at you and tried to process your words. Sirius was more of an “act on impulse” and “speak without thinking” kind of guy.

“Fuck off,” he said, “all of us?”

“Mhm.”

“Like at the same time?” he pushed.

“Sirius-“ Remus warned.

“No, no, I wanna hear you say it,” he said, attention back on you, “I wanna hear you say that you’ve thought about losing your virginity to all three of us. At the same time. I wanna hear you say that you’ve thought about us fucking you.” He was standing dangerously close to you now.

“I- I have,” you said, blush evident in your cheeks.

Sirius growled. “Remus, move.”

“Excuse me?” Remus snapped back.

“Move.”

Remus sighed and moved out of the way so that Sirius was standing directly in front of you. “You stop us if there’s anything you don’t like. Understood?”

You nodded your head, but that wasn’t enough.

“Words, baby.”

“Yes,” you retried.

Sirius gave you a small smile before grabbing your face in his hands, tilting your head up and leaning down to give you a long, intimate kiss. Once you had settled in, he deepened the kiss, his carnal desires taking over. He slowly leaned you back on the bed, your legs still hanging off the mattress, as he placed one knee next to your waist, holding himself up as he continued kissing you. When your back hit the mattress, you held the back of Sirius’s head to keep him in place.

You felt one of the boys behind Sirius, pulling your pants off and leaving your lower half nearly exposed.

Sirius flopped down on the bed next to you, still kissing you as you ran your fingers through his hair.

James slowly kissed up your thigh, throwing both of your legs over his shoulders as he kissed your underwear right above your heat. You gasped, but Sirius didn’t let you break the kiss.

“Sirius, come on, give her a break,” James pleaded, “I wanna hear her.”

Sirius groaned into the kiss before breaking it, looking down to James in between your legs. “Well, go on then.”

Sirius was still feral and needy, pulling your shirt over your head and ripping off your bra, immediately going to grab and kiss at your breasts. You were embarrassed at the exposure, but everyone was moving on your body so fast that you didn’t have time to think about your body being on display.

James pushed your underwear to the side and kissed your folds, causing you to squeal. This was an unfamiliar feeling, but you were growing wetter and wetter by the minute. He pushed your folds open with his tongue, licking and flicking at your clit. You whined and threw your head back. He continued his actions, peeking up at you from between your legs, watching you come apart as he ate you out like a man starved.

“Take it easy,” you heard Remus say from behind your head, “you gotta remember she’s never done this.”

James moaned into your cunt as a response, sending a shiver up your body, causing your legs to shake slightly. He kept sucking and licking circles around your bud, and you couldn’t help but grab the hair at the back of his head, pushing him closer into you.

“Good girl,” Sirius cooed from beside you, touching every exposed part of your body that he could.

As James’ tongue quickened, your whines grew louder, but you tried to tame them and save yourself further embarrassment. Remus noticed and was not happy. He grabbed your face and forced your neck to look backward at him. “Are you holding back?”

“N-no,” you said anxiously, not sure if it was the truth.

“Ah, but I think you are,” he started, “and we don’t accept that. Let us hear you.”

“But I’m emb-“

“I don’t care if you’re embarrassed. Stop holding back. Now.”

Remus’s demanding and controlling demeanor only added at the pleasure James was giving you with his mouth. You did as he said. James continued to quicken his pace, whines and moans falling from your lips.

“Does that feel good?” Remus asked.

“Yes, Rem, I-“

“No fair!” Sirius suddenly exclaimed, “if you ask her all the questions, you get to hear her moan your name. Selfish prick.”

“Are you gonna let this be about her or what?” Remus retorted.

“I am! I should be asking you the same thing, why do you always get to be in control of everything?”

They bickered back and forth for a few minutes, but the entire time, James remained focused on you. He watched from between your legs as his tongue made you squirm and moan, and he had you nearly seeing stars.

You desperately tried to tell him you were going to come, but Remus and Sirius were too busy bickering for James to hear you. You tapped at his head to signal him, and he got the message, sucking at your bud until you finally came. Your chest rapidly rose and fell as James continued to lick you until he had tasted every last drop of cum from your hole, standing up and placing a wet kiss on your lips.

“What, did you just give up?” Sirius asked when he saw James standing.

“No, idiot, she came,” James replied, “you two dickheads were too busy arguing to notice.”

Remus’s nostrils flared. “You just let us keep arguing?”

“She tried to say something!” James defended you, and partly himself.

“Baby, you ok?” Remus checked in.

“Mhm,” you nodded.

“You got a little more in you?”

“Mhm.”

“You want me?”

“Mhm.”

Remus pulled his pants and boxers down and climbed on top of you, pulling your underwear completely off of you as he placed his knees on either side of your waist.

“You sure?” he asked, wanting to confirm your consent.

“Yes,” you responded.

“And you’re sure you’re okay with it being me?”

Instead of responding with words, you tilted your head up and kissed Remus, assuring him that you wanted it to be him. You would have been okay with any of the boys, but Remus was always so in control, it made sense that he would be your first. Your relationship with him was always a little less silly, and a little more intimate, than your relationship with the other two.

“Are you ready?” he checked, lining up his already hard cock at your entrance.

“Yeah,” you replied, “just- please be nice, okay?”

Remus smiled, “of course, baby.”

You nodded at him and locked eyes as he slowly pushed into you, a long gasp leaving your lips as he filled you up. His cock was bigger than you thought it would be, and it was taking you a while to adjust to his size.

“Shit, Rem,” you breathed out, “you should have warned me that you’re that fucking big.”

Sirius growled next to you, your words driving him crazy. He couldn’t help but pull out his cock, stroking it slowly as he watched you.

Remus gave you plenty of time to adjust before you nodded at him, signaling that he could move. He started slowly, pushing in and out of you as an excruciatingly slow pace. It burned, and you almost told Remus to stop, but after a few minutes, the pain subsided, and the pleasure took over.

A particularly filthy moan left your lips, and Sirius cursed under his breath. James appeared behind your head, stroking your hair as Remus’s head dropped to your shoulder as he began to pick up the pace.

“Shit, baby,” he moaned, “you feel so fucking good.”

“You look so fucking good,” Sirius breathed.

“Thank you, Siri,” you cried out, causing Sirius to cum in his hand, the nickname making him lose all control.

“What a good girl,” Remus spoke, his thrusts quickening until he was causing your body to jolt upward with each hit from the force, “you’re doing so well.”

James placed a kiss on your forehead and you reached up to grab his hand for leverage. You squeezed his hand, the pleasure between your legs becoming almost too much.

“Relax, baby, you’re being such a good girl,” James said.

Remus’ breathing quickened. “You’re so tight, angel, if you keep squeezing my cock like that I’m not gonna last,” he warned.

“I c-can’t help it,” you told him.

“I know baby,” he replied.

“I d- don’t know how to m- make it stop,” you said.

Remus giggled, “you don’t have to make it stop. It feels good for me.”

“Oh,” you whimpered, “that’s good.”

Remus giggled again. You were so cute, even in the middle of losing your virginity. Remus leaned down and kissed you, your lips moving in harmony as he began to pound into you. Any sense of kindness and mercy he had for this being your first time went out the window when you kissed.

Your moans grew louder and louder, and you tried to cover your mouth with your hand to quiet yourself down.

“Ah ah ah,” Sirius tsked, pulling your hand away, “none of that.”

“Rem- Rem- I-“

“I know angel, let go.”

Your high crashed over you again, your hips bucking upward to meet Remus’ final few thrusts before he came inside of you, the feeling of you squeezing him becoming too much for him to hold on. Remus stayed inside of you for a moment, watching your face as you calmed down from your high, a slight shake in your legs.

“What a good girl,” James praised, kissing your forehead.

“You okay?” Remus checked in, pulling out of you and standing in front of you.

“Mhm,” you hummed, “‘m okay.”

Sirius leaned down to kiss you again. “Everything you imagined?”

“Mhm.” You were too tired to formulate complete words or sentences.

“You wanna skip the party?” Sirius continued.

“Mhm.”

“You wanna cuddle and watch a movie?”

“Mhm.” You shifted so your head was resting on Sirius’ lap as he began to stroke your hair.

Sirius smiled. “And then maybe round two.”

[marauroon]

JEALOUSY, RESOLVED — REMUS LUPIN!

remus proves his devotion to your relationship, and his friends do too.

remus lupin x fem!reader | flangst | 1.3k | masterlist.

part one. | part two.

a/n — who doesn’t love a happy ending?

The next morning is tense.

You wake up with swollen eyes, a heaviness lingering in your chest, and a dread that settles deep in your stomach. Remus had held you for what felt like hours, whispering apologies and promises that everything would be okay, but now, in the stark morning light, you're not so sure.

You avoid him for the first half of the day. It’s cowardly, you know, but you don’t have the strength to face him yet—or worse, to face them. The Marauders, the trio that seems to fill Remus’s life with laughter and light, the friends you’d always felt overshadowed by.

What would they think of you now? You’re sure Remus has told them everything.

After lunch, however, you can’t avoid it any longer. As you’re leaving the Great Hall, you spot Remus waiting just outside the entrance, leaning against the wall with an expression that’s somewhere between determined and nervous. You hesitate, but he sees you before you can make your escape, and his eyes soften.

“Hey,” he says gently, stepping forward. “Can we talk? Please?”

There’s no escape this time, so you nod and follow him out onto the grounds, walking silently side by side until you’re far enough from prying eyes.

You expect him to start with another apology, but instead, he stops and looks at you with a seriousness that takes you by surprise.

“Can you meet us tonight?” he asks, his voice firm but kind. “In the common room. After dinner.”

“Why?” Your tone is wary, guarded.

“Because I want to make this right,” he says, his eyes searching yours. “I talked to the others. They want to talk to you, too.”

You open your mouth to argue, to say that you’re not ready, that you don’t need their pity or their explanations, but there’s something in Remus’s expression—some mix of resolve and hope—that makes you swallow your protests.

“Okay,” you say, your voice barely above a whisper. He smiles, relief washing over his features, and it’s almost enough to make you believe that maybe, just maybe, things can be different.

—

That evening, you feel like you’re walking to your own execution as you make your way to the Gryffindor common room.

The Marauders are waiting for you, clustered together on the couches near the fire. They stop talking when you arrive, and the sudden silence is almost unbearable.

You sit down hesitantly, the cushion feeling too soft, too warm beneath you. Remus gives you an encouraging nod, and you take a steadying breath, trying to muster what little courage you have.

It’s James who speaks first, his voice unusually gentle. “Look, we know we’ve been... well, maybe a bit clueless,” he says, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “Remus told us how you’ve been feeling, and we’re really sorry. We didn’t realise you felt... left out.”

“Or that we were making you feel that way,” Sirius adds, and his voice is softer than you’ve ever heard it. He’s not wearing his usual roguish grin; instead, he looks almost vulnerable. “We never meant to make you feel like you weren’t welcome.”

You don’t know what to say, so you just look down at your hands, twisting them in your lap. It’s Remus’s hand that comes to rest gently over yours, grounding you.

“You’re not just Remus’s partner,” James says, leaning forward, his voice sincere. “You’re one of us, if you want to be. We just... I think we didn’t know how to include you without making it weird.”

“We’re kind of rubbish at being subtle,” Sirius admits, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “We’re used to it just being the four of us. But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for you. We want there to be.”

There’s a silence, and you realise they’re all waiting for you to say something. You take a shaky breath. “I just... don’t want to get in the way,” you say, your voice barely more than a whisper. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

“A burden?” James says, his eyebrows shooting up. “Are you kidding? You’re brilliant! Remus is always talking about how smart you are, how funny—how you’re the only one who can keep up with him in a debate about some obscure magical creature.”

“And you’re bloody good at Potions,” Peter adds with a grin, his eyes bright with something like admiration. “Better than any of us, anyway. Remember that time you saved me from failing that essay on Veritaserum?”

The compliments catch you off guard, and you feel a warmth spreading through your chest, an unfamiliar lightness. You glance at Remus, who’s watching you with a hopeful smile, and something in you begins to ease.

“We didn’t mean to push you away,” James says earnestly. “We want you to be part of this—of us. If you want that, too.”

You hesitate, feeling the weight of the decision. But then you think of all those moments you spent on the edges, wishing you could be part of the laughter, part of the friendship that Remus shared so easily with them. Maybe it’s not too late to be part of it, too.

“Okay,” you say softly, and it’s like a dam breaking. The tension in the room dissolves, replaced by a flood of relief and warmth.

Sirius whoops and claps you on the back, nearly knocking you off the couch. “Brilliant! I knew you’d come around.”

“Welcome to the gang,” James says with a wide grin, extending his hand. You take it, and he pulls you into a quick, awkward hug that makes you laugh in spite of yourself.

“We gotta get you a nickname-!” Peter jumps ahead of himself in his enthusiasm, and Sirius falls straight into planning it with him.

Remus’s arm wraps around your shoulders, and he presses a soft kiss to your temple. “Thank you,” he whispers, and you know he means it for more than just showing up.

—

From then on, things are different.

At first, it’s a bit awkward—the boys seem overly careful not to exclude you, going out of their way to make sure you’re involved in every conversation and inside joke.

But slowly, it becomes more natural. You find yourself laughing with them, teasing Sirius about his hair routine or rolling your eyes when James brags about his Quidditch moves.

They start inviting you to their adventures—sneaking down to the kitchens at midnight for snacks, or helping with the latest prank they’re planning on the Slytherins.

You even start contributing your own ideas, and when one of your plans works better than expected, Sirius gives you an impressed nod, muttering something about a “bloody genius.”

It’s not perfect, and sometimes you still feel a pang of jealousy when Remus slips easily into an old memory with them, but it’s not the same sharp, unbearable ache it used to be. Because now, when he turns to share a smile, you’re there beside him, part of the circle, part of the jokes.

It’s one evening, weeks later, where you’re all crammed together on the couch—Sirius snoring softly on one end while James dozes against the other—that it kind of properly sinks in.

Remus’s head is resting on your shoulder, his fingers lazily tracing patterns on your wrist, and you feel... content.

For the first time, you don’t feel like an outsider looking in. You’re one of them now. A part of the Marauders, in all their messy, chaotic glory.

[techhasmjolnir]

Trivial Pursuit

Plot: It is a dark, stormy night... Wait, let's not use that trope for the millionth time, shall we?

You're home alone thinking your plans for the night are cancelled, but things change quickly when Tech comes home late and wants to pursue what the two of you originally planned...with a major twist neither of you envision.

Author's Notes:

This is my first time crafting a Bad Batch story, let alone a smutty one. I wrote this after receiving inspiration and encouragement from a friend of mine, and I'm quite proud of the final result. I usually don't write anything on a very short scale, so while this is a one-shot story, it is quite lengthy (word count is 12,450).

Some sections have notes in parentheses, listing names of songs and artists I paired with the scenes at hand. I strongly suggest looking them up as you read, in hopes you can make your own connections to the story that much stronger.

Important Notes:

This content is strictly for audiences 18+. The roles in this story assume female readers & Tech. Concepts introduced include: dirty talk, fingering, M & F masturbation, oral sex (giving & receiving), PiV, creampie, female ejaculation, and soft dom Tech.

Summer nights on Coruscant bring one of two things – either endless, driving rain or nearly unbearable heat and humidity. Tonight is the former; the rain spatters angrily against the windows of your high-rise apartment in the Uscru District. Despite the inclement weather, the entertainment district still bustles with throngs of beings from every corner of the galaxy. You wisely choose to stay in tonight, knowing that you could have been out in any one of the district's numerous clubs, but then you remember that when it rains, the clubs become overwhelmingly claustrophobic with seas of bodies looking to stay dry.

Tech sent you a holo-message earlier in the afternoon, letting you know he wouldn't be home for dinner, as he and the rest of the guys were experiencing a few mechanical issues with the Marauder, and needed to stop for emergency repairs. You're disappointed, because it was supposed to be a stay home date night for the both of you, but you're pragmatic; machines are made to eventually break, and the Marauder is no exception.

Since you're already having dinner alone, you decide to load up your browser with half a dozen scientific journals you'd been meaning to catch up on. Pouring yourself a glass of desert wine (the real deal, too – you'd been lucky to exchange services with someone coming back from Tatooine who had a bottle directly from the Tuskens), you take your dinner and sit on the floor in the immense pile of thick, fluffy blankets you threw down to create a nest, of sorts. You know what will happen. You'll read one article. One becomes three. Three becomes six. Six becomes four hours later.

Who cares?, you think. Tech's not coming home tonight, the weather is shit, and I've nothing better to do than read and possibly get very drunk tonight. Sipping the desert wine slowly, you open the first journal, “Frontiers of Marine Science (Kamino).” You choose this one on purpose. You've been fascinated with Kamino for as long as you've been with Tech, hanging on his every word when he would tell you stories of when he and his brothers were young, and what the Kaminoans are like, although you suspect that there's a great deal he hasn't told you, and likely never will. Down the proverbial ash-rabbit hole you go...

You stare intently at the computer screen, not even cognizant of the last time you blinked. You sigh, and you realize it happened again. Glancing at the clock, you realize it's close to midnight. The wind has picked up even more, howling and threatening to drive the raindrops through the windows. You want to sleep, but without Tech by your side, it will likely be another restless night.

You get up painstakingly, stiff from sitting in one place too long, taking your dishes to the sink and washing them quickly before you turn off most of the lights, except the one that casts ambient blue-green light throughout the entire living room. The sound of the rain is spiking your anxiety and hurting your ears, so you put on some music to try and mask the sounds of the raging tempest outside.

“Much better,” you say to your empty apartment. “Now I can get back to more reading...and maybe I'll fall asleep before four? Fat chance,” you mutter.

Nestling back into your blankets, you pull your computer back in front of you and open the umpteenth article of the night. “Landscape and Urban Planning (Coruscant).” You laugh loudly at the title of this one, given the complete lack of any discernible “landscape” on Coruscant.

“Urban Planning? On THIS planet? Let's see what the so-called “experts” have to say on this topic.” As you delve into the article, you let the background music ease your mind to a more focused state. You'll never sleep if you can't quiet your mind. Tech...where are you? I need you...

(Peter Murphy – All Night Long)

You slip back into your reading easily, and it's not long before you're completely engrossed again. The state of hyperfocus takes over you so much, you don't even hear the tone of your security alarm chiming as it's being deactivated, and the front door sliding open with an audible hiss. Tech stands in the vestibule and reactivates the security alarm before removing his helmet and walking slowly into the living room, bathed in relaxing ambient light. He isn't surprised to see you're still awake; he knows when he isn't home, you rarely sleep more than a few hours.

He stops when he sees you bundled up in the middle of the floor, your computer on the coffee table, your eyes wide and glassy. He knows this look well, because as you're so fond of pointing out to him, he looks exactly the same way when he's working intensely on something. He smiles softly, and waits to see if you'll even look up and notice that he's there. When he notices you're pretty far gone, he chuckles quietly and puts his helmet down on a side table where you've got medical journals piled high. He knows better than to startle you, so he comes into the living room a little more and stops.

“Cyaré...I'm home...I am quite sorry about tonight, but we had a malfunction with the Marauder's hyperdrive and an unscheduled trip deviation was necessary. If it is quite all right with you, I would like to make it up to you...”

You don't acknowledge him and he sighs. He knows you heard him, but nothing has registered. It's been some time since you've been stuck in a hyperfocused state like this, but Tech feels like he's responsible for this one, and it's up to him to ease you out of it. “Cyaré, please...” he tries again. Nothing. His brow furrows and he walks over to the control panel that controls the audio system. The music isn't even loud, but he eases the volume down, and when the raging wind and rain outside is heard once more, it snaps you back to reality.

Blinking hard, you look up from your computer, and you see Tech standing there, arms crossed, looking down at you, and for a moment you could have sworn it was Crosshair in your living room. The switch flips in your mind and you finally realize it's Tech, and while he doesn't look exactly icy, he doesn't look at you with the warmth he normally does.

“Tech...?” you croak, your throat parched. You haven't even remembered to drink any water.

(Sundial Aeon – Iced Melancholy Spectacle)

“Mésh'la, have you been up all night waiting for me? For your sake, I hope you have not. You know how I feel when I find out that you have not been getting proper sleep. I ask you again, were you up all night waiting for me?”

Your pulse quickens as he speaks to you, for his tone is becoming increasingly frigid. You wonder if he's doing this to purposely get a rise out of you, because he knows you're incredibly easy to bait. Many times he uses this tone of voice with you before the two of you engage in sexual relations, because he learned early on in your relationship that he could send you into extended periods of arousal just through that alone.

“Yes...and no, Tech,” you reply meekly. “You know I have a hard time sleeping when you're not here, and the storm tonight has sent my anxiety into overdrive. I thought I could sit here and read until you got back...and with luck, maybe sleep a little before then.”

This answer appears to satisfy him, for he now walks over to you and sits on the couch just off to your side. You catch a bit of his scent as he sits down...metallic, earthy, sweat. Nothing you haven't smelled on him before, but longing for his presence and his touch all night turns those simple scents into potent triggers. Your pulse is still elevated from him speaking to you, and as you turn to look up at him, those beautiful golden brown eyes of his look down upon you, and his face softens with that little grin you've always found to be one of the sexiest things about him.

He leans forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees, and you can see that he's definitely tired. Tired, but not so tired that he isn't interested in spending any time with you now. As he glances at your computer screen, he can see what has to be at least a bare minimum of 30 open tabs in your browser. Moving over so he's behind you, he shifts his legs a little so you're sitting between his feet. His strong hands close on your shoulders, and before you know it, he's firmly massaging them. You've been sitting hunched over for so long, that everything feels taut and pinched.

“Y/N, please do not let this become a habit. I know your mind works very much like mine. But you need your rest.”

You can't help but groan softly as his long fingers manipulate your skin through the material of your light sweatshirt. It doesn't matter if his hands are under his work gloves, or if they're bare...there's something magical about the power of his touch that you can't get enough of. You let your head loll forward as his thumbs dig in around your shoulder blades, and this time you let something more akin to a pleasurable moan escape. Accidental, of course, but you feel like you could melt into a puddle under his ministrations.

“Mésh'la, was that what I think it was?” he asks, amused.

(EN Voice – Hold On)

“What was what?” you reply, confused.

“I think that was more than just a casual groan. Is this turning you on?”

One hand remains to work on your shoulder, but his other hand has now moved down your back slightly, and come around to the front, gently cupping your breast, then closing around it and squeezing lightly as his thumb traces across your nipple.

Your head snaps up as he does this, your back straightening up into his hand, and your eyes close, holding back the moan that desperately wants to leave your throat. This is what you've craved all night, and you bring your hand up over his, holding it lightly as he begins to flick his thumb over you, feeling the tissue grow firm under his touch. You feel a very gentle pulse in your clit, and a tiny contraction inside as he touches you, and this time you let him know how you feel, letting out a soft, feminine moan through parted lips.

“I will take that as a yes, cyaré... Don't hold back anything from me.”

This time he lets go of your shoulder, and his other hand comes around to take your other breast, repeating the process. As your drop the hand over his, you lean back against the couch, your head resting close to his groin. You look up and you can see eyes growing heavy with lust. As he catches your gaze, he takes each nipple and pinches them firmly. You gasp and feel the unmistakable heat beginning to pool between your legs. The first instinct is to reach down and lightly touch yourself, but as you move to do so, Tech takes your wrist firmly and holds it in place.

“I don't think so, mésh'la... Would you like to play a little game with me? It is something we haven't done before, but I have been thinking about it for awhile, and it would be fun for both of us.”

“What kind of game?” you ask dubiously.

“It is a game of intellect...however, there are several rules. The first is that I am the only one that may ask the questions. I know you are well versed in many disciplines, and in the interest of fairness, will keep them based in subjects you know well. The second rule is, you will only have a maximum of three minutes to answer me. The third rule is that if you answer correctly, you must remove an article of clothing. I will also remove something, starting with my armor and gear. When your clothing is gone, each successive correct answer will net you a physical action from me. The fourth rule is that if you are incorrect, or fail to answer at all, everything will stop and you receive nothing.”

“Oh, what?!” you fire back indignantly. “How is THAT fair, Tech?”

“I do believe this is called “being a tease, mésh'la... That is the correct phrase, is it not?”

You sigh a little huffily. “Yes, it is. But...you've piqued my curiosity, and more importantly, by the end of this I want both of us to be in post-orgasmic bliss. You got that?!”

His eyes widen a little at the slight aggression you fire back at him, but he can tell you've been worked up all day, and need some relief soon. He does too, because the thought of him buried to the hilt inside you by the end of the night has been on his mind all day. He feels his cock beginning to stir a little under his codpiece...no time to waste.

(Desert Dwellers & Phutureprimitive – Praise Her, the Fire Keeper (Phutureprimitive Remix))

“Move over a little, Y/N...let me sit next to you. It will be easier this way. Move the table out of the way, too. You know we're going to need the extra space.”

You smile at him cheekily as you shift the coffee table out of the way, leaving plenty of room for both of you. Those long legs of his have zero chance of having room with any furniture in the way. Images of you running your hands up the length of his body, stopping at his hips, pausing to lick and gently suckle on his cock flit through your mind and you feel your face grow briefly hot. We've never had sex in the living room yet... I wonder what kinds of questions he'll ask me?

Tech shifts the blankets around so that he can be next to you, and he stretches out his legs, letting out a groan of his own. Being cramped up in the cockpit of the Marauder all day left him just as stiff and sore as he was sure you were, being in front of your computer all night. You turn to look at him, and he smiles softly at you. What he's really thinking right now is beyond you, but you hope it's something incredibly wicked.

“Are you ready? I will set a timer for three minutes with each question. We will start with something easy, as a warm up. What is the definition of the “instar phase?””

“Tech, come on, this is super easy.” You look at his grinning face, eyes never leaving his as you give your answer: “this is the developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each molt, until they achieve sexual maturity.”

“Of course, you are correct. Take off your sweatshirt, cyaré...do you have anything else on underneath?”

Without hesitation, you skin off your sweatshirt, and you're wearing the sexy black and red lace bra that Tech would have seen much earlier in the night, had he come home on time. Normally you wouldn't have bothered with a bra if you were planning on being alone at night, but you know Tech is very much a visual creature when it comes to sexual endeavors. You hear him sigh softly as he catches sight of you, and you see him pull off his work gloves, casting them off to the side. All you can think about now is feeling his bare hands on your flesh...your face, your neck, spine, and especially between your legs.

“Have I told you lately how beautiful you are, Y/N? You truly are one of the most exceptional creatures I have encountered in all of my travels.”

You can feel the heat rising in your face, and you're thankful that the ambient light in the room can hide the fact you're beginning to flush, but you know how perceptive Tech is, and he will pick up easily on other visual cues.

“Tech, I...” you begin, but you can't think of anything meaningful to say. How do you follow up after such a grand statement?

He flashes you that sexy grin of his again and you're melting inside. “Next question, love. Are you ready? What are eubacteria?”

It's been awhile since you had to discuss microbiology with anyone, but this was another easy question, and you're wondering if Tech keeps planning on asking easy questions just to get you naked faster. Not like it would bother you if that's the case, but he has more things to take off than you do...

“Eubacteria are simple celled organisms, many with rigid cell walls, often needing a flagellum for movement. They are considered “true” bacteria, along with cyanobacteria. They are often found within the intestines of animals, and can also be found in soil.”

“Very good, love, although you took a little longer to answer this time, and I know you knew the answer easily. Stand up and slowly take your pants off for me.”

Slowly, you rise, and your first inclination is to deeply stretch, because of being on the floor too long. You are tempted to make him wait, but you're afraid if you do, he might stop the game just to make you wait for another time. You hook your thumbs into the waistband of the soft, loose pants you like to wear around the house, and as your eyes lock on his, you begin to sway your hips a little and laugh as you draw your pants down over your hips, then let them drop to the floor. You've got on the matching panties that go with your bra, and you watch Tech's eyes move down to look between your legs.

You know he's wondering if you're wet for him yet, and you watch as he takes off the breastplate of his armor, and everything else off his arms. You can see the musculature of his chest through his blacks, and this time there's no denying that you're aroused. Your clit pulses with heat and you can feel yourself starting to grow wet, as you think about skinning his shirt off, tracing every line of his flesh...burying your head into the crook of his neck and showering him with hot kisses...

(Nor Elle – Silent Storm)

“So much better,” he breathes, running a hand down his chest, letting it rest on his stomach. He looks up and you and his eyes almost seem to shimmer behind his lenses. Oh yes, he's turned on. “Turn around for me, mésh'la, I want to see that beautiful ass of yours.”

You can practically hear the lust dripping in his voice now, and you comply, turning around for him. You're not wearing a thong, but there's very little material, and to sweeten the pot for him, you decide to be a tease. Curling your finger into the material, you lean forward a little and pull your panties aside, so you're completely exposed for him...and now he can see glistening moisture, inviting him home.

Hearing him groan softly and shift around a little as his codpiece suddenly becomes much more restrictive makes you smile. You know what you're doing, and you're damn good at it. Letting the material go, you turn back around and look at him. You look down and see that he's slipped his fingertips just under the material of his blacks.

“Do you have another question for me, or are you in shock right now?” you tease gently.

He laughs and removes his hand from his blacks, letting it rest on his stomach again. The urge to start stroking himself is incredibly strong right now, but this needs to be a waiting game. If he's going to make you wait, he has to, as well. He brings his knees up and puts his other hand behind his head, leaning back against the couch, trying to think of a more difficult question for this round.

“All right, this one is a little more involved, and I do not want you answering in a simplistic fashion. Tell me what happens when an individual suffers a crush injury.”

While you have plenty of knowledge of anatomy and physiology, it's been quite awhile since you've had to draw from it. You're frantically thinking back to your university courses in medical terminology and A & P, trying to remember. You are drawing a serious blank, and you look over at Tech, who smirks at you a little because he can see the creeping panic in your face.

“Time's fleeting, cyaré...you have a minute and a half.”

Fuck, come on! I know this! Why can't I remember it?!

You're looking around the room, grasping at straws, mind racing as you try to give Tech something...anything. You shut your eyes and you're not even conscious of the fact you've slipped a hand between your legs, rubbing your clit through the gossamer fabric of your panties. Tech cocks an eyebrow when he sees you doing this.

“Fascinating, my love, but you're at 45 seconds. I need an answer.”

Your heart is up in your throat, robbing you of your breath, and your voice. Still touching yourself, and feeling your clit pulse beneath your frantic fingertips, the connection is made. You don't know how, but here it is. You have to be at somewhere under 20 seconds at this point, and the minute you open your mouth, it becomes a raging torrent of words. He's not going to rob you of pleasure tonight, and if he wants an answer, he's going to get one!

“It's a reperfusion injury that appears after the release of crushing pressure. The mechanism is believed to be the release into the bloodstream of muscle breakdown products – notably myoglobin, potassium and phosphorus – products of rhabodmyolysis, the breakdown of skeletal muscle damaged by ischemic conditions. Devastating systemic effects can occur when the crushing pressure is suddenly released, without proper preparation of the patient, causing reperfusion syndrome. In addition to tissue directly suffering the crush mechanism, tissue is then subjected to sudden reoxygenation in the limbs and extremities. Without proper preparation, the patient, with pain control, may be cheerful before recovery, but then may suddenly die shortly thereafter. This sudden failure is called the "smiling death." TECH, WHAT THE FUCK?!”

The sudden obscenity catches him off guard, and he can't help but laugh at you, standing there, looking so flushed, with wild eyes and heaving chest. Just to tease you even more, he does a slow clap before speaking.

“I am seriously impressed, mésh'la... Not only did that outburst have the correct answer in it, but you clocked in with just two seconds left. I will not apologize for the question, but I will apologize for inadvertently stressing you to the point where you felt it necessary to touch yourself for me, without me ordering you to do so.”

You feel your cheeks go hot, instantly embarrassed that you've now accidentally shown Tech something you've always done when pushed to your maximum stress levels. “Tech, I...fuck. This is embarrassing. I'm...”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Y/N. I have extensively studied what can happen to people with minds like ours, when we are pushed beyond our ability to cope with certain situations. You acted well within the parameters of normal behavior. That being said, I believe I owe you something now. I'm feeling generous, so for that answer, I'll take off more than one thing.”

He gets to his feet, and seemingly towering above you, he looks down at you as he unhooks his utility belt and drops it on the floor next to the rest of his gear. You can see that his breathing is becoming a little more shallow, and you wonder just how hard he is, hidden by that infernal codpiece. Off comes the armor on those lithe, muscular legs, along with the other utility pouches. Suddenly you don't feel so close to naked anymore, but now you wonder what he'll ask you to take off first. He sits back down next to you, looking up with eyes full of wonder.

“I can almost read your mind, Y/N. I will make it exceedingly easy for you. Take off your bra; it's beautiful, but those breasts of yours are so much more so. So much so, that once it's off, I want you to show me how you play with them when you're thinking about me.”

(Sister Machine Gun - Burn)

You almost let out a tiny squeak with his last sentence, but you find yourself actively wanting to show him. Besides, once you're done playing this game, you can always ask him to return the favor, and show you how he touches himself when he's fantasizing about you. Reaching behind you, you unhook the band and slide the straps down your shoulders, letting it fall into your hand, and holding it at arm's length, you wink at him, dropping it to the floor.

Swallowing hard, and trying to ignore the fact you've mostly soaked your panties through with your juices, your hands come to your chest, one hand squeezing, while the other pinches, rolls, and tugs at a nipple. You bite your lower lip and close your eyes, thinking about Tech pulling you down to the floor, unleashing his cock and taking you right then and there. Moaning softly, you show him just how much he affects you, and through doing this, show how much you adore him.

“That's it, cyar'ika, don't be shy...show me...teach me,” his voice getting husky with deep arousal now. “Please, baby, don't stop now...”

Breasts still in hand, you step in between his slightly parted legs, nudging his foot aside to make room for you between them. Tired of standing and feeling like you're a trophy upon a pedestal, you sink to the floor on your knees, sitting back on your feet. He has an overwhelming vision of grabbing and pulling you to his chest, sinking his tongue into your mouth for a deep kiss, bucking his hips up into you so you gasp at the sudden intrusion of his cock between your outer lips...

You flash a mischievous smile at him. He caves, as his hands come to rest on your hips, pulling you closer to him so quickly that you put your hands out in front of you to keep from falling. For a moment you hope you don't come crashing down face first on his codpiece, but you manage to get your hands on either side of him, your face a hair's breadth away from it.

A harsh gasp rises from you and you look up at him. He's unperturbed by your current position, and only wishes the codpiece was off so you could kiss him through the fabric of his blacks and feel how hard he is for you.

“I've got you, don't worry. Although I do believe it's prudent I ask the next question, don't you think? No, I won't ask another question like the last one...at least just yet. You look uncomfortable down there, love. Be a good girl, and sit in my lap. Here, let me help you.” Hands still on your hips, he pulls you toward him more so you can creep your way onto his lap. You don't want to sit down on him fully because you know he's hiding a massive erection under the codpiece, but you can still straddle him. You let your hands come to rest on his shoulders and he sighs contentedly, happy to finally have you in his arms after a particularly stressful day. Wanting to return the favor from earlier, your hands begin to gently massage his shoulders, and he's so tight and knotted up, he closes his eyes and lets out a soft moan.

“Mésh'la, please...you're distracting me!”

“Me? Distracting you? If that's not the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is!”

“All right, I concede...so here is your next question. What is a myelin sheath?”

Finally, an easy A & P question! “The myelin sheath forms around nerves, including those in the central nervous system. Composed of fatty substances and proteins, it allows electrical impulses to travel easily along nerve cells.”

A triumphant smile crosses your face and Tech's expression softens once again, his eyes smoldering with invisible fire. You know your panties are coming off next, but it's the manner in which they'll be removed that's in the front of your mind. His hands move down from your hips to your ass, squeezing your cheeks firmly, fanning the flames of desire ever higher within you.

Your hands move from his shoulders to rest on the back of his neck, stroking the soft flesh lightly and for a moment he lets out a brief moan. In return, his fingers sink just a little lower down your cheeks toward your outer lips, and you gasp as you feel him beginning to move your panties aside. A fingertip begins to draw its way over your lips, slick with moisture. You moan his name unbidden, wanting him to sink that finger deep inside you, but he knows the game you're playing, and he's not willing to play that hand just yet.

“Not just yet, Y/N. You should know better than that. Get those panties off, NOW.”

The razor sharp edge to that last word sends chills down your spine. He releases your ass and lets you climb off him, and as you stand between his knees, you look down upon him. He's got his hands behind his head now, looking up at you expectantly.

“Take them off now, cyaré, or I rip them off you, and I'm sure you'd like to keep them intact, yes?” “Yes, Tech,” you murmur, not exactly sure you still want to keep holding his gaze.

Hooking your thumbs under the waistband, you begin to roll your panties down, skinning them off slowly in a little bit of a striptease. You swirl your hips to and fro as you part your legs just a little bit as you get them all the way down, and as you step out them, you chuck them behind you, not really caring where they land.

You feel wetness beginning to seep from you freely now, and you shift your legs apart a little more so Tech can clearly see that there's a thin bead of your juices getting ready to drip on the floor. He's never seen this particular phenomenon up close before and you smile as you watch his eyes widen in surprise, and his lips part silently.

“This is what you do to me, Tech. You make me so fucking wet, my pussy weeps for joy. All for you, baby...all for you.”

You slip a hand between your legs and let your fingers pick up your wetness before it falls. Time to show him something else you do when he's not there, and you're thinking about him... You trail your fingertips through the cleft of your outer lips, picking up a great deal of moisture. As you bring your fingers back to your mouth to suck them clean, you see Tech activating the release for his codpiece in a big hurry, and he almost whips it off to the side as it lets go, and now you see what he's been trying carefully to keep under control.

Under his blacks, you see the prominent outline of his cock, fully hard, lying long and thick, begging to be released. You can't see anything because of the material, but you wonder if he's also wet for you; you've always loved seeing him ooze pre-cum for you, and as you've discovered, he loves it when you tell him you love how wet he is for you.

“Mésh'la, I need you to move out of the way. Let me get my boots off, and then you're going to come back and stand over my face. I must taste you, before your next question.”

(Asura – Crossroads Limiter)

You waste no time stepping back to let Tech ease himself back up onto the couch so he can get his boots off, which he does in what seems like record time, kicking them off to the side before sinking back to the floor and urging you to come forward with a few short waves of his hands. Carefully planting your legs on either side of him, he lets his head rest on the back of the couch cushion and puts a hand on your thigh. He's breathing hard now and his free hand has slipped down between his legs to start touching his cock through his blacks. He doesn't want to reveal himself to you just yet, but the mounting arousal can no longer be ignored.

You have a hand on the couch's armrest for a little stability as Tech bids you to lower yourself down within reach. Another bead of your juices threatens to fall, but this time Tech is ready with his dexterous and skilled tongue, ready to catch it. His cock twitches heavily under his hand, and you can feel the heat of his breath against your outer lips as his tongue traces its way through them, picking up every bit of wetness he can, as if he's starving.

“Let me feed you, Tech...you're so hungry... Eat your fill, my love...”

He moans deeply against you as you say this, the vibrations tickling you, making you twitch and squirm. The hand on your thigh begins to close down and squeeze as his tongue probes deeper now, slipping through your inner lips, very nearly to your entrance and now it's your turn to cry out sharply. Your clit begs and aches to have attention lavished upon it, but as you slip your free hand down to start touching it, your hand is pulled away.

“Not just yet...you don't get to play with yourself until I tell you, remember? As much as I'd love to eat you out right now, go sit back down. It's time for your next question. What are the four main components of physical science? I do not need any elaboration for this response.”

“Wow, this takes me back to my high school days,” you chuckle. “Let's see if I still remember all of them!”

“You'd better, because you know what will happen if you fail...and we're too far along for this to become a disappointment, cyaré...”

You swallow hard at his response, because you know he's serious. You're both too far along now to have this be a night of completely ruined edging and orgasms. You remember two of them immediately, but the other two are escaping you, and panic begins to set in once more. He's watching you intently as he continues to touch himself, letting out intermittent moans on purpose to help keep you focused.

“Uhh, well, I remember there's physics, chemistry...I'm having trouble with the other two.”

You look over at him and he just shakes his head at you, one eyebrow raised as if to say, “you're smarter than this, and you aren't getting my help.” He lets his head rest against the couch cushion again as he strokes himself through his blacks, and the hem of his shirt has ridden up his stomach just a little. Looking down, you can see the head of his cock peeking out of the waist of his pants and you suddenly get the chills, knowing that it's only a matter of time before he lets that beast out to play.

“Time's a-fleeting, honey. You'd better hurry up, because if you want any hope of riding my cock tonight, you will answer me.”

“Goddamnit, Tech,” you mutter, trying to focus the incessant loud chatter in your brain. “Okay, it's physics, chemistry...” You look over at your bookshelves for answers, hoping there's something there that will jog your memory. Books on botany, biology, genetics...no, that's not it. Wait...biology? Terrestrial sciences...yes, that's it!

“One minute, my love. It'd be prudent if you stopped wasting time.”

Physics, chemistry, Earth sciences (like meteorology and geology), and...and...come the fuck on, I know this!

You look out the expanse of windows to see that the storm finally stopped, and the clouds are beginning to dissipate. The glittering lights of the Uscru District seem to twinkle like stars, and then the light went on. It's so simple, and it's been here the entire time! “30 seconds, mésh'la. You really like pushing your luck, don't you?”

“Tech!” You look over at him and he picks his head up, blinking a little owlishly as he refocuses on you. “It's physics, chemistry, Earth sciences, and astronomy! Told you I knew it...and you know I don't have the greatest long term memory.”

“I am aware of your memory capabilities, and know it is a limitation for you. You have done well, and you're one step closer to being fully rewarded.”

Sitting up, he pulls off his shirt, and that is a gift unto itself. You long to touch every single inch of his finely chiseled chest and abs, kiss your way from his mouth all the way down to his cock, taking him in hands free in a small display of dominance of your own. The vision is so real, you can almost taste him. He leans back against the couch and gives you that irresistible sexy grin, and one of his hands comes back down to touch himself, not caring that his cock is now peeking prominently out of his pants. He's content to stroke himself through his clothing for as long as it takes.

“Just one more question, and then the real fun can begin,” he says lowly, his voice reminding you of roiling smoke. “I've been thinking about coming home and fucking you senseless all day...so much so that Hunter asked me if something was amiss, because of how unfocused I was. You are my undoing, cyaré, but I would not trade it for anything in this galaxy, or any other.”

You feel a deep twinge of arousal deep in your chest as he tells you this, and you close your eyes and moan his name, making a conscientious effort to not reach down and touch your clit as you do so. At this point, all you want is Tech to be touching you, gently swirling his thumb on the underside of your clit as his fingers stroke your insides, bringing you to a juicy wet orgasm...

“Tech, I'm ready...what's the next question?” You reach out and gently touch his calf, stroking your fingers over the soft material of his blacks. “Please don't make this one that spikes my anxiety again, okay? I'm not sure I can handle much more of that...”

“I promise you, Y/N, it won't be a question that made you panic like that first one. I am still impressed with your response to that, by the way.” He grins at you and slowly closes his eyes, trying to think of a question that will yield a response that will tie in with all of this foreplay. You look over at him expectantly, wondering if he'll keep his word. Without opening his eyes, his silken voice flows with the query: “the arrector pili muscles are responsible for what phenomenon?”

“I think you've finally realized that the A&P questions are where I generally feel most comfortable, Tech,” you chuckle. Tapping a fingertip to your lip, you try not to glance over at Tech, who has slid one of his thumbs into the waist of his blacks, and is ever so slowly beginning to pull downwards. He's still not looking at you, but he knows that you're unable to stop watching him.

“Arrector pili...hm, arrector pili...pretty sure this one is a dermatological term, if I'm not mistaken,” you muse.

“Two minutes, love. You should be thinking much harder about the answer, than about me getting my pants off,” he fires back.

“I wasn't...! Tech, I wasn't even...”

He starts laughing at you and now he finally opens his eyes. “You're wasting time again, mésh'la! Must you always do this?”

You'd love to just say “fuck you, Tech,” right about now, but you know how well that would go over. Grasping your ankles, you rest your head on your knees as you look around the room again. There's definitely nothing here to give you any visual clues like last time. You look over at Tech, and your breath catches in your throat as you see that while you've not been focusing, he's gotten his pants down to his knees, and as you look up at him, he cocks an eyebrow and then winks as he's now got his cock in his hand, and he is fully primed. Sudden chills zip down your spine and you feel yourself breaking out in goosebumps. Wait a minute...

“Hey, Tech? The arrector pili muscles are responsible for goosebumps, also known as horripilation, piloerection, or the pilomotor reflex!”

“That's my girl...I knew you could do it. For your reference, you responded with approximately one minute left. You are going to come over here now and finish taking my pants off for me, and when you're done with that, my cock is going in your mouth. Is that acceptable?”

You know your face is flushed, and behind your eyes, you feel the strong heat of arousal burning. Tiny pulsations deep within you trigger wetness to begin flowing once more as you crawl over between his feet, and grab hold of his pants, skinning them off with ease.

Before you comply with his request to start sucking his cock, you do something that momentarily catches him off guard, as it's nothing you've ever done before. Since he's sitting with his knees propped up, you curl an arm around one of his legs and then lean against him, pressing your face to the hot flesh, closing your eyes and savoring the moment. It isn't just arousal devouring your mind and body now, it's the deep love you have for Tech.

“Cyaré, is everything all right? A note of concern is quite detectable in his voice, and he begins to reach for you. Are you feeling ill? What's the matter?”

You sigh happily. “Nothing is wrong, Tech...don't worry.” You open your eyes and look at him, smiling softly. “I love you, Tech. As you said to me earlier, you're the most beautiful creature I've ever encountered in all my travels. Now let me come and take care of you. I can't wait to have you in my mouth...taste your wetness...maybe even let you come there, too...”

He certainly wasn't expecting this reaction and for once, the chatterbox that is Tech, is silent. You giggle and then let go of his leg, moving on all fours until you're right up against him. “Let me help you, baby, please...”you plead quietly.

Guiding his cock into your mouth with one hand, you slowly ease him in. You hear his breath hitch for a moment and he moans quietly as you ease him a little farther in; your free hand knows just what it needs to be doing to make this even better for him, and as you take him in as far as you can, your other hand closes around his balls, slowly squeezing and massaging him.

“M...mésh'la, don't stop... Be a good girl and suck my cock...”

(Aquascape – Phoenix Dance) His head falls back against the couch cushion and his legs close around you just a little. One of his hands comes to rest on the back of your neck lightly, and as you begin to suck on him, you feel him stroking the flesh there, sending more chills shooting down your spine. You always love it when he touches your ears and your neck, because he knows how wet it can make you, and like clockwork, wetness begins to slowly seep from you again.

Closing your eyes to refocus, you begin to move your head to and fro, tongue gliding effortlessly along the underside of his cock, sucking hard as you reach the tip, pulling away to let the tip of your tongue flick rapidfire, eliciting a sharp cry from Tech, and the hand on your neck closes down suddenly, pushing your head back down as he bucks his hips, nestling himself back inside the safe, hot haven of your mouth.

You moan deeply as that incredible thickness fills up your mouth, the vibrations traveling all the way down his cock, earning you quick flexing and even more swelling. You'll have to be careful, or he'll come too soon, and you want to make this special night even more special for the both of you.

You release his balls from your grasp, and you pull your mouth off him, purposely leaving a long trail of saliva behind. You're going to need two hands to stroke him adequately. Inwardly, you can't help but laugh because although he's never directly come out and tell you, it drives him wild when you give him super sloppy blowjobs.

He looks down at you and your eyes meet, and when he sees your tongue connected to his cock only by saliva, he starts to breathe faster and shallower. He can't remember a time when your eyes have shone this brightly, consumed with both love and sheer primal lust. He brings a hand under your chin gently with his index finger, lifting your head up.

“Y/N, do you know how beautiful you are when you have my cock in your mouth?”

You shake your head slightly. “Tech, let me feed...I'm so hungry!”

He lets go of your chin and his hand comes to the back of your head again. He starts pushing you down and your hands guide him back in to your waiting mouth. “Eat your fill, cyar'ika, there's more than plenty...that's the way...”

Grasping his cock tightly, as you draw him farther back in your mouth, your hands corkscrew their way down his shaft, gliding easily as you purposely let saliva dribble out of your mouth. As your hands come up to meet the head of his cock, you pull your mouth away, letting one of your hands close over him, massaging and stroking the sensitive underside with your thumb.

Tech begins to slowly buck his hips, and you hold your hands still for him, closing firmly around him once more, letting him feel that indescribable tightness that mimics what it's going to feel like for him once he decides he wants to fuck you. His moans have become much more frequent and louder, and you know you're pleasing him exactly the way he wants.

“Your cock feels so good in my hands, Tech... So perfectly hot and hard... Do you want my mouth again, baby? I'll suck you dry, if you want me to... You're so fucking beautiful, Tech...I love you...”

“Mésh'la, let me go right now, I'm getting too close,” he chokes out.

Immediately, you release him and his breath comes hard and fast. You can see a light sheen of sweat building on his forehead from the strain of trying to remain totally in control and not lose himself. You scoot back on your heels a little, and put your hands on his knees. In a flash, his hands grab your hips and suddenly you're being picked up and heaved onto the couch, your legs spread wide open for him, glistening with wetness.

“Now it's my turn,” he growls, and he brings his mouth close to your entrance, giving pause to stop and smell you. His olfactory senses are not as acute as Hunter's, but he can still detect pheromones at moderate levels, and right now, the scent of your dripping pussy is almost enough to send him over the edge without even having to touch himself.

Hands gripping your thighs, he lets his tongue snake out and drag through the cleft of your outer lips, picking up the delectable salty and slightly sweet taste of your juices. You let out a gasp of surprise at the sudden intrusion of his tongue, and then you moan his name deeply when he slips his tongue farther in, letting it work its way just inside your entrance, greedy to consume everything you can give him.

You realize he never gave you permission to touch yourself, but the pulsing in your clit is driving you mad. Slipping your hand down just enough so your fingers can graze the slightly retracted hood and the lustrous pearl of your clit, you get no more than a few seconds of contact before Tech's hand comes up and seizes your wrist. He pulls his mouth away from you, your wetness smeared across his face.

“Cyar'ika, once AGAIN, you're not allowed to play with yourself unless I give you permission. Until I tell you otherwise, your pussy is mine do with what I please. Is that understood?”

You're so flustered and aching for release that hot tears begin to prick the corners of your eyes. Your voice wavers slightly as you plead with him, hoping that he'll either let you touch yourself while he works your insides, or hoping that he'll slide his cock in, filling you to your absolute limits, and bang you like a broken screen door.

“Tech, please let me touch myself, I wanna come for you so badly...”

“I'm not ready for you to come, my love. You will wait, and when it's time, you'll be given release...not a moment before. Now, where was I? Oh, yes, just about ready to slide my fingers into you. You've been such a good girl for me so far, Y/N. You will be rewarded soon, I promise.”

He lets go of your wrist and then turns to plant light kisses on your trembling thighs. His lips moving across your flesh feel like butterfly wings, and as he kisses his way down your thigh, he plants kisses on your pubic mound, before turning his attention to the treasure at the center of it all. You hold back a scream of pleasure as his mouth closes over your clit, and as he begins to suck on it, one of his fingers begins to push into you.

(Delerium - Serenity)

Your hands grope the couch cushion blindly, looking for something to hold onto as you watch him digitally penetrate you. No such luck, and you begin to swirl your hips gently in an attempt to get Tech to pick up the pace and start fucking you with those gorgeous long fingers of his. As you did to him, he now does to you, and pulls his mouth away to let his tongue flick effortlessly over your fully engorged clit, chuckling to himself as he pushes a second finger inside you.

Even now, you feel quite stuffed with just his fingers, and the thought of eventually taking his cock triggers another seep of wetness. He moans deeply as he feels the gush around them, and it doesn't take him long to find the tiny spot within your walls that when properly triggered, makes you come hard and productively.

Tech closes his mouth over your clit once again, swirling his tongue across it while alternating with sucking it like you would his cock, letting his head bob just a little bit as he does so. Your head falls back against the back of the couch as now he begins to move his fingers fore and aft within you, gently hooking the tips up so he can stroke that little sweet spot. He has no intentions of letting you come just yet, but he's more than content to edge you.

Deep seated groans of pleasure escape you as he continues his delicious torture. You feel yourself starting to grow close to orgasm, and as much as you want to come, you need him to fuck you good and hard first. “Tech, slow down, I'm getting close,” you nearly sob. You moan his name repeatedly in attempts to get him to stop, but he's purposely ignoring you.

“Cyaré, if you keep moaning any louder, what will the neighbors think?” he murmurs as he pulls his mouth away once more. He can feel your walls starting to constrict around his fingers, the telltale sign that your orgasm is getting ready to break.

The obscene squelching noises his fingers are making as he's stroking your insides is the other tell that you're ready to take him. He slows the gentle stroking and then carefully pulls his fingers out, reaching back down between his legs to start stroking himself once more, using your juices as lube.

“Fuck the neighbors, Tech, I don't care what they think!”

“I don't want to fuck the neighbors, love...I'm only interested in fucking you. Move forward just a little bit, please...” He shifts positions as you move yourself right to the edge of the couch, propping yourself up on your elbows. With cock in hand, he shows you exactly what he wants, stroking his thick length slowly, eyes locked on yours the entire time. “Tell me, Y/N, what shall I do with this, hm?”

You're trying to control your breathing, which has long since become erratic. Your face flushes with intense heat once again, and even though Tech is quite composed, it's taking every ounce of his being to stay in control. “Tech...please,” you whimper. You're not even sure how much you have left to beg him. “Fuck me, Tech, I can't wait anymore... Slide that big cock in me and fuck me senseless...”

“Are you sure, mésh'la? As much as I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your begging, there's one thing to which I cannot say no, when it comes to you.”

He doesn't wait for a reply from you asking what that one thing is, as he positions himself in line with your entrance, and slowly begins to push his way inside. This time that scream can't be held back, and your hands fly to his forearms, gripping them so hard your nails dig furrows in his flesh. He lets out a hiss of shock, rather than one of pain, and his eyes narrow. You've never been quite this way before with him, but as you pull his arms forward in an attempt to get him to push his cock in even deeper, he's more aroused than ever by this primal behavior.

His eyes close and his head falls back a little as he slides ever deeper into you, his girth stretching your inner walls to what feels like their maximum. You feel especially tight, and he can't help but let out a deep sigh, followed by an equally deep moan as you squeeze your walls around him, creating exquisite friction. It would be very easy to lose control and come inside you far too soon, but there's something he'd like to try with you tonight, that the two of you have never done before.

“Cyar'ika,” he groans, “take my cock...take all of it...you're so fucking wet for me...”

You begin to swirl your hips just as he finally parks himself inside you fully, the head of his cock lovingly kissing your sweet spot and your cervix. Letting go of the death grip you have on his arms, now you reach for his hands, closing yours around his as he begins to move. He rocks his hips slowly, watching himself move in and out of you, the sounds of your cries the finest music he's ever heard.

“Oh, Tech,” you moan airily as you squeeze his hands. “Harder...faster...this pussy's all yours, Tech. Ner cyaré...please, I love you...” You've never spoken a word of Mando'a before now, but you learned what some of the terms of endearment are, considering how frequently all of the guys used them with you.

Tech squeezes your hands hard and for a brief moment, you could swear he's getting misty eyed. “...Your accent is a touch peculiar, my love, but...it will suffice. Ni kar'taylír darásuum...”

He lets go of your hands, running his own from your hips down to your silky inner thighs. Closing his hands gently around them, he honors your request, and the lazy thrusting becomes faster and more insistent. Soon he finds a pleasant rhythm that sends you into a state of deep bliss, your moaning constant and deep.

Tech curls his arms under your legs near your hips, pulling you in closer to him as he begins to fuck you just a little harder, slipping over your sweet spot, teasing your walls to start constricting around him...calling for you to touch yourself and bring about the ultimate release... You bring your hand down between your legs one more time, giving pause before touching your hard, swollen clit.

“Tech, please...let me,” you nearly whimper. “Let me come for you...I want you to watch me come on your cock...”

He lets out a harsh groan as you squeeze him tightly, urging him to spill inside you. “Permission granted, mésh'la, but when you're at the eclipse, you must stop...” He slows his pace now, knowing that it can be difficult for you to get close to, or have an orgasm, if he's fucking you too fast. “It's all right, love, show me how you touch yourself when you're fantasizing about me...”

(Lords of Acid - Venus)

You pick up wetness on your fingertips by letting them run over his cock as he pulls back from you, stopping just before he's all the way out. He flexes hard under your touch, amazed by how sensuous you're being, moaning softly as you slowly retract the hood of your clit, the beautiful pink pearl underneath glistening with moisture. You close your eyes to help focus, as your fingertips begin to swirl over the hot nub of flesh; Tech slips his way back inside as you, exhaling sharply as he watches you touch yourself.

“That's it, Y/N, show me how...” he whispers hotly.

A deep sigh lets loose from you as your fingertips draw concentric circles around your clit, then along the sides, and finally underneath, flicking it gently like you would with your tongue on his cock. “Tech, you make me feel so fucking good...look how hard I am for you...” With each deep stroke from him gliding along your sweet spot, the pulsing in your clit continues to grow, and you know you're starting to get close. Everything pulling into a singularity, seemingly crackling with electricity...

As he watches you swirl your fingers a little harder over your clit, he instinctively knows that you're on your ascent. Your gaze meets with his once more, and his eyes are so full of love and deep desire as you share this level of intimacy with him. Faster you work yourself, and subconsciously your back begins to arch upward, your inner walls squeezing his cock like a vise.

“Cyar'ika, slow down, I can feel you getting too close,” he warns. “If it's all right with you, there's something I've always wanted to try with you...will you let me?” He starts pulling out of you as he makes sure you're not touching yourself anymore. As he does, you adopt a mock pouting expression. He's used to you doing this to him to be purposely annoying, but he's not having it now. “Don't be a little brat, Y/N, or I'll stop right now!”

You recoil slightly, and in a small voice, utter words you normally wouldn't for him: “I'll be a good girl, Tech, I promise. You can try anything with me, you know that. What do you have in mind?”

“Let me help you up, and I'll show you. I promise you, I think you will really enjoy this,” he says, getting to his feet, and taking your hands in his to pull you up off the couch. “Come on, mésh'la, follow me; we're not going far.”

He leads you around the back of the couch, then takes your hips in his hands as you wrap your arms around his shoulders. At long last, your lips finally connect in a deep, passionate kiss...his tongue slipping through your lips, moaning deeply into your mouth as your tongue collides with his. “You taste so good, my love...if I'm not mistaken, I do believe you've been drinking desert wine tonight, have you not?,” he murmurs, softly kissing the corners of your mouth, then your forehead.

You can't help but laugh at this. “Shit...you caught me, honey. But you know I can't help myself when it comes to desert wine!” Returning the favor, you cradle his face in your hands and bring your forehead to his, before kissing it gently. “So...what is it you wanted to try, Tech? The suspense is killing me,” you say, with a little bit of sass.

He returns to gently kiss you a few more times, his lips lingering just above yours as he whispers, “why don't you turn around, and I'll show you, hmm? Here, let me help you.” Suddenly, he spins you around and pushes you over the back of the couch. Yelping, you put your hands out to brace yourself as you're bent over, standing on tiptoes as Tech pushes your feet apart. You are fully exposed to him with no way to stop whatever he has in mind.

You hear him laugh softly as he drops to his knees, and then you feel his hands on your ass, kneading the flesh firmly before he begins to spread them apart. For a moment you think he's going to try and feed his cock into your ass, but instead, you feel his tongue plunge into your pussy, gathering every bit of your wetness. Back to your clit he goes, hungry mouth closing over it once more to suck and tease briefly, before pulling away and standing back up.

“I will never tire of seeing you spread open for me like this, cyar'ika... Now take my cock all the way, like a good girl!”

You moan loudly as you feel him press the thick head of his cock flush against your entrance once more. Taking your hips in his hands, he begins to push his way back in so slowly, it's agonizing. He groans deeply as your insides begin to swallow him whole, and once more, he looks down to watch himself disappearing inside you. As he buries himself all the way in, he flexes hard a few times, making you squirm and cry out as you try to get your feet on the floor.

“Don't fight me, baby... Relax, cyaré, I've got you,” he says reassuringly. You feel him pick you up by the hips just a little, relieving the stress in your legs, and now he begins to fuck you, slowly rocking his hips up against your ass, stretching your insides to the maximum. “Take my cock, Y/N, it's all yours,” he moans, as he feels you squeeze your walls against him once more, coaxing him to let go inside you.

“Tech, faster...harder...” you cry, eyes shut as he rocks you into a state of sheer bliss.

Something between a sigh and a deep moan rises from Tech as as he picks up the pace, hands gripping your hips tightly. As a moth is drawn to flame, his gaze can't be pulled from watching himself slip in and out of you effortlessly; it is an endless fascination. You hear his breathing becoming increasingly ragged the harder he fucks you, and you can feel him beginning to swell with each successive stroke. All you want him to do now is push forward with one final surge, lock himself in place, and come hard for you while moaning your name...

“You're so close, baby...come for me, please...fill me up!” you cry.

“Not...just...yet...” he groans, slowing his pace down yet again. He's panting heavily with exertion now, and his grip lessens on your hips. “There's just one more thing I want to experience with you before you and I both have our release...”

You want to scream in frustration as he pulls out of you, but you feel his chest pressing down on your back as his arms come underneath you to lift you up. Your legs feel like wet noodles, and you're afraid you'll fall to the floor, but Tech's strong hands hold you tight against him, his damp cock poking you in the back. Your heart is racing now, feeling slightly apprehensive over what he has in mind.

(Sundial Aeon – Our Eternity)

“Hold still, cyar'ika, I'm going to pick you up. Put your hands behind my neck and hold on. There's something I want you to see.” “See? Tech, what are you...agh, Tech!” you cry out as his hands come down between your legs, resting on your hamstrings as he begins to lift you up. You raise your arms and slip your hands behind his neck as he asks, your head resting against his shoulder. “Tech, this feels so strange,” you moan softly, eyes tightly shut.

“Bear with me, my love...this is new to me, too. Let us learn together,” he murmurs with his nose buried in your hair. Once he has you securely in position, he turns around and slowly moves toward the full-length mirror that is mounted on the closet. It doesn't dawn on you what he has in mind until he stops in front of it. “Look, ner cyaré...look at yourself with a set of fresh eyes.”

You open your eyes and see your reflections in the mirror, Tech looking at you with a serene, loving gaze, holding you perfectly steady, mere inches above the perfect curvature of his thick cock. The soothing blue-green light encompassing the living room serves to accentuate every curve and line of both your bodies. A small gasp of awe leaves you, as you're reeling from how beautiful both of you look.

“By the Maker, Tech...this is unreal,” you say quietly. “Look at us...”

“There are times when I feel like you do not appreciate yourself, mésh'la...as if you do not understand your importance or worth. I want you to see yourself the way I do...as a most resplendent star. With darkness spreading unchecked across the galaxy, I know your light will always guide me home.”

You feel a thick lump in your throat and you can feel yourself getting misty eyed. He's never spoken like this to you before, but you know every single last word is true. Tech is not one to mince words, nor speak half truths. Coming from the man who couldn't even hold your gaze for more than a few seconds at a time, and who was so shy that it took him months to gather the courage to ask if he could hold your hand... This is nothing but love of the highest order, girlie...if you needed any more proof of his devotion to you, this is it.

“Tech...” “Just breathe, baby. Here we go.”

With that, he lowers you down until you feel the head of his cock nudging against your entrance. Moaning lustily, your legs begin to tremble as he brings you down further on him, that beautiful heat and fullness taking over your senses once again. You watch your reflection as he fills you, clit pulsing wildly. You've never seen yourself being spread open like this and penetrated, and the enormity of how arousing this all is, is almost overwhelming.

“Fuuuuuuuck,” you moan deeply, “this pussy's all yours, Tech...”

He lets out a deep moan as he finishes lowering you into place, feeling you constrict your walls around him. “That's right, cyaré...it is!” Now you witness the extent of Tech's immense physical strength as he begins to lift you just a little so he can start fucking you. You watch the mirror transfixed, unable to tear your eyes away from watching him spear you; even in this light, you can see his cock glistening with wetness. Your clit peeks out from its hood, thick and swollen, begging to finally be caressed over the edge.

“Tech...let me come, please,” you manage to utter in between uncontrollable moaning.

“Move with me, mésh'la. I want to watch you come all over my cock... I won't let you go,” he replies gently.

With that, you start to bounce on his cock each time he thrusts upward, your eyes never leaving the mirror, watching Tech's musculature ripple as the two of you quickly find a common rhythm in your motions. You feel his chest heaving against you, breath coming hard and fast as he fucks you. It's when the low, ceaseless moaning starts that you know it's time for you to finish yourself off and give him the ultimate release.

Carefully you release one hand from his neck and bring it down between your legs. You've been edged so much tonight that an orgasm will not take very long, and you know Tech is well on his way to his, for you feel him beginning to swell just a little more inside you with each upward surge. Swirling your fingertips over your wet, hard pearl once more, the electricity returns quickly. Amplified by his cock sliding over your sweet spot, you let out a deep moan as you feel the tiny contractions beginning to swarm and intensify.

“Oh, Tech, I'm getting so close...” you groan as you tighten your grip on the back of his neck.

“I know, cyaré, don't hold back...let it all go,” he whispers. “Give me everything you have...I love you, baby.”

You feel everything beginning to pull inwards into that little singularity, every nerve ending in your clit ablaze, your very breath streaming fire. Tech slows his pace down just a little, moaning deeply as your fingers press into his neck. He can't tear his gaze away as you swirl your hips lightly, stroking your clit for all it's worth, just about at your peak. His cock swells yet tighter within you, and you know he's just about to come, too.

“Cyaré, please...”

“Tech, my good boy, I love you,” you gasp, before unleashing a near-scream as your orgasm breaks, writhing in his arms as the waves of pleasure flood your body.

His hands squeeze your thighs hard as he tries to get you under some semblance of control, before he bucks his hips up hard into you a few short times before you feel him swell to maximum within you. He buries his face against your hair as he exhales sharply, deep moans vibrating against you as he starts to come. Crying out his name as you feel him flex hard a few times, he finishes depositing the last of his seed, then immediately starts fucking you again, still riding the highs of his orgasm.

You're caught off guard by this, and your free hand comes back up around his neck to hold on for dear life. Each successive thrust means you're steadily dripping an admixture of fluids all over the floor, but you couldn't care less. Your gaze returns to the mirror, and you watch breathlessly as Tech runs blindly on sheer instinct. You're both bathed in sweat, your hair completely disheveled, and his lenses are starting to slide down his face a little... “Bear down, mésh'la,” Tech chokes out. “I want to see you push that load out.”

“Whatever you want, ner cyaré,” you reply. “Look up, baby, or you might miss it!”

Tech's attention returns to the mirror, a blissful smile on your face awaiting him. He buries his cock deep in you one last time, then quickly lifts you off him as you let your pelvic floor take over, pushing hard as his cock slips out of you. His eyes go wide in amazement as a gush of fluid comes out of you, spattering all over the floor, with some of it managing to hit the mirror, too.

You can't help but let out a gasp when you see what you've done, and then you start to laugh when you catch Tech's expression – he's completely dumbfounded. He starts to sink down to the floor, bringing you with him, carefully setting you down. Looking back at the mirror, you can see the wetness slowly rolling its way down, and you're feeling pretty proud of yourself for rendering Tech speechless. You look over at him and he pushes his lenses back into place, shaking his head a little.

“Cyar'ika... You are absolutely incredible. But I must ask...all of that...that wasn't all mine, was it?”

You grin and shake your head. “No, Tech, it wasn't. A good part of it was all mine. Pretty sure this is the first time you've ever made me do that, too.”

“Beyond fascinating,” he murmurs, tapping his index finger against his cheek. “I think I must explore this a lot more with you, if that's all right.”

You lean over and kiss the corner of his mouth softly, then slip your tongue in for a deep, loving kiss. “Anytime you'd like, Tech. I can't believe everything that's happened tonight, and I must admit, you are quite creative....”

He chuckles softly. “Contrary to popular belief, mésh'la, I do have good ideas from time to time.” Painstakingly, he gets to his feet and braces himself on the back of the couch, momentarily unsure of his ability to not collapse after all that. “Why don't you go fix up your...nest, and I'll clean all this up.”

You do as he asks, rearranging the giant pile of blankets before burying yourself within them. You feel like your entire body is glowing, radiating not just heat, but all of the love you have for Tech. Exhaustion finally sets in, and it's not long before Tech joins you in your nest, pulling you up on him so your head rests on his chest, his arm around you protectively.

“Tech? I want to do game night again some time, if you want,” you murmur sleepily.

“Oh, is that so? Even after all I subjected you to?”

“Mhmm...but next time, I get to pick the game.”

[suncchaser]

Misogyny in the Marauders Fandom

DISCLAIMER: This is not a personal attack. I have spoken on this topic a couple of times already on this blog and I simply decided to make a separate post to compile all my thoughts on this because this is a topic that is important TO ME. If you find it annoying, or ranty or unnecessary, you are entitled to your opinion. Also, I am not a native English speaker, so I apologize in advance for any possible mistakes. 

Since I created this blog, I have been open about my opinion that the Marauders fandom (and the Harry Potter fandom in general), like many others (I would dare say most others) is incredibly misogynistic. This is an opinion I have held for many, many years and one that I have seen a lot of people share, but usually with a lot of backlash from the people who tend to disagree. And that backlash tends to come with a certain degree of cynicism that bothers me quite a bit. 

Every single time I have seen discussions on this topic, the concept of misogyny being used is always incredibly simplistic. Misogyny isn’t the mere concept of hating women. It goes deeper than that. Every single one of us, regardless of gender identity and sexuality (because some people on this app think being attracted to women absolves them from misogyny), have ingrained prejudices against women simply because of the society we operate in. We are taught these things from a very young age and it’s hard to unlearn them. I am writing this as a 25 year old woman who needs to check herself quite often because I am not perfect and like everyone else, I have these prejudices too. And these biases will manifest on every aspect of our lives and interactions, including on how we engage with fandom because our actions do NOT exist in a vacuum. It’s all a manifestation of who we are as people.

Does this mean every single Marauders fan who chooses to engage with primarily male-centered and mlm content is a horrible person? Of course not. The main point I have been trying to make is more often than not, these biases are not at all conscious. There is no ill-intent behind their actions. That’s why I keep saying it has never been a personal attack on anyone. It has always been a broader discussion on a broader issue. 

One of the most common rebuttals I have seen when this topic is brought up is the idea that the fandom is so male-centered because most of the characters we have any canon development on are men and therefore we should blame J.K Rowling for not writing women better. We can blame J-K Rowling for many things because there are indeed many problematic things in the Harry Potter books, including misogyny in her treatment of female characters. However, that argument does not apply here for more than one reason. 

The first reason and the most blatant is how proudly this side of the fandom has distanced themselves from canon. So, you cannot in one moment say “we don’t care that (insert male character the fandom has decided to assign a sob story) was a bad person in the books because we don’t care about canon” while at the same time, blaming canon for the reason why the female characters do not get a fraction of the attention male characters get. You either care for canon or you don’t. 

The second reason and I have mentioned that several times before is the characters the fandom chooses to develop from the crumbs we get in the books. Regulus, Barty and Evan have been the three male characters who have had a massive surge in popularity since around four/five years ago and at the moment, I would dare say they are the three most popular characters outside of James, Sirius and Remus, who are basically the main characters of this era. While Barty was an important character in the Goblet of Fire, Regulus and Evan are no more than mentions and were not important at all to the story (do not lecture me about Regulus, he has a cool and interesting backstory but it has no impact on the story apart from giving Kreacher substance and make things harder for the trio) and yet, they are incredibly loved. Who they were in canon - blood supremacist terrorists - has been watered down, pushed aside and they have been given characterisations that victimize them and make them more sympathetic towards the audience. Yet, female characters like Marlene and Dorcas, who we know were members of the Order of the Phoenix and actively fighting against Voldemort, are nowhere near as developed as them, even though they have such wonderful potential and are as blank of sheets as the boys are. Same with Pandora, who is the mother of a beloved character in the main series. The fandom had five characters here to flesh out and develop, yet only the male characters were given that treatment. It was a choice. 

One other thing that has bothered me for a long time is how often, the female characters are treated as accessories to further the men’s storylines. They serve as therapists, token friends, a little object to create drama between the mlm ships. Take Pandora and Dorcas as an example. I am not going to lie, I avoid anything related to the Slytherin Skittles and despite my greatest efforts and the fact everything I have learned about them has been against my will, I know and understand the backstories that were created for Regulus, Evan and Barty. I know what their fanon motivations were. I know nothing about Dorcas and Pandora despite the fact I have tried my hardest to look into it because I actually have interest in those two. Because their storylines make no sense, their motivations aren’t explored, they are there to make the three male characters more sympathetic. How does Dorcas go from being a Slytherin student and friends with wannabe DEs and blood supremacists, which was never a dealbreaker for her because she loved them apparently, to being a member of the OoTP, so important that she’s killed by Voldemort in person? What makes you think that Dumbledore would even trust her to allow her in the Order? He wouldn’t. How does Pandora go from being a Rosier, a member of a very prejudiced pure-blood family with a DE father, twins with an aspiring DE and friends with two others (at the very least very prejudiced), and despite being portrayed as super passive and never standing up against them, she is not corrupted by their beliefs and seemingly goes on to raise one of the purest characters in the whole series. Because yes, Pandora raised Luna for nine years of her life, so the way Luna is is undoubtedly a lot to do with how Pandora was. It doesn’t make any sense. But it’s not supposed to make sense because they are there just to serve a purpose and not to be their own characters. 

I have also talked about Lily and how her character has been treated since Jegulus gained popularity. Lily, who was always the most prominent and developed female character in the Marauders fandom, has been sidelined and pushed to the background for the sake of another mlm ship with zero canon basis. James remained one of the most popular characters, a part of one of the more popular ships, still center stage while Lily was the one to be shoved aside in order to make this fandom even more male-centered than it already was.

And since then, her character has been treated horribly. Vilified, humiliated, turned into an incubator, had her son turned into a “jegulus baby” because this fandom hasn’t learned to create OCs when they want mlm ships to have kids rather than take the children from the women and remove them from the narrative (also side-eyeing Wolfstar shippers who do it with Teddy because where the FUCK do you think the name Teddy even came from?). I will leave some examples below:

The bottom line is the interest for female characters and any relationship involving them, whether it’s wlw and wlm, is much less compared to the interest the fandom has for the male characters mlm ships. And there is no explanation for this apart from misogyny. And like I said above, it may not be ill-intended or conscious but it doesn’t change what it is. Whenever I see defensiveness on this topic, whether here on Tumblr or on Twitter, I always check their pages and I find the same thing nearly every time. They will have a wlw ship on their bios that they never mention a single time in the midst of their 200 posts per week on their favourite mlm ship. They will scream to the skies they do not ship Jily because they headcanon Lily as a lesbian and it has nothing to do with their favourite mlm ship but the only lesbian Lily is mentioned on their pages is indeed in relation to their favourite mlm ship. 

Instead of attacking people, maybe it would be better to reflect a little on why you refuse to engage with content about the women and only seem to have any interest about the men. And if you find yourself not caring, at least acknowledge why you don’t care about your internalized misogyny rather than becoming defensive about it.

[everythingpeaches]

In which Remus has needs and Sirius is eager to earn his forgiveness.

The issue with forgiveness is that as soon as it enters the mind as a possibility, it is almost impossible not to act upon it.

Remus wants to be stoic. He wants to draw it out, treat the issue with the severity it deserves and wait for forgiveness to be earned. Remus also has needs.

He still isn't really talking to Sirius, not properly. They all sit together now, the marauders reunited, and they have conversations which include all four of them without Sirius and Remus having to actually talk to one another directly.

Sirius is too grateful for this half-peace that he dare not overstep, dare not push for more. He is quiet and appeasing, rolling over and showing his belly whenever Remus looks his way.

Remus is cold, a little cruel with his words and withholding of emotion. He takes a sort of pleasure in it, like sinking nails into Sirius' skin. It's not healthy for either of them, but it's better than before.

With Sirius present again in his life, Remus is having a hard time with his feelings. His emotional feelings, certainly, but more dangerous still are the more physical desires that are resurfacing after weeks apart, because Sirius is beautiful and even if Remus hates him he also loves him, and he's hormonal and very, very horny.

It's becoming a problem.

Remus isn't sure he even fancied Sirius this much back before they started dating, when it was all longing looks and imagination. He's finding it very difficult to concentrate on anything.

He should really be focusing on his OWL studies, the exams are approaching with alarming speed, but instead he finds himself watching Sirius.

He watches him over the table at meal times, laughing and throwing his head back so that his long pale neck is stretched and exposed. He watched him at quidditch practice, thighs tight around his broom. Worse still is in their dormitory, topless and wet haired. It's driving him insane.

'I've lost my mind,' he says to Lily one day. They're in the library, Remus is supposed to be studying for defence against the dark arts but he can't get past the first sentence in the chapter of his book.

'Perhaps,' Lily says, not looking up from her notes, 'You need to get it out of your system.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, you two have always been a bit... intense. I know it's still tricky between you, but who knows maybe a bit of rough and ready is what you both need.'

'Lily!' Remus exclaims, heat flushing up his neck. The red head laughs, looking up from her papers with a wicked smile.

'I'm just saying,' she says, going back to scratching away with her quill, 'Sometimes it's easier to talk without words.'

Remus isn't one to ignore good advise, nor is he one to deny himself something he wants for long.

Opportunity arrises earlier than he expected, that very same night when he and Sirius both find themselves alone, hiding in a 2nd floor broom cupboard from Filch. Peter is somewhere under the floorboards, scurrying away on four tiny paws, and James is under the cloak so has no need for a hiding place.

Remus had grabbed Sirius and dragged him into the confined space without really thinking. Now the door was shut, and he was suddenly very aware of how close the other boy was to him.

'Erm,' Sirius says, shifting a little awkwardly, 'I think I'm stood in a bucket.' He shakes his foot and there's a sound like a rattling suit of armer.

'Sh!' Remus hisses, heat crawling up his neck.

'Sorry,' the other boy whispers. 'Are you alright? You're breathing funny.'

'I'm fine,' Remus says quickly. He is trying to focus on anything other than the feel of Sirius' breath on his cheek, or the way the other boy's leg keeps bumping against his own.

'Are you sure, it's just- oh.' Sirius cuts off, leg bumping against something else of Remus'. 'Oh.'

'Shut up,' Remus says. He wants to die.

'I didn't say anything,' Sirius replies, his voice taking on a new tone. 'I can help you with that, if you like?'

He's standing closer than is necessary, even in these very cramped conditions.

'Stop it. I'm still very cross with you.'

'Well then,' Sirius says, voice dark and dangerous, 'Let me earn your forgiveness.'

Remus already knows he is going to give in. He has appalling self control, and Sirius' fingers have started dancing across his hip bone in a way that makes it hard to think.

'This doesn't mean I forgive you.'

'I know.'

He's kissing Remus' neck now.

'I mean... I'm really...' He's not sure what he is trying to say, thought leaving his brain entirely as Sirius' lips come in contact with the soft skin beneath his ear.

'Let me show you how sorry I am,' Sirius says.

'Okay,' Remus replies.

When Lily sees Remus next in the common room, she takes one look at him and bursts out laughing.

'See, I always give the best advice,' she says with a wicked grin.

Remus blushes, but secretly he quite agrees.

[futurequibblerjournalist]

Hihi!! :3

I'd love a yap session about your fav Knights!! If u want ofc :D

If not,, some Marauders content would be super cool!!!! Especially for Remus!! I'd love to hear about his parents and his relationship with them, but I'd be 100% totally and honestly down for anything!! Ooh defo any headcanons for him! Ahhh wowie I feel so special with all the attention uve given me !!

Have a good day :33

- 🍃

It's been so long since I've gotten to answer one of your asks vjfnjgnbg I've missed iiiiiit,,, it's been so fun answering your asks!!

I’m gonna be talking more about the actual knights of Walpurgis but I’m gonna take this as an excuse to talk about my girl Lucretia cause I love her so much

Her full name is Lucretia Elladora Black and she’s born in 1925 though I’ve yet to set an actual birthday for her,, I need to figure that out. She was born with Esotropia in her right eye, polydactyly (she had extra pinkies when she was born but they were removed) and she’s infertile (these are all because of the inbreeding that the Black family is known for).

She’s in the same year as Walburga at school and she was obviously a Slytherin. She was the seeker for the Slytherin quidditch team (though her brother and cousin would often somewhat tease her that it was not proper).

Her best subject is potions and she’s very fond of them. Other hobbies, save for quidditch, include entomology (specifically lepidopterology) and a fascination for the French language. She’s also quite interested in the magical artefacts that the Black family possesses.

She grew up in 12 Grimmauld Place with her younger brother Orion (he’s four years younger than her) and their parents Arcturus and Melania Black. Their house elf was Kreacher when she was growing up and like the woman, she got her middle name after she was notoriously bad to the house elves

I picture her with very long, sleek obviously black hair with bangs, upturned grey eyes, lips that are fuller in the upper lip, a long nose and a beauty spot under her right eye and one on her left cheekbone. She’s tall for like,, Black family standards but that’s not really saying a lot? She’s taller than both Walburga and Orion but just a smidge shorter than Cygnus and Alphard. She got narrow shoulders, average bust and a tiny waist and her skin is incredibly pale like the rest of the family’s.

I think she’s the one who starts out with a crush on Ignatius and everyone considers her a bit of a bitchy mean girl cause she’s one of the girls from the Black family and she’s got a fairly stern personality and a resting bitch face but when she’s around Ignatius she’s all giggly and smiling and twirling her hair and I think she spends a lot of time trying to subtly talk him up and get either her brother or her cousins to approve of him

As for Remus!!! Ahhh I love him so much cjnfjcnf

He was born to Lyall and Hope Lupin on March 10 1960 in Abergavenny, Wales, after the two got married. Lyall is a half-blood born to parents Ulric and Altalune in 1929 also born in Abergavenny. I really like Polish Hope who moves to England/Wales at some point after the war. She is, as we know, a muggle. She meets Lyall, they have their whole meet-cute with the boggart and they get married. Neither thought that they would end up having children but they had Remus as a surprise and he made them both very happy.

I am not a Remus has distant parents/parents that hate him/anything of that sort kind of person. He’s got parents that deeply love him and that are trying their best with him despite the situation they end up with, with Remus’s lycanthropy and that shapes Remus as a person!!! Which is why it’s so important!!! He is gentle in spite of everything partially because he has been surrounded by it for all of his childhood. He’s not been able to have friends but he’s had parents and especially a mother who tried her best to make sure he wasn’t missing anything

I think Remus is really close with his mum, he’s a bit of a mummy’s boy. He’s less close with Lyall, but that’s mostly because Lyall struggles to approach him sometimes because he feels guilty for what happened to Remus because of his actions.

As for some Remus headcanons:

He grew up in a dual faith household with Lyall being Christian (though not particularly practicing) and Hope being Jewish

Blonde Remus!!! It gets darker with age but it’s still light enough to be called blonde. He’s also got hazel/green-ish eyes and a shit tonne of freckles

The nose on this guy!!! Yes,, big < 3

He smokes menthols. He hides that he smokes from his parents but especially his mother

His closest friends are Peter and Lily. He considers Sirius and James very close friends as well of course, but I think he always thinks that there’s a bit of a distance between them cause they’re “so much cooler than him”

I think he met Peter on the train before he met anyone else and the two bonded. This is why Remus was so adamant that Sirius and James include Peter in their group because he refused to exclude his first friend

Feels like stating the obvious but huge collection of jumpers

On that note, Hope knits him stuff like all the time, he’s got knitted vests, knitted jumpers, knitted socks, the whole lot. Hope will sometimes knit socks for James, Sirius and Peter as well and ask him to bring them along

He grew up in many different places since they were forced to move around a lot, but the place he stayed the longest was a fairly remote cottage that he’s very fond of. It’s not particularly fancy, but it’s very cozy and homey

For the wolfstar fans out there I think Remus is the gangliest most awkward looking motherfucker and people are always confused when they learn that wolfstar is a thing because of all people Sirius Black could end up with he chose the one who looks like he’s been through a paper shredder?

A very good storyteller I feel? If he reads a book out loud he makes different voices for the characters, but even if he’s just telling a story in general it’s always very engaging

On that note he speaks a lot with his hands

He’s a horrible dancer lol

A lot of people headcanon that Remus is very warm I feel, but I imagine he feels cold all the time even if to other people he feels warm yk?

I don’t think he’s a bad singer, he might be kinda average, but he thinks he’s an awful singer. He’ll at most do a bit of humming in a very low vibrating voice and he usually does this either when he’s cooking or when he’s in the shower

When he blushes the tips of his ears also get really red

He is the farthest thing from a morning person. It’s almost always a race in the morning to see whether Sirius or Remus will toss a pillow at James first when he’s trying to get them to get up

Remus would wear full pyjamas but none of it would match

He really likes chocolate with orange crunch in it

I could see him being the kind of person to call people love (even more so when he’s older), especially in casual passing like if he bumps into someone he’ll go “oh, sorry, love” without really thinking about it

His favourite subjects are Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms

I think that's all I've got for now? I have other asks that vaguely include him so there might be some more coming at some point vjfnbjgnb but yeah ahhhh thank you for the ask have some moodboards as well < 3

[potentialbreakupscng]

@wizardingsouls continued from here.

it isn't just her that's noticed the tension between the marauders. it started last year, something had changed about remus that even made her question what was going on with him. halfway through the year the marauders suddenly weren't speaking anymore, remus shut himself off from everyone -- including her. she'd put a stop to that almost immediately. his attitude was probably the reason he didn't get head boy -- and why james was given the title. the two of them had gotten on well, he seemed more focused on rekindling whatever happened between the four of them. despite working together in close proximity, he had given her whatever space she needed -- she assumes because he's distracted by rekindling whatever happened between all of them. at least remus was talking to her again -- but even she can't get him to tell her what happened. he won't let her help.

lily rolls her eyes at his smug comment. "you haven't tried to flirt with me at all, and we are a few months into the school year, so something is wrong, potter." a part of her almost misses it. she knows that she should get up and leave, but something makes her stay. she'd seen a different side of him, they'd become friendly. that's the part that makes her stay. knowing that there's something behind the cocky, charming james potter that everyone's known. he and his friends seem to walk around eggshells around remus, as if trying not to tip the scales. the co-dependent group aren't around each other as much. which, in hindsight means she gets more time with remus and james which is a win for her. but there's something off, something wrong, and she's stubborn enough to poke and prod until she gets a peek at something.

her fierce expression visibly softens when she sees the smug grin almost immediately fall from his face. emerald eyes watch as he just shrugs and rubs at tired eyes. it's the way that his voice wavers and cracks that makes her shift from the arm of the sofa to sitting down next to him -- legs tucked under her skirt as she faces him completely. her hand gently rests on his arm, watching him silently. watching as he struggles to keep his composure. this is new. this is something she's never seen before. someone who has a smile plastered across his face at all times -- with tears in his eyes and desperately trying to keep it together. her brow furrows in concern when his voice breaks and she can't stop herself. arms wrap around his shoulders and she pulls him against her. an ink stained, manicured hand moves to rest on the back of his head -- fingers curling into surprisingly soft locks. "james," his name falls past her lips in a sigh, the arm around his shoulders tightening, "you -- don't have to tell me what happened," even if she so desperately wants to know, "but you're my friend and whatever happened is eating you alive." she doesn't think she's ever seen james potter cry -- and she decides that she doesn't like it. she prefers when he smiles and laughs -- even if he's being a cocky asshole. there's a pause as she allows him to do whatever he needs to do to get the comfort he needs. fingers move through his hair, gently scratching at his scalp as she's seen the others do. "tell me what to do. let me help."

[suzysletters]

A list of marauders (mainly wolfstar) fic/microfic concepts that I'm going to add too when I feel like it and reblog it in the hopes that I actually do something with them

- Wales, just the concept of big city boy Sirius moving to small town Wales and meeting Remus and figuring out his love of caring for animals and the peace the country (and Remus) provides him

- Walburga and her relationship with Sirius and his complicated feelings about her (I firmly believe they did love each other and part of Walburga believed that hurting him was part of her loving him, their relationship is so complex to me)

- Plus size Lily (this isn't really wolfstar!) it's Jily. i want the love story to be more lily learning to love herself. It's a self love story (James always thought she was beyond gorgeous but it wasn't until Lily started loving herself that they got into a relationship)

- Wolfstar plus cats. this is probably post war/during war and I really like the idea of the two of them finding a lot of healing and love in cats. A personal headcanon for Sirius and Remus surviving au is that after all of that, after spending basically 14-15 years hiding and using Padfoot as a way to avoid experiencing trauma all while going through the worst experiences anyone in the wizarding world could go through, being Padfoot just grew into a reminder of that so he stopped changing (except full moons) and started separating himself from that part of him a bit, and Remus already passionately hates the wolf so they adopt like four cats and find so much comfort and healing. especially since they're so different from their canine identities and also cats are the most perfect creatures in the entire universe and they're soft and they go purrrrrrrrr and meow and it's so beautiful

- Remus self love!!!!!!! Most importantly struggling with feeling masculine and good enough for Sirius. this mostly stems from how he idolized (still does) his dad (I LOVE GOOD DAD LYALL LUPIN!!!! RAHGHH) and he sees his dad as a perfect man and husband and dad and he wants to be what Sirius wants and needs, but it's hard because Sirius is very much already that (I very much subscribe to Canon Sirius characteristics, Remus is my sweet golden angel and be very much takes after hope in my mind [quiet, bookish, lithe, Incredibly sweet but also self loathing if you want the list of characteristics] so yeah uhhhh cope if you don't fw that) and Remus is worried that he'll disappoint Sirius eventually. Sirius is obsessed with him and loves him as he is but more importantly REMUS LEARNS TO LOVE HIMSELF he starts this journey by pursuing physical activity (dance!!!!!!) that makes him more comfortable in using his body and existing in it and also he starts to love himself and Sirius is just so happy that he does (this is a long idea so sorry)

- freckles Remus. Enough said (Sirius doesn't agree he's freaking the FUCK OUT about them always)

- Ballet!!!! one of my favorite aus ever of all time, Ballet dancer Remus is so close to my heart, in my mind he's absolutely that sweet little boy in a ballet class full of girls at like 4 years old, included is Remus being a ballet dancer because Hope was and they still find ways to dance together sometimes

Okay I'm done FOR NOW. FOR NOW. add ur own ideas if u want!!!!

[mechwarrior-rose]

Shelter: Pirate's Nightfall

DAI LONG PLAIN TESTING GROUND OBERON VI OBERON CONFEDERATION 28 SEPTEMBER 3049

Shelter turned his head this way and that. His new sidecut felt alien to him. He'd always kept his hair long. Made sense. He had more femme days than masc, and on those days he loved his long hair. Even when it was tied into a bun for work. But if he was wearing a neurohelment into combat, he needed the sides buzzed close.

When he was young and didn't know himself better, he'd kept his hair long out of social expectation. His parents had been fairly conservative middle-class folks in civilian jobs within the service, hoping their perfect daughter would escape military service and go on to be an accountant or, even better, a trophy wife for an Inner Sphere noble or something. But the War Griffins had--

The War Griffins were dead. He was the last one left who could fight. No one else among the technicians had sufficient training to do more than walk a 'Mech into a repair bay. Today would be his last day alive. Maybe there'd be enough of him left to bury with the rest of his family.

He punched the wall. Picked up the clippers, turned them back on, and went after the rest. Didn't stop until every strand was cut down to a single millimeter. Black curls coiled in the sink. His scalp was an angry red from the pressure. Shaven in mourning.

"Let's go kill some fucking pirates," he snarled to the man in the mirror.

++++++++++

Ariel's ass print was still on the command couch of her Griffin. Of all the things to strike Shelter as funny, and of all the absolutely wrong times to laugh, and of all the uncomfortable positions to be caught in a fit of hysteria: crammed into the limited space between displays and couch, doubled over, bulky helmet pressed into the headrest, cooling vest too rigid to allow him to collapse into tears like he really wanted.

He stepped over the center console and dropped into the seat, erasing the last mark Ariel had left on this godforsaken planet.

He knew the checklist. Ran through it as efficiently as any 'Mech jockey. The Griffin responded eagerly. Weapons online. Sensors online. All systems nominal.

He toggled the radio to the lance frequency. "Razor One, this is Razor Four coming online."

"That's everyone," Lieutnant Rieck's voice replied. Shelter was surprised, but he said nothing. Lieutnant Keller must have been a casualty. Which probably meant there weren't many lieutnants left.

Hell, maybe Hendrick Grimm himself would come to the field in the final defense of his world.

"Razor Lance, we will advance in formation to Nav Point Epsilon. We will hold station there."

"Yes, sir," the lance chorused back, Shelter included, as if he'd been responding to combat orders his whole life.

Two beeps signaled that the Lieutnant wanted a private chat. Shelter flicked to the direct channel. "Sir."

Rieck's voice was full of sympathy. "This is a brave damn thing you're doing, Corporal. I respect the hell out of you."

Hateful sympathy. Shelter had no time or heart left for it.

"Rather earn that respect on the field, sir. Shall we?"

++++++++++

The pirates were already at Nav Epsilon by the time Razor Lance arrived.

Their comms were jammed, just like at Black Canyon. There was no way to get the word to the main force or link up with another lance. So Rieck made the best call he could in the moment: run for Kennedy Beach to draw the enemy away from the city and into open space.

Running from Black Canyon had been terrifying enough. Running while plugged brain-first into a war machine that was screaming because it was being missile-locked by a FrankenMech was nightmarish. The tactical computer was trying to decide if it was a Thunderbolt, a Marauder, or gods knew what else. The circle-vision strip at the top of Shelter's HUD flickered in and out as his 'Mech's stock EW systems and counter-systems tangled with the enemy's more advanced tech. Lances of coherent light, the screams of missiles, the actinic flare of particle cannons. No wonder Ariel had had a heart attack.

An enemy Hunchback--wait, a Hunchback with two autocannons?--sent fire and metal shrieking into Razor Two. The Shadow Hawk folded in on itself as if its reactor core had just produced a singularity. The 'Mech's auto-eject had been enabled; bolts blew and rockets fired, carrying him skyward. Uninterested in the helpless pilot now drifting down-strand on a full chute, the Hunchback turned toward Razor Three.

Shelter didn't even think. He tied all three of his lasers to the same circuit and carved his anger into the Hunchback's side armor. The 'Mech was within the minimum range of his LRMs, but he fired those anyway. Heat washed into the cockpit. Shelter ignored it. Two missiles made it into the rents his lasers had opened, touching off the ammunition within. The Hunchback simply disintegrated from the knees up. The explosion rattled the cockpit glass of Shelter's Griffin.

But it was for naught. Another enemy FrankenMech, this one a Catapult with Marauder arms stitched on, buried Razor Three in missiles and laser fire. Wolverines were tough, but nothing could withstand an onslaught like that. Shelter thought he caught a scrap of Sergeant Baker's scream of terror before her radio was obliterated.

On the circle-vision strip, Shelter saw Rieck's Marauder go down, its leg removed at the knee by a fusillade of laser fire. It couldn't have all come from one 'Mech. Yet there was an enemy machine with what looked like a dozen lasers ringing its arms, streaking in for the kill.

It was over. But Rieck and Razor Two--Shelter had never even gotten his name--might be able to escape if Shelter acted fast. He flicked the radio to broadband, remembered the jamming, then engaged the external speakers.

"Enemy forces!" he shouted. "I am Shelter of the War Griffins, last of my family. If any of you have the fucking balls to do it, come try me. I'll take you all on myself."

As he spoke, he edged his Griffin away from the strand, away from Rieck and Razor Two. He also pressed a red button on his side console that began dumping his LRM ammunition out of a hatch in his rear armor. The enemy were all too close now for the missiles to be of use anymore, and Shelter had no intention of dying the same way the Hunchback pilot had.

The dull crackle in Shelter's ears suddenly stopped. The enemy had dropped their communications jam.

A woman's voice came over broadband. "Shelter, I am Star Captain Mila of the 11th Wolf Guards. While it is well past the time for such a challenge to be issued, we will meet it nonetheless. Let the Circle be drawn."

Shelter quickly flipped to the private channel with Rieck again. "Now run, you son of a bitch. Eject, meet up with Razor Two, and get out of here."

He'd be with his family soon. War Griffin reunion.

[mrsbarnesxxx]

Hello! Could I please request some friends to lovers poly!marauders or wolfstar, thank you so much you’re amazing writer!<3

A/n: Hello love! Thank you so much for your request and the compliment 🤭I'm not at all happy with how this turned out. I honestly struggled with the poly dynamic because I didn't want to make it seem like there were set relationships within the relationship. Anyways...I hope you enjoy it. I might rewrite this later...

Warnings: Suggestive, cursing(?), I honestly don't remember. Rubbish writing, not proofread.

It's not like people couldn't tell looking at the four of you. The boys had always been close, everyone knew them as the school's troublemakers, master pranksters, quidditch legends, and cassanovas, but you just knew them as your best friends.

They were the guys who would hold you after you got dumped by "that twat who never deserved you, love." as Sirius had called him. They were the guys who would get you anything you needed when your monthly hit. They were the guys whose rooms and beds you could sneak into in the middle of the night because you were cold.

"What? You're cold. Of course, climb on up, love." James coos rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he lifts his comforter for you to slide under. "C'mere." He murmurs, pulling you flush against him, curling his arms around your lower back, and burying his head in your neck. To anyone else, this situation would be comical. Here was this big burly superstar, wrapped around his friend, using her as his personal teddy bear because she was cold. That's how you fell asleep, with James Potter wrapped tightly around you, warm and soft curls tickling your neck.

But despite the butterflies in your stomach, and how your cheeks would heat at their compliments, they were your best friends. Besides, there was no way you could pick just one of them. You loved all of them.

~~~

"Where'd you run off to last night?" Lily asks as you two walk into potions together.

"Slept in the boys' dorm." You explain.

"Uh huh..." She says skeptically. "What's with the lot of you?"

"What do you mean? We're friends." You defend.

"Uh huh...friends. Friends definitely sleep in each other's beds. I'm sure they were all over you, weren't they?" She says raising her brows suggestively.

"Lily, we're just friends. I mean sure, they're attractive. It's not like it means anything! Everyone wants to sleep with them, including themselves...and maybe each other." You deduce.

After dinner, you head up to the boys' dorm for a smoke which inevitably leads to a buzzed Sirius asking personal questions. You should have expected this, he decides to occupy himself in odd ways when he starts smoking.

"Who was the first person you fancied?" Sirius asks. We were all seated on the floor of the boy's dorm. "You first, love." Sirius nods at me.

"Remus." You say looking down.

"W-What?" Remus chokes.

"It's not a big deal. Everyone fancies Remus at some point or another." James defends. We all, except for Remus, nod.

"What?" Remus asks exasturbated.

"It's true, Rem. I mean I know I do." You chime in. "We all know Sirius does, have you seen the way he looks at you?"

"Oi!" Sirius pipes up. Remus just stares at everyone.

"So...we should talk?" You pipe up after a long silence.

"Yeah. I guess we should." Remus chimes in. "You all have fancied me?"

"Remus, we all fancy you." Sirius pipes up.

"It's not a big deal, Remus." I chime in again. "I fancy all of you."

"What?" All of them ask turning towards me.

"What?" I shrug. "Have you seen yourselves? I would do you guys any chance I got." They just blink at me, Sirius being the first to recover. He stalks towards me, before bending down and kissing me. I squeak into the kiss before my hand finds his cheek and I start kissing him back. He pulls away after a minute and I sit staring at him.

"The bloody hell was that for?" I ask hitting him in the shoulder.

He chuckles. "I'd do you too, darling." He smiles.

I giggle before hitting his chest again. "You're a git."

He grabs my cheek, tilting my face up towards him, "I'm not joking, darling."

I roll my eyes at him and he finally sits back down.

"For the record," James pipes up shyly. "I fancy all of you too."

We all turn to him this time, in shock. Sirius does the same thing he did to me. He walks over to James and kisses him. James has a similar response to me, shocked, but then responsive. This causes Remus to yell, "Sirius would you stop just kissing people!"

"Jealous, Moony?" He taunts pulling away from James' lips. He walks to Remus and grabs his face, Remus turns away from him and pushes him away.

"Sit down so we can have a conversation about all of this." He growls at Sirius.

"Can we all just agree that we fancy each other?" Sirius asks, sitting despite his attitude because, after all, he is a puppy at heart.

"Sirius we have to talk about this," Remus argues, I smile turning to look at James.

"Fine, get on with it." Sirius groans. James smirks at me and offers me a wink before we turn back to Remus.

"So we all fancy each other?" Remus asks.

"Didn't I just say that?" Sirius sasses.

"Well, I'd like to hear it from the others, not just you, your highness." Remus spits back.

"Yes, we fancy each other, Remus." I agree.

"Yeah, moony." James concurs, smiling.

"Okay, so how do we do this?" Remus asks.

"We all be together," I say looking up. "It's simple, isn't it? We all love each other, why not everyone be together?"

He smiles softly, "Yeah."

The others agreed and then we decided to head to bed since it was well after midnight. We all pile into Remus' bed. I lie my head on Remus' chest, Sirius on the other side of me, and James behind Remus.

"I love you," I whisper. Remus presses a kiss to my head before responding. "We love you too, darling. So much."

[hellhound5925]

Cyare Verd *Beloved Warrior* Bad Batch Edition

Previous Chapter

Chapter Three - Ruins of War

It's safe to say at this point, this is not how I saw this going. I shouldn't be surprised though because when did Cids's missions EVER go well....the answer is never, they never went well. I will say, I am impressed with this group though.

The free falling feeling is starting to get old. "We are descending at a rate of speech that is most concerning" Tech voices his opinion - or fact, whatever. "Don't worry! The reentry thrusters should engage soon!" Omega says still clutching my leg. "If they don't-" Echo starts before I finish for him "We're all dead!". Suddenly there is a clang sound and all the cargo - including us - crashes to the ground. "Told you" Omega says with a proud smile. We all collect ourselves. "Other than not being able to steel or control where we land, I would say this is going well" Tech says looking around. I scoff, "better than it was".

Suddenly Hunter's voice is coming through the comms, "Did you reach the escape pods yet?". "Not exactly. We are using an alternate mode of transport. My calculations have us crashing towards the upper forest region of the planet" he explains. I lean over to Echo, "Is he always like this?". He laughs "Yeah, Always". Tech seemed to have finished his conversation with Hunter. "Well then, now we just wait until we hit the ground". 

Shortly after that, the container hits the ground....hard. It comes to a screeching halt, "That was smoother than some of Wreckers attempted landings" Tech jokes. "I think I'd like to never find out what those are like" I say feeling my body ache. "Tech Report" Hunter comms us again. "We are alive. But where we are, I am not fully certain" he explains. "The Empire gunna come looking for their containers, and likely for us" I say to all of them. Hunter grunts, "Get out of sight and lay low. Once we get to the Marauder we'll come for you." "Sir, yes sir" I joke while the others say "Rodger that" in unison. Tech turns to me and glances at Echo, "What you did back there....for Omega-", "It was nothing, I wasn't going to let a kid get hurt" I brush it off. Suddenly the whole container shifts. "Uh, What's happening?" Omega asks concerned. "We haven't fully landed yet" Echo says as  the container begins to tip. The four of us run to the top, dodging the cargo on the way. We don't quite make it before the whole container is dropping up right. The four of us fall, and I try to grab Omega and Tech, who are closet to me. I am only able to reach Omega. The 4 of us slam down on top of some cargo with a thud. A large container falls on Tech who lest out a pained grunt. "Tech!!!" Omega yells. "Tech! Tech! Are you alright?" I yell concerned. Echo and I jump up and lift the container off his leg. "My left femur has been fractured by approximately 150 kilograms of pressure....so....no" he replies annoyed. "Hang tight. I''l go up top and scope things out" Echo says. I grab his arm and stop him, "Be careful, we are down one of you. We don't need to be down two". He nods at me before making his way to the top.

I take off my backpack and dig through it to find something to brace Tech's leg with. As if he knew exactly what I was thinking he says, "Good idea, probably should brace my leg". As I do so Tech grunts, "Ni ceta (sorry). Almost done" I try to comfort him. Omega comms Echo, "What do you see up there?", "We still haven't landed." "We need to get out of here" I add my input. "Alright, we can use a rope to climb up to the ledge. Tech, we can pull you up once we get up there" Echo makes a plan. "Copy that" I say gathering up our things and grabbing Techs bag. "Omega you first" I instruct her. Echo throws down the rope and she begins her climb. "Are you going to be alright for a few minutes?" I help Tech over to the rope. "Yes, I'll be fine" he huffs out. I climb up and once I reach the top we pull Tech up.

"Well this mission has been eventful" Tech says once he reaches the top. "You don't say" I sigh. "We have to get out of sight" Echo instructs. "Wait we can't leave without the war chest!" Omega says looking over the edge. I put a hand on her shoulder "We don't have time Omega." "She's right. We need to get away from here and find cover" chimes in Echo. Echo helps Tech inot the woods while Omega and I keep watch. "Havoc-2. The Fourth sun is setting. Plan double zero" Hunter comms. "Copy that" Tech replies. "What's plan double zero?" I cock my head at Omega who shrugs. "It means 'go radio silent'. Comm channels are being monitored" Tech explains.

I see something moving in the trees, "Osik (shit)....We're being followed" I say so only they can hear me. Omega draws her bow and heads the direction I'm looking. I follow and see Omega holding an old man at gun point questioning him. Echo and Tech catch up, "He could be working with the empire" Echo says cautiously. "Me?" Asks the old man who said his name was Romar. The boys debate with the man for a moment. "Alright look, we don't have time for this. Where's the nearest place to take shelter?" I chime in, having had enough. Romar gestures towards Omega, "Well its a little hard to think with her pointing that thing at me." Omega looks to Echo and Tech for reassurance and they nod at her. She puts the bow away. The man smiles, "Much appreciated, but sorry to say there's no shelter around these parts". Tech does something on his datapad, I flip down my range finder to scan, "I'm registering a heat source 200 meters west of here." Tech says and I turn to face that way, "I've got it too". Tech nods at me then looks back at the man, "I suspect it is your domicile." "How did you-" the mans starts before he's cut off "Take us there" Echo commands. The man - Romar - reluctantly complies.

----

Once we make it to Romars place, we relax... a little... "So the Mandalorian I get, but what your telling me is that you're rogue clones running from the Empire. Who used to be the Republic?" Romar asks. I sigh in annoyance, I've been listening to them explain our situation the whole way here. "Correct. You finally got it right" Tech says taking a seat and removing his buy'ce. I patrol the room just to make sure there aren't any threats, drowning out their conversation. When I'm satisfied there's no one else here and make mental note of alternate escape routes, I tune back in. "We?" Asked Echo. "The other survivors who fled the destruction." Romar says matter of factly. I glance at Echo and Tech, who also glance at me. Omega interrupts, "Now that Tech is safe, let's head back to the container and get as much of the war chest as we can." I shake my head, "No it's too dangerous". "I have to agree with Raven, Troopers could already be at the crash site" explains Echo. "But we can't leave empty handed. We have to complete the mission" Omega begs. "Hmmm. Guess you're more like those others clones than you think" chimes in Romar. I look over at him - giving him a dirty look. Not that he would know - and he shrugs. "I'd stay awake from that cursed war chest if I were you" he continues. Omega looks over at me before looking at Romar, "But we need it. And it's not cursed, it was stolen". Romar visible tenses and move toward the other 3. I step between them and the man, telling him he's too close with my body language. We don't have a reason to trust him. "You think Dooku funded his war effort by only stealing from outside worlds?" He raises his voice. I place my hands over my blasters and he backs down before continuing, "No. He took from us, his own people. His quest for power it why our city if now buried in rubble." Omega's facial expression changes and she looks sad, "Well....We'll help you get it back. Theres enough in that container for all of us", she gestures around the room. Romar shakes his head, "I want none of it. Let the Empire take it. The sooner they're gone, the better. And same goes for you. No offense". Romar glances at me with the last part. "Now if you'll excuse me some of us have work to do" Romar opens a hatch in the floor and crawls down the ladder. Omega turns to us, "It's not too late. We can still scout the site to see if it's clear". I am about to agree with Omega when Echo steps in, "Negative. Your mission is to keep an eye on the old man." "Roger" Omega says sadly saluting him and following after Romar.

"You know she could be right" I say to Echo and Tech, "Let me scout it". Echo looks over at Tech, Tech shakes his head "I really don't think it's a good idea". Echo sighs and takes a seat. I glance over at the hatch Omega and the man are in, "You really trust her to watch the man" I gesture to where they are. "By my calculations the man is harmless. She'll be fine." I sigh and take a seat on the floor and leaning against the wall, slide my buy'ce (helmet) off. "So, what's the plan then?" I ask Echo. Tech - as if he is finishing a thought out loud - says "The war chest wasn't ours in the first place". Echo seems annoyed, "Well, we would have made better use of it". "I am simply stating that without the funds form the war chest, We are no worse off than we were before" Tech replies. "Speak for yourselves" I say but neither of them is paying attention. Echo begins pacing, "That's now how I see it. The Empire's growing stronger, and we're still doing nothing about it?" Before they can argue more I step in "Wait, you just told Omega no. Am I missing something?" Echo scowls at me, "I just feel like we should be doing more to hurt the Empire". I stand up and grab my buy'ce (Helmet), "I couldn't agree with you more. I also need the money unlike apparently you do." I move for the floor Echo falls instep behind me. "Where are you going?" Tech asks. Echo without even looking back says "To check for patrols".

I follow Echo out, "You think they'll be alright?" "They'll be fine" he says very annoyed. I sigh, sliding on my buy'ce, "look if you don't want to talk about it, I get it but, we kind of need to be on the same page to be affective here". Echo stops and sighs, "My old Captain...before this." He says gesturing to himself before continuing "-is out there trying to find save our vode (brothers) from the Empire.....and we're here....running odd jobs for Cid". I feel can feel the pain in his voice. I put an emphatic hand on his shoulder, "I know what it's like....to lose everything and want to fight back. That's one of the reasons I took this job but, we have to be smart about it. Timing is everything.....and the other clones, the Empire is planning to replace them with trained civilians. It might be time to let them go. Is it worth risking the family you still have?" Echo sucks in a deep breath, taking in everything I just said. He smiles and looks down at me, "You know, at first I really didn't think you were going to be a team player. But now I realize you fit right in with us." I laugh nervously, "A Mandalorian, and the 'Bad Batch' rogue clones? That sounds like a punchline to a joke." Echo lets out a deep laugh, "Yeah you got that right." We patrol the area around Romar's home, in comfortable conversation. These guys aren't so bad. They are just trying to find where they fit in this new galaxy....kind of like me.

When we make it back to the house, Tech and Romar are in conversation. "Where Omega?" Asks Echo. "She was just here." Tech replies. Echo gets irritated "Well she's not now". Romar hums looking around, "My rappelling cable's gone." "I suspect she went after the war chest." Tech looks at Echo and I. "We have to find her before the Empire does. I'll can for heat signature. We'll find her." I say flipping down my range finder and activating my HUD. "Go, I will catch up" Tech says to us. We exit the home and I can see her footprints, "There" I point at her tracks. "They are still warm. I can track her through the woods. Oya!" Echo and I race through the woods following Omega's path to the container.

Reaching the container, there's a rope leading down over the edge of the cliff. Echo and I stand at the edge and look down "Omega!" I whisper yell. Echo shines his flashlight down into the container. "Speeders on approach" I say whipping around. They begin to shoot at us. Echo dives over the cliff and I follow closing the door behind us. There's a small voice behind us "Guys look! I packed it full of the shiny stuff!" Omega is beaming with excitement. "Did you not hear the blaster fire?! There're troopers out there! We have to go!" Echo explains to her. Just the our comms open up, "We're in position. Tech, send your coordinates." It's Hunter - Thank Maker! We might actually get out of this. "Transmitting" Tech tells him, I can hear blaster fire in the background. "Coordinates received. We're heading your way." "Tech? Tech! Everything alright? I'm on my way up!" I say to him.

I open the container door and make my way up the rope as fast as I can. The troopers seem to be distracted by something - Tech I assume - I just at the edge of the tree line. I hear a crack and see a trooper get pulled behind a tree. I draw my blaster and open fire, rushing to cover. "I'm doing well actually. Just making some friends" Tech sasses but sounds as though he struggling. I look over and see a trooper on the Eweb getting ready to fire when he comes out of the bushes. I use my whip cord and grab him, pulling him towards me before shooting him. Just then Tech emerges from the trees "I guess I owe you my thanks" he gets out before falling facedown in the grass. "Don't mention it" I sass, coming over to get him up. "Great....just great" I say to myself noticing he's unconscious.

Finally I am able to get him back, "Thank Maker. I was starting wonder how I was going to explain an unconscious Tech to Hunter." Tech scoffs, "Lucky for you, I'm awake." We both let out a light laugh. He gets up on his own - mostly - and I help him over to the edge of the cliff. "Omega! Echo! Hold on!" He yells. "Uh Tech..." I say pointing to the gun ship coming our way. "You have proved to be quite capable. You deal with the ship, I'll get the cable." I nod at him "Roger that".  I spring into action grabbing the eweb, taking shots at the ship. Just then a hear speeders approaching. I finish taking out the gunship before turning my attention to the speeders - my beskar has had worse. Just then I hear Tech grunt in frustration. He hops on the speeder to pull Omega and Echo up but it's slipping. "Hang on!" I yell, racing over and grabbing the rope to help steady it. Together, Tech and I get them up on the ledge. The Marauder comes into view, "That...would be our ride" Tech says very matter of factly. Wrecker waves us up onto the ship and we all jump on.

Next Chapter

*A/N

Theres plenty more where this came from! Check out my masterlist linked on my page.

[ynandfics]

Gryffindor had just won a game against Slytherin, which meant only one thing by any standard- a party which would invite everyone from Hogwarts but the losing house.

“Are you gonna ask out Evans again this time Prongs?” Sirius asked the slightly tipsy boy next to him.

“I’ll do one better” the young boy set off towards the group of girls that included Lily Evans as well as her other dorm mates.

“Hello Potter” Marlene McKinnon addressed the captain of the Quidditch team.

“Hi McKinnon, I was wondering if I could steal Evans for a minute” the girls looked at one another and then at Lily, which she nodded at them.

“Okay but don’t do anything to our girl” Mary said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Uh huh” I dragged Lily into a corner where the boys dorms meet the common room kissing her slightly, and once I felt her respond, I became more dominant with her and pulled her up to the dorms.

————————————————————

“So uh Potter, Lily called me over the summer and you’re in so much trouble.” Mary said the second she spotted the four marauders waiting at the train.

“What did I do?” James was a little confused as he didn’t remember doing anything with Lily before the end of school year.

“She’ll tell you in private, I heard you’re both head boy and girl now” James wordlessly nodded, walking away to find Lily.

“So what did he do?” Remus turned to Mary.

“This was mostly to get him away because they screwed at the last party between all the houses cause of Quidditch-“ Remus started to connect the dots before Mary finished.

“She’s pregnant? During our 7th year? What the fuck?” Remus whispered, both Sirius and Peter smacking each other so they didn’t have an outburst- or well Sirius anyways.

“Yes, now James doesn’t know so he’s going to find Lily and she’ll tell him…the girls already know…and he looks like he’s gonna faint boys- let’s go” Mary and the boys quickly walked over to where Lily and James were….she had the small stick with her that had that damned plus line still.

“I would say congratulations, but how the fuck are you gonna have a kid whilst still in your seventh year?” Sirius whispered yelled once they got into their usual cabin.

“I don’t know, I just know I won’t leave them with my family cause they already think I’m a freak! James’ mum is a nurse- maybe she could help….I don’t know” James’ cringed at the mention of his mother.

“Mum would kill me, knowing I’d have a kid now- she’s already practically adopted Sirius but another blood relative she’d practically die becoming a grandmother so young” James’ looked at his friends, then Lily and then down at the table.

“Well I guess I just charm my stomach to not look pregnant and then we talk to McGonagall because she’ll need to know theirs gonna be a child in the dorms now” everyone in the cabin nodded.

———————————————————

“As head boy and head girl, I expected better out of the two of you” McGonagall started “but as the circumstances have changed, I suppose your free periods will now be ultimately fulfilling a child’s needs that the elf’s can’t help you with” Lily nodded at McGonagall and then looked at the floor.

“Do your parents know Miss Evans?” The elder woman looked towards the 17 year old girl in front of her.

“No Professor, they bid me a freak and do not talk to me during my time at home” She glanced up at her Head of House.

“Mr Potter, what about yourself? Do they know?” She never referred to him as ‘Mr Potter’, not since their first year. This was serious, more serious than any prank they could pull.

“No Professor, I only found out before the train. I will owl mum and dad to see what is best for us” He stood straighter, looking McGonagall straight in the eyes.

“Best hope so, I know your mother is a nurse at St. Mungo’s and Poppy can do her best to help you both on the way. Try and hide this pregnancy as much as possible and we’ll all try and help as much as possible until the baby is born…in July I believe?” Both teenagers nodded.

“Well your exams will be then and I am willing to help if needed, you know that I’m in my office often enough” the older woman smiled at the two, she knew they both had affection for each other and well, this might have been the push they needed.

“Thank you Professor” Lily voiced for the both of them.

“Thanks Minnie” James smiled at the Professor.

————————————————————

July had come and gone, at the end of the month with two screaming babies at St.Mungo’s.

“Oh they’re beautiful” James’s mum was beside herself, not being able to help in delivering her son’s children. A boy and girl.

“So what are the names?” His father asked, James lovingly looked at Lily. She knew he wanted her to say them as he was handed his baby girl.

“Harry James Potter and Luna Petunia Potter” Lily smiled tiredly. She yawned straight after, her body betraying her will to stay awake.

“Go to sleep love, we’ll still be here when you get back” James kissed her forehead and her friends cooed over the two lovely children.

————————————————————

“Hey mum there’s the owl at our window” Harry yelled to his mum who was upstairs with his sister.

“Get the mail would you sweetheart, and give her a treat this time” Lily’s voice carried towards her son who was slowly walking towards the kitchen window.

“Alright, two letters and a treat for our girl” the owl rubbed her head affectionately on his hand and then proceeded to take his treat and fly away.

“Hey dad, it’s our Hogwarts letters!” Harry moved towards his father, who was reading the newspaper, Rita Skeeter still causing drama as usual.

“That’s great little man! Get you both into Gryffindor and continue our legacy…,I can see it now- and Minnie will love seeing you both as grown kids, the last time she saw you you were babies during our exam period” Harry looked at his father as he was crazy, surely he and his sister weren’t babies when they were still in school?

“MUM! Can you explain what dad just said?” Harry yelled up to his mother, both ladies of the house running down to the boys.

“Uh yeah I suppose we should, we just aren’t sure if you’re really ready to hear it” the two children looked a their mum, Lily Potter, who was a fearless woman and also so caring too.

“We’re ready mum, we should know” Luna spoke for both her and Harry.

“Let’s get settled then, it’s a wild ride” James had addressed the two, who now had sat down on their living room couch.

“Ok I suppose I should start that at some point I hated your father, for no reason besides his antics and school rivalry” she looked at her husband to continue.

“And I kept trying to ask out your mother, constantly really. But at one Gryffindor party that all changed.” James made what could be placed as jazz hands.

———————————————————

“Okay, who cares what house you’re in….just don’t do what me and your father did and have kids too early” Lily laughed as the two children and their parents, godparents and their own children prepared to rush into Platform 9 3/4.

“Try for Gryffindor though, we’re the best house” James smiled at his two children, ready to face the world of magic.

“Okay dad we’ll try” Luna rolled her eyes at her fathers absurd request.

“Let’s go before we miss the train!” Luna and Harry both rain towards the entrance to the train, and you could see them sit at the same spot in which their parents did back in the 70s.

“They’ll be okay yeah?” Lily looked at James with a soft expression.

“Of course they will” James hugged her tightly.

The train started to move and the two kids and a few more who joined them waved out the windows to bid their parents goodbye until the holidays.

————————————————————

“Harry Potter!” The two were well known with McGonagall, they both had been in her care as their own parents did their exams….but for some reason they both still felt nervous when heading towards the sorting hat.

“Gryffindor!” Harry jumped off the seat, a sea of red waiting to greet him into his new house, or a found family of all sorts.

“Luna Potter!” The hat had a harder time getting into the young girl’s head, knowing her brother begged to not be in Slytherin like his dad said. The hat toyed with her emotions, saying if she should be with him or be with the cunning and ambitious Slytherin’s.

“Slytherin!” She got a round of applause from the house of snakes, taking on last look at her brother- he was looking away and talking to new house members.

————————————————————

Luna, we take no offence for you being in Slytherin. My childhood best friend was a Slytherin, although I moved on from him quickly when his ugly beliefs showed, I know he is one of your professors and I hope he will guide you well.

I have had a word with your brother, I know he may not want to show his affection to you whilst in front of his friends due to house wars, just know he’ll be there for you in private.

Lots of love,

Mum

Ps. Dad said to say hello to Minnie and talk to her if you need anything at all cause she still remembers us.

Luna read the letter over and over again whilst munching on some toast, something in her gut told her that her relationship with her brother was about to become very difficult.

[bouwrites]

Show Your Fangs: Chapter 5

The Great Map Heist

First, Previous, Next.

Ao3.

Story under read-more.

The first thing Harry does with his freedom, while all the students are at breakfast getting their timetables, is walk up to Gryffindor Tower. There, he lounges on a windowsill just outside the Gryffindor Common Room where he can keep an eye on the portrait of the Fat Lady who guards the entrance, and he plots.

Harry needs to get his paws on the Marauder’s Map. He can’t risk Ron or Hermione checking it out of desperation and finding him here, not while being caught means being turned into Dumbledore, sent back to the Dursleys (who will undoubtedly be informed how he hides and will beat him senseless for doing something as freakish as turning into a cat), and then having his wand snapped by the Ministry.

Maybe even prison by that point, for fleeing from the Ministry in the first place.

It’s just not an option, and the Marauder’s Map is the one thing that can definitively out him, so Harry can’t suffer allowing it to remain out of his reach.

The problem is how in the world he’s going to get it back while he’s a cat. Well… that and what in the world he’s going to do with it to keep it hidden once he gets it, but one problem at a time.

It has to be with either Ron or Hermione’s belongings. Or maybe Fred and George nick it back, but that seems less likely. But either way, it means that Harry has to somehow infiltrate the Gryffindor Common Room.

Learning the password should be easy enough, but Harry can’t use it as he is. He can change back to give the password, but then the Fat Lady will identify him and the whole castle will know he’s around by the next morning and everyone will know to look for him here.

Most students won’t let an animal they don’t recognize into the common room on account of them not wanting to accidentally trap another student’s pet there and prevent it from getting back to where it’s meant to be. If he were disillusioned, then he might be able to slip inside, but Harry will have to do that as a human and he isn’t sure he can disillusion himself and then turn back into a cat without breaking the charm. Maybe worth a try?

But then the exfiltration will be very tricky. Slipping through with a student works when he isn’t carrying a sheaf of parchment which will not be disillusioned with him, even if he is, himself. But the map will immediately draw attention to him and then everyone will be wondering why there’s a disillusioned cat trying to steal this parchment from their dorm and it’ll only make everything worse.

Not to mention that Harry has a very, very bad track record at exfiltration. (Magical Menagerie…) Although maybe since no one would actually be looking for him he might have better luck? If nothing else, he does have a lot of practice, so he’s got to pull it off one of these days, right? 

Ugh. He flicks his tail in annoyance. He knows he’s impulsive and not the most organized person, but there’s definitely truth in that saying that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Harry would kill for a notebook and a pen right now so he can organize his thoughts.

Okay. So, step one: infiltration. Entering the Gryffindor Common Room.

Step two: find the map. Probably in either Ron or Hermione’s trunks. (Harry really does not want to dig through Hermione’s trunk. That’s just… inappropriate. But he has to keep himself safe.)

Step three: exfiltration. Get out without anyone catching him or the map. Ideally without anyone being the wiser that he has the thing, just in case Ron and Hermione piece together that Michael’s cat steals the Marauder’s Map and make a scene with him trying to get it back, because uh… they would. Make a scene, that is.

Step four: hide(?) the map. Harry honestly doesn’t have the foggiest idea what he can possibly do with the thing, he just knows it needs to be away from the two (four, including Fred and George) people in this castle who can use it.

Minor problem with that step: Harry cannot think of a single place in the castle that Fred and George do not stand a decent chance of uncovering the map should he hide it there. Hiding it from Ron and Hermione surprisingly isn’t that hard so long as he has the opportunity, but Fred and George? Oof.

Step five: profit. He guesses.

Simple. Now, if only Harry can figure out how to do literally any one of those steps, he’d be flying with the hippogriffs.

Oh! Harry has an idea. He should steal more stuff. That way, if he is seen taking the map, Ron and Hermione won’t have any reason to think he goes after the map specifically, and won’t suspect he knows anything or is anything more than the cat he presents himself as.

Cats steal things, right? Harry thinks he remembers that cats sometimes steal little hoards. He doesn’t actually know if that’s true, but if he establishes it as part of his character then he doesn’t need to worry about not being seen leaving the common room with the map, only not being caught.

Which is much easier. In theory. Again, Harry does not have the best track record with escaping.

Great. He can get started on that while he continues to think over how to get into Gryffindor.

With something actionable to do, Harry gets back up and trots down to the Grand Staircase, then up towards Ravenclaw Tower. He’s just entering the hall that leads to the tower when he notices a single shoe laying dejectedly half-hidden behind the foot of one of the blue arches decorating this corridor.

And Harry thinks, well, why not? Why shouldn’t he take it? He may as well get started as soon as he can, right?

So, he approaches the shoe, eyes it for a moment because it’s pure white but has been doodled all over and clearly has been worn often in the dirt and grass from the stains on it, and he wonders who it belongs to. Not many people would lose a shoe in the middle of the corridor. At least, not many that would then proceed to keep walking, presumably with only one shoe left.

Location would suggest a Ravenclaw. They by far use this hall more often than anyone else. (Most other houses would use this path as an alternate route, not the primary or shortest path to their classes or anywhere else in the castle.)

He wonders if the other shoe is around here somewhere, too. Even if it’s not, maybe he can find some other things to swipe to establish a little hoard before he gets back in the Ravenclaw Common Room and takes things more directly.

A cursory inspection of this hallway reveals nothing new, so Harry picks up the shoe and heads off in search of a place to keep his hoard. Somewhere close to Ravenclaw Tower.

His answer, serendipitously, comes literally the very moment he enters said tower. Just on the right, before the tight spiral staircase that leads up to the common room, is a room Harry recalls no one ever entering.

He finagles the door open with a lot of jumping and scrambling trying to catch the doorknob, but he manages it, and pulls the shoe inside the room that’s… storage, it looks like?

At least, Harry can’t imagine any other reason why there would be a stack of bathtubs piled up all the way to the ceiling. Oh, ew, there’s a toilet in here, too. Obviously, it’s not attached to the plumbing, as it’s balanced precariously atop a battered and toppled bathroom sink, but still. Gross.

Harry figures the tubs are his best bet at hiding his stash and jumps up, climbing carefully to the topmost one. It is, thankfully, empty inside, so Harry drops the shoe and heads back to the door, closing it behind him, to look for more goodies throughout the castle.

-----

By the end of the first school day, when Harry determines it’s late enough that he needs to climb back up to the common room, Harry proudly gathers in his claw-foot bathtub three quills (one broken), a gobstone, a mirror some girl leaves on a bench, half a chocolate frog card, a paper clip, two earrings (not matching), the very angry black rook of a wizard’s chess set, four (four!) blank pieces of parchment (he’s planning ahead!), and the match to that shoe he finds first (it’s up in the trophy room of all places).

So, altogether a very successful day if he does say so himself.

…What was he supposed to be doing? Something about the Gryffindor Common Room?

Well, he really needs to get back to Michael before he worries. Not that Harry doesn’t know Michael doubtless worries all day. He will continue to do so until Harry comes back, and then a few more times after that, at least, until some more trust is built there.

Hm, now that he thinks about it… surely, there’s a way in and out of the common room for pets, right? Crookshanks is out in the middle of the night sometimes, and Harry sincerely doubts Hermione goes and lets him out. He knows that she makes sure he’s in at the end of the day, because she and Ron get in such an argument about it all the time since Crookshanks was after Scabbers.

Ironically, Ron actually tells her to kick Crookshanks out overnight so that he isn’t a threat to Scabbers, but Hermione emphatically refuses, saying she’ll just ensure he’s in the girls’ dorm and out of the boys’, but Harry distinctly remembers the cat being out on the grounds at night.

…Probably not something Harry can rely on to get into the Gryffindor Common Room, but he should definitely figure out how to get in and out of Ravenclaw. He wants access to Michael’s prank items during the day, and he can start taking stuff while everyone’s in classes.

He should probably learn the access into the Gryffindor Common Room, too, if it’s something he can use. He doesn’t know if he’ll need it, but options are never a bad thing.

He approaches the Ravenclaw eagle door knocker, and then feels very, very stupid because a smaller door appears magically just at the base of it, opening all on its own to admit him in.

House elf magic. Duh. The elves that bring the pets up to the dorms in the first place ensure the rooms are open to them. Harry wonders if Michael has any control over whether the common room “cat flap” is open or shut to him.

Unfortunately, he can’t say for certain based on Hermione and Crookshanks’ behavior. Hermione leaving the cat door open makes just as much sense as her closing it, so it’s really up in the air.

(Sometimes, Harry really wishes he had a pet here that’s not an owl. He might actually know some of the rules and restrictions on him if he did.)

Well, whatever. Far be it from Harry to look a gift horse in the mouth. He enters the common room, searching for Michael.

His chest warms pleasantly and his tail wags when he sees the look on Michael’s face when he catches sight of him. The sheer relief and delight… he’s just so happy, and so Harry can’t help but feel a bit of that happiness, too.

Harry spends much of that evening curled up dozing on Michael’s lap, and then deigns to join him in his bed this time, instead of betraying him for Anthony again. (Although Terry does try to tempt him with a treat. Michael is very smug that Harry chooses him over it.)

Unlike Anthony, though, Michael does cuddle, so Harry quickly finds himself enveloped with Michael curling around him. Harry doesn’t have any complaints about his night at the foot of Anthony’s bed, but… he doesn’t mind this, either.

He feels loved.

Of course, the next morning, Harry takes one of Michael’s socks, the shoelace off one of Terry’s boots, and Anthony’s spare prefect badge to his tub stash, all before Michael even wakes up.

And then it’s another day of stealing things for his stash. Harry even makes sure to get caught a few times, because the point is to get a reputation, and he makes sure to get stuff from people of every house, too.

Just two days later, Harry is finally satisfied with the state of his stash and decides that, to cement it in everyone’s head that “Michael’s cat takes things,” he should let someone find the stash.

And he very conveniently has just the means of doing that. Since he realizes the day before that those shoes he finds the first day, that are doodled all over and covered in grass stains, actually belong to that Luna girl who is not wearing them that first day not because she’s weird, but because she doesn’t know where they are.

Well, Harry is more than happy to give them back.

He jumps ahead of Michael in the common room, bounds up to the pale-haired girl, and steps on her feet, rubs against her legs.

“No shoes again, today, Luna?” Michael asks sympathetically, attention drawn to her feet since he’s watching Harry.

“No,” says Luna, not sounding bothered in the slightest about it. “They haven’t seemed to find their way back to me, yet.”

Harry meows loudly, to get their attention, and bounds towards the staircase to the door, wagging his tail, waiting for them to follow. It takes a moment, but Luna eagerly follows him and Michael is bemused enough (and has nothing else to do) to allow him to go where he pleases and simply follow him to watch regardless.

Harry leads them down the spiral staircase to the door where his tub stash is hidden, jumps onto the handle to open the door (he’s good at it, now) and then climbs up to the topmost claw-foot bathtub, where he meows expectantly at the witch and wizard below.

Michael eyes the pile of tubs warily. “Do you think that’s stable?”

Luna just gasps, “There must be something at the top!” and she starts climbing.

(Okay, Harry really likes this girl.)

Michael hurriedly pulls out his wand to cast sticking charms on the stack of tubs so that Luna’s weight doesn’t send them toppling over as she climbs up to Harry’s level. Her head pops up over the rim of the tub, at last giving her a look inside. “Oh! My shoes!”

“Seriously?” says Michael. “How’d they get up there?”

Luna grabs for her shoes, dropping them behind her (Michael has to jump out of the way as she doesn’t actually look to see where she’s dropping them) and then curiously examines the rest of Harry’s collection. “I think Tiger found them for me,” she says. “I guess he realized they were mine when you commented on my feet this morning.”

Michael balks. “I did not comment on your feet, I just asked about you still not finding your shoes!”

“Oh, look,” Luna chirps, grabbing onto the mirror Harry takes after some girl leaves it on a bench. “I think this is Felicity Eastchurch’s.” Replacing the mirror, she pokes at some hair ties, then picks up the gobstone to examine in the light as if it’s a precious gem.

“Just what exactly do you have up there, Tiger?” Michael asks, exasperated.

“Some quills, lots of parchment, a few earrings,” Luna starts listing, “oh, even a muggle pen. A chess piece, some hair ties-”

Michael groans. “I leave you alone to go to class,” he moans, “and you become a thief. Tiger…”

That is… exactly true, yes. Harry wags his tail, holding eye contact with Michael unrepentantly.

“Luna, is there anything there that’ll actually be missed?”

“Whoever lost these butterbeer corks must want them back,” Luna answers. “They keep the nargles away, you know.”

Michael’s head drops into his hands. Harry kneads the edge of the bathtub unconsciously, trying desperately to hide any too-human sign of his amusement. Harry, really, really likes this girl.

After a fortifying breath, Michael reexamines the stack of tubs, shrugs, announces, “Alright, I’m coming up,” and starts climbing himself. As he reaches the top, Harry walks onto his shoulders and flops down, laying across them as he purrs.

“Merlin, Tiger,” Michael sighs. He still gives Harry scritches behind the ear, though, before he focuses on looking through Harry’s pile of collected treasures.

He quickly sorts out anything that might potentially be missed. Blank parchment and quills and the like are ignored (as Harry plans), as are the various “trash” items like the butterbeer corks that Luna points out, but the bits of jewelry, the chess piece, the Gryffindor tie Harry snags right off of Seamus’ sleepy neck one morning at breakfast, a single green dragonhide glove, and the mirror are all shoved into Michael’s pockets for the climb down.

“You said something here belongs to Felicity?” Michael asks. Luna points out the mirror to him. “Oh, yeah, she’s been moaning about losing that.”

In Harry’s defense, she does leave it. Harry just picks it up. He does take some things directly from the students, but that isn’t one of them.

“Great,” Michael sighs, “now I have to go around trying to find who owns these.”

Uh, Harry does? Obviously? He steals them fair and square.

Luna giggles. Maybe at Michael, maybe at the look on Harry’s face, he doesn’t know, but Harry supposes Michael can return all that stuff to their places since it’s time for him to get moving on the next part of the plan, anyway.

It already makes his fur itch knowing it’s been days and he doesn’t have the map yet, even though he knows that Ron and Hermione shouldn’t have any reason to bother looking at it. They surely don’t suspect Harry is in Hogwarts any more than anyone else. And that assumption is the only reason that Harry is as patient as he is.

Thankfully, he does consider his plan while he’s busy making his reputation, so he already knows how to proceed. With luck, Harry can execute his plan and have the map back by tonight.

Step one: infiltration.

Harry stays on Michael’s shoulders even when he goes back to the common room, making quite clear his intentions to tag along today. Since it’s a Saturday with no classes, Michael is happy to have him. Michael himself is nervous because he has a study date with Ginny – one of their first hangouts of the year – and he’s still not sure how that’s going to go.

Harry knows how it’s going to go. He knows how he’s going to make it go, even though he has misgivings about the whole thing.

The two settle in the quad courtyard where they can be louder than in the library and chat about things other than their schoolwork, then get out their homework for the first couple of days and idle through it as they begin a conversation about quidditch.

Quidditch. Harry is as happy to talk about quidditch as the next guy, but come on. Quidditch? Ginny obviously just picks the first, safest topic she can think of and rolls with it, and Michael’s quiet frown when she’s not looking at him makes it clear that he notices, too.

After brushing him off all summer, she wants to just act like none of that happens? It yanks the strings in Harry’s chest bad, mostly because he suspects that Ron and Hermione would do the same thing to him if he comes back as a student. Ron does do just that after the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Well… he does apologize, but still. After that, he just goes about like it never happens.

Harry loves Ginny. He loves all the Weasleys, but… Ginny really doesn’t deserve Michael. Maybe it’s mean to think it, but that’s how Harry feels. He wants to get between them, to hiss and scratch at Ginny until she just leaves Michael alone and stops playing with his heart like this.

Unfortunately, Harry needs her.

So, instead of biting her like he wants to do, he cuddles up to her. He swallows the bitter taste on his tongue to crawl into her lap. (He absolutely gets in the way of her work, and yes, it’s petty, but that’s what “affectionate” cats do, isn’t it?)

Michael tries to ask her about her avoidance twice, just she dodges the question both times. It’s not until Harry meows at him, annoyed, that Michael decides to talk about him instead, and Ginny deems Michael’s new cat a safe enough topic, and the classic Weasley love of pranks has her doubled-over laughing in no time at Harry’s antics as Tiger and Michael’s suffering love for him.

And the ice there seems to break. Conversation flows easily after that. Ginny even teases Michael that he loves his cat more than her, and he laughs it into a joke, but Harry flexes his claws. He’s on her lap. It will be so easy to just grab. A few scratches on her thighs aren’t going to hurt her, right?

Harry catches Michael eyeing him a few times, sensing that something is up. Harry takes Anthony’s side that first night to avoid the consequences of his stink pellets (the boys still don’t find the one in the extra bed) but other than that Harry always prefers Michael. So, him latching on to Ginny, purring loudly and snuggling into her lap is unusual behavior for him.

Harry is starting to branch out. Luna picks him up yesterday, and he climbs up Anthony the night before only because he’s the tallest and Harry wants to see if he can get to the top. He sits next to Terry, accepting pets, while Terry reads the night before. But that’s all while Michael is doing other things. Generally, if it’s a choice between Michael or anyone else, Harry is closest to Michael.

Partly because Harry knows Michael the best, partly because he’s just showing loyalty since he is Michael’s pet. (Michael spends nine whole galleons on him! That’s… not actually a lot, but way more than he expects anyone to spend on him! More than anyone has done before, for sure, except McGonagall and Sirius when they buy him his brooms.)

Harry makes a show of liking Ginny, because Ginny will assume he’s just friendly or likes her for some reason and Michael should know better, so when their time together ends amicably and optimistically and Michael reaches for him so that they can go, Harry gives him a hard look.

Michael hesitates. He looks between Harry and Ginny for a few moments, then he smiles. He digs into his pocket for the treat bag he keeps on him, bends close to Harry’s head and pets him with his free hand just to disguise the movement of his lips as he whispers, “Give her hell, Tiger.”

Michael brings a cat treat to Harry’s lips, pinched between his thumb and forefinger, but Harry catches the stink pellet he hides between his next two knuckles, and Harry paws at Michael’s hand for the treat, but also to grab the stink pellet which he hides in his fur and pins in place with his leg tucked up against him just like he does with the fizzing whizzbee in the train station.

Michael’s smile turns blinding – Harry knows he can count on that man. He worries, because it looks like things go well, which they have to for Harry to conceivably go with Ginny afterwards, but Michael might not want to risk pranking her after only just smoothing things out between them.

But there’s a hard look in Michael’s eye, too, and Harry recognizes it because he feels the exact same way. They might get over the awkwardness today, but Ginny still never explains, never apologizes… she deserves what she gets.

Besides, it’s Ginny. If she of all people gets angry over a prank, then it’s not really the prank that riles her up, anyway.

“Hey, Gin,” Michael says. “Looks like Tiger really likes you. You’re just going back to your common room after this, right? Why don’t you take him with you? I’ve got to meet the guys in the library anyway, so I’d feel better if he isn’t alone.”

Harry wags his tail smugly. Good man.

“Sure, I don’t mind,” says Ginny. She picks up Harry as she stands, ensuring he doesn’t have to drop the stink pellet.

“Oh,” says Michael. “And don’t worry if he disappears on you. He does that, sometimes. He’ll make his way back to Ravenclaw when he wants to.”

The two part ways. Harry watches Michael’s smirk from over Ginny’s shoulder and smiles. Michael reads his intent, trusts him, and helps him just like that. They don’t pull off any joint pranks yet like Michael plans the moment he buys Harry, but it already feels like they’re partners.

It feels good. Even Ron and Hermione would question him first or refuse to allow him to go off alone. Michael doesn’t even know Harry’s plan; he just knows that Harry is putting on an act of liking Ginny for some reason and enables him.

And he trusts Harry to come back. Every day, that doubt that so fills his expression every time they part dissipates more and more. Today, there is only pride and eager apprehension, excitement to hear later about what Harry pulls off in the Gryffindor Common Room.

Harry isn’t going to let him down.

Step one: complete. Step two: find the map.

Ginny brings Harry up to the fourth-year girls’ dorms, which is overall much tidier and better-smelling than the boys’, but otherwise pretty much the same. Harry uses the quiet moment following to breathe and ready himself for the next step.

“How’d it go with Michael?” The voice catches Harry off guard because it doesn’t belong to a fourth-year. The one who speaks, the only other girl in the room, is Hermione.

“It was fine,” chuckles Ginny. “You know he’s always good for a laugh.”

A laugh? Harry glowers at her words. Who thinks of their boyfriend as nothing but a laugh? Michael is funny, yes, but he’s a lot more than just something to laugh at!

Merlin, Harry is going to enjoy the next few minutes.

“I think it’s going to be okay,” Ginny says. “He tried to ask about the summer a few times, but I somehow got things moving again without saying anything.”

She did? Since when? Harry remembers it being Michael, trying so hard to keep their relationship together, who focuses on something she won’t avoid and deflect just so that things aren’t so awkward.

Hermione winces in sympathy. “I’m sorry, Ginny. It must be hard to keep it from him. But you know how dangerous it is…”

“I know. It’s fine.” And Ginny really does sound like it is. It pisses Harry off. It’s not fine. No part of this is fine! “I just wish I knew who we can trust…”

Harry can’t resist yowling in offense. If she can’t trust her boyfriend, then why is she even with him? He squirms, not wanting to be touching her any longer.

Who they can trust- Right, just like they can’t trust Harry. Who do they think they are? How can they just accept that they can’t trust him? Or Ginny’s own boyfriend? And they keep going on as if nothing’s wrong!

“Is that Michael’s cat?” Hermione asks, wide-eyed at the scene Harry is making of himself.

Ginny groans. “He does love to talk about how smart Tiger is. I guess he understood what we’re saying. Probably offended on Michael’s behalf.” She tries to soothe him, but Harry hisses and squirms. “Sorry, Tiger,” Ginny says. “It’s just without Dumbledore’s permission-”

Oh, Dumbledore’s permission? Harry sees red. They need Dumbledore to tell them who to trust? Like risking his life against a troll, or a basilisk, or going back in time with them isn’t enough for them to think for themselves and make their own decisions? Dumbledore is the final say on who’s trustworthy and who’s not?

Because the man who sends Harry back to the Dursleys every summer, and isolates him there right after he watches someone die and fights for his life against Voldemort, is the epitome of trustworthy. The man whose response to the Ministry attacking and attempting to snap the wand of an underage student is to tell that student to sit still like a good boy and do nothing?

To hell with that, and to hell with them. Harry drops the stink pellet.

It hits the ground and bursts, dispelling an odour like dung all around them. Both girls reel back, Hermione confused and startled, and Ginny wincing.

“Where did that come from?” Hermione shrieks.

“Okay,” Ginny admits, “maybe he doesn’t forgive me. Ow!”

Before either girl can recover, Harry bites Ginny with a vengeance to force her to let go of him, and he sprints out the door.

But as much as Harry wants to lash and spit and linger on all his unkind thoughts towards the girls right now, he has something more important to do. He forces himself to put it in the back of his mind and darts up the stairs to the fifth-year dorms.

Hermione’s trunk isn’t hard to find. It’s the only one Harry actually recognizes since as a boy he can’t ordinarily come in here and he never shares a compartment with the others on the train. Well, except for this year, but he doesn’t pay attention to Parvati or Lavender’s luggage at the time.

He forces Hermione’s trunk open, praying she doesn’t put any dangerous security charms on it, and rummages as quickly as he can.

Unfortunately, he can’t be as thorough as he’d like. He’s on a bit of a time crunch, especially for this one, but he can’t find anything that looks like the map. As a consolation prize, he snatches the tassel of a bookmark and yanks it right out of the book, then runs off to try the boys’ side of the dormitories.

It being the middle of the day on a Saturday, none of the boys are in. That’s good for Harry. He thinks he loses the girls. They don’t really chase him in the first place and shouldn’t have any reason to guess he might try to go into the boys’ dorms, so if they do look for him, he should have a few minutes at least.

Still, he doesn’t waste time. He doesn’t even worry about security on Ron’s trunk, knowing very well that there isn’t any, and he starts digging.

It’s good he has more time here, because Ron’s trunk is actually harder to look through than Hermione’s. Hermione’s is organized, and Harry can just look for any hidden places she might think to put the map. Ron just has all his things in a big pile jumbled together, so Harry has to paw through it all to even see anything underneath.

But he finds it. Together with his invisibility cloak, in a bundle buried at the bottom of Ron’s trunk, Harry finds the Marauder’s Map. Excellent.

Step two: complete. Step three: exfiltration. It’s time to escape.

Harry takes the map and Hermione’s bookmark and cautiously checks outside the dorms. He can hear Hermione and Ginny downstairs, but no one is stomping around up here yet. Good.

He slips into the stairway. Rather than going downstairs, however, he goes up. To the seventh-year dorms.

Now, these trunks Harry is almost certain are booby-trapped, so he searches the room first, hoping to find something without having to open them. And he is moderately successful. Between the twins and Lee Jordan, they apparently don’t feel the need to hide their joke products. Harry’s heart soars upon finding a pack of (possibly half-finished?) fireworks just sitting out on one of the twins’ bedside tables.

So, he snatches that, decides he’s really running out of room to carry things with his mouth and briefly misses having opposable thumbs, but nonetheless decides to risk looking for one more goody to really make his mark.

He unlatches the trunk that he thinks is Fred’s, pushes it open, and takes cover.

There’s an unholy shriek from a caterwauling charm – oops – and Harry is assaulted by a horde of rubber snakes springing out of the trunk, which, yeah, that’s funny.

Knowing that someone will be up shortly to investigate the racket, Harry jumps up, snatches the first box that looks even remotely usable, and darts back onto the staircase.

“You!” Ginny shouts.

Harry, mouth full with Hermione’s bookmark, the Marauder’s Map, a bundle of fireworks, and a small brownish box (and thanking Merlin that all but the Marauder’s Map have ties so he can actually fit them all at once, allowing them to dangle like kittens picked up by their scruffs) only pounces.

He narrowly evades her grasp on the stairs, peeling out into the common room proper at the bottom of them, then he hears Hermione shouting an incantation.

“Wait, don’t!” Ginny shrieks, but it’s too late.

Hermione really should listen to Michael’s stories about how he and Harry meet.

Of course, the incantation Hermione uses is for the stunning spell, so Harry really doesn’t feel bad at all about what happens next. Never mind that being stunned won’t actually hurt him.

Harry twists, maneuvers the fireworks into the path of the spell sent his way, and the magic makes them erupt.

The Weasley twins clearly work hard on them, because the chaos that follows is way more impressive than the filibuster fireworks in the Magical Menagerie.

Dragons comprised entirely of green and gold sparks soar through the common room, emitting loud fiery blasts and bangs as they go; shocking-pink Catherine wheels five feet in diameter whiz lethally through the air like so many flying saucers; rockets with long tails of brilliant silver stars ricochet off the walls; sparklers write swear words in midair of their own accord; firecrackers explode like mines everywhere Harry looks, and instead of burning themselves out, fading from sight or fizzling to a halt, these pyrotechnical miracles seem to gain in energy and momentum the longer he watches.

Harry loves the twins.

Hermione desperately tries to vanish the things, but it only makes them multiply. The few people in the common room scream and run around like headless chickens.

Only Ginny seems able to still focus on Harry, determinedly fighting through the dazzling flashes and dangerous bangs to get to him. Harry narrows his eyes. She narrows her eyes back.

And Harry picks up the bookmark and the map, turns tail, and kicks over the box he brings down from Fred’s trunk.

Immediately, a stench like rot fills the room. The stone floor turns to water and weeds, dense plant growth sweeps out from the upturned box in a tidal wave. The Gryffindor Common Room turns into a swamp.

Oh, and the fireworks are still only gaining momentum. On the bright side, the swamp puts out the fires.

Merlin, but Harry loves the twins.

Ginny is trapped waist-deep in muck and Hermione is still on the other side over by the stairs, leaving Harry to cockily jump from exposed tree-root to fallen log to get to the door, where the panicking Gryffindors unlucky enough to get caught up in the whole incident are escaping themselves. Harry slips out wholly unnoticed by the panicking students.

Step three: complete. All that’s left is step four: ditch/plant the evidence.

Because it’s actually fairly close by, Harry stops by his tub stash first and drops off the bookmark there with the myriad pieces of parchment he steals previously. But since this place is known and Hermione very well might try to go to Michael to get the map back, Harry can’t put the map here.

Now, this is the part Harry doesn’t quite get to in the planning stage. Frankly, he’s impressed with how well step three goes, and attributes it entirely to dumb luck and Fred and George’s brilliance considering Harry’s plan is just to grab something of theirs to make a distraction. Harry doesn’t even know what that swamp box is when he grabs it, but it’s more glorious and useful than he ever would imagine.

All Harry knows is that he needs to get as far from Gryffindor Tower as he can and put the map somewhere that even Fred and George won’t discover it.

So, he just kind of peels off into the castle. He considers the Ravenclaw Common Room. No one there would know the parchment to be any more than parchment so the only real risk would be someone taking it to use for notes or something. But any one of the Ravenclaws inside might see him with it and rat him out to Michael if Hermione goes to him looking for the map, so it’s too risky.

Instead, he races through the corridors, avoiding students as much as possible (Which isn’t difficult. It’s the middle of the day on a Saturday; most students are outside enjoying the grounds.) looking desperately for anywhere to stash the thing where there’s no risk of passersby noticing it and getting their hands on it.

By sheer happenstance, he winds up in the astronomy wing, up on the seventh floor, in front of a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to do ballet, lashing his tail and pacing because the only thing up from here is the astronomy classroom and tower, where there are no good hiding spots Harry knows of. So, he has to backtrack, which he’s nervous about since he doesn’t know if Hermione or Ginny will get out of the common room and pick up his trail.

And then a small cat door appears in the blank wall. Harry stops. He stares at it, wondering if he imagines seeing the thing materialize right in front of him or if he just somehow misses it until now.

Well, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Hermione and Ginny would have trouble even getting through that door, which makes it the perfect place almost no matter what’s behind it.

He shoves inside, stumbles a little, then gawks up at the mountains and mountains of miscellaneous goodies. It’s perfect.

(It makes Harry’s tub stash feel inadequate, which is rude.)

Harry stumbles through the room, terrified of getting lost in the piles of things. Well… Step four: complete.

That’s a job well done.

[thebibutterflyao3]

Marauders Fandom

We need to talk about Lily Evans.

The amount of misogyny directed at this character is truly mind-boggling and I think many of you are completely unaware you’re doing it. There are so many rich, in-depth characterizations of the male characters in the Marauders era because we accept that they are deeply flawed people. It’s because of these flaws that we identify with them, adore them, and can relate to them. These four idiots experience damaging trauma, homophobia, discrimination, and countless character building experiences that allow them to capture your imagination. Through fanfiction, we inflict numerous situations and create relationships that challenge logic, reality, and canon. It makes them powerful figures in our minds!

Now, let’s talk about the female Marauders era characters. Dorcas and Marlene are lesbians. Marlene is a Sirius-variant. Dorcas and Mary are Black. Lily is perfect in every way. Mary is stylish and popular. This is more or less the level of depth given to these characters in nearly every fic I’ve read that includes them. What a disgusting disservice to women.

Female characters can be written with just as many flaws, experience the same challenges, and deserve the opportunity to grow into the powerful figures they could be. The one that I feel is shafted the most often is Lily mother-fucking Evans. The witch who was at the top of her class, compared in canon to Hermione as a perfectionist and know-it-all muggle-born, who grew up with Petunia as an older sister, and Severus Snape as a best friend. You’re going to look me in the eyeballs and tell me this woman wasn’t complicated? She wasn’t flawed, traumatized, and intense? We’ve taken the rich characterization potential this character offered and given it to Regulus Black. The correlations that can be made between Regulus and Lily are wild, yet anyone who writes her as anything but sunshine and rainbows is accused of villainizing her.

News flash: Your misogyny is showing. Why do you expect Lily to be perfect? Because society expects women to be perfect. Why are male characters allowed to be flawed assholes? Because society allows and accepts men as flawed assholes, encourages it even.

I find it endlessly fascinating that I can write Regulus as a snarky, intense, anxious, and a complete prick with nothing but full support from the fandom because he’s “traumatized.” If I write Lily the same way? I’m “villainizing” her or you “hate her” for thinking she knows better than everyone else. Stop treating women like dolls. We are powerful individuals with the potential to brighten or destroy your whole fucking world. Don’t make the same mistake the patriarchy has and dismiss, undermine, and overlook women.

I know Lily Jane Evans (yes, I gave her a middle name because she fucking deserves one). I wrote a 430k+ deep dive into her childhood and upbringing, as well as all 7 years at Hogwarts. I explored her friendship with Snape, her family, and her relationship with James. I’ve done my research and I built her character from the ground up. Lily Evans is an anxious, intense, introvert who made Hogwarts her home and rose to the rank of Head Girl before she left. Sound like Percy Weasley to anyone? She’s certainly a compassionate, loving, and generous person too, but let her have flaws! Let her be annoying, feel inadequate, and fuck things up! Let her live!

If you want more fanfiction focused on female characters, stop pretending they are perfect. No one wants to write about perfect people. No one wants to read about them either. Let women be flawed assholes too. We can do both. We’re flexible like that.