#and they only speak through meows and over dramatic hand gestures

[hecksupremechips]

Sometimes I think maybe I’m just not attracted to anyone at all but then I realize I’ve been looking at celebrities, people who are inherently unattractive and unfuckable

[hyperfixationswithkate]

connect | davey jacobs

reader x davey jacobs

[modern newsies au] 

summary: It’s been two years since they spoke, and they need a wedding date. What could go wrong? 

The opening of ‘You’re My Best Friend’ plays as you anxiously await for a response. The song he’d made his contact all those years ago as a joke but you’re too sentimental to let it go. You sprint across your apartment to grab it. “Hi,” you pant into the receiver. “As for your proposition, for you” your old friend said, “anything”. Your heartbeat races even faster at the thought of seeing him again. “Thank you” “See you then” He says and then the receiver clicks. 

Almost a month and a half later, you sit on your couch waiting. Fidgeting with the hem of your shirt, you think about the last time you saw him. It was almost two years ago now. After graduation, you two had slowly grown apart. People thought you guys were made for each other, actual soulmates, but time is a cruel mistress. Romance was never a word you would use to describe your relationship with Davey. He was always your partner in crime, your best friend, never your boyfriend. Well not never, the amount of times you’d see him laugh or talking or just existing and imagine a world where you two weren’t just friends. But the possibility of love wasn’t worth risking a friendship over. 

Somehow the idea of seeing him still makes you feel butterflies. Even though he recently moved to New York for a grad program, you didn’t reach out with the fear of being awkward or just wanting to leave things the way they were. But a friend’s wedding where they were desperate to meet your childhood friend after learning he’s in town and needing a date, a proposal arised. 

It wasn’t a large wedding but large enough that you could leave early if things got weird. Getting cornered into bringing a guy you haven’t seen in years to a wedding where you barely knew the bride wasn’t the finest combo but it will have to do. All your worries and fears were pulled from your mind with a knock on the door. ‘Here we go’ you thought. You pull the door open with a deep breath as you see him.

Wow, college has done him well. Davey was always handsome but wow. Maybe time isn’t so criminal after all. Suits make anybody better but damn does he pull it off. “Hey, long time no see” he says, “shut up” you breathe as you hug him. The silk of the suit touches your face, you can smell the laundry detergent. The same one he’s used since he was a kid. The stale cotton smell fills your mind with nostalgia. Memories of crying into his shirt over god knows what, or borrowing a jacket from his car after a spring rain. A small smell brings you back to a past life, a completely different person, someone afraid of the endless possibility of the future. But his voice brings you back to the present. As he pulls away from the hug, he says “So y/n, what’s the plan?” 

You two leave your apartment in an almost awkward silence. The fear of making things weird after two years of limited contact weights on you. As you approach his car, he says “so how did you get wrapped into a wedding?” You take a moment to reply and say “I barely know at this point, the groom is a friend of mine from my freshman writing class. His friend group is filled with frat boys and trust fund babies but he’s an alright guy and I am still easily peer pressured.” You ramble. 

“You have a theme of finding the one alright guy in a group of animals” He says, winking at you. “A prime example being your juvenile posse from freshman year.” You say. Davey playfully gasps, acting offended. “Jack, Race, Romeo, and the rest of the goonies weren't exactly angels but they weren't heathens” He says in an overly dramatic tone. 

He changes the subject before I can poke fun at his boys again saying “Me and Jack are sharing an apartment while I finish my double major and while he’s still doing random things to pay for art school. Some of the other boys are around town. It’s kind of homely though, especially through the first couple weeks. What was it like living somewhere completely new all on your own?” You think for a second and say “It’s kind of nice. Starting completely fresh. No one has any expectation of who you are. It was rough at first without anyone close but I was able to change without fear of ruining old friendships.” He nodded silently, definitely thinking about my statement and analyzing it like the over thinker he’s always been. 

We sat in a comfortable silence as we approached his car. Davey takes two large steps to reach the car door before you, “M’lady” he says as he opens the door. The inside of his car smelled like a lemon air freshener and his dashboard was covered in post it notes with random things scribbled on them. “What are these?” you say, staring at the little notes. “Oh well they started by me forgetting things all the time and it evolved into the boys leaving notes every time they’re in here alone. I’m too sappy to take them down” He replies as he gets into the driver seat. ‘If you mess this up, I’ll deck ya. Love Race’ reads one of the notes. Davey notices you eyeing the note as he starts the car and says quietly “Race wrote that one about today. He really wants us to be close again so when I drive down here to see you, I pick up cheap weed for him.” ''God that's such a Race thing to do'' you say laughing. He makes nervous eye contact with you that makes you think that maybe weed wasn’t Race’s only motive for us meeting again. But Davey speaks before your mind can race too far off, “So what’s the address for this wedding venue?” 

As we drive for a few minutes, Davey turns on the radio to fill the weird gap of silence between conversations and of course the first sing playing is “You’re my best friend” by Queen. The song about your partner being your best friend is playing, the song that could definitely be labeled as “our song” is playing, the universe is playing a cruel game on us today. Davey turns to you recognizing how significant this song is and says “You better remember all the words to this song” and of course I do. I reply by singing the opening verse very loudly. To which he does the exact same thing. As the song fades out, he says “I remember listening to that in high school. We used to sit on your bedroom floor and do homework while the whole Night At The Opera album played”. The nostalgia flooding back to you as his eyes focus back on the road. A particular memory stands out.

One night we were both studying for our AP Lit test in my bedroom. It was almost 2am and you’d been studying for hours. We snuck down to the kitchen for some snacks before the final haul of work. Running down the stairs your feet slip and Davey catches you in his arms. As you balance again, his arms don’t fall away and you turn to face him about to ask him if something is wrong. His eyes staring deeply into yours as you look at him and you savor the feeling of his warm hands on your arms. The moment quickly passed when your cat meowed very loudly at your feet, scaring the both of you apart. After raiding your kitchen, you two swiftly return upstairs to finish studying and hopefully avoiding another borderline romantic encounter for the evening. Once you close your bedroom door, Davey said “What’s your favorite record at the moment?”. He was trying to avoid studying but I didn’t really care. “Currently it’s A Night At The Opera by Queen. I just got it on vinyl and it’s definitely a winner” I say back. “Well then put it on” he says jokingly gesturing to the small record player in my room. “Alright mate” you mumble in a vague british accent knowing that’ll get him to laugh, and of course he does. You put on the record and the opening instrumental starts playing. 

We study for most of the album, only interrupted by pages flipping, pencils scratching, yawning, and me flipping the record. By the end of the album, we’re both lying on the floor staring at the ceiling in exhaustion, the carpet touching my bare arms as the final notes fade out. “That was incredible,” Davey says quietly, turning to face me on the ground. “I know” I say nodding, leaning towards him. For a few seconds, we were close enough together we could have kissed. Staring at each other waiting for the other to make a move. He turns away, a fear of making things weird overcomes him. You can tell in his face that he regrets it the moment he turns. 

The memory fades as the car stops at a red light. Turning to Davey as his eyes are fixed on the road, you see the side profile that you saw everyday at school. The slightly crooked nose that got broken from a flying book during lunch. The eyebrow that has a small scar above it from tripping at the city pool during freshman year. The pink blotch of color on his cheek that never seems to leave no matter the temperature. All these memories attached to him for better or for worse. 

He notices you staring as he turns the corner. “What?” he says quietly, blushing. “Nothing, just thinking” you say equally as quiet. “About what?” he almost whispers. Just as you panic about what to say, the GPS says “You have arrived at your destination”

[alecmagnuslwb]

The Great Marriage License Mystery

Read on AO3

Magnus groans, back feeling like hell. He lifts himself up and immediately falls off the couch landing directly on his back onto a stack of red solo cups.

“Fuck,” he shouts out as he rolls to the side to lift himself up, a party mask on a stick digging into his side.

“Stop being so loud,” a female voice he knows well grumbles from above. Magnus finally lifts himself up into a sitting position to see Isabelle lying face down surrounded by a nest of multi colored feather boas on the couch opposite the one he’d just fallen from.

Magnus finds the inner strength to stand looking around the room. It’s his apartment, not that he remembers coming home at all, and it’s a wreck. Cups, half empty bottles of liquor and an array of party favors from the evening’s festivities cover every surface. His paintings on the walls are crooked, the strip of photobooth pictures that he and Alec had taken on their trip to Tokyo for their one-month anniversary are sitting sadly in a puddle of something. He walks over squinting his eyes against the sunlight streaming in and pics up the photo strip shaking them out best he can.

He sniffs them confirming the liquid to be vodka and not something worse. He pins them back up on the corkboard where they belong smiling at the happy looks on their faces despite the fact his head feels like there’s a tiny gnome with a hatchet running around inside of it.  

Isabelle shifts on the couch lying on her back now.

“Did we die?” she asks eyes still closed.

“Unfortunately not,” Magnus says picking up a pink cowboy hat from the chair nearest to him and plopping down into it heavily.

“What time is it?” she asks pulling a few of the feather boas around her like a blanket.

Magnus looks down at his watch about to answer when his bedroom door suddenly slams open. A flash of long red hair streaks across the apartment headed straight for the bathroom.

Clary shuts the door behind her and an unfortunate heaving sound follows. Izzy sits up quickly eager to get to her fiancée, a decision she clearly immediately regrets if the way she woozily lies back down is anything to go by.

The bathroom door swings open a moment later, Alec steps out looking disheveled as hell wearing a Hunter’s moon t-shirt he definitely hadn’t been wearing when the night before had started.

“I don’t recommend sleeping in a bathtub when you’re 6”4,” he says voice gravelly from misuse. He squints his eyes grabbing a pair of sunglasses laying on the table as he walks past it and slips them on. “You might want to check on your fiancée, she’s throwing up half her body in there.”

Alec sits down heavily on the couch beside his sister patting her on the shoulder. She nods, takes a deep breath and centers herself standing up slowly. This time she makes it picking her way through the trash littering the floor her 8-inch heels somehow still secured to her feet.

“Your weddings in like four hours, just a reminder!” Magnus shouts and wishes he hadn’t. Judging from the way Alec plugs his ears and Izzy flips him off no one else does either. Hangovers all around it seems, a sign of a good bachelorette party.

Magnus listens for a few moments to Isabelle softly reassuring Clary, heels clicking on the tile of the bathroom floor. He looks over at his boyfriend once again heaving himself to stand and flop down beside him on the bed of boas.

“Good morning baby,” Alec grumbles lifting his arm and wrapping it around Magnus’ shoulders. Magnus hums reaching up and entangling his fingers with Alec’s. He shifts enough to toss his legs over Alec’s and looks down noticing a piece of white paper sticking out from his pocket.

He raises his eyebrows leaning back enough to pull the paper from his pocket. He unfolds it and practically jolts up from the couch. In looping script that looks like Isabelle’s is his name and what appears to be one half of a marriage license.

“Ummm Magnus!” Isabelle yells rushing out of the bathroom and directly to them on the couch. Alec shifts seemingly having fallen back asleep. She shakes a piece of paper in his face almost identical to his half. “This was in MY pocket.”

Magnus takes it from her lining it up with his. A piece of the full sheet is still missing only the last name Lightwood on Isabelle’s section the first name missing. She falls beside him seeing the almost full document.

“There’s no way,” he says laughing nervously. There’s no way.

Isabelle is just as alert as he in now, eyes in a panic. Alec sits up taking off his sunglasses. He looks from the papers to Magnus’s eyes, his eyes just as wide as his sisters.

“I also have this,” she says holding up her left hand revealing a diamond band on her thumb. “It’s stuck.”

“That’s one of mine,” Magnus says looking down at one of his empty fingers. “Oh, shit that’s one of mine.”

Alec falls back into the couch, no longer pressed into Magnus’ side.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” Isabelle says dropping her head into her hands.

Clary comes out of the bathroom, eye makeup resembling a raccoon with a huge bottle of mouth wash in her hands. Chairman Meow appears circling around her socked feet trying to trip her up, she takes it in stride and steps over him easily.  

“Just in case,” she says when she notices Alec judging the bottle. “So, I’m guessing from those repetitive oh my gods it’s not us that got married last night.”

“No,” Isabelle moans dramatically throwing herself on the ground, arms tossed over her eyes. “I married my brother’s boyfriend probably as a dumb joke or something the night before my wedding. Jace will never let me live this down.”

“We don’t know that. It just says Lightwood, it could be us!” Magnus argues looking at his boyfriend uncertainly. Alec looks a little bit like a deer in the headlights so Magnus scrambles. He’s not really sure what’s the better option: accidentally marrying your boyfriend of two months in a drunken stupor or marrying your boyfriend’s sister as a joke in a drunken stupor. At least he hopes it was a dumb joke if it’s the latter, the former well he’s not sure if he and Alec are ready to get into that no matter how quickly their relationship has progressed. “Or you know it’s fake, fake is an option.”

Clary steps over inspecting the paper.

“Paper’s too high quality for a fake,” she shrugs sitting down on the coffee table. Magnus gives her a pointed look, making it clear she’s not helping this situation.

The four of them sit there silently for a while. Alec is the first to speak up.

“Okay, what does everyone remember from last night? Let’s piece this together,” he says reasonably opening the floor to whoever wants to start.

It takes about twenty minutes but they get a vague timeline from memory and other evidence pulled from their pockets. They scour the apartment as they talk making hangover remedies while desperately searching for the missing piece of the license.

So far they’ve determined things started here, pre-gaming with cocktails and dinner then it was the Hunter’s Moon where Magnus absolutely demolished Alec in a series of pool games. That’s when Alec lost his shirt as well, a beer spilled on him by Jace who’d already had far too much to drink. Magnus had forgotten the detail, but Alec recalls it with annoyed clarity.

After the Hunter’s Moon, Jace had been sent home in a cab, Maia, Bat and the rest of their friends had come along with them to Pandemonium and that was where things got blurry. By 11:30 their friends had all called it a night, but the four of them had hit the dancefloor. Dancing then turned into competition when Izzy had challenged Magnus and Alec to a couple’s tequila shot off. Magnus assumes they won considering how Clary handles her liquor.

Then it all goes well and truly blank for them all. Clary’s phone is missing entirely, Alec’s is dead and seemingly has been since at least midnight. Izzy’s phone is just a series of back and forth drunken texts with Jace that are increasingly sarcastic and misspelled.

Magnus is the only one with a possible lead. There’s evidence of a Lyft being called that took them to the venue where Izzy and Clary are getting married in mere hours and a 15-minute call with Raphael somewhere around one in the morning.

Magnus dials his number immediately hoping for answers.

“You asked me to go through the whole ceremony,” Raphael says after five minutes of making fun of them all. Magnus’ childhood best friend never did finish the process of becoming a full-blown preacher, not finding it for him in the end, but he’s ordained for weddings and had happily offered to do the ceremony when Clary and Izzy still hadn’t found someone two weeks before.

“Why?” the four ask in frustrated unison.

“Dios, I don’t know. You were all trashed but you insisted, so to get you to leave me alone because some of us who are involved in this wedding wanted to get a good night’s rest, I went through the whole thing, start to finish,” he explains.

“Did vows get exchanged or anything?” Alec asks.

“Not really, but you did all say ‘I do’ at some point I couldn’t tell who though, I’m pretty sure you were all outside,” Raphael answers. “Which in theory I guess would mean someone got married, but not that it matters I mean ordained or not without a license it’s not legally binding.”

They all sigh.

“That’s the problem,” Magnus grumbles. They end the call after that saying goodbyes and see you soons.

“Alright,” Alec says sounding the level headed big brother and leader he always is. “Here’s the plan’ everyone needs to shower first. We’re short on time so that means couples, no funny business though. Raphael said we were outside, so that probably means we couldn’t get into the venue when we decided to go. Magnus and I can ask around while the two of you get ready since we have to be there anyways.”

Everyone nods their heads in agreement.

“And what do we do if it was us that got married?” Magnus asks gesturing between him and Izzy.

They’re all silent. Clary is the first to pipe up, taking this whole situation surprisingly well. Maybe throwing up half of one’s body weight brings clarity.

“I mean only the four of us saw it, it hasn’t been officially filed, just signed and if we give Raphael permission to mock us about it for the rest of our lives he won’t say anything,” she reasons.

She grabs Izzy’s hand pulling her to the shower leaving no room for argument.

Magnus blows out a long breath leaning against the kitchen counter where they’d all gathered. Alec joins him, crossing his arms.

“Are you mad I may have accidentally married your sister?” Magnus says quietly.

Alec snorts.

“No, we were all beyond drunk last night and knowing you and Izzy it was some competitive dare that went a step too far.”

Magnus chuckles, that does sound like them.

“And what if,” he pauses a little worried. “What if it was us that accidentally got married?”

Alec turns reaching up to pull a piece of confetti from Magnus’ hair. His hand slides down brushing Magnus’ cheek.

“Then we got married,” he shrugs.

Isabelle’s phone rings breaking the moment, on today of all days he’s fairly certain she’d appreciate them picking it up. It’s the caterer and the call takes long enough that he and Alec have barely five minutes for a shared shower before calling a cab to get to the venue. They don’t get to talk about Alec’s casual shrug about them being married like it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Once they’re at the venue people start filing in Maryse and Maia take charge of Isabelle while Clary is drifted away by Simon and Jace. They both lock eyes with Magnus and Alec trusting them to get answers or burn the pieces of marriage license before the days over.

Alec is the first to be fully ready so he heads around to ask the staff some questions. He eventually is led to the night security guard who simply shrugs saying he’d fallen asleep on the job. The only evidence that they were even there is in the form of Magnus’ Lyft history and a feather boa exactly like the ones in Magnus’ apartment tangled in a bush outside. Alec sends him a picture of it attached with the message, ‘I have a feeling we’re going to be finding these around New York for the rest of the year.’

Everything goes by in a rush after that. Magnus never gets the chance to bring up anything to Alec as they take their places as groomsmen.

The wedding is beautiful, Raphael does an excellent job so much so that Clary’s stepdad bursts into tears only two lines in. Clary and Izzy exchange vows that make everyone else cry and Izzy dips Clary as they kiss to everyone’s delight. They look the happiest they’ve ever been, clearly no longer thinking about the possible mistake marriage that was.

Magnus however can’t think of anything else. The sun has fallen and the cake has been cut by the time he gets a moment alone with Alec. He steps outside for some fresh air just beside the bushes where the feather boa still flaps in the wind and Alec slips out behind him. Two long arms wrap around his waist and Magnus leans back into a strong chest.

They stand there quietly, the muffled sound of music behind them.

“You know,” Magnus says eventually. “You were pretty casual about the concept of us being accidentally married this morning.”

Alec once again the picture of nonchalance just shrugs.

“I mean at first it was a lot, but once the worst of the hangover subsided I realized if it was us well, that’s not the worst thing. I love you; I have intentions to be with you for as long as you’ll have me so that works.”

Magnus shifts so that Alec is standing in front of him eyes a little glassy. Alec takes the tears to be a bad thing.

“I get it though if it’s way too soon to be thinking or saying anything like that, or,” Alec freezes as Magnus puts a finger in front of his lips.

“I feel the same way,” he smiles. “I mean it’s not ideal and like Clary said it’s not official till it’s filed, but I do feel the same way. I have no doubt in my mind we’re heading that way one day.”

Alec smiles kissing the tip of Magnus’ finger where it still rests against his lips. He pulls Magnus into a hug. Magnus rests his chin on Alec’s shoulder eyes still open and that’s when he spots it. The feather boa shifts in the wind and a small white piece of paper is revealed skewered on the prickly end of the bush.

He pulls back from Alec leaping down the two small steps to pick the piece of paper from the bush.

“Well I’ll be damned,” he says snatching up the sliver of paper and flipping it over. The missing piece of the license. Alec steps over, joining him.

“Is that?” he starts looking over Magnus’ shoulder.

Magnus nods holding it up for Alec to read. Alec smiles, pulling the Lightwood piece he’d been holding onto from his pocket as Magnus does the same with his part.

Alexander the missing piece reads in Isabelle’s looping script.

“Guess your stuck with me now,” Magnus says with a smirk.

Alec rolls his eyes fondly.

“Technically it hasn’t been filed, so not officially,” he jokes, pulling Magnus in by the waist. “Plus it’s in three pieces I don’t think the courthouse is going to accept it.”

“Pfft, just needs a little tape,” Magnus says gathering the three pieces of paper and folding them carefully before placing them in the inner pocket of his wine-red jacket a compliment to Alec’s black one and Isabelle’s deep red dress. “Plus, Clary’s stepdad is the Mayor, we can totally get some strings pulled.”

Alec laughs shifting to drape his arms over Magnus’ shoulders.

“You mean it?” he asks.

Magnus nods. “We have to have a party bigger than this one at some point though,” he says gesturing back to the reception hall. “I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Of course,” Alec says seriously.  “So we’re gonna be Mr. and Mr. Lightwood then?”

Magnus hums tapping a finger to his chin in thought.

“I was thinking Mr. and Mr. Bane actually.”

“I like the sound of that,” Alec says before pulling Magnus into a kiss.

They never do piece together the night exactly. Eventually Izzy gets the ring off her thumb and it fits Alec’s ring finger perfectly they discover, Magnus in turn realizes he has an exact double of it that he starts wearing himself. Why Isabelle filled out the license or if they kissed after they said I do or even actually said it is never truly answered.

Their actual marriage will be a mystery for the rest of their lives, but Magnus does get his party an acceptable six months after Clary and Izzy’s.

[pilot-boi]

Coffee Cup Woes

Jaune's history tutor is really pretty. Like REALLY pretty. Like way out of his league pretty. And he liked her, a lot. Liked her liked her. Head over heels for her. Pyrrha's history student was a delight. His smile lit up her darkest days, and he was sweet and kinder than anyone she'd ever met. She liked him, a lot.

They were perfect for each other, but sadly, both of them were idiots, and were too scared to make the first move.

Sometimes people needed a little push. Luckily their friends were more than up for the job.

Sometimes complementary mini muffins are the only comfort in this cold dark world.

AO3 LINK

“But what if she doesn’t like me?” Jaune lamented, stopping and sitting at their table instead of working like he should have been.

“Don’t worry, she likes you,” Ren reassured him, jotting down something from his text book.

“But how do you know that?”

“I read her diary,” Nora shrugged, popping one of the complementary mini muffins into her mouth.

“You what?!” Jaune squaked, and winced when his tone drew the curious stares of nearby patrons. “You what?” he repeated, in an outraged whisper. “Why?”

“Well, she left it on her dresser when she went to track practice,” Nora explained to Jaune’s dumbfounded expression. “And Ren wasn’t around to stop me.” She said this like that explained everything, but it mostly just left Jaune gaping like a fish out of water.

“I am about ninety percent of Nora’s impulse control,” Ren reminded him, and plucked a mini muffin out of her hands without looking up from his book. “And no more muffins unless you don’t want to get pancakes for dinner.”

“Yes, Ren,” Nora sighed on reflex.”

“Nora, you can’t just read your roommate’s diary!” Jaune spluttered, flapping his arms about in an excellent impression of a drowning goose.

“In my defense, I didn’t know it was her diary at first. I thought it was just a very formal handwritten book.”

“The words “Dear Diary” didn’t clue you in at all?” Jaune asked, making quotes in the air with his fingers.

“She didn’t write “Dear Diary,” Nora retorted, copying his quotes with exaggerated gestures, “she just wrote the date. Besides, I don’t think she’ll get mad about me reading it.”

“Of course she won’t!” Jaune seethed as loudly as he could without drawing stares again. “She’s like the nicest, sweetest, forgivingest person who ever existed! You could pour boiling hot soup in her lap and she’d probably apologize.”

He slumped down in his chair and put his face in his arms. “I’ve really got it bad, don’t I?” he mumbled.

“You sure do, Jauney!” Nora said happily, ruffling his hair fondly.

“Shut up, Nora,” he grumbled, beating away her hands and fixing his unruly hair as best he could.

“I don’t think “forgivingest” is a word,” Ren commented.

“You also shut up,” Jaune muttered, his voice muffled behind his arms. “You aren’t helping.”

“But anyway, the morality of diary read aside, she definitely likes you,” Nora concluded, eyeing the mini muffins and wondering if the threat of no pancakes was worth the risk.

“But does she really?” Jaune asked, rolling his head to the side so he could gaze up at her with a truly pathetic expression on his face. “Like, girls don’t like me, Nora,” he explained, straightening up.

“What about Ruby?”

“She’s different,” Jaune said, waving away Ren’s comment. “I’ve known Ruby since forever, she’s like my sister.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you really need more of those,” Nora muttered, rolling her eyes.

Jaune plowed on like he hadn’t even heard her, and with how tunnel-visioned he was, maybe he really hadn’t heard her.

“No like, like me like me, ya know?” Jaune clarified, but not really. “I barely even get to the friend stage with most people, let alone with girls. I don’t think a girl has ever has a crush on me in all eighteen years of my life.”

He was running out of momentum, which was good, because she’d known him to rant for hours if you let him get a full head of steam. “So I need you to be totally, absolutely sure,” he was saying when she checked back into the conversation, “because I really like her, and just...ya know...I hope she likes me,” he concluded rather lamely, stealing one of the mini muffins Nora had been eyeing and stuffing it in his mouth.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” Ren asked, glancing up at his friend.

“Shush, I’m on break or something,” Jaune mumbled around a mouthful of muffin. “Neptune’ll cover for me.”

“I don’t know how many times we have to tell you before you get it,” Nora grumbled. “She’s into you! Why don’t you see it?!” she fumed, miming strangling him.

“But does-?”

“Yes! Yes she does!” Nora interrupted him, throwing her hands up in the air. “I read what she said about you, and if I have to read one more sentence about your cute butt and floofy hair, I think I might vomit.”

“You didn’t have to read the original sentences, to be fair,” Ren pointed out, pulling a different, and somehow larger, reference book out of his bag.

“Shush you.”

“She thinks it’s floofy?” Jaune asked, touching the messy curls and blushing with delight. “That- that’s a good thing, right?” he asked, looking unsure.

“I give up,” Nora announced, “You’re hopeless, and I give up.” Then she stood and marched dramatically away, already texting furiously to somebody.

“You think she’s serious about that?” Jaune asked his friend out of the corner of his mouth as he watched the red head push her way through the throng of exhausted students.

“I’ve never known Nora to be serious about anything,” Ren assured him, checking his phone when it buzzed with texts, undoubtedly from Nora. “She’ll be back soon enough, once you stop acting like an idiot.”

“Hey!” That’s not fair,” Jaune pouted.

“It’s true though, you’re being an idiot about this,” Ren argued, glancing in the direction of the door when the bell indicated that someone new entered the already crowded coffee shop.

“Now come on, that’s not even remotely true,” Jaune scoffed, and deflated a little under Ren’s skeptical look. “Okay, it’s not entirely true, but-”

Ren fixed him with a piercing look from through his glasses. Jaune could only hold his intense gaze for a few moments before he was forced to look away. “Jaune,” Ren started, face and voice softening, “Why is it so hard for you to believe that she cares for you?”

Jaune looked like he was trying to collapse in on himself. “Because...she’s just so fantastic,” he mumbled, not meeting Ren’s gaze, “And I’m just sort of...not, ya know?”

“Have we ever lied to you before?” Ren asked, closing his books.

“I- what?” Jaune looked more taken aback by the sudden topic change than anything else.

“Answer the question, please.”

“I mean, no I don’t think you have,” Jaune answered, looking confused. “But why are you asking?”

“I’m asking, because if we haven’t lied to you before, then why would we start now?” Ren explained, glancing up at someone over Jaune’s shoulder and waving them over.

“So believe us when we say that she does like you,” Ren reassured him, standing and packing up his things. He patted Jaune on the shoulder, breaking him out of his shock.

“I’ve got to go and make sure Nora hasn’t decided to break anything in the five minutes I wasn’t there to stop her,” Ren said, beckoning the same person over again. “Besides, I believe there’s something you need to talk about.”

“Talk about with who?” Jaune asked, turning around and blushing right to the roots of his hair at the sight of the person Ren was talking with. “Oh hey, Pyrrha!” he said in a much higher pitched tone of voice.

“I assume you got Nora’s text?” Ren asked, a little too knowingly.

“I- yes,” she said, glancing at Jaune before focusing on Ren. “She said you needed to speak with me?”

“Actually, it’s Jaune who need to speak with you,” Ren clarified, glancing at his phone. “You can take my seat, I’m leaving anyway.” Hopefully Jaune could handle this by himself.

Jaune could not handle this by himself.

His face was bright red, and he knew it. Curse you Ren and Nora for obviously setting him up with this impromptu and definitely not-casual meeting. He had to tell her, he was going to tell her. But as soon as she sat down, Pyrrha flicked her long ponytail over her shoulder, and smiled shyly just at him. And he forgot how to speak in complete sentences.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” she asked, smiling softly. Her eyes were twinkling like emeralds, and she was actually sitting there and speaking to him. Pyrrha Nikos was sitting and talking to him over coffee.

Sure they’d spoken before in class, but this was different. They weren’t talking about history and the social implications of whatever, they were talking about potential emotions and stuff.

Or at least they would be if Jaune could stop staring at her.

Thunderstruck: so are they talking??!?

Dad: I did my part. They’re at least sitting at the table together.

Thunderstruck: mission “get these two idiots to make out” is a go!

Literal Child: Ice Queen, are you in position?

Mom: I don’t understand why I have to be the one to do this.

Goldilocks: because youre the only one of us who drinks that much coffee while you study

Mr. Kitty Cat Meow Face: She’s right you know

Goldilocks: thanks babe <3

Mom: And what is the point of code names if they are only getting typed in a group text?

Literal Child: LESS TEXTING MORE WATCHING!!

Literal Child: And it’s not a real mission without code names!!

Ocean Man: Remind me why Jaune gets to take off work but I don’t

Monkey King: because youre the only one we could get who could cover for lover boy during this whole schtick

Ocean Man: Thanks dude I always knew you’d have my back

Mr. Kitty Cat Meow Face: Shouldn't you be working and not texting us

Ocean Man: Shut

“Jaune?” Pyrrha prompted, now looking concerned by his silence.

He couldn’t say anything. It was like he’d swallowed a golf ball. Why couldn’t he say anything?!

Mom: Oh no.

Thunderstruck: what? WHAT??!

Mom: That blonde dolt is too love struck to speak.

Literal Child: you’re kidding

Literal Child: you’re kidding right??

Ocean Man: Nah, I can confirm that he’s just sitting there

Goldilocks: oh come on lover boy pull it together

Dad: We did think that this was a possibility. He does have a tendency to freeze up.

Mr. Kitty Cat Meow Face: Wait if we saw this coming then why did we leave this up to Jaune

Monkey King: it was basically the only option

Thunderstruck: believe me, she’s not much better than him

Mom: Wait hold on, shut up, I think they’re saying something.

“Are you feeling okay, Jaune?” Pyrrha asked, concern clearly rising in her face. 

Come on, pull yourself together. You have to say something. Can’t just keep sitting here silence! Say something, anything! Anything but just sitting there staring at her like an idiot. And it was this thought that finally had Jaune creaking open his jaw and blurting out the first words that came to mind. 

“Nora read your diary,” he all but yelled, still sitting as straight as a board, and bright red in the face.

Mom: Oh for fuck’s sake, you idiot.

Ocean Man: Mission failed, we’ll get ‘em next time

Literal Child: Ice Queen report!! what happened??

Mom: He just told her that Nora read her diary.

Thunderstruck: new mission operative: don’t let him die from embarrassment

Thunderstruck: i want to kill him first

[melyaliz]

Remeber me chapter 2

Master List 

Fandom: My Hero Academia 

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x OC 

Notes: Special thanks to everyone who has supported this story so far! I see every like and comment and it brings so much joy to my life. 

All Masterlists @melyalizarchive​

Connect with me! AO3 / Instagram / Pinterest

DONATE or REQUEST

-0-0-- Bakugou --0-0-

“Welcome and thank you for joining us today,” The pretty brunette said, her dark hair pulled back in a soft bun. Bits of purple and pink twisted in and out of it. Her bright hazel eyes scanned the room as she stood in front of them all. Her Japanese was a bit rough but the joyful laugh and unassuming attitude made it all seem rather.

Cute.

Not that Bakugou noticed.

This was a little more preoccupied with the fact that all of this was such a waste of time. They had come to California to help with the spike in earthquakes and fires. Millions of homes and lives had already been lost, to the point that the US had reached out to other heroes to come and help. The border between San Diego and Mexico where he, Kirishima, and some water-based guy from Mexico had been stationed, had been affected the worst. But there had been other patches up the coast that needed help which was where Kaminari, that vine chick from their UA days were going to be stationed.

Although right now all Japanese speaking heroes were crammed in this small conference room listening to this young woman explain how health benefits worked and other “important” insurance things.

“Obviously there will be property damage but we just want to make sure you all understand what to do if anything happens to you, a victim or…” she paused a bit of smile flickering across her deep red lips as if thinking of a joke, “other stuff. It’s not your job to tell people what to do after you help them but, they will probably have questions which is what we are here for. Plus knowledge is power right?'' The last bit was said in a bit of a sing-song voice the playful smirk that had been on her face broke into a wide grin. Chuckling to herself she quickly switched the slide. “Nope? ok,” she muttered in English before continuing.    

“Man she’s pretty cute,” Kaminari said leaning forward in his seat whispering in Bakugou’s ear. Number 2 hero waved his annoying ex-classmate away. Honestly, somethings never changed.

“Aren’t you engaged?” Kirishima chuckled under his breath.

From the front, the young woman paused giving them a thumbs-up as she finished her presentation, “So that’s that, Any questions?”

It was followed by silence. Bakugou sighed rubbing his temples, “When are all these stupid presentations going to be over?” Next to him, his best friend elbowed his ribs.

“Geez man be cool.”

However the woman’s smile didn’t waver, in fact, she laughed lightly. “Welcome to America, but we do need you out there as soon as possible. And let’s be honest you guys are going to forget all this in the heat of battle.” she gestured to the packets they were holding, “So if you have any insurance-related questions my card is there. If I don’t have the answer I will find out.”

“Ok” Getting up Bakugou stood the other heroes standing up. The vine girl rolled her eyes at him.

“You don’t have to be rude, she’s just doing her job”

Glancing over at the woman Bakugou saw her packing her stuff up laughing and talking with the guy who she had come with. Totally unfazed and already moved on to the next thing. Something about her attitude stuck with him. It was so different. Normally he would get some sort of reaction from people around him -mostly annoyance- but not this woman. It wasn’t like she was ignoring him, more like agreeing with him making it into a joke. But like him, she was done with the presentation and moving on.

It was unexpected in a way he didn’t realize he had expected anything else until it didn’t happen.    

Also, her laugh was kind of cute. As if she found just about everything amusing.

Shrugging Bakugou led the rest of the team out already forgetting the insurance chick. He had a more pressing issue to deal with. As the woman -whatever her name was he had instantly forgot after she had introduced herself- they were needed as soon as possible.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

“We are here” Bakugou’s voice was soft as he lead Olive into the large apartment. The ride home had been silent, Olive’s face pressed up against the car window taking in the bright city lights. Her hazel eyes wide as if she was trying to take it all in and commit it to memory.

That same wide-eyed look was on her face as she looked around the apartment. As if she was taking it in for the first time and had not lived there for more than two years.

“Wow,” she whispered, “this place is amazing .”

The sound of a soft meow broke through her haze and for the first time ever Bakugou couldn’t help but be grateful to see the fluffy gray and white cat walking up to greet them.

“I… I have a ragdoll!?!” it was the first time since this whole situation started she sounded excited. Of course, that cat would bring her happiness. Bakugou couldn’t help but think back to the first time he had brought the little thing home. It had been a Christmas gift two years ago and Olive had literally started crying with excitement when he had added the little fluff ball to her. Ever since that day the two had been inseparable. To the point that if Bakugou wanted some alone time, he needed to lock that fluff ball outside their bedroom.

“Yeah he’s ok” Bakugou sighed looking down at the pretty cat that was purring around Olive’s legs just begging for all the attention. Letting out a soft coo Olive bent down picking him up giving him a kiss on the head.  

“What’s her name? Oh my god, I love her so much,” she said, a half-hearted smile on her face as she scratched the cat.

It was a simple question but it hurt so much. Something about it making his heart feeling three times too heavy. “Dolomite, I wanted shitty kitty but you said no.”

She chuckled picking up Dolomite who just lay in her arms purring. That cat was so dramatic, acting like he hadn’t seen her in years when it had only been about a day.  

“I have a type,” Olive mumbled as she kissed the cat again her eyes finally meeting Bakugou’s. Bakugou froze, his heart-stopping. Since the hospital, she had been unable to look at him. A few awkward glances but this was the first time he felt like she was really looking at him. He knew she was comparing him to her late husband.

Eliott.

Over the years she didn't really talk much about Eliott. But Bakugou knew there were remnants of that man etched in her whole being. From the things, she said to the jokes she would tell. After years of coming to terms with the woman, he had fallen in love with had been in love with someone else Bakugou had learned to appreciate Olive’s bits that were given to her from that other man. He had realized a lot of those little things he loved about her were better because of what she had gone through.

But now everything was different.

Now it was like all he could see was Eliott. As if the Olive who had been in love with Bakugou, the one who had healed from a year’s distance from the death of her first love was gone. In her place was this broken girl who had just lost her love.

He hated it, feeling so out of control. So unable to help her. To show her that their relationship had been just as -if not more- wonderful than that one.

“This is so… man” she sighed, breaking through his thoughts as she turned slowly walking further into the apartment. Dolomite lounging in her arms blinked slowly up at her adoringly basking in the attention he was getting as she aimlessly walked around. Watching her Bakugou realized she had no idea where she was going.

“Here,” Bakugo said, reaching out his hand, taking her arm. She flinched slightly jumping at the contact. It pierced him like a knife twisting hard in his heat.

Shit.

He clenched his jaw trying to keep his temper in check. All he wanted to do was grab her and shake her until she remembered. He knew it wasn’t her fault, that it wasn’t anyone’s fault. That fact, in and of itself made him even angrier. There was no one to punch the problem out of. No one he could blast for making her this way. The doctors weren’t sure why she had forgotten everything. In fact, they had been ready to let her leave earlier until she started crying and asking why she was in Japan.

Kirishima had suggested interrogating the robbers who had been at the mall and see if any of them had quirks that could alter memories. It was the only explanation they had to go off of. Nothing else made sense.

Until then here he was. Being angry at no one and unable to navigate his emotions with a woman who had no idea who he was. Letting out a long sigh he nodded toward the hallway that lead to the bedroom, office, and gym.

“Come on you can shower and stuff,” he said leading her toward the bedroom. She followed behind silently, the only sound was her soft footsteps and Dolomite’s purring.

“We live here, in Tokyo?” she whispered finally placing the cat down as he opened the bedroom door. He nodded.

“Yep.”

“Wow” her soft voice came up behind him as she looked around the large bedroom. Dolomite, knowing bedtime was near, lept from her arms to the floor before making his way to the low bed that stood in the middle of the room.

The room was clean and modern, a few pictures hung on the walls, one of them being of their wedding. Walking toward it Olive looked up at the two people smiling down at her. Bakugou watched her as she studied it. His heart picking up, maybe…

“Fuck” it was soft and he had no idea what she meant by that. As she turned he saw her eyes were glassy, her hands ringing unsure what to do with them. Looking around she tried to find anything but him to focus on.

Fuck, his thoughts echoing her words. Was she going to cry again? He didn’t know if he could deal with it if she did.

“You sleep here, I will sleep in your office,” he said quickly trying to distract her from whatever was overwhelming her at the moment.

“I have an office?” her voice cracked slightly. Her eyes met his in surprise and maybe a glint of .. was that excitement?    

“Tomorrow, you need to rest,” he said walking toward the large walk-in closet that was separated by a wall behind the bed. She followed him peeking into the large space as he grabbed some sweatpants. There were blankets and extra pillows in the hall. He needed to get away from her for a second. Maybe she just needed to sleep off whatever was going on.

Maybe his happy little badass Olive would wake up.

Nodding Olive peeked into the closet and it dawned on Bakugou he couldn’t just leave her. She didn’t know where anything was.

Letting out an annoyed sigh he brushed past her grabbing a large tee shirt and some fresh underwear for her thrusting them a little harder than he should into her stomach. She looked down at them and then back at him.

“The other door is the bathroom. Towels are on a rack and all your stuff is in the shower,” he said.  

She took the items from him nodding glancing at the bed. “I can sleep in the other room… or I don’t know…” she was struggling unsure what to do or say. Memories of the first time she came to visit him in Japan came rushing back. Such a strong contrast from this moment. Instead of timidly following him she had been running around his fancy skylight penthouse making fun of just about everything she could find.

“Oh my god… do you have three of the same jacket?”

“What!?! I liked it. And they are not the same! This one is Denim this one is cotton… where are you going?”

“Why are your sheets black?” she giggled looking down at his bed.

“Why are you making fun of my sheets?”

“Well look at me Mr. moody hero boy with my black sheets ” she giggled throwing herself onto his bed. He watched her trying to be annoyed as she poked fun. Sitting up she tried to give him a sexy look, eyes squinting, “I’m Mr sexy black sheets.”

“Oh are you now?” he said walking up to her looking down. “And what color are your sheets Miss America?”

“You know, basic bitch shit. White, turquoise, oh and I have some cool red tribal ones too. Wow, these are so soft” she distracted herself petting his sheets.

“They are 800 threat count," he said leaning forward loving the sight of her in his bed. Their long-distance relationship was fine but having her here meant they could do a few things they couldn’t before. Things he was ready to do the moment she had walked off that airplane.

“So fancy,” she whispered that playful smile still on her lips as he closed the distance between them.

“Only the best” he mumbled before kissing him.

“Katsuki?” the sound of his name brought him back as he looked down at her, she stood there holding the clothes now by the bathroom door, “Thank you,” she said softly. Her eyes down at her feet. Grunting he shrugged heading toward the hallway.

“Whatever, just get some rest.”

“Ok… good night… Katsuki.” the way she said his name. So foreign on her tongue.

He hated it.

He hated all of this.

-GET TAGGED!-

Story Tag: @0hmydeku @inumorph @it-jinxed-us @myraticm

[raccoonpoptart]

main six with a demigod mc

part two! nsfw ✨

warnings: mentions of sex (it is eros we’re talking about)

genderneutral!

this was requested by @swimmingtragedyobservation ! thank you :) i used this post as a reference, as well as this website. this ended up being super long so i had to edit it a lot 🍓 i think this will be a series now hehe also can you tell muriel is my favorite omg

In this, mc will be a child of Eros (love and sex). Children of eros tend to be very flirty, mischievous, and even sometimes cunning. they are very attractive, keeping a youthful look even as they get older. in some cases, children of eros are fiercely compassionate and loyal to those they care about. Some of their abilities include (only listing the ones that will be mentioned): emotional energy beam, shield of love, archery, relationship detector, feelings manipulation (will only be used in a positive way~). they can even create wings and fly for short periods of time. i like to think children of eros have an aura that radiates pure love.

Asra

you probably only flirted with him once and he was head over heels for you (without you even meaning for it to happen)

both of you have beautiful hair and skin, people tend to be very jealous of how soft and youthful you both always look

you two are ‪inseparable‬! always kissing, hugging, holding hands, etc. basically always touching in some way

once tried to prove how much he loved you, but you did him one better and used your love for him to create an energy beam and burned your names together inside a heart into a fallen tree

he cried

teases you by saying it’s surprising you didn’t use your powers to make him love you as much as he does because he loves you a LOT

constantly tells you how beautiful/handsome you are (let’s be honest, he’s always showering you with all kinds of compliments)

tries to play matchmaker for people with you (“mc, do you want to grab your bow and play cupid today~”)

asks you to use some of your energy to make love potions more potent 🌸 he LOVES love (you even help with sex potions or charms)

you help him with love readings for people when he does tarot

always so amazed whenever you’re able to create wings and calls you angel all the time because of it

you go with him on his trips whenever possible and you love flying with him! not too much because that’s a lot of magic and he would cry if you got hurt

he can sense when you’re close based on your aura and always gets so excited when he knows he’s going to see you

just for fun: i think you guys would make necklaces that glow when you think of each other for when he’s away

(you always have very passionate sex, maybe a little too often~ you both absolutely love being intimate when you’re alone and would use magic of some sorts in bed)

Nadia

always amazed at your beauty and makes sure to tell you how wonderful you look everyday

loves to give you beautiful clothing and make sure your hair is done, especially for important occasions

surprised when you tell her how old you are, cause she must admit she was weary about starting anything with you since you look much younger

she always gives you the nicest gifts like beautiful blankets, your favorite foods, body sprays, soaps, and more

when you told her you were a child of eros, she found it very interesting and asked if you had used your charm on her (“i’m only teasing! who wouldn’t fall in love with you, darling~”)

one of her favorite things is watching you interact with someone who was flirting, you immediately use your powers to make them lose all interest and walk away

loves when you make her room extra beautiful while she’s gone (her favorite flowers on the bed, using your magic to make it always smell like her favorite incense, etc)

finds it hilarious when you whisper about people’s relationships to her (“oh, i knew i sensed a spark between them! do you think any of our friends have been together?”)

adores how compassionate you are and loves to be taken care of by you (although she prefers to pamper you, she won’t pass up an oppurtunity to have your love wash over her)

loves when you leave her secret love letters for her around the palace, especially when you charm them and she can feel your love humming in her chest even if you’re away

she loves kisses on the forehead, on her hands, and shoulders

you never miss out on an oppurtunity to make a grand gesture of love for her! particularly likes when you recite poetry to her and give her flowers

at night you both love taking care of each other, starting with brushing hair, massages, venting, and especially getting her to relax in anyway (she is a countess with tons of responsibility after all)

(sex becomes a very passionate, and intimate thing for you two as well as something that helps heal nadia after particularly difficult days)

Julian

saw your wings once and has not stopped making the “did it hurt when you fell from heaven~” jokes

Flirting Competitions. that’s all

played off his doubt when you told him you were a child of eros by saying something lame like “you’re so breath-taking, i should have expected you’d be not of this world”

you sometimes use your energy beam to draw little hearts for him on his desk (it reminds him to take care of himself when you’re not around)

your aura would get a little addicting for julian

practically melts anytime you touch him because he can just feel your love for him radiating off you

like nadia, he was surprised when you revealed your age because he was expecting you to be wayyy younger

always asks you to pick up on people’s love lives, trying to place bets on if two people have slept together or not (just for fun)

calls you his god/goddess/goddex (genderneutral version), angel, darling, my love and cupid for obvious reasons hehe

did someone say date night every night?? because you guys do <3 even if it’s just little things like sitting outside and looking at the stars together, you both love making time for each other

always kissing or holding each you in some way, he can’t help but feel some comfortable and safe when you’re around

‪definitely‬ reenacts dramatic love scenes with you allll the time

he never thought he deserved love before but now he’s with the literal epitome of love and now he can’t imagine a life without you (please treat him like a god and never hurt him omg)

sometimes gets insecure, and unsure of why someone so gorgeous and caring would love him

you always remind him he deserves love in all kinds of ways when words don’t work (love letters at work, making him charms that make him feel your love and comfort at all times, always pampering him because it’s easy for you to take care of others, etc)

(you guys probably have way too much sex too but it’s just so intoxicating and he lovesss feeling loved you absolutely love being able to show him you love him physically as well, and he’d do anything for you)

Muriel

you have to tone down the flirting a bit but you always make sure to compliment him! too much will make him do the windows xp shutdown noise

both of you make charms for each other, his are protective charms and yours are so he can still feel your aura (so he never feels alone again)

blushes so much every time you shower him with love and after a while he becomes comfortable with being super loving (it does take a long time if we’re being honest)

your aura is very intense for him at first but it eventually becomes something that he finds very comforting and can sense when you’re close

loves how you’re so loving with not only him, but with inanna and the other animals of the forest. your compassion never ceases to amaze him

at the beginning he would probably apologize a lot because you show him so much love so easily and it’s a bit harder for him but eventually realizes because it’s so easy for you, it’s not a burden, you just genuinely love pampering him

sometimes thinks he’s not doing enough but you almost cry every time he gives you a gift because you can feel how much love he put into it :(

even if you’re smaller than him he still loves when you spoon him and run your hands through his hair

making shields becomes so easy for you because of how much love you have for him and inanna but he still feels a bit bad when you use it (he wants to protect you but you slammed that uno reverse card down baby 🌸)

you burned a heart into his table to remind him he’s not alone anymore

you also used your energy beam to make a small inanna drawing on a rock and he loved it so much but all he said was “it’s nice” (you could tell he adored it)

his favorite thing is when you kiss his chest (where his heart is because i love being cheesy)

speaking of cheesy, whenever you hold him you alwayssss drag your finger in a heart shape on him (his favorite is when you do it on his palms or his back)

heart shaped EVERYTHING <3

(sex would always be very special, soft, and sensual because you both make sure to make the other feels as loved as possible)

Portia

absolutely stunned by how gorgeous you are

loves playing with your hair!! she always puts flowers behind your ears and kisses the crown of your head

once you told her, she started making everything heart shaped for you

you started to do the same for her because she almost cried the first time you did

would 100% make the “did it hurt when you fell from heaven” joke just because of your wings

pepi can always tell when you’re close so she alerts portia (cue the loud excited meowing)

love letters become a normal between you two, you always come home to find one slipped under the door (“i was just passing by, had to say hello to you, mc~”) and she always finds one somewhere in her cottage or somewhere you know she’ll find it

once you had pepi send one to her and at first she thought pepi wrote it till she read it then she cried

you guys hug each other ALL THE TIME and you make sure to kiss her cheeks every given chance!!! affection is a big thing for both of you

loves when you pamper her, which is good for you because you absolutely love showering her with love, affection, gifts, you name it (you even burned your names into a tree for her)

plants tons of flowers in her garden just for you!! (ex: flowers that are the same color as your eyes, hair, or your favorite color! she even plants your favorite flowers)

one of her favorite things is when you write love poems for her

whenever you spend the night, your aura would probably linger in her cottage for a while and she loves it so much especially when she misses you

because of that, you “accidentally” leave your clothes there a lot just for her to wear them :’)

(sex would most likely happen any chance you guys get because you’re both busy, but it’s always very heated and tender~)

Lucio

did not expect you to actually like his bad pickup lines

‪definitely‬ didn’t expect you to flirt back either and almost melted on the spot (but had to play it cool)

your intensity is so attractive to him but also so intimidating, he can’t help but be drawn to you

the fact that you love him makes him feel like a god (you find it adorable but make sure he doesn’t let it go overboard)

he would NEVER admit it but he’s jealous of how perfect you look effortlessly (based of the hairline joke asra has made, i’m sure he’d be super envious of your hair since it’s naturally full and beautiful)

does everything he can to show you he loves you just as much as you love him because your love and compassion inspires him to be a better person

ex: buys you everything you want, has paintings done for you, always gives you beautiful clothes and jewelry, has a room made in the palace just for your stuff (but you sleep in his room anyway), etc.

you love to show him how much you love him too, but in different ways! ex: massages, making him sweets, poems, drawings if you’re an artist, constantly telling him he’s doing great and that you love him, etc.

loves making grand gestures of love!! has parties dedicated to you, redoes the garden just for you, and has the entire colliseum redone to your liking (would even have it taken down if you asked)

this man is deeply in love with you

his favorite thing is when you kiss his cheek or his forehead and neck

you once used your energy beam to make an ice sculpture for him but he was devastated when it had eventually melted away

instead, you decided to make him a charmed stuffed animal of a goat (whenever he hugs it your aura washes over him)

he pretended to find it silly at first but he keeps it safely on his bed and hugs it whenever you’re gone

the only times you can get him to relax is when you take baths, or when you give him massages in bed and run your hands through his hair (he absolutely loves this especially when you kiss him tons and tell him how much you love him )

(sex would probably happen often, and it would go back and forth between him doing the most one time, to you doing the most another time. you both love being super intimate and you both love showing each other how much you adore the other)

requests are open!

this is so long oops! it was so fun because honestly with an eros!mc of course every character would feel loved ALL THE TIME! i love this lmao it’s such a cute concept i love love 🌸 i hope you enjoyed and feel free to add on to anything ✨ i love doing greek mythology themed things, so i think i will make this a series :) let me know which god or goddess i should do next! i was thinking aphrodite but maybe it would be too similar to this one. i’m not sure, but i have more ideas 🍓🍓🍓 thankyou

[virgilsinferno]

meet me in the middle || logince

chapter 2 — leave the window open for me

summary: the twins try to set up patton & virgil by hosting a sleepover. remus makes questionable life decisions. 

pairings: high key moxiety, dukeceit (if you squint) 

tw: mentions of hospitals & injuries

word count: 2987

[logan is not in this chapter but he is mentioned like once]

taglist: @dragonwithproblems​ @b0mblebee​

ao3 || 1 

♡

At the back of the shop, there’s a tiny storage room filled with boxes and a wall of post-it notes. It’s a cramped space, but the twins figured out a way to make it bearable. There’s a bookshelf, some fake plants, a few pictures, and of course, the whiteboard. The whiteboard was previously used for reminders, but bit by bit, they started filling it up with random doodles. 

They constantly tried to one-up each other with every new addition to the whiteboard. Who could draw the most accurate anatomy? Who was better at dynamic poses? There was always an unspoken competition between the two siblings. It was practically in their nature to be competitive. 

So far, Remus was winning but only because Roman’s usually the one at the counter while Remus took care of packages and inventory. Or at least that’s what Roman liked to tell himself. 

Working at his dad’s flower shop wasn’t too bad, in fact, Roman loved working there. During his first few months at the shop, he was obsessed with flower meanings. And making bouquets. What he didn’t expect though, was cleaning. He had somehow forgotten that he was working with plants, and working with plants got messy. Petals and leaves kept falling off, dirt got all over the floor, and children loved messing with everything they could touch. 

It’s been a busy day. Roman sat behind the counter, thinking that he’ll finally be able to relax after he finished trimming flowers and sweeping the floor. He was thankful that he only worked on Saturdays, otherwise, he’d have to stress about strangers’ wedding preparations as well. 

Speaking of weddings, he had to attend one in about 3 weeks. They weren’t in charge of the flowers so he didn’t have to stress about that, but he strongly disliked a certain cousin of his. He was not looking forward to it. He’s probably ranted about how much he hated this particular cousin to all his internet friends. 

“Boys, you two go on ahead, I’ll close up the shop!” their dad yelled from the storage room. The twins shared a look.

“Race ya!” Remus said as he dashed out of the shop. Roman quickly ran out after him, chasing him down the street. 

It was part of their post-work ritual. The racing, that is. After work, they would run to Espresso Feelings and whoever arrived last was paying. Sometimes Patton would be there and they’d talk about the latest gossip they’ve heard at school. 

The sky was getting dark and droplets of rain began to fall. It was only a matter of seconds before it would start pouring. Neither of the two brought an umbrella, but the coffee shop wasn’t too far away. A group of kids passed by, running and giggling with their arms stretched to the side, enjoying the breeze that came with the drizzle. They reminded Roman of him and his brother when they were much younger. They still do that sort of shit as teenagers.

Remus was winning, but only because Roman was waiting for the rain to lash down. Or at least that was his excuse for not running faster. It was getting chilly though, which only gave him more reason to buy coffee at this hour. 

“You’re paying, slowpoke!” Remus said as he dramatically opened the door to the shop. He immediately went to the counter to order their usual. 

Roman sat down at their usual spot, the table near the corkboard. He spotted Patton speaking to some guy in a purple hoodie on the other side of the shop. The guy looked familiar, so Roman assumed he had seen him around at school before. He called out Patton’s name and waved, and he waved back as well.  The guy left with a brown paper bag in hand and Patton walked over to the twins’ table. The rain was already pouring, so it was a good thing that the guy had an umbrella with him. 

“Ro, you’ll never guess what just happened!” Patton said with a huge grin on his face. He was practically bouncing with excitement.

“You won the lottery?” Roman asked, eyes wide, with the same level of excitement Patton had.

“No, even better! I got Virgil’s number!” Patton squealed with delight as he sat down next to Roman, flaunting Virgil’s contact on his phone.

“Oh, great,” Roman said with fake enthusiasm. Who the fuck?

Remus sat down opposite to Roman and placed a tray down on their table. “I didn’t know Emo was your type.”

 “Wait, are we talking about the guy with the purple hoodie?” Roman asked as he pointed to the front door. 

“Yeah, him!” Patton said, stealing a forkful of Roman’s chocolate cake. “I assumed you would know him since, you know, he’s Logan’s best friend? And you hate-read his social m-”

“I do not!” Roman interjected, taking his fork back from Patton in a playful manner. 

“You do,” Remus said in a sing-songy voice. “Sometimes he barges into my room in the middle of the night just to tell me what atrocity Logan posted on Instagram.”

“It was one time!” Roman finally admitted. “Why are we talking about me, we’re supposed to be talking about Patton’s love life!”

“Oh, right! I do have to get back to work though, but I could come over later and we could talk about boys?” Patton suggested. They often had sleepovers especially during finals week, but as much as they’d try to focus on studying, they always ended up goofing off and doing typical sleepover activities. 

“Fuck yes, sleepover middle-school-style!” Remus said, high-fiving Patton.

Patton patted the top of their heads before returning to the counter. Since Roman had already finished his chocolate cake, he stole a piece of Remus’s blueberry muffin. It quickly escalated into a competition between the two of them to see who could finish their coffee first. That was the fun part of having siblings. Everything was a competition. 

Roman slammed down his cup, grinning from ear to ear. He basked in his moment of victory as Remus scowled. By that time, the rain had already stopped, which meant that it was probably time for them to go home. The twins waved goodbye to the baristas before walking out the door and heading home. The pavement was wet, and knowing Remus, he was going to run, slip, and end up with an injury. Roman kept a close eye on his brother just in case. Remus had already been in and out of the hospital 4 times in the past two months and frankly, Roman was getting tired of his constant injuries and poor decisions.

Their house wasn’t too far away, so they walked home most of the time. They learned not to trust Remus with a car after the whole driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road incident. No one liked to talk about it. Well, except for Remus, who mentioned it several times to everyone he had ever sat next to in class. 

Once they arrived in front of their house, Roman got momentarily distracted by the sound of soft meows. An adorable little kitten was playing in their garden, and as much as Roman wanted to pick it up, he was highly allergic. 

“Ree, look! It’s a-” Roman paused and looked around, noticing that his brother was no longer beside him. “Oh no.”

He frantically ran to the backyard and spotted Remus already on a tree branch, attempting to get to his room from the tree. He saw his brother and waved at him. 

“Ro, could you open the window from my room?” He yelled, gesturing to the closed window. He momentarily lost his balance, but caught the tree branch above him before he could plummet down to the ground. 

“Absolutely not, you incorrigible buffoon!” Roman yelled back. He sighed, tugging at his hair. On one hand, it would be funny. On the other, they would get in trouble and that won’t be funny at all. 

“Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious? I know you are!” 

So maybe he was a little bit curious. But that didn’t mean it was safe to do. Then again, he wasn’t the most reasonable person either. As long as Remus knows what he’s doing, he should be fine, right? Then again, Remus never knew what he was doing and he turned out okay. 

“Okay, I’m convinced,” Roman said after much thought. Remus cheered and did a victory dance, careful enough to not fall off of the tree. 

Roman ran inside the house, greeting his parents a quick “hello” as he passed by the kitchen. He dashed straight to Remus’s room, opened the window, then gestured for him to get in.

“Wait, get this on video,” Remus said as he tossed his phone through the window. Thankfully, Roman had good reflexes and caught it, otherwise, it might have shattered.

Roman gave him the signal. Remus pounced off of the tree and caught the windowsill. Using his upper body strength, he pushed himself upwards and rolled right into his room. 

“Holy shit,” Remus panted, clearly out of breath. “Give me my phone, I wanna see!”

“I am never letting you do that again,” Roman said as Remus replayed the video.

“Oh you will. I can tell.” Remus said, forwarding the video to multiple group chats. Several people were typing. He watched in amusement as people freaked out over his little stunt. The twins could tell that it would be the talk of the school on Monday. Not that they didn’t like the attention, in fact, they loved receiving attention.

After the excitement and adrenaline died down, Roman lied down on the bed, listening to Remus rant about his plans for the upcoming auditions for the Battle of the Bands. They held the auditions as early as 3 months before the event, which would give enough time for the contestants to practice. 

“So far, there’s me on the bass, Virge on the drums, and you as lead vocalist. You think Jay would wanna be lead guitar?” Remus said as he tuned his electric bass. 

“I don’t know, ask him.” Roman replied. “Hold on a sec, Virgil? As in Patton’s crush?”

“Of fucking course, how many damn Virgils are there at school?” Remus rolled his eyes, chucking a pencil at his brother. 

Roman sat up. He had a brilliant idea. “So, Patton’s coming over. Why don’t you invite Virgil and we do a little bit of matchmaking?”

Remus’s eyes widened. “Fuck, shit, you’re a motherfucking genius!” He scrambled to get his phone and sent a quick text to Virgil. It only took Remus mentioning that Patton would be there for Virgil to agree. Patton usually arrived around 10-ish, so Remus told him to come around 9. It would give them enough time to pull some strings.

Roman returned his attention to his phone, which apparently had dozens of notifications from Twitter. As always, he checked his dms first before the mentions. He was sure that several people had already posted Remus’s stunt and tagged both him and his brother. 

Vi, his internet friend, was at the very top of his dms. It could only mean one thing. Or two things, rather. Boy problems or life problems. Or both at the same time. Ironically, they started out as enemies on the internet. A misunderstanding, of sorts. 

personification of anxiety

@vergeofdeath

vi: yo princey

vi: fuck

vi: i’m spending the night with my crush

vi: holy shit

vi: i just gave him my number like a few hours ago??

princey: 👀

princey: don’t be too loud

vi: BITCH

vi: NOT LIKE THAT

vi: we’re staying over at my friend’s house

princey: that’s funny ‘cause my bro & i are hosting a mini sleepover too

princey: he invited over a friend bc our other friend has a crush on him

vi: dude 

vi: coincidence???

vi: i’ve never spoken to my friend’s bro before but he’s gonna be there ofc

vi: he’s like enemies with my best bud

princey: omg that’s so weird

princey: my twin’s bff is my enemy

princey: but like,, you know that,, i tell you that all the time

vi: woah hold on u have a twin??? u never mentioned a twin??? 

vi: i just assumed ur bro was near ur age??

vi: bitch my friend has a twin

vi: the fucking coincidences,, they’re everywhere

princey: don’t tell me ur a drummer too jhksdgfks

vi: BITCH

vi: I AM A DRUMMER

princey: holy fucking shit

vi: holy fucking shit indeed

“Boys, dinner!” Their mom called out from the kitchen. The twins immediately dashed out of the door, pushing each other as they tried to get to the dining table first. 

Since it was a Saturday, they were having seafood. Dinners were always eventful. Roman and Remus told their parents about the sleepover and Remus jumping off of the tree, which should’ve gotten them in trouble but their mom found it hilarious and let it slide. Their dad talked about his clients that were planning on a halloween-themed wedding, and their mom talked about the new tv show she was in. 

Overall, dinner went well. It was Remus’s turn to wash the dishes, so Roman returned to his room. His room was bigger so they would be using that one for the sleepover. He noticed that his nail polish was starting to chip off, so he brought out his pouch of nail polish from under the bed. There was a lot of clutter there, things such as old textbooks from freshman year, Remus’s broken drumsticks, some guitar picks, and expired makeup. He should get around to cleaning that, though he’s been meaning to do that for months now. 

By the time Remus finished washing dishes, there were several post-it notes stuck to the wall with various reminders such as to clean the space under the bed, buy new shoes, upgrade to a loft bed, buy oil paints, and water the plants. Roman already started on the pillow fort, so Remus lounged on the bed and looked up what good horror movies are on Netflix. 

Another reason why they often used Roman’s room for sleepovers was that he had a tv. It was originally supposed to be in Remus’s room, but he had a habit of breaking everything he could touch. It was a wonder they could trust him with dishes. On the other hand, Remus’s room was good for band practices or jamming out in general. He had instruments all over the place and they had it soundproofed so that the neighbors would stop complaining about the loud drumming at 2 a.m. 

Once Virgil arrived, their plan was set into motion. 

“So, I know we don’t talk at all, but just pretend that we’ve been good friends for a long time. I have a plan.” Roman said as he led the way to his room.

Virgil looked at him skeptically. “You know, Logan’s told me a lot about you.”

“All good things, I hope?” Roman asked. 

“Quite the opposite actually,” Virgil smirked. He notices a few posters put up of Fall Out Boy and Waterparks. “But since you do have a good taste in music, so I’ll let it slide.”

During the short period of time that he left his brother alone in his room, Remus managed to trash his vanity. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Roman took this opportunity to strike a conversation. “Ree mentioned you play drums?” 

“Yeah, we’re planning on auditioning for the Battle of the Bands.” Virgil said, sending a quick message to one of his internet friends. “Has he asked you to join our band yet?”

Roman’s phone buzzed.

“Well, yeah. He sort of asked? I agreed, of course. Then he was like, ‘Oh good, I was going to poison you if you didn’t’. I’m used to it by now.”

Virgil chuckled. “He tried to poison me once ‘cause I stomped on his foot with my combat boots.”

“That was you? Oh my god, I owe you for that one!” Roman said, laughing at the memory of his brother crying in the school clinic. Turns out, they got along quite well. 

Their conversation was cut short when they heard knocks at the door. It was Patton and he arrived way earlier than expected. Remus pushed Virgil towards the door and mouthed “open it”. The twins high-fived each other and hid inside the pillow fort.  

“Hey Pat-”

As soon as Virgil opened the door, Patton’s face turned pink. He took a deep breath, puffed his cheeks, and closed the door. Virgil was too confused to move and the twins were slightly worried. 

Patton reopened the door and held out a container of cookies. “Hi Virge! I uh, didn’t expect to see you here… haha… what a coincidence?” He said awkwardly. 

Virgil took the cookies, but Remus bolted out of the fort and took it from Virgil’s hands. 

“You fucking gremlin!” Roman yelled, chasing Remus out of the room, who had started devouring cookies. Remus laughed maniacally, shoving past Virgil and Patton in order to get away from his brother. 

“Are they always like this?” Virgil asked, pointing at the twins who were now wrestling in the hallway. 

Patton hummed. “Yeah, most of the time.” 

The twins fought over the cookies for a while until realization hit them. 

Roman paused. He whispered something to Remus, and he stopped as well. The two began cursing and muttering something about “the plan” whilst pointing in Virgil and Patton’s direction. 

Right, the plan.

“Music!” Remus shouted, dragging Virgil and Patton to his room.

“What he meant to say was that we should play something together,” Roman informed the two. They nodded awkwardly. 

“Is Janus coming too?” Patton asked.

Shit. Roman forgot to invite him. 

“Oh um, I don’t know? I’ll have to ask.” Roman said. 

He took out his phone and sent a text that read “COME OVER ASAP”. Janus replied immediately, saying to leave the window open and that he’ll get in the room in a Remus fashion.

Great, he was going to be the fifth wheel tonight. 

[rant4hsmtmts]

Caswell cousins

I thought of writing this ages ago but forgot to finish it- so here is a small story about Ej and Ashlyns childhood.

Sorry this is kinda a mess and jumps all over the place lol. Anyway enjoy!

@uglyballerina @beese-is-cheese-for-bees

“I’m proud to call you my sister”

“-close enough”

Both being the only child in their families, the Caswell cousins were quite close. Ej’s parents worked a lot. They were people of high profile jobs, taking any opportunity to just drop their son around the corner to Dennis and Debbie’s house. Ashlyn was happy to see her cousin, but she could see it was kinda hard on him that he never got to spend time with his parents. He spent a lot of time at her house as a child, to the point he could walk around blindfolded (which he did do once to prove a point).

She was always there for him, and he was always there for her. He would always wait for her clubs to be finished to walk home from school together and they always shared what happened that day. You’d expect such a popular guy to complete disown his cousin, but it was more the other way around... Ej was terrified that he would eventually do something so stupid that Ashlyn would disown him. Even after some of the things he had already done, it as a wonder to him that she still hung out with him.

Growing up Ej was the first person she went to for advice. He was an intense people pleaser, but once he got comfortable he had no problems being very blunt. It meant she could always rely on him for truthful advice, of which her shy jazz musician and quiet writer parents usually were too nice to give.

So when she wrote her first song- he was the first to hear it. His loud thunderous applause made Ashlyn feel like she had written the greatest song in the world. Along with his encouragement, he suggested it needed an instrumental solo, his idea was to add a harmonica solo (something that was joked about for years to come). In the end, she added a beautiful piano solo in the middle, all jokes aside Ej knew that Ashlyn really had a gift for songwriting.

Something that was really a great way for her to express herself. Ej never really found his own expression til much later.

They grew up on the edge of new technology, seeing the ipod and ipad come through but they were nothing compared to the very first gadget they both owned, the Nintendo DS. As their parents worked through the day, leaving the two to their own devices, the Caswell cousins would often play pictochat hide and seek. Though they could only draw and type to each other they would spend hours trying to find the best spot that would leave the seeker scrambling.

The overall winner was Ej (or so he claims) because he once had the ‘genius’ idea of hiding in his parents car. It was the only time that Ashlyn had to actually accept defeat as the sun had set and their dinner was ice cold on the table.

His competitive spirit was clear from childhood. Ash knew when he said he played to win he wasn’t kidding.

Ashlyn had just finished fourth grade when they officially banned Caswell game nights in the house, after a night that went down in history as the 2013 Monopoly disaster. Ej wouldn’t speak to Ashlyn for over a week due his bruised pride (and that was even after flipping the table just before landing on Parklane). After that Debbie, Dennis, Carolyn and Adam all decided that it was probably better (and safer) to just have family dinners on Thursday nights.

As they grew older Ej and Ashlyn’s hobbies started to grow apart. Ashlyn had her clubs, her songs and Ej had his team but musical theatre was something they still shared.

2014 just starting year 7, Ej started to play waterpolo, he was always quite a strong swimmer- never fast enough for the big leagues but had the perfect upper body strength from basketball. He loved it, although his competitive nature definitely got the better of him a lot.

Waterpolo has one major risk of injury, well whether you can call it injury is subjective, but one major risk of the water sport....sunburn. Ej’s play to win attitude always court him out in one way or another, Ashlyn knew this quite well.

However it had never been so evident until he rocked up for Friday night family dinner with every visible area of skin a rich red lobster colour that could made him hiss every time he had to move. After finishing dinner the two went to the living room, as their parents started an in depth discussion about whatever drama or crisis they were facing. Both Caswell kids were quite oblivious to this at the time, but EJ knew the looks that his parents would give each other meant there was something going on. Anyway, the two went on the night playing some version of ‘New Super Mario Bros’ on the Wii. They had done this for years- it was a constant they could always count on. As Ej got older and stopped openly talking about what he was going through, Ashlyn knew a couple rounds of the Mario/ Luigi power team would help him settle down and let it out.

Due to his parents lack of attention, Ashlyn knew that her cousin had always craved positive praise and interest from other people. He used his insta ‘fame’ to try and fill the void but she knew empty likes and followers would never fix something like that. After a disappointing Waterpolo game, he lost the game, his parents didn’t come and the team had a go at him, the cousins started their trek back home down Pakington Road. Ash suggested that they have a look at the Pet Shelter and she knew cuddling all the animals could get anyone out of a bad, self deprecating mood.

After spending a little while playing with all the tiny kittens Ashlyn looked up to see Ej in the corner slumped against the wall patting a small Labrador puppy. The lop sided grin Ej made as the puppy wagged his tail, Ashlyn knew that the little dog had captured his heart already. Preceding a long argument with his parents, he finally convinced them to let him adopt the puppy.

Practically prancing down to the shelter, Ej adopted Remy, and made sure that the little puppy would never feel rejected again.

Having Remy around had confirmed one thing for Ash, although she loved the dog, she was definitely a cat person.

Since Ej got Remy, and managed to look after him by himself, it was a lot easier to convince her parents that she could have a pet. If Ej could do it… she could definitely do it.

Ash knew the moment she saw her curled up in the shelter that she couldn’t leave without her. Soft spoken meows, cautious, it was such a contrast to the brash energy that Remy had. Scarlett was the smallest of the litter, she was a gorgeous little Burmese cat.

Scarlett was always there for Ash, listening to her practice lines, watching her bake cakes, looking unimpressed when Ej would tell Ashlyn all the dumb things he managed to get up to, and being the very first fan of all her songs (as she would always make a little meow at the end).

Unfortunately, Ashlyn is the only person Ej trusts to look after Remy when he’s not home. Safe to say, Scarlett is not impressed. Remy and Scarlett tried, well at least Remy did, bouncing around the small cat wanting to play a game. Scarlett was very displeased with the notion of having to entertain the dog, so she found a loving sunny spot near the windowsill and decided to have a siesta for the arvo.

They have been there for each other through thick and thin, including discovering and having a rough lesson in heartbreak.

The very first girl Ej Caswell ever really liked was Anna Madden. It was freshman year and Ashlyn had seen the way his eyes would light up every time she was mentioned or how whenever she would call he couldn’t help but smile. But the problem with Ejs love life is he would fall hard, and fast. Saying ‘I love you’ way too early or something just as scary to a freshman who doesn’t understand commitment. After Anna dumped him for Justin, the captain of the Basketball team, Ej shut down for a while. He didn’t express his emotions as openly as his former self, he felt the rejection of his childhood once again.

Ej didn’t know why he was such an a**hole after that. He always tried to do the right thing, but at the end of the day, his lack of regard for the consequences of his actions would always come back to bite him. He really did want to have a relationship, be a good boyfriend but he was terrified of reliving the rejection, so he just had causal flings. Winked at all the girls, hanging out but at a far enough distance so that he didn't get too involved.

So when Ashlyn heard that he told Nini that he loved her- Ashlyn knew that she was different. She knew her cousin had messed up, and so did he, but she tried to plead with Nini... knowing that the girl had unlocked a part of Ej that Ashlyn thought was long gone.

Their personalities were really quite different.

Although somewhat quiet at school, Ashlyn was quite a loud person a home. She was a chatterbox that would spend every dinner retelling the details of her day with great dramatic hand gestures. Like the time she was in fifth grade, and people started a riot outside the canteen because raised the price of cookies from 50 cents to a dollar. She never really had this confidence at school but Ej knew the bright dramatic personality that hid in the shy school girl.

Ej however was rather the opposite. It was almost like his outside life he was constantly trying to entertain everyone and make them happy, while painting himself as a cool, smart and all around good guy. His constant façade was rather tiring for a guy that liked to go home and spend an hour reading the works of William Shakespeare every night.

But through all their differences (and all of Ejs stupid choices) the Caswell cousins were always there for each other. Advice, a laugh, a dangerously competitive game- they would always have each other’s backs.

[thatbloodymuggle]

The One With the Sorting Hat

Beauty and the Beast (r. lupin) 1/?

masterlist

-

September 1, 1971

The busy train station buzzed with hundreds of people shoving and bustling past each other, the ear piercing whistle from one of the trains unacknowledged. Everybody was too busy running to catch their train or looking down at their map to react to it. Well, all except for one.

Edie Rosier jumped at the unfamiliar noise, her curious eyes full of alarm, "Keep up, Edie. We're going to miss the train," the even tone of her brother brought her back to the task on hand. The small girl jogged forward to catch up with her family, making sure not to alarm the orange tabby cat perched atop her cart of luggage.

Surely the family of four must have looked odd to any passing bystander. They all had platinum blonde hair, each brighter than the next and their striking, blue eyes could make one cower away in fear in an instant. The young boy and father were both dressed in suits, not a single crease in sight. The girl and mother were wearing dresses, the mother's hair slicked back into a tight bun and the girl's tied back with a pale blue ribbon. Yet, no one seemed to pay any attention to the peculiar family as they rushed past the traffic towards Platform 9 3/4.

The mother, father, and son halted abruptly in front of the column between platforms 9 and 10. The young girl, so intent on catching up, didn't realize they had come to a stop. Her trolley of luggage would have gone crashing into her older brother had she not swiveled it at the last minute. Her attempt to be graceful with maneuvering the large cart was made in vain as the force used to turn it caused her body to crash into her mother's.

"Edith, be careful," the sleek woman snapped at her daughter before turning to her husband to mumble, "I can't believe we're letting her go on her own. She won't last a week without Evan's help."

The blonde girl's shoulders slumped at her words, her head hung in shame. Today was meant to be a happy day-- the best of her life. She was going to Hogwarts, for Merlin's sake. But the shadow of guilt seemed to leave her as she watched her big brother run through the column, her parents on his tail. This left the girl as the only one yet to go through. Her 11-year-old brain swirled with excitement at the thought. This would be the first of many times she'd be going through that column. Her mind began to wander to all the possibilities, but she stopped herself as she started once realizing she was day dreaming again. Jerking her head, Edie took a deep breath in before darting through the column.

A giddy grin took over her face at the scene before her. The smaller station was full of children like her bidding their families farewell, trolleys of luggage, and the screeches and meows of pets. Before she could even begin to look for her family, her upper arm was snatched harshly.

"What do you think you're doing? You were supposed to be right behind us, Edith. Follow instructions," the shrill voice of her mother caused her to cower back.

"I'm sorry, Mother I was just-"

"Come on, the Blacks are waiting for you over there with your father and brother. Don't make them wait any longer," she pulled her daughter along as the young girl struggled to push her cart with her one free arm.

Her arm was released as she found herself engulfed in a hug from the shaggy, black-haired boy standing with his own mother and younger brother.

"Edie! What took you so long?" the boy bounced on his heels. Her grin matched his own infectious one, the excitement of going to Hogwarts hitting her once again.

"I kind of dazed off again," she mumbled, heat rising to her ghostly pale face. Sirius Black had been her closest friend for as long as she could remember. The Blacks and Rosiers had  been family friends for generations-- everyone knew this. I mean, purebloods stick together, right? When they were younger and one family hosted a small party or dinner, the pair would always sneak off, leaving Evan and Regulus to themselves.

Edith's mother pulled her away from the young boy before nudging her towards his mother in a fluid motion. The blonde stumbled as she looked up at Walburga Black, "Hello, Madam Black. How are you today?"

"I'm just lovely, Edith," the rather large woman hummed, her hooked nose turned up in the air as she peered down at the young girl. She internally cringed at the use of her full name whilst Sirius snickered, earning a sharp smack behind his head. His mother redirected her gaze from the girl to her parents, "I'm sure the two of you are delighted to have yet another Slytherin carry on the family name," she beamed in an almost sickeningly sweet manner.

The little girl frowned and her friend awkwardly shifted from side to side whilst her parents nodded with great enthusiasm, "Well I'm not sorted yet," she grumbled under her breath. Her older brother  pinched her side at her words that had gone unnoticed by everyone else, "Shut it, Edith," he sneered. She glared up at her brother, but didn't dare retaliate as she knew this would only draw attention.

The discomfort filling the atmosphere around them was severed upon the realization that the train would be leaving in five minutes. "Evan, keep an eye on your sister, please," her father instructed her brother who rolled his eyes but nodded, nevertheless.

"And Edith, please don't do anything you're not supposed to. I don't want to receive a letter that you've been acting up a week into the year," her mother spoke whilst moving the stray pieces that had come loose from her ribbon back in place. The poor girl wasn't able to get a word in as her mother fussed over a spot of grease that had somehow accumulated on the edge of her dress. Edith waited for her mother and father to finish speaking to their children before bidding their goodbyes.

"We'll see you at Christmas," her father rubbed her back, gesturing the two off. The young girl waved goodbye as she boarded the train, not a trace of sadness filling her despite leaving her parents for the first time ever.

She looked down one end of the aisle before huffing in realization that Evan had already left her alone. It wasn't like she hadn't expected it, but she didn't think he'd do it so fast. Edith turned to walk down the other end of the aisle only to squeal in surprise as a hand pulled her into a compartment. The panic that had settled in her was replaced with amusement as her eyes met Sirius's, "I thought you had left me too," she giggled, thumping his forehead.

The black-haired boy gasped, clasping his chest, "I can't believe you would ever think such a thing. I figured I'd leave you to your mother's nitpicking and grab a compartment before they get filled up." Sirius turned, gesturing to another boy sitting on one of the benches she hadn't noticed before, "This is James, by the way."

The blonde shot the glasses-clad boy a toothy smile which he returned, "I hope you don't mind me sitting with you two. But I guess you don't have much of a choice since all the other compartments are probably filled by now," he spoke with a cheeky smile. Edie could already tell that James and Sirius would be the best of friends.

The young girl laughed at the thought, "I'm Edie," she stuck out her hand to meet his, "It's nice to meet you."

"Always so formal, Edith," the other boy chirped with a faint smirk, knowing how much she despised her full name.

A rather menacing glare was sent in his direction, "Call me that again and see what happens."

Sirius only laughed in response whereas James had an almost horrified expression planted on his face, "Remind me never to cross you," he spoke, eyes widening behind his glasses. The girl's expression shifted at his words as yet another giggle escaped her.

"I promise you that side of me is exclusively reserved for Dear Sirius here," she harshly punched his shoulder causing him to pout, clasping it dramatically. The three first years soon found themselves in fits of laughter for no apparent reason. Edith could already tell that Hogwarts would be more than she could have possibly imagined. The young girl hadn't expected to make a new friend so quickly, let alone one she could already tell she'd keep.

"How do you two know each other anyways?" James chirped, gesturing to the two friends once the laughter had died down.

"Family friends," they replied in unison, a kind smile apparent on the girl's face as he simply nodded his head in understanding. James had opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by the door of their compartment sliding open.

All three heads snapped towards it, their eyes landing on a small, freckled girl. Her dark blonde hair was frizzy and all over the place, her ocean eyes bright with excitement. "Do you mind if I join you all? Every other compartment is full," she stumbled out, curious eyes darting from one face to another. The energy in the small room seemed to increase with her presence.

Edie shot her a warm smile before speaking for the three of them, "Of course! I assume you're a First Year as well?" The unnamed girl sat down next to the other blonde, a toothy smile now taking over her face. She nodded eagerly in response, the smile she held becoming contagious to the rest of the cabin.

"My name's Marlene, by the way, Marlene McKinnon."

The corners of Edie's mouth turned upwards in a close mouthed smile. She parted her lips to reply, but Sirius beat her to it, "Well I'm Sirius, this here is James, and-"

"I'm Edie," she cut off her friend to prevent him from introducing her by her god awful name yet again. He slumped in his seat with a pout whilst she beamed back at him.

The girl they now knew as Marlene looked back and forth between the two, though decided not to question it. Her eyes swept across the cabin, making eye contact with each one of them, "Well it's nice to meet you all," she nodded politely. The group of four students continued to make small talk for a while, the trolley of candy eventually making its way to their compartment resulting in each one buying a few sweets.

"So what houses do you guys think you'll end up in?" the brown-haired boy across from Edie questioned as he took a bite of his licorice wand.

Marlene was the first to reply, "I'd be fine with anything. They all seem great, really," she beamed.

"Anything but Slytherin," Sirius followed once swallowing the peach flavored jelly bean he'd been munching on, resulting in a small frown forming on his best friend's face. "I'd like to see the look on my mother's face if I ended up in Hufflepuff," he chortled, James smiling along. The girl remained silent in her seat, her fingernails becoming quite interesting.

"What about you, Edie?" James questioned with a soft smile. Her head shot up at her name, eyes wide as she had hoped to escape the topic of conversation.

"Me?"

"No, the other Edie," Sirius quipped.

The pale girl shifted in her seat, a nervous habit of hers as she prepped her response, "I don't really know. Slytherin, I suppose."

Sirius frowned knowingly at her weak response, his eyes attempting to meet hers which were fixated on her lap. James and Marlene exchanged confused glances at Sirius and Edie's interaction.

"Well which house do you want to be in?" the raven-haired boy asked as her head lifted.

"I dunno," she shrugged. "Evan's in Slytherin and Mother and Father are counting on it so it's not like a have much wiggle room here, Sirius," Edith sighed with a frown before diverting her gaze to Marlene and James who had been sitting across from each other in the corner quietly. "Evan is my brother by the way, in case you didn't catch on," she forced a convincing smile on her face. Edie wasn't about to let her parents dampen the mood when they weren't even there to begin with.

"What about you, James? Where do you think you'll end up?"

"I'm hoping for Gryffindor, but anywhere would be fine, really. Both my parents were in Gryffindor too," he spilled, chest puffed out as the tense conversation that had taken place a mere few minutes earlier went forgotten.

"It would be cool if we all ended up in the same house," Sirius remarked as the rest nodded in agreement, the smiles not leaving their faces for the rest of the ride.

The group of four found themselves talking for what felt like minutes but was actually several hours by the time they had reached their destination. A wave of nervousness that hadn't been there before hit Edie out of nowhere once they had arrived at shore. She couldn't stop the million thoughts that were running through her mind- What would it be like? Would it be like she had been picturing for years? Better? Worse? Before the young girl could psych herself out anymore, she was snapped back to reality, "Edie, come on!"

She jumped out of her seat upon the realization that her friends were leaving the compartment. Edie scrambled to get herself together before following Marlene who had waited behind for her as the boys walked ahead. "Sorry," she mumbled with a blush. "I zoned out there for a second."

"I can tell," the other blonde giggled at her new friend. She grabbed onto her hand, "Let's go catch up with Sirius and James so we can get in a boat with them," she dragged Edie along, weaving through the crowd.

The pair of girls caught up with the two boys in the mass of first years being directed towards the boats. Edie huffed completely out of breath once at their side, clutching her chest and throwing herself on top of Sirius, "How could you leave us? We thought we lost you," she cried dramatically, arousing a laugh from Marlene and James who were watching them. The boy grumbled before pushing his friend off as she began giggling herself.

By the time the group of fast friends had arrived at the boat docks, there were few left. Their attempts to remain together were made in vain as a line was formed and every group of four was put in a boat together. The two girls ended up getting cut off in line as James and Sirius were placed in a boat with two other boys.

"I'll talk to you after the sorting ceremony," the darker haired of the two called out to Edie with a reassuring smile. She smiled back, eyeing the two other boys they had been put with. One was quite short and a bit stubby, with a sort of mousey look. The other was significantly taller with shaggy brown hair and a few seemingly old scars littered across his face. The blonde girl flashed one more smile in her best friend's direction before turning back to Marlene as they were ushered into a boat with another girl and a boy.

Time wasn't wasted as the moment each body was in the boat, it was off towards the castle. The girl sitting across from her's copper hair seemed to be illuminated by the dim light of the moon overhead and her eyes were a striking emerald. She held a welcoming smile which radiated from her presence. The boy next to her almost seemed like the complete opposite. He had scraggly, black hair that would have reminded her of Sirius had it not been so shiny. A seemingly permanent frown rested upon his face, the obsidian color of his eyes complimenting it.

"Hi," the redhead chirped cheerily at Marlene and Edie who reciprocated her enthusiasm. "I'm Lily and this is Severus," she stuck her hand out to the two of them who shook it in turn. The boy who Edie now knew to be Severus sat beside her in silence, simply nodding at the two girls.

"I'm Marlene," the darker blonde spoke first, followed by the other.

"And I'm Edie."

Edie was excited to have met another girl, her enthusiasm reciprocated by the two other girls who appeared to be on the edges of their seats in anticipation. She could only hope that she would end up in the same house as at least one of them.

"I can't believe we're at Hogwarts. Isn't that just crazy? I knew it would be beautiful, but my expectations have already been surpassed and we're not even in the castle yet," the ginger bubbled, elatement clear in her tone. Severus's posture seemed to visibly relax once she began speaking, clearly uncomfortable with the new company.

"I can't even imagine how it will look inside," Edie piped in as all four the students continued to stare at the humungous castle in awe. The young girl just couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the fact that this would be her home away from home for the next seven years. The three girls continued to babble on as Severus sat quietly, sending Lily a small smile every now and again. The Rosier girl found herself taking a liking to the redhead almost instantly.

Marlene nodded her head fervently in agreement, "I know I've seen pictures of it in books, but it's just so much better in person.  It's so weird to think that two months ago I didn't even know it existed," Marlene added.

"You're Muggle Born too? That's great, I thought I would end up being one of the only clueless ones," Lily giggled with a toothy smile.

The slightest of frowns pulled at Edie's lips upon the realization that the two girls were Muggle Borns. Her parents had always told her not to associate herself with those who weren't of Pure Blood, but the young girl couldn't see anything wrong with the two girls. They were just normal witches. Why should she have to avoid them just because they come from a different family? No one seemed to pay any attention to the girl's thoughtful expression-- well, no one except Severus. The boy observed her sudden change with a curious eye, though didn't question her.

"We're here!" Edie was brought back to reality by Marlene's outburst. She pushed the nagging thought to the back of her mind and instead rejoined the giddy girls' conversation. Their group of four was lead to the castle along with the rest of the First Years as they all congregated on the first staircase by the doors they had entered from. Each student gazed at the interior of the castle in awe.

The thought of Sirius crossed her mind and she found herself trying to search the crowd for him from her spot, but deemed it useless as she was too short to see above most of the students. Instead, Edie turned back to her new friends. Before she could get a word out, however, the congregation of First Years fell silent upon the arrival of a middle-aged woman dressed in deep emerald robes. Clearly a figure of authority, the witch positioned herself at the top of the staircase above the swarm of students whose eyes were filled with wonder as they watched her clear her throat.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates," she gestured to the massive doors looming over the small students behind her before continuing, "But before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Now while you're here your house will be your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, and any rule breaking will deduct them. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup."

Edie listened intently to her every word as she absorbed the information, despite already being well educated on it from her parents and older brother. A murmur of excitement broke out across the crowd at her speech.

"The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily," she added finally before walking down the hallway. The moment she turned everyone began to talk amongst themselves again.

"Who do you suppose that was?" Marlene turned to the three she had sat in the boat with, the gleam of eagerness evident in her blue eyes.

"I dunno," Lily shrugged.

Edie furrowed her eyebrows before speaking, "I think she might have been Professor McGonagall. She seems to match my brother's description of her. Besides, McGonagall's the one who signed our letters, right? Which means she must be in a position of authority and that woman clearly was," she finished. Both girls stared at her for a few seconds, causing her to subconsciously cower back with a blush. Had she said something wrong?

Marlene finally spoke for the two, "I don't know how you gathered all of that just by looking at her, but if you don't end up in Ravenclaw I'll be shocked."

The Rosier girl's blush deepened, flustered by her words. I mean, it surely couldn't have been that hard to figure out? "Well, like I said, my brother-" she began to downplay the compliment she simply found to be untrue, but was cut off by the professor.

"We are ready to begin," the woman's voice boomed across the stairwell. The students were then forced to break off into a line in pairs of two as they entered the Great Hall. A wave of anxiety engulfed Edie upon the realization. This was it. She was about to be sorted, and there would be no going back. Not a single member of her family had found themselves in a house other than Slytherin-- surely she shouldn't be worrying. Yet the blonde couldn't help but do exactly that.

The two blondes of the group found themselves situated next to each other with Lily and Severus walking in front of them as they passed the mammoth doors to the ceremony. The gasps emitting from each student as they passed the arch of the door were inevitable. It was surely the largest room any of them had every found themselves in. The roof was enchanted to resemble the night sky outside. Floating candles littered across the air lit up the area, the colors of each house present at their respectable tables.

Marlene squealed next to her friend, resulting in Edie giggling. The pair grinned goofily at each other as the line ended and formed into a mass of First Years yet again. They were now stopped in front of a long table of Professors. The unmistakable, ratty old hat was placed on a stool at the head of the hall for everyone to see as the anxiety in the young girl rose.

Professor McGonagall stood behind the stool as the whole hall anticipated her words, "When I call your name you will come forward, and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. You will then be sorted into your houses," the jitteriness inside Edie seemed to be increasing by the second.

"First up, Remus Lupin!" the woman called out as a lanky boy made his way through the opposite end of the crowd from Edie and her friends. She recognized him as one of the boys James and Sirius had ended up in a boat with. This sparked a sudden curiosity inside her. She looked over in the direction he had come from, and, sure enough, Sirius and James stood there along with the mousey boy from the boat. Her attention snapped back to the Sorting Hat as he took a seat in the stool. The boy seemed surprisingly relaxed as the hat was lowered to his head, especially considering his name was the first called. Edie unintentionally analyzed him some more as the hat took several seconds to deliberate before finally calling out its decision, "Gryffindor!"

The entire table decked out in red cheered loudly as the first boy made his way towards them. The young girl's mouth turned upwards at the enthusiasm radiating from their table to the rest of the hall.

"Aidan Newton!" the professor called out another name from the list. Edie watched as student after student was eventually sorted into a house. There didn't seem to be one particular house that got more than any other. Yet, she watched as Marlene, James, Lily, and even the other boy from the boat all got sorted into Gryffindor. Her frown grew as time passed-- so far all of the people she had met had been sorted into Gryffindor. Well, all except Severus who was placed in Slytherin, however she hadn't really talked to him in the first place. Almost 3/4 of the original group of First Years was now seated as the rest waited anxiously for their turn.

"Sirius Black!"

Edie's ears perked up at the sound of her best friend's name. She found herself gnawing on her bottom lip, a nervous habit of hers, as he took a seat on the stool that stood too tall for him. The hat hadn't even touched the top of his head before shouting out its decision, "Gryffindor!"

The dark haired boy leapt from the stool at the word, practically racing towards the red table. She felt a slight tug on her heart as she watched him sit with James, Marlene, Lily, and the rest she had recognized so far. She willed for him to turn around from his spot and look at her. As if he could hear her thoughts, the boy turned in search for her in the crowd of remaining students as another First Year went to get sorted. Sirius frowned at the overly anxious expression on his friend's face, giving her the most reassuring look he could muster without using words. Her expression of anxiety switched to one of panic as her name boomed through the Great Hall.

"Edith Rosier!"

A quiet murmur could be heard amongst the Slytherin table as Edie forced herself to go to the stool. She walked slowly, careful not to trip in front of the whole school. She slowly, painfully slowly, hoisted herself upon the stool. Her eyes frantically met Evan's, who was sitting at the front of the green table. His face remained hard and his lips were pursed in a tight line. This was a expression she knew all too well, worn only when he wanted to mask anything he might be feeling. She searched his eyes for some sort of reassurance, yet her attempts were made in vain. Her eye contact with her older brother was broken as the hat was placed atop her head.

"Ah, another Rosier. Interesting, very interesting. The wit of a Ravenclaw, but the loyalty of a Hufflepuff. Yet your entire family placed in Slytherin, so you should follow, no?" the object spoke in an almost taunting voice. Edie shifted in discomfort underneath it, her heart thumping inside her chest. Her lips remained pursed, refusing to respond, but this didn't stop the hat from reading her thoughts.

"You would certainly thrive in the house for the cunning, there is no question to that. But where do your loyalties truly lie?" The pounding in her chest had become so frantic that it was the only thing Edie could hear anymore.

"Where do you think I should place you?" the hat taunted the poor girl.

She finally spoke, "That's what you're for, no? To sort me?" Her words were bitter as she tried her best to sound composed, although the panic in her voice was clear as day.

"Very well, my decision has been made then," Edie jolted at its words, her eyes fleeting to her brother's still hardened ones again in a moment of panic.

It felt like time stopped as the deciding word rung through the air. Edie had never felt more emotions at once in her entire life. She almost felt like she could burst.

"Gryffindor!"

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she remained frozen, "No, please, please take it back," she frantically muttered to the hat, but it was too late. The decision had been made and the dreaded hat was lifted off her head. McGonagall ushered her towards the cheering table of her friends. Of course, Edie was happy to be with her friends, but she couldn't think of this as the image of her disappointed and angered parents overtook her mind.

The girl faltered towards the screaming table, standing next to the only person she felt like she could turn to for comfort at the present moment. Sirius could detect the conflicted emotions displayed on her face from miles away as he tugged on her robe, signaling for her to sit down. He leaned over towards her ear, "We'll talk about it later. For now, don't think about it. You're with your friends and that's all that matters right now."

Edie turned to him, his reassuring words calming her in an instant. She nodded, taking a few quick seconds to compose herself before turning to the rest of the table. Her eyes met Lily's who was sitting across from her. The blonde shot her the most enthusiastic smile she could muster in order to cover up everything she was feeling inside at the moment. The ginger hesitantly returned it, though didn't mention Edie's odd reaction.

The blonde Gryffindor's smile swept across the table as she made eye contact with James who was sitting next to Lily and across from Sirius. Marlene appeared to be farther down the table along with the rest of the First Years, so Edie decided she'd converse with her later. Being the last First Year to be sorted into Gryffindor, she sat at the end of the table and ended up speaking to James, Sirius, and Lily throughout the feast. The young girl was able to push away her worries for the remainder of the meal as she got to know her fellow Gryffindors better.

She made Lily out to be quite intelligent and eager to learn as she rambled with great passion about how excited she was to attend classes. Edie noticed that James took a liking to the copper haired girl as she kept catching him looking in her direction and attempting to impress her with his 'extensive knowledge'. Lily, on the other hand, didn't appear to hate him, but was put off by his attempts to make himself look good. A soft smile found its way onto Edie's face at the thought of the two. They would eventually end up bickering-- she could already tell.

Sirius and James went back and forth from joining her and Lily's conversation to the one going on next to them with the two other boys from the boat, however they ended up talking to the boys for the rest of the meal. The blonde didn't mind much-- in fact, she didn't mind at all. This gave her the opportunity to get to know Lily better. Lily, on the other hand, seemed relieved that their attempts to talk to her became subdued. To be fair, Sirius and James were quite boisterous which took the poor ginger aback.

The pair of girls found themselves immersed in conversation for what felt like hours when the Prefects began to round up the Gryffindor First Years. The authoritative voices of the two Fifth Years caught the attention of each one of them rather as it only took a couple of minutes for them to gather at the entrance of the Great Hall. Marlene bounded over towards Edie and Lily upon seeing them in the crowd, "Isn't this awesome? I can't believe all three of us ended up in the same house!"

"Yeah, I just feel bad for Severus ending up alone in Slytherin. I wish he had made it into Gryffindor too," the redhead spoke, a guilty smile making its way onto her face.

But it was nothing compared to the amount of guilt Edie was feeling at the moment. It's not even the fact that she was sorted in Gryffindor anymore-- it was the fact that she was happy about it. Edie was thrilled to end up in a house with her friends, although she was angry at that stupid hat. If it had just placed her in Slytherin, she would have made new friends and made her parents happy rather than complicating things like it did.

"Oh come on, I'm sure he'll be fine. There's plenty of people he can be friends with in Slytherin," Marlene reassured the worried girl as the trio followed the Prefects who had begun leading them  to the Gryffindor Common Room. Edie forced herself to nod in agreement, although now that the thought had been planted in her mind it was impossible to weed it out.

The group of bubbling students was halted at the top of a staircase in front of the portrait of a lady. The two Prefects turned to face the First Years, "This is the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room. The password to enter is 'bowtruckle'. If this changes, the entire house will be notified. You must be sure not to give the password out to anyone as the common room is for Gryffindors only," the male prefect spoke.

"All you have to do is go up to the Fat Lady, " the girl prefect gestured to the moving painting behind them, "Tell her the password, and she'll let you in. Like this."

The Fifth Year spoke the password and the portrait flung open, revealing an opening. As if on cue, the three Gryffindor girls turned to look at each other with the same giddy smiles. The students were lead through the entrance, a wide grin making its way onto each child's face as soon as they stepped through the portrait hole.

The atmosphere of the rather spacious room welcomed Edie with open arms, a warm feeling settling in her chest. The room glowed with warm reds and oranges, the large fireplace on the opposite end making her feel at home despite the ominous feeling looming inside her.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room. This will be your home for the next seven years so you might as well make yourself feel comfortable," the male Prefect began, followed by the female.

"Girls dormitories are up the stairs on the right, boys are the same on the left."

The students took her words as their cues to leave, each one hopping up the stairs in anticipation. The trio of girls stuck together as they made their way towards their respective dorm. Sure enough, there was a wooden sign hanging on the first door to their left labeled 'First Years'. Marlene was the first to enter their room with Lily in her heels, Edie trailing behind both of them.

The squeals emitting from both girls barely seemed to register in the blonde's mind. If she wasn't beaming before, she surely was now. The room was nothing special-- there were four four-poster beds arranged in a sort of semi-circle shape, a jug of water at the end of the room with dark red curtains draping over the beds and windows. Yet, it couldn't have been more perfect.

Lily and Marlene had already thrown themselves on two beds in the right-most side of the room, bouncing on their new beds. Edie smiled at her friends, settling herself on the bed next to Lily's in a much more relaxed manner. By the time the two friends had calmed a bit, a timid girl shuffled into the room. Her dark hair hung as a curtain around her face. She peered up at them from behind it nervously, "Is this bed taken?"

"Not at all! Feel free," the redhead spoke for the trio with a kind grin in an attempt to hopefully ease the clearly anxious girl. She made her way to the bed next to Edie who wore a small smile.

Marlene then piped up, "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Mary. Mary Macdonald," she replied, more at ease than before but still rather flustered. This didn't seem to put off the girls, however.

"Nice to meet you, Mary. I'm Lily and this is Edie and Marlene," the ginger spoke yet again, gesturing to her two friends in turn. The new girl felt herself becoming more relaxed by the minute, her timidness still present although not as much as before.  Edie soon found herself immersed in conversation amongst her new friends. Yet, the nagging feeling she had pushed to the back of her mind was beginning to resurface despite her efforts to make it go away. This, in turn, began to exhaust her but thankfully went unnoticed by the rest of the girls as they had conveniently decided to go to bed by that time.

Edie knew she should have been sleeping to prepare for the big day ahead like her friends, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Every time the girl closed her eyes she was filled with rather unpleasant images of her family. No matter how at home she felt in her house, she couldn't help but wish she would've been put in Slytherin. Sure, she may not have felt quite as home, but at least it would save her from disappointing her family name. It felt like she had been staring at her ceiling for hours before the lack of rest finally got to the poor girl and she was out like a light.

The following morning, Lily was the first to wake of the girls. Already jittery about the long day ahead, she couldn't wait the thirty more minutes they had left of sleep. The ginger promptly shook each girl awake with a cheery smile that drowned out any groans about their lack of sleep. The grogginess that had taken over Edie faded upon the realization her first class would be taking place in less than two hours. This seemed to be the case for the two other girls as well as they hopped out of bed in no time.

The group of four prepared themselves for their first day of classes, taking their time to ensure they missed nothing. Once each girl was dressed in her robes and carried the books she needed, Mary being the last to do so, they were on their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"I can't wait to get my timetable," Marlene beamed. "I hope we have all our classes together."

"I'm sure we'll at least have a few," Edie chirped as she glided through the monstrous doors of the Great Hall with her friends. Although she already knew what it would look like, the extravagance of the massive room still left her in awe.

The young girl found herself looking for her darker haired friend, although they appeared to be the first of the Gryffindor First Years in the Great Hall, probably due to Lily waking them all up. Instead, Edie's dull eyes scanned the Slytherin table for any sign of her older brother. It didn't take long for her to pinpoint him amongst the black and green robed students as his hair separated him from all others. She stared at him with intent whilst walking behind her friends towards the Gryffindor table, mentally urging him to shift his gaze to her.

Sure enough, his eyes shot to her own intense gaze, an unreadable expression replacing the bored one he wore before. Her body began to act two steps ahead of her brain as she pulled herself up from her seat and walked briskly to his.

"Edie, where are you going?"

"Edie!"

"What is she doing?"

The calls from her friends didn't register in her mind as she made a bee-line to Evan. Before she could even think about what she was going to say, Edie found herself standing in front of her brother.

"What," the blond snapped, eyes narrowing at his younger sister.

The girl stared at him dumbfounded, not having actually thought about what she'd say to him. A few more seconds passed in which his cold gaze never broke, "If you're just going to stand there then-"

"Can I talk to you?" she finally blurted.

"You are."

"Alone, Evan."

The Slytherins sitting around the boy all shot her cold glares, though not nearly as intense as the one she was received from her older brother. She observed as he turned to them and mumbled something, causing them all to nod and return to their food.

"What is it?"

The harshness that had made its way into Edie's tone to match her brother's  broke as it was replaced with a more vulnerable one, "You know what," she mumbled, looking down at her feet which had suddenly become one thousand times more interesting.

She heard Evan sigh heavily, the fork that he held in his hand now clattering against the table. "Yeah, I do know," he spoke in a dry, even tone. "You got yourself sorted into Gryffindor breaking a long line, and by long I mean generations, of Slytherins, henceforth disgracing the Rosier family name. And if that's not enough, the first friends you make are a group of mudbloods and blood traitors," she snapped.

"How did you know-"

"Doesn't matter. Point is, you fucked up, Edie."

"It's not my fault," she defended herself weakly, flinching back at his harsh words. Edie battled the stinging in her eyes, begging for release. She was not about to cry in the middle of the Great Hall. "You know I have no control over where I get placed. You think I wanted any of this to happen?" her voice wobbled as she willed herself not to break.

The blue-eyed boy's expression softened at the sight of her watery eyes. He opened his mouth to speak again, although this time much more kindly, "I know. Just lay low, will you? At least until Mother and Father contact one of us. They've probably found out by now so it won't be long, but just don't do anything to draw anymore attention, okay?"

"Okay," Edie uttered, the shakiness in her voice gone now. Her brother gave her a slight nudge.

"Now go, you're going to miss your time table."

The younger sister nodded, forcing a neutral expression to replace the worried one she wore as she ambled back to her seat which was now occupied by James Potter. Her conversation with her brother must have been longer than she thought as the area her friends had been sitting in was now filled with the rest of the Gryffindor First Years.

Her brows knit together whilst she scanned the area up and down, looking for a place she could sit near her friends though not finding any luck as they were all too immersed in conversation to realize she had returned. Not wanting to interrupt them or ask James to scoot over as he seemed keen on sitting right next to Lily, Edie chose to sit at the end of the group of First Years instead.

"Erm, is it alright if I sit here?" the girl addressed the boy sitting across from the empty seat. She recognized him from the Sorting Ceremony, Remus. His head shot up from the toast he had been buttering, flustered at the sudden voice. A close-mouthed smile crept onto his face at her question.

He nodded warmly, "Of course." The corners of his mouth remained turned upwards as she took the seat across from him, the energy seemingly radiating off her left him unable to wipe the doofy grin off his face. Edie didn't mind, however, as she beamed back at him.

"I'm Edie, by the way," the blonde glowed with an outstretched hand.

"Remus."

Edie placed her smaller hand in his larger one, an unfamiliar feeling taking over her. She had only just met him, but something beyond her knowledge drew her to the boy with the scars.

[olivermajor226]

Drafted Chapter 4: Preview

Up to 25,000 words, still writing. Until then, an extended preview.

Pinwheel Universe: Original Timeline, August 2008

Staten Island, New York City

About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and I didn’t know how potent that part might be-that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Rogue rolled her eyes as she looked up from her book, sighing heavily as she glanced around her darkened bedroom. The sun had set and the room was humid, and she was only in a tank top and underwear, lying on top of the bedspread. It was always hot in the attic and she kept the ceiling fan on constantly, not only because it had been such an unbearably hot summer, but also because the residential feline, Zues, was scared of ceiling fans when they were off. An odd quirk about the cat she was beginning to truly adore. Rogue yawned for a moment, before moving to turn on the bedside table lamp. As soon as she did, she noticed a set of green eyes staring at her from the foot of the bed, and Rogue smiled at the intruder. Zeus had made his faithful nightly appearance, rubbing his head momentarily against the side of her foot, demanding attention.

“I really don’t get what the fuss is all about,” she said out loud to the cat, gesturing to Twilight, which she had closed in frustration and plopped on the bedside table. She’d purchased the book at the Borders in Penn station as a recommendation from her coworker Carmen-oh, trust me, Marie! You. Will. Love. It!-- to read on the long rides home on the Staten Island Ferry, and so far she was unimpressed. Falling desperately in love with a hundred year old vampire. Ridiculous, Rogue thought, while she pet the black cat with the white belly, who arched his back and purred at her touch.

Zeus was technically Mrs. Mable’s cat, the woman whose attic she was currently renting. The house was a cozy bungalow, which had regrettably seen better days, settled in the heart of Staten Island. Still though, the house had good bones, which Rogue appreciated. It reminded her of the old homes on her street where she grew up, down to the antique hardware and floral wallpaper.

Just like her feline companion, Mrs. Mable had taken a liking to Rogue, mostly because Rogue paid rent on time and helped her take out the trash and would often listen to the woman’s stories of the city in the 1940’s when the woman worked for Western Union, even though Rogue had failed to tell the woman she was vastly undercharging for rent, being this was New York City. Rogue was only paying $200 a month, although that was about all she could afford from what she was making at the desk job she was currently temping at in the city. It was a long, expensive trek to work each day, and she had bought the book to get her mind off of the fact that, one afternoon, she’d glanced out the dirty window of the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance, and a cold shadow of a feeling had gripped her heart.

Suddenly, in a rare moment of conversation, the cat meowed, bringing her out of her thoughts, and Rogue smiled.

“What do you think, Zeus? Team Edward or Team Jacob?” she asked playfully as she continued to scratch the cat behind the ears, savoring the feeling of the soft fur, the body  underneath that.

She’d touched many things in the last year. She’d shaken hands and held open doors and hailed taxis, all without gloves. She’d gone dancing with Carmen. She’d kissed boys and girls while drunk. She’d hugged people. She’d casually touched them. She’d made out with some, gone to second and third base with a couple of others. She’d flirted and smiled and laughed. It had been everything she had imagined it to be, she had quickly realized. The only part she missed, of course though, was the company. She had been surprised with how long Logan’s presence stuck around in her mind after the torch, but from the day she had the injection onward, they all had disappeared, and for the first time in a long time her head was simply...empty. Voiceless. Still. At times, it was still disconcerting. Rogue alone in this tiny bedroom apartment with the seventies avocado-green kitchen and the bubbling wallpaper and the hallway that smelled like cat litter, but it wasn’t Westchester, and that was enough.

Rogue frowned at the thought. It took two days after she’d come back from taking the cure. Bobby had kissed her, and the look on his face told her he regretted it. Perhaps she’d known it from the beginning, how he’d react, but it was everyone else who made it hurt worse. Jubilee was fake around her, Kitty stopped speaking to her. She had even remembered Logan barely acknowledging her, walking around with a dead look in his eye, although Rogue assumed that was more from the events that had transpired in San Francisco than anything else.

After the funeral, she had gone to bed exhausted, and sad. And, when she had woken up the next day, she knew he was gone. Not Bobby, but Logan. No goodbyes this time. No dog tags to be handed off. She knew he had one foot out the door already, but...she would have thought he’d at least warn her. Say goodbye. And she knew, this time, he was gone for good.

It wasn’t long after that, she left too. She couldn’t face them, couldn’t face it. But, of course, away from the shelter of Xavier's, she had no money. It was rough, in the beginning. She’d been beyond lucky to find the posting of Mrs. Mable’s room, and she thanked the world for small favors. Slowly, as spring became summer, she found steady work, and steady friends, and her fears eased. She stopped seeing herself as the other, and, instead, the same as. And that was also enough.

--

The next morning, she frowned slightly at the book, but decided against her best judgement to take Edward and Bella with her on the ferry. She rolled her eyes through most of it, and by the time she got to the office, she dreaded talking to Carmen about whether or not Bella had made the right decision to stick with the vampire. Luckily, however, they were busy today, so Marie forced a smile on her face, tucked in her cheaply made button down shirt into her black slacks, fixed her headset in her ear, and pretended not to be tired as she answered the phone for HR at the pharmaceutical company in midtown she worked for.

“So are you coming out on Friday or not?” Carmen said after a particularly long phone call, before downing half a bottle of Evian. Rogue shared a cubicle with Carmen, a desk on either side of the eight by eight space. Carmen was a beautiful woman of Italian descent with a thick Long Island accent who had immediately taken a liking to Rogue when she first arrived there. Carmen had helped Rogue learn the ropes, and Rogue knew Carmen found Rogue ”exotic” because of her southern accent, and was always trying to set up Rogue because of it. Carmen was also always drinking water and chewing gum between calls. “To get the bad taste out of my mouth when I deny another claim,” she explained one day to Rogue early on.

“I don’t know. I’m kinda tired this week. It’s been a long one,” Rogue said about the weekend, cracking her knuckles as she glanced at the time. 3:22pm. Ugh. Time didn’t move fast enough inside a cubicle.

“Well, you should come out because I have a date,” Carmen said, a spark in her eye. Rogue laughed out loud at this, shaking her head.

“Why would I wanna come with you on your date, hun?” she asked, and Carmen rolled her eyes.

“It’s not a date date. I’m...checking him out. Meeting him and his friend for coffee. I could use a wing woman. Rosalie from payroll is setting me up with him. He’s her cousin, or something” Carmen said, and then, looking around the cluster of cubics and leaning in a little bit over her desk she dramatically, “I guess the word is he’s a mutant.”

Rogue almost spit out the gatorade she had been drinking, but managed to swallow and feign...surprise? Funny thing was, other than the rising anti-government sentiment, most humans out in the real world didn’t think twice about mutants, not their plight, their struggle to be accepted, none of it. Marie had been shocked to find this out, but, after some time, she had come to realize it was always this way with a group of people who had privilege over another- the privileged group never thought it was that big of a deal and it couldn’t be that bad for them. Anyway, this news was surprising coming from Carmen, because she usually liked the blonde, athletic, cookie cutter type.

“That so?” Rogue finally asked.

“Yeah. Apparently...he has a tail,” she said, winking.

“Why does that matter?” Rogue blurted out, before she could stop herself, but then Carmen was grinning.

“Girl, use your imagination. Think of the sex,” she grinned, and Rogue must have made a face because Carmen was frowning.

“Didn't take you for a speciesist, lady,” Carmen said through a pop of her gum.

“I’m not-” Rogue sighed, but then Carmen threw up a finger, spit her gum out, and raised her eyebrows. Rogue frowned, but then turned to see their boss walking down the hall toward them. Mr. Henry MacIntire, Vice President of Human Resources,  was a studious looking man, fairly young for his position--Rogue guess early thirties at most--always dressed nicely, with a pair of tortoise shell glasses settled on his nose that Rogue found herself taking a liking to. He was polished, poised, a gentleman, she thought upon meeting him. Unlike Nancy who was in charge of the Admin assistants, he was never gruff with the underlings, never condescending or patronizing, and he always checked in on all the HR staff from time to time, but especially Rogue. To the point where Carmen had suggested maybe their boss had a thing for her, which Rogue had immediately shrugged off.

“Hello ladies,” he greeted them, stopping for a moment to hover outside their cubicle.

“Hello Mr. MacIntire,” Carmen smiled her brilliantly white smile, and Rogue simply nodded at him.

“Busy day today, yeah?” he said, directly addressing Rogue.

“Uh, yeah,” she muttered, through a quiet smile. “You too?” she asked and he grinned.

“The worst,” he said, his blue eyes dancing behind his glasses, and she found herself a little lost for words as he focused on her.

“Oh, Marie,” he finally added, extending a file folder her way. “ Do you mind sticking around a little later today? I need you to make some calls. We need to extend invitations to the additional names listed here for the web seminar on Friday, sort of last-minute. I hate to put this on you, but I trust you to get it right,” he said through an honest smile, and when Rogue found herself taking the file folder, she noticed their fingers just momentarily brushed, and a surge of adrenaline coursed through her. Of course, he was completely fine, hadn’t even likely noticed it had happened.  

“Of-of course, Mr. MacIntire,” she finally said, and, again, he smiled at her and pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Thank you, Marie. You’re the best,” he replied, and then, just before he was about to walk down the hall, he stopped, turned on his heel, and added, “Remember what I told you both. Call me Henry,” he smiled.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, Henry,” Rogue murmured, and then he was nodding and Rouge watched as  he walked off to his office down the hall. She smiled a bit, and when Rogue turned back to Carmen, the other woman was grinning devilishly at her.

“What?” Marie asked defensively.

“Nooottthhinnngg,” Carmen said, before holding up her finger as her phone began to ring. Rogue frowned a little, before turning back to the manilla folder. She opened it up to look at the list of names, mostly other HR heads of other pharmtech companies, only to notice there was a post-it note on bottom of the piece of paper with a note scrawled in Henry’s handwriting.

I really do need to thank you for doing this. I know it’s annoying to ask you to stay late. Maybe wanna grab a drink with me sometime so I can make it up to you? My treat. - H

Rouge’s smile widened as she quickly closed the manila envelope, grinning like an idiot now, just as her own phone began to ring again. But even the ringing telephone, even the bad novel on her desk, even the long ferry ride she’d have home tonight, sailing alongside the memories of her past, memories of him, couldn’t shake her current mood, as she set down the folder and put her headset back on, answering a little more cheerfully than normal with her rehearsed response.

“Transigen Incorporated, Human Resources Division. My name is Marie. How may I help you?”

[lavendermin]

prince of carnations | 1

+pairing jung hoseok x reader, feat. namjoon

+word count 1.7k

+genre royalty au, angst, fluff but mostly angst, supernatural illness

+warnings blood and violence, depressive themes, witchcraft i guess

+summary A rare illness plagues an unfortunate kingdom and it's even more unfortunate crown prince. On the same tragic day the crown prince befell with the first symptoms, a witch's child got put in a tight spot at the hand of two young princes. What started as a nuisance became a potential aid to the crown prince, and so the witch got mixed up in royal issues. There's only so much time this illness will give someone as they wilt away petal by petal.

next

The outside was quiet. Fall leaves crunched continuously under two princes’ feet as they ran into the outskirts of the woods. From the distance, there were faded callings of numbers and sounds of birds chattering. The two chuckled as they hid from the youngest prince.

“Tae, don’t climb the tree. That’s a little unfair.” The slightly older prince still tried his best to stifle his devious chuckles.

The latter, already making his way onto the closest branch, snorted. He plopped down on the branch with a soft ‘oof’ and stared down at his brother with a lopsided smile.

“It’s called getting even, Jiminnie,” he explained smugly. “Last time he hid in the river and Joon lectured us for almost losing him to the current.”

The prince sighed and sat out of sight under the tree. He knew there was no stopping Taehyung when his mind was set. So he sat and waited.

From the distance, the youngest prince ceased his counting and announced the beginning of his search. Taehyung snickered from his spot on the branch, getting a good view of where the youngest was looking. He was hesitating at the edge of the woods. The young male kept looking over his shoulder back towards the wall protecting their kingdom. With a silent click of his tongue, he groaned and started heading into the woods, going opposite of where the two were hiding.

Jimin noticed and was first to speak, unease in his stomach.

“Tae-“

“He’ll be fine. He’s not stupid.”

About 15 minutes had passed and they had yet to hear from the youngest. Hell, they couldn’t hear him calling out anymore. Maybe he went too deep into the woods? Unease started to settle in Jimin’s stomach again and Taehyung’s face looked no different.

“He’s 13, not fucking 3. How the hell did he get lost?”

Taehyung groaned as he hopped down from the tree, leaves crunching under his feet. He ran a hand through his hair, distress quickly working its way onto creased brows.

“Maybe if we-“

The sound of leaves crunching and various steps coming closer rung loudly through the silence of the woods, at first as hope and then fear. Palace guards searching for them maybe? Or worse, someone they wouldn’t want to mess with, unarmed as they were.

Taehyung almost screamed when he heard a soft mewl, breaking Jimin into a fit of stifled laughter as a fluffy black kitten rubbed against Jimin’s leg.

“Willow, leave them alone,” a soft voice spoke from behind Taehyung, causing him to actually scream.

Both he and Jimin jumped back upon seeing the hooded figure quickly scoop up the kitten from their feet.

“Y-You are?” Jimin asked taking a step back skeptically. She put a finger to her lips commanding silence and there was unease in her darting eyes.

“I’d appreciate it if you kept quiet. I’m just a stranger looking to pass through this kingdom to get to the seaside.” The person removed their hood to reveal a young lady, maybe 15, 16 at the most. Her face held unreadable intentions, keeping the two’s guard up.

“Why can’t you just go around the border wall?” Taehyung scoffed. The young stranger sighed and gave an annoyed chuckle.

“That’s not how my situation works.” She sighed again and looked from one prince to the other, eyes squinted in search of something. “Just know it’s urgent.”

There was silence for a few moments before anyone spoke.

“Well... good luck with trying to get past the gate checkpoint. Come on Tae, we should get going,” Jimin said, gently tugging Taehyung away from the stranger.

They both walked away, Jimin taking one quick glance to make sure the stranger wasn’t following them. Almost eerily, the stranger still stood in the middle of the dense trees, unmoving. A chill ran up his spine.

“What a weirdo.”

“I can see why Joon doesn’t want us wandering out as much now that the outskirts are getting unsafe.” Jimin sighed but his tone of annoyance was quickly replaced. “Shit, what about Jungkook?”

Taehyung clicked his tongue and groaned as he removed some branches and boards that covered up their little tunnel back into the outer city.

“God, this kid really-“

Meow.

The small kitten appeared at their feet again, playing with the branches. Taehyung’s brows creased in displeasure. He could almost feel the smugness radiating from the body behind them.

“Mind if I join you boys? I’ll be nice, I promise,” you chimed in with a smirk. You were already shimmying into the hole when Taehyung grabbed your arm and pulled you back.

“You can’t just enter the wall illegally like that,” he spat venomously. You stared him down, challenging him as you snatched your arm back.

“Damn aristocrats of this kingdom,” you muttered under your breath. “You must be an exception if you’re doing the same.”

Jimin made his way to block the entrance with his body. “That’s of no concern to you. Now please leave before we're forced to call the guards on you.”

You clicked your tongue and sneered, “You two must be such lady killers with these attitudes. No really, I’m swooning.” You held a hand to your chest in dramatic exaggeration.

“Enough with the games. Leave now or-“

They were cut off as armor clanked and horses whinnied not too far from them. You quickly put your hood back on and tried to duck back into the forest but as soon as you moved an arrow missed you by mere centimeters, lodging into the wall behind you; a warning, no doubt. They weren’t going to let you go so easily.

“Good evening Prince Jimin, Prince Taehyung. Is this wench causing trouble?”

You glared at the guard blowing a strand of hair out of your face. It wasn’t until a second later that you registered what he called them. Your head whipped around to them in disbelief, feeling something akin to betrayal.

“You didn’t tell me you were-“

“Silence wench. Do not speak so easily to royalty. Be thankful I do not slice your throat open this instant,” the guard sneered as several others held blades dangerously close to your neck. Jimin tried to tell them to stop on a whim but Taehyung placed a hand on his shoulder, silencing him. They had a conversation with their stares alone; Jimin’s worried and anxious, Taehyung’s hard but cautious.

“State your business,” a guard’s deep voice commanded.

Your mouth only opened and closed but no sound escaped. Your smug and challenging attitude had completely disappeared and instead before them stood a scared girl alone in the woods.

Your voice shook as you tried to speak and you swallowed hard to try and compose yourself. “I-I...”

“She’s just trying to get through to the seaside!”

All guards turned their head in the direction of the eldest prince present.

Their commanding officer looked over at you skeptically, judging whatever sins he could see in your eyes. “Is that so?” With a point of his fingers the guards held you down and yanked your bag off, emptying its contents onto the grass while you tried to shake off the guards to no avail.

“A witch,” the commanding officer spat. The guards threw you forcefully to the ground. Your eyes were wild with fear unable to react properly as several blades were pointed dangerously close to your neck. “My lords, you will be escorted back by one of my men. You don’t need to concern yourself with what happens to this witch.”

Before the two could even be shoved along, more horses came bounding down. Another older prince who came along quickly dismounted his horse followed by more guards and headed to them. Jungkook stayed mounted, his mind clearly elsewhere and nowhere at all.

Jimin stuttered nervously, “N-Namj-“

“You two need to be back at the palace. Now,” Namjoon commanded, his face hard. “Everyone back to the palace. Send for more medics.”

Taehyung looked over at Jungkook, his face pale and eyes deep with worry. His eyes didn’t raise from where they were trained on the reins in his hands. He looked like he had been approached by death itself.

“My lord, we still have this witch at hand,” the commanding officer reminded, gesturing his head toward you. Your eyes held an intense fear and you stumbled with your words as you tried to form a coherent sentence.

“I-I... There’s a-ano–“

You were cut off as one of the guards kicked your ribs to silence you. Panic and fear coursed through your veins. You began frantically drawing on the ground and gathering your scattered things as the guard tried to coax a death sentence for you from the eldest prince present.

“There’s no time. We have another more urgent matter. Call all your men back to the palace and send for more medics.” The prince gave a pointed look, his eyes solid and firm with a hint of plea. He turned to look down at you, the other two princes also looking down at you with a twinge of pity and fear.

“Y-Yes, Prince Namjoon,” the officer finally responded, defeated.

The commanding officer looked down at you again as the princes began to follow the eldest away from you. Your eyes were wide and fixed on Namjoon’s retreating form as you muttered rapid, incoherent words.

“Enough with your wretched curses, witch!”

At his signal one of the guards moved to hurt you with their blade. Through their hesitated blow, it only grazed your neck but still left a significant bleeding cut. You clutched the burning wound as you finished the last of the spell incantation. With a click of the officer’s tongue, he waved his hand dismissively and began walking away. You felt a wave of relief as the officer moved away only to feel a sharp pain on your shoulder and warmth leaking from where the pain was coming from.

The spears blade.

Another guard was reeling their arms back to drive another spear into you. Your hand reflexively went up to shield you. And then you closed your eyes. Your hand was warm and crimson liquid bubbled out of it.

You didn’t know how things happened, but you were running. Away from shouts and curses you ran. More spears were thrown and you were called so many horrible things. You could feel your eyes sting and tears stream down your face but you kept running. Still, all running must come to a stop.

After a few miles into the forest, you went unconscious.

[idkthisisjustforfanfic]

Chapter 14 Part 2 - Come Sunday

I found myself seated on the couch in Kyle’s living room as Chelsea sat on the floor beneath me. “You should have seen the look on his face, Kyle, he was absolutely gutted that she wouldn’t take him back right there.”

“He wasn’t absolutely gutted,” I rolled my eyes at her dramatization. “And he deserved to be left there.”

Kyle shifted on the opposite end of the couch and sipped at his wine as Chelsea defended herself. “M’not saying he didn’t deserve to be left there, but he was definitely gutted--he looked like you’d ripped his heart out.”

“She’s being extremely dramatic,” I turned to Kyle to reassure him that Harry--who may have been disappointed--was certainly still standing.

“Chelsea Brylin, dramatic? You don’t say!” He laughed, shooting Chelsea a flirtatious wink as she sipped her own glass of cabernet.

I was thankful that they were fulfilling their duty of being loyal friends--and having them together felt very reminiscent of the time in my life where things didn’t feel like complete shit, even if they were being playful and rambunctious.

“So you really don’t think it’s gonna work out?” Chelsea asked again, looking up at me with a sweet smile and eyes that conveyed her opinion.

I let out a groan, partly annoyed by the fact that she’d already asked three times since my leaving him in the alley--which was only two hours prior, mind you--but also because of my own doubt.

“Look,” I said, readjusting my seated position so they knew I was serious. “I know I fucked up and didn’t have my priorities straight, and if this whole catalog thing hadn’t happened, I’d be ready to repent right now as if it was nobody’s business.”

“Maggie,” Kyle said, his voice stern as if he were about to embark on a lecture. When I shot him a look that read watch what you’re about to say, he immediately let out a sigh and tempered himself. “I know that what he did was wrong. It was uncool and he got too involved, but do you think that maybe he was trying to make up for being a prick in Jamaica?”

I sloshed the wine around in my glass a bit, pushing out my lips to think about his proposition. “I don’t know,” I said finally. “I don’t know why he couldn’t have just called me and said he was sorry for being a prick in Jamaica.”

“Because he’s Harry Styles,” Kyle said his name as if it meant something. “He’s probably not used to small, normal people gestures of kindness.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s not like that, though,” I shook my head, looking up to the ceiling to gather my thoughts. “I feel like…” I spoke with conviction at first, but my voice trailed off as the feeling of uncertainty settled in my gut once more.

“You feel like what?” Chelsea prompted me to continue, her hair now up in a bun and her eyeliner from the night smudged slightly.

I let out a small sigh, embarrassed of what I was about to say. “The most meaningful gestures he made were the small ones--like remembering my order at The Keg Stand and feeding Charlie. Or the way he’d sit and watch Jane The Virgin with me even though there were probably other shows he’d rather watch.”

Neither of them responded to that--likely because it was the least defensive I’d been all night. They knew how I felt--they knew that I cared about Harry and that a part of me wanted things to work.

But I think they also knew that Harry and I were so far apart, now, that finding our way back together would be as hard as rearranging the days of the week.

**

Two days passed and I tried to forget about the words that Harry had let slip in the alley behind La Fontagne. While Chelsea slept peacefully in the living room for two nights, I couldn’t help but stare at the ceiling and count the ways that the universe was playing some kind of sick joke on me.

For one, somehow, I ended up in London writing songs for a hugely successful boy band and making decent cash. All by the time I turned 18.

Second, this band decided to split up and cease my employment (okay--maybe they didn’t decide, but you get the point), which ultimately led to a fateful night in Kilburn where all I was really trying to do was take the bus home.

Third, not only did I not take the bus, but I also rode in a fancy car with Harry, who took it upon himself to remember where I lived so he could show up the next night to fall in love with my cat--and, apparently, me.

I guess, if I wanted to, I could blame it all on Charlie’s amazing social skills.

And so I trudged through the last two days with Chelsea in town and made the best of it--all the while trying to force Harry’s words to a dark corner of my mind where they wouldn’t ignite some type of fire in my veins. But something in me knew that those words weren’t going away any time soon.

And as Chelsea kneeled on the floor in my living room, trying to pack away her belongings so she could head for Heathrow in the morning, the knock on the door made my stomach drop.

Charlie made a dash for the door and Chelsea looked up with wide eyes. “Who’s that?” She asked, folding a t-shirt into fourths and tucking it beneath a sweater.

I stood from my spot on the couch and moved in the direction of the door. “I don’t know,” I said quietly, my heart in my throat as I grabbed the handle, twisted, and pulled. Charlie let out a loud meow at the sight of his long lost friend, who quickly knelt down to pick him up in his arms.

“Hi,” he said, his voice low and quiet as he peered around me to see Chelsea on the floor. “Hi Chelsea.”

“Good evening, Harry,” she said, her tone formal enough to convince him that she weren’t excited by his presence. I knew what she was thinking--this was the reunion scene she’d probably been imagining in her mind over the last two days.

I knew that Chelsea wanted me to end up with Harry. And I know that Kyle and Mark did too. Hell, even Julian seemed to ask me if we’d spoken every once in a while over the last few months with a slight look of hope in his eyes.

But Harry had been clear: I fucked up, too.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him, my arms crossed to convey my hesitance. Not only did he have no right to show up--unannounced--at my house, but he also had no right to act as if he did.

“I just want to talk to you, Maggie,” he sighed, almost annoyed--or sad, maybe--that I had even asked. “You wouldn’t even listen to me the other night.”

His double standard--that I had to listen to him but he didn’t owe me the same--made my blood boil to the point that I walked away from the door and headed straight for the kitchen.

I didn’t listen to him the other night--not because I didn’t want to hear his poor excuses for meddling with my career--but because he didn’t listen to me when I was trying to simply explain a misunderstanding.

“Maggie,” he said my name as the door shut, moving quickly to follow me into the kitchen. Charlie was no longer in his arms when I turned around, but Harry now looked more desperate.

“You want me to listen to you when you didn’t listen to me? How is that fair?” I pleaded, letting my brows knit together as I looked up at him.

I could see the thoughts move in his mind, his eyes flashing back and forth between both of mine, as if he were searching for a way to connect.

“I was angry, Maggie, okay? How am I supposed to feel when I hear that my girlfriend’s maybe been taking advantage of me?”

I brushed by his label of our relationship. “But I wasn’t, Harry. Friendly reminder that it’s not like I’m swimming in cash from your album.”

“That honestly makes it sounds like you’re just waiting for a check in the mail,” he rolled his eyes, more anger lacing his words.

“My point is that I wasn’t taking advantage of you--I’d never do that, Harry, and it’s hurtful that you think I would.”

He paused at this, apparently these words sat with him differently than things I’d said before. He let out a breath and his tone seemed to soften. “You can’t blame me for being mindful of that sort of thing, though, I’d be stupid to not expect that from some people.”

“Yeah but you act like I sought you out and started expecting you to buy me nice things. We literally would get shit food and drinks at The Keg Stand and sit in my apartment and watch TV.”

“M’sorry that I didn’t hear you out that night, okay? All I could focus on was the fact that I was in love with someone who’d maybe been more worried about money than about our relationship.”

My shoulders slumped--I hadn’t taken advantage of him, but I hadn’t appreciated our relationship the way that I should have. “I know--and I was shitty for focusing more on money than anything else, but it wasn’t because I didn’t care about you, it was because I was trying to be responsible, I guess.”

He brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck--and suddenly, I was overwhelmed with a desire to touch him. It’d been a long time since he’d even just hugged me, let alone anything more.

“I just didn’t know that, so it freaked me out to hear Kyle say that.”

I nodded, feeling more guilty than I had originally. Of course it freaked him out to hear that, especially if his feelings for me were as strong as he indicated.

“And m’sorry that I didn’t give you a chance to really talk about it--I was just overwhelmed and worried, but I should have just actually talked with you about it.”

I nodded again, ready to speak, but he cut me off. “And I shouldn’t have talked to Peter--I was just worried that you wouldn’t ask for what you deserved.”

“Did he even want to buy my catalog, Harry? Or did you pressure him to?”

“I didn’t even talk to him until after we spoke on the phone, Maggie, I swear.” He shook his head and his eyes were still wide, as if he were begging for forgiveness. “All I said to him was that you wrote on my album and that you’re extremely talented.”

“You swear to God?” I asked, keeping my eyes trained on him in hopes of being somewhat intimidating.

He held a hand up by his side as if he were testifying. “I told him that he’d be making a mistake if he didn’t pay you appropriately. I didn’t even mention numbers.”

I softened at this, which I think he noticed, because he took a step forward and shook his head again. “But either way it was wrong and I’m sorry for inserting myself like a wanker and I promise to keep out of your business endeavors.”

I was quiet, the tension in my shoulders wasn’t nearly as present as when I’d first opened the door.

“But I can’t promise to stay out of your life.”

At that, Chelsea appeared behind him in the doorway with Charlie in her arms and a big smile on her face. “I wasn’t listening at all, but that was seriously the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Harry turned around at the sound of her voice, but then turned back to me with a grin on his face--clearly hoping for some sort of affection or reward or something.

As much as I loved Chelsea, the last thing I wanted was to be having this conversation in front of her. It felt personal and intimate and I suddenly felt like Harry and I needed space. But where did we go in my small flat when Chelsea was currently staying there?

“Do you want to go to The Keg Stand?” I asked Harry suddenly, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

His eyebrows dipped but he nodded, “Yeah, sure, of course.”

I side stepped him and walked past Chelsea, giving Charlie a scratch on the head. “We’ll be back,” I said casually. “But don’t wait up.”

Luckily, Chelsea wasn’t offended by my proposal, and she bid us a cheery farewell at the door with Charlie still in her arms. She called out after us to ‘not get too drunk,’ to which Harry let out a snort and an eye roll as we got into the lift.

And once we were seated, he picked up his menu and thumbed through it, the silence between us was tense and awkward and eventually he spoke without looking at me. “I didn’t mean to freak you out the other night by telling you I loved you.”

I bit at my lip and looked back down at the menu in front of me, as if I didn’t know what I wanted to order. Maybe if I didn’t look at him, he’d just say something else, move on, and maybe I wouldn’t have to address that the reason it freaked me out is because I felt the same way.

I didn’t really know how to respond, so I shrugged. “I just didn’t know you really felt that way--especially after all this time.”

He looked up now but still avoided my gaze. “I guess we should have spoken more in Jamaica--you know, when I drove off into the rain like an idiot.”

He laughed at this, but it was somewhat hesitant. I returned his smile and was about to speak, but again, he had more to say.

“I think it was so terrifying to think that you weren’t in it--y’know, for me--because this is all new.” He cleared this throat and when the waiter brought us waters, he ordered two Dirty Shirleys and a plate of curly fries. “I’ve never been Just Harry, I’ve always been Harry from the band.”

I nodded, hanging on every word he said because, for the first time, I felt like we were actually on the same page.

“I just wanted to figure out who I was supposed to be without the band and the label--and you felt like a good place to start. And then I got freaked out that you didn’t really want to be with me for me."

I ignored the fact that we were having a very serious conversation in a basement bar on the West side of London. Instead, I focused on the fact that Harry looked me in the eyes like I was the only person in the room--so much so that it sent a shiver down my spine.

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” I said honestly. “The band split up and I’d put all of my eggs in that metaphorical basket,” I laughed a little, nervous to be open and raw with him. “So I didn’t know who I was supposed to be without it either.”

He nodded at this, looking down at the table for a second as he pulled at the paper napkin in his hands.

“But I felt the most like myself when I was with you,” I said quietly, the words feeling like they carried a weight with them that I couldn’t just take back if he rejected me.

This made him smile, and when he brought his eyes back up to me, he dropped his shoulders in defeat. “We met at a shitty time last fall, I think.”

“We met five years ago,” I corrected him, narrowing my eyes as I pretending to be offended by his slip.

“You know what I mean,” he groaned. “We became friends at the wrong time.”

“We were just friends? Friends sleep together?” I pulled my head back, taking the opportunity to give him more shit. I’d gone a few months without it, so naturally, I had some catching up to do.

He rolled his eyes--almost as dramatically as Chelsea--but stuck his hand out across the table and smiled at me. “I’m Harry,” he said assuredly, waiting patiently for me to extend my own.

“What are you doing?” I laughed, reaching forward to let him shake my hand, even though I had no clue where he was going with it.

“I’m starting over. We’re starting over.”

“Okaaay,” I said slowly, still not quite sure of his game plan. Yet, for some reason, I didn’t really feel like I needed to be.

The waiter appeared, a tray in his hands that held the most appetizing curly fries I’d ever seen, and beside them, the two drinks with black cocktail straws seemed to hold a promise of more than just a sweet beverage.

He caught my gaze across the table, and with a dimpled smile, he spoke. “I heard you like curly fries and strange American cocktails, and I’ll let that one slide, but only because I’m in love with you.”

AN: that’s it y’all!!!! Check out my new UNI AU here! 

[shan-ri]

Popsicles Are for People…and People are Like Popsicles

It was melting fast. The seething summer sun beating down on the cold treat mercilessly, drips of sweet citrus collecting on the stick quicker than her absentminded licking could keep up. Mari turned the popsicle to the side, trying to gauge which angle was best to take the next bite. There wasn't much left, so she had to make it count-

"Are you gonna eat it or just stare at it?"

She jumped ever so slightly and turned her head to see the usual judgement plastered across her brother's face. And in that moment, when his comment warranted her sticking out her tongue at him, the popsicle finally heaved its last breaths, submitting to the combined attacks of Mari's appetite and the sun's rays.

Juice ran down the stick to her fingers and she caught sight of the last bit of the treat slipping off to land on the ground. She stared at it in dismay for a moment, before bending down to scoop it up and whirling on her brother.

"It would have been fine if not for you, Mako!" She jabbed the popsicle stick at him, the other hand clutching the melting piece of popsicle.

Mako shrugged, his own popsicle stick jutting out from the side of his mouth.

"Not my fault."

Mari paused for a moment and was considering whether the sweet in her hand belonged on his shirt or smeared on his face when there was a soft 'mew’ at her feet.

A gray striped cat was winding around her legs and when she glanced down it looked up imploringly at her, green eyes practically sparkling with feline hope.

And who am I to crush that hope? Mari made up her mind, dropped into a crouch, and held out her sticky hand towards the stray. It began to sniff at her hand tentatively.

Mako realized what she was doing at the last instant. "Mari, don't-!"

Before he could even finish his sentence, the cat took the piece of popsicle in its teeth, darted a fair distance away from them, and began chowing down on the orange-flavored ice. Mari glanced up at Mako and grinned impishly.

"Too late, it's done."

He groaned and put his hand on his face. "Popsicles are for people, not cats. The poor animal is going to get sick."

She glanced over at the animal in question. It was finished eating and beginning to wash its face with a little white paw. A pang of guilt shot through her stomach, but at least the stray had enjoyed the snack and chances were that tiny piece didn't contain enough artificial sugar to do anything bad.

Mari wiped any of that fleeting concern from her face and gave Mako her own shrug.

"Next time, I'm not buying your popsicle for you," he promised. His words sounded stern, but Mari couldn't help the laugh that slipped from her lips. Mako wasn't serious, he could never keep those types of silly, little promises to himself or to her. And Mari had already counted on that.

"Okayyyy. No treats for me!" She sung, beginning to walk further down the wharf, away from her brother and towards the preening cat.

She bent down once more and held out her hand, still sticky and sweet smelling from the popsicle. The cat afforded her one glance and then walked off with its tail waving jauntily in the air.

"Hey!" Mari shouted and jumped to her feet.

The feline shot forward--only to seek shelter beyond the legs of someone new.

"Awww, you two got popsicles without me?" a new, somewhat husky voice complained.

Mari's spirits soared once more when she recognized the long-legged boy who stood before her. "Keresh! You made it!"

The boy's mouth turned down in a sour pout and he muttered, "Not in time though apparently…"

"Hey, don't be cross, Keresh. It doesn't suit you." Mako's voice sounded and he materialized behind Mari in that eerily silent way he always did.

Keresh rolled his eyes and the stray meowed, pawing insistently at his legs. He obliged the cat and lifted it up into his arms where it promptly began rubbing its head all over his face, purring like a speedboat motor.

"You traitor…" Mari muttered, eyes narrowing at both Keresh and the cat. She had even given it the last of her popsicle, yet this was the thanks she got?

A familiar hand landed on her shoulder. "You too, Mari. You know that it's only acting that way because Keresh smells like fish."

Mako said it so matter-of-factly that Mari couldn't help the amused chuckle which escaped from her lips.

Keresh's poisonous glare was also only made funnier as the grey cat in his arms tried biting stray locks of his hair. She may have kept laughing at his expense, but Mako's hand on her shoulder tightened and he began pulling her to the side.

"Okay, enough playing around you two. We gotta bring in the traps and set up the bait before the tide changes."

They muttered in agreement and the cat yowled in protest as Keresh detached it from his face.

Mako began dragging the traps in one by one as he crouched on an outcropping of rocks. He checked them each quickly, his keen eye easily discerning the ones that had reached their capacity of crabs, crayfish, and shellfish before putting those to the side. Some of the empty ones he sunk back below the waves, while others he also placed on the rocks--probably because the traps were damaged, or the bait was no longer fresh and tempting enough.

Mari watched her brother for a little while. She would never admit it to him but… she found his routine actions oddly calming and admired the skills which he'd honed over the years. He didn't do this for their main source of income, mainly to bring a little extra fresh seafood to the dinner table and then sell the rest off to a proper fish vendor. Or, so he explained.

But Mari knew better. She could see the way his eyes glittered whenever they walked the beaches of their home, plundering the sea for her bounties, and hear the excited, rising intonation of his voice as he discussed even the most menial of fishing activities.

She shook her head and went back to focusing on her task--setting wriggling bait worms on hooks.

They moved slick and wet under her touch, but her fingers were sure and practiced. Not a single worm would survive her ministrations.

She wished she could say the same for Keresh.

Unfortunately, his baiting of the hooks was clumsy at best, dreadful at worst. It seemed that every other worm was dropped on the sand before it was finally set upon the hook. Mari grimaced as the boy dropped yet another bait worm making a bid to escape. There was no way she was letting him near the small bait fish swimming in the bucket beside her anytime soon.

But, she knew she couldn't lose her patience with him. Keresh had only arrived in their town a couple of months or so prior and, by his jerky, uncertain actions, Mari guessed he had never engaged in even the most basic fishing activities before.

He fumbled over the hook in his hand and groaned, "Why can't we be eating popsicles instead?"

"You're still going on about those?" Mari shot back. "Here. Give me that, I'll do it before you hurt yourself."

Keresh fell back into the sand with a dramatic sigh as Mari wrestled the remaining hooks away from him. "I don’t understand why you go through all this effort to catch fish. It seems so…excessive."

He began unraveling the tangled fishing wire and Mari fought back a scoff as she arranged the baited hooks along the rim of another bucket.

"It's not excessive, it's necessary. How do you suggest we catch them then? With ice cream cones and rainbow pops?"

Mari shot him a quizzical glance with the beginnings of a smirk. But he didn't even look up, shrugging and replying, "I dunno. With your teeth. And your hands too if it's a big one."

"You're kidding. No one can do that or would even want to if they could!" She sat back on her haunches and gestured to Keresh. "What? Can you?"

Keresh finally looked up and his turquoise eyes shone with absolute earnestness.

"Yes. My teeth are very good for catching fish."

Mari laughed. She couldn't help such a natural reaction. The image of Keresh swimming under the waves, snapping his mouth open and closed to snag any passing fish, was too hilarious.

She clutched her stomach from the continuing guffaws, managing to force out in between giggles: "What are you, then? A shark?"

"No! How dare you!" Keresh jumped to his feet and glowered down at her, looking, impossibly, unreasonably offended.

Mari's laughter reached a new pitch and she was struggling for breath when Mako rejoined them.

Through the tears in her eyes, she saw him standing, a trap writhing with crabs and such grasped in each hand, and a third trap slung around his neck by a rope. His pants were rolled up to the knees, and his hair was wet from the waves.

"Is there time for you two to be rolling around in the sand?" He asked, though he looked more perplexed than upset. His head swung towards Keresh as it became apparent Mari was still trying to regain her ability to speak, much less find any composure. "Is she making fun of your baiting again?"

"No…" Keresh began reluctantly, shooting a glare at Mari. Then, he seemed to change his mind midway. "Yes…In a sense."

Mako switched one of the traps over to his other hand to give Keresh a friendly pat on the back. "Don't worry about her. Come on, I'll buy you a popsicle."

Keresh lit up immediately. "Really?"

"Really. Geez, calm down." Mako gestured at Mari to get up and gather the equipment, and she grudgingly obliged. Sometimes, he really seemed to think he could order her around…

She trailed behind a few steps, weighted down by the buckets and the bag strapped across her chest, while Mako tried, unsuccessfully, to stop Keresh from jumping up and down in excitement.

"I'm just getting you one, okay?! You really eat too many of them."

"You can't eat too many popsicles. They're practically air!" Keresh protested, quite seriously.

Mari could tell Mako was getting flustered, the left corner of his mouth rising in frustration. "That's not how it works. They're like any other food, if you eat too much of it you'll-!"

His explanation was cut off as Keresh suddenly came to a stop and looked straight up at the sky.

A few beats of silence other than the cries of seagulls and the crash of waves, and then: "There's gonna be a storm soon."

"Huh? Really?" Mari also looked overhead, seeing only the wispiest of clouds, the sun’s brute power reigning supreme even in the late afternoon and early evening.

Keresh merely nodded while Mako stared at him with a strange expression on his face.

He glanced at Mari, but she couldn't think of anything to say before Keresh began prancing ahead of them--acting like an overgrown child once again.

Mari and Mako knew better than to take the true nature of the weather at heart from a moment’s glance. They shrugged off the comment for later introspection and chased after their friend before he devastated the nearest tourist shop's dessert cooler.

End Part 1

[hold-my-hair-back]

Malec -- Sick!Magnus

I know I have a lot of requests to do but since I have to type this on mobile, it's going to be really short and I prefer doing longer fics for requests unless it's specified as a drabble. Once I get back to my school, I'll fill a request on my computer. Since this is also posted on mobile, sorry for any formatting issues. I'll fix it later haha

Though Alec was standing right outside the bathroom door, he was sure he would have been able to hear Magnus’ heaving blocks blocks away. Though he knew it was futile, he tried the door once again, only to curse when he found it was still locked. “Magnus, come on,” he called out. “You know I can get in if I really want to. Just let me in.”

Alec heard his boyfriend spit into the toilet before answering him. “There's absolutely no reason for you to come in here, Alexander. I'm perfectly-” Magnus stopped speaking and another heave echoed through the bathroom. “I'm fine. Please just… you don't need to see this.”

Alec rolled his eyes but complied, knowing that if Magnus truly needed space, it was best to give it to him. The last time he had annoyed his warlock boyfriend, all of his Shadowhunter gear had been covered in glitter. Not wanting to have to deal with that mess again, Alec decided against breaking the door down. Instead, he just folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, patiently waiting for his boyfriend to stop puking his guts out. Truthfully, he was worried; he had never heard of a warlock getting sick before. Or any Downworlder for that matter, excluding werewolves. Alec was wracking his brain, trying to figure out what might be wrong with Magus, when the toilet finally flushed. Finally, after ten minutes of throwing up, Magnus seemed to be finished. Alec moved away from the wall and looked at his boyfriend once the door was opened and immediately felt more concerned, which he hadn't thought would be possible. However, looking at Magnus, he could tell how sick the warlock was. Magnus very rarely allowed himself to look casual, however while he was getting sick, he must have zapped different clothes on because his Victorian-style suit had been replaced with a black T-shirt and black, silk pajama pants. Not to mention, Magnus’ makeup was smeared around his eyes, and his hair lacked glitter and was sticking to his forehead.

“By the angel, Mags,” Alec said with a shake of his head. “What's going on with you?”

Magnus grimaced and wrapped his arm around his middle and audibly swallowed. “I’m perfectly fine. Don't worry about me, Alexander.”

“Yeah, too late for that,” Alec said, shaking his head. Placed the back of his hand on the warlock’s cheek. “You don't feel warm.”

Magnus waved away Alec's hand. “I'm not ill,” he explained with a small hiccup. He brought his hand to his mouth and swallowed.

“Convincing,” Alec said, raising an eyebrow. “Because you totally don't look like you're about to hurl.”

Magnus’ cat-eyes narrowed in annoyance and Alec couldn't help but wonder why his boyfriend was getting so defensive about this. Something else was definitely going on. “I'm not ill,” Magnus repeated again with emphasis. “It's no illness.”

Alec frowned, confused. This wasn't Magnus just waving away concern by lying about how he felt -- he was telling the truth. “If you're not sick, why did you just spend the past ten minutes in the bathroom, heaving up what sounded like your internal organs? Seriously, Magnus, what's going on? You're starting to scare me.”

Magnus was quiet for a moment before his stomach audibly groaned. Wincing, Magnus put his hand to it, sighing softly. “I may or may not have filled the High Warlock of Boston's apartment with water and fish. There also might have been a shark involved. You know, I can't be too sure about these things.”

Alec blinked, feeling his lips slowly part in surprise. “I mean… that raises more questions than answers. What does that have to do with-”

“He's a very powerful, very vindictive warlock,” Magnus interrupted quickly. He hiccuped again and ran his hand across his stomach. Even though his T-shirt was loose, Alec could see how bloated Magnus’ stomach was. “He cursed me.”

The words 'cursed’ immediately caught Alec's attention. His eyes widened and he felt panic course through his entire body. “Curse? Will it… can it kill you?”

Magnus shook his head. “Unfortunately, not,” he mumbled. “But I will be expelling quite a bit of water out of my stomach. I would rather he kill me, truthfully.”

Though the situation certainly sucked, Alec relaxed. At least Magnus wasn't in danger; he couldn't stand the idea of losing him. Especially not over a stupid prank. “Well, why did you do it?” he couldn't help but ask. “If you knew he was going to get you back.”

Magnus sighed. “Because I was getting him back for turning all of my clothing a hideous shade of green. We've been going back and forth for at least two centuries. Really, it's not the worst that has happened. You know me, I'm a tad dramatic.”

Alec ran a hand down his face and sighed. “Anything we can do? Or are you just going to ride it out?” Alec hated the idea of Magnus being this miserable for much longer. “How long will it last?”

Magnus shrugged. “However long he sees fit, I'm afraid.” A wet burp escaped Magnus and he put his hand to his mouth again. “Excuse me for a moment.” Magnus disappeared into the bathroom again, though this time, he didn't shut the door. Alec stepped in the doorway and watched as his boyfriend kneeled himself down in front of the toilet once again. At first, he was going to stay out of Magnus’ way, however, when Magnus heaved painfully, bringing up nothing, Alec decided to approach the warlock and kneel beside him.

“Anything I can do?” he asked, putting a hand on Magnus’ back.

Magnus shuddered as saliva dripped into the bowl and hung off his lips. “Kill me,” he suggested, pulling the string off of his lips. His face contorted and he wrapped an arm around his middle, gagging softly. Alec could hear him swallow thickly, clearly trying to stop the inevitable. A bubble of air began to rise up his throat and Magnus released it with a grimace.

“Well maybe now you'll put this stupid prank war behind you.” Alec wordlessly waved Magnus’ arm from his stomach, ignoring the weak protests. He replaced it with his own hand, gently rubbing in smooth circles over the T-shirt.

Magnus didn't protest to the touch, even getting his own arm out of the way to give Alec easier access, and instead rested his arm on top of the toilet seat. “Far too stubborn for that, I'm afraid. Besides, I promised Chairman Meow I wouldn't give up after his fur was turned pink. I'm not sure why that was supposed to be revenge on me; I thought it looked lovely.”

Alec rolled his eyes but remained silent. He instead focused on comforting Magnus, hoping to make this process a bit less miserable. By rubbing Magnus’ stomach, he could feel how bloated he was and his stomach was fluttering underneath his hand. Alec slipped his hand underneath Magnus’ T-shirt and rested it on his boyfriend's bare belly, hoping the coolness of his palm would help with the evident cramping. Without warning, the stomach contract underneath his touch and Magnus heaved loudly, bringing up a large mouthful of water. Gently, Alec rubbed the swollen belly as it continued to contact while Magnus threw up.

“It hurts,” Magnus hissed between his teeth. He gagged emptily and spat into the toilet again.

Alec gently began to knead, hoping to loosen up the cramps. Magnus belched again, though this time it was more airy than wet. “Are you empty?”

“Angel, no,” Magnus answered with a hiccup. “He's not going to let it all come up at once. He wants me to suffer.”

Alec flushed the toilet for Magnus and pulled away, apologizing when Magnus protested. “Come on, you should lay down or something. At least until the next wave hits.”

Magnus placed his own hand on his belly again, shaking his head. He scooted away from the toilet and leaned against the bathtub as he rubbed his stomach. “No use. I'll throw up again soon.”

Alec nodded and stood up, leaving the bathroom to grab a blanket off of their bed. He returned and sat back down on the floor, gesturing for Magnus to come closer. To his surprise, his boyfriend inched himself away from the tub, though their was a quizzical look on his face. When Magnus was close enough, Alec gently lowered the warlock's head in his lap and threw the blanket over him. “Guess we'll have to make do in here,” he said with a small smile. He resumed rubbing Magnus’ stomach as that seemed to be the only thing that helped with the cramping.

“Thank you,” Magnus said softly, closing his eyes.

Alec smiled. “Just be careful who you start prank wars with.”

[teavious]

dissolving like the setting sun

fandom: les miserables

pairing: enjolras/grantaire ; bahorel/feuilly ; courfeyrac/combeferre ; marius/cosette ; joly/bossuet/musichetta ; jehan/eponine

summary: They’ve been trying to decorate their apartment for what feels like too long for him, trying to find the perfect balance between Marius’ need for perfection and Cosette’s need for kitsch. The only thing that Courfeyrac requested, between mouthfuls of Jehan’s first batch of biscuits was fairy lights. It’s only fair to throw a fit over it now, right? OR: Les Amis have a Christmas party. Like all their parties, it's a bit diastruous, they make it too obvious they're just idiots in love, but at least they have food. Modern AU. commission written for @rthemis ! thank you so much for giving me the reason to write my fav nerds being nerds! merry christmas & happy holidays everyone! (also on AO3) (donate to my ko-fi page, request a fic and i will write it for you!)

Enjolras tests the quality of the sweater between his fingers, frowning at the two Christmas colours on display next to each other. He supposes if Courfeyrac would be here, a commentary about the universe somehow wanting to bring him and his boyfriend closer together sooner would be made, but as thing are right now, he has to bear Bahorel’s knowing glances, and his pointing at various hideous things.

“You should get it,” Feuilly smiles from his right, leaning to look closer at the piece of clothing that Enjolras started calling Grantaire’s present in his head. His friend needs no clarification, and Enjolras himself doesn’t feel enthusiastic enough to defend the way he makes puppy eyes at everything remotely green, remotely indecent.

Once the decision is made, it’s easier to enjoy the faces Feuilly makes every time Bahorel holds up another eye-hurting colourful shirt: lovesick, but equally terrified. The two end up settling for a rainbow striped shirt, Feuilly’s size so that he can stop wearing Bahorel’s identical one, and instead be together a matching pair of loving idiots. Enjolras applauds the easiness with which Feuilly makes his boyfriend bend to his suggestions, the immense trust Bahorel puts in the one he cares about the most.

Something in his chest tightens, and he goes on ahead, turns his head away from the image of Bahorel pressing his lips to Feuilly’s cheek, however sweet he would have found it at other times. He wishes he would have Grantaire’s awed and hooting laugh ringing in his ears, his hand between his fingers: then it would feel natural, the sight of other two in love wouldn’t feel so offending.

He sighs into his scarf, accepts Bahorel’s weight over him when he comes full force into a half-hug, and laughs at Feuilly impulse buying a new pair of socks, simply because the dogs printed on them reminds him of his own; bitterness be damned.

***

Bahorel tries to ignore the warm mouth set on licking his fingers, to stifle the laughter about to erupt – and he turns on his other side in bed, shifts closer to Feuilly’s sleeping body in hope that he can trick the dog into joining them in bed, rather than demanding a walk in the park at 5am on Christmas Eve. Frodo refuses to give up, and Bahorel swears as he starts tugging at the blankets. He scoops closer to Feuilly, arm over his waist, freezing legs against his much warmer ones. Feuilly murmurs at the contact, but that’s the only reaction, as he settles into the new position, having to share the one blanket left on the bed with a too big of a guy.

The dog paces around the room for a bit, whimpers at the head of the bed in hope of waking his owners – and seeing no reaction, he barks for good, his pacing exchanged for actual running. Bahorel sighs, rolls around in the bed, and speaks towards the ceiling:

“He’s your dog.”

Feuilly, eyes still closed, voice half muffled in the pillow, is making attempts at taking the blanket back:

“And you’re my fiancé. He’s your dog now, too.”

Bahorel rises, spends good seconds stretching, and although he already feels the cold biting at his toes, the hope that Feuilly might be staring at his ass is stronger. He whistles, Frodo coming running at his command, and before turning towards the wardrobe to get changed, he makes sure Feuilly is warm under at least two blankets.

Next time Feuilly is aware of his surrounding, Bahorel sits on the edge of the bed, dressed already, with his ridiculous winter hat on. He can faintly sense his fingers playing through his hair, and it makes concentrating on what he’s saying even harder:

“Would you like anything, my love?” He nods no into his pillows, tries to blow a kiss to Bahorel’s retreating frame, though he isn’t quite sure if he managed to.

By the time his boyfriend is back, the coffee machine is running in the background, as he hums along to Christmas carols in various foreign languages. He goes to greet the return of his two roommates, and the sight he’s welcomed with is a surprise: Bahorel, snowed in, holding a bouquet of half-freezing flowers for Feuilly’s taking, blush rising to his cheeks.

***

“You can’t have Christmas without Christmas lights. That’s why they’re called Christmas lights”, Courfeyrac repeat, slower this time, like he has to dig his idea into Marius’ head through the tone of his voice as well, besides the desperate arm gestures and invincible argument.

“The cat won’t like it,” Marius says, pointing towards the two glowing eyes from under the couch, the creature’s favourite (and only, from what Courfeyrac has seen while home) spot since Marius brought it home, scratched all over.

“The cat won’t care,” Courfeyrac shots back, this time turning towards Combeferre and Cosette for help in the matter, the two who up till this point decided to play the role of Switzerland in the debate. Courfeyrac really hates Switzerland.

They’ve been trying to decorate their apartment for what feels like too long for him, trying to find the perfect balance between Marius’ need for perfection and Cosette’s need for kitsch. The only thing that Courfeyrac requested, between mouthfuls of Jehan’s first batch of biscuits was fairy lights. It’s only fair to throw a fit over it now, right?

“We can ask everyone when they get here?” Ferre suggests, barely raising his head from his laptop, where he tries to put together a playlist to properly illustrate this mess of a year in their group. He tries to keep the love songs to a minimum, though it’s getting harder the more they go through the night and Courf loses an article of clothing with each passing hour.

“Fine,” he pouts, before dramatically falling into an armchair, trying to hide his growing smile that comes with Marius’ sigh of relief from the other end of the room, the husky meowing of that damn cat. Combeferre decides he can leave aside the more detailed parts of this party – after all, Eponine is sure to destroy every attempt at keeping it normal sounding – and he leaves his spot for shoving his body next to his boyfriend on a too small armchair for both of them. Courfeyrac’s grin is now humongous, and Ferre drags him into a kiss, if only not to let him think he won this time around.

****

Jehan knocks at the door, and shoves his face further into his scarf, trying to ignore the way in which the damn hallway of this building seems colder than the weather outside. There are a few seconds, during which he thinks he won’t receive any answer, then there’s a crash from the other side of the door, a shout – and out comes his girlfriend, frowning through her bangs, as she tries to put on a jacket that’s too huge on her frame, but that has all his favourite patches on.

He doesn’t say anything at first; he knows she’s better left alone for a while, so he simply follows her, humming a tune he can’t quite place. Then:

“I made cookies for the party.”

“Cosette wants to braid your hair.”

“Grantaire is certainly going to wear more decorations than the tree.”

“Enjolras will wear something… red.”

“You’ll probably going to drunkenly arm-wrestle Bahorel and win.”

The last two statements do it. Eponine erupts into laughter: loud and ugly, but Jehan’s face lights up like he just received the best present, and he catches up with her so he can hold her hand. Neither of them wears gloves, and the warmth is welcomed and comforting. Eponine sighs and stops to rest her head on Jehan’s shoulder, half hug, half awkwardly hiding her face.

“Hey,” he tries, squeezing her hand, sloppily kissing the top of her head. “You know you can stay the night? Well, nights, really. And even half of your friends will take you in without complaining, while the other half complains only because that’s who they are as a person.”

Eponine snorts, raises her head, leans to kiss Jehan. When they part, she’s smiling, though it lasts only for a moment, immediately exchanged for her usual frowning face. Jehan hums even louder, pleased now.

“I’m going to eat all your cookies,” Eponine says, before playfully shoving him and starting to run in the direction of Courfeyrac and Marius’ apartment. He counts to two before going after her.

***

“I’m pretty sure that’s not the way you do this,” Joly whispers, leaning his head onto Musichetta’s shoulder, reading the instructions in Bossuet’s neatly-kept recipes notebook.

“Well, I don’t know the correct way to do this!” Musichetta complains, passing a flour-covered hand through her hair. Joly tries to pat it away, pulling curls and blowing so close to her ear that he ends up making her giggle. Their meat pie is still in the very incipient state of creation, with the party ready to start in short of a couple of hours, but Musichetta isn’t sure she cares, taking in consideration she spent more time in Joly’s kitchen this day than she did the past few months since university started again. Plus, her boyfriend is especially cute when pouting, and even cuter is his after kissing face.

So it can be said that Bossuet’s attempt at teaching her basic cooking skills ended up with her trying to steal as many kisses from Joly as possible. It doesn’t help that her other boyfriend isn’t present to balance out things, or make them end faster.

“Musi?” She’s cut out by Joly’s voice, and she has to remind herself that she’s still very much dressed. “Don’t you want to get ready? We should be leaving soon.”

Yep. Right. “Yep. Right.” She adds out loud, lamely. She can feel Joly’s amused smirk, and if she ends up swatting at his chest with her dirty hand, just to leave a stain, at least he gets to know it too. She tries to tidy up, leave no proof of her failed experiment, and Joly is quick to help her out. There’s the faintest of music heard from the neighbours downstairs, and they finish cleaning in time with the dying words of Santa Baby.

And yet, Musichetta still hovers, eyes moving from the watch to Joly and back. He sighs under her stare, bids her closer with a hand movement. She’s already beaming by the time he snakes his arms around her waist, to give her one small, soft kiss.

“Happy?” he asks. She shakes her head no, tries to put on her most innocent face, slightly pucker her lips. He almost gives in to kissing her again, when the entrance door slams to the wall, making them jump apart. Joly’s the first to regain his composure, goes to welcome Bossuet, helps him in shaking off all the snow piled on top of his head.

“Bossuet!” Musi pouts, half because he interrupted her wooing attempts, half because it took him so long to come back in the first place. She joins the two in the hallway, dragging them into a group hug.

“Someone’s excited,” Bossuet laughs, but refusing to let go of his two lovers, squeezing them closer to his chest. It makes for quite a funny image, considering that both of them are so short, by comparison, and he’s glad that when not studying, Joly doesn’t wear his glasses, because knowing his luck, he would have accidentally smashed them through loving too much.

“And dirty,” he adds, sighing, once he takes a good look at his two lovers. He throws his coat and scarf on the hanger, shoos Musi and Joly towards the bathroom, for a thorough wash. Musichetta pauses for a second, turns to wink at him.

“Care to join us?”

He blows a kiss in her direction, but remains in the kitchen, sleeves rolled, to prepare the food casseroles for the party.

“Be good, babe.” He warns, smiling in a way that promises her better things if she does as told.

She nods slowly, catches up with Joly to ask for his help in combing away foreign stuff out of her hair. She manages to keep her hands mainly to herself, shampoos Joly’s hair while he helps wash her back. In the kitchen, Bossuet drops things only once or twice, and by the time they’re all in crisp shirts and nice dress, things have fallen into place. Bossuet and Musichetta make sure Joly is properly wrapped in several layers of clothes, wearing the one very ugly and very large sweater they bought him, and they leave, holding hands with him in the middle.

***

Enjolras doesn’t want to be here. Well, it’s not that he has any complaints about the place, the food, the music and least of all the company, but the feeling still persists, and it makes the whole place incredibly… incomplete. With the cat sleeping in his lap and a glass of red wine in his hand, he tries to comfort himself. He doesn’t think much of Courfeyrac’s shameless grins, or Cosette’s sudden leaves to answer and give phone calls. Combeferre’s place at his side is natural, and Bahorel hovering close became usual enough. He thinks Marius’ attempts to stuff his face with Jehan’s cookies are just host’s friendliness, and not even Eponine playing his favourite band doesn’t seem that much out of place. It is Christmas after all.

It starts getting suspicious the moment there’s no background chatter, no music. Courfeyrac runs towards the door before the doorbell sound even materializes, and Enjolras is a bit surprised to see Valjean on the other side – because, after all, the party is one of their parties, and it’s bound to end in disaster. Musichetta has already taken over the mistletoe, sharing kisses with everyone who makes eye contact with her (he’s been desperately avoiding that, all while Bossuet seemed but happy to comply to never watch anything else but her) and Eponine is probably on her 4th drink and still keeping perfect straight posture.

Then, Valjean moves a bit to the left, and Enjolras spots the dark curls, the sight of too green of a jacket. He’s up on his feet the next moment, Grantaire shoving his way through his welcoming committee so that he can welcome his boyfriend’s hug. No one else but Enjolras can feel the wet tears on his shoulder, and he stays there, patting his back, tightening his hold, for as long as Grantaire needs him to. They’re weary to disentangle from the embrace, but their eyes meet, and a new fascination is born, as they rediscover all the interior changes they’ve spent nights on skype talking about. Then, finally, Grantaire goes on his tiptoes, Enjolras leans his head down a bit: and they kiss. From somewhere, he can hear Bahorel hoot and Courfeyrac whistle.

“I’m home,” Grantaire says, his voice still raw, still chocked, his nose violently red from both the cold and the silent crying.

“Welcome home,” Enjolras whispers, helping him get out of his winter get-up, making unnecessary but very much needed contact along the way. The others keep their distance, friendly greetings and shoulder touches, but Grantaire still remains, basically, all his. It’s wildly fascinating to see all the familiar motions happen again in front of his eyes, after his boyfriend has been away for months at university. Any small trace of awkwardness is broken the moment Grantaire takes him by the hand, occupying the couch, half sitting in Enjolras’ lap, their legs tangled.

The others give them an hour: then, one by one, they form a circle around them, demanding stories told as just Grantaire knows how to tell them. Eponine is first, offering him a bottle of beer and pulling at his hair a bit too hard, maybe to make him taste how much she missed him. Bahorel screams his name from across the room, closes in so they can do a very complex but dorky hand shake. Courfeyrac joins in just to laugh at that. Joly’s warm eyes and kind offering of food make him break out in actual tears of gratitude: and then everyone takes their turn, hugging their small, finally home disaster of a man.

***

Marius almost falls asleep at the table, trying to pick the empty glasses to leave them in the sink for the morning. Cosette silently makes her way through the rooms, carrying so many blankets that the pink top of her head is barely visible, trying to make sure everyone is comfortable and warm, and will remain so throughout the night. Courfeyrac waves at them from the doorframe of his bedroom, and they nod in acknowledgement, keeping it down for the sake of the people asleep on the floor and on the couch in the kitchen.

Cosette, careful not to step on Bossuet’s hand, makes her way towards Marius. She gently shoves his shoulder with her hip, and when he almost falls over, she hurries to catch him. He snorts a bit, his sight lost in her hair, his senses in her perfume. He lets a hand touch her cheek, his voice softening beyond recognition when calling her by the nickname he picked for her ever since they started dating:

“Brilliance.”

Cosette huffs, nudges him to get up. “Worm, let’s get you to bed.”

“Will you sleep with me?”

She laughs, allows him a few moments to figure out why that phrasing was so wrong, given the context, and allows herself the enjoyment that comes with having made him blush, obvious even in the dark. She has learnt not to take his missteps too seriously, has learnt to figure out when he actually desires the physical contact. It helps that, when extremely tired, he seems to mind it less than usual.

The room is empty, their friends opting for the closer options as a sleeping place, and they both collapse on the bed with a grateful, tired sigh. She curls closer to his chest, his hand caressing her cheek.

“So? How was the first party you organized?” she asks, feeling herself growing sleepier by the second.

“This is the best part,” he answers, already half-asleep, and Cosette laughs; gets closer only to plant a kiss on his nose.

[goriinkarachi-blog]

Sindhi Flood Camp, 2011

The first thing I notice is the dirt. Soft, fine dirt, five inches thick. It packs beneath our tires, enveloping the car in giant puffs, settling on the windows and obstructing our view.  As we step out, our feet sink in.

Then there are the children. Two at first, an adolescent girl with shiny black hair and a shy smile, clutching a chubby baby to her hip.

Then there are five, then a dozen. They ignore Sherbano, unpacking her filming equipment from the trunk, and cluster around me, offering tiny, sticky handshakes and vying for priority in front of my camera lenses.

When we play back the series of shots, they form a circle around the LCD screen, giggling bashfully. Soon they grow more bold, pointing to themselves to request pictures, making faces, posing with  their friends or alternatively shoving each other out of the frame.

Sometimes I try to whip the camera around and clandestinely shoot over their heads, but it’s impossible to get candid shots. Cest la’ vie. They’re adorable, they’re hamming it up and anyway, there’s too many of them.

A slight girl in a tie-dyed dupatta approaches Sherbano with an outstretched hand and a grin of recognition.

She’s Mariam, and she’s 18. She was about to sit for her matric exams before the flood displaced 20 million Pakistanis. Now she teaches the children at the camp school, a walled in area with a swingset and play fort.

Miriam leads us to her family’s living space. Like the school, the plot is delineated with dull mud-brick walls, but living spaces have blankets strung across the entrance for privacy. Inside, there’s a cook fire in a corner, a line for drying clothes, a collection of plastic water jugs and a few cots.  In a few spaces, there’s also a one-room brick house, but nine months after the flood, most people still live in tents.

In the space that Miriam shares with her parents, grandmother and six siblings, there are a couple of tents.

With a bit of encouragement, the women disappear into the their shade and returned with beautiful hand embroidered clothes. They spread them on a cot for Sherbano and I to admire. I immediately fall for a soft crème-colored cotton with purple embroidery that a woman holds up. It’s still on the loom.

The women are proud of their handiwork. They make a bit of cash tailoring for their extended families, outside of the camp.

The women cluck at Sherbano and me, our plain garments. Miriam’s grandmother, a sassy lady with high cheekbones and orange, henna-dyed hair, even grabs one of my sleeves and pantomimes ripping it up.

Somewhere there’s a plaintive cat meowing. In the corner, a toddler squats on his haunches, intent at banging a metal spike into the ground.

The grandmother is as dramatic as the children. She strikes poses: a large basket balanced on a hip, firewood lifted dramatically overhead, an exaggerated gesture while ladling the milk and boiling water.

A ripped plastic chair is brought out for me, and Mariam’s 14-year-old cousin visiting from Karachi, tentatively tries out her English.

“Your name?” she asked.

“Cheree,” I tell her.

“Shar-ree,” she repeats slowly.

“Yours?” I ask.

Rashmi is in grade 8, but we can’t get much beyond that.

Everyone clusters in the cooking corner as the grandmother distributes chai in a variety of mugs. Even the toddler gets a mug of chai.

My camera is passed around, and a few of the slight teenage girls experiment with shooting.

The women joke in a jumble of Urdu and Sindhi as grandma tosses her hair and primps for the camera. They want copies of the pictures on a jump drive. Obviously, these women are more technologically savvy than their circumstances would lead one to assume.

“You are surprised to see that we are happy,” Miriam says. “We are flood refugees, but we have everything we need here. The government has helped a lot.”

Before we leave, we visit the home of an elder and Sufi mystic.

On the walk over, we pass some men building a latrine. They cluster around a square hole, roughly the size of a cot. There’s a man inside the hole, busy with a shovel.

The elder’s plot is one of the few with a house rather than a tent. We slip off our shoes and sit cross-legged on a small blanket on the ground (the Sufi way is the ground, not chairs, for the sake of humility), and his wife puts on water for chai. Then she brings the jug around.

We hold our hands just beyond the blanket, and she pours a bit of water over them, rinsing away dust. A dish of lentils and some gummy bread is placed in front of us. I can feel the grit of the dust between my teeth, but I like the texture and the undercooked quality of the bread.

We’re Pied Pipers. Our parade of children arrange themselves on a brick platform just beyond the blanket. At first they whisper among themselves, but as the elder begins to speak, they grow respectfully quiet.

His voice is melodic and hypnotizing. His gestures are expressive, and his posture—feet drawn to his haunches, knees perpendicular to his body—is reminiscent of a yogi.

I have no idea how old he is. He seems both ancient and ageless. As the sky darkens, he breaks into a song, weaving a tale of the creation of the earth, the journey of the saints and the divine spark within every being that has life.

I think of Dionysius, I think of Babylonia. I think of the Buddha. Everything is energy and we are just conduits. Our memories are myth and vessel and form.

I am intent on the rhythm of his voice. I lean towards him, forgetting the children, his wife, the brick walls, the camp.

It’s just the three of us on this blanket, we are the whole world. We are the mountaintop his voice is creating.

The I glance up, admire the full moon reflecting off purple clouds, and suddenly the blanket seems small and adrift, and we are but specks.

I can’t believe I’m here, in this land without light, this land of moonglow and magic.

The sun sets completely, and we get up to leave.

Sherbano makes all the polite gestures, refusing dinner, clasping hands, and I flip through some pics for the kids and briefly wonder what everyone does without electricity. Tell stories maybe. Sleep.

There is controversy here, where they say they’re happy, in this place that they say they want to stay. There is controversy over flood victims living off the government when maybe they could go home, controversy over debts and feudal landowners, controversy over setting up a new, permanent haven in this desert of dust. And the deeper you dig, the more conflicted the story—of this camp in particular and of the refugees in general.

(“They don’t want to go home. The camps are getting too permanent. They want to keep living off of government money,” one auntie grumbled, last week, when I was visiting a friend at her family’s home.)

But I’ve only been here a few weeks, and already I know—Pakistan is a heady cocktail of magic and contradiction.

(More of my ramblings here)

#Karachi #Pakistan #Sindh #refugeecamps #floodrefugees #Pakistanflood