#and things settle from where they're floating around my head

[goddessofroyalty]

Now I have watched Season Two I can confirm that how Isha fits into Zaun Family will be one of two options (switching depending on what I think fits better in the thing I'm writing/rambling about at the time):

She is the final Vanco pregnancy and is born maybe a year or so after the Season One Act One incident. Jinx nominates herself the Best Big Sister Ever and Vander and Silco who are so busy decide that, actually, that's fine, if Jinx wants to look after her most of the time she can. Silco does tell Sevika to make sure his youngest two daughters don't accidentally get themselves killed.

Jinx finds Isha and brings her home one day and the rest of the family have to basically pry out of her that she didn't kidnap someone's child but this is an orphan who is now hers. But once that's established then sure Jinx now has a kid.

[terry-perry]

Hey, I see you're looking for Alastor request to write him better.

Could I get Alastor x F! Reader where they're constantly flirting with each other until someone shouts just kiss already which takes Alastor off guard enough for the reader to sweep in and kiss him, then as he kisses back she gets dragged off to is room. The rest from there is up to you :)

Inspired by the writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Do you think I ought to bob my hair, Alastor?" Y/N asked the distinguished demon by her side as they shared a few drinks at the hotel's bar. Husk busied himself by wiping some glasses, refraining from rolling his eyes as the pair continued with this back-and-forth.

"I'd look rather darling with such a hairstyle, don't you think?"

"An absolute dream, my dear," Alastor responded, regarding her more intently than usual.

He wasn't sure what it was, but something about her was especially vivacious that night. Perhaps it was the way she seemed to make a bit of effort to be on his level for the dinner-dance the hotel was hosting to celebrate its grand re-opening. Like with many of the antics that go on in the place, Alastor stood passively by, subtly scaring those who came close to him.

Then he spotted her.

He liked how becoming the dark red dress she wore was and how It set off her unnaturally shadowy eyes. Let's not forget about the way her hair glistened so! It was almost like the stars were woven into it.

"You know, back when I was alive, having such a hairstyle would be considered immoral, sinful," Alastor remarked, shamelessly reaching out to twirl a few strands of her hair around his sharp nails. "It was a sure and easy way to attract certain attention."

She took in the way his eyes floated towards hers, but not before making their way up slowly from her legs. Had he been anyone else, she would've disregarded his remark with a brutal slap (perhaps with something worse if she were in the mood). But this was the Radio Demon she was speaking with.

She knew she had him right where she wanted him the moment she stepped in. If her attire hadn't drawn him in, then it was definitely all the attention she gathered from the other party guests who would offer to dance with her. Each one that would head her way with enthusiastic determination would have Alastor's eye twitch before he finally decided it was his turn to cut in.

After that, she was his and no one else's. After all no one would dare be stupid enough to steal the Radio Demon's dance partner.

"Well, it's a good thing we're in Hell then," Y/N said, going as far as laying a hand on the normally touch-aversed Alastor's knee. In this case, however, a glow settled almost imperceptibly over him.

Their eyes met completely, and they stopped talking entirely as they stared at each other. It wasn't until an irritated voice intruded on their space and made the glow fade away.

"For fuck's sake, will you two just get it on already?!" Angel Dust screeched from the Y/N's other side. "This was amusing for a while, but you've been dancing around each other all night. The party ended hours ago, and you still haven't even kissed yet."

An awkward silence followed this. Alastor looked at Angel, eye twitching once more. He wouldn't understand that a classy lady like Y/N deserved to be wooed properly. She's, no doubt, heard every practiced line known in this side of the Pentagram. And she certainly wouldn't react well to such bold actions like hot kisses and heavy petting.

Alastor opened his mouth to explain as much when Y/N grabbed a hold of his face and placed a big kiss on his lips. He would've been more shocked had it not felt like such blissful oblivion. It was better than any glass of rye he had ever drank. He kept a stronghold of her, his claws piercing the small of her back while his other hand took hold of her hair.

They eventually released one another, going back to looking at each other.

"Forgive me," she managed to say between heavy breaths. She kept her bold smile on as well as a tight grip on his lapel. "You've got an awfully kissable mouth."

And with that, the glow returned along with a desire to finish this upstairs.

"About fucking time," Husk uttered, watching with Angel the way Alastor dragged a giddy Y/N to his room.

[lovegoodlane]

Pursuing the Prefect - 4

4k words

18+ only

Warnings: none? No sexual content, only angst/arguing

Summary: Fred struggles to patch things up with his prefect after a disagreement (stubborn Fred)

A/N: The next part as requested. No smut this time, didn't quite fit the storyline. Let me know what you think!

Link to part 1, part 2, part 3

----

It was Saturday morning, and you tore through your drawers trying to decide what sweater to wear to Hogsmeade. It was early November, and the cold air was starting to become brutal. 

You settled on a burgundy one, pulling it on over your head and inspecting your reflection in the mirror. You hadn't picked out a pair of pants yet, so you were stood in just your sweater and knickers.

Your eyes wandered down to your thighs where you could still make out the outline of where Fred had left love bites. It made your stomach turn. You hadn't spoken since Thursday night when you disagreed about going on a date during the Hogsmeade trip.

You tried to force it out of your mind, grabbing a pair of jeans and pulling them up your legs. You checked your reflection again, deciding to pull your hair up into a pony tail. 

You heard a knock at your door, answering with "come in!"

Beatrice peeked her head into your room. "Almost ready?" she asked, clearly excited for the day ahead.

You exhaled, studying your reflection once more. "Almost ready," you replied. 

——

It was colder than you had expected. You bundled up with a puffer jacket and put on a pair of earmuffs, knowing that you were going to be frigid walking from shop to shop. 

Beatrice linked her arm with yours. "Where should we go first?" she asked. "I think we should get some chocolate frogs, they're my favorite."

Cho had decided to skip out on the Hosgmeade trip, so it was just you and Beatrice today. You were still struggling to handle Cho's snappiness, so you didn't mind having some one on one time with Beatrice. 

You wandered into a sweets shop, looking at all of the candies they had to offer. Sweets weren't really your thing, but Beatrice's weakness was chocolate. Every time you went to Hogsmeade, she always bought chocolate.

Beatrice had picked out a couple of chocolate frogs and some truffles, making her way towards the register to pay for her treats. You waited for her, peering out the window to see the other students who were exploring the shops. You caught a glimpse of red hair through the window, making your stomach flutter.

You really wanted to talk to Fred, but you had no idea how to approach him. A public relationship made you feel uneasy, but the more you thought about it, the less miserable it sounded. You wanted to be with Fred, and people were going to find out at some point. 

The silence between you two was palpable, and Beatrice picked up on your change in mood yesterday at breakfast. You explained the situation to her, and she sympathized with you, but she brought up some important points.

"But don't you like him?" she had asked you once you were in your dormitory for the evening. "You've been spending more time with him and he clearly makes you happy."

"I just don't want other people to be so nosy about us being together," you explained to her. "Fred is incredibly popular, meaning that everyone will suddenly be looking at me. I don't need that kind of pressure."

"You thrive under pressure," Beatrice argued. "Fred isn't asking you to declare your love from the rooftops. He just wants to be able to hold your hand in public and not have to feel like he's hiding something. He probably feels like you're ashamed of him."

Beatrice's last comment made something click, and it had been floating around in your head ever since she said it. Even now standing in the sweets shop, you felt guilty about the possibility that Fred thought you were ashamed of him. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Yes, you and Fred were admittedly pretty opposite, but that didn't matter to you. You were a prefect with perfect marks and he was a troublemaker that focused on anything but his academics. It seemed like you two couldn't be more different, but somehow the pairing just seemed to work. Opposites really do attract.

Beatrice approached you, her bag of sweets in hand. "Where to next?"

"I want to get a couple of new quills, I need to replace my old ones," you answered, heading for the door. 

A wave of cold smacked you as you exited the shop, causing you to cross your arms in an attempt to preserve your warmth. You and Beatrice walked together down the cobblestone path, heading toward the quill shop.

You entered the shop, a familiar scent and warmth overwhelming you. You visited this shop every time you came to Hogsmeade, as you loved their quills and were willing to spend your allowance on them.

You browsed their selection of quills, deciding on one hawk feather quill and one eagle feather quill. Beatrice hung back by the door, relatively uninterested in quill shopping. She was more interested in sweets and trinkets.

You paid for your quills, giving your quid to the shop owner. He packaged them up for you, giving you a small package to tuck into the tote bag that you had slung over your shoulder. 

"Why don't we grab some butter beers? I could use a break from the cold," Beatrice commented as you headed toward the exit.

You linked arms with her as you two set out for the Three Broomsticks. On your way there, you noticed Fred with his group of friends. He was goofing around with George, Angelina, Lee Jordan, and Alicia Spinnet. 

You locked eyes with Fred for a moment, a blush forming on your cheeks. He looked away first, pretending like you weren't even there. This caused your stomach to sink, as you could tell that he was still upset from your conversation on Thursday evening.

Fred was disappointed. He was hoping that you were less concerned about your reputation, but after shooting down his proposal of a Hogsmeade date, he wasn't so sure. You were willing to sneak around with him, but public acknowledgment of your involvement was somehow a step too far. This didn't sit well with Fred.

He knew that he was being immature by ignoring you, but he didn't know how else to deal with his feelings. It was a complicated situation, and he felt that you wouldn't understand his perspective. You two ran in two completely different circles, meaning that your lives at Hogwarts were nothing alike. This created a certain tension that Fred didn't know how to bridge. 

You and Beatrice walked past the group, entering the Three Broomsticks and finding a booth. You settled in, unzipping your puffer jacket and removing your earmuffs.

"Are you and Fred still not speaking?" Beatrice asked, unzipping her own jacket.

"No," you replied, clearly dismayed. "I think we're both too stubborn to admit our feelings. I know that I let him down, but he needs to acknowledge that my fears about dating are relevant."

"Why do you think he's so upset about you not wanting to be on a date together in public?" she asked, taking off her jacket and setting it in the booth next to her.

"What you said about it seeming like I'm ashamed of him made a lot of sense," you answered. "Fred seems confident on the outside, but that's not always the truth. Him and I have opposite priorities and different reputations. I think he might feel like I'm nervous about tarnishing my reputation by being with him, but that's not true."

Beatrice reached across the table for your hand. "Then what is true, love? I think you need to work that out with him."

"I like him a lot," you admitted, your cheeks flushing. "He brings out a different side of me. I get so focused on my marks sometimes that I forget to let myself have fun. He loves surprising me and being spontaneous, I think he's exactly what I've been missing in my life."

"Wow, that's....a lot," Beatrice replied, letting out a breathy laugh. "You need to tell him that. He probably has no idea that you even feel that way."

You shrugged. "I know. But things feel impossible right now. He clearly doesn't want to talk to me."

"Since when have you been afraid to approach someone?" Beatrice questioned. "You always stand your ground, sometimes I wonder how you didn't get sorted into Gryffindor."

Beatrice gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. You were grateful for moments like these. Beatrice never judged you for anything.

"I'll try to talk to him today, then," you decided. "How about I get us some butter beers?"

——

You and Beatrice had finished your butter beers and decided to simply stroll around Hogsmeade until a shop caught your eye. You walked past a number of couples, trying not to sneer at the way they seemed infatuated with each other.

As you approached a trinket shop, you noticed Fred and his group lingering nearby. The shop was known to sell a number of joke toys and all around bizarre things, so of course the Weasley twins were interested. You watched as Fred demonstrated to his friends the magic of the exploding pen he had just purchased.

You took a breath and looked over to Beatrice. "I'm going to see if he'll talk to me."

She gave you a reassuring pat on the back as you stepped toward the group of Gryffindors. Fred noticed you approaching, and he averted his gaze.

"Oi, hey there prefect!" George greeted, causing Fred to punch him in the shoulder.

The other students in the group snickered, enjoying Fred's embarrassment. Your nails dug into the palm of your hand as you clenched your fists, trying to maintain the courage to speak to Fred.

"Fred, do you have time to chat?" you asked.

"Uhm, not really," he brushed you off. 

It felt like a stab to the heart. He was suddenly so cold toward you. That wasn't the Fred you knew.

"You need to make time," you replied, willing yourself to sound assertive.

The Gryffindors stood there in shock, not believing that you would stand up to Fred like that. Fred huffed at you.

"Fine. I'll be at the Hufflepuff party tonight," he said, finally meeting your eye for a moment.

You tried to keep his gaze, but he looked away. You felt so defeated. 

"Alright, I'll see you then," you answered, offering the group a tense smile and nod before turning back toward Beatrice.

You felt like you couldn't reach her fast enough, your breathing becoming more rapid with each step you took. You were panicking. Everything you thought was true about Fred was unraveling before your very eyes. 

"What happened?" Beatrice asked, noticing the frantic look in your eyes and pulling you to sit on a nearby bench. She wrapped an arm around your shoulder, attempting to comfort you.

"Fred just...he's acting so...I don't understand," was all you managed to get out before frustrated tears began rolling down your cheeks.

"Love, take your time," Beatrice soothed, leaning her head against you.

The Fred you knew was assertive. He wasn't afraid of conflict and he always spoke his mind. Fred was kind and thoughtful, and he had done everything he could to make you feel special. But all of that had changed over the matter of a couple of days. 

"He barely even looked at me," you sputtered out, wiping the tears as fast as they fell. You hated crying. It made you feel weak. Your stubborn streak hated giving in to your feelings.

"I'm trying to make things better, and he's acting like he doesn't have time to work things out," you explained, trying to slow your breathing. 

"I'm sorry. He's being a git, there's no excuse for that behavior," Beatrice said.

"I thought he cared about me. A few days ago he wanted all of Hogwarts to know we were together, and now he doesn't even want to speak to me," you said, exhaling to try to gather yourself.

It was confusing. Fred had never sent you mixed signals like this before. He was always very clear about his intention to woo you and make you his girlfriend, but that didn't feel so clear anymore.

Fred's group of friends walked past the trinket shop heading toward the Three Broomsticks. They didn't seem to noticed you and Beatrice, as the bench you were sat on was tucked around the side of the shop. 

Fred and George were at the back of the pack. You were crossing your fingers that they would keep going toward the Three Broomsticks and not see that you were crying on a bench. But of course, George happened to look over his shoulder and saw you.

He stopped for a moment, crinkling his eyebrows and cocking his head to the side as he tried to evaluate the situation. He noticed your splotchy face, and it was clear that you had been crying. He turned to Fred, pulling him by the back of his coat.

"What?" Fred said, sounding frustrated. George motioned toward where you and Beatrice sat on the bench. You tried to shrink yourself, not wanting to speak to Fred in this moment.

"I think that's your fault," George said, referring to you in your upset state.

Fred nodded, muttering something else to his brother before he began walking toward you and Beatrice.

"What do you want, Weasley?" Beatrice challenged, her voice sounding fierce. She was trying to protect you.

"I just...we need to talk," Fred replied, sounding guilty.

Beatrice looked at you, and you nodded at her to tell her that it was okay. She stood up, giving Fred one last glare before walking off into the trinket shop to give you some space.

Fred sat on the bench, a wide space between the two of you. It felt like you were worlds apart. Just two nights ago, you were in his bed crying out his name. Now you felt like strangers.

Neither of you wanted to start the conversation, but you just wanted to get it over with at this point.

"I'm so confused," you said, sounding small. "You told me that you would never stop pursuing me and now you can't even look at me."

"Birdie...." Fred started, but nothing else came out. He didn't have anything to say.

"I know that I hurt you when I said I wasn't ready for a date at Hogsmeade. I'm sorry for that, but I didn't say no because I'm ashamed of you. I said no because the last time I was dating someone, everyone had an opinion on it. When we broke up, I could hear people whispering about me in the hallways. I don't like that," you explained.

You still weren't looking at each other, choosing to look at the ground instead.

"I don't know how to feel, Fred," you confessed. "You have spent the past couple weeks convincing me that we should be together, and we have one small disagreement and you don't even want to speak to me. That's terrifying, and that's not the kind of person that I thought you were."

Fred laced his fingers together in front of him, considering what to say to you. You were right. The way he was reacting was out of the usual.

"I'm sorry, birdie," he finally said. "I just...when you said no, it felt like proof that you thought you were too good for me."

"But Fred, I have never once said that to you," you said, turning to look at him. "You know that I don't think that. We're different people, but neither of us is better than the other."

Fred sighed. Once again, he knew that you were right.

"I know. I get in my own head sometimes. I guess it's just the way that I feel about myself. I feel like you're better than me, and I've been trying to find ways to prove that you think that too," he said, sounding defeated.

You dared to reach across the bench to hold his hand. He let you.

"Freddie, it's not possible for me to think something like that. I'm sure that people will say that you're too good for me. Every girl at school would be chuffed for the chance to date you. You're cracking at quidditch. You know how to make anyone laugh," you listed out. "There are things that you will always be better than me at. And I am better than you at other things. But that doesn't mean that I want to compare us to each other. It only reminds me of why I admire you and the ways that you inspire me to want to improve myself."

Fred finally looked at you. It seemed like he finally understood. The soft look that you were familiar with had finally returned to his eyes. 

"I'm so sorry that I made you upset," Fred said. "I was being a git. I didn't know how to handle my feelings, so I just tried to ignore you. Clearly that didn't help either of us."

You nodded your head in understanding. It felt nice to be able to talk like this again after over a day of silence and turmoil. 

"Will you let me make it up to you?" he asked, squeezing your hand that was still holding onto his. A hopeful smile played at the corners of his mouth, causing your own smile to spread across your lips.

"Alright," you agreed, leaning your head onto his shoulder. You still probably needed to work a few more things out before all could return to normal, but Fred was making steps in the right direction. You knew that you tended to hold grudges, but you wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Free scooted closer to you on the bench, wrapping his arm around you. "Is it too late for that Hogsmeade date?" he asked, a light chuckle punctuating the end of his question. "You and Beatrice can join us at the Three Broomsticks. We're going to get lunch and have butter beers."

"Bea and I already had butter beers," you confessed, leaning into his warmth. "But she always loves chatting up Gryffindors. I'll see if she wants to go."

You stayed like that for another moment, cuddling on the bench before going to find Beatrice inside the trinket shop. 

——

You and Beatrice were going to the Hufflepuff party tonight, and you felt nervous for some reason. Not nearly as nervous as you were when you were getting ready for the Gryffindor party, but being with Fred in a semi-public space was brand new.

Beatrice had once again lent you a t shirt of hers, cropped just enough to hit along the waistband of your low rise jeans. She was perfecting her makeup, stationed at her desk while you stood in front of the full length mirror.

"Are you really doing this again?" she teased, referring to your struggle with getting ready earlier today. "It's just Fred. I'm sure he thinks you look great in anything. Or rather, maybe he'd prefer it if you wore nothing at all."

Beatrice chuckled deviously at you, and you picked up a pillow from her bed and threw it at her. This just made her laugh even harder. You cracked a smile, knowing that there was probably a bit of truth to her statement.

"This is the first thing we're doing together where other people can see," you said, sounding stressed. "I don't want to be the topic of gossip for the next week."

Beatrice turned in her chair to look at you. "I know love, but that's just what it's like to be with someone like Fred. He's always up to something. If you want to be with him, you'll have to get used to it."

You huffed. "You're right. It's just...being with Adrian was so peaceful. No one batted an eye until we broke up."

"You've never been someone who likes when things are easy," Beatrice commented, raising her eyebrows knowingly at you.

You shook your head at her, smirking because she was absolutely correct. You loved a good challenge. This usually meant in your academic life rather than social life, but you would try to embrace the uphill battle nonetheless.

"Let me at least put some lip gloss on you if you're going to be despised by every girl at Hogwarts for the next week," Beatrice joked, getting up to join you at the mirror.

You let her put the gloss on your lips, something sparkly but not over the top. You pressed your lips together, checking your reflection with satisfaction. "I think it's time to party," you declared.

----

You and Beatrice wandered into the Hufflepuff common room, already packed with upper year students. The music was loud, and most people were dancing in the middle of the room. Fred spotted you immediately, joining you and Beatrice near the entrance.

"You look....I have no words," Fred commented, chuckling and shaking his head. It made him flustered when he saw you out of your uniform. Especially when you wore shirts that showed off a little bit of your stomach. 

"Thanks, Freddie," you replied, taking his hand and giving him a grin. 

"Oh yuck," Beatrice joked, sticking her tongue out. "Why don't you make yourself useful and get us some drinks? We're going to hit the dance floor."

Beatrice eyed Fred up and down, waiting for him to depart to get drinks. He looked at her for a second, seemingly unsure if she was serious. She gestured toward the makeshift bar, prodding at him to fetch the drinks. He obliged, turning on his heel toward the bar.

Beatrice looped her arm through yours, dragging you to the dance floor. "I know you've got some moves, little miss prefect," she joked. "Let's see those hips move."

You scoffed at her words, scandalized by the idea of dancing in such a way. You always just did a simple sway from side to side, dancing wasn't your personal specialty. 

You tried to stay on the beat, hesitantly moving your hips from side to side. "Alright! Get it, girl!" Beatrice encouraged, giggling with you as both of you danced.

You felt a hand on your waist, and you instinctually leaned back to meet the person behind you. "I missed you, Freddie," you joked as you danced up against him.

"Freddie?" the voice asked. It was not Fred's voice.

You turned around to find Adrian behind you instead of Fred. You felt your face heat up instantly, embarrassed at your actions. You had assumed that it was Fred coming back with your drink.

"Adrian--" you started, unsure of what to say.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he said, his voice raising in volume. The other students at the party began to stare at you, only making the situation feel worse.

"You've been shagging Fred Weasley?" he asked, almost yelling at you. Everyone definitely heard it, with conversations coming to a halt to watch the confrontation.

It felt like your voice was stuck in your throat. This was a scene from your nightmares. All eyes were on you, and your private life was being exposed for all to see.

You saw Fred over Adrian's shoulder, still hovering near the bar where he had a drink in each hand for you and Beatrice. He met your eyes for a moment then looked away, assuming that you were going to deny Adrian's allegations.

You cleared your throat, trying to gain some semblance of composure. "So what if I am?" you replied, squaring your shoulders.

"You've lost your bloody mind," Adrian said, shaking his head and laughing.

"Might I remind you that I have something called free will?" you shot back. "You don't own me. Now fuck off and mind your bloody business."

You crossed your arms, a fire burning in your eyes as you stared Adrian down. He huffed, seemingly unable to find a snappy reply. He pushed past you, exiting the circle that had formed around the two of you.

Everyone was still staring, and instead of staying in the middle of the crowd, you headed toward Fred.

"Fred, I'm so sor--" you started before he cut you off by slamming his lips into yours.

Fred pulled you into the kiss, one hand cradling your head and the other wrapping around your waist. You hesitated for a moment before returning his kiss, trying to ignore the attention that was on you. 

For some unknown reason, the other students began to cheer. You pulled out of the kiss, absolutely confused by the commotion. Then you realized that they were cheering for you and Fred.

You had just stood up to Adrian, which is something that almost no one would fathom doing. And you were snogging Fred Weasley, everyone's favorite prankster. It was a combination that inspired awe in your fellow students.

"Want to get out of here?" Fred asked, leaning close to your ear so you could hear him.

"Please," you said, holding his hand. He led you through the crowd and out the door, heading straight for his dormitory.

----

Link to next part

[coffeeghoulie]

after midnight

late nights in Dew and Aether's nest.

Explicit, 1.9k. Contains a sleepy handjob, aftercare, and just gross domestic fluff.

this was supposed to be a quick little thing to take my mind off of things and it turned into four pages. just how it goes lmao.

divider by @wrathofrats <3

Dew takes great pride in keeping his hearth warm. Aether's vessel doesn't run anywhere near as warm as his does, nose and fingertips and toes freezing when he gets into bed.

"Long day, starshine?" Dew whispers, curling up against his mate's side. Aether groans softly, stretching as he settles into their bedding. Their scents are baked into the sheets. This is theirs. His arm curls around Dew's shoulders, pulling him flush to his side.

"Not really, but still glad it's over," he says, turning to look at Dew. His eyes glow soft and purple in the low light of their room, the worn fabric of his sleep shirt soft under Dew's cheek. "Glad I'm here."

Dew cracks a smile, hooks a thigh over Aether's hip in an attempt to get closer. "Where you're meant to be," Dew hums, smile curling a little possessively. He presses his face into the crook of his neck, rubbing his cheek over his matescar for a moment.

"Yeah, where I'm meant to be," Aether laughs softly, and Dew feels it more than he hears it. He yawns, almost cat-like with the way it bares his fangs, glinting in the low light, and settles more firmly into the crook of Aether's arm.

Dew trills contentedly when Aether's tail winds around his own, hand heavy and solid against the small of his back. He slings his own arm over Aether's chest, feels his heart beat under his palm, takes a deep, shuddering breath of ozone and the faintest bit of antiseptic.

Their bodies press together like magnets, the matebond between them like a compass needle; Dew'll always be able to find his way home by it. Not that he ever wants to be far from his mate. Not willingly. But he knows, if it ever happens again, he'll know exactly how to return to Aether's side.

"Love you," Aether yawns. It bares his fangs, thick and sharp and dangerous, inches from Dew's face. Anyone else would flinch instinctively. But Dew purrs, rubs his cheek against Aether's collarbone.

"You too," he whispers. They float in a haze between sleep and wakefulness, and Dew's entire world reduces down to the careful arrangement of bedding that makes up their hearth. He is safe, his mate is warm and content, and they can indulge in sloth and rest until they're sated.

Dew's not quite sure when his eyes open next. The room is still dark and warm. His head rises and falls where he's using Aether's chest as the most comfortable pillow. There's something half hard pressed against his shin, where his leg is hooked over Aether's hip. He isn't sure what wakes him, but the low, budding scent of Aether's arousal is a likely suspect.

"Aeth," Dew hums, soft, careful not to break the peaceful little bubble they find themselves in.

"Mm?" Aether says, voice low and rumbly in his chest. His eyes don't open, but his hips press up slightly into Dew's.

"You want some help?" Dew offers, rubbing his cheek against his collarbone, worrying at the fabric of his shirt.

Aether turns to face him. Slow and still heavy with sleep, it takes effort. But those violet eyes crack open, peering down at him and glowing in the darkness. "Never gonna say no to you, darling."

Dew smiles, lazy and fond, and shifts until his face is pressed into the crook of Aether's neck. His hand, still resting over Aether's chest, trails down until it reaches the hem of his shirt. He cards his fingers through the coarse hair covering Aether's belly.

Aether groans as his hand teases downward, head rolling back into the pillows of their hearth with a soft groan. Dew just smiles, rucks up the hem of his shirt. "'m not gonna be mean, Aeth," he whispers into the column of his throat.

He wills his magick to his palm, raising the temperature slightly as he plucks at the waistband of Aether's boxers. His head presses further back into the pillows with a rumbling moan, baring his throat as he lifts his hips just enough for Dew to pull them down to his thighs.

The groan Dew pulls from Aether's lips when he wraps his warm hand around his half hard length is music to his ears. He presses his mouth to the column of his throat as he starts to stroke him, pressing soft kisses to his pulse. In any other situation, the pace Dew sets would easily be considered teasing. But here it's perfect, warm and slow and just enough to let the pleasure build like the tide coming in.

"Mm, fuck," Aether rumbles, low and quiet. Dew nuzzles at his jaw, thumb teasing at his slit to smear the pre beading there down his shaft. It's enough to smooth his strokes, and Aether groans again at the slide.

"That's it, starshine," Dew mumbles, breathing in Aether's scent, thick on the roof of his mouth. "Just want you to feel good, lemme take care of you like you take care of me."

Aether twitches in Dew's hand at his words, fingertip tracing the prominent vein along the side. Dew bites his lip, feeling himself start to perk up in interest, but he ignores it to listen to the way Aether's moans are broken up by soft chuffs. He pulls Dew a little closer to his side, hand fisted at the small of his back and holding onto his tank top. "Dewey," he breathes, eyes struggling to stay open as he looks at him.

"I've gotcha, big guy," Dew hums, feeling the purr start to kick up at the base of his throat. His other hand worms under Aether's head, just holding, blunt claws scratching lightly at the nape of his neck.

Aether chuffs louder, going completely boneless and relaxed. Just how Dew wants him. He relaxes so quickly that if it weren't for Aether's groans, Dew would have thought he'd fallen asleep on him.

Not that he'd blame him. It's been a long day, and it's late. Dew scratches at the nape of his neck just to hear him chuff louder.

"Just feel good f'me," Dew purrs, soft and low. Aether nods a little, violet eyes squeezed shut.

Dew startles a little when something touches his tail, but he almost whines when he realizes it's Aether's own wrapping around his. He strokes him a little faster, gives him a little more pressure.

The hand on the small of Dew's back moves up his spine until Aether has his fingers tangled in Dew's hair. He doesn't pull or tug, hand big enough to cup the entire back of his head. Dew purrs loudly, leg still hitched over Aether's.

"Fuck, darling," Aether groans when Dew twists his wrist just right at the tip of his cock. Dew smiles, leans up to press his forehead to Aether's. So close they breathe the same air.

"Yeah, that's it," Dew whispers. "Just feel good, baby."

Aether nods, their horns clicking together with the motion. "M'close," he admits, and Dew snakes his hand down even further to cup his balls for a moment, feels them start to draw up to his body.

"Like this?" Dew asks, lips brushing over his as he resumes his slow, lazy strokes. "Or do you want more? Anything you want."

Aether shakes his head, fingers tightening slightly in Dew's cornsilk fine hair. "Just want you, love," he whispers, the faintest furrow appearing in his brow, fangs sinking into his swollen bottom lip.

"You have me," Dew promises, eyes not leaving Aether's face. Drinks in every detail. Watches his nose scrunch up just a little before the pleasure makes his face go lax. His cock pulses in Dew's hands, cum splattering over his knuckles and the thick hair coating his belly.

Dew works him through it, savors every shiver and huff of breath until Aether's fingers tighten almost to the point of pain in his hair. His cock gives one last twitch, sticky and wet with release, and slowly begins to soften.

Aether just breathes, chest heaving, holding Dew close as he comes down. Dew makes no move to pull away, just ducks his head down to press his lips to Aether's pulse once again. He feels it hammering, blood and quintessence moving throughout his body, before slowly start to come back to its baseline.

They stay there, wrapped in each other's embrace, until Aether's cum starts to cool and dry, sticky and unpleasant. Dew lets go of Aether's dick, letting it rest against his hip, and starts to pull back from his embrace.

Aether makes a wounded noise, eyes flying open. "Nope, stay," he tries to persuade, a little quintessence seeping from where his fingers still touch Dew.

Dew shakes it off, laughing softly. "I'll be right back, you big softy. Don't wanna leave you all messy."

"Oh, come on," Aether grins mischievously. "Just the other day you said you wanted to-"

"Ah!" Dew cuts him off, laughing as he climbs out of their hearth. "None of that. Be right back."

He ducks into the bathroom to wet a washcloth, calling on his magick again to make it a comfortable temperature. Just as quick as he left, he's back, standing over Aether sprawled out in their hearth.

Aether's eyes open sluggishly, twin points of violet in the dark. When he sees Dew, his fingers twitch like he's trying to make grabby hands, too exhausted to put in the whole effort. "See?" Dew says as he starts to clean up the mess he made. "Said I'd be right back."

Aether chuffs softly, fingers still twitching as Dew cleans him up, pulling his boxers up and the hem of his shirt back down. "Thank you, darling," he mumbles, well on his way back to sleep. Dew just smiles, staring at him. It's nice to see him relaxed and sated like this.

He throws the washcloth in the general direction of their hamper and crawls back into their hearth. Dew presses a kiss to Aether's cheek before curling up against his side once again.

Aether pulls him close with one strong arm, the other reaching down to where Dew sits half hard against his own hip. Dew swats him away lightly. "'m alright, starshine," he murmurs, watching Aether struggle to stay awake. "Return the favor some other time."

Aether chuckles, fights to keep his eyes open as he stares down at Dew. "You sure, baby?"

Dew gives him another kiss on the cheek. He reaches up to trail a fingertip down the bridge of Aether's nose. Huffs a soft little laugh as Aether's eyes cross when he follows it. "I'm sure, Aeth," he says, settling happily into the crook of his arm and purring up a storm.

It's not long before sleep takes Aether in its hold once again, chest rising and falling deep and even. Dew, selfishly, stays awake a little while longer, just to watch. Aether's peaceful like this. Relaxed and warm and safe in the hearth that Dew made for him.

Dew shifts until his head is tucked under Aether's chin, mindful of his horns. Like this, he can hear Aether's heartbeat, steady just like him. Dew smiles, purring as he gets comfortable, and lets himself follow Aether to sleep.

[wzrd-wheezes]

The Engagement Arrangement - Sirius Black x Reader/James Potter x Reader.

Hey!!! Can I request an arranged engagement with James because they grew up in wealthy families and they're close friends but as she gets to know the boys better Sirius falls in love with her? Mutual pining with obstacles with be the death of me.

AN: after actual months of writing this fic, it's finally finished. I posted the first part of it months ago but decided to finish the fic and repost it as a complete work. i'm so fucking proud of this and i really hope you enjoy it. this is the longest thing i've ever written so please please please give it a reblog and let me know what you think. ily <3

Contains: some angst, a lot of fluff, pining, swearing and just general good times haha. enjoy!

9k words

The engine of the car hummed quietly causing the window to vibrate as Y/N rested her head against the glass. She fiddled with the hem of her dress as she gazed out of the window, the trees a blur of red and orange as they whizzed past. 

“Will you stop fiddling with your dress!” Y/N’s mother snapped, whipping her head around to glare at her daughter, “I won’t have you at the Potter’s house with your dress all creased, what will they think of us!?” 

Y/N only murmured in response, barely paying attention to her mother’s nagging as she smoothed her dress out. The car pulled to a stop on the gravel driveway outside of the Potter’s manor. The autumn sunlight beat down on the vast lawns and bounced off of the ornate windows, casting patterns on the driveway. She sighed as she got out of the car, mentally preparing herself for the afternoon at the Potter’s.  

Coming to the Potter’s house for lunch wasn’t a frequent occurrence, yet every time their car pulled up outside, Y/N filled with dread. The lunches were alarmingly boring with her parents talking tirelessly with Mr and Mrs Potter. The Potter’s had a son, who Y/N was yet to meet as he attended a boarding school. Y/N’s mother had explained to her that James had been sent to boarding school as he was rather unruly, and they were trying to get him to settle down. However, now that he, like Y/N was 18, had finished school and returned home. 

Mrs Potter greeted them graciously at the front door, giving her parents a hug and Y/N a squeeze on the shoulder. She led them into the sitting room and began to bustle around making tea. Y/N perched on the edge of the sofa, trying to avoid crumpling her dress and infuriating her mother again. Just as she had done in the car, Y/N stared out of the window, her eyes drifting over the garden that seemed to sprawl for miles. Leaves floated down from the trees, landing in a pile on the floor before being dispersed by the soft breeze.  

“Nice of you to finally join us, Son.” Mr Potter spoke, easy smile resting on his face. Y/N was pulled out of her daydream, her eyes darting towards the door where a young man was standing, leaning lazily against the door frame. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his slacks, the top button of his shirt undone and his dark curls falling messily into his eyes. 

“Mr and Mrs L/N.” he nodded, “Nice to see you both again.” 

“Ah, James.” Y/N’s father exclaimed, “It’s been a while! You must have grown a good few feet taller since we last saw you.” 

“My career as a dwarf never really took off so I decided to just let it go.” James joked, earning himself a disapproving look from both of his parents. 

“James,” Y/N’s mother swiftly interjected, “You haven’t met our daughter, Y/N. She’s just finished school as well. I’m sure you’ll both get along well.” 

“Nice to meet you,” James grinned, stepping into the room and shaking Y/N’s hand. Y/N just smiled back at him, unsure of what to say. Her mother harshly nudged her leg, urging her to reply. 

“Yeah. You as well.” 

James plonked himself in the armchair in front of the window that Y/N was previously looking out of. She frowned slightly, annoyed that he was obstructing not only the view but also the distraction from the torturously boring conversation that their parents were having. The two teenagers sat silently, every so often glancing up at each other. One time, James rolled his eyes and mimed putting a gun to his head, Y/N had to try her best to stifle a laugh. Clearly, she didn’t try hard enough as she was shot another one of her mother’s infamous disapproving looks. 

“James, dear, why don’t you go and show Y/N around the gardens while we talk? We have some important business to discuss, and it will be terribly boring for you both.” James’ mother suggested. Y/N let out a sigh of relief and eagerly stood up, grabbing her jacket from the coat stand. 

For the first few moments, they didn’t speak a word to each other, just silently making their way through the hall towards the large front door, buttoning up their coats as they walked. It was only when they were out of earshot that James finally spoke. 

“I didn’t think it was possible to die of boredom, but I genuinely think I was close.” He said dramatically.  

“We were only sat in there for half an hour.” Y/N said, raising an eyebrow at him.  

“Yet it felt like an eternity.” 

James pushed open the front door and they were greeted by the crisp autumn air. Their breaths clouded in the chill, damp air and they both wrapped their coats a little tighter around themselves.  

“What d’you reckon they’re talking about?” Y/N asked, “What’s so important that we can’t be there to hear them discuss it?” James shrugged, staring up at the cloudless sky. 

“Who knows? Probably just boring adult stuff. I tend to just tune it out whenever they start speaking.” Despite his nonchalant response, there was a hint of wistfulness in his expression. It was almost as if the thought of having a genuine adult conversation with his parents seemed utterly foreign and unappealing to him. 

“They’re probably just sat moaning about us.” Y/N laughed, “That’s what adults do when they get together, isn’t it? Moan about their children?” 

“Nah, not my mum and dad. They genuinely think the sun shines out of my arse.” James chuckled. 

“Didn’t they ship you off to boarding school because you were too ‘unruly’” Y/N said, making air quotes with her fingers. James’ cheeks flushed at her comment and he let out an awkward chuckle. 

“Yeah, that was a bit of an exaggeration on mum and dad’s behalf. They made it sound like I was some feral child. In reality, I was just a normal kid who liked to have fun.” 

Y/N felt a bit guilty for poking fun at him about the boarding school ordeal. It seemed to be a bit of a sore spot for him, despite how flippantly he brushed it off. 

“They didn’t have to be so dramatic,” James continued, “But it’s all in the past now. I’m back home and everything’s fine,” He shrugged, the smile returning to his face. Y/N wasn’t quite so sure how accurate that statement one. 

They chatted as they walked through the gardens, comparing their school experiences, talking about their upbringings and their parents. Y/N felt sad that James had been away for the majority of their childhood, it would have made the many dinners with their parents a lot less painful if she had had someone her own age there to speak to.  

 The more time that Y/N spent in James’s company, the more she realised just how much they had in common. They had similar senses of humour, enjoyed engaging in sarcastic banter and had a mutual disdain for the social niceties that dominated their families’ get-together. For his part, James enjoyed speaking with Y/N as well. Unlike with the adults in his life, he didn’t have to keep up an exhausting façade. He could be frank with her and didn’t have to worry about offending her with his snarky wit. 

The conversation turned back to the topic of their schooling. Y/N described her school life and her friends, while James told stories of pranking students and teacher alike, and generally being a nuisance. James had a twinkle in his eye as he recounted some of his more mischievous antics. It was clear that he had no regrets and was, in fact, quite proud of all the trouble he had gotten into over the years.  

“I’m pretty sure I was on my last chance before they got rid of me,” he admitted as they walked back to the house, “In our final year, my friends and I were planning to pull a big stunt during exam week, it would have definitely gotten us kicked out. Only, my friend Peter ended up talking us out of it in the end. Probably for the best.” As he finished speaking a hint of regret crossed his face. 

When they finally returned to the house, having been gone a good hour or so, they found their parents still sat in the same spot they were in before they had left. It looked as though time had stood still while they were outside. 

“Ah, there you two are! We were just about to send someone out to find you! We really need to talk to you both, if you wouldn’t mind sitting down for a moment.” Mrs Potter smiled. James sighed inwardly and shot Y/N an apologetic look. Just when he had been enjoying himself, their parents’ demands had sent him back to reality.  

“We’ve been discussing the future,” Y/N’s father began, “And now you have both finished school we believe it’s time to start making preparations for the future.”  

Y/N and James both leaned forward in their chairs, intrigued by what their parents had to say. James let out a nervous chuckle, not sure what Y/N’s father meant by that.  

“Preparations for the future?” he repeated, turning to look at his own father, “What do you mean? Like, getting involved in the family business or something?” 

“Not particularly.” James’s father said. 

“You’re both intelligent, young individuals with bright futures ahead of you. The pair of you both come from good families, and we think it’s time that the two of you started settling down.” Y/N’s mother explained. 

Both Y/N and James sat there in stunned silence, their minds racing to try and figure out exactly what their parents were talking about.  

“You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, are you?” James asked, not wanting to believe it, “You’re seriously suggesting that at the ripe old age of 18, we get married to each other?” The words were out of his mouth before he had even fully formed the thought. 

“That’s ridiculous!” Y/N exclaimed, “You can’t just arrange our romance like we’re some sort of commodity. That’s absurd!”  The notion of being forced into a relationship with James with utterly foreign to her, especially since they had only met mere hours ago. Mrs Potter looked at them both with a stern expression. 

“This isn’t something that we’ve considered lightly.” she said, in a tone that left no room for argument, “We believe that the two of you will make a wonderful couple, and with time may even grow to love each other.” 

“There is much more than that to our proposal,” James’s father said solemnly, “It’s not just about romance. In this particular case, settling down is more about stability.” 

James and Y/N just stared at each other, feeling the full weight of their parents’ decision bearing down on their shoulders.  

“But what about what we want?” James snapped, gesturing to the two of them. 

“At the end of the day, this isn’t about what you want.” Mr Potter shook his head, “This is about your families and their futures, not just your own selfish desires.” 

The statement hit both of them hard, and for a moment, the two teenagers were completely stunned. Their own family was more important than their own happiness, their own dreams. The harsh reality of their situation slowly began to sink in, and the weight out the responsibility felt nearly too heavy for them to bear. 

James paced back and forth across his spacious bedroom, seemingly unable to settle in one place. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides as he tried to wrestle with the situation that they had been forced into. Y/N was watching him, lounged on the edge of his bed with a mug of tea in her hand. 

It had been a few days since their parents had broken the news to them and they had since decided that it would be a good idea for Y/N to move in with the Potter’s. It was as if her parents couldn’t wait to get her out quick enough and had all of her things boxed up in a matter of hours. 

“What do you think of all this?” he finally asked, stopping in front of her. She raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her drink. 

“Are you joking?” she scoffed, “You have to be joking. ‘Settling down’. Are you serious?” She sat so that she was upright, putting her mug down on the bedside table.  

“Are our parents mad? Have they actually lost it? Who proposes something like that to teenagers these days?” She could barely hide her incredulity. 

James sighed, feeling like his head was going to explode from a sudden rush of confusion and emotions. It felt so surreal, like this was some kind of elaborate joke that their parents were just waiting to reveal the punchline of.  

“I mean, you seem great and all and sure, we get along well enough, but is that really a solid basis for deciding to spend the rest of our lives together?” He raked a hand through his unruly hair. In his mind, there was no possible way they could make this situation work. 

“If it wasn’t so ridiculous, it would be hilariously tragic,” she sighed, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to ease the onset of a headache. 

“My friends are supposed to be visiting for a few weeks.” James said, sitting down on his bed, “I suppose they’ll make me cancel now you’re here. Y’know, with them wanting us to spend time together and all.” 

Y/N shook her head, feeling a surge of sympathy for James. He’d mentioned earlier how much he was looking forward to seeing his friends again and she couldn’t help but imagine how disappointed he would be if he had to cancel on them.  

“That’s a pain.” she said, “If it was up to me, I’d leave you alone to do whatever you like. I mean, fuck it, why not just let them come over anyway? If we’re getting married then I’m going to have to meet your friends eventually.” a sort of half-smile crossed her face as she looked at James. 

“Really?” he asked, turning to face her, “You wouldn’t mind if they still came over?” 

“Not at all!” 

“Wicked.” James grinned, “I’ll have to try and convince mum now.” 

Somehow, James managed to convince his mother to allow his friends to stay and they arrived a few days later. w fresh faces around. The two boys bounded down the driveway and tackled James into a somewhat clumsy hug, lanky adolescent limbs all over the place. James laughed and greeted his friends fondly.  

“So, this is the future wife then?” one of James’s friends grinned as he introduced them, “I’m Sirius. Pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry that you have to marry this prat.” 

“Not as sorry as I am.” Y/N mused. Sirius was just as tall as James but had a slightly more slender build. His dark hair falling straight down to his jawline, unlike James’s messy curls.   

“It’s a rough deal, I’ll admit.” The other one said. He was taller than both James and Sirius and awkwardly held a hand out for Y/N to shake as he introduced himself, “I’m Remus, by the way.” 

“Thanks for the condolences.” she laughed, “I’m Y/N.” 

James seemed to loosen up a bit now that his friends were here. Y/N had barely seen him smile the last few days. He’d spent the majority of his time moping around the house trying to come up with a plan to get them both out of this mess. 

They decided to go and explore the surrounding countryside, the boys were keen to show Y/N the places that they had gone when they were growing up. James had said he felt too cooped up in the house, like they were constantly being watched by his parents and was eager to get out.  

They meandered around the grounds of Potter Manor, the boys occasionally sharing anecdotes about the summers that they used to spend at the Potter’s. Sirius pointed out the tree that James fell from when he broke his arm when he they were 12. The boys all looked at it fondly like it was one of the seven wonders of the world.   

Sirius and Remus, much like James, were charming and playful and Y/N was pleased with how well they managed to mesh with her sense of humour. She realised, over the course of the afternoon, that Sirius had a particular way of speaking that made her heart flutter. There was something about it, deep, silky and rich like melted chocolate. A certain kind of gentleness to the way his voice carried that felt like he could make whoever he was speaking to feel as if they were the centre of his attention.  Y/N felt a pang of guilt in her stomach as she tried to push the thoughts of Sirius from her mind.   

As the sunlight began to fade into the afternoon sky, the group made their way back to the manor. Y/N knew that they would soon be sitting down for dinner, but she wasn’t quite ready for their afternoon to be over quite yet. She had gotten to know the boys better and was having fun hearing the stories of their school days. The idea of going back to an awkward dinner with James’s parents was unsettling. 

Dinner was a bit of a bust; James’s parents were once again preaching the joys of settling down young and the importance of family and tradition. James seemed to be trying his best to get through the meal without any trouble, occasionally shooting an apologetic look at Y/N. Sirius and Remus sat awkwardly opposite them, doing their best to dodge the Potter’s invasive questions about when they themselves would get married. 

Every so often, Sirius would nudge Y/N’s foot with his own under the table. It first started when Mrs Potter made a comment about wedding dresses, but as dinner went on, it became more and more frequent. He would tap his foot against hers, then when she would look up at him he would pull a face or wink at her. She tried her best to focus her attention on the food in front of her, but it was hard not to be distracted by Sirius’s constant prodding under the table. The gesture felt flirty, and despite her efforts to resist, she couldn’t help but look back at him every time they made contact.  

The first time that Y/N and Sirius were alone together was a few nights later when Y/N got up in the middle of night to get a drink. She was restless and unable to sleep, still not used to the unfamiliar house that she was now living in.   

Sirius was already in the kitchen when she got in there, hoisted up on the kitchen counter, dimly lit from the small stream of moonlight that shone in from outside. 

“Mrs Potter will kill you if she sees you sitting up there.” Y/N whispered. Sirius snapped his head round to look at her, clearly not expecting anyone else to be up at this hour. He rolled his eyes and chuckled. 

“Let her try.” he said, not seeming too worried about the potential consequences of his behaviour. He stayed put on the counter, looking down at Y/N with a mischievous grin.   

“On your head be it.” she shrugged, grinning at him, “What are you doing up so late anyway?” 

“Couldn’t sleep.” he shifted his legs so that he was now sitting cross-legged on the counter, “What about you? Doing a bit of late-night wedding planning? 

Y/N laughed and rolled her eyes. She had spent so much time over the last few days trying to resist his playful flirting, but he was making it increasingly difficult. With every smile and joke, she felt herself warming up to him. 

“Oh, of course,” she scoffed, “I was just about to draw up the first draft of our wedding invitation.” 

“Well, if you need a hand writing them out then I’ll have you know that I have lovely penmanship.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Y/N said, “But I’m hoping it doesn’t get that far.” 

“How are you feeling about everything?” he asked gently, his face becoming more sombre. 

“I mean, James is lovely and all but...” her voice trailed off for a moment, “I’m not in love with him. I don’t want to marry him, and he doesn’t want to marry me.” 

Sirius just nodded, for once in his life at a loss for what to say. Y/N crossed the kitchen, grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. She pulled herself up onto the other counter, opposite Sirius. 

“Y’know, I nearly ended up marrying my own cousin once,” He said bluntly. Y/N spluttered, nearly spitting her drink out. “You think yours and James’s families are mental? You should try meeting mine.” 

Wait, what?” she asked, looking at him in disbelief.  

“Yep. Old fashioned family traditions. Similar situation to you and James. They wanted me to settle down and get married and move out of the family home.” he said, “Guess that’s one thing we have in common then. Our fucked up families.” 

Y/N couldn’t help but laugh at Sirius’s crassness, but she felt a sense of validation knowing that someone else knew exactly what she was going through. 

“Yeah, I guess it is,” she said with a small smile, “So, what happened? How did you get out of the marriage?”  

“I ran away. Came to live with the Potter’s for a few weeks until school started again. I didn’t tell them exactly why of course. James and Remus knew and obviously thought it was hilarious.” his smile quickly faltered, “Haven’t seen my parents since.” 

“Well, I’m glad you escaped.” Y/N said softly. She could see that the situation with his parents was still very raw and painful for him, as much as he tried to brush it off. 

“Yeah, me too.” 

They stayed in the kitchen chatting for hours. Y/N told Sirius about her childhood and her school years and he exchanged stories about his childhood before he ran away. They only realised how much time had passed when a small chink of sunlight streamed through the window.  

“Shit. I didn’t realise the time.” Y/N gasped, hastily standing up. 

“Time flies when you’re having fun, eh?” Sirius grinned, he slid off the counter, crossing the kitchen to stand in front of her, “I’ll see you in a bit.” 

His comment made her face flush and she hoped that he hadn’t noticed it in the dim early morning light. She quickly composed herself and nodded at Sirius. 

“See you,” she said, trying to ignore the feeling of butterflies fluttering in her stomach. 

Y/N and James seldom spent any time alone together with Sirius and Remus staying at the Potters. Secretly, she was grateful, it was nice to have a bit of a buffer between her and James sometimes, his two friends seemed to make the whole ordeal a lot less awkward.   

“Are you busy?” James asked, suddenly appearing at her side in the kitchen the next morning. She hadn’t even heard him walk over. His voice caught her off-guard, and she jumped slightly, turning back to face him. 

“No, why? Is everything okay?”  

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump.” he said quickly, “Everything is fine. I just wanted to...talk. To you.” James’s tone was more solemn than normal, his thick, dark eyebrows knitted together seriously. 

A long moment of silence passed between them before Y/N eventually nodded and followed James. He led her upstairs towards his bedroom, firmly shutting the door behind them. He gestured for Y/N to take a seat but remained standing himself. Her eyes widened in anticipation as he took a deep breath.  

“I’m not really sure what the best way to tell you this is so I’m just going to come out and say it.” he began, “I overheard mum and dad speaking last night and well... they’ve set a date for the wedding.” 

Y/N felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She had been enjoying the lull in the situation and felt like she had momentarily forgotten that anything had been wrong. James’s words hit her like a ton of bricks, and she slumped back in her seat, feeling completely stunned.  

“W-what? When?” 

“Next month.” James said with a pained expression, “It’s fast, but it seems like it’s the only way to satisfy our parents. They’ve set a date, so... I guess it’s happening.” 

He crossed the room to sit next to Y/N on the bed. He took her hand in his and squeezed it. Y/N looked down at their intertwined fingers, it was the first time that they had ever really touched each other. She was suddenly painfully aware of how close James’s body was to hers. They were sitting side by side, their legs touching and their hands together. A wave of heat washed over her, and she forced herself to meet James’s gaze.   

James, for his part, was trying very hard to keep his emotions in check as well. He grabbed Y/N’s hand without really thinking about what he was doing, in his head it just felt like it was the right thing to do. He held her gaze for a moment before finally speaking again. 

“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?” he said, his voice softer now. Y/N nodded slowly, unable to look away from him. She looked down at their hands again, her lips parted slightly as she searched her head for words.  

“I don’t know...” she finally said, “I don’t know how to feel.” 

“I understand.” he nodded in acknowledgment, “This isn’t what either of us wanted.” He paused for a moment, releasing her hand from his and raking his fingers through his curls.  

“I know the situation is shit and I know that we haven’t spent a lot of time together.” he continued, “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy spending time with you. I mean, like... as a person. I don’t know, maybe if we got to know each other a little better it’ll all be okay.” 

Y/N was taken aback by the way that James spoke so openly and honestly about his feelings. He didn’t sound like the angry person he was the first time they spoke about their marriage. This side of him was entirely different and she liked it. Despite everything that was going on, she felt strangely comforted by the way he was speaking so candidly. 

“I feel the same way. I suppose we don’t really have another option, do we?” said smiled sadly, “I know it’s going to be hard, but I’m sure we can get through this together.”  

“We can always divorce, eh?” James chuckled. Y/N let out a laugh, caught off guard by the way James quickly slipped back into his normal jovial self. 

Over the next few days, Y/N spent most of her time avoiding James’s parents, in hopes that if they put off seeing them for long enough, they might just forget about the wedding all together. The four of them would try and spend as much of the day as they could outside of the house, often wandering down into the town or to the pub. Y/N’s late night conversations with Sirius had become a staple of her stay with the Potter’s and she found herself looking forward to their nightly rituals more over the next few days. She had quickly got used to sneaking down to the kitchen in the early hours of the morning. Their conversations had become increasingly more intimate, though for some reason, she still hadn’t broken the news to him about the date of the wedding.  

That night, she met up with Sirius after everyone else had gone to bed, slipping out of her room and making her way down to the kitchen. The house was silent and still, and she felt a rush of excitement as she laid her eyes on Sirius, him staring back at her with a wide grin.  

“I was wondering when you’d be joining me.” Sirius said calmly. Y/N returned the smile, taking a seat on the counter. Though, tonight, she strayed from her usual spot on the opposite side of the kitchen and sat next time him. 

“You’re quite predictable, you know?” she teased, “the last three nights you’ve been in the kitchen, maybe you ought to start changing it up a little.”  

She adjusted her position on the counter, trying to make herself more comfortable. Sirius smiled back playfully and for a moment, they just sat in companionable silence. Just as it had happened earlier with James, Y/N noticed the way that Sirius’s knee was touching hers. Although, this time she didn’t feel the need to yank it away, she just let it rest against hers.  

“James told me the news.” Sirius stated, “It’s shit.” 

“Yep.” Y/N laughed at his bluntness, “In less than a month I’ll be a married woman.” 

“You don’t like him very much, do you?” 

“It’s not that I don’t like him – I think any girl would be lucky to have him. I mean, he’s lovely and all but...” her voice trailed off. 

“You just don’t like him like that.” Sirius finished for her.  

Y/N hummed in response, her eyes trailing down to where their knees were touching and then back up to Sirius’s eyes. He was looking straight back at her, as if his eyes were searching hers for exactly how she was feeling. The moment felt charged, and she couldn’t bring herself to look away from him. She knew he was waiting for her to say something and she was quickly overcome by a wave of self-consciousness that left her unable to speak.  

After what felt like an eternity, Sirius’s hand inched its way over until it was hovering over her knee. Slowly, but surely, his fingers placed themselves over her own.  The heat between their two bodies was almost unbearable. She could feel her heart racing and she was almost certain that if he listened hard enough he would be able to hear it. Her fingers instinctively tightened around his. 

“I just really don’t know what to do.” she found her voice after a moment, looking up at him.  

Once again, his eyes locked with hers for a moment before they fluttered shut, his body angling towards hers, head tipped down and his lips brushing against her own. Instinctively, his hand reached up to cup her face, thumb stroking across the softness of her cheek. After a moment, she pulled away, her focus on his lips for a fleeting moment before forcing herself to look away. She felt like she had just been electrocuted, feeling dizzy with the rush of emotions. Sirius, for a few moments, looked like he was too stunned to speak. He looked down at their intertwined fingers and quickly drew his away. 

“I should go.” he said, sliding down from the counter. He barely looked at her before swiftly making his way out of the kitchen. Y/N didn’t move, just stared after him as he left, her hands stayed where they were on the counter, her fingertips still tingling from Sirius’s touch. 

They managed to avoid each other for the rest of the week, their brief moment of intimacy being pushed to the back of both of their minds. Y/N was doing her best to avoid thinking about Sirius, and Sirius was trying his best to avoid thinking about Y/N.  

James had spent an awful lot of time by her side over the last few days, and while she appreciated the distraction, every time James spoke to her she got a horrible sick feeling in her stomach. She felt like her heart was being ripped into two, feeling torn between her attraction to Sirius and her engagement to James. 

You’ve seemed off the last few days, is everything alright?” James asked one afternoon as they were sat together in the living room. Y/N looked up from the book that was resting on her lap. 

“I’m fine.” she said, “How come you haven’t gone out with the others?”  

“Remus wanted to go to the pub and I didn’t fancy it.” he shrugged.  

“You’re not just staying here for me, are you?”  

“No.” James laughed, “Not just staying here for you, no. But I would like to be spending time with you.” 

Y/N felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she looked back down at her book, trying to avoid James’s gaze.  

“I’ll be spending a lot of time with you for the rest of my life. Might as well start getting used to it.” he grinned.  

“Hey, mind if I ask you something?” James asked after a few moments of silence. 

“Go ahead.” 

“I was just wondering, if we hadn’t been forced into this whole engagement thing, how do you think you would feel about me?” 

Y/N froze, uncertain of what she should say. She wanted to be honest with him but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Her mind flicked back to the conversation she had had with Sirius and the kiss they had shared. 

“I...” she started hesitantly, her eyes still avoiding James, “It’s hard, isn’t it? Maybe if we had met in another situation it would be different but...” 

“You don’t have to lie to me,” James said, his voice gentle, “I know that none of this was how it was supposed to happen and I know that there are a lot of things about this situation that you don't like, but I think that we could still be happy together.” 

She couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the guilt that suddenly washed over her. Even if they had met under different circumstances, she still wasn’t entirely sure that things would have worked out between them. She just didn’t see James like that. She had tried to ignore it at first, but to her, it just felt like it was a fact that there was no romantic tension between them. But, to say that would be heartbreaking, so instead, she just stayed silent. 

“Y’know, Sirius said I’m mad.” James sighed and Y/N looked at him quizzically, “He thinks I’m daft for trying to find a way out of this marriage. Said I’d be lucky to have a girl as good as you.” 

“He did?” 

“Yeah, he thinks you’re great.” James moved to look at her properly, taking the book from her lap, closing it and placing it on the table so that she was forced to give him her full attention.  

Y/N immediately felt nervous as she met James’s gaze. Her breath caught in her throat, feeling even more vulnerable no that there was no escape. She was forced to look directly at James with no distractions. 

“He’s right as well. Although, don’t tell him I said that because the smug bastard would never let me live it down.” James chuckled. He moved his hand to cup her chin, shifting her face to look at him, “You are great. You’re funny, you’re smart, you’re gorgeous. I mean, if the circumstances were different then I feel like-” 

“James, don’t-” 

Before she could finish her sentence, James had leaned forward, his lips colliding with hers. Y/N let out a gasp of surprise. She felt his hand tangling into her hair, the other moving down to her waist. It was like she was stuck, just sat there, allowing James to kiss her. Her body was completely overtaken by confusion.  

“What the fuck.” a voice spoke. 

Both of their heads snapped around to the doorway. Sirius was standing there, arms crossed over his chest, Remus at his side. Sirius’s expression was unreadable, and Y/N quickly pulled away from James, sinking back into her seat. 

“Ah, so this is what you two get up to when we’re not around.” Remus grinned, “No wonder you didn’t want to come to the pub with us.” 

James’s face flushed red and he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, smiling nervously. A hot wave of embarrassment flushed over Y/N and her eyes frantically flicked between James and Sirius. Sirius’s expression didn’t change, and for the first time, she noticed a certain edge to his stare. It didn’t seem like he was going to say anything at all, but he kept his eyes locked on her. 

Y/N didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t tell if she was more angry with herself for letting the kiss happen or embarrassed at the fact that they had been caught. She looked back over to Sirius, his jaw was clenched and any trace of the usual playfulness in his eyes had gone. Without saying anything, Sirius walked away and they heard the faint slamming of his bedroom door.  

“What’s his problem?” James asked.  

“Dunno,” Remus shrugged, “He’s had a few pints. You know what he gets like.” 

That night, Sirius didn’t show at their usual meeting place in the kitchen. Y/N sat and waited patiently, hoping that he would turn up so that she could explain herself to him. She wanted to tell him that it was James that kissed her, that it meant absolutely nothing to her. Her heart sank as the morning light started to stream into the kitchen and she realised that Sirius wasn’t coming.  

For days, the only time that Y/N would see Sirius was when they ran into each other at the table during meals or on the stairs. Sirius avoided her eyes when they passed each other, not even giving her a chance to speak to her before disappearing. She didn’t know what to do. She kept trying to catch his eye whenever she saw him, willing him to look at her, wanting to explain everything. But, every time, she felt as though her words would be meaningless.  

She didn’t even want to see James now. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she would avoid him and go out of her way to prevent being alone with him. It wasn’t James’s fault, and deep-down Y/N knew that.  

One night, as Y/N was on her way upstairs to bed, she ran into Sirius. He was on his way out, taking his coat off the hook in the hallway when she suddenly caught a glimpse of him. She tensed up as he looked at her, scared of what he was going to say, but all he seemed to do was stare, that same cold expression that he wore when he saw her and James kiss.  

Before she could say anything, Sirius turned around, slid on his coat and walked out of the house. Y/N watched him walk away, managing to stop the front door before it slammed shut behind him. Not even bothering to put her coat on, she slipped on her shoes and hastily followed him up the driveway. 

“What are you doing out here? Go back inside, you’ve not even got a coat on. You’ll freeze.” Sirius said bluntly when she managed to catch up to him. 

“I don’t care.” Y/N pressed, “Will you please just speak to me? You’ve been avoiding me for days!” 

“Well, I’m sorry that I don’t feel like speaking to you after I walked in on you kissing my best mate.” 

“I’m engaged to him!” 

“You told me you didn’t love him!” 

“I don’t!” 

“Then why did you kiss him?” 

They were stood facing each other now. The chilly night air nipped at Y/N’s bare skin, making the hair on her arms stand up. She could feel frustrated tears stinging her eyes and she fought hard to hold them in. 

“He kissed me.” Y/N’s voice came out strained, “I wish he didn’t. God, I wish he didn’t. I don’t know why he did it. It just happened. I don’t know – maybe he just wanted to see if there was anything there.” 

“And was there?” Sirius asked, his eyes still cold. 

“Not on my part, no.” Y/N admitted, “Not like there was when you kissed me.” 

Sirius stopped at that. His eyes locked on hers, his expression softening for the very first time. His eyebrows raised slightly, and his frown eased.  

“You mean, the kiss with me really meant something to you?” 

Y/N nodded; a shy smile crept over her face as she thought back to their kiss. The way that Sirius’s lips had felt so different to James’s. Softer, more passionate, it had just felt right in that moment. 

“Of course it meant something to me. I thought it had to you as well,” her smiled faltered for a second, “but then after you left straight away and you avoided me for days. I thought you regretted it. Then the kiss with James happened and...” 

“I did regret it. I regretted it because you’re engaged to my best friend and I'm the bloody fool that decided to fall in love with you.” Sirius’s brows furrowed, “I just felt like I fucked up. God, you’re getting married.” 

Sirius raked a hand through his hair, his head tipped back. He looked up towards the sky, the inky, dark night sprinkled with stars. He sighed and then looked back at her. 

“I just wish we could have met under a different circumstance.” he said sadly, “without everything being so complicated.” 

“Me too.” 

She couldn’t help the aching feeling in her heart. Feeling as if the world was so cruel to throw them together this way. His eyes locked on hers, a deep well of sadness in them. 

“We should go back inside; you’ll catch your death out here.” Sirius said, placing a hand on her arm and trying to guide her back to the house. 

“Where were you going anyway?” she asked, “When you walked out?” 

“God knows.” 

They walked back to the house in silence, the only sound being the creaky stairs as they made their way back to their bedrooms. She could feel the tension in the air, like they both wanted to say something but couldn’t. When they reached the top of the stairs, without saying anything, Sirius placed a gentle hand on her cheek and turned her to face him. 

Gently, Sirius pulled her towards him, sliding one arm around her body so her chest was just brushing against his. His other hand moved up to cup the back of her neck, his fingertips brushing gently against her skin. He pulled her in closer and she tipped her head back to look at him, their lips just inches away from each other. 

He didn’t wait a second longer. His lips found hers, pressing against them as he kissed her deeply. One hand slid down to rest on her waist, the other tangling in her hair, pulling her body flush against his.  

For the first time that night, Y/N wasn’t thinking about all the complications, she was just basking in the moment, happy to feel the electricity between them once again. The kiss was much longer than their last, much more passionate. Y/N ran her fingers through Sirius’s hair. Every inch of her was pulled towards him, desperate to cling onto him. She wanted it to last forever, her arms wrapped around his neck, his body melted against her own, her lips on his. She would have given anything for time to stand still. 

All too soon, the kiss ended. Sirius’s lips moved away from hers. Their breathing was loud in the silence. The two of them stood there for what felt like an eternity, both refusing to look away. 

“What do we do now?” Y/N asked softly. 

Sirius paused before answering, his eyes flicking back down to her lips. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something but no words came out. Instead, he just tilted his head down and kissed her again, sweetly this time. 

“I’ll do whatever it takes if it means I get to do that again.” Sirius whispered, his lips still touching hers. 

“But what about James?”  

Her question brought them both crashing back to reality. Sirius let out a deep exhale as he looked away.  

“Let me worry about that.”  

James was in the kitchen the next morning when Y/N went to get breakfast. Much like herself, he was an early riser and was sat at the kitchen table when she walked in. The golden glow of the sunlight lit up the room, bathing James in its warmth.  

“Morning.” he smiled, looking up at her. His voice was still thick with sleep and his curls were falling messily over his forehead. 

Y/N smiled back despite her stomach churning with anxiety. She had spent most of the night unable to sleep, replaying last night’s events in her mind. Despite James being completely oblivious to what was happening with Sirius, she could barely stomach being in the same room as him. 

James kicked the chair out that was opposite from him, gesturing for her to take a seat. She wanted to refuse, to distance herself from him as much as possible, but she couldn’t.  

“You’ve been avoiding me.” James addressed. She felt her heart immediately drop. Her eyes darted across the room, looking anywhere but back at him. 

“I could say the same.” she retorted. James raised an eyebrow at her and leaned back in his seat. 

“You kissed me.” The words had fallen from her mouth before she had even realised what she was saying.  

“I did.” An amused smile tugged on his lips. Y/N’s stomach heaved at the way he was acting so casually about it. 

“Why did you do it?” 

“To see if we both felt anything.” he shrugged. 

“And did you?”  

“Would it matter if I did?” 

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow at him. He was acting so nonchalant, and it was driving her insane. James just chuckled, amused by her reaction. 

“Let’s suppose I did feel something. Would that affect anything?” he probed. 

Y/N looked away from him again, she was speechless. Her head was reeling from everything that was going on, all the conflicting emotions. A few weeks ago her and James were planning away for them to get out of the engagement, and then he kissed her and now, he seemed unfazed by the whole situation. 

“It wouldn’t.” he answered for her, “Because you didn’t feel anything.”  

For a moment, the whole world seemed to freeze. Her eyes widened, shocked at how blunt he was being with her. She couldn’t deny it. She hadn’t felt anything. He was right and she hated that. 

“Fine.” she admitted, feeling her throat clench up, the words just barely forcing themselves out, “I didn’t feel anything. What were you expecting? That you would kiss me and-” 

“That there would be fireworks and we would both realise that we were actually madly in love with each other?” James said dryly, “I’m not stupid. I don’t know what I was expecting.”  

Y/N sighed and rested her head in her hands. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to process everything that had just been said.  

“I’m a good kisser, right?” he teased, breaking the silence, “I mean, you have to give me that. It wasn’t completely awful, was it?” 

“No, it wasn’t completely awful.” Y/N cracked a smiled for the first time that morning. The atmosphere between them felt lighter. She felt herself relax a little, her smile growing wider. It was nice to be able to laugh a little, even if it was due to the awkwardness of the situation. 

“Did you sort everything out with Sirius?”  

“What?” Y/N spluttered, nearly choking on the intake of breath. 

“C’mon, I’m not thick.” he smiled, “All this ‘you’d be daft not to marry her’ nonsense. He couldn’t make it any more obvious.” 

Y/N’s heart felt like it was beating a million times a minute, the blood pumping through her body as she tried to think of a way to get her out of speaking about Sirius. 

“I didn’t... we didn’t... nothing happened.” she stumbled over her words. It was clear that she was terrible liar because she only managed to keep it up for a few seconds before she let out a massive sigh. 

“You’re the worst liar I have ever met, you know that?” James laughed.  

She sighed again, realising that she had no choice but to come clean. James was right – he wasn’t stupid and his suspicions were spot on. 

“Fine.” she groaned, “We kissed. Twice actually. We’ve met up a few nights, down here and we just chatted and-” 

“You like him.” James said. 

“I like him.”  

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes, both of them just stewing in the silence. Y/N tapped her fingers anxiously on the table, trying to think of something to say. 

“I’m sorry.” she decided on. 

“Don’t be sorry.” 

Y/N felt completely lost. He didn’t seem angry, or disappointed. He seemed almost understanding and she couldn’t wrap her head around it. She looked up at him, slightly surprised by his reaction. 

“You don’t care?” she asked incredulously. 

“Nope.” he smiled, “I think I always knew this would happen eventually. I never really believed in the arrangement. I mean, you’re great and I do like you but I don’t really want to marry you and you don’t want to marry me either. So what difference does it make that you like someone else?” 

“But your parents have booked the wedding.” 

“Fuck the wedding. I don’t care.” He said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “Our parents care more about the wedding than we ever could. They’ll get over it. They’ll find someone else for me to marry.” he finished with a laugh. 

Y/N felt like all the weight had been lifted off her shoulders, like she could breathe properly again for the first time in weeks. James was being so mature about the whole situation. She had been worrying for absolutely no reason, convinced that her entire world was about to come crashing down. 

“So, what do we tell our parents?” she asked. 

“Let me figure that out.” James said sitting up straight, “I’ll speak with both sets of parents, and we’ll see where it goes from there. In the meantime, just act normal. They don’t think that there’s anything wrong.” 

Y/N distracted herself while James was speaking to their parents by making her way up to Sirius’s room. She knocked gingerly on his door. He didn’t answer for a few moments but then she heard a shuffling sound and the door creaked open. 

Sirius looked like he had just woken up, his jet black hair slightly tussled but still perfect looking, plaid pyjama bottoms hung low on his hips. Y/N found herself staring at him for a second to long, her eyes scanning over his shirtless torso, taking in the sprinkling of tattoos that she hadn’t seen before. 

“Are you going to come in or are you just going to stare at me all day?” a cocky smirk spread across his lips. He stepped to the side, allowing her to enter his room and shut the door behind her. He leaned back against his bed, his eyes wandering over her, not bothering to conceal the fact that he was watching her as well.  

Neither of them spoke as they drank each other in. Y/N’s eyes darted around the room, noticing for the first time all the little details. The posters that had be messily taped to the wall, the stacks of books by his bed, even the smell of the room, all the subtle hints of him. 

“I told James.” she said, breaking the silence. 

“It’s a bit early to be dropping bombshells like that.” his mouth was curling up at the corner. 

“We don’t all sleep in ‘til noon,” she teased. Sirius just rolled his eyes at her. 

“D’you think I slept at all last night?” he nudged her, “How did he take it?” 

“Better than I expected, actually. He said he knew something was going on between us anyway. Said you spoke... highly of me.” she said, choosing her words carefully. 

“Oh, yeah?” he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, eyes sparkling mischievously “What did he say?” 

“That you said he’s daft not to marry me.” 

Sirius snorted in amusement, leaning back on the bed and crossing his arms. 

“I was that obvious, was I?” he laughed, “I guess he’s not as thick as I thought he was.” 

“I think it was more obvious when you stormed off when you walked in on him kissing me.” she joked. The pair of them laughed at the thought of Sirius’s dramatic exit. “He didn’t seem bothered at all. I mean, we both agreed that this engagement was stupid. It’s just an excuse for our parents to get involved in our lives. There’s no real reason for us to get married.” 

“So, what now?” he rested one of his hands on her thigh, “the marriage is off, I’m assuming. So, what’s the plan – we run away into the sunset together?” 

“In a perfect world, I would love to do just that, but we both know it’s not going to be that easy.” her smile faded slightly, “James is breaking the news to our parents. God knows what he’s going to tell them.”  

“Well, I suppose we just have to wait and see.” 

He pulled her towards him, letting her head rest on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, embracing her properly for the first time. She felt like she melted into him, simply just existing in his arms. Sirius rand a hand down her arm, taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, letting it linger for a few seconds. 

Every sense of her body seemed to come alive all at once. The scent of his skin mingling with the like smell of his cologne, the sound of his breath and the feel of his gentle touch running over her skin. She felt herself get lost in the moment, forgetting the past and ignoring the future. For now, she felt content. 

[pedge-page]

Plushies 3 - Cluster

The plushies continue!! Follows Puppy

Joel Miller x F!Reader - everyone takes a bath! And introducing Teddy Jr

Plushies Series Masterlist

Can be read as stand-alone

Warnings: unprotected sex, bathtub sex, stuffed animal humping, language, pet names, Daddy kink, squriting, derogatory names (lots of slut/slutty), one mention of reader's period

18 + ONLY

-

Joel was staying over the night again, kissing down your neck as you led him to the bedroom. You plopped down on the duvet, reaching to undo his jeans as he stared down at you with dark eyes. He fell down on top of you, bringing your lips back to his.

"Little pussy needy all day, huh? Just dying to get me in your bed already," he breathed against your neck, licking at your pulse and down the v neck of your shirt to nip at the top of your breasts.

You tug his hair back up to you to swallow his insaitable tongue. His fingers intertwine with yours as he dragged them over the sheets, above your head to keep them pinned.

His brows furrowed, pulling away. He looked above you at the rest of the bed. "Where are they?"

You're left breathless, wondering why he had stopped. "What?"

Joel leaned up away from you, scanning the rest of the room. There was a disturbing lack of certain somethings that he had gotten so used to seeing and throwing off your bed (and occasionally playing with.) "The..." he started squeezing his hand like pumping a air press, looking for the word.

"....plushies?"

He nodded.

"They're taking a bath."

He looked back down at you. "They're what?"

You giggled, pushing him off you and leading him hand in hand to the bathroom.

Joel followed you skeptically. As you drew open the shower curtains, he stared down with absolutely nothing flowing through his mind.

"See?"

Indeed he did see. A shit ton of sopping wet stuffed animals shoved in your bathtub soaking in a water like it was the Olympic water dancing team.

"Wh—just." He held out his hand in a stop-gesture. "Why?"

"They're taking a bath, Joel."

He blinked at your completely serious face. "Baby, we need to have a serious discusion about your mental state over these things."

"Joel they're DIRTY. Plus my in-unit washer can't handle bulk items so I gotta wash all pillows and blankets and ... them, in here."

Both physically wash and spiritually: a sort of purification too with the horny adventures you had been sharing with them because of Joel.

Joel's eyes were glued to the happy sea of colors, dead eyes mixed smily faces swirling around in the water, beckoning him.

He rubbed his thumb over hip tip lip, his tongue ghosting the trail. "Strip."

"Excuse me?"

"Strip, dirty girl. You need a cleanin', too," he said, pulling the edge of your shirt over your head.

"Joel, I'm not..."

"Shut the fuck up and get in the tub."

You zipped your lips and followed his command on instinct. Joel watched you hungrily while slowly pulling his jeans down. Once you were both naked, he titled his head towards the tub. "Get in," he smirked.

Jaw clenching, you do as you're told dipped your toes in. Luckily the water was still warm since you had just thrown them in there before Joel came over. You wiggled between the heavy plushies that were floating around before submerging your lower half fully. Joel scooted in behind you so that his hard cock was resting right against your lower back.

"Joel , this tub isn't exactly a two seater."

He ignored you and stroked your hair possesively, kissing the back of your head with his eyes closed. He began rubbing your shoulders and neck, making you lean further against him in comfort. "Feel good, baby?"

You hummed contently. His callous hands continued their soft rub over your neck, collarbone, shoulders, arms, down to chest and finally settling on your breasts, cupping them in his massive palms with a firm squeeze. His thumbs flicked against your pebbled nipples, the whiskers of his face dancing along your cheek as he kissed and sucked.

You moaned lowly, rolling your head. "Senitive."

"Mmm I know, you get like this before your period huh? This little body needs a spa day, angel." The constant press of Joel's chest against your back and the heavy plushies floating around you felt soothing like a full body massage.

Joel seizes a small beanie baby snake from the tub and drapes it over your face, covering your eyes. "Joel, what the f—"

"Shhhhh. Let me relax you."

He continued to press his fingers all over your wet body, over the valley of your breasts, down your naval, swirling his fingertips over your belly before lightly dragging back with his nails.

He fished one soaked animal and placed it on your chest, then another on your thighs and stomach. You feel the weight of their water soaked fullness pressing against you.

"They're all so wet, honey." His fingers slipped lower until they were inching to the insides of your thighs. He patted the little fat of it twice, signaling you to lift it up and spread. His warm hand wrapped around your calf and placed it over the edge of the tub, exposing your cunt under the water.

His digits pressed into you pussy, making you hiss. "Haaaahhh, wet down here too?" His tsked you.

"'S just the water."

"Baby girl, I can feel the difference. Your little pussy is gushin'." You couldn't see him, but you could feel his hot breath against your wet skin, prickles of his beard brushing your cheek, his nose nudging your ear. "'M just tryin to relax you. Don't know why you're gettin' all turned on from your little friends in the bath with you. Horny little thing."

Your hand went around his wrist as he swirled your swollen clit, teasingly dipping just his fingertips into your hole.

"Want it, daddy," you piped, turning to kiss the tip of his nose.

You whined when his hand left the space between your legs, but it was quickly followed by a loud moan when you felt something soft replace it. He dragged your favorite teddy bear between your legs, rubbing your pussy against it, the hard eyes occasionally slipping betwen your folds and nudging your clit. "Someone's here to play with you."

Yoy bit your lower lip, rocking your hips against the solid press of the drenched plushie. Of course it's this one, the bear Joel bought you on your first Valentines together. You could feel the distinct ridge of its patterned dotted nose. Each movement of his hand chruned through the water, punching into you with small humps and flat palmed rubs through the heavy fabric. The added weight of the ones on top of you heightened your senses all over.

He watched from your neck, the way your chest seized and stutted at each breath, tits jiggling against the two plushies he has planted there, the water pouring from them and dripping over your body back into the pool below. He kept one hand resting firmly on your spread knee so that it stayed over the lip of the tub, keeping you spayed out and pliant for his view.

He had almost forgetting ache of his cock, straining uncomfortably against your back. "Sit up," he whispered. You obliged, lifting your butt up from the bottom of the tub just enough so that he could position himself right below you, his member pressing right at your hole.

The snake plush and others fell off your body as you glanced down, waiting for the inevitably drop on to his perfect cock. "Daddy," you warned.

"Take your seat."

You slid down on his cock, head thrown back over his shoulder as he filled your guts.

"Perfect fuckin' fit, tight pussy needed Daddy's fat fucking cock, didn't she?"

Before you could begin bouncing, Joel grabbed a few wet plushes and began dragging them over your body like a sponge, rubbing over your sensitive nubs and down between where you two are joined. You started grinding down on him, hands on the wall and lip of the tub to keep you steady as you impaled yourself.

He pressed your teddy bear between your spread legs, rubbing it against your clit while he fucked up into you. "Whole family watchin' you get dirty, baby."

Thr obscene sound of the water splashing from his movements filled the air. You watched their beady eyes conveinently float to all stare directly at you while Joel pumped you over his length.

"P-please don't say it like that."

He smiled behind his back, pushing the face of the bear closer, its hard nose running along his moving length and your entrance. "Oh f-fuck, Teddy!"

"Tell Teddy you love him."

"I -I love you..."

"Teddy," Joel finishes. "The whole thing now." He continued to guide your waist with one hand up and down, slowing increasing your pace until his tip was smacking that sweet spot inside you he knew like the back of his hand.

"L-love—oh God yeah right there! Right there baby!! Fuck yes-love-- Love you-" you cried out as your orgasm approached—"I love you, Daddy!"

"Oh fuck—dirty fucking girl—ain't cleaning shit. Gonna fuckin wreck this slutty pussy with my cum. Like having Teddy rub his fuckin face on ya? Bet you use it when I'm not home, humping him between those gorgeous thighs, riding his face. Teddy ain't gonna fill your slutty pussy up with his cum like Daddy can."

He fisted the bear tightly, rubbing at ridiculous speeds against your clit, water sloshing back and forth in the tub. You tip toes stuttered to hold you up as your climax crashed, your moans echoing in the bathroom.

"That's it, that it sweet girl, cum on Teddy's face and Daddys cock, workin ya so good, sweetest little tight cunt ever." He continued to man handle you like a doll, fucking up into you with precision to get to his own orgasm while simultaneously extending yours.

He felt the familiar twitch inside you. "Oh shit, you gonna squirt? Nasty girl, always soakin her little plushies. Spray you fuckin pussy juiced all over them!"

You squeezed your eyes shut and let it out, Joel removing the bear so you could gush out over the heads of all your stuffed animals helplessly bobbing in the water.

Your legs give out, collapsing down on the full length of his dick as deep as possible, both of you gasping out suddenly as Joel's cock unexpectedly throbs, releasing his seed deep into your womb. "Holy—holy f-ffuckkkk" he wrapped his arms around your body, holding you tightly as he pumped his hips a few final times before fully emptying himself inside you.

You both breathed heavily, the ripples of water slowly fading to stillness.

"Bath water ain't gonna cut it now, babe. You're gonna need a priest and holy water to get these fuckers clean."

- -

This ones just a bit longer, Sorry!

Next: Teddy

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

The biggest, brightest, gaudiest display in all of Indiana

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles, day 5

Prompt: domestic fluff

Rated: G

CW: one slight mention of PTSD

Tags: Post Vecna; everybody lives; pining; Steve Harrington has a crush on Eddie Munson; Christmas

It's starting to snow by the time Steve gets home, white flakes floating in the headlights of the beemer like balls of cotton. It crunches under his feet as he sloshes towards the front door. 

Even with Christmas more than two weeks away, they've been swamped with customers lately, the cold wind and unending snowfalls luring people inside. Now, away from the buzz, the world seems quiet. Peaceful, covered under its white blanket. 

Except Steve still hasn't learned to trust that peace. Even after more than a year, even with El assuring them time and again that it's over, they've won, … he still flinches at sounds in the night, looks for escape routes and things to fashion into weapons when entering a room. He isn't sure he'll ever stop.

He shakes his head to chase away the thoughts as he scales the steps to the front porch. He isn’t sure where they're coming from. Probably a combination of stress and the looming depression that always hangs over him at Christmas time, when all of his friends are with their families and he's left in this big, empty house, alone. He’ll take a shower, heat a microwave meal, and see what's on TV, that will-

The front door is unlocked. 

He's certain he turned the key not once, but twice before he left. 

Steve slides into the dark entrance hall on silent feet. He passes the umbrella stand, eyes scanning his surroundings, and his hand finds the hilt of the nail bat. There's a creak from overhead, like feet on floorboards. 

The attic. 

The hatch is gaping open as he creeps upstairs, the foldout ladder down. 

He holds his breath and inches his way upwards, rung by rung, bat clutched in one white-knuckled hand. 

"Hello, Steven," growls a voice, and he abruptly comes face-to-face with a grimace full of too-large teeth. 

Steve yelps, slips on the ladder, and goes sprawling on his ass. The nail bat rolls off into the shadows. 

"Oh, shit!" Another face appears behind the monster. One haloed in a mane of dark curls and crowned by a fuzzy Santa hat. "You okay, man?" 

"Fuck," Steve curses, clambering to his feet and rubbing at his sore butt. "Eddie? What are you doing up there?" 

Eddie rolls his eyes and flashes him a toothy grin. It tugs at the scar on his jaw, the one he claims looks totally metal but hides under his hair most of the time. The one that Steve wants to map with his lips.

"Picking up that drill Wayne wanted to borrow. Told you I'd swing by after my shift at the garage." 

Steve settles down on the dusty floorboards and frowns. "Wasn't that at noon or something?" 

Like he doesn’t know. Like he hasn't memorized all of Eddie’s shifts. Only stopped dropping him off and picking him up every day because Eddie told him to stop. No satanic panic mobs left, no need for a bodyguard.

Eddie cocks his head in confusion and glances at his watch. "Why, what time is i- … whoops. Guess I got side-tracked." 

He shakes the monster- which, upon closer inspection, turns out to be a life-sized nutcracker. Its red-cheeked, too-wide smile mocks him and Steve just barely manages to not flip it off. 

Instead, he looks over the cardboard boxes around Eddie, all in various states of unpacked-ness. String lights coiled in thick tangles, dusty elves and reindeer and sugar canes. 

"Dude," Eddie says. He's pulled several colorful baubles from somewhere and is looping the strings over his ears. It looks ridiculous. It looks adorable.  "You never told me you're hiding Santa's village up here." 

"Didn’t even know we still had this," Steve mumbles, pulling the nearest box closer. It contains the huge neon letters spelling MERRY XMAS. "It's been forever since we got them out. Way before-"

He trails off. The words hang unspoken in the stale air. 

"I always wanted this, y’know?" Eddie says. His fingers are tracing Rudolph's shiny nose. "The whole shebang with the lights and the decorations and the music. Only so much you can do at the trailer." 

Steve hums vaguely, watches the way Eddie’s eyes crinkle, how the tip of the Santa hat flops into his face, and represses the urge to brush it back, trace those dimples with the pads of his thumbs. 

Eddie is looking at him with big, expectant cow eyes. 

"Huh?" 

"I said," Eddie repeats, sways into his space. "We should totally do it. Get all this stuff out. The biggest, brightest, gaudiest display in all of Indiana." 

Steve bites back a laugh, ignores how his stomach flutters at Eddie’s huge, excited grin. 

"I dunno. Sounds like a lot of work for just me." 

"Yeah, about that …" Eddie’s smile dims and his gaze drops. "I've been meaning to ask …" 

He starts to pick at his cuticles, so Steve habitually reaches for one of his hands to stop him. 

"Ask what?" 

Eddie sucks in a breath, and the next words rush out on the exhale, all at once. 

"So Wayne sort of took the holiday shifts because a guy got sick, so it'll just be me, and I thought …since you'll also be … alone, y'know, maybe we could …" 

"Eds," Steve says. The flutter in his stomach is turning into a hurricane. "Are you asking if I wanna spend Christmas together?" 

"What? Nah!" Eddie winks at him. "As if you'd deny me, please! I'm asking if we can get your ridiculous light show out." 

Steve snorts a laugh, chest warm and tingly and bright. "What, all of it?" 

"Hell yes, all of it," Eddie throws his head back and cackles, almost losing the hat. "It's gonna be our year, big boy!" 

They stay up in the attic for a long time, bickering and joking and unpacking boxes upon boxes of sparkly decor. Outside, the snow continues to fall. 

Steve hopes they'll get a white Christmas. 

Part 2

All of my holiday drabbles

[bohbee]

Genshin characters reacting to GN reader falling asleep.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Masterlist

Characters: Aether, Albedo, Diluc, Kaeya, Venti.

Warnings: Drunk (y/n)[Diluc], scared kaeya?, spoilers for some characters.

Notes: I have literally never used Tumblr before, but I am going to attempt

:)

Aether (& paimon ig lmao)

You and Aether had just completed several commissions, and now the two of you were sitting underneath a tree just outside of Liyue Harbor. A small breeze hit as Paimon spoke aloud "Man today sure was rough, Paimon thinks we deserved more than we got!" The small floating human stomped in the air, causing Aether to laugh. He went to respond, but a thump on his shoulder stopped him from doing so. His golden eyes looked down at his arm only to find you, his beautiful lover slumped over. Your eyes were closed, and your mouth slightly agape.

The blonde male smiled softly and kissed your forehead, "Let's go to the Baiju Guesthouse. It seems like those commissions exhausted them." He said with a soft giggle to Paimon, his arms carefully scooping you up bridal style as he headed to the inn.

Aethers floating companion opened to door for the two of you. He walked over to the bed, carefully placing you on the mattress and covering you with the blanket. He would then crawl in beside you, holding your body close, giving a soft kiss to your cheek.

(Paimon got lonely in the other bed and flew over and sprawled over the two of you)

Albedo

The heavy sharp sounds of the cold wind of Dragonspine could be heard from the entrance of the cave. You were Albedos assistant and lover, of course. The two of you were up late sorting through papers to find the results for a very old test. "Dear, do you think we had let Sucrose lend it? I am fairly certain she might know where it is." the blonde male asked. However, he did not get a response, causing him to turn around confused. "Dear-" he cut himself off at the sight of you, papers sprawled around the desk, your head laying on your arm, as your body slightly shivered.

He let out a rare smile and walked over to you, savoring the moment. He took off his coat and laid it on your shoulders, giving you a chaste kiss on your neck. "Sleep well, I love you dear" he said softly.

Diluc

Whenever Diluc would take a shift at the Tavern, you would always go with him. Sitting near him while he worked diligently, it wasn't often you would get drunk.... However, tonight was surely an exception. Venti, Kaeya, and Rosaria had sat around you laughing and drinking. And thus, here we are. The Tavern was loud. Laughter and clanking could be heard on both floors.

Diluc huffed and turned his head to his beautiful lover. Your cheek was smushed as your head laid on Kaeyas shoulder. The red-haired brother knew you were his, but it irked him to see his lover on the blue haired male. Kaeya smirked at his brothers scowl, "Don't worry 'luc, they're all yours." he said waving his free arm around.

Once the Tavern closed, he softly grabbed you, hoisting you on his back as he walked towards his winery. He smiled softly as you mumbled something in your sleep, "What am I gonna do with you, my love?"

Kaeya

The blue-haired captain of the Knights of Favonius often worked late, leaving you alone at your shared home. However, you would always stay awake and waited for him to make sure he would come back safe. Though tonight was a very long night, keys could be heard jingling the doornob. The door opened, revealing an exhausted cyro user, who luckily had a day off tomorrow. His brow raised up high as he realized his lover wasn't their to greet him, panic settled it. Yeah, he probably should've thought it through, but he wasn't in the right mind for that. Kaeya raced around the house, his thoughts jumbling around, thinking his past had finally caught up to him, taking the one thing he cherished most. However, his fearful thinking came to an end as he saw your gorgeous face pressed against your book, you slow breaths softly moving the pages.

He breathed out heavily, moving your chair ever so slightly. He carefully picked you up and walked towards your room, causing you to grumble a bit. "Shh now darling, I'm here I'm here."

Venti

It wasn't often that the loud couple was seen separated, but Venti had duties as an Archon. Today, he had left to see his long-time friend Dvalin. You walked around Mondstat quickly getting bored without your loud bard around, so you decided to fix that, and you walked over to Windrise.

The sun set as Venti finished his hangout. He said a quick goodbye and headed over to his city of Mondstat. However, he knew you weren't there, the winds guided him to his beloved. Venti let out an "ehe" as he saw you curled up at the base of his statue. He walked up to you and laid his head on your lap, interlacing his fingers with yours. His beautiful eyes stared at your precious face. "Sleep well, my windblume." he said before closing his eyes.

♡♡♡♡♡♡

Okay I hope that was atleast alright? I'll probably do a part two in like 30 minutes

[eruisapenguin]

The Tragedy That is Humanity

I have this WIP rotting in my doc for a while, felt like it's better to post it here instead of letting it become bonemeal.

Scarlet Child AU

———————

Your first thought was, it's suffocating.

The weight of the world pressed in, heavy and oh so suffocating—you were unable to breathe, lungs refusing to tear itself and draw air for you—panic started to settle deep like a blade to a wound would. It burns.

Then, something shifted. The weight lifted, the pressure broke before you, and your chest heaved as you gasped in the cold air so thick it felt foreign. Still yet the burning ache persists, holding you down with a simple wish of hope it would last forever.

The newborn���s—your eyes opened, gleaming with an unsettling light; ancient and innocent, terrified and commanding, familiarity and of naivety. With a blink, you remember.

Above you, the blue sky darken in reverence. Clouds unravel themselves apart in recognition of yourself. The wind whispered silent prayers and howled their pleas; nature bowed their heads to welcome your presence. Concrete crumbling to dust whilst the ground trembles below you.

An infant’s first wail echoed throughout the world. It was yours, why are you a baby? Did you die and be reincarnated into another yet cruel existence? You didn't remember dying. Life rips you away only to place you into another, what use could it have of you? To remember your previous life? You cried and screamed. It's unfair.

That life, you led it with ordinance, as another gear in a machinery that is society, replaceable and unworthy. Yet here; you could feel it wasn't the same. The earth responded when your cry pierced it, you’ve unknowingly sunk your soft, tender fingers into it like it was its purpose all along: to bend by your will. Why must it be you?

There was a corpse besides you

Mother

What has life turned you into?

Soon, when a pair of arms descends to carry you, darkness threatens to slip. You last wondered who your mother was.

—

It wasn't hard to notice whoever brought you to, wherever here is, was nobody normal. At first it looked like a very depressing hospital, then you’ve gawked at the obvious, enormous, SCP fucking Foundation logo in the wall for an unhealthy amount of time the person in charge of you started to look at you with an odd expression. Nothing's wrong here, yep.

Anyways, they put you inside a cradle—where the bed is surprisingly comfortable for your vulnerable baby skin. The Foundation has been…oddly kind…even though you kinda, caused a whole natural disaster as soon as you were born.

Dramatic much, you. And, it has been a few days and the facility hasn't burned down yet because of you. So, good job! You’ve been coping pretty well too—as good as a person who was reborned into a fictional world that is. By coping you mean repressing it, eh, you can always let it out by screaming at your poor caretakers.

Time passes fast when you're a baby. Napping and mostly dissociating when not, does that, you guess. You don't have to worry about being a little odd too, since you're an anomaly and all. It's been more than three months and you're able to sit up now. Good grief, it's tiring to lay down all day. The doctors started giving you toys to play with; you've taken a liking to throwing it at them and laughing—you heard them muttering things that this is supposed to be impossible but expected from an anomaly.

The next week they replaced it with balls made out of soft, rubbery material. They're slippery and you absolutely hated that fact, the only way you could play with it is by rolling it around. Your caretakers nodded in approval. Soon, you countered their attempt by learning how to somehow manipulate it with your own sheer fucking will. The throw was far harder than what you could do with your own hands. You relished the unassuming intern’s face when they saw your ball floating in the air only for it to smack them right in the head.

They immediately took them all away from you, two hours after the incident and now you're left with nothing. Fuck. You're bored as is and they're taking your only stimulations away??!

“No! My ‘oys!” You started wailing with the strength of a godly baby. The woman—who you have come to recognize as the baby expert here, dropped her jaws and had to physically use her hand to close it. Maybe it's because you just spoke when you're still like, about five months old or maybe it's something else; eh, serve her right though, for taking your stuff.

A man crouched right besides you, not liking the calculating gaze he has. “You can speak,” said him, not posed as a question based on the tone but a fact.

You respond by mustering up the best glare a baby can do.

“You can understand our language well.” And he nodded, what the fuck, why is he talking as if you're an alien. Wait, you are. In their eyes that is.

“Pak ‘ouhf.” Legendary, damn you lack of teeth. He arched one from over his stupid blocky glasses. “Where did you learn that?”

“You mum.” Clearly that was yet another answer the researcher doesn't expect.

After a few seconds, he sighed, “what about we bargain?” Oh? And it seemed like he noticed your interest.

“We will give back your toys—as long as you don't throw it at anyone again. Mhm?” Your baby face stretched to a grin as you exaggerated a nod. “Buh! No balls. I wan puzzles.”

He stared at you for a long time before darkening his expression, hah! As if you’d be intimidated. “Remember,” he started, “use it to harm, we will confiscate it and start limiting your privileges—” you have privileges? “—am I clear?”

A small price to pay, deal.

[streamdotpng]

This can be for after you’ve got rest and don’t feel burnt out!

T&T - how would Enid react if she were to walk into class to see that Joel took her regular seat next to Wednesday?

"hey," is the only warning Enid gives as she stands right infront of him. The look she has is unamused as she looks down at the intruder "you're on my seat."

Wednesday pauses in her reading and Enid can see the way she stills and begins to watch her from the corner of her eye.

There's an itch in Enid's chest when Joel gives a beaming smile at her, his arm is too close to her seatmate, her roomie.

Did Wednesday not..?

No.

Wednesday never let's others sit with her, atleast not willingly so did she simply allow this Aidenn scu- the realization that Wednesday simply let this be hurts, it stings at her heart and it makes Enid tense her jaw.

"sorry sorry," Joel laughs, waving his hand. "I just wanted to catch up and since the seat was empty.."

There is no one talking in the classroom and Enid can feel the way they stare, waiting for a reaction.

So Enid rolls her shoulders and bares her teeth right back. It looks like a smile, it's anything but that. "No worries," she chirps and her hand reaches over to Wednesday, an offering. "I think you need the seat closer to the front anyways, considering that you have glasses."

Something warm curls in Enid when Wednesday dips her head in such a way that she knows is a sigh before folding her book and shouldering her bag.

Good, Enid thinks and her fingers tighten around the cold hand of her Wednesday. I didn't know what I'd do if Wednesday decided to be stubborn and stay with him.

He's saying something and Enid honestly doesn't have enough fucks to tune him in, so she watches his cheap attempts at waving goodbye.

Pathetic, he's floundering like a fish out of water.

It reminds her so much of someone. The way he shifts and fidgets, it's annoying.

We could make his sight worse? It giggles and Enid's fingers twitch. A lil slice across the eyes, so he can't see anymore opportunities..

Maybe next time, Enid notes as she leads Wednesday to the emptier seats in the back. There's disappointment after her words and groans of killjoy! And you're no fun float around her head.

When they're all done and settles, Enid watches the way Wednesday props up her book once more, somehow finding her page without a bookmark. They aren't holding hands anymore, the shorter girl having let go and already the wolf misses it.

"what was your convo?" Enid prods, always so nosy. Does he excite you, Wednesday? Is spineless men your type? Tell me dear, tell me all.

Wednesday doesn't answer any of that. Instead she huffs through her nose and slams her book shut to give a piercing stare. She's beautiful like this, when her brows are a tiny bit furrowed and she looks like she's frustrated.

What a pretty roomie Enid has.

"next time," Wednesday starts. "arrive sooner so I don't have to entertain such happenstance."

Enid leans close, crossing her arms on the table to bump it towards Wednesday. She doesn't move back because ofcourse she doesn't, Enid is special. She's already accepted her and there's no take backs!

Enid is aware that someone is staring at them.

"just say you missed me Wends." finally there's a smile on the wolf's face and everything is right where it should be.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Wednesday lies, fixing her posture in a way that it pushes against Enid.

Blue eyes flicker to the upset frown of Joel Glicker and Enid shrugs, her lips pulling up to showcase teeth as she reached over for Wednesday's hand.

She didn't need to do a thing before their fingers intertwine.

[ourladyofmaplemurder]

dark rvd things currently floating around in your head?

I'm honestly still thinking about the fic scenario dreamed up with @hauntingattheblackberrypatch the other night where Jason never dies and Heather never gets banished.

As the story goes, Heather and Jason start dating in high school to hide the fact that Heather and Cheryl are together...but Heather notices that she's also helping to hide the fact that Cheryl and Jason are together. She believes she can fix this.

Time passes. Eventually, they're all living at Thornhill together. Jason and Heather get married. Cheryl's mental health gets worse and worse. Sometimes she believes everything is perfect and sometimes she believes Heather and Jason resent her.

She is perpetually preoccupied with the Blossom curse and believes that one of the twins has to die for the other to live. She starts regularly trying to kill herself.

Jason and Heather save her over and over again. They reorganize their lives around keeping Cheryl safe. A sense of paranoia settles over the house. Maybe they do resent her a bit.

One morning, Heather wakes to find Cheryl missing from their bed. She wonders if she's with Jason. She isn't.

Heather finds Jason sitting at the dining room table, eyes hard and set on the windows, but he's not really looking at anything.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know."

Panicked, Heather runs through the house searching for Cheryl. She runs to Sweetwater River and finds her caught in a tangle of branches, wrists cut.

Heather and Jason are both haunted by their grief and their guilt. Eventually, they are also haunted by Cheryl.

To Jason, Cheryl appears as a vengeful, bloody spirit.

To Heather, she appears beautiful and serene.

"Join me." She says.

Jason hangs himself in the barn.

Heather drowns herself in the river.

Veronica later buys the house to turn it into a haunted attraction.

++

That's the quick and dirty synopsis, but I love it so much. I'm strongly considering adapting it for my original work. Or maybe I'll fic it. I don't know. I've got a lot going on in my personal life right now.

[casualaruanienjoyer]

Hi Stella!

Some AruAni post-canon fluff, BUT featuring your resent wonderful arts in their 1930's clothes :)

Anna omg, you are killing me with this one😭��� absolutely adorable.AAAA THANK YOU

Will you Marry Me?

"Come on dear, we'll be late!" Armin grabs an issue of today's newspaper as they quickly walk past a busy stand.

"You try running in these!" Annie sighs, one hand being pulled by his while the other holding onto her hat. "Besides, it's your fault that we're late!".

They had approximately 2 minutes left before their train departs, and are incredibly relieved to see that it's still there when they reach the platform. They rush into a carriage and occupy the first vacant seats they can find, happy that the train is quiet.

Armin laughs.

"I'm so happy we made it!" He takes her hand in his, playing with her gloved fingers. They sit across from each other, a small coffee table to the side.

"I wasn't going to let you leave the house like that" Annie relaxes into her seat, enjoying the pampering.

"Like what? You didn't like my moustache?" Armin teases, lifting a finger under his nose. This gets a laugh out of Annie.

"It doesn't suit you! Besides, you're too young to be rocking a moustache like that. I prefer a clean shave". Her hand cups his face and he leans in, kissing it.

Things have been like this for a while. Living post war was difficult for the longest time, with Armin being busy all the time and Annie taking care of her father. But over time things settled, and they were able to fully enjoy being with each other.

Armin never knew being in love would be so beautiful. Things weren't always this easy... with a past like theirs. Thankfully, Armin was a very patient man.

But there's one thing he can't be patient about anymore. And that certain thing rests in a little box in his pocket.

Today is the day he would ask Annie to marry him.

A couple of hours later they arrive at their destination, which is a small seaside town not far from where they live.

Armin wanted today to be special, so they visit the local botanical gardens, stroll along the pier, have a nice romantic dinner (and dessert), all ending with a walk on the beach. Of course he would ask her by the ocean.

"It's so beautiful" Annie says, gazing at the strong waves. She gave up on wearing her heels long ago, now hanging from her fingers. She enjoys the coolness of the sand between her toes as they walk along the beach. They had a lovely day, and she feels peaceful.

"Yeah..." Armin responds, gazing at her instead. They're holding hands and Armin's eyes dart between Annie and his pocket. When would be the right time? Maybe now?

"I want to try it" she mutters, catching Armin off guard.

"Try what?" But she's already heading towards the water.

"W-wait!" Armin follows, abandoning his shoes between small sand dunes.

Annie dips a toe into the water, and once she learns it's warm enough, she steps in further. Turning around, she waves at Armin, who was busy rolling up his trousers. "It's warm!"

Armin smiles to himself, but when he stands upright it's already too late. "Annie-!"

SPLASH

"Gah!" She gets hit by an unexpected wave. Although not big, it was strong enough to make her loose her balance and fall to her knees. Her clothes are now completely soaked, her hair undone and her hat floating away somewhere. Armin hears sobbing.

"Oh no" he rushes over, hand reaching out to help her up. "Are you ok?"

She takes his hand, but instead pulls him hard enough for him to fall into the water. "Woah, what was that for?!" Beside being completely soaked, his sunglasses also disappear off somewhere, never to be seen again.

Annie snorts, then starts laughing wholeheartedly. Armin's eyes widen and his heart skips a thousand beats.

He feels so lucky to be here with her, like this. Who would have thought a day would come where they can relax like this, no worries on their minds.

Well, there's one thing Armin is a bit worried about.

"Annie..." Armin reaches for his pocket, nervously.

"Yeah?" She replies between laughs and giggles.

Armin clears his throat, blushing and shifting in the shallow water to kneel before her. He pulls out the small box (now also damp) and slowly opens it, revealing a delicate ring decorated with a blue stone "Will you... marry me?"

Her laughter stops abruptly, so abruptly that she chokes and starts coughing. Her face turns red.

"Are you ok?!" Armin leans over, patting her over the back. This didn't go at all like he had planned.

"YES!!" She shouts a bit too loudly. "Yes" she says again and her arms fly around his shoulders, pulling him in a tight hug.

"Yes to being ok o-or...?" He asks, pulling away to look into her eyes.

"Yes, of course I want to marry you!" She smiles, kissing him deeply.

Armin's heart explodes.

💜This fic is now also on AO3 !

[shortnspidey]

CHAPTER TWO: CLASH OF IDEALS

Robby Keene x OC!Reader || WC: 2K

A/N: two updates back to back, who am I?! Enjoy this filler chapter, while I go back to Christmas shopping! <3

➩ previous chapter || next chapter

➩ main masterlist

➩ series masterlist

Waking up late the following morning, jet-lagged and groggy, Katherine stumbled out of bed, her eyelids heavy with sleep. She padded to the bathroom, the cool tile a stark contrast to the warmth of her covers. After a quick splash of cold water to her face, she emerged into the kitchen, where the intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. Amanda, ever the attentive aunt, was waiting with a steaming cup, a kind smile playing on her lips. "How'd you know I needed this?" Katherine asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

She took a sip of the dark liquid, the warmth seeping into her weary body. "Call it intuition," Amanda replied, her smile widening. "How'd you sleep?" She inquired. Katherine grinned, her eyes filled with a lazy contentment. "I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow," She confessed. Amanda returned her smile, a sense of relief washing over her as she saw her niece genuinely happy for the first time in years.

"Listen, Daniel and I are going to be out for most of the day," Amanda began, her voice gentle. "Feel free to stay and settle back into your room. But, if you want to explore the city again, be our guest. You can borrow Sam's car until Daniel and I find you one. And if you guys need anything, just call us." Katherine nodded, her mind already racing with endless possibilities. She was eager to rediscover the city she'd once called home.

As Amanda grabbed her black bag and kissed her niece on the forehead, she headed out the door, leaving Katherine alone with the comforting silence of the house. A few minutes later, Sam came downstairs, her hair still damp from a recent shower. "Where are my parents?" she asked, her eyes scanning the empty room. "Amanda said they're gonna be out for most of the day," Katherine replied, handing her cousin a cup of coffee. "So what are we gonna do for the rest of the day? Do you wanna go drive around?"

Katherine suggested, Samantha, however, was quick to shake her head, a mischievous glint in her eye. "No, I think I have a better idea, something that'll be way more fun," She replied, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. Katherine raised a brow, watching as Samantha typed away on her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. Intrigued, Katherine raised an eyebrow. Samantha grinned and disappeared into her room, only to emerge a few minutes later, dressed in a vibrant swimsuit.

"Go put on your bathing suit and meet me outside in fifteen minutes," She commanded, before dashing out the door, leaving Katherine baffled. Not quite understanding her cousin's intentions, Katherine went into her room and opened her nearly empty suitcase. She sighed, a wave of annoyance washing over her. She'd forgotten to pack much, her mind preoccupied with other things. She made a mental note to go shopping for new clothes before school started. Taking out her turquoise two-piece bathing suit, she quickly undressed and threw it on.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, a bit self-conscious of the minimal material hugging her figure. Shaking off the negative thoughts, she grabbed her sunglasses and headed outside. Expecting to find only Samantha, perhaps lounging around on one of the pool floats, she wasn't overly concerned about how the rest of the evening would play out. That was until she heard the obnoxious blare of loud music coming from outside.

Opening the backyard door, she was met with a chaotic scene. A horde of screaming teenagers, clad in various bathing suits, were jumping in and out of the pool, their laughter echoing through the air. Looking around, she immediately spotted Samantha sitting on the edge of the pool, chatting with a blonde and a brunette girl, presumably the best friends she'd mentioned the night before. Walking over, Katherine sat down next to her cousin, instantly catching the blonde's attention.

"Who is this?" The blonde asked, her tone dripping with disdain. "Katherine," The brunette girl replied, her voice level. "I’m Samantha's cousin, and who might you be?" Katherine shot back, her glare sharp. Samantha quickly shot her cousin a warning look, knowing her temper could flare at a moment's notice. "Yasmine," The blonde introduced herself, her arrogance palpable. "Moon," The brunette girl next to her added, her expression more neutral. "Katherine just moved back from France," Samantha explained, trying to diffuse the tension.

Moon was quick to send Katherine a friendly smile. "It's so nice to meet you!" She chirped, extending her hand for a shake. "I love your sunglasses." Katherine smiled back, appreciating the brunette's energetic attitude. "Nice to meet you as well," She replied, shaking Moon's hand. After a brief moment of awkward silence, the three girls quickly returned to their gossip. Seeing as all the lawn chairs were occupied by strangers, Katherine had no choice but to sunbathe at the edge of the pool.

Deciding to relax for the evening, she emptied her mind and leaned back, immediately noticing a few guys gawking at her. She rolled her eyes in disgust. "Okay, you were right. This is so much fun," Samantha exclaimed excitedly, breaking Katherine's thoughts. "Told you. Always better to be the one throwing the party," Yasmine responded cockily. "And Kyler's been eye-banging you all day," She added, making the four girls glance over at the group of guys across the pool, who had their eyes trained on them. Samantha blushed like a giddy teenager as Yasmine and Moon teased her.

Katherine had to bite her tongue, restraining herself from making a snarky comment. She had promised to be nice and try to have a good time without hurting anyone's feelings. Why did she have to promise to be nice? "What's your dad going to say when he sees all this?" Katherine asked, snapping Samantha out of her heart-eyed daydream. "Don't worry, we'll clean it all up when everyone leaves. He'll never know," Samantha reassured her. Katherine wasn't so sure she liked that idea.

Lying to her aunt and uncle did not seem like the smartest decision, seeing as they had agreed to let her stay at their house rent free. She knew they were kind and understanding, but she also knew they valued honesty. Her thoughts were cut short by obnoxious cheers and splashes as the partygoers continued their revelry. "Hey, Rory, do your flip again. I want to get it for my channel!" Moon yelled, pulling out her phone to record. "Yes, Rory!" The crowd cheered as the boy gracefully dove into the pool.

However, the moment of excitement was short-lived as a familiar figure walked into the backyard. And he looked beyond pissed. "Hey, hey, what the hell is going on here?" Daniel exclaimed, his eyes scanning the chaotic scene. "Oh, shit," Moon gasped, quickly putting away her phone. Daniel sighed in frustration, reaching over to turn off the blaring music. "All right, everybody get out of here right now," Daniel ordered sternly. "I'm so sorry, Dad,” Samatha coxed hoping her father wouldn’t cause a scene in front of all her friends.

“I had no idea you were going to be home so early," She reasoned, trying to calm her father down. Only her excuse made Daniel grown angrier. "It doesn't make a difference what time I get home, Sam. Do you think we want a bunch of strangers in the backyard making a mess?" He ranted. "They're not strangers. They're my friends," Samantha countered, her voice rising. Daniel scoffed. "Some friends. Is he wearing my bathing suit?" He paused, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the group of teen boys standing around the pool, looking like deer caught in headlights.

"Wait, are all of you guys wearing my bathing suits?" He exasperated. Katherine watched the unfolding chaos with a mixture of amusement and concern. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the bewildered boys, but she also knew that Daniel was about seconds away from unleash his wrath. She turned to Samantha, who was now looking sheepish. "Well, this is awkward," Katherine muttered under her breath, trying to hide her grin. It was safe to say that Samantha was not at all amused.

"All right, listen, the party's over, let's go. Take the suits off and leave." He snapped. Not wanting to hear more of Daniel's stern orders, Katherine watched as some frazzled teenage boy started taking off the trunks right there, making both her and Samantha look away in embarrassment. "Obviously not out here, genius. In the pool house." Katherine scoffed, pointing to the secluded area behind the house making the boy nod and quickly huddle away. "Thank you, Katherine," Daniel praised, making the girl nod.

She decided it was best to keep quiet and not anger him further. With that, the house was quickly emptied of the partygoers. "Daniel, can I talk to you inside?" Amanda interrupted, looking between the two girls and her husband, who was still fuming. After debating the many options in his head, Daniel nodded, following his wife inside. "This is so not how I wanted today to go." Samantha whimpered as she and Katherine walked inside, hoping their punishment wouldn't be too severe. "What's done is done, let's just let your dad cool down." Samantha reluctantly nodded, following Katherine upstairs.

A few hours later, as both girls were laying on Samantha's bed scrolling through social media, when suddenly her bedroom door swung open. In walked Daniel, who looked a lot more composed and cooled down. "I just wanted to say," He started. "No, look, Dad. I'm sorry about today," Samantha interrupted, knowing that today's incident was entirely her fault. "I'm sorry too," Katherine interjected. "I should have tried to at least put an end to it, seeing as a bunch of strangers coming over wasn't the way to go, especially since this isn't my house," She concluded. Daniel looked between the two girls.

"Well, maybe I overreacted a little," He conceded. Samantha gave him a look. "Maybe more than a little, okay? Just have those guys bring their own trunks from now on, okay?" Katherine laughed, and Samantha shook her head but nodded in agreement. "Deal." Daniel sat at the edge of the bed, looking at his daughter in particular. "So these guys. Anyone I have to worry about?" He questioned, noticing the blush creeping onto Sam's face. Katherine smirked at her cousin, biting her lip to prevent herself from laughing.

"You don't have to worry, Dad," Samantha reassured, pausing dramatically. "But there is this one guy, Kyler. He and I have been texting a little bit." Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Texting. Just words, though, right?" Katherine nearly burst out laughing, catching onto what her uncle was implying. "What do you mean..." Sam paused, finally catching on. "Oh, gross. No, no. Just words, Dad." Both girls watched as he let out a breath of relief. "Good, that's good. So Kyler... how about we invite him over for dinner on Friday?" Daniel suggested.

"You want me to invite Kyler to Friday family dinner?" Samantha asked, wondering why the sudden change in her father's demeanor. "I'm not talking about walking you down the aisle. We're going to give the kid a meal. Besides, your brother has a sleepover. It'll be a good chance for us to get to know him." Katherine shrugged when Daniel met her gaze. There was something about the boy that she didn't like. "Okay. I'll see if he can come," Samantha agreed, even though she wasn't entirely sure why she was agreeing. "Great," Daniel stated, standing up to leave.

"You don't have to worry about me, Dad. I can handle myself. I'm a LaRusso." Katherine smiled, wishing she had the same kind of bond with her own father. "That's my girl. Jersey tough," He remarked, pausing to look over at Katherine. "Both of you, I know I've taught you both to handle yourselves. Now get to bed, it's late." Katherine saluted him as he left, turning to Samantha as the door shut. "So, what's the deal with Kyler?" Katherine inquired, eager to know more about her cousin's new crush. By the looks of it, Samantha was more than eager to indulge her, gushing about how much she had grown to like this boy.

[blightdaddy]

15 and 17 for pasha, 31 for orin, annnddd 39 for linnarel 💖

HELL YEA TY!!

for refence: pasha, orin, and linnarel!

as usual, under the cut just in case! bc spoilers (definite spoilers this time)

15) Who else has a crush on Rook?

so, like, maybe i had this whole silly thing in my head where pasha had a messy on-and-off situationship with varric. messy in the sense that, like, they knew it would never actually work - their work would constantly pull them away and deep, deep down, pasha wants to settle. varric wasn't really the settling down type of dude. AND ALSO following world ending catastrophes for over a decade is exhausting and they don't wanna be pulled into it anymore! but when they had some down time and found each other, shit just made sense. he was one of their best friends!! and while pasha would never say they were in love with him, they did love him. they did some real mental gymnastics to just accept they'd never get what they wanted from him. and like... pulling them into the inquisition and then having them come with him to chase down solas AND THEN DYING was a very shitty thing to do!! also the way pasha kicks shit open and is ripped as hell, who wouldn't have a crush on them???? this was a long-winded one im sorry!!

17) Any companions they don’t get along with? How does Rook navigate this?

SO. LIKE. i am going to preface this with i am weak for good ol' enemies to lovers type shit. jessie, when i tell you i am WEAK for it... pasha is a lil gruff, rough around the edges. emmrich is gentle and kind in a way they just weren't used to. like yes, he's competent and powerful and very good at what he does but people suck and he's going to get himself killed. and WHAAAAAT the fuck do city mages know about roughin' it up??? they have different views on the world around them and they butt heads. but pasha quickly realizes they've underestimated him, choosing to see good in people doesn't mean pushover, it doesn't mean weakness. he can keep up with the rest of them and he's sharp as hell (with the tiniest bit of a bitchy streak if you press the right [wrong?] buttons). and pasha is not immune to the charm of a smooth talker. and ok maybe they like how proper and put together he looks all the time. maybe they also really like how he can and will roll up his sleeves and get a lil dirty. maybe they like the way he talks and the way he words things. maybe they look at him one day and they're like "oh no he's hot." he softens those rough edges and she likes that about him. hey listen, i sat here for like a minute in a voice call with some friends and i went "hmm who WOULD pasha dislike, they don't dislike anyb--OH MY GOD WAIT." you did this, this happened bc of you.

31) Which locations (Docktown, Arlathan etc) does Rook like to visit the most? And the least?

is harding's lil green house an acceptable location??? orin likes the shade of harding's hair and her optimism and her freckles the plants! least favorite place is treviso, he doesn't have fond memories. and while there are people there that he cares about, he thought he'd be gone for good after he left. dee's least favorite place is dock town bc my computer does not like it when i go there. between the rain and the architecture, my pc sounds like a jet engine during take off.

39) What’s it been like, living in the Lighthouse?

linnarel is decidedly not a people person and he's just hyper aware of everybody's presence. my beautiful princess with a disorder can put personal feelings aside when on a job but he's not very good with people. the others will be the first time in a very long time he's had to be around others for more than a few days and boy howdy do they test him. while he would warm up to them eventually, it takes a good while. ALSO FUCK THE FADE HE HATES IT HERE WHY IS THEIR HOUSE FLOATING WHY IS THAT GHOST THANG ROWING A BOAT THERE'S NO WATER THEY'RE IN THE AIR

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Chapter 5 (His POV)

These translations are not intended as a replacement for the game. Please support cybird by buying their stories. SPOILERS under the cut. Expect mistakes.

(She's sleeping soundly.)

I glanced quietly at Mai, who was sleeping soundly on the futon.

(She must have been exhausted. Well, not surprising after what happened.)

(But I should wake her up soon.)

Kichou: "It's already morning. Wake up."

Mai: "Nn. I'm awake."

Kichou: "If your words were true, I wouldn't have to call on you like this."

Kichou: "Wake up, Mai."

I called her name a little louder this time.

Mai: "----!"

Kichou: "You're finally awake."

Mai: "Kichou? Where the hell am I?"

Kichou: "Are you still dreaming? We're in a room at the inn."

Mai: "Oh, right."

She jerked up and blinked a few times, still dazed.

(Looks like she's awake now.)

(I guess it won't be a problem if I leave her alone like this.)

Already dressed, I put my hand on the door to leave the room first.

Kichou: “I’m gonna go check on the horses. When you’re ready, come outside.”

Mai: “Okay.”

As I walked out of the inn, the bustle of the town enveloped me as the morning came, and the breeze blew, causing the curtains hanging at the inn's entrance to flutter.

(It looks like it's not raining anymore.)

(By the looks of it, it'll be sunny all day today.)

Maybe it was because the sky was clear, but the expressions on the people's faces were somewhat cheerful.

After noticing it, I turned my attention to the horse.

Mai: “Let’s see, I think it’s this way.”

Kichou: “............”

Mai: “Oh, wait. I think it's the other way around.”

Kichou: “Wait, Mai.”

I stopped Mai with a sigh and shook my head.

Mai: “Did I read it wrong again?”

Kichou: “No, you’re making a more serious mistake than that. It’s upside down.”

Mai: “What? Ah!”

(How did you not notice that?)

Kichou: “You insisted on learning to read a map, so I taught you, but I guess I let you practice too soon.”

Mai: “Sorry. I was just too excited.”

Mai: “I think it’s better if I follow you for now.”

While returning the map to me, she pointed to something.

Mai: "By the way, what are these circles?"

Kichou: "Caves. We should avoid them."

Mai: "Huh? But it looks like a shortcut."

Kichou: “………….”

Kichou: “It’s dark in there, and the footing is bad anyway. There’s also a chance that some bandits are using it as a hideout.”

Kichou: "Just to be on the safe side, we should avoid it."

(This reason is no lie either.)

I didn't tell her the other reason and kept my expression unchanged as she nodded in agreement.

Mai: "I see. You're right."

(We better hurry.)

(We can't afford to stay here for a little detour.)

I reeled in the reins of my horse and continued onward.

After a while一

Mai: "Is this our stop?"

Kichou: "Yeah."

After passing through the deep mountains, we arrived at a quiet, deserted beach.

(Good. They're here as promised.)

The boats floating across the beach were from the main ship, anchored a distance away.

(No matter how many times I see it, it's still a magnificent ship.)

(If that thing gets into Sakai, it will immediately cause unnecessary rumors by other witnesses.)

(I made the right call building it in this place.)

There are no large towns around, and only a few small villages settled on the opposite side of the mountain.

It was an ideal place to use as a port, although it was somewhat far from Sakai.

As I walked up to the small boat with Mai, who was looking around, I saw a man sitting.

When he saw us, he raised his hand, smiling.

Foreign man: “Kichou!”

Kichou: “Thank you for your time today.”

I took his hand, and we shook hands lightly.

(Hm?)

I saw Mai's expression light up briefly as she stood next to me.

(It looks like she understands a few words.)

(Come to think of it, she had a lot of opportunities to learn this in the future.)

(I see. I'll keep an eye on her to see how well she understands it.)

We boarded a small boat and went to a large galleon docked in the port.

As soon as we arrived, we exchanged greetings with our business partner and were taken straight to a cabin for our meeting.

(This guy talks a lot of nonsense.)

(I'd like to get right down to business, but if I keep him in a good mood, it’ll be easier to do what I want later.)

While continuing the conversation with light jokes, I glanced sideways to see how Mai was doing.

(She's having a hard time.)

She pursed her lips tightly but kept smiling as she listened to our conversation, comparing our faces.

(I can't blame her. This guy is annoyingly chatty, and he talks too fast.)

(Oh well, I'll check back on her later.)

(I have some questions I want to ask after bringing her here.)

Mai: “Thank you for your hard work. It looks like the business meeting went well.”

Kichou: “Yeah.”

(Good thing he was in a good mood.)

(The deal went smoothly.)

(8,000 to 10,000. This 2,000 will surely help.)

After returning from the boat, we walked along the beach, remembering the business meeting.

(The numbers on the documents have already been rewritten. The negotiations are officially closed.)

Mai: “What on earth are you planning to buy in such a large quantity?”

Kichou: "You looked like you knew what I was talking about earlier, but was that an act?"

Mai: "Yes, I tried to act like your secretary."

Kichou: "I see. No wonder you didn't react at all."

Mai: "What?"

Kichou: "The business meeting we just had was about purchasing weapons."

Mai: "-----!"

Kichou: "Considering the number of ships allowed into Sakai, we still haven't reached the amount needed for our plan."

Kichou: "This port was built for that purpose."

Mai: “----!”

The blood quickly drained from her face, and her steps became shaky.

Mai: "Are you sure you want to tell me something so important?"

Kichou: "If you're my secretary, you should know about it."

Kichou: "Or are you trying to get in my way?"

Mai: "No, that's一"

I looked straight at Mai as I asked the question.

(Well, how are you gonna answer?)

Kichou: "You once tried to stop me from getting the weapons."

Mai: "You're right. That happened before."

------------Flashback------------

Mai: “I think conflicts will happen if more people get their hands on weapons.”

Kichou: “That is my goal.”

Kichou: “I’ll incite the forces of various regions and disturb Japan. This trading post is for that purpose.”

Mai: “A lot of people are going to die.”

Kichou: “………..”

---------Flashback Ends---------

(Back then, she backed off.)

Kichou: "What do you think now? Do you want to stop me and call off the deal we just had?"

Mai: "I..."

She shot me a probing look, trying to figure out the question I asked her.

(I just want to hear your own true feelings.)

(How do my actions look through the values you held in the future?)

After a few moments of silence, she began to speak softly.

Mai: "I still don't think it's right to create conflict or to instigate one."

Mai: "I think this will never change, no matter what, but..."

Kichou: "But?"

Mai: "I want to talk to you properly without outright denying your thoughts."

Mai: "And since we're here together like this..."

(You want to talk about it?)

Kichou: "Why?"

Mai: "Because I don't know what's right and wrong, and it's not something I can decide by my own standards."

Kichou: "You already have your answer. You said earlier that my idea wasn’t right."

Mai: "Yes. Still, the feeling of not knowing comes first."

Mai: "And the more I think about it, the more I think about you."

Kichou: "............"

(Are you still willing to face the question even though you already have the answer?)

Mai: "That’s why I want to know."

Mai: “I don’t understand why you’re doing this, and I may not be able to empathize, but I want to understand.”

Kichou: “Can that be done by just talking to each other?”

Mai: “I don’t know, but don’t you think wanting to know is the first step?”

Kichou: “Who knows? Knowing could lead to disillusionment and even rifts in the relationship.”

(More often than not, that's what happens.)

Mai: “It’s the same without knowing.”

Mai: “I made all these assumptions that you were a horrible person, but you weren't maliciously trying to create conflict.”

Mai: “Every time I got to know you a little better, I got confused even more.”

(Why?)

(From your point of view, I'm the so-called enemy that you've found out you can't reach out to.)

(It doesn't matter if there's malice or not. If what we're focusing on is different, we should cut it off.)

Mai's face contorted in bitterness, but her eyes showed no signs of hostility and disgust.

They were simply staring at me, a human being.

(Nothing will change even if we speak to each other. Nothing will ever change.)

(I know this, but why is it stirring my heart?)

Mai: “Please tell me. I don’t want to deny something without knowing the answer first.”

Kichou: "That's vague."

Mai: "Well, you asked me what I think."

Kichou: "It's fine. I got the answer I wanted."

Kichou: "As I thought, you'll get in my way, but I will remember where your heart is."

Mai: "Okay!"

(I'll simply remember it. I'll remember your belief that something will change if you face me and talk to me.)

(I'm going to show you that sincerity.)

I didn't want her to see my face right now for some reason, so I turned my back and quickly walked away.

A few days later.

(There you are.)

Having finished my business meeting, I spotted the person I was looking for, relying on the voice of Fuku.

As I approached, I tried to call out to her, but Mai, unaware of my presence, stared into space and spilled her heart out.

Mai: “If only I could have at least one chance to get out of town.”

(Town, huh? Perfect timing.)

Kichou: “You’ll get a chance.”

Mai: “Kichou!? Are you finished seeing off your business partner?”

Kichou: “No. I told him I had an errand to run later and left him to my men.”

Mai: “---?”

Mai tilted her head after hearing the word errand as it wasn't in our shared schedule.

I opened my mouth to ask something, but...

Fuku: “Kichou!”

Mai: “Ah!”

Before I could do so, Fuku happily jumped on my shoulder and started shaking her head again.

Kichou: “Sorry for leaving Fuku to you.”

Mai: “No, it’s okay. She’s been a good girl.”

Kichou: “I don’t think you can call her a good girl if she snuck out of the birdcage without permission and barged into the guest room during a business meeting.”

Kichou: “Also, the door was open at that time. If she had escaped, it would've been difficult to find her.”

Mai: “Hehe, you’re right.”

(Should I have laughed at that?)

Still wondering, Mai suddenly spoke.

Mai: “By the way, what are you doing after this?”

Kichou: “I’m thinking about going into town. It’s not for work, but I have something to do there.”

Fuku: “Kichou.”

Kichou: “You stay here. Mai, put Fuku back in the cage, and we’ll go.”

Mai: “Okay.”

(After all, she seems to be interested in this stuff.)

As we continued down the busy street, I glanced at her as she looked around.

(She occasionally goes out for work, but most of the time, she only uses a certain street to get to the port.)

(It's probably been a while since she's been to a place lined with stores like this.)

Kichou: “Mai.”

Mai: “Um, I haven’t done anything yet.”

Kichou: “I can see that, although there were probably a couple of stores you’d be interested in. Let’s go there.”

Mai: “What?”

Kichou: “I said you could decide where you want to go. That’s what we came here for.”

Mai: “Really? I thought you had something to do here.”

Kichou: “It’s my business too. I want to give you a gift as a reward for accompanying me the other day.”

Mai: “You don’t have to. That was part of my work.”

Kichou: “Yes. That’s why I’m paying you for it.”

Kichou: “By the way, you’ve been getting paid since you came here as a maid.”

Kichou: “I decided on the amount with the mediator, but now that you’ve changed jobs, we’ll need to sign a new contract.”

Mai: “*sigh* I’ve never heard all of this before.”

Kichou: “I see. How could you think of working so diligently without knowing your salary?”

Kichou: “I mean, even before, shouldn’t you know that?”

Mai: “When I came here to the Sengoku period, I thought that the common sense in me wouldn’t work, so I was somewhat paralyzed in that area as well.”

Kichou: “I see.”

(I have to teach this one to her.)

(Anyone who unknowingly disrespects herself will soon be preyed upon.)

Little by little, the protective desire grew inside of me.

Chapter 5 Mai's Pov╎Chapter 5 Part 2

[nobully]

❛ We can talk about it after because I've had a shit day and I really just wanna starfish and forget the world. ❜ let her use ur lap or something 😤

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER SENTENCE STARTERS

"Not here, then."

Maybe it was years of playing eldest disciple, maybe it was maturity gained with experience, but the moment Nicolette finishes venting, Wang Yi's response isn't to follow her whims but suggest something entirely different.

He catches the flash of surprised uncertainty in her eyes and grasps her hand the next second, flashing a quick smile back.

"I mean, I want to show you something."

"If you're serious about starfishing, that is."

He quietly checks her expression again: the tension seems to have faded, whatever potential rejection she was winding herself up for dissipating with his explanation. Wang Yi mentally reminds himself to phrase things better before tugging her after him in a run.

"C'mon, let's go."

Nicolette can't help but exclaim, "Now? Where to?!"

"To catch the next airship."

Her voice is breathless as she squeezes his fingers. "What for?"

"So I can show off."

—

He has them ride to the heights of the Sky-Strewn Isles, then whisks Nicolette away on his sword (securely placing her hands around his waist first) to the shores of Silvern Sands. Sunset is already sinking into twilight by the time they settle on the beach, Wang Yi sitting cross-legged on the sand with Nicolette's head resting in his lap.

"A beach date?" she gives him a look followed by a brief giggle that sounds higher-pitched than usual—her nervous energy creeps in despite everything, after all. "That's not unoriginal at all, Yiyi."

"Is it?" Wang Yi's tone carries a hint of challenge, his fingers casually reaching down to tuck Nicolette's hair behind her ears. "I bet you're not looking hard enough."

"Hm? I'm looking as hard as I can at you."

"Later." He raises a finger above her face, catches her eyes with it, and points it towards the sky. Then, softer. "There first."

Nicolette follows his words and basks in the light of the waking stars. Of course it's much easier to see them here in the dark, but even that seems plenty predictable. Until she catches a spark out of the corner of her vision. Her eyes dart towards it, glimpsing the tail end of a silvery light; more appear at the edges of her sight before bursting into symphony as a glittering shower of sparkles dyeing the night in light-filled magic. Some specks of it even land on her cheek—they're startlingly cold, causing her to blink.

Wang Yi's wiping her face with his sleeves the next second with a murmured whoops, but she catches his eyes twinkling at her with quiet expectation. Just as she readies herself to speak, his gaze goes up and she follows him, looking back into the skies.

There's a gasp. It takes Nicolette a second to register it as her own, and then she's staring wide-eyed at six flying ice swords glittering and dancing their way across the canopy. Eventually they clash with each other and fight until each is smashed into fragments raining more ice dust over their heads.

“My kid self always thought ice looked like crystals,” Wang Yi muses from above her. “But when I practice with my swords at night, they’re closer to stars.”

He extends his palm until a full-sized crystal made out of ice forms in his hand. Its edges glimmer softly, glowing blue-white in the dark.

“Here.” He floats it over to Nicolette, who half sits up to touch the surface and marvel at the cold. “It won’t melt unless I tell it to. But you don’t have to hold it—I’ll keep it afloat for you.”

She blinks at him, then opens her palms and watches the ice star float in between them. “What’s this for?”

“I caught you a star just like you asked for,” he arches his brows in mock-offense. “How many more do you want?”

Nicolette gapes at him before suddenly turning cheeky. “What if I said I wanted them all?”

“You think I can’t do it?”

“Show me, then!”

"Huh, let's see..." Wang Yi points at a section of sky. More ice crystals form—tinier ones that dance and come together before descending to circle around the largest one in Nicolette's hands. "Something like that?"

Nicolette plucks a tiny icy star out of its orbiting brethren and gives it an equally tiny kiss. "Hmm...offering accepted."

"We're just getting started." And with that, Wang Yi continued to pluck more stars out of moisture in the air, freezing the water to form tiny works of art.

At some point he has to stop, mostly because he's running low on energy, but by then Nicolette's been decked out in ice crystals in her hair and shoulders and everywhere else. Of course. Wang Yi takes care to avoid them touching her skin so she doesn't freeze.

"So what do you think?" he asks after a lull.

Looking at her bedecked self, Nicolette can't help but laugh, "It's like I'm drowning in diamonds."

At that, Wang Yi's eyes brighten and he moves in with his hands to rearrange the ice—forming a crown, necklace, earrings, and bracelet. At the thought of a ring he hesitates over her fingers before gracing each one with a glittering crystal floating just above skin level.

He raises his gaze in time to meet Nicolette's irises staring into his own, and freezes, an awkward half-smile on his lips. Was it too much?

But Nicolette just smiles and sits up completely. "Wang Yi, you have stars in your eyes."

"It's the light reflecting off the ice—" he begins, but stops as she wraps her arms around his shoulders.

"Shush. Anyways, that just means I can catch you too, right?"

"Does it?"

"Mhm. You're the biggest star tonight, and I've got all your brothers and sisters as bait." She tilted her head, letting one "earring" twinkle temptingly. "Give in, you've lost already."

"Hah, don't be so sure." In response, Wang Yi pulls her in by the waist, locking them into a hug. "If it's just the stars, I can keep you from seeing my eyes easy enough."

"Well, you still feel as cool as one."

"I've just got a calm personality."

"Pfft! Since when?"

"Since now."

"Then you'll stay calm while I bring you all the way home, won't you?"

"You're gonna have to carry me through the window, Break will complain otherwise."

"Hmm, that sounds more entertaining somehow?"

"If he pops a vein, Zhilan won't get any sleep."

"Then we'll take turns watching over him."

"You're including me in that? He'll just pop more veins."

"I'll make sure he's asleep by the time it's your turn."

"Hey, since when did this turn into a conversation about Break?"

Their silly banter continues long after Wang Yi's ice dissipates and the hug warms them both up.