#barnaby: hey i think that's our order

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

ayyy im back with another Unedited human au snippet <3 it's almost entirely dialogue oopsies <3

~

Eddie slows in putting his coat on - Barnaby isn’t sticking around to chat with fellow staff like usual. He’s in a rush, scrambling to grab his jacket and hurrying from behind the bar. He dashes through the door, looking like a man on a mission.

The door Mr. Frankly had just vanished through. 

Could he be…? No, Barnaby seems like a good man. But he had seemed a little pushy with Mr. Frankly, from what Eddie could tell. 

It couldn’t hurt to make sure.

Eddie frowns deeply as he goes outside, wincing slightly at the first burst of cold air after hours spent in a warm building. He’s just in time to see Barnaby jog up behind Frankly and close his car door before he can get in. Barnaby immediately leans against the door with his arms crossed, pinning it shut and blocking Frankly from the driver’s seat.

Eddie’s stomach plummets. Before he knows it, he’s speed-walking across the parking lot towards them, a fire burning in his chest and his hands curled into fists.

Frankly says something loud enough that Eddie can almost hear, his voice echoing in the empty lot. As Eddie watches, Barnaby pokes Frankly’s chest, making him stagger back a step.

“Hey!” Eddie barks. 

Both of them jump and whip around - Barnaby’s eyebrows shoot into his hair, while Frankly’s lowers into a flat line. 

“Eddie?” Barnaby says.

At the same time, Frankly says, “Mr. Dear?”

The two of them look at each other in surprise. Eddie pays the exchange no mind. He stops by Frankly, trying to slightly angle himself in front of him without making it too obvious.

“Is everything all right here?” he asks, looking Barnaby up and down. He really hopes this won’t come to blows - Eddie can throw a punch well enough, but Barnaby is an imposing figure. Eddie already knows he’d likely lose, but as long as he can buy Frankly a couple extra seconds…

“No, actually, everything is not fine,” Frankly says in a ticked-off - and strangely scolding - tone. 

Barnaby, not breaking eye-contact with Frankly, counters with, “Everything’s peachy, Ed.”

“You sure about that?” Eddie asks, trying to keep his tone amicable. 

“Scout’s honor.”

“Please,” Frankly scoffs, “you were never a boy scout. And that’s not the point - I am trying to get home!”

“You are trying to die in the most avoidable way possible.”

Eddie shoots Frankly a concerned look. “You’re what?”

“I am perfectly sober,” Frankly says.

Barnaby raises an unimpressed eyebrow. “Your face is flushed.”

“It is not!”

Eddie winces. “It, uh, it is. A little.”

“It’s none of your business,” Frankly seethes. 

“Listen,” Barnaby sighs. He leans heavier against the car and rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t wanna be the one 'ta call Julie and deliver the news that her beloved Frankie went and got himself killed at the taco bell intersection.”

Frankly makes a high and derisive noise. “Excuse you, I have class. I’d die outside of Howdy’s.”

“Please, he’d turn your memorial into part of the gift shop. I can already see the signs - ‘dead friend sale, five percent off!’”

“I’m worth at least thirty percent.”

Eddie clears his throat and gestures between the two of them. “You two… know each other?”

“Unfortunately,” Frankly mutters.

Barnaby grins. “Aw, you’re just saying that. It’s okay - I know ya love me, Frankie. You don’t have to say it.”

“I do not.”

“I have evidence that proves otherwise.”

Frankly rolls his eyes. “You’re unbearable.”

“And yet…”

Eddie heaves a sigh - of relief or exhaustion, he’s not sure - and drags a hand over his face. “Alright. Good, I - good to know.”

“What, did’ja think I was attacking him?” After a moment of prolonged, awkward silence, Barnaby’s teasing smile drops. “Oh. You did.”

“Barnaby? Attack me?” Frankly snorts. “Give him some credit - he’s smarter than he looks.”

“Yeah, I’d have better chances taking on a pack’a hyenas!” Barnaby lets out a hearty cackle. “At least then we’d all get a laugh out of it!”

“So I misjudged the situation pretty terribly,” Eddie says, inching to the side to give Frankly his personal space back. “My apologies.”

“Don’t sweat it, Ed. I know Frank may look like a bundle of sticks, but he’s petrified wood all the way through! Pure stone, you know.” Barnaby grins and leans towards Eddie. He whispers conspiratorially, “‘Cept when it comes to holdin’ his liquor. Then he’s a total lightweight.”

“Barnaby,” Frankly hisses.

“Practically paper!”

“That’s enough, thank you!” Frankly makes an attempt at shoving Barnaby away from the car door, but Barnaby widens his stance. It’s like watching someone try to move a tree.

“See, this is how I know he shouldn’t be driving,” Barnaby says conversationally to Eddie. “If he were sober, I’d be the one drunk - punch-drunk, that is.”

Eddie isn’t sure whether or not he should laugh - was that a joke? Barnaby seems fond of them, but… surely Frankly isn’t a violent person. Frankly lets out a growl of frustration and clumsily tries to bodyslam Barnaby. Eddie inches back a step.

“Alright Frankie, you had your fun.” Barnaby scruffs Frankly like a misbehaving cat and holds him at arm's length. He holds out a hand. “C’mon. Keys.”

“Never.”

“Have it your way. I’ll go ahead and call Poppy, tell her that you’ve forgotten the many dangers of-”

“Oh, fine,” Frankly spits. He yanks his keys out of his pocket and slaps them into Barnaby’s waiting hand. 

Barnaby flicks the keys as Frankly stalks to the passenger side door and yanks it open. “Choose a place for dinner, we’ll swing by and pick it up - my treat.”

“Obviously your treat,” Frankly grumbles. “As if I’d-”

The slam of his door cuts off whatever he says next, though Eddie can see him still talking in the car. His phone screen illuminates his irritated expression as he - presumably - looks up places for takeout. 

“Well, I’m glad you were here to stop him from doin’ somethin’ everyone would regret,” Eddie says. “Mr. Frankly-” 

“Mr. Frankly?” Barnaby snorts. “You’re not one of his students, are ya?”

“I’m just bein’ polite. He set the tone by referrin’ to me by Mr. Dear, so I’m tryin’ to respect that line in the sand.”

Barnaby shakes his head, grinning. “Just call him Frank. He puts up a big show of bein' a grouch, but he’s really a big softie. Though don’t - don’t try to pick a fight with him. Ever. You’ll lose.”

“Wasn’t plannin' on it.” Eddie makes a mental note to keep calling him Mr. Frankly, just to be on the safe side. It’s not like they’re friends, anyway. More like… acquaintances. Occasional Run-Into-Each-Other strangers. 

[thekuraning]

like 3 of y'all voted sure when i polled about uploading the fic chappie rejects it says 4 but one was me by accident oop so HERE'S THE FIRST ONE: Maelstrom Fic Chapter 2 reject

Originally it was going to be a scene where the heroes were all having a chat after they got back from the ch1 hero action and while it was pretty fun, it was getting too banter-heavy and... well... a little ham-fisted in some parts :') but i do have a deleted scene with subaru and thomas that i thought was kind of funny that i'd really like to salvage a few joke beats from huehuehue anyways the maelstrom ch 2 dump is! under the cut!

Barnaby Brooks Jr. had never been more tired in his life.

He wouldn't say anything was particularly out of the ordinary. He was still working the same shifts for Hero TV: three twelve-hour days, two twelve-hour nights, one twelve-hour PR day, and one day completely off. Ever since beginning his career as a hero, his schedule had remained largely the same. The hours sounded stressful, of course, but most of the time was spent on-call with a few hours each day set aside for exercise and training, so as long as he responded to his communicator, it wasn't like he didn't have time to eat or sleep.

Maybe it was burnout. He'd been working like this for years, now, and especially after the shitshow with the X riots, and the attacks by Fugan and Mugan before that, maybe he just needed a break or a vacation or something. That was what he tried to tell himself as he scanned his keycard at Justice Tower that afternoon, anyways.

He nodded politely to the security guard and rode the elevator to the top, a brown takeout bag clenched in his fist. He only paused briefly at the locker room to hang his lanyard and windbreaker, then wandered into the training room and plopped down at one of the tall bistro tables in the rest area when Karina waved him down. She was sitting with Ryan, Nathan, and Pao-Lin, who all greeted him warmly as he approached.

“Nice work today!” Karina said as he sat, “I really appreciate the assist.”

“Same here,” Ryan agreed, “you saved our asses, Junior.”

“Too bad I wasn't there sooner,” Barnaby replied, “are you and Fire Emblem okay?”

Ryan looked across to Nathan, who grinned and crossed their arms across their chest, drumming perfectly-manicured nails along their bicep.

“All the better for you showing up, handsome,” they teased, “but I could have done without Sky High on top of me, today.”

Ryan snorted and Pao-Lin broke into a little fit of giggles. Karina leveled Nathan with a pointed stare, but they only laughed along with the others.

“What?” they innocently batted their eyes.

“Kid?” Karina answered, motioning to Pao-Lin, who rolled her eyes.

“I'm seventeen!” she protested, “and my friends at school make way worse jokes!”

“No, no, Rose's right, I should behave,” Nathan chuckled, waving one hand. “But we did all get banged up pretty bad. Could have been worse I guess, but I'm going to be feeling those bruises for weeks.”

“I got chewed out for letting my suit get damaged,” Ryan piped up. “Robert was pissed. Said Apollon was going to bill us a small fortune for the repairs, but it's not like that's my fault.”

“Shouldn't have been in the way,” Karina teased him.

“You're just lucky Junior over here saved your ass,” he bit back. Barnaby smiled.

“I still think 'hero rescue' should get us extra points,” he chimed in. Karina made a show of acting scandalized (“Hey, I had that NEXT right where I wanted him!”) and the group laughed. Barnaby opened his take-out bag and rummaged inside for his food.

There were two orders inside. His face fell. Nathan, who was listening intently to Ryan's play-by-play account he was now giving to Pao-Lin, suddenly caught Barnaby's eyes, and they frowned.

“Hey, handsome,” he interrupted the conversation, “why the long face?”

“What?” Barnaby looked up. Karina, Nathan, Pao-Lin, and Ryan were all staring at him. Why was everyone on Hero TV so nosey? They always had to be up in everyone else's business, but as much as Barnaby wanted to feel irritated, that wasn't an emotion he was capable of stirring up at the moment. He knew they were worried and had been since.... always? Especially now that he was on his own. It was more endearing than anything, these days. He supposed this must have been what it felt like to have brothers and sisters.

“I picked up lunch after my debrief and physical,” he explained, and his mouth pulled into a dejected frown. “But I must not have been paying attention when I placed the order, because....” He tipped the two compostable clamshell food containers out of the bag and onto the table. The others were quiet for a moment, watching his every movement, staring hard at his take-out with blank expressions. Pao-Lin was the first to react. Her eyes grew large, her face fell, and she let slip a mournful “oh, no!” And that was what rang the bell for the others.

“Oh, Barnaby,” Karina sighed, “it was an accident, just don't think too much about it.”

“She's right,” Ryan agreed, “and you know, I'll bet he's done that a couple times, too.”

“Come on you all, Tiger retired, he's not dead,” Nathan pointed out. “Handsome, just text him and invite him up to visit. You know he never turns down a meal.”

Which was true. Kotetsu was a bit of a big eater, but also he had trouble turning down anything nice someone did for him, regardless of whether he wanted it or needed it. Barnaby couldn't count the number of times he'd tried to do something small for Kotetsu—bringing him a drink or a snack or a towel after a workout, something—only to discover he had tried to do the same thing and hid it once he'd found out Barnaby had, too. Even more, those were only the times Barnaby knew of. Maybe there were hundreds more. Thousands. Little things that Kotetsu did that made Barnaby feel relied on. Useful. Appreciated.

Valued, even.

And that was why he most definitely could not text Kotetsu and ask him to come visit, because he would bring those feelings back with him, but they wouldn't remain. He was retired, and he would have to leave. He would take those feelings with him. They had been pried from Barnaby's hands three times so far—he didn't think he could handle it again. He didn't want to get lost in the small, hopeful, deluded voice that he buried deep down inside of him that wondered if, maybe, Kotetsu would take one look at the heroes' workout room, sigh wistfully, and tell Barnaby the words he most wanted to hear at that moment.

Bunny, he hoped for, I've decided to come back to hero work. You didn't miss me too much, right?

And they would be Wild Tiger and Barnaby Brooks Jr., Kings of the Buddy Heroes. Just like they were supposed to be.

But just like all the nights spent wishing he would wake up and the bullets in his parents' skulls were nothing but a bad dream, no amount of hope would change anything about his situation. No more banter in the office, no more arguing about who ate who's sandwich or when to jump into the action during a broadcast, no more noise or takeout or patrols together. He was Wild Barnaby now, and he was alone. Of course, there was no way in hell he would say any of that to anyone ever, especially not a bunch of busybodies like his dear, dear friends.

“I don't want to bother him,” he sighed, which wasn't exactly a lie. “I think he's got interviews today.” Which was a lie, as far as he knew. None of them seemed to buy it. For a second it seemed like Pao-Lin was going to be particularly pushy about it, but Lady Justice was smiling upon him that day as Keith stepped out of the elevator.

He thanked Barnaby then thanked him again when he offered him the extra lunch.

- - - -

“Hey, don't you think it's been quiet around here without old man Tiger?”

Thomas was used to ignoring Subaru's chatter. He liked to talk a lot, which had been very annoying when they were first partnered together. It was still annoying a little—which was why Thomas usually tuned him out—but really only in the way white noise was annoying. He'd been annoying all day since they'd gotten to Justice Tower, pestering Thomas with the details of his activities on their day off (Thomas did not and would never care what score Subaru got on their local arcade's rhythm game) and other asinine, useless bits of trivia.

“Has it been?” Thomas answered him flatly, repeating his reps on the machine fly. “I hadn't noticed.”

“I mean,” Subaru continued, much to Thomas's chagrin, “not just like we don't hear Tiger anymore. Everyone else is a little more quiet, too.”

Thomas wrenched the fly bars back in front of him and pause there, his usual frown deepening. He turned his head to eye Subaru around the edge of his jacket's hood, straining to listen to the wide open workout room. Some of the others were over in the rest area eating lunch together. They were talking, but no one was getting rowdy. Ivan was all the way down doing target practice with his shuriken, and every now and then there would be the faint whup of them striking the training dummy. Antonio was doing bench presses a little closer to them, but his usual obnoxious grunts and groans had been reduced to pitiful huffs of air as he worked. Lara was on the treadmill with earbuds in.

“You're right,” Thomas found himself agreeing. “No wonder you've been more annoying than usual.” He relaxed his arms, took a pause to breathe, and pushed forward again.

“Hey!” Subaru protested. Thomas smirked. His partner came around in front of him so he couldn't hide behind his jacket, arms petulantly akimbo. He was so easy to rile up.

“What do you want me to do about it?” he asked. Subaru just pouted at him.

There really wasn't anything they could do. Thomas didn't make any decisions for Hero TV, he just worked here.

——————————————————————————————————

....And that's as far as that one got! I'd really like to use the heroes as a group a lot more but it's so easy to get carried away. :( And I'd particularly like to have more scenes with Pao-lin & Lara and Subaru & Thomas........ It really gives me an appreciation for scenes in the anime where all of the heroes are together, just due to how much personality each of the heroes exudes. (9òvó)9

[dracona11687]

Wallace starts painting

The dream with the window again. <please Wally this isn’t you! You have to remember!> the house creaked and groaned.

Wally wasn’t sure what he had to remember or what this place was. But it smelled of apples and tasted like blood. He looked down at his hands and they felt right, more than they ever had before. They were felt, yellow, and had one less finger each. But they felt right. He walked away from the window and let his feet carry him. His steps took him to a canvas and a paint set.

Wallace awoke feeling more tired than he had when he went to sleep. He looked at the window and saw that it was still dark. He let out a gentle groan as he stood and went to the mirror in the bathroom. He flicked on the light after a moment of confusion.

His reflection didn’t look right. Even as everything looked as it was meant to. His pale skin paler than normal, his hands with all five fingers, and his messy dyed hair. His pupils were shrunken to pinpricks.

“Nothing is wrong.” He whispered only to himself.

He eyed the clock on the wall. 4:30. He would need to leave in a few hours. He wouldn’t likely be able to fall asleep again. He felt a strong urge to do something, but he didn’t know what. Maybe something with paint, he thought.

He began to hum a soft lullaby as he grabbed the bright red apple, he had purchased from Howdie’s. He sat in silence as he watched the sunrise. He left the apartment with a soft smile and a strange sense of peace.

As he left he saw Barnaby once more in the dog costume packing up the van full of various party supplies and the picture of his character on the side.

“Hello Barnaby.”

“Oh, hey Wallace, you’re up earlier than normal.”

“So are you.”

“Just getting all my supplies together for today’s event. I’ve been hired for a street fair. What about you what’s got up so early?” Barnaby asked scratching the red stubble on his chin.

“Couldn’t sleep, Had a weird dream. Do you want any help with that?” Wallace asks pointing at the large helium tank still sitting on the side of the building.

“You too huh. And nah, I got it covered.”

Wallace nods and begins to walk away.

“Hey where you off to anyway.”

“I was thinking of going to Howdie’s to see if he has any paint supplies or if I would have to get them from a local crafts store.”

“You sure like buying local, don’t you?”

“I like supporting our neighborhood.”

“Well then then let me give you a ride neighbor.”

Wallace pauses, he and Barnaby were good friends, but it would most certainly be imposing.

“Are you certain?”

“Yeah, it’s on the way anyway.”

<You can trust him, Wally. Barnaby is a good dog.> Wallace can hear almost imperceptibly.

He pauses as he is about to get in his friend’s van. He shook his head the clear the odd not voice out and got in. After all Barnaby may be allergic to chocolate and dress up like a dog but he most certainly wasn’t a dog. He was tempted to berate the strange not voice about calling his friend a dog.

The ride was spent in idle chatter between friends about everything and nothing. Wallace waves goodbye and good luck to his friend before entering the small grocery store.

“Hello Howard.” Wallace greets the storekeeper.

“Oh Wallace, I told you to call me Howdie. Did you order anything by chance?” The darker skinned store owner told him.

“No, I didn’t though I was wondering if you had any painting supplies I could purchase?” Wallace asked.

“Sorry, but no. Though I can give you that package addressed to you.”

“But I didn’t order it.”

“Well somebody ordered it for you because the package was addressed to your apartment, but Eddie didn’t feel comfortable leaving a large package out to be stolen and you’re the only Wallace Dearling in the whole neighborhood.”

“But-”

“Wallace just take it. It’s meant for you after all.” Howard scolded before giving Wallace a meaningful look.

Wallace felt and abashed apprehension as Howard Handed him the rather large and somewhat heavy package. The only thing on the return address was Home, Neighborhood by all rights the package shouldn’t have even been able to ship. The address though was indeed for his apartment and under his name. He smiled at Howard. He found himself doing that a lot more, smiling.

“Thank you, Howard.”

The man smiled back as Wallace put a large bushel of red delicious on the counter.

“Could I get these as well.”

“Of course.”

Wallace left the store with a large bushel of apples and a mysterious package. When Wallace returned to his small New York apartment. Wallace frowned as he remembered that today was meant to be his day off and wondered why he had felt the urge to leave. He shrugged and took the strange package to his sofa and began to open it. He gasped in surprise. He most definitely didn’t order this.

It was an old well-worn easel, several blank canvases, and a massive assortment of what appeared to be quality paints, pastels, and brushes. He felt almost overwhelmed.

He set up the canvas and before he even realized what he was doing he was already painting the strokes soft and uncertain. But soon an image formed much like when he worked on a design on a computer. It was strangely soothing and felt right.

[goncharovpussy]

i downloaded bluesky just to check it out and begin Building My Platform and oohhhhh my goddd everyone on that app is so annoying and insufferable in a way i can’t even articulate. umm frennly reminder 🤓☝️ that my corgi penelope says hi 🍑 and [deranged combination of a minor trump gaffe you already forgot + a line of 1800s literature = a snarky comeback to ongoing elon musk drama that’s decipherable to at most 10 people] and then even more PhDs show up like “i’d like to see the supreme court debate THIS 🤣😂🤣”. every time i open that app i feel like i’m walking in 15 minutes late to an ongoing political debate between various assortments of people who didn’t have friends in high school and. they’re not even supposed to be debating politics we’re supposed to be ordering pizza. and listen i know millennials i enjoy millennials i like to consult millennials on what to do with my laundry and showerhead issues and my family relationships but for the love of god. for the love of comedy. the love of shit that isn’t $10 plastic succulent nor humanities degrree. i’m twitching. put the anecdote abt taking your doc martens to the local whimsical cobbler down and look at me.. oh what? you have a quip abt how 1800s peasants would consider email an “evil box”? ohh wow 😯 you’re typing it out right now? witticism? and you’re adding in a line abt how this evil box connects you with your metaamour wenches? that’s so coolll bro. oh yea sorry that’s so cool Friendo. no ik you’re such a good ally like that. thanks Rachel. thanks Jonathan. thanks Casey. maybe we can talk more abt your sliding scale kombucha idea when we’re having our sliding scale outdoors new homeowners afterparty foursome oh hey Jasey i think your cat Barnaby the Slutsmith just found an axolotl outside 👉🚪 i take you out back and i delete you i delete you i delete you

[whatsortofschoolisthis]

Merula: One day I'm going to say "fight me" to the wrong person and someone is just going to deck me.

Talbott: Oh, trust me, that day may be closer than you think.

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Sean: If murdered, I want a closed-casket funeral. However, towards the end of the service, please have the organist play "Pop Goes the Weasel" over and over until everyone in attendance is staring at my coffin with mute, horrified anticipation.

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Bryn: we're about to die! do you really want your last words to be sarcasm?!

Rowan, sarcastically: no of course not! I wanted them to be words of joy at our eminent demise

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Tonks/Jae  *accidentally does something well*: ah shit I’ve given them standards now.

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Jae: The secret to life is to always use more spinach and less rice than you think you'll need.

Penny: The second secret to life is that fresh air, warm sun, and a cup of tea will make your problems small enough to start handling.

Hecate: The third secret to life is that violence sometimes really is the answer.

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Ismelda: And that's why I don't have a boyfriend.

Barnaby: You know, I think there's a lot of reasons why you don't have a boyfriend.

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R: Be careful, there is a fine line between surveillance and stalking.

Professor Rakepick: Yeah, getting caught, which I don't plan on.

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Professor Sprout: Do you have any tips on how to get rid of ants?

Hagrid: I'm assuming diplomacy has failed.

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Sean, after surviving every vault adventure: The universe does not want me or my family dead. It does not want us happy but it does not want us dead.

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Rubin: Okay, now, to review, if a stranger came up to you and said "I'm your mom's friend, she told me to pick you up" what would you say?

Kit: I would say "You are lying, my mom doesn’t have any friends!"

Rubin:...

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Merula: Everyone has called me 'Boris' all day. I think Hecate paid them to

[Later]

Hecate: Absolutely. Five galleons each, and it was totally worth it.

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Liz: Remember, bird-watching goes both ways.

Felix: That's vaguely threatening, thank you.

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Chiara: You remind me of a Russian doll.

Victor: Aw, thank yo—

Chiara: Full of yourself.

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Madame McGonagall: Severus, do you hate children?

Snape: What? No, no, I don't hate children! I can't hate children! Children are excellent! Raising rugrats is my raison d'etre!

Professor Flitwick: How do you feel about friskergibblins?

Snape: What the hell is a friskergibblin?

Professor Flitwick: A friskergibblin is a creature that looks, sounds, and acts exactly like a human child, but is not a sapient creature and does not possess the rights and protections of personhood.

Snape: Oh. Throw every single friskergibblin into the sun at your earliest convenience, please.

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Charlie at the Hogsmede Festival: Are you having fun?

Ben: No. I’m having dark, disturbing thoughts that I don’t like to talk about.

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Cecil Lee after having his werewolf investigation interfered with: What is your problem?

Sean, interfering to protect Chiara: Would you like that list to be in alphabetical order, or based off the severity of them?

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Tonks: Kit, are you sure you don't wanna use my graduation speech? It goes like this: Later, losers.

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Pitts, annoyed: Hey. Let’s play a game. It’s called “See who can be quiet the longest”.

Kit:, in detention Cool! Rubin loves that game!

[missnight0wl]

Ask time xD I got myself thinking, why Rowan's Imperius attack happened the way it did?

I don't know all about the Imperius curse, but I would assume the person doing it, somehow, was watching them. And let's assume MC would undoubtedly say they don't want them to hurt neither of her friends at the question which is a stupid question because by trying to kill MC, the objective was not to send a warning.

So I was wondering why do in front of all those friends? If they wanted that to work why not influence Rowan to be alone with MC then turn rogue? Because MC cares enough about Rowan that just a threat to their safety would leave them shaken up. Were the friends present there, the ones the attacker wanted to be there? Barnaby AND Ben are both people prone to protect MC and I guess Jae would too had the situation gotten dyer.

Idk just the way everything happened and why it happened... I know it brings a sense of uncertainty - I guess they could control any of my friends at any moment -, but then... it never happens again. Unless I'm reading this all wrong and the intent was to prompt MC into a duel with Rowan.

Please enlighten me with your theories if you'd like x)

In short, I don’t believe that Rowan was Imperiused by R back then, not really. And it actually has quite a lot to do with our old discussion about Pettigrew, so I’ll just link it here. Now, to the proper explanation.

First things first. Yes, you’re right about the Imperius Curse. I mean, I believe that you can control people even with bigger distances (Draco controlling Madam Rosmerta, Death Eaters controlling people at the Ministry). However, when you cast the curse, the distance matters. I’m pretty sure both Rakepick and Snape mentioned that: “Time and space matter in magic” a couple of times around Rowan’s incident.

It was also pretty heavily implied that it was Pettigrew who was behind the curse. Percy was lurking in the background with Scabbers, Rakepick was asking us about our surroundings later as well:

The only correct option here is Percy. Bill was with Rakepick in the Training Grounds at the time, and Charlie with Snape. In the last part of Y5Ch19, we learn that Patricia actually got deeper into the case:

So yeah, I think it’s pretty safe to say that it was indeed Pettigrew. The thing is that I doubt he did it on R’s order– and that’s mainly because, as you pointed out, this whole situation didn’t really make sense.

At the beginning of Y5, we were attacked by the Red Cloak who told us:

By the end of the year, we found out that R needed MC because of the Legilimency door. I still believe that MC is also needed for the final Vault and the Legilimency thing is kind of a bonus, but either way, the point is that Rowan’s attack happened before the Portrait Vault. It’d be incredibly stupid from R’s point of view to put MC in danger then. But that's what they did:

Moreover, I absolutely agree with your point about all of the witnesses present at the scene. In Y4, R forged the note from Kettleburn and attacked us when we were alone in the Courtyard. At the beginning of Y5, we were only with Ben. In both cases, it was evening and the attacker was wearing the Red Cloak. R cares about secrecy. So, what the hell happened with Rowan? Well, here’s what I’m thinking.

First of all, I believe that Pettigrew’s only connection with R is that he was supposed to deliver the vault portrait to Hogwarts. That's it. I imagine that they somehow learnt that he’s alive, and they were like: “Hey, get that portrait to Hogwarts or we’ll reveal your secret about being alive and hiding as an Animagus”. Let’s remember that at that point, R wanted MC to reach the Portrait Vault, and MC needed the portrait for that. Also, look at what Pettigrew himself told us:

Maybe it’s just me, but he doesn’t seem particularly upset about losing the portrait. Also, he technically didn’t say that Peeves stole it from him. I think it’s possible that Peter left the portrait somewhere for MC to find, and Peeves stole it from there. Pettigrew simply witnessed it.

Back to Rowan’s attack, though. We know that Rakepick was on Pettigrew’s trail back then already, right? So, I assume that by making that whole scene, Pettigrew wanted to draw Rakepick’s attention to MC and R instead. Like, he knew that she’s after him:

Unfortunately for him, it backfired and helped Rakepick connect the dots.

I mean, to be fair, I guess it did work in a way, just not exactly how Pettigrew wanted. Because Rakepick’s words in Knockturn Alley suggest that thanks to the attack, she figured out that Percy’s rat is very suspicious. On the other hand, Rakepick herself was mysteriously missing after we returned from Knockturn Alley, and she came back only after Pettigrew Obliviated us. So, I believe that that’s when she started some kind of negotiations with R. In other words: yes, she knew about Pettigrew, but at the same time, she got occupied with more important things, and so she dropped Pettigrew’s case.

Anyway, the important thing here is that Pettigrew didn’t know everything because R didn’t tell him to do anything beyond delivering the vault portrait. Therefore, he thought it wouldn’t matter if he tried to hurt MC. But then, how he’d know that R threatened in the past that they’ll hurt one of our friends? I mean, judging by Rowan’s words:

… he had to know something. Well, perhaps he was told some limited information, or he learnt about it through eavesdropping or something. Either way, in my opinion, the fact that Rowan attacks MC (if we don’t choose anyone) proves that Pettigrew wasn’t told the most important thing: that MC is very valuable. And it’d make sense if Pettigrew was simply a puppet, just a delivery boy.

And yeah, I think that’s it. If I wasn’t clear about something or you’d like me to elaborate, let me know!

[missjosie27]

Merry Christmas, My Love

Hey, everyone! It’s that time of year again and here is my gift that I wish to bestow. Merry Christmas, @lins-hogwarts-mystery I hope I did your MC justice.

A big thank you to @hphmsecretsanta2020 for organizing this again. I will always participate! Without further ado!

Clara Lin loved snow. The white powder of frozen ice crystals always held a special place in her heart since she was little playing in the fields of Oxford. At Hogwarts, Christmas time became that much more special. Even with the underlying horror cursed vaults, there was always time to celebrate the holidays in a merry fashion. This year in particular she and her friends agreed to stay behind and spend time together over the course of winter break.

And what better way to celebrate that than a snowball fight on Christmas Eve?

“I got you! HAHA-” WHAM!

Charlie Weasley’s momentary triumph was silenced by Tulip’s double decker snowball smashing him in the side of the face, causing everyone else to laugh.

Staying behind were also Rowan, Penny, Barnaby, and Tonks who were all participating in the battle of winter circa 1989. Even Merula had skipped out on going home and though she and Clara would never be best friends, the two were amicable enough to have a snowball fight without getting too intense...mostly. They were on different teams after all.

The contest played out within the training grounds, so there wasn’t much cover to be had as far as trees or underbrush but then again magic could make up for lack of natural cover. On one side was something akin to a medieval castle, complete with five foot high walls, a drawbridge, and a flag. The other was a giant circular wall, good for combating attacks from all sides but vulnerable to a possible sir attack. In any case, standing up even for the slightest moment was unwise as Charlie found out first hand.

“She’s got good aim,” he muttered rubbing his cheek while dodging another projectile.

Clara couldn’t help but giggle. Even the person with the best reflexes amongst their Gryffindor brethren could be sniped by the cleverest Ravenclaw.

“Bombs away!” Penny yelled out hucking up a snowball into the cloudy winds of nowhere.

“Best to aim a bit first,” Rowan chided kindly as she adjusted her glasses while gathering more snow in her vicinity for the purpose of more ammunition.

“Merula’s team is eating our lunch,” Charlie lamented. “We need a new strategy.”

“Ooo!! I can help!” squealed out the tiny voice of Clara’s little sister, Emily, otherwise known as ‘Em’. She was five years younger but often associated herself with her big sister’s friends and refused to not be included in the festivities. A first year Hufflepuff, she was eager to help but lacked imagination.

“Keep firing as many snowballs as you can,” Rowan assured her again in an understanding tone that placated the little girl. “I think I have an idea.”

The teams were equally divided- Clara, Charlie, Penny, and Rowan on side while Merula, Tulip, Tonks, and Barnaby were on the other. Em was considered young enough (and insignificant enough to the female Slytherin) that her presence was not decisive enough to affect the outcome. But any competition featuring Merula Snyde guaranteed to be intense. After all a rivalry did not subside just because the two girls had formally agreed to work together in finding the cursed vaults.

“What would that be? Now would actually be a good time,” Clara observed as more snowballs skimmed the top of their fort. Charlie had to chuck a few more of his own to prevent Tonks from getting any closer.

“Simple. We use a freezing charm to turn one of our snowballs into a giant ice ball. I’ll use a propulsion charm to send it forward. With any luck their castle should come crumbling down and victory ours!”

“What the heck? I’m in!” Penny said excitedly over the noise, her rosy cheeks becoming apparent in the winter weather which was fast becoming colder in the later afternoon. Pink contrasted her light blue outfit (she was also the only one still wearing a skirt). Charlie’s Quidditch reflexes served him well but even he couldn’t overcome the odds of beating four other teengers surrounded by a full blown fort.

“I thought we weren’t allowed to use magic. Wouldn’t that be cheating?” Em asked, naive to the fact that no one adhered to that rule during a wizard snowball fight.

“Em, they’re using magic already,” Clara said bluntly, her practical nature coming into play already. She adjusted her glasses (being practically blind without them) and peeked out over the top and sure enough, saw the evidence needed to prove her accusation.

“Merula...I knew it,” she breathed out, frost emanating from her lips. “A banishing charm.”

“So that’s why those snowballs keep coming in so hot,” Rowan said, rubbing a gloved hand underneath her chin.

“And Tonks is using her metamorphagus ability to turn her nose into a trunk!” Charlie added, tossing another snowball back the other way and ducking down. “Bloody, cheater.”

“Then I say we hold nothing back,” Clara suggested.

“Sure that won’t be a problem with Barnaby?” Penny teased.

“He’s six foot three and can eat three turkeys in one setting, he’ll be fine,” the Gryffindor girl responded with a small blush trying to ignore feeling the pang of guilt at the idea of pelting him with snowballs. But there was no time to waste and when it came to December battles amongst the powdery, ice cream hills of Hogwarts all bets were off.

“Let’s do this,” Rowan remarked. Taking out her wand and removing one of her gloves, she summoned one of the snowballs while the rest their magic to summon snow from the ground to steadily grow it to the size of a grapefruit, spinning like the back wheel of a car, glistening in the glowing pink light of the evening sky.

“Now it’s really time for bombs away,” Penny giggled fond of muggle sayings.

“Oh I’d say so,” Rowan grinned mischievously. “Once that thing blows open their fort wall, Clara you and Charlie charge forth and win the battle.”

“What should I do?” little Em asked, still eager to help.

“Just keep throwing snowballs with Penny and Rowan, okay?” Clara ordered. She was quite protective of her sister even in light hearted situations such as these. Besides, despite being the most practical of the group the sixteen year old carried a competitive streak of her own.

“Three...two...one...NOW!”

At Clara’s command, Rowan muttered the necessary incantation and sent the massive ice ball at top speed towards their adversaries. Such was the speed, it had no trouble bursting through their castle with such force that it did exactly as Rowan foretold.

“CHARGE!” Charlie howled above the din as he and Clara rushed forward dodging strikes issued by their opponents, weaving and somersaulting in and out before performing an attack of their own.

“Eat snow! Take this!” Clara laughed as she struck Tulip and then fired another shot at Merula which caught her straight in the face (she never tired of one upping the Slytherin girl). But when wheeling around to do the same to Barnaby she came upon a strange sight. Her boyfriend didn’t seem to have his heart in the friendly competition at all. On the contrary, handsome, chiseled features were flat and carried a degree of melancholy unusual especially on Christmas.

My love, what’s the matter?

But before Clara could drop her snowballs and inquire further, someone beat her to the punch as a powerful burst of white exploded in the face of the burly Slytherin.

“Yes!” Charlie Weasley yelled out triumphantly. But Clara was not out of danger just yet, in her hesitation a projectile just missed the back of her head and only because Barnaby moved her out of the way just in time.

“Merula!” he said crossly. “Come on, don’t cheat.”

“Speak for yourself,” the Slytherin witch said with equal disdain. “We said no magic and yet here we are.”

“You broke the rule first,” Charlie argued.

“Right like you wouldn’t have done the same.”

“Enough,” Clara cut across the cacophony of argument which was reaching a boiling point. “It’s getting dark. Let’s go back inside.”

Her insistence, as well as her leadership qualities over the group won over as the magically flying snowballs ceased and even Merula despite her snarling, gave in to logic though it was apparent from the look on her face she would have continued given the opportunity.

“Fine, Lin,” she said with a shrug that failed to hide its competitiveness.

Whistling over, Clara signaled to Rowan, Penny, and her sister that the fight was over but that was not the end of the drama. Looking back towards Barnaby, the sadness etched on his face had not dissipated in the slightest.

“Are you okay?” she asked kindly, mittened hands interjoing for a brief moment before Barnaby pulled away.

“I’m fine.”

“You sure don’t look fine.”

Barnaby was much better at hiding his emotions than a certain other Slytherin and gave a smile that would have seemed natural were it not for the previous circumstances.

“Don’t worry about me, Clara. We have a whole Christmas ahead of us. And pudding!” he added excitedly.

The childlike enthusiasm that normally enraptured her would have normally worked, but being the sensible Gryffindor she was (a rarity in the house of the brave) could tell this was not the entire story. Nevertheless, she did not press further...for now.

“Alright.”

She was given an affectionate kiss before the group trudged back to the castle as the light decreased and the day drew to a close. Even holding hands walking to the entrance felt oddly out of place.

“Good match, Clara Lin,” Tulip said with a wink. “See ya tomorrow for the feast.”

“Bye, Clara!” Penny waved cheerfully as she descended towards the basement and thereby the kitchens.

With the exception of her housemates and sister with whom she shared a common room, everyone waved a hearty goodbye but her boyfriend did not say anything other than giving a quick kiss on the forehead before lumbering off quickly behind Merula. How ironic it should be that the youngest among them should voice aloud her suspicions.

“Barnaby seemed sad,” Em mentioned as they approached the fat lady.

“Hm?” Clara asked, not expecting such a comment from her eleven year old sister.

“He kissed you but not the usual way,” came the innocent response. “Maybe he’s homesick.”

“Barnaby’s fine, I’m sure of it. If he says so, I believe him.”

“Do you believe everything I’ve told you.”

Clara rolled her eyes at her little sister.

“It’s different with siblings, Em. You’re just lucky mum told me to let you tag along.”

“I didn’t need to tag along to know your boyfriend didn’t wanna throw snowballs.”

At this conjecture, Rowan gave the password (Festum Maximus) but not before the remark caused Clara to pause for a brief second before continuing into the common room. She knew Barnaby and would be aware of any personal problem or grief he had within his psyche.

Right?

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Clara briefly forgot about the snowball fight after sharing some hot cocoa with Charlie and then some brief but good natured gossip with Rowan. The two girls discussed all manner of things as they usually did- presents, family, relationships, and what they would wear to the feast the next day however fancy or casual. But soon the warm and coziness of their dormitory overtook them and without fuss or fanfare fell asleep into the soft snows into the night, falling down silently within the December darkness.

By morning, however, the same excitement came upon them both as light permeated through the stained glass windows. The snow had since ceased, but a fresh layer of powder brought more excitement to an otherwise extremely white Christmas. And presents were waiting.

“Race you down!” Rowan said with a laugh as she bounded out of her bed, blue robe flying behind her.

“No you don’t!” Clara shouted back.

It wasn’t long until they were opening presents of which there were many laying under the tree. Charlie was already one step ahead of them, a blue Weasley sweater with a large ‘W’ inscribed on the front courtesy of the kindly Mrs. Weasley whom Clara had acquainted with by now.

“Happy Christmas, Clara!” the redhead said cheerfully.

“Happy Christmas to you too, Charlie.”

“You two seem to have quite a few gifts. Don’t hold back on my account,” Charlie said with a good natured chuckle and waggle of the eyebrows.

Neither of the girls did. Trying to be sensitive to the fact that her best male friend (aside from her boyfriend) did not come from wealth, Clara and Rowan opened their presents slowly and with a degree of caution. The latter came from a naturally wealthy family due to the success of their tree farm while the former, not rich by any stretch of the imagination, still accrued enough gifts to acquire a sizeable load- treacle fudge from Hagrid, a Gryffindor Quidditch scarf from Charlie, a cookbook from Em (‘haha’ she thought sardonically given her lack of skill in making cuisine of any type), a red dress from Penny hand stitched, a new mug from Rowan, further sweets from Mrs. Weasley, and a book on Chinese Mandarin from her parents, no doubt to further education as a potential ambassador like they wanted. Annoying, but even so Clara knew her parents loved her all the same despite their flaws.

After an hour or so she thought that all of her presents had been opened until Rowan flipped her one last gift, missed originally from the large pile.

“It’s from Barnaby,” she explained.

Of course! How could I have forgotten?

Clara hoped he had enjoyed his gift down in the dungeons (Newt Scamander’s latest book on creatures) but had not yet detected his own token of gratitude. It was actually quite small- a little rectangular box no bigger than ten centimeters wrapped in red and green paper with sparkles topped with a golden bow. All in all the decoration by itself was impressive.

Opening up, her jaw almost dropped.

It was a moving photo of Clara and her family before Jacob disappeared. Everyone appeared radiantly happy but there was reason for it. Right away she discerned that this was the photo she’d given Barnaby three years at the end of their third year before parting ways. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she witnessed her parents smiling and waving, Jacob’s tepid nervousness at what he was about to face, his younger sister giving a gigantic hug, while little Emily sucked on a pacifier, blissfully content in doing so. The meaning was not lost on the sixth year Gryffindor: a time when her family had been happy and unspoiled by the loss of a child. The photo was framed in silver and carried a heartfelt note.

May your family always guide you even in the darkest of times.

-Love, Barnaby

Wiping her eyes, Clara looked up towards Rowan and Charlie who had also noticed the scene.

“This was so beautiful,” she spoke quietly.

“Aw, hun,” Rowan comforted sitting beside her, embracing the fireside. “You know he’d do anything for you.”

“I’m wondering...maybe Em wasn’t so crazy. What if he really was struggling with something and I ignored him?”

“You’ll see him at the feast,” Charlie reasoned, playing with a dragon toy Bill had given him from Gringotts. “And I’m sure he’ll love how much you appreciated the gift.”

Clara supposed that might be true but she couldn’t help but feel something was amiss. Either way, her cursebreaker instincts would be put to the test in finding out the truth. Barnaby never held back from her. He was always jolly and upbeat, why should this holiday season be any different?

I just hope I’m not too late….

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hogwarts feast was as grand as it always was- twelve enormous fir trees decorated with an array of colorful ornaments decked the halls, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly hung from the ceiling in a wide array of patterns. Along the tables belonging to each house lay a smorgasbord of dishes- roast turkey, mashed potatoes, sprouts, chicken, green beans, pudding, treacle tart, and so much more. The kitchen pulled out all the stops and Professor Dumbledore sitting at the head of the staff table gave his stamp approval, his blue eyes twinkling with holiday joy.

“To the many few who opted to stay behind for our voluptuous feast I say- tuck in.”

Charlie roared with approval as he ravenously delved into the goodies with Clara and Rowan not far behind. It didn’t take long for the rest of the group to show up- Penny, Tulip, Tonks, etc. They were the only one among the sixth years that had stayed behind with a mere handful of younger students hanging around awkwardly by themselves. The teenage Gryffindor would have given more thought to them were it not for the fact that she was anticipating a certain someone.

“Have you seen, Barnaby?” she would ask every time a new guest sat down at the Gryffindor table (it didn’t matter who sat where at this point). No one knew. Her sister remained blissfully unaware of course by the time she arrived, bragging about how many presents received that year.

Though trying to enjoy the scrumptious feast at hand, Clara couldn’t but look up every so often or so for her boyfriend...which by Rowan’s calculations was every five minutes.

“You’re not even eating,” came her best friend’s admonishment. “Relax, he’ll be here.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“He can eat more than the rest of us combined. Why would he miss the opportunity?” Charlie reasoned.

“The feast is his favorite part of Christmas,” Penny said, reaching across and squeezing Clara’s hand.

Despite the kindly reassuring of her friends, it wasn’t until Clara caught a flash of green that she truly began to seek out answers. Unfortunately, the green sweater did not belong to a burly man of about 190 centimeters but of a Slytherin girl recognized as her greatest rival (and pest at times). Merula joined their table without fanfare but right away everyone could tell there was something amiss. Far from being a ‘friendly’ person you could always count on a sarcastic or snarky remark from Merula Snyde. Not so this time around.

“Lin. I think you need to go see Barnaby,” she stated bluntly, getting straight to the point.

The table immediately ceased eating at this development, not that Clara had consumed much beforehand.

“What?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“Are you deaf, Lin? The bighead isn’t even interested in eating and that’s saying something…” she huffed in frustration knowing sensitivity wasn’t her strong suit and tried to deliver the news more amicably. “Just see him, okay? He doesn’t want to talk to anyone else.”

Were this their first year, the amount of trust in Merula would have been below that of a snake. But five years later, she would not have informed Clara of something that delicate were it not of serious importance. They were collaborative rivals after all...not bitter enemies. At least not anymore.

“Where is he?” came the simple question.

“In the courtyard freezing his arse off. Just...don’t let him do anything stupid. More than he already does.”

Clara wasted no time in getting up from the table. She didn’t even bother to look back at the reactions her friends may or may not have had. The hunch of the previous day had been right...but she’d fail to recognize it. For Merlin’s sake even little Em could tell. What was so deficient within herself that her own boyfriend stood out on Christmas alone in the cold?”

“Sis?” Em called out but it was no use. She was out of the Great Hall before anyone could say so much as ‘Doris Crockford.’

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It didn’t take long for Clara to reach the desired destination. So frantic was her pace, there was barely time to button up her jacket, pull on her black knit gloves and hat, while also adjusting her hair into its usual long ponytail. But none of that mattered. Personal comfort could be foregone in the face of a significant other suffering needlessly. Numerous anxious thoughts raced through the brain upon the approach, seeing that he was dressed in a dark brown jacket, jeans, a blue and red hat with a puffball on top complete with calf level brown boots.

Something was wrong...something was wrong and I didn’t bother to ask. I just assumed. What if I made him upset? What if he wants to break up?

“Calm yourself, Clara,” she admonished herself. “Barnaby wouldn’t hold back anything from you.”

Despite that attempt at reassurance, it didn’t do much for her nerves. That being said, a Gryffindor did what was necessary in spite of fear. For better or worse, this Christmas conversation had to occur. For Merlin’s sake, even Merula knew when something was off. But the analytical mind wouldn’t let the issue go until she found out what plagued him so.

“Barnaby!” the cursebreaker said in a tone that fully betrayed her anxiety. “Merula told me you were out here. Is everything okay?”

“Did you like your present?”

The simple reply, a question to a question. In fact she was so taken aback by it, words failed her for a brief moment.

“I-uh….yes. Of course I did, but that’s not the reason I came out here.”

She took both his hands in hers, noting just how much taller he was in situations like these. It took quite the effort to kiss him but the primary concern lay with the heart- underneath the archway of the west aqueduct in the courtyard, twinkling white crystals winking in the late early morning sun. Both of their breaths resonated but only one had trouble looking the other in the eye.

“Was my present not what you wanted? I know you’re interested in being a Magizoolist but if there was something else I could get you instead…”

A finger pressed against her rosy, red lips.

“But did you like mine?”

The question, being repeated twice became a source of puzzlement now.

“Barnaby I already told you I loved it. It’s not often I get to see a picture of my family whole like that…” she paused, narrowing her eyes but not unkindly. “Why?”

“If you’re happy that’s all I care about on this special day.���

“But if you’re not, how can this day be special?” Clara countered. “Please...don’t keep me out. What’s wrong. Merula sees it and so can I.”

There could be so many explanations as to why her boyfriend was upset. But this wasn’t a cursed vault where a keen, undiluted mind could be put to the task in finding it. It didn’t require analytics, but empathy.

Barnaby stuffed mittened hands into the pockets of his jeans, turning his head to the side.

“I...I thought if you could realize how important your family is to you maybe it might help...with mine,” he breathed out.

“What do you-oh…” Clara said, letting out a soft sigh of realization. “Your dad.”

“Yes.”

“He yelled at you again in a letter.”

“No.”

“He disowned you?”

“No.”

“He said something-”

“Clara,” the sixteen year old Slytherin said sharply though the aim of his emotions was not directed towards her. “He didn’t send me anything this year. Nothing.”

It took a second for the Gryffindor to sink that in her brain.

“Nothing?”

“Our relationship has been bad for awhile. But at least he sent me presents. Heck, he liked that I was good at fighting and eating. I love both those things.”

“You’re more than just a fighter and an eater,” she soothed in a soft tone, rubbing his arm. “You know that.”

“I do,” he said, still not looking directly at her. “But with me constantly disobeying his wishes and taking my own path in life...it makes me realize my family has always been rubbish. Those presents were only under the three if I did what he said...and the wrapping paper was always lousy!” he added.

Clara had an inkling of what her boyfriend’s life was like but not much beyond a few short stories and traumatizing incidents he never liked to discuss. But to be cut off completely well that was news to her. And it wasn’t fair.

“Sweetie, listen,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his strong neck. “It’s not your fault.”

“But it is. If I had just…” his voice cut off now unable to say anything more beyond potential crying and Clara could see tears welling up in his eyes. “I-If I can’t have my family, you should at least appreciate how amazing yours is.”

“Shhh,” she said, rocking him in a tone she used whenever he became upset. Being a member of the frog choir and an excellent singer, it helped calm her boyfriend. And now was the perfect time.

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

The muggle tune was one she knew growing up and read from one of her mother’s books at university. Given that it was Christmas time, the moment felt quite appropriate. Slowly, she grabbed his left hand and led him around the courtyard as if they were dancing, feet crunching in the snow in a soft ballad until they stopped below a string of mistletoe that hung in one of the archways.

Sleep in heavenly peace

Upon the ending of the song, she wiped the stream of tears from his cheeks.

“You always have a family in me,” Clara said, adjusting his scruffy, brown hair underneath his hat. “And you’re the greatest gift a girl could ask for.”

Slowly and with such tenderness that the loving couple melted into each other like a marshmallow into a cup of hot chocolate, they kissed.

“Merry Christmas, Barnaby Lee.”

The Slytherin grinned back, picking her up by her waist and swinging around and dipping her forward as if she were a princess. All tears were gone and regret washed away by the spirit of the season.

“Merry Christmas, Clara Lin.”

[myblueeyedbuggers]

My Boys

Chapter 10

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14

Pairings: Reader x Steve Rogers (best friend) Reader x Bucky Barnes

Word Count:1843

Warnings: Slow Start, Language.

Summary: After being abandoned by her parents in Brooklyn in 1929, y/n makes a living for herself by working for the Црни лабуд gang until she meets two boys in a back alley and her life slowing begins to change.

Annnddd I’m back! so I know it’s been a while since the last update and I just wanna thank you all for having patience with me while I finished up with college, just a warning this chapter may feel a little awkward to read due to me just getting back into my writing mind so apologises in advance for this one. Anyways I’ll quit blabbering, Enjoy everyone! :)

This was my day of reckoning, my punishment for all the bad deeds I’d done over the past couple of years…I was finally being sent to school. Okay maybe that was a tad dramatic, but can you blame me? I mean who wants to be trapped in a building against their will for 7 hours straight learning about dead guys?! No sane person would willingly agree to that crap!

I’ve tried just about everything to avoid my approaching doom, hell I even went as far as hiding in the basement surrounded by cobwebs to try and get out of this, but as per usual neither Steve or Bucky took mercy on me, hence why in currently trapped between the two. “You are aware I’m perfectly capable of walkin’ by myself aren’t ya? The looping of the arms is not needed boys” I swear down these two are being more annoying than usual, and I didn’t think that was humanly possible cause these two are basically the living embodiment of annoyance. Steve turned and raised his eyebrows at me, shaking his head as he let out a small laugh, “Yeah there’s absolutely no way I’m fallin’ for that again, last time that happened it look me and Buck an hour to get you outta that tree”. Ah crap there goes that plan.

I’m pretty sure the noise I made wasn’t even human, it was a mix between a seal and a possessed monkey “I’m not gonna get outta this am I?” “Nope” and que another frustrated groan. “Is this payback for the time I placed that bucket of flour above your bedroom door and watched the both of you turn into ghosts? If it is then I want you to know I regret nothin’” both of them stopped and glared at me, for some reason they didn’t find that as funny as I did, and I have no idea why. Okay whatever you do y/n don’t laugh, even if Steve’s face looks like a slapped arse don’t laugh! A snicker slipped past my lips and a few seconds later I was full on laughin’.  Goddamn it.

Both of em just let out a bunch of sighs and started draggin’ my butt along the street, wait there’s somethin’ I haven’t tried yet…in hindsight this is completely stupid but screw it. “OH MY GOD LOOK A SPACESHIP!” I’m pretty sure poor Bucky jumped outta his skin, Steve ended up trippin’ up and falling down, I’ll admit that I felt bad about but hey may plan worked! So why am I still standin’ there?… maybe we try this thing called running y/n! I quickly pulled my arm away from Bucky and used my new-found freedom to run in the opposite direction of them, I could hear the shouts of protest from the both of them, so I decided to kindly ignore them and absolutely leg it.  “GODAMMN IT Y/N! THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME THIS MORNIN’!” when were the boys gonna catch on that I didn’t wanna go? Do I need to prepare a firework show and blast it in their faces or somethin’…probably.  

I know I probably shouldn’t be smiling, but the feeling of the wind flowing through my hair as my feet hit the ground made me feel free, after so many years I could finally begin acting my age and enjoy my childhood. I finally felt content with my life, which is probably the opposite of what I should be feeling at this moment in time, considering I was currently making my grand escape. And to completely honest I’ve got no bloody clue as to where I am. I glanced behind me to see where the hell those idiots were, to my surprise Steve was directly behind me, Buck was somewhere in the back holdin’ his knee and I’m guessing the daft sod decked it. Why am I not surprised? Okay maybe I should of kept my mouth shut cause literally a second later my foot tripped over a rock and, you guessed correctly, I landed on my ass for the thousandth time!

“Sh*t! Cr*p! B*lls! That f**king hurt!” and that ladies and gentlemen is my fine command of the queens English, a groan of pain made me loose my train of thought as I turned my head to Steve, to put it simply he was laid flat on his back with his eye closed. Well there’s the rush of guilt I’ve been waiting for, “Sh*t Steve I’m sorry, you okay down there tough guy?” I quickly offered him my hand to help him up, I mean it’s the least I could do. Steve’s hand grabbed mine, a not so quiet grunt of pain made me feel even worse, quick question why am I such an assh*le at times? “Yeah, I’m fine y/n, don’t worry about it you know for a fact I’ve had worse” a quiet sigh left my lips as I brought him in for a hug, which was a tiny bit awkward due to the height difference. Once we pulled away from each other, I couldn’t supress the need to check him for anymore injuries, much to Steve’s embarrassment and Bucky’s amusement, “Jesus I’m gonna have to start wrapping ya up in blankets and pillows, Steve how the hell did you manage to get a bruise on your ear?!”

The sudden gasp behind me pretty much answered the question for me, it’s safe to say barney boy is in trouble…for the first in my life Bucky looks pretty f**king terrified of me, perfect. Slowly I started inching towards him, the glare I was sending him would probably make a demon cry for his mum…so yeah imma go kill the boy. I didn’t even have to say anything, he just started runnin’, “IT’S NOT MY FAULT HE STOLE MY FR**KING PUDDIN’ AND THE PUNK KNOWS I LOVE MY PUDDIN!’” YEP DEFINITELY KILLIN’ HIM “HE IS A SMALL AND GENTLE BOY HOW IN THE NAME OF HELL CAN YOU EVEN THINK OF LAYIN’ A HAND ON ‘IM?!” god this sounds like a bleeding soap opera.

 At this point I wouldn’t be surprised of someone called the cops on us, all everyone woulda seen was a big lad runnin’ for his life as a small lass tried to murder him while a smaller lad ran after the pair yellin’ for em to quit it.  Now that I think about, that’s actually hilarious. Wait, where was I? ah yes the murdering of one James Barnes…okay that is not a normal sentence I am aware. “HE.STOLE.MY.PUDDIN’! THAT A CRIME WORTHY OF DEATH!” oh for f**ksake “HOW THE HELL DO YA KNOW IT WAS HIM?! DID YOU NOT THINK IT COULDA BE BECCA?!” I think he made a sudden realisation, cause the dumbass stopped running and BOOM I was on the freakin’ floor. Again. We both groaned, mine was mostly in annoyance more than anything, but seriously the bloody floor is quickly becoming me best mate! “…. It just dawned on me that that could be a possibility…” if my neck twisted any quicker I’m 100% sure that I’d end up doin’ that weird owl thing “Oh now you realise?! Ya gonna say sorry to Steve or not?” a few seconds of silence gave me my answer. “Don’t give me that look y/n! I ain’t doing s**t till I’ve got some evidence so he’s still under my list of suspects!” oh my Jesus Christ this is gonna be the day I get arrested for murder isn’t it?

“Barnaby…you have exactly five seconds to run for your life so I highly recommend you get your affairs in order and kiss ya ass goodbye” oh hey look at that I didn’t yell at him! Well done me I’m so proud! “could you two quit trying to kill each other for 5 minutes?! We’re already late enough as is it and I ain’t explainin’ to the teacher why Buck’s outta it on the floor!” my f**kin god Steve just yelled! At me! why do I never have a camera when this s**t happens?  “Jeez, alright I’ll murder him later, calm your damn t*ts Rogers” and cue the sound of barely contained frustration in 3,2,1….

“I’m beginning to get the feelin’ that you don’t like me y/n” oh really? I wonder what gave that away “wow you catch on quickly don’t ya Barnaby?” by the looks of things I’m really doing wonders for his ego, buck’s head looks like it’s gotten smaller so the risk of him turning into a hot air balloon’s gone down. The feeling of a pair of eyes glaring at the back of my head once again reminded me that the blonde boy was quickly getting tired of our crap, my worst fears were confirmed once I met Steve’s surprisingly intimidating glare…how he manages to be both adorable and beyond f**king terrifying is a mystery to me. “Okay I’m comin’ just stop staring at me like I just murdered your kitten!” and the little s**t has the nerve to smirk and look pleased with himself, ugh he’s been hanging ‘round me and Bucky too long that’s for sure.

“Ya know Buck and you are gonna be the death of me” right do I be offended or pleased with that statement? “actually, if anything it’s gonna be the pair of you that send me to an early grave cause god knows the both of ya don’t know how to stay outta trouble” two muffled sounds of protest came from my left and from behind me, “what’s that supposed to mean?!” once again the point has been missed “do you really wanna know the answer to that? I’ve got my report and presentation ready on how you two are a pair of numpties”.

Maybe that was a tad harsh…okay wait never mind it seems I’ve learned how to fly again with the assistance of one James Buchannan Barnes. “this is coming from the girl who can’t walk five feet without fallin’ over somethin’?” as much as I hate to admit it the walking embodiment of frustration and annoyance has a point “what you call fallin’ I call floor hugs, now how about you pUT ME DOWN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!” wait when did Steve walk off? See this is what happens when an overgrown ape demands attention. I don’t even have to look at Buck to know he’s givin’ me that look that says, “what the hell?” and “I’m not surprised by this” at the same time, “Nah I don’t think that’s gonna happen doll” the temptation to kick ‘im where the sun doesn’t shine is too much to bare for me at this point. “And you wonder why I love Steve more that you” Buck’s face kinda looked like someone just shoved a whole lemon in his mouth, I’m almost certain that he woulda dropped me on my ass if it wasn’t for the fact that Steve came over and dragged us both through the gates of hell.

This is gonna be so much fun!……said no-one ever.  

Okay…maybe it didn’t suck as much a thought it did, hopefully my skills as a writer will come back for the next couple of chapters XD Thanks for reading ! :)

Rose xxx

[lgvalenzuela]

In snakey matters don't sink your teeth

(Part one) (Part two)

Year 4

The hatstalls shared a train compartment as usual, their friends rotated to expend time with them. Most had shared letters so there wasn't much catching up on how the summer went, when the compartment got crowded, they were ordered to clear up.

Barnaby stayed with Morgana, even if they had exchanged letters as they promised, they could just talk for hours. Andre and Mercy shared a knowing look and a smirk and discreetly left the compartment, dragging Damien with them.

The couple didn't even notice they were left alone. Morgana was absorbed into Barnaby's words, talking about how he'd read Fantastic beasts and where to find them like five times that summer, and he already wanted to do it again. And Barnaby really didn't notice how much he missed Morgana's voice, so serene, so calm, filled you with peace.

He listened to her while she told him about the month Andre expent on her house, learning Quidditch techniques with her dad. Reached to his collarbone to scratch it and that's when she noticed:

"Barnaby...you have a scar..."

"What? Oh yeah" he covered it "It's from Ismelda's charm last year, man she really hit the target..." he scratched the back of his neck nervously as he saw Morgana's ever increasingly horrified expression "It's okay, it's okay, the nurse said it could have been worse if you hadn't helped with your healing magic" that didn't help

"It was Everete Statum, that's a charm, how did she even made it...do this?"

"Well she does have a talent for making not particularly offensive spells...offensive" he patted her head "It only itches a bit, it's okay I swear"

Morgana delicately put a hand on his cheek, and looked at him in the eye, he didn't know if he should feel even more nervous, or calmed, it was a strange mix of emotions:

"I trust you, but if you ever need assistance come see me, okay?"

He relaxed into her hand, she stroked his cheek gently and he melted:

"Of course" he said soflty

Morgana tried not to ponder much about it, but if she was good at something, it was overthinking.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mercy gave Rakepik the stink eye, trying to position herself in front of Morgana and Damien:

"I'm glad to see everyone returned. I expected at least one of you to cower in the face of competition" said the woman "I'm looking at you, Mr Copper"

"Please don't" he said trembling, holding to his robes for dear life, Damien grabbed his hand and smiled at him reassuringly

Rakepik smirked at the young griffindor, and dedicated a sly look to little Morgana, hiding behind her sister, Mercy growled quietly. Thay was...entertaining:

"What curse are you going to teach us tonight?" asked Ismelda, eager, rubbing her fingers

Rakepik looked at the sisters, and smirked to herself, she sruged:

"I won't be teaching you anything tonight, Miss Murk. You will be teaching one another"

Everyone whispered in confusion, until Bill was brave enough to break the silence:

"Curses?"

"Curses, charms, transfiguration, potions, punches..." she walked slowly examining the kid's reactions "I've never belived in putting restrictions on duelling..."

"Miss, you want us to duel each other?" asked Morgana

"As you well know..." she looked at her directly, ignoring Mercy's growls "It's highly unlikely you'll be able to enter a Cursed Vault without facing a fight. Duelling is the best way to improve your combat skills"

"Morgana doesn't go to the Vaults" said Mercy finally, getting in Rakepik's way

"But she went to the last one, as far as I know"

"It was to heal our injured friend" the hufflepuff explained

"Oh yes, I'm aware of the story" she looked at Ismelda, who looked down for a second "And tell me, Miss Canigula..." Morgana looked up "Don't you want to do something about it?"

"I..." Morgana hold Mercy's arm tight

"Nah, you don't understand, Morgana's such a pacifist, besides, she's a terrible duelist" explained Damien, Ben jabbed him "Hey! Am I lying?"

"Miss Murk, can you come to the front?"

Ismelda took out her wand with a smirk and her head high, Rakepik looked at the group:

"So, Canigula, how many more fights are your comadres going to fight for you?" she gestured to the duelling area

"You don't understand, Morgana isn't cut for this short of things, she has other qualities, she..."

Mercy continued talking, but Morgana's mind was elsewhere, she had a lot of time to think about herself, about her weaknesses, about Barnaby, and how weak he felt, and about his scar.

She walked past Mercy, put herself in front of Ismelda and took out her wand:

"Morgana..." said Mercy, worried, trying to intervene

Andre grabbed her arm and shaked his head, this was something their friend had to do on her own.

Ismelda examined Morgana, trembling, swallowing:

"This is for Barnaby" said her rival

The slytherin looked down, she looked at Merula, just a few steps away, her friend dodged her, stubborn, as confused as she was about the whole situation. She looked at the little ravenclaw again:

"When I'm done with you... I'll finish that traitor"

Morgana frowned. Rakepik observed the situation, sensing the genuine tension, this should be fun:

"Prepare to duel"

And just like that, Ismelda's wand was ejected from her hand, before anyone could react, Morgana made a hand movement and a wave threw Ismelda a few feet away.

She ran to her wand while Morgana examined her surroundings, nervously thinking about her next step:

"Non-verbal magic" said Aisling, impressed

"Where the fuck did she learn that???" shouted Mercy

Everyone turned to Morgana's cousins, Septimus and Aisling sruged, they really didn't know, could very well be a family thing.

Ismelda grabbed her wand just to get her head stuck on a pumpkin:

"You have to be kidding me, such a childish spell" she thought, wingardum lebiosa'd that thing away from her face and threw it to her opponent

"Incarcerous!" she yelled as Morgana avoided the pumpkin, now she had her right where she wanted "Bombarda!"

Morgana's friends were interrupted by Rakepik when they were about to intervene, but just because they saw Morgana standing up after falling on the ground:

"Should've taken a more offensive route" said Ismelda

Morgana looked at her straight in the eye, but she wasn't scared, she already knew her opponent could conjure non-verbal magic, the element of surprise wore off, she was about to cast another curse when Morgana made a third rapid movement and she started singing.

In the confusion Morgana run to her:

"Expelliarmus!" singed Ismelda

Morgana's wand flew off but that didn't stop her from running up to her and slap her right in the face, with her hand open, so suddenly that it slapped the cantus jinx right out of her.

Everyone's jaw dropped to the floor:

"Offensive enough?" asked Morgana

Ismelda completely dropped her wand and slapped her rival right back.

This threw Morgana off balance, and failed the both times she tried to punch her, facing her rival with both her fist in her hands she jumped straight up and landed her head on Ismelda's jaw with the weak full force of her whole body:

"Agh" Ismelda grabbed her chin

Morgana put both hands in her head, she was STILL the one getting more hurt, and right when she was about to try to land another lucky hit Mercy grabbed her wrist:

"That's enough"

(@brothergrimm71 and @elefseija 's ocs are briefly mentioned

Thanks for lending me your ocs🖤🖤🖤)

[alice-beaumont-ravenclaw]

Hottest Spot South of Havana (Part 2)

A/N #1: Part 2 is here! It’s finally time for the beach! Inspired by the B prompt of this challenge. The song that inspired part of this fic is “Itsi bitsi, petit bikini” by Dalida. You can find Alice’s outfit HERE. (Part 1 is HERE.)

The next morning, the group sat together at the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast. Charlie was sitting next to Alice and giving his cereal bowl all of his attention.

“What’s up with Charlie?” whispered Penny to Andre.

“Eh, he’s angry because I told Diego what he did with Alice last summer. Well, more like confirmed than told, since Charlie’s red face was a pretty big giveaway. Was Alice angry that you talked about it?”

“Mostly embarrassed. Didn’t have time to get angry as we had to figure out who would sleep where. We didn’t want Tulip and Tonks sleeping in the same room, but neither of us wanted to sleep with Tonks because we still have nightmares of that time she transformed into Filch while asleep.”

��What did you do then?”

“Confiscated Tulip’s dungbombs, told them if they did anything stupid, we would send them back to London, and Alice and I took the bedroom.”

“Lucky you, Charlie…” started saying Andre.

“Who gave Tonks coffee?!” said Alice, staring at the pink-haired girl in front of her.

“I ordered it myself,” said Tonks, raising an eyebrow from behind her cup.

“Great. We’ll be dealing with hyper Tonks,” said Penny, letting out a sigh as she rolled her eyes.

“Well, it’s a good thing we are going to the beach today, then,” said Diego, wrapping an arm around Penny’s shoulders.

“Oh! Alice! You can wear that swimsuit I made for you!” exclaimed Andre, clapping his hands together as Penny pushed Diego off his chair.

“I… hum… sure,” said Alice, staring at her pão de queijo crumbs, her cheeks becoming a light shade of pink.

“Andre made you a swimsuit? Oh! I can’t wait to see it! Come on, let’s go and get changed!” exclaimed Penny, dragging her friend by the arm.

“I didn’t have time to finish my orange juice!” Alice was heard saying.

“Wait… If we are going to the beach, that means we’ll get to see the guys in their swim trunks,” said Tulip, wiggling her eyebrows as she looked at the guys around the table.

“Meh, I’ve seen most of them at the Burrows. Not that impressive,” said Tonks, shrugging as she got up. “At least you’ll be able to take Dennis out for a walk.”

Tulip shot up from her chair, “Oh! You’re right!”

The last two girls having left the table, the guys quickly finished eating and headed to their room to change.

About thirty minutes later, they were on the beach of Copacabana, in an area reserved for hotel guests. Charlie and Barnaby were wearing trunks in their house colours, while Andre was wearing a purple one. Diego, on the other hand, was wearing bright yellow Speedo swim briefs.

“Why is Diego in his underwear?” asked Barnaby.

“No, it’s a… style of swimsuit. Doesn’t suit everyone, but Diego pulls it off. Kinda. Anyway, he’s clearly not the only one wearing that kind of swimwear,” explained Andre, looking over his sunglasses at all the men on the beach wearing swim briefs like Diego. 

“Not surprising Diego would leave little to the imagination,” said Tonks as she arrived with Tulip, who was carrying her toad in her hands.

“Hey! Took you long enough,” said Andre, turning around as Tonks and Tulip placed their towels on the sand.

“Not our fault we share a room with the Headgirl and her enforcer,” said Tulip as she carefully placed Dennis on the sand. “They made sure we had put on sunscreen, that we were wearing some clothes over our swimsuits to get to the beach, that I didn’t have any dungbombs… The only reason we were able to get out is that Penny turned her attention to Alice and her bikini.”

“Wait… Alice will be wearing a bikini?” asked Charlie, his eyes wide.

“Don’t make that face, Dragon Boy. You’ve seen her in way less,” said Tonks, smirking as she removed the shorts over her yellow one-piece swimsuit.

“I hate my life,” grumbled Charlie, holding his head.

“Aw, come one, we’re only teasing, mate,” said Andre, patting his friend’s back. “But we’ll stop. It’s a moment that should remain between you and Alice.”

“Thanks,” said Charlie, looking gratefully at Andre.

“Oh! I think I see Penny and Alice!” said Barnaby as he sat on the sand, building a sandcastle.

Penny and Alice made their way to the group. Penny was wearing an orange bandeau bikini, jean shorts hiding the bottom half. She held a t-shirt in one hand, and a beach bag in the other. Following behind her was Alice, wearing denim overall shorts covering her swimsuit, the only part visible being the pastel puff sleeves.

“Wow, Alice really doesn’t want us to see her bikini. She’s wearing a puff-sleeved top over it,” said Tonks.

“Oh, no. Those puff sleeves are part of the swimsuit. It was how I got her to accept to wear a bikini. She told me she would not wear, and I quote, ‘an itsy bitsy teenie weenie tout petit, petit bikini,’” explained Andre as the two girls arrived next to them.

“What is Diego doing?” asked Penny, raising her sunglasses to the top of her head to look at Diego, who was now flexing in front of giggling local girls. 

“He’s just being Diego,” said Alice as she sat next to Charlie on his beach towel, placing her towel, as well as her bag, on it.

“So, are we going to see that bikini of yours? Or are you planning to go swim with your denim overalls?” asked Tonks.

“She looks absolutely adorable in it,” gushed Penny.

“Ugh, fine,” grumbled Alice, undoing the buckle loops holding the straps as she stood up. 

Her overalls pooled at her feet, revealing her bikini. It was made of a fabric with a pastel scenic tropical print. The top was a bandeau with puff sleeves and a tie at the back. The briefs were between low-rise and high-rise. 

“Alice… you look stunning,” said Charlie as he looked up at his girlfriend.

“You really think so?” she asked, lowering her white oval-framed sunglasses down her nose, to which Charlie nodded.

“Ok, you two lovebirds. Cut it out,” said Tulip, holding a little leash. “Unless you want us to remind you that we know what you did last summer.”

“Tulip,” said Andre through gritted teeth.

“I know, I know. But they are so sickenly sweet, I feel like we’re all third-wheeling on their honeymoon or something,” replied Tulip.

“Coming here for your honeymoon would be so romantic,” said Penny, sighing as she laid down on her towel. “Maybe these two will honeymoon here someday.”

At these words, Alice and Charlie stared at Penny before staring at each other. 

“Barnaby, need any help with your sandcastle?” said Charlie as he scooted toward his Slytherin friend.

“Tulip, Tonks, want to take a walk on the beach with Dennis?” suggested Alice as she linked her arms with her two friends’ arms.

“What the hell did I say?” asked Penny as she watched Alice walking away.

“You talked about marriage to two seventeen-year-olds,” said Andre as he laid down next to her.

“Charlie is eighteen and come on! As if Charlie won’t propose by the end of the year.”

“They are teenagers. It’s a bit young to settle into wedded bliss. Not to mention they’ve only been dating for like a year and a half.”

“So? These two are perfect for each other. And even if they don’t marry straight after Hogwarts, they’ll still probably end up marrying each other.”

“Maybe,” said Andre, glancing between Charlie and Alice. “But we don’t know what the future holds.”

“Look at you, being all philosophical.”

“Meh, it’s just the reaction they had tells me they are clearly not at that stage in their relationship. Now, stop meddling in other people’s love life, and look at all the guys in Speedos.”

An hour later, Alice, Tonks, and Tulip returned from their walk. Barnaby and Charlie had completed their sandcastle, which included what looked like a dragon next to it. 

“You were gone for a while,” pointed out Barnaby.

“We went all the way to Leme Beach. Dennis was so happy to breathe in some fresh air finally,” said Tulip.

“I’m starving,” whispered Alice, holding her stomach. “I’m thirsty.”

“I think they sell some food in the kiosks over there,” said Charlie pointing at the kiosks close to the street.

“We can go get lunch for everyone,” suggested Barnaby.

“That would be really nice of you,” said Alice with a gentle smile.

Barnaby blushed before grabbing Charlie by the wrist, “Let’s get the food!”

Alice looked at the two boys walking away, her eyebrows raised, but Diego appeared before she could say anything. “Where the hell were you?”

“Flirting with some chicas,” replied Diego, grinning.

“I will put dungbombs in your shampoo if you say ‘chica’ again,” said Tonks, shivering.

“Sorry, I mean, ladies.”

“You manage even to make that word sound creepy,” replied Tonks.

“Wait, you speak Portuguese now?” asked Alice.

“Hmmm? No, no. The girls were tourists from Argentina. Very charming ladies. They even told me of a place we could eat dinner. An Italian restaurant not too far from the hotel. They also gave me an idea of a place to visit tomorrow. By the way, where’s Charlie?” asked Diego, looking around.

“He went with Barnaby to buy us lunch, why?” replied Alice, pointing toward the kiosk where Barnaby and Charlie could be seen standing in line.

“I’ll go and help them,” simply replied Diego before walking away.

Alice stood there, watching the Hufflepuff boy with her brows furrowed. “Curiouser and curiouser, ” she said, removing her straw fedora to fan herself. “Good grief, it’s hot.”

“Hey, Alice?” said Tulip.

“Mmm?”

“Did Penny forget to put sunscreen on her face?”

Alice looked at Penny and Andre, who had fallen asleep on their towels. Penny’s face was a bright shade of red. 

“It does seem like it. I think she was so gung ho about getting me to wear my bikini, she forgot,” said Alice, before kneeling next to Penny. “Oi! Penny!”

Penny’s eyes flickered open before her face contorted into a grimace. “Ow! My face hurts!”

“You got a big sunburn on your face,” pointed out Andre as he woke up.

“What?!”

“Here, take this,” said Alice, handing her a small jar. “It’s an ointment my grandmother makes. It works against sunburns.”

“Thanks,” said Penny as she started to apply the ointment to her face.

A few moments later, Diego, Charlie, and Barnaby returned with food and water.

“What happened to Penny’s face?” asked Barnaby, holding water bottles, as he saw Penny’s face covered in a white cream.

“The sun made her blush,” said Tulip.

“Huh?” said Barnaby, confused.

“Sunburn. She got a sunburn, and I gave her something to treat it,” explained Alice. “Now, can we eat?”

“Here, I got us a beach umbrella,” said Andre as he planted said umbrella in the sand. “They have some available for hotel guests.”

“We should have thought of that sooner,” said Penny, before taking a bite.

After eating, they picked up their trash and disposed of it in the available trash cans. Alice and Charlie wanted to go straight in the water afterwards but were reminded by Penny that they should wait thirty minutes if they didn’t want to have any cramps. Alice decided to help Tulip cover Tonks in the sand while Charlie joined Barnaby and Andre, who were playing with a beach ball. Penny made sure she remained in the shadow of the umbrella, while Diego had gone back to flirting. Once the thirty minutes had passed, they all ran toward the sea, except for Penny, who refused to leave the safety of the umbrella’s shadow, and Diego. 

Charlie went behind Alice and took her in his arms bridal style and started to run further away from the group. Alice had her arm around his neck as to not fall, but it was in vain. Charlie tripped in the sand and dropped her in the water. 

“Alice?” said Charlie as he looked around, the Ravenclaw still underwater.

Alice emerged behind Charlie, a mischievous grin on her face. She wiggled her bum a bit to gain momentum before jumping on his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Charlie stumbled a bit but managed to maintain his balance just as Alice gave him a small peck on his temple.

“Oi! Get a room, you two!” shouted Tonks as their friends caught up to them.

“You’re just jealous,” said Alice, sticking her tongue out from behind Charlie.

“I repeat: I feel like we are a bunch of third-wheels on your couple’s vacation,” said Tulip as Alice got off Charlie’s back.

“Aww, come on. We’re all here because Alanza invited us,” replied Alice, splashing some water in Tulip’s direction.

“Speaking of Alanza, when are we going to see her?” asked Barnaby.

“Ooooh, Barnaby wants to see Alanza!” said Tonks in a sing-song voice.

“Barnaby and Alanza sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” sang Tulip.

“Cut it out, you two,” said Alice, splashing her two friends as Barnaby’s cheek turned pink. “Anyway, she’s supposed to meet up with us tomorrow.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop talking about Barnanza,” said Tonks, raising her hands in defeat.

“Barnanza?” asked Andre.

“Couple’s name we gave Barnaby and Alanza,” explained Tulip.

“We are not even a couple,” protested Barnaby.

“Oh, but, you will…” started saying Tonks before being interrupted by a beach ball thrown at her face. “Beaumont! That’s a declaration of war!”

“Bring it on, Nymphadora!”

And so, they started throwing the ball at each other as hard as they could, trying to make the others lose their balance. It lasted for some time until the girls decided to climb on the guys’ shoulders to fight each other: Alice on Charlie, Tulip on Barnaby, and Tonks on Andre. The Ravenclaw-Slytherin pair fell pretty quickly, probably because the other two teams ganged up on them. Tulip and Barnaby stood in the water, watching their friends face off.

“I’m gonna take you down like I took down your Mario,” said Tonks, arms raised, preparing to strike.

“So you admit it! You killed my Mario on purpose! Murderer! I will avenge him,” exclaimed Alice, reflecting Tonk’s position.

“What are they talking about?” asked Charlie, glancing up at the two girls.

“No idea, but let's see if you are as hot in the water as you are on a broom,” said Andre, tightening his grip on Tonks’ legs.

“Oh! It’s on Egwu!” said Charlie, holding on to Alice’s legs.

The two teams stared at each other, slowly turning as if waiting for the right moment to attack. Tulip observed with excitement, biting her lower lip, while Barnaby hid his face behind his hands, peeking between his fingers.

“Tickle attack!” exclaimed Tonks as her hands quickly reached Alice’s waist and started tickling her.

Alice started to wiggle and kick her legs as she laughed, making Charlie lose his balance. They fell backward into the water with a big splash.

“Cheater!” exclaimed Alice as she emerged.

“Not my fault you’re ticklish, and I know it,” said Tonks as she shook her hands in victory above her head.

“Turns out, you’re not good at everything,” said Andre as he watched Charlie comb back his wet hair.

“I ask for a rematch,” said Charlie as he helped Alice get back on her feet.

“As the song says, ‘We are the champions, no time for losers,’” said Tulip as she followed Barnaby, Tonks, and Andre out of the water.

“I’m pretty sure some seawater went up my nose,” said Alice as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

“Same. Let’s get dried up before we have to head back to the hotel,” said Charlie, holding her hand as they slowly walked to join the others.

Tonks was walking around Penny, flexing and saying how she was invincible for defeating the Curse-Breaker. Tulip accompanied Tonks’ exaggerated tale with well placed oohs and aahs, while Andre frowned every time Tonks referred to him as “her noble steed.”

Alice sat between Charlie’s legs as he wrapped them in a beach towel while listening to Tonks’ story.

“Who knew she could come up with such an elaborate story for something that lasted like five seconds. She makes it sound like she slew a dragon,” said Alice.

“Well, you can be just as fearsome as a dragon,” replied Charlie before kissing the back of her head. 

“Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said, smirking as she leaned back so that her head would rest on his chest.

Andre, who had stopped listening to Tonks’ tall tale, saw someone coming over that made his eyes go wide. “Does Diego have a girl on each arm, or am I having a heatstroke?”

“He does seem to have two girls with him,” said Barnaby, who was back at making a sandcastle.

“And they are holding onto his arms,” observed Tulip.

“Welp, there’s no denying Diego’s got game,” said Penny.

“He still creeps me out,” grumbled Tonks.

“Should we tell him we’re about to head back to the hotel to change before dinner?” asked Charlie.

“Nah, let him enjoy his moment,” said Alice as they all looked at Diego walking past them, proud as a peacock.

A/N #2: Fic #1 of the Brazilian series is done! Hope you liked it! Where is the gang going to go next? Find out in fic #2 (that I still need to write...)! Feel free to leave comments.

[hotpotrandomfics]

Future AU: A Promise Never Broken

Summary: Merula, Penny, Rowan, and Tulip have been on the run for weeks as they have been chased by Death Eaters. The former classmates would have been killed hadn’t someone came to their rescues.

Word Count: 2,907

"Come on, this way Penny!" Merula shouted, running and casting spells behind her as the Death Eaters chased her and her friends. "Rowan! Tulip! Come on!"

Three friends ran past Merula, covering her from behind, after making it into the abandoned house behind them. They shut the door and barracked it before looking for a way to get out.

"This has got to be the worst day ever!" Rowan said panting and wiping the sweat off his glasses. "What are gonna do now? I don't see any exits, and that door won't hold them back!"

"Khanna, shut up and let me think for a second," Merula replied.

"Look, I have at least one dung bomb left. We use Lumos to blind them last minute then make a break for it," Tulip responded.

"I have two more fire-breathing potions, and one wiggleweed potion left. I could use one on them before escaping too," Penny offered her idea to them.

"Okay, then let's go with that. Penny, drink up. Tulip, prep the bomb, and Rowan, have your wand ready," Merula replied prepping her wand.

Ever since Voldemort's resurrection, the wizarding world has been thrown into chaos. Dark wizards and many other creatures had joined his cause, whether out of pure loyalty or fear. Even the one they thought would never be corrupted, Jason Piscius Aurelius De Leone. Jason had been gone for months after being recruited by his brother, Jacob, and has been one of Voldemort's topmen in assassinations. Ismelda. Barnaby. Tonks. Andre. Ben. Jae. Diego. Liz. All killed by Jason. Merula was the most heartbroken out of all his friends. Over the years, they had been enemies turned friends, to lovers. The biggest betrayal she had ever felt in her life, was by the one she loved the most.

"It's still so hard to believe this though, Jason," Rowan muttered. "How are we going to fight this? Fight him?"

Merula stomped over to Rowan gripping him by his collar, tears creeping down her cheeks. She had bags under her eyes, revealing her lack of sleep for the past few days. Tulip and Penny tried to pry her off him as he squirmed.

"We have no choice, dammit! He betrayed us!" Merula shouted angrily. "I don't want to fight him, but our lives and the information we got from those bastards will help save at least the wizarding world!"

"Snyde, enough! Let him go!" Tulip said pulling at him. "We don't have time for this!"

"Merula, stop! Please!" Penny asked pleading her to let Rowan go.

She obliged her friends and let Rowan go. She was stressed by the emotional turmoil she was facing. Everyone was, and they needed to focus or be killed by their once friend.

There were murmurs outside and then complete silence.

BOOM

"Well well," one death eater said as he walked in smirking at the group of young wizards. "Four little wizards. Make your choice now. Join the Dark Lord or die?"

"Interesting, here's our counter-offer," Tulip replied throwing her dung bomb at the Death Eaters disorienting them temporarily. "Penny, now!"

On cue, Penny spewed fire on the Death Eaters, setting two ablaze and causing the others to jump out of the way. Merula and Rowan cast Lumos to blind the other Death Eaters before all four of them ran out of the building, following through the alleys till they met a dead end.

"Dammit! What now?" Merula spouted.

"End of the road, little Snyde and friends," said an all too familiar voice. Fenrir Greyback in his werewolf form followed by a group of Death Eaters. "Try as you might, you will fail as you did in Hogwarts."

Fenrir had caused many grievances for Merula. He turned Jason into a werewolf when they searched for the vaults during their time at Hogwarts. It was under him that Jason served, as well as Jacob.

"Time for payback you, you little twit!", as one of the Greybacks, Death Eaters cast Petrificus Totalus, binding all four of the weary wizards.

"It must be horrifying knowing you failed in protecting your friends and knowing the ones you couldn't save were by the one who loved you the most. Ah, I was surprised how far Jason would go to show his loyalty to the Dark Lord. But alas, I will be the one to kill you all."

Merula couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face now. Was this how she'd die? Is this how her friends will die? All because of Jason, the man she grew to love through the years, corrupted to serve Voldemort.

Just as Greyback was raising his claws to kill Merula, a shout of a few voices came from nowhere.

"Incendio,"  shouted a large man setting one Death Eater ablaze.

"Bombarda," shouted two feminine voices sending half of the enemy into a wall.

"What is going on?!" shouted Greyback.

"A rescue. Configro," said a man, landing between Greyback and Merula. A man in a black coat. "Diego, free them!"

"On it Aurelius," said Diego as he cast Finite Incantium, freeing the four paralyzed wizards.

"Jason?!" shouted Rowan as he stood up surprised.

"Hey amigo, we can talk later," said the man, turning to look back on them. "I'll take a slap from you later il mio amore," Jason said as he winked at Merula.

"Get them Bean!," said Barnaby flying down on the back of griffin as it grabbed a Death Eater and tossed him over the roofs of a nearby building.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late," said Ismelda appearing behind a few Death Eaters and stunning them. "Baubillious!"

One by one, the Death Eaters were taken down, and with them, all of Merula friends appeared. Ismelda. Barnaby. Tonks. Andre. Ben. Jae. Diego. Liz. Even the Weasleys, Bill, and Charlie accompanied by a baby dragon that was setting some Death Eaters rear ablaze. Badeea had caused a few to be trapped in a small sketchbook. She couldn't believe the sight as their pursuers were being beaten while Jason was busy handling Greyback.

"Get clear guys," as Jason raised his wand. "Auguamenti!" sending a stream of water through the alley, chucking Greyback and his Death Eaters down. "Charlie! Where is the big guy?!"

As if on cue a large dragon flew down and grabbed Tulip, Rowan, and Penny. Charlie and Bill jumped on the dragon as the beast flew off with them. Ismelda flew off on her broom, along with Diego and Badeea. Barnaby and Liz flew away on Bean the griffin. Jason grabbed Merula before casting Baubillious on the drenched Death Eaters, knocking them all out.

"Let's go," Jason said as he flew off on his broom holding Merula in his arms.

"Aurelius, you better explain now, or I'll throw you off your broom!" she shouted as they soared behind their friends.

"Well, I would appreciate a thank you or a kiss but I know I'm in the doghouse," he said laughing softly. "I will explain everything once we get to the hideout, I promise."

"You better or I am casting the killing curse on you," she stated holding tightly to him to prevent falling off.

The gang had flown for what felt like hours till they landed in the garden of the estate that appeared to look abandoned. They fell as everyone jumped off their essential mode of transportation.

"Jason!" said Rowan and Penny as they ran at him ready to hug him but stopped midway as Merula slapped him.

"Why?!" she shouted angrily. "Why go and join Voldemort? How is everyone alive?!" she kept shouting as she repeatedly slapped him harder and harder.

He gestured for everyone to stay back as she kept hitting. Jason pulled her close as she began to sob and tried to fight out of his embrace. He gently stroked her hair as she wept into him.

"I'm sorry," he stated, "I was given orders by the Ministry and worked with Professor Snape to uncover some plans and hidden locations for Voldemort's top subordinates. But to win their trust, I had to act as an assassin."

"Orders?" she looked at him stunned. "You did all this stop Voldemort?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you Merula. I did all I could to protect you and everyone," he said wiping her tears from her eyes. "I wouldn't betray them, and I wouldn't betray you. I said I'd protect you no matter what."

"Even throughout all this time you kept your promises, huh?" she said and flicked his nose. "I thought I told you I'd protect you too based on our promise, jerk."

"Ow! Well, I am stubborn as you fairly know. Again, I'm sorry I had to deceive you," he looked at his friends, "all of you. I did what I had to do. I don't expect forgiveness. And if you need to, go ahead and slap or punch me if it will ease your anger."

"Jason, we couldn't hate you but what you did was reckless," stated Rowan. "But you are our troublemaker mate." He said and smiled.

"To think you'd break a bunch of laws for the sake of stopping all this madness? I am impressed Aurelius," Tulip said walking to him and slapping him. "But if you're gonna break rules then let me help."

"It's good to know you're not evil Jason but please never do that again," Penny said as she hugged his side, and Merula looking up at him pouting.

"Haywood, you have three seconds to let go of my boyfriend," Merula said as she stared at Penny menacingly.

"Merula, at least one group hug we've been through a lot in the past few weeks," Penny wined.

"Fine, one time," Merula muttered.

All of the gang got together to commemorate their reunion as the vault solvers. They were happy to see their family was along again as a whole. After a moment of embracing, they made their way into the manner as Jason showed them the way in.

"Who's house is this?" asked Tulip.

"That crest, wait a moment. Jason, is this?" asked Rowan surprised.

"Welcome to the Aurelius manor. The United Kingdom manor anyhow," Jason stated embarrassed. "I got plenty of room so you all can have your own space to rest."

Jason gave everyone a tour of the manor and explained all the exits should they be attacked. By the time he finished all his friends had followed him to the dining area. They sat and ate as he explained more of the mission as one of Voldemort's minions and where the final battle would take place. Afterward, his friends went to their assigned rooms to get some much-needed rest. Jason went to his living room and stood by the fireplace lost in thought.

"You know, I am still quite angry with you. Yes?" Merula said as she walked to him.

"Well given how many times I was slapped I would have no idea," he said turning to face her. "But I wanted to keep you safe. Merula, I don't know how many times I have to say, but I'm-" Jason was cut off by her lips against his.

"Shut up, and I heard enough. I forgive you, but you're going never to do something this reckless again," she said placing a hand on his chest. "Am I clear Aurelius?"

"I promise," he said taking her hand into his kissing it. "My cover was blown anyway to save you, and I don't regret it." Jason caressed her cheek and smiled down at her. "I missed you Merula."

"I missed you too Jason," Merula replied stepping up to kiss him again.

"I won't leave you ever again," he said as he renewed their kiss.

"You better or you're gonna be in a world of trouble beloved," Merula said smirking up at him.

"I would never dream of crossing you," he said kissing her forehead. "I had seven years of that already amore."

"Well, I am the most powerful witch in the world."

"And the most beautiful witch in the world," he responded.

"How I miss your flattery," she said leaning into his chest.

"Ready to win a war?" he asked her smirking down.

"With you? Believe it." Merula said holding tightly as if he'd vanish.

Jason was one to take the necessary risk for those he loved. Merula knew that all too well. Putting his life on the line while saving her and protect her from the likes of many dangers before. Together, they will help put this world right and keep it from the likes of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

[knightthunderis]

Ch 8 Tours and History Lessons

Byron knew that this commoner had him over a barrel.  Without her, he, Malachi and House Blanchard were out of the running.  She was certainly not like any commoner he had ever come across besides Derrick Werner and his sister Serephine.  She did not negotiate terms like a commoner or a waitress.  She spoke like a CEO and there was something about the way she presented herself that actually made him afraid of her. She radiated power and strength.  She held herself in a stance of power and she knew it, she owned it and radiated it.  As he looked her over, he noticed her crest pin and recognized who it represented.  He had to agree to listen to and follow through on her terms if he wanted House Blanchard to survive this Social Season.  He sighed and then met Reimeiko’s eyes before speaking. “Alright Lady Reimeiko, what are your ground rules and terms.” the duke asked.

“Well first off I know that you recognize the crest I wear, so you now know who I really am.” Reimeiko started.

“Yes, Reimeiko Christyne Amaryllis Thunderis, Crown Princess of the kingdom of Thunderia.” Byron said.  “The eldest child of Thor and Kyiandra Thunderis.  But we will get into that later.  Now to your rules and regulations?”

“The rules and regulations are as follows.” Reimeiko said. “One, the word commoner is not to pass anyone’s mouth anymore.  You people spout it off like it is a vulgar word and it is not.  Except for a twist of fate, you could have been born into a common family and there is nothing wrong with them. Two, you will not talk down to me or treat me like I am inferior to you, you have to earn respect to gain it.  Three, no matter what happens, what I say goes no if, ands or buts about it.  I have spent my whole life being trained to be a queen, warrior, defender, protector, wife and mother.  I know the rules of court and customs and how to conduct myself as such so only if I need your knowledge elsewhere will I ask for it.  Four, the titles will only be engaged during these formal affairs no where else.  Titles do not make the person, it is how they act around others that makes them or breaks them.  Five, there will be straight up honesty if this is going to continue.  You know who I am, where I fit in and where I come from.  There will be no secrets here between us.  If I detect any falsehood or misinterpretation on your part, I will sever my connection to the both of you right then and there and there will be no turning back.  There will more than likely be more rules that come up but for now these are a start.  Are we agreed?”

“Agreed.” Byron and Malachi said.  Reimeiko sensed sincerity and honesty in both men and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Alright, now I want the full story from you about what is really going on with your house and family.” Reimeiko said, “I want the truth, no embellished fabrication.”

“Alright, like I said.” Byron replied sadly. “Perhaps Malachi did not fully explain what is going on, but I will.  While he has been around the prince, I have been back here doing the real work of running the house and estate.  And that is where you come in, but considering everything you brought to light, maybe we should reconsider our options.  You do not need us sponsoring you considering where you come from.”

“No, the sponsorship is a good cover,” Reimeiko said. “Just like my waitress cover at Russo’s.  ThunderStarUniversal will cover you financially for now, but because of the delicacy of this investigation I can not reveal everything yet.  I think there is more on your family’s financial strain than just old man Barnaby’s excessive spending.  Your finances will be covered in other ways for you two alone.  I have my suspicions about what is going on but until I have proof I really need you to trust me.”

“It is something we could use right now actually because we are kind of well very broke.” Malachi added. “I know I overstep but she said there was to be complete honesty and since she is representing our house, we can trust her because she is trusting us.”

“There is no shame in being broke.” Reimeiko said. “I have been there.  As long as you have the necessities in life everything else does not matter.  I guess that explains why I had to buy my own outfits and I guess I will be buying everything I will need here including the gown for the masquerade.  But that is okay.  As the Princess of Thunderia, I do have help in the financial situation in more ways than one.”

“Unfortunately that is precisely so.” Byron replied. “We can only afford the bare minimum.  No one outside House Blanchard knows how bad things really are for us.”

“Cecil is in this upto his ears and we have to know why and how.” EnDaryien said. “Reimeiko, using your Knight Thunder powers, do you sense anything out of the ordinary so far?”

“Maybe it is your former brother in law’s presence that is making me uneasy, but I am not sure.” Reimeiko thought. “I will keep digging to find it all.  He is married to Seidre’s twin sister Coradae.  I am sure that she will remember Reimeiko uh, I mean me.” Aloud, she asked. “Do you get money if I end up marrying the prince?”

“Not directly.” Byron replied. “But we can leverage the prestige to great effect.  It would be best to get that leverage before others found out our situation.  In the circles we run in, if word got out about our financial ruin, it would be a major scandal.  but our name is still worth something here in the royal line.”

“Their financial ruin is due to Barnaby’s major spending.” Marco said through the earpiece. “According to reports, he is in a coma in a major hospital in the West Indies.”

Reimeiko switched to Thunderian. “I think that ought to be checked out.  Something tells me that if this coma is for real then he would not be squandering the family fortune and there would be receipts of the purchases.”

“I will check right into that and send a small group to check out the hospital that Barnaby is supposedly in.” Marco said.

“At the very least, we can introduce you to the right people and get you invitations to the right events.” Malachi replied. “We can offer you a first rate education in the ways of court, starting with your wardrobe and branching out from there.”

“What did I just say about an education?” Reimeiko asked. “I know more about the ways of court and warfare than any of those so-called women in this court.  I am about to show those snobs up when I win Karyson back and get to the bottom of this mystery.  And what is wrong with what I am wearing?  I will have you remember this is the formal uniform of the houses of Thunderia and Galaxia and I represent both.”

“I guess one could consider it well, unconventionally adventurous.” Byron offered. “The point is whether or not you dress the part.  Now it is time to start memorizing the lineage of each great house.  No wait. Perhaps it is more urgent to educate you on silverware from the least to the most obscure.  You may dress the part but you also need to play it.”

“Byron, breathe.” Reimeiko ordered. “I am up-to-date on courtly maneuvers, table etiquette, manners, wine tasting, various dinner conversations and otherwise.  Furthermore, I was at the top of my class when it came to memorizing and knowing the lineage of all of the kingdoms in and around the Universal Alliance.  I know everything there is to know about your kingdom’s various great houses and that is including yours.”

“Hey, Byron, let us not scare Reimeiko off.  She just got here.” Malachi replied. “We should show her the more fun side of living here.  I was going to take her on a tour of the palace.”

“Yes, I suppose that it would not do for Reimeiko to get lost or worse,” Byron gulped. “cause an international incident by walking into the wrong room. But the lessons--”

“Maybe while we are on the tour,” Malachi added. “You can talk about the royals of the past or something.  Teach while we are on the tour. I know that you can walk and talk at the same time.”

“I hope that you mean the distinguished history of the kingdoms.” Byron replied. “What do you say to a tour guide, Reimeiko?  Do you want to see all that the palace has to offer?”

“I would be delighted.” Reimeiko said. “I am a learning sponge.  I am ready for everything you wish to teach me.  Although, I know everything there is to know about all of the Universal Alliance kingdoms.”

“Yeah, totally radical.” Malachi gushed. “I do not even know where to start, but it does not matter since we are going to see everything.”

“Oh heaven help me.” Byron sighed. “Now the first stop is the dining room.  The Ruby dining room was built in the seventeen hundreds and is a display of the kingdom’s great wealth.  Everything you see here is made of the finest materials and by artisans at the top of their trade.  This room is most renowned for hosting the terms of the peace treaty between Thaddea and the as of yet burgeoning country of Armentaria.”

“Armentaria is well known for its overload of military might and the royal family’s brute force.” Reimeiko chimed. “The present queen Elisha is quite the stuck up little twerp, acting like she is higher and more powerful than anyone else around, but she is also arrogant, spoiled, self-centered, conceited, rude and very obnoxious.”

“You seem to speak from having experienced meeting her somewhere along the way in your life and travels.” Byron acknowledged.

“Unfortunately yes.” Reimeiko said. “I mean, granted, as young as she was at the time, she really had and has no idea how much bigger, stronger, and more powerful the Universal Alliance is compared to her fleet.  Her husband is a big blowhard who is all talk and no real action.  He talks a big game and can dish it out but he can never take it.  He is all big and bad when he is in the lead and is pushing people around, but if the tables get turned on him or someone calls his bluff and takes him down, he runs off like the hounds of hell are on his tail.”

“Wow. Now that is what I call calling them like you see them.” Malachi said gushing. “You really are the Princess of Thunderia and the leader of the Universal Alliance.”  

[mad-madam-m]

Trope Bingo Masterpost

With less than two weeks to spare, I hit a blackout on my Trope Bingo card! Twenty-five fics in ten different fandoms, totaling 61,807 words, holy shit.

The fandom breakdown ended up like so:

Tiger & Bunny - 6 Castlevania (Netflix) - 5 Gargoyles - 4 Teen Wolf - 3 Good Omens - 2 Voltron: Legendary Defender - 1 Leverage - 1 Star Wars - 1 Mary Stayed Out All Night - 1 Captain Harlock - 1 I can honestly say I did not expect Castlevania and Gargoyles to have the #2 and #3 positions under Tiger & Bunny, but hey, it's been a weird year.

But WOO! I DID IT!!

You can find all 25 Trope Bingo fics listed under the cut!

Title: The Shops on Morning Street Prompt: Rivals to Lovers Fandom: Castlevania (Netflix) Character/Pair: Trevor/Alucard Words: 6934 Rating: T Summary: Trevor Belmont, former monster hunter and current florist, is tasked with looking into the proprietor of the new tattoo parlor across the street, much to his annoyance. What he finds is Adrian Ţepeş, current half-vampire, current tattoo artist, and a whole lot more than Trevor bargained for. Title: An Avian Aggravation Prompt: Soulbonding/Soulmates Fandom: Castlevania (Netflix) Character/Pair: Trevor/Alucard Words: 3864 Rating: T Summary: Trevor didn't know magic, not really. But he'd heard enough stories to guess where this was going. "Sypha, did you summon a goose that's going to guide Alucard to his one true love?" Alucard choked. "You what?" "No!" Sypha flipped between two pages in the book and hesitated. "Well...maybe?" "What?!" Alucard repeated. Title: Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be Prompt: Fake Relationship Fandom: Gargoyles Character/Pair: Elisa & Xanatos Words: 5372 Rating: T Summary: "We've received intelligence that Latimer is going to be making a deal at an exclusive event this Saturday. We'll have people stationed around the event, but we need to get someone on the inside to track when the deal is going down." Chavez pointed at her. "That's where you come in." Finally, they were doing something to take this bastard down. Elisa grinned. "Going undercover?" "In a manner of speaking." Chavez gestured to the door. "You'll be posing as the girlfriend of our informant." Elisa turned. "Who's—" David Xanatos walked through the door. *** Or: Elisa has to fake date her nemesis, and learns that they may have a little more in common than she'd like. Title: Mind's Eye Prompt: Telepathy/Mind Meld Fandom: Tiger & Bunny Character/Pair: Barnaby/Kotetsu Words: 705 Rating: T Summary: Kaede copies the ability to read minds and immediately has Many Regrets when she reads Barnaby's. Title: Ill Met by Moonlight Prompt: Handcuffed/Bound Together Fandom: Gargoyles Character/Pair: Elisa & Owen Words: 5154 Rating: T Summary: For Elisa, waking up tied up to one of her least favorite people on the planet is just the cherry on top of an already crappy night. Title: Gonna Make This Place Your Home Prompt: Quarantine Fandom: Tiger & Bunny Character/Pair: Barnaby/Kotetsu Words: 5738 Rating: T Summary: A rescue goes slightly sideways and Barnaby and Kotetsu must be quarantined for two weeks as a precaution. Barnaby’s the one who suggests that they be quarantined together. Being locked inside with Kotetsu for two weeks will end up being either the best or worst decision he’s ever made. Title: If You Get Lost You Can Always Be Found Prompt: Fix-It Fic Fandom: Castlevania (Netflix) Character/Pair: Trevor/Alucard Words: 3217 Rating: T Summary: "Trevor?" Alucard took half a step forward; he may have been hallucinating. "What the hell are you doing here? You look terrible." "Oh, thank fuck," Trevor said, and collapsed. *** Trevor returns to the castle alone and injured. Alucard takes care of him. Title: Coming Home Prompt: Reunion Fandom: Tiger & Bunny Character/Pair: Barnaby/Kotetsu Words: 767 Rating: T Summary: Kotetsu comes home after several days away, and Barnaby welcomes him. Title: With Broken Words I've Tried to Say Prompt: Epistolary Fandom: Castlevania (Netflix) Character/Pair: Trevor/Alucard Words: 3700 Rating: T Summary: In which Alucard sends a letter to Sypha, but ends up corresponding with Trevor instead. Title: Something Like Friends Prompt: Rare Pairs Fandom: Teen Wolf Character/Pair: Allison/Erica Words: 2460 Rating: T Summary: Allison is sick. Erica is taking care of her. Erica is really, really not examining her reasons for doing so. Title: Truth or Dare Prompt: Truth or Dare Fandom: Teen Wolf Character/Pair: Boyd/Erica Words: 707 Rating: T Summary: She smiled very slowly at him. "Truth or dare?" Boyd wasn't sure which would be worse. "Truth." He really didn't want to think about what Erica would dare him to do. Title: Locked In Prompt: Locked In Fandom: Good Omens Character/Pair: Aziraphale/Crowley Words: 2484 Rating: M Summary: Aziraphale and Crowley have picked this weekend to be locked in...in every sense of the word. Title: New Rings Prompt: In Vino Veritas/Drunk Fic Fandom: Tiger & Bunny Character/Pair: Barnaby/Kotetsu Words: 831 Rating: G Summary: "You have a wedding ring," Bunny informs him in a tone used only by toddlers and drunk people. Kotetsu nods. "I do." "It's a new one. It's not the same one you had before." "Hey, don't tell me you already forgot how I got it." Kotetsu wiggles his ring finger. "I didn't think you had that much to drink." Title: A Woman in Need Prompt: Huddle for Warmth Fandom: Teen Wolf Character/Pair: Sheriff/Melissa Words: 467 Rating: T Summary: The heater's gone out in their cabin. In Colorado. In the winter. At least Melissa has someone willing to help keep her warm. Title: Are We or Aren't We? Prompt: Everyone Thinks We're a Couple Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Character/Pair: Keith/Shiro Words: 1338 Rating: T Summary: Everybody seems to think Keith and Shiro are dating. The problem is, they're not. Or are they? Title: Gentles, Do Not Reprehend Prompt: Chosen Family Fandom: Gargoyles Character/Pair: Alex Xanatos, David Xanatos, Fox Xanatos, Owen Burnett Words: 1208 Rating: G Summary: A kid at school makes fun of Lexington. Fortunately, Alex is more than capable of taking care of it. Unfortunately, his parents find out how he did. Title: A Parental Predicament Prompt: Meet the Parents/Family Fandom: Castlevania (Netflix) Character/Pair: Dracula/Lisa, Trevor/Alucard Words: 3627 Rating: T Summary: Adrian is bringing home his boyfriend to meet his parents. There's just one tiny problem: his boyfriend is a descendant of a notorious monster-hunting family, and his father is Dracula. It goes about as well as you would expect. Title: Let Me Love You Prompt: Wing Fic Fandom: Good Omens Character/Pair: Aziraphale/Crowley Words: 948 Rating: G Summary: Crowley sighed. "Something wrong with your wings?" "Oh, nothing's wrong with them, exactly, it's just," Aziraphale made a face, "trying to get them back in order." "You're never going to get it flapping like that." Crowley shot one last warning glare at the rosebushes and got to his feet. "Here, I'll do it." Title: How You Say "I Love You" Prompt: Food and Cooking Fandom: Leverage Character/Pair: Parker/Eliot/Hardison Words: 967 Rating: T Summary: Parker groaned. "Let's just go to bed." Hardison turned them toward the bedroom. "Don't have to tell me twice." Eliot really, really wanted to follow, but he ducked out from under Hardison's arm. "I'll meet you in there. Got to do something in the kitchen first." Title: Undercover Prompt: Undercover Missions Fandom: Star Wars Character/Pair: Finn/Poe Words: 948 Rating: T Summary: "We don't have another way out!" Poe walked around the front of the desk. They had no time and all he had was a very bad idea. "I'm going to kiss you." Finn's eyes doubled in size. "You're going to—" Title: Love, Bunny Prompt: Language/Translation Fandom: Tiger & Bunny Character/Pair: Barnaby/Kotetsu Words: 1877 Rating: G Summary: Barnaby gets a mysterious cake on Valentine's Day, and goes about finding the best way to respond. Title: Two Bedrooms or Three Prompt: Curtain Fic Fandom: Mary Stayed Out All Night Character/Pair: Mary/Mu Gyul/Jung In Words: 613 Rating: G Summary: Mary, Mu Gyul, and Jung In are ready to look for a new apartment together, but Mu Gyul has a request that throws a wrench into their plans. Title: Coming Out Prompt: Coming Out (Of The Closet) Fandom: Tiger & Bunny Character/Pair: Barnaby/Kotetsu Words: 2335 Rating: T Summary: Kotetsu's decided it's time to call Kaede and tell her about him and Barnaby. Title: The Shipping Ship Prompt: Matchmaker Fandom: Captain Harlock Character/Pair: Harlock/Yama Words: 2487 Rating: T Summary: Tochiro has been waiting for Harlock to find someone for a hundred years. ONE. HUNDRED. YEARS. And now the perfect person has waltzed onto the Arcadia and Harlock is going to do...nothing. Absolutely nothing about it. That's fine. Tochiro might be a ship now, but by God, he can still wingman with the best of them. Title: New Friends and Stranger Companies Prompt: Trust and Vows Fandom: Gargoyles Character/Pair: Elisa & Xanatos Words: 3059 Rating: T Summary: Elisa hung up her jacket, tossed her badge and keys on the table, and had just taken her gun safe out of the drawer when she registered that someone was sitting on her couch. She drew her gun. "Put your hands up and stand up slowly." The man chuckled, and damn it, Elisa knew that laugh. "Took you a little longer than I thought it would, detective. You really must be tired from your adventures." *** In which a cop and an ex-convict form a tentative truce over being way too damn tired to deal with anything anymore.

[rosapeachhogwartsmystery]

I’m not my brother! - part 2 Charlie ending (Hogwarts Mystery imagine - fem!reader x Charlie Weasley)

Masterlist  (To view my Masterlist, visit my Tumblr page)

Words: 2.4k

Pairing: fem!reader x Charlie Weasley

_______________________________________________________

“Well, all right. Let’s split up and find Y/N.” Rowan said determined.

The group nodded and they began thinking about the place they should look at, making sure they wouldn’t go to the same places.

Charlie began thinking about a secluded place you might went to. The problem was that there were many secluded places you could go to… Although, you probably went somewhere they didn’t expect you to go in order to be alone.

“That’s it…” He said to himself with a small smile, thinking he might know where you went to.

Bill looked at Charlie and raised an eyebrow. “You think you know where she is?”

“It’s just a guess, but I might have an idea where she could be at the moment.” He said and then he tilted his head for a moment. “Do you already have a place in mind?”

“Yeah, I think I have a place in mind where I could find here, hopefully we will find Y/N soon.” Bill said honestly.

Charlie nodded and then he wondered if you were actually at the place, he thought you might be at. ‘I hope she didn’t get in any trouble out there…’

“So, where are you going to look for her?” Bill asked, looking curiously at Charlie.

“The Forbidden Forest.”

_____________

  You didn’t know what you were thinking when you had made your way to the Forbidden Forest. It was a dangerous place; you were aware of it. Still, you decided it was a good idea to be in the Forbidden Forest right now. No one in their right mind would think you were going here in order to be alone. It was called the Forbidden Forest for a reason. You might have sneaked into the forest this year quite some times, but it didn’t mean you would be able to defend yourself against all the dangers in here.

Honestly, you didn’t care much about your safety at this point. You just wanted a place where no one would see you crying. It was already embarrassing enough for you to have had outburst like that during class. It didn’t feel like something you would do at all. Normally, you would keep your anger and frustrations to yourself. No, you weren’t someone who would normally have an outburst in class and definitely not in Snape’s class. It was just pathetic this happened to you. You wouldn’t be surprised if people would already make fun of because of it…

  The tears were rolling down your face, but you kept walking around the forest, thinking it might help you calm down a little. The Forbidden Forest was almost eerily quiet, like there was no wind. It was like there wasn’t anything around you, although you were certain at least some creatures would be out here in the forest. They just were hidden somewhere; you were sure of it. At least you didn’t feel watched at the moment.

You were able to cry here without being seen by any student. No one would come here without a reason. Besides, you hadn’t been planning on going to the Forbidden Forest with your friends soon. The chances of seeing your friends here were low. That was a good thing, because the least thing you wanted was a friend to find you right now. They would probably think you looked pathetic right now. You were nothing like the person the knew and liked right now.

Jacob would never have an outburst like that… At least you could tell the differences between you and Jacob. Jacob was a determined person, not afraid of anything and he definitely was able to keep his cool even when things got tough. That was the Jacob you knew. However, you were uncertain about a lot of things, you were afraid of hurting people you care about and you just failed miserably at keeping yourself cool at all times…

  “They think we are the same, but we aren’t alike at all…” You whispered to yourself, trying to rub the tears away. “You were amazing and I’m just… just a silly girl who wants to find you again. Why do people think we are the same? Why do they always compare me to you whatever I do? They use you as some kind of insult… Like you were a horrible person, making it seem like I’m a horrible person too.  But why…?”

You were asking all these questions out loud, like Jacob would be able to answer to you right now. Maybe you were becoming mad after all. ‘Just as mad as Jacob…’ You thought bitterly, having heard that phrase so often, it has kind of started to stick with you. You shook your head a little and then you continued walking around some more.

Have you ever been in the forest this far before? You don’t remember ever passing these places before. You were definitely nowhere close to the spot you usually met up with your friends in the Forbidden Forest.

“Maybe I just have to get lost. That’s an excuse to not turn up in class tomorrow.” You frowned. “Actually, it would be a valid excuse to never turn up again. Maybe an Acromantula will eat me or something.”

  Thinking about getting eaten by some kind of Magical Creature sounded more appealing than showing your face in class again. You just didn’t want to figure out what everyone thought about you now. You felt like they would single you out in order to make fun of you.

Being alone in the Forbidden Forest made you reflect on the things you had done here at Hogwarts. What did you actually accomplish? You found a few of the Cursed Vaults, but you seemed to be getting nowhere close to your brother. You endangered some of your friends, because you were looking for the Cursed Vaults, yet they decided to stay friends with you. You wondered how they have never turned their backs on you.

You just felt like all your friends were brilliant at something. They seemed to be recognised for things they have accomplished themselves. Ben was brilliant at Charms, Penny was brilliant at Potions, Barnaby seemed to be an amazing dueller and knew quite a lot about Magical Creatures, Andre was a brilliant flyer, Rowan seemed to know almost everything about Hogwarts and every part of a History of Magic, Tonks and Tulip were great at pranking people, Bill was brilliant at Defence against the Dark Arts, and Charlie… Charlie was an amazing Seeker and he knew everything about Dragons. They all seemed to be amazing. What about you? People would just call you Jacob Y/L/N’s younger sister…

Your life seemed to be so depressing when you thought about it…

  You stopped walking when you heard something. You began looking around, wondering what was there. Just to be sure, you decided to grab your wand.

 _____________

 Charlie had made his way to the Forbidden Forest and began looking around for you. Shouting your name in the Forbidden Forest probably wouldn’t be the best idea. He would probably get unwanted attention from creatures he didn’t want to face right now. If it was a Dragon that would show up, he wouldn’t mind it. But he didn’t want to encounter another Red Cap or anything else that would be dangerous. He just needed to look for you. He just hoped you were in the Forbidden Forest and not somewhere else.

He quietly made his way through the forest, making sure he wouldn’t miss any trail or other clues that might show you were in the Forest. He was aware you were pretty upset, but he hoped you still were aware of your surroundings. Many things could happen if you weren’t aware of your surrounding in the Forbidden Forest. You could be attacked by a Magical Creature at any point. He knew you would probably be distracted because you were feeling bad, but he just hoped you could defend yourself just fine.

  He heard the sounds of spells hitting something. Charlie knew this could be you. Who else would be in the forest? It was unlikely someone else was there. He ran into the direction the sounds came from.

“Flipendo!”

Charlie came closer and noticed you were fending off an Acromantula. Normally, he was sure you managed duelling creatures like that on your own, but you seemed to struggling a bit.

“Y/N…!” Charlie said when he grabbed his wand and then he began helping you with fending off the Acromantula.

You were surprised when you noticed Charlie had found you. “Charlie…? What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you.” He said before he threw another spell at the Acromantula. “Every one of our group is looking for you to be honest.”

“They are…?”

Charlie and you knew you both had to focus on defeating the Acromantula. It definitely wasn’t an easy one to get rid off for now. This was one was a lot tougher than most Acromantula’s you had come across so far in the Forbidden Forest. Once it was weakened a bit you decided to finish it off.

“Arania Exumai!”

The Acromantula was blasted away from the two of you. It got back on its feet and then it ran away somewhere in the Forbidden Forest again.

You sighed and then you put your wand away.

  Suddenly Charlie pulled you into a tight hug, feeling glad he had found you. “Thank Merlin, you are okay.” He mumbled softly and then he let go of you and looked at you more closely. “You are okay, right? I mean, you didn’t get hurt, did you?”

You shook your head. “I… I’m fine.”

“That’s good.” He sighed in relief.

Things got a little quiet after that. You began staring at the ground, not sure what to say. You wouldn’t be surprised your eyes were still red from crying.

Charlie looked concerned and then he tried to make you look at him. “Y/N, do you want to talk about what happened?”

You looked up at him, frowning a bit. “What’s there to talk about…? I made a fool out of myself during Potions class and decided it was a good idea to go here…”

“From what I heard, you were just provoked by what Merula and Snape told you…”

“It’s not like they never did so before… I just… I just couldn’t control myself anymore… I’m so sick of being compared to Jacob all the time...! People don’t seem to realise I’m not my brother.” You said, looking frustrated again.

  “Hey, I get what you mean. People tend to compare me to Bill as well.” Charlie said honestly.

You blinked. “They do…?”

“Yeah, all the time. I mean, especially during my first year. Teachers and people seemed to have certain expectations of me, because of Bill. It doesn’t happen often anymore, but it can be pretty annoying.” Charlie said honestly.

“At least, they don’t say a lot of bad things about Bill…” You said softly.

“That might be true, however, that doesn’t mean everyone is kind to me when they compare me to Bill.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I don’t think I have heard people talking a lot about you just being Bill’s younger brother though.” You said, wondering if you heard something like that before.

“I suppose that’s the perk of being on the Quidditch team and have a major interest in Dragons.” Charlie said with a small smile.

  “Anyways, what I mean to say is, that we all get compared to our family or other people. And I understand it’s pretty hard to be compared to Jacob all the time, because you miss him. I also understand you don’t want to be seen as Jacob’s younger sister only. You want to be seen as Y/N and be your own person.” Charlie said honestly and then he gave you another smile.

Maybe Charlie was right, everyone got compared to someone, whether it was family or someone else. Maybe it was just frustrating you more, because you missed Jacob and being reminded you were his sister made you miss him more.

“Besides, all your friends know you are you. We don’t see you just as Jacob’s younger sister. You are our friend and we care about you.”

“You don’t think I am pathetic for what happened…?”

Charlie looked surprised and then he shook his head. “Of course not! Why would I think you are pathetic?”

“Because I did something stupid and almost got in trouble for wanting to be alone…” You mumbled, staring at the ground.

“Everyone does stupid things sometimes, especially when they are upset.” Charlie said honestly. “It’s not like you aren’t allowed to be upset. It’s normal.”

  Maybe if Charlie said it was normal, your other friends would think it’s normal too. Perhaps you shouldn’t care what anyone else thinks…

Charlie wrapped an arm around your shoulder and gave you smile. “Really, Y/N… It’s okay to be upset sometimes, there is no need to be tough all the times.”

“You really think so…?” You asked, looking a little more hopeful.

“Why would I lie to you about it?” He said honestly. “It’s okay to show your true emotions. It actually helps us understand how you are feeling about certain things.”

You sighed softly and then you nodded. “Okay… I believe you.”

  “Are you feeling a bit better..?” Charlie asked you, still having his arm wrapped around you.

You nodded. “Yes, thank you for talking with me about this. I suppose I have been bottling my feelings up too long… I suppose I should be a little more open things, instead of keeping my emotions in all the time.”

“It would probably make things easier for you as well.” He said honestly. “So, shall we fly back to Hogwarts?”

“Yes, I think that would be a good idea. I think I should probably show my face to the rest and let them know I’m okay.”

“All right then, let’s grab our brooms and get out of here.” He smiled

“Yeah, let’s do that.” You said and then you kissed his cheek. “Once again, thank you for making me feel better.”

Charlie blushed a little and then he gave you another smile. “Don’t mention it. I’m glad I could help.”

  You both grabbed your brooms and made your way back to Hogwarts. You both blushed a little whenever you looked at each other. There was also this big smile on both of your faces when you flew back. Maybe things were starting to look a lot brighter after all.

[freckledskittles]

Reibert Secret Santa 2018: One And The Same

Here is a wonderfully fluffy (and overly dramatic) Reibert fic, for @pretty-eyes-jaeger <3 Surprise! I was so excited to write this for you, and I really hope you enjoy it! 

For a little bit of reference: both Reiner and Bertholdt are in their junior year of college

Bertholdt peeked outside his bedroom door to see where his roommates were located. He heard their voices, and he knew they were staying in, but he didn’t want to grab their attention. If he could have any superpower, he would wish for chameleon-like skin in order to blend in with his surroundings. His prominent nose and extreme height didn’t make it easy for him.

He double-checked, triple-checked, his pockets, he read over his texts for the time and place of the date—well, maybe he should call it a meeting, he didn’t know if it could be classified as a date—or if the person joining him wanted it to be called a date—and he gave himself a once-over one more time. He would be as ready as he could possibly be. Now to sneak out.

Bertholdt opened the door once more, slowly and hoping the door wouldn’t creak. He slipped through the slim crack and closed his door slowly. Marco and Ymir were talking in the kitchen and had no possible way of seeing him. Their attention was clearly on something away from the front door. He had a way out.

“I have to go out for something,” he said as he passed the kitchen. “I’ll be back later.”

Before he could even reach the front door, he was stopped by a wolf whistle and silent awes. Oh no. “You’re looking good for someone just going out!” Ymir exclaimed.

“They’re just clothes.” They couldn’t buy into it. They would never.

“Are you going on a date?!” Marco asked.

Bertholdt let out a long sigh. If he didn’t tell them now, they would only find out from someone else—namely, his “date’s” roommates. “Yes. I’m going out with Reiner.” He tried to open the door and leave, but the stampede of feet scared him away from the door.

Ymir slammed her hand on the door to stop him from escaping. Marco had a coy smirk on his face, but Ymir had a more knowing look on her face. There was no way she could have known about their plans—she had a sort of friendly rivalry with his “date,” but not enough to warrant a pry into their affairs.

“Jean told me you and Reiner had something planned,” Marco teased. “I didn’t think it would be a date.”

Bertholdt shrugged. His hand gripped the doorknob and tugged on it, but Ymir’s hand didn’t budge. “He asked me out when we were studying the other day, and I said yes.”

“That’s how dates work, Bertl,” Ymir pointed out. “I’m concerned, though, because you said yourself that you were just friends.”

Marco nodded eagerly. “I remember that! You were very adamant that you guys were friends.”

“We are,” Bertholdt insisted. “We’re not doing anything crazy.”

“No, of course not,” Ymir shook her head. She nudged Marco, who giggled behind his hand. “Why would you? You’re pretty square.”

Bertholdt tugged on the knob once more, and Marco lifted Ymir’s hand off of the door. “Have fun on your date!” Marco called after him. “Stay safe!” Ymir’s cackle was the last he heard from his apartment as the door closed.

Heading down the stairs of his building and to his car, Bertholdt wondered how he had gotten here. Ymir and Marco were more excited that he was going on a “date” with Reiner than they were that he was interested in Reiner. Which he was, a little bit. But they were completely different people, and he questioned how they had found an interest in each other in the first place and why no one—or, rather, the ones who saw their relationship first-hand—wasn’t questioning it.

Bertholdt texted Reiner to let him know that he was on his way and put in his address despite knowing the route to take. He wanted to be safe; he didn’t know what could go wrong on his way there. There was so much to think about—how to get to Reiner’s, if he was dressed appropriately, what Reiner’s roommates would say—he had to be sure something would ensure he made it in one piece.

And there it was. In a matter of minutes, Bertholdt’s phone alerted him of the apartment he was looking for. The lights were on, and he noted Jean’s and Armin’s cars parked in the back. He pulled up to the side of the building and turned off the ignition. Was it polite to escort his date-slash-hangout-partner to his car? He couldn’t remember the last time he had been on a date. Reiner probably had enough experience, but Bertholdt refused to put that much pressure on him.

He knocked as lightly as he could, but the two excited barks from Reiner’s dog were still unavoidable. Bertholdt hoped that Reiner would open the door and help avoid some awkward waiting, but he was met with Jean instead. In retrospect, it wasn’t surprising. Just upsetting.

“Hey, Bert,” Jean greeted him with a smirk. Behind him, a big black nose nudged his way to the front and smiled. “You here to pick up Reiner?”

“Yes, I am,” Bertholdt responded, stepping over the threshold. Reiner’s dog, now that he was able to see him, hopped in place. His thin tail wagged back and forth in unmatched enthusiasm. “How’s it going, Barnaby?”

Barnaby kissed his face and nudged his nose against his jaw. Jean’s amused laugh was cut off by an alarmed cry as he dove to catch a cup from shattering as carnage from Barnaby’s tail, but he regained his composure. “So, Reiner finally asked you on a date, huh?”

“It’s not a date!” Reiner called from upstairs. “We’re getting drinks and hanging out!”

“That counts as a date,” Armin remarked. He poked his head out from the kitchen and waved, clearly in the middle of cooking for himself and Jean judging by the smell wafting from the kitchen. “Hi, Bertholdt. Barnaby was very excited to hear you were coming over.”

“I wish he could come with us,” Bertholdt said, scratching a spot behind Barnaby’s ear that made him roll over and demand the same attention on his belly. “Too bad dogs aren’t allowed in my car.”

“Marco risks his allergies all the time to pet Barnaby,” Jean scoffed. “You’re telling me he’d be offended of finding dog hair in your car?”

Reiner finally came down the stairs, and Bertholdt found himself looking away shyly. There was nothing overtly fancy about the place they were going, but he was still shocked by the amount of effort put into his appearance. It was incredible what a nice pair of jeans and a nice polo, complemented by a navy blue flannel, could do. Bertholdt immediately felt overdressed in a forest green sweater.

“Wow,” Reiner whispered when Bertholdt stood up. Barnaby trotted over to his human’s side. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks,” Bertholdt smiled. His face was instantly burning with embarrassment. Aside from the sweater, he had messed with his hair for what felt like an hour to style it in the right way: relaxed, for the setting, but still nice. “You, uh, and you also look good.”

“You think so? It’s not too casual?” Reiner turned around. “I don’t wanna look like shit on our first outing.”

“I mean, we’re not going to a five-star restaurant. I don’t really…” Bertholdt shrugged, resisting the urge to scuff his feet, “I don’t mind what you look like. As long as we have fun.”

A large grin split on Reiner’s face. Bertholdt heard the soft snickers from behind him, but he was too focused on the look of pure glee that he was being faced with. It was nearly overwhelming; no one could ever share that much emotion, let alone aim it towards him.

Reiner escorted them out of the apartment, giving Barnaby one last goodbye and promise to return, before he opened the front door and waved him forward. Bertholdt heard Jean say something along the lines of “the Art and the Science are a perfect match,” but the phrase was muffled by the front door. And Reiner didn’t seem distracted or bothered by it, so he put it aside for now.

“Thanks for hanging out with me tonight,” Reiner said when they got in the car and headed toward the cafe. He didn’t have a car and apologized profusely for being unable to drive for himself, but Bertholdt saw no problem in it.

“I’m happy to go out with you,” Bertholdt answered and immediately bit his tongue. Beside him, Reiner shifted slightly. “I-I mean, like, how we’re going out to hang out as, uh, friends—”

“Yeah, exactly.” Reiner, thankfully, seemed just as eager to drive the attention away from the mistake. “We’re one hundred percent going as friends.”

“Have you…” He didn’t finish his question, mostly out of self-sabotage. If being an extrovert was a profession, Reiner would get hired in an instant. He thrived in conversation, using words in ways that he could not possibly recreate. He shined surrounded by people, and yet despite the supposed athletic legacy he had in high school, his time in university had allowed him to embrace his intellect and who he was.

“Have I what?”

A bit too intelligent. He was diligently observant. “Have you ever gone on a date before?”

Reiner was silent. Bertholdt gave him the time to answer, and when one didn’t come, he looked over at his companion to see why. There was a critical draw to his brow, but he was staring out the window. His jaw was clenched, his fist pressed against his lips. Something told Bertholdt that the answer was not as obvious as he initially thought. If that was the case, they had more in common than he initially thought.

“I can’t remember the last time I went on a date,” Bertholdt offered. He knew better than anyone that having someone address a crisis he was going through only rubbed salt on the wound, but he didn’t know any other way he could help. The only thing he could think of was to offer some sort of solace for Reiner—who, as it might look, was not as experienced with certain social outings. “I mean, I’m not, like, tracking them. I just never really connected with people I dated before. Oh god, that sounded bad, I don’t include you in that—”

“No, it’s okay, don’t worry.” Reiner shifted, looking forward again but not facing Bertholdt. It was almost as if he was scared to face him. “I get what you’re trying to say. I sorta have the same problem.”

“Oh. Really?”

Reiner nodded. “I’ve dated a few people, way back in freshman year of college, but I never… We didn’t click.” His eyes darted to a couple walking their dog, who was wagging his tail with every bush he passed. “Every date felt like I was doing it for someone else’s happiness and not my own.”

There could be a million reasons why he had said it like that. Bertholdt didn’t want to inject on something that was most likely private, so he didn’t push for an answer. “Yeah. I can only remember one or two people I went out with who weren’t suggested by someone I know. You don’t realize how much your friends can influence you until they suggest someone to date and you go along with it because you don’t see any reason not to.”

“But you also like girls. That’s the only difference.”

Oh. Well. That was certainly a chord struck.

They had a talk about sexualities a while back, when they first started talking casually. Bertholdt didn’t see a reason to label himself, but for simplicity’s sake, he fell somewhere in the umbrella of bisexuality. Probably pansexual, if he critically thought about it, but it wasn’t something he wanted to worry himself over. If someone interested him, he would think about why they did and not worry about their identity. It wasn’t a major interest for him.

Reiner, on the other hand, made his opinion on labeling loud and clear from the start.

“I think the queer community needs labels,” he had said one afternoon. Marco and Jean had organized a get-together with a few friends, although Bertholdt suspected it was more for each other than anything else. “There’s so much uncertainty surrounding us. You don’t know who’s okay with you being gay and who’s not, or whether or not someone at work is gonna find out and kick you out. If we can at least know who we are, it’ll ease the pain of the other things.”

Bertholdt saw the benefit in it, even if he didn’t fall under it himself. If it made other people happy, he wasn’t going to stop them. And when he said that to Reiner, he was met with a look that made his heart clench. Eyes laden with admiration, with a touch of appreciation, sparkling into the swirl of bitter green that made up his eyes. If he were to guess, that was the moment Reiner caught interest in him.

“So,” Bertholdt said, hesitating to focus on the road, “you’ve only dated, um…”

“I’ve never dated a guy,” Reiner admitted for him. His gaze was equally focused on the road and cars in front of them, but for a different reason. “You’re the first one I’ve…felt brave enough to ask out. To hang out,” he added at the last second.

He couldn’t help but smile. Bertholdt was the one saying that sort of thing to others, not the other way around. His hands clenched the steering wheel, and he could feel his palms start to sweat; there was so much to be expected from him. If this went wrong, he could possibly screw it up for the rest of Reiner’s dating life. But, Bertholdt countered internally as he pulled up to the cafe, there was no way he could. Reiner was understanding, did not stomp over his feelings, and always checked to make sure he was comfortable. There would have to be a large and unknown disturbance to destroy the night. And Bertholdt quelled the anxiety before it overcame him: there was no rational solution to it, which meant there was nothing to worry about.

The duo made their way into the cafe, which was pleasantly spare, with a few patrons littering the seating area and two in line. Bertholdt knew what he was getting before he was even in line—a vanilla bean, something that wouldn’t upset his stomach, with a caramel drizzle—but Reiner critically eyed the menu.

“There’s a lot of coffee,” he mumbled softly.

“It’s a cafe,” Bertholdt simply said.

“Yeah, but you think there’d be some variety.” Reiner waved absentmindedly at the menu. “It’s just the same thing with more crap in it than the one before it.”

He couldn’t help but smile at that. There was something endearing about Reiner’s logic behind certain things. “Are you not a fan of coffee?”

“By the time you finish making coffee, it’s not even coffee anymore. There’s milk, cream, sugar, sweetener, creamer, which is different from cream—”

“You’ve thought about this a lot.”

Reiner’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying I’m wrong?”

“I’m just saying you’re very knowledgeable, for someone who doesn’t like coffee.”

“Hey,” he nudged him, “I do my research. I know what I like.”

“You picked this place and didn’t know it was made up entirely of coffee, so how good is your research?”

Reiner scowled at that and turned back to the menu with a huff. Bertholdt stifled a laugh and eyed the display of treats next to the register. Maybe a croissant or danish would do.

It was their turn at the register, and Reiner approached it with a large smile. He put in his order of Earl Gray without hesitation, and the way he turned to Bertholdt to ask for his order was soft and gentle. It was appreciated, because Bertholdt was rarely vocal of his social anxiety. He supposed it was obvious in terms of physicality and his interaction with others, but still. It was nice that Reiner didn’t put him in an uncomfortable place.

Bertholdt started to pull out money to pay, but Reiner had already handed over his card. He didn’t even look up at him to acknowledge the shady move. Instead, he pointed to a picture of a dog taped to a plastic box on the counter. “That’s a cute dog.”

“Thanks,” the barista grinned, “she’s our manager’s. We found her abandoned behind the dumpster out back. She has glaucoma and is completely blind in both eyes, but she’s so kind and energetic. We converted our tip jar into a donation jar so that she can have surgery to ease some pain in her eyes.”

“Aww, I bet she’s the best. What kind of dog is she?”

“We know she’s half-labrador, but we think she has some hound in her.”

“No way! I have a lab-hound mix!” Reiner instantly dug for his phone and showed his wallpaper, which was a candid photo of Barnaby smiling up at the camera. The barista cooed softly at the picture and complimented on how beautiful he was, to which Reiner laughed and told his pup’s gotcha story. Bertholdt, while the two were distracted, put the money he wanted to use for the drinks into the box. He took their snacks from the other barista, but there was already a line of two other people behind them. They eyed the chatters with disdain, which Bertholdt saw as his chance to slip away. He waited for their drinks instead, and the worry in his chest from the unwanted attention died down.

Reiner rejoined him a minute later, still smiling from his conversation about dogs and how great they were. He bumped his hip with Bertholdt’s. “You doing okay?”

Bertholdt nodded and smiled reassuringly. Separated from the people and the commotion of conversation had eased his nerves. “I’m good, thank you,” he replied. “That dog was cute.”

Reiner sighed and rested his head briefly on Bertholdt’s shoulder before pulling back as quick as it had landed. “I know, isn’t she?! Barnaby would love her.”

“To be fair, Barnaby is friends with everyone he meets.”

“True, true.” They paused, Reiner retrieving their drinks from the barista, and they decided on a table in the corner for their hangout. “Do you think he’d get along with Florence?”

Bertholdt shrugged, tearing off a piece of his danish. “I think so. She doesn’t really mind animals that are bigger than her, but I think Barnaby’s size might intimidate her.”

Reiner, steeping his tea, pouted. “Aww, he’s not that big.”

“He’s taller than regular dogs. But she might be okay after a while.”

When he looked back up at his date friend, his friend, he was taken aback by the teasing smirk. “So is that a plan in the future?”

Bertholdt gulped at the suggestion of a possible “next time.” He hadn’t considered it with Reiner, despite how well things seemed to have gone so far, but he assumed it wouldn’t be bad. He felt good, he liked Reiner, but that wasn’t any guarantee of a next time happening.

A dog walked by outside, which Reiner eagerly pointed out with a bright beam, but he took a sip of his tea and turned back to Bertholdt again. He didn’t dwell on the new presence, staying focused on the boy across from him who was suddenly enraptured with the action. Reiner was giving him his full attention, without hesitation, and without overwhelming the amount he threw at him, as if he knew the exact measurements of how much resulted in a social overload.

“How’s your drink?” Reiner asked after a beat of silence.

“It’s good.” Bertholdt thought about offering him a sip, just a brief musing thought, but decided against it.

“Cool, cool. You a big coffee drinker?”

“I try not to drink it past a certain time. It doesn’t always agree with me.”

“Oh, I get that.” Reiner sat back in his chair, almost pouting. “I can’t have anything spicy before bed. I’m like a gremlin, only worse.”

Bertholdt chuckled at the reference. Reiner smiled into his tea. “I didn’t think there was someone with tastes as picky as me.”

“I wish it wasn’t like that. I love spicy foods.”

“I can do without them, but a little spice isn’t too bad. I like Mexican hot chocolate, but that may just be because I grew up with it.”

“You’re Mexican?”

“On my mom’s side. ‘Bertholdt’ is just a ruse.”

Reiner laughed—boisterous and disruptive of the surrounding tables. The patrons sitting by themselves turned at the loud sound. “The ultimate trick. You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Bertholdt practically caved in on himself. He didn’t much care for surprises—too much anticipation, which led to anxiety, which steered right into a panic, which he didn’t need in his life. But thinking of himself as one? That was the ultimate surprise. “I, uh, never really thought of myself as that. I always thought I was pretty predictable.”

Reiner shook his head, looking unimpressed, to say the least. “I beg to differ. You’re so tall, but you’re so quiet.”

“That’s the only thing that’s surprising about me.”

“Have you tried a jalapeño?”

“No, it tastes weird—”

“But you’re Mexican!”

Bertholdt rolled his eyes—rather uncharacteristic, but there was something familiar about Reiner that made him feel safe in letting his guard down. “As opposed to you, who is very predictable.”

Reiner’s jaw dropped. “How am I predictable? I’m full of surprises!” He sat back again, this time waving to his body. “Come on, guess something about me. Predict something, Hoover.”

“Fine.” He took one glance, up and down, and remembered something he had overheard. Talk about high school wasn’t common for college students once they trudged through college. However, there was something unique about his experience that Jean had pointed out, something related to how they met. “Well, your muscles are huge—”

“I’m glad you noticed.” Reiner didn’t wink—which was a surprise, considering of the times anyone commented on his size, he did exactly that—but there was a twitch in his biceps that made his sleeves just a tad tighter.

“So you played a sport in high school. Football’s the most obvious, but it could have been wrestling.”

Reiner thought on it for a moment and shrugged. “I’ll give it to you. I played football for two years and then quit.”

“How come?”

“I didn’t wanna play anymore. At that point in my life, it was either get a scholarship for sports or a scholarship for my grades, and I had to decide which one was more important.”

“Oh.” Maybe he had been wrong. Perhaps Reiner was equally surprising. “And you chose your grades.”

“I wanna dig for artifacts, not tackle guys. And even now, it’s easier for people to accept me as Reiner than if I had to play a sport.”

The way he had said his name—as if there were quotation marks around it—had the same emphasis if he had declared his sexuality. Reiner had an identity that many would not, and did not, approve of. To be a football player dealing with that, he could not begin to relate or understand. He could, however, comprehend the struggle of learning to love himself. And Bertholdt didn’t need words to tell him that Reiner had had problems with that.

“It’s hard to decide what you want versus what others want,” Bertholdt said in a low voice. Reiner smiled, visibly comforted by the words. “Eventually, you lose who you are and don’t really understand yourself.”

“Exactly.” His expression was gentle, unlike the brass nature he constantly presented. He reached across the table and turned his hand up and fingers outstretched. Bertholdt met his fingers in a soft embrace, tangling together in warmth. Reiner felt like a bonfire, hot waves bouncing off his hand and against Bertholdt’s palm. “The hardest thing I’ve had to do was accept myself on my own terms and no one else’s.”

“Because the only thing you’re certain of is what other people think of you.”

“Yep.” Reiner smiled, and he removed his hand. “Looks like we’re not too surprising after all, huh?”

Bertholdt shook his head gently, though his lips turned upward at the indication. “I guess we aren’t.”

The rest of the date continued in soft conversation; eventually, Reiner moved closer to Bertholdt, under the pretense that he was getting cold. Bertholdt pointed out that it wasn’t that chilly, only sixty degrees, but Reiner was adamant that the temperature was a lie. Bertholdt took it as a confirmation that science was lying to him, which Reiner had not appreciated and swore his revenge.

They left the cafe a while later, Reiner cozied up to Bertholdt’s side. He liked the irony of he, the introvert, supporting the extrovert, always warm and beaming, in his search for heat. Thankfully, Bertholdt’s body always seemed to run in a constant state of warmth, so his body was the perfect solution.

“It could snow,” Reiner pointed out. He had yet to get into the car, opting instead to stand and look up at the sky. “There’s a ring around the moon.”

“You are very dramatic,” Bertholdt remarked as he started the car. He put the air on nice and warm for his apparently light-skinned companion. “I feel bad for Barnaby.”

“He’s worse than me! If I have to take a piss, and he doesn’t see me leave, he’s beside himself. The world is ending, and nothing will cure him.”

“I can understand that.”

“Why, because of my desirably devilish looks?”

“No, but we can talk about lying another time.”

“Ooh, that hurt, Bert.” Reiner gripped his chest and fell back against his seat. “I’m unable to recover.”

Bertholdt let out a long sigh despite Reiner’s amused laughs. “I’m desensitized to your acts. Ymir and Marco might as well be theater majors.”

“Why, because they long for love they can get if they just ask?” Reiner paused, then backtracked. “Or anyone could, really. Jean says Marco will never look at him like that, even though he literally does every time they’re together.”

“It’s getting tiring. We should do something about it.”

“What, as thanks for getting us together? Wait, uh—” Reiner scrambled for the right words. “I don’t—that wasn’t to say that we’re—I mean, yeah, I like you, but, like, I don’t wanna force you—”

“That would work,” Bertholdt cut him off. Reiner stayed deathly silent, his hands digging into his thighs. “We can thank them for introducing us because I don’t think we would have met up like this if it weren’t for them. And,” he added, because that look of fear needed a good dose of reassurance, “there wouldn’t be a next time.”

It took a second for the words to sink in. Reiner was still ramrod straight in the passenger seat, but he relaxed and let out a long sigh as if he had been holding his breath. Bertholdt glanced at him for a brief moment and saw the thankful glance. He met it with a smile of his own and offered a hand. Reiner patted it gently.

“Focus on driving. I’m okay.” He did, however, give a quick squeeze to his palm before setting his hands back in his lap. “Thank you.”

His heart melted into a puddle and pooled at his feet, overwhelmed with this blond boy who could break the sound barrier with his laugh and offer soft condolences in the next breath. He had the body of a linebacker but the interests of an archaeologist. Reiner was as different in his ways as Bertholdt was in his. The similarity made for a nice pair, if he did say so himself.

Bertholdt pulled up to Reiner’s apartment and got out to walk him to the door. Under the porch light, he noticed how scared Reiner actually was: his hands wrung together, his feet scuffed, his eyes darted from Bertholdt’s face to the ground to the door. Bertholdt felt equally uneasy, if only because the end of the night would decide how the rest of their relationship would play out.

“We should do this again,” he decided. Reiner, still withdrawn, gave a trance-like nod. Bertholdt nudged his foot gently. “As an actual date. With dinner. If you want.”

Reiner gulped and nodded, this one more confident but still hesitant. “Um, yeah, for sure. A…date.” He wasn’t fully understanding what this was—what they were—and Bertholdt didn’t see much to worry about. He could be with Reiner, and they could do things together, and it would be nice. Tonight proved that much. But Reiner needed a bit more confirmation into what they were going to be.

Bertholdt offered his arms, inviting him for a hug, and Reiner accepted. The embrace was tight, definitely longer than expected, and shrouded in an air of intimacy that smelled of high expectations. Bertholdt found himself wanting to stay in it longer, but Reiner was still cold, and he didn’t want to keep him from that warmth or his dog.

“I’ll see you tom—”

Reiner grabbed his hand and pecked the top. He clutched long fingers as if they could provide an answer for what he was feeling. There was no answer, Bertholdt feared, at least in the spot he was looking. And there never would be.

Bertholdt gave his answer in a kiss on the cheek. A gentle brush, quick enough to miss, soft and sweet. It reminded Bertholdt of the type of shenanigans that little kindergarteners pulled off on the playground. It was small, it was quick, and it was the first thing he could think of that would give them an answer on what he was.

Which, when he thought about it, did not sound very promising. Or good. Should he have asked before kissing him? He should have asked. Although the redness that Reiner suddenly had on his face was not there a second ago. And Bertholdt could feel his own cheeks blazing—

Oh.

“I’m going now!” He declared and zipped off to his car. He left Reiner standing on the doorstep, but the laughter that followed after him told him that he had done something good. Or at least he thought.

(He did—when he returned to his apartment, he found a text from Reiner saying how eager he was to return the kiss at their next date. There couldn’t be a sign greater than that.)

x-x-x

“Barnaby, no!”

The eager pooch stole a giant lick from his glass, and Bertholdt resigned himself with a sigh and let Barnaby lap up the rest of it. Reiner only gave him a teasing smirk. “You shouldn’t have insulted him earlier.”

“I did not insult him,” Bertholdt frowned. “He was going to jump over the puddle, and I knew he wasn’t going to make it.”

“You didn’t believe in him. That’s insulting.”

Bertholdt rolled his eyes and shoved Reiner’s shoulder, who only scooted closer, resting his head on his shoulder. Bertholdt returned the gesture, pressing a small kiss atop Reiner’s head. He hummed in response. “He’s a terrible third wheel.”

“I see him more of a wingman than a third wheel.”

“That’s because you’re biased.”

In protest, Reiner moved into Bertholdt’s lap despite the resigned protests of the taller. “I’m biased about a lot of things. Want me to list them?”

“Mm, start with Indiana Jones, and we’ll see where you land.”

“That was cold.”

Among kisses and soft laughs shared, surrounded by reminders of how different they were, it was nice to be with a like-minded companion—who just so happened to give great kisses. Reiner liked to add the last part, and Bertholdt, though confused as to how it fit, was not one to protest its truth.

[missjosie27]

Year 3 Part 9- Duel with Barnaby

Hey guys!

I enjoyed writing this one immensely because I feel like JC has butchered or reduced Barnaby down to an intelligence even lower than that of Patrick Star or Forest Gump. I feel there's a lot more depth to him even if he's not the brightest bulb on the porch. And though I give a lot of attention to Merula, he deserves a greater amount of coverage and nuance as well

So for those of you who like Barnaby, this one's for you. Enjoy!

How to approach a potentially hostile Slytherin: that was the ultimate question.

For David it presented a unique challenge, one untested until this very moment. For as long as he had attended Hogwarts, Slytherin House was an enemy, an antithesis to everything he believed in and a hindrance to finding the vaults along with his brother. Merula was the primary source for that picture, but it wasn’t only her. As Bill and Hagrid pointed out, many children of Death Eaters still attended the school, the overwhelming majority of them in Slytherin. And the ones that weren’t tended to be odd, reclusive, self obsessed, or alarmingly ambitious. It wasn’t a coincidence.

And yet in order to win over Barnaby to their side, he needed to drop these prejudices, at least for the moment. He still wasn’t sure this was a good idea but Tulip’s ideas, though often eccentric, tended to see things that others often overlooked. He would trust that instinct for now. The real problem was how to approach him.

Despite the huge Slytherin being seemingly more approachable, David was still quite hesitant. After all, they had opposed each other at least twice already and in both instances Barnaby was left either smelling like foul eggs or on the ground covered in snow. One wrong word might backfire immensely. He opted to try and talk to him in a more private setting but that proved to be impossible, as he was almost always with Merula and Ismelda during and after potions neither of which he had a desire to speak with at the moment.

So he tried a new approach, one more befitting of a Gryffindor but with a reasonable amount of tact. During lunch on a Wednesday, quiet by Hogwarts standards, he took the opportunity to walk over to the Slytherin table (with great caution) when Barnaby was alone and not flanked by the two girls. He was well aware of the dirty looks he received from the older students and some looked ready to curse him into oblivion, but he knew they wouldn’t, not with teachers everywhere. Most seemed content to ignore him.

“Barnaby?”

The teen looked up from his massive pile of roast beef and potatoes and gazed upon David with intense curiosity.

“Wat oo yu ooing er?”

“You might want to try swallowing.”

Barnaby did so and repeated the question though it was not hostile.

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk.”

“Talk about what?”

At this point, some of the Slytherins were looking over and had their wands withdrawn but a silent hand from Barnaby eased that tension.

“About what’s been going on lately. And the vaults.”

Barnaby narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

“You know I stunk for weeks after that dungbomb. I’ve never taken so many baths in my life.”

“I’m sor-”

“And I mean three times a day. I didn’t know it was possible to bathe that many times. My mom said just once is usually enough.”

David paused at the childlike reasoning of the giant teen in front of him.

“Err...right. Sorry about that.”

Barnaby shrugged as though it had never happened.

“Tulip promised me a box of Peppermint Toads if I talked to you. What do you want?”

Good old, Tulip. She bribed the moron beforehand

“Do you like working for Merula?” he asked him directly.

Barnaby blinked stupidly at the question.

“I don’t work for her. We’re partners.” The statement sounded more like a question, doubt evident in his deep voice.

“Sure that’s why she considers you lesser than a bowl of tripe. But has she ever let you make a decision? Does she ever share her plans with you? Has she ever thanked you for anything?”

Barnaby thought for a second.

“No...no...and I forgot the last thing you said was.”

Resisting the urge to sigh, David continued on with his case.

“You should work with us, Barnaby. Not Merula. And notice how I said ‘with’ not ‘for’. I don’t treat my friends like objects to be cast aside.”

The Slytherin seemed to be taken aback.

“Why do you think I can help?”

“For many reasons, but above everything else you’re powerful and can duel better than most sixth years. I know firsthand how difficult it is to break into a cursed vault. We could use that kind of strength.”

It was quite clear from Barnaby’s reaction that no one had ever bothered to pay him that kind of compliment before or even if they had, it was few and far in between. He took his large fingers, which were covered in silver rings, and began rubbing his chin.

“Uh..you alright?”

“I’m thinking about your words.”

David made a final appeal to get the message across.

“I’m not going to boss you around or call you names like Merula does. I just want your help to find my brother. That’s all.”

Suddenly, a wide smile stretched across Barnaby’s face.

“I like you, Grant.”

“You do?” David asked, surprised it could possibly be this easy.

“Yeah! We should fight.”

Of course it wouldn’t be that easy

“What?” he said in a nonplussed tone.

“I need to prove I’m tough enough to help you and you need to prove you're tough enough to be my new partner,” Barnaby reasoned.

“But I’ve technically already beaten you.”

“That was three on one,” the burly teen shaking his head. “It doesn’t count. Group fighting isn’t the same as one on one.”

He finished eating the last of his lunch, stood up, and clapped a giant hand on David’s shoulder.

“Meet me on the training grounds this Friday after lessons. If you can beat me, I’ll ditch Merula and help you enter the next vault.”

“Why not just do it now?” David asked genuinely.

“Wouldn’t be fair that way,” Barnaby told him. “We both need time to get ready. See you on Friday!”

The third year Gryffindor could only watch as the Slytherin grabbed his bag and began to whistle cheerfully as he exited the Great Hall. It was only when a piece of bread was chucked at him along with an expletive he realized he needed to remove himself from Slytherin territory.

What he didn’t realize was what he had gotten himself into.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Rowan and Ben found out what he agreed to with Barnaby, both cautioned against it.

“Dave, no offense, you’re a good dueler, but Barnaby is the best in our year for a reason. It’s not a good idea to go up against him.”

“What if he seriously hurts you or something?” the blond asked nervously.

“Mates, I’ve explained this already. Barnaby isn’t trying to harm me he’s trying to test me. If I beat him one on one he’ll join us and stop hanging around Merula. We’ve got nothing to lose.”

David was looking over his last bit of notes in the Gryffindor common room before meeting Barnaby for their duel. The weather was surprisingly sunny, and the conditions ideal as you would find in late winter.

“But if wins you’ll just end up in the Hospital Wing and we go right back to where we started from,” Rowan pointed out. “And what then? I haven’t finished deciphering the notebook yet.”

“And Merula will just come after you even more,” Ben added.

David put on his jacket and hat while pocketing his wand. Classes were done and he was ready. Barnaby might be twice as large and physically stronger but he couldn’t back down now.

“You guys worry too much,” he told them with a somewhat cocky smile. “If I can handle three Slytherins at a time, then I’m going to be more than fine against one.”

“Just be careful,” his best friend told him. “We don’t know if we can trust Barnaby yet. Keep your guard up.”

David smiled knowing full well Rowan was just looking out for his well being and he appreciated the gesture.

“I will. Now wish me luck and watch me as I win this duel.”

As he exited and pushed past the portrait of the fat lady, Ben couldn’t help but sigh with jealousy.

“He asked for luck but still has full confidence that he’s going to win the duel. I wish I carried myself like that.”

“Don’t envy everything about Dave,” Rowan said wisely as he read his Magical History book. “He’s more complicated than lets on.”

“But...he’s the most competent person I know save for the teachers. He’s taught me so many things.”

“I’m his best friend, Ben. But even I don’t know all that he’s been through.”

The blond appeared puzzled.

“What are you saying? As far as I’m concerned, he’s a hero.”

Rowan shut his book with a soft thud.

“Even heroes have demons.”

Neither boy spoke much after that but each seemed to consider that the leader of their group had a cocky streak that hid something much deeper.

Even if he would never admit doing so.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sure enough, Barnaby was there waiting for him upon his arrival. By now the snow on the ground had begun to melt a little and the grass below them was little more than a muddle cesspool. But neither minded so much as the milder weather provided the perfect chance to duel without the howling wind or hail. David greeted him in a friendly manner to start things off on the right foot.

“You showed up,” the Slytherin said simply.

“Well yeah, it’s a duel after all.”

This seemed to cater to Barnaby’s simple way of looking at things as he smiled once more.

“I like you, Grant. You keep being nice. If you beat me in a duel, I know you’re tough for real.”

“And then you’ll stop working with Merula and help us find the next Cursed Vault?”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

David paused for a second, confused, though he tried to be as patient as he could be. After all, Barnaby probably didn’t remember what he had for breakfast.

“It was your idea, Barnaby…”

“Oh, right. I’ll do my idea then.”

David by now knew enough about the gargantuan teen to be aware that he was not taking the mickey and also the sincerity of his personality. Certainly a different kind of opponent than he had taken on in the past.

They took positions about thirty feet from each other and each withdrew their wands.

“I’ll warn you, David. I’ve never lost a duel,” Barnaby said with a confident grin.

The Gryffindor could only grin back.

“That’s funny, neither have I.”

Without warning, however, Barnaby struck first sending a disarming spell his way, which he managed to avoid. But unlike his other opponents, Barnaby didn’t rest on his laurels. Spell after spell and ‘Expelliarmus’ after ‘Expelliarmus’, the barrage was relentless and it was so quick David barely had time to recover and send anything back.

After the six stunner, he managed to fire off a Knockback jinx but it only threw back the Slytherin back a few yards and he stayed on his feet.

“Son of a…”

He never had time to finish the swear as Barnaby sent a slew of ropes towards him which missed but then caught him with a blasting curse, the impact of which sent him sprawling on the ground.

Not giving up, he leapt back up and fired back.

‘Depulso!’

The spell sailed over Barnaby’s right shoulder and he responded in kind.

‘Convulsio!’

The spell hit his left leg and it began spazzing as though he had a charlie horse. The sensation was incredibly uncomfortable but David gritted his teeth and managed to dodge another one of Barnaby’s spells, ‘Restricta!’

Ignoring the pain, he tried to use a time old tactic: distraction.

‘Fumo!’

Smoke temporarily blocked Barnaby’s view but with a wave of his wand, he cast it aside and sent another stunner before David could follow up a blasting hex.

Okay, this isn’t working

The burly Slytherin hadn’t been lying: he was good and it was also easy to see why he never lost a duel. His spellwork was precise and accurate, but also fast and nearly impossible to sidestep. The incantations combined with flicks of the wrist and a strong stance made Barnaby the toughest opponent he yet faced.

As he was forced to dodge yet another spell, this one blue in color, he flicked his wand forward and managed to hit Barnaby in the stomach with a tickling spell in order to buy time. To his shock, however, the effect did little other than to cause him to clutch his stomach.

“Those kinds of spells won’t work on me,” he called out. “I just so happen to be immune to tickling.”

It was the first thing Barnaby said all the while they were dueling, a refreshing change of pace from Merula, but the irrefutable fact remained. The Slytherin’s relentless battering ram style was unlike anything he faced before and only raw brute strength would take him down, strength that was failing him.

David was forced to bend down onto one knee when Barnaby yelled out ‘Stupefy’ in order to stun him. Clearly he was intent on ending this soon as his left leg had already given out.

No, not yet

Taking aim, the teenage Gryffindor did the only thing he felt was available to him. He knew the incantation and though he never attempted it personally, felt there was nothing left to lose. Either he would succeed or Barnaby would win the duel.

‘Stupefy!’

A powerful blast of red light shot forward and caught Barnaby square in the chest, uplifting him off his feet and onto the ground in a massive heap.

Breathing heavily, David limped over to Barnaby with the last he could give on his bad leg and offered his hand to the utterly dazed and confused opponent.

“Wha…”

“Come on, big guy.”

Once returned to his senses the Slytherin pushed himself back onto his feet and almost took David with him, who could barely stand as it was, causing him to grunt with pain.

“Oh, I’m sorry, David.”

Barnaby cast the counter curse and instantly his leg went back to normal.

“Thanks.”

“Blimey, I thought you had to be mean to hurt someone that badly,” the Slytherin spoke aloud rubbing his shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

“Are you kidding? This is nothing. A few of us Slytherins start every day by doing what we just did. They say it gets you in the right mindset.”

“Mindset for what?” David asked, very curious as to what kind of culture he was dealing with.

“To toughen up and be the best,” came the simple reply.

He elected not to press the issue and instead emphasize his victory respectfully in hopes that Barnaby would finally acquiesce and willingly join his team.

“Well there’s no doubt you’re tough, Barnaby. Will you help me with the cursed vault?”

Barnaby smiled, although he was still in some pain from the duel. They both were.

“You’ve proven you’re strong enough to beat me. You have a deal, David. But on one condition.”

Oh Merlin

“And what would that be?”

“We celebrate with a butterbeer,” he said cherrily.

“But there’s no Hogsmeade visit this weekend.”

“I can never remember when those happen,” Barnaby said, scratching his head. “But luckily, I always keep some on hand.”

He summoned two canteens from his back pocket and handed one to David, which he took with a degree of surprise.

“Cheers!” the Barnaby said, clinking his canteen against his and taking a large sip. “Let’s take a walk around the grounds.”

David obliged and together, the two began to traverse around the perimeter of the school, taking in the light breeze and bright blue sky which was beginning to turn into a reddish, gold. The young teen didn’t know what to expect but he indulged Barnaby all the same, who appeared quite content.

“I love a good butterbeer after a duel. They say it heals all bruises and broken bones.”

“Who says that?” David asked, raising an eyebrow.

Barnaby shrugged.

“I can’t remember. I’m sure someone said it.”

Resisting the urge to openly chuckle, David again marveled at the simplicity that his newfound acquaintance operated under. It was stupidly charming in a way. Given this fact, there was a question lurking in his mind he felt he had to ask him.

“You say I’m nice, but you’re quite friendly yourself. Too friendly to be hanging out with Merula. How did you two end up being friends?”

Barnaby’s face turned frank and even a bit solemn.

“We have a lot in common. Both of our parents were Death Eaters.”

David had to resist choking on his butterbeer.

“Wait...really?” He knew Merula’s parents were locked up in Azkaban but this was new information to him.

“Why are you so surprised? Everyone knows Slytherins have the most interesting childhoods,” Barnaby stated as though it were obvious.

“Interesting is one way of putting it I suppose.”

“Do you mean being the children of Death Eaters? Because you’re not wrong. There’s a lot of us in Slytherin. We have to stick together because no one else will.”

David never considered this aspect before. There was something very raw but also very poignant about what the burly Slytherin was saying.

“I never thought of it that way, but you might be right.”

“That’s why I believe Harry Potter will be a Slytherin. Someone that powerful as a baby has to be in our house!”

“Who knows,” the Gryffindor said with a half shrug. “He could be incredibly brave too. Sounds more like my house.”

“It’s power that helps protect yourself and people you care about. It’s better to be strong than weak.”

David suddenly realized these weren’t only Barnaby’s words.

“Look I can’t believe I’m saying this, but not every Slytherin has to be obsessed with being powerful. You don’t seem that way. So why focus on it all the time?”

“Because it’s what my dad taught me. His words. ‘It’s better to be strong than weak.’ Anything that can make you more powerful can only help in that.”

He sighed as he put his canteen back inside the pants pocket.

“You probably think my family is mad. I don’t blame you.”

“Far from it,” David reassured him and suddenly they stopped in front of the Whomping Willow, a dangerous tree liable to strike anything that came near it.

“They were Death Eaters. To be a Death Eater, everyone says you have to be mad.”

“I can relate to unstable family members. Try me.”

Barnaby considered this for a second, silver rings glistening in the sunlight one of which was inscribed ‘Vires In Virtute’. Far from being a simpleton, this time the Slytherin was considering how to properly explain things.

“My family’s crest follows the creed of strength. We’ve also been pure blood for centuries. For my dad, it was an opportunity and a duty to remain both. He followed the Dark Lord more willingly than others….I saw him once, actually.”

David almost didn’t register that last remark. It was one thing to read about the darkest wizard in many generations but to see him? He almost did a double take.

“You saw You Know Who?”

“He stopped by once as a little kid. At first I was afraid but my parents told me if I could become as strong as the Dark Lord, I could be anything. Mum was nice, but dad always said I was slow. It was the best way for me to be good at something. So I’ve spent my entire life doing so, even after they were both arrested.”

“When did that happen?”

“Shortly after You Know Who died. Didn’t take long for the Aurors to catch up. They were well known for doing a lot of horrible things.”

Following the duel in the foggy snow, David remembered feeling a pang of sympathy for Barnaby when hearing Merula insulting him. That pang was now a large wave.

“Barnaby, mate. There’s more to life than being strong. And those other kids aren’t the only ones to take after. You should do what makes you happy rather than what pleases other people...including your mum and dad.”

He looked up at the willow alongside Barnaby, studying its bare branches and thick, gnarled trunk.

“I know what it’s like to try and live up to an older family member. I’m trying to find him right now. And that’s what I need your help with.”

“Your friends won’t hate me? Or think I’m mad?”

“No. If anything it’s the opposite,” David said truthfully. Even uninformed people thought Barnaby to be stupid but not crazy or cruel. “Besides, if I can ingratiate Tulip into our group I can with anyone.”

“What does ‘en-gradiate’ mean?”

David again had to stifle a chuckle but it was not a demeaning one. On the contrary, he was beginning to enjoy the way Barnaby’s mind worked.

“It means that I want you to join our little group...as a friend.”

He held out his hand in a final gesture of goodwill, which the burly Slytherin took, cementing their new friendship in a masculine bond.

“Thank you.”

It was settled. Somehow or another, David had convinced Barnaby Lee to switch sides, a huge victory no matter which way you sliced it. It was one step closer to solving the ultimate mystery they had yet to solve.