#but also the way he’s so used to his shoes getting taken for pranks that he just kept walking

[leclercskiesahead]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Scuderia Ferrari HP (@scuderiaferrari)

The shoes again!

[clubforfrogs]

Slip Ups (Pt.1?) Poly Marauders x reader

Authors Note: Hey! This is my first ever fic so it might not be the best. The reader is Gryffindor, and the Marauders are already in a relationship. Lmk if you want a part two!

It was no secret that the marauders were fond of their pranks. Magical slime that only they knew the spell to remove, changing the color of the Slytherins robes to a deep red and gold instead of the usual silver and green, it was all commonplace at Hogwarts. But what you couldn’t figure out was why their favorite pranks were the ones they pulled on you. 

Now their pranks towards you were never cruel. They were always small things like staring water balloon fights with you and your friends during the warmer months or them charming your shoes so that they grow one size bigger every time you jump (it had taken you a while to figure that one out). Even though their pranks were almost pitifully small, something about them just irked you. You weren’t particularly close, and you certainly hadn’t made enemies with them. You would have had to talk to them to do that! On top of all of this, the flirting was incessant.

You couldn’t make it through a single class without a “Is that a new perfume? You smell delicious,” (James) or a “Has anyone told you that you look absolutely ravishing today?” (Sirius)

It was certainly flattering, but it was also public. Didn’t they have any shame? You braced yourself as you walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts. As was to be expected you saw James, Sirius, and Remus talking loudly amongst themselves, stopping when you walked into the classroom. You made your way over to your regular seat, coincidentally right behind where they were standing.

Sirius grinned , “Did you somehow get even more gorgeous overnight? Give my poor heart a break L/n.” Remus and James both looked amused at Sirius’ remark. Remus replied to Sirius with a shocked expression, “You’re right,” he clutched his chest, “James catch me,” he said dramatically as he fell into James’ outstretched arms. You shook your head as a blush started to creep up your face. Luckily, the professor cleared his throat everyone took their seats as he began his lesson.

There was an open seat next to you, so James took it eagerly as Sirius and Remus sat in front of you. James leaned over and whispered in your ear, “We’re planning on sneaking around Hogwarts tonight, you wanna come?”

You turned to him with surprised look on your face. This was the first time any of them had ever invited you to break the rules with them, and you weren’t sure if that sounded like the smartest thing to do. You picked at your nails as you though about your answer. James, seeing the indecision on your face, spoke again, “C’mon… you’ll have a good time. We’d really like for you to join us.”

You studied James’ features. His sweet brown eyes showed nothing but sincerity, and to be truthful, you had made up your mind as soon as he offered. “Yeah, I suppose that could be fun,” you sighed out. James’ face immediately brightened and you couldn’t help but flush as you looked at him. Sirius had said you looked good today, but James. His smile was blindingly perfect. His dark curls laid on his head just messily enough for you to want to reach out and fix them. Or maybe you just wanted to run your fingers through his hair.

You had also noticed how good Remus and Sirius looked today. Remus with his sandy hair that laid considerably neater then James’, and eyes that you seemed to melt into entirely. Sirius had long, wavy black hair that made him look like a muggle rockstar. You were so lost in your thoughts about the boys around you that you didn’t realize you had been staring at James this entire time zoned out. He pushed your shoulder gently and whispered, “Where’d you go there?” “I was just,” you tried to find the right words, “lost in thought.” James looked at you teasingly, “Oh yeah? Because it looked an awful lot like you were checking us out.” His words made your eyes widen because of how close to the truth they were. You heard James chuckle as you turned away from him and started to scribble notes furiously as a distraction.

Once class ended, you decided to head off to the library. You had a free period, then lunch, so you knew you’d be able to study for the History of Magic exam you had to take tomorrow. You also knew, from overhearing the Marauder’s conversation, that Sirius and James planned on doing the same thing, while Remus had Herbology next. Not that you cared or anything…

Once you arrived at the library, you quickly found a quiet spot to do your work at. You were both annoyed and oddly pleased when you heard the loud voices of James and Sirius walk in not long after. They were loudly shushed by the librarian, causing them to quiet down. 

A few minutes later, you heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and the faces of James and Sirius popped into your vision. “Hey there gorgeous, you mind if we work over here with you?” Sirius asked while already haphazardly throwing a piece of parchment and a few quills onto the table. You rolled your eyes with a smile, “Yeah that’s fine. You guys studying for History of Magic too?”

James nodded his head. “Yeah, we wouldn’t usually do this until the class before but Remus said that he’d help us with the Potions essay if we did.” You hummed in acknowledgment as you opened up your textbook and began reviewing the material. Unfortunately for you, James and Sirius quickly grew bored of their textbooks and decided that you were far more interesting.

“Y/nnnn,” Sirius dragged your name out. You turned towards him and were met with the desperate eyes of both him and James. “Will you help us? We’re confused and you’re just so smart and beautiful and intelligent and kind and-“ 

You cut Sirius off, “Ok, ok. I’ll help you whiners out.” James pouted at your words which you ignored in favor of turning your book a few pages back. 

“Let’s start with chapter 4, it’s probably the easiest material so we can work our way up to chapters 5 and 6 after this. Are there any parts in particular you don’t get?” James perked up, “Yeah, in the part about The Goblin Rebellion of 1832, it says that the Goblins refused to work for wizards until wizards treated them better. But in the next paragraph, it says the rebelled because it’s ‘simply in their nature.’ Doesn’t that kind of conflict?” 

You were surprised at how into studying James was, but welcomed it openly. “I had to look into that to. Turns out, this book was cowritten. One of the authors is an absolute twat who thinks goblins are some kind of wild beasts, and the other’s a bit more rational. Just ignore anything that seems super anti-goblin.” “That makes sense, thank you,” James smiled widely at you, making your breath catch for a second. You mumbled  a “No problem,” and continued working. You could see James and Sirius exchanging a smug look at that.

More time passed, around an half an hour if you had to guess. The two boys worked relatively hard, and made a lot of progress. But now seemed as if they had reached their limit. You felt a finger poke you in the ribs. You jump back. “Oi, what’s your problem?” You ask a startled looking Sirius. He quickly regains his composure and looks at you. “Can we take a break? It’s been sooo long.” You give him and incredulous look, “It hasn’t been an hour yet, let’s just work a little longer.” The boys look at you with equally begging looks. “Please, Y/n? We just need a little study break.” James whined. “Nope,” you said, popping the ‘P’. 

In response to your refusal, James and Sirius decided it’d be most effective to start alternating saying your name in increasing annoying voices. It didn’t take long for this to make your head pound, so you drew your wand and cast a quick muffliato spell on yourself, effectively making it impossible for you to hear the boys. This didn’t help you for long, as they realized what happened, and moved to start lightly poking you. You shot each boy a dirty look before undoing the muffliato charm. You were about to give them an earful before you heard a voice from behind you, “You wankers leave Y/n alone.” Remus came into view and gently smacked James and Sirius on the backs of their heads. They both fake winced and rubbed their heads. You were grateful for Remus, but you realized something, “Remus, shouldn’t you be in Herbology still? It doesn’t get over for another 15 minutes at least.” It occurred to Remus that you had memorized a bit of his schedule. He was definitely saving that information for later. “Yeah, some Slytherins thought it’d be fun to mess around with a venomous tentacula. One of them had to be taken to Madame Pomfrey and Professor Sprout was so shaken that she just dismissed the rest of us.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, “Yikes, I hope they’re alright.” “Serves that idiot right.” You and Sirius spoke at the same time. You gave him a scolding look and he just crossed his arms like an angry toddler. Remus chuckled at your guys’ antics. “Anyways, have you three managed to get any work done? Ya know, before you decided to start annoying Y/n,” Remus asked. James nodded, “That’s why we were ‘annoying’ her. We finished studying!” Remus raised an eyebrow at James. “Ok, what goblin business was the first to shut down as a result of the revolution?” James thought for a second before answering, “Gringotts!” Remus clapped quietly, “I’m impressed, Sirius, did you study just as hard?” “You know I did,” he winked at Remus. You saw a faint dusting of pink on Remus’ cheeks after the wink, causing Sirius to smirk. Remus was saved by the lunch bell.

All of the boys stood up, but you remained seated, ready to continue working on a paper assigned earlier in the week. “You coming to lunch, love?” You glanced over, realizing Remus’ words were directed at you. “Can’t, I’ve got to finish up my potions essay.” Sirius scoffed, “James and I already told you Remus was helping us with that. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind helping you as well. Besides, it’s not due for another week!” You looked at them uncertainly. Before today, you had only spoken to them during class and when they pulled their occasional pranks on you. This was new territory. But you weren’t going to refuse the ever-growing attention they were paying to you, so you slowly stood up. “Yeah I suppose I’m in need of a break anyways.” James gave a cheer and slung his arm around your shoulder. None of the boys missed how you blushed as he did so.

When you arrived at the Great Hall, you went to sit over with your normal group of friends. Sure the Marauders had made sure you came to lunch, but you didn’t want to overstay your welcome but inviting yourself to sit with them. Before you could take more then a few steps however, a hand caught your wrist. You looked to see James holding your arm, “Aren’t you gonna come sit with us?” You were surprised to see both Sirius and Remus looking so intently at you, awaiting your next words. “Uh, are you sure? I’m really not trying to overstep my bounds.” Sirius shook his head as if you had said something utterly ridiculous. “Overstepping? Please,” he ushered you over to their usual spot and sat you down, James taking the spot to your left. Remus sat across from you, Sirius sitting to his right. 

You had absolutely no idea what to say. Before today, the only interaction you’d had with the marauders was their constant flirting, and the occasional trips to Hogsmeade, and those trips were always with a bigger group. Luckily, the boys didn’t have any awkwardness in starting a conversation. “Lads, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think I may be a genius,” Sirius started. You and Remus shared a What is he on about? look as Sirius rambled about a new prank he wanted to pull on the Slytherins. 

“Ok, let me get this straight. You want to sneak into the snake pit, and charm their dormitory doors to open only if they say, ‘I’m a lousy, big footed git’?” You said in a disbelieving tone. “This seems a bit immature, even for you guys.” Sirius gave a mockingly offended look as James clutched his pearls and cried, “Not true!” You still believed the prank to be incredibly stupid, but also realized that Sirius’ silly rant had easily diffused any awkwardness you felt before. Merlin, Sirius was so good at easing your worries and breaking tension. And James made you laugh so easily. Remus made you comfortable and calmed you down and-

You suddenly felt a foot nudge you underneath the table. You looked up to see Remus giving you a confused glance. “Are you alright. You looked a bit lost in thought.” You nodded and played with the food on your plate to avoid any further questions. That, of course, didn’t work. “Were you thinking about someone special?” Sirius questioned while wiggling his eyebrows. James quickly perked up at that, “You did that during defense against the dark arts too!”

Shit. This was not how the hottest couple at Hogwarts was going to find out about your insane crush on all three of them. You didn’t think you could handle the embarrassment of being rejected not once, not twice, but three times in one day. In order to preserve your pride and avoid spilling your secret, you quickly stood up from the table while making some shitty excuse about how you suddenly weren’t feeling well. You rushed to the Gryffindor common room without so much as a glance back at their table. You made it to the portrait of the Fat Lady without hearing any footsteps behind you. Once inside the common room, you rushed into your dorm and decided that you would lay there for the rest of eternity, simple enough, right? Ok maybe that was a bit dramatic, but you really didn’t want to risk running into one of the boys and accidentally confessing, and ruining and chance of a friendship you had with them.

After what felt like hours of laying on your bed, you decided to risk going out to the common room and reading a book by the fire. It was dangerous of course, as the marauders could be lurking anywhere, but the prospect of being cozy while reading was simply to desirable to pass up. When you got the the couches, you quickly plopped down and made yourself comfortable. You opened your book, and started to read. 

You weren’t sure how long you had been reading for, but a long while later, you heard the oh so familiar voices of James, Sirius, and Remus walk down the stairs from their dormitory. You froze on the couch, hoping that they would simply waltz through the room and leave. They wouldn’t be able to see you if you stayed completely still right? You were positive your theory was going to be proven correct when something seemed to catch Remus’ attention. He turned and looked directly where you were sitting. “Y/n? What are you still doing up, we tried knocking on your dorm door just now, but we assumed you’d forgotten about our plans and fell asleep.” Oh no. You had forgotten James’ invitation to sneak around with them today. Now you were going to be with the boys all night. What could go wrong?

[winterillustrates]

OKAY

I got an AU idea!!

Nice NRC AU

Yuu(s) (in my au, they are three Yuus, but you can make one Yuu)? Absolute menaces. Single handedly cause the nicest people to crack and make them overblot. That's what the school says, at least. Is that truly what goes on?

Crowley? A very nice and gracious principal who denied himself of a holiday to find a way to get Yuu(s) back home. Often tries to help the Yuu(s) but they claim they do not need his help, so he often tries using subtle methods to earn their trust. He often acts like a supportive father of teenage rebels.

Grim? Just a poor innocent stray cat (his words, not Yuu(s)'. They, along with practically everyone else, knows he's a monster but just call him a cat cause it makes him happy) that kindly asked the Principal to enter, and because of his potential, he got in! Often serves as the moral pet of Yuu(s), being their angel on their shoulder (sometimes) and self-proclaimed familiar. He is also quite the attention seeker.

Ace? Total Goody-two-shoes who acts like a helpful guide to Yuu. Would not harm a fly. COULD NOT harm a fly. Very affectionate towards his friends, and is never afraid to speak his mind, especially when someone is in danger. But...he sort of knows when to shut up and let Yuu(s) handle it. Finds the unfiltered truth to be the kindest thing anyone could do.

Deuce? Former nerd trying to learn to grow some backbone from Yuu(s). Trying to look a little more delinquent and a lot less nerdy with frequent exercises. Never wants to be the butt of jokes, ever again, so he's very defensive, often making fun of other people before they can make fun of him (most noticeably the first time he met Ace and Ramshackle). Absolute mama's boy. His tech skills are actually very impressive. It's a wonder why he's not in Ighnihyde.

Riddle? Just trying to prove to his mother that people don't need rules to have a happy, successful life! Failed miserably. Heartslaybul is a mess and he never wants to force anyone to do anything, so people don't take him too seriously, most of the time. Seen as a 'weak link'. Too obsessed with trying to not be like his mother that he forgot who he actually wanted to be.

Chenya? Sadistic and an absolute riot. Pranking poor innocent NRC students, causing them trauma. people are too scared of him to call him a bully and downplay his actions to 'prankster'. Most noticeably Riddle, his most frequent victim.

Ruggie? Just a shy guy who overworks himself to the bone and is used to being stepped/walked over. Takes backbone lessons from Yuu(s).

Leona? Sorta...slow? Yeah, that's the word for it. But he's a great leader! Real nice guy who's taken Ruggie under his wing. He'd definitely be perfect if he didn't keep failing his exams. Does he really want to graduate, though?

Floyd? Impulsive and just wants to have fun. Has a...working moral compass...Would not intentionally kill someone.

Kalim? Very sociable, but boy does he fail in his classes. He makes up for it with his streetsmart, though! Knows almost everyone's secrets/gossip. Everyone is a suspect to him, so he does not particularly care about who his friend is and who is not. Constantly sees himself as a victim (people constantly acting like he is does not help with this complex) and is very self centered but insecure. The only person that has never betrayed him is Jamil, and he knows exactly why. But he can't help but want to clip his wings off, anytime he thinks of escaping. Kalim can't be alone. He deserves to, but he can't.

Jamil? Very anti-social. Does not interact with people much and prefers to be in silence. When he does interact with people, he is very, unapologetically blunt and honest. Got a new hat? He will tell you it looks stupid. This makes him disliked generally by people who are not close to him. Despite his anti-social behavior, he is quite optimistic about the future and is honest with his endeavors to finally become good enough to be Kalim's right-hand man. Is he as honest with himself as he'd like to be, though?

Vil? 2nd best, as usual, of course. Takes it with grace and considers Neige to be one of his closest friends. Is that popular, but nice girl everyone loves. He loves giving his dorm members makeovers and spa days. He holds his tongue a lot, though. Always sugar coating his words to make them more likely to be listened to. He is never above using his charm to stop a fight or two with just a flutter of his eyelashes. If only it was that easy to get rid of the green-eyed monster tearing apart his soul.

Rook? Hunter of beauty, of course. Ready to defend beauty, even if it means he has to get his hands dirty. People fear him because no one wants to be on the receiving end of that arrow, or his attention. Vil is trying to make him a bit more...likeable. Finds beauty to be rare and is extremely critical towards people. Often finds beauty to be in the tragic, yet romantic things. Like an actor loved by all but would not hesitate to throw that all away for their selfish desires.

Neige? Innocent little guy! People think he's just some dumb, oblivious actor, but his parents' death taught him a lot, actually. Life is cruel. Hard. No one is going to care if you don't make them to. Some people are born lucky. They get a head start. But, God, does it bring twisted satisfaction to be crowned 1st in front of the 2nd, once more. Some might assume that he's selfish and mean, but how bad could he be if his hands are 'clean'?

Idia? As anti-social as ever, thanks for asking. Always trying to make new friends, but always backing out at the last moment. Uses his security cameras to spy on people, watching them like a soap opera, so he knows quite a lot about almost everyone. Really wants to have new friends, but people often see his gloomy behavior as intimidating. Still into anime, music groups and video games, as it's the only place he can truly feel part of something. Yuu(s) have actually become his...'favorite character'. Years of isolation and a robot of his dead brother club is not exactly full at the moment.

Ortho? If looks could kill, you'd be dancing on stage with your favorite living band. But since he can actually kill, I'd suggest to never mess with his brother. He seems very strict and often is the one calling the shots in Ighnihyde, but if you become close to him, he'll display a helpful attitude towards you, always trying to help you reach your goals and is there right by your side. No wonder Idia depends so much on him. And if you're a loner trying to make a friend, well, you have a soft spot in his 'heart'.

Sebek? "HUMAN!!" oh no "YOU CAN'T BE WALKING AROUND IN THE SNOW WEARING ONLY ONE JACKET!! TAKE MINE! YOU HUMANS CAN BE SO SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE COLD!" And that's him on a bad day. Always ready to protect Malleus with his life but has a soft spot in his heart for humans. He does seem humans as inferior, and is always sort of babying them, offering to fight instead of them, despite how capable they have proven themselves to be. This often makes Sebek believe that he is the most capable in the room and he is quite smug about it. This makes him labeled as a 'Teacher's Pet' amongst the first years.

AND LIKE ALL THE OVERBLOTS HAPPEN CAUSE THE YUU(S) CONSTANTLY TRY AND ADD A BIT MORE "FLAVOR" TO THIS BORING SCHOOL WHICH UNKNOWINGLY MAKE THEM LIKEABLE AMONG THE MAIN CAST!!

LIKE RIDDLE FINALLY SNAPPING AND USING HIS MAIN MAGIC ON ALL THE UNRULY STUDENTS, MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE YUU(S) TAUNTING, ONLY FOR HIM TO OVERBLOT. THEN WHEN THEY SAVE HIM, HE'S LIKE, "Thank you, actually. I suppose there was at least some truth to my mother's words and the rest of the truth was outside her words." AND YTHEY ARE ALL LIKE "Huh?" AND THEN BRO FAINTS LIKE THAT. AND THEN IN THE NEXT CHAPTERS RIDDLE IS JUST TRYING TO WALK THE FINE LINE BETWEEN AUTHORITATIVE AND FRIENDLY.

SO, DESPITE THE YUU(S) NOT WANTING TO, THEY JUST MAKE PEOPLE BETTER AND ARE THE THERAPISTS OF THE SCHOOL.

[townofcadence]

Artair and Butch? For the kid meme cause I’ve been curious 👉🏻👈🏻

If They Had A Kid

Name: James Taliesin and Avalon Beverly (Fraternal twins!) James goes by Jamie, and Avalon prefers Ava!

Gender: Boy and Girl (for now lol)

General Appearance: Jamie is a pale blond like Artair was as a kid, with blue eyes like Butch's and a button nose. He's fair skinned, with wings, sharp canines, and a tail longer than is practical, which he often trips on. Ava's hair is more honey toned like Butch's, long and tied together with a red bandana (also like Butch's), and her skin is more of a medium shade. She also has a tail, but it's thinner and more prehensile than Jamie's. She also has horns, and likes to wear ballet shoes and a skirt since she has recently taken up dance.

Meanwhile Ava is very rambunctious-- she's energetic and personable, and sometimes likes to get up to mischief. Usually it's relatively harmless, mostly pranks or teasing, but sometimes if someone riles her enough and she loses her temper, she might get into a tussle. She's got a heart of gold though, and most of her losing her temper is about protecting someone she cares about, or an injustice she finds really unfair (sometimes this can include things such as not getting dessert though lol). She has a lot of love for physical pursuits, like dance and gymnastics.

Personality: Jamie is the shy one of the two-- he's kind of quiet, and likes to hide when there's someone he doesn't know around. When he's comfortable though, he's a bit more feral between the two. You might need to keep him from putting random things in his mouth, and he likes to move around on all fours and gargoyle crouch, or stare at people without blinking or hanging upside down because he likes the feeling of a headrush. He's a good kid, and likes clinging to Butch or Artair, often hovering and throwing his arms around their neck and then backpacking. He likes cooking a lot and watching the food bake in the oven with the light on.

Special Talents: Jamie does know how to do basic cooking, and is resistant to heat! He can take the pans out without getting burned (gave Butch and Artair a heart attack the first time lmao). He also likes reading and learning new things, and is pretty quick to pick them up. And he can move incredibly fast when moving on all fours. Ava's headbutt can knock you over, and she's got a heightened sense of balance due to her tail helping adjust her center of gravity more minutely. She's very quick, very strong, pretty accurate, and she's a ferocious biter when she wants to be.

Who they like better: Jamie clings to Artair more when he's keen to learn something, but honestly both kids would probably prefer Butch for the most part. Artair is somewhat the more nurturing parent, but Butch is the fun parent who probably would let them get away with a bit more. He also might be weak to their puppy eyes to some degree. Artair is more resistant because he can feel their ulterior motives lol. But definitely, their favorite is Artair when they get in trouble, since Butch might need time to break away from the cycle he was raised in, so he might be a little more tough when it comes to doling out punishments, where Artair is more even-handed. So they like Butch more, except when they're in trouble lmao.

Who they take after more: They're both a little different from their parents, but I would say Ava and Butch are a lot alike, sometimes to the point they might butt heads just a little if Ava's temper flares--but ultimately, it makes them close and they love each other very much and have a special connection for it. Jamie isn't like either of them, in a lot of ways, but appearance-wise he does kinda take after Artair more, and his natural curiosity is definitely reflective of Artair's own, even if he uses his mouth about it more often, but that's how kids do lol.

Personal Head canon: I feel like I slipped a bunch of them in while talking about them lol. But I think both of their hair will darken naturally as they age! Jamie would end up with a blond closer to Artair, but Ava will almost be the spitting image of Butch. Ava's sharper teeth will come in later when she gets her adult teeth. Jamie's horns are smaller when they do eventually come in, more like lil nubs. Ava likes stealing Butch's bandana and tying her hair up with it, and she'd probably be into games with him like cowboys robbing trains and stuff lol and having butch play the antagonist to battle lol. Jamie would collect rocks and keeps showing any new ones to Artair and Butch, and would request they watch him do amazing feats such jumping over the little bar between the carpet and linoleum lol.

[oumaheroes]

hi do you have any writings about the bothers bullying (brotherly bonding) england? like any type of pranks from a fake snake tied to his shoe to an ice cube down the back of his shirt. I really have a craving for them to just really push him around bc he's the youngest (not counting northern Ireland ofc) please and many thanks if you have any

I don't I'm afraid! (Kinda)

I don't think they're generally a fun kind of pranking family, or aim to do anything planned like that. They're more the type to verbally take the piss out of each other and are very opportunistic when it comes to pranks- if a possible attack point presents itself, they will use and abuse it. Things can quickly escalate, something is taken seriously, and before you know it they're scrapping on the floor only to be sharing a beer down the pub the next hour. Very quick and non-lasting swings and round-abouts

So they do, but they won't go out of their way to plan to be pranky or anything really so light hearted. They mostly bicker or fuck about

I have written them as being shits to each other many times but they're usually part of stories, rather than whole stories in their own right.

Here are some examples:

From Odd Socks:

Alasdair pressed a hand to his chest mock wounded, ‘My love, you sound surprised.’ ‘Arthur attempted to convince me that you’d planned to wear jogging bottoms.’ ‘Oh that’ll be Patrick’s idea, they had a dare on.’ ‘Ah. It almost worked.’ ‘I’m offended. But also not surprised.’ ... A muted crash and a cackle came from somewhere in the crowds and they both looked over to find Arthur, half staggered into a chair and scowling, and Patrick bent double with laughter nearby. Their mother turned and made her way over to them and Alasdair hissed in sympathy.

From I.C.E:

‘My nose is already half fixed, I’m surprised they’ve not noticed.’ ‘I could break it for you again, if you’d like.’ ‘Ha ha.’ Alisdair sighed and rubbed awkwardly at his eyes with his free hand, ‘I wish they’d turn these bloody lights down.’ ‘Concussion?’ ‘No, I just want to sit in the dark for fun.’ Alisdair closed his eyes and grimaced. He was obviously tired, face drawn and weary easy to spot even amongst the fresh bruising. Arthur wasn’t surprised. No matter how many times they had died or been hurt, no matter how long they had lived or how much they had endured, a primal, human fear of dying gripped them as much as it did any mortal man. A desperate, wild panic for life that overrode all logic, ignored all past experience to burn right through to that still human core of them. It was exhausting, and trialling death as blithely as they did not dull its sting or make it any easier to bear. He absentmindedly picked a few pieces of dirt and stray glass out of his brother’s hair and began to update the group chat they shared with Rhys, Sean and Patrick. ‘You the closest?’ Arthur pursed his lips, ‘Not your first choice I know, but I stayed in Meriden; Rhys went back to Cardiff.’ ‘With that attitude you’re certainly not.’ Alisdair thumped him gently in the stomach, ‘What time is it?’ ‘Three in the morning.’ Alisdair let out a soft whistle, ‘I got to Newcastle?’ ‘Just passed Middlesbrough. You’re in Newcastle now though; better A&E and I assume they thought you were critical.’ ‘I thought you sounded like less of a twat. Thank God they didn’t take me to Middlesbrough; a right shithole that is.’ ‘Stop it.’ ‘How are you getting on in here?’ A doctor opened the curtain and approached the bed. She introduced herself with a quick smile to Arthur and then leant forward so that Alisdair could see her properly, hands going to his neck brace, ‘Right, we can take this off; nothing concerning on the CT scan.’ ‘That’s a surprise.’ Arthur quipped. ‘Please ignore my brother, he gets antsy when he’s tired.’

The entirety of Afterparty, but particularly:

‘What’s the hold up?’ Scotland called from further down the little garden, the yellow light from the street lamps behind him obscuring the details of his face, ‘Come on I want to get in; he’s heavy.’ ‘I’m not fucking heavy,’ England hopped wildly on his one good leg as Scotland moved abruptly sidewards, the other ankle now noticeably swollen, ‘You’re just weak; I’m barely putting my weight on you.’ ‘Do you want me to throw you over to next door’s garden? Cos I bloody well will.’ ‘Oi, stop it a sec,’ Ireland called to them, putting his hand on Wales’ shoulder and giving it a light squeeze, ‘What are you doing, get us in.’ ‘You can piss off, you’re the reason my ankle’s fucked up.’ England wasn’t finished. ‘It wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t insist on walking on it for two hours,’ Ireland shot back. ‘What else was I going to do? Drag myself across Cardiff?’ ‘I thought it was a pretty clear hint that I wanted to leave you behind.’ ‘Oh, so it was intentional, then?’ ‘You’ll be fine.’ ‘Of course I will but that’s not the point, is it?’ ‘If I had known you were going wilt like a tight-laced Victorian noblewoman, I wouldn’t have tried to move you aside.’ ‘You pushed me down a bank!’ Ireland gave a casual shrug but his grin grew wicked, ‘You were in the way.’

The entirety of Road Trip. Too much to quote haha

Whenever they all appear together in It's All About the Delivery:

‘What the bloody hell are you two doing here.’ In the doorway to the room was Lord Kirkland looking somewhat harried. His accent was different than it had been when the PM had spoken to him last at the manor, vowels distinctly sharper and more pronounced than before- glass cut and Eton grown rather than the roughened and gentle burr of yesterday. The PM made a note to ask Mr Williams about the change later. ‘Took you long enough,’ Alisdair said, cheerfully. Kirkland narrowed his eyes in suspicion and Alisdair’s expression grew sly, ‘We noticed that you’d left your guest alone so we thought we’d step in to lend a hand. Terrible manners that, turning up so late.’ ‘Why are you here. We’re supposed to be meeting at Downing Street (2).’ ‘We are, we are.’ ‘Were we supposed to be?’ Rhys looked confused. He turned to Alisdair, ‘You said we had to meet England here.’ ‘Did I?’ Alisdair feigned a look of exaggerated surprise, ‘Lord knows what happened there. Where on earth were you anyway.’ Kirkland’s jaw was clenched tight, ‘A sudden and unexpected diversion that I now have a feeling wasn’t the result of miscommunication at all.’ Alisdair tutted, ‘Ach, a shame.’

and, of course:

‘I told you about Mr Marchand’s problem, didn’t I?’ The PM opened his mouth to interject but promptly shut it again, recognising that there was no point, ‘Besides, if you’d have known what I was planning, you’d’ve told him.’ ‘”Him?” I do have a name.’ ‘Aye, I’m told it’s “Dirt”.’

...

She shooed him off and the PM crossed the room, noticing how both Alisdair and Rhys immediately paused their conversation at his approach. ‘Good afternoon,’ he greeted them and Mr Williams, ‘Where’s your brother?’ ‘You mean Dirt? Or is he mud pile today. I’m fond of ecological wasteland myself.’ ‘Alisdair.’

Lastly, there are also a couple of quips in Reset that are too small and numerous to many any particular one

[camelotremix]

2023 Camelot Remix - Reveals & Masterpost!

♥ Thank you everyone for joining us again for another fantastic year, we hope to see you all again next year!

♥ We’ve had some amazing remixes this year and want to thank all of our remixers and pinch hitters for your hard work - you’ve been FABULOUS.

♥ Thank you to everyone who read, commented, kudosed or showed love in any way for the works created. And if you haven’t left some comments, kudos, or love, here’s your chance!

Your ever-loving mods, Sknits & Fifty ♥

Fic: shana_rose created Too Strong Coffee (A Snowy Fight Remix) for ajsrandom (Arthur/Gwen – Teen and Up – 1403w) Summary: Gwen and Merlin concoct a plan to help Arthur destress. Fic: ajsrandom created Flower Shop (The Fiendishly Delightful Everything Will Be Bouquet Remix) for sinivalkoista (Gen – Gen – 1482w) Summary: Morgana is plotting again, but this time she plans the prank of all pranks against Arthur. It involves an innocent flower shop and a caught-in-the-crossfire Merlin. Fic: queerofthedagger created The Hopeful Conclusion (the 'The Debate' Remix) for scotscookie (Merlin/Arthur – Teen and Up – 1700w) Summary: While Hunith, Morgana, and Leon greet people, Merlin stays close, hovering just on the edge of Arthur’s personal space. Arthur may have taken it the wrong way if Merlin wasn’t the only one aware of The Plan—capital T, capital P.

As if to prove the point, Merlin leans in until their shoulders are pressed together. “Are you absolutely sure about this? There will be no going back.”

---

Almost exactly one year after the nightmare of a debate, the trial against the assailants finally takes place. Outside the court building, a protest in support of magic users is held, with Merlin Emrys and Arthur Pendragon at the head of it.

As it turns out, the day has more than one surprise in store.

Fic: EachPeachPearPlum created sit by me (the everything seems alright remix) for Stelle_loves_reading (Gwaine/Merlin – Teen and Up – 525w) Summary: "Tell me a story," Merlin says, tilting his head back further, far enough to meet Gwaine's gaze for a moment before he closes his eyes. "I like your stories."

Fic: merthurallure created Ruin our Friendship, a More Than a Ride Remix for teachinghimpoetry (Merlin/Arthur – Mature – 946w) Summary: Merlin and Arthur get stranded with only one horse. Feelings get revealed.

Fic: moonflower999 created You Don't Call, You Don't Write (The Echoes of the Other World Remix) for linorien (Gen – Gen – 695w) Summary: It's Samhain. This is the night when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. Camelot is wreathed in fog as Merlin, Arthur, and Guinevere head into the crypts.

Fic: linorien created All You Need is Faith and Trust for s0mmerspr0ssen (Arthur/Gwen – Gen – 12676w) Summary: The drought is awful. It's broken the land and the people's spirits both. An old ritual might be the trick to breaking the curse, but will it also break Merlin and Arthur's friendship?

Fic: s0mmerspr0ssen created In Your Shoes (The “Swap Our Places” Remix) for clea2011 (Merlin/Arthur – Teen and Up – 13917w) Summary: Arthur is in dire need of an attitude check, so Merlin helps him: with a body swap spell. Chaos ensues.

Fic: princessoftheworlds created Counting Castles (the Naming Chickens Remix) for malu_3 (Gwen/Merlin/Arthur - Mature - 5,794w) Summary: Inspired by her conversation with Hunith, Gwen whisks her husband and their lover away to a castle on the coast so they can spend some time together free of their royal duties and expectations, but despite the fresh air and seaside spray, they find that starting a family isn't always easy.

Art: mirayla created Yet, here you are, still (The Still I Surface in Morning Light Remix) for queerofthedagger (Merlin/Arthur - Teen - Art) Summary: “I’m not going to make it that easy,” Arthur presses out, his entire body shaking as he cages Merlin against the nearest wall. “You killed for me? Well, so do my knights. I never wanted you to; you were never supposed to take that kind of burden on for me. But who am I to condemn you, after the atrocities I have committed in my father’s name? You know of them, and yet, here you are, still.”

And yet, here Merlin is, still.

-Still I Surface in Morning Light - queerofthedagger

Fic: salamandair created it's our time now (if you want it to be)[the Irresistible remix] for seadeepy (Gwaine/Merlin/Arthur - General Audiences - 853w) Summary: Arthur is up late with a restless mind after the events of the last few hours. Gwaine won’t let Arthur’s mind keep the other awake, not if he can help it.

Fic: chaosgenes created Save Our Souls (a "No thanks to you, God!" remix) for papysanzo89 (Merlin/Arthur - Explicit - 4,779w) Summary: Emrys, the demon of Prophecy and Magical Arts, has long attempted to drag his prey, Arthur Pendragon, into the depths of Hell. Perhaps, this time, the human priest will finally succumb to his seduction.

Fic: laevateinn created Five times Percival was surprised by Gwaine, and one time Gwaine was the one surprised for aeris444 (Gwaine/Percival - Teen - 4,259w) Summary: People knew Gwaine as the fun knight. But like everyone, he was much more complex.

Five occurrences where Gwaine wasn't what people expected him to be... and one where he was not the only surprising person.

Fic: seadeepy created this love, it transcends (the I Know Now remix) for moonflower999 (Merlin/Arthur - Teen - 1,027w) Summary: At the moment of Arthur's death, Merlin discovers his magic is capable of far more than he ever imagined.

Fic: aeris444 created A trip to love for laevateinn (Gwaine/Percival – Teen and Up – 662w) Summary: Gwaine and Percival are planning a trip to go admire the northern lights... But a worldwide pandemic gets in the way of their trip.

Fic: malu_3 created Morgana and the Hall of Fortune (A Fickle Canon Fix Remix) for willowsmarika (Gen – Teen and Up – 10509w) Summary: After being run through by Merlin, Morgana Pendragon is offered an intriguing choice. Fortune has not smiled on her in her past endeavors, but perhaps there is wisdom to be gained, still, and a chance at a happier fate.

Fic: scotscookie created Life is for the Living (A Prayer before Birth Remix) for polomonkey (Merlin/Arthur – Teen and Up – 3225w) Summary: Merlin has always loved watching Arthur.

Fic: Stelle_loves_reading created Out in the Snow, A Tiny Warlock Glows - Remix for nivelle (Gwaine/Merlin – Teen and Up – Art) Summary: Merlin and Gwaine are away from others, and Camelot. They are attacked by bandits and while Gwaine is dealing with seemingly the last one of them, he realizes Merlin is seriously wounded.

Fic: MyKingdomComeUndone created Something So Magic About You (The Taste of Temptation Remix) for insane_falcon (Merlin/Arthur – Explicit – 27053w) Summary: “You’re more interesting than I thought you’d be,” Arthur admits, allowing his lips to curl into a smile that hovers somewhere between supercilious and patronising. “But you should really give up while I’m playing nice. I’ve been trained to kill since birth.”

His breath catches in his throat as the boy lets out an undignified snort. That was not quite the reaction he was aiming for... Before he can come up with something clever and scathing to say, the boy doubles down.

“And how long have you been training to be a prat?” he asks, again raising that damned eyebrow of his. “Or did that just come naturally?”

For an excruciating moment, Arthur is struck speechless. How dare this…this imbecile insult him to his face? A prat? He’ll show him who’s the prat!

Arthur’s eyes narrow as he brings his sword back up, but instead of cowering in fear, the boy merely smirks at him.

Or:

Arthur catches an apple thief and ends up getting more than he bargained for. (and no, I‘m not just talking about sex, although he does very much get that, too)

Fic: sinivalkoista created Bearly Beloved (The Arto-Maglos Remix) for MerlinMorganEmrys (Arthur/Gwen – Gen – 7500w) Summary: Once upon a time, there was a prince who was rather prattish.

Because of his prattishness, he was cursed to become a bear.

...

“Merlin, listen. This afternoon, I heard a girl singing in the forest. I have a plan.”

“Kidnapping her?”

“No.”

“Kidnapping her father?”

“No!”

Art: kairennart created heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I for mirayla (Merlin/Arthur - General Audiences) Summary: After Camlann, Merlin receives the visit of a ghost.

Fic: teachinghimpoetry created Somebody's Watching Me (The WAP Make it Rain Remix) for merthurallure (Merlin/Morgana, Arthur/Morgana, Merlin/Arthur - Explicit - 1,657w) Summary: Morgana really liked being watched by her mystery man. Tonight she was going to give him a show worth watching.

Art: papysanzo89 created up where they stay all day in the sun (The "I am your Husband" Remix) for MyKingdomComeUndone (Merlin/Arthur - General Audiences - Art) Summary: A hand reached for his forearm, and Arthur whirled around, only to discover none other than the strange man from the restaurant standing in front of him, face flushed and panting slightly.

“You just left,” the man complained between breaths. “You can’t do that, it’s really bad form to leave your husband behind like that!”

Art: nivelle created Like a Bird in Flight (Rings Like a Bell Through the Night Remix) for EachPeachPearPlum (Gwaine/Merlin - General Audiences - Art) i: Gwaine asks Merlin for a dance.

Art: lfb72 created Catch of The Day ( Swipe Right for Fish Remix) for salamandair (Merlin/Arthur - Teen and Up - Art) Summary: I spy, with my little eye something beginning with ….? Arthur looks into the water and discovers something far more fascinating than just fish.

Fic: clea2011 created It’s a Kind of Magic (The Singalong Remix) for Shana_Rose (Merlin/Arthur - Teen - 9,613w) Summary: Arthur writes a song. All by himself. With a pen and everything.

Band AU in which Arthur and Merlin engage in mutual pining and ridiculous misunderstandings, Gwaine can’t keep his shirt on, Leon holds it all together (grumpily) and Lance has the patience of a saint.

Business as usual then.

Fic: geeklover created A Contradiction in Terms (The Difference Between Night and Day Remix) for fifty_fifty (Merlin/Arthur - Mature - 1,183w) Summary: Uther hasn't been dead for twenty-four hours, and Arthur already faces his first challenge as king. Now is when he needs his father the most...or does he?

Fic: polomonkey created Candere for Athena (sherlock_is_actually_a_girls_name) (Merlin/Arthur - Teen and Up - 8,206w) Summary: Ever since that fateful night when Arthur had pulled him in for a hug, arms strong and warm around Merlin’s back, bare chest pressed against him, face all but buried in Merlin’s neck… Merlin had been lost.

But Arthur had let go. And he hadn’t touched Merlin since.

Four times Merlin attempted to get a hug from Arthur, and the one time Arthur gave it willingly.

Fic: Athena (sherlock_is_actually_a_girls_name created The Lavatory for chaosgenes (Merlin/Arthur - Explicit - 732w) Summary: Merlin is afraid of heights. Arthur helps.

Fic: sinivalkoista created the kitten caboodle (the corgi conundrum remix) for princessoftheworlds (Gen - General Audiences - 1,272w) Summary: Arthur finds himself a mortal nemesis - in the form of a deranged beast Merlin brings home.

Fic: moonflower999 created Tell Me What You Really Think (The Gratitude Remix) for geeklover (Merlin/Arthur - General Audiences - 1,983w) Summary: Uther assigns Merlin to Arthur as his new manservant. The problem is that no one knows that Arthur is attracted to men, and Merlin is exactly his type. The prince has to find a way to get rid of Merlin as quickly as possible, as Uther will not budge.

Art: nivelle created Self-designated Knight-sitter for kairennart (Personaje) (Gen - General Audiences - Art) Summary: If she sits on him, he can't run off to get into trouble, Aithusa figures and holds onto Lancelot a little bit tighter.

Art: willowsmarika created The Babysitter Swap (The Aithusa Just Wants To Have Fun Remix) for kairennart (Personaje) (Gen - General Audiences - Art) Summary: Aithusa had enough of Lancelot's protectiveness, she wants a fun babysitter for once. Enter Gwaine, who even manages to loose his shirt during the day, because why not?! And it's Gwaine...

Fic: fifty_fifty created Part of That World (The Little Merman remix) for lfb72 (Merlin/Arthur - Explicit - 31,926w) Summary: Merlin is a curious merman who becomes intrigued with the humans who live on the land. After years of watching and longing, he finds out it's possible for a merman to become a human man.

Meanwhile, Arthur is fed up with his life in the city and quits his job at the family business. After a blow-out fight with his father, he moves to his mother's old seaside cottage at sleepy Camelot-on-Sea, where he finds himself, his life's calling, and a rather mysterious merman who saves him in more ways than one.

[male-reader-haven]

.｡❅*⋆⍋*∞*Christmas Came Early*∞*⍋⋆*❅｡.

Christmas Week day 2

Y/N comes home on a cold, snowy night to a gift, all wrapped up nicely just for him ~ <3

Ok, I've been wanting to do this concept for a bit now! I may or may not be rushing, I hope to keep the same good quality however despite it. Enjoy!!!

Tags: sub Kim Seokjin x dom male reader, smut

Warnings: 18+, teasing, slight bondage

God, it's cold out.

You shiver in your lightweight coat as you hurry out of your car and towards your front door, trying hard not to fall on your ass on all the ice. You fumble for your keys in your pocket, cursing the wind that cuts through your clothes and you open the door, rushing inside. You kick your shoes, shaking off the excess snow and take off your coat, sighing in the warmth of your place. It's good to be home. You check your phone, recalling how Jin, your boyfriend, texted you saying he would be home all day.

"Jin, I'm home!" You shout out, making your way to the kitchen to get a glass of wine. "Do you want something to drink?" You shout again, awaiting his response. You hear his voice call out from your bedroom.

"Y/N, come here, I have something for you ~" Jin's voice is mischevious, and you sigh.

"Baby, I'm not in the mood for pranks right now. Come on, lets just relax and have a drink." You grab your glass and take a sip.

"It's not that, I promise you'll like it!!" Jin whines, still yelling from the bedroom. You decide to humor him and you make your way to the bedroom.

"What is it Jinnie? I- whoa..." You open the door and are taken aback at the sight before you. The lights are dimmed and there are christmas lights strung up throughout your room, glowing red and gold and green, and a candle on your bedside table is lit, filling the room with the sweet aroma of sugar cookies. There is faint jazz playing from a speaker somewhere in the room and laying on your bed is your very own Kim Seokjin, lying on his side and wearing nothing but a pair of red Christmas boxers and a red ribbon around his wrists. He looks up at you, smirking and blushing at the same time.

"What do you think? I wanted to give you an early gift." He cocks his head and looks at you with wide eyes that sparkle as they reflect the lights adorning the walls.

"I am thoroughly impressed." You smile and walk towards Jin on the bed. You lean over and kiss his plump, shining lips, holding up his chin. "You look so cute and festive, baby. Makes me want to eat you up..."

Jin smiles, his face slightly flushed as he looks up at you. "Why don't you unwrap your gift?"

You grin michevously and caress Jin's face. "I want to admire you for a moment... All wrapped up pretty for me." You take Jin's bound wrists and lift them above his head, pinning him in place. You then kiss his neck and caress his side and chest, causing him to close his eyes and lean his head back.

"Mm come on Y/N, I've waited all day for this, don't tease me too much..." He whines.

"Awe, but I want to savor you, baby, let me see how pretty my boy is..." You tease his nipple while still holding his wrists, causing him to squirm.

"Aaah, Y/N..." He lifts his torso to meet you, begging for friction on his already erect cock beneath the festive underwear. You can feel yourself getting hard also, and pause to strip yourself of your shirt and pants, leaving the both of you only wearing boxers. After you throw your clothes to the floor, you immediately get back to Jin.

"Im going to tie your wrists up here, is that okay baby?" You ask Jin, showing him what you are planning. He nods vigorously and puts his wrists above his head willingly, allowing you to secure him. You sit back and admire the sight before you, Jin's body mostly exposed and vulnerable, wrapped up in a cute bow. Jin blushes and slowly parts his legs, inviting you.

"Y/N, I want you to use me like your personal fuck toy... Please?" How he can say something so raunchy with suck innocent and beautiful eyes is beyond you, but god does it turn you on. You lean forward and start to tease him again, pinching his nipples while you kiss his perfect lips again. Jin moans into your mouth, squirming underneath you. You then go to his boxers and slowly slide them off. Jin's dick bounces up in greeting, showing just how horny he is for you. He impatiently spreads his legs, urging you to take him, but you linger for a moment, admiring his beautiful form.

"Jin, you're so fucking beautiful."

He rolls his eyes. "Yes, I now, I'm magnificent. Now get over here and fuck me like you mean it." You decide to take him up on his offer. You help yourself to his hole only to be met with a red plug.

"You stretched yourself already baby?" You ask, admiring him and his planning.

"I've been wanting you all day long Y/N, if I have to wait anymore I might actually explode." He whines again. "Please just- ahnn, fuck..." He exhales as you carefully remove the plug, making note of how he shivers at the sensation.

"I won't waste any time then ~" You say as you take off your own boxers and slowly pushing yourself in, making Jin gasp.

"Ah, Y/Nnnnnnnn..." Jin moans in his needy, high-pitched voice. You are enjoying every second, every movement, every sound he makes as you push yourself into him agonizingly slowly. "Pleaaaaseeeee, I've been so good for you, I neeeed it..."

"You asked for it babe..." You then start moving, making Jin let out an "Ah" at every thrust in. "Tell me if it's, hngg, if its too much, okay Jinnie?" You say through pumps.

"Ah, fuck, shut the fuck up Y/N, ahhhh fuck, please just destroy me, oohhh fuuuck..." Jin's eyes roll back and he gasps for air as you quicken your pace. You hold one of your hands to the headboard for stability and the other hand on Jin's thigh as you start to lose yourself in the rhythm, slamming into Jin and causing him to cry out with every thrust.

"Ah, Jin, you feel so fucking good, it's unbelieveable baby, aahhhhnnngg!" You feel a knot in your stomach and know you are getting close, and judging by how Jin is getting gradually louder and higher pitched in his moans (more like yells at this point, Jin is known for being loud in bed) that he is close as well.

"Uah, hah, hng fuuuck me, fuck me Y/N, please i'm so close, i'm so close, please fill me up baby, I want you to fill me up so baaaddd, hngg!" Jin wails as you pound into him, losing control from the pleasure. The bed creaks with every movement, betraying how hard you are going.

"Fuck, Jin, you're gonna make me come so hard, gonna fill you up like the good cumslut you are for me baby, fuck, fuck! Coming! Coming!" You thrust deep into Jin, causing him to squeal as you release into him, unbelievable pleasure coursing through you.

"Uwaahh!" Jin yells loudly, arching his back as he is sent into his own orgasm, unloading all over his stomach. You pull out of his sensitive ass and grin at the beautiful sight in front of you; Jin fucked out and shaking in front of you, stomach covered in his release and his twitching hole leaking your own, his chest heaving and eyes closed with tears forming at the corners as he rides out his high. You lean over him and caress his face, kissing his cheek.

"Best Christmas gift ever." You whisper into his ear.

"Hnnnnngh, Y/N......." Jin moans as a response, still feeling good. You laugh and kiss him again. And again. Aaand again.

You love your handsome boy.

Send me suggestions on what to write next! ~ <3

--Masterlist--

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Can you dona fanfic where Dorothy experences sexism at a ball (because she sleeps all the time and shes a woman a noble thinks shes lesser than the other captains) and she puts the person in their place (i headcanon Dorothy as somewhat of a wildcard like gets back at people through pranks and sneaky ways)

Can you also put the other captains reactions ?

Hello~! ^^

I haven't written enough for Dorothy, I think. So, I'm glad to have an opportunity to do so, and I do hope that you like the result. Though, for me, Dorothy isn't as much "sneaky" as she is... playful. She has that glimmer in the corner of her eye~

Fanfic type: Headcanons Genre: General Warnings: Sexism at play at Dorothy, but she does put the guy in his place Characters: Main focus on Dorothy Unsworth (+other captain reactions mentioned) Length: ~0.6k

There was a ball for the nobility of Clover, which all captains were to attend as well, since they were the height of society, in a manner of speaking. Though it was generally agreed that some captains fit the bill better than others. But even if said individuals wouldn’t have fit the bill, the fact that they were considered as the strongest battle mages in the kingdom bought them a pass, if they wanted to use it.

Yami used his to get the Bulls sneaking food from the castle pantry, and Jack used it to get a ticket to the buffet table, while most of the others just went by the function as usual. Which for Dorothy  meant that she slept.

Though she was present and on her feet, she was quite clearly sleeping. And to those who weren’t familiar with her, thought it to be nothing more than a more elaborate form of sleep walking, where was utterly blind to her surroundings.

“Look at that, a captain unable to stay awake. This is why they shouldn’t allow women to become captains,” one noble man chose to ridicule while standing next to her, while being out if Charlotte’s line of hearing.

Little did he know, that despite being asleep, Dorothy was well aware of what went on around her. She might have been a little bit slower to react, and not have the full repertoire of her spell in use, but it didn’t mean that she didn’t hear.

So, she opened her eyes, slowly, and smiled as her eyes were still to the ground. “My dreams are what make me strong,” while casting a spell. A small spell, nothing more than a tinge of mana.

But the man just scoffed.

“And I would think that I’m better… suited to be here than you are,” she smirked while glancing at him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked with a quirked eyebrow, while all around remained clueless.

Dorothy looked up and down at him while still wearing that grin of hers, which made him follow her gaze, and see himself in nothing but his boxers.

It was all just an illusion, experienced only by him of course, but he didn’t know as much. But instead started spewing, what seemed to be nonsense to all other around, and sheepishly ran away from the ballroom as Dorothy giggled.

The words didn’t hurt her, not really anyways. Because she was a witch, and she knew her worth. She wasn’t any lesser than any man, and that was one of the few, if not only, lesson of her mother’s that she had taken as her own.

But it didn’t mean that she couldn’t have a little harmless fun at the expense of someone who thought less of her~

Yami heard about it afterwards, and laughed his lungs out, as did Jack and Rill. Charlotte was angry at the man, muttering under her breath, but proud of Dorothy. Kaiser maintained his composure and thought it to be fitting, because Dorothy was a good mage and no lesser than the others, while Nozel kept quiet but thought about how nobles who have never as much as seen a field of battle wouldn’t last a day in Dorothy’s shoes, and Fue spoke a few lines about how a person’s strength can’t be judged from the surface alone and how Dorothy had earned her position. And William, he chuckled under his breath at what had happened, while knowing that Dorothy didn’t need anyone to defend her per se. But it didn’t mean that he wouldn’t stick up for her, if there’d be a need for it.

[authortobenamedlater]

(Send me two characters romantic or platonic and I’ll write a little fic)

@christian-latte-anon​ I did both prompts!

This is a literal shower thought that became a fic, LOL. It can be MWAS or canon, shippy or not. Reader’s choice!

20. “You can borrow mine”

Cadet Chyler Silva turned off the shower. She might have taken a little longer than she should have, but it was close enough to lights out that she wasn’t worried about incurring anyone’s wrath. Her muscles ached from the PT session and her face felt raw from the sweat she’d just scrubbed away.

Get used to it, the freshman told herself. She pulled the curtain aside.

The second Chyler stepped out, the curtain in the stall next to hers shut abruptly.

“I…hello?” Chyler tried.

“Uh, it’s OK,” a male voice came from the stall. “You go ahead.”

“I didn’t think anyone else was in here,” Chyler said. She reached for her towel—

—only to find it wasn’t there.

Oh, no. “Shoot,” Chyler sighed.

“Everything all right?” The disembodied voice called again.

“Yes—I mean, no.” Chyler felt decidedly stupid and exposed standing in the middle of the shower room naked and dripping. “I forgot my towel.”

“Oh. Um.” Disembodied Voice’s hand emerged from behind the shower curtain. “You can borrow mine.” The hand pointed at the standard-issue white towel hanging from the hook.

Chyler gave her new acquaintance a quizzical look he couldn’t see. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll figure something out.”

“All right.” Chyler took the towel and backed into her stall to dry off. “Thank you.” She thought for a moment. “Hey, what’s your name?”

“Tom.”

“Lasky?”

“Yeah.”

Thought so. “You’re in my squad.” Chyler squeezed the ends of her hair into the towel.

“Hastati?” Tom asked.

“Uh-huh.” Chyler stepped out and pulled on her T-shirt and sweatpants and wrapped the towel around her hair. “You know, how about I go get you the towel I left in my room?” 

She heard Tom shuffle. “That would be great.”

Chyler stifled a giggle. “Well, then, I’ll be right back.” She slid her feet into her shower shoes and started for the door.

“I’ll be right here.”

Chyler turned back to look at Tom—or rather, the shower curtain acting as his placeholder. “How do you know I’m not going to play a trick on you and leave you stranded?”

“I just do.”

The way he said it gave Chyler a feeling she couldn’t describe. It was like Tom had known he could get pranked and also intuited that she wasn’t going to do so. 

“I’ll…” Chyler swallowed. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She exited to the barracks.

“Thanks, Chyler.”

Chyler was halfway back to the showers, towel in hand, before she remembered she’d never told Tom her name.

Laskey x Chyler, 18 or 20

(Send me two characters romantic or platonic and I'll write a little fic)

I seem to be taking my own sweet time answering these, haha.

@mrtobenamedlater this is very much taken from us!

18. "Here, drink this. You'll feel better."

“Here, drink this. You’ll feel better.”

Tom slid his hand just far enough down his face to see his wife standing in front of him holding a tumbler of scotch.

“Come on,” Chyler prompted.

Tom puffed a sigh and took the proffered glass. “Thanks,” he said tonelessly. He took a sip from his glass without really tasting anything.

Chyler sat on the couch next to him. Tom’s disinterest morphed into dull curiosity as his peripheral vision caught her pouring a second tumbler. “What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like I’m doing?”

Tom squinted at her. Chyler rarely touched alcohol, and certainly never hard liquor. “You hate scotch.”

“You know what I hate more?” Chyler screwed the cap back on the bottle. “Your moping.”

“I do not mope,” Tom grumbled.

Chyler scoffed. “Yes, you do.”

“I do not!” Tom protested.

“Exactly what would you call this, then?”

“Thinking.”

“A fine example of a distinction without a difference.” Chyler tucked a leg under herself and sat back. “You are moping, Thomas James Lasky, and I’m not putting up with it sober.”

Tom let the conversation drop. He’d been on the losing end of enough arguments for one day. He took another drink. At least she got the good stuff.

He held the scotch on his tongue for a moment and frowned. Chyler had gotten the really good stuff. Tom looked through the glass at the bottle on the coffee table.

“Hey. Wait a second.” Tom grabbed the bottle and noticed the telltale blue tint. “Johnnie Walker Blue Label?”

Chyler paused mid-sip. “Yes…?”

“Honey, do you know how expensive Blue Label is?”

Chyler swallowed. “No?” She lowered her glass to her lap. “It’s good.”

“It should be!”

“I didn’t know,” Chyler said apologetically.

Tom squeezed her hand. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I was just a little surprised.” He made himself smile at her. “Impressively good choice from she who never touches liquor.”

“So how much is Blue Label?” Chyler asked.

“A lot.”

“Didn’t you buy it?”

“Actually, no.” Tom’s lips twitched into a small smile. “Parangosky gave it to me when I got assigned here.” He took a swig. “Guess it pays to be ONI’s head spook.”

“Parangosky?”

“Yup.” Tom gazed at the amber liquid. “She said I’d need it.”

“You didn’t go through it the first week?”

“Del Rio wasn’t all bad, Chy,” Tom said.

“Hm.” Chyler leaned onto his arm. “Well, Parangosky might have been an old battle-axe and a war criminal," she squeezed his hand, "but she sure did know the good stuff when she saw it.”

Tom’s breath hitched at Chyler’s double meaning. “Thanks, hon.”

Chyler sipped her drink again. “Oh, I really like this, Tom.”

“All right then, there’s not much left.” Tom grabbed the bottle. “Help me kill it.” He refilled Chyler’s tumbler. “Just go slow, or it’s gonna kill you.”

“Noted,” Chyler laughed softly.

Tom shifted on the couch to look at her. “You know, I think Parangosky and I are more alike than I knew.”

“I knew it; you've been a closet war criminal all these years.”

Tom wrapped his arm around his wife and kissed her forehead. “I know the good stuff when I see it, too.”

[nobodyfamousposts]

Chloe's Lament Part 2

Next part of Chloe's Lament. Chloe begins to learn of the changes to reality from her Wish.

She will not be happy about this.

____________________

When Chloe woke up, the first thing that struck her was the loud banging sounds from somewhere below her.

The second thing was pain.

“I have a headache!” She called out, laying an arm over her sleep mask-covered eyes. Her butler would hear her and respond accordingly, of course. He always did.

“And get them to stop that racket down there!” She flopped on her bed with a huff, waiting for the help to return with aid.

Really, the things she dealt with!

Normally, her butler would arrive immediately, with painkillers and fruit-infused water being presented to her within a minute.

But to her growing frustration, that minute came and passed.

Then two.

Three…

Not that Chloe was counting.

Eventually, it had been five minutes and there was still no word from the man. And to make matters worse, that damn banging from below was only getting louder and increasing her suffering.

“Ugh! Do I have to do everything myself?!”

She ripped off the sleep mask, only to wince at the level of brightness in the room. She was on the top floor with the best visibility but the windows were supposed to be tinted and covered to prevent this very thing!

Once her vision cleared, several things should have stood out as odd.

But the first thing to attract her notice was the sleep mask she had just removed—some cheapo dime-store brand. She tossed the rag away with a shriek.

“Is this a prank?!” She demanded. “That is not my personalized diamond-studded satin custom made facial mask! Jean? Jean!”

There was a ruckus from below. The sound of something being dropped. Footsteps—loud and fast and getting closer. Then the opening of a door.

“Precious! Is everything okay?”

She sneered at the sound of her father’s voice.

“No! My sleep mask was stolen, it’s too bright, my head is KILLING me and no one is getting me anything to help!”

He looked confused at that. “Are you out of Efferalgan in your bathroom cabinet?”

She gave him a look. Why would she have to get up and go to the bathroom for some painkillers when there should be someone to hand them to her?

He gave her a strange look in response. Like he was confused his daughter would expect someone to do something as simple as bringing her painkillers and water.

And water.

Preferably cherry-infused.

Was that really so much to ask? Or even require asking?

“Just…hang on a moment.” He said and left her her bathroom.

Finally.

With nothing to do but wait, she glanced around, noting that…this was not her room.

Not the one she knew, anyway.

The light that had blinded her before was from a central window overlooking the room that so obtrusively settled on her bed. In addition, there was a skylight placed above a nook set behind her bed, which brought more light into the room.

She vaguely recognized the room. Well, by its floor plan, at least. The layout and decor threw her off though. The furniture and items were clearly cheaper than her usual high end designer brands. But she saw aspects that were suited to her tastes. Minute indications of her own touch in the assortment of objects around her. Yellow and white as the themes. Black cushions and aesthetic.

It was…decent. But so beneath her it was embarrassing! These were cheap models! Practically plastic! The bedsheets were…ugh…cotton of all things! The lamps were dim! She was missing her boudoir! And her shoes! And her jewelry! She didn’t even want to imagine the nightmare that was her closet—it was practically a hole in the wall! There was no way it would fit everything!

“Here you are, dear!” Her father said, returning from her bathroom with a glass of water and a pill in hand.

She fought the grimace.

Was this tap water?

Gross!

By his expectant look, he clearly meant for her to drink it.

With her continuing headache and no better option for fast relief, Chloe reluctantly took the proffered items. She was unable to help the slightest grimace before she downed them both.

“Well, if that’s all, I’ll be getting back to setting up for the morning rush. Come downstairs to the bakery when you’re ready.” He looked almost relieved to be leaving.

Chloe barely took notice now that she had what she needed. Instead, she took to contemplating her situation and her new surroundings.

All the furniture aside, this room looked familiar. Not really well known, because Chloe was sure she had never been in such a place before. But…like she had seen it somewhere…TV maybe?

And her Daddykins was here. That meant…wherever she was, it was apparently expected for her to be here.

But where was here?

The last thing she remembered was…

She closed her eyes, straining to think past the pain.

That’s right! Hawk Moth’s offer! The Bee! She was Miracle Queen! And she had just won! She had Ladybug beaten…

Her fists clenched.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng…

It hit her.

This was just like her room!

She had only seen it a couple of times. Once for sure when Sabrina had snuck into her room per Chloe‘s instructions for blackmail material. She happened to glimpse a picture of the room here or there from other people’s phones of times that they had spent in this room—that she had really cared. It was a small and dingy room that had nothing on her glamorous abode at the hotel, which of course, was superior in every way.

She was vaguely reminded of that one show that Marinette hadn’t stopped talking about which had also apparently shown Marinette‘s room, but Chloe honestly hadn’t been bothered enough to watch it, so she didn’t have that to go on. But with what she did know, it was a safe bet to assume that this was some knockoff of Marinette‘s room.

So why was Chloe here? Why was her dad downstairs?

She… she had made the Wish, hadn’t she?

…

…

…

What…is this it?

She turned up her nose at the environment around her, completely unimpressed.

Was this dinky little room with its weird setup and tacky decor what the Wish gave her? Why would she be in any copy of Dupain-Cheng’s room layout anyway?

The Wish should have changed reality, that much was clear. There was no way she would be caught dead in Dupain-Cheng’s room otherwise—much less sleeping there like it was her own room!

…unless…it was her room?

Was it?

She had found some aspects of the room to her taste, but did that mean this was hers?

It would explain why she was there. And why her Daddy had come up. He had mentioned her bathroom earlier, then had gone through the nearby door to get a tablet and water from what she could only assume was the bathroom he had spoken of.

…he had mentioned a bakery.

Eyes wide, she stumbled out of bed and to the window. Sure enough, the school was just across the way. And there was a sign out front.

“Bourgeois Bakery”

Chloe stared.

Suddenly, it clicked. The banging from downstairs. Her Daddy talking about a ‘morning rush’. And to come down to the…

…no way!

This place was a bakery! Her Daddy was operating a bakery!

And given her location, it was the same bakery that Marinette’s parents owned originally!

This…

…wait…

…did this mean she was supposed to be Marinette?

She threw her pillow in a fury.

Stupid Wish! This wasn’t at all what she wanted!

You would think all-powerful Wish-granting artifacts would do it right!

“Where are those kwamis?!” She demanded, jumping out of the bed and looking around for anywhere she would keep such important jewels. “I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!”

She had a boudoir along with the various jewelry pieces kept there ranging among a variety of gold and diamonds—all fakes, much to her disappointment. And not a single Miraculous among them.

She slammed the final drawer in with a curse.

Nothing!

If she had the Miraculous, shouldn’t they still be with her? Do they just disappear after being used?

Ugh! Those things really were useless! Utterly useless!

It was when she stood back to full height that she noticed the monthly calendar. There were the standard holidays, but also a weekly appointment every Friday evening with some ‘Bridgette’. What was that? A spa day?

She shot a glance to her reflection in the mirror and grimaced. She definitely needed one. She could just feel all the oils on her skin!

But more to the point, there was one day circled on the calendar.

‘Start of School’

She grabbed her phone—an older, obsolete model with a glittery but fake casing—and checked the date.

That…

That was today.

It was the first day of school. A…

She checked the date again, and sure enough, it was a year ago!

Had the Wish taken her back in time?

She froze, realization hitting her.

This was the first day of school. The same day as the first akuma attack.

And when Ladybug first appeared.

That meant…she was sent back in time to the day Marinette would become Ladybug.

It was a year in the past. She wasn’t at the hotel. Her room was in a bakery. Her father was working as a baker. She was Marinette now.

That meant…

She giggled, feeling a giddiness rise within her.

Today was the day she becomes Ladybug!

It looks like the Wish did something right, after all!

Chloe grinned, spinning away from the mirror and to her closet.

She had to get ready! She had to prepare the perfect outfit! Something for the day she becomes a hero!

No. THE hero!

She knew how the Ladybug worked. Hell, she knew the akumas to come. With her prior knowledge and skills, she would know how to use the yoyo and how to use the Lucky Charm better than the old Ladybug ever did! She’d have every akuma in the bag!

Hell, maybe she could force the Ladybug kwami to tell her where the Guardian is so she can get the other Miraculous, too! That way, she could have both the Ladybug AND the Bee again.

And her Adrikens would be her partner! To support her! To stay by her side! Just as it should be!

She paused, something niggling at the back of her brain. There was something she was forgetting.

A glance around the room as she wondered

Of course, the full extent of the change and just what that meant didn’t really hit her until she went downstairs and actually saw her father.

The poor man was in the middle of retrieving a pan lined with croissants from the unbearably hot oven, his hair contained in…fishnet? Latex? Whatever the cafeteria cooks wore when she had no choice but to eat from the school’s lunchroom.

Gross! He looked like a lunch lady!

He didn’t seem to notice her, too busy dancing around the kitchen and checking over the…whatever pastries those were and just looking proud of himself.

Daddykins, no. You’re better than this! How could you be reduced to such a state?

He seemed to notice her staring. “Are you feeling better?” He asked, looking concerned.

“Er…yeah.” She replied. She wasn’t, really, but she couldn’t tell him that. He could try to have her stay home and how would she get to see the fruits of her labors from there?

“Ah good!” He said cheerfully. “It is the first day of the new school year, and you certainly want to…” He hesitated, “…start off on the right foot.”

A pause. He looked at her expectantly, but she had no idea what he was getting at.

He shook his head and turned away for a moment to grab a box before coming back and presenting it to her.

Clearly he wanted her to take it, so she sighed and took hold of the box. A peek inside revealed a number of macarons.

For her? Now this was what she was talking about!

“Oh, Daddykins! You shouldn’t have!”

“Yes,” he said with a nod. “I figured it would be a great way to start off the new year by sharing them with your classmates.”

Ugh. Seriously? All happy feelings vanished in an instant and she shot him a petulant look.

“Why should I have to share?” She demanded.

He hesitated.

She glared, tapping her foot in a clear indication of wanting an answer. Or preferably for him to just say they were all hers.

“It’s a new year and a new start.” Andre said, smiling nervously. “Maybe it’s time to just let bygones be bygones?“

It was a stupid question and she sure let him know it. She stared at him flatly, causing him to wilt.

Andre sighed.

“I know you don’t like her, but…” he hesitated. “Please, just try to get along?”

She blinked.

“Her?”

Wait.

Wait…

It suddenly struck her.

If she was Dupain-Cheng now…

That meant Marinette was in her shoes!

She grinned.

Marinette would be her bully! She’d be the rich bitch daughter of the Mayor and loathed by Paris while Chloe would be—

The one everyone rallied around.

The one Adrikens adored.

The one chosen as Ladybug!

She would have it all!

Part of her hoped the other girl would know about the previous reality…just so she could shove it in her face!

“Just take it slow,” he continued, unaware of her true thoughts. “And then you can report about it to Bridgette at your counseling session on Friday.”

Wait—counseling?

Seeing her expression, he held up his hands in a gesture of peace.

“I know you don’t like it, but it was part of the agreement. You need to make a better impression this year, sweetie.”

“What?”

“She’s the daughter of the Mayor. I’m not sure we can take another…” He trailed off before shaking his head and looking at her imploringly. “You understand, right?”

Oh.

Oh.

She got it!

“Of course, Daddykins!”

Clearly Dupain-Cheng was abusing her influence, just as she thought!

She had to hand it to the girl…a part of her hadn’t been quite convinced that she would go quite that far. But that just proof that Marinette Dupain-Cheng wasn’t so perfect and that even she would be the same as Chloe once in her position!

Chloe knew she would have to bear with the mistreatment for now. No matter how much it would grate her. It would suck to have to have to accept it for any period of time.

Still, it would be worth it! It just meant even more ammunition to use against her once Chloe was Ladybug!

She didn’t even notice the look of concern he gave her or his weak goodbye as she left the bakery with the box in hand. She was too wrapped up in her own thoughts. Particularly her plans.

And what plans they were!

So what if Maribrat had Chloe’s wealth? It wasn’t like she knew the first thing about status or being a symbol. No, Ladybug did that for her and she didn’t even use it right! Not like Chloe would.

She smirked to herself, imagining the future.

Well, as soon as she got the Miraculous, taking the pigtailed down a peg would be the first thing on her list. Maybe a dip in the Seine? Or ‘accidentally’ getting her hit by an akuma or two?

Why limit it to her personally? If Ladybug spoke out against the mayor, who would vote for him? From what she remembered of Marinette’s dad, that oaf had no business being in politics anyway! Then there was the hotel, which would no doubt be a mess with him in charge anyway.

And best of all, she thought with glee, with a word from Paris’s favorite hero, Dupain-Cheng could be implicated as an ally of Hawk Moth.

Who wouldn’t believe it? If Marinette was in Chloe’s place, that meant she had to be a brat despised by Paris. Everyone would likely jump at the excuse to run her out of the city!

It was slightly disappointing that the former Ladybug wouldn’t know why the new Ladybug was so against her or that she had even been replaced, but she didn’t deserve answers anyway.

For once, Chloe was getting everything she wanted. It was like the Universe itself was on her side! Chloe would be the hero with all the Miraculous and status just as she’d always deserved. And everyone would automatically see it and love her while they would already recognize Marinette as the selfish bitch Chloe always knew she was!

It was a win/win for Chloe and all her fans—which was the best kind of win for Chloe.

Sure, it meant she would have to suffer the loss of her basic comforts like a butler, the latest in fashion and accessories, and easy immediate access to a luxury spa for now…but it would be worth it in the long run.

…maybe not the luxury spa. She would kill for the hotel’s oils and masseuse. But she would just have to deal with, ugh, scheduling with a four star locale in the meantime.

It’s for the greatest good, she reminded herself, looking mournfully at her chipped nails.

And besides, she didn’t have to suffer for long.

Today was the first day of school, which signified the first appearance of Ladybug! This was the day she achieved her destiny! Once she became Ladybug, she would be back on top!

So what if her dad was a baker instead of a hotel owner this go around? Who said it had to stay that way? Just as she could use her position to defame the Dupain-Chengs and ruin Marinette, she could endorse the bakery for free publicity. Do special promotions and deals for money. Or even better! She could make the city pay her for her work!

After all, how much was her Miracle Cure worth, really? How much would the city be willing to pay for her to fix the damage caused by akuma fights? It was only what she was owed; the least they could do is compensate her for her time.

Really, it was Marinette’s own fault for not taking advantage while she could. She could’ve been an idol or the city’s star. She could have used the Miraculous to create an army. Hell, Hawk Moth should have been nothing against her! And instead, she just…wasted her potential. On things like loose zoo animals or out of control helicopters, no less!

Chloe wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

And now that Chloe was set to be the city’s hero…

Even if Marinette was rich (for now), it would be nothing compared to what Chloe would have. She would be Paris’s hero! The BEST hero! And unlike that has-been, she at least would use Ladybug’s power and status right!

She didn’t need to be the daughter of the Mayor! Her Mother was still THE Style Queen, Audrey Bourgeois. Adrien Agreste was still her best friend. She was still Chloe Bourgeois, the best thing to happen to Paris! And now as Ladybug, she would still be back on top and ruling Paris in no time!

And it would all start once she got to school.

“Get out of my way!” She exclaimed, shoving some old fart taking his sweet time walking, sending him to the ground and out of her way.

Move aside, peons!

Her destiny awaits!

Back at the intersection, Chloe never noticed the way the elderly gentleman cast her a judging stare from his position on the ground. Or his muttering.

“No, definitely not.”

“Are you okay?” Came a voice.

“Ah, yes!” He replied, accepting the offered hand and taking stock of the girl it belonged to. She was young. In college, likely. “Thank you, young lady!”

“Of course!” She smiled, handing him back his cane. “Do you need help getting home from here? That looked like quite a fall.”

“But don’t you have somewhere to be?” He asked.

“Just school, but I can spare a few minutes if you need…?”

“There is no need for that.” He shook his head. “I will be fine, thank you for your concern.”

Yes, he decided with a smile as he watched her go, this one will do.

_________________

Ugh, walking. Who invented such a thing? She couldn’t wait until she had a personal limo again. This was so not good for her!

Chloe continued plotting as she walked, magnanimously choosing to consider this as part of the reason for revenge instead of its own thing.

And speaking of revenge! Let’s see…

She scrunched her face, trying to remember the events of the first day of school.

There had been that fight with Marinette over her seat. ‘My seat now’, she realized with glee. ‘Which means I’ll be back next to Adrikens!’

Where she should be.

And if she and Dupain-Cheng were now supposed to be switched, that meant ‘the horrible bully Marinette’ would be picking on ‘poor sweet little Chloe’.

She couldn’t wait!

‘Let’s see how you handle being in my shoes, Dupain-Cheng!’

She giggled to herself, ignoring the weirded out looks she was getting from some passing students.

Or the way the other students in general seemed to give her a wide berth.

As they should for the real Queen Bee of this school!

She was already imagining how this was going to go. And with the classroom only a few feet ahead, her vindication was already so close she could taste it!

Except when she finally arrived at the class, it was immediately clear that something wasn’t right.

Dupain-Cheng was there as expected. With her same kiddie pigtails and her pink and grey ensemble with polka-dots—what kind of designer was she anyway?

What wasn’t expected, however, was that Cesaire was already was there as well.

Originally, Cesaire defended Dupain-Cheng and they became friends. If things played out the same, shouldn’t Cesaire be coming in late? Or standing up to Dupain-Cheng here? If anything, they already seemed to be friends.

Unless Cesaire was Dupain-Cheng’s tool like Sabrina had been for her?

It made sense that this new reality would swap more around, she reasoned.

Except…

Chloe frowned. Now that she was actually close enough to the classroom, she could see the classmates gathered into a sort of half circle around Dupain-Cheng and her follower. And as she reached the doorway, she could more clearly hear what they were saying.

“—at the Le Grand Paris.” Marinette said, gesturing to Alya with a smile.

“Wow!”

“So cool!”

“That’s awesome! So you’ve just been staying at the hotel until you can get settled in?”

Alya nodded, smiling. “Yeah. At least for a little while until we could get our own apartment. Mr. Dupain-Cheng was really accommodating. Luckily, we didn’t need it for long before Mom found something. She didn’t want to take advantage of his generosity, but it’s just really amazing that he was willing to offer us room and board just to have Mom as part of his staff!”

Chloe raised a nose in disgust.

Who ever heard of such a thing?! What hotel made any profit letting people stay for free?

“We met when I was cleaning rooms and she offered to help!” Marinette explained brightly.

Chloe nearly gagged.

Cleaned?

Marinette…actually cleaned the hotel?

Why do something that gross?

That’s what the help was for! And Sabrina.

Speaking of, where was she?

Chloe glanced around, but Sabrina was nowhere to be seen amongst the classmates.

Maybe the Wish had done more than switch her with Dupain-Cheng? Maybe Cesaire and Sabrina had been switched as well? So that meant Sabrina should be the new transfer, right?

No wait, that didn’t add up. She had just walked in on Cesaire being introduced.

Sabrina was probably just her best friend, then.

She nodded.

That was good enough, she supposed. At least if she couldn’t have her necessities from the hotel, she still had Sabrina to take care of the more mundane tasks for her.

Unaware of her thoughts, Marinette had continued talking to the others unhindered.

“—said she would be coming to Francios Dupont, and I knew I had to introduce her. She’s new, so be nice.” She instructed, giving a stare to Kim in particular. “Kim.”

The taller boy raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. I’ll give her a week before any challenges.”

Alya raised an eyebrow. “Challenges? Dare I ask?”

Everyone groaned.

“No dares.” Nino begged, covering his face with his hat. “Please. Kim is bad enough every year. I still can’t look at the hotel without remembering what happened last time…”

“Yeah, your dumb dare got us banned from the hotel’s pool for a month!” Alix said, pointing at Kim, who shrugged helplessly.

“Speaking of the hotel!” Marinette cut in, pulling out her tablet. “I convinced my dad to let us do this year’s work study at the hotel.” She tapped her tablet. “I have a little bit of influence over what they’ll choose as assignments, so we can try to come up with roles everyone will like.”

“Hey yeah! That sounds awesome!”

The classmates crowded the desk, chatting excitedly.

“So where will everyone go?”

“Maybe Kim and Max in security? Or Alix and Max in security, so Kim could work the pool area.”

“As a lifeguard?” Kim asked cheerfully. “I’ve done some training, after all.”

Marinette sent him a wry look and pretended to be thinking it over. “Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe as a pool cleaner?”

Kim pouted. “No fair, Mari!”

“Hey, it would do you some good to learn the cleaning process for the pools you use so much.” Mylene said, half jokingly and half pointedly, making Kim lower his head and groan.

Marinette giggled a little. “Well at any rate, I’ve set up a list of all the different jobs at the hotel so people can mark their top preferences. Between all the options, everyone is bound to find something that’ll suit them best.”

She sent Adrien a knowing look. “And of course Adrien will be in the kitchen.”

Adrien beamed at that.

Not that Chloe noticed.

“Kitchen?!” Chloe squawked. “You’re going to make my Adrikens work in a dirty old kitchen?!”

She had known Marinette would be bad, but how dare she punish Adrikens like that? She could just see it now! Her poor Adrikens, forced to slave away in a room meant for servants like…like he was a servant! Where he could get covered in grime and burn his precious skin!

Everyone frowned at her, as if she was the one being ridiculous!

The boy in question raised his hand.

“But I want to—”

“That is a flagrant abuse of power!” Chloe shouted, slamming a hand on the desk. “She’s making Adrikens work like a maid! What if his father hears about this?!”

Adrien wilted in on himself.

“The kitchen isn’t dirty or old.” Marinette said, sounding annoyingly calm with a terseness in her tone that Chloe had heard some service workers use when dealing with particularly difficult customers—though why they used it with her was beyond her. It was as if Marinette was acting like she the reasonable one dealing with an unreasonable customer or something. “They just finished the remodeling three months ago, we clean it regularly, and all of our utensils and equipment are taken good care of.”

“That’s not the point!” Chloe shouted. “How could you use my Adrikens in such a way? Gabriel Agreste would never approve when he hears about this!”

Because he would be hearing about this! Chloe would make sure of it!

“I could just explain to Mr. Agreste that this would be for good publicity.” Marinette suggested. “I’m sure he would allow it.”

She knew it! There were really no lows she wouldn’t go to!

“You’re really pushing this! And you call yourself Adrikens’ friend!” Chloe pointed at Marinette accusingly. “Just because your Daddy’s the Mayor doesn’t mean you can treat people like they’re lesser than you!”

Marinette frowned, looking uncertain as her gaze flickered between the others.

Hah! Even in Chloe’s position, Marinette still wavered easily and she couldn’t hide her insecurities to save her life. It was why she always gave in in the end! Anyone would roll over someone showing such an obvious weakness!

Hell, she may not even need to wait to see her taken down. This was a perfect opportunity to lead everyone in rising up against her tyranny.

After a few seconds, she turned back to face Chloe, no doubt to attack her for challenging her and show her true colors—

“Chloe, are you okay?”

Huh?

“My Dad just runs the Hotel. He isn’t the Mayor.”

What?!

“My Mom is. You met her at your…” She hesitated, sending the others a glance before lowering her voice, “…meeting, remember?”

She had to bite her tongue regarding the ridiculousness of Dupain-Cheng’s mother being the Mayor. Was that woman even a French citizen?

But it was the other part of Marinette’s statement that concerned her. What meeting? What was she even getting at? Why was she trying to be quiet about it.

Nevermind! She’d worry about that later!

“It doesn’t matter!” Chloe shouted, forcing Marinette to back away. “The fact is that you can’t just throw your weight around to get your way and treat people however you like! And I’m not the only one who feels that way!” She exclaimed, turning to the classmates in expectation.

…only to get a number of blank or confused stares in response.

“Um, what are you even talking about?” Alya asked incredulously.

What?

“Yeah, dude! Marinette doesn’t treat anyone that way.” Nino added.

What?

“The only one who pulls that sort of thing is you.” Said Nathaniel bitingly.

Since when does that loser talk?

And also, what?!

“And aren’t you supposed to be leaving Marinette alone?” Alix asked, giving Chloe a pointed look.

What even was that about?

“I thought that was the agreement.” Mylene said quietly.

Seriously?! Was everyone on her side?

They were supposed to be silent! Or judging the Mayor’s brat! That’s what they did with Chloe! Instead, they were jumping to her defense!

“Are you serious?” She demanded. “Like she doesn’t abuse her power and authority to push people around!”

“Of course not!” Marinette insisted. And then to Chloe’s rage, seemed to draw herself up even more, actually looking confident and self assured in a way Chloe herself had never felt in her place. “As the daughter of the mayor, I have to set a good example.”

Ex…

Example?

What even was that?

Unaware of Chloe’s short-circuiting, she continued. “And Chloe, I wouldn’t force anyone to do a role that they don’t want. That’s why I brought the list here for the class to review first.” She gestured to her tablet. “That way everyone has a chance to pick what roles they want and we can avoid the ones no one wants to do. How is that a bad thing?”

It wasn’t, admittedly. But Marinette wasn’t supposed to be the one doing it! That was the problem!

“And who put you in charge?!” Chloe demanded of Marinette. “Why are you deciding where we’ll do the work study? What, are you using the Class Rep position to flaunt your family’s hotel?”

It would make sense. Chloe had been the Class Rep for years originally. If Marinette was her…

Marinette just gave her a strange look.

“No. I’m not Class Rep, remember?”

Chloe balked.

“What?”

“Chloe, did you hit your head?” Marinette asked, sounding worried. She held a hand out in offering. “Do you need to go to the Nurse’s Office?”

Chloe jerked away from the girl’s outreached hand. Why would Dupain-Cheng still be acting…nice?

Clearly she must still be pretending!

“Nevermind that! If you aren’t the Class Rep, then who is?”

“Your benevolent dictator is here!” Came a voice. A familiar voice. The last one Chloe expected.

“Hey, Class Rep.” Marinette said, giving Chloe a pointed look while waving to the person behind her.

Chloe turned slowly. She had to force herself to move. The strain made it feel like her bones were creaking.

Behind her, Sabrina stood tall with a tablet in hand and looking…surprisingly well for a new reality as a lackey of someone other than Chloe. She almost didn’t recognize her.

Chloe stood straight, expecting the standard greeting.

To her shock, Sabrina didn’t even look at her, instead moving past her to…

“Wow, Marinette! Nice jacket!” Sabrina said first thing in greeting as she moved over to the other girl in interest.

Marinette blushed at the praise. “Thanks! My dad got me some new fabric and I was inspired to try this style!” She gave a wink. “Now this is just a test run to see how it works out.”

“It certainly looks comfortable.” Sabrina said in awe.

Were…were they ignoring her?

“I have some of the material left.” Marinette said. “I could make you your own for your birthday if you want?”

Oh gag! Why would anyone want Marinette’s tacky creations instead of the latest in season creation?

And there was Sabrina looking like that was something to be excited about!

Oh no! Without Chloe to guide her, she had lost any sense of fashion! No matter how much fuller her hair was or how she no longer looked like a strong wind could blow her away!

Clearly, her life was a tragedy without Chloe!

“And I checked like you asked.” Marinette continued, unaware of Chloe’s glare. “My Dad said we could do the work study at his hotel.”

“Thank you!” Sabrina cheered. “That’ll be one less thing to worry about.”

“Yeah, we were talking about that when you came in.” Marinette explained.

Chloe glared pointedly at the girl over the way she was blatantly ignoring that they had been in the middle of Chloe calling her out! Seriously, what was the point of getting to tell people off for their flaws if they were going to ignore you and pretend it never happened! Really! You can’t just ignore the truth like that!

“We were discussing what positions everyone wanted.” Mylene said. “Even if we can’t get the exact ones we’d like, there’ll at least be options.”

“Juleka and I can clean the ball room!” Rose exclaimed. “It will give us a chance to check the acoustics of the room. We’ve been wondering about the effects and what to expect if our band ever plays in such an area.“

Nino looked intrigued at that. “Hey, that does sound like a good idea. Maybe sign me up for that as well?” He asked, turning to Marinette before mumbling to himself about the echo effect on his beats.

Marinette gave him a nod before turning back to Rose. “I heard you guys just started, didn’t you?“

Rose nodded, beaming. “It’s so much fun!”

Marinette smiled and marked it down on her list. “Then I’ll suggest that for you.”

She paused for a moment, hesitating in clear unwillingness to continue before giving a strained smile.

“And Chloe...”

“How about trash cleanup?” Alix snarked, giving the girl a dark look.

“Excuse you?!” Chloe shouted in outrage. “Do you know who my daddy is?!”

The looks she was given were completely unimpressed.

“A baker?”

“And not even a good one.”

"Hey, his croissants are all right."

Chloe blanched, remembering that her father wasn’t the mayor in this world.

He wasn’t even rich.

He was just a baker now. A simple ordinary not even very good baker who was barely keeping his head above water trying to maintain his business and manage his teenage daughter.

And that made Chloe…

Nothing.

Her go to tactic now had no power.

But…but Sabrina! She realized in a flash that her minion was apparently the Class Rep! She could have her back her!

But when she spun around to look, the girl had actually just abandoned her and the gathering altogether to sit next to Mylene of all people! Mylene! And they were just…chatting! Since when did those two spend time together! And why wasn’t Sabrina there for her?!

“Chloe!” Came the only voice worth listening to.

Oh, Adrikens! Of course you would always be there for her!

She spun to him in expectation. Because of course her Adrikens would be on her side! Her savior! Her only ally against such cruel tyranny—

But he didn’t look happy. Or in any way amicable to her. “Don’t forget!” He whispered sharply to her. “You’re still on probation! You can’t start another commotion before the first class of the school year has even started!”

Chloe blinked.

Pro…

Probation?

…

…

…

Her?!

“How am I on—?!”

It was impossible! She had never had a criminal record! She’d never even committed a crime! Or anything that warranted getting in trouble over!

Regardless of what Ladybug said, since she clearly had it out for her.

“Just leave Marinette alone.” Adrien whispered, turning her away from the rest of the group and…her. “Please.”

She didn’t want to. There were so many questions and so many things she wanted to demand right now. She was very well inclined to make demands regardless, because she didn’t know what was going on and she needed answers.

But it was her Adrikens asking.

And she didn’t have much chance to say anything else as Bustier had chosen that time to arrive.

“Welcome back, everyone!” The woman greeted cheerfully. Her arrival cut off all other discussion as the students made their way to their desks. “I hope everyone had a good break and that we’re all ready to start the new year.”

A chorus of affirmations followed as everyone took their seats.

Everyone except Chloe, who was glancing around the room in confusion.

None of this was right.

She had expected to fight with Marinette over her seat to get to sit behind Adrien, but he was sitting at the back next to Nathaniel. And Marinette was sitting in the mid row on the other side from him, pulling Alya to sit next to her. But if she wasn’t sitting behind Adrien, what was even the point of challenging her for her seat?

…where even was Chloe’s seat?

She would have sad next to Sabrina, but that traitor hadn’t moved from her spot next to Mylene and left no room for Chloe! And nobody else was calling Chloe over—so if someone else had taken Sabrina’s place as her best friend, she had no way of even knowing who it was!

“Chloe,” Bustier called to her, ever so gently. “Your seat is up at the front, remember? As we discussed the last time we met.” She gestured to the bench at the front.

It was across the one Chloe had sat at previously, being the front desk closest to the door. And to her frustration, there was no one sitting with her! How else was she supposed to get her assignments copied? And wasn’t that the seat that loser, Nino, had been put in because he got in trouble? Chloe wasn’t in trouble though!

Adrien’s words about probation hit her, making her wince.

…was she?

She wanted to ask. She wanted to stomp her foot and demand the answers she deserved.

But Bustier was staring at her expectantly. And she could hear some giggles and snickering from behind her the longer she waited. She glanced back to Adrikens, but…he wasn’t even looking at her! He was conversing with Nathaniel over something on his sketchbook!

How could a sketchbook be more important than his best friend?!

With little other choice, Chloe slid into the front desk, blushing furiously in humiliation and trying to ignore everyone behind her.

It didn’t matter.

None of them mattered!

None of this would matter once she got the Miraculous and put Dupain-Cheng in her place! Then everyone would know SHE was the Queen Bee!

She was sure of it!

[gretavandutchy]

blue hour | four

{sam kiszka x fem!reader} blue hour is the short period of time before sunrise or after sunset when the sun is just below the horizon. indirect sunlight is evenly diffused and takes on a blue shade.

summary: traveling the world as greta van fleet’s touring photographer seemed like a dream come true, but as the days pass you worry it may just be your worst nightmare. work is rapidly merging with pleasure, and as feelings change you’re left to wonder: does what happens on tour really stay on tour?

word count: 6.2k

warnings: language, alcohol, marijuana, puking, it's starting

"I can't believe it's been a whole week already," Kyle sighed, and you hummed a quiet agreement as he murmured, "I miss you. It's been weird not having you here."

In an attempt to lighten the mood, your gut churning slightly at the morose tone of his voice, you chuckled, "Peaceful, I'd imagine. You're not having to chase me down the hall to remind me to put on shoes anymore."

Your boyfriend laughed, but the sound was slightly hollow. His heart wasn't in it, you could tell, and you chewed at your cheek as you tried to think of ways to make him feel better. Already you were setting alarms to remind yourself to call him every morning, and it was surprisingly harder than you'd imagined it would be.

While life on the road was exciting, exhilarating even, it was beyond exhausting, and time seemed to move differently for those of you constantly on the move. The morning was a relative term, and no longer a specific time of day. When you were arriving at hotels at three in the morning or just climbing into a van at four after a night of celebrating a good show, the idea of what morning was lost all meaning.

It was a blast, though. Despite the bags under your eyes that were growing heavier by the day, and the constant state of tiredness, you were running on a high you'd never felt before in your life. Each show seemed to go better than the last, and you weren't sure you'd ever get used to it or grow tired of it--you didn't want to, either.

You were making friends and making memories that you'd hold near and dear for the rest of your days. Pidge was like the cool older sister you'd never had but always wanted, or maybe the drunk aunt that always made holidays and family events more interesting. The two of you spent the majority of your time together, and if you weren't with her then you were with the band.

Josh and Jake had quickly taken up the role of your older brothers for the duration of the tour, much to your chagrin as they took the part a little too seriously. Josh teased you relentlessly, constantly poking fun at you and cracking quick-witted jokes that left you stuck in a strange limbo between amazement and annoyance. He liked to push you around and pinch you, and he ruffled your hair just to laugh when you glared at him.

Jake was just as charmingly annoying, but he was a bit more doting. He'd gang up on you with Josh, but just as quickly turn the tables on his twin when he could sense that you were reaching your limit. He was often the one to sense when you were feeling overwhelmed, or lost, and he offered you advice whenever he could. He also liked to drink you under the table, too. They all liked to do that, though.

Danny was your partner in crime. The two of you had secretly waged a prank war against the other three guys following the second show, and they had yet to figure out who was the culprit of all the jokes. So far you had straightened Josh's hair when he'd made the unwise decision to take a nap, convinced Jake his hotel room was haunted by sneaking in while he was asleep to wreck it (and steal all of his left shoes), and you'd put food coloring in Sam's body wash so he was left with nicely pinkened skin after his morning shower.

All three of them were pointing fingers at each other, too blinded by their brotherly grudges to acknowledge the fact that neither you nor Danny had experienced any misfortune. You weren't sure how long the ruse would remain, considering Sam was looking at you with increasing suspicion, but for now you were safe. The two of you had agreed to take a little break to avoid getting caught.

And, Sam? Well, Sam was a bit of all of those things. Easily, he was your closest friend out of the entire tour family. If you weren't with Pidge, it was the safest bet that you were hanging around him somewhere--a useful fact that had come in handy when sneaking around with Danny.

You couldn't quite assign a specific role for him, because you looked to him for just about everything. He was the one you went to when you just wanted to chill or have fun, or you were upset and just didn't want to be alone. One time he'd even let you braid his hair, and in a state of ragged exhaustion, he'd fallen asleep where he sat propped against the sofa on the floor between your legs. Nobody mentioned it when you remained rooted in place until he awoke on his own, though Jake had stared at you with an indiscernible look in his eye.

It had only been one week, and already the lot of them were staking their place within your heart. You could feel them rooting their way in, engraving their marks onto your soul with each passing day, and sometimes the thought of leaving the tour and not being around them anymore felt like a sucker punch straight to your heart. You did your best not to think of it, not liking the way it left you feeling breathless and morose.

"I think I miss that the most." Kyle finally replied, shattering the reverie you'd gotten lost within, "You always look so cute when you're flustered. Plus, I kinda like knowing you need me for something."

Before you could question what exactly he meant by that, a confused pinch forming between your brows, there was a knock at your hotel door. "Hang on a second, there's someone at the door." you muttered and tossed your phone on the bed as you made your way to open the thin, wooden hotel door.

Sam grinned at you lazily, lifting a takeout bag in his hand and wiggling it slightly as he asked, "Hungry?"

Your stomach rumbled. You were starving actually, considering you'd just woken up from the first uninterrupted seven hours of sleep you'd gotten in the past week. But, you knew Kyle only had a few more minutes left of his lunch break before he had to return to work, and it would upset him greatly if you cut the call short when it was already such a small amount of time.

With a rueful smile, you sighed, "I'm on the phone with Kyle, but I'll come and find you when I'm done?"

"Oh, right," Sam muttered, and his smile tightened like you'd come to realize it always did when you mentioned Kyle. It confused you, but you never took the time to dwell on it long enough to ponder why he seemed so soured over someone he didn't even know. There were the obvious conclusions, of course, but you didn't even want to think about that being a possibility. "We're all gonna be in Josh's room, whenever you're ready."

Having said all he needed to, he offered you one more sleepy smile before he trudged his way down the hall, disappearing into a room four doors down. You could hear wind crackling over the speaker of your phone when you picked it back up, and your heart dropped as you realized that meant Kyle was walking back to work after his lunch break. The discrepancies between your schedules were horrible to work around.

Frowning, you apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. I feel like we barely get to talk, and I hate that it's my fault."

"It's okay, babe," Kyle reassured, though you could tell he was saddened, "I know you're busy. I'll text you, okay? I'm back at the office, and I know you probably have something you need to go do."

Sometimes you wished he wouldn't be so understanding, because it only made you feel even worse. It left you wondering whether he was keeping track of all the times you missed his call, or cut your time short, or forgot to text him back. You wondered if he was racking up points against you, but refusing to acknowledge it or admit that he needed more from you. Moreso, it made you feel guilty because you were pretty sure that was the furthest thing from the case and he genuinely just was that understanding.

You didn't want to make it worse by admitting you had nothing to do for the next couple of hours, and that you were only interrupted because you were invited to breakfast. It didn't matter, anyway, because he was going back to work. "Okay. I love you, have a good day at work." you breathed, holding the phone between your ear and shoulder as you began to rifle through your suitcase for clothes to change into.

"I love you, hun. Talk to you later." Kyle murmured back, and there was a quiet beep as he ended the call. You dropped your phone with a sigh, tossing it onto the bed as you moved to get ready for another day.

++++

Breakfast with the band got cut short as the guys were all whisked away for wardrobe fittings soundcheck, and somehow you and Pidgeon had taken over Josh's hotel room following their departure. The two of you were strewn over his messy bed, laptops and gear scattered around you as you both lazed over the plush mattress and worked through the content you'd amassed over the past week of shows. You were still picking at the chicken and waffles Sam had graciously decided to split with you, the styrofoam container precariously perched on the pillow beside your leg.

You were stuffed, honestly, but the little diner he'd gotten food from was so good you couldn't stop eating. Your fingers were sticky with syrup and coated in a thin layer of crumbs from the breading on the chicken, and you knew that you'd regret your decision to work and eat later when you opened your laptop to find greasy keys. It was worth it, though, and even Pidge was picking at it occasionally despite your protests.

Pidgeon was an incredibly easy woman to get along with, you'd realized. Everyone working the tour seemed to know her on a personal level, and you had yet to find a single person who didn't greet her with love and appreciation. She was a spitfire, and definitely up to no good most of the time, but that only seemed to add to her charm.

She had wild, thick curls of hair that hung to her shoulder blades, the roots pitch black but the length of it bleached and dyed a messy array of wild colors from a forest green, to hot pink, to teal. Her skin was a warm, golden brown that reminded you of the leaves on trees in the fall, and her almond-shaped eyes were an equally toasty shade of reddish-brown. She was truly a beautiful woman, and often you found yourself admiring her like a kid sister looks up to their older sibling.

You'd learned tidbits about her over the week you'd spent working closely with her, and each new thing only made her that much more interesting. For instance, you learned that she was half Dominican and half Korean--her mother had been born and raised in the Dominican Republic but immigrated to the United States as a young woman where she met her Korean-American lover in college. They weren't together anymore, but Pidge spoke of both of them fondly.

You also learned that Pidge was a very curious woman, even at thirty years old. She asked questions without shame and was not afraid to step on any toes in her quest to learn anything and everything. Which was why you weren't surprised when she randomly asked, "So, how long have you been with your boyfriend?"

She never looked away from her laptop, working diligently over a clip she was tweaking from the last performance, and you chuckled at the way she chewed at her lip ring absentmindedly. "Kyle and I have been together for seven years." you bestowed, forking the last chunk of the thick waffle into your mouth with a subtle frown as you realized it was gone.

That caught her attention, and her cinnamon eyes widened as she looked to you in surprise. Apparently sufficiently intrigued, Pidge pushed her laptop aside carelessly and tucked her legs underneath her as she turned to face you completely. "Really?" she gaped, "You were just a baby!"

"Fifteen, actually." you laughed, "We both were."

Pidgeon sighed as she reclined against the headboard, rolling her head over the surface to blink at you as she remarked, "I couldn't even imagine still being with who I dated at fifteen. Was he your first?"

You nodded, accepting the fact that you weren't going to get any more work done as you closed your laptop and shoved it to the foot of Josh's bed. "Yeah, he was my first everything. I've never been with anybody else." you confessed, and she groaned as if the thought of it wounded her.

Over the years, you'd come to realize that there were two distinct reactions that came from telling people you were still with your first love as an adult. Some people, those who were hopeless romantics, tended to gush about how romantic it was. They fawned over the prospect of finding your soulmate so young, and never having to search through bad dates to find them.

Others? The mass majority of people, like Pidge, crinkled their noses like it was preposterous and outlandish. The first time it had happened you'd been offended, but over time you'd learned to just laugh it off. People tended to judge because they didn't understand or were jealous, and at the end of the day you knew that Pidgeon wasn't judging you. She just couldn't fathom the sentiment for herself.

"Don't you ever wonder if maybe you're missing out?" she inquired, and her eyes were genuinely curious as you looked into them. "I don't mean to judge or anything, but have you ever thought about it? That maybe you're stifling yourself by tying yourself down so early in life?"

You had to admit, the thought had never crossed your mind. In all the years you'd been with Kyle, you'd never once thought about whether the grass would have been greener on the other side. He was such a staple in your life, it was almost impossible to imagine a world where he wasn't your partner through everything. You loved him, and you'd never once doubted that.

But something about the way Pidge asked, combined with the look in her eye full of wisdom and concern, rooted the thought into your brain. Were you missing out, or overlooking things because you'd so readily tethered yourself to the first boy who'd ever looked your way? Was it possible you were neglecting a chance for something greater, something beyond what you'd come to accept as your forever?

It was like a proverbial wall within your mind began to crack, and you were quick to patch it up before it crumbled and spilled doubts into your mind. "No, I honestly have never thought about it." you shrugged, "I'm happy with him."

You were happy with Kyle. He made you feel safe, secure, and loved. He was stable and offered a future without risk or fear. You didn't have to worry about the great unknown when it came to him, because he was open and honest about his feelings and intentions. With him, there was no doubt that he was in it for life, and you were pretty sure that you needed that.

"That's sweet, little Dove." Pidge relented, a wistful sigh escaping her lips as she let her eyes fall shut, "I guess I just can't imagine it because my first love was a boy, and, well, I don't even like boys." Her eyes snapped open as she shivered in disgust, a grimace prying her lips apart as she feigned a gag. "Could you imagine?" she joked, "Me, suffering through the rest of my life chained to a penis. I could never."

You laughed, letting your head fall onto her shoulder and smiling when she rested her head atop of your own. "It doesn't happen for everyone, Pidge." you relayed, "Kyle and I are definitely the exception, not the rule."

The two of you settled into a comfortable silence, the exhaustion slowly taking hold of Pidge as her head rested heavier on your own. Before long, she was asleep--you could feel her gentle breaths even out as quiet snores began to whistle out of her lips. In the silence, the metaphorical dam in your head began to fail.

Somehow, she'd unlocked years' worth of doubts, and fears, and anxiety. Your mind was a hurricane of negative thoughts you'd never had before. What if she was right? What if you really were missing something? For the life of you, you couldn't figure out what that something could be, though. You just worried you'd regret it if you never found out.

++++

It had become something of a ritual to smoke before the shows. It really shouldn't have, considering you were reckless and liked to climb to heights that stoned you definitely shouldn't have been climbing too, but it had. You never took more than two hits, only wanting to take the edge off instead of really getting high, but it was more than nothing.

Only once had you all been caught, the boys getting the first fine of the tour on the third night, and you'd been so flustered by the shame of it that you'd convinced Sam to sneak you another hit in the bathroom. He'd cackled like you were ridiculous, but he'd followed you into the cramped space and sparked up the joint that he ended up smoking the rest of himself. Nobody had said anything when the two of you stumbled out just minutes before the show, but Danny had looked at the two of you curiously enough to make you flustered all over again.

Tonight, though, things were going well. Nobody had caught you yet, and you passed the half-gone joint to Sam wordlessly after you took your token hits. "You sure you don't want one more, birdie?" he asked, holding it temptingly just before your lips with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. His fingertips brushed across your lower lip, tugging it down as the thin paper pinched between them rested on it lightly. "We all know you can handle more than just two."

You weren't entirely sure when he'd started calling you birdie, but it was his own personal nickname for you that nobody else dared to use. It made you smile, and a part of you enjoyed it more than you did the tour name you'd been assigned. Pidge rolled her eyes every time he said it, and just as you expected she scoffed from across the room.

"I'm good." you denied, and with a teasing roll of his eyes, he took it between his own lips finally and leaned back into the sofa.

If there was one thing you wished you could photograph, but ultimately knew that you couldn't, it was this. The little tradition between the six of you to have a smoke sesh before each show was something your hands twitched to snap pictures of, but you knew that it would have been a horrible decision. Weed may have been legal, but it certainly was not legal or allowed for the lot of you to be smoking it on the premises.

You wished you could capture the aura of it. The band liked to tout that they stood for peace, unity, and love, and somehow that ritual made you feel all of those things and more. It was a real bonding experience, all of you just lazing around in anticipation of what was to come.

You channeled those desires into your work, instead. Everyone had quickly caught on to your wild, daring tendencies when you were in the zone, and Sam was surprisingly the most in tune with them. It was like he just knew exactly which way to turn, where to look, and when to strike a pose as you moved around the venue to get every angle.

It helped some that you seemed to be drawn to him the most, too. You couldn't really explain it, or understand why you found your camera pointing in his direction more than any other, but it did. You did your best to capture them all equally, but the discrepancy was obvious in the photos you uploaded to your hard drive every night.

Tonight, you tried to turn your attention to the other three to compensate. You climbed the scaffolding like you did every night to amass as many photos of Danny as you could, having found that that was often the best way to get a good shot of him behind all of his drums. Josh laughed at you between songs when he saw you prowling around the little space between the barrier and the stage, shooing security out of your way to get the angle you needed.

Of course, Sam struck poses like a diva whenever he caught your eye, and there was no way you weren't going to capture every last one of them. Fans made room for you kindly when you clambered into the crowd, and at one point you'd ended up screaming over the noise to chat with a younger girl who fawned over the pictures you showed her. At the end of the night, you made sure she was in the frame when Josh pulled you onstage to turn the camera onto the crowd.

You were nearly as sweaty and breathless as the band once the crowd had finally cleared, and teardown was beginning. Danny found you first, somehow having helped to pack away his drums before any of the other guys had finished their tasks, and he wrapped you up in a boisterous and sweaty hug as he asked, "Are you going out with us tonight?"

"Yeah, I just want to change first." you replied, "I'll meet you all there?"

Danny shook his head, looking over his shoulder at Sam who was making his way out to you both, "Sam's going back to the hotel first, too, so you can just ride with him."

Sam was a ball of energy as he led the way to the rental car, a cigarette wobbling between his lips and his shirt unbuttoned completely to let the cool, night breeze wash over his heated skin. You could tell that he was riding on a high, his adrenaline rushing from the thrill of performing and the weed still clouding his mind with warm and fuzzy thoughts. It made you giggle when he held the passenger door open for you, bowing deeply and joking, "M'birdie."

Sometimes, Sam toed a line with you that made you unsure what his intentions were. You weren't exactly well versed in the art of flirtation, nor had you been on the receiving end of it much considering you'd been in a relationship for so long, but you were almost certain that he was flirting at times. Whether he meant anything by it, or not, was up for debate.

Maybe it was wrong of you to let it slide, but you did for the most part. You took his compliments and offhanded remarks in stride, and really only shied away when he would reach out to touch you. He didn't do it often, though, which was why it was so easy for you to brush it off and think nothing of it.

He knew that you had a boyfriend, and you believed whole heartedly that he wouldn't dare to interfere with something like that. The possible flirting was just his sense of humor, just in his nature. Those were the things you told yourself to justify it.

But, drunk Sam? Drunk Sam was bolder, and drunk you was not very fussed with shrugging off his advances. Alcohol and weed were a dangerous mix, and you were learning over the various nights you'd gone out with everyone that adding Sam to the mix only made it that much more volatile.

You were a flirty drunk yourself, the alcohol washing away your inhibitions and leaving you overly friendly. That wasn't to say that you were flirting with Sam, because you weren't... Well, you weren't flirting with just Sam. You flirted with everyone when you were buzzed, and that certainly made it okay... right?

This night, though, you were acting out of character.

Maybe it was the pandora's box that Pidge had opened up in your mind earlier that day, or maybe it was just the fact that you were growing increasingly comfortable with everyone. Either way, you and Sam were quickly left to your own devices once everyone had grown tired of your murmured words and hushed giggles in the corner of the booth. Neither of you were bothered by their departure, continuing to consume each other's time eagerly.

You weren't even sure what you were talking about anymore, or what you had been talking about initially that had devolved into a mess of random thoughts. "I really need to stop," you sighed as you set down your fifth empty glass of the night, your belly sloshing with all the drinks you'd consumed on a mostly empty stomach, "I'm gonna be sick if I don't."

Pidge was dancing in the small crowd of people on the makeshift dancefloor, and you could just makeout Josh behind her pressed tightly behind another crew member whose tour name was Magpie. You'd only just met her that evening, Pidgeon introducing the two of you and crowing happily about the completion of the bird crew--punnily named the flock. Magpie was only a year or two older than you, and she was a tiny little thing with gorgeous, dark skin and long braids she wore down to the small of her back.

You were also pretty sure that she was in some sort of a relationship with Josh, though you hadn't been able to figure out if it was serious or not. Either way, his hands were gliding all over her body sensually as they danced like nobody else was around. It was cute, and you couldn't help but smile with a snicker as you watched him slyly press a kiss to the side of her neck.

"I'll hold your hair, if you do get sick." Sam assured you, and you shot him a grin when he bumped your shoulder with his own. Sober you would have moved away when he neglected to slide back into his own space, but drunk you leaned into the warmth he provided as he remained pressed against your side.

His eyes were glassy, and considering he'd drank double what you had after smoking a lot more than you, you were pretty sure he would be the one ending up with his head in a toilet that night. Laughing, you teased, "Please, I think I'll be the one holding your hair tonight."

A dopey grin split his cheeks, and the flush of intoxication that reddened his face deepened slightly as he mused somewhat dreamily, "I'm okay with that, too. I like it when you play with my hair."

Before you could think too hard about his wistful tone, Pidge was stumbling into the end of the table and holding her hands out to you with a plea, "Dance with me! Mags abandoned me for a man."

As she pulled your hands, you clambered out of the booth and only hesitated as you turned back to Sam who remained sitting. "Are you coming?" you asked, Pidge shimmying her way back toward the dance floor with the expectation that you'd follow soon after.

He didn't move to get up, but lazily reached a hand out to skim his fingers along the hem of your flowy, patterned blouse. Sam pinched the fabric between his fingers, and your belly fluttered as you felt his fingernails lightly graze along the bare skin of your stomach beneath it. Your breath hitched, and just as you moved to step away from the touch he released his hold and looked up at you with doe eyes as he placed his hands back on the table innocently.

"I really like this shirt." he hummed, "You look pretty in it, birdie."

Your head was in the clouds as you joined Pidgeon on the dancefloor. You let yourself sink into the feeling of the music, moving on instinct as the two of you embraced each other and danced without a care. Her eyes were closed, lips parted to mouth along with the words of a song you didn't recognize, and you let her hands keep you from floating away as they rested on your hips.

It had to be the alcohol. That was what you were telling yourself as your mind replayed the fleeting moment with Sam, the feeling of his nails dragging over your skin replaying on a loop that just wouldn't end. He'd touched you thousands of times since you'd joined up the week prior, but none of them had ever left you feeling dazed like that.

It was such a simple, pointless little thing, too. There was no reason for you to be so stuck on it. The man had played with your hair, squeezed your bare thighs, and touched your lips. Why the hell was that, the fleeting accidental touch of your stomach, the one that made you feel all weird inside?

Deep down, you knew it wasn't accidental. He hadn't needed to touch your shirt to compliment it, but he had. Just like he hadn't needed to touch your lips to offer you a hit, but he had. Sam did a lot of things he didn't need to, things that he shouldn't.

You just didn't understand what it meant. A part of you blamed Pidge for your inner turmoil. If she hadn't brought up your relationship, questioning your certainty in it, you wouldn't have paid any of it a second thought.

But, that left you to wonder--were you really secure in your relationship if one conversation was enough to make you doubt it? Were you doubting it? You wanted to say no, because you were certain of your love for Kyle and the love he had for you, but it wasn't that simple. In some ways, you were doubting things.

It was like the world's stupidest case of FOMO, the fear of missing out. You were plagued by a sudden fear that you were missing something by settling down with the first person you'd ever been with. How were you supposed to know if it really was right for you, considering you had nothing to compare it to?

At the end of the day, there was only one real question. Were you content to settle for comfort? Kyle made you feel comfortable. He made you feel safe. He made you feel secure. He made you happy. But, what about passion? What about sharing in each other's dreams? What about lust, and desire, and excitement?

Did he make you feel those things? Was it okay if he didn't? It was all starting to make your head hurt, a dull ache throbbing deep within your skull as you thought too hard and stressed yourself out. You were being ridiculous, you decided, and suddenly all you wanted to do was crawl into bed at the hotel and call Kyle.

That was what this was. You were just missing him, and insecure about being away from him for so long. If you could just make things work, and speak to him, everything would be okay.

You got a little lost along the way, though.

Somehow, you ended up in Sam's hotel room with his hair in your hands as he violently expelled all of his stomach contents into the toilet. You hadn't really expected him to get sick, but when you'd gone to tell him you were heading back he'd thrown back another drink and decided to come with. The car ride had been enough to make his stomach turn, and you'd been cackling as you raced after him to the hotel room while he held back his vomit.

After dry heaving and spitting bile into the toilet one more time, Sam sat up with a groan and peeled his shirt off to wipe off his mouth. "It hurts." he whined, letting his head fall back as he blinked up at you with a pout and watery eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sammy," you cooed, brushing his sweaty hair off of his forehead and scratching his scalp gently, "I told you I would be the one to hold your hair back, though."

He belched, and you watched in amusement as his entire body tensed in fear that he would purge his empty stomach all over again. It never came, though, and he sagged back against your legs with a sigh of relief. "I think I'm done now." he whimpered, eyes falling shut in exhaustion.

With a great deal of effort, you managed to get him to swish toothpaste around his mouth before letting him spit it into the toilet. It was nearly impossible dragging him off of the floor and into his bed, but you eventually coaxed him into it by offering to stay with him until he fell asleep. He awkwardly wriggled his way out of his pants before letting you pull the blankets over his body, and he looked like a little kid as he peered up at you pitifully with them pulled right up to his chin.

Clambering onto the springy mattress beside him, you leaned back against the headboard and began to drag your fingers through his hair once more. He all but purred like a cat, rolling onto his side and curling around your legs with a hum of satisfaction. You tensed when he wrapped his arm around your thighs, his head falling onto your lap, but he just closed his eyes and sighed sleepily.

"That feels nice." he whispered, squeezing your legs when you began to run your nails over his scalp. "I'm really glad you took the job, birdie."

"Why's that?" you asked, furrowing your brows as you looked down at him.

Through a yawn, he warbled, "I thought you were so cool and wanted to get to know you. Plus, you're really pretty."

Almost as soon as the words were spoken, he was snoring. Your hand stilled in his hair as you froze, unsure of how to react. You wanted to ask him what he meant by that, what he was expecting out of getting to know you, but you couldn't. He was fast asleep, and a big part of you was adamantly sticking to the belief that you were just looking too far into things.

He was drunk. He probably didn't mean anything by it, and there was no point in making a big deal out of it. You'd let it go, just like you had everything else, and tomorrow things would be just like always.

With a sigh, you gently coaxed him off of your lap and cautiously eased off of the bed to avoid waking him up. You almost made it back to your room without incident, but Pidge just had to be right outside Sam's door when you closed it behind you. For a moment, the two of you just stared at each other in stunned silence.

Defending it probably only made it look more suspicious, but you couldn't stop yourself from blurting out, "He got sick. I held his hair and put him to bed."

"Hey, it's none of my business." she laughed, smirking, "I don't judge."

Spluttering, you cried, "Pidge, no! It's not like that--"

"Relax, little dove," she cackled, grabbing your shoulders gently, "I'm just messing with you. I could hear him puking from Jake's room while we were smoking. It got quiet so I was coming to make sure nobody died."

Though your heart rate decreased exponentially in relief, you scowled and slapped her shoulder in annoyance. It only made her laugh harder, and you could hear her giggles echoing all the way down the hall as you both turned in opposite directions to return to your own rooms. You were still glaring even as you fell onto your bed, fully clothed and too lazy to change before bed.

Checking your phone, you groaned as you realized it was already three in the morning. In two hours you'd all be expected to load into the vans and busses to move onto the next city, and in three your alarm would go off to remind you to call Kyle before he went to work. There was no way you could miss that tomorrow, considering you'd slept through it that morning and had to call him on his lunch break instead.

As usual, there was his good night text sitting unanswered in your notifications. This time, though, the guilt that twisted up your insides was a little more intense.

TAGLIST! @caravelstan @tripthelight-fanfic @barbariansgvf @brokenbellz @sing-against-the-sky @stardustdanny @dannythedog @peterr-parkourr @stardust-and-shadows @trafficwasabitch @screechesincoherently @fleetsonfire @honor-gvf @sammykiszkasunusedshoes @lupinevanfleet @oyoke @celestialfauna @luverleaver if you'd like to be tagged, send an ask!

[jadedxrealityw]

-Found You- Dean Thomas x Reader

☼-♥-☼

Kody: (SHORT STORY) using gender neutral pronouns for the first time with my first ever Dean Thomas reader, tell me what you think. Also made sure to include androgynous type clothes.

Movie/Show: Harry Potter

House/Year: Gryffindor, 7th year

Summary: after being abandoned by your friends in your first year of Hogwarts, you meet a weird lot of boys who fill the void the others had left, some more then others and when you almost kiss one of them, it becomes more then awkward.

Pronouns Used: They/Them

Possible Triggers/Warnings: suggestive flirting, gen z humor, cursing, the fluff, no voldy au, slight golden trio slander with redemption, reader staring off into space. 

☼-♥-☼

first year

the day you were placed in house Gryffindor you had become close to a few choice people, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter. Your four were as close as close could be in the beginning of your first year, playing pranks, studying in the common room. All of the things friends would do.

towards the end of the year you had caught them hanging out without you on mutiple occasions when they said they were all busy on other occasions. It didn’t bother you at first, thinking a was a one off- multiple one offs. Then it got a bit worse. 

study groups turned into you waiting for hours for them to show up, only for you to fall asleep on top of your textbooks waiting. Getting breakfast together now was just you sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table only for George Weasley to tell you they had already ate and left.

you weren’t stupid, you knew when you were being avoided. You also were never one for confrontation, so you made the executive decision to stop making an effort to hang out with any of them, just to see if they would and maybe everything you were thinking was just from your paranoia.

alas it was the end of the school year and you couldn’t do much hanging out with anyone since your mother was strict, only allowing friends to come over to your place, not the other way around. It was embarrassing at times, but you understood all her rules came from a place of love and experience.  

not that they had ever come over before, even for the winter holiday. Though you understood that as all of you went home to your families. (Yes, James and Lily are alive), but since you all had two months out of school, you figured there would be enough time to at least meet up once.

you had each of there mailing address’s and they had yours. It was the first ‘gift’ you had given to each other and at the time, you were excited to have them. Now when you looked at the the ripped piece of parchment, it’s mere existence mocked you.

as you predicted, nothing came. No letter from your so called ‘friends’ nothing at all. It was disheartening to say the least, but at the same time you saw it coming. The rest of those two months you spent with your mother, which was actually pretty nice. 

☼-♥-☼

second year

as you stepped off the train, the cold air of Hogsmeade Station hit your face, causing the hairs on your neck to stand up. You looked around, watching students as they walked with there friends or hugged them tightly. You’ll admit, it made your expression turn dark.

so you stood, just watching. As people passed, they gave you strange stares and made snide comments about how weird you looked, staring off into nothing. Most students had dispersed when your shoulder gets knocked, bringing you back into the moment.��

“Oh sorry!” you recognized the voice. Once your head turned your met with the familiar face of Neville Longbottom. “Oh Neville! Sorry was i in your way?” you quickly apologize, a sheepish smile on your face. Neville copies your smile, shaking his head “No, Seamus just shoved me too hard”

“Did not, your just weak“ Seamus argued, crossing his arms in a huff. You weren’t too familiar with Seamus Finnigan or the taller boy next to him, Dean Thomas. “Both of you, shut it“ Dean shook his head, a playful smile on his face as he pushed past the two boys to stand in front of you.

“You alright? You looked as if someone used body bind curse on you“ he jokes, a light laugh escaping his mouth. Oh jeez, how long have you stood there “Um- i was waiting for my friends, but i think they left me behind“ you confess, feeling more stupid then you already had been feeling. 

Dean didn’t skip a beat as he shrugs his shoulders “Forget them, walk with us” he offers. You were a bit taken aback as you didn’t know this fellow Gryffindor well and he already seemed so friendly towards you. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother?”

a laugh came from both Seamus and Dean while Neville chuckled nervously “Impossible, the only bother here is him. Now let’s go before we miss the boats” Dean points to Seamus, who’s expression drops “Your rude” he scoffs.

Dean smiles at him before using his hand to gesture to you to follow him as he led the small group through Hogsmeade. 

the entire walk was Dean and Seamus trying to tell embarrassing stories about each other to make the other seem better. Neville would tell you all about what he wanted to learn in Herbology this year.

after awhile they eventually asked you questions about yourself, like- your name and who had ditched you. They were surprised to find out that the golden trio had ditched you. Seamus on the other hand wasn’t, saying how “No one is really golden” 

☼-♥-☼

seventh year

fast forward to your final year at Hogwarts and you were still best friends with Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas. You all were no golden trio by any means, more like ‘Menaces To Society’ as Mcgonagall called you. 

 you weren’t a well behaved student to say the least. 

speaking of well behaved “Shut up, shut the hell up!” Seamus whisper shouts as points his wand at Neville who is looking into the dark “But this is such a bad idea!” he whines, rubbing his arm to create some warmth as the night was cold. 

“It’ll be fine, only if Dean hurries the hell up“ you say, placing a hand on Neville’s shoulder. He looks at you and nods once, shivering slightly. Smiling, you open the greenhouse door and peak your head inside “Dean, i’m getting frostbite out here!“ 

you watch as Dean’s head pops up from behind the large table, holding a potted mandrake “Oh i’m so sorry, but your not the one doing all the hard work!” he argues. You roll your eyes “You lost rock, paper, scissors. Maybe stop choosing paper dipshit”

Dean opens his mouth to say something back when you here Seamus groan loudly “Both of you can flirt later, hurry up! Filch will be back around in a few minutes” he snaps at both of you. Holding up a finger to Dean, signalling you could finish your argument in a second, you peak your head back out. 

“In what universe was that flirting, Finnigan?“ 

“You were flirting with your eyes“

“....right, anyway-“ you slowly turn your head back into the greenhouse as Dean walks out, holding two pots of mandrakes, young ones to be exact. “Alright let’s go“ he says. You jump up in your place and clap your hands together “Oh this is going to be beautiful“

“I just hope we don’t get in trouble like last time“ Neville shudders, following behind you all as you made your way through the grass. “Will be fine“ you wave your hand, standing beside Dean as he held the potted mandrakes. “Shit, these are heavy“ 

“divide and conquer“ Seamus suddenly says as he takes both of the mandrakes from Dean, tucking one under his arm and handing the other to Neville, who happily held it tightly between both of his hands. Dean smiles and stretches his arms, until he hears a pop noise in both. 

as you walked, a gust of wind hit all of you, making you shiver. Your dumbass shouldn’t have worn your pajamas out, which was only a black t-shirt with thin dark grey plaid pants. You had shoes on of course, you weren’t that stupid. “Told you to bring a jumper” Dean says in a sing song voice.

you turn your head to your side, scoffing “I’m not cold, i’m perfectly fine” you look him in the eye while he gives you a ‘really?’ look, which meant he knew you were lying. You hated that cute, dumb, knowing face. Without another word, you look forward once more. 

Dean moves closer to your side and wraps his arms around your shoulder, pulling you flush against him as you both walked quietly. You suddenly felt very warm, but most of that warmth came from your own face. “Better?” he whispers, his hand rubbing your arm. 

honestly, how did this tall freak not expect anyone to fall for him? For two years you have had a crush on Dean Thomas, but it seemed to always be platonic on his side. He was nice to everyone though, so it was hard to tell if there was any romantic intent behind his actions. 

“Much better“ 

“Hey! Who’s out they’re?! No students out pass curfew! You are in big trouble!“ looking ahead you see the familiar shape of Filch in the distance. The bright lantern covering his face, so you were sure he couldn’t see you all as well. “Scatter!“ you yell and in an instant you all pull away from each other. 

this isn’t the first time running into Filch, so you already knew what to do. All of you would run off separately until you couldn’t be seen and just apparate back into the common room. You had been doing it for years and were honest to Godric disappointed he hadn’t figured it out yet.

“Hey you get back here!“

as you pull away, you feel Dean’s hand travel down your arm until his fingers slide off yours. You would have loved to have bathed in that moment longer, but the fear of expulsion was too heavy on your mind at the moment. You spotted a pillar and ran for it. 

once safely behind said pillar, you pull your wand out that you had safely in your.....i don’t know and apparate away. 

☼-♥-☼

you stumble a bit as your transported into the Gryffindor common room, the calming sound of fire cracking on the wood in the fireplace. You were safe. Looking around the dark room, you don’t see Neville or Seamus, but you do see the back of Dean’s head as he’s sat on the sofa in front of the fire. 

your eyes narrow as you walk over to the sofa, placing your hands on his shoulders “Hey Y/n” he says, not even taking a glance as you as he chuckles to himself. “How did you know?- Nevermind, where’s Nev and Seamus?” you ask him.

“There setting up the mandrakes, remember?” he explains before reaching up to grab your hands with both of his, pulling them down so your forced into resting your chin against the top of the sofa. He released only one of your hands and brought the other to his mouth, placing a kiss on your palm.

what the fuck?- 

 “Also I've had your hands on me before, not hard to forget“ he explains. The way he said that made it sound so suggestive if anyone else had been in the room. You were also stunned by the fact he just kissed your hand. This was one of the moments you couldn’t tell if he was being friendly or not.

you could feel his eyes on you, practically burning holes into the side of your face, but you just didn’t have it in you to look at him. Heart racing and your stomach feeling lighter by the second, you felt utterly and completely swooned by the tall Gryffindor boy once again.

“Can you look at me?” you hear him ask, feeling his free hand gently force your face in his direction so your E/c eyes meet with his. “What?“ you ask, trying to mask the fact that you were putty in hands at the moment. Dean didn’t respond, only smile widely as his eyes flicker from your eyes to lips.

he couldn’t be asking to, ya know..right? Before you could question it further Dean began to lean in and you found yourself doing the same “We did it!- whoa, what’s going on here?” you almost snapped your spine at how hard you threw yourself back, moving a good five feet away.

“Nothing!“ you and Dean shout at the same time. Dean folded his arms over his chest, coughing awkwardly into his hand. You watch as Neville steps out from behind Seamus, who’s grin is wider then ever before. “As much as i want to indulge in whatever this is, we have to get to our dorms- like right now“

“What, why?“ you ask, giving him a questioning look. “Neville dropped his Gryffindor tie back at the greenhouse so Mcgonagall and Dumbledore are coming to inspect in the house to see if anyone’s awake“ Seamus sighs, walking forward. 

“Good thing it didn’t have my name on it or anything“ Neville smiles sadly before following Seamus to the hall where the dorms were at. “It’s alright Nev“ you send him a warm smile, trying to reassure him. You decided to follow them as well to the dorms “Y/n!“ you hear Dean call out.

thinking fast and stupid, you stretch your arms, letting out a fake yawn “Damn, i’m super tired. I’ll see you guys in the morning!” you push past both Seamus and Neville and speed walk down the hall. You made a beeline down to your dorm and almost ripped your dorm off of it’s hinges trying to open it

but once you do, you take a large step and shut the door behind you

what the fuck just happened?

that night you had laid in bed for almost an hour, thinking about your almost kiss with Dean Thomas. You felt shame, like you had someone forced this situation upon yourself. You liked Dean Thomas yes, but did you imagine that he was going in for a kiss?

eventually when your brain started to hurt too much, you fell asleep without any interruptions that night.

☼-♥-☼

you awoke to the sounds of awful birds chirping outside and roll onto your side, unfortunately though you were already on the edge of your bed and rolled right of the thing, collided with the hard wood floor that made up the ground of your dorm. You knew you should have gotten a damn carpet at that muggle store.

using your elbows, you prop yourself up and push yourself into the sitting position. What a glorious way to start the day you thought before standing on your two feet. Its saturday, which means you didn’t have to get too dressed up just to eat breakfast.

you yawn, not bothering to cover your mouth as you trudge slowly to your closet, swinging the door open. Taking into account that the weather had bit cold recently you pick out a multicolored jumper consisting of brown, beige’s, purple’s, dark blue’s, and whatnot. with a pair of brown overalls.

removing your clothes, you place them in a woven hamper next to the closet, you had taken a shower the previous night before going to bed, but you just ended up sneaking out. Eh- still counts. Once the clothes are on, you walk over to your dresser where your mirror was on the wall and looked in.

you looked tired and like someone who wanted to go back to bed, perfect. Reaching your hand up, you run your hand through your hair, untangling a few knots with your fingers before shaking your head, your hair now looking like in had been through a gust of wind.

also perfect

after that, you go over to the door slipping your shoes on with your feet before turning the knob and opening it. As soon as that wooden door unhinged you remember all the events from last night and internally cringed. God, today was going to be awkward as hell. 

stepping out, you shut the door behind you, not bothering to lock it as you never had a reason to before. Gryffindor house was pretty chill with privacy and whatnot, so you weren’t worried about people coming in and taking your things. 

☼-♥-☼

walking down the stairs to the dungeons, you had a gleeful smile on your face. See, the whole reason you stole mandrakes is because you currently were in a prank war with the Slytherin house, or to be more specific Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson. 

Draco said he could pull better pranks, you said otherwise and that’s pretty much how it started. It had been going on for a few weeks and the mandrakes were your big finale since you knew that ferret couldn’t do anything better. “Oh shit, Theo!” you heard as you took the final step.

you could hear screeching for a few moments before its quickly shut up. Speeding up, you turn the corner to see a group of Slytherins surrounding four passed out students, one of those students being Theodore Nott. “How did mandrakes get all the way down here?” Pansy crossed her arms.

“I don’t-“ Draco spoke, his head turning to spot you with a shit eating grin on “Nevermind“ he exhales before standing up straight and walking over to you “L/n“ he greets, a deadpan expression on his face while you look like you’ve won the lottery. 

“Malfoy, i see you got my gift“

“Oh yeah, my friend Theo was just blown away“ he said, rolling his eyes which only makes you feel more victorious. “Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. It was meant for you” you smile innocently at him. He lets out a bitter chuckle before extending his hand out to you “You win L/n”

you gladly take his hand into yours and shake it “pleasure doing business with you, Malfoy” you say. Draco crack a smile, shaking your hand for a second before then letting go “Surprised to see Thomas isn’t following you, he usually is” he points out.

and there goes a reminder. Your expression visibly dropped “That’s- well, complicated at the moment” your reply spiked Draco’s interest as he leans against the wall “Do tell“ he gestures with his hand to continue. You eye him up and down, your nose cringing.

“Since when did you care about my life?“ you asked, the question sounding a bit harsher then you intended it too. Draco only shrugs “I’m bored, humor me L/n“ you chuckle at his words and shrugged as well. No harm in telling him anything. 

☼-♥-☼

“Wow“ Draco breathed, his grey eyes slightly widened as you finished retelling the embarrassing events of last night “And you just ran off? Don’t think that was a good idea” he adds, turning his head to face you as you both leaned on the wall.

you exhale, a solemn look on your face “I know, i’m just not good with confrontation. I curl up into a ball and clam up, like i can’t speak” you explain. Draco nods along, listening to what you had to say “He’s your best friend, been your best friend for years. Talk to him, avoiding it will make it worst”

“Wow, that actually was helpful. You’ve surprised me Malfoy”  you give hi a mock astonished look, making him roll his eyes. “Yeah whatever, now go away. I have to help them carry Theo back into the common room“ he pushed off the wall, standing straight.

“Tell Theo i’m sorry when he wakes up“ you turn on your heels and begin to walk down the stone hall, taking in a deep breath. Everything was going to be fine, no worries. Nothing at all.

☼-♥-☼

your first thought was to check the courtyard, it’s where you, Blaise, Neville, and Seamus hung out between classes. It was a good place to start. Stepping outside, you feel the gentle cold breeze nip your face causing a light shiver to run up your spine.

wrapping your arms around yourself you walk along the grass until you spot the familiar tree you all sat under. It instantly brought you back to the first time you had sat under it.

--

second year

“Found you“

your head snaps to your left where the voice came from. Dean, out of breath and wiping sweat from his forehead. You looked confused as he took a step towards you “You were looking for me?” you asked, head tilting ever so slightly to the side. 

Dean looks at you like you had just asked a silly question, chuckling “Of course, you seemed upset a lunch as well so i wanted to check up on you” he said, taking a seat next to you in the grass. You avoided looking at him by pulling out blades of grass and ripping them apart.

after an awkward amount of time of silence, mostly on your part, Dean reach for the grass next to your hands and began to pull it out of the earth as well “What’re you doing?” you ask, still looking at the ground. “If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. We can just sit here if that makes you feel better too”

weirdly enough, it did. Just having him sit there made your bad day feel slightly better. You couldn’t explain it, but his presence alone was comforting and made you feel more at ease. “If that’s what you want of course” he adds, his pinky extending out to tap your hand, just light enough not to make you tense.

you couldn’t bring yourself to respond verbally and nodded a few times. You hear Dean hum as he continues to copy what your doing. You both sat in silence and stayed there for an hour or so, just soaking up each others company. 

that was the moment you knew Dean Thomas was a true friend

--

“Y/n!“ you hear a shout, bringing you out of your wholesome memory and back to reality. Seamus and Neville were running up to you with confused looks on there faces “What?“ you say, meeting them halfway. As soon as you were grabbing distance, Seamus places his hands on your shoulders and shakes you

“What are you doing here!?“ he shouts while you feel as if your brain is about to knock off of its stem and kill you “What’re you talking about? and stop shaking me!“ you yank his hands off of you. Seamus rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath like he’s about to talk a lot, and talk a lot he did. 

“So after your almost kiss with Dean he told us by the way, he wanted to talk to you so we told him you’d most likely be in the dungeons giving Malfoy a tongue lashing“ Seamus explained before gasping for air. Neville puts a hand on his mate’s shoulder “He kind of thinks you don’t like him. Never seen him so upset before“

processing on the information you were just given, you thank the both of them and run back into the building. This school was huge, no wonder you didn’t run into Dean on the way back or even see him once. Nonetheless, you were determined to find him.

(Filled with determination- get it? Undertale reference)

☼-♥-☼

it took you a good ten to fifteen minutes to get back to the dungeons. You walked fast paced against the cobble ground until you reached the Slytherin portrait. There stood the familiar faces of Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. They noticed you instantly giving you a confused look.

“Your boyfriend is looking for you“ Pansy snickered, clearly amused by something. You let of a sigh, a hand running through your hair “Yeah i know, do you know where he went?“ you asked, already tired of walking around this shit school. 

just kidding, Dumbledore if you could here there thoughts, they’re kidding 

“We told him you were going to potions“ Draco said which floored you because why in Godric’s name would he say that. The Slytherin boy seemed to catch your confusion and gave you a ‘are you dumb?’ look. “Yesterday, in class, you offered to help Snape organize the stockroom?”

oh shit

you let out what can only be described as a sound of frustration as you realized you were going to be murdered by Snape before you could ever find Dean. You wished that you could apparate, but it was against school rules to apparate inside the school, aka as soon as you would do it, it would teleport you to Dumbledore’s office instead. 

funny enough you could apparate from outside to inside the school with zero repercussions. The rule was ancient and so was Dumbledore, you had a feeling it wouldn’t change in your life time. “Right, thanks. I have to go” you say and give them a lazy wave. 

“Go get your man Y/n! Then tell me all about it!“ you heard Pansy shout as you walk away. 

☼-♥-☼

twelve minutes to get to potions. As soon as you pushed open the door you let the string of apologies fly “I’m so sorry Professor Snape, i completely forgot about helping out- Today has been super stressful and-” you were cut off by Snape himself. 

“Silence, your....friend already told me all about your little issue as much as i didn’t want to hear it. Your free to deal with your teenage drama as long as it’s away from my classroom” he lifts his hand up, gesturing for you to go away like he requested. 

he was surprisingly understanding, which was weird

“Oh um- Thank you, professor. May i ask where Dean said he was off to?“ You asked, fully knowing you might be pushing your luck and his sudden kindness. Snape sighs, dramatically you’d like to add “He didn’t say or he did and i didn’t care enough to listen“

“Right uh, thank you anyway. Goodbye Professor“ you laugh nervously. That quick kindness had run out. Snape only grumbles and you take that moment to walk out the classroom, feeling that little bubble of stress you usually got from talking to Snape fade away.

taking a few steps back you look at the potions door, god you’ve hated that class since first year. Potions were never your strong suit, you were more into astronomy or herbology. Snape never made it any better with his attitude,but he had always been like that.

fifth year was probably the worse

--

fifth year

it was the beginning of your fifth year and one of your earlier classes was potions. What a dreadful way to start the morning. Today you were instructed to brew a draught of peace, which was currently bringing you anything but peace at the moment.

you just couldn’t understand the instructions. Like at all. It was supposed to be a turquoise blue color when finished, but kept turning a dark purple instead. You only had about half an hour to get it right or you were going to fail your first potions lesson for the year.

at one point you got so frustrated, you slammed the ladle on the table but it was already pretty noisy, so no one really turned there head at the noise. “Someone’s cranky” you heard a snicker beside you, which you knew well enough to know it belonged to Dean Thomas.

“Try frustrated, i have to be the dumbest wizard in the entire wizarding world to not get this“ you sigh, crossing your arms as you stare at the dark purple liquid, the mere sight of it mocked your livelihood. Dean shook his head, stifling some laughter as he grabbed the handles of your cauldron.

“You continue to pout while i go dump this”

pout? you weren’t pouting. You rolled your eyes as he comes back, placing the cauldron back down onto your work space “Alright so you added all the ingredients right, but your stirring it to much and the wrong way“ he spoke as he added all the ingredients back in.

once he tilts the mortar and pestle, pouring the crushed unicorn hair into the liquid he smiles warmly “Alright now grab the ladle” he instructs and you, begrudgingly do so. Dean nods and moves to step behind you. As you go to turn around Dean places his hands on your arms, keeping them in place.

you tense almost instantly as his hands travel down your clothed arms until they rest on your own hands. He’s literally pressed against you, not rough or anything like that though. His head moved off to the side a bit “You stir like this” he begins to move your hand with his in the correct motion.

 you honestly didn’t know how to feel.

as he slowly stirred the magical liquid he says something else to you “It’s okay to get frustrated, it’s also okay to ask for help. I’m here if you need me Y/n” he spoke and let go for hand, which suddenly felt a whole lot colder then it did a second ago.

Dean returns back to your side and smiles proudly once he looks into the cauldron “See, easy” he says. You pull out the ladle and look in to see that beautiful turquoise color you had waited to see the entire class period. Thank Godric, actually thank Dean. Speaking of that.

“Thanks Dean, i was about ready to pull out my hair“ you joke, placing your hands on the table. Dean chuckles and places on of his hands on top of yours. You tensed again, feeling light and warm as the pad of his thumb rubs the skin of your hand. “Like i said, i’m here for you, in any and every way possible“

his words made you feel even lighter if that was possible as you tried to contain a bright smile

that was the moment you knew you liked Dean Thomas

--

you sigh, pulling yourself out of your happy memory. How were you going to find Dean?

☼-♥-☼

late evening 

after leaving Snape’s class you, funny enough, kept running into Seamus and Neville who kept pointing you into different directions or places. You were quite literally running around the school like a lunatic. Your current location was the library and library you went. 

since you were absolutely terrified of Madam Pince, you made sure you cautiously open the door as you walk in as well as closing it. Looking around, you don’t see any familiar faces which had you already feeling doubtful, but you still had to look behind the tall bookshelves. 

you decided to take the left side first and begin to walk through the middle isle with haste as you look around. No, nope, nothing, and disappointed. Jumping off the astronomy tower looked appealing at the moment. Alright, other side. You walked with the same fast pace, checking behind each shelf. 

after about four rows, you come face to face with a freckled boy, causing you to jump back “Godric” you put your hand over your heart like an old man about to have a heart attack. “Ron, your ugly face is scaring students” you heard a male voice say.

wait, did he just say Ron?

you take a few steps back, yeah that was them. You first friends at Hogwarts. You saw them almost every week, but haven’t talked to them since your first year at Hogwarts. This was gonna be awkward, you could already tell. “Sorry ‘bout him, I’m Harry and these are my friends Hermione and Ron”

Ron steps back to stand next to Hermione. They all looked at you like your a new person they have never met before. You honestly didn’t know how to react. On one hand, it was kind of funny they didn’t recognize you. On the other hand, it felt kinda shitty.

you force out a bitter laugh, shaking your head “I- I’m floored that you don’t remember me and as funny as it is, i’m looking for someone” you say, about to excuse yourself from this mind numbing situation. “Wait! We know you?” Hermione cuts in, raising her hand a bit.

exhaling, you nod “It’s me. Y/n, Y/n L/n” you introduce yourself, like all those years ago. Watching there eyes widen one by one almost made you laugh “Oh my, Y/n. It’s been so long” Hermione smiles nervously. As evil as it was, you were kind of enjoying the awkwardness.

“Yeah it has, lovely to see you lot. Lets get together next decade where you can forget me all over again“ you had to admit, it was kind of mean but you were busy at the moment. “Wait Y/n, can we talk?“ Harry steps towards you, a look of shame on his face. Good.

did you really want to hear some shitty apology? You didn’t want them or blame them either. You were eleven year olds and children loose friends all the time. There wasn’t any deeper meaning, at least to you there wasn’t, but some part of you wanted to know why? Why were you abandoned?

“I have a lot going on right now, so make it quick Potter“

Harry smiles as he gestures for you to sit down at the table they were currently residing in. You follow him and take the seat across from the other three. Hermione, Ron, and Harry all sit down, looking as nervous and anxious as ever while you were tapping your foot against the ground, impatiently.

“We wanted to say we were sorry, for how we treated you in first year“ Harry starts, the other two nodding along. “Can i get a reason? If you didn’t want to be my friend you could of just told me. Instead you left me alone“ you fold your arms over your chest, already wanting this to be over with. 

“You changed“ Hermione said. You expression shifted to confusion, scoffing “I changed? How?“ you asked. Godric it was a bad idea to listen to these guys. “You started hanging out with Malfoy, he turned you into some kind of menace. All you two did was pull tricks on each other back and forth“

okay so maybe this wasn’t the first prank war you’ve had with Malfoy

and it wont be the last either

“Seriously, you dropped me because i hung out with Draco? Yeah he’s a bit of an asshole, but he’s just all bark no bite“ you shrug your shoulders, maybe you were bias since you guys had been ‘friends’ for awhile now if you could call each other that.

“He’s a Slytherin“ Ron chimes in, looking as if he’s disgusted to say the word. “Ron” Harry warned, whacking his friends arm. Oh you were so not doing this house variably bullshit. Okay, maybe you had a ‘house prank war’ but that was all in good fun.

“I’m done here, i think i dodged a bullet with avoiding you guys all these years“ pushing off of your chair, you stand up ready to leave. Harry stands up the second you do “Sorry about them and they both can have there own opinions, but i know what we did was wrong and i just wanted to say i’m sorry“

looking at Harry, you could tell he was being genuine. Well at least one of them was. “Thanks Potter, now i have to go find someone” you try to make your escape again when you hear footsteps behind you. Stopping you see Harry at your side “Yes?”

“Who’re you looking for, maybe I've seen them?“ He offers. You assumed he was trying to be helpful as an apology. “Dean Thomas, know him?“ you ask, watching as his eyebrows furrow “Yeah but haven’t seen him- wait, it’s curfew in twenty minutes“

“Yeah, so?“

“He’s a Gryffindor, which means he’s heading back to the common room right this moment“ Harry points out, a light smile on his face. Your eyes widen and you throw your arms around the boy. You feel Harry tense, but still wrap his arms around you “Your a genius Potter“

“It’s common sense?“ he looks confused as you pull away from him. You tell him goodbye and that you two could catch up on a later date. 

☼-♥-☼

you push through students on the staircase who were trying to the Gryffindor common room as well. Once you make it to the top, a student in front of you whispers the password “Dilligrout” the portrait opened and a wave of students filed in. 

someone shoulder checked you when you made it in yourself, but you were to preoccupied with finding your friend? Crush? Person you had a crush on...yeah that works. All the students who came in had immediately filed down the hall to go to the dorms. 

silence took over and once again you were in a empty room, your shoulder dropping a bit “Found you” that familiar voice breathed out. You spin on your feet to see Dean Thomas leaning against the wall, huffing as he reached to wiped sweat that had gathered on his forehead. 

“You were looking for me?” you quipped back, obviously joking. Dean seems to catch on rather quickly and flashes a grin “Of course, you seemed upset after last night” he tells you, your expression dropping at the mention of the night before. He notices.

stepping forward, he takes your hand in his, gently leading you to the sofa. That cursed sofa. Once you both take a seat Dean clears his throat, his hand still intertwined with yours “How’re you feeling?” he asked, a worry glint in his eyes. Of course that’s the first question he asked. 

“Nervous, anxious, something like that, but also scared“ you admit, while your free hand scratches the side of your neck. “What would you have to scared off?“ Dean had a sympathetic smile on his face, one that you had seen many times before.

you chuckle, thinking that what you were going to say had been the most obvious thing in the world. “That your going to stop being my friend because we almost kissed?” you said, but it sounded more like a question instead of a statement. 

a, what you would call dramatic sigh escapes Dean’s mouth “I’m the one who initiated the kiss Y/n. I wanted it because i hoped you wanted the same thing, you do, right?” his voice wavers a bit, his confidence dropping with every word. 

“Yes, i have for a long time” you confess. Dean’s smile was a mile long as he lifts your hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to your knuckles “I wish we told each other this last night instead on running around to find each other all day” you both laugh at the situation.

“Yeah, now that i think about it. I could of sent you a howler” you say, exhaling loudly. How come you didn’t think of that sooner “Yeah, i guess we both didn’t think much” Dean then scoots closer to you on the sofa, his hand still holding your gently. 

not having the courage to speak, you simply sit there as Dean lets go of your hand and cups your face instead. Your breath hitched as you feel his thumbs moving up and down each temple on the side of your head. He still had that dopey smile on his face too.

after what feels like forever, Dean closes the gap between you both, kissing you softly. His head tilts to the left as he continues to kiss you. You swore you could feel everything in you become as light as a feather. Kissing Dean Thomas was something else.

a couple more seconds pass by before he pulls away, a smug grin gracing his face “can we take this to my dorm? We’ve gathered an audience” his eyes glanced to the right of you. Turning your head in his hands, you see Neville and Seamus

“Do you all mind?“

“No, keep going“ Seamus waved with his hand, smiling at you both. Dean rolls his eyes as he stands up from the couch, grabbing your hand to drag you along with him. “We’re so happy it worked out“ Neville had a gleeful look on his face as Dean dragged you past them.

“Try to keep things quiet in there lovebirds!“ Seamus calls out as you and Dean walk down the hall. You scoff, shaking your head. Seamus was something else. Once you both reach Dean’s door, he opens it, allowing you to step inside “No promises!“ he yells before stepping inside himself and shutting it.

covering your mouth, you laugh into the back of your hand until what he said registers in your mind “Wait what?”

☼-♥-☼

Kody- It’s been a hot minute ngl. Um- i’m trying to find a regular schedule update every month, but honestly something called sleep and depression has been kicking my ass. Hope you enjoy this fic..requests are open. Anyways, peace. 

☼-♥-☼

Join My Taglist Here!

@high-ashell-hargrove @dracosathenaeum @queeriacs @andineverwould

[r0zyp0zy0zy]

Haikyuu!! Prompt list trial

HQ!! Prompt list

Words: 3000+ {oops it was meant to be 1000}

Warnings: smut! First time, nervous Yamaguchi, Tsukki bein a wingman?

Pairing: Yamaguchi Tadashi x FEM!reader

Prompt(s): 1 & 4

PART 2 IS HERE

I LOST THE ASK!! But I did copy it down so.. also this was A LOT longer than I intended

"heh, you're awfully close— a-are we going to kiss now?" And "AH! I'm sorry, I'm sorry— I didn't mean to!" With Yamaguchi please? (I was thinking maybe a first-time scenario mayhaps? It's ok if it's not!) thanks!

Yamaguchi never thought that he would be in this situation, ever. To be fair, it was mostly Tsukkishima's fault that this was about to happen. Yamaguchi probably should've kept his mouth shut about being jealous that Tsukki had lost his virginity, mostly because he forgot that Tsukki had no shame asking girls for sex; and also that he would do it for Yamaguchi. He honestly didn't even know how Tsukishima had convinced someone to hook up with Yamaguchi of all people.

"So remember when you told me you wanted to lose your virginity?" Tsukki picked at his lunch with a cheeky grin on his face.

"...yes? Why, it's not that big of a deal." Yamaguchi replied, scared of what his best friend was about to say to him.

"I got someone who wants to help you lose it," Tsukishima quirked a brow as he took a bite of his salad. "You interested?"

Yamaguchi choked on his sandwich, and he had to take a few minutes to get his food down his throat, "you- you what?!"

"Quiet, unless you want everyone in the cafeteria to know you wanna get laid," the blonde said carelessly. "So do you want to or not?"

"I-I..." Tadashi was speechless, trying to spit out a 'yes! Please yes!'. "Er, who is it?"

"Y/n," Tsukki smirked, watching his friend's mouth drop open in shock. "Careful, you'll attract flies."

"Y-you didn't straight up say that I wanted to have sex, right?!" Yamaguchi whispered.

"Nah, I just said that my buddy Yamaguchi hasn't lost his virginity yet and that I wanted to do him a favour because he's too shy and hopeless to talk to girls," Tsukishima mused. He watched the green haired boy in front of him have an existential crisis in the span of a few seconds before he gripped the sides of his own face.

"Is this real? You're not pranking me, right? You're not that much of an asshole," Yamaguchi worried in disbelief, crossing his fingers praying that his luck shone through.

"I wouldn't do that to you," Tsukishima reassured, "Hinata and Kageyama... maybe."

"Holy shit," Tadashi exasperated, "I hope to god that she's not pitying me. Or even worse! She'll come over and she'll make fun of me!"

"She will if you're into that," Tsukishima finished the last of his salad.

"You're not helping," Yamaguchi pouted, "I'm really worried."

"Yams, if I thought that she would do that than I wouldn't've asked her. Y'know, she told me that she thinks you're cute," The blonde packed up his lunch containers, "she also said that you're very sweet."

"What?!" Yamaguchi's eyes were as wide as saucers. Did she really? Is that really what she thinks of me?

"Yes. Pack up your shit, the bell's about to go," Tsukki pressed, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

So now Tadashi was in his bathroom a few hours before you were supposed to come over, his dad's electric razor in hand. He didn't exactly know how to angle his body so he could catch the falling hair on a paper towel, so he just sat himself on the toilet with his mum's vanity mirror propped on a stool.

Once Yamaguchi eventually managed to trim up, (with an unusually long 'is that what it looks like?' period of discovery), he took a shower and made sure he didn't smell. He scrubbed the hell out of his nails, and brushed his teeth squeaky clean. As he nervously awaited your arrival, he cleaned up his room and made his bed. He blushed as he laid out several condoms that Tsukki had given him, remembering the other day where he had to test them to make sure that they fit.

Yamaguchi eyed himself up and down in his mirror, trying to figure out what he should wear, (which he normally wasn't worried about at all). Should I wear boxers or briefs... will she even know the difference between the two? Should I wear a belt, or would that be too much work? Is a button-up a bit too formal for this event? Yes, ok T-shirt time.

The minutes leading up to your appearance made Yamaguchi sick to his stomach, and he tried to calm his nerves by taking deep breaths. Would he be too scrawny for her? Maybe his dick was small and he just didn't know it? Now that he thinks about it, are his nipples a bit weird? He attempted to flatten the cowlick on the top of his head, but it wouldn't comply. A 'ding' from Tadashi's phone makes him freeze, and he glanced over to peer at the screen.

Y/n: I'm here! I didn't know if I should've knocked or not

Yams: I'll be right there! One moment

Yamaguchi dropped his phone and grabbed one of his pillows before screaming into it. He delicately set it back down, and he made his way to the front door. He was lucky that his dad was working late, and that his mum was away to visit a sick relative. Otherwise, he would have a very hard time explaining your presence to them.

"Hi!" Tadashi said breathlessly as he opened the door to his home, eyes meeting with your e/c ones. God, were you beautiful.

"Hello," you replied shyly, playing with the straps of your bag.

"Come on in," Yamaguchi's chest felt tight as you took off your shoes and put on the guest slippers.

He led you to the living room, unsure if he should take you to his room so soon. He went off to prepare some tea, and his mind swirled dizzily. The two of you barley talked at school, and the past week of getting to know you over text just made Yamaguchi fall for you harder. He swallowed a lump in his throat, and brought the tea tray to the living room with shaky hands.

"Uh, I wasn't sure what you liked, so I hope blackberry is fine..." Tadashi rubbed the back of his neck, eyeing the carpet with piqued interest.

"It's fine!" You smiled gently, pulling your cup closer to you. "So anything that you want to talk about before uh, the main event?"

Yamaguchi was glad he hadn't taken a sip of his tea, because he would've sputtered like an idiot if he did, "uhm, n-not really? I'm j-just really nervous, so please take care."

"Of course! We'll go as slow as you want, no worries," you reassured, taking a sip of your tea, "y-you do have condoms, right?"

Yamaguchi stuttered again, "y-yeah". God he was awkward, getting embarrassed over damn latex.

The two of you did some studying to loosen the mood, and Tadashi started to feel just a little bit more relaxed. It was English you were studying, and since you were a speaker you helped him immensely.

"I know, i's and e's together are tricky, even for me. Most of the time the 'i' is before the 'e', but English can be a dickhead sometimes and it'll be the opposite," you leaned over the table to him as you corrected a few of his words. "But other than that, it looks great!"

Tadashi blushed at the praise, and thanked you quietly. He had to take a few moments so he could breathe normally again as he wasn't used to you being so close. His flush reddened tenfold when he noticed that your shirt seemed to have gotten pulled down a bit, exposing some of your breasts to him. He took a sharp intake of breath as he forced himself to look away.

"It's fine, Yama-kun," you giggled. "You can look all you want."

"S-sorry!" He apologized, embarrassed that you had caught him.

"C'mon, you can take a closer look," you pushed your chair back as you stood up to lean towards him, your shirt complying with gravity.

Tadashi was too flustered to speak, let alone look away from the eyeful you were giving him. You used one hand to grip both of his cheeks to pull him forward, causing him to stand up too. You guided his face so he was level to your boobs, and smiled bashfully when he let out the smallest whimper. You pulled his head up to yours, and you leaned in so your noses were almost touching.

"Heh, you're awfully close— a-are we going to k-kiss now?" Yamaguchi gulped nervously at the thought of your lips on his, and he inwardly groaned in annoyance that he was already getting hard.

"If you want to~," you smiled invitingly at him with your pretty e/c eyes as you touched noses with him.

"O-ok," he gulped, blinking harshly because of nerves.

You closed the gap and pressed your soft lips on his, kissing him slowly with purpose. You pulled away for a moment before going back in for a second taste, and you trailed your fingers down Yamaguchi's torso until you reached his waist. You gripped him gently, slowly riding your hands higher and lower. A gasp left his lips once you pulled away, and his cheeks were ferociously flushed.

"H-holy..." Tadashi mumbled, his lips still tingling from your kisses. "I didn't think it would feel so good."

"D'you mind if we head over to your room now?" You asked, chest still rising and falling a little unevenly from the kiss.

Tadashi gulped nervously as he led you to his bedroom up the stairs, trying to hide his erection so you wouldn't make fun of him for getting hard so fast. Once he locked the door behind you, he looked back to his bed where you were sitting, taking off your necklace and placing it on his side table, taking care not to tangle it. You encouraged him to come over with a beckoning of your hand, and patted beside you with the other.

"C'mon Yams don't be shy, take a seat. I won't bite," you smiled warmly at him. "Unless you want me to."

Tadashi blushed as he walked over, plopping down beside you. You turned to face him and tilted your head to indicate that you wanted to give him another kiss, he leaned closer and you gently held his face. He let out a soft whimper once your mouths collided again, and gripped the sheets under him tightly.

"Touch me, Yams," you moaned into his mouth, and Tadashi thought that he was going to pass out at your words.

He anxiously reached out his hands to grip your waist, and squeaked in surprise when you groaned against his lips, opening your mouth and gliding your tongue across his lower lip. Tadashi let your tongue graze against his, and his whole body shivered at the unfamiliar sensation. The green-haired boy tensed when he felt your hand drop from his face to his chest, which was rising and falling quickly and unevenly.

"You alright? Still want to keep going?" You asked breathlessly, toying with the neck of his T-shirt.

"Hmng," Yamaguchi struggled to formulate a sentence, "y-yes please."

"Using your manners at a time like this? You're so cute, Yams," you cooed, gliding your hand down his torso, giving him a peck on the lips as you continued down to his belt.

"C-call me Tadashi," said the young man, blushing profusely, "p-please."

"You're so cute, Ta~da~shi~," you whispered in his ear, sliding a hand between his thighs.

Yamaguchi moaned as your hand drew agonizingly closer to the strain in his jeans, desperately trying not to rut upward into your touch.

You looked into his half-lidded eyes, purring, "can I touch you, Tadashi?"

"Yes," he answered, too quick for his liking. He inwardly cringed at his eagerness, but it was soon forgotten once you trailed a finger over his clothed cock. "Hah~," he squeaked.

You took ahold of one of his hands and brought it up to your breast, squeezing it for him lightly. Apprehensively Tadashi slowly started to knead it, bringing his other hand to cup your opposite breast. He was very gentle with your assets, taking care not to clutch too harshly on the soft mounds. Tadashi had almost forgotten that your hand laid on his thigh, until you firmly gripped his package.

"Hmmgh," Yamaguchi moaned against your mouth, leaning forwards as you leaned backwards to separate your lips. He was about to apologize, for what he didn't really know, but shut up as you peeled your shirt off your body. He had dreams of this happening, and now that it was real he didn't know what to do. Tadashi blushed furiously as you gripped your own boobs, pinching at your clothed nipples.

You peered at him expectantly, but noticing his cocked head you bowed forward and grasped the hem of his shirt. Tadashi felt foolish at the fact that he forgotten he had to take his clothes off as well, and he warily helped you lift his shirt over his head. The boy huffed anxiously as your eyes drawled across his torso, his head starting to spin with embarrassment and insecurity.

"S-sorry if i-it's not what you h-hoped for," Tadashi heaved, shoving down the hot tears that were building up inside of him. He rubbed his arms as if to warm himself, cowering in apprehensiveness.

"Oh Tadashi, you're exactly what I hoped for," you hummed lowly, trailing your hands down your body to rid yourself of your pants/skirt. He gulped in relief and arousal, watching carefully as you rubbed up and down your torso, occasionally playing with the hem of your undies.

You reached forward to grab his belt, undoing it with a jingle. You threw it onto the floor and dove back down to unbutton Tadashi's jeans, licking your lips in excitement. Just the sight alone made him groan, feeling as though he could cum any second. He watched you with wide, curious eyes when you slowly unzipped his pants. You grinned wildly once you finally rid Yamaguchi of his pants, and gently palmed him through his boxers.

"M-maybe you shouldn't do t-that," Tadashi stuttered as you continued to rub his clothed, twitching cock. "I- I don't wanna f-finish too fast and then we c-can't, uh, y'know..."

You hummed in understanding, and slid away from the dark haired boy. Tadashi awaited the reveal of your breasts as you teasingly struggled with your bra, and you saw him lean in a little closer. He watched in awe as you exposed your tits to him, continuing down to your underwear. Yamaguchi gulped when you peeled them off, staring at the slick string of your juices connecting you to the piece of clothing.

Tadashi was frozen in place as he watched you slowly spread your legs open, giving him a show of teasing yourself. In all honesty it looked like he was about to faint from the lack of blood in his face, but that quickly changed when you softly moaned his name. A whimper escaped his lips and he rutted forward into the air, feeling the blush creep quickly onto his cheeks again.

You breathed deeply as you slowly spread yourself open, carefully inserting a finger, and then another one a moment later. You felt so aroused that you didn't think you even needed preparation; still in a little bit of shock that, oh god your crush was in front of you with a painfully hard erection looking at you as if you were the whole world. The fact that you had scored this opportunity was incredible, and you still couldn't believe it.

You met Tadashi's eyes and slipped your slick fingers in your mouth to suck them clean, observing his awed expression, "wanna taste?" You asked sultry, dipping your fingers back into your heat.

Yamaguchi's eyes were the widest they had been all night, and a strangled nod of his head let you scooch forward to him. He nervously opened his mouth, poking out his tongue to suck on your fingers. You felt your cunt clench desperately at the sight in front of you, and you sighed a moan. You took Tadashi's hands in yours and leant backward onto his pillows, letting him trap you with his arms beside your head.

"Hah— f-fuck," Tadashi choked out, grinding his still clothed cock on your thigh. "P-please~."

"Take off your underwear, 'Dashi," you murmured hotly to him, trailing your hands down his back to his waistband.

He struggled with the article of clothing before throwing them to the floor, blushing profusely once he realized that he was completely exposed to you. A groan was ripped from Tadashi's chest when you gave him a few pumps, reaching out with your other hand to grab a condom.

"Are you ready?" You asked. "You can back out at anytime, no judgment."

"F-fuck yes," Tadashi stammered, shakily rolling the thin latex on his fluttering cock.

He let you take charge, taking a deep breath when you grasped his dick and guided him slowly inside of you. Tadashi's mouth widened into an 'O' as he sank deeper into your hot pussy, taking the air from his lungs. A low groan rumbled in his chest, and he gripped the sheets tightly. He couldn't move, he realized. If he moves, he cums. Game over.

"I-I-," Tadashi gasped, struggling to find the right words. "T-tight."

"You can move, Tadashi," you encouraged, trying not to clench around him.

So he did, wanting to impress you somehow. His abs tensed painfully as he fiercely held in his orgasm, slowly dragging back and forth. He heard himself whimpering and he was scared that he was going to start crying. Your reassuring moans didn't help Tadashi from his sensitive state and he cried out as he came, shaking as he emptied his load into the condom.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry— I didn't mean to!" He panicked, lip trembling as he ridiculed himself for being so embarrassing. He hid his face from your gaze by locking his eyes on your chest, focusing all his energy on not crying.

"It's ok! It's ok, don't worry," you soothed, a little surprised at Tadashi's reaction. "There's always a next time," you added shyly, blush deepening.

"—n-next time..?"

[startanewdream]

Captain Potter

Summary: Lily Evans has a secret that the army cannot know and it doesn't help that her captain is trying to be her friend.

Note: So I was watching Mulan and it's Shirtless JP May and this got me into googling shirtless army man, so please enjoy this piece of very much self-indulgence set in another AU. Also, I have no knowledge of military ranks, so bear with me.

Read on AO3 or below:

‘Evans’, the captain calls, and Lily turns to him, slightly afraid as she always feels when she hears her name. Maybe this is the day her secret will be found, this is the day she will be expelled and will fall in disgrace —

But Captain Potter has one of his carefree trademark grins, none at all looking as if he is about to arrest her. He looks at ease, leaning against one of the training posts, arms crossed lazily, watching her with interest shining in his hazel eyes as if she is a puzzle he will understand someday.

Lily truly wishes he won't, so she avoids looking at him directly in the eyes.

‘Captain’, she answers at least, saluting. That seems to amuse him.

‘I have a name, you know’.

‘Hum’, she stops, unsure. Her interactions with the captain have been restricted — well, her interactions with everyone have been limited —, but she has watched him from afar.

He is young and yet he never tries to act bossy with all the other soldiers, never tries to impose himself. He may have a more affinity with three of the soldiers (his friends for a long time, as she gathered), but he tries to treat everyone fairly, encouraging and teaching all soldiers equally, from the weakest of them to the strongest, and it’s not hard for her to see why everyone is willing to follow him into battle. The only one that he hadn’t been able to reach some sort of relationship was with her.

Something that had fit Lily’s plans and worries very well.

‘Captain Potter?’, she tries.

‘I am someone besides a rank’, he suggests.

‘Mr. Potter’.

‘That would be my father. I am James ’, he says at least, as if she is unfamiliar with the name of the youngest captain of the army.

‘I know , but — it would not be proper —’

‘Liam’, he stops her and, just as anytime someone uses that name, Lily wants to look around searching for that person until she remembers her situation. ‘Can I call you Liam?’

‘I’d rather Evans’, she answers, grimacing, and when he looks dismayed, she adds quickly: ‘It’s how everyone calls me. Not… it’s more personal, really’.

‘Fine, Evans’. He grins again. It’s a beautiful smile, so open and inviting, that again Lily has no difficulty understanding the success he makes with all the other soldiers, why their unity is unanimous in praising him. There is something on him that draws people to him — her included. ‘Well, call me James. I can order you to if it will make it more proper’.

Lily lets out a laugh before she stops herself, biting her lips, worried. She shouldn’t laugh; though she can disguise her voice mildly well, her laugh is too thin, too sparkling. It’s not a man’s grave laugh.

Fortunately, the captain doesn’t seem to find anything amiss. He looks just… glad with her reaction.

‘So you are capable of laughing’, he notes teasingly. ‘I had my doubts, you know’.

‘There has never been an occasion, Cap — James ’.

He opens his mouth in an offended expression; it’s so dramatic that, again, she wants to laugh. ‘I beg your pardon? Yesterday, when someone — a very clever someone, I might add — pretended to be shot by an arrow? That was an occasion!’

‘Wasn’t that you?’, she asks, raising her eyebrows. It had been a long tense one minute in which one of the other soldiers, Sirius, had been sure he had shot by mistake the captain and his best friend before James had revealed himself alive, laughing hysterically and showing the fake arrow attached to his badge.

Sirius had punched him, all rank forgotten, but then he was laughing too and everyone thought it was hilarious.

‘It was fun ’.

‘It was terrifying’.

‘Oh, so you were terrified I’d died?’, he jokes, his grin now very smug. ‘And I thought you didn’t like me’.

Lily blushes, lowering her head and hoping he hadn’t noticed it. Truth was she had misjudged him on the first day, annoyed by the way he acted with that captain badge pinned on his chest. He came from a long family of militars, after all, and he was very young, no matter what his father would praise about his grades in military school, so she had truly believed he didn’t deserve to be a captain, that he had only got there for his family name.

In the last few weeks, though, she was forced to admit he was a good captain. He had the vision for it, good ideas, an efficient way of training everyone and, of course, he was a leader.

‘I have nothing against you, sir — James’.

‘I’m glad to know’, he says, sounding earnest. ‘I am worried about you, you know’.

‘Have I done something wrong?’, she asks, surprised, fear involving her again. Lily had taken care of doing all exercises, overworking herself, all to prove that that stupid rule that forbid women in the army did not make any sense. They needed everyone in the fight against Voldemort, after all, and she would not wait patiently, especially when people like her were one of his targets.

‘No, no, you’ve been perfect, really, no one dedicates as much as you’, he assures her. ‘But you don’t socialize. You stay quiet during dinner. You don’t participate in any of the games', he pauses, before adding again dramatically: 'You don’t laugh at my pranks!’

All of it is true. Lily has purposefully gotten away from everyone, afraid they would notice something different about her, though that quiet soldier, Remus, had tried to talk to her. She just feels she can't risk.

‘I do not think it’s time for pranks, James’, she answers, deciding the last point was probably the easiest.

He shakes his head. ‘We are at war, Evans. If we don’t laugh now, we may not laugh after’.

She supposes he is right. And even though he enjoys more pranks than she thinks it’s reasonable, she knows he worries too. More than once, when she is on guard duty, she has noticed the light of his tent is on very late in the night. James may look carefree with everyone else, but he has concerns about the war — and what lies in his shoulder.

‘Your work has been impeccable’, he adds quietly. ‘I just want you to get to know more of your colleagues and for them to know more about you’. Lily presses her lips, hoping her worry doesn’t show on her face. That was all she was trying to avoid. ‘You will need to count on them in the battlefield and they will need to know you have their backs too. And the only way to do that is if we trust each other. Can we do that?’

James is waiting for her answer, his eyes boring into hers firmly, and Lily can’t turn away now. In the light of the morning, with the sun shining on his face, his hazel eyes seem to glint in gold, the pupil barely visible. He has wrinkles on the side of his eyes, and she suddenly wishes they weren’t meeting in the army while she is pretending to be an introverted thin young man.

He seems the kind of guy she would like to meet in college, or to grow up together with, or even in a dancing club with her friends; they would talk and she could be then fully herself, could share with him her witty side and even help him in a prank or two. In that other life she would appreciate how nice and beautiful he is, with that black hair that’s always messy no matter how much he tries to comb, and those hazel eyes that were made for laughing, not to be worried for the war.

But that’s not her life and she is sure that if he ever finds out about her, he will hate her. Somehow, with how much she has learned to admire him in the last weeks, she fears his rejection more than she fears being expelled from the army.

Lily knows she would trust James Potter with her life, knows she would do her duty and die for him if it was needed, and yet she also knows she can't ever tell him  her secret.

So she does what she has been doing best ever since she joined the army.

‘We can trust each other’, she lies.

He beams. ‘Great, Evans! And I thought we could start sharing your mourning runs’. He raises one eyebrow when she looks surprised. ‘I’ve noticed you awake at dawn to run’.

‘I like to train’, she admits. ‘I am… thinner than the others, so I am trying to get fitter’.

‘You look a lot better’, he compliments, touching her arm, where her biceps have been evolving nicely. It’s a pat, a soft brush, and yet it sends shivers down Lily’s spine; his hand is warm . ‘Mind if I join you?’

She hesitates just a little. ‘I will stay quiet’, she warns him. ‘I like to think while I run’.

‘Works for me. And if you want to share a thought or another, well, I’m here, Evans’.

He winks at her, again so friendly that she turns her eyes away, wishing she could tell him the truth. But she can’t, so she presses her lips, ties the ribbon around her hair so the bun stays in place, and kneels to make sure her shoes are tied. Then she raises and her heart stops for a full second.

James has taken out his shirt. She knows he is fit — there is no way he can’t be with all the years of training he had — and she has seen before shirtless, but only when she was far away in the line, hoping to get unnoticed as she trained the movements.

Now, it’s only him, his tanned skin glistening under the morning sun, a god coming out of her dreams. She is staring and she knows it, but there is no way she can avoid it; weeks at the army have made her lost a lot of discomfourt around men's body, but this... This doesn't seem fair.

She watches the muscles in his arms, his biceps far more evident than hers will ever be, and it suddenly occurs to Lily that she would like very much to feel them around her, involving her, holding her. There would be only benefits in hugging him, she realizes, as her eyes move to his torso, enjoying the firmness of his chest and the muscles in his abdomen, a six pack that seems drawn perfectly. In his arms, she would glide her hand through his chest, would place a kiss over his heart and then she would raise her head and they would be so close —

And then James stretches his arms, raising them above his head, and she notices the hair on his torso, a few patches near his chest that shine with a few drops of sweat she wouldn’t mind drying, and then the darked patch over his abdomen, in a path that goes on vanishing inside…

When she finds herself staring at his pants, Lily decides she has crossed more limits that it's reasonable.

She turns, all her concentration in avoiding glancing at him again, though she feels it's fruitless. The sight of him seems to be recorded in her mind. He will appear on her dream, she is sure of it.

‘Everything all right, Evans?’, he asks, right behind her, and she jumps. 'You look red'.

Lily knows it; her face is hot, burning even before she has started to run, and she won’t fool herself pretending she doesn’t know the reason.

‘I'm fine, let’s go’, she answers quickly, heart racing in her chest. This was a horrible idea; mourning runs with her very gorgeous hot captain will do no good for her keeping her secret.

She sprints without warning, but he catches up with her easily. She keeps her eyes ahead. Don't look, don't stare, don't ogle.

‘There is something special about you, Evans’, he declares, the run not seeming to disturb his breathing. ‘I will find out one day’.

[oyasuminto]

I'm sorry I'm sending a lot of asks (kinda also holidays ones too), but you think Strade and Ren celebrate Halloween?

While Strade is violent and half the things he does is already horror, he does let Ren have some chill time with anime and nice shampoos and stuff, so maybe they'd celebrate it. though that might be another excuse for Strade to have more novel ways of being horrible, whether that be from snuff films or being violent. I don't know if Strade would have have trick or treaters though, since he might not wanna look more sus than he already does. Idk if giving kids candy would make him look more or less sus, but maybe he would like to scare them in chill ways that are nothing like he actually is.

Though maybe after Strade got yeeted did Ren maybe celebrate Halloween and got into costumes and stuff, since he would being safe while doing so.

Side note: Lawrence really be watching as everyone starts acting like decay is cool all of a sudden as if that's not the thing he's dealing with on a daily basis. May Lawrence take advantage of this spooky season- maybe? Though some teens do like going exploring in sus places like forests and maybe graveyards where he would be around so that might be a drawback. Since he lives in an apartment he's less likely to have kids stopping by his door, so that would be a win for him.

Anyway I'm sorry for the long asks, I hope you have a lovely day! ⁦(｡ŏ﹏ŏ)⁩

Strade always celebrates Halloween, gotta keep up the friendly suburban neighbor shtick! Besides, it's fun getting to cut loose and let his mask slip a little. Everyone compliments his spooky decorations, with some even joking about how realistic some of the props are. Strade isn't stupid enough to actually use parts of his victims, but he does use them for inspiration. Nothing that can't be plausibly denied as coincidence.

It's also the perfect time to find new victims!

People just love wandering the streets drunk on Halloween, some of them are so far gone they don't even bother putting up a fight when he drags them to his car.

So many of them think it's just a prank being taken a little too far, it makes their dawning shock and horror when Strade pulls out a very real knife all the more entertaining.

After Strade is gone, Ren is free to enjoy Halloween however he pleases. This usually involves using his youthful looks to get candy out of people, often also garnering comments for his realistic fox-boy costume.

Halloween nights often end with Ren curled up on the couch with his haul, watching some of Strade's old tapes for nostalgia's sake

If Ren happens to have a captive, he will absolutely dress them up in a variety of skimpy cosplays he ordered online. He'll be the only one seeing them, but Ren still wants them to look their best.

Lawrence prefers the aftermath of Halloween more than the night itself. He can't even go out at night because the streets are crowded with costumed people, many of whom are deeply intoxicated and on the search for mischief.

The one thing he looks forward to is the ensuing decay; the scent of rotting pumpkin that fills the air, and the sight of scavenging insects overtaking the once-grinning piles of mush.

It melds perfectly with the dead and dying leaves crunching beneath his shoes, reminding him of that one universal truth; everything and everyone dies.

[dracowars]

Hii! So i have seen that your request is currently open! Also that you are kind of new here (i guess? Idrk)! I was wondering if i could request one? The story goes like draco pulls a prank on y/n (any kind really its up to you!) then later on showers her with his love (gift too because we all know he got the ✨ money money ✨ so thats it! (Its very fluffy im sorry) i hope you can do it totally alright if you cant tho!! I hope to see more of your works! God Bless💗

fun and games | draco malfoy

pairing: draco x slytherin!reader

word count: 3,3k

summary: where draco takes pranking y/n too far

a/n: thank you so so much for requesting! <3 since this is my first ever request i'm a little bit nervous >.< i really hope that you like it and that it lives up to your expectations! i feel honored that you trusted me with your request even though i'm still pretty new on here ♡

warnings: none

universe: harry potter

You can't remember when it started, you only know that it did and that it slowly starts to annoy the hell out of you. Not because you don't understand fun, you really do, but you can't even spend a quiet minute with your boyfriend Draco anymore since he started acting like Fred and George Weasley, always pulling a prank on you with every possibility he got.

Some of those were actually funny and made you laugh, but at some point it just got too much. Every time you are with him now, you expect something to happen. Whether it is that he calls you to him to show you fantastic beasts that do not exist, making you look like a fool while he laughs, or that he hides two of your belongings somewhere around Hogwarts, telling you that it is actually three objects that you then have to search for like crazy. He even gave you Veritaserum once, just to ask you an endless number of questions which you inevitably had to answer. All of that you already went through. But today was somewhat different.

Draco did not pull a prank on you for weeks now, which you can not complain about at all, in fact you are quite happy about it. After his last prank you asked him to finally stop and it seems like he listened to you. Still, something feels very weird.

You haven't seen Draco today, which is rather unusual for you and your relationship because neither of you can last longer than a few hours without the other. You have just come out of your Defense Against the Dark Arts class and look around the hallway, expecting to spot him somewhere, while your classmates walk past you to head to their break. Usually, Draco always picks you up after class so that you can spend time together until your next course. But you don't see him anywhere today.

At the end of the hallway you spot Fred and George trying to sell one of their newest and greatest inventions to a first-year. You shake your head and roll your eyes. These two are probably responsible that your boyfriend had his prank phase, even though he absolutely despises every Weasley. Of course Draco would never admit it, but you think that he copied a lot from them.

"Leave the poor child alone, Weasley's", you tell them while passing them, not wanting to wait longer for Draco to pick you up. Regrettably you shouldn't have opened your mouth because all of a sudden they apparate in front of you out of nowhere, making you flinch and taking a step back. "What, Y/N? Did I hear you correctly?", George says, wiggling his eyebrows at Fred. "You really want to test our new creation?", Fred adds with a smile.

"No, thank you. I've had enough of pranks lately", you assure them with a forced smile. Obviously offended by your statement, the red haired twins cross their arms over their chest, giving you a disapproving look before vanishing again. Shaking your head, you make your way to your common room, hoping to meet Draco on the way there. Unfortunately, that does not happen and you slowly start to have a bad feeling. Where is he?

Once you arrive in the dungeons, you say the password and enter the common room, which is cosy warm in contrast to the cold corridors outside. After all, it's winter; what else should you expect from the temperature? Several Slytherin's buzz around, sitting at the green fire or studying at the tables. But still, no sign of Draco.

You spot Crabbe and Goyle on one of the sofas, who have their eyes focused on you. As soon as they realize that you look back at them, they burst into giggles and look away as if nothing happened. Their weird behavior lets you frown in confusion. Before you can confront them about it, Pansy suddenly appears right in front of you and thus into your field of vision.

"Y/N! We want to go down to the lake in a few minutes. It's frozen solid for the first time this year! Do you want to join us?", she offers, her outfit already perfectly adapted to the cold temperature outside. "Do you know where Draco is?", you blurt out, not answering to her question at all. "No? Why would I?", Pansy responds irritated.

You loudly breathe out. "Nevermind. Enjoy your trip to the lake", you wish her and give her a small smile, then walk past her and towards your room in the girls' dormitories. You don't miss the look that Crabbe and Goyle give you as well as their giggles when you make your way out of the big room though.

While walking your gaze falls on something laying on the ground and you immediately stop in your tracks abruptly. You bend down and pick it up in amazement, a now much bigger smile forming on your lips. In your delicate hand you're now holding a rose petal. Looking in front of you, you notice more rose petals on the floor. They seem to show you the way to your room.

It must have been Draco, he definetely wants to surprise you after a stressful day, you are sure about that. Quickly and with unbelievable enthusiasm you follow the path to your closed door. You imagine how you will open the door and come into your room, there will be a romantic atmosphere with warm candlelight and Draco will lovingly greet you, hug you and kiss you until-

SPLASH

You have just opened the door when suddenly a huge mass of cold water falls down on you, completely soaking you from head to toe. Because of the shock and the sudden coldness surrounding you, you gasp for air. In front of you, you do not see your desired romantic atmosphere or any candles, but only your laughing boyfriend.

"I got you again!", Draco rejoices and praises himself while you can only watch him in shock. You look down at yourself and lift one of your feet out of the puddle beneath you which you are now standing in. Water drips from your hair and your uniform to the floor. Your boyfriend's cheeky laugh echoes in your ears. Slowly your whole body begins to tremble, although you are not sure wheather it comes from the cold water or from the anger boiling up inside of you.

Assuming that you find the successful prank as funny as he does, he keeps laughing, not noticing your anger yet. "Fred and George did the same prank with Weaselbee the other day, so I had to try it out as well. It worked! Crabbe and Goyle helped me set it up and-"

"I hate you so much!", you scream at him angrily, no longer able to keep your anger under control. Draco's expression falls immediately, obviously not expecting this kind of a reaction. You are still stiffly standing under the door frame, stretching your arms away from your body to somehow escape the extreme cold, water still running down, even under your clothes. "Why do you never know when it's time to stop?! I thought you wanted to surprise me!"

A little taken aback, Draco slowly approaches you while you are busy with wringing out your wet hair. "Don't you dare touch me now, Draco Malfoy!", you command and he obeys your words, stopping a few inches in front of you. "Love, it was just supposed to be fun..", he mumbles dejected, insecurely rocking back and forth on his feet, slowly realizing his mistake.

"Yeah, of course. For you it's always all fun and games until someone dies!", you angrily rebuke him. "I'm completely wet, I'm damned cold, as if it wasn't already cold enough outside, and all I wanted is to spend a relaxing and nice afternoon with my boyfriend who, as always, only got nonsense in his mind and not thinks about his girlfriend's feelings!", you complain, getting rid of your wet cloak while bumping into him with your shoulder as you walk past, throwing it onto your bed. You sit down next to it on the soft mattress and take off your soaking wet shoes as well. For a few minutes there is nothing but silence between you two.

"Y/N..", Draco breaks the silence, but you just shoot him a scathing glance, your lower lip now trembling from the coldness surrounding your body. "I don't want to hear anything, Draco. Really", you scoff and roll your eyes, standing up to finally get out of your uncomfortable clothes. "Can you leave, please? I want to change", you ask him reproachfully, but he doesn't move a single bit.

"I'm responsible for this so let me help you, okay? I'm sorry", he says, sincerity in his sad voice. You can't even answer him as he already pulls out his wand and casts a spell you don't recognize. The puddles on the floor disappear and your clothes are suddenly dry again. All that is left is the unbearable cold around you. Freezing, you draw your cloak tighter around you and give Draco a very small but thankful smile.

He looks at you thoughfully before spreading his arms to invite you into a warm hug, which you gladly accept. Even though you're mad at him, he still manages to make you soften again. You wrap your arms tightly around his waist and he gently strokes your back with one hand in hopes to warm you up at least a little bit, then places a gentle kiss of the top of your head and hugs you even tighter, pulling you closer to his much warmer body. He can clearly feel your body tremble against his. "I'm really sorry, love. I hope you can forgive me for my stupid behavior..", he breathes into your ear, loosening your arms around his waist to take your ice-cold hands in his.

He closely examines your face, searching for any hint of what your answer could be like. No longer able to resist his pleading stare and shimmering gray eyes, you slowly nod to assure him that you will forgive him. Of course you will; you love him way too much to let something this silly destroy your relationship. More than happy with your answer, he cups your cheeks between his hands, his silver ring coldy pressing against your skin, and gives you a loving kiss.

"I will make up for it, I promise", he speaks against your lips after you broke the kiss, his thumb caressing your lower lip softly. "As long as you stop those stupid pranks, idiot", you roll your eyes, still feeling a tiny bit upset about the incident. A little chuckle escapes his lips and he pulls you close against him again. "Let's warm you up first, hm?", Draco whispers and before you know it he has apparated both of you back into the common room. Because everyone left to go to the lake you're now completely alone in the big room.

Without your consent, Draco pulls you onto one of the couches near the fireplace so you can warm up. With the help of a spell, he increases the flame a little more. Out of nowhere he throws you a fluffy, thick blanket and wraps you in it, your body now slowly but surely heating up.

While you're still busy making yourself comfortable, Draco extinguishes all the lights in the room except for a few candles, which dip the quiet room into a soothing light, creating a relaxing atmosphere for you two.

"Are you feeling warmer already? Do you need something else? What about a hot chocolate?", he questions you, still feeling extremly horrible for what he made you go through. "A hot chocolate sounds very nice, actually", you accept his offer, deciding to take advantage of the situation, innocently smiling at him. It does not even take him one single second and he suddenly vanishes into thin air. Shaking your head but smiling to yourself you watch the flame in the fireplace while you wait for him to return.

To your amazement, it takes him a lot longer than you expected and that just for a simple hot chocolate. After about a quarter of an hour he pops up again in front of you all of a sudden, two steaming cups in his hands. He serves you your hot drink with a cheeky smile on his face. "As requested: one perfectly hot chocolate, but not nearly as hot as you", he winks at you before making himself comfortable next to you.

"What took you so long?", you ask and take a sip, skillfully ignoring his statement. "Had to.. run a few more errands, you know. I'm a very busy man", he smirks at you, holding the, in his hands much smaller looking, cup. You look at him in disbelief and then discover a few white spots on his uniform that make you raise your eyebrows in confusion. "It's snowing outside?", you question and point to the snowflakes on his cloak that are slowly melting in the warm room. "Care to explain why you were outside?"

"Uh, well.. I just wanted to please my lovely girlfriend", he explains and takes something out of his pockets. You immediately know what it is and sit up excitedly, but before you can grab it, you pull your hand back. "That's not another one of your pranks, is it?", you pout and look in his eyes for an answer, any sign that this really is just normal candy from Honeydukes and not some experiments he bought from Fred and George.

"Come on, Y/N! They are not poisoned. Eat now or I froze myself to death out there for nothing", Draco assures you and you decide to trust him, carefully opening the candy, revealing the actually normal, delicious sweets that you love so much. Happily eating them you don't even notice at first how Draco keeps staring at you, one of his fingers nervously tapping the rim of his cup.

"Y/N?", Draco finally clears his throat, sitting up straight while you look at him with big expectant eyes. The way he pronounces your name, how the letters roll of his tongue create goosebumps all over your skin, causing you to cuddle up more into the cozy blanket, waiting for him to continue. His gaze wanders back and forth between you and his warm drink, of which he has not drunk very much yet.

He opens his mouth to say something again but notices the goosebumps on your arm, the alarm bells in his head loudly going off immediately. "Are you still cold? Wait a second!", Draco tells you, without waiting for an answer, and jumps up, running to his prefect room and coming back a few seconds later to give you one of his green Slytherin sweaters. "Here. Put it on, it will warm you up", he commands and examines you carefully as you pull it over your head, the pleasant scent of his perfume clouding your senses instantly.

Your cheeks turn a little bit red, on the one hand because of the extreme warmth that now surrounds you and on the other hand because Draco gives you such a sweet and tender look, as if you are the most beautiful and precious being in this world; which, in fact, you definetely are to him. He moves closer to you and puts his arm around your shoulders so that you can lean against his chest and snuggle up to him. Draco gently runs his fingers over your hair, over your cheeks and to your chin, which he slightly lifts up, making you look at him.

Neither of you say anything for a while, you just look each other deep in the eyes. Draco brushes one strand of hair behind your ear that fell into your face and slowly leans in. You close your eyes, waiting for him to connect your lips, but he teasingly stops shortly before, his breath fanning against your skin. "I have something for you.. as an apology", he gently whispers and you open your eyes in surprise. "You don't have to give me anything, Draco. I've already forgiven you, you know that", you smile at him, cupping one of his cheeks which makes him smile.

He takes your hand in his and squeezes it lightly, kisses your knuckles and then shakes his head with a sigh. "I know. Still, I feel bad and want to give you something. Something very meaningful and significant", he declares, reaching into his pocket once again. Eventually, his secrecy makes you kind of curious anyway and you look at his hand eagerly, waiting to see what the gift will be.

Draco pulls out a small black box covered in velvet. Your curious gaze focuses on the box, which contents are still unknown to you until he finally opens it and reveals a beautiful, gold shimmering and, above all, quite expensive looking necklace. Small moons and stars hang on it, but the real focus of the indescribably lovely piece of jewelry is in the middle. The bigger splendid pendant attached to it is none other than his name, Draco, written in an artistic curved font. Overwhelmed, your mouth drops open.

"Actually, I wanted to give it to you for our anniversary this year, as a thanks for sticking around with me for so long, no matter how stupid and silly and annoying I was. Somehow it just felt like the right moment to give it to you now", Draco explains in a calm voice, no sight of the silly boy from a few hours ago, and takes the necklace out of its box, gesturing that you should turn around so he can carefully place it around your neck. He leaves a few butterfly kisses along your neck before you turn around to him again, immediately touching the pendant with your fingertips, slightly pressing it against your soft skin.

"I thought I would give you my first name as long as I can't give you my last", Draco smiles timidly, a tear escaping from the corner of your eye as you pull him into a tight embrace. "D-Draco.. I don't know what to say.. I love you so much", you sob into his neck, placing a kiss right there. His arms wrap around you and he breathes out contentedly and somewhat relieved. "I was afraid that you would reject me..", he whispers nearly inaudible, more to himself than to you.

"I would never even think about rejecting you! But do you really promise that you will make it come true, Draco? That you will give me the honor to receive your last name?", you ask seriously, retreating a bit so you are able to look at his handsome face. A smile creeps its way onto his lips at your so serious but also hopeful facial expression. "I don't want anything more in my life than that, darling", Draco clarifies honestly and then takes the pendant with his name on it between his thumb and index finger. "This is a promise", he repeats softly and gives you a quick but loving kiss.

Despite the short kiss, you feel a pleasant warmth inside of you and the butterflies flutter around in your stomach. You put your hands around his neck and can't help but grin brightly, trying to hide it by biting down on your lower lip. Immediately, Draco's thumb comes up to your lip and stops you from doing so, looking back and forth between your shiny eyes and plump lips.

The next kiss you share is so passionate and with so much love that you forget everything around you in a matter of seconds, fading out your surroundings. Now, there is only you and Draco. And a promise that you hold close to your heart.