#can you guess where he is? i know where he is. my grandmama told me. idk if its tmi to say tho.

[lecliss]

The horror of my dad calling me today but idk when its gonna be so Im just sitting here. Waiting.

[lovergirly]

meeting the addams family 🕸️

hii! this wasn’t a request, but i really liked this idea. i wrote it in one sitting so hopefully you guys can understand it lol.

i hope you enjoy and feel free to leave more requests <3

they’re creepy and they’re kooky.

that’s all you knew about the addams family. no matter how much you begged your girlfriend, she’d never give you any details about her family. currently, it was february break and you were standing at the enterance of what you could only assume was wednesday’s house. as if you could call it a house. it was massive.

“relax mi amor. they will be able to sense your fear.” wednesday says as she grips your hand and knocks on the door. well those reassuring words definitely helped you. you try to compose yourself when you see the door swing open and a super tall man appears.

“hello lurch. this is my girlfriend y/n. y/n this is our butler lurch.” you give a quick hello as he simply grunts back to you.

“he’s not a talker. lurch, where is my mother and father? i wish to show them my new partner.” another grunt and a simple point to the other room had wednesday pulling you into what you would assume was a kitchen. In there was four adults. A tall women standing right next to a slightly shorter man, wednesday parents you guess. a bald man and a shorter, old woman.

“mother, father i-“

she was cut off by the couple running to give her a hug. and she allows it. surprising you no doubt.

“oh my little viper is back from nevermore! and it seems you brought a… victim?”

“actually, mother father this is my girlfriend y/n”

“ay dios mio! can you believe it tish?! our little storm cloud is in love!”

“yes and someone that is her total opposite. welcome to the addams family dear, i’m sure we’ll come to know each other very well.”

you felt slightly better as at least her family wasn’t homophobic or mean to you in anyway. it still made you feel uneasy that morticia thought of you as opposite them. wednesday, almost sensing this, gives you a quick kiss on your hand. causing morticia and gomez to gush.

“oh mon cheri, they’re just like us!”

“who would’ve thought our little tormentor would turn into her father. i’m so proud!”

this made wednesday immediately pull away from you and give a quick “we’re going to visit pugsley,” before physically pushing you out of the room.

“if we get compared to them again, murder me.”

“oh come on wednesday they’re nice”

“you say that now. spend 16 years with them constantly showering one another with affections. it’s sickening.” you were about to make a snarky comment until she stopped walking at a door. she doesn’t knock, but simply barges into the room.

“pugsley, this is my girlfriend y/n. don’t bother her or i’ll personally cut out your tongue and strangle you with it.” he simply looks up and gives his sister a big hug.

“wednesday i missed you! hi y/n i’m pugsley! i’m sure wednesdays told you all about me.”

“you thought wrong.”

“hi pugsley nice to meet you!” you interrupt her.

he gives you a big smile, and surprisingly, a hug. which you accept of course. you have no idea why wednesday wouldn’t mention him. he’s adorable. she simply rolls her eyes at him before kicking him in the shin and leaving. you give him an apologetic smile and follow wednesday out of the room.

her room was huge. it consisted of a bed, a vanity, a desk where she put her typewriter, some torture machines, and a giant window facing the addams family cemetery.

“is your whole family buried here?”

she nods

“will you get buried here?”

“yes. my grave is right there. there’s even a spot for our significant others. i just thought the spot next to mine would never be taken.”

————————————————————————

after spending sometime with the addams family, you became well aware of all their quirks. you and pugsley teamed up to prank wednesday, let’s just say she wasn’t happy at all. you and grandmama made some dessert for the dinner party the addams were having tonight. uncle fester told you about all his adventures, the one to the bermuda triangle being his favorite. you and gomez had a fencing lesson, let’s say he had to take it really easy on you or you would’ve lost an eye. the only person you didn’t spend personal time with was morticia, which scared you a lot. she was wednesday’s mother after all. and her approval seemed to be the most important in that house.

the party was currently in full force and you… weren’t prepared for an addams family party to put it lightly. hundreds of dead ancestors filled the room and you were standing next to your very gothy girlfriend in a bright pink dress. well, more like sitting in the next room listening to all the commotion. even within her own family, wednesday was an introvert.

“i don’t think your mother likes me.”

“why? what did she do to you?”

“nothing but she just hasn’t talked to me. should i be worried?”

“no. if she didn’t like you she would’ve already kicked you out of this house.”

“i love your family though. they’re all so lovely. why didn’t you ever tell me about them before?”

“y/n, they’re my family. my parents are constantly on top of one another while my brother can’t even defend himself against a bunch of non-pubescent teens. i’m surprised he made it this long without me.” you simply nod and put your head on her shoulder and she rests her head atop yours. you two eventually pass out from exhaustion in that spot.

you have no idea how much time passed, but you can feel eyes on you and your still sleeping girlfriend. you decide to keep your eyes closed.

“gomez i love this y/n. look at how peaceful wednesday looks. i haven’t seen her look like that in years.”

“tish out little stormcloud is all grown up! but y/n is a really nice kid. she makes my only daughter less sad. oh nevermore how i love you! bringing these two lovebirds together!”

you hear their footsteps walk away as you open your eyes and leave a quick kiss on a sleeping wednesday before going back to your slumber.

i hope you guys enjoyed this, it’s a little longer then i usually do. i might make a part two of y/n and the addams family interacting more but i’m not sure yet!

[canirove]

The Princess & the Football Player | Chapter 24

Author’s note: This chapter may feel a bit weird because here Declan still is playing for West Ham, but in this alternative universe he never leaves 😁

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"Shouldn't we knock? What if she's home?"

"She isn't. She said she was going out with Roberta to that art gallery."

"But are you sure it wasn't tomorrow?"

"It was today."

"I still think we should knock just in case. What if she changed her mind and we ruin the surprise?"

"Philip, can you please stop talking and open the door?"

"Fine" he sighs.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━          

"See? There is no..."

"Mum!" I scream when I hear them walking into the living room.

"Eleanor!"

"What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here?" I snort.

"Weren't you going to that art gallery with Roberta?"

"That's tomorrow, mum."

"Told you..." my dad whispers.

"What are you doing over there, tho? Where is your shirt? Are you... Eleanor! Is there someone else with you on that sofa?"

"I..." I mumble, looking down. 

"Charles?"

"What? No! I'm with... I'm..."

"Hello" Declan says with a shy smile, sitting up.

"Rice!" my dad says. "I knew it!"

"What are you talking about? Who is this boy?" my mum asks.

"This is Declan. My boyfriend."

"Your what?" she yells. 

"My boyfriend" I repeat. "You knew I was seeing someone."

"That's... That's... Philip, say something!"

"What do you want me to say?" 

"Your daughter is half naked with an also half naked boy! A boy she says is her boyfriend!"

"And?" he shrugs. 

"And? And? Philip!" my mum says, hitting him in the arm. "This is not ok!"

"Why not? This is her house, and she is an adult. She should be able to do whatever she wants and with whoever she wants."

"Thank you, dad" I say.

"She should... Did you know about this, Philip?"

"That it was a thing, no. That they fancied each other, yes. I've known for months."

"What?" my mum and I say at the same time.

"I already told you, Ellie. I noticed the way you looked at him when we met him before the World Cup. And I also noticed the way he looked at you, the smiles you shared..." my dad shrugs.

"Wait a minute. The World Cup? Please tell me he isn't one of them."

"One of them" I chuckle. "Mum, he is just a football player."

"Exactly!" she yells. "You can't date a football player! You are a princess, the future Queen! And he is..." she says, dramatically moving her hands in the air.

"Not enough?" I snort. "He is more than what you were when you met dad."

"Eleanor!"

"What? It is the truth and you know it, mum. Yes, you had your degree, a PhD and all that, but when you two met, you had no idea about what you wanted to do with your life. You had no job, no money, and were living with your parents. Declan already has a very successful career, his own money, his own house. He can take care of himself, and you couldn't say the same."

"That's... that's..." my mum says, her cheeks bright pink. "Urgh!" 

"Wait, Letizia! Where are you going? What about the party?"

"There is no party!" she yells, closing the door behind her.

"Party? What party?" I ask.

"Since we aren't going to be here for your birthday, she wanted to organise a surprise one just for the family. Us, uncle Jamie, your grandparents, grandmama..."

"Grandmama is coming?"

"Yeah... Guess I'll now have to tell her it's been cancelled."

"Good luck with that" I chuckle.

"She's coming anyway, isn't she?" he says, scratching the back of his head. "And when she finds out about the reason why there is no party..."

"She knows I'm seeing someone, I told her over Christmas. But she'll definitely want to meet you" I say, looking at Declan.

"What do you say, Rice. Are you ready to meet my mother?" my dad asks him.

"I… guess?" he mumbles.

"I'll leave alone you so you can think about it. Or go back to what you were doing, whatever you fancy. It was nice seeing you again, Declan."

"You too, sir" he replies.

"You don't have to meet her if you aren't ready yet" I say once my dad has left.

"I already met your parents while being topless and you on top of me. It can't be worse than that, can it?" he chuckles. "And you said she was ok with us dating."

"That's what she said, yes" I sigh.

"Eleanor, you already met my whole family in one go and when you weren't expecting it. This is the least I can do."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure" he says, caressing my cheek. 

"You are so brave, Declan Rice" I laugh, slowly pushing him down until he is laying on the sofa once again.

"That's what they say" he smirks. "Are we gonna continue where we left it?"

"If we want to survive meeting my family, we are gonna need this, yes. But don't tell my grandmother" I say, brushing my lips against his.

"It'll be our secret" he smiles before kissing me.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━          

"I thought we were having a surprise party!"

"That got cancel, grandmama."

"Why?" 

"Because mum and dad caught Ellie making out with her boyfriend" Sophie says with a big smile.

"He's here?"

"He's outside with David."

"Then ask him to come in! Poor boy, waiting outside like a beggar or something" she laughs.

"Close" my mum whispers.

"Letizia, darling, did you say anything?" my grandmother says, arching an eyebrow.

"Nothing, nothing. Just clearing out my throat."

"I see... Anyway, go find that boyfriend of yours, Eleanor!"

"Yes, sorry" I say, quickly leaving the room.

"Oh..." my grandmother says when Declan and I walk in, looking at him from head to toe.

"Grandmama, this is Declan Rice, my boyfriend. Declan, this is my grandmother" I say.

"Ma'am" he smiles.

"Ma'am? I'm the Queen Mother, show some respect!"

"I..." Declan says, looking at me while his cheeks turn bright red.

"I was just teasing you, boy" she laughs, taking his hand on hers. "Aren't you handsome?"

"Thank you... Ma'am?"

"Yes, ma'am is perfect. Ellie taught you well, didn't she?"

"Yeah" Declan says with a nervous laugh.

"So you play football, uh? On which team?"

"West Ham, ma'am."

"Oh, West Ham! My sister was a fan! Did Ellie tell you about it?"

"I already knew when she told me. I got to meet her years ago at an event." 

"Would you look at that!" my grandmother laughs. "Did she tell you that she became a fan because the man she fancied also was a fan?"

"She actually did, yes" Declan smiles.

"A bit like Eleanor" my uncle laughs.

"But she liked football before meeting Declan. Rose didn't. And Declan... That's Irish, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. My grandparents are Irish, but I was born and raised here."

"Where exactly?"

"Kingston."

"Oh, that's a nice area. Letizia, darling" my grandmother says, linking her arm with Declan's. "Why don't you call for some tea and the cake? Talking without eating or drinking something is too boring."

"Of course" my mum says, trying to force a smile.

"Now, where were we... Oh, yes, Kingston. Always lived there?" my grandmother says, walking with Declan and making him sit on a sofa with her.

"She seems to like him" my dad whispers.

"She does, yes."

"Maybe a bit too much" Sophie chuckles when our grandmother laughs at something Declan has said, resting her hand on his thigh and squeezing it. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━          

"That went well" my dad says once everyone has left, Declan included.

"It surprisingly did, yes."

"Why surprisingly?" he laughs.

"Well, I was introducing you a boyfriend who isn't perfect Charles. And I'm pretty sure you told me that footballers were a big no."

"Who? Me?"

"Yes, dad. You. What made you change your mind?" I ask him.

"You did."

"Me? How?"

"By being happy."

"I... I don't get it."

"Ellie... Eleanor. Since you came back from Canada you've been different. But not in a bad way. Like Camille said last summer, you are glowing, and I'm pretty sure it is all because of Declan. You love him, don't you?"

"I do" I say, nervously playing with my hands.

"And he loves you too. I mean, he met all of us today, didn't he? Only someone truly in love would do that. Or someone too stupid, but I don't think that's the case" he chuckles. "I can't remember the last time I saw you this happy, Eleanor."

"I don't know if I've ever been this happy. Or if I've ever felt what I feel for Declan with anyone else" I confess.

"Oh, Ellie" my dad says, hugging me. "My little Ellie. She's in love!"

"I am, yes."

"Could he be the one? I think he is the first boy we all like."

"All but mum" I sigh.

"Your mother will come around, you'll see."

"You think?" 

"She will, Eleanor. She loves you more than anything. But you have to promise me something."

"Anything."

"You and Declan must be extra careful when you see each other. If the press finds out before you are ready, it may hurt you. Especially Declan and his career."

"I know. But David has been helping us, we are in good hands."

"The best. Though you may want to ask him to get you something to put on the door so what happened today is just a one time thing. If you know what I mean..."

"I know" I laugh.

"Maybe a rice bowl sign or something. I don't know."

"Dad!"

"It'll be like a secret code" he says with a teasing smile. 

"Thank you, dad."

"What for? The secret code idea?"

"For supporting me. For respecting my choices. I love you."

"I love you too, Eleanor" he says, kissing the top of my head and hugging me a bit tighter.

[presidentofthelipglossclub]

"[Tobot X], don't you remember me? It's me, y- your daddy.." "I.. don't remember having one. Apologies, who are you again?" "..." He held up his red tie. "How about this sweet thing? Please tell me you remember me." "Oh! I remember you.... hi daddy.. where's- where's mommy?" "... Is she all you care about?" "I'm worried about her, I haven't seen her in ages and they told me that she would come!" "I came to visit you instead because Mommy was sick and couldn't come. I thought you would recognize me, at the very least. What did they do to you?" Panic was evident in X's expression, what? No.. no the last time she saw her Mommy, she was ok. Coughing sure but that was because of her seasonal allergies, she would know if her mommy wasn't feeling alright. She got told that it was allergies anyways.. "Nothing.. besides from the obvious. But what do you mean she's sick!? Is she.. going to be ok? Can I see her soon?" He was getting annoyed. After all this time, the only thing that the new tobot cared about was her mommy. What about him? The things that he did to make her happy. You liar.

"She'll be alright. Your Mommy is being cared for by a lovely woman, my mother."

"No. Anybody but her." "What's wrong with your grandmama?" "You know what's wrong with her. Grandmama cannot be trusted! You enabled her when mommy twisted her ankle, and grandmama gave her bad food and made her throw up and then she blamed her for 'messing up your carpet'." "We do NOT talk about that when there's cameras here. Don't you know that my job could be taken from under my feet? You wouldn't do that to your daddy, would you? Leave him jobless when Mommy needs all the care she could get when i'm not there." He was right. She cared too much to go into detail about that peculiar incident. Think about Mommy.. Think about Mommy.... "Sorry.. but I just.. think a nurse should take care of her instead of Grandmama." "I'll tell the hospital you said that sweetpea. All of this and you we're so rude to me. Guess you don't deserve your gift from Mommy. She'll be so disappoin- HEY!" X grabbed him suddenly, easily lifting the man without much issues and holding him close to her face. "What is it." "... I forgot how strong you are now.. I... You scared me. It's just a dumb plushie that she made you, it's made out of yarn.."

"Sorry.. again... can I have it?" "Have you been nice to me?" "I... but what if Mommy doesn't come back?"

"God, it would be easier if she didn't y'know?" "Please don't talk about her like that."

DAMN ��� xixie has some of the worst family members huh

curious as to what happened with her mom. was it allergies or did someone lie (assuming lie), and what does her mom have?

and the father, what's up with him and his wife? it seems like he's abusive, how'd xixie's mom end up with HIM??

[amethystmpress]

daenerys, jon, brown ben, ygritte, and stories

“He likes you, Ben,” said Dany.

“And well he might.” Brown Ben laughed. “I have me a drop of the dragon blood myself, you know.”

“You?” Dany was startled. She gave him a searching look and said, “How could that be?”

"Well," said Brown Ben, "there was some old Plumm in the Sunset Kingdoms who wed a dragon princess. My grandmama told me the tale. He lived in King Aegon's day."

"Which King Aegon?" Dany asked. "Five Aegons have ruled in Westeros." Her brother's son would have been the sixth, but the Usurper's men had dashed his head against a wall. [...]

“And where did your grandfather’s knowledge come from?”

“One of them tales told at the teat, I’d guess.” Brown Ben shrugged. [...]

“If you were grown,” she told Drogon, scratching him between the horns, “I’d fly you over the walls and melt that harpy down to slag.” But it would be years before her dragons were large enough to ride. And when they are, who shall ride them? The dragon has three heads, but I have only one. - daenerys, asos

“Were they your kin?” he asked her quietly. “The two we killed?”

“No more than you are.”

“Me?” He frowned. “What do you mean?" [...] "Tell me,” Jon urged her. It would be hours before Qhorin came up, and a story would help keep him awake. “I want to hear this tale of yours.” [...]

"But when morning come, the singer had vanished… and so had Lord Brandon’s maiden daughter. Her bed they found empty, but for the pale blue rose that Bael had left on the pillow where her head had lain.”

Jon had never heard this tale before. “Which Brandon was this supposed to be? Brandon the Builder lived in the Age of Heroes, thousands of years before Bael. There was Brandon the Burner and his father Brandon the Shipwright, but—” [...]

"So there it is—you have Bael’s blood in you, same as me.”

“It never happened,” Jon said.

She shrugged. “Might be it did, might be it didn’t. It is a good song, though. My mother used to sing it to me. She was a woman too, Jon Snow. Like yours.” - jon, acok

brown ben and ygritte enthralling the heirs to the 7k with unbelievable stories about how they're related. but which aegon? which brandon?? jon and dany are attentive (bad) story listeners and quite hard to please so get your facts straight or they will ruin the fun while being unknowingly prophetic (brother's son and bran??). but neither of them had mothers to tell them tales at the teat so who can blame them? it ends as expected, dany thinking of the family she wants and jon of the mother he dreams of

[parchmentedpetrichor]

➳april’s fool ♡

in which fred weasley is in love with y/n l/n, the girl he happens to tease and insult profusely for her attention. 

fred weasley x gryffindor!fem!reader 

word count: ±4.3k 

tw: food, fireworks, pranking, fred being a bully, tad bits of swearing

drop a follow if you wanna see more of this content!!

my masterlist:D

ft. minnie, dumbledore and severus

yeah, your grandmama probably know me 

get more bottles, these bottles are lonely

it's a moment when I show up, got 'em sayin', "wow"

april’s fool 

“tomorrow is april fools,” dumbledore sighs. 

“you know what that means...?” mcgonagall asks, her voice on edge.

“the twins,” snape replies quickly, not even bothered one bit as he sips his dark coffee.

“and their pranks,” dumbledore dramatically rolls over in his armchair.

“okay and?” 

“they’re a hazard, severus!” mcgonagall replies.

“that doesn’t stop them.”

“what will stop them?” dumbledore ponders, eyes faint with interest. 

“you still have those weird buzzy fireworks right?” snape asks. 

“of course.”

“and minnie, you have the cake mix your grandmother gave you?”

“still in my cupboard next to the biscuits.”

“excellent.”

y/n l/n listens from the other side of the door, grinning. she’s been called to mcgonagall’s lavish office for some business she hopes isn’t trouble, but the conversation the three are deeply invested in piques her interest. 

she likes fun. the type of continuous laughter and uncontrollable fits of giggles at noon. that’s why she enjoys the pranks the twins play. they’re bold, sharp and reckless and have the undoubtable trademark of fred and george on them.

one too a many times she’s been on the receiving end of them. one time the twins had charmed the library so that she and other studious students could not find any books that they wanted or needed for a whole week. 

another time, her hair had been dyed bright pink. she wasn’t a fan of it, but tried her best to rock it. it worked. y/n had received many compliments on her bubblegum pink locks. 

she laughed it off a lot. whenever something quite embarrassing happened, it was usually funny. 

even the snide remarks the older twin always cast her way.

including the time he called her a blackhead. well, multiple times. 

“oi, l/n, looking like a blackhead.”

george had rolled his eyes at his brother before adding kindly, “at least you have nice hair. your tie’s always shiny too.”

she had just laughed, “at least i’ve got the blackhead looks to pull pink hair off, weasley, you can’t even pull off ginger hair, and thanks, georgie. love ya.”

fred had looked taken aback, but y/n still scowls at the memory. she gets she isn’t pretty, but there is a line you don’t cross when trying to insult someone.

he always calls her the most awful nicknames too; body parts that align with her name and random pieces of rubbish she isn’t bothered to remember.

she shakes herself of her thoughts and draws herself up, knocking thrice on the door lightly.

“come in,” mcgonagall’s calm tone beckons.

“good afternoon professors!” she chirps, smiling at all three.

they smile back. even snape. they’re big fans of the girl, who’s studious but mischievous. albus dumbledore has always thought that y/n’s eyes always look like all she’s seen is a beautiful sunset. 

“now you must wonder why i called you here,” mcgonagall starts.

“you see, how have you punished the weasley twins when they play all those pranks on you?” dumbledore eagerly asks. 

y/n gives a light laugh, “i just prank them back. i won’t get detention for this, right?” she jokes.

they laugh, “of course you will,” snape jokes back and for a second y/n is surprised that severus snape, the ever so cold potions professor, is cracking jokes. especially to her. 

“well then, i guess i can’t tell you how i prank them back then,” she drawls dramatically.

“no, no, do tell, we’re, what do you young people say?” mcgonagall pauses, “ahh yes! we’re all ears!”

y/n bursts out laughing, “okay, i usually do something that’s subtle enough but still very noticeable. they need to be anonymous too, or that’ll start prank wars and i’m only looking for short term pleasure really. one time, i dumped a whole bunch of polyjuice potion in both their little goblets. fred became george and george became fred. they were so confused.”

mcgonagall is impressed. 

“can you bake?” dumbledore asks and y/n shakes her head for a long time. 

“can’t bake for my sanity.”

“awesome. that is what i thought too,” dumbledore answers and y/n smiles. 

a single knock sounds. it’s proper and formal. 

“come in!” mcgonagall yells.

draco malfoy in all his glory steps into the room, eyes alight with concern, ever so indifferent. 

y/n knows him from quidditch. they’ve become relatively good friends, though she thinks he is very busy with his home life. she also knows that there’s more to him than the facade he has.

“afternoon,” he nods and gives a charming smile. 

“now, draco, i understand your mother had enrolled you in baking classes,” snape says. 

draco nods. 

“you must bake a cake,” mcgonagall hands him the cake mix.

she hands y/n the box of fireworks and winks. 

“good day professors! make sure to be at breakfast tomorrow!” y/n shouts, dragging draco with her to the kitchens. 

soon draco is laughing with y/n, at her atrocious puns and lightly placed jokes, finding himself very much happy. he’s not interested in her romantically, he simply enjoys her company. he’s even sharing some funny stories of his own too.

“...and i told him, to precisely fuck off.”

“so that’s how you deal with him!”

“oh no, he didn’t stop. he kept bugging me.”

“what did you do then?”

“i cast a muffliato charm on him.”

y/n bursts into laughter as they pass the gryffindor common room, quickly hiding the box of fireworks in her cloak as she spots two red heads quietly snickering by the fat lady. 

they notice the unlikely pair scurrying down the stairs. 

“hey, google eyes!” fred shouts. 

y/n doesn’t know fred well enough to decide if that greeting is dedicated to herself, so she continues upon her way. 

“weasley,” draco states. 

“huh?” y/n fakes oblivion. 

draco jerks his head in the way of the twins, where fred is smirking handsomely, leaning against the wall in a model-like fashion. 

george is shaking his head in dismay. 

“i said googly eyes!” fred shouts again.

y/n won’t lie, she thinks fred has undoubtedly good looks and his ginger hair is cute. he’s just a terrible person. to her, at least. she knows she’s biased, she’s often seen fred comforting ginny after a bad fight with a boyfriend, and from what she’s heard from alicia and angelina and katie, he’s funny too. 

she whips out her glasses and stares deadpan at him, before rolling her eyes and running with draco down the stairs, laughing like madmen.

they finish baking late at night, and waving her wand smartly over the cake, y/n produces a charm that will make the fireworks activate as soon as the cake is cut open. 

draco smiles as he pipes purple and orange roses, writing a ‘happy bday fred and george’ in chocolate letters. 

they add lots of sprinkles, hoping to seem like avid admirers of the twins. 

“does miss l/n and misters malfoy need any assistance?” a house elf asks.

draco just about opens his mouth to snap a ‘no’ when y/n gives him a silencing look.

“thank you rosemarie, but that is not needed, you are welcome to watch and talk with us though,” y/n politely answers, giving her a grin. 

the house elf sniffles, “miss l/n is too nice! rosemarie will make some hot chocolate for her! pretty hair!”

y/n laughs, “thank you very much, rosemarie. i think mister malfoy would also like some hot chocolate, with a tiny bit of firewhiskey, if that’s alright with you,” she winks at draco who just scoffs in reply. 

when they’re finished with the cake and the hot chocolate, y/n enters the gryffindor common room. angelina takes the cake and wraps it up in a box and nice wrapping paper. she sends it flying to the twins’ usual spot on the gryffindor table. 

“thanks angie!” y/n smiles, getting up from the cozy spot near the fire in the common room. 

“why are you going? we’re staying up till midnight for the twins’ birthday; wanna join?” angelina asks. 

y/n shakes her head, “i’m not too close with them, it seems like a rather intimate ceremony,” she keeps her words fluffy and light. really, she would join any birthday celebration, but she didn’t think she could handle the constant insults and annoying comments fred always made about her. and this would have been completely acceptable if she had done something to any one of the weasleys, but she hadn’t. she even regards ginny weasley as a little sister and was invited to one of ginny’s infamous slumber parties. okay, she might have a little crush on him for his joke-ish nature, but it’s nothing she can’t get over. he’s out of her league, for sure, she thinks. and terribly rude. she doesn’t understand why she still harbours those feelings for him. maybe because that time adrian pucey was mocking her for her ‘blood purity’ he stood up for her. or that time she hurt herself at quidditch and fred stayed up with her bandaging her wound. he cared when it mattered, she guesses. 

“i’m sure they would love you there.”

“fat chance,” she scoffs, “have a good night!”

she goes to her own dormitory up the stairs. she’s well known in gryffindor house, but for different reasons than the twins may be. although she’s close with angie and alicia, she’s not close with the twins. mainly because she’s always studying, playing quidditch, and doing prefect things. 

being on a quidditch team with fred weasley is bearable. mainly because she’s the captain. 

she’s stopped by a large hand on her shoulder. the owner of the hand swivels and suddenly a grinning fred is revealed. 

“where’re you going?” fred weasley’s annoying voice pronounces. 

“the sahara desert,” she snaps back dryly, “you’re in the way of my world exploration.”

“am i, really?”

“‘course,” she reigns her attitude in, “nice night, isn’t it?”

“for you? never.”

she scowls. fred watches in utter amusement as she takes a deep breath and charmingly smiles. 

“dearest freddie, will you please allow me to get to my dorm so i can have some sleep?”

fred’s heart skips a little at the nickname but shakes his head. 

“what’s the password?”

y/n sighs. “i don’t know. y/n is a blackhead. googly eyes. whatevers.”

fred lets out a loud laugh. y/n finds herself trying hard not to laugh with him. 

she turns around, ready to find her hufflepuff friend that has a spare bed in their dormitory, knowing fred is really stubborn.

“that’s not the password.”

“well, good night.” she walks off, before intensely diving in a style harry potter himself would be proud of, onto the stairs and running up the dorms laughing. 

fred stands at the bottom of the stairs, dumbfounded, his jaw hanging open. 

“close your mouth, flies will be caught,” he heard the giggling voice of y/n.

“close yours and you’ll look better,” he insults back. 

“oh shut up. we know i’m the prettier one. and that’s saying something.”

the next morning, fred and george wake up to presents, a rowdy common room, and a nice cake sitting waiting for them on the gryffindor table. 

for the first time, y/n takes a seat opposite them, her eyes alight with the familiar mischief they always held. she steals glances at the professors, who were beaming down with interest, as if they shared an inside joke. draco malfoy has an odd smirk on his pale face. 

all eyes are on them as they cut open the cake. with a bang, fireworks come flying out of the cake in all directions, sending crumbs and icing flying in the air and leaving soot on the twin’s faces. their ginger hair is covered neatly with white icing and the fireworks continue for a calamitous five minutes. everyone’s too busy laughing and trying to dodge the flying cake to see that y/n l/n and draco malfoy are laughing quietly in a corner together, both with spells like umbrellas. 

fred’s eyes, however, are trained on y/n, who’s rolling over in laughter. he quickly casts a scourgify on himself and george, and strides casually over to her and malfoy, the usual lazy smirk on his face as he hears ‘draco ohmygosh that was the best. your cake decos are on point! d’ya think he’ll ever bully me again?’. that confirms his suspicions. she did play this prank on him. and it makes him feel fuzzy inside.

his face then contorts into a frown. she thinks he bullies her? 

“i wouldn’t say he bullies you, y/n.”

he smiles. never mind.

“but it isss! i can assure you, there is absolutely nothing nice ‘bout being called a frame!”

fred snorts at the time y/n had been gushing adorably over a picture frame that was embellished with gold and bronze flowers to angelina. he had went over and in an attempt to catch her attention, said ‘you’re a frame’.

sure, he was good at flirting, but not to the girls he really really liked. 

“that’s fucking funny,” malfoy laughs. 

“oh shut it draco, your face is funny. but yeah, i should probably ask him to start fresh.”

he decides to interrupt their conversation. 

“ask who to start fresh?” he butts in. 

y/n doesn’t even look surprised, “in fact, you, fred, because i’m not really sure if i’ve done anything wrong to you or anything, and by my memory i don’t think i have and you keep being rude and stuff. if i have, i’m really sorry for it and i’m sorry that i hurt you and all. if we can y’know, start over, and maybe be friends?” she catches the unreadable look in fred’s eyes and hesitates, “or maybe not, that’s okay, we don’t need to!” she gives a small laugh, “er, sorry for ever bringing it up?”

the earnestness of her tone and the wistful look in her eyes makes fred fall a little harder. ever since he saw her nervously fiddling with her robes in first year, he’s been smitten. 

there’s a silence. malfoy has slipped off, the sneaky bastard. 

fred simply takes y/n’s hand, giving her a look as if to ask for permission. 

she swallows and nods. 

they’re in the courtyard, which is sunny and light. flowers are blooming everywhere. 

“can i kiss you?” fred asks.

y/n’s eyebrows go up. “what?”

“can i kiss you?” fred repeats patiently. 

“as in kiss? k-i-s-s?” y/n asks, eyes wide with suspicion and curiosity.

“yep,” he chuckles, “crazy, aren’t i?”

“yeah, you’re crazy.”

“really? can i kiss you?”

“i’ve never really kissed anyone.”

“i guessed that.”

her eyebrows furrowed in hurt, “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“i’ll tell you if you let me kiss you.”

“there better be a good reason because i was saving it for someone special.”

“i need a yes, love.”

she huffs, “yes.” she won’t tell him that she has a crush on him, because to be honest, she still isn’t sure if this is a prank or not.

she surprised when fred tilts her head up ever so gently, a smile on his face.

this kiss is short and sweet. he tastes like cinnamon.

when they’ve let go, fred notices the light pink dusted over her cheeks. he smirks. 

“you have to tell me why you thought i’ve never kissed anyone,” she said, eyes flashing in deep thought.

“such a beautiful person as you does not deserve kisses from anyone.”

“...” 

fred took this as a sign to go on. “the reason i’ve always teased you endlessly is because i want your attention. i didn’t think you’d give it to me any other way. if you haven’t noticed, i’m in love with you. i think you’re absolutely beautiful, both ways. i love it when you frown and get annoyed, even if you rarely do, i love it when you study so hard your face makes this really concentrated look. i love it especially when you laugh and smile and joke and play pranks. even if they’re on me.”

“...” she was studying his movements. inside her brain, a frenzy was going on. part of her brain- the ever so optimistic part, was screaming happily, and the logical part was using body language to analyse whether he was lying or not.

eyes? their honey brown colour was glistening with affection and truth, an expression so dainty on his face. 

a quaint little smile was on his lips, a small one, a genuine one. it was different to all the other smiles she’d seen him smile. 

he wasn’t acting, she decided. if he was, he should take up a job in broadway. 

“y/n?”

her brows were furrowed. she’d never been confessed to as genuinely as this before. 

if they started this type of relationship would he still be mean and insult her all the time?

“i-i need time. to figure this out.”

he doesn’t look disappointed, she thinks. instead he looks down at her with... adoration?

“of course, sweetness, anything, i’ll wait for you.”

she smiles, “thank you, freddie.” 

☆

it’s been a few days since fred’s confessed to her. she’s still unsure if he was joking or not. why?

at this moment, she’s watching him giggle with angelina johnson. it seems like he’s forgotten everything and anything. he’s gotten closer to her. maybe he’s lost feelings for y/n? she can’t blame angie, she’s a wonderful girl. if he likes her, that’s fine too. suddenly her feelings for him become very clear. she like-likes him. and it’s a bit too late.

but maybe he doesn’t like angie in that way? maybe he’s still into her? 

y/n knows molly weasley raises her children with patience. she should trust that fred’s waiting for her. 

but then again, she’s never gonna be as special as angie johnson. she’s just a ever so polite and outgoing nerd. someone who’s foolish enough to prank. angie’s smart, confident and funny and terribly patient. and effortlessly beautiful. she’s got the true gryffindor touch. and angie’s been one of fred’s best friends since day one. she’s always gonna be number 1. 

that’s ok. she’ll accept it. she likes angie anyway. it was probably a joke anyway. 

she couldn’t be jealous, just a bit dismayed that it wasn’t genuine. whatever, she thinks. we can just go back to how we were before. or not. 

and it’s relatively easy. they never really saw much of each other anyway. she’ll get over this tiny little liking. 

it’ll just be like normal. none of this happened. none of it. she grimaces bitterly, damning fred for his stupid games. should’ve known this was another of his pranks. but his acting though, certainly very good. 

she smiles to herself.

“knock it off, y/n, you’re here to learn, not to love.”

and that answer, is satisfactory. 

she gets up from her spot on the gryffindor table rather abruptly, saying goodbye to her friends, and makes her way to the kitchens. she knows she won’t be alone, she’ll talk to hansel and gretel, the twins that cook with the house elves every dinner.

they’re cleaning up as she walks in, book in hand. 

“hi hans, g!” she calls, as she rolls up the sleeves of her sweater to help them with the dishes. 

“y/n!” gretel gives her a hug with soapy arms and y/n giggles.

“how are both of you?” y/n asks. 

“good, good, potions though...” hansel trails off and they all laugh.

“potions is always like that,” y/n agrees, “it’s supposed to be really hard for newts, so you can’t really blame the subject.”

“i’m thinking of dropping divination,” gretel says.

“yeah, that’s wise, gretel buns,” hansel teases and gretel scowls. 

“divination is an easy subject, gretel, you just need to make random stuff up. i saw this weird bear thing in polly’s tea leaves, it wasn’t in the textbook. i told trelawney it was a symbol that a stranger would come and whip polly off her feet, with a whip the colour of the rarest german emeralds, leaving her absolutely smitten. i got full marks,” y/n laughs. 

they laugh too, and soon a light flowing conversation is shared over cups of hot chocolate. 

this is repeated for quite a few days and y/n even invites polly, marla and lenox, her best friends, to join. it’s a delicate, nice kind of week, one that suits her current struggles. 

when the weekends roll around, hansel and gretel suggest that they all sit at the hufflepuff table. they share jokes and quips over the food, y/n reading a book as she bites happily into apple pie.

“pfft,” her lips upturn ever so slightly at the quote that the character makes. 

fred watches her from the gryffindor table, utterly confused. y/n’s been avoiding him. he sees the flashes of hurt that run through her eyes whenever she sees him, and the quick grin that’s far too fake that follows. she’s been reading a lot more and he never sees her anymore. 

he wonders what he’s doing wrong. so as he sees her walking with her friends to hogsmeade, he calls for her. 

“y/n!”

her friends giggle as they see him, but she gives him a fleeting glance and raises her eyebrows at them, shaking her head, before profusely apologising to each one of them.

she approaches him warily, with all practicality in mind. she leads with her heart, but her head protects her. 

fool me once, shame on you.

fool me twice, shame on me.

“you’ve been avoiding me,” he states.

“what would you expect?” she snaps, “isn’t this all a good laugh for you anyway?”

“what’s that supposed to mean?”

“you know what i mean, this was all a joke, wasn’t it? fooling my poor little heart which you know has a crush on you. my head simply won’t allow it. admit it, and we can both move on with our lives,” her tone is sharp and cold, her eyes burning with fury and hurt, “i may seem gullible, and i am,” she gave a short laugh, “but when i notice, don’t even try to lie.”

“this wasn’t a joke, love.”

“don’t call me that, and you and i both know it is. your acting though, absolutely superb!” 

“what makes you think this was a prank, y/n? you were the one who asked for time.”

“yes, and the time made me realise that i had feelings for you despite all the teasing AND the fact you couldn’t possibly be genuine!” y/n says exasperatedly, her fury dissolving quickly, “you looked so in place with angie and everyone that it’s so obviously some sort of fun thing you did to try to get back at me!”

“angie?”

“a-and everyone else.”

“angie?” fred’s eyes were amused.

“you know, angelina, as in johnson.”

“angie?”

y/n shrugs, “you did bring her to the yule ball last year.”

“angie??!!!” fred was full on smirking now, as if trying to receive a real response. 

“i think you like her, okay?! are we done here? i’d very much like a good book from f&b,” y/n sighs. 

“i’ll accompany you to flourish and botts. why would you think i like her? didn’t i just confess to you?”

“yeah but it seemed kinda...” y/n trails off, not wanting her insecurities to come off as compliment fishing, “kinda far-fetched.”

“meaning?” fred knows exactly what she means.

“you know!” 

“oh but i don’t,” he smiles innocently.

“well, you’re you!” 

“is that supposed to be an insult?” he asks, faking a look of hurt rather well as y/n looks alarmed. 

“no, no, as in, you’re nice to look at, and you’ve always insulted me and been so nice and cool to everyone. are you for real?”

“nice to look at?” a cocky grin is on his face now, much more noticeable than the slight blush that was creeping up his face.

“is that the only thing you could pick up?” 

“nice to look at? what’s up with me repeating myself today?”

y/n lets out an agitated sigh. he doesn’t know, he’s blunt and straightforward. she likes cushioning her words.

“y’know, handsome? good looking?”

“my middle names.” another smirk to conceal the blushing. 

y/n smiles. “of course, everyone knows it.”

it makes fred uncomfortable. her light tone is a bit menacing too. 

“only joking.”

“i’m sure everyone does know it, darling.”

y/n is too busy looking at the dog that passes by to hear him, rambling quietly to herself over the cute scottish terrier.

“sorry, what was that?”

“aren’t i cuter than the dog?”

“nup.”

“really?” fred casually slings an arm over y/n’s shoulders, having to stoop a little lower to reach her.

“i think so.”

“well i’ll tell you something love, i think you’re absolutely stunning.”

“some love potion you’re on.”

“uh huh, the love potion is called love, sweetness.”

“so you’re for real?”

“as real as you and me.”

“you’re cheesy. this isn’t a prank right?”

“not at all, i love you.”

“i-i don’t think i love you just yet, but i think it’s possible,” y/n bites her lip, anxiously awaiting his response.

she tilts her head to look at him. 

he’s beaming. he looks more handsome than ever, a sweet smile etched on his face as he looks down at her in utter adoration.

“you have a crush on me!” he pulls her into a hug and giggles like a little girl, kissing the top of her head.

she’s engulfed by the smell of burning wood and cinnamon and immediately feels safe in his strong arms. 

“how’d you say we go on a date? so i can show how sorry i am for all the times i called you googly eyes and played pranks on you.”

“i’ll check to see if the girls are okay with it,” y/n replies, turning her head to see her friends. they’re gone. 

“they are. i asked them to shoo off before i approached you. is that a yes?”

y/n nods, “of course, freddie.”

“i love you.”

she laughs, “you really are april’s fool.”

“i’m your april’s fool.” 

he buries his nose in the crook of her neck to stop her from seeing his blushing red face. 

[bh7theseriesblog]

The Origins of Big Hero 7

Big Hero 7: The Series

Origins

*A flicker of black and white starts up for a while, static noises barely blocks out a voice*

Umm…Hello? Can you hear me?

*the flickering and static stops as it shows a 14 year old girl with dyed blue hair and purple eye contacts*

Can you hear me? Oh it's working!

*The girl sits on the chair in front of the camera. She smooths out her sea green skirt as she clears her throat*

Hi! So���after some thinking I decided to make a video diary so I can remember what I said. After all, who knows when it'll come in handy right? Oh right! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Cora Mizichio.

*Cora chuckles slightly before continuing*

So I guess I should start with my life and such. Let me warn you though, it's kind of a long and wild story.

*she pulls out a phone and starts showing pictures*

I have lived in San Fransokyo for my whole life with my Dad, Mizuchi and Grandmama, Kaguya. My mom, Akemi passed away when I was a baby.

*image of a blonde hair woman smiled warmly before switching to Cora and her family. Her father being Goliath in stature and her grandmother dressed in a kimono with a cane*

Then my family found out that I'm incredibly intelligent for my age. I suppose hacking into your father's computer to send a birthday card at the age of 4 does that. My Dad is very sweet and an old softie, but is very protective of me and wasn't sure that I should go to school. So I was homeschooled, it was fun being taught by Grandmama and such about Marine biology, but…I felt kind of lonely…

After all my studies, I actually made a habit of bot fighting disguised as an unknown cat-masked competitor under the name 'Nekodomo'. It earned good money since at the time Dad hadn't gotten any luck with jobs due to his height. But it was my very first night of bot fighting that I met him…Hiro Hamada

*she flips the photo to a young Asian boy her age, with messy raven hair, large almond brown eyes and a tooth gap in his smile.*

I've never had very much luck when it came to making or having friends, so if I someone told me that I would end up dating this guy I would had laughed. But yeah we did. I was paired up with Hiro in one of those special bot fighting events like the duo duel. We won, but than the cops were coming and I was so scared of getting caught that I couldn't move. But then the next thing I know Hiro grabs my hand and we were running like crazy before the cops even spot us! I have no idea how long we had been running, but to be honest I didn't really care because I was still awe-struck by the fact that Hiro had save me from getting arrested and we didn't even know each other at the time. But that was all about to change, because as we were finally approaching a safe distance from the cops, it was at that moment where I tripped and fell flat on my face, and at the same time broke my mask. Thankfully Hiro picked me back up and we started running again, with me leaving my broken mask behind. Once we finally stopped and knew we were safe, that was when Hiro and I actually first met face-to-face. Now I have to be honest with you, I've never really known if the whole 'Love at first sight' thing was actually real or not, but it's the only thing I can describe how I felt when I first looked into Hiro's eyes. It was there when we properly introduced ourselves to each other and after that, we started seeing each other more. And it was only after 4 months of hanging out together, that I finally got to meet his family, and he got to meet mine.

*The picture now showed Hiro with a woman holding a calico japanese bobtail cat and a young man on either side of him.*

The woman on his left is his Aunt Cass, she runs a coffee shop called the Lucky Cat Cafe. The young man on his right is his older brother Tadashi. And the adorably cute kitty-cat Aunt Cass is holding is Mochi, their family pet. They are really cool people, and they always asked how I was doing and such, and Mochi is such a sweet kitty that he always tries to cuddle up to me whenever I come over. Hiro and I actually became an official thing one night when I saved his butt from Yama's minions. And boy were they surprised! Aunt Cass actually bounced when Hiro told them that I'm his girlfriend! Dad and Grandmama met them that night too, while dad wasn't too happy at first about me dating, Grandmama convinced him…after hitting him on the head with her cane.

*Cora giggled at the memory*

Anyway, After a slight misadventure where Hiro and Tadashi landed in jail and Cass had to bail them out, Tadashi actually took Hiro to SFIT, San Fransokyo institute of Technology that same night. Hiro told me that he met Tadashi's friends. There's Gogo: the cool biker chick, Honey Lemon: the stylish Chem genius, Wasabi: Laser neat freak, and Fred: the secret Billionaire super hero geek. Afterwards Hiro and I actually applied to SFIT by entering the showcase! Hiro made these miniature robots he called Microbots which he can control via head transmitter, I on the other hand did super strength suction cup shoes that can stick on any surface. We both won and we…were gonna celebrate until…a huge fire broke out in the showcase building and Tadashi ran back inside to help Callaghan, a teacher at the school….he didn't make it…

*Cora turned quiet, looking at her hands as she takes a deep breath*

Hiro wasn't himself for a while. I visited him a lot since the fire, and I mostly talked and tried to comfort and be there for him. Then came the day Hiro stubbed his toe and Baymax came along.

*A picture of a white inflated figure came to the picture*

Baymax was Tadashi's project, a robotic nurse to be more specific. He heard Hiro say ow and activated to help him. Then one of Hiro's microbots started acting weird, and Baymax followed the direction it went! It was then we found a guy in a kabuki mask controlling the Microbots. But they were destroyed at the fire right? Once Hiro pieced together that it was the kabuki-masked man that started the fire to steal them, which in turned killed Tadashi…Hiro decided to build Baymax some armor which…well

*the next picture showed Baymax in protective gear*

We traveled down to the port where we saw him take some type of machine out of the ocean. But then it turns out Baymax called the gang to help us, but sadly the guy in the mask saw us. We barely escaped with our lives that night! Thankfully Baymax being a walking marshmallow, also makes him an inflatable raft too. Afterwards we got to Fred's mansion and discussed over what to do next. Side note: it was weird to see that Fred is a billionaire.

*shows portrait of a young Fred and his parents in classy attire*

Hiro and I then built ourselves armor to fight the guy in the mask. Honey lemon got this cute chemistry purse to pull out what she needed, Gogo got some sick skates to zoom past us, Fred got a killer Kaiju costume that breaths fire, Wasabi got awesome laser blades on the backs of his hands, and I got my aquatic camouflage suit with squid strength suction cup shoes! And learning back from his previous work, Hiro turned Baymax from a stay puff marshmallow with bicycle gear to an awesome superhero!

*the next photo shows Baymax in his red armor*

After training and flying around the city we got down to business. We flew to Akuma island where the masked guy was, and it was there we learned something interesting. Krei and some government officials had something called 'Project Silent Sparrow'. It backfired when the portal sucked everything in, and the pilot was stuck. But then the masked guy attacked us! We tried to fight back but….

*a small clip showed Fred jumping only to be punched away *

We bombed, big time.

Hiro and I got lucky to get the mask…but the person was not who we thought….

Turns out Callaghan grabbed the transmitter and used it and the Microbots to protect himself in the fire…leaving Tadashi to die….

It was then that Hiro took out Baymax's health care chip and ordered him to kill Callaghan…

*Cora took a deep breathe before standing up and leaving the room, she returned back with a glass of water and started drinking it. Once she was done She then continued.*

Thankfully the gang got Baymax back to normal but Hiro was furious. He just left with Baymax…but we eventually met up with Hiro at his place, with a video of Tadashi…it was also when we showed him what we discovered. The pilot was no random person Krei hired. She was Callaghan's daughter, and Callaghan was out for blood.

We got to Krei Tech where Callaghan got his portal running. Hiro then learned what we needed to do to beat him; instead of the mask, we take out the Microbots, then he'd be powerless. But despite that, the portal was still open, and ready to tear itself to pieces. Then Baymax dropped the biggest bomb on us, Callaghan's daughter was still alive in there.

Hiro and I got on Baymax to rescue her. We found her pod but Baymax's thrusters were wrecked from the debris…

Baymax…he got us out by rocket punch…but stayed behind in the portal…

It's been weeks since then…

Krei agreed to keep our identities a secret, Callaghan is in prison, and his daughter is making a steady recovery at the hospital. And the news had been exploding over 'the mysterious group of heroes' that saved the city.

Hiro and I had been doing good, we talked to the gang a lot and we actually reapplied to SFIT again.

*Cora then looks at the clock beside her and gasped*

Oh man it's almost midnight! And first day of class is tomorrow! Anyway, thank you for listening! And…Baymax…I don't know if you can hear me..but Hiro has been doing good. We all miss you…especially me and Hiro...wish us good luck, cause who knows what happens tomorrow.

*Cora smiles at the camera before turning it off.*

A.N: This is an updated look for the prolouge chapter of Big Hero 7: The Series!

Liking the new visuals? ;3

This chapter has been edited by WolfWitchHuntress1318 at Fanfiction.net! Thank you for being my patient editor! Thank you for following and reading Big Hero 7! Love ya!

[moonmeg]

Angelica and Georges angst? 👀

Time for a comic that was planned at one time but will not be illustrated. Enjoy, I guess

Georges: Next time we visit my parents you can go on your own.

Angelica: Georges...

Georges: No! How can they pretend they're this happily married couple and act like nothing ever happened?

Angelica: Maybe because they wanted to move on? And maybe because they knew if they wanted to keep being together, they'd have to move on.

Georges: At what cost?

Angelica: Giving you and your sisters the opportunity to grow up with a mother and a father.

Georges: Yeah... like my father ever truly cared about us.

Angelica: Now you're being too harsh. I see the way he looks at you with pride and I see how much he adores you and your sisters. Of course it hurts to know he cheated on your mother...but he's still your father.

Georges: My creator is all he is. You have no idea what it's like to grow up in a broken family. Seeing your mother hurt. Cry. And still pretending everything is perfect to the outside.

Angelica: My father hasn't been most ideal either. Putting work before us sometimes and-

Georges: Well at least he is there for you all the time. Any of you, you or your siblings, you just need to snap with a finger and he'll jump to help you in seconds flat. And he didn't break your mother's heart.

Angelica: What is your problem?!

Georges: My problem is that my parents play the happy married couple when their marriage hasn't been happy since the affair!

Angelica: How do you know? You haven't lived with your parents for years! Maybe they actually restored their marriage. Forgive and forget. If your mother was able to-

Georges: My mother is just too proud to divorce.

Angelica: Your mother loves your father!

Georges: Oh so now you know exactly how my mother feels towards her husband? What marriage could ever again be happy after an affair?!

Angelica: If I told you I have slept with another man, would our marriage too never be happy again? Can you not still love me?

Georges: I- This has nothing to do with us.

Angelica: Answer the question. I cheated. I confess or you discover yourself. Does your love for me just die?

Georges: Angelica...

Angelica: No. No it doesn't. Trust can break and yes, if I cheated your trust in me would shatter. But I you truly love me--

Georges: You're wrong. I... I wouldn't give you a second chance... even if I still loved you.

Angelica: ... I see.

Well then...

Georges: What are you doing?

Angelica: I'm going.

Georges: Where?!

Angelica: To my parents. I need a break off your ignorance.

Georges: Ignorance?! Fine, you- you know what? Leave! You can stay with your parents forever if you want to! Why don't you also divorce me?

Angelica: Don't test me, Lafayette.

_________________________

[At the Hamiltons]

Angelica: Mom?

Eliza: What is it, my love?

Angelica: I- I'm late.

Eliza: What for?

Angelica: I'm late

Eliza: Oh- oh goodness! And... is there reason to assume?

Angelica: I'm afraid so. It's some weeks back but... Georges and I...

Eliza: I'll call your dad and tell him to bring a pregnancy test okay?

Angelica: mhm...

Eliza: In the meantime you sit down and enjoy some of your grandmamas tea! It'll be alright, dear. Don't worry.

________________

[Later]

Alexander: At first I thought the test was for you, Bets. I got really worried.

Eliza: No, I think my fertile days are over, sweetheart. I had a good run though. Eight kids.

Alexander: Eight wonderful kids.

Eliza: Geli! Dear, and? What does it say?

Angelica: Nothing yet.

Alexander: Hey, what's the matter, little lamb?

Angelica: I can't be pregnant. Not now! Not when Georges' and my relationship is so damaged.

Eliza: See it in a positive light: if you are pregnant, your relationship will most likely restore.

Angelica: I don't want a baby to be the reason we make up. I want to actually have it out of the world and not force it by being pregnant.

Alexander: You should just talk to Georges. This entire fight you had is just a difference in opinions.

Angelica: I'm not going to give in and ask him to talk. He's the one who provoked me.

Eliza: You both provoked each other. Both of your views are valid. For some people cheating is unforgivable, others believe the relationship deserves a second chance. And it's not even your own relationship you argued about but Gilbert and Adrienne's.

Angelica: I just hate how he won't accept that his father means his apology and how his parents can be happy again.

Alexander: I think the test should be ready.

Angelica: *sigh*

....

Two lines.

I'm pregnant.

[buoyantsaturn]

I Feel a Little Lost in This World (3/5)

chapter title: Will Takes a Permanent Vacation

word count: 4,410

read on ao3

Will felt like...well, death was the only way he could think to describe it, but wherever he was, it was far too bright to be the Underworld - and he would know, having visited once a few years ago. He was pretty sure he’d been drifting in and out of consciousness for a little while, because he distinctly remembered being spoon-fed something that tasted a lot like his grandmama’s peach cobbler, except that the texture was off. It didn’t have the same crunch to it as it usually did.

Will forced himself awake the next time he had a brush with consciousness, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a pretty girl sitting near a small fire, and it looked like she was cooking something in the pot suspended above the flames. She looked like she could’ve been Will’s age, but something told him that that guess was wrong.

Rather than saying something sensible like, hello, or where am I?, Will sat up with a groan and said, “You’re not my grandmama.”

The girl looked over with a confused frown, and quickly made her way to Will’s side. “You should not be awake so soon. Your injuries--”

“I heal fast,” Will explained simply. “Um. Where am I?”

“You are in my home,” the girl replied, “on the island of Ogygia.”

Will repeated the name a few times in his head, knowing that it sounded familiar, though he couldn’t quite place it, until-- “Oh. You’re Calypso.”

She blushed. “You...have heard of me?”

“Yeah,” Will said, though he didn’t tack on, your Mythomagic card is basically useless. “Um. I’m a demigod. I’ve heard...stories.”

Calypso nodded. “Then you know that you are stranded here, at least until you’ve fully healed. Though I would assume that won’t be long, seeing as you are already awake. I’ve never met a demigod who could heal so quickly.”

Will shrugged awkwardly. “A good healer, that’s me.” He rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms over the thighs of his pants, just for something to do with his hands, but frowned when he realized he wasn’t wearing the jeans he thought he was wearing. “Um. Where are my clothes?”

Calypso gestured to the corner of the cave-like room they were in, where Will saw his jeans and camp shirt with tears and burns all across them, and he winced. “I thought I would have more time to repair them for you, but they are nearly destroyed. I thought you might be more comfortable in clean, more in-tact clothing.”

“Oh. Thanks,” Will said, nodding along in understanding, but when realization hit, he felt his face catch fire. “Wait-- You changed me?”  

Calypso blushed right back. “You were practically naked when you washed up on shore - would you have preferred I left you in those clothes?”

“Well, I--” Will’s arms flailed around, as if that would get his answer across. “Maybe? I don’t know!”

After the initial awkwardness, Will found that he got along with Calypso quite well. She knew a lot about traditional medicine - which plants to use to heal certain things - and Will traded her ancient knowledge for some of his own more modern techniques that he’d learned at camp. She tried to teach him how to cook, and they attempted to mend his damaged clothes before realizing they were beyond repair.

One night, Will found Calypso tending to her garden, which he thought was odd, considering he’d always known gardening as more of a daytime chore - though, he’d learned, the things that he’d considered chores all seemed to be things that Calypso enjoyed doing. Calypso requested some assistance in transplanting the moonlace flowers - which only bloomed in the dark and practically glowed under the light of the moon - and offered her opinions on his quest in return.

(The reminder of the quest had Will’s heart aching, though he knew he couldn’t leave yet. They both knew he wasn’t fully healed, even if he did have even more rapid healing abilities than other demigods. He just hoped that Nico would be able to sense that he was still alive.)

“Is something troubling you?” Calypso asked as she passed Will a clump of dirt containing the roots of another flower.

Will shook his head, and then seemed to disagree with himself. “It’s just...why help me with my quest when I probably won’t even get back in time to finish it? And...it almost seems like you’re trying to push me out, sometimes. Wouldn’t you rather I stay here, to keep you company?”

Calypso smiled sadly. “I know you won’t be staying. Your heart doesn’t belong here. But just like you, Will Solace, I’ve heard stories. I was alive when the Labyrinth was first built, you know. And I sometimes receive visitors who tell me about great quests. Why, just before you awoke, I had a visit from Lord Hephaestus, who told me that you’d been injured when those friends of yours destroyed one of his forges and caused a volcano to erupt.”

Will’s eyes widened. “Nico caused a volcanic eruption?”

“So Lord Hephaestus claims,” Calypso replied with a shrug. “He also told me once, very long ago, that a great inventor created an endless maze that would be impossible for even the gods to navigate.”

“Really?” Will asked. “Not even the gods?”

Calypso smiled knowingly. “Not all of them, at least. Many gods think too much, and end up confusing themselves. They simply need to clear their minds.”

Will frowned. “So, if we just don’t think about it, we’ll get where we need to go?”

“Not you, no,” she told him. “Even demigods, with eyes that can see more than most, are still somewhat clouded by the mist. You’ll need to find someone clever enough to see things as they truly are, and then you’ll have your guide to the maze.”

“A guide…” Will repeated softly, and then grinned. “Man, Annabeth is going to be so mad when she hears that we need a guide.”

“Annabeth,” Calypso whispered, “she is your…?”

“Friend,” Will answered quickly, truthfully. “It’s her quest, technically.”

Calypso nodded, seeming almost relieved. She scooped up another moonlace flower and rose to her feet. “Alright, let’s move these to the other garden.”

She found Will out on the beach the next day, squinting up at the bright sky with a deep frown on his face.

“Is something troubling you?” Calypso asked as she sat down beside Will in the sand.

“I can’t--” Will huffed, frustrated. “I can’t see the sun. Like, I know it’s there, obviously, but… I’ve never looked up at the sky during the day and not known where the sun is, you know? I mean, that’s my dad - and I’ve always sort of felt like he was watching over me, even if there’s no way he can really see me, but now… I can’t see him, so what if he can’t see me?”

Calypso laid a hand over Will’s where it was sitting in the sand. “You’re safe here, have I not helped you to see that?”

Calypso’s hand was warm - Will wished she would let go of his hand. “No, you have, it’s just…” He sighed and slipped his hand out of Calypso’s, crossing his arms over his knees and dropping his gaze to stare out at the endless ocean. “We both know how this is going to end, you know? Your curse…”

He knew the words were probably like a knife to Calypso’s heart, and as much as he didn’t want to hurt her, he knew the reminder was necessary. He kept his eyes on the water.

“I know you could never love me,” Calypso whispered, barely heard over the sound of the gentle tide, “but sometimes I think that an unrequited love would be better, just to have the company. Rather than spending the rest of eternity alone.”

“You can’t really think that,” Will scoffed.

“And why not?” she shot back. “I’ve hosted multiple heroes on this island, and even though it sometimes hurt to have them here - when they longed for their home or a lost love - it always hurt so much more to watch them leave. I’ve been abandoned here time and time again, so I don’t believe you have any right to blame me for wanting you to stay!”

Will flinched when she raised her voice, but he wasn’t going to back down so easily. “I just don’t think you understand--”

“I understand perfectly--”  

“You don’t know how it feels--”

“I know that I don’t want to feel like this--”  

“I know what it’s like when he doesn’t love you back!”

Will had only ever come out to two people - his mama and Lou Ellen. (He would’ve told Cecil, too, except he knew that Cecil couldn’t keep his mouth shut.) Not even Nico knew, despite being Will’s best friend, because Will knew he wouldn’t survive it if Nico wasn’t accepting - and considering his upbringing, Will didn’t have any idea how Nico would react.

Still, even though they knew Will was gay, he never had the courage to tell them anything more. He knew they had their suspicions, but Will had never come so close to admitting that he actually liked someone.

He buried his face in his arms, sure that he’d turned bright red, and afraid to see how Calypso would react. They were both trapped on that island - if things went south, neither of them had anywhere to run.

There were a few beats of silence where Will matched his breaths to the tide to ensure that he wasn’t on the verge of panic. Then, Calypso spoke. “I know you’ve read my story in your history books...but would you like to tell me yours?”

Will hugged his knees to his chest. “He’s my best friend. He’s saved my life more times than I can count, and I like to think that I’ve repaid the favor. We...we’ve been on so many quests together, and we spend so much time together - so much to the point that...I think it hurts more to be away from him than it does to know that he’ll never love me the way I love him.”

“Have you ever told him how you feel?” Calypso asked gently.

Will shook his head. “I don’t think he’d want to hear it.”

“How will you know unless you try?”

Will’s hands balled into fists. “Because it’s not normal! And… And then he’d hate me!”

“Not... normal?” Calypso repeated. “When is love ever normal? And remind me, you did say your father is Apollo, correct?”

He frowned. What did his dad have to do with any of this? “Yeah?”

“Meaning that the love your father shared with Hyacinthus wasn’t normal?”  

“That’s different,” Will argued. “He’s a god - there is no normal for gods.”

“But Hyacinthus wasn’t a god,” Calypso pointed out. “Neither was Commodus, as much as he liked to think he was.”

Will huffed in frustration. “Do you have a point to this?”

“I’m trying to show you how absurd your logic is! Men have loved other men - just as women have loved other women, I might add - for my entire existence! Which, might I remind you, is a very long time. I would argue that the concept of people loving people has always been normal.”

Will didn’t respond. He couldn’t think of another argument without knowing exactly how Calypso would shoot it down, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to accept her words, either. Each time he had come out, he’d hoped that saying the words would make him feel better about himself, but it only seemed to make everything worse - how could he tell Nico how he felt if he couldn’t even be happy about it himself?

“I’m sorry, that was harsh,” Calypso said. “May I try again?”

After a pause, Will nodded.

“Have you heard the story of the creation of humans?” she asked. “How they were originally such powerful beings that even Zeus himself feared their strength? He broke each being apart with his bolt, thus creating two halves of a whole - soulmates, I believe they’ve been called. So, if this boy is--”

“Nico,” Will whispered. “His name is Nico.”

“Nico,” Calypso repeated quietly. “If Nico is your other half, then does it really matter his gender?”

Slowly, Will nodded. “Thank you,” he said, “for talking through that with me. And I’m sorry for being such a brat. I… I wasn’t thinking about your curse, I was more focused on myself, and I’m sorry.” He turned toward her, finally reaching out for one of her hands to give it a comforting squeeze.

“Thank you, Will,” she replied, and drew him in for a hug. Just as he reached out to hug her back, Calypso gasped and pulled away, placing her hands on his shoulders with a look of disappointment. “I...I think that, maybe, what you needed wasn’t any sort of physical healing, but perhaps emotional.”

Will frowned. “Huh?” He followed Calypso’s gaze over his shoulder and watched as a wooden raft drifted to shore, lodging itself on the sand. “Oh.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Calypso reminded him, though he could tell by the tone of her voice that even she knew it wouldn’t change his mind. “You can stay here, hide away from quests and prophecies. You can be yourself here, and I promise you I won’t ever judge you for who you are.”

Will barely managed to tear his eyes away from the raft, as though it would vanish as soon as he looked away. “I’m sorry,” he said again, “I can’t put you through the pain that I’ve been feeling. And now...it’s like the Fates have given me another chance. Maybe… Maybe you’re right. Maybe I can tell Nico how I feel, and it’ll go better than I thought.”

She nodded. “I knew you couldn’t stay. It’s alright - in my heart, I knew I didn’t expect you to.” Calypso leaned in and gave Will a kiss on the cheek. “I wish you the best of luck, Will.”

“Thank you,” he said, “and I--” He stopped himself. What could he wish her luck on - that he curse would be broken? That some hero would finally decide to stay?

He pulled her in for another hug. “I’ll find some way to help you. I don’t know how, but… I’ll think of something. I’ll come back to visit, or--”

“No man ever finds Ogygia twice,” Calypso said, sounding rehearsed, like Will wasn’t the first to offer to return. She pulled back and got to her feet, offering her hand to pull Will up with her. “Come with me; I have one last thing for you.”

She started leading Will in the opposite direction of the raft, and his heart spiked. He tugged on her hand, but before he could speak, she assured him, “The raft won’t leave unless you tell it to. Now come, I’ll be quick.”

Calypso took Will toward the flowerbed where they’d transplanted moonlace flowers the night before. She dropped to her knees and carefully dug out one of the flowers, then held it up for Will. When he didn’t take it, she got back to her feet and tucked the flower into the chest pocket on his shirt, the dirt and roots feeling cool even through the fabric.

“Something to remember me by,” she told him.

Will frowned. “I don’t have anything for you.”

Calypso smiled sadly, shaking her head. “I won’t need anything to remember you by. Perhaps it’s part of my curse, or maybe these visits are always so memorable. Either way, I will be thinking of you, and praying to all of the gods for you to have a long and happy life.”

Will didn’t know what to say, so he hugged her again. Then he jumped back, afraid that he would crush the moonlace, and smiled at Calypso sheepishly.

She walked him back to the beach, to the raft, and waved to him from the shore as he set sail.

Will thought to go home, but he wasn’t sure whether “home” would mean camp or Texas, so instead, he asked to be sent to Nico.

He could only hope that nothing bad had happened to Nico, that he hadn’t gone to the Underworld for any reason. Or, at the very least, he hoped that the magical raft from the magical island would be able to take him to Hades.

He was surprised when the raft washed up at the Long Island Sound, and Will found himself walking onto the beach where he’d watched the Fourth of July fireworks with Nico the summer before. He continued further into camp, though he was confused when the place seemed almost abandoned. It was practically the middle of the day, so where was everybody?

Will wandered toward the cabins, hoping that he could catch Lee on a break from the infirmary. He swung by the Demeter cabin on his way, picking up one of the little, unused terracotta pots they kept outside, and he carefully removed the moonlace from his pocket to plant inside the pot. When he finished, he took the pot with him, about to head across the green to the Apollo cabin when he saw a little girl tending to the central hearth between the cabins.

“Excuse me,” Will said as he knelt down nearby, and the girl looked up with a smile. The fire reflected in her eyes in a way that it usually only did late at night - or maybe the fire was actually burning in her eyes. “Um, where is everybody?”

“Will Solace,” she said, which immediately set off Will’s nerves, “they’re waiting for you in the amphitheatre.”

“Uh.” Will blinked in confusion. “Thanks?”

He got back to his feet and started toward the amphitheatre, and as he walked, Will glanced back over his shoulder to see that the fire had gone out, and the little girl tending to it had disappeared.

Maybe she was a ghost, he thought, or maybe I’m dead.

Then, as he got closer to the amphitheatre, he heard voices. He heard Chiron, definitely, and then maybe Lee - though it was hard to tell when it sounded like he was on the verge of tears - and then, finally, Nico.

Will crested the hill and looked down into the amphitheatre just in time to watch Lee touch a torch to a golden shroud. There was silence as the fabric started to burn, and Will was starting to get a bad feeling in his gut about whatever was going on here - he’d never seen the camp look so... somber - so he walked up to the first person he could see and whispered, “Hey, uh, what’s going on?”

Katie Gardner’s head whipped toward him, and her eyes widened as she let out a scream. Will stumbled back on reflex, clutching at his potted moonlace protectively, until he saw his siblings rushing toward him. Will wouldn’t have been surprised if Michael ended up with a black eye from the force with which his head connected with Will’s shoulder when he hugged him. In seconds, Will was drowning in hugs - he even saw a flash of red hair from his newest little sister, Kayla, who he had only briefly gotten to meet before entering the Labyrinth - and he found himself knocked off his feet when Lee barrelled into him. (The moonlace was safe from harm, but Will’s ribs may have been lightly bruised.)

He couldn’t really hear any individual voices in the cacophony surrounding him, but he thought he heard, “We thought you were dead,” and “Where have you been?” more than a few times each. The only thing that seemed to break up the crowd and the noise was a single person pushing between people and suddenly shoving at Will’s chest.

“What the hell, asshole?” Nico shouted, giving another shove at Will’s chest, hard enough to make him stumble backwards. “Where the hell have you been? Why didn’t you call, or, or--” Another shove. “Why didn’t you leave? You were supposed to leave first, and instead--” One more push, weaker than the others before it, and Nico’s hands lingered at Will’s shoulders. “I couldn’t even tell if you were dead!”

When Will noticed the tears in Nico’s eyes, he stopped feeling the pain of being hugged and squeezed and pushed around, and instead, he pulled Nico into his arms, awkwardly pressing the pot into Nico’s back. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into the top of Nico’s head, “I’m so sorry. I missed you, too.”

Will half expected Chiron to call a counsellor’s meeting upon his return, but instead, he only gathered the questing party into the Big House’s living room so that they could discuss what had happened.

Will shared most of the details about his stay on Calypso’s island - though he didn’t share any of his or Calypso’s private conversations, especially not in present company - and kept drumming his fingers on the sides of the pot in his lap as he spoke. Nico had mostly calmed down after hearing Will’s explanation for why he couldn’t call (and now that Will thought about it, he was going to need a new cell phone, since his was either underneath Mount St. Helens, or in the pocket of his burnt jeans on Ogygia) but he still seemed upset. Will figured they just needed a little bit of alone time to talk, and Nico would feel better after that.

Percy described - in great detail - what had happened to the forge when they destroyed it, and how they had supposedly released some horrifying monster along with it, which didn’t make Will feel great. And Annabeth explained that, while they had made it back to camp by some miracle, they still weren’t able to navigate the maze.

“Oh, yeah!” Will said suddenly. “Calypso and I talked about that a little bit. She said something about how even demigods can’t fully see through the Mist, or something like that. The way she was talking about it reminded me of the way people tell you to look at those Magic Eye posters.”

Nico frowned. “Posters with...magic eyes?”

Will reached over and took his hand - it was cold, and callused from sword fighting, and it brought a smile to Will’s face - and said, “I’ll tell you later.”

“So, we need a clear-sighted mortal?” Percy asked. “Like my mom? She says that she can see through the Mist.”

“I didn’t know there were mortals that could see through the Mist,” Will commented.

Nico turned to Percy and asked, “Do you think that would explain Rachel?”

“Rachel?” Will and Annabeth asked at the same time, and Will hoped that the sound of Annabeth’s voice drowned out the tinge of jealousy in his own. Who was Rachel, and why hadn’t Nico ever told him about her?

Percy’s eyes widened. “Maybe! That would make so much sense. Do you still have her number?”

“I think so,” Nico said, the tips of his ears growing red, which only made Will frown.

“Well,” Chiron said suddenly, almost making Will jump, “it sounds like you all have a good idea of what your next steps are. Why don’t you all stay here again tonight, and you can set off again in the morning?”

“Thank you, Chiron,” Annabeth said, which seemed to be the ending of their little meeting. They all started back out of the house, though at the last second, Nico grabbed Will’s hand and pulled him up the stairs, checking over the railing once or twice to make sure Chiron didn’t catch them.

Nico shoved Will into one of the second-floor bedrooms and he shut the door behind them. Will felt his face heating up, and wondered if he could blame that on the fact that there was no air conditioning in the Big House.

Nico crossed his arms and stared up at Will. He felt his fingers start to tap against the pot again, unconsciously.

“I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me,” Nico said, and Will’s heart began to pound.

“Well, I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me,” Will shot back, a little bit nervously. How could he make it clear to Nico that he and Calypso had only talked about deeply personal things, without having to share what those personal things were?

Nico sighed and crossed the room, slumping onto his bed and sitting on the edge of the mattress. “I’m sorry. I promise, I had totally forgotten about Rachel, and--”

“Nico,” Will said, setting the pot on Nico’s nightstand and sitting down beside him, “it’s okay. I… I don’t care that you didn’t tell me about her, whoever she is. I just...got defensive. I thought… I thought you were going to get mad at me for getting close with Calypso.”

Nico frowned. “What? Why? She saved your life, didn’t she? I should be thanking her.”

Will blinked. Did Nico not know about Calypso’s curse? “I-- You’re not mad?”

“Oh, I’m mad,” Nico said, “but not about Calypso. I’m pissed that you didn’t leave that forge when I told you to. I thought I might die, and then when I couldn’t find you, and… And I couldn’t even feel whether you were dead or alive-- It was like you were just gone, and I--”

Nico choked on his next breath, and Will pulled him into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into Nico’s hair. “It’ll never happen again, I promise.”

Nico dug a knuckle in between Will’s ribs. “Damn right, it won’t.”

“Ow, hey! Haven’t I been through enough today?” Will asked, tugging at a bit of hair on the back of Nico’s neck, admittedly more forcefully than he should have.

“Ow! Haven’t I?” Nico shot back. He pulled away and got to his feet, tugging Will up by the hand to follow. “C’mon, I haven’t eaten in days because I was so worried about you, and now I’m starving. Let’s go see if the Stolls have any good rose from the dead discounts.”

“I wasn’t dead,” Will argued, but he let Nico lead him back out the door with a smile on his face.

He left the moonlace behind on Nico’s nightstand, right next to the window where it started to bloom right as the sun set.

thanks for reading!

buy me a coffee | more solangelo week stuff

[thelastspeecher]

if you're taking halloween prompts, maybe Stan and the gucks dealing with the headless horseman coming to the guck farm?

I tapped into my Irish folklore knowledge and did my best to make a kinda spooky story.  Hopefully, I pulled it off moderately successfully!

(Oh, also, this ficlet takes place immediately following the last ficlet I posted, of Stangie going trick-or-treating.)

——————————————————————————————

              Stan parked his car outside the McGucket farmhouse. He grinned at Angie.

              “Damn, we got a huge haul,” he said.  Holding the buckets filled with candy, Angie grinned back.

              “We sure did!”

              “Time to go eat so much we make ourselves sick.”

              “Yeah!  Wait, what?”

              “I’m jokin’, Angie, don’t worry.”  Stan turned the car off and took his bucket from Angie. “C’mon.”  The two got out of the car.  Stan heard rustling.  In his peripheral vision, he could see movement.  He tossed the bucket back into the car and rushed over to stand protectively in front of Angie.  A figure emerged from the bushes.

              “What in the-” Angie started.

              “Back away, Angie,” Stan hissed.  He and Angie backed away slowly.  The figure followed, only to split away from them just as they reached the porch.  Stan watched as the figure headed for a horse tied to one of the porch rails.  Angie suddenly gripped Stan’s arms tight enough that he had to bite back a yelp of pain.

              “Stan!” Angie whispered, terrified.  “That feller don’t have no head!”

              “Yer seein’ things,” Stan said back.  He looked more closely.  His blood ran cold.  Angie was right.  The figure looked exactly like a man, but a man missing his head.  The front door opened behind them.

              “Kids, inside!”  Pa McGucket roughly dragged Stan and Angie in, then closed the door and locked it.  “Sally, the salt.”

              “On it, dear.”  Ma McGucket gently nudged Stan and Angie away from the door.  She laid a line of salt across the threshold. “I can check the other points of entry.”

              “Thank you, sweetheart,” Pa McGucket said.  Ma McGucket left.  Pa McGucket looked Stan and Angie over, relief on his face.  “I’m so glad yer safe.”

              “Uh, yeah, we- we are,” Angie squeaked.

              “What’s the deal with No-Head McGee out there?” Stan asked, jutting his thumb in the direction of said headless man.  Pa McGucket sighed.

              “He’s one of the Fair Folk,” he answered. Angie’s eyes widened.  Stan frowned.

              “The what?”

              “Oh, that’s right.  You wouldn’t know much ‘bout the Fair Folk, would ya?” Pa McGucket mumbled to himself.  “Well, come on into the livin’ room.  We’ll have a chat.”  Stan and Angie followed Pa McGucket into the living room.  Pa McGucket sat in his favorite armchair, while Stan and Angie sat on the couch.

              “All right, explain,” Stan said.  Pa McGucket raised an eyebrow at him.  “…Please.”

              “The Fair Folk have been called many things. They can be found in just ‘bout every place in the world, so’s each culture had their own name fer ‘em.  The one yer prob’ly most familiar with would be ‘fairy’.”

              “Fairy?  That ghost-looking thing was not a fairy,” Stan interjected.  Pa McGucket sighed.

              “The real Fair Folk are a far cry from the pop’lar representation of a lil lady in a sparkly dress and wings.  ‘Course, my fam’ly never called ‘em that.  We called ‘em the Fair Folk, or, on occasion, used the name they gave themselves, the aes sidhe, or just the sidhe fer short.”

              “She?” Stan said, testing out the word.  Pa McGucket nodded.  “That doesn’t sound English.”

              “It ain’t.  It’s Irish.  That’s where my fam’ly came from.”

              “I kinda figured.”

              “I had a feelin’ ya had figured that out on yer own,” Pa McGucket said, a twinkle in his eye.  “Yer quite the clever fella.”  He cleared his throat.  “As I was sayin’, the Fair Folk ain’t the fairy you’d see in a cartoon.  They’re mysterious, magical folk who manipulate perceptions of the world, an ability referred to as glamour.  They live in the hills of the old country, in a world that runs parallel to ours.  If ya wish to visit ‘em, ya need to go ‘sideways’.  At least, according to tradition.”

              “Uh…okay,” Stan said after a moment.  Angie leaned forward.

              “Pa?”

              “Yes, Junebug?”

              “Is the feller outside Seelie or Unseelie?” she asked.  Pa McGucket smiled.

              “I’m so glad to hear that yer pa’s old stories stuck in yer brilliant lil mind.”

              “Pa!” Angie whined.  Pa McGucket chuckled.

              “The Headless Horseman ain’t aligned with either Court.”  Pa McGucket turned to Stan.  ��Broadly speakin’, the Fair Folk tend to belong to either the Seelie Court or the Unseelie Court.  ‘Course, there are those, like the feller outside, who opt out of the system.”

              “Let me guess,” Stan said slowly.  “Seelie is good and Unseelie is bad?”  Pa McGucket leaned back in his chair.

              “Not quite.  It ain’t wise to use such human terminology to refer to bein’s what are so far from human.  Their minds don’t work like ours, so their morals don’t, neither.  The Seelie Court is the kinder of the two, yes.  They won’t attack unless ya offend.”

              “That’s nice of them,” Stan muttered.

              “Eh.  The Fair Folk have very specific etiquette to follow, and it’s very easy to accidentally offend.  So even if yer in the presence of a Seelie, yer not out of the woods.  The Unseelie Court, they thrive on pain and suffering and chaos.”

              “So, stay away from Unseelie.”

              “Stay away from all Fair Folk,” Angie said firmly. Pa McGucket nodded.  “Some are kinder than others, but they…”  Angie scratched her cheek.  “They ain’t human.  They don’t think like we do, they don’t understand us, we don’t understand ‘em. Seelie are better, yes, but ya never want to be in the company of the Folk unless yer in complete control of the sit’ation.”

              “Exactly,” Pa McGucket said.  “There are Fair Folk on our property that we have communicated with before, and each time, we determine when and where, and protect ourselves against their glamour.”

              “Wait, what?” Angie asked.  “Pa, you’ve seen the Fair Folk before?”

              “Of course, dearie.  Grandmama and Grandpapa set up our current arrangement with ‘em back when they settled here.  And the Headless Horseman tends to drop by on Samhain.”

              “There are so many new words,” Stan groaned, putting his head in his hands.  “I feel like I’m in school.”

              “I’ve never seen him ‘fore,” Angie said, ignoring Stan.

              “You’ve never been up late enough to see him ‘fore,” Pa McGucket said.

              “The Fair Folk never go sideways to our world unless they have a reason.”

              “Sweetie, they don’t need a reason on Samhain.  It’s as much their celebration as it is ours.”

              “Fine, I’ll bite,” Stan said.  He lifted his head.  “What is Saw-win?”

              “Samhain is an ancient Irish festival to signal the end of harvest and comin’ of winter.  Tradition holds that it is when boundaries between worlds are the thinnest.” Pa McGucket shrugged.  “Don’t know how true that is, but it’s what they say. And it’s when the Headless Horseman shows up, so.”  Pa McGucket looked in the direction of the front door.  “I’m glad that this Headless Horseman appears to be dif’rent to the kind Grandmama and Grandpapa told stories ‘bout.”

              “How so?”

              “He’s never killed anyone by sayin’ their name, fer one thing,” Pa McGucket said dryly.  Stan’s mouth went dry.

              “How long does he stay before leavin’?” Angie asked. Pa McGucket shrugged.

              “Depends.  It could be a while though, you should start gettin’ ready fer bed.  It’s late.”

              “I don’t think I can sleep knowin’ he’s out there,” Angie said softly.  Stan nodded in agreement.

              “I’m not easily scared, but that guy doesn’t have a head.”

              “Don’t worry, he can’t get in here.  Not with the precautions we’ve got: holy water, blessed iron, salt, the whole nine yards.”  Stan and Angie stared at him silently.  “I can go check if he’s gone, though.”  Pa McGucket got up from his chair and headed for the front door. After a few moments, he called back to them.  “Yep. He’s gone.  Come see fer yourselves if you’d like.”  Stan and Angie headed for the door as well, Angie lagging slightly behind Stan.

              When they got to the front door, Pa McGucket had it wide open.  He stood on the porch, surveying the yard with his hands on his hips.

              “See?  No Folk here,” Pa McGucket said cheerfully.  Stan stared.  No one was there.  In fact, he was beginning to doubt he’d seen the Headless Horseman in the first place.

              “They usually leave behind a sign of some sort,” Angie said, brushing past him.  She made a beeline for where the Horseman’s horse had been tied to.  She crouched down, inspecting the soil.  Her eyes widened.  “Stan, come here.”  Reluctantly, Stan joined her.  His blood ran cold, just as it had when he first saw the Horseman.

              In the otherwise undisturbed dirt, there was a set of fresh hoofprints.

[ourloveisforthelovely]

Second Chance 5

Harry Potter AU

Pairing: Sirius Black x Reader 

Link to Chapter 4

Rating: M- smut

________

After Remus and Tonks ushered Matilda and Harry out of the bar, Sirius went in search of the bottle of fire whiskey that Greyback had been holding. You, meanwhile, were still staring at the place that Matilda had been standing in. What was she honestly thinking about by going after that massive werewolf? If something happened to your daughter, you would never forgive yourself.

“Those two are going to be the death of us.”

Sirius’ voice pulled you from your thoughts. You turned in his direction as he downed a shot of whiskey.

You’re going to be the death of me too.

You thought.

“Yeah, they really have it in for us. Where did you go with Remus?”

Sirius’ eyes rolled up to meet yours. He knew that this was going to be an unpleasant conversation. You were not going to like his answer.

“I found out where Peter is hanging out. Malfoy Manor on Thursdays.”

“How did you find out?”

You asked, softly. Sirius winced.

“Before you go getting mad at me, know that I did it to find out the information…”

You held a hand up.

“Sirius, I don’t like conversations that start this way...especially from you.”

“I got the information from Sarah Meadowes.”

Sirius winced when the expression on your face darkened.

“Did she touch you?”

You knew all about what Sarah was up to now. Her career choice would make Dorcas roll over in her grave. Dorcas would die of shame knowing that her little sister was an exotic dancer.

“A little bit...it didn’t mean anything.”

Sirius’ nonchalant answer was 10 times more painful than if he had admitted it and begged for forgiveness. He stood behind the bar looking like it was no big deal. So what if he went to a strip club for some bitch, who wasn’t his lover, to rub all over him? It was no big deal and apparently, you shouldn’t be bothered by it...what a dream!

“It didn’t mean anything.”

Sirius shook his head.

“No. I didn’t get hard or anything. Now if it was you dressed like that rubbing all over me...you wouldn’t be able to walk straight.”

Your mouth dropped. What was he actually thinking? How did he even remotely think that you were going to be okay with this? Sure, he got info on Peter but at what cost?

“So why didn’t Remus go talk to her?”

You asked, trying to keep a grip on your temper. Sirius shrugged, still seeming clueless.

“Said something about Tonks getting mad at him...I wasn’t really listening.”

“Maybe you should worry about what your own girlfriend would have to say?”

Sirius’ head snapped up at that. Fuck, he knew that look. You were mad. Mad was probably putting things lightly.

“You’re my fiance not girlfriend. Big difference. I thought you trusted me.”

You shook your head before turning and storming toward the door.

“Fuck you.”

Before Sirius could get to you, you apperated from the room leaving him alone to piece together his wrongdoings.

Arriving back at Grimmauld Place, Sirius was trying to put together what his apology would consist of. Maybe he could make a case about how now you knew how he felt finding out that you were an auror or what would you do for information. Both didn’t sound too great and he decided to stay away from both of them.

The bedroom door was locked when Sirius tried to walk in. Matilda sat in the hallway hidden halfway by shadows.

“Mum doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Matilda said quietly. Sirius looked down at his daughter who looked grim.

“Yeah? Well, she is going to have to talk to me sometime.”

Matilda only scowled at him. She didn’t reply as she went back to the book that she was reading. The last thing that she wanted to admit was the fact that she heard what her parent’s latest argument was about. She wanted to tell her father that although his intentions were good; his handling of “getting information” was straight stupid.

“I see that you are mad at me too?”

Sirius questioned. Matilda only nodded.

“That was dumb...what you did.”

“How do you know?”

Sirius snapped, feeling suddenly annoyed. Had you gone and told the girl what happened?

“I could hear mummy crying to Uncle Remus. The two of you should know that you are both very loud and your voices carry.”

The expression on Matilda’s face reminded him eerily of the expression that Regulus would have whenever their own parents argued. Matilda was off in her own world and wanted nothing to do with anyone else.

“Tilley…”

Matilda stood up. She lightly knocked on the bedroom door to be let in.

“I don’t want to hear it. Things aren’t supposed to be this way. You are supposed to make mummy happy not make her cry. If all the two of you are going to do is argue then maybe you shouldn’t be together.”

She gave Sirius a final scowl as the door opened enough for her to slip in. The door closing left Sirius standing completely baffled.

Running a hand over his face, he felt worse than ever. Matilda shouldn’t be worrying about her parent’s problems and here she was doing it.

“That didn’t sound too good”

Sirius frowned in Remus’ direction. He wasn’t aware that his friend had heard the whole conversation.

“Yeah, I just got my ass handed to me by my 13-year-old.”

Remus rolled his eyes.

“I never told you to let Sarah give you a lapdance. I figured that the two of you would only talk.”

Sirius had enough of everyone in the house by this point.

“Lesson number 1, Remus, strippers don’t give you jack fucking shit for free.”

Sirius turned and stormed down the stairs without another word

An hour later, Matilda walked downstairs. She stopped the moment that she saw Sirius staring at the Black family tapestry with an expression of disgust on his face. After their argument a bit before, she was feeling a bit guilty.

Matilda didn’t have to look at the tapestry to know what Sirius was looking at...his blown off name. Walburga had at least added your name beside Sirius’ and below that put Matilda’s name.

“I think grandmama had a few screws loose.”

Matilda said, softly. Sirius didn’t move his eyes from the tapestry as Matilda’s arms wrapped around his waist. He absentmindedly stroked her hair with his free hand.

“That she did.”

Sirius replied. He had been trying to piece together what you did to gain enough favor in Walburga’s eyes to be added to the family tree. His best guess was having Matilda. He was thankful at the moment that Walburga had died. If the old bat was still alive to see her granddaughter sorted into Gryffindor; she would have probably blasted Matilda off of the tapestry for being too much like her father.

“Dad, I’m sorry about what I said.”

Sirius turned his attention back to his daughter.

“It's fine, Tilley. You come by that temper honestly. I need to talk to your mum.”

“Well, it's your lucky day because she wants to see you.”

Matilda said with a smirk before adding.

“Just don’t say anything dumb. She has calmed down.”

Matilda tried not to laugh at the surprised expression on Sirius’ face. She got the idea that he was still not used to a little girl that was brutally honest.

“I’ll keep that in mind, sugar.”

He said. Sirius was, in fact still, trying to get used to Matilda’s brutally honest personality. She was definitely the person to ask if you were curious whether or not an outfit made you look fat or not.

Sirius didn’t waste any time going back upstairs. The fact that you wanted to talk to him was enough to make Sirius rush to you.

“Close the door.”

You said as he stepped in. Sirius did as he was told before turning to face you. You sat dressed in a silk robe looking at him with that annoyed expression he knew so well. Sirius quickly put a silencing charm on the room. The last thing that he wanted was for Matilda and her eagle-like hearing to pick any of this up.

“Y/n, love, I promise nothing happened between Sarah and myself. You the only woman that I…”

You held up a hand silencing him with an icy expression.

“Sit down.”

Sirius quickly did as he was told and sat down in the vacant seat across from you. He had a feeling that you weren’t as quiet over his transgressions as once hoped.

“Do you want some whore to give you a lap dance?”

You asked, standing up. Sirius’ eyes widened as you undid the knot of the robe and let it fall. You stood dressed in only a black lace bustier that pushed your breasts higher. The expression on Sirius’ face was enough to let you know that you had him exactly where you wanted. He was putty in your capable little hands.

Sirius swallowed as his eyes fell down your body. The bustier was connected to thigh high stockings and a matching lace thong.

“Love…”

“Quiet.”

You said, sharply. Sirius gave you a shit-eating smirk. The outfit alone was enough to make Sirius do whatever you wanted.

“Come here.”

You shook your head. Sirius wasn’t in charge like normal. You were. You would be the one calling the shots and he was going to sit there like a good boy.

“I’m telling you what to do and I said to sit there and shut up. Be a good boy for once.”

You smirked as Sirius shut his mouth and looked at you as if pleading for one simple touch. His grey eyes had darkened as you plopped down on his lap. You gently pressed your breasts together as you reached out to unbutton the dress shirt that he was wearing halfway. His hands were squeezing the chair so hard his knuckles were turning white.

Sirius slowly reached up; desperate to touch you. If he could get just one touch in he knew that he could have you. Those blasted stockings were making him ache. Fuck, everything about the outfit was making him ache! Had he forgotten just how much he was a sucker for you in lingerie?

You quickly slapped his hands away. The surprised and offended expression on Sirius’ face was too amusing.

“I said no touching. Fuck up again and I’ll handcuff your hands behind your back and there won’t be any touching. You can sit there and watch me touch myself.”

Sirius was surprised by the comment. He had never heard those types of words leave your pretty little mouth...he liked it.

You stroked your finger down the center of his chest until you reached the point where his shirt was still tucked into his pants.

“Fuck, baby.”

Sirius groaned. You let the comment slip as you stood enough to spread his legs a bit. Straddling his right leg, you rocked your lower body against Sirius’s thigh.

Fucking damn, she ridding my thigh.

Sirius thought, trying to keep control of his own emotions. It was taking everything that he had not to pin you to the bed and have his way with you. Did you realize how much of a tease this was? He was beginning to become that needy mess that he used to be before the two of you became a couple.

You took Sirius’ hand and placed it on your lace-covered breast. His hand wrapped around the plump flesh basking in any chance he had to touch you.

“You’re killing me, love.”

Sirius said hoarsely. You gave him an innocent smile before reaching down and stroking his very prominent erection. Sirius bucked his hips into your hand.

“I see. You’ll be just fine though.”

You cooed, pressing tender kisses to his jawline. Sitting back up, you ran your fingers through his hair. Sirius groaned. Now you were really fucking with him. This little peep show was turning into one of the hottest things the two of you had done in a long time!

Grabbing a handful of Sirius’ hair, you yanked his head back for a rough kiss. He groaned against your lips enjoying the manhandling.

“I miss your long hair.”

“Come on princess, fuck me.”

He moaned against your mouth. You gave him a smile shaking your head. Instead, you slipped your breasts out of the bustier. Sirius’ eyes widened as he bit his bottom lip harder. If he could just get his mouth on you...

“Suck.”

You said in that authoritative tone that made his cock ache with need. Sirius didn’t have to be told twice to open his mouth and wrap his lips around your breast. His eyes closed as he took his time alternating between kissing, sucking, and nipping at your tender flesh.

“That feels so good.”

You sighed, relaxing that you were rocking your body against his again. Sirius smirked against your skin as his eyes fluttered open.

“Why don’t you get my cock out of my pants and make yourself feel even better?”

He suggested with a playful smirk.

“Soon.”

You said, patting his cheek. That wasn’t enough for Sirius. He needed something more physical than being allowed to play with your tits. You were letting him do that after a few weeks of dating. Sirius needed something more. Breast play was PG-13 to him. Sirius was ready for something with a XXX rating.

“Are you wet, baby?”

He asked, kissing your breast one more time.

“What do you think?”

You asked, coyly. Sirius leaned back in the chair taking on his cocky “Black” family scowl. You couldn’t help but think how sexy Sirius looked sitting there with his shirt unbuttoned with his hands at his side. His eyes were watching every move that you made with a hungry desperate expression.

“I think you should take those knickers off and let me have some time with your twat before I fuck you senseless.”

The exchange of power slowly began to shift as you obediently got off of Sirius’ lap and removed the lace thong. Sirius smiled, knowing that he was winning.

“Come here, baby. Let me taste you.”

You slowly stood up on the armchair that Sirius was sitting in. Sirius wrapped his hands around your waist and pulled you down on his face.

“Oh, Merlin”

You muttered as Sirius’ tongue licked over your clit. He lapped at you hungrily. Between drooling over your clit and fingering you painfully slow, Sirius worked on giving numerous love bites to your thighs.

“Sirius…”

You needed something to hold onto but there was nothing to grasp.

“That’s it, love. Say my name.”

He said with a devious smile and pressed his mouth back into your body. You remained in this position a moment longer before pulling away.

“I wasn’t done.”

Sirius said, coldly. The stubborn expression on his face reminded you of a four-year-old who had their blankie in the wash.

“You’ll like this.”

You said as he reached up and wiped your juices from his chin.

“I better. This whole thing has been a fucking tease. You’re lucky that I haven’t come in my pants.”

You gave him a grin as you reached down and unbuttoned his pants. Sirius quickly stood enough to push his pants down and move his dress shirt out of this way.

“There. I want what’s mine.”

He said. You did as asked and lowered yourself onto his throbbing erection. The two of you moaned at the wet heated pressure flowing through both of your bodies.

“Don’t move.”

You said. Sirius’ eyes snapped open. The poor man looked outraged. Just what were you expecting from him?

“I am fucking inside you and you don’t want me to move?”

You nodded, pulling him into another kiss. Sirius was annoyed but the kiss was enough to win him over. He tried to be good (he really did) but the pressure got the better of him.

Sirius wrapped his arms around you and carried you to the bed.

“Fucking take it. You’ve got me all hot and bothered. Time to get your prize. “ He put one leg over his shoulder while the other wrapped around his waist. You tried to keep your leg tightly around him. The last thing that you wanted was to lose the deep wet hold that Sirius had on you.

“Take it all.”

He growled focusing on keeping his entire length inside of you. Sirius could feel your body stretching more with each thrust and it was driving him crazy. He hadn ‘t even bothered getting the rest of the lingerie off of you. The thigh-high stockings and how your breasts bounced with each thrust was enough to keep him going.

“So fucking sexy.”

You, meanwhile, lay with your hands desperately grabbing at the sheets while trying to keep yourself from coming too early. In the beginning, you had all intentions of being the dominant one during this little romp, however, once Sirius took over you were fine with the power shift. You were happy to be his obedient little submissive if it kept your fiance plumbing you like this.

“Damn it, Y/n, you are going to have to come. I can’t keep waiting.”

You grinned, evilly. He wasn’t going to finish you off this quickly...or was he? With one touch to your clit, your body began to spasm. Two deep thrusts and circular motions to your clit was enough to have you coming apart as Sirius set up a near feverish pace.

“Fuck!”

Sirius gasped before filling you completely. He remained motionless for a moment. The feeling of full satisfaction was relieving.

“You know, if you want to throw me on a bed and do this again...I wouldn’t really complain.”

Sirius said with a smirk as he gently put your leg down on the bed in order to join you. You wrapped your arm around his chest in order to preserve any physical contact possible.

“I have always loved throwing you on the bed and having my way with you.”

Sirius lay with his eyes closed. He looked like he had won some super amazing reward.

“Maybe we need to invest in more lingerie?”

______

@brokencasbutt67-writer

@authoressskr

@fandom-trash-worth-it

@hankypranky

@summer-novak

@li0nh34rt

@tas898

@untoldshortsofthefandoms

@stuckinsaudi1

@emiwrites3reads

@shitfaceddaniel

@deanwherescas

@marichromatic

@maggioli-m

@knight-of-gleefulness

@shaylybaby2032

@mycuddlycorner

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts

@sprnaturallover

@wontlookaway

[reprobateubeg4]

“Screaming out so loud but my words don’t make a sound, tell me can you hear me? Is anybody listening?”

https://open.spotify.com/track/0zAKRYUs44kTyqAKP9bS3S?si=Y5Mz8GkIQpCKtSO8XTFxgA

[I let out a scream but nothing echoed, no sound was heard. I could feel my lips part and the tightening of my chest but no sound left my body. Quick flashes of @AShotgunBlast running towards me with panic written over his features. The closer he came towards me the farther I felt myself fall from him. Was I pulling away? Was I falling? I couldn’t feel...control.. what is happening? Eventually the flashes stopped and I was met with only the silence. I called out anyone.

Grandmama!! Aunt Roma!!... Kenziara?!.... anybody?!

[No one answered. The usually ghostly whispers had vanished. No more murmurs surrounded me. The feel of being surrounded by family was gone. For the first time I actually felt truly alone. The sound of beeps were as I fought to get my eyes to open. The blink was a blur of sight. Bright white lights with a mix of color, a figure sitting next to me that made me flinch. Second blink cleared some of my vision but not completely still a blur but enough to tell me where I was. I wasn’t home but I wasn’t in Heaven or Hell either. By the third blink my brain had caught up to compute what my eyes were taking in. Hospital room and @AShotgunBlast with a worried expression, holding my hand and speaking calming but nervous? I couldn’t describe the emotion in his tone but I also couldn’t fully process what he was saying. I pulled my hand free of his just to place my fingers to his lips.]

Shhh… I’m fine. I just need to go home.

[The doctor knocked on the door and stepped into the room. “Ah, Ms. Rasputin, you’re awake. Had us all scared. Do you know where you are?” I nodded and went through answering questions I had seen doctors on the medical shows ask.]

I’m in the hospital in New York, no I didn’t take any drugs or drink, my name is Kenzington Rasputin, I’d rather not tell you my middle name and if you’re going to use my first name, it’s Kenzi. But I’m sure you’re reading a document that has my full first name.

[I pulled myself to sit up and watched as both men jumped nervously to help me. I swatted my hands at both and gave them both a look. I wanted to tell them both to fuck off but held it back. I just wanted to get out and go home. I felt like shit but it wasn’t medical. I could still feel the disconnection. The flames that burned my family lines and concealed the connection to gypsy line. Felt like every plug to my system was jerked clean without warning. I rubbed my hands over my arms as a cold chill ran over me.]

I got it. I’m good. Can I go home now?

[The doctor shined a flashlight in my eyes, checked my heartbeat and then looked back at my chart before he spoke again. “Have you had seizures in the past?” I made a face as I thought about it. Not that I was aware. Was that what it looked like was happening? Or is that what happened? My brain short circuited itself when the disconnect occurred? Damn. No wonder @AShotGunBlast looked so freaked out. I shook my head slowly.]

Not that I know if. My mom never mentioned any seizures when I was a baby so I don’t know.

[The doctor gave a slow nod and made a note. He took a few more long moments to make any more comments. My guess was he was weighing the options of sending me home, debating medications, or determining if I was lying about my seizure history, and if he cares enough to dig deeper on the subject. “Alright, for now keep an eye on it. Check in with your primary. It’s a good thing your boyfriend brought you in when he did.” The doctor stepped out of the room but as he got to the door I spoke up as his words threw off.]

He is NOT my boyfriend.

[I looked over at @AShotgunBlast with a raised brow as I moved to slip my pants on beneath the gown to keep covered as I changed back into my clothes in front of him.]

Is that what YOU told him. Wow, you’re real fucked in the head huh? We fucked around in High School. HIGH SCHOOL back when we would get High together at school. Until your ass fucked me over. We’re barely friends right now.

[I huffed out of frustration as I turned to pull my bra on and snapped it out of his view before pulling on the shirt I was wearing and my jacket. At least he grabbed on for me. I looked back at him as I ran a hand through my hair.]

I’m sorry. I’m having a really rough and emotional night. Aunt Roma being gone is..

[The tears triggered as they just rolled down my cheeks, my throat tightened. My hand raised to rub the tears from my eyes. I sniffled a bit as I tried to suck back my emotions enough to finish my words.]

Thank you, for helping me, bring me here to save me. Can you take me home though?

[I hugged my arms around myself tightly and shrugged my shoulders.]

I’m just really in my feelings and feeling extra alone because everyone seems to leave or end up dead around me.

[grayhouse3]

SJTR is my villain origin story

So I finished Stalking Jack the Ripper.

Originally I told myself that I was going to just stick it out and read the next one (“Oh, it’s about vampires and Dracula. It’s probably more fun. You can forget all about the pain this one inflicted on you"). No. I got 12% of the way through and had to DNF. So here are my messily compiled thoughts on the book, basically expanded from the last post. Honestly, kind of feel free knowing I won’t be writing more about this series. (Also I am adding some TWs down below but don't know if I am doing them right!)

More on the exoticism, weirdness with Audrey Rose's Indian mother, and the British Empire:

In chapter 14, we read, "Dark strands of hair were piled atop my head, my eyes more mysterious somehow with the dark liner, and my lips were the bright crimson of freshly spilled blood … I thought of my mother and the saris she’d brought me to wear from Grandmama’s homeland. I felt just as stunning now as I did then, and the memory warmed me.” I am still trying to figure out why Maniscalco made Audrey Rose mixed race. Why is Audrey Rose’s grandmother from India? Literally, what did it add to the story? Was it nothing more than just a cute lil quirky fun character trait to her? I don’t think I missed any key moments where there were important conversations about race, imperialism, British occupation, etc., mostly because Audrey Rose’s father (a big fancy rich lord) is a white man and because Audrey Rose is white-passing. I can’t recall any moments in the book where she faces the realities/consequences of being a socially mobile POC WOMAN in LONDON IN THE 1880s. Honestly, if someone else can point out a passage I glossed over or explain some nuance I missed I would actually really appreciate it, because this drove me CRAZY.

(Audrey Rose and her brother also go visit a circus in town in chapter 15; of course these events existed purely for England/colonizing countries to exercise and display their power and to exoticize/exploit the communities/cultures that they came into contact with. Audrey Rose sees silks, beads, etc. that remind her of her grandmother’s saris, smells the foods of her family’s “homeland,” etc. Also in the same chapter there’s this great scene where her brother is describing their mother and father’s marriage: “Grandmama told me she’d refused him twenty times just for fun,” Nathaniel replied. “Said he squirmed like a cobra in a basket. That’s how she knew he was in love.” Uhhh … Is that supposed to be romantic?)

On the feminism stuff:

I am too *gestures vaguely* to write much more on this. Yeah, it’s heavy-handed. Yeah, it’s cringey. But at the end of the day, it’s not really that harmful, I guess. Here’s just a fun sampling of some of my favorite lines from the book:A few of my favorite bites from the book:

***“close-minded society” (chapter 21) Okay

***"Why turn a murderer of women into front-page news?” (chapter 15) Bro do you know how the media works

***"But what of her [mother’s] insistence that I could be both strong and beautiful? Surely Father had to be wrong.” (chapter 21) Yes girl you are strong and beautiful!

***"There would be no skirts or bustles to wrangle with anymore. I was through with things confining me” (chapter 22) Ugh down with corsets just another tool of the patriarchy amirite

On the violence against women, weird classism, and stuff about prostitution:

I was bound to be uncomfortable about a lot of this because I have weird feelings about true crime stuff, and this is historical fiction set around the Jack the Ripper murders. It was going to go sour somewhere.

Consistently Audrey Rose wants to be sympathetic, but is unable to connect all the parts of this situation together: she struggles to imagine the women (very real-life victims) beyond their lives of prostitution, poverty, squalor. When she does, we see something like this: "The women he murdered did matter ... They were daughters and wives and mothers and sisters” (chapter 28). Oftentimes she wishes she could continue to cut cadavers open in peace (women in science!) without having to think about how those cadavers came to be on her examination table: “I needed to get away from those women and their tragic lives before my emotions got the better of me” (chapter 25). Perhaps Maniscalco deserves more credit here, and perhaps I’m just being a bitch, because Audrey Rose is a very privileged girl and her actions and thoughts make that clear. It’s just that the conclusions she comes to in the name of feminism, justice, etc. weren’t at all satisfying to me.

Also: OH MY GOD. Oh my god. There is this one moment that is BRANDED AGAINST THE GRAY MATTER OF MY BRAIN FOREVER and I will never forget it. At one point, Audrey Rose and love interest Thomas decide the best thing they can do is go out and—yes—stalk Jack the Ripper. To do this, they know they need to “blend in” with the crowds in East End. So … like … cosplaying as poor people? Audrey Rose manages to find and wear the dress of ONE OF THE MURDER VICTIMS (long story short her medical doctor uncle was in a relationship with this woman and when she died he acquired her worldly possessions). It’s like, so fucked up, I can’t even describe my reaction when I read it. In chapter 25 we read, "The dress was a little too old, a little too ragged, a bit too big. If I were to wear this ghastly dress out, I’d look as if I belonged in the East End, begging for work to feed my addictions … It was absolutely perfect.” Oh my god. And THAT’S NOT EVEN THE WORST PART. While they’re “stalking Jack the Ripper” on this incredibly stupid mission, the two main characters just … make out in an alley. Like, okay. People are being murdered and you’re wearing a dead woman’s dress and you suspect your father of being guilty, but yeah, that kind of stuff makes us all a little horny. Super relatable. Absolutely no concept of reality or consequences or anything at all.

Another random note on class: I noticed the only time Maniscalco writes in dialects/accents, she’s writing seedy/working-class characters. Not saying this is a problem unique to Maniscalco’s writing by a longshot, but ... something to think on. (I think it’s ingrained in a lot of author’s writing habits/minds at this point.)

Weird stuff about the dad, the brother, and what justice means to Audrey Rose:

I had to add a whole new highlighting color for this stuff!

Any growth Audrey Rose might’ve shown over the course of the novel—anything about how these women mattered, and how they deserved justice as any “highborn” individual might, simply by dint of being humans—goes away when she and Thomas come to the conclusion that the Ripper murders must have been committed by Audrey Rose’s father. She realizes her moral dilemma when she contends with the harsh reality: if her father is the Ripper, can she turn him into the authorities? Audrey Rose worries how that might impact her own moral virtue: "They’d hang Father. Given who he was, they’d make it as public and brutal as possible. Just because blood might stain his hands did not mean I wanted his on mine. No matter if it was right or wrong” (chapter 24). First of all, BITCH. You have to. You have to report this kind of thing. No ifs, ands, or buts. I HAVE to imagine Maniscalco’s intended audience would feel the same? It’s? Serial murder? Second: Audrey Rose, baby, sweetie, honey. This is just a reminder that ACAB. I actually don’t know a whole lot about how the late Victorian criminal justice system functioned, but something tells me her family's public outlook would’ve been less bleak than she imagines here.

Lucky for Audrey Rose, her dad isn’t guilty in the end—but her brother sure is. He’s a mad scientist, using the brutalized bodies and souvenirs of his victims for Frankenstein-style experiments. Ultimately, he wants to reanimate the corpse of his and Audrey Rose’s long-dead mother, and he believes he can achieve this by transplanting fresh organs into ? Her dead and decomposed body? The thing is that, this moral dilemma persists for Audrey Rose—and her dad, too. He pressures her not to bring the little matter of Nathaniel’s issue—you know, his casual murder of a number of local women—to Scotland Yard: “They’ll have your brother hanged,” he said quietly. “Could you honestly watch that happen? As a family, have we not suffered enough?” (chapter 29). Nathaniel electrocutes himself to evade capture by the authorities, and Audrey Rose and her father feel relief. The book ends by confirming that "Lord Edmund covered up Nathaniel’s involvement, I didn’t ask how. One day I’d let everyone know the truth, but the pain was too raw now” (chapter 30).

((Side note: Listen. I knew Nathaniel had something sinister going on from the GET-GO (I’m not trying to be obnoxious) because he basically started some nighttime vigilante group called the Whitechapel Knights of Justice or whatever bullshit, I don’t know. All I know is that my red flags IMMEDIATELY started going off because that sounds exactly like the terrible and awful Crusader cosplay clubs from my (bad) Catholic childhood, where everyone thinks they’re a knight for Good but really they’re the bad guy.))

Overall, kind of ...

I think one of my biggest issues with this ending was … You have already stepped into a realm of fantastical revisionist history here in writing such a fictionalized version of these real-life events. (I know Maniscalco is far from the first to do it.) That means that the rules you are playing by are essentially your own—evidenced by the liberties she points out in her Author’s/Historical note (dates changed for convenience or storytelling purposes, real-life individuals changed for narrative purposes, etc.). So WHY would you not conclude this fantasy retelling of the Jack the Ripper murders by meting out some form of justice? I hear the counterargument: "Well, because we still don’t know the culprit today. This book would ring hollow if it named someone since historians, forensic scientists, etc. still don’t know who committed these crimes." My question: is that really a problem though? This is a work of fiction. Nothing in history happened the way it is written here. Is it crueler to the women who were murdered and who remain spectacles for true crime junkies and authors like this, less satisfying to readers who want some more concrete kind of closure, to not offer that up? I am asking this in earnest here, because I don’t know. Maybe it is insensitive to make up a murderer, to fill in the gaps in order to make sense of the violence that happened. But in my brain it feels almost like a responsibility at this point, since these murders served as the backdrop for the romance between Audrey Rose and Thomas, for the background to Audrey Rose’s empty feminist diatribes, and as inspiration for a book that went on far longer than it needed to. To me it kind of feels like the least an author could do, but I have no clue.

Anyways, I'm just glad I get to put this series to bed. No more.I truly lost sleep over it this weekend. Onto something better, please, for the love of god.

[okimargarvez]

Fit test (2)

Reid: You think they'll really terminate us if we can't run fast enough?

Garcia: Probably something worse. They'll probably make us take another fit test.

Reid: I'd rather be terminated.

Garcia: I just hope the P. T. Instructor isn't a jerk. Those jock guys are always such jerks.

Reid: Yeah, total jerks. That's probably him right now.

Garcia: Oh, look. He's totally walking like a jerk.

Reid: Yeah, it's a total jerk walk.

Garcia: Total jerk walk.

Reid: Wait a minute. Wait, I think it's Morgan. Yeah.

Garcia: Oh, my God, it is. Why are you here?

Morgan: It looks like I'm your new P. T. instructor. Watkins got sick, so today's your lucky day. I'm your guy.

Garcia : Awesome. That's awesome.

Morgan: Guys, guys, come on. Seriously, you should have just said something. This whole fit test thing is just a formality. I could've got the whole thing waived. But since you didn't, you ready to do this?

Garcia: Yeah, let's do this! Whoo!

Reid: Whoo!

Morgan: Uh, hey, hey, hey. Happy-go-Luckys, where are you going?

Garcia: To run the mile.

Morgan: No, no, no. You didn't hear? The fit test is more than just a mile. Get your little butts back over here. Come on, let's go, all the way down, all the way up. Come on! My grandmama can do way better than that. Let's go! This is not your high-tech room. On our toes, right on your toes. There you go, baby girl, that's sweet. Go, girl, you know it. Turn around, right back down. Hey, hey, hey. What are we doin'? What's all this huffin' and puffin'? Come on, we still got a 2-mile run to go. Let's go!

Garcia: Two miles?

Reid: It's supposed to be one mile.

Morgan: No, no, no. Not on my watch. This whole fit test is altogether different. Now suck it up!

Reid: Oh, my God.

Morgan: Let's go! All right, all right, all right. Enough is enough. I guess I gotta let the cat out of the bag. I kind of already had your fit test waived.

Reid: What?

Morgan: Yeah. Baby girl, think about it. You're not even in the field. And pretty boy, you already got enough case hours to qualify. This was just a good time for me.

Garcia: I'm gonna kill him.

Reid: If I can manage to lift my arms, I'll hold him down.

Garcia: I'm regaining my strength.

Morgan: I told you you should have said something. I said... hey, uh, hey, oh, oh!

Garcia: I'll kill you!

Reid: I'm gonna kill you, too!

Garcia: I'm gonna kill you!

Reid: You like that?

[9x18, Rabid]

Other gif sets

[justablobfish]

A Christmas letter

Day 16 of my Advent Calender. A new drabble or oneshot everyday until Christmas, following the Continent’s favourite found family and what they’re up to in the winter season. Based on this prompt list

Read on AO3

Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

______

Dear Eist, 

The winter solstice is drawing nearer and I miss you both more and more with each passing day. 

Which is, of course, why I write this letter to you and not to grandmama. She would have my head for such sentimentality. 'Pull yourself together, girl,' she would yell. Though I know of course that she misses me, too, even if she would never admit it. 

I know you haven't heard from me in forever. It was Jaskier’s idea to write this letter, but I've been putting it off for years now. I'm not entirely sure why. 

In my defense, it's been a crazy couple of years. After the fall of Cintra I spent most of the time running for my life and, to be honest, it's all a bit of a blur when I try to look back now. I was so scared and lonely without you, without my family to protect me. 

But then one day I looked up and suddenly I was surrounded by family again. I don't know when or how it happened.

I guess it's just one of these things that come gradually and then one day you look back and realize that you can't remember it ever being any other way. 

I wish I could introduce you to them all. I can only imagine what kind of chaos that would be. They're quite a colorful bunch. But let me tell you about them at least:

There's Geralt, of course. My Witcher Surprise. He's grumpy and broody all the time and at first I was very intimidated, but as it turns out he's only doing it to hide what a softie he is on the inside. He reminds me a little of grandmama in that way, but don't tell her I said that. 

Then there's Yennefer. We didn't get along at first. I think she was jealous of me when we first met, though over what I have no idea. 

But we grew close, eventually. She still calls me "ugly one" - like she had when we first met - but now it's with a wink and her voice full of fondness. 

She's so fierce and powerful and elegant and I wish I could be more like her. 

Jaskier just kind of showed up one day. The others didn't bat an eye and he just travelled along with us, so I'm assuming that's something that happens regularly. He's always talking or singing and telling stories and he's the only one who calls me princess or your highness anymore. 

He also told me stories about my mother. I know grandmama only wanted to protect me when she kept all that from me, but it was good to hear what she was like. Jaskier says I look exactly like her, except I'm even prettier. He's full of shit, but he means well. 

There's also the other Witchers of Kaer Morhen, Geralt's family. 

Eskel is very shy and quiet, but he gives the best hugs and when I ask him to twirl me around and no one else is there to see us, he always does. 

Lambert can be quite a prick, but you just need to know how to snarl back and he leaves you alone. Besides, if you plan to play a prank on someone, he's the one to ask for help. 

Vesemir is very calm and collected, but he tells the best stories, better even than Jaskier’s. Don't tell him I said that, though. 

So as you can tell I'm in good hands. Mostly. It's always chaos, of course, but to be honest I wouldn't have it any other way. Life as a Witcher/Mage/Nuisance, as Lambert would title me, is certainly more interesting than getting married off to some entitled nobleman. 

No offense, of course. But grandmama marrying you is different, anyway. I doubt I'd find another man quite like you. You're one of a kind and grandmama already snatched you away. 

I don't know what the future holds for me. I wish I could have you and grandmama by my side for it all. But I know that where you are now, you are together and watching over me like you always have and that's how I know I can take anything fate still intends to throw at me. 

Well, I gotta go now. Jaskier told me to meet him in the kitchen, apparently he has a surprise for me. 

Tell grandmama I say hello!

Love, 

Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon

[lilly-and-alice]

OC Interview

As with Alice's, I was tagged by the lovely @lusus--naturae & @r0xy-w0lf.

I'm not tagging anybody for this one - but please feel free to join in if you want to.

Date of Interview: 1914

Name: "Elizabeth Mae James, but I go by Lilly"

Are you single: *Smiling as she looks over at Charles who's sitting across from her "No, I'm very happily married thank you"

Are you happy: *Hands resting on her baby bump while still grinning at Charles and their four children sitting around him* "I'd say this is the happiest I've ever been"

Are your parents still married: "No, Mama died when I was 4. As for my father? I last saw him when I was 14 "

Are you angry: "Not so much nowadays, but I'll admit, in the past I was a bit of a hothead"

Facts

Birthplace: "I was born out in the midwest somewhere. We moved around a lot so I don't actually know where exactly"

Hair color: "Red"

Eye color: ''Green''

Birth date: ''6th Dec 1873"

Current Mood: "Well as happy as I am to be carrying my 5th child, I'm so uncomfortable right now. I can't wait to be not pregnant again"

*Charles laughing* "I'll remind you of that when you tell me you're desperate to start trying for number 6.

Gender: ''Female''

Summer or winter: "Summer. The winters here in Canada can be too cold for my liking"

Morning or afternoon: "I've never been a morning person, but nothing better than a lazy afternoon"

Eight things about your love life

Are you in love: "With all my heart"

Do you believe in love at first sight: “No” *leans in and whispers while Charles is distracted by one of the kids* "I remember Dutch introducing Charles to the camp, but I didn't really pay much attention to him at first. I do remember him being around, but he never really spoke with anybody. It wasn't the gang started falling apart that I took the time to get to know him and honestly? It wasn't until he left the gang to help Rains Falls & the Wapiti that I realised I was falling in love with him"

Who ended your last relationship: “I did, it had gotten complicated and as much as me and John wanted it to work between us, I knew I had to remove myself from the equation so he could make his own decision about whether he wanted to try make it work with Abigail & Jack”

Have you ever broken someone's heart?: "You know, John later admitted to me that it almost killed him when I told him it was over, but he also told me thank you for making him see sense when it came to his family"

Are you afraid of commitment: "Not at all" 

Have you hugged someone in the last week: “Each of the kids and my handsome husband of course”

Have you ever had a secret admirer: *Charles butts in before Lilly even has chance to speak* "I was so nervous to speak to Lilly in those early days, I'd just find a quiet spot and watch her get on with her day. I do wish I'd had the courage to tell her sooner though"

"Me too...though just imagine how many more kids we'd have then"

Have you ever broken your own heart: “Making the decision to leave John was tough, but even tougher was the mistake I made, which caused the only real argument me & Charles ever really had and actually made us split up for a while..."

*Charles reaches her hand* "That's all in the past now Flower. We eventually got past it and we don't need to dwell on it"

Six Choices

Love or Lust: “Love - I mean the sex is incredible, but I'm happy just being in Charles' company”

Lemonade or Iced Tea: “Iced Tea? I'd rather have a hot tea to warm me up thank you ”

Cats or Dogs: “Dogs” 

A few Best friends or Regular Friends: “I still write to the likes of Tilly, Mary-Beth & Abigail. But honestly - I'd be lost without my best friend Allie constantly by myside"

Wild night out or romantic night in: “Oh my nights of getting drunk with Allie & starting a bar fight or two are well and truly behind me. Much prefer to be snuggled up in front if the fire "

Day or night: ’'Night, I like the quietness of the world”

Have You Evers

Been caught sneaking out: “Grimshaw used to have a habit of catching me in the act, trying to escape doing chores”

Fallen Down/Up the Stairs: “All the time, I'm quite possibly the clumsy person alive”

Wanted someone/something so badly it hurt: “I got everything I need right here”

Wanted to disappear: “You know, during my time in camp and everything that was going on between John & Abigail, I managed to persuade Hosea to let me travel around on my own for a while, to help clear my head and work out what I wanted from life. I'm glad I did or otherwise I'd never have met Allie”

Four preferences

Smile or eyes: “A good smile draws me in, but I feel you can see the real person by looking into their eyes”

Shorter or taller: “Preferably taller, but it doesn't matter either way”

Intelligence or Attraction: “I'm lucky I guess - I have a handsome husband who also happens to be incredibly intelligent.”

Hook up or Relationship: “I never was one for hooking up with random people, I'd much rather be in a relationship ”

Family

Do you and your family get along: “Me, Charles & the kids are quite content together. 

As for my other family members? Well, I have no idea where my father is these days, if he's still alive. And Alice? For the longest time I wanted nothing to do with this random girl turning up, claiming she's my sister. But fate had a strange way of pulling us closer together and now we keep in regular contact"

Would you say you have a messed up life: "Let me give you a list:

Was it messed up to lose my mother & brother when I was only 4 and then find myself travelling around the country with my father, sleeping in the back of a wagon most nights as he prepared for his next con?

Or what about being sold to my own grandmother when daddy felt he was unable to look after me?

Or when Grandmama passed away, her husband was considering carting me off to the nearest brothel because the cheap bastard didn't want the added expense of caring for me?

There's also the man who I thought I loved, leaving me to get attacked while he went off to spend the night with a whore..."

*sighs before a huge smile appears on her face as she casts an eye over at Charles, who's now reading a story to the kids*

"But you know? Each of those moments brought me one step closer to this wonderful life with Charles and our children"

Have you ever ran away from home: “It never felt like home, but leaving my step grandfathers house & running away with Van der Linde gang was best thing I ever did"

Have you ever got kicked out: “Like I said, back in the day, it was a mutual decision between me & Hosea to leave camp before I did something stupid."

Friends

Do you secretly hate one of your friends: “Why would I? Though Mary-Beth is a bit full of herself nowadays with her being a famous author and all”

Do you consider all of your friends good friends: “Of course I do. We might have done some questionable things in the past, but we had our reasons”

Who is your best friend: "I swear if you don't say my name right now" *Allie laughing from across the room*

"I guess there's your answer - my best friend is Allie Foster. Always been right by myside through thick & thin and most probably always will be”

Who knows everything about you: “Allie knows most things. But I don't hide anything from Charles either"