#eh it'll come in due time i suppose

[several-ravens]

hehehe elias is so evil. i love him. and i hate cops

[anonymous-dentist]

Or: Prince Roier Hires a Faerie to Help With His Divorce (he hasn't gotten married yet)

For day two of @smallchaoscryptid's Spiderbit Week - Fae/Kiss

-

Once upon a time...

Roier picks his way through the foliage with a grimace. His feet hurt, twigs keep smacking into his face, bugs keep flying into his mouth. This sucks, but it'll all be worth it.

Thunder rolls above, and rain starts pouring down without a second's warning.

...It'll all be worth it.

He's due back at the castle by morning, but, honestly, he'd kinda rather die than go back. If the wolves eat him, so be it!

Grumbling, he pulls his hood up over his head, and he continues onward. If he freezes to death out here, so be it!

He's not planning on going back to the castle alive, anyway.

Legend has it that, deep in the haunted forest surrounding the Kingdom of Quesadilla, there lives a man-eating witch capable of tearing a man's soul from his body before he can so much as breathe in her general direction. Nobody knows this witch's name, but everybody knows that she's totally fucked up: if she isn't eating people, she's eating bears, and her magic is said to be as destructive as the eruption that created the universe.

Roier needs to meet her now.

So he continues trudging through the woods. The lantern in his hand is fighting to stay lit, and his boots are filled with enough water to drown a rat with, but he's fine. He's going to die miserable, but he's fine.

There's a flash of lightning bright enough to blind him, and then there's a crash of thunder loud enough to make him jump and nearly drop his lantern. When his vision returns, the tree in front of him is toppled to the side, leaving only a charred and smoking stump behind.

And then there's the cat.

Roier, frankly, stares. Because... what?

It's a cute cat, at least: brown with black stripes almost like a tiger's and blue eyes so bright that they almost seem to glow in the night. It sits on the stump with its tail curled around its paws, very polite, 10/10 cat.

Hesitantly, Roier approaches. He holds the lantern up to the cat, tilts his head, smiles.

"You're so cute," he coos, bending down to pet the cat between its little ears. "What are you doing out here, eh?"

The cat yawns, and then it huffs, "I could ask you the same question."

Roier screams and recoils and drops his lantern. It goes out, but the forest doesn't grow any dimmer because the cat is fucking glowing now, okay. Okay!

The cat rolls its eyes, tail twitching. "Okay, ouch. I'm not that scary."

"You're a talking cat," Roier breathes. "What the fuck?"

"What, you were expecting the witch?"

A pause.

Then:

"Oh, come on!"

Roier finally collects himself, brushing the water off of his cloak and adjusting his hood and picking up his lantern.

The cat stands and starts pacing the stump in a small, annoyed circle.

"The witch isn't even real," it complains. "She never was! Witches aren't real!"

Roier frowns. "Fuck you, man, my best friend is a witch."

"They aren't. Witches aren't real. Magicians are real, but witches-"

"You are literally a talking cat."

"I am a faerie," the cat corrects, sounding almost pained as it does so. "Faeries are real. Witches are fake. It's all anti-faerie propaganda created by the Federation-"

"By the what?"

The cat flicks his tail at Roier; Roier's mouth shuts, and, to his alarm, he finds that he can't open it again no matter how hard he tries.

The cat angrily swipes a leaf off of the stump. Unfortunately, it is really cute as it does so.

But then it starts complaining again, and Roier decides that this annoying fucking faerie cat isn't that cute after all.

"I haven't eaten anybody in centuries!" the cat shouts. "Fucking Cucurucho..."

Roier's eyes widen.

He waves at the cat until the cat does its magic thing again and allows him to talk.

First, Roier sucks in a deep breath through his mouth. That was uncomfortable.

Then, he says, "I know Cucurucho. I'm supposed to marry him in three days."

The cat's eyes narrow. Its shadow beneath it seems to grow; it tinges itself red like a pool of water with blood in it, wow. That's almost cool.

"That's why I'm here," Roier explains. "I need the witch to kill me so I don't have to marry him."

The cat sits.

"I see," it says. "Unfortunately, the witch isn't real."

"Suuuure, but you are." Roier sneaks closer. "Can't you just-" He opens his hands and wiggles his fingers. "-magic me dead?"

The cat stares at Roier's fingers. "Um. No. Faeries can't kill."

Roier deflates. "Ugh."

With a frustrated groan, he sits on the stump next to the cat. The cat grumbles, but it doesn't, like, magic him onto the ground, so that's kinda nice of it.

"But," the cat says, slowly as if questioning itself as it speaks, "I can get you to kill for me."

Oh. Now there's a thought. But...

Roier looks to the side at the cat. "I've tried. I'm pretty sure he's immortal, man."

"You haven't tried killing him with faerie magic. Now, come here."

The cat hops off of the stump and pads into the forest. After a moment, Roier follows.

They walk until they reach a hollowed-out tree. Then, the cat hops into the tree and mutters to itself as it looks for something.

Eventually, the cat pokes its head out of the tree with an opaque brown bottle held in its mouth.

Roier takes the bottle and turns it over in his hands.

"This," the cat says, "is extract of unicorn. Mix this in with Cucurucho's food, and he'll be dead by the end of the night."

Roier's mouth twitches. It'll happen, just like that? Just like that? Decades of oppression over just. Like. That?

"Okaaayyy," Roier drawls. He looks back up at the cat with a small smile. "Thank you."

The cat responds by clambering out of the tree and lounging on a branch hanging by Roier's face.

"No, thank you," the cat insists. "You'll be doing us both a favor if you manage to kill that asshole."

"If this kills him, you'll be a hero."

"Oh, I'm no hero. I'm just..." (The cat grins with far too many teeth in its mouth.) "...an invested party."

Well, the cat is probably evil. But that's fine. So is Cucurucho, and two wrongs make a right, right?

-

Well, wrong! Because Cucurucho isn't fucking dead.

Roier stomps back to the tree stump with the faerie's empty unicorn piss whatever bottle in hand. He doesn't have a lantern this time because, frankly, he really isn't intent on returning to the castle this time. If he trips over a root and dies, so be it!

The cat is nowhere to be seen. Of course, the bastard.

"Gatinho!" Roier calls. He cups both hands around his mouth and spins in a circle and continues shouting, "Gatinho! Where the fuck are you! Come here!"

No response.

Frustrated, Roier chucks the bottle to the ground and plops onto the stump. He puts his head in his hands and groans.

"I am going to fucking die," he moans. "I can't go home, I need to die, what the fuck."

A twig snaps. A presence ghosts over his shoulder, what feels like fingers grazing his tunic. But, when he snaps his head up and turns around, all he sees is the cat sitting behind him.

Roier's eyes narrow. "You."

"Me," the cat agrees. "Did it work? Is he dead? Please tell me he's dead. He's dead, right?"

"No! He isn't! He thought that unicorn shit was edible glitter! Now he wants it at the wedding!"

The cat blinks. "Huh."

"Yeah, 'huh'." Roier huffs and turns back around and hides his face again. "Fuck you, man. You said it would kill him."

"It should've. He's a demon, right?"

"How should I know? He's a fucking bear wizard thing."

"Okay, again, wizards aren't real, magicians are. But you're marrying him, right? How do you not know what species he is?"

"It's not like I'm getting a choice in the matter," Roier spits. He glares into the palms of his hands, shoulders shaking with barely-concealed rage. "Either I marry him or he destroys the kingdom."

There's a pregnant pause as the cat takes this information in. Fair, honestly. Roier hadn't exactly told him that he's a prince. Wasn't important, still isn't important. Doesn't matter if he's a prince if he's being sold off to marry a goddamn bear like he's a common animal.

It's for the good of the kingdom, Foolish had said. He and Vegetta have always liked Cucurucho despite Cucurucho being a legendary fucking creep. It's either you or Leo.

And Roier isn't the one that's meant to take the throne after his parents die.

"Can't you just kill me?" Roier asks. He waves a hand in a random direction. "Just make a tree fall on me or something. It'll be an accident, it's fine, your faerie cops won't know."

"Um, no," the cat says. "That's fucked up."

"Don't you eat people? How the fuck do you eat people without killing them?"

"Who says I killed them before eating them?"

Ah. Sounds about right.

...Kinda cool, to be honest. Imagining a tiny little kitty cat rip a grown dude apart like he's a slice of bread. Almost funny in a way.

Roier jumps as something brushes the hair out of his face.

He jerks his head upright and glares down at the cat, now sitting delicately in front of him.

"I have an idea," the cat tells him. "Follow me."

As they walk back to the hollow tree, the cat asks, "Does Cucurucho still have that freaky mechanical sword?"

Roier thinks. "Maybe? I don't know, he kinda just sits and stares at people. Sometimes he chases the servants around with a sword? Dunno if it's mechanical, though..."

"Well, any sword will work. Hold on."

The cat leaps into the tree and comes out with a new bottle, this one clear.

Roier takes the bottle and swishes it around. The liquid inside looks like oil, okay...

"This is dragon's blood," the cat explains. "It's corrosive to the touch, so be careful. Tell him that it's a special polish for his sword. It should eat his skin to the bone and kill him dead."

"Huh," Roier says, suddenly much more careful with the bottle. He gently slides it into his pocket, makes sure it's secure between a bag of coins and his headband. "Okay. Cool."

"This should work," the cat says. "But I'll try and think of something else for if it doesn't."

"Yeah, well, it'd better work," Roier huffs. "I'm getting married in two days. Then the gods only know what he's gonna do with me."

"Trust me, we'll figure it out."

"Trust you? Aren't you some kind of evil faerie cat?"

The cat looks offended. "Excuse you, I'm barely evil anymore. All I do is read these days. Do you know how many books I have at my house? More than Cucurucho, that's for sure."

"You have a house?"

The cat visibly bristles. "Of course I have a house. What, do you think I'm homeless?"

"You are a cat."

"Not all the time!"

Oh, that's interesting. Roier can almost imagine what the cat looks like in a human form, but the idea escapes him at the last second.

"Whatever," Roier sighs. "Just kill me tomorrow if this doesn't work."

-

Roier doesn't even bother shouting as he storms up to the stump.

He sits, pulls his cloak off, tosses it to his feet, kicks it away. What the fuck!!

He doesn't so much as blink as the cat appears by his side.

"It didn't work?" the cat cries. "Really? That should've worked!"

"Yeah, well, it didn't," Roier huffs. "He wore gloves today. And Cucurucho figured out that I've been sneaking out to see someone at night, so he told my parents that we're going to move to a different castle out in the middle of nowhere. I bet he's going to lock me up, the piece of shit."

The cat's ears lay back on its head. Its eyes narrow, and its lip curls back in a clear snarl.

"I know," Roier agrees. "Fuck this guy for real."

"Fuck him."

"Fuck him!"

Roier smiles just for a second, and he even manages a brief laugh before remembering, right. He's fucking doomed. Right.

Sighing, he slumps to the side until he's tumbling off of the stump and splayed across the ground. He buries his face in the grass and screams.

To his credit, he hardly jumps as a hand firmly settles on his back and rubs it. Small circles, firm hand, big hand, it feels like, wow.

Something- a knee?- presses against Roier's arm firmly. It's grounding in a way. Almost.

"I'm getting married tomorrow," Roier whines. "Just kill me, gatinho. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"I'm not going to kill you, guapito," the cat says. (Roier blushes. Guapito...) Its voice sounds deeper, almost. Louder. More clear. "I can't."

"Then what am I supposed to do? Marry Cucurucho?"

"I won't let that happen."

"Why? Because you want to kill him? Because that hasn't exactly been working so far."

"Because it's super fucked up that he's forcing you to marry him. I don't give a shit about the kingdom, I don't live there. I want him dead, but I'm starting to think that he's unkillable."

The hand moves from Roier's back up to his head. Fingers sift through his hair. Woooow, that feels good. When's the last time Roier got touched this softly? Before Cucurucho arrived?

"I've been thinking," the cat continues. "I've been keeping an eye on Cucurucho for centuries, but he's never tried destroying the kingdom before now. Before you. I think that, if you're gone, then he might leave, too."

Roier cracks an eye open. He doesn't shift his head at all, so he can only just barely make out a hint of cloth. So the cat has clothes when he's a human, that's cool, Roier guesses. Makes him wonder where they came from.

"So... kill me," Roier tells him. "If it'll get him to leave the kingdom alone, kill me."

"I can't do that."

"I'm not next in line for the throne! It's fine! Just push me into the river, I can't swim."

"You can't swim? Really?"

"Well, I can, but I can pretend that I can't!"

"You are so... selfless," the cat says, sounding completely exasperated. "And stupid. No, come with me. I know how we can solve this without killing you."

The hand leaves Roier's head, and then a cold nose is poking at his cheek until he's sitting up and looking the cat right in its little kitty eyes.

"Do you still have cat eyes when you're in another form?" Roier can't help but ask. "That would be really cool."

The cat chuckles. "Maybe. Come on. I have one last thing we can try."

They go to the hollow tree, and Roier waits as the cat scrambles into the tree and surfaces with a necklace clutched in its teeth.

Roier takes the necklace and inspects it. It's a solid gold chain with a little charm that looks like a cat's head. Cute.

"What, is this evil faerie gold that will melt Cucurucho's skin off?" Roier asks.

"No, it's for you," the cat replies. "Wear it tomorrow. When the wedding reaches the climax, take the necklace off and break it."

Roier points at the cat accusingly. "You are going to kill me!"

The cat rolls its eyes. "I'm not. Just... trust me."

Trust the man-eating faerie cat, sure. Right.

Roier sighs, but he puts the necklace on, anyway. It's surprisingly warm around his neck.

The cat almost seems to smile. "You look lovely."

"This thing is going to explode and blow my head off."

"No, you'll see."

And, well. What choice does Roier have but to wait and see?

-

The final wedding preparations go by in an uncomfortable blur.

Leo comes in to hug Roier goodbye. She then punches Roier in the stomach and tells him to write to her once he's at his new house.

Jaiden comes in to help Roier finish getting ready. She's happy about the marriage because she really thinks that Cucurucho is a good person, and Roier can't help but be happy that she's happy.

Foolish comes in to walk Roierto the church. He and Vegetta each take one of Roier's arms, and they walk.

And then Cucurucho is waiting at the church in front of the altar in an all-white suit. His fur is meticulously brushed, his claws are polished, his smile is painted on, he's absolutely grotesque.

Roier hates him.

"Good morning," Cucurucho says as Roier settles in front of the altar.

"It's sunset, you fucking idiot," Roier snaps. He can say what he wants now, right? He's going to die, anyway. The cat is going to kill him.

Cucurucho laughs, and then the ceremony starts.

Roier tunes out most of the goings-on if only to keep himself from breaking down and breaking the necklace before it's time. The cat said to wait until the climax, so Roier's going to wait for the goddamn climax.

He comes back to himself as the cleric asks if anybody in the audience has any objections to the marriage.

This sounds like a fucking climax if Roier's ever heard one.

"Yes," he says. "I object!"

He tears the necklace from around his neck and throws it to the floor. Before anybody can stop him, he slams his heel into the charm.

The entire church erupts into screams as a blinding white light fills it. Magic tears at Roier's skin, biting and pulling. He squeezes his eyes shut, anticipating the end of it all.

But:

"I also object," the cat says.

Two large hands settle on Roier's upper arms, and he's pulled back and against a firm chest.

Roier tilts his head back- not too far, because the cat's human form is shorter than he is, funnily enough- and his eyes widen as he takes in the most beautiful man in the world. Long hair the same color as the cat's coat, scarred face, feathery earrings, cat eyes.

"No," Curucucho snaps. "No!"

"Yes!" the cat- well, not the cat, Roier supposes- shouts. "The prince is mine! He swore himself to me the moment he accepted that necklace, and so he will go back with me to the Faewild and become my husband. You know the rules, bear."

Leo, in the audience, cheers. So does Foolish, who always appreciates a good show.

"Gatinho," Roier hisses.

The faerie shrugs his concerns off. Roier is annoyed about this for exactly three seconds before he gets caught up in the faerie's eyes.

Could be a worse arranged marriage, that's for sure...

A long moment passes, but Cucurucho eventually says a begrudging, "Yes."

"So," the faerie continues, "you will not destroy the kingdom for this. If the prince has already been promised to somebody else, then he never rejected you."

"Yes," Cucurucho sighs.

"You're hot when you're arguing," Roier whispers.

The faerie's cheeks redden, as do the tips of his pointed ears. Cute!

Yeah, no, this arranged marriage will be way better than the last one.

"So!" The faerie turns Roier around so that they're looking at each other properly for the first time eye-to-eye. "You will be coming with me."

"Yeah, okay," Roier agrees. Hell yeah. "Take me, gatinho."

"'Take me'?" Foolish gasps. "Ooooo, this is getting spicy!"

"All you need to do is say my name," the faerie says.

He leans in close and whispers right into Roier's ear, and Roier returns the favor... with a couple of flirtatious remarks thrown in for good measure. Sue him, he's about to get married to a sexy faerie. He's going to make the most of the situation.

"Cellbit," Roier murmurs, and something tickles at his skin. Something... purple. It feels purple. Soft and purple.

"Roier," the faerie replies. He looks positively flustered, aww. He's going to be so fun to tease once they're out of the church.

As the Faewild's magic starts to pick up, Roier can't help but give the faerie a grateful kiss.

The faerie blinks away from the kiss after a moment of some very eager lip-chasing. His face is completely red, and his eyes are wide and unblinking even as the magic around them whips like the wind.

"There's more where that comes from," Roier teases. He puts his arms around the faerie and smiles. "You're marrying me, get used to it. That's just part of the deal."

Because faeries are all about deals, right? Well, Roier's the best deal this guys is ever gonna get.

The faerie swallows, an eager grin teasing at his face.

"Yeah," he breathes. "Alright."

He pulls Roier's head down for another kiss just as the Faewild swallows them whole.

-

(Legends say that there are monsters living in the haunted forest surrounding the Kingdom of Quesadilla. Once monster is a man-spider with glowing red eyes and fangs the length of one's sword. The other is a furry snarling beast of a thing with magic worthy of the most powerful of witches.

Ah, but don't worry, my child, for these monsters don't hunt humans.

No, they hunt bears, and isn't that a good thing for us?)

[jewwyfeesh]

Flashbacks of Events Past - 2

Writer: Mitsuki

Characters: Akehoshi Subaru, Sakuma Rei, Sakasaki Natsume

Translated by: jewwyfeesh

Natsume: …You had promised me earlier on that you would coorperate with me to the best of your ability, did you forget? Clearly, accepting your assistance was a mistake, Baru-kun.

PSA: due to technological difficulties my tls won't come with photos anymore. I'm still working to fix that, but it'll be a while.

[ ♪ ]

Season: Summer

Location: Connecting Corridor

Rei: I’m about to be transferred into the ‘Magicks Department’ that was specifically established just for me to attend their classes. Sakasaki-kun is the ‘Special Teacher’, and Akehoshi-kun is my ‘classmate’…

After hearing the introduction, I had a moment of doubt… Is this the retribution for all of my past teasing?

I recently participated in a variety show that had a similar campus theme; even though we weren’t the ones being messed with back then, I still don’t wish to show such an embarrassing side to the fans that have been eagerly waiting for this…!

Natsume: Rei-nii-san, if you continue acting like this, the Little Kitten will start to panic. She looks like she wants to explain, but is reluctant to interrupt you.

Rei: Aish, it wasn’t my intention for you to make such a troubled expression, Little Miss.

In any case, ‘Spotlight Time’ is a variety show; not to mention, the Little Miss has already given us a brief rundown of the situation. About being teased… Well, I was just joking with you ♪

But… I’ve been away from Yumenosaki Academy for too long. As such, my memory is a little blurry. Even though I’m walking on this path right now, it feels rather unfamiliar…?

Subaru: Eh? But… Sakuma-senpai, your graduation was not too long ago, was it not? Are you messing with us now?

But, that doesn’t matter at all! Today, my duty is to be the guide for the ‘Transfer Student’. So as long as you’re happy, senpai, I’m open to all sorta things, including teaming up to bully Natsume ☆

Natsume: …You had promised me earlier on that you would coorperate with me to the best of your ability, did you forget? Clearly, accepting your assistance was a mistake, Baru-kun.

Subaru: But Natsume, you’re not acting right now, though? Today, aren’t we supposed to—

Natsume: Enough. The meticulously prepared opening script has been absolutely destroyed by the likes of you. If you continue yapping, I think we’d really have a problem concluding this.

Rei: It’s fine, Sakasaki-kun. It’s not a bad thing for you youngsters to be energetic every once in a while.

Even though I’m only supposed to be the ‘Transfer Student’ as per ‘Spotlight Time’ agenda, how about we swap the topics around? I’ll go along with whatever you want me to do ♪

Natsume: Tch, my goodness… Why are you speaking on his behalf? Sometimes, I really feel that my senior is even more useless than Baru-kun himself.

But if you put him together with the rest of Trickstar, it could very easily turn into an impromptu stand-up comedy with a single slip of tongue. Therefore, for the sake of today’s show, please refrain from talking to Baru-kun, Rei-nii-san.

Subaru: Uuu, you really hurt my feelings when you say that~ It really must’ve been fate working her magic for us to star on the same show together! Don’t you think so, Sakuma-senpai ☆

Rei: Mm. Today, this show is part of my work. You’ve expressed your keen interest in assisting since the very beginning, which makes me very happy.

The Little Miss has also given us the green light to continue as we are. Well, it has been a very long time since I’ve seen kids running around kicking up a ruckus on campus like this ♪

Natsume: Back to the topic at hand… Because Rei-nii-san knows the ins-and-outs of Yumenosaki Academy all too well, and even has the master key…

Knowing this, we’ve made some last minute adjustments to add some spice to today’s programme. If there is anything that you personally find inappropriate, do let us know.

Rei: Fufufu. Seeing the pains you’ve taken to prepare all of these for today, I can’t not watch how the situation unfolds and adapt to it. 

After all, it is a pre-recorded programme. You need not be so cautious – the parts unsuitable for broadcast will be cut out.

(Although you could sort of guess what is going to happen next from their words, I’m not that kind of evil senior who wants the young ones to feel dispirited.)

(Sakasaki-kun has been complaining non-stop, but I’m relieved to be able to see him fool around with others so childishly, not worrying over things that kids his age should be worrying about…)

(Hehehe. For I myself am the same… The fact that I can take a leisure gander around the school grounds like a normal person, like a normal high-schooler… It’s incredible.)

Oh my, I merely mused to myself for a moment or two; why are you running over while panting, Little Miss?

Oh? You were worried that I woke up too early and would be too lethargic, so you bought some tomato juice from the welfare society on your way back?

You’ve always been attentive to the idol’s needs. It’s your ‘bad habit’ to want to do everything yourself, given that it’s your own project… But no matter what we say, you refuse to change that.

Oh, it seems like the classroom I’m supposed to go to is just up ahead. I have some things that I’d like to tell you, but I’ll leave it to after the programme’s conclusion.

[ ☆ ]

← Chapter 1 | Story Masterlist | Chapter 3 →

[bigskydreaming]

Okay, having a rare high spoons and no specific plans day, so want to try working through some Logic Snarls in one of my original projects by the time-tested method of Babbling at People About Them Until It Makes Sense In My Head. Anyone who remembers me talking about one of these before (and even if you don't), ask away to Unleash the Babbles. It'll be helpful to me, and possibly interesting for you? That's what Management said anyway. Idk, I just work here

Changelings (modern urban fantasy, check my #changelings 'verse tag for more details)

2. Waveriders (one of the focal planets in my big space opera universe, this one's about a bunch of people living on a gas giant in floating cities with sky pirates, cyborg ghost dragons and chaos angels. Title comes from people being born with the ability to mentally hack one of nine different kinds of wavelengths/energy....think like how ATLA has airbenders, firebenders, etc.....this universe - well, planet - has echoriders, who can hack or manipulate sound wavelengths with their minds, brightriders, who can hack light wavelengths, shockriders manipulate electricity, boomriders kinetic energy, etc. There's no One Avatar To Rule Them All though, nobody can hack all nine kinds of energy, its not ACTUALLY Avatar, that was just the closest association) - more here

3. Patron and Muse (from the same space opera universe as the above, just a different solar system, its a closed solar system that's kinda like the mysterious Bermuda Triangle of space....none of the other civilizations know what's in there cuz their ships vanish into it and pop out the other side without ever crossing the space in between, and meanwhile all the people on the planets inside the solar system have never left their bubble even though they travel between their planets & have no idea what goes on outside their system. Title comes from mysterious god-like psychic entities the people in-system call 'patrons' who are assumed to be a species that transcended their physicality eons ago and are only stirred to show interest in the affairs of mortal beings when art - or more accurately the emotions & thoughts that inspire it, and that it inspires in turn - attract their curiosity. There's a kind of symbiotic relationship between patrons and muses - artists who attract the attention of a patron - as art is the lever that can literally move planets in this system.....as muses can inspire patrons to invest the art that interests them with supernatural qualities or powers. Paintings can act as portals that transport between worlds, songs can heal, dances can show the future, sculptures can be brought to life, architecture can warp space and time, etc).

4. Me being a cheater who cheats and saying 'eh anything related to my Citadel shared fantasy universe, as though that isn't an umbrella covering multiple projects, like so and also so and also so so.' (The Citadel is a high fantasy universe based on the premise that a pantheon of gods with their own unique attributes all had a civil war, were banished from the One Prime World and scattered across the void that was the as yet unmade rest of the universe and all created their own worlds, peoples and magic systems utilizing just their own divine nature. So there's a world and magic created by the God of Time, a radically different water world created by the God of Dreams, a physics-defying one created by the Goddess of the Forge, etc, etc. The God of Memory created his world out of his memories of the old one but its a chaotic, half-formed place of unreality due to the fact that he's a narcissist who only remembers the stuff he bothered to pay attention to, so his world is full of holes in reality and natural laws that don't make sense because he doesn't remember how things are supposed to work and lacked the imagination - or failed to prioritize - bothering to fill in the gaps himself. The Goddess of Vengeance created a moving planet that drifts through the universe stalking her prey, the other gods who betrayed her in their civil war and sends her legions of followers forth to sow chaos on the other gods' worlds whenever her planet drifts within reach of one of theirs, eclipsing their suns. Etc, etc)

[sorryimanon]

Pregnancy Scare

Pairings: Pro-hero!Bakugou x Fem!Reader

Warnings: 18+, breed kink mentioned, and pure fluff

Summary: “We gotta have them while we’re young, right babe?”

"Fuck, baby, slow down —shit," You pleaded over and over as the harsh thrusting from your boyfriend increased rapidly. In return, Bakugou gently slaps your face, grabs the flushed flesh, and forces you to stare deeply in his sunken crimson eyes. A small grin spreads across his face from ear to ear, causing the coil within you to loosen a bit more.

"Come on babe, I know you can take it. I know my pretty little slut can handle a few more thrusts, eh?" He coos into the soft shell of your ear before leaning back. "Fuck— you look so hot like this."

He's referring to the way how he has your body contorted into an almost fetal position, your legs bent so far back that even your spine was giving out. Bakugou became enthralled instantly seeing your overly spread core glistening with need, with his cock. It gave him the incentive to piston his hips in pure vigorous rage, having you pleading, moaning, grabbing ahold of anything to steady yourself.

"K-Katsuki, I'm coming. I'm coming..." You mind numbingly kept spewing the same words into the couch cushions.

"Yeah?" He quirked up an eyebrow. Katsuki elevated his hips a little higher, diving deeper into your pussy, ricocheting beautiful groans out of his throat due to the new position. "I wanna come inside that pussy. Let me come inside baby —shit shit shit."

This was entirely new grounds for the both of y'all. Despite being on birth control for the past year and a half, Katsuki has been anal about using protection, not willing to risk and become the .1% and get you knocked up. Especially since Bakugou recently jumped up in the ranks, scoring him the number four spot on the hero billboards. So, having a kid was out of the question.

But tonight he was willing to test those risks and fuck you raw.

Coming home after another strenuous day of work, you had an inkling that your boyfriend needed some relief, taking in the prominent scarring tissue on his arms and trademark bloody nose, the unforeseen events of what he'll do tonight excited you. What you weren't expecting was for Bakugou to trap you on the couch by the sheer weight of his body mass, kissing you feverishly, clawing away at your clothes — ripping the shorts you were wearing, and continued his brash ministrations till you both were completely naked.

Hearing him asking you — almost demanding, to come inside triggered your climax immediately, fingernails raking red lines on his muscular back as you screamed in ecstasy. Your voice came out as a whimper, not finding the words to tell him to pull out. His mouth attached to yours momentarily, hushing the sweet sounds you were making, and shot his load into your aching womb. Warmth begun to spread down below. Too much. You can practically feel everything dribble out slowly, a canal of the leftover reaching your inner thigh. It felt weird, and surprisingly even more messier than Bakugou finishing on your face. You couldn't complain though, because Bakugou found the strength to pull out finally, disappearing into the bathroom, bringing over a wash cloth and cleaned the residue off of your skin.

Snuggling up next to you after some time, Bakugou caged you against his chest, sighing to himself once you relaxed in his arms.

"You remembered to take your birth control this morning, right?" He asked.

Oh. Oh, shit shit shit shit shit.

No wonder everything felt odd. What were you supposed to say? Lie? A white lie never hurt nobody, but maybe, it'll hurt this explosive blonde. But the pros were substantially outweighing the cons. And there’s a slim chance you'll get pregnant over this one mishap. Very, very, fucking slim. No need to get worked up about this, right?

"Of course I did," you replied back, acutely aware of your hesitation.

Bakugou mumbled out a quick 'good girl' and kissed your forehead before drifting off to sleep. Unbeknownst to him, you had trouble falling asleep, constantly waking up between short breaks, only to find out a you slept for a total of 45 minutes.

Later into the night you slipped out of his hold and dragged yourself into your bedroom. For the first time in awhile, you slept alone without the security of Bakugou's presence.

"I think Y/N's pregnant," Bakugou nonchalantly says to his friend, Kirishima, while they were in the middle of a patrol, covering their perimeter again before deciding to head back to the agency.

Kirishima whirled. "Really? What makes you think that?"

"Well for one I caught her throwing up this morning, and the previous morning too now that I'm mentioning it. Idiot said it was nothing to worry about. But then I overheard her on the phone with her friend. She sounded so frantic and scared, asking them to get her a pregnancy test." Bakugou paused, noticing a couple of kids walking up to the heroes , holding out their notebooks and some memorabilia for the blonde to sign. A few signatures, selfies, and half assed hugs later, the kids left the two men to scurry off in the direction of their agency building.

Kirshima tentatively placed a hand on his friends shoulder. "Looks like you two need to talk. I know she’s a strong woman, but you shouldn't let her do this alone. Be there for her bro, like a man," he said, his tone rather serious.

Bakugou nodded, letting the red heads words settle, and took them into consideration when he shortly arrived back at your shared residence. After peeling off his hero gear, Katsuki prepared the bath for your return, plopping in some oils that you've preached about in the past, lighting a few scented candles, and tested out the temperature of the water with the swipe of his finger. Feeling satisfied, he saunters over to the kitchen to make your favorite meal.

"Babe, I'm home!" You announced, kicking off your shoes and hanging up your scarf in the hallway.

You follow the trail of heaven, the sweet and savory scent leading you to the confines of the kitchen, revealing the familiar blonde in the middle of cooking something.

Katsuki looked over his shoulder, his expression unrecognizable.

"Foods almost done. Just waiting for it to cool off," Bakugou said, searching around the spacious kitchen for the plates. There was a long pause. "Also, we need to talk...after when we're done eating I mean."

This caught you off guard.

"Oh! Um, okay? Is it something bad?" You bit the inside of your mouth.

"No— yes, I mean, unless we make it out to be, then yeah I guess."

"Alright".

You couldn't stomach the delicious meal that your boyfriend served to you, the nerves coursing through your system; ruining your appetite, forceing heaps amount of the seasoned delicacy without actually savoring it. Which is downright painful. Oblivious to the severity of his words, Bakugou ate in defeating silence, periodically stopping to stare in your direction during intakes of bites, then continued shoveling more food into his mouth. Upon finishing his meal he stood up abruptly, chair screeching behind him, and fished both of your plates and retreated away from you. This gave you some time to compose yourself and think.

Did you say something off putting this morning? Surely he didn't take your second offense opinion about how he should stop wearing such tight restraint shorts at the gym, no matter how appealing his sculpted, gluteal appendages were. You kinda got tired seeing pictures of him floating around on the internet of him doing bench presses, toned legs fully on display, the sweat secreting from his body painting him in a glistening sheen, all the while the main focus was on his firm buttocks.

But that's besides the point.

What could've possibly transpired between the hours of then and now to make him so unapproachable to you?

While listing plausible scenarios in your head, Katsuki trailed back over and grabbed one of your wrists, reeling you to straighten up and notice his presence again.

"Is it time to talk?" You asked quietly, as if someone were to be hiding and listening in on the conversation.

All he did was nod, give your wrist a flick, and motion you to follow him into the bathroom. Following behind like a lost puppy homesick of its owner, you found yourself standing in the middle of the bathroom, half naked and shaking. The only source of light being the herbal candles, casting unflattering shadows upon your skin. Bakugou beat you to punch and shimmed out from his clothing and dipped into the water, arms on either side of the tubs frame. Although it may seem inviting, you mistakenly remember his urgent request to talk.

Putting your anxiety aside, you drop the towel that was hugging your naked frame and started easing yourself into the room temperature bath water, sighing appreciatively. Your boyfriend flashes you an off handed smirk and opens his legs wider, an unspoken encouragement for you to join. You accepted graciously by scooting face forward, your backside eventually hitting his chiseled chest. Next thing you knew his arms were around you, capturing you in a tight hold. Fingers danced across the underside of your belly, tickling you in the process. Bakugou became weirdly enraptured by your stomach. His hands never left the surface, carefully tracing patterns of whatever he was creating in his mind, while humming softly to a tone you couldn't recognize. You relaxed, eyes fluttering close due to the calming atmosphere.

Was this the calm before the storm? Whatever was brewing, you wished it would stall for awhile. This is all you dreamt of and more.

"I can't believe a little gremlin is growing inside you," Bakugou whispered.

Still in your own little world, you could only make out the phrases 'gremlin' and 'inside'.

"Huh? What did you say babe?" You asked, eyes barely opened.

He chuckled. "I said idiot, I can't believe something is growing inside you." Then he kneads your stomach as emphasis.

Wait. What?

Then it registers. Bakugou thinks you’re pregnant. Holy shit, Bakugou thinks you’re pregnant!

Just the thought of it brought you into an induce laughing fit. Perplexed, Bakugou grunted out a small 'What's so funny?' as he stepped out from the tub, leaving you thrashing and splashing, creating a makeshift tsunami.

You threw a pointed finger at him. "I'm not pregnant! Where the hell did you get that idea from?"

"You've been throwing up this past week! Not to mention you called your friend to pick up a goddamn pregnancy test!" He sounded incredulous.

“You can chose to not believe me, but I got a stomach virus from the night when we— well, decided to be stupid and not use protection.” You avoided his gaze all the while explaining. “And as for the pregnancy test...”

You got out from the tub, unaware at his attempt to steady you, and walked over to the small trash can. Opening it up you rummage through band aide wrappers, make up wipes, old cream containers, and used tissue paper to find what you were looking for. There, front and center was the familiar white stick, showcasing —load and behold, a red horizontal line. Bakugou snatches the thing from your hands and inspects it more throughly, convinced you might be playing a devious prank on him. You surprise him by laying down not one, but two more tests on the bathroom counter, all which were mirroring the same results.

“I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t lying to myself and got one of my friends to bring me some tests. And as you can see, all of them are negative,” you meekly explain to your boyfriend, who is still starring at the tests like they were ticking time bombs.

Confirming that the line is indeed, real, only then does Bakugou express an emotion you've never witnessed before.

Discouraged? No. Mad? No, much more than that.

He was utterly, and irrevocably, disappointed.

"Katsuki, are you alright?" You prodded towards the man you love, gently tipping his chin to look up at you.

"Y-yeah I'm fine. Just quit looking at me like that," his eyes upheld yours, but his body began to tremble. He tried to maneuver his way out of your grasp, but no prevail.

Was Katsuki disappointed that you weren’t...pregnant?

“Katsuki you know we can’t have kids, you said it yourself. Putting them in a stressful environment will only make things worse,” You reasoned.

“Yeah, well, my past self can go eat shit,” he mumbled out, a cute tint of red flushing his ears.

You arched an eyebrow at his self deprecated comment. “Oh? And what’s that suppose to mean?”

“It means....”

Suddenly, the ground was swept beneath you, causing you to emit a passive squeal, throwing your hands up in front of you to brace for impact. Your entire upper body was upside down, the other half propped on Bakugou’s shoulder. You banged your fists as an act of defiance in order for him to put you down. Bakugou ignored you and carried you out of the humid room. In your line of vision you can see the hallway that leads to your guys’ bedroom, the door slightly ajar. Unceremoniously, Bakugou tossed you onto the bed and hovered over your soaked body. Right then and there, he didn’t give an ounce of a fuck about his previous ideologies on kids, and why he even thought the mere image of you carrying his child was outrageously abhorrent to him.

But that’s all he’s been thinking about. His mind plagued on someday watching you struggle to put on shirts, not being able to walk without needing a break to sit down, growing bigger and more voluptuous every day. He needed it now.

“We gotta have them while we’re young, right babe?”

And right he was.

AN: ah yes. bakugou, a breeding kink, and fluff. the perfect trifecta.

master list 🩸

[faulty-writes]

Hii! How are you madam? (I heard people call you that!)

May i request a highschool mirko x arab! Reader that wears a kaffiyeh in their head to resemble their culture?

(I love the way you write her!)

[ Ah yes, I have a few nicknames on here. Faulty, Faulty-san, Madam Faulty, Mrs famous faulty, Famous Faulty writes, I'm sure the list goes on. But you're more than welcome to refer to me by my legal name which is Poet. Yes, you read that right. Haha. Anywho, I'm doing great! Thank you for asking and this sounds interesting, I'd be happy to see what I can do with it. Also, I'll be adding Bakugou to this as per your second request. ]

You were frightened when you first met Rumi because of an old mythical creature from your culture called 'Almiraj' and much like one of the stories about the creature as soon as Rumi set her eyes on you it caused you to flee.

Rumi seemed happy with your initial reaction and the way you'd avoid her, but it got old quick. "Hey pretty face! I see you!" she called in the hallway and despite your best efforts to once again run away, she grabbed the loose end of your kaffiyeh. "Now that I have your attention there, what's your problem!?" she snarled in your face with her ears standing straight up and her tail puffed out.

You began to see Rumi as a less terrifying creature after you witnessed the way she handled the power of her quirk. While she wasn't compassionate to you, she didn't hesitate to save others and though she appreciated the praise, she didn't allow it to completely change her.

One day, you decided to cook Rumi a native dish from your culture, but she didn't seem to like it. "Jeez pretty face! Do all of your dishes smell this bad?" to say you were insulted was an understatement, but you weren't aware that Rumi got hungry in the middle of the night and proceeded to eat the food you had made after all.

She scared you to death the day she slammed an oversized book onto your desk and leaned over with a snarl. "Your culture sounds weird there pretty face! Are you sure you wouldn't like being from somewhere else?" she questioned and part of you was honestly flattered she had done research on your background.

Despite her view on your culture, she found herself spending more and more time with you. "So pretty face! What do you think about coming to work for my future agency!? It'll look good having a foreigner there!" while you were a little disappointed she still viewed you as an outsider, the fact that she wanted you to work with her was an offer you couldn't refuse.

"Why the hell do you even have that damn thing on your head!?" he snapped, balling his hands into trembling fists. "You cost us the damn round because that thing got caught on something! Just stay still! Damn extra..." he said and despite being angry he proceeded to help you untangle yourself.

"You don't know how to chop these right!" Katsuki snapped at you one day while you were trying to make a dish from your culture. "Step aside! Damn extra doesn't know how to properly chop..." he grumbled the whole time you were in the kitchen, but you were grateful nonetheless that he was helping you cook.

"This is stupid!" he growled as he tried tugging on the kaffiyeh you had properly secured atop his head. "What the hell is this damn thing supposed to represent!?" he questioned, ignoring the way his body trembled and his cheeks lit up. Why he had agreed to let you do this to him, he'd never know.

"You two better shut the hell up if you know what's good for you!" he snapped, though his words were filled with less anger than normal due to the fact that Kaminari and Eijirou were currently teasing him. "Come on dude! You totally like them!" Kaminari said with a laugh. "I agree even if they're a little foreign, I support you!" Katsuki's explosions were heard moments after.

He tried not to let his friends get to him, but he couldn't help but find himself curious about your culture more specifically your parents. "Eh? So your parents are strict too, huh?" he asked, and while parents in your culture were known to be strict. You instead chose to address the fact that Katsuki's parents raised him well.

Being friends with Katsuki had its benefits, the best of which was the fact that you had a protector. "Yeah!? Stay the hell away from them before I blast your damn face off!" was a common phrase he used whenever he happened to catch someone speaking disrespectfully about you or to you. But his efforts were appreciated nonetheless.

[cinnabun-faerie]

Thursday, June 2

Dearest Reader,

I haven't done these in quite a with, eh? Hello once again. I have much to say but I know not of what I should say first. I hope that you don't mind random or just me sharing some things from my life.

The weather is quite nice where I am. It's been rather sunny as of late. I suppose that's good after a week or so of rain and thunderstorms. It's good for our rather large garden. Should I tell you about it? We plant onions, tomatoes, yellow beans and many other things. I just can't remember all of the things right at this moment. But I do know that we have a strawberry & raspberry bush. I can't wait for when all of it is ready to harvest. Then we can make jams and pickles. I particularly love Lady Ashburn pickles.

To be honest, I am not one to just go outside. I'm very much like a vampire. I'd burn if I'm out in the sunlight for too long. Not too mention, I get sick due to allergies. Not the most fun. But, this year, I have definately been outside much more often. Which is rather odd. Normally I'd rather stay inside, but I guess not anymore. Oh! I want to tell you that we tend to have a few animals around. Deer tend to get into our garden more into the summers, and we feed hummingbirds who fly around excitedly when we put their feeder back up. And of course, we have squirrels that come right up onto our porch. They're quite friendly. We have a few other birds as well. They're rather cute if I may admit.

Perhaps I am thinking more of this now that I'm leaving for a new place on Monday. It'll be weird not hearing the sounds of birds chirping outside my window every morning. Or just to open up the door and lean on the porch's railing as I ask what my grandfather what project he is working on this afternoon. Perhaps I am getting a little homesick before going. But it's not like I won't be returning. I must say though, I am excited to go visit my parents and smell the salty ocean air. I haven't made a trip to stay with my parents for an extended period of time since before covid. I don't know if I'll miss my grandparents more or if they'll miss me more. I'll call them daily of course. It's just like my grandfather said, I haven't really left this house many times since the day I was born. I always feel this magnetic pull back, and honestly I don't mind. If I could have a favorite place, this would be it.

Oh! Something I remembered just now is that I was surprised to hear that my best friend is going with me on the trip. She won't be staying with me. But she's coming to see me off until I can return back home.

Anyways, I should get some work done so I can sleep. Whether it be day or night for you, I hope it is going well.

Until the morrow,

Grey

[fallenflowersfromgrace]

Time for me to add another crack idea for the Owl House

It's been a while since I posted one of these. But might as well because sitting in my drafts, collecting dust doesn't do me any good. Considering how many ideas I've posted, I really should keep track of these.

Alright, today's crack idea: While going through Eda's collection of Human items, Luz and King find holy water among the items... can you guess where this is going?

@zarieslayer here's the one I sent you a snip of. See if u can find it :)

"So this holy water is supposed to be like super hazardous to demons and stuff?" King asked as he held up a small bottle.

"Well...I guess?" Luz shifted uneasily. "Don't know if it would actually do any damage to you guys considering that it was in the trash."

"What was in the trash?" Eda asked as she entered the main room with an armful of stuff. She quickly took notice of the odd bottle King held in his paws as she dropped the objects in her grasp. "What's that?"

"Luz says humans call it holy water," King explained and ran over to show her.

"Huh," the witch huffed as she took it from the demon. However, a bright flash of color on his dark fur drew her attention. "What happened there?"

"It was TREASON!" King growled.

"He got scratched by broken glass by accident," Luz explained. "I gave him a band-aid that he keeps trying to take off."

"I see that." Eda snorted in amusement as she watched her fluffy friend failing to free his fur of the band-aid. She quickly brought her attention back to the bottle. "So, what exactly is this?"

"Well, it's water that's been blessed by a religious figure." Luz paused as saw Eda motion her to elaborate. "It's used for spiritual cleansing and baptisms and...I don't actually know what else." The teen sheepishly admitted, "Don't know how reliable that is because most things that I know about holy water is that it'll fend off the supernatural...like vampires, demons, and ghosts." Luz was not going to add witches incase either King or Eda wanted to test it.

"So it's just water?" Eda snickered as she examined the bottle for every detail.

"Umm, yeah?" Luz raised an eyebrow.

"So you're telling me I could-metaphorically speaking-dump some of this on Lilith and convince her she's dying?" Eda smirked with a plan already forming in her mind.

"Eda..." Luz sighed, "T-that's not...no."

"Eh, worth a shot," The witch snorted in amusement of the deadpanned look her apprentice gave. She was about to crack another joke before freezing with an idea in mind. Her eyes drifted back to the bottle, "I wonder..."

"Eda?" Luz felt the tension and anxiety shoot up through her body. Eda was taking too much interest in the bottle for the teen's liking.

"One way to find out," Eda shrugged and popped the cap off.

"Eda, NO!" Luz screeched and launched herself at the witch. Eda saw the attack coming and stepped to the side which allowed the floor to greet the teenager with open arms. To the horror of Luz, Eda, blissfully unaware of a purpose of the liquid she was messing with, downed a quarter of the bottle.

Unfortunately, Eda began coughing immediately.

"What did you allow her to drink?!" King shrieked as he stood, helplessly watching Eda cough up her lungs.

"This isn't my fault!" Luz shouted as she ran over and attempted to pry the opened bottle away from Eda's hand so the witch couldn't cause any more harm to herself. "Eda! Give it to me! King, what do I do?!"

"What's going on!?" Lilith's frantic voice came from down the hallway as her footsteps could be heard rushing to the main room. "Edalyn-"

If anyone ever asked Luz what Lilith sounded like the second she turned the corner at the exact moment Luz managed to free the bottle from Eda's grasp and send holy water flying in the air, Luz would compare it to a pterodactyl in pain...mainly because it hit Lilith directly in her face.

"Why does it burn?!" Lilith screeched as she threw her hands up to her eyes.

"Lilith! I'm sorry!" Luz shouted as Eda's coughing fit got worse due to her hearing Lilith's shriek of pain that could rival a screaming goat, which sent the Owl Lady into a fit of laughter before her throat protested and coughs began to wrack her body.

"Give me this!" Luz suddenly found King attacking her wrist before the bottle slipped from her hand and some of the liquid landed on King's now band-aid freed arm. When he had time to pull it off was beyond Luz's understanding but they could worry about that later.

"It burns!" The demon wailed as he threw the bottle and it's remaining liquid across the room which caused it to slide against the floor before stopping a few inches in front of the door. "LUZ, IT BURNS!"

"THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" Luz shouted as her hands shot up to her hair. She wasn't qualified for this. The fact Eda was barely beginning to calm down from coughing up everything but her brain, Lilith was making her way to the kitchen with the grace of the worm, and King was probably cursing out holy water in the language of demons, was an obvious red flag there were somethings the teen wasn't prepared to deal with. There was no way it could get worse...right?

"HOOT! GUESS WHO IS HERE FOR A VISIT?" Luz ignored Hooty's announcement and tried to get King to stop screaming.

Whatever Amity, Willow, and Gus were expecting to see when Hooty let them in was not the Owl Lady in hysterics with her laughter mimicking that of a hyena due to lack of air, Luz failing trying to bring peace to the household as she resisted the urge to tear her hair out, hearing Lilith's voice from the kitchen using some colorful language due to something falling down the sink, or seeing King running around in circles holding his arm screaming about evil water committing treason.

"I learned not to question it at this point," Willow was the first to speak of the trio as they watched and heard the chaos play out.

"Should...should we do something?" Gus asked and forced his eyes to glance at Willow.

"Maybe-"

"Hey, what's this?" Amity asked as she bent down to pick up a small opened bottle. The witchling glanced over it before turning to the other two teenage witches. "Um, what's holy water?"

"AMITY, NO!" Amity looked to the source of a panicked Luz rushing at her. Was holy water dangerous? "EVIL!" Luz hissed as she slapped the bottle from Amity's hand.

"Luz?" Amity raised an eyebrow and glanced at the bottle at her feet before looking back up.

"It nearly killed Eda, blinded Lilith, and burned King." Luz glared at the bottle with the intention to set it on fire. "It's evil."

"K-kid." Eda's voice caused the group of teenagers to turn their attention to the witch who was attempting not to break out into another fit of laughter. It would take more than special human water to kill the most powerful witch of the Boiling Isles.

"Eda!" Luz sighed in relief and ran back to her mentor, "I'm sorry! I didn't think it would do that and I-"

"Kid." Eda snorted at the look of terror on Luz's face. "You need to relax."

"But..."

"If you're thinking your magic human water could kill me, you're wrong." Eda huffed, "It just tasted gross, and it went down the wrong pipe. That's it."

"This is why we don't go drinking random human things we find in the trash!" King shouted as he glared daggers at the bottle.

"You did what?" Lilith seemed to suddenly appear in the main room with a scowl on her face and her eyes narrowed.

"Relax, Lily," Eda waved off what she assumed was a glare coming from her older sister, "it's just water. Besides, it isn't the weirdest thing I've done."

"Knowing you, I don't doubt that," the older witch gave a scoff but still remained to be glaring at everything and everyone around her as if the entire world had personally offended her.

"Lilith!" Luz quickly remembered the witch's run in with the holy water. "Are you okay?!"

"What?" Lilith raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine."

"Then why do you look like you're planning a murder?" Eda questioned.

"Whatever hit me got into my eyes so I had to remove my contacts. I lost one of them so I took the other one out," Lilith explained. "I can't see."

"You wear contacts?" Gus asked and the residents of the Owl House quickly remembered the group of teenagers in front of the door.

"Yes.” Lilith scoffed, “It was brought to my attention that the contacts would be...oh forget it, I thought getting rid of my glasses would make me look more intimidating.” She waved a dismissive hand, “A story for another day. If you’ll excuse me, I need to find my glasses.”

“Good because my arm is burning!” King squealed as Lilith left and Luz ran over to him.

“We need to clean it.” Luz winced as the small demon protested.

“Oh for the love of-” Eda inhaled sharply and rubbed her temples, “King, go with Luz before I take the human magic water and spray you with it.”

“Luz, protect your king!” The demon wasted no time jumping into the waiting arms of the teenager.

“Only if you promise not to take off your band-aid again,” the teenager smirked.

“You’re mean,” he huffed in response.

“Eda! Grab the holy water!” Luz’s smile was too much like Eda’s for anyone’s liking.

“To the kitchen!” King demanded. He was not a fan of holy water at all.

“Yep,” Luz smirked as she carried the fluffy demon out of the room. 

“So is it harmful to witches or not?” Amity asked as she picked up the bottle from the floor.

“Eh, pretty sure it won’t do much.” Eda shrugged as she snatched it from the girl’s hands. “But just to be safe...”

The three teenagers watched in amusement as Eda ran around the room looking for a specific object amongst the cluttered living space. It only took a minute and three loud crashes due to objects hitting the floor from Eda knocking them over, but the witch emerged from her hunt with a victorious laugh and held up a piece of paper. One of Luz's glyphs...the fire one to be exact.

"Ummm, Eda?" Willow winced. The teenagers shared an uneasy glace. This was not going to end well.

"Yeah?" The witch was smiling like a maniac as she activated the glyph and saw the flames emerge.

"Isn't that just water in a bottle?" Amity raised an eyebrow. Eda's wild look fell from her face as she looked at the bottle and the flame that was beginning to grow. If she tried hard enough, she probably could set it ablaze, but that was too much of a hassle.

"...right..." there was a huff from the Owl Lady before she quickly extinguished the flame and tossed the bottle behind her. "We'll just sell it to the next poor soul who comes across it." Eda froze as she turned back to look at the bottle then at the pile of human trash she had yet to sell.

"We are not selling water for you to pass off as human treasure." When Lilith came back into the room with Luz and King was a question she didn't need answered, but how her older sister managed to read her thoughts was beyond her understanding.

"But all I have to do is boil the hell out of it!" Eda gave her student a cheeky grin to which the teenager felt her soul leave her body.

"It's still water," King huffed and Eda noticed he was sporting a new bright green band-aid.

"Fine, fine." Eda waved a hand before smirking again. "So, kid, any other weird human superstitions about water?"

"Ooo!" Gus instantly brightened, "I need to write this down!"

"Umm..." Luz mused over the question for a second before nodding her head. "Thanks to the Wizard of Oz, some people believe dumping water on a witch will melt them."

The way Eda's eye brightened and her ears shot up reminded the group of a child who had consumed too much candy. Her eyes drifted to Lilith with a mischievous smile. The teenagers took that as their cue to excuse themselves and King followed.

"Edalyn, don't you dare."

"I would never."

"I'm serious."

"I know. That's why I'm so going to do it."

"You know that won't melt me."

"That's the point."

[imagineabrighterworld]

Bittersweet Tragedies

Pt. 1 // Dead to Me

A/N: The first part of a series of writings based on Melanie Martinez songs, and my own want for Dabi interacting with a child ^^; The reader will have many more interactions with him as time goes on (and maybe even some interactions with heroes)

The vigilante Phantasma was no more. Leaving you and your little sister motherless.

You always felt cold, something you got from your father, but this cold was penetrating in a way you could only describe as being stabbed.

Over and over.

Phantasma was an outlaw, and no one missed those. They were the villains of the hero world. Someone people didn’t tend to miss, someone you werent supposed to root for. So when you returned home to your sister with the news, you knew she would only find comfort in you. No one else would mourn your mother.

For a whole night, you both lay in her bed, curled up and clinging to each other, craving a warmth you knew would never return. But after that, you knew you had to be the one to step up to the plate.

You were 23 and your sister the fragile age of six. Without you, what would she have?

"Kiko."

She lifts her head, eyes still red from hours of crying. Yukiko wipes her eyes.

"Y-Yea?"

"We're going to be okay." You assure her, placing a hand on her back. "I'm gonna call one of mommy's friends so we can get some help. Do you want to go with me?"

"But.." She sniffles. "I have school."

"Ah. Alright. Come, let's get ready for school, I'll take you." You wait for her to sit up before helping her get dressed, using a damp napkin to wipe away the trails of tears on her cheeks. Fifteen minutes later you stand outside of her school, the bell already ringing for her to get to class, your hand cold without hers to warm it.

With nothing left to do you take your mother's phone out and click on a familiar icon. A weasel.

Holding the phone to your ear, your chest lightens as the line is picked up.

"Hey Uncle Kagero, I.. I need some help."

---

Walking beside Kagero Okuta, or Giran as he prefered to be called for business purposes, made you uneasy. It wasn't him personally, in fact, he was one of your favorite people that came into your life because of your vigilante mother. No, this unease was due to the man following the two of you.

Twice was his name. He argued with himself, which unnerved you. Men in general made you nervous, especially the ones that yelled.

"Sorry about my friend here, he's going through a rough patch." Giran removes the cigar from his mouth, waving it around as he guides you through tight alleyways. "It's not his fault, he's just-"

"AN ANIMAL! Heroic! Suave! STOP THAT EH?! Amazing."

"Like that." He snorts.

You shake your head. "It's fine." In any case, you move just an inch closer to the older man.

Giran was an old friend of your mothers, someone she went to for information or for new tech. Often times she took you with her to see him, and often times he would give you whatever he had on him at the time. Ranging from lollipops to broken parts of machinery. It fascinated you as a child, seeing him pull out all sorts of items from his pockets.

Now you saw him in less of an innocent light, but you didnt hate him either. Work was work.

Speaking of.

"What kind of work were you thinking when you said you could find me a job?"

"Nothing terrible." He inhales deeply, exhaling a mouthful of smoke. "You like to dance, right?"

"More or less."

"Something like that. I know a guy who pays good money for people with quirks like yours. It'll keep you and Kiko fed."

A job that relied on your quirk.. Well, it wasn't the worst news you could have heard. And if it would keep your sister comfortable, you would do it.

The three of you stop in front of a rundown bar, the windows boarded up and it's sign hanging haphazardly to the left.

"So, why are we here?"

"To meet the gang! TO DIE! Shigaraki wants to meet you! SHUT UP!"

You turn around to look at Twice. "Shigaraki? The League of Villains guy?" You'd heard of him through the news. The attack on the USJ was still spoken of despite it being weeks ago. "I didnt realize his base would look like.. This."

The man narrows his eyes, looking ready to tear you in half before he stops and taps his foot on the floor. "It's fucked up- but give it a shot! It's cool inside! UGLY AS fuck." He ends in a small voice, hugging himself as he rushes in through the doors. You could hear him say something, presumably to the rest of the people inside.

A hand is placed against your back. You look to your right, seeing Giran look down at you before nodding towards the door.

"In you go kid."

Nodding, you step up to the now open doors and find yourself in a rather well taken care of room. It was a bar with crystal scones and furniture you werent expecting to see in a place that looked like it's outside survived a nuke.

Several people waited inside, either standing or sitting. With one look, you instantly knew who the leader was. But with another look, you couldn't help your eyes being glued to another man.

He had his head resting on crossed arms, his skin held together by staples. He was asleep, but it didnt stop you from looking at him a second more before turning to the leader.

Shigaraki.

Standing in the center of them all was a person who could turn you to ash without breaking a sweat. You would be nervous were it not for Giran's presence. You trusted him enough to know he wouldn't let you die tonight.

"So, you're the one Giran has been talking about." His voice grates against your ears. "The amplifier."

Amplification. Emotional or physical. Your quirk was.. Useful. Amplifying calm, strength, passion, happiness, nearly anything. It had its uses.

"We've already worked out the details. Should you come through on your end." He saunters forward, stopping just short of you.

From where you stood, staring up at him, trying to look past the hand covering his face, you had the from feeling that this bargain would force you to toe the line your mother had danced on for decades.

Vigilante? Or villain.

"Amplify his healing."

Shigaraki points to the now awake man covered in deep purple scars. The man's eyes burned into yours, a bright, blazing blue.

He flashes you a smirk as he moves off of the seat. Unlike Shigaraki, he stays where he is by the bar, but not too close to the alcohol lining the shelves.

You fidget nervously. "Just his healing?"

Shigaraki narrows his eyes, his fingers curling into a slow fist. "Just. Healing."

"Will it be a problem babe?" The man chuckles. "I thought we were getting someone impressive."

While his voice was pleasing to the ears, it wasn't enough to discourage your annoyance.

"It's just fine, pretty boy."

He lifts a brow, the smirk on his face widening, pulling at the staples on his face.

He opens his arms as blue flames engulf him head to toe, skin taking on a deeper hue as it begins to burn. "Give it your best shot babe."

Oh how you wanted to amplify his pain receptors. Oh how you wanted to wipe the smug expression off of his face.

But Yukiko needed you to get this job.

Your pupils dilate as you focus solely on the flaming man before you. Your body takes over as you feel the barest trace of energy radiating from him, tugging on it as you allow your quirk to latch onto him and do its work.

His expression changes ever so slightly as his skin stops it's burning and reverts back to its previous appearance. It wasn't healed fully, but it most definitely was not getting any worse.

"Interesting." Shigaraki speaks from beside you. A little too close for your liking.

You step closer to Giran who puts a hand on your shoulder. "I told you they could do it." He ducks his head slightly. "Good job kid."

Shigaraki nods absentmindedly, already mumbling plans that you already knew you wanted no part of. But you already signed away that piece of you.

Whatever he wanted you to do, you would do. For Kiko.

"Consider yourself hired." He acknowledges you after his compatriot puts out his flames, said companion now making his way to you. "Dabi will be your guard. Treat them well." Shigaraki adds, tapping Dabi on the arm with two fingers.

"Of course." Dabi stands in front of you, looking down at you with that same smug smirk. "Looks like you’re stuck with me babe."

No.

No.

You step forward, ignoring the smell of ash wafting from him. "You've got it all wrong."

He cocks a brow.

"You are stuck with me."

His grin only widens.

[thewidowsghost]

The Unknown Muggleborn - Chapter 11

Series Masterlist

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3rd Person POV

This can't get any worse, (Y/n) thinks as Filch drags her down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor. What the (H/C) haired girl didn't know, was that Harry and Hermione - still under the Invisibity Cloak - had followed the two.

There's no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall will accept being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest Astronomy Tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes, (Y/n) thinks miserably.

When Professor McGonagall appears, she looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towers over (Y/n).

"I would never have believed it of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the Astronomy Tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourself," McGonagall orders.

(Y/n) sits still, her emerald eyes flicking sadly for a moment, and Harry and Hermione exchange a look under the Cloak. Then - to Harry and Hermione's astonishment - (Y/n) speaks.

"I was helping Hagrid," (Y/n) says softly, and McGonagall's expression changes to something (Y/n) couldn't read. "Hagrid had a baby dragon. I didn't want him to get in trouble, so I sent a letter to someone who cares for dragons so they would take him. I just had to get the dragon to the Astronomy Tower."

"Miss (L/n), though you had good intentions for helping a friend, it was unacceptable to be walking around the school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous - a hundred points will be taken from Gryffindor."

(Y/n)'s face seems to fall even more and Harry and Hermione exchange another look from under the cloak.

"Now, get back to bed," McGonagall says, her voice softening at the expression on (Y/n)'s face.

(Y/n) nods and walks out of the office and silently up to Gryffindor Tower, Harry and Hermione close behind their friend.

The Portrait Hole opens and (Y/n) walks straight up the stairs to her dorm.

Marvel looks up at her companion, and curls up with her friend.

(Y/n) didn't sleep all night, dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what she had done?

At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the House points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly be a hundred points fewer than yesterday?

And then the story starts to spread: (Y/n) (L/n), friend to the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all the house points, in one night.

From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, (Y/n) was suddenly one of the most hated. Even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on her, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the House Cup. Everywhere (Y/n) went, people point and don't bother to lower their voices as they insult her. Slytherins, on the other hand, clap as she walks past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks (L/n), we owe you one."

Only Ron, Harry, Hermione and the Weasley Twins stood by her.

"They'll all forget this in a few weeks," Ron says soothingly on morning at breakfast as every sends (Y/n) hostile glares. "Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."

"But they haven't lost a hundred points in one go, though, have they?" asks (Y/n) miserably as someone loudly asks Harry why he was friends with the 'rubbish Gryffindor Mudblood.'

"Well - no," Ron admits.

It is a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from no on, coming to the conclusion that (Y/n) receiving all the hate was his fault for forgetting the cloak at the top of the tower. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying.

(Y/n) felt so ashamed of herself that she had went to Oliver Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.

"Resign?" Wood thunders. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"

But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team - excluding Harry, George, and Fred - wouldn't speak to her, and if they had to speak about her, they called her 'the Seeker.'

Hermione was suffering too, just because she was (Y/n)'s sister, and no one would speak to her, either. Hermione and (Y/n) had stopped drawing attention to themselves in class, keeping their heads down and working in silence.

(Y/n) was actually glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying she is doing keeping her away from her misery. (Y/n), Harry, Ron, and Hermione keep to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions . . .

Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he hears somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he draws closer,he hears Quirrell's voice.

"No — no — not again, please —"

It sounds as though someone is threatening him. Harry moves closer.

"All right — all right —" he hears Quirrell sob.

Next second, Quirrell comes hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He is pale and looks as though he was about to cry. He strides out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him. He waits until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peers into the classroom. It is empty, but a door stands ajar at the other end. Harry is halfway toward it before he remembers what he'd promised himself about not meddling.

All the same, he'd have gambled twelve Sorcerer's Stones that Snape had just left the room, and from what Harry had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step — Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.

Harry goes back to the library, where Hermione is testing Ron on Astronomy, (Y/n) buried in her extra complicated - at least to Harry and Ron - Potions notes, Harry tells them what he'd heard.

"Snape's done it, then!" says Ron. "If Quirrell's told time how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell -"

"There's still Fluffy though," Hermione reasons.

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," Harry says, looking around at the thousands of books surrounding them.

"I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a three-headed dog," Ron adds. "So what do we do, Harry?" The light of adventure is kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answers before Harry can.

"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But we've got no proof!" says Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor — who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."

Hermione looks convinced, but Ron doesn't.

"If we just do a bit of poking around -"

"No," (Y/n) speaks for what seems to be the first time in a week, "we've done enough poking around."

The following morning, a note is delivered to (Y/n) at the breakfast table:

Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.

Professor M. McGonagall

(Y/n) had forgotten she still had a detention to do in the furor over the points she'd lost.

At eleven o'clock that night, (Y/n) says goodbye to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and goes down to the entrance hall. Filch was already there - and so was Malfoy. (Y/n) had almost forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.

"Follow me," says Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he says, leering at them. "Oh yes . . . hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me. . . . It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out . . . hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed. . . .Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

They march off across the dark grounds. (Y/n) wonders what their punishment is going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted. The moon is bright, but clouds scudding across it keep throwing them into darkness. Ahead, (Y/n) can see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they hear a distant shout.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

(Y/n)'s heart rises; if they are going to be working with Hagrid, it wouldn't be so bad. Her relief must have shown on her face, because Filch says, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, girl — it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece.

At this, Malfoy stops dead in his tracks."The forest?" he repeats, and he doesn't sound as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard."

"That's your problem, isn't it?" says Filch, his voice cracking with glee."Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

Hagrid comes striding towards them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He is carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hangs over his shoulder. "Abou' time," he says. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, (Y/n)?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," says Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" says Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," says Filch, "for what's left of them," he adds nastily, and he turns and starts back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

Malfoy now turns to Hagrid. "I'm not going in that forest," he says, and (Y/n) feels a little pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," says Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd —"

"— tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growls. "Copyin' lines!What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"

Malfoy doesn't move. He looks at Hagrid furiously, but then drops his gaze.

"Right then," says Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."

He leads them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he points down a narrow, winding earth track that disappears into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifts their hair as they look into the forest.

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday.We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" asks Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," says Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood allover the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

"So me and Mafoy'll go one way an' (Y/n) an' Fang'll go the other, I know yer good with spells and such (Y/n). Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now -that's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go."

The forest is black and silent. A little way into it they reach a fork in the earthy path, and Malfoy and Hagrid take the left path while (Y/n) and Fang take the right.

(Y/n) lights up the tip of her wand, walking in silence, her eyes trained on the ground. Every now and then, a ray of moonlight through the branches above lights up a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.

After about an hour, (Y/n) walks through the forest with Fang. They walk for about half-an-hour more, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path becomes almost impossible to follow because the trees are so thick. (Y/n) thinks that the blood seems to be getting thicker. There are splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. (Y/n) can see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.

Something bright white is gleaming on the ground and (Y/n) inches closer.

That's definitely the unicorn, (Y/n) thinks, and it's dead. She had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs are sticking out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane is spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.

(Y/n) takes one step towards it when a slithering sound makes her freeze where she stands. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivers . . . Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure comes crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. (Y/n) and fang stand, transfixed. The cloaked figure reaches the unicorn, lowers its head over the wound in the animal's side, and begins to drink its blood.

Fang lets out a howl and bolts. The hooded figure raises its head and looks right at (Y/n) - unicorn blood dribbling down its front. It gets to its feet and comes swiftly towards (Y/n) and she scrambles back.

Then a pain like she'd never felt before seems to pierce her whole left side. It feels as thought her scar was on fire and she claps her hand to it.

Through the pain, she lifts her wand but then she hears hooves behind her, galloping, and something jumped clean over (Y/n), charging at the figure.

When (Y/n) looks up, the cloaked figure had gone, and a half human, half horse is standing over her. A centaur! (Y/n) realizes.

"Are you alright?" asks the centaur, pulling (Y/n) to her feet, though she hadn't remembered falling.

"Yes - thank you - what was that?"

The centaur doesn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looks carefully at (Y/n) his eyes lingering at the collar of her shirt where half of her scar stands out, livid against (Y/n)'s skin.

"You are the (L/n) girl," he says. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time - especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way. My name is Firenze," he adds as he lowers himself onto his front legs so (Y/n) can clamber onto his back, her wand still clutched in her right hand.

There is suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Two other centaurs come bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.

"Firenze!" one thunders. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"

"Do you realize who this is Bane?" asks Firenze. "This is the (L/n) girl. The quicker she leaves this forest, the better."

"What have you been telling him?" growls Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"

The other centaur paws the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze though he was acting for the best," he says in a gloomy voice.

Bane kicks his back legs in anger. "For the best Ronan! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"

Firenze suddenly rears on his hind legs in anger so that (Y/n) had to grab his shoulders to keep from sliding off the centaur's back. "Did you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellows at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must.

And Firenze whisks around; with (Y/n) clutching on as best she can, they plunge off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.

(Y/n) didn't have a clue what was going on."Why's Bane so angry?" she asks. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"

Firenze slows to a walk, warns (Y/n) to keep her head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but does not answer her question. They make their way through the trees in silence for so long that (Y/n) began to think Firenze didn't want to talk to her anymore. They are passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stops.

"(Y/n) (L/n), do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"

"No," answers (Y/n), startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."

"That is because it is monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," says Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life,from the moment the blood touches your lips."

(Y/n) stares at the back of Firenze's head, which is dappled silver in the moonlight.

"But who'd be that -" then (Y/n) trails off, coming to a sudden realization. "Do you mean," (Y/n) asks, her voice shaking slightly, "that was -"

"(Y/n)! (Y/n), are you alright?" Malfoy, Fang, and Hagrid were running towards them down the path.

"I'm fine," (Y/n) answers, not even knowing what she was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."

"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmurs as Hagrid hurries off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."

(Y/n) slides off the centaur's back.

"Good luck, (Y/n) (L/n)," says Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."

The centaur turns and canters back into the depths of the forest, leaving (Y/n) shivering behind him. Malfoy studies (Y/n) curiously, wondering what had happened in the with the usually strong willed girl.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry and fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for (Y/n) to return. Ron shouts something about Quidditch fouls when (Y/n) shakes the three awake.

In a matter of seconds, though, all three them are wide-eyed as (Y/n) began to tell them what had happened in the forest.

The green eyed girl couldn't sit down, she paces up and down in front of the fire, still shaking; Marvel's green eyes are following her owner she paces.

"Snape wants the Stone for Voldemort . . . and Voldemort's waiting in the forest . . . and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich . . ." Harry rambles, his scar on his forehead prickling.

"Stop saying the name!" says Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so. . . . Bane was furious . . . he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen. . . . They must show that Voldemort's coming back. . . . Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me. . . . I suppose that's written in the stars as well," (Y/n) says.

"But why?!" asks Hermione, her voice shaking. "Why would he come after you?"

Everyone turns to (Y/n), as though she had an answer, and (Y/n) realized that she most definitely did.

The others watch as (Y/n) pulls down the collar of her shirt a little, and they stare at the scar - identical to Harry's - on her skin.

"A week before Christmas, I had a dream, well, not really a dream, more of a memory," (Y/n) begins, and tells her friends about the dream and Harry looks up into (Y/n)'s eyes.

"So you were on your way to my house?" Harry asks.

"Apparently," (Y/n) says.

"So all we've got to do now is wait for Snape to steal the Stone," Harry says feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come finish us off . . . Well, from what I heard, Bane'll be happy."

Hermione looks very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.

"Harry, (Y/n)," Hermione begins. "Everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

The sky had turned light before they stop talking. They go to bed exhausted, their throats sore.

Word Count: 3751 words

[awfully-sadistic]

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"So...."

Sylvaintel's voice came clear over the linkpearl so suddenly that it startled Sione after having been immersed in silence for a little more over half an hour. The only thing that had been accompanying him were the sounds of the harsh cold frost winds of Coerthas and the sound of Laboon singing songs into the sky as soon as Sione had finished a task and went well out of his way for another.

Big Surprise that all he wanted was to pass through the town to get into Ishgard, however, how could he say no to Haurchefant earnestly asking him for a couple of favors while he was there? There was a soft spot for the Elezen noble considering that everytime Sione met him, Haurchefant always had something a little too nice to say and was perhaps a bit more touchy than the others Sione had come to call friend. And it wasn't as if Sione could turn down the request because he'd happily help any of his own should they need it and according to Haurchefant, his help was indeed needed--patrols were getting overwhelmed from the Dravanian threat and it would do some good to have someone of Sione's caliber to help them out by thinning the herd. Some patrols were even lost and in the harsh cold snowy climate of Coerthas, being out there for too long could very well be a death sentence. Sione didn't want Haurchefant to lose any more men considering that it'd put more of a workload on the knight so he agreed that 1) he'd find the patrols and help thin the hostile groups that were encroaching on their territory and 2) bring home some wild game so that the troops could eat.

That was how Sione found himself bundled up on Laboon, riding high overhead the many wild creatures that make Coerthas its home when Sylvaintel decided to make his presence known.

"You act like I don't see you every time I come over." Sione replied, a faint smile gracing his dark features even as a shiver ran down his spine due to the harsh wind that suddenly overtook him. He pulled his blanket tighter, burying his chin against the soft fabric. Flying is great, until you get somewhere awfully cold. But it still beats the heat especially around the Sagoli desert.

"It's not that you don't... you're right, yes, but you could come over first." Sylvaintel teased even as he continued, "It would also get you away from doing chores for everyone as soon as you set foot into the land."

"I'm not doing chores..." Sione muttered, half his face covered by his blanket. "Haurchefant needed the help and I doubt he's going to send me all over the place to do HIS job."

"No no, of course not. He wouldn't have had that thought at all, Haurchefant is such a simpleton for you, it's honestly kind of sad."

"Wha--why is it sad?"

"Because all of that worshipping and he still didn't secure the first place in your heart."

"Okay, but neither did you. We all know that's reserved for Felina."

"Augh, you wound me. I thought I would have proved my worth by now, but no, you're right. Don't let her catch wind of any competition to be your number one otherwise I don't have to worry about being out of a job--rather, my life will be in danger."

"I won't stop her either."

"Sione, we are handsome buddies and we could be more if only you would accept; handsome husbands, eh? But I suppose it does not matter because sooner or later, it'll happen. We are connected by the red string of handsomeness. You must come to my defense as the same I come to yours whenever you need it." Sylvaintel sounded serious and he probably was considering that he invented this bond as soon as the thought popped into his head. It was perhaps meant to be taken as a joke at first, but now he proudly exclaims it in all seriousness that there was no convincing him otherwise. Thus, he always gives Sione "trouble" when the Warrior of Light steps into Coerthas and Sylvaintel always knows.

It wasn't anything as mystical as a sixth sense that would give him some magical tingle whenever Sione was close, though if one were to ask, that is exactly how he would put it. It is simply for the fact that Sylvaintel never shuts up. He's always occupying a free space in Sione's ear, emitting through the Linkshell.

"I never said that I wouldn't defend you. It just depends on you upsetting my wife then you're on your own." Sione chuckled at the long and dramatic sigh Sylvaintel heaved on the other end.

"So, how long do you have here anyway? You're passing through again to Ishgard?"

"That's the plan and it won't be too long. I still have the wild game I should procure for you hungry boys. I don't mind feeding you."

"You're such an angel!" Sylvaintel was sighing for another reason now. Everyone knew that 90% of the meat that passes through the kitchen and is circulated throughout Coerthas comes from Sione and his need to take care of everyone that mattered to him and since they mattered to Haurchefant, it mattered to him. Granted, Coerthas could have done a better job--a much better job--of receiving the Warrior of Light, Sione couldn't very well say no to their efforts now. Everyone is always happy to see Sione, and since his initial run through Coerthas to make it a better place either dispatching Dravanians or getting rid of an impostor, his reception here is a lot more warmer--on fire even--compared to when he and his wife first arrived.

"It is how you say..." Sylvaintel continued, "everyone is simps. That is what you say, yes?"

Sione laughed, "Yes, that's what I say."

"It is because you are such a good person, helping us even when everyone treated you as an outsider. See, an angel. You are like an angel, especially when you fly over on Laboon--Oh, wait, I hear him now! Are you here? Oh my god, are you here?"

Sione was already stepping through the front door of the warm cabin Sylvaintel occupied, turning off his Linkshell. About the only time he ever has it off. "Of course I'm here, I can't leave without visiting you. I'll never hear the end of it."

Word count: 1075