#girl help my catch up time over christmas was swallowed up by recovering from a virus and now I'm already feeling swamped on jan 2nd

[dont-offend-the-bees]

Urrghhhhhhhhg

[hockey-hoe-24-7]

“Press Send.” feat. Pierre-Luc Dubois

Inspired by: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAnbYmtFLQL/

Warnings: Smut, maybe voyeurism?, mentions of a threesome, mentions of other players and wags

Length: 2,248

“Do you think anyone would mind if I dragged you into the guest bedroom and let you ride me raw?”

The Mike’s Hard Lemonade sloshing around in its bottle as you navigated it onto the counter, you and Natalie Atkinson giggled like the drunken idiots you were as you re-read the text. After 4 drinks, the screen was getting hazier and hazier.

Natalie leaned so far back on her stool she almost fell off. “Hurry, hurry, press send before you pussy out.”

Snorting in a very unladylike manner, you hit send on your phone screen and fumbled to turn your camera on before you missed what was about to happen.

Your boyfriend of 3 months was standing on the other side of the yard in a circle of his teammates, a beer in his hand and a smile on his gorgeous face. As you looked up at him, you swooned so hard you almost didn’t get your camera turned on. Fortunately, Natalie elbowed you in the ribs. “You better not miss this. And since it’s my house, I can tell you that I don’t mind, as long as it’s not in my bed.”

You and Luc had come over to Natalie and Cam’s house before the Blue Jackets barbecue to help them set up before the rest of the team showed up. Luc and Cam were doing much of the heavy lifting, so once you and Natalie finished up your menial tasks, you had taken it upon yourselves to start early with the drinking. At some point, instagram had been opened and you were scrolling through video and stumbled upon the new tiktok trend: sending your SO a dirty text while they were around a group of people. As the party had gotten in full swing, Natalie had tried it a few times with Cam, but he must have had his phone either turned off or not on him. So the responsibility had fallen to you.

You had been hesitant at first. At 3 months, you and Luc were still relatively new and you hadn’t tried anything like this before. Oh, the two of you indulged in plenty of sex, like every new couple, but sex had stayed behind the doors of either your apartment or his. The two of you were plenty adventurous with positions and places. There wasn’t a single surface at either of your places that you two hadn’t had sex on. But your roles were pretty much set thus far: Luc was the leader, you were a very willing follower. He was the experienced one, you were still a bit of a babe in the woods. When you had told Luc of your very limited sexual experience, he had lit up like a kid on Christmas, then solemnly told you he would be your willing teacher. And teach he had. Without the massive boost he had given you in your sexual confidence, you wouldn’t have the courage to send this very risky text in this room full of 20+ people you were still getting to know. The alcohol was pretty helpful, too.

When you finally hit the record button on your phone, you held the camera up in just enough time to see Luc reach into the back pocket of his shorts and pull out his cellphone. As he read your text, his face went slack with shock and his head snapped up to look at you. The expression on his face sent you and Natalie reeling into another fit of hysterical giggles. When you recovered, you winked at him. A smirk crossed his face and he shook his head as he lifted his beer to his lips. Smug bastard. Hitting stop on your camera, you felt Natalie push another bottle of Mike’s into your hands. As Janelle and Jenni approached the two of you and began to strike up a conversation, you pressed the cold glass bottle to your cheek.

The point of the text was to tease your boyfriend, but now you were beginning to feel some type of way. Dammit. But you also felt...powerful. Luc was a hell of a tease and maybe it was time for him to get a dose of his own medicine.

After 20 minutes of internal debate, you pulled your phone out of the front of your dress.

“I’m not kidding. I’m so wet right now. Not sure what to do about it.”

You didn’t bother scrambling to turn on the camera on your phone, since it wasn’t about that anymore. Still talking to his teammates, Luc pulled out his phone again and glanced down. He blinked a few times, swallowed hard, then raised his head to look at you, eyes wide. Holding his gaze, you put the rim of the bottle back to your mouth, letting it hover against your lips before tipping your head back to take a swig. When you looked back at your boyfriend, he was facing his teammates again, but was obviously bothered. His strong jaw was clenched and his face was serious. He was very much trying to keep himself together.

“Did you send him another one? Lemme see.” Natalie was impressively quick for a drunk person and she almost managed to grab your phone from you, but you shoved it back down into your dress before she could grab it. She glared and you responded with your own triumphant smile.

Luc maintained his rather grumpy demeanor for the next half hour and you felt a little bad as his teammates sent him confusing looks and questions of “You good, man?” or “What’s your problem?” Missing him next to you, but too lazy tipsy to get up and actually get your ass up and walk over to him, you had been trying to get his attention with little hand waves, but he was very deliberately ignoring you. You knew this because he was making it obvious. As he followed his teammates to sit at the patio table, you decided you’d had enough. Pulling out your phone, you crafted what would be your riskiest text of the day.

Think one of your teammates would join us?

It took Luc a minute to look at his phone and his face remained serious as he read the message. It took another long minute before he reacted. His body didn’t move, but his eyes closed as he took a deep breath and clenched his jaw so tight you could see the bone press up against his skin. As he put his phone on the table he gave a full body shudder. When he finally looked up at you, his face was deadpan, but you’d known him long enough to know he was very irritated. He sat for another long minute, adjusting his shirt, then the chain around his neck. Finally, he abruptly stood up from the table and stormed into the house.

Damn. Now you felt bad. He looked pissed.

Mumbling apologies to the other women, you slid off your stool and followed him. You didn’t see him anywhere, even after poking your head through the living room and kitchen. As you made your way further into the house, you nearly screamed when you felt a pair of hands clamp hard onto your waist. You were spun around so hard you nearly fell, but then you were plucked up off the floor and all but tossed into the air. Instinctively, you reached our for balance, your hands landing on Luc’s shoulders and your legs wrapping around his waist. You were now nose to nose with your very angry looking boyfriend.

“I didn’t know I was dating such a little shit,” he snapped, his hands squeezing your ass to pull you in tighter to him. You gasped against his mouth when you felt how hard he was. Before you could reply, he was moving a hand into your hair and shoving you forward for a hard kiss. You groaned and your own hands went from his shoulders to the back of his head to hold him close. You hadn’t realized the two of you were moving until the world was shifting and you were yelping in surprise. But then your back hit a soft surface and his body was over yours in a familiar weight.  

Greedy hands were everywhere, shoving beneath clothing, scraping at skin as the two of you kissed with all the passion that had been building through the afternoon. Your legs tight around his hips, you rolled your body as much as you could beneath his weight. He groaned into your mouth and bit your lip. Then he was shoving your hands from his body and moving his mouth down your cheek to your neck, then further. You reached for him again, but he was quick to shackle your wrists and pin them to the bed above your head. 

His mouth teased the dip of your collarbones, then the hem of your dress, right above your breasts. “Luc,” you gasped, a plead. His mouth was gone the next instant and his weight was moving further down your body. His hands left your wrists and clapped onto your thighs, startling a yelp from you. You began to sit up, desperate for his mouth again, but one of his hands collared your throat and pushed you back until you collapsed back onto the bed. His other hand was beneath your dress and shoving it to your hips. His breath against your thighs made you shudder. His next words confused you:

“Cover your mouth, pretty girl.”

“Luc-”

You were cut off by your own cry of pleasure as he pressed a long, open-mouthed kiss to the thin panties covering your pussy. His hand moved from you throat to clap over your mouth, muffling your cries. You reached up wildly, your hands gripping his wrists as he continued to eat you, the pleasure stinging. Your body lifted to meet his mouth and his hand was moving yet again, this time to press his entire forearm across your stomach, keeping you at his mercy. Vaguely aware of the sounds you were making, you lifted both your shaking hands to cover your own mouth.

When he pulled your panties aside and finally pushed his tongue inside of you, you let out a strangled sob. The pleasure was too much, too intense, too overwhelming. You blindly reached down to shove his arm away, but your strength was nothing compared to his and you gained nothing. When you scratched at his forearm, he hooked his free arm under your knee and pulled it over his shoulder, going deeper.

Tearing your hand away from your mouth, you gasped for breath. “Luc, baby, please. I-I can’t...” With one final parting lick, his mouth left your pussy and it was both a relief and a loss. Then he was grabbing the fabric of your dress and yanking you down over the edge of the bed until you slid off. He was there to catch you and you landed with your legs around his hips again. He must have taken your panties off at some point, because you could feel the coarse fabric of his shorts against the sensitive skin of your thighs and throbbing clit.

As he reached in between your bodies to struggle with his belt, you clapped your hands to the side of his head and took his mouth with your own. The kiss was long and deep, wet with summer heat and desperation. After what seemed like an eternity, he was guiding himself inside of you. You groaned into his mouth at the feeling, both intimately familiar and forever new. His hands going back to your hips, he gave a shallow thrust, pulling your body in to meet his own. It took no time to settle on a deep, rough rhythm that pounded you into the side of the bed. Pulling his mouth away from yours, he buried his face in your neck to muffle his groans. You did the same, sinking your teeth into the skin of his neck. You had blindly reached out, seeking purchase, and your hand landed on a hard surface. You gripped tight, bracing yourself to meet his pace as you wrapped your other arm around his shoulders.

Your orgasm was shattering and you cried out into his throat as your entire body reacted to it. Luc was right there with you, barking out a curse, and lunging forward to go as deep as possible inside of you. Both of you went lax, your body held up only by his own. There was silence except for panting breaths as you struggled to come back to reality. Pulling your face from his throat, you saw that you were gripping the side of the bedside table and had knocked a few things to the ground. Luc’s arms were over your shoulders and he was gripping the duvet, which he had pulled almost completely free from the bed. It was a long moment before either of you spoke.

“That was-”

“Yeah.”

Then he was kissing along your cheek until he found your mouth, this kiss as sweet as the sex had been rough. You buried your hands in his hair and held him close, never wanting this moment to end...

“Wait.”

“Hm?” His eyes flickered open.

“Where are we?”

“Umm,” he pulled his head away to look around, his eyes still hooded. “I think we’re in Nat and Cam’s room.”

“Oh shit.”

Click. Bang.

“WHAT THE FUCK--”

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Twenty First Lines

I was tagged by @sagechanoafterdark, thank you for the tag Lovely 💚

Like Sage in her Post, Im might do a extra line or two to give a real feel for it. Im also going to do it random, not just my latest ones, because to be honest, I dont know when I posted some things and in what order. 

I have forgotten about some of these! It was fun seeing them again. 

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag some of your favorite writers!

The cold steel of the pole easily slicked along your heated thighs as you spun around it, your head tipping back as the rush of the club’s sultry lights turned into blurs will you easily landed on your toes. You Can Be The Boss- Mob!Steve x You x Mob!Bucky

The family settled and a few weeks later, morning started out normal for the rest of the household , but didn’t start that way for Andy. His coughing never seemed to break and he was covered in a light sheen of sweat. Home Sweet Home: Catch ‘Em Andy Barber x You

You unlocked the apartment door and stepped into the blessed warm house, sighing in relief at the smell that hit your senses. “God Sam, that smells so damn good.” Go Relax Sam Wilson x You

“Fuck!” He hissed above you before collapsing over you, his words muffled in your shoulder, and you, with your ankles hooked together, heels digging into his ass cheek and purring underneath him, nuzzled his shoulder with a satisfied sigh, your hands smoothing up and down his back in a loving gesture, was how you found yourself in a slightly lightning room. “The Barnes Special” Bucky Barnes x You

Early morning light streamed across Curtis’ face, and he slung his arm over his eyes to block out the light with a groan. But he still had a grin, cause for 17 years there was no significance to day and night. Just This Forever Moment Curtis Everett x You (Life After Snowpiercer)

They had to make fun where they could, You would make up games with a die you still had, your younger brother, Matt sitting cross legged across from you on the bunk and a 4 year old Edgar in your lap, leaning over as much as possible without falling out of your lap. Taken (Early Years) Curtis Everett x You (Life After Snowpiercer) 

After you two came to a stalemate, you insisted on heading back outside and helping the remaining wolves. Attack Of The Winter Wolf: Salvaging The Lost Alpha Steve x Little One

“Weekend plans?” Sam asked Steve while they waited for the logs to be unloaded from the back of the truck to be sent into the mill to be filed down and then Steve could arrange to have them shipped out to buyers. The Pack: Heated Petals Alpha Steve x Little One

Ransom perched his sunglasses on the end of his nose as he peered over the frames to the quaint storefront you had him stop at. Surprising Finds Ransom x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader

“Come on Baby, just one more.” Ransom hissed against your ear, his tongue swiping over the shell of your ear while tightening his hold on your throat, your sobs coming out half strangled from needing to come on his cock that he kept pounding into you. You Can’t Get Better Then A Thrombey Ransom Drysdale x Reader

“Baby wake up.” You heard a husky whisper in your ear as well as a rough scrape against your shoulder from Franks cheek as he pressed in close to your back, the soft hairs of his chest pressed into your sleepy warm skin and you muttered a no into your pillow as you hid your face into the cotton covers. Remember? Frank Adler x You 

“Don’t start Y/N” Frank snapped a bit while glancing at you. Oppressive Frank Adler x You

Mike’s hand rubbed against his chin as he parked his rundown truck, the vehicle shuddering to a stop. Taking The Risks Chapter One Mike Weiss x You

You rolled in bed and was not surprised to find Paul’s spot slowly cooling. Although a glance at your bedside clock showed 7:30 am, which for you was early, it was sufficiently late for Paul. Moments Of Bliss Paul Diskant x You

“You came from where?” Sam questioned with a tilt of his head, arms folded across his chest as he raised a quizzical brow at the man in all red. This Is Still Marvel, Right? Deadpool x Sam Wilson x Bucky Barnes x You

As you were dragged away, you could hear the cheers echoing off the steel walls. Wilfords Demands: Separated Curtis Everett x You

“We’re not dropping the money! Push it, it can go over that ridge.” Recovering Your Catfish: Changes Frank “Catfish” Morales x You

You pick up a flute glass from a bypassing waitress and bring the bubbling liquid to your lips. The fizz tickled your nose as you sipped while glancing around the room, another social obligation that Sue and Reed’s were throwing for the science community. Feeding The Flames: Take A Seat Johnny Storm x You

“You are sure about this Johnny?” You asked as he ducked his head out of the riders changing room, glancing around at the semi darkened arena. Feeding The Flames: Wild Ride Johnny Storm x You

Bucky did just as he promised, he read until it was later in the evening, and then when he checked the time, he snapped the book shut and set it aside. The Perfect Life Part Four Dark!Steve Rogers x Dark!Bucky Barnes x You

“Okay Brian, you want this rom com to deliver.” Mike cracked his knuckles and let his fingers lower over the keys, starting to type out the main character’s opening scene, picturing the actress Brian described as standing just behind him, sitting at your kitchen table your grandmother gave you, picking at plates of food. Sweet, Spice and Hot Water Is Always Nice (Playing It Cool AU) Mike (Me) x You

SNEAK PEEK STORIES 

Ransom could only begin to guess what he would be walking into while he made his way up the steps to his front door. It was Christmas after all and you were in full holiday mode. Holiday Ransom Special Ransom Drysdale x You

<You are the one who let her go in there.> The Silver Alpha snarled out agitated while Steve paced nearby, wearing a path through the grass, trampling it down till it tore the delicate blades, leaving the scent of green vegetation in the plant's distress. Attack Of The Winter Wolf Chapter 5 Alpha Steve x Little One

“But Steve!” You whined as you crawled across the bed, pouting your perfect painted red lips at him, daring to dart the tip of your tongue out the corner as you looked up at him from under your lashes. “I really want to see you when you fuck me.” Sinfully Sweet Kinktober Special Mob!Steve x You x Mob!Bucky

“Bucky, I will behave. Whatever you want.” You cried into his shoulder as you felt the barn's darkness swallow you whole. The Perfect Life Chapter 5 Dark!Steve Rogers x Dark! Bucky Barnes x You

Tagging some awesome writers I know- @that-damn-girl @jtargaryen18 @what-is-your-plan-today @just-one-ordinary-fangirl @slothspaghettiwrites @myoxisbroken and anyone else who would like to participate. 

[jawritter]

Twelve Days Of Christmas

Chapter 4

Summary: Dean never realized that Y/N missed Christmas until he turned off an annoying Christmas song on the radio on the way home from a hunt, now he will make it his personal mission to give her the Christmas he misses so much, and if he plays his cards right, maybe he will give her what he has wanted to give her for so many years, himself.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Written For: @spnchristmasbingo​​​

Square Field: Donna

Word Count: 1513

Warnings: Fluff, hint of reader insecurities. I think that’s about it.

A/N: This is to help me catch up on my SPN Christmas Bingo card lol Chapter 5 will post tomorrow! I knew chapter will post every day until Christmas! I know I’m insane lol. This is a real time fic collection and all mistakes will be my own! Please do not copy my work! Hope you all enjoy these!!

**SERIES MASTERLIST**   **MASTERLIST**   **BECOME A PATREON**

One thing you learned about living with Dean Winchester in the time you’d spent living in the bunker was that there was always a chance for random, crazy antics to happen, and it was best to just roll with it; because once Dean got something in that pretty head of his there was no changing his mind. It was best to just let it happen, no matter what it was, no matter how crazy it was, just let him get it out of his system. 

When he came bounding into your room like a small, overly hyper child on Christmas morning, pounced on you like a tiger and then commenced to shaking you until you woke up with a start, proclaiming that you needed to get dressed so that the pair of you could get on the road, it was very obviously one of the times you just needed to roll with it. There wasn’t a chance you could sour his good mood. You would never forgive yourself, and he was evidently very excited about this trip. 

It was freezing of course, and if you had your way you would have been happy to just stay in bed, but it was something about that sunshine-filled grin of his plastered across that freckle dusted face that pulled you out of your warm bed, and into the Impala without much of an argument. The more awake you became the more contagious his evident excitement was, and by the time the pair of you had stopped for breakfast outside of the Minnesota state line, the anticipation was killing you, so you asked him again that morning for what seemed like the thousandth time. 

“Dean, what are we doing in Minnesota, and just where are we going? Did you find a case? If so I could have packed my own bag, you didn’t have to sneak into my room at some unlawful hour in the morning to pack for me before waking me up.”

Dean just grinned at you over his coffee mug, mischief written all over his face, and his eyes lighter than you had ever seen them. Maybe it was the shirt he was wearing, but they just seemed brighter this morning. 

“Not telling sweetheart, you will see in just a few minutes, we have to meet someone here, and then we will be on our way, but I will tell you that this is not a case.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could get a word out Donna’s distinct accent pierced the air from behind you, “Hey you two,” and Dean was on his feet engulfing the woman in a bear hug.

Donna laughed and swatted him off playfully, reminding him she had a gun in the process as you greeted her with much the same enthusiasm as Dean. It had been a long time since you had seen Donna, and it wasn’t under the best of circumstances the last time you all had been together. 

“How the hell have you been, woman?” you asked as she slides into the booth next to you, and the waitress brings her over a cup of coffee for her. 

“Great! Doug asked me out about a month ago, and between the occasional small hunt, my day job, and him I’ve been pretty busy. How have the two been? I admit Dean’s phone call at almost midnight the other night surprised me,” she said, smirking at the elder Winchester like they were sharing some great big secret. Dean just chuckled into his pancakes as they were sat down in front of him, the waitress setting an equally large platter in front of Donna. 

Donna was clearly a regular here.

“So, Doug finally coming around to, ya know, all this?” Dean asks with a mouth stuff full of pancakes, waving his fork around the table as if to state something obvious to anyone but listening ears from other patrons. Clearly he was trying to deflect the subject from Donna’s previous statement. 

“Yep, surprised me too let me tell ya, but he seems to be coming around. It’s always shocking at first ya know.”

“Well what about Jody and girls?” you cut in, cutting your omelet with one of the plastic forks in front of you. “I haven’t seen them since that hunt in Georgia last summer.”

“They’re doing great! I think Kaia and Claire will end up at the altar before long, and Jody isn’t excited about the new hunting couple talking about taking the big leap, she thinks they’re too young, but I think it will be good for them.”

“That’s awesome,” Dean quipped, whipping his mouth with his napkin, his eyes meeting yours for a moment before going back to the female version of himself who was stuffing her face with equally as much food as Dean. 

You personally had no idea how the hell she did that, you’d be sick for days if you ate that much sugar in the morning. 

The conversation flowed easily between the three of you, catching up on hunts, friends you haven’t seen in a long time, and just life in general. It was normal, it was nice. Things like this were a  luxury a hunter rarely ever got in this life, just a breakfast with friends, and if Dean had driven all this way just to do this with you, you would have been grateful, but when Donna stood from the table to hug Dean goodbye after hugging you, she handed him a set of keys, and said, “You two love birds don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” with a wink that made Dean blush, DEAN, and walked away, leaving you confused and staring at Dean with mouth agape. 

Your eyes met his with shocked amusement as he stuttered on the spot and Donna walked away cackling. When he saw you staring at him he recovered, clearing his throat and throwing his arm around your shoulders, leading you towards Baby, apparently determined to act like nothing had ever happened. You let it go. You knew you could really poke fun at him about it, but it was better to file it away under later blackmail.

“So, what’re the keys for?” you asked Dean, as he continues deeper into the frozen state, humming along with the radio as if he didn’t have a care in the world, it was an amazing sight. 

“For this right here,” Dean states proudly, pointing to what you quickly recognized as Donna’s cabin. Your eyes traveled between him and the cabin. 

“Really?”

“Yup,” Dean said, getting out of the car and you followed him, letting him take your hand and lead you into the cabin Donna had eventually warmed for the two of you once she knew you were coming. “This is day 10. We’re gonna be staying here, just the two of us until after Christmas.” 

You turned to him in utter disbelief at what you were hearing. You and Dean, just the two of you, for ten whole days? Could this be real?

“I thought you could use a real white Christmas, and what better way to experience that than a snowed-in cabin in Minnesota; lucky for you I just happened to know a friend who had one to spare.” 

You closed the distance between the two of you, throwing your arm around his neck and hugging him tightly, which he returned without hesitation. 

“Oh my God Dean! This is perfect!” you tell him, releasing him from your grip and beginning to look around the cabin. It was perfect, and with a little decorating it could be very pretty with some Christmas decorations, and if you could talk him into it, a tree. 

“Only thing is there’s only one bed in the place, but if you're uncomfortable sharing then I’ll take the couch.” 

Your throat closed up for a moment, and you swallowed hard to get your voice to work again. Dean Winchester in your bed was something you had always dreamed of, the question is could you survive it actually happening? 

You couldn’t make him sleep on the couch for ten days, and the bed was plenty big enough to share. 

“I’m okay with sharing Dean, It’s not like you got cooties are something,” you play, hoping to hide your racing heart and the fact that your mind had suddenly turned to mush. 

“Oh sweetheart, I think you like my cooties,” he said, winkie at you. 

Suddenly it was your turn to blush as a wide victorious smile spread across his face. 

“I’m gonna go grab our bags so we can get settled,” he announces before turning to disappear out into the cold. 

You look around at what was going to be your little slice of Heaven for the next ten days with excited apprehension. There was so much that could happen in ten days, but if you didn’t get your feelings under control for a certain green-eyed hunter, you didn’t know how happy of a Christmas you would be able to have when he flat out rejects you.

Forever Tags: 

@deandreamernp​

@forgetthisbull​

@miraclesoflove​

@deanwanddamons​​​ 

@rvgrsbrns​​ 

@chevyharvelle​​ 

@onethirstyunicorn​​ 

@i-love-superhero​​ 

@lyss-dw79​ 

@magssteenkamp​ 

@lemondropirwin​ 

@squirrelnotsam​ 

@hobby27​ 

@spnbaby-67​  

@mrsjenniferwinchester​ 

@defenderrosetyler​ 

@screechingartisancashbailiff​ 

@thecreatiivecorner​  

@vicmc624​ 

@busy-bee-angel-misska​ 

@justanotherwinchester​

@brilovesdeanwinchester​

@idksupernatural​

@lyarr24​ 

@amandamdiehl​ 

@miraclesoflove​ 

 @emoryhemsworth​ 

@dean-winchesters-gardian-angel​ 

@softsebastian 

@tatted-trina6​

@anaelsbrunette​ 

@hayleeharling​   

@flamencodiva​ 

@coldmuffinbanditshoe​ 

@dirty-pan-goblin​ 

@itmejado​ 

@supernatural3002​ 

@teresa-67​ 

@thoughts-and-funnies​ 

@hearteyes-j2​

@miss-nerd95​ 

@writers-whirlwind​

@peaches007​

@bobbie3939​

Jensen and Dean’s Babes

@akshi8278​

@love-jackles-37-blog​

@supernatural-bellawinchester​

@bobbie3939​

Twelve Days Of Christmas Tag List: 

@440mxs-wife​

[doyelikehaggis]

Twelve Days of Rarepairs: Scanny | Scott McCall x Danny Mahealani (Teen Wolf)

Requested by @childofsquidward

The collie laying on the table is patient and docile as Scott finishes slotting the cone into place around her neck. She just stares up at him with big eyes, nudging against his hand with her nose.

Laughing, Scott rubs her head. Her tail gives a little wiggle in response.

"You know, you're the only one I've seen who isn't bothered by this thing," he tells her, scratching behind her ear. 

She just gives a playful yip in response. 

The bell rings over the front door, alerting Scott to someone entering the animal clinic. Somewhat pointless considering he heard the heartbeat first. But Lola's ears immediately perk up, and her tail bangs against the table.

Scott grins at Danny when he appears in the doorway, holding two festive coffee cups.

"You've been missed," he says.

Lola's already standing on the table, barking fondly at Danny. He laughs, and moves towards her, fuelling her excitement.

"By which one of you?" Danny jokes.

Scott's eyes widen. He opens his mouth, but he falters, and Danny's already focused on Lola again anyway. Heat rushes to his face. He quickly tries to regain some composure. 

"Hey, girl! Oh, you look so good!" Danny coos. "Did Dr. McCall take good care of you?"

Scott tries to bite back a smile and fails. He's getting used to hearing his friends call him Dr. McCall, more as a joke, but something about the way Danny says it gives him this fluttering in his chest.

So, when he first saw him at the start of December, it was a surprise. He'd practically disappeared off the face of the earth for two years, and then suddenly he was back in town for the holidays, to see his family and friends. 

But not only that, Scott hadn't quite realized just how attractive Danny is. Was he always that good-looking while they were at school together? Of course he was, everyone knew it. But Scott hadn't exactly been out to himself at that point, so seeing Danny back from New Orleans, even more tanned, with even more defined muscles—yeah, Scott might get a little nervous whenever he sees him now.

And it doesn't help that they seem to be seeing more of each other now than they did while at school. They run into each other in town. When Scott went back to fill in for Coach while he was away towards the end of the year, Danny just kept showing up, saying he was visiting a teacher to discuss something (he is, after all, in computer programming now, so it makes some semblance of sense), and they'd talk out on the field. He bmped into him while bringing his mom lunch at the hospital. 

Scott even saw him while out with Lydia two weeks ago. He was catching up with Jackson, who was also back in town for the holidays, like everyone else. 

And now at work, too. The universe seems to be playing some joke on him. He doesn't mind all that much, for once. As long as this isn't going to lead to him finding out that Danny's actually been turned into a vampire, or has been possessed by some new, evil spirit.

"Thank you," Danny says, lifting his eyes to Scott. Of course, Scott's still the one looking up at him, because it would appear Danny has had another growth spurt as well as everything else. 

Scott realizes he isn't answering. Just gazing. He grins, and hastily tries to not be totally obvious.

"Just doing my job," he says with a shrug. 

Danny rolls his eyes. "Yeah, but I know for a fact that this clinic should have been shut for the rest of the holidays. So, thank you for seeing her anyway."

Scott hesitates at that. "Well… you're a friend. And I had to come in today anyway. And—" he looks down at Lola, who's settled back down on the table, and gives her head another rub "—I couldn't just leave this one stranded on Christmas Eve."

"We both thank you, then." Danny then holds out one of the coffee cups. "A gesture to prove it."

"God, thank you," Scott says, gratefully accepting the cup and taking a drink. "I haven't had anything all day. Or since last night. Including sleep. I might be running on three Mountain Dews and a kitkat."

Danny raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "That… can't be good for you."

Scott just shrugs again. He'll probably feel the effects later on today, since it's currently only one-thirty in the afternoon. As long as he makes it to four to head to the station to see Stiles, then he can head back home and have a nap. And maybe food.

"I didn't know the life of a vet was so demanding."

"It's the holidays," Scott explains, taking another drink before continuing. The gingerbread-cinnamon-whatever is in this latte is the best thing he's ever had right now. "Lots of people want their pets better before Christmas and New Year. A lot of strays get found with bad injuries. Currently I have—"

Barking starts up from the dog room in the back. Scott smiles, gesturing towards the door as Lola once again perks up.

"—them. Eight labrador puppies. They're under a year old. Deaton and I were trying to get them rehomed before the holidays, but it didn't work out. That's why I was coming in to work anyway, since Deaton's out of town."

"Never mind, your job is clearly far more demanding than I thought." Danny smiles, glances down at Lola, then pauses. "Do you need a hand with them at all? They sound pretty eager for attention."

"Yeah, I was gonna take them out for a walk once I was finished up here," Scott says.

Danny's grin widens. "You planned to walk eight hyperactive labrador puppies by yourself? In the snow?"

Scott just gives another shrug. "They're not too hard to handle once they're outside."

The look Danny is giving him only intensifies the fluttery feeling in his chest. It's like something's tickling him from the inside. He can feel the heat beneath his skin, in his cheeks.

"Guess that whole Alpha thing really does give you an advantage, huh," Danny says, a certain teasing twinkle in his eyes but his grin sincere.

Scott has barely gotten used to the idea of Danny knowing about the supernatural at all, never mind him making casual comments about it. And especially not while he's looking at him like that.

"I don't know if it's anything to do with that," Scott says, shaking his head. "But… sometimes, yeah. It comes in handy."

Danny nods. The puppies are still barking in the back, trying to get Scott's attention.

"Well, I think Lola could use a walk after being so good about this," Danny says. He looks at Scott, smiling. "Mind if we join you? I can be pretty good with dogs, might help to take a couple off your hands for an hour."

Scott's eyebrows raise in surprise, and his heartbeat raises itself as well. 

"You… but—" he frowns, his head tilting with a confused smile "—it's Christmas Eve. Don't you wanna get back to your family?"

"They won't miss me for a little while," Danny says, brushing it off. Then, because he seems to be catching on, he rolls his eyes, and says, "Please? You helped me with Lola when you clearly already had your hands full. I wanna do more than get you coffee."

Scott's heart drops into his stomach and lurches right back up. He swallows, and tries to keep his mind on one track, biting his lip. 

"Uh… yeah," he breathes out before he can think twice. "You know what? That would be great. Thank you."

"No problem," Danny says, sincerely.

They get Lola to hop off the table, and head into the back room to get the others ready. Danny just laughs when he sees the little christmas hats Scott put on the ones that were happy to wear them.

As they're getting them all on their leashes, Danny casually adds, with a glance at Scott, "And if you were up for it, I'd like to get coffee with you sometime."

Scott accidentally clips the leash to his hand instead of the collar. He winces, quickly undoing it and fixing it to its right place instead. Then he looks over at Danny and his amused grin, his heart racing.

"Like—like a date?" he asks, hardly daring to believe that's what he means. Danny was never interested in him. Was he? 

Scott's quickly going through every interaction he's ever had with him.

"Exactly a date," Danny corrects. 

Scott's eyes are wide. His mouth opens, then closes. He wasn't prepared for this. Sure, the thought of Danny liking him back crosses his mind after Stiles and Lydia both insisted that he did after he told them about running into him all those times. But that doesn't mean he was prepared for it.

"You can say no," Danny says, giving another casual shrug as clips the last lead on to the last excited puppy. "I just thought I might as well ask. Waiting three years to do it was bad enough, I didn't want to seem totally pathetic by waiting four to at least know what you'd say."

"Three—what?" Scott asks in disbelief, sure that he must have somehow misheard. "You've wanted to ask me out for… three years?" 

"Like I said, it was starting to seem pathetic." Danny looks at him, holding his stare with a soft gaze. "But, Lydia told me that you came out last year, and after seeing you, I figured I should at least ask."

"Wow. Uh…" Scott's mind is a mess, and he can't sort his thoughts out. Except for one. "I'd love to."

Danny blinks, thrown off his own guard now. Apparently even he wasn't prepared. But he quickly recovers, as does Scott, smiles forming across both their faces.

"Go on a date with you, I mean," Scott says, as if it needs further elaboration. 

"Really?" Danny asks. "Uh… today?"

Scott's breath is knocked out of him, but he's already nodding again. "Yeah, absolutely."

He didn't think anything could make the fluttery feeling in his chest worse. Turns out, Danny smiling at him like he is right now is the thing that can. 

"Okay, great," he says. "Then let's get these guys out of here."

Scott happily agrees. They head out of the back door after making sure the front is locked up. It has to be an hour or more that passes as they walk the dogs through town, taking an open path into the woods, through the snow. The whole way, Scott and Danny are talking, and laughing, catching up on the years they missed and in between. 

[miss-kittys-magical-library]

Auld Lang Syne (Jack x Rin)

Word Count: 3200

Warnings: None! Complete fluff.

A/N: inspired by @magic-multicolored-miracle winter prompts. New Year's kiss. o one asked for it 🤣 This is a sequel to "I'm A Creep" <-- Found here

She came to this little bookstore as many days a week as time allowed. Maybe it was becoming a bit obsessive, Rin’s constant reasons to spend hours there instead of a library. There was a collection of unread novels piling up on the coffee table of her council flat off the high street. Any excuse to be nearby

With the holidays fast approaching, her catering job kept her busier than ever. The constant flirting and serving and pleasing executives and drunk administratives and book editors and bankers managed to fend off the memories of the last time she ended up in the psych hospital. That and plenty of time made everything slow down and spread out over days instead of the constant hours she once spent. Her senses now and then brought Jack back to her like the waves in his mental pond crashing over her. She would be taken off guard for just a moment or two, but the parties kept them back at bay.

Two months in the psych hospital was all they spent together. A month that seeped into her dreams and waking moments for half a year after Rin was released. How she and Jack never spoke again after that night. He grinned awkwardly in her direction during their next group therapy session. Squinting his eyes like he was trying to place where he knew her from, but that was part of her gift. Sometimes, they woke up from a dream and forgot she was ever apart of them.

Before Rin could blink, Emma had come to take Jack home. Emma who smiled fondly at the “barking” girl with scarred hands who carried the flame of hope from her heart to her brother. At least that's what she communicated to Rin as they brushed fingertips on the way out. Jack was safe. He was loved. Emma would make sure he could handle the world without messages and the dead people who plagued him for so long. A few more days, and Rin was dropped back out in the world too.

Still, as the song goes, she learned to muddle through somehow. It had been a rather peculiar stretch of time Rin had gone without thinking of his unearthly eyes or that mass of dark curls on her neck and chest as they.. A bell over a door she didn't remember stepping in broke her out of the reverie.

Rin found herself inside a small shop with shelves eight or nine feet high. That musty smell of tangible books invaded her nostrils and she inhaled deeply. With eyes closed, she put her hand on the first row she could find and melted into the memories imprinted on them. She was struck by an unexpected wave, but instead of drowning she rode it to shore. There was a squeaky creak that often accompanies a wheel and just knew someone was on one of those ladders that glided across the shelves.

“You alright, loov?” that Yorkshire accent filled Rin’s ears and she squeezed her eyes shut tighter. “You look like you've seen a ghost,” he chuckled at a joke he felt only he understood.

He was a few feet above her when she finally opened her eyes. He dipped precariously from the ladder like he was swinging from a rope on a pirate ship. Those eyes shining brightly as they reflected the white lights decorating the store. Rin didn’t need to touch him to know he was happy. She could see it on his face as he smiled in her direction. Even in hospital she never knew he had dimples.

“Jack,” it came out before she could help herself.

He arched an eyebrow curiously in her direction. Head tilted in thought. Then looking down at his name tag he puffed air out of his nostrils “Right,” he tapped it “Forgot I was wearing this.”

Rin’s shoulders sagged in defeat, then unexpectedly “Have any Dickens?”

What the hell, she chided herself.

“Do we also have tea in the Queen’s country?” he teased. Rin’s cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. “sometimes we forget all the books we've read. I've forgotten loads since I was sick a few years back. Lived rough then was in hospital while. Dunno why I said that.”

“I think we tell strangers our secrets because we’ll never have to see them again,” Rin spoke softly.

“If you never come back, I was a bad salesman. Always looking for repeats.” Was.. he flirting? “Any Dickens will do?”

“Oliver Twist?” Rin signed and closed her eyes. Her face was on fire. You've had sex with this bloke, and he's got no bloody clue.

“Oi! I like Edwin Drood best. Old man dropped dead right in the middle of it all. Never got a proper ending. Ever been on one of these?” Jack gestured towards the ladder. Rin shook her head so he opened an arm. “Hop on with us then!”

“You give all the girls a ride?” Rin found her voice. She climbed up and settled herself against Jack’s body. Her naked hand closed over his; she felt a jolt go through his chest which tensed in response.

“Not- Not usually?” he stammered and tightened his grip around Rin’s waist as they slid along the shelves. “Do we know each other from somewhere? You just feel familiar. Dunno why I'm thinking of a bird.” Jack spoke more to himself.

“Well, actually, name is Wren-”

He cut her off, “But your brother couldn't say it right, so everyone calls you Rin.”

Jack’s body relaxed into the young woman’s. Maybe it was reflex, but he cautiously buried his face in her hair and inhaled.

Rin swallowed a smile, and found little ways to touch him that day. Little ways to touch exposed parts of Jack everytime she visited the store. Innocent explanations for their hands lingering when he handed her the twentieth book she didn't need. To flirtatiously brush the curls away from his forehead as he leaned over the counter when they talked.

And almost every single time Jack leaned into it. Reciprocated. Started remembering little parts of Rin from their time in section. Not the big messy memories, just bursts from time to time. She was ok with that. She would take him anyway she could.

Now here she was, two days before Christmas with her hands on the ornaments in the shop window. She had something wrapped in brown paper in her purse and was biding her time as Jack helped the customers buying last minute gifts.

Soon it was her turn, and Rin placed the gift on the counter simultaneously with Jack doing likewise. There was unexpected laughter, the way Jack's tapered off into a giggle from a loud outburst. Infectious as it was, Rin joined in.

“If we got each other identical presents, you're coming to mine for New Year’s,” it wasn't a question. “Emma and her partner know you somehow. Must be from around the visitor’s during..” His voice trailed off.

“Our time in the nuthouse?” Rin offered.

Jack leaned over and brushed his nose against Rin’s cheek out of the blue. They lingered momentarily, before he pressed his forehead to hers.

“I've done that before,” another assertion as his verdant gaze settled on Rin’s lips.

Picking up the package, Rin shoved it playfully into Jack’s chest so that he was forced back. “Open your gift!”

“Fine!”

Jack mimicked her tone as he tore into the wrapping paper at the same Rin dove into hers. They both held up books simultaneously and fell into a fit of giggles.

“OLIVER TWIST!”

“EDWIN DROOD?!”

In unison: “FIRST EDITION?!”

“I can't believe I never knew how much you loved books,” Rin was blunt.

“I'm not sure how much we spoke for you to find out.” Jack hugged the book tightly to his chest. “I'm not sure how much I spoke to anyone outside of group and therapy.”

Rin took one of her million chances when she placed the palm of her hand against Jack’s cheek. He relaxed into the touch, eyes closed and sighed contentedly. Under the surface he was warm and bright like the Christmas lights. She wouldn't let herself pass any further than the happy memories. Impassioned ones of mouths and hands and fingertips and hugs.

Perhaps it was the particular sensation Rin spread out from herself to Jack that triggered a reaction. One of him leaning across the countertop to bring their lips together in a chaste kiss that lingered longer than it should have.

Jack recovered and righted himself before apologizing. He was compelled in the moment out of gratitude. “Meet us here on New Year’s, yeah? So we don't have to be alone.”

“You've got family, Jack.” Rin reminded him.

“So we don't have to be alone for the New Year,” he only repeated. It was a date.

------

Rin took the early shift on New Year’s Eve so she could tear out and get ready. The nerves coiled in her stomach as she scrambled to fix hair that wouldn't fall right or apply make-up that made her resemble a street walker. She sighed, defeated, and told herself this was all she could give.

Still Jack threw a large grin in her direction as he closed up the shop. He wolf whistled and Rin felt her face catch fire.

“Aren't you a stunner?” he pecked her cheek and gave the woman before him a spin. She loved the way it came out sounding like “stoonah.”

“You got a big date or something?” he teased before taking her by the hand.

“I needed extra money for the holiday so I thought I'd hang around a street corner. Fifty quid and a warm cot, I'll do whatever you like” Rin shrugged and winked coyly.

Jack rolled his eyes, but his demeanor changed as he traced the network of scars on the back of her hand so delicately Rin felt tears in her eyes. She swiped at them swiftly hoping he thought it was the chilled breeze.

“Dunno why I did tha,” he dropped the hand abruptly and buried his own in a jacket pocket. “Not my place to touch (tooch) you when you didn't ask.”

Uncomfortable silence.

“does anyone else work here besides you?” Rin gestured towards the store as they started walking, she assumed, to Emma’s house.

“Sometimes Emma and Billy. Only when I get too overwhelmed.”

Rin linked her arm with Jack's to break the weird tension. “Do you manage it?”

“I own it. Why need a job? Maybe a bit of a conflict if the boss has a bit of a flirt with the shopgirl innit?”

“OWN IT?!”

Jack laughed, “Not bad for a nutter who talks to dead people and was not long for Big Issue. Why do I say this shit to you?!”

“I'm like a truth serum?” she offered.

They wound their way through a lovely neighbor with houses no one Rin knew could afford. She remembered Jack’s brother-in-law was a lawyer. He told her his sister left him not long after he got out. Had to be spousal support and a settlement, but she didn't prod.

“I helped someone a while back. Someone kinda connected. Well-known, I guess? I tried to sort out his missus when she tried suicide.”

“It didn't work in the end.”

“At first. It's how I got sectioned. The voices. His voice. She was ok for a bit. His family sent me letters. They figured I knew something. What I knew got them a conviction. I got a reward. Doesn’t always feel like one if everyone’s dead now does (dooz) it?”

It was Rin’s turn to lace her fingers with Jack's. “You helped someone's family find peace. Sometimes that's enough even if you kinda lose yourself in the process. Look I let what I can do almost kill me. That’s what put me in hospital.” She held up the gashed scar along her wrist. “But that gave me yo-” Rin swallowed the word. “I got to use my gift one last time. And he's happy! Even if he forgets who I am.”

“Who could ever forget you, love?”

They were quiet the rest of the journey.

-----

Rin sat on the edge of the pool as her feet dangled in the bath warm water. Her brain flashed back to the lake where she experienced Jack drowning in his own mind. Bogged down by medication he didn't need while the dead clung to him. Then they had surfaced, she nearly torn apart by the ghosts Jack fought with. Bellowed that he was no longer their messenger. They tried to take her as compensation.

Now false water filled Rin’s lungs as a fake grin spread across her cheeks. The chlorine and tropical air made her nauseous, ready to vomit. Of all the things Jack could have suggested they do, swimming at 11pm would not have ever crossed her mind.

“There was a kid, lived here before Emma, died right. Mean little bastard too. Suppose dying like that might get a kid angry as long as he was tied to it.”

Jack stood on the pool’s edge, toes curled around the stone. His face went a bit dark as he narrowed his eyes in the direction of something Rin couldn't see in the opposite corner. He clenched his fists. She knew it was a silent standoff between Jack, and most likely, the dead boy.

It was only a flash of his old self before Jack snapped to. He grinned like the Cheshire cat as he undid his jeans and tore his sweater off. Then headfirst into the deep end leaving Rin to squeal.

“WHAT are you doing?!” she yelled as he bolted towards her underwater.

“Dunno fancied a swim. It's rather lovely water considering it's January. Plus,” he pointed towards the ceiling, “Look up.”

Rin followed his finger and gazed upwards. A large glass window spread the night sky before them. Millions of stars shone through, stars she never really bothered searching for. She was overwhelmed by other people's emotions, literally, that she never had a quiet moment to herself so that she COULD look up.

“Don't you wanna to join me?” Jack’s question was rather coy as he side-stroked back and forth.

Rin shook her head, “I'll sit here and watch.” She glanced down at the wine bottle she nearly forget, “And drink.” So they did.

Now her anxiety was churning her stomach. A coat of alcohol warmed her further than just the temperature of the pool room. Her chest was tight with lack of oxygen as she struggled to not cry. So she focused on the long, thin body completely relaxed on the water's surface. What a lovely distraction it was.

Jack floated along lazily on his back, boxers leaving nothing to the imagination. That secret part of him Rin had not seen in two years clearly visible. Now her face grew flush with desire and the memory of how good it felt for once to be touched by a man because he cared about her. How they made each other sing.

Jack must have sensed something because he righted himself and swam towards her. Those hands on her calves and knees to part them slightly so he can stand between them. He was silent as he reached for the bottle of wine.

“Rin, be honest,” his voice filled the silence of the room. “Can you swim?”

Rin's heart pounded so loudly in her ears that Jack was muffled. The way he looked at her, desire emanated from him. There was a disconnect between his brain and body. Those hands on her thighs remembered exploring her but the rest of him didn't. They lingered between innocence and the verge of obscenity. If he wanted, Rin would have sex with him while a houseful of people partied and danced within ear shot.

“i can swim!”

Jack pushed off the wall and splashed her in the process. “Do you think I'm sexy?” he was drunk. Head tilted as the wet curls clung to his face.

“A blind person would think you're sexy. You're taking the piss because I won't get in.”

“Of course I am! Come on. I'll hold you?” he raised an eyebrow. “It's almost midnight. I want to be with you when it is.”

“We're together enough, Jack”

“No!” he waved his hands. “I want to hold you.I don't know why, I know I have before? I feel like there's just this.. Ever since you came to the store it’s been like trying to remember a dream I had once. And some part of me is saying you know how to help because you've done it before?”

Realization spread across Jack's face, “Rin, am I the one who forgot you?”

“It happens sometimes. I think.. I think my abilities shut off a part of people who no longer need me or want me?” she shrugged it off.

“How could I not want you?”

It was such an innocent thing to ask. One Rin had asked herself every time someone used her. Her parents turned her into a sideshow freak for their religion. Men and their sick desires that she tapped into. Even she didn't want herself most of the time.

But Jack had been alone. Left to his own devices and literally haunted. Rin never needed to touch him to know how sad he had been when he first was sectioned. It emanated from him. He knew about self isolation and mistrust. And especially about gifts that would ruin you if they could.

There wasn't a thought left. Spurned on by the purity of his question, Rin hurried out of her clothes and eased herself into the pool. She swam as quickly as her body allowed before throwing herself in Jack's waiting arms.

Their arms and legs tangled together in the water. Rin wrapped herself around Jack's hips, her arms draped across broad shoulders. She twisted her fingers up in his hair and let her body meld into his.

Jack held Rin's head in his hands. Their foreheads pressed together as he nudged the tip of his nose along her face. Careful, at first,

to only brush his lips on her cheeks and eyelids. Then the countdown started.

Everyone in the house started counting down excitedly, and Jack stopped being cautious. It was cliché how their mouths found one another hungrily as the guests screamed Happy New Year! How Rin's empathic touch sent a wave of electricity that visibly shocked Jack's body as they began to sing. As if she plugged his body into his brain and there was a spark that brought him to life.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

For days of Auld Lang Syne

They relaxed into one another. Their kisses became languid but no less passionate. Everyone stormed the pool around them, splashing and laughing and hollering. Emma drunkenly interrupted the couples’ warring lips and tongues.

“Took you fucking long enough,” she teased her baby brother. “I kept hoping this would happen.”

Rin buried her face in Jack's chest as he held her tight. That bright fire that flowed from Emma to her and Rin to Jack back in hospital took root again in this house and pool.

“Me too.”

We’ll take o cup of kindness yet

For days of auld lang syne

[notarelationship]

Anderson’s Ghosts 24/24

Klaine Advent: Yearn

And here it is!  The last of my Klaine Advent 2019 chapters. Just in time to start thinking about 2020!

Thank you everyone for reading. I’ll be posing the last few chapters on AO3 as the final chapter there, link to the beginning is here

If you have missed any earlier entries they can be found at Anderson’s Ghosts, or each individual chapter:  Achievement, Beer, Creed, Date, Emergency, Fist, Ground, Hiccup, Interrupt, Joy, Kinship, Lecture, Monument, Nest, Overwhelm, Part, Quarrel, Reasonable, Speed, Treat, User, Verdict, Worry

--

Lunch was a bit awkward. Blaine barely knew how to behave with his own family, let alone someone else's, but when Kurt invited him he couldn’t say no. 

“Is your family still in Lima, Blaine?” Carol asked, once they were all settled around the dining table. 

Blaine cleared his throat. “Well, my brother is here, but our mother moved to Florida years ago, and she doesn’t come back to Ohio.” He didn’t add that he hadn’t actually seen her in years.

“You don’t see them for the holidays?”

Blaine hadn’t spent holidays with his family in years, but he was sure if he said that in front of this crowd there would be a mixture of sympathy, pity, and for those who knew him better, maybe a bit of private scorn. He didn’t deserve anything but the scorn.

“Nah, Blaine usually works on Christmas,” Sam answered for him.

“You work on Christmas?” Kurt asked, while helping himself to some delicious looking potato casserole. “That doesn’t sound fun.”

Blaine winced. “It’s not.” He paused as Sam handed him a plate of ham, and he took a slice and passed it on. “But I think those days are over. I’m headed over to my brother’s later tonight, and I’m actually leaving for New York in the morning.”

“Oh really? I live in New York,” Kurt said. “What are you going to do there?”

Blaine laughed quietly. “I’m not entirely sure yet.” 

From there conversation spread around the table, and Blaine could sit quietly and just soak it in. Watching Kurt, it was hard not to yearn for the life he never had, but Blaine didn’t want to mope about it. He had already changed. He may never have an opportunity again to really get to know Kurt, but he was on the road to setting things right, and he could settle for that for now.

After lunch was over Blaine followed Sam and Mercedes to the family room, where the kids went right back to playing with their Christmas gifts. Burt joined them while Carol and Kurt cleared the table.

“Anderson,” Burt said, once he was sitting comfortably in what was obviously his favorite chair. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Blaine answered, sitting on the couch, but near enough to Burt for them to have a quiet conversation. He had a feeling he knew what was coming. That was okay. Blaine wanted to talk. 

Burt shrugged. “Two weeks ago I was sure you were going to take my business. Your reputation is not unknown to me, Anderson. I knew if you wanted the shop I wouldn't be able to stop you.”

Blaine took a centering breath. The further away he got from the night before, the more everything that had happened had felt like a dream. It may even have been a dream. But it didn’t matter. He was done with that life. “I didn’t want that any more.”

“What? The money? The business?” 

Blaine shook his head, not sure how much to share. But there was something about Burt that made it easier. “It wasn’t my life. I want my life, and I think - I hope - I’m still young enough to have it.”

Burt considered him a while, studying Blaine. To his credit (Blaine hoped) he managed to hold Burt Hummel’s curious gaze. “Well,” Burt said with a chuckle. “You’re certainly young enough to do anything you want. And since I suspect money isn’t going to be a concern, I hope you choose what you want wisely.”

“Thank you,” Blaine said. “I hope I do as well. Do you mind - can I ask you a question?”  When Burt nodded, Blaine continued. “Are you feeling better?” 

Burt grunted, but not in an unkind way. “I am feeling better, thank you.” Kurt appeared then, standing next to Burt’s chair. 

“Yes but you still have a lot of recovering to do,” Kurt said. 

Burt frowned. Ignoring Kurt, he spoke directly to Blaine, “Apparently I still have a lot of recovering to do.” He thumbed over his shoulder at Kurt.

“Yes, and I’m going to be here for a while making sure you do just that,” Kurt answered anyway. Blaine smiled, watching their banter. He remembered back to when they were in school together, that Kurt had always said he’d had a great dad. Blaine excused himself as they continued to argue playfully over Burt’s condition, and found himself standing in front of the Christmas tree. 

Every year when he was little, Blaine wanted to decorate the Christmas tree, but his parents had other ideas. His father always wanted a more utilitarian tree, few decorations, all the same color. His one allowance he gave Blaine’s mother was that she could pick the color, so every year the tree was decorated a different color. Silver one year, red the next, green the next, every ornament precisely placed for the perfect magazine photo holiday spread. 

But the Hummel’s tree was covered in a jumble of mis-matched, obviously well loved ornaments of all shapes, sizes, and types. There were vintage glass bulbs, tiny wooden Santa heads, and homemade felt circles that looked like something Blaine had a vague memory of making himself in kindergarten. There was a palm sized Millennium Falcon that blinked, a glass ball with the Ohio State University logo on it, and green construction paper trees shedding glitter all over. Blaine smiled as he looked at them all, taking in every ornament and imagining its history. 

He was laughing at a green glass pickle when he saw it. A palm sized nest with two yellow canaries perched on either side. Three small, aqua, realistic looking canary eggs settled in the center of the nest. Blaine swallowed. It couldn’t be possible. It was identical to the ornament on the tree at the hospital. The one the mysterious little girl led him to last night.

“It’s a mess, I know.” Kurt appeared next to him, and Blaine startled.

“No, it’s beautiful,” Blaine said, staring at the ornament. He looked at Kurt. His mouth was parted as if he was going to say something else, but Blaine had to know. He pointed to the nest. “Where is this from?” 

“Oh, my gosh,” Kurt said. “It was my mother’s. I think she had it from when she was a little girl. I’m always surprised when it comes out of the box and it’s still in one piece.”

Blaine wanted to shout or scream or anything, it was too much. Of course it was possible that there could be two of them, but to Blaine, it was the final confirmation. Whatever he had experienced, It had been real. And it had led him back to Kurt. He was supposed to be here. 

“So I’m going to be in Lima probably for another month,” Kurt was talking, and Blaine had to refocus his attention to get all the words. “But when I’m back in New York, would you like to get together for a drink, or dinner or something? Catch up?” Kurt was smiling at him, inviting him to dinner? 

“Yes,” Blaine managed to say. “Yes, I would like that a lot.”

~

the end

[missperfectlyfine13]

A Bandaid For Your Bullet Hole (Chp. 3/?)

Read Below or on AO3/FF 

“Where are you headed? Is Jake coming home this year?” Aubrey’s voice makes Chloe’s head snap up from her suitcase.

She looks over at the confused blonde standing in her doorway. Ok, so she hasn’t told Aubrey that she’s going to Beca’s for Christmas. Something tells her that she would take offense to it, especially with Aubrey’s strong dislike for the freshman girl.

“Nope,” Chloe chirps, stuffing a pile of pajamas into the half empty suitcase.

Aubrey trails farther into the room, taking a seat on the edge of Chloe’s bed, “So where are you going then?”

Chloe swallows nervously, “Um, I’m going to Beca’s for Christmas.”

“Seriously?” there’s a serious sour bite to Aubrey’s tone, one that already has Chloe’s stomach churning, “You know you don’t have to go home with that scraggly little alt girl���you’re always welcome to come home with me.”

“I know, I thought it would be nice…and she offered,” Chloe mumbles, turning her attention back to her packing.

Chloe also hasn’t been very up front with Aubrey about how close her and Beca have become. She’s just tried to keep the peace this year with the way her best friend has been acting.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” Aubrey snaps, “You’ve said no to my offer for the last two years.”

Chloe just shrugs, because honestly, she’s not sure herself.

“Do you like her or something?”

Chloe knows that she’s just trying to figure it out, but she can’t help feeling like this is somewhat of an interrogation. She’s not sure how to respond to the question, so she stays silent, pursing her lips in a way that means ‘I’m done talking’.

Aubrey nods knowingly, her own little frown visible, “She’s with Jesse, you know that right? She’s straight Chloe.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Chloe mumbles in defeat.

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt…ok?” Aubrey sighs.

“I won’t…I’m going as her friend and nothing more,” Chloe finally zips her very full suitcase up and stands from the floor.

Aubrey looks at her with softer eyes now, “Chlo, I know you. This is probably more harmful than it is helpful.”

“It’s just a stupid crush Bree, I can move past it,” Chloe doesn’t know why she’s defending herself so vehemently.

“Ok, I get it. Just be careful,” the blonde gives her a small smile before standing up and heading out of the room.

Maybe this is a mistake. Chloe knows what is happening. Every time she’s around Beca she feels herself falling just a little more. It’s a very slippery slope she’s on right now, one that ends up with a broken heart. Why is it that she can never help herself though?

************

Surprisingly, Beca talks off Chloe’s ear for a good majority of their flight to Seattle. Chloe had assumed she would put her headphones on and promptly fall asleep. Maybe she’s just as excited as Chloe is…although right now she’s more nervous than anything.

“So, tell me again who’s going to be there…so I don’t mess names up?” it’s probably the fifth time she’s asked it on this flight alone.

Beca chuckles, “Chlo, you don’t have to worry, I’ll introduce you when we get there.”

Chloe’s sparkling blue eyes bore into Beca’s, she hopes she’s getting the message across, “Beca just tell me.”

“Ok fine weirdo,” Beca scoots around so her left shoulder is against the seat and she’s facing Chloe, “my mom, Janette; my step-dad, Peter; and my two brothers, Lucas and Ethan. Lucas is my full brother, he’s 15. Ethan is my half-brother and he is 4. On Christmas day, my grandma and grandpa will be there, as well as my Aunt and Uncle and their families, but I’ll introduce them to you later.”

Chloe shuffles in her seat anxiously, “Ok cool, I’m excited to meet everyone.”

“You don’t have to freak Chlo, they’re super chill and they’re excited you’re coming,” Beca reads her emotions like an open book.

Chloe sighs looking up at the ceiling of the airplane, “You know, sometimes I feel so lost…I just feel like I don’t belong anywhere.”

“I’m sorry,” she can feel Beca’s eyes on her still, “but for what it’s worth, you have me. I know I’m not much, but it’s something, right?”

She knows it’s not how Beca means it, but the statement makes butterflies erupt inside her, “Hey don’t think you’re nothing, I’m so grateful I have you.”

Shortly after their conversation, Chloe falls asleep, her head resting gently against Beca’s shoulder. She finally wakes up to Beca shaking her, telling her they’ve landed in Denver for their connecting flight. They walk sleepily through the airport, and before Chloe knows it they’re back on a plane. They both settle in quickly and Chloe is asleep again, dreaming of a warm fire, mistletoe and Beca’s lips against hers…

************

When they step out of the airport in Seattle, Chloe’s eyes turn into saucers when she sees the white on the ground and the sparkling little flakes falling from the sky. Beca looks at her in amusement as she skips out into the snow, spinning around in a circle.

“Bec isn’t it pretty!” Chloe feels so carefree and happy in the moment, holding out her hand to catch a few flakes, which immediately melt against her skin.

Beca walks out past the overhang to join her, snowflakes immediately clinging to the fabric of her beanie and hair, her cheeks turning red in the chilly air. Chloe can’t help thinking that she looks beautiful.

“It’s alright I guess,” Beca smirks, “I can tell you’re from the south Beale.”

“Beca!” both girls immediately turn their attention to the voice.

A few feet away is a moderately sized blue SUV, a man who looks to be in his late forties stands next to it waving. It must be Peter, Beca’s step-dad. Both girls quickly grab their abandoned suitcases and walk over to the car. Peter looks like a genuine guy, someone that would give you the shirt off his back. He’s smiling at the two girls like he’s been waiting all month to see them.

“Hey Pete, how’s life?” Beca says casually and she throws her bag into the open and waiting trunk.

“Can’t complain, and this must be Chloe,” the man turns to look at Chloe, he’s grinning warmly, he’s got wrinkles by his eyes and a dark bushy beard.

“Yup,” Beca replies, making a popping noise on the “p” of the word.

“It’s nice to meet you!” Chloe chirps pleasantly.

“Nice to meet you too Chloe, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Peter motions to the back seat of the car, “why don’t you two sit in the back, I don’t mind being the driver,” he winks at the two.

Beca and Chloe quickly climb into the back seat of the car and they start down the road. Chloe watches the snow fall as they drive. They get on the highway; she can tell they are heading out of the city. She vaguely recalls Beca saying she lives in a smaller town just outside Seattle itself.

After about 30 minutes of driving, they are pulling up to a cozy looking two story house. Chloe would bet money on it being perfectly decorated on the inside, maybe it even smells like cinnamon or evergreen.

“Alright, here we are, home sweet home,” Pete gestures at the home as he parks the car in front of the garage.

As they step inside, Chloe’s suspicions are quickly proved correct. Off to the right of the entry way, she can see the living room, where a large tree is perfectly decorated. There is garland wrapped around the railing going upstairs and little signs and decorations everywhere…and it does smell like cinnamon.

“Come on, lets take our stuff upstairs before the ambush,” Beca nods her head to the stairs.

Chloe follows Beca closely up the stairs and down the hall. They walk to the end of the hall and Beca pushes open a door she assumes is her room. As they walk in, Chloe drinks in her surroundings carefully. The walls are covered in posters, most of them being about music. There are fairy lights hanging around the top of the ceiling. In the corner there is a fancy looking computer set up. The first thing Beca does is open up her bags containing her music equipment, which she promptly hooks up to the computer.

Chloe gingerly sets her bag down in the corner and takes a seat on the edge of the double bed in the middle of the room.

After Beca has successfully plugged in her equipment she turns around to look at Chloe, almost apologetically, “So, there isn’t really anywhere else for you to sleep but in here…I hope that’s ok. You can share the bed with me or I can get the air mattress down from the attic.”

Chloe tingles with excitement thinking about sleeping next to the brunette, “Oh that’s totes ok. I don’t mind sharing with you, the mattress would probably take up a lot of space in here anyways.”

“Awesome,” Beca looks relieved that Chloe is ok with the sleeping arrangements.

After both girls get settled, they head back downstairs. Unsurprisingly, her entire family is waiting in the living room when they enter. Her mom lights up at the sight of Beca, her brother Lucas gives Chloe a weird look. Little four-year-old Ethan looks like he could care less.

“Beca!” her mom stands up and throws her arms around her eldest child.

Beca grumbles and doesn’t even attempt to wrap her arms around her mom, “You’re squeezing the life out of me.”

“Oh don’t be dramatic,” her mom chuckles, pulling away to look over at Chloe.

“And you must be Chloe,” her mom walks over and promptly pulls Chloe into a hug.

After she recovers from the shock, she does hug back.

“I’m so glad you could come,” her mom pulls away from the hug, she says it so genuinely that Chloe truly believes she’s excited that a strange girl has invaded their family holiday, “Lucas, come say hi to your sister and Chloe.”

Lucas stands up slowly, very much fitting the angsty teenager profile. He looks so much like Beca that Chloe swears they could be twins if it wasn’t for the four-year age difference.

“Sup Bec,” he nods at his sister, then raises his eyebrow at Chloe, “so are you my sister’s girlfriend?”

If Chloe has been eating or drinking anything it would be sprayed all over the fifteen-year-old. Beca emits a quiet squeaking noise, the tips of her ears turning red.

“Lucas, you know Beca is dating Jesse, remember we told you?” Beca’s mom steps in before either of the two have to answer.

“Oh yea, I forgot about that,” Lucas stalks back to his spot on the sofa, sliding his earbuds back in his ears as he goes.

They talk to Beca’s family for a little bit, but Chloe is barely focused enough to answer their questions. Most of the time she ends up needing them to repeat themselves. She plays it off as jet lag. Truthfully, her mind is spinning with the probability that Beca is not as straight as her or Aubrey thought. Her brother wouldn’t have asked about a girlfriend if she was completely straight.

************

Beca looks nervous as she shuts the door behind them. Chloe sits down on the bed and watches as Beca paces back and forth a few times before settling down next to the red head. Beca had seemed a little anxious all night, so Chloe was glad when it was late enough for them to head upstairs for bed.

“So after all that I have a little bit of explaining to do,” Beca plays with her hands that are sitting her lap, “you know how my brother asked if you were my girlfriend?”

Chloe nods anxiously, trying to cover up how excited she really is.

“Just to clarify, I dated girls in high school…he was so used to seeing me with girls, he just assumed I guess…I’m bi,” Beca stammers nervously.

Chloe nods knowingly, “I kind of assumed so after he said that.”

“You’re not weirded out…like weird about sleeping in the same bed as me, are you?” Beca looks genuinely concerned and it almost breaks her heart.

She shakes her head stiffly, “Of course not. Beca…you aren’t a predator, you just like girls. You aren’t going to feel me up in my sleep…unless you wanted to of course,” she throws the brunette a wink, successfully turning her face red.

“Ok good,” Beca rubs the back of her neck, “I just dealt with a lot of judgement from the girls in high school, I forget that most people are pretty chill.”

“I would never judge you Bec, it would be pretty damn hypocritical,” Chloe flashes her a soft, comforting smile, “I’m not as straight as you think.”

“Really?” Beca looks genuinely surprised at the admission.

“I’ve never officially dated a girl, but I’ve thought about it…I’ve fooled around with girls,” Chloe isn’t afraid to admit the fact, she never has been.

The information seems to floor Beca a little, only a high pitched, “Oh, ok,” manages to escape.

“Thank you for sharing with me Bec,” Chloe reaches her hand out to lay it softly over Beca’s, “thank you again for all of this, for inviting me here.”

“Anytime Chlo,” it looks like she’s going to say more but instead yawns loudly.

Chloe is yawning right after her and she suddenly realizes how heavy her limbs feel, and how soft the bed beneath her is, “Maybe we should get some sleep, it was a long day.”

Beca nods in agreement, “I’m all for that.”

************

Chloe wakes up earlier than she’d like the next morning. The sun is barely peaking through the blinds and Beca is softly snoring next to her. Her eyelids are heavy, like she could fall back asleep if she wanted, but something…well more someone, prevents her from doing so.

Beca ended up turning around in her sleep, so her face is lined up with Chloe’s. She slid impossibly close to her bedmate, not on purpose, but Chloe can practically feel her warm breath on her face. The proximity of the younger girl makes Chloe’s heart hammer in her chest. Her hair is practically on top of her head, wild from sleep, Chloe thinks it’s adorable. She takes the time to study Beca’s face, she ends up staring at the soft lines and plumpness of her lips, wishing she could lean forward and softly peck them.

Maybe Aubrey was right…maybe this trip is more harm than it is good. She does know that Beca isn’t straight now, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s still with Jesse. Chloe has to respect that, as much as she’d like to shoot her shot with the freshman girl.

She’s not sure how long she watches Beca, but the sun is finally pouring through the cracks of the blinds when Beca finally starts stirring. Chloe snaps her eyes shut, not wanting to get caught staring. She hears Beca groan and feels the bed shift next to her, so she slowly lets her eyes flutter back open.

“Mm, good morning,” Beca yawns sleepily when Chloe’s eyes are completely open.

“Morning,” Chloe replies, her voice still surprisingly gravely from sleep.

“You sleep ok?” Beca asks as she rolls onto her back.

Chloe slowly sits up, the warm cocoon of blankets falling down past her torso, “Yea, definitely, how about you?”

Beca stretches lazily, her legs popping out from under the covers and her arms raising above her head, “Slept great. I’m ready for a day of fun!”

“You have something good planned?” Chloe asks excitedly.

“Well, since it snowed quite a bit yesterday…I thought we could go sledding, then maybe head into the city for a while?” Beca asks, more then tells, clearly wanting Chloe to be on board with her plans.

“Sounds great Bec,” Chloe is already beaming thinking about sledding, she’s only ever done it once before and she barely remembers.

“Cool,” Beca smiles right back at her.

If Chloe’s being honest, she doesn’t care what they do, as long as it’s with Beca. Shit, she really is screwed…

[e-of-west-glendia]

Happy birthday to the wonderful @sirrriusblack!! You’re one of the most amazing people I know and I’m so, so glad that I decided to message you wayyy back in December.

I love you to death and again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎉

All I Want For Christmas Is You

(Yes I know it’s May. So shhhhhhhhh. Blame Mariah Carey and her song for shuffling on my playlist and putting me in a Christmas mood) (also tumblr is mean so I have to post this in three parts) Part 2 & Part 3

James (8:59 am): Are you here yet??

Sirius (9:05 am): Yep just landed

James (9:05 am): Cool cool

James (9:10 am): You outside yet?

Sirius (9:13 am): Jesus shit no. I literally said I landed like 5 minutes ago

James (9:14 am): 8 minutes* and so?

Sirius (9:16 am): Soooooo I have to get through security and shit. Do you know how airports work Prongs?

James (9:19 am): Of course I do. You just yell at terminal until you get to your destination quicker

Sirius (9:22 am): Lolll ok sure. I’ll try screaming at it

James (9:22 am) sounds like a plan padfoot

Sirius (9:30 am): Ok I’m out where are you?

Sirius (9:34 am): James?

Sirius (9:35 am): Jaaaammeeeessssss

Sirius (9:37 am): Prongssss where are youuu. It’s cooollldddd

James (9:38 am): sorry sorry I had to find the gate

Sirius (9:39 am): you mean to tell me you badgered me about getting off the plane and you didn’t even know where to pick me up???

James (9:39 am): ….maybe….

Sirius (9:40 am): dumbass

James (9:41 am): stfu and get in the car

Sirius (9:41 am): (:

~~~~~~~~~

Sirius looked up from his phone, grinning as a loud horn sounded from the curb. James was leaning out the window and sending him an equally large grin.

James pressed on the horn again, causing several people to look up in alarm and annoyance.

Sirius made his way to the back of the car, tapping on the back of it for James to pop the trunk. A moment later there was a faint click and the trunk had sprung open. Sirius quickly shoved his bags in and then closed the trunk probably a lot harder than he should’ve.

He winced at the sound it made as it came down.

“Trying to kill my car, are you?” James shouted from the front.

“Not on purpose,” Sirius called back, walking around to the passenger side.

James reached over and unlocked the door, throwing it open and waving his arm as if to say well what are you waiting for?

“Get in loser, we’re going shopping.”

Sirius laughed at the quote before clambering into the car.

“Good to see you, too, James. Where we headed.”

James clicked on the radio, Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now blaring to life on the audio.

James’ resulting grin would’ve been enough to make most people worried.

“Macy’s,” he said, and then he sped off towards the exit.

~~~~~~

Remus would’ve winced at Lily’s crushing hug if he hadn’t been hugging her with the same amount of force.

“You’re back!!” She shrieked.

“Yeah, yeah I am,” Remus said laughing.

It had been months since he’d been back in San Francisco and he was definitely glad to be home. He’d been away for nearly a year for a work trip — as great as it was, there was something really special about coming home, and seeing his friends again was making him almost giddy with excitement.

“When did you get in?” Lily asked, her words slurred a bit from excitement so it sounded more like one large word.

Remus shrugged,”A couple hours ago— hey! Jesus, what was that for?!”

Remus jerked away from redhead, glaring at the spot where she’d punched him in the arm.

“You should’ve told me when you landed! I could’ve come to pick you up!!”

Remus rubbed his shoulder. “I didn’t want to bother you with it, I can get back to my own house perfectly fine.”

“I know you can,” Lily said, rolling her eyes. “But James went to pick up Sirius hours ago and he could’ve got you too!”

“Oh,” Remus said. “Right.”

Lily frowned at his less than enthusiastic response. “All good there Remus?”

Remus blinked at her for a second, brain having trouble keeping up with what was going on.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah I’m good.”

“Riiiight”

“I swear,” Remus said, raising his palms in the air. “I’m absolutely, one hundred percent, fine.”

Lily’s eyebrows looked like they were trying to leave her face but she nodded. “Yeah, yeah alright. Let’s go.”

“Go?” Remus asked. “Go where?”

Lily’s eyebrows dropped as she rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wondered how such smart people could be the biggest idiots.

“To the Potters. Christmas party, remember?”

“How could I forget.”

The Potter’s were absolutely legendary for their parties. Large events thrown in their Noe Valley house filled to the brim with friends, family, and other people who just happened to be invited. While it was true that Euphemia and Fleamont Potter we’re getting up there in age, they still knew how to throw a party. It also might’ve helped that their son and his friends were renowned for their own parties at boarding school and penchant for getting into trouble.

“Mm of course not,” Lily said. “But did you remember you were supposed to help me set up?”

“Err…” Remus trialed off. Well, no, he hadn’t remembered.

“Uh huh just what I thought. C’mon Remus, wouldn’t want to be responsible for a less than awesome Potter Christmas party, would we?”

~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t that Remus hadn’t known that James was picking up Sirius. No, he’d known all right— it was on the group chat after all. He’d known and he had deliberately planned his flight schedule around it.

Things hadn’t exactly been normal last time Remus had seen Sirius. And he’d decided that he’d much rather take an Uber home than hitch a ride with Padfoot and James. “I-Can-Sense-A-Conflict-Between-My-Friends-In-Under-A-Minute” Potter.

The thing with Sirius was that he’d gotten so good at covering up emotions it was hard to tell which ones were real. Such was the case last year.

Remus had been in love with his best friend for longer than he could remember. It had started small, noticing things, like his laugh. Then it slowly got worse and Remus started noticing finer details. Like the way his hair shimmered when it caught the light, or how the corners of his eyes would crease when he laughed. Or how—

“Remus. Earth to Remus Lupin, are you still with me?”

Remus looked up from the car window. He’d been doodling small stars on the parts that had turned foggy from the contrast of the warm car on the cold exterior.

“Yes?”

“We’re here.”

Remus started around their surroundings. “Oh”

“Mhm,” Lily said, pulling her key out of ignition. “What were you even doing?”

Remus looked back to the window, blushing slightly at the doodles. “Erm...stars?”

A grin split across Lily’s face. “Stars, huh?”

“What?” Remus complained, he absolutely did not need her to tease him about this. Or tell the other Marauders, it’s definitely be best if she didn’t tell the other’s.

Lily was practically glowing now. Brimming with some hidden information.

“Oh, nothing. C’mon let’s head in.” Without another word she pushed open the car door, sending a gust of cold air into the car and making Remus shiver.

Remus sat in his seat for an extra thirty seconds or so, trying to come up with what on earth Lily was talking about. Finally, muttering something about girls being confusing, Remus stepped out of the car and trudged towards the Potter house.

~~~~~~~~~

San Francisco was known for many things, but being warm was not one of them. Especially not during the month of December.

Sirius shivered slightly, cursing himself for not wearing a warmer coat. He knew how cold this god forsaken city got. So why on earth had he not packed for the weather. Oh, right, because he was in Australia where the seasons were flipped upside down. Well at least it was warm there.

It might’ve been better if it was the type of cold for snow, but alas it wasn’t. San Francisco was the type of cold with frigid winds that chilled you to the bone and a freezing atmosphere that made your teeth chatter.

Sirius wasn’t generally a warm person. In fact he’d once made Lily drop a cup of coffee when he’d startled her by touching her with a severely cold hand. So he’d made his peace with being a cold blooded lizard. But even he had his limits on cold.

Now James on the other hand looked ecstatic. Bouncing up Powell street towards Macy’s with poorly contained excitement.

“How the fuck are you so happy right now?” Sirius grumbled at his friend.

“Because it’s Christmas and you’re back.”

“I’m all for the Christmas spirit but it’s freezing outside.”

“Don’t you always say you’re cold-blooded?”

“Oh, ha ha. Cold-blooded creatures want to be warm you dumbass.”

James chuckled at his irritation. “We’ll be inside soon enough.”

Soon enough couldn’t have come faster. Sirius could’ve hugged whatever person was in charge of the heater in Macy’s. Stepping through the doors to the department store had felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket.

“Finally,” Sirius groaned when they’d gotten in. “A normal temperature.”

James had only laughed before tugging him further into the store in search of gifts.

~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, out with it Lupin. What’s going on between you and Black?”

Remus had almost taken Lily to her word. He’d been drinking tea when Lily asked her question, catching him off guard and causing him to choke.

“Pardon,” he spluttered.

Lily’s hands were on her hips, red hair falling around her face in waves. “Don’t you ‘Pardon’ me, Remus Lupin. I’m not an idiot. There’s been something off about you and Sirius since last fall.”

Remus had recovered slightly and took another swallow of his drink before saying: “Lily, I don’t know what you—“

“Oh my god,” Lily said suddenly, cutting him off. “You two finally worked it out!”

“Worked what out?”

Lily pushed herself up onto the counter, leaning in close to Remus.

“You two finally figured out that you’re head over heels for each other.”

Remus nearly fell off his seat in shock. Shit, he’d been discovered.

Lily snorted, not missing the flash of panic cross his face.

“Relax, I’ve known for a while. Hell, we all have.”

“You all know I like Sirius?” Remus asked, recovering his wits slightly.

Lily rolled her eyes. “Yes, duh. You two weren’t exactly discreet about it.”

“Two?”

“Yes, Remus. You and Sirius? Y’know Sirius Black? Rich, playboy supreme who you’ve had a crush on since you were like 14?”

“I know who he is,” Remus snapped, and then winced at the cool it buddy look that Lily was giving him. “What I meant was, you think Sirius likes me of all people.”

“Mhm”

“How? Why? Where?”

Lily sighed. “God Remus, you are so blind.”

[illfoandillfie]

For a 1000 celebration: SEASIDE RENDEZVOUS CONT— What about a hc about running into joe at a Christmas party on campus because he knew someone that attended your school and when you see each-other all the memories flood back in and things get heated in a nearby spare bedroom 👀

Forgot how much I enjoyed writing these two dorks lmao

Seaside Rendezvous Masterlist

1000 Follower Celebration

~~~

Christmas time on campus meant one thing. Parties. There was at least two every night in the lead up to the holiday, though numbers did start to dwindle a little as some people flew home to visit their families. But for those who remained it was the prime chance to drink and be merry. And try to find someone to sleep with. That was the main reason you were at tonight’s party. Technically still recovering from the previous night but nothing another drink or two wouldn’t fix. Last night you’d met this guy, Daniel someone-or-other. You’d chatted for a bit, flirted, but hadn’t been able to seal the deal. His friends had dragged him away before you could so much as kiss. But then you’d heard he’d be at tonight’s party so you rolled out of bed in the afternoon, downed a couple of aspirin, and found yourself something to wear that made you look hot.  

Now that you were at the party though it seemed like a bit of a waste of time. Daniel whatever his name was had swiftly forgotten you, and instead was making out with some other chick in full view of the whole room. It was disgusting really, practically dry humping for everyone to see. You wished it was you. Absentmindedly tugging on your necklace, you turned away from them in search of another drink and saw a familiar profile. Talking to someone, red cup in hand. You shook your head. It couldn’t be him, you must’ve had more to drink than you thought. Because Joe couldn’t be here. It was incomprehensible. But it really did look like him. You pushed your way through the crowd, hoping to at least get a better look. He turned. You stopped dead in your tracks. There was no mistaking those eyes or that smile. It only got bigger when he saw you.

“Y/N?” He asked, almost yelling to be heard over the noise even though he hurried to your side, “Is that you?” 

“Joe?”

“The one and only,” 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” you gave him a small slap on the arm. 

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” 

“I go to school here,” 

“No shit! I’m mates with Steve over…. somewhere, he’s here somewhere. I’m staying with him over Christmas.” 

“No way! God what a small world” 

“So how’ve you been since Hawaii?” 

“Pretty good, bit busy but good, you?” 

“Yeah, more or less the same. I never thought I’d see you again,” 

“Yeah, me neither.” 

“D’you want to get away from the noise?” 

“Yes, please,” 

Joe took your hand in his, an action he’d done what felt like hundreds of times. When you were by the pool, pinkies hooked together so no one would see. Alone in his room, palms pressed and fingers intertwined as he drew another moan from you. Sitting on his balcony on your last night, his fingers tracing the lines of yours. You shook your head, trying to clear away the memories that had sprung up with the contact, and let him lead you through the crowd, towards a set of stairs and then towards a closed door. Gingerly he peeked inside, pushing the door wide when it was clear it was empty.  

“That’s better,” he said softly once the door was shut, dulling the noise of the party below. You wanted to kiss him. He was looking at you, staring slightly out of focus which could have been because he’d been drinking but you suspected he was running through a similar series of memories as you were and you wanted to kiss him. But you couldn’t. Not yet at least.  

“So,” he cleared his throat, shoving his hands in his pockets, “been a few months since we saw each other. What have you been up to? How’s your family?” 

“They’re good. Still the same. I went home for thanksgiving and the whole street knew I’d broken up with Eddie and struck out with a guy on holiday,” you rolled your eyes and Joe laughed. 

“Well at least they didn’t know you didn’t strike out,” 

“Yeah spose so. Although maybe if the knew I wouldn’t have got so many condescending ‘there’s plenty of fish in the sea’ comments. What about you though? What’s been going on for Joe?”

“Uh, well, usual stuff I guess. School, work, dating, went home for a bit.”

“Dating?” you cringed a little at how fast you’d asked. Of course he’d been dating, same as you. You were holiday fuckbuddies really, everything between you ended the day you’d left the resort and got on a plane. Who were you to hope he was still single? 

“Yeah. Not overly successfully though.” 

“Oh. I’m sorry.” 

“I’m not. Well, depends how you answer this next question. Are you seeing anyone?” 

“Nope. Still single.” 

“Thank god,” He closed the space between you in about two steps, placing a hand on your cheek as he kissed you. You might as well have been back in Hawaii, hidden away in Joe’s room. It was like the last three or so months hadn’t happened. Like you hadn’t said goodbye and then not seen each other again. You wrapped your arms around his neck, stepping backwards towards the bed and pulling Joe with you. He pushed your jacket off your shoulders, only breaking the kiss to tug his own shirt off. You were working on his belt as he reached to get the zip of your dress, and then he stopped. “You’re wearing it,” his finger traced the delicate chain from where it sat on your shoulder down to the bright plumeria flower. 

“Well I needed something to make winter feel warmer.” 

And then his lips were back on yours. He tugged at your zip with renewed vigour as you went back to fumbling blindly with his belt.  

As soon as you were free of everything but your underpants you scooted into the middle of the bed, offering a quick silent apology to whoever’s room it was. Joe followed, unwilling to stop kissing you for too long. 

“You got a condom?” 

“Yeah, hang on,” he kissed you again quickly before leaning over the edge of the bed to find his pants, “remember when I forgot which draw I’d put them in?” 

You giggled at the memory, “that was after the golf thing right? When you choked me?” 

“Trust you to remember being choked. Dirty girl. Could always do it again, for old time’s sake,” He wiggled the fingers of one hand in the air, making you laugh, and then let out a, “finally,” as he found the condom he’d been searching for, pushing himself back onto the bed. You were still laughing when he kissed your stomach, fingers hooking into your underwear to tug them down your legs. You sighed as he pressed a kiss to the inside of your thigh, anticipating his next move. The last few times you’d had sex had been hook-ups at parties and one-night stands. People you’d never slept with before or seen again since. But being with Joe again was better. You’d spent weeks wrapped up in each other. He knew you, knew your body. Even with the time apart he still remembered just how to touch you. You whined when his tongue flicked over your clit, your legs falling open wider than they already were. 

“Such a lovely sound,” he said softly, running two fingers along your folds, making you squirm as they brushed either side of your clit, “you as loud as I remember?” 

“Keep going like that and we’ll find out,” 

“Think I can do a bit better,” he nipped the inside of your thigh with his teeth as he slipped his fingers into you, slowly working them deeper, “now if I remember right…” he trailed off, concentrating as he shifted his fingers. 

“Fuck,” 

“There it is,” 

You could feel his smirk as he curled his fingers just right, bringing his mouth back to your clit. Your back arched as he drew a soft moan from you. 

“Good girl,” 

“You never did know when to shut up,” you heard him laugh as your hand fell to the back of his head, encouraging him to keep going and, to his credit, he did, latching onto your clit as he pumped he fingers into you, curling against the same spot on every pass. It didn’t take long for your orgasm to hit, tugging on Joe’s hair as he helped you ride it out, cleaning up the mess he’d caused.

He crawled back up to kiss you again, the taste of you on his lips and tongue. You could feel him pressing against your core through his underwear and whined at the need for more. Joe’s underwear soon joined the rest of the clothes on the floor as he sat back on his knees, rolling the condom down his shaft. You gasped as he entered you, clutching at his shoulders, pulling him close. His breath was in your ear as you wrapped your legs around him, and he started to move. You left a trail of kisses over his jaw and neck as he rolled his hips against you, finding his rhythm. Soft moans and little ‘ohs’ fell from your lips with each of his thrusts, mixing with his own panted breaths and grunts, his forehead pressed to yours. If you closed your eyes you could almost smell the sea air. You moaned his name as his fingers dropped to your clit, though he quickly swallowed the sound, kissing you deeply as you felt your orgasm build. It rolled over you like a wave, your fingers momentarily tightening against his back, a cry catching in your throat. He gasped your name as he followed you over the edge.  

“You know how you tend to remember things as being better then they actually were?” you asked, curled into Joe’s embrace. 

“Yeah,” 

“Yeah well, my brain got it wrong. Don’t remember anything as good as that was.” 

He hummed in agreement, both of you falling silent, not wanting to break the warm contentment you felt being together again. But you couldn’t put it off forever. 

“So how long are you here for?” 

“Not long, less than a week.” 

“Oh,” 

“Yeah. Really wish it was longer now that I know you’re here.” His arms tightened around you as if it would somehow change things.  

“Spose we should make the most of whatever time we’ve got,” 

“I’m quite enjoying just doing this,” he dropped a small kiss to the top of your head, “feels like before.” 

“Yeah but, as nice as this is, we should probably get out of this stranger’s room before we get caught.” 

“Okay, valid point,” he laughed. 

“You can come back to my dorm if you want. The girl I share with has gone home for the holiday so we wouldn’t be disturbing anyone.” 

“Me, get to see how Y/N lives? I’d love to.” 

“Alright, let me up,” you wriggled free of his hold, “and then once we’re out of here we can talk more about you choking me again.”

tagging a few people who were following SR:

@coffeexcigarette​  @ramibaby  @briarrose26 @d34d-0n-th3-1ns1d3  @painkiller80 @stephydearestxo​

[schattenjagd]

End Of Time Part 1

Author : schattenjagd

Pairing : Elijah Mikaelson x Valerie Augustine (OC)

Word Count : 3.4K

Warnings : Angst, Threats, Violence, my miserable grammar

Author’s Note : A story that haunted me too long to not write it down. Sets place at the beginning of 3x22

It was a cold night in 1918 when I met Elijah Mikaelson for the very first time. As every year, the Mikaelsons held one of their legendary Christmas Balls, for which they were known in New Orleans.

To be honest, I didn’t even want to attend it. But thanks to the stubbornness of my formerly best friend, I was now standing with a glass champaign in my hand by the big staircase, watching the people on the dance floor moving slowly to the sound of the music.

"I can not understand why you did not want to come. It is great here.”

I rolled my eyes and took another sip of champaign. Of course it was great for Charlotte. She was a young, beautiful woman with the world at her feet, especially the world of men. Something, I could not say about myself. I was more the calmer type. Withdrawn, quiet and rather alone than in large groups. So this was definitely not my thing.

Charlotte disappeared to the dance floor and I continued to wish that this night would end soon.

I emptied my glass and started moving, pushing myself through all the people on my way out to get some air.

"Whither goest thou ? Do you already want to go ?”

I stopped, taking a deep breath and looked at the man, who was standing in front of me. He was young, had eyes as brown as his dark hair.

"Just out of here, getting some air.”

"Oh, shall I keep you company ?”

"Thank you, that’s very kind, but not necessary.”

"I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Kol, Kol Mikaelson.”

I held my breath. Great, this intrusive guy was part of the family that was responsible for all this here. I visibly felt unwell in my skin. Kol Mikaelson was unsympathetic to me and something about him made my neck hairs stand up. And I could not even do anything about it.

"Is everything alright ?”

I looked up. Another man came from the left, also a glass champaign in hand and was now looking back and forth between me and Kol.

"Of course, brother. I was just wondering why such a beautiful woman would want to get out of here so fast.”

"Maybe you shouldn’t be so intrusive, Kol. There you have your answer.”

I would never forget the look on his face when he told him that. I tried hard to hide the grin on my lips, as Kol slowly went away.

"I hope he did not bother you. My brother can be, well, he knows how to make a person feel uncomfortable and did not even notice it.”

I slowly nodded. "I know what you mean.”

"I’m Elijah Mikaelson. Nice to meet you.”

He took my hand and placed a light kiss on my knuckles and for the first time this evening I was smiling.

"Valerie Augustine.”

Now it was him, who slowly nodded. "Charlotte told me about her German friend. Wie gefällt Ihnen der Ball, Miss Augustine (Do you enjoy the ball, Miss Augustine ?)”

My face lighted up and I could not do anything about it. I laughed a little bit. "Very good.”

It has been a long time since I last heard someone talking to me in my native language and even with the English accent, it sounded like music in my ears.

"I think, you just made the evening a little better”, I smiled.

That was the first time we met and to be honest, it didn’t take us very long to realize, that we were the missing part of each other. We got married in 1921, I got to know his “big” secret in 1922 and my only reaction has been a laugh and a "What ? That’s your big secret ?”

After I nearly died because of pneumonia, he turned me one year later.

And now I was standing here, in the inner courtyard of the Mikaelson estate, with all of Klaus’ enemies around us.

I swallowed hard. We defeated Tristan and Aurora, we defeated Lucien and now we made another enemy, we created a beast : Marcel Gerard. And something was telling me, that he wouldn’t stop until every one of us would be dead.

"I thought my friend was dead”, Klaus began and I took a quick glance in his direction. "And now here you are. So send these fools away and let’s talk. You and me.”

I swallowed again and looked at Elijah. "Talking won’t work, he knows that, does he ?” I spoke quietly in Elijah's direction, who had already pushed me protectively behind him at the beginning of this upcoming chaos.

"It’s Niklaus.” Was his answer.

"Right.”

"Is that relief that I hear in your voice ? If I hadn’t been one step ahead of you, I would be at the bottom of the river.”

"Marcel, your anger is with me”, Elijah began and I tried to reach for his hand, but he pushed it away, as he took some steps in Marcel's direction. "I am the one who is responsible for this crime against you.”

Elijah’s sight from last night flashed up in my mind. I’ve never seen him like that before, I’ve never seen him so broken how he has been last night. And I know how he must feel now. Marcel lives and now he treats the lives of all of us.

"One thing I learned, sticking around this family, Elijah. We take on one of you, we take on all of you. These guys, Klaus’ sirelinks, they’re here to bear witness today.”

"Are you planning to put on a little show, Marcellus ?”

Kol walked by me and I watched him stand next to Elijah.

"Damn straight, I am. The fall of the Mikaelsons. And guess what ? The show is already starting.”

"I know you’re hurt. I loved Davina, too. And it would break her heart to see you like this.”

"Don’t mention her name. If it weren’t for you, she’d still be alive.”

Kol pushed Marcel's hand away. "But she’s not. This is an insult to her memory.”

I already saw how Marcels raised his hand, right before it landed on Kols chest and he flew back.

I ran between them, raised my hands in each direction to stop them.

"Go away, Valerie”, Marcel's voice was dark and threatening, but it didn’t scare me. There have been times he didn’t even think about raising his hand against me.

"No, I won’t”, I spoke and gave him a sharp look. "I know how you must feel, Marcel. I know how it feels to lose everything. And I am sorry for what happened with Davina. But did you really think we did it voluntary ? Did you really think Kol watched the love of his life die without doing anything ? Don’t you think that it hurt him probably more than it hurt you ? But we do things like that. We do everything for our family. A family you once have been a part of.”

"Yeah, and look how I ended up. Your husband, the one you say you’d love, ripped my heart out of my chest, without hesitating. What do you think would happen to you, if you would become such a treat like I am now ? Do you really believe they would trust you and you wouldn’t end up like me ? Dead and with a torn out heart ?

That was enough. Even for me. I raised my hand and slapped him so hard his head fell to the side and a big red handprint now graced the left side of his face.

"Don’t you dare say that again. I am a Mikaelson. And I protect my family at whatever it costs. Even if it means to tore your heart out as Elijah did.”

I watched how the veins under his eyes became visible, how his eyes grew redder and redder and how his sharp teeth grew over his lips.

And then everything went so fast. Marcel came into my direction and within the blink of an eye, I felt his fist in my stomach and a few seconds later, I bounced hard against the stone wall a few meters away.

I spat the blood in my mouth to the side and tried to get up, but the blackness in my field of vision did not disappear. I didn’t doubt that I broke a few bones. Marcel was stronger. Too strong.

And that was exactly what made Elijah's way overflow. He ran with Klaus to Marcel, attacked him with so much anger and aggressiveness that I haven’t seen on him for a long time. Klaus punched him right in the face, Elijah gave Marcel a hard kick, but nothing seemed to work. It didn’t take Marcel very long until Klaus landed right beside me, also trying to catch his breath. But he recovered quickly from the injuries of the impact. Of course he did. If I were a thousand-year-old hybrid, a small impact wouldn’t turn me off, too.

Now it was only Elijah fighting against the beast. And he was good. He was really good.

"Are you okay ?”

I swallowed and clung to Klaus’ sweater as he helped me up.

And then I heard the sound that I am not gonna drive out of my thoughts even years later.

"Elijah.”

It was only a whisper. I wasn’t able for more. My eyes widened, as did Klaus’. Marcel looked up from Elijah's arm and the bite he made there. His head fell back like he would enjoy every second of this.

Elijah flew through the air, rolled over the floor a few meters away from me.

I let out a furious scream as I started moving, punching Marcel as hard as I could right after Kol did.

I was thrown back. And then another scream.

Kol was the next victim. Right after Marcel bit him in the neck, he broke his neck and threw him against the same wall as me before.

No one hurts my family and lives. No one.

I started for the next shot. Marcel initially avoided me until I kicked him in the pit of his stomach and then a punch to his jaw, where I could feel the bones breaking under my hand.

But I should have seen it coming. Within the blink of an eye, in which I thought I had weakened him and could start with the next stroke, he was behind me as fast as lightning, twisted my arms painfully behind my back and broke them so that I screamed painfully. He roughly pushed my head to one side and released my neck. I could feel his teeth scratching over the tender skin there.

"Stop it, now.” He said threatening.

I swallowed hard and pressed my jaws together. I tried to move, but he just saw it as an invitation to keep twisting my arms behind my back and painfully moved the already broken bones. I groaned in pain.

He laughed. "Are you really that stupid ? I’m like what ? Three, four times your age, little girl ?”

I snorted.

"Do you want to be the next one ?”

I pressed my eyes shut as I felt his sharp teeth against my skin, ready to feel the pain.

"Stop it.”

I opened my eyes, just to see how Elijah approached us. His suit was dirty and torn, the blood from the

wound on his left wrist dripped more with every passing second.

"It is me, you want, Marcellus.”

I shook my head gently. "Elijah, no”, I whispered.

"Am I right ? It was me who is responsible for Davina's death, it was me who tore your heart out, So let her go and I swear : You will get your revenge.”

Marcel paused. I could hear how he held his breath and I could almost feel the scornful grin spreading out on his lips.

He released me, shoved me roughly to the side. Then he made a welcoming gesture, meaning to Klaus and Elijah that they could attack him if they dared.

My view wandered to my best friend and it was the first time in a while that I saw the hybrid inside him. Klaus’ eyes turned in a frighting yellow, his teeth grew and the veins under his eyes became darker than the ones of other vampires.

"Stop !”

"Rebekah.”

Marcel seemed as surprised as I was, as Rebekah suddenly stood between them. Hayley. What would we do without her ?

"Hayley has Hope and Freya. Take Valerie and our brothers and go now.”

I swallowed. She can’t be serious. If she was thinking Marcel wouldn’t hurt her, then she was wrong.

"Marcel will not hurt me. Not if he knows what’s good for him.”

"Rebekah”, I spoke warningly.”

"Trust me. That would cost him dearly.”

I changed glances with Nik and only his small nod and Elijahs grunting in the background made me turn around. Elijah and Klaus took Kol with vampire speed, while I was supporting Elijah. Now I just wanted to get away from here.

.

"Freya !”

With our last strength, we made it into the elevator and somehow into Lucien's Penthouse, where Freya and Hayley were looking for an antidote.

While Freya helped Klaus putting Kol on the couch, I used the time to take a look at Elijah’s wound.

"Don’t. Please.”

I glanced up at him, as he caught my wrist mid-air.. "Elijah...”

"We’ll deal with it later.”

He gave me one of these looks he always gave me when he wants to say that everything is going to be alright, but I just couldn’t believe him. Not this time. Not now.

"I’m going to die.”

"You’re not going to die”, Klaus talked to Kol, while Freya tried to calm him down.

"That sounds familiar. Isn’t that what you said to Finn ? And Cami ?”

"Look, Lucien engineered his venom from the seven werewolf packs. So maybe that’s the key to a cure.”

The thought came to me already. But it was impossible to find a cure within the few hours the others had left. Freya spoke my thought out loud : "Oh, great. That’s the first piece in a puzzle none of us will be alive to solve. I’m poisoned, Rebekah’s hexed and our brothers are bitten. We need three different cures to three different ailments. Each of which could take years to find and none of us is making it through the day.”

.

"Valerie’s helping Hayley with Hope, but I can get her for you.”

Klaus stopped a few feet away from the chair where Elijah was sitting exhaustively. He shook his head softly.

"She’s struggling with this. She’s trying to calm down by distracting herself. Not our finest moment, Niklaus”, the older one began to spoke. It was obvious to him how the wound tore at his strength. Sweat beaded his forehead, Klaus noticed a shiver.

"Please, take care of her. She still has her whole life in front of her. I regret having met her so late.”

"I promise”, Klaus answered softly.

"And take care of Rebekah.”

"I will get our sister and I will make Marcel pay”, Klaus spoke and Elijah closed his eyes at the words of his brother to hide the tears that were forming in his eyes. One fell down anyway.

"No brother, no, no, no. This was not...” He tried to sit up and hissed up in a moment of pain. "This was not Marcel. This was me. This was my fault. I did all of this.”

He twisted his face in pain as he finally got up and closed the button of his tattered sleeve. Klaus sighed at his sight and looked down. He knew exactly what was about to come and at this very moment, he would do anything to stop it. The shattering reality seemed to catch up with him every passing second.

"I can’t do this without you, Elijah.

The two of them would never admit it, but this time both felt this miserable feeling that just this one time nothing be alright again. They had only a few hours left and it was deeply painful to have to admit this now.

And then, Klaus hugged his brother for the first time in ages and closed his eyes, afraid that this would be the last moment with his brother.

"You have to be strong”, Elijah spoke urgently after he took a step back. "We need you.”

It was this time that the bond between these two brothers became as visible as it was hasn’t been for a long time. Klaus looked his older brother in the eyes and nodded slowly.

.

"You like my hair, don’t you ?”

I smiled softly as Hope took a strand of my hair between her tiny fingers and laughed at the felling of it.

I tried to calm myself down, to think of the few possibilities we had left. Three different aliments, three different cures. There must be away to get some time.

My sight fell to Elijah and Klaus, standing in the guest bedroom on the other side of the apartment. I watched as they hugged and heard how Elijah told my best friend to be strong.

Elijah's eyes met mine and I watched as he finally turned away from Nik and slowly came towards me. My eyes flickered quickly back to Hope, who was still playing with a black lock of hair from me.

"How are you ?”

I looked up to him. He was standing just a few centimeters away from me. He seemed weak. I could see how he shuddered with every heavy breath he made. I raised a brow.

"Shouldn’t I ask you that ?”

A weak smile graced his lips. My eyes went to Hayley. "Would you mind ?” I pointed to Hope.

"Of course not.”

"Let’s go to your mum, Süße (German for Cutie)”, I spoke and gave her to Hayley.

I looked at Elijah and nodded to the bedroom to get some distance between us and the others.

"Tell me you have a plan.”

I looked him directly in the eyes, but with every passing second, my hopes shrank. He just avoided my looks and I swallowed hard. "’Lijah...”

I took a deep breath and looked around. Then I took a step in his direction and raised a hand to put it softly on his cheek. "Okay, hey, look at me. We will survive this. We survived your father, we survived Esther and Dhalia. I will be damned if we won’t survive this defiant toddler of Marcel.”

"I do not think that that is how it works this time.”

I shook my head but couldn’t stop tears from forming in my eyes. "No, don’t say that. I refuse to believe that this is the ending.”

"I have been walking on this earth for over a millennium now, Valerie...”

"So what ? How much of that time have we spent together? That cannot be the end. No, that can not ...” My voice broke.

"Shhh”, was the only thing Elijah said as he pulled me to his chest and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. I could feel a tear falling on my skin there.

My fingers clung to his dress shirt as if it was a lifebuoy that saved me from drowning. I slowly looked up to him and in his eyes, just to see that they were as filled with tears as mine were. "What about Manosque ? We didn’t make it there.”

He strained a strand of my dark hair behind my ear. "We will. One day.”

I ran my tongue over my dry lips. My throat felt tight and dusty. "Always and forever even after death ?”

"Always and forever.”

I forced myself to smile as I leaned up to him and placed my lips on his. I clung myself to him as if it’d be the last time that we kissed and maybe it was. I could feel his tears on my cheek as he could feel mine and I didn’t want this kiss to end because that would mean to get back into cruel reality and the only thing I wanted right now was to stop time and find a solution for all of this.

But time didn’t love us anymore. And I still refused to believe it.

[eunahfmdarchive]

christmas bells.

when: december 24 2019. where: eunah’s living room. mentions: n/a. word count: 736.

tw: eating disorder. tldr: eunah’s family come to visit her for christmas and stage somewhat of an intervention, and they’re relieved at her receptiveness. this is kind of bad but i wanted to get it out before the end of the year!! writing and promoting her mini-album really helped eunah so much in terms of working out what she wanted for herself and what the next steps to get better would be, so this is the follow up to all of the good emotional things ‘mezzanine’ did for her. also her family love her, and she’s got a long road ahead but she’s stepped onto it and i :) 

eunah’s cheeks are flushed pink and laughs escape her throat easier than they have in a long time. looking around her cozily decorated living room and seeing her family’s faces dimly lit up by her christmas lights, there’s such a swelling of joy in her chest. 

they drink, they eat. eunah drinks, and she eats a little. she doesn’t miss the way all four pairs of eyes train on her as she plops a piece of meat into her mouth. eunah swallows her food with a smile - making more of an effort than she has in a long time. it feels excruciatingly heavy when it lands in her stomach, and as much as she wants to panic, eunah makes sure to remind herself that it’s okay. it’s a start. writing ‘mezzanine’ changed something in her. it’s rewarding, cathartic and painful all at once to perform the lyrics she wrote. it’s a strange mix of emotions for her to process, but it’s a useful one too. 

she managed to get a lot off of her chest through writing it, and surprisingly even more through performing it. it’s the closest thing she’s gotten to the emotional release acting provides her while being authentically herself, rather than while submerging herself in a role. eunah came to one conclusion: it’s time to start working on herself. after all these years, after all she’s achieved - because although she’s no wish or fuse member, she has achieved a lot, and she’s able to say that now - eunah has to stop assigning all of her self worth to her weight.

it won’t be easy, but she’s heard that there’s no way to recover but one day at a time, and to do it for yourself. 

“um,” eunah starts, catching the tension in the air. her family aren’t stupid. they see her so infrequently, but they still have eyes, they still know who she used to be. no - who she still is. she hasn’t reconciled those two identities within herself ... yet. she will. she’s still that girl, she’s still happy like she was before, more so these days than ever in recent years. eunah doesn’t get to start her sentence properly before eunji jumps in, shuffling closer to her on the couch and taking her hand.

“eunah, we don’t wanna ruin your christmas but,” typical eunji, eunah has to crack a smile. she wonders if her eldest sister volunteered, or if her parents and eunbin told her she would be the best fit for the job, with her way of making even the most dire of situations just a little lighter. “we’re worried about you.” eunji takes one of eunah’s hands in both of hers and for a second, her expression falters. a quick glance around the room alerts eunah to the fact that everyone else is looking similarly somber. she feels a pang of guilt, biting her tongue to stop herself from crying. it has been easy to ignore their worries all these years with the distance between them. “we know you’re not taking care of yourself. have you considered, like, a therapist?”

tears start to roll down eunah’s face and she quickly wipes them away with the back of her hand, then starts to laugh. she looks from face to face and nods earnestly. “i’ve been thinking about it a lot recently, actually,” eunah admits, choking out something between a laugh and a sob. “really, i have! i ... thought about my life a shit ton while i was writing ‘mezzanine’ and,” she takes a deep breath, and wipes away the last of her tears, barking out a relieved chuckle. “and i’m not. i’m not taking care of myself. i haven’t been for a long time.”

eunbin and her parents leap up from their places, and soon, four pairs of arms are wrapped tightly around her. there are tears, but there’s also laughter, and promises to help her find the right therapist for her. 

it doesn’t take long for them all to settle back into their christmas eve festivities. eunah has to smile. would it have always been that easy? she knows it wouldn’t have been, but it’s good to know that they all have her back. they’ll sort everything out over the next couple of weeks, between ‘me’ preparations, but for the time being, it’s christmas, and they’re all together for it for the first time in years.

[renee-writer]

Redemption Chapter 60 Christmas

Gabriella set her alarm for 5 Christmas morning. She has get everything set up before Evie wakes. Eli is bringing her bike by at 5:30. She expects Evie up by 6.

“First things first,” she thinks to herself,” gotta get the ingredients for hot cocoa.” Hot cocoa flavored by candy canes, is a Christmas morning tradition. She sits out three mugs, mix, candy canes, and a kettle of hot water. She carries it to the living room. Three mugs instead of two. The thought makes her smile. It would’ve been four but Jade begged off this morning. She would stop by this afternoon.

Jade always comes by Christmas morning. This year she said she had to visit her sister. She shrugs. Jade isn't the priority today. Showing Eli a family Christmas and giving Evie a good Christmas is.

Last Christmas, the first after their parent’s death had been real hard. She is determined to make this one better. There is a soft knock on the door.

“Merry Christmas baby.”

“Merry Christmas Eli.” The sight of him reminds her of the other thing she is looking forward to today, an answer to the secrets. She leads him and the bike in.

“Looks like I got here just in time. Evie isn't up yet?”

“Nope, but should be soon. Thank you for hiding it.”

“My pleasure. Where do you want me to place it?”

“Behind the tree, I think, otherwise she won't pay attention to anything else.”

“Good thinking.” He places the bike behind the tree and out of sight. She looks him up and down. He is dressed in kaki pants and a tight fitting ivory sweater.

“I feel a bit underdressed.” She is wearing her usual Christmas morning outfit of flannel PJ's and Christmas socks.

“You are lovely.” He assures her.

“Gabby! Eli! It is Christmas!” They hear her before they see her. She runs downstairs in her own flannel pj's that match her sisters. Her hair is unbound and flies behind her.

“Merry Christmas Evie.” Eli greets her with a big smile and open arms. She runs into them and he lifts her up and spins her around.

“Merry Christmas Eli. Look at all those presents.”

“Yes, Santa and Gabby did good, didn't they?”

“Really really good. Merry Christmas Gabby.” Eli hands her over.

“Merry Christmas Evie.”

“Look at you two. You look like twins today.”

“Yes. We match.” Evie says.

“Yes you do. I must get you guy's picture.” Eli pulls out his phone and takes a few.

“Ready for hot cocoa and presents.” Gabriella asks.

“Yes!” she yells out.

“Our tradition, Gabby explains to Eli, gesturing to the tray. They take seats on the couch and Gabriella prepares for all of them.

“You have to dip the candy cane in the cocoa.” Evie explains to Eli. “That's what makes it Christmas morning cocoa.”

He smiles and copies her and Gabriella. He takes a sip. “Wow. You are right Evie.”

“We have a cup of Christmas cocoa and then we open presents.

“Where's Aunt Jade?”

“She went to see her sister this morning. She will be here this afternoon.”

“But, she always comes for cocoa and presents.”

“I know. It is weird. But I am here and Eli. It will be okay.”

“I guess.” Eli feels a bit bad. He knows why Jade isn't here. She didn't want to intrude on what she knows he is going to do.

“How about I start handing out presents?” he offers.

“Yah!” Evie is completely distracted. He takes a seat beside the tree.

“Hmm, who do I give a gift to first?” Eli teases as his fingers one of the boxes.

“Me, me, me.” Evie still seats on the couch but is bouncing up and down.

“Well okay.” He pretends reluctance and then, with a smile, hands it her. He then digs around to find one to give her. His presents for them he intends to give them last.

“Oh. She is pretty! Gabriella thanks.”

Eli had found a small, strangely wrapped present from Evie, for both of them. He takes them out then looks up to see what doll she held. It is the sweet baby doll with the realistic soft skin and weighted arms.

“What will you name her?” Gabby asks.

“I don't know yet. Have to think.”

“Gabriella.” When she looks up, he tosses her her present from Evie.

“Oh. That is from me. Eli got one too.”

“Yes. Right here.”

“This is the secret that you and Jade were working on?”

��Yep,” She cradles the doll still in her box and watches them with anticipation.

“Okay Gabriella let's open them.” They do together.

“Oh Evie. Did you do this all by yourself?” Gabriella holds the handkerchief. It has pink stitching all around it with her initials stitched in the corner.

“Yes.” She says with pride. “Aunt Jade showed me but I did all the stitching, on both of them.”

“Both?” She looks up to see Eli also holds the same, only his initials and stitching are in blue.

“Thank you Evie. This is absolutely perfect. And to know you made it,” Eli swallows hard. He knew it would be an emotional day. He just didn’t expect this.

“Evie, we love it.” Gabriella finishes for him, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Do you want me to take your dolly out of her bix?” Eli recovers enough to ask.

“Yes thanks.” She hands the box over. He takes the doll out of the box and cuts the plastic clamps holding her in. He then hands her to Evie.

“Her head is so heavy.” Evie marvels.

“Yes, new baby's heads are so hers is.” Her sister explains.

“Cool.”

“Ready for another present?”

She is. He slowly hands them out, giving her time to appreciate each one. She loves everything. She flips over the doll that is almost her height. She, being the girly girl she is, also loves the shoes and clothes as much as the dolls.

He hands her the last box while standing in front of the bike. As he waits for her to unwrap it, giving her time to appreciate her new coat, he looks to make sure he had missed nothing. He stacks the presents marked for Jade, to the side. He finds a small box, addressed to himself, from Gabriella. He looks up meeting her eyes.

“Open it.” She says with a smile. He does while still standing in front of the bike. “ I saw it and it said you.” She continues as he lifts the lid.

Inside is a watch. It's face is a cross. It's band is covered in crosses. He looks up at her. “Gabby! I love it.”

“I wasn’t sure.”

“It's great. I do wear watches. I own one. It just needs a new battery. That is why you haven’t seen me wear it. But, it isn’t nearly this nice.”

“Oh good. I wanted to get you something you would like.”

“You succeeded.” He walks towards her and Evie looks up and sees the bike. Her squeal stops him in his tracks.

“A bike!” she jumps off the couch and runs over to it. “Oh! It is perfect!” she continues to squeal as she pushes it out from behind the tree.

“Ah Evie. I am glad.” Gabby smiles.

She slips the helmet on and climbs on the bike. She happily rides in circles.

“You nailed it.” Eli joins her on the couch.

“Yep.” She is satisfied. Eli feels his heart speed up and his hands get sweaty. He is so ready but gives Evie a few minutes to enjoy her bike. He takes out his phone and takes a few pictures and a video of her riding in circles.

“Ah Evie. Can you come here a minute?” She starts to protest then seem to remember. She stops and jumps off and joins them on the couch.

“I have something for you guys.”

“Oh yes. The other secret.” She feels both anticipation and nervous energy. He sits Evie beside Gabby and stands up.

“Gabby first. Okay Evie?”

“Yes.” She is excited for her sister.

He hands them both boxes and watches as Gabriella opens it. He sees Evie watching too with a deep smile. She reveals the gold box and looks up at him.

“Now,” he thinks and drops to one knee. She gasps when she sees the ring and finds him on one knee. Unable to speak, she just stares at him through a film of tears.

“Gabriella Olivia Grant, I was drawn to you from the first moment I saw you. I feel on love with you before it made sense. It makes sense now. God brought us together so I could bring you to Him. I felt my life was complete, that I had everything I could want. Then there was you. I can't see my life without you in it. A future that doesn’t include you. I love you Gabby. I love your commitment to Evie. I love your compassion for Beth and Kim. I love your enthusiasm with the youth. I love your ambition and want to help you finish college. I want to see Evie in her first formal gown for her first dance, I want to see her graduate. I want to see our child in your arms. I want to grow old with you.” He stops and takes a deep breath keeping eye contact. “Gabriella, will you do me the incredible honor of marrying me, of being my wife?” He hears Evie squeal beside them but doesn’t look over.

“Oh Eli. Yes. Yes I will!” He let his breath out and, taking the ring out of the box he slips it on her hand, over her shaken finger.

“You guys are getting married?”

“Yes,” Gabby tells her through her tears.

“Yah!”

“Evie open up your present now.” He stays on his knees, watching her. She sees the pink box and opens it. Both, she and Gabby catch their breath.

“Is it real?” Gabriella asks.

“Yes,” he answers her,” Evie I want you to know that I am not just marrying Gabby. I am choosing you too. I promise to be the big brother you need. I promise to protect you. I promise to interview any boy that wants to go out with you and make sure he is good enough. I promise to be their to walk you down the aisle at your own wedding. Evie Ruth Grant will you take me as your big brother?” his eyes are on Evie but he feels Gabby crying beside her.

“Yes Eli. I love you. You will be a great big brother.”

“Thank you,” he softly says,” Can I put the necklace on you?”

“Yes.” She senses the importance of this moment and tempers her natural exuberance. He takes it and places it around her neck.

“So pretty.” She whispers when he is done.

“Yes it is,” Gabby agrees.

“Was it worth the wait?” Eli asks her.

“Oh yes! Evie we are going to kiss now.” She warns her.

“That's okay. Go ahead.” They do.

[hbwbyniall]

Over You

Based in @mistlekissy anon and her prompt of choice.

Note: the cursive parts are “the past”

“I’m over you and you’re over me, so the fact that we’re kissing right now means nothing, but please don’t stop.”

*

Niall can’t really explain the situation. He's a little bit dizzy and has a few pints on him if he has to be honest, but he's not drunk so he can't blame the alcohol for what's happening right now. He wishes, though, because stumbling around your ex's apartment while kissing your ex is not a good idea. It doesn't matter how good it feels.

This wasn’t his plan for tonight. He had a date with this cute girl he’s been seeing a couple of times now and things were going well, he thinks. So when he noticed Harry in the same club they were, he decided to ignore him.  It was hard, he can’t lie, he hasn’t seen him since they broke up a little more than a year ago and it’s not like they ended up hating each other or anything, but he did break his heart.

The thing is, Niall thought they were meant to be. He knew the second he saw Harry the first time in a uni party, with his long hair, wide smile and those tight black jeans. He knew he was gonna fell hard and quick by how he felt when Harry scanned the room and his eyes laid on him, only to smirk right after and make his way to him. He was lost that night, but he found himself in him the three years after that, until Harry decided to move to America and ended things with Niall for both of their sakes.

So yeah, it hurt a little seeing him again in London and not knowing anymore the person drinking in the bar with a bunch of people he never met, it hurt more not knowing he was back and realized they were no longer part of each other's life. But Niall was okay. He has moved on. He has a great job and has a couple of good dates and some sort of a girlfriend, even though they haven't talked about it yet.  

Niall tried not to crossed paths with him the entire night and everything was fine until almost 2 am when he forgot about Harry and went down to the bar for some drinks. He thought he already left when he didn’t see him for almost forty minutes, so when he bumped into him right after ordering two more pints and one of those coloring drinks he froze.

Everything went downhill from that moment on for him.

“Niall?” He said, clearly surprised and Niall just tried to hide the fear of God from his face.

“Harry.” He remembers tried to smile. Everything is just blurry now, even if it was only half an hour ago.

Harry slaps him into the wall next to his door as he tries to find his keys somewhere in the pockets of those ridiculous pants. At least his preferences in his clothes haven't changed, only improve. Niall ignores the pain in his back only to lose his fingers in Harry's hair. It’s shorter than he’s used to, but he still pulls out feeling his cheeks get warmer when he hears Harry’s moan right into his ear so he covers it up with his own mouth, feeling incredibly proud.

Niall's hands go down his neck, his shoulders and grab onto his back, tighten up his shirt into his fist. Harry holds his weight by his ass, pressing him into the wall, making him feel his entire body in front of his.

“Oh God,” Harry laughed as he jumped on him, hugging him, “I’ve been wanting to call you! But you have a new phone, right?”

Niall felt his smile on his cheek and swallowed slowly, his hands were in the air over Harry’s back but not touching him, not knowing if that was a good idea. He finally did hug him when he realized Harry wouldn’t let him go otherwise, then he was positive it was a bad idea. His body still remembers him, still a bit bigger than his, still warm.

When Harry finally opens the door, he almost let Niall hit the floor. He laughs as he holds him from the waist and gives Niall a second to think things properly without the booze and the goosebumps from head to toes. He can’t even remember what he told Lyla or even if he said something to her before leaving the club with Harry’s hands in his pants after calling an uber.

Niall doesn’t know this place, which makes sense because before Harry left they lived together. Everything about their relationship was pretty quick from beginning to end, falling in love, move in together, break each other’s hearts and losing any type of contact. Niall thought it was better that way, it would help him get over him faster and even if his friends said maybe it was for the best, Niall could say they also thought Harry was it for him.

He can feel it again when Harry starts kissing his neck, just like how he used to feel every time they touched each other. It’s overwhelming.

“How you been?” Harry asked after ordering another drink for them, Niall’s pints and Lyla’s drink long forgotten. He had the same huge smile he used to convinced Niall to stay for a little chat

“Good. I’m fine, new job,” Niall answered swallowing the rest of the pint Harry ordered for him with a gulp. Maybe he wanted Niall to know he still remembers, maybe it was out of habit. Harry was about to talk, he had that spark in his eyes that Niall knew so well, he also knew that if he let him talk he couldn't escape him. “I’m also in a date right now so I should go back to her.”

“Oh.” His whole expression changed. His smile got lost and he’s looking elsewhere, messing up his hair. It's short now and it made him look so handsome. Niall should've probably stopped looking at him

“Yeah.” Niall smiled getting up, ready to leave without looking at him anymore. “It was really nice to see you, Harry. Don’t lose touch, okay?”

“Wait.”

His back hit the couch and Niall is starting to think he’s actually being punished by the universe, but Harry is already over him, taking his shirt off and putting his leg in between Niall’s when Niall’s sigh catches something else in the corner of his eye when he avoided looking at Harry’s torso.

It's a framed picture of them when they used to live together. They're having dinner with Gemma and Anne the first weekend after move in, it's around Christmas and they're wearing corny jumpers and holding hot cocoa. To the right is a picture of them with Louis and Liam in Harry's graduation, and to the left is just a picture of them, holding each other somewhere in London.

Niall holds his breath and it’s not exactly for feeling Harry’s hand under his shirt.

“Is that us?” He whispers, making Harry turn to the direction Niall’s looking.

“Of course is us.” He answers, slowly, lips over cheek as he kisses him, “You are a big part of my life, Niall. Why deny it?”

Niall nods, taking Harry by the head and putting his lips over his, kissing him with something else just discovered, something he can't name yet because he hasn't felt it before. His hands stumble into Harry’s pants, trying to take them off as he does the same with Niall’s shirt. Suddenly, all of this doesn’t feel so wrong anymore.

“This is a bad idea.” Niall’s voice trembled, trying not to look down at Harry as his body tried to recover. His hands were touching the dirty walls of the loo cubicle, forbidden himself of touching Harry's hair.

“Is it?” Harry smiled before kissing him again. “Let me take you home. For old times’ sake?”

"I'm over you," Niall says out of nowhere, he has his legs wrapped around Harry's waist and he's walking to – where Niall thinks it's – his bedroom.

Harry stops kissing his neck to look up to his eyes before breaking a laugh, he’s kissing his lips, taking a bit longer to make a point. Niall’s brain starts to melt again.

“Me too.” He answers, opening the door and not bothering in turning the lights on.

*

When Niall wakes up, everything is familiar. Harry’s hand over his hips, the cinnamon and pine sense on the sheets, his lips over Harry’s forehead and the feeling of peace that comes within the sunshine stepping into the room by the curtains in front of them. He takes a moment then, to breathe all in, looking at the ceiling and he lets himself feel Harry’s body over his, bare and warm, his breath on his neck, his fingerprints drawn in his waist.

So he does the only thing that he knows he has to do. He kisses Harry in the cheek and unwraps himself from his arms to sit in the bed for a couple of seconds, feeling Harry's hands dangerously close to his back so he stands up, looking at him for the last time and starts picking up his clothes from the floor dispersed in the flat. He dresses up as quietly as he can possibly can, takes his phone, wallet, and keys from the couch and then he leaves, gently closing the door.

It doesn’t hurt like the last time, but there’s something numb in the middle of his chest he doesn’t want to think about just yet.

[unholyhelbiglinked]

The Mitchell Incident | Chapter 20

CHECK OUT THE STORY FROM THE START HERE

The crystal shattered into a million pieces, a loud and unforgivable noise rocking through the study, its simple atmosphere breaking along with it. There always seemed to be an orange haze against the mahogany creating strong shadows that stretched close to a maroon carpet, the glass littering wood and fabric.

Beca drew in a long breath, sitting on the corner of the desk. She was propped up, leg folded along half of the table- a glass filled with amber liquid rested halfway to her lips, ice solid and edged as it clinked. She didn't flinch, instead lifting a pointed eyebrow at her mother.

Blair was always known to have a short temper, one that would go off at the most inopportune times. It was almost as if her labored silence was worse than if she would yell. Beca had become used to the outbursts at a young age, always picking up the pieces and sweeping up the glass. This time, she kept her steady stance.

She raised her own glass to her lips, taking a long and stinging gulp of bourbon. Blair's chest heaving as she steadied herself on the large stone mantle. Her jaw was clenched, grey eyes filled with an indescribable anger. "How dare you question my intentions?" She hissed lowly, knowing her daughter could hear her.

"Your intentions are blurred." Beca swallowed back the bitter taste that coated her tongue. She watched her mother with purpose- the usually composed woman was beside herself. Mumbling under her breath as she ran her hands over the top of her pleated pants. Like she had been cut by the shards, and the blood that ran thick wouldn't just leave a residue. She healed, she was able to regenerate faster than a human. There was no need to worry.

The brunette grimaced, setting her own beverage aside. She had lost her craving, staring down at the sprinkled glass that pushed into the plush carpet.

"Do you forget yourself?" Blair said.

Beca raised a brow at this. Had she forgotten her place? Back when they had stronger heartbeats, it was Blair that she feared. Not her father, her father was a pushover, her father would bend to the woman's stare and cave in at the mere mention of discontent. Then she died.

Beca remembered her funeral. It had rained characteristically that day. The air was cold and the soft soil smelled musty and sharp. She had hugged her coat around her frame and stared at the blades of grass that bent under the will of freezing perspiration. She clung to Jesse, her fingers intertwined with his as they listened to the low psalms the priest repeated. It was no use, no one was listening. She remembered feeling guilty that day. Not because her mother had perished, but because of the relief she was met with when she did.

"I don't believe I have," her voice was steady, the sour taste of alcohol still lodged in her throat.

"You turned her."

"No, I saved her."

It almost hurt to say. She had saved Chloe, but she had also doomed her to a life of cold complexity that the young girl couldn't' quite understand just yet. Sure, immortality was shiny at first. It was invigorating and filled with power- but the novelty would wear off in a few centuries when her family grows old and her friends get start having grandchildren. Friends, she can no longer contact because no amount of moisturizer could cover up her unchanged looks.

"By blatantly disobeying me." She drew in a careful breath "what gives you the right?"

Beca couldn't stop the scoff that fell from her lips as simple as a child dropping their sweets in a grocery store. It was left covered in lint or whatever wasn't swept up from the day before. The candy was still there, sure, but it was impossible to recover, not without some type of disease attached and simmering.

"What gives me the right?" Beca stood, setting the glass down carefully on the mahogany table. It was imported, she liked it. There was glass under her feet that crunched as she walked so close to her mother, she could practically taste the blood of her last meal, smell the soil from something more. "You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me."

"I would have found a way."

"Right, and through who? Your little witchy pet Aurum? Because mother I hate to break it to you but she's near useless when it comes to resurrecting the dead." Beca swallowed, trying to even out her anger. "It took me nearly 130 years to get you back and you want to what? Bare your fangs and forget your control?"

Blair studied her. The woman had once brought great fear to Beca but now she looked frail in the fires shattered light. Her cheeks were sunken in and there was dirt under her nails that Beca had a hard time looking past. She swallowed loudly and rolled her shoulders back almost like her blouse didn't' fit correctly. It didn't.

She raised her hand, much like she did when Beca was young, preemptive to strike with an open palm. Beca grasped her wrist a low edge of a growl on her lips. "Chloe is untouched, do you understand me?" She squeezed, applying pressure "So is Jesse, and so am I."

Blair watched with widened grey eyes and Beca dropped the woman's hand and picked her glass back up from the table, tipping her head back and swallowing the alcohol in one fail swoop of the tongue. She walked away from the fire and the woman who had the power to control it, fingers trembling in a dark rush. "Clean up your mess, please."

Beca let the door slam behind her as she pressed her back against the cold mahogany, trying to catch her breath. Maybe it was the dangerous amount of alcohol in her system or the strange leverage of nearly a century on her mother but something pushed her to fight back- to warn her against hurting the newly turned, to protect Chloe Beale of all people.

The flyer had been a pumpkin orange, noticeable and ugly against the brown telephone poles and muddy brick walls that framed Barden. Most of them had left a neon stain behind as the rain and the soon fallen snow washed away the thought of a once prominent problem. Now an ugly orange flyer was blocking the view of her chemistry text.

She recognized that face, that simple and innocent expression that hadn't been done much justice with the schools' printer. It listed his height, and weight, and what he was last seen wearing. A black logo t-shirt that had soaked up the blood better than she expected.

Her throat tightened at the memory as she inhaled sharply and slammed the book shut so she wouldn't have to look at it anymore. It would loud enough to catch a few glares from students trying to focus on studying. Chloe's eyes met icy blue ones.

"Bree?"

The blonde looked hurt, ravished by her own emotion. Chloe hadn't quite learned how to pick up on heartbeats yet or smell emotion like Beca said she would eventually master, but she didn't' need her newfound abilities to see the hurt radiating from her friend. From her roommate.

"She said you weren't dangerous." She whispered harshly, eyes wet "Beca said you wouldn't' hurt anyone. But you are aren’t you?"

Chloe was fast, the librarian glancing narrowing her stare as she abandoned her textbook and bag, standing with a swift edge. Aubrey wanted to fight against her, and she did for the most part, the smaller woman dragging her out of the glass-paned doors and into the nearest bathroom. It reeked of antiseptic and lemon sanitizer. "Get off me! You killed him!"

"Aubrey," Chloe tried to edge her away from fear, gripping her shoulders as she pressed the woman's back against the cold tile, her fingers gripping into fabric. "I need you to stop struggling, I didn't-"

"You did." Her voice was defeated and her words breathless as her chest heaved "It's all they could talk about in my psychology class. About how everyone seemed to forget about Alex. How he vanished in the middle of the night and you-"

Her throat tightened alarmingly as she studied the deep pain of emotion written on Chloe' expression. "It's fucking fuzzy but you killed him. You… you were covered in blood and Beca did something to me. I don't remember." She sobbed still in Chloe's arms as she sunk to the cold bathroom floor, the vampire moved with her. "I don't remember."

She had seen Aubrey like this once, only once.

Chloe had gone home for the holidays three years back, and so had Aubrey. She was an emergency contact and always had been, her phone ringing in the middle of the third Christmas movie. She had excused herself from home and driven in silence to the bar that had called her- the one that was three seconds away from phoning law enforcement.

Aubrey tearfully explained the departure of her father broken down to her on Christmas eve and the way everything hurt, everything. It felt like her blood had boiled and the alcohol put out the flame and if Aubrey Posen had any type of control or seminice it was gone because her whole world was gone. Chloe held her in that bar bathroom too.

"I don't think I can handle this, Chloe." Aubrey sniffed, having quieted as Chloe kept her distance, keeping one hand on the woman's knee to steady her but nothing more. She watched with sullen eyes and a quiet lipped expression. "Y-you're all I have here and you're dead."

"I'm not dead."

"Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that?" Aubrey sniffed "If all of you wasn't lost in that cemetery it was when you murdered a kid in cold blood."

She knew it was harsh, her words stinging like a whip to raw skin on her back. It would leave a gash and would sting to the touch, but it was nothing she didn't deserve. Chloe let out a long sigh and crossed her legs in front of her, facing Aubrey as her hands rested in her lap. They were quiet for a few moments, both listening to the slow drip of the facets.

"I'm never going to be the same person you helped drink out of the water fountain" She started quietly "Or the one you shoved Ryan Heady on the playground for." Aubrey blew out a breath of air at the memory and sniffed, dragging her hand against the base of her nose. "But that doesn't mean I'm gone, Aubrey. I'm not."

Aubrey didn't' say anything.

"I'm going to make mistakes, and some are going to be bigger than others. A lot bigger. But in truth? I don't know if I can do this either. Not without you."

[dxmichelle]

Alternate Ending to OLSSM 28

For those who lost track of what was in all of the chapters of OLSSM, Chapter 28 contained the Christmas Ball. [So...uh, spoilers, if you haven’t gotten there, I guess? *shrug*]

Welcome to the Nerdship Alternate Ending. 

Notes: /Text/ is Set to Seto; /Text/ is Seto to Set

Seto was speaking quietly on his phone when Hermione stormed inside the empty classroom he had taken refuge, grabbed hold of a student chair from behind one of the desks, and dragged it noisily to the front table where he had set up his equipment. She sat down, bent over to cradle her head on her arms, and sighed. He gave a quick end to his call and placed the phone down.

Leaning back, Seto reached for his coffee mug, eyebrow raised as Set phased out of the Millennium Rod.

“Are you alright?” asked the spirit, when it seemed clear that Seto wasn’t going to say anything.

“Ugh…”

Seto gave Set a fleeting glance before regarding Hermione closely. “What did he do this time?”

Set frowned. “Who?”

Seto rolled his eyes at him.

Hermione drew herself upright. “They’re driving me mad.”

Set waved his arm frantically. “Who?”

“Lavender and her friends,” Hermione said bitterly, “She must be pals with half the school at this rate. They won’t leave me alone.”

“They’ve never bothered you before…” said Set, confused, “So, why would they start now?”

Hermione sighed loudly again and cringed. “I…may have done something stupid.”

“‘Jinx an idiot in the corridor’ stupid, or ‘long-term regret’ stupid,” said Seto.

Hermione paused. The silence in the room told more than anything she might have said.

Set’s eyes widened. “Both!?”

Seto closed his eyes for a moment before slowly turning to the priest. “Will you go back inside?”

Set glared down at his host and the two waged some sort of silent fight for a solid minute before the spirit huffed and vanished back into the Millennium Rod.

Hermione didn’t seem fazed and continued to stare down at the table. “It started a few weeks or so after the Quidditch match…I was trying to find a way to get back at Ronald….and her friends kept making jabs about me and Quidditch players.”

Seto frowned. “You’re not even into Quidditch – not to the extent of everyone else around here, at least.”

Hermione bit her lip and ran her finger along a indent in the table’s surface, purposely not meeting Seto’s gaze. Just how much should she tell him? It’s not like her decision would have impacted him in the slightest – her choice of date for the ball was just that – her choice. She could go with whomever she wanted. …But why did these lingering feelings of guilt and disapproval seem to come up when she looked at him? Seto wasn’t going to the ball – it was no skin off his nose. He probably didn’t care who went with whom to the dance so long as they weren’t bugging him about it.

“…Or did your ‘something stupid’ involve the Pitch?”

“No…” said Hermione, though her voice seemed strained. “Not that…I didn’t jinx a bludger on Ron if that’s what you’re thinking….”

She shook her head again and got up suddenly, causing the chair to scrape loudly against the stone floor, making them both wince. “I’m sorry – I shouldn’t have bothered you, I know you’re busy. I-I’ll catch you later.”

Without even bothering to put her chair back, she was back out the door again.

Set phased back out of the Millennium Rod. “…What was that all about?”

Seto stared at the empty doorway for a few extra seconds before returning to his work. “No idea.”

~~*~~

Seto placed his laptop down onto one of the empty common room tables and made himself comfortable. Harry and Ron were getting ready for the ball with Yugi and Ryou, and he was tired of Yugi's subtle attempts to get him to change his mind about not going down with them.

There would be no dinner in the Great Hall that evening, for food was going to be served at the dance. And for anyone who decided that they weren't going to attend, small platters of sandwiches and drumsticks and jugs of pumpkin juice had been sent to each of the house common rooms from the Kitchens. So after the last afternoon class, the majority of the student body had rushed back to their dormitories to clean up and prepare for the night's festivities.

It was to no one's surprise that the guys began making their way down their dormitory staircase long before the girls. There were a few first year students that Seto recognized from the sorting ceremony sitting around with a moving chess set, apparently just as interested in attending Umbridge's social gathering as he was.

A few of the older students (relatively, they were still a good few years younger than he was) made their way down into the common room, wearing dress robes of all sorts of styles. Despite Madam Malkin's statement that any color would do, it seemed black was still the most popular color for dressy wizard wear. Not that he blamed them – his dress robes were black as well, and remained pressed and untouched, hanging at the end of his narrow wardrobe.

A few giggles were heard across the room as a pair of seventh years exited the girls' staircase in bright, shockingly pink robes that could have rivaled Umbridge's everyday ensembles. They eagerly met up with their dates near the portrait hole and exited out into the corridor.

Yugi and Ryou arrived downstairs next, the pair in similarly-cut black robes, joining Seto at the table. Ryou reached for one of the small sandwiches. "What're you working on this time?"

"Answering emails from the meeting I missed this morning," said Seto without looking up, "And making final arrangements for tomorrow."

Yugi grinned slyly. "You know…there's still time…."

“No.”

Yugi turned to Ryou and shrugged. "It's not like you need to have a date to go. Bakura and I are going alone."

"You're not going to change my mind, so you might as well give up," said Seto.

Yugi shrugged. "I tried."

"Good attempt," said Ryou, patting Yugi's shoulder. "So…you ready?"

Yugi looked back towards the stairs. "I think so. Even Harry got himself a partner, and he's meeting up with her on the way, so we might as well go."

Ryou swallowed the last of his snack and brushed a few stray crumbs from his robes. "Okay. I'm ready."

Irritated, Seto brushed a few stray food crumbs away from his laptop, and went back to his emails.

From his peripherals, he saw another couple meet up and leave the common room. One of the first years lost his chess game and started swearing up a few interesting expletives before the board was reset and they started anew.

Harry and Ron exited the boys’ staircase a few minutes later. Harry left alone and Ron stood off to the side, awkwardly adjusting his bowtie every few minutes before Lavender arrived and they too disappeared down to the Great Hall.

They were the last of the couples waiting to head off, and aside from the few younger Gryffindors considerately minding their own business on the other side of the room, the common room quieted down…

…Until a hand clapped hard on Seto’s shoulder from behind, causing him to tense over completely, and a chair on the other side of the table was pulled out. Cormac McLaggen sat himself down, dressed to the nines, looking ridiculously pleased.

Seto barely spared him notice before going back to his paperwork. “…Can I help you?” he asked, not even bothering to hide the bite in his voice. Most people were smart enough to stay away from him, and definitely knew better than to touch him. It wasn’t something that he taught or told, or even had Yugi spread around. It was a fact that everyone just picked up: when he was knee-deep in work, do not disturb.

A pair of seventh-years figured that out the hard way back in November. Clearly, McLaggen didn’t get the memo. Why he was bothering him now, after never even speaking a word to him before, was beyond him, and Seto really wasn’t interested in finding out why or what he wanted today. With any luck, his date would arrive, and they would both go and leave him once more in peace.

“I see you’re not going,” said Cormac, triumphantly, and that made Seto pause. Why was Cormac so glad that he was staying behind? What was it to him?

“An astute observation,” Seto said dully, signing his name on the bottom of a budget request. He shuffled the page to the bottom of the pile. “The rest of the school came to that conclusion several weeks ago.”

Cormac laughed. “Well, I can’t blame you. She’s quite a looker. If I had lost her, I wouldn’t have gone either. Though, I do have to wonder what it was that made her jump into my arms like that….”

/What is he even on about?/

/Haven’t the slightest idea./

Seto tuned out the rest of Cormac’s conversation and returned his focus to his laptop. Clearly, the idiot has him confused for someone else.

“…If I knew that staying at the library at all hours of the day and night for the last few weeks would get me the date, I would have done this in the beginning of term.”

Cormac looked at Seto with a gleeful smirk on his face. “No hard feelings, right?”

Seto was about ready to slam his pen down onto the table with enough force to probably break it. A shame too – this is the third one he had gone through in the last two weeks after the group of fifth year Ravenclaws tried to get clingy in the library, and he was running out of them. Seriously though – did McLaggen not see that he didn’t have a clue to what he was talking about?

He was about to tell the idiot off, if not for the movement by the girls’ staircase that caught his eye. Hermione stepped down, her dress a frosty blue that seemed to flutter about her as she walked, and her usual long curls pulled back into a sleek half-bun. Any words he was about to speak died off, and he froze, unable to look away. She looked beautiful.

Cormac had frozen too, but he seemed to recover first. “Was wondering when you were on your way down,” he said, getting to his feet. “Most everyone else had left already.”

“Oh, sorry,” she said, but she didn’t sound apologetic in the slightest. “I had trouble getting my hair just right.”

A million thoughts zoomed through Seto’s head all at once. Cormac’s boasting suddenly made much more sense now, but he still had to frown. If Hermione truly wanted to go down this petty road of revenge against Ron Weasley, surely she could have found someone else– anyone else – to take in McLaggen’s place.

Cormac laughed and jabbed at Seto’s arm, earning him a glare that would have sent most others running for the portrait hole. “Girls.”

Seto turned back to Hermione and raised an eyebrow. “He’s your date?”

Hermione could barely look him in the eyes. Instead, was very focused on the clasp of her bracelet.

“I told you I lucked out,” said Cormac, gloatingly, as he looped his arm around hers. “Ready?”

He didn’t even give her time to answer, instead practically dragged her towards the exit. Hermione managed to glance back, giving Seto the most apologetic look before she disappeared around the corner.

Seto stared at the back of the Fat Lady’s portrait long after it closed again. What was she sorry for? McLaggen’s behavior before she arrived? Her tardiness for getting to the party? That would have been towards McLaggen, certainly, but not him.

/…I don’t blame her./ Set said from within the corridor between their soul rooms. With the few younger students out in the common room, he didn’t dare phase from the Millennium Rod currently stashed in the briefcase at Seto’s feet. /I would want to spend as little time in his company as possible./

/She knew what she was getting into/ Seto huffed and turned back to his work, though he found it harder to concentrate on the paperwork now, and it wasn’t due to Set’s mental chatter.

/Perhaps./ Set said, his voice laced with worry. /And I’m sure the boy was boasting his story. I cannot see her ‘jumping into his arms’./

/It’s a figure of speech./

Set rolled his eyes. /I am not dense, Seto. I may not have been out and about as long as the Pharaoh or the Tomb Thief, but I am not unfamiliar with how this world works./

/I know./ Seto said to himself bitterly. /The first thing you did was break into my head./

/It was part of the bonding process/ Set said stiffly /It was near instantaneous. You were not harmed./

Seto glared at his laptop, twirling the pen in his hand. /No, you just gave me severe burns and knocked me out. In that regard, you’re no different than the Shadow that keeps showing up./

Set pushed himself off the soul corridor wall and crossed his arms./We are nothing alike. And your injuries were healed by magic before the day was done./

/Dumbledore’s suspiciously-timed arrival is beside the point. I sure as hell didn’t give you blanket access to my thoughts and memories./

Set threw his hands up in the air and huffed loudly. /Alright – I admit I was forward the day I was released from the Millennium Rod. Happy? But are you going to sit there and say you wouldn’t have been curious about your host, should you have been trapped for 5,000 years?/

/I wouldn’t have stuck my brain into a hunk of gold in the first place./

Set started spewing again, but Seto stopped paying attention. Something about lost memories, but he checked out the instant ‘destiny’ sounded through his head.

He went back to answering his backlog of messages, despite it being the weekend now in Japan. No one would be back in the office until Monday, and he would have the entire train ride and following flight to clear out his inbox.

Despite his attempts to focus, he couldn’t help but find himself sparing fleeting looks back to the portrait hole. If he kept staring at it, would Hermione come back in, admit that she made a mistake choosing to take McLaggen to the ball…and… then what? Ask him if he wanted to go? He had assured the group ten times over that he had no intention of going to the party.

Seto scowled at his keyboard. …Was that the reason why she chose someone as conceited as McLaggen? Because she knew he would turn her down if she asked, because he turned down all of the other girls that came looking for a partner?

Seto paused, his hands hovering just over the keys. …Would he have said no?

He leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose as Set chirped again. /You’re feeling guilty? Over what?/

Seto sighed, spared the portrait hole another glance, and reached for his briefcase.

/What are you doing?/

/I can’t focus./

/Clearly./

Seto took the steps up to his dormitory two at a time, and dropped the briefcase onto his bed. Back in relative privacy, Set spirited back out as Seto tugged his uniform tie from his neck. “Are you turning in early?”

Seto snorted. “At half-past six? That’s a bit too early.”

Set’s eyes widened as the dress robes were taken out of the wardrobe. “I thought you weren’t planning on going.”

“I wasn’t.”

“The plan has obviously changed,” said Set, a sly smile forming on his face. “Why?”

“I don’t know, Set,” Seto snapped, “I didn’t realize I have to explain for every decision I make. Why don’t you just go roam through my head and figure it out?”

Set ignored the barb and hovered near the standing mirror. “It doesn’t take a genius to know why,” he said, “You care for her. As do I. It was clear once she arrived in the common room that she was going to be miserable for the night. But, as you said, she’s made her choice. What do you think you’ll really be able to do?”

“Well, my plans for the evening have been ruined. Might as well return the favor.”

Set narrowed his eyes. Ruin whose evening? Certainly not Hermione’s. Hers was already shot. McLaggen’s? “…What are you planning?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Set,” Seto said casually. A little too casually. “Prevent some long-term regrets. If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll get to jinx an idiot in the corridor.”

Set blinked, and before he knew it, Seto had finished adjusting his dress robes and was out the door. But the Millennium Rod was still in the briefcase.

“Hey!” He called, and then groaned. /Seto, you forgot –/

He couldn’t go after him, not with the chance of the other Gryffindors seeing him. But it was too late. Seto didn’t seem interested in returning, and Set was forced to vanish back into the Millennium Rod as soon as Seto stepped out of Gryffindor Tower.

~~*~~

Under the premise of drinks and a table, Hermione shuffled her way through the thick throng of students swarmed in the middle of the Great Hall. The minute Cormac disappeared back into the party, she turned on her heel and fled the Hall, hurrying past a huge stone gargoyle and out into the courtyard, decorated with falling snowflakes (despite the clear, starry night), and twinkling fairy lights around the perimeter.

A few other couples had strayed from the Great Hall and were scattered about, mingling quietly amongst themselves and munching on food taken from the ball.

Hermione moved towards the back side of the large fountain, sitting along the stone edge with her back to the doors leading back inside. What a disaster the night turned out to be. Her ears felt like they were going to fall off from listening to Cormac all evening. He put Gilderoy Lockhart to shame.

Despite the warm torches and lights floating throughout the courtyard, Hermione shivered. It may not be real snow falling from the sky, but it was still December, and it was cold outside. But she dare not go back into the Great Hall, where the fires warmed the ball. While she was certain she could just go find Harry and the others, she didn’t want to run into Ron and Lavender. They probably had their hands all over each other, like she had found them on more than one occasion in the corners of the corridors, or flat out in the common room for all to see.

And she definitely didn’t want to run back into Cormac. He had treated her like some prize to be touted around to his various guy-friends (also just as sickeningly narcissistic), and was much more physical with her than she was comfortable. A kiss or two under a mistletoe was to be expected, should it happen (ooh – and it did, and she started suspecting he was creating them on the sly as the night went on), but at times he was worse than Ron and Lavender.

Her stomach grumbled, and she sighed. The thought of dinner, or a snack, something , sounded heavenly, but she couldn’t gather the courage to go back inside. Despite the chill working its way through her, it was more soothing to freeze out here than go back where there was warm food and friends.

She happened to look to the side as a couple started back towards the door and spied a tray of snacks on a different side of the fountain. Hermione began to reach for one before the male Ravenclaw passing by stopped her.

“Oh, you don’t want those, Granger.”

“Why?” she asked, “What are they?”

“Dragon tarter crisps,” said the Ravenclaw, “I swear the last person who tried one made a run for the loo not long afterwards. And it gives you horrid breath.”

She quickly withdrew her hand. “Thanks for the tip.”

“No problem. See you around.”

Hermione eyed the tray. Maybe she’d feed them to Cormac if he managed to find her out here. …Although, knowing her luck, he wouldn’t get an adverse effect from them, and then she’d be stuck with not only him, but him with nasty breath for the rest of the evening. And there was no way she’d kiss him again if she smelled that on him.

Come to think of it, she had probably kissed him more times this evening than Ron had Lavender the entire week. The thought made her feel slightly ill, taking away her sudden desire for food.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, perched on the fountain’s edge, hugging her bare arms, but the few other people that had been out in the courtyard had since returned inside the castle, no doubt to warm up and dance the rest of the night away.

A quick glance into the water confirmed exactly how she felt. What a mess. Her hair started falling from her half-bun, her lipstick had smudged, and her dress had gotten slightly rumpled. Hermione dipped her fingers into the water and wiped away the smear on her cheek before turning away with a sigh. What was the point in fixing herself up again? Cormac was bound to find her and drag her back to the party, and she was bound to get messed up all over again.

Unless she left. She supposed that was always an option, but that ruined everything. The whole point in seeking out Cormac McLaggen was to make Ron jealous at the ball. So far, all it seemed to do was engage Cormac in all the wrong ways and give her a most miserable time.

And just like that, even indirectly, Ron Weasley ruined her second experience at a Hogwarts dance.

She heard a faint rustle of fabric, and then jumped, startled, as something was draped over her shoulders. To her surprise, Seto, dressed in a five-piece suit – minus the jacket - sat down next to her.

Hermione looked down. He had given her his suit coat. It was longer than a traditional Muggle jacket, and it felt expensive under her fingers as she drew it closer. Hermione couldn’t help but stare as her cheeks flushed. She had seen him in suits of course, it was his preferred dress when he traveled to and from Domino during term, but he looked striking in his dress robes.

He leaned forward slightly, rested his arms loosely against his legs, and looked pointedly at the ground. When he sighed, she quickly turned away, so he wouldn’t catch her staring. She felt an odd sense of déjà vu, only she wasn’t practicing her Transfiguration under Gryffindor Tower. This was the Christmastime ball, and it wasn’t Ron Weasley she was avoiding this time, but someone far worse.

But…why was Seto here? He clearly had no desire to dress up all fancy and join the festivities. What changed?

They sat in a weird silence. It soon became clear that he wasn’t going to start off the conversation. “I…” she began, then stopped, regathered her thoughts, and tried again. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I didn’t expect to be here.”

Hermione tilted her head inquisitively. “Then what…”

“I am here,” said Seto, straightening back up in his spot. He turned to her, taking in her mussed hair and the slight wrinkles that formed on her dress, “To keep you from making another stupid decision.”

Her face reddened, and she turned away from him, withdrawing into his coat.

“I suppose you understood what I was referring to then, that day in the classroom,” she muttered.

Seto snorted. “I think you’ve gone beyond ‘long-term regret’. You can’t sit there and tell me you’ve been oblivious to McLaggen’s silent actions this entire term, and didn’t think this would end badly.”

“I…I just wanted to get back at Ronald,” she said, and it sounded rather petty and pathetic. “Him and Lavender. And…I…I thought he would annoy him the most. Things…just didn’t work out that way. At all.”

Seto snorted. “You could have asked anyone, and it would have worked just the same.”

Hermione shook her head. “If you weren’t so insistent on not going, I might’ve asked you.”

“Thanks for leaving me out of your petty squabble,” said Seto, though the slight bite in his voice didn’t have much meaning now, considering where he still ended up. “If you were planning to use me as a tool, I definitely wouldn’t have considered it.”

Hermione looked up, surprised. “So if I just simply wanted a date, a partner for the evening, no strings attached, you would have said yes?”

Seto froze. True, he wanted no part in being an instrument in a lovesick revenge plot, but under normal circumstances? Would he?  He always hated balls and galas. Pegasus tried to swindle him into them at any given opportunity. He went to the ones his position at Kaiba Corp and rank in the tournament industry required him to attend, but he didn’t enjoy them by any means.

But a school dance? Knowing what sort of gossip would follow him – follow them both – during and afterwards?

Seto looked down at his hands before turning to her. “Let’s put it this way – if I knew that my refusal would make you throw yourself at McLaggen, I would have conceded.”

Hermione huffed. “I didn’t throw myself at him.”

“Then his account of your asking him is quite off.”

Hermione snorted and smoothed out her dress. “He’s…ugh. You know I haven’t had a word in edgewise this whole evening? I’ve been subjected to ‘1000’ – or however many – ‘Great Saves by Cormac McLaggen’, or ‘my relative is super influential in the Ministry of Magic, and I get to have summers with the Minister each year’. All he knows how to do is bolster his ego.”

Seto studied her appearance again. “You mean when he isn’t trying to eat you alive?”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

He gave her a pointed look. “You’re a mess.”

Hermione shook her head and turned away from him. “You sure know how to flatter a girl, don’t you?”

“It’s merely an obvious observation,” said Seto, and he paused. The next question on the tip of his tongue was an awkward one, to say the least, and he didn’t want to seem curious, because what Hermione chose to do on her date was her business, not his.

But McLaggen’s remarks in the common room definitely didn’t sit right with him. “Did you initiate all that?”

Hermione glanced upwards at the starry sky, and gave a sarcastic dry laugh. “As if I had any will of my own tonight. Well…maybe that’s not entirely true. I may have done the first mistletoe, but I swear, it was a peck. He’s started everything else. I certainly didn’t ask for…,” she gestured to herself, “…this.”

Seto’s jaw tensed. “Did you tell him to stop?”

Hermione rolled her eyes.

Seto’s narrowed dangerously.

“If I had known,” she began, “That my evening would turn into the sum of Ron and Lavender’s entire relationship, I would have rather gone by myself and stayed with Harry and Yugi and the others. I saw a peek of them at one of the tables when I rushed out of the Great Hall. It looked like Harry took Luna, but they were all sitting around having a good time.”

“You can go back and join them.”

Hermione shook her head, a little too quickly, and a few more strands of hair fell out of her bun. “I don’t want to see him in there. He’s probably looking for me. And I don’t really want to see Ron and Lavender joined at the face under mistletoe. I’ve had enough of those for a good several Christmases.”

Hermione’s stomach gave another gurgle and she turned beet red.

Seto raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t eaten?”

“Haven’t had the chance, really,” said Hermione bitterly. “I’ve been stuck on his arm the entire time, as he shuffled me around with his friends who are just as vile as he is. If we haven’t been with his friends, it’s been snogging, or in the middle of the crowd without being able to get away.” She sighed loudly, shoulders slumping, and ran her fingers along the edge of his coat. “This has just been a terrible evening.” With her other hand she wiped a stray tear from her eye. “It seems with nights like these, I can’t catch a break.”

“There you are, Granger!”

Hermione froze, clutching Seto’s coat tightly in her hand. Quickened footsteps approached from the opposite side of the fountain.

Seto leaned over and whispered in her ear. “You don’t have to go back with him, if you don’t want to. Make your voice heard, and if he won’t listen, make him.”

She swallowed, and nodded as Cormac McLaggen rounded the fountain. “I was wondering when –”

Seto glared at him.

Cormac looked between the two of them before his eyes set on Seto. “You. You’re not supposed to be here.”

Seto raised his eyebrows. “Oh. I wish someone told me ahead of time that I was to be tethered to Gryffindor Tower for the evening, so I wouldn’t have gone through the bother of dressing up.”

Hermione looked to Seto curiously as he got up from the fountain’s edge and gestured half-heartedly for his coat, noting he looked amused that she didn’t seem eager in the slightest to hand it back.

“Yeah, well, Hermione and I have a date,” said Cormac, holding his hand out to Hermione. “Come on, Roger and Don got a table that we can join.”

Hermione got up, but stepped around his outstretched arm. “Actually, Cormac,” she said, “I don’t feel so good. I think I’m going to head back to the common room early.”

She tried to move out of his reach, but he was faster, and pressed two fingers against her forehead. “You look flushed, probably from sitting out here all this time. What you need is a bite to eat. Let’s go.”

Hermione drew back from him, and at the same time caught a whiff of Seto’s cologne from his jacket. Her cheeks may have been pink, but it certainly wasn’t because of the winter evening.

“No,” she said fiercely, “Cormac, I really don’t want to go back inside the Great Hall.”

Cormac paused, and then nodded. “Okay. Fair enough. It is rather busy in there. I’ll bring you a plate out here.” He looked Seto up and down, sizing him up. “You can go now.”

“She’s got my jacket,” said Seto, lightly. “The last time I gave her something, she never returned it.”

Hermione’s cheeks went reddened even further. The Kaiba Corporation sweater she borrowed the other week during the last snowstorm was sitting on her bedside chair.

Cormac gestured, annoyed. “All right, Hermione give him back his coat so he’ll be on his way.”

“Sorry, it was just cold out here,” she muttered, but didn’t move to take it off.

Cormac waggled his eyebrows. “I’m sure we can find a way to keep warm.”

Hermione shook her head, visibly disgusted, and didn’t miss Seto’s eye twitch. “No, I’m sorry, Cormac, but I don’t think I’m going to stay for the evening. I’m going back upstairs.”

Cormac’s eyes narrowed, looked from her to Seto and back again, before he stepped closer to Seto now. “Are you stealing my date?”

“I’m not stealing anything,” Seto countered. “Perhaps if you treated your date better, she wouldn’t be uncomfortable around you.”

“Don’t be daft,” Cormac snarled, tugging Hermione back towards the Great Hall.

“Let go,” Hermione hissed, yanking out of his grip. “I’m not going back inside with you, Cormac.”

Whatever retort he was likely to make never came out. The instant he reached for her again, Seto stepped forward, but before he could say or do anything, Hermione had shot her arm out and slugged Cormac right in the jaw, knocking him backwards against the edge of the fountain.

Hermione glared at him. “Now, I’m leaving. If you follow me, I won’t hesitate to jinx you with every hex I know.”

She stormed off, leaving both of them at the fountain.

Cormac rubbed his jaw before getting back to his feet and right up into Seto’s face. They were near the same height, but Cormac was bulkier, and he attempted to use it to his advantage to try and make Seto squirm. “I don’t know what you said to her, but this isn’t over, Kaiba.”

Seto snorted. “I told her to stand up for herself. But you’re not worth my time, so this is over.” He clapped his hand hard on McLaggen’s shoulder, a vicious smirk on his face. “But no hard feelings, right?”

Hermione was on one of the steps leading back upstairs when he made it back inside, his coat still around her shoulders, a semi-triumphant smile on her face. “That felt good.”

Seto chuckled. “I bet. Come on.” He beckoned her down a side corridor, away from the steps leading in the main staircase chamber.

“Where are we going?”

“To get you something to eat, for one thing,” said Seto, “Considering you don’t feel like returning to the party.”

“It’s fine, really,” Hermione said quickly. “I can just as easily go back to the common room where there’s food. The night’s already ruined; I might as well turn in early.”

He led her down a set of stairs and towards a painting of a bowl of fruit. “Look, McLaggen is an idiot for sure, but you don’t have to let him destroy what’s left of your evening.”

Hermione shrugged as he began tickling the pear in the painting. “I don’t see what else there is to do.”

“Well,” Seto said shortly, “I didn’t get dressed up just to fall short of jinxing a moron in the courtyard. And I did say that I was going to keep you from making more terrible decisions.”

“Are you trying to tell me that going back upstairs is a terrible idea?”

Seto paused as the pear turned into a door handle, which swung open into the Kitchens. What was he even doing? He did his good deed of the year and got McLaggen away from Hermione (which she did well enough of on her own). They could have both just returned to Gryffindor Tower without any of this. She could turn in early, like she said, and he could return to work, and listen to Set’s irritated mood for leaving him stranded up there this entire time.

Instead, he was doing what – getting her food from the kitchens…and then? There was food back in the common room after all. To stop here first meant that he would be taking her somewhere else afterwards, right?

For someone who had five different contingency plans built into his dueling deck at any given time, he was doing an awful lot of improvising lately.

Dobby rushed forward to greet them as the other house elves stayed back, wary. It seemed they haven’t forgotten her prior attempts to free them during the TriWizard Tournament.

Hermione stayed back near the entrance to the Kitchens as Seto spoke quietly with Dobby. Off to the side, she could see Winky on a stool by a fireplace, staring down into the bottom of an empty Butterbeer bottle, her face pale.

She didn’t realize how long she was staring until Seto walked back up to her with a small basket of something hooked over his arm, and two of his travel mugs. She hadn’t the slightest idea where those came from. Dobby more than likely summoned them from the dormitory.

She followed him back out of the Kitchens and towards the Grand Staircases.

“…I’m sorry,” she said randomly. “I should have returned your sweatshirt ages ago. I didn’t mean to hoard it.”

Seto chuckled. “Keep it, I can get them easily.” He eyed the coat to his suit. “Now, that I would like back when the evening’s over.”

Hermione nodded.

She followed him all the way up past the seventh floor. “…The only thing up here is the Astronomy Tower.”

“I know.”

She raised an eyebrow. “We’re having dinner up there? It’s not quite appropriate, is it?”

“Well you won’t get accosted up here, will you?” said Seto. “I hope you weren’t too fond of the snow down there, because I’m not bothering to recreate it.” He handed her one of the travel mugs, stepped out onto one of the balconies used for classes, and conjured two chairs.

“A bit chilly up here,” she said, rubbing her arms. Hermione reached into the pocket of her dress, barely visible in the pleating, produced her wand and created her blue flame jar. “Engorgio.”

Seto watched the blue flames flicker. “You made one of those in my dorm once. I remember seeing it when I returned from Domino.”

Hermione nodded. “I suppose you can say it’s a specialty of mine.”

She reached into the basket. Dobby had prepared two plates of the food from the Great Hall, an assortment of meats and potatoes, with a smaller bowl of fruit at the bottom of the bin. Despite the cool air around them, the plates must have been charmed to keep the food warm.

Hermione peered at the mug. “Is that coffee?”

“Mine is,” said Seto, “You should have tea.”

She passed him a plate, and couldn’t help but blush as his fingers brushed hers, if only for a moment. “Thank you,” she said. “Really, you didn’t have to go through the trouble.”

Seto merely shrugged, and reached back for a fork left behind in the basket between them.

They ate in relative silence until most of their plates were gone.

“So…what now?” she asked, a smile on her face, “What other surprises do you have?”

Seto held his mug in both hands, keeping his fingers warm. It was cold up here, but his suit was at least layered. She needed his coat more than he did.

“I…haven’t made it that far,” Seto admitted, feeling rather awkward. He was truly running this night blind. Is this what it felt like to be Joey Wheeler in a duel? Making his moves on the fly and hope something pans out of it? What a terrible strategy. He’ll stick to his intricately-woven master plans any day.

Hermione looked around them. “Well…this is the Astronomy Tower. Have you taken any classes before?”

“Not particularly,” said Seto, “My education was rather streamlined. I know the basics, but have never taken a specific course on the subject.”

“Hm…”

“May I ask…what you two are doing all the way up here?” said a stern voice behind them.  Hermione jumped and twisted around to see Professor McGonagall in the doorway back into the corridor, arms crossed. Seto also got up.

“Oh, Professor!” Hermione squeaked.

“Escaping the crowd,” said Seto.

“Hm,” said Professor McGonagall, striding forward, “The ball is downstairs.”

“I know,” said Hermione, “but…”

“And I ought to have you sent back to Gryffindor Tower, Miss Granger, for attacking another student.”

Hermione paled.

“Or have house points taken. You know perfectly well violence is not tolerated.” Professor McGonagall gave them both a wry smile. “However, Professor Flitwick and I watched the debacle in the courtyard unfold, and it was his insistence that you gave a mean right hook that made me change my mind.”

Hermione looked to Seto and back, confused. “…Professor?”

“While the rest of the staff would prefer that all the students stay congregated down in the Great Hall this evening, Professor Umbridge didn’t make it a stipulation of the ball.” Professor McGonagall waved her wand, converting both of their chairs into a single lounge with a large blanket draped across the top. Another wave and the main telescope along the parapet wall shrunk down into a handheld sized one.

“Do remember that this evening’s curfew is 2am,” said Professor McGonagall, “I will assure Mr. Filch that the Astronomy Tower is empty so long as you leave for Gryffindor Tower on time. And do set the room right when you’re finished.”

“Yes Professor,” Hermione smiled, “Thank you.”

“Consider yourselves lucky Dolores Umbridge didn’t follow you two up here,” said Professor McGonagall, “Good evening.”

Hermione turned to Seto once Professor McGonagall had gone. “…What just happened?”

Seto looked to the chaise lounge in the middle of the open balcony and picked up the handheld telescope. “…I think you were about to teach me Astronomy.”

Hermione hesitated for a moment before joining him on the couch, drawing her legs up along the seat and leaning against him as he drew the warmed blanket – of course it was magically heated – around them.

She felt Seto reach into the pocket of his vest and pull out his phone. “W-what are you doing?”

Seto smirked. “Setting the alarm for 1am, because I really don’t want to find Umbridge waiting for us at the bottom of the Tower should we be late getting out of here.”

“Good plan,” Hermione said, snuggling into his side. She handed him the telescope. “So – what do you want to look at first?”

Seto passed the telescope back. “You’re the expert. You show me.”