#had to do this for the brain wormies

[poisonedfate]

bbc merlin - 04x02 The Darkest Hour II / 04x09 Lancelot du Lac

knew it reminded me of something

[bg-brainrot]

Would You Still Love Me? (Astarion x Tav)

Featuring: Astarion x Rogue!Tav

Series: Fits into Love at First Knife, AO3 link here

Summary: When you ask the question, 'would you still love me if I were a worm?' Astarion's response surprises you in more ways than one.

Tags: POV Second Person, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Fluff, silly goofy mood, act 3 unascended Astarion

Word count: ~1.7k

--

You’re chatting with Astarion over dinner at the Elfsong when a question strikes you. It’s an odd one, and you’re not sure if you should ask it. Your curiosity builds as you consider Astarion’s possible answers though and, by the next lull in conversation, you can’t help yourself.

“Astarion?” you ask, spearing a potato on your plate.

The vampire swirls his wine glass, watching the red liquid fall into place before answering, “Yes, dear?” 

“Would you still love me if I were a worm?” The question spills out of you, sounding even sillier than it did in your head.

Your lover blinks at you, as if he couldn’t possibly have heard that properly. But when your expression doesn’t change, your eye contact doesn’t drop, no admission of jest is to be seen, he finally says, “Darling, what kind of ludicrous question is that?”

“Well, would you?” you counter, pointing at him with your fork before popping the potato in your mouth.

His face grows pensive as he thinks. It’s a few seconds later before he asks a follow up question, “What type of worm?”

You finish chewing as you think of the worms you know. Not many admittedly– life in the city meant that free patches of earth are few and far between. So you answer the only worm that truly comes to mind, “The earthworm kind.”

“And I would know that it’s you?” he asks, leaning forward now. It seems like he’s invested in the question now, despite his initial reaction.

You nod, as if that’s a given. “Yes, you saw me transform.”

“Hells, I was hoping I could pretend not to know,” he says with a smirk. 

“Wicked man,” you retort, shooting him a responding smile.

Astarion’s face looks thoughtful again as he considers the developing situation. “Could I turn you back?”

Now you shake your head vehemently. What use was the exercise if magic would fix you? “No, nothing could turn me back. I’m simply a worm from now on.”

“Hmm, and are you certain that you would love me?” He raises an eyebrow at you in challenge, as if he’s cornered you in your own mischievous little game.

“Of course,” you answer immediately. “I don’t think my little worm brain would be able to think of much else.”

“How sweet… I think,” he says, cocking his head. You suppose it is, though you had meant it as fact. “Well then, one final question, if you would?”

You nod, gesturing for him to continue with your fork. “Go ahead, I’m an open book. Or worm, in this case.”

“How long do worms live?”

You blink, having not expected such a question from him– and truthfully also due to not knowing the answer. “I don’t know. Maybe Halsin would?”

Astarion locates the druid, sitting a few tables away talking to Wyll and Karlach. He raises his voice to be overheard in the din of the tavern. “Halsin, be a dear, how long do earthworms live?”

“A fantastic question, Astarion!” The druid’s voice carries easily with excitement. “It truly depends on the conditions of the worm, but anywhere from a few years up to eight years.”

You balk at that fact. A worm can live how long?

“I’m happy to tell you all about ideal soil conditions–”

Astarion cuts the man off with a loud, “Thank you!” Then he turns back to you. “Well, there you have it.”

“Have what?” you ask in response, confused at the turn in conversation.

“You would live at most eight years. I’m immortal, my love. I think I can manage less than a decade of loving a worm,” he says, rolling his eyes at you.

You’re not sure how to take the casual way that he speaks of your impending wormy death, but you find it oddly comforting to know that he would in fact still love you. You honestly hadn't expected that. “So you’d keep me around? Made sure I stayed healthy and safe?”

He nods, as if it’s the easiest thing in the world. “Naturally.”

You can’t help but laugh at the idea of him keeping you as a pet worm. It seems almost unbelievable. “You wouldn’t throw me into the nearest patch of dirt? Or worse yet, let a bird take me?”

“Gods below, dear,” Astarion responds, aghast, putting a hand over his heart as if he’s been truly, deeply offended. “I would never.” Then he gets a far off look in his eyes and adds, “Well, maybe never. I suppose it depends on if I needed you as bait. But I’m certain I would be able to rescue you after the fact.”

“I would allow it,” you say, with a short nod. “If you’re using me as bait, it’s likely for good reason.”

"And after you pass? I would miss you terribly of course," he says solemnly, with his most maudlin, tragic expression.

"You'd better. And I expect the best soil for my burial," you say, pointing your fork at him threateningly.

“Of course, darling,” he says, only the hint of his smile visible from behind his wine glass. He takes a sip and looks at you again. “Now, why would you ask such a thing?”

You shrug, entirely convinced it was just a passing thought. But, as you poke and prod at your food, you find yourself answering, “I don’t know. What if, before this all ends, something happens to me. I already come with my own scars and problems, gods know how much worse it can get.”

Astarion stares at you over his wine glass, processing what you've just said before responding, "My love, believe it or not, I'm a vampire. I have 'scars and problems' of my own. If you think that anything could happen to you that I wouldn't be able to handle, you'd be sorely mistaken."

You hadn't expected him to say such words so sincerely, and you find yourself a bit taken aback. You love each other, you'd said as much on the night Astarion had been freed from Cazador, but it still feels a bit intimidating to know how deep that love could run. Apparently earthworm deep.

The idea that this man, who would rather bathe in blood than touch an inch of dirt, would continue to love you? Well, despite the inane premise, you find the warmth in your heart to feel very real.

"What about you, darling?" he asks, pulling you out of your thoughts. "If I were to become a worm, what would you do?"

You answer quickly, "Easy. I would still love you, probably keep you on my person, and offer you blood or other sustenance when you need it."

Astarion looks at you aghast. "Sweet hells, do not put me in your pocket."

"And why not? I would be extremely careful, and then I would never lose you," you respond, explaining yourself logically. "Besides, even as a worm, who knows what kind of trouble you'd get yourself into."

"I should be saying that to you," he says, placing his wine glass on the table, serious now. "I can't believe you would put me in danger like that. I fully expect you to place me somewhere nice, like the lawn of some pampered Upper City noble."

You think about his proposition for a second before shaking your head. "But then I couldn't take care of you. What if you get stepped on?"

Astarion considers your counterargument with narrowed eyes. “Ugh, fine. I shall stay in your pocket. But I expect you to clean it regularly. And I demand that you get a new lining for it. Silk, preferably.”

“Easy enough to do,” you say, nodding along. “You would be most comfortable worm this side of the Chionthar.”

At that, the man looks pleased, picks his wine glass back up, and reclines back in his seat. “Good. And, for what it’s worth, I'm sure you would make a very cute worm.”

You’re not sure if that’s meant to be a compliment or an insult, but you suspect it’s the former. “Thank you,” you say, smiling at your lover. “You would make a dashing worm yourself.”

“Are you both expecting to turn into worms any time soon?” you hear from behind you. You turn around to see Halsin standing tall over you. His tone is friendly, warm as he continues, “I would be happy to take care of either of you.”

You can’t help the blush of embarrassment that comes over your face. You’re also not sure how to take the words. Is he asking to adopt you both, as worms? Gods, how did you end up here… So you look back to Astarion who is now shooting you a look that says, Now look what you’ve done.

“Err, no Halsin. It was just an odd little conversation we were having. Sorry to cause you any confusion.”

“No need to apologize, my friend,” he replies. “Though if you ever do need help, you know where to find me.” He gives you both an affectionate smile before heading off. 

While it’s nice to know that others would care enough to take care of you as a worm, you’d meant the question to be solely for Astarion. You’re left burying your face in your hands to hide your shame.

“So, darling… what did we learn?”

“To never ask Halsin about earthworms,” you mumble through your fingers.

Astarion gives you a ‘tsk’ before responding. “No, my dear. If either of us turns into a worm, we must hide that fact from Halsin." He scrunches his nose in distaste before continuing, "I refuse to live in whatever healthy soil he’s found for us.”

You snort at Astarion’s conclusion, but still find yourself agreeing. “Fair enough. Better yet, let’s try to keep ourselves at the very least bipedal.” The two of you share a laugh, but in the back of your mind you’re already thinking of your next question. I wonder if he would still love me if I were a mimic? I suppose there’s only one way to find out.

[shadowbriar]

Sirius Black - Sweet Rubbish

Pairing : (F/M) || Sirius Black x Reader Word Count : 5.2k Warning : I don’t know, nothing I suppose. Synopsis : Their game of love hate pretend has to put to halt as Sirius gazed into the crystal ball. Notes : Post number 1 for my 7-days post celebration. If you like this story and would like to support me, please visit my kofi page and perhaps get me a coffee?☕

“Divination is rubbish.”

Sirius whines as he drags his feet to the class, spiteful mumbles escaping his lips with every step closer to the dreadful lesson. He loathes Divination class, to say the least. Other than the fact that the Professor always rambles about nonsense Sirius could never comprehend, sharing the hour with her irks him to the bone.

“Just because your pea-sized brain couldn't compute the knowledge given does not mean the class is rubbish, Black.”

Sirius sent dagger eyes at the girl who now walks past him with her head held high. There is no unit in this entire universe that could measure the level of hatred he has for her. She's the bane to his existence. Not a day passed without him seeing her face and wanting to take out his wand to mess her beautifully combed hair or to hex her to trip from her graceful walk. Pity she is the way that she is. He would have admitted she's magnetising if she wasn't.

“Didn't your parents ever teach you that it is improper to reply to someone when they weren't talking to you in the first place?”

“You were yelling for the whole corridor to hear, I was only doing it out of pity from the lack of feedback. Even your friends look like they've had enough of your moans.” She replies, stopping her pace to turn at him with an unamused smile “You're not denying your pea-sized brain, then?”

“My brain isn't pea-sized, it's huge! Humongous even!”

“Of course it is.”

With another toxic laced smile, she turns away and continues her journey to the class. A complete contrast to the sulking boy, she seems to be in her best mood today. Divination has always been one of the many classes she excels at. She has a clever mind and witty brain, complementing her charming personality. Just another trait of hers Sirius detests.

“One way or another I will rip off that ever so brilliant smile off of her face.”

James scoffs, “Right, mate.”

“What was that?” Sirius turns to his friends, looking incredibly offended at the unamused expressions his friends were showing “Why don’t any of you ever believe it when I express my despise to that girl?”

“Because you’re all bark and no bite, Pads.” Remus chimes “You’ve hated her since you first laid eyes on her yet you never did anything. You even got mad at Wormy for accidentally pranking her back in 3rd year.”

“Indeed,” Nods Peter, looking rather pissed at the flashback of Sirius’ overdramatic anger at him a couple years back “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re secretly in love with her.”

“Me? In love with her?” He asks with a bewildered expression “I’d rather drown by the Black Lake than to ever imagine being in love with her.”

“If you say so, Pads.” James says, patting on his best friends’ shoulder as if he understands the underlying message Sirius was implying “If you say so.”

—-

Sirius stares blankly at the Professor’s face. His mind wanders elsewhere, completely detached to his surroundings. From the corner of his eyes, he could see her sitting just a few tables below him on the right. Her posture was straight as always, complete focus and attention poured to the lesson taught. Her house coloured headband glimmers under the light of the class, enhancing the beauty of her hair. Sirius has imagined running his finger through the soft strands of her hair every once in a while, wondering what scent her shampoo would be but he would rather be jinxed with the cruciatus curse than to ever admit it aloud.

He doesn’t love her. No, love is the complete opposite of the emotions he holds for her. Sirius hates her, loathes her in fact. He couldn’t pinpoint the fundamental reasoning behind his strong abhorrence for her, he just does. Perhaps the fact that she’s too good at everything, or that she’s genuinely loved by everyone including his best friends, or that she’s simply too perfect of a girl to ever be real. 

Perhaps the idea of someone being too perfect that he couldn’t ever dream of being deserving of her, makes him hate her.

“This is horse shit.” James mumbles. The bespectacled boy then turns to the thick textbook laying on their table, skipping through the pages to find any interesting rituals they could do to fill in the time “Pads, do you want to see your future?”

Sirius glanced at James, confusion filling in his eyes, “What do you mean?”

“This,” James points at a spell on the Crystal Ball reading chapter “Looks a lot more fun than whatever mambo-jumbo the professor’s talking about, doesn't it?”

“Looks like another lark, that is.”

James rolled his eyes, “Shut up and stare at the ball. I’ll say the spell and you tell me what you see, alright?”

Sirius huffs, clearly wanting no part but hearing the Professor’s lecture for another minute would certainly burst his brain out. Reluctantly, he stares at the crystal ball with a hand supporting his chin. A small frown decorating his face. James’ whisper of the spell begins to enter his eardrums, making the slightest flame of intrigue and curiosity spark in his chest.

The once cleared crystal ball now turns cloudy, some kind of mist begins to pollute the inside of it. Sirius brows furrow, completely taken aback by the effect happening. He certainly didn’t expect James’ mispronunciation of the latin spell to work, yet here they are.

“What do you see?” James asked.

“Nothing yet,” He answers “Just some ugly grey fog.”

“Look harder!”

“I’m trying!”

And as if on cue, Sirius begins to see some sort of vision. He wasn’t even sure if it was truly happening or was his brain just playing tricks with him, but either way the grey mist now turns into shapes, slowly forming what seems to be a ceremonial venue. There were chairs lining up in front of him with flowers decorating them. He was wearing a suit, the most elegant suit he’s ever worn and there have been plenty of dress robes he’s worn in his life yet nothing compares to the grandeur of the one he’s wearing at the moment. He looks to his side, noticing the mists that now become James, Remus, Peter, and Regulus standing a couple metres away from him.

His gaze now averted to where the rose petaled aisle ends. A woman was standing with her bouquet of flowers in her hand. Her beautiful silk dress sweeps the floor as she takes the first steps closer to him. Her face was still blurred, as if the mist was still trying to craft the person’s face. A small smile now tugs on the corner of Sirius’ lips, feeling proud and content of the setting he’s in. Whoever this person is, it pleases Sirius to know that the crystal ball predicted a pleasant romance in his future.

The vision felt real now as Sirius’ heart began to palpitate, feeling the warmth of her gloved hands as it reached for his. His smile grows wider, cheeks warm from the fulfilment. It no longer feels like he was watching a prophecy, no, it feels more like he was in the scene, slowly occupying the body that is now reciting the vows the priest was saying. The feeling only gets more intense as he finally shares the kiss with his bride. He swears he could feel her soft lips on his, the hint of cherry from her lip gloss and her warm heavy breathing on his skin. It feels too real to be just a forecast.

After what seems to be the shortest forever, they finally pull away. She was smiling, her warm eyes gazing back at him with love and admiration. Her features were soft, much more beautiful than how he always thought now that he no longer had to deny the beauty of his wife. She giggles, calling his name

“Sirius!” James silently yelled, nudging his best friend with an annoyed expression “You completely ignored me for the last five minutes!”

Sirius blinks, trying to comprehend his reality.

“You were gone,” His best friend continued “What happened? What did you see?”

The raven haired boy cleared his throat, “Nothing. I– Uh– I saw nothing.”

“Bullshit, you definitely saw something.” James scoffs “Your cheeks are red!”

“I didn’t see anything, alright!” Sirius defends with more persistence “Must be because of your shitty pronunciation or something, I don’t know!”

James frowns, muttering his confusion on how his spell fails when it wasn’t the most tongue-twisting one he’s done before. Sure he wasn’t the most brilliant out of them four with charms, but he was still better than most and nailing a spell in the first trial wasn’t a new thing for James. He wanted to argue more about the hunch he has that Sirius was lying but the boy looks like he’s seen a ghost. Perhaps the spell did work and the vision Sirius had was just something he’s not ready to talk about. Whatever it is, James has made it his mission to find out, be it today or tomorrow.

—-

The next couple of days the strange behaviour Sirius tries his best to hide is becoming more and more visible. He would skip his meals and turn the other way when she was around. Even when she was busy with her group of friends and completely unaware of his presence, Sirius would still avoid her like the plague. He would exchange seats in classes he shares with her, occupying the furthest spot from her and blocking his view physically from her.

And such action didn’t go unnoticed for too long.

“Have you been sick or did the dementors kidnap you, Black?” She mused, taking a seat opposite of him and next to Remus “I haven’t seen you lately.”

Sirius gulps, completely frozen in his seat.

“Morning, Love.” Remus greets her “He’s been avoiding everyone, don’t take it personally.”

“Has he? Here I thought I was a special someone to be receiving such treatment.”

“He’s been acting strange since divination class,” James says as he swallowed the bits of food in his mouth “We were fooling around and tried to read his future through the crystal ball and– Oof! What was that for?”

James yelped at the sudden nudge to his rib. Sirius glares at him, sending him a death threat.

“Really? I thought you said Divination is rubbish, Sirius.” She teased, her playful smile decorating her face “What did you see? Anything interesting?”

Sirius lowers his gaze to his plate of food, not daring to spend another second staring at her face. His skin feels warm, like the temperature somehow raised a couple degrees and he’s the only one boiled. 

The lack of response from him somehow twisted a knife she didn’t know was stabbing her heart. It was evident that he was avoiding her, for whatever reason he might have. His silent treatment now only proves the effort he’s made to keep his distance that she so hard convinced herself was nothing more than a mere illusion. Sirius, as loud and apparent as his claims of vexation for her all these years, still holds a soft spot and that their love-hate relationship was nothing more than a silly game of pretend. Perhaps she was wrong all along.

“Well, I’ve got to go,” She fakes a chirpy persona, taking his mute to be her cue to leave “I’ll see you gentlemen around.”

As if a splinter’s been taken off of his toe, Sirius lets out a relieved sigh once she leaves their table. The audible huff made his friends raise their brows high, completely lost at the charade he’s playing. The two would always bicker, picking fights and arguments over the slightest most trivial matters that more often than not the boys would wish that they could hex the two with some stunning spell. Yet for the first time in their lives, they’re left wondering why Sirius would zip his mouth shut in her presence.

“What?” Sirius asks, noticing the questioning eyes glued on him.

“Do you really expect us to look past the fact that you didn’t spare her a word for the first time in your life?” Peter asks, fully suspicious of his friend’s antics “Are you ill, Padfoot?”

James whines, “Come on, mate, tell us what you saw on that crystal ball.”

“I saw nothing, Prongs.” Sirius says with a more stern tone “And I’m not ill, Wormy.”

“Well you’re certainly not straight in the head.”

“Oh yeah, Moony? And what makes you say that?”

Remus shrugs, “You’ve been acting strange for days and now that she’s here you’re completely ignoring her. Did she break your heart or something?”

“No, no she didn’t.” Sirius fidgets, tapping on his cheek as he looks at Remus accusingly “Say, when you call her ‘Love’, do you just– You know, casually call girls that or do you mean it like.. I don’t know.. Like my Love kind of thing?”

Remus turned to James with a baffled expression while Peter now had his jaw hang low. The three boys are now whisked deeper into the maze, trying to decipher Sirius’ true intention. He was never as cryptic and never held secrets from the boys before, always been the most open and true to others yet he’s acting like a completely different person now.

“Oh Merlin, is that what you see?” James asks with a shocked tone “Moony and her? Did you see them snog each other?”

“What? No!”

“That wouldn’t make sense, Prongs. If Moony was snogging her then it should be Moony who’s seeing the prophecy, not Padfoot.” Peter comments, slowly understanding the riddle as the smirk grows on his face “Did you see your future with her, Pads?”

Sirius cheeks heat up, shaking his head vigorously, “No.”

“You totally did, you tosser!” Remus points out with a victorious smile “You actually saw a future with her, didn’t you?!”

Sirius buries his face to his palm, trying to cover his now crimson face.

“You are so pathetic, Pads.” James laughed, completely entertained by the sight in front of him “All these years expressing your disdain for her only to have the universe pairing you two all along.”

“I don’t know Prongs, he’s always been in love with her for me.” Remus pours more salt “He’s just too embarrassed to admit it.”

Peter chuckles, circling his arm around Sirius’ shoulder to make him come out of his shell, “So what exactly did you see, Padfoot?”

—-

Coming clean to the boys only made Sirius more conscious. They have been acting as persisting bees in his head, lecturing him non stop and urging him to let go of the cat and mouse game and just come forward with his feelings. Crystal gazing is one of the most conceivable forms of divination, as Remus notes, yet the chance of the prophecy being false was never zero. No kind of divination is 100% false proof and Sirius still couldn’t tell if the vision he saw was a true prediction of his future or was it just a manifestation of his deep desire for her.

And if all this hype was caused by the latter, Sirius wouldn’t know how to survive from the heartbreak.

So now he finds himself walking to the other side of the castle, taking small steps as he climbs the stairs to the Divination class. He has to see the prophecy once more, make sure that the spell James uttered that day was right and that the crystal ball was truly predicting his future with her. He needs to know that his head wasn’t playing tricks with him just because he’s been turning deaf to what his heart has been yearning for all these years.

Coming inside the class, Sirius' pace was put to halt when he spotted her, sitting on her usual table as she gazed into the crystal ball. She looks up to him, probably hearing the sound of the creaking wooden floor when he enters and flashes him a smile, looking surprised to see him yet appreciative at the same time.

“Sirius,” She calls with a pleasant tone “What a surprise.”

He gulps, “I– Uh, I think I left my textbook here.”

“Did you? I think the Professor stacks the left textbooks on that corner, perhaps you’ll find yours there.” She points at a cupboard, seemingly buying the lie Sirius came up with.

“What are you doing here?”

“Crystal gazing.” She answers “Would you like to join?”

Sirius hesitated but found himself sitting next to her, heart pounding loud inside his chest from the close space. Sure it wasn’t the first time they sat next to each other, but it certainly is the first time they’re together with no other soul present. This is the first time they act civil, if not friendly, to each other. This is the first time, after seeing their wedding prophecy, they’re at each other’s company.

“Should we see yours or my prophecy?”

“Yours.” Sirius answers.

“You’d like to see mine?”

“Can we do that?” He asks, completely oblivious of the topic “When I tried it with James he couldn’t see my prophecy.”

“Well, I am not James, am I?”

Sirius smiles.

“Put your hand just above the ball.. Yeah, just like that,” She instructed him, utterly unaware of the nervous havoc Sirius was feeling when she touched his hand and positioned it above the ball “Are you ready?”

He nods.

She begins to cast the spell, something similar to the one James uttered but this one was lengthier. Like she knew a different, more advanced, spell to use for their fortune telling ritual. Sirius' eyes now travels from her to the crystal ball, trying to see what her prophecy would be.

The clear ball slowly turns misty, just like when he did the gazing with James. He could see the Great Hall forming, with its long tables now exchanged with seats filled with who seemed to be graduating students. He could see her, sitting among these students with her eyes glued to the podium where he was shaking Dumbledore’s hand. He could see himself, jogging back to the empty seat next to her with a big bright smile, pulling her close to his embrace once he reached her and sealing her lips with his.

The vision was short. Much shorter than the one he saw with James but the intensity was just the same. He could practically feel her lips on his, the pressure of her body as he pulled her close, and the sweet scent of her perfume that he has just now learned much lighter than a fine spring breeze. It was too real to ever just be a vision.

He looks up to her, noticing her lack of expression, “You don’t look disgusted.”

“Why would I be disgusted?”

“I kissed you,” Sirius says with an unsure tone “You saw that too, didn’t you? Or was that just me?”

She narrows her eyes, “What are you talking about?”

Sirius turns pale, gulping at the fact that he just blurted out what he saw.

He opens his mouth, only to close it again in the lack of words. His brain stopped functioning at the very time he needed to explain something to her. His blood turns cold, scared to death that he’s making it awkward between them but before he could actually pass out, she lets out a heartfelt laughter.

“Merlin, you’re so pale right now!” She says between her laughter “I’m only joking, Black. I know.”

He raised an eyebrow, “You know?”

“Yeah, I know.” She affirms with a nod, resting her hand under her chin as she watches him intently “This isn’t the first prophecy I have that involves you in it.”

“It wasn’t?”

“Nope. I had one too many about you, if I’m being honest.”

“Did you?”

“Yes,” She answers with a smile “Are you going to continue with your two worded question? I mean it’s cute, but certainly out of character from the typical Sirius Black.”

Sirius’ cheeks turn red, turning silent this time.

The glee from her face waters down fast, noticing the silence she’s caused between them. If he didn’t know better, Sirius would’ve sworn that he saw a glimmer of disappointment and heartbreak in her eyes, but why would she feel such feelings, right?

“I– Uh– I just remembered I have this thing to do,” She says abruptly as she she stood from her seat, evidently trying to flee from the situation and packing her belongings “I hope you’ll find your textbook, Sirius.”

And with that, she left.

—-

To say that he feels horrible from how their encounter ended would be an understatement. Something about her departure feels off, like he just did a grave mistake he wasn’t sure what about. The way her smile dilutes and the dimmed glint of spark in her eyes as she left haunts him.

He tries to recall the last moments before disaster strikes. He couldn’t look past the strangeness of how she called him cute one moment and bolted out the door the next. What went wrong?

“Someone’s pinching your bird,” James coos.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, “Meaning?”

“We just saw Lucius asking your girl for a Hogsmeade date.” Remus adds, taking a seat next to him “She didn’t say yes, though. Wait, did she or did she not? I’m not sure, we left before she could give an answer but I’m betting she said no.”

“I bet 5 galleons she said yes.”

“Wormtail!” Sirius says with a pure betrayed expression “I thought you were on my side!”

“I was, but you’re slacking mate.” Peter reasoned with a shrug “Whatever issue you think you have with her is certainly more important to you than the prophecy you’ve seen before your own eyes. I don’t know what else to tell you.”

“I’m with Wormy,” James nods “I bet she says yes to ugly snobby Lucius.”

Sirius lets out a gasp, completely surprised at his friends’ betrayal.

“You know what, maybe you’re right. Maybe she said yes.”

“Moony!”

Remus shrugs.

“She said no.” Sirius says with confidence, firmly “She said no, you wanna know why? Because she too saw her prophecies with me. Yeah, prophecies, meaning multiple times. Loads of times. She saw her future with me so she would not say yes to Lucius’ invite.”

The boys look at each other, confused and surprised at the new information dropped.

“I don’t know mate, it seems like she said yes.”

Sirius turns his sight to the direction James was pointing at. There they were, her and Lucius entering the Great Hall with what seems to be the most intriguing conversation ever. She was smiling, her cheeks red from all the laughter. Her eyes were glued on Lucius, as if no one else were present in the room, as if Sirius wasn’t in the room.

Jealousy was never in his dictionary but for the first time in his life, Sirius has never ever wanted to pluck someone and hex them to disintegrate until now. Exactly what can a guy as arrogant and grim as Lucius say to make her laugh like that? No one should deserve to see her bright smile and hear her melodious laughter. No one but him.

“Better work your way soon, Padfoot.” Remus comments “Or else your vision would turn into nothing more than a mere fantasy.”

—-

“Wait, wait!” Sirius shouts as he runs, trying to catch her before she vanishes again “Wait!”

She turns, looking surprised to see the boy with sweat laced skin coming to her. His hair was dishevelled, not that Sirius ever combed it neatly, but much more messy than the usual. He looks as if he’s run through every corner of the castle, trying to find her.

And in reality, he did.

“Black,” She calls, hands folding in front of her chest “Can I help you?”

“Yes,” He nods, catching his breath “Tell me you did not say yes to Lucius’ invite.”

She blinks, looking completely appalled at his request.

“My friends told me Lucius asked you for a date. Please tell me you said no to him.”

A frown forms on her face, “Why do you care what I said to him?”

“Well you’re my future, aren’t you? Of course I care about what you said to him.” Sirius reasoned “Now will you please release me from this torment and just say that you said no to him.”

She stares at him as if he’s grown an extra head. Sirius could feel his feet cold, shrinking down under her gaze. There’s nothing he wished he could do more than to read her mind right now. Something went wrong that day, Sirius knows it he can feel it, he just doesn’t know what it is and he fears that it would only be the gasoline to the supposedly budding romance between her and others.

“I don’t get you, Sirius.” She begins with a disappointed tone “First you act like you didn’t want me to be your future and yet now that someone asks me to be their date, you suddenly want me? How is that fair?”

“Wait, what?” He asked, appalled “When did I ever say I don’t want you to be my future?”

“You’ve been ignoring me ever since you saw that prophecy with James, whatever it may be about, and you went silent when I told you that I know about our prophecies.” She reasoned, her nostrils flaring from the vexation she could finally burst in “It's pretty clear to me that you don’t want me to be in your future.”

“You– You think I was avoiding you because I didn’t want you to be my future?”

“I don’t know, do you have any better explanation than that?”

“Yes,” He answers, only to shake his head the next minute “I mean, no, but–”

Sirius runs his hand through his hair, looking visibly frustrated at the misunderstanding they somehow got entangled in. He looks at her, who's still waiting for his explanation, and flashes her a sad smile. He was never good with words, not at crucial moments like this, but he knew that if he didn’t try tonight, he might as well say goodbye to the prophecies that have turned into the dreams he’s seeing every night in his sleep now.

“Do you even remember when we started to be so hostile to each other?” He asks gently.

She shakes her head, unsure on where the conversation is being directed to.

“I don’t either but I’ve always known why I could never be friendly with you.”

She gulps, asking with a voice barely above a whisper, “Why?”

“Because I don’t believe that someone as perfect as you exists in this world. I just can’t.” He confessed, a shameful smile shown on his face “I just couldn’t believe that someone as smart, as lovely, and as beautiful as you is real and I don’t think anyone is deserving of that. Even for someone as narcissistic as I am.”

“As you are?”

“Especially as I am.” He repeats “And I thought, if I couldn’t love you I should just hate you. Maybe that would water down the affection I have for you over the years and I have been doing just fine with denying my feelings for you until James stupidly made me gaze into that stupid crystal and I saw it. I saw us.”

Her facial expression softens, yielding to the sweet words he’s uttering, “What did you see?”

“I saw you walking down the aisle.”

She smiles.

“And I was there.” He continues “As the groom, if that wasn’t clear in the first place.”

A laughter broke from her lips, easing Sirius’ mind that he could finally diffuse the tension.

“You were beautiful in white.” He adds, eyes full of love and affection “And I can’t wait to finally be on that day so please, for the sake of my pathetic tottering heart, please tell me that you said no to Lucius.”

She begins to sniffle as the beads of tears that were decorating her tears started to fall. Her eyes were still glued on him, watching him as if he was the one thing she ever asked the universe to give and have finally been granted of it. Her shoulders were relaxed yet no matter how beautiful the sight he’s seeing right now, Sirius still couldn’t find peace until she gave him her assurance.

“Please tell me those are happy tears and not because you said yes to Lucius.”

“Oh, bloody hell, can we please stop talking about him? You’re ruining our moment!”

“Well I can’t really enjoy our moment with the possibility of you going on a date with someone else still hanging now, can I?!”

“Are we seriously arguing right now?”

“I don’t want to but it just feels so natural to argue with you.” Sirius huffs “So did you or did you not agree to his date, woman?”

“I did not.” She finally says, mirroring his exasperated expression “Happy now?”

“Very.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“You are very annoying, do you know that?” Sirius asks, his brows still furrow in irritation.

“No, not really. Must have slipped off my mind, just like every other million times you utter it.” She says with her hands now resting on her hips “Is that all?”

Sirius raised an eyebrow, “How do you mean?”

“Well did you look for me just to ask if I said yes to Lucius? Or do you have something else you wanted to do with me other than confessing your, as you claim, pathetic tottering heart?”

Sirius opens his mouth, taking full offence at her mocking of his confession, but her question birthed a new urge in his heart. He’s confessed to her and she has accepted it, so it seems, would it be proper for him now to ask for a kiss? Would it be a proper time for him to ask for them to seal their future romantic endeavours?

His cheeks begin to turn rosy at the thought of finally kissing her. The emotions from the prophecies start to fill his chest, now feeling much less satisfying than how they used to. With her standing in front of him now and giving him the same heart eyes, the image of them kissing now could barely mean a thing as the possibility that such a pleasant gesture could happen any time soon. And he prays to whoever deity up there that it would happen sooner than later.

“So? Do you really just want to confess?” She asks, giving him hints now that she too wanted the delightful image to come to reality “Oh, for Merlin’s sake, Sirius, don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now.”

“You just never know when to shut up, do you?”

With that, Sirius takes his bold steps to her, finally sealing their lips together. He could feel his soul bursting in flames, melting into one with her. He never knew that he was so deprived of such fortune until he finally tastes her, until he finally feels his body pressed into his, until he finally has her.

“Do you still think Divination’s rubbish now?”

“Still rubbish,” He answers between their kisses “Sweet rubbish.”

[my-castles-crumbling]

Prank Wars

Submission 1 for Wolfstar Bingo! - Rating: T - No warnings - Word Count: 595 - AO3 link

When asked later on, James couldn't really explain how things got this bad. It had started innocently enough- a bit of food thrown at dinner, a funny note sent in class. They'd never pranked each other before. Early on in their friendship, it had been mutually-agreed-upon that their skills were best used as an unstoppable team, rather than splitting up their unique abilities to end up in civil war. Strength in numbers, and all that.

But the tension between Sirius and Remus had reached horrifying heights, and somehow, the two had ended up in an all-out war. James and Peter both struggled to stay out of it, only because they were both too terrified to take sides, and if they were honest, it was much more entertaining to watch from afar.

From James's point of view, Remus and Sirius were evenly matched. Remus was smart. He had brilliant ideas and was skilled at all forms of magic. But he lacked nerve and, of lack of a better word, the utter balls to go overboard.

That, of course, was what Sirius had in excess. Sirius acted first and thought later, which resulted in many situations that caused James to almost piss himself laughing.

Of course, the whole thing was caused by the fact that neither would admit that all of their underlying irritation and anger toward the other was caused by feelings and tension that had been building since September 1st of their first year. James and Peter both had lamented to each other that the way Moony and Padfoot both looked at each other was disgusting, and the sooner the two came to their senses, the better.

It turned out that it was the pranks that did it.

On one random Wednesday evening, Sirius decided it was a genius idea to charm the shower to spray some sort of questionable goo out of the spout, right before Remus showered. This went flawlessly, right up until a very angry Remus tried to fix the showerhead and the whole thing fell off. So, Remus, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist stomped out of the bathroom, goo cascading down his bare chest and a furious expression on his face.

But, rather than be scared, Sirius was very distracted.

Because up until that point, Remus had been quite shy about his body. None of them had made a big deal of it. They knew of his scars and his desire to hide them, so even though they'd all caught glances, they didn't push him to walk around shirtless like they did. He swam with a t-shirt and changed in the bathroom and that was that.

So this was the first time Sirius had gotten a good look. And from what James could tell, he had quite forgotten how to use his brain. All of his blood had gone...elsewhere.

"Erm, Pads? Help Remus fix the shower, yeah?" James judged him, trying to shock him out of his gaping.

But Sirius, who had turned bright red, was only able to mumble, "Fucking- fuck," under his breath before following a now-quiet Remus into the bathroom.

At first James was nervous that Remus would take Sirius's staring the wrong way. But suddenly, he heard a small thump and a suspicious moan that he was sure he was not supposed to hear.

"C'mon, Wormy, let's go!" he shouted quickly, pulling his friend out of the room just as another moan was heard through the bathroom door.

He figured his friends could finally figure out what to do from here.

[alessiamalfoyzabini]

Vampire's Kiss | Chapter Three

Pairing | Vampire!Jungkook x Reader

Word Count | 4,4k

Warnings | +18, trouble for MC is not over, use of a dating app to look for someone, Jungkook is absolutely cute and sexy, kisses, fluff

⤷ Summary | Humans have finally unveiled and accepted the centuries-old existence of vampires, in a modern world people share their lives with these peculiar and mysterious creatures, but it is not all roses.

Will two souls belonging to such different species be able to be together?

➢ Author's Note | Hi, guys! ❤️

I apologize to all of you who have waited so long for chapter third to arrive, I'm really sorry, but life has been really hectic and I'm also working on many other stories, so I hope you enjoy the chapter now 😭💕

Let me know what you think, I always love your comments ❤️

Taglist: @katherine-kookie @peterstarkchrishiddleston @reallygenerouskoala @btsuga-d @angelicsmilesworld @jimincrystal @velvet-stardust2002 @ke1k029 @kylafox09 @pantara @takemeaway5402

Chapter List - Previous - Next

You're going to kill Park Jimin.

It's been a whole week since that party and you're still spinning in your head his words, which had the effect of making you even more depressed.

“In truth ... they specifically told me that they don't believe our relationship, they will only believe it when we go to their house for lunch.”

The idea of spending time with them again haunts you, Jimin had said one evening. One.

Yet, you still have to help him, because his parents did not see passion from both of you, you were blatantly fake in their opinion.

Well, kudos to Father and Mother Park, you certainly don't lack the nose like bloodhounds!

But why at their home of all places? Are they going to secretly feed you to their servants? You shudder just thinking about it. They are certainly up to something, Jimin repeats to you that you should stay calm, but it is easy for him to talk. You are nothing to them, just a dirt stain on their perfect son's shirt.

You must be eliminated somehow.

But the worst thing about all those days spent thinking and agonizing between you and you is the wrong idea that Jungkook may have gotten about you.

Shit, he's just a guy you met briefly at a party, so why can't you get him out of your head?

You always think back to the way he held you close, to his cautious and sweet look whenever he tried a more direct approach with you... and there they are, the damn butterflies! They don't leave you alone for a moment, your wormy little brain even dares to loop back his last words, before Jimin cursed Park ruined the atmosphere.

You roll over on the bed hugging your faithful stuffed animal you've been carrying around since childhood, gazing into his inane black eyes, you sigh.

“What should I do, Little Sunshine?” but the teddy bear, predictably, does not answer you.

He has left without deigning you another glance, perhaps seeing you there with Jimin he must have thought of who knows what, they know each other and must know of your best friend's reputation as a womanizer.

You violently plant a hand in your face, long ago to fuck Jimin it was enough to be his acquaintance, it wasn't necessary to get up to girlfriend status, you may have said Jimin is just a friend ... but in someone else's eyes there may still be a possibility that the two of you are some sort of fuck buddies.

Besides, why else would a human like you willingly accompany a vampire like Jimin?

You feel like screaming like crazy, you don't just do it because you sense your phone ringing in the darkness of the room.

You try to compose yourself, imagining it was a business call, but it turns out to belong to your best friend.

You stare at the phone screen with tears in your eyes almost.

<<Ellen!>> you shout, on the other side your friend whines, <<My sweetest Ellen! You called at just the right time>>.

<<You scream like that again and I'll block the phone in your face!>>.

You ignore her empty threat and begin to tell her what happened with Jimin and about the meeting with Jungkook, omitting nothing. By the end of the explanation you are out of breath and your eyes are glazed over, why do you have to feel that way about a stranger? What is happening to you.

<<Let me understand... Jimin asked you to be his fake girlfriend and this Jungkook, whom you described as more handsome than a normal vampire, flirted with you for at least half an hour or so and then left offended?>>.

You frown, <<He didn't flirt with me! He was just being nice...>>.

You hear a laugh stifled on the other end of the line, <<I used to say the same about Shawn and look at him now, chained to me in the sacred bond of marriage>> a smile escapes you… actually it doesn't sound bad.

<<What should I do?>> you ask more to yourself than to her.

<<Uhm... you said he works with Seokjin, right? Isn't Seokjin the creator of Vampire's Kiss? Maybe he's on that site too, try looking for him... and maybe contact him, they even created a very convenient app!>> you widen your eyes. Sure! That could work...

<<But what if he doesn't want to hear from me? I mean, he didn't leave on the best of terms, surely he must have thought of something strange>>.

<<Take your balls out and look for him! You said you felt something different next to him, right? Don't let such an opportunity pass you by, what you felt doesn't happen to everyone ... and for your sanity and mine too, put your mind at rest once and for all>>.

You nod, she has a point, then you hear her stifle a shriek.

<<Wait a minute! ... You said that just looking at him turned you on-!>> you close the call in half a second, redder than a tomato! There, that thing you might as well have avoided revealing it to her, even if it simply slipped out of your mouth without realizing it ... such a thing has never happened to you, neither with humans nor with vampires, that was a detail as embarrassing as it was surprising.

You make a decision and install Vampire's Kiss on your cell phone, the app's simple and intuitive screen allows you to enter your account right away, go to the purple heart with the magnifying glass and search for Jeon Jungkook.

The results are immediate and the search leads you to no less than five users, but only one is the one that immediately hits you like a bouquet of soft flowers in the middle of your face.

He is right there, posing for a photo taken in the middle of a summer day, not at all concerned about possible sunburn, and you smile instinctively at his caption, which is short and absolutely adorable.

So your impression was right, this is a good guy. You zoom in on the photo and look admiringly at the sunlight softly shining on him, he is also smiling and without thinking about it you take a screenshot, do you look crazy? Probably yes, but your chest tightens at the idea of not being able to see him every day.

It's really crazy... it's just a stranger.

But you and this stranger have one thing in common. The two of you are desperate for love, to the point of signing up for a dating site to find it, your finger trembling, undecided whether to press your purple heart to follow him and thus engage in conversation with him or just drop everything and move on from your lightning-fast meeting at the party.

You turn off the phone with a sigh. Even if you wanted to try, you are nothing compared to him. You would only have wasted his precious time.

“But seeing you there, under the moonlight, I-”

You shake your head violently, it's no use daydreaming, he didn't even finish the sentence. That only indicates one thing, that it was not meant for you two to continue the acquaintance, period.

Suddenly an annoying noise starts from your stomach, you cast a glance at the time -- 2:11 p.m., you haven't even had lunch and there is nothing edible in the fridge, in short, the typical life of a single career woman. But below the house there are several small stores open 24 hours a day that sell noodles and allow you to cook them immediately after purchase. Yes, you would have graciously taken advantage of their services, that is also the beauty of living in Korea, every place becomes home.

You turn on the light and look around for your shoes, heedless of the eyes burning at the sudden impact.

Next mission: don't starve.

You look thoughtfully at the shelf stuffed with packages of noodles, there are all flavors and colors, but maybe you'll have to buy some instant cook rice too to satiate your stomach more, and speaking of your stomach, you hear it growling once again.

Ungrateful, why doesn't it give you time to think?

You grab a packet of spicy chicken-flavored noodles on the fly, then reconsider -- better two.

Excited to eat, you jump merrily without looking over your shoulder, like the clueless fool that you are, you feel your head collide with something sharp and immediately see the stars in the middle of the convenience store, a stifled moan escapes your lips and you squeeze your eyes shut trying to chase that pain away, being interrupted by another unexpected moan of distress.

You turn back to the source and notice a boy behind you, head down, you can just make out a wonderful mass of dark, wavy hair.

You blanch, your own flushes of pain sidelined. Did you hurt him? Medical bills are fucking expensive.

"I-I'm sorry! Did I hurt you very much? I didn't want to, believe me."

The boy makes a strange noise, as if he has suddenly held his breath, then slowly his head rises and you find yourself going wide-eyed.

In front of you Jungkook in casual clothes and a jacket far larger than his own size is holding his chin with one hand.

“Gosh, you knocked me out,” he chuckles with difficulty, removes his hand and you see a red spot take shape on that area of smooth, soft skin, “I didn't think I'd find you here....”

You're frozen, you can't utter a single word, the only thing that assures you you're still alive is the slow pulsing of the bump on your head, but is this guy made of granite or what? A very sexy granite, of that there is no doubt.

"I didn't... I didn't think so either” for the simple fact that not even twenty minutes earlier you looked him up on a dating app, then clandestinely saved his picture like a poor desperate spinster.

"Are you okay? I think you were the one who got the hardest hit,” he asks worriedly, out of the corner of your eye you notice how his hand tries to rise, but he instantly lowers it, you gloss over the incident by waving yours away.

"No, absolutely! I'm fine, I'm so sorry, I'm stupid,” you mutter to yourself, feeling guilty.

You see him looking around carefully, “I'll get you some ice, wait here!” not even time to tell him to let it go, it vanishes in an instant.

You lower your eyes to the packages of noodles, “This happened because I never buy real food, right?”

You both find yourselves so seated face to face in front of the convenience store, you're uncomfortably pressing ice on what appears to be quite a bloody good bump. Jungkook just stares at you with that innocent look on his face, is he seriously a vampire?

You take the floor, trying to fill that uncomfortable silence, deliberately ignoring the palpitations of your heart, “Does it still hurt?” you point to his chin, which seems to have returned to normal coloring, in fact he denies it.

“It's okay, for us vampires pain is momentary, we heal quickly.”

Okay, now what?

There, meeting him was not some kind of miracle, but a curse.

"Um... you look different, I mean... with these clothes you look normal, no wait! I mean you look great even without clothes, No! T-those elegant clothes! But you look fabulous even like this, really!” you stumble over your own words and god, you want to hole up in some dirty hole on top of a remote mountain. You look great without clothes, really?!

“Hey, hey, don't worry, you look very good in your normal clothes too,” he smiles amused, then changes his expression, “Did you have a good time at the party when I left? I apologize for how I left you, I don't usually go to parties and I don't know how to behave,” he explains, his voice sounds colorless, different from the sweet voice he used before and even during your first meeting.

Something has been bothering him and you even know what it is, or at least you think so. You shouldn't worry about it, but you like him and want to clear it up.

You take a breath, “Jungkook, I don't know what you thought seeing me there with Jimin, but I assure you we're just friends, there's no romantic or ... well, sexual interest,” you just want to calm him down, but evidently your words have the opposite effect, because he whitens starting to gasp.

“Oh god, I made you feel like a lowlife, didn't I?” he puts his hands to his face shaking his head, “I'm just an idiot, you don't have to pay attention to me,” he complains with his forehead pressed against the surface of the table.

"You didn't make me feel like a lowlife! I just wanted to make it clear that I didn't lie to you, I was really there to accompany Jimin” maybe it's best not to specify the plan that brought you there that night.

But the boy continues to shake his head, at times in despair, “I never thought you had lied to me or anything...” he raises his eyes to you fearfully, “I was just... disappointed, your knight for the evening had returned and my company therefore no longer needed, that's it, I was disappointed and envious,” he chuckles exasperatedly, most likely at himself.

You feel the same pleasant grip on your heart as a smile makes its way across your features. Should you tell him?

Maybe it's not such a bad idea after all, you would have loved him even in case of rejection, he seems like a really good person.

“I'd like to tell you a secret...” you start by saying and immediately come back with a straight back, in his eyes you can glimpse ill-concealed curiosity, “I too felt disappointed... my real knight left that night, leaving me with one of his underlings,” you sigh sadly.

“That knight may have felt he was in over his head in that situation,” he says embarrassed, but you shake your head.

“He shouldn't have left me there, it's his duty to make sure I'm okay!” you don't know where all that courage came from, you just feel it's the right thing to do.

He tilts his head to the side, biting his lower lip with what you identify as a canine, the soft scarlet skin drooping under his pressure, but not tearing. Images and thoughts of what he could have done to you with those luscious lips of his leap into your head, adding to all the erotic dreams you've had over the past few nights, they always knocked treacherously, but you let them in willingly.

“Even this knight has a secret to confess” he leans toward you, enough to breathe your own air just inches away, you remain in awe of his deep irises, where you catch a vermilion flash, “Wasn't the moon beautiful that night” you begin to cough because of your own saliva, you didn't expect such a statement, not from someone like him toward someone like you. You beautiful? Is he really saying that? The darkness must have been to blame, the moon cannot be darkened by a mere human, he must have seen wrong.

But wait… vampires see in the dark as nocturnal predators, don't they?

A grin from him surprises you and you also understand the motivation behind it, after all, the rush of excitement your body undergoes is not ignorable. Now you also have confirmation that vampires perfectly sense a person's emotional and physical changes.

You try to compose yourself, bringing a lock of your hair behind your ear, he remains firm in his position.

“I like you, I've done nothing but think about you, do I have a chance?” his bluntness amazes you in no small part, he is showing much more courage than any other man who would have gone around us instead.

You swallow, not knowing what exactly to answer, so you try with resolving one of your doubts, “Y-You know I'm human, right?”

It seems a silly thing to ask, but it's very important to you that he knows what he's getting into, you two have different rhythms and abilities, you don't want him to feel stuck in a relationship too different from the ones he was used to with women of his own kind.

But his eyes soften, you feel you can also calm down.

“Of course, I knew right away...the sound of your heart beating is something I couldn't give up, your skin is warm and it warms mine,” he takes your hand between his, the ice falling to the ground from your shock. Doesn't he care about that? “Can we at least try?”

In that instant you realize that you cannot give up on him so easily, you nod contentedly as your eyes glaze over, incredulous that such a thing could have happened to you.

From that moment you continued to go out every day, especially at night hours, as he wrote in his profile on Vampire's Kiss, he loves to take walks under the dark sky and he also took his dog, Bam, with him from time to time. You, who usually prefer cats, found no difficulty in falling in love with that handsome, hyperactive dog, so similar to his daddy in both physique and character.

You and Jungkook are now hand in hand at the seashore, neither of you speaking, simply listening to the sound of the waves calmly crashing on the shoreline.

You see him lying comfortably on the sand, heedless of the grains that go to hide in every fold of his comfortable clothes, without much thought you follow his example.

It is nice to gaze at the stars like that, but turning your head in his direction you find yourself thinking that the best show is there by your side.

Unlike you, he has never looked away from you, you have literally found the boy of your dreams, “What is it?” you ask with a laugh in your voice, he doesn't answer right away, settling on his side.

“I feel a little confused,” he replies, frowning a little worriedly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I love this beach at night, but the only thing I can think about is you next to me, it's a little confusing to me, now whenever I come here without you, I'm sure I'll be thinking about you nonstop.”

You watch his face engulfed in darkness, yet you can make out the brightness of his eyes; he is a nocturnal predator, you lift yourself up on one arm to get a better look at him.

“Who says you'll come back here without me?”

He inhales sharply, “Don't say such things, don't make promises you can't keep, baby,” he hisses an inch from your face, he has never called you that. Sometimes you forget that he is an adult vampire, much older than you. You like being called that by him, with Jimin it's a game... with Jungkook it's something more intimate.

"Why, Jungkook... Have I been giving you a lot to think about these days?” you are literally talking on his lips, clenching a fistful of sand tightly, the urge to kiss him is becoming more and more pressing, but he shakes his head, pulling away suddenly.

“You always make me think a lot of things, but no ... you don't have anything to do with it, it's just that all my relationships have ended one way,” he laughs without humor, “That is, with a broken heart, mine. It's funny coming from a vampire who doesn't have a heart, isn't it? Or at least, not as alive as you humans',” he explains with a look up at the sky. No, you can't believe it, it's impossible that there is someone who can leave such a boy.

"Are you so convinced that this will also apply with me? If that's really the case, then why have we come to this point?” if he believes it will end badly, why the hell did he invite you on all these dates?

He shrugs, “I've never dated a human girl, I look good with you! I would never say otherwise, but...."

Sighing, “You're afraid,” you finish for him, “But you know what? I have never dated a vampire guy, yet I want to give myself and him a chance, even if it ends badly, with him now I want to think it will be okay."

Silence falls between you, you return with your back to the sand, unsure of what just happened.

Perhaps you have both gone too far in such a short time? Oh... maybe he wants more space for himself, that's why he talked about going to the beach alone, your lips begin to tremble.

“Jungkook... maybe I'd better go home,” you murmur, rising slightly again in search of your bag and shoes, but a hand on your arm stops you instantly.

"What? Why?” he stares at you like a lost puppy, unable to understand your intentions.

“Maybe I rushed you too much, I'm sorry,” you try to wriggle your arm still in his grip, but all you get from it is an imprecation from him that makes your eyes go wide, he has never cursed in front of you, and before you can say anything to him you see his figure descend entirely on you, just like the vampires in the old movies, with only one difference, at that moment he is not interested in your blood.

His moist lips make contact with yours without hesitation, you accept them willingly using your free arm to anchor yourself to his blemish-free neck, you close your eyelids inhaling his wonderful scent, crushing his weight on you as if your very life depended on it, he lets you do it by filling your lips with numerous small kisses in the mold, your heart threatens to melt under all that tenderness and you note with happiness the softness of his lips that taste like cherries, not resisting you lightly grasp a flap of his lower lip between your teeth, savoring it on your tongue.

His shoulders shake and he releases your arm from his grip so you can sink a hand into your hair, this encourages you to do the same with his, enjoying his little moan. Jungkook with an extra bit of resourcefulness deepens the kiss, tapping his tongue against the seam of your lips, which you open willingly to his passage.

You kiss him as you've never kissed in your life, in your chest a soft warmth pushes to bring you to accept him in his entirety, your eyes moisten from that almost suffocating instinct, it has an effect on you that you can't even imagine. It scares you a little, but that is bearable if it means keeping his taste alive on your lips.

He separates from you slowly, “I've been dying to do this,” he whispers an inch from your noses, you take a big breath.

“So it's okay?” you whisper, you don't want barriers between you two, it's hard enough to accept the fact that you are not yet an actual couple.

He brings his head to your chest, resting his ear exactly over your beating heart, then nods.

“I think I've lost hope, every woman I've had wanted different things from me, mainly money and sex, then there were the ones who wanted to own me in everything... I've just come to a dead end after all these years, it's not easy for me to open up now.”

Gently you stroke those locks from which only a sweet floral scent comes, “Jimin said you never attend parties like that.”

“It's not easy for me to stand by and watch couples who are doing much better than me,”he look up with huge eyes, almost as if you want to express something very obvious, “I'm a very envious guy, you know?” you burst out laughing, sounding like a child, and lean slightly toward him to print a tender kiss on the tip of his nose.

He looks surprised and awkward for a moment, then returns to hide his expression.

“I'm talking seriously, and you go and do things like that,” he mumbles, shrugging.

“You're so cute,” you whine, he lets out a grunt.

“A little human talking like that to a vampire much older than she is.”

A question mark the size of a house makes room in your mind, “I've been wondering this for a while... how old are you?”

You hear him smiling at you.

“S.e.c.r.e.t,” he punctuates nicely, before lifting himself up on his arms and planting another soft kiss on you, “I'll tell you my age, if we're good together.”

You arch an eyebrow, “On Vampire's Kiss you wrote twenty-five, so I already know how old you are,” you say in an offended tone.

He shakes his head, “Twenty-five years I've been living in Seoul, baby.... We vampires tend to fake our age so as not to scare you humans."

Oh dear. He always has an answer for everything!

“All right, how long would you be willing to make me wait?” he clearly pretends to think about it, his expression too theatrical, but you let him. You find that side of him really adorable and would never try to change it in any way.

“A hundred days, a hundred days and you'll know who you've decided to spend your life with,” he chuckles, wrinkling his nose, nodding in agreement.

“A hundred days.”

You both don't know each other very well yet, but already hearing him say such a sentence sent your heart to heaven, and the butterflies in your stomach to a valley in bloom.

How much more can you like Jeon Jungkook?

[brainrotarchive]

@wolfstarmicrofic • day 20 lovesick • 315 words

“Prongs, I need you,” suddenly James was pulled into one of the secret passageways. His best friend looked horrified.

“I was poisoned,” Sirius whispered, eyes nervously twitching towards the entrance. Before James could continue to ask what happened or even had the time to raise an eyebrow, Sirius continued.

“That Hufflepuff girl Martha poisoned me with a friendship potion. It’s like a parasite in my brain, I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s like I want her to know me, fully know all of me and it makes me sick. And she’s very pretty all of the sudden and something is wrong!”

“Friendship potion? I never heard of anything like that. I could ask Lily but are you sure it’s not amortentia? Or maybe you just like her?”

“No, it’s not romantic or something. Totally a friendship thing. It’s like I want to spend all my time with her and protect her from all the hurt in the world and she just happens to be fit, you know?”

“So you don’t want to shag her?” he now took the opportunity and raised an eyebrow.

“No, yes! Maybe. If she asked nicely why not. As a friend”

“So you want to shag me and Wormy, too? We are all friends!” James couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No! No offense. We’re like brothers that would just be weird. I just mean a friend like,” he paused to think, “ a friend like Moony, you know. He’s obviously handsome and everybody would be lucky to sleep with him but he’s also my best friend and I would do everything for him. Everyday is just better when he is around and I miss him when we are not in the same room. A friend like that.”

James realized there was no need to ask Lily about a ‘friendship potion’ and that his best friend was even dumber than he had thought.

[ellecdc]

a while ago someone sent me an ask/prompt/request about university professor!marauders x fem!reader who was a bit younger (not necessarily their student or even a student [but also maybe their student if I was feeling up for it]) and I had it saved and tried to play around with it a little bit but couldn't really formulate anything so scrapped it - but I thought I'd share with you what sort of brain rot I came up with:

So I imagined all four marauders working as faculty members at the same university and being friends. Prof. Moony worked in the English department (obviously), I could totally see James teaching kinesiology, and Sirius I had a hard time with because I could totally see him teaching astronomy at Hogwarts (since he knows all the constellations and stories, and the moon cycles like the back of his hand), but can't really see him doing that in a muggle setting? and then I though ~French~, working in the languages ;)

and then we have our Prof. Wormy who I see working in like, biochemistry or something of similar lines? and then we have his grad student - PhD candidate working on her thesis etc. Long hours in the labs and the boys seeing her one day when they come looking for Peter and just being entranced with her.

they think she's so smart/clever (which ticks Pete off something huge because she's working in his lab lol), she's obviously gorgeous, and just the sweetest thing

everyone finds it very odd that an English, a language, and a physical science professor keep finding their way's over to the biochem labs, and always finding excuses to be in the department of chemistry faculty room etc but no one really says anything. Peter completely makes fun of them for it and tries to ban them from his lab "she's the best sodding candidate I've had working in this lab, boys; do not ruin this for me". they obviously don't listen.

anyways that's my brain rot okay thanks byeeeeee

[rollypoliesonarock]

No one asked, but here's a vest tour! I've added a bunch since I last talked about it here, so here's the update!

Here's the full front and back

Most of this I made myself. The patches were mostly made by hand embroidery (anything machine done was probably given to me as a gift), with the exception of a couple that were just markers on white fabric.

Under the decorative patches is also a layer of random fabric patches, mostly from leftover projects scrap fabric, or old clothes I didn't know what to do with.

There's also some random paint splashes in green and red, and a ton of pop tabs and safety pins thrown around in empty spaces.

The pins I made were made from painted bottle caps, and held on with a pop tab and safety pin combo, with the edges of the bottle cap bent to hold it in place

The vest itself I got from a family member's friend, and said family member didn't want it. So she gave it to me to put patches on. I used it as a formal jacket for a year, but I didn't like how the sleeves felt, so I cut them off and ended up putting patches on it anyway. I've been working on this vest since last January, but many of the patches and stuff were transferred from my old jacket that I have other plans for, but that's for a different post.

Inside, plus the snack pouch

so much white embroidery floss, I'm surprised I'm still able to scrape up some in my embroidery floss drawer

Front top left (from the perspective of someone looking at me)

Gay frog pin is the only pin I own I paid for, I found all the rest for free from various events and also the library likes giving people free pins

Front top right

Got the Vulpix pin from some random lady at the empanada restaurant because she liked my nerdy jacket. A few months ago I reconnected with an old friend, who recognized the art style. So that's kinda neat

Front bottom left

I used to have the heart/brain patch sewn on an older jacket (that is no longer with us). I am never attempting to stick a needle through that thing again. Easily my most painful patch I own. Also a little keychain ring so I can clip stuff to my vest

Front bottom right

The worm's name is wormy, named by my friend who loves him. Wormy has been through a lot, and before finding a safe home on my vest, rotated between being a room decoration and a cat toy

The hotelier patch (the house on the pocket) is probably my favorite music based patch I've made. I spent way too much time on it, but I think it turned out nice in the end!

Back top

the trans flag section in the center is my favorite part. The peace was never an option patch is usually peoples favorite, and I get compliments on it regularly. It's hard to see, but the patch at the bottom left of the flag is the chemical formula for testosterone

Back bottom left

The QR code is a Rick roll, and also fully functional. When I made it, a picture of it was floating around between my friends between various group chats. I had one friend who tried to go to lengths to avoid getting tricked, until one of his friends sent him the picture, and he actually scanned it before realizing it's the QR code on my back. He was (jokingly) upset at me the next day. I want to make another qr code to a song I like more, but that one took longer than most my other patches do, so I'm not sure it's worth it.

Back bottom right

The Kos-mos patch (blue haired girl on left) is my favorite non music patch on here. It just feels like one of my most well made patches. Not much to say here, I just like the patch a lot

So yeah, that's my vest. No clue how many patches are actually on this, or how many hours I've put into this thing already, but it's probably a high number whatever it is.

If this gets at least 0.5 notes Ill talk about my other patch stuff, of which I've got a lot of.

[accio-sriracha]

Wolfstar and Markers.

~~~♤~~~

Sirius likes to draw on his friends.

It's just something he does when he's bored in class.

He writes Property of Sirius on each of them. Sometimes abreviating it to P.O.S. for the double meaning.

He draws little cupcakes and pieces of cheese on Peter's hand.

He loves to draw golden snitches and broomsitcks across James' thigh during the summer, charming them to fly around.

But, rather ironically, it was Remus who usually sat next to him.

It was an exceptionally boring day in history of magic class, they were all waiting for the lesson to end as Professor Binns droned on about the Great Goblin War.

Sirius pulled the marker out of his bag, grabbing Remus' arm without waiting for permission.

Despite pretending to be annoyed each time, Remus stayed carefully still.

A little too still.

He literally spent a good portion of the time Sirius was drawing on him not breathing.

It was secretly his favorite part of the day.

He loved the feeling of Sirius' fingers skating across his skin.

He loved watching his concentrated expression from the corner of his eyes.

He loved the way Sirius took his time, careful not to mess it up.

How Sirius always told him he wasn't allowed to wash it off.

He never did, keeping it until the end of the day.

He pretended to hate it but each time he felt himself falling a little deeper in love with his best friend.

Sirius moved on from drawing moons and stars to drawing hearts at some point during their fifth year.

It was literally all he would ever draw on Remus now.

He kept the same drawings on the others, quidditch themed for Prongs and various snacks for Wormy.

But always hearts on Remus.

Remus couldn't figure out why, but the tiny detail made his own heart flutter faster every time.

He wondered what caused the switch, wondered if it was as significant as he was making it out to be in his head.

One day, while Sirius was doodling on Remus' hand, James asked him,

"Why the hearts, mate?"

It was pure bored curiosity, there wasn't any real interest in his eyes when he said it.

But Sirius looked up, and his answer made Remus' entire brain malfunction.

"I'm waiting for Remus to ask me to be his boyfriend. This is about as obvious as I can get before I decide to ask him myself."

And then he just-

Went back to his doodling.

As if nothing even happened.

As if that wasn't the single most earthshattering thing Remus had ever heard in his life.

As if that wasn't something Remus had been dreaming of doing for years.

Remus could feel the shock on his face.

He could tell he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding any of the emotions swirling through him.

Did Sirius know then? This whole time had he secretly known how much Remus enjoyed their little moments together?

"Moons?" Sirius whispered.

Remus hadn't realised how long it had been since they stopped talking.

Sirius was staring at him, a small flicker of uncertainty passed over him, like he was realising there was a possibility he was wrong,

"You okay?" He asked.

"Can you hand me that marker?" Remus replied instead.

Sirius' eyes went wide for a fraction of a second before he nodded, passing it to Remus.

Remus reached out for Sirius' hand, Sirius gave it to him without hesitation.

He drew a single shaky heart, adrenaline pumping through him.

"Yes." He whispered, "I do want to be your boyfriend."

And that was it.

They've been together ever since.

Sirius loves to tell people the story of how they fell in love.

He always pays specific attention to the part where Remus sat shocked into stillness for fifteen minutes before Sirius finally asked if he was okay.

Remus proposed around Christmas, they were gathered at the Potter's home, watching baby Harry stumble around as he tried to walk.

Sirius and Remus were sitting on the sofa, Peter sat on the ground, holding his arms out for Harry, and Lily and James stood by the kitchen, watching them all with a smile.

Remus had told the others his plan already and they thought it was amazing.

"Hey Pads?" He whispered, kissing the top of his head.

Sirius hummed and leaned in closer to him.

"Can you go grab me a marker? I think I saw one on the counter earlier."

Sirius paused and leaned away, giving him a curious look, "A marker?" He repeated. Remus nodded,

"Yeah, I think it was in the kitchen."

Sirius shrugged and stood up, walking over to the counter to find the black sharpie Remus had placed there earlier.

He sat back down, passing it over, "What's this for?"

"Give me your hand." Remus whispered.

The others went silent, watching them quietly.

Remus could feel adrenaline shooting through him, just like the last time he'd done this.

He carefully drew a heart on Sirius' hand, big enough to reach from one side to the other.

Sirius smiled, "I didn't think you still remembered. It's been years since I've talked about that."

Remus nodded quietly, lifting his hand up so Sirius couldn't see what he was writing.

Sirius watched him, impatiently waiting until Remus let him see.

Inside the heart was now four words, written in Remus' neat cursive,

"Will you marry me?"

Sirius looked up so suddenly it caught Remus by surprise.

He threw his arms around him, burying his face into his shoulder,

"Yes." He breathed, "Of course I want to marry you, Moons."

They kissed, teary eyed and holding each other close.

The others ran to them immediatley, pulling them into hugs and shouting congratulations.

Sirius told that story for an even longer amount of time.

If you look carefully enough, you'll still find a black marker in every room of their home.

Every note they leave for each other are always signed by these, and always with a small heart at the bottom in place of a signature.

Sirius still draws little hearts on him when he's bored sometimes.

And it's still Remus' favorite part of his day.

~~~♤~~~

[onegianthotmess]

I’ve had a scenario in my head about Floyd telling his mom when Jade and Rayne start a relationship and it’s honestly hilarious to me.

Jade and Floyd’s parents are likely a bit unhinged because, well, just look at their sons. They’re also definitely mama’s boys because they’re in constant contact with their mother and I’ve heard that they often talk about her, too. I imagine that Mama Leech is a concerned mother who loves her unhinged sons and will commit mass homicide if they get a single scratch anywhere, even if it’s from them being stupid or something-

So, when Floyd finds out that Jade has been quietly dating Rayne for a few months (he just wanted to keep his pearl to himself, okay-) Floyd immediately is like “Oh, I gotta gossip to Ma about this!!!” and very quickly begins contacting his and Jade’s mother.

And it goes something like this (idfk if they have phones in the Coral Sea, but this is the best way I could communicate what’s in my head-):

Floyd: Mama!

Mama Leech: Hello, Floyd! How have you been? Are you okay? Is your brother okay? Why are you calling?

Floyd: Mama, I’ve got some fun news about Jade that you’re gonna love!

Mama Leech: Well, what is it? You know I’m not patient, dear.

Floyd: Jade has found himself a cute little goldfishie for a mate!

Mama Leech: Are you talking about a goldfish mer, Floyd?

Floyd: No, Ma! I’m talking about one of the two goldfishies I told ya about! The girl with the red hair!

Mama Leech: Oh, the shy one who’s almost fully blind in one eye?

Floyd: Yep! That’s the one!

Mama Leech: This is wonderful news! How long have they been together?

Floyd: Well, I just found out, but I think they’ve been dating for a few months? Maybe five at the most?

Mama Leech: Jade is serious about a relationship and he hasn’t even told me he was considering one?!

Floyd: That’s how I felt! Honestly, ya’d think he’d trust his own brother-

Mama Leech: Floydie, sweetie, I love you very much and you know I’d kill millions for you and your brother, but not even I fully trust you. You aren’t even telling me this with Jade’s knowledge or approval, are you?

Floyd: Ya caught me red-handed, Mama! No, I’m not!

Mama Leech: Well, I understand why he wouldn’t trust you, but why in the Coral Sea would he not trust me? By the Sea Witch, I’m his mother!

Floyd: Maybe you should call him and give him a piece of your mind, Ma? There’s no use in giving his scolding to me or Pops or anyone else.

Mama Leech: Oh, I’m going to do just that! I’m going to go tear your brother’s ear off! Goodbye, Floydie, I love you!

Floyd: Bye-bye, Mama! Say “hi” to Pops for me, okay?

Mama Leech: I will, dear!

Mama Leech: *hangs up*

Floyd: I might get my ass handed to me later, but the show’ll be SO WORTH IT!

And after that, Jade gets a scolding from his mother about not telling him about his cute little goldfishie girlfriend while he’s on a date with Rayne-

So Rayne is just there, listening to her boyfriend’s mother scold him about not telling her about his relationship and how she wants to meet the cute girl that managed to catch his attention so easily and how Jade has to bring her home during the next break so she can meet her and see her for herself.

That’s as far as my wormy brain thought, but you can finish the rest with your lovely little imaginations!!!

[inthefightgarden]

so umm i just finished mother of learning in like 5 days, and my brain is now full of wriggling squiggling worms. i'm also just starting a re-read with the audiobook and it is already giving me even more questions and ideas! so here i am to share my wormy burden ^_^

anyway, here's something chapter 1 started me thinking about...

do you think zorian's mother knows about their bloodline? (also her name is cikan. i had to look it up, so saying it here incase anyone else needed reminding)

we know that cikan really hated being associated with zorian's grandmother, but she was still immersed in witch culture at least somewhat in her home life. we don't really know how old she was when she first started to reject those practices, so it's hard to judge how much she would have learned before she went out of her way to avoid it, and we also just don't have enough context about the witches' traditions for raising their kids to make guesses about her knowlege level.

we do see later on in the series (what comes to mind is the confrontation in koth) that cikan doesn't have much knowlege about magic as zorian knows it (eg. what you can expect from certain spells used for travel), but given that the witches are an separate spellcasting tradition from the ikosians that doesn't necessarily tell us loads about what she might have picked up from her mother.

also, knowing you have a bloodline is pretty important information to have, so even with the antagonism you'd think zorian's grandmother would've at least made sure cikan knew about that... if SHE knew, anyway, cause that's also not something we can really take for granted is it? there are a few ways i can picture it being

option 1. most of what we see in the series is not typical from an empathy bloodline. archmage zorian is an outlier and should not be counted. and even daimen, the more "normal" natural mind mage is still a whole magical prodigy, which isn't exactly baseline for most people with empathy either. so yeah... zorian's grandmother may not have known that she had a empathy in her family in the first place.

option 2. we do hear (i don't remember when or who from. maybe one of the teachers? was it ilsa? idk) that empathy is a pretty common form of natural magical ability, and it's kind of a mild plot twist that it's a bloodline thing if i remember correctly. so even if zorian's grandmother knew about an empath in her family history she might not have known that meant it could pass down.

option 3. part of the reason in world that empathy isn't usually thought of as a bloodline thing (again, if i'm remembering right) is because it's so comparatively common, so it's entirely possible that empathy bloodlines (and possibly to a lesser extent bloodlines in general) are just quite common for witches to the extent that it's not really something that needs to be said explicitly, or at least wouldn't have been if cikan hadn't done so much to assimilate with the dominant culture and distance herself from witch tradition and knowlege

BUT, those options are thinking about the reasons cikan might NOT know about their bloodline... so again, does she know? even if she doesn't think of it as a bloodline she might be aware that her family has a history of empathy. so now for some thoughts on what the situation might be if she IS aware of the family history.

(note. i'm pretty damn sure cikan herself isn't an empath. zorian would be able to tell if she was "open", and she just doesn't have that understanding of how other people feel. but if you think otherwise, or just want to think about a "what if", i'd love to hear about it ^-^)

(oh and same goes for kiri and fortov)

cikan might know that there's a family history, but not really know what that means in practise. as i mentioned earlier she doesn't seem very knowlegable on magic, so she might not have any clue about the signs and how it typically presents.

she also might be in denial about the possibility that her kids inherited something like that from her, given what we've seen of how she thinks about her heritage. or she might have focused any concern about the possibility onto kirielle, who seems to be where much of her trauma goes, and not considered that the boys might get it. especially considering the witches' beliefs about sex and magical lineage.

but she also might know or suspect that zorian and/or daimen is an empath. which if nothing else is certainly the option with the most potential drama.

personally, i doubt she knows that daimen is an empath. he put a lot of work into hiding it, and i feel like it would probably affect how he sees him. given how much baggage she has about her witch heritage i just can't see that knowlege not somewhat tainting her golden boy, you know? like i know she's fine with him being a mage and really proud of his prodigy status, but i just can't envision her seeing empathy the same way, and i think it would come through in a slightly colder attitude to daimen. especially given the cultural stigma against mind magic when she's worked so hard to become socially acceptable.

but i'm just not sure whether she knows about zorian or not! on the one hand i could totally see her just being oblivious, in denial, not having the right context, whatever, but I can also kind of see the way she treats him (specifically in relation to him socialising and stuff), through the lense of knowing he's an empath.

like he straight up told her as a child that crowds caused him physical pain. he had tp stop going to church because it made him actually pass out! that is some pretty intense stuff to just ignore... we're never told that he saw a doctor or anything about this via his parents (as far as i remember, please let me know if i'm missimg something!) so did she have some idea about what was going on or was it just plain neglect?

and if she did have some understanding of the situation, how did that affect her behaviour? did she think if she ignored it he'd just adjust and never find out? did she just not want it to be associated with her family history if/when he did find out? did she think that if she forced him into triggering situations he'd eventually realise? or that he'd learn to control it subconciously? or did it just not matter how he felt as long as he was still functional when it came to his political use? did she hide it more out of personal shame, or a legitimate conviction that she was protecting him like with kiri?

like i said, i'm not sure what my headcannon is, but the topic fascinates me. as you can probably tell from how long and rambly this got. sorry ^_^'

but yeah, i'd love to hear what other people think!

[calmlyerratic]

Encounters of the Future Sort

Chapter 3: The Calm Before the Storm

by @calmlyerratic

────────────────⋆────

Ch Summary: AU time travel. The Marauders run into Harry.

James' eyes began darting back and forth between Remus, Sirius, and Peter, his mouth slightly ajar.

"Prongs? You all right?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

He felt Remus' gentle hand on his shoulder. "Er—Sirius, I don't think that's James…"

ch wc: 2.7k — rating: T — cw: none

Read Chapter 1 | full Summary & Chapter Index

──────⋆──────────────

Remus' POV

Gryffindor Tower

with Sirius and Peter

April 1st, 1996

────────────────⋆────

"I think I have banana in my ear," Sirius complained, trying to dig it out with his finger. "A lot of help Prongs was, slippery git."

Sirius, Remus, and Peter had emerged from the battle against Peeves quite scathed, each supporting the stench of dung and the remains of rotted fruit on their clothing. And lodged in their extremities.

"Probably got caught up begging to sign another autograph," Peter huffed, putting a finger to his nose and blowing a chunk of rotted pear out one nostril.

Remus chuckled somewhat manically. "Good one, Wormtail."

The three boys had reached Gryffindor tower and the portrait of the fat lady gazed down upon them.

"Fortis leo," Sirius sighed, wiping his pulpy wand off on his robes. He ran a hand through his hair that usually fell around his face like elegant, dark curtains, but was currently coated in sticky, slimy muck. "Ucckk—I really need a shower."

"You aren't the first to try those words today," the fat lady replied stoically.

Remus groaned. "It isn't fortis leo? Bollocks, I missed last week's Prefect meeting—what is it then?"

The fat lady looked affronted. "You think I'm going to tell you?"

Remus tapped his shiny badge in obvious authority. "I'm a Prefect."

Although, it was his first year with the title and the ins and outs of it were quite grey. He really just wanted a nice hot bath and a nap.

"Are you?" she raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger were the new Gryffindor House Prefects."

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance.

"Weasley?" Remus racked his brain. "Like…Arthur Weasley?"

"Yes, I believe that is his father," the fat lady answered.

Sirius shook his head, amused. "Arthur Weasley left Hogwarts a few years ago, he can't have a son that's a fifth year. Are you feeling all right, sweet lady?"

When Sirius really wanted something, he put on his devilish charms. How someone could be so positively persuasive covered head to toe in dung and rotten fruit, Remus wasn't sure.

The fat lady analyzed them for a moment. "You know, you three look familiar…"

Sirius smiled a dashing smile. "Of course we do—we live beyond your great protection, fair lady."

Remus glanced sideways at him and ever so slightly cocked an eyebrow that said, you're laying it on a little thick.

However, the fat lady blushed, quite flattered, adjusted her pink silk dress and cleared her throat. "Hmm, yes…you do remind me of someone—"

Before she could finish her thought, the portrait hole creaked open and a group of Gryffindors spilled into the corridor.

"Merlin bless," Remus mumbled as the three boys clambered inside.

Peter scanned the cozy common room. "Hmm, no sign of Prongs…"

"Probably already showered and is off chatting up Evans…" Sirius grumbled, disappearing up the spiral stairs to the boys' dormitories.

Remus shrugged at Peter, really not prioritizing this at the moment, and followed Sirius upstairs.

"Whoa, since when have you been so keen on the Chudley Cannons, Wormy?" Sirius laughed, examining Peter's bedpost.

Remus was tired. And quite hungry. Flaming orange quidditch teams meant nothing to him—he was more of a reader. So, when he approached his bed and all of his current reading material wasn't where he left it on the bedside table, his gut wrenched.

"Where are my books?"

"What's that?" Sirius asked, removing his black wizard robes and leaving them in a dark heap on the floor.

"My books…they're not here."

"I dunno, Moony." Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe the elves have been in to tidy?"

"No," Remus shook his head. "They never move my books."

"I'm really more concerned about the taste of dung in my mouth," Sirius wrinkled his nose unpleasantly. "I heavily advise you not to kiss me right now."

"Duly noted," Remus rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hey, what the hell is this?" Sirius opened his bedside drawer where he kept his toothbrush and it overflowed with chocolate frog cards. "Are these yours, Wormtail?"

"No, I gave all mine to my cousin last year." Peter frowned.

Sirius held a card up and it shimmered in the light spilling in from the window. "Huh."

"Er…I don't remember hanging these." Peter gazed around at his vibrant bedpost flair.

"Moony," Sirius drew his handsome eyebrows together, "something isn't right…"

Remus was exhausted, covered in pulpy fruit, he had missed lunch, the full moon was three days away, and his books were missing. It was a recipe for disaster. Not to mention the lingering uneasiness from the exploding cauldron that morning…

"Moony?" Sirius pried softly, sensing the calm before the storm. "What do you reckon?"

Remus ran a finger up and down the long scar trailing across his nose. "I reckon I need a shower and a snack, before I can reckon."

"Okay, Moony." Sirius nodded calmly, (almost irritatingly so, in Remus' opinion)."You go ahead, Wormy and I will wait."

Remus opened the trunk at the foot of his bed, hoping to find a change of clothes, but quickly realized that it was not actually his trunk at all. He closed it again with a great *SNAP* that made Peter jump and resolved to scorgify his disgusting clothes clean.

However, there was a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach that even a hot shower couldn't wash away.

──────⋆──────────────

Hermione

Hogwarts Corridors

with Ginny and James

──────⋆──────────────

"Isn't she loveee-ly,"

Hermione glanced sideways at Harry, who was moving his head to an imaginary tune. A tune confusingly indicating his romantic interest towards Lily Evans, no less. She hadn't quite made sense of it all yet, but if it was dark magic it probably wasn't logical anyway. The key with dark magic was to catch it quickly, so the sooner they got to Madam Pomfrey, the better.

"Where is Evans again?" Harry asked, tousling his messy raven hair very uncharacteristically.

"Erm, s-she's in the hospital wing."

Hermione glanced nervously around. The last thing they needed today was to run into a member of the inquisitorial squad, or worse...

"Wait—the hospital wing?" Harry stopped short. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine," Ginny reassured, pulling him firmly along the corridor stairs. "I think she, er, needed a calming draught. Pre-exam stress, you know?

Harry nodded, knitting his brow. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense..."

Hermione had been wondering if it would happen—if Harry would give way under the enormous pressure he'd been under. So much had happened in the last few weeks, and she knew he felt responsible for a lot of it. The DA had been caught, Dumbledore had been sacked, and Umbridge was now Headmistress. Not to mention their rapidly approaching O.W.L's. This overwhelming sequence of events had Hermione just as on edge as everyone else, hanging on to a thread of what little peace of mind she had left.

"Isn't she woonderfuul—"

Hermione needed a calming draught too. Or a perhaps a large butterbeer.

──────⋆──────────────

Remus

Boys Dormitories

with Sirius and Peter

──────⋆──────────────

"Moony…you have to see this."

Remus emerged from the loo to Sirius and Peter sitting on what should be James' bed—but was discerningly not—hovering over a leather-bound picture album.

"Do I?" Remus muttered.

A blast of hot air shot out of his wand, which he pointed at his hair like a blow drier. He shuddered from the sudden warmth, feeling quite sleepy.

"Still grumpy, but at least you smell nice," Sirius winked.

"Pushing your luck, Padfoot."

"Look," Peter was wide-eyed. He held up the album and pointed to a photo. "It's us."

Remus crossed the dorm and narrowed his eyes. It was a photo of the four Marauders: they had their arms around each other's shoulders and were laughing.

But, there was something strange...they looked more mature. Sirius was taller than James, wherein now they were the same height. And was that—

"Lily?" Remus knit his brow. "Is she—"

"Snogging Prongs," Sirius shook his head solemnly. "Never thought I'd see the day. Wait 'til you see the one of their wedding…"

Peter flipped through the album. Sure enough, Sirius was right. James was wearing black dress robes and Lily was all in white.

Remus met Sirius' lovely silver eyes in accusation. "You aren't pulling my leg?"

Sirius shook his head sincerely.

"I wish I was. I think we may have unwittingly entered apocalyptic times, Moony." He got to his feet. "Don't spontaneously combust while I'm gone—if the sun goes black, take shelter!"

Remus ignored him as he disappeared into the loo. "Pete, where did you find this?"

"It was here," Peter pointed to James' bed. "Just laying here!"

Peter looked up and around the ceiling like it had fallen from the heavens.

"Do you…d'you think it's really us? It looks just like us."

"I dunno, Pete." Remus breathed out, massaging his eyes. He should be angry, but he was too tired. "Let me think for a moment…"

Remus laid down on his bed. Or was it even his bed? He didn't know anymore. The facts were outweighing the speculation at this point. He really had been looking forward to a quiet Saturday afternoon of reading—not cleaning up after another one of James and Sirius' barmy excursions.

That bloody cauldron…

"So, darling Moony," Sirius flopped onto the bed beside him, jolting him from a nap he must've slipped into. "I know you have some sort of, ah—reasonable revelation? Let's hear it."

Remus rolled onto his back and stared at the celling. He took a deep breath.

Factual, Remus, he told himself. Be factual. Maybe it's not as bad as it seems…

"Well, for one, that kid who called James 'Harry'." Remus held up a finger. "For another, I could have sworn I knew the password—I thought we used it just this morning after breakfast?"

"Yeah we did," Peter nodded anxiously, pulling at a loose thread on the sleeve of his robes.

"The fat lady didn't recognize us…" Remus continued, decidedly not vocalizing that she thought Arthur Weasley's son was the fifth year Prefect and she didn't seem to know who any of them were.

"And the weather also, not to mention I don't like the Cannons—and the photo album?"

"He's getting there, Wormy." Sirius was watching Remus like he was a tornado forming and there was a wind advisory.

Peter held up a photo of himself in a bowler hat with a feather sticking out of it. "I don't wear bloody bowler hats."

Yup, Remus breathed out. This was bad.

Peter looked back and forth between Sirius and Remus. "Is no one else concerned about this? This isn't even our dorm!"

"We're all very concerned, Wormtail." Sirius rolled his eyes, quite downplaying the whole situation in obvious guilt. He was a master blame shifter.

"I think…" Remus chewed on his lip. His stomach grumbled loudly. "I think I need food before I implode on myself like a dying star."

"As you know," Sirius smiled dashingly, like the wind of storm Moony had begun and he was encouraging them all to take shelter. "I'm quite versed in the language of the stars. I concur—to the kitchens! But first, Wormtail, you bloody reek."

Peter put a hand to his mousy hair, caked with rotten fruit pulp, and grimaced. "Right…"

──────⋆──────────────

James

Hospital Wing

with Hermione and Ginny

──────⋆──────────────

Hermione, Ginny, and James approached a large stone unicorn fountain that marked the entrance to the hospital wing.

"Wait here Har—I mean James," Ginny winked, red pony-tail blazing behind her as the two girls left him just inside the Infirmary entrance.

James was nervous. He hoped Lily was here because of exam nerves and not relating to the exploding cauldron from this morning...

"I trust there is a good reason for this intrusion?" he overheard Madam Pomfrey say. She was spooning some disgusting looking green liquid into a glass which she handed to her patient.

"Yes...er, well, it's Harry…" Hermione motioned over to James, who pretended to busy himself tying his shoe. "He's not, erm, feeling himself."

"That's no surprise, poor soul, having to deal with so much..." Madam Pomfrey sighed. "A calming draught should set him straight."

"Well, you see," Ginny began awkwardly. She glanced around and lowered her voice. "He, er, thinks he's his father..."

My father? James thought. What are they on about?

"Hey, I don't see Evans here," James called. This prank was getting a bit odd. "Tell her I'll catch up with her later, yeah? I still need to find Sirius, Remus, and Peter."

Madam Pomfrey clutched her heart. She bustled over, grabbed James's arm and led him to a vacant bed. "Sit, dear boy."

"Oh-okay?" James sat and Hermione and Ginny peered at him anxiously.

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand silently over his face and chest.

"What are you doing?" James knit his brow.

She finished her incantations and lit the tip of her wand, shining it into his eyes.

"Pupils are dilating..." she murmured. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Is this part of the prank too?" He asked Hermione and Ginny. "Persistent, I'll give you that. Bringing Madam Pomfrey in on it, really next level—"

"Answer the question please, dear." Madam Pomfrey prompted firmly.

"Yeah, okay." James shook his head, a bit annoyed at being cornered by the strict matron. "My name—it's James Potter."

Madam Pomfrey stifled a gasp but gathered herself quickly. "A-and what year is it?"

"It's April 1st, 1976."

"Harry..." Hermione sat at the foot of his bed with imploring eyes. "It's April 1st, 1996."

"Ohh, so not a parallel dimension? Time travel, is it?" James cocked an eyebrow, leaning backwards onto the bed and running a hand through his already tousled hair.

Madam Pomfrey clasped a hand over her mouth as she watched him, like he had suddenly gone spectral. She turned very seriously to Hermione and Ginny.

"There's no sign of injury or traces of dark magic," Madam Pomfrey assured, like James wasn't sitting right there. "There is some quantity of magical residue...but that's not an entirely uncommon substance, especially when emotions are high."

"Magical residue?" James puzzled. She must be referring to what Remus had sensed in the Room of Requirement. "I'm confused—"

Madam Pomfrey gently set her hand on his forearm.

"We know, dear. Let me fix you a calming draught and you'll feel right as rain." She squeezed his arm and disappeared into her office.

James waited until she was out of earshot, then turned to Hermione and Ginny.

"Look, I respect your dedication but this is kind of becoming a drag."

He jumped to his feet and waved a hand in farewell, with a disarming smile.

"Peeves is at large and I'm a deserter, so...nice to meet you both, I appreciate your time, and see you around!"

Hermione and Ginny stared blankly after him, mouths slightly agape, as he jogged through the large wooden infirmary doors and out of their sights.

──────⋆──────────────

Sirius

Corridors

with Remus and Peter

──────⋆──────────────

"D'you think Hermione'll let me copy off the essay Snape set us?"

"Probably not. Worth a go though…"

Remus, Sirius and Peter were in a dim corridor in the dungeons, just outside the kitchens, as they overheard these two unfamiliar voices.

"Hmm wonder who that is? I hardly ever see anyone down here," Sirius mused. Tickling the pear in the painting outside the kitchens was a bit of a coveted secret.

Two boys about the Marauder's age turned the corner. One had red hair and was quite tall and lanky; the other had spectacles and jet-black hair that stuck up in the back—

"Oi! Prongs!" Sirirus shouted.

The two new boys came to a sudden halt and laid very wide eyes upon the three Marauders. The red head, who had a mouthful of sweets, was gaping so widely that crumbs fell to the floor.

"Where the hell did you go off to, then?" Sirius rounded on James. "We had to fend Peeves off by ourselves! Luckily he found some first years to go after…"

James appeared frozen to the spot. He was looking at Sirius like he didn't believe he was real.

"Prongs?" Sirius took a step towards him.

The red haired boy had turned chalk-white. He took a step backwards as Sirius encroached, tugged at James' robes, and swallowed hard.

"Harry…have I gone mad or a-are y-you seeing this too—?"

James' eyes began darting back and forth between Remus, Sirius, and Peter, his mouth slightly ajar.

"Prongs? You all right?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

He felt Remus' gentle hand on his shoulder. "Er—Sirius, I don't think that's James…"

────────────────⋆────

Read chapter 4 here.

──────⋆──────────────

Notes: So sorry to leave you all here! Next chapter starts off quite a bit more seriously with an interesting point of view…then gets lighter with some more banter and shenanigans, don't worry :)

────────────────⋆────

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Ok y'all it's time to join the party (very late) on my latest deep obsession, which THIS TIME I am going to allow myself to pursue instead of killing the joy (because of how intense it can get) and share with you!!

And that obsession is Epic: The Musical.

Holy smokes man this thing has remolded my brain, it just somehow hits all of those things which I desperately love in media

Firstly. The music is absolutely exquisite. And not even in the ways you'd normally think! Like--there's such wonderfully detailed soundscaping! The musical follows Odysseus on his journey home, and the songs themselves contain beautifully done effects that basically make the listening experience into a movie in your head. Monsters, crashing oceans, the underworld itself--and not only is this included in non-muscial sound design, it's incorporated into the music itself. The realm of the wind gods uses flutes as the main instrument--because it's a WIND instrument I'm losing my mind

PLUS there's the additional elements of musical "Easter eggs," thematic connections, leitmotifs, instrumentation identification, musical callbacks and even foreshadowing like come ONNNNN it's so well done

All of this with the added bonus that the songs, while cohesive, do not all sound the same, and do not feel like normal musical theater songs. They are the perfect mix between modern music, orchestral arrangements, and a musical theater jam, because they are 1. SUPER great to belt along to, 2. Very much linked together (as explained above) and 3. Very unlike the standard, vocal-focused empty pop sound we're used to (theater) while keeping the innovative, ear-wormy, modern (pop) beat that often feels out of place in theater!

And lyrically this musical is super strong. I spent a ton more time on the music (and will likely write more at length later) because that is what got me obsessed with it, but there's also much to praise lyrically! Unlike most modern "non-theater" musicals, while you can tell at places that it has been influenced by (the ever-present) Lin-Manuel Miranda, it feels authentically unique and independent. So many songs have genuinely profound lines (check out Just a Man, the second song in the saga) and the pop elements never lend themselves to empty repetition. Everything sung or said has a purpose, which I am obsessed with. Yes king go off give us everything

Finally (for now) there's just the genuine love that the creator(s) have for this musical. Jay Rivera-Herrans is the brain behind it (he wrote the entire musical over several years) and like...just look at what he shares about it on his Instagram. He gets so EXCITED!! And not like PR excitement, this is like legit "I'm making silly noises because I can't contain myself" excitement!!! He reminds me of me in that sense because he has SO much love and passion for what he does and the nuance in it and the people who enjoy his work, and he shares that in an unfiltered, real, authentic way, and we need to see more of that in the world.

Anyway, if you haven't heard of it and are now interested, it's pretty easy to catch up--there are 5 of the 9 sagas out right now, but only half of the songs, and Spotify has a playlist or two that has them all in order. It's only an hour and eight minutes worth of listening and I have just listened to it through twice in two days; it really does not get old. And then if you go to Jay's Instagram the rabbit hole is deep!! And he explains a lot of the lore and symbolism and intentionality/Easter eggs in the musical!! I went through all of the content he posted, pretty much...

So there's my official hawking of Epic (if only I had gotten in on this earlier!! The "Get in the Water" song that was trending a while ago?? That's from this!!) and you should go listen to it!!!!

[mycupofrum]

I know u like prongsfoot as a ship but can u write prongsfoot as a bromance ficlet... Where sirius comforts james? No ooc characters but no need to tell you that

Thanks for the ask @medasavagepotter! 💙 Sorry it took me a while to get it done. Turns out writing James and Sirius as only friends was harder than my Prongsfoot-infused brain expected. I didn't mean for the story to get so sad, but here we are. I hope you get some comfort from this, despite the hurt.

James & Sirius. Gen. Hurt/comfort, angst, implied character death(s) (but no main characters die), implied Jily. Read here or on AO3.

__

Regardless (I love you)

It started with a soup.

James found it on his nightstand when he returned to the boys' dormitory from Quidditch practice. He was knackered and soaked to the bone from the storm raging outside.

He stared at the bowl, blinking. The aroma of rich, savoury chicken soup flooded his nose, the stasis charm keeping it warm. It made him salivate and his stomach grumble.

"Sirius?" He turned to face his best friend who was lounging on his bed with a book about ancient runes in his hands.

Sirius raised his gaze to James. "Yes?"

"Did you get this soup for me?"

Sirius turned his focus back to his reading. "Obviously. Moony's still tired from the end of his monthly cycle –"

"Oi!" Remus grunted sleepily from his bed beneath three covers, the full moon having just been two nights ago.

"– and Wormy was planning to ask Macdonald out for the whole evening, but he chickened out at the last minute."

"Easy for you to say, Prince Charming," Peter muttered from his own bed. "I'll do it tomorrow."

"Sure." Sirius smirked. "So, that leaves me."

James waited for Sirius to explain why he'd done something so nice for him but did not get an explanation. He sat down on his own bed; there was no point in questioning it, really. He was starving after the practice, which had taken longer than expected and caused him to miss dinner.

"Thanks, mate. I appreciate it."

Sirius turned a page, a faint, softer smile hiding in the corner of his mouth.

"No problem."

__

The small, unexpected acts of kindness followed, and James could not point out why they happened. Every time he faced something that annoyed or made him uncomfortable, or was even somewhat inconvenient, Sirius made it better.

He never made a big deal about it, and James could have easily dismissed it as a lucky coincidence that Sirius was so quick to block certain Slytherins' hexes for him automatically in the corridors, or happened to know James would need more broom wax right when his old one had run out and ordered it for him beforehand, or let James have a nap in most History of Magic classes and took notes for him (whereas they normally took turns in this), or insisted on paying for both of their butterbeers at Hogsmeade. (And when James found extra packages of his favourite liquorice and fudge in his trunk later, he knew who was behind it.)

James thanked Sirius each time and went on as if nothing had happened, because that was how Sirius preferred it.

But of course, James noticed. Truth be told, it filled him with fondness like no other for Sirius, but it also made him suspicious.

Sirius had left Grimmauld Place for good in the summer and moved in with James's family. He assumed Sirius felt compelled to pay their kindness back by showering James with extra attention and gifts, knowing how much he valued those things.

It was truly unnecessary, of course, because no matter what happened between them, even if they got into a big row (which was unlikely, but still), neither James nor his parents would ever send Sirius away.

"You know, Pads, it's okay. I can do and buy things for myself. I don't expect you to fulfil my every wish," James said when he found a spell book about 19th century experimental transfiguration in his school bag one morning, which actually made him thrilled, and he couldn't wait to read it.

"I know. I just thought, since I could, why not?" Sirius sat on his bed, pulling socks onto his feet.

"And I'm grateful for it. But it's okay if you don't."

Sirius shrugged and tucked a loose strand of silky black hair behind his ear. The grey eyes were fixed on his hands, and he began picking at his nails. "Sure, whatever you want."

"How about I let you know when I need you to go a little overboard for me?" James suggested, sitting next to him on the bed and bumping his shoulder with his own. "For each birthday and Christmas, I expect the full Sirius Black attention service."

Sirius nodded, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Okay."

__

Four birthdays and Christmases later, school was but a distant memory. The house he grew up in was empty, nothing but memories left behind in all its nooks and corners.

James leaned against the kitchen counter, his chest heavy. He'd been putting off the visit for three months since the joint funeral. He needed to sort things out, make decisions he couldn't make. What was the point when the two people who had loved him so unconditionally were gone?

He'd never felt more alone in the world as he did then. He took a shaky breath, one, two, three, four, and let it out.

It didn't help.

He'd told Lily he'd be fine. She was pregnant, she should rest; he could deal with this.

He'd lied. She'd known.

James took another shaky breath, and the burning sensation in his eyes turned into tears, blurring his vision.

He didn't know how long he sat on the floor, the silence around him heavy, when it was broken by the wards alerting him of an arriving guest. This was followed by a knock on the front door.

James stood up stiffly, his feet tingling from the blood returning to them. He opened the door and was met with a tall, familiar figure.

"Hi, Prongs," Sirius said, taking in James's demeanour. "Lils said you'd be here. I thought I should come by and help you with the packing."

James managed a nod and moved away from the entrance, allowing Sirius to enter.

"How are you doing?" Sirius said as they reached the kitchen, where everything still stood in its place.

"I'm fine," James said, the words falling naturally off his lips, untrue.

Sirius sighed, and James realised he was carrying a white plastic bag with him.

Sirius took out two containers from the bag and placed them on the table. "I brought soup."

The smell of delicious, savoury aromas filled the air, reminding James that it had been hours since he had eaten.

He let Sirius fish out spoons for them from the cabinet drawer, knowing his way around the kitchen as well as James did.

"Cheers, mate."

"S'alright. My treat." Sirius sat across from him, and they ate quietly, the creamy chicken soup warming up James like a cosy blanket.

"I thought you were busy with the Order today."

"I'm right where I'm needed."

James looked up from his soup to meet Sirius's searching gaze. "I think you might be right."

Sirius quirked his brow. "I'm always right."

Unexpectedly, James's lips turned upwards just for a moment. It was the first smile he'd had in a long while. "A lot of the time," he agreed.

"Most of the time." Sirius grinned, twirling the spoon in his hand.

"Whatever, Pads. Just eat your soup."

Somehow, the silence that followed was a little bit easier.

__

[illarian-rambling]

6. Who would ask the "would you love me if I were a worm?" question? How would their S/O answer?

For this relationship ask game

So, answering for Astra and Mashal, I can see both of them asking this, but Astra's doing it as a joke and Mashal is 100% serious. You know, fuck it, I'll just write some dialog :3

Mashal: "So, uh, I saw this thing in a book, but if I was a worm, would you still love me?"

Astra: "A what?"

Mashal: "A... worm. Like, if I was magically turned into an earthworm, would you still love me?"

Astra: "Love, ya gotta narrow that down. A thinkin' worm? Do ya still got your sparklin' personality, or is your brain wormy too?"

Mashal: "I mean, would you be able to tell?"

Astra: "Course I would! I'd put ya on a ouiji board or somethin' so you could spell things."

Mashal: "Ok, then we'll assume that I'm still myself, just in a worm's body."

Astra: "I see. In that case, I'd run scams with my incredible sentient worm."

Mashal: "Huh?"

Astra: "Ya ever seen one a' them chicken spellin' shows? Think a' how impressive that'd be with a worm! We'd make bank. I'd buy you a cute lil' terrarium and get ya some worm clothes."

Mashal: "Worm clothes...?"

Astra: "I'd figure it out. What would you do if I was a worm? A thinkin' worm, that is. If I ever end up as a wormy worm, just feed me to a fish at that point."

Mashal: "I think I'd plant a nice garden and let you live among the vegetables. Whenever I would travel, I'd bring you in a flower pot."

Astra: "Aw, well that's a lot sweeter than a sideshow attraction."

Mashal: "Just got a romantic heart, I guess. But a sideshow would be fun, I think. Good enrichment. I doubt a worm's day would be too interesting otherwise."

Astra: "It's got a good ring to it! Astra DuClaire and her traveling worm!"

I really do love this question. The worm doesn't matter - it's asking if you'd love me if I had nothing to give to you. Not beauty or sex or money or conversation. But I think these two would love each other no matter what, even if there were some carnival scams involved.

Thanks for the ask!

[iron-bullogna]

realized I haven't shared my Tav with y'all yet!

this is my wild magic sorcerer Kvetavri (Kvet) and they are very much at their core a self insert (they/she) before brain wormie time, they were a fire spinner in a traveling act (though they had just gotten uh...for lack of better words, fired)

a bit of a jack of all trades, kvet really wasn't sure what they wanted to "do with their life". their magical ability was discovered at the age of 11 in a fiery (literally) fit of anger and emotion. it remained sporadic and intense like this for quite some time.

kvet's family wasn't very well off but did a good job of disguising it. their mother worked in a healing house in the lower city and their father did clerical work for the flaming fist after being injured. they have two older brothers, one in the flaming fist and one deceased. he did seedy smuggling work in and out of baldur's gate and it caught up to them. his death was what spurred kvet's initial breakdown at 11. their other elder brother followed after their father and joined the flaming fist. appearance wise, they have auburn hair and one enchanting and unsettling pale eye courtesy of Volo (played with minimal spoilers first go and had no idea what it did tbh) while the other is a pale green. (I was tickled to death when Yenna showed up and looked like mini-Kvet with reverse eyes)

as mentioned, kvet didn't know what they wanted to do with their life but was always a bit of a performer and ended up joining a semi-traveling act as a fire spinner/dancer as they are particularly gifted with magic surrounding fire. their scars are not from any sort of epic adventure or battle, but rather an accident. said accident being in the middle of a show, wild magic did wild magic things and summoned a cambion. it was a mess. lots of blood, screaming, and displeased patrons obviously. when they were abducted they had actually been sulking around Baldur's Gate feeling sorry for themselves after being "fired" from the troop they previously performed with. still a bit undecided on who their "canon" romance is but I initially romanced Astarion and Halsin with them!