#he's just a little creature.... shutting down when confronted with his own kindness......

[spliqi]

eating this moment for breakfast lunch and dinner btw

[soggy-platee]

Trade Mistakes Pt. 1/2

Din Djarin x Reader

Summary: Din bottles up his anger after a hunt, and you pay the price.

Maker, he pissed you off sometimes. Stomping in here like you and kid didn’t even exist. 

You understood, to some extent. The bounty he had brought it was nothing but trouble, bucking and fighting against Din’s grip the whole time. Just when he shoved the rather ugly-looking blue-skinned creature into the carbon freezer and was about to hit the button, the bounty used his cuffed hands like a club, hitting Din directly in the helmet. To his credit, he didn’t react until the guy was fully frozen, only then cussing up a storm and throwing a gloved hand into the side of the ship. Anger radiated off him as he made quick pacing laps in place and you were grateful the child in your arms was nearly asleep. 

It didn’t happen often, but maintaining such a constant stoic exterior outside the ship made him lose control in those rare moments it was just the three of you. Of course, he never laid a hand on you or the kid in the entire you had been traveling with him (Maker, almost a year now) and he even tried to avoid you seeing him like that most of the time, but it still made you angry. Angry that he felt the need to release himself in that way to begin with. You and Din had a...relationship? You still didn’t know what to call it. There simply wasn’t a word for it. Din and the kid were your world every since he hired you to watch the little monster, and you two were his. You wanted to help him, make it so he didn’t feel that way ever. 

You were mad at your own helplessness, more than anything. 

So, this time you were going to confront him about it. Figure out what you could do, what he needed from you. 

You sat the now sleeping kid in his pram, tightly shutting the lid. Din was stalking toward the cockpit, his usual destination when he was in this kind of mood. In a move even you weren’t sure about, you stepped directly into his path, planting your hands on your hips and producing the firmest look you could. He huffed, hands clenching at his sides as your presence abrupptly stopped him. He titled his helmet down, being close enough to display the nearly head-length hight differance between the two of you. 

“What?” he nearly grunted. His tone was harsh, but you tried to keep yourself calm and your tone steady. “I just don’t want you to have to do this.” 

“Do what?” he replied, trying to sidestep you in an attempt to reach his original destination. A flash of anger ran through at his dismissal of you, and as he passed you, you grabbed his shoulder and pulled. He gave in, swinging to face you as your hand pulled on him, his back now to the ladder. He was tense under your hold, so you dropped your hand. Gesturing vaguely toward the cockpit with your other, you tried not to sound exasperated as you said, “This. All this. Closing yourself off from us after hunts, it’s not good for you, for any of us.”

He straightened his shoulders in front of you, shuffling as if uncomfortable. Finally, he ground out, “It’s for the best.” He tried again to retreat so you once again grabbed him, lower on his arm this time. “No, its not. Dealing with anything like this...its not healty. I...Please-just let me help you. How can I help?”

You tried to force your sincerity into your tone, amplifying it with your wide eyes and honest expression. He stood silent for a moment before raising the hand of the arm your held to grip onto your forearm as well. His fingers were tight against your skin, almost too tight. Your expression shifted, brows knitting together and looking down to see his gloved fingertips digging into your arm. 

While you stared at his grip on you, his other hands came up to caress your face. The feeling of rought lether against your cheek made you raise your eyes to his visor. He was tense, almost too tense, as he stood there. What the hell made him act like this?

You narrowed your eyes, suspicious of the closeness, while at the same time, wishing on anything that you had ever known that this touch would never end. The urge to question him, make him aware of the unprecedented closessness between you, sat on your tongue like an avail. 

Before you would object, he wrenched his hands from you. It was almost like he had lost himself for a moment, shaking his hands free of you slightly before turning and clambering up the ladder to the cockpit. 

As the metal hatch swung closed with a resounding clap, you simply stood there, shell-shocked from the simple touch of your “employer”. 

After all- that was all he was to you. Why did you- why should you care about how he felt after a hunt? So what is he was balling up his emotions, it was hardly your problem. 

As you slowly recovered, that single thought dominated your mind. He was just some man, some man who had the credits you needed to keep you alive in this messed up universe. It didn’t matter that the sight of his helm sent you into a haze, or that the way he cared for the child made your heart flutter faster than lightspeed. The way he made you feel didn’t- it couldnt- matter to you. You had a job to do, and that was it. 

The fading feeling of his hands on your body turned numb as you shook yourself from your space below the cockpit. You tried to block out his stomps of frustration as you stomped off yourself, hurdily checking in on the child you had just layed to bed. 

Unsuprsingly, the child was still awake. Staring up at you with large, unblinking eyes, you couldn’t help but feel that he was judging you for your lact of tact with his surrogate father. 

“What?” you whispered loudly. “He loves you, you don’t even know what its like to be on his bad side…”

You drifted off, realizing the futility of venting to a creature that was unable to speak for itself. Well, at least it made you feel better somewhat. Regardless, your eyes softened and your tone lightened, once again speaking to the child in your care- “I’m sorry, I just don’t know what to think of your dad… He’s just so difficult- such a man’s man, determined to let his stress build up until it kills him”. 

Not that you cared of course, as long as you got paid. 

Well- that was what you tried to tell yourself at least. In reality, his attitude made you scared- for him. He came back from every hunt beat up, and wound up. Wound up so tight that you knew it would kill him faster than his less-than-safe hunting stategity. 

But maker knows you would rather die before brining that up to than Mandolorain. Your were his employee, after it. It wasn’t your place to speak to him about his feeling, let alone your feelings about him. 

So you once again stifled those pangs of concern, instead directing that energy into preparing the cabin for the long trip through hyperspace to drop this latest bouty. 

After securing the child, you made your counts around the small space on the lower deck, strapping in equipment and ensuring you had the need supplies to make the days-long jump. It wasn’t unlike Din to forget such physical neccesiciies like food and drink for himself, but it was your job to keep the child, and by extension yourself, alive. 

Moving along the back wall, you counted in your head the limited number of rashion packs you had left. Your mind drifted toward the next time you would see him, most likely handing him up a lukewarm meal into the cockpit, only dreaming of what he looked like when he finally relaxed and had himself a proper meal. 

Before your mind could fall fully into imaganined what his uncovered face looked like, a crash drew your attention. 

You jumped, twisting suddenly toward the harsh sound only to see a blur of movement. Your heart jumped a beat as your eyes struggled to focus in the dim light of the cabin. 

The breath caught in your throught slowly released as you realized the simple issue. A pile of crates had collapsed, toppling over one another right in front of the carbonite freezer. You sighed, trying to dispel the sudden adrenaline in your system. Glacing back at the pram to confirm the child did not stir, you slowly turned to the pile of boxes. 

You told yourself fixing this problem was enough for the night, and began stacking up the mismanaged crates in a pile most likely to stay out of the grumpy Mando’s way. His dismissive demnor once again reared up in your mind as you lifted each crate, making you question the very worth of this gig before you heard a slight hissing noise. 

Just as you turned to look at the pram, sure the child had found his way out once more, a sudden smoke filled the air with a lound whistle. Your sight went a dusty white as you threw your arms out, struggling to get your barings in the sudden fog. 

Before you could grab anything, you felt a wet thing through itself against you. Its weight pushed you to the ground, your head cracking against the metal floor with a deafening thud. Lights flashed against your closed eyelids, and you felt the thing above you slowly find its bearing, slowly find you. Its-his- wet finger slid up your dazed body to find your throat, slippery digits struggling to gain purchase on your slender neck. 

It was all you could do to stay consciousness as pressure began to cut off your air, your blood. Your own fingers slid across those on your neck, desperately trying to pry the grip from your neck. Your awareness was slow, but you knew the sour smell of fresh carbonite anywhere. Din’s bounty was lose, and even as you desperately tried to call for him, you felt no air- no sound- leave your mouth. 

Black dots flashed across your eyes as you thought of the child, thought of his father- neither of which could help you now. Heels kicking uselessly against the ground, you mustered one final shout in your own mind, begging for help, begging for anything- before you heard a familiar, childish coo and a thudding of metal boots.

[fifteenminutes-if]

I am SO EXCITED for this game! I just love the premise, and cannot wait to romance all of these ROs, especially Val (former friend and rival!). Classic question but I’ve got to ask- which of the ROs are the most jealous and how do they display their jealousy?

ty for the kind message!

most jealous

val: val is a funky little creature lol they are definitely the most likely to feel jealous over attention and time but also the most likely to suppress it deep down and scold themselves/feel ashamed for it. they've had a rough upbringing and have trust issues, etc. etc. so they're easy to fall into paranoia/jealousy but who are they to feel entitled to anything? would not know how to express these feelings and would cope by shutting themselves in the studio/in their room and writing. might avoid people for a few days but it would be hard to tell when val is jealous. they're great at hiding things. if you confront them about it, they'll clam up or start an explosive argument and then rot in their regret for weeks.

carmen: almost on the same level as val. struggles a lot with inadequacy and imposter syndrome so she always assumes everyone else is better than her. has a very deep tendency to want. will recognize jealousy when it arises and feel ashamed for it. sometimes will confront it head on and let the other person know she felt jealous because of x, y, z. but more often than not will be in her own head and putting on a façade of a happy-go-lucky person.

maddox: has already dealt with a lot of betrayal and some cheating in past relationships. they're used to being an accessory for people rather than a fully realized human being so all the shallow relationships they're surrounded by doesn't really give them a whole lot of room for jealousy. has gotten really good at not caring/being emotionally dissociated. bc of this they don't think they get jealous. spoiler alert: they're delusional bc as soon as they develop genuine emotions for someone they're fucked. would try really hard to shove down any feelings of jealousy but would have small moments where they'd glower, or let loose a snarky little quip here and there.

robin: a very practical person and doesn't think jealousy on its own is productive. jealousy arises from the desire to have/be something. would try to analyze why they feel jealous in the first place, try to pinpoint what it is they desire and then dismiss those feelings in favour of working toward what they want. you can see how this can become complicated when it comes to a person.

mateo: don't think mateo feels jealous often over anything/anyone. not to say he doesn't care about the people he loves but he's not the type to force anything if he feels like time has run its course. he puts a lot of trust in his relationships/looks for the best in most people and he expects the same in return.

least jealous

[invinciblerodent]

Throwing right back at you for iona, arvid and petyr 🌎 and 📓

ooh, fun!!!

Ask game!

🌍 - What are this oc’s religious views?

Arvid is very much a cleric of Tempus- maybe his devotion cools slightly throughout the course of the game (his faith used to offer him far more solace before being confronted with the cruelty and pettiness of other gods and the apathy of his own), but I think ultimately victory winds up affirming him in his -shaken, but intact- Tempuran beliefs.

It's difficult to articulate concisely, and now I'm really mad at myself for not putting color-coded sticky tabs on my first filled notebook, because it took me entirely too long to find a piece of text I was thinking of regarding some of his thoughts lol:

"It's never really the Gods doing the helping, right?" Arvid's voice is a quiet rumble in his chest now, as if sharing a secret. "It's always those who follow them. It's not Selûne who protected Last Light- it was Isobel. And it isn't her, or Shar, or Tempus, or Silvanus who stitch our wounds- it's us, and it's our -for lack of a better word- humanity."

"Gods, they have boundless power, divine judgment, and worship is... something I'm sure you don't want to hear me prattle on about, but godhood, my love... Godhood, it demands indifference. It requires, in their infinite grace, as much cruelty as it does apathy. And you, bright, passionate, brilliant you... apathy does not become you."

(I also kind of like to toy with the thought that, being a cleric to a different neutral deity, he has a bit of an inherent understanding of Gale and Mystra's relationship as god and worshiper remaining part of their lives for good, but that'd be entirely too long to get into lol.)

📓 - Do you associate any quotes or lyrics with this oc?

(I'm gonna concentrate on lyrics for this, mostly because it's like 1 am and my brain is kinda doing its best to not shut down lol.)

Following your example with this, this song, "creature" by half.alive, really informed the way I approached making Arvid, and I just can't not immediately think of these lines when I think of him:

It's just... his theme song, despite me not listening to much else Christian altogether, lol.

🌍 - What are this oc’s religious views?

Iona is a bit of a tougher case, because she has a background in a strict community of which she never really was a genuine believer, which was an offshoot of Ilmaterian belief, and that... kind of drove her to reject a lot of religious teachings.

Throughout the game, she's kind of looking for herself and what she believes in in all respects, but I like to think that, through being free to explore her fey nature and go back to her roots, later in life she'll kind of get back to a casual worship of the Seldarine, primarily Sehanine.

Since she'll wind up spending most of her life traveling in the dark and with an undead elf by her side, I think it'd be quite sweet if she were to find some comfort in the Lunar Lady, who is the protector deity of travelers, the elven dead, and the Moon, lol. I think she'd feel a sort of kinship with her, far more than she ever did with any god of the Faerûnian pantheon. (Now that I look at it, it's really sweet how the two of them are a Sun and a Moon elf, and Sehanine favors both Sunstone and Moonstone. That's just cute, I like that.)

📓 - Do you associate any quotes or lyrics with this oc?

Not gonna lie, Iona's playlist is like 40 songs now, but one of the songs I feel most attached to with her is "The Hand That Feeds" by the Crane Wives.

I mean, a lot of it is very Iona-core to me, but this sums up a lot of her kinda life-philosophy.

🌍 - What are this oc’s religious views?

Oh i remembered a post I made about this way back when, and took entirely too long tracking it down, but I honestly can't phrase it any better than this lol: Petyr's got very little experience with any organized religion. He grew up among druids (I feel like it's rather natural a fit for a rather neutral/neutral good-aligned ranger), so he wouldn't say that he's a believer of any one specific faith, he's more in the "well of course the ancient powers are in perfect balance as they should be. gods are real, yeah, but they too are just pieces in this game- larger pieces, but pieces nonetheless, just like you and me" school of thought. His "faith" is less one with tenets, and rules, and a deity, and more of a general, handwave-y type of... mystic spirituality, where it's okay for him to just be as decent as he can be (which, the bar is at roughly his ankles there), do what he strikes him as right, and the rest will sort itself out. (If he had any magical aptitude, he would be a druid, but he doesn't, so he isn't, basically.)

📓 - Do you associate any quotes or lyrics with this oc?

This one is a little more difficult because the songs I associate with him are primarily instrumental, and/or in, like, Polish. Or Danish. There's some Icelandic and Russian in there too I believe. And the ones in English aren't the most.... shall we say, lyrically poignant pieces, lol.

It's all very vibes-based, more than words-based.

But of course, Abney Park's "The Traveler's Curse" was one of the first songs I started to associate with him, specifically because of these lines:

[spider-self]

@loyaltybroken liked this for a starter

How easily they wandered back into IT’s web, responding to IT’s summons so readily. Did they so badly want to die? Children so rarely had a sense of self preservation. Caught in the euphoria of life, they could never imagine a scenario where they were killed until the moment it happened. IT had seen it so many times, the final flicker of recognition, the wild terror at the sight of their demise, death with a painted smile. Adults were more practical, far more likely to be prone to fanciful visions of their ends. But even these were abstract in their own ways, another stubborn denial of the possibility. Of course it couldn’t happen to them. How could it? They were special, they were far more alive and real than anyone else could ever hope to be. Someone else might die yes, but not them. Never them.

One of them at least had known that to stand against IT was futile. IT had felt his life snuff out a few days ago. The feeling like a soft brush against the back of IT’s mind. Stanley Uris.. It was a shame really, IT would have liked to him to have come back and done the deed at home in Derry. IT would have gathered his body and had it take pride of place in the depths of IT’s lair. There IT would croon over each lovely bone and let IT’s laughter gurgle out of every drain.

His loss would have hurt them badly. What seven children could accomplish was far more than what six adults could. They were weak now and IT was strong. IT had bided IT’s time, resting and dreaming, letting IT’s wounds heal in preparation for this final confrontation. They would lose and they would die and IT would keep them forever among IT’s other little trophies. Perhaps when all this was done, IT would seek out Uris and take his body. It would be good to have the full set.

Of all of their little club, IT found Richie the most irksome. Rather than cower or at least show some semblance of respect to IT’s power. The brat had thrown nothing but insults and sly quips, as if that might possibly make his death quick. No…Richie would die slowly, his throat ripped to shreds so that chattering voice was finally silenced forever. Perhaps IT would leave him alive long enough to make him think that if he’d only kept his mouth shut, IT might have spared them all.

A foolish notion, but it was one IT entertained as IT watched him, drumming IT’s fingers idly on the table IT was sat at. The human disguise was disgustingly limiting. All of IT’s glory compressed down into a creature constrained by its own mortality. The heart that beat sluggishly in IT’s chest reminded IT sickeningly of the meat that comprised this form. Weak flesh and brittle bones, human horrors. Hardly fit for a hunt of any kind. Even the thought of speaking felt disgusting, a heavy tongue so very inefficient in comparison to simply speaking directly into Richie’s mind. But even he, dull as he was would probably notice that. And IT wasn’t keen to reveal Itself just yet. IT wanted to play first.

“Hey excuse me. Are you Richie Tozier? I’m such a big fan.”

[xcrystalzero]

love languages

Characters Included: Kaeya, Diluc, Xiao, Zhongli

Kaeya:

Giving: Words of Affirmation, Physical Touch

-Have you heard this man's voice-lines? The dude is the literal definition of a sweet-talker.

-Will constantly be telling you how good you look in that new outfit or how well-spoken you just were or how good you are at everything your do.

-Also kind of handsy??

-Not like in an obnoxious way (well at least not all the time). Loves to have a hand around your waist when you guys are just talking at the tavern or taking a walk around Mondstat.

-Will 100% grab your ass out of nowhere and then pretend like nothing happened.

Receiving: Physical Touch, Quality Time

- On the other hand, if you grab his ass, he may pass away on the spot.

-Absolutely loves it when you initiate physical contact, especially in public. Will tease you every single time about it but loves seeing this "bold" side of you.

"Oh? Someone's a little needy today." Kaeya cooed as he turned to glance over his shoulder at the way you were currently clinging to his back. You pouted up at him, making a show of slowly pulling away.

"You don't like it? I guess I'll just need to go find someone else to hug... You think Diluc is at the tavern?" You had taken a single step away when a pair of arms wound their way around your waist.

"Hey now..." There's a bit of a warning in his voice but it's nothing harsh. His breath hits your skin as he nuzzles into the crook of your neck, sending a shiver down your spine. "I never said that."

-Has a pretty packed schedule as a captain so he doesn't have much free time to spend just chilling. So when you take time out of your equally busy schedule specifically to spend with him, he gets all warm and tingly inside.

-Especially loves it when you do the planning since again, he's a busy man. If you show up at the Knight's headquarters and are just like "get in loser, we're going on a date" he'll probably fall in love all over again.

Diluc:

Giving: Gift Giving, Acts of Service

-Mans is the second-richest person in all of Tevat. If even bring up a slight interest in something, expect it to show up at your doorstep the next day, perfectly gift-wrapped.

-Will shrug it off when you confront him about it, wondering why you're making a big deal out of something so trivial.

"Diluc why is there an army of stuffed animals on my porch?" You aren't sure what your eyes are supposed to be. The fiery-haired man before you or the 50 fluffy creatures arranged in perfectly packaged boxes sitting on the ground in front of you.

"The other day, you said you thought they were cute" Diluc shrugs as he weaves his way through the maze of little creatures to stand by your side.

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU BUY THEM ALL!"

-Also likes to make things easier for you whenever he can.

-He's always offering to call you a carriage so you don't have to walk places, or make sure that all of the errands are done before you get a chance to get to them.

-He just wants to reduce any stress in your life and it's cute.

Receiving: Physical Touch, Words of Affirmation

-Touch-starved motherfucker.

-Somewhat shy when it comes to PDA and just general affection but over time, he gets used to it and starts to crave it.

-Will never ask you for affection directly but will definitely hint at it. He'll let his hand rest gently on your shoulder for just a little bit too long, or linger after he's already said goodnight, and that's how you know that he wants some love and affection.

-Really likes when you run your hands through his hair. There's just something so soothing about it, especially since he hasn't allowed someone to be that comfortable with him in a while. May just fall asleep in your arms if you keep doing it.

-In the same way, he likes to hear praises. He's not a man who needs to be told by others that he's doing the right thing or that he's doing a good job, but it does kind of feel nice when you're the one saying those things to him.

Xiao:

Giving: Acts of Service, Gift Giving

-He feels like he has nothing of his own to give so he tries to make himself useful in the only way he knows how.

-You mentioned that there's this commission you took that's harder than you expected and has had you busy for the past few days? Oh look at that, somehow the issue is solved. The Treasure Hoarders seem to be creeping too close to the trading ports for comfort. Not anymore they're not.

-Gets borderline creepy at some points where he seems to know every little thing you're struggling with and be able to solve all your problems immediately but are you really going to complain?

-Will constantly bring you food or little things that he saw that reminded him of you.

"Here, take this."

You glance puzzled at the hand the adeptus has outstretched to you. Gently, you reach out and take whatever it is he is offering you, bringing it up to your face to observe. A soft chuckle leaves your lips. In your hands is a tiny butterfly seemingly constructed of folded and interlocking leaf strips.

"Aww Xiao, did you make this for me?"

"I... I just happened to have it," he stutters out, looking anywhere except at you. That does nothing but coax another soft laugh out of you as you gently lean your head against his shoulder.

"Thank you, I'll take good care of it."

"... you better."

Receiving: Words of Affirmation, Physical Touch

- Normally, he thinks the sweet-talking of mortals is just another form of manipulation. That being said, when he hears any of those sugared phrases coming from you, his heart skips a beat.

-The first few times you complemented him, he literally had to stop and process for a second because wow. That felt great.

"Mortals are so incapable," Xiao mutters as he brushes slime condensate off of his sleeve. You sheath your sword before turning back to him, a grin on your face.

"Well anyone would be compared to you. You're really amazing you know!"

He froze. They were just words and nothing he hadn't heard before from workers at the inn or humans in the past, so why was his heart beating to fast?

"Xiao?" You questioned, catching up to him and waving a hand slowly in front of his face.

Coming back to his senses, Xiao huffed, turning his head to the side to hide the red creeping onto his cheeks. "Shut up..."

-Surprisingly enough, also really really likes when you touch him. Of course, always ask first or he might just straight up deck you on sheer instinct.

-But as he gets more and more comfortable around you, he grows to love the way you will absentmindedly grab his hand whenever you want to show him something or the way you like to brush his hair gently out of his eyes when the wind picks up.

-His ears turn red whenever you touch him, no matter how innocent the touch and he will get flustered if you ever decide to tease him about it.

Zhongli:

Giving: Gift Giving, Quality Time

- For a broke bitch, he sure loves to spoil you. Will always bring you to upscale restaurants to try the most expensive dishes or take you out to the stalls to look at exquisite jewelry.

"Which one should I get?"

"Why not both?"

"And who is going to pay for that?"

"That... I did not consider."

- Likes to be around you whenever he can. He's not the busiest person now that he's basically given up the job he had for so long (spoilers???) so he has more time to spend with you.

-If you don't mind, he likes to just be around you throughout the day as you do your own thing, just enjoying being in your company.

Receiving: Quality Time

-The dude has been alive for so long, he just wants to spend some of that time with someone else.

-His favorite thing is just to wander around Liyue Harbor with you, pointing out historical landmarks or just rambling around the history of the land. Loves it when you ask him questions about things or just generally express interest in the things he is talking about.

"That section of the harbor actually used to be a theater."

"Like for plays?"

"Yes actually. However, it was demolished as a sign of the end of the cultural revolution as the city turned to trade as its primary focus."

"Oh yeah you were telling me about that yesterday!" You remark excitedly, gaze drifting around as though you are attempting to imagine the world Zhongli describes. But he is only looking at you, a warm smile spreading slowly over his face.

There is no shortage of people in Liyue Harbor to listen to his stories but only your commit them to memory almost immediately, constantly asking him questions and wanting to learn more about his world. And just for that, he thinks he may fall even deeper in love with you.

note: let me know if you guys like this and i'll do a part two with some of the characters i missed!

[lollytea]

No need to apologise for the derailing loved reading all of it (and as person who tends follow a stream of thoughts i relate)

When it comes to shipping in every fandom the characters / dynamics tend to be simplified for the convince (and bc id be hard to whip out a whole essay about in and out s of their relationship everytime you wanna make a silly joke, but it tends to be so widely and often used that it makes me sometimes think "wait you don t really think that they would act like that right?"But that s something that s just gonna happen ig and who am i to police ppl on jokes🤷

Loved the insignt about his military upbringing and automantically analysing ppl s strenght which i haven t though about but very much agree.

Althought i also think that beside willows powers she has proved to be quite fearless (let s overlook ladybugs / j) especially in front of Hunter where she stood up to Darius and was ready to protect EE with her body. She knew she was gonna lose and that she s weaker than the coven head but that didn t stop her. That s one of the reasons (i think) Hunter recognised fake willow so soon. Because real willow regardless if she s stronger or not overlooks the dangers and focuses on doing everything to save her friends.

And willow + gus being Hunters safe space is so dear to me it s honestly ridiculous

Hopefully after some time in nocedas household he ll have time to relax/heal and be a lil snarky maybe in a form of sibling like banter with luz?

//and back to willow and her strenght there s this hc i have about beta willow. That althought beta universe is way more dangerous/bloody i like to think willow wasn t that much violent there? But unhinged for sure, using plants attacks and refusing to "unspell" them after fight (they are her beloved plants and she s not heartless enough to make them disappear just after bringing them to life) leaving those dangerous creatures (but before the battle she always thinks what kind of flowers would grow the best in this climate/soil etc)

(was the last addition totally off the topic? ... perhaps Is this ask a mess? Very much yes. Sorry!)

I'm happy you liked it!! I appreciate when other people whose thoughts are similarly many but disorganised see my stuff and are like "yeah me too man."

And yeah whenever I make a silly little joke about Huntlow that's not entirely a reflection of how I really see them I always think about that one post that's like "oh no they're gonna think I don't understand themes and narratives!!" But like. I have several essays I can whip out if anyone questions me about it. I am very easily coaxed into writing huntlow essays. Practically dying to at all times. All somebody's gotta do is bring up a specific topic of discussion and their own opinion to get me started and I'll go off the rails.

Willow is SO brave man. And I like to believe that it's character development, going by season 1 where she went into denial over stepping on bones. I think the Eda petrification thing really changed her brain chemistry into understanding that the world they lived in was corrupt and you either gotta learn to protect or get protected.

She's still just a kid tho. You KNOW that deep down she was probably terrified during her confrontation with Darius, especially after it was demonstrated that she was way WAY outmatched in this fight and she hadnt a chance of winning. But she did it anyway because her friends' lives were at stake and somebody had to fight for them. Man Willow is SO cool.

(Something kinda tragic about her eventually giving up and throwing her arms out to shield them and shutting her eyes tight. She thinks she's gonna die protecting them. And it's noble. It really is. But we gotta remember that she blames herself for all of them being in this mess.)

I love this scene a lot because like both the "half-a witch" admissions from earlier, it's a moment between Willow and Hunter where they realize "Oh. You're like me."

They're both brave to a recklessly suicidal extent. They're protectors. They're self sacrificial.

Hunter sees her bravery in this scene and he understands it completely. She was prepared to handle this herself and lose in the process and he begs her to please just let him do it for her. His tone of his voice, the intense eye contact, his use of "Captain" and his plea? He knew she wasn't going to run away unless he begged. It wasn't the kind of person she was.

Hes known her for a DAY!!! But he gets it!!! He fucking gets her!!!!

Of COURSE this was one of the many reasons he realized LR Willow was a fake. After this girl pulled some shit like THAT there is no way she's getting spooked by illusions.

I know Hunter's gonna have some rough times in season 3 but I also know he's not just gonna be angsting the whole time. He's too funny. As much as the crew loves putting him through shit, they also clearly love him in comedic situations. They love Hunter man. You can clearly tell. He's gonna be so snarky he's gonna be so annoying. Hes gonna argue with Luz and probably Gus and maybe even Amity. It's gonna be great.

I'm so excited for s3 Luz and Hunter dynamic. It's coming I know it is. Its gonna be big and everything I ever wanted. Its so interesting to me how, besides Flapjack, Luz is the character Hunter has been the most comfortable around. They just have something special man. They're gonna have their snarky snippy little bickering, I know they will.

Beta stuff isn't really a thing I'm all that interested in. I'm happy people have their fun with the designs and coming up with lore and headcanons for those versions of the characters and the lore but I'm so attached to the canon interpretations that I can't really get invested. But I do love this!! Even in canon itself, I'd love to see Willow be the kind of person who dotes and fawns over her horrifying poison mucus spraying briars or whatever other plants her creatively unhinged little brain conjures up. Like they're her BABIES!!! It makes people uncomfortable but Willow is just so sweet that they don't have the heart to tell her to get rid of them.

[writeforfandoms]

Merry Go Round of Life 8

Find my masterlist

I’m so sorry this chapter took a while. But! Things are happening. More things will be happening next chapter. I’m actually super excited to get the next chapter out to y’all to see what you think. This one’s pretty fun too. 

This will be Din Djarin x f!reader eventually. Don’t hold your breath folks, this one’s a slow burn. Sort of.

Warnings: Raised voices. Din being Dramatic. 

In which there is confrontation

For several long moments, nobody spoke. Djarin stepped over to you and the kid, his helmet tilting down to look at you. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Vanth approaching as well, and the helmet abruptly whipped towards him.

“Not a word of this,” Djarin growled, still holding the knife. He didn’t brandish it, but he didn’t need to. 

“Easy, partner,” Vanth said, holding his hands out away from his body. “You two alright?” he asked, very clearly looking at and addressing you.

“I… think so,” you answered slowly. You felt slow. Actually, you felt a little dizzy still. The kid was passed out in your arms, but still breathing. You could feel his heartbeat if you focused on your hands, one of which was braced against his chest to keep him more or less upright.

“Give me the child,” Djarin told you. You looked back at him to find him crouching in front of you, both hands out for the kid. When had he done that? You blinked, and then relinquished the child over to the wizard instead. Djarin tucked the kid comfortably against his chest, the helmet dipping briefly to, you guessed, do his own visual inspection. 

“C’mon,” Vanth murmured. Now he was next to you too, gaze concerned as he looked you over. “Let’s get you on your feet, hm?”

“Oh. Alright.” You took his proffered hand and started to your feet. He ended up bracing his other hand under your elbow when you swayed, unsteady.

“Right,” Vanth muttered. “Uh. Right over here, now.” He steered you over to a boulder of a convenient size and then let you sit on that instead. “Well, I don’t think you’ll make it back to town right now.”

“I just need a moment,” you told him, despite the fact that seeing straight was currently optional. “I’ll be fine.”

“Ma’am--” Vanth started, brows furrowing in concern.

“You said the crystals are near here?” Djarin interrupted. 

Vanth looked over at him slowly, clearly debating something. Then he sighed. “Yeah, maybe half hour’s walk.”

“Show me.” That was clearly an order.

“But--” Vanth started to protest, looking at you again. 

“She’s safe enough here for a few minutes,” Djarin interrupted. “Just show me which direction and give me a landmark.” 

Vanth huffed out a breath but nodded, jerking his head. The two of them walked away from you, and you closed your eyes and focused on breathing. The sun was warm, almost uncomfortably so, against your skin. Your skirt was still damp where you’d sat in the mud. You could smell the creature the longer it sat in the sun, a musky kind of animal smell. Your nose wrinkled without your permission. 

“Have some water.”

You jumped and opened your eyes to glower at Vanth, who, to his credit, did look apologetic. 

“Didn’t mean to scare ya,” he murmured, holding out a canteen. He shook it a little, letting you hear the slosh of liquid inside. 

“Thank you,” you murmured, taking the canteen. You took careful sips. You’d read somewhere, once, that you should sip water rather than guzzling it. You were pretty sure that had been about traveling, or deserts, or something. 

“Feelin’ better?” Vanth asked, leaning one hip against the boulder you were still seated on.

“Yes, thank you.” You handed the canteen back. “Djarin went to get the crystals?”

A muscle in Vanth’s jaw ticked but he nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” 

You nodded. Well. You weren't entirely surprised by that. Djarin had certainly seemed upset, and you could even understand why. You'd put the child in danger, albeit unwittingly. And things had turned out fine. 

Still. If you were in his boots, you'd be upset, too. 

"I'm alright to walk back," you told Vanth, creaking back to your feet. 

For a moment, you thought Vanth would argue. Then he sighed. "Alright, then," he agreed. He offered you a hand up again, and tucked your hand against his arm as soon as you were up. "Y'tell me when you need to take a break."

Your lips twitched. "I will." 

The walk back to town was longer than the walk out had been. About half-way back, Vanth informed you that the wizard would meet you at Vanth's house, and from there you'd go back to the moving castle. 

As good a plan as any, you supposed, although you were a little apprehensive of the tongue lashing you'd no doubt have to endure later.

Amazingly, you and Vanth beat Djarin back to town. As you passed by the garden, Vanth paused, frowning. You peered around him at the plants. Nope. Still just plants. Huh. Without a word, he kept walking, steering you inside and straight to a seat. Then he made sure you drank more water, fussing until he was satisfied. You eyed him with amusement - he reminded you a little of Omera, actually. 

"I'm alright," you assured him. "Thank you for your help." 

Vanth nodded and finally sat down as well, stretching long legs out in front of him. "Has anything like that ever happened before?" He asked carefully. 

"Not that I've seen," you answered. "But that's hardly surprising. Surely all sorts of things happen around wizards all the time."

Vanth gave you a startled look but was prevented from saying anything further by three sharp raps on the door. He huffed but stood, opening the door. 

"Ready?" Djarin asked, looking past Vanth to you. 

"Yes." You stood, a little surprised at how brusque the wizard was being. "Thank you," you told Vanth again, pressing a gentle hand to his arm. 

The walk back to the moving castle was silent and strained. Djarin carried the child the entire way, and he had a bag slung over his shoulder that you hadn't seen before. You couldn't see anything under the flap, but every so often when the bag bumped his hip particularly hard it would chink gently. 

You didn't try to talk to him this time. He still seemed to be in a bit of a mood, so you decided to wait him out.

It always worked with Cara, anyway. 

"Took you long enough," Peli scolded as soon as Djarin opened the door. "Hey, what happened?" 

Djarin didn't answer her, instead ascending the stairs, taking the kid and the bag with him. You sighed and sank into the chair in front of the fireplace. You were now officially worn out. 

"What happened?" Peli demanded, leaping up higher to be able to look down at you. 

"Djarin killed the creature," you told her wearily. "The child… did something. He helped, somehow. I'm not sure how to explain it." 

"Tell me everything." Peli settled into her logs again, flickering with impatience until you started talking. And you told her everything - finding the trampled garden, following Vanth and Djarin out into the desert, how the child had seemingly levitated the creature long enough for Djarin to kill it. 

By the end of your tale, Peli's eyes were wide. "Wow. And the kid's been asleep since?"

"Yes." You leaned back into the chair with a sigh. 

"Huh. Never knew the kid could do that." 

"What?" It was your turn to be flabbergasted. 

"Yeah. It's not like Djarin tells me anything." Peli huffed, sending sparks flying up the chimney. 

"I thought it was a fluke."

You and Peli both jumped at Djarin's voice. (Watching a fire jump was both highly entertaining and deeply unsettling.) 

"So you have seen the kid do this before!" Peli crowed, while your heart was still attempting to beat out of your chest. 

“Something like that. Once.” Djarin stood next to you, helmet tipped down to stare straight at you. “Why did you follow us?” His voice was a low rasp, and you could just hear anger simmering there.

“You’d been gone too long,” you told him with a shrug. “And the kid knew something was wrong. He wanted to get to you.”

That made Djarin pause. Then he shook his head. “And you let a child decide this?”

“He wasn’t wrong,” you pointed out, your own temper sparking now. 

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?” 

“You were supposed to stay where it was safe.”

You snorted at that. “And if we had, who knows what would have happened to you.”

“You could have been killed,” Djarin growled, looming over you.

You found yourself on your feet, poking one finger into his armor. (Ow, that hurt.) “I wouldn’t let the kid get hurt,” you growled right back at him with a ferocity that served you well when you’d gotten into spats with your sisters. “It was not my finest moment, following you, but it worked out well in the end.”

Djarin stood there silently for several long moments, helmet still tipped down at you. Then he growled something (it sounded like a swear from the tone but it was no swear you’d ever heard before), turned, and strode away from you. He switched the knob to the black side, slipped out the door, and slammed it shut behind him. The knob turned back to green.

--

Taglist: @tibbietibbs @zinzinina @fandom-blackhole @pedrocentric @shoopidly @beskarprincessjenny @sarahjkl82-blog @cannedsoupsucks @liviiii98 @adriiibell @seasonschange-butpeopledont @princessxkenobi @thirddeadlysin @pbeatriz @oonajaeadira @kiizhikehn-cedar @withakindheartx​ @linkpk88 @pedro4ever @evyiione @janebby @anditsmywholeheart @ohheyitsokay​ @miraclesabound​ 

[angsty-prompt-hole]

Number 4 and number 10 for the ask game!

4. Who's your favourite OC? Why? Do you think you would get along with this OC if you met them in real life?

Oooo this one’s hard. I have a couple of favorites, but I think right now I’d have to go with Haven. Her story is basically that when she was younger, she got caught up in a whole conspiracy involving her father who had disappeared and an eldritch entity, ended up losing her hand and becoming immortal, and then became sort of an interdimensional vigilante who tracks down people who worship that eldritch entity and commits extreme violence against them. She’s just a lot of fun to do stuff with and I really enjoy writing stuff with her. Haven would probably not like me very much lmaooo. She does not like being challenged and I tend to butt heads with people like that.

10. Ramble about an OC! Say whatever you want about them and go on as long as you like ♡

Hi hello yes I shall ramble about someone related to Haven’s story because this OC has been all I could think about for weeks. His name is Liam Prescott, and he’s sort of based on Dewey Riley from the Scream movies. He’s from a version of earth that is infested with eldritch creatures. His sister and her friends got caught up in a serial killing spree committed by two dudes. His sister was murdered, and he was nearly killed, but he and three of his sister’s friends survived. The killers escaped.

Liam got super drunk one night and went out searching for the devil to make a deal to get back at the killers. He did not find the devil, but he found a deal-making sort of eldritch person by the name of Kiz who pointed him in the direction of a cult that worships this evil deer entity. They gave him the power to track down and kill the serial killers, who he found out were actually eldritch monstrosities themselves. One of the other survivors followed him and witnessed the brutal murder, which fractured his relationship with them.

After that, he sort of became a shut-in and never left his apartment. Unfortunately for him, he lived in the same apartment building as this woman who is basically the peacekeeper between eldritch entities, who also happened to be close friends with Haven. Haven was visiting her one night and sensed the lingering eldritch energy from Liam, marched to his room, broke in, and threatened to murder him. 

After the misunderstanding was cleared up and Haven learned Liam’s whole backstory, they started hanging out more because of their mutual friend, the peacekeeper. Haven was very, very aggressive and confrontational towards him at first because he was completely unphased by her acting unhinged or any of her physical oddities like her missing/replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic hand. 

Over time though, Haven settled down a little bit and began to open up to Liam. The two had been through somewhat similar experiences and it really helped both of them to have someone who understood their trauma. Liam’s kind of a dingus though and Haven is so out of touch with her own emotions she never knows what she’s feeling unless it’s rage, so these two took forever to realize they actually really liked each other. 

Liam’s dorky ass upon realizing this decided he was going to panic, and he could not look Haven in the eye for like a week until he was done having a crisis and decided to ask her out. Poor Liam had no idea their first date would end with them having to fight a monster and him learning that Haven can still die, she just resurrects immediately, which was very traumatic for the poor guy. 

Anyways Liam is a dork and likes to buy presents and stuff for people he likes, and he always tries to get people to talk about their interests, only to make a fool of himself because he knows nothing about whatever the person is talking about. He also sometimes overthinks things and ends up really stressed for absolutely no reason. 

[why-this-kolaveri-machi]

the wolf should’ve been afraid of me.

Titans 3.04

just under the wire! ... i hope.

like with the previous review, i’m typing this up as i see the episode. here we go!

spoilers ahead.

1. ... well. that was an interesting cold open.

1.25. i don’t know whether to admire this show’s restraint when it comes to gotham and its excesses, particularly arkham asylum. it’d be easy to go hammer and tongs, like suicide squad (2016) did, or any number of bat media did, at a tropey, colourful~~insanity~~ that can be quite damaging, casting mental illness in strangeness and criminality. it definitely shows gotham as... separate from the rest of the country, its own ecosystem of heroes and villains, a sort of rogue state. 

but that ecosystem is still human, with its heroes needing to clip parts of themselves away just to survive, growing old and needing to be recycled, its villains languishing in the same kinds of systems that fail everybody else who needs to be helped. it’s a quieter, tenser sort of wrongness: not strange enough that you can dissociate, but not close enough that you can completely empathise. gotham is its own creature.

1.5. i know that the reasoning behind this is more doylist than anything, but i’m so glad that joker was killed off with little fanfare right at the start of the season. he is the one man in the batverse that’s transcended its confines as this sort of ethereal boogeyman/eternal edgelord and to justify his presence in the series would mean giving him this tired, overblown importance and too much of a stab at colourful, tropey “madness” in this otherwise-subdued series. i wish all batmedia would follow suit and get rid of this fucker.

1.75. so jason is bucking scarecrow’s control! or reminding him of who exactly holds all the cards right now. circling back to what i talked about in the last review, it’s remarkable just how little time it’s been since jason’s “death” and he’s already got ‘minions’ and elaborately set up plans to track, break and kill the titans. just how long has he been planning this? when did he first look at WE weapons prototypes and think that’s something i can use to blow somebody up? and the most unsettling question: did he plan his own death at the hands of the joker just so that he could break batman?

at this point it’s obvious that the scarecrow at least started jason down this path, but it’s frightening just how far he’s travelled already.

1.8. aaagh, less than one minute in! i’ll shut up. 

2. conner washing his hands at the sink reminds me that he was directly in the line of explosion when hank got blown up and he’s probably got atomised hank-bits all over his skin that he’s desperately trying to wash off.

... you’re welcome.

2.25. conner, don’t you speak to gar fucking logan like that, sir, no!

2.3. if anything it’s the lex part of him that gave him the knowhow to recognise the weapon and build a de-activator for it. 

anyway, for that ‘half-breed’ and ‘talking tiger’ comment?

(i wish, tho, that we actually see conner more interested in the superman part of his legacy, like maybe listening to stories from gar, or even better, dick, so we get a better idea of the pressure he’s feeling to live up to that part of him and not the part that’s lex.)

((i talked about conner’s stages of moral development in his introductory episode last season, but i wonder if the next stage of his self-actualisation would be to further integrate the parts of himself and realise that they are only parts and he, conner, is an entirely different person unto himself that can make decisions on how to use what he has and what he knows. his superman abilities can be used to destroy. his lex knowledge can be used to save.))

3. oh dawn :((

3.25. is this the last we see of dawn and hank? i mean, we know donna is coming back; would it be a stretch to think they’ll try to have a go at resurrecting hank as well?

3.5. “deathstroke didn’t make us into killers.” good, because deathstroke didn’t make jason a killer either. there’s a missing step there you need to be looking for, dick. 

3.75. dick did try to break the cycle, step away from gotham, run from the possibility that he could turn into batman. it didn’t help; he couldn’t fully withdraw from his vigilante persona the same time he loathed it, and batman literally haunted him both asleep and awake. but maybe gotham doesn’t have to turn anybody into anything. maybe gotham has nothing to do with it at all. it’s about taking responsibility, realising some sacrifices are pure bullshit, and building an actual family instead of merely a team.

anyway: hugs!

(oh, also? mr “i hate flying”? i mean, there’s perfectly valid reasons to hate flying that’s not related to childhood trauma, but then again, this guy was literally a ‘flying grayson’ once. also also, remember that he also gets sea-sick. must’ve a lot of fun stories to tell.)

4. ooh that gar/kory confrontation was brief but cool!

listen, i have never seen a psychiatrist with that extravagant an office and SIR I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW--

4.5. kory’s so unused to reaching out for help and it’s breaking my heart that HPG likely is some kind of impostor that’s maybe causing her symptoms in the first place. 

kory and dick have mostly been apart this season but it’s remarkable how their journeys have paralleled each other; kory processes her grief, isolation and existential dread into a determination to take care of this new family she has, no matter what it takes; dick does much the same, forging ahead with plans and solutions until he has no fuel left in him and spirals into a massive breakdown.

4.25. listen titans this really is a TERRIBLE continuity error. we aren’t goldfish; we can clearly remember that two minutes ago it was gar’s upper arm that was burned, not his forearm. COME ON.

“sensory deprivation tank” *SNORT*

anyway, gar is the BEST

4.5. i wonder where these visions of experimentation took place. was it on tamaran, or on earth, after she came to hunt down rachel/trigon and before she lost all her memories? is HPG a part of the scientist group that experimented on her? ... god, i hope not. i mean, i think he is, but it would be cool to have some positive therapist representation in media. 

5. you’d think the van transporting a dangerous supervillain that only batman could catch would be more secure but... i’m also not entirely surprised. 

5.15. i love dick gives ZERO shits about hiding himself or even ensuring scarecrow is adequately contained. just turns away after kidnapping him in BROAD DAYLIGHT and says ‘let’s go’. I LOVE THIS DUMBASS

6. lmao gar is having a really really shitty day SOMEONE GIVE THIS MAN A BREAK or just a goddamn story arc of his own

6.5. i’m really confused about the timeline here. so... sometime ago, kory came down to earth to hunt down trigon, yeah? at some further point down the line she and her sister were kidnapped and experimented on. THEN she somehow escapes but... loses her memory? a few months pass and then we see blackfire alive and well and free; she kills faddei, can impersonate other people, and is clearly seeking out kory. but now she’s still in the experiment facility...? what’s going on?

i’m not entirely surprised about the facility being mostly deserted. either the biggest investors in this project gave up on it and it was left to the most fanatic to carry on, or they were deliberately trying to lure kory and get her to free blackfire--expand the environs of the experiment, so to speak.

7. hopefully barbara is going to get something to do other than listen to various men give her Attitude

8. how do you terrorise a terrorist? well:

i love when dick is a scary-competent motherfucker.

8.25. ooooh, the attack on crane at arkham a ploy to get crane to blackgate? nice one dick, i didn’t even think of that. but why though? to protect crane from the titans? to intercept the van to blackgate and “rescue” him? seems likely--red hood was there, except dick got to crane quicker.

9. still reeeallly unclear about the komand’r situation. was komand’r captured after s2? is this all A TRAP?? if so, why are you stepping into the only thing that can contain you, kory????

9.25. so... definite parallels between dick/jason and kory/kom here. i’m just. i’m still. really confused. i’ll shut up now.

10. this may be my favourite dick look yet:

woodsman!dick in a beanie.

10.5. i unironically love how titans has made this bizarrely-devoted-to-his-moniker, toxin-spewing supervillain into a tamer version of hannibal, psychoanalysing his victims into submission. it’s of a piece with how inward looking titans is, the way all of its villains are obsessed with how our protagonists’ minds work, to the point where they would actually spend time inside of them. 

there are no big plots to end the world. no apocalypses or endgames here. these villains collect the titans’ insecurities like infinity stones. the way the titans defeat them is by achieving character growth--literally winning by the power of love. literally “the real superpower is the friends we made along the way”!

10.7. anyway, i’m betting dick is used to this bullshit from crane and is humouring him in the service of getting more information. the story about the wolf? an implicit threat, not to mention dick getting to control what crane knows about him and what methods he would use to manipulate him.

am i giving dick too much credit here? i don’t think so. he’s really impressed me so far this season.

10.75. like. there’s a real unreliable narrator vibe coming off with every person that talks about bruce (much like how the various members of the titans talked about jason’s motivations) and to buy into crane’s talk about bruce being a psychopath is to fall for the same manipulation that jason fell for. dick is the only person who hasn’t really psychoanalysed bruce this season, and i think some part of his detective brain is piecing things together into a bigger picture.

11. i’m glad kory rescued kom but did she have to kill the scientist?

(i mean, yeah, probably - the less people know that kom escaped the less likely they’re going to have the fucking govt on their doorstep, but still.)

11.5. dick’s gonna come back to wayne manor, stare straight at komand’r and go, well which room would you like? because the team might as well adopt ANOTHER person, yeah?

12. oh MAN that red hood/nightwing fight was AMAZING! and he did the thing! the boomerang escrima thing! i’m so delighted!

12.5. the anger and disbelief in dick’s voice when he says you told crane EVERYTHING?! tells me that he knew exactly what he was telling crane himself.

12.75. “everything you are is because of him” - oh that reminds me of halluci!bruce from last season. i hope we see halluci!bruce again--he is so vicious but so entertaining... so much more effective at tearing dick down than crane or jason combined. goes to show that dick’s biggest enemy is own fucking head.

12.8. oh no! dick’s shot! crane is in the wind with red hood! blackfire is now with the titans! i love it!

honestly this season’s pacing is such a big step up from the last couple. gold star, show.

[forasecondtherewedwon]

All the Belles and Whistles

Pairing: Eloise Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington Rating: T Chapters: 1/?

Summary: Eloise wants—no, needs—more from her life. Certain that only Lady Whistledown can truly understand, she follows her from the printing press after disrupting the queen's trap.

Watching the man halt in the alley next to the press, Eloise felt a surge of true accomplishment. She had stopped him, and not just him—the queen! She had dashed the plans of the queen, operating as decisively and effectively as none but Lady Whistledown herself! Her brothers may ride smartly and her elder sister practice piano with all the naturalness of one whose own pale skin has been shaped from the same ivory as the keys while Eloise was put down as a diary-scribbler and promptly dismissed, but this was a tangible triumph.

Only… she could not share it.

For a moment, Eloise stood on the cobblestones, staring as the man she had foiled caught his breath and trudged away with an unkind glare in her direction. The rattle of Lady Whistledown’s carriage was fading. Eloise spun to her driver.

“We must follow her,” she insisted, scampering up into the carriage without assistance.

“Miss… I should return you to the ball.”

He hesitated and she found she had no patience for his qualms. Disobedience, disloyalty… what were these concerns to her? Everyone must choose a side—preferably their own side, she was finding—and as he was already here, he must choose hers.

“My business is not concluded,” Eloise informed him firmly. “I need you to catch up with that carriage. It is of the utmost importance.”

She snapped the door shut and sat inside her plush cave, twisting her fingers in their satin gloves. Had it been enough? Would he believe in her authority and execute her wishes? Oh, to be her sister in this moment! Daphne did not fumble, even in inexperience. Her little missteps only made her a more charming duchess. She could likely command something so simple as a carriage with a mere smile. Ought Eloise to have smiled?

A sudden jolt set the carriage in motion and she thrilled to feel the turn it took down the alleyway, not back in the direction of the Hastings Ball. Yes. She was a woman of force and ability! A Bridgerton! She would either dramatically overtake the other carriage before revealing herself to Madame Delacroix as a familiar ally or trail her to her apartment next to the Modiste and rap at her door as the scandal sheet writer’s heart was still calming from her near capture. All would end in the pair of them regaling each other with the same adventurous tale from two different perspectives and offering a giddy stream of congratulations over what could surely be looked upon as their shared success.

Lady Whistledown would understand her. She was, perhaps, the only woman in the ton who could. She would not diminish the value of the swift action Eloise had taken or instruct her to return to the ball. She would not treat Eloise like a child. Imagine—her mother felt that she was sufficiently grown up to debut next season, but could not possibly fathom the other feats her daughter might be capable of. Eloise grinned to herself in secret pride, remembering a moment later to hold her shoulders back so as not to crumple her body or gown. She could bear anything if Lady Whistledown knew her worth and did not cause her to feel undercut or belittled, as she occasionally did in the company of her family and frequently did while stammering through her updates to Queen Charlotte. Was a prospective apprenticeship too much to hope for? Oh, it could not be acknowledged anywhere but between Eloise and Madame Delacroix, but to hone the power of her own pen under the tutelage of one with such a measure of impact on society, that would truly be a thrill.

As the carriage rolled briskly along, she pictured pages flowing with effortless writing. She would sharpen her skills for observation and concision. She would paint a picture so simultaneously lifelike and astonishing that it would shock her readers into action. What kind of action, exactly, Eloise did not know, but that was not a concern for this moment. When the time came, she would know what to say and, at that point, be amply equipped to say it.

Along a dark stretch of road, Eloise caught her reflection in the window; the jewels and band decorating her hair glimmered. What an elegant stranger. The version of herself she saw was not the self she knew. Neither, however, was a young woman who had altered her life and the lives of any future person who may appear in the continued editions of Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers by shielding that bold lady from royal censorship. Self-congratulations overwhelmed her once more. Only the sight of her own home approaching could cool Eloise’s pleasure.

Damn it all to hell. The wretched driver was neither pursuing Madame Delacroix nor depositing Eloise back with her mother. He had taken her home, where she would be forced to stew and await judgement until he returned at an unguessable time, conveying the rest of her family. Well, she would not take this lightly. Nor quietly! She would take her only recourse and bully the man that he might display a touch more fidelity the next time. She was determined that there would still be a next time. After tonight’s events, her spirit would not be quelled, her ambitions not squeezed and folded and packed into a box like the impractical cloud of a new gown from the Modiste.

Just as Eloise sank back into her seat with a huff, arms crossed tightly in her sulk, she was forced forward again by the carriage drawing to a stop on the wrong side of the road. So, he meant to punish her by obliging her to walk across the street in the dark. A small pettiness and all the meaner for its triviality.

She felt the tilt of the carriage that signified the driver’s dismount and turned her head away from the door at the handle’s click. He would see her displeasure, never mind that it might encompass unfortunate similarities to the bad behaviour of her youngest siblings.

“Miss, do you not wish to follow her?”

Eloise snapped her head around, meeting the driver’s inquiring expression with one of bafflement.

“Follow her? Follow who?”

“The object of your… chase. She disembarked only as we drew up.”

Not a betrayal! Miraculous! She nodded to him with an appreciative jerk of her head and he stepped quickly back as she sprung to the ground.

Drawing her fluttering wrapper about her, Eloise marched on the Featherington house. Her step hiccupped with a sudden misgiving; whyever would Madame Delacroix flee here? What circumstance had made this residence a safe haven for her? Last Eloise had heard from Pen, the Featheringtons and their preferred dressmaker were rather at odds over new dresses or delayed payment or some other silly misunderstanding. True, she had seen the ladies of this house clad in freshly-made gowns only this evening, but whatever quarrel had preceded their fabrication could not have been so hastily and thoroughly resolved as to make the Modiste’s mistress a great favourite with the defensive Baroness Featherington.

What if… what if the figure who had vanished inside were not Lady Whistledown? What if they had somehow dogged the wrong carriage? No, Eloise decided. Impossible. Dumping her at home for a reprimanding by her mother was one thing, but making a fool of her by tricking her into mistakenly confronting Baroness Featherington would cost the Bridgertons’ driver his employment. He would not dare. She darted a look behind her to see him gathering the reins, dutiful enough not to trot off and leave her until she had entered one house or the other. Well. She must not allow her courage to flag within view of an audience.

Something about the carriage that had conveyed Lady Whistledown struck Eloise, niggling her brain, but that brain was too full to properly examine the thought, allowing it to stray beyond imminent recovery. She was excitable, gathering her skirt out of the way of her feet as she flew to the Featheringtons’ front door. Knocking would only disturb the household servants further, and perhaps Madame Delacroix had not alerted them at all. Eloise would likewise slip inside, as though to attend some sort of meeting in shadows, the kind of thing she had pictured her brothers doing when she was a child, failing to understand that the activities of their ‘club’ comprised nothing more than boorish talk and overenthusiastic imbibing. Men were dull creatures, she ruled, pushing inside and catching her gaze on the swirl of a blue cloak as its wearer turned at the intrusion. Whereas women were…

Lady Whistledown lowered her hood and Eloise’s fine new shoes skidded to a stop.

[prolestariwrites]

The Wish [8]

Fandom: Devil May Cry Characters: Dante, Vergil, Nero, V, Lady, Eva, Sparda, OC Rating: General Tags: Family, Humor, Fluff, Angst, Typical demon hunting violence

Summary: A demon gives Dante the chance to have his greatest desires made real. When he finds himself in a seemingly idyllic life, all seems well until it starts to unravel. Will he sacrifice himself to save the family he lost, or will he choose to give them up for the truth?

Now Posted: Chapter 8, in which Dante has to face the most intimidating creature of all... his wife.

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Chapter 8: Dante Sparda, Legendary Demon Hunter

Dante pulls up outside of Vergil’s house and turns off the car. They sit in silence for a long moment before he says, “Thanks again for what you did back there.”

“You’re welcome.”

His brother’s voice shakes a bit, but it seems like he’s holding onto control, even if it’s barely. Which is something at least. “It’s funny,” Dante jokes, “you’ve used Summoned Swords on me half a dozen times at least, and this might be the first time you used it to save me.”

“Summoned Swords,” Vergil murmurs. “Is that what that’s called?”

“It’s what you called it in my world. Although it’s a bit different there.”

Vergil nods, and silence settles again. Dante scratches his chin as he searches for what to say. “You know, Nero can do it too. Surprised the hell out of me the first time I saw it.”

“Nero.” Vergil turns his face to the window. “I should get inside.”

“Yeah. But, Verge…” Dante sighs as Vergil looks back at him. It is obvious his brother needs him now: he needs comfort, reassurance, something to help him process everything and come to terms with the truth. He needs wisdom. He needs tact and compassion.

Damn it all. “I’ll pick you up in the morning,” Dante says. “Then we’ll look for dad.”

“Yeah.”

Vergil reaches for the car door and Dante blurts out, “Don’t worry about anything. We’ll find him. And if any demons show up, you can use Yamato. You’re a better fighter than I am, so you’ll be fine.”

“I’m not a swordsman, Dante,” he grumbles. “I haven’t fought with anyone since we were children.”

“But you can. And Mary can too. She’s a way more successful demon hunter than I am.” Vergil frowns at him, but Dante continues, encouraged, “She kicked both our asses. She’s always got some demon on the run, knows how to use dozens of weapons and make her own even. And Nero? He’s got all kinds of crazy power. He was demon hunting before he even knew how.”

“Nero’s just a child.”

“Yeah, here he is, but in my time, he’s older, and I’ve seen him in action. Took down a whole evil god robot once.” Vergil huffs and shakes his head as Dante leans his elbow on the steering wheel. “I’m just saying, you don’t have to worry. You didn’t think you could fight but then you skewered that guy. So trust that they can handle themselves. And your V, Vitale? He’s not… I don’t know him, he’s not from where I’m from, but if he’s anything like you, then he’s got this too.”

Vergil glances at him briefly before nodding. Then he opens the car door and climbs out, and Dante watches as he hurries up the driveway to his front door, still clutching the sword.

Dante heaves a long sigh before starting the car again. On the drive to home, he wonders what he’s going to do about Lir. He’s still not entirely sure she’s not a demon too, so if he comes clean with her, there’s no telling she won’t attack him just like the bar waitress.

His questions are answered when he walks in the front door. “Dante? Dante!” Lir practically runs to greet him from the kitchen. “There you are! What happened? Are you okay?”

Before he can answer she pulls him into a hug, forcing him to bend over so she can press her cheek to his. “Dante,” she murmurs, and he feels a pang of guilt as he returns the hug. “I was so worried.”

“I’m okay.” He eases up and pushes her hair back from her face. “Why were you worried?”

“Your mom called all frantic. She said your father ran off and broke a window and in his study… there was…” Lir’s voice trails away as she examines his front, and Dante glances down. There are splatters of blood on his jacket and shirt, and he steps back as she gapes. “She said there was blood on the floor. What happened?”

Her eyes are wide with alarm as they rise to meet his. “Let me get cleaned up and I’ll explain.”

Dante eases past her and heads to the kitchen. Lir follows, hanging back in the doorway as he moves to the sink. He uses the minute to think as he runs his hands under the hot water, taking a few pumps of dish soap to clean the blood away. He shuts off the faucet and grabs a dish towel, drying them as he turns to face her.

He leans against the kitchen counter and swallows thickly. “Mom was upset, huh?”

“Very.” Lir takes a step closer before hesitating. “What happened?”

“We… fought. It’s fine,” he says hurriedly, holding up a palm as she opens her mouth. “My dad’s been keeping secrets and I confronted him. It didn’t go well.”

“Secrets?” she asks. “What kind of secrets?”

Dante folds his arms with a sigh. “He’s not who he says he is. He’s… something else.”

“Something else? What does that mean?”

“It means he’s not human.”

He waits for a long moment to let the news absorb. Lir stares at him with wide eyes, and he notices how her fingers tremble as she reaches out to brace against one of the chairs at the little breakfast table. “He’s not human,” she murmurs.

Dante nods and she tilts her head towards him. “And the blood?”

He glances down at his soiled shirt. “That was my mistake. Dad was lying and I wanted him to tell Vergil the truth. So I stabbed him with a sword.”

“You stabbed him?”

“Yeah. He was fine though. Got right up.” Dante chuckles. “Shoulda seen the look on his face. Serves the old man right. He kept refusing to come clean, and I—”

“Dante.” His mouth snaps shut as she sinks into the chair, looking pale. “I don’t understand any of this.”

“If it makes you feel any better, this isn’t all his blood.” Lir looks up sharply as he spreads his arms. “Vergil and I got a drink afterwards and got attacked by a couple of demons in the bar. Had to kill a waitress and all I had was a chair leg, if you can believe it. Luckily Vergil came through. Wasn’t that bad, he killed the bartender.”

“You killed a waitress?”

Dante winces. “Okay, it sounds really bad when you say it like that. But they were demons, I swear.” He starts to walk towards her, and Lir scrambles up, pressing back against the wall. The fear on her face makes him freeze, and he watches as her eyes start to tear up. “Hey, relax. Really. It’s gonna be fine.”

He takes another step and Lir launches herself across the kitchen, diving for the knife block. She pulls a long bread knife from its slot and spins, holding it out like a magic wand as if to ward him off. “Don’t come any closer!” she shrieks.

“Okay. Obviously I’m telling this story wrong.” Dante holds up his palms. “I’m not gonna hurt you. See?”

“You’re crazy!” she cries. “Demons? Killing?” He rolls his eyes and she shakes her head furiously. “Stay away from me!”

She steps to the side, keeping pressed against the counter, as she fishes her cell phone from her pocket. Dante frowns as she swipes it on. “What are you doing?”

“I’m calling the police.”

Her voice has an edge now, and Dante can see she’s a dangerous mixture of frightened and furious. “I’ll just go,” he suggests.

Lir shoots him a look to kill as she raises the phone to her ear. “Hello? Yes? Yes, I need the police, my husband—”

As she speaks, something catches Dante’s attention, like a pinprick on his neck. His head turns just as the ceiling explodes in a shower of drywall, the window shattering as something breaks through. Lir screams and he sees her drop the phone in the corner of his eye, and Dante steps between her and the two demons that now stand towering in their kitchen.

He looks up at the hole in the ceiling and grits his teeth when he sees the sky. “We have a fucking door you know,” he growls.

“Dante!”

Lir’s voice is wild with panic, and he holds out a hand. He curses silently, knowing her being here is going to just make this harder. It’s bad enough to fight a demon when a human is around, but now his instinct to protect her is screaming loud enough in his head to drown out any reason. He’s got to get her safe, and then he can deal with them.

“Lir, I want you to run.”

“What?”

“Get to the front door and run. Now!”

He doesn’t know if she obeys because at that moment they advance. Once again he tries to summon Rebellion, and again he realizes he’s left it in the damn car. Two sets of teeth and four sets of claws come for him with a screech, and then Dante is dodging, throwing one punch after another as he tries to make a plan. One of the demons picks up the toaster and throws it at him, making him duck. It sails over his head and implants into the wall behind him. “What the hell!”

One of the demons grabs his leg, pulling him to the ground. Dante lurches to the counter as he falls and grabs a drawer, yanking it free with one pull. He prays it has something he can use, but inside are dish towels. “Damn it,” he mutters, but he swings the drawer, which breaks with a spray of splinters as it hits one demon full on the face. It falls back and lets his leg go, and Dante scrambles to his feet, pulling open another cabinet.

This one has plates at least, so he grabs the stack and throws them one by one at the other demon. They explode in its face, the porcelain shattering loudly as it falls in pieces to the floor, but they disorient it enough that Dante can deliver a kick that sends it sailing across the kitchen. Before the two demons can recover, he lunges at the knife block, and with a steak knife in each hand, he quickly dispatches them both, slitting their heads open, both collapsing in a pool of dark blood.

Dante catches his breath and drops the two knives in the sink. When he turns, he finds Lir on the ground, her knees drawn up as she gapes at him.

“Lir…” he murmurs with a wince. They stare at each other for a long moment, and he takes in the pieces of drywall stuck in her hair, the way her shoulders shake, the bright flush on her face. But she’s alive, that’s all that matters. The rest of this shit he can explain, and fix, and make up to her.

Just then, there is the sound of someone talking, and they both look down at the phone on the ground. It looks like it takes a half minute for her to remember what it is, but then she jerks it up to her ear. “Hello? Hello, yes I’m here. No, no, everything’s fine.” Her eyes are wide as they take in the mess now that it’s settled, but her voice is steady. “I thought my husband was hurt, but he’s fine. A cabinet fell over in the kitchen, that was all the commotion. I’m so sorry.” She listens for a moment and then says, “Really, it’s not necessary. We’re fine.”

Dante takes a deep breath as she finishes the call, looking out the hole in the wall where the window used to be. He scans the darkness for any more demons, but his senses don’t pick anything else up. Lir says goodbye, and he glances over as she presses a finger to the screen before slowly setting the phone on the ground.

Their gazes connect, and he feels a twist in his chest as he sees tears swimming in her eyes. But then Lir scrambles towards him, and he catches her in a tight hug, her face pressed to his neck. Dante gives a small smile as he holds her closely, rubbing a soothing hand on her back as her breath shakes against his skin.

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“So that’s everything.” Dante looks over at the passenger side, where Lir stares straight ahead. “Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

Her eyes fall to where her hands sit in her lap. “So you’re not Dante? My husband?”

“I guess not,” he replies. “I mean, I’m Dante, but I don’t know if I’m him or if he’s me or if…” He rubs his face and glances at the clock on the dashboard which shows it’s nearly midnight. The gas station they had pulled into is deserted, and the light from the shelters over the pumps gives enough light that he can see the pained expression on her face. “Sorry. I keep saying the wrong thing. And uh, I guess I should apologize… for the other night—”

“No, it’s…” She glances over, almost shyly, and Dante’s heart skips a beat. “You’re still him, just not him him. I think.”

“Right.” He chuckles humorlessly with a half smile. “You hungry?”

Lir shakes her head. “Not really. I’m exhausted.”

“Let’s get some rest then.” He starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot, heading down the nearly empty street. After a few turns he finds a little motel, and Lir luckily doesn’t argue when he parks. She stops to grab the bag she had packed in haste before they fled the house as he heads into the office, emerging a minute later with a room key. “Funny, the guy didn’t blink twice even though I’m a mess,” he jokes.

Dante grabs Rebellion from the trunk, remembering this time, before he leads her to room six.  But he hesitates when he slides the key into the lock. “I guess I should have gotten two rooms?” he murmurs.

“No. I don’t want to be alone.” She presses her hand on his back lightly. “It’s fine.”

He nods as they enter, flicking on the lights as Lir follows inside. There is a Queen-sized bed in the middle, a television, a chair and table, and Lir shrugs off her jacket before opening the bag. She pulls out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, holding them out to him. “Do you want to get cleaned up?”

“Yeah.” Lir doesn’t look up at him as he takes the clothes, and not knowing what else to say, he heads into the bathroom.

His reflection is a mess, his hair sticky strands covered in blood and dirt. His face and neck aren’t much better, and as he strips off his clothes, he thinks about what he must have looked like arriving home like that. “This is why I never got married,” he mutters to himself as he turns on the faucet. “Too much trouble.”

His dialogue continues as he starts the shower and unwraps the little bar of free soap, listing the reasons why a relationship and marriage don’t mix with demon hunting: too much blood. Too much laundry. Too many questions. Weapons. Blood. Death.

He leans his forearm on the tile, watching as red swirls around the drain until the water goes clear. Stupid fucking wish, he thinks. This life he had always wanted? It’s not possible, and he needs to accept that and move on. He had no idea what he was asking for, Dante realizes.

It makes sense, really, he tells himself as he towels off. After all, Lady didn’t have anybody. Neither did Trish. Whoever Nero’s mother was, it couldn’t have lasted long before Vergil was gone, if his brother even knew he had a kid in the first place. Too much liability when you have someone in your life. He remembers Lir’s scream as the demons crashed into their home, the way the fear hit in a way he hadn’t experienced in a long, long time. But Nero has managed it, hasn’t he? He has Kyrie, and goes home to her every night, blood and guts and all. Dante frowns, wondering if it’s not meant to last. It would kill the kid to lose her.

Sparda, Vergil, him, now Nero… their whole family, one after another, losing someone close before disappearing too. Like some big cosmic joke.

Lir is curled up on the pillows, the lights off and the television on. She pulls back the covers when he climbs up to join her, and Dante smiles a bit when she repositions herself with her head on his chest and her arms tightly wrapped around him. “This okay?” she asks.

“Yeah,” he whispers.

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

Dante snorts. “Nah. It’s a crazy story, I know.”

“I pulled a knife on you.”

“Not the first time someone’s done that.”

Lir stiffens a bit before lifting her head. She looks at him sadly, but he grins. “Don’t worry about it.”

“You didn’t tell me who I am,” she says.

Dante glances away with a shrug. “I don’t know you in my time. We never met.”

“Oh.” She lays her head back down against his shoulder, and Dante settles his hand on her hip. “I’m glad we got to meet here.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Dante listens as Lir’s breathing goes steady, her body sinking against him as she falls asleep. He stays awake, watching the light behind the curtain grow darker before slowly turning gray. By the time the sun comes up, his decision is made.

[btswishes]

Love me for who I am now

Bucky x Reader ( Chapter 4)

Previous / Next (5)

Summary: You apply for the Stark internship and end up getting it, so now you have 5 months to make a good impression to continue working with the Avengers.

A/N: Ok. I think I need to calm down with the descriptions a bit. They might be a bitt too much for everything. Good thing this is an experiment and a challenge for my damn bratty authors block. Sorry for any mistakes made, hope you enjoy it even a tiny bit.

Tag list: @vicmc624​

Word count:  3,305

Warmings: fights, harsh language, not part of the original MCU

Y/N- Your name                             

Y/L/N- Your Last Name                  

40s Vocabulary:  

killer diller - the best, amazing

grandstand - show off in a boastful manner

​snap your cap - get angry

flip your wig - lose your temper, lose control

                                   ----------------------------

   The compound was overthrown by silence, such a sweet melody combined with the sound of the nightly creatures, passing by at such heights. One would be surprised at what could even survive up here, at least the city was just a distant presence. The clock hit 12 as you closed the door of the lab behind yourself. After tiding up you decided to brush over some stuff, ending up just doing 3 more hours of work. Steve wouldn’t be happy to find out you did exactly what he expected.

  Your feet tiptoeing snuck around the halls, making sure no one noticed or got woken up by you. No sound came out, not even by your breath. You were expecting to see the glimmer of light from at least 2 rooms, but apparently no one was up. Palm against the metal of the door, it slid open ever so silently as its owner.

“Ah~…” you let out a deep breath, letting your body sink onto the bed- work books and empty laptop bag on the covers under your right hand. Replenishing the oxygen, you took in the smell of the sheets. A mix of fresh, crisp mountains with a hint of floral tones.

       Knock knock

   Your head came up first, allowing the guest access to your room, before pushing half your body up with hands firmly pressed into the bedding. The hissing sound of the door revealed a head pocking from the side, illuminated slightly by the dim lighting coming from inside.

“Am I bothering?” the female voice asked

“Um no, actually I just came from the lab.” You explained, beginning to identify the owner of the rich voice slowly

“Come over to my room then.” blunt and direct, a woman that never beat around the bush. Something you wanted to be able to do as well sometimes

“Nat!” another sweet note flew into your room, rapidly cutting off the residual command “You are supposed to ask her if she wants to come, not demand. She could be tired.”

“Oh come on.” Natasha looked back at the second companion, reading her a lecture in the corridor “She can say no.” with the corner of her eye she was indirectly actuating you in her favor. Agent habits die…well - never.

“ I am a night owl so if you don’t mind I would love to join you.” Still whispering in case someone woke up, you were pulled out from your room by the two women. It felt like a blink of an eye when you found yourself cross-legged on the soft mattress. The situation was not expected and very much tense for you. Soft tapping sounds of rain filled the room, creating a cozy ambiance. Natasha was leaning onto her elbow - body sideways, while Wanda was completely laying onto her stomach- both looking at you.

“Relax.” Natasha tapped your shoulder. It felt almost like magic when your body did exactly that, well maybe it was since Wanda’s hand flashed a bit. I don’t think anyone would complain about the sudden stress relieve. Compared to your pretty empty living quarters this place showed the years spend. The color of the wall was a warm light tone of dark amber. Combined with the wooden style furniture and small knickknacks, it had a warm cabin like feeling - welcoming. You did not regret coming here at all, now that you were situated. And the rain, the light drops just added so much to this, almost like you were on vacation in the woods and star-gazing with your closest friends.

“So, how did it go with Mr. Always Grumpy?” Wanda uttered below you, attention spilling out of her very existence

“Bucky?” you asked strings pulling a nod from both of them “Thought so.” sighing, your elbows dug into the soft cover supporting your upper body “ He just threw a tantrum that ended up with him almost choking me out on the spot and not in the good way. Fixed his arm though. ”you added proud of the last sentence

“Wait, wait.” Natasha swung her hands side to side in front of her face in disbelieve “He let you fix his shoulder? No, no let me rephrase that. James Buchanan Barnes let you touch him? Someone he doesn’t know?”

“How?” Wanda sat up in a split second, making the bed shift a bit from the kinetic energy applied to it

“Simple.” Your pointer finger flung up positioned between your eyebrows, before pointing at the two women “Treat him like a moody antisocial child.” A wide evil smirk tugged from side to side onto your lips “ I just told him that if he doesn’t get it fixed he will be a burden on the next mission. For someone trying to erase his past by doing good deeds and being useful, this was like a jab to his ego.”

“That…” Wanda’s fingers wrapped around her chin, letting her sink in thought “…that makes a lot of sense honestly. I would have never come up with that.”

“Enough about fossil number 2.” Natasha clapped her hands “Since we will be neighbors from now on, let’s go around and do a short introduction happy campers.”

“I will go first.” Wanda rose her hand beginning “Wanda Maximoff here, your teammate living right in front of you.”

“You can just call me Nat, no need for formalities, Captain’s orders.” She joked

“I mean for me just Wanda is ok.”

“I guess the introduction is directed more towards me.” A giggle rung out “ Y/N Y/L/N, studying in Stark University with a very weird past, that I can’t explain to myself either. Your new neighbor and teammate from what I can gather. Pleasure to make -“ too formal you thought to yourself, it was time to let go a bit “Nice to meet yall.”

  You found yourself getting along with the girls much faster than with anyone else in the compound. Maybe it was because you didn’t have an awkward first confrontation with any of them or a choking one.

“By the way.” You lured them back with your voice “Tony said something about me using the gym. What’s all that about? ”

  The two turned to each other questioning for a moment, before deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to know what Tony was mixing in his little pot of mischief – had to get used to it sooner or later.

“He is testing an Avengers new generation program on you.” Nat concluded from their numerous conversations about you prior to your arrival or, as a matter of fact, even your application acceptance “The gym is for well, to make sure you don’t die on missions.”

“Ok, hol’ up hol’ up.” Your eyes squeezed shut when your hands waved air side to side “Not only am I a ‘build an avenger’ type of deal, but I will be going on missions?!”

  Their non verbal agreement pulling a deep and already exhausted sigh out of you. It hadn’t even began and your muscles were in pain. You got yourself in this mess, you kind of wanted it so no backing down now. Your pride wouldn’t let you.

  The rest of the night was filled with jokes, snarky comments about the men in the compound. Natasha had dirt on almost all of them with the occasional help of Wanda. The three troublesome birdies soon fell asleep each in her own corner of the bed, till later in the night when you huddled up. The window in Natasha’s room was the main culprit causing you to ball one next to the other.

  Light slowly creeping into the common room and welcoming the men stumbling early for a cup of coffee - drowsy and very much looking like bird nests. Tony dressed in his fancy pjs was quick in his preparations, while Sam and Steve were still waiting next to the bubbling machine, on each side of it. Arms crossed, pressed against firm muscles and fighting the sleep.

“Morning early birds.” Tony teased Sam when Bucky’s heavy steps passed behind the playboy. He looked the most awake and ready for a mission out of everyone. Steve pulled out a couple of mugs and poor the hot dark liquid, passing 2 out to his buddies.

  Peace covered them like a comfort veil, sips frequently reminding that time was indeed still flowing and not paused. Boredom began crawling up their spines, when Bruce’s emerging presents lit them up. The need for some vibrancy was soaking into the air.

“What is up with the serious atmosphere?” he asked grabbing one of the cups resting on the bar.

“Something is missing here.” Sam pushed his lips to the side speaking of things everyone noticed “It’s...too quiet.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” Tony released his grip on the mug, resting it on the table

Yes Sir?

“Where are the rest of us?”

If you are speaking of Miss Maximoff, Miss Romanoff and Miss Y/L/N they are still in bed.

“I know I buy the best beds, but this is a bit too much.” Tony got up and walked over to Wanda’s room, knocking on the door. He waited for an answer, but none was given. His head pocked in just for his eyes to be met with emptiness.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. where are they?” Tony stomped over to your room, which was in the same condition maybe a bit emptier since you were a new arrival

In Miss Romanoff’s room Sir.

“All of them?” Steve pushed his hips off the counter, tall figure stalking after Tony.

Yes Sir.

  The door slid open and Steve almost choked out a loud laugh at the sight. The three of you were cuddled up like stray cats trying to keep warm during the cold winter days, waiting for an owner to come and pick you up. Hands pushing his lips closed, Steve snuck in closing the open window. As simple as the action was it released a calming moan from one of you, the space already getting warmer.

“I don’t have the heart to wake them up.” Bruce announced with a cheerful whisper 

“Yeah, keep them like that.” Sam pulled out his phone and started taking pictures

“What are you doing?” Bucky’s body leaning onto the doorframe, the newest member to this room-visit

“What does it look like tin can arm?” clicking sounds bouncing off the wall “Getting some dirt on Nat. The amount of blackmail material she has on me is too much.”

“Ok, you had your fun bird brain.” Bucky grabbed Sam’s hand and pulled the phone way from your resting figures, specifically you.

“Calm down you two.” Steve tried to pull them away and out of the small space

“What got your panties twisted?” Sam’s body stood up confidant, clenching the muscles being wrapped by the cold vibranium plates “The Winter Soldier look is showing on that smug face of yours.” The dark glistening skin pushed closer to Bucky as he was almost picking a fight “ Shit, if I didn’t know better I would say someone was whispering them trigger words of yours.” 

  Sam finally had something to use for revenge, but this whole righteous behavior of Bucky was spoiling his fun. The rest of the guys felt the pressure accumulating around the menacing men “Zhelaniye and Semnadtsat something like that right? Oh wait that is right~...Wakanda whipped your ass clean.” The awful Russian accent awoke Natasha, but feeling the heavy air she decided to wait her time to get those pictures back. Sly one.

 The words were loud enough for everyone to wait for Bucky’s reaction.

“Rzhaviy or some shit li-“ the word crept inside your ear together with the sentence beforehand. Your left hand decided that the position it was in wasn’t comfortable anymore, swinging your left foot in the opposite direction. Hands pushing off the bed with a rough creek, let your left knee hook onto Sam’s neck – body hanging like a chain in front of him. Your fingers didn’t waste time to snake around his own calves pulling them up.

“Wha-!” Sam gasped when the heels of your feet pushed his shoulders back – head hitting the soft carpet with a loud thud and grunt. There was no time to take a breath for the poor man before your arms locked the air in his throat.

  Natasha grabbed the phone quickly and deleted whatever she could find about herself, while everyone else sat stunned.

“I give- I give- up!” Sam tried squeezing the words out of his mind as he began tapping the floor and your elbow.

“I got the pics Y/N.”Nat waved the phone at you, but your hands began to tighten around his neck. Sam was starting to turn colors his skin wasn’t supposed to have.

“Y/N!” Bucky growled out loud and commanding, shacking up the whole room. It felt like a bubble popped from in front of you, body jolting at the voice.

“Ha?” your lips fell open as your body relaxed, letting Sam finally suck in so much ai,r the covers on Natsha’s bed almost went inside his mouth. Your jaw closed just so your throat could swallow a bit of spit seeing as it was feeling dry, before it opened back up. Sam’s body heat pulled your gaze down to him when you started to register the situation.

“Oh God!” you pulled away from him, apologies spilling out of you, too many in a second “I was sleepwalking again!”

  Dumbfound, that was exactly the expression on everyone’s face hearing you say that. You were used to your nightly habits, even your family found it natural at this point.

“Usually when I have nightmares I either mumble or sleepwalk.” Trying to explain yourself didn’t change what everyone was feeling.

“OW!” Steve screeched out upon feeling Tony’s fingers pinch his arm

“I am not dreaming am I? You all saw that too.” He felt Cap swat his hand away sending a warm wave of pain through his limb

“Test it on yourself next time!” he hissed

“I call that sleep fighting not walking.” Bruce pitched in feeling left out “You are trying to tell us you are…used to this?” your head nodded, roughed up hair flying back and forth

“My mom calls them night terrors. Tried to get help for it, but I guess the only one who could help me was my uncle. One of the reasons why I spend so much time with him.” You grinned trying to get out of this mess as fast as possible with less casualties

“I am stopping this now.”Tony threw his hands in the air “I am not awake enough to deal with all this...and that tiny assassin.” You followed him hastily to the kitchen whipping yourself a cup of tea and flying over to one of the seats. The rest of the Avengers followed your stumbling figure out of the room – slow steps, a mix of amazement and confusion, pain for some. Sam sat on the couch pretty far from you, keeping quiet. Your eyes scanned the room waiting for someone to say something or to cut the thick atmosphere with a butter knife.

“Can I take Y/N over from Nat?” Steve was the hero in this moment . Tony waved his hand, swallowing his almost cold coffee

“Do what you want, I am not capable of decisions right now.” The screeching floor yelped under the chair’s feet. Sam followed Bucky out the room, after Tony announced his departure. 

“Come with me kid.” Steve’s heavy yet warm hand fond your tense shoulder muscles. Your body jumped and followed the man like a small chick behind its mother. You ran to your room taking a quick shower, a dash of deodorant and putting on workout clothes. Washing yourself before sweating made no sense, but the warmth tended to relax you. Taking into consideration the amount of stress you were feeling for awhile now – it felt good.

  The gym was maybe 3 levels before the floor you lived on, information revealed to you in the not so comfortable awkward ride with the elevator. The doors slid open unveiling a whole new world. Stylish…there is nothing you could say at this point but Tony owned it, it talked for itself. Steve told you to leave the duffle bag onto a bench and come to the equipment. 

“Have you used any of these?” he pointed at the machines and you shook your head. You knew about them from youtube videos and maybe 1 or 2 gym visits, but saying up right being able to use them properly was questionable. “Ok, let’s start with a quick evaluation of your body’s capabilities.”

  With the corner of your eyes you could see Bucky lifting an absurd amount of weights – super soldier let’s not forget that again. You started first with the bar without anything on it, before Steve began adding. You were struggling, which made him know when to stop piling stuff and changing the muscle groups. What felt like 2 hours later he gave you a small break, walking over to his friend to spot him.

  A dust cloud swirled around the metal arm before the weights floated in the air. Once more finding yourself eyeing him head to toe – his arms were glistening from the sweat droplets forming onto them. The t-shirt was tightly clinging on his muscles like glue was applied to them previously. His hair fixed to patches of his lovable face. That untamed beard and ice blue eyes made his existence mirror that of a Greek God statue. Fingers tingling around your water bottle unknowingly wishing to touch him, before noticing Steve walking up to you – not before Bucky’s eyes met yours for a split second for who knows what time.

“He is a killer diller aint he.” The blonde snickered at your flushed face, being caught staring. Taking a quick drink from your bottle ,you stood up and threw it to Steve

“Grandstand.” you coughed out at the man leaving him stunned in place from what just erupted from your mouth “You coming?” you coaxed him successfully.

  Aside from the small playful teasing Cap tried to play on you,F on his best friend’s back - training was though. He wasn’t going easy on you, ass hitting the floor one too many times for your liking. You could already feel the bruises coloring your skin a midnight blue with a hint of a bloody red.

“Time out!” puffing out the words with the last liter of air left inside your lungs “I-I can’t Steve.” The dull thudding sound your legs made hitting the mat echoed in the big gym. It was loud enough to wake up the dead.

“That is enough for today. You did surprisingly well. Don’t you think Mr. Grandstrand?” a towel flung on top of your head turning off the lights in your mind. With a trembling hand you pulled it off to look at the one and only Sergeant, looming over you. Steve’s words summoned a low groan from Bucky filled with annoyance.

“Hey now, don’t snap your cap.” A type of teasing only possible between friends gone through decades and countless near death situations. The towel was soft enveloped in a calming and nostalgic smell. Having gained some of your strength back, your palms pushed off the floor with a fling. For a moment your demeanor mirrored that of Steve, calmly tapping Bucky’s back and throwing him a playful look, that of years long pals.

“Come on cap, don’t tease him that much. He gonn’ flip his wig soon.” The sentence dripping with a heavy old school Brooklyn accent. No war could prepare them both for this one sided conversation they just witnessed.

“Did she just?” Bucky pointed at you, finger hovering in the direction of your disappearing body silhouette.

“I don’t know man.” 

[albertasunrise]

Should Have Listened

Summary: Frankie’s a little worse off after the helicopter crash than the group first realise and now that they are stuck walking to the boat with all this money and no mode of transport. How many of them are going to make it home?

Warnings: Angst, Blood and injury,

Characters: Frankie Morales, Ben Miller, Will Miller, Santiago Garcia and Tom Davis.

~

Benny watched in horror as the helicopter jumped and spun on the ground, its inhabitants being thrown around like rag-dolls within. The younger Miller brothers stomach twisted as he sprinted towards the aircraft as it finally stilled, feeling his heart in his throat as he silently prayed everyone was okay whilst he ducked and covered to protect himself from the snapped rotors that threw up debris in their wake.

‘Fish! Fish!.’ He shouted as he made it to the front of the craft, his stomach twisting upon seeing his best friend hang there limply and he kicked the window in as he frantically tries to rescue him.

He could hear his brother calling for him ‘I’m here!’ He shouted back as he helped Tom climb out first before helping Frankie, his stomach twisting more when the man stumbled on his feet ‘Fish?’

‘I’m okay.’ he replied as he steadied himself, shaking his head a little in an attempt to clear the fog from his brain.

‘You sure?’ Asked Benny, studying the cut along his cheek.

‘Yeah.’ He replied with a nod, inwardly wincing at the pain that movement brought.

Everyone made quick work of gathering what supplies they could carry out of the helicopter, Benny busy fussing over his brother when he finally managed to jump out the craft with Pope right behind him.

‘They’re getting into the net.’ Stated Tom as he watched their cargo get pilfered by the villagers a few hundred feet away.

‘What’s the plan here?’ Asked Santi as he carefully slipped out of the helicopter, his weapon in hand.

‘We’re gonna get that money over that mountain and to the ocean.’ Stated Tom ‘Benny, cover us from under that tree line there.’ He ordered as he pointed to where he meant ‘Fish, you take position up there.’ He motioned in the opposite direction ‘That’s cocaine they’re growing so the may have weapons trained on us from those buildings right there.’

‘We got working radios?’ Questioned Benny as he and Santi kitted up.

‘No, comms are dead.’ He replied as he replenished his ammunition.

‘Go with hand signals. Pope and I will get out there and look as peaceful as we can.’ He pauses as he attempted to catch his breath, the adrenaline starting to wear off and revealing how exhausted the older man was ‘We’ll give you a hand signal when we think it’s secure.’

‘Let’s move.’ Ordered Frankie as he sprinted off to his position, the pain in his head now a constant throb as he positioned himself amongst the tall grass and watched as Tom and Pope tried to talk the villagers down.

He watched the villagers as they swarmed the net, tugging at its contents as his companions approached them. A sudden, intense, pang of pain erupted at the back of his head and he grabbed at it by instinct. Something warm, wet and sticky soaked his hair and he pulled his hand away to find it painted red.

‘Shit.’ He breathed, wiping the blood on his shirt.

He watched as the confrontation with the villagers started to get heated, his heart speeding up as he reached for his comm.

‘Pope, what’s he reaching for? Is that a weapon?’ He paused, waiting for his comrade to respond ‘Pope, do you cop—‘ He stopped when he remembered the comms weren’t working, sparing a glance and the useless equipment before taking his weapon in both hands again.

He squinted as he tried to better see what was going on down below, the shouting getting louder as villagers appeared to start stepping closer to Tom and Pope. When he noticed Redfly pull his weapon and shoot he did not hesitate to open fire himself, his only thought to keep his friends alive. He was on his feet in an instant, ignoring the wave of dizziness that hit him as he started to sprint across the valley towards the village.

‘Benny, get these people back up toward the village.’ Ordered Tom, handgun still drawn as he watched the villagers weep and scream at them all ‘Fish, get this money on some mules. Let’s get the fuck out of here.’

‘Get back.’ Frankie shouted in Spanish, his weapon trained on two young boys as he took small, certain, steps towards the village.

~

Frankie was never one to be afraid of heights but as he scaled the side of this mountain, the path narrow and treacherous he could safely say, he was terrified. He rolled his eyes at the sound of the Miller brothers arguing, willing the two of them to get moving as his mule started to grow uneasy.

‘Just shut up and Concentrate! Jesus Christ!’ He shouts, willing his Mule to move.

‘Come on, just go.’ Ordered Will as he looked at his animal.

‘Fuck you.’ Spat Benny as he glared back at his brother, Will shouting back as Frankie attempted to calm his panicking Mule.

He desperately tried to get the creature to move forward but it leapt forwards and backwards in fear as the ground started to give way beneath its hooves. Its frightened screams began to spook the others and Will tried to calm his own mule as the ground finally crumbled completely, sending Fish’s mule plummeting down the mountainside and pulling Frankie to the ground with a slam. Star’s danced in front of his eyes as his brain started to swim, completely unaware of the argument going on in front of him as his vision started to grey at the edges.

‘Fish?’ Questioned Benny when he noticed his friend hadn’t gotten up ‘Will what’s up with Fish?’

Will turned around to see Frankie laying on the ground, his arm dangling over the ledge and his eyes glassy. He roughly tied his mule to his brothers and carefully made his way to Frankie’s side, pulling the man into his arms so he could inspect him.

‘Hey Fish, can you hear me?’

Frankie didn’t answer. His eyelids started to droop as he began to lose the battle to stay conscious, despite his friend's frantic shaking.

‘No... No no no no keep your eyes open man.’ Will begged, shaking Fish’s shoulder desperately.

‘What are his injuries?’ Shouted Tom from the front, not a spec of worry in his tone.

Will started to inspect his friend. Noting the obvious trauma to his cheek he pulled off his worn cap and started to feel around Fish’s hairline, hissing when his fingers met with the back of his head.

‘Fuck!’ He shouted loudly, slapping the ground and kicking up dust in the air beside him.

‘What?’ Barked Benny, his tone panicked as he tried to see his brother and friend.

‘He has a contusion to the back of his head, bleeding pretty bad.’

‘Shit!’ Shouted Benny.

‘Calm down.’ Ordered Tom, his tone calm and collected ‘Will do you think he can walk?’

‘He’s barely conscious Redfly.’ He replied, noting that Frankie was looking up at him through slits ‘No. No, he can’t walk.’

‘We should ditch some money and strap him to one of the mules.’ Growls Benny, looking at his brother who’s still working on rousing Fish.

‘Right Pope, hold onto Benny’s mule. Benny, help Ironhead strap Frankie to his beast.’

Benny wasted no time getting to his brother’s side, his previous fear of being on the side of a mountain had almost completely disappeared as he sank to Fish’s side.

‘Fuck. Fish come on buddy.’ He pleaded, tapping the man's cheek ‘Open those big brown eyes for us eh.’

Frankie said nothing but his eyes did open a little more, the action eliciting a smile from the Miller brothers.

‘That’s it, Buddy.’ Said the younger brother as he gave his arm a squeeze.

Frankie gave them a small smile, a moment of recognition before his eyes rolled back and he went limp in Will’s arms.

‘Fish?’ Benny shook his friend, sobbing as his head lolled to the side.

‘He needs a hospital man.’ Says Will under his breath to his brother ‘This could be bad.’

Ben simply nodded before getting to his feet and tugging a few bags of cash off his brother's mule’s back. Between the two of them, they managed to strap Frankie to the animal's saddle and made their way off of the mountain. After a short while, they reached a vast cliff face that was littered with large boulders at his base.

‘How the fuck are we going to get the money and Frankie up that?’ Growled Benny as he threw pope a venomous look.

‘We’ll pull the cash up first and then haul Fish up after.’ Stated Redfly, motioning for the others to do as he bid ‘Benny, stay with Fish. Will, Pope, get up there and start pulling up the cash.’

Everyone did as ordered. Ben stayed at his best friends side, his worry getting worse when Fish made no signs of waking. He monitored his vitals, noting his breathing was getting more laboured and his pulse getting weaker.

‘Come on Fish.’ He begged, taking his friend's hand ‘Hold on man.’

Finally, when the money was hauled to the top they went back for Frankie, using one of the nets as a stretcher and carefully pulling him up and over the rocky terrain. When they managed to make camp, Pope went about treating his friend, pulling out what medical equipment he was able to salvage from the wrecked chopper. Placing the oxygen monitor onto Fish’s finger he frowned at the results it gave him.

‘Well?’ Questioned Benny, watching Pope as he worked.

‘He oxygen is reading 85% and his pulse is weak.’ He stated, giving Benny a grim look ‘If we don't get him to a hospital soon I don't think he’s going to last much longer.’

‘What-‘

Ben was interrupted by Frankie’s whole body going rigid, his body starting to convulse as a seizure took hold.

‘Fuck!’ Growled Pope as he watched his friend fit at his feet, knowing there was nothing he could do but wait for it to pass.

‘The fuck is going on?’ Shouted Tom, his tone a little irritated from Santi’s curse.

‘Frankie’s having a fucking Seizure.’ He spat back, eyes fixed on his friend.

‘Shit.’ Growled Tom as he stood, watching as Fish’s body stilled and his muscles relaxed ‘What are his chances?’

‘What the fuck kind of question is that?’ Growled Ben as he stood.

‘I need to know what the situation is.’

‘The situation is that if you had fucking listened to Fish in the first place he wouldn’t on death’s door right now.’ He spat, venom dripping from every word ‘He said there was a weight issue but you were too blinded by greed.’ He took a step forward as his eyes bore into his commanding office ‘This is your fault, Tom.’ He finished, pointing at Frankie’s unconscious form ‘You better hope he makes it or I’ll kill you myself.’

~

Chapter 2

[thiswasinevitableid]

For the prompts: Sternay, Centaur, NSFW. Thank you!

Here you go!

Note: I use “races” here in the D&D sense.

Most nights, Barclay works undistracted until the end of dinner. Tonight, looks out the kitchen window so often Moira teases him that she’ll close it to save him from cutting off his own hand by mistake. 

He can’t help it. Every time a new party returns from an adventure or demands a table so they can sit and plan their next epic quest, he pokes his head into the dining room of Amnesty Lodge to see if a certain orc is among them. 

Technically, Joseph is half-orc, as his father was an elf, but his orcish traits dominate in all but his build and his ears. He’s so handsome, the first time he addressed Barclay by name he blushed for an hour afterwards. 

That was the second time they’d met, Joseph having returned from his job as the hired rogue of a party of treasure hunters. He’d been a spy during the last great skirmish, and now put his observation and information gathering skills to good use for a fair price. He, like other adventurers for hire, used Amnesty Lodge as his base, as it welcomed creatures of all kinds and had the best food in all of Kepler. 

When Joseph became a regular, it didn’t take long for him to post up in the place where it was easiest for him to talk to Barclay, and more than once he stayed to help the centaur put up chairs and wipe down tables. Four months ago, before he left to help some mages in search of rare artifacts, he knocked on Barclay’s door in the pre-dawn rain and kissed him goodbye, telling him to consider the kiss an offer he could refuse or accept on Josephs’ return. 

Barclay kissed him back immediately in reply.

Ever since that morning, Barclay’s orientation towards time changed. He no longer saw his life in weeks and months; instead it was divided into times when Joseph was in town and times when he was gone. It helps that Joseph prefers quests that are about knowledge and have a low chance of death, as he has little taste for violence (in fact, the only orc he knows with less taste for it is Duck, who seems annoyed at the fact the universe thinks it’s his destiny to fight).

When the last diner stumbles upstairs to their room, Moira pats his side, “I can get Jake to help me clean up. You go on home.”

A short walk brings him to his cottage on the edge of Amnestys’ grounds. He gathers his mail, starts a kettle for tea, and contemplates if he should take a bath now or wait for Joseph in the hopes he might join him. 

Knockknock

He hurries to the door, throws it open and finds a disheveled but pleased looking Joseph holding a bouquet of branches. 

“Hey” his brain offers no further thoughts, too busy drinking in the sight of the boyfriend he’s been missing these last ten days. 

“I’m sorry I’m late, we ran into some kind of conflict between two water golems and had to take a longer route. I, um, brought some apple blossoms as an apology.” 

“No need to apologize, blue eyes” Barclay takes the flowers, “I’m just glad you’re back in one piece. Uh, do you, uh, wanna come in? I’m making tea and, uh, I was gonna take a bath if you wanna join me.” In spite of the fact Joseph is already through the door and taking off his shoes, Barclay worries he’s moving too fast. 

“A bath sounds great, big guy” Joseph cups his face, takes his time kissing every inch of his lips before releasing him, “I’ll go get it started.” 

Barclay shuts the door and trots towards the kitchen. He munches two stems of blossoms and then sets the rest in some water on the table. 

He joins Joseph just as the orc closes off the sluice that directs the water from the hot springs outside into the massive, rocky tub. It’s designed with multiple wide, stone benches so Barclay can sit comfortably with his legs tucked beneath him. He sets the mugs of tea by the edge of the pool and wades in, settling on his preferred bench as Joseph floats over to him. A grey scar runs up one side of his green chest which, combined with the stylish piercings in his ears and the one stud in his nose, make him look a mixture of tough and debonair that never fails to make Barclay paw the ground with frustrated desire. 

The orc is so handsome, has kissed Barclay breathless and given him the honor of tasting his cock several times, but there are things Barclay wants from him that he will never ask for. And so, as the orc drapes his arms around his shoulders, he puts those lurid thoughts from his mind. 

“Do you want me to get your back?” Well-trimmed claws scritch the sensitive line where fur meets skin. 

“Fuck yeah.”

Joseph splashes to his side, retrieving one of the milky-white bottles lined along the rocky edge. The scent of oatmeal and chamomile fills twines into the steam as the orc guides a generous line of the shampoo down his spine. Barclay would never admit it in public, but he uses this blend in part because it brings a shine to his dark bay fur, the color of which he is immensely proud. 

“You have such a handsome coat” Joseph murmurs, fingers creating a path of suds as he rubs them in circles, “then again, the rest of you is handsome too, so it’s only remarkable in that it puts every other centaur I’ve seen to shame.”

Barclay squeezes the loofah he’s using on his shoulders, groans when Joseph digs his fingers into the spot on his back legs that is always sore after a day in the kitchen.

“Look at all that strength buried right here” Joseph pets up his leg and along his flank, “gods, Barclay, maybe I should count myself lucky that you work somewhere you aren’t seen so that I’m not constantly fighting off every centaur who passes through town and sees what a catch you are.”

“Babe please” he dumps water over his head, which does fuck-all to clear it, “please, when you talk like that it’s, I’m-”

The hands switch to soothing circles, “I’m sorry, if it’s making you uncomfortable I can stop.”

“No, no it’s more like, uh, fuck” he takes a deep breath, “talking to me like that while you touch me, while you’re right there all naked and perfect I, it turns me on and I don’t want to make you deal with that.”

Soft splashing as Joseph moves in front of him, “I think now is the time to tell you I’m, um, more than happy to deal with it. In fact, I was kind of hoping we could do that tonight. We can take our time, since neither of us has work tomorrow and I, um, well let’s just say I thought about you a lot while I was gone and wanted the chance to act on some of those thoughts.”

Barclay snorts, softly, “Trust me, babe, even if you think it’s a good idea now, you won’t when it happens. Lots of people love the idea of fucking a centaur right up until the moment and then they bail. And I mean, like, that’s cool, I don’t wanna fuck someone who’s freaked out and they can call it quits whenever but...yeah. I appreciate the thought, blue eyes.” He smiles, trying to show that he means it, because he does, he loves that Joseph thinks of him that way.

Joseph massages some of the shampoo into his hair, the two of them still face to face, “Do you remember that black trunk I left here last time?”

“Uhhuh” He closes his eyes, neck relaxing, “said it was stuff you needed to keep at my place.”

“It is, and now I know you didn’t peek at it. I did a bunch of research into the best way to prepare to get fucked by a centaur, and everything we need is in that box.”

“Aw babe, you did a research project for me.” Barclay hides his face in Joseph’s shoulder.

“It’s my love language.” Joseph kisses his cheek, “Barclay, if you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to. I just wanted you to know that this isn’t some idle fantasy for me, with you filling the role of hot centaur. This is something I want to do with you, my boyfriend who I adore and want to get fucked by.”

“Promise you’ll say something if I’m hurting you?” Barclay mumbles against soap-tinged skin.

A kiss on his head this time, “I promise.” 

------------------------------------------------------------------

Joseph is conscious of his reputation. He always has been, whether that was how his superiors saw him or how his potential clients see him now. This is why he’s well-aware of the joke that goes as follows:

Did you hear about the undiscovered creature?

No. What is it?

A race Joseph hasn’t fucked. 

That’s the translation from orcish, anyway. 

It’s not as if he has a checklist of beings he wants to bed. It’s that he’s never seen a creatures race as a deterrent. Not the very charming bugbear who bought him a drink his first time up in Vogel Pass. Not the shy dragonborn who asked him to dance at the Festival of the Two Moons. And certainly not the sweet, gentle centaur who owned his heart from the first time he smiled at him. 

Joseph considers himself practical, but Barclay forces him to confront the romantic streak running through his heart. He’d debated how best to show it, considering traditional gestures of orc courtship or a long, long letter, before an exasperated Duck pulled him aside and told him to just tell him, please Joe for fucks sake this is painful to watch. 

Over the last few months, he’s learned which flowers to bring his lover, what places to pet and scratch to melt that strong body beneath his hands. He’s also observed that Barclay is sexually pent up yet never asks for release, no matter how many times he swallows or strokes Josephs’ cock. So, while his research and subsequent offering of his ass are far from selfless, he hopes it will show his boyfriend that he will put in the work to bring him pleasure. 

He’s busy laying out the four glass cocks of increasing sizes next to the largest bottle of lube they had at fantasy Costco while Barclay arranges a set of cushions, bars, and ropes near the bed. When put together, the items form a rig that allow centaurs to fuck smaller partners. Barclay bought it the last time someone expressed a desire to fuck him; it’s never been used. 

Joseph sits on the bed, all his supplies in reach, and pats the large mattress to indicate Barclay can join him. 

“Should I help?” The centaur tucks his legs under him, tail twitching once. 

“Yes, by holding me while I warm up. You won’t be able to when you’re fucking me, so I need to get my fill.” He rests his back against Barclay’s bare chest, tips his head up so his boyfriend can kiss him, “if you’re good, maybe I’ll let you open me up some of the way.”

Barclay whines, nuzzling his hair as he preps the smallest toy. It slides in easily, Joseph working it back and forth with soft moans. It’s not long before he trades it for the next size, the one he uses most often. The centaur’s arms twine around his waist and his chin rests on his shoulder, jostling in time with Joseph’s thrusts. 

The third toy has a flared base and he grunts, spreading his legs wider as he pushes it in. He stops mid-way, needing a moment to relax. Barclay rubs his thighs, asking if there’s anything he needs. 

“A little distraction might help.”

“I can manage that.”

“GAHahnnnnm, shit, that works.” Joseph moves the toy incrementally deeper as Barclay nibbles his ears. The playful pain always makes him shiver and submit to whatever’s happening, and soon the toy bottoms out. He fucks himself with it until the idea of taking more feels not only possible, but wonderful. 

The fourth toy is, according to his research, to inches shorter and an inch and a half thinner than the average centaur cock. It’s an intense stretch and he groans, falling back in Barclays arms. The centaurs breath is coming in hot puffs on his neck and chest, and the bed is moving more than it was a minute ago.

“Enjoying the show, big guy?”

“Uhhuhnnn, I, fuck babe this is making me so fucking hard but I, I didn’t wanna say anything in case you needed to back out.”

“My sweet, considerate Barclay. Here, I have an idea.” He tips forward, splaying out on his stomach with the toy sticking part way out of his ass, “I want you to finish getting me ready.”

“Okay” He can feel Barclay’s hand shaking through the length of the toy, “fuck, your ass looks good like this.”

“It’ll look even better with yours in itAH gods, that’s a good speed for it, gods that feels so good.”

Barclay growls, pushes the toy all the way in as Joseph arches off the bed with a wall-shaking moan.

“That’s it, ohmylord, see big guy, I can take whatever you give me. You won’t break me, won’t hurt me, just fill me up and make me cum so hard I white out-”

“Who says you’re gonna get to cum, blue eyes? Maybe I’ll just fill that tight orc ass up and leave you there until I’m ready to breed again.”

There’s a smack just as the toy stops moving. Joseph turns to see Barclay with his hands clamped over his mouth. 

“‘M ‘orry.”

With some effort and another moan as the toy shifts, he rolls onto his side and holds up two fingers, “First off, I’ve heard way more explicit ‘breeding talk’ including from my own kind. Second of all, if it bothered me, I wouldn’t keep talking about how strong and capable you are when I want to wind you up. I was a spy, Barclay; I’m very good at telling what people want and what they’re hiding.”

“Joe….” it’s a whine. Rarer still is the use of his nickname, something Barclay only does when he’s far gone with desire. Joseph allows himself some internal smugness before smiling at his boyfriend. 

“I’m ready for the main event if you are.”

Lube drips down his thighs as Barclay helps him into place. There’s a large, square cushion with very little give shoved up against the wall. It’s waist-height for Joseph, so he bends over it and lets his boyfriend strap his wrists and ankles down against the faux-velvet. 

“Is that okay? You don’t need the extra pad under your feet?”

“Assuming we’re at a comfortable angle for you, I’m all set.”

“Right. Cool.” Barclay sounds almost impatient; what an evening of firsts this is turning out to be. “I’m gonna put the last piece on.”

A cool circle of stainless steel sits snugly against Joseph's ass. In his reading, he learned that a common issue was the cock slipping out during the precarious first pushes, leading to frustration for everyone. Since Barclay can’t guide it with his hand from the angle he’ll be at, the ring offers a tactile clue and keep him on course once he pushes in. 

The centaur moves so he’s behind him, then steps forward so his front legs are on either side of the block Joseph is strapped to. From here, the heat of his body surrounds the orc and he feels safe instead of smothered. After three mis-judged nudges, his cock threads though the ring, the flat, wide head of it parting Joseph’s ass as they both groan. 

“Shit” Joseph hisses. Barclay freezes above him, so he adds, “that was good cursing.”

It remains so as the thick head stretches him open, and he gasps with relief when it’s done breaching his body. The shaft is narrower, so that’s the hard part over with. Better still, his preparation pays off; the cock slides most of the way in with little resistance. 

“Can I start moving?” He can’t really see Barclay’s face from this angle, but the centaurs' shy, lustful hope is clear in his voice.

“Yes, big guyFUCK! Ohfuck, yes, holy hells that’s good.” The first thrusts make the purpose of the straps clear; if Joseph weren’t tied down, he’d be bounced this way and that, increasing his chances of injury. Trapped as he is, there’s less chance for accidental harm and no distraction from the massive cock relentlessly thudding into him. 

“Fuck, Joseph, you feel so good baby, fuck I never think of you as small but it’s like I can reach the back of your fucking throat like this.”

The comment draws his attention to what he assumes is a lump in the flat surface of the cushion that’s causing his stomach to rock at an angle. 

“Holy shit that’s, that’s your cock. Barclay, it’s, it’s literally bulging my stomach out.” He wishes the set up allowed him to see it, he wants to sear the image of Barclay’s cock molded against his flesh into the deepest corners of his memory. 

“I can feel it babe, believe me. Fuck, such a tight fit, you’re like a fucking toy, stretching to take me.” More force behind the thrusts, suggesting Barclay is using the bar enchanted into the wall for this exact purpose, “shouldn’t waste a breeding load on a toy, but fuck me if I care.”

“Gods almighty” that fact hadn’t appeared in his research, but makes perfect sense; if a centaur hasn’t fucked in awhile, their biology might generate a greater amount of cum the next time around in hopes of continuing their kind. 

“Yeah, you like that, like the idea of taking my cum so deep you’ll be able to taste it. Gonna fill you up babe, fuck, gonna leave you dripping for weeks.”

“That’s right, big guy, you can cum as much as you want.” His comment dies out into a prolonged whimper as his cock ruts against the cushion, pushing him towards orgasm. 

Barclay stops, huffing, and rumbles, “It’s cute how you think you get to make that call, instead of taking me for as long as I fucking say like the needy little piece of ass you are.”

“Sweet fucking hell” Is all Joseph gets out before his words give way to desperate, ecstatic sounds. Barclay fucks him so hard and fast it shakes dust from the ceiling and a picture from the wall. The entire lower half of his body is stretched and pounded so mercilessly and with absolutely no pauses, meaning his orgasm only registers when splatters across the floor. His sensitive cock gets no reprieve, bouncing in time with Barclays increasingly sharp thrusts and making Joseph gasp whenever it rubs against the cushion. 

His assumption that Barclay is going his fastest goes out the window when the centaur quickens his pace, Josephs wrists and ankles twisting in their bonds as his mind falls silent. All he hears is Barclay grunting as his cock tries to go deeper into his ass. 

“C’mon babe, c’mon, take it, take me deep, take the whole godsdamn fucking thingohfuck, Joe.” There’s a deep, broken cry as cum pumps into him, his body aching at the further intrusion. Barclay whimpers and moans above him, hips still jerking as he keeps cumming. By the time he gives a final thrust, cum is escaping back down his shaft, Joseph’s body unable to contain it. 

“Do, do you want me to pull out all at once?”

“Yes, best to get the mess over with instead of dragging oOWut.” His body gives up any pretense of supporting itself when the centaur slides out of him. Thank goodness for the cushions. Barclay isn’t faring any better, knees wobbling as he undoes Josephs’ restraints and helps him to the bed. The orc just manages to remember to toss a towel out for him to lay on so he doesn’t stain the bed sheets with the spend still running down his legs. 

Barclay nestles protectively around him, guiding his head to rest on the still-shiny fur of his back, “I can’t believe you did that for me.”

“For us. I don’t know if you noticed, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.”

“Kinda got that sense, yeah.”  Barclay rests their heads together, “Even so just...thanks. Thanks for taking the time and effort it takes to fuck me.”

Joseph toys with Barclay’s hair, tucks it behind his ears, “Barclay, I love you. Part of that means figuring things like this out together. Even if being with you, in any sense of the word, was a hundred times more complicated, that wouldn’t be enough to stop me from trying.”

Barclay doesn’t ask if he means it. Instead, he draws him into a kiss, works his magic with his lips and tongue until Joseph is practically draped over him, content and exhausted. Before the centaur scoops him up for another bath, he kisses his cheek and rumbles, “Thanks, babe. And I love you too.”

[rainydayhogwartsimagines]

Hi can you do draco x hufflepuff reader where they met on the first day of hogwarts and became best friends then had crushes on one another??? It can be head cannons or like a story idc I just wanna feed my hufflepuff heart

Aye! A fellow hufflepuff! Hi there!

There you were. You had made it to hogwarts

You had been anxious that whole day.

See no one was really there to show you how to go about things, especially with that brick wall.

Your parents both were muggles, they had noooo fucking idea how any of this worked

All they knew is that you had a lot of weird moments as a kid

Mostly glass shattering during tantrums or things levitating on their own

Then they got this letter and woman showing up explaining "Look, your kid's a wizard."

So they were like "Ohhhh see that explains things!"

Sure, Mcgonagall helped your family when they had questions but Mcgonagall wasn't there now

But this one kid saw you wandering aimlessly.

"Hi." He said with a grumble after Narcissa recognized that lost look.

You turned around and Draco's heart was like "Oh... Oh no. Oh I'm feeling things for this person."

"Are you... Uhm... Here for... The platform?" You asked.

"Yes. Actually my mother sent me over here because you looked confused" he said.

"Oh! Oh thank God." You said with relief.

So he told you to run through it.

You thought he was joking until he ran through it.

So you followed.

Steam hit your face immediately and you were coughing.

"Wow that's brisk." You coughed.

Draco held back a snort.

You sat with him on the train and he finally introduced yourself.

"I'm Y/n by the way."

"Draco Malfoy." He said with a nod.

"That's... Kind of a cool name." You said.

Something in his gut told him "oh she's definitely not a Slytherin."

"What house are you hoping for?" He asked curiously.

"What?" You asked.

"Hogwarts house? The ones for the school?" He said.

"...There are houses for this?" You asked.

So he explained all of this to you.

He seemed to take great pride in Slytherin

You were just curious.

You stuck with Draco for the most part and some other kids who knew who he was.

"So. How do you not know anything about the wizarding world?" Draco finally asked.

"Neither of my parents are wizards"

Crabbe and Goyle nearly choked on air and Draco seemed to be having some sort of episode.

"What?" You asked.

"You're a mudblood?" He asked.

"It's not like I can control my genetics. And I know enough about the wizarding world to know that is offensive so could you not call me that!?" You said defensively.

That's when it clicked.

"She's a hufflepuff." He thought.

He didn't realize how right he was until you were sorted.

There was this one kid, she was spunky as fuck.

It was her last year there but she seemed to be excited to have someone new in the house.

Her name was Nymphadora but she loved "Tonks"

She was basically your big sister from this point on.

She showed you around with Cedric, she introduced you to new people, she even told you some secrets about the school.

That's when you noticed another group.

This one kid with glasses that NO ONE would shut the fuck up about.

You didn't officially talk to him until you ran into him

Literally. You ran into him after class one day.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!" You said.

"It's okay, I wasn't paying attention either." He said reassuringly.

You introduced yourself and Ron introduced himself too.

Two new friends gained.

Course this pissed Draco off.

Because of course you thought Harry was cool.

Truth be told you had no fucking idea why he was famous.

But Draco decided to confront you while you studied.

"Hi draco." You said looking up.

"I see you're spending time with Potter." He said, his voice clearly annoyed.

"Yeah. So?" You asked.

"So? What are you trying to gain?" He asked.

"...Does unconditional friendship and support count?" You asked confused.

"I'm serious. Is it the fame?" He asked.

"... Harry's famous?" You asked.

"... You've got to be kidding me!"

So Draco told you what he knew.

But now you just felt bad.

"Wait so how am I a bad guy here?" You asked.

"What?" Draco asked.

"I've befriended a kid who's family is dead and his aunt and uncle are abusive. And I'm a bad guy because I just want him to feel safe?" You asked.

You did know about his Aunt and Uncle from Harry. You never even met these people and you hated them.

But shit. When you put it like that now Draco felt like an asshole.

You sighed and got up.

"Y/n." He called.

You turned around confused.

"...Can you introduce me to Harry?" He finally asked.

So you did.

Course Ron wasn't too thrilled about Draco hanging out with you guys.

But then the boys discovered that they had a lot in common and it was game over

Tonks really enjoyed seeing you get excited over it all.

Draco was more bearable too

You were like a friendship matchmaker though, especially after you met Hermione.

You both ended up studying together after all of the tables in the library had been occupied.

You thought "See she gets it!"

You both tended to study because it beat doing muggle homework.

Halloween rolled around and Ron said something mean about Hermione.

"Ron! Shut up!" You said after Hermione ran past you in tears.

You ran after her and calmed her down before uhm

Troll in the dungeon?

Draco's common room was in the dungeon so naturally Slytherin had to be moved.

He was walking with the boys when they all realized : "OH SHIT Y/N'S NOT WITH US"

so they all went looking for you when they found the troll.

You had your back against the wall and was of course panicked because you were face to face with a troll and you were eleven.

"Hermione." You whimpered.

"We're doomed." She said.

Draco ran in with the boys and saw the predicament

Well shit.

Thanks to Ron's spell the troll was handled

Course you all got in trouble because you were supposed to be in your common rooms.

Draco was just glad you were safe.

You and the boys celebrated Christmas together, your mom mailing you a polaroid camera to you.

The boys (except Harry) were mesmerized and took a ton of pictures together.

You had a ton of Tonks and Cedric

Then there was this whole thing with the Philosopher's stone and you and Draco were basically having to lie left and right.

"Mcgonagall wants to know if you know who froze Neville?"

"Waaahhhttt someone froze Neville that's wild guys. Really wild."

So other fun fact: Draco's a terrible liar.

When they all came back though oh boy.

The school year was coming to a close and you all agreed to write to each other.

Draco had this one really weird rule though.

If you were to spot him with his parents pretend like you don't know him.

According to Draco, his father wasn't a big fan of him hanging out with people outside of Slytherin.

So when summer started Tonks actually spent a lot of it with you, showing you and your parents the wizarding world.

You loved hanging out with her and she honestly did love you like a little sister.

When school started again though, you promised her you'd write to her about it all.

She was the one who dropped you off at King's Cross that year btw

The next year started and you all sat with each other on the train.

"I just don't see why you need a house elf! It seems barbaric!" Hermione said.

Draco immediately noticed you and smile, moving so you could sit next to him.

You did.

"What's a house elf?" You asked.

"A magical creature who assists wizards." Draco said.

"Unwillingly. They treat them like animals." Hermione griped.

"why are we talking about this?" You asked.

"Because our house elf apparently decided to pay Harry a visit." Draco said with a sigh.

"He said something big was happening this year." Harry admitted.

"If it's bigger than a troll, we might be screwed."

News flash: It was.

Things took a bad turn when Draco knew exactly what the chamber of secrets meant.

Oh God he was SO anxious that entire year.

It didn't help when you ended up petrified

Hermione was almost petrified but you managed to scream "RUN" before you were

He was not a fan of Gilderoy.

He actually called him a "pompous ass" when he acted like baby in the chamber of secrets

When you woke up you found out all about the insane adventure and was like "Dude. Next one, count me in"

The next summer rolled around and you again, spent it with Tonks.

Except this time you and Tonks went to the borrow.

Fred and George fucking LOVED Tonks.

You had these strange interactions with Ron's rat though.

It's like it could understand you.

You would sit at the breakfast table and read the paper right before the wonderful owl that delivered mail would come literally crashing through.

Poor uncoordinated bastard.

Draco was the first to alert the group "uh hey guys. There's kind of a convict on the loose."

None have you had seen Draco over the summer. his parents were great. Just fucking super.

So when you did see him again your heart nearly beat out of your chest.

He dropped the whole "hair slacked back" thing and went natural and it just made you very attracted to him.

Draco noticed a few new things about you

You were taller, and really fucking pretty.

The train ride was not a fun one, you being there crammed on the damn thing with some sleeping dude.

So instead of Harry being attacked by a dementor it was you.

You had a panic attack afterwards, freaking out as the now very much awake Remus talked you through it.

He gave you chocolate and automatically you were like "...this dude is gonna be awesome."

And boy were you right, because he was your favorite professor that year.

Harry seemed to be really paranoid about the dementors though.

A lot more than you were.

He didn't know why yet, but he knew that Sirius had to have some involvement with him.

So Buckbeak. You fucking loved this creature.

Draco however was an idiot.

He stumbled after Goyle pushed him forward into Buckbeak's personal space

Buckbeak almost attacked but you intervened and calmed him down immediately.

"Buckbeak! Eyes on me!" You called.

Buckbeak looked at you but still made attempts to stare at Draco.

"No. Eyes here! Now." You called.

"I'm a friend. See?" You said bowing.

Buckbeak bowed to you and Draco's heart did a whole ass backflip.

You all did notice hermione popping up when she most definitely wasn't there before though

"How does this even work--" "You carry the five" "CHRIST WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU COME FROM!?"

Draco and you did spend a lot of time together.

Course he wasn't the biggest fan of Cedric being around when he was in the Hufflepuff common room.

But you honestly saw Cedric as your brother. And he saw you as a little sister. So. Ew.

Draco didn't know this though.

Then came the lesson on Boggarts and oh boy.

Your boggart was very strange but clearly affected you.

The boggart was you.

You quite honestly were afraid of what you were capable of.

When you were a child you would make things shatter around you, sometimes injuring your parents.

Sure the injuries were minor, but it didn't stop you from feeling guilty after you found out you were the cause.

You were terrified that if one day you snapped now that you were officially trained and more powerful, it'd be a whole lot more destructive.

So yes, you were terrified of yourself.

Remus handled it and Draco pulled you back asking if you were okay.

You kept to yourself for a while. The boggart brought up those anxieties all over again and you were paranoid you'd make something go wrong.

Draco was not having that though and confronted you about it.

You talked it through with him and he assured you that if something ever went wrong he'd make sure that it'd be okay

So from that point on you two were inseparable.

Hogsmeade was honestly the best

Snowball fights and piggyback rides

You laughing as Harry managed to sneak in on the trip, scaring the fuck out of Ron.

Draco giving you his scarf when you got cold.

The group going "Oh. Oh they're totally in love"

Then Harry found out that Sirius black was friends with his parents.

And the leading cause of death of his parents.

You basically vowed that if you ever came across this fucker you'd probably punch him.

Then Lucius found out about Buckbeak.

And oh boy.

That did not blow over well

You called Lucius an "Asshole". To his face.

Hermione came up with a plan and FINALLY revealed "Hey I have a time turner"

You were like "YOU COULD NOT HAVE TOLD ME THIS BEFORE I CALLED THAT VERY TERRIFYING MAN AN 'ASSHOLE'!?"

So you went on a rescue mission

It was an emotional rollercoaster

At one point you were convinced that Harry's dad was alive.

Just to find out that Harry could produce a bright ass patronus.

Then you're discovered your favorite professor was housing a convict.

Then you had a panic reaction and punched the convict.

Just to find out that he was innocent and that Ron's rat was actually guilty.

Then when the actual guilty party was revealed and tried to run you discovered that your favorite professor is a goddamn werewolf.

But hey, Harry now had a godfather!

The next summer came along and Tonks picked you up from King's Cross and met Remus

She couldn't stop staring and neither could Remus.

Immediately you knew something was going to happen there.

The summer was spent listening to Tonks go on and on about this guy who used to be your professor.

Which: you were used to listening to weird shit because there were some girls who did have a thing for Snape.

But you knew way too much about Remus to ever find anything attractive about him.

Anyways: SUMMER!!!

Which again was spent at the Burrow

This time you all ended up going to the World Quidditch game.

When you saw Draco there you had to hide excitement because Lucius was there and-- Holy shit did he get more terrifying-- HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?

Draco still found ways to talk to you though

Cedric noticed the smiles and the glances at each other

The whole group noticed.

It was hard not to when you had that smile that could light up a fucking room on your face.

Fred and George would tease you relentlessly.

But Draco managed to sneak off to you guys and hung out after the game.

Y'know. Right before it went to shit

You all managed to escape but you got separated from Draco and was anxious the entire fucking time

Then he snuck out and went to the burrow and you hugged him

It was the first time you two ever really showed affection to each other.

Especially since Draco was giving you this kind of hug that made you melt into his arms

Molly and Arthur were like "They're in love." Immediately.

He stayed for dinner before having to leave

"So. How long have you had a crush on him?" Fred asked.

"What?" You asked.

"Come on. No one looks at someone that way and doesn't have a crush on them." George said.

The thought of you having a crush on him actually never crossed your mind.

But then they said that and now it was the only thing you could think about.

Which made the next time you saw Draco very... Jumpy.

"Hi." He said as you were reading on the train which scared you so bad your book was unintentionally launched at Harry's head.

Then at the feast he sat next to you and asked if you were okay after you blushed so intensely he thought you were running a fever.

You knocked over your drink.

We can begin to notice that you are a lot more clumsier than usual.

I mean yeah you were always clumsy but this is a whole new range of clumsy.

Then the schools were introduced and Draco whispered in your ear making you nearly scream.

Fred and George were watching these interactions on the verge of pissing themselves

They knew damn well that they were the cause of your nervousness.

Pt 2 coming soon.