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makeupremovercleansingbalmnew · 3 years ago

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Be Careful For This Makeup Remover Cleansing Balm

After this step, use your common cleanser to rinse skin free of makeup and excess oil, leaving behind clean and hydrated skin. When buying an oil, make certain to search for ones that are cold-pressed and natural. Sometimes the most effective makeup remover comes in the form of a cloth. Several readers love the Danielle Erase Your Face cloth, which removes all kinds of make-up, including waterproof mascara, with out the utilization of harmful chemical substances or artificial makeup removers. With simply warm water, each material will remove the hardest make-up and will remember to offer you a contemporary clear feeling https://www.retrouve.com/product/luminous-cleansing-elixir/. When choosing the proper makeup remover for you, it is important to consider your pores and skin sort and how it reacts to ingredients.

This Klorane waterproof eye makeup remover cleansing balm will get the job accomplished. It's made with natural cornflower, which is light and leaves the attention space feeling cleansed and refreshed. Whether you have obtained dry skin, oily skin, or fall someplace in between, you probably can def depend on this makeup remover.

In this article, we’ll discover 6 DIY makeup remover recipes that use solely natural elements proven to be mild in your pores and skin. An oil-to-milk cleanser, Kiehl's Cleansing Oil is specially formulated to depart skin balanced after use. It's also scented with lavender, so you may be relaxed and prepared for mattress as soon as your skincare routine is finished.

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If you have sensitive pores and skin, you might wish to opt for an oil-based perfume. Combine the brown sugar, coconut oil, and essential oils in a jar using a spoon or stir stick. Apply to the skin in circular motions using your arms, exfoliating gloves, brush, or sponge. Shake properly and dip a cotton ball, cotton pad, or a cotton swap inside. You can use a clean, dry material to softly take away any make-up that’s left behind. Mix the two elements collectively in a jar or bottle.

“I simply spot it on any arriving pal from out of city within the form of a zit and say, ‘Go again to the place you came from! Plus, its 4.3-star Ulta Beauty rating means it is working right for a lot of prospects. One of the easiest methods to play up the eyes is with a contact of mascara. The right one will add both volume and length to the lashes. The Clinique High Impact mascara claims to make the lashes look lusher and bolder with a pigmented method, out there in black and black-brown shades.

When a chance encounter with brilliant make-up artist Yuseong leads to her participating in a televised makeup competitors, Yeseul begins to query the function that make-up and look play in society. Choose your free present Customized Anti-Aging Routines Make probably the most of your skin with a custom fit, 5-piece skincare package. Naturally highly effective performance for a visible eye raise in record time. Remove mascara with mild actions from the bottom of the eyelashes to the tip. Our educated consultants are here to advise you on that perfect product. Formulations and ingredients may be occasionally modified.

If you strive plain water, it in all probability wouldn't make removal any better. However, if you use a makeup remover cleansing balm capable of dissolving the foundation film, eradicating can be very easy. There just isn't one magic ingredient in all of this — it really depends on the makeup formula composition and the remover composition. A key chemistry expression to bear in mind is “like dissolves like”. A water-based remover will work to remove water-based makeup, same applies for oil-based.

Made without any parabens, phthalates, or petrolatum, they swiftly take away makeup without the unhealthy stuff. Read on for our picks of one of the best makeup removers for delicate pores and skin. "Clear skin starts with a good cleanser," she stated. "I would splurge on this as a result of this would be your first step in your skin care routine and I simply feel such as you really shouldn’t cut the corners in relation to your cleanser." Another must-have for Allure editors, Then I Met You's Living Cleansing Balm would not just remove makeup. This golden-colored cream melts right into a rich, foamy lather that sloughs off makeup, all the whereas repairing and nourishing skin with vitamin E and olive oil.

Pure Oils As Make-up Remover

Use Dissolving Spray solely on specific areas for a quick change of your complexion or eye makeup. I never sit up for taking off my makeup at evening. It's not that I'm too drained to wash my face, but eradicating each single bit takes a lot of effort, and quite frankly, simply hurts. More usually than not, fully eradicating my eyeliner and mascara takes 10 thousand years and a ton of rubbing. My eyes are red, watery, and I still get up with black residue underneath my eyes in the morning.

The hydrating humectants on this make-up removerhelp hold your pores and skin's moisture barrier sturdy rather than stripping away your natural oils. It also does not depart behind a greasy movie, so acne-prone skin is totally protected. From mascara smears to uneven liner, this mini pen helps right any makeup snafus without affecting the rest of your face. Ingredients likevitamin E, cucumber, and chamomile relax any irritation while removing traces of make-up around your eyelids and beneath eyes. This affordableGH Seal holderliquid effectively andeasily dissolves even waterproof makeupwithout tugging, drying or irritating pores and skin. With over 1,one hundred critiques on Amazon, reviewers swear, "the primary swipe took 90% of the extremely thick mascara & eyeliner off, along withallof my eye shadow."

Ingredients like oils and glycerin work to softly dissolve your make-up. To use make-up remover, merely saturate a cotton pad with the liquid and press it to your face. Using gentle motions, wipe the product off of your face.

But it's probably an important step in your day by day skincare routine, both for the sake of the fragile skin around your eyes and the longevity of your pillowcases. Warm a small quantity within the palm of hands, and apply on to dry skin. Use fingertips to massage over dry skin till complete transformation of the balm into oil.

Is There A Best Time Of Day To Take Cbd? Consultants Debate

It's made of soothing components like aloe and cucumber extract, so your pores and skin will really feel refreshed. And because it is oil-free, you received't be left with the feeling that one thing's lingering on your pores and skin after you utilize it. “I love this as a end result of I think it removes the makeup really nicely, particularly if you’re wearing waterproof mascara," she said. "I additionally discovered that that is the least aggressive in your eyes.

I'm positive you've heard the word about the harsh chemical substances found in plenty of makeup wipes. It's imperative that you follow up with a nourishing cleanser after using make-up wipes. These pure towelettes are an excellent alternative.

Makeup will get removed with minimal rubbing; add some water to give your face a pleasant milky cleanse that doesn’t depart your pores and skin feeling too oily, or too stripped. The lighter consistency of this method makes it an excellent introductory cleansing balm for anybody seeking to lastly dip their toes in. "For my sufferers with sensitive eyes, I recommend in search of an eye fixed makeup remover formulated for delicate eyes that removes make-up with out rubbing or irritating eyes." With a high quality makeup remover, however, it does not should be that way. And belief us, there are a lot of great makeup removers on the market, regardless of whether or not you favor a balm, oil, wipe, or micellar water.

Japanese formulation includes coconut oil to moisturize, cork tree extract to calm and vitamin E to struggle free radical damage. It’s onerous to seek out anybody who doesn’t critically rave about Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water. “I use them to give my clients’ pores and skin a quick cleanse before basis. Next, find out which different merchandise with a cult following are totally price it and which make-up sale to check out.

We firmly believe that beauty merchandise, each skincare and makeup, ought to be of the highest high quality while sustaining worth and affordability. Bring residence an aloe plant, and you may have a hydrating face masks, a moisturizer, a scalp treatment for irritated follicles, even a primer before making use of basis. And, yes, it actually works simply as nicely to scrub off mentioned foundation when the day is finished. Of course, that does not mean you must ditch the make-up remover altogether.

Key elements include amino acid-rich soy protein which helps preserve pores and skin's elasticity and suppleness, in addition to rosewater which is notable for its calming and balancing properties. “Similarly to the Klorane remover, this product has ingredients in it that assist strengthen your lashes too, which is nice," she famous. Washing your face is probably one of the final things you really feel like doing at the finish of an extended day, but you actually should. Sleeping with makeup on cannot only result in clogged pores and breakouts, but in addition end in premature aging. Our editors independently selected these things as a outcome of we think you'll get pleasure from them and would possibly like them at these prices.

Not so with this organic, uncooked, unrefined oil that retains the entire coconut goodness intact and also looks ultra stylish on your self-importance. I would examine it to eye makeup removers that cost twice as much. If you need the first step of your nighttime routine to be on the identical luxurious degree as the rest of your treasured skin-care routine, contemplate investing on this stuff. Though it’s simply as liquid-y and French-sounding as the aforementioned cleansing waters, this is a cleaning lotion. Once you sweep it throughout your face, you’ll get it — it leaves your skin feeling full, such as you cleansed, toned and did an entire serum situation.

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED Full refund inside 30-days-return. Apply with our luxurious Cotton and comply with with your favourite Clé de Peau Beauté cleaning foam for optimum outcomes. Eye & Lip Makeup Remover leverages Skin Intelligence to help your skin’s most ability to restore and shield itself.

Skincare By Category

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The result's radiant, clean, healthy-looking skin. This product is mild sufficient to use each day. For greatest results use at the side of our Walnut Hill Face Serum.

As health and wellness bloggers, our readers usually ask us if we cleanse and in that case, how we do it.

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Other kinds of cleanses contain colonic cleanses utilizing enemas, laxatives, or colon hydrotherapy .

First, decide a reasonable timeframe for your cleanse — not more than three days.

It has a high content of linoeleic acid, vitamin E and phenolic compounds, and an anti-inflammatory impact.

If you prefer to double cleanse, we advocate starting with the Cleansing Oil and following with the Cream Cleanser. Some juices are produced from meals which may be excessive in oxalate, a naturally occurring substance. Two examples of high-oxalate meals are spinach and beets. Drinking large quantities of high-oxalate juice can enhance the chance for kidney problems. Grape Seed Oil - an ingredient that accommodates polyphenols as properly as the essential fatty acid linoleic acid for lightweight hydration. Gently dissolve make-up, oil, and different impurities with this lightweight pre-cleansing oil.

"The truth is that eliminating Trump is the easy half. Cleansing the motion he instructions, or eliminating what he represents to so many Americans, is going to be one thing else." An ABC News article calling for the "cleansing" of the motion of President Trump's supporters was stealth-edited after critics questioned the charged word. Onion and garlic are both members of the allium household of greens, which provide pungent flavors to foods. These vegetation comprise flavonoids that stimulate the manufacturing of glutathione, one of the liver's strongest antioxidants. As a result, onion and garlic have highly effective anti-bacterial and immune-boosting properties. Dill is rich in nutritional vitamins and anti inflammatory chemicals.

By coming into my cell number and clicking “Submit”, I agree to obtain recurring promoting text messages from Clinique. I understand these textual content messages may be despatched via an autodialer, that consent just isn't required to buy goods from Clinique, and that I can opt-out any time by replying STOP to the textual content message I obtain from Clinique. If I am a California resident, I comply with the Notice of Financial Incentive. Massage onto pores and skin with fingertips until makeup is dissolved. A longer cleanse or Panchakarma is totally individualized and the entire protocol is designed based on the Rogi or client’s current disorders and the standing of their bodily, physiological, psychological and genetic health history.

Also, deprivation and suffering isn't the point! If you need a cup of black espresso because you need it or adore it, then have it. If you are nonetheless hungry, have something but make it clean and nutrient dense .

Challenge yourself to cut again on added sugar from sweetened yogurts, cereals and granola bars, in addition to the usual suspects . You’ll respect the pure sweetness of fruit a lot more when you cut unnecessary added sweeteners out of your food regimen. From hydrating face masks to the best way to use hydrating face cream, learn the way to hydrate skin with the following tips. "I chose these foods as a result of as a bunch they provide wholesome fats, protein, fiber, and water volume. Plus they're loaded with antioxidants," she says.

Each cleansing balm features completely different key components to focus on skin issues, corresponding to natural acerola cherry in Very Cherry Clean that provides antioxidant-rich vitamin C to assist brighten, firm, and hydrate the skin. As most of our pure face cleansers do, you'll find that when you have rinsed the cleanser off, it leaves you with an ultra-moisturized canvas that is ready for any clean skincare product that follows. Soap-free, foaming gel cleanses all skin circumstances.

Colon cleaning is normally used as preparation for medical procedures similar to a colonoscopy. However, some different medicine practitioners provide colon cleaning for different purposes, such as detoxing. Committing to a cleanse can feel like an enormous deal.

The Master Cleanse claims an individual can reside off of nothing however six to 12 glasses of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water over the course of 10 days—and drop 20 pounds the process. One of the worst selections I ever made was to strive a 5-day juice cleanse my senior yr of college. Maybe it’s a type of belongings you simply have to do once to know it’s a horrible concept. Take a take a look at a few stories from the 1000's of individuals whose well being and wealth improved from our pure, premium and non-GMO superfood merchandise.

Soothing Cleansing Oil

Our livers are particularly designed to take away bodily waste and our kidneys filter blood as well. The course of requires zero strict diets, cleanses, detoxes, or hunger. Apply to dry face with fingertips and gently massage.

Clean is extra frequent than cleanse and its use is much less particular. Over the past few years, the meaning of “detox” has shifted from a protocol meant to rid you of poisons to, usually, just a diet meant as a temporary reset. It either promises quick weight reduction, or goals to get you into the habit of wholesome eating, with residual effects that will last all 12 months lengthy. A lemon detox food regimen is usually cited as proof supporting detox diets to enhance well being.

Fill her with vinegar and water and pop her in the microwave for 5 to seven minutes, watch as cleansing steam shoots out of her ears, and revel in a squeaky clean equipment. Both clean and cleanse imply to make one thing free from dirt or impurities. But whereas clean can be present in a spread of common contexts, cleanse usually will get utilized in additional particular situations.

Drink one green juice per day to hydrates, alkalize, and add raw, living vitamins into your system. Formulated with hempseed oil, bioflavonoids and pure essential plant oils, high® delivers the high-powered benefits of hemp, to protect with potent antioxidants, balance with adaptogens, calm, hydrate and replenish. Cut down on sugar and salt, get loads of protein/fiber/fat and exercise 3+ days a week . And if you find yourself backsliding, forgive your self and begin over.

Health & Food Plan Guide

In reality, espresso enemas generally utilized in colon cleansing have been linked to a number of deaths. Colon cleansing also can cause much less critical side effects, corresponding to cramping, bloating, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. During a colon cleanse, massive amounts of water — generally as much as 16 gallons — and presumably other substances, corresponding to herbs or espresso, are flushed via the colon. This is done utilizing a tube that's inserted into the rectum. In some cases, smaller quantities of water are used and are left to take a seat in the colon for a quick while earlier than being removed.

Cleaning And Glow

For instance, Shays says she'll never double-cleanse if she's suffering from a rosacea outbreak—instead, she'll opt for only an oil cleanser or gentle cleaning milk. If she's treating a client with cystic pimples, she'll stick to 1 cleanse, as double cleaning can over-stimulate the pores and skin and aggravate it further. If you have dry pores and skin, Chiu says you could find that your pores and skin is best off with a double cleaning routine. "You'll discover that two mild steps work better than one strong method to fight sensitivity or overdrying," she says.

Due to its natural nature, our propanediol just isn't solely a compatible moisturiser, but in addition ensures that we are able to do with out harmful preservatives. "This product may be very gentle and fits my sensitive skin completely." Our clients requested a cleanser that made mild work of heavy obligation make-up. Gentle on skin with out compromising on efficacy, no rubbing, no eye-stinging, oh and no palm oil please.

After cleaning, shortly comply with with a facial moisturizer while skin is still damp to attract water into the pores and skin and lock it in for long lasting hydration. During the day, it's also recommended to use a facial SPF moisturizer with sun safety. Daily Facial Moisturizer with Broad Spectrum SPF 15 delivers nourishing hydration that locks in important moisture and protects your pores and skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. The extra gently you reintroduce foods into your food plan, the smoother the transition shall be.

"Anybody can benefit from a cleaning. The physique is coming out of what might be known as hibernation. It's a method you'll find a way to jump-start your physique for a extra energetic life, a more healthy life." These diets are low in calories, which will go away you with little vitality to exercise and will disrupt your metabolic price and blood glucose levels. They take satisfaction of their hair, and are particularly cautious about it, washing and cleansing it virtually daily. It was time for the cleaning a part of the ceremony and Victoria and I, together with half of the gang, lined up on facing benches. Ghusul is a ritual cleaning from head to toe, on this occasion performed with all of the solemnity of a visit to a water park. You can use clear to imply simply “to make neat” or “to remove a stain or mess” .

This rosehip powered oil glides over pores and skin lifting away each kind of impurity. Even cussed waterproof mascara is politely sent packing. We want to share natural food, juice, and love with you.

In a gentle round movement, apply to face and neck morning and evening, eradicating with a heat moist fabric. Repeat if eradicating make-up, and comply with with the Tammy Fender tonic or floral water finest suited to your pores and skin. Especially formulated for dry or sensitive pores and skin, and helpful for all pores and skin types, it blends soothing Lavender with purifying Fo-Ti. Lightly creamy, this light, pure facial cleanser whisks away impurities, leaving the complexion delicate and radiant. Be the first to study new arrivals, exclusive provides, limited edition products, and sweetness tips and tutorials.

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toothlessturtle21 · 4 years ago

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Beer Bottle Blues

I already lost count of how many oneshots I’ve posted, oops. Welp, here’s another one! CW: alcohol, Kai being tipsy, referenced character death. Enjoy!

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After his boyfriend blows himself up to save Ninjago, Kai finds himself at a bar every night to try and forget his loss, even if only temporarily. However, he'll have to confront his feelings sooner than he'd like to when a certain blonde ninja shows up to tug him away from the bar countertop.

Kai drank the last of his bottle, slamming the glass on the bar counter with a quiet grunt. The room was slightly hazy, the effects of downing two bottles of beer in a relatively short time period taking its toll on his mind. He traced the woodgrain with his eyes, ignoring the bustle of both snakes and humans alike as they moved around the dimly lit hole-in-the-wall. His mind seemed simultaneously both dead and alive at the same time, thinking of nothing and everything at once.

But as he looked at his empty bottle, the condensation slowly dripping down the cold brown glass, his thoughts sharpened to the reason why he was hanging out in a seedy bar anyway. Zane was dead.

He had watched his partner of over a year, best friend in the whole world, and love of his life blow up in front of his eyes. Well, not exactly, but he had felt the rumble pass through his body as he hid beneath the sewer lid, huddling with the rest of the team for cover.

Like a coward, he told himself. He should have been the one in his boyfriend's place, Zane didn't deserve to die the way he did, especially not when he had just met another android, one that understood how he felt and experienced the world. He had spoken at Zane's funeral out of duty, knowing his boyfriend would have wanted him to honor him out of everyone. He had held it together long enough to say some words about the lovely person his boyfriend had been, but Nya had cradled him that night as he broke down sobbing in her arms.

He hadn't spoken to the team in weeks, only keeping vague contact with his sister to let her know she wasn't dead. Nya thought he was out clearing his mind around Ninjago, not wasting his nights away getting drunk in a bar, only switching up the location to keep bartenders from getting suspicious. Eventually, he had landed at one that didn't seem to notice that he was the red ninja, or at least didn't care. It was nice, to not have expectations surround you as you tried to drown out your grief with cheap beer.

Speaking of beer, he flagged down the bartender, who passed him another opened bottle with barely a second glance. He took a quick swig, and glanced around once more. A Hypnobrai was on his right, sipping a whiskey while a Fangpyre laughed with him one more seat down. It almost reminded Kai of his and Jay's antics, but as far as he cared at the moment, Jay didn't even exist.

Even thinking about his former teammates was enough to cause bile to threaten to spill, his friends a painful reminder of his lost love. He hoped there was an afterlife for the Ninja of Ice after all, maybe even with his dad. Kai thought bitterly that his creator deserved to spend a peaceful life with Zane more than Kai did, as he knew how badly Zane had grieved after his father passed once more. His mind drifted back to long nights spent awake, holding his boyfriend in his arms as Zane cried, the heartache of losing his father for the final time too much to bear.

Oh, what Kai would give for even five more minutes of holding the android in his arms.

He blinked away the new mist in his eyes, and gulped down the rest of his drink. It stung his throat on the way down, a helpful distraction from the thoughts of his former boyfriend, and the haze helped keep them away as he drank into the night.

---

Much to his surprise, the bar was not as secretive as he had previously thought. The next night, when he returned, he only had the chance to down two bottles before a hand shook his shoulder. Kai turned his head in agitation, ready to tell some drunk Serpentine to screw off, but he was greeted by a familiar blonde face.

"Lloyd? What're you-"

"You're drunk."

The blunt statement surprised Kai's hazy brain, and he blinked before answering.

"So wha-? What d'you want?" He slurred, but only slightly (or so he thought). Lloyd just quirked his mouth in annoyance and pity, tugging gently on Kai's sleeve.

"C'mon, you shouldn't be in here."

"Why?" Kai bit, trying to drain the last from his bottle, which was snatched away by the Green Ninja in a hurry.

"Stop that."

"Go away," Kai grumbled, turning away sulkily, and Lloyd narrowed his eyes.

"Kai, you're being childish. Just come with me, please."

"Why should I?" He didn't spare Lloyd a glance, and the blonde didn't respond for a few moments, the roar of the crowd around them filling both of their ears.

"I miss you," He admitted, the same hand that shook his shoulder earlier merely coming to rest on it. "It's been pretty lonely without any of you. I haven't been able to track down Cole, and Jay or his manager hasn't returned any of my calls."

"Jay... has a what now?" Kai eyeballed Lloyd's expression for any jokes, and came up short.

"I'll explain, you just gotta trust me. Please, man."

"Fine, fine," Kai slapped down a twenty, enough for both beer bottles (he had memorized the prices by now), and followed Lloyd out with a sunken expression. Outside, the night was cool, and the freezing wind was both sobering and terrifying.

"That was... quite the place you were in," Lloyd began, leading Kai down the streets, presumable to return to a less seedy part of town. "What made you end up with a bunch of Serpentine?"

"All the other bars just hounded me. That one doesn't give a shit that I was the Fire Ninja."

"You still are, y'know," The Green Ninja said quietly, almost as if holding himself back.

"Huh?"

"You're still a ninja. Just because we're down one doesn't mean we can't still be a team-"

"It's not a team without him," Kai interrupted, surprised at how quickly emotions leapt out, clogging his throat. "Never will be."

Lloyd was quiet after that, simply walking beside Kai, deep in thought. The brunette sighed heavily, turning towards Lloyd when his voice was no longer threatening him with a puberty-worthy crack.

"I know you don't know what it feels like, kid, but I can't go back after all that."

"I miss him too, Kai. He was one of my best friends. I can't imagine what it's like for you," Lloyd tried not to let his pity show too much on his face, but he obviously failed, as Kai rolled his eyes playfully and pulled the blonde in for a side hug.

"Alright Green Bean, I'll bite. Where're we going?"

"Home," Lloyd grinned, and Kai knew he couldn't turn back now. "Uh, I have some leftover takeout, if you want it."

"You pulled me out of a bar just to shovel greasy shit in my mouth? Real healthy there, Lloyd," Kai teased, and Lloyd laughed, and it almost made Kai happy for a split second before his heart sank once more.

"Wait."

Kai stopped in his tracks, and Lloyd turned around from a few paces ahead.

"I- I can't go back. That means seeing his old room. Nobody's touched it since, right?"

"I know I haven't," Lloyd gnawed on his lip, guilt chewing at the corners of his mind. "Same with Nya. We just can't stand even knowing it's there."

"I just can't," Kai shook his head, not moving from his spot on the pavement. "I'm not ready."

"It's been a month," Lloyd stated blankly, not intended as a jab. The words hung in the air, and Kai blinked slowly.

"Already?"

"Yeah."

More silence. Each ninja stared at the other, Lloyd waiting for a continuation, and Kai not sure how to move forward.

"I think alcohol is gross," Kai stated, and the Green Ninja looked surprised, but let his friend continue. "But it helped me not think during the night, which was when I was at my worst before. I didn't like thinking."

Lloyd hummed in sympathy, taking a step towards the Fire Ninja.

"Nya still thinks I'm off in the mountains somewhere," Kai chuckled humorlessly, his eyes meeting Lloyd's as a chilly wind tousled their hair. Kai both relished in and despised the cold that it brought with it. "Also, bars are warm. It's not exactly the beach out here. Being cold just doesn't sit right anymore."

Lloyd stepped forward again, wrapping his arms around Kai for a fragile hug. Kai returned it hesitantly, relieved when the heat of the Green Ninja's body was so different to the cold one he was so used to being close to.

"I miss him, Lloyd," Kai buried his head into tufts of blonde hair, reveling in the physical contact that he didn't realize he needed. "I just want him back."

Before Kai knew it, he was crying. Lloyd was holding him close under the street light they happened to be standing under, rubbing gentle circles into Kai's back as he poured his heart out into Lloyd's shoulder. It hurt the Green Ninja to see his friend in such a state, even with the knowledge of why he was such a mess.

As the crying waned and Kai's tears slowly turned to puffy eyes, he brought his head up and wiped at his face, red sleeve scratching at the sensitive skin.

"So," He choked out a small laugh, looking back towards the direction that Lloyd was leading him in earlier. "You said somethin' about Jay having a manager?"

When Kai had first read the note that Zane could be alive, he didn't know how to feel. On one hand, he was elated at the possibility that his lover could be out there somewhere, but on the other, the higher he let his hopes climb, the harder they would fall if it wasn't true.

Any doubts he had in his mind were thoroughly demolished once he saw his boyfriend standing next to Cole in the hot island sun. Zane scanned the surroundings, his now glowing blue eyes drinking in the people around him before they settled on Kai, the two holding eye contact for a moment before Kai broke into a sprint, flinging himself at his boyfriend, who caught him and held him fast.

Kai couldn't help it, he wrapped his arms around Zane's waist and buried his face into his chest, all of his pent up nerves and stress from the last while manifesting in happy sobs into Zane's prison clothes, his ever-gentle boyfriend pressing kisses to his forehead to guide him through it.

"Don't ever do that again, you fucking idiot," Kai mumbled into his shirt, and Zane laughed, the vibrations rumbling through Kai's body.

"I missed you too, Kai."

Although the two were broken apart shortly after to find their way off the island, they stayed close, Kai promising both himself and his partner that he would pamper the hell out of Zane for a week straight once they reached home, and the Ice Ninja smiled warmly at his boyfriend all the while.

#ninjago #ninjago kai #ninjago lloyd #lloyd garmadon #ninjago zane #alcohol #alcoholism #tipsy #character death #oppositeshipping #happy ending #AO3 fanfic #ao3 #ninjago fanfiction #fanfiction #toothlessturtle21 #toothlessturtle21 writes

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glorious-blackout · 4 years ago

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Self-Indulgent Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino/Simulation Theory Crossover Part Six

@rock-n-roll-fantasy I should probably warn you that I am definitely back on my angst-junkie bullshit with this one, but I promise there’s more to come after this! 😅 Not sure when I’ll be able to post the next parts but hopefully you enjoy these two in the meantime 😊

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

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

There’s something wrong with the Earth.

This isn’t necessarily a surprise. In the week since the quake that never was, the entire world has felt off; tilted on its axis to such a degree that Alex can’t even begin to fix it. The details of the hotel feel muted, the life slowly draining from his surroundings as empty husks are left in the wake of an unseen angel of death. Once pristine white walls look faded and beige beneath flickering lights. The usual buzz of activity emanating throughout scattered hotel rooms has quietened, as though a volume dial has been turned all the way down. Portraits which once hung proudly along the reception walls have tilted, and if Alex studies them closely enough, he can see the colours smudging as the paint melts, removing all nuance in the process. At this point it wouldn’t surprise him to find cracks creeping along the marble columns or dying lilies curling over themselves in neglected pots, although he supposes it’ll only be a matter of time before that sight greets him as well.

It’s not just the hotel itself which has fallen prey to this lack of vitality. The guests have never been particularly fascinating company, but now they appear virtually soulless. Their numbers dwindle with each passing day despite no clear evidence of rockets carrying them towards home, and when scattered patrons do reveal themselves, Alex ends up eavesdropping on the same mundane conversations over and over again. Staff members offer the same monotonous greetings to him regardless of any attempts to lure them into conversation. Even Andrew, who can be quite amenable to a casual conversation over a pint, has little more to offer besides, “How are you enjoying your drink, sir?” when Alex forcibly drags himself to the bar.

On the one occasion where he agrees to play a show, he finds himself gazing at a placid, unmoving crowd who deign to make as little noise as possible. There are no cheers, no attempts to sing along, no murmurs of approval. Alex doesn’t even have the energy to be startled when he notes that several faces in the crowd have been replaced with expressionless masks, as though an artist has erased their features entirely, leaving only a discoloured smudge in their wake.

The world appears to be winding down, crumbling at the seams with no end in sight. And to top it all off, he’s the only person alive who seems to have noticed.

Even his weekly meetings with Murphy have halted without explanation. He’ll sit by the computer for hours on end, waiting for the dreaded ringing to invade his eardrums, but it never does. For the first time in his life, Alex would give anything to face that man and give him a piece of his mind, but God doesn’t appear to be answering his calls right now.

And then there’s Jamie.

“Are you coming down to rehearsals then?”

Alex doesn’t pay him any heed, choosing instead to keep his gaze fixed on the alluring form of Earth above him. He cannot bear to look at Jamie right now; not when doing so will only unveil a lifeless expression marring his friend’s once kind face. He only wishes the man would say something – anything – else. It appears to be lost on Jamie that he’s uttered the same sentence three times in the last fifteen minutes, having said little else since drawing up beside Alex on the balcony. The fact that he never receives an answer doesn’t register with him either. He simply keeps asking, like a children’s toy with only one voice-clip, not realising that every time he asks, he only succeeds in adding a further crack to Alex’s thoroughly abused heart.

Nick and Matt have fared little better. Playing a show with them the other night had been akin to playing with three ghosts who have yet to leave their bodies. All traces of humour and nuance and love have been stripped from them, leaving empty shells where his best friends once stood.

Or rather, where convincing replicas of his friends once stood. Alex can’t pretend to understand how this version of reality works, and he’s still struggling to separate the splintered fragments of Mark’s false memories from his own recollections. The Jamie, Matt and Nick he has been living with are certainly modelled after the people he’s known and loved all his life, but there are enough subtle differences to make him question if they were ever real in the first place. The most glaring marker of all being the fact that when he’d insisted they call him Alex, the only response had been a lack of recognition which had almost broken him.

The only person who has ever referred to him as Alex in all the time he’s been here is Matthew, but even as his mad theories have become more and more plausible, the man himself has remained infuriatingly elusive.

At least Alex knows why he seemed so familiar now. They’d only crossed paths occasionally in the past, exchanging pleasantries and compliments at various awards shows and festivals, but given their similar positions it would be impossible for him not to be familiar with a certain Matthew Bellamy. The man has always been more of a friend-of-a-friend to Alex than a proper acquaintance, but he likes him well enough to believe that Matt’s apparent fondness for him was also genuine. Granted, he doubts he’d ever have pictured the man as a planet-hopping outlaw, but then again, he imagines Matt must have been equally surprised to find him acting as the owner of a four-star establishment on the moon.

A disbelieving giggle erupts from him before he can stop it. He’s been doing that a lot lately. No doubt it’s an unconscious coping mechanism his brain has concocted while processing the impossible situation he’s stumbled into; he supposes his only options at this point are to laugh or sob like a child.

Pointedly ignoring Jamie’s lingering presence, Alex lets the Earth consume his attention once more. She’s as beautiful now as she always has been – her deep shades of greens and blues vibrant against a dense black sky – but that only adds to the sense of wrongness tugging at his heart. He shouldn’t even be capable of standing here, gazing towards home from this angle. Surely without proper protection and oxygen tanks, the air should have been sucked from his lungs and he should be gliding across the ground rather than standing still. Is there a force-field surrounding them, providing them with breathable air and simulated Earth-like gravity? If he concentrates hard enough, will he be able to spot the tell-tale shimmer of a shield embracing his tiny civilisation?

How odd that he’s never questioned such technicalities before.

As for the Earth itself, the more he studies it, the more it looks like someone has merely devised a painting of her against an endless black canvas, basing their work on ancient photographs from age-old Apollo missions. The image is too perfect. Too still and unaffected; a close approximation of how Earth must have appeared millions of years ago, before her surface was warped by humanity’s influence. The more he remembers of his final days on Earth, the less the image before him aligns with the truth. The clouds hovering beneath the atmosphere shouldn’t be a perfect white, they should be blackened by thick smoke. Those vibrant greens should have been burnt away to smouldering brown, as ash falls thick and heavy over once beautiful landscapes. No doubt even the oceans must have turned a grim, murky grey by now, rather than the striking blues he gazes upon now.

Alex gasps as a memory emerges unbidden, hands desperately grasping the balcony railing. These episodes have been coming thick and fast of late, and it takes all of his willpower not to collapse as faint echoes of screams pierce his ears and the foul taste of ash smothers his tastebuds.

He lets the memory carry him away, however, for he knows that stewing in his own ignorance is no longer an option he can indulge in.

The air is thick with acrid smoke as ash gathers on his tongue with every breath. His eyes draw upwards towards a tangerine sky; the sun obscured by thick smog which he can feel clogging his lungs, leaving him lightheaded and weak. Only hours ago the advice had been to stay inside, but the sirens now piercing his eardrums signal a change, and he knows with unexplainable certainty that if he’d stayed behind, he would have been consumed by the flames which lick their way across the landscape without mercy.

He doesn’t recall the events leading up to this moment, try as he might. Can’t recall if he’d been at home, or in the studio, or trapped within the confines of a hotel halfway around the world. The only instinctual memory he retains is that the catastrophe had crept up on them without warning, announcing itself with all the subtlety of an air-raid siren shooting panic into the veins of every human being on Earth. Only it hadn’t been sudden, had it? Not really. Humanity at large had known for years that the world was destined to burn unless something was done to stop it, but the warnings had been largely ignored, right up until the moment the fire was breathing down everyone’s necks.

The crowd surrounding him is desperate and he whimpers as countless bodies shove against him. No doubt he could remain perfectly rigid and yet still find himself pushed forwards by the sheer force of the human wave. The claustrophobia is suffocating, and breathing provides little relief when the air is as poisoned as it is. He can feel his chest heaving and the constant shouts and screams are momentarily drowned out by his pulse pounding a steady rhythm in his ears, and he clings tightly to the hand wrapped securely around his own as he’s guided along the wide street by a steady anchor. He doesn’t need to look to know instinctively whose hand it belongs to. The calming influence as his guide squeezes back and pulls him in closer is unmistakable. He presses himself against the other man’s body as the cacophony is quickly drowned out by gentle reassurances of, “We’re okay Al, just stay close yeah? We’re nearly there, just a little bit further, you’re doing great...”

He must look a state to warrant such a commentary, but he cannot bring himself to care. As he allows himself to narrow his focus entirely onto that soft voice, he can feel his heartrate slowing and his rapid breathing starting to ease. He feels - rather than sees - a worried face turning in his direction, ensuring that he’s still locked in the present rather than lost in the grasp of his panicked mind, and he gives a shaky nod to indicate that he’s okay. The world is burning and there’s no guarantee that safety is as close as his friend insists it is, but he’s not alone and the flames are still far behind him, so for now he’s okay. His hand is caught in another gentle squeeze - it occurs to him that the action might be for the other’s benefit as much as it is his - and they push onwards as best they can through the hulking mass of bodies surrounding them.

There’s a scuffle behind him as someone utters a sharp cry. Perhaps the constant shoving of bodies has finally erupted into a full-blown fight; either that or someone has merely lost their balance and fallen to the ground. Either way it spells the end for him. A desperate hand clings to Alex’s forearm for support and he feels himself being jerked backwards, struggling to maintain his grip on the precious fingers clutching his hand as faceless bodies try to pull him away. Panic seizes his throat, tightening his airway to the point where he cannot so much as scream. As the force of the disorganised crowd pulls him backwards, the people in front keep advancing, still trying to escape the flames and the thick, cloying smog. Concerned brown eyes turn to look at him, having sensed his distress in the crushing grip of his hand, and Alex can only watch those eyes widen with naked fear as their owner is pulled in the opposite direction.

Those pivotal seconds seem endless when replayed in Alex’s mind. The image repeats itself like a broken VHS tape - an unending loop of terror - but it must have taken no time at all for their connection to be severed with surgical precision. He remembers panicked, animalistic screams escaping his throat as he fought and clawed at the terrified masses surrounding him, his hand suddenly grasping nothing but air. He remembers the crowd in front pushing onwards, with one man among their ranks fighting tirelessly to stay behind, screaming Alex’s name over and over to the point where it must surely have torn his throat.

Neither of their efforts work. Their hands never meet again, and Alex can only watch as his salvation is carried off like a life-raft on the ocean, leaving him behind to drown on his sinking ship. And even above the distant sirens and the roar of nearby flames, the frantic, hopeless scream of “Alex!” continues to ring in his ears long after his would-be savior has vanished from sight.

“-ark?”

The crowded street blanketed in a thick, ashen haze vanishes from his mind’s eye and he blinks as Jamie’s voice pulls him back to the present. It takes a moment to fully reorientate himself, even as his eyes settle upon the pleasant mirage of Earth hanging above them. The air still feels unclean and the thick, cloying taste of ash still resides on his tongue. His throat still screams from the frantic cries that had been torn from it and his chest aches with the effort of breathing in filthy smog. His hand feels cold and empty, still grasping nothing but air in the place of warm flesh, and an overpowering sense of loss washes over him like a painful echo. If Jamie notices his distress, he makes no mention of it. His face is as blank and expressionless as it has been since his world became muted, and Alex thinks he would give his right hand in exchange for five minutes of his friend’s smothering concern.

“Where’s Miles?” he croaks out eventually, turning to face Jamie with a damning sense of dread. Part of him suspects that he already knows what the reaction will be and he longs to tear his eyes away in order to spare himself the pain, but he has to look. He needs this final grain of proof.

Jamie barely reacts to the words despite the fact that they’ve come out of nowhere. The only reason Alex even registers the minute furrow of his brow and downwards tug of his lips is because he knows that face better than he knows his own, and even then, the impassive blankness is back within mere seconds.

“Who’s Miles?”

Alex can’t look at him anymore. If he forces himself to look at that emotionless face then he knows his heart will crumble to dust and he’ll never be able to piece it back together. His eyes are drawn skyward and he keeps them there, unblinking, even when the growing sting becomes unbearable. His vision blurs with unshed tears and his chest shudders fitfully with the effort it takes not to break into animalistic sobs, but he forces himself to swallow down his grief before it can consume him. The pain is unbearable. It creeps over his mind like a specter, dragging its scythe wherever it goes without a care for the damage it leaves in its wake. The temptation to laugh as he realises that this has been the reason for his pervading sense of loneliness all along almost overwhelms him. Perhaps that would get a reaction out of the hollow shell that has taken Jamie’s place.

In the end, however, he doesn’t have the energy to make the slightest sound.

Because it’s not just Miles he’s grieving. The Jamie he knows and loves would never have let those two words leave his mouth. He would never stand idly by while Alex falls apart, visibly struggling to piece himself back together despite knowing that his efforts are completely worthless. The Jamie he knows would have pulled him in for a hug and let him sob his heart out without judgement, before gently telling him to tidy himself up so they can go out to thoroughly drown their sorrows. No doubt the Jamie standing beside him now has always been nothing more than a façade; expertly written code and little else. The same applies to Nick and Matt and every other human being he’s interacted with since stepping foot on this godforsaken rock, perhaps with the exception of Matthew. They’d been rather convincing replicas, he’s loath to admit, but that’s all they’ve ever been.

“Doesn’t matter,” he forces out in a choked whisper, in the full knowledge that that couldn’t be further from the truth.

He wonders if his real friends are still out there somewhere. Did they make it to safety while Alex was left behind and imprisoned within this lie? Have they been searching for him all this time, while he allowed his mind to be manipulated to the point where he forgot they existed? Are they mourning for him with the same all-consuming grief he finds himself overwhelmed by now?

Or are they simply ghosts, lost long ago to a world that has become uninhabitable? Perhaps they’re even trapped in the same boat he is; so wrapped up in the blissful ignorance of a beautiful lie that they cannot remember their own names.

“Is it better to exist within a terrible reality or a beautiful lie?”

He recalls Matthew’s burning question with a new sense of clarity. Because it hadn’t been hypothetical had it? Matthew had uncovered their circumstances long before Alex had. In his own infuriating way, Matt had been trying to prepare Alex for the conundrum he would be forced to contend with once the curtain rose. Their entire conversation had been a warning, planting seeds in his head that would eventually result in his world collapsing at the seams.

Had Matt also been crippled by an overwhelming sense of loss prior to stumbling into Alex’s makeshift life? Alex searches his mind for any random details he knows about Matthew Bellamy, but he cannot recall anything with great certainty. Miles had known him much better than Alex had; he vaguely remembers throw-away mentions of a wedding and a new baby, but nothing more concrete than that. For all he knows, Matthew is currently battling his way through an endless, synthetic maze to crawl back to the arms of the people he loves, or at the very least to be reunited with versions of his bandmates who haven’t been programmed to hunt him down and kill him.

“Are you coming down to rehearsals then?” Jamie asks once again, uncaring and toneless, as though trapped in an unending loop.

A huff of laughter escapes Alex’s mouth before he can stop it, and he bows his head as a tear finally slips from the corner of his eye. Rehearsals and playing live was once his only solace amongst the mundane goings-on of his daily life, but now the thought of facing the replicas of his friends and seeing them stripped of all personality is unbearable. Normality is nothing but a distant dream. There is no returning to the life that had been carefully carved out for him here regardless of what Jamie seems to think, and as the details of the hotel slowly fade around him, he doubts there’ll even be a crowd to play for by the time evening rolls around.

Jamie seems utterly unaffected when Alex finally turns to him, a thousand-yard-stare emanating from deep blue eyes as though Alex is a mere phantom standing in his way. A sense of finality takes hold as Alex stares at his friend, memorising the details of his face with a pang of grief, and he offers a small smile which he knows provides little benefit to either of them.

“You go,” he says, in a flat voice he no longer recognises as his own. “I’ll join you in a bit.”

The lie rolls surprisingly easily off his tongue, and despite giving no indication that he intends to follow-through on his promise, Jamie doesn’t question him for an instant. Instead, he simply shrugs before shoving himself away from the barrier and moving in the direction of the hotel. Alex watches his retreating back as he strolls along the cobbled balcony, and it takes all of his willpower not to yell at him to stop. To request a proper farewell, or a hug, or even to run up alongside him and enjoy one last hurrah with the band before everything fades to black.

However, as he watches Jamie vanish behind a set of automatic doors, he knows that running after him would be a mistake. There is no point in embracing the lie anymore. The avatars wearing his friends’ faces like intricate masks no longer have the power to replace the real thing in his heart, and having to reward them with false affection would surely destroy him.

Instead, he bids one final farewell to the Earth above him. For the first time he can remember, the clouds have cleared above the British Isles and he can see the tiny, shrunken form of England resting just above a narrow watery channel. Deep forest greens interspersed with tiny golden pinpricks amongst the well-lit cities are the only details he can make out, but yearning tugs at his heart regardless. He wonders what would happen if he took the initiative and made the trek to the space station now, requesting a ticket for the first flight back to Earth? Would the falsehood adapt around him and expand to include a detailed simulation of his home, from a time when everything was perfect and alive? Or would he simply hit a dead-end and be forever trapped within a tiny radius which encompasses the hotel and casino and little else? He has nothing left to lose by trying, but a nagging suspicion tugging at the back of his mind is enough to inform him what the outcome will be. Whoever designed his current reality didn’t deem Miles of all people to be a necessary addition - no doubt out of intentional cruelty - so the prospect of arriving home and throwing himself into the arms of his mum and dad is surely unthinkable.

It’s impossible to tell how long he spends gazing at the planet above, committing every single detail to memory with a bittersweet smile, but when he finally pulls his eyes away he’s momentarily overcome by a wave of contentment. The yearning for home vanishes and a renewed sense of finality tugs at his heart, only this time he lets himself bask in it. It’s over. The sky above is as much an illusion as everything else within reach, and while he knows he could lose himself staring longingly at the stars like a hopeful child, he finds that he no longer has any desire to do so.

After all, what’s the point in yearning for something that isn’t real?

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

Lilting piano notes resound through deserted, crumbling corridors; the echo bouncing off the ballroom walls, causing the delicate glass shards of the chandelier to tremble. All trace of life has vanished, with the exception of the lone musician on his humble stage, playing to a crowd of ghosts.

Alex doesn’t mind. He’d expected to find the hotel empty upon his return – no doubt his mental embrace of that finality had banished all remnants of humanity from its walls – and the uninterrupted stroll to the stage had been an oddly calming one. For the first time in years, a song had popped into his head with little fanfare. There’d been no need to agonise over chords or second-guess lyrics; instead the music had come to him fully formed as though obtained through a dream, and the need to perform it had become his sole objective.

A guitar would have been preferable. He has never felt entirely comfortable on the piano, but the choice seems to have been snatched away from him as all of his stringed instruments have vanished in his absence. Similarly, the lone drumkit and various brass instruments which once rested upon the stage are now missing. Only the piano remains. Each note sounds dissonant beneath his fingers, reverberating through the hall in all directions, and he gets the distinct impression that the instrument hasn’t been turned in years despite it sounding perfect only one week prior. His voice also sounds raw to his ears, but that doesn’t stop him from baring his heart anyway.

It’s a bittersweet song with an emphasis on the sweet, and he latches onto the topics of lost loves and friendships tied up with nostalgia for a golden age that no longer exists. No doubt he would have been proud of this one had he gotten the chance to write and record it on Earth, but at this rate he doubts anyone will hear it besides the ghosts haunting the fractured walls.

That’s okay though. This understated piece of music feels like the only genuine creation he’s produced in all the time he’s lived here, and for that reason alone he’d rather not be singing anything else.

While he refuses to give his surroundings much in the way of scrutiny, it isn’t lost on him that the ballroom is fading away with each passing second. Pristine white walls appear to be melting and cracks trail along the granite columns like lightning bolts stretching to the ceiling. The light from the chandelier is muted, emitting only the faintest golden glow through shards of glass which no longer shimmer, and the deserted dancefloor below has been swallowed whole by drab red carpet. The circular dining tables and bar are cloaked in shadow, their surfaces smothered by a thick layer of dust, and adorning the walls are empty frames where elegant portraits once gazed proudly upon the room.

Only one image remains. A small wooden frame sits on the wall directly within Alex’s eyeline, and though the photograph it displays sends an ache lancing through his heart, he finds it to be a pleasant ache. Captured for eternity is a shot of four young boys, barely out of primary school, with hair cropped short and arms wrapped lazily around each other. One curly-haired lad is looking away from the camera, eyes closed in a mistimed blink, while two others gape at the lens with deliberately widened eyes, baring all of their teeth in exaggerated grins. Only the smallest of the group is smiling in a fashion which can be considered normal, though the crinkling of his large brown eyes implies that he too is mere seconds away from bursting into uncontrollable giggles at his friends’ antics.

Alex can’t remember the photo being taken. The unremarkable brick wall behind them suggests it was taken at his childhood home, but it would not surprise him if the photo itself is yet another falsehood on top of the myriad of illusions he has spent years of his life sleepwalking through. And yet, he cannot bring himself to mind. The photograph may not be real, but the memories of a happy childhood surrounded by friends certainly are, and the sweet nostalgia that warms has heart can never be taken away from him. His real friends may have been lost to him long ago and even the replicas have deserted him now, but so long as he focuses on that image and dedicates this song to them, they can never truly be gone.

A shiver creeps up the back of his neck and he has the distinct impression that a pair of eyes have landed upon him, but he banishes that suspicion before it can take hold. This song is not intended for anyone’s ears but his own. The melody is quickly approaching its coda as he recites the final verse. The piano has grown so soft he barely registers the sound of it, but he carries on with a sense of obligation he doesn’t entirely understand. Perhaps it’s the sense of approaching finality which has made him so determined. His world is fragmenting piece by piece and he cannot comprehend what will happen to him once it fades completely, but he imagines there will be no coming back from it. He should be terrified and desperate, battling with every breath in his lungs to remain solid and whole, but he no longer has the energy to fight. Besides, he has always found contentment in music and performing, even in this godforsaken place. Why fight the inevitable when he can embrace it in peace instead?

The final note sounds abruptly as the last word escapes his lips, but before he can figure out a proper ending, the piano dissolves into atoms beneath his fingertips and the world explodes in a flash of brilliant white, carrying him along with it as his mind goes blank.

#Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino #Simulation Theory #Arctic Monkeys #Muse #my fic #writing

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ari-arrivederci · 5 years ago

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Not sure if you're taking these or if you've done this already, but I rly loved your post on la squadra and the annoying things they do as roommates!! can we get some hcs for team bucciarati as annoying things they do as roommates too?? Thank you either way!

【Bruno】

While not so much annoying, he has a habit of checking to make sure everyone has had something to eat, especially in the morning. His nagging is only annoying when it comes to chores. He believes everyone should have their own tasks they do well, and gets annoyed when someone doesn’t do their share.

He’s very set in his ways when it comes to saving power, often turning lights on other members when they’re simply chilling in their room. He doesn’t like to leave sockets on overnight, and turns off just about everything he can get away with.

His love of seafood often stinks out the house, and some of his teammates find it unbearable. He’d feel bad if anyone pointed it out to him though, he’s just so used to the smell that it doesn’t bother him anymore.

【Abbacchio】

He takes a while in the shower. It’s the only place he gets complete privacy and silence, so he uses the time well. As a result, it’s not uncommon for him to use up all the hot water. He also clogs the drain with his hair too.

Has a liking for scented candles, and while some scents are pleasant; like orange, and everyone is okay with them, other ones aren’t and leave some of his teammates feelings nauseas.

If someone is expecting a parcel and Abbacchio home, they’re in luck! If they wanted it to be dumped outside or sent to a neighbours house because Abbacchio refuses to answer the door - or rather can’t hear it when listening to his music.

【Mista】

If you’re watching a movie he’s seen, expect to have it spoiled for you. He has no shame and can’t really help himself either. On the other hand, if anyone does this to him when they find a movie he has yet to see; he will lose it with them.

When he does have a shower, he manages to leave the bathroom in an absolute mess. His hair is everywhere and is a pain for the next person to clean up, though most of the time Bruno gets Mista to do it himself.

He’s a heavy sleeper, and while any alarms he sets do a wonderful job at waking everyone else up, they don’t do the job so well for him. He’s pretty good at tuning out the noise and sleeping through it.

【Narancia】

He doesn’t care for movies, but likes to watch cartoons and anime, usually rather loudly too. You can tell him to turn it down for sure, and he will, but once you’re out of sight, that shit goes right back up.

He’s very possessive when it comes to his own food, but everyone else’s is fair game, and he has no shame about stealing other people’s food when he feels like it.

Always leaves his stuff everywhere and never cleans up after himself unless Fugo or Bruno nag him to. When he’s done with a magazine or comic, he tends to just toss it to one side and forget about it.

【Fugo】

If he sees someone reading a book he’s already read, he tends to talk about and sometimes spoil it a little, much to everyone’s annoyance.

While he’s not showing off his knowledge per-say, he does rather like telling everyone facts and trivia he knows about something, and buts into conversations to give his opinion or educate someone.

His temper is horrible to live with. When he fights with Narancia over something stupid, he tends to slam doors and scream into the void where everyone can hear him. It’s more frightening than annoying.

【Giorno】

If you ask Abbacchio, Giorno merely existing is offensive enough in itself. Though if the most offensive things the kid does is how cleans. When it’s his turn to do chores or even doing his own daily ones, he over uses bleach, and occasionally cheats by having his stand turn an offending wrapper into a beautiful flower.

He likes to take his sweet ass time to relax when bathing. Usually kicking back in the hot water and taking the time to read a book, sometimes even falling asleep, leaving any poor soul in desperate need to bang on the door.

He’s also rather passive aggressive when annoyed at the others he lives with, and when someone offends he tends to turn one of their items into a huge spider just to fuck with them for a little bit.

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chadleyrenovations · 4 years ago

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How to Snake a Drain

We’ve all been the culprit of a drain blockage once or twice, whether it’s too much hair in the shower, or wadding up ‘flushable’ wipes into the toilet. One of the many joys of homeownership, is dealing with these household repair issues. Most homeowners don’t think about plumbing until something goes wrong. For those of us who are less than savvy, this problem may cause you to see negative dollar signs, but fear not, even the least savvy of handy people can snake a drain without the help of a professional(most of the time). There are several options for snaking your drain, from chemical solutions, to the good old fashioned plunger. What I would recommend for jobs large and small is the drain auger, called a plumber’s snake, or drain snake. The drain auger is a 1/4-inch metal coil that breaks up blockages in toilet, sink, and bathtub drains. The next time your plunger won’t clear that clog, put on your plumber hat, and try to snake it out yourself, before you call in reinforcements.

STEP 1

The first step is to prepare your workspace. Along with purchasing a drain auger, you may want to also add a plastic bucket, paper towels, a flashlight, and rubber gloves to your list. It may get a little messy. Remove any items blocking your access to the drain, lay a towel underneath your workspace, put on your rubber gloves and goggles, and let's get started!

STEP 2

Next, insert the snake into the drain and slowly feed the line down the pipe and turn the handle in a clockwise motion as you push. It may take a few tries but if you’re having trouble, try using both hands to hold the handle. Once it’s in a few inches, gently crank the handle, causing the auger to descend down the drain. If you feel and hear scratching, you’re probably just hitting a curve in the drain.

STEP 3

As it descends, at some point the snake will reach the blockage. When you start to feel significant resistance, the rotating tip will either break it up as it moves down the pipe or grab hold of the gunk so that you can pull it out. If the blockage is a solid mass, continue to turn the cable clockwise and the auger head will pierce through the obstruction. Continue to crank a few more times so that your snake has a solid hold on the blockage. Give the wire a wiggle as you lift the wire up to help loosen the gunk. You should feel the weight of the blockage on the wire, if not, continue to crank until you feel a weight when you pull up.

STEP 4

When you’ve run out of coil to feed into the drain, simply turn the handle counterclockwise to wind the snake back out of the drain. Don’t rush to pull out the blockage or you may lose it to the drain, take your time removing the blockage. The debris will either come out in pieces or as a solid chunk. Remove the debris from your snake and place it into your bucket.

STEP 5

Next, test to see if your drain has been freed from the clog by running the water through the pipe. If there is still major blockage, repeat steps three and four.

Some other ways that have been known to be quite effective for unclogging a drain include;

Running boiling hot water down the drain

Using a half a cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar with two cups of hot water, pour it down the drain and allow it to sit for 15 minutes

Chemical drain snakes- use caution, can be very harmful if inhaled, or ingested.

Going forward, here are some tips to keep your pipes clear:

When you’re In the kitchen, always run cold (not hot) water to flush debris from the sink drains, while running the garbage disposal. After you’ve turned the disposal off, keep the water running for at least 30 seconds to rinse the pipes.

For bathtub or shower drains, consider a drain catcher that can be easily placed over the drain. Once a week, pour boiling hot water down the drain, to clear any debris.

When you’re using the toilet, try to use a plunger frequently to keep the pipes from clogging, and avoid flushing anything other than toilet paper down the drain, including flushable wipes, which aren’t really flushable.

Lastly, don’t treat your drain like a garbage can! You can’t just throw anything down the drain and hope that it’s gone forever, trust me, it’s not. In a few weeks you’ll be pulling it up out of your drain if you carry on like this. Never put any of the following common clog culprits down your pipes: grease, fats, coffee grounds, gum, pasta, rice, eggshells, wipes of any kind, napkins, feminine hygiene products, hair, cat litter, dental floss, bandages, cloth materials, and for all you kids out there, no toys in the drains please!

If you have any questions regarding plumbing or your pipes are so far gone, a good snake can’t suffice, give us a call at 754.204.8274

#DIY #Home Improvement #Handyman #How to #Plumbing #Armature Advice

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davidtennan-t · 5 years ago

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‘Saviour in the Snow’

Chapter 3

The Doctor doesn't return from a mission on an alien world. Donna has to take matters into her own hands. Some Whump and general Ten/Donna foolery.

AO3 Link - Chapter 3

It was cold - but there was warmth, radiating somewhere near his left side.

His head. It was pounding.

His ankle. Oh, it was throbbing something fierce.

His whole body. Still vibrating from the viscous kicks.

But the pressure on his leg? Disappeared. So had the horrible stickiness from the blood and the cuts he could feel on his face. He was also no longer lying on his stomach... he'd moved?

There was noise. A soothing and constant crackle of a fire which somehow drained away the breeze of the wind outside the cave.

The cave? Oh, right, yes. He'd passed out.

Slowly, the Doctor began to open his eyes, his eyelids flickering as he tried to focus. The bright shine from the fire made it hard not to squint. A figure was perched on a stone not too far from where he lay.

When he tried to move a groan escaped him. His body was stiff and every bruise was causing his skin to sting.

The figure sat a few feet away quickly turned in his direction.

"Spaceman..."

Donna was by the Time Lord's side in a split second, kneeling beside his lanky figure with a hand reaching out to squeeze his arm ever so gently for reassurance. Their relationship never usually involved such comfort and intimacy but this whole ordeal had scared Donna silly, even if she would never admit it. Not to him, or anyone else.

"It's okay, we're safe... for now, at least," Donna spoke softly.

The Doctor's brown eyes fluttered shut as he tried yet again to move but with no luck. Another groan.

"Give yourself a minute, you idiot, you've been out for a good hour or so," Donna added, removing her hand from his arm so she could move the coat she had placed over him away from his face. She was incredibly thankful she had chosen to wear a jumper with another layer underneath, otherwise her coat sacrifice may have placed her in just as much danger. The fire was at least giving off enough warmth in the cold space of the cave, despite the temperature outside.

The Doctor finally found the strength to focus his eyes and he glanced up at Donna, looking slightly confused.

"Since when do you know how to make a fire?" he asked, his voice weak but with the usual zest of confidence back in his tone. Donna gawped and raised her eyebrows, but even through the light insult, it was nice to hear him sounding a little less frozen and beaten.

"Since an hour ago, alright?" she responded firmly, "you didn't give me much of a choice. It was either make a fire or let your skinny hide freeze so I hope you're glad I didn't choose the latter."

"Well, I'm very glad," he replied, managing a half-smile.

"Good - how do you feel?" she asked, wanting to put some of her worry to rest. He still looked awful. She had wiped away as much blood as possible and covered him up, but his skin was still pale and his eyes looked tireder than they usually did. Even if Donna had known him for a while now, the age haunting what should be youthful eyes still amazed her and confused her all at once.

"Help me up?"

The Doctor was finally able to sit up somewhat, using the cave wall as a perch. Moving his ankle was difficult and his vision hazed but Donna was there to help him, trying to perch him up through the winces and small protests. Finally, he was upright and he blew out a few heavy breaths to clear his chest.

"Have we been to the Candoni Galaxy yet?"

Donna knew the Time Lord had been beaten hard but even his usual blabbering nonsense couldn't beat such a response to a rather simple question.

"What do you mean have we been to the... the what, Calipso Galaxy? I asked how you were feeling now where our next stop off is, you prawn!"

The Doctor swallowed and reached up to rub his eyes.

"No, we haven't been there, have we?" he said, "in the Candoni Galaxy there's these trees that produce a certain pollen and if you breathe in any of that pollen it knocks you out for hours and turns your skin to ice. When you wake up, you're body basically aches and joints can seize up... I've heard it's rather painful."

"Cheery..." Donna huffed.

The Doctor tried to chuckle but it turned into another harsh wince.

"Well... that's how I feel," he added softly.

Donna couldn't help but smile. She was so glad he was alive... even with the three hour break from his constant rambles, but she discovered it was very easy to miss them.

"How... how did you get me out of there?" the Doctor asked, having already firmly noticed he wasn't pinned under tonnes of heavy rocks anymore. Donna moved back to the fire to throw a few more of the sticks she had collected on her little ten minute wood hunt. Leaving the Doctor in the cave, alone, had been twice as nerve-wracking for her than the thought of freezing outside.

"Well, lemme tell you, Spaceman - I waved my magic wand and all the rocks sang a little song and ran off," Donna stated with a sarcastic smile which then turned to a more humble one, "what do you think - it took a good twenty minutes of playing 'guess which rock to move correctly so I don't bring down the rest of the cave and crush us both', but I did it eventually."

They weren't small rocks, by any means. They were boulders - heavy blocks of solid stone. Yet, Donna found adrenaline made a pretty good strength booster for moving the rocks when her best friend was laying passed out under a load of them. Moving them had been hard but she'd got there in the end.

Just like with the wood, the fire, using snow to clean away excess blood. Everything.

"To be honest, you were more of a dead weight than the rocks - you sure you don't hide bricks in that suit of yours?" she asked.

The Doctor chuckled but he was somewhat in awe. Everything Donna had done in the past hour had, undoubtedly, saved him from regenerating. He watched her closely as she finished stocking up the fire and then wander back over to him where she began to adjust the coat around his thin frame.

"You saved my life," the Doctor said.

"Of course I did! As much as I wanted to smack you for leaving me behind with Smurfs that suffer from anger management issues... yes, I saved your life, Spaceman, because you we're bloody dying," she growled. The Doctor's hearts burdened with guilt as he took the brunt end of her anger without arguing. Instead of saying another word, he leaned forwards with some difficulty, but then raised his arms to wrap them around Donna.

Not once had he ever invited her in for a hug like this. Nor had she ever asked for one.

But Donna wrapped her arms around him quicker than he could have anticipated.

"I thought you were dead," she admitted, "when I came in here and saw you lying like that I thought... God, you're such a idiot."

"Nah, not me," the Doctor assured lightly, "never me. Got too much stuff to do before I pop my clogs, ey?"

Donna wanted to continue berating him for going out on his own and leaving her behind. She'd had a solid hour to think over the exact terms and expletives... but as she was hugging him, feeling every shake and wince, it just didn't seem worth it. He was already injured - adding anything to top his already sore body didn't seem right to Donna. There would be another time for a slap, oh, because did she know that cocky alien deserved one now and again.

Not now.

"Thank you, Donna... really, thank you," the Doctor said as he pulled back, resting against the stone wall once more with a deep sigh. Donna smiled softly in return.

"No need to thank me. You can thank me once we get you back to the TARDIS or once we're on our way to some five-star outer space Spa," she answered. The Doctor glanced towards the cave exit, noticing the darkness and the snowfall. He sniffed - it was late. Even if the TARDIS was close, he didn't know if he would be able to make it.

"I'll be right as rain soon - well, the rest of me will, not sure about the ankle. Might need to have another nap to sort that out," he admitted.

"How did you even end up under all that?" Donna asked.

"Too slow," he replied back, simply and with a solemn gaze at his thin leg.

"You? Too slow?" Donna repeated, guessing she didn't need to ask any further questions - the ignorant natives had already answered most of her questions without her even having to ask, "I bet those alien Chuck Norris wannabees left you for dead, hm?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I suppose you could say that... remind me not to leave you behind again. You would have been the first one to push me outside," he stated with a half-smile.

"Too right, Spaceman," Donna replied, glancing to the cave entrance and then back to the Doctor, settling down near him on the rock she had chosen to perch on earlier. For someone who hated camping, she had to admit the whole ordeal may have been relaxing if it hadn't been for the murderous alien tribes and finding the Doctor limp.

"How long is the night here?" she asked.

"Not too long... another two hours at most, then we can head back to the TARDIS - here, have your coat back," the Doctor insisted, trying to lift the heavy garment from himself to pass to Donna upon realising she wasn't wearing it. But Donna shook her head.

"No, you need it more than I do - I'll keep the fire going and you can do that weird Time Lord-y thing where you sleep off your injuries and bounce back up like nothing happened, you're eyes are already drooping again," Donna stated firmly, pushing the coat back towards the Doctor.

"Donna-"

"I said no, you prawn! Now put it back over your skinny backside before you freeze, there's only so much my fire can do," she argued.

The Doctor reluctantly let the coat sag against him once more. He wouldn't admit it but it was cosy. He never usually needed warmth nor cold to keep his temperature balanced but the last few hours had taken a toll. Shivering on the cold cave floor for a few hours unable to move had seen to that.

Watching the fire was somewhat calming and... that wasn't tiredness again, was it? She had just said his eyes were drooping.

He didn't want to leave Donna alone in the cave by falling asleep, but the only guaranteed way of getting himself back to the TARDIS in the next few hours was to sleep. His brown eyes turned to look at his friend sat near him, smiling ever so lightly before he let his eyes slide shut.

"This is the probably the quietest you've ever been," Donna said after a few moments of listening to the crackling fire. No reply.

She turned to the Doctor. His head had lolled backwards and his eyes were shut, his whole body sagged underneath her coat.

She smiled.

"I'll always save you, remember that, you idiot."

#ten x donna #tenth doctor #donna noble #doctor who #my fic

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hsmp3 · 4 years ago

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PLEASE share your thoughts on That 70s Show. Question, did you know already what happened on the show or did you get the chance to watch it spoiler free? Because as a JxH shipper that was spoiled both the ship and the ending, I'm always curious how ppl that didn't know what to expect react to it, regardless if they ship it themselves or not. Also, tell me your fave character, ship, fave season/episode, stuff like that. I love hearing what ppl think of this show lol

*spoilers for people who haven’t ever watched* *this also is so long sorry in advance, under the cut so it doesn’t clog everyone’s dash* ANON YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME!!!!

i knew some things but not how or when they happened (except eric leaving in s7, i knew about that and still UGLY CRIED)!! i honestly loved jackie and hyde together, they’re definitely one of my favorite couples, if not my favorite couple. i thought they balanced each other out so well and hate how s8 ruined their bond, it was almost as if their relationship never happened and seeing them hate each other again made me so sad. when they were together, watching hyde soften a little bit was so nice to see. jackie and kelso definitely were better friends in my opinion, they understood each other in ways no one else in the group did (probably because of past history), but despite their relationship failing i think their friendship was so sweet. jackie and fez made literally no sense and was way too rushed, but if they’re happy together i guess i can’t stay too mad at it (especially since it was only for like an episode). hyde and samantha was also a strange relationship, i feel like sam’s only purpose was to put hyde x jackie to rest for good. if they were going to keep sam in the show they shouldn’t have written her off the way they did. also idk if this is an unpopular opinion but kelso x fez low key should have happened but no one was ready for that conversation at the time. fez always seemed to worship kelso in a way he never did w eric or hyde, it would have been interesting to see them pursue something but after the buddy write off i wouldn’t have expected it. speaking of buddy, he definitely should have been a guest star more than once bc he would have gotten on so well with the gang. bi eric forman also should have been canon but anyway-

eric and donna had their issues, but at the end of the day i feel like it was expected they would be together. boy and girl next door fall in love, i mean.... it was always happening. they were cute in the beginning, but i do wish donna didn’t give up everything to stay with eric in point place just to have a complete 180 and have him leave when she was the one who always had plans to do things and he wanted her to stay to save their relationship. they kind of did eric dirty by making him seem like such a jerk by breaking up with donna OFF SCREEN and really without warning, that made me :/. but seeing them reunite made me cry despite them ending their relationship on weird terms. PLEASE DON’T GET ME STARTED ON RANDY HE’S THE ABSOLUTE WORST. he wasn’t a bad person he was just.... so annoying and served absolutely no purpose to the show except to annoy the living heck out of me.

i honestly can’t choose a favorite character!! even the characters who i didn’t really care for much still hold a special place in my heart (except randy, this is a randy hate club). i love hyde, he’s always been the man and has the best taste in music (also would love to work in the record store with him?). donna is so cool, she stands up for herself and doesn’t really conform to society’s standards and i find her so likable (also laura prepon.... gorgeous). i hate kelso for cheating but i feel like he grew up throughout the show, as much as kelso can (like seeing him step up for brooke with betsy melted my heart), and he makes me laugh so incredibly hard. although jackie was a little annoying in the beginning, seeing everything she went through like her dad going to prison and her mom leaving her, and how she sort of unlearned some of her Not So Great qualities made me appreciate her more (also mila kunis.... very gorgeous). eric is.... well, he’s the heart of the show whether you love or hate him; i like him even though he was a little annoying at times, but i think his redeeming qualities outweighed the negatives. i feel for fez, they played a little too much on the ‘foreign’ thing and after a while i felt that it was :/ especially since he’d been in the country for so long (red always calling him the wrong name just.... ehhhh), he’s quirky and adorable and i love him. even though red was.... yeah.... i still loved the one liners and he and kitty were adorable, kitty is the cutest mom and the way she treated everyone like they were her own kid was just so precious. leo.... i don’t have any words, he’s simply the funniest person and whenever he speaks i lose my mind. bob was alright, he was good to donna but midge deserved better (like when bob was mad at her for taking the feminist classes??).

everyone changed so much from the beginning of the show and i loved seeing the development even if it wasn’t what i expected initially. i can’t really choose a favorite season, i definitely need to watch one more time to figure that out. i love all the circle moments though. uhhh i don’t really know what else to say. i’m emotionally drained from crying over finishing this show. even though s8 was a bit of a mess i loved every second of consuming that 70s show and i can’t wait for my rewatch🥺🥺 let me know some of your opinions anon !! i could talk about this show all day

#shush sam #i apologize in advance for how long this is #anonymous #answered #that 70s show

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stronglyobsessed · 5 years ago

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well you know I've had a shitty day. so how about you give me some fluffy thoughts about Merlin and JB

More hugs to you my friend, and Merlin & JB. Hehe, I have some thoughts about those two.

So, when Eggsy and Merlin first start to share a flat together, it takes time for Merlin to adjust with the way Eggsy treats JB. He was raised to be an agent dog, yeah? Well, he’s turned into quite the pudgie little love since his pup training days.

Merlin admonishes Eggsy, who often feeds JB table scraps, and allows him to sleep in the bed some nights. Merlin has a strict no pets on bed policy...that is while Eggsy is home.

When Eggsy is away on missions, he doesn’t know Merlin does his usual nightly reading, with a glass of scotch, and a lap full of JB. Every. Night. Merlin, admittedly, allows the small canine to sleep with him on those nights, and makes sure to wash the linens so that Eggsy has no idea. His and JB’s little secret.

In part, it is because Merlin misses Eggsy dreadfully, he respects his position as an agent, handles his missions as Quartermaster, but he is human, too. He misses his lad, and JB does as well.

They become two peas in a pod after the first mission, where Merlin and Eggsy live with one another. Poor JB is missing his daddy, and whines for Eggsy - he is used to being kept at the kennels with their nice kennel master and other dogs. Merlin is sure to keep him company, takes him on walks, plays fetch, does some of the things Eggsy does - even feeding him some of his curry chicken!!

Merlin even goes out of his way, has Andrew tailor JB a suit to match his Daddy and a jumper like Merlin’s. He keeps this in secret until Eggsy finds it, Merlin thinks Eggsy will laugh, make fun, but Eggsy is chuffed and insists his favorite boys wear their matching jumpers and snaps a million photos that end up on his desk at HQ, and screensaver on his phone.

JB also waits in the bathroom for both of them, when they shower together, and often takes to following Merlin around the house on his days off, sits at his feet, or sometimes on his feet - a form of respect from dogs.

Merlin is just a big old softy for Eggsy, and now JB, who’s wiggled his fury little bum into Merlin’s heart.

The Five Times Merlin Told JB No, and The One Time He Didn’t

“Awww, babe,” Eggsy whined. “Look.” He pointed to JB, big wide, brown eyes barely crest the top of the mattress, a pitiful whimper left the small canine.

Merlin looked up. “No,” he said simply, and went back to his tablet.

Eggsy huffed, but situated JB in is doggie bed, and for fucks sake he covered him with a blanket.

“He just wants to snuggle.” Eggsy pouted, even as he sidled up next to Merlin, an arm draped over his shoulders, and peaked at the article Merlin read.

“He was just outside, it was raining, his paws are wet and he smells like wet dog. No, Eggsy.” Merlin kissed Eggsy’s temple. “And I don’t want to hear you wiped his paws off,” he said quickly, as Eggsy opened his mouth to protest more, a loud exhale left him instead.

“Fine,” Eggsy grumbled, but sank further into Merlin’s embrace to fall asleep as Merlin continued to read.

---

“What did I say?” The fact that Merlin spoke to the stubborn pug, like he were a human, was just as ridiculous as this situation. He yanked the fabric out of JB’s mouth to toss into the rubbish bin, so much for those pants.

“We do not chew on my boxer briefs. I have told ye no numerous times, and it is a miracle I keep repeating it, since you seem to possess the same stubbornness your father does.” He took his phone out to ask Eggsy if he’d pick up another package of boxers, since he now was down to four pairs.

“I told him how naughty ye were.” Merlin squinted his eyes at JB, who only blinked his eyes...one at a time. That made Merlin twitch, it was sort of creepy. “Bad,” he jabbed a finger at him, only for the little canine to wag his tail and yip like Merlin were going to give him pets.

“I will not pet ye for an hour,” he swore, and walked away. JB hot on his heels, and Merlin in fact did not pet the dog for an hour.

---

“JB NOOOO!” Merlin held his hands up, acted like a shield against the soapy, muddy water that was shaken at him. “Bloody hell,” he grumbled, and grabbed a towel to wipe his face off.

“I say no to rolling in mud puddles, and now I cleaning yer arse off, only for you to soak me with your dirty water?” He glared at JB, who was now sitting perfectly in the tub, just as Eggsy walked in.

“Christ, Hamish, if you wanted to take a bath with him, you could have just hopped in.” Merlin wanted to smack the smile off of his face, instead he threw the soaked, muddy towel at him.

---

“For Pete’s sake, JB, no.” He lightly shoved JB with his foot, as he cooked chicken stir fry, Eggsy was washing up. “Why don’t ye go be a good boy and wait in the loo for daddy?” But the pug didn’t move, no. He just sat like a perfect little soldier, and hoped for any scraps.

The food was done, and Merlin turned to plate everything and nearly stepped on JB, or he may have, when the dog yipped and scurried away.

“I said no begging, but ye are a relentless little shit, and just under foot.”

Merlin groaned loudly when JB hobbled out into the hallway, and heard Eggsy’s frantic worrying.

“He is fine!” But those little pug noises had him feeling guilty, so he went to investigate, and as soon as Eggsy turned his back to JB he was fine, tongue lolled out to the side and panting happily behind Eggsy.

When Eggsy walked away, Merlin narrowed his eyes on the little guy. “I’m on to ye,” he warned, and bit his tongue when Eggsy filled half of his doggie dish with chicken and veg. Said it were for pain and suffering.

---

“Mmm, Eggsy,” Merlin murmured sleepily.

His eyes closed as he enjoyed the licks to his nipples. He rolled over, to scoop Eggsy up, but the other side of the bed was empty. Merlin’s eyes flew open and JB was standing beside him, looking proud for what he had done.

It took him a moment, longer than it should have, to register JB was licking his nipples. The pug went back to continue his love, until Merlin yelled, “JB no!”

Eggsy barrelled out of the bathroom, towel around his waist. “What happened?” He searched all over the bed to find the source. “Did he shit on the bed?”

Merlin was up and out within seconds. “I said no to him on the bed, and no, he didn’t shit on the bed, but he licked my nipples.”

He gave Eggsy the two finger salute when he fell on top of the mattress from laughing.

---

Merlin felt like shit, fresh rolled over shit that had sat in the sun. He had a fever, throat on fire, a cough that could only be attributed from the post nasal drip and enough snot to clog a drain.

“I’ll be back, only a quick meeting, Harry insisted on it.” Eggsy smoothed the duvet over Merlin, and kissed his fevered cheek.

“You have tea at bedside, tissues, vick’s vapor rub, the telly remote, your favorite magazines, tablet, and I just gave you cold meds. You need anything else before I go?”

He smiled up at Eggsy, Merlin loved him so much. “No, I think ye got it all covered,” he rasped, fuck his throat was raw. He swallowed around, what felt like the thorniest rock lodged in his throat, a lump and said, “Perhaps some chicken soup from the kitchen? Have cook prepare a big pot, tell her I’ll have that new electric mixer for her as soon as I-” he couldn’t finish the rest, as he hacked up a lung.

Eggsy ran a soothing hand over his heated scalp. “I will, baby. You just rest, okay?” He leaned in for a kiss, and ignored Merlin’s attempts to dodge their lips touching.

He stood, and looked to JB who was beside the bed. “You watch over him, yeah? Be daddy’s good boy.” Eggsy gave the pug a few pets, and blew a kiss before he left.

Merlin was in and out for a few hours, but needed to take a piss. He swayed, legs wobbled, as he made the short journey and held onto the wall so he didn’t fall over. Cold medication really fucked your equilibrium up, not to mention he was so stopped up his head felt like it would explode.

He managed to crawl back into bed, without having to actually crawl on the floor, and was just comfortable when a small, doggie head popped up by the side of his bed.

“Yes, JB,” he wheezed nasally. “Ye want up, aye?” Merlin asked, and fuck it looked like JB nodded his head.

“He had taken more cold meds, as directed...or was it, and was too high to give a fuck.

“Alright then, come on.” Merlin pulled the duvet back, fought the shiver that shook through him, and patted the mattress for JB to hop up. He had to give him a little assistance, but JB managed.

Merlin curled the pug under his arm, just like he were snuggling Eggsy, and got comfortable.

“We do not speak a word to daddy, ye hear?” JB snuffled a little in response. “Good boy,” he praised and passed out.

I hope this brought a little happy to you, all my love and hugs to you and your family

#anarchycox #asks and answers #ask me anything #eggsyobsessed answers #ficlet #5+1 things #merwin #merlin #jb #eggsy unwin #Kingsman

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sammebrings-blog · 5 years ago

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raywritesthings · 5 years ago

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The Shower Slip

My Writing Fandom: Harry Potter Characters: Peter Pettigrew, Arthur Weasley, Sirius Black, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Albus Dumbledore, Molly Weasley, Amos Diggory, Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall, Petunia Dursley, Kreacher Pairing: Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley Summary: In a version of events where Peter Pettigrew pays a little more care to his personal hygiene, everything changes. *Can also be read on my AO3 or FFN*

For the longest time, Peter tried to do everything right. Right as regarded a man in hiding and fearing for his life, that was.

He had traveled far from the scene of his crimes — known to the public as Sirius’ crimes — never daring to change back to human form. He had worried over the wound where his toe, or rather finger, had once been. Oh, how it had hurt! And he had checked it constantly for any sign of infection. He had been halfway to Devon before realizing that he had somehow lost track of his wand in all the trouble. It had been a blow, but he’d have been mad to try and go back for it.

It had all worked out in the end, of course. He’d found himself wandering along the edge of the Weasleys’ property, knowing that there were a few different Wizarding families in the area to choose from. It had been his luck he had come upon the Weasleys first; the family was poor and had taken him in as a free pet for one of their boys.

He was happy with the arrangement. At the Burrow, he had learned what had become of his one-time friend along with all the speculation going on about what must have happened to his Master. Peter still did not understand how it had all gone so wrong all because of one little baby. But no matter. Sirius was locked away in Azkaban where he could never get to Peter, none of his Master's followers knew how to find him to exact any of their own revenge, and Peter had a roof over his head and as much food as he could ask for.

Percy, the Weasley he had been given to, was easy enough to get along with. The boy was quiet and organized unlike most of his family. He had gotten a cage for Scabbers, as Peter had been newly named, and he let his rat out during the hours he spent reading and studying in his room. The rest of the time Peter was allowed to simply sleep. It was an arrangement that suited him well.

Except for a few missing creature comforts, which he had always tried to ignore. A primary one being personal grooming and hygiene. Percy had tried to bathe Scabbers once or twice, but Peter had always run away and found small nooks and crannies to hide away in until the boy gave up. He had submitted to various indignities as a pet — most memorable being when the twins two years younger than Percy had forced him into some of their little sister’s old baby clothes and used him for the Christmas tree topper — but he wasn’t about to be washed by another person. He had taken to going for very short swims in the little pond near the edge of the property in the summer months and simply living with the stink in the winter.

But then Percy had taken Peter with him to Hogwarts the past year, and Peter had found the arrangement to be all the better. The first year boys were often out of the dorm to attend classes, mealtimes or work on their assignments. That left Peter with plenty of time to luxuriate in a real shower for the first time in over five years.

He had gotten used to the indulgence during his stay at Hogwarts, and now that he was back at the Burrow, Peter found himself unwilling to give it up. The trick was finding the time to himself when the Burrow was normally overrun with redheads.

The children were all growing more active now. They either flew around in the paddock or went to see friends. As long as he timed it right for when the mother — Molly, he thought the Prewett twins had said so many years ago — was either out tending to the garden or doing the shopping, he was in the clear. Even if the ghoul in the attic banged around on the pipes at times, he wasn’t about to chance her believing the thing to be running the shower.

And so the summer went on, and Peter believed himself to still be safe. He even imagined himself quite clever, though perhaps that was his true mistake.

He had never been the clever one.

—-

It took Arthur some time to come around to the idea, and even when he did it just didn’t sit right. Perhaps if they could have afforded self-cleaning pipes, he would never have had to consider it at all.

Early in their marriage, it had been decided that Arthur was in charge of making sure the pipes did not become clogged. One such area of particular interest was the shower drain; with nine people using it, it accumulated a lot of hair over a short amount of time, especially as the boys grew older. So Arthur made it a weekly habit to clean out the drain.

It was near the beginning of that year’s summer holiday that he first began to notice something new and strange whenever he charmed the various detritus out of the pipe. Mixed in with the red of his family was a number of brown hairs. Brown hairs were not something he could account for.

“Have there been any guests over lately that I’ve missed, Weasleys?” Arthur asked at dinner at the end of June.

The children all looked round at each other in confusion. “No, dad,” Bill answered collectively.

“Of course there haven’t been,” said Molly as she set second helpings in front of Charlie and Ron. “And how would you have missed them? You haven’t been working that late, dear.”

“Yes, yes, I know. It’s just the strangest thing.” He shook his head. If none of them had the answer, then he was really lost.

“May I be excused, mum?” Percy asked with prim politeness.

“You haven’t finished your plate, Percy.”

“I was saving it for Scabbers.”

“Oh, well we have plenty left over for Scabbers,” said Molly. “You finish that and I’ll get you something in a napkin for him. Errol might like some, too, come to think of it.” She got up from the table and bustled back over to the kitchen. “He’s getting up there, and I don’t know that he’ll be able to hunt for himself much longer.”

“Yes, you’re probably right about that,” Arthur agreed. “Still, he can carry the mail just as fine as any owl.”

The twins snickered where they sat, but he was distracted by Ginny leaving her seat to climb into his lap. “Daddy?”

“Yes, dear?”

“What’s the strangest thing?”

“Oh nothing, Ginny. Nothing to worry about. Now you should finish your dinner.” And he kissed her on the head.

He wished he could take his own advice, but Arthur did continue to worry about it as June turned into July and the hairs kept popping up. “I just don’t understand. If Molly and the children don’t know where it’s coming from, and I don’t know, then how can they be there?” He asked Perkins one morning as they completed some paperwork about a wizard in Hyde Park who’d been charming the benches to skitter about on their legs whenever no one was looking.

“You consider you might be being lied to, Arthur?”

“Why would the children lie about it?” He’d never given them cause to believe they couldn’t have friends over.

“I didn’t mean the children,” said Perkins before giving a great big cough. He’d been doing that a lot lately.

Arthur blinked in shock. “You don’t mean — Merlin, Perkins, Molly would never!”

“Well, how else do you explain the hairs?”

“I— there’s got to be— look you don’t understand.” Arthur felt nearly beside himself. “She’s Molly!”

Perkins shrugged but got on with his work, clearly deciding Arthur could live in denial all he wanted. But he wasn’t in denial. Molly loved him. They had seven children together, they’d grieved the loss of her brothers together. It wasn’t even a question of how could she ever, but why?

Was she upset with him? Did she resent the fact that he hadn’t gotten promoted past Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office? Did she want him to get rid of the shed? She’d said as much so many times, but he’d always taken that to be her usual scolding, not a genuine hatred of it. Of him.

He lay awake in bed for a solid week next to a snoring Molly, the idea turning itself over in his mind in a way that made him feel quite sick. Did his Mollywobbles really not love him anymore?

The next week the brown hair was still in the shower drain, and Arthur knew he could sit on this no longer. He would have to act. The trouble was Molly would never admit it if it were true. Arthur would have to catch her with this brown-haired fellow, much as even imagining it roiled his stomach.

He arranged for Auntie Muriel to take the children for a day, not wanting them to be there for this — how had Molly even snuck some stranger past all of them? — and a part of him dreaded having to explain to them after. How was he going to manage on his own? Molly was the bedrock of this family. Perhaps it’d be better if he just pretended he hadn’t noticed. But no, it was too late for that. He was no coward.

Arthur had also taken the day off work, though he hadn’t told Molly this. She believed the children were being taken off her hands in order to give her a relaxing day, and she’d happily chattered to him about everything she was planning to get done around the house while they were all out. She kissed him on the cheek as if nothing were amiss when he left to take the children over to Muriel’s through the Floo.

Rather than head to work from there, he stayed and talked to Muriel for over an hour, which caused Bill to remind him of the time.

“Oh yes. Ah, but funny that, I’ve forgotten my lunch. I’ll just pop back home first.” He checked his gold watch. If Molly were going to be having some strange wizard over, he’d have to be there by now. Hopefully she’d been too busy to notice his hand on the clock hadn’t changed to ‘work’, though thinking of what she might be busy doing caused the tips of his ears to burn.

“Weasleys,” he said, eyes growing misty in spite of his best efforts, “be good. I love you all very much.”

“Oh, don’t coddle them,” Auntie Muriel said dismissively while Bill and Charlie frowned at each other.

“We love you, too, Daddy!” Ginny declared from her perch on Bill’s back. Arthur smiled at her, then turned to the Floo before he could burst into tears.

“The Burrow!”

A few short grates later and he was back in his kitchen. Molly was nowhere to be seen, though her hand pointed to ‘home’. So she was upstairs, was she?

He heard movement on the third floor. Dear Merlin, they were using one of the children’s rooms? He took the steps two at a time, careful to avoid the squeakiest ones.

As he approached the landing that held the twins’ bedroom, he heard Celestina Warbeck on the Wireless, Molly humming along. Arthur hesitated with his hand on the knob, then threw the door open.

“Caught you!”

Molly screamed as the mattress George slept on flopped to the ground, her spell losing its concentration. “Arthur! What are you doing here?”

She was standing there alone, fully dressed. Arthur stood there gaping a full minute.

“But, I thought—”

“Thought what?” She asked, one hand going to her hip. “And what did you mean, ‘caught you’?”

He was beginning to sweat now, but Arthur didn’t see why he should be made any more a fool of. “Look, Molly, I know what’s been going on, so let’s just drop the act.”

“What act?”

“The act where you pretend some- some scoundrel hasn’t been over here to see you and showering before he leaves, leaving his hairs in the drain—”

“How dare you!” Molly had gone beet red as the shock wore off. “You think I would — while the children—”

“Well they’re not here now, are they?” Arthur shouted, his anger keeping him from quailing in the face of Molly’s indignation. “So where is he? He’s clearly been here!” He swept a hand to George’s still unmade bed.

“I was changing the sheets!”

“Have it your way, then. Homenum Revelio!” Arthur cried as he brandished his wand. It heated up in his hand as he pointed it towards Molly, then again as he was instinctively guided to point it towards the floor.

“That- that’s not possible,” said Molly, her anger dying in the face of the evidence.

“Oh, it’s not? We’ll see about that!” He left the room and raced back downstairs. He’d have to catch the bloody cheat before he made it to the Floo — but then his wand heated up again and pointed towards Percy’s door on the second landing. He flung that open, too. “Ha!”

There was no one inside. What was the trick? A Disillusionment Charm? A rudimentary invisibility cloak? “Alright, just come out. I won’t curse you,” he promised, even if it was a tenuous promise at best.

“Arthur, be careful!” Molly called as she came down the steps as well.

He couldn’t decide what was worse, that she still cared or that he was being forced to play hide and seek with the man she’d cheated on him with? The spell was still supposedly working; it kept heating up as he passed it over Percy’s perfectly-made bed. Arthur bent down and looked underneath it, but no one was hiding there and his wand went cold.

“Homenum revelio!” He tried again, and watched with some puzzlement as his wand arm stretched out towards Percy’s bedside table where Scabbers sat in his cage, squeaking at Arthur.

“That can’t be right…” But he had done the spell correctly, he knew it! It was one he often had to use to make sure there weren’t any Muggles about before he set to work undoing enchantments on objects.

“Well? Have you proven I’m some scarlet woman yet?” Molly demanded, breathing in and out through her nose like Charlie’s old stuffed toy dragon.

“Er, that’s the thing. It’s reading Scabbers as a human,” he admitted with a nervous laugh.

“I see. Well, that must be it, mustn’t it?”

“Molly—”

Yet they were both distracted as, with a crash, Scabbers’ cage fell to the floor, the door popping open on impact. With a squeal, the rat made a run for the door.

“Oh!” Molly cried.

“Accio!” Arthur shouted, summoning the rat into his other hand. It wouldn’t do for Percy to lose it on top of everything else. “Here now, Scabbers, I’m sure we can come to some arrangement,” he attempted to joke weakly. He was rewarded with a bite on his finger. “Argh!”

“In his cage, Arthur!” Molly took her own wand from her apron and banished the rat inside the cage, spelling it locked as well. Scabbers began frantically scratching at the sides and the bars.

“I don’t understand. It’s like he knows what we’re talking about,” said Arthur. He tried the human revealing spell again with the same result. Something was not right.

“I need Amos,” he decided, heading down to their fireplace. Arthur lit it and threw a pinch of Floo powder in before kneeling on the hearth and declaring, “Diggory’s Den!”

His head spun for a time before he blinked his eyes open onto a view of the Diggorys’ sitting room.

“Amos?”

A few minutes later, his friend and neighbor came into the room. He’d mentioned to Arthur last week that he’d taken the day off for his son Cedric’s birthday, and while Arthur hated to intrude, this was more Amos’ purview than his.

“Arthur! Sending your well wishes to my boy?”

“I’m afraid that’s not why I’m calling, Amos. I’ve got a bit of a problem with a family pet. Percy’s rat, Scabbers. We thought he was a regular garden rat, but there seems to be something, er, strange about him. I’d appreciate if you could come over and have a look.”

“Just a garden rat, you say? Alright, it should only take a few minutes.” Amos went to a hall closet. “I’ll be right through, Arthur.”

“Thank you, Amos.” He ended the call and sat back. As he clambered to his feet, he noticed Molly standing in the kitchen archway with Scabbers’ cage.

“Amos is coming over.”

She nodded, then asked stiffly, “How’s your hand?”

He looked down at it. The bite was bleeding a little, still, but the pain had mostly receded. “I think I’ll pull through. Er, Molly—”

But the fireplace flared green and Amos walked out. “Now then, where is the little rat? Oh, afternoon, Molly.”

“Afternoon, Amos,” she replied with half of her usual warm smile. She set the cage down on the table where it trembled.

“Nervous fellow, is he? What was the problem, Arthur?”

“Well you see, we— er, I thought there was someone in the house, so I did the revealing spell and it led me to Scabbers. I’ve renewed it twice now, and it keeps directing to him.”

“Hm. Well, I’ll give it a go, then, shall I? Homenum Revelio!” Just as before, Amos’ wand pointed straight to Scabbers. He frowned. “The children out?”

“Yes,” Molly answered. “Why?”

“Because if this is what I’m thinking, it may come as a shock. One moment.” He waved his wand and the trembling of the cage stopped. “I’ve put him to sleep,” Amos explained. “Now comes the tricky part.”

He opened the cage and set the unconscious Scabbers down onto the floor. Then he pointed his wand, emitting a blue light that hit Scabbers where he lay. As sweat beaded on Amos’ brow, the rat began to change.

It was a slow process, but first he became bigger, his long nose shrinking back as a human head sprouted; limbs followed; the fur melted away to reveal human hands and skin. When it had finished, a fully-grown man lay where Scabbers had been.

“What?” Molly asked hoarsely.

“It’s like I thought,” Amos said with clear disgust. “Animagus. How long has he been here, Arthur?”

“Seven- seven years,” Arthur answered, his voice faint to his own ears.

“He was a person?” Molly asked, looking rapidly from Arthur to Amos.

“Yes, though I’m not sure who. Looks a bit familiar, but I can’t place it.” Amos crouched down and tried summoning any personal effects, though it appeared the unknown wizard had none. With a jolt, Arthur noticed that, just as Scabbers had been missing a toe, so too was this man missing a finger.

His hair was indeed brown, though, so at least that explained that. A wave of both relief and shame washed over him as he realized his wife had truly been innocent.

Before he could vocalize his apology, however, Amos swore under his breath. “Look at his left arm.”

His neighbor had pulled up the somewhat tattered sleeve of the man’s worn robes to reveal a very faded tattoo of a very familiar mark. Arthur went pale as Molly gasped beside him.

“He’s a Death Eater?” His wife cried.

His relief was now swamped by fear as well. A Death Eater had been living amongst them, eating their food and playing with their children. Why?

“Amos, watch him. I’m calling the Aurors,” Arthur decided. He paused for a moment to grip Molly by the arms, for she looked unsteady on her feet. “Are you alright?”

“I- I don’t— how?”

He kissed her forehead. “We’ll find out, Molly. I swear to you.”

Whatever they discovered, he still had his family. Arthur was just glad they’d caught this dark wizard before one of them had come to serious harm.

Of course, once the man’s identity had been confirmed by the Aurors, they all were thrown for another loop. How could Peter Pettigrew have been an Animagus and a Death Eater, much less alive? And what did that mean about the Dark Lord’s right hand man who currently sat wasting away in Azkaban?

—-

Sirius curled in tighter on himself as a pair of Dementors drifted past his cell. Even as Padfoot, it wasn’t quite enough to chase off the chill that rolled off of them or the voices in his head: It was your plan, Sirius! You’re the reason we’re dead! You deserve to be in here!

At last the Dementors turned a corner and the worst of it faded away into the background. Sirius panted in momentary relief. With effort, for he was very hungry and weak, he shifted back into his human form, collapsing back onto the thin straw mattress he’d been using for the last seven years. Well, it wasn’t quite seven. It was 2,098 days to be exact, provided he hadn’t accidentally missed one. It was possible, but he liked to think himself accurate. Keeping track of the date was just another way to hold onto his sanity.

And today was a special day, a good day. Today was Harry’s eighth birthday. He tried to imagine what his godson might look like now, with James’ messy hair and Lily’s green eyes. The rest of the details were hazy in his mind, but he used those two as focal points whenever he thought of the little boy.

Remus and the others were hopefully spoiling him rotten today. Perhaps he’d be getting his first broom without any of the height or speed limits. A heap of candy from Honeydukes or maybe a special ice cream cone from Fortescue’s. He had no doubts that everyone left in the Order would make sure it was a happy occasion, just as James and Lily would’ve wanted.

Hagrid had never said where Harry was to be taken when he’d been forced to give Harry up that night. He’d ceded to Dumbledore’s wisdom as a hunt for revenge would’ve been no place for the infant, and Harry had had that cut on his forehead. It had still been bleeding when Sirius had gotten there, and he wondered if it had gotten properly treated. With any luck and the skill of Madam Pomphrey, he doubted it had even left a scar.

He wished he could be there so fiercely he thought he could feel a physical ache in his chest. It would be foolish to dwell on happy thoughts for long. It would only cause the Dementors to seize on them and return.

Yet as he lay there, the happy feeling did not fade. In fact it grew stronger just as a bright light swept down the corridor beyond his cell. A bright light that looked an awful lot like a Patronus.

“He’s that one, Professor,” the gruff voice of one of the guards said, and the Patronus stopped outside Sirius’ cell. Now that it was in front of him, he could swear it looked just like Dumbledore’s old phoenix.

His cell door swung open, and Dumbledore himself walked through, heeled boots echoing on the stone. Sirius scrambled to sit up.

“Professor Dumbledore,” he said, his voice hoarse yet still affecting the casual tone he’d been aiming for, as though Dumbledore stopped by all the time rather than this being their first meeting in nearly seven years. “I thought you hated Azkaban.”

“Indeed I do, Sirius. And seeing for myself what Azkaban has done to you, my dislike of it only grows.” The old wizard bent over and offered him a hand. “We’ve discovered the truth, you dear young man, and I can’t begin to say how sorry I am.”

He stared at the offered hand dumbly. “The truth?”

“Yes. Peter Pettigrew has been found, and his allegiance to Voldemort made clear. He confessed everything under Veritaserum.”

So Peter had survived. His lips pulled back in a snarl. “Where is he?”

Dumbledore simply opted to reach under one of Sirius’ arms and hauled him up to his feet. “Please, Sirius. I understand your anger and grief, as well as the injustice of your situation. But let justice be done now. I should think James and Lily would wish you to be a free man rather than the killer we all wrongly thought you to be.”

James and Lily. Their true betrayer would now be punished. Maybe they could rest easier, wherever death had taken them.

“What happens now?”

“A stay at St. Mungo’s seems to be in order,” his old headmaster replied. He led Sirius down the narrow, twisting hallways, the phoenix patronus lighting the way and holding the Dementors back. They walked out of the prison into the craggy rocks beyond like it was the easiest thing in the world, like they hadn’t just left the last seven years of his life behind.

“Now then, the Ministry was kind enough to allow me to make a Portkey for our purposes.” He selected a rock on the ground and tapped it with his wand. “Portus.” The rock glowed blue for a moment, and Dumbledore held it out towards him. “Quickly now, Sirius.”

“Right.” He struggled to fight past the fog that his mind seemed to still be trapped behind. As soon as he touched the rock, he felt a tug at his navel and the world spun away until his feet hit tile with a slam.

Sirius staggered sideways and hit a wall, retching for several moments though there was nothing in his stomach to be brought back up. It had been so long since he’d experienced Portkey travel, much less gone anywhere.

The air smelled so clean it was sharp. A number of voices assaulted his ears, and he sank towards the ground. Someone pressed a cool cloth to his forehead and combed back his hair from were it had fallen in his face.

“Forgive me, Sirius, I should have realized.”

“S’alright,” He croaked past a raw throat. “Always thought you hated me, anyway, after sixth year…”

“Believe me, you were not the first nor the last to make a rash decision with grave consequences. But rest now. There will be plenty of time to talk.”

He didn’t register sleeping, really, because there were no nightmares. All he knew was that he found himself no longer on the floor, but lying on a cloud. He shifted and there were sheets over his body. Sheets!

Sirius’ head lolled to one side as he noticed someone sitting in a chair beside the bed. Expecting Dumbledore, he was not prepared to see a sandy-haired head going gray propped in someone’s hands.

“...Remus?”

Remus’ head snapped up, meeting his eyes with a mixture of shock, joy and discomfort. “Sirius. I- it’s so good to see you.”

“Now that you know I wasn’t the traitor, you mean. It’s alright,” he said before Remus could do much more than cringe. “I’ve wanted to see you ever since I realized you weren’t the traitor. I should have known better, Remus. Forgive me?”

“Only if you’ll forgive me,” his old friend said. He reached out and clasped Sirius’ hand between his own. “You look terrible.”

“At least I have an excuse. What’s yours?” That got a smile, and Sirius felt his own lips turn up, though the gesture was unfamiliar to him after so long. “Tell me what’s been going on, will you? How’d they find the rat?”

Remus drew in a breath. “It’s a rather long story. It turns out Peter had decided the best thing to do after getting Voldemort killed and you arrested was to lay low for a while while still keeping an ear out, so he set himself up as a pet with a Wizarding family. The Weasleys to be exact.”

“The Weasleys? What happened to them?”

“Nothing, other than them being quite disturbed to learn the rat they had kept for seven years was really a man. I hear the younger ones are taking the excitement quite well, though, all things considered.”

Sirius shook his head. How many Weasleys had there even been last he’d made count? Trust Peter to take advantage of such good people.

“So that’s all he did was hide? He didn’t try to hurt anyone?”

“Not so far as I know. Though he has rather hurt Minister Bagnold’s reputation as well as Barty Crouch’s career. They’ve both been called to resign thanks to bungling this whole case. I can’t believe you were never given a trial,” Remus said as he shook his head. “It would’ve solved the whole thing.”

“It never does well to dwell on what could have been, Remus,” said Dumbledore’s voice in the doorway. His eyes twinkled as he surveyed them both. “It is always best to persevere with what one has. I hope you don’t mind a couple more visitors, Sirius.”

“No, of course not.” He’d been so long without any company that he was quite pleased to see his old Head of House joining them as well. “Hello again, Professor.”

“I should think Minerva would do,” she replied. “And I must say, I was very sorry to learn what had so unjustly happened to you, Sirius. It’s a miracle you seem to be doing as well as you are after that long in Azkaban.”

“Ah, well, I knew I was innocent, and that kept me sane. Along with other tricks.”

“Yes, I wonder if we might see such a trick?” Asked Dumbledore. “Only if you feel able, of course.”

“I had to tell them everything, Padfoot,” Remus said, the old nickname cluing him in. “I suspect that’s part of the reason for Professor McGonagall’s presence here.”

The transfiguration professor pursed her lips. “Well, it’s not everyday you learn three of your former students achieved the Animagus transformation by the age of fifteen. And self-taught at that.”

“James-taught more like. He was the best at transfiguration,” Sirius said wistfully. The others smiled sadly as well, so he worked to get out from under his covers in order to best lighten the mood. A moment later, Padfoot stood on the mattress with a happy bark.

McGonagall clapped her hands together once, her eyes shining. “Very impressive. Quite thin at the moment, of course, but I imagine you’d give Sybil a real fright were you to come across her at the castle.”

“He very well might,” Dumbledore agreed with amusement. Sirius neither knew nor cared who Sybil was, but the thought of leaving St. Mungo’s for Hogwarts or anywhere gave him an idea.

Transforming back, he asked, “Once I’ve been let out of here, how soon until I could see Harry?”

There was total silence as the smiles slipped off Dumbledore’s and McGonagall’s faces while Remus sat up a little straighter in interest.

“I understand he’s probably settled and happy where he is,” Sirius continued haltingly, unsure why McGonagall gave a snort at that. “I only want to check up on him, maybe see if he has any questions for me. I am his godfather, after all, if that wasn’t rescinded.”

“It wasn’t,” Dumbledore responded eventually. “Neither was your wand snapped, and I offered to see it delivered to you.” He withdrew a thin box that he passed to Sirius, who removed his wand from it with trembling hands. A jolt of warmth rushed up his arm and straight to his heart.

It was doused almost immediately when Dumbledore added, “I’m afraid, however, that Harry Potter will not be receiving any Wizarding visitors before he receives his Hogwarts letter.”

“What do you mean?”

“Harry has been placed in the care of his maternal aunt, Petunia Dursley,” Dumbledore explained. “She and her husband have a young boy the same age as Harry.”

“Right.” He vaguely remembered something about that, the same as he vaguely remembered anything about Lily’s sister. He’d never met her, but James had always claimed the woman and her husband were hilarious — though he doubted that was intentional on their part.

“They don’t care for magic,” McGonagall stated, as though she’d been waiting for her chance to do so. Judging by the weary look Dumbledore regarded her with, this was an old conversation.

“When Lily placed herself in front of the Killing Curse for her son, it enacted powerful blood magic. Harry is safest with relatives who share his mother’s blood, which is why he resides with the Dursleys. And I believe it best that he not be bombarded with his fame at such a young age.”

“His fame?”

“Harry survived the Killing Curse. That’s what destroyed Voldemort,” said Remus. “The whole Wizarding world knows that happened, if not how or why it did. He’s easily the most recognizable eight year-old in Wizarding Britain, and no one’s ever seen him.”

This new information about his godson was a lot to process, but his main concern remained. “Couldn’t I visit? Just for a day, just to be sure he’s alright? I just need to see him,” he pleaded. It was the only thing he really wanted to do now that he was free; the rest of it all didn’t really seem to matter.

“I assure you I have ways to monitor the situation, Sirius, but I am afraid Petunia has made herself quite clear regarding magical visitors. Perhaps I may be able to convince his aunt to pass along a letter.” The old wizard checked his watch. “For now, I must return to the Ministry where, hopefully, we will soon be on our way to selecting Millicent’s replacement. I believe we have troubled you enough, Sirius, and you must rest.” He motioned for Remus to stand and join them as well. His old friend squeezed Sirius’ shoulder briefly before doing so.

McGonagall came forward, however. “It really is an impressive feat that you three managed,” she said as Dumbledore and Remus left the room. “I don’t suppose you’ve decided what you’ll do once you’ve been discharged?”

“Well, my only request has been denied. Suppose I’ll have to get a new flat or a house.” There was no way his old flat hadn’t been rented out to someone else by now, and he’d go back to Azkaban before willingly returning to Grimmauld Place.

McGonagall made a short humming sound. “You might try looking for property in Surrey.”

“Surrey?” He echoed doubtfully.

“Yes. There are some houses on Privet Drive. Good place to raise boys, or just children in general.” She fixed him with a look.

Slowly, a grin spread across his lips. “I’ll have to give the area a look.”

His former Head of House nodded and turned for the door. “Go through the treatment first, Sirius. It will be better for you in the long run.”

He nodded, shifting back against his pillows. He would go through the treatment as quickly as was possible so that he could be let out and ready to go to Privet Drive. For the first time since his arrest, he had a goal. And it felt good.

—-

At age eight, Harry Potter had decided that there truly was something strange about himself. Or at the very least, there had to be some sort of explanation for why he was treated differently than all the other children and why strange things just seemed to happen around him.

When he was younger, he had thought perhaps the Durselys behaved just as any family did towards non-immediate relations. Yet he had started at primary and learned about things like adoption and foster care, where children were taken in by families totally unrelated to them and treated the same as everybody else. He had gone home and asked his Aunt Petunia why he hadn’t been adopted.

“You should count yourself lucky you weren’t,” she had snapped. “No one would have wanted a freak like you, anyway. Now go to your cupboard and stop asking questions!”

Harry had done so, not feeling very lucky at all.

None of the other children at school had to do chores all day, either. That was what Harry was currently occupied with; dusting in the sitting room. It was one of his least favorite chores because it meant he had to be very careful lest he break something. The one time he accidentally had, he’d been sent to his cupboard without food for two days. Sometimes Dudley threatened to knock more of the china figures over just to get Harry in trouble, though thankfully his cousin was out with Piers Polkiss today.

As he went to dust the window ledge, his ears picked up the sound of a very loud motor, like the sort Uncle Vernon often complained about after his commute home from work. The motor grew louder and louder, until a motorbike careened around the bend of Magnolia Crescent and stopped in front of Number 2 Privet Drive.

Harry watched in fascination, dusting completely forgotten, as a man got off the bike. He wore a leather jacket and an old t-shirt with some sort of bird on it in very faded gold. The man walked up to Number 2 and knocked, hands shoved in his pockets with casual elegance.

“Boy!”

Harry jumped at the sound of his Aunt’s voice.

“Stop dawdling or you won’t have finished your chores before dinner. Those who don’t sit at the table don’t eat.”

Harry nearly tried to explain himself by pointing out the strange man and his motorbike, but thought better of it. Aunt Petunia did not like excuses any more than she liked questions.

“Yes, Aunt Petunia.”

Harry had only just finished up the dusting when there was a knock on the front door. His Aunt frowned and went to answer it.

“Hello?” She asked with barely concealed displeasure.

“Hello. Are you Petunia Dursley?” A man’s voice asked. Harry inched out into the hallway to try and see better. “Yeah, must be, you’ve got the same nose.”

“I beg your pardon? Who are you and why are you calling at my home?”

“Right, sorry. We really should’ve met by now. I’m Sirius Black, James and Lily’s friend.”

Aunt Petunia reared back as though he had slapped her, allowing Harry to get a look at him. It was the same man who had ridden in on the motorbike. “Who told you that you could come here?”

“Er, no one, actually. Look, I’ve been away, let’s say, and I just wanted to check on Harry. They named me his godfather, you see.”

Harry gave a start as he realized this strange visitor had something to do with him. His godfather? He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant.

“His— the boy doesn’t have— where exactly have you been?” Aunt Petunia spluttered. Her hand was shaking where she held the door still slightly shut.

“Prison,” Sirius Black answered cheerily. Then the next instant, “Ouch— you’ve a very strong — I was innocent, alright!”

For Aunt Petunia was trying to shut the door on his foot.

“I’ll not have some convict in my home! Trust Lily to get mixed up with criminals.”

“It was a frameup, a misunderstanding. I’ve been officially declared innocent, honest! I just want to see my godson. He’s right down the hall, there, it’ll only take—”

Harry jumped at having been caught and paled when Aunt Petunia whipped her head around to glare at him.

“You! Go to — just go!”

“Yes, Aunt Petunia,” Harry meekly replied. He wasn’t sure why she hadn’t told him to go to his cupboard, but that was where he was supposed to go. Harry hurried across the hall and opened the little door, hurrying inside. He pressed himself up to the grate to try and keep listening.

Outside his cupboard, it had gone very quiet. He thought he heard the man’s voice, very low and lacking in the laid back manner he had been speaking in. His Aunt said something next.

Then, much louder, “I said, why did he just shut himself up in a cupboard?”

“This is none of your business!” There was a crash as the front door hit the wall. “You’re not welcome here! I want you to go!”

“Not without Harry.” The door to Harry’s cupboard was wrenched open, which caused Harry to topple out. He was caught and gently set on his feet, face to face with Sirius Black.

To Harry, he was everything the Dursleys were not. If Uncle Vernon were to see the stubble on his face, he’d yell at the man to get a shave. He was terribly thin with hollow cheeks and waxen skin, though with some extra weight and perhaps some time in the sun, gave the impression that he could be quite handsome. With baggy clothes and windswept hair, he looked more like Harry than Harry’s own relatives did.

The shadows lurking at the corners of his eyes only slightly dampened the open concern he displayed watching Harry.

“Hello, Harry.”

“Hello, Mr. Black.”

The man grimaced. “Sirius will do. It’s good to see you again.”

“We’ve met before?” Harry asked in shock. He would certainly remember meeting someone like this.

Sirius smiled. “Yes, though you wouldn’t remember. You were only a baby. I was friends with your parents.”

“My parents?” Harry echoed in wonder. Harry’s parents were a forbidden topic at the Dursleys. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Aunt Petunia shaking in anger and, if he wasn’t mistaken, fear.

“Lily and James, yes, they were my best friends.”

“Were those their names?

“Were those their—” Sirius bit back his words and leveled a glare at Aunt Petunia, whose shaking grew worse. “Yes, they were.”

“Y- you’re not supposed to- to be here,” she stammered. “Your kind isn’t—”

“Well, Harry’s my kind and he’s already here, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t be.” Sirius turned back to Harry, his glare softening. “Harry, before your parents died, they named me your godfather. That means I’m supposed to look out for you if they can’t, but I couldn’t do that before now.”

“Because you were in prison?”

“Right,” Sirius agreed with a nod. “But they’ve caught the bas- er, bad person who did it, so I can look out for you now. I wanted to see how you were doing at your Aunt’s. Can you tell me why you went in that cupboard just now?”

“Because it’s my room,” Harry answered. Down the hall, he could see Aunt Petunia paling ever more rapidly.

Sirius nodded again, unsurprised, though the look in his eyes was more haunted than before.

“Right. Okay, here’s my idea. You see, Harry, legally I am your guardian, and that means I can take care of you, too. I won’t force you to go if you don’t want—”

Harry’s heart leapt. “You mean I could live with you instead of here?”

“Yes, but only if you want.”

Harry turned and went into his cupboard, grabbing up the old pillow on his bed and stuffing all of Dudley’s castoffs into it. The faded blue blanket that no longer covered him completely went in last.

“I just need my toothbrush, it’s upstairs,” he told Sirius as he came back out. Harry ran up to the bathroom, only catching snatches of the conversation between his Aunt Petunia and his godfather.

“—said we had to take him.”

“Had to treat him like your personal House Elf too, did you?”

“I’ve no idea—”

“—you don’t want him, so this is just better—”

“Fine!”

When Harry came back downstairs, Aunt Petunia and Sirius were standing across from each other and sending dark glances the other’s way occasionally. Sirius’ face brightened when he caught sight of Harry.

“Ready to go, then? I’d tell you to say goodbye to your relatives, but who cares? Come on!”

He took Harry’s hand and led him out the door. Harry’s heart was thumping wildly in his chest. He was leaving the Dursleys. Someone who cared about him did exist. He was going to live with him. It was like out of one of his dreams.

They stopped at the motorbike, and Sirius frowned. “Right, you need a helmet. Er—” He glanced around and picked up a piece of gravel off the driveway. Then he took a long stick out of his back pocket and waved it at it like a magician on the telly, muttering nonsense words. To Harry’s astonishment, the gravel grew and shifted in shape and color until it became a helmet complete with straps to fasten it on.

“How did you do that?”

“Let me guess, they didn’t tell you about the magic, either.”

Harry shook his head. “The Dursleys said magic isn’t real.”

“Well, simply put, it is. Someday you’ll be able to do it, too.”

Harry’s eyes widened. He would be able to do magic? He could hardly believe that it was real even seeing it before his eyes!

Sirius lifted Harry up and sat him on the motorbike, then looked ready to climb on behind him. “Shouldn’t you have a helmet?”

His godfather paused. “Do you just want to see more magic?”

Harry stared back at him.

“Oh, alright.” Sirius picked up another piece of gravel and repeated the magic transformation to Harry’s delight. “You’ve barely seen anything yet,” Sirius told him as he took hold of Harry’s pillowcase satchel, tapping it with his stick and making it shrink. He placed it in his pocket and then got onto the motorbike behind Harry.

“Sirius. Sirius Black!” Adding to Harry’s increasing bewilderment with the day, it was old Mrs. Figg who was calling out to his godfather as she hurried across the street towards them. “Where are you taking the boy?”

“To live with me like he should have been.”

“But it might not be safe—”

“I’ll make sure it’s safe. It’ll be safer for him than in that house. Did you know they had him sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs?”

Mrs. Figg flinched, but said, “I’ll have to tell Dumbledore about this.”

Harry had no clue what a Dumbledore was, but she made it sound very important.

Sirius seemed less impressed. “Go ahead and tell him, Arabella. And tell him that while I understand him not keeping me out of Azkaban, he should have done everything in his power to keep Harry out of a prison.” With that he gunned the engine, forcing Mrs. Figg to back up, and then the motorbike took off down the road.

Harry clung to the handlebars, Sirius’ larger hands on either side of his. He didn’t think he’d ever gone this fast before in his life, and it was brilliant.

He did not know for how long they drove, but as the number of houses began to drop, Sirius leaned forward and said, “Now make sure you’re holding on.”

He pressed a button, and the motorbike began to rise into the air, climbing higher and higher.

“It can fly?”

“Yep! Much faster this way. We’ve got to get all the way to London!”

“What’s in London?”

“A house. I hate to admit it, but Arabella’s right about safety. And there’s only one place I know that fits the bill. It won’t be the most pleasant, but you’ll see when we get there.”

Harry watched in amazement as fields and then buildings passed by below. It was much colder up here than on the ground despite the summer sun, but with Sirius close it made up most of the difference. Magic was real and someone had come to take him away from the Dursleys. He felt certain he would wake up back in his cupboard any moment, but for the meantime he decided to get away with asking questions since his Aunt and Uncle weren’t around to tell him not to.

He learned from Sirius that there was a whole world of witches and wizards separate from the non magic people, or Muggles. His parents had been part of it and that was probably why the Dursleys disliked him so much. The stick that Sirius used to perform magic was called a wand, and Harry would get his own some time after his eleventh birthday so he would be ready to go to a magic school called Hogwarts.

Eventually they descended behind a row of houses into a small yard. “Number 12, Grimmauld Place,” Sirius told him as they walked up to the back door. “It’s Unplottable, which means it’s hard to find. We’ll have to look into adding more protections to it, of course.”

“Isn’t it locked?” Harry asked, watching Sirius reach for the doorknob.

“Not for me. This was my family’s home, and I’m the last of the Blacks. From this line, at least. Mother just died two years ago, I’ve been told.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Sirius assured him. “Be glad you never met her.”

With that, he pushed the door open and led Harry into a very dark and damp basement.

“Lumos,” Sirius said as he held his wand out again, and a light glowed at the tip, showing empty shelves of what might have been a pantry. Cobwebs appeared to have taken it over, and Harry could clearly picture Aunt Petunia’s horrified look.

Sirius led them up some stairs and into a long, narrow kitchen with a large table at the center. Everything was similarly dusty. “Not much cleaning’s been done. We may get lucky and Kreacher’s died with her.”

“Who’s Kreacher?”

A loud crack at the other end of the room caused Harry to jump, and then again as he took in the sight of a small being with large, batlike ears with hair growing out of them and a lined face. It wore a dirty old loincloth and nothing else.

“So, nasty Master returns to gloat over the death of Kreacher’s beloved Mistress.” Its eyes widened and then narrowed as it took in the sight of Harry; for some reason in particular it seemed to notice the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. “And he brings a filthy half-blood with him.”

“That’s enough out of you, Kreacher,” Sirius growled. “In fact—” he took the pillowcase out of his pocket and returned it to its normal size with another wave of the stick before looking back to Harry. “Are you particularly attached to any of these?”

“My clothes?” Harry shook his head. “Not really.”

“Good.” Sirius took out an oversized shirt which produced an agonized wail from Kreacher.

“No! No, Master!”

“Come off it, Kreacher, you don’t want to work for me. And Harry and I would rather you weren’t here. It’s best for all of us.”

But Kreacher threw himself at the floor in front of Sirius’ feet with unexpected speed and strength, pounding at it with his fists.

“Kreacher must stay! He must!”

“I don’t understand,” Harry stammered as he watched the pitiful display, discomfort churning in his gut. “What is he, and why doesn’t he want my shirt?”

Sirius heaved a sigh. “Kreacher’s a House Elf. They’ve served as little more than slaves in magical families for centuries. He’s been my family’s House Elf for generations, but we’ve never got along. Presenting him with clothes means I’m freeing him, which I’d have thought would suit him just fine.”

“But isn’t slavery wrong?”

“You’ll find there’s a lot still wrong even in a world with magic, Harry. Now come on, Kreacher,” he said, his tone growing harsher. “Just take the clothes.”

“But Kreacher must stay!” The House Elf wailed. “Kreacher promised Master!”

“Whichever Master you’re talking about is long dead. You’re released from your obligations.”

“But Master Regulus’ orders have not been carried out! He swore Kreacher to them, and Kreacher has not been able to carry them out. Kreacher cannot betray Master Regulus,” Kreacher sobbed.

“Can’t he stay until he’s finished whatever it is?” Harry asked, unable to stand the old Elf’s wailing any longer.

Sirius scowled, but between Harry’s pleading and Kreacher’s crying he had little choice. “Alright,” he declared loudly, stuffing the shirt back inside the pillowcase. “What was it Regulus wanted done, Kreacher? The sooner we handle it, the better.”

Kreacher’s tears slowed and he sniffled as he eased back up onto his feet. “Kreacher must destroy the locket.”

“Which locket?”

In a series of two cracks, Kreacher disappeared and reappeared in front of Sirius holding a gold locket with a snake in the shape of an S on the lid.

“Why did he want it destroyed?”

“It was the Dark Lord’s,” said Kreacher.

“The who’s?” Asked Harry.

At the same time, Sirius said, “Voldemort?” For some reason, those specific syllables in that order made Kreacher flinch, though they were incomprehensible to Harry. “But Regulus was on his side.” He looked between Kreacher and Harry. “On second thought, we’ll do the locket later. Kreacher, are there any rooms suitable to sleep in in the house?”

“Kreacher could make them,” the Elf admitted to the floor.

“Alright, then do that to my room. Take down those old posters while you’re at it — but leave the Gryffindor colors. That’ll be your room,” he explained to Harry. “And I’ll take the master bedroom. Then we’ll need to see to the kitchens and bathrooms next. If you’re going to stay here, Kreacher, you better work for it.”

“Yes, Master,” Kreacher said with a half-bow. “Kreacher will start on room for the- for the Young Master,” he said with some effort as he glared at Harry. Then the Elf disappeared with another crack.

“Maybe once he’s finished his job he’ll want to leave?” Harry suggested weakly in the silence.

Sirius did not appear to be angry with him, however. His godfather rubbed at his chin as he said, “You were probably kinder to him than he deserves, but that’s not a bad thing to be. He’ll start his moaning back up once I order him to take the old House Elf heads off the wall.”

“Old House Elf heads?” Harry repeated.

“Yeah. Trust me, this isn’t my ideal place to live, but it’s best for you. Safety first and all that. Come on, I’ll give you a very brief tour, and we can put your things away in your new room.”

He walked around the table and opened another door leading up to a hallway.

“Sirius, what’s a Volder- er, a Voldy—”

“Voldemort?”

But Sirius did not get to answer his question, for the curtains on the wall beside them flew open revealing a woman in what appeared to be a portrait. Except that she was moving and screaming.

“YOU COME BACK HERE, SOILING THE NAME OF MY FOREFATHERS AND BRINGING HALF-BLOOD SCUM INTO MY HOUSE—”

“YOU’RE DEAD, YOU OLD BLOWHARD!” Sirius roared back before grabbing hold of the curtains and wrenching them shut after a great struggle. Several more portraits were coming to life around them, and Sirius used his wand to hit each with a jet of red light that seemed to quiet them.

Panting, he looked to Harry, who had pressed himself into the nearest corner beside a misshapen umbrella stand in fright.

“Looks like you do get to meet her. That was my mother, Harry. We’ll do our best to steer clear of her, eh?”

Harry nodded and continued to follow Sirius up the steps of the gloomy, dusty house. He rather liked the idea of magic and his new godfather — but there was an awful lot of strangeness accompanying the whole thing. And something told him it would only get stranger.

—-

Ginny was having the strangest, most exciting summer of her entire life. And she had only just turned seven!

Percy’s rat had been a dark wizard the whole time, and their dad had caught him. Her dad was the bravest, kindest, funniest wizard in the whole world, and she couldn’t be prouder of him.

He was even going out of the way to be the utmost gentleman to their mum lately, who seemed measurably less impressed with it all than Ginny was. Dad was making sure to be on time for dinner and to help wrangle all of them into bed at night, which was making her nighttime flights more difficult though not necessarily impossible. There had been no sneaky trips out to the shed for the last several days. He’d gone over Bill, Charlie and Percy’s summer homework, though the latter hadn’t taken long at all.

Percy now spent most of his time hiding up in his room since the twins teased him mercilessly about the whole thing with Scabbers not being Scabbers. Ginny was getting older and therefore wiser, as she’d realized by now the only way to stop the twins was not to let them get a rise out of you, but for all his smarts Percy hadn’t gotten that yet. Neither had Ron, though at least he was only a year older than Ginny.

Things were starting to calm down on their own, and the end of summer threatened to be a boring one until one late morning when Ginny came down the stairs to discover they had visitors. One of whom she instantly recognized from the Daily Prophet articles.

Sirius Black was sitting at their kitchen table.

“Dumbledore’s been after me about it, but I’ve taken precautions. At the same time, I don’t just want him sitting in the house with no one but me for company all day,” Sirius Black was saying as both her parents nodded sympathetically. “And I’ve no idea where to buy things for kids these days.”

“Well, you’ve certainly come to the right place,” her dad said. “No better expert than Molly.”

Her mum gave a hum as she regarded her dad, but Ginny could tell she was secretly pleased.

“I don’t want to ask too much of your family, of course, after everything you’ve already done for me. How did you catch him, anyway?”

“Arthur found brown hair in the shower drain and decided that made him an Auror,” her mum said shortly.

Sirius Black looked between Ginny’s parents and then threw his head back with a laugh that sounded more like a bark. “That’s alright, Molly. Wormtail had all of us doubting each other back then. He’s a master at that.”

Soft footsteps on the steps behind Ginny caused her to turn and look up as an unfamiliar boy with messy black hair and glasses descended. He stopped as he spotted her, allowing her to notice the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. With a jolt, she realized she knew who the boy must be as well: Harry Potter.

Ginny gasped and jumped back against the wall as the boy continued to stare at her with the greenest eyes and a curious tilt of the head. Harry Potter thought she was interesting?

The more she watched him as well, the more she found discrepancies with the old bedtime stories. In those stories, Harry Potter didn’t have ill-fitting clothes and taped glasses. He was rich and famous and wouldn’t have time for a place like the Burrow. He was too busy being a hero.

Last of all, with marked awkwardness, he smiled and said, “Er, hello.”

It occurred to Ginny that her father was a hero and was just their father. Maybe Harry could be a hero and just be Harry, too.

“Hello,” said Ginny, softer than she normally was. Then, a little louder, “I’m Ginny.”

“I’m Harry.”

“Oh, Harry,” her mother said, bustling over. “Find the bathroom alright? Good, you can join Ginny for breakfast. The boys have already eaten and gone up to the paddock. Well, except Percy, but best not to disturb him.”

Ginny climbed up onto her chair and Harry did so beside her. “Morning, Dad.”

“Morning, Ginny,” her dad said. “Sirius, this is our youngest.”

“Right. Very nice to meet you,” Sirius Black said. Ginny nodded somewhat meekly and was glad when her mother put food in front of her plate. She watched Harry’s eyes go wide behind his glasses when his own plate was set down piled high with sausage, eggs and toast.

“Eat up, dear,” her mum encouraged him. “Those Muggles clearly weren’t feeding you properly.”

“Muggles?” Ginny blurted without thinking.

Harry ducked his head. “Er, yeah. My relatives.”

“Before I was exonerated, Harry was staying with his aunt and her family on his mother’s side,” Sirius explained. “Now that I’m out, he’s come to live with me.”

“And you were raised completely as a Muggle, is that right?” Her dad asked Harry. “I would love to know — but, er,” he added with a glance at Ginny’s mum, “perhaps some other time.”

Ginny couldn’t quite stifle a giggle, which seemed to let Harry know it was alright to smile, too. He was much quieter and more polite than any of her brothers. Even Percy had a sort of loud bossiness about him.

“Yes, Mr. Weasley.”

“Now how old are you, Ginny?” Sirius asked her.

Ginny sat up a little straighter. “I just turned seven on August 11th.”

“Did you? Shame we missed it. You’ll be the year behind Harry at Hogwarts, then.”

Ginny felt a terrible disappointment at that. “You mean he’ll be with Ron?”

“Yes, dear,” her mum replied. “Ron and Harry were both born the same year, and they’ll both be eleven by the cutoff.”

Ginny speared a sausage with vicious accuracy. It wasn’t fair being the youngest.

“But that’s three years away,” said Sirius. “And for now, Harry’s going to be needing other kids to play with and learn some of the basics like maths and writing. You could do those together.”

“Really?”

“Only if you like,” Harry hurriedly mumbled.

“Oh, I would!”

“Once you two have finished eating, Sirius asked if he and Harry could accompany me to Diagon Alley,” her mum said. “They need to pick up a few things. You can come along, too, Ginny. The boys will be up at that paddock all day.”

Ginny hurried to finish her breakfast and noticed Harry mimicking her out of the corner of her eye. Once they’d both finished, they went to join her mother and Sirius by the fireplace.

“What do your brothers do at the paddock?” Harry asked her as the adults finished getting ready.

“They go flying and play mock Quidditch.”

Harry’s eyes lit up with interest. “I like flying.”

“Me too! Only don’t tell anybody else, it’s a secret,” she told him.

“I’ve never had a secret before,” said Harry.

“Alright, Molly first and then you two,” Sirius announced. “And remember, clearly say it, Harry. We can’t go losing you all the time or Dumbledore’s going to lock me back up for negligence.”

Harry’s hands balled into fists at his sides. “He can’t do that!”

“Not if we don’t test it, he can’t,” Sirius said, ruffling his godson’s hair. Harry made a face as Ginny laughed again.

“We can go together,” Ginny boldly suggested as her mum accepted a kiss from her dad before stepping into the fireplace. She disappeared with a shout of their destination.

“Okay,” Harry agreed with a shy smile. Ginny grinned back and took his hand to lead him into the green flames.

Yes, Harry Potter was turning out to be very different than her fairy tale imaginings. But she found she rather liked him anyway.

—-

Albus found himself not nearly as enthusiastic to start the new term this year as compared to previous ones. Were it not for a recent string of events, he would be happily looking forward to the Welcoming Feast. As it was, he wished he had more time.

The revelation that they had been wrong all these years about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew troubled him a great deal. He tried his best never to make mistakes, but it seemed that whenever he did they had disastrous consequences. An innocent man had been left to the tender mercies of the Dementors for nearly eight years. It was a fact that would weigh heavily on his conscious.

Now that Sirius was out, he was proving to be quite the loose cannon as he’d been before. Albus suspected he knew how Sirius had gotten the address of the Dursley family, but it would do little good to have a word with Minerva after the fact. By the time Arabella had gotten her message to him Sirius had vacated Surrey with Harry, effectively severing the ties between the boy and his blood relations. The wards would no longer work now that Harry knew there was someone in his life who wished to provide him a home and unconditional love.

Perhaps he should have realized Petunia Dursley would be unable to get over her resentment of her sister. But Albus had hoped Harry might be treated with something like civility. He had reached out to Sirius about forming some sort of compromise regarding Harry’s living situation and had been rebuffed with a list of all the Dursleys’ transgressions regarding their nephew.

And then Sirius had presented him with a far more pressing matter.

“Harry will be staying with me at the Black Ancestral Home. I’ve asked Remus to be the Secret Keeper, and we’ll be performing the charm tomorrow,” Sirius had explained as he paced in front of Albus’ desk late the night after he had taken full guardianship of the boy. “Before that happens, we’ll be clearing out the house of any dark artifacts. My family had quite the collection.”

“I can well imagine.”

“The thing is, there’s one I’d like your opinion on. It belonged to Regulus, or he acquired it at least.” A somber look had crossed the young man’s face for a moment before he’d withdrawn a golden locket with the S of Salazar Slytherin emblazoned on it. “He charged our family’s Elf with destroying it, and Kreacher’s been unable to all these years.”

Albus had stared at it, transfixed in both wonder and horror. Could it really be true? “Does Kreacher know how your brother obtained this locket?”

“He says it was Voldemort’s, but when I ask him more about it he clams up. Gets too upset.”

“It’s good you brought this to my attention, Sirius. Despite our disagreements, something of Lord Voldemort’s should not be treated lightly.” He had stood up and come around the desk. “If I may, I must ask you to borrow this for a time so that I may identify it and, if possible, determine how to destroy it.”

Sirius had nodded. “The further it’s kept from Harry, the better. I haven’t told him about the war yet. Petunia told him James and Lily died in a car crash.” His shoulders had slumped. “I know I need to soon, but he’s just so happy to be away from those horrid people right now. He’s making friends, learning. And it’s hard, going back there…”

Albus had taken the locket from Sirius and placed a hand on his shoulder. “When the time is right, you will tell him. And I think that you may be a better judge of that than me. For the meantime, I’m sure you wish to return to your godson.”

Sirius had nodded and left soon after.

For the remaining days in August, Albus had studied the locket; how it worked, what it could withstand. He at last came to the inevitable conclusion that it was precisely what he feared: a Horcrux.

He had long wondered how Voldemort had vanished that Halloween night, no body to show a mortal end. Tom Riddle had feared death too much to leave things to chance, and a Horcrux was the logical if reprehensible choice.

That Regulus Black, a young and relatively inexperienced Death Eater, had managed to retrieve such an object worried him. It made him think that perhaps Voldemort was not relying solely on a single Horcrux to ensure his survival. But for such a thing to be true…

He would need to find the means to destroy the locket, then wait and see what his sources told him about Voldemort’s movements, weak as they currently were. If nothing changed, it would mean something worse was waiting for the Wizarding World. Harry Potter’s role in the fight to save it might not yet be over.

For now, though, the unexpected capture of Peter Pettigrew had provided a reprieve for a number of lives so marred by tragedy. Perhaps time would continue to be kind or perhaps not, but there was no reason they shouldn’t take advantage of happier days.

It never hurt to have hope when dark times arrived.

#hp #peter pettigrew #arthur weasley #sirius black #harry potter #ginny weasley #albus dumbledore #molly weasley #amos diggory #remus lupin #minerva mcgonagall #petunia dursley #kreacher #my writing

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killergreenbug · 5 years ago

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How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes Inside my House and Yard

Mosquitoes can be one of the most annoying bugs out there, especially when you want to go outside with your family. Even more so, mosquitoes can actually be dangerous as many carry disease and can spread unwanted viruses. You may have noticed that you have an excess of mosquitoes in your yard, forcing you to use repellents or sprays.

How to get rid of mosquitoes inside your house and yard? The best way to cut down the number of mosquitoes in your yard or home is to find the root cause and take measures against them, like this:

Inside the House

Outside in the Yard

Fix Your Screens and Doors

Drain Any Areas with Standing Water

Natural Mosquito Solutions

Clean Up Yard Debris

Ultrasonic Pest Repellant

Clean Out Clogged Drains

Repelling Plants

Treat Water Features with BTI

Make Natural Repelling Sprays

Mow Your Yard

Mosquito Traps

Treat Yard with Repellant

Use a Zapper Near Your Doors

Add Cedar Mulch to Landscaping

Coffee Grounds

Change Up Your Outdoor Lights

Consult a Professional

Increase Your Bat Population

Use Fans in Your Yard and Porch

Add Mosquito Repelling Plants

Once the cause of the insects is found, homeowners can work to repel the bugs from their yard. There are several chemical and natural ways of repelling mosquitoes that are effective. Let’s take a look at each of these causes and the measures to rid your house and yard of mosquitoes.

Getting Rid of Mosquitoes in Your Yard

The biggest reason you are finding mosquitoes in your home is that they are abundant outside of your home in your yard or landscaping. If you cannot go outside for longer than a few minutes without getting bit, you probably have an issue.

While you can use repellents, you may want to avoid subjecting yourself and your family to these sprays due to their chemicals or ingredients.

Instead of solely relying on repellents, you should find the key reason why mosquitoes are frequenting your yard. Removing the cause of the bugs is the best way to lower your bug count significantly. There are a few top reasons why mosquitoes are choosing your yard for their home.

Drain Any Areas with Standing Water

Mosquitoes love water, specifically standing water, which is their top choice for breeding sites to lay their eggs. While you may not have an abundance of water or you may not even know that you have any standing water at all.

However, these bugs can find even the smallest amount of water to lay their eggs, and the pupae can grow in something as small as a bottle cap.

You should look around your yard and drain any standing water you find. If you find objects that may be vessels for stagnant water, you should turn them over or dispose of them properly. Just some things that you should look for and check for water are:

Wheelbarrows

Tires

Birdbaths

Outdoor Pet Bowls

Buckets

Flowerpots

Grill covers

Trash Can Lids

Pools

Gutters

Watering Cans

Puddles Near Faucets

Property Depressions

Since mosquitoes spend 75% of their life cycle in water, you should do your best to remove any water possible from your yard. If you have a pool or water source that you do not want to drain, you should keep a filtration system or chlorine in the water. Truly, any area with water can become a breeding site for mosquitoes.

Clean Up Yard Debris

As with water, yard debris is something that many have that mosquitoes will love. They seek shelter from the elements where they can, which can be practically anywhere with an insect so small. However, one area that they tend to frequent when they need shelter is yard debris.

Just some things you should look out for in your yards are:

Grass Clippings

Leave Piles

Twigs, Branches, Sticks, or Wood Piles

Compost

Uncut Grass

Clean Out Clogged Drains

If you have not cleaned your drains and gutters for some time, this is the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Uncleaned gutters and drains have everything a mosquito loves: leaves, twigs, and debris along with trapped water. They are the perfect home and protection, while also having the breeding water needed.

Add BTI Treatments to Water

As mentioned, you should deal with any standing water in your yard appropriately. In many cases, this simply means cleaning up your yard and dumping out this water. However, if you have a pond or creek near your home, this is not nearly as simple and can be a big cause of the insect.

You can add a BTI or bacillus thuringiensis israelensis treatment for mosquitoes to your water. This is a small, solid, naturally occurring bacterial larvicide that can be added to standing water that is unable to be drained. These treatments are perfect for retention ponds, ditches, rain barrels, creeks, and more.

You can find these BTI treatments in a few different forms, but they are all safe for aquatic plants, animals, and humans. They simply kill the breeding mosquito larvae before they can wreak havoc on your yard and home.

Mow Your Yard

While you may keep your lawn fairly well-manicured, it is important that you keep this up all summer long. You should keep your yard mowed nicely, trees and shrubs trimmed, and clear out any low-lying brush. Any piles of leaves or branches should be removed from your yard, as well.

Treat Yard with Repellant

There are several types of insect and mosquito repellants out there that you can purchase to add to your yard. Many of these are sprayed on with a simple garden sprayer and can be added to your yard, shrubbery, etc. You should always check to see exactly how the repellant you chose should be applied and how long that it lasts for mosquitoes.

If you would rather not handle this on your own, you can hire a professional to do this work for you. Some companies offer stronger repellents that can be added to your yard or are more educated on where to spray. Of course, this can be more costly than doing this process on your own but can also be more effective.

Add Cedar Mulch to Landscaping

If you have areas of landscaping, you can add cedar mulch to these areas for added protection. This is perfect around most vegetation and garden areas because it keeps moisture in the soil. This mulch will also soak up any excess moisture, improve the appearance of your vegetation, and, most importantly repel mosquitoes.

Cedar is actually a common ingredient in many repellants, which means it is very effective. Adding this mulch will help keep mosquitoes clear from these areas and repel them from nesting there.

Change Up Your Outdoor Lights

This is something that many do not think of, but like most bugs, mosquitoes are attracted to lights. More specifically insects love incandescent lighting and changing this can lower the number of insects on your porch or near your home. You should change these lights to fluorescents, LED, yellow bug lights, or sodium lights.

Also, since these lights are usually near entryways, this can lower the number of insects entering your home. While we will further discuss indoor mosquito issues, entering through these doorways is a big issue.

Increase Your Bat Population

Bats hunt and eat most of the noctural pests we want to get rid of.

While having bats in your yard may seem intimidating, they are harmless to humans and can be a huge benefit when it comes to wiping out your bug issue. While bats eat a variety of insects each night, they can also eat thousands of mosquitoes each night (from 6 to 8 thousand each night per bat). To bring in more bats, you can purchase or build a bat house and attach it to a sunny, open area of your yard.

Use Fans in Your Yard and Porch

Mosquitoes are very small and lightweight insects, which means they can be blown away by even a slight breeze. Adding fans to your porch is a great way to lower the number of mosquitoes because they simply cannot enter the porch area with the breeze going. You can place a few fans in common areas of your porch to keep mosquitoes away from you or your guests.

Add Mosquito Repelling Plants

A great, natural way to repel mosquitoes from your yard and your porch are by using certain plants. These can easily be added to your landscaping or vegetation, and you will find the mosquitoes do their best to avoid these plants. You can also put these plants in pots around your porch to further repel the insects from this common area. Just some of the many great plants for repelling mosquitoes are:

Citronella Grass

Lavender

Basil

Catmint

Rosemary

Garlic

Bee Balm’

Cadaga Trees

Cedars

Lemon Scented Geraniums, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Lemon Verbena, Lemon Eucalyptus, Lemon Thyme

Marigolds

Pitcher Plants

Mint

You probably noticed the abundance of lemon products, which is simply because lemon is a key scent of removing mosquitoes. If you live in an area where lemon trees can flourish, this is always an option for your yard as well. Also, many of the ingredients found in repellents come from plants, which can be added to your yard for repelling properties, like citronella.

Dealing with Mosquitoes Inside of Your Home

There is nothing more annoying than relaxing at home and feeling that painful bite of a mosquito. Mainly these pests are found outside of the home, but they tend to make their way inside during the summer months. While we have deeply discussed how to deal with mosquitoes in your yard, we have yet to discuss what you should do when these pests make their way inside.

As mentioned several times, I will say it once again, the best way to deal with mosquitoes inside the home is to find the root cause of them outside of the home. There is very rarely an excess of mosquitoes indoors if you do not have an abundance of the outdoors. Using the previously described methods and finding the cause of the bugs is the best way to lower the chance of them getting inside.

Of course, you may be questioning why mosquitoes in your home that are bad, aside from the annoyance of the insect. Just some reasons you must keep mosquitoes from becoming abundant in your home are:

They can carry serious diseases.

They can affect air quality

They can affect your drinking water

How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes Indoors

While dealing with the yard is the first step, you may still have mosquitoes inside of your home. It can also take some time for your mosquito number to lower and the unwanted mosquitoes coming inside of your home to end. Some ways that you can lower the number of mosquitoes entering your home and keep them out are:

Fix Your Screens and Doors

As if we have not said it enough, mosquitoes usually come into your home from outdoors. You should always keep your doors shut when you are not going in or out, especially when mosquitoes have been an issue for your home. This is even more important in the evening times when mosquitoes become more prevalent.

If you have windows that you keep open regularly, you should have window screens on them. These screens need to have very small holes and no large tears or holes that mosquitoes can fit through. Doors that have screens should also be intact so that bugs cannot enter your home through these areas.

Natural Mosquito Solutions

If you have done your best to stop any outdoor issues and have stopped mosquitoes from entering your home. You should address the bugs that are in your home already and add some natural mosquito repellents. There are several safe, natural ways to repel mosquitoes in your home, such as:

Ultrasonic Bug or Pest Repellent

These are easy to use repellent that simply plugs into your normal outlet and helps lower the number of pests in your home. These ultrasonic bug repellents can easily be purchased online and added to your home to lower the number of mosquitoes. They also work well to remove other insects and mice.

Repelling Plants

There are many plants that you can plant outside of your home to repel the insects, but you can also bring many of these indoors. Tulsi is a great plant for killing mosquito larvae and keeping the bugs away, simply plant the shrub near your home. Basil is a great option for indoor planting that helps repel the bugs and can be used in your home. You can also make a basil spray using the essential oil around your home.

Make Natural Repelling Sprays

You can use a lot of essential oils to help repel the mosquitoes, and they can easily be sprayed around your home to lower the number of insects. Garlic can be boiled in water and then poured into a spray bottle, which can then be sprayed around the home for insect repellent. Tea tree oil is another great repellent that you can spray around your home or even apply diluted to the skin to help keep mosquitoes from biting you.

Mosquito Traps

You can find mosquito traps online or at many local supermarkets, and you can trap the mosquitoes that are in your home. You can even create your own trap by using a plastic bottle that has been cut in half, flipped, and then inserted into the bottom of the bottle like a funnel. Create a sugar and water mixture to pour into the bottom half of the bottle; mosquitoes will enter and cannot exit the trap.

Coffee Grounds

If you have stagnant water around your home from a storm or leak, this is a big reason that mosquitoes will frequent your home and can use the water as a breeding ground. If you have a basement that tends to get wet or even has water buildup, you should do your best to clean this area as often as possible. However, if you occasionally have standing water around the perimeter of your home after storms, you can simply throw coffee grounds inside because it will kill any eggs that mosquitoes may lay.

Use a Zapper Near Your Doors

Everyone has seen those classic bug zappers that are designed to attract bugs and zap them. These are primarily kept outdoors and used near porches. You can put a zapper near your doorways to help kill any mosquitoes that are trying to enter your home.

There are also zappers that can be used indoor your home, but these can be questionable. If you have small children, this is probably not a great option as they may mess with the light. Often, the best option is to put these zappers near entryways to help lower the number of bugs entering your home as you go in and out each day.

Consult a Professional

If you have tried everything inside and outside of your home to remove mosquitoes but are still struggling with this, you should consult an expert. There are many pest companies out there who can help with killing mosquitoes. You should find a reputable company in your area that can help you with handling this mosquito issue properly. While this is more costly than many of the other options mentioned, it can be the most effective option.

#home #landscaping #gardening #all natural #pest control

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