#i gave the dog to the researcher cause she was closest and spoke about being lonely. but i dunno of there was another option

[zincbot]

been playing dredge! i really love it

[asterroidd]

tempt fortune

↬ Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Reader

↬ Word count: 4.5k

↬ Warning/s: swearing, mentions of sex, alcohol, slight NSFW (?)

↬ Synopsis: Too deep in an argument with Hange in attempts to prove you are—in fact—not a virgin, you’ve accidentally lied blurted out that you and Levi are in a relationship.

↬ Notes: Tysm for the request anon! I had way too much fun with this prompt lol.

↬ Minors do not interact. Go away, shoo shoo!

8th prompt:  “I can’t believe you told them you were my fiancé.”

   The night was murky and dark with only the shine of the moon serving as a way to illuminate the streets of the city. Trees stripped bare as a sign of the forthcoming change of seasons, and a milky white fog had encompassed the city’s canals and dark alleyways. The crisp, cold air makes the hair on your skin stood up and shiver despite the layers of clothing you wore.

    Though, that feeling will dissipate away as soon as the bitter taste of alcohol hits your taste buds and enter your system.

    Earlier that day, Hange and Petra had invited you to a night out to the local pub to wash away the fears and tension of being soldiers of the Survey Corps. A guilty pleasure of some sort, just a way to rid the jitters of being eaten by a titan outside the walls. Despite the three of you being veterans, neither of you could ever shake the feeling of death’s cold hands resting on top of your shoulder.

    That said, two of your best friends walked alongside you. Arms hooked with one another for warmth and for comfort. Soon enough, the three of you arrived at the destined place: the pub.

    There are a couple of tables already taken, but the place is not too full. Even with that, the pub is still quite energetic; with men hollering and throwing their heads back as they chat with one another, weak threats that are carelessly thrown around by drunk individuals looking for a mock fight, and of course the iconic clink of glasses against one another as toast.

    “What are we drinking tonight?” Petra asked. She claimed a seat at an empty table, in which you and Hanji followed suit.

    “Whiskey!” Hange announced to which brought a grin on your face.

    "Getting wasted, I see.“ You shrugged your jacket off and placed it neatly by your side. "Isn’t it Petra’s turn to treat us?”

    The female in question instantly whipped her head to face you, a shocked look evident on her face. “I don’t recall making such promises.”

    "You sure did!“ Hanji added. "We made a bet weeks ago. Debating whether or not Erwin grooms his eyebrows every morning.”

    "In which we won, by the way.“ you said with a smug look on your face. "The commander does indeed groom it and even has a special comb for it.”

     “Not fair!” Petra pouted, pushing her bottom lip out and giving Hange the puppy dog eyes in attempts to save her poor wallet. Which was futile, the brunette stuck her tongue out and shook her head. While Petra and Hange continued with their debacle, you took it upon yourself to call the attention of a barmaid. She gave you a beaming smile, her golden locks neatly tied into a bun and crow’s feet visible beneath her eyes. She approached the table wherein the three of you are situated.

   “Two bottles of whiskey and three mugs please,” you spoke, not even bothering to wait for her to speak up. She nodded before strolling towards the counter to prepare your order.

   Petra slumped her weight onto the table as she heaved a sigh in defeat. “Fine. It’s my treat tonight.”

   You and Hange cheered in delight, successfully evading a huge loss of money given that whiskey is quite expensive. The continuous catastrophic storms that beleaguered the farmlands had made an extensive disastrous effect on the supply of barley and wheat. Which, like a domino effect, limits the supply of whiskey within the walls. Increasing the price of the said beverage more than two-fold.

   It was a good thing that you put faith in your instincts and thus won the bet.

   “How’s the research going, Hanji?” Petra changed the topic.

   The brunette let out a drained sigh, “Levi had to kill Hughes.”

   “Hughes?” You piped in. “The eight-meter class aberrant titan we caught last time?”

   Hange nodded, “He was a good man. An honest man.” She spoke of the titan as if it was her long lost husband that died in a war.

   Then, she started blabbering on and on about the experiments she had done to the beast; piercing its eye to count the regeneration time, plucking one of its teeth out to see if it would disintegrate, and many more.

   You would’ve stopped her then and there if it weren’t for the barmaid approaching your table with a tray of glass and two bottles of whiskey. You internally cheered, Hange had told stories about Hughes a couple of times already that you basically had memorized it all.

  The three of you wasted no time in popping one of the bottles and pouring the bitter liquid into the cups.

  "To friendship. And condolences to Petra’s wallet.“ You raised your glass up to which the two mirrored. With one satisfying clink of the glass, you swallowed down its contents in one gulp. Your face contorting in an unattractive expression as the alcohol slid down your throat.

   "I was planning to buy a book that I wanted. But it looks like it would have to wait for the time being,” Petra said, pouring another glass of whiskey.

  "Pshh,“ your brunette friend snorted. "You have Oluo to buy anything you want.”

    Instantly, blood rushed to Petra’s face upon hearing the male’s name.

    You joined in the teasing. “Oh yeah. You two are a thing. Now, aren’t you?” 

   “We’re not!” your friend slammed her fists on the wooden table. “We’re just friends!”

   “Oh really?” Hange swished the whiskey around the glass. “That’s not what I heard the other night.”

   She leaned in close to whisper. “I heard moans coming out of his room.”

   Petra sucked in a breath in shock, her eyes widening in shock and mouth slightly agape. “I- it’s not…it’s–” she said but she was a stuttering mess.

   “Already in that stage, I see.” You playfully nudged her. It was an ongoing comical joke in the base that Oluo and Petra are in a romantic relationship after the male flat out publicly confessed to her one night in the mess hall. The room immediately erupted in a mess as howls and catcalls are heard. Ever since then, both of them are continuously teased.

    “Say, (____)…” Hange trailed off, her fingers curling around the shot glass. Gulping the remaining liquid down her throat before continuing, “Are you a virgin?”

    You let out an inhumane sound in shock. Borderline choking as you tried to swallow down the whiskey caught in your throat. Petra saw your discomfort in which she assisted you by lightly patting you on the back as you coughed air out.

   “What kind of question is that?” you said after your body stopped jerking.

   Hanji gave you a lop-sided smile. “Just that we are nearing our thirties. Who knows when we’ll breathe our final breath? The least we could do is experience getting laid before that happens.”

   “Well, are you a virgin?” You answered with a question.

   Hange rests her chin on top of her open palm. “Nope, though it was a one night stand.”

   You sweat buckets, you never had someone popped your cherry before, let alone a serious relationship that is romantic.

   Are you the only one left that hasn’t got laid?

   But it’s not your fault! You were just too caught up with military services that love never crossed your mind

   Or did it?

   Your mind wanders off to daydream about the small and petty crush you have with a certain captain.

    There is just something so captivating about the way his silver eyes met yours the first time you saw him. How his raven hair looks neat every time and you could only guess how soft it would be to touch. Not to mention his impeccable skill with the 3dmg maneuver gear and its blades.

   Yes, it was none other than Captain Levi himself. But it was all just a petty crush! A small rosebud of admiration that had blossomed as you fought alongside the male and got to know him better each passing day.

    “Well?” Hange snapped you out of your thoughts. “Have you or have you not gotten laid?”

    You cleared your throat, you didn’t want to look foolish in front of your friends. Given that the two of them had their own fair share of experience in the topic. They would tease the hell out of you and soon enough, the whole base would do as well.

   Lieutenant (____), the virgin soldier. You don’t want things to be that way.

    “O-of course I did,” you puffed your chest out more to elicit fake confidence.

   Petra cooed, “Really? With who?”

   You thought of the closest male in your personal bubble. “Levi!”

   To say that the two were shocked was an understatement. They were both flabbergasted. Never in a million years would they expect that you and Levi had a relationship, let alone sexual intercourse. The two, in fact, never saw him and you close enough that would draw out a romantic vibe. So they are completely blown away and confused at the same time.

   “Bullshit,” Hange said. “Shorty is one lonely man that has no love in his system.”

   “I-is too!” you stuttered out, hand flailing around in panic. “In fact, he is my fiancé.”

   Okay, that might be a stretch.

   Petra slammed her hands against the table to which garnered half of the customers’ attention. “Get out! No way!”

   “Yes way!” You countered. So far so good, now all you had to do is convince them that you and Levi are actually a thing. Which was easier said than done since you would need to bribe or annoy the male enough that he would give in to your pleas.

   Though, Hange is still unimpressed as evident with her pouting lips and furrowed eyebrows. “Prove it then, show us that the shorty and you are actually a thing. I would bet half of my salary this month if you could show us that Levi is capable of love.”

   “Bring it on four-eyes!”

   And so begins the downfall of your life.

    Levi had a sick feeling in his gut; a hunch that for the next few hours, he would have a shitty day. However, he couldn’t say for sure what would cause such disturbance to his day. His gut feelings were never wrong, it was an innate sense that he had ever since he lived in the Underground. So he was sure something would happen, he’d have to be more careful.

    That said, he instantly regretted the way he jinxed himself.

   There you are, standing outside of his office at two in the morning. Your fingers fiddled with the hem of your shirt, constantly shifting your weight from one foot to another as you refuse to make eye contact with Levi. Bashful eyes kept staring down at your feet whilst you find the words to make one coherent sentence.

   “I have something important to discuss with you,” you murmured to which Levi quirked a brow. What did you want now that it couldn’t wait until the sun rose up in the sky?

   The male crossed his arms across his chest, leaning his weight on the doorway. “What is it?”

   “Please pretend to be my lover.”

   Levi blinked, his eyes widening and mouth hanging open slightly. Though, he regained back his usual composure in a split second. He narrowed his eyes at you.

   You want him to do what now? Is this some kind of prank or sick joke that you thought of?

   Taking note of his silence, you decided to explain to him your situation that needs his immediate cooperation and attention.

   “You see…” you sucked in a breath. “I kind of lied to Hange and Petra that I got laid and it was you who actually took my virginity. Hange didn’t believe a word that I said and uhh-… Things got out of hand and I told them I was your fiancé.”

   What?

   Levi sighed through his nose, an exasperated expression on his face. “So this is what it’s all about.”

   “Yes. And now I need you to play along and pretend to be my significant other.”

   The male scrunched his face up in disgust, “I can’t believe you told them you were my fiancé.”

   You fought back a sob, “Please. I beg of you, Levi.”

   “No.” Levi shook his head. “No way. Don’t drag me in your own bullshit.”

   The male was about to close his door but you grabbed him by his sleeve. Clutching on it until your knuckles turned white. You couldn’t just let him shut you out without agreeing to play along. You’d do whatever it takes just to get Levi to pretend to be your lover.

  "I’ll buy you the expensive black tea.“

   His ears twitched, now that piqued Levi’s interest. You smirked as he froze, you knew that he has a soft spot for tea. And tasty, expensive ones at that matter.

    Levi chewed on his bottom lip while he pondered over his next words. The male was supposed to be keeping his hands busy by signing and writing the documents that started to pile high up on top of his desk due to Hanji dumping her workload on him. Levi sighed through his nose, fingers massaging his temple. "How long?”

   “What?” You tilted your head to the side.

   “Tch.” Levi clicked his tongue. “How long do I need to pretend to be your lover?”

   Levi swore that the minute he let go of those words, stars danced in your eyes.

  "We just need to convince the others.“

  "And then?” He asked.

  "And then? What. . ?“

  Levi internally groaned and rolled his eyes. Was it really worth the risk?

  "Are you expecting that we keep the act up?”

  Oh, so that is what he meant by it.

  "Well,“ you rubbed your chin with your fingers in deep thought. "We could stop the acting after a few weeks? We’ll just tell them we’re too busy and shit that we couldn’t maintain the relationship anymore.”

  Levi shrugged. “Sounds good enough to me.”

  You squealed in delight as you threw your arms around his neck, showering him with gratitude and compliments.

   Looks like black tea does the trick.

   The sun already rose from its slumber, showering the lands with its soft rays of light. Levi had a scowl ever-present on his face as soon as he stepped out of his office room. He knew that something was wrong. Something out of place as he sensed the change in the atmosphere of the base that would normally be heavy and tense.

  Still, he persisted on shrugging the thought off and continued with his daily morning routine: which is to quickly brew a cup of tea before the mess hall becomes full with people. Levi walked down the halls, a handful of soldiers are already awake and fully clothed with the Survey Corps uniform. They gave him one brief and firm salute as he passed by them. Though, Levi swore that he could hear them whispering amongst themselves.

  When the male arrived at the mess hall, he was surprised to see most of the superiors—along with his squad—are mingling with one another at a table. His mind screamed danger, telling his body to turn around and hide in the comforts of his office. However, Levi wasn’t going to give up his morning cup of tea just because he felt uneasy.

   He slid inside like a shadow, going unnoticed by most of his friends that was too energetic today for his tastes. They were chatting loudly about miniscule things; the weather, training later on the day, gear inspection that needs to be done, and the like.

   Levi wished that he would be overlooked, that their banter would be noisy enough that he could peacefully grab a cup of tea and run back to his office. Though that wishful thinking of his soon come crashing down when Hange’s cheery voice called out to him.

  “Mornin’ shorty! Come sit here beside us! We already have tea brewed for you!”

  Levi internally groaned, gripping the empty cup in his hands tighter. The brunette just had to have an innate sense in locating where Levi is. Reluctantly, he left the porcelain behind and walked towards the table. You were nowhere to be found, which was a huge relief for him since Levi doesn’t want to see your face first thing in the morning.

  “What’s with the shit-eating grin?” he took a seat beside Erwin.

  “(____) told me something important last night,” Hange wiggled her shoulders.

  He narrowed his eyes at her, “What do you mean?”

  Levi heard Erwin laughing beside him, the blond’s shoulders bouncing up and down. He then placed one palm on top of Levi’s shoulder.

  “Congratulations, Levi! Didn’t knew you were engaged.“

  Hold the fuck up. What?

  Then it dawned on him. He remembered you outside his office in the wee hours of the morning, begging him to play along with your petty bullshit just for the sake of preserving your dignity among your peers.

  Levi couldn’t believe that he would start acting right away. He haven’t had a sip of his morning tea. 

  “Yeah,” he said, eyeing the cup of tea that Eld placed in front of him. Levi doubts that any of them could perfectly brew tea that would meet his standards.

  “What?” Oluo joined in the conversation. “So it’s true then?”

  Levi grumbled, taking a sip of the leaf infused hot liquid. He relished the dark and malty taste of it sliding down his esophagus before responding. “Any problem with that?”

  The male shifted in his seat, “N-no, sir… Just that I am shocked.”

  “We all are,” Erwin chuckled. “We never expected it.”

  “You are a man of a few words, after all.” Petra added. “Still, we are happy for you, captain!”

  Levi stayed silent, if he knew that by accepting your bribery would open Pandora’s box of headache and irritation in his life, then he wouldn’t have agreed to it. Still, he was hopeful that only those close to him are informed of the arrangement. That you wouldn’t go so far as to spread the news around the base. 

  Scratch that. Everyone knew that Levi is your fiancé.

  By the time midday rolled around, Levi was the center of attention much to his displeasure. Of all the years he had served in the military, never did he expect that one small arrangement done at two a.m. would have dire consequences.

  All for the black tea. Levi chanted in his mind. Dealing with this bullshit for a box full of expensive black tea.

  Whispers could be heard, though he paid no attention to it, dead set on finding you to ask what in the ever-loving fuck is going through your brain for letting everyone know.

  Ah, speak of the devil. There you are, by the horses’ stables. Your hands reaching up to caress the nose of your horse, a giggle escaping your lips as its tongue darted out to tickle you.

  “(____),” he called out.

  You whipped your head around to the sound. Then your smile grew wider as you saw it was Levi.

  “Hey!” you replied while wiping your wet hand on a towel. “What’s up?”

  The male groaned, you are too casual about it.

  “Care to explain why does everyone in the base knew that we are engaged?” The word rolled off his tongue like venom. “I thought it was only Hanji and Petra?”

  Your smile wavered down, replaced by a bashful one. “Well uhh-…you see. Hanji kind of started the rumors which quickly spread like wildfire.”

  “So it’s not my fault,” you threw your hands up.

  Levi sighed exasperatedly. He should’ve known that the source would be four eyes. The brunette had caused more trouble than Levi could count within his fingers. He recounted countless times where she knocked on death’s door willingly when Hange placed her head inside a titan’s mouth. Who does that?

   A maniac with a death wish, and that is what Hange is.

  “Never mind that,” you trailed off, motioning the male to come closer. He rolled his eyes before obliging. “I have a plan that could finally get Hange off the radar,” you continued.

  “And that would be?”

  You looked side by side, eyes scanning the surroundings in case someone is eavesdropping. Once you considered the coast was clear, you told Levi the plan. “Hanji would be dropping off a stack of paperwork later this evening.”

  Levi doesn’t already like where this is going.

  “We could pretend to have sex in your office, loud enough for her to hear it. That for sure would convince her.”

  You wanted to do what now?

  “Wait, hold on.” Levi shook his head, slowly trying to digest your words. “You want us to have sex?”

  “We’re not really going to do it!” you slapped his shoulder blades. “Just create some noise and thuds here and there to make it seem like we are doing it.”

  The male internally groaned before hesitantly agreeing with your plan. If it means that this stupid fabrication of a relationship would be done, he’d follow suit.

  You could hear the loud pounding of your heart inside your ribcage as you sat on one of the chairs in Levi’s office. Patiently, waiting for the fated moment where Hange would be knocking on the door. Butterflies flew around in your stomach, you couldn’t believe that Levi would actually cooperate with the stupid plan you had just conjured up at a moment’s notice.

  The thought of him moaning and grunting made your core burn with desire. As much as you want to calm yourself, you couldn’t help but stir up images and scenes in your mind as to how Levi would look like while having sex. You don’t know which was a better view: him on top of you or you riding him.

  Heat rushed to your cheeks at the thought. Why does he have to be so goddamn sexy that you couldn’t resist the man?

  “Oi,” Levi called out to you. Though, his eyes never left the paper in his hands as he scanned it. “Quiet down will you? Your foot tapping against the floor irritates me.”

  Oh, it was a mindless action of yours when you get too nervous. By bouncing your legs up and down, it helps you calm down and ignore the growing pit of anxiety in your stomach. Nonetheless, you mumbled a quick apology to the male then resorted to fumbling with the collars of your uniform.

  Soon enough, you heard the soft humming of Hange outside, her footsteps increasing in sound as she draws near the door. You and Levi looked at each other, it was showtime.

  You abruptly stood up, arms flailing around as you glanced between the male and the door. Wait, what do you need to do again? And why is Levi still sitting in his chair and not doing anything?

  “Levaii!” Hange knocked. “I got more paperwork for you!”

  The doorknob rattled, but you instantly had the metal in your grasp in attempts to keep the female out of the room.

  “Huh…?” you could hear Hange utter. “Levi?”

  In a panicked state, your mind blanked out as words fail to escape your lips. You shot a pleading look to Levi, to which he rose a brow.

  Help me you bitch! You mouthed.

  He shot you a confused look. It’s your plan, do it, the male mouthed back.

  You gulped down your saliva, shaky hands gripping the doorknob tighter as the brunette jostle it. Time seemed to stop as you suddenly remember one hole in the plan. One important thing that you have overlooked that could potentially blow your cover.

  You don’t know how to moan.

   A soft whine emanated from your throat. The things you have to do just to preserve your dignity.

   “DON’T COME IN! WE’RE uh-… WE’RE HAVING SEX!” you shouted on top of your lungs, too distressed to rethink your words all over again. But now it was too late.

  “W-what?” Hange’s voice was muffled by the wooden door.

   “Levi. Moan. Now.” You whispered, practically begging the male for his help.

   “Why do I have to moan?” he stood up and made his way around the desk to approach you.

   “JUST-… Just create one sexual sound! A grunt, a moan, a whine! I don’t care. Just make a sound.”

   Levi shot you an irked expression, his nose crinkling up. It’s not that he doesn’t know how to moan (unlike a certain someone), but because he had the initial thought that you would be moaning and Levi would be just hitting the wooden desk over and over again to elicit sex noises. Still, he felt his heart strings being pulled as he looked at your eyes with tears threatening to fall out of them. Your tearducts filled to the brim with the salty liquid. Levi would be a good guy for once, right? 

    He would surely regret his future actions. Big time.

   With a sigh, the male pulled you along with him to the couch. His hands guiding your hips to sit on top of his lap whilst he smashed his lips with yours. Air got caught in your throat as Levi’s hands roamed around—exploring every inch of your body—while his mouth moved in attempts to get yours to move also. You never expected that he would be pressing his lips against yours in a heated dance—a wet one at that matter. Levi’s tongue kept darting and swiping at your bottom lip, which was an oddly delightful sensation that it makes you want to—

  “Hngghh…”

  Moan.

  Your hands curled up, clutching Levi’s shirt and wrinkling it up in the process. Pleasure clouded your mind as hormones took over your system. Testing the waters, you opened your mouth—just a slight—so that his pink muscle could enter your wet cavern. And heavens above, it was such a blissful experience.

  Levi exhaled into the kiss to which the air slightly ticked your cheeks. He used one hand to bring your head closer to his so that he could taste more of you, while the other started peeling the jacket off of you, going just past your shoulder blades. A quiet moan slipped past your lips once again.

  “Okay, I call bullshit. I am entering,” Hange announced, prying open the doors only to gasp loudly upon seeing the scene before her. “OH. YOU WERE SERIOUS?”

  Levi broke away to glare at the brunette, “Tch. Do you mind? Four eyes?”

   You are in such a daze that you find yourself staring at Levi’s lips. In that brief moment, you already missed the feeling of his mouth against yours. 

   The female blinked, too stunned as she stared at the both of you. One powerless lieutenant, with your first few buttons undone and jacket slipping down, sitting on Levi’s lap. Your lower area flush against the male’s ever-growing erection. Not to mention the bewildered expression that you have with a lewd undertone. Hange swore that she saw a string of saliva between yours and Levi’s lips.

   “Ah yes. I’ll just place these here, no biggie. Hehe.” The brunette let out an awkward laugh, placing the stacks of paper in the corner of the room. “Have fun you two!”

  That said, Hange left the room. Her steps were heavy against the cobblestone floor as she rushed away from the vicinity. A grin on her face as she thought of spreading the news that you and Levi are doing at the moment in his room. Not even minding that she lost the bet with you since you had proved to her that indeed the captain is capable of love. A juicy information such as this is worth half of her salary for the month.

   Levi brought your attention to him by kissing you once again. This time, with more force as he pried your mouth open once again with his tongue alone. It was a slippery battle; one-sided, in fact, considering that you weren’t fighting back. You simply let him wrestle with your tongue, yours and his saliva mixing in the process.

  Damn, you really couldn’t hold your moan in this time.

  “Would you look at that?” Levi pulled away. “You know how to moan, after all.”

  You swore, the tips of his lips curled upwards in a small smirk and there was a dark glint in his eyes.

  “Wh-Wha—” you were a loss for words. “What did you—…What was that?”

  “It’s a kiss, dumbass.”

  “That’s not what I meant! Y-your tongue—”

  He rose a brow at you. “What about it?”

  You sealed your mouth shut, heat rushing to your face in embarrassment. “Just… just don’t do that again.”

  Levi kept a firm grip on your waist as you wriggled. “Shut up, you obviously liked it. You even opened your mouth.”

  “Did not!”

  “Then why did you moaned into the kiss?”

  You suck in a breath, cat catching your tongue.

  “Though so…” he murmured, diving into your neck to pepper it with light kisses. Head too filled with pleasure, you gripped his shirt in your closed fists as you let out one shaky breath. It takes all of your nerves just to swallow that one moan threatening to come out.

  “Hng- Levi. You could stop now, Hange saw us already.”

  He hummed, pulling back slightly to gaze into your eyes. There was a hint of lust hidden within his silver orbs. You gulped, finding yourself wrapped around his fingers.

   “Why won’t we make your lie come true?” Levi sunk his teeth in your neck.

   Guess who is getting laid tonight.

[starlocked01]

Not So Grim as She Seems

AO3 @tsshipmonth2020

Masterpost- Previous- Next

Day 3 Analogical- You and your Soulmate own an animal that only you can see 

Virgil did not like Nox at all. Not at first.

Nox was the name he'd given to the terrifying giant black dog that would follow him around every so often. No one else ever saw Nox, and having been raised on tales of Grims and other magical omens, the first time he saw the dog he'd run home and cried. He didn't want to die so young.

After seeing the dog several more times, young Virgil had finally made the connection that the animal wasn't a magical death omen, but rather a soul animal. He'd named her after his favorite spell but still kept his distance. The black eyes sparkling from within the dark black fur were still scary, even if they didn't mean death.

On his 11th birthday, he got his letter to Ilvermorny. Virgil sat on the swingset in the backyard after the birthday party guests had left, staring at the sheet of paper. He'd known it was coming, his whole family was Magic and despite his older brother's teasing, he knew he wasn't no-maj. Nox loped around from the front yard, sitting next to him and letting the frightened boy bury his hands and face in her soft inky fur. Virgil didn’t want to say goodbye to the other kids at school, how would he make new friends? What if he wasn't good in class? What if he couldn't do any magic? What if none of the houses wanted him?

Nox whined softly, reminding him of the present. Maybe having a grim as a magical soul pet wasn't such a bad thing. But would she be allowed at school if he needed her?

Logan was a serious young man. He didn't quite accept the stories of soul animals that only you and your soulmate could see. For starters, no one could show him theirs. All of his scientific research couldn't explain selective invisibility. And the concept of soulmates was another problem altogether.

His unwavering faith in science took a serious hit when Nova showed up. The large black dog was beautiful, but when he tried to show his parents and ask to adopt her, they just stared right through her as if she wasn't the most obvious thing in the front yard. His mom was quick to assume Nova was a soul animal. Logan protested but as no one else could see her, he had to concede the point.

The second blow to his faith in science came from a strange letter received on his 11th birthday, months before he was to finally enter middle school.  Ilvermorny didn't even look like a word, much less the name of a prestigious-

Magic school? Impossible.

Nova showed up that evening, nosing the letter excitedly as Logan attempted to research the school online. Somehow it had 0 results and the poor boy was very frustrated.

Two days later a strange woman showed up at their home, explaining that Logan was a wizard born of No-maj parents. Logan was nervous as the adults spoke about particulars of the school, but Nova was there to offer comfort.

"Can I bring, Nova?" He asked the woman.

"Who’s Nova?" She asked with a kind smile.

"Oh, his soul animal. I'm sure she won't be a problem, right?" Logan's mom replied brightly.

"Oh yes, Nova won't cause any problems, and perhaps her other owner will be there too? Generally, we can't really keep soul animals out; they manage to find ways in even the few times we tried to use magical deterrents. Just so long as Nova doesn't distract from your studies."

"Nothing ever distracts me from the pursuit of knowledge," Logan replied, chin in the air, scratching Nova behind her ear.

Janus and Virgil made the trip to school together at the end of the summer. Janus was petting the invisible rat on his shoulder and Virgil wished more than anything that Nox had shown up. Maybe his soulmate needed her more today. He hoped that wasn't the case because he was terrified and didn't want his soulmate to be feeling worse .

Janus looked over and gave Virgil a sympathetic smile. This year would be a first for both of them. No one but Janus’ closest friends at school knew him by that name yet and this would be his first year after social transition. Virgil knew it would be rough for both of them, but his older brother at least had friends there who would be supportive.

Virgil had Janus and Nox, and Nox didn't even show up for his first day.

Logan was so grateful that Nova was snuggling into him as his parents drove him to this mystical wizard school. Everything about the situation defied logic. None of the textbooks he had to get made sense, he couldn't find their destination on any map or see this "castle" as it had been described no matter how close they got. And a seemingly invisible large black dog was licking his cheek as he pet her to calm his nerves.

All of a sudden, they found a long line of cars on the mountain road. Peering ahead, it appeared the cars were filled with other students of the school. Another car pulled up behind them in the slow-moving line and Nova sat up to look out the window. She barked, but only Logan could hear her.

Virgil looked up as they hit the line of cars dropping off students. He was curious who else would be at school with them for the semester. He saw a black dog looking out the back window of the car in front of them, barking while a boy about his age tried to calm it down.

"Aww that dog looks like Nox"

"What dog?" Janus asked in confusion.

"In the car in front of us?" Virgil pointed, only to see that the dog was no longer in view, "oh never mind. I'll point them out when we get there."

"Okay, twerp," Janus rolled his eyes, inching the car forward.

All of the new students were herded into a separate room for the sorting. Virgil had long lost sight of the boy with the black dog. He felt crowded by all the other new students and kept getting bumped into. He felt like he would be sick all over the floor.

Before he knew what was happening, they were all being herded into the hall where older students were already sectioned off by house. One by one they were each called up to be chosen by the animal mascots of each house.

A boy named Roman was quickly chosen by the Thunderbird's flapping wings, smiling broadly. Another boy named Patton was chosen by the Pukwudgie raising its arrow. Logan was called forward, uncertain what any of these houses stood for. He saw Nova standing in the shadows and put on a brave face. The Horned Serpent's crystal started glowing almost immediately and he went to stand with other new students who had been sorted into that house.

Virgil watched as other students were sorted. He recognized Logan as the boy with the black dog and watched him join Janus in the Horned Serpent house. His heart was beating fast as his own name was called. Please just let one house want him. He stepped up to the Gordian Knot. The moment felt agonizingly long but the Wampus broke out into a roar, startling him and causing him to jump back. Virgil caught a glimpse of Nox in the shadows and smiled, glad she'd been there to see him sorted as he walked to the other new Wampus house students.

The first semester went quickly. Logan was diligent with his studies and excelled in most of his classes. He'd managed to make acquaintances with others in his house as well as other houses. Nova always seemed to know when he needed her most to show up but she often disappeared when he otherwise wanted her around.

Soon, he was studying for finals before Thanksgiving break. He decided to take a break by walking around the courtyard when he saw something curious.

Nova was snuggled up with another student who looked stressed beyond belief, burying their face in her fur as they both sat underneath a tree covered with gorgeous red and golden leaves.

Logan blinked, reassuring himself that yes, that was Nova. He walked up to the other student and cleared his throat gently.

"Hello, can you see Nova as well?"

The other boy looked up, "who's Nova?" The dark bags under his eyes were frightening, almost the same shade as the dog's fur.

"Nova is my soul animal. She's a large black dog who you are currently hanging onto," Logan replied.

"This is Nox. Can you see Nox? She's my soul animal…" the boy looked suspicious. Logan sat down next to him and reached a hand out to pet Nova.

"Are you having trouble with finals?" Logan asked, petting the dog as Virgil stared in disbelief.

"Yeah, how did you-?"

"I find that Nova shows up when I'm most stressed out and in need of comfort. I was surprised that she wasn't around for finals prep, perhaps that's because she's been here for you instead," Logan looked to Virgil with a small smile, "my name is Logan. I'm in the Horned Serpents. What's your name?"

"Ah, Virgil. Wampus House. And yeah, Nox has been around a lot this week. No one else has been able to see her before though," he replied, the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Perhaps that's because she's our soul animal, making us soulmates," Logan replied in a matter-of-fact tone despite his racing heart.

"You think so?" Virgil asked with a hopeful tone.

"Yes. She's good for comfort, but would you like help to prepare for finals, Virgil?"

"Yes please," Virgil stood and offered Logan a hand up, "yeah, thanks, Logan."

Both stood and walked off towards the library, the large black dog trotting behind them happily. The next 6 ½ years would be a lot smoother with her owners helping each other as well.

[jacmu]

TAGGING: Sophie Rose & Drew Rose TIMEFRAME: 8/29, afternoon LOCATION: Sophie’s apartment NOTES: Sophie invites Drew over to make sure she’s not upset and then Drew (tries to) have Sophie talk about feelings.

Sophie Rose

Sophie dropped onto her bed after sending her last text to Drew, dropping her phone on the bed as well. It felt nice to actually sit down; her body was exhausted from the many walks she'd been on lately and her general lack of sleep. Her head had been swimming with thoughts for the past few days, bad thoughts, which always led to a lot of walking in attempt to push those thoughts.. somewhere. Thoughts of Reagan and how she'd hurt her and now things are weird and then thoughts of Drew and how she made her sad and how it's all just Sophie fucking up good things, as she always does. Even without the endless stream of overthinking, Sophie wouldn't have been sleeping well anyway. This isn't the bed she's used to, even though it's hers, and there's one less person in it than normal. She hadn't realized how accustomed she'd become to sharing a bed with her best friend and certainly wasn't prepared for it feeling so weird sleeping in her own bed. She sat waiting for Drew, pulling her knees up almost to her chest and picking at her fingers, starting to feel the weight of her exhaustion. She wanted to see Drew to reassure herself that at least that was okay and mostly just be close to her sister, who always seemed to understand Sophie when she got into this headspace.

Drew Rose

Drew happily bounded down the last turn onto the street of Sophie’s apartment in her Heelys, having had taken at least four wrong turns before that. She knew how to get to Sophie’s, but she would get distracted and go look at something and then research whatever it was on her phone and all the sudden she was on a street she didn’t know. But eventually, she did get there, and she excitedly bounced up the stairs to get to the right apartment. Once there, she pushed her spare key into the lock and let herself in. She made her way to Sophie’s room, seeing her twin on the bed and (relatively gently) tackling her in a hug so they were both laying down. “Hi. I missed you.” She told her immediately, pushing herself up a bit to give Sophie a little bit of space. “Sorry I got here kinda late. I saw a dog and then got lost and then found where I was supposed to be and then,” she emphasized the word, almost exasperated. “I saw these letters that looked like Egyptian? So I went over to take a picture of it and then started looking it up and then got lost again.” Drew gave her sister a bright smile, excited to actually be hanging out with her. “So, what’s up? How is everything?” She brought a hand up to tap a finger to the side of Sophie’s head. “What’s going on in there?”

Sophie Rose

Sophie looked up and softened a bit at the sight of her sister before she was on top of her. She wrapped her arms around her in return, happy that she seemed like her Drew again. As she pushed herself off and spoke, Sophie just watched and listened with the smallest hint of a smile - the closest she's gotten to an actual smile in days. "Missed you," Sophie responded after Drew had finished talking. "Can I see them?" she motioned to her sister's phone. Sophie let out a small sigh at Drew's question and laid her head on her sister's shoulder. "It's fine. Same shit, different day." She paused for a second, thinking about how she really hadn't ever been in this situation before. "Well, different shit, but... same shit," she shrugged. Sophie was never one to just jump into whatever was going through her mind, especially when it was so many things, but that's why she was happy to be with Drew right now. Her sister always made her comfortable enough to talk about it in her own way, piece by piece.

Drew Rose

Drew nodded and pushed herself up, pulling up the pictures she was telling Sophie about. "See?" She let Sophie have her phone, and on the screen were multiple pictures of Chinese words that Drew definitely thought were Egyptian hieroglyphs. "I tried to look them up but my phone can't even type them. It's so weird," she shook her head, laying her cheek against Sophie's hair. "Different... stuff? What stuff?" Drew knew her sister wasn't one to open up easily, so she left the question with a light tone, one that didn't demand attention if Sophie didn't feel comfortable giving it. "I think it's different stuff 'cause it's a different day. So, maybe the saying should be different stuff, different day. But I dunno. Albert Einstein was probably just struck by lightning when he said it, anyway," Drew chewed on her bottom lip, thinking briefly before taking her sister's hand and intertwining their fingers. "Anyway. What stuff?"

Sophie Rose

Sophie felt her thoughts slowing down and lightening as she looked at Drew's pictures that were clearly just a different language. She adored her sister and the way she thought. She loved how genuine and pure and happy she was and just being around Drew being Drew helped the constant tugging of her bad thoughts, if just a little. "We'll have to try to research them." Sophie took Drew's hand in hers, fidgeting with her sister's fingers now rather than her own. "I don't know. I just think I'm fucking shit up again," Sophie mumbled just loud enough for Drew to hear. "And normally I don't care, you know. Because I don't care about anything. So that's fucking me up." Her words got louder and more herself as she continued, but her eyes were still glued on Drew's hand in her own. Eye contact was always out of the question when Sophie was trying to get her feelings out - her talking bit by bit right now while distracting herself with her sister's hand was about as much of a success as Sophie talking about feelings ever went.

Drew Rose

Drew let her sister play with her fingers, leaning her head on her other hand to prop it up so she could look down at Sophie. She knew this was usually the way Sophie talked about things, with little bits and pieces flowing out and Drew having to ask a couple of questions to actually get to what she was trying to say. Drew didn't mind, of course. In some ways, their mind worked the same ways - Drew was just much more vocal about her thoughts because they built up in her head and she had to get them out. Sophie let them build up in her head and goes on walks or lets them out bit by bit. "S'okay to care about stuff, Soph. You care about us." She shrugged, rubbing her thumb over Sophie's. "And it's kinda different, 'cause we're family, but s'okay to care about people or things other than family." Her voice was soft as she spoke, leaving room for Sophie to interject if she wanted or needed to. "What're you caring about right now?" Drew asked curiously. She had an inkling of what - or who - her sister was talking about, but she didn't know what happened.

Sophie Rose

Sophie let her sister's soft voice calm her as she listened to her talk. Her words weren't exactly unexpected - she knew she was always the odd one out when it came to caring about people or things that didn't end in Rose - but just hearing Drew talk to her in that voice seemed to always help. "I'll always care about you. I just don't want to care about anything else." Sophie was always perfectly content only caring about her family. It was easier, and honestly, there wasn't much else worth caring about, and that remained true until a short little brunette somehow made her way past Sophie's walls and into her heart. Sophie sighed at Drew's question. "I feel like you already know the answer to that." She appreciated Drew's asking instead of assuming, but she knew that most of her siblings at least knew her and Reagan had somehow gotten close, especially Drew. "Reagan. But it's whatever," she replied, trying to brush off all of her feelings, which was really pointless by now.

Drew Rose

Drew shrugged slightly, "I do, but I don't wanna assume." It was true; they had all seen how Reagan had somehow made her way passed Sophie's walls and nestled herself rather comfortably inside of Sophie's life. It was weird, seeing her sister spend time with someone that wasn't them or seeing her sister get protective or upset about someone who wasn't them. But honestly, they all loved Reagan and Sophie actually smiled around her, so, at least for Drew, she was waiting for Sophie to realize her feelings for the small brunette. "Not whatever. What happened with Reagan?" Drew asked. "I mean, no matter what happened, I know you guys are gonna be okay. You guys are like... attached. But not like, attached emotionally, like literally attached at the hip." She didn't want Sophie to get freaked out by the term attached or best friend, so she tried to frame it in a Sophie-way. "And it's Reagan. She's not gonna leave like dad left. You're gonna have her and us. Always. So, what happened?"

Sophie Rose

Sophie responded to Drew's question with just a shrug for a few moments, before actually trying to respond. "I don't know, I just fucked it up. I talked about... my shit, I guess, and I think I... I don't know, I fucked it up, but I can't do that or be that or whatever, I don't work like that." Sophie was trying to tell Drew what happened, even if most of the actual details and specifics never made it in there, but she was never really good at that. Which was fine usually, because Drew was always very good at knowing at least somewhat what was going on with her. Sophie wavered at the mention of her dad leaving. She was never able to talk about it casually like some of her other siblings were, especially in terms of it being a fear of hers. She'd be able to talk about it angrily or throw insults at him, but  that was about as far as she touched that topic. She shifted, more out of emotional uncomfortability than anything physical. She didn't want to talk about him, she really didn't, but she couldn't help the mumbled "You don't know that." that she let out in response.

Drew Rose

Drew wasn’t the smartest in the world, but she was pretty good with people and even better with her sisters and even better with Sophie, so her brain was able to piece together bits and pieces of what her sister was telling her. She didn’t want to bombard her with questions, because she knew Sophie would have a hard time putting the answers into words. “I don’t,” she responded simply. “But you know Reagan, and you know how loyal she is. You know how much she loves you. I don’t see her doing that. Just like I can’t see dogs with cats faces, it’s just like...” Drew pondered for a moment. “The probability of that is probably one to like, one billion.” Her eyebrows furrowed together. “Or something like that. Well, you get what I’m trying to say. I’m not good at math but anyway,” She shook her head to try and get herself back on track. Their father leaving didn’t impact Drew as much as some of her siblings, because well, Drew at least still had her siblings and her mom. She was sad when he left, and she didn’t really understand it at first, but she didn’t hold any long term resentment over the issue. The most that ever happened is when Landon reminds her too much of him and she gets sad. “People leave all the time, but I don’t think Reagan’s one of them. No matter what happened, I know you’re not going to lose her.” Drew kept Sophie’s hand in hers, squeezing softly and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “Whether you guys are gonna still be friends... or more than friends...” She wiggled her eyebrows a little bit, if only just to make her sister laugh. “I know she doesn’t wanna lose you just as much as you don’t wanna lose her.” Drew had seen Reagan and Sophie together countless of times—she’s seen the way her sister looks at the smaller girl, and how much time they spend together. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

Sophie Rose

Sophie didn't understand how her and Drew were so very different but always understood each other so very well. Drew's positivity was always astounding to her because Sophie's brain just had never worked like that; In fact, it usually worked in the opposite way. And she knew her sister knew that, which is exactly why she was typically the voice of reason in her life. She knew how to reassure her in a way that didn't make her uncomfortable and didn't make her have to talk about things she didn't want to. So she listened to Drew talk about how things would be alright and nodded, and while she didn't fully believe that, she believed it more from her than she would from anyone else. She looked up at her sister alluding to them being more than friends and gave her a weak half smile. "Yeah. I think she wants that, but I... can't," she sighed. She didn't really want to get into all the details of it because she had way too many thoughts about it and she was getting drained from the never-ending cycle about them in her head. "I think I'm running out of words, boo." Sophie adjusted slightly, leaning more onto Drew. Even when she wasn't talking, the physical support she got from her Drew - whether that was cuddling or even just letting her play with her hands - helped Sophie a lot. She finally just intertwined her fingers with Drew, dropping their hands into her lap. "Love you. Thank you," she said quietly to her sister.

Drew Rose

"Then don't," Drew shrugged, her answer simple. She knew that her sister and Reagan's friendship wouldn't be destroyed if Sophie didn't want to pursue anything more (even if everyone knew she did, it didn't change the fact that she might not have been ready). And she knew that Sophie knew that as well, she was just too far in her head right now. "That's okay, I got enough for the both of us. I hardly ever run outta words." Drew shot her sister a bright smile, before it softened slightly. "We both know Reagan isn't the type to not be your best friend just 'cause of something like that. So, stop thinking like that, okay?" She knew Sophie was drained and didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she left the topic at that. "Love you, too," she repositioned herself so Sophie could lean further into her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.