#i only have one grey lipstick and like an ancient disgusting black one

[corpsoir]

bruno getting leone an entire pack of lipsticks but the catch is theyre all slightly different shades of black

theres a sparkly one and 2 matte and one has a sheen of purple... dammit i want these

YES YESYEESYSSYSYESYSSSS omg he loves it so much and he really appreciates it but it also kinda drives him nuts because he keeps mixing them up and accidentally putting on a glittery purplish one when he just wanted a regular black, and bruno secretly just buys him more and puts them in his makeup bag when hes not looking

[ozai-the-bonsai]

Ghost In The Dark (Valtor x OC)

Link to Chapter 5:

Time Line: Chapter 6 is set during the day Tecna closes the portal connecting Andros and The Omega Dimension.

Rating: M

Warnings for Chapter 6: Sexual content ;)

*6* Give Into The Temptations

(Word Count: 3610)

Valtor rose from his seat and walked in front of the desk with slow steps “It took a little more than a day for you to win back your throne,” he spoke with a rather thoughtful voice “Either the Ancient Witches have been clearly underestimating you, or they have forgot how to play.”

Hel licked her lips with a seductive manner, the red lipstick didn’t inhabit her lips anymore “In both cases, it is equally disgraceful and lethal for them.” she said and nudged Alowix’ floating figure with her right elbow “I must admit, though, he wasn’t an easy win –in my absence he knew how to take advantage of the Underworld.”

It seemed like Alowix was trying to say something; however, the only voices that could be heard were the muffled sounds coming from him. With a frown on her face, Darcy asked “What’s wrong with him?”

Hel casted an evil look at her over her shoulder “He was making a little too much noise on our way to the Cloud Tower,” she began to explain as a smirk spread on her lips “So I cut his tongue.”

Darcy went pale straight away, Icy simply turned her eyes away in disgust and Stormy gagged “This is gruesome!” she said, causing Hel to shrug indifferently as she turned her grey eyes to the sorcerer in front of her. Without uttering any other words, the Trix left the office and went to their bedrooms, leaving the two alone.

The moment Hel saw the intense look Valtor was giving her, the smirk on her lips grew more. Of course, he has always found it attractive when I let the darkness take over me, Hel thought while she eyed him in an obviously hungry way –even though she hadn’t slept for more than two days and felt overmuch tired, all she could think about at that particular moment was the heat which was beginning to grow inside her.

Valtor leaned the desk as he crossed his arms over his chest “How’s the current situation in the Underworld?” he asked, apparently he was trying to distract himself from the dirty thoughts wandering in his head.

“It could have been worse,” Hel responded while she snapped the fingers of her right hand. A thin thread of shadows flew to her hand “Seems like I’ve chosen my latest kings –by latest I mean the ones I’ve chosen sixteen years ago,” While speaking, she was moving the fingers of her right hand so that the shadows were slithering between them very much like a black snake “A big majority of them have stayed loyal to me in my absence and haven’t let Alowix take control of everything.”

Valtor raised an eyebrow at her direction “And what about the traitor minority?” he asked even though he knew very well what her answer was going to be. He just wanted to hear those words from all because once such things were spoken, they became more real, and, in this case, darker.

The shadow thread moving between Hel’s fingers transformed into a dark dagger “I killed them all,” she responded, despite the low pitch of her voice, her words easily reached Valtor’s ears. As she walked behind the floating figure of Alowix, the skirt of her dress lifted off the ground as if there was a special breeze flowing around her “One by one, with no mercy.” Holding Alowix from his blonde hair, Hel slowly pulled his head back so that his neck was exposed. His chest was going up and down so fast as if his fear of death could materialise any moment “They have made great examples, now everybody knows the fate of those who dare betray the Queen of the Underworld.”

Valtor ran his right hand through his blonde hair, Hel knows what she is doing, he thought while his grey eyes followed her movements. She is playing us both, just like a lioness playing with her prey. With Alowix, she wants to feel every bit of his fear and desperation before killing him with her own hands. And with me, she wants to slowly savour my growing desire for her.

Upon feeling the cold blade of the dagger caressing his cheek, Alowix began to make muffled sounds once again “Shh, baby, don’t be afraid,” Hel spoke with a seductive and dangerous tone, which freaked out her prey even more “I’ll make it quick, I promise.”

As she placed the dagger on his throat, Hel turned her eyes to Valtor “The Ancient Witches still see everything you see, don’t they?” she asked.

The sorcerer thought for a moment before nodding “If they wish to, yes.” he said “Why?”

The edge of Hel’s lip curled upwards “Perfect, then they’ll probably see me killing their puppet as well.” she said but her next words were not directed at Valtor, instead her aim was the Ancient Witches “You’ll be next, ladies. Take a good look at this.”

And with a swift movement, she cut Alowix’ throat. The moment life left his blue eyes, his corpse fell onto the ground. The blood spilling from where the dagger had cut painted Hel’s hands, arms and dress red; however, this didn’t seem to bother her even the slightest. All her attention was fixed on Valtor and judging by her darkened eyes, her mind had immediately wandered to different things.

The black dagger decayed into its origins –the shadows –as Hel took big steps towards the sorcerer. Valtor straightened and he, too, walked towards Hel. The moment she was within his reach, he pulled her into his arms and crashed his lips into hers. The blood on her body was leaving stains on his maroon-coloured jacket but at that moment, he didn’t give a damn.

The kiss was hard, passionate and hot. It was so hot that even though the dress on her was quite revealing and thin, Hel felt her whole body burning under Valtor’s touch. She wanted him right then and there; however, she had one last thing to do that night before her duties as the Queen were over.

Still, there’s no harm in exciting him more, is there?

As Hel let Valtor slide his tongue into her mouth, her right hands wandered down on his body until reaching the waistband of his trousers. The sorcerer gasped instinctually upon feeling Hel’s hand stroking his erection on the fabric of his trousers. However, before things could gain even more heat, Hel broke the contact of their lips and took a step back, leaving Valtor in a puzzled state.

“I want you, too, as much as you want me but there is still one last thing that needs to be done with him.” Hel explained while she motioned Alowix’ lifeless body lying on the floor with her head “After cleaning myself, I’ll be heading to the connection point between this world and the Underworld.” As she snapped her fingers, the corpse began to fly behind her. The dark haired woman blew a kiss at Valtor before leaving the office “You know where to find me, darling, so don’t be late, will you?”

***

The sound of branches being broken under someone’s steps cut through the eerily peaceful silence of the midnight. Since she was expecting a visitor, Hel didn’t bother changing her position as she continued sitting cross-legged in the air while the light of the full moon shone on her –she was flying a few feet above the ground. She had taken off her high-heeled, red pumps and her crown was safe in her room back in the Cloud Tower.

It was a bright night and simply moonlight was enough to provide sight.

To the north of the Cloud Tower was a huge graveyard by the name Forgotten Necropolis –just as the name indicated, the place was completely forgotten. It was an ancient graveyard but it’s main function was being the connection point between the Underworld and the world of the living. It was the only place on this part of the cosmos which brought ease to Hel since she felt her powers growing stronger and stronger.

Seeing Forgotten Necropolis as her territory, she had decided to exhibit the lifeless body of Alowix there. As Valtor walked to the heart of the graveyard, he could see Alowix’ corpse impaled on a pretty tall pike –Hel had placed it so that it could be seen from everywhere around the graveyard.

He wasn’t surprised when he saw that Hel was floating above the big, black, marble table which stood in the middle of the huge graveyard –she used to come here every other day either to communicate with the kings of the Underworld or simply to meditate and recharge herself. Being the connection point between two worlds, Forgotten Necropolis enabled Hel to project image in her throne room in the Underworld, making it easier for her to keep a track of things while not missing out the fun in Magix.

“I should’ve know this was what you were going to do.” Valtor spoke as he pointed at the pike while Hel slowly opened her grey eyes. A soft chuckle escaped her lips as the dark haired woman elegantly descended and landed onto the marble table “Is this how you plan to strike terror into your enemies’ hearts?”

Hel sat onto the table and let her legs hang from its edge as she wore her high-heeled shoes “This is simply a warning,” she responded and jumped onto the ground, she was walking towards Valtor “I don’t need a visual feast to strike terror into the hearts of my enemies.”

“Your appearance is a little too deceiving at this point, love.” Valtor said while he placed his hands on her hips the moment she was within his reach “After all those years, even I still tend to be deceived by it and forget how cruel you can be.” The sorcerer pulled Hel against his chest, then he began to caress her cheek with the side of his right index finger. Her pale skin was shining under the silvery moonlight “Though I cannot say I don’t like being reminded of your cruelty all over again –it is always so intoxicating.”

“I want you, Valtor.” Hel breathed against his lips as she wrapped her left hand around his neck and placed the right one on his chest “Right here, right now.” As the distance between their lips was slowly disappearing, Valtor’s breaths were becoming deeper “But I’m too tired for this, I haven’t slept for two days. I know I need to rest, still, I want you. So. Fucking. Much.” Keeping silent for a moment, Hel licked Valtor’s lower lip before going on “So just skip the foreplay, skip everything –make this hard and quick.”

As a response, Valtor pressed his lips against hers and in mere seconds, the couple was drawn into a passionate kiss. Hel took careful steps back while she dragged Valtor with her until her upper leg touched the cold marble. Her hands slid down his torso until reaching the waistband of his trousers. As Valtor’s tongue slid into her mouth, Hel was unbuckling his belt, then she quickly unbuttoned his trousers as well.

The dark haired woman giggled in a naughty way while she pushed down his trousers –she could feel how hard he already was through the fabric of his underwear “Seems like you didn’t need the foreplay at all.” Hel whispered against Valtor’s lips. Instead of giving a verbal response, Valtor simply slid his right hand under Hel’s dress through the slit on her left leg. She gasped upon feeling his fingers touching her underwear, the wetness of which could already be felt through the fabric.

“Hmm, you’re a fine one to talk.” Valtor said while he pulled a little back to lift Hel up and place her on the marble table. Spreading her legs so that Valtor could stand between them, Hel pushed her underwear to the side against her right inner thigh so that the barrier of fabric between herself and Valtor would get out of the way. As she saw that Valtor had pushed down his underwear to free his erection, Hel pulled him closer to her with one hand while wrapping the other one around his member. With careful movements, she guided him to her entrance and nodded quickly at Valtor.

The sorcerer captured Hel’s lips once again as he thrusted into her, eventually causing her to moan in his mouth. In a quite short while the movement of Valtor’s hips gained enough speed to make Hel throw her back and let her soft cries fill his ears. With every sound coming from her lips, Valtor could feel the heat within him growing.

“Mm,” Hel moaned as she pulled back her right hand, which was resting on Valtor’s shoulder, and moved it to her clit “Valtor, faster.”

A groan broke free from him as Valtor thrusted faster and deeper into Hel, which led her to moan loudly “Fuck, yes,” she spoke breathlessly “Right there.”

However, Valtor wasn’t planning to let them hit the edge so quick, despite Hel’s tiredness, hence he first removed Hel’s right hand, the fingers of which were circling her clit. Then he began to slow down his speed. Hel sent him a questioning look “Not yet,” Valtor whispered and didn’t let Hel protest “You can manage without sleep a little more, love.”

He was thrusting slow but deep into her as he placed his warm lips on her neck “When you edge me, it takes forever for us to stop.” Hel muttered, which caused Valtor to chuckle against her skin.

“This time it won’t take forever, I promise.” he said while his lips moved down slowly “I simply want to bring you to the point where you’ll scream my name into the night.”

His words had licked Hel’s skin like the heat of a flame, which only fed her arousal “That shouldn’t be hard to arrange,” she muttered while the fingers of her left hand played with the little hairs on the back of Valtor’s neck “Valtor, please,” Hel spoke with a low voice “This pace is a torture.”

Valtor’s lips had left her neck, he had pulled his head a little back to be able to look at her “Why don’t you try enjoying yourself?” he asked while pulling almost all the way out and then thrusting slowly but hardly into her. Hel let out a silent moan.

“But I want more,” Hel responded and pulled Valtor down to herself to press her lips against his neck “How do you manage to keep your need under such strong control?” She was intentionally letting her lips linger long on each spot on his neck as she licked and kissed and sucked on it so that she could break Valtor’s self-control; however, he seemed to have a will of titanium.

A groan left Valtor’s lips as Hel playfully bit his neck “I contain myself by thinking about the bigger prize at the end.” he spoke with a seductive voice and pulled out, taking a few steps back. The moment Hel felt the feeling of fullness disappearing, a frown appeared on her face “Come down here and turn around.”

The edge of her lip curled upwards in a naughty way as the dark haired woman jumped down from the marble table and turned her back to Valtor “Now, this is getting more interesting.” she said while she bent down. She was holding from the marble table not to lose her balance. Valtor gently lifted the skirt of her dress and after positioning himself before her entrance, he thrusted inside her, once again snatching a moan from Hel.

As Valtor’s movements sped up, Hel was moving her hips to meet his thrusts. Just like he had done the first time, he was increasing the speed quite much in a short time, which was bringing both of them near the edge. When Hel’s moans turned into loud cries of pleasure, Valtor knew he had found that spot in her which made the dark haired woman’s eyes roll to the back of her head.

Valtor’s groans were becoming louder as well, he could feel he was so close to this orgasm but he knew Hel still wasn’t exactly at that point where he wanted to bring her, hence with a million efforts he began to slow down. As he had expected, a frustrated grunt was heard from the witch “I was so close!” Hel said and casted a look at the sorcerer over her shoulder.

“I know, love.” Valtor responded cockily, then he pushed away Hel’s hand, which was reaching for her clit as he clicked his tongue “Not yet, Hel.”

Even though his movements had slowed down, Hel’s hips were still meeting his thrusts. For a few minutes, the only sound to be heard had been Hel’s silent moans and Valtor’s heavy breathing “Valtor,” Hel asked at last but it sound more like begging “Can I touch myself now?”

A big smirk formed on Valtor’s lips upon seeing how desperate she had grown for him, he wanted to savour every little moment of that “No,” he responded with a deep voice, earning some disappointed cries from the dark haired woman “But if you continue to behave, you might get a reward for it.”

He knew how hard it was for Hel not to let desire take over her body for he was feeling the same way –all he wanted at that moment was to take his thrusting to a rapid speed. It took some serious self-control not to give into the temptations.

Slowly, his right hand slid down from its resting place on Hel’s hips and moved between her legs. As she felt Valtor’s index finger rubbing her clit, Hel found herself whimpering “Darling, please, faster.”

“Shh, I’ll give you your orgasm soon enough.” Valtor said while both the thrusting of his hips and the rubbing of his fingers began to speed up. However, before Hel could began moaning loudly once more, Valtor pulled out, again. When Hel turned to face him and ask him what the hell was he doing, the sorcerer lifted her up and placed on the marble table once again.

No words were spoken, in mere seconds theirs bodies became a whole for the third time that night as Hel’s mouth captured Valtor’s, pulling him into a deep kiss. This time, however, Valtor didn’t slowed down after a while, which meant that Hel was about to get the prize she had been yearn for the whole night.

As Valtor hit her G-spot, Hel threw her head back and let out a loud moan “Right there,” she whispered breathlessly, the hold of her left hand on Valtor’s upper arm was getting tighter. Her right hand was holding from the edge of the marble table “Don’t stop.”

Well, he couldn’t even if he wanted to –he had long passed the threshold “Fuck,” Valtor grunted as he felt her walls clenching around his member but he didn’t need to feel that to understand that Hel was about to come –her soft cries had turned into scream-like moans.

When she came, as he had wanted it to be, Hel was screaming his name, which had pushed Valtor over the edge as well. He was whispering her name over and over again as he rode his orgasm.

As the shaking of her legs died, Hel loosened her hold on Valtor while she tried to steady her breathing “That,” she whispered “Was intense.”

Valtor pulled out of her and wore his underwear and trousers “Was it worth all the fuss?” he asked with an arched brow. Hel rolled her eyes at him and jumped down, causing the sorcerer to chuckle “I take that as a yes.”

Standing in front of him, Hel began to caress his cheek with the side of her index finger “Can I sleep with you tonight?” she asked with a surprisingly soft and almost caring voice. It nearly caught Valtor off-guard.

He nodded “Of course,” he said and at that moment he remembered that he intended to give her a little present “But before you go,” he said, causing Hel to raise a curious eyebrow at him “There’s something I’d like to give you.”

Valtor took out a little, black box from the pocket of his maroon-coloured jacket. After licking his lower lip, he opened the box, its inside facing Hel. Her grey eyes lit up almost immediately upon seeing the ring.

It was a grey ring with a big, black onyx on it. Hel knew the moment she saw the ring that it was enchanted to protect her from the deadly rays of the sun –she could feel the powerful spell vibrating off the ring. With a wide smile on her lips, she turned her eyes to Valtor, who had a small smirk on his lips.

“May I?” he asked, earning a quick nod in return. After taking the ring, he closed the box and put it back into his pocket. Then, he took Hel’s left hand and put the ring on her ring finger “Looks perfect,” Valtor spoke with a low voice as he brought her hand to his lips.

At that moment, Valtor saw within Hel’s grey eyes something he hadn’t seen for sixteen years. It was something so familiar yet so strange and it had been hard to decipher at first but once he recalled what it was, he knew he wouldn’t be able to forget it for the rest of his life.

It was love.

[crystalgirl259]

Wolves Of Secrets Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Lone Wolf

Dark was the night as the full moon shined over the great city of Ninjago. The cold, misty wind whistled through the city as the citizens went about their own business, either going home to be with their families for the rest of the evening or to their evening jobs. The city of Ninjago was built on the sunny side of a gentle mountain and was truly a beautiful place. Its grace was only matched by the backdrop of lush, green forests which have helped shape the ancient city to what it was today.

The city had a very clear Japan, Tokyo feeling too it.

The city's skyline was growing with stylish skyscrapers and they each represented the many different aspects of the sizeable city. Businesses were booming in Ninjago and it had attracted a lot of attention. A few new cultures had left their mark not just on education, but also upon the city's identity. What historically was a city of predictability has grown into a new culture of variety and it's this that united the nearly 6 million people to this day.

It's this multicultural identity that had truly left its mark.

Hundreds of gastropubs, bakeries, and clubs offer a plethora of culinary choices. Those who felt hungry for something else could enjoy art galleries, musical activities, photography, or one of the many other recreational activities. Just outside the main city area, right on the edge of the dark forest, stood a large, lone house. In this house was a very special family. From the outside, this house looked cosy. It had been built many, many years ago with white bricks and had spruce wooden decorations.

Small, half-rounded windows added to the overall style of the house and had been added to the house in a fairly asymmetrical pattern.

The house was equipped with a large kitchen, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms. It also had a large living room, four bedrooms, a roomy dining room, a garage, and a large basement. The roof was high and slanted to one side and was covered with black ceramic tiles with a small chimney. Many smaller windows let in plenty of light to the rooms below the roof. The house itself was surrounded by quite a modest garden, with mostly grass, a few colourful flower patches, and a small shed at the other end of the garden.

Inside the house, a young teenage boy sat on the couch, eating popcorn and watching a movie.

This was Lloyd Garmadon. He had long, blonde tousled hair, and brown arched eyebrows with bright emerald green eyes that many people would state could sometimes glow in the dark. He wore a dark green jacket with a white t-shirt and black pants and black and dark green sneakers. As the clock was about to strike midnight, Lloyd was about to turn the boring movie off when suddenly with was a rustling sound outside. Fearing the worst, he quickly switched off the TV, grabbed his coat, and ran outside.

As soon as he stepped out into the cold night, however, instead of the rustling he had heard mere seconds before, all he could hear was an owl hooting nearby and the wind howling through the trees.

He was about to go back inside when all of a sudden he heard a loud crash from the other side of the house. He quickly ran towards the sound and was shocked by what he saw. He saw a full-grown, grey timber wolf sniffing around some turned over trash cans, snacking at the rancid chicken meat. He looked to the steel doors to the basement and was horrified to see another wolf attempting to jump out. As soon as the grey wolf sensed him, it slowing turned around to face the teen with a low growl, baring its sharp teeth.

Lloyd, however, was completely unfazed by this and he simply stood up straight.

"Get back inside!" He roared, startling the wolf for a second before it crouched down and started snarling louder. Instead of running away, however, Lloyd simply lowered onto his knees and bared his blunt teeth at the wolf. His emerald green eyes suddenly turned to a stunning gold that shined in the dark. The teen and the wolf snarled at each other as Lloyd slowly crawled forward, making the wolf back up. The grey wolf suddenly yelped as it fell back into the dark cellar.

Lloyd's eyes returned to their normal color as he stood up and looked into the dark pit.

Suddenly one of the wolves jumped up and bit into his thick coat's sleeve, ripping it off as the wolf fell back down. Not missing a beat, Lloyd quickly closed and locked the cellar doors, looking at the full moon as the wolves muffled howls sounding into the night...

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

The next morning, as the rain came pouring down, Lloyd quickly got dressed and ran down to the cellar. He loudly slid the iron door open and stepped inside where he saw his mother Misako and his uncle Wu slowly getting to their feet as the finished getting dressed. His mother had ash grey hair braid into a ponytail with a snowy white streak and pale green eyes. She wore a pale khaki utility jacket with dark brown pants and a short, dark green scarf.

Wu was an elderly man with a long white beard.

He was wearing white robes and a conical straw hat. They both yawned and stretched as Lloyd glared daggers at them.

"I think that chicken was off." Misako gagged as she clutched her stomach.

"I can't believe you two." Lloyd glared Breaking out and raiding the bins."

"Oh, Lloyd!" She cried as she rushed forward and examined his arm. "I am so sorry! I didn't break the skin, did I?! Does it need stitches?!" She panicked, but he pulled his arm away from him.

"You always say how I have to stay hidden from humans and never give in to our wolves." He growled as they walked back upstairs to the kitchen. "Yet the moment you get a chance, you're out of the cellar and away!"

"You don't understand how powerful the pull of the full moon is," Wu explained. "When you're old enough to take wolf form-"

"I won't be a hypocrite, who says stay hidden and then breaks out at the first whiff of food!" He replied and turned to his mother with a slightly disgusted look. "And that chicken..."

"Actually, your mother's not the only one who's been eating things she shouldn't, is she?" Wu frowned as he opened the trash can to reveal the leftover popcorn.

"Yes, and you were still dressed when you came outside, young man." Smiled Misako when her son froze. "Didn't we agree in bed at 10 on school nights?"

"I'm going to miss the bus." He quickly said and ran for the front door. When he made to grab his coat, however, he let out a long sighed when he saw the missing sleeve...

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

Lloyd blushed furiously as he kept his eyes on the school floor as the other students stared and laughed at his soaked clothes. He let out a small growl as he shivered; his mother owed him a new coat.

"Hey, Lloyd!" A voice called out and he looked up to see his friends Zane Jullien, Jay Walker, Kai Smith, Nya Smith, and Cole Brookstone stood by their lockers, waiting for him.

Jay reddish-brown curly hair with brown eyebrows and light freckles with dark blue eyes. He wore a blue jacket with a white stripe over a white t-shirt and blue pants with an orange wooly scarf.

Zane had platinum blonde, almost white, hair that stood up straight in something like a crew cut and bright icy blue eyes. He wore white pants and shoes with a long-sleeved, cyan blue shirt under a navy blue knitted vest.

Kai had tall, thick spiky brown hair, shaped like fire and bright amber eyes that shined like burning embers. He had a focused expression on his face, with a scar visible on his right eyebrow and bandage above his left. He wore a red half-zipped-up jacket over a white shirt with some kind of Japanese symbol on the back of the jacket and brown pants.

Nya was Kai's younger sister who had long black hair kept in a ponytail, pale pink lipstick, small dimples on her cheeks with dark brown eyes, and she had a beauty mark on her right cheek. She was wearing a leather jacket over a white shirt with blue stripes and dark blue torn jeans.

Cole had a very muscular body, being the strongest kid in the whole school, with long, shaggy black hair and bushy eyebrows with very dark green eyes that reminded Lloyd of cold emerald stones. He wore a black leather jacket and pants with a dark brown tank top and black heavy-duty boots.

Lloyd smiled as he walked over to them. They were the only people who could possibly understand the struggles he faced every day as a teenage werewolf; because so were they. Well... sort of anyway. Only he and Nya had yet to transform on a full moon, but they knew it could happen any month now and they were both nervous and excited.

"What happened to you?" Jay asked when they saw he was dripping water into the hallways.

"My coat got eaten by werewolves." He deadpanned.

"Don't you start too." Kai groaned.

"We've already had this from... Oh, Pixel!" Nya suddenly smiled as the said girl walked over to them. Pixel had pale, almost white, skin with wide lips and bright green eyes. Her hair was styled like Nya's and was a very light platinum blonde. She had a purple dress with red details and an opening in her left arm that showed a part of her chest, and red heels. Lloyd simply smiled and rolled his eyes. Pixel Borg was the only one in their friend group that wasn't a werewolf.

She was a very good friend to them, mostly to Zane, since childhood and it hurt them they couldn't share their secret with her.

"Did you hear last night in the forest?" She asked with a big smile on her face, but they all shrugged. "Howling." She replied and they froze as she pulled out her cell phone. "Here, look what I found on Carper's Lane this morning." She explained as she showed them a picture of a paw print in the mud. "I'm going to compare it to paw-print photos of different dogs."

"What, every type of dog?" Cole scoffed.

"This is proof." She insisted. "Proof that there's something weird over there in the forest."

"Pix, if your father found out that you snuck off into the forest in the middle of the night again he wouldn't be too pleased," Zane warned.

"If I can prove there is some kind of undiscovered creature in the forest then that alone would guarantee my scholarship into Horizon Academy."

"You know your father could pull some strings and get you in there no problem." Jay pointed out.

"I know, but I want to earn my spot and my father understands and respects that." She explained.

"Hey, Pixel!" One of the cheerleaders, Maggie, suddenly called out. "I saw something weird in the forest, you!"

"Haven't you got hair-curlers to play with or something?" Nya snapped before she and her friends quickly walked away.

"I really need to start my research, I'll catch up with you all later." Pixel smiled before she made a beeline for the library; as soon as she was out of sight, Nya suddenly grabbed the boys and shoved them into a nearby janitor's closet.

"Alright, who was it?" She glared.

"Wasn't me!" Jay exclaimed fearfully and the rest quickly denied it as well. Lloyd eyed each of them carefully. It could only have been Cole, Kai, or Zane; they were the only ones who spent the full moon on Zane's father's property deep in the forest. Since she couldn't transform yet Nya stayed in their apartment in the city and Jay spent it on her parents' junkyard on the other side of the city. The only problem was that Dr. Jullien's home was far from where Pixel said she found the paw prints.

He also knew the guys wouldn't go near the city, full moon or not.

"Maybe it wasn't one of us," Lloyd suggested. "My mom managed to get out the cellar last night and when I got them back in they started howling, and that paw print could have come from a normal dog."

"I suppose." She sighed when the bell suddenly rang; the group sighed as they made their way to their first classes. Lloyd quickly ran to his locker to get some of his textbooks when he suddenly caught the scent of something odd. It was a new scent, meaning whoever it belonged to was here very recently. He was about to follow the scent when he walked right into one of his teachers, Miss Koko. She had bright orange hair with amber eyes.

She wore orange lipstick and a pale brown suit.

"Lloyd, what are you doing? It's time for class." She ordered and Lloyd quickly scurried to his first class, making a mental note to investigate the scent later...

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

As soon as Lloyd ran into the classroom he immediately took his seat next to Jay. This was one of the few classes he and all his friends had together. As soon as he took his seat a teacher he hadn't seen before walked in with a big smile on his face.

She had greying brown hair tied in a bun and a dark blue dress.

"Welcome aboard students! My name is Ms. Laudita and I'm your new Social Studies teacher," She smiled as a student stepped into the room. "Everyone! This is Morro Ren, he's new here so I hope you'll all make sure he feels welcome." She explained and Lloyd was suddenly hit with the same smell from before. He looked up and saw the new kid eyeing them all cautiously. Lloyd quickly looked to the others and saw they had realized the same thing as him.

Morro Ren possessed long jet black hair with a dark green streak dyed in it and dark brown eyes.

He was wearing a pale green shirt with torn brown pants and black boots. As he moved to take a seat at the back of the class, he and Lloyd glared each other down without a word. The class continued as normal until the bell rang and Morro all but ran out, Lloyd and the others following close behind. As soon as Morro stepped into an empty stairwell Kai and Cole blocked his path.

"What are you doing here?" Nya growled.

"What?" The new kid asked, confusion clear on his face. "I'm looking for-

"No, here! On our territory!" Jay exclaimed.

"Do you not know the rules?" Zane asked.

"You can't stay here." Kai huffed.

"If my mom and uncle get a sniff of you-"

"I don't even know you!" Morro snapped as he took deep breaths.

"Exactly!" Lloyd exclaimed in frustration.

"I don't care whose territory this is; I'm not sticking around anyway, and why would I in this dump?" He sarcastically asked. "No smelly brats tell me whether to stay or go." He stated before shoving passed Kai and Cole and running down the stairs...

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

Later that day everyone was sat at their usual table in the cafeteria, enjoying their lunches. When Pixel and Dareth had joined them, Zane had explained what had happened with Morro when Pixel asked why they were all in a sour mood; leaving out some key details of course.

"We're not smelly!" Cole hissed angrily as he devoured a large slice of cake.

"Well, except for Jay." Kai shrugged absently, getting a hurt cry from the said boy and a kick from Nya.

"You did kind of start it." Pointed out Pixel.

"No, we didn't." Nya defended.

"Someone must know something about him or his family." Suggested Zane. "Seen moving vans, something." He added as a member of Kai's soccer team, Chad, walked over to their table.

"Hey, Kai, are you going to ask the new kid to try out?" He asked though it sounded more like an order.

"I don't think he's the right sort for the team." He replied, keeping his eyes on his food.

"Fine, I'll ask." Chad huffed and walked over to Morro's empty table.

"Wait." Cole gasped but it was too late.

"Relax guys, he won't bite." Pixel frowned at their behavior and the group shared nervous looks. They turned back to Chad and Morro when the new kid suddenly got up and right into a startled Chad's face.

"I don't like soccer and I don't want to hang around with you and your weirdo friend! You got that?!" He roared, sending a pointed look at Kai and everyone sat at the table.

"Obviously, they don't teach manners where he's from." Nya glared as Chad speed walked over to them on shaking legs.

"Next time, you need to approach the weird kid." He hissed to Kai as the cheerleaders suddenly pushed passed them and over to Morro's table, completely looking over the way he had just spoken to Chad. Before the new kid could escape, a blonde cheerleader named Harumi Jade took a seat next to him and practically curled around his arm, much to his disgust. Harumi had long white hair with long bangs fashioned in a bun with chopsticks.

She wore a green jacket with matching pants, a white shirt with red lotus flowers, and full lips painted red.

"Hey cutie, since you've only just got here the principle thought it would be a good idea for someone to show you around, and we know everything about this school; all the best clubs and people to hang out with." She explained as she flashed him a big smile.

"Those weird kids, who're they?" He asked as he pointed over to Lloyd's table, where they were still watching him.

"Oh, that's just Lloyd Garmaddon, Pixel Borg, Zane Jullien, Jay Walker, Kai Smith, Nya Smith, and Cole Brookstone." One of the cheerleaders happily said, only to cower away at Harumi's glare.

"Their families have lived here for centuries." She quickly dismissed. "Never leave the area, don't like strangers or questions."

"They're all cuckoo!" Another cheerleader added.

"What are we talking about them for? Let's talk about you." Harumi smiled as she leaned closer, only to gasp when Morro suddenly stood up, grabbed his bag, and stormed off, leaving a furious Harumi and a dumbfounded Lloyd behind...

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

After an awkward lunch, with Harumi and Chad and their groups giving them the stink eye, Lloyd and the others finally had had enough and went to their lockers to get their stuff for their next class.

"Are you guys joining us on Miss Jinro's forest stakeout?" Zane asked hopefully.

"It's open to anyone but is part of the ninth grade syllabus so all freshmen have to go," Pixel added with a smile. The others just rolled their eyes and chuckled, only to stop when Cole suddenly froze right in front of them. They looked over the taller teen's shoulder and were irritated to see Morro looking through his own locker from something.

That wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the fact that his locker was right next to theirs.

Before they could do anything, however, Chad and his gang pushed them and 'accidentally' knocked into Morro, causing him to drop his bag and pieces of vegetables to come flying out. To say he was still sore about what Morro did in the cafeteria was an understatement.

"I thought I smelled something funny," Chad smirked as his gang laughed. "Is that your snack, freak?"

"Piss off," Morro growled. Unfortunately, this only made Chad angrier as he marched over to the new kid and violently shoved him into the lockers.

"Got a problem?!" He challenged, failing to see the veins on Morro's hands darkening as he bared his teeth. Before anyone could even blink, Morro suddenly jumped up, almost as high as the lockers, and pounced on the bully, sending them both to the ground. Feeling their stomachs dropping, Lloyd and his friends didn't miss a beat as they ran to stop the fight before any serious damage was done.

Kai and Cole managed to rip a snarling Morro off Chad while Pixel and Jay checked on the jock to make sure he was uninjured.

Quickly, Nya and Lloyd pushed the new kid into an empty art classroom just as Miss. Koko burst through the crowd of onlookers.

"What on Earth is going on here?" She glared as Zane, Cole, and Kai leaned against the door to the classroom, and Jay and Pixel helped Chad to his feet. Meanwhile, in the classroom, Nya and Lloyd mirrored their friends leaning against the door as Morro curled up on the ground, gasping for breath.

"What are you doing?" He cried out between breaths. "Get out!"

"Just breathe." Lloyd tried to reassure but Morro started growling as he backed further away.

"You have to get out!" He screamed as the veins in his face and neck started turning dark and his brown eyes turning a stunning yellow. Realizing it was too late now, Morro slowly looked up at them with a defeated look in his eyes. "I'm so sorry." He whimpered before he erupted into growls. Nya and Lloyd could only watch as his body shrunk and rearranged itself.

His clothes fell off his body as his skin was replaced with thick dark brown fur.

His face stretched out into a muzzle as his blunt human teeth sharpened. Once it was over, Morro slowly stood back up, but instead of a human, a full-grown timber wolf looked back at them. He snarled at the two teenagers before he suddenly started running around the room and on the tables, knocking several art supplies onto the floor.

"Morro!" Nya shouted and the wolf jumped down and snarled at them again.

Slowly, both teens knelt down to the floor with their heads down; when they did raise their heads they revealed their own bright yellow eyes, causing the wolf to freeze. He stared at them for a few moments before relaxing and lying down on the floor. Unfortunately, things weren't going so well outside the classroom for the others.

"He's crazy!" Chad cried as he finished telling his side of the story to Koko.

"You started it!" Pixel exclaimed.

"And where is Morro?" She asked but everyone just shrugged and looked around, still leaning against the door. "I'll catch up with him later; you two, follow me." She sighed as she led Pixel, Chad, and his group away. The friends waited until the crowd of students finally disappeared before they quickly ran into the classroom; only to find a human Morro putting his shirt on as Nya and Lloyd picked up all the items he had knocked over.

"I knew there was something about you guys." Morro smiled like a child on Christmas Day. "It's true, isn't it? You're all like me!"

"We're not like you!" Cole quickly said, a look of rage on his face, causing Morro's smile to drop.

"Yeah, we don't show off and pick fights and invades other packs' territory." Kai hissed.

"You're a danger to us all and the sooner you leave, the better," Nya added when all of a sudden the door to the classroom opened and one of the teachers walked in, only to freeze when he saw the state of the classroom.

"What happened here?" The teacher asked in shock. Morro simply huffed in annoyance as he pushed passed the stunned teacher and stormed down the hall and out of sight. They just let him go. Lloyd wanted to chase after him but he knew the others were right; Morro didn't belong here...

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

After school, the gang went to their favorite hangout, the Yin & Yang Bistro, to gather their thoughts. They would have gone to Wu's tea shop, Steep Wisdom, but they didn't want Lloyd's uncle to listen in on their conversation. Alas, instead of a quiet place for them to discuss what they had witnessed as they had hoped, the gang had to watch as Miss Jinro's forest stakeout class met at the cafe to prepare.

"Apologies, students." She sighed as the class started to get impatient. "We're waiting for the last few stragglers to show and then we go."

"Ya've got five more minutes unless yer buying somethin'" The cafe owner, Mr. Burke, grumbled from the counter.

"I still think we should tell someone, you know," Jay whispered.

"Yeah, let's tell Mom and Uncle Wu that a strange werewolf just showed up at our school and trashed a classroom after trying to attack a student." Lloyd laughed bitterly.

"To be fair who hasn't wanted to kick Chad's ass." Kai snicked, only to yelp when his sister kicked him under the table.

"This isn't a joke Kai." She hissed as Pixel and Zane walked over to them.

"Are you coming to the forest walk too?" Zane kindly asked.

"Pass," Cole said as the rest scrambled for excuses. Just when they thought their day couldn't get any worse, however, Harumi and her army of cheerleaders suddenly walked in and scanned the room.

"Hey, Burke, has Morro been here?" She asked sweetly.

"Who?"

"He's this tall and dreamy and he beat the crap out of Chad."

"Ah, the Dobsons' new foster kid." Burke laughed and the gang paled.

"M-Morro's in foster care?" Zane asked.

"Yeah, must have been a bad boy ta get moved all tha way up here for a fresh start."

"He's an orphan?" Cole gasped as a look of shame on his face, hard with the others.

"Most foster children have parents somewhere." Pixel stated. "He was probably moved up by Social Services so he to get away from them." She added and Lloyd's stomach dropped in horror. Morro was probably all alone in the world, stuck in a strange place, with no-one to turn to; trying to make it in the world all alone and he and when he does meet another one of his own kind they reject him. Before anyone could say another word, Lloyd, Cole, Jay, and Kai ran out of the bistro, leaving everyone in a stunned and confused silence...

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

The four teenage boys spent the better part of half an hour tracking the new kid all over the entire city until they followed his scent to the forest at the edge of the city. The giant forest was tremendous, gloomy, and lush. Its canopy was ruled by willow, oak, walnut, and cottonwood, who let through enough dancing beams of sunshine for a hodgepodge of sprouts to rule the insect riddled soils below. Many people were too scared to enter.

Only nature lovers, hikers, and the occasional dog walker ever went in the forest.

Coiling branches clung to many a tree, and a potpourri of flowers, which desperately tried to avoid the shadows, spruced up the otherwise homogeneous scenery. A mixture of beastly sounds, most belonged to foraging animals, added life to the forest, and were out of sync with the sound of the wind blowing gently through the forest. Many normal humans had gotten lost in the dense green world, but Lloyd and the others knew this place like the back of their hands.

They decided to split up, hoping to cover more ground.

Jay and Lloyd went to search closer to the road while Cole and Kai went deeper into the forest. As they walked along the empty road, Lloyd suddenly grabbed his friend's arm and pointed further up the road where they saw Morro Ren walking along the edge of the road, his head down. They knew must have smelled or heard them, so he was simply ignoring them.

"Morro!" Lloyd shouted as they ran to catch up to him.

"Don't worry, I'm out of here." He growled, still looking at his feet as he picked up the pace.

"Please don't! We're sorry, don't go, we can help you." Jay pleaded.

"Help?" He scoffed. "I've had help; counseling and other stupid shit."

"You need to learn to control your wolf self before someone gets hurt... probably you," Lloyd explained, only for them both to jump when Morro suddenly turned around and glared daggers at them

"You're just like the rest of them!" He snarled.

"We know about the Dobsons," Jay replied in a trembling voice. "We know you're alone."

"So?"

"We're like you, you saw that." Lloyd tried to reassure, only for the new kid to shove them away.

"You might like me, you think the same as them!" He snapped. "You're just trying to make me better; but, you know what? What I am, what I turn into, that is way better!" He roared with a big grin on his face. "It's better than anything I've ever known and I'm not letting anyone take that away from me!"

"We're not gonna let you do this," Lloyd warned.

"Go ahead, stop me!" He jeered with a cruel laugh. "Use your wolfy powers and see how long it takes for someone to find out what you are; because no one at school knows your little secret, do they?" He asked and they looked away, their thoughts drifting to Pixel for a brief second. "I thought not; I've got nothing to lose here, unlike you." He smirked before taking off into the forest at full speed.

"Hey!" Jay cried as they chased after him.

"Stop!" Lloyd called as he disappeared into the trees. If they hadn't been werewolves Lloyd and Jay might have lost him, if not for their incredible sense of smell, or Morro's cheap cologne. They quickly tracked him down and before the smug kid could even blink he was tackled by them both. They all cried out and grunted as they rolled down the hill and crashed into the dirt trail. After they managed to untangle themselves, Lloyd was shocked to see Pixel and Zane standing in the middle of the trail with Miss Jinro's forest stakeout class.

Seconds later Kai and Cole came running over the hill and into the awkward tension.

"Sorry, we're late, everyone." Kai weakly chuckled. "Seen any squirrels yet?"

"No, you lot have scared off every animal for miles." Miss Jinro glared before turning to the group of students. "I'm sorry, everyone, we'll have to come back another day." She sighed as they walked away, leaving the gang, Pixel, and Morro alone. As soon as the teacher and class were gone, Pixel glared and advanced towards the group of boys.

"Well done, guys! This was something important to me and Zane." She snapped.

"There's something important we have to do." Cole tried to explain.

"Like what?"

"Morro is more important than any club." Lloyd glared. "The thing is... Morro and I... are related?" He quickly lied, shocking everyone. "Distant cousins; he's the black sheep of the family, and I didn't want him here, so I treated him badly, which is why he lashed out and trashed the classroom."

"We don't have to be best friends, but Morro's here now," Zane added.

"OK." Jay smiled.

"Sure." Pixel sighed.

"Welcome to Ninjago." Cole smiled as he gave the new kid a firm handshake.

"You really don't like soccer?" Kai suddenly asked. Everyone stared at him for a few seconds before they all burst out laughing, Morro included...

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

Later that evening, as the sun was starting to set, casting it's beautiful orange and shadows among the forest, instead of going home with Zane and Pixel, Lloyd and the others stayed in the forest to have a talk with Morro. There were things they needed to sort out.

"So... where you from?" Kai asked.

"My parents used to live in Stiix; they... they died when I was two," Morro mumbled, his eyes fixed at the rustling branches of the trees.

"And nobody knows what you are?" Cole asked in shock and awe when he shook his head.

"So, what did you do for the full moon last night?" Jay asked.

"I couldn't stay in my bedroom, could I?" He scoffed. "I climbed out of my window and made for the forests."

"So it was your paw-print that Pixel found!" Lloyd gasped; none of them would have been nieve enough walk so close to the city in wolf form.

"Was it your first full moon change?" Asked Cole sympathetically, knowing how scared he was for his first full moon transformation.

"Second." He replied. "The first got me kicked out of my last foster home."

"What happened?" Jay asked.

"Don't know." He shrugged. "I went to bed and woke up in a ditch naked; turns out I trashed my bedroom, so they kicked me out." He mumbled before clearing his throat and straightening up. "Anyway, what about you? I mean, full moons must be epic out here."

"Yeah, they're pretty cool." Cole shrugged.

"Well, I and Nya haven't started transforming yet." Lloyd sighed.

"So, I know more about this stuff than you do?" He laughed.

"Yeah, you're the expert." Kai laughed. "That's why you lost it with Chad in front of half the school."

"I didn't know that could happen." Morro glared. "I only thought werewolves went hairy at the full moon."

"We feel the urge to change when we feel threatened or angry too," Jay explained. "Learn to control it, and you can transform whenever you want."

"How do you know all this stuff?"

"Our parents tell us." Kai shrugged and Morro's eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"You have parents like us?" He cried.

"Well, sort of." Lloyd winced and turned the others, who all gave their nods of approval. "I live with my Mom and uncle who are like us, Kai lives his sister and his parents are werewolves too but they're usually out of town on business, Cole lives with his dad but Lou's human, Zane lives with his dad who's one of us and Jay lives with his parents, but they're both humans."

"I'm adopted but they know what I am and they don't care." Jay quickly added when he saw Morro's confused look.

"We were all born this way, you're normal." Lloyd smiled. "Everything you thought made you a freak: sight, hearing, speed, sense of smell, they're all completely normal for a werewolf; if you stay you'd have a pack, at last, people to teach you."

"So, say I did stick around, only for a bit, no promises." He quickly said when he saw the hopeful looks on their faces. "No rules, no lectures, you can keep your group hugs and your big, furry family, I'll do things my way."

"A lone wolf, huh?" Kai smirked. "I think you and I are gonna get on great."

"Next time you lose control over your wolf self, what happens then?" Cole asked.

"Well, that'll be an interesting day, won't it?" Morro smirked as he got up and walked away. Lloyd and the others shared a nervous look, worrying about what the new day would bring...

[teamdoubleoh]

What fits in Men’s Pockets

Or five times Q had exactly what they needed  

Q-branch always has in stock what an agent may need - Q is not so different.

wordcount: 3477

Q branch had been all but deserted when James returned from Bangkok that night, leaving him and Q alone at Q’s desk. Bond had just returned lost some equipment and Q had made him sign some document, confirming the loss. Apparently that lost gun had been one gun too many.  

"Do you have a pen?" He asked, looking the desk over. There was Q's laptop, the desk lamp, the mug of earl grey that had been cooling for ages now and the papers themselves, but nothing else. Without looking up Q pulled a single pencil from his pocket. "There you go."

"Dear Quartermaster, you astound me! Who would have thought you even knew what a pen is. One could think you had gone full digital by now."

"Please Bond, leave the banter for times when I'm haven't been working for two days straight. Everyone knows that you don't have to fix what isn't broken. Pencils are an essential, I will admit."  

"What are you doing here anyways. Everyone else is at home with their families."

"...I  wonder why. Usually we have a skeleton crew over night...."

"Q. It’s Christmas."

"Huh. Merry Christmas Bond."

“Merry Christmas. You know what could be your gift to me?”

“You’re not getting the Aston.”

"Thats not what I meant. I have a first name, you could use it sometime. If you stop calling my Bond, I'll take you out for dinner."

“Was that supposed to be a compelling argument?”

***

Bond Eve and Q were on a mission.

It sounded like the start of a terrible joke, but was really just a rather annoying affair.

Bond was supposed to seduce someone who knew something, and he had, spectacular so. Now the woman was head over heels for him.

"I told her I wanted to break up but she woudn't listen!"

"Honestly, I was wondering why that as never happened before."

"Not helping Moneypenny."

"Just act like you’re cheating on her. That should do a great deal." murmured Q from behind his laptop. He was working on something and only here in the first place because they had needed a tech expert at the location. Eve was only here to his protection.

"Great input Q, how do I convince a woman I have know for two days that I'm cheating on her? We aren't even in a relationship!"

"... You know you could just kiss Eve in front of her of her or wear a shirt with a lipsticks stain. That should work beautifully."  

"Well, I'm not kissing you." Eve stated, voice laced with disgust.

"What, too old for you?" Bond lifted an eyebrow.

"Too male." retorted Eve.

"You know what Moneypenny? That explains so much--."

"You should be trying to find a lipstick right now 007."

"Oh right yes. Eve, may I borrow your spare lipstick? I seem to have lost mine."

"Why would I carry spare lipsticks around James."

"I don't know. Why shouldn't you."

Q looked up from his laptop. "What seems to be the problem?"

"James thinks all women carry around lipsticks all the time."

"Well. Dont you?" Q asked adjusting his glasses with his spare hand.

"Of course not. Assuming that I do that is mysogynistic Q."

"Why would that be mysogenistic? Don't people carry around stuff like that all the time? You know lipsticks, breath mints, that sort of thing?"

Eve rolled her eyes. "Do you happen to have a breath mint for me then?"

Q hesitated. "...No."

"There you go."

"But I do have a peppermint gum. And a lipstick, if you still need it." He fumbled around his parka and pulled out a small black and gold container. A lipstick, Eve realised. James eyed him with interest.

"Now I want to know why you have a lipstick. Because thats a good one. Mac isn't exactly cheap and that colour isn't for everyone."

Q sighed and handed the Lipstick to him. "Bond, please refrain from commenting my appearance. I know I look young for my age, you've told me before."

"Only when you stop calling me Bond. I have a first name you know."

"I know. I read your file, remember?"

Eve sighed and pinched thuebridge of her nose. “Fellas, if you'd be so kind. We need to ruin James’ shirt before his girlfriend finds him."

***

Q was pissed. His brother had come back from the dead.

Bond hadn't even know the Quartermaster had family, let alone a brother who knew how to fake his death and had to use his knowledge.

Yet here they were, at 2am I a dingy back alley in inner London.

The street sign read Bakerstreet and the brass lettering on the front for of the building they were about to break into informed pedestrians that this was number 221B.

Bond wasn't ignorant. They had been in Q branch, when a notification had popped up on one of the monitors. Q had grabbed his parka and James’ arm and off they were. On they way the Quartermaster had explained.

His brother had come back from the dead, had neglected to inform Q of his continued existence - something he apparently should have done ages ago - and now Bond was standing next to a furiously calm Quartermaster in the back alley of a house Q apparently knew well enough. There was only one way this night could develop.

The Quartermaster was currently looking up at the darkened windows of the first floor, obviously trying to decide between two, as his eyes flickered back and forth between them. "Alright. Bond, give me a hand will you?" he gestured up at the fire escape that was tugged away to the left side, ladder secured at the corner of the small iron balcony.

"If I'm helping ou break into your dead brothers flat you should at least start calling me James first."

"James, a hand please."

"What do you want me to do?"

"You need to lift me up so I can reach the ladder." Q pushed his glasses up his nose. If he was lucky the darkness would hide his blush. "Before you say anything, I am aware you could jump high enough to reach the ladder. Sadly that would be extremely noisy, so if you'd be so kind--"

James folded his hands together and Q put his left foot in them. "On the count of three I'm going to push myself up and you're going to throw me as hard as you can. I'll let the ladder down from above."

James nodded in confirmation. If breaking and entering was what it took to get Q to stop calling him Bond he would take it. He started to count. "One... two... three." he hoisted Q up, effectively pushing Q to the height of the balcony, where he grabbed onto the steel bars of the railing.

Q pulled himself up and climbed over it, making almost no noise. Slowly he walked to the far end of the fire escape and carefully let the latter down, until it was within James’ reach.

Thirty seconds later everything was back in place again, with the slight difference that Q and James were now standing in front of a small, milk glass window with a white painted wooden Frame. There was no lock.

Q eyes the frame for a second.

"How exactly did you plan to get in? I would lend you my lock picks but if there is no lock that doesn't exactly help." asked James, voice low.

"Don’t be silly James. I have my own lockpicks."

"Why didn't we go in trough the front door then."

"That’s tasteless. Everyone knows doors are or people with no imagination." He bent down and untied his shoelaces, slipped his shoes off and then handed them to Bond. "Hold this."

"Q what-"

Q shushed him and proceeded to pull a small crowbar from one of his parkas’ many pockets.

"Why-- " James sighed. "Nevermind."

Q smiled sweetly and patted him on the shoulder. "Now, that’s the right attitude."

Within two minutes of careful and almost-silent meddling the old frame gave in and Q and James were standing in a small bathroom.

The tiles were white, the walls olive green and there were two toothbrushes sitting in a glass on the sink next to a small container containing some kind of hair product. Next to ancient looking bathtub that doubled as a shower there was a bootle of shower gel and shampoo. It was sparse.

Q stepped towards the door, which was only halfway shut.

James followed him, careful to make no noise, as he was still wearing his shoes. They made their way to the kitchen and living room.

Q took his shoes back and sat them down near what appeared to be the front door of the small flat. Then he gestured towards the couch. James took the hint and sat down while Q made his way to another door, which was shut completely. He knocked.

James rolled his eyes and slumped into the couch. After a few seconds there was the dry rustle of fresh sheets being pushed back, then steps. The door opened and a tall man appeared in the doorway.

Standing there, in the doorframe of a bedroom at 2 am, they looked eerily similar. Q held out his hand and the other shook it.

"Sherlock."

"Q. What a joy to see you well. What is your SIS agent doing on my couch?"

***

Everyone was ecstatic. They had just completed an important mission and It was Friday night. Where else could they have ended up but a pub.

The entirety of Q-branch as well as the double-ohs, Eve and Tanner had cramped into the closest establishment, celebrating the success of the day.

Q and Eve had taken over an entire table at the very back of the pub. After half an hour Tanner had sat down too and a few minutes later even Bond had joined their small circle.

Q and Eve were arguing about someone while Bill and James were trying to understand what was going on.

"Q wants to introduce me to someone, even though he knows I'm not interested in dating right now."

Bond frowned. "Didn't you say just yesterday you were forever in love with the scary one, what’s her name --"

Q sighed. " Morgana Pendragon, Duchess of Sussex, drama queen extraordinaire. Yes. But hear me out --"

"I don’t want to date."

"Unless its the duchess, yes. But please give her a chance? I'll give you her number and you guys can text, I bet you'd love her."

"Q, unless you have Morgana Pendragon’s phone number hidden away in that ridiculous parka of yours, I won't text anyone tonight, alright?"

"...uhm." Q looked uncomfortable.

Eve stared at him. "You’re kidding."

Bill raised his eyebrows gaze flickering between the two. "Wait, what’s going on."

"Q. Please tell me you didn't hack the Buckingham palace’s wifi and stole the phone number of the King’s daughter." Eve asked, suddenly very tense. Bond couldn't tell wether it was from nervousness or excitement.

Q didn't say anything.

Bill tapped his shoulder. "Q, you didn't do that right?"

"I didn't. Why would I do that?"

Eve shrugged, a bit disappointed. "I know you've done worse things for less."

"No I mean, why would I hack the wifi."

James laughed. "Moneypenny, how much exactly has he had to drink? Because I don’t think we should be explaining tech to the quartermaster of MI6."

Eve eyed Q suspiciously. "Not that much. Q are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. But why would I hack the palace’s wifi?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "According to Eve that’s how you would get Morgana Pendragon’s number." "

I don't need to hack the wifi for that! Has all this time working with me taught you nothing? --- I have Morgana's number on my mobile. She gave it to me ages ago.”

The others stared at him in disbelief.

“Why are you looking at me like that! I have lots of numbers -- Bill, first person that comes to mind, who is it.”

Tanner, looking not at all convinced, if a little intrigued, thought for a second before blurting out. “The Prime minister.”

Q rolled his eyes. Then he pulled his mobile out of his pocket and began scrolling trough the contacts. After a few seconds he turned his phone around to show it to the others. The display showed the name ‘A. Holmes’ and below it a Londoner number.

Eve sucked in a shaky breath. Bill and James turned towards her, clearly confused. Just because the name matched didn’t mean that it was actually the number of the Prime minister of England. She exhaled slowly. “Thats his number. It’s in M’s contact list.”

“Told you so.” Q huffed.

Bond seemed exited. “What about normal people! Do you know a John Hamish Watson? He saved my life in Afghanistan, few years back.”

Q scrolled trough his contacts until he found the right one, then showed it to James. “To be honest, I didn’t know his name was Hamish.”

“You know him Personally?”

”Why else would I have his number? He’s married to my brother.”

Eve took a large gulp of her drink. Bill just muttered something about a small world before emptying his beer.

James was smiling like a child on Christmas. “What else do you carry around! Do you have a knife? A screwdriver? Ohhh -- a flamethrower! Please tell me you carry around a flamethrower.”

Q looked pained but pulled out a metal cylinder. “We developed it some time ago. Can reach up to 500°C, depending on handling the reach is approximately 4 to 6 meter. Happy?”

James nodded vigorously stood, walked around the table and lifted a fumbling Q up from his chair.

“Wha--”

James smirked, carrying Q towards the door. Everyone who wasn’t entirely drunk by now stared at them in confusion. “We’re going to test out that flamethrower. Now.”

“But why do you have to carry me!”

“Because you’re the adult supervision, and because I want to.”

***

Q was in the field. He didn't like it one bit.

Contrary to what every double-oh seemed to believe he was trained as an agent, which at the time had been a simple issue of security. He was important and powerful. He had to be able to defend himself.

Now he was sneaking behind Bond trough the special security sector of the  biggest gene-manipulation company on the planet. Unofficially. Officially it was the third biggest seed producer on the market.

Q was slowly getting tired of the whole sneaking thing. Due to a week of planning, mostly filled with programming and some hacking he was now able to remote control the cameras in the building via his phone.

He had originally wanted to bring his laptop but together with the special equipment but there had been no space left in his bag what so ever.

He pressed a sequence of keys on his phone screen and the cameras in the next hallway over went dark. He gave Bond the signal for go and they went in, enabling the cameras behind them as they went.

Q searched the signs on the doors for the right one. If his calculations were correct it would be in the optimal position, laying almost at the centre of the building right below the high risk laboratories. Finally he spotted the right door and pointed, so Bond knew where they were heading. Q walked up to the door - non descriptive, generic, off-white - and opened to it and stepped inside.

The automated lights went on.

Bond, who was directly behind him stared. "Q are you sure --"

They were in the loos.

"Yes I'm sure. now help me." Q had sat down his messenger bag and was fumbling with the zipper of his black, MI6 issued tactical gear.

"My, my Quartermaster, how am I supposed to say no to that?"

Q flushed. "Not with my clothes 007, with the sink! We're going to steal it!"

"First of alI, am so coming back to that first thing later. Secondly: What?"

"The sink on the far left. Deinstall it."

"I don't have any plumbing gear, Q. I have a Walther and a com. And the com is pretty worthless when you're not on the other side."

Q’s complexion grew even darker at the flattery. "I have plumbing gear." He had finally managed to take of his jacket. He laid it out on the floor and opened a zipper at the top inner lining.

Inside there were two wrenches - apparently exactly the two sizes they needed - as well some other gear couldn't have named to save his life. They were all neatly held in place by rubber bands. Q only grabbed the jacket by the sleeves and dragged it to the very end of the room.

Q got to work, James assisting where he could, and within seven minutes the sink was laying on the floor. "What now? I'm assuming were not just here to steal this beautiful sink."

"Well we can't just leave it, can we?"

“We can't just take it either. They’ll notice it’s gone by tomorrow morning. Which is in three hours."

Q rolled his eyes and scoffed. He picked up his bag and opened the latch. There was sink inside. It looked exactly like the one they had just deinstalled. “It’s explosive.” Q said matter-of-factly, as though that would explain anything.

James nodded offhandedly. “You know what? I’m not even surprised.”

“Good. We have 2.75 hours left before the first shift arrives, so if you’d be so kind?”

“Of course.” James sighed.

***

James was sitting in Q branch. This was not unusual. He often hung around during off time to spend time with the minions, or so he claimed.

In reality he just shadowed Q.

It was an average Thursday night in one of the top secret services on the planet and James was tired.

Not hallucinatory tired though. He was pretty sure the blue police box had actually just appeared out of thin air.

He shrugged. This as Q branch. Q had everything under control.

"Q. A blue box just appeared out of nowhere. Should I be worried or get the kettle going?"

Q, who had just stowed away some paperwork in his desks drawers, appeared in the doorway. "Neither. He’s just here to pick something up."

"Of course love."

Q blushed and walked up the box instead. He knocked twice and waited. James stood and walked over.

"Q, love, please tell me there isn't someone inside the box."

Q rolled his eyes. "Only if you stop calling me love"

"Only if you agree to go get dinner with me."

The door opened. An old man with a shock of white hair stepped out. Behind him was a girl who appeared to be in her early twenties.

"Doctor please tell me we're not-"

"We're not."

"Then where-"

"MI6."

Her eyes went wide but she only uttered a quiet ‘Alright’ and closed the blue door behind her.

The white haired man who had just appeared out of a box which had appeared out of thin air extended his hand towards Q.

Q took it. "Nice to see you again." He said conversationally. "Bond. Meet the Doctor. Doctor, meet Bond."

The doctor nodded at James.

James nodded at the doctor.

The doctor scoffed. "I thought you Englisch were supposed to be polite." His accent was thick and clearly Scottish.

James smiled thinly. It was his I-am-amused-but-i-don’t-show-it smile. "I'm Scottish." He let some of his accent shine through.

Q turned to the girl. She wore a leather jacket and jeans and her coily hair was braided down the back of her head. "I'm Bill. I’m just tagging along."

James put his head to one side. "Nice to meet you Bill. I'm Bond. James Bond."

Q Rolled his eyes.

"And this--" James continued, "--is the lovely Q. He won't go on a date with me, although he clearly want to, so I call him love until he agrees." Bill nodded and turned to the doctor. "Why are we here again?"

"Do I need an excuse to visit some friend and-" he looked Bond over, "-friends of friends?"

"Yes. We were in the middle of something, remember? The puddle? My trapped girlfriend?"

The Doctor rubbed the palms of his hands together. "Ah yesss. Q if you could?”

Q handed him a small pen-like device. Except it wasn't a pen.

"Thanks. You'll get it back in one minute. Well one minute for you. We'll be off!" He turned around and strutted back into the box.

Bill followed him.

The doors closed and the box disappeared.

"Love, that was the single most weirdest thing that has ever happened to me and I'm a literal spy."

Q sighed. "I'll explain over dinner."

[hpdabbles]

Darry and “Well, /you/ weren’t who I was expecting.” please!

“But why do I have to do this?” Harry whines trailing behind Sirius who was fussing over the cuffs of his jacket suit for the fifth time. A few months ago, he would have never thought about whining too much with a guardian but ever since his Godfather crash into his life, screeching and forming around the mouth like his animagus form, a lot has changed for the young boy.

“Because, despite the fact I hate it too, this is a very important tradition in pureblood culture.” Sirius huffs. Once the older man gets his cuffs to settle he is twirling around to look over Harry’s outfit. He shakes his head, reaching forward to fix the collar until the Potter Family Chest is visible. It is adjusted to the Black Family Chest on the other side of Harry’s collar.

It feels awful like dog tags to identify who owns him. 

“If we follow the traditions, at least the less supremest ones, we can find some allies. We need allies.” Sirius continues taking a step back. His face is twisted as if the words disgust him deeply which cracks a smile out of Harry. “All we have to do is show up. I’m not going to allow you to be trap in a stupid contract.”

Harry raises a brow. “You can stop them?”

“I’m the Head of the Noble and Ancient House of Black. There is very little I can do with that title.”

“Then why do we even need allies?”

Sirius sighs bending down so his eyes are at Harry’s eye level. It makes the boy aware of his small stature but in a good way. Almost all his life he had people looking down at him: his uncle, his aunt, his cousin and everyone in the neighborhood who believed he was no good. 

Harry, in their eyes, was nothing but a mistake at best and a monster at worst.

Not Sirius. He always made an effort to look Harry on even grounds asking for his opinion and his thoughts acting like they mattered. With him, Harry felt like any other nine-year-old kid.

“We need allies because no man can do everything by himself. My title holds a lot of power but people are still wary of me, a lot of them truly believe I betrayed your parents and that I’m a Death Eater.” Sirius says gently but there is an undertone of frosty rage.  It may be a little odd to notice things like that but Harry always used to look for the undertone in conversations. You never know what could set off Vernon. You had to watch out for the signs.  “They think I paid my way out of Azkaban.”

“But you did pay you way out of Azkaban” Harry didn’t mean to point that out but the words came tumbling out of his mouth. It’s always been a problem for him quick like his fiery temper.

Sirius’ smile is proud like somehow Harry pleased him. It’s like mischief is what he strives on, happy to see it in any form.  His godfather is weird like that  “I’ll have you know I only persuaded a guard with a bit of gold to see if he could find the record of my trial. He’s the one that realizes there wasn’t a trial and brought it to the attention of the higher-ups. Very different brat.”  

Harry attempts to make a doubtful face but the way Sirius is wagging his eyebrows has him giggling instead. His godfather grins, reaching out to rough up his hair and Harry actually leans into the touch. 

“Now come. We have a ball to get to and it’s not proper to be late.” Sirius rolls his eyes voice turning to mock towards the end as he straightening up to his full height. He adjusts his top hat making his long wavy hair spill over to touch his shoulders. 

Harry finds it weird that wizards dress in robes and Sirius is apparently rebellious for being in victorian era outfits even if they are still considered formal. As long as they are accepted it’s all fine. 

His Godfather tilts his head walking the special way he taught Harry to step, graceful and no wasted effort.

You must walk as if though you are gliding. People can spot those without proper manners a mile away. You must learn to be graceful and walk with the importance of someone of your standing, Harry.

It took him a while but he learned how to be half as elegant as Sirius. There were still some days where he fell back into his old habits- shoulder’s slouching, steps too quick and pressing on his toes instead of his heels- but he likes to think he was getting better.

 “A Potential Marriage Ball, where everyone tries to marry up. Oh, the joys of purebloods.” Sirius sighs shaking his head. Harry stumbles over his dress shoes- having dressed in a victorian fashion as well but with green color, theme compares to the red of his guardian-  which makes him glare at the almost thoughtless way the older man walks. 

It’s not thoughtless, it’s a lot of work!

“Is Mr. Lupin going to be there as your potential marriage?” Harry asks innocently just to watch his godfather trip over his graceful legs. He giggles again when Sirius attempts to fight off the blush as he pretends he doesn’t have a crush on Moony.

Harry thinks it’s stupid. Everyone with eyes can tell and that’s coming from him, who admits that he can be rather dense.

“Why don’t we drive around your old school and make people jealous of our money tomorrow? We can rent the most expensive limo and have the windows down.” Sirius suggests clearing his throat. Harry perks up. He loves it when he can rub it into all those peoples faces that now Harry was much better then they are. 

He also recognizes it as a distraction from the conversation but takes the bait anyway. “Can we buy ice-cream too?”

“Sure.”

The ball is supposed to be his formal introduction to the Wizarding world. Harry has been with Sirus for months but he has been kept out of the public eye only being allowed one guest, Remus Lupin, to visit him. 

Sirius had wanted to get them both comfortable around each other and prepare Harry for his fame and role as the Boy Who Lived. It still boggles his mind that he’s famous. 

The ball when they walk in is the most magical thing he’s ever seen. The ballroom is lightened with flouting candles, all that hover around the top of the room near a sparkling glass chandelier. The light bounces off the glass through sparks along the walls.

The entrance is at the top of stairs, which gives the whole view of the room, and everything is a level lower, spreading out into a wide dance floor of marble. There seem to be house elves walking around offering floating trays to guests, while classical music plays but he can’t see any bands. He doubts the high-class wizard world has speakers so the music must be a charm.

People are waltzing near the big windows in the far back while on the right side tables are set up. To the left, the area is reserved for conversating. Harry can see kids in all these but even they move more gracefully then Harry.

He swallows a gulp.

 All-around him people in expensive robes and dresses mingle, some with shimmering jewelry and others in makeup. Harry personally thinks most of the men with makeup have nothing on Sirius’s eyeliner and red lipstick. 

Padfoot is the most attractive male in the room, and he walks down the stairs well aware of it. Harry hurries behind him, aware of multiple stares after the little house elf shouts  “The Head of the Noble and Ancient House of Black with his Heir have arrived. Presenting Lord Sirius Black and Heir Harry Potter” 

“Remember your lessons,” Sirius whispers to him while they move down the wide stairway. “Try to not offend anyone but don’t let them walk all over you. Please dance with one person before the night ends. And remember, I love you no matter what.”

“I love you too.” 

As soon as they make it to the bottom of the stairs Sirus is surrounded by people who wish to say hello after so many years apart. His godfather greets them with a charming smile, easily sidestepping the pointed questions and passive-aggressive comments with ease. They crowd coo and aww over Harry congratulating him and staring at him like he’s a prize to be won. It makes him shiver.

Harry slips away the moment he sees an opening and makes his way to the other side of the room, ducking underneath dancing pairs until he can find a nice little nock in the windows sills to hide. He’s out of sight and unless people search for him deliberately no one will find him.

One useful skill he picked up from the Dursleys at least.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Harry slumps. The lessons that Sirus attempting to stuff in his head - walking, breathing, speaking, manners, traditions,- all flew from his head the moment he was surrounded. He no doubts just made it harder for them to get allies.

Sirius would have to do some serious damage control. He feels very ashamed of himself for making things harder for Padfoot when their situation is bad enough as it is. 

They need allies, allies with influence because of the Ministry. They have been in waiting to look for any reason, any hint, of Sirius, messing up and dragging him back to Azkaban or at the very less take Harry away from him. 

Neither wanted this, but they needed the backing of powerful families should it does come to a legal battle.  And now, because of him, there may have gone any help they could get.

Harry feels tears prick at his eyes suddenly filled with dread that he may have to go back to the Dursleys. He’s doesn’t want to go back. Please don’t make him go back. Don’t take Sirius away. Please please please, please-

“Well, you weren’t who I was expecting” A voice breaks through his haze of fear. Blicking through tears Harry sees a boy his age at the entrance of his little nook. He’s wearing grey robes, resembling liquid mercery, and a family crest on his collar tells Harry he’s an Heir. Of what family he’s not sure.  

The boy is also really pretty. His hair is so fair it almost seems white, with pretty clear skin and storming grey eyes. 

He’s looking Harry up and down. The pretty pureblood seems unimpressed “I didn’t think the Boy-Who-Lived would find my hiding place. Mother swore no one would know- hey are you okay?”

There is little space between them so when the boy raises his hand to wipe a trail of tears off Harry’s face, he steps into his personal bubble. This makes Harry stiffen. He likes it when Sirius or Remus touches him, but not when others- especially people he isn’t sure won’t hurt him - do it. 

He doesn’t push him away, however, because he doesn’t want to make things worse for Sirius. And the boy is actually really nice, his eyes are soft with worry, almost like he cares. He’s seen some kids in school look like that with their friends but he’s never had someone he’s age do the same to him.

Harry feels more tears fill his eyes.

“Don’t cry.” The boy continues gently taking Harry’s hand. “Are you lost? I can help you find your way.”

“N-no” Harry hiccups frustrated with himself.  “I’m fine.” 

The boy stares a little more before one his thumbs run over Harry’s knuckles in a soothing motion. “Alright. You can stay. I’ll allow it. My names Draco Malfoy.”

“Ha-ary Po..tter” Harry gasps out through his hitching breath. Draco tugs his hand until they find a seat on the window shills, the large pillar keeping them out of sight. 

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Draco tells him still holding his hand and Harry smiles just a bit.  “Do you like Quidditch?”

“A little. I play with my godfather sometimes. My favorite position is Seeker”

“Mine too.” Draco smiles please and the Harry swears the music must have timed it because at that moment it syncs up to play a light-hearted melody that fits the glow of his face. He can’t look away. 

He squeezes the hand in his palm and is thrill by the squeeze he gets in return. Did he just make his first-ever friend? 

For the rest of the evening, Draco and Harry talk about things the boys like and the hours’ tick by. They eventually switch to games, verbal ones and ones they can play with their hands -  Draco is determined to win at rock, paper, scissors even though Harry refuses to let him add in Wand because it’s too powerful- and the fear he felt at the began chips away. 

Eventually, a woman appears at their hiding place with a very put upon frown. Draco twists his head up from where he’s attempting to do a handstand with Harry holding his knees to his chest to give him room.  He claims he could do it and Harry had called his bluff. 

“Mother!” The Malfoy blurts tumbling forward with a blush. “I was ugh that’s to say-I’m. This…this is Harry Potter! Harry this is my mother.”

“It’s very lovely to meet you, ma’am,” Harry says remembering to wave his wrist in a slight twirl like Sirius told him to do when meeting female purebloods. Once he’s older, he’s supposed to kiss their hands. He thinks….or was it the other way around?

 She gives them both a long look before her face clears. “It’s lovely to meet you as well Mr. Potter. Draco, darling, you have yet to dance and the night is almost full.”

Draco flushes more looking down at his feet as if though he’s been scowled but Harry had picked up the amuse undertones in her voice. She’s not angry at her son, she’s just teasing.  Still, he finds himself saying. “That’s my fault! I kept Draco here all night. I’m sorry,”

“It’s quite alright.” She says tilting her head. Harry doesn’t like the calculating look in her eye.  “I assume this means your dance card is empty as well? Would you do Draco the honor of being your first partner? He’s quite the catch.”

“Mother!”

It takes a moment to remember what that means. He just stares up at her in confusion before he snaps.  “Yes! Yes, it’s empty.”

He turns to the mortified Draco. Sirius did ask him to do one dance and he thinks it’s nice to dance with a friend instead of a stranger.   “Do you want to dance with me?”

Draco’s whole face turns red.  “Y-yes?”

Mrs. Malfoy makes a slight cooing noise before she ushers them out into the crowd. Harry pulls Draco’s hand until they are on the dance floor and they start a Walz. It’s a simple one since the Potter Heir hasn’t been taking lessons on this topic for long but Draco’s just as two left feet as him- the reason he hides at balls apparently- and they end up laughing through the whole thing. 

Harry can’t stop staring at the prettiest boy he’s ever seen spin in the candlelight with a wide smile. Sirius throws him a thumbs up when Harry gestures at the Malfoy mouthing  I made a friend!  and the man looks genuinely pleased. 

Somewhere he hears Mrs. Malfoy say.  “Lucius go fetch the Pensieve. I must never forget this night!”

Harry whole-heartily agrees with her. 

[imaginejamesandsirius]

Hiya! I'm not sure if I'm doing this write but here's a prompt I was going to write but got too lazy: Sirius going into Slytherin, either because he can't talk the sorting hat out of it or he owes it to Regulus or something and then James goes into Slytherin too because of Sirius. It can be as long or short as you want, really you don't have too. Thank you so much! I love Imagine James And Sirius

((Note: Black-typical child abuse references))

The younger Potters’ house, a small stone built cottage, comfortable for three, or five at most, sitting snugly in Aberdeenshire countryside not so far from the Potter Manse, is filled to bursting with guests, all there to celebrate Harry’s thirteenth birthday. Most of them are packed into the living room, perched on the arms of chairs and sitting in small heaps on the floor, and many are laughing at a story Fred and George Weasley have just finished telling about their misadventures with a ghoul. It’s a new story for Harry, and he laughs until he ribs hurt.

His dads are both smiling at him fondly, James from in front of the fireplace, a glass of firewhisky in his hand and looking strikingly like Fleamont with the flames throwing shadows over his dark brown skin, and Sirius from the floor at his feet, head thrown back to look up at him, his grey eyes full of mirth. Harry likes seeing them like this, happy and without restraint, but it doesn’t stop the groan leaving his mouth when Hermione sees the affectionate glances they share and decides to ask;

“How did you meet, Mr. Potter?”

Neither seem sure who she’s asking, but that has never stopped either of them. It’s a tale Harry has heard so many times before, and James always starts it the way he does now.

“Well, Hermione, you see, everyone always thinks we met on the Hogwarts Express, like yourself and Ron and Harry, or at the moments after our Sortings, but it was not some meeting of eyes across a train carriage or a crowed Great Hall, and knowing we’d found our forever best friends. We met before that. My parents liked to take me to parties they thought would be beneficial to me, so I would know some my classmates, and it was at Regulus’s-”

Here he pauses to wink at his brother in law, like Hermione might not recognise him, despite the uncanny similarity he has to Sirius. Regulus rolls his eyes, having heard this even more times than Harry, and goes back to drinking his wine.

“Seventh birthday party, I think, eighth maybe, that I met Sirius. And yes, I did know I’d marry him someday.”

“But Mr. Potter-”

“Call him James, Hermione, otherwise it gets confusing.”

“Yes Mr. Potter – I mean Sirius. But weren’t you only nine or ten?”

“Absolutely,” James says with a grin, and continues his story.

He did not know the quiet boy with the mischievous glint in his pretty grey eyes would one day be his husband, but looking back, James could say he wanted it, even then.

The night was cold and dark, the stars twinkling high in the sky like crystals thrown wide, stuck there eternally. James looked at them and pulled his heavy woollen cloak closer as he and his parents made their way up to the imposing door to number 12 Grimmauld Place. He had no idea why Euphemia and Fleamont were making him go, why they were even going themselves; he’d heard them complain on more than one occasion that the Blacks were awful blood purists and racists to boot. Yet they’d insisted there would be many children here tonight that would be in James’s year at school, children he should get to know sooner rather than later, and so here they were, despite James’s protests.

The front door swung open just as Fleamont’s knuckles made to knock, the woman behind it wearing a fake smile nearly as obvious as her deep red lipstick. By her side was a small boy, dark and sullen looking, half hiding behind his long black hair and half behind his mother. James smiled at him, his lumos smile Euphemia called it, bright enough to lift a whole room. The boy shot him a dirty look, full of sneering disgust, and James could only hope this was the birthday boy and not the brother he’d may or may not be sharing a dormitory with in the near future.

“Good evening, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter. And this must be little James!” Mrs. Black welcomed them, her tone as false and bright as her smile. James’s parents smiled back, equally fake and James found himself wondering yet again why they’d come here.

Once inside, an old house elf, twisted and gnarled like an ancient tree, look their cloaks and immediately vanished with them, muttering something about foreign blood under his breath. Affronted, James looked to his parents, but they were still exchanging pleasantries with the Blacks and hadn’t noticed the rude little elf. As long as the older brother wasn’t as sullen as the younger – Regulus, he remembered suddenly – nor as subversive as the elf.

As his parents talked and talked, and Regulus hid further and further into his mother’s skirts, James took the time to look around the house. It wasn’t anything like the Manse, not with its enormous stair ways and wide halls, but looking up the staircase, James guessed it might be of a similar size overall, he couldn’t even see where the stairs ended, up and up, round and round. His eyes followed the banister, trying to find the end, and instead, near what James could only assume had to be the very top of the stairs, he found a face looking down at him, nearly identical to the ones in front of him, except for in place of derision, there was an emotion James knew far better; mischief.

The shark’s grin on his sharp, surprisingly pretty, face was unmistakable even from such distance as he lifted what looked like some kind of ball, heavy and wobbly like jelly over the banister. He caught sight of James, pointed towards the ball, and winked. He knew where this was going and flattened himself against the wall by the stairs, hitting his head on some knife edged plaque, displaying what he thought might be a house elf’s head. The boy on the stairs, who could only be Sirius, dropped the ball silently and hid down behind the banister as it fell, almost in slow motion, towards the dark green carpet.

Walburga Black let out a scream of rage like no other James had ever heard as the ball exploded upon impact with the ground, releasing a wave of foul smelling green slime that splattered Mrs. Black, the whole hallway, and many of her guests, drowning out the sound of his laughter. Any humour he might have felt, and he’d felt rather a lot of it, vanished with the sound, and the look of fury that twisted Walburga’s face, dark grey eyes immediately going to exactly where Sirius had been standing. Most of the guests were making horrified noises themselves, trying to wipe slime from their robes and hair and glasses; they all stopped at the sound of Mrs. Black screaming her elder son’s name.

“Walburga,” Mr. Black hissed, “Do not cause a scene.” He went back to making placating noises at his guests, saying how sorry he was, how much of accident it must have been, but all eyes were on Mrs. Black now as she positively flew up the stairs.

James had expected to dislike the Blacks, even to hate them, but he hadn’t expected the fear that gripped him as it did then the closer Walburga got to her elder son. He had never even spoken to the other boy, yet somehow he felt the need to protect him from his mother’s rage, a need he would find would never go away.

“Mum,” he said, almost a whisper, certainly desperate. Euphemia looked at him, covered from head to toe in dark green as she was, and there was irritation in her face, but also understanding. She shook her head.

The party ended not long after that, though Cygnus managed to clean everyone and everything with just a command to his house elf, supremely apologetic and offering everyone, including James a large glass of champagne to wash off the memory. The Potters might even have stayed had Walburga not come down the stairs moments later, looking completely unruffled bar the small stain of blood on her left sleeve.

James thought of Sirius often after that, though it was a long time before he saw him again. He thought of the mischievous grin, the pretty face, the almond shaped eyes now he couldn’t remember the colour of; were they brown, blue? Hazel, likes James? He couldn’t remember much, except that he wanted to see him again.

The McKinnon’s Christmas parties were legendary, or so Fleamont decided when he announced they would be attending the affair one afternoon in the early winter before James turned eleven. He’d been to plenty pureblood parties since the one for Regulus’s birthday and now, and yet he’d never once seen Sirius again, much to his disappointment. He’d heard his name plenty times though, in the whisperings of other children and parents. The party had left the Blacks veritable pariahs, what with the mess they’d made, and the overreaction of Walburga, but the wedding of Bellatrix Black and Rodolpus Lestrange had managed to lessen the effects somewhat, and James was finally getting his chance to see Sirius again. Euphemia and Fleamont both seemed a little perplexed by their son’s reaction to getting to see a boy he had never technically met, yet they said nothing.

The ballroom at the McKinnon’s town house was decorated all in gold and green, matching the dress Mrs. McKinnon wore when she led them into the room. There was so much to look at from the enormous tree with tiny green fairies fluttering about it to the small gaggle of children at the top end of the room, most familiar now from all the parties. Marlene was there looking pretty as ever in a glittery gold dress that matched her hair, but James’s eyes skittered over her and the other children there.

Grey. Sirius’s eyes were grey, James realised when his gaze landed on the other boy. He didn’t even realise he was walking towards him, grin on his face, until he was before the other boy, holding out his hand.

“I’m James Potter.”

Sirius raised his eyebrows, amusement clear in his eyes, but took James hand anyway and shook it once. “Sirius Black.”

“I know. I saw you at your brother’s party.”

Sirius grinned at the mention of the party. “That was good wasn’t it. I remember your face.”

“Your dad gave me champagne,” James told him.

Sirius rolled his eyes exaggeratedly but his grin stayed in place. “He does that. Wanna see if we can make the tree fairies start screaming?”

The boy Sirius had been talking to balked at that, his mouth opening and shutting like a goldfish stuck in a too-small bowl. “I-I-Well I don’t think you should-”

“Maybe if we spin them?” James asked, and led the way over to the tree, glancing over his shoulder to check Sirius was following.

They did manage to get the fairies to scream, and to turn all the green baubles red, and to make the tinsel slither around the guests throats like snakes. After the look of rage on Walburga’s face when a tinsel snake wrapped a touch too tight around her neck, the two boys ran as fast as their gangly legs would carry them out the ballroom, down a spiral set of stairs and out into the garden, cold biting at James’s cheeks as soon as he set foot outside. For a moment they stood still and silent in the dark garden until a burst of laughter bubbled from Sirius’s lips.

His laugh was deep and throaty, and James decided then it was the best sound he would ever hear. He couldn’t help they way he joined in until they were both gasping for breath, gripping onto each other’s shoulders.

“Did you see mum’s face?” Sirius asked between bursts of laughter. “She’s gonna be so angry.”

“Not as angry as the fairies!”

“Or indeed the McKinnons.” The sound of his father’s voice didn’t stop James’s laughter, yet suddenly Sirius was standing straight, no humour in his face, only defiance.

“Who’re you?” Sirius snapped, glaring at Fleamont.

“That’s my dad,” James said when he’d collected himself enough.

“Indeed.” Fleamont’s eyes met Sirius’s for a moment, as if Sirius was sizing him up. Fleamont didn’t even look properly angry, just annoyed.

“James, we’re leaving.” He waved off James’s protests and ushered his son out the door, abandoning Sirius in the garden.

Just as they were getting ready to apparate home from the front of the house, Sirius appeared and grabbed James’s sleeve.

“Mum won’t let me go to any more parties now. You’ll be at Hogwarts with me though, I’ll see you there?”

The boy looked worried almost as he examined James’s face. Merlin’s beard, he really was so pretty.

“Of course, Sirius,” James said. “We’re friends.”

From that night, James and Sirius began to write to each other, and though they didn’t see each other again until they met on the Hogwarts Express, they quickly became close friends. They planned pranks and wrote of the Quidditch stars they’d be, of how they’d rule the world.

When it came to their Sorting, there was no doubting they’d be in the same house. Sirius would go first, being a Black, and James would follow him anywhere, same as Sirius would have.

The house shouted, “Slytherin,” nearly as soon as it touched Sirius’s head, and James had no fear when he sat on the stool.

“Want to be in Slytherin, ey?” the hat said in his ear. “All for that boy? Gryffindor would suit you better.”

“I want to be with Sirius.” James thought.

The hat laughed, all unsettling but shouted “Slytherin!” all the same.

Sirius grinned and hugged him tight when he slipped into the seat beside him.

“Told you we’d be together,” James told him. He’d known since they’d first met, of course.

James grins as finishes his story, stopping only briefly to press a kiss to Sirius’s lips. Harry rolls his eyes at their affecting.

“So you should’ve been in Gryffindor then, Mr. Potter?” Hermione asks. Harry has never thought about that before, about how his dad could’ve been in his house. Or maybe if he had been, Harry wouldn’t exist at all.

“Never,” his dad says. “I was meant to be where Sirius was.”

[ecotone99]

[SF] The Ballad of Jiggles the Clown

The grey clouds began to close in over the small, desert California town of Manouri. They darkened the skies in a manner that soaked up the pouring light.

The grey sky especially darkened that old, dingy abandoned house on Nabollon Street. Just on the end of a residential neighborhood, and bordering on the Deadlands; The region where the town ends and the desert truly begins. It is only populated by endless dirt, dead bushes, and tall trees that desperately cling to their lives in this dry environment.

That old house stood still in the quiet winds of Manouri. Vacant for years, and not a soul dwelled within it for decades. That is, until it gained a new resident in that fateful February month.

A broken window on the front of the non-home peered into the world outside, and with it was an odd man who stared from the inside. His face pure white with hair as orange as a tangerine, and long like a bouquet of freshly picked roses. His lips donned black lipstick, and each eye had three black dots drawn below them.

He was a clown, and his name was Jiggles. An oddity from a far away place. Presumably chased out, or perhaps a failed entertainer? Something in his past drove him to living in the basement of that old, forgotten house by the Deadlands.

Jiggles approached the door, with its hinges ready to give out at any moment. Thunder drummed outside, but he chose to ignore it.

"Maybe... maybe I should venture out to see my new surroundings!" he muttered to himself.

By the time the old clown made his decision, rain was pouring down, and Jiggles walked in stride with an umbrella in hand. The old umbrella was white, with a pattern of multicolored balloons that dazzled the withering parasol.

While observing the sights of the neighborhood, he skipped merrily, ignoring the downpour. Finally, Jiggles slipped and tumbled, eventually falling into a nearby sewer entrance. He stood up with a disorienting pain in his head, and he raised his hand up to adjust his red nose.

"Oh, now that was an awful decision!"

The water had already carried the clown a slight distance from the entrance, and the disorienting feeling led Jiggles in a different direction.

After about five minutes that felt like five hours, he came across an old storm drain which water from the neighboring street cascaded into.

Jiggles couldn't fit through it due to his adult size, but he noticed that the grate in front of the drain could be pried with the right amount of force from the outside.

Without much more thought, he thrust his arm through the drain, attempting to alert any nearby folks about his predicament.

One person did hear the clown's cries. It was eleven year old Jake. With a particular fondness of the rain, he had left his home to splash and play in the puddled streets.

Jake cautiously approached the drain. After all, when seeing an arm with a baggy, colorful sleeve emerging from the sewer, one can't be too careful.

"Hello? Is there someone there?" the boy asked in a hushed tone.

"Yes! There is someone there, and it's ME!"

The arm retracted and a head arose. The white-faced, red-nosed, orange-haired minstrel startled Jake, taking him slightly aback at the sight of him. It was as if Jiggles reminded him of something...

"Ah, thanks for comin' over here, kiddo! I'm gonna need your help!" Jiggles said. His voice sounded almost metallic against the moist grate, but that didn't distract from the gravelly sound that came from the clown's throat. He spoke like someone who smoked ten packs a day, but still had the energy to speak in a coherent and upbeat fashion!

"This grate might be movable if you just reach your hand in and lift it up. Think you can do that, kid?" he said.

Jake's eyes widened. Instantly he remembered what the clown in the sewer reminded him of; A film he had seen with his friend Bobby awhile back.

This realization was enough for Jake to quickly bolt away from the sight.

"Little brat..." Jiggles said, but at the same time he felt understanding of the boy's fear. Not everyone loves clowns as much as they used to.

After about two hours, the old clown found his way out of that disgusting sewer. He walked back to that dingy house in his soaked costume. The floorboards creaked with each step from his oversized shoes which were now caked in sewage.

His eyes were tired from all that time outside. He stumbled down to the basement where he was mainly living. There was an old, partly torn apart bed, and a withering end table at the bedside. On the table sat a doll. It was a clown doll, and it looked decades old.

Jiggles began to sit on the bed to lie down, but quickly realized how dirty his suit was.

"Hmm, I wonder if there's a shower in the desert!" he joked, with a light giggle.

The next day, the boy who encountered Jiggles rode his bike to the local park. Jake was there to meet his best friend, Bobby.

People frolicked and played in the park. Children, parents, and even dogs enjoyed themselves in a myriad of fun ways.

Jake approached Bobby, still slightly shaken from the other day.

"Dude, you're gonna think I'm crazy." Jake said. "I saw something in the sewer that scared the shit out of me."

"Damn, what did you see?" Bobby replied.

"CLOWN!!!" a voice bellowed from the park entrance before Jake could open his mouth. The two boys looked over only to see Spencer, a boy they recognized from school.

"Exactly!" Jake said to Bobby.

He waved Spencer over to the both of them.

"What the hell happened, man?" Bobby said.

Spencer attempted to catch his breath while recounting his story. He had walked to the local lake to see its peaceful, tranquil beauty. Little did he know, there was something alive in that lake.

Not a fish, but a performer. A circus performer! A performer with a dirty suit that needed to be washed in the lake.

While observing how pretty the tree-surrounded body of water was, the clown's head rose. Jiggles emerged with his portly, straight-standing form. It was slow, but also fast at the same time.

Spencer had barely any time to think. After all, what could one think? Especially when a clown comes right out of a lake!

Jiggles was fifteen-feet away from the boy. He opened his eyes and saw the child gazing at him. His bright orange hair appeared thin and frayed from getting wet, and the ancient paint on his face was cracked.

"It's a nice day to float, isn't it?" Jiggles said, waving and giving Spencer a friendly smile.

The boy screamed and ran like his life depended on it, straight to the local park.

"Huh. Again? That's quite... peculiar." Jiggles remarked.

After hearing Spencer's account of the incident, Jake and Bobby looked at each other. Jake, with a look of fear, and Bobby with confusion.

"I saw the clown too!" Jake said.

"You guys both saw a freaking clown?!" Bobby replied.

"Ohhh holy shit guys, this is just like that movie!" Spencer huffed, still catching his breath.

"Wait, so that means... we're gonna have to kill it?" Jake said.

"If only we knew where it came from." Bobby wondered.

Jiggles hiked back to the abandoned house. His polka-dotted costume dripped with lake water, but was slowly being dried by the cool winds. He reached the door of the dingy house.

Before opening it, the clown pulled out a red balloon, blew it up, and tied it to a string to make himself feel better.

The sound of the balloon alerted the attention of of 11 year old Jane, who happened to be taking a stroll on Nabollon street.

"Hi there!" Jiggles happily said.

She looked towards the house, only to see an orange-haired clown holding a red, drooped balloon, and smiling directly at her.

"Oh, do you want this balloon?" he said, while pointing at it.

Jane ran far away, yelling "HOLY SHIT!" as loud as she could. Her running took her to the safest place she knew. The park.

Her panicked running and red hair blowing rapidly in the wind alerted Jake, Bobby, and Spencer, who had still been talking about the clown that they saw.

The boys quickly rushed to the girl's aid, as they had recognized her from school.

"Are you okay, Jane?" Spencer said.

"It was the clown, wasn't it?" Jake said.

Jane looked up, shocked and confused.

"How... how did you... know about the clown?"

The boys looked at each other. Their emotions ranged from perplexed, to scared out of their minds.

"It went into that abandoned house by the Deadlands!" she proclaimed.

"Now we know where to find it." Bobby said. He felt determined to put a stop to what he believed was a threat, but also felt just as fearful as the others.

"We have to stop the clown. Does anyone know where we can get weapons?" Jake said.

"I think my dad has some baseball bats or something. Let's hurry!" Bobby exclaimed.

Later that day, the kids came straight to that old house on Nabollon Street. Jake was armed with a metal baseball bat, Bobby with a pipe, Jane with a tree branch, and Spencer with a pie.

"Are we all clear on the plan?" Jake asked the rest of them.

They are stared at him, likely having forgotten what to do.

Jake groaned. "Spencer, you smash the pie in his face, then I'll get him in the back of his head. Bobby will hit the groin, and Jane hits him in the chest. We clear?"

"Uhh... can I opt out? Please? PLEASE?" Spencer whimpered.

"No way fraidy-cat! This thing probably kills kids, and we gotta stop that!" Bobby said.

"Yeah, emphasis on 'probably', huh?" Jane replied.

"It'll be just like in the movie!" Jake said.

Bobby kicked in the door. The inside foyer was dilapidated, with creaking floors and rats scurrying on the floor. There was a near pin-drop silence filling the room.

"It must be in the basement." Jake whispered.

The kids nodded together and began to descend into the basement. It was illuminated by a burning lantern, and Jiggles stood in the corner, likely daydreaming.

Upon hearing footsteps coming into the room, he turned out to see the children.

"Oh.. hey kids! What are you doing do-" Jiggles said, before getting cut off by Spencer. The boy mustered up all his courage and rushed towards the clown with the pie in hand.

The whipped cream exploded on Jiggles' face, and the other kids rushed in.

Jiggles scrambled to wipe the pie from his face, and that's when Jake made his move. He struck the clown in the back of his head with the metal bat, and Bobby whacked the groin with a rusty pipe.

"Kill it before it kills you!" Jake screamed.

Jiggles attempted to compose himself and figure out what was going on.

"What the fu-" he was cut off by Jane hitting him in the chest with her tree branch.

Jiggles fell to the floor and vomited through the pie on his face. The realization hit. He had also seen something similar to this in a movie.

"Do you little urchins think I'm..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the children realized their stupid mistake. Jane approached Jiggles and put her hand on his shoulder. He flinched at first.

"I am so, so, SO sorry! I kinda acted on impulse."

"I'm really sorry too..." Jake said, dropping his bat.

The other two boys also set their weapons down.

"Okay..." Jiggles began to speak, dusting off his costume. "Just because you saw something in a movie, that doesn't mean it's true!"

"Yeah, but everything was so similar!" Bobby argued.

"Fiction mimics real life, kiddo. Truth is, reality tends to be more interesting." Jiggles explained. "I've seen some really intriguing stuff in my life!"

"You're not mad, are you?" Spencer skittishly asked.

"Surprisingly no." Jiggles said. "Sure, I just got the shit beaten out of me by kids, but at least I can say that it's a different kind of housewarming!"

The kids laughed at the clown. Suddenly he wasn't so scary now that they were getting to know him.

"It's like what I always say. Bad experiences become good stories!" he said.

"You know, you should perform for the people at the park!" Jane said.

"That's not a bad idea, kiddo!" Jiggles exclaimed.

The old clown wiped the pie from his face and exited the basement with his new friends to make way for the town park.

The End

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