#i’m sorry that my fellow fat followers have to see this. you all already know it. you’ve lived it.

[fatliberation]

anti-fatness is not just body shaming.

anti-fatness is discrimination. anti-fatness is having next to no legal protections for being discriminated against. anti-fatness is being denied housing, jobs, receiving less pay and promotions (legally) because of your size. anti-fatness is being denied access to clothing, seating, transportation, and other human rights because infrastructure has been designed to exclude you. anti-fatness is less likelihood of receiving a fair trial. anti-fatness is dehumanization. anti-fatness is being denied necessary surgeries, but not surgery that amputates the digestive tract with the intent to starve and shrink you (it doesn’t work either). anti-fatness is mutilation. anti-fatness is being subject to torture devices that bolt your mouth shut. anti-fatness is being told by close friends, family, and professionals that you are better off living with an eating disorder or other life-threatening illness. anti-fatness sells you starvation as a guaranteed opt-out of oppression, but doesn’t tell you that bodies will always regain weight to survive. anti-fatness blames and punishes you for failing at an achievement that is quite literally impossible. anti-fatness is a $90 billion dollar industry. anti-fatness is being denied gender-affirming care. anti-fatness is being barred from in vitro fertilization and reproductive healthcare. anti-fatness is being barred from adopting children. anti-fatness is being removed from your loving parents because they couldn’t make you thin. anti-fatness is intentionally starving your own baby so they won’t get fat. anti-fatness is disproportionately high suicide rates. anti-fatness is being killed at the hands of medical neglect and mistreatment. anti-fatness is the world preferring a dead body over a fat one.

[justwinginglife]

This Time, It's Different

Dedicated to the only person who will read this, my bestie @minasfwoopyponytail, yall I know I be doin Soshiro all the time, but I got on the Ranpo track cuz we were talking about Ranpo being in our top favs for BSD so I gotta show him some love today (I am so sorry that I bought Chuuya, Dazai, and Akutugawa merch and forgot about you Ranpo my love, this is my apology fic for you).

You were never good at lying. 

It was inconvenient in almost all aspects of your life, but you never thought your ineptitude would be the reason someone finally fell in love with you.

After many failed attempts at bending the truth, after attempting to tell your aunt you liked the socks she got for your birthday and instead unknowingly wrinkling your nose at them and breaking her heart, after attempting to tell your boss that you were busy and couldn’t come to work on a Saturday and when she asked follow up questions about your supposed plans you found yourself flushed and floundering, after attempting to tell your ex that you enjoyed meeting his family but then immediately declining any further interaction with them, after multiple awkward interactions and even more disastrous encounters, you decided to give up on lying. It wasn’t for you.

So you resigned yourself to the fact that you would have to tell nothing but the whole, honest truth for the rest of your life. Your lackluster lies may cause catastrophe otherwise. 

So when you joined up with the Armed Detective Agency, when you rejected Dazai’s advances by saying, “No offense Dazai, but I’m sure you say that to all the ladies, and while I’m flattered, I’m not into womanizers,” when you offered methods of stress relief to Kunikida because he “always looked like the world was ending,” when you asked when Furukawa would be retiring because you were concerned about him “overworking himself in his old age,” when half the detective agency was against you from your first day, Ranpo Edogawa found himself half in love with you already. 

He’d never met a person who didn’t -or just couldn’t- lie, even among his fellow coworkers, and he was at least intrigued by you if nothing else. He found himself eager to see just how far you were willing to go to continue telling the truth. 

Going forward, you often found him tagging along on missions with you, peeking over your shoulder while you worked, listening to everything intently, even despite your other coworkers telling you that Ranpo almost never went out of his way to be this personally invested in anything, just because he wanted to hear you talk, to see if you really told everyone everything you thought all the time. And to ask you questions. Lots of questions. 

Most of them were controversial because he wanted to see if you’d stick to your opinions even if you were in the minority, some of them were philosophical because he wanted to know the way your mind worked, and a few of them were just downright absurd because he was Ranpo. 

“Okay. So. You want to know if I would divert the trolley to save the lives of five by killing one?”

“Yes, and when you’re done with that, do you think that dress makes that girl’s butt look fat?”

“Mr. Edogawa, sir, I really don’t see how this is relevant to the case.”

“Oh it’s relevant, alright. Answer the question, I’m your superior and I wanna know.”

“Um. Alright. Well clearly it makes more logical sense to sacrifice the life of the one for the good of the many, just mathematically speaking, and yes, that dress is very unappealing on her, I don’t know why she went with white.” 

“Agreed, the white is hideous, you pass my tests. For now.”

And so this bizarre relationship of yours continued.

Ranpo would wait for you to finish up cases, would wait for you to finish in the bathroom, would wait for you to finish up dinner, just so he could pick your brain, just so he could amuse himself with your answers. But the more time he spent with you, the more his reason changed for spending the time. He was always attentive, had always had a keen eye, but when you were around, it seemed every last bit of his attention had devoted itself to you. He knew how long it took for you to finish going to the bathroom, so -much to your embarrassment- he always knew what you were doing in the bathroom depending on the length of time. He knew how long it took for you to eat and which foods took you longer amounts of time to eat them. He knew when it was your time of the month, he knew what you craved during said time, he knew the way you’d react when he brought you said craving. He knew almost everything about you and it still wasn’t enough. 

One day, he diverted from his usual barrage of insane questions and he started asking about you: what was your favorite food, where were you born, did you have any pets growing up, what did you like to do outside of work? By now, you had gathered from all his previous questions that he was just having fun interrogating you, but you enjoyed talking with him, so you answered all his questions regardless, personal or otherwise. You were unsure how telling him your favorite color was supposed to entertain him the way his usual ridiculous questions did, but you told him it was green anyway. He brought you a bundle of kiwis the next day because he couldn’t figure out what else was green to give you. You were unaware of the fruit’s connection to his question about your favorite color but to him, he’d pretty much just asked you out. 

When you didn’t reciprocate his feelings, because you were unaware he had feelings for you, and unaware he had just presented them to you through said kiwis, he pouted for the remainder of the day.

You couldn’t figure out why the man who had spent every waking second of your career with the ADA by your side had suddenly started avoiding you. You couldn’t figure it out, and it was killing you. Little did he know, you had also started memorizing details about him, and the way his laugh sounded, the way his lips curved into a smile, the way his fingers pushed up his glasses, the way he did anything and everything, the way he said anything and everything had you craving your next interaction before the previous one had even ended. And you couldn’t take the silence he had now forced you into. So you went on a hunt for him.

You found him sulking on the rooftop. 

You plopped down beside him without saying a word and when you could tell he might be preparing to run again, preparing to plunge your relationship into further silence, you handed him a Ramune. He froze. And then he snatched the drink out of your hand like it was just another Tuesday for the two of you.

“You remembered my favorite flavor, huh? Not too shabby for a second rate detective.” He chugged down the drink.

You laughed and nudged his shoulder with yours. “If I’m such a second rate detective, how did I know you’d be on the roof?”

He shrugged. “Got lucky, I guess.”

You bit your lip and for the first time in years, considered lying. But you couldn’t do it. “Actually, I didn’t just ‘get lucky.’ I knew you’d be on the roof. You always come to the roof when you’re upset. I notice more than you think. So tell me- why are you upset?”

He sighed. “You’re not into me. No one’s ever into me.”

You blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

He sighed again, this time more exasperated. “I gave you a gift, but you didn’t accept my feelings.”

You blinked again. “The… kiwis?? Ranpo. You always give me gifts. You gave me strawberries during my last period even though Yosano told you to get me chocolate because you know I like fruits better than chocolate. You gave me limited edition tickets to a play that was already sold out because you’d preordered it when you heard me vaguely mention that I liked it. You are always giving me things, and they’re perfect, and I love it, and I appreciate it, but how was I supposed to know this time was something different?”

He tapped a finger on his chin. “Yeah okay fine. I see that now.”

You inched up closer to him. “So… this time is different though?”

He suddenly blushed. “Yeah… this time it’s different. This time I wanted… well I wanted…”

“Me?”

He’s suddenly quiet and it’s the first time you’ve ever seen him like this. You’ve rendered him speechless and it’s impossible not to find it adorable.

You kiss him.

If he was speechless before, now he’s speechless and breathless.

“I just… you just…so we’re?”

You nod, smiling at him. “Yeah. We are.”

“We’re… together?” He squeaks out.

“I’d like us to be.”

He nods vigorously. “I-I’d like us to be too!” He blurts out.

You kiss him again and this time he savors the feeling of your lips melding with his. This time he kisses you back with fervor, with passion he never knew he could feel. This time, he’s all yours.

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

Author's Note: I am too lazy to write a longer fic that delves into their relationship after this, but I did want to write a lil drabble about it, so I will be posting it here.

[strangelysamantha]

elderly advice ❀

rafe cameron x plus!reader.

warnings: slight bullying for weight, harsh words, mention of a grandpa, use of word baby, swearing, physical and verbal fighting.

words: 1,964.

summary: when you work at a golf course as a cart girl, you are happy because that means you’ll be seeing rafe more often. but, there’s a downside when you realize that kelce and topper will see you more often as well, and with seeing them more often, you also get to hear their harsh words.

request? nope :)

a/n: i’m just overflowing with idea’s right now. :) i hope you all enjoy this story. it’s angsts at the beginning but it turns into fluff i promise! like and comment if you enjoy this story so i know what you guys want me to write more of. ily thanks! <3

my masterlist

——————————————————————————

“you’re a fat ass who shouldn’t be working here. point blank, there’s nothing else to be said.” kelce stared at you in disgust, his eyes dragging up and down your body. topper laughs in agreement, “damn straight. we are trying to golf, not be distracted by a beluga whale who doesn’t belong here.” you quickly hand them their drinks. you ignore their remarks, just trying to finish your shift. tears slowly fall from your eyes but you wipe them as soon as they touch your nose. “can i get you anything else?” you ask, slightly urgent to ensure you leave before your boyfriend comes back.

rafe and you had been dating. not in secret, everyone knew you two were dating. which included kelce and topper. despite them knowing that, they didn’t stop being rude to you every chance they got. they believed you weren’t worthy for rafe, and that he could do much better than you. “yeah, actually. can you give us some space? damn, you are fucking all over us.” you shake your head, speed walking away. you take a deep breath, trying to slow your breathing so you could stay calm. after a few minutes of air, you got back to work. out of the corner of your eye, you see rafe had joined his friends. you avoided going over there, especially since you had just served them.

you walk over to an older man, he smiles lightly at you. “thank you.” he replies softly, taking the drink you were handing him. “why do you let them talk to you like that?” he asks, clearly indicating he had seen the whole event that just happened. “i don’t- i don’t know what i can say. if i say what’s truly on my mind, i’m afraid i’ll lose my job.” your lips curl into a small smile. you acknowledge him nodding his head before you walk off to the next table.

when you turned around, the old man you once saw had got up and moved. you search around to ensure he wasn’t complaining about your service and that’s when you finally spot him at rafe’s table. your breath gets caught in your throat. you profusely apologize to the table you were currently serving, before you start to walk in the old man's direction.

the old man looked familiar, but you couldn’t put your finger on it. once you get closer to the table, you can hear their conversation. you arrive at the table, swiftly shielding your body with the circular drink holder that was once placed on your flat palm.

“is there a problem?” topper asks, smiling. the old man chuckles, “do you believe there should be a problem?” he asks. your heart beats faster as you fear what the man's next words might be. obviously you don’t want topper and kelce to treat you with hostility, but you didn’t want to go against them in fear that rafe would choose their side. “no sir, no problem here. you are the one who came up to our table.” kelce exclaims before putting on a fake smile when glancing at you.

your eyes are wide, and you calmly tap the old man's shoulder. “i’m sorry sir, is everything okay? is there something you need in particular? i would happily assist you and grab you anything you need.” he glances down at you, now noticing that rafe had placed his arm around your waist. he clearly notices rafe's gesture and laughs lightly. “girl, you deserve so much better.” you nod slightly, but he continues. “i’m assuming that this is your boyfriend?” he asks. rafe smiles, “yes, i’m the boyfriend.” you couldn’t understand the tone in his voice. whether it was protectiveness, jealousy, or just plain amusement, there was definitely something off.

“well, isn’t this a funny picture?” you frown at his words. your eyes plead to him to drop it and move on but he shakes his head, not budging. “that boyfriend of yours sweetie,” his eyes are trained on you. “does he know that his friends harass you every chance they get?” rafe's’ smile has fallen from his face, anger now bubbling up. “what are you talking about?” his eyes narrow, waiting for his response. “i hate to break it to you, but those friends of yours mistreat your girlfriend daily. i’ve see it everyday, she’s just walking around doing her job, and your hooligan friends fat shame and cuss her out. but obviously as her boyfriend you knew that right?” he questions, rafe's grasp on your waist tightens when you begin to walk away. his hands prevent you from walking off.

“not so fast.” rafe says, now standing. “who is this guy?” you hesitate, but he answers for you. “this guy is her great grandpa who has just flown to town a week or so ago.” your face drops as the realization hits you like a ton of bricks. your great grandpa. you hadn’t ever met your family, unless they lived in the house with you. you had only met him once for a family reunion when you were seven.

“oh. sir- i’m sorry i didn’t mean to…” grandpa cuts him off immediately, “i shouldn’t be the one you are apologizing too.” he nods, but before rafe can register it you had already ran to the employee only break room. you slide down the wall, your arms wrapping around your legs as you begin to weep. it’s hard to breathe as you realize that rafe now knows. the next interaction with rafe is detrimental as it will showcase if he truly loves you, or if he would rather choose his friends. 

“sir! you can’t be back here! i won’t hesitate to call security!” your fellow employee called out. you had a huge inkling that they were talking to rafe. “call the security, i don’t give a shit. i need to go back there, my girl is back there and i know she’s not doing okay.” rafe pushes past them and sees you crying on the floor. his heart burns in his chest as he sees the distraught state you were in. “baby…?” he questions.

“yes, rafe?” you respond, your head still hiding in your palms. “baby look at me, please.” you hesitated, but inevitably lifted your face up. he rushed over, sitting in front of you, “what do they say?” he immediately asks, while he wipes away your stray tears. you frown recalling the numerous events where his friends would bully you, “which time?” you ask. his heart drops at your words. he hated to admit it, but he was oblivious to what they were doing to you.

“please. you have to tell me what they were saying to my baby.” he frowns, his voice being lighter than you’ve ever seen it. “rafe-,” you try to tell him to drop it, but he shuts you up immediately. “what the fuck do they say to you? i’m not playing any games.” you breathe out, “they just say i don’t deserve you, and that you could do better, and that they think i’m a fat waste of space.” his grip on your hand tightened. “what the fuck...” is all he said before he stood up and stormed out of the room.

you quickly wipe your tears away, before following after him. by the time you catch up, he’s already yelling at both topper and kelce. “why the fuck have you been saying that shit? it’s not your fucking place to say shit like that about my girl!” rafe’s hand were grasping at toppers t-shirt. your hand covers your own mouth as the event in front of you unravels. “trust me rafe, we’re doing you a favor.” rafe scoffs, pushing topper, as he stumbled back. “fuck you mean man? i don’t need any favors from you.” rafe’s yelling caused a commotion as half the guests were now staring.

you frown, not knowing what to do. “alright. so what? we make a few jokes. it’s not our fault she’s so sensitive and takes everything to heart.” kelce laughs, and so does topper. “for real, she’s being extra like always. what’s fucking new.” topper exclaims, he now has regained his balance, rafe stands straighter. “you guys are assholes, you know that right? i mean what? you thought i’d never find out?” topper laughs, “well obviously, we knew she’d never tell you. i mean, we’ve been messing with her for fucking months man.” rafe’s anger grows stronger, he knew it had been going on for a while, maybe a week or two. but months??

rafe looks back at you, his eyes softening. you’d been dealing with his friends, taking every low blow and jab just so you could be with him. rafe’s attention returned to kelce and topper. “we will talk about this later. fuck both of you. that’s fucked up, regardless if she was my girl or not. such fucking dicks.” rafe pushed them both one last time before hurrying to your side.

his arms immediately find a placement against your hips. you avoided eye contact. “come on baby, let’s go.” he grabbed your hand and walked you to his car. luckily your shift had ended so you wouldn’t get in trouble with work. once inside his car, he starts it. before he pulls out of the parking lot, he’s staring at you, a question lingering in his mind.

“baby?” he quietly asks, his entire demeanor changing from just a few minutes ago, his hand reached for your thigh. “yes?” you reply, finally gaining enough courage to maintain eye contact with him. “why…” he hesitated but decided to ask anyway. “why didn’t you tell me that they were doing that? if i had any idea they were doing that… i mean, they wouldn’t even hear the end of it.” you frown. “do you want the truth?” you wait for his response. “yes.” you nod, “well. i was scared that you would pick them over me.” he was speechless. his jaw clenched as his grip on your thigh tightened.

“baby. i would never condone what they were doing. they are fucking assholes. they were undoubtedly trying to ruin the best thing i have. i would never choose them over you. i don’t- why would you even believe that?!” his eyes were soft, pleading for any excuse you could muster up. “i’m sorry, i was just scared.” he nodded, he finally drove you to your house.

once inside your house, you two were sitting on your bed in comfortable silence. you were sitting down playing on your phone, as his head was laid against your thighs. “you know i love you, right?” he asks. you nod, your hand massaging in his hair. “i know rafe. and you know i love you too.” he nodded, one hand gripping your thigh, as the other drew shapes against your skin.

“i’m really sorry they treated you that way. if i had any idea-.” you cut him off immediately. “rafe you couldn’t have known. it’s okay i promise. please, it’s okay.” he shakes his head. “it’s not okay. they are supposed to be my friends but now i come to find out they tried to actively run you away. it makes me fucking mad.” you nod. “well i’m still here. and i don’t plan on running away.” he nodded, sighing. “thank you.” you lean down and press a kiss on his hair. “of course.”

silence surrounded you again. “can i still beat the shit out of them?” he asks. you gasp. “rafe! no!! they aren’t worth it.” he slightly laughs. “fine. only because you said no.” he snuggles his face deeper into your thighs, playing with the fabric of your shorts. “i’m happy here.” you shake your head, setting your phone down. “only because you are between my thighs.” you feel him smile. “exactly.”

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Skinship

This one is dedicated to my dear friend and fellow TWST writer, @twstpasta! 

Congrats on making it to 3k followers and for making the grand debut of your new blog mascot~ I look forward to seeing your future works, as well as all of the (inevitable) Vil brain rot once your EBG (Extreme Bias Game) is over!

Imagine this...

“Unacceptable.”

“Eh?”

“Your skin,” Vil clarified. “It is simply unacceptable. You don’t truly intend on marching to the opening ceremony looking like that, do you?”

“My...skin?” Your hands subconsciously trailed to your cheeks. “What’s wrong with--”

He cut you off, his pupils dilating in absolute horror. “No...!! Don’t touch your face! Your hands are breeding grounds for all manner of nasty bacteria!”

Your hand jolted away at Vil’s remark. He sighed in relief--but the repose is short-lived.

“You haven’t even properly buffed out the sunscreen along your hairline. See to it that you wash your hands and blend it in. Now.”

“Ah, I must have gotten some grated parmesan on me while I was making my mac ‘n cheese for lunch,” you explained, your expression sheepish. “I only put sunscreen on when I work out, Vil-senpai.”

“Excuse me?!” He brought a finger to his chin and frowned. “I don’t know whether I should be more appalled at the fact that you somehow got cheese in your hair or at the fact that you scarcely wear sun protection...What, if I may ask, does your typical skincare routine look like?”

“I splash water on my face once in the morning and once at night. And I already told you about the sunscreen when I exercise.”

“...That is all?”

“Yup.”

Vil cradled his head in his hands.

“...Sit.”

“Huh? Oh, sure.” You seated yourself on a sofa and glanced up at your senpai. “But won’t we be late for the ceremony if we wait around for too long?”

“It will only take a few minutes,” Vil insisted with a dismissive wave. “I will be right back.”

The Pomefiore dorm leader swept out of the room, his dark sleeves billowing out behind him. The intricate golden designs on his robes seem to twinkle and dance under the lights.

He soon reappeared with a tray--upon it, a few towels, several small bowls of water, and an assortment of containers. Vil sat down beside you, placing the tray on a low coffee table.

“We can’t have you going out looking a mess,” he declared, “so I shall be giving you a quick facial.”

“Whoa, really? Thank you so much for this, senpai.”

“Don’t thank me yet. The magic has yet to start.”

He took a pump of soap, working it into a rich lather, then dipped his hands into a bowl of water and patted dry with a towel. Vil dispensed a viscous substance from another bottle and swiped it on your face--from your chin to your forehead, massaging in circles.

“What’s this slick stuff? Moisturizer?”

“It’s an oil-based cleanser,” Vil corrected, “Listen well, potato. There are three essential steps to every skincare routine--the first is cleansing.”

“But I’ve already washed my face today.”

“We need to break down your sunscreen first before we apply more product,” Vil chided, wetting his hands again before running them across your cheeks. “Next is a water-based cleanser.”

He popped open a tube and squeezed out a coin-sized amount. Rubbing his hands together produced fine suds.

“You’re washing my face again?” you asked, giggling while Vil worked the product onto your face. The lather tickled a bit—and it smelled like a field full of raspberries, bright and bursting with sunshine.

“Skin has both fat and water. Therefore, you should wash once with an oil to bind to oils, and water to bind to water—this will give you a thorough cleanse.”

Vil’s words were stern, but his touch remained gentle. Even as he chastised you, you could not help but indulge in the moment, melting in his voice—rich and velvety and decadent.

Hehe...like mac ‘n cheese...

You could feel a trickle of drool forming in the corner of your mouth.

“...45 to 60 seconds washing with each cleanser,” Vil recited in a murmur. “Upward and outward circular motions to promote lymphatic drainage, and to keep the skin from sagging. Be sure to exfoliate at least once a week...Are you listening to a word of what I’m saying, potato?”

“Huh? Uh...yeah, yeah, I’m listening.”

“Hmmm.”

“I-I swear I am!”

“Pop quiz, then. How many steps are there in a basic skincare routine?”

“Three! Four if you count washing twice!”

Vil cracked a small smile. “Excellent. I expected nothing less from you.”

He moistened his hands again and removed the bubbles on your face . Then Vil patted you down with a towel, leaving your skin just a bit damp.

“The next step is moisturizer. Normally, I would have you apply a toner, essence, and serum first, but we do not have the time for that.”

Vil unscrewed the cap on a tall, frosted glass bottle. The contents were pure white, sloshing around like melted snow

“Isn’t moisturizer usually like...lotions and stuff? That doesn’t look like a lotion to me.”

“This is a 2-in-1 toner and moisturizer. Cream skin,” he explained, carefully pressing the product onto cheeks and forehead.

Ah.

His fingers. They were so plush, so soft through the thin slip of the product—like clouds brushing against your face, planting dew drop kisses.

Your eyes drifted shut for a few moments, relishing in the feel of him.

“And, last but not least, sunscreen. You must always wear sun protection, even in winter and on cloudy days. UV rays can wreak havoc on your skin.”

“Y-Yes!”

Vil sighed, squeezing a generous heap of white goop into his palms. “If you understand, then you must promise me that you will take better care of yourself in the future.”

“I promise...”

“Good.”

His hands ran across your face, tracing every contour and curvature until each spot was slathered with sunscreen. Vil was the artist, and you were his canvas to be molded into a work of art.

A sweep here, a dab there, and...

Done.

Vil held your face, cupped within his hands, and gazed upon his work. His lips pulled into mirthful smirk—and his eyes glittered like amethysts embedded with stars.

He was so close--yet you cannot make out even a single pore or imperfection on his milky face. Your heart hammered from his intense gaze, and how his pink lips--today, the color of raspberries--were parted just so. How soft they must be, if he takes such good care of his skin.

“D-Do I look better now?” you asked nervously.

“See for yourself.”

Vil passed over a handheld mirror.

In the glass, a familiar, yet unfamiliar, face stared back at you. Your reflection bore a plump complexation—all rosy cheeks and supple skin. No white cast, no oily sheen, no flaky patches, no rough texture.

It almost doesn’t seem like yourself.

“Well?” Vil inquired, his arms folded.

“It’s me, but like...way better. It’s like you cast a spell or something.”

You cautiously poked your cheek. It conformed, then bounced back.

“No touching!” Vil hissed, yanking your wrist back with a frown.

“Whoops...ehehe, sorry. I forgot.”

“Honestly,” he groaned, reaching out and grasping your other wrist, “if you are going to disregard my advice so blatantly...”

Vil flashed his pearly whites in a sly smile.  “ ...then perhaps I should keep a firm grip on these traitorous hands of yours until further notice.”

He lifted the back of your hand to his mouth and planted a kiss. His lips were every bit as tender and smooth as you had imagined them to be.

A single thought emerged from the back of your mind: just what would those lip of his taste like, set upon your own?

You reddened.

“That color is most becoming on you, potato,” Vil chuckled, pulling back. His grip on your hand remained firm, yet somehow also delicate--as though handling a precious gem.

“Come. We cannot afford to dawdle any longer. The ceremony awaits us.”

Hand in hand, you venture out into the world--

--putting you best face forward.

[ingeniouscollectionthing]

My Lord (Tom Riddle x Reader)

Pairing: Tom Riddle x Reader

Warnings: NSFW, bath sex, dirty, spanking, a bit size kink, lord kink?, Tom Riddle can feel in this

The water was hot, steaming up into the prefects bathing chambers as petals of fragrant flowers floated around in the bath. Your fingers laced through your hair, detangling any knots that might have accumulated during the stressfull day.

Today had been especially annoying. While you had all your hands full with studying for your final exams, you also had to go after the duty of being headgirl, organizing things, patroling around school late at night and punishing students. While you loved carrying the power and authority over other students, you sometimes wished you were some unimportant Slytherin Girl, going about her day.

Sighing, you tipped your head back and rinsed out the conditioning oils in your hair, shaking them out in the waters, and you froze when the bath chamber doors opened. The steam in the room was extremely thick from the large bath, but through the steam, you could see the form of Tom Marvolo Riddle, your fellow comrade and headboy, your best friend. The Boy you were in love with.

Very well.

When he spied you, his eyes went a bit wide.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the bath was occupied.”

You were ducked into the water, only your nose and upper face revealed. You murmured softly.

“That’s okay. I admit that I’ve been in here far longer than i should.”

Tom’s eyes softened, rising up from the floor to meet yours. 

“That bad of a day?”

You looked down, not daring to meet his beautiful eyes. 

He spoke again: “Darling you know I’m here for you. Do you want to talk?”

You slowly shook your head, “No, I’d rather just forget about everything”

“Very well then”, he said, turning back to the door. “You know where to find me, if you wish to talk then”

“No wait! You don’t have to go! I mean, these….these chambers are yours too, are they not?” You blurted out, cheeks reddening intensly.

Tom looked back at you, surprised, before humming. Slowly he shed the pieces of his uniform, leaving him bare. You were quick to avert your gaze, sitting back against the wall of the big bath. The sound of the water being displaced and stepped in erupted, and your face burned lightly as Tom walked to a far part of the bath as if to try and create a bit more privacy, and as he began to wash himself, you couldn’t help but look at him.

You Always felt drawn to this handsome young man. To your Intelligent and cunning, protective best friend. the one who stole your heart - along with your soul. You watched as he washed himself, his pale, tall but very muscular body. You studied every part of it, from his intense and broad shoulders, to his strong arms down to his hips, where the water prevented you from seeing more.

You were thankful for him.

He always looked out for you, eventhough he tended to become very possessive. While he did everything out of his way, to make you happy, he also prevented other people from getting too close to you. He always said, that he doesn’t want you to get hurt, or bullied, ‘cause most students were jealous of you, your looks, your reputation and your achievments. He cared about you, he Always says. Way too much than he’d like to admit.

It was a miracle you became this close, really. While you were normally a rather outgoing, joyful person, he was the smart kid that always kept to himself and avoided social contacts. Until the day you were paired up to go on Prefect’s Patrol, where you started to talk and got to know each other. You both realized how much alike you really were. Despite never having met each other before, you also shared the same beliefs abot mudbloods and the value of pure magical blood. Ever since that day you were insaperable.

Tom’s hands cupped the bath water, bringing it up to his chest and rubbing the water into his skin. The soap that he was using was a sweet and almost citrus smell, reminding you of crème and oranges. Then he asked you,

“Do you often stare at those who come to bathe with you?”

You replied cheekily, though your ears burned heavily afterwards.

“Only the very handsome ones.”

Tom turned his head to look at you, his eyes intense, and he asked you, his voice sounding a bit deeper.

“You say that as if you’ve bathed with males before.” Now his possessive side came out. You were his, His only.

“No, you’d be the first.”

Tom’s eyes went darker, a smirk making it’s way onto his face and you turned your eyes away, closing them as you sat deeper in the water, your lips concealed in the water. The smell of his soap wafted into your nostrils, and water splashed, indicating that he was washing the soap from  his chest. Your eyes dared to trail back to him, and you blushed when he was already staring at you. His gaze was haughty, almost proud, as he stood before you, and he dared to speak again.

“I do not believe our relationship allows us to bathe together, although i have to say, i don’t mind it at all”

You replied softly, admitting.

“Not yet, no. But considering that I’m your most loyal follower and that I would give my life for you, my Lord, I think we already overstepped that border.”

You maintained eye contact as you spot a light flicker in his, a full smile now apparent on his face. Then you stared at the water and Tom asked you again, sounding closer and voice even deeper.

“You would give your life for me so readily? What of your family or your friends?”

You shook your head.

“I would give my life for you in a heartbeat, my lord. My loyalty to you does not stop where my life will end. The only thing in my dreadful life, full of mudbloods and muggles, that is dear to me-” you sucked in a deep breath, before Closing your eyes “- is you”.

Your eyes opened to see Tom a lot closer to you than before, and your face burned. Looking away from him, you swallowed thickly, and he seemed to smile at the small gesture of shyness

“Gaze upon your lord, my beautfiul dark queen.”

You could hear the command in his tone, and rather than disobey, you slowly looked up from the water to gaze upon him. Your eyes traveled from his navel, his abdominal muscles prominent as the vallies and grooves smoothed and deepened with each breath.

Your eyes trailed over his skin as water droplets fell and then trailed to his neck where it seemed flushed. When you gazed into his eyes, they were the darkest you had ever seen them.

Beautiful black blown pupils silently conveyed the need he was feeling for you.

Tom’s eyes grew soft as you stared at him, telling you with a pleading tone.

“Allow me to gaze upon you, my queen...”

You swallowed thickly before slowly standing before him, your arms crossed across your chest, and he came closer to you. His nose brushed against yours, his fingers running up your arms, and he whispered to you,

“Do not be shy, my lady…you will never shame me.”

Slowly, he guided your hands away from your chest. His lips pressed against yours slowly, as if he was savouring your taste, and Tom’s fingers trailed up your arms to cup your face. Tingles ran down your spine, and your hands came up to tangle in Tom’s thick black locks, making him groan as he kissed you. His tongue slid along your bottom lip, and your lips parted lightly. His thick tongue slipped into your mouth, brushing against your pink muscle and dominating your mouth. 

His hands ran down your neck to your upper arms before sliding to the sides of your torso. His thumbs brushed against your hardening nipples, and you let out a shaky breath. His lips trailed down your neck, kissing your skin and sucking lightly. His hands cupped your breasts, squeezing lightly, and you sighed, your head falling back. Then Tom ducked down a bit, kissing the skin of your chest, and his teeth caught your flesh, nipping lightly and making you gasp softly.

His hands moved, coming around your body and moving down to your ass. Taking handfuls of each ass cheek, he squeezed strongly, bringing you closer to him. His hard cock brushed against your leg, and your eyes went wide lightly. Your hands came to his shoulders, gripping the hard muscle and skin, and Tom growled in your ear,

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this…how long I have waited for you to be in my arms like this.”

Suddenly Tom lifted you into his strong arms, pressing you against the wall of the bath, and his cock rubbed between your warm folds, making you whimper lightly. His hips rolled against yours, rubbing his cock onto your clit over and over.

“How long I have waited to feel you like this...”

Slowly, his cock began to enter you, and you whimpered from the sheer size. You knew that he was quite big and that he was much stronger than his uniform let you see. He was a strong young man, not only physically. No. Also his magical power towered over everything there ever was.

He felt so much girthier than you had ever imagined in your dreams. He seemed to be around eight or nine inches, fat and healthy.

Tom hadn’t even gotten the head of his cock inside of you, and yet you already felt incredibly stretched. You winced, and he kissed your brow, whispering softly.

“Relax, my queen…we will take this slow.”

You nodded, and Tom slowly pushed his cock into you, pausing every so often to allow you to get used to the size of him. Finally, he was able to get all the way inside you. Merlin, you were so incredibly tight around him. In fact, Tom was sure that if he wasn’t careful enough, he would break you. 

Such a beautiful, fragile little girl. All mine. To use, To cherish. To love, he thought.

Your mouth was agape, your fingernails digging into the skin of his shoulders, and Tom was gripping your waist tightly. He was breathing deeply, taking deep and calming breaths so he wouldn't just start ravishing you, and then he asked softly.

“Are you alright?”

You nodded, and Tom slowly began to move. Every thrust had you breathless and while it hurt for a moment, it began to feel absolutely heavenly the more he thrusted. He filled every single crevice, every single nook and cranny inside of you.  You could feel the veins of his cock pulsing as he tried to hold back for you, and your legs wrapped around his waist, hooking at the ankles and your hands tangled in his hair.

“My lord,”

You whimpered to him as he slowly thrust into you, and Tom let out a rumble from deep within his chest. You whispered softly to him, pleading as you felt his cock go in and out of you so deliciously.

“Please do not hold back on me, my lord. I may be a simple little witch, but I can take you.”

There was a challenge in your voice that did not go unheard and Tom shook his head in restraint, growling deeply.

“I will not hurt you, my lady. I cannot hurt my Queen.”

You whispered against his lips, your tongue dipping out to swipe over them.

“What if I want you to, my dark lord? What if I want you take me as I am…claim me as yours for all to see…take me, Tom.”

Tom’s hands gripped your waist tightly, and he growled to you, giving you an experimental rough thrust that made you see stars.

“You are walking on a dangerous path my (Y/n)”, he grunted.

“I’d do anything for you, my Lord”

Your lips came to his, claiming them for your own, and Tom growled deeply into your lips before thrusting his hips deeper into your own. You cried out from the unexpected feeling of him fucking you so deliciously, gripping Tom’s broad shoulders as he began to roughly fuck you. His skin was hot, one of his hands coming up to grasp the back of your head and hold you to his warm body. His cock was pounding into you, stretching and stretching you, and you swore his cock was pounding into your Cervix.

Tom was groaning, grunting, and growling as he fucked you, and your teeth dug into the skin of his shoulder. He gasped before his hand came down and through the water, spanking your ass. You gave a cry though you didn’t let go of his skin.

Suddenly Tom moved you up and onto the steps of the bath chamber, lying you down. He slipped out of you, and you whimpered from the empty feeling. Then he flipped you on your belly, his mouth almost unhinging from the sight of your throbbing wet pussy. Wet, pulsating, almost gaping, it was delicious. Tom slowly slipped back into you with slight resistance, but in no time he was back to fucking you. Unrestrained, Tom fucked you with a hard roughness, smacking his hips into yours and spanking your ass every few thrusts.

“How does it feel to be properly taken and marked by your lord?”,

Tom growled to you, keeping your hips on the tile floor beneath you by pinning you down by the small of your back, his other hand rubbing the red flesh of your ass cheek before spanking you again. Your hands were pressed flat against the floor, your cheek pressed into the tile and you were moaning at each thrust, each move of his hips. You whimpered out, eyes squeezing shut and your fists clenching.

“So good…so good, my lord!”

Tom growled deeply, leaning down and biting the flesh of your shoulder blade. You whimpered again, and he hissed into your ear.

“That’s right. You’re mine…nobody else will have you the way I do. They will not touch you, breathe in your smell, or look at you…my most precious queen.”

You cried out, your walls beginning to tremble around him, and Tom moaned deeply. His thrusts began to falter, and your walls clamped down around him, your pleasured cries echoing through the bathing chamber, as you came. You squirted all over him. He mumbled your name, and he came deep inside of you, his warm fertile seed filling your belly. You felt so incredibly full as Tom emptied himself inside of you, your body twitching, and his forehead came to rest between your shoulder blades.

“Are you alright?”

You nodded tiredly, mumbling softly in exhaustion.

“Yes, my lord…a little tired, if I may be honest.”

Tom chuckled lightly, a little exhausted himself. Slipping out of you, his cum spilled from your spent pussy, and Tom swallowed thickly. Gently, he pulled you up into his arms, leading you back into the hot water to clean you up before he picked you up.

Grabbing a soft towel, Tom wrapped you up, and you grunted lightly,

“Thank goodness tomorrow is Saturday. I don’t think I’d be able to move and walk aynwhere”, you remarked cheekily, your face lighting up in a bright pink hue.

Tom grinned to himself and replied,

“Don’t worry my queen. We’ll spend the weekend in my private Chambers, only the two of us.”

There was a suggestion in his voice that you did not miss, and you hummed.

“Then I suppose we should put a silencing spell on your room, my lord.”

Slowly you both got dressed, while sharing sweet kisses and words. Before you could put your top back on, Tom already came over with his school Sweater, dressed in his white button up.

“Arms up, beautiful”, he said and you did as you were told, before you were enfulged in the warmth and smell of his sweater. He lightly grabbed your face in both his hands, kissing you slowly and passionately. Then Tom looked at you saying,

“You know, now our relationship allows things like that more often my queen.”

You looked up at him, lying your hand over his, still on your cheek.

“Yes it does”.

You giggled as Tom picked you up bridal style.

He laughed with you before both of you went to his private headboy chambers, where he set you on his bed, wrapping his blankets around you after undressing and kissing you deeply. You hummed against him and whispered.

“Come into bed with me, my lord…let your queen sleep within your arms.”

Tom’s heart swelled and he climbed into the bed, gathering you up within his strong arms. The last Thing you heard before slipping into the world of dreams,

“I love you, (Y/N)”

My queen.

[amajikilvr]

warm aromas - tamaki amajiki

word count 1.9k

reader type filipino , gender-neutral

premise tamaki gets a taste of your cultural during a first date

For the record, you weren’t terribly nervous about this date. At least not any type of uneasiness worth noting. It was a fluttery kind of anticipation that shot your butterfly-filled stomach into your chest, all the way up your throat, and then finally falling back down before repeating and repeating. More than anything else, you were excited.

It was just Amajiki, after all. Well, he wasn’t just anything. Amajiki was a beautiful kaleidoscope of oddities that you had yet to have the pleasure of discovering. For now, you simply knew him as the tender boy in your class with immense talent and heart.

You considered him a great friend and had been willing to take a leap of faith in an effort to pursue something more. And it seemed like your bravery was paying off so far.

Walking into the warmly lit restaurant, you took a deep breath of the aromatic atmosphere and felt your heart jump and shake as Amajiki’s sweet face came to mind. You couldn’t see yourself ever forgetting the way his complexion had brightly glowed like the surface of a fresh cherry when you asked him out after class.

The familiar older woman working at the front waved and greeted you by name and you did the same with a notable extra twirl in your step. She raised an eyebrow at you, aged forehead wrinkling in amusement.

Needless to say, not even a sudden run-in with your worst enemy would’ve been able to take your good mood down a single notch.

And there he was, already sitting at a back booth that was tucked away and hidden from the majority of fellow patrons, which didn’t surprise you in the slightest.

You grinned and held back a squeal as you plopped down in the seat across from him. “Hi! Hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

Amajiki immediately shook his head, indigo tufts of hair bouncing comically. You wanted to just reach out and ruffle them.

“Y/L/N! You didn’t! I was just early, sorry. I was so worried about making you wait for me. Sorry.”

“Aw, that was sweet of you, Tamaki.” You watched his cheeks flush at the use of his given name. Hesitantly, you let your hand hover over his. “Can I?”

“O-oh, yeah.” His face went pale before gradually going an even darker shade of red crimson.

You leaned forward and gently grabbed his hand, a little shocked to feel it trembling. “I’m really happy to be here, you know. Especially since it’s with you.”

Amajiki gulped before taking a long steady breath. His lips curved into a small smile as he made tentative eye contact with you for the first time.

“Me too… Y/N.”

“So, have you ever tried Filipino food before?” You asked after a moment of comfortable silence between you two, still relishing the feeling of his hand in yours. “Hado-san told me you were an adventurous eater…”

“I guess I am. My quirk kinda relies on a diet with plenty of variety. I’ve grown to really enjoy trying different kinds of food, practicality aside.” He paused, clearing his throat, and glancing away. “No Filipino food yet, though.”

“Well,” You gave his hand an experimental squeeze. Amajiki’s breathing went shaky in response, but he squeezed back. “I think you’re really going to like it.”

You’d discovered this restaurant after searching the Internet for somewhere in this city that served authentic Filipino cuisine. Finally, you found this nice family-owned place with delicious food, albeit you still preferred your mother’s cooking, but that was a given.

“Then I’m excited.” Amajiki gave you another wobbly smile. “Not that I wasn’t excited before. I was up all night thinking a… Oh, that’s embarrassing…”

You laughed softly, not at him, but hoping to reassure him. “No, that’s actually cute.”

Tamaki’s eyes went wide and instead of the blush returning, he went as white as a bedsheet. “Oh god… I’m sorry, I’m just so embarrassed. Y/N… Sorry…”

He covered his face with his free hand which was shaking significantly more by now. You were slightly concerned he might get up and run for the nearest corner.

“Tamaki, it’s okay.” You wanted to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, but you settled for squeezing his hand some more in hopes of not further overwhelming him. “It’s all good, don’t worry. I really like you.”

He opened his mouth as if to respond, but was interrupted by the arrival of the waiter who you had already grown quite friendly with over the years. You made a bit of small talk before ordering several classic dishes for Amajiki and you to sample together.

“Y/N,” Amajiki spoke up once you two were alone again. Thankfully, he had time to recover while you ordered and color had returned to his face as a result. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“What is it about me that you like?” The last part was practically whispered and you had to guess whether you heard him correctly. “I just didn’t expect any of this is all…”

You tilted your head, smiling at Amajiki as you looked over his face carefully. He was beautiful on the outside too. His jawline was sharp and prominent, skin clear and soft-looking, and his eyes were sparkling and expressive. You could never get over the color, a startlingly deep shade that was only missing a background of stars and planets.

“Well, firstly, I think you’re very attractive.” You watched Amajiki choke on the sip of water he’d taken. He coughed a few times before silently blinking at you and you took it as a sign to continue. “You’re just so vibrant. When you’re using your quirk, you light up the whole room. You do without it too. And watching you work so hard and improve this year has been amazing. You inspire me without even trying and I couldn’t be more thankful for it.”

Amajiki made a small gasping noise, borderline a squeak, before squeezing his pretty eyes shut. He took a couple of deep breaths before sighing heavily. “T-that’s… Wow… Y/N, thank you. Thank you so much.”

He kept his eyes closed as he finished, blushing immensely again. “I think you’re beautiful… And smart. And kind. And… Oh my god, sorry, I might need a minute to just-”

“Tamaki.” You nervously brought your hand to his face and cupped his cheek. It was incredibly warm. “Is this okay?”

The response was shockingly quick. “Y-yes.”

You took another huge risk and just hoped it would pay off in the end. “Can I kiss you?”

A pregnant pause this time. Your heart was working overtime and you swore you could hear it pounding from inside your chest. Amajiki was quivering ever so slightly under your touch. You shouldn’t have asked, it was probably too much happening too fast.

“It’s okay if you don’t-”

Amajiki cut you off almost frantically. “No! I mean, yes, you can. Please…”

You gathered yourself and leaned even further across the table. First, you planted a chaste and sweet kiss on his other cheek. Going for his lips took more courage, but you did it. This kiss was longer than the other, but not by much. You didn’t care. As it turns out, Amajiki’s lips were as soft as they looked.

“Was that fine?” You asked, concerned when he still wasn’t opening his eyes. You felt a bit jittery yourself from that kiss.

They flew open at your voice. “It was great, I just need to go…”

He made a weak outward gesture and you gave him a comforting smile. You understood without him having to say it. He just needed a moment to himself after all of that.

“The washroom’s over there.”

Amajiki stood up, his hand coming loose from yours and your other hand falling from his hot face. “Thank you. I really did enjoy that, I just need a minute. Sorry, this is so rude of me…”

You shook your head sharply. “I don’t think that. Go ahead, take your time. I get it. I really do.”

“All that matters is that you feel comfortable.”

“Okay. Thank you.” He seemed relieved as he stared at you, actually gazing into your eyes, before rushing off towards the door you had pointed out to him.

Now alone, you smiled to yourself and placed a finger to your lips, still shell-shocked by the turn of events. You had actually kissed Amajiki and it was everything you’d imagined and more. Things couldn’t be going better and you two hadn’t even ate yet!

It wasn’t too long before your order arrived and Amajiki returned nearly back-to-back.

“Perfect timing,” You greeted him and took note of how he was no longer shaking like a leaf. “I might’ve gone overboard… don’t know if we’ll be able to finish all of this ourselves.”

“You’d be surprised by the size of the meals at Fat’s agency.” Amajiki chuckled as he took in the plates of steaming food laid out before you two. “What should I try first?”

You feigned being deep in thought before grinning. “Hm, just pick whatever.”

He reached for the platter of puto and you followed suit. They looked delicious, extra fluffy and topped off gooey cheese. Amajiki watched as you popped the entire thing in your mouth with zero reservation.

“They’re little steamed rice cakes.” You explained after swallowing.

Amajiki took a bite out of his and finished it soon after before grabbing another. “Mm, they’re very light. Do they always have cheese?”

“Depends, but a lot of the time, yeah.” You answered while helping yourself to a second of your own. “Hey, What could you manifest out of this?”

A mischievous twinkle flashed in Amajiki’s eyes as he raised a finger in a “wait a minute” fashion. You wanted to giggle at how his face scrunched up in concentration, but held back for his sake. After a short moment, a pair of small pale horns shot out from his purple hair.

You let out your laugh, nearly choking on puto in the process. “Nice!”

His cheeks were rosy as he scratched at the back of his neck. He looked focused once again before the horns seemed to be gone in the blink of an eye.

“Dairy products are always fun.” Amajiki stated while sipping his water. “I could’ve given myself two stomachs but I thought that was kinda gross…”

“Just a bit.” You agreed, laughing softly. “But also kinda cool.”

Next came the lumpia, a dish comparable to egg rolls. Amajiki seemed especially pleased as he took several bites out of one.

“Really good.” He confirmed with a nod. “Pork inside?”

“Yup.” You kicked him playfully under the table. “Think you could manifest one of those curly pigtails? Like in the cartoons?”

Amajiki froze like a statue midchew.

“Just kidding.” You reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Glad you like it.”

“I-I think I like you more, Y/N.”

The lunch date continued on. It was a quiet moment while you two were enjoying a hearty noodle dish when you were struck with a wave of warmth that filled you from head to toe. You felt so at home, sharing this piece of your culture with probably your favorite person ever.

Amajiki appeared utterly relaxed as he ate, cheeks tinted with a very soft pink. You noticed both of his pointy ears twitch a number of times and were puzzled before you remembered something Togata had said to you once.

“He’s done it ever since we were kids. When he’s really happy, his ears will do this twitch-thingy, but try not to point it out. He gets really embarrassed.”

It might have been the cutest sight you’d ever seen.

[assyla-28]

"Wish I Was..." - Kirishima

Summary: Where y/n falls for Kirishima, but realizes it’s too late to confess their feelings and has to watch from the sidelines.

Warnings: Slight Angst

Word Count: 1.5k

∘₊✧───────────────────────────── ✧₊∘

As Mr. Ectoplasm left the class closing the door behind him you got the sudden urge to bang your head against the table, completely not understanding today’s math lesson. Let’s be honest though, when did you ever. With one loud bang, you slammed your forehead to the desk, your slight wince not going unnoticed by your fellow 1-A classmates.

You jolted a bit when you felt a light hand rub your back, “Y/N, are you okay there?” Peeling your head from the desk you saw Kirishima stare down at you with worry.

Visibly relaxing you replied, “Not really, I can never understand a thing that comes out of Mr. Ectoplasam’s mouth.”

Kiri chuckled lightly before reassuring you that you weren’t alone and that it’s manly to ask for help sometimes. To sweeten the deal and hopefully make you feel better, Kirishima invited you to sit with the Bakusquad at lunch. You start to feel butterflies flutter in your stomach and you accept his offer, looking forward to spending more time with him.

To be honest you’ve had a crush on Kiri for a while. You started to notice the little things about him. The way he rubs the back of his neck when he gets nervous, the small barely noticeable scar on his right eye, and how he goes out of his way to protect his friends. You’ve recently come to terms with it after he saved your ass for the thousandth time when a group of students bumped into you, causing you to take a tumble. He called out the rude students and helped you up along with the papers on the floor, offering you a kind smile that you couldn’t help but blush at.

Once receiving your lunch from Lunch Rush you brought your tray to the table seeing Denki bothering Bakugo, tick marks already visible on his face. You sat between Kirishima and Sero enjoying the fun banter within the squad. You couldn’t help but stare whenever Kirishima laughed or how his sharp teeth would peek out sometimes when he smiled. Too engrossed with admiring him you didn’t know who was on the receiving end of those smiles.

As time passed not only have your feelings deepened but your friendship with Kirishima has also grown. You learned that Kirishima went to the same middle school as Mina and she was a big part of why he was at UA. Mina helped show him that it’s okay to be afraid and what matters most is your heart’s intentions, that fear can’t stop him from being a hero. Kirishima holds so much respect for Mina, but you couldn’t help the sinking feeling starting to brew in the pit of your stomach.

You looked forward to any time you could spend with Kirishma, treasured the time you guys would walk side by side in the hallways. You were in the middle of telling Kiri a story on your way to the dorms, “Then the banana milk came flying out of his nose… Kirishima you okay?” You followed his gaze and saw him staring at Mina as she walked away from Uraraka and Asui. You nudge him, causing him to spin his head towards you bewildered, “I can go back to the dorms by myself if you want to chat with Mina.”

Kiri’s eyes widened, “Really Y/N? Are you sure?” With a final nod, he made his way to Mina trying to catch up to her. You stared for a few more seconds before sighing and heading back to your room.

You noticed more often how Kiri went out of his way to talk to Mina, help her with homework, and cheer her up when she was down. You wanted to hate Mina so badly for taking the only person to treat you right, but you couldn’t. She was such an angel, she was so bright and memorizing. Mina had her arms draped over Kirishima’s shoulders while he sat at his desk, peeking at his notes, teasing him about his messy handwriting. You couldn’t fathom hating someone that makes Kirishima so happy. Pushing your feelings aside you turned the other way focusing your attention on whatever Deku was muttering about.

Kirishima wasn’t the only one who noticed your sudden change, the teachers had spoken to you about your dropping grades. Not only have your grades suffered but your mental health took a hit. You distanced yourself from the Bakusquad as much as you could without being too suspicious. You thought if you slowly went away it wouldn’t hurt when Kirishima would inevitably ask Mina out. Whenever Kirishima brought up your weird personality change, you hid behind fake smiles and would divert the conversation back to Kirishima asking him about the latest news on Mina causing him to usually blush.

You fully supported Kirishima and Mina, how selfish would you be if you denied him happiness. He deserved all the happiness in the world, and you couldn’t do that for him. If truth be told, you encouraged him multiple times to talk to Mina about his crush on her. After the fifth time, he decided to take your advice. The next day he showed up to class with a smile on his face and Mina wrapped around his arm.

It was late on a Friday night and the common room was abandoned, giving you the perfect time to escape and relax from the stress-filled week, until the reason for your stress made its presence known. You tried to make a run for it but were quickly restrained by your elbow.

“Y/N you have to stop running away! This has been going on for far too long.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Kirishima.”

“Oh, I think you do! You lock yourself up in your room, never come up to hang out with the squad, you constantly look depressed, and your grades are dropping! What’s happening? Please tell me, you can trust me.”

You sigh in defeat. “Don’t worry about it Kiri, it isn’t important.”

“Lies! It’s important if it’s stopping me from hanging out with my friend! Let's be honest here, this all started a little bit before Mina and I got together!”

“What does that have to do with anything!”

“I don’t know Y/N, you tell me!”

Your head is facing down towards the ground hands balled into tight fists, chest rising up and down rapidly. “You wanna know why,” Kiri silently nods his head waiting for answers “it’s because I loved you okay!”

Kirishima’s eyes widened, he couldn’t believe the words that had come out of your mouth. It didn’t make sense, you were the one that told him to tell Mina about his feelings. Why would you do that if you liked him? He thought your weird behavior was because you were jealous. Jealous that you weren’t getting the same amount of attention that you used to.

You slowly raised your head not hearing Kiri say anything after a while. Finally, he could see the tears you’ve tried so hard to hide all this time. The number of times you’ve cried to sleep wallowing in self-pity. Kiri hated seeing anyone he cared about cry including you. When he saw the fat tears rolling down your face and the almost silent hiccups escape your mouth, his face grew solemn.

“I’m so sorry Y/N, I never wanted to hurt you. I didn’t want to hurt anybody! I’m supposed to protect people! That’s why I became a hero. What kind of hero am I if all I’m doing is hurting you!”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you. You always put the burden on yourself, I knew you would blame yourself. You are so, so kind and selfless, Kirishima,” you hiccupped.

After a quick gulp, you continued. “So, how could I ever come in between you and someone who makes you so happy? I would rather suffer for a bit than sit there and watch your smile leave your face. You deserve so much better Kiri.”

It was a lot to process but all that was on Kiri’s mind was the need to comfort you, always putting others before himself. He ran into you pulling you into the tightest hug he could muster and whispered as a tear ran down his face. “I’m sorry Y/N I pushed you too hard and made you cry. That wasn’t very manly of me. I want you to know that you mean so much to me and I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”

“I guess you’re stuck with me,” you replied with a light-hearted laugh. “Are we good now?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” With one last glance and an awkward smile, Kiri said, “Once again I’m sorry” before walking away back to his room.

With tears still in your eyes you brought a hand up to wipe them away and whispered, “No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I lied to you. I still love you.” You followed Kirishima’s lead and walked back to your room missing the body that had rounded the corner after the coast was clear.

[frustrated-writer-skyeknight]

One of you guys

Whilst Jack went about distributing weapons, Hiccup had been considering his options, which dragon to take down as he took care of sharpening weapons.

A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed. Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a girlfriend. A Zippleback? Exotic. Two heads, twice the status.

The Viking catapult operator dodged and went for cover from another fiery blast, "They found the sheep!"

"Concentrate fire over the lower bank!" Stoick called out.

"Fire!"

A Monstrous Nightmare growls and alights itself as it climbs up the catapult.

And then, there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.

"Reload!" Stoick hollered at his people, moving front line to buy them time. "I'll take care of this." he fights the Nightmare, which takes a few hits before retreating.

But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one has ever seen. We call it the-

"NIGHT FURY! GET DOWN!"

A high-pitched whistle is heard from the sky. The Vikings panic. From out of nowhere, an explosion tears the catapult apart.

"JUMP!"

This thing never steals food, never shows itself, and... never misses. No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first.

"Aight boys," Gobber called, putting his apron up. "Man the fort, you two. They need me out there!" He attaches an axe to his arm and begins to run out, but turns around at the doorway. "You." He pointed at Hiccup, "Stay. Put. There. Jack. Watch..."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Gobber. Yes. Sir." he mimicked, before making shooing gestures.

"You know what I mean." The blond Viking made a battle cry before charging in and joining everybody else.

Jack wiped at his forehead, as he moves to put out the fire from the forge. "Hic, would you pass me the..." he turned around, to see himself alone at the stall and whatever contraption, which hit that Viking from earlier, had disappeared too. He face palmed, "Hoo boy, not again..." he sighed, "I looked away for one second..."

Hiccup runs through the village, passing Berkians hurrying on their way, bringing his bolas launcher. The villagers snarls at the passing by, no strangers to the young boy's clumsy tendencies.

"Hiccup, where are you going?!"

"Come back here!"

"Yeah, I know!" Hiccup called back, "Be right back!" he's pushing a cart with the automated catapult on it.

Stoick captures several Nadders in a net and wrestles them. One tries to blast him with fire. "Mind yourselves! The devils still have some juice in them!"

Meanwhile, Hiccup gets up a high slope, overlooking the village. He sets up his bola catapult on an empty hill and looks towards the night sky, scanning for a target.

"Come on." The brunette huffed, gripping on the triggers. "Gimme something to shoot at, gimme something to shoot at."

Silence from the night sky is the response to his request. It seemed as though this was going nowhere. Until he hears a swift movement. catches on a shadow, which starts visibly blotting out the stars. The silhouette fires, and an explosion illuminates it, showing a visible shadow. Hiccup shoots, the force knocking him away from his invention

A loud cry is heard as the shadow is seen plummeting down into a forest.

"Oh, I hit it!" Hiccup gawked, caught in disbelief for a moment, then a wave of delight followed as he got up and cheered. " YES! I HIT IT!" He turned around, "Did anybody see that?"

A growl is heard behind him, followed by the tell tale signs of something being knocked away. Stiffening, before turning around in resignation, Hiccup comes face to face with a monstrous Nightmare.

"Except for you."

Jack was running around town, with the Berkians barking at him to find cover. He, however, was out on a mission; to find his best friend before he gets himself into trouble.  A shrill cry sounds from the hill, and Jack had a feeling he was already too late for that.

The cry also catches Stoick's attention. He turns to see the Monstrous Nightmare chasing Hiccup, and he growls in frustration.

"DO NOT let them escape!" The chief tells another Viking, Spitelout, before heading off.

The Viking gave him a salute, "Right!"

Hiccup runs behind a torch pole and hides, just as flames reach around the corner. He looks behind it and on the other side, the Nightmare reaches to get Hiccup. Stoick punches the beast and jumps back to defend himself. The dragon tries to breathe fire, but coughs up only a few drops of flaming liquid instead, having exhausted its shots.

"You're all out." Stoick sneered at the beast.

The chief of Berk charged, taking on the dragon single-handedly and nearly overpowering it. Nearly, because the Nightmare went on the defensive, and once it had the opening, it turned away to retreat along with the rest of the dragons that weren't captured. The torch pole collapses, and it tumbles down into the village, leaving ruins in its wake.

Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know...

"Sorry, Dad."

The torch rolls onto the Nadders Stoick netted earlier, freeing them. The dragons manage to escape, hauling off most of Berk's food and livestock. The villagers looked upset, Jack looked chagrined even though he didn't have anything to do with it. Stoick huffed in annoyance, before looking down at the younger brunette, crossing his arms in disapproval.

Hiccup pursed his lips, before speaking again. "Okay, but I hit a Night Fury."

Stoick rolled his eyes before he moves to grab Hiccup by the back of his shirt and drags him away from the carnage of a crumbling burning house. Jack runs up from the gathering of Berkians forming as they look at father and son. Hiccup continues to ramble on excuses as he, really, had no choice but to let himself be dragged.

"It’s not like the last few times, Dad! I mean, I really actually hit it!" Hiccup stressed, "You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. It went down, just off Raven Point. Let’s get a search party out there, before it–"

"STOP!" Stoick shoved him to stand at his front, and Hiccup does just that. "Just… stop. Every time you step outside, disaster follows." He huffed irritably, "Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter’s almost here and I have an entire village to feed!

The boy shrugged awkwardly, "Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don’t ya think?" he mumbles lamely.

"Well," Jack gestures vaguely and speaks to no one in particular. "he’s not wrong I guess..."

A viking at the back rubs his stomach as if to say: Are you calling me fat?

"This isn’t a joke, Hiccup!" Stoick snapped at his son, before giving Jack a pointed look. "And don’t you encourage him, lad." Jack kept his mouth tight lipped, and move a bit to the side so that half of his body was concealed by a larger Viking next to him. "Why can’t you follow the simplest orders?"

Hiccup clears his throat, and tries to sound convincing. "I can’t stop myself. I see a dragon and I have to just…" He makes a sad attempt of hitting a fist into an open palm, kill it, you know? It’s who I am, Dad.

Tried as he might, Jack couldn't help but groan, as he face palmed with both hands this time and doesn’t believe a word his best friend said. But wished he still did sound a bit more convincing since he’s saying it in front of his dad and the village.

"You are many things, Hiccup." Stoick sighed, "But a dragon killer is not one of them. Get back to the house." He instructed Gobber, who was already on it, smacking the boy behind the head slightly. "Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up." The chief grunted, before looking for someone in the crowd and called out, "Jackson, you start out by taking that contraption back to the smithy."

Jack starts frowning, and looking after Hiccup longingly to give him some companionable comfort before doing as he was order and goes gathers up Hiccup’s invention.

"Yes, sir."

Jack started to cart away the ruined contraption back to the general direction of the smithy. Along the way, both Hiccup and Jack hears the jabs coming from their fellow youth group.

"Quite the performance."

"I’ve never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, as he waved a dismissive arm. "Thank you, thank you. I was trying…"

Jack makes sure to shove Snotlout as he passed by on his way to the smithy, excusing himself by saying he didn’t see the guy due to his focus being on heading back towards the Smithy.

Along the way back to the Haddock hut, Hiccup vents his frustration to Gobber. "So…I really did hit one."

"Sure, Hiccup." Gobber drawled.

"He never listens."

"Well, it runs in the family."

The brunette ignores the sass, and goes on. "And when he does, it’s always with this… disappointed scowl. Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich." he does his best impression of his father. "'Excuse me, barmaid! I’m afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fish bone!'"

"Now, you’re thinking about this all wrong." Gobber said, "It’s not so much what you look like, it’s what’s inside that he can’t stand."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes, "Thank you for summing that up." he deadpanned. "Jack was right about being good with pep talks, huh."

"If it makes ya feel better," The older Viking shrugged, "Jack likes ya no matter how you look."

Hiccup raised a brow, "It’s comforting," he granted, "but he is my best friend. Kinda expected that he would."

Gobber blinked, looking incredulous for a moment, then he remembers how old the boy actually was and rolled his eyes, "Oy, Valhalla help the lad. Poor Jack…"

Hiccup looked all the more confused.

"Look," Gobber gestured with his hand, and hook. "the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you’re not."

Dejectedly, Hiccup entered his hut. "I just want to be one of you guys."

Gobber makes an empathetic expression before turning away and heading back to the center of the village.

And that was the moment Hiccup took the back exit, to go into the forest.

[jhoudiey]

The Debutante Ball is here!

There's dancing! Intrigue! ..uhhh..whatever the fuck else happens at balls. Introduce a new OC, and borrow a few from @twistedikon and @walpurga-nacht-academy no warnings 3450 words ____________________________________ “Got your key?!” Crowley chirped when they met him in the hallway near the door. Yoru rolled her eyes and pulled it from the waistband of her dress. “Oho! Look at you two! You match! How cute!!” She scoffed, uncomfortably aware how close in colour her dress was to Floyd's hair. “But we really must be off! If we’re late, Miss Astoria will be most mad at me, and I don’t want to spend the night getting yelled at!”

He marched off through the front door, Yoru and Floyd following along behind him. When they arrived at WNA, Crowley flying off to meet with the other staff to discuss the speeches they’d be giving. Yoru and Floyd met up with her RSA date near the front entrance to the manor.

“Floyd, this is Floyd” she gestured from one to the other, wondering why in the world she had invited a second Floyd to be her date, this was going to get convoluted. Floyd Leech looked down at his RSA counterpart, he must have been at least 30cms shorter than he was and at least that wider around. Floyd raised his eyebrow at Yoru and grinned, wondering what could have possessed her to invite a short, fat, blonde and blue haired boy as her date two years in a row.

“Ah Yoru-san! It’s nice to see you again! It’s nice to meet you, Floyd! I’m Floyd Dürer! Pleased to make your acquaintance!” He held out his hand, beaming at Floyd waiting for him to shake his hand. Floyd grinned and grabbed it, perhaps too hard and shook it wildly.

“Hiya Kinchakudai-chan. Nice to meet you ehe~” He showed off his teeth and the shorter Floyd quickly withdrew his hand and held out his arm for Yoru

“S-shall we go?” Yoru nodded, taking his arm, grabbing onto the taller Floyd's hand and dragging him along with them. It wouldn’t be good if she lost him before they even arrived, she was already dreading how he was going to act since she expected he’d be bored in under 10 minutes.

“After you!” Floyd gestured to the door for Yoru to unlock to take them to the mansion where the ball was to be held.

“Eeeh? We get to use a secret door? Cool!” Floyd Leech was so far entertained, Yoru hoped his mood kept up for a few hours but could never be sure what would set him off and put him in a bad mood.

They quickly spotted Jade seated at a table with Amity, Yoru's fellow second year at WNA and a student from RSA she didn’t know. Floyd skipped over to the table, dragging Yoru and Floyd behind him.

“Nee, Jade, Look! Another Floyd!” he laughed, pointing at the other boy as he made himself comfortable in the seat nearest Jade. Floyd Dürer smiled, and raised his hand as a greeting with a smile.

“Hello! It’s nice to meet you, I hope we all have a good evening!” He pulled out Yoru’s chair for her and waited for her to sit down before taking a seat for himself. Yoru had gone with him to the ball in her first year, he was one of the few students who hadn’t found a date before the deadline and she hadn’t wanted to bother searching and took whoever was available. Surprisingly she found they got along, he was a bit too sweet and naive for her, but he was pleasant enough.

She chuckled to herself thinking about the differences between the two boys she’d brought with her. The Floyd to her left was chatting animatedly to Jade, Amity, and her RSA date Xavier, laughing loudly, not caring who he may be irritating with the volume of his voice. On her right, Floyd sat quietly, looking around the room taking in the atmosphere waiting for the speeches to start, she found every time he looked at her he averted his eyes from her chest and quickly looked away.

The chatter around the room dulled as the speeches began, Yoru’s battle with Floyd just beginning. Shortly after they started, he had started loudly complaining that it was boring and he wanted to dance, she hurried to shush him hoping that the sounds didn’t carry to the front of the room. She was glad they were seated near the back and that it was unlikely anyone of consequence heard his whining. They spent the entire 20 minutes of the speeches locked in a whispered battle of him complaining, and her trying to get him to be quiet and to just suck it up. Jade grinned from his seat, clearly having more fun watching them argue as quietly as possible rather than listening to the heads of the schools talking about unity, longevity and whatever else they were rambling on about.

After the speeches were finished there was a smattering of applause, and the smaller Floyd held his hand out to her

“shall we go dance? I even made my pants talon-proof this year so you don’t need to worry about stepping on me again!” He laughed, waiting for her to take his hand. Yoru grabbed it but found she wasn’t able to stand. She had started panicking, thinking of last year’s ball where she spent the evening tripping over herself trying to learn the proper steps. Floyd had been very patient with her and hadn’t minded that she managed to shred both her dress and his pants every time she overstepped by accident.

“Um… I think I need something to eat first..” She muttered, dropping his hand and striding towards the table laden with food, feeling less confident in her choice of clothing by the moment. She shouldn’t have let Floyd talk her into going. She felt someone uncomfortably close behind her and knew who it was before he even opened his mouth

“Hey Fugu-chan, is this ball always this boring? I didn’t think it would be so stuffy” Floyd asked, plucking a tart off her plate and dropping it into his mouth. She glowered at him, adding more food to her plate while slapping his hand away from further thievery.

“Get your own plate” She complained, turning back to the table. There were already couples dancing on the floor, she looked on with envy wishing she had their grace. She was only ever graceful in the air, but her wings hadn’t fully grown back yet so at best she could manage an awkward lopsided flutter.

She’d barely finished eating when the polite Floyd offered his hand, another offer to dance. She reached for his hand again before it was pulled away by the more insistent Floyd.

“Come on Fugu-chan! Dance with me instead!!” He dragged her to the middle of the dance floor where he paid no mind to the other dancers, nor the music and threw his body around wildly, spinning her whenever he had the chance.

“Floyd, would you stop? Everyone is looking at us!” She growled at him, trying to hold him in place. He glared at her

“Huuuuuh? We’re supposed to dance, so I’m dancing, don’t know why you have a problem with it” he wretched free of her grip and continued to writhe around, bumping into everyone around them.

“Floyd! You can’t just do anything you want here, I could get in trouble if you cause a scene, cut the shit!” He frowned at her and stopped dancing, crossing his arms.

“If you didn’t want me to dance why’d you even invite me?” he complained. Yoru stared at him, wishing she could just throw him in the lake like she usually would.

“You can dance, just… do it properly. I don’t wanna get thrown out. The headmistress is really strict” She sighed, hoping that he’d listen to her this time. He sighed dramatically

“whatever Fugu-chan, this is boring anyway” he sulked and lumbered off the dance floor, sitting back down at the table they’d started from.

“Umm Yoru, would you like to dance?” A soft voice from behind her asked, she turned and saw the shorter Floyd carefully avoiding his view at eye level. She nodded and took his hand

“Thanks. I haven’t really practiced so sorry in advance” she grimaced at him and looked down at her feet, trying to follow his lead. After a few dances she was starting to get more comfortable, and her nerves began to fade. There were more couples dancing now, and they were more easily lost in the crowd, so she suspected fewer people would see her stumble. Floyd glared at the pair of them from where he sat hunched at their table.

“This is so booooorrrriiiinnnggggg” Floyd complained to himself. He was alone at the table, Jade was dancing with Amity somewhere in the center of the room, Xavier had excused himself to another table in the meantime, Azul was busy dancing too and would make him do all sorts of boring work if he interrupted. He sighed glancing around the room for something to do. He spotted Riddle dancing with some bunny girl across the room and had half a thought to go harass him before he remembered what Yoru had said about him getting her in trouble by causing a scene. He grumbled loudly and looked around the room for someone else he could bother, spotting Idia and Vita in the back corner of the room. Perfect.

“Hotaru Ika senpaiiiiiiiiii” He sang, flopping himself down at their table “entertain me, Yoru told me I couldn’t dance anymore” Vita glared at him as Idia fidgeted with his hands, he never really knew what to do with Floyd. He really wasn’t sure how Yoru put up with him all the time, he was so hard to deal with. When he didn’t answer Floyd turned to Vita

“Shiromakajiki- chan why aren’t you dancing? Do you not know how? I can show you” She sighed and continued to glare at him

“pray tell, don’t you have anyone else to prattle on to? We aren’t interested in your company” He pouted at her

“Too bad, everyone else is dancing and I’m bored. So do you need me to teach you? You do look like you don’t know how…” She scoffed at his accusation

“Scurry along now, won’t you, I wish to spend the evening with my husband and you’re interrupting”

“husband?” Floyd asked, raising an eyebrow at Idia “I didn’t know you were married, Hotaru Ika senpai! How did that happen, you’re such a shut in!” Idia chuckled a little, and scratched his head

“umm… you know.. We’re not actually… umm” He withered under Vitas stare, she sat up in her chair, fixing Floyd with the coldest gaze she could manage, bristling at the insult to Idia.

“Has the bird tired of you already? I know she hesitated to bring you in the first place, and now I see why” Floyd looked at her, confused.

“What do you mean she didn’t want to bring me?” he pouted. Vita laughed in his face.

“Oh, did Birdy not tell you that everyone else she inquired about in the first place had already secured a date and that you were her last choice? How tragic, the eel doesn’t even know he’s unwanted” She sneered at him, waiting for him to crumble before her. He glared at her as she waved him away as if he were nothing more than a gnat. Floyd sighed and wandered away from the table, he looked over to the dance floor and saw Yoru dancing with the other Floyd, they were laughing and seemed to be having a good time, they were perfectly fine without him.

Floyd walked out onto the balcony, his mood soured. Why had she even invited him if she didn’t want to? He launched himself over the bannister of the balcony and swung himself down into the garden to wander. Everyone was too busy tonight to entertain him, he found himself really lonely despite there being people peppered everywhere outside. He wondered if Jade and Azul thought he was a burden on them too, or if it was just Yoru.

Floyd walked through the garden until he came to a small pond, crouching at the edge to throw small stones across it, lost in thought. It had been nearly an hour before Yoru had ventured out to the garden to find him. She had seen him leave, but had almost mastered the foxtrot and wanted to make sure she had the steps right before asking him to dance. She knew he was more likely to make fun of her for a misstep, so she’d made sure it was perfect before being confident enough to track him down to ask.

“What are you doing out here? I learned a dance, come on” She said, gesturing back towards the mansion. He sighed and shook his head,

“was I really your last choice, Fugu-chan?” he pouted, refusing to look at her. She tilted her head, confused. Where in the world was this coming from.

“Huh? I…oh... I guess you were, though not like I really asked many people. Come on though, you said you wanted to dance earlier so I learned one” she held out her hand to him, he pushed it away before standing up to look down on her.

“You're acting really weird tonight Fugu-chan, I don’t like it” she took a half step back from him, annoyed that she’d spent the last hour trying to learn a dance so he wouldn’t be bored but he ignored her offer.

“Excuse me?” she snapped, perhaps a little too quickly “what do you mean I’m acting different?” Floyd glared at her and crossed his arms,

“you’re being all stuck up and stuff. It’s not like you” she took a step back towards him

“stuck up how? Because I don’t want you to get me kicked out of school?” He held his ground against her advance

“yea. Since when do you care about stuff like that?” he complained

“since i was able to get into the school I’ve wanted to attend since I was a kid and I don’t want you to ruin it? I’m already on thin ice here so you can’t just do whatever you want and not worry about any consequences because it doesn’t affect you!”

“haaaah? how would I ruin it?” Before long they were standing inches apart arguing, one breath away from shouting at each other.

“The way you act! You can’t just do whatever you want wherever you are, don’t you realize the problems you cause for people? I know you’re not that dumb, so unless you’re actually stupid you have to be doing it on purpose, right?” She shouted at him

“Eeeeeeh? I just wanna have fun! You’re the idiot out here looking and acting like some lame human following all the boring customs and rules! Its so lame!”

“WHAT?” she shrieked “I’m only here because you guilted me into it, I didn’t even want to come!”

“so why did you?!”

“You conned me into it when I hadn’t slept in 3 days! How the hell was I supposed to fight back? Not all of us are perfect like you, Floyd!”

“Eh? Who said anything about being perfect! You just need to be you,Fugu-chan, not this weird stuck up wannabe human!”

“Well sorry I’m not living up to your expectations, I’ll make sure I go back to hating myself and this stupid fucking dress. Is that what you want?”

“Heeeeeeeeh? Are you stupid?I just said -”

“It doesn’t matter what you said, I know what you meant! This whole night is a joke to you! I’m a joke to you!”

“ What? Do your ears not work, Fugu-chan? What do you expect me to say? That you do look like an idiot in your dress and that you’re pathetic for even pretending? Is that what you want to hear? Huh?”

She lunged and him and grabbed him by his shirt collar

“say it again. I dare you.” he grabbed onto her wrist and pried her hand off of his shirt, making sure to squeeze as hard as possible. He could feel her bones grinding together as he dragged her closer to him so he could stare into her face fully to repeat himself.

“I said you look stupid, Fugu-chan. Who the hell are you trying to fool looking like this? You’re never going to be human so why do you keep pretending? Just give up already”. Rage flared in her stomach and her eyes burned, she forgot where they were for a moment as she moved to attack Floyd with her free hand.

“YORU! Miss Astoria will be most displeased if you get blood all over her lovely garden! Time to come back inside!” Crowley had landed beside them and caught her hand before she could strike, tearing her away from Floyd and dragging her back into the ballroom.

“Now, I don't know what Mr. Floyd Leech-kun said, but that’s no reason to attack him! And Nugget, going for his throat… while that is normally an excellent striking point, I can’t have you murdering my students, please keep that in mind!” she wretched herself from his grasp and nearly walked directly into the other Floyd.

“Ah Yoru-san! I …. Are you okay?” He noticed the look on her face and reached for his handkerchief.

“I’m fine” She muttered, trying to push past him to get herself to the exit as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the most anticipated and largest waltz of the night had started and the room was full of couples dancing and weaving through the room, making an escape difficult.

“Here, I’ll dance you to the exit. This one is easy enough, just follow my lead” Floyd said to her gently, steering them towards the exit. Yoru focused on her feet, letting herself be dragged along by the shorter boy.

“Umm, I’m sorry for saying this, but we heard you two in the garden…” She gave him a half glance in panic, he looked at her with sad eyes. “Everyone outside heard, your voices carried so loudly… I’m sorry Yoru-san. Is there anything I can do to help?”

She shook her head furiously, tears streaming down her face as she refused to look at him. Everyone knew. She knew that she was a fraud but had told herself that somehow everything would turn out alright, she should have known that Floyd was right and she looked like a fool. Despite her best efforts, she’d humiliated herself again, she just hoped that she wouldn’t get scolded by the headmistress. She didn’t think she’d be able to handle it, not tonight.

They danced nearer and nearer the exit, Floyd squeezing her hand gently in an effort to comfort her. When they reached the door he made sure to give her his handkerchief so that she would be able to dry her eyes when she needed to. He watched her rush from the room and out the door as Floyd Leech glared at them from a back table.

He’d slinked back into the ballroom shortly after their argument and watched her dance across the room wanting to chase after her, but Crowley was nearby and likely to stop them. That was no fun. He didn’t like seeing her with the other Floyd, even if she was mad at him it should have been him she was dancing with. They argued all the time and it was always fine in the end, he didn’t know why she was so angry this time. This is just what they did. They bickered but always laughed about it afterwards. She didn’t laugh this time though. He sighed wondering if he’d finally gone too far and she was going to stop being his friend now, that seemed to be how things usually went for him.

When Yoru returned home she tore the dress from her body, sequins falling to the floor. She caught a glance of herself in the mirror in the closet and screamed. She couldn’t even look at herself, why had she ever thought that tonight would be okay despite how she looked. She was a joke, and no amount of pretty clothing or makeup would change that. She wretched the mirror off the wall, dragged it to the upper landing and threw it down the stairs. She repeated the process with the mirror in the bathroom, she was done looking at her disgusting bird body. Floyd was right. She was never going to be human. Never. He was right. She collapsed to the floor, lost herself in the knowledge she was and always would be a failure.

[jjmaybanksblog]

Heather

Based on Heather by Conan Gray

Word count- 2126

Warnings: insecurities, angst towards the end, some body dysmorphia

Y/n: your name

Y/n/n: your nickname

Y/f/b: your favorite band

"I still remember, third of December me in your sweater."

Y/N looked at herself in the mirror, pulling the long sleeves around your fists, clenching the fabric in your hands. JJ walked up behind you, easily wrapping his arms around your waist, pulling you close to his body.

JJ grinned at your reflection, chuckling as he saw your face glow a light pink. He released you and plopped himself on his bed. "I've been saving up all year to buy you something for Christmas." He brought up, sending the butterflies on a rampage in your stomach.

"JJ I told you you don't need to get me anything."

You said it looked better on me, than it did you. Only if you knew how much I liked you.

JJ slapped the spot next to him, waiting for you to join him. You shuffled over to him and laid next to him, him arm resting underneath the crook of your neck, his finger tips playing with the ends of your hair.

"You know you look really cute in my sweater. It looks way better on you than me." He complimented you, making your heartbeat start to speed up. "Shut up." You easily got flustered at his kindness.

Your eyes fluttered shut as you relaxed into his touch. You have known JJ since kindergarten and have been best friends ever since you shared your animal crackers with him.

As years went by, you began to develop feelings for your fellow Pogue. It would start with you blushing whenever he complimented you. Then your heart would race whenever he would hold your hand or hug you. To staring at his lips wondering what they would feel like against yours.

But I watch your eyes, as she walks by. What a sight for sore eyes brighter than a blue sky. She's got you mesmerized, while I die.

Y/n enjoyed the free food Mr. Carrara gave out to the Pogues after Kie had begged him. No one had actually eaten an actual meal in the last week. You and JJ were currently throwing French fries into each others mouths, horribly missing.

JJ loaded a fry in his fingers about to throw it, only to catch the eyes of a beautiful girl who walked by them. His jaw just barely fell open, his eyes following the girl as she walked by. You turned around to see what he was looking at, only to feel your self confidence drop down about 50 levels.

"Wow." He whispered to himself. "Yeah... wow." You repeated, fiddling with your fingers. "I'll be right back y/n/n." And with that JJ got up, leaving you with the rest of your friends.

Why would you ever kiss me? I'm not even half, as pretty. You gave her your sweater, it's just polyester, but you like her better. Wish I were Heather

You and the Pogues decided to get together at John B's Chateau to just hang out. You were helping Pope set up the snacks in bowls and plates. Kie was setting up blankets and pillows on the floor. John B was stashing the bottles of alcohol in the fridge.

Everything was going beautifully until JJ walked into the house with the brunette girl under his arm. For a moment your heart stopped as you took in the sight of her wearing his sweater you wore earlier that day. "Guys, this is Heather. Heather this is John B, Kiara, Pope, and Y/N." JJ pointed out his friends to the new girl.

Heather grinned brightly, saying hello to everyone. The group collectively welcomed her, Kie's eyes quickly looking at you. "Excuse me, Pope." You flashed a fake grin before walking into the bathroom.

You stared at yourself in the mirror, your finger tips lightly skimming the features on your face. Running you hands through your hair, you remembered the image of the girl in your head. You compared yourself to her in everyway you could.

You noticed how big of a thigh gap she had, and how you didn't have one. How she had a waistline that one could be jealous of. You looked at your stomach, and although it was flat, your mind pictured fat rolls hanging out.

A soft knock drew you out of your thoughts. Without even realizing it, you were crying. You opened the door to see Kie with a concerned look on her face. "Oh baby." She mumbled, entering the bathroom, opening her arms to give you a hug. She was the first person you talked to when you realized you caught feelings for your best friend.

"I have no right to be jealous, Kie. I shouldn't feel like this, but I do and I hate it." You sobbed into her chest, hating yourself to getting to attached to him.

Watch as she stands with, her holding your hand. Put your arm 'round her shoulder, now I'm getting colder.

Kie stood with you in the bathroom, helping you calm down before walking back out to the rest of the group. "Everything good?" John B asked, knowing that it wasn't by the sight of your red nose.

"Yeah, yeah Kie was just helping me with something." You lied, grabbing a beer, then sitting in a chair. You crossed your legs, swirling your drink in your hand. Taking a swig of the alcohol you locked your sight on the new couple.

Your harsh glare softened as you saw just how big JJ's smile was. You watched as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, intertwining their fingers together. Heather rested he head on his chest, JJ pecking her forehead.

Your heart clenched, tucking your body further into your sweatshirt, ignoring the cold breeze that shuffled through the air.

But how could I hate her? She's such an angel, but then again, kinda wish she were dead.

You stood up from your chair, walking past the couple and into the kitchen. You grabbed another beer, turning around only to bump into Heather.

"I am so sorry!" You quickly apologized, glad that your drink still had the cap on. "Oh my God, no it's okay!" She took a look at you, your insecurities starting to feel very visible. "This is totally random but you're literally so pretty! And I love your sweatshirt!" She complimented you, your eyes looking at your y/f/b sweatshirt.

"Oh thank you! I've loved this band since JJ introduced me to them." Heather grinned, her cheeks instantly turning pink at the sound of his name. "We should definitely hang out one day and listen to them together." She offered the idea. "Yeah! Yeah of course." You lied, handing her the drink she wanted.

You excused yourself outside, telling John B your mother had called you and you had to talk to her. You walked out into the cold, walking over to the hammock where you and JJ shared your first kiss.

It was freshman year of high school, the night of the homecoming dance. A boy named Kevin Richards asked you to be his date to the dance. You had gotten ready at John B's house since your house was being redone after a hurricane struck the OBX.

Dressed in a maroon silk dress with matching high heels, you waited for the boy to show up. All your friends asking if you wanted them to wait with you. You quickly shook your head, shooting them off to the dance.

Looking at the clock, 5 minutes turned into 10, 10 turned to 20, and 20 turned into an hour. You felt defeated, embarrassed, hurt, annoyed, and sad. Taking the heels off, you let out an angry shriek, throwing the heels out the door and into the backyard.

Meanwhile JJ was in his room, his ears perking up at the sound. Checking the clock, he thought you would've been at the dance by now. He walked into the living room, his eyes catching the outline of your silhouette sitting in the hammock.

He walked towards you, plopping himself in the seat next to you. "I thought you'd be at the dance by now." He said, watching you shift uncomfortably. "Kevin stood me up." You mumbled, picking the nail polish off of your finger nails.

JJ clenched his jaw in anger at your words. "It's his fucking loss. I swear I'm gonna fight him my foot is gonna go all the way up his ass. I'm so sorry, you look... you look beautiful y/n/n." You turned your head towards him to see him already looking at you.

He slowly leaned in, capturing your lips in his in a soft kiss. Your face quickly felt like it was on fire as he cupped the side of your face, stroking your cheekbone with the pad of his thumb.

You wanted to hate Heather. You wanted to despise her for being a horrible person, but in reality she was one of the sweetest people you've ever met, only frustrating you even more. You took a swig of your drink, the sound of footsteps coming up behind you.

As she walks by, what a sight for sore eyes. Brighter than a blue sky, she's got you mesmerized, while I die.

You lit a spare blunt JJ had hidden under the hammock pillow, inhaling the smoke before slowly relaxing. All you could think about was how happy he looked when he was with her. You wanted him to look at you like that, at one point you were convinced he looked at you like that.

But now things are different. And there was nothing you could do about it. You couldn't tell him how you felt, knowing how shitty that would be to put pressure on him. You don't want him to think you're making him pick. You just had to deal with it.

JJ appeared from behind you, making himself comfortable as he sat down next to you. "Why aren't you in there?" He asked, taking the blunt from your hand. "I got a call from my mom but then she just stressed me out so..." you lied, pointing to the weed.

He nodded his head, "so what do you think of Heather?" Your eyes widened as his sudden question. You bit your lip, holding in what you really wanted to say. "I think she's really lucky to have a guy like you. It's nice seeing you this happy" You smiled softly.

JJ pulled you into a tight hug, holding the blunt away from your hair. "You're the best." He grinned, pulling away. He handed you the blunt back, giving you a peck on your forehead before walking away.

Only he didn't walk all the way back inside. He could tell you were lying he knows you like the back of his hand. He could see your broken spirit through your eyes. He bit his tongue as he walked towards you again.

"You don't like her." He accused as he stood in front of you. You furrowed your eyebrows, coughing on the smoke. "I do, though."

"Then why do you look like you're about to cry? Hmm? Why did you disappear with Kie after I introduced her to you guys?" He asked, pacing back and forth.

Why would you ever kiss me? I'm not even half, as pretty. You gave her your sweater, it's just polyester, but you like her better. I wish I were Heather.

"I don't know what you expect me to say." You mumbled, standing up to face him. "The truth!" He raised his voice.

"You tell me the truth! Why did you kiss me the night of homecoming?" You yelled back, your arms crossing across your chest. He wrinkled his eyebrows together, "what?"

"Did you pity me? Did you feel guilty that I got stood up? Did you like me? Or did you just want to take my mind off things?" You integrated him. "What does that have to do with anything?" JJ was street smart, but sometimes completely oblivious.

"Because I don't understand why you would ever kiss me!" You started, JJ's stare immediately softening. "I'm not even half as pretty as Heather. She's... she's flawless. She has such a kind and good heart. And I hate that. I want to hate her but I can't." You admitted, biting your tongue.

"And seeing her walk in with the sweater I was wearing earlier today just felt like I was bitch slapped by the harsh truth. All I could think was, 'god, I wish I were Heather right now."

"It's just polyester y/n/n." His voice softened, stepping towards you. You instinctively backed away from him. "But you like her better..." you trailed off. He felt his heart shatter, watching and listening you admit these feelings.

JJ was left speechless, standing in his spot he didn't know what to say or do. "Goodnight, JJ." You mumbled before taking your alcohol and walking back inside.

Part 2 here

[moonagedaydreamohyeah]

Can I ask you these from the autism asks?👉🏻👈🏻

26, 32, 42

Hi sweet Sin!💓 Definetely! Thank you for indulging me🌼☺️🐋

(This got looong, and probably not even that interesting, sorry😅)

26. Do you avoid eye contact?

It depends! I tend to find it real hard to talk while keeping eye contact, and when I’m reacting to something someone says I always look away too. The first one because I can’t concentrate on what I’m saying if I keep eye contact, and the second because I find it hard to do the right facial expression! In these instances it kind of feels like my eyes and the other’s are like repelling magnets. When somebody else talks I tend to look pretty intently at their eyes though😅 all this also varies depending on how well I know the person I’m talking to though!

32. What are your same foods?

- As I’m not actually a picky eater, I feel like I do have same foods but they only last for periods of time and then change! Right now I have two:

Oatmeal with hazelnut butter, flaxseed Oil, topped with peanuts and Apples! (I call it my healthy snickers-oatmeal and can 10/10 recommend!)

And a vegetarian clear soup with squash, potatoes, peppers, chili, onions and quinoa! 🍲

I’m happy eating this everyday for several weeks at a time, I really love the repetitiveness of it and it relaxes me knowing what I’m gonna be eating and not having to make decisions, and it’s pretty simple foods for me, so I never get overwhelmed with the taste, texture, or the amount of sugar or fat from them!

42. Tell us something about your special interest

- Oh Boy. It’s a difficult question to limit my answer to and I already answered this with waay too much info that none of you guys are probably interested in in the least lol😅😅

But here goes!:

• Did you know whales sleep with only one half of the brain at a time?? It’s called unhemispheric sleeping and it’s pretty cool in my opinion - that way they can keep moving to keep their body temperature up, keep an eye out for predators and make sure to swim up to the surface to breath!🐋🐋 (whales)

• The city with the largest population in most US states isn’t the state capital? I learned this when I was spending time each day memorizing the US state map and their capitals and most populous cities. Maybe this is common knowledge lol, but living in Scandinavia and not being used to this, it surprised me! (The US) (I’ve never been but I’d really like to! I often dream that I fly to the US and I get equal parts excited and scared - which is pretty much how I feel about the US cause I imagine that it’s so different from what I’m used to! Also I really don’t like flying😩)

I hope any followers of mine from the US doesn’t laugh in my face or feel like I’m being disrespectful, I really can’t help how fascinated and confused my brain is about this country!😅🥺🙃

• Tolkien partly created languages for the people of Middle Earth because there is so much culture in language, and he wanted to create well-founded cultural histories for the different people of Middle Earth (The Lord of the Rings)

• I really think fanfiction as a genre is so interesting and should be studied by way more people! It inherently has so many topics about it that would be interesting to talk about!! Queer culture, activism, political values, escapism and activism combined by creating the world you wanna see, representation, sexuality, sexpositivity, body shame, artistic motivation, what we people perceive as ‘real’ art and literature. And community! - for both all kinds of queer people and people who tend to have very intense interests! I could talk about all that for ages it’s so interesting and amazing. 😍 And lately I actually have begun to talk way more about fandom and fanfiction with a lot of my irl friends and they’ve all been interested to hear about it, and so so supportive😃

Okay, oh my Goodd Sin, I’m so sorry that my answers got so long omg?! You just hit some spots I guess (That sounds dirty but I don’t mean that in a dirty way😳)

Anyway, Thank you so much again for indulging me in Autism Ask Game!! Ily🥺💓

I hope you have the mostest wonderfullest day my darling fellow human person!!!❤️🌼🌈🐬

[redrosesartcabin]

Self indulgent series: Part 2.1

Life: Part 1

(Kenji x female reader, authors perspective) (the reader is a singer) (also: Some angst in here. I dunno why, but I just love writing some angst with fluff endings xD)

“So, let me get this straight”, the interviewer said, bewildered by the story the singer and songwriter Red Rose had brought up, “you met your now husband, Kenji Kon no less, on Jurassic World as one of the kids who got stranded for five months?”

“That’s correct”, she said. She had answered that very question a million times, but she couldn’t fault them for it: It was an unbelievable story (though she started to wonder how not everyone was aware by now that she was one of the teens back than).

“It was in December of 2015. I was thirteen years old and exited to be one of the first teens to visit Camp Cretaceous. I have to admit, I wasn’t and still am not, maybe even less than before, the biggest fan of dinosaurs. I’m not particularly interested in facts about them, but I definitely was interested in seeing some Dino action! So when I won first place at the talent show of my school-“

“Unsurprisingly”, the interviewer interluded at which the audience gave a collective chuckle.

“-I was still very excited about going to Jurassic World. My parents never wanted to go and in retrospect I can understand why. But you know: I was a naïve thirteen-year-old and didn’t think much about the consequences of the past. What happened at Jurassic Park you know? I was convinced Jurassic World was different and all worked out. Boy was I wrong! We all know it now! But at least I can say that I got, besides trauma, lifelong friends and my amazing husband out of it”

“That definitely can’t be disputed”, the interviewer agreed. Red Rose found him quite pleasant. Although he was a chatterbox, he was still very respectful and didn’t poke too much into the Jurassic World story: Although she was, for the most part, over the trauma, it was still a work in progress and it’s not a time she always remembers fondly. On most days she remembers the good moments she had with her newfound friends there, but sometimes she could feel the adrenaline rush through her as she thought of dinosaurs trying to eat her and her fellow campers. She saw flashes of sharp teeth and could feel hot, stinking breath and hear growls drawing shivers down her spine.  Red Rose liked to focus on the human part of the experience, so she preferred being able to tell the tale of Jurassic World the way she wanted without being asked too much…

 “So, Kon helped you reach fame if I remember correctly?”, he asked.

“Definitely! Though, I mean: I was able to do most of what I’m doing. Teaching myself how to use certain programs. I taught myself how to sing and I’ve always written my own stuff…But I certainly wasn’t good at marketing myself or making myself grow.

Kenji and I became boyfriend and girlfriend when I was sixteen and he was eighteen. That same year we went on vacations for three weeks in the Caribbean’s. And “, she let out a laugh. The camera closed up on her and caught a smile and a glance that looked so touched by love anyone could feel how much she adored her spouse, “I remember how we went on the private part of the beach Kenjis father had purchased. I sat down on a hammock and a guitar and just started improvising and singing. Little did I know my boyfriend -gosh that sounds weird to say now- was filming me. He put it up on Instagram, and he already had quite a following back then, so it gained quite some attention. Though not necessarily because it was a nice scenery or any of that: But because people genuinely liked how I sing and the melody I had come up with. And well… it got wild from there. People soon requested I make my own Instagram page for making music.

A year later I was asked if I would like to produce some music and well… then my career started”

“That’s honestly such a cool and sweet story. Though how about an even sweeter reunion? Please welcome: Kenji Kon”

Red Rose got up from her seat with a wild jump, not as the eccentric, elegant yet kind of crazy minded artist, but as y/n Kon. As the wife who hadn’t seen her husband in person for a month because of the production of yet another movie starring him as the protagonist.

The crowd clapped in awe of him, as fans. She wanted to clap because her heart was clapping too. Her heart was dancing a tango inside of chest as though she was seeing her middle school crush in the hallway. His dark eyes, ridden with depth met her y/e.c. ones and all they could read in each other’s eyes was happiness and love.

This happened within miliseconds, but it passed by in slow motion for her, so she perceived herself running towards him with calm. For the rest of the world however she was perceived as looking like a golden retriever who had missed his owner whilst they were at work and were ready to play.

It was adorable. It was downright touching how the couple met each other halfway and gave each other a long, passionate yet gentle kiss (so that it wouldn’t be too inappropriate for life TV).

“Not to be giddy, but you really are a couple to die for”, the interviewer said. The audience half chuckled half yelled in agreement. She felt her cheeks blush in a deep dark shade of red and heard her husband chuckle in embarrassment. She looked down to her and whispered “Hello love”

 Kenji had, unsurprisingly, had found joy in being actor. Being dramatic and showing his face on camera all the time? Perfect!

And he honest to god was a great actor. Though it did get annoying from time to time that he was casted as either the pretty faced villain or the charming, perfect love interest. Sometimes he was even both.

Y/n didn’t like to admit it, but she was quite jealous at the beginning when she saw him kiss other men and women on screen. It took a big fight for her to admit that.

She wasn’t proud of that fight at all. She had been, without wanting to, been very critical of her then fiancé (it was about six months before they got married). She would call him several times a day when he was on set of a particularly spicy rom com and observe his socials every couple of minutes. Y/n remembers her friends teasing her about it in the beginning and then eventually scold her. “Don’t you trust him?”, they had asked and she had answered, “I do….”, and they knew she was telling the truth, yet there was more behind it.

Kenji soon caught up and noticed her strange clinginess.

“What is up with you, Y/N? You know I have work to do! You can’t call me that often on set!”, he had yelled when the topic came up. He had been visiting for the weekend before he would go back on set.

“Why not? Can a girl not talk to her fiancé?”, she had asked with a sharp undertone

“Of course, you can darling. But twenty times a day is simply too much!”, he argued, yet he tried keeping his tone softer.

“I don’t call that often”, she pouted

“Oh YES you do!”, he put his phone out and showed her the times she had called just the other day. She counted about thirty, “I was nice with that number!”

“And? So what? You can just put your phone on silent”

“Yes, of course I can. This isn’t about solving the notification issue it’s about solving your trust issues towards me. Why don’t you trust me?”, as he asked the question his anger had subsided and genuine hurt showed in his eyes in his voice, “you monitor me like I’m an inmate”

“I…”, she was only able to say, her throat suddenly seemed dry, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I…”, she couldn’t find the right words to explain it. It hurt too much to admit. She thought she had been over that thought pattern a long time ago, but it had returned to her.

“What? What have I done to deserve this?”, he asked, “Why are you even with me, if who I am disturbs you so much?”

And that… that sentence had hurt her more than that ugly thing inside of her she hadn’t wanted to face.

“You fool!”, she screamed in fury as the sentence he had uttered stung, her eyes filling with endless tears, “How could you ever think you disturb me? You are the most beautiful, wonderful human being I know, inside and out. And on top of that you are incredibly kindhearted. And that’s why I’m like this… I don’t want to lose you. And it’s not that I don’t trust you: I highly doubt you’d ever cheat on anyone. You are too kind for that. But I fear… I feared when you are together with all these good-looking actors you might not find me enough anymore. I know it’s stupid, but you see: The past haunted me again. When I was called fat. When I was called not-good-enough. When I read social media comments saying you’re out of my league and I don’t deserve you. Ugly words that ate me up inside when I was a child and young teen. I thought I was past that but I…I…”, now the tears were too many and her words died with hiccups. She felt his form surround her in a hug that felt so warm and yet sharp as knifes. She loved his touch but felt guilty for not opening up about this sooner. She had never wanted to be like this, but alas she had been too much of a coward to burden him or herself with this.

“Love”, he whispered after comforting her for a couple of minutes, “Look at me”

She lifted her head. Her eyes were red and puffy, her lips were dark pink, and tears had run streaks across her cheeks. It broke Kenji to have hurt her so deeply, yet he also knew that it wasn’t his fault. It was however his responsibility, to clear this up once and for all.

“Love listen”, he started, “I completely understand your jealousy. But we’ve been together for almost ten years and in all that time, I’ve never encountered a woman more incredible, deeply fascinating and intrinsically beautiful as you. No acted kiss could bring me away from you, no sexy actor could keep my mind from ever wishing for more than to be by your side. I’ve been by your side for almost six years: What should change now?

The monster from your past is, as already stated: Past. Their words were untrue. These people were in pain themselves when they caused you pain. You were a target to unleash the inner turmoil of others. It’s no excuse but it is the explanation. Those who feel they must hurt others are those who seek the most attention and power because they’d be devoid of having a self. I should know: I used to be similar to that. And I had my phase of jealousy as well, you know?”

“Really?”, y/n managed to ask

“Oh yes! I was in rage every time I heard you talk about any of your guy friends back in high school. Difference is I could hide it better because we were apart a lot of the time. I feared you would find someone who had more of a personality than me. I was no longer sure looks would cut it”

“Gosh love”, she answered, her voice love drunken, “you burst of personality. You aren’t just a pretty boy or well… pretty man. You have so much spirit and energy to give to the world. You are the definition of happiness and sunshine. And on top of that you are an incredibly talented man with so much to show. You wield the human mind and emotions so well you can convert yourself to be something other than yourself convincingly-”

“See?”, he asked, “and just like you love me like that and see all that good I sometimes don’t recognize, I see it in you… I always love you”

“I love you too. I’m sorry”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m so happy we had this talk. It was much needed”

“Yeah”, she hummed as her lips almost touched his and within seconds the couple found themselves passionately kissing

Ever since then they hadn’t had any of these kinds of self-worth problems. They’d say I love you on a daily basis and gave each other compliments whenever they could.

One thing the fans found especially cute was that, without fail, Red Rose would comment on each of Kenji’s selfies and comment “hey gorgeous, you single?” and he’d answer every single time, “Sure Sugar. Meet me at seven on your favorite street-corner”

One time they took a picture of each other on a nice-looking street corner. Kenji had called the picture “finally found the street corner. Been waiting to meet this lady for a while, apparently her name is ‘your wife’, which is peculiar but otherwise she seems nice”.

The picture even went viral and became one of the all-time favorite celebrity pictures of 2026.

  After the talk-show they flew back in his helicopter.

They were in New York city and y/n looked at the city landscape with a fascinated gaze as she observed the flickering lights of the big apple.

Kenji looked at her with eyes shining almost as bright. He loved her love for everything new she sees. He had noticed that the first time she had seen the watering hole. He wasn’t really interested in her that way yet. He was fifteen and she thirteen, that makes quite a difference at this age. But still he couldn’t but smile as she looked at the dinosaurs with big eyes. And he loved that she hadn’t lost that spark, even as she got older, even as they came together and grew and changed together.

Y/n noticed his gaze and shifted hers to look at him.

‘What a beautiful man. I’ve missed him so’ she thought to herself.

“I missed you”, he said as though he had read her mind just now. Maybe he had. They had been together for so long they were often able to read each other’s subtle shifts in expression. Quite a beautiful thing.

“I missed you too”, she simply answered, “did you plan this talk show surprise?”

“Yes and no”, he admitted, “I was meeting up with Donavan O’Connor, the director of the ‘Elaine, the one?’ series. When calling Donavan, he told me had been to talking to Ray (the interviewer) and he was casually pointing out the funny coincidence you were meeting up for and mention the funny coincidence, that you’d have an interview with him that same day I come to the city and well… needless to say I called Ray and arranged things... I just had to. Couldn’t miss the opportunity to surprise my beautiful wife”

She smiled at that. A shy and flattered smile that reminded Kenji of when they were teens.

 They landed on the roof of a nice-looking hotel. They had decided to stay the night here in New York before travelling back to Ireland… yes: Yes Ireland.

Most celebrities lived in L.A., but Kenji and y/n had preferred living a bit apart in an old mansion near the coast of south Ireland, close to the northern border. Although Kenji was a people person, he didn’t like the dishonesty and lying in the industry and wanted to get away from that with his wife who thought the same.

Besides: It was a beautiful country.

As they entered the room, they felt peace and happiness as well as a certain kind of tension arise.

Needless to say, there was another kind of reuinion going on that night...

(Sorry about that short ending, I had to heavily edit that ‘cause it originally was a... well... non Pg scene xD)

[the-moon-prince]

The Last Of us~Kurapika x Reader ~Chapter VII

AN: Hi my lovely fellows!

Last week I uploaded a new chapter nearly daily; unhappily from now on, I will take a little longer. I had a week of holidays, and I could permit myself to write every day. Despite that, I'll make my best effort to upload periodically! Thank you for your comprehension and support!

I wish you a pleasant read, and I hope you’ll enjoy the new chapter of my story.  (Chapter I) (Chapter II) (Chapter III) (Chapter IV ) (Chapter V) (Chapter VI) (Chapter VIII coming soon!)

Paring: Kurapika Kurta x GN! Reader

Word count: 2 040

TW: None!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"(Y/n)?!"

"Anibal!"-The named one exclaimed. 

Kurapika was extremely disoriented. Just a few instants before; they were surrounded by armed men, cornered, threatened, and ambushed. Aspiring to analyze the changes affecting his situation, he surveyed his surroundings. Except the people cornering them were just as baffled. He turned to (Y/n), desiring to have an explanation or at slightest a confirmation that everything was going for the best. Who turned to see him with their smile and a relieved look on their eyes. The unique remaining option was to trust (Y/n).

"What are you doing, band of lunatics?! Are you out of your mind?"-The fat man started to scold again.

"Boss, I-"The fusty and horribly dressed man got cut.

"But what are you waiting for? For the pigs to fly? Lower your weapons already and get away from them!"-He raged anew-"Are you blind? Don't they see that they are peers of mine?"

"Mr. Anibal! Hello!"-(Y/n) attempted to obtain the man's attention with a friendly greeting.

"Mx. (Y/n), what are you doing here. Why the hell do my workers have you like this? Since when do you come to places like these?"- It was clear to Kurapika that the man and his lover knew each other. They didn't appear to have a tense relationship. Leastwise they were out of peril. 

"We were calmly purchasing when we were interrupted in a terribly rude way."-they accused feigning outrage, or at the minimum, Kurapika knew they were pretending.-"One should not approach clients this manner!"-next they turned to the man named Richard, who was leaning against the wall in fear-"I'm so sorry Richard, I'm not saying that for you, you've always been very courteous to me."- that was a sincere regret, they felt bad that the man might feel insulted by what was just said.

While (Y/n) approached Kurapika to, after all this time, give an account, the bearded man also whispered something to his chief.

"Kurapika, everything will be fine; I know this man! I'm their doctor. I am convinced that they would allow us to leave."-Their explanation was vague. However, Kurapika recognized that the situation did not allow for details. The priority was to reach somewhere safe.

"(Y/n)."- A guttural voice called their names.

"Eh, yes?"-Their tone was more uncertain. Kurapika didn't like that.

"I can't let you go that easy. You are the one who attacked one of my dealers and stole merchandise."-Even if the nearly bald person didn't have a threatening tone, it was rather grave.

Kurapika couldn't allow it to escalate anymore. He summoned his chains and prepared to attack. (Y/n) discerned that and had to stop it.

"Kurapika, I implore you. I know how to mend this difficulty. I warrant you I will explain everything to you."-they wept lightly touching one of his hands. 

He understood that contact occurred to be crucial to (Y/n); losing it would be grave. He was full of pressure. It was clear that losing so much charge of the circumstances filled him with uncertainty. In contrast, he did not want a scarcity of trust in (Y/n) to disserve them. He lowered his hand. (Y/n) nodded with gratitude and smiled at him anew.

"Understandable. Let me speak to Mr. Rafael, please."-they requested- "I presume he will want to resolve this matter personally. It is doubtful that he would be pleased that something occurred to his doctor."-they approached, a clear threat despite the calm and friendly tone.

The fat man took a cell phone out of one of the pockets of his pants, dialed a number, put the speaker, and placed the phone on the table. Following a few seconds, a squeaky, choppy male voice was heard. Kurapika couldn't identify what was being said, as it was in a language he didn't understand.

"Mr. Rafael, Hello, it's (Y/n)."-they greeted in a much more certain tone.

"Hi, Mx. (Y/n)! A pleasure to talk to you. With what can I help you?"-the squeaky voice answered as if the person was talking to an old friend of his.

"Yes, Mr. Rafael. Your workers attacked me and my associates, without us even inciting them. Luckily your brother was present. There is a subject I require to discuss with you, please."-(Y/n) began to explain.

"An absurd action. I did not give the order to attack you at any time."-Was what the alleged "Rafael" responded. 

The tension of the men around them increased. By how he speaks, he was the leader of the presents. And considering the reciprocities (Y/n) had with him, what they had done for sure was serious-

"I'm sure of it, Mr. Rafael. It seems to me your brother did."-their tone was modest in the place of angry. It was an "innocent" accusation.

They adopted a low profile, even more considering the status of power and advantage they possessed was brought to light.

"Have you gone crazy, Anibal? Explain yourself"-

"They are the ones who stole the merchandise."-the fat man gulped trying to justify himself.

"It is true."- they added.

Kurapika's stress and fear increased again. "What were they doing? They could perfectly deny everything. It is ill-considered to confess!" doubts echoed in his mind. He was preparing to attack again.

"Except, you know me, I am a good and honorable person."-they continued- "I was preparing to rightly buy from one of your vendors. Still, when I arrived, he threatened me and doubled the agreed price. It was extortion so he could keep the excess money."- their timbre turned into indignation.- "You understand how shameful betrayals are. I am persuaded you will validate my reasons."- they finalized.

"What did you steal to get to this?"-Every time the squeaky voice directed to (Y/n), he was calm.

"Eyes."-the fat man rushed to respond.

"How many?"- was the single ask the piping voice made

"A pair."-(Y/n) rejoined with their iconic smile. Lastly applying a fearless voice.

"Just a pair? Are you telling me that my doctor was attacked for a pair of eyes?"-the person in the other line scoffed.

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Rafael."-All the cards were in (Y/n)'s favor.

"I'm so sorry, Mx. (Y/n). I can't believe my brother treated you like this because of a pair of eyes, even more considering how much you had helped my family."-I had already finished-" One pair of eyes is not enough reason for that rudeness. Don't worry, you can leave in peace."- Kurapika realized that the speeches of (Y/n) had been carefully chosen to arrive at that result. They knew the person strongly and knew how to manage him.

"I knew you would understand, is your mother doing fine?"-they asked gracefully as if everything that had just arrived didn't have any weight.

"Perfectly, thank you."-he answered.

"Me alegro, saludela de mi parte, por favor. Tenga buen día. (I'm glad, tell her I say hi, please. Have a nice day)"- (Y/n) concluded in the same language the voice used at the beginning of the call.

The person on the other end of the line hung up. The group of armed men looked at each other, knowing that what the future held would not be pleasing. 

"As this was a misunderstanding, we withdrew."- (Y/n) got up from their chair, walked over to the old man named Richard, and gave him some money-"I deeply apologize for this error, Richard, this is for you to arrange your door."-They were playing with the patience of the rest.

Did they need to have a hint of humor at that precise time? Kurapika was exhausted and stressed out of his mind; he was standing at the entrance waiting. He just wanted to leave the place for good.

"Have a good afternoon, gentlemen!"-they mocked, following Kurapika out of the store.

They entered the car, Kurapika in the passenger's seat, and (Y/n) placed the scarlet eyes safely on the back seats to eventually join him in front.

"I excuse Kurapika. I am aware this affected you greatly. As I promised, I will clarify the matter."-they sighed with an apologetic smile.

Kurapika was still irritated, and his head ached. Although, as much as he was bothered not being in control of conditions and working beside someone extra could be tedious at times, he was grateful. He could not dispute that his partner was cunning and sneaky. They knew what they were doing, and if it weren't for them, they wouldn't have the scarlet eyes at that moment; and they would probably have cuts provoked by shattered glass. He was relieved that everything ended well.

"Mr. Rafael is the head of a mafia that operates on the black market. They are mainly concerned with obtaining and trafficking merchandise."-they put their hands together. resting them on their lap, they had their gaze focused on them as they explained.-"He comes from another country and he brought his family with him, whom he entrusted to positions in the mafia. Among them was his mother, who does not speak English. The lady contracted Bell's Palsy disorder. Reasonably, being wanted personages, going to the hospital was threatening. And I provided her the treatment."-They turned to view him, making gestures with their hands as they continued to unfold.-"I mean, I could do it without raising misgivings. It is not unusual for psychiatrists to examine patients at their residencies! And psychiatrists are neurologists specialized in behavior and mental disorders! Plus, I speak Spanish as well!"-they mumbled, feeling responsible for all the trouble they just experienced.

"It's alright. I understand. Having a high-ranking person in the framework on your side is beneficial to retrieve elements of your clan. However, why didn't you told me?"-he tried not to trouble. The reasons were legitimate after all.

"I'm not sure."-they lowered their gaze again.-"I never imagined that something like this would appear. I was shallow, sorry. Thank you for understanding and trusting me, they are valuable connections for my objective." 

It was unpleasant for Kurapika to be upset with (Y / n). He didn't want to be upset.

"You're sneakier than you seem."-He offered them a sweet smile.

They laughed, he loved that laughter. He was undeniably ready to fight anyone who said their precious (Y/n)'s laugh was ugly.

"I also wasn't aware you spoke Spanish."-the blonde continued to tease.

"Well, Unilium lived in a place where the habitants speak Spanish. We also had our languages, so we spoke both."-they smiled-"I also like languages, they're amusing!" 

There were so several details that Kurapika still didn't know about them. Still, he was certain he desired to discover them.

"You are so strange (Y/n). But that's maybe why I love you."

They couldn't help but give a soft and loving smile.-"I love you the most."

[yodawgiherd]

Rome pt.1

>>>Read on AO3<<<

Rating: M Setting: Historical Rome

Heyy, I'm alive! :D Having recently watched the Rome tv-series, I finally got an idea that I just couldn't shake. So enjoy the first part of this AU, which I will (most likely) continue!

The sun was hot on young Mikasa’s back, as she was hunched over the tub, dutifully washing the stained bedding. Taking a small break, she straightened, shielding her eyes from the merciless rays. The unyielding sun was one of the many things she didn’t like about Rome. That, and having her parents murdered and she herself being sold to slavery.

They were nothing back home, just another tiny tribe that got crushed under the unyielding boot of the roman empire, trampled and absorbed to be forgotten. The legionaries killed her father, then her mother when she tried protecting her, and almost killed her too before the commander barked a few orders in a language Mikasa didn’t understand. Sheathing their bloody short swords, they threw her in a cage, where a few other members of her tribe already were, and after a long and very unpleasant journey, she arrived at the capital of the empire, the beating heart of civilization.

And it was filthy.

For all the supposed grandeur, Rome had enough dirt in the streets to fill a sea, the sewers smelled and there were annoying flies everywhere. Insects were one thing, but the people, that was something else altogether. Never in her short life had Mikasa seen so many in one place. Thousands and thousands moving around on their business, ignoring the cage that rattled past them towards the slave market. Watching them one was thing, being watched was other, she realized once the slaver ushered her up on the stage. Dozens of hungry eyes scanned her, made her wish that the earth would just open up and swallow her whole. But as usual, the gods ignored her.

In the end, Mikasa was sold to a bald, corpulent man whose name she quickly forgot. Her new owner managed a chain of brothels, or “houses of pleasure” as he called them himself, and was hoping that her exotic look would attract customers. That was, once she matured enough. Sure, there would be clientele for her even now, as any sort of demand had to be satisfied, but it was decided that ruining her now would be a waste of investment. Mikasa was thus put to work, cleaning and maintaining the house that quickly became her prison.

Over the first few weeks of her captivity, she learned a great deal, besides being taught the language. Trying to escape was useless. Just two days after she was transferred to her new home, one of the other slaves did escape, only to be brought back mere two hours later. Then, the master of the house called everyone and made them look while his dogs tore the poor fellow apart. After she was done throwing up what little was in her stomach, Mikasa realized that following the escapee’s footsteps would be suicide. She didn’t know Rome, she had nowhere to go. Worst of all, the people of Rome would never help an escaped slave, that was beneath their station as free citizens.

So what was Mikasa left with? Survive, that was her only objective. She knew that for now, it was easy on her. Cleaning and housework were easy, even back with her tribe she had to work. But deep at night, when she curled up beneath her flimsy blanket, she could hear the disgusting noises coming from the rooms all around her and knowing that was her fate made the bile in her throat rise. To not lose hope, she focused on the present, taking it in day by day. Maybe something would happen to free her from that terrible fate, maybe something… anything….

Shaking her head, Mikasa lowered her eyes back to the tub, once again taking hold of the dirty bedding, stained by those activities that the brothel existed for. Pressing extra hard to get the wine out, she worked in peace until there was a shuffle of feet behind and suddenly the sun was not the only thing staring into her back. Thinking that it was most likely her owner, coming to see what’s taking so long, Mikasa turned with an apology on her lips but that died when she saw who was standing there. Not the fat man who held her life in his hands, but a boy, no older than she was. Yet the age was about the only thing they had similar.

Mikasa was dressed in rags, understandably for a slave, while the boy’s clothes were fresh and clean, bearing the marks of high-quality material. His skin was amazingly clean, a feat that Mikasa didn’t understand how he accomplished. How come he didn’t get dirty while working? But work was the last thing on the intruder’s mind, as he scanned her with his forest green eyes, taking a bite from whatever he was holding in his hand. She had no idea what it was, but it smelled damn tasty.

“Your eyes are weird.”, the newcomer said out of nowhere, the carelessness of a child in his voice, “All tilted. Why?”

“I was born that way.”, she said, shuffling from foot to foot.

He nodded at that.

“I guess the gods made a small mistake with you.”

For some reason, those words hurt, but before she could truly feel it, he continued.

“I like it.”

Surprised, Mikasa looked up, but her eyes were once again drawn to that thing in the boy’s hand. It really did smell good, and to say that she was underfed would be an overstatement. As long as she didn’t die from starvation, the master was happy. He must have noticed her hungry look because taking a step closer, he offered her the thing.

“You want some?”

Mikasa knew that she shouldn’t take candy from strangers, but she was hungry and couldn’t imagine why this boy would ever want to harm her. And to top it off, there weren’t any ways to make her situation even worse. So throwing her better judgement out of the window, Mikasa leaned in, taking a  small bite of that thing. And damn, it was worth it. She couldn’t say what it was made of, but it was sweet and tasted even better than it smelled. Opening her eyes, she could see that the boy was watching her with a smile, teeth like small pearls shining.

“It’s good right?”

Robbed of words, she simply nodded, making his smile widen.

“I could bring you some more, we have this at our villa every day and…”

Whatever he was about to say would be lost to history, however, as there was a shuffle of feet and then someone was shoving Mikasa violently away from the boy. She landed on her back, hitting the ground hard, the air in her lungs pushed out by the impact. There was a scrape of steel, and suddenly she was staring at a large man in front of her who was holding a sword in his hand, the point angled towards her chest.

“What are you doing? Stop!” the boy screamed, but the man ignored him.

“Young master, what are you doing here? Running away from me and associating with this…”, his eyes travelled up and down Mikasa, mouth twisting in disgust, “filth.”

“She’s a friend!”

“She’s a slave. What would your father say if he saw you with her?”

The boy seemed to deflate when his father was mentioned, but then he took a deep breath and straightened his back.

“My father is not here now, and as far as I know, you work for my family.”, the tone of his voice changed too, suddenly being much more commanding than before, “So sheathe your sword this instant!”

Surprised by the sudden man-up, the guard took a step back but his eyes never left Mikasa’s fallen form. As if she posed some sort of threat to the young master. The boy passed his guard and walked over to Mikasa, offering her his hand. Under the older man’s piercing gaze she took it, letting him help her to her feet.

“I’m sorry about Hannes, he’s just careful.”, the boy mumbled, embarrassed by his retainer’s behaviour. Not sure how to apologize, he thought for a moment before taking her hand and pushing the rest of the treat into her palm.

“Take it.”, he said, “And forgive me, please.”

“Young master, this is very noble of you, but we really have to go. Your father is waiting.”, the guard interjected once more, making Eren sigh and nod.

“Very well.”

Turning around, he took two steps away before turning back towards Mikasa, the old smile on his face.

“I’ll definitely come and see you again!”

Before she realized what was happening her face was mirroring that smile and she even returned the wave he gave her before disappearing in the streets with his guard in tow. And when Mikasa fell asleep that night, with belly full of honey, she dreamed of those green eyes. But dreams are not for the waking world, and her life quickly took a turn for the worse.

Worst of all, the boy never showed up again.

[goldgalaxytea-fanfics]

Warmth

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Harry Potter series

Relationship: Harry Potter x  Marcus Flint

Characters: Harry Potter, Marcus Flint, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Poppy Pomfrey, The Fat Lady

Additional Tags: commission, Enemies to Lovers, Getting Together, Slow Burn, Crushes, Boyfriends, Sleepy Cuddles, Cuddles, Cuddling & Snuggling, Creature Inheritance, Parseltongue, Harry/Parseltongues have a creature inheritance, Snake-Like Harry, Nesting, stealing clothes, Hogwarts Fourth Year, First Kiss, Kissing, Boys Kissing, Boys In Love, Yule Ball, Dancing, Mistletoe, Forehead Kisses, Cheek Kisses, Sleepy Kisses, Sleep, Unconsciousness, infirmary

Words: 5,517

Summary: 

Blanket nests aren’t weird, Harry assured himself, people make them all the time. Besides it keeps him warm at night, more so than just huddling under his own blankets. Also it made him happy, it was almost impossible to feel any sort of negative feelings bundled up all comfy and cozy in the nest’s warmth. Surely something that made him warm inside and out was normal… right?

Notes:

This is a commission for @emgkheadcannons​! Thank you again for commissioning me!!!💖

Winter is a beautiful time to view, yet an awful time to experience. At least, that's how it is for Harry. The teen has always despised the cold temperatures, somehow always freezing despite wearing layer upon layer of warm clothes. Even now, during his fourth winter at Hogwarts, he acted like a moth drawn to a flame at any semblance of warmth he could find. Though Harry never worried about his lack of tolerance to the cold, chalking it up to just being how his body works. Like how his friend Neville gets sick easily in hot weather, Harry's body just can't stand the cold.

Especially now, down in the dungeons of the school. The lower level was chilly any other time of year, yet during the winter didn’t feel any different than being outside in the falling snow. The fourth year shivered as he made his way to potions class, feet dragging as he buried his face in his scarf. Harry, too preoccupied with preventing himself from turning into an ice sculpture, paid no mind to his surroundings. Due to this he failed to notice the booming footsteps of someone running towards him until it was too late.

Something large barreled past him, knocking into his shoulder roughly. In his daze the Gryffindor’s books fell from his hands, spilling across the stone floor. Harry’s mind snapped back to the present as his eyes focused on the source of the accident.

Standing before him was none other than Marcus Flint, one of the Slytherin prefects.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you standing there.” The older student’s tune and face was the exact opposite of genuine, though Harry didn’t expect it to be. He was all too familiar with what kind of person Marcus is, knowing full well the so-called ‘accident’ was intentional. Harry pointedly ignored him, too tired to deal with Marcus and his antics.

“See you in class, Potter.” Marcus smirked before walking away.

Harry groaned, he had completely forgotten Marcus would be in his class today. The prefect was assisting Snape as a teacher’s aid as a part of his prefect duties. With a sigh he bent down to pick up his books, losing himself in thought once again. Though this time he couldn’t stop thinking about how warm Marcus had felt. Just brushing against the Slytherin had felt like walking past a cozy warm fireplace. He really wants to feel that warmth again…

Harry quickly shook that thought from his head. What the heck is wrong with him? He’s never thought anything like that about Marcus before and it shouldn’t be happening ever. The Slytherin has always been mean to him, never once saying anything nice, so why was he having those thoughts?! Harry was too tired to deal with his internal crisis so he simply chose to ignore it for now. Though that’s always easier said than done.

Once in class his mind drifted off once again, tuning out Snape’s words as he couldn’t help but stare at Marcus. The Slytherin was taller than him, the perfect height for him to rest his head on Harry’s while he buried his head in the crook of his neck. Marcus’s long arms would hold him safely against his broad chest, a blanket wrapped around the two as they cuddled. The Slytherin’s warmth would keep out any cold that tried to attack Harry. Harry would pull back just enough to bring his face close to Marcus and-

“Learning only works if you’re listening, Mr. Potter.” Snape spoke, his irritation clearly visible on his face. The teacher’s voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts, his face going red once he realized who he had been daydreaming about.

“Sorry, professor.” The Gryffindor quickly apologized, ignoring his classmates' curious stares.

Snape went back to teaching as Harry tried not to freak out. Why in the wizarding world was he daydreaming about Marcus?! Harry didn’t like him one bit, so why did he want to cuddle him? The Gryffindor didn’t understand why he was thinking those thoughts, so he decided the most logical thing to do was to ignore Marcus. If the Slytherin was the cause of his strange behavior then not interacting with or seeing him should fix it right? It was easy enough, he doesn’t see Marcus too often outside of Potions class. Setting his plan in motion, Harry tuned out the weird look Marcus was giving him and focused on Snape’s lesson.

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

Fate simply did not like Harry, or at least, Snape really didn’t like Harry. His plan to ignore Marcus was thrown out the window when the potions teacher assigned the Slytherin prefect to help him on a project. Harry’s plan had been working well the past week, at least he thought it had been. Apparently he still had been zoning out enough that Snape had noticed and thought he needed extra help, thus forcing him to interact with Marcus.

Said Slytherin was currently sitting next to him, ‘helping’ him with his assignment. Marcus definitely knows Harry has been ignoring him and is doing everything in his power to get any sort of reaction out of him. Luckily for Harry, he’s faced much harder challenges then a fellow student making his life difficult. Though despite that it’s still incredibly complicated blocking out someone that refuses to leave you alone.

“Here, Potter. Put this in the cauldron.” Marcus held out a very obviously wrong ingredient, grinning evilly while he waited for Harry to take it. Both were aware putting it in would cause a minor explosion, so Harry reached past Marcus to grab the correct one. As he picked up the ingredient his arm brushed against Marcus, feeling the warmth radiating from the prefect. Harry refused to let any thoughts about the Slytherin overtake him, quickly pulling his arm back and placing the right ingredient into the cauldron.

“Come on, Potter. I’m trying to help you.” Marcus lied. “Here, I measured out the next part.” He held out a cup that was overflowing with the next ingredient.

Wordlessly Harry took it from him, trying his best to ignore the skip in his heart when their fingers briefly touched. The younger student removed the extra material, making sure the cup held the correct amount before dumping it into the cauldron.

“Oh my bad.” Marcus grinned. “I must have read it wrong, sorry Potter.” The Slytherin was obviously trying to get a raise out of Harry, but he refused to show any sort of reaction. What would Marcus say if he stuttered over his words? Or if he blushed? The older student would definitely poke fun at him. Or possibly figure out why he was acting strangely. Harry can’t let Marcus know the thoughts he’s been having about him or else-

“Knock it off.” Marcus demanded. “I don’t want your filthy hands on me.”

Harry snapped out of his spiralling thoughts, quickly noticing he had unconsciously moved closer to Marcus. So close in fact, that if he moved a few more inches he would be touching him. Harry swiftly moved away, focusing back on his assignment.

“Hey what’s with you? You’re acting weirder than normal.” Marcus jeered. Harry risked a quick peek at the other’s face, trying to tell if his secret has been discovered. The Slytherin’s face held his usual cruel grin, though now there was a slight red tint to his cheeks. Must be from the cold Harry reasoned. What other reason could Marcus possibly have for blushing if not the chilly weather? Harry didn’t dwell on that thought for long.

“It’s rude not to answer when someone’s talking to you. Didn’t your parents teach you any manners?” There was something off about the prefect’s tone. Marcus was obviously frustrated, yet he almost sounded confused.

Harry continues ignoring the older student, never once glancing in his direction for the rest of class. Though he’s very aware of Marcus staring holes into his head, waiting for Harry to finally acknowledge him. An awkward tension hangs between the two for the rest of class, each too stubborn to do anything about it.

As soon as class ends Harry is quick to make his escape, leaving Marcus sitting there even more confused than before.

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

A few days pass without anymore incidents involving a certain Slytherin prefect. Harry is thankful for that as he makes his way to Quidditch practice. Though once at the fields he feels a strange pull, like his instincts are trying to lead him somewhere. Without a second thought he follows it, something inside of him telling him it's important.

Harry certainly didn’t expect to end up in the Slytherin’s changing rooms. Luckily no one was currently there, only Gryffindor had Quidditch practice today. His instincts lead him to a pile of stuff that he somehow knows belongs to Marcus. Harry is overcome with the urge to take the sweater laying at the top and so he does. Before he can rethink his actions he’s already in the Gryffindor changing room hiding the article of clothing with his own.

Harry doesn't second guess why he took the Slytherin’s sweater. Logically it made sense, he needs more sweaters to keep warm. At least that’s what he told himself. It gets cold at night, was his excuse for taking the blanket Marcus left behind in Potions class. I lost my scarf and needed another one, he told himself when he picked up the scarf Marcus had dropped as he was running by. The hands are the quickest thing to freeze, if I don’t wear gloves I’ll get frostbite, he reasoned as he took Marcus’s gloves when he wasn’t looking during class.

Each time Harry found a piece of clothing that belonged to the Slytherin prefect he was always ready with a reason why he needed to take it. Besides, Marcus never seemed to notice his missing stuff, so surely what he was doing was okay? Despite the million and one excuses Harry had come up with, he never wore or used the stolen clothes. Well, at least not how they should be used. Each new treasure Harry found was put onto his bed and arranged in a way his instincts told him to. Slowly his collection grew and grew, until the pile on his bed resembled a blanket nest of sorts.

Blanket nests aren’t weird, Harry assured himself, people make them all the time. Besides it keeps him warm at night, more so than just huddling under his own blankets. Also it made him happy, it was almost impossible to feel any sort of negative feelings bundled up all comfy and cozy in the nest’s warmth. Surely something that made him warm inside and out was normal… right?

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

According to Harry’s friends, it wasn’t normal at all.

Ron and Hermione approached Harry while he was reading in the Gryffindor common room. Harry sat in the chair closest to the fireplace so they sat on the couch nearby. He didn’t notice his friends approach nor sit down, too focused on the text in front of him.

“Um Harry…?” Ron waved his hand in front of his friend’s face, causing Harry to finally look up from his book.

“Oh hey, I didn’t see you guys there.” Harry greeted his friends, who both shared a look before Hermione spoke.

“What’s going on, Harry? You’ve been acting strange the past few weeks.”

“Um,” Harry averted his gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We’re talking about the blanket nest you made on your bed out of Slytherin clothes.” Ron said, clearly displeased Harry was trying to avoid the topic.

“And your odd behavior.” Hermione added. “You’re always freezing - which definitely isn’t normal - and you’ve been acting weird around Marcus Flint. Did something happen between you two?”

“Nothing happened!” Harry was quick to reassure. “Everything’s fine I promise-”

“That’s bull and you know it.” Ron cut him off. “The one morning when I tried to wake you up I touched your blanket nest and you hissed at me. You’re always crazy protective of the stuff on your bed, anytime I look at it I’m worried you’re gonna bite my bloody head off.”

“It’s my stuff so of course I don’t want you touching it.” Harry countered.

“It's not yours, the clothes belong to Marcus.” Hermione pointed out.”

“I-” Harry fumbled to find the right words. “It just… makes me feel so warm… I’m always freezing in the winter and having a lot of clothes helps me not freeze at night.”

“Then why can’t you use your own stuff?” Ron questioned.

“...” Harry looked away, too embarrassed to answer.

“Please Harry.” Hermione pleaded. “We’re worried about you.”

“...it makes me happy.” Harry sheepishly admits.

“To use Marcus’s clothes for your nest?” Hermione clarified.

Harry nodded before it finally hit him. His behavior was definitely not normal.

“I think you guys are right… somethings definitely wrong with me.” Harry’s eyes were wide as he remembered everything that transpired since his weird behavior had started. “I don’t know why I’m acting this way, it doesn’t make any sense…”

Hermione reached to grab Harry’s closet hand, lightly squeezing it in to comfort him.

“Don’t worry.” Hermione reassured. “I’m going to go down to the library tomorrow and figure all this out. I’ll let you know the exact moment I find something.”

“Thanks, Hermione.” Harry smiled at his friend.

“Of course.” Hermione returned the smile. “What are friends for.”

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

A few days later and there was still no explanation found for Harry’s odd behavior. Though that didn’t deter Hermione, the young witch spent hours every day searching the library for any information she could. She was there right now with Ron, the redhead helping to speed up the search.

Meanwhile Harry was on his way to see Hagrid, wanting to thank the man for informing him about the dragons. The weather outside was colder than usual, easily attacking Harry through the large amount of layers he wore. The freezing weather slowed his steps and destroyed his energy. Harry yawned, extremely sleepy all of a sudden.

Next thing he knows he’s on the ground, body violently shivering as it desperately tried to fight off the cold. Snow falls onto his face and body, only making things worse, yet he’s unable to move let alone get up. All he can see is the white snow surrounding him. Harry lays there, an unknown amount of time passing as he struggles to keep his eyes open.

Out of nowhere a warmth embraces him. Harry tries to get closer to the warmth but his body still won’t listen to him. Though luckily for him the warmth helps him move, bringing the half frozen boy closer to the heat. Harry also makes out a familiar smell but in his daze he can’t place what it belongs to. No longer in any danger Harry relaxes, sinking into the warmth holding him. He feels safe and so he stops fighting off the sleep his tired body demanded. Surrounded by a protective warmth, Harry allowed his consciousness to fade away...

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

When Harry wakes his sight is once again filled with white, though the color isn’t cold and wet anymore; it’s soft and warm. Wearily he blinks the sleep away from his eyes as the room around him slowly comes back into focus. The first detail he notices is he’s laying down in a bed, his head propped up by a soft pillow with numerous heavy blankets covering his quivering body. The next thing he notices is he’s not tucked away in the safety of his blanket nest back in the Gryffindor dorms, instead he’s laying in one of the various beds that reside in the infirmary. Not only was he in an unfamiliar location but he wasn’t alone. Those facts immediately set the teen on high alert until his hazy mind registered who they were.

Madam Pomfrey stood beside his bed, watching him wake up. Harry attempts to sit up, only making it a few inches before falling back down. Perhaps he was still weak from the cold because his body felt three times heavier than usual. The old woman sees his struggle and quickly moves to assist him. Her hands are gentle as she helps him into a seated position, positioning his pillow behind him to support his weight.

Once Harry is settled the woman leaves with a promise to be right back. Her departure brings his attention to the other people surrounding his bed. Hermione and Ron are standing on the opposite side from where Pomfrey once stood, concerned expressions on both of their faces. Yet that wasn’t all of his visitors.

Harry is surprised to see Marcus standing at the end of the infirmary bed. The Slytherin stood with his arms crossed, an aloof air about him. Despite the prefect’s best attempt to appear like he doesn’t care, his eyes betrayed his act. No matter where Marcus looked his gaze would always drift back to Harry, the concern clear as day every time he checked on the Gryffindor. Before any of them can even attempt to speak, Madam Pomfrey returns with an unknown beverage held in her hands.

“Here drink this.” The woman holds the drink up to Harry’s mouth. “It will help warm you up.”

Harry sips the warm beverage, thankful for the assistance. He doubts he would be able to hold the cup in this condition. When he’s done the matron takes the glass away, moving to check on another patient nearby.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, Harry.” Hermione speaks, relief clear in her voice.

“Same here. You gave us one bloody hell of a fright when we heard you were in the infirmary.” Ron says. “Especially since we now know what’s happening to you.”

“We found a book about parseltongues.” Hermione explains. “Not only are they able to talk to serpets, but they also inherit features from those creatures. For example, they easily get cold in the winter, which causes them to seek out heat. Though unlike snakes, parseltongues aren’t attracted to just any warmth. They’re attracted to their mate, which translates to ‘warmth’ in parseltongue.”

“Which explains why you’ve been acting so strange around Marcus and stealing his clothes. It's because you have a crush on him.” Ron clarifies.

“That’s ridiculous.” Marcus snaps, a slight pink dusting his cheeks. “I don’t care about Potter, so how could we possibly be mates?”

“You’re not serious are you? You’re the one that found him and brought him to the infirmary!” Ron points out. “If you didn’t care about him you would’ve let him freeze to death.”

"Well-” Marcus tries to argue more but he's interrupted by violent coughing. All eyes turn to face Harry, watching the teen’s body tremble as he wheezed. The commotion alerted  Madam Pomfrey, the woman swiftly returning to Harry’s bed and drawing the curtains surrounding him. The matron held a knowing look in her eyes as she shooed Hermione and Ron through the curtains. Pomfrey followed the two Gryffindors out, leaving Harry and Marcus alone.

As soon as there’s no other eyes watching them, Marcus shifts closer to Harry without a second thought. His mind is still in panic mode, the fear and stress muddling his brain and controlling his actions before he can even realize what's happening. All he can focus on is Harry; he needs to cuddle him, he needs to keep him warm, he needs to make sure Harry won’t die from the cold, he needs to-

A noisy cough snaps Marcus out of his daze, the Slytherin immediately freezing in place as he takes in the situation. His arms are outstretched, only a few inches away from enclosing on Harry in a hug. Marcus quickly moves away, putting as much distance as he can between the two and recoiling his arms back to his sides. However something prevented him from going far - a hand that trembled and still felt much too cold held onto the bottom of his sweater. Harry’s grip was weak - if Marcus wanted to break out of his grasp he easily could. Despite that he found himself unable to move. The distress on Harry’s face made it impossible for the perfect to look away.

“Please cuddle with me, it's so cold…” Harry pleads, voice barely loud enough to be heard.

Right away Marcus knew his answer, yet he still hesitated; his thoughts overpowering him and keeping him as still as a statue. Another violent cough from Harry prompts him to break free from his trance and take action. Marcus delicately climbs into the infirmary bed beside Harry, his long arms enveloping the Gryffindor and pulling him close. Harry settles his head on the Slytherin’s chest, eagerly hugging Marcus back as he snuggles into his warmth.

“Just so you know, I’m only doing this because the school would have my head if I just stood back and let you freeze to death.” Marcus states. “I personally hate this and can’t wait for it to be over.”

Regardless of the harsh words Marcus spoke he still held Harry close, his body relaxed as he absentmindedly stroked Harry’s hair. Marcus’s face was as red as the Gryffindor’s scarf as he glanced every which way except for where Harry lay. Harry smiled to himself, knowing full heartedly that Marcus was enjoying this just as much as he was.

Surrounded by his warmth, Harry felt his consciousness slipping away from him once more. This time he welcomed it, knowing that he was safe with Marcus watching over him.

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

For a second time Harry awakes in a different location then where he fell asleep. His groggy mind makes out that he’s being carried, strong arms supporting him bridal style as familiar walls blurr past him. He manages to catch a glimpse of a window, the sky outside dark and speckled with stars.

Harry’s body no longer feels deathly cold, but it’s still easily chilled by the icy wind sneaking its way into the school. He senses his warmth holding him and so he cuddles closer, burying his face in Marcus’s chest. In turn the Slytherin pulls him closer, making sure Harry is warm enough.

It doesn’t take long for them to arrive at the Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady was asleep in her portrait so Marcus forcefully cleared his throat to get her attention.

“Who on earth is causing a ruckus at this hour?” The Fat Lady jolts awake, annoyance distorting her face. “What the-?”

The woman’s voice trails off as she takes in the scene before her. Understanding wipes away her irritation, a fond smile shaping her lips.

“I heard what had happened to our young Potter - word travels fast with us portraits - and I’ve been worried sick all day. I’m glad to see he’s alright.” The Fat Lady speaks in a hushed voice as to not wake Harry. Said boy could not make out the conversation happening right in front of him, his mind dancing along the thin line between sleep and being awake.

“I’m glad too…” Marcus mumbles, shyly refusing to look at her or Harry

The Fat Lady chuckles, opening her portrait for the prefect. “I’m allowing you in under special conditions, so don’t think I’ll let you in any time you please.”

“I understand, thank you…” Marcus nods.

“Of course.” The Fat Lady’s smile falls as her expression grows serious. “You better take good care of him.”

“I will.” He reassures her.

“Good.” Her smile returns. “Now off to bed with you. It’s late and you both need the rest.”

Marcus enters the Gryffindor Tower, swiftly making his way to the dorms. It's easy for him to find Harry’s bed, as it's the only one with a pile of Slytherin clothes atop it. Marcus gently sets him down in his nest, pink covering his cheeks as he recognizes his clothes on Harry’s bed.

“I know your friends said you were stealing my stuff-” Marcus comments in disbelief. “but I’m still surprised you actually were…”

Marcus makes a move to leave, not quite ready to come to terms with the fact that Harry views him as a mate. However, his attempt to depart is thwarted; Harry’s hand lightly urging him to stay as he holds onto Marcus’s wrist.

“Please don’t go…” Harry requests. “I don’t want you to leave me…”

Marcus attempts to replay with a definite no, except he can’t. Not when a half awake Harry is giving him the cutest puppy dog eyes he’s ever seen. The prefect feels his resolve slowly crumble apart under the boy’s expectant stare. That, combined with a part of Marcus that yearns to cuddle Harry more - a part that he will never admit to having, not even to himself - compels him to stay put.

“It’s okay.” Marcus whispers, softly freeing himself from Harry’s grasp to instead hold his hand. He gently strokes the other’s palm with his thumb, seeking to help the boy calm down. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

Slowly but surely, Marcus joins Harry in his nest. The Slytherin is careful not to disrupt the structure the Gryffindor had constructed, gently climbing in and finding a spot to lay down next to Harry. As soon as his head hits the pillow Harry is on top of him, face resting on the older boy’s chest; directly above his heart. Marcus pauses for a brief moment before wrapping his arms around Harry, securing him in place.

The steady beat of Marcus’s heart leisurely leads Harry back to sleep. A feeling of warmth and comfort envelopes the two boys as they doze off, feeling at peace in each other’s arms.

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

As Harry’s drowsy form begins to stir he’s greeted with shimmering rays of sunlight filtering through the window. It was now morning.

Harry hides his face in Marcus’s chest, shielding his eyes from the bright light. The Gryffindor’s foggy mind registers a faint pressure on his head. As his head clears he discerns that it’s the prefect’s hand tenderly petting his hair. In addition to the light strokes, the older boy is mumbling something. His words are too quiet and muddled together to make out, yet Harry is clearly able to catch I like you.

“What?” Harry questions in shock, lifting his head to look at Marcus. He’s extremely certain of what he heard, but he wants confirmation just in case he misunderstood.

The older boy’s face explodes with color, cheeks burning red as he stumbles over his words.

“I- um- ah-” Marcus attempts, visibly flustered and refusing to glance at Harry. “Don’t make me say it again…”

Harry studied the Slytherin’s face as he spoke, easily understanding that what he had heard was correct based on Marcus’s reaction.

“It's okay.” Harry reaches for one of the prefect’s hands, intertwining their fingers once found. “I like you too.”

The Gryffindor’s confession instills Marcus with the courage to finally meet Harry’s gaze. Green orbs meet dark ones as Marcus at long last lets himself speak honestly.

“I knew you took my sweater from the changing rooms.” The older boy confesses. “I happened to be stopping by to take my quidditch clothes to be washed, and I saw you go in and come back out with my sweater. I know you get cold easily so I didn’t say anything. But I didn’t see you wearing it so I purposely ‘lost’ different items so that you could use them to keep warm. The only thing I didn’t know was that you were using my clothes to make a nest…”

Neither move, simply letting a comfortable silence fill the space between them; each boy reflecting on the new found revelations.

Harry is the first to move, his hands moving to gently hold either side of the older boy’s face. The Gryffindor gradually shifts his face closer to the Slytherin’s, allowing enough time for Marcus to pull away if he desires. Even so, Marcus remains in place; letting Harry inch closer and closer until their lips meet. The kiss is brief and hesitant on both ends, yet love and affection are conveyed clearly through where their mouths touch.

When the two withdraw from each other they simply observe the other, taking in the other’s reddened cheeks and the endearment reflected in both their eyes. The pair linger in that moment for a little while longer before drawing close once again. Both of them hold each other closer, cuddling together as they exchange numerous kisses. Soft pecks litter each boy’s face; a feather light kiss to the lips, a fond smooch to the forehead, gentle pecks to both cheeks. The two students lose themselves in the tender moment, tuning out the outside world as they solely focus on the happiness they felt.

Regardless of the joy overwhelming Harry, his body was still tired. The younger boy pulls back briefly to yawn. A small smile tugs at the corners of Marcus’s lips, the older boy marveling at how cute his boyfriend looked when sleepy. Harry leans back in, planting tiny kisses on his warmth's face as he mumbles sweet words to him.

“Ssssssssss” Harry hisses. In his tired state he was unaware that he was speaking Parseltongue and not English. Nevertheless Marcus didn’t mind it one bit. In fact he found it extremely adorable - plus he loved simply hearing the language. Despite not knowing what was being said, Marcus could tell that the words were full of endearment based on Harry’s tone. The lovers stay that way for quite some time, enjoying the soft moment and their newly founded relationship.

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

A few days elapsed for the happy couple and before they knew it it was time for the Yule Ball. Harry arrives at the party with Marcus as his date. Both boys are dressed in elegant suits for the special occasion.

Familiar faces pass them by as they descend the stairs hand in hand and set foot on the ballroom floor. As they enter Harry notices Sirius and Remus standing and chatting nearby. The Gryffindor waves to them and the two men look over, excitedly waving back. Harry leads Marcus over to them, as happy to see the two again as they were to see him.

“I missed you!” Harry exclaims, releasing Marcus’s hand so that he can hug Sirius and Remus. The two return the embrace, smiles lighting up their faces.

“We missed you too.” Remus mentions. “Sirius wouldn’t shut up about how thrilled he was to attend this ball.”

Sirius lightly heartedly punches Remus’s arm, the movement playful and harmless.

“Remus missed you just as much, didn’t you Moony?” Sirius quips.

“That I did.” Remus admits. ”Now tell me Harry, what have you been up to since we last spoke?”

“I started dating Marcus.” Harry says, gesturing to the boy standing beside him.

A look of shock and surprise pass over the men’s faces - the two knew of Marcus’s mean behavior towards others. Yet in spite of that, Harry looked the happiest he has in quite some time and the fond gaze Marcus directed at Harry appeared genuine. Sirius and Remus quickly replace the startled expressions with their bright smiles from before - if Marcus made Harry happy then they’d accept their relationship, although begrudgingly.

“Congrats, my boy. We’re happy for you.” Remus says, lightly patting Harry’s shoulder.

“Oh what I would give to see the look on Snape’s face when he learns one of his Slytherin students is dating harry!” Sirius chuckles.

“Oh he already knows.” Marcus laughs. “Speaking of-”

Marcus ignores the astonished look on Sirius’s face, instead turning to face his boyfriend.

“-I have a present for you. Snape helped me get it.” Marcus pulls out a wrapped gift and hands it to Harry. “Merry Christmas, love.”

The Gryffindor carefully unwraps the box, finding something soft inside. He removes it to get a better view. It’s a Slytherin blanket made of a thick yet soft material.

“It's made of a fabric that keeps heat in. It will help you stay warm in the Winter.” Marcus explains.

Harry throws his arms around Marcus, hugging him tightly.

“I love it, thank you!” Harry presses a small kiss to his boyfriend’s lips. Harry pulls back and turns to Remus. “Can you hold this please?”

“Of course.” Remus takes the gift from Harry. “Have fun you two.”

Harry drags Marcus over to the dance floor, excitedly placing his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder while the other holds the prefect’s hand. The two lovers spin and twirl, holding each other close as they dance to their heart’s content. Smiles never leave their face as their feet sway to the music. Harry and Marcus dance as if they were the only two in the room, too enraptured with each other to care about their surroundings.

After a couple songs the music briefly stops as the band takes a break. The couple awake from their trance, noticing they were standing underneath a mistletoe. Marcus leans down to kiss Harry, the younger boy eagerly kissing him back.

“Ss ssss sss.” Harry hisses against his lips. Parseltongue for I love you.

“I love you too.”

Notes: If anyone is interested, I've opened fanfic commissions! This post has info about them! ^-^

[hawkinspostbite]

BURN THE WITCH - chapter two

Words: 3,793

MASTERLIST BURN THE WITCH

A/N: I do not claim to, nor do I own Stranger Things; the concept, characters, plot, etc.

Jim had fucked up. In the scheme of things, this wasn’t a royally huge fuck-up; he’d definitely fucked up a lot during his lifetime, but as of that moment, it was pretty important.

It wasn’t the first time he had been late getting home, or broken a promise, he was sure that Anna was used to it by now, but he knew that El had yet to get used to his usual routine. He was never really good at honoring commitments, although, recently he had been trying to make a better habit of doing the opposite. It was turning out to be harder than anticipated.

They sky had grown dark by the time he had finished flagging the land at Eugene’s farm. Eugene and his son and grandchildren had gone back to the house for supper while it was still light out. But it wasn’t until that time, when it was already too late, when Jim had realized he screwed up.

He had made it across town in record time, pretty much breaking every local law in the process. He all but ran up the leaf-covered path to the tiny cabin he called home. He rapped on the door, giving the “secret knock” twice before sighing. “Hey, girls. Open up, alright. Look, I know I’m late… I’ve got candy here, I’ve got all the good stuff.”

No response.

He smacked the door with his palm, growing frustrated. “Please, will you open the door? I’m gonna freeze to death out here!”

Jim heard the locks click, and he rushed inside, closing the door behind him. He scanned the room. The television was out of place, the long cord stretching the length of the living room, and under the door of his daughter’s bedroom. He rolled his eyes, setting the plastic pumpkin filled with candy he had bribed from Eugene’s youngest grandson, down on the coffee table. “Girls, open up, would you? I got stuck somewhere and lost track of time. And I’m sorry.”

Silently, he wished the girls would open their door, but he also would one-hundred-percent understand if they didn’t. Anna had inherited her father’s attitude, as well as his stubbornness, work ethic, and knack for finding trouble. She was a tough nut to crack. She never backed down from a fight or an argument, never let people push her around, and if she had an opinion, she was certain it was heard. Yes, she was definitely his child. (And he secretly was thankful that she favored more after him than her mother because he wasn’t sure he could go through that experience all over again.)

“El, Anna, would you please open the door?”

No response. They were nothing if not consistent.

He sighed, turning around and plopping himself rather dramatically onto the couch. He sighed again, leaning forward to grab the pumpkin from the table. “Alright… I’m just gonna be out here by myself, eating all this candy. I’m gonna get fat… It’s very unhealthy to leave me out here.” In the process of his rant, he began to unwrap a Reese’s cup. “I could have a heart attack or something. But you know, do what you want.”

Rolling his eyes, he flicked the candy wrapper onto the floor, shaking his head at his own stupidity. He had no room to say anything. He couldn’t blame them for not wanting anything to do with him. He had crossed them for the last time (for the time being).

Jim sat in the living room, the muffled sound of the television coming from the girls’s room playing softly in the background of the silence, for quite awhile. After a few hours at least, he decided to stop his moping, for he would never win the game, especially when it was two against one, and turn in for the night.

He turned the lamps off, made sure all the locks on the door were locked, and retreated to his bedroom.

Jim awoke the next morning, slightly shocked to not find Anna on the couch. That’s where she was most mornings when he woke up, that or in the kitchen getting a head-start on breakfast. But today, she was neither place. She was clearly, as he learned the older she got, very good at holding grudges.

He got himself dressed, made two stacks of Eggos, topped with a ridiculous amount of whipped cream and broken-up pieces of Halloween candy, and then went to wake up the girls. “Rise and shine.” He knocked on the door. He had been trying to not enter without warning, or not enter at all, as a promise to work on giving them more privacy. Another hard habit to break.

Still no response.

He knew that Eleven practically woke with the sun, so there was no way she wasn’t awake. “So that’s it huh, still not talking?”

Silence, once again. “Alright. I guess I’m just gonna have to eat both of these triple-decker Eggo extravaganzas on my own.”

He turned back towards the kitchen, and then he heard the door creak open behind him. “No Anna?” He asked, when he saw that only the younger of the two girls had appeared.

She shook her head, and followed him to the table, where there were, in fact, two triple-decker Eggo extravaganzas on the table. “Anna, if you aren’t out here within the next thirty seconds, I’m eating your food.” He called.

Jim waited patiently, giving her a minute, rather than thirty seconds, and then began to cut into the first stack of waffles, sliding the second towards Eleven. “Alright then, your loss!” He called again. “Ya brat.” He mumbled.

“Brat?” Eleven asked, dipping her finger into the whipped cream.

He sighed. “Brat, “a badly-behaved child”. Anna would be a prime example. Now, dig in.” He had attempted to keep it as light-hearted as possible when Eleven was around. She had spent her whole life thus-far being terrified of everyone and everything and as hard as it would be, he was determined to make her feel safe. “Mmm! Mmm! It’s good right?”

Eleven raised her eyebrows at him as she bit into a piece of one of her waffles. “Oh, and you know the great thing about it, is that it’s only like eight-thousand calories.” He laughed at himself.

Eleven gave him a questioning look. His humor was often lost on her.

He turned to look, once again at the television cable that led into her room. “You visited him again last night?”

Eleven looked at the cable as well, then back at Hopper. “He says he needs me.” She said lowly, taking another bite of her breakfast.

“Want me to go check on him?” Jim asked.

She shook her head.

“I know that you miss him, alright. But it’s too dangerous. You’re the last thing he needs right now. You’re gonna see him, soon. And not just in that head of your’s, in real life- I feel like I’m making progress with these people.”

“Friends don’t lie.” Eleven said quietly.

He felt like she was looking into his soul.

“What?”

“You say “soon” on day twenty-one. You say “soon” on day two-hundred and five. You now say “soon” on day three-hundred and twenty-six-“

The way the conversation was going, it felt eerily familiar to the way most conversations with Anna went, from the ages of twelve to fifteen. It was like she had groomed Eleven to be able to handle this exact situation, exactly the way she would have at that age. “What is this, you’re counting the days like you’re some sort of prisoner?”

She ignored him. “When is soon?”

“Soon is when it’s not dangerous anymore.”

“When?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“On day five-hundred?”

“I don’t know.”

“On day six-hundred?”

“I don’t know.” He had to stand his ground. He couldn’t loose his footing with this one.

“On day seven-hundred? Day eight-hundred?”

“I don’t know!”

“I need to see him!”

“I said, I don’t know!”

“Tell me!” Eleven shouted, nodding her head and sending both plates into his lap.

“Shit!” There was whipped cream and candy all down the front of his uniform. He jumped up, and quickly turned to look at the girls’s bedroom door. He had expected Anna to make an appearance after all the commotion, but she still didn’t.

“Friends don’t lie!” The girl stood up, challenging him, before storming across the room back into the bedroom, the door opening and closing with a wave of her hand.

“Shit!” He said again, as he began to clean up the mess his youngest child had made. Between cleaning up Eleven’s mess, and having the change his entire uniform, he was going to be late, that was inevitable.

“When I come home tonight, the T.V better be back out here, and you’d both had better loose your attitudes, or I’m gonna start cracking some skulls, you hear me?” He had shouted at the closed bedroom door on his way onto the porch.

Jim hadn’t actually meant he would physically crack their skulls, though he imagined that he had just scared El half-to-death with his figure of speech. Anna would know what he meant, and then explain it to the her.

On his short drive to work he began plotting his punishments for each child, had they not done what he said by that evening; For Anna, no going out on the weekend for at least a month, she would help volunteer at one of the pumpkin-patches or the library or something like that. And for El, he’d have to somehow disconnect the antenna for the television, because that was that girl’s vice.

As usual, he made quite the commotion upon arrival at the Hawkins police department, slamming doors, trying to lock repeat-offender Murray outside, roughly hanging his coat up, just a normal morning.

The first order of business was trying to track the pumpkin patch rot, on a map. “We found more out by Gilbert’s farm.” Powell said, leaning off the table he was sitting on to point to the general direction on the map.

Jim nodded, making an X on the map with his marker. “Some real nasty stuff. It was sticky.” Callahan said.

“Alright, where else?” He turned to look at his fellow officers.

“That was it Chief.” Powell shrugged, looking down at the small piece of paper in his hand.

“That was it, or you got tired of looking?”

“It was getting dark.” Powell said, posing the statement more like a question.

“I mean, it was really dark.” Callahan backed him up.

“They’re called flashlights, you dipshits.” He snapped, turning back to examine the map.

“Oh, okay…” Callahan muttered. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

“Kid giving you problems, Chief?”

Hopper tuned out his co-workers, staring at the map. He tried to recognize a pattern in the rot locations, or at least some focus-point to where they could start an investigation. Suddenly, he ripped it off of the wall, pushing Callahan off the table, and laying it down flat for them to see overhead. He took a red marker, drawing three circles around the areas of the rot. At the center of the smallest circle, was Hawkins Lab.

Without a word, he grabbed the map, folding it and grabbing his coat. “Hey Chief, where are you going?” He ignored Powell’s question as Flo, not even looking up from her work, handed him the keys to his truck. “You want us to go back out there?”

Where was he going? He was going back to that fucking lab. That dreaded place, that, between the appointments he attended with Joyce for Will, “business” meetings, and general law check-ups, had basically become his second home.

Without a word, he was let through the gates, in the front doors, and straight up the stairs and into Dr. Owens’s office. “Sit down, I’ve gotta show you something.”

He slammed the map onto Owens desk, quickly explaining the story of the poisoned crops on various farms within the area. “Grass, crops, trees, everything in this area is either dead or dying. That’s a radius of over three miles. And it all leads back to here.” Jim pointed to the lab in the center circle on the map.

“See, these patterns here are really pretty. I like the design. It’s almost psychedelic.”

Owens was attempting to make a joke out of the situation. Hopper didn’t find it funny. “This is a joke to you, huh?”

“No, it’s not a joke, it’s just- I don’t understand what this has to do with me Chief.”

“Whatever’s happening is spreading from this place. From this lab.” Growing increasingly more agitated, Jim sat down in the office chair.

“That’s impossible. The last burn was two days ago. It’s contained.”

“What if there’s a leak?”

“A leak?” Owens scoffed.

“I don’t know, man! You’re the scientist!”

“Exactly.” Owens slid the map back towards Hopper. “And I’m telling you, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Convince me.” Jim challenged.

“Convince you?”

“Yeah, you and your egg-head friends, go out to every area on this map, you run your tests, or whatever the hell you do, and you see if anything comes up.”

Owens laughed. “Alright, so you’re giving me orders now? No.” He shook his head. “That’s not how this works.”

“I keep things nice and quiet for you. And you keep your shit out of my town, so I can keep my kid safe! That is the deal! I have done my part, now you do your’s. Convince me.” Hopper slid the map back towards Owens, before storming out of his office. “I’m gonna assume you’re following me!”

Hopper stood proudly as he watched Owens gather a team of his colleagues/employees, and pile them into hospital vans. They set out for Merrill’s farm, as it was the closest to the lab.

Owens stood with the chief as they watched men dressed head-to-toe in full hazmat suits, dig up chunks of soil, and take whole pumpkins for testing. “Well, you were right about these pumpkins. Some nasty stuff. And the smell, mother of God-“

“So what exactly do you think is going on here?” Jim asked.

“Well, I told you what I think.” Owens looked at him, catching his glare. “But, we’ll run the tests and see what comes up. In the meantime, I just need you to keep the area clear for us. Don’t think it’ll be more than a day or two.”

“What do you want me to tell people?”

Owens shrugged, turning to face him fully. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” He patted him on the arm, before walking to his car, getting in it, and driving away.

“Hey, chief, you copy?” Powell’s voice on his walkie broke him from his trance.

“Yeah.”

“Do you remember that Russian girl Murray was goin on about the other day?”

Jesus Christ.

“Yeah, well now I’m thinking he’s not so crazy after all.” Powell finished.

Hopper’s voice quieted. “Stay where you are. Do. Not. Move.” He almost broke into a sprint as he raced to get to his truck, barely shutting the door before he was speeding to the location Powell said he and Callahan were at.

Once he arrived at the scene, he had the woman re-tell her story. “You don’t need to make a report on this, there wasn’t a crime committed.” He told Callahan as he walked towards the mother and daughter.

“It was a young girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, short, curly brown hair, very soft-spoken. She had a grey shirt on, with jeans and a brown coat.”

“What did she say? Did she say anything to you?”

“She just asked where the school was. So I pointed her in that direction and by the time I turned around to look at her again, she was gone.”

“Did she do anything to hurt you, or scare you? Cause you any harm?”

“No. No, it just shocked me to see a girl alone in the woods in the middle of the day.”

“Thank you, thanks, my officers will handle it from here. Appreciate your time.” He didn’t need any more clues to tell him that El had left the house. He should’ve known it was coming sooner or later, but for her to be so careless, it was almost ridiculous.

He left the scene before Powell or Callahan could even say goodbye, and drove straight home.

That was it. She had pushed him right over the edge. The situation was not unfamiliar. He had spent many nights in the past two years sitting up, angrily waiting for Anna to return after she had snuck out. He began to wonder if these were things that all children did, or was it just his two, that somehow, although having entirely different childhoods, managed to put him through the exact same scenarios repeatedly.

When he got there, Anna’s car was parked in the same spot it always was, almost looking untouched. So at least he knew Angry-Thing-One was home. He didn’t even bother to go inside because he knew he would just break something out of frustration. And Anna would know he was home because she most likely heard him pacing back and forth on the porch.

Jim smoked four cigarettes in a row before he heard the sound of leaves crunching in the dark. As El came into view, she stopped, and the two stared at each other for a moment, before she began to walk towards the house. He outed his cigarette, silently preparing for the battle he was about to engage in.

She walked into the house, with not a word spoken. And he followed right after her, slamming the door in his wake. “Friends don’t lie, isn’t that your bullshit saying?” He whipped his hat off of his head, throwing it onto the couch. “Hey, hey, hey! Don’t walk away from me!”

He managed to step in front of her before she could open the door to her bedroom. “Where’d you go on your little field trip, huh? Where?” El removed her coat, silently walking to hang it on a hook on the coat rack. “Did you go to see Mike?”

“He didn’t see me.”

“Yeah, well that mother and her daughter did, and they called the cops.” He was still blocking the bedroom door. “Now, did anyone else see you? Anyone at all?” He was met with silence. “Come on! I need you to think!”

“Nobody saw me!”

He began to pace, trying to direct her away from the bedroom door. She couldn’t keep retreating from their fights. Fights she had started. “You put us in danger. You realize that, right? You, me, Anna, we’re all in danger!”

“You promised I go.” Tears were now pooling in the young girl’s eyes. “And I never leave! Nothing ever happens!”

Once again, Jim had fully expected Anna to be out of her room by now, playing mediator and watching her young protege in action, but alas, not a peep of sound came from inside the room. “Yeah, nothing happens, and you stay safe!”

“You lie!”

“I don’t lie! I protect, and I feed, and I teach! And all I ask of you is three simple rules, three rules. And you know what? You can’t even do that!” It had now turned into a screaming match, and he wasn’t quite sure who would win.

He turned to walk into the kitchen and El smacked her fists onto the wall. “You’re grounded. You know what that means?” His planning from that morning were finally coming into fruition. “It means no Eggos-“ He opened the freezer, and grabbed the box of food, throwing it onto the floor. “And no T.V, for a week.”

He stormed over to the television, which was now back in it’s proper spot in the living room. He leaned over the back of it, attempting to unplug it from the wall, when an unseen force halted his hand. “Alright, knock it off, let go.” El was standing in front of her bedroom door, head bowed slightly, a stream of blood running from her nostril.

She shook her head.

He attempted to unplug the television again, but was stopped. “Okay, two weeks.” He tried to unplug it again. “Let go!”

Once again, she shook her head.

“A month.”

“No.” Eleven demanded.

“Well congratulations.” Jim turned back to the T.V. “You just graduated from no T.V for a month, to no T.V at all.” He caught her off-guard, unplugging the cord from the wall and quickly taking out his pocket-knife, cutting through it.

“No!” El shouted, rushing over to attempt and save her beloved television. She kept muttering “no” to herself as she tried to fix it.

Hopper took a moment to ground himself, reminding himself that he was not only dealing with a child, but a child with psionic abilities that had been spending an awful lot of time with his daughter. “You have got to understand that there are consequences to your actions.”

“You are like papa!” El turned to him angrily.

“Really, I’m like that psychotic son of a bitch?” He sighed, still trying to remind himself who he was dealing with. “Wow, okay. You wanna go back in that lab? One phone call, I can make that happen.”

“I hate you.” Tears were running down her cheeks.

“Yeah, well I’m not too crazy about you either. You know why, cause you’re a brat. Remember what that word means?” El was almost stunned by him. “You don’t? How about we look it up, B-R-A-T, brat.”

He tossed the book in the air, towards her, but with one swipe of her hand, it was suspended in mid-air. She flung it at him. “Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?” He began to walk towards her but she had now pushed the couch into his legs, almost knocking him over. “Hey, hey!”

El knocked over the book case outside of her and Anna’s bedroom. “Stop walking away from me!” She turned to walk towards her bedroom door, but her need for confrontation got the better of her and she stopped.

Tears were now running rampant down her cheeks. “You wanna go out in the world? You’d better grow up, grow the hell up!”

El’s hands were shaking, as she let out a monstrous shriek, every window in the cabin blew out, glass flying everywhere. Sobbing, she pushed past him and into the bedroom, not bothering to shut the door all the way.

Furious, and not backing down from the fight, Jim followed her, slamming the door open.

And then he felt his heart sink.

Eleven was the only other person in the room.

So where the hell was Anna?