#im meant to be reading a book for english but i made these

[perfinn]

cecily tyrell + textposts

series masterlist

edit: i saw @sikudastoner do this first!!

+ bonus tyrell cousins

[lcvemiyuki]

"in proximity" | hq, ushijima

content: ushijima asking for help on English is one thing--him sitting just inches away from you is another

tags+warnings: fluff, ushijimaxfem!reader, thirdyear!ushijima, tendou+semi appearance, not proofread

character(s): ushijima

word count: 1.6k

a/n: im sorry in advance this was written on the bus LMAO

Brown shoes pattered as the students of Shiratorizawa started to cluster in the slightly filled classroom. It was lunch break, and you decided to stay in with your feet bouncing slightly and earbuds in, the music blasting so loud it could be heard from the external world. It was so loud you didn’t pick up on the dress shoes cladding on the wooden floor. You were so focused on reading up the next lesson for English that you didn’t feel a tall, looming presence in front of the desk.

“[Y/N].”

A few more seconds passed until an unknown hand plucked your right bud out of your ear.

The muted classroom suddenly filled your hearing, and the chatter of classmates could be heard crystal clear. Your eyebrows furrowed at the action, and you trailed your eyes to follow up the cladded arm until you reached a calm, yet slightly tilted head.

Wakatoshi Ushijima.

Your mouth clamped shut with only a slight hum in response to the stunned and sudden intrusion of the ace on your academy’s precious volleyball team.

Your puzzled expression had you blinking your eyes more than usual, causing him to only slightly clear his throat.

“I know you may not know me, but you’re [Y/N], right?” His expression remained unchanged as if carved from stone. It almost felt like you were in deep trouble with how a million eyes darted right at the two of you.

After quickly glancing around the now hushed classroom, you peered back up at him and nodded, “Of course, I know who you are, Ushijima-san.”

The pressure of possibly being the next target of rumors in the upcoming week terrified you. It was astonishing at the rate and creativity these students could create over the slightest piece of information.

He only nodded in return and began to rummage through the black book bag slung across his body. It took him a moment to finally find what he was looking for, and he stretched out his unwavering hand to reveal another English textbook.

“I was hoping you could tutor me for the upcoming finals.”

“Huh?” You quickly zipped your lips shut as the thoughts in your head blurted out.

Okay, that really stumped you; your eyes scanned the area for some sort of snicker or nudge of the arms as a sign of a prank.

But that wasn’t part of his nature, was it—no, he meant business with how his sandy-brown eyes never left yours.

It wasn’t like he was trying to hide it either. His voice was crystal clear and projected enough for everyone to chime in. You would expect that from the volleyball captain, yet he still needed your help with English.

“What do you need help with?” you continued.

There was a short pause as he suddenly moved away from your gaze, his hand reaching out for a vacant chair and pulling it up next to you. The slightly grating sound of the chair legs scraping against the wooden floor paused any remaining conversation in the classroom, drawing all eyes to the two of you.

His sudden presence filled your senses in seconds as his side profile came into view. The scent of fresh laundry lingered in the air as he was near. You could see the fine details of his chiseled jawline, and the determined set of his brow. Up close, it was no surprise he looked even more handsome.

Suddenly, your palms felt a little sweaty, and the room got a little warmer.

His intense focus and proximity made it hard to breathe steadily. His huge frame caused him to lean back on the small wooden chair, making it creak slightly under his weight. Meanwhile, your frame remained sort of uptight, your back straight as a rod, in fear you might accidentally touch him.

The sheer size of him was overwhelming; his broad shoulders seemed to take up more space than the chair allowed, and his legs spread slightly to accommodate his height. His arm brushed lightly against yours as he reached forward, causing a spark of electricity to shoot up your spine.

He placed the blue textbook next to yours, his large, calloused hands moving with surprising gentleness. Flipping to a certain page, he revealed a passage that had been neatly bookmarked, as if he already knew exactly what he needed help with. The text was underlined and annotated in pencil, showing his efforts to understand it on his own.

His voice, low and steady, broke the silence. "I figured you would be the best to tutor me."

He glanced over at your in-progress notes, his gaze unwavering and thoughtful. The closeness of his presence made the air around you feel charged, every small movement amplified your heightened awareness.

You took a deep breath, trying to steady your racing heart. "I... I’d be happy to help, Ushijima-san."

He nodded appreciatively, his stoic expression softening ever so slightly. “Thank you. I won’t take much of your time. It’s quite difficult to find time after school to study.”

As you started to explain the notes you had been working on, you couldn't help but feel the weight of his gaze on you. It was intense like he was studying every word you said, every movement you made.

The sliding door abruptly slammed open, the force of it causing a few heads to turn in surprise. An overly excited redhead waltzes into the room, a completely annoyed companion trailing behind him.

“I thought I saw ya in the window while walking past, Ushi!” Tendou explained, his mouth wide open with a pearly-white smile, eyes gleaming with mischief. His voice echoed through the now silent classroom, making sure everyone knew of his arrival.

Ushijima barely reacted, his focus still on the textbook in front of him, but a faint sigh escaped his lips. You, on the other hand, jumped slightly in your seat, your eyes widening at the sudden intrusion.

Tendou stopped just inside the doorway, leaning against the frame with a casual, almost theatrical air. Semi stood beside him, his expression shifting into one of mild entertainment at the sight. “And look who you’re with! [Y/N], right?” Tendou’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he peered over in your direction, taking in the view of the English textbooks and your notes spread across the desk.

You nodded, trying to compose yourself. “Yes, that’s right.”

Tendou grinned wider, not moving from his spot. “Tutoring, huh? Just like we sai—uh, thought so!” He straightened up slightly, trying to awkwardly save himself from the slip-up. His eyes darted everywhere as he looked around, trying to gauge the room’s reaction.

The ash-blonde friend next to him raised an eyebrow in amusement, then let out a small scoff, clearly entertained by Tendou's ridiculous attempt to cover up his mistake.

Ushijima glanced at his teammates, his expression unchanging as he blinked up at the two.

“Yes, that’s right.” he parrots you as he responds to Tendou.

Tendou chuckled, his voice carrying easily across the classroom. “Well, we wouldn’t want our star player struggling with finals, would we?” He shot you a teasing grin before wiggling his eyebrows.

Tendou clapped his hands together, the sound startlingly loud in the quiet room. “Alright! Let’s go and nourish our starving bellies, Semi-pooh,” he cooed, waving a hand towards the sliding door.

Semi’s eye twitched as he muttered a curse word under his breath. “Don’t call me that,” he grumbled, his annoyance clear, but he still followed Tendou out of the classroom.

As they left, Tendou continued to chatter animatedly, his voice fading as they walked down the hallway. Semi’s occasional responses, a mix of chuckles and sighs, echoed faintly back into the room.

You were left there dumbfounded in your chair as you couldn’t help but glance back at Ushijima. He, on the other hand, resumed his notes like nothing had happened.

‘Huh, that was weird.’

You decided not to think anything of it.

𓇢𓆸 Later that day

“I told you to sit across from her, not next to her!” Tendou’s voice echoed out from the locker room, a blend of exasperation and amusement in his tone.

Ushijima glanced up from his phone, intrigued. Tendou’s rants were a familiar occurrence, but this time, there was a sharpness to his words that captured Ushijima’s attention.

“You were practically crowding her! I could feel the awkward tension all the way from the doorway!” Tendou continued, his arms waving dramatically as he paced back and forth. His eyes were wide with mock horror, clearly relishing the chance to tease his stoic friend.

“I thought it would be more efficient,” Ushijima said, his brow knitting slightly.

Tendou snorted, laughter reverberating in the confined space. “Efficient, huh? Sure, let’s go with that.” He gave Ushijima a knowing look, his eyes narrowing with playful suspicion. “Come on, Ushi, we both know why you really wanted to sit next to her.”

Ushijima’s expression remained impassive. “I respect her intelligence.”

Tendou’s grin broadened, his enjoyment evident. “Mhm? And you wanted to be close to her too~”

Ushijima’s gaze dropped back to his phone, his fingers idly tapping the screen as he sat on the dark wooden bench, his posture relaxed.

“That’s why I suggested you ask her for help,” Tendou said, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he leaned against the lockers. “You needed an excuse to spend time with her.”

The room was filled with the familiar silence Tendou was accustomed to.

He clapped Ushijima on the shoulder, his cue that he was taking off. “You’ll get the hang of it. Just remember to give the lady a little space next time.”

Ushijima remained seated on the bench, fingers navigating to his contact list. At least he got one thing right: asking for your number.

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[lenaswritingandstuff]

Meant to be mine - Regulus Black x f!reader

Pairing: Regulus Black x f!reader; Evan Rosier x f!reader

Summary: When you start thinking Regulus only sees you as his best friend, you date someone else. However, Regulus' reaction to your new relationship is not what you expected.

Word Count: 8.8K

Warnings: Angst; English is not my first language!

A/N: Loosely based on the dating Headcanons I posted. I had to make up two Slytherin students because well, apparently we don't know any Slytherin girl from Regulus' era - feel free to correct me if you do know one. It was supposed to be Barty instead of Evan but I want him to get the girl lol so I'll write something for him in the future. Comments and feedback are always appreciated. Enjoy!

Tag list: @helendeath @im-jesus

Tag list for this story: @pompeygirl89 @angemyrtille

Regulus and you had clicked immediately on your first day at Hogwarts several years ago, and he was the best friend you ever had. You essentially spent most of your time together, sitting next to each other in class, doing homework and studying together, and spent your free time reading, watching movies or simply talking and laughing, incredibly comfortable with each other. Sure, you had made other friends, and also spent time with them, but it couldn’t compare to what you felt when you were with Regulus, for the simple reason that, during your third year in school, you fell hard in love with your best friend. 

But much to your chagrin, Regulus never hinted at sharing your feelings. You had noticed how he looked disappointed when you told him you were spending time with Emmeline and the others, but you thought he just felt that way because, well, you were the only friend he had - for some reason, he had never managed to create a friendship with any other boys from your house, despite a lot of them also coming from a pure-blood family. You never told anyone about your feelings for the sweet, caring boy with dark curls, and, too shy and scared to tell him how you felt, you buried your feelings for him, secretly - and shamefully - thankful that while your love wasn’t shared, he didn’t seem interested in any other girl, and instead, continued spending all your time with him like everything was fine. 

But pretending became harder and harder with time, and summer break almost came as a relief. You were spending it debating over confessing your feelings and risking destroying your friendship or keeping on slowly breaking your heart -, you decided to move on. However, it turned out to be even harder than to love someone who didn’t love you back, especially since Regulus kept writing to you about how bored he was in his family’s house despite his parents’ affection, and how much he missed you. Your first instinct was to not answer his letters, but you eventually did write a polite yet very short letter where you told him you missed him too. He didn’t seem to notice how cold your letters were, and kept writing to you, asking about what you were doing and talking about the books he was reading. But several days before going back to Hogwarts, you finally made up your mind, and decided to move on from Regulus. 

After saying goodbye to your parents on Platform 9 3/4, you waited for the train next to your bags, feeling a bit anxious at the thought of seeing Regulus again, when you suddenly felt a hand on your shoulder. It made you jump, and when you turned around, you felt your heart miss a beat when you saw Regulus’ sweet eyes and smile. 

“Sorry, y/n,” he said gently, “I didn’t want to startle you.”

“It’s fine, hum,” you said. “How…How are you, Reggie?” 

“Very well,” he said. “It’s nice to come back to school and to see you again. Oh, I almost forgot.”

You frowned as he turned around for a second, only to turn around with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in his hands. 

“There for you.”

“Oh, Reggie,” you said, hiding your annoyance when you felt your heart beating faster, “they’re beautiful, thank you.” 

You reached a hand and took them, but froze when your fingers touched Regulus’. Your eyes met his, but after a few seconds, he didn’t move his fingers. You only dared to move when the train’s departure was announced as imminent, and you took the bouquet, trying but struggling to grab all your bags in one hand and the bouquet in the other. Regulus immediately saw your struggle and reached out a hand.

“Please let me help, I’ll put your bags on the train.” 

“I’m fine, Reggie,” you said without looking at him, walking to the train’s door. 

“Come on, y/n, let me…”

Not waiting for an answer, he grabbed all your bags and, acting like a gentleman as he always did, he opened the door and let you get on the train first. He then followed you in, and you started walking quickly to put some distance between the two of you while you were looking for a compartment. You eventually found an empty one, put the bouquet on the seat next to you and went back to Reggie, who was about to enter the compartment, and took your bags from his hands. 

“Thank you, Reggie,” you said, still not looking at him. 

You put your bags where they were supposed to go, over your head, and sat close to the window, and looked at the other students saying goodbye to their relatives. Regulus did the same with his bags before sitting on the opposite seat. 

“How did your summer go?” he asked. 

“Good,” you said, still looking through the window. “Yours?”

“Good.”

Soon, there were only families or relatives on the platform, and the train started moving minutes after. Regulus tried to make conversation during the whole journey, asking you about your activities during the summer or your family, but you only gave him short answers while avoiding looking at him, which he didn’t seem to notice. He never notices anything. Regulus later tried to buy something from the trolley for you, but you politely refused despite his insistence. You knew you were acting like a child, and knew it would be simple to take risk to face rejection but you couldn’t help it. You felt as if the only way you could get over him was to put distance between the two of you - maybe if you saw him less and talked less with him, your feelings would go away, and you could try to find interest in other boys. But as the train got closer to Hogwarts, you realized seeing Regulus less was going to be harder, considering you shared all your classes. I’ll just sit next to Emma, you thought. And I’ll just have to find excuses to not spend as much time with him. The rest of the journey was spent in silence. You looked at the landscape in front of you, and while Regulus remained silent, you sometimes felt his eyes on you. Two hours later, the sun was starting to set, which meant the journey would be over soon. You rose from your seat, and, for the first time in hours, looked at your best friend.

“We should put our robes on.”

Regulus looked at you before slightly nodding.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

The next few weeks in Hogwarts went on quickly, and you managed to avoid Regulus outside of class - and managed to ignore the ache his sudden “absence” caused in your heart. As you had decided on the train, you now sat next to Emmeline or Mary in class - neither of them thankfully asking you why you no longer sat next to Regulus. Regulus himself didn’t ask any questions either, and every time he tried to talk to you outside of class, you found an excuse to leave. He never insisted, however you would sometimes catch him looking at you in class, which secretly kept you awake at night, wondering if after all, Regulus might like you. Spending time with Emmeline, and Mary was nice, as they were funny, nice, and always made sure to include you, but deep down you were missing Regulus, his voice, his presence and your conversations more and more with each day passing. 

One day, you were on your way back to your dorm after a study session in the library when you heard laughs in the next corridor. As you got closer, you recognized the voices, and you were eventually proven right in your guessing when you walked past Sirius, Regulus’ brother, and his friend James Potter. The latter didn’t see you, too busy laughing at some joke, but Sirius noticed you. 

“Hi, y/n,” he said, walking to you. “You all right?”

“Yes.”

You knew Regulus didn’t like you speaking to Sirius, but deep down you always thought he wasn’t as bad as Regulus thought of him and you actually respected his courage to stand up to his family. Plus, in the few interactions you guys had, he had been nothing but polite and kind to you, so you didn’t have any reason to hate him. 

“Cool. Had a good summer?” 

“Yes, thank you. Yours?”

You knew through Regulus that Sirius had left the family’s house and thought it would be inappropriate to mention that you knew, as it wasn’t really any of your business. 

“Great. And how is school so far?”

You were about to answer when another voice was heard in the corridor. 

“y/n!”

Your heart almost sank as you heard Regulus quickly walking up to you, and you finally dared to look at him, you saw he was angry. 

“What’s going on?” he asked you before turning to his elder brother. “Why are you talking to her?” 

Far from being intimidated, Sirius raised his shoulders and frowned, while his friend James slowly got closer to him.

“And why not? Plus, I don’t really see why she would need your permission,” he answered before giving you a reassuring wink.

Regulus gave him a death stare before he suddenly grabbed your arm. 

“Come, y/n.” 

Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but you slightly shook your head, meaning it was okay. You knew Regulus better than everyone else, and knew he would never hurt you in any way - well, other than the fact he didn’t love you back, that was. You followed Regulus into several corridors before he stopped walking and turned to you.

“What was that?” he asked as if he was both shocked and confused.

“Your brother and I were just talking,” you said calmly.

“Oh, so you speak to him, but you won’t speak to me?” 

“Well,” you said, trying to act detached, “we are talking now, aren’t we?”

Regulus had a false amused small laugh, “You know very well what I meant. Ever since we’ve gotten here, no, ever since we got into the train, you won’t speak to me or even look at me. Do not think I didn’t notice how you always sit next to your friends in class, and that when we aren’t in class, I don’t know where you are most of the time.”

You couldn’t help but feel joy knowing Regulus did notice the distance between you two, 

“I’ve just been busy,” you lied. “Is that a crime?”

“No, but I’d like to know which crime I did for you to ignore and avoid me in such manner.” 

“You didn’t do anything,” you said in a reassuring tone. “I’ve just thought that… I should spend more time with the girls. That’s all.” 

 Regulus stared at you, and you feared for a second that he didn’t believe you.

“Then, can we go back to how things were before? You…Is there any way you could spend time with the girls and me?” 

He sounded so sad, hurt even, that you felt your heart break and felt immensely guilty for how you treated him and how alone he must have been - even more considering you did that only to get over him and it didn’t work at all. In that moment, the only thing you wanted was to be in his arms.

“Of course. I’m sorry, Reggie,” you said with a small, sad smile. “Truly.”

You didn’t know if it was going to be easy to be around Regulus again, but maybe it was time to think about another solution. Maybe I could give him hints? Or maybe just try to make him jealous? Or maybe I could simply not care anymore and just tell him how I…

“It’s okay, y/n. I’m glad to have my best friend back.”

You froze, and so did your heart.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“Girls, you won’t believe who asked me on a date today!”

You and Mary were in the common room after a long day of class - which you spent next to Regulus - sitting on one of the sofas and Emmeline was now coming back from giving back a book to the library, with pink cheeks and a great smile on her face. 

“Who?” you asked with curiosity. 

“Marius!” she said excitedly. 

“No way!” Mary said, putting her books down. 

“Yes!” Emmeline said, both hands on her heart. “We’re going to Hogsmeade tomorrow afternoon.”

“We’re happy for you,” you smiled. 

“You two should find boyfriends too, you know,” Emmeline said, sitting between you and Mary. “Not anybody, of course. You deserve the best. He obviously needs to come from a good and respectable family.”

Emmeline was a Rowle, and while she had a kind heart, she had been raised to believe she should marry a man from a wealthy Pure-Blood family - a belief your family and Mary’s didn’t share - and Marius Avery, from your class, while being an overall polite and quiet student, just also happened to fit that criterion. However, you always had a bad feeling about him, but you just couldn’t put your finger on it.

“As long as he’s a good man himself,” you said, going back to reading your book, “his family doesn’t matter to me.”

“y/n is right,” Mary said. “Wealth and blood doesn’t matter.”

“As you wish, ladies. Still, we need to find you boyfriends. y/n, what do you think about dear Evan?”

You turned your head to look at the light-haired boy from your class, chatting with one of his friends on the other side of the room. You didn’t look at him for long, but still enough for him to notice, look back at you and give you a smile. 

You smiled back at him and felt your cheeks becoming hotter. While ignoring and avoiding Regulus, you had been exploring other options, and Evan had definitely one of them. You admit he was rather cute, with his green eyes, great smile and sand hair, and you only had warm conversations with him through the years - your feelings to Regulus not allowing you to feel anything else but fondness for Evan or any other boy in school. 

“He’s nice.” 

“And?” Emmeline insisted, raising an eyebrow. 

“‘And’ nothing else,” you retorted patiently. 

“Marius and he are best friends,” Emmeline continued, apparently not caring about your non-interest, “I could ask him tomorrow about it.”

“Emmeline, please,” you sighed.

“What? Do you have someone in mind?” Emmeline asked. “Is it Regulus?” 

“What?! No!” you immediately protested, trying to keep your normal voice. “Reggie and I…are just friends.”

Emmeline shrugged and turned to Mary.

“What about you, Mary? Any boy you like?”

You went back to reading your books about magical creatures, grateful Emmeline was now playing matchmaker for somebody else. Regulus arrived in the common room at that moment, and you two went to the Great Hall for dinner while Emmeline and Mary stayed in the common room. A few days had passed since your conversation with him, and everything seemed to be back to normal, except he was now spending time with other boys from your class while you were with the girls and you were know sure Regulus only saw you as his best friend - because if he felt anything else for you, he would have told you after seeing you with Sirius, wouldn’t he? It had made you cry at night, and also made you want to avoid Regulus again, especially since you now felt uncomfortable around him - and basically had lost your appetite. The only option was now to move on, as you were now too scared that trying to make him jealous would fail and were sure you couldn’t endure the heartbreak and it would mean the end of your friendship with Regulus. 

Maybe Emmeline is right, you thought in your bed that night, making sure she was asleep before allowing yourself to cry. Maybe I should get to know Evan better. 

The next morning, you would have stayed the whole day in bed feeling sorry for yourself. But knowing the girls would come looking for you at some point, you decided to go to the Great Hall for breakfast, and as it was still early, there were only a few students there. You sat down on the table, looking down on your empty plate. 

“Hi, y/n”

Lost in your thoughts - who were mainly about a dark-haired boy with green eyes - you didn’t hear Evan coming. 

“Oh, hi, Evan. How are you?”

“Good, thank you. Do you mind if I sit?” 

“Not at all, please do.”

He gave you a smile and sat on the opposite bench. He served himself some breakfast, and you imitated him, even though the usual tasty food tasted like ash in your mouth and you felt your stomach closing itself. 

“So, any plans for this weekend?” he asked, serving you both pumpkin juice. 

“Thank you. Well, no, I don’t really have plans. You?” you answered.

“Same.” 

He seemed to hesitate a bit before clearing his throat and running a hand through his hair. 

“Well, I…Maybe we could go for a drink in Hogsmeade?” he asked with a nervous voice. “I mean, I think it’s a shame that we’ve been classmates for years and don’t know each other much.” 

Speechless, you stared at him, and soon his cheeks became pink in embarrassment. 

“Hum, just forget it,” he mumbled, lowering his head, “I understand if you don’t want to go…” 

“No!” you said a bit too loudly, and his eyes were immediately filled with hope. “I mean, of course I’d love to go to Hogsmeade with you! I’m sorry, I was just surprised.” 

“Great. Actually, do you have anything to do right now?” he suddenly asked. “‘Cause why wait? We could go right now.”

Surprised again, it took you a few seconds to answer, “Hum, yeah! Absolutely,” you nodded. “I’ll just grab a jacket and my purse in my dorm and we meet in the common room?” 

“Perfect,” Evan smiled again. 

You both had finished eating, so you went directly to the common room, which was empty. Barty went to his dorm and you went to yours, and after brushing your teeth and grabbing what you needed, you went back to the common room, but this time, Regulus was here, sitting on a sofa and apparently waiting for someone. You approached him, thinking you could at least tell him you wouldn’t be free today. 

“Hi, Reggie.” 

He raised his eyes and gave you a smile. 

“Hi, you. Already had breakfast?”

“Yes. You?”

“Not yet,” he shook his head, “I’m waiting for Alexander and Dorius, then I’m gonna help them do the homework for Slughorn. You know, what we did on Thursday. Ah, here they are.” 

You nodded, and suddenly heard two people coming from the dorms. It was indeed Alexander and Dorius, who were like Regulus from the Sacred Twenty-Eight - respectively from the Avery the Mulciber family.

“Wanna come with us?” Regulus asked, standing up.

“Um, I’m sorry, I have things to do.” 

“You sure?” he asked. 

You nodded with the most confident smile you could force your mouth to make.

“Alright. I’ll see you later, then,” he smiled, and squeezed your shoulder as he brushed past you to leave the common room. Seconds later, Evan arrived with quick steps.

“I’m so sorry for making you wait,” he said. “I couldn’t find my jacket.”

“It’s okay,” you smiled.

“Should we?”

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Spending time with Evan was surprisingly very enjoyable, as you found him to be kinder and warmer than you already thought he was. He also acted like a true gentleman, offering you flowers from the village’s flower shop, and his conversation was always funny or interesting - and sometimes both. You also could feel he was a bit shy, which made him adorable. 

“Wanna go to the Three Broomsticks?” he asked. 

“Sure,” you said.

He smiled at you, and opened the door for you.

“Madam.”

“Thank you, good sir.”

You both had a small laugh before he followed you in, and you sat at a free table near a corner of the room for a bit more privacy, but you could still see the door from where you were sitting.

“Thanks again for the flowers,” you said with genuine thankfulness, “they’re beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you, but you’re more than welcome.” 

Mrs. Rosmerta took your order and gave you a wink, probably thinking you and Evan were on a date. 

“What do you want to do next?” he asked. “We could go see the Shrieking Shack, unless you want to go back to the castle?”

“Your pick,” you said. 

Evan laughed, and you were surprised to find that his laugh was as cute as he was. 

The conversation continued, and you were focused on what he was saying when the door of the pub opened, and you almost choked on your drink when you saw Regulus coming in, followed by Alexander and Dorius. 

“You okay?” Evan asked, frowning.

“Yes, yes. Sorry.”

You tried to put yourself against the wall so Regulus couldn’t see you, but as his friends went to the bar, he looked around the room and froze when he saw you - and from where he was, there was no chance he didn’t see Barty as well. Feeling panic rushing over you, you tried to act as if you didn’t see him and instead looked at Barty’s glass, was thankful when you saw it was empty. 

“Should we go? A new restaurant opened at the end of the street, maybe we could have lunch there?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve heard about it. Let me go pay for the drinks.” 

Usually you would propose to pay, but going to the bar would mean the impossibility of avoiding Regulus and an uncomfortable conversation. You rose from your chair and went outside despite the cold wind, but only a few seconds later, the pub’s door opened and Reggie was now standing in front of you. 

“What are you doing here with him?” he asked.. 

His tone was barely a bit more confused than usual, but words still had a hard time coming out.

“I…We…We’re just hanging out.”

“Is this a date?”

“I…I don’t know if he sees it…”

“I don’t care about what he thinks,” Regulus cut you off harshly, “do you see it as a date?”

“I don’t know!” you answered in the same tone. “What does it matter to you anyway? Shouldn't you be helping your friends with their homework?”

“Alexander didn’t feel like doing it,” Regulus spoke quickly, “but don’t try to change the subject, this is about you and Evan, since when do you hang out with him?” 

“Since I’ve wanted to! Regulus, I do not need your permission to talk to Sirius or to hang out with any boy I want!”

Regulus opened his mouth to answer, but no word came out. He looked at the ground for a second, his face and eyes hardening, before staring at you with angry eyes. 

“Very well.”

Before you could answer, Regulus turned heels and went back inside the pub, slamming the door behind him. Not even a minute later, Evan came out, frowning.

“Is everything all right? Did Regulus talk to you?”

You nodded, “Yes. He just had a…question.”

Evan looked unsure, but didn’t say anything.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

The next day, you were getting ready in your dorm when someone knocked at your door. Expecting Emmeline coming to ask you questions about your day with Evan, you opened the door, but it wasn’t her. Instead stood Regulus, with flowers in one hand.

“Reggie?”

“y/n. I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“No, no, come in.” 

Regulus gave you a small smile and entered your room, and you saw his expression change when his eyes met your desk and the bouquet Evan gave you yesterday. 

“These are for you,” he said, handing you the flowers.

“Thank you so much, Reggie,” you smiled. “You shouldn’t have, they’re beautiful.” 

“I was really surprised to see you with Evan,” he continues as you put the flowers in a vase. “I’ve never seen you hang out with him.”

“He’s nice,” you shrugged. 

Regulus gave you a nod, “And…Do you want to see him again?” 

The question took you off guard. “Well, I…I don’t know, I…I mean, even if I see Evan again, it doesn’t have to mean anything. Him and I could just remain friends.” 

I should really talk to him to see how he sees it. Regulus remained silent, only staring at you. 

“Well, I have Quidditch practice,” he said. “Can we have lunch together after?” 

“I’d love to,” you nodded with a smile. 

Regulus smiled back at you, and left. You could feel something was off with him, but maybe it was just because he felt guilty for the argument you had yesterday? You tried not to think much of it, as you didn’t want to get your hopes up. A few minutes later, Emmeline and Mary came to your door, asking you if you wanted to do your homework together - however, while it was not the first time the three of you did that, you knew very well Emmeline would take that opportunity to ask you about your time spent with Evan. 

“Sooo, y/n,” Emmeline said with an amused and curious tone, “a little bird told me you spent the day with a certain blond boy from our class.”

“How was it?” Mary asked kindly. 

“It was nice,” you shrugged. “Evan is very kind, and we had a good time.” 

“Did he kiss you?” Emmeline asked abruptly. 

“Emmeline!” Mary protested.

“What? I’m just asking,” she raised her shoulders before turning back to you, “you better be prepared for it, girl, because I heard Evan and Marius last night, and he really liked your time together, so much so that he plans on courting you and asking you to be his girlfriend.”

“What?” you said in a whisper. 

“It’s a bit early, isn’t it?” Mary frowned. 

“Yes!” you said with panic in your voice. “Of course it is! We’ve spent barely a day with each other and it’s not like we talked that much before that!”

“Calm down, y/n,” Emmeline said, a bit confused by your reaction, “if you think things are going too fast, just tell him. He seems to really like you, so he probably won’t mind.” 

You sighed and did your homework in silence, and the subject quickly shifted to something else. Once you were done, you noticed Regulus would soon be back from practice, so you put back your things in your dorm before going to the Great Hall to wait for him. Next time, I’ll go watch the practice like I used to. But, on your way, you heard someone calling for you.

“y/n!”

You froze, and turned to see Evan almost running towards you. 

“What’s up, Evan?”

“I just wanted to say I really had a good time yesterday.”

“Me too,” you smiled. 

“And I was wondering if we could hang out again sometime? We could, I don’t know, have a picnic near the Black Lake or go to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop? Or do anything you want, really.”

You were about to politely refuse, or at least tell him that it would only be as friends, but suddenly Regulus’ “I’m glad to have my best friend back.” came back to your mind. 

“Actually, I’d really love that,” you answered with a genuine smile. 

“Brilliant. I’ll see you later, then.”

You nodded vividly, and without thinking, got on your toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. His blue gaze shifted, and he turned around and left after giving you a smile. Why not? Maybe it’s worth giving it a shot. A half-smile on your lips, you turned heels to enter the Great Hall but your heart skipped a beat when you saw Regulus standing in the corridor. 

“Hi, Reggie.” 

Why did your voice have to be shaking? 

He only greeted you with his head, not speaking a word, and you two went to sit at the Slytherin table.

“How was practice?” 

“Good.”

He usually would give you details or just tell you how he did, but apparently he didn’t feel like it today.

“Did something happen?” you asked. 

“No,” he said coldly, only looking at his plate. 

His sudden cold behaviour made you too nervous to insist or ask other questions, and you also didn’t want to make him angrier than he already seemed to be, so you kept silent. You guys were almost done eating when he spoke again.

“What did Evan want?”

“Um, he wanted to ask if we could hang out again sometime.”

Regulus nodded, “That’s nice. Did you accept?”

“Yes.”

He nodded again, and his mouth turned an unusual smile.

“I’m happy for you, y/n.” 

And with that, he got up and left, leaving you more confused than ever.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

The week that followed was normal, spent between classes, homework, Emmeline’s constant and annoying teasing and questions and Regulus acting strangely. While you guys spend time together, he always seemed elsewhere and somehow full of melancholy. You had asked him if something was wrong, but he had said no. Evan, who now would sometimes smile at you in class, had also asked you to go to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop on Saturday, and here you were, sitting among other couples. The place was nice, and Evan was still as kind as ever - even showing up with flowers again. You had done your best to focus and enjoy your time with him through the whole afternoon, but your mind kept coming back to Regulus and his attitude. 

“I didn’t think this place would be that nice,” Evan said. “I had never come here before.”

“Me neither,” you said. 

He gave you a smile, and soon after proposed to go to Honeydukes, as he had promised one of his friends to buy some sweets for him. You went in too, and bought Regulus’ favorite sweets with the hope that it would cheer him up - or that you two could at least share a moment of closeness and laughs with your stomachs full of sugar. 

You then both decided to go back to the warmness of the castle, and were mostly alone on your way back.

“I had a great time today, y/n,” he spoke, suddenly stopping.

“Me too,” you assured him. 

He looked at you, and before you had time to take another breath, he got closer, bent over and pressed his lips on yours. Your first instinct was to protect yourself, but after you realized what happened, the kiss started to feel a bit nice and you even kissed Evan back before he pulled away. You were now breathless and still processing the fact that you had your first kiss. 

“I’m so sorry,” Evan said. “I know I should have asked, but…I couldn’t help it. I really like you, y/n. Actually, I…I’ve liked you since last year.” 

Your eyebrows rose in surprise, “Really?” 

“Yeah,” he said, running his hand through his light hair in embarrassment, “I never asked you out because I thought you and Regulus were dating or something.”

You felt your heart sink and gulped.

“No, we…There was nothing between us.”

“Can’t say I’m not glad of it,” Evan had a half-smile. “Shall we?”   

You both went back to the castle, hand in hand, and sat in the common room. You somehow felt a bit overwhelmed with both Evan’s kiss and confession, and also by the fact that you were starting to think that things were going a little bit too fast. Maybe I should tell him? I can’t date him if I’m not fully over Reggie yet. You took a deep silent breath and turned to him.

“Evan? Can I tell you something?”

“Of course, beautiful.”

“I’m really enjoying our time together,” you started, “and I’m glad you told me about your feelings, but…”

“We’re going too fast,” he completed.

You nodded, and he had a small smile.

“I understand, don’t worry. It’s true this whole thing is really recent, so if you want us to take our time, I’m totally fine with it.”

You felt relieved, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you, Evan.” 

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

A few weeks later, it felt like, except classes, everything else had changed. You now spent a lot of your time with Evan, who was still as sweet as ever, while the rest was spent between Emmeline and Mary. As for Regulus, you had noticed that as time passed, he had become more and more distant. While you didn’t think much of it - after all, he also disliked when you spent time with Emmeline and Mary back then - but it still made you sad and ashamed - sad, because you disliked the distance between the two of you, and ashamed, because you were more or less officially dating Evan now, but didn’t tell Regulus, and kept saying you were just “friends” instead. You tried your best to spend time with him, or just ask him how he was doing, but it was now his turn to avoid you, always finding an excuse to spend as little time with you as possible. And the few times he couldn’t leave, he was polite but cold, only answering your questions with short answers and focusing on something else. It started to annoy you a lot, and you planned on getting him somewhere he couldn’t escape from to finally get him to tell you what was wrong with him. 

But you also felt scared, because the more time you spent with Evan, the more your feelings for him started to grow. He now had the habit of coming to your dorm to kiss you goodnight every night, and you had even taken the initiative to kiss him a few times when you two were alone, and he was more than delighted. He didn’t seem to mind that you guys weren’t official yet, and for that you were thankful. But you also felt guilty to think and worry about Regulus - and having the kind of thought someone with a boyfriend shouldn’t have - and not be able to focus solely on Evan and your relationship. 

That said, Evan was so sweet and patient, and it made you want to make some effort too, and you were starting to think that maybe, going public wasn’t that bad. After all, you were not ashamed of Evan or your relationship. So, why not? A little voice inside your head was telling you only did that because of your guilt, but you ignored it, and one day after classes, you asked for Evan’s attention by touching his arm, and when he turned his head to you, you gestured for him to go into an empty corridor. He seemed pleasantly surprised, and had the usual small, serine smile he always gave you. You put your arms around his neck, and he soon wrapped his arms around your waist. 

“I’ve had an idea,” you said with a smile.

“Oh, really?” he said. “Should I be worried?”

“No. Actually, I…I thought it was maybe time to…not hide anymore?” 

Evan’s eyebrows raised and his blue eyes started glowing. “Really?”

You nodded, and Evan’s hands left your waist to cup your cheeks and pull you into a deep kiss. You kissed him back, and after a few seconds, you heard footsteps. You instinctively pulled away from Evan, and when you turned your head, you felt your stomach drop when you saw a boy with familiar black curls and green eyes - green eyes that were now looking at you with confusion, anger and sadness at the same time. Without realizing it, your hands left Evan’s neck, and you stepped away from him. 

“Reggie, I-”

But before you could continue, Regulus turned around and left. 

“Reggie!”

You turned to Evan, suddenly feeling guilty.

“I’m sorry, I…I’ll see you later, okay?”

You didn’t give him time to answer, and went after your best friend. As you started catching up with him, you realized - or decided - that it was time to confront him and finally have a proper discussion. 

“Reggie, wait!”

You both were now in the common room, but thankfully there were only a few people at the moment. He finally stopped walking, and turned to you. You almost took a step back, as you had never seen him with such a closed, angry face. 

“Can we talk?”

He looked at you, and took a look around. “Not here. In your dorm.”

He started walking again, but this time it was easier for you to follow him. He walked through the common room and climbed the stairs that led to the dorms. He entered your dorm first, his back turned to you, and after coming in, you closed the door behind you. 

“Reggie,” you started, “I-”

“Was that your first kiss?” he cut you off. 

It was now your turn to be confused. “What?”

He turned to you, and your heart started beating faster. 

“Was that the first time you’ve kissed someone?” 

You opened your mouth, but no words came out. 

“Tell me!” Regulus demanded in a louder voice.

“No!” you answered in the same tone. “No, it wasn’t! Why?! I don’t understand why you’re so angry. Why does that concern you all of a sudden?”

Regulus closed his eyes, had a small sigh, and ran both his hands through his face. 

“It should have been me,” he muttered for himself. 

At first, you thought you heard him wrong, and frowned in disbelief.

“What?” 

What in Merlin’s name is happening now? Regulus looked at you, sighing again, but this time it seemed as if he had lost all his anger, and now looked at you with broken eyes. 

“It should have been me,” Regulus repeated. “Me. Your first kiss. Your first love. Me, y/n. Not him.”

All the annoyance his reaction had provoked inside you suddenly left your body, leaving only confusion. 

“But, Reggie…You see me as your best friend. Nothing else,” you said as if it was obvious. 

“My best friend?” Regulus’ eyes widened. “My best…”

He had a laugh - and you would have been angry again if you had been capable of it - and he shook his head.

“y/n,” he said patiently. “I’ve been madly, desperately in love with you since our third year.” 

Your heart almost stopped, and your knees suddenly felt weak. For a second you were scared to lose balance and fall, but you managed to keep your body standing. Your eyes went on the ground, taking in what Regulus just said, and you shook your head. 

“No. No, you…You never showed any…Never said…”

“I know. I was scared you didn’t feel the same way, scared it would ruin our friendship. I’m sorry, y/n. I didn’t want to lose you, y/n, the mere thought broke me. You’re what I cherish the most in this life. Without you, I’d be lost.”

You felt tears burn in your eyes, and as you tried to take long breaths, you felt anger rise inside of you.

“I understand if it’s too late now,” Regulus continued. 

“You…You’re unbelievable.”

Regulus looked at you in confusion. “What-”

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me since I’ve started seeing Evan?”

“Yes. I- I had this feeling you were starting to fall in love with him, and it was tearing me inside. I know it’s childish, and I also hated not seeing you, but it was too hard, y/n.” 

“And how do you think I felt all these years, thinking you only saw me as your friend and thinking I wasn’t good enough?” you snapped. “Thinking nothing could ever happen between us because you didn’t share my feelings? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get over you, how scary to think I might watch you fall in love with another girl one day, and also how scary it is to think I could probably meet the best man on Earth and still think I would rather be with you? How guilty I felt that, despite being with a great man who admitted he loved me, my heart was also still somewhere else?”

“You wanted to get over me?” Regulus asked in a low, almost broken voice.

“At first it was impossible, no matter how hard I tried. But, after you asked me why I had been avoiding you and called me your best friend, I thought you didn’t share my feelings and started moving on with Evan, because he was sweet and had a good heart. We started going out in secret, but despite how much I wanted it to work you were always in the back of my mind, especially since you’ve been avoiding me. It made me sad, and I was so worried about you that I couldn’t focus on my relationship.” 

There was a moment of heavy, almost sad silence, before Regulus spoke again.

“Do you love Evan?” 

You sighed, “He’s a sweet boy, and I guess you two are alike in some ways. In other circumstances, he might have been the kind of boy I would have fallen for, and I admit I like him.”

Regulus had no reaction at first. You thought he was going to give up, tell you to be happy, but after a minute you noticed his body stiffening.

“I’ll fight for you.”

“What?”  

He stepped closer to you. “I’ll fight for you. Now that I know you feel the same as I do, I won’t let you go. Ever. I’ll do what it takes for you to love me again. There is no way I’ll let us be apart. I love you, y/n. More than life.” 

“Reggie-”

But his warm, soft hands suddenly cupped your face, making your heart beat faster, and put his forehead against yours.”

“Please, y/n. I can’t stand the distance between us anymore, and I can’t stand thinking that you’re not mine. Please, I’ll beg you if I must, but give me a chance. A chance to prove that I can be the man you both need and deserve.”

“Reggie, Evan…”

Reggie pulled his head away, though keeping it a few inches from yours, and slightly shook his head.

“Stay with him if you feel that you must, but know I will not ever give up on you. Be it ten days, ten months or ten years, I’ll still be here, waiting for you to realize that you were destined to be mine, and I yours.” 

“Reggie, it’s not that easy-”

“Yes, it is! Don’t you see it?!”

And before you could say anything or take another breath, his hands were on both sides of your neck, his grip tight yet still gentle, and his lips crashed on yours. His kiss was desperate and starving, and awoke sensations you had never felt in your body. You soon kissed him back, suddenly also hungry for more, and Regulus immediately deepened the kiss, bringing your body close to his as much as possible. You didn’t have any idea how long the kiss lasted, but after a while, your lips and his parted, and you were both breathless. 

“You can’t imagine how many nights I’ve spent imaging kissing you,” he whispered. “How your lips would taste, how it would feel…How it would feel to feel you love me back…”

You sighed, realizing you couldn’t lie to yourself anymore. 

“I do love you, Reggie.” 

It seemed almost stupid now that you thought you could love another. You were doomed to love this kind, sweet, quiet boy for the rest of your life, whether you wanted it or not. 

“Then allow us to be together.” 

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

You came back to your dorm feeling better than when you left it. Fortunately, Evan had taken the breakup very well, but seeing him clearly upset hurt you more than you thought it would. Regulus had asked to come with you, but you knew Evan wouldn’t hurt you, and you felt like you had to finally take responsibility. Reggie was sitting on your bed and his eyes were curious when you walked in. 

“How did it go?” 

“As good as it could,” you sighed. “But it was necessary. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror if I lied to him. He deserves better.” 

Regulus nodded, and feeling you still felt guilty about Evan, he reached out his hands, and when you took them, he made you sat on his lap, wrapping his hands around you. 

“You’re right. I’m sure he’ll get over it quickly, he’s not as emotional as he may seem.” 

“What do you mean?” you frowned.

“Well, I’ve heard several times that he doesn’t seem to be affected by things. For not long, at least. But it’s just what people say, it might not be true after all.” 

You gave him a nod but remained silent. 

“I know it was hard,” he said gently. “And I know how much you hate hurting other people. But now, we can focus on what really matters.”

“Us.” 

“Yes. I know things have been tense between us these past few weeks, and I hated every second of it. But it’s in the past now. Now that we’ve been true with each other, it will be better. Better than they ever had been.”

You nodded in approval, and he gave you a kiss on the cheek. You started better under his touch, and suddenly had an idea.

“Reggie?”

“Love?”

“Can we…” you hesitated, but he encouraged you to continue, “Can we cuddle?”

Reggie’s mouth parted in the cutest, happiest smile. “Of course.”

You got up, allowing him to take off his shoes and robe, leaving him in his white buttoned shirt and green and silver tie. He then laid on your bed, and after doing the same as him, you put your head on his chest and put your hand on one side of his neck. One of his hands was on your lower back and the other around your shoulder, with both his thumbs gently stroking you. Once you were fully comfortable and stopped moving, you felt him sigh in contentment, and he put his cheek against your hair. 

“Every time I came here,” he said in a lower voice, “I would imagine what it would be like to just lay there and hold you in my arms like that.”

“I imagined it too,” you whispered, and you felt him holding you tighter. “I never thought it would actually happen.” 

“I’m sorry, my love. Truly.”

“Don’t apologize.” 

You raised your head to give him a gentle yet loving kiss, before putting it back on his chest. Despite not feeling tired, you closed your eyes, feeling more at peace and happy than you ever did. After a few hours of just staying here, happily holding each other, you went down to dinner, and thankfully didn’t run into Evan - Reggie and you had agreed to wait a few days before making your relationship known out of respect for him. Dinner was spent talking and laughing like you had done all these years, and you could have almost cried of how it felt to have things really go back to normal. Once you were both finished, you guys immediately went back to your dorm, and spent the rest of the night cuddling, kissing, whispering sweet things to each other while eating sweets. You eventually started falling asleep with Reggie’s body pressed against yours, his arms wrapped around your waist and his head in your hair. 

You woke up the next morning in the exact same position, except that Reggie’s leg was now over yours, as if to stop you from leaving the bed. Still half asleep, you managed to turn around to face him, and saw how adorable he looked when he slept. You resisted the urge to caress his face and his soft dark curls, too scared to awake him. But after a short moment, Reggie started moving, and his eyes slowly opened. He immediately smiled when he saw you, and you couldn’t help but smile back. 

“Morning, handsome,” you whispered, kissing his nose.

“Morning, love,” he yawned. “Slept well?”

“Perfectly. You?”

“Perfectly as well. We should go for breakfast, it’s probably like 10 am,” you added with a laugh. 

“Want to have it here instead?” he asked, suddenly completely awake. “I could go in the kitchens and bring some food here.” 

“It’s okay, Reggie,” you smiled, “we can just down there with the others.

“But I wanna stay here with you,” he pouted, and his adorable child-like expression made you laugh. “Alright, we’ll go down for breakfast, but today is free, and I want us to have a special lunch.”

“Of course,” you assured him. 

He kissed you before allowing you to leave bed, and after you both showered and got ready, you went down to the Great Hall. After breakfast, you spent the rest of the morning in your dorm, quickly finishing the homework you both hadn’t done yet and cuddled again before Reggie left, giving you a kiss and telling you to meet him fifteen minutes later by the entrance’s hall. 

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“y/n!” 

You turned to see Emmeline and Mary walking towards you, dressed in their winter clothes. 

“We’re going to go shopping at Hogsmeade, wanna join us?” Emmeline said.

“Oh, hum,” you said, “no, sorry, I’m waiting for Reggie, we’re gonna have lunch by ourselves.” 

“Like a date?” Mary asked with a kind smile.

“What?” Emmeline retorted. “But I thought you and Evan were this close to be dating. What happened?”

“Evan was nice, but I don’t think it would have worked between us,” you shook your head. “Also, I haven’t spent time with Reggie in weeks, and I want to change that.”

As you said that, you saw Reggie coming, with a basket in his hand. You smiled goodbye to the girls, and followed Reggie near the stairs, resisting the urge to hold his hand. You followed him to the third floor of the castle, and you wondered what he had in mind until a large door appeared in front of him, and you finally realized this was the Room of Requirement. He opened the door, and invited you inside.

“Madam.”

You smiled at him before coming in, and gasped. The room was decorated with candles, flowers and Christmas decorations all around and, in the middle of the room, a large picnic blanket with several large pillows. On the opposite wall, a fire was burning in a marble chimney. 

“Reggie! It’s so beautiful.”

“Well, thank you, sweetheart, but I didn’t do anything. Though I have to say, I exactly had that in mind. 

You sat down on the picnic blanket, and when you opened the basket and saw all that Reggie had taken - sandwiches, cheese, some fruits, different kinds of small cakes, pumpkin juice, hot chocolate, Christmas biscuits - you couldn’t help but give him a thankful kiss. 

“It looks good, Reggie.” 

“Help yourself, love.” 

You both started eating while chatting and laughing, and you didn’t know how much you had missed laughing and talking with him until that moment. Once the basket was empty - because apparently being happy and in love made you hungrier - you got closer to Reggie, putting your head on his shoulder. He immediately kissed your forehead, gently putting you between his legs, with your back against his chest and his hands around you. You immediately felt your body relax and your heart beat faster. 

“I could stay here all day,” you said.

“It’s Saturday, love. We absolutely could. And, to be honest, spending the day here with you in my arms sounds like the perfect day.” 

He nuzzled your nose, which made you giggle. However, as you looked at the Christmas decorations around the room, it reminded you that Christmas break was soon, and that both Reggie and you would have to go back to your respective homes. You knew your parents would love Reggie if they ever met him, but you couldn’t say the same for his own parents. You must have been lost in your thoughts longer than you thought, as Reggie gave you a quick kiss on the temple. 

“What are you thinking about, beautiful?”

“Do you think your parents would love me?” 

“Oh.”

You shook your head, “Yeah, I know, it’s probably too soon to think about that. I’m sorry.” 

“No, you’re right,” Reggie answered. “You’re gonna have to meet them one day if we’re gonna get married.”

“Reggie!” you turned to him, chuckling and turning to face him. 

“What? I was serious, y/n. I’m never gonna you let you go. You’re the only person I will ever be with. You were meant to be mine, and I was meant to be yours.” 

He leant to kiss you, and you realise that he was right. You and Reggie were meant to be together no matter what.

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waiting room | s. reid

summary: spencer can't seem to escape the girl in the waiting room

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader

warnings: mentions of reid's addiction & tobias hankel, mentions of kidnapping and mass shootings (in, like, a joking way??) my terrible, terrible humour, ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE LMAO, this is deffo terrible, pls tell me if i missed anything!!

a/n: ok idk if i wanna continue this and make it a series so lmk lol (also im on writers block so i literally can't come up with SHIT)

SPENCER REID WAS a pessimist.

At least, that’s what he’d call himself. His colleague, Derek Morgan would most likely (and by most likely, he means, definitely already has) call him an overanalysing introvert. But in Spencer’s defense, there has never really been a good reason to go out and “live your life”. Consider this:

Go to the new coffee shop? Mass shooting.

Go to the mall? A child gets abducted.

Leave the apartment for a short while? A stalker finds out where he lives, kidnaps him in his sleep, and, in a nightmarish turn, auctions off his organs to the bidder in the black market.

Besides, his life isn’t some John Green book. There were no life-affirming adventures or poetic moments of self-discovery awaiting him. Carpe diem? A fanciful notion for others, but for him, not so much. Sorry, Mr. Keating.

Yet life—or more accurately, bureau protocol— had its own plans. Ever since the Tobias Hankel incident, a visit to the psychologist wasn’t just a request but rather (unfortunately for him) an order. Which meant, he’d have to risk his entire life to get up and walk for ten whole minutes just to sit and wait, in this glaringly bright waiting room, when he could have stayed at home and read the new books he’d gotten from his team as a get-well gift.

Speaking of which, why the gifts? He was fine. Physically, at least. But really, when have you ever seen get-well-soon cards in an asylum? Well, alright, maybe he was being a little bit dramatic. A visit to the psychologist doesn’t mean he’ll be institutionalised—but then again, Spencer Reid was never one to wear rose-tinted glasses. 

This is his third time in the waiting room, and she’s always there. He isn’t sure as to why she is, because, well, unlike himself, she was very clearly an optimist—and at least, from the looks of it, she hasn’t been kidnapped and drugged in the past month. But she's sitting there again, in the exact same chair for the past three weeks, along with a beacon of smiles where joy usually fears to trend. Maybe, he isn't as good of a profiler as he’d like to think he is.

“Dr. Reid?” the call of his name rips him out of his thoughts. He looks up to see the same kind woman he’s seen the past three weeks—not the one in the waiting room, no, he means his therapist.

Dr. Brown was easy to profile: She wore heels to make herself look taller, and she hated wearing glasses, apparent by how she would continuously place them atop her head instead of her nose. Her teeth were abnormally perfect, which meant, she’d had to wear braces when she was younger—which (from his humbling experience) means she wasn’t exactly the most popular at school. Perhaps, psychology felt appealing to her because she could help people like her. 

“How are you?” she asks, her pen clicking.

Usually, he’d offer her a meek shrug. The kind that could win awards for its commitment to non-commitment. Besides, he’s not one to talk about how he feels—there isn’t much to say, anyway. And let’s face it,  “How are you?” in the grand tapestry of human interaction is almost as genuine as a three-dollar bill. And, get this, the average person asks “How are you?” 6,739 times a year but only listens to the answer about half the time—well, okay, maybe those numbers might have been fabricated, but isn’t the sincerity behind the question also made up? But instead of telling her all this, he remembers what Hotch had told him, one, two, three weeks ago: that he ought to cooperate with Dr. Brown or the board won’t be happy. So, he kisses his teeth before he says:

“Fine. I’m fine.”

And the session went on.

PLS TELL ME IF I SHLD CONTIUE OR NOT LOLOLOL spam my inbox with ideas I BEG.

[ferg0s]

Kunigami with a bookworm reader who he meet by accident but kinda starts to like after a while.

Pre wild card Kunigami cuz he’s bbygrl

Canonically has an older sister, I imagine her being an English major. Someone who got him into comic books In hopes of getting him into literature and that’s how he got his dream of being a hero-esque figure.

You’re her friend. A lil younger than her but the two of you met a book store and became friends after going for the same book, paid half and half and decided to take turns reading it and eventually made a lil book club to talk about said book.

Came back after practice to see you in the living room having tea with his sister, deep in conversation about the book in question.

Initially thought you were cute but out of respect for his sister he kept his distance.

Would say a polite hello and go to his room. Maybe come down to get some food, but even then, let the two of you talk without interruption.

You and his sister began to become closer, mostly due to your love for books. Coming together at their house to talk about the recent books you’ve read, but it slowly just began the two of you hanging out.

Kunigami knew of you; if he saw you at the house, in the living room or kitchen he wouldn’t blink twice. Initially thought you were his sisters classmate. but after talking to you when his sister asked him to walk you to the busstop cuz she didnt want you walk alone, he found out you were his age. you told him how you and his sister met, exchanged some friendly conversation and found out he was on the soccer team.

"yeah im a striker-" he said, looking at the path ahead. “Oh- that’s cool!” You reply. He knew that tone, the one his sister had - where they didn’t know what that meant but they were supportive. “It means I’m the guy who’s in charge of scoring the points-“ he adds. You nod. “I guess that’s very important,” you chuckle, looking at the ground.

Did you find his hot? Yes! Oh my god when he first walked in - you saw the resemblance right away - but the way his sister had described him you thought he was a toddler. I guess all older siblings do that, and they seemed to have a very close relationship. She still saw him as a child despite the fact that he was almost an adult. So when he walked in, holding his gym bag and greeted you, you tried to remain cool.

You weren’t the most social. So it was like fighting a life or death battle when he would come down to the kitchen while you and his sister were baking or making a quick snack. He was polite, always kept the conversation to a minimum before retreating to his room.

You wouldn’t dare let your cooler older friend know that you thought her brother was hot. But you figured that she had figured it out, she was very observant. So when you were getting ready to leave, saying your goodbyes, you froze up when you heard her call Kunigami to walk you to the stop.

You had walked there plenty of times, even later in the night in some cases. But she insisted that it would be safer for you to have someone to walk with. “There’s been an increase of muggings-“ she said. Conveniently leaving out the part that she was talking about the city and not their neighbour hood. Technically she wasn’t wrong?

Despite only talking to him a hand full of times, you felt pretty comfortable around him. He was polite. Asking the small talk questions that didn’t steer into anything awkward. Telling you about his games and such. He was a sweetie, which made your crush on him even more worse.

He was a gentleman. Waiting with you until your bus came, waving you goodbye as it departed. The one off thing soon became a regular occurrence, due to the insistence of his sister. He thought you were cute, but then again, he thought a lot of girls were cute. It was a given for guys his age. But the more he talked to you the more interested and invested he became. He was used to his sister going on tangents about books, passionately talking about every aspect of it - so he figured he’d do the same with you. Given you two had the same interests. It seemed to break you out of your quiet shell.

The walks began to consist of you describing your favourite books and stories to him. He was used to tuning it out and nodding his head. But something about you made him want to listen. “So he turns into a bug? Like a bug bit him? Like Spiderman?” He asked. You came to find out he liked spider man a lot. “No- he just woke up. It’s supposed to be a metaphor…”

But he really couldn’t keep up with the nuances of your literary likes, so he tried a different approach

“Do you like comics? Like marvel and stuff?” “Oh yeah- who doesn’t?”

His eyes lit up. Finally something he could relate too.

“Who’s your favourite super hero?” “Hmm… that’s a hard one.” You say as you look at him. “I like super man to be honest. It’s corny and lame but I like how he’s just this beacon of hope and just… nice? I don’t know how to say it. He could be evil but he just chooses to help people instead of like world domination-“ you explain. He smiled. “You know - i completely agree.”

Super heros became the things you talked about on your walks together. To a point where he genuinely waited for the sound of his sister door opening so he could rush out and get ready to walk with you. You looked forward to it too. He liked how you added a different perspective to it - digging in deep, finding the deeper meaning to each thing you two talked about. He felt a little embarrassed for saying he liked the hero’s cuz of their powers. But you didn’t seem to mind, smiling and telling him “me too,”.

For a while it seemed that the only thing the two of you talked about was that. He was happy - until he realized how rude it must seem. So he tried his best to steer the conversation to something that you might like.

Que him borrowing his sisters copy of the books you mentioned and trying to read them. It was the first time anytime anyone in his family saw him deeply invested in a book since… well… ever.

“So I read that book you talked about-“ he said as the two of you got out the house. “Oh? Which one?” You ask. When he told you the name of your favourite book, your stomach did a flip. “Y-you read that?” You asked uncertain. “Yeah - honestly I liked it.”

Que the whole walk being about said book, you talking with more passion than he had ever seen. To a point where the two of you watched the bus leave infront of you without caring, too engrossed in the conversation. Did you wait for the next bus - a full hour - on the steps of the nearby convenience store while sharing a bag of chips? Yes.

It seemed like the conversation had no end. Books, then his soccer, then back to books, somehow spider man, back to soccer. It was this chemistry that didn’t have an end.

Leading him to trying to slyly ask his sister if there was any bookstore cafes near by - and her happily giving an answer.

She didn’t question when you came over to visit, despite not making plans with her.

She didn’t question why he came up to her asking her if hard covers were better or soft covers.

______

Kunigami is a spider man fan. Thats not my head cannon, thats literally cannon. Argue with a wall.

[riveroftales]

Hello! Can I ask for Genya x reader who a artist and and designer? Basically reader draws alot of pretty outfits and would sometimes imagine Genya wearing fancy things and he caught the reader drawing him, sorry if this doesn't mean scene english is not my first language

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩𝐂𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐧✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩

ɢᴇɴʏᴀ x ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ɴᴇᴜᴛʀᴀʟ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴ ᴀᴜ

𝖢𝖢'𝗌 𝖭𝗈𝗍𝖾: YOO IM FINALLY BACK TO WRITING🔥🔥

Art is vast. Music is art. Photography is art. Designing is art. Anything which uses one’s creativity is art.

Through all of that though, drawing is like the main stakeholder of art.

It was also how you expressed yourself.

Funny enough, a lot of your relatives told you that you had started drawing before you learned how to read or write. With time came practice, and with practice came skill.

Your art style had improved from 2D shapes and characters to semi realism and you loved how your own work had turned out. You learned how much you loved drawing your characters in beautiful clothes, so you took the fashion design course when you reached college.

But every artist has a muse, and you knew you found yours when you sat on a campus bench, drawing one of the trees out of boredom when you saw him.

You were never a fan of Mohawks because of how ridiculous it looked, but you were sure it was because it made just for him. His hair was long — long enough for you to run your fingers through, braid, style, do whatever you wanted with its length. The scar running across his face made you so curious about how he got it, wondering if you could feel it when you dragged your finger across it or if it was sunken in completely, letting you caress it without feeling the rough bumps and instead feeling the smoothness of his perfect skin. He was laughing with his friends as he ran with them. He was so tall and muscular, and you could tell he was a little intimidating and even scary. But his smile was so radiant you would think he was incapable of doing anything bad.

You learned his name was Genya when you overheard his friends call out for him one day. It easily slipped out your lips, like it was meant to be there.

He became your muse.

Every ideas you had for men’s clothing, you would draw him wearing it, and damn did he look great.

You just wished you never played your music so loud through your AirPods because while sitting under a tree, someone sat next to you and immediately took your pencil and book.

“Hey-!” You protested as you took out one of your AirPods before you instantly froze.

“My hair flows this way…” Genya said softly, adjusting your drawing. “And my scar’s a little longer at the end, but other than that, the drawing’s great.”

You were frozen in the spot. Neither of you had officially met, and your very first meeting was him corrections your portrait of him.

Crawling in a hole and dying in it wasn’t so bad after all.

Genya seemed to notice your lack of words, a small smile gracing his lips.

“I’m flattered to be your muse.. I’ve seen you draw me a lot in most of your sketches, and honestly, I’ve never looked better.”

“U-Uhm-”

He chuckled softly as he stuck his hand out.

“Can we let this be our official meeting?”

You slowly shook his hand.

It was rough and really calloused, but warm.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

[fipindustries]

bojack horse bad again

you know, i was thinking back to this show again, i watched three seasons of it and that was all that i could tomach and you know what? no.

i dont accept it

i dont care, it was a bad show, it was an objectively bad show and i dont accept that everyone else decided that it was good, i dont care, it was a bad show and im going to tell you why.

emotional terrorism

maybe im a simpleton but i am someone who cares quite a lot about catharsis in my stories. this show refused to grant that, adamantly and violently. im not saying i need a happy ending, i am more than capable of enjoying bittersweet or even tragic stories, but i need a sense of completeness, some satisfaction, some release, some sense that things matter or meant something. this show insisted on refusing to give that. all this show was interested in was get an emotional reaction out of you. it was the emotional equivalent of a jump scare. it was convinced that if it made you feel bad enough people would confuse that with beeing powerful and deep. you could get the same reaction by walking up to someone on the street and kicking them in the nuts. and it would take about as much subtlety or artistry.

2. writer led rather than animator led

you could tell this was one of those shows that were made on the writer's room, not by storyboarders or artists, by "comedians". by people with english degrees. so many scenes of characters just standing around and talking. so many "jokes" that were clearly meant to be funny as something you read on a piece of paper or on a tweet and chuckle as you read it but as animation it just gave limp, stagnant scenes. so much dialog that were references and quips and puns and fast witticisms of the type you come up in the shower when thinking of clever comebacks.

there were so many fucking scenes where everything would stop and a character would launch on some stupid profound monologue about life and philosophy and psychology and relationships. it was like the writers were trying on for size paragraphs of their future memoirs or self help books. so much dialog that was begging for an award for writing. so many "mic drop" moments that were designed to be quoted. i find that the best writing is not the one that you can just quote out of context as a cool pithy phrase. a lot of the best writing ive seen in my life is meaningless when devoid of context, is inextricable of the scene and indeed of the entire story surrounding it but in here i can almost see the seams where the writers look at the camera waiting to see if you are impressed

3. inconsistent tone

this show wanted to eat its cake and then still have it. there are stories that manage to deftly weave in and out of comedic moments into serious moments. everything everywhere all at once does an amazing job jumping from the stupidest, most childish jokes into the most profound commentary about human nature, sometimes doing both at the same time and it worked, one didint cheapen the other.

in here though, it wanted to both have a completly absurd world with the stupidest characters ever and then somehow make us care for it all as if the show hadnt shot itself in the foot. it wanted us to see caroline being in love with what is clearly three children in a trenchcoat and then take her seriously as an adult, to treat any forther relationship drama she has as if it werent completly farcical.

4. ugly animation

it continued the blight that is take over adult animation by doing that disgusting repugnant paper puppet rigged interpolated quasi flash animation that only gives you stiff poses and movements and incredibly boring shots of characters standing in 3/4 perspective in front of the camera. it dull and flat and clunky and ugly, and the character designs were ugly. the noses were ugly and the mouths were ugly and the hairs were ugly and the eyes were ugly. it was all ugly. the backgrounds were fucking ugly and the colors were ugly and it was an ugly show to look at. unbearably so. and even the obligatory "weird" stylized scenes put in to shake things off and try to pretend that it was visually interesting (for like one scene per season) were also fucking ugly.

5. it had not interesting point to make

all it could do was insist and belavor and extemporize about how this one guy sucks and also most people kind of suck but specifically this one guy really sucks and he is not going to get better, or maybe he will? eh maybe, but not really, because he sucks. and we are going to make you like him because we are the writers and we are going to make him relatable and charismatic and sympathetic but actually no he sucks, you fell for it! and what does it say about you that you almost kind of liked him eh????. season after season of him, and in case you almost found anything redeemable about him, we are going to make him even worse, painfully unsubtly so, we are going to make him look at the camera and say that he sucks, because that is the level of nuance we think you can handle, dear viewer. this is called "self aware writing" and its postmodern and meta, which means its clever.

i fucking hate this show and the more i think about it the angrier it makes me, and what makes me more angriest of all is that people like it. its popular. it won awards i think. its largely recognized as a good show and its not! it sucks and its bad and if you like it you are stupid.

[gor3rri]

💭ARRANGED TOGETHER

❕PAIR❕: (! husband!) Im Changkyun X Reader (!wife!)

❕GENRE❕: Realistic, Romantic, deep, Fluff-smut, !unprotected sex!raw!cum eating, grabbing!

❕SUMMARY❕: You find yourself in the pov of your husband, Im Changkyun. He’s good just like a normal husband material but thinks deeply of everything he does. Serious but a sweetheart. He fulfils all your wishes. He’s completely opposite to you. You’re an ambivert.

❕AUTHOR’S NOTE❕: This Context contains kissing , touchiness and etc. It’s a realistic way of looking through scenarios which might look real in future i.e it’s how he might behave if you were married to him in real life. It’s a little smutty which makes it appropriate for ages 18+.

❕DISCLAIMER ❕: English is not my first language so if you witness anything off while reading of spelling of punctuation, just know ㅠㅠThe context is just scripted and not meant to be taken seriously by anyone. It’s just for fun - ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES.

❕CONTEXT❕: MONSTA X members also mentioned (some areas) and y/n(you)- darling or often by her real name ; Im Changkyun - Kyun, Love, I.M, Danny etc.

❕WARNING❕: MINORS PLEASE KEEP AWAY CAUSE THIS DOES HAVE SENSITIVE CONTENT NOT TOO MUCH IN THE STARTING BUT DEEP WAY IN THERE.

“Are you awake yet?”you asked your husband as you turn to his side of the bed, in a sleepy tone. You were restless because of yesterday. You’re a housewife but you spent most of the time helping Changkyun’s father in the Lab. His father is a famous known professor in Pohang-si , Postech University of Science and Technology. As a kid you did well in science and wanted to pursue it but unfortunately couldn’t get enough in finals and you gave up and made ur hobby ur job. You were a Science teacher in a school in Gwangju. So in your free time, you would help his father in research. You were more than qualified but only you couldn’t get in a good college and ended up as a teacher instead.

“Changkyun..? You said again in a sleepy tone while still in bed. You couldn’t find him at his side of the bed so you woke up and went to look for him. It was your day off today. Sunday of course. You were searching for him as you wanted to tell him something. You went downstairs to check. You couldn’t find him there so you also went ground floor. You guys had a ground floor pool and a small living room so basically the house was like 5 floors with a basement. You were at fourth floor which was a ground floor. You finally found him.

“Kyun-ssi?”you said slowly. As you say, he turned to you slowly. He had a book in his hand which he put down as he saw you. “Oh your awake?” He said while approaching you slowly. “You never rush. Is there something you want me to know?” He asked as he came close. “Kyun, good morning” you said. “Don’t tell me you just rushed downstairs to wish me morning. You were tired. Yesterday dad called me to tell you that you don’t need to rush in the work anymore. He’s thankful to you that you stayed the night in the lab, testing the samples. And so I didn’t wake you up.” He said as he looked into your eyes. “It’s my job. If I know stuff I can offer help. My family is more to me hence I don’t think I’ll be tired but he don’t need to thank me :)” you said while smiling and looking down. He went to the table to put the book back in the shelf. “I miss my parents so helping him made me happy. I can say I have two parents now.” You said while helping him. He then stopped what he was doing and look at you. “Do you miss your parents hm?” He asked you ,worrying about you. “I do”. you said while putting the last book in the shelf. “It’s decided, I’ll be taking you to Busan.” He said holding your hand. “Kyun, you’re busy and so am I? It’s okay you don’t need to. I just missed them. I can always call th-“ you were about to finish your sentence but he cut you up by saying “Y/N your stressed and you need relaxation, taking a week leave from work won’t be a problem plus, I hired a person who can do the work when I’m not at work, it’s all fine.” He said while holding your other hand.

You were once upset with your parents cause they didn’t let you think about your marriage. And they made the decision themselves without even considering your opinion. But seemed like you were married to a good person. Im Changkyun was a Biomedical engineer, owned three big Research Companies. He was qualified, rich and stable. He won’t let you pay for anything. He’s caring and loving. You never thought your arrange marriage would lead you two to fall for each other. For now you’re just caring towards each other. Love each other as well. You guys have known each other 70% out of 100% in these 1 year. Since you were upset, you forgot about their caring nature too. Why would a parent want their child to marry someone unknown. Changkyun’s parents and your parents knew each other well but you didn’t so that’s why you found it to be difficult for you to adjust in an arranged way. Hence you forgot about them. You accepted and realised your mistakes and decided to apologise to them.

“Y/N, get ready in some time. We’re leaving soon”said Changkyun. “Kyun..” you said slowly. “Hm?” He said while turning to your side. “What about you..? Us..? I don’t even spend my time with you..it’s been a year, we haven’t progressed..and mom (in law) was expecting us to be paren-“ he again cut you off. “Whenever you’re ready I’ll be as well. I don’t want you to worry about anyone anymore. As you say there’s a right time for everything to happen. It’s okay Y/N” he said while holding your hands “just get ready.” You nodded and went upstairs.

He made you breakfast this time. You didn’t knew that he already made breakfast. You were in a hurry to make breakfast so you bathed quickly but it turned out that he already did everything for you. Watered the plants, gave the food to the fishes in the pond and yes you two owned an aquarium since fishes made you feel happy and calm, cooked breakfast and put the clothes in laundry, almost everything. “Kyun..thank you” you said to him while he was plating the dishes. “If a wife can do things like taking care of everyone and being as grateful to us, a small gesture everyday and some help from my side wouldn’t cause harm right?” He said while smiling and looking at you. You kept looking at his eyes. “You came here to live the rest of your life with me at 22 years, and you thought I never felt you? We all love you and care for you okay? Just the way you do for all of us, in fact I can say that you work more than what all of us here do. I respect you, Y/N. He said while coming closer to you. “You’re talented and admirable, I do know that getting married to someone you don’t know properly could be hard but you made it smooth in just a year, darling.”

“Darling” you thought in your mind. How can someone be so good? Charming in both the ways- by nature and by looks as well. Usually people with good looks turn out to be cruel but him, his just so caring. He spoke less but his eyes says a lot about me. He called me by my name always but the way he used the word “darling” for me is just so.. I’m not flattered but it isn’t the word. It’s more than what I thought. He said he respects me. Men these days lose their temper and respect for women even when they do hard work but it seems like today’s the day __th[day]_____[month] and _____[year] , my perspective towards my husband changed. Getting to know that he loves me so much would always be my favourite feeling.

You hugged him and couldn’t say anything but it all was so self explanatory to him. “The food tastes amazing, Kyun.” You say while taking a bite out of the steak he made for you. “This is just what I could serve to you. We’re not late okay? Just chew your food properly.” He said wiping your lips with a tissue. “Oh oops” you say while holding the tissue he used. “Let me take care of you since you’re leaving your husband for a week cause I won’t be there” he said. “Your not staying?oh I forgot.” you say while taking a bite out of your food. “Mhm. I have to check on the companies whether they have shown any new information.” he said while taking his plate to the counter. “Im done, when you’re done, just keep the dishes on the counter. I’ll ask Ms. Shin to clean them because the dishwasher isn’t working due to some technical issues.” he said leaving the kitchen.

You put the dishes on the counter and waited for him downstairs with your bags. “Im here!” Said Changkyun. “Ready?” He said holding your bags. “Kyun it’s okay I can carry them since you did a lot for me already.” you say grabbing the bags. “Let me do my job, Im Y/N” he said taking them bags to the car. “Im Y/N, I love the way you call me by my full name, Im Changkyun!” You said in a little teasing tone. “Mmhm, my lady”

These little gestures he shows you is his best charm. Not too physical not too touchy. The words he uses are magical to you. Even the simplest word becomes as expensive as gold. “The car smells good” you said after getting in the passager’s seat. “It was the perfume I used haha” he said while taking the car keys. “Mason Margiella- burnt wood and whiskey 🥃 is what it smells like” you say while looking at him. “You seem to know what your husband smells like hm? Soo keeping everything aside, where’s your destination Mrs. Im?” He asked you teasingly. You chuckled and answered “oh please take your passanger to her Parents house.” “Of course, of course, fasten your seat belt, I don’t want you to get hurt.” He said while fastening the seat belt for you. “Thank you.” You said smiling at him.

AUTHOR : You guys then reach to the desired destination.

“Oh my my!” Said your mother you look so much healthy my baby! “Yea mom and I missed you guys, Im staying here for a week so that I can spend some time with you guys after I left in sorrow.” You say while hugging both of your parent. Changkyun saw the tears of happiness in your eyes and in your parents and he thought - “how much loving and caring could a person be? She’s the one for me, mature and perfect by nature and pretty by looks as well.” He was all in the thoughts 💭 then suddenly your dad say “Changkyun-ssi, I’m glad to hear that my daughter is in good hands, I’ll always be thankful to your parents for treating her as their own.” Said your father as he hugged Changkyun. “Oh no no, as we agreed to take the responsibility as promised we’re also doing our job, keeping Y/N happy and healthy, worry free.” He said while hugging back. “Oh dear, you guys are staying here, this makes my heart so much full.” As your mother said this, Changkyun replied “Im sorry to you Mr and Mrs. Yoo that I won’t be staying as I need to check on progress of my companies :), instead Y/N would fulfil my emptiness(presence) here” he said while holding your mother’s hand. “It’s okay dear, next time I want both of you to stay with us. That would make us more happy. But you’re a busy man and taking your time to drop my girl here, thank you.” Said your mother smiling to Changkyun. “No no it’s my job to see your daughter happy, my wife in fact.” He say while looking at your mom and then at you. “Come in for a while Changkyun.” Said your father. “Oh as I’m not staying here, I can at-least come in for coffee or tea.” Said Changkyun.

Your house was just like a normal big house. A little Japanese style, the structure with an open yard for meet up with guests. “Kyun?” You called him. “What do you want? Coffee or tea?” u asked him when suddenly your father interrupted “Whiskey! Haha my young man should try the Glenfiddich, a classic 12 year old” your dad said with a little laugh. “Dad it’s not the right time i-“ you said while looking at them and at Changkyun after. “Ohh I have had that one mhm” he said look at the bottle. “Kyun-“ you looked at him with an expression that stated - “it’s not right time kyun for whiskey 😭” he understood what you wanted to say then suddenly put the bottle aside. As he put that aside, he received an important call. “Dad maybe kyun’s busy so he might have to leave at the moment.” You say to your father and your father understands you. He said “mhm I have no problem, we still have time” he said patting you. “Thanks dad” you said whole hugging him. “I have to leave now Mr and Mrs. Yoo but I’m sure the next time I visit it’ll all be the whiskey 🥃” he said while holding your father’s hands. “Of course son! Let me help you out” he said and you all bid him a bye.

“Kyun!” You called him as he was gonna sit inside “wait-“ He stood there while holding the car door and you kiss him on his lips. He felt so good. He won’t describe it at the moment but surely will when you guys would be all alone together. He kissed you back and said in a low tone while holding your hands “I’ll be back soon, I miss you already..” he said while cupping your cheeks. “Take care, I’ll miss you, kyun” you said as he got in the car breaking the kiss.

AUTHOR : The time passed by and you were missing him so much to the extent that you almost teared up at times cause you felt that you left him alone at the house and how much he would miss you. He would call-text you when he was free but it wasn’t much like his actual presence. A week ended and it was finally when the time when he could kidnap you back lol. Im gonna skip the car part.

You arrived your home after a long time and seeing everything back again just made you happy. The scent of your own home just felt so good. Then you heard doorbell ring. You rush towards it cause you knew it might be your husband. “Y/N!” You said nothing but hug him. “Im sorry I couldn’t pick you up and you had to come here by yourself and even the driver wasn’t here today due to some personal reasons..” you said nothing still but just hug him. His scent was something you missed. Fresh roses and whiskey with burnt wood. That’s what he smelled like. Even after working too much, his scent never changed, it felt natural on him, his scent. Then you slowly let go the hug. “Changkyun Im” you said while looking close to his face. After what you just called him, he came closer to you as well while slowly throwing his blazer. “Keep looking at me like that and-“ you cut him off “didn’t you miss me?” You said after putting him in the MOOD and you backed up. “Miss dare to change the topic hm.” He said as he went to the couch and rested there. You turn back at him. “Now you kept me waiting like that you know how much I missed you?” He said while looking at you. “You called me by what earlier ?hm?” He then stood up and started walking towards you again. “Im actually glad someone else took you here or else I don’t know what would happen, I won’t even let us reach here by this time” he said teasingly. You became all red and nervous. It was all your fault that you set him in the mood and now you’re wanting to back up. It would be a big loss not to kiss a man who’s in the best mood. You knew he was not drunk but just sipped whiskey at work because he smelled like Ballentines and it secretly drove you crazy seeing him like that. Loose tie, white shirt and long silky hair with scent of Margiella was enough for you to surrender yourself.

You couldn’t believe you guys had an arrange marriage almost a year ago. “Y/N? Darling? You slept alone these days?” he said while going upstairs. “There was none to warm my side up.” You say while following him upstairs. “Aw” he said after reaching to the room door, he turned back to you. “Wash up, you might be tired from that travelling” he said while patting your head. He went to his office after saying but you had a feeling that you needed him so bad but he still seemed busy so you just interrupted him “Kyun~?”You called him, he turned back “hm?” he said starting at you. “Are you busy even in that kind of mood?” You asked him confidently. “What mood??” He said with a slight smirk and then continued walking towards his office room. Gosh it drived you crazy when your husband acted like that. You pouted and then went towards bathroom for a warm shower. You took 20 minutes for it and then came back out with a robe. When you entered your room, you saw your husband, arranging his clothes in the closet properly. You couldn’t help but stare at him. He caught you off guard. “Hm~? What’s something that Y/N is staring at?” He asked you while still putting his clothes back in the closet. “Im looking at Im Changkyun.” You say while moving to your closet. “Call me by my name again and I’ll show you what happens, darling” he said while looking at your eyes. You stopped and so did your heartbeat. “I wanted you so bad. Ever since I was there at my parents house. Couldn’t wait honestly but I saw your busy even after you came home from work. I’m not in a playful mood but I’m very serious about what im talking about.” You turned back at him and went towards his direction and you added on “Love, when you call me with nicknames, it drives me crazy. That I want you with me. Near me.” You said looking at his eyes. Not even realising how honest you were, you stopped. “Is that what my darling thinks about me? Just want me? What else?? I’m curious” he said while cupping your cheeks. “Kyun, are you really okay with me behaving like this all of a sudden.” You said and then he added “didn’t you notice me earlier? I behaved the same and you didn’t seem to have a problem as well. Even if I wasn’t like that and you asked me the same question, I wouldn’t hate it.” He said, then you added “I missed you besides me during night time”. This time as you spoke, he just said nothing but stare at your lips. Your lips, bare lips drove him crazy, he couldn’t resist your behaviour and lips of course so the next step he did, lead to a whole new scenario. To be completely honest, you and him were just awkward as you guys barely knew each other back then but as you guys got closer and got to know each other, man, it’s like complete opposite, now your totally lovers and I don’t think someone would actually think that this might be the arranged marriage. Not at all.

“As I said I missed you besides me at night, it’s cause the first word you would ever speak in the beginning of a new day is my name and I couldn’t hear it ever since, like a week and-“ you heard him say everything but then suddenly your lips meet his, you cut him off. It was your first ever kiss with your husband. Shocking but yes. All the year passed, you guys were just arranged but now it seems like your arranged to lovers. You could feel his lips taking the same feel as yours. Oh you loved him too much at this point. Your windows were all open which led to a cold air breeze moving inside your room and the white transparent curtains of your room just waving, the moon shined through as well. You had your left hand on his shoulders, and the other on the back of his head, grabbing his medium mullets lightly, black hairs, silky and smooth, his chest was almost exposed because he was wearing a simple white shirt with just three top buttons open. His shoulders were broad, broad enough to just trap you in there. Then slowly the kiss became insane, deep and more passionate and your right hand moved slowly back on his almost bare chest. Then after a few minutes you guys stopped, then his gaze went towards your eyes. “It’s would be a shame and disappointing decision on not marrying you, Y/N” he said looking at you. You’re all red, even though you have been this much close to him before but it still made you damn nervous. “Mmm look at you” he said in a teasy loving low tone. You looked away as you heard him say that, hiding yourself. “Wouldn’t you wanna say anything to your husband? I mean I wanna listen it from you, Y/N. Your bold I know mm, since you kissed me.” He said while leaning onto the couch in your bedroom. Then you turned back and said “anything for my husband but he’s too charming, my eyes couldn’t take the view.” You said and then ran back to the bathroom since you needed to change clothes (you were still in a robe). “Im waiting” said Changkyun while letting out a small chuckle.

AUTHOR : You took your time and then you came outside wearing a usual night gown, wasn’t too fancy but it made your body shape look SO GOOD.

Then you came in the room, you saw Changkyun laying down on his side of the bed while closing his eyes. You were confused and pouty. You thought to yourself that “he just asked me to wait and just did everything so hurriedly ://“ as you thought this, you went towards your side of the bed and laid down facing him. He’s so pretty and of course charming as usual but you became restless as you thought that meeting after a week long period, he just slept like that? You meant that you wanted to get lovey-dovey with him but here he just told you to come out as he was waiting. You were all restless, little angry. Then you turn to your side, facing away from him. You were little pissed 😭 cause he got u in the mood but then he dozed off. You mumbled in a little aggression “mmmhmm, tricked, cheatedㅠㅠ”

AUTHOR : You really thought he would let you go that way haha, he wasn’t asleep tho he was just wanting to see what and how you react. And it seemed like you waited for him to wake up. I mean you wanted to see if he was actually asleep or no but he didn’t react until he found out that he had enough play with you(lol) so he woke up and then he (smartass) took his actions when you were on the verge of sleeping ㅠㅠ. He just slowly moved his hand in your hair and whispered—-

“Mmm..sorry about playing like that, darling” he said and then he trapped you. You were in between his hands and his chest towards your face almost. He was on top of you. You were tricked again 😭. He just wanted you to be restless so he waited till u reached limits. “!!!!huh,oh??” you were all sweaty and nervous. “Kyun. You-“ you didn’t get time to say anything. He kissed you. He slowly lifted you up and now your position was like you on his laps facing him eye to eye. You become nervous and try to look away but also intrigued looking at him. You didn’t know what to do but you weren’t awkward. It drove you crazy since he took you on his lap. You were happy knowing that you can now officially act personal and however you wanted in front of him. He pulled you even closer, he was still wearing the white shirt and his hairs slicked back. His bare face is what you loved, those eyes, dark brown pupils which shone throughout the moonlight, as it entered through the open window. “Oh..kyun, it’s a shame not being able to love you..” you said looking all innocent (but he knows you aren’t😏) “mm? Love or fuck? You didn’t know me yet, Y/N, I never got time to show my real avatar..” he whispered in your ears which made you even want him more. You were all okay with what he was gonna do because he asked you many times that in future if there would be a time like this, would you be all ready? And you guys had enough time to find out until today as you both were out of limits. You loved loved loooovveedd his scent. You sniffed him and kissed him on his lips. He got excited to the extent that he took off his shirt and now was on his trousers and you? “Darling, it would be a shame not to appreciate your bare body, he said and asked you “Can you..remo-“ as he was about to say the whole sentence you just didn’t take seconds and took off your pretty floral nightdress which was almost translucent from the top and bottom as well. You wore tights. It was in his favourite colour- purple. The light shined on your body and highlighted his favourite parts, the chest and the collar. Changkyun didn’t have an ideal type cause he’s into someone’s personality but now looking at you, he felt like girls who look good in bikinis would work. But don’t worry, it’s just only gonna be you whom he’ll admire in that attire. You looked perfect. A normal body, not too skinny nor too over. He kissed you all over your neck and then slowly moved to your chest. You had big boobs, he started licking you as he moved down. You let out a moan. “Already moaning hm..?” He said while licking your neck and tummy back and forth. “Mmm~~kyun it tickles” you said being all crawled up. As you said, he just stopped to look at you. “Nuh uh.. you need to be rewarded but also punished for leaving me like this alone for week.” Said Changkyun then he started biting your neck and collarbones, you collar and neck was all his of course, it drove him crazy. You looked at him, he was all over you, looked like a hungry alpha. Whatever he just spoke, made you realised that he’s not gonna let you sleep tonight and you didn’t care about it because you wanted it. You indeed has a sex drive throughout the day, a high sex drive. “I don’t know, I mean you, you don’t know how much I missed you, I drank an entire bottle just because I was missing you. This was yesterday night.” He said kissing you all over. “Kyun~ punish me? Let it all out on me, it’s my fault for making you impatient.” You say whining over as you felt his saliva all over your chest. Plus it was all cold so that little wetness on your body because of sweat and saliva made you whinny. “Punish? You want me to do what I just said earlier ?? Hmm?” He said. He kept asking you which made you say it even louder because in between he would keep making you wet. “IM CHANGKYUN~~~ your too good, I’m gonna be so wet if you keep doi-“ he cut you off “Princess? I almost forgot that you’re messy down there already? Let me check” he said. He ripped your panties, it was too wet and it was shocking to him cause it was your first time as well.

“Next time I’ll bring you a lingerie, it would just look so alluring on you baby” he said in a deep husky voice. You reached too high to your limits that you wanted to be more pleasured so you started acting all slutty (😏). “Next time I’ll make you wait more kyun” you said as you kissed him shutting him up. That thought of buying you your first pair of lingerie drove you insane. He then pulled away the kiss as he heard you. “Mmh? Naughty much? So suddenly huh~?” He said then he slowly put his finger inside your clit. I thrusted it inside whenever you made a statement that he didn’t like. “Oh goddamn, you make my cock swell like..your asking me not to stop huh?Thrusting again, you moaned loudly, and your pussy clenching onto his cock so hard. “You’re totally in mood, huh?” As he said, the tone you couldn’t handle it put hop on his lap fully. “I’m always gonna be in the mood as long as your with me, husband~” you said while kissing his neck. He let out a relaxing moan. “Idk why but I want you so messed up right now~” he said while grabbing your ass and lifting u up to the wall and started biting you, all those love marks meant that you won’t dare to look at someone else but your husband. He’s passionately would be jealous of anyone getting too close to you. You were a science teacher married to a biomedical engineer who owned three big laboratories and companies, what else did you even need in your life? Nothing more nor less. Every touch of his would just make you crave for him even more. More than what a horny feeling contains. You didn’t have words to describe how good he’s in person but on the bed as well. “Kyun, don’t..don- go in too- harsh-“ you said as you were into him. His whole body just on you. He slowly slide in his dick inside you. He knew you wanted to relax, and just making you work too much for him, might not be good, he was a little too rough indeed but he did slow down at the BEST MOMENTS. The room was filled with warmth and just scent of wetness of sweat and his perfume. Gosh that Margiella scent, you felt like a pure heaven and that too after so many days, a week. He wanted to have sex, it was obvious. It felt like the first night of the honeymoon. If it was you, he wouldn’t control he knew this as well, he stripped down your already ripped panties and then went in and out as you felt good, too good. He does have a beautiful dick, you trembled a little so he held on you tight, you could feel that you already have his finger marks on your ass, those marks are of possessiveness. It was 12:00am sharp and the moon was shining bright onto your sweaty body. He then took you to the bathroom but on your way you guys were busy kissing that you missed the couch and fell on it, the couch was a leather couch, brown coloured and it was wide enough to let him have you all night, just laying on it.

He sucked over you. “Such a damn big..prett..y..nose, daddy~” you complimented while being on top of him, riding through out on his dick. He just kept staring at how good you looked riding on him, all the way down you were dripin’ so hard that he turned you over and glide inside the hole of yours, it was small but you just had your first time and that too all raw, “the best thing about us-..Is that I get it.. all raw~” Changkyun said as he licked your hole, he bit your inner thighs and just marked you. He just trusts you and loves you so much. He’s a kind of husband who just knows when your wrong and help you correct it. His sensation reached to your inner walls, just locked it all in. It was like him thrusting into you too much. My goodness it felt so goood, and he forgot about punishing you. He pulled you on him, too much passionate sex and that too no protection, all raw. You moaned too well. “Mm Ahh~” you sounded too good for him but you were all not in your state. “Daddy~” you said “Princess or Slut? Pick one” he asked as he kept on letting you ride him like an actual cowgirl. You were too busy enjoying for yourself. “I ask one more time~” he said then as he got no answer from you, he grabbed your ass, holding you in that position and threw you to the bed again. He threw you on the bed and he climbed on you. “I wanted MOREEE~~” you said to him cause he interrupted you. “So much fun for the living, now let me.” He said. “Now do as your daddy says mm?” He said as he looked at you. You looks so damn good even when your doing nothing but just lying on the damn bed all wet. “No~~” you said while biting your lips and all restless. “Whatever you wanna do but now it’s time for taking the remote control back~” he said while looking down your hole which of course was closed right now “I can’t see it Y/N so open your legs for your daddy~” he said while rubbing your inner thighs. You couldn’t open even if you wanted to because he already had you riding him for some time straight. “Let me then~” he hold your knees and opened your legs, in between all that condensed milk looking consistency oozing out like a river. “Too bad if I couldn’t have it” he said and he licked and sucked you down there. “Mmmmmmmm~” you led out a cry. Too much guilty pleasure for the living. He then turned you over to your chest side facing the bed and ass towards him. “Your pussy and ass both are who’s??” He asked you as he leaned towards you on the position. It was the most penetrative position ever, doggy style in lying position. He thrusted you in your small hole. Your clit was swollen as he turned you back over and kept going as restlessly as you were. You couldn’t even dare to move your legs as they got folded and twisted and things like that many times, it hurt because as he became more passionate, he became more rough. He then in the standing position took you to the bathroom.

“Your getting all this for being selfish earlier, hmm? Get it baby~?” He said. He put you on the bathroom counter besides sink and the mirror. Then you looked at him with tired af eyes and it immediately reminded you of what he might wanna do next. “Shit” you thought. Of course you didn’t want to see yourself like that in the mirror while your partner is doing you. It’s Changkyun, he’s too strong, even if you escape where else would you even hide? “You know why? You didn’t answer my question earlier~” he said while grabbing you back down from the counter and now he grabbed your waist from behind and made you look at the mirror, you refused. “Never mind it’s gonna be slut for now~” he said grabbing your boobs and squeezing them. “Aauah…mmmm, Kyun~~” you let out a moan. “Nuh uh.. what’s my name~???” He asked. “Kyun~” as he heard you say, he put his finger back down in your already too much swollen clit and rubbed it hard. He asked you five times, but didn’t get his desired answer. In between them wrong answers, he kept squeezing, rubbing and penetrating you hard. When I meant hard, it’s on the most passionate but insane level. You were tired, too much tired than you couldn’t stand up. “IM CHANGKYUN~~~!” You moaned and you let out a cry. “Good girls don’t answer late. But seemed like you’re a bad girl now hmm~? For answering late~”. He thrust his dick into you even harder, you dripping down too bad, it needed to be cleaned up. “Damn, that looks so~” he said kissing your back. You wanted to turn towards him as you couldn’t see the mirror. But he didn’t allow you. “Not until I make you see how beautiful you look this way Mrs. Im~” he said biting your shoulders which made you look up and moan. “Mm aah~~” you say as he finally made you see the mirror on his 7th attempt. Yes you just had 7 rounds of having intercourse with your husband. After then finally he let you turn back, facing towards him. You looked at him with tears and anger, not too much angry. “What hm? My Princess just needed..to see..her pretty body and how much more you look..in my eyes” he said kissing you all over your face and then neck. You hugged him at the position and those bites and kisses made you grab his back, muscular and stiff back with your long nails. As he kissed you, his kisses went down till your chest to the tummy and he got on his knees, kissing your cute belly. “A belly piercing ~? You didn’t know how much your making me want you more my darling~” he said to you as he licked your belly. You let out a small chuckle as it tickled you there. “I got it..~ for you.. Danny~” you moaned as he hold your waist and started biting your tummy as well. Gosh this man just likes being all possessive, not a single place on your body was left unmarked. All filled with cherry red marks. “You got the..piercing for daddy~?” He asked you while lifting you up and taking you back to your bed. “I knew you liked piercings..~” you said to him as he carried you, you facing towards him. “Jooheon told me once that you like.. girls who look good in bikinis and piercings~~” so I did them days after our wedding without letting you notice. I kept the moment for today~” you said to him. He heard you and threw you on the bed again. Having just sex and that too raw too, still seemed incomplete for him. He again caged you up. “I want to plant us a seed.” He said while kissing your chest. “And what does that mean~” you asked him even though you knew. “Baby~ idk if you’re ready for our mini version.” He asked you sucking through your tits. You said nothing but moaned. “Do I stop~?” He asked you. You shook your head restlessly. “While you sucking the second most sensitive part of mine~? No, Mr. Im~” you said while ruffling his hairs back. He chuckled and kissed your chest and went down to your belly again. “Knock ✊ knock~” as he knocked your belly. “There’s got to be someone in there soon~” he said while putting his dick inside you. Thrusting again but this time slow and steady, it all oozed out, the cum. It filled your walls and at the Highest time, your walls sucked all of that.

“I forgot to ask you~ would you be able to take our baby if you get pregnant~?” He asked you while stopping. “It’ll be our first little baby, kyun” you cried as you shared. “With you taking care of it? I’ll be so happy to give birth” you said while hugging him. You were all wet. “So should I plant?” He asked you and you replied “get in already~!”. As mentioned, he slit in this time not taking his dick out, instead, he filled you up with his seed. “Now if I let you let all that out..—“ you cut him off “too late, you fertilised me already~” you said as you kiss him on his lips very passionately.

AUTHOR : After that moment, he tucked you in the blanket and pat your head and massaged your legs. He realised he was too cruel and rough earlier so he helped you relief pain you had in your legs. They were sore and they pained since you kept them open😳😖. He helped you throughout until you fell asleep. He kissed you and lay besides you, hugging you and cuddling you with you burring your face onto his chest and then falling asleep. You guys were sooo cozy to look at.

BONUS

(The next morning)

You woke up the next morning and found out that your husband was asleep on your tummy i.e his head on your tummy. His hand was on your legs which made you think that he might have fallen asleep while massaging your legs. You just stared at him for some minutes then you ran your hands through his hair, cat like big man. “🐈‍⬛” as you stroked his hair again and again he just woke up. “Oh darling, it’s too early why are you awake?” As he said this, you replied “I was gonna say that to you~” you kissed him saying that. “Mm~?” He said. “You slept late I know, rest up cmon!” You say while slowly getting up the bed. You still had pain in there, you slowly trumbled upon. “Haha~ says the one who’s still tired~” he said and then teasingly grabbing your hand. You looked at him “😭”. “Aww my baby, cmere” he grabbed you on his lap. “How can I see you like that hm? Let me massage your body.” He said as he grabbed your waist and then massaging your back. “Mm not the backkk I want the legs!!” You ordered him. He turned on your side on his knees as he turn towards you and then sit in front of you and take one of your legs on his lap and pulls you. “You remember something~mm?” He said teasingly. You hit his lap and said “yah husband~!!”. He enjoyed you being getting teased. He just massages you till an hour. You felt so good. You slept again while he was massaging, it was clear that you did need extra sleep and so did your husband but he received a phone call from his work so he had to leave in a hurry. But the way he left, you didn’t even got disturbed from your sleep. At the end he put a note besides your bed’s side tables which went like-

“In the end, I think that taking care of yourself is the best way to love yourself and if you can’t then I’ll do it, I’ll be there for you always until- I’ll be home soon my love~”

(The above quoting is taken from an interview of MONSTA X spoken by Changkyun himself, not the same as the above but I moderated it to fit with the context. Also idk which interview he said so cause they didn’t really state the name.)

Proof-

The end 💜

📑 writer : @gor3rri

📢 IF YOU WANT TO REPOST OR POST IT SOMEWHERE, THEN MAKE SURE TO MENTION ME OR CREDIT ME - @gor3rri (eg: by @gor3rri on tumblr) THIS CONTEXT IS MADE WITH SOME HARDWORK, IF NOT THEN IT TAKES SOME TIME TO UPLOAD CONTENT LIKE THIS FOR YOU ALL SO I WILL HEARTILY APPRECIATE IF YOU DO THE ABOVE :)), thanking you all for your patience and understanding 📢

📑 I post new context weekly so stay tuned 📑

[holdonmars]

I am absolutely heartbroken for Aegon, I was feeling for him in every scene, like okay he is obviously not a good person but seing him being disregarded by every single person he knows made me feel so sorry for him.

He never wanted the throne but nobody listened, nobody cared.

And after he was forced to go through the succession he actually tried to be a somewhat decent king (even when he is painfully clueless and doesn’t know how to rule) because i don’t know maybe he thought that he was finally going to earn respect and love from his family but his efforts meant nothing, still nobody cared.

I think something shifted inside of him when he was crowned because when he looked back at his family he found recognition (or so he thought) and with that he found a purpose, maybe he was worth something, maybe he could be a good king, maybe his father did love him!

But everything that happened after that only shows him that literally no one is on his side, not even after losing his son, like he TRULY believed for a second his dad made him king and then Otto hit him with the reality card but oh well, his mom still believes in him, right, right????

he is put in the throne against his will and when he not only shows up but actually tries to do his job he is once again ignored and told to do nothing because they believe him worthless, of course he is irrational and impulsive, he is a child looking for attention, the hurt and confusion in his eyes truly made my heart ache for him and you can’t blame me for it

I don’t know if this makes any sense because a. english is not my first language and i probably wrote a ton of grammatical errors, b. it’s just my opinion pls don’t come for me i haven’t read the books and my opinion is based on the show and TGC portrayal of Aegon and c. i know he is a anything but a good brother, husband and person but im just taking a tiny part of his persona and making an opinion ok thanks byeeeeee

[bogkeep]

some time ago i watched This Video about ergodic literature and got inspired to get the book S. by jj abrams & doug dorst. i've finally started reading it and i have Thoughts

the video i linked shows and explains the premise of the book, but here's the tl;dr - two students(ish) are writing annotations in the margins of a novel called 'ship of theseus' by mysterious author V M Straka while passing it back and forth. they are getting to know each other as well as trying to solve the mystery of Straka. it's a non-linear epistolary story told through a footnotes, scribbled comments, and inserts such as postcards et cetera.

there's a couple reason this book caught my eye in particular:

- i love "two people getting to know each other through letters/accidental text messages/notes" trope. it may just be the internet denizen in me but i'm a sucker for characters who get to know each other through text.

- immediately intruiged by the mystery author's name, Straka - it means magpie in czech, so i feel like i'm getting a head start on the mystery because i'm the specialest little boy in the world!!!!

- it looks cool as hell

(i purchased a used copy that was apparently a library copy so it feels extra Authentic hehe)

ANYWAY i'm still very early in, but i have many impressions to chew on already. first off, i really love the whole premise/medium, and it looks Really Good. there's a lot of really cool details that make it look authentic (if we ignore the COMICALLY LARGE MARGINS) - the book absolutely looks like something i could find in my grandparents' bookshelf. the comments being written in different colours of pen to signal when in the chronology they were written is very good. everything is pointing to a Very Fun and Immersive reading experience.

howeverrrrrrrrrr

while i Am having fun so far, there's also a lot of details that keep shaking my suspension of disbelief. like i am trying my best to hold on to it - im accepting the Comically Large Margins and the silly premise that these two people absolutely had to pass the book back and forth to communicate. like i am fully on board with that. it's just... i feel like this book is trying to Appear more clever than it actually is?

i think maybe the main problem for Me Specifically is that it's pretending to be a book written by a Probably European author and translated to english, but S. was so obviously written/created by americans and not intended to be read by someone who knows any of the languages they're dragging into this.

i was correct in assuming Straka is meant to be czech, as ship of theseus was originally written in czech - but it's weird to me that the narrative is completely uninterested in like... the original? there is a foreword by the translator, who goes on and on about the mysterious circumstances under which v m straka died, but the fact that the original language is czech is mentioned in a *footnote*. i would think a foreword by a translator would, realistically, say more about their credentials or their actual process of translating. or is that weird??? i took a class in classical literature in uni where that's kind of a big deal so maybe i'm biased???

BUT ALSO the fact that straka's identity is So very mysterious and very possibly a pseudonym... if you're like, genuinely trying to untangle this mystery, wouldn't you make a note about the meaning of the name??? like wouldn't you put a picture of a magpie on your conspiracy board about it?? Straka is absolutely a valid czech surname because most czech surnames are seemingly random nouns or adjectives, but if you think it's a pseudonym then someone made a very deliberate choice!!!! HELLO!!!!!!

then they listed the names of people who are thought to possibly be v m straka (of varying nationalities), and like okay maybe i'm nitpicking but i has to take a pen and fix some of them. they used SOME special letters for some of the names but very sporadically - they wrote vaclav instead of václav, and ekstrom instead of ekström... like at least be consistent if you're going to ignore special letters!

the worst language offender by far is this:

if you want "the monkey dances" it's "opice tancuje". you could also do "opičí tanec" for "the monkey's dance". this particular abomination is causing me physical pain.

one of the first inserts i ran into was a letter written in swedish + a direct translation:

GUESS WHAT I CAN READ SWEDISH TOO... i can't tell if the "original" letter is supposed to be the swedish or the english one - while the swedish seems to be grammatically correct (I THINK), it extremely reads as Something Written In English And Getting As Directly Translated To Swedish As Possible. it reads very stilted and oddly phrased. i get the impression i'm not actually supposed to be able to understand it, it's just here for Flavour, and that's fine! this one i can easily justify as the swedish being the in universe translation.

here's another very small thing that made me sigh very deeply

"at what point does this book stop being straka's alone & become *theirs*?" THE BOOK IS CALLED SHIP OF THESEUS. AREN'T YOU GUYS DOING LITERARY ANALYSIS OVER HERE??? IT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER AND YOU'RE JUST SPELLING OUT THE PREMISE TO ME TO THE POINT OF CONDESCENSION.

like. okay. maybe not everyone knows what the ship of theseus refers to (also i want to point out it feels like a very english language phrase to me. it Does exist in czech but it doesn't sound like a good or catchy title i think) - but i really do feel like two university students doing a deep dive into this book + author would 100% analyse the meaning of the title, that's like 101 level stuff!! this comment would be so easy to save - just have Mr Black Pen add a quippy comment about this being a bit on the nose, or pointing out the aptness or irony of the title, Anything. it would add so much to the believability for me.

like i didn't study literature at a higher education level so maybe i'm completely off base, but i DID study art history, and it seems almost absurd to me that these characters are doing so much digging and mystery solving about the author's mysterious past and rereading all of his books to find out more... and not engage with the basicest basics such as, the original text(s) pre-translation, possible cultural contexts, tHE TITLE... why are they drawing connections from choices made BY THE TRANSLATOR that absolutely would not be there in the original czech!! !!???!!!????!!

anyway my biggest actual problem so far is that i'm really struggling to read the actual ship of theseus. i have fun reading the annotations, but the actual book... i am Struggling. i've never been any good at reading ~*The Classics*~ so it might just not be my vibe, but i'm not sure if TOS is even a Good Book? like in this universe it's Allegedly a classic and very iconic or whatever. and obviously it's a challenge to write A Classic that makes its mark on history. and gods know there's discourse about whether or not The Classics are actually good books and that's way above my paygrade. but idk i couldn't get through chapter 1 without skimming through it because it kept boring me so bad.

i suspect i might just, keep reading the annotations storyline and not bother too much with the 'book' part of the book. i genuinely wanna see where the story goes!! despite my complaints i Am sold on the emotional core of it.

i think the premise rules so hard but i really feel like the authors are too monolingual and american and maybe haven't read that many books????? i can't speak on the latter but the former.............. maybe im the one who's too european

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Any headcanons for passive Nightmare?

And if he were to meet Killer/young dream tale siblings?

Aw man I don’t check my inbox as frequently as I should. Too many unanswered questions going unanswered for too long. (Like 9 hrs to 2 days long)

Now the twins aren’t my main focus at the moment (and I beef with corrupted nightmare I hate him most of the time ong) but one HC I always had was that Dream keeps well kept, decorated wooden boxes filled with Passive’s favorite books. Ink paints the boxes with gorgeous colors and Swap carves in pretty symbols and decorations.

He tries to maintain the original copies and add new books written by Passive’s favorite authors, even if Passive died too young to read the books himself. Maybe in hopes that he’ll get his brother back one day and Passive will get to read them himself.

Because it’s been like 500 something years, I can see Dream painstakingly going through the trouble of writing down the written words onto paper and binding them himself every few years.

Or at least requesting/paying for someone to help him do so. I can also see Dream going through the trouble of translating the books into different languages, such as English, Old English, Spanish, etc, etc. any language that he knows Passive knew.

I also like to think that Ink draws pictures of Passive and young Dream and maybe how Passive would look if he were able to live and grow older for Dream. Dreamtale didn’t have the technology to take pictures, but luckily Dream is/was friends with an artist who is the protector of AUs & is also hyperfixated on AUs im pretty sure.

And Dream cherishes these a lot, not only because they’re accurate and it’s a way to further remember his brother, but because it’s a very sweet thing for Ink to do for him. I think Dream also cherishes these pictures as memories of his friendship with Ink, even after their falling out.

So I like to Hc that similar to the way people hc Nightmare/Corrupted to have a library in his castle, I like to think Dream maintains a little library of his own for Passive.

And maybe he entrusts the boxes of books to either Swap or Ink, keeping it somewhere safe in the Doodlesphere perhaps. And like Ink made sure to write down where he left the boxes on their scarf so he doesn’t forget where they put them.

And also Ink and Swap helps Dream hunt down any books that Passive liked that were lost in the 500+ year passage of time.

Now if Killer were to meet Passive, assuming Passive and Corrupted are the same person, I doubt his thoughts about Nightmare would really change. Passive would probably think Killer’s a weird, cryptic individual who is oddly interested in the black apples and yet seemingly unaffected by them too.

Passive would probably get the vibe that Killer knows something he doesn’t and is mocking him for it (regardless of if Killer actually is or not, Passive was a heavily bullied 6 yr old, most people he interacted with were often mocking towards him). I doubt Passive would feel comfortable around Killer, and Killer would enjoy making any version of Nightmare uneasy around him.

(Given how Killer projects his own shit with his Chara on to even Underswap Chara, despite eventually realizing that Underswap isn’t actually his Chara, I don’t doubt he’d do the same with Passive and Corrupted.

If Passive and Corrupted are separate entities, and assuming Killer knows that, at most he might give some cryptic “avoid doing this” bullshit type of advice.

If Passive was never meant to survive or grow up, which certainly seems the case just by going off the name of the AU—Dreamtale—then I doubt Killer actually believes he can do anything to change it. And why would he care to, his allegiances don’t lie with Passive in this case.)

[vryivs]

fanfic writer interview

thank you @tiesanjiaoshenanigans

How many works do you have on AO3? 52

What's your total AO3 word count? 571, 768

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

Tangerine, Macaron (seongjoong)

the dirt that you're made of (yanqing)

恋の予感 (the longest path to us) (seongjoong)

If I Can Leave One Memory (sansang)

the stars are here (seongjoong)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? yes!! i usually go through my comments right before i upload a new fic or chapter, just because that's easiest

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? god um ok. one sec. it's definitely 白镜 - White Mirror. tragic lesbians... most of what i write has a happy or at least ambiguous ending but this one follows canon so it's a tragedy instead

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? oh man! tbh it's probably 恋の予感 (the longest path to us) again. although nearly everything i write ends happy

Do you write crossovers? not rlly... they just don't appeal to me that much so I've never written them. i dont read them either

Have you ever received hate on a fic? nope! considering how long ive been writing it honestly kind of surprises me--its not even like i write particularly safe stuff either. i figure that maybe its because so much of my work is so personal that a people tend to maintain good etiquette and dont talk shit directly to me

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? yes. the cinematic kind lol. last time i wrote something explicit was fine, but i much prefer writing smut in a more literary style? not sure if that makes sense. the writing equivalent of close shots and fancy camera angles and lens flare, although that doesnt mean that i cant be crass when i want

Have you ever had a fic stolen? i dont think so, but its not like i check

Have you ever had a fic translated? nop! someday i want to get good enough to translate my own hsr work into chinese just bc so much of what i write is influenced by reading and learning about chinese culture and linguistic quirks, but that wont be any time soon

Have you ever co-written a fic before? yes!! several actually. lonely 'til you hold me was a collab with a pinch hitter for the event it was for. then i also wrote on my old account Accursed Spawn with @shineoftherainbow which to this day i am obsessed with

What's your all-time favorite ship? oh man... i am fickle and my tastes change by the week, but i think i will always have a soft spot for einsla, even if i dont write them much

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? never say never but probably the seongjoong royalty au. i had it planned and everything but then people started discoursing around eden and the planned ending i wrote was potentially too topical, so i waited and then i lost steam.

What are your writing strengths? flow i think? ive always been pretty good at keeping things moving at a good pace. i edit myself a lot (and practice editing on some actual published books too!) so its become second nature to chop and change and move things around.

What are your writing weaknesses? actually writing. just kidding. probably that when i get stuck on something i tend to focus only on the fact that im stuck and cannot continue until i have unstuck myself

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? depends on what is meant my this! if it's about honorifics in dialogue (eg, hyung, -chan, dajie etc) i support it, since a lot don't translate well to english. Same with terms of endearment like -ito and -ie. if it's whole dialogue, it really depends. am i supposed to be able to understand the dialogue? is it something that could've been written just as well with 'he says, in [language]', does the author understand what they're writing, is it a text based or verbal conversation? does the pov character understand what's being said? (personally the best way to have dialogue in other languages is if the pov character isn't supposed to understand it. but always be aware that a native speaker of that language may still read the fic)

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? kiamei! i love my lesbian mothers.

What's your favorite fic you've written?

白镜 - White Mirror. lets go lesbians! i really enjoyed writing in this style

tagging: @shineoftherainbow @himbodevotee @nicenightmare13 @morifiinwe @marichild @linhuine

[lenaswritingandstuff]

Your Teddy ~ Theodore Nott x f!reader (PART 3 & END)

Requested: No

Pairing: Theodore Nott x f!reader (+ SPOILER x f!reader - secret and non-reciprocal.)

Summary: y/n gets adjusted at her new life with Theo's help.

Word count: 6.2K

Warnings: swearing, English is not my first language

A/N: Thank God one of my classes on Wednesday was online and the other was cancelled otherwise I don't know when I could have written it lmaooo. ANYWAY. Thank you guys so much for +270 followers, love y'all!! Comments and feedback are always appreciated. Sorry for the typos. Hope you enjoy it! xx

Tag list: @helendeath @im-jesus @wolfyychan @blocked-zombieartist

Tag list for this story: @veryberryjelly @revesephemeres @mgchaser @nojamsonmytoast @cometmultiverse

PART TWO

“Darling?” your mother calls from downstairs. “Dinner is ready!”

Putting your book away, you rose from your bed and let out a silent sigh. The day after your conversation with Theo, your parents insisted you get home to rest, and, while you didn’t want to leave Hogwarts, they seemed to want you with them so bad that you had reluctantly accepted. You had now been home for over two weeks, two weeks spent reading books to learn some things and reading letters from Pansy and Theo. While Pansy’s letters were enjoyable and kept you updated on classes and the current gossip at school, you had to admit you awaited for Theo’s letters the most. He wrote to you about his daily life, sometimes making you laugh with a joke or when he told you about what funny thing one of his friends had done or said, and always ended the letter with the same sentence: I miss you. Those words shouldn’t make you feel the way they did, but they did; and you shouldn’t be missing Theo that much, but you were. 

From the moment you saw him, Theo had captivated your mind. You didn’t know if it was the way he had hugged you when he stormed in the hospital wing, the way he looked at you with those blue eyes of his, or just him, but ever since you had seen him in the hospital wing, you had a hard time not thinking about him. When you had realised what having lost all your memory meant, you were scared some people would lie to you or pretend to be someone they weren’t, but for some reason you knew Theo hadn’t lied. You had felt incredibly guilty when you saw how hurt he was when he learnt you didn’t know who he was - and still felt that way. But now, you also wanted to get to know him, and to spend time with him. There was something about him that just drew you towards him. It was partly physical, because, well, he was gorgeous, but also in his personality, how soft his voice was when he was talking to you, how patient and understanding he was, and how he made you feel safe without even trying. And now, after three weeks of only writing to each other, you couldn’t wait to see him again - but never dared to say it. I’ll try to tell him I miss him in my next letter.  

Leaving your room, you went downstairs to find your parents around the table, your mother bringing dinner to the table and your father finishing to set the table. They immediately smiled at you, and you smiled back. Your parents had been nothing but kind and understanding during your stay, but they constantly tried to make you remember things, so much so that you started to feel a bit overwhelmed after a while - which was another reason you couldn’t wait to go back to Hogwarts. 

“Got some rest, darling?” your father asked, sitting on the other side of the table.

“I hope you don’t overwork yourself, sweetie,” your mother continued. “You’re here to get rest and recover.” 

“I’m fine,” you assured them with a smile, sitting down.

“Are you sure, darling? I have to say, you look a bit tired.”

Your mother was right, and there was a reason for that fatigue. Each night, you had terrible dreams about your abduction - dreams or memories, who knew? - and you were now almost afraid to sleep. Like you had told Theo, you were thankful you didn’t remember anything about your kidnapping, but having those dreams brought you a bit of anxiety. You hadn’t told anyone, because you were scared that your parents would freak out, and didn’t tell Theo in order not to bother him. You ate your plate, not saying a word as your parents talked about everything and anything. Once you were done, there was a moment of comfortable silence, and you cleared your throat. 

“I have something to ask you guys,” you said. 

“What is it, dear?” 

“I’d like to go back to Hogwarts,” you answered, not beating around the bush. “I think I’m fully recovered now. It was nice being here, and I appreciate everything you did for me, but I think it would be good for me to go back to school.” 

Your parents shared a look, and for a second you thought they were gonna insist you stayed here.

“If that’s what you want, y/n,” your mother said, “then we support you.”

“We’ll write to Professor Dumbledore tomorrow,” your father nodded. “It will be good for you to be with your friends again.” 

“And Theodore,” your mother added with a wink. 

You felt your cheeks becoming pink and looked at your plate.

“He’s a good lad,” your father smiled.

“I hope you guys will…find a way to get back to the relationship you had,” your mother said gently. “You loved him a lot.” 

You nodded, and after a long moment of your parents telling you stories about your childhood, you decided to bid your parents goodnight - which always included a hug - and went back upstairs to your room. You lit a candle, as it was dark outside, and sat down at your desk before grabbing a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink. 

Dear Teddy, 

I was supposed to stay a little longer with my parents, but I really want to go back to Hogwarts now. My parents will write to Professor Dumbledore tomorrow, and I hope to be at school in the next few days. 

I miss you.

y/n

You then turned to your owl, who apparently had the habit of going to sleep at the same time as you, who made a small noise as if to greet you as you opened its cage. 

“Can you take it to Theo?” you asked your pet. 

You gently stroked its feathers, and then your owl took the letter and flew across the opened window. 

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

You stepped out of the chimney, and, as expected, found yourself in Professor Snape’s office. He was sitting on his desk, apparently grading students’ work, and barely raised his eyes to look at you.

“Good evening, Professor.”

“Miss y/l/n. I hope you’re fully recovered.”

His last words surprised you, as you had found him cold and severe during the few minutes you saw him in the hospital wing. 

“Yes, thank you, sir.”

“Then I shall see you in class.”

“Yes, sir.”

Carrying your luggage, you left his office, and, as you expected, you found Pansy waiting for you in the corridor. She immediately opened her arms and almost ran to give you a hug, which you gladly accepted.

“Aw, darling, I’m so happy you’re back! How do you feel?”

“I’m good.”

But your attention was on the person behind her. Theo was leant against the wall, his hands in his pockets. You detached yourself from Pansy, and Theo and you started to walk towards each other. You felt your heart beat faster, and it even beat faster when Theo gave you a small, shy, smile. Did I feel that way before?

“Hey.”

“Hey. It’s nice to see you.”

“You too.”

It was a bit awkward, as neither of you knew what to do - a hug? A kiss? - but Theo stared at you for a second before stepping closer, gently cupping your face in his hands and kissing your forehead. You closed your eyes, enjoying his touch and his lips on your skin much more than you thought. After the kiss, his hands remained on both sides of his face before he took them away, and you felt disappointed and sad.

“Thank you for your letters,” you said. “I really enjoyed receiving them.” 

“I liked your answers, too,” he said. 

You smiled at him, and suddenly Pansy chuckled.

“Come on, you bloody lovebirds, let’s go.”

You and Theo shared an amused look before you all went to the Slytherin common room, which was near. 

“We should go get dinner,” Pansy said. “y/n, dear, how about you put that luggage in your bag and you’ll unpack after dinner?”

“Alright,” you nodded.

After all, you were hungry too. Pansy led to your dorm, as you honestly didn’t remember where it was, and you put your luggage inside before going to the Great Hall alongside Pansy and Theo. On the way, Pansy kept talking about all that happened while you were gone, but only heard half of it as your hand kept touching Theo’s, which made you somehow want to hold it - or at least to have some physical contact with him. I’m going crazy, you thought. Why do I want to touch someone who’s still a stranger? 

Once in the Great Hall, you sat between Pansy and Theo, who introduced you to his friends, who all greeted you warmly. You looked around, trying to familiarise yourself with the large, beautiful crowded room. As you had lived in a quiet house for weeks, all the noise around made you feel uneasy and comfortable. Only Theo seemed to notice, as he grabbed your hand under the table. You turned to him, and found him giving you a reassuring, warm look. You squeezed his hand, both to show thankfulness and affection, and he gently stroked the top of your hand. You started to feel better, and focused on the conversations the boys were having. You didn’t participate in it, as you had ho idea what they were talking about half the time, but you laughed at their jokes - and, with each laugh, Theo and you shared a look. Once you were done eating, Pansy and you decided to go back to the common room - as it was still too early to go to bed -, and the boys followed. After sitting on one of the green couches, again next to Theo, for two hours spent listening to the boys, sometimes talking to Pansy and again feeling the push to touch Theo’s hand. As it was now getting late, the boys started to go to bed, as they started classes early tomorrow, but unlike earlier, Theo didn’t hesitate to once again cup your face in his warm hands and kiss your forehead, but this time, you got on your tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. 

“Good night, Teddy.”

“Good night, cara mia.”

You blushed at the nickname, before following Pansy - whose dorm was not far away from yours. 

“I promised to spend the night with Daphne,” Pansy said, apparently feeling guilty. “Her dorm is the one next to yours, so I won’t be very far if you need me, okay? You got along very well with Daphne before your…um, departure. She won’t mind at all.”

“Don’t worry about me,” you said. “I’m actually tired, so I don’t think I’ll have a hard time falling asleep.” 

“Alright.” Pansy hugged you, “Sleep well, dear.”

She gave you one last hug before entering Daphne’s dorm, leaving you alone in the silent corridor. You went into your dorm, closing the door behind you. You looked at the unfamiliar room full of unfamiliar objects. It felt as if it all belonged to someone else. Trying to ignore the feeling, you unpacked your bag, went to take a shower and then went to bed. Tomorrow, Pansy would give you a list of all the things they saw in class while you were gone and it was going to take you a while to catch up on everything - and if you didn’t manage to, it was going to be even harder to pass your exams at the end of the year. 

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“y/n, wake up! Come on, wake up!”

You jolted awake, trying to catch your breath. The dark, cold room and the unfamiliar voices that had been plaguing your sleep were still fresh in your mind, and your first reflex when you felt two hands on your shoulders was to try to pull away.

“Amore, it’s me!” 

It took you half a second to realise you were in your dorm, safe, and that it was Theo in front of you. 

“Teddy?” 

He nodded, and sat on the bed. “I had the feeling I needed to check up on you, and when I came you were having a nightmare.” 

He started stroking your shoulders with all the tenderness in the world, and, almost without realising it, you put your head in his chest, and he immediately wrapped his arms around you, holding you as close as he could, and put his chin on the top of your head.

“It’s okay, baby, I’m here.” 

He pressed a light yet tender kiss on your temple and your heart, which had been beating very fast from waking up so abruptly, starting beating normally. After a while, you felt better, and not once did Theo move. 

“Thank you, Teddy,” you whispered.

“Of course, tesoro.”

Despite wanting to stay in the comfort of his arms, you detached yourself from him, but he kept one of his arms around you. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, his thumb stroking your skin.

You shook your head, and he gave you a nod. 

“I don’t remember much,” you said. “But… Teddy?”

“Hum?”

“Would you…Would you mind staying here with me?” you asked more shyly than you thought.

Theo looked at you and had a soft half smile. 

“I’d like nothing more, love.” 

He bent to press a kiss on your temple and you moved to the side of the bed to give him as much space as you could. Once he was ready, he gently brought your head to his chest before putting one arm around your waist and the other in your hair. Instinctively, you put one hand on the side of his neck, and after a short moment, you felt your whole body relax. You closed your eyes, and suddenly realised Theo smelt amazing.

“You smell good,” you whispered without thinking.

He had a chuckle, and you couldn’t help but smile.

“You used to tell me that often,” he said. “But thank you, cara mia, you smell good too.”

He started playing with your hair, and you fell asleep to the beating of his heart and his warmth.

When you woke up the next morning, your head was in the crook of Theo’s neck, and one of your legs was over one of his. His arms were still tightly wrapped around you, and, looking at him, you couldn’t help but smile at how adorable he looked when he was sleeping. You put your head back, wanting to enjoy the comfort of his warm embrace for a moment, but you realised it was time to wake up. You pressed some kisses on his cheek, and after a while he started slowly moving. 

“Wake up, sleeping beauty.”

He groaned before he finally opened his eyes, and his lips immediately turned into a smile. He looked at you for a moment, and brought his hand to your cheek.

“I almost forgot how good it felt,” he said almost to himself.

“What?” you frowned. 

“To wake up with you in my arms.” 

“It feels good too,” you whispered, caressing his hair. “And I know it felt good before my abduction.” 

There was no way it didn’t feel like that before. If only I could remember…

“We should get up,” you said.

He nodded and had a small sigh, “Yeah, we should.” But then he smiled, “But five more minutes, please?” 

You laughed and nodded.

“Alright, five more minutes.” 

But, as you should have expected, five minutes into ten, then twenty, and finally thirty before you managed to have him let you get out of bed. You rose from the bed, which made him groan in annoyance, and as you went to the bathroom to get your school uniform, you turned to the bed, where Teddy hadn’t moved.  

“Teddy, come on!” you laughed.

“You know, cara mia, no one would mind if you only started class tomorrow.”

You know he was likely to be right, but you shook your head.

“Maybe, but I have enough to catch on already. I can’t afford to be even further behind.”

“I’ll help you,” he said, sitting. “You were always a very good student, why shouldn’t you be now?”

“Maybe I was, but now it’s different.” 

Teddy stared at you, and you immediately knew what he thought. Yes, it is different now.

“I can still help you,” he said.

You nodded, “I’d love that, Teddy.” 

He finally got up, and agreed to go dress up in his dorm when you asked him.

“We’ll meet in the common room in five minutes,” you assured him. 

And as promised, you met there five minutes later, both all ready for the day. It felt a bit weird to be in a uniform, but you did your best to ignore it. After all, everyone was wearing it. Theo and you sat again with his friends and Pansy, who immediately asked you how was your night.

“Oh, really good.”

You and Theo shared a look and you felt yourself blush. 

After breakfast, you walked with Theo to class, with him sometimes giving you information about the castle, or something you saw. On the way, some students came to you to tell you they were happy to see you again, and each time, you felt thankful but awkward. But thankfully, Theo didn’t leave your side once, and always let you know who the person was - friends for the most part. They were Slytherins for most, but as you came closer to class, it was a Gryffindor boy, with dark hair, green eyes and glasses, who approached you.

“y/n? Hi, how are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” 

You noticed the strange scar he had on his forehead, but it felt impolite to ask him about it. 

“Back off, Potter,” Theo said coldly. “We don’t have time for you.”

“Teddy, don’t be rude,” you frowned.

“I was just asking how she was,” the Gryffindor boy said calmly. “I wasn’t talking to you.” He turned to you with a kind look, “I’m glad to see that you’re alright. But…You really don’t remember anything?”

Theo opened his mouth to answer but you were faster.

“No, unfortunately. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?” 

“Harry,” he simply answered. “I’m Harry. We…” 

This time, Theo sighed.

“It is really kind of you to ask how my girl was, Potter, but if the Chosen One will excuse us, we’re gonna be late for Potions.”

He put an arm around your waist, and before you could say anything, led you to the end of the corridor. You gave Harry a look of excuse, but he only stared at you.

“Teddy, that was rude,” you said as you entered the Potions room. “He was nice.”

“Not all people are as nice as they look, love,” he simply said and you rolled your eyes. 

“But, if he asked me how I was, he must have been a friend, no?”

Theo had a small, annoyed sigh. “That’s a big word. But your closest friend is Pansy. And also Daphne, I guess. If you need more friends, ask Pansy to introduce you to girls from our house. Or at least, who aren’t in Gryffindor.” 

Theo indicated you a seat in the middle of the class, and sat next to you.

“By the way,” you asked, “what is that strange scar he has?”

Theo sneered, “Long story.”

You were about to ask him when Professor Snape came in, and all conversations faded at once. He gave instructions for the rest of the lesson, and you and Theo worked on the potion. You laughed a few times because Theo couldn’t stop making jokes. Snape eventually noticed and came over.

“Mr Nott, do focus on the potion. Miss y/l/n needs to concentrate if she wishes to get back to the same level as the rest of the class, and I think your immature foolishness will make it harder.”

“We’re sorry, professor,” you apologised. “I was a bit nervous, as it is my first class since I got back, and Teddy was only trying to help…in his own way.”

Snape stared at you both and left without a word. Theo and you looked at each other and had a hard time not laughing.

“Dumbledore must have asked him to be nicer to you,” he whispered as he stirred the potion. “Usually, we would have got detention. Or at least a threat of it.” 

The rest of the class went smoothly, and so did the rest of the day, with all the teachers telling you they were there if you needed anything, and helping you if needed. As the last class of the day ended,  you put your book in your bag and rose from your seat. Theo did the same, and you started walking to the door, but Theo didn’t move. 

“Pansy and I need to talk to Professor McGonnagall,” he said. “It’s gonna take a while,” he sighed. “Hey, how about you go to my dorm - it’s the first one after the serpent symbol - and eat the snacks I left there? You used to like them.”

You were a bit surprised, but nodded. You left the class, and walked down the corridor when you heard a voice from your left side.

“y/n!”

You turned your head and saw Harry in a smaller, darker corridor. 

“Harry?”

“Can we talk?” 

Your eyes went to the door of the class, where Theo still was.

“Sure.”

You walked to place yourself in front of Harry, and you noticed he looked at you strangely. 

“I’m sure you’ve been asked this several times, but you don’t really remember anything about your abduction?”

“No,” you shook your head. “Nothing.”

You could have talked to him about the nightmares, but if you didn’t tell Theo, the person you were the closest to at the moment, why would you talk to a stranger about it?

“And,” Harry continued, “what did they tell you about it?”

You frowned, trying to remember the first conversation you had with Professor Dumbledore. “Well, they said I went to, um, Hogsmeade, I think, alone, and that’s where I was last seen. Apparently I was kidnapped because my parents work at the Ministry. They also don’t know where I was being held or how I escaped.” 

Harry thought for a second. “And what did tell you about the Death Eaters?”

You frowned again, “Not much, only that they worked for someone with bad intentions. But I’m aware I was likely interrogated and tortured, though. Why?”

“Nott,” Harry said. “His father used to work for that ‘someone with bad intentions’. Malfoy’s father too. Oh, and, Nott’s best mate Riddle, he’s the son of that someone.”

You tried to register his words. Theo’s father? You knew Theo did not see him much, and never thought much about it. Draco? Who has been nothing but polite and kind to you? And Mattheo, the funny Mattheo who constantly teased Theo like a brother, and was friendly and warm? After all, you didn’t know any of them. For all you knew, they might have lied all along. 

“You…think they know something?” 

Harry shrugged, “Who knows. All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t trust anyone. I…just want you to be safe, okay?” 

He opened his mouth to say something else but kept silent. 

“I’ll be fine,” you assured him. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m here if you need anything.”

You nodded and after giving him a polite smile, you went back to the corridor, and walking down it, you ran into Professor Snape.

“Miss y/l/n.”

“Sir?”

“The Headmaster wishes to see you in his office at once. Please follow me.”

You nodded and followed him through numerous corridors. He made you enter a beautiful room with several windows, where the Headmaster was waiting for you. 

“Professor, Miss y/l/n.”

“Thank you, Severus. Please, Miss, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable.”

You approached his desk, and sat on one of the large grey armchairs - which were far more comfortable than they looked.

“If you allow me, Miss, how do you feel?”

“I’m well, thank you, sir.” 

“And how was your first day here?”

“Very good, sir. I’m glad to be back in class with my classmates.”

 “Good, good. And, one last question, did any of your memories come back?”

You shook your head, “No, sir. I tried to remember anything, even small things, but in vain so far.”

Dumbledore nodded. “I expected it, do not worry. However, if I made you come here today, it’s not only to make sure you are well, but also, giving your answer to my last question, to tell you there is maybe a way to find your memory back.”

Your eyes widened in surprise, “Really?”

“Yes. Please, come”

You rose from the armchair and followed him to a small, beautiful basin you hadn’t noticed. 

“This is a Pensieve,” Dumbledore said kindly. "If I put a memory inside, I can watch it. Even the details I don’t remember will be there. However, in your case, I have a bit of hope that, if you put your head inside, you might find your memory again, or at least some of it.” He paused before continuing in an even kinder voice, “But if you do not wish to try, I will not force you. All you have to do is to say ‘no’ and I walk you to the door and wish you a good evening.”

“I want to try.”

For me, and for Teddy. He deserves it. 

And also to see if they’re all lying. 

Dumbledore smiled, “I’ll admit I’m happy to hear it, young lady. So, whenever you’re ready…You will just need to hold your breath for a moment…"

You nodded and walked to the basin, putting both your hands on it. You held your breath, and, having the reflex of closing your eyes, put your forehead forward in the liquid. Your eyes opened by themselves, but no memory came. No scene with your parents when you were a child,, or here at school with Pansy or Theo. The liquid seemed to move a little, as it was being stirred, but eventually, all you saw was white. You waited for a moment, before going back to the surface. You breathed again, and realised, stupidly, that you weren’t even wet. 

“Nothing, sir,” you said, feeling ashamed as if you had failed an exam or didn’t understand something that even a five year old got. “There was only white.”

The Headmaster nodded, “Yes, so I thought. Trust that I’m sorry, Miss. But I will continue looking for a remedy. In the meantime, if your friends or Mr Nott want to show you a memory they have, my door is always open.” 

“Thank you, sir.”

“I believe it is now time for me to wish you a good rest of your evening.”

“Good night, sir.”

You left the office and, after getting lost a few times, managed to finally find your way to the Slytherin’s common room. You heard familiar voices as you came in, and several faces immediately turned to you.

“y/n!” 

Theo and Pansy rose from the green couches and almost ran to you.

“Where the hell were you?” Theo asked in an angry voice. “We searched for you everywhere.”

“I’m sorry,” you said, not expecting him to behave like that, “I was with Professor Dumbledore, he wanted to see how I was doing.” 

“Oh,” Pansy said. “That explains why we couldn't find you. Well, I have to go to the library to do some homework, so I'll see you both later.”

After Pansy left, Theo took your hand and gave you a large smile.

“I have a surprise for you, amore. In your dorm.”

“A surprise?” you said with a smile. 

“Yes,” he laughed. “Pansy and I actually didn’t have anything to tell McGonagall, we just needed to make sure everything was ready. That’s why I asked you to leave. Come on.”

His hand in yours, he led you to your dorm, where he slightly opened the door. 

“Close your eyes, love.”

A smile on your face, you closed them, and Theo put his hands on your shoulders to lead you in, and once you were inside, he put them around your waist. 

“You can look, baby,” he whispered in your ear.

You opened them, and saw the room had completely been transformed. There were flowers and at least thirty small lights in the air (A/N: Like in Disney’s “Tangled”, except it’s not lanterns) all arranged in a precise manner alongside shooting stars, and on your bed were several snacks and several presents. 

“Teddy! It’s so beautiful!” you said, and, without thinking, kissed him on the cheek.

“I’m glad you like it, cara mia. Come.”

The both of you sat on the bed, and he presented all the snacks - and the drinks - he had brought.

“I only took your favourite,” he smiled. “I can’t wait for you to try them.”

The feeling of guiltiness you had when the Pensieve didn’t work came back and you sighed. Maybe I can at least tell him that I tried somehow… 

“I tried,” you said. “In Dumbledore’s office. He…tried to make me remember, but…nothing came. I’m sorry, Teddy. I really want to remember, I promise you.”

“Amore, don’t be sorry,” he cupped one of your cheeks and pressed a kiss on it. “I know you would do anything to remember. And I know it’s not your fault.” 

You nodded before clearing your throat. “Teddy, I…I have a question.”

“Go ahead, amore.”

“Is it true your father used to be a Death Eater?”

Theo looked at you for a while, with both surprise and confusion.

“What? Who told you?” 

You hesitated, but decided to be honest. “Harry. He came to talk to me after class, and…”

“God damn it!” he said, angry now. “This little fucker always have to ruin things. Ever since we got together, he always tried to put ideas into your head.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “y/n, look, it’s true my father used to work for You-Know-Who, but I don’t know if he went back to him after his return, and I don’t care! He could die and I wouldn’t care! I don’t care about him, what he does or what he believes in. All I care about is us and, well, my friends, but I don’t give a damn about anything else!” 

“Teddy,” you said, “I know you care! I’m not saying you’re like him, but maybe through your father and Draco’s, we could find a way to find out who abducted me.”

Theo looked at you, apparently thinking. “We could try…But even if my father or Draco’s father or even his aunt know something, I don’t see them telling us anything unless we use Veritaserum. And we would have to wait for the next school break to ask them.” 

“I can wait,” you say. 

Theo sighed, “If that’s what you want, we’ll make a plan. But, tonight, can we just celebrate being together?” 

Both his voice and eyes were pleading, and all you could do was nod.

“Of course, Teddy.”

He seemed to relax, and, one by one, handed you the presents. There were books, an album filled with pictures of you and Theo, a small book where Theo had written all your memories together, and, to finish, some jewellery - a gorgeous necklace with a heart-shaped diamond, a ring with a small white flower on it - and you thought there was no more gifts and was about to give him a “thank you” kiss on the cheek but Theo took a small grey bag from his back. 

“This one is special,” he said before handing it to you.

You took it with a smile, and opened it. There was a beautiful, small bracelet inside. You took it out and was about to put it on when Theo reached a hand out.

“Do you mind if I put it on your wrist?”

“Sure.

You gave him your wrist and he put the bracelet, but he didn’t let go of your wrist, looking instead at it and caressing it with his thumb. 

“This bracelet is different from the other gifts,” he said. “I gifted it to you on our first anniversary. It has never left your wrist ever since, except once.” You frowned and he looked at you, “when you got abducted, you lost it. I found it on the ground when I was looking for you, and I knew something was wrong.” 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, “Your absence was killing me, cara mia. We were never separated since we got together, you know. Even during school breaks, you invited me to your home. Not only that, I didn’t know where you were and could only imagine what you were going through. Even my dreams were filled with nightmares of you facing unspeakable things alone. I couldn’t think of anything but you and how I missed you. I stopped going to class and going down for meals. I would have done anything to get you back, you know? I know I’m still a stranger to you, y/n, and it’s probably too early, but I love you. More than anything, more than my life. You’re all I have, you know? My mother is dead, my father doesn’t give a damn about me. Sure, I have my friends but you…God, y/n, you’re…everything. All the joy and happiness I have, I owe it to you. You taught me to be kinder with others but also with myself, and to have faith in me and what we had. I never took you for granted, and it hasn’t changed. But now, I can’t stand to be apart from you. I totally understand if you want to take things slow, and I will earn your trust and love again, but, please, just…just give a chance, amore. A chance to show you why I’m your Teddy and why you’re my y/n, and to make up for the time we lost. That, even if you don’t remember it, there is a reason why we were together. If you never get your memory back, it’s fine, I’ll spend hours telling you about every moment we had together in detail, and we’ll create new happy ones. I…love you, y/n.” 

After his last words, there was a silence and you could almost feel the weight of his words sinking in, going straight to your heart. That’s when you realised the attraction and the pull you had felt towards him from the moment you saw him was completely normal because Theo, with his large blue eyes and his adorable accent, was your soulmate. There was no doubt why you had loved him. Unable to say a word, you brought your hands to his cheeks and kissed him. The surprise caused him to not kiss you back immediately, but once he did, it was with all the longing he had felt ever since you had disappeared. One of his hands found your waist while the other was on one side of your neck. Your heart started beating faster and you felt something in your stomach before, all of a sudden, you felt as if you were struck by lighting. Your eyes opened by themselves, and images came rushing into your head. 

You playing with your parents as a child, buying your wand, being sorted into Slytherin, your first conversation with Theo and Pansy, all the classes and exams, your time spent with Theo before you guys dated, the moment you realised you were madly in love with him, your first date and first kiss, all the times you guys cuddled, the first time you spent the night loving each other, and, finally the last time you saw him before your abduction. Then, memories of a dark, dirty room and people wearing black pointing their wands at you, screaming in pain as you swore you didn’t know anything, and then, finally managing to escape and run back to the forest where you passed out. You felt tears coming out of your eyes, and broke the kiss.

“I love you too, Teddy. More than anything,” you whispered. 

He frowned, full of confusion, and you stroked his cheeks. 

“I…I don’t know why, but the kiss, it brought back all my memories back. Our first date was a picnic near the lake, right? That’s when we had our first kiss.”

He didn’t say anything but nodded. “You…You remember.”

It was your turn to nod before hugging him, stroking his hair and inhaling his comforting scent. 

“It’s the bracelet,” he suddenly said before breaking the hug. “When I bought it, the man at the shop told me it had magical properties, but I didn’t listen. I was late for class and wanted to have time to create a surprise for our evening. Maybe it remembers its owner?”

“Maybe,” you agreed. “But whatever it did, I’m glad you decided to give it to me that day. I always saw it as a symbol of our love, and now I truly believe it is.”

Theo nodded and you stared at him, admiring how gorgeous he was.

“I love you,” you said, “my Teddy.”

He kissed you again, this time with passion, and you knew this night was the first of many beautiful new memories together. 

(A/N: The bracelet, as Theo said, was magic. When y/n was abducted, a tear fell from her eye to bracelet, and we know memories can be found in tears. So the bracelet basically saved the memories and when she put it on, her memories came back.)

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Hello! When I made my first Metropolis (1927) post I mentioned the 2001 german radiodrama adaptation and a few people in my notes were like '👀 ?' and since I like it so much and I want more people to know about it and i think translating stuff is pretty fun anyway, Ive decided to write up this english transcript. I would still recommend properly listening to it if you can, its a little over an hour long, because I think the sound design and overall direction is absolutely amazing. Especially towards the beginning, it creates this very surreal atmosphere where youre really put in Freders head and experience this intense disconnect that he has with the world around him, its so fascinating. Unfortunately I think it does lose that as it goes on and it becomes a bit more conventional, but I mean its still pretty good overall. Honestly, out of all the pieces of Metropolis Media ive seen its probably my favorite (I havent read the book yet but given what the author apparently said about its themes Im not expecting to like it that much tbh)

You can find it on the internet archive and on the ARD audiodrama database. Since the version on the internet archive was pulled from someones personal casette it does have a small 'imperfection' where it skips a word, but its just one word you'll barely notice it and its in perfect condition otherwise, I thought it was some stylistic choice at first lol

Anyway, thats all for now, lets get into the transcript

Metropolis.

By Thea von Harbou and Fritz Lang.

Adaptation: Michael Farin.

***

MARIA: Heart. [echoing] Somewhere.

JOH FREDERSEN: Brain. [echoing] Nowhere.

MARIA: Heart.

ROTWANG: Hands. [echoing] Nowhere.

JOH FREDERSEN: Brain.

ROTWANG: Hands. [echoing] Nowhere.

JOH FREDERSEN: Brain.

MARIA: Heart.

FREDER: Heart, brain... [echoing] Somewhere.

JOH FREDERSEN: Brain.

ROTWANG: Hands. [echoing] Nowhere.

MARIA: Heart, brain, hands.

FREDER: Brain, heart, hands.

ROTWANG: Brain, heart, hands. [echoing] Somewhere.

JOH FREDERSEN: Nowhere.

NARRATOR: He was a treasure that needed to be guarded.

FREDER: I want to be alone. Completely alone.

NARRATOR: A crown jewel.

NARRATOR: He feels the closeness of the servants. Silent waiting ones.

NARRATOR: Awaiting his orders to be allowed to come alive.

NARRATOR: He feels it. Too much.

FREDER: You don't put a blood hound... No.

NARRATOR: Freder could see that the eyes of The Thin Man were grazing at him. He knew this silent man, appointed by his father to protect him, was his guardian as well.

THE THIN MAN: I don't have to create reports.

FREDER: My. Guardian.

NARRATOR: Just don't give yourself away.

NARRATOR: The scales of his bloodbeat.

FREDER: I want to be alone. Completely alone.

NARRATOR: They disappeared silently. The servants. Silently, The Thin Man.

NARRATOR: A treasure that needs to be guarded.

NARRATOR: The son of the great father.

NARRATOR: The only son.

NARRATOR: The Club of Sons.

NARRATOR: The Club of Sons owned the most beautiful house in Metropolis.

NARRATOR: It's a district, not a house.

NARRATOR: Fathers, for whom every turn of a machine cog meant money, gave it to their sons.

NARRATOR: Encompasses theatres and movie palaces.

NARRATOR: Spacious flats for the sons.

NARRATOR: Racing tracks.

NARRATOR: Flats for the servants.

NARRATOR: A stadium, auditoriums.

NARRATOR: And flats for the beautiful, well-behaved maidservants. Like cultivated orchids.

NARRATOR: And the eternal gardens.

NARRATOR: They have to look pleasant, at all hours.

NARRATOR: Have to be cheerful, attituidelessly cheerful.

NARRATOR: Gentle dolls, scented like flowers, designed by an artist's hand.

NARRATOR: Not for sale, but pretty gifts.

FREDER: On that day too.

NARRATOR: The small, gentle women served him.

FREDER: [emphasised] On that day too.

NARRATOR: The pale bodies delicately rose from their hips, their mouths unadorned. Showing slim, naked legs.

FREDER: But suddenly...

NARRATOR: There was laughter everywhere.

FREDER: Suddenly...

NARRATOR: None of the friends moved.

NARRATOR: A procession of children. In tunics and rags.

NARRATOR: The sons froze.

NARRATOR: Colourless eyes.

NARRATOR: A girl between them.

MARIA: Look, these are your brothers.

NARRATOR: Inviolability.

MARIA: [emphasised] Look, these are your brothers!

NARRATOR: And her gaze rested on Freder, unwavering.

FREDER: Who was the girl?

NARRATOR: He looked at the friends who never grew tired, except from playing. Who never broke a sweat, except from playing. Who never got out of breath, except...

FREDER: And no one can say who the girl is?

NARRATOR: The eternal gardens glowed.

FREDER: An utterly glorious and enthralling noise, more tremendous than any noise in the world; the voice of the ocean, when it's angry, rushing currents.

NARRATOR: He had already heard it a hundred and thousand times. A hundred and thousand times. And not grasped it.

NARRATOR: It pierces without being shrill, every wall and every thing.

FREDER: Is beautiful and horrible.

NARRATOR: Omnipresent.

FREDER: And irresistibly compelling.

NARRATOR: It comes from the heights above, and the depths below.

NARRATOR: The machines of Metropolis roared.

FREDER: High above the city.

NARRATOR: They wanted to be fed.

NARRATOR: This sound is the voice of the city.

NARRATOR: As big as Metropolis was, it was equally powerful and tremendous in every corner of the machine-city.

FREDER: Feed. [emphasised] Feed. [more emphasised] Feed.

NARRATOR: The city needs living humans as feed.

NARRATOR: There it pushed its way along, the living feed. On its own road, which crossed no other, it rolled in. An endless stream of identical faces.

NARRATOR: In the same step. In the same garb.

NARRATOR: They placed their feet, but they did not walk. Pushed themselves along.

NARRATOR: And coming towards them, past them: the spent shift.

NARRATOR: In the same step, in the same garb.

NARRATOR: They placed their feet,... but they did not walk.

FREDER: They place their feet.

NARRATOR: Pushed themselves along.

FREDER: They don't walk, push themselves along.

NARRATOR: The living feed had disappeared behind the gates. The roaring voice was silent. The throbbing hum of the great Metropolis became audible again.

NARRATOR: Freder looked across the city towards the building that was known in the world as 'the New Tower of Babel'.

NARRATOR: The man who got called 'the Brain of Metropolis' lives in the brain shell of the tower.

NARRATOR: In ten hours, he would let the machine-beast roar anew. And again in another ten hours. And again.

FREDER: The sun is sinking. Houses become mountains. Flying machines swarm over the cathedral — useless in my father's eyes; a traffic obstruction in the city of fifty million. To be borne away, in the silent whining of the neon signs, between chains of light-breathing monsters. Metropolis doesn't know what sunday is.

NARRATOR: A spear of light shot into his eyes, so that he closed them angrily.

NARRATOR: The enormous face of the clock on the New Tower of Babel is bathing in the garish crossfire of the spotlights.

FREDER: Breathing flashes. Breathing light.

NARRATOR: Behind the raging second-flashes was a wide, bare room with switch panels everywhere. A table in the middle. On the plain chair in front of it: the master over Metropolis.

NARRATOR: The brain shell of the new tower is populated by numbers.

NARRATOR: They dripped from an invisible source through the cooled air of the large room. Became tangible under the lead springs of his secretaries — eight young people who resembled each other like brothers. No one lifted their head when Freder entered, his father included.

NARRATOR: The lamp under the third speaker glows white-red.

NARRATOR: New York spoke.

JOH FREDERSEN: False! Inquire further.

NARRATOR: The first secretary writes together. A quick pencil line runs through a name.

NARRATOR: Numbers drip through the room. The first secretary removes himself. The first secretary walks towards Freder,... past him.

NARRATOR: Whenever he entered this room, he was a boy of ten years old again.

FREDER: Cascades of light froth against the windows.

NARRATOR: London speaks.

NARRATOR: The son of the great master of Metropolis understood: as long as the numbers dripped out of the invisible, that's how long he would look at his father's dark skull.

NARRATOR: The white-red light went out. A voice went silent.

JOH FREDERSEN: What do you want, my boy?

NARRATOR: The seven secretaries left the room.

JOH FREDERSEN: Thank you, until tomorrow.

FREDER: How did you know I was there?

JOH FREDERSEN: The door opened, no one was announced — No one comes to me unannounced. Except for... my son.

NARRATOR: A light under glass. A question. Fredersen replied the affirmative. The first secretary came in.

JOH FREDERSEN: G-Bank has been instructed to pay out your salary. Good evening.

NARRATOR: In the young person's chalky face, two empty eyes burned. One of Fredersen's shoulders stirred sluggishly. The young person left.

FREDER: Why did you let him go, Father?

JOH FREDERSEN: I didn't need him.

FREDER: Why not?

JOH FREDERSEN: Beware, Freder, of thinking people are innocent just because they are suffering.

FREDER: And if this person— If you found out tomorrow that he was dead,... wouldn't that affect you at all?

JOH FREDERSEN: Do you think I need the lead springs of my secretaries? The writing charts in Rotwangs oversight devices are a hundred times more reliable than a clerk's brain and hands. But... I can measure the precision of humans against the precision of the machine. The lungs of humans racing against it, against the breath of the machine.

FREDER: And the man that you just let go... that you sentenced...

JOH FREDERSEN: He was my first secretary. He received eight times the salary of the last one, he must contribute eight times as much — perceive work as pleasure. But enough of that. Why did you take the path to me through the machine halls? It's neither the shortest one, nor the most comfortable.

NARRATOR: His eyes wandered from his son to the twitching flashes of the seconds on the clock.

FREDER: I wanted to look the people in the face. The people whose children are my brothers. Help them, Father.

JOH FREDERSEN: I cannot help them.

FREDER: Help the people standing at your machines.

JOH FREDERSEN: No one can help them. They are what they must be.

FREDER: They have ears. But they are deaf, except for one thing: the whirring of the machines. They are blind, except for one thing: the scales of the pressure gauges.

JOH FREDERSEN: Humans are products of coincidence, Freder. The fact that people are so quickly exhausted by the machines is evidence of the inadequacy of human material

FREDER: Are you not afraid, Father, that one day there won't be any more feed left for the man-eating god-machines—?!

JOH FREDERSEN: That is conceivable.

FREDER: And you aren't terrified of it?

JOH FREDERSEN: The time of terror, Freder, lies behind me.

NARRATOR: Then Freder turned around, and left. Behind his back, The Thin Man pressed towards Joh Fredersen. Joh Fredersen let his eyes wander over the great Metropolis.

JOH FREDERSEN: From now on, I wish to be informed about all the ways of my son.

NARRATOR: The man who had been Joh Fredersen's first secretary did not move from the spot.

FREDER: What's your name?

JOSAPHAT: Josaphat.

FREDER: What... are you going to do now?

JOSAPHAT: M-Me?

FREDER: Where do you live, Josaphat?

JOSAPHAT: In the ninety-ninth block, house seven, on the seventh floor.

FREDER: Then go home. I don't know what will happen in the next hours, but... I know that I need you.

JOSAPHAT: I... I can't.

FREDER: Go home! Wait. I will come, Or— a messenger. Trust me.

NARRATOR: While The Thin Man entered Freder's flat and asked the servants about their master, the son of Joh Fredersen followed glowing arrows.

FREDER: Into the depths to the brothers...

NARRATOR: That pointed towards the undercity.

FREDER: To the brothers in the depths...

FREDER: The smell of the oil, whistling with heat, heat-breathing walls, swimming shadows.

NARRATOR: Freder pushed the door open.

FREDER: An unrelenting trembling trickled through the walls and floor. If there are really people living beyond this door, then they must...

NARRATOR: Their eyes stood open as though they never closed. The eyes of the man that Freder came across first too.

FREDER: [shouting] What's your name? [pause] Tell me your name! I want to know what your mother called you! [pause] Georgi? Listen, Georgi; will you be able to remember what I'm telling you now? You have to remember! [pause] We are going to switch our life now! In my clothes, you will go up, into the upper city! You will find more than enough money in my pockets! Go to the ninety-ninth block, into the seventh house, onto the seventh floor! Tell Josaphat I sent you!

NARRATOR: And a while later the son of Joh Fredersen was standing at the machine. He wore the garb of the workers of Metropolis: the blue linen, the black cap. Georgi though was going through a city that he had never seen before. He felt white silk on his body. He did not wear the blue linen, no black cap. Did not go to work. Work was done. A man had come. He had said, 'We are going to switch our life now, Georgi. You take mine, I take yours.'

NARRATOR: The worker number 11811, the man who lives in the undercity in a dingy house beneath the underground railway of Metropolis, who knows no other way than from his sleeping hole to the machine–from the machine back to his sleeping hole, this man sees, for the first time, the miracle of Metropolis, the city at night, illuminated by millions and more millions of lights.

NARRATOR: He was trembling from his head to his feet. And at the same time, his body was shot through with the firework display of spark-spraying wheels, ten-coloured lettering, snow-white fountains, overloaded lamps, rockets hissing high, ice-cold blazing towers of flame.

FREDER: [shouting] You will find more than enough money in my pockets!

NARRATOR: There was music in the air. The music was sassy, of the hottest rhythm, of lashing merriment.

NARRATOR: There was a house in the great Metropolis that was older than the city. It was said that a sorcerer from the Orient had built it, but he disappeared. Then one day came a man from afar.

ROTWANG: I want to have it.

NARRATOR: That man was called Rotwang. Few knew him. Only Joh Fredersen knew him well.

ROTWANG: Who's there?

JOH FREDERSEN: It's me.

NARRATOR: The door opened. The door closed. Fredersen stood in the dark. Joh Fredersen knew the house well, though. Staggering a little, yet unerringly, he walked towards the heavy black curtain. Pulled it apart. Then he opened his eyes, and stood completely still. On a pedestal the witdth of a wall, the stone head of a woman rested.

ROTWANG: Hel. Born for my joy, for everyone's blessing. Lost to Joh Fredersen. Died when she gave life to his son Freder.

NARRATOR: In that hour, Joh Fredersen had laid on the ground and screamed. Like a wild animal whose limbs were being broken alive.

ROTWANG: Lost to you.

NARRATOR: Rotwang's hair, though, had turned snow-white in that hour.

ROTWANG: Lost to you, Joh Fredersen! You have taken her from me!

NARRATOR: Hatred has been simmering the eyes beneath his forehead ever since.

JOH FREDERSEN: She is dead.

ROTWANG: For me, she lives.

ROTWANG: You have to wait a little while.

JOH FREDERSEN: Listen, Rotwang, you know that I only come to you when I want something from you.

NARRATOR: In this great love, in this great hatred, the dead Hel had remained alive for both men.

JOH FREDERSEN: And, that I don't like to waste time.

ROTWANG: I told you, you're supposed to wait!

JOH FREDERSEN: I won't wait, I will leave!

NARRATOR: He wanted to do it, he wanted to leave. A trickle ran down his back. A quiet, faraway voice laughed.

JOH FREDERSEN: You should have your skull bashed in. If only it didn't contain such a precious brain.

ROTWANG: You can't do more to me than what you have already done to me.

JOH FREDERSEN: A brain like yours should be able to forget.

ROTWANG: Forget? Forget, what cost me my heart? I will forget nothing.

NARRATOR: The faraway voice was silent. Joh Fredersen spun around. A being stood before him. A woman, undoubtedly. But though it was woman, it was not human. The body as though it was made of crystal. Cold emenated from the glass skin.

ROTWANG: Be polite, my beautiful parody. [mocking] Greet Joh Fredersen, the master over Metropolis.

FUTURA: Good —— E—Ve—Ning, —— Joh —— Fre—Der—Sen. (plain text: Good evening, Joh Fredersen.)

NARRATOR: The being had no face; the neck bore only a clump of loosely formed mass. Eyes, as though painted onto closed lids, stared unseeing.

ROTWANG: Well done, my crown jewels.

NARRATOR: But in the same moment, the being lost its balance. It fell against Fredersen. He pushed it away from himself.

JOH FREDERSEN: W-What is that?!

ROTWANG: Tell him, Futura, Parody. Tell him who you are.

FUTURA: I —— Am —— A —— Wo—Man. —— An —— Il—Lu—Sion. —— Am — Flaw—Less. —— May—Be —— A —— Lit—Tle —— Cold. —— You —— Can —— Test —— It. —— Am —— Flaw—Less. —— A —— Lit—Tle —— Cold. (plain text: I am a woman. An Illusion. Am flawless. Maybe a little cold. You can test it. Am flawless. A little cold.)

JOH FREDERSEN: I ordered machine-humans from you, Rotwang, not playthings — not a woman!

ROTWANG: Not a plaything; I know, Joh Fredersen. I know. You and I, we... haven't 'played' for a long time. Not for anything anymore. Once... yes, once we have done it. Not a plaything, Joh Fredersen — a tool. Shall I show you, how obedient my creation is?

FUTURA: Flaw—Less—Ly —— O—Be—Di—Ent. (plain text: Flawlessly obedient.)

ROTWANG: Shall Futura dance in front of you? Shall she be chaste, or sassy? She can read too, our beauty. The mechanism of her brain is more infallible than yours.

JOH FREDERSEN: If that is so, then she may decipher this piece of paper for me. That's why I'm here.

ROTWANG: My beautiful parody, did you hear? You're supposed to decipher.

JOH FREDERSEN: Don't blather, Rotwang, speak! Do you know what it means? Then tell me.

ROTWANG: Nothing easier than that. [pause] A map. It's... a map. How did that end up in your hands. Of... the tomb city. Deep beneath the mole tunnels of your underground railway lies the thousand-year-old metropolis, of the thousand-year-old dead; the... necropolis.

JOH FREDERSEN: And what does this plan mean?

ROTWANG: That is what we need to find out. Come back again, tonight. [pause] But... in the garb of your workers. And now, beautiful parody, open the door for the master of Metropolis.

FREDER: Thank you... Father...

NARRATOR: People pushed their way towards him out of the red mist. He let go of the lever and collapsed. Arms snatched him up and led him away.

FREDER: Who is calling me? Who?

NARRATOR: 'She has called', he thought, half-asleep.

FREDER: She has called.

NARRATOR: 'Where are we?', he thought. 'Does the sun live in the navel of the earth?'

FREDER: I feel cold stones under my knees. I'm not sleeping then, I'm just dreaming.

NARRATOR: Then a voice rose out of a jumble of human heads.

FREDER: You're speaking...

NARRATOR: The voice spoke!

FREDER: You...

NARRATOR: But Freder did not hear the words.

FREDER: What are you saying?

MARIA: My brothers! Do you want to know how the building of the Tower of Babel began, and how it ended? I see a person from the dawn of the world. 'Come! Let us build a tower, friends!', he said. They recruited new friends, and the work grew! And they sent out messengers, to all four winds! And hands came, that worked for wages. But none of those who built southwards knew any of those who dug in the north. And the brain that had dreamed up the building was unknown to those that built it. Brain and hands were strangers to each other! A mediator is what the brain and hands need. A mediator! That mediator is the heart. Be patient; he will come! Soon. There are many among you who scream 'Fight! Destroy!', but believe me; one will come who will speak for you.

NARRATOR: When it had become quiet around her, Maria sighed and opened her eyes. That's when she saw a person who wore blue linen, the black cap. She bent down towards him. He lifted his head. They looked at each other. And then she recognized him.

MARIA: If you've come to us to betray us,—

FREDER: You...

MARIA: —son of Fredersen...

FREDER: What should I call you? I-I don't know your name. I have only ever called you 'You'. So please, tell me your name at last.

MARIA: Maria.

FREDER: It wasn't easy to find you.

MARIA: You were searching for me?

FREDER: I needed to come to you.

MARIA: The blue linen garb... You're wearing it for fun. Those who are condemned to wear it live deep beneath the city.

FREDER: Don't you want to understand me? Until yesterday, I knew nothing of hell. And nothing of longing. Everything was mine. But then, you came. Showed me my brothers. From that day on I have been searching for you.

NARRATOR: The girl stepped towards him. He no longer felt the stones under his feet, a surge carried him. Him and the girl.

FREDER: Maria... You have called me. Here I am.

NARRATOR: And the surge was fire.

NARRATOR: In a death chamber, shaped like a pointed ear, a man detached himself from the wall.

JOH FREDERSEN: You know what you have to do. You wanted me to give you the face of Futura. There you have your model.

ROTWANG: Is that an assignment?

JOH FREDERSEN: Yes. Give your phantom the face of that woman, for I want to sow discord.

ROTWANG: You want to become guilty of two people, Friend?

JOH FREDERSEN: What does it matter to you?

ROTWANG: It doesn't. Or... it does a little. Well, Freder is the son of Hel, after all.

JOH FREDERSEN: And my son. I do not want to lose him. I want those in the depths to put themselves at fault by committing acts of violence. I want the right use violence against them.

ROTWANG: [chuckles] Well then, my friend. Let it be done according to your will.

ROTWANG: You fool. You have lost Hel. Now you shall lose the last thing as well: your son.

NARRATOR: Was she mistaken, or was there someone walking behind her, through the darkness of the cemetery? Sneaking shoes on rough stones.

MARIA: [fearful] Freder? Freder, is that you?

NARRATOR: She tripped. The lamp dropped from her hands. She started running. Fear crept up inside of her. She ran, chased by feathery feet. She screamed, she ran. There! Stairs. And immediately behind her, a man. It was as though she was being extinguished.

FREDER: Ge-or-gi. I want to know where Georgi is.

JOSAPHAT: Georgi? I dont know any Georgi.

FREDER: I sent him to you.

JOSAPHAT: No one came to me, Mr. Freder. [pause] How did you get the clothes, if you don't mind...

NARRATOR: Josaphat's eyes were fixed on Freder's garb.

FREDER: Georgi wore them. I gave him mine.

JOSAPHAT: Was there any money in them, if you don't mind me asking?

FREDER: Yes.

JOSAPHAT: Then you shouldn't be surprised.

FREDER: You mean that—

JOSAPHAT: Yes, certainly. The Thin Man should already be on his way; I bet a thousand to one.

FREDER: He cannot find me!

JOSAPHAT: I have to tell you something, Mr. Freder: Joh Fredersen may let go whoever he wants, but his son, he won't let go. The Thin Man understands his trade.

FREDER: Still, I am determined to dare taking this path! And... I will walk down it, even though I don't know it yet.

JOSAPHAT: You already know, Mr. Freder, that everything I am and everything I have belongs to you.

FREDER: Oh... I wanted to help you. And now I can't, for in this hour, I am poorer than you.

JOSAPHAT: And if you were to confide in a friend?

FREDER: I don't have a friend. I had playmates, fun-mates, not friends. [pause] Josaphat, will you betray me?

JOSAPHAT: [shocked] God shall smite me.

FREDER: [sighs] I want to visit the mother of my father.

NARRATOR: A little while later, someone knocked on the door. The knocking repeated itself.

JOSAPHAT: Who's there?

NARRATOR: Josaphat didn't expect an answer. The Thin Man stood in the doorway. His clawing eyes scanned the room. There was a cap lying there. The sweat-soaked lining bore the number 11811.

THE THIN MAN: Where is Freder, Josaphat?

JOSAPHAT: I don't know. And even if I did know...

NARRATOR: The Thin Man smiled sleepily.

THE THIN MAN: If you'll allow?

NARRATOR: He walked up to an armchair.

THE THIN MAN: You... have a lovely home here. I can understand that you would have trouble giving up this flat.

JOSAPHAT: I have no such intention.

THE THIN MAN: No? Well, maybe not yet, but you will soon.

JOSAPHAT: What is that supposed to mean?

THE THIN MAN: I want you to tell me the price for you giving up this flat, Josaphat. The flat is lovely.

NARRATOR: The Thin Man reached into his pocket. Pulled out a bundle of bank notes.

THE THIN MAN: Is that enough?

JOSAPHAT: No. And now leave, before I throw you out.

NARRATOR: The Thin Man placed the third packet of banknotes on the table. Josaphat's reddened eyes bore into his.

THE THIN MAN: I have a cheque book here that has Joh Fredersen's blank signature on several pages.

NARRATOR: Freder went into the cathedral. He was searching for Maria, who wanted to wait for him at the stairs to the bell tower. He did not find her.

FREDER: Why are you leaving me alone?

NARRATOR: He went out of the cathedral like a man walking in sleep.

FREDER: Forehead to forehead... Mouth to mouth...

NARRATOR: He came past the sorcerer's house. He stopped there. Was he mad? There, Maria was standing behind the cloudy window panes. Those were her hands, stretched out towards him.

FREDER: Please open the door!

NARRATOR: He knocked, but the house remained silent.

FUTURA: [muffled] Freder! Freder!

FREDER: It's her voice...

FUTURA: [muffled] Freder!

NARRATOR: It was her voice. He forced his way into the house. Door after door.

FUTURA: [muffled] Come on! Here I am! Here!

NARRATOR: Nothing in the world could be sweeter than the sound of that beckoning, filled to overflowing with dark perfidy.

FREDER: Who are you?

FUTURA: [playful] Don't you know me?

FREDER: [emphasised] Who are you?!

FUTURA: Maria!

FREDER: You're not Maria!

FUTURA: Freder! [mocking] Please help me!

FREDER: Where are you?! Why don't you come to me?

FUTURA: I can't come! Beloved!

FREDER: Where are you?!

FUTURA: [playful] Search for me!

MARIA: Freder! Help me! For God's sake, please come! I don't know what's happening to me, my eyes are—!

FUTURA: Search for me, my love!

NARRATOR: Freder started running.

FUTURA: I'm here!

MARIA: [fearful] Freder!

FUTURA: Here I am!

NARRATOR: Rotwang had seen him fall. Freder lay surprisingly still. He resembled a dead man.

NARRATOR: Rotwang found her like he always found her. Nothing about her alive. Except for her eyes, but they saw past him.

ROTWANG: Don't you want to smile just once? Don't you want to cry just once? I need both. Otherwise you'll make me a bungler at my work.

NARRATOR: He had spoken into deaf air.

ROTWANG: You poor children... Taking up the fight against Joh Fredersen... What will you do, Maria, when he tells you, 'Give me my son back'?

NARRATOR: The girl sat there like a stone statue. Unmoving.

ROTWANG: He will pay you any price.

NARRATOR: Like a stone statue.

ROTWANG: Have you forgotten the Club of Sons, Maria? There are hundreds of women there. And they're all his. They can all tell you about his love. On the day of his wedding, the son of Joh Fredersen will have forgotten you.

NARRATOR: He threw the door shut, looked at the being made of glass and metal, which, almost complete, bore the head of Maria.

ROTWANG: Can I give you the smile that makes the angels fall into hell, full of lust?

NARRATOR: When Freder regained consciousness, there was a dull brightness around him. He stared at the ceiling, which was black. He stared against walls, grey-cold. There was a window. In front of it was a road. Maria was walking down there! She didn't hear him. He hurled a stool against the door, pushed, tore, broke, until it splintered.

FREDER: That's not me who's running there... As though I was running next to myself...

NARRATOR: But he ran. Ran to his father.

FREDER: Where is he?! Where is my father?

NARRATOR: Stairs, and always stairs.

FREDER: Where?!

NARRATOR: They pointed to a door, behind it a second one. He heard voices. He listened. Pushed it open. There was a man standing there. He held a woman in his arms. Maria! Leaning far back in his arms, she offered him her mouth. He looked the man in the eye. It was his father. He saw the hands gripping his father's neck. They were his hands. The hands of the son. The hands released. He stammered.

JOH FREDERSEN: What... is the matter with you, my son? What's wrong?

FREDER: Where is she, Father?!

JOH FREDERSEN: Who? Who are you looking for?

FREDER: She! Who was here!

JOH FREDER: No one was here, Freder! No one!

FREDER: What are you saying?

JOH FREDERSEN: There was no one here. Except for you and me.

FREDER: Did I not see you holding Maria in your arms?

JOH FREDERSEN: [sighs] You're ill, Freder.

NARRATOR: He doubled over, threw himself into an armchair, screamed.

NARRATOR: No matter how often Josaphat tried to break through the wall that had been built around Freder over the next few days, there was always a strange person standing there, telling him with an expressionless face, 'Mr. Freder cannot receive anyone, Mr. Freder is ill.'

NARRATOR: Freder was not ill however.

NARRATOR: Lying on the roof of the house, opposite of Freder's flat, Josaphat watched the person he had betrayed. He had visitors from time to time. His father had come once too. He spoke to him. For a long time. He did not receive an answer.

FREDER: Nine-ty-nine... se-ven, se-ven...

NARRATOR: Freder stood on the balcony, his hands resting on the balustrade. Unconsciously, his eyes caught numbers. They glowed. They faded. A voice in his head made itself heard.

FREDER: Ninety-ninth block... House seven, seventh floor.

NARRATOR: A man stood in the pale light. Over there, on the roof of the house.

NARRATOR: It wasn't easy, but he managed.

JOSAPHAT: I have betrayed you, Freder. The Thin Man came to me. Joh Fredersen's name was written on the cheques.

FREDER: Calm down.

NARRATOR: And they told each other everything.

FREDER: I must've gone insane, Josaphat! I tried to strangle my father. But he forgave me. He came to my bed. I had my eyes closed. I laid completely still. Only the weeping of my soul could be heard. I felt my father's hand stroke over my pillow. He forgave me.

NARRATOR: Joh Fredersens mother had only one son. She had loved him with all her heart. But she had had to watch his machine-titans crush humans as though they were dry wood. She had screamed to God, but He did not hear her. She fell to the ground and never stood up again. Only the head and hands had remained alive on the crippled body. Head and hands.

JOH FREDERSEN: How are you, Mother?

FREDERSEN'S MOTHER: What do you want, Joh?

JOH FREDERSEN: I need your advice.

FREDERSEN'S MOTHER: What advice should I give you? You have gone down a path that I cannot follow you on. Would you listen to me if I told you, 'Turn back'?

JOH FREDERSEN: It's about Freder.

FREDERSEN'S MOTHER: What's the matter with him?

JOH FREDERSEN: Freder comes to see you often, doesn't he? He's seeking help from you. Against me.

FREDERSEN'S MOTHER: Does he need it?

JOH FREDERSEN: I have lost Hel. Freder must not be lost to me as well.

FREDERSEN'S MOTHER: Do you need to fear losing him? When he was with me recently, he was healthy. Like a blooming tree.

JOH FREDERSEN: I don't know how this girl came into his life, how she was able to gain so much power over him.

FREDERSEN'S MOTHER: If you came to me for the sake of this matter, you could have saved yourself the trip. You know that best.

JOH FREDERSEN: You can't make that comparison, Mother. Freder is still a boy.

FREDERSEN'S MOTHER: Do you remember what you said to me back then, when I tried to hinder you on your way to Hel, the wife of your friend? Do you remember it? 'If I were blinded, I would see her still. If I were crippled, I would find my way to her.' [sighs] Freder is your son. What do you think he would say to you if you told him, 'Leave the girl you love'?

JOH FREDERSEN: I need to have my son back.

FREDERSEN'S MOTHER: What man sows...

JOH FREDERSEN: Who are you crying for, Mother?

FREDERSEN'S MOTHER: For you. For you both.

ROTWANG: I'm not holding you captive for myself. [pause] You're staying silent. Now, however, I will tell you something that will break your defiance: do you think Joh Fredersen knows no other way to get you out of his son's eye? Oh, no, Maria, oh, no! We have stolen your soul. I have eavesdropped on you like the air eavesdropped on you. I have stolen your self from you completely and utterly. We have sent this stolen self to your brothers. It called them. And they came. They all came. The difference to the past, however, is that Joh Fredersen does not want peace, he is seeking a judgement. Your stolen self is not allowed to speak for peace anymore. [pause] Give me your hands. Just your hands. [pause] If you give them to me, just once, then I'll go to the city of the dead with you. So that the one that loves you can find you again... And doesn't have to go insane because of you.

NARRATOR: But at that moment, the hands of Joh Fredersen gripped Rotwang's neck.

NARRATOR: Yes, that was her voice. Freder stood at the back of the chamber. His eyes hung on her blood-red mouth as if it were the centre of the world.

FUTURA: My brothers!

NARRATOR: It's her voice, no doubt about it.

FUTURA: Which is more delicious? Water or wine? Who is drinking the water? Us. Who is drinking the wine? The masters! Which is more delicious to wear? Blue linen or white silk? Who is wearing blue linen? Us. Who is wearing white silk? The sons of the masters! Where do you live more deliciously? On or beneath the earth? Who is living beneath the earth? Us! Who is living on the earth? The masters of the machines! What do your women do? They starve. What do the women of the masters do? They revel! Turn the world around! Turn it on its head! You have waited long enough!

NARRATOR: The girl's blood-red mouth blazed.

FUTURA: Come! Come! I want to lead you! I want to dance the dance of death before you!

FREDER: You're not Maria!

NARRATOR: Who shouted that?

FREDER: You're not Maria! No, Maria speaks for peace, not for murder!

NARRATOR: The blood-red mouth blazed.

FUTURA: Well, well, look at that. The son of Joh Fredersen. [louder] The son of Jih Fredersen is among you!

NARRATOR: The crowd screamed.

FUTURA: Dog in white-silk fur! We have passed judgement upon the machines! [pause] Death to the machines! Death! To! The! Machines!

NARRATOR: The girl danced on the shoulders of the crowd. And sang.

NARRATOR: The room that enclosed Maria seemed to fill with a dull throbbing. It deafened the ears. It was her own heartbeat.

MARIA: Dear God, I'm begging you, stay with me. Just stay with me!

NARRATOR: There was something lying there, something dark, still: a person — Rotwang. At the edge of the trapdoor. She pushed the body aside, ran into the city of the dead. It was boiling down there. The crowd sang.

FUTURA: [chanting] We have passed judge-ment up-on the ma-chines! Death to the ma-chines! Death to the ma-chines!

NARRATOR: 'Destroy! Destroy!', the crowd roared.

FUTURA: Death to the ma-chines! Death to the machines!

NARRATOR: The heart of the machine-city Metropolis lived inside of a white dome. This is where the crowd headed. This machine was a universum onto itself. There wasn't a machine in the whole of Metropolis that didn't receive its power from this heart.

FUTURA: Death to the ma-chines! Death to the ma-chines!

NARRATOR: This heart was guarded by one single man. His name was Grot, and he loved this machine. His machine.

JOH FREDERSEN: [muffled] Grot! It's me! Joh Fredersen! Open the gates! Give it up! Give the machine up!

NARRATOR: Grot didn't want to believe it at first. He demanded the password. He needed to hear it. They tore at the bolts, the gates opened. 'Death to the machine!', the crowd roared. 'Death to the machine!'

FREDER: Father!

JOH FREDERSEN: Yes?

FREDER: Where are you?

JOH FREDERSEN: I am here. What do you want?

FREDER: The machine's lever, it's set to twelve! Where are you?!

JOH FREDERSEN: Here.

FREDER: But I can't see you! Your city is sinking, do you understand?! The machines have come alive! They're tearing Metropolis to shreds! Explosions upon explosion, just why?! Why are you letting this happen?

JOH FREDERSEN: Because death is upon the city according to my will.

FREDER: According to your will?

JOH FREDERSEN: Metropolis is meant to die.

FREDER: But, why?

JOH FREDERSEN: Don't you understand? The city is meant to sink so that you can build it up again.

FREDER: Me?

JOH FREDERSEN: It is happening according to my will.

FREDER: And what about those, Father, who die? With your dying city?

JOH FREDERSEN: Take care of the living, Freder. The living.

FREDER: Death is upon the city...

MARIA: Death is upon the city.

NARRATOR: Death is upon the city.

FUTURA: We want to watch the world go to the devil.

FREDER: [overlapping] Death... is upon the city...

MARIA: [overlapping] Death is upon the city.

FREDER: [overlapping] Death is upon the city.

NARRATOR: [overlapping] Death is upon the city.

FREDER: [overlapping] Death is upon the city.

MARIA: [overlapping] Death is upon the city.

NARRATOR: [overlapping] Death is upon the city.

FREDER: [overlapping] Death is upon the city.

FUTURA: [overlapping] We want to watch the world go to the devil.

FUTURA: [overlapping] We want to watch the world go to the devil.

MARIA: [overlapping] Death is upon the city.

FUTURA: [overlapping] We want to watch the world go to the devil.

FUTURA: [overlapping] We want to watch the world go to the devil.

FREDER: Death is upon the city.

NARRATOR: Death was upon the city. The red day streamed* down onto the street then, wailing was in the air, the glow of flames, screams of fear and of horror. And the surge was fire. The blood sang.

MARIA: Much has happened since then, Freder. I felt as though I heard a spring rushing. Heavy with tears and red with blood.

FREDER: I've heard it rushing too.

MARIA: It's still rushing. Do you hear? It's rushing.

FREDER: Give me your hands. [pause] [emphasised] Give me your hands.

***

Metropolis.

From Thea von Harbou and Fritz Lang.

Adaptation: Michael Farin.

Narrator: Peter Fricke.

Freder: Jan Neumann.

Maria: Jule Ronstedt.

Joh Fredersen: Joachim Höppner.

Fredersen's Mother: Helga Roloff.

Rotwang: Werner Haindl.

The Thin Man: Jens Harzer.

Josaphat: Heiko Raulin.

Music: Laar, zeitblom.

Sound and Engineering: Willfred Hauer and Susanne Herzig.

Assistant Director: Anja Scheifinger.

Direction: Berhard Jugel.

Production: Bavarian Radio Broadcasting, 2001.

*I'm not fully confident I could properly make out what was being said here, so this line may be wrong

[mattslolita]

omgg is kiwi ur real name? its SO cute!!

i finally did the replacement phone thingy. but they said they would put a hold of £799 on my dads card. which i THOUGHT meant theyd take his details and charge 799 only if we didnt send the damaged phone back within 10 days. HOWEVERRR it TOOK THE 799 AND WONT GIV IT BAK TILL WE SEND IT LMFAO! hes annoyed but yk whatever not me paying unfortunatley 😭

and school was crazy. my tutor told me i couldnt wear trianers BUT i wore the same ones last year an they look like school shoes believe it or not! so shes on my ass already 😜

then my bf came in late (idiottt) and now cuz the government FUCKING IDIOTS made a new law that if u come after 9:00 (late basically) or u dont turn up with no "valid" reason to schl this will count as a unauthorised absence. if u get 10 of those in 10 weeks you will be charged £180 PER FUCKING PARENT!!! so hes already got 1 😒

thennn it was pouring today and we had an assembly first thing at 8:30 and we had to "line up" (fuck off w ur line up we r not 6) in the rain an our head of year was yellin at us sayin we were wasting HER time. like BITCH LET US GO IN! NO TIME WASTED! my bf tried to giv me his coat cuz i dint bring one and this teacher was like "her fault she dint bring one, go bak to ur line" and my bf said no and stil gave it. SHE GAVE HIM A WARNING? meaning if he gets another 2 he gets a 1 hour detention? like what? calm tf down!

we stayed 2 hours w our tutor after assembly doing bloody quizzes like huh? we r gonna do our gcse's this year an they want us to tell em who fucking wrote "oliver twist". like what? i cant read i literally hav no fucking clue who wrote it. also never heard of the book! LMAO.

then in science we had a new seating plan 😤 an she put me next to this weird boy who keeps putting heart eyes on my tiktoks? i said i aint sittin there an cuz shes nice she let me sit next to my bf 🤗we had to walk round the room and fill in some sheet of the digestive system which was boringgggg!

english also new seating plan but i like the teacher so it was alright!

geography i sit next to some boy who doesnt shut the fuck up. hes asking me all this shit like where im from nd what languages i speak? literally english mate like do i look like im ABLE to learn another language? no!

at lunch we sat in some teachers classroom jus me an my bf and just spoke abt everything and anythinggg. my teacher said she liked my rings my bf got me🥹(cant wear jewlry to schl tho?? how does it affect my learning??????)

also more explaining to new teachers as to y i use coloured paper. like hav they NEVER seen anyone else with dyslexia?

okay imma be straight up, yo school is WILDING cs all those rules are dumb & weird. PAYING A FINE BC UR LATE TO SCHOOL ??? and i thought american schools were ass😭😭😭 its so funny to me how ur bf keeps getting in trouble tho LMFAOO like free him guys he ain't do nun to nobody !

also kiwi is NOT my real name, but its really cute & random and my bff peaches told me if i was a fruit i'd be a kiwi, so here we are 💌🥝⭐

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

hi. just wanted to say i love four walls with my whole heart. i literally add it in a app that i add the books i read and writing notes to them. and i take screenshots of each part that i like and keep it in my gallery. im not very fluent in english so i can't properly say how mush i adore this fic, but i just wanted you to know what a piece of art you made. i like every drop of emotion and every single thought that you put into it. thank you so much for writing and sharing it with us, i wish all the best for you<3

oh my godddddd how am i meant to cope with comments so unbelievably lovely?? 😩 this legitimately made me tear up a little because aghhhh. it’s truly the ultimate compliment to have written something that someone wants to save/write notes about/do the virtual version of highlighting paragraphs 🥹🥹 god. i hope you realise you’ve COMPLETELY made my day 🥺

i’m so so happy you’re enjoying it, and your lovely words and the very fact you reached out to tell me them means more than i can coherently express 😭 thank you so much darling, i’m wishing you all the very best too ✨

💖💖💖💖💖💖