#just kept going on about things we've all observed in her for years like they're new

[deathlygristly]

I don't really want to be Serious right now, but...

Work is really really busy because summer is our busy time. Which I see other people being like ah, May, it's spring! It's summer here already, so I should probably start taking three water bottles to work again because I was sweating today on the second floors of the properties. It'll be close to 90 tomorrow.

I had a dentist appointment today and they took X-rays and I was very brave about it but there were so many things in my mouth and I hate things being in my mouth. I woke up a bit too early from the gallbladder removal surgery and there was still something in my mouth and I remember immediately just pulling it out. And yes, I paid for it with severe throat pain for a few hours afterwards. I cannot stand weird and wrong and claustrophobic sensory feelings in my mouth.

There was a lot of traffic and people going slower than the speed limit and people not watching for other cars at all in roundabouts and just general traffic stress.

I am so backed up on pic editing and uploading tours and I only have two days and then I am on vacation, and emails keep coming in demanding boxes and pics for properties that are so far away and require so much driving and owners being so precious about all the pics they want, including pics of things just near the property.

And on top of all this my brother decided to get emo about my mother's memory issues today and he keeps texting me and texting me and I am like, look, I love my mother but also she's a big part of the reason I dealt with PTSD and anxiety for 20 years and I feel really weird when she texts me wanting to solve things for her and now you're also just ripping away at me and tearing me apart and demanding demanding demanding and just....

I want to rest. I want to hug the spousal person, the only person I know IRL who doesn't constantly demand me for things and who doesn't rely on me for everything and who actually listens to me and cares about me and sees me as a person, not just a problem solver and filler of endless emotional needs.

Saw a poll about "burnt out gifted kid" on here and the answers were so far removed from my experience. What if you were identified as gifted when you were seven, a few months after your father died, and then your family depended on you to think and feel for them and to solve all their problems forever afterwards?

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 58

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Zuko did his best not to run. He did his best to not look like he was panicking or in trouble, and instead just found the last friend he was supposed to be meeting in the plaze.

Suki, meanwhile, was looking from him to Mai and back, one hand slipping dangerously close to where he knew she kept her fans.

"Suki," Zuko said, trying to keep his voice calm. "It's... not what you think."

She narrowed her eyes, looking over his shoulder to where Mai was waiting. "I'm not sure what I think."

Taking a deep breath, he held out a hand. "Then... join us? And make up your mind after?"

Thankfully, she agreed, and followed Zuko to rejoin with Mai. Mai took the lead, walking down a busy street before moving to a quiet little courtyard down an alleyway. She sat on one of the benches, and scowled at them until they sat.

"We intercepted a messenger heading to the fortress run by a general on the coast," Mai said, arms crossed and dropping that bomb like it was nothing. Like it was boring. "We've known about the invasion for months. About the Darkest Day, and that the Earth Kingdom Army will be taking part. But, we know that they don't really have a formal navy, so any ships they use won't really be a match for ours."

Zuko didn't tell her that they had the Wani, a fleet of Southen ships, and another half dozen Northern ships to round out their naval forces.

"They're building bunkers under the palace the wait out the actual eclipse," Mai continues. "The entire city proper is going to be evacuated, leaving it empty when the invasion force shows up. When the eclipse is over, they're going to send new war balloons to force you out."

"Do you know where these war balloons are going to be kept?" Suki asked, frowning.

Mai sighed, a very put up on thing, like Suki was asking too much of here. "Not sure about the day of the invasion, but right now, they're in an air field behind the summit."

It was out of the way, but maybe not impossible. The plan was for the invasion force to reach the main city before the eclipse started, giving them their eight minutes to rout the city while Aang fought Zuko's father. He'd need to talk to Sokka, take a look at the invasion plans, to see if they could incorporate a team to take care of the war balloons before the eclipse.

But there was something else. Something that didn't make sense.

"Why are you helping us?" Zuko asked.

Mai turned to him, with a full focus that he didn't normally see from her. It had been three years since they last spoke, since they had been sort of friends. She had always been more loyal to Azula, so why would she help him?

"The Fire Lord is going to scorch all of the Earth Kingdom when the comet comes. The colonies included. My father is currently the governor of New Ozai. Omashu." She paused, leaning back on the bench with her hands. "Azula thinks that I fear her more than I care about my family. About my little brother."

That was news to Zuko. He knew that her mother had been strict, like many noble parents were. He'd seen a few others in the palace, the ones who couldn't handle the pressures, when they were sent to Katara for healing after being 'disciplined'. But Mai had always been the perfect nobleman's daughter. Silent, still, and well behaved. Obedient.

And now she had a little brother. Since he hadn't heard about it, the boy was likely a toddler. Too young to have any real expectations to follow.

Too young to deserve a death in a hail of fire.

"We won't lose," Zuko said, as he stood. Mai watched on, not showing doubt or approval, just observing. "We can't afford to. We'll be in town for another day or two. If you find out anything else, please tell me."

She didn't say goodbye as he and Suki left. He didn't expect her to. Instead, they made their meeting look as normal as possible, heading back to camp like they hadn't been trading state secrets.

"You'll have to tell them," Suki said, as their little camp by the river came into view. "We can't not tell them."

"I know," he said, only to hear the growing argument at the top of the hill.

"-stop being a sourpuss?" Toph was saying. "Lighten up!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Katara bit back. "You think I should be more like you? Some wild child?"

"What's going on?" Zuko intterupted, making Katara whirl on him.

"You talk to her," she snapped. "She listens to you."

And without even explaining what had happened, Katara stormed off towards the river. Leaving Zuko looking at Toph, Sokka, and Aang. The last two at least looked a bit cowed. Toph, on the other hand, was still glaring into air.

Taking a deep breath, Zuko tried again. "What happened?"

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[kunabee]

Some of you may remember when I posted about having amongi and clowns in the same space and raising them together, that was about a year ago now. I managed to find the post - May 23rd of last year. So. Wow. I'm timely xD Let's have an update, shall we?

I currently have a cat, an amongus, and a clown all in the same household. The babies that Mama 'Mongus (I've basically named her that, although she has many nicknames lmao) had have all gone to responsible homes that know how to care for amongi (with only one first-time owner, the rest all being experienced), but she's stayed with me.

The clown also has stayed with me. I took him to a clown-specific vet far too long after acquiring him (simply because finding an affordable specialist was... a Task and a half) and discovered he's a Party/Pierrot mix (and other things too, but most prominently those two). I was intending on rehoming him, since I was like "ok there is NO WAY I could manage a Pierrot as a first time owner", plus I have Mama Mongus and my cat to think about, but, uh...

Generally, my clown, cat, and amongus are all kept separate. There are prey drives at work, and while the amongus is a standard size (she's 3'6") she is still about a foot and a half shorter than the clown and my cat is also small, comparatively. HOWEVER. They're also... attached to each other??? Like, my cat enjoys being pet by the clown and she and Mama Mongus like to play together. At first I thought Mama Mongus was attacking my cat (I know cat body language, not amongus body language), but - NOPE.

And Mama Mongus enjoys doing 'tasks' around the clown's environment (a pretty simple and a bit-too-small tbh circus tent, I'm working on expanding it) and the clown loves to entertain Mama Mongus. Both of them enjoy having the other person in their space, which makes sense as Mama Mongus is a crewmate and both clowns and crewmates are social species who hate being alone.

AGAIN - I don't allow Cinnamon (cat), Mama Mongus (amongus), or Pierre (clown) to spend time with each other without supervision. BUT all 3 ask (indicate nonverbally to me) that they want to hang out with each other. AND Pierre and Mama Mongus both seem pretty attached to me??? I have fallen asleep in their enclosures before and woken up to a cuddle session, and Pierre especially has indicated being lonely when I'm elsewhere in the house where he can't go (because it's Cinnamon's or Mama Mongus's space but I can't actively observe them).

I'm also currently researching into getting a second clown, but Pierre hasn't seemed interested in other clowns in the 2 rescues we've visited. From what I researched, amonguses are able to be by themselves so long as they get lots of social interaction, and as a disabled individual without a job I can provide that lol. But if it is necessary I WILL absolutely pick up a second crewmate, Mama Mongus seems interested in images of crewmates at least. Pierre however has displayed no interest in clowns of any other species (except one teacup that he seemed to either find cute or want to eat, unsure).

Mama Mongus has also seen a vet and gotten a clean bill of health, and I'm trying to reach out to some experts on amongi and on clowns to see if all the positive interactions between the two means I can combine their spaces and trust them to not cause chaos or if I need to continue to monitor closely. Like is it because they're lonely??? do they genuinely like each other???

I wish they could just tell me what's up in a way that I can clearly understand, I know they're TRYING to tell me what they want but aaaa ;-;

(The previous post, for reference)

[firespirited]

It'd been a while since I'd done a r-dblr purge (mark red and block if they are actively cruel to trans people within the first page of their blog. You'd think feminist issues would be the bulk of posting, it's r-dical feminism after all and all the issues are ongoing. BTW I don't block people for hating men, they have a right to vent and it takes time to understand the systems at play that do allow for decent men even if you're not ready to to partner with any cishet ones) I probably marked and blocked 150 today, many 18-24 years old, lots of them lonely.

Doing the scan of a blog to make sure I'm not marking someone who didn't get the dogwhistles in a bigoted post means you see a lot of the content they're angry about.

I too hate porn unless it's safe sane and enthusiastically consensual.

That means performers who know exactly what they are getting into, who have alternatives if they want a different job and can set boundaries without being pushed or blacklisted for it. The majority of porn doesn't fit but the advent of amateur, onlyfans and ethical studios gives people options to view porn where no-one is hurt.

I also believe that all viewers need to know that pron is sex stunts and some things will not work for them, cause chafing or stds, cause injury if perfomed for real. That should be part of the viewing, a little PSA 'don't try this at home we're actors, we rehearsed the hair pulling so no-one's scalp got torn and switched condoms and edited it out'. Honestly I find most of the porno tropes misogynistic, macho and racist even though we've mostly left gonzo behind.

Straight Male performers aren't allowed to be shown as into their partner... when behind the scenes they get quite tender, briefly besotted with their partner when it's not an ego driven star.

I also have hard boundaries about what kind of porn a partner would watch. I pay extra for no slavery in my chocolate and expect a partner diligent enough to get their porn from people not getting boundaries violated or work injuries.

But there's no nuance to rdfm anti porn stances. They're going off trafficking victims and Linda Lovelace's speeches when sex work like marriage is a whole spectrum from a heinous crime to chosen job. And we have the ability to hear from all of these women. What they really want from their industry, from activists, from society at large. The in person full contact sex workers I've known were doing it so they could be present during the day for their children or get a higher education without their study time consumed by a low wage job. Another was seeking validation and briefly being loved, her rl relationships kept imploding because it was never enough or she'd push them to see if they'd love her anyway. That wasn't exactly sane. But you can't force anyone into getting meds and therapy if they're not ready.

There were articles about how marriage hurts women who must leave their family and join the husbands and instead of talking about the part of the research that showed that women who got men to move in with them were able to negotiate better work and pay equality, it was just desist and kill all men.

Funnily enough it's my "not really feminist", "don't like the term" , mum who originally sent me the study with a quote from Moses in genesis explaining Gd's guidelines "Therefore a man must leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife". Funny how many abramic religious marriages ignore that you can't be momma's boy and a husband and definitely not move your wife in with your folks.

Anyway that's this month's observations, those who actually did have 2nd wave posts on top of hating on transness are very young and are often starting out with the non black non queer reading from 30 years ago after a superficial lib fem alignment with zero reading. Often in college or just out of college having been 'peaked' against what they perceive to be mainstream feminism after seeing crime and inequality statistics. If you're interested in reducing terfs, a good place to start is outreach and local online bookclub where you can get the word of intersectionality and sisterhood out before the gcs groom them.

There is an initial curiosity, there is still that spark but it is being answered with unnuanced conclusions with simple explanations and "solutions" that shut down futher investigation.

There were also a couple of detrans afabs who will probably choose to be gnc or non binary or retransition when they're more comfortable with how they can be men. This is a systematic problem with trans medicalism that wants to stick people into binary boxes and insist they perform masc men and femme women. That's not a patient based approach and it's part of the conservative restrictions on the way gender care is allowed to exist at the fringes of healthcare.

[dementian]

As I said, I looked forward to reading the discertation and I have much to offer in regards to thoughts so hopefully that will be accetpable, as someone who is an Izzy fan. Consider me an ambassador of the canyon idk.

Trigger warning for talk of suicidal ideation, season 2 spoilers.

It's an astute observation to note that all versions of Izzy can co-exist, and I think that Ed's character arc will possibly have just as much growth as Izzy's in season 2. Frankly, I believe that that is the reason why Ed is going to be able to grow. It's like a plant with a support system, if too tied down it can't flourish and bloom. As both expand, the plant gets a chance to really come into its own.

What we're missing, and what I sorely hope that we'll get for all the fans, is the beginning of Ed and Izzy's relationship. Blackbeard/Ed were the same person at the beginning of the show, but how did Blackbeard come to be? I think once we have that puzzle piece in, alot of Izzy's love for Edward will also be made more clear.

It's also incredibly astute to note that Blackbeard as a mask is taken off once Stede points out that it is, in fact, a mask, and he can remove it. Ed, a little confused, does so but finds he quite likes it. Izzy, on the other hand, never thought that Ed was being bothered by the mask in the first place. The mask is just a part of what they have to deal with. It is, to me, very important to note that Mary Bonnett and Izzy Hands were meant to have several parallels.

So what does Mary say to Stede? Something along the lines of "I don't hate our lives, or at least hate it so much that I want to live on the ocean" along with "I know we never would have chosen one another, not in a million years, but this is who we are and what we've got."

Stede leaving Mary set her free. Thus I propose that "Blackbeard" leaving will set Izzy free.

Izzy, in the first season, freaks out. Frankly, he doesn't want Blackbeard to leave, much like Mary probably wouldn't have wanted Stede to leave if she'd known what he was going to do. What would Mary have done if she'd caught Stede trying to walk out. Would she have fought for him? For her marriage? For her home? When he's gone, she flourishes, but what happened to her the morning she woke up? How did she handle it? I have a feeling she wasn't pleased.

Izzy loves Ed, because to him, Blackbeard is just a mask and Ed is the brilliant sailor and tactician who could survive any obstacle and keep them safe. This life is all they have, and frankly it isn't kind. It's brutal, it's terrifying, and Izzy's life has been in Ed's hands several times. But he trusts Ed implicitely. Even when Ed makes the mistake of Sept 1st, Izzy does not leave the ship.

But at the end of that episode, Izzy was ready to leave the ship. He'd probably have gone back to the Queen Anns Revenge and awaited orders or simply kept the ship going (it's shown he certainly cares more about the crew than Edward does on several occasions), but Ed cannot let him go. Why? Maybe Ed's not entirely too sure. He's just not ready. He needs Izzy to remain just for a bit longer until he gets his footing without the mask.

Is it nice? No. Is it fair? No. Is it human, and understandable? Yes.

But Izzy isn't a crutch, nor is he the support of a plant. He too is a plant, and he too deserves to bloom. He wants to get on with things, to continue their movement, but Ed is now moving in a completly different direction and will not tell him a damn thing. Repeatedly Izzy begs for a plan. Talk to me, tell me something. But Ed can't because frankly Ed doesn't know. He has no idea what's going on, and taht's okay. He's growing. He's learning. But Izzy's not on the same page as them, and as a result they're growing/learning at different speeds. They're not reaching the same conclusions. They're out of step and synch.

And as such, Izzy is losing the love of his life.

So because Ed won't let him leave until he is forcibly removed from the ship, Izzy decides that he's going to do what it takes to set his life back into order and get Edward to a place where they're at the same speed again. He consorts with Jackie and the English to take Stede out.

is it nice? No. Is it fair? No. is it human, and understandable? Yes.

But Edward doesn't see it that way. Because to him, Stede was the light that shown on Edward in the dark. they are now in synch/step, so if IZzy takes out Stede, he's likewise taking out Ed. Izzy is horrified, because he realizes the man he loves no longer loves him back. In season 2, Edward states "I loved you, as best I could" adn frankly that's the point. He did love him as best he could. It just stopped when it came to Stede. Stede loved Mary as best he could. It just wasn't meant to be. And as a result, that breaks Izzy both emotionally and mentally.

So when Edward grieves, and then begins to bloom even more into this new person sans-Stede, Izzy is past the point of reconciliation. He's been forgotten about and cast aside (has he really? no. But that's not where his mind is at). Edward has bloomed, has used him as a crutch, and now to Izzy's mind he's usless to him.

("I've been cleaning up your messes all my life.")

And so when IZzy lets him have it, he really lets him have it. He reminds Ed, very cruelly, that this version of himself is not the man he fell in love with, that he will never respect the man he's become, and that frankly he needs to watch his damn step.

And that's when the mask comes off.

Because the man crying in the silk dressing gown also wasn't Ed. Like Blackbeard, it too was a mask. Izzy didn't know it, because he'd never seen Ed wear it before.

Throughout season 1, Izzy struggles to accept that he's losing the man he loved to yet another mask. The man he admired and respeted for so many years is likewise vanishing, and in its place Izzy doesn't know who Ed is anymore. Like two plants trying to bloom, he's suddenly getting choked out of sunlight, and he grows dark and bitter until he lashes out.

When Ed attacks Izzy in his sleep, he wears yet another mask, adn teh most lethal one yet. The Kraken is not Blackbeard. The Kraken isn't a brilliant tactician, or a good friend, or a man that IZzy can respect and love. All he is, is a monster. It might look a little more familiar than the flowery version, if only that the color of the petals seems darker, but what Izzy realizes very soon is that the Edward he loved is now utterly cut off from him adn gone. He didn't accept Edward was growing so now he gets nothing. What he does get, he better be fucking grateful for. He's as much a prisoner on that ship as Frenchie or Jim, even if he doesn't realize it. Just as Edward couldn't let Izzy leave in Season 1, Blackbeard can't let Izzy leave in season 2. He's not interested in growth. He's interested in Izzy taking off his boot, being a good boy, and getting another toe snipped off. Because that's what he's good for. That's what his role is now.

And the Ed he loved would never do that to him. Not in a million years.

So Izzy confronts this new version, this new mask. Though Fang/Jim/Frenchie all silently plead with him not too. He hits him with the force of a thousand suns, and declares that the new mask is nothing more than a mask. That ed is lovable, because he loves Stede Bonnet. He reaches out for teh man he knows is in there deep down.

Unable to accept that (Because to do so would be to accept that his actions were unwarrented), the Kraken repels IZzy and shoots him. He gets rid of him. He wants no part of him.

("It's a new day. No more drugs, no more booze, and most of all, no more IZzy").

Becasue to the Kraken, Izzy cannot be around if he is remain. Izzy loves Ed. Izzy is proof Ed exists and is lovable. And that terrifies the Kraken, because it threatens his existence.

And so, when Izzy is laid low, the Kraken makes one final attempt. In a battle of wills, he tries to get Izzy to shoot him. Izzy will not. He would rather kill himself than kill the man he loves. Ed is in there somewhere, and he will not abandon him.

And when the Kraken attacks the crew, Izzy somehow scrounges up the courage to get on top deck post-amputation (a feat in and of itself that is insane) and shoots the torch out of his hand. It is not Izzy that "ends" Ed. It's Jim, and for good reason. Izzy could never hurt the Kraken, because it contains the man he loves. Ed.

Ed's going to grow this season, and shed all the masks (or so I hope), and I think that's what we're going to see in the next few episodes. I want Ed to be happy, healthy, and realize that what he did with the Kraken mask was fucking atrocious. He needs to understand that he is accountable to his behavior, but he can apologize and grow. Izzy needs to do the same.

The Kraken pushed Izzy away when Izzy confessed his love, but Ed confirmed that he did love Izzy as best he could. When Ed returns, they will undoutbably have a mountain to work through. Stede will probably help, and once again be the shining light (hopefully on both of them).

But I do truly believe (and I hope that I've conveyed that well here), that Izzy does love Ed, not just Blackbeard. Blackbeard, to my reckoning, was just a mask he wore. Izzy respected that, because it was a mask he helped make.

Because like the thing is for me, Izzy saying that he loves Ed isn't enough. With the caveat that it takes two to tango and that this is a complex situation where blame is not pinned on one person... Izzy already made it really clear that he serves/loves Blackbeard, not Edward. So while Izzy, to Ed's mind, might love him, he only loves Ed for Blackbeard. That's the only thing he sees. The truth of it is deeper than that for Izzy of course, but Izzy made an over threat that that is who he loves, that is who he respects. Combining that with Stede freaking out over Ed not being Blackbeard anymore (even subtly) and that's what Ed is left with. Blackbeard/the Kraken is all that's left. All that anyone cares about. But the part that is Ed...not worth loving.

[randomshyperson]

The Scarlet Witch Prophecy - Chapter 20 - Agatha's Memories (Part Two)

My official gif maker @abimess, thank you.

Summary: As the youngest daughter of Howard Stark, you have ordinary expectations for your years at Hogwarts. Little do you know what adventures await you when your destiny is intertwined with the legendary Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: +16. Adaptation of the Harry Potter Saga, Magical Thematic, Prophecies, Mentions of Violence, Torture and dark magic, Language (swearing and minor/major offenses), manipulation of will, Underage kissing, insinuation of smut with minors, Smut (overage), descriptions of death, aggression, obscurity, angst, fluffy, soulmates analogies.

Series Masterlist ||  Read on AO3 || All Works Masterlist

Chapter 20 - Part XX - Agatha's Memories (Part Two)

You don’t sleep for long, there is a sound of something breaking that makes you blink confusedly as you move on your bed.

Then you realize that it is the wood up your head that is moving, along with a red magic that you know very well.

You look forward, only to find Wanda with an impassive look on her face as she merges the bed into one.

“I’m sleeping with you from now on.” She says simply as she finishes, and you lay back on the mattress, not sure of what to say about that.

You hold your breath as you hear her taking off her shoes, changing to her pajamas next, staring on the roof of the tent as she does it.

She pulls the blanket to lie down, and then is mimicking your position.

"Would...would it be okay if I hugged you?" she asks after a moment, and you feel your heart race.

"I'd like that." You mumble clumsily, turning to the opposite side.

And it takes half a second for Wanda to wrap her arms around your waist, burying her face in your shoulders, inhaling your perfume and making you blush heavily.

Your legs entwine from underneath the comforter, and you feel more secure than you ever have before.

"I'm sorry." She murmurs against your skin. You think she is talking about what happened with the horcrux, and you just nod softly, but she repeats the apology against your ear, intertwining her hands in front of your belly, and you realize she is talking about everything.

"I love you." She confesses next, and you feel your eyes fill with tears.

The hug gets tighter, and you sink your face into the pillow, allowing yourself to cry.

And Wanda doesn't let go, even when you sob, and it takes a while, but you finally fall asleep. And when you do, she stays.

//-//-//-//

You woke up first. And you don’t wanna get up. Not when you have Wanda wrapped around you like this, your face buried her neck, as you both turned around during the night, and now your legs are completely entwined, and you are practically lying on top of her.

And all you do is sink even deeper against her body, sighing against her skin. She smells so good.

"-morning." She whispers hoarsely, still with her eyes closed, her hands around your body moving slowly against your back down and up, and you just murmur into her skin wishing you could stay in that moment forever.

"We should get up." Wanda says after a moment in silence, not seeming to really wish to do so.

"No, thank you." You retort and your voice comes out muffled against her neck, the vibration making her laugh.

"We need to darling, I think we have some lessons. "She says and you mumble softly, the curiosity to pursue the story Agatha was telling is enough to make you pull away.

But when you are about to let go of Wanda, she pulls on your forearm, and you look at her with confusion, but she moves forward and kisses you firmly.

It's slow, and soft. It makes you sigh, so you kiss her back, sinking right back onto the bed as her hands wrap around your hair to deepen the kiss.

When her tongue asks for passage, you see stars, melting under her touch. Wanda smiles against your lips, pulling you by the shoulders to lie on top of her.

But before you can do so, the sound of footsteps catches your attention, along with a soft hiss, and you grumble before pulling away.

Throwing your face back into the pillow, you try to calm your breathing and rapid heartbeat as Agatha strolls through the tent, until she comes to your room.

"Are the sleeping beauties going to get up, or should I bring coffee in bed?" She teases with her arms crossed as Wanda hides her smile as she notices your state. "You two know this isn't a honeymoon trip, right?"

"Stop being so bitter, Agatha." Wanda complains as she sits up. "We'll be right there."

"And a good day to us, ladies." The older witch retorts before leaving.

Wanda laughs softly, turning her attention back to you as you scramble up on the bed to sit down as well.

"How are you?" she asks, intertwining your hands on top of the mattress, and you let your gaze roam over her face, biting your lips against the urge to kiss her again.

"Fine." You murmur half hoarsely, from sleep or lust, Wanda will never know. "And you?"

"Better." She says with a nod, and you feel your heart race. Better with you here.

Wanda squeezes your hand before letting go, and she stands up, looking at you one last time before walking off toward the bathroom.

You sigh as you throw yourself back against the mattress, trying to push away the feeling of her tongue against yours and focus on the fact that you were even closer to completing your mission with one less horcrux to destroy.

//-//-//-//

“Where are we now?” You asked as you observed the surroundings. It’s the entrance of an old garage, in the corner of a city. But the real Agatha ignores your question as she guides you two inside, further into the memory.

Your dad, just a teen boy, maybe eighteen, is inside, working on a large machine, it seems that he was really a muggle mechanic, since there were cars all around, dismantled or not.

"Stark." It is Agatha from the memories who says, and startles your father slightly, who almost drops the screwdriver. But when he looks up, he smiles.

"Professor Harkness!" He says getting up, and wiping the grease on his apron quickly before greeting her. "You really did it!"

"I told you I would come." She says, and you are surprised at the affectionate way she looks at your father, "Look at you, Howard, you're so grown up."

Your father laughs, bowing his head softly. "Thank you, professor."

"I only say that because I've known you since you were a child." She humorously clarifies. "And now you are even growing a mustache. Tell me, do muggle girls like that sort of thing?"

Your father laughs with flushed cheeks, and Agatha follows him. Before they can say anything, there are voices and the sound of footsteps approaching, and soon, two people enter.

Wanda chokes softly next to you. "Mama."

You also recognized Magda, because you have seen pictures before. She had the same appearance as in the photos, and you were saddened by this, because she must have died not so long after this memory.

Erik stood beside her, wearing muggles like the woman next to him.

"Professor Harkness, you made it!" He greets politely, hurrying to shake the witch's hand as she smiles. "It's so good to see you again! This is Magda, my wife."

"It's a pleasure, dear."

The memory speeds up, you want to fight Agatha for cutting off Wanda's moment of seeing her mother properly, but the way Wanda strokes her thumb against your hand makes you give up saying anything.

The scene settles down in what you think is the apartment at the top of the garage where they were, all around a table, drinking beers.

"You guys know why I came all this way, don't you?" Agatha says, and seems to have just had a short pause in the conversation, as if everyone had been laughing before and suddenly got quiet. And the tension only increases with her comment.

Her father sighs, nodding. "There is no daily prophet here, but I have met some travelers. They are talking about a war, Agatha." He says worriedly. "But I want to hear it from you. Do you really think that could happen?"

Agatha gives a humorless laugh. "It's already happening." She says, placing her beer on the table, and straightening her posture. "The minister of magic waited too long. And now, this group, these so-called death walkers, or whatever ridiculous name they are thinking of trying, are everywhere. In the ministry, in the diagonal alley, in the Order."

Your father looks really upset, but you notice how uncomfortable Erik looks.

"And do you really think that's what they're after, Agatha?" He asks. "War. Do you think that's what the walkers are after?"

The teacher raises her eyebrow slightly. "What else could it be, besides chaos and complete destruction of our society, Erik?"

His former teacher is unaffected by the snickering, he just gives a half-hearted laugh. " Well, freedom of course." He says, clearing his throat softly. "See, that time we've been here. New York is fascinating. Things are bad for muggles it's true, but for the rest of us, damn. The wizards are doing just fine. They have so much magic here, so much freedom to study what they want. The ministry encourages the discovery of new areas, gives financial support to researchers!"

Agatha crosses her legs, listening to Erik's speech carefully.

When he realizes that he may be defending Mephisto's group too much, he pauses, straightening up. "I'm just trying to say that maybe a change in the British government is exactly what our society needs to evolve, Agatha."

"You know, when Fury told me he wanted to recruit you boys to the order, I told him that children don't fight wars." She declares and you see the boys widen their eyes. "You two know that Katherine is dead, right? That Nick took over leadership of the order in his mother's place, and the first names he wanted were yours."

Your father nods, as does Erik.

"Well, I didn't agree." She says. "I said I knew other wizards, more experienced, more trustworthy. Wizards who didn't flee their homeland to live the American dream."

"That's not-" Your father begins but the look in Agatha's eyes makes him shut up.

"Nick insisted that I come here." She continues. "He said that you have kept in touch by correspondence, and that you continue to have the same, what was the word, moral inclination. But now I wonder if he was really right about that."

"I didn't mean to say that the walkers are right!" Erik exclaims defensively, looking embarrassed, but Agatha just smiles.

"Don't worry, honey." She says as she leans in. "I think that kind of moral difference is exactly what makes this whole conflict interesting."

"That's sadistic of you, Agatha." Howard comments seriously. "We're talking about a war."

"Don't be hypocritical now, Howey." She retorts with a wicked smile. "You think I don't know who the travelers you've been talking to are? Say, the magical trafficking laws are simpler in America, aren't they?"

Your father locks his jaw, but keeps his face up.

"I did what I needed to do to survive here." He says simply, and Agatha laughs.

"Of course you did." She says. "So did we all. And now we have a potential battle ahead of us, something that could change the course of wizarding life for future generations. Tell me, do you intend to stand here fixing machines and pretending that your friends are not dying for your freedom? And I thought you were tired of this kind of attitude, golden boy."

Your father stands up, enraged. But he says nothing, and swallows his pride. He gives Erik one last look before leaving the room.

Agatha sighs softly, turning her attention back to Erik, who has his fists clenched in his lap.

"You know very well that the situation is not so simple." He says and Agatha smiles.

"And you know it's him don't you?" She retorts and Erik clenches his jaw.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you know very well, Erik." Agatha insists. "When I fired him, he didn't stay in England. He came to America with his favorite student."

"Keep your voice down." Erik quickly retorts, looking back a moment before leaning forward. "It's not what you think."

"But I don't think anything." She says. "I'm exactly giving you the chance to explain yourself, before I draw my own conclusions."

Erik takes a deep breath, and turns to Magda, squeezing her hands.

"Honey, can you give us a minute?" He asks, and Wanda's mother looks like she's going to say no, before nodding.

She walks off in the same direction as her father, and then Erik and Agatha are alone.

"Professor Faustus has asked me for support, Agatha." He says. "He was out of a job, and with his name tainted with rumors that no one has proven. And he never treated us badly, so I helped him."

"You kept this from Howard? I thought you were best friends." Agatha teases but Erik laughs humorlessly.

"Of course not." He says. "Who do you think paid for the tickets?"

"Interesting." She says. "Why tickets?"

"Because he was being investigated for the dark magic rumors." Erik says. "The ministry put a blocker on him. Any magic he tried to do would go straight to the minister's notes. And well, he needed Howey's help to remove the device from behind his neck."

"While he was hiding, I imagine he told you about his wonderful ideas."

"No, Agatha." He says. "Faustus just looked tired. And he felt betrayed, mostly by you. But in general, he complained, and studied. Howey and I would work all day, and he would stay in his room, among the magic books, unable to conjure anything, not even a light spell. I've never seen him so frustrated."

"I'd feel sorry for him, if that wasn't his fault." Agatha murmurs and Erik sighs in agreement.

"A few months after we arrived, Howey got it." Erik recounts. "Tivan gave him the materials he needed, and he freed Faustus from the blocking device in his skin. He thanked us, said he'd write, and then disappeared. We never heard from him again, but the letters from Fury started coming in the next months."

"Did Howard suspect?"

"No." Erik says squirming uncomfortably in his chair. "Howard trusted him, mostly because of the way he stood up for him in school. About supporting him to study mechanics, even if no one else would. But I knew I had to be smart after what happened with Raven."

"He tried to recruit you?"

Erik sighs. "No, Agatha. But he will."

"I know." She says. "That's why I came."

" I should have guessed that you don't make friendly visits, even to your best students."

Agatha laughs softly, leaning her arm on the carpet. "You think just because you can conjure a patronus you're my best student, Erik? I helped establish the order of merlin. You are not even remotely the most talented wizard I have taught."

"You are hurting my feelings." The man jokes, making the other woman smile.

"How will this work then, Erik?" She asks. "Are you going to accept Fury's offer? Or will you follow your heart?"

The man smiles, standing up. "That just concerns me, and my wife, don't you think?"

"Actually, no." Agatha retorts without sounding angry as Erik moves to collect the beer bottles and put them in the trash. "In fact, I think you even need to leave her."

Erik laughs in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"A muggle, Erik." She says as if it's obvious. "You're going to drag her into a war? That's cruel."

"Magda is stronger than you imagine."

"I'm sure she is." The witch says getting up as well. "But that is until she is hit by the first spell."

“Agatha, please.”

“Muggles can't handle magic like we can, Erik." She insists seriously. "You know that. A simple stupefy could kill her."

"I love her." He says turning away. "And I'm not going to England without her. If she decides to stay, then I will too."

"That's disappointing." Agatha comments, but Erik doesn't flinch, crossing his arms. The witch sighs. "Then do me a favor. Howard, at least he, needs to go. We can't afford to lose allies."

"I'll talk to him." Erik assures. "But you know that with all that his father has done, he doesn't want to go back to London anytime soon."

"This is so much bigger than a family feud." Agatha retorts. "Tell him that, and he'll feel guilty enough to accept it."

"Your mind games are wicked, professor." Erik says before nodding in agreement, leaving.

Agatha sighs, getting pensive.

Just then Magda walks back into the room.

"Miss Harkness?"

"Hello, dear."

"I just came to ask if you're going already? Erik looked upset, but I can walk you to the door. It's good manners."

The memory shakes until they are outside, and Magda leads her to the same place she should have appeared before.

"Please, before you go, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, sweetie."

Magda hesitates, but takes a deep breath and says. "If Erik stays, what are the chances of this war reaching us?"

Agatha looks at the woman for a moment. "I don't think there is a way to escape what is happening in England, Magda. And if we lose, it's not just the witches who will suffer the consequences."

Magda nods in understanding, then steps forward. "Tell me how I can help you."

"He wouldn't approve, but I can't watch everything fall apart around us. Tell me how I can help."

Agatha smiles, touching Magda's shoulder. You hold your breath, as does Wanda, who also notices the magic in the witch's fingertips, and the purple color in her eyes.

"Leave him, dear." She says. "But it needs to be natural, okay? As best as I can, he must not suspect it was my idea. Erik would never put you in danger, but he wouldn't leave you alone either. So you need to end it all."

Magda has tears in her eyes, but she just nods mechanically. And the memory becomes blurred.

Wanda is tense beside her, and you are silent.

"That doesn't make sense." You mutter. "Carol told me that Magda was in Sokovia, and that-"

"She's not my mother, is she?" Wanda cuts you off, looking at the floor. The real Agatha sighs, as you look at the two in confusion.

"How could you tell?" She asks.

"I don't have her eyes."

It was a funny detail about the few pictures of Magda that Erik had in the Maximoff house. All the pictures were old, because they were from muggles. And they were never sharp enough in detail, just good enough for you to be able to recognize the woman in the recollection.

Agatha laughs softly. "Is that all Erik told you about your mother? That you had her eyes?"

Wanda squeezes your hand, and with the other she wipes her cheek.

"Just show me the truth at once, Agatha."

"As you wish."

//-//-//

You stumble gently as you get used to the dirt floor that has stabilized at your feet.

"Are you okay?" You whisper to Wanda, but she just nods, smiling weakly before looking back at the memory forming in your eyes.

You were startled by the bright lights in the sky, recognizing them immediately as wandering spells.

Someone just fought here, and it was no small fight.

"Agatha!" Erik shouted, approaching quickly, coming from the corner as if he had been hiding until now, and the teacher had emerged.

Wanda also held her breath as she noticed the large cut on his forehead, the blood dripping down his face.

"T-They've surrounded us..." He says breathlessly, his wand in fists as he stumbles to get closer. "We narrowly won and-"

"Calm down boy." Agatha says as she holds his shoulders, working quickly to heal his wounds. "Where are the others?"

"Further away." Erik replied visuvelmettely exhausted. You could tell he was a little older than the last memory, but he was still young. "Back to the mansion.

"Good, they' ll be safe there." She says as she helps Erik stand properly. "Where's Natalya?"

And Erik chokes, sobbing. You frown in confusion, and Agatha makes a pitying face.

"Oh, Erik."

He cried, shrugging. "She was.... She tried to gain ground. She hit four of them at once. But... But she-"

And he sobbed, and Agatha didn't insist, hugging him.

"I'm sorry, Erik." She whispered.

And the memory trembled until they were back on the mansion's dirt path, almost at the iron driveway, the man visibly calmer, though quite shaken.

"Erik, what about the children?" Agatha asks as she stops walking in front at the gate.

The man looks on the verge of tears again, but only sighs.

"I have no idea, Agatha." He says. "No place is safe in the UK anymore. I can't leave the order to look after them, I don't know what to do."

And Agatha looks at him a moment, before nodding. "I will help you."

You see many flashbacks of memories, Agatha greeting injured order members, then going back to write letters, and checking the news. You think you see flashes of fights too, big duels, before everything stabilizes again.

It's Magda in front of you, and she looks more mature too.

"Years ago, you asked me how I could help you." Agatha spoke behind you, and you startled yourself by jumping to the side, and watching intently as the witch touched Magda's hands. "You saved yourself by leaving him. But you will save his life and the rest of the wizarding world if you accept what I am about to ask of you."

Magda's eyes widened, but she nodded after a moment. Agatha waved her hands, and a cart approached you.

"Run away, Magda." She says. "Their mother had a house, enchanted to protect from invaders on a hill in a small country in Europe." Agatha explains as Magda lets out a surprised exclamation at the babies in the stroller.

"They... are beautiful." She whispers excitedly, touching the children with her fingers, who fall asleep innocently. "What happened, Agatha? Where is Erik?"

"The fight just got bigger, hon." She explains. "Much bigger than we ever expected. Your people are suffering too, but they're saying it's natural disasters."

Magda is shocked, but she speaks again. "Agatha, I am not a witch. I can't protect them."

"That's exactly why you can." Agatha retorts, taking the other woman's hands again. "Go to Sokovia. There are no witch communities there. Hide yourself, hide them. You have no idea how important it is to keep them safe."

"Tell me, then."

Agatha swallows dryly, and looks away from the babies. "It's only a legend, but it could change the fate of this war. The girl, Magda, is a powerful witch. A special kind, like her mother was."

"My god, she's just a child, Agatha."

"That's exactly why she needs to be protected." The witch retorts. " She' s fragile, like a crystal to be stolen. She must not be found, promise me you will protect her."

"I promise." She says nodding, but Agatha sighs, and her eyes turn purple, her grip increases.

"No matter what happens, Magda." She says. "You will protect them, do you understand?"

"Yes."

The memory shakes again, and this time, your father is in front of you, and you hold your breath, shocked to see him so close so suddenly.

“You’re a snake!” He accused angrly, but without any movement, his eyes were serious with his arms crossed.

You turn to realize he was talking to Agatha, in a room that had no windows.

“I was keeping them safe, Howard.” The woman said. “I don’t expect you to understand the feeling of desperation, because you have an armored mansion at your will.”

“You used Erik’s grief to manipulate him into believing in you!” He shouted. “I’m not asking you again, where are his children?”

Agatha laughs softly, looking at your father indignantly.

"Are you listening to yourself, Howey?" she teases. "Erik switched sides, accept that."

"Nat died on our side." He retorts. "She was my friend, my ally. And she trusted us to protect the twins, you had no right to hide them!"

"They are safe!" Agatha retorts, and looks at the man with a warning expression. "And I suggest you stop making such a scandal about it, Howard! You don't want Mephisto to find out about the girl's true nature. We're close enough to defeat already."

"This isn't about that stupid legend-"

"Isn't it?" Agatha interrupts with irony. "Then why only now? It's been weeks since I took them. I know exactly what you want with the twins, Howard. You want to see if it's true, if they really can change the war." She says approaching. "I will clear that up for you then, since you clearly have no knowledge at all on the subject. A scarlet witch is worthless until she reaches maturity. If you try to take the magic from the baby, you'll just get a victim. And I won't allow that to happen."

"I wasn't going to steal the child's magic, Agatha. Who do you think I am?"

"I don't give a damn who you say you are now, Stark." She retorts."Not to you, nor to Erik, who can't make up his mind whose side he's on."

Agatha moves to leave, clearly ending the conversation. But before she leaves, your father calls out to her.

"Why are you so committed to protecting them, Agatha?" He asks.

"Natalya was my family before she was an Auror, Howard."

As Agatha leaves, the memory fades, but you and Wanda are wide-eyed, confused by the latest revision.

And the ground is shaking at your feet, and you are being pulled back into consciousness.

//-/-//-//-//

You awaken last, stretching confusedly away from the tree you had leaned against as you sat on the ground to begin viewing the memories watched with the other women.

Wanda is already getting up, to find Agatha standing peacefully looking at the mountainous landscape ahead.

"So, what are you?" she asks the older witch.

Agatha sighs softly, without looking at Wanda.

"Natalya Maximoff was born in Romania, during the witch revolution in the country." She begins nostalgically, a short smile at the corner of her lips. "I found her shaking like a leaf, less than twelve weeks old inside a box of potatoes."

You are shocked, as is Wanda, but you just listen.

"I think her mother tried to hide her. But she got caught in the middle of it. Romania was in chaos at the time, it was a real bloodbath. "She says. "I was there to fight. The English ministry provided special witches to take on a wizard, known as Kang the Conqueror."

Agatha gives a humorless laugh, sounding upset.

"If you think Faustus is bad, it's because you've never met him." She counters. "He was a master nocramanter. He created an army of the living dead, the inferi. It was the worst fight I've ever been in. But we won, and he was killed. For real this time."

Agatha looked away from the landscape to look at Wanda.

"I bonded with the child, Miss Maximoff." She says. "I could have left her in that box, and gone on my way. But I took her in my arms, and only let her go when she was mature enough for that."

"And then?" Wanda asked with emotion in her voice, looking at Agatha with tears in her eyes.

"I found out that she was a scarlet sorceress, but unlike you, she never completed her forging." The witch says sadly. "She died at the age of 20, a year before she was going to do the spell."

Wanda looks down at her feet, crossing her arms as she absorbs the whole story. Agatha thinks this is a good opportunity to keep talking.

"The war was already over when I found Natalya." She says. "The village where I believe she was born had been destroyed in a shambles. And they put her in the box, while the British aurors were doing the stakeouts. I took her with me, I didn't tell anyone." She recounts. "When she turned eleven, I found out what she was. I taught her everything I could, but I didn't let her go to Hogwarts. I kept her at home, where she wouldn't put the students or herself in danger."

You bite the inside of your cheek, surprised that Agatha was able to hide a daughter. But honestly, it wasn't that shocking.

"When she turned 16, she started rebelling, you know how teenagers are." She says. "She left because she didn't agree with the way I saw the world. And I said I would be waiting for her to come back when she realized that only I could help her."

"But she didn't come back." Wanda completed and Agatha sighed, nodding.

"No, of course not," she says. "She moved to a muggle province, and built a house. And ran away from her fate until her power got too overwhelming."

"Did you look for her?" You ask, and Agatha nods in agreement, turning her gaze to the landscape.

"With the war, I wanted allies." She says. "And I really thought I could get to the house of the daughter I hadn't spoken to in years to ask her to fight for me."

"But she accepted, didn't she?" Wanda says and Agatha sighs.

"On her terms, yes." Answered the woman. "Your mother was a smart girl, Wanda. She made me swear under the best intentions."

And it takes a moment for Wanda to understand what was really being said.

"How?"

Agatha sighs, turning to you again. "I took a perpetual vow to do what was right. What would save lives, what she considered right." She explains. "But contract magic is so encompassing. Especially when you say ambiguous phrases like do the right thing, or stuff like that. That's why I was able to get around the spell so many times. That's why it shaped itself with her death."

"That's why you can't hurt Wanda." You conclude in a sigh.

Agatha nods. "The power of the Scarlet Sorceress has always been tempting. But I would never steal it from Natalya, she was my daughter." She says. "But you were just a student. And I wouldn't mind taking that responsibility out of your hands."

"Not even if I was her daughter?" Wanda asks in a mixture of disgust and indignation, but Agatha only gives a humorless laugh.

"Don't judge me so much." She retorts. "If I didn't care, you wouldn't even be alive. Least of all your girlfriend."

But Wanda steps away, putting herself in front of you.

"You didn't do this because you care." She accuses. "You did it because of the vow. Because you will die if you don't keep your words to her."

"Maybe." She says,shrugging. "But what matters is my actions, not motivations. Actions are all that matter in the end."

"I'm sick of this, Agatha." Wanda retorts indignantly. "You think you can say some philosophical shit and get rid of the things you've done? You manipulated my entire family, and you played with my destiny. I'd rather be alone than around you."

Wanda walks off at a brisk pace, and you follow her, not knowing exactly what to do.

Agatha clenches her jaw, refusing to turn around and apologize.

Wanda begins to pack up very quickly, and you stare wide-eyed as she puts Godric's sword into her purse.

And soon you are outside.

"I told you I wouldn't forgive you if you crossed another line with me." She says. "But I realized that there's nothing more you can do besides all the bad things you've already done."

"If you expect me to apologize for keeping you alive so far, you are deluding yourself." Agatha retorts stubbornly, her arms crossed.

Wanda gives a humorless laugh, her hand interlacing hers. "I don't expect anything from you, Agatha. Even if you think it's the right thing to do, stay away from me. And especially from her."

"As you wish, Miss Maximoff."

You notice the tears in the older witch's eyes before she looks the other way. Wanda turns her face to you next.

“Think of a safe place.” She asks in a whisper, and you nod. It takes a second before everything spins around.

//-//-//-//-//

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[disneydeb1928]

PLL Original Sin - The Suitcase

Time for - I hyper-fixated and overanalyzed the scene with the Masked Man (Referred to as "MM" because I don't - like many - believe him to be "A"). Here, are a few things that I observed.

(1) The suitcase says, “United Stated Army Reserve” and it is beaten up. I doubt Davie - no matter what change of heart she may or may not have had - did time in the Army. Though, my instinct is to say that it's "MM's" (as him having a military background would make a whole lot of sense from both a character and a skills standpoint) that doesn't necessarily make it so. The specific logo used here has been in use since 1972, so it could have been passed down to either of the two.

(2) First, and foremost, most of the contents of the suitcase are old.

The picture of the OG Liars from the night Angela died. (the one from the intro as well as the one taken in the FB from 1x01)

The old teddy bear (seemingly the one that was replicated in 1x04)

A flyer for the Y2K party (the same one given to Davie in 1x01 before she died, seen in the intro and in "MM's" lair in 1x01)

The pumpkin mask that Angela had worn in the Flashback from earlier this episode (1x05)

A picture of Angela in which she appears to be in a play(?)

A picture of a young boy pushing an even younger child in a stroller.

A page torn from a book that includes two poems by Henry Vaughan - “The Night” and “The Waterfall”. It is on this page that the hair is tacked on to.

An even older picture that looks like of an ancestor.

Some sort of ticket. There is a name at the top. The first name is difficult to read, but I swear the rest says “M.L. King Jr”. There is also a date in red on the line below. The year is either “91” or “01).

Implication #1: This is the picture that we see the OG Liars take right outside the warehouse the night Angela dies - you can see them get it taken as Angela (not yet on screen) calls out for help. What's interesting is that this isn't a polaroid. The man that took the photo, never handed them one. So, either, this is Davie's photo that "MM" took the night that Davie died or whilst he's been living there OR she never had it in her possession at all. After all, I can imagine having proof that you were there the night a girl died isn't something Davie would want to keep. I would imagine that she'd get rid of it.

Implication #2: The old teddy bear is especially interesting because we've literally seen it every. It was in the intro - where we watch "MM" drag it on the ground like a toddler (I had flashbacks to young Michael from Peter Pan). We also see it in "MM's" lair at the end of 1x01 when he kills the janitor. Clearly, things had to get moved after. This is also the same bear that Marjorie gifted Angela in the FB from the previous episode and the one that "A" used to taunt Marjorie at the hospital with the knowledge that they knew about her drug abuse.

Implication #3: The pumpkin mask speaks for itself. I guess I'm just surprised that Angela kept it. Bully's suck and those girls were cruel.

Implication #4: I think it's very clear at this point that Angela loved English. There's been several allusions to the play the Scarlet Letter (Imogen's class discussing it in 1x01 and her finding it at Angela's shrine in 1x03). We see a page of poetry and what looks to be a picture from her in a play here. I'm not sure the importance it's going to have here - if they're going to go the parallel route and their be a connection between Imogen and Angela with the plot of the Scarlet Letter. It just feels too similar at this point to ignore.

(3) However, there are some other things in the suitcase that we know for a fact are recent additions.

There are TWO tickets for Tabby's Jordan Peele double feature, that is even dated for "Thursday, October 1st @ 4 PM" as well as a flyer that says the same thing.

Implication: The implication is that "MM" went to the screening with someone else - and since it was a screening for Millwood High Students... it was most likely someone the girls' age. That would lead me to believe that "A" could be someone the girls' age. Or Wes.

(4) Then, there are some... even odder items.

A lock of someone’s hair – it appears blonde is tacked onto a page of poetry.

A blank wages card is hung next to the poetry page.

Looks like some type of coin/medal of valor?

An old, beaten up can of chili.

An old toothbrush.

Implication #1: The hair is weird for a number of reasons. With the obvious - this man has a strand of hair out of the way - no one on the show is even blond except the twins... Not Angela or even Davie was blonde. Not even the crazy lady in the trailer for 1x06-1x07 who we assume is Angela's mother is blond. I mean, it definitely resembles the hair that "MM" is using as a wig, but I can't figure out if that is suppose to mean anything.

Implication #2: The medal of valor would only make sense, if, again, "MM" was once in the military.

(5) After the camera zooms back out, there are some noticeable differences to the contents of the bottom of the suitcase. Where the toothbrush once was sat on top of some nondescript journals, there is now new additions. This would mean that "MM" just put those items there.

There is the Halloween Horror-O-Thon movie ticket on top (The same one from the intro)

Underneath the ticket are the journal entries (The same ones shown in the intro)

The very bottom left is the childish drawing of Y2K (Also from the intro)

Implications: There are several that can be made, but at this point, they would just be called theories. However, we shall do our best.

Implication #1: "MM" went to the Halloween Horror-A-Thon at 3 PM. There was only one ticket, so we can deduce that he went alone.

Implication #1-B: The level of shadiness at the number of times that we've seen "MM" hang at the Orpheum is concerning. Yes, he also seems to stay at the school (concerning) and Imogen's house (concerning). I don't know what point I'm trying to make here... Wes is horrible. I don't necessarily think he's working with "MM" but I just wanted to say that. Thank you.

Implication #2: The easy conclusion to make would be that the papers in the fireplace were placed there to then throw the girls off. And yet, "MM" left the suitcase in the basement with a whole slew of other evidence...? That doesn't add up. It's clear that either he was the one to rip them out of Davie's journal, or found where Davie originally hid them. He clearly wants the girls to uncover what happened to Angela. I just have to figure that giving them the journal entries would be too easy and would give them all the answers. Whoever "A" is, clearly wants to make them work for it.

[parchmentedpetrichor]

➳the girl in the lilac dress ♠ ♡

in which y/n meets fred's ex-girlfriend, days after fred confessed his love for her. there's still some confusion on the status of their relationship. angst -> fluff. narrated by you, y/n l/n.

fred weasley x fem!reader

word count: ±5.4k

tw: angst (not too bad though), mean words, blood, mentions of auror missions, kidnapping, needles, st mungo's

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ft. hermione, lee and alicia

I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you

I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you

the girl in the lilac dress

i was in a good mood. on the way to work to receive my mission, i was humming a song that had just come out. it was catchy and worth the wait.

out of the corner of my eye, a lilac colour appeared suddenly. strange, i thought. it approached me, in the form of a beautiful woman. she had the lightest grey eyes and the smoothest milky-white skin, and the shiniest locks of dark brown hair. she walked in a flowy lilac gown, her slim model-like body walking in a model-like fashion.

i was pretty sure she wasn't headed towards me, but when her luxurious voice said "good morning" in the calmest tone possible to me, i looked at her confusedly.

"hi!" i replied brightly, smiling.

she smiled sinisterly, "my name is pretoria aphrodite, i'm fred's ex-girlfriend."

he hadn't ever mentioned an ex, but i knew he had dated quite a few people. she made me seem like a glass of water next to a glass of red wine, naive and ugly. i was those two things anyway.

"oh! i'm y/n l/n! nice to meet you, you do seem like a daughter of aphrodite," i said politely.

"darling, all women are daughters of aphrodite. i understand fred's interested in you?"

she observed me and i laughed.

"i don't think that's quite the word. he's my best friend."

"friends with benefits?"

"oh gosh no! i don't really know where we stand, honestly."

"bitter about it?"

i thought for a second, "nah, i couldn't be. love's a hard thing."

"it is, indeed, and you work for the ministry?"

i nodded, "head of the auror office. what about you?"

"i model for witch weekly."

i gasped, "you're the p. aphrodite? i should've known!"

"big fan?" she looked amusedly at me.

"my friends are, so naturally i am."

"you don't seem the type fred usually goes for."

"i wouldn't say he's even going for me," i said cautiously.

"you are much too cutesie for his type."

i glanced up at her. she was smiling kindly.

"pfft, but better cutesie than nothing, amirite?" i asked friendlily, "well it's been nice to talk with you, but i gotta hurry!"

"no worries, i'll come with you, i have some business at the ministry too. have you seen his past exes?"

"uhh, not really?"

"well they're all models for one magazine or another."

"oh, okay. and that's important because...?" i asked her carefully.

"i just thought you should know."

i laughed, "i'm not model material, am i? i don't mind at all."

she looks taken aback. "i would say, with longer hair," she plucked a hair out of my poor mess of locks, "and a shorter upper body, with perhaps lip fillers, you'd look model-like."

her tone was analysing and not at all attacking.

"only three things??" i asked, shocked.

"you are rather... pretty already," she mused, "not model-like, but cute."

we had reached the ministry.

"thanks, see you later!" she waved and disappeared.

all that was left was a buzzing fly which soon flew away.

i immediately dialled in my auror code in the red telephone box and was sent into hermione granger's office.

"'mione! how good to see you!" i hugged her.

"hello y/n!"

in the ministry and the auror department, the head of the auror office was probably more important than the minister for magic. i didn't know why. she had brought me a cup of hot chocolate.

"thanks, 'mione, you didn't need to. what's the mission today?"

"two babies are being held hostage in a coded location by a person who calls themselves the light lord. dark lord, light lord, y'know?" she handed me a coded piece of parchment.

i thoughtfully pondered, "the light lord. who do you need?"

"i was hoping you go on this mission, then you could give me some news on this light lord person."

"that's doable. we'll need to bring in hepole and a ministry official to negotiate passports and such. and a strong auror team."

"right on it. i'll get wally becker and charlotte-ann becker. they're a force to be reckoned with on the borders."

"how much experience?"

"they're twins, been doing this for about fifty years now."

"perfect. and hepole?"

"on the way."

"thanks, minister," i winked at her, getting out my telephone and dialling the disguise unit.

"hello, poplinn speaking."

"pop, we need a few disguises. light lord."

"miss l/n! o-of course!"

"and pop?"

"y-yeah?"

"call me y/n."

i hung up, dialling harry's office.

"harry, call draco and be in my office in ten minutes. i don't care what business he's doing with scorpius, we've got babysitters here. light lord, perhaps a second of voldemort."

"of course."

i picked up the ringing phone that was in the corner of hermione's office.

"y/n, me and scorpy are having a zoo day, we're at the muggle zoo you suggested."

"sorry dray, but it's important."

"there's no one else?"

"there are others, but we need your expertise."

there was a pause, "i won't need to show my dark mark?"

"it's fading anyway. no."

"i'll be paid?"

"in hundreds."

"how old are the children?"

"2 and 4," hermione said.

the silence told me he was sold.

"i'll be there."

i picked up the big microphone and said, "auror unit 156 to the brief room. no need to bring anything. see you there!"

"good luck," hermione grimly said, "be safe, head."

"mhm and cup o' coffee tomorrow? if i survive, that is," i grinned.

"'course."

i smiled, "c'ya!"

she was shaking her head.

"oi, no disappointment, 'mione! i was the one who got the ministry out of paperwork!"

"burning paper doesn't count, y/n."

"it wasn't burning paper, hermione granger, it was arson."

"no, it was the saddest form of arson i've ever seen."

"hey! that's rude."

"just go on your mission already."

i laughed, "on it, minister. kalle?"

kalle looked at me, "yes?"

"tell miss minister to take a break and play a game or something, will you?"

she smiled, "okay."

"give my thanks to your mother too, loved the cookies!"

"alright, good luck, head!"

"thanks, bye!"

i apparated to the brief room, where everyone was strapped into special camouflage clothes.

i handed hepole the parchment and immediately began briefing the unit, harry and draco, on the mission.

"please be safe out there. if you're injured, apparate or travel back here, okay?"

i looked at hepole.

he cleared his throat, "they're in albania. the forest there."

"okay. harry and draco will provide attacking forces," the two nodded.

"i want lopex, quentin blake, quentin grill and hilly to break into any establishment," i say to the team, "and eron, hawks, melv, argonas to hold the offender hostage. johnathan, team healer as always. i'll take the children. hepole, you come and accompany us till the forest, then you have my permission to stay back, and beckers, stay invisible with the cloak, write a report for the minister when you come back, understand? have faith, team! i believe in you. we travel by apparition with the machine in three minutes. call your family, chat, have a snack, drink some water, and relax."

i picked up my telephone and dialled my parents.

"hi mum, dad, i'm going on a mission!"

"alright, be safe sweetie," my mum called.

"yeah, don't die kiddo," my dad added.

"right right, i love you, bye!"

the mission was successful. we rescued the children and sent the kidnapper to trial for azkaban. i escaped with a gash on my forearm, but quickly fixed it up with a spell. it ended late in the evening, so the team healer had gone home. the wound kept opening again, but i wasn't sure if it needed stitches.

putting everything away and making sure the aurors were okay, i headed back to the apartment i shared with fred.

i felt emotionally and physically drained, ready to enjoy a good shower and a good late dinner.

when i fiddled with the key to the door and opened it, my heart absolutely stopped.

pretoria aphrodite was kissing fred passionately. i felt my heart fall ten thousand flights of stairs in disappointment. of course. i was all a rebound who was pathetically in love with him.

when they stopped and saw me, pretoria smirked and fred stood up, astounded.

"uhh, continue? sorry," i apologised awkwardly.

"wait, y/n, it's not what it looks like-" he said.

"i don't mind, be safe," i smiled, too tired and too weak to do anything, closing the door and feeling tears well up in my eyes as i took my bag and myself somewhere. anywhere away from this all. my wound burned. i cursed under my breath as i made my way to st mungo's.

"y/n, you should have come here earlier!" yvonne, my friend, says, as she slowly injects a needle into me, "it's infected! and it needs stitches."

i laughed, "everything needs stitches. this is why i didn't become a healer, yvonne."

she shook her head in dismay.

"lol."

i watched the needle go in.

then she stitched the bloody mess of a wound up, cleaning it gently.

"now i can't stay, y/n," i pouted, "no, don't give me that face, i have other patients."

i nodded, "thanks yvonne."

"no problems. take care. you're too reckless."

"am not!"

she laughed. "that's funny."

after the trip to st mungo's which was pretty short, i wondered what to do. my mind kept floating to the scene i had just witnessed.

i was just the stupid, stupid, girl he used as a rebound. he didn't even use me as a real rebound, just someone who was simply infatuated with him to help him forget his unforgettable ex.

looking at a shop window, i caught a glimpse of myself. i hated being insecure but it happened.

i looked ugly. eyes too small, nose too big, lips not full enough. my thighs touched and i didn't have abs. i had a long gash running down my forearm, surrounded by other cuts. my hair was messy and disgusting. compared to the angel on earth pretoria was, i was nothing. small and plain was nothing when luxurious and beautiful was present.

and it hurt. my heart hurt. my head hurt.

i shook my head gently of my thoughts, chuckling bitterly.

fred weasley was completely and utterly out of my league.

whatevs, i thought. hurting was fine.

deciding to get over him once and for all, i bought some groceries and apparated to the doorstep of lee and alicia's glamorous cottage.

i knocked twice on the door. "hellooo!" i called out.

"baby, can you get that?" lee asked alicia.

alicia opened the door, smiling as she saw me.

"hey ali!"

"hi! come in!"

at first glance i could tell she knew something wrong.

"can i sleep here tonight? and take a shower? and eat some of your food please guys? and maybe steal a shirt i left here for safekeep? and maybe use your telephone? i'm really sorry for troubling you, so i got you guys snacks."

i was the second cousin by marriage of lee. it was good overall, but he was super naughty.

"snacks?"

"your favourites."

"then i guess you can," he said cheekily and i laughed.

"alicia, i don't know how or why you ended up with this child, but i'm glad you did," i told her and she laughed heartily.

"he's cute, isn't he?"

"no," i quickly stepped into the guest bedroom and took a long shower, letting a few tears slip but not enough so that it looked like it. i was subtle.

i bundled up in heavy clothing and wrapped my hair in a towel.

gingerly, i bandaged the wound.

by the snores in the other room, lee was asleep. i crept out quietly, going to cook something.

alicia was sitting down, with my favourite comfort meal prepared. i felt tears of appreciation well up in my eyes.

"thank you, ali, i love you."

"you damn well do."

we both giggled.

"what happened?" she asked me.

"nothing. i just wanted a change."

"from fred? liar. i'll ask again. what happened, y/n?"

"just a long mission, that's all."

"after long missions you usually watch movies with fred."

"couldn't i visit my best friend and my cuz?"

"you visit us on weekends. it's a friday."

"well i wanted to visit you!"

"bullshit."

"is it that hard to believe?"

"what the fuck did fred do to you?"

"nothin'?"

"c'mon y/n, you have to tell me. there's a reason why you didn't go to angie and george's tonight."

"i went here because they're super kissy. you guys have space and act normally. i appreciate that."

"you're awesome at lying."

"i'm not lying!"

"does this happen to involve pretoria aphrodite?"

i nodded, sighing, "she's so nice and pretty." i played with my food.

"i bumped into her. she's pretty, but not nice."

"oh?"

"she called me fiercely ugly. she forgot i model for witch weekly too."

"what did you say back?"

"i told her to fuck off."

i laughed, "she was very nice to me. but next time i see her imma kill her."

"of course she was nice to you, you're a lil angel! anyway, she's an animagus, didya know?"

"whoa how did you know?"

"caught her in a jar. she's a fly. who do you think told hermione to catch rita skeeter in the jar?"

i laughed, "rita skeeter is a beetle! gosh, she's annoying."

"what did fred and pretoria do?"

"nothing."

"please tell me?"

"they-" i swallowed, "they were kissing, and so i came here because i didn't wanna watch anymore."

"hang on, he told you he loved you a few days ago?"

i nodded.

"that doesn't seem right."

i shrugged, "pretoria's better than me. i don't blame him."

"his mother would kill him!"

i shrugged again, "i don't think he was legit when he said that."

"molly weasley, y/n!"

"look, he can explain it to you, i don't even wanna hear it. the first stage of mourning is denial, they say."

"doesn't mean it's good."

"denial is awesome. it's ignorance, but you choose to be stupid. i'm already so stupid!" i groaned, covering my face with my hands, "so so so so so so so stupid, foolish, dumb, and i don't want you to tell me i'm not because i know i am. pathetic."

i gobbled down the rest of the meal, "ths 's delicous," i said, swallowing, "g'night!"

"don't be afraid to let it all out."

"yeah."

i shut the door softly, before brushing my teeth and collapsing exhaustedly on the bed, nodding off quickly.

the next day, i woke at 4am, and put on new clothes, apparating to the phone box and filling out paperwork for the missions yesterday.

i joined hermione quickly, handing her a cappucino and sipping my mocha.

"court sitting this early?" she asked me.

i nodded, "mistake of sirius black, now they do all court sittings within 24 hours of arrest."

"that's smart."

"yeah. it's good. he's obviously guilty right? just a dust of veritaserum to bring it all out?"

"i reckon he'll just confess."

"criminals don't go down easily."

"you guys did a spotting job. the children were unharmed."

"are they here today?"

"they're in st mungo's. being monitored."

"parents?"

"dead."

"oh gosh, those poor children. what's going to happen to them?"

"someone's adopting them, wally becker and his wife."

"that's awesome."

the court hushed as we entered the room. hermione and i shared amused glances and began the sitting.

he was found to be guilty and was chucked in azkaban.

"what an idiot, sending a message like that."

"yup," i chuckled, "what with hepole in our ministry, they never escape."

we laughed.

"how's everything with ron?" i asked her.

"i don't know if he's still into me?"

i almost laugh at her statement, "bro. of course he is."

"i never see him."

"then see him more!"

"how? i'm so busy!"

"busy enough for ron?" we both took sandwiches from the canteen lady with courteous smiles and words.

we sat down at the cafeteria.

"i guess not, but he's busy!"

"busy enough for you?"

"i guess not."

"'xactly."

"but he might not wanna go on a date."

"why? the boy's obsessed with you, 'mione!"

the aurors and ministry workers looked at us in fear as i rose up. i chuckled.

i immediately skipped over to the telephone, putting in the WWW's number.

"y/n! what on earth are you doing?" hermione said in a panicked tone.

"nothing to be worried 'bout."

"hello?" it was george. i thanked the heavens for that.

"yolo george, give the phone to your lil bro please."

"'kay."

hermione was gaping at me. i smirked at her.

"y/n?"

"hey ron, i want you to meet me in rosemary park at 5pm today."

"o-okay."

"could you also bring hermione's favourite snacks and wear an extra jumper?"

"what? why?"

"i'm curious, that's all," i said, "see you there!"

"is that y/n?" i heard fred's voice.

"nup, it isn't," i replied.

and with that, i hung up.

"hey 'mione?"

she was glaring at me, "what."

"meet me at rosemary park at 5pm?" i batted my eyelashes at her, before bursting out in laughter.

she laughed, "i love you."

"pfft, love ya too. you really are too careful. like he would reject you."

"what do you think i should wear?"

"let's go off work early today, at 3," i suggested, "we're both on top of our work anyway."

"okay! you wanna go now?"

"it's 11?"

"yeah!"

"alrighty! kalle!"

kalle turned to us, "yes?"

"hi! me and minister are going out to talk about the mission."

"alright, bye."

we apparate to hogsmeade.

"what theme do you wanna go for?"

"hmm," she thought for a second, "floral!"

"alrighty!" i fumbled for my cell phone and dialled the WWW's again.

"hello?" it was fred this time.

"heyo freddie," i said to him like nothing had ever happened, "tell ron to dress up at 5 pm in something cute but not too out there, preferably in florals or somethin', and he better bring me hermione's favourite flowers."

"wha? if he's going with you then- ohhhh."

"thanks, bye."

"wait!"

"mhm?"

"can we talk?"

"erm- about what exactly?"

"everything."

i sighed, "later, okay? i'm out with hermione and you've got work."

"okay. have a good time, lovely."

"you too."

i was utterly confused. here he was one day kissing pretoria, and now he was calling me lovely?

what the hell was going on?

"let's go, mione!"

we went and bought her a pretty pink dress with white lilies adorning it. it was cute and definitely casual, sort of like a sundress.

"what if he doesn't come?" hermione chewed on her lip.

"hermione jean granger, we both know that ron is absolutely definitely a thousand times head over heels in love with you. he wouldn't ditch you for the world! and look at you! anyone can see he's lucky to have you! you both are star-crossed. when has he ever ever ditched you?"

"with lav brown."

"lavender, she's, she's dead, hermione," i said carefully, "fenrir greyback bit her to death. it was a tragic, heroic, death. she was listed in the extended casualties sent to my office a few months after the battle. i think she's watching down on us from wherever she is up there."

"she's dead?"

"yeah," i replied sadly, "life is so short."

"yeah."

"what i'm tryna say, is that that might've happened, but it won't happen again now that he knows you love him and he loves you. understand?"

"yeah."

"and love him well, for the sake of lavender brown."

"for the sake of lavender brown," she said, smiling.

"yup, now, light lord. his name is actually pont knight."

"pont knight?"

"former assistant of me."

"pont knight?"

"yeah, i know right."

"how did he go again?"

"oh, i fired him," i laughed.

"why?"

"smart guy but terribly lazy and he kept asking for promotions! like please do something if you want money."

"interesting."

"he moved to eastern europe to chase after the trendiness of the islands. i think it was just an excuse. he's changed. he used to be clean-shaven and have the blondest hair."

"do you think he did anything else?"

"we did put him on veritaserum, right?"

"yeah, but it's illegal to put someone on it for more than 10 minutes now in court sittings."

"we could go visit him in azkaban later? i'll take gregir."

"yeah, maybe tomorrow or the day after?"

i nodded, "'course. today is a rest day for the aurors right?"

she nodded, "yeah, half of the agency is at home or working out in the gym."

"good. sometimes this work is so tolling, 'mione."

"yeah, i heard from st mungo's you got hurt?" her eyes were concerned.

i rolled up my sleeve, "that's it."

"that's it? what do you mean, that's terrible! you need to take better care of yourself."

"well sometimes it's hard to. it was worth it."

we continued chatting until it was 4:30.

"oop!" she checked her watch, "i have to go!"

"good luck! tell me how it goes, minister! i'll head back to check if anyone's called for you or me and dust it all up."

"thanks. i owe you."

"nah. i owe my job to you. if minister for magic didn't exist, i wouldn't either. i love you 'mione, be safe!"

"love you too!"

i apparated to the phone box and typed my letters in.

with a whoosh, i immediately spotted two letters and a beeping phone. i answered the phone, solving the problem of the woman on the other end of the line and scribbled a reply to both of the letters.

i finished the paperwork and sent it off, then visited my office. it was piling with letters. i answered all of them, redirecting some of them to different departments, before calling everyone back.

i spotted some of the aurors from yesterday's mission sitting in the cafeteria and talking.

i sat down next to them, "how are you guys doing? any injuries?"

they shook their heads, "we've been spending time in the healer's office and just exercising lightly by the orders of johnny," argonas explained and i nodded.

"take it lightly, and go home if you want to. seeing family always helps the process, hopefully not too many nightmares?"

they laughed, "nightmares all the time, miss," hawk said lightly, "get used to it in this job."

i frowned, "have you tried speaking to doctor yvonne? she might have ways to solve nightmares."

"ahh, miss, sleeping draughts can only do so much," hawk replied cordially.

i laughed, "alright, hawkeye, but just make sure you're not getting traumatised okay? what about you, lopex, quentins?"

they shrugged.

"it's okay? the door was very hard to bust into," lopex said quietly, "we had to try several bombarding charms."

"now, lop, it was easy work!" draco said, sitting down, "hello, head auror, hello unit."

it brought on a cacophony of greetings.

"how are you doing, dray?" harry sat down next to him, "hi everyone!"

we all replied with more greetings and a steady conversation started and flowed for a couple of hours.

i felt my cell phone go off and i excused myself, noting it was 9pm already.

i apparated to the apartment doorstep, knocking on the door just in case anything was happening. i checked the caller id, it was hermione.

fred opened the door, hair messy, still good looking. i smiled at him, patting his shoulder as i ran to the ringing telephone and picked it up.

"y/n!" i could just hear the beam in hermione's voice.

"'mione! how did it go?"

"absolutely wonderful, head auror, ahhh, he's so cute!"

"what happened?" i asked, smiling already.

"well it was really cold when i saw the picnic blanket, which was matching my dress for some weird reason, and ron was there in the cutest button up and he looked so handsoME and he gave me a flower, he's always handsome but i just can't! ahhhh!" she squealed and i clapped my hands in excitement.

"and then i was shivering and he gave me hiS JUMPER and it smelled like him and oh my gosh i think i might just be in love, y/n!"

i giggled, "my cooling charm did work!"

"whaT y/n????"

cackling, i said, "continue, i wanna hear more this is so adorable!!!"

i ignored the dirty glance fred gave me, quietening my voice.

"and then we had food and he said he had cooked it himself and was being such a dear and i told him that i loved him over and over again!!!"

i squealed silently again.

"and, and, gosh my english has gone out of the window!"

"english is nothing compared to the language of love!!" i giggled.

"we watched the sunset whilst cuddling, and i fell asleep and then when i woke up i was in his bed and he was looking at me intently and i just, i'm the luckiest girl alive!"

"you are but you deserve it! that's so sweet! i'm happy for you goshhh, you are the cutest couple. you're both such darlings!"

"and then we watched a muggle movie and he got scared of the spiders and it was so adorable ahhhhHHHH!!!"

"that's the cutesttttt," i gushed.

another dirty look from fred. i gave him a frown back.

"and then he walked me home and it started raining and we kissed in the rain and another check off of my bucketlist and oh my gosh he's so perfect."

"oh gosh that's beautiful," i was smiling uncontrollably.

"anyway," her tone changed into one of mischief, "wanna meet up tomorrow to talk about it?"

"sure thing! when and where? i'll be there!"

"erm, lemme chec- think," i heard the suspicious rustling of papers.

"you're sus. let's just talk about it over the phone. i don't want anything weird."

"how about 10 am in the morning at the field of fireflies?"

"that's a highly romantic place, miss minister. isn't it for couples or something?"

"no? you must be talking about fiona farm."

oh. "yeah, probs, well okay, it better have good coffee. i'm dying of boredom too, does it have a playground??" i asked, hopefully crossing my fingers.

"nope."

"awww, shucks, i don't think i'll go then. you wanna come over though?"

"no please come! there's a surprise!"

i was sold, "lovely. i'll be there at 9:30!"

"no, no, don't do that."

"what the hell, hermione, you're being so suspicious!"

"i'm not, okay? just come on time, you won't regret it."

"if there's any funny business i'm not committing arson ever again."

"oh crap."

i sighed.

"just come anyway!!! good night cheerio!!!"

"what the-"

the line ended.

i frowned, noticing the glare fred gave me yet again.

"is everything okay??" i asked him.

"no," he said rudely.

"well, do you need any help?"

"no."

"how was your day?"

"fine."

i sighed, "okay."

"you called ron cute."

i laughed lightly, "that's it?? and so what's kissing a girl huh, nothing? i called him cute because he treats 'mione like a goddess, because she is a goddess, for goodness sake. and he is cute, in a completely objective way," i added absentmindedly, "all you weasleys are."

he frowned.

"she kissed me!"

"oh i don't mind, i couldn't. my two braincells can't handle it. you kiss whoever you wanna, okay? live, laugh, love, and all that." i smiled.

he was silent.

"and we can talk after i meet up with hermione, okay?"

"okay."

"we don't needa if you don't wanna, of course. g'night."

"have a nice sleep."

the next morning, i got up and went to the field of fireflies or whatever.

it was a beautiful place. it was a full on field. meadows stretched across the near english countryside. the sky was clear and light, and the world around me was stunning.

winds blew from all directions, and i soon found myself accio!ing a jumper.

"hermioneeee???" i called, "you're leaving me hanging."

had hermione stood me up? i chuckled at the very thought, soon rolling in the field of flowers as i laughed.

"hermione you devil you stood me up! you left your poor little work wife hanging!" i shouted dramatically.

i suddenly spotted a little house? by the side of the meadow.

i ran towards it.

"whoa."

it was absolutely magnificent. beige little bricks were stacked on top of each other, grey bricks dotted in. the shillings were dark green, and plants hung out everywhere in the cracks of the house.

large windows which reflected the blue light in the sky spanned across the whole house, and a single wooden door stood ajar.

i just wish i had brought a camera. i sat on the grass, playing with the hem of my jumper sadly. even hermione didn't have time for me. i wondered what a sad person i must seem like.

"contemplating life there?" i heard a far off voice. i swung my head around, seeing fred standing and grinning.

yeah well duh i was, no thanks to you, i thought.

i immediately got up.

"we can talk here, right?" fred asked, as he brought me into the house.

"wow," inside, it was cluttered and messy, with plants sprouting everywhere and bookcases and things everywhere. i loved it.

"you like it?" he asked.

"love it."

"good, because i bought it," he laughed at my flabbergasted expression, "i'm rich, darlin'. let's sit, i cooked lunch."

"was this your plan? to have hermione stand me up?" i asked.

"love, i wouldn't call this a plan. simply just a boy trying to explain himself."

"look i don't need an explanation. i told you, you can love whoever you wanna, i don't mind, i don't care, i support."

"but i'm gonna have to explain because i wanna kiss you."

"then go ahead," i sighed, "if you're lying i will stab you."

"jeesh okay."

i looked at him.

"oh yeah, i forgot the food, here," he said casually, handing me a plate filled with yummy looking delicacies. i was willing to put up with his rubbish story telling for the food, i guess.

"alright, i'm all ears."

"okay. so she talked with you right?"

i nodded.

"did she take a piece of hair from you?”

i nodded again.

"so you came home just right about when the night lights flicker on in london. or so i thought it was you. it was actually, aphrodite, yeah? in polyjuice potion. and she knocked on the door, which i thought was strange. i opened it and she immediately kissed me, as you. and it was weird but it was you and i would give the world to kiss you like that," he said bluntly and i could feel my face heating up, "and then it went like that for a few seconds and she turned into pretoria, and by then the woman had her claws on me. then the door opened and i knew i had made a mistake and then you left and apologised so sweetly. i'm so so sorry, my love, please, i never meant to hurt you, i never meant to do anything. i broke up with her last year. i haven't wanted to be with her since. i want to be with you."

i looked at him. i knew he was genuine.

"okay. i'm sorry too, for not trusting you. i guess i was just really unsure of our relationship. it's still kinda blurry."

"what do you wanna be?"

"could we be official, please?"

he grinned, "of course."

then smiling sheepishly, he added, "can i kiss you now?"

"only if i'm the only girl you kiss from now on," i teased, smiling.

he blushed, placing my hands over his heart. it was beating very very fast.

"feel that, beautiful?"

i nodded.

"only you."

he gave me a cheesy grin and laughed at my blushing face, before tilting my head upwards and going in for a kiss but kissing my cheek.

"that's not fair!"

and that's how his head ended up falling into my lap, as i ran my fingers through his ginger strands.

he had fallen asleep just as the sunset began.

it was breathtaking. hues of orange and red danced across the sky.

"i can think of something a lot more beautiful than that," fred said, smiling.

"oh?"

"yeah. yeah."

"i don't believe you."

"that's because you can't see yourself right now."

[headinthestaticsky]

The Phenomenon of the Immortal Sun: Jasper Hale x Fleur Swan, Chapter 3

None of the characters in Twilight belong to be, all rights go to Stephenie Meyer.

"'Cause I'm lovesick And I ain't even ashamed And I'm hard up, for some time in your sheets Would you be down to spend all your time with me? 'Cause I'm lovesick."

Lovesick by, BANKS.

The reception looked absolutely beautiful It seemed every inch of it was covered in decorations.

"I have to admit, Alice and Rosalie know what they're doing," Jasper said.

"They even made the cake look appetizing to me... not enough for me to stomach to eat it but still," I replied, ever since I had become a vampire, human food made me sick.

"They've done their job then," Jasper said a smile was still etched on his face.

We began to sway to the music, I melted into him.

"Please call me your baby, baby Look how long that you have kept me waiting I'm all in, look at all that I have given Oh, I know your love before I kissed you And now you have only made me miss you Come get me Come love me, baby come love me."

"'Cause I'm lovesick And I ain't even ashamed And I'm hard up, for some time in your sheets Would you be down to spend all your time with me? 'Cause I'm lovesick."

"I just wish Bree could be out here with the rest of us..."

"I wish she could too, but even if she wasn't presumed dead...being around all the humans wouldn't be good for her," Jasper explained comfortingly.

"I know." I pecked Jasper's cheek.

"Please call me your baby baby baby Look how long that you have kept me waiting I'm all in, look at all that I have given Oh, I know your love before I kissed you And now you have only made me miss you Come get me Come love me, baby come love me."

"'Cause I'm lovesick And I ain't even ashamed And I'm hard up, for some time in your sheets Would you be down to spend all your time with me? 'Cause I'm lovesick.'

"Are you going to tell me where we're going or is it going to be a surprise still." I inquired.

"Patience my love, good things come to those who wait." He teased, biting my lip.

I whined

"I don't wanna wait..."

'Cause I'm lovesick And I ain't even ashamed And I'm hard up for some time in your sheets Would you be down to spend all your time with me? 'Cause I'm lovesick

'Cause I'm love sick 'Cause I'm love sick 'Cause I'm love sick 'Cause I'm love sick 'Cause I'm love sick 'Cause I'm love sick

We broke apart from our loving embrace when the song ended. I scanned the crowd searching to see if I could find Leah and Seth again, when I did I dragged Jasper with me eager to see them.

"Hi, I'm so glad you guys made it!" I greeted them and pulling them both in for a hug.

"Good to see you Fleur, you look beautiful." Leah said, Seth nodded in agreement. I saw Billy Black and Sue standing behind them. I walked up to them and hugged them too.

"I hope you'll be happy Fleur...I wish you both the best." Billy said with a somber tone.

"Thank you."

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you but I plan on getting drunk. Sue, could I interest you in a glass of Champaign?" Dad asked.

Before Sue could speak Billy interrupted them.

"Sparkling fire water. Sounds great." Billy said, almost running over dad's ankles." They all walked away.

"How long do you think it'll take for them to get together?" I asked Jasper.

"I give them a month or 2." Jasper estimated. Two unfamiliar voices greeted us both.

"Fleur, Jasper! Congratulations!" A woman greeted.

"Thank you." Jasper replied.

Two gorgeous vampires greeted us, one male and one female.

"Hi, Umm... Eleazar and Carmen, right?" I guessed.

"Mhm, Hola!" Carmen said.

I then saw three blonde women standing behind them, observing us. Jasper saw me looking at them and answered the thought bubbling in my head.

"Those these are our cousins from Alaska. Tanya, Kate, and Irina."

"We've heard so much about you. I'm Tanya." She greeted sticking out her hand for me to shake it.

"Welcome to the family. Bienvenida." Eleazar added.

"Thank you. You're very welcoming." I said.

"Irina, Come meet Fleur." Carmen called out to her.

I could tell something was troubling Irina and I followed to where her gaze was fixated at. She was looking at Seth, anger was in her eyes.

"I can't do this..." She grumbled.

"You promised," Tanya hissed at her.

"She invited one of them."

Jasper looked to where she was gesturing to and sighed.

"Irina, he's one of our friends."

"They killed Laurent!" She rebutted back

"He tried to kill my sister and I." I explained.

"I don't believe that." She said, getting in my face.

"I suggest you back away now... we don't need to cause a scene." I grumbled getting even closer to her face.

She backed away and left, stomping away.

"I'm sorry you guys, thank for coming." I said, a guilty look made it's way onto my face.

"No no don't worry about it..." Carmen comforted.

"Well. Let's not monopolize the bride. Congratulations." Eleazar said. Walking away with Carmen

"Thank you."

"We're sorry." Tanya said, her and Kate walked away as well.

"Well.. what's a wedding without a little family drama huh?" I asked playfully.

"C'mon you let's go, speeches are starting." Jasper said, pulling me in the direction of the chairs.

"Excuse me. Is this on? Hello?" I heard Rosalie whistle at Emmett.

"Umm, I'd like to propose a toast. To my new sister. Fleur, I hope you've gotten enough sleep these last 19 years. 'Cause you won't be getting any more for a while." Emmett laughed and winked at me.

My mouth was slightly agape and I breathed out a laugh. I turned and saw my dad who downed his glass of champagne. My mother just rolled her eyes and repeated what my father had done. I saw Leah stand up and go over to the stage.

"Fleur... I've known you for as long as I could remember. Some of my favorite memories were with you on that beach. And the reaction you would give every time I would shove you into the freezing cold water."

Everyone in the crowd laughed.

"I know I haven't always been the nicest to you, after my father died I completely blew you off.... I know I treated you coldly. But you still were kind and gracious to me and my brother Seth. So thank you... for always being there for me even when I wasn't there for you. Jasper, you better take care of her, you have a whole lot of people who are willing to hunt you down." Leah finished. Jasper gave her a nod and a smile, a silent promise in a way.

My dad stepped up next, I saw tears in his eyes and gave him a comforting smile.

"Jasper will be a good husband. I know this because I'm a cop. I know things. Like how to hunt somebody to the ends of the Earth... I also know how to shoot a gun. But I also know this because he's loyal and empathetic, and a wonderful influence on my daughter. He sniffled before continuing, I love you Fleur... and I'm so happy for you... for both of you."

"Now that you're my sister, you'll have to get over your version to fashion... Yes, you have some style but... the t-shirt and jeans have got to go... and those god-awful ankle boots have got to go too." Alice said.

"Never!" I jokingly yelled.

"Fleur, I remember when Jasper had come home saying he had finally met "the one." I was skeptical, scared even... my first instinct on you was to hate your guts and keep you away from my family. But then I got to know you and I saw how compassionate and understanding you were. I knew you wouldn't hurt my brother, who had been treated horribly for so long and deserved someone with the same amount of compassion as him. Thank you Fleur, welcome to the family. To Jasper and Fleur!" Rosalie finished raising a champagne glass.

"To Jasper and Fleur!" Everyone repeated.

Dinner had gone by smoothly, everyone was too distracted to notice none of the Cullen's and I had eaten or drunk anything. Soon enough after most of the cake was devoured it was time for us to go. I had to run to the bathroom since my contacts were beginning to dissolve in my eyes due to the venom. When I got back out I saw Alice and Rosalie putting Jasper and I's bags into my car. Before I could make it to my car dad approched me.

"Well... It's gonna be strange, you not living under my roof." He started.

"Yeah. It's gonna be strange for me, too." I replied.

"You know it will always be your home, right?"

I know dad, I love you. Forever. I pulled him in for a hug.

"I love you, too, Petal. I always have and I always will. All right. Go on. You don't wanna miss your plane. Wherever it's going."

"I won't dad... I should probably say bye to mom and Bella too..."

"Good luck Petal," Dad said, humor was in his voice. I sighed and walked my way over to them, they were embracing and saying goodbye to one another, since Bella was going on her honeymoon too.

"Oh, Bella... I will miss you so much, I love you." Renee said tearfully.

"I love you too mom, I will miss you too," Bella replied. They both stopped talking to one another when I approached them. Their faces dropped, it seemed I dampened the mood.

"Well, I'll see you later mom, Bella, have a good one." I said.

"Yes, I'll see you in nine months... I mean... later." Renee said condescendingly.

"Mother, even if I was pregnant I wouldn't let you near my child. They don't need your spews of toxicity around them." I spat out before walking away.

I hugged all of the Cullens before walking up to the car, I was about to get into the driver's seat when I threw the keys at Jasper. His face was in shock.

"Only because we got married, cowboy, it's a present from me to you."

"Thanks, Darlin." He smiled at me.

We began to drive off, I waved at the people in the crowd and smiled at them.

"Ready to go?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah...I'm ready."

[jay-zzz87]

Prompt: Luz comes back

I feel angsty today so have some hard written angst. I tried not to hold back so if you cry, whoops. Don't worry, there's other stuff at the end.

3 years

It's been 3 years since Luz left the demon realm, and now she's making her way back. Camila was stern on when Luz could return, but after some discussions, she allowed Luz to go back after she graduated. Luz was now 18 and ready to go back to the Boiling Isles. Luz couldn't believe it's been 3 years since she left. She grabbed the key from a drawer in her desk and pressed the eye. The portal unfolded and in she went. Luz felt tears in her eyes as she look to the side to find the owl house. She immediately ran to the front, only to be greeted by the infamous bird tube.

Hooty: LUZ

Luz: HOOTY

Hooty wrapped around Luz and squeezed her a bit too hard. He quickly released her and Luz caught her breath.

Hooty: IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU. WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU EVERYDAY. I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW. THE COOL THINGS I'VE DONE.

Luz: I can't wait to here all about it but where's Eda and King?

Hooty: THEY'RE INSIDE

Luz swung oppen the door and took a peep inside. The place almost looked abandoned. She walk in and the lights suddenly came on.

Everyone: SURPRISE

Luz screamed. She didn't expect to see everyone in the house.

Luz: Hi everyone. You almost scared me to death.

Eda: Sorry kid, we just wanted to give you a warm welcome.

Luz rushed over to hug everyone. She noticed that all was here except for one person.

Luz: Hey guys, where's Amity.

Willow and Gus looked a each other nervously.

Willow: She's...uh...busy.

Luz: Of course she is. What's she up to?

Willow: She still does abomination magic

Willow looked over at Gus for help.

Gus: She's better at it

Luz could sense something was wrong, but didn't really question it.

Luz: Is there a chance that I could see her

Gus: NO

Luz stared at Gus who just realized he might've made the situation worse.

Willow: She's probably really busy and doesn't want anyone to bother her. You know how she can get.

Luz: I'm sure she wouldn't mind seeing me though?

Willow and Gus forgot how stubborn Luz can somtimes be. Willow gave in and sighed, hoping she wasn't gonna need to deliver the news.

Willow: Look Luz, I didn't wanna say anything because it's not my place but there is something you should know about Amity.

Luz got worried. Really worried. She started thinking of what horrible things could've happened while she was gone.

Luz: What happened to my Amity. DID SHE DIE?

Willow: NO. No. She didn't die. She's just... engaged.

Luz was stunned. Amity? Engaged? HOW? Luz remembered the promise they made before Luz left.

-Flashback-

Amity was sobbing loudly into Luz's chest. She didn't want to let Luz go. She was too scared too. Luz held onto Amity and tried to calm her down. This wasn't easy for any of them, but they knew this would happen eventually.

Luz: Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean this is goodbye forever. I will always be with you and I promise I'll come back.

Amity: But what if something happens. What if you lose feelings and fall for a human. Or what if you get hurt. I don't wanna lose you.

Luz: You won't lose me. I would never fall for someone in the human world. You will always be my cotton candy haired goddess.

Amity looked up to see Luz's golden eyes. Luz pulled Amity into a long passionate kiss. The two girls savored the kiss, for it felt like it would be their last.

Luz: I love you Amity Blight. Nothing will ever change that

Amity: I love you too, Luz Noceda.

Luz: I promise I'll come back

Amity: I promise I'll never love another.

-flash-forward-

Luz couldn't find the strength to move. She was distraught. Did Amity really move on? No. There has to be an explanation. Right? Luz couldn't feel the hot tears falling on the side of her face. Willow felt terrible. She should've never told Luz about Amity. But she was bound to find out eventually.

The welcoming party ended shortly after and everyone went home. Luz laid on the floor in her room. She didn't feel like eating or going outside for the rest of the day. She couldn't even sleep at night. She just stayed awake thinking about Amity. After some time, Luz decided to head into the woods to clear her mind.

Luz walked around the woods and observed the scenery. She picked up a stick and begin to play with. She remembered the time in the woods when she decided to stand in Amity's place as grom queen. Luz immediately dropped the stick like it was burning her hand. She kicked it out of the way and kept moving foward. Luz realized she had no way of getting back but kept walking. She stopped after she heard a twig snap nearby. She grabbed a glyph from her pocket and proceeded cautiously.

Luz: Ok Luz, it's probably nothing. You're ok.

Luz prepared herself. She let out a war cry and threw out a plant glyph. Vines shot out of the paper and captured a young witch by the leg. Luz lit the forest with a light glyph and guided the light towards the witch. Luz stumbled backwards after seeing who the witch was before her. Luz caught Amity Blight.

Amity struggled to get down. She drew a circle and cast fire magic to burn the vines that held her captive. Amity fell to the forest floor. Luz was hesitant in reaching her hand to help the witch. Luz lifted up the witch and they met eye to eye. Amity's eyes widened at the sight before her. Her eyes were filled with tears.

Amity: LUZ?

Luz couldn't do much. She wanted to run away but she knew she couldn't. Luz looked at Amity's finger and sure enough, there was a golden ring present. Before Luz could do or say anything, Amity wrapped her arms around Luz to hug her. Luz didn't know how to respond. There were many mixed signals her. Luz pushed off Amity which left Amity confused.

Luz: Why are you happy to see me?

Amity: What? Why wouldn't I be.

Luz: Because I know you don't love me anymore.

Amity: What? Of course I still love you

Luz: THEN HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS

Luz grabbed Amity's hand with the ring on it and held it up. Amity was shocked to see Luz noticed. But she couldn't hide it.

Amity: Luz, please let me explain.

Luz: EXPLAIN WHAT. You don't love me anymore. I thought you would've kept your promise, but I guess that was just wishful thinking. Either way, I should've known you would've found someone better than me.

Amity: Luz, you don't know the whole story. Just let me explain.

Luz didn't wanna hear it. For all she knew, the situation could've been worse. Luz tried walking away but Amity held onto her arm. Amity cried for Luz to stay.

Amity: Please Luz. Just hear me out.

Luz turned around and faced Amity.

Amity: Thank you. Luz I promise I still love you, but this marriage was not by choice. This was an arranged marriage set up by my parents.

Luz couldn't say anything. She felt bad for yelling at Amity. She let her emotions get the better of her. Luz looked at Amity. She reached out to caress Amity's cheek. Amity leaned against her touch and purred. Luz giggled at the sound the Blight made.

Luz: I missed your purrs.

Amity blushed.

Amity: I missed you.

Luz pulled Amity into a passionate kiss. Luz and Amity's tongues danced as they were hungry for eachother. As they pulled away, Luz whispered into Amity's ear.

Luz: So who were you supposed to marry?

Amity: Boscha.

Luz: WHAT

Amity: I know it's bad, but I'm trying to find a way to escape.

Luz thought for a moment. She knew the perfect way to get Amity out of this.

Luz: I could help you.

Amity: It's no use. My parents hardly let go out and they're always watching me.

Luz: How did you escape this time?

Amity: I had Em cover for me.

Luz: Then lets run. Right now.

Amity: I can't leave Em by herself.

Luz: Then we'll go back for her. Is she allowed to leave?

Amity: She doesn't live with us anymore. So maybe?

Luz: Then we can tell her to leave right?

Amity: I guess. But what if she gets in trouble and gets hurt or something because I'm not there.

Luz: Don't worry. We can work this out.

Amity: Thank you Luz

Luz: Also, why were you in the woods at night?

Amity: I heard you came back

Luz: You really waited for me after all this time?

Amity: Of course I did my love. I promised, didn't I?

Luz smiled and gave Amity a peck on the lips. The two were happy to be in each others arms after 3 years.

[written-by-ariddletobesolved]

little prince.

For Helsa Week 2021, Day 1: Parenthood ♥️ @helsaweekmasterlist

Excerpt. It was a perfect day for him and his little family, just the three of them, together, and he couldn't ask for something more perfect than this precious moment.

Rating: G • Word Count: 1,355

The fic will soon be posted on AO3 and FFnet as per usual. It's already day 2, where I live, but nah, let me post this now cause I fell asleep and it's still 19 April somewhere in the globe. Also, the prequel of this fic will be posted soon cause it fits the prompt (Soulmates) so please stay tuned. Hope you like it! 💕

—

Hans knew this day would arrive, yet no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he would be fine, it was still something he dreaded most. He wasn't ready for such a responsibility, then he recalled his mother's words from the last letter: who ever is ready?

The Prince Consort had just adjourned a Council meeting and was on his way to pick up some flowers for his wife, when he saw Kai, the Queen's advisor, quickly walked towards him. A tall servant, dressed in her usual day uniform in Arendelle's signature colour, was trailing after the advisor. Hans flashed them a smile, which turned into a slight frown as he noticed the look of panic and shock on their faces.

"Your Highness." Kai and the servant bowed.

"Is there anything you'd like to say, Kai?" Hans raised an eyebrow.

Kai took a deep breath, as if he was trying to compose himself, before he spoke, "It's the Queen."

As soon as he heard those words, Hans began to think of the worst. What happened to Elsa? Are they going to be okay? Goodness, he could only wonder and hope for the best.

"Did something happen to her?"

"The Queen is in labour, Sir," the tall servant replied.

The news gave him heart palpitations, and he was too stunned to move. "Already? But the doctor said the baby wouldn't be due until the end of the month."

"Apparently, there's still a chance that the baby would be due sooner," Kai added, then made a gesture to let him walk first.

"Has the doctor been called?"

The advisor replied from beside him, "Yes, Sir. He is already there with the Queen."

"What about the Princess?"

The auburn haired Prince could only imagine the look of shock on his sister in law's face when she realised she might miss the birth of her nephew or niece. He wondered if she and Kristoff would cut their honeymoon short once they received the news.

"We've already sent a messenger to the inn they're staying in."

Hans nodded. "Thank you, Kai."

With every step he took towards their chamber, Hans couldn't help but worry. His soulmate, the love of his life, was looking radiant and well that morning. He didn't even hear any complaints from her about any pain, or how their baby kept her up all night. Then again, Elsa rarely complained and mostly kept everything to herself. Having been trained all her life to conceal her powers, it was a lesson that became a habit and stayed with her. 

Stopping before a white wooden double door with various patterns, he then grabbed the handle, before one of the servants stopped him.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but you're not allowed in."

"I'm the husband of the Queen, I have every right to be there," he stated firmly, masking his nerves behind the shades.

Not waiting for an approval, he pushed the door open. The moment he stepped in, Hans was greeted by the sight of his wife lying on the bed, back propped up by a few pillows and cushions behind her. He caught her weak smile, almost immediately, and it still bore the same warmth, despite the fact that she must be in so much pain.

"Elsa!"

In a brief second, Hans was already on his wife's side, holding her hand. He pressed a gentle kiss on her temple, then murmured some sweet nothings to her ear. From the look on her face and her ragged breathing, he could tell she was as nervous as he was. 

The elegant Queen of ice and snow, who usually concealed her emotions well from the world, was now looking disheveled and undone. Her platinum blonde hair was unkempt, sweats rolling down her forehead, and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Elsa allowed him to embrace her, as she turned to rest her head against his shoulder.

"Hans, what if," she paused, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Once she finally calmed down, she gazed into his emerald eyes, her free hand resting on her belly. "If something goes wrong—"

"Oh, please don't say that." Hans furrowed his eyebrows, not liking where the conversation might be heading to. "We have talked about this, Elsa."

"Yes, we have. But promise me, if it goes wrong and I can't make it, promise me that you will take care of our child and make sure they are loved." She choked back a sob. "Don't make the same mistake as our parents."

He knew the risks of childbirth. He had witnessed how one of his brothers slowly sank into madness after both his wife and their unborn child passed away. The past few months, the image had been haunting him until he picked up a pen and wrote to his mother back home, which was so out of character for him. But he didn't want to bother Elsa with his thoughts and fears, for she already had enough things on her plate. 

He held her cerulean gaze with honesty and love. Her soulmate. The one who had kept him grounded. The one who had conquered her own fears. Now she looked so scared. Although Hans knew she was a strong woman and what she was capable of, he understood her. What she needed at the moment was a reassurance.

"Elsa, hey," he gently called her, brushing back her hair and tucked it behind her ear. "I promise." Pressing languid kisses on her cheek, he came to rest his hand atop her hand that was resting on her belly. 

"It'll be alright, darling. You are strong, and you can do this, okay?"

Elsa nodded, blinking back the tears furiously. She tried to catch her breath, gripping his hand tightly. Her palm felt cold in his grasp, and Hans could only imagine how she was feeling.

"I will be here, holding you. We will get through this together, yeah?" He murmured. Nuzzling her hair, he murmured softly, "I got you, Elsa."

If only everything was easy and full of certainty.

—

The quietude felt so strange for them. After hours of constant screaming and crying in pain, the silence that was currently engulfing them almost felt too loud, but the Queen and the Prince Consort found it rather peaceful.

Hans sat on the bed with his back resting against the headrest. Smiling, He watched as the small bundle of joy fell asleep on his mother's chest. The small fingers curled in front of his face, and Hans couldn't help but observe his face closely. He beamed when he realised that his son inherited Westergaard's nose and hair colour.

His son. Their little prince.

Warmth filled his chest at that thought. It almost felt like a dream for him, how his world had changed so quickly. Two years ago, he was shipped to Arendelle to seduce the Crown Princess of Arendelle, who turned out to be his soulmate. Little did he know that he would grow to love her, and they would make it work together.

"A penny for your thoughts?" The gentle whisper woke him from his train of thoughts.

He turned to see Elsa smiled, her eyes blinking slowly as if she tried to fight the sleepiness. Leaning in, he captured her lips with his, the taste of her lips lingering for a while.

"I was just thinking about how lucky I am."

"Me too, actually," she said, before yawning.

At that sight, Hans tried to hold back his chuckle, especially when the baby had just fallen asleep.

"Get some sleep, darling." Lying on the bed to hold her, he then pressed another kiss on the top of her head. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"I love you," she murmured, eyes fluttering close.

"I love you too, Elsa." He gushed. "You and our little prince."

It was a perfect day for him and his little family, just the three of them, together. Glancing at the mother and son, his heart was full of happiness and warmth. He couldn't ask for something more perfect than this precious moment.

[crazy-loca-blog]

The Newlyweds Game: Friends Edition

A/N: It's Zoom time! This week, the whole gang has decided to have a Zoom party to unveil the darkest secrets of Edenbrook's hottest couple. Bree tried to choose three candidates but it was impossible, everybody wanted to participate; however, as Tobias is the newest member of this group, many of these questions don't apply to him, so he'll be acting as the moderator of this session to make sure that everybody speaks.

As usual, thanks to the lovely @jamespotterthefirst for sending this weekly challenge. Girl, you have no idea how much you've helped me to have some distraction from work this week! It's been insane! I really needed it!

Tobias: Well, are we all here?

Ethan: Why do I suddenly feel like we're under a microscope?

Casey: Because we are... well kind of.

Kyra: This is going to be so much fun, we've been reading your answers for weeks already!

Casey and Ethan: *in unison* You have?!?!

Elijah: *smirks* Yeah, we even read the spicy ones.

Jackie: *smirks* Especially the spicy ones.

*Casey and Ethan blush furiously*

~~*~~*~~

Questions for the friends:

Tobias: How did you first find out about their relationship? Were you surprised?

Jackie: Duh, the kiss at the gala...

*Everybody laughs*

Jackie: *not understanding anything at all* What? We all saw them kissing that day! That's how we found it out! We teased this poor girl for days after it!

Kyra: I second Jackie, but I think that was more of a confirmation... so it wasn't a surprise because we all kind of knew it way before that...

Bryce: Jackie, I can't believe you didn't see it before! I confirmed something was going on before the softball game... I remember Ethan didn't want to play with us, but he changed his mind as soon as Casey asked him to do it...

Rafael: During one of our conversations after the attack, I remember Casey telling me that Ethan had been there with her that night after I went into a coma. It made sense with the fact that Ethan had confessed right before the attack that he wasn't single. That's when I knew it.

Sienna: No, no, no, it was way before that...

*While Elijah tries not to laugh, Casey and Ethan look at Sienna... are they scared?*

Sienna: If you were observant, you could really see the looks between them during Casey's trial... you just knew that something was going on there, that's when I found it out.

*Casey and Ethan breathe a sigh of relief*

Harper: *surprised* Really?!?! I mean, I know I told Ethan that he was biased, but I thought you had waited until Casey made it to the team to close the deal!

Casey: *smiling* What do you think, babe? Maybe it's time that we finally tell them the truth... they've been incredibly loyal to us...

Ethan: *smiling* Do you think they'll forgive us?

Casey: Yeah, they will... Naveen is definitely the one who found it out first, and he was right about us... would you do us the honor?

Naveen: Of course, my dear Casey... I'm sure that if you weren't surprised before, you'll be surprised now... I found it out after they returned from Miami, when they attended that conference during Casey's intern year...

*Everybody is in shock, and for like 5 seconds no one says a word. Naveen, Casey and Ethan just chuckle*

Aurora: Wow, you did manage to fool us after all! Have you been in a relationship since Miami?

Casey: Not really... Miami is when we knew we had feelings for each other. About a year after that we decided to give it a shot, just to see where things were going, and then we became official about a year and a half later.

Tobias: *surprised* I think none of us saw this coming. Okay, next question.

Tobias: How was the rumor mill at Edenbrook once they went public? Did you have to defend their honor?

Naveen: Maybe I'm the one to blame here because rumors started even before they had an actual relationship. Many people thought that Ethan had given Casey the spot in the team, when it was actually me. And that led to people saying things that weren't true.

Jackie: Interns and residents can be tough, I've had to deal with a couple of them in the past. They know better now.

Bryce: People will always talk, no matter what, even if they don't know you, I know from experience.

Aurora: I know what you mean, Bryce. Of course I think people are entitled to have their opinion and to believe what they want to believe, but they have no right to make up things just for fun. That hurts.

Kyra: Life in the administration can be very boring, so talking about other people's lives is like an everyday thing. But they wouldn't dare saying a negative thing about them in front of me, they knew we are friends.

Sienna: The nurses asked me a lot about them. There were mixed opinions, especially when they began dating in public, and they still say a lot of things about them, but they make sure I'm not listening to them because I may have had to stand up to some of them in the past.

Ethan: One of the reasons why it took us so long to have an actual relationship was because of that. I don't care about people talking about me, but I couldn't stand the idea of people talking about her, especially when she was an intern and she was proving to be an incredible doctor.

Casey: I honestly don't think you ever got my point when we talked about that and maybe the girls can help me here. You kept saying things were complicated, but especially when you're a woman, the chances that people say awful things about you are pretty high, no matter if they're true or not. It's sad, and unfair, and plain stupid, but it's like it comes with the package.

*All the girls nod in agreement*

Ethan: I will never understand that...

Harper: That's because you're a man and you don't gossip about anyone...

Kyra: Exactly, it's said that women are usually the worst enemy of another woman for a reason... I'm so glad that any of the people in this room follow that motto.

Tobias: What was your first impression of Ethan? Did he fit into the friend group right away?

Aurora: It was weird! My aunt's ex was dating one of my best friends, I had to process it for a while.

Harper: *laughing* But we had already broken up a long time ago!

Elijah: I think it was particularly strange for us, the roomies, basically because it was our boss dating one of us, so we didn't know how to act at first. But then we all learned to relax and you could tell it wasn't too long before he was one of us.

Kyra: He was the one who introduced me to Casey and then I worked with him when I was part of the administration, so it wasn't a big deal, we were used to have these informal interactions. He looked happier though.

Rafael: Same as Kyra. Ethan, Bryce and I go together to the gym, so it wasn't a change at all... it was an added bonus to the relationship we already had.

Tobias: We can't talk about Ethan, but I think me, Harper and Naveen could talk about Casey and we all would agree on our opinion. If someone had told us 10 years ago that Ethan would meet a person who would make him question all his morals and principles, that he would fall in love with that person and that he would end up marrying that person, we all three would have thought it was a terrible joke. She definitely turned his world upside down.

*Harper and Naveen nod in agreement*

Tobias: What’s the most adorable thing they do as a couple?

Sienna: They way they look at each other... it melts my heart.

Jackie: They're annoyingly cute... I can't believe I just said that, I need a drink now...

Rafael: They are very affectionate, maybe not with words, but with actions. Like they're always hugging, holding hands...

Harper: You could tell they are each other's best friend without even knowing they're married.

Naveen: They know how to communicate. They don't even need to talk to each other and they know exactly what the other wants to say. And it's been like that since they were friends.

Bryce: They are definitely couple goals. I think they have the type of relationship we all would like to have in our lives.

Kyra: Especially because of the big house and the money.

*Laughs*

Tobias: Which of their dates would you have liked to crash?

Bryce and Jackie: *in unison* All of them!!

*Laughs*

Naveen: I missed my oppotunity to crash their dates at Derry Raosters. I saw them so many times when they weren't officially together. They were so focused on each other that they never saw me and I'm sure they would have made up any excuse to try to convince me they weren't on a date. *chuckles*

Ethan: We used to go to Derry Roasters to work, those weren't dates.

Tobias: Wrong answer, Ethan! After all this time, I highly doubt that any person in this room believes that.

*Everybody nods in agreement, including Casey*

Ethan: *looking at Casey, surprised* You too?!?!

Casey: Yeah... I mean... it took me a while to realize it, but they actually looked a lot like dates, especially when we went there for no reason, just to escape from the hospital for a moment.

Elijah: I would crash their getaways... they go to the greatest places! I wouldn't mind going to a beach with them to get some vitamin D for a weekend.

Rafael: Or when they go skiing on winter... that resort looks so warm and cozy...

Sienna: Or those restaurants! The food and the drinks look so good! They definitely know how to pamper themselves!

Tobias: Did you ever witness a walk of shame (or anything else of the sort)?

*Elijah and Sienna can't hide it anymore... they cackle*

Tobias: Oooh... you did see them...

Elijah: Sorry Casey, but we've been keeping this secret for too long already... Sienna and I saw Casey sneaking Ethan out of the apartment not too long before the end of our intern year...

Casey: *furiously blushing* You traitor!

Jackie: *surprised* Wait, where was I?

Sienna: Sleeping

Jackie: Damn, Landrat was right when he said we wouldn't hear other people having sex when we moved into that place... anyway, I remember seeing Casey coming home early morning a few times, but I never asked... I assumed she had stayed at the hospital with some patient...

Aurora: You're so naïve that it hurts... anyway, I think we all have seen them leaving offices and the on-call room more times than we can count, so...

*Everybody nods in agreement*

Ethan: *visibly uncomfortable* Well, there is always paperwork that we don't have time to do during our shifts...

Harper: Well, as soon as the team office remains immaculate...

*Casey and Ethan look at each other in silence and smile*

Tobias: Oh, come on, guys! That's more than I wanted to know! I'll never look at that desk... or the couch... or those chairs... the same way now! I'm definitely asking the board to sanitize the office after this.

*Laughs*

Tobias: What was your reaction when you found out Casey was moving out to move in with Ethan?

Jackie, Aurora, Sienna and Elijah: *in unison* FINALLY!!

Casey: *surprised* Were you seriously expecting me to leave?

Aurora: No, we didn't want you to leave, don't get us wrong. In fact, we still miss having you around.

Jackie: The thing is, after you and Ethan became official, you did a pretty decent job trying to balance your time with him and your time with us at home.

Elijah: Sure, we could tell you spent less time with us, but you never failed when we planned a roomies night or for a videogames or a John Carpenter movie marathon.

Sienna: But we also knew that you and Ethan were taking your relationship very seriously and we wanted the best for both of you because you had gone through a lot... so we were kind of excited when you told us the news, because we knew how much it meant for you both.

Casey: *pouting* you're going to make me cry, guys!

Who won the prediction pool about when Ethan would pop the question?

Casey: *surprised* You guys had a pool?!?!

Ethan: *pinching the bridge of his nose* Unbelievable.

Jackie: Of course we did!

Tobias: And I won.

Bryce: And Sienna and I were a close second.

Harper: Tobias had an unfair advantage though, he has known Ethan the longest.

Tobias: But remember they both said they weren't going to get marry.

Elijah: They were avoiding the questions on the topic like the plague!

Naveen: And you believed them? Casey unconsciously made Ethan break every single one of his rules, so it was obvious to me that they would get marry someday.

Tobias: Were you in the wedding party? What was your favorite part about the wedding?

Ethan: we kept it really small, so we didn't have a wedding party. Casey's maid of honor was Sienna and my best man was Naveen, that was it.

Casey: Yeah, we didn't have a lot of guests, so we felt we didn't need to have an "official" party, but believe it or not, you all helped us somehow, especially when we were about to give up on the idea of getting married because it was being too much for us to handle.

Ethan: I don't think we ever thanked you properly for that. We were exhausted and you were there to help us when we needed you the most. We are very grateful for that.

Jackie: *smirks* Well, we were the ones who were going to enjoy the party, it was the least we could do for you.

Sienna: You would have done the same for any of us.

Bryce: I don't know if you guys agree with me, but I'd say my favorite part were their vows. I think we all cried with them.

Everybody: *in unison* YES!!

Harper: The thing is that we all know your relationship, but at the same time we know that you both try to keep things as private as possible, so when you exchanged your vows it was like for the first time you were truly opening up your relationship and letting us in. It was beautiful.

Kyra: And then your first dance was the perfect complement to those vows... it was really touching.

Casey: Kyra, you're so right! I never made that connection until now!

Elijah: Honorable mention goes to the food and the booze... everything was delicious!

Aurora: Don't remind me... worst hangover ever... but Raf giving us free samba lessons was awesome! We have to do that more often!

Rafael: Anytime!

Sienna: The idea of smores and blankets station you set up with a bonefire to hang out was so clever and cute! It was perfect!

~~*~~*~~

For everyone, including Ethan x Casey:

Tobias: Okay, this will be easy and fun. Basically, let's all play Fuck/Marry/Kill the people in this room. And before you can say anything, Ethan and Casey, you're not allowed to choose each other.

Casey: Not fair!

Tobias: I'm the moderator, I make the rules... go ahead, who wants to go first?

Jackie: Easy... I'd fuck Casey, marry Aurora and kill the meathead

Aurora: I think I'd fuck Rafael, marry Elijah, and kill aunt Harper... sorry!

Sienna: Let's see... I think I'd fuck Elijah, marry Raf and kill Naveen... but only because I have to kill someone, I wouldn't dare killing anyone in this room!

Elijah: I'd fuck Jackie, marry Aurora and kill Sienna, only because I know she'll forgive me

Bryce: I'd fuck Kyra and Harper, marry Casey and kill Jackie, of course

Rafael: I'd fuck Ethan, marry Sienna and kill Harper

Harper: *laughs* I literally saved your life, you traitor!

Rafael: *chuckles* Sorry!

Tobias: I'd fuck Aurora, marry Harper and kill Ethan or Casey, just because I want their jobs

Naveen: I think I'm too old to play these things...

Ethan: No way Naveen, if I'm in this mess, then you are too... go ahead...

Naveen: So... I would fuck Sienna, marry Harper, and kill Tobias for wanting to kill Casey or Ethan

Harper: I'd fuck Tobias, marry Naveen and kill Ethan... that was fast!

Kyra: Piece of cake... I'd fuck Jackie, marry Ethan and kill Casey, because she needs to be dead so that I can marry Ethan.

*Laughs*

Casey: Still thinking on who to fuck... but I'd marry Sienna or Aurora and I'd kill Elijah for being a traitor today... oh! I think I'd fuck Bryce...

Bryce: So many opportunities wasted when you were single, Casey...

Ethan: *very serious* Lahela...

*Laughs*

Ethan: This is so childish... are you sure I can't pick my wife?

Everybody: *in unison* NO!

Ethan: Okay... then... let's see... I'd fuck Tobias, marry Sienna or Rafael and kill Lahela, because of that very inappropriate comment he just made.

*Laughs*

Tobias: And that's a wrap, people! Now we only have to set a date for Elijah and Aurora and Rafael and Sienna's wedding and we're done... Thanks for having us, Bree!

~~*~~*~~

Tagging: @adiehardfan @izzyourresidentlawyer

[blazeofbrownie]

The Doppelganger

There's something to be said about Elena Gilbert, the fascination the Salvatore brothers have with her, the fierceness in which she loves, the way she protects those closest to her, the loyalty she emanates to those who have earned it. There's something about her indeed, it's just a shame that she has to die, she's the doppelganger after all. The doppelganger's blood is needed to break the sun and moon curse, the ritual to enable Niklaus to reach his full potential, to unlock his hybrid side. It's a shame that despite all her virtues, there's just the one thing which will cause her downfall, her bloodline. Through no fault of her own, one can't exactly choose who they're descended from, if she could then I'm certain she'd do anything to not be part of the Petrova bloodline.

I'm sure the Salvatore brothers and Elena's friends will try as much as they like to find a way to save her, to find a loophole, but her fate has been sealed, her fate was decided the day she was born, born with the face she has, the face which reminded me of the two women I'd allowed close to me. My first love Tatia, and the only other woman who'd known the real me, Katerina Petrova. Would Elena's destiny match theirs? Death before her time like Tatia, or forced to put herself first and choose to become a vampire rather than be sacrificed like Katerina? Though Elena isn't that selfish, that much I know about her, she'll gladly sacrifice her life if it means saving those around her. The Bennett witch could use her magic to take down Niklaus but Elena would never allow it. She's too pure for her own good.

Perhaps this is the reason for me going behind my brother's back to try and save her? The goodness in her outweighs the bad in my brother. This isn't her fault, she doesn't deserve this. I know if Niklaus was to find out, he'd drive a stake into my heart instantly, he'd have me locked in a coffin for hundreds of years, just like he has done with our siblings. The elixir I've kept hidden from him for centuries, the one I'd hoped to use on Katerina, in an attempt to save her life, but she'd made her decision before I could reach her. I'm not 100% certain the elixir will work, I was assured it would, but there's no sure way of knowing until Elena takes it. Will she though? After the rocky introduction we've had with each other, would she be willing to put her trust in me? If the Salvatore brothers have their say, it would be a conundrum for her for sure, from my observations, Stefan will follow whatever Elena wants to do, Damon, however, will do whatever he can to save her, even if it means not listening to her.

I must try though. For none of the reasons other than the guilt that weighs me down, for being the reason Tatia is dead, for being unable to save Katerina, if I can save the life of the girl who resembles them, then maybe it will help lessen the guilt I've been carrying around for centuries. If I can save the doppelganger, perhaps there is hope for me after all. Perhaps there is hope for Niklaus, if he's able to achieve what he wants, and Elena's life can be saved, then it's a risk worth taking. Damned are the consequences that will arise from my actions, the least I can do is try.

[anime-corner]

One or The Other

A/N: When I first saw this, I was like: "Gah! Can't choose! They're too precious!" So, I made two endings!! Hope you like it! And like the previous one, sorry for taking too long.

The streets were dark, only illuminated by the lampposts that scattered. You were walking home alongside your fellow managers when a thought popped into your head, a question that lingered in your mind ever since you returned from Tokyo.

"Kiyoko, Hitoka?" You stated, eyes locked on the pavement in front of you.

"Hmm?" The third year manager beside you answered while the blonde first year looked at you curiously.

"H-hypothetically speaking… What do you do if someone confesses that they like you while there's this person who keeps telling you to avoid the other and you're not quite sure what to think or who to side with?"

"Hypothetically?"

"Well, not to you since there's Noya and Tanaka who're pretty much open with their feelings towards you." You pointed out, earning a nod from your junior.

"Oh! Is this about Nekoma's captain and Sugawara-san?" Hitoka asks as you slumped forward, a sigh escaping your lips.

"Was it that obvious?" They both nod, straightening up and fixing your hold on your bag, you repeated your question, "So, what do I do?"

"Well, what do you think (y/n), about the two of them individually?" Kiyoko answered with a question.

"Ah see, I've known Suga since that time he asked me to help you out and the team. I guess you could say that we've been close after that. He's really protective and caring so, I kinda get why he'd tell me to avoid the guy. And about the rooster…" You hummed, thinking of anything about the captain of the cats.

"R-rooster?" Hitoka tilted her head to the side, confused at the nickname.

"That bed hair of his, it sort of makes him look like one. It's funny and sort of… cute, in a way? No wait, that laugh of his was hilarious though! Also, he seems pretty laid-back too despite being captain. Daichi should learn a thing or two from him!" You chuckle, wiping off an imaginary tear in your eye as you remember the tokyo tower event, "But, like I said, I'm not sure who to side with."

"Well, it's still the first day. We're still going back for the training camp and more time for you to think. Just be careful, words are dangerous enough as it is, even more when feelings are involved," Kiyoko orated, both your and Hitoka's eyes shining in awe.

"K-Kiyoko… That was the most wisest advice I've ever heard in my entire life. And I'm in the same class as you!" You could feel your eyes begin to water, the words your friend had said already sunk within the depths of your heart, forever to be remembered.

"(y/n), please calm yourself down. We can't afford calling one of the guys at this hour to help you." You took offense and playfully hit her arm before the three of you erupted in laughter.

• • •

At Shinzen High, you noticed the captain of Nekoma glancing your way every now and then, talking to you whenever the both of you were available or during the times Sugawara was out of sight. The grey haired setter was glaring the life out of Kuroo every time, and you were confused. Did they do something to each other behind your back?

"Oi, Karasuno's manager-chan! Kitten hey!!" You heard the black haired captain call out, ushering you inside the gym. You took note that he was not alone, with him were two from Fukurodani, a teammate of his and Tsukishima Kei.

"Kuroo-san, you should already know my name at this point besides the fact that I keep telling you not to call me that nickname." You stated, greeting the others present.

"What? It's a cute nickname befitting a really cute manager!"

"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Sugawara-san heard this." Tsukishima commented, the rest turning towards the door, waiting for a certain setter to appear, except for you.

"Well, what do you need Kuroo-san?" You asked, bringing everyone's attention away from the gym entrance.

"Would you believe me if I say it's you?" Raising an eyebrow, you earned an awkward laugh from the captain before clearing his throat, "Right. Uh, could you help us with practice? That is if you're not busy preparing with the other managers."

"I guess I could lend a hand, I'm on wash duty today anyways," You picked up a ball, bouncing it lightly, "So, what do I do?"

"We're working on blocks, Lev over there has to work on it while Four Eyes just needs a few pointers." You nodded and took a stance, preparing to toss.

"Ready?"

"Yeah. Oh wait! Lev!! Get your ass over here!!" Kuroo called for the first year lying on his back on the floor, who sprung to his feet at the mention of his name, running to Tsukishima's side of the court, "Okay, now we're ready.

It has been five days since you've agreed to help the little group with their practice and you took the opportunity to learn more about the captain. Despite being so casual, he was actually observant, noting everything his opponent does. Kuroo was also a provocative guy, something you only took note of when you asked the blonde first-year blocker what made him join their practice, having Daichi answer your question with a tale of the incident.

Honestly, your interactions with Kuroo were nice. He'd make a few compliments and small talk here and there and sometimes would act shy whenever he asks you for something. And during those times, a pair of eyes would linger in your direction, turning around, your grey haired friend would always be within your vision. It confused you, the feeling inside of you confused you and you hated it. So, instead of letting it be, you dragged Sugawara away from his group during their individual practices.

"Hey (n/n), something wrong?" He tilted his head slightly, his eyes scanning your expression.

"You tell me."

"What? What are you--"

"It's about Nekoma's captain, right? I'm aware that you don't want me hanging around him. Although, I just want to ask why?" You asked, noticing the way his gaze avoided you in an instant. Sugawara was silent for a minute or two, trying to find a better wording for his explanation, "Well..?"

"I just… didn't want you to.. I mean, he's here in Tokyo and you're in Miyagi. You don't even know him that well. I don't want to see you cry afterwards, when the two of you get together and break up! Can't I just worry for you?" You hadn't expected the third year to react the way he did. Yes, he was dubbed as the mother figure of the team but, that's just the way he cares for his juniors so why does hearing him say these words to you make you feel like there's more to it than just care, "I'm sorry if I'm acting like this. I really care about you, (y/n) so please understand, whatever you choose, I'll respect your decision."

He left you there, surprise etched on your face. You were conflicted, you knew he was right because that's what your mind kept telling you but then there's your heart, who genuinely wanted to know more before you decide.

• • •

That night, while everyone was asleep, you confided once again with your co-managers inside the darkened room, phones on, providing a bit of light.

"I'm really… I don't even know how to describe what I'm feeling right now after I pulled Suga aside to talk. And I'm desperate for an answer." You whisper yelled, making sure none of the others were to wake up.

"M-maybe you could describe it for us? The f-feeling I mean, it's okay if you don't want to!" After all the times you spent with the blonde first year, she was still nervous around you.

"No, no. I think it's best if I talk about it if I'm asking you guys for advice. So, um, where to start…" You thought of the past few days and your interactions with them, "Okay, I guess it started when Kuroo asked me to join them for practice, tossing when needed and handling the scoreboard during their two-on-two matches. In the morning, he'd come up to me from time to time and Suga would be glaring at our way. I thought that it was only because he was worried about me being around the captain. I mean, who knows what he's thinking inside that head of his! I'm kind of  not surprised he's getting along with Tsukishima, not that he'd admit it."

"And then..?"

"And then the talk with Suga just a few minutes ago… Somehow, there's this lingering feeling that I should trust his words a-and limit my contact with the guy. I've known Sugawara for three years ever since that day, so it makes sense that he kind of gets what'll play out. Plus, he's also a guy. I mean, he's just looking out for me right?" You ramble a bit, a crease on your forehead, "I really want to get to know Kuroo, he's really cool and funny, surprisingly on my part. But, I trust Suga's suspicion, he's still technically a stranger. Besides…"

"Besides you're much more comfortable with Sugawara, right?" You nodded at Kiyoko's words, shifting on your futon, "I could take a guess and say you like him but you want to give Kuroo-san a chance."

"(y/n)-san like likes Sugawara-san?" The black haired girl hummed in response, adjusting the position of her glasses, "Is this true?"

"That… I don't know. Maybe I just like him 'cause we're close?" Perhaps you were just trying to make yourself believe that it is only because of that or maybe it's the truth. Kiyoko glanced down the first year before turning towards your figure.

"Well, this training camp will end soon and until then, you've still got a chance to sort things out. Giving someone false hope is a feeling that makes you feel an intense amount of guilt, because you played with their feelings the same way you thought they were playing with yours."

So, in a few more days, the choice to make is in your hands. On the last day, you were going to talk to him and tell him what you think. And you just hope it was the right choice to take the risk with.

[ Kuroo Tetsurou ] • [ Sugawara Koushi ]

[saktetsu]

'You're Mine' Demon!Oikawa x Princess!Reader [Chapter 1]

Genre: Smut, Fluff, Breeding Kink, Size Kink, Over stimulation, Manipulation

This Chapter doesn't have Smut yet. Though I'll only continue this if someone asks for more. I don't wanna write something nobody wants to read.

It was a Dangerous World that they lived in, they all knew that. But despite the Danger that lurked around every corner, behind ever door; [F/N] [L/N], the Princess of Haikaru remained Innocent.

She had never crossed paths with Danger, had never experienced what it was like to lose something dear. The People of Haikaru purposely protected and shielded the Princess off from any sort of Darkness. She was their light, a light that they swore to Protect.

But of course, protecting her came with a major set back. Their walls less guarded from the Demons that lurked the night. But enough to keep them out. Well, most of them.

"Send him to the Dungeons, keep him out of sight and Lock him up as much as possible." The King, ordered his men.

"Yes, Sir." They voiced with a salute. "Move on your feet you Wretched Demon." One of the Soldiers kicked the said Demon, causing him to snarl out of annoyance.

"Now that's just rude." The horned Male barked out, his fangs showing.

"Move."

"Fine, fine~"

The Group of Guards surrounded the Demon, leading him slowly towards the entrance of the dungeons.

"Get in." One of them opened the door, shoving the Evil Entity inside. Soon after they entered as well, making sure to chain the Cyan Horned Man against the Single Wooden Pole. "This should keep you in place, Oikawa Tōru."

"Oh my, so you do know my Name? I'm quite flattered. Am I perhaps famous around here?"

"In your case yes. Yes you are. We've heard of what you've done to Humans like us. Demons should be banished, specifically a Demon as awful as you" And that was it, the last thing that the Group of Mortals said to the Beast. Leaving him alone in the empty open space, where only the chains that dug through his skin lay.

Oikawa moved his Left Arm slightly, hoping to snap the chains off with a bit of Magic. Only to be met by a sharp pain striking all throughout his body.

"Now, I wouldn't do that if I were you. These chains? They were made to keep Demons like you in place. To keep you from causing anymore trouble than you already have." The Royal turned on his heel. "You deserve to be treated like this."

"Dad, what's in there?" [F/N] pointed towards the cellar, where 2 Guards stood against.

"My sweet Princess, there is no need to be curious about what is within the door. You must avoid that place, for you are not safe there." Her Father replied, patting her head softly while a smile.

"Alright Father" She nodded her head slowly, yet curiosity still lingered inside her thoughts.

Eventually when night began to fall, [F/N] snuck out of her Room. Descending down the nice tiled stairs to approach her destination. She made sure to avoid the soldiers who were put on nightly duty.

Peeking around the corner, she spotted the two guards who were put to stay in front of the door. To her luck, they've fallen asleep. And was on the floor crouching.

[F/N] approached the two, giving them a slight poke to make sure that they are indeed asleep before taking what seems to be the key to the room.

As soon as she unlocked the door, she pushed it open. Making sure that she wouldn't make a single sound in the progress.

From what her Father had said before, this place was dangerous. Yet as soon as she stepped into the so called 'dangerous' room. She wasn't expecting to be met by a Handsome man, straddled with chains around his body. His arms had burns including his neck.

Without much hesitation she shut the door behind her slowly and approached the stranger. "Oh my God..- Are you alright?"

The man slowly opened his eyes, lifting his chin up to meet [E/C] orbs. Oikawa's eyes slightly widened, the scent of the most purest mortal he has ever smelled rushed through his nostrils. Instinctively, he leaned forward, causing the chains to burn his arms a tad bit more. Tōru grunted from the pain, and was unable to Heal himself unless they were off.

He was expecting her to run, to scream as soon as she saw his horns. But what he didn't expect, was her leaning in to slightly brush her finger against them. "What.. What are these? They're so cool"

Oh my, he wasn't expecting any of this at all. His lips quirked up into a devilish smirk, his eyes darkened with the thought of how innocent this little Mortal was. He often went out to many Villages to capture, and redeem souls. Hunted and killed Mortals who stood in his way to feast on their Flesh. But not only does he feed off of flesh, he also feeds off of arousal.

And here he was, chained to the floor with a full course buffet standing before him, offering her concern and curiosity. He could capture her, take her back to the underworld where he will make her his. His to love, his to cherish, and his to claim. "They're my Horns [F/N], you like them?"

[F/N] nodded slowly, she didn't question the Horned man how he knew what her name was. Instead, she maneuvered her way over to the source of the chains, quickly disengaging them.

"What.. The.. -" Tōru felt the chains loosen around him, his eyes darting over to the Precious Girl he sought to claim. "Why.. Why did you do that?" He questioned.

"You seem like a good Demon so.. I thought.. Maybe my Father was wrong about you. Plus um.. It looked like the chains were preventing you from talking properly without wincing in pain"

'She truly is innocent. Fuck, I want her even more now' he stood up, brushing the dust off his legs before completely healing his wounds. "Is that so? You're quite an observant little thing aren't you? But have you ever heard of a Good Demon?"

[F/N] shook her head. "No, I've never even met one up until now"

'Seriously? They were trying to protect her from us? How pathetic, yet rewarding..'

"Oh, well the pleasure's all mine little one. I am Tōru Oikawa. Don't bother telling me your Name." He walked closer, expecting her to back away in fear that she had made the wrong choice. But once again he was proven wrong when she didn't move at all. Instead her eyes remained staring back into his. "How can I repay you Princess..~?"

"Become my Friend"

Oikawa was stunned, his mouth ajar as his eyes grew. "Excuse me? Could you, perhaps-- I don't know--- Repeat that?"

"I said.. Become my.. Friend. My Father doesn't let me go out of the Castle walls, and I don't really have Friends here. I mean I do get along with the people around here but they never really showed interest in trying to get to know me"

"I see.. So you want me, the King of the Underworld, to become your Friend?" Without much of a reply, [F/N] nodded her head vigorously.

"Alright then, I'll be your Friend Little One. I'll make sure to visit you once in a while in your room." Oikawa leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Make sure to not tell anyone with our little Meet ups alright?"

"I won't, I promise.." [F/N]'s cheeks reddened a bit, not expecting to get a kiss on the forehead by the King of the Underworld himself.

But what she didn't know, was that the kiss contained more than just a Thank You. It was a way to tell the other Demons similar to him to back off as soon as they smelled her essence. With the invisible pendant forming on her forehead only for demons to admire, she was practically untouchable.

Days passed with Oikawa constantly visiting [F/N] in secret. Their Friendship growing into a much more passionate one. The lingering touches he dreamt of doing to her were kept at bay, fearing that he might ruin his only chance to claim her.

"Tōru?" [F/N] called out in a soft voice, she nudged her Demon friend on the shoulder a bit.

"Huh" His eyes widened slightly, being snapped out of his thoughts. "What is it?"

"You've been thinking for a while. What has you troubled?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." He slowly lets out a long, low sigh as he feels his hair through his fingers.

"Well, if you say s-"

A sudden knock came from the door, capturing both Tōru's and [F/N]'s attention. Her eyes widened in panic as she quickly got up, ushering Oikawa to leave before he was seen.

"Yes? I'm here!" She replied, her voice was soft and timid compared to her usual out going self.

"Is something wrong?" The knight asked from behind the door. "Your Father sent me here to accompany you. Apparently you've been more distant lately, spending most of your time in your room.. Is there.. Anything I could do to help?"

[F/N] slowly opened the door, peaking through to see who it was. And to her surprise, it was Iwaizumi Hajime. a Friend of hers from a far away village. The only Friend that her Father allowed to blossom. "H-Hajime-"

"I know, it's been a while hasn't it? [F/N]." He smiled ever so softly before staring back at the door that kept him from slinging his arms around her. "Mind if I get in?"

"Not at a- eep!" She stilled, feeling a pair of hands rest on either side of her waist. Slowly moving down to her core. She turned to look at Tōru who had a shit eating grin, obviously proud of the reaction he got from you. "Tōru.. Not now.. What are you doing.. -"

"Is someone there with you?" Iwaizumi asked with a concerned look on his face.

"N-NO- No, I was just startled. You haven't been in my room for.. Over 6 years y'know, and it's kind of overwhelming"

"R-Right... You're making me feel old [F/N]"

"That's because you are, blehhh" Hajime chuckled, forcefully pushing the door open with his strong arms.

"Alright, that's it you little trouble maker. I'm coming in whether you like it or not"

"NO- WAIT N-" She quickly turned to look at Tōru, but was met with an empty room. No trace of him but her bed and along with her other furniture.

Iwaizumi stepped in the room, chuckling at her childish actions. "You seriously can't be that embarrassed with me being here, are you?"

"Kind of... But um, apart from that. How's your Village? Everything alright?"

"Everything's been normal. Not to mention the Grand King hasn't visited us for over a week. It's quite a relief, yet terrifying." He walked further into the room, taking his helmet off with a Huff.

"I wonder why.." [F/N] mumbled out softly. Of course she knew why, she was the reason that Oikawa has been rarely seen out and about. He's always hanging out in her room, chatting, and laughing with her as if he wasn't some demonic entity. But at the end of the day, he's still the King of the Underworld. "How long are you gonna stay here for? Not that I want you to leave or anything"

"Maybe for a couple of days. You know, until you brighten up a bit."

"Haji, I'm okay I promise."

"You Promise?"

"Pinky Promise"

Hajime stared straight into her eyes with concern, but eventually sighed. "Fine, but if your Dad yells at me for not cheering you up? You're so in for it."

"Pfft, yeah, yeah" She quickly plopped herself beside Iwaizumi, slinging her arms around him with a cheerful smile. "I missed you"

He stuttered out a small 'Thank you' before wrapping his arms around her waist. His cheeks were painted pink as he dipped his head against her shoulder.

Little did the two know, a certain horned man was watching them, anger flowing all throughout his body as his fists clenched. She was supposed to be his, not that porcupines woman.

[asyeralovelies]

ICARUS - percy jackson x oc (chapter one)

word count: 3,909

trigger warnings: gory description (mrs dodds) , implied physical abuse

a/n: lmao i posted this on wattpad first (@/asyeralovely) so you guys can check it out there too. also on ao3, same user as my wattpad.

"My, my..." Dittany celeste murmured as she looked around Yancy Academy, a private school in upstate new york. Her satyr friend, Grover Underwood, and her mentor at Camp Half-Blood, Chiron, or tío as she liked to call him, had asked for someone to help in picking up a demigod in the school. Apparently, it was so hard to get the half-blood that they needed another one from camp.

Well, Dittany wasn't really "just another one at camp."

The dark haired girl had been left at camp borders when she was a mere one year old, the only information of her mother she had was that the woman's last name was "Celeste."

Honestly, she didn't know what to feel about the woman. Did she leave her there to train early at camp to learn to protect herself? Did her mother simply not want a child and left her there to fend for herself? The daughter of Hephaestus had no clue.

The only other long-timers at a young age in camp was Annabeth Chase, another friend of hers. The daughter of Athena had been there since she was seven.

Dittany snapped her fingers, willing the mist, a veil that covers up the Greek Myths world in mortal eyes, to make her seem like another student in Yancy Academy. She had learned that trick when she was ten, after six years of pestering her tío.

As she walked casually around the halls of the private school, her mind went through notes about the new demigod. His name was Percy Jackson, a boy with black hair and green eyes. He was in sixth grade and seemed to have attracted a very dangerous monster, because Grover had been panicking when he Iris-Messaged her about the situation.

Finally, the girl caught sight of a certain curly haired satyr talking to who she assumed to be Percy Jackson and stalked towards them. She snapped her fingers again, willing the mist to make it seem she was already friends with the two. Well, to Percy. Grover already knew her, without the mist.

The green eyed boy met her own dark eyes and he grinned as if they really did know each other, as if the scars on her face were a natural sight, and Dittany grinned back, acting her role.

"Hey, Perce," she said enthusiastically, using the first nickname that came to mind. She sent a subtle nod to Grover, who gave her a quick thumbs up. "You two having fun without me? After all we've been through!"

Percy rolled his eyes and smiled fondly at her. "Shut up, An. Grover was just saying something about being worried for the field trip tomorrow." He looked at her with a raised eye brow, like he was saying, "can you believe him?"

Dittany was a great actress. "What? You afraid our teacher's gonna turn into a monster and slash us to bits?" she asked Grover, mirth in her eyes. The satyr narrowed his own eyes at her, clearly too worried to laugh in amusement.

"No," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm just.." he couldn't seem to find an excuse for his nerves.

"Just?" said Dittany amusedly.

"Whatever." he grumbled.

Dittany only smiled teasingly at him.

"I'm going to kill her," Percy mumbled. Nancy Bobofit, a red haired girl with kleptomania and freckles that seemed spray painted with crushed Cheetos, had been throwing wads of her sandwich into Grover's curly brown hair.

Dittany knew Percy wouldn't do that, because according to Grover, the demigod was on probation and had been threatened by the headmaster himself with death by in-school suspension if anything remotely strange happened.

See, from what she had gathered with observations in one day, the boy had ADHD and dyslexia, like most demigods. Dittany didn't have dyslexia, meaning she could read perfectly fine, but she could still read Greek. In truth, she didn't know how that worked, but she didn't question it.

"It's okay. I like peanut butter." Grover said. Being thrown at your hair, Dittany mused. Hope you're not serious.

Grover dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.

"That's it." Percy snapped, standing up, but Dittany pulled him down by his shirt.

"You're already on probation, Mr Jackson," the girl air quoted the last part. "Anything remotely shitty happens and you're out of here." then she smirked. "Wouldn't want to leave your two best friends in the whole world, would you?"

That shut him up.

When Dittany willed the mist, she made it so Percy thought she had been here since day one and only had Grover for a friend. The daughter of the forges had noticed that the only things keeping Percy from straight up leaving was because of his friends who would be all alone without him and his mom who would be disappointed that he just gave up.

Sally Jackson was a nice woman, from last night when Dittany had Iris-Messaged her. She informed the mother that she was also going to keep watch on Percy, since the situation was getting desperate with the really powerful monster. But Dittany had assured her things would be fine when Sally started panicking about the statement.

But today, Dittany's senses were on high alert.

She knew immediately that Mrs Dodds, the other chaperone for the field trip, was their monster. From the way her eyes had widened when she caught sight of Dittany, who had not been there before, and seeing the students just pass by her like she had been there all along. From the way the monster had glared at her, like she was silently asking, "how dare you interfere!?"

She had glared back at the woman. The students saw it as "what're you gonna do about it?" because in their mist memories, the dark haired girl liked to stir trouble. The "what're you gonna do about it?" glare really meant that she was challenging the monster.

Ever since Dittany had left for a quest with Luke Castellan, a son of Hermes and a mutual friend with Annabeth, about two years ago, the twelve years old wasn't so terrified of monsters. Well, she never was, really, but she got to see the real world. She knew what it was like to fight monsters in life or death situations and not just for practice.

She remembered the days very well.

Luke had been offered a quest by his father. Well, not personally, but according to tío, Hermes wanted Luke to go to the garden of the Hesperides and get a golden apple like Heracles had once done.

Luke immediately took it, consulting the oracle.

He had went back down the attic ladder looking confused. He had said the oracle required him to bring only one other person along with him.

The Hermes boy had asked Dittany because she was the most skilled person in combat at camp, partly because of staying the longest there and partly because she trained relentlessly to spite her unknown mother for leaving her at the borders by herself.

They had travelled to San Francisco together, stopping every once and a while for take out food or fighting monsters.

When they were outside the garden, just about to enter, Luke had told her the prophecy.

SEEK THE LAND WHERE THE GREEKS ARE FORBIDDEN,

FOLLOW THE TRAIL OF THE HERO OF TWELVE LABORS,

ENTER THE ONCE SO BEAUTIFUL GARDEN,

FAIL TO PROCEED WHAT SHOULD BE DONE BY SCAR'S FORCE,

TAKE ONE COMPANION OR YOU'RE DOOMED FOR DEATH,

A DISTRACTION, AN ILLUSION, WILL FALL FOR THE THEFT

TAKE A CHANCE WITH FATE IN A HERO'S TRUE END

THE GAMBLE OF HERMES, A GAME OF PRETEND

Unlike Luke, Dittany caught a meaning to it. Well, the first part, at least. The demigods were never allowed in San Francisco unless for a quest because, apparently, it's where they're most likely to get killed off. They were doing one of the labors of Heracles. They were about to enter the garden of the Hesperides.

She didn't understand anything from the second part except that Luke needed one companion or he'd die and Hermes apparently had a gamble going on.

When they entered the garden, at first, Dittany didn't understand why it was only "once beautiful." It was mesmerizing, reminding her of those religious bible stories about the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve used to live before their sin. But the longer they looked around, she felt like a part of the place was missing. Like a song cover with missing lyrics. It could still be beautiful, but it just wasn't right without those missing parts.

Then they approached the hundred headed dragon, Luke warning her to stay put before he called signal so they could both have a role. Luke would distract while Dittany would go for the apple.

The whole time with the ordeal, Dittany felt like she was being watched.

In the end, Luke ended up with a scar running from above his eyebrow down to his jaw. Dittany had to step in the distraction to save him from the dragon's other claws that were going for a second strike and got Dittany's face and shoulder instead. It looked like three knife slashes on her face going diagonally and a scar from her shoulder to the small of her back.

They failed to steal a golden apple, but Dittany felt like they were meant to fail.

They came back with heavy injuries because of going back to camp and facing more monsters while they were already scarred. From then on tío banned quests, not wanting anymore heavy injuries.

Luke had felt like he ruined chances for everyone, but Dittany assured him that he didn't. She told him she should have kept with the plan because Luke could protect himself, but then Luke told her that he would have died without her.

Luke told her he also felt like his father was making fun of him for thinking he could do it, and Dittany silently agreed. But she didn't voice out her thoughts. She just hugged him and told him that one day, someone would clear for the camp and quests would be allowed again. Someday, things would get better.

But both Luke Castellan and Dittany Celeste knew that things only ever get worse for demigods.

Annabeth had taken it to herself to cheer up both of them, saying corny jokes that were so bad they were funny and reading random facts about architecture to distract them.

In the present, Dittany found herself smiling sadly. Luke was better now, and so was she, but sometimes the girl would find the sandy haired boy looking grim and trying to stop the tears.

She knew the boy wanted to make his father proud, prove that he was a hero, but instead he had failed. Dittany would walk up to him, sit on the seat next to him and make his head fall to her lap so that he could cry. She would never ask, because she already knew. She didn't whisper comforting words, because someone's presence and knowing they're there for you was enough.

Sometimes Annabeth would join them and would just tell silly stories where she describes the places in the story.

They would pretend they were a normal mortal family where Luke was their father who was overwhelmed with work and needed comfort and Annabeth would be the one to tell him about her day while Dittany made snacks. A normal, happy mortal family.

Dittany found herself following Mr Brunner— aka Chiron or tío— as he led the museum tour. Tío already knew she was there, and he played his part of acting like she always had been.

He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding the class through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.

It blew Dittany's mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand to three thousand years. What, with the gods' tempers and tendencies to destroy things? Wow.

He gathered them around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling them how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about their age. He told them about the carvings on the sides.

Dittany noticed Percy was trying to listen to what he had to say— she didn't really need to now— because it was kind of interesting for him, but everybody around was talking, and every time he told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs Dodds, would give him the evil eye.

Dittany would back him up discreetly by smirking at Mrs Dodds and playing with her sword's hilt that stuck out of her sheath, right at her waist, and was disguised as some chain belt in the mist. But the monster saw right through that mist and only settled for keeping away from her while keeping eyes on her weapon and on Percy.

Tío kept talking about Greek funeral art.

Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and before Dittany or Grover could stop him, Percy whirled around to face the redhead and said, "Will you shut up?"

Dittany had a feeling he had said that louder than he meant to. She silently watched him in pity as his face reddened from his own realization.

The group of kids laughed, tío stopped his story.

"Mr Jackson," he said, effectively adding more attention to the embarrassed boy, and making Dittany want to face palm at the centaur. "did you have a comment?"

"No, sir." Percy said, looking down to hide his face.

"Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

Damn it, tío, Dittany thought, but her lips were pursed.

Percy looked up with a face of recognition. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?" he said with uncertainty. Dittany looked away and curled her lip in disgust, remembering about reading the "myth."

"Yes," Chiron said, not sounding very impressed. The Celeste girl rolled her eyes. "And he did this because. . ."

"Well, Kronos was the king god and— " Dittany turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised, forgetting that he still didn't know he was a demigod yet and didn't think the Greek Myths were worth the read.

He caught her gaze and cleared his throat. "Titan. Titan.. Lord." he corrected himself.

Dittany nodded, looking away again.

He continued, "And... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"

"Eww!" said one of the girls behind Percy and Dittany, making the latter roll her eyes and smirk. She, too, was disgusted when she first read the story, but then she joked around about it just to annoy campers.

"—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," Percy continued, "and the gods won."

Some snickers from the group.

Behind them, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"

"And why, Mr Jackson," tío said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busted," Grover and Dittany snickered.

"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair. Grover only smirked and looked away and Dittany stuck her tongue out childishly.

At least Nancy got packed, too. Tío was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.

Percy thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."

"I see." Chiron looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"

The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.

Grover, Dittany and Percy were about to follow when Chiron said, "Mr Jackson."

Dittany internally face palmed, having been used to her tío's dramatic tendencies.

Meanwhile, Percy knew that was coming.

Dittany turned to Chiron with an are-you-fucking-serious-right-now look before heading outside with Grover.

When they reached the fountain, they started talking.

"Ten drachmas that tío'll be ominous again and confuse Percy," Dittany immediately said. Grover replied, "Twelve that he actually gives him a clue."

The scarred girl rolled her eyes, muttering with a smirk, "Yeah, right."

They sat in silence after that, waiting for the boy in question to come outside.

Dittany zoned out, staring at the water. She realized she looked like a stereotypical skater girl with a grey sleeved shirt under a black tee. Her ripped denim jeans were just a quick in-the-moment choice that Silena Beauregard, a close friend and her older half-brother's crush, would have not approved of. The sapphire eyed teen would have chosen black jeans to match the "aesthetic" or whatever the hell it was. Dittany just wanted something to wear.

The she caught sight of Percy approaching her and Grover. He sat down between them with a brooding look.

"Detention?" Grover asked.

"Nah," Percy said, but he still looked grim. "Not from Brunner. I just wished he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean— I'm not a genius."

Grover didn't say anything for a while, and when he opened his mouth, Percy thought the boy was going to give some deep philosophical comment to make him feel better, but instead he said, "Can I have your apple?"

The raven haired boy didn't have much of an appetite, so he let him take it.

Dittany saw Percy look to the road with a longing expression, and she did, too. But her reason was the want to get hit by a car, feeling restless at just sitting. At least she'd have a reason to be still. She was hit by a moving vehicle! Of course she can't move right now!

As she mused the thought, Nancy Bobofit was suddenly in front of them, or maybe the Celeste girl just didn't notice the redhead approaching.

The bitch had the audacity to dump her lunch in Grover's lap, and Dittany felt her hands prick and warm up, like a flame about to ignite, but she quickly calmed herself. No one knew about that power. She wasn't going to let the secret out anytime soon.

Percy wasn't so calm.

Dittany swore the fountain's water had suddenly lurched forward, grabbed Nancy, and pulled her in the fountain.

Poseidon, Dittany thought immediately. You three gonna do this in order, she silently asked the three gods, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Thunder rumbled and the earth slightly shook beneath her feet. She rolled her eyes.

She was referring to Thalia Grace being the first child of a broken oath, and Percy now being the second. All she had to do was wait for a Hades child and it'd be a complete set. Thunder rumbled again, and the earth shook, but specifically only under her.

How terrifying, she thought sarcastically.

She was splashed by the fountain's water in the back, but her clothes were quickly made dry so Poseidon seemed innocent. She discreetly flipped off the god.

With her interactions with the three gods, she had missed Mrs Dodds taking Percy away and Grover looking at her with an exasperated look, like he knew exactly what she was doing.

When the brunette finally noticed that Percy Jackson, apparently the son of Poseidon, was gone, she looked to Grover with an eyebrow raised. He only shook his head worriedly.

She stood up and ran to her tío who was watching the museum doors worriedly. He took out a pen and looked ready to follow inside when he spotted Dittany.

Chiron handed her the pen and nodded, emphasizing she could get there quicker.

Dittany took it and ran up to the entrance, swinging the doors open and just in time as Mrs Dodds was ready to slash Percy to bits.

A fury!?, she thought furiously, hopefully sending her thoughts to the god of the underworld. How petty can you get, Hades?, she huffed.

"Percy, catch!" she yelled and tossed the pen in the air, the said boy whipping around to meet her dark eyes and catching the pen, watching it turn into a double edged celestial bronze sword.

Dittany would have taken out her own weapon to help, since a fury wasn't usually killed at first try, if Percy hadn't immediately sliced through the monster.

The girl's eyes widened but she didn't stay, immediately running out. She had a feeling Chiron would want Percy to think it was all just an illusion, so she immediately went back to the fountain with Grover, sending a quick thumbs up to her mentor.

She took the face towel Grover offered to dry her sweat, partly from running and partly from seeing the fury.

She sent a look to her tío, silently asking him if she should will the mist again to make up some new teacher, but he shook his head. He had it handled.

A few moments later, Percy came out of the museum looking dazed. It had already started raining, and Dittany was soaking while Grover hogged the only cover.

Percy said something to Nancy, and the girl looked at him like he was mad before scoffing and walking away. Then he walked over to Dittany and Grover.

"An," he immediately looked to Dittany. "Where's Mrs Dodds?" He wanted to know if this was a dream or not.

As was said earlier, Dittany was a great actress.

"Perce," she said slowly, emphasizing that she was trying to see signs if he was going insane. "Who the hell is that?"

Percy looked desperate.

"Mrs Dodds!" he exclaimed. "Our pre-algebra teacher!"

Dittany looked at him in concern. "Percy," she started. "We never had a teacher named Mrs Dodds."

Percy looked to Grover.

The raven haired boy would have believed it was all an illusion if Grover hadn't looked around nervously, like preparing to make an excuse, and said, "She's right, Perce. Are you okay?" in the most unconvincing voice ever.

Dittany mentally face palmed.

Percy looked to Dittany. "But.. You gave me the pen, only it wasn't a pen, it was a sword, and—" he raised his hand, which was holding a normal ball point pen. He looked at it with wide eyes suddenly, like it wasn't a pen the previous moment.

Dittany let her eyes widen, too, but to say, "Hey! That's mine!" in a playfully accusing tone. "Well, I only borrowed it from Mr Brunner.. But still!"

She snatched the pen from him, but the boy was still in shock.

The dark eyed girl ran to Chiron, quickly giving him the pen. She glanced back at Percy who looked to be in a crisis.

"What monster?" her tío silently asked.

"Kindly one." Dittany said simply.

Chiron heaved a breath and the demigod only shrugged.

"Could be worse, honestly."

And... she jinxed it.

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