#lally x reader

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

Fantastic Beasts Masterlist

One Shots

Fantastical Dates - Newt Scamander x Reader

Stuck Outside - Reader, Niffler, Pickett

The Promise - Dumbledore, Grindelwald, Reader

Loose In Hogwarts - Reader, Niffler, Newt, Dumbledore

Imagines + Mini Fic

Imagine finding Newt on the receiving end of his bowtruckle’s rant

Imagine your joy when you learn Lally is joining the mission

(Return to the Easy Navigate Masterlist)

[iridecsense]

nepenthe - m.

⊰ 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴                    𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦                       𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 ⊱

             ──── ⋅ ⍤ ⋅⊰⋅∘ 〄 ∘⋅⊱⋅ ⍤ ⋅ ────

⤷ summary: Proceeding the encounter with Grindelwald in Paris, Newt goes seaward on a secret mission for Dumbledore when his ship is caught in a storm...

✧ word count: 11.1k ✧ pairing: newt scamander | siren!reader ✧ genre: romance, slow burn, angst, adventure ✧ warnings: depictions of violence and death ✧ author’s note:  Who updates after nearly five years? Me. I do. Anywayy, feel free to comment or send me feedback via my ask box, I love hearing from you all. Hopefully, it will encourage me to finish this series. That being said, I hope you enjoy!

             ──── ⋅ ⍤ ⋅⊰⋅∘ 〄 ∘⋅⊱⋅ ⍤ ⋅ ────

Newt was no stranger to the sea. He had spent years aboard ships, exploring the world, and from it, he found the ocean more fascinating than anything else on Earth. It was a vast expansion of salty water that covered seventy percent of the Earth and was home to more than half of its creatures—most of which have yet to be discovered, a feat that both challenged and excited him. While most feared the ocean, he embraced it. He wished that Jacob felt the same. 

Jacob had a hard time adjusting to life at sea. While Newt kept his friend’s seasickness at bay, his preexisting fears still lingered. Jacob was no help when it came to sailing. He was far too clumsy and anxious to work under Uluras’s command. His talents lay elsewhere, elsewhere being the ship’s kitchen. Jacob spent most of his time down there, cooking and baking meals and treats for everyone. He wasn’t doing much cooking back in London, so Newt suspected it was therapeutic for him in more ways than one. Either way, he was glad to see Jacob active and committed. 

They sailed smoothly for three days. During those days, Uluras took a liking to Newt, effectively taking him under his wing. They often shared stories, Newt telling of his adventures around the world, and Uluras proudly spoke of tales from his mother country. There were times when Newt would get him to talk about Dumbledore and their misadventures when they were both young men. Even now, on what Uluras revealed to be their last night aboard the ship, they all sat on deck eating the supper Jacob and Niris prepared, sharing entertaining stories of how they spent their time in school. Newt stayed quiet for the most part, content with listening to Uluras’s tall tales and Niris’s troublemaking.

Under the night sky, the sea glittered and shined. It was calm; the water gently lapped at the sides of the ship, and, if you listened closely, you could hear the fin whales singing in the distance. It was a peaceful night, the most peaceful night they had while on board. Newt sat in comfortable silence as the others laughed heartily at a story Niris had concluded telling. They finished their meals and turned to drink, a sweet rice wine to fill their stomachs. Newt disliked the alcoholic drink, as he did all alcoholic drinks, but he still sipped the contents of his mug every so often to blend in. 

It wasn’t long before everyone grew tired. They had a long day ahead of them and would need all the sleep they could get. Niris was the first to retire to his nook. Jacob followed soon after, taking the mugs and plates back into the kitchen, claiming he would deal with them in the morning. Truthfully, Newt was rather exhausted himself. He could feel the weight of his tiredness pulling at his eyelids, but the ticking ambush of questions that relentlessly swelled in the back of his head kept him restless. Uluras had moved to the forecastle. His hand still clutched around a mug of wine as he stared up at the sky, sipping peacefully. Newt was unsure if he should disturb him. 

“Yuh just gonna stand there watchin’ mi, or yuh gonna speak what’s pan yuh mind?” Uluras spoke with his back still turned. 

Newt straightened his posture, flustered. He climbed up the steps and onto the deck to stand at Uluras’s side. The wind moaned lowly around them. Uluras kept his gaze forward, barely acknowledging Newt’s presence. Newt, feeling displaced, did the same. He looked at the night horizon, watching the bow of the ship cut through the waves with ease. “I was thinking about tomorrow,” Newt confessed after a brief silence. “I’m still unsure of what exactly I am to do when we reach Italy. It’s not as if Dumbledore gave me instructions.” Uluras huffed through his nose. “No need for instructions. What yuh need is a name,” he said. Newt furrowed his brows. “A name?” Uluras turned towards Newt. “In the mornin’, ‘round noon, we will dock in Naples. There yuh must find a woman named Reinette.”

“Reinette?” Newt repeated. “Who’s Reinette?” 

“She is a talented witch with the gift of seeing. Her gift has given her the advantage of knowin’ many things. When yuh get there, yuh must find her.”

“How do you suppose I do that?”

“It’s been a while, but I’m sure she hasn’t left. When I knew her well she worked in a pub. What was it called?” Uluras pursed his lips in thought, snapping his fingers as he muttered different names. “La Belladonna? No. It was Il Basalisc, I think... or maybe it was... It was somethin’ with a B.” Shaking his head, the older man sucked his teeth and sighed. “Just ask around for Reinette. I’m sure a local will be able to point yuh in the right direction. It's not like she keeps a low profile.” He rolled his eyes, turning around to walk back down the stairs.  Newt wasn’t sure he understood what Uluras meant by that, but he took the new information gladly. It was better than nothing. 

“You should rest, Scamander.” Newt turned on his heels to look down at Uluras on the deck. “This ting that Dumbledore’s got yuh wrapped up in...It all starts there. An’ yuh’ll be needing all the rest you can get.” Newt nodded in an unconfident manner. Uluras, having drunken himself into lethargy, disappeared into his quarters for the night, leaving Newt alone on deck. He didn’t get much sleep that night.

                                   ⁎ ��

                                 ⁂ ˚ ✧ ⁂

                                  ⊹ ＊

Newt lay on his cot inside his case, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought, when Jacob descended the ladder. He jumped from the ladder a few feet from the floor, landing with a thud, and turned to his friend. “Did you sleep in here?” Jacob asked. Newt shook his head. Jacob sighed, looking around the shack. His eyes caught sight of a strange creature similar to a hummingbird in the way its wings flapped incessantly, though it was double the size and had a long beak that curled into itself. It stared back at him through the window above Newt’s cot and flew away quickly after. 

“I didn’t know you brought all your animals with you.”

Newt sat up in his bed. “I didn’t. Well, not all of them. Just the ones that needed my attention. Bunty’s caring for the rest back home,” said Newt. Jacob nodded, dropping the subject. “Uluras told me to come get ya. Yeah, he says that we’ll be docking soon.” Newt's eyes widened. “Is it noon already?”

“Fifteen minutes after,” Jacob told him. “Sorry I didn't come to get you sooner, but I was late waking up myself. That wine can really put you out.” He chuckled as he rubbed his aching belly. Newt stood to his feet and walked to his work station. He pulled a small black box from a drawer and opened it. Inside was an assortment of small potion bottles. Some were filled with liquid, others with herbs, and one with something that moved. Jacob scrunched his nose in disgust. 

Newt picked up a couple of bottles, carefully reading the labels before finding the one he was searching for. He held it in his hand as he placed the lid back onto the box and stuffed it back into the drawer. He walked back to Jacob and held out the bottle filled with an herb that looked like plant roots. “Chew on these. They’ll help your stomach settle.” Jacob took the bottle kindly and without question. “Thanks.”

Newt flashed him a small smile before brushing past to climb up the ladder. Stepping from his case, Newt helped his friend by taking his hand and pulling him out. The two men quickly packed their things, ensuring everything was in order before ascending to the deck. 

The sun hung high in the air. The call of seagulls accompanied the musicality of wind rippling the sails and waves crashing into the ship. The pesky birds circled the masts in hopes of finding food, or perhaps they just wanted someplace to rest their wings. Either way, their presence was welcomed, for it meant that land was near. 

Newt and Jacob made their way to the ship’s railing. They looked ahead to see the evidence: the costal city of Naples flaunting its beautiful landscape. Jacob smiled, openly expressing his excitement. Wether he was excited to venture to a new land or because he was finally getting off the boat was unclear. Maybe it was a bit of both. When the ship finally docked, Jacob was the first to step off after giving goodbyes to Niris and Uluras. 

The dock was lively with passersby. It was a trading dock meant for the import of magical goods. It was tucked away and hidden by enchantments to mask its presence on the shoreline of an abandoned beach. On the harbor, sellers peddled their goods, high in stock of all the magical goods not native to Italy.

Uluras and Niris stood at the opening to the gangway. Newt, with his head bowed, reached in his coat pocket for the pouch Dumbledore had given him, handing it to the old man. Uluras saw the gold flashing in the pouch and placed his hand over it, pushing it back into Newt’s chest. “Keep your money, Mr. Scamander,” he said. “You’ll be needing it where you’re headed.” Newt nodded. He thanked Uluras and Niris for their kindness and guidance. The young wizard descended down the gangway, joining his friend's side as he assessed his foreign surroundings.  Jacob placed a hand on Newt’s shoulder. “You know what you’re doing?” Newt’s eyes flew up to Uluras, who gave him an encouraging nod. “In a way.”

Jacob turned to look back up at the ship that was already sailing back out to sea. He waved goodbye to the two men onboard. Niris waved his cap down at them and wished them luck on their journey. “Don’t forget to thank Zanj Lanmè!” Uluras yelled. 

The two men waved to the angel carved onto the ship, yelling their thanks. To Newt's amusement and Jacob’s amazement, the wooden angel animated, giving them a soft smile as it waved back. His mouth fell agape as he watched the ship leave. Newt turned from the sea and pushed on, leaving behind a stunned Jacob. “Did you see that?” He asked as he rushed to catch up. 

The harbor reminded Newt of Diagon Alley, though it was considerably smaller. Besides the docks and the street peddlers, there were shops, inns, and a lone pub. Alas, it was not the pub he hoped. Its name did not start with a B, nor did it have a B in it at all. Hanging above the entrance was a metal plaque that read L'amante in bronze lettering underneath an etching of a couple kissing passionately. 

“Want to grab a drink?” Jacob asked upon noticing Newt's gaze set upon the building. 

Newt had no interest in going inside. He wanted to find Reinette as soon as possible. He remembered Uluras’s advice from the night before to ask around. This elusive seer had evidently made a name for herself; at least, that is the impression Uluras gave him. Left on foreign terrain, with no other options, he decided that it was the best place to start. The two men veered to the pub, pushing through the salt-damaged doors. 

Upon entering, they were met with lively music and thunderous cheer. Much like Newt’s case, the pub was bigger on the inside, with many open levels that gave the appearance of a tower. Despite its overawing stature, the room was filled with warmth. It was a pleasant contrast to the cold greyscale of London. The first level of the pub was colored in hues of red, orange, and yellow. Gold glimmered in unexpected and opulent places. The dark, wooded floors vibrated in reaction to the crowd of people dancing close to the stage where a live band played swing music. Scattered around the room were tables and booths, many of which were filled. Along the right side of the establishment was a bar that stretched from either side of the room. Jacob noticed it instantly and headed straight in its direction.

He took a seat on a circular stool. He blew raspberries with his lips and drummed his hands on the, frankly, sticky wood surface as he waited for a bartender. He even peeked over the counter just in case this pub was manned by a house-elf like the speakeasy Tina and Queenie had once taken them to. Newt took a seat next to him, placing his case on the floor by his feet. Not long after, a woman came up to them behind the counter. She had thick, curly brown hair braided down her back and dark olive skin. She wore an orange dress complemented by a gold apron. She grabbed a wet rag from a nook behind the counter and began swabbing the counter. 

“Che cosa vuoi?” She asked, though she was not looking at them. The two men stared blankly, unable to understand. In their silence, she gave in and looked straight at them, suddenly irritated by their presence. “What do you want?” She asked again, this time in English. “Water, please,” Newt answered for the both of them, though Jacob seemed a bit displeased by it.

She immediately grabbed two clear glasses, filling them up with ice as a pitcher of water floated in the air to fill them. She handed them their respective glasses. “So you’re Englishmen?” 

“He’s English. I’m American,” said Jacob. “Though my mom’s mom was Italian.” He said as a matter-of-fact and smiled awkwardly in an attempt to make small conversation. The barmaid, however, couldn’t care less. “Welcome to Napoli,” She said dryly. “What brings you here? It must be important for you to come with the travel ban and all.” The two shifted uncomfortably in their seats, like two children who had just been caught in a lie. “Do not worry,” she assured them. “I will not tell. It is not my business to share.”

Jacob relaxed a little and took a sip of his cold water. Newt was still tensed. “Well,” he began, hesitant. “We are looking for someone. I was told she works in a pub like this one. Perhaps you know her?” The woman shrugged. “Maybe I do. Do you have a name?”

“Reinette.”

She shook her head. “Dispiace. I do not recognize the name.” She said simply, and turned away to help another customer. Newt stopped her before she got too far, still hoping she could help in some way. “You don’t suppose you know anyone who might? She is a seer—”

“A seer you say?” She cut in. Newt nodded. The barmaid looked beyond the two men to a waitress waiting tables on the floor. “Azura!” She called to her. The waitress lifted her head towards the direction of the bar. The bartender waved her over. “Vieni qui per favore.”  The waitress finished serving a couple seated at a table before walking over towards the three of them and standing next to Newt, a bit closer than he’d like. “Che?”

“These men are looking for a seer. You once knew a seer, no? What was her name?” The woman pursed her lips in thought. “Intendi, Reinette?”

“That’s her!” Jacob chimed in. “She said Reinette, right? You said Reinette?”

The waitress, Azura, frowned. “What do you want with Reinette?”

“We were hoping she could tell us that,” said Newt.

She sighed. “If it is a vision you want, she won’t give it to you. She hasn’t seen anyone in years.”

“Still,” Newt insisted. “We must find her. It’s important. Please.”

“Look, whoever sent you led you in the wrong direction. Reinette left for Sicily years ago. That is all I know.”

“Sicily? As in the island? As in an island a hundred miles away from here in the middle of the Mediterranean ocean?” Jacob rubbed the sides of his temple. “That’s just great.” He held his glass up to the barmaid. “I’m gonna need something a little stronger, sweetheart.” She rolled her eyes and reluctantly took his glass.

“Where in Sicily may we ask?” Newt pressed. The waitress thought to herself for a moment.

“Syracuse, I think. I can’t be sure.”

Newt nodded. “Thank you.”

“Prego.” As she left, Jacob downed his newly acquired drink. Newt stood from his seat and shifted around his coat pocket for change and placed it on the counter. Jacob put down his glass. “What, we’re leaving now?” 

“Yes,” said Newt as he lifted his case from the ground and maneuvered his way out of the tavern with Jacob stumbling close behind. “Right now!”

                                     ⁎ ⊹

                                   ⁂ ˚ ✧ ⁂

                                    ⊹ ＊

After the pub, Newt took Jacob from the port into the city. According to Newt, they would have to find another boat that sailed to Sicily. Uluras and the Zanj Lanmè were long gone. They were on their own. 

Italy seemed much livelier than Paris or London in Jacob’s opinion. At least in Naples, the people weren’t afraid of a bit of fun. Jacob followed behind Newt in a distracted stupor, occasionally brushing shoulders with other pedestrians and whirling his head every which-way to take in the sights. He tried his best to keep up with Newt’s long strides but was halted by a young street vendor pushing delicious-smelling pastries in his face.  

“Try, you must try! Best pastries in Napoli!” The young teen pedaled. 

Jacob scrunched his nose. “What is it?”

The curly-haired boy gave Jacob an over-friendly smile and spoke excitedly.  “Panzerotti. It’s meat, cheese, an—”

“Yeah, give me that.” Jacob pulled out two coins and traded them with the boy. He took the pastry and continued down the street as the boy thanked him. The young boy looked down at the two American coins. 

“EHI! Non puoi pagare con questo! Figlio di puttana, mi servono gli lire!” 

Jacob ignored the boy's fast-spilling curses and took a pleasing bite out of his treat. He spotted Newt’s distinctive coat in a small crowd surrounding a man pedaling boat tickets. “Oh, Jacob, there you are. What’s that?”

“Panzerotti,” Jacob said with a mouth full of food. He held the wrapped pastry up to Newt. “Wanna bite?”

Newt looked down at the cheesy, meat-filled delight. “No, I don’t think so.” He turned his head towards the man selling tickets, and Jacob shrugged his shoulders.

“Poi ho i biglietti per la Sicilia, tremila lire ciascuno! Tremila lire a testa per la Sicilia!” 

“That’s Sicily. Yes! Yes, here!” Newt pushed through the crowd to the front with Jacob.

“How many?” Asked the ticket pedlar.

Newt held up two fingers. “Two.”

The man held out his hand. “Six thousand lire.”

Newt tensed. Right. Muggle money. Jacob noticed Newt's hesitation. “What, you ain’t got six thousand lire?” 

The peddler ignored Newt’s struggle and yelled over his head, selling more tickets. Newt fished in his coat pocket and found the pouch Dumbledore had given him. It felt lighter than it was originally. He took it out and opened it, smiling when he saw the contents inside. Conveniently, he pulled from it the aforementioned amount and currency. The man looked down and took the bills, counting them for good measure before trading the two tickets. “It leaves tonight at seven, the red steamship.”

Newt nodded and quickly thanked the man before diving back into the crowd. Jacob followed, taking a last bite of his panzerotti, crumpling the wrapping, and tossing it to the side. “So what, we just gonna stand around for seven hours?” Jacob asked Newt as he swallowed. Newt shrugged. He looked around in search of a place to set up and regroup. 

Jacob sighed. “Well, we should get room or something. I’d like to sleep on a bed that doesn’t rock before I get on another ship.”

Newt and Jacob walked side by side on the street in search of an inn. As they walked, a swell of music increasingly crept closer. Not far ahead, a crowd of people dressed in various shades of blue, green, and white gathered in a large square. It was a jovial communion, as celebrants were dancing, drinking, eating, and performing various other festival-like activities. Newt found himself smiling at the children who scampered by holding hand kites, his eyes catching sight of the rag doll tucked tightly under a little girl’s shoulder—a mermaid. Jacob smiled, too. Looking around, they noticed lots of mermaid iconography decorating the square.

They strolled about the square, hoping to immerse themselves in the festivities they unknowingly integrated themselves in. A small crowd gathered off to the side, mostly children, but some adults stood towards the back and sides. The two foreign beholders kept to the background onlooking a puppet theatre. The children sat entranced on the ground as they watched the puppets. It seemed to a be a fairy tale, some version of the little mermaid. The colorful puppets depicted a prince of sorts on a beach meeting with a mermaid. The children seemed to enjoy it, especially the young girls. 

Jacob turned and saw another group gathering on the opposite end of the square. There was a large circular fountain that enclosed a statue of a mermaid perched on a rock facing the sea. People amassed around and threw various things inside it, mainly coins, but also beads, flowers, and jewelry; essentially any small, pretty thing. Newt followed Jacob's eyeline to the overcrowded fountain. Jacob gently stopped a man as he walked by. “Excuse me? You speak English?” Thankfully, the man nodded. “What are they doing over there?

“They are giving offerings for la principessa sirena,” he explained enthusiastically.

“The mermaid princess.” Newt translates for Jacob.

Jacob speered at Newt from the side. “Yeah, I got that,” he said flatly. 

The man smiled. “Sì, signore. Over a hundred years ago, the king of Naples, Joachim Murat, was drunkenly wandering the cliffs when he stumbled and fell into the sea. He nearly drowned but was saved by a mermaid. The king fell in love and continued to visit la sirena for years after. Soon, they produced a child: la principessa sirena.”

Jacob pursed his lips and blew a low whistle. “Lucky guy.”

The guide laughs and shakes his head. “I would not say he is so lucky,” he says. “Eventually, his queen, Napoleon Bonaparte’s little sister, discovered his adultery, and in a jealous rage, she sent for her brother to avenge her, ordering the king’s lover and child to be killed. By the time the king got wind of the assassination, it was too late. His sirena had been murdered on the very shore he had fallen for her.”

“What happened to the kid?” asked Jacob.

“It is said she was lost to the sea,” he shrugs. “However, many years later, long after the king had died, a fisherman was caught in a storm, and he was swallowed by the waves. The storm was so powerful he should have drowned. When he woke up, he was on the shore, unharmed. He returned to his village and told the townspeople he was saved by a beautiful mermaid. He believed her to be the lost princess, King Joachim’s love child. He built the sculpture in honor of her, and every year on the day he was saved, the people of Naples, Ischia, Procida, and Capri will come here with offerings for love and prosperity.”

Jacob scoffed and nudged Newt with his elbow. “Maybe we should make an offering, huh, Newt?” He jokes. Newt flushed slightly; the fleeting image of Tina swept across his mind and tugged at his heartstrings. Jacob thanked the man, and he walked away. The two men walked towards the fountain.

“What did you think of that?” Asked Jacob.

“Of what?”

“Do you think it’s true?” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “What the guy said about the mermaids and what not.”

Newt hummed disapprovingly. “Probably not.”

Jacob furrowed his brows, skeptical. “How come?” 

“Well, there are no merpeople in the Gulf of Naples, let alone the Tyrrhenian Sea.”

“So there are mermaids,” Jacob smiled excitedly.

“Yes, there are many different species of merpeople throughout the world. There are even merpeople that exist in the Great Lakes.”

Jacob’s mouth fell open. “You’re kidding.”

“No, I’m not,” said Newt. 

“Well, why aren't there any here in Naples? Isn’t the Mediterranean, like, the home of mermaids?” Jacob asked as he eyed the supposed mermaid princess. 

“Yes. Naples was once called Partenope, after a siren of Greek mythology. But sirens haven't existed in the Mediterranean for hundreds of years.” New explained.

“What happened to them?”

“It is speculated that they were hunted to extinction.”

“Oh.” Jacob’s shoulders fell slightly. They stood in silence for a moment until Jacob dived into his pocket for two simple coins. He spit on them, much to Newt’s surprise and minor disgust, and shined them with the corner of his vest. He handed one to Newt, who hesitantly took it between his fingers. Jacob closed his eyes for a moment, a wrinkle forming between his brows as the silence between them lingered, then kissed the coin before tossing it into the fountain bowl. 

“I was never a superstitious person. I ain’t never believed in…a higher power or anything before.” Jacob spoke carefully, and Newt could tell that this was something he needed to stay silent for and listen. “My Gran was. Church every Sunday and Wednesday, pray before every meal, before walking out the door, in the morning, and before bed at night. She’d cross her chest if she saw a black cat cross the street, toss salt over her shoulders, hated anything having to do with the number thirteen, and picked up every lucky penny she could find. I thought she was nuts, but y’know, that’s my Gran.”

“Then me and my brother got shipped off to France, and my Grandma snuck rosaries, prayer coins, and a rabbit’s foot— if you can believe it—into our bags. Told us to carry them on us always. Anyway, you think about stuff like that during the war. One day, my brother and I was stuck in a church in France with our group, waiting for reinforcements. We was laying low. We knew they was out there. They knew we was in there. It feels like you’re waiting forever when you’re like that. I was standing by a window that had been poorly boarded up when the light leaking from it cast on the floor. A dirty old franc was sitting heads up on the floor, and it got me thinking of my Gran. ‘She’d pick that up,’ I thought, and it made me smile for the first time in months. So, I bent down and picked it up.” Jacob sighed and swallowed the lump forming in his throat. “Just as my fingers pick up the coin, a bullet flies right over my head and hits my brother in the chest.”

“Jacob… I’m so sorry.” Newt attempts to comfort his lamenting friend. 

“Yeah, I know.” Jacob puts a thankful hand on Newt’s shoulder. He cleared his throat to keep his voice from cracking. “I lost my brother…But picking up that franc got me home. Got me one last year with my Gran before she passed. Made me chase my dream of opening a bakery. Then I met you, my best friend. I learned about a whole new magical world I couldn’t even dream of. And I met the most beautiful, crazy, talented witch who also happens to be the love of my life. Now she’s gone. I don’t know what we’re doing here. I don’t know what’s going on. All I know is I need all the luck I can get to get my girl back. So, sometimes I throw a coin in a fountain and hope that something—God, Fate,” he chuckled and lazily gestured to the statue. “Or a mermaid princess—anything—will listen.”

Newt squeezes Jacob’s shoulder. “She will, Jacob.” 

Jacob forced a smile. He gestured to the coin still in Newt’s hand. “You should too. For Tina.”

Tina. Newt’s nervous system went haywire at the very mention of her name. There was a moment when he and Tina finally connected on a deep level, when their hearts perhaps started to beat at the same rhythm after being off-key for so long. But it seems every time they take a step forward, something happens to push them back, whether it’s a misunderstanding, her work as an auror, the estrangement of a sister, or the loss of an old friend…an old love. 

All Newt wanted was to feel right. Nothing felt right, not in his personal life or the world. Maybe if he finally felt a semblance of understanding and peace, he wouldn't be chasing such frivolous ventures to distract from his perpetual offness. ‘Something right,’ he thought, and he tossed the coin into the fountain. Jacob clapped him on the back, solid and reassuring, pulling him from his thoughts, and the two stepped back onto the cobblestone street in search of a place to rest. 

                                     ⁎ ⊹

                                   ⁂ ˚ ✧ ⁂

                                    ⊹ ＊

“Jacob, wake up.”

Jacob jolts awake as Newt gently shakes his shoulder. It was sunset, and the sky had turned into shades of orange and purple. 

“The ship leaves in an hour. We should head there now.” Newt says as he buttons his vest.

Jacob gives a lethargic nod and groan as he sits up in the bed. They’d found a muggle pub that had beds available upstairs. Newt had commented on it being similar to a wizard pub called The Leaky Cauldron in London. The moment Jacob laid on the bed, sleep took over, and his snores filled the room. Newt wasn’t tired, surprisingly, and stayed awake. He minded his case, giving Jacob and himself deserved silence. Newt had managed to do a considerable amount of work in the gap of time. He was worried about the niffler pups. Wily creatures as they were, prone to sickness were they also. The mother had passed after birth, leaving Teddy too depressed to nurture the litter on his own, the poor sod. Newt and Bunty did their best to nurse them with mooncalf milk, but it isn’t filled with the same antibodies the pups would need to build their immune systems fast. One of the pups had caught a nasty infection that Newt had been treating. Anyone else wouldn’t notice by how adamant she was at chasing around after her littermates. Newt made use of his time to treat and care for her and any other creatures he brought with him. Yet, by the time he’d finished, he wished he had at least tried to rest like Jacob suggested.

“Did you get any sleep?” Jacob asked groggily, noticing the dark circles around Newt’s eyes. 

“I’ll sleep on the ship tonight,” Newt assured, though he convinced no one. Sleep hadn’t been his nightly companion for a while, and it was starting to show. Jacob only hummed in response as he put his jacket over his shoulders. The two walked to the port where the red steamship was boarding passengers to Sicily. Getting there and getting on took about an hour, but once on the ship, they found their cabin and waited for the ship to push off. 

Jacob sat on the bed across from Newt. “So this Dumbledore guy is sending you to Sicily to get a palm reading or something?” Jacob asked after a small moment of silence. “A seer can do a lot more than palm reading, Jacob.” Newt chided. “A seer can prophecy the future. Predict fates. Deliver omens.”

“Like we need any more omens,” Jacob muttered bitterly. 

Newt sighed through his nose. “I don’t know why we’re going to Sicily, Jacob,” he admitted. “I don’t know the seer we’re supposed to find, and I don’t know what she will tell us once we get there…if she’s there… Truth is, I don’t know much of anything anymore, Jacob. I haven’t since—”

“I know,” Jacob said softly. 

“But I couldn’t just sit around feeling sorry for myself anymore. Not while Theseus and Tina are off Merlin knows where…not after Leta...” Newt picked at the skin of his fingernails. It’d become a habit of his, and now his fingers were rough and jagged from frayed hang nails, picked raw and often bleeding. Jacob’s sorrowful expression only made Newt feel more microscopic. How frustrating. “Whatever this is about, I’m sure we’ll know soon. Dumbledore loves being cryptic, but it’s not without reason.” He ended simply. 

Jacob nodded, eyeing his friend closely. He opened his mouth to say something, but a second thought closed his mouth for him. “No matter what, I trust you, Newt,” he said instead. “This Grindelwald…He’s got to be stopped. I’m with you.”

Newt looked up from his hands to see Jacob bearing a comforting smile across his face, one he couldn’t help but return. Just then, they heard the ship’s horn blare. The ship jolted forward, and Jacob rocked back into his bed. He screwed his eyes shut and held on to the metal bars of the bed frame. “Oh, God. Newt, you got anymore of that seasickness potion stuff?” Newt let out a humorous chuff and nodded. He placed his suitcase on the floor between them, opened it, and stepped inside to retrieve the potion for Jacob. 

                                     ⁎ ⊹

                                   ⁂ ˚ ✧ ⁂

                                    ⊹ ＊

Newt sat on the grass of the kelpie enclosure, watching as the magnificent creature swam about freely. A few of the niffler pups were sleeping soundly in his lap. He stroked their fur absentmindedly while deep in thought. He thought mostly about how he’d get to Syracuse. The ship most likely wouldn’t take them directly there and would instead stop on the opposite side of the island. The travel ban made things rather difficult in times like this. It was mildly hilarious that the Ministry lifted his travel ban after his assist in Paris, only for the International Confederation to implement one on the entire wizarding world.

Of course, he understood why. It would ultimately help single out Grindelwald and his acolytes, as they were sure to not stay put in one area for long. Any unauthorized travel would immediately be flagged by aurors to investigate. But Dumbledore, often not in alignment with the wishes of those in power, had his agendas and operations to conduct that would not be executed by the Ministry even if he asked. So, naturally, everything Newt was doing was unsanctioned and, therefore, illegal. Drawing any attention to himself will endanger the mission. There is no doubt the Ministry already knows he’s no longer in England. ‘Theseus definitely knows by now,’ he thought. 

Whenever Theseus got drunk, he’d come by the flat, overly affectionate and smelling of fire whiskey. Newt would make him something to eat while Theseus talked about things he didn’t care about until he finally divulged the latest inner workings of the Ministry and the investigation with Grindelwald. Then he’d get sad about Leta and cry, eventually passing out on his couch. He was happy to be there for his brother the first few times he stumbled up his stoop, but after a while, it just got embarrassingly sad, and it didn’t help with his own melancholy.  Theseus probably tried to visit not long after he and Jacob had already left. Bunty most likely answered the door and gave him the latest update without divulging his whereabouts. Theseus would be upset to be sure, but his loyalty and trust in Dumbledore will keep him and the Ministry out of it until need be. Best not give them a reason to, though.

They could easily track him down if he used certain magic transportation such as apparition; he was, unfortunately, a wizard of interest, thusly under persistent watch. However, he couldn’t apparate to Syracuse even if he wanted to, as he’d never been before. Besides, even if he had, he’d never apparated such a significant distance, and with Jacob in tow, so much could go wrong. He’d hate to be the reason Jacob got splinched or worse. The best way would be through the floo network. It’s hard to track individuals through it. Finding it would be the hardest part. He wasn’t familiar with the network outside of Britain, but if he could find a wizard town, he could find the floo network. A small smile curled the corners of his mouth. Jacob hadn’t used the floo network before. It’d be fun to watch him try it for the first time. 

Rising to his feet, he carefully collected the sleeping niffler pups in his hand and walked them to their den. Teddy was there, lazing about in his hole as he often did since his mate passed. He placed the pups in their respective holes and gave Teddy a soft pet on his back. He knew all too well how he felt. 

He walked back to the shed to sit on his cot. His eyes were heavy from their lack of rest, prominent bags hung underneath his brilliant hazel orbs. He laid on his back, fluffing and tucking the pillow under his head. He stared at the ceiling for a while, still unable to settle his brain. If his mind settled for even a moment, granting him momentary peace, some thought or image would shock his nervous system awake. He tossed and turned, eventually landing on his side facing his workbench. His eyes drifted up to the pictures framed on its surface. One picture was of Tina, a picture she had sent him almost a year ago. She looked brilliant. She had her hair parted to the side and curled. She smiled sweetly, her image swayed awkwardly from side to side, giggling at her own shyness. It’d been a while since he’d sent a letter to her, not that he expected an answer anymore. Partially his fault, he knew. He wasn’t the most engaging pen pal, not lately. 

But beyond his faults, he knew her focus was on the rescue of her sister. He wanted to write. Merlin, did he want to tell her so much, but every time he tried to put quill to paper, he was left with ink blots. His eyes drifted to the picture hanging above Tina’s on the wall. Leta. Newt’s heart ached at her image. Every time he looked at it, he was transported back to the night she died. The tears in her eyes, the scared look on her delicate face, the last words she spoke…

A sudden jolt shook Newt from his thoughts. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the light fixture above him swayed. Newt furrowed his brows. A loud, heavy, crashing sound came from outside the case, and Newt sat up in his cot. An earthquake-like rumble shook the case, sending the beasts inside into a frenzy. Newt’s head whipped around to the workbench as vials, books, and tools started crashing onto the ground. He jumped from his cot to catch Tina’s picture before it fell, only to hear the sound of shattering glass as Leta’s picture slipped from the wall. Newt didn’t have time to bend down to retrieve the photo before the hatch of his case swung open. 

“NEWT!” Jacob sounded frantic and terrified. “NEWT, WE GOT A PROBLEM. GET UP HERE!”

Newt quickly dressed and tucked Tina’s picture frame into his coat pocket. He climbed up the ladder with haste and took Jacob's outstretched hand once he reached the top. Jacob pulled him out of the case and held him by his sleeves. The ship was rocking dangerously. Outside their cabin, an attendant was yelling for passengers to stay calm. A clap of thunder sounded after a near blinding flash of lightning filled the cabin. Rain poured and smacked heavily against the ship's metal, creating a consistent drumming. The ship was smack in the middle of a raging storm, and while the muggle crew tried to keep things calm and orderly, assuring the passengers that everything would be fine, Jacob and Newt knew better because they both could tell it was no ordinary storm. Newt looked out the porthole to see rough seas and black skies. Another flash of lightning and Newt could see the swirling pattern of a magic-made storm in the rolling clouds. 

“I was resting, and the storm came out of nowhere,” said Jacob. “One minute calm seas, the next I’m hearin’ buckets of rain and thunder—the ship rocked so hard I fell out of the bed!”

Newt quickly packed up his case and opened the cabin door, jumping back when an attendant rushed by him in a panic. The young man looked over his shoulder at Newt. “Please, remain in your cabin! Everything is fine!” He ordered, though he was less than convincing. He didn't check to ensure Newt went back inside before running off and disappearing around the corner. Wand in hand, Newt started in the opposite direction, towards the front of the ship. Jacob followed close behind, nearly tripping up the steps attempting to follow Newt’s gazelle-like strides. 

The two men could barely keep their eyes open once on deck. The wind howled like a banshee in their ears. Their clothes were drenched within seconds, and the barren deck floors were practically flooded with water. “WHAT IS THIS NEWT?” Jacob yelled over the sound of puffing wind and rain. Newt looked around, searching as best he could through squinted eyes for the source of the storm. “IT’S GRINDELWALD!” Newt shouted. “SOMETHING MUST’VE HAPPENED. HE KNOWS WE’RE HERE, HE’S SENT THEM TO STOP US!”

“WHO?”

One by one, members of The Alliance apparated onto the deck, surrounding them. 

“Them…” said Newt darkly.

“A bit far from home, no, Mr. Scamander?” One of the acolytes taunted. Newt recognized him from Paris.

“Give us the case, and we’ll be on our way!” A dark witch laughed.

Newt clutched his case tightly and hid it behind his legs, protectively raising his wand. His case? Why on Earth would they want his case? “The relic is all we want. Give it to us, and we’ll leave you and your muggle pet alone.” Jacob glared at the wizard who bestowed the offensive moniker. Newt furrowed his brows but kept his mouth shut. 

“HEY!”

Several heads turn to look at one of the crewmen perched behind the bannister of the second level. He peered down at them and flailed his arms about. “CHE DIAVOLO STAI FACENDO? GET BACK INSIDE!”

“AVADA KEDAVRA!” 

A green beam shot from one of the acolyte’s wand and struck the crewman in the chest. His body fell limp instantly, robbed of life. His limp form fell over the railing and onto the lower deck floor with a horrendous thud. His limbs sprawled out like a rag doll. Jacob yelled in horror as he stared at the corpse only a few feet away from him. Newt retaliated, casting a disarming spell and sending the dark wizard’s wand flying. Probably not the best idea. 

A flurry of light from cast spells bombarded Newt, who protected himself and Jacob with a shield. As Newt blocked dark spells, a wizard apparated between him and Jacob, taking a bold dive for his case. Newt evaded them and took a page out of Jacob’s defensive tactics; he swung the heavy leather case high enough to strike it across their face. The pilferer fell to the floor hard with a splash. Newt took Jacob’s hand and pulled him along as he ran back towards the cabins. Jacob ducked down as Newt expertly blocked every spell that came their way. Seven against one, and Newt was holding his own well enough to keep them both alive. A witch with stringy brown hair cackled and pointed her wand high. The sky above them roared with thunder, and a bolt of lightning shot down to her wand. She redirected the lighting and struck the ground with it in Newt’s path. The lighting missed him by an inch, singeing the ends of his curls. The impact sent him flying to the ground and had him lose his grip on both Jacob and the case, dispersing them both away from him. 

Jacob slid backward into a bench. The case slid a few feet away, halfway between himself and the brown-haired witch. Seeing an opportunity, the witch cast a summoning spell, pulling the case towards her. Newt acted quickly, his instincts acting faster than his brain could catch up. With a flick of his wand, he cast a spell that seized control of the toiling ship. 

“JACOB, HOLD ON!” He warned his defenseless friend. Jacob heeded his words and found the leg of the bench bolted to the floor. He closed his eyes and hooked his arm around it tightly, muttering a silent prayer. 

The ship was already treading rocky seas due to the storm, but with Newt’s spell, the waves reached new heights. A large wave formed at his command and pushed the ship sideways, causing it to tilt steeply. One by one, the black-clad wizards lost their balance, falling hard and sliding across the slick floor beneath them. The witch lost her footing and focus, crashing to the ground and hitting her jaw hard on the ground as she slipped forward, unable to brace herself properly. As Newt's body slid backwards, the case started sliding at speed down to the ship's railing. He angled his body in a way to slide towards his case. 

He outstretched his hand and braced himself. “ACCIO!” He summoned the case swiftly into his hand.

Using his wand, he held it like a stake and used a spell to fix it to the floor. It fused to the wood floor, and his tight grip around it kept him from sliding further as the ship continued to tilt. A few of the wizards slid by him, struggling to keep themselves from slipping. One had used a spell to fuse their feet to the floorboards and tried holding their comrade's hand to keep them from falling. But their hands were too slick from the rain, and eventually, they let go of each other’s grip, sending the unfortunate one sliding down to the ship’s railing. He scrambled for something to get a hold of, but ultimately failed, and Newt watched as he flew by him and off the side of the ship into the raging water. 

Newt looked around until his eyes fell on Jacob, who had managed to stay on board. As the ship started to tilt back into its centered position, Newt began crawling towards him. Some stray spells were cast at him as he army crawled, but each one missed, scorching the floor around him. When he reached Jacob, he grabbed the fabric of his coat in instantly apparated them back into the halls of the ship. Their bodies fell onto the floor of the hall in a wet heap. 

Inside was pandemonium. Below deck, the passengers and crewmen of the ship were running around like chickens without heads. People rushed and pushed past Newt and Jacob, completely unaware of their sudden appearance in the hall. They yelled and screamed, rushing in and out of cabins with cases and life vests. The crewmen were attempting to urge them back inside, but the passengers were adamant on securing life vests and escaping up to lifeboats in a panic. Newt helped Jacob up to his feet and held his arm while dragging him through the bustling halls. 

A familiar swishing sound came from behind them, and they whirled their heads to see one of the acolytes apparate into the hall. Jacob spilled a curse from his mouth as the acolyte spotted them through the chaos. “Go, go, go, GO!” He rushed, pushing Newt forward and following quickly behind. 

They rounded the corner, pushing past scrambling persons and searching for a way out. The ship rocked dangerously, and the lights flickered in regular intervals. Behind them, the acolyte stalked them, evading and pushing anyone who got in his way. Eventually, another joined him, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. “Where’re we going, Newt?” Jacob asked, his voice wavering in fear.

Newt didn’t answer, his focus solely on his surroundings as he searched for some quick exit. Ahead at the end of the hall, he caught sight of a door to their right, a staff door to be sure, that led to the boilers. Picking up the pace, Newt headed for the boiler. Behind them, the frustrated acolytes got bombarded by a frantic passenger. He came up to one of them and tried to pull them back towards the front of the ship, yelling in Italian. The poor man was cast with the killing curse, his body falling limp on top of the acolyte. Jacob watched in horror as he kept behind Newt. The acolyte threw the man's heavy body to the ground and started in a jog after them. “Newt!” Jacob warned, and Newt looked back to see their trackers rushing for them. 

The two men started in a sprint down the hall. An offensive spell hit above their head, setting off sprinkles inside the hall. Newt pointed his wand in no particular direction over his shoulder, pushing one of the acolytes back several feet. He pressed down on Jacob’s shoulder, helping him duck under another spell that set the light fixture aflame. Catching an idea, Newt cast a spell to break the lights in the hall. One by one, the lights sparked and burst, darkening the hall until it was completely black. They used the cover of the dark to rush behind the staff door, and Newt cast a spell to keep it locked. The steel door protected them from the offensive cast propelled at it, and after a few rattling bangs, the spells stopped. Jacob breathed out a sigh of relief and clutched his beating chest. 

“Newt,” Jacob called between heavy breaths.

“Yes?” Newt answered through his own labored inhales.

“Don’t ever invite me on vacation again.”

Newt let out an airy chuckle and nodded. He rested his head against the cool steel door and stood still to catch his breath. Jacob took in their dark surroundings, loosening his wet collar that stuck to his damp skin. It was warmer in this hall of the ship than the rest. 

“So what now?” Jacob asked helplessly. 

Newt swallowed and opened his eyes. There was a ladder that descended down deeper into the ship. He jutted his head in its direction for Jacob to see. “Down.”

He and Jacob walked to the ladder and descended several feet. Their feet planted on a metal walkway. Newt leads, following the signs that lead to the boiler room. Newt knew they couldn’t hide in the ship forever, not with six acolytes after them. He just needed time to think of a way out of this. Should he keep fighting? No. He’d be putting the people on the ship in even more danger. The muggles shouldn’t have to suffer anymore because of him. The heat of the boiler room increased the deeper they went. When they reached the furnaces, the water on their skin evaporated and was replaced with sweat. Newt clenched his jaw. Somehow, Grindelwald and his acolytes knew where he was. He needed to figure out how to get him and Jacob safely off the ship in a way they couldn't track him. 

Apparition was out of the question. He was too far from anything familiar, and he barely knew the surroundings and locations of Naples to apparate back without risking splinching. Newt squeezed the handle of his suitcase. He could only think of one way out, and it was mad. Jacob wasn’t going to like it. Not one bit.

They needed to get to the deck again. If they could hide in the chaos, the acolytes wouldn’t be able to find them, and they could escape unnoticed. By the time they realize they have escaped, it would be too late. The back of the ship would be best. There’d be fewer muggles as most of them would be arguing amongst themselves on the main deck where the greater portion of the lifeboats resided. Newt followed the signs that read ‘aft’.

Just over half a hundred men were yelling and rushing in the boiler room; they hardly noticed Newt and Jacob as they pushed through. One worker grabbed Newt by the arm and started yelling at him in Italian whilst pointing back towards the front of the ship, no doubt urging them to get out of their way and back to the passengers’ cabins. Newt apologized, ignoring his instructions and freeing himself from his grip to continue toward the back of the ship. He could see the exit up when a dark, cloaked figure emerged from behind one of the furnaces. Newt stopped in his tracks and held out an arm to block Jacob. Flanking them on either side were two others similarly uniformed assailants. More of the boiler room workers noticed and surrounded them at this point. They were all yelling at them to leave, frustrated and cursing in both English and Italian, only to be ignored.

Newt’s eyes trailed down at the wand in the acolyte's hand ahead of him. He stood still, waiting to see who would make the first move, keeping the others in his periphery, ready to catch and retaliate against any sudden movement. It was the witch to his left that moved first. She cast a spell at him, but he dove for the ground just in time, pulling Jacob down with him. The cast flew over their heads and hit the wizard on their right, sending him flying into a wall of scorching pipes. He let out a blood-curdling scream. The workers, terrified, fled the area, climbing up stairs and ladders to the upper decks.

“Expelliarmus!” Newt sent the witch’s wand flying into one of the open furnaces. A raging fire exploded in the furnace, and Newt used his arms to protect his face from the heat of the flames. The flames flashed various colors as the magical item sparked and burned to ash.

“NO!” Screamed the powerless witch. She furiously started for Newt, sprinting with her arms outstretched to grab him. He leapt to his feet and pointed his wand to a nearby mound of coal. He quickly cast a charm to send them flying in her direction. She attempted to evade them but stopped in her tracks as hundreds of coal rocks pelted her at high speed. She shrieked and covered her face as she stumbled backward, eventually turning on her heels to run off and hide away. 

“NEWT!” Jacob yelled.

Suddenly, a feeling like a graphorn charging and bunting him in the stomach sent him flying back. He slid back a ways on the floor, and his mouth opened to expel a silent scream. The air had been completely knocked from his lungs, and he rolled over on his side in pain. He had a firm enough grip on his case to keep it by his side. Jacob ran towards Newt, but he only made it a few paces before he felt something pulling him back. The acolyte used a spell to summon Jacob to him. 

Jacob shouted to Newt for help, doing his best to fight against this spell, but it was like being pulled back by an automobile heading in the opposite direction. His feet slipped from under him, and his body dragged along the floor towards the pale-skinned dark wizard.

Newt gulped for breath and used all his strength to grab his case and get back on his feet. Once he managed to stand somewhat upright, he faced the acolyte, who now had Jacob in his grip, wand to throat. 

“Give me the case,” he instructed. “Or your filthy muggle pet dies.”

“Newt,” Jacob’s wavering voice called out. “I know you love your creatures and all, but maybe this one time you could do what the crazy guy says, please?”

“Shut up!” The acolyte seethed. He eye’d Newt dangerously. “The case, now!”

Newt lifted his hands up in surrender. He slowly rose to his feet, slightly hunched over due to the pain in his back and side. He eyed Jacob, who struggled against the acolyte’s hold. Jacob met Newt’s eyes, and he could read by the look of them that he had a plan, which did not ease his nerves. Newt gave Jacob a barely noticeable nod and darted his eyes to the left. Jacob sighed and closed his, thinking a silent prayer.

Using his foot, Newt pushes his case across the room towards the acolyte. Jacob, with all his strength, broke free from his grasp and dove to the right behind a furnace. The acolyte, satisfied, bent down to open the case. Once the lid reared back, he looked into the cavernous hole in bewildered shock. Not a moment later, a flurry of yellow, orange, and red burst from inside the case. An avian creature, similar to that of a phoenix, let out a unique screech as it circled the area. It was a large creature with a beautiful, flaming wingspan and glowing plumage. A firebird. The acolyte stepped back, and Newt pursed his lips to blow a melodic whistle. The firebird responded, mimicking the notes with his song, and dove for the acolyte. He retaliated, sending a series of attacks at the creature. The firebird, however, was swift and agile, dodging each spell. Newt then used his wand to cast a restraining spell on the acolyte, stiffening his arms at his sides. The firebird began swirling around the struggling dark wizard, and a funnel of flames emitted from its wings, encasing him. He screamed in horror, unable to escape his fiery death as the firebird quickly incinerated him in its golden flames. 

Jacob watched, awestruck, feeling the intense heat of the tornado-like flames. A bright flare of light had both him and Newt shielding their eyes, and then—nothing. The acolyte’s screams stopped, and the heat died down. They uncovered their eyes to see the firebird descend upon a pile of ash that was once a person. The creature innocently cawed in Newt’s direction as it nestled in the ashes. 

Newt rushed to his case and the bird. “Good boy,” he cooed as he stroked under the firebird’s beak with his finger. “Back in you go.”

The firebird obediently flapped its wings and flew into the air, circling a few times before barrel-diving into the case. Newt closed the case and locked it, taking it by the handle and rushing to Jacob.

“Jacob, I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” He asked as he helped him to his feet.

Jacob, dazed, looked past Newt and down to the pile of ash on the floor. “You’re a little scary, you know that?”

Newt chuckled humorlessly. “Come on, let’s go.”

The two men headed towards the boiler room exit. The inside of the ship was practically barren. A few muggles littered the halls or kept themselves locked in their cabins, but the majority had escaped to the deck. They managed to get to the back of the ship undetected, once again opening a steel door to step into the storm. They trudged to ships the railing and gripped it tight to keep steady. Newt looked over the railing down to the black abyss below. He could hear the angry seawaters lapping at the sides of the ship, and for a second, he hesitated executing his mad plan. Jacob, concerned by the expression on Newt’s face and the fact that he was looking so intently at the water below, spoke up. “Newt? What are you planning?” He asked, afraid to hear the answer that might confirm his fears. 

Newt turned to Jacob, a sorry look in his eyes. “Do you trust me?”

Jacob furrowed his brows. “Well, now I’m not so sure!”

Ignoring Jacob’s doubt, Newt stepped several paces back, set his case down, and opened it. From it, he summoned the kelpie. The great creature leapt from the bag and onto the deck, taking its favorite form of a horse. Jacob shook his head disapprovingly. “Oh, no. Newt, no!”

“Jacob, this is the only way we get out of this,” Newt implored. “The kelpie is extremely fast and adaptable; it will carry us away safely.”

The kelpie chuffed and stomped a hoof on the floor. Reluctantly and with mutters of protest, Jacob cautiously made his way to the kelpie and, with Newt’s help, managed to climb on its back. Newt went back to close the case and returned to hand it to Jacob. As Jacob took the case, his eyes drifted behind Newt and grew wide. 

“NEWT, LOOK OUT!”

Newt managed to step out of the way as a stray spell hit the kelpie on its backside. It reared on its hind legs and squealed, starting at full speed toward the ship's railing.

“JACOB, HOLD ON!” Newt called out. Jacob wrapped his arms around the kelpies vines. He screamed Newt’s name as the beast jumped over the railing like a hurdle and down towards the sea. Turning around, Newt met the enclosing wall of the remaining acolytes. They wasted no time attacking him with spells. Newt, ever the defensive, blocked and dodged most of them, occasionally redirecting spells back at them. He successfully pushed one overboard after redirecting their spell, and another he managed to use a freezing charm to encase another acolyte’s legs inside solid blocks of ice stuck to the floorboards. Desperate, a witch called down a strike of lightning and dragged it across the deck, letting it scorch through the entirety of the ship and setting it aflame. The act caused the ship to rumble and make a terrifying sound. 

The act left them all unstable, and they each fell to the ground. The floor beneath them cracked and split, opening like an egg. Newt pushed himself up by the elbows and watched as the ship tore apart. “No…”

Screams could be heard from the other side of the ship. The muggles cried in horror as the ship lit up in flames and broke beneath them. Several lifeboats had since been deployed, but there was still a significant number left onboard, struggling to get off. The acolytes disapparated one by one, seemingly finished with him. Newt was so distraught by the damage and sounds of people fearing for their lives, he didn’t notice the floor slowly giving away under him. He jumped back into his skin when the jolt of the floor breaking down beneath him made him slide towards the splitting cavern. Flipping onto his stomach, Newt army crawled in the opposite direction. He managed to make it to the side of the ship’s railing when a cable snapped from its rig and writhed about, ultimately hitting Newt in his back. The force of the heavy cable sent Newt hurtling into the sea. 

His body went into shock from the searing pain. He didn’t have the mind or time to brace his body for impact with the thrashing sea below. It was another breathtaking blow when his body hit the water. He took a sharp inhale on impact, filling his lungs with water. Newt choked and struggled for breath while his body descended deep into the sea. He desperately searched for his wand, which had slipped from his grip during the fall. A flash of lightning from above revealed the wand floating down several meters away. With desperate strength, Newt swam as fast as he could to his wand, but the burning of his lungs made it increasingly difficult. He made it only a few feet before he started to lose consciousness. His body went limp. His limbs sprawled about, and his eyes struggled to stay open. The salty water stung his eyes, and the lack of oxygen turned them bloodshot red. 

He felt something slip from his chest. From it floated his picture of Tina. Trying his best, he reached for the picture, hoping to grab it, but his attempts failed. So he watched helplessly as her photo drifted to the bottom of the sea, disappearing into the abyss. Newt closed his eyes, and he quickly realized he was dying. Not the way he’d imagined it would happen. He never presumed to live a long life, not with his life’s purpose being a magizoologist studying many dangerous magical beasts. He thought, perhaps, he would die at the hands of a nundu or a chimera. But drowning in a sea? How uninteresting. 

He was prepared, too tired to fight off death, and welcomed it to take him, when suddenly he felt something swimming around him. It was a large something. Perhaps it was Jacob with his kelpie. But if that were the case, it would not be circling him as much as it was. No. The pattern felt like something was…surveying him. Opening his eyes, Newt was met with nothingness, only the vast and empty sea below. He could feel it, though. Something was watching him. He knew the feeling all too well, the sense of being hunted. 

He struggled to keep his consciousness, wanting a glimpse. Perhaps it was nothing but a simple shark, gaging his weakness and preparing to strike. What did it matter? He thought. He prepared for the strike, or for his consciousness to finally give way, but it never came. Newt gave away his last moments of sentience to peace and let the water comfort him. 

Suddenly, there was no pain, and just when he had welcomed the will to let go, he felt a pair of arms hook underneath his shoulders. He could feel himself being pulled up from the water. A chest, a human chest pressed against his back and powerful strokes propelled their bodies through the sea. Scales. White, iridescent scales on the end of a large fishtail swishing fervently between his legs was the last thing he saw before his vision faded to black.

              ──── ⋅ ⍤ ⋅⊰⋅∘ 〄 ∘⋅⊱⋅ ⍤ ⋅ ────

                                   ❦ 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺                      

             ──── ⋅ ⍤ ⋅⊰⋅∘ 〄 ∘⋅⊱⋅ ⍤ ⋅ ────

[where-pain-is-so-pretty]

ThankYouBlindChannel Advent Calender '24 by @another-sun

Day 17:

How you spend a winter day with your Blind Channel boy

Aleksi:

you two start your day slow by sleeping in and having a late breakfast

then you join Aleksi on his daily walk with Rilla

it has been snowing all night and everything is covered in a coat of white

you wander through a nearby park and admire the snowy trees as you enjoy the tiny bit of winter sun

Rilla loves jumping in the freshly fallen snow and you and Aleksi laugh whenever she comes out of a pile of snow and shakes it off of her fur

you let her play for a bit while you two decide to build a snowman

back home, you take Rilla inside to dry off her fur and turn on her heating pillow

while Aleksi prepares a bath for the two of you with scented candles and your favourite essence

after the bath, you two curl up on the couch together and watch a Christmas movie

you would fall asleep soon after, cuddled up to Aleksi and wake up later to him cooking you dinner

Joel:

you are visiting his family up in Oulu for the holidays and the last show of Blind Channel before the break

you are getting along with his family very well and you love spending time up in the north with your boyfriend

during these times Joel needs some extra love and support

and whenever he seems to become restless or feels down you two go outside and he shows you his hometown

he shows you the neighbourhood he grew up in, his favourite record store he loved to spend time at after school and the club he played his first show at

this time he brings you to the beach where he shot his latest music video at

he parks the car and you two go for a walk along the shore, watching the early sunset over the sea

after the walk, you two would get some takeaway and warm each other up in the car

Joonas:

you two go shopping for Christmas gifts

because of his great fashion sense and excellent taste, he is the best at helping you with gift ideas for friends and family

and you help him in return with finding fitting gifts for his friends and bandmates

you stroll through some stores, trying on some outfits and silly Christmas sweaters together

you end up buying matching ones to wear for the holidays

he also lets you pick out a pair of Christmas themed earrings for him

with passing time you get more and more overwhelmed by the crowded mall, so you grip Joonas' hand tighter

Joonas understands immediately and leads you to a small cafe for you to calm down and relax a bit after your shopping spree

you two order hot chocolate/coffee and feed each other baked goods

Niko:

Niko loves Christmas, so between shows, you surprise him by getting your boxes of Christmas decorations out, so you can decorate your home together

you start with untangling the fairy lights which takes you almost an hour

when hanging them up, Niko is right behind you, holding you by the hips in case you lose your balance

while sorting the Christmas ornaments out of the boxes you grab a tinsel garland and wrap it around his neck only to playfully pull him towards you and in for a kiss

Rommi also "helping" you decorate by playing with the tinsels and ornaments or sitting on the boxes you need

you two putting up the tree and picking a colour scheme you like for the decoration

Niko lifting you up so you can put the star on top of the tree

also hanging up a mistletoe in the door frame of your living room, so you two have even more chances to steal a kiss from each other

Olli:

Olli and you visit a Christmas market together.

him lending you one of his scarfs and you can take in his scent over all the different spices of mulled wine, sweets and cinnamon  

he is also all bundled up in his long coat and a big scarf, his fluffy curls, blue-greyish eyes and rosy cheeks being the only features peaking out from under his outfit

Olli is keeping you close all the time, holding your hand or pulling an arm around you, afraid he might lose you in the crowd.

you stroll around the market, looking at all the different shops and stalls, admiring the different goods and products that are being sold

you two end up buying a small early Christmas gift for each other

you also try some new and traditional foods and dishes together

you taking silly photos together and of each other with your polaroid to hang them up on your walls later

Tommi:

Tommi taking you ice skating and you agreed to it although you aren't good at it

you try your hardest to impress him but fail to hold your balance and fall over

Tommi is quick to pick you back up and check in on you

Once he is sure you aren't hurt he takes you by the hands and shows you how to move slowly, keeping you steady with his strong hands

whenever you are about to fall again, he is right there catching you and/or holding you close

after a while, you get brave enough to try and move without his guidance

you are proud of yourself after skating your first few rounds alone and thank Tommi with a peck on the lips for teaching you

Him happily showing you some tricks and figures he learned during his early ice hockey days

Tommi lifting you up and carrying you off the ice rink at the end of your date

Notes:

I tried my hardest to write a full fic for this year's advent calendar, but sadly, I didn't make it. So, I tried to give you all at least a little something by going back to writing BC imagines. ✨ I apologize for these coming out so short but I hope you still enjoy these cute, cosy winter thoughts.

Olli's and Joel's parts are similar to anon asks I sent to @ifidiedinadream some days and weeks back, they are my favourite winter thoughts at the moment, so I had to add them here. 🖤

Thank you to @another-sun for hosting this event again and also thanks to all the other people participating 🫶

[cozy-writer]

Girl of my dreams

Pairing: Joonas Porko x Y/N

Wordcount: 800+

Summary: Joonas wants to go out with you, but you think he only wants to be friends with benefits.

Masterlist

You had known Joel and Joonas ever since highschool and you stayed friends even after their band had made it big. So when an invitation to come to one of their parties made it to you, you didn’t say no. In fact, you decided to dress rather nicely. Knowing that there is always a possibility you might run into someone you like to get to know. 

So there you were, 10:30 on a Friday night, stepping into the club the party was being held at. You swiftly looked around the room. Noticing the band sitting in a corner booth and friends dancing around on the dancefloor. 

“Y/N!” Niko said as you came closer to their table. “I was wondering when you’d show up.” You greeted the guys, smiling brightly at them. Joonas scooted over and pressed his back against the wall, now sitting sideways in the booth and facing you. You sit down next to him, thanking him for giving you room to sit down. 

It had been a while since you last saw them. The band had been on tour for the past couple of  months, touring Europe. 

“How have you guys been? Touring must have been crazy!” You shouted over the music. The guys launched into telling you everything that had happened during the tour, laughing and joking about certain things in particular. 

You laughed along with them. You were really happy for them, but you always knew they could make it big, there was no surprise there. 

After talking for what felt like hours, you left the guys and made your way to the dancefloor. You noticed Joonas chasing down another shot and Tommi and Olli make their way towards the bar. Niko and Joel were in a heated debate over something you couldn’t hear. 

You dance the night away. Not at all surprised when Joonas joined you on the dancefloor. He tried to get closer, wanting to touch you, but you stepped away from his touch. You know him. You know what he’s after. And you’re not going to give it to him. At least, that’s your plan. 

It wasn’t like you weren’t attracted to him, or that you didn’t like his presence, but you just knew he only wanted a quick fix and you weren’t here for it. You valued a real relationship over something like friends with benefits. 

After dancing for so long, every time trying to get away from Joonas, you felt like you’ve reached the end of your night. You look around you, trying to find the guys to say goodbye to them.

You say goodbye to Olli and Tommi, who are both nursing a beer bottle at the bar. You wave to Joel, who is far too occupied by some girl, to really give you a wave back. You couldn’t find Niko or Joonas anywhere, so you just decided to go home without telling them goodbye. 

You stepped into the crisp, fresh air and immediately buried yourself deeper in your coat, the cold trying to get to you. Your apartment wasn’t far from the club, so you decided to walk home. 

“Y/N!” Someone behind you yelled. “Wait up!” You turned around to find Joonas running up towards you. 

“Joonas.” You greeted him. You continued your walk back home.

“Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?”

“I tried, but I couldn’t find you and Niko, so I just left.” 

“You seem to find any reason not to talk to me.” 

“That’s not it, Joonas. But I know what you want and I’m not interested in a one night stand.”

“That’s what you think I want? A one night stand?” Your brows furrowed.

“Isn’t it?” 

“You’ve been the girl of my dreams since highschool.” He blurted out. “And I can’t believe I just said that out loud.” Your cheeks darkened at his confession, but his did just the same. 

“You mean, you don’t want a one night stand?” You asked, still confused and a little hopeful. 

“NO!” He yelled loudly, then more quietly added, “I mean, of course I want to have sex with you, but, but, but…” He groaned loudly. “This is harder than I thought.” You chuckled softly and tried to cover it up with a cough, not wanting to put Joonas off from confessing to you. 

“I want everything with you. I want to kiss you, I want to date you and who knows maybe one day I want to marry you.” I finally said. You stopped walking all at once. 

“Are you being serious?” Your heart fluttering in your chest. 

“I am a hundred percent serious.” He stepped closer to you. One hand moving to rest of your cheek. 

“Can I kiss you?” He whispered, looking between your eyes and your lips. You inhaled a shaky breath then nodded your head. He kissed you softly, lips barely touching at first. Then it seemed like he got over his nerves and pressed his lips more firmly on yours. His other hand snaked around your body and pulled you in close. 

“God, I've wanted to do this for ages.” He breathed. 

“Promise me you won’t use me.” He tilted his head back, looking you in the eyes. 

“I would never hurt you.” 

“Kay.” You whispered, before reconnecting your lips. 

[where-pain-is-so-pretty]

Blind Channel

Aleksi:

You would be in bed together until early in the afternoon. Sleeping, cuddling, making love until both of you get hungry. You then would get up and help him make breakfast. After eating you two go back to bed and cuddle up with Rilla and spend the rest of the day with playing video games or binging a show.

Joel:

You force him to stay in bed for cuddles because the outside world seems so grey and rather dark for summer. After a few more hours of sleep you get up and cook some lunch for the two of you while he records some silly TikTok’s. After dinner you curl up on the couch together and watch the rain outside while listening to your favourite songs until things get a little heated between the two of you. You end the day with a cold shower and ordering take out.

Joonas:

The full self care day package. Doing face masks, doing each other’s nails and make-up, drinking self mixed cocktails and having snacks. And maybe you even have a little photo shooting after you put make up on. With passing time your clothes in the photos would get less and less until you are both down to your underwear and take things to the bedroom.

Niko:

You were supposed to go on a hike today put the weather had other plans. Niko would do his best to lift up your mood so he starts pushing aside the furniture so you two can have a dance session in the living room. Then you would build up a fort with him and cuddle up inside to watch cartoons or anime.

Olli:

You two would go outside nevertheless, have a stroll around the city, get some ice cream, jump into puddles and kiss in the rain. Only when the rain gets heavier you would go back home and have a steamy bath together and cuddle up in bed after.

Tommi:

He would get up early to make breakfast in bed and then wake you up with a kiss and a plate full of pancakes. After that he would climb into bed again for dessert. When you wake up in his arms again you crave cookies, so you decide to finally get out of bed to bake some. But the first batch of cookies eventually gets a little too crispy because you two were busy with each other.

Hi! I'm craving domestic thoughts.

How do you think would be a rainy summer day with each of the guys?

this is a nice prompt and i'm curious to hear all your thoughts!! let's gooooo

[born-to-lose-writing]

Masterlist - one shots (self insert; pt. 2)

♡ - fluff, ♤ - angst, ☆ - smut, ♧ - platonic

Blind Channel - Santa Cruz - Robin Packalen - Lost Society - Shiraz Lane - Crashdïet

Blind Channel

Joel Hokka x reader

Distracted ♡ || Ao3

510 words

Joel can't concentrate when you're in the studio.

Friends with Benefits ♤ || Ao3

2,022 words

If you and Joel are only fuck buddies, then why does he get so jealous when you hook up with other people?

Last Fight of the Year ♤ || Ao3

605 words

You meet your ex boyfriend Joel at Joonas's New Year's party and to nobody's surprise, you get into an argument.

Clothes on the Floor ☆ || Ao3

677 words

Joel wants to take you on a date, but your new dress distracts him a little to say the least…

Niko Vilhelm x reader

I Wasn't Crying ♡ || Ao3

446 words

You and Niko watch Titanic together.

All Mine ☆ || Ao3

1,303 words

Niko gets jealous and shows you who you belong to.

Piano Lessons ♡ || Ao3

1,598 words

When you signed up for piano lessons, you didn't expect your teacher to be this hot.

Teacher's Pet ☆ || Ao3

1,484 words

You test professor Moilanen's patience by wearing a miniskirt in his class.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus ♡ || Ao3

664 words

Niko dresses up as Santa to bring your kids their presents.

So Are You Dating? ♡ || Ao3

1,585 words

Christmas with your family would be better if everyone stopped asking if you and your friend Niko who you brought with you for emotional support are in a relationship.

Joonas Porko x reader

Lost at the Club ♡ || Ao3

535 words

Joonas gets lost at a club.

Marry Me? ♡ || Ao3

695 words

Joonas paints your nails and asks you an important question.

Christmas With the One that I Love ♡ || Ao3

902 words

You and Joonas spend a peaceful Christmas Eve together.

Best Christmas Ever ♡♤ || Ao3

678 words

Since your homophobic family won't have you over for Christmas, Joonas invites you to spend the holidays with his family.

Aleksi Kaunisvesi x reader

Stress Relief ☆ || Ao3

819 words

You help Aleksi relieve some stress after a long day in the studio.

Cuddles ♡ || Ao3

731 words

Aleksi is sad, but he's too scared to ask you for cuddles.

Celebration ♡(☆) || Ao3

1,083 words

Aleksi officially joining the band calls for a celebration…

Sick ♡ || Ao3

780 words

Aleksi is sick and you take care of him.

Keep Quiet ☆ || Ao3

1,003 words

Aleksi decides to tease you a little while you're having dinner with the boys.

Show Me How Bad You Can Be ☆ || Ao3

1,353 words

You won't leave Aleksi alone while he's working, but he pays you back later…

The Christmas Savior ♡ || Ao3

1,025 words

Due to a snowstorm, you can't go home for the holidays, so Aleksi and the boys decide to surprise you.

Olli Matela x reader

Gimme Some Lovin' ♡ || Ao3

910 words

Olli isn't usually cuddly in public, but that changes after a couple of drinks.

Still of the Night ☆ || Ao3

1,036 words

You and Olli fool around during a sleepover at Joonas' place

Private Photo Shoot ☆ || Ao3

2,115 words

Olli gets a private photo shoot while the boys are getting lunch.

Secret Santa ♡ || Ao3

1,112 words

The boys organize Secret Santa to get you and Olli to finally confess your feelings.

Photographs ♡ || Ao3

639 words

Olli gives you a special gift for your one year anniversary.

Tommi Lalli x reader

Coming Home ♡ || Ao3

671 words

Tommi comes home from tour and makes up for the time he was away.

Christmas Market Date ♡ || Ao3

750 words

Tommi takes you on a Christmas market date.

Season's Greetings, Now Fuck Off ♡ || Ao3

763 words

Tommi saves your corporate holiday party from being completely terrible when your ex shows up.

Shut Your Mouth Before I Fuck It ☆ || Ao3

1,076 words

Never be cocky towards Tommi - unless you want him to teach you a lesson…

Santa Cruz

Archie Cruz x reader

Snowed In ♡ || Ao3

873 words

After a weekend at a lake house with your friends, you and Archie end up snowed in over the holidays and have to make the best of it.

Photos for the Fans ♡ || Ao3

683 words

What's a better way to reply to hate messages from your boyfriend's fans than with a photo of you cuddling?

Lie to Me ♤ || Ao3

1,360 words

Something has been wrong with you and Archie's relationship for a while. But do your attempts of fixing it even change anything?

Johnny/Joonas Parkkonen x reader

Our Shirt ♡ || Ao3

598 words

Johnny makes breakfast for the two of you.

A Special Christmas ♡ || Ao3

1,383 words

When you were kids, Johnny lived next door. Years later you see him again for your family's holiday meal.

Matchmaking Master Plan ♡ || Ao3

1,811 words

Joonas is producing your band's new album and it's obvious you're into each other, so your bandmates decide to play matchmaker.

Middy/Mitja Toivonen x reader

The Boy Next Door ♡ || Ao3

1,413 words

Your new neighbor is way too hot and the fact that he's in a band certainly doesn't make it better.

Taz Fagerström x reader

Pal-entine's Day ♡♧ || Ao3

485 words

For Pal-entine's day, Taz forces you to watch the original Star Wars trilogy with him.

Family Dinner ♡ || Ao3

546 words

Never bring your best friend to family dinner - unless you want to spend the holidays being asked if you're dating.

Robin Packalen

Robin Packalen x reader

Like Love at First Sight ♡ || Ao3

745 words

You invite Robin over to your place for the first time.

Kiss Me at Midnight ♡ || Ao3

1,338 words

Your friends rent a cabin in the Alps to stay over New Year's Eve, but you and Robin have to travel up a day later than everyone else.

Lost Society

Samy Elbanna x reader

Secretly Dating ♡ || Ao3

510 words

Johnny and Taz are trying to set you and Samy up for the hundredth time when they find out you've been secretly dating for months.

Please Don't Come Home for Christmas ♤♡ || Ao3

839 words

You go home for the holidays, but as soon as your family starts fighting right after you arrived, you're reminded of why you had been spending Christmas on your own for the last three years.

Shiraz Lane

Joel Hiljanen x reader

Spin the Bottle (☆) || Ao3

572 words

You should have known that playing spin the bottle with your crush and your mutual friends would result into a questionable dare…

Ana Willman x reader

Emergency Valentine's Date ♡ || Ao3

660 words

You have a crush on your friend Ana and you were close to asking him out for Valentine's Day, but never had the courage to actually do it. When you both end up without a date, he comes over to watch a movie together.

Christmas in the Dark ♡ || Ao3

447 words

Christmas Eve with Ana is nice, but it would be better if there wasn't a blackout.

Crashdïet

Gabriel Keyes x reader

Lazy Day ♡ || Ao3

656 words

Before Gabriel leaves for his band's tour, you spend a lazy day together.

Still Into You ☆ || Ao3

713 words

While visiting your hometown over the holidays, you run into Gabriel, your ex boyfriend who you hadn't seen in years. And he looks hotter than ever.

Multiple pairings

Even in the Hard Times ♤ || Ao3

Joel Hokka x Joonas Porko x reader

465 words

Joel and Joonas comfort you while you're having a hard time.

Flour Fights ♡♧ || Ao3

Samy Elbanna x Joonas Parkkonen x reader

510 words

You, Samy and Joonas want to bake cookies, but knowing the three of you, it turns into a mess.

[cr33pz-mck3nna]

Canon x Oc ships in Monsters AU

Do not interact if you have a problem with canon x oc ships or with the sexualities of my versions of the crps, be aware that "canon" only means the crps from my au, they are not actually the canon versions as I do not write for the canon versions

Just because there is canon ships doesn't mean I will not write x reader or relationship headcanons about these characters

Jackson Nelson/Eyeless Jack x Charlotte "Cookie" DeMarco

Sexualities: Jack = Bisexual, Cookie = Bisexual

Jeffery Warren Roberts/Jeff the Killer x Rose McGee

Sexualities: Jeff = Straight, Rose = Bisexual

EXES!!(of Jeff ofc)

Diana Edwards/Nyx Shepherd

Nina Cargile/Nina the Killer

Nina Cargile/Nina the Killer x Diana Edwards/Nyx Shepherd

Sexualities: Nina = Pansexual, Nyx = Pansexual

Jane Cargile/Jane the Killer x Catherine Mary Harkness

Sexualities: Jane = Lesbian, Catherine = Lesbian

Laurence Brian Davis/Hoodie x Sal Gracie

Sexualities: Brian = Pansexual, Sal = Pansexual

Tobias Erin Rogers/Ticci Toby x "Lally"

Sexualities: Toby = Pansexual, Lally = Bisexual

Let me know if you would like to hear more about my ocs! Tata for now my lovely little gremlins! -Creepz

[p-taryn-dactyl]

I've been recently sadly falling back into my Harry Potter/Wizarding World phase, so if you have any Harry Potter/wizarding world requests, please send them in!! the tags will show what ill write for but you can always ask if you don't see something you're interested in!

[its-vannah]

Our Secret - Theseus x Reader

A/N: I only ever publish things I'm somewhat proud of, and I absolutely love the way that this one turned out.

Word Count: 1,342

Warnings: Sassy Lally (more of a gift than a warning), fluff (<3)

Lally's skirt swishes around her ankles as she entered her classroom at Ilvermorny, a long sigh escaping her lips as she made her way to her desk. Papers were scattered all over the surface, parchment placed in a heap at the center of the table, and quills were spilling out of their holder.

Her students were already done for the day, now nestled back in their common rooms in preparation for the next day. But you were still there, twirling around in her swivel chair, enjoying the moment.

When you noticed her, a large smile appeared on your face, and you rose from your seat, "Lally, you're back already!"

She nodded, "I've been gone too long. Can't have you teaching them better than me, can I?"

"Well, it's too late for that." You teased, giving her a quick hug, "It's good to see you, but you really should get going. You look exhausted, Lally."

"I assure you that I'm quite alright. Just glad to be back and in my classroom." Lally said, waving her wand to arrange the parchament in a neat stack, placing the quills all in one cannister, and sorting the papers by student's year.

You shrugged, "Suit yourself. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you."

"You could get back to teaching Care of Magical Creatures tomorrow and tell them what a great professor I am?" She suggested, wiggling her brows, "You never know, Y/N, maybe I'll teach Care of Magical Creatures one day and you'll teach Charms."

"You? Teaching Care of Magical Creatures? And me teaching Charms? You're too kind- and unrealistic." You sighed, shaking your head, "I'd have better luck getting a job with MACUSA than I would getting the role of Charms professor."

"You're probably right. I don't think the charms teacher here wants to leave anytime soon. She likes what she does. She's rather good at it, too." Lally teased, reclaiming her seat.

You raked a hand through your hair, "I don't know, I'd say she's okay."

Lally jokingly rolled her eyes, reclining in her seat.

The door behind you burst open, the doors slamming into the walls on its sides. Startled, you drew your wand, aiming it directly at your target.

But Lally leaped out of her chair, gently pushing your hand towards the ground, "Careful, Y/N, he's no harm. Just a friend."

She turned towards the man who had just entered her classroom, "What can I do for you, Mr. Scamander."

"Please, Lally, call me Theseus." He said, offering her a small smile, before clearing his throat, "Newt's here for the next few days as a guest speaker for Care of Magical Creatures. And, given that he's, well, Newt, I've been sent here to supervise. It's a good thing, too, because he's already lost Teddy."

"You don't think he's gotten in here, do you?" Lally questioned, peering around the room for any sign of movement.

Theseus shrugged, "I'm not sure, but I don't want to leave any table unturned."

They began scuffling around the room, peering under benches, tables, and in between bookcases. You stood in the center of the room, unsure of what to do with yourself.

Clearing your throat, you offered your best smile, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Theseus turned towards you, his eyes locked on yours. But you didn't notice, your eyes were too busy wandering the room. But Lally noticed, and that's when an idea popped into her head.

"You know, I'm awfully tired. I should really be heading back. But Theseus, Y/N would be more than happy to help you search for that niffler." Lally pretended to yawn, stretching her arms as she walked past him, winking at you as she made her way to the door, "Greatest of nights to you two!"

And then the doors shut and she was gone.

You stared at the closed door, then looked back to Theseus, "So, what exactly are we looking for?"

"A niffler." He responded, lifting himself up off the ground, "Specifically my brother's niffler."

"What's a niffler?" You asked, your head tilting to the side, curious as to how he'd describe the mole-like creature.

"Oh," His forehead creased, and he began making odd motions with his hands to describe it, "He's… soft… and he's got a pouch… and a pinkish face, but black fur… saved my life…"

You raised your brows, a laugh escaping your lips. Your hand rushed to cover your mouth, but it was too late. Soon enough, Theseus began laughing to, ceasing his movements, "I'm not exactly sure what I was trying to show you there… Can't really make a niffler out of air."

Nodding, you smiled, "You're very creative."

"Aren't I?" He teased, his hands in his pockets as he accepted defeat, "I don't think he's in here."

You stood up from your spot on the floor, where you had been looking under a bookcase, "That's a shame. Is there anywhere else you could look?"

He shook his head, "We'll have to enlist help checking the common rooms tomorrow when the students have cleared out. It wouldn't be right to go in there now."

Suddenly, his tweed coat began to sway, causing his eyes to widen. He reached down deep into his pocket, letting out a sigh when he lifted what looked to be a niffler, from what he had described, out of it.

"Is that the niffler?" You asked, walking over to him.

"You couldn't tell? I thought I explained it so well!" He joked, softly scratching the creature's head, "This is Teddy, he's my brother's."

You rubbed Teddy's chin with your finger, smiling as he squeeked excitedly against your touch.

"He's quite friendly." You acknowleged, "Your brother has done well."

Theseus nodded, "I've grown quite fond of him myself. Thank you, again, for your help."

You waved her hand, "You did most of the work. Or, he did."

"Well, now that we've found him, it's time to return him to my brother."

"Oh." You said, your shoulders sagging, "Well, it was nice to meet you… Theseus?"

He nodded, "Y/N, right? You know, it'd be nice having another set of eyes on him. To make sure he doesn't run off again. Would you mind helping me track down my brother? I understand if you don't, it's a lot to ask, but I'll make it up to you. I'll get you dinner afterwards?"

"I'd like that, very much." You beamed, holding the large wooden door open for him.

He stepped out, looking around unsure, "If I'm being completely honest, I don't exactly know where I'm headed. I went to Hogwarts myself."

"Really?" You questioned, acting surprised, "I was sure you were an american with that accent.

Theseus laughed, "Were you?"

You nodded, "Thankfully for you, I know exactly where I'm going."

"Did you go here?" He asked, trying to keep Teddy for crawling up his arm.

"I still do."

His eyes widened, "I didn't realize you were a student. I thought-"

"I'm a professor." You said, cutting him off.

"What do you teach?"

A smirk appeared on your face, half covered in the shadows, "Care of Magical Creatures."

"So… you knew exactly what a niffler was and what it looked like?" He swallowed, stopping dead in his tracks.

With a nod, you placed a reassuring hand on his back, "It's alright. You explained them almost as well as my first years."

He shook his head, his cheeks flushing.

"It's alright, really! I was just teasing." You laughed, "Hurt your pride?"

"Maybe just a bit." He said, chuckling to himself.

"Here, follow me. I know a shortcut." You said, pulling down on a nearby torch. Large stone bricks began to rearrange themselves, allowing the two of you into a passageway, "It'll be our secret."

"Our secret?"

"Yes."

Theseus smiled at you as he stepped into the passageway, "I like the sound of that."

The two of you continued walking side by side, neither saying a word but knowing what the other meant.

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

Imagine your joy when you learn Lally is joining the mission...

When Theseus moved to the side, you received a better view of Jacob and the additional witch whom you recognised immediately.

“Lally?” You called out and was met with a bright smile.

“There’s my favourite wand-waver but don’t you be out there telling Albus.” Lally laughed, meeting you halfway to share a warm hug. “My, I haven’t seen you in years. Not since that trouble on the south coast with those dementors.”

Jacob was slightly puzzled and felt slightly outcast since everyone knew each other, a little observation that Newt picked up on. The magizoologist moved over to his friend.

“Y/n and Lally have been friends since the day that Dumbledore sent Y/n to Illvermony for a semester.” He explained.

Jacob nodded, thankful for the insight. “I thought you and Y/n went to Hogwarts?”

“We did.” Newt nodded. “But that particular year, Y/n almost blew up the dungeons in an attempt to save one of my creatures that was stolen by some Slytherins. Dumbledore was furious.”

“So he sent them away? That’s harsh.”

Lally turned in their direction, overhearing the comment.

“Mr Kowalski, one thing to understand is that Y/n here was an unruly wand-waver. Always acting with their heart rather than their mind. If someone they cared for was hurt, there would be consequences. I, for one, am a little glad that Y/n was sent to Illvermorny for a short while. I got a very dear friend.”

You bumped shoulders with the witch and smiled. “You and I both.”

Masterlist here

[rpf-bat]

How I Envision Spending Valentine’s Day With Each Of The BC Guys 🖤

Niko: You come home and find flickering candles lit all over the apartment. You walk into the bedroom and see rose petals sprinkled on your bed. He’s there, naked and smirking, waiting to make your dreams come true. 🌹

Joel: He tried to make you heart-shaped chocolates. He wanted to do something special, because the truth is, he’s used to being alone. He never had someone to spend this holiday with before. But, he fucked up and everything’s burnt….you find him crying in the kitchen and end up having to console him. He tried. 😭

Joonas: He helps you do your makeup. The color of his eyeshadow and nail polish matches yours. Once you’re all gussied up, he takes you to the fanciest restaurant in town. Maybe dancing after. 💃

Aleksi: He wakes you up with flowers and breakfast in bed. He asks you if you’re okay just spending the day at home. Him and you and Rilla. You happily accept. 🥞

Olli: He books an intimate getaway somewhere - maybe a cozy cabin. You drink mulled wine together while relaxing in front of a roaring fire. 🍷

Tommi: He says absolutely nothing to you for most of the day and you honestly thought he forgot. But then after dinner he grunts “….here” and hands you a box.

It’s a stuffed animal - the exact same kind you had as a child. You told him, months ago, how much you cried when you lost it. He went to four different stores to find it for you. 🧸

[where-pain-is-so-pretty]

ﾟ ☾ ﾟ ｡⋆ Masterlist ⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡

🍯 = Fluff 💔= Hurt/Comfort ⛈️= Angst 🌶️= Smut

* = Part of December Project

Blind Channel:

• Whole Band x Reader Imagines: BC helping you through a break up BC with an inexperienced partner BC reassuring you about your appearance BC helping you put sunscreen on (minus Joonas) Helping the guys fall asleep Having sex in their or their partners childhood room Surprising the guys on tour Wet Dream

• Aleksi x Reader Full Fics:

🍯Everything I could have asked for * 🍯🌶️Baby, I would die for you * 🌶️Like Coca-Cola, spiked with aromas

Imagines: 🌶️Masturbating for Aleksi and teasing him 🌶️Him teasing you while sharing a room with one of the guys

• Joel x Reader (Joel Thoughts Masterlist HERE)

Full Fics: 🍯I want you so bad in all the worst ways ⛈️💔Living Inside My Own Confusion * 🌶️If you love me right * 💔Homesick 🌶️Try not to distract me 💔Was not meant to be Imagines: 🌶️Teasing him until he snaps 🍯💔Joel leaving you his hoodie before tour 🍯💔Spooning him 💔Joel comforting you 🍯Canceling your date plans to stay inside 🍯🌶️Joel pinning you down 🍯💔Dad Joel Part 1 🍯Dad Joel Part 2 🍯🌶️Joel in a bathtub 🍯Late Night Travels 🍯Holding Hands 🌶️Taking a shower 🌶️Getting off on his leg and voice 🌶️Riding him 🌶️Hot sex with him 🍯Sleepless night with Joel on the bus 🌶️Licking and kissing his chest 💔🍯🌶️Staying with him on the bus when he's having a bad day 🍯Joel doing household chores you hate 🌶️Catching him having some alone time 🍯Floor time with Joel 🍯🌶️Joel being cringy 🍯Visting Joel on tour 🍯Welcoming Joel home on a small tour break • Joonas x Reader

Full Fics: 🍯I think I found where I belong * ⛈️💔The Boy In The Black Dress * 🍯*lipstick emoji* 🍯Smiley faces and sunscreen 💔Caught in a panic Imagines:

💔Coming out as trans(ftm) to Joonas 🌶️Licking Joonas' chest 🌶️Having sex in his fluffy jacket 🍯🌶️Post sex cuddles

• Niko x Reader

Full Fics:

🍯Our own little galaxy * 🌶️💔We ain’t got nothing else to do *

• Olli x Reader

Full Fics:

🌶️Tell me how to touch myself 🍯A day alone, only that would be death * Imagines: 🍯🌶️Taking a bath with him 🌶️Morning Sex 🌶️Pegging Olli

• Tommi x Reader

Full Fics: 🍯Hold me close * 💔Don't Go * Imagines: 🍯🌶️Surprising him on his B-day 🌶️ Birthday sex 💔Tommi helping you with your Anxiety Attacks • (T)Error Twins x Reader Imagines: 🍯Taking your boyfriend (Joel) on a weekend off • Olli x Aleksi x Reader 🌶️Threesome

Lost Society:

• Samy x Reader Imagines: 🍯Soft Headcanons

Crashdiet:

• Gabriel Keyes x Reader

Full Fics: 🌶️💔🍯 Let’s rest for a while, love 🍯“You are pretty!” “And you are drunk!”

Robin Packalen:

• Robin x Reader Full Fics: 🍯🌶️Just let me know

Crossovers:

Samy x Joel x Reader Imagines: 🌶️Them fucking you in and on a car 🍯Cuddling with them

[born-to-lose]

28: Sitting in comfortable silence while eating a meal (Tommi Lalli)

Part of the 50 wordless ways to say "I love you" series

Tag list: @warriorteam1924 @the-killer-queenie @dumbass-of-darkness @bloody-lip-season @disrespectfullcalum @kyrju @smells-like-perfect-senses @sweetnightowl @whoreforblindchannel @kellyrosie @thetimecrystal @tryingtoliveintheshadows @wow-ihateithere @fedorable-killjoys

Tip me if you want!

Neither you nor Tommi were really the type of people to go out for dinner often. Unless it was your anniversary or one of your birthdays, you preferred eating at home; it was more private, cheaper and more comfortable because you could just go home, cook a quick meal and eat together.

Tonight, you had barely finished cooking when the door opened and Tommi walked in. "Hello love," he said, the smile noticeable in his voice.

"Hello darling," you replied. "How was work?"

He took one of the two plates which you had just piled food on and sat at the table. "Pretty uneventful, to be honest."

"Well, better than too stressful." You sat down with your plate as well and he briefly glanced up at you, nodding in agreement.

You proceeded to eat together in silence. Not because there was any tension between you or anything like that - simply having dinner peacefully.

One of the many things you loved about Tommi was that you could be in silence with him and it never felt awkward or uncomfortable in the slightest. It was like you were always connected without words and didn't need to say anything to communicate at times. That also came in handy when one of you wasn't feeling good and not in the mood to talk, but you could still be there for the other, even if only quietly.

[cozy-writer]

Leaving hickeys

Pairing: Joel Hokka x Y/N

Summary: Joel tries to leave hickeys on your neck.

Wordcount: 300+

Masterlist

You breathed out a sigh as you felt Joel’s lips press to your neck. You were laid on his bed with him above you, pressing you into the mattress. He retreated and planted his lips on yours roughly. You moaned into the kiss, his tongue slick against yours. His hands tugged at the shirt you were wearing, pulling it up and over your head to free you of the offending item. He hands groped your boobs and he squeezed them through the bra you were wearing. He kissed his way from your mouth to your cheeks and finally down your neck, where he started sucking on a particular spot. 

You pushed at his chest and turned away from his lips.

“Stop that.” You frowned. 

“What?” He asked.

“I can’t have hickeys all over my neck. I’ve got work tomorrow.” You explained. 

“But…”

“But what?” You asked after it was silent for a few seconds. 

“Joonas.” He only said.

“What do hickeys and Joonas have to do with each other?”

“You really don’t see it?”

“See what?” You were now leaning on your elbows, looking up at him expectantly. Joel groaned hopelessly. 

“Joonas!” He said, as if that would make you understand it. “He likes you.” A grin spread across your face. 

“So, you want to give me hickeys so Joonas will know that I’m yours?” You asked, trying to put it all together. 

“Yes, is that so hard to understand?” You raised an eyebrow at him. 

“You really don’t need to prove to him that I’m yours. I already am. With or without hickeys.” You quickly kissed him, proving your point. 

“I guess you’re right.” He sighed, but he did look a bit sad about that revelation. 

You rolled your eyes at his pouting lips and said. “I guess one hickey won’t hurt. I can cover it up with concealer tomorrow.” A big smile spread across Joel’s face and he pounced on you. He moved from your mouth down to your neck and when he found the perfect spot he started sucking on it, leaving a reddish purple spot behind. You might have been against it, but you couldn’t deny the feeling that came over you as he kissed the spot, knowing you belong with him. 

[you-can-call-me-wanda]

Water and Oil

Pairing: Reader x Tommi Lalli

A/N: HOLY HECK, this was my first time writing enemies to lovers and I must say that this will most definitely be my last!! I struggled so much with making this seem natural and not toxic and just, wow, I have no idea how much other people do this. 

You gazed up at the house in front of you and checked the address that Joel had sent to your phone one last time, confirming that you were at the right place yet again, and let out a nervous breath. The house towering above you belonged to none other than Tommi Lalli which was what made you more than a little apprehensive about going to knock on the door. Despite knowing him for quite a long time now, Tommi was someone you were infamously known amongst your friends for disliking- no, perhaps dislike was too kind of a word- hated, loathed, despised felt more accurate. You and Tommi were like water and oil.

But Joel, your best friend in the entire world, had asked you for your help and for you to meet him here so, here you were. You were too good of a friend to refuse to meet him simply based on the fact that Tommi would be there. You had unfortunately had to get used to being around Tommi considering he was in a band with, and practically brothers with all your closest friends.

You shook your head, trying to dislodge your nerves and wandering thoughts and climbed the front steps of the house. Hurriedly, as not to lose the confidence you’d quickly built up, you knocked on the front door. You smiled faintly as you heard the familiar laughter and voices of your friends inside.

That smile quickly dropped however when the door opened to reveal Tommi.

“What are you doing here?” Tommi asked you, gaze unfriendly.

You frowned back up at him and opened your mouth, about to reply in your typical snarky fashion. Joel clearly hadn’t told him you were coming. Thankfully, you were spared from answering his question. From further down the hall, you could hear Joel shout for Tommi to let you in.

“I invited them!” Joel’s voice rang out. “Just let them in!”

Tommi, despite looking like he wanted to argue with Joel’s request to allow you entrance, stepped to the side to let you through the front door without protest. You didn’t say anything to him but did shoot a small glare his way as you moved past him and made your way down his front hallway to where you had heard Joel speaking from. Behind you, Tommi sighed quietly as he shut the door and began to follow you through his house.

A chorus of ‘hellos’ greeted you as you finally entered the living room, and you found your friends. Joel, Olli, Niko, Joonas, and Aleksi wore grins on their faces as they greeted you excitedly and asked how you were. You responded with just as much enthusiasm, happy to see them all.

Tommi entered in the room behind you not a moment later.

“You can’t just invite people to my house without asking me first,” he grumbled at Joel, as he went to sit in the chair he had been occupying earlier.

You rolled your eyes at Tommi’s muttering and moved to sit next to Joel who was beckoning you over to the couch.

You pressed your lips together and forced yourself to stay silent. A fiery retort from you would only escalate things and you knew how much your friends hated it when you and Tommi fought. They only reminded you all the time.

“Oh, c’mon Tommi. (Y/N) isn’t just people,” Joel said, wrapping a friendly arm around your shoulder. “(Y/N)’s our friend and they were nice enough to agree to drive tomorrow.”

Tommi let out a small huff at the news that you would be attending Blind Channel’s trip to Helsinki the following day and glanced at you briefly before turning his gaze back to Joel and crossing his arms. You got the notion that the fact you would be going to Helsinki with the band was only brand-new information to Tommi as none of the other boys seemed that surprised.

“Why?” he asked.

He couldn’t make it any more obvious that he was unhappy to hear you would be joining them if he tried.

“Because your car is still in the shop from when you wrecked it last weekend,” Niko said, piping up from across the room. His eyebrows raised at Tommi imploringly, urging him to say less on the topic. “And Aleksi’s car won’t fit us all. (Y/N)’s doing us a big favor here.”

Tommi shook his head.

“I know why we need another car,” he said. “I just don’t see why it has to be (Y/N)’s.”

You bit your tongue and scowled at him from across the room.

According to Joel, Blind Channel had gotten the call just a mere couple of hours ago from their management that informed them that they had been invited to play on live TV in Helsinki tomorrow night. It was a super last-minute type of invite due to the fact that the band that was originally supposed to play had backed out of the contract very late. The TV station needed someone to fill the spot pretty much immediately. Of course, your friends had jumped at the chance to perform on TV and agreed to fill the spot. Now, the only issue was that all six members of Blind Channel were currently in Oulu, over a seven-hour drive away from where they needed to be in Helsinki. They had the time to get there, but they would be cutting it close. Add the short time frame to the fact that Tommi’s car was currently in the auto shop getting repaired and you get a very stressed-out Blind Channel.

So, Joel had called you up and asked if you were free and willing to help them on their journey down to Helsinki. They needed a car desperately and Joel knew you were in the area. He also knew you were a devote best friend and couldn’t possibly say no- not when they needed you.

“Besides, I didn’t wreck the car,” Tommi grumbled. “It was a fender bender.”

“Same difference,” Niko replied. “We still can’t use it.”

Tommi, who must have been able to sense that his opinion about you joining in on their adventure was outnumbered, didn’t protest anymore. At least not verbally. He just sat back in his chair and muttered out a small ‘whatever’, looking as pissed off as he normally did in your presence. You didn’t pay him or his attitude any mind though. It was always like this with him and you. Water and oil. You were used to it.

His resigned acceptance seemed to be good enough for everyone else too, and soon the rest of the boys were busy taking turns sharing the details of the trip and figuring out last-minute plans before you all left for Helsinki in the morning.

****

The following day you woke up to the sound of yelling.

You groaned annoyedly to yourself as you sat up from where you had slept on the couch the night before and rubbed at your eyes. Judging by how exhausted you felt, it had to still be early in the morning. Way too early for anyone to be shouting the way they were.

You recognized the loud voice as belonging to Tommi straight away and tried to listen to find out what all the fuss was about. Strangely however, after a few moments of listening in, you came upon the realization that you could only hear his side of whatever conversation was taking place. He was the only one shouting. Whoever he was conversing with was either worryingly quiet or nonexistent. Curious, you got up from the couch and quietly padded over to his bedroom, where you could clearly hear him from.

“I don’t care how far away you are,” Tommi was saying. “You need to turn around now!”

You cautiously peered into the room through the open door and saw Tommi talking animatedly into his cell phone. You nodded to yourself as the puzzle pieces from moments before fell into place. He looked distressed as he paced back and forth in his bedroom, running a hand through his hair.

“Olli, I’m not fucking joking!”

You had tried to be quiet as you approached his doorway, but Tommi must have sensed your presence somehow. His eyes flickered over to yours and he met your gaze. Unsurprisingly and most typical, his expression darkened upon seeing you.

He didn’t say a word to you as he shut the door in your face, wordlessly locking you out of the conversation he was having on the phone. You slumped your shoulders as you trudged back to the living room and picked up your own phone. Convincing yourself that you didn’t care what he was yelling about anyways, you let out a yawn as you sat back down on the couch and busied yourself by scrolling through the notifications you had received the night before- a few likes here and there on social medias, an email from work, a text from Joel.

The text message instantly caught your eye. Not only was it odd that Joel was texting you from inside the same house as you, but the message was sent to both you and Tommi. The pair of you weren’t usually grouped together. You opened it right away.

hey, so you probably already figured this out but we’re gone!! guess the two of you will be driving down to Helsinki together… see you there ;))

You had to read the text three times over before the words fully set in. Once they finally had however, you were practically sprinting to the front windows of Tommi’s house. Sure enough and to your utter dismay, Aleksi’s car was missing from the street outside where it had been parked yesterday night. Despite panic immediately setting in, your mind told you the boys had to be playing a trick on you. There was no way your friends would leave you here. They were the ones who invited you after all. They needed you. You turned around, ready to run through the rest of the house and check to see where Joel and the rest of the boys must be hiding but came face to face with Tommi instead when you swiveled on your heel.

“They’re gone,” he lamented, seeing the searching look in your eye and knowing what you were looking for.

“I- how?” you asked. You were still shocked.

“Early this morning,” he grunted. “Bastards.”

A million thoughts were swirling around in your head as you took in Tommi’s words and the message Joel had sent you both. Why did they leave without you? Without Tommi? There was no way Tommi and you had been left here, right? They wouldn’t do that to you. Unless…?

“I’m calling Joel,” you said, brushing past Tommi as you stalked away from him, not missing the frown that graced his face.

Truth be told, you didn’t want to be near him even if he surprisingly wasn’t being a Grade-A asshole at the moment. His mere presence alone frustrated you and you needed some privacy to call Joel and ask him what the hell was going on. You couldn’t think of anywhere else where you could be alone and out of Tommi’s sight, so you ended up in Tommi’s hall bathroom.

“Where are you?” you were asking as soon as you heard Joel pick up his phone.

“Uh, Kärsämäki?”

You could hear the distinct sound of rattling highway noise and your friend’s lively chatter coming through the background of the call and closed your eyes as you felt your stomach drop. His text wasn’t a joke then.

“Turn around,” you said. “I don’t care how far you’ve driven. Just turn the car around and come back now.”

Your words felt familiar, and your thoughts briefly travelled back to Tommi yelling into his cell earlier.

“Sorry,” Joel said, sounding the least bit apologetic. “No can do.”

“Joel, this isn’t funny!”

“It’s a little funny,” he argued. “C’mon, don’t sound so upset. We all thought this would be a good idea for the two of you. Don’t you agree that it’s high time you and Tommi learned to get along? What better way than through a road trip together? This will be good for you.”

“Good for me?” you repeated, shocked that your best friend could be so ignorant to your feelings towards Tommi and vice versa. “Do you even know Tommi? How the hell is it going to be good for me to be trapped in a car with someone who hates my guts for seven hours? I’ll be lucky if I even last the trip.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“I’m being dramatic? You snuck off in the early morning while I was sleeping all for some elaborate scheme! How long were you planning this?” you asked. “Is this the only reason you guys invited me to come with you? Did you guys just pretend to need me so that- so you could- could prank me?”

Not missing the unmistakable hurt in your voice, Joel’s tone softened.

“What? No,” he was quick to reassure you. “We only thought of it all last night after you and Tommi had both gone to sleep. We- I really think this is a good idea (Y/N).”

“I don’t understand.”

“You and Tommi fight all the time and me and the lads are getting sick of putting up with it to tell you the truth. We just thought forcing the two of you to do this drive together might give you the time you need to set your differences aside or sort out any misunderstandings,” Joel explained. “I think- we all think the two of you could get along fine if you only tried.”

“As sweet and sentimental you guys may be,” you countered, “I’m not buying that bullshit. Tommi and I will never be friends and you’re all assholes for trying to force us to be. I’m not going.”

Joel groaned in a way that told you he predicted you would take such a defiant stand of non-attendance.

“But (Y/N), Tommi doesn’t have another ride down to Helsinki and we’re due to play tonight! He needs to be here.”

“You should have thought of that before you snuck out early this morning like a bunch of devious teenagers.”

You listened as Joel relayed what you were saying to the rest of the traitors in Aleksi’s car and felt a sick sense of pride at the sound of their worried murmuring.

“Okay,” Joel said, speaking into the receiver once more. “We didn’t want to have to resort to this, but we do have collateral. We nicked your wallet before we left.”

You let out a small gasp.

“You what?” you asked.

“We stole your wallet,” Joel stated too plainly for your liking. “Just in case you pulled a stunt like this and threatened not to come.”

“I could call the cops on you,” you said.

“But you won’t.”

You could practically hear Joel smile through the phone.

How do I always get myself into this kind of shit? you asked yourself, gazing into your reflection hanging above the bathroom sink. Because you chose the world’s biggest idiots for best friends.

“Text me the address,” you grumbled. “You owe me big time.”

****

Within the first hour of driving, you were already fed up with your sulking passenger.

You had mistakenly made the assumption that perhaps, since you were doing Tommi a favor by driving him the seven hours to Helsinki, he would have the decency to try and be a little less irritable on your journey. He had quickly proved that assumption wrong, however.

All within the first hour, Tommi had already managed to piss you off in a plethora of ways- insulting your choice in music, commenting on your driving, even messing with the temperature settings in your car. It was like he was trying to start problems with you. And you, already quite peeved with your current situation, found biting back at him came with much ease.

The most recent tiff between you and he had ended quite abruptly, and a thick silence now weighed heavily in the air. You couldn’t help but gaze over at him briefly as you continued to drive. Tommi sat in the passenger’s seat with his arm’s crossed, looking out the window.

You sighed outwardly through your nose and turned up the radio, hoping to drown out the awkward silence. The loud music wasn’t enough to cover up Tommi’s huff of annoyance at the volume change.

“Can you turn that shit down?” he complained.

You ignored him, hoping he’d get the message that you would not be changing the volume of the radio nor validating his request with any sort of response.

Clearly, the message was not received because just a minute later, Tommi was reaching for the volume knob of the radio. You saw him reaching out for it of course and stuck your own hand out to stop him from changing it. Didn’t he know that the driver got to control the music?

He reached the controls before you, but you grabbed his wrist, trying to pull his hand away from the console all together.

“Don’t fucking touch that,” you snapped at him.

“Just turn it down,” he bit back. “Or change the station.”

You dropped his wrist as you attempted to try and turn the volume back up to how it was before. Tommi was now covering the dial with his hand, so you focused on trying to pry his fingers away.

“Oh my god, you’re acting like a child,” you said as you continued to fight for control of the radio.

“Says the one scratching at my fingers like a fucking- Shit (Y/N)! Car! Brake!

You frantically looked back to the road and slammed on the brakes. The car jerked to a stop and, with mere inches to spare between you and the stopped car in front of you, you narrowly avoided an accident. Tommi’s hand had abandoned the radio and was gripping tightly at his arm rest instead as he stared wide-eyed through the windshield along with you.

There was just a mere beat of silence before more chaos erupted.

“Are you trying to kill us?” Tommi practically shouted at you.

“Oh, fuck off! That was all your fault!” you shouted back, heart racing with adrenaline.

“How is it my fault? You’re the one driving,” he said. “You need to keep your eyes on the road.”

“Which I was doing before I had to fix the radio,” you said. “It was your fault.”

“I’m the one who told you traffic was stopped,” Tommi said, seeming shocked that you were blaming him for your near car crash. “I totally saved your ass.”

“Oh, my hero,” you spat out sarcastically. “How ever can I repay you?”

He rolled his eyes.

“You could keep the radio down,” he muttered.

You let out annoyed sigh but didn’t say anything, deciding this argument had to come to an end somewhere. However, you didn’t turn up the radio either.

****

There wasn’t much conversation for the next hour or so of your drive and the silence left you feeling awkward and uncomfortable. It wasn’t an easy sort of quiet that settled between you and Tommi, but rather a tense and heavy one. You wondered if he felt as annoyed and output as you did as he scrolled through his phone in your passenger’s seat. The radio was still rattling off softly, but it did little to dull the incessant quiet.

“Are you nervous?” you asked seemingly out of the blue, after mulling over the question in your head for a couple of minutes.

Tommi looked over to you.

“Huh?” he asked, clearly confused.

“Are you nervous?” you repeated. “For tonight’s performance?”

It had felt like a simple enough question, a good way to make small talk with him. Now that you had said the question aloud though you wished you could take it back somehow. Perhaps the silence hadn’t been that bad.

“Not really,” Tommi eventually answered with a bit of a shrug. His voice sounded reserved, like he was surprised your question

“At least not yet,” he clarified. “No sense in being nervous now.”

You nodded, thankful he hadn’t responded in his typical snappish way. It occurred to you that this was probably the first time in a long time you hadn’t bitten at him either.

“Joel’s the same way,” you commented, attempting to keep the conversation going. “He gets nervous right before the gig and only right before.”

You weren’t sure what it was that you said, but Tommi frowned at your words.

“Yeah, Tommi said. “I know.”

Any tension that had been lifted came crashing back down onto the two of you again. The bitterness had returned to Tommi’s voice. He looked away from you and down at his phone again instead.

****

The two of you ended up at a McDonald’s after your trip was a little under halfway through. Your stomach had growled almost immediately after seeing a sign for the restaurant and you had pulled off the exit with no hesitation. When Tommi had asked where the two of you were going, you had informed him that it was time to eat.

You both went inside to order and took advantage of the bathrooms there as well. It felt good to be out of the car after driving for over three hours and you stretched gratefully as you waited for your food to be ready.

The two of you ordered your food separately, but Tommi managed to look both bored and uncomfortable as he stood beside you while you both waited for your orders to be ready. The two of you had made no more conversation in the car since you had asked how he felt about tonight’s upcoming show.

After you got your food, the two of you decided to just eat in the car to save time. With a  warning not to spill anything in your car to Tommi, you headed back to the parking lot where Tommi surprised you by offering to drive.

“I can drive if you want,” he said as the two of you reached the car. He didn’t even look back at you as he spoke.

You regarded him skeptically.

“Why?” you asked.

Was this just another way for him to criticize your driving?

Tommi scoffed.

“I was just offering,” he said with an eye roll.

You sighed as you thought long and hard about his offer. You were pretty spent after just the three hours of driving you had done, and you could use a break from having to stare out onto the highway.

“Fine,” you said, somewhat reluctantly tossing him the keys. “Just don’t wreck my car.”

****

Joonas called Tommi’s phone when he and the rest of Blind Channel were about two hours away from Helsinki.

Tommi had been using the GPS on his phone and had answered it right away when it started ringing, putting it on speaker since he was still driving. Neither of you even had time to greet Joonas before he started blabbering away on the other end.

“Hey Tommi! How’s the drive going?” he asked as animatedly as ever. “Have you and (Y/N) killed each other or have you finally-”

“You’re on speakerphone,” Tommi said, interrupting him.

Joonas went curiously quiet.

“Hi Joonas,” you said, reiterating your presence.

“Oh hey,” Joonas said, seeming to bounce back to life at the sound of your voice. “You are alive! How nice to hear. Are you kids having fun?”

Neither you nor Tommi answered.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Joonas continued. “Anyways, Joel asked me to call and check in on you and to let you know that we’re about two hours out. Where are you guys?”

“About four hours away,” you replied.

“Okay, so we’ll see you soon!” Joonas said, all too cheerfully.

“Not soon enough,” Tommi said under his breath.

You still heard him of course and cast him a sidelong glare.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you from enjoying the rest of your drive!” Joonas continued “Have fun you two!”

Both you and Tommi let out matching sighs as he hung up.

****

You tried to take a nap in the car as Tommi continued to drive to Helsinki, but you proved to be too restless. Instead, you settled for just looking forlornly out the window at passing cars and trees.

Your thoughts couldn’t help but wander back to the conversation with Joel you’d had in Tommi’s hall bathroom that morning as you sat.

We all think the two of you could get along fine if you only tried.

Those words in particular kept rolling around in your head. It was probably true enough that you had never really tried to get along with Tommi. When you had first met him and the rest of the boys, you had been nothing but kind to him of course, but Tommi seemed to almost reject you the minute he met you. While everybody else had so easily and quickly adopted you into their group and anointed you as their friend, Tommi had ignored any attempt for you to get to know him. At first, you thought maybe he had just been shy but when you overheard him complaining about your increasing presence to Joel and Olli one day, you knew he just disliked you.

Thus, a spark was born and the animosity between you only grew.

If you stared hard enough at the reflection in the window, you could just make out the outline of Tommi beside you. His eyes were focused intently on the road and his mouth, normally drawn into a tight frown when in your presence, was relaxed.

You’d only been stuck with him for about four hours now but even you had to admit that it wasn’t as bad as you feared it might have been. You wouldn’t go as far as to say you were getting along fine, but you weren’t currently snapping at him, and he wasn’t biting back at you. Joel would probably find it impressive.

Your eyes flickered from Tommi’s reflection back to your own, and you frowned at yourself.

We just thought forcing the two of you to do this drive together might give you the time you need to set your differences aside or sort out any misunderstandings.

****

“How much longer?” you asked.

You could see the estimated time of arrival on Tommi’s phone plain as day. You knew you were only about an hour away from Helsinki, yet you asked him anyway.

“About an hour,” he replied.

“Okay.”

It was silent for a beat.

“Thanks for driving,” you added.

Tommi looked out of the corner of his eye towards you and shrugged his nonchalance.

You thought long and hard about what you wanted to say next. You didn’t want to offend him with what you wanted to say, but you worried he make take your words wrong considering your rather bitter history.

“And thanks for not being a total asshat for the entirety of it,” you said.

You watched Tommi’s reaction with bated breath. It was odd, not wanting him to take offense to something you said. Normally, you loved getting under his skin but in this case, you really didn’t want to start anything.

Tommi didn’t seem to react positively to your comment, but more importantly he didn’t seem to react negatively either.

“I guess I could say the same to you,” he said.

****

“Can I ask you something?”

The GPS read thirty minutes until your destination, and something in your head felt like time was running short with each minute that ticked away.

“You just did,” he replied.

“Earlier, why did you get upset when I mentioned Joel?” you asked, ignoring his previous snarky response altogether.

Your question seemed to catch Tommi off guard, his ever-present frown once again gracing his face.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Earlier in the drive,” you reminded him, “I mentioned Joel and you got all bent out of shape.”

Tommi sighed.

“You really can’t let things go, can you?” he countered.

Your eyes glanced down to where his hands readjusted nervously on the steering wheel.

“Why don’t you like me, Tommi?” trying to approach the conversation from a different direction.

You weren’t going to let this go.

Silence.

“Tommi?” you asked again, looking at him as intently as he looked at the road before him.

He sighed deeply through his nose.

“Look, just because everyone thinks we’re going to magically become friends through this little road trip doesn’t mean we have to have this discussion,” he said. “I don’t want to do this right now.”

“But I do,” you said.

And you did. After much thinking, you needed to get to this bottom of why Tommi and you couldn’t get along. Sure, maybe you and Tommi would never be friends, but you needed to know why he’s always disliked you and you may never get another chance like this to ask him.

Tommi was silent again unsurprisingly.

You just continued on.

“Look, the way I see it, I didn’t start this,” you said. You knew you sounded more than a bit accusatory, but it was true to how you felt. “I was so fucking nice when I met you Tommi. I was nice to you, and you just hated me for no reason straight away!”

Tommi sighed again.

“I’m not surprised that’s how you see it,” Tommi said bitterly.

If you weren’t mistaken there was almost a tinge of sadness in his voice too.

You arched an eyebrow.

“Well, how do you see it then?” you asked pointedly.

“(Y/N), I really don’t want to talk about this.”

“Please,” you said. “I’m just trying to understand what I did wrong.”

“You didn’t do anything!”

“Then why don’t you like me? Does it have to do with Joel or is that just something else?” you asked.

You knew you were being annoying and that this was all leading up to another fight but you wanted to know the answer. You wouldn’t give up so easily.

Tommi’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

You softened your voice.

“Tommi? Please just tell me.”

He sighed before opening up his mouth to speak.

“Because Joel’s in love with you,” he said, surprising you greatly.

Of all the reasons you could have imagined him giving you for his dislike of you, this was not one you had expected.

“What?” you asked, wondering if you perhaps misheard him.

He dragged a frustrated hand down his face, and you didn’t miss the newly red tinge on his cheeks.

“Joel is in love with you,” he repeated. “And I- I knew that I- that I couldn’t compete. When I saw you I- you were beautiful, but Joel- he looked so happy so I just- I pushed it all aside. I don’t know how it got like this, but somehow it became that I didn’t like you at all.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” you said, shaking your head. “You think Joel is in love with me?”

Tommi risked glancing over you.

“Joel is my best friend,” you explained to Tommi. “And as his best friend, I am more than aware that he is definitely not in love with me.”

“But he spends all his time with you,” Tommi objected, tone slightly nervous now.

“Yeah,” you said. “Cause we’re best friends. Wait, so you had a crush on me?”

The heat from Tommi’s cheeks spread to his ears. That seemed to be answer enough.

“You pretended to hate me for eight months because you thought Joel and I were in love?” you asked still in disbelief that this was the reason for all the hatred between you two. “Are you serious?”

Tommi at least had the decency to look guilty.

“It sounds bad when you say it out loud.”

“You’re an idiot.”

****

When the two of you finally met up with the rest of Blind Channel in Helsinki not much later, you hadn’t done too much more talking. After Tommi’s begrudging confession and your dismayed reaction, you had both slipped back into your usual silence, deep in thought.

Joel and the rest of the boys met you and Tommi in the parking lot of the hotel you’d be staying at for the weekend. You and Tommi unsurprisingly split up as soon as the first opportunity presented itself with you practically running to Joel.

“So, how was the car ride?” Joel asked teasingly, as he helped you carry your luggage up to your hotel room.

“Awful,” you said. “It was awful. You should feel horrible about what you did to me.”

Joel just rolled his eyes at your theatrics.

“Oh come off it, it couldn’t have been that bad,” he said with a chuckle.

You sent him a glare.

Part of you wanted to spill everything to Joel, to tell him about what Tommi had confessed to you just a mere half hour ago in the car. Part of you however, felt that it wasn’t right to share it. After all, if Tommi wanted Joel to know, he would have already told him, right?

If Joel had any suspicion something had gone down between you and Tommi, he didn’t make it known. He instead carried the conversation on, talking about his own ride down to Helsinki and what their set list for tonight was looking like. You nodded every so often to appear engaged but really your thoughts were elsewhere.

Tommi had a crush on you. Well, at least he used to. Whether those particular feelings for you had diminished after you started treating him like garbage, was unclear to you. He hadn’t said that he no longer liked you, but he didn’t say that he still did either.

You kept asking yourself why it mattered anyways. Why did matter if Tommi had feelings for you still? Why did you care? You two were water and oil, a terrible match.

But there was something about him today in the car. Something new, something different. When the two of you weren’t fighting, Tommi was actually quite nice to be around.

“Joel,” you said, completely cutting off your friend’s story. “I have to go. I-I’ll be back, okay? There’s just something I need to do.”

Without waiting for a response from Joel, you were rushing down the hallway towards Tommi’s hotel room.

****

Tommi had surprise written all over his face to find you knocking at his hotel room door, almost panting from practically running down the hall.

“Did you mean it?” you asked him, skipping pleasantries completely.

Tommi quirked his brow.

“Mean what?” he asked.

“What you said in the car,” you explained. “Did you mean it? That you- how you felt about me?”

Tommi once again regarded you with hesitation but he nodded nonetheless.

You looked up at him, gaze searching his as his searched yours.

“(Y/N)” he started.

“I’m an idiot,” you finished. “This whole time I’ve been an idiot.”

“No,” Tommi said, shaking his head. “You haven’t. I treated you like shit.”

“Can we start over?” you asked.

Tommi nodded.

“I’d like that,” he said.

“Well,” you said, sticking out your hand for him to shake. “My name is (Y/N) and I most definitely do not have a boyfriend named Joel.”

Tommi laughed and rolled his eyes as he grabbed your hand to shake.

“Tommi.”

You looked down at your clasped hands and a smile rose to your face.

“I think we’ll get on just fine, Tommi.”

[i-love-the-smell-of-your-blood]

You Know The Night Is Darkest 'fore The Dawn

Pairing: Aleksi Kaunisvesi x GN!Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1008

Summary: It's late and you're missing Aleksi while he's on tour so you make cookies to make yourself feel better, but you get a surprise while baking.

(Read on ao3)

A/N: Very late birthday fic for @sunflowerpumpkinpie. I hope you like it!

Taglist: @born-to-lose @sunflowerpumpkinpie @smells-like-perfect-senses

It was nearing 2 am when you finally gave up on trying to sleep. You had been tossing and turning all night, lonely without your boyfriend in bed with you. It’s not like you could fault him for not being there, he was on tour with his bandmates slowly conquering the world. He’ll be home soon but, it didn’t make it any easier to sleep without his warmth next to you.

Your shared dog, Rilla, looks up at you sleepily as push the covers off you and grab a hoodie off the chair in the room. It smells like Aleksi and it makes you smile and wrap your arms around yourself imagining that he was there hugging you. Rilla follows you out of the bedroom as you pad into the kitchen, flicking on a few lights in your wake, just enough to light your way. You lean down and pet Rilla before she trots over to her basket and lays back down. Grabbing a glass you fill it with water and take a sip, leaning back against the counter as you decide what you want to do now.

It’s too late for you to want to watch TV and you’ve already tried laying in bed and sleeping. Your decision is made for you when your stomach lets out a grumble. You set your glass down and open the fridge hoping to find something but all there is are half-empty week-old takeout boxes and some milk which makes you sigh. You tun through in your mind all the possible things you could make with the few ingredients you have. Eventually settling on baking some cookies because you had been craving them earlier in the day but had been too lazy to actually make some.

It doesn’t take long to pull all of the necessary ingredients. You do have to stick the butter in the microwave for a few seconds though to get it to soften enough so you can cream it with the sugar without waiting for it to have to reach room temperature. You quickly mix in the dry ingredients after adding in the egg. You swipe a finger through the dough as you go to find the chocolate chips you had hidden away in one of the cabinets. Smiling at the sweet taste of the dough as you stir in the chocolate and start spooning it out onto a cookie sheet.

The front door opens right as you slide the cookie sheet into the oven, Rilla’s nail clicking on the hardwood as she pads over excitedly to greet Aleksi. You look up at the noise, tired brain confused as to why Aleksi is standing looking at you with a smile on his face and Rilla in his arms.

“Your home?” You ask with a furrowed brow as you make your way over to him, hand reaching up to brush some hair behind his ear “I thought you weren’t supposed to be home for another couple of days?”

He smiles softly at you, dipping his head to kiss you. “Wanted to surprise you, just wasn’t expecting you to be up baking cookies in my hoodie.”

His words make you blush and try to hide your face in his neck but Rilla’s squirming stops you. Aleksi chuckles and sets her down before pulling you closer by your waist, hugging you tightly with his face tucked into your hair. You stay like that until the timer goes off and you reluctantly pull away to pull the cookies out of the oven. Aleski wraps his arms around your waist from behind as you put the cookies on a cooling rack and scoop more dough onto the sheet.

He puts the sheet in the oven for you as you lean back against the counter just watching him. You pull him in for another soft kiss when he turns back to you. You’re both smiling when you pull apart, leaning your foreheads against each other staring into each other’s eyes. Eventually tucking your face into his neck as you gently sway together, Aleksi humming a melody under his breath.

When the timer dings again you take the cookies out this time. You giggle as you watch Aleksi burn his fingers as he tries to pick up a cook fresh off the rack. He pouts at you as he runs his fingers under the tap to cool them off. You kiss his cheek as you offer him one of the cookies from the previous batch. He takes it with a soft thank you and a squeeze to your waist as you start putting the dirty dishes in the sink.

You leave the dishes for the morning because sleep is finally calling to you now that Aleksi is home with you. You can see how tired Aleksi is now too, the excitement of getting home and seeing you finally wearing off. You munch on a cookie as you follow Aleksi to the bedroom, Rilla following along behind the both of you.

You climb back into bed as you watch Aleksi get ready to join you. He smirks when he catches you watching him change out of the clothes he had thrown on after the end of the final show. Aleksi just drops a kiss to your forehead as he heads into the bathroom. You immediately curl up against him as soon crawls into bed. He wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you closer.

Aleksi peppers kiss all over your face before eventually tipping your face up so he can kiss your lips. You smile as you rest your head against his chest, dropping another kiss there as Aleksi pulls the covers over the both of you. Rilla curls up at both of your feet as Aleksi flicks the light off.

“Goodnight kulta,” Aleksi whispers “I’m happy to be home with you again.”

You smile against his chest whispering back “I’m happy your home too. I missed you so much.”

You fall asleep contentedly wrapped in Aleksi’s arm, a smile on both of your faces.