#love how everyone was no hesitation LUNDY

[ratatatastic]

very much thinking about mr beautiful beard over here not being able to help himself and tease forsy over his lacking facial hair not only once

(and its absolutely hysterical hes doing this while forsy is behind him just trying to mind his own business and dress down like girl leave him ALONE )

BUT TWICE because he really cant control himself and every 3rd word out of his mouth does in fact start with an f (for forsy)

also because of muzzy we know forsy gets really miffed about it XD

[minawritesfanfic]

You are who you eat

Dexter Morgan x Reader

Word count: 1.8k

Summary: You continue sending dexter treats as he tries (and fails) to find out your identity.

Part 3

Previous | Next

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

Dexter never could’ve imagined things in his life getting any worse than they already had, but life was cruel so of course it did. Rita had ended things with him after finding out about the overnight trip he took with Lila, just as he thought maybe there was a better future for him with Lila she went absolutely psycho and nearly got him killed by the same man who killed his mother, Lundy and his team were far too close to catching him than he was comfortable with, and Dexter still had no clue who this secret admirer who knew too much was that had continued to send him baked goods and notes. Despite all that the admirer that knew too much was likely the only thing that hadn’t been stressing him out as of late, surprisingly that is. Unlike everyone else they weren’t prying into his life or trying to control him, as far as he knew at least, rather it seemed they were simply interested in learning more and forming a friendship of sorts. One of mutual understanding as in one of their notes he had come to learn they also had unique after-hour hobbies, and from what they were letting on they had a code similar to his own. All of this only made Dexter even more curious about who this admirer was, unconsciously he craved to be understood by someone after what happened with his brother. It was all too perfect, especially if this admirer followed similar rules as he did maybe he would have a true friend that could understand him entirely. Dexter hadn’t realized it yet but he grew obsessed with the idea and spent each day eagerly waiting for another note and baked good, he had to admit that whoever this admirer was they were a damn good baker. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the attention, especially with the thrill of it being from someone like-minded. Even though it made his heart race when he received a note revealing they knew he was the Bay Harbor Butcher, Dexter nearly collapsed when he read it but it gave him an odd thrill that someone had so easily found him out and despite that continued to admire him from afar. Not to mention they flirted with him as well, Dexter would give anything to find out who this was but for now, he had hit a wall and could only wait for them to reveal themselves.

Admittedly, Dexter was a bit hesitant about this new love interest but considering how easy things were with them compared to the complex mess he had to deal with when it came to Lila and Rita. It wasn’t hard for him to warm up to the idea. Things with Rita were awkward and she kept pushing him away despite his explanations, and Lila had proven to be outright psychotic her actions only growing more and more outrageous. He needed someone mentally stable and less emotionally demanding, but also someone who understands him like this admirer. Something neither Lila nor Rita could do for him. Speaking of the devil, as Dexter starts to leave the department he frowns upon hearing Lila’s voice. He turns to see her surrounded by his coworkers laughing happily, if she couldn’t get through to him apparently she would go through to his friends.

“Ahah! Looks who’s come out of his cave?”

“Lila, what are you doing here?”

“She came to see me, bro.” Angel butted in with a proud grin on his face.

“Angel mentioned that he needed a decorator and well, a slot just opened up so I gave him a call.”

“I’ve always wanted a decorator,” Angel said with a grin his eyes glued onto Lila, Dexter pulled him off to the side away from the group, trying to warn him.

“Angel come here… she’s not really a decorator.”

“It’s not really my apartment that I want decorated.” Before Dexter could continue Lila came up behind them wrapping her arms over their shoulders.

“So hey, the boys here have persuaded me to go for a drink.”

“Or ten,” Angel playfully added and Dexter just stared back at him.

“Oh god, should I be worried?”

“Yes, you should,” Dexter said flatly as his eyes met Lilas but she only grinned and rubbed his nose with hers.

“Then maybe you should come with us, because who knows what secrets will come pouring out of me once the drinks start flowing.” She said as she entered the elevator but at the same time, an officer from another department stepped out, her brows furrowing slightly when she saw Dexter.

“Dexter Morgan? This is for you, and you better not break her heart got it?” The officer said narrowing her eyes as she handed him a cute mini drawstring bag of cookies with a note inside the bag rather than in one of the cookies, which was new.

No matter how complex the dessert they’d always managed to place it inside the goodie so maybe this note was something different. Dexter tucked the cookies into his pocket as he entered the elevator, which was when he realized Lila saw all of that. Dexter didn’t like the fact she had, because with the unstable behavior she was already showing who knows how she would react to more competition. Dexter glanced over at her and he could see the anger in her eyes and knew that this wasn’t going to end well.

★ ✮ ★

I was in the lobby just chatting with Jackie before she left work for the day, our idle small talk was just a cover so that I could maybe catch a glimpse of Dexter. To my surprise, he seemed less on guard about my notes, and I had a few guesses as to why. Primarily I assumed he finally realized I wasn’t a threat and had grown impartial to my notes, which meant it wasn’t fun for me anymore. It’s a tiny bit of a shame but I guess it is time to bring our game to an end, certainly glad I did something different with my note today. I had given him a note with a time, date, and place. We’d both had enough of the games and it was about time that we finally met.

Speaking of Dexter I watch as he and his team from homicide exit the elevator with a certain ‘skanky vampire’, according to Debra at least. The whole group was magnetized towards her, except Dexter who kept a very noticeable distance between them, pretty privilege is real but I guess there’s more to that pretty face from how he’s acting. Again our eyes met briefly for a moment and I just politely smiled and returned to my conversation, no need to raise any suspicion from him just yet. I watch out the corner of my eye as they leave the building, and of course, Jackie has to butt in.

“So how long are you going to do this secret admirer act, tits up and ask him out already!”

“Well you’re in luck I just did, I gave him some cookies and a note asking him to meet me somewhere.”

“Hooray! Oh my god please call me afterward and tell me all about it, don’t you dare leave out a single detail!” She said with an eager grin clapping her hands.

“I promise will, anyways I should probably get back to work. Drive home safely okay?”

She nodded and waved me off and we parted ways, I headed back into our office as I had been called in to do overtime. The system had been semi-frequently going haywire and they needed all computers working for whatever case they had begun to crack, though from the FBI agents lingering in the building much later than usual it wasn’t hard to guess which department had a breakthrough. I headed down to where the servers were to check on them, it was a short walk and I said a few goodbyes as others turned in for the night. Once I got to the room everything seemed to be in place but I double-checked anyway, and unfortunately for me, it seemed like a critter or two had gotten inside and had been nibbling away at the wires. I wrapped some electrical tape over the exposed parts of the wires as a temporary fix until I could call for pest control, but this meant I would have to replace some of the wires and disconnect some departments from the system. It wasn’t urgent though, the wires were still working as needed and as long as they didn’t chew through any wires things should be fine.

After handling the mess downstairs I started on a few miscellaneous tasks around the building, there wasn’t much for me to do which is why I hated being called in for overtime just in case something happened. I sighed as I spun around in my desk chair bored out of my mind, I had done literally everything I could at this hour. I even filed the paperwork for all the requests I’ve completed, even though doing so had made me drowsier than I already was. I decided to get some coffee to wake myself up, I stood and left the office and decided to head up to homicide. The FBI had been staying late so it was likely that they would have some fresh coffee I could ‘borrow’. I rode the elevator up to the next floor and casually walked into the department which was currently a ghost town minus the few agents and deputy chief conversing in the debriefing room, I just walked past them into the kitchen where thankfully there was a little bit of coffee left in the pot. I made myself a cup and leaned against the counter drinking it quietly, I hate when the station was like this. The silence always made me uncomfortable as it left me alone with my thoughts for too long, I could overthink and criticize all my actions up until this very moment with no distractions. I hated dwelling on them and always having someone I could chat with or have a conversation to eavesdrop on so that I could escape all the thoughts floating around in my head.

A welcome distraction came from Dexter Morgan and what appeared to be his FBI escorts, I watched as they brought him into the debriefing room. Thankfully the curtains were open and I could peek inside, they had Dexter sit down and were talking to him. I couldn’t make out what they were saying but it was likely about whatever was on the table in front of him, I decided to get out of there while they were still talking. I’d hate to get in trouble for snooping where I shouldn’t be, besides I think it’s almost time for me to go home anyway. As I walked out of the kitchen and passed the debriefing room I took one last glance inside, the thing they were talking about was some storage box with slides of blood inside.

“So those are your trophies….”

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (11/27/23)

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (6/10)

This book was just way too long for the story it was telling. It easily could have been 100 pages shorter. I did like a lot of the emotional moments concerning the romantic relationships, but there is so much filler that it just go incredibly boring at the end. Also, Cassandra Clare does this thing I like to call "no romance left behind" which is when everyone in a book is paired off by the end, even ones that don't really make sense or seem rushed, such as Gabriel and Cecily. The plot in this book was just overall lacking, coming off as extremely simplistic and far too convenient. Luckily, Tessa and her romantic relationships sort of saved the day; the epilogue did make me tear up, hence why this book is not dropping to a 4 or even 3.

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (9/10)

Continuing my Wayward Children run, Beneath the Sugar Sky is a really good installment. I love that we got the return of Kade and Christopher, who I missed, and the new characters, Cora and Nadya, are quite fun. Nancy was also there for a short time, and I loved seeing her in her element. I really liked Cora, who is great plus size representation and really addressed how being fat affects everything in our world and can worm into your brain. I am obsessed with the worldbuilding of Confection and the foray into how all the worlds are built and how they're laid out. I really hope there are more stories that involve visiting multiple worlds and exploring how they work.

Lodestar by Shannon Messenger (9/10)

This was an amazing installment in Keeper of the Lost Cities. It feels like something has truly changed for the first time in a while, instead of the back-and-forth that usually happens between the Black Swan and the Neverseen. Major developments occurred with terrible consequences for both sides, and we got what I would consider the first major character death as Calla in Neverseen had only been introduced that book. The relationship between Sophie and Keefe also developed quite a bit, and we got some real conflict within the group since the Alden debacle in Exile. Finally, there is some progress in the romance department. They're still, you know, like fourteen/fifteen, but considering how much this series hints at it, I'm glad we're starting to see concrete development. Finally, that ending had me gagged. Not only was the climax ridiculously tense but there is a twist at the end that made me immediately want to start Nightfall.

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (16%)

This book is hitting a little too close to home...as a goody-two-shoes reader who had like two friends growing up, Lundy feels like a callout. I am so excited to see a Goblin Market-based world, as I've read other books like that and they're always incredibly fun.

Cinder Ella by S. T. Lynn (8%)

This is part of a little project I'm doing, and I can't say much about it so far. I'm a little hesitant about the writing, as it has been clunky in a few places, but I'm really interested to see the story of Cinderella under a trans lens.

Rising Storm by Erin Hunter (7%)

I'm back on that Warriors grind, you guys. I swear I am going to read this entire series, even the later ones I never got to that are supposedly terrible. I also might be working on a project concerning them... Anyway, gotta love the Tigerclaw/ShadowClan foreshadowing.

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett (3%)

It's always thieves in high fantasy novels. I'm not sure what the obsession with them is, but I feel like 60% of high fantasy protagonists are thieves. Anyway, I'm loving the magic system so far, so hopefully the plot and characters will hold up!

[vexedtonightmares]

La Fin Des Temps Chapter 4 (Elu Hogwarts AU)

Lundi 9:46 - “Do you not want to hang out with me or something?”

Eliott’s idea had spread like wildfire around the school. Suddenly all anyone could talk about, pureblood, halfblood, and muggle born, was Daphné’s plan and what they were going to do with their phones. Lucas found it sort of ironic, actually, how Daphné’s fruitless attempts at fostering better relationships between students in other houses was actually working. He had to give it to her, when she put her mind to something, she got it done. It was times like this when he wondered how she had not been sorted into Slytherin.

Lucas himself had been a hatstall. Apparently the sorting hat had taken much longer to decide on his placement than was normal, debating between Slytherin and Gryffindor for a good five minutes. Truthfully, Lucas could have seen himself in either house, but Manon had already been sorted into Gryffindor at that point so he had asked the hat to let him decide, and he had chosen to be with her in Gryffindor.

Charles had been able to acquire quite a number of phones and they were being passed around like crazy. The meeting had only been on Friday and already Lucas couldn’t go a moment without seeing hints of the world he knew outside of school. Manon had pestered him about making an Instagram account, for Daphné’s sake, so he had, but he hadn’t posted anything yet. He wondered if Eliott had an account already, as he had been the one to suggest the idea, had said he’d gotten people at Beauxbatons to use the app.

“I think it’s funny,” Lucas heard Arthur say as he entered the room for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was speaking to Yann who was looking back at Arthur warily. They sat on either side of Lucas and filled him in on their conversation.

“Please tell Yann that ‘monvoisintuturo’ is a witty and unique name for my Instagram account,” Arthur said. Lucas raised his eyebrows appraisingly. He had seen Arthur comment on a few posts and had wondered why he had chosen that username.

“Mon voisin Tuturo?” he reiterated.

Arthur nodded, eyes widening as he waited for Lucas’ confirmation. On his other side, Yann shook his head in mock disapproval.

“Isn’t that a ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ reference? In French?” Lucas laughed.

“Yes. That is exactly what it is. And it’s the best username out of any of us,” Arthur said with a light smirk.

“You’re not French, you know that?” Lucas clarified. Arthur rolled his eyes in exasperation. “It’s the language of love Lulu! You don’t have a monopoly on an entire language, I don’t get mad at you for speaking English.”

Lucas scoffed. “I’m not mad, and if it was up to me I wouldn’t be speaking English at all, but given that Manon and I are the only French students here I’m not sure that would be the most reasonable way to communicate, ouais?”

“Mmm, don’t forget about Eliott,” Arthur reminded him, as if he hadn’t known that he was leaving Eliott out intentionally. “Speaking of…” Arthur carried on, “Did you know he has twenty-two thousand followers on Instagram?”

“Twenty-two thousand?” Lucas blurted before he could stop himself. How on earth did he have that many followers? Even if he’d used Instagram at Beauxbatons, there was no explanation. Suddenly Lucas was intimidated once again, which he knew was stupid, but he couldn’t help it. Even Yann looked impressed.

As if their conversation had summoned him, Eliott walked through the door at that moment, everyone’s eyes turning to him. His posture shrunk a little as he noticed this, keeping his head down until he sat down right behind Lucas. Arthur turned to Eliott immediately. “Your idea is taking off it seems.”

Eliott cast a glance around the room. “It sure does seem that way.”

“When were you going to tell me you’re famous?” Arthur joked, putting his hand to his chest in mock offense. Eliott slid a bit lower in his chair, but Lucas saw a mischievous grin slip onto his face. He met Lucas’ eyes briefly before answering Arthur.

“I’m not famous. I don’t follow anyone back on Instagram anyway, it’s more just for me,” he said, to which Yann and Arthur laughed.

“Tell that to the twenty-two thousand people who follow you,” Yann said, and Eliott smiled at him. Lucas couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed by what Eliott had said. It made sense, not to follow anyone, he supposed, but what about friends? He couldn’t just not follow Yann, or Manon, or even Daphné. Lucas really wanted to find Eliott’s Instagram now, just to see what kinds of things he posted. He was about to ask his username when Basile burst into the classroom, proclaiming for the boys to hear, “Daphné followed me back!”

“Hey, way to go!” Arthur exclaimed as Basile sat down, shooting Lucas a knowing look while their friend wasn’t paying attention. Of course Daphné would follow Basile back, she was following everyone back in the spirit of unity.

Basile jolted in his seat when he saw Eliott sitting behind them. In a not-so-quiet voice, he said, “Did you guys know he’s, like, famous? No posts, and he’s still famous. It’s unfair.”

No posts? Hadn’t Eliott said he’d used Instagram at Beauxbatons?

Yann shot Basile an exasperated look as Lucas glanced to see Eliott’s reaction. It just so happened at that moment that Eliott was glancing at him as well. His cheeks flushed bright red and he turned back to the front of the room more abruptly than necessary.

“Eh, well, whatever,” Basile carried on at a normal volume, turning to address Eliott, “Just because you’re famous it doesn’t mean you’re too cool to hang out with us, right?”

Lucas snapped his head back up to Basile, but it was Eliott who answered with a soft laugh, “What?”

“You’re new, you’re in our year, Arthur’s in your house, it makes sense right,” Basile explained.

“Plus you and Lucas are already friends,” Arthur added, raising one eyebrow at Lucas, who furrowed his own in response, shaking his head almost imperceptibly.

Eliott shifted in his seat, for a moment, mouth breaking into a hesitant grin, “You guys want me to hang out with you?”

“Don’t make it sound weird, we’re not some sort of cult or anything,” Arthur shrugged, but he was grinning too. Lucas didn’t know whether to be happy that his friends wanted to be friends with Eliott or not. Part of him wanted to hide Eliott up in his dormitory so no one could talk to him but Lucas, but the other part of him wanted an excuse to see Eliott more often when they weren’t in class.

Eliott laughed, resting his elbows on the table as he leaned towards them. “All right. I’ll join your cult.” His eyes were on Lucas as he spoke, so Lucas felt that he should provide some sort of reaction. Unfortunately, he couldn’t decide between a smile and a nod, so he ended up executing some combination of the two, smile too small and nod too big, making it look like he was about to slam his head on the table.

“Lulu, you good?” Yann said, biting his lips to keep from laughing. Lucas sighed in defeat. What was it about Eliott that made him incapable of existing like a normal human being?

“Yeah. I’m good,” he said shortly.

“Gang high five?” Basile cut in, raising both of his hands. Eliott began to lift one of his hands in response and was immediately stopped by the other three boys. Basile looked at them, betrayal written on his face. “Seriously guys?!”

“What’s wrong with high fives?” Eliott asked, clearly confused. Yann, Lucas, and Arthur all answered at the same time.

“We’re not a cult.”

“Basile doesn’t wash his hands.”

“If you give Basile a high five you may as well be committing to marry him.”

Basile scoffed at them. “I’m glad Eliott’s our friend now because you guys are just mean.”

“Aww, come on Baz, you know we loooove you,” Arthur cooed, leaning over to pat Basile’s curly hair. Basile batted Arthur’s hand away, but his face softened.

“Are you all going to sit with us at lunch, then?” Eliott asked, gesturing between him and Lucas. Lucas’ heart dropped. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sit with his friends, but lunch was sort of their thing, wasn’t it? Of course Yann would have joined them eventually, but adding Basile and Arthur made it feel less like Eliott had chosen to sit by him in particular. Like he would have chosen anyone.

Basile and Arthur exchanged a shrug. “It couldn’t hurt, I guess,” Arthur agreed.

Basile added on, clearly thinking of Daphné, “Especially in the name of inter-house unity.”

Their professor walked in at that moment and began the class. Lucas felt Eliott’s eyes on the back of his neck, but he refused to turn around. Clearly he had fooled himself into believing that he and Eliott had a connection, when the fact was that Eliott was just a new kid looking for friends and Lucas happened to be there at the right time.

When the class paired up to practice dueling, Lucas turned to Yann immediately, even though Eliott had opened his mouth to speak to him. Eliott was partnered up with Alexia instead because of the uneven number, and Lucas felt a pang of regret as he watched them walk away.

For the rest of the class he forced himself to focus on the spells, deflecting Yann’s with ease and even performing a couple passable nonverbal spells of his own. He almost forgot Eliott was there.

The minute they got out of class Lucas rushed out to the bathroom before any of his friends could ask where he was going. As he sat in one of the stalls, mind swimming with thoughts he didn’t want to be having, he put his face into his hands. It was going to be fine, he told himself. He’d had a crush on Yann during fourth year, and that had worn off. Granted, he had sabotaged Yann’s relationship with Emma in the process, but still, he could be friends, just friends, with Eliott.

He sighed, exiting the stall at last, and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. The red of his robes seemed to be mocking him, coward that he was. Maybe he should have been in Slytherin after all. Just as he was about to open the door to leave, someone walked in and he rammed right into their chest.

“Merde! Lucas, sorry about that!” Eliott exclaimed once they both regained their balance.

Lucas ran his hand through his hair, trying to look anywhere but Eliott’s face, shining like he had just won a prize. “All good, I should have watched where I was going.”

Eliott seemed to have nothing to say to that, awkward silence consuming them. They’d never had awkward silences in any of their conversations before, and Lucas wondered why it was happening now.

“Is everything ok?” Eliott asked at last. “You ran out of class so fast…”

Lucas gave Eliott a tight smile. “Yeah. Just had to… bathroom, you know…”

“Right.”

More silence ensued. Lucas finally found the courage to drag his gaze up to Eliott’s face, stunned to see that Eliott looked somewhat hesitant as well. Lucas never would have thought he was intimidating now.

“Do you not want to hang out with me or something?” Eliott asked quietly, leaning against the sinks.

Lucas was taken aback by the question. “What? Why would you think that?”

Eliott shrugged, widening his eyes slightly. “I don’t know. You just got all quiet when your friends were talking about hanging out with me, and you wouldn’t look at me or talk to me for the rest of class.”

“That’s not… I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to ignore you.” He had been though, and he was stunned Eliott even noticed. It gave Lucas a tiny bit of satisfaction, even though he knew it was probably because Eliott wanted to be friends with their whole group, and he couldn’t do that if Lucas was ignoring him.

“If you don’t want me to hang out with you and your friends, you can tell me,” Eliott continued, as if Lucas hadn’t spoken.

Lucas cut back in before Eliott could get too far ahead of himself, “No, no. That’s not-- that’s not what--” He didn’t entirely know what he was trying to say, and he could tell Eliott was as lost as he was. How could he say that he’d been acting weird because he wanted Eliott all to himself? He couldn’t, was the problem.

He floundered to come up with a passable excuse, letting words come out of his mouth before his brain had any time to process them. “My friends just… they can be a lot sometimes. I don’t want you to feel like you have to hang out with us, especially when you have, like twenty-two thousand other people to hang out with.”

Eliott looked down at the ground. “But I want to hang out with you.”

“Well, then, cool,” Lucas said with a falsely cheery voice. He really needed to get a grip. Eliott looked so sad, and he didn’t want to be the cause. “Do you have to get to class?”

Eliott shook his head, face still closed off. “No, I have a free period right now.”

“Oh, same with me. Did you, uh, need to use the bathroom?”

“No.”

Lucas nodded slowly. “Oh. Um, ok.”

Eliott met his eyes again. “I came here to find you.”

Lucas didn’t know what to say to that. Sighing, he gestured around the empty bathroom. “Well, here I am.”

“There you are,” Eliott agreed. Their eyes met in the mirror and it was like whatever sort of spell of discomfort that had settled over them had broken. Eliott cracked first, eyes softening as he laughed quietly, Lucas doing the same after a moment.

“Do you want to see something?” Eliott asked, startling Lucas slightly. Lucas nodded immediately, not caring if he seemed too eager. Instead of reaching into the bag he had placed on the floor, Eliott sat down and gestured for Lucas to join him, taking out a notebook. He flipped it open and Lucas saw a drawing of a raccoon surrounded by dark lines, which Eliott skipped past in favor of happier raccoon drawings.

“You really like raccoons, huh?” Lucas laughed, never taking his eyes off the drawings Eliott had crafted so carefully. “These are really good.”

“Thanks. It’s my patronus,” Eliott explained. Lucas nodded in acknowledgement, feeling the heat of Eliott’s stare on the side of his face.

Slowly, gently, he asked, “And me? How would you draw me?”

Eliott’s hand stilled from where he had moved it to flip another page in his notebook. Lucas looked up to meet his gaze. They looked at each other for a moment before Eliott broke contact, dropping his eyes to the page he had open. “I don’t know,” he said at last, “I have to think about it.” Another pause. “What’s your patronus?”

Lucas reddened and debated lying. The truth was that he had never successfully produced a patronus. He knew the spell and how it was supposed to work, but somehow it never did for him. It was an incredibly complex spell, sure, but it didn’t change the fact that he felt like a failure every time he saw Manon’s silvery lioness floating around.

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully.

“No?”

“I’ve never been able to make the spell work for me.” Normally he felt ashamed to admit it, but some part of him told him that Eliott would understand him without judgement, and he was right, for Eliott simply nodded and was silent for a moment, thinking.

“I could help you, if you want,” he offered.

Lucas looked up from where his gaze had been trained on the ground, meeting Eliott’s eyes through his eyelashes. “Really?”

“Sure. It’s the one spell I like to think that I’m pretty good at,” Eliott smiled.

Lucas smiled in return. “Thanks.”

Eliott shrugged like it was no big deal, but to Lucas it was. “Do you want to work on it this Saturday? I’m still getting the hang of things here, so I might be a little too busy during the week, but we can work on it all day Saturday if you like.”

“You aren’t going to Hogsmeade?” It was what most students did on the weekends when there were no Quidditch matches, after all.  

Eliott furrowed his brows and shook his head. “Hogsmeade?”

“Yeah, the village just outside the school grounds.”

Eliott shrugged, still looking a bit lost. Lucas continued, “Well, anyway, third years and up are allowed to visit the village on the weekends, get away from school for a bit. I guess I just figured you’d be going, if you have permission.”

“Permission?”

“Yeah, we all had to get our parents to sign permission slips before third year.”

“Oh. I don’t… No one have me a permission slip or anything…” Eliott revealed hesitantly. There was something in his eyes that made Lucas think he wasn’t being entirely truthful, but he decided not to press it.

“It doesn’t matter, I don’t have to go this weekend anyway,” he assured Eliott, who shook his head immediately.

“No, don’t change your plans on my account. We can work on it when you get back, or next week.”

“When I get back,” Lucas said quickly, coughing to cover his eagerness, “Definitely. We shouldn’t be there all day anyway.”

Eliott’s face broke into one of his wide, beautiful grins. “Perfect.”

“Perfect,” Lucas repeated, smiling just as wide.

The door slammed open at that moment, startling them to their feet, even if they weren’t technically doing anything wrong. A first year Hufflepuff looked up at them in fear before backing slowly into one of the stalls without taking his eyes off of them until he closed the door. Eliott and Lucas glanced at one another before breaking down into silent giggles, rushing out of the bathroom.

“Putain, he looked so scared,” Eliott laughed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

“I told you,” Lucas said between laughs, “It’s the fucking supermodel eyes.”

They both broke down into fits of laughter once more, Lucas pressing one hand to the wall to steady himself. Once they both got a hold of themselves Eliott looked down at Lucas with a soft grin.

“See you in potions then, yeah?”

Lucas checked the time on his phone, conveniently stored inside his robes. “There’s still plenty of time left in this period.”

When Lucas looked at him again Eliott had a sheepish expression on his face. “I may have lied.”

Lucas laughed again, brows twitching in confusion as Eliott continued, “I don’t actually have a free period right now.”

“Eliott, fuck!” Lucas exclaimed, shooing Eliott away. “Go to your class!”

“Yes, sir.” Eliott saluted him as he jogged down the hallway, throwing a glance back at Lucas as he went, smile beaming so wide on his face that Lucas was almost blinded. If Eliott kept going on like this, the sun would be out of a job soon.

Lucas watched him go until he rounded the corner. Once he was sure that Eliott was out of sight completely, Lucas’ face broke into an Eliott-wide grin. They were going to practice patronuses together, just the two of them.

It was hard for Lucas to keep the spring out of his step as he walked in the opposite direction, planning on spending the rest of his free period thinking about Eliott’s smile.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

AO3

[immoralrpg-blog]

Congratulations, BEX, you have been accepted for the role of ALECTO CARROW, with the faceclaim of BRIDGETTE LUNDY-PAINE. Bex, you captured the essence of Alecto perfectly! I adored the way you added complexity to Alecto’s harshness, and layers to her personality beyond ‘wild child’. Alecto’s relationship with her twin is a complicated one, and you managed to make it both loving and a little bittersweet at the same time. Well done! Please head along to the CHECKLIST for your next steps.

IC

CHARACTER NAME: Alecto Carrow

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cisgender female, she/her

FACECLAIM: Brigette Lundy-Paine, Adelaide Kane, Zoey Deutch ( I’m genuinely willing to play these, or any of the ones you listed within her skeleton if you’d rather those )

BIOGRAPHY:

Nature and nurture are curious things, especially when it comes to children and their own wickedness. Is someone destined to be cruel, to be harsh, from the very start? Or is it instead taught, learned and emulated by the children of wicked creatures? No matter the case, Alecto Carrow was caught and trapped in a web from her birth, silk strands twisting and shaping her into a model of Carrows who came before.

She can remember her first lessons as a child. When her gaze flitted towards the window or towards her brother, rough fingertips would grab her chin and face her forward once more. No matter who was speaking to her, all of her attention needed to be given to them. She learned this quickly. Wands were jabbed into the small of her back to ensure her shoulders were back – a Carrow couldn’t slouch – and more than once she was told to watch her tongue the moment her lips parted, as if a complaint was expected from her. Disrespect was not tolerated, and any expectation met less than perfectly was inexcusable. It was as simple as that.

But these spoken lessons were not all she learned. Silently, she stood by her brother’s side behind her parents when they were in Knockturn Alley or at the manor of another pureblood family. However, she was never absent-minded during these times, with her mind caught away in some childish fantasy. Alecto paid attention to her parents and grandparents alike, her gaze steely and with a determined focus. She emulated the way they raised their chins and looked down upon others; she learned to speak like them by echoing phrases she heard them utter. In the mirror, long after Amycus had gone to sleep, she looked at her reflection and tried to mimic the cool smile her mother wore; she hoped one day to wear the same sort of ferocity within her expression. On a child, these looks seemed precocious, but she grew into the countenance well.

With dark eyes and a smile that bordered on feral, there was always something almost ominous about Alecto. Most found it off-putting, but that never concerned her. She had her place in society, she had her brother as her dearest confidante – if someone could not put up with her callousness, her domineering nature, those were not the sort of people she needed to be around. Alecto never questioned what she was supposed to be. She wore her labels well: Carrow, Slytherin, Pureblood. These defined her, and from a young age she knew who she was expected to be come graduation.

Still, with naivete and youth, there came allures and vices. Once out from under the gazes of her guardians, Alecto blossomed under the dim lights of parties, alcohol running hot through her veins. She didn’t go out every night, but she didn’t hold herself back from letting go every once in a while.There was never any doubt she could be the life of party, unabashed and unashamed. With a smile, she could tip back a shot and not wince. With a laugh, she could lace her fingers around the neck of some pretty pureblood boy and have him whispering in her ear a moment later about how they could spend the night. There was a sharp dichotomy within Alecto: for the most part, she was a proud girl, a cruel and feral witch who met all expectations set and then exceeded them. But some nights, she transformed, losing her inhibitions. She was all smiles and glee, seeking the thrill only nighttime and youth could provide. This was the cycle she lived, and unlike her brother she didn’t falter.

And, for the longest time, she didn’t. Alecto was all but perfect. She might not have been as soft as some might have hoped, but she was a competent witch. She knew what it meant to be a Carrow, she knew what it meant to be a Pureblood. There was little tarnish to her reputation. But then the one thing that could ruin it all happened, and all the blame would be placed on her shoulders, she knew this for certain. It was a mistake – the alcohol, Lucius, the baby. Perhaps she should have put more credence into her grandmother’s words, maybe she should have been a little more careful. But she couldn’t undo this.

So she fixed it the only way she knew how. The abortion was her only option. No one questioned her being in Knockturn Alley, and the bag of galleons and the threat Alecto made ensured that the seedy potions seller would not go blabbing about the choice she made. Once it was done, it was done. She was determined to forget about it. No one else knew (though she wanted to tell Amycus with nearly every fiber of her being) and that was how it was going to stay. The idea of someone finding out made her feel like she was drowning, suffocating within fears that had never once risen within her before. She would not let herself be ostracized. It wasn’t real if she didn’t say the words out loud – this became her mantra. It wasn’t real. It didn’t happen. She was fine.

But still, she was rattled. The first time she saw Lucius after she had gone to Knockturn Alley alone, she turned on her heels and apparated away. Her heart was in her throat. She had no feelings for him (nothing more than admiration anyways, she told herself over and over – she knew too well he could never be hers). And then the words caught on her lips before she could say them aloud to her brother. Years ago, they swore no secrets, and the broken promise tastes bitter in her mouth. Besides him and Lucius, there was no one else who might deserve to know, no one she could possibly confide in.

To most, little will have appear to have changed within her. Alecto wears the same steely expression, the planes of her face harsh and her eyes narrow when her gaze falls upon someone, but there is a falter underneath the outer layer. As much as she wants to settle back within the role of perfect pureblooded witch, here is a hesitation within the formerly unshakable girl. Never once has she not had confidence within her immediate reaction, but she’s come to find herself stopping and thinking before simply reacting. Maybe it’s a good thing, maybe it isn’t, but she can’t help but see it as weakness. Where did the blunt harshness go? When did her razor-edged tongue go dull? There is a nervousness, an uncertainty. As much as she is hoping it’s hidden, the worry someone will claim she’s gone soft lingers. She’s still Alecto, isn’t she? She would love to say yes, but even she can’t say she’s the same girl she was just a month ago.

QUESTIONNAIRE

describe your secret in your own way.

She is sitting up straight in her chair, her back as straight as a ramrod. There is an absent expression on her face, and the blankness is unnerving. There is no use lying but her hands are clenched into fists, her knuckles white and her nails digging thin crescents into her hand. The uncomfortableness she feels is nearly palpable to everyone else. “I was pregnant.” Alecto says it bluntly, her voice matter-of-fact. “But then I took care of it.” Where her voice was steady before, there was a wobble when the word ‘it’ passed through her lips.

The muscle in her jaw twitches before she raises her eyebrows. “Do you want more specific details?” It’s instinct for her to be on the defense. “Would you like me to tell you everything I drank? The few shots of vodka? And then the firewhiskey? I had shot after shot, and then I kissed Lucius Malfoy. After, he fucked me in his bed. Did your mum never teach you about the birds and the bees? Is that why you’re curious?”

your family life. how’s it like?

( I wrote this as a little drabble and not quite as a response, but there are at least three written as an answer to the qeustion. I hope that’s okay. )

How Amycus manages to apparate into their home while drunk is something she’ll never understand. But he does it, and every night she’s waiting for him. Her knees are tucked up in front of her, and her head is resting on the arm of the sofa. It’s the sound of breaking glass that wakes her up. Her eyes fall on him, then the broken bottle at his feet, and finally the land on the door that leads out of the sitting room. She hopes that it wasn’t loud enough to wake anyone else. They wouldn’t react well, and her nerves can’t handle the shouting.

She stands up, picking her wand off of the side table (next to it was a glass of water and the magazine she had been flipping through idly waiting for Amycus to come home) and she points it towards the bottle. She mumbles a reparo before reaching for it. There’s no more glass, but she’s too tired to care about the spilt alcohol right now. She’d clean it herself in the morning, not doubting that the house elves would report the incident to her mother.

Alecto tucks her wand in her pocket before wrapping her arm around her brother’s shoulders. “C’mon, Am – ” his weight is on her as she leads him to the other end of the sofa. He’s going on about the party he was at, and she can’t help the small smile that comes to her face. As much as she’d rather him be sober, at least they’re talking. There are times during the day that she can’t find the words. Sometimes, it’s easier to say nothing.

Finally, they’re both on the sofa. Him sprawled out on most of it, and her having returned to her previous spot. “Drink this.” He obliges as she hands him the water, and then they’re both in silence. She stares at her brother, whose eyes are half shut.

“Hey, Amycus?” She pauses before saying, “Can I ask you something?”

He says yes, it’s more of a mumble really, and she knew that he would. No secrets. They’ve never had secrets. He knew when she kissed Rosier her third year, she took the fall when Slughorn caught him with firewhiskey in his bag. They never worried about what the other thought before, knowing that the other had their back. Alecto doesn’t understand  know why she was so nervous.

A few minutes pass and then she says, “Am, I did something bad. I did something so bad.” Her hands are trembling, and she’s biting her lip so hard she tastes blood. When she turns to look towards him, she’s both relieved and upset to see that he’s fallen asleep.

He won’t know her secret tonight.

“Your brother never came home last night.”

She looks up from her breakfast towards her mother and she shakes her head. “No, he did.” She reaches for her pumpkin juice, taking a sip. “You must not have heard him.” Her voice is light. “It was just after nine. I heard him come in through the back door.”

Alecto’s face wrinkles with distaste as she continues, “I think he was worried that he might wake you or father coming in the front. Merlin knows the boy can’t come inside without sounding like a herd of hippogriffs.” She rolls her eyes.

“He spoke to me a bit before he went to read in the sitting room. I think Mulciber recommended him something to read, him or Lucius, or maybe it was even Regulus. Mrs. Black sends her regards by the way, I spoke to her the other day” She gives an airy wave, seeming indifferent. “Am and I didn’t talk about anything important.”

She wishes that they did.

expand on one ( or more ) of your connections. tell us about them. your relationship with them.

“Oh, I’m sure Mulciber would have loved to keep playing with his little toy himself,” she simpers, her head tilting to the side as she considers Mary Macdonald, “but I’m having my own fun with her now.” The mudblood girl is nothing short of an amusement to Alecto, and she’s glad that Mulciber left her her. There’s a holiness to Mary, something good and something pure, and in comparison the Carrow is rotten to the core. She could choke herself thinking about the Gryffindor for too long, but when no one else is around Alecto can’t help but relish in the flash of fear she sees in the others eyes no matter how brief it is. She’ll walk by her, slamming her shoulder into the girl just to have Mary look over and see who it was. She’ll shoot a wicked smile just in hopes of bringing worry into the other’s heart.

“Still, he won’t be pleased to know he didn’t break the poor thing completely –” her tone is mocking but it’s not clear who she’s making fun of. Maybe it’s both. “She’s got a spine, that one. Honestly, I was surprised to find that out. Who would have thought that little mouse Macdonald could speak up for herself?” Alecto’s smile twists into something harsh before she shakes her head. “Shame it’s a little too late for that to have happened. The target on her back is there to stay.”

what side are you on? order of the phoenix? death eaters? neutral? Why?

“It’s no secret that my parents respect Lord Voldemort.” The fact she uses his title should not go unnoticed, and the fact she uses it with such ease should be noted upon as well. She shrugs her shoulders slightly before saying, “I would never say they were wrong in doing so either. In fact, I rather think it’s noble what he’s doing.” She sniffs, her lips twisting into a sneer as she folds her arm across her chest. “Why should we act like those muggleborns are the same as us? Our families are centuries old. We know our history, we respect it. They act all high and mighty when it’s a miracle they can even hold a wand the right way.”

what do you smell in amortentia?

“The smell of iron and rust. Saltwater.” These aren’t unusual smells, though someone might cast the girl a strange look at the former. Still, she is a Carrow. She leans in over the cauldron once more, taking in a deep breath. Her jaw clenches and her eyes have focused on a point on the table in front of her. The reluctance she is feeling is clear, and after what seems like forever, she finally speaks, “A men’s cologne – cardamom and mint. I think there’s cedar in it in well.” She knows who wears that particular scent. She would rather die than say his name aloud.

what’s your boggart?

“Amycus hurt – or worse.” Her chin is raised, just daring the interviewer to pry.

It isn’t a lie, not technically. It was her boggart. But she had come across one within an older, rarely-used part of her family home. Instead of Amycus lying dead, she was horrified to see him standing in front of her, Lucius and Narcissa by his side. Even the younger Black boy was there, standing not too far behind. None of them were hurt, instead they jeered at her. They called her awful names, they said that she was ruining tradition, they said it was her mistake. Tongue-tied, she argued, saying half the blame is on Lucius. Even she knew that no one would dare put blame on him if the truth came out. Nearly an entire minute past of her dealing with those abuses passed, and finally she brought herself to cast a riddikulus. She walked away with tears brimming in her eyes and her fists clenched at her side.

“Is that a surprise to you?” Her eyes narrow, and the urge to keep going is burning on her tongue. She knows she shouldn’t over-explain herself, but it’s hard not to. “He’s my brother. He knows me better than anyone.” An uncomfortable feeling has settled in her stomach. He does know her best, and he did once know everything about. Maybe they’ve grown apart, but she would still swear she would give up her life for his. Her voice grows soft, “He’s my best friend.” She hopes that is still true.

[montrealjobsx]

Assembleur

Tu as une personne qui se considère ''manuelle''? Tu adore bricoler et te servir d'outil de toute sortes. Tu es à la recherche non d'un travail, mais d'une carrière? Nous voulons te rencontrer! Nous avons une opportunité permanente à plein de temps de jour en tant qu'assembleur pour notre entreprise spécialisée dans la conception de porte de garage industriel situé à St-Hubert. Ce que nous t'offrons en tant qu'assembleur: Un salaire compétitif entre 16$ et 18$ / heure selon ton expérience. Un horaire de jour du lundi au vendredi de 8:00 à 16:30. Être en congé pendant les deux semaines de la construction ainsi que la semaine entre noël et le jour de l'an. Si tu as entre 1 et 2 ans d'expérience avec un emploi en usine, que tu as une bonne forme physique (sans être pour autant un athlète olympique), tu sais te servir d'un marteau et que par-dessus tout, tu habites la rive-sud et que tu es '' PU '' capable de traverser les ponts matin et soir, nous sommes situés à Saint-Hubert, sur la Rive-Sud, à 25 minutes du Centre-Ville de Montréal. Ton rôle en tant qu'assembleur: participer à toutes les étapes de création et d'expédition des pièces et des portes de garage de niveau industriel. Nos clients sont des organismes gouvernementaux qui exigent des portes sécuritaires, des portes acoustiques coupe-son, des portes balistiques (anti balle) et portes résistantes à l'impact Tous ces genres de portes, nous la construisons sur mesure pour nos clients. Ce que nous cherchons : ''Tu es allumé (capacité d'apprentissage) ''Polyvalent ''Tu fais preuve d'initiative ''On te considère un joueur d'équipe (nous sommes une petite entreprise à l'esprit familiale, tout le monde s'entraide) ''Tu sais prendre et effectuer des mesures autant par le système impérial (pied et pouce) que métrique (cm et mètres) ''Tu es manuel et sait faire la différence entre un tournevis et un marteau (semble qu'il faut l'indiquer…un candidat tapait sur un clou avec un tournevis…ce n'est même pas une blague) Tu es la personne que l'on recherche en tant qu'assembleur? Postule dès maintenant! Si l'une de ces qualifications te rends hésitant à postuler, fait-moi parvenir tout de même ton CV au www.adecco.ca et il me fera plaisir de considérer d'autres opportunités pour toi. Travaillez heureux, vivre mieux! Are you a person who considers himself ''manual''? You love to use all kind of tools. You not looking for a job, but a career? We want to meet you! We have a permanent opportunity, full-time, day shift as an assembler for our company specialized in industrial garage door design located in St-Hubert. What we offer you as an assembler: A competitive salary between $ 16 and $ 18 / hour depending on your experience. A daytime schedule from Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 16:30. Be on leave during the two weeks of construction as well as the week between Christmas and New Year. If you have between 1 and 2 years of experience in a factory job, if you have a good physical form (without being an Olympic athlete), you know how to use a hammer and that above all, you live the south shore and you ''Can no longer stand being stuck in traffic trying to cross the biridges day and night'' , we are located in Saint-Hubert, on the South Shore, 25 minutes from downtown Montreal. Your role as an assembler: participate in all the stages of creation and shipping of parts and garage doors of industrial level. Our clients are government agencies that require safe doors, sound-proofing acoustic doors, ballistic (anti-bullet) doors, and impact-resistant doors. All these kinds of doors, we build it for our clients. What we are looking for: ''You are a fast learner ''Versatile ''You show initiative ''You consider yourself as a team player (we are a small company with a family spirit, everyone helps each other) ''You know how to take and measure both imperial (foot and inch) and metric (cm and meters) ''You are manual and can tell the difference between a screwdriver and a hammer (seems it's mandatory to indicate it ... a candidate was typing on a nail with a screwdriver ... it's not even a joke) Are you the person you are looking for as an assembler? Apply now! If any of these qualifications make you hesitant to apply, please send me your CV at www.adecco.ca and I will be happy to consider other opportunities for you. Work happily, live better!

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8136582 https://ift.tt/2PyLlyZ via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8136582> Assembleur

[lestandys]

Nouvelles du projet d'implantation d'Eglise à Saint-Lazare / Update on the Paris Saint-Lazare church plant

ENGLISH BELOW

Bonjour !

Certains se sont plaints (à juste titre) de l’absence d’une version française de notre dernière lettre de nouvelles. Alors voici quelques nouvelles du projet d’implantation d’Eglise dans le quartier Saint-Lazare de Paris ... dans la langue de Molière cette fois-ci !

... Le chemin parcouru jusqu'ici …

La première phase de l'année, lors de laquelle nous avons visité en équipe nos églises pour nous faire connaître et faire connaître le projet, s'est terminée à la fin février.

Nous avons été profondément encouragés par le désir de partenariat de chacun, et de voir comment déjà certains ont manifesté le désir de réfléchir à nous rejoindre sur le projet.

Depuis la rentrée de janvier nous nous sommes réunis trois fois dans le cadre de notre programme de 'réunions d'implantation.' Ces rendez-vous ont pour objectif de permettre à des personnes déjà chrétiennes de mûrir leur réflexion en vue d'un engagement éventuel au sein de la future Eglise Saint-Lazare.

Nos premières réunions ont rassemblé une trentaine d'adultes et une dizaine d'enfants et adolescents pour un temps d'écoute et d'échanges autour de la lettre aux Philippiens. Les participants viennent d'au moins 6 églises différentes en région parisienne, que nous remercions de leur soutien, exprimé de diverses manières, vis à vis de ce projet.

Nous remercions le Seigneur pour ces moments bénis, et nous nous réjouissons d'avoir pu faire la connaissance des membres de ce petit groupe en cours de formation.

Merci de garder ces réunions et ce petit groupe dans vos prières. Merci de prier pour que Dieu nous façonne en vue de son œuvre dans ce quartier et au-delà, et pour qu'il aide chacun à prendre la bonne décision : soit rejoindre l'église saint-Lazare, soit la soutenir tout en restant dans son église locale.

... Regard vers les mois à venir …

La dimension missionnaire est au cœur de notre projet d'église.

Au cours des prochains mois, tout en poursuivant le programme des réunions d'implantation (qui auront lieu d'ici à l'été), nous prévoyons plusieurs événements pour favoriser le témoignage de l'évangile dans le quartier Saint-Lazare et au-delà.

Notamment, nous organisons le lundi de Pâques (le 17 avril) et le lundi de Pentecôte (le 5 juin) une 'table ouverte' d'évangélisation ; un repas convivial accompagné d'une courte intervention, auquel les participants des réunions d'implantation sont encouragés à inviter leurs amis.

Merci de noter la date de cette 'table ouverte', et de prier :

Pour que les invités soient nombreux 

Pour que l'annonce de l'évangile soit claire 

Pour qu'un zèle pour le témoignage s'enracine dans l'ADN de cette assemblée naissante 

Pour que nous trouvions une salle adaptée pour accueillir cet événement !

Puisque nous parlons de notre recherche d'une salle 

La question du lieu de nos réunions et autres événements commence à devenir prioritaire (nous nous réunissons pour l'instant chez la famille Koning). A ce propos, nous vous serions reconnaissants de prier pour :

- Un rendez-vous avec la Maire du 9e arrondissement le lundi 6 mars pour présenter le projet et pour évoquer la question de notre recherche d'un local 

- La recherche d'un lieu de rassemblement (dans l'idéal dans le triangle Gare Saint Lazare - Madeleine - Opéra)

Nous vous sommes extrêmement reconnaissants pour vos prières et votre soutien.

En nous réjouissant des liens qui nous unissent, nous vous souhaitons, chers amis, une très bonne fin de semaine.

Joe, Anne-Sophie, Lucie & Emma

***

Si vous aimeriez participez aux réunions d’implantation, voici le calendrier : https://www.facebook.com/eglisesain...

Contactez-nous directement pour en savoir plus ... et n’hésitez pas à ‘liker’ notre page Facebook !

ENGLISH

Hello everyone, we hope you’re well.

A fair bit has happened over the last few months, so we thought it was time for a fresh update on things here in Paris, where we’re involved in trying to plant a church in the Saint-Lazare area.

The story so far...

We spent the period from September to February visiting other Paris churches in an effort to drum up support for the church plant. We were encouraged by the welcome we received and for the support and willingness to enter into partnership that these congregations expressed.

Then after a launch event before Christmas, we started fortnightly core team meetings on Saturday afternoons for people considering serving as part of the future congregation. 

These have been exciting times! The first meetings have brought together around 30 adults and 10 children from half a dozen Paris churches. It’s been great to see how God is already shaping our thinking as a group as we’ve begun going through the book of Philippians together.

Please keep this group in your prayers. In particular, please pray that God will help people decide how they can best advance the cause of the gospel, be it by staying in their existing churches, be it by committing to join the church plant.

Looking ahead...

Local mission is at the heart of this project.

While trying to build relationships with local residents, we’re also planning a number of outreach events which we hope members of the core group will use to invite friends, colleagues and family.

Two dates are in the diary for evangelistic lunches: Easter Monday (17 April) and Pentecost Monday (5 June), both of which are public holidays on France.

Please pray for:

lots of guests

a clear gospel presentation

a zeal for evangelism to take root in the core group

the right venue

While we’re on the topic of venues...

So far our meetings have taken place at (our colleagues) the Koning family’s apartment. However, it seems we may need a bigger space sooner rather than later!

We’d be grateful if you’d pray for:

a meeting with the local mayoress to present the church plant and broach the question of a venue Monday 6 March

the right venue in the right place for the right price!

We’re really grateful for your prayer support. We’d also love to hear from you! Please don’t hesitate to drop us a line.

Joe, Anne-Sophie, Lucie & Emma

P.S. Why not like the project’s Facebook page?

[vexedtonightmares]

La Fin Des Temps Chapter 15 (Elu Hogwarts AU)

Jeudi 16:12 - “Lucas?”

Samedi 17:27

lucallemant: Fuck, I still have paint everywhere

srodulv: :)))))

lucallemant: ?

srodulv: i can help you with that

lucallemant: You know I can’t turn down such an offer

lucallemant: I can sneak us into the prefect’s bathroom

lucallemant: Manon gave me the password ;)

srodulv: god bless manon

Dimanche 8:44

lucallemant: ELIOTT

lucallemant: DELETE YOUR STORY RIGHT NOW

lucallemant: I DON’T NEED 22K PEOPLE SEEING ME IN MY UNDERWEAR COVERED IN PAINT

srodulv: *26k

lucallemant: FUCK

lucallemant: ELIOTT

srodulv: i posted it yesterday how are you just seeing it?

srodulv: i tagged you

srodulv: you’re famous now too from what i can tell ;)

lucallemant: Your fault

lucallemant: There’s no way 13,226 people find me interesting

srodulv: you’re right, they probably just think you’re hot

srodulv: can’t blame them

srodulv: ooh maybe they think you’re an instagram model

lucallemant: A what now?

srodulv: it’s best you don’t know

lucallemant: Ok…

lucallemant: I’m still mad at you though. Come cuddle me right now and all will be forgiven

srodulv: so demanding

lucallemant: I’m waiting…

srodulv: psssh, i never said i wasn’t on my way

Lundi 14:28

lucallemant: Daphné liked the mural

lucallemant: Not gonna lie I was a bit worried

srodulv: who wouldn’t love it? it’s perfect

lucallemant: I mean, we did fuck against it, so like, there’s that

srodulv: what they don’t know won’t hurt them

lucallemant: Are you kidding? They definitely know. Did you see the look Imane gave me?

srodulv: she always looks at you like that

lucallemant: No, she always looks at me like she wants to murder me, this was more of a 0_0, you know?

srodulv: i’d say that’s an improvement then

lucallemant: No, I prefer when Imane looks like she wants to murder me, that’s how I know she actually likes me more than she wants to admit

lucallemant: Wait, you know Imane don’t you?

srodulv: uh… yes? we share quite a few classes…

lucallemant: No, sorry, I meant knew her before you came here

srodulv: why would you say that?

lucallemant: She told me you were friends with her brother, plus he always comments on your Instagram posts

srodulv: we’re not friends anymore

lucallemant: Oh, sorry, I had no way of knowing… plus he always seems friendly on Insta… I think he followed me actually

srodulv: he doesn’t want to be my friend, don’t trust everything you see on social media

srodulv: don’t talk to imane about him please

lucallemant: I won’t… but I’m here if you ever want to talk about it

lucallemant: When you’re ready

srodulv: thanks

srodulv: i mean it

Mardi 18:30

srodulv: i’m really fucking horny

lucallemant: Uh… ok… hello to you too

srodulv: oh yeah, sorry, hello

srodulv: i’m horny

srodulv: ;)

lucallemant: Very forward today aren’t we?

srodulv: can’t help myself around you

lucallemant: I want to be of assistance but I’ve gotta finish this assignment

srodulv: you can finish it laterrrrrr

lucallemant: Ok, you win

lucallemant: <3

srodulv: room of requirement ?

lucallemant: Duh

lucallemant: I’m bringing Ouba she’s bored

srodulv: i’ll bring brian

lucallemant: Nooooooooo

Mercredi 3:51

srodulv sent a photo

srodulv: do you like it?

srodulv: i’m quite proud if I say so myself

srodulv: little hedgehog

srodulv: we should go back to the forest to find choupi

srodulv: keep him as a pet

srodulv: even better, we find choupi and a raccoon to keep

srodulv: you can keep the raccoon, i’ll keep choupi, that way we always have a little bit of each other

srodulv: i’m sure brian would love choupi

srodulv: not to eat, if that’s what you’re thinking

srodulv: oh, you’re asleep aren’t you?

srodulv: sleep is for the weak

srodulv: just kidding ;)

srodulv: sleep well choupi superior <3

Mercredi 7:26

lucallemant: Dude do you ever sleep

srodulv: i told you, for the weak

lucallemant: Ha ha

lucallemant: Two things- 1. We are not adopting choupi and a raccoon, raccoons aren’t even pets, 2. See you in the great hall for breakfast

srodulv: see you there :)

lucallemant: :)

Jeudi 12:20

srodulv: your potion isn’t doing so hot

lucallemant: Shut up

lucallemant: At least I’m trying and not making Imane do all the work

lucallemant: Harriet looks like she’s going to hex you

srodulv: oh, right, fuck

lucallemant: Lol

srodulv: want to hang out after classes?

lucallemant: Of course <3

lucallemant: Now get to work, you heathen

Lucas was laying with his back against Eliott’s chest, between his legs, while both of them sat backed up against a tree. The position shouldn’t have been comfortable at all, but Lucas didn’t care much as long as he was with Eliott. He’d quickly become fascinated with tracing the veins on Eliott’s hands and forearms as he had wished to do a few weeks before when the two of them were alone in his dormitory. He caught sight of Daphné and the girls walking across the lawn and called out to them.

“Hey Daphy!” She turned around, face going bright red when she noticed who was calling her attention. “Stalker!” he called, feeling Eliott’s chest rise and fall with laughter behind him. The girls changed their course and came to sit down by where Eliott and Lucas were already seated.

Lucas gave Daphné a pointed look which she returned with a widening of her eyes and a small shrug. “What? You guys are couple goals. How can I not capture that? Besides, you let Imane post that picture on Monday!”

“You could ask,” Lucas suggested, but truthfully he didn’t care all that much. Let the whole world see how in love he was with his beautiful boyfriend.

“All right,” Alexia cut in, “Do we all have your express permission to post pictures of the greatest couple in existence from now on, then?”

“Of course,” Eliott said without hesitation, humor in his voice. Lucas tipped his head back and gave Eliott a pouty face, which Eliott returned with a quick peck on his lips. Lucas’ face split into a wide grin, humming to ask for another kiss, forgetting they were in the middle of a conversation with five other people. Eliott obliged, of course, earning a chorus of sighs that ranged from exasperation from Imane to infatuation from Lucas himself. Lucas raised his eyebrows again, but Eliott just laughed and tilted his head forwards, returning Lucas’ attention to the girls.

Manon gave him a small self satisfied smile and Lucas narrowed his eyes at her. Shut up, he told her through his mind, hoping they’d mastered the sibling art of speaking without saying a word. She raised her eyebrows innocently like she had absolutely no idea why he was glaring at her.

Imane’s phone chimed and she looked down at it for a moment before rolling her eyes and lying back on the grass. She poked her head back up once she realized everyone was looking to her for an explanation. “All of your friends are here,” Alexia pointed out, and Imane swatted her with a grin as she sat back up.

“I’ll have you know I have quite a few muggle friends,” she argued, pointedly ignoring their disbelieving stares. “Regardless, that was just my stupid brother.”

Lucas felt Eliott tense slightly behind him, but Lucas continued tracing his veins, not wanting Eliott to think he’d noticed the shift. He knew Eliott needed time to open up now, and he wanted to make sure he was supportive without being overbearing.

“Oh yeah? What did he want?” Emma asked casually, peeling strands of grass from the ground and tying them together mindlessly.

Imane grimaced back at her phone. “He wants to visit this weekend, which would be fine if he wasn’t so annoying about it. He wants to know if there’s going to be a party and if he should invite his friends to come with.”

“Yes to both,” Emma answered without hesitation, turning to Daphné hopefully.

Daphné furrowed her brows. “Why are you looking at me?”

“Because you’re the only one who could throw a Beauxbatons worthy party,” Alexia said matter-of-factly.

Daphné looked a bit pleased, but she still argued. “That’s not true, that’s Eliott’s domain.”

Eliott’s muscles clenched, startled at being called out. Lucas shifted his position a bit to look up at Eliott, monitoring his face. It was far more closed off than usual. “Wrong again, I didn’t party much at Beauxbatons. This is more up your alley. Maybe you could turn it into a unity event,” Eliott suggested, lightness to his voice that sounded natural to everyone except Lucas and, from the looks of it, Imane. Daphné simply smiled at the praise.

“Well all right… but you have to tell Charles to spread the word,” Daphné pleaded, addressing Manon.

Manon laughed. “I’ll see what I can do,” she promised, “Is Sofiane coming?”

Imane’s eyes widened and she turned to Manon in alarm, eyes screaming for Manon to shut up. Alexia perked up. “Sofiane?”

“Is he the one who’s always all over your Instagram?” Emma asked Imane excitedly. Imane didn’t deign to respond, but her silence was answer enough. Alexia and Emma exchanged a glance, small smiles forming.

“Yes, he’s coming,” Imane relented at last. The girls squealed around her as Imane rolled her eyes once more. “If you all don’t shut up I’m hexing you and disinviting you to the party.”

“Can’t do that, it’s my party now,” Daphné said in a sing-song voice. Imane laughed quietly, not bothering to argue further. If Sofiane was who Lucas thought he was, Eliott knew him too. The way Sofiane acted on Eliott’s Instagram made it seem like they were friends as well, but Eliott’s silence was thick in the air around them.

Lucas noticed Imane and Eliott exchange a glance, her face worried, and he began to wonder if she knew something he didn’t. He decided not to bring up the subject now, but he would have to get some answers before the weekend, especially if they were all going to be hanging out.

“Come on girls, let’s leave these two lovebirds alone,” Imane said suddenly, standing up and beckoning the others to follow.

“But we just got here,” Daphné whined. Imane didn’t relent, locking her in with an unamused stare. “Ugh, fine,” Daphné agreed, standing with the others. Imane hung back a moment as the rest of the girls started to walk away, turning to Eliott.

“Idriss said he’s excited to see you,” she said.

Eliott’s voice was cold and mechanical. “I don’t know if I’ll see him. I have something else going on this weekend.”

“You do?” Lucas asked, turning his head up in confusion. Eliott softened slightly when he looked down at Lucas.

“Yes,” he said, “It was supposed to be a surprise, though.”

Lucas’ heart warmed at the thought of Eliott planning a surprise for him. There were definite limits to what they could do while they were at school, but it was nice to know that Eliott cared enough to do something like that for him. Truthfully, he wouldn’t have minded going to whatever party Daphné was going to plan, but a surprise from Eliott topped that any day.

“Lucille’s coming, too,” Imane added hesitantly. Eliott merely nodded.

“Cool,” he said.

Imane narrowed her eyes. “Cool?”

“Yup. I still have plans.”

She sighed. “Ok, let me know if plans change, I’m sure Idriss and Sofiane would want to catch up if you have time.” Waving goodbye to Lucas, she set off back for the castle, hurrying to catch up to where the other girls were laughing together on their way inside.

Lucas turned around fully, leveling Eliott with a stare that he knew his boyfriend couldn’t resist. Eliott positioned them so their legs were wrapped over and under one another, still leaning back against the tree while Lucas leaned back to rest his hands on the ground, not tearing his gaze away from Eliott even for a moment.

Eliott sighed. “Just say what you have to say.”

“You’re planning me a surprise?” Lucas asked, surprising both himself and Eliott. He couldn’t bring himself to ask the questions he really wanted to ask. Eliott’s demeanor changed immediately, relaxing back into himself, vibrant grin returning in full force.

“I am,” he confirmed.

“Can I have a hint?”

Eliott looked at him like he had just asked Eliott to tap dance naked at the top of the Astronomy tower. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“Surprises stress me out,” Lucas whined, not caring that he sounded a bit like Daphné.

Eliott laughed softly at him. “Your hint is that you’ll love it.”

“That’s not even a hint!”

“That’s the most I’ll give you.” Eliott leaned forward and took Lucas’ face into his hands, pressing a gentile kiss to his lips. “I promise you’ll love it.”

“I’d better,” Lucas said stubbornly, Eliott leaning in again to shut him up with another kiss. One thought was floating around in his mind that he couldn’t ignore. He debated the best way to ask without scaring Eliott away. “Lucille isn’t your ex-girlfriend, is she?”

Eliott blinked in surprise at the question before hunching over in laughter. Ok, that was a promising reaction. When Eliott came back to himself he nodded seriously. “Yes.”

Now it was Lucas’ turn to blink in surprise, but Eliott laughed again. “When we were twelve,” he continued, “I think we might have gotten married, but I don’t think it was legally binding.”

Lucas rolled his eyes, anxiety evaporating from his body. “Shut up,” he said lovingly. “You don’t want to see her?”

“We grew apart,” Eliott said with a slight frown.

“The same way you and Idriss did?” Lucas asked before he could stop himself.

Eliott shook his head. “Not quite. Lucille still tries to talk to me from time to time, but she’s less of a friend than a second mom now. I don’t need that.”

“So I don’t have to worry about her trying to steal you away from me?” Lucas asked, pretending he was joking, not wanting Eliott to know the genuine fear the question had stemmed from.

Eliott pulled Lucas’ face to his so their foreheads were touching, gazes locked on one another, unwavering. “No one could ever steal me away from you. I promise. I’m yours for however long you’ll have me.”

“How about forever?” The words were out before he could stop them. Something shifted in Eliott’s gaze, like he wanted to flinch away but couldn’t bring himself to. Lucas didn’t know if he should be worried about it or not. Forever was a lot to ask, after all.

“Forever is fleeting.”

Lucas laughed, not daring to look away. “No it’s not. Forever is forever.”

Eliott seemed to consider this a moment. “In all the universes?”

“Yes.”

Eliott smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. It was almost as if there were thoughts weighing as heavily on his mind as on Lucas’. Lucas didn’t want to interrupt if Eliott wanted to say something, so he tried to convey with his eyes that Eliott could say anything he wanted.

“Lucas…” Eliott began, voice low and rough. He blinked, gaze straying from Lucas’ eyes before finding them again. “I have to tell you something.”

Lucas tried not to react, stomach feeling like it had dropped to his feet. “Ok.”

“I--” Eliott cut himself off, running his teeth across his bottom lip, looking about as nervous as Lucas felt. What did he have to be so afraid of? I’m always afraid, Eliott’s voice told him in his mind, But never with you. But they were together right now, weren’t they? Eliott looked terrified.

“Hey, are you all right?” Lucas asked in a soft voice, not wanting to disturb Eliott’s thoughts, but also wanting to make sure he shouldn’t be afraid. Eliott closed his eyes a moment, breathing in through his nose, out through his mouth. When he opened his eyes he looked like he’d resigned himself to something, though Lucas didn’t know what it could be. When he spoke, his words came completely out of nowhere.

“What are Lucas and Eliott number two thousand twenty-seven doing right now? What have they done since we left them?” Lucas was a bit put off by the abrupt subject change, noting how Eliott never really answered him, but trying not to focus too much on something that probably meant nothing. Eliott would tell him whatever he had been trying to say eventually.

He decided to play along, pretending to consider. “Hmmmmm…”

What were muggle Lucas and Eliott up to? After their own conversation about parallel universes, Lucas had probably been ready to jump into a full relationship with Eliott, but there was still Eliott’s girlfriend to consider, of course. Lucille, he decided, was Eliott’s girlfriend.

Eliott snorted. “Really?”

“Shhh, my story.”

This Lucas was a bit scared, more so than Lucas number one, and, while he wanted to be with Eliott, he wasn’t quite sure how to do that. There had been a bit of miscommunication and, before Lucas knew it, Eliott was back kissing his girlfriend at a party while Lucas watched on, heartbroken.

Eliott pulled his forehead away. “That’s just unrealistic.”

“Maybe not in this universe! In another one I’m sure that I did something equally dickish, don’t worry,” Lucas reassured him, pulling his face back in. Eliott sighed dramatically but allowed Lucas to continue.          

Naturally, Lucas two thousand twenty-seven was a bit-- ok, a lot-- pissed about this, so he retreated back into his shell, ignoring anyone who tried to help or care for him. When Eliott approached him at school one day, he made a snide comment and then ignored him, trying not to cry. By the end of that week, Lucas was so overtired and drained emotionally that he went to see the school doctor, who, after giving him weird and unhelpful advice, told him to find someone he trusted to confide in. Obviously, he went to Yann.

“Ooh, what if the conversation didn’t go the way Lucas expected, and Yann walked away,” Eliott cut in.

Lucas wrinkled his eyebrows. “That’s not-- this isn’t a tv show or something!”

“Oh, so I’m a player who cheats on you and my imaginary girlfriend simultaneously, but Yann walking away is going too far.”

“I didn’t say you were a player. I’m sure you had your reasons… besides, Yann would never leave me high and dry like that,” Lucas rebutted.

Eliott insisted, “No. If I have to be a dick, so does Yann.”

“You’re not a dick! Listen, there’s got to be drama somehow, right?”

“That’s my final offer.”

Lucas rolled his eyes and gave Eliott a quick kiss. “Fine.”

Yann number two thousand twenty-seven walked away when Lucas came out to him, but not for the reason Lucas originally thought. Of course, Lucas didn’t realize that at the time, thinking his friend abandoned him, and he cried and cried about it, finally confiding in Manon and maybe Mika, or something. Maybe they lived together, away from their parents. They gave him the confidence he needed to head back to school with his head held high. Arthur and Basile were unsubtle idiots about it all at first, but Lucas appreciated their efforts. When he saw Yann, Yann explained that he’d left because he felt like he’d been the last to know, realizing he hadn’t been the best friend if Lucas thought he would react poorly. They made up quickly, promising to tell each other when they were going through shit. Later that week, Daphné would rope Lucas into painting a mural for some school project, and he would be too weak to say no to her.

“Some things stay the same in every universe,” he explained as Eliott laughed, “Daphné is not someone to say no to.”

All the while Eliott had been leaving drawings for Lucas, showing him in small ways that he was still there, that he cared, but Lucas was reluctant to believe it. Finally, while Lucas was preparing to paint with the boys, they advised him to reach out, see if Eliott was serious. Eliott asked to talk, and Lucas tried to play it cool, saying what he was doing, wishing Eliott would call but not wanting to ask. To his surprise, Eliott would show up to where he was and the boys would have to leave before Eliott got there so the two of them could be alone. One apology and paint fight later, they would make art of their bodies and the mural, getting closer than they ever had before.

“Glad to know we’re just as classy in this universe,” Eliott grinned as Lucas finished. “What else?”

“Well, that’s it. For now,” Lucas shrugged. Eliott hummed, pressing their lips together without fully kissing.

“I guess I’ll accept it. I expect more this weekend, though. It can be your surprise to me.”

“Deal,” Lucas agreed, turning the brushing of their mouths as the spoke into something more. They broke apart after a moment, remembering where they were, that everyone could see them if they were looking. “We should go to dinner.”

“We should.”

Neither one of them moved, laughing softly with their heads still pressed together. After a long moment, Lucas started shifting his legs, stretching them out before he stood up, holding out a hand for Eliott to grab and lift himself up.

“Lucas?” Eliott asked hesitantly, fingers brushing Lucas’ palm. Lucas raised his eyebrows as a signal that he was listening. When Eliott spoke again Lucas could tell he was speaking French, but he was speaking so quietly that Lucas couldn’t make out the words.

“What?” he asked, looking for clarification.

Eliott took a deep breath before meeting Lucas’ eyes. “Je t’aime.”

The world stopped. In this universe and all the others, Lucas Lallement lost his breath, heart stopping in his chest before beating so hard it nearly burst through his ribcage. Eliott’s face turned reluctant and Lucas realized he must have been sitting there with a shell-shocked expression on his face. So this must have been what he wanted to say before, just hadn’t worked up the nerve. Lucas nearly kicked himself for not realizing, for not saying the words of his heart earlier as well. Je t’aime. I love you. Lucas loved Eliott too, more than he could ever express, but he still had to try. Taking a deep breath of his own, Lucas bared his soul to Eliott once more.  

“Moi aussi.”

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 

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[vexedtonightmares]

La Fin Des Temps Chapter 18 (Elu Hogwarts AU)

Vendredi 20:27 - “Here are all the things I never told you”

Lundi 9:56

lucallemant: Hey Eliott, hope you’re doing ok, let me know if you want me to come see you at all xx

Mardi 11:42

lucallemant: Harriet misses you in potions, she failed the draft we’re brewing today because of it. One might even think you were a good potions partner after all ;)

lucallemant: I miss you too, but I know you need time

lucallemant: Don’t forget that I’m here, though

Mercredi 8:10

lucallemant: I just realized that I don’t even know if these messages are going through, because your Instagram is deactivated. I hope they are, so I’ll keep sending them. I tried to visit you in the hospital wing, but the nurse said visitors weren’t allowed. Hope that was ok with you, and not just her deciding for you. Anyway, I’ll try again tomorrow, love you.

Jeudi 17:12

lucallemant: I’m making a playlist of all the songs that remind me of you. Don’t know why, actually, but I guess I’m missing you extra today. Nurse wouldn’t let me visit again. Maybe I’ll get a boombox and play these songs outside the hospital wing until she lets me in like in those old movies.

lucallemant: I miss you Eliott

lucallemant: I hope you miss me too

lucallemant: I don’t care that you’re bipolar, all I care about is having you in my life. Whatever you’re worried about, I can handle it, I promise. If you can deal with my mess, I can deal with yours.

lucallemant: Not that being bipolar makes you a mess

lucallemant: That came out wrong

lucallemant: I just want to be there for you

lucallemant: <3 je t’aime

Lucas didn’t know if they were going to be ok.

Eliott had been in the hospital wing all week with no visitors allowed. Lucas had tried to visit every day, only to be shot down. He didn’t know if Eliott was still manic, or if he’d entered a depressive episode, or if he was just recovering on his own. It ate away at him, day after day not being allowed to see Eliott and know exactly how he was doing.

The boys were doing their best to cheer him up, but he couldn’t help but worry. Basile even relayed some stories with his mother’s experiences with the same disorder. Lucas had been surprised to hear it, since Basile was a pureblood, but his family had always been tied to the muggle world, realizing that there were some things muggles understood better than wizards, especially things like this.

Lucas was, for lack of a better word, hiding, in his refuge under the Quidditch stadium. He’d told everyone he was going to do homework somewhere quiet, but really he just needed somewhere that made him feel like everything was going to be ok. Being down there brought back memories of his first kiss with Eliott, the first kiss that had really mattered to him. It was drizzling again now, not quite pouring like it had been that night, but it was making him even more nostalgic than he already was.

Idriss and Sofiane had kept in touch, telling him to just wait it out if Eliott wasn’t ready to see him yet. They sent their love from Paris, and it comforted Lucas more than he cared to admit. He knew that he wasn’t alone in the world, but he was worried Eliott didn’t.

Another reason Lucas had come to this place was his knowledge that Eliott might look for him there. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but it was still a possibility. Eliott might show up and pull him out onto the field, kissing him under the moon as it rose to its apex in the sky.

His phone vibrated, jolting him out of his reverie. Manon was calling him, which was a tad unusual. Usually she just texted him when she needed something.

“Hello?” he answered uncertainly.

She breathed out a sigh of relief on the other end. “Thank goodness. You haven’t heard yet, have you?”

Her words made him uneasy. “Heard what?”

“Eliott. They’re transferring him to St. Mungo’s.”

Lucas’ heart dropped to his feet. No, he couldn’t let that happen. He knew firsthand what St. Mungo’s did with things they don’t understand. If Eliott really needed to go anywhere, he would be better off at a muggle hospital. He started to tell Manon this, but she cut him off.

“I know that, of course. But that’s not the problem,” she said.

“Then what’s the problem?” Was his voice shaking, or was he just imagining it?

She paused. Then--

“He’s gone, Lucas. No one knows where he went.”

“What?” he asked sharply, certain he’d misheard her.

She repeated, “He’s gone. I overheard the nurse say that she left for a moment to use the restroom and when she came back, he was gone.”

“Putain,” Lucas hissed, mostly to himself. He’d been hoping Eliott would escape the confines of the hospital wing, but not like this. Preferably, once he felt better and able to return not only to Lucas, but also to classes and the mundanity of school life.

Her voice turned worried. “You don’t know where he is, then? We were hoping he was with you.”

Lucas held back a sob. “No. He’s not.”

“Putain,” she swore, “Merde. I’ll call you if we hear anything, ok?”

“I guess so.” He didn’t know what else he could say, or do. Where could Eliott be?

“Bye, Lucas.” There was silence on the other end, but he knew she hadn’t hung up yet. “Everything will be ok, all right?”

“All right,” he agreed, but they both knew it was a lie. She hung up at last and Lucas dropped his phone on the floor beside him, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his face in his arms. He hated this feeling, this hopelessness.

His phone buzzed again and he dove for it, hoping it was an update from Manon and not just someone liking his post on Instagram. He blinked at the screen, opening his messages cautiously, not sure if he should believe what he was seeing. There was a video attachment from Eliott. He clicked play, but it was just a black screen. He was about to close it out when Eliott started speaking.

“Lucas. I’m standing in the place you poured your heart out to me for the first time. I should have talked to you then, or even any of the other times after. All the nights hidden in the room of requirement and days spent learning each other’s bodies and minds as if they were everything we ever needed in life. There was so much I should have said, but now it’s too late to tell you the way I’d hoped someday I’d be able to, so I’m afraid this is what you get. Here are all the things I never told you.” Lucas paused the video, not sure if he was hearing correctly. Eliott didn’t sound like he had a week before, he just sounded empty.

Lucas clicked play. “The first is that I hoped I’d never have to tell you at all. I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry for it all. I was selfish, thinking what we had could end any different than anything I’d had in the past. I know you know now that I’m bipolar and why I was expelled. I’m equally relieved and pained that I never told you these things myself, because you deserved to hear it from me. I was scared to lose you. You were so special to me Lucas, don’t ever think you weren’t, but I can never be what you deserve. And you deserve the entire universe. No, all the universes.”

Why was Eliott speaking in the past tense? Lucas’ hands were shaking as he continued listening. “Maybe in one of them there is a Lucas and an Eliott who are married, together forever. I would like to think that’s true. Maybe there’s a Lucas who plays the drums, or an Eliott who isn’t crazy. I’m sorry you were stuck with this one. Another Eliott will come along and love you like I tried to, but he won’t fuck it all up. He’ll be whole and unbroken and every inch the man you deserve. I wish it was me. I wish so badly that it was me.”

Lucas stopped the recording. This was bad, this was very bad. Idriss’ words were ringing in his mind and he couldn’t stop thinking about how this sounded eerily like a goodbye. Eliott had said where he was, hadn’t he? Lucas scrubbed back to the beginning and listened to the first part again.

“I’m standing in the place you poured your heart out to me for the first time. I should have talked to you then, or even any of the other times after. All the nights hidden in the room of requirement--” Lucas didn’t hesitate, rushing out from under the stadium and out into the open, running as fast as his legs would carry him. He didn’t want to be too late. As he ran he continued listening from where he left off.

“--I fell in love with you the moment I saw you in our first class together, the one where you didn’t see me. I fell in love with you when I saw how your face lit up when I came to sit by you at lunch. I fell in love with you when I showed you my drawings in the bathroom and you didn’t flinch from the first shred of myself I’d given willingly. I fell in love with you when we laid on the floor talking about patronuses and I had to resist kissing you for the first time.”

Lucas was running faster than he ever had in his life.

“I fell in love when you played piano for me and shared a part of your soul for the first time. I fell in love when you were worried about me when I disappeared for days on end.”

He nearly barrelled directly into Manon and the girls, who called after him in worry, but he ignored them, pleading with the universe. He prayed, pleaded, If there is a God out there, please don’t let me be too late.

“I fell in love with you when you told me about your life in the same place I stand right now. I never told you why I’d been up there in the first place, but it was the same reason I’m up here now.”

All that was left was the massive staircase leading to the astronomy tower. Lucas took all the steps two at a time, three if he could manage it. Eliott’s voice sounded thick with emotion now, no longer cold and flat.

“It’s getting cold now and a part of me doesn’t want to go, but I know I can’t stay. So here’s the last thing I never told you: I fell in love over and over and over again, but I’d do it all again in an instant. I guess I’m still selfish, after all. I’m sorry, but at least know that you were always le premier in my heart, even at the end. There’s no one like you.”

He was so close, so close.

“You made me forget for a minute that we’re all alone in this world anyway. We’re all so alone, trying to find a way not to be, and it never works. No one will ever love anyone the way they want to be loved. I tried with you, though, but I wasn’t enough. I never am.”

Lucas made it to the top of the stairs, gaze jumping frantically to find the boy he loved more than anything in the world. The tower was empty.

“So now I’m alone again, the way I was always meant to be. I love you, and I’m sorry for not being the person you deserved. I love you so much.”

The recording broke off at the same moment Lucas’ heart shattered so deeply he could feel it like someone had actually stabbed him in the chest. He was too late he was too late he was too late.

“ELIOTT!” he yelled fruitlessly, blinking tears out of his eyes when they caught on something bright and he felt a sense of deja vu. I never told you why I was up there in the first place, but it’s the same reason I’m up here now.

He followed the patronus, Eliott’s source of comfort, and found himself back out on the ledge, inches from falling, inches away from where Eliott stood, face turned up to the sky, tears mixing with the rain on his face. Lucas’ heart cracked open again, but this time it refilled itself with relief. He wasn’t too late, and Eliott wasn’t alone. Not anymore. Never again, if Lucas could help it.

When Eliott looked at him it was like he thought Lucas was an apparition. His face was apprehensive, like he couldn’t allow himself to believe that Lucas was actually there, taking steps towards him, trying not to fear the shallow ledge.

Lucas reached him, and Eliott fell apart, collapsing into Lucas’ arms. His body wracked itself with sobs, and Lucas let the two of them stand there like that for a moment, arms wrapped around Eliott tightly enough that he hoped Eliott understood what he was trying to say. I am never letting go.

The rain was beating down harder now, or maybe it was just because of how high they were, so close to the sky that they could nearly touch the stars. Lucas unwrapped one arm, using it to tilt Eliott’s chin up to look him in the eye. “You are not alone,” he said, pouring all his emotions into the statement.

“I’m here.” Then, in French, because it was the language of love, the language of them. “T’es plus tout seul.”

Vendredi 21:21

Lucas and Eliott were lying in Lucas’ bed, legs tangled together and arms wrapped as tightly as before, still disbelieving that the other was actually there. Lucas had cast a Muffliato charm around his bed to keep people from hearing them, not that there was much to hear, as Eliott was asleep against Lucas’ chest. Luckily it was early enough in the night that all of Lucas’ roommates were still out and about, or simply waiting in the common room.

Lucas was vaguely aware of changing the two of them out of their rain soaked clothes and into large, warm gryffindor sweaters, of lying down on the bed, but everything was a bit fuzzy from the moment he’d held Eliott out on the ledge. There were simply too many emotions coursing through him to begin to process everything that had happened.

He shifted slightly and felt Eliott’s arms tighten around him. “I’m not going anywhere,” he reassured Eliott, not even sure if Eliott was awake to hear him. He’d thought Eliott had been asleep from the moment they’d laid down.

“I know.” The words were soft, barely a whisper, but they were the first Eliott had spoken to Lucas in a week, other than his message earlier. Lucas felt a tear drip gently down his cheek. Eliott knew that Lucas was there, that he wasn’t going to leave, and that meant more to him than he knew what to do with. “T’es plus tout seul,” Lucas repeated quietly. He would say it every day for the rest of his life if he had to.

Eliott tipped his head up, opening his eyes to meet Lucas’. “You are not alone either.”

Lucas’ throat constricted with emotion, and Eliott unraveled one arm to lift a hand up and brush the tears from Lucas’ face. “I’m so selfish,” he said to himself, and Lucas pressed their foreheads together.

“Why now? Why are you so selfish?” he demanded.

Eliott glanced downward. “Because I’m still here. Because I didn’t want to be alone.”

“Fuck that.” Lucas’ voice must have been harsher than he intended, because Eliott blinked his eyes back up in surprise. “Fuck that, Eliott. It’s not selfish to want to be loved. To want to not be alone. You deserve it. You deserve to love yourself, too. You know what is selfish? Thinking that you can just leave me, leave your parents, hell, even leave Lucille, and that none of us would care. When I thought--” he cut off, taking a deep breath.

“When I thought you’d… Something cracked, a fissure so deep I’m not sure it will ever heal fully. I don’t want you to feel guilty for it, but you need to know that the thought that I’d lost you forever broke me inside. I love you. You deserve so much more than even I can give, and I’m willing to give you all the love I have.”

Eliott didn’t answer, but the gleam in his eyes was answer enough. Lucas wanted to kiss him and promise never to leave, but that wasn’t what Eliott needed right now. Lucas knew that Eliott knew, deep in his heart, that he wasn’t alone anymore, that he was loved, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still need time. And that was ok. They had all the time in the world.

“Lucas and Eliott number two thousand twenty-seven,” Eliott murmured, “How does their story end?”

How does it end? Well, that was simple. It doesn’t end, not really, because as long as Lucas and Eliott number one are writing their stories, so are all the Lucas and Eliott’s in all the universes. Eliott number two thousand twenty-seven was bipolar as well, and he had also been weary of Lucas’ reaction. So he kept it a secret, but, as most secrets do, it came out in a burst of wedding talk and cheap ham on a… boat. Yes, on a boat.

Eliott chuckled softly and Lucas could have sworn he had never heard a sound so beautiful in his life. “Ham on a boat?” Eliott clarified, but for once Lucas didn’t chide him for the interruption.

“Of course. This Lucas and Eliott aren’t as classy as us, they don’t get the fancy restaurant and hotel experience,” he answered, keeping his tone as light as he could. Eliott nuzzled in deeper to Lucas, which he took as a go ahead to continue his story.

Things happened, as things do, and Eliott was gone. Lucas was scared, so he called Lucille, who told him why everything was happening. She was a bit of a bitch about it, actually, said some harsh things that made Lucas think Eliott didn’t, or couldn’t, love him.

Lucas couldn’t help himself with that one, he was still a bit mad at Lucille for not letting him in to see Eliott earlier in the week. Eliott frowned up at Lucas. “She didn’t actually say those things, did she?”

Lucas debated lying, but decided to tell the truth. “Not… exactly. She said some things, but the sentiment remained the same.”

Eliott sighed. “I wish I could say that was a one time thing, but that’s Lucille for you. You can probably see why I didn’t want to talk about her.” Lucas laughed softly before continuing his story, unable to keep himself from pressing a small kiss into Eliott’s hair.

Given what Lucille number two thousand twenty-seven had said, Lucas was heartbroken and scared, didn’t know what to do. So he just didn’t do anything. He stayed in bed and cried, because this Lucas cried at the drop of a hat, numbing himself to the pain that he felt. After he took time and felt a little bit more like himself, he decided to research bipolar disorder, knowing that even if Eliott didn’t want him anymore, he had to try to understand. He probably got shitfaced that night with Emma, or Manon, or both of them, but he’d needed it, in some ways, needed to get out of his own head.

Naturally, he would feel like shit going to school, but he would confide in his friends about what was going on and Basile would school him on his knowledge of the disorder, making him feel terrible for ever doubting Eliott could love him. Mostly, Basile would educate and encourage him, giving some great advice Lucas hadn’t thought Basile would ever give.

“Why Basile?” Eliott asked.

“His mom is bipolar,” Lucas said, brushing a stray hair away from Eliott’s eye. Eliott blinked up to meet Lucas’ gaze. “Really?” he asked.

Lucas nodded. “Really. You are not alone in that either.”

Eliott didn’t respond further, so Lucas continued from where he’d left off.

This Lucas, he knew by then that he loved Eliott more than anyone else in the world, but now he was afraid that Eliott didn’t know it. So he decided to try to fight for them, but he was unable to get through. He didn’t know if Eliott’s parents maybe didn’t want Eliott to see anyone, or if Eliott himself was backing away, isolating himself intentionally or unintentionally. It had been nearly a week since he’d heard anything and, as much as it pained him, he thought maybe that was a sign that he should let go.

Then Lucille texted him, telling him Eliott had disappeared and no one knew where he was. Lucas knew immediately. The petite ceinture, his refuge. He found more clarity and insight into Eliott’s thoughts and feelings in that moment than he had the entire week prior. He knew what he had to do.

He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, all the way across Paris, running back to Eliott’s home, back to the place they’d kissed for the first time. An array of memories flashed through his head as he ran, from their first meeting to when they’d actually spent time together, to their first kiss, their morning talking about parallel universes, even their night on the boat, before everything went awry. He ran, and ran, and ran, almost getting run over by a car, but barely noticing, not caring about anything other than making sure Eliott knew Lucas would always be there. When he found Eliott under the bridge a surge of relief had rushed through his body, and he’d said you are not alone, I’m here, you are not alone anymore, and, at last, Eliott had heard him.

“At least, I hope he did,” Lucas finished. Eliott sniffed, and Lucas noticed a few stray tears running down his face. He brushed them away gently with his thumbs, relishing in the smooth familiarity of Eliott’s skin.

Eliott murmured something so soft that Lucas couldn’t hear him. “What” he asked gently, not wanting to make Eliott have to repeat anything if he didn’t want to.

“He did,” Eliott repeated, no longer crying. “He heard you. In that universe, and in this one.”

Lucas nearly cried himself in the relief of hearing Eliott say that. Of course times would be difficult for them, but as long as Eliott had heard him, seen him, understood him, and knew that he would never have to face any of this alone ever again, the could get through anything.

“I love you, Eliott.” He could hear the emotion in his own voice, not even caring if he sounded a bit like he was pleading. Eliott deserved to be loved in every sense of the word. It was something he’d always known and he could see that now better than ever.

Eliott didn’t respond right away, and in the time they were both silent Ouba leapt onto the bed, snuggling her way between them. She looked at Lucas pointedly, clearly jealous that Eliott was getting more attention than she was. Lucas smiled softly and moved one of his hands from Eliott’s face to ruffle her fur and give her a quick kiss on the top of her head. When he looked up, Eliott was gazing at him with such a tender expression he had to hold back from pushing Ouba aside and kissing Eliott immediately.

“I love you too,” Eliott said, eyes never leaving Lucas’. Lucas felt more affected by the words now than he did the first time he’d heard them. What they had was real, and no one could take it away from them, not even themselves. Eliott looked down a moment before bringing his gaze back up to Lucas. “Can I kiss you?”

Lucas nodded, tilting his head down in answer, their lips meeting so briefly Lucas almost thought he imagined it. It was a small gesture, but it finally told Lucas this is really going to be ok. He wasn’t sure he’d completely believed it until that moment, but now he knew for certain that they were going to be alright. That just as much as Eliott was not alone, Lucas wasn’t either.

They had each other, they had their friends, they had Ouba, they even had Brian, and they were going to be ok.

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