#meanwhile we’re just like. i mean hey only thing to get tripped up on by that point is multiplicity itself

[clover-system]

Meanwhile in a dreamgenic system:

“Alright, we have access to the combined power of daydreams and nightdreams. Let’s see what the brain’s come up with.”

- a young woman

- a slightly less young woman

- a young man

- a young woman

- a young* woman*

- a young man

- a young woman

- a young woman who very occasionally turns into a cat

did is so silly because we have a literal god, someone fueled entirely by rage, a little girl, some poor dad trying to keep said little girl from front, and then a shape-shifting punk boy. what is going on

[gothmiqote]

dt spoilers kinda, varha/estinien stuff ofc ofc but it's msq plot related naturally :p

estinien being only Sort Of around for this expansion kills me lmao like he on the periphery and whatever it is he’s doing intersects with varha when it counts (fighting the cyberpunk army in the desert etc etc) he’s also just like. ostensibly doing who knows what the fuck between appearances?

after the events of ew those two were definitely around each other a Lot (seeing her friends disappear one by one like that will apparently lead to some nasty separation anxiety, who would have guessed) & getting on the separate boats to go west is probably the first meaningful amount of time they’ve been apart since. to a degree she’s like it’s fine I’ve got this handled, although I don’t uh. Think he told anyone Where he was going? so she probably knew he was going to be away for a bit but not how long exactly or even really where (which she actually is cool with for real, they’re both kinda Like That TM so it’s normal). So yes, she’s very much starting to feel the yearning & the pining & what have you by the time they randomly cross paths in the throne room again.

But thEN he just. Walks out? Just says some complimentary words and fucking Leaves? I like to think he’d end up stopping by her inn room or whatever later on but based on how he was for the entire expansion I don’t even know if he would actually stay the whole night 💀 which is frustrating for her but at this point nothing super weird. Or so she thinks anyway because some point after Krile pulls her aside and is like Hey is everyone cool? Like are you good? Because Varha considers her one of her closest friends & she likes to torment Estinien psychologically for sport she knows them pretty well. To which Varha is just ?? Of course we’re good why wouldn’t we be good? But it makes her think anyway. It does Not help that Wuk Lamat flat out asks if she knows who he is personally, because the greeting she got was apparently the kind you’d reserve for acquaintances.

By the time she’s on the mini road trip with Erenville she’s trying Very hard to not think about her relationship because she’s keenly aware of how good she is at making herself quietly spiral & twelve help her, they see him and he does it again. Says some weird shit to her and fucks off into the sunset. Shout out to Erenville for not commenting on the weird vibes that were absolutely happening here. & it’s at this point she’s also starting to get kind of upset for real? Tries to back track mentally between the moments of dealing with an active crisis and no, she doesn’t think she’s done anything wrong, he didn’t seem to like her any less when he left—but that doesn’t mean things don’t change, & for all she knows maybe he’s just decided that she’s become more trouble than it’s worth to know her intimately like that (she wouldn’t blame him, she’s aware of her baggage). What kind of send off is ‘go do what it is you do’? No ‘good luck, stay safe’ or anything even remotely close? She needs to be focused on current events so she makes herself tunnel visioned but it’s still on her mind.

Meanwhile this man decided after getting paid for keeping Wuk Lamat’s dad entertained he wanted to plan a little romantic wilderness excursion in Tural. It’s literally the exact opposite scenario she’s been dreading and picking up on, they both like ‘camping’ (for lack of a better term) & this is a new area to explore, he thinks it’s a great idea. And it is! A similar trip was the catalyst for the getting together in the Steppe, albeit that one was unplanned & nothing was official until after she got back from the first, but still. Unfortunately he’s just so singularly focused on this plan (he’s looking for some decent locations when they run into each other outside of the city) he’s legitimately unaware of how he’s coming off in the present. In his mind he’s just in a good mood, & will at some point let her know what he’s been quietly putting together for them. He just wants some sort of concrete plan in place before he stops being cagey. Like he’s just in a good headspace in a relationship he’s actually very happy in & that’s manifesting in ways that make sense for Him once you know what to look for. It’s like being around your crush, except you’ve been serious about each other for the better part of the last few years now & also you never really learned how to flirt ‘normally’ (I feel like Aymeric probably tried to help with this at some point in the distant past & eventually just gave up to let his weird friend be weird. Sometimes that’s as good as it gets) because you’ve never been much of an extrovert or particularly socially gifted, so it usually comes across either insanely awkward and/or painfully earnest when you do give it a shot. All that to say, he’s doing his best, it’s just filtered through his methods every single time.

And to be fair to him also, she’s competent as hell. He had zero reasons to think she’d need any more help with the contest stuff, his presence would 100% just be overkill. He’s not saying this because he feels like it’s objectively obvious. Unfortunately it is Not, she is fully not getting this impression from any of his actions & ultimately just ends up stewing quietly over it. Initially she’s annoyed but over time gets progressively more sad lmao. If you click on him before one of the few trials you can run with npcs he’s like “I saw a big lizard, I’m going to hunt it later” which is so very baffling to her. AGAIN no real commentary on her actual situation or that she might not come back through that portal. Run the lizard through a translator and he actually meant something to the effect of I know you’ll take care of this, so I’m not worried, & as soon as you do come back we’re going to grill that lizard meat for dinner. In HIS mind this is what’s coming out of his mouth in fewer words. She’s just tired lmfao.

Once everything is taken care of & there’s some downtime she’s finally able to pull him to the side and ask what his deal has been lately, has she done something without knowing, has she been pulling away unconsciously etc etc etc. His turn to be confused now. This legitimately only becomes a miscommunication issue because every single conversation got cut short until this one, which of course gives him ample time to explain what’s actually been happening & also no, he’s definitely not bored or unhappy or anything like that, he’s been enjoying the opportunity to try and orchestrate something nice for her (even if the execution wasn’t. The greatest) and honestly didn’t realize how it looked from the outside. He was very much talking her up at any given opportunity each time someone asked about her, to the point where it was inevitably deduced that his descriptions of the Warrior of Light were apparently a good deal more personal than other accounts. She’s effectively been on his mind in some capacity since he got here.

& She feels extra dumb for getting upset at all, because that’s actually incredibly sweet and it makes perfect sense when you lay it all out that way, in hindsight she didn’t need to get worked up and just feels weirdly guilty now. Varha has been in a small handful of situationships, she’s never actually been important enough to anyone for them to go out of their way for her like that (she’s never even really had friends up until recently, it’s all uncharted territory), she does not know how to properly interpret it when people just decide to do things for her because they like her. She reacts like an asshole (in her own opinion, literally no one else thought that she was anything aside from maybe a bit Off since she internalized everything so much). This does not make her feel particularly good either, she has unfortunately looped back around to kicking herself for missing the obvious.

& Estinien, being himself, is still not the best with words when it comes to this sort of thing. Because he knows he didn’t actually do anything wrong here, so he’s not experiencing misplaced guilt, but she’s clearly still upset on some level for misreading things and he doesn’t like that for her, especially when this conversation is almost definitely taking place on the sidelines of a post-battle celebration back in the city. He’s not coming up with anything directly helpful to the situation. He’s task-oriented, hardwired to look for solutions. The one he comes up with on the spot here is:

“Do you want to hunt the lizard together?”

Long pause. Yes, she does. She wants to hunt the big lizard together very much. It sounds like a good way to kick off a small wilderness excursion together. The big lizard does not fix her pre-existing self worth problems, but it’s definitely effective for the immediate situation (which is about the best he can hope for right now). Problem solved-ish, she seems happier & now they can bond over the big lizard hunt together. He’d honestly just be pleased to spend time together doing whatever but this is probably the best outcome of that whole situation. (Also he Does end up kissing her right there, partly to get people to stop pestering her with questions but mostly because he wants to.)

[apomaro-mellow]

The Bright Side S01E03: Brace Yourselves

S01E02

Steve was watching some mindless tv when El came through the front door, bags in hand from the mall.

"Someone was busy", Steve commented as she placed them right on the coffee table.

"I went to the mall!", she exclaimed, exuberant.

"Clearly. Whatjda get?"

"I got some shirts, some new scrunchies, I'm basically revamping my whole wardrobe. Max said I should've when we moved."

Steve nodded along as he watched her take more stuff out of bags. He noticed two new bracelets on her left wrist. And then another two on the other.

"New accessory?"

"Some guy at a kiosk was selling them. And I couldn't say no."

"You gotta be careful around those kiosk guys. They're ruthless", Steve said. "Remember when me and Robin worked at a keychain kiosk?"

El got a haunted look in her eyes. "I'd never seen her so aggressively nice. But they're cute right?"

"Yeah. Cute. Just make sure you avoid their eyes. We kiosk folk can smell weakness."

"Aren't you working at a gas station now?"

"Once a kiosk guy, always a kiosk guy."

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

"You're still wearing that?", Max asked when El showed up to school with one of the four bracelets she had bought that weekend.

"I think it's a nice bracelet. And I don't have a ton of accessories."

"You know what that means? More mall time", Max decided.

"Hey El", Mike greeted. "Nice bracelet."

"Thanks", El blushed.

"Yeah, I really like the color, uh green."

"Smooth", Will rolled his eyes.

"Maybe I'll get more. They've got a ton of colors", El beamed.

"Cool", Mike said.

"Cool", she said.

"Okay, since we're all cool, how's about we get to class?", Lucas cut in before either one could trip over their words.

"I'm right behind you", Will said.

The bell rang and the whole group went into their classroom. El was determined to get more bracelets if Mike liked them so much.

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

After school, Jim and Hopper were in the living room, taking some planks out of a box when Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will all walked in without even knocking.

"Hello children who don't live here", Jim greeted.

"Where's El? Didn't she walk home with you guys?", Steve asked.

"No, she said she was gonna stop by the mall before coming back", Dustin said as he made himself comfortable on the couch.

"What are you guys doing?", Mike asked.

"Putting together a shelf", Steve answered as he removed the last piece from the box.

Will's eyes narrowed a bit. "Is this because of what my mom said?"

"No/Yes", Jim and Steve both answered at the same time.

"Little Miss Byers seems to think I can't put together a shelf as good as this Bob guy", Jim said, basically contradicting himself.

"It is a pretty nice shelf", Will said. "Now Jonathan had a place for his camera stuff."

"Yeah, well I can beat that", Jim said.

"I don't know", Steve took out the instructions and began looking through it. "This looks...not easy. Where'd you get this thing?"

"New place. Ikea", Jim said as he grabbed one piece. "It's a shelf. I don't need instructions. Just hand me that other piece."

Steve did as he was told and Jim started to hammer away at the shelf parts.

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

Meanwhile, El was by the kiosk again, looking at the different selection of rubber bracelets. Not only were there several colors, but many of them combined colors. She wondered what Mike liked other than green. Maybe he'd like blue? Or yellow?

"Please tell me you're not thinking about which one Mike would like", Max said, arms crossed.

"What if I am?"

"He's a boy. And boys don't notice when girls do things for them."

El's face screwed in thought. "Like that time you wore your hair in a ponytail and Lucas didn't say anything?"

"Exactly! I spent like ten minutes getting it just right only for him to not notice! I was in the bathroom forever!"

"10 minutes is forever?"

"It's long enough. And too long for a guy who doesn't notice details. Like Mike."

"Mike noticed today though. Maybe he'll notice a new one. And maybe bracelets can be my thing."

"They most certainly can", said the employee, waiting for the right moment to strike. "These kinds of bracelets can make a statement. But if you want something more versatile..."

Some time later, El came through the door, five bracelets on each wrist and a suspiciously large plastic bag in her hand. All eyes turned towards her.

"...Whatcha got there?", Steve asked.

"Just some...stuff. Whatcha got there?", she gestured to whatever Steve and Jim were doing.

"Building a shelf!", Jim shouted from underneath a pile of shelf pieces.

"You know, eventually", Steve added.

"Why are you guys here?", El asked the boys.

"Enjoying the show", Lucas answered.

"Also, we agreed to hang here after school", Dustin said.

Will nodded. "Yeah what took you so long?"

"I was getting more bracelets."

"Well, we gotta be getting home now", Mike said. "Good luck with the shelf?"

"I don't need luck I'm an expert craftsman", Jim said.

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

The next morning, El jingled down the stairs, having evolved from rubber bracelets to beaded ones with charms.

"When Hopper said he needed to put a bell on you, I don't think that's what he meant", Steve said, already in the kitchen getting breakfast together.

"Where is he anyway?", El asked.

Steve pointed through the entryway towards the living room. El poked her head out and saw Jim sitting in his chair, staring pensively at an indescribable arrangement of wood that was supposed to be a shelf. El quietly went back into the kitchen.

"When did he get up?", she whispered.

"I don't think he went to sleep last night", Steve confessed.

El mouthed 'wow' and Steve nodded.

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

Steve was in the middle of ringing up a customer while Robin restocked the candy.

"Okay, I've see another bag of Skittles I'm gonna puke the rainbow. Your turn to restock the shelves", she said.

"If I see another shelf I'm gonna puke. And it's not gonna be rainbows", Steve said.

"Your dad still hasn't finished the one he started. Hasn't it been days?"

Like on cue, the phone for the gas station rang. Steve answered it.

"Steve? Come home, I've had a breakthrough. But I need four hands for this."

Steve let out a sigh. "Four whole hands?"

"Today is the day this gets finished. I can feel it."

Jim hung up and Steve pinched the bridge of his nose as Robin walked over to the register.

"Uh, hey, isn't that your sister and her friends?"

Steve looked up to see El walking in the direction of home with another heavy looking back, bracelets up to her forearms and a few on her ankles as well. And if his eyes were deceiving him, some threaded friendship bracelets held her hair up. Steve held up a finger.

"One family member break down at a time."

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

Steve was aching and tired and Jim was sweating and the shelf was nowhere near being done.

"What are we even building anymore? A bedframe? A tv stand? I can't remember."

"It's a shelf and it's getting done whether it likes it or not", Jim said, holding his hammer threateningly at the object.

"You guys are obsessed", El said from the couch. The bracelets now went up to her elbows, up her calves, and there were even some tied to her belt. Rubber, beaded, threaded, charms and all.

"El...has anyone told you about your bracelets?", Steve asked.

"Mike said he liked my green one."

"Which one?", Jim asked, looking at her like it was his first time seeing her.

"Ummm, it'sss...it's around here somewhere", El said as she looked up and down her arms, moving other bracelets out of the way.

"I think you could stand to lose a few", Steve said.

"But bracelets are my thing!"

"Is not-standing your thing too?", Jim asked.

"I can stand!" El suddenly got to her feet but with her equilibrium off, she teetered before falling back onto the couch. "Well! Can you stand? You've been up for nights trying to build that thing."

Jim immediately shot up to his feet only to just as immediately fall face first onto the ground.

"Steve?"

"Yeah, Hop?"

"I'm callin' it quits with this shelf."

"Okay."

"Steve?"

"Yeah, El?"

"I think I should call it quits with these bracelets."

"Okay."

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

"You don't need to ask Mr. Bob to fix it", Jonathan said as he snapped pictures of the mess of pieces. "It's actually a pretty good commentary about progress at the expense of tradition."

"Uh, yeah. Either way, make sure he makes it over here. I want a shelf. Not art", Jim said, swirling his coffee around. "What's happening out there?", he asked, gesturing to the backyard.

"A holy ceremony", Jonathan said cryptically.

All of the kids stood around El and Erica Sinclair.

Lucas stood as an officiator. "Do you, El Hopper, agree to relinquish all ownership over these accessories and transfer all titles?"

"I do", El said.

"And do you, Erica Sinclair, promise to care for these bracelets, so long as they are in your possession?"

"I do", Erica replied.

"Then let the transfer be done", Lucas ordered.

El and Erica shook hands. Then El slid all the bracelets on that arm onto Erica's. She did the same to the other arm. And then pushed a cardboard box with the rest towards her.

"What're you even gonna do with all those?", Dustin asked.

"Turn a profit", Erica said as she picked up the box. "Girl scouts go crazy for these things."

Episode 4

[keepingupwiththecullensblog]

🌟🎬 Welcome back to the season premiere of *Keeping Up with the Cullens*! Grab your popcorn, folks, because we’re diving headfirst into the most dramatic vampire breakup saga of all time! 🧛‍♂️💔 If you thought last season was intense, just wait until you see what we’ve got in store for you this time around. Seriously, why does Edward Cullen make everything ten times more dramatic than it needs to be? I’m talking Oscar-worthy levels of angst and brooding. 🎭🌧️

So, let’s rewind a bit to that so-called “perfect summer” that Bella casually mentions. 🌞 Apparently, she and Edward had the most flawless summer together, but of course, she doesn’t give us any details. Typical, right? 🙄 What does “perfect” even mean when you’re dating a sparkly vampire? Did they go for strolls through the mall holding hands, stop by McDonald’s for some fries (though Edward probably just watched Bella eat), or spend their days trying out human couple things like cooking? 🍟👩‍🍳 Can you imagine Edward learning how to cook by using math and vampire precision, measuring out every ingredient to perfection, only to stand there awkwardly as Bella devours the meal? Or maybe they just hung out in her room, where Bella did all the talking while Edward stared at her like she was the most fascinating creature on Earth—which, to be fair, she is to him. Meanwhile, Edward’s POV would have given us every drop of angst, guilt, love, and torment. Come on, Bella, spill the tea! ☕ We need the juicy details!

And just when you thought things couldn’t get any sweeter, there’s that moment earlier in the day when Edward and Bella are cuddling on the couch, watching the classic 1968 version of *Romeo and Juliet*. 🎥💕 Edward, ever the romantic, whispers Romeo’s lines to Bella, delivering the kind of cheesy, swoon-worthy moment you’d expect from a vampire who’s had centuries to perfect his game. But let’s be real—this moment is all kinds of bittersweet because we know what’s coming next. 😢 It’s like the calm before the emotional storm that’s about to tear Bella’s world apart. 🌩️💔

Now, fast forward to *that* birthday party incident. You know, the one where Jasper nearly turns Bella into a midnight snack. 🍴😱 Seriously, Jazz, what gives? You just spent an entire trip to Phoenix in close quarters with her, chilling in a hotel room like it’s no big deal, but now you’re all, “Better keep away from Bella, she smells too much like human.” Come on, Jazz, what’s the deal? 🙄

After the party disaster, Edward does stay the night with Bella on her birthday, and I have to admit, it’s one of the sweetest moments in *New Moon* (so far). 🥺 He probably didn’t want to ruin her birthday even more, and honestly, it’s a considerate move for someone about to drop a breakup bomb. Imagine, “Happy Birthday, Bella! Oh, by the way, I’m about to break your heart.” Not exactly the best birthday gift, right? 🎁💔 He stays, holding her close, whispering sweet nothings to make sure she drifts off to sleep in peace. It’s a brief moment of tenderness before everything goes south, and it’s moments like these that make you understand why Bella’s so obsessed with him. He stays by her side, making sure her birthday night is as perfect as possible despite everything that went down earlier. It’s heartbreaking to think about him knowing what he’s about to do, yet still trying to give Bella this one last happy memory. 😢

But then, why does he stick around for three whole days after the party, basically giving Bella the cold shoulder? Like, Edward, if you’re planning to ghost her (literally), why are you hanging around, watching ESPN with Charlie? 🏈📺 I get that Edward is waiting for a sign to leave, but three days of awkward silence? What kind of sign was he waiting for—an ESPN ticker reading, "Hey Edward, time to peace out"? 🕒💤 Or was he hoping Bella would break up with him if he ignored her enough? I mean, Bella already knows something’s off, so why drag it out? It’s like he’s torturing himself with the idea of leaving, and honestly, it’s kind of frustrating to watch. I mean, if you’re going to leave, just rip off the Band-Aid, Edward! 😩

And for the love of all things sparkly, why does he choose to break up with her in the woods? 🌲😭 Really, Edward? The woods? It’s like he Googled, “Most depressing breakup locations,” and the woods popped up as #1. Sure, he left her on the path by her house, but still, it’s the woods! What’s next, breaking up with her during a thunderstorm while sad piano music plays in the background? 🎹⛈️ Oh wait, that actually happened… 😅

Honestly, there’s something so obvious missing here that it’s driving me crazy, and I just can’t put my finger on it. Why the woods? It’s right there, but I can’t quite figure it out. If anyone knows what I’m missing, please enlighten me because there’s a piece of this melodramatic puzzle that I’m just not seeing. 🔍🧩

So, as we kick off this new season of *Keeping Up with the Cullens*, we’ve got a lot of questions and not enough answers. Edward’s dramatic exit, Jasper’s sudden distance, and that perfect summer that apparently wasn’t detailed enough to warrant more than a passing mention—this is going to be one wild ride! 🎢 I’m excited (and a little nervous) to dive into the rest of *New Moon* now that I’ve had my fill of Edward’s drama. 🌒💥

[twilightknight17]

Today on P3R: Kyoto, romantic scenery, and Obligatory Bullshit

It’s time for the school trip! Four days in Kyoto with all the second and third years. Which means… 2/3 of the school is here and not at school. Like, god. Unbelievable.

Junpei, we established this, schools overseas don’t do this extravagant bullshit. We go on a field trip to the zoo with our science class once in a blue moon.

Not if it’s not a thing that happens, guys.

He should at least remember if his old school didn’t do trips, though.

This really is a nice hotel. Fancy courtyard, hot springs, exploring the sights in Kyoro…

Oh my god, you rich kids. X’’’D

Apparently we’re going to Kinkakuji and Kiyomizu-dera, though, and that’s great, because I’ve been to both of those!

Turns out, we don’t get to see much of them, though. The daytime segments of Kyoto are basically summed up in pictures that went by too fast to get screenshots of. But apparently they had to stop Ryoji from flying over the railing at Kiyomizu.

It’s kind of a shame, because they could have added segments where we actually get to walk around Kyoto like we do in Hawaii. Kiyomizu is beautiful, and also has the love shrine on the grounds. Would have been a good excuse for a social link event.

At least Yukari and Mitsuru are finally getting a chance to talk, though. Mitsuru almost didn’t come on the trip, but thankfully she’s here.

After the discussion gets heated, Yukari ends up slapping Mitsuru to snap her out of her funk. We’re friends now. Family, even. And we’re not leaving her alone in her grief.

Mitsuru gains a new resolve from this, and her persona upgrades to Artemisia! Another teammate fully coming into their own. ^_^

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, I’m having a moment, because Ryoji has invited me out to watch the sunset by the river tomorrow.

I’m glad he’s having fun. And he bought himself a music box! Which is not a ring, but is nice regardless.

AND THE MOON IS BEAUTIFUL, ISN’T IT?

This doofus brings up how this used to be an execution site, though. Just, casually. However he knows that.

You know. Like you do.

Yeah, so many couples.

So have I…

...not about that, though.

You are such a dork.

I don’t think there’s really a correct answer, though. All of these can be true, depending on your perspective. But I think connections, to some degree, are inevitable.

YEAH, it does. Atlus, what the fuck. X’’’’’D

We could just vibe a little longer, honestly.

But, I guess we gotta head back, because Junpei wants us all to go in the hot spring together.

What he didn’t tell us, was that he specifically brought us in here without actually knowing when the times change over. And because this is an anime game, we’re definitely not getting away with this.

The girls are here, and we are in trouble, even though we were here first.

They heard us. :/

If Mitsuru finds, us, according to Akihiko, she won’t see this as a misunderstanding. Which. It is a misunderstanding. We’re not doing anything. We’re just here.

I can’t believe they redid this exact stupid scenario for Scramble. :/

Our only option is to get out of here before we get caught, otherwise...

...yeah, it gave me a choice. My choices were “hide by the rock” or “hide in the steam”. I picked the rock, because I assumed that we’d work our way around the side opposite the girls. But no, Minato went the other way, towards Fuuka, and immediately we all got caught.

I don’t actually know if you can win. I thought you could. Next time around, I guess.

Sorry, dearest. Things aren’t normally like this.

...oh, hey, bullshit on 11/20!

Side note, I love how easily Ryoji has fallen in with the group. It’s nice.

Time to go home, I guess. That trip wasn’t nearly long enough, especially since you don’t get to play most of it.

Oh my god we WEREN’T. All of you are mad over a mistake!

And now we have to go back to school for just Saturday, because god forbid we just get Saturday and Sunday off after the trip.

...huh? Is this like when we had to go to the TV station in P5 and help with stuff?

Ryoji is apparently hanging out in the dorm with Junpei, but he’s not allowed to be there late, so he’s gone by the time I get home. :(

And we get no peace, because Strega has apparently broken into the hospital to get to Chidori.

And she’s going to go with them, because she’s… not the most emotionally stable, even now.

It’s Sunday, though, so it’s not time to worry about that.

...uh… That’d be cool I guess.

Oh, he’s writing a story.

Spending time with him makes me sad.

I’m just gonna excuse myself. I might actually make it home in time for Featherman.

God DAMN it, Strega. X’’’’D

[lucygraysboy]

billy doesn’t want to put his heart on the line and confess his feelings again, afraid if he did so, it would only put unnecessary pressure on lucy gray. but if he doesn’t intend to be honest then why is he even here? he wants to find the middle ground, a compromise between all the conflicting feelings that are brewing inside his chest. “i’ll always be yours,” he says shyly, averting his gaze because if he continues to watch her, he might get too emotional. his lips brushing her forehead one more time, his arm curling tighter around her shoulders. “i still think ‘bout what i said to you after graduation, how we didn’t belong to each other, and not a day goes by that i don’t regret being so… brusque. i was upset an’… i’ll always care for you and you’ll always mean the world to me.” even if she doesn’t love him as more than a friend. “too bad i didn’t bring any wing-warmers,” mittens, “i was hopin’ virginia didn’t get this cold in january.” or rather he was too occupied daydreaming about seeing her again to properly prepare for this trip. “right, the disguise is what saved my life. now that you know what i look like, i better be on my best behavior.” ocean hues flickering to her olive features, cheeks heating up because it’s plain to see that he’s underdressed. she did her make up and hair, put on high heels and what looks like a very nice dress under the black jacket… meanwhile he’s wearing a black-gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and a pair of worn adidas shoes. the puffer jacket and beanie only making him look more casual. he hasn’t even brought any fancy clothes with him, not that he owns many. “you look like a princess,” he blurts out without even realizing that he’s actually saying the words out loud instead of just thinking them. her arm around his waist causing butterflies to swarm his lower belly. “nothin’ wrong ‘bout granny speed. better granny speed than sorry. but hey, of course, you made it in one piece. your guardian angel never sleeps and besides you learned how to drive from the best.” bragging playfully, he doesn’t even want to think about what could have happened had she been a bit less careful. a shiver races up his spine. it only takes a second for an accident to happen. 

“next time, we’re meeting in florida,” he declares jokingly, shaking his head when she tells him about the big trucks speeding past her. “some people aren’t capable of rational thinkin’ and should be put in mental institutions.” and truck drivers are the worst of the worst. it’s all because they’re sitting so high up and have big, heavy cars that make them feel invincible on the road. “it’s fine. i don’t really smoke i was just — i was worried about my army wife. i couldn’t reach you on the phone. i was losin’ my mind here,” he sheepishly admits, only letting go of her as she begins to fumble with the lock. “do you have any other shoes? i don’t think room service is a thing here. i mean, unless we want to eat grilled rat or roadkill stew?” and if she has to go out into the storm again, he worries her feet might not handle it well. “what are you talkin’ ‘bout, lucy gray? seein’ you is always worth it, and you always look amazing, even when you’re not trying to. you could have put on an old sweater and pajama bottoms, and i’d still think you’re the next miss universe, alright?” he sighs, quickly closing the door behind them to keep the cold out. not that it would make a big difference. he rubs his hands together. it’s not much warmer on the inside. “the rainbow princess gets to pick the bed, you want the one closer to the window or the one next to the bathroom?” he stands awkwardly between the two twin beds, both looking equally as lithe and horribly uncomfortable, the purple duffel still hanging from his arm. “hm, i done some research before comin’ here and our options are limited to say the least. waffle house or walmart or animal crackers. everythin’ else’s either closed for the night or questionable, and i mean might-poison-you kind of questionable.” they should have picked a big city as their destination or at least a town with over two hundred residents. 

“i just worried you wasn’t ever gonna be mine anymore.” after what he said…lucy gray, i’m not yours and you’re not mine when she’d been tugging and tugging on him and he had pulled her away from him. he seemed so sincere about it, she’s in disbelief he’s changed his mind. it seems too good to be true, it actually has her nervous as a soft expression crossed her features at seeing the emotions well in his eyes. watching close, because if any tears drop she’ll quickly wipe them away for him. “but it’s written in the stars, so ‘course you’re mine and i’m yours.” she concludes, and that’s that. finding him stuffing her hands into the warmer confines of his jacket, of course she was smiling until her cheeks hurt, “thanks for lookin’ out for my little wings,” she laughed at the way he put it, missed having someone humorous and adorable like him unlike billy taupe who’d never had any personality to play or be adorable like this. “they sure appreciate it.” since her own mittens were in the inside pockets of her jacket, she didn’t think to get them out first after realizing she had missed his calls and felt she needed to get out of the car to reassure she made it as soon as possible. “i didn’t recognize you long enough to run you over. for all i knew, i was runnin’ over a strange innocent guy.” she playfully smiled with glossy red lips, feeling difficult to let go of him even for a second, she had to force herself to peel away from his chest which is why she’s lighting back up in gratefulness he pulls her into him after taking her bag. lucy gray beamed up at him for carrying it for her and wrapped her arm around his waist, taking the key and carefully stepping across the pavement until they reach the crooked number four room. “ohh, after goin’ granny speed and a million prayers later…i did make it in one piece. at one point, the entire road wasn’t even visible. big trucks were barrelin’ through, the service was hardly available half the way. that was the scariest thing i’ve ever had to do. but sorry for cutting your smoke break short, solider.” the cigarette smoking would bother her more if she wasn’t distracted laughing at no curls sticking out from his hat after she looked back up at him after twisting the key in and shoving the door open. and remembering their conversation a few nights ago. “i couldn’t think about the heels for the semi trucks. even though my feet’s definitely feelin’ it now, but beauty is pain. and i wanted to look dressed up today so it’s all worth it.” she reassured with a happy smile, not even the outdated room that definitely hadn’t been updated probably way before both of them had been born with barely any heat could ruin her mood. until she sat and started thinking of the snow that was becoming a serious issue. “i only brought so many animal crackers. what are we gonna do for food?” now she kind of did start to panic, automatically going into that mode because she didn’t even look to see IF there’s any restaurants. god, she hopes or they’re going to turn into sticks. what if the power goes out too? does this place even have generators to keep the lights going?

[stargazing-imagines]

A&A Rewrite : 1x04 - Zaliens and Cloudwatchers

Description : It halloween time in Miami and Austin tries to get Ally into the sprit of Halloween by attending the horror movie film festival , meanwhile your trip to california with your boyfriend has been cut due to different circumstances

Warnings : Mentions of cheating,

It was Halloween season and Y/n was excited, Ally on the other hand wasn't a big fan of Halloween.

The two girls were working at sonic boom once again, You walked down from the practice room with two costumes in your hand as you wanted Ally’s help and decision with the Halloween costume

"Do you think I should be a deer? Or a unicorn?"

"Why would you want to be a unicorn?" Asked ally as she chuckled while writing in her songbook for new song ideas for Austin.

"Well for one they are cute and you get to wear these cute little unicorn ears," you said as you smiled holding up a unicorn headband, Ally Gagged

"How can you like Halloween?" asked Ally “All it is people scaring people and it gets the kids terrified.”

"You only hate it because you can't tell a scary story," you said as you crossed your arms

"I can be scary," said Ally

"I hate to be a mean sister but you don't have a scary streak," you said uncrossing your arms "but I'll let it slide so? Unicorn or deer?"

Ally thought for a moment before saying

"Deer," said Ally as she continued working

"Great," you said as you walked away but when she did Ally stopped her

"Why do you need a costume?" asked Ally, Melody sighed

"you know that girl Brooke?"

"The one that bossed you around when we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa in California in Eighth Grade? yeah I remember her," said Ally "and I specifically said stay away from her,"

"Ally I'll only be gone for one night," you said "besides her friend Angelica will be there,"

"Yeah I know the airhead blonde but what are you going to do when you get caught doing something your not supposed to do?"

"Ally... don’t worry about me I'll be fine,"

Before Ally could speak Austin walked in with Dez,

"Hey Ally I listened to your song," said Austin

"And what did you think?" Asked ally as she ran up to Austin "good right?"

"Yeah you could say that," said Austin as he faked a smile before looking at Dez and You

“Great, Y/n we'll talk about the party later I need to set up a webcast for Austin to perform his song," After ally said that she walked away into the practice room, meanwhile Austin came near you

"I hate it!" Said Austin "Y/n you have to help me come up with an excuse to not perform the song,"

"I wish I could but I need to meet pack for my halloween trip to California with Damien,”

"Wait I thought you and Damien broke up?" asked Austin Confused

"We did were just friends," you said "but don't worry everything will work out,"

After you said that you walked walked out of sonic boom

______

"Hey ally, austin I thought cloud watching wasn't your thing?" you asked as you were sipping on a drink that she got as she was taking a break from packing

"It's not but your sister dragged me here," deadpanned Austin

"Cloud watching can be fun," said Ally "right guys?" Everyone in the cloud watchers group cheered as Ally smile

"See,"

"Ally you do realize there's only 6 of you? Right," you asked, Ally sighed

"Wait... I have something fun..."

"Austin not now, nothing is more fun then cloud watching,"

"You sure about that?" Asked Austin as he turned ally around "I'm taking you girls to the horror movie film festival."

"Ugh I hate horror movies," whined Ally "there so scary,"

"Ally there supposed to be scary," you said "and as thrilling as that sounds I can't, I'm going with Damien to a Halloween party in California,"

"What are you and Damien dressing up as? Salt and pepper?" Asked Dez as walked over to the gang

"No for your information we’re going as Peter Pan and Wendy Darling,” you said holding up your Wendy Costume

Silence

"what it’s a good book," you said

"Wow your more pathetic then ally," said Dez as he shook his head

"You never have a Filter do you?" you asked with an annoyed expression

"not really," smiled Dez

"That's what I thought, well see you later," Said Melody as she walked away

"Wow that cloud looks like bunny," said Dez as he was stirring up his Smoothie

"I know right," said Ally

“That's not a bunny," said austin as he walked away

______

It was Halloween and austin and Ally were at the horror movie convention, meanwhile you and Damien were with them due to brook getting grounded.

"This is giving me the creeps," said Damien, "how do you like this stuff?"

"Because... also it's better then your costume," said Austin

"Boys let not fight,” you said “besides this might be fun,"

"Ugh why did I have to wear this?" Whined Ally "I look ridiculous,"

"Not as ridiculous as Austin," pointed Y/n as Austin was dressed as a swamp creature

"Hey what's wrong with my costume?" Asked Austin

"Everything," You said all while looking at him

"Y/n I'm going home, want to come?" Asked Damien

you looked at ally who gave her the 'don't leave me alone' while Austin gave her the smirk that read 'stay you won't regret it'

"Actually you go ahead I'm staying," you said as you smiled "but I'll stop by later,"

"Whatever," said Damien as he walked away when he did you turned around

"Let's get this night started,"

After you said that trish and Dez came up to the trio in a weirdly dressed costume of a zombie

"What are you two?" Asked Y/n as she pointed to Dez and Trish

"We're Zailens... from the zailens movies," said trish "what are you?"

"I'm Wendy from Peter Pan,”

"Yeah but don't you need a Peter Pan for that?" Asked Dez as he did his usual thinking face, You rolled her eyes

"On second thought I'm leaving have fun," said Y/n “Damien wait!”

______

It was the next day and you was walking out from the storage room, you stopped dead in your tracks as you saw Ally holding a duck.

"Ally why do you have pickles the duck?" You asked as you pointed to the duck

"Oh I'm sending her to the animal shelter, apparently there turning that old pond into a parking lot,"

"Wait your... thinking spot? Why?"

"There building a office,"

"Oh... well what made you change your mind? I thought you liked pickles,"

"I do it's just... now that I have austin I don't need pickles anymore," Said Ally

"Awe that's sweet Ally," said austin as he stepped behind You

"How much did you hear that?" Asked ally

"Oh I only heard the last part, thank for picking me over a duck,"

"Yeah yeah this is creepy can we get going now? The instruments aren't going to hang themselves,"

"Sure," smiled ally

——

Austin and Ally Rewrite Masterlist

[tumbling-darkling]

The boy who lived and the professor that didn’t (for the most part)

AO3

During Harry's second year at Hogwarts, a strange and unexpected man starts teaching his Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

(A Danny Phantom X Harry Potter crossover)

Chapter 1

Harry took a seat in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, glancing over to Ron who sat beside him and then scanning the classroom for their new DA professor. He already met the man in Diagon Alley, blonde and very much interested in only himself. Harry shivered as he remembered being pushed towards him as people took pictures of the famous wizard and the boy who lived.

At least it wasn’t worse than a head of the dark lord growing out of the back of the professor's neck.

Well- Harry did thumb through some of the textbooks before classes started. He absolutely agreed with Hermione who was very vocal about the books- they didn’t actually seem to teach anything. Just spoke about the ‘many adventures of Gilderoy Lockhart’.

Maybe this will just end up being an easy class.

The door slammed open 15 minutes past the start of class, startling the students as they swiveled their heads to look at the newcomer, expecting Gilderoy Lockhart.

Instead a tall man with a slim frame and hunched posture strode into the room. He had messy black hair pulled in a very horrible and tangled loose bun with the remaining dreads lazily dangling at the man's shoulders, his chin and cheeks covered in unshaven stubble. His robe was creased and torn, his hat loosely hanging from his hand and his sleeves pushed almost all the way up his arms. What really caught people’s attention was those eyes. Unnaturally clear and bright icy blue, so blue that even in the bright light they seemed to slightly glow.

He quickly pulled down his sleeves as he walked past the students towards the front of the room, grumbling slightly under his breath about something Harry couldn’t catch. He tossed the hat aside, muttering more loudly about how ‘wizard hats are so stupid and impractical I’m not wearing that garbage’ before he turned towards the class.

“My name is Fenton- er Professor Fenton I guess. Since I’ll be teaching you about…” he glanced down at the podium he stood in front of, crouching a little as if looking for something before straightening back up. “Defense… Against the… Dark… Arts,” he said slowly and not very confidently. Then he whispered again to himself but just loud enough for some students to pick up, “they see me fight one god damn ghost and suddenly I’m an expert on all dark magic entities? I think I’ll fight Dumbledore after this.” He straightened a little, eyes looking over the classes.

Harry did not like those eyes lingering on him for half a second longer than the others. He didn’t like this professor looking at him at all.

Something just didn’t feel right.

“Alright, any questions?”

A hand immediately went up, and Harry knew exactly who it belonged to.

“Uh- yes miss-?”

“Hermione Granger. Wasn’t our professor supposed to be Gilderoy Lockhart?”

“Yeah- that guy. He’s a phoney.”

The class went silent before someone yelled out, “WHAT?”

“Guy went around, found Wizards and Witches that did cool things, made them forget it then took all the credit. Tried to take my credit and I hit him a little too hard. Now I’m here taking his place. It’s all over the news, you know. You can read the exaggerated details in there. Anything else?”

The same hand went up.

Professor Fenton sighed, “yes?”

“Why were you 15 minutes late? Shouldn’t professors be on time? And why do you look like you crawled out of the forbidden forest.”

“I fought a ghost. Then got lost,” Fenton deadpanned.

The class went silent.

Fenton then turned around, “well if that’s all, let’s get started with something I know a lot about. What do you already know about Ghosts?”

-

-

-

“You’re seriously more afraid of Professor Fenton than Professor Snape?” Hermione asked Ron. “He’s not even mean! Sure he’s grumpy but he doesn’t beat down every question I ask him! He even seems to be glad I’m asking questions! Unlike Professor Snape who just treats us like idiots for not knowing something.”

“Sure- he’s not mean or cruel but… he just freaks me out. Like how he just stares sometimes at empty walls! Or how the room temperature always drops the moment he seems to take a single step into the room! I can’t even hear his footsteps when he walks! He’s bloody freaky is what he is!”

“Well I for one am glad he’s our Professor! Imagine having a phony for a professor! Though he talks a lot about ghosts. Ghosts can’t cause people harm. At most they give a little scare but it’s not like they could cause terrible damage.”

“What about those ectoplasm based ones he was talking about? The solid ones?” Harry asked.

“Rare and unlikely. Ectoplasm doesn’t form in the magical world, Harry! The stuff that leaks through and hangs in the air is only enough to allow ghosts like Nick or Myrtle to hang around in harmless ways.”

“But he said he fought a ghost before he arrived in class! And he looked really beat up!”

“He said he got lost too! Maybe he just stumbled across a guard dog like Fluffy and made up something about ghosts!”

“What if it’s like the last professor though? What if he’s looking for another secret object in Hogwarts walls?” Harry hissed softly, “Ron is right that he just has a sense of oddness about him! I just don’t trust him!”

“Harry, you’re just paranoid from last year. Professor Fenton is normal. Now pick up your pace, we’re going to be late for our next class!”

-

-

-

Professor Fenton glanced down at Harry, then back at Professor McGonagall, “he has what with me?”

“Detention. You see, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley caused a bit of a fuss by driving a flying car in plain sight of several muggles, and risked exposing the magical world. As such, his punishment has been detention. I trust you can find some fitting work for him to do as he reflects on his actions?”

Fenton crosses his arms, his mouth tightening slightly into a grimace as his fingers slightly tapped his own arms. “This won’t be every night, will it?” He asked.

“No, we will be switching supervisors for a few weeks but you may also need to supervise Mr. Weasley sometime before then.”

Fenron let out a sigh of defeat, “well- alright. I’ll take care of it then.”

Professor McGonagall gave a curt nod before turning stiffly and walking off. Professor Fenton scratched at the back of his neck as he watched her walk off, then glanced down at Harry, those eyes seeming to search him for… something. Then that stern look relaxed into a lopsided grin, “So you were the one that made that stuck up ministry trip over their hats and scramble around in blind panic! I say, hats off to you young Potter!” He laughed.

Harry blinked in confusion at the shift in mood, then Fenton patted him on the back, “hey, no need to look so freaked out! I’m not gonna bite ya!” He began walking forward, and it took Harry an extra second to realize that the professor was moving and he should follow. “Oh, wait you probably are a little freaked out, huh? I guess my mood could have been a bit better this morning, I was just a little flabbergasted today. I was kinda rushed into this position, you know.” He shrugged, his hands shoved into his cloak’s pockets. He didn’t really walk like any of the other Hogwarts professors. He had this relaxed saunter, like he was more of a visiting relative than a staff member. “Say, let’s say your ‘punishment’ will just be helping me bring some books from the library to my quarters. There’s a lot I need to run through and a single trip would make all the difference.”

Harry nodded, finding it hard to keep up with the man's long strides. “So… you don’t like the ministry of magic?” Harry asked.

Professor Fenton huffed in annoyance, “not one bit. They are almost worse than observants!” Harry had no idea what those were. Another level of magic government? “They try to control every little thing. Don’t expose magic to the normal world. Don’t use magic to make technology without permission. Don’t use magic to save muggle children if people are watching.” His said in a mocking tone, “they have so many rules that are outdated or stupid. Never trust a government, kid! Especially a magical one!”

“What are… observants?”

Fenton glanced down at Harry, “oh those stuck up jerks? They are like the government of the ghost realm. Really annoying. Unlike the Ministry of Magic, they actually know how to find me!” He laughed.

“Ghosts have governments?”

“Oh yeah! They have more of a monarchy, the observants are like hermit wizards that only step in when they believe the world is in peril. Meanwhile the rest falls on the shoulders of the Ghost King.”

Harry frowned, “I’ve never read about that in the textbooks. Hermione says that ghosts are just harmless beings formed from souls that aren’t ready to leave the mortal realm.”

“Well she’s half right. There’s different kinds of ghosts, like Sir Nicolas and the Bloody Baron. They are more like echoes. Souls that cling desperately to this world but didn’t have enough ectoplasm to become a fully solid ectoplasmic being. They won’t leave for the infinite realms until they are ready, though many believe they are trapped here forever. More solid ghosts form in a similar way but are exposed to more ectoplasm, but rarely show up because natural portals to the infinite realms are sparse and in between. Well until about a decade ago.”

“Infinite Realms? Natural Portals?” Harry felt like his head was going to explode.

“Well, there should be some books about that in the muggle section.. Though some wizards would say it’s all garbage because muggles discovered and studied it. Just look up my name under the author and you should find some.”

“Oh… wait- did you write them? Is that why you know so much about ghosts?”

Professor Fenton barked out a loud laugh, doubling over as he clutched his sides, “Ah! No! No, I didn’t write them! My parents did!” He cackled. “Ah, yeah but I did learn from them. And a bit of field work. Tell Miss Granger to check them out too, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind having something to read. She reminds me of my sister in that way.” He stopped in front of the library doors, “Aha! I knew we would find this place eventually!”

Harry looked at Professor Fenton in bewilderment, “you didn’t know where we were going?!”

Fenton shook his head and shot him another grin, “nope! I’ve been constantly getting lost in these dumb halls. This place constantly moves and I absolutely hate it. Even the Infinite Realms make more sense than this castle!”

Harry stuttered, “If the infinite realms is where ghosts go, isn’t that like… the afterlife? You’ve been to the afterlife?”

Professor Fenton lazily shrugged and opened the doors to the library, “yes and no. It’s all complicated. I’ll tell you a different time.”

Harry stood there for a few more seconds as his brain tried to catch up with the information, and once he managed to close his mouth he chased after the Professor.

-

-

-

Harry glanced around the Professors room as he followed after him, arms filled with books that seemed to suspiciously be only about the Dark Arts. He’d never been to a professor's living quarters, at most he had been in some offices. Even so, it was not at all what he imagined a wizard's living quarters would look like.

First off, there seemed to be technology. He recognized a coffee machine on a low table, but it wasn’t plugged into anything. There was an odd box that looked like a slightly smaller television, it’s screen black and wires sticking out of it attached to a rectangular box with a lot of buttons on top of it and a small round device. There was also a radio, and a huge telescope leaning out the largest window. As Harry looked, he began to notice spaceships literally in every corner of the room. Different kinds as well, some would even move and blast off. The most amazing part was the roof of his room. It was almost exactly like the great hall as it rose into dark nothingness, but the stars were MUCH brighter and all the constellations had been traced out, some brighter than others. For someone who knew a lot about ghosts, he seemed to really like space. Then there were also some odd things thrown around, like a very weird looking thermos. Or a metal… boomerang?

“Just place them over here, Harry!” Fenton called as he dropped his pile of books onto a couch in the corner. Harry did as he was told, placing the books down a little more gently than the professor did.

“Professor�� how did you get these things to work? Technology usually… explodes around magic,” Harry asked.

“Oh! Well it’s because I power them myself!” Professor Fenton chirped. “They don’t work the same way as regular technology. Again, I recommend checking out some of the notes in the Fentons books, they have a lot of stuff that works in the magical realm.”

“Why would you need it though? Doesn’t magic make up for a lot of technology?” Harry asked.

“Ah, but that’s where you are wrong you see! There is nothing in the magical world that is equivalent to the coffee machine!”

Harry blinked, “... what.”

“It’s a very important machine, Harry. You will depend greatly on it once you need to stay up for an entire week. But! It seems our time together has come to an end. Thanks for your help, Harry, and if McGonagall asks, tell her I made you scrub toilets or something,” he winked.

Harry grinned back, heading towards the doorway to go find Ron and Hermione. He closed the door behind and the moment it clicked shut, he saw a flash appear from under the door.

He paused slightly, but shrugged. Maybe a comet passed by on the enchanted roof of his room. He then headed down the halls to find his friends.

-

-

-

“Not normally invited?” Harry asked.

Hermione nodded, “Ghosts throw death day parties like birthday parties, but rarely do they ever invite living people!”

“I see, so Sir Nick really wanted us to be there,” Harry pondered as the trio entered the party area. He immediately was hit with an awful stench, nearly gagging before he had to swallow it as Sir Nicholas noticed their arrival and approached swiftly with the widest smile they had ever seen on his face.

“Harry! Ron! Hermione! You all made it! Oh this brings such joy to my cold, dead heart!”

“Glad to see you as well, Sir Nick,” Harry struggled not to gag on the smell.

“Say, why do ghosts even celebrate the day they died? Isn’t that… like a very traumatic experience you would rather not remember?” Ron somehow managed to ask.

“Well, ghosts like to celebrate it to commodirate a start to a new chapter of our afterlife!” He paused, glancing across the room for a split second, “most ghosts that is, and the death day isn’t to remind us of our death. It more serves to encourage us to look forward! No one really wants to remember how we died. Never a pretty picture.”

Harry followed Nicholas’s gaze for the split second glance, then noticed a ghost he had never seen before. He ignored the smell (they would have to ask about that later) and nudged Hermione, pointing at the ghost, “hey Hermione, have you ever seen that ghost around the castle before? I don’t remember seeing him from last year…”

The ghost in question seemed so much stranger than the rest, he had a brighter glow, where he should have had legs, merged into what seemed to be a ghostly tail, drifting lazily like caught in a breeze. Long hair whiter than snow itself drifted around like caught underwater, and bits that weren’t drifting were braided neatly and lost in the rest of it as it constantly moved. The ghost had purple skin, pointed ears, green freckles dotting his cheeks and long sharp fangs showing as he laughed at another ghost's joke. He dressed like a medieval lord, wearing a delicately detailed black and white tunic tucked into a braided belt circling his waist, his ghostly tail completely black. Thick white leather gloves covered both his hands as he waved them around while he spoke. A white cape hung off his shoulders, but when the cape occasionally drifted to show the inside, it was like the ghost had taken the night sky and attached it to the garment. Thick fur wrapped around his shoulders and long and sharp horns that looked like ice circled his head like a crown.

Toxic green eyes that had irises that seemed to swirl around the pupil glanced at the trio and Harry suddenly felt very very small.

“I… don’t know. I haven’t even heard of any ghost that looked like him before,” Hermione seemed like she was at a loss, probably scouting through her thoughts and memories for any trace or mention of the unfamiliar ghost.

Sir Nicholas cut in, “oh! That may be because King Phantom doesn’t live in this castle! He’s mainly only here to visit for the year!”

Ron gapped, “... did you say… king? Was he a king before he died?”

Sir Nicholas frowned, “no, of course not! He’s the king of all ghosts! King of the infinite realms! The one who defeated Pariah Dark in single combat barely a year after he died! The youngest and most beloved king we ghosts have had in such a very long time.”

“There’s a king of ghosts? And that’s him?” Harry asked.

“That’s what I just said, my dear boy. Keep up!”

“I don’t want to seem rude, Sir Nicholas but… why is he here?” Hermione gasped, “if he really is such a powerful and imposing figure, doesn’t he have a lot of duties to fulfil?”

“Well, he told us he was technically here on business but that it requires time and an investigation that could take a few months. So he could visit and celebrate with us from time to time! He’s a very relaxed man, I assure you. Here let me introduce you all to him! My Liege! I have some friends you absolutely must meet!”

The King looked over and smiled widely, “friends, you say?” His voice echoed more than the other ghosts, seeming to carry across the room as he spoke. He then blinked in surprise and turned to Nick, “Sir Nicholas… you realize these three are still amongst the living?”

“Why of course! Harry is the Boy Who Lived! The first to survive the death spell!” Sir Nicholas said quite proudly.

The King drifted down towards the three, causing Ron to slightly flinch at his approach, his hands clasped together as worry seemed to etch on his face, “well, most ghosts don’t have a very good sense of smell or taste, right? Which is why we have all the rotting food out?”

“Yes?” Sir Nicholas still didn’t seem to catch on.

King Phantom held out his hand, producing clothing hanger clips made purely of ice, “The living can still very much smell and taste, and I don’t think it’s exactly the smell of roses and lavender.”

Sir Nicholas blinked, “oh. Oh! Oh Harry and friends, I apologize for forgetting such a detail!”

Harry, Ron and Hermione all graciously accept the clips, pinning them on their noses to escape the horrid smell. Then Hermione turned towards the Ghost King with a glint in her eyes, “wait- how did you do that? Ghosts aren’t this solid- and they definitely can’t use magic!”

Phantom chuckled, drifting back into the air as he pointed to the crown of ice horns on his head, “Well first off, I’m the king so I get some bonuses. As well as not all ghosts work the same. You should try listening to that Dark Arts professor of yours when he talks about ghosts. He’s quite knowledgeable about all things not living.”

“But- but years of documentation and research-!” Hermione tried to argue before the King tutted.

“Information is constantly changing and growing, something that seems pretty constant could change in seconds and turn your whole world upside down. Not to mention, many different types of ghosts like myself only became more common recently. Before, most of us were confined to the infinite realms, only ghosts like Sir Nicholas forming for many centuries and the different kinds rarely slipped out.”

“Well-, what changed?” Hermione challenged.

King Phantom sported a playful grin, “I d̶͙͉̓̓i̷̢̩̬̘̟̽ę̴̘̲̹̤͌̊d̸̢̳̞̄.”

He then turned and left the three on that note as he went to join other ghosts at the party.

“What does he mean by that?” Hermione huffed.

“He’s got an odd sense of humour, that’s for sure,” Sir Nicholas laughed.

-

-

-

Harry couldn’t stop his glare that shot towards Professor Snape as he accused Harry of petrifying Mrs. Norris and writing the bloody message that stained the wall. Before he could snap back at him that he did not do any of this, Professor Fenton seemed to almost step out of thin air to his defense.

“Mr. Potter was with me all night, he did not do this,” his voice laced with a chilling venom. Was he… lying for him?

Snape tilted his chin up, attempting to look down on Fenton who was no longer hunched, and instead stood tall at his full height. It was quite difficult to do as it turned out, Fenton towered over every other Professor in the area. “And who, pray tell, are you?” Snape seemed to almost spit.

A sinister grin spread across the tall Professor's features as he stepped in front of Harry, leaning menacingly over the shorter wizard and blocking his view of the student, “Professor Fenton, the professor of the Dark Arts. Accusing a second year of such a powerful spell isn’t a very wise take, now is it Professor Snape?” Fenton basically spat his name.

Snape glared back, “you would be surprised what Potter is capable of, especially the trouble he gets himself in.”

“How about you try not pinning the blame on a 12 year old child?”

“That is enough out of both of you,” Dumbledore stepped in. “We all know Harry was not responsible for this, as Professor Fenton’s defence is true. We have a healthy patch of mandrake roots that will cure Mrs. Norris of her petrification, and students will resume their classes while the professors investigate the issue. Now you three will return to your dorms for the rest of the night.”

Harry hesitated before he headed back towards the dorms, but didn’t fail to notice how Professor Fenton’s eyes flashed toxic green, or the wink sent in his direction.

[kazewhara]

ZUZU ZUZU

I present you ✨Worried Kazuha✨

This is a whole fic I'm sorry

(Can we just say you’re very short-tempered cause this only works if you are🧍‍♀️)

Arguments between you two rarely happen because you mostly agree with everything. But, when they do, it’s as if you’re scolding your parents. All I can say is that he is a very stubborn man. No this is a joke. He is very easy to convince. Meaning, you rarely have disagreements. He only ever disagrees with you if he knows he’s right or simply, he has an opinion. But usually, arguments with Kazuha are more calm than screaming matches between two people.

“Kazuha, you need to rest.” You try to persuade him.

“No need, love. I’m used to it.” He says, beginning to aggravate you. You’ve been at this talk for a while now.

“Still. Just let me cure you.” You plead him but his head won’t budge.

“I told you I don’t need whatever that first aid has; it will heal soon.” He tells you, making you even more pissed.

“Just do it.”

“No.”

“Kazuha. Please.” You tell, getting visibly angry.

“I don’t need your help. I can handle things like this on my own just fine.” What he said was your final straw. Why wouldn’t he just accept your help?!

“Fine! I’ll just go with Aether.” You told him, storming out of the boat, catching everyone’s attention as you stomp your way onto the dock in Liyue. Luckily, Aether was close to Ms. Yu, doing bounties with Paimon.

“Hey, Aether.” You call him, catching his attention.

“Hmm? Oh, hi, Y/n! What are you doing here? Isn’t the Crux supposed to leave tomorrow?” He asks. He notices the angry tears you’ve cried moments before.

While talking to Aether, Beidou sees you storm out, getting worried as she was your favorite crewmate (lets just say that). Also because you’ve only done that once and that was because someone needed you in Liyue Harbor at the dead of night.

“Hey, Kazuha?” She calls out to Kazuha, to which he responds with a hum.

“Why’d Y/n do that? Did you do something?”

“I did absolutely nothing, Captain.” He denied it, putting a new bandage on his scraped arm.

“You sure? ‘Cause we’re leaving tomorrow.” She states, getting worried her favorite will be missing out on Inazuma.

“If they want to leave, het her. If they don't want to come, then so be it.” He answers back, not giving a care. He’d figure you’d come back after a few hours, enough time for you to come to Inazuma.

“I’ll go look for ‘em.” Beidou assists, knowing you’d probably miss the trip.

“Do what you want. They’ll come back later anyway.” (Wow, assumer) Beidou exits the Alcor, beginning to find you.

Going back to you and Aether, he has begun to worry why you would cry.

“Hey, are you alright?” You notice you were crying and begin to wipe the tears off your cheek.

“Uh, yeah. I’m fine.” You reassure him. You would have convinced him but then he saw Beidou calling parts of your name, the other parts of your name? You could barely hear it.

“Are you sure? Beidou is- Woah!” You cut him off by dragging by the hand and going up the stone stairs, leading you to a busy street.

“Y/n. What’s wrong?” This time, Paimon says.

“Yeah, why won’t you go to Beidou?” They both ask, in which you respond with the classic “I don’t really want to see them right now.” To which they understand. It did seem you were in a bad mood. He quickly tried to find something that would lift up your spirits, simply, eating at Third Round Knockout. He suggests eating at your favorite restaurant to which you obviously say “Yes”.

“Oooh, quickly! Paimon can already taste the food!” Paimon whines, to which you chuckle; smiling. Aether calms down a bit. You’re closer to a somewhat good mood. For the rest of the day, you spend time with Aether, walking at the beach near Liyue, eating at Third Round Knockout, trying Xiangling’s new dishes, and just bonding together. Meanwhile, Beidou gave up chasing after you long ago, thinking you actually will go back by tomorrow.

It’s the next day. You chose to spend the night at a nearby inn (The one where Shenhe sleeps in the archon quest) not far from the Harbor. Kazuha thought he’d wake up to you beside him. Nope. He was surprised you weren’t there. He asked Beidou if she had found you yet; she said no. Now, he grew worried. Where were you? Were you still mad at him? Unfortunately, they had to leave in 30 minutes, not enough time to find you. So, you had to miss it and he couldn’t see you for five days at most. Archons forbid they come back earlier. They went on their way to Inazuma to help fight in the war. You knew they already went away. You couldn’t care less. You went on adventures you couldn’t go on before as you needed to go with the Crux. You had your cryo vision ready and sword when needed.

A few days in adventuring, the Crux would come back to Liyue in about two hours. While on a journey to Qingce Village, you encounter a ruin hunter in Wuwang Hill. You successfully defeat it but you gain a huge scar across your arm. Meaning you needed a healer or a doctor of some kind. The only place you know where a healer could be found was the Crux– you were bound to go there soon. Only 30 minutes left until they come back. Enough time for you to rush to Liyue to catch up before the healer went on break. You wince at the pain on the journey back to the Harbor. You arrive at Liyue Harbor; mere minutes before they arrive. Five minutes pass, and you can see the boat from a distance. One, two, three. There they are. You rush on board to find the healer, not taking the pain any longer. Once on board, everyone stares at you, including your lover that made you storm off days before. He sees the scar that the ruin hunter gave, making him even more worried. He jumped down from where he was sitting (Here) and with you not noticing, he hugged you from behind, catching you by surprise.

“What the hell?” You curse under your breath, immediately knowing it was your lover.

“Dove.” He whined your pet name. You sigh in annoyance.

“What happened to you? I missed you…” He said in an attempt to gain your empathy.

“I got hurt by a ruin hunter.” You replied dryly. No “I missed you too”? No “I love you”? So you were still mad.

“Can you let me go? I need to find a healer.” He did as asked and you went to find said healer. You come out of the office with tons of bandages running down your arm.

“Thank you!” You thank the healer, walking out. You see Kazuha waiting by the door and before you knew it, he was dragging you by the hand into his cabin.

“What do you want, Kazuha?” You say and he turns around to steal a kiss from you. You were caught off guard, of course. I mean who wouldn’t? After a few minutes, you two pull away for air.

“Now, what was that, ‘Zuha?” Ah, back to pet names. Are you not mad anymore?

“Hehe, I missed you. You did miss going to Inazuma. It’s only natural that your lover would miss you.” I mean, he did say the truth.

“Also, I wanted to say I’m sorry. I try to agree, but I seem to be too stubborn. I’ll try to accept your help more.”

“It’s fine, Kazuha. I’m just happy I’m here with you right now.”

(Lol I'm sorry if there are mistakes, I'm tired rn)

-Mystery Mutual

this is so cute :( ♡ also, mystery mutual? :O

[tuiccim]

Dimensional Pain

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 3363

Warnings: Angst, minor violence, fluff, implied smut.

Squares filled: Heartbreak for @star-spangled-bingo. 

A/N: This is for the HBC’s @the-ss-horniest-book-club Drunk Drabbles / Divider by @firefly-graphics

Earth-616

“Everything ready for the test?” Bruce asks as he comes into the lab. 

“Looks like it.” You say. 

“Everything is ready. I’ve figured this thing out down to the molecular level.” Tony grins. 

You roll your eyes at his overconfidence. The machine was an unknown entity that you thought may be an interstellar communication device but, truthfully, no one knew what it really did. You, Bruce, and Tony had studied each part of it in the lab and, now that you had gleaned all the information you could, the only option left was to run a test. 

“Alright, let’s do this.” You say. 

“The honor is all yours.” Tony grins. 

You switch on the machine with 10% power and look at the readouts, “This is strange.”

“Let’s turn the power up.” Tony says as he turns the dial. “This is fascinating. I’m going to full power.”

Tony cuts the power, “Are you okay?”

“What the hell were you thinking? Have you lost your mind? We don’t know what this is!” You yell before turning to him. Your brow furrows as you take him in. Something was different but you shake it away. 

“These readings are insane!” Tony exclaims. “Bruce, do you see this?”

“Look at these spikes.” Bruce’s face is alight as he goes over readings. 

“Am I still alive? Hello?” You shout. 

“Oh, yeah, yeah. Are you okay?” Tony asks already turning back to the computer

“Fine.” You grouse. “I’m done for the day.”

“But look at this!” Bruce looks at you but his smile fades when you look at him with a murderous gaze. “Yeah, you should, uh, take a break.” He stammers as you walk out. 

Things feel strange as you wander through the hallways but still you can’t put your finger on it. You are steps from your bedroom when Bucky comes out of it and nearly collides with you. 

“Hey Doll.” Bucky grins as he wraps his arms around you and pulls you to him for a kiss. 

You push away from him shocked. “What are you doing? Why were you in my room?” You ask, wide-eyed.

“What are you talking about, Doll? I was just heading to find you for lunch.” Bucky says.

“Why?” You look at him surprised.

���So we could eat together.” Bucky says, “Are you okay, Doll?”

“Wh-, I, you… Why were you in my room, Bucky?”

“What’s wrong, Doll? What did I do wrong? As far as I knew, it was still our room.”

“Our room? What the hell are you talking about?” You burst through the door and look around the room. Everything is different. There is a king bed instead of your queen and all the furniture has been moved. The colors are different. You walk back out again to make sure you are in the right room and walk back in again. “What the fuck?”

“Doll?”

“Is this a prank?” You are beginning to panic. “Bucky! Is this a prank? It isn’t funny!”

“Doll, you’re starting to scare me.”

“This isn’t funny Bucky! Stop it!” You yell. 

“Hey!” Tony enters the room with Bruce at his heels, “We have a few theories on what we think happened. Uh…” Tony’s eyes bounce between you and Bucky. 

“Okay?” You prompt.

“We don’t think you belong here.” Bruce says. 

“What does that mean?” You furrow your brows.

“We think the machine has something to do with space-time continuum.” Tony says. 

“Tony, Wha… Did I go forward in time?” You look at him incredulously. 

“More like sideways.” Bruce says. 

“Sideways? Dimensionally?!?” You exclaim. 

“Yes.” Tony looks at you with a smirk and you can see his scientific mind turning it’s wheels. 

“This is a different dimension?” You ask. 

“Well, let’s compare some notes and see.” Bruce says. 

“Are you and Natasha together?” You look at him. 

“Uh, we broke up, kinda.” Bruce says. 

“Are you and Pepper married?” You turn to Tony.

“Engaged.” Tony says. 

Looking at Bucky your heart hurts, “And we’re together?”

“We’re not together in your dimension?” Bucky asks. 

“No. We’re just friends.”

“We’re going to have to get into that later.” Tony says and then calls for an emergency meeting of the Avengers. You move to the conference room and watch as each of your team members filter in. They were your team and they weren’t. It was utterly confusing as you watch Natasha, then Steve, Sam, Wanda, and Vision walk in.

Once everyone settles in Tony explains the situation you currently find yourself in. You spend a couple of hours going back and forth with the team about the historical and scientific differences of each of your dimensions. 

“Can we reverse this?” Steve asks. 

“I don’t know but Bruce and I will work on it.” Tony answers truthfully. 

“This is twisted.” Natasha says. 

“Yeah.” You scoff. 

Bucky’s eyes zero in on your hand. The ring he had placed on your finger only a few weeks ago was gone. Seeing it missing tore at his heart. “We have to fix this.” Bucky says emphatically to Tony and Bruce. 

“We know.” Tony says.

“We’re going to fix this.” Bruce says kindly. 

“You damn well better,” Bucky growls.

“We’ll get her back.” Tony says. 

“Preferably before the wedding.” Natasha quips.

“Wedding?” You look at Natasha for understanding. 

“You and Bucky got engaged a few weeks ago.” Natasha says softly.

“We… we did?” You look at Bucky. 

“Yea. I’m engaged to the other you.” Bucky turns back to Tony, “And I want my fiancee back!”

“We’ll get her back, Bucky! Until then, you’ll be confined to the building.” Tony says turning his attention to you. 

“Are you serious?” You ask.

“It’s for the best.” Steve says reassuringly. 

“Yeah, so is this.” You turn and punch Tony as hard as you can. Tony doubles over as Steve grabs your arms. 

“HEY!” Steve yells.

“No, no, I deserved that.” Tony waves him off as he holds his face. 

You pull your arms from Steve’s grip and stare down Tony and Bruce, “Let’s get to work. Now.”

--

Three days later, Bucky finds you in the rooftop garden. He watches you for a moment full of longing to hold you in his arms. He found this situation torturous. He was looking at you, at the face of the woman he loves and he can’t touch you. His heart twists as he watches you knowing that it was just as hard, no, harder on you. To have everything be familiar but none of it is yours. You turn to him when you hear his approach. 

“You always come up here when you need to think.” He says.

“Yeah.” You smile sadly. “Will…”

“What?” Bucky asks.

“Will you tell me about us? How did we get together?” You ask.

“Are you sure you want to know, Doll?” Bucky looks at you questioningly. 

“Yeah. In my world, you’re my friend but you… I… we’ve never made that leap.”

“It was the same here.” Bucky says. “We were great friends, worked together, hung out together, everything. Then after one of Tony’s parties we were all hanging out and you tripped over your heels and landed in my lap. You were laughing at yourself and then we just looked at each other. I had been in love with you as long as I had known you and that was our moment. I kissed you and you kissed me back and the team cheered like they’d been waiting for us to finally realize we were meant to be together.” Bucky smiles with tears in his eyes as he looks at you. 

“I took them off.” You whisper. “I took off my heels.”

“What?” Bucky asks. 

“The party. I took off my heels before I got up because they were hurting my feet. I told you good night and patted your shoulder as I walked past. I missed it. I missed our moment.” Tears cloud your eyes as you realize. 

“Do you love me? Him. Your Bucky?”

You nod. “Almost since I met him.”

“What’s stopping you?” Bucky asks. 

“I didn’t realize he feels that way for me.”

“Almost since he first met you. If he’s as smart as I am.” Bucky smiles at you sweetly. 

“Thank you, Bucky.” You smile and reach out to hug him. 

“No!”

You jump back, wide-eyed and gape at him, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry I didn’t mean-”

“It’s not you, doll. It’s me. I can’t- I can’t touch you.” Bucky says. 

You nod and hug yourself, “I understand. Sorry.” Moving away quickly, you look back at him only when you reach the door. Giving him a quick smile, you go through. 

--

Two more weeks and Bucky is nearly a mad man. Tony and Bruce avoid him like a plague and you know him seeing you is killing him. Everytime he sees you his face lights up for half a second before it falls with realization that you aren’t his. You had worked with Tony and Bruce on a solution, run scenarios, and had even recklessly tried some runs. Today, however, you rush through the compound looking for Tony and Bruce and pause as you nearly run past Bucky.

“Come with me.” You shout and run for the lab. “I have an idea!”

“Doll?” Bucky follows you. 

Tony and Bruce are in the lab and stare, eyes bouncing from you to Bucky. 

“We haven’t been able to recreate the experiment because we don’t know when the other me will be trying. I have an idea. Bucky, is my grandmother here named Brigid?”

“Um, yeah.” Bucky says. 

“Tomorrow is St. Brigid’s Day.”

“Okay. We still need a time.” Bruce says carefully. 

“She’ll try on the angelus. We’ll have three chances.” You explain. 

“The angelus?” Tony raises an eyebrow. 

“6, 12, and 6. The time of prayers.” You explain. “Look, it’s worth a shot, right?”

“I’ve had worse ideas.” Tony smirks. 

“Many.” You grouse, narrowing your eyes at him.

“We’ll get this done.” Bruce says turning back to his computer. 

 “I’m going home tomorrow.” You look at Bucky, “And she’s coming home.”

---

Meanwhile on Earth-678…

“These readings are insane!” Tony exclaims. “Bruce, do you see this?”

“Look at these spikes.” Bruce’s face is alight as he goes over readings. 

“Am I still alive? Hello?” You shout. 

“Oh, yeah, yeah. Are you okay?” Tony asks already turning back to the computer

“Fine.” You grouse. “I’m done for the day.”

“But look at this!” Bruce looks at you but his smile fades when you look at him with a murderous gaze. “Yeah, you should, uh, take a break.” He stammers as you walk out. 

Things feel strange as you wander through the hallways but still you can’t put your finger on it. You are steps from your bedroom when Bucky comes out of his old room and nearly collides with you. 

“Oh, thank God.” You say as you wrap your arms around his torso and hug him to you. “Tony tried to kill me with that flipping device.”

“Uh, hey, doll.” Bucky says wrapping his arms around you awkwardly. 

“Baby? What’s the matter?” You look at him concerned.

“Baby?” Bucky looks at you like you’ve lost your mind. 

You let go of him and back away with your stomach in knots, “What’s the matter with you?”

“Why are you calling me baby?”

“That’s what I always call you.”

“Hey!” Tony jogs towards you with Bruce at his heels, “We have a few theories on what we think happened. Uh…” Tony’s eyes bounce between you and Bucky. 

“Okay?” You prompt.

“We don’t think you belong here.” Bruce says. 

“What does that mean?” You furrow your brows.

“We think the machine has something to do with space-time continuum.” Tony says. 

“Tony, wha… Did I go back in time?” You look at him incredulously. 

“More like sideways.” Bruce says. 

“Sideways? Dimensionally?!?” You exclaim. 

“Yes.” Tony looks at you with a smirk and you can see his scientific mind turning it’s wheels. 

“This is a different dimension?” You ask. 

“Well, let’s compare some notes and see.” Bruce says. 

“Are you and Natasha broken up?” You look at him. 

“No, we’re still together.” Bruce says. 

“Are you and Pepper engaged?” You turn to Tony.

“Married.” Tony says. 

Looking at Bucky your heart hurts, “And we’re not together?”

“We’re together in your dimension?” Bucky asks. 

“Uh, yeah.” You hold up your left hand showing your engagement ring. 

“We’re engaged?” Bucky’s eyes grow wide. 

“Yeah.” You say softly. 

“But you... I… how?.” Bucky says. 

“We’re going to have to get into that later.” Tony says and then calls for an emergency meeting of the Avengers. You moved to the conference room and watched as each of your teammates filters in. They were your team and they weren’t. It is utterly confusing as you watch Natasha, Steve, Sam, Wanda, and Vision walk in.

Once everyone settles in Tony explains the situation you currently find yourself in. You spend a couple of hours going back and forth with the team about the historical and scientific differences of each of your dimensions. 

“Can we reverse this?” Steve asks. 

“I don’t know but Bruce and I will work on it.” Tony answers truthfully. 

“You keep twisting your engagement ring.” Natasha says. 

“Uh, yeah. Nervous habit.” You say. 

Bucky’s eyes zero in on the ring on your finger remembering your earlier conversation before his eyes find yours. 

“Who are you engaged to?” Natasha asks. 

“Uh… who am I with in this dimension?” You look at Natasha. 

“You’re single here. So…?” Natasha raises an eyebrow. 

“Um, I’m engaged to Bucky.” You look at him as you say it. 

“I knew it.” Natasha smirks. 

“What?” Bucky looks at Natasha.

“Oh, come on, you’ve been pining for her forever.” Natasha giggles.

“Nat!” Bucky exclaims. 

“We did pine for a while.” You smirk and then your face falls realizing even more now that, as familiar as your surroundings are, this isn’t home. This isn’t your Bucky and this isn’t your family. 

“We’re going to fix this.” Bruce says kindly. 

“Until then, you’ll be confined to the building.” Tony says. 

“Are you serious?” You ask.

“It’s for the best.” Steve says reassuringly. 

“Yeah, so is this.” You turn and punch Tony as hard as you can. Tony doubles over as Steve grabs your arms. 

“HEY!” Steve yells.

“No, no, I deserved that.” Tony waves him off as he holds his face. 

You pull your arms from Steve’s grip, “I’ll be in my room. Or what I assume is my room.”

You stand in the middle of the room that is this dimension’s yours. It’s the same as it was before you and Bucky moved in together. Your heart ached. You needed comfort desperately but the person who comforted you the most was a dimension away and this Bucky was still just your friend. You stare around the room and wrap your arms around yourself. Your mind raced and you decided to throw yourself into the only other thing that could possibly help at this point. 

“FRIDAY, tell Tony and Bruce to get back to the lab. Now.”

---

Three days later. This was torture Bucky thought to himself as he made his way to your room. He had finally decided to tell you how he felt and now this. He wanted to be with you so badly, but you aren't his. Or you are his but not in this dimension. So, does that mean you feel the same way about him? How different are the dimensions?

He knocks softly on your door and stands frozen for a minute when you open it. Longing is thick between you. 

“Hey.” You break the silence. 

“Hey, Doll. I mean… is it okay for me to call you doll?”

“Yeah. It’s what you’ve always called me. It’s... comforting. I’m sorry. This is insane. I’m going to lose my mind. I need you but I can’t have you because you aren’t mine. I… I…” You bury your head in your hands. 

“Come sit down, Doll.” Bucky guides you to the couch. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay. You’re okay. This is all very strange for you.”

“Yeah.” You nod.

“Will you tell me? Tell me about your world.”

“How about I tell you about what you really want to know?”

“What’s that?” Bucky smiles.

“Us.” 

---

2 weeks later

Bucky watches you from across the dinner table. You were drawn and had lost weight. The failed experiments had depressed you and Bucky ached for you. He wanted to hold you, to comfort you, but he couldn’t. You weren’t his to touch. Any justifications he could come up with were empty. He finds you in your room afterwards.

“Hey Doll. You okay?” Bucky asks.

You close your eyes. The pain at looking at him and being unable to touch him at this point is unbearable. It was as if there was a magnet pulling the two of you together and the only thing keeping you apart was the understanding that you weren’t you. Not the right you. 

Two weeks of this and your brain still hurt.  Everything was familiar and foreign. Bucky was the best and worst part of it. At least you had part of him but at the same time it was torture not to have all of him. 

“B-Bucky. Will you hold me? Please? Just hold me. Nothing else. Please.”  

“Is that a good idea, doll?”

“No but I need it.”

Bucky settles onto your couch and you sit in his lap, wrapping your arms around him and sobbing. After a while, you pull a little away. “Thank you. I miss my Bucky. I want to go home.”

“I know, doll. I know. Go to bed. Things will look better tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow. February 1. February 1st! Saint Brigid’s Day! I have to find Tony. FRIDAY! Tell Tony and Bruce to meet me in the lab. Now!”

“Doll, what are you talking about?” Bucky runs after you. 

“I have the answer. I’m going home!” You shout.  

--

The next day you stood ready at 5:59 am for the first try. Tony had complained about the early hour until you silenced him with a look and fisted hand. Bucky and Bruce stood across the room watching the computer with the rest of the team. 

“If this works, thank you all. It’s been interesting knowing you.” You smile at them. “And, Bucky, she loves you. Don’t waste anymore time.”

Bucky grins at you and nods. The clock changes to 6 and you and Tony begin. Everything repeats the same as last time until the flash of light engulfs you again. Once it dissipates, you look around hopefully. 

“Doll?” Bucky asks. 

You stare at him for a moment before turning to Tony, “Married or engaged?”

“Married.” Tony says carefully. 

You burst into tears and grin, “It worked! It worked!”

“Doll!” You are picked up off of your feet and wrap your arms around his neck. 

When he sets you down, you look up at him, “Did we miss our moment?”

“No, Doll, no. This is our moment.” Bucky says before kissing you for the first time. 

---

Earth-616

“If this works, thank you all. It’s been interesting knowing you.” You smile at them.

“Find your moment, doll.” Bucky grins at you and you nod at him smiling. The clock changes to 6 and you and Tony begin. Everything repeats the same as last time until the flash of light engulfs you again. Once it dissipates, you look around hopefully. 

“Doll?” Bucky asks. 

You stare at him for a moment before turning to Tony, “Married or engaged?”

“Engaged.” Tony says carefully. 

You burst into tears and run to Bucky’s arms. He picks you up and walks out of the lab with you. Passion and desperation overtake you both and you don’t even make it to the bed. You end up making love on the floor of your room. Kisses, thrusts, and moans as you finally make it home, your real home. 

Masterlist

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[siriusmydeer]

ooo okay so a James Potter x reader soulmate au where they feel each others pain, and she has a suspicion he's her soulmate but it's confirmed when he falls off his broom, and she hates him being her soulmate because he's in love with lily, but he says that lily doesn't matter anymore blah blah, and she says she first thought it was him when he fell of a bench in the great hall or something after confessing his love for lily in front of the entire school (1)

‘all along that they were soulmates but she tells him its really inconsiderate for being so obvious about his love for lily when he knew he had a soulmate and he feels really guilty and tries to make it up for her and yeah fluff ending please :)’

the painful soulmate

james potter x fem!reader

summary: in a world where you can feel your soulmates pain; your soulmate happens to think someone else is his soulmate

word count: 2.2k

warning: swearing, mentions of verbally abusing someone, mentions of beating people up, injuries; falling in the air, cracked ribs, tripping, face planting. joking name calling, kissing, angst, soulmate au, insinuation of unrequited love, fluff ending

by the age of 16 you and every other witch along with wizard were given a particular... gift. you wouldn’t consider it a gift, more like your worse fucking nightmare but you could squeal and pretend to be all dainty and excited about meeting your soulmate.

i mean why not give someone a choice on who they wanted to love? this wasn’t a game of spin the bottle this was forever.

being the only female in your friend group, made all the boys amongst you ridiculously pry into your privacy. wanting to know who they had to verbally torture considering they would scoop up the ‘precious little baby-girl’ of the group.

coming directly from the drama queen himself; sirius black. it’s not like they could beat up your partner because you would be able to feel his or her pain as-well.

you were sat in the marauders dorm absently playing with your fingers while looking at each of your mates, sirius and remus attempted to finish their plans on a new prank for the newest defence against the dark arts teacher, james sat at his desk table writing up ways to ask lily more dramatically than the last and peter had been figuring out his transfiguration homework from a few days prior.

“prongs, if you know she’s gonna say no, then why ask?” remus questioned not even looked at the sapphire-eyed boy. his only logic being, ‘well ill turn her no into a yes.’ as if coercion was the way to go.

the brunette sat at the table swiftly turning his head in the lyncanthropes direction, his spectacles almost falling down his nose from the quick snap of his head. “well, lily-pad has always said, ‘not in a million years!’ but that means after a million years she’d go out with me.” finishing his speech with a small grin.

the rest of the group on the other hand looked at him dumbfounded. eyebrows either scrunched or furrowed, “james m’afraid that’s not how it works.” you spoke, trying to ease his feelings as if your words could stop his incessant pining.

“well, i’ll just make it work!” turning around and continuing his list, speaking as if he was godric gryffindor coming up with the best idea of the century. “ten galleons she says no again.” sirius quickly whispers in peters direction, the dirty blonde haired boy doing a quick nod then looking back at his parchment.

“i heard that!”

the next time there was a ramble of soulmate talk, which by the way you were getting exhausted from. why did everyone have to have a soulmate? why couldn’t you pick from your own free will? it’s not even like you could have a bloody crush because there was already someone supposedly out there for you!

one free period, ONE! and it’s spent over peter narrowing down his options on all the gryffindor girls he might be paired with. “it’s definitely not marls, peter.” sirius’ pearl irises glanced at peter than over to remus who was trying to teach you how to play wizards chess.

“moony, not to be offensive, but this game sucks arse.” you shrugged, glaring at your queen piece that looked like it wanted to yell at you. as you were twisting around the wood of your pieces, james got up from the bench catching a glimpse of red among the ravenclaw students. instead tripping on the stone of the bench and face planting into the freshly cut grass.

you felt a soreness at the fronts of your calves and an immense discomfort on your face. you grimaced while rubbing your knees trying to soothe the random shoot of exertion through your veins to the point where you almost had the urge to groan.

james quickly scrambled to his feet trying to brush out his hair that had sprinkles of green all over the front, you completely ignored the fact that james’ fall broken by the stone of the bench had caused you to have a twinge of pain into your system.

“none of you saw that.” he panted with slight embarrassment, directing his message to sirius who had his hand clenched into a fist over his lips attempting to cover up the small chortles that were threatening to escape his lips.

“don’t worry, we saw nothing.” you confirmed with an amused grin, putting your two fingers over your lips like a seal.

he grinned back at you twice as hard, your heart starting more of an upbeat frequency that you started to notice as he sat beside you moving a piece that could ruin remus’ chance at winning.

“you slimy git! you’re helping her cheat, you little slag!” remus whined, trying to analyze the board again.

after your recovery, from absolutely nothing. you were sprawled on the scarlet-couch waiting for the rest of your friends to come back from detention. you dazed into a book remus had recently given to you, an icepack laying on your foot as you were almost hypnotized by the pride and prejudice book in your hands.

“oi, m’lady!” sirius abruptly shouted while returning to his common room. you jumped from the stentorian voice, that sunk into the now not-solemn and peaceful common room.

you turned your head seeing the bespectacled boy limp onto the other vermillion couch and rest his leg onto the plush of the pillow, meanwhile, the fawn and dirty blonde haired boys sat in the gryffindor-red love seats tired from their detention.

“what’s wrong with him?” you asked, referring to james’ leg that was propped under the pillow.

“we don’t know, we were walking and he just picked up his foot in agony. who knows maybe lily stubbed her toe.” sirius amused to the rest of the group. but your eyes widened in concern, but you had— there’s absolutely and completely no way. more than one person can stub their toe in one day, not just— just one person.

almost like you were in a daze or hypnotized, as stealth as possible you grabbed the maroon coloured blanket that was rested on the arm rest of the couch you spread it over your legs covering the foot; that you had injured previously that day.

what the fuck. no seriously, what the fuck. there wasn’t— there couldn’t even be— that wouldn’t work. it’s not possible. the butterflies, the flushed face, the nervous ticks— fuck.

over the course of the next few days, you were very careful. you could’ve been mary friggin’ poppins i mean you didn’t want him to get suspicious if you were both injured at the same time. you also did not want to know if he— the boy pining over lily fucking evans since first year was possibly— no there’s no way.

the following week there was a slytherin and gryffindor quidditch game. which also happened to be incredibly nerve wracking not only for you but between both houses, as much as slytherin wanted to seem nonchalant there act was simply not going to work. this determined who would be playing in the quidditch house cup, slytherins also happened to not play the fairest in quidditch so extra gryffindor training was keen.

well now that following week, was today. the game was fine, great even. gryffindor was in the lead and james was about to score a quaffle in the hoop, that was until slytherin beater decided to bat a bludger right into james torso causing him to collapse off his broom twenty five feet into the air with nothing to break his fall. at the reflect of the bludger on james ribs you already groaned hunched over into your seat catches the attention of both peter and sirius.

dumbledore did all the spells he could in such a swiftly manner before james skidded on the muddy grass of the pitch. by then you couldn’t even hold in the moans and groans from his affliction with the hard iron bludger and the fall from the air.

both peter and sirius’ eyes widened and shared a look before taking concern to your arching figure. “m’god i didn’t think it hurt that bad!” you groaned into your hands that could almost be seen as trembling from the agony that you were in as james’ team mates brought him down to the infirmary to check for injuries which he did in-fact have.

after sirius had brought you to your dorm, attempting to do a spell to rid you of most-but not all of your pain he raced to healers wing, seeing james on the verge of unconsciousness as madam pomfrey tried to whip up a potion in a fast manner to heal the boy.

i guess it was true— james was your soulmate. your soulmate in love with another woman that is.

a few hours later james was ordered to stay the night for observation, while both sirius and peter decided to catch up remus along with james up on the other ‘things’ more, or less, that occurred during the quidditch match.

him, and lily.... weren’t soulmates? he thought maybe one day they would’ve ended up together, at some point. not his very best friend being the one he’s ‘destined’ with. but he was desperate to speak with you, how did you know? did you even know? how bad did it hurt? he had so many questions scattered around his brain, until he saw your face that was close to a grimace from pain.

“hi.” you whispered, catching his attention.

“hey.” he whispered back hoarsely, gulping at the sudden tension in the room.

“so we’re—“ “you’re my—“ you both spoke at the same time, following an humourless more-so nervous chuckle, from the both of you.

“how long— did you even know?” james started, looking at your figure as if you didn’t know what to do with yourself.

you sat down nervously, cracking your knuckles as you were unsure where to start. “i thought— i started wondering, that day me and rem were playing chess and you fell.” you cleared your throat while speaking, avoiding eye contact entirely. “my knees started to hurt, but i didn’t even notice it. the day that you came into the common room limping, was when i suspected it.” you wrung your fingers together nervously, then looking into his irises.

“you knew? why didn’t you—“ his anger already starting to get the best of him, you knew that you were his soulmate. you were right in-front of him, but you never told him; he almost felt betrayed.

“i didn’t know! only suspected. but you have to understand, james. you were incessantly pinning after lily, you claimed you were ‘in love with her’. you’re making it seem like it was gonna be so easy for me to tell you that ‘guess what, james! the girl you love actually isn’t your soulmate and it’s your best friend you have no interest in!’ prongs, m’fraud s’not that easy.” you mocked, proving your correct argument to him based on his actions.

he took a shaky breath, analyzing basically his whole life in-front of him. even though he might’ve ‘loved’ lily, you were still more important to him. soulmate or not, he would always go to you first. he could barely stand to fight with you, he couldn’t loose you over some silly crush that he had.

“it doesn’t matter— lily— she doesn’t matter. y/n it’s you, soulmate, not soulmate, who cares! lily or not lily, you’ve always been my go-to, my number one, i mean you’ve always been the most important!” he said drastically while punctuating his words, and flailing his arms in the air to prove his point to you.

you sighed looking at him, almost unsure of his words. he looked at you expectantly before speaking again, “i’ll get on my knees right now and beg to you. with broken— well now bruised but priory broken ribs. not to mention my stubbed toe.” he chuckled at last second trying to humour you.

“oh my g— get up!” you snickered at him, james potter was on his knees fighting all the pride in his system right in-front of you where you were sat. his hands grasped both sides of your thighs trying to soothe you into you forgiving him.

at the sight of him right infront of you, with the best sirius black puppy dog eyes he could muster with a pouted lip you immediately gave in. “fine.” you sighed, “fine, fine, fine.” you giggled.

both of his hands encasing your cheeks, a small pout on your lips. “can i kiss you?” he asked, his elbows resting on your thighs. you looked at him pretending to ponder off in thought; shrugging while you spoke, “hmmm, maybe. i gues—“ he quickly cut you off, kissing your pouted lips in the middle of a sentence.

you kissed back, holding his face between your agile fingers. your right hand resting on his squared jaw and the other in his fluffy and borderline-sweaty hair. your lips slotting together, he could feel the mint taste from the gum you have chewed earlier bleed onto his tastebuds; you on the other hand, not such a memorable taste.

you quickly pulled away, a dramatic whine escaping from his throat. “you remember when you face planted into the dirt earlier?” you giggled while asking him. he looked at you confused; why would... you... be asking if he remembered himself falling?

“erm, yeah i can recall.”

“yeah your mouth tastes like dirt.”

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[pippytmi]

Howdy! For the little au trope prompt ask. 2, 2, 39. Supercorp please. Thank you! (Hope it helps your writer's block!)

Everyone knows that when the Quidditch season starts, rivalries begin.

As a general rule, Lena doesn’t mind the Gryffindors. If she had to pick a house she hated, the Slytherins would be the unfortunate lot; Veronica Sinclair and Andrea Rojas alone give the group a bad name. (That could be Lena’s own personal bias, given the fact that both girls have broken her heart, but she maintains it goes far deeper than that). But the point stands—Lena isn’t a hateful person. Generally.

There is just something about Kara Danvers that brings it out of her. The one and only Gryffindor that Lena despises is that moronic, reckless Chaser who scores nearly every single goal she takes. The Ravenclaw team is nothing to sneeze at either, but Lena hates that of all people to throw her off her game, it is a girl who blew up her broom when attempting to fly on it during her first year. Seven years that she has known Kara, and still Lena is annoyed at the mere sight of those perpetually-askew glasses, those untucked robes, that undone tie; Kara Danvers is never expected to be poised and perfect, even with all the expectations on her shoulders. She’s just so...blasé. People talk about Kara like she is destined to join a Quidditch team straight out of Hogwarts and all Kara does is stroll into the Great Hall on game day with her head in the clouds.

So far up the clouds that she apparently can’t watch where she is going, either. Lena throws Kara the nastiest glare she can muster when they just about knock each other’s heads together, but all Kara does at the sight of it is grin. She always grins, not in a way that is arrogant or snide, but stupidly amused. Stupidly amused, as if everything Lena says or does is a bloody laugh, like Lena’s simmering hatred is nothing more than an inside joke.

“Hey, Luthor,” Kara says cheerfully, and there she goes, pushing those crooked glasses up her nose. There is a scratch on one lens, and Kara has either not noticed or not bothered to repair it. “Trying to take out the competition a little early, even for you.”

“You were the one in my way, Danvers,” Lena replies tightly.

“Was I?” And here is the kicker, that golden girl charm that fools everyone: bright blue eyes peeking out beneath those eyelashes, hand rubbing at the back of her neck, undone tie slipping an inch further. Kara tilts her head unassumingly as if that is even an actual question.

It makes Lena furious. “Here’s a tip,” she says, “for here and the Quidditch field. Maybe if you got your head out of your ass, you could actually see where you’re headed.”

Kara has the audacity to look affronted. “Is this because of the Brainy incident during training? Because he and I agreed that it was a joint effort. Joint…blame. Whatever you call it.”

Lena rolls her eyes. “Just keep your aggression to yourself, Danvers,” she mutters, and then she resolutely brushes past. She has no time for blank, witty banter, especially when this is the year’s first game and she has a team to rally.

“My—? Hey,” Kara’s voice rings out, louder than necessary, and that idiot is actually following her. “Hey, wait. Lena. Do you seriously think I’m aggressive? It was an accident! Both times!” A beat. “I mean both the Brainy thing and right now. I didn’t knock into Brainy twice. I did knock James off his broom once, but you probably don’t care about that since he’s not from your house, so…well anyway, just so you know, that was also an accident.”

“I have zero interest in your training squabbles,” Lena says exasperatedly, “and you’d do well to keep that in mind.”

“Oh so this is about the Brainy incident,” Kara says. “How many times do I have to say that the training pitch was ours?”

“According to you,” Lena counters. With that she whirls around, nearly colliding into Kara’s chest, but she still manages to lift her head up high and stare down that egotistical jackass. “I know you might think you’re entitled to any space you waltz into, but some of us mere mortals actually schedule training sessions. You know, like we’re supposed to.”

“I did schedule the—!” Kara has a tendency to become flustered mid-argument, it seems, because her mouth opens but no words come blustering out. Finally she settles on scowling when she declares, “You are a piece of work, you know that? Would it kill you to apologize to me once in a while?”

“That would imply that you have apologized to me at some point,” Lena scoffs. “Which you haven’t, for the record.”

“Yes I have,” Kara is quick to disagree.

Lena crosses her arms; it’s a challenge, and Kara immediately stands a little straighter when she notices. “Oh?” Lena prompts. “Like when?”

“Like…when I knocked into Brainy.”

“I fail to see how I fit in that scenario,” Lena says, “since you didn’t break my nose.”

Kara gives a little huff, as if this back and forth is all so inconvenient right now; as if she hasn’t instigated it. “Okay, but I apologized for disrupting your practice, remember? I took complete responsibility even though it was your fault you couldn’t keep track of when your team was scheduled—”

“That was not an apology. You literally said ‘Sorry Luthor, we need this more than you do’ and then refused to leave for the next half hour!”

“But I said sorry in there, ergo, it is an apology.”

“Well then, when my team beats yours to dust I’ll be sure to apologize properly for that in that exact same sympathetic manner,” Lena sneers.

Somehow, trash talk only makes that dumb, signature Kara Danvers grin come back, completely wiping away any sign of vexation. “Oh yeah? Tell me more, wise old Ravenclaw—”

Before Lena can even begin to dissect that childish comeback (and stupid sing-songy imitation of the Sorting Hat), other students come filtering down the hall and they are practically swept up in the masses. One kid completely shoulders Lena before she even realizes what’s happening; she stumbles to the left, nearly collides with the wall, and opens her mouth to shout, but then:

“Hey!” Kara is already brandishing her wand with one hand and catching the boy’s collar with the other. “Ten points from Hufflepuff! You could’ve hurt someone, walking around without looking where you’re going.”

Lena bites her tongue to stop from making a quip on how ironic that statement is, because Kara is engrossed in a stare-off with the pimply sixth year who is demanding to see her prefect badge to prove Kara can even take points. She would normally side with the kid—anything to knock Kara Danvers down a peg—but, well. For once, Lena can’t be bothered to actively hate someone getting into a heated argument on her behalf.

Two minutes later and the boy stomps off with ten points gone from his house and a detention to boot. Kara, meanwhile, is still frowning as he leaves. “Are you okay?” she asks absentmindedly, still tracking the kid’s every movement with her eyes. “I swear, if there weren’t so many witnesses I would’ve hexed him.”

“Winning move for a prefect, I’m sure,” Lena says dryly, and Kara turns towards her with that slow-growing buffoonish smile and another sheepish nudge of her glasses. Her next words kind of just fall out, almost as if she’d never formed them in her mouth but in the deep recesses of her subconscious alone: “You know, you confuse me.”

“Huh?” Another nudge. The smile slips a fraction, but just enough to show Kara is slightly confused by the change in subject.

You confuse me, Lena wants to repeat. You are the opposite of self-aware. You are messy, and reckless, and selfless whenever it counts and it’s confusing because all I can really hate you for is being able to get away with being imperfect and still be adored by everyone.

But none of those words, thankfully, leave her head. All she says is, “Your approach to discipline confuses me. It’s not like he purposely tried to run into me—ten points might have been too harsh.”

“This coming from the girl who once threatened to curse me into oblivion for tripping her when we were twelve?” Kara’s eyebrows shoot up. “Who are you and what have you done to Lena Luthor? No, hold on, I know. You’re really Jess in disguise, right?”

“Hilarious, Danvers. I wouldn’t quit Quidditch, it might be the only place you’re suited for,” Lena mocks, but all Kara does is laugh.

“Nope, definitely Lena,” Kara says, and the way she says it is almost…fond. Come to think of it, Lena can’t remember a time where Kara actually called her Lena. It’s always Luthor and Danvers and stop breaking the faces of my best players and never—never anything else.

Lena clears her throat and looks away; she can’t take another second of those warm, bright eyes. “Whatever,” she says. “I…guess I’ll see you on the pitch.”

“Sure thing,” Kara says, and she takes a step back, tucking her wand into her pocket. “I’ll be the one rocking the winning team uniform.”

Slowly, Lena begins to feel the corner of her mouth twitch. Completely unbidden, completely unpredictable. “Dream on, Danvers.” She allows the space between them to grow, but their eyes remain locked, and the air feels heavy—thick—and the weight of their shared gaze holds a meaning Lena can’t possibly unpack right now.

But Kara’s tongue pokes out between her teeth cheerfully, and she doesn’t appear half as bothered by this development. “Always, if you’re in them,” she says, twists a little on her heel to walk away, but she pauses while she is still in earshot. “You know—next time you can just thank me for defending you.”

“You mean abusing your power as a prefect,” Lena replies automatically even as her head is running a mile a minute; even as Kara is getting farther and farther away and the scratch on her glasses lens catches the light.

“That too!” Kara shouts as she gets lost in the crowd, and damn her, Lena has to put her hand over her mouth to hide the absolute idiotic smile that has formed on her own face.

(Joint blame indeed, Lena muses, and she figures that she might as well form a rivalry with the Slytherins instead of the Gryffindors after all).

[percabeth4life]

How would you write Athena and Poseidon making a bet that their kid couldn't last a day as the other-

And Percy and Annbeth are just trying to avoid unwanted attention... but at an Official Dinner Party and Athena and Poseidon are pretending not to know.

Like- like body swap? Oh stars that would be so fun.

Okay so Poseidon and Athena are having a debate on which of their kids are better and how "well my kid can do this" "well mine can do this" and so on.

And Athena makes a comment about how Percy couldn't last a day in Annabeth's position. Like any of it. And Poseidon is immediately up in arms like "excuse you, my son could be her on her most stressful day and do amazing, but your daughter could never be Percy on his most stressful day" and Athena is like "oh it's on, when are they gonna be stressed?"

And the two go look at the calendar and are like "okay, Annabeth has these projects due this day, and ooh this day has several hard classes, two submissions for project proposals, a meeting about Mt. Olympus rebuilding, and the dinner with us ha!" "Perfect day, Percy has an 8am class, a meeting with some undersea dignitaries and has an exam in his marine biology class, which Annabeth isn't taking, and that's on top of the dinner, so there."

And the two are like "kay we're switching them then" and then go about their day completely prepared to fuck with their kids without telling them to prove their points because the two have completely forgotten that "hey, your kids might not appreciate this"

So Percy and Annabeth wake up on that day and lmao they're each other. When they realize they call each other immediately but they have to get to classes and have all those important things that day so they can't not go so they're mildly freaking out.

So Percy is having to turn in Annabeth's project proposals and at least one is a presentation and the other a doc that she hadn't actually finished putting together and was gonna finish in the morning but Percy has an 8am class (with a teacher that doesn't allow computers) which means she can't finish and Percy has to do that for her cause lets say the first presentation is :) at 9am.

So Percy has to scramble to put everything together for her presentation (lets say in one of her English classes) and he manages to scrap it together from her notes. Then he has to present!

Thankfully Annabeth was alright in the 8am, just took notes for Percy to go over later. But the exam in his class was at 10am, and it's marine biology and she knows nothing about that so has to start scrambling to study his notes.

Percy meanwhile manages to give the presentation, and because he didn't actually read the book and had scrambled to put it together he was winging half of it and managed to point at a different theme altogether but other than a few mix ups he did great!

Annabeth meanwhile is scrambling and stressing over his marine biology class and honestly she probably failed half the exam but she's good at winging stuff and she at least skimmed all the notes so probably didn't flunk it.

Percy manages to turn in her other proposal and then has her physics class! This would be fine except the teacher loves to use the iClicker, which means mini quizzes, which are important to the daily grade. He is allowed his computer so he has a chat open with Annabeth and she's sending him answers there.

Annabeth, meanwhile, is preparing for the meeting with undersea because she only knows what Percy had rambled to her about the undersea so is rather stressed out, especially because all of his notes are in Halmaheran (yes I'm shoving my undersea language in here, yes you will all accept it) and she only knows a few verbal phrases in the language.

Percy then has to grab her notes for the new Olympus design and is absolutely stressing out because Annabeth is a genius and her designs are lovely only he knows none of the terms for half of them and he only knows those cause he picked them up from years of listening to her rambles.

The two meetings are at the same time so they both suffer and can't rely on the other but they try to coach each other before they begin (they don't even have time to try to get someone to fix the situation).

So Percy is presenting to Athena, Hephaestus, and Ares (who's temple is being discussed) and trying very hard to be super polite and chill while stumbling over the presentation and Ares is lowkey annoyed that she's not being like... super professional like he'd heard she was but it's percy not annabeth but only Athena knows.

and she's all smug that Percy is failing and makes a comment and Percy does a 180 because "she did not just insult my girlfriend who I am right now but she doesn't know that I'm gonna crush this" and very aggressively starts talking about all the benefits of the temple having a fighting ring (using everything he's ever learned from annabeth's rambles) and he hadn't put it in the design yet because he (she) wanted to discuss with Ares first about what he thought and Ares is very excited and Athena is glaring.

And while that goes on Annabeth is in the meeting with the dignitaries and only trips over greetings a little and has no idea what half the words they use are but is winging it and doing alright actually (talking with Percy has gotten her used to the language even if she isn't anywhere near fluent).

She manages to talk about all the official undersea business Percy told her about but was a bit hesitant to bring anything too big up cause this is his thing.

but Poseidon makes a side comment on how this is the only meeting they can schedule for a bit and Annabeth is like "fuck it I gotta go for it" and just brings up everything she's ever heard Percy talk about needing improvement in the sea.

And then they meet up to get ready for the dinner with their parents and they're exhausted and have to sit through the thing and watch baffled as their parents actually advocate that the opposite is better at whatever and are about to start a fight and Annabeth and Percy who have been panicking all day are like "hang on-" and then they realize the parents are behind it and like-

the parents are like "yeah because there was no way the other could handle that as good as you" and the two are so tired and done and just go "switch us back".

And anyways the two actually do great as the other because they COMMUNICATE and shit and the Gods underestimated how much they talk to each other. Like yeah they're not nearly as knowledgeable or skilled as the other but they listen and absorb what the other says and it means they can passably discuss the subject with decent confidence.

The school stuff was honestly the hardest stuff and if they flunked anything because their parents switched their brains they will murder their parents.

Apollo is cackling in the background and Aphrodite is like "You two doubted their love and devotion hmm?" and the two are sulking until the next fight.

[realcube]

secretly dating the haikyuu!! boys 🤫

summary: you’ve been dating your partner in secret up until now, when their team finds out 

characters: hinata, oikawa & bokuto 

thanks to anon for the request 💗

tw// fem! reader, sexual references, swearing

Shōyō Hinata 

he kept the relationship a secret bc of noya IEFBEVAGLEB

ok ok lemme explain

you said jokingly once that you were into shorter guys in response to hinata asking something lovey-dovey along the lines of ‘what did i do to deserve you? 😍’

and hinata has been on edge ever since pfft

i mean, he just thins noya is such a cool guy and an awesome upperclassmen- why wouldn’t you want him?

but he couldn’t afford losing you to this teammate so he did everything in his power to make sure that you never crossed paths with nishinoya- which included not telling his team about you 

it was so hard for him as well bc he wanted to show you off to his teammates so bad especially stinkyshima 🥺

but he couldn’t :((

you never really inquired about it though, even when he’d get all weird when you’d come pick him up from practise

then the faithful day arrived, when kageyama watched you stroll into the class, hand hinata something, place a kind kiss on his cheek before taking your leave

he didn’t question it though- he couldn’t be bothered lol

the only time he ever brought it up was 2 weeks later in the changing room when tsukishima was making fun of him for being unable to ask out a girl for an upcoming dance

so kageyama retorted with ‘it’s not like you get any girls either, shittyshima! even hinata gets more action than you!’

hinata’s blood ran cold and he froze

tsukishima hummed in response, prodding kageyama to elaborate, ‘i saw him kissing a girl in class the other day-- have you ever kissed someone before?’

although that last part was meant to be a dig, it sounded more like a genuine question

yamaguchi peered over his shoulder to join the conversation, ‘is that true, hinata?’

hinata stood frozen for a little while longer before releasing a heavy sigh, ‘yes. but please don’t tell anyone else.’

‘why not?’ tsukishima pried.

‘none of your business, stinkyshima!’

that nickname was what prompted tsukishima to stroll out of the changing the room and disguise ‘hinata has a girlfriend’ behind a cough in front of the whole team

‘you said you weren’t going to tell anyone!’ hinata yelled, slightly red from the fact everyone was now staring at him - including coach ukai, takeda, kiyoko & yachi

‘what? it was just a cough.’ tsukishima snickered but promptly received an elbow to the stomach from yamaguchi

daichi rubbed hinata’s back while reassuring him that he didn’t have to tell them anything he didn’t want to but meanwhile, hinata’s eyes were fixated on nishinoya 

‘i- i do have a girlfriend.’ he stuttered, figuring that he wasn’t going to be able to hide it forever  — plus, he felt foolish for not trusting you to begin with. ‘her name is (l/n).’

yachi choked on her water, ‘she sits next to me in class!’

ngl yachi probably had a lil’ crush on you at some point but these are just headcanons, not a full blown fic so i cba to write a love triangle

‘cool’ hinata murmured in response before continuing, ‘she said that she will come see me after practise today so i guess you’ll see her then.’

by now, most people were shooting hinata comforting smiles and muttering their congratulations but those were all drowned out by nishinoya and tanaka’s loud offers

‘wow, hinata. you really got a chick before your senpais. i’m not sure whether to be proud or jealous!’ tanaka said, wiping an invisible tear from his eye

‘proud, ryū! we clearly did a good job in teaching him how to make advances on the ladies.’ nishinoya cheered before turning to grab hinata’s shoulders and pull him close, ‘now, hinata, if you ever need advice remember that you can come to us! we’re kinda professionals when it comes to relationships and stuff!’

hinata nodded rapidly, his lips slowly curling into a smile as he wondered; what was i so worried about? of course (y/n) would never cheat on me and noya would never make moves on my girlfriend

when you arrived, you were rather confused when hinata greeted you with his usual vigour rather than his hasty, rushed greetings for when you met him after practise

also, you were perplexed as to why many peeping eyes were staring at the pair of you from the gym door as he peppered your face with kisses - and why was one of them Yachi?

‘uuh, shō, are those your teammates?’ you inquired, gesturing to the peepers behind y’all

hinata peered over his shoulder and chuckled at how ‘discreet’ they were being,’uh- yeah.’

suddenly, yachi and sugawara popped out from behind the walls, ‘hello, (l/n)!’ they both yelled in unison

you smiled, looking at them and realising this was probably the first time you’ve ever been acknowledged by his teammates

‘hi, yachi and--’

hinata hastily whispered in your ear, ‘sugawara.’

‘sugawara!’

hinata finally got to introduce you to all his teammates and he was so hyped 

he had a foolishly wide grin on his face the whole time 

he’s just so happy that the person he loves can finally meet the people who help him do what he loves 

Tōru Oikawa

y’all kept the relationship secret bc you didn’t want to get nasty glares from oikawa’s fangirls and he didn’t want to get teased by iwa so it was a win/win

although you had to be cautious when showing PDA, it didn’t mean y’all didn’t do it at all

there was just something about knowing that what you were doing was risky, which made you want to do it even more

so sometimes y’all would do that thing where you arrange certain times to ask for the bathroom during class so you could see each other in the corridor

and since it was during class, there was virtually nobody else in the hallway 

so y’all would literally just go for it

kissing as if you had never experienced human affection before

but since you both were so into it, you’d never notice kyōtani walk by, on his way back from the principal’s office

he’d even let out a low scoff every time

but you were both just so in the moment that you’d never even notice 

word spreads fast in the seijoh boys’ volleyball club, though

but slightly slower when it starts with kyōtani

like what reason does he have to tell anybody about what he saw? he doesn’t want to relive those events

but during a bitching session with yahaba, he spilled about oikawa and you since the captain had been working them extra hard lately, as if he was the coach tsk

so ofc the gossip spread across multiple bitching session from yahaba, to kunimi, to kindaichi, to watari, to hanamaki then finally to matsukawa

(iwaizumi didn’t get to know bc firstly he didn’t join in with bitching sessions and secondly, everyone knew that iwa would just immediately tell oikawa and that would ruin all the fun)

it got to the point where almost everyone on the team knew about you and oikawa so whenever he would walk into practise, a chorus of low giggles and whispers would spread across the gym

this had been going on for about a month now and at first, oikawa was too self-indulged to notice

but after a bit longer, he kinda noticed and brought it up to iwaizumi

‘hey, why does everyone start acting weird whenever i walk into the room?’

iwaizumi rolled his eyes, shoving a ball against oikawa’s chest, ‘what? no, they don’t; stop being so paranoid. now, throw me some sets.’

that was enough reassurance for oikawa to ignore it for a while but then hanamaki accidentally made one of the jokes a bit too loud

oikawa fell face first into the gym floor after tripping over his lace and the whole gym seemed to erupt into laughter

‘hah!’ matsukawa wheezed, ‘stop kissin’ the ground, tōru!’ 

‘mwah, mwah!’ yahaba teased

hanamaki suddenly chimed in, ‘yeah, save that shit for (y/n)!--’

silence spread like a plague across the whole gym room

it was only broken when iwaizumi let out a clueless, ‘huh?’

oikawa quickly scurried onto his feet, ‘how do you know about (y/n)?’

hanamaki chuckled awkwardly as he looked left to right for help but was just met by blank stares, ‘uh- she’s- erm, in my homeroom class.’

obviously, oikawa didn’t buy it

‘who told you about me and (y/n)?’ he inquired in a sinister tone of voice, his glare seeming anything but kind 

‘watari!’ he yelled accusingly, pointing his index finger at the poor libero 

after all eyes shifted onto him, watari wasted no time in redirecting everyone’s attention onto kindaichi, ‘it was turnip-head who told me!’

‘well, it was kunimi that told me!’ kindaichi shouted with no hesitation

kumini crossed his arms over his chest, ‘yahaba told me.’

yahaba’s eyes widened at the sudden accusation before turning to oikawa and defending himself, ‘mad dog was the one that saw you and (y/n) kissing in the hallway!’

mad dog glared at the pinch server, then turned to oikawa and shrugged 

oikawa was livid DIUVBEVILS

‘YOU ALL KNEW ABOUT ME AND (Y/N) BUT DIDN’T TELL ME?! HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN GOSSIPING ABOUT US FOR?!’

yahaba took it upon himself to reply, ‘mad dog only told me about a month ago-’

‘THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A WHOLE MONTH?!’

faint hums of ‘yeah’ and ‘uhuh’ were heard across the gym hall

‘wait-’ iwaizumi cocked his head to the side, ‘are you dating (y/n)?’

this inquiry was only met by blank stares as oikawa pinched his temple, wondering what he should do now

‘why did you try to hide your relationship for so long?’ kindaichi asked before kunimi added, ‘yeah, can we finally meet her?’ 

matsukawa rolled his eyes, ‘she literally goes to our school; meet her in the hallway or something.’

oikawa shook his head, quickly shutting down matsukawa’s idea, ‘i’ll ask her to come over after practise today but be on your best behaviour.’ he sung, quickly grabbing a ball and going back to practising receives

everyone was rather shocked at how fast the captains’ demeanour changed

while you were at your own club, you got a message from oikawa asking if you wanted to meet his team

you had already met most of them outside of volleyball but you figured now was perhaps a good time to introduce yourself as oikawa’s gf to rub it in /j

before you arrived, oikawa made it explicitly clear that they weren’t to tell anybody about the relationship or else oikawa’s fangirls would come for you

they all agreed and patiently waited for you to arrive

honestly, iwaizumi was probably the only one with pure intentions when it came to finally meeting you — as he simply wanted to see the girl who has oikawa’s heart

the rest of them of the other hand 🙄

matsukawa and hanamaki planned to have a competition to see who could seduce you first 

watari, kindaichi and kunimi wanted to just tease oikawa in front you 

and yahaba was going to try get you to tell him all the gossip about oikawa 😈

(kyōtani left early)

so needless to say you were hardly charmed when you formally met the bunch of boys oikawa spends his time with 

‘so are you free tonight orrr?’ hanamaki questioned, promptly getting a slap to the back of the head from both oikawa and matsukawa

‘makki, a lady like her shouldn’t be spoken to like that,’  matsukawa pushed his friend aside, ‘watch this: hey, sweetie. what is a gal--’

matsukawa got the same treatment as makki except this time it was kindaichi pushing him away, ‘so how much is oikawa paying you to play his girlfriend?’

you couldn’t help but giggle, especially as you could see oikawa from over his shoulder, shooting him the deadliest glare

kunimi poked his head around kindaichi arm to look at you, ‘i’m guessing ¥3000 an hour.’

‘(y/n) is worth way more than ¥3000 an hour!’ oikawa yelled from behind the crowd of boys surrounding you 

yahaba hurried forward, slipped his arm around your waist and escorting you a few paces away from the others to whisper in your ear, ‘does oikawa have any embarrassing childhood pictures?’

you snickered, leaning in and whispering back, ‘yeah, i’ll send them to you on instagram.’

ok. although they weren’t the most charming- they were definitely a fun bunch lol

Kōtarō Bokuto

a secret relationship w/ bokuto has hardly a secret lol

plus, the ‘secret’ part is only gonna last MAX a month ✋

he tries to ‘act natural’ around his teammates but it’s a bit- too natural 

he’ll come back from a make-out session with you, lipstick smeared across his face and just be like ‘hey y’all! ✌ good vibes today’

or when he’d take off his shirt to reveal the scratch marks on his back, that he wasn’t even aware of 

or the hickeys that he wouldn’t even bother try to hide 

so the whole team were aware that bokuto had a partner- they just weren’t sure who it was

but they didn’t really mention anything to bokuto bc they srsly didn’t care which left bokuto under the impression that he was sneaky as hell

akaashi was kinda upset that bokuto didn’t tell him about you tho but he kept that to himself

everyone was silently curious as to who bokuto was dating but none of them actually spoke up about it

until one day, konoha was chatting to komi, thinking they weren’t being listened to since bokuto seemed preoccupied with practising spikes, ‘psst, komi. i saw bokuto walk home with (y/n) the other day, i think she might be the one he’s da--’

but bokuto develops super-hearing when you’re involved

he was now looming over komi and konoha in what felt like a blink of an eye, ‘what did you say about (y/n)?’ he asked in a rather gruff voice

both boys were taken back by their captain’s sudden change in mood but komi managaed to stutter out, ‘oh- konoha just saw you walking home with her the other day; you both make a very cute couple.’

all sense of menace or threat was washed out of bokuto’s tone as his lips formed a bright smile, ‘awww, thanks! we do-- wait!’ 

bokuto cut himself off and the boys started snickering, ‘so it’s (y/n) that you’re dating.’ komi stated the obvious, this time loud enough for the whole gym to hear.

bokuto couldn’t help but face-palm, his sweaty hands making a loud, wet slapping noise against his skin. ‘ugh! i wasn’t supposed to tell you that.’ he grumbled, eyeing everyone in the gym that was sending him astonished looks

after a while of sulking in his emo-mode..with help from akaashi, bokuto finally tried to see the positives in the situation

‘well, maybe today she can finally meet you all.’ bokuto murmured, eyes full of hope which could hardly be seen passed the strands of his deflated hair that hung in front of his face

‘sure.’ akaashi shrugged, seeing nothing wrong with this idea 

there was a lot of things wrong, though

firstly, you were at your own club which finished ten minutes after practise ended, which means bokuto had to use his puppy-eyes on everyone on the team to convince them into staying for ten minutes extra

secondly, bokuto was so hyped that you were finally meeting his teammates, an introduction for each person took like 5 minutes 

bokuto inhaled sharply to catch his breath from the last introduction he just did, ‘ok next, this is washio, he’s one of our middle blockers bc he is so damn tall - say hi, washio. his eyebrows might make you think that he is a meanie or something  — that’s what i thought at first — but he’s really not. he offered me some of his lunch after i forgot to bring money that day so he’s definitely a good egg. he’s also a really good blocker and he has similar hair to me so i think that’s why he’s so good. also, he’s really good at making tea.’

ok now imagine that but for every. single. member.

he also gives you an extra ass intro too lol

‘(y/n), this is onaga. onaga this is my beautiful, stunning, flawless girlfriend (y/n)  — she’s the sweetest person ever and she give the sweetest kisses on the face of this earth.’

please don’t be embarrassed he just loves you so much 

[elius-learns-to-write]

The one where being clumsy helps

Hey besties enjoy this :) Also the story about getting scared by a pigeon and smashing into a glass door was something I have actually done but the only difference was that I knocked myself out :)

The one where being clumsy came in handy 

If there was one thing you could do it was managing to trip over your own feet 

Seriously no one could make a trip to the kitchen look so dangerous 

As much as it made the team worry it was bloody funny

Bang. Thud. Smash. “Ouch” you groaned from your newfound place on the cold tiles of the tower's kitchen, rubbing the now throbbing lump that had started to form on your head “Y/n are you okay?” Bucky called from the couch, pausing his game of UNO with Sam to check on you. “Yep…. dine… I mean fine….. Yep, I’m all Groot… Good….. Damn it” you stuttered as you tried to stand up. The floor swaying beneath your feet “are you sure you look like you’re going to throw up?” Sam wheezed, doubling over because obviously there was just nothing funnier than you nearly dying on the way to grab a glass of water. “I might throw up all over you in a minute if you don’t stop laughing” you glared as the man continued to laugh at you “don’t worry y/n the CCTV will catch that too” Bucky added with a chuckle walking over to you and pulling you into a hug. “Damn it” you muttered as the men made sure to get you back to your room in one piece

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

“What have I told you about running around outside when it’s dark” Steve scolded as he patched up the cut on your forehead “to not do it” you replied as you cast your head to the floor in shame “but in my defense, the pigeon looked really scary and I didn’t know that Bruce had shut the glass door because if I had known I wouldn’t have tried to run into it” you smiled before hissing as the sanitizing wipe came into contact with your skin. “Well I would hope so” he muttered in concentration, trying to place the plaster in the right place “there all done, now go and convince Tony not to play that video at the next movie night,” he said, starting to put the first aid kit back in its place watching as you skipped out of the bathroom and into the bright light of the hallway.

It made for great entertainment for the avengers and great humiliation to you

But there was one clip he refused to show 

It painted your lack of coordination way to well

You ran through the lab, up the stairs, into the hallway, and into a cupboard. And all without tripping up, you were on a role. However, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about how excellently you managed to do that. You see somehow someone ha damaged to break into the tower and with you being the only one who wasn’t trapped in the training room it was up to you to try and find whoever had got it. But the cupboard just looked a lot nicer than possibly getting shot.

“We’re doomed” spoke Tony as he watched your figure retreat into the cupboard, all you had to do was get into the front room and press the button to let them all out so they could do the finding, but by the looks of it, you weren’t too keen on that idea. “Maybe they’re just coming up with a plan Stark, don’t doubt their ability to do this” remarked Nat, who was sitting on what was meant to be a treadmill but was making a very comfortable seat.

Meanwhile, you were actually in the cupboard trying not to poke your eye out with a broom “okay think y/n, they’re in the lounge so if you distract them enough then maybe you can press the button and run like the wind in the other direction? Yeah okay I can do that.” hand slowly grabbing the handle and twisting it as quietly as it possibly was for a door that hadn’t been oiled in about a year, and dashing for the back of the island where you would be able to find out the intruders exact position. Sliding all over the place as you made your way into your established lookout spot you waited.

“They look like Bambi on ice out there” Sam spoke from the floor, arms folded across his chest, clearly displaying his dislike for the whole situation “Yes but at least it looks like they have a plan now” added Bruce, more worried about not going green than you looking like someone had turned the floor into a lake in the winter. “I am going to say it again. We are doomed” Tony muttered.

You could hear the man muttering about how quiet it was for a place that held the world's heroes as your eyes scouted the room in front of you for the button and your brain tried to formulate a way to get there. You ended up settling on just throwing a spoon at him, screaming, and then just making a run for it and hoping he didn’t have a gun. Swoosh, the spoon flew from your hands and hit the man in the back. “What the fuck was I thinking” you whisper screamed as you started to push off and run. “AHHHHHHHHHHH TAKE MY SPOON OF WRATH YOU PIECE OF SHIT”, time seemed to slow down as your foot got caught on the side of the couch and you toppled onto the man, catching the both of you by surprise, so you did the only thing that seemed reasonable in your adrenaline-fueled brain. Punch, kick and scream. “Y/N IT’S ME AHHHH STOP HITTING ME, IT’S PETER” the boy? Screamed. your fists slowly stopped and you tilted your head in confusion “Peter?”

What had happened was Peter had forgotten his pass and had decided that instead of waiting for Tony to come down and let him in, he’d get Karen to break-in 

Which had turned on lockdown mode in the tower

Which had left you all alone 

And when I said you ran through the lab I meant you literally smashed your way through the door 

But you tripping up and toppling onto him had meat that he didn’t get his ass kicked by the avengers 

Tony still wouldn’t show the video though

Maybe being clumsy would come in handy again 

Probably not

[dameronology]

love in the time of PTA meetings {marcus moreno} - 1/5

summary: despite what pinterest shows, being in a parent in the twenty first century is hard; especially a single parent. your kid takes up your entire life and the idea of finding a fairy tale is laughable - that is until you finally attend a p.t.a meeting and cross paths with a certain marcus moreno.  {series masterlist}

warnings: i do not have children. i don’t know children work. this written entirely what i have seen them do in the sims 4. also, swearing. 

- jazz

Leaving work early was never a good look.

Leaving work early because your child had managed to set fire to a trash can was...well, it was something else entirely.

After rushing out of a very important meeting and parking your car in a did-you-park-it-or-crash-it manner, you were sprinting across the play ground and towards the front entrance. Having given up half way through, you’d kicked your stupidly high heels off and held them in one hand, trying to organise your slightly disheveled hair as you entered the building. Most parents might have been nervous to collect their kid after a call from the principle, but this was a regular Tuesday for you. Jack was a good kid, perhaps just a little...misguided. In your books, it was impressive that a five year old had managed to discover pyrotechnics, though you sensed the school might have been a little less lenient about it. 

‘Hey!’ You greeted the principle with a smile as you breezed through the doors. 

Jack was in a chair by the front desk, a gleeful look on his face when he saw you. As far as he knew or cared, he got to go home early and watch Paw Patrol for the rest of the day. 

‘Afternoon.’ He replied. ‘You’re lucky it was only a phone call.’

‘I know, I know.’ You grumbled. ‘I’m sorry. He’s...adventurous-’

‘ - he singed off his class mate’s eyebrows!’ The principle cut you off. ‘Given Monday’s biting incident, I see it fit that Jack take the rest of the week off.’

‘Right.’ You sighed. ‘Thank you. And sorry again.’

‘I’ll email you a list of...behavioural specialists.’ He muttered.

‘There’s nothing wrong with my kid. He’s just...curious.’ You insisted. ‘C’mon, buddy. Let’s go home.’

Jack sprung up from the chair, taking your hand in his and skipping out the door beside you. Parenting had been hard enough when you’d been married, and even harder now that his dad was out of the picture. It meant that everything fell on your shoulders; school runs, packed lunches, earning money, staying sane. You barely found the time to sleep, let alone go to soccer matches or take him to extra curricular activities. It meant that the stay-at-home mums - the ones who drove minivans and had specified walking shoes and shared memes about parenting on Facebook - muttered about you. 

I heard Jack’s mum couldn’t make it to the parent-teacher association meeting because there was a divorce hearing. 

Look at the kid’s lunch! Oh the saturated fat, the horror!

What do you MEAN your five year old isn’t vegan?!

Frankly, you wanted to whack them over the head with their own damn vision boards. So what if your kid was a little rough around the edges? He’d discovered fire today! If it had been in the stone ages, that would have been impressive. The kind of thing that would have earned him a McDonald’s, had the fast food chain been around at the dawn of time. With the way things were going, paired with the fact you knew your fridge was empty, it looked like you were heading for a Happy Meal anyway. 

‘So do I get all week off?’ Jack peered up at you, tugging on your arm.

‘Yup, all week.’ You sighed. ‘But it’s not a reward, okay? It’s...’

You stopped in your tracks when you saw Marcus Moreno’s car pull up in the lot. Naturally, it was expensive and electric and perfectly between the white lines. He gave your less-than-stellar parking a frown as he breezed by - not that you noticed. Frankly, you were too busy admiring him. You saw his face more on the news than you did in person, but he was beautiful. Talk, dark, handsome and mysterious, but also...friendly and approachable. He’d held the door open for you once two years ago and that had been it for you. There had been whispers about the fact he was a widow, though you’d tried not to pay attention to them. It wasn’t anyone’s damn business. You knew he was a good dad; you’d had the chance to meet Missy when Jack had got his head stuck between the playground fence and she’d helped pull him out. She was sweet and well-behaved and clearly well brought up. Could you say the same for your own kid? Eh, parenting was all trial and error. 

‘It’s what?’ Your son’s voice dragged you back to reality. ‘Am in trouble?’

‘What?!’ You jumped at the question. ‘No, I just...’

‘Because Principle Eikner said I’d done something bad.’

A small sigh escaped your mouth; placing his backpack on the ground, you knelt down to his height, gently placing your hands on his shoulder. ‘You haven’t done anything wrong, little man. We're just gonna take a few days out to talk about the rules and what it means to do the right thing, okay?’

‘Dad always said not to listen to the rules.’

‘Your dad said a lot of things.’ You reminded him. You stood back up, offering your hand to him. ‘Let’s go home.’

After a few minutes of bartering and the promise of a McDonald’s, you finally made your way back to the car, now with Jack attached to your back. If giving him a piggy back ride meant getting home quicker, it was a price you were willing to pay, especially since the other mums were starting to arrive to pick up their kids. The parking lot was slowly filling up with minivans - compared to your decade-old Honda Civic. It had seen better days, and one too many run ins with other cars and parking lot bollards. Still, it got the job done. 

‘Oh, I’m so glad to see you!’ You froze in your tracks again. This time, it wasn’t because of Marcus Moreno’s otherworldly presence, but rather due to the sound of the resident soccer mum. 

‘Carol.’ You turned around to face her (slowly, given the five year old on your back) with a forced smile on your face. ‘Hi.’

‘I take it you’re here for the parent-teacher’s association meeting?’ She gave you a phoney grin, handing you a leaflet. ‘I know you couldn’t make the last one, because of your...d-i-v-o-r-c-e hearings.’ 

‘I can spell!’ Jack chirped from behind you.

‘It’s okay, buddy.’ You reached up to ruffle his hair, smile not faltering. ‘But yeah, you’re right. And what about it?’

‘Nothing.’ Carol quickly shook her head. ‘So you are coming to this one? It starts in ten minutes.’

Truth be told, you’d no idea there was even a meeting tonight. You usually ignored the damn things until the news letter came out, and then you could read it from the comfort of your sofa with a glass of wine. There was nothing you stopping going tonight, aside from your intense hatred for them. 

‘I wanna get home and watch South Park!’ Jack chirped from behind you.

‘I don’t - I mean...I don’t let my five year old watch South Park.’ You said. ‘He walked in on me watching it one time and...point is, yes, I’m here for the meeting!’

‘No, you’re not-’

‘- Jack, just sssh!’ 

Carol blinked in surprise, but her phoney smile returned a moment later. ‘Excellent! I’ll see you inside.’

You inwardly groaned. Why had you just done that? You fucking despised sitting in a stuffy gym for the better part of an hour, listening to the perfect mums bang on about healthy eating and limiting their kids’ internet time. You already questioned your parenting skills as it was - the meetings only made it worst. You didn’t assimilate into that crowd; they were all married, with big houses out in the ‘burbs and bank accounts that could cover their kids ever-expanding interests and activities. Meanwhile, you were living on one wage and your two-bedroom apartment had a balcony, not a back garden. If Jack wanted to go on a field trip, you usually had to save up for months. You didn’t know if you envied the other mums’ lives, but you certainly weren’t jealous of how they viewed working mums and single parents. 

‘That lady is mean.’ Jack murmured from your shoulders.

‘Yeah buddy, I know.’ You nodded. ‘Guess we’re going back to school.’

--

Lugging the kid and his bag back up the school yard and towards the building was exhausting - at least it was your work out for the week done. By the time you’d reached the gym and placed Jack back on the ground, your shoulders were aching and you were disappointed to see that the refreshments didn’t have any alcohol. Was it too late to sneak out? The fire exit was right there and-

‘- shame this thing doesn’t have any wine, huh?’ A man was stood next to you, arms folded across his chest as he stared at the luke-warm jug of coffee on the table ahead. 

Tall, dark hair, stubble and with a faint hint of expensive aftershave you pretended not to notice? Hello, Marcus Moreno. Goodbye, ability to form coherent sentences.

You blinked in surprise. ‘Yeah. I could do with a glass. Or ten.’

‘So you hate these things too, huh?’ He smiled. 

‘With a passion.’ You returned the gesture. ‘I’m only here because Carol and her Karen Committee kept muttering about me not being at the last one.’

‘Yeah, same here. I was attending an emergency meeting about nuclear arms in Vienna, but I guess this is more important.’

‘I was...’ in court, signing documents to end my marriage, ‘otherwise occupied too.’

Marcus nodded in understanding. ‘Kids alone are a full time job, huh? ‘Specially when you’re the only one who’s running around after them.’

He knew about your situation and in return, figured that you knew about his. He’d heard the whispers about the divorce and presumed that the loss of his wife had been subject to similar gossip. The environment amongst the parents was shockingly similar to high school and things got around pretty quickly. You both hated it, especially given the nature of both your circumstances; death and separation was not something other people should have been talking about. Especially when you all you wanted to do was mind your own business and raise your damn (chaotic) kid.

‘Yeah, tell me about it.’ You replied. ‘My kid is like...a baby crackhead, as well. He’s been sent home twice this week and it’s only Wednesday.’

‘Oh, Jack’s your kid?’

You let out a groan, holding your face in your hands. ‘Yeah. Famously so, apparently.’

‘No, it’s not a bad thing!’ Marcus chuckled, pulling your hands away. ‘He played a brilliant baby Jesus in the Nativity last year.’

‘Aside from when he bit one of the three wise men, yeah.’ You could feel your cheeks heating up. ‘Missy actually helped him once. She seems really...not at all like my child. Which is good.’

‘She told me about the fence incident.’ He nodded. ‘May I ask why he was shoving his head out of the school gates?’

‘He saw an interesting looking slug.’ You replied.

Your conversation was interrupted by Carol, who had now climbed up on stage. She tapped the microphone and cleared her throat, gesturing to everyone to sit down so that the meeting could start. You wanted to curse her. Whatever giddy conversation you were having with Marcus was a thousand times more interesting than the PTA. At least you could revel in the fact he didn’t want to be here either.

‘Shall we?’ Marcus gestured to two empty seats a few rows back.

‘I mean, it’s an aisle seat, which is good for a quick escape if Jack decides to be Jack,’ you nodded in agreement. ‘Hey kid, c’mon!’

Turning away from the other kids, Jack sprinted towards you, hurling himself into your lap as he sat down. You let out an oof! and a groan. He wasn’t as light as he used to be a toddler. He stayed still for a moment, tiny hands clasping yours, before he realised who you were sat next to. The kids’ impression of Marcus was not quite the same as yours - he’d only seen him on TV, with the likes of all the heroes. You couldn’t remember their names (but in your defence, they were kind of ridiculous). 

‘Are you a superhero?’ He reached up, poking Marcus in the cheek. 

‘Jack!’ You hissed. ‘You can’t-’

‘- yeah, buddy.’ Marcus ruffled his hair. ‘But it’s my day off today, so I’m doing all this boring stuff instead.’

‘Can you fly? Do you know Miracle Guy? Have you fought aliens? Do you have a super suit? Do you know Iron Man? Wait! Can I be a superhero?!’

‘No, yes, yes, no, no and maybe when you’re older.’ He counted the questions off on his fingers. ‘But for now we have to keep quiet for the meeting. That would make you a superhero.’

--

You wanted to marry Marcus Moreno.

Seriously, you wanted to marry him.

His little comment had kept Jack quiet the entire meeting. And it was a long fucking meeting indeed. The last time he’d shut up for that long was...probably before he learnt to talk. You loved he was full of curiosity and questions, but he didn’t always understand that there was a time and a place. At least now you knew what would shut him up. 

‘How does Miracle Guy fly? Is Batman real? Are you rich? Do you know Wonder Woman? How does her lasso of truth work?’

‘Jack.’ You groaned. 

You were walking out of the school now and down towards the car park. Missy was in tow, tapping away on her phone, whilst Jack trotted alongside you and Marcus. He’d been spewing questions at the poor man pretty much since the meeting had ended - and yet, he seemed happy to answer them. Excited, even. It was clear that he loved his job.

‘You gotta give Mr Moreno a break, little man.’ You said.

‘Hey, just Marcus is fine.’ He replied. 

‘Hey Just Marcus, I’m dad.’ Missy chimed from beside you, not even looking up from her phone. It was...impressive, actually.

‘I already regret buying her that.’ Marcus murmured. 

The two of you eventually reached your cars. The Civic was still terribly parked across two spaces - you were a good driver, you’d just been in a rush. The dents and scrapes all over the doors and bumper implied other wise but hey, we move. You had a thousand and one other things to save up before a new car. Putting down the deposit on a house - one you could actually own, maybe a little further out from the city - was your number one concern. Paying off your divorce attorney came after that. 

‘It was nice to meet you properly.’ You pulled your keys out your back, tugging four empty packets of crisps and three bags of gummy worms with it. 

‘I’m not done asking questions-’

‘- you gotta let Marcus go, JJ.’ You peered down at Jack. ‘Sorry. He’s a little obsessed with the Heroics, but I guess you’ve worked that one out.’

‘Can I visit your base?’ He continued, ignoring you. 

Marcus knelt down to his height, a grin on his face. ‘I’ve got a free window tomorrow afternoon. You wanna come by? Your mum tells me you’re off school for the rest of the week.’ 

‘Really?’ You blinked in surprise. ‘I mean, I’m sure he would love that but I’m at work and he’s gotta go to my mum’s.’

Your mother also doubled up as your baby-sitter. In an ideal world, you would have been able to afford a professional, but this was very much the opposite of an ideal world. It was the real world, and you were constantly juggling a thousand things at once. Never in a million years would you have changed it but there were days when you wanted to cry. When it was 9PM and Jack suddenly chimed in that he had a science project due the next day, or when he refused to eat his dinner because his chicken nuggets weren’t shaped like dinosaurs and fed them to the dog. 

Marcus looked, on the surface at least, like he had his shit together. He worked in a public facing job and he always looked put together. His car wasn’t covered in bumps and bruises and the inside probably wasn’t covered in yoghurt like yours. He seemed as though he got more than five hours sleep a night and his child was well-behaved. 

‘I’m sure we can work something out.’ He said. ‘If you give me your number, I’ll give you a call.’

‘Uh, yeah! Of course.’ He’d asked for your number. No big deal. 

You switched phones - naturally, his was much more high-tech than yours - and entered in your respective numbers. The whole thing made you admire Marcus even more; he didn’t have to have your tyrannical son over to his office, yet he offered to. He’d clearly seen how excited he’d gotten and it seemed like he’d found it endearing. 

‘Are you okay?’ Marcus asked quietly, suddenly putting his hand on your shoulder. ‘You suddenly zoned out.’

‘Yeah, sorry.’ You rubbed your eyes. ‘I got about three hours sleep last night. I would blame it on the terrible twos but I guess it’s the...fucking awful fives?’

He quickly turned his attention to Jack, opening the car door for him. ‘You wanna hop in? I’m just gonna talk to your mom about you visiting, yeah?’

'There’s Cheetos in the centre console!’ You called after him.

Once Marcus had shut the door, he turned around to face you. There was silence for a minute, and he just kind of...stared at you. You couldn’t read his expression or quite figure it out, but he had an eyebrow quirked and a look of...concern? Sympathy?

‘I recognise that look. It’s the help! I’m suddenly a single parent to a five year old and it feels like the world is eating me alive look.’ He said. ‘It’s the exact same one I had six years ago. Missy was about Jack’s age when...when it became just me and her.’

You softly smiled. ‘It’s not been easy.’

‘You’re doing a good job, okay?’ He gave your shoulder a light squeeze. ‘And if you ever need him off your hands for a few hours, I’ll gladly give him a tour of our headquarters.’

‘Thank you. So much, for both of those things.’ Your eyes fell to the ground. ‘It’s a refreshing change from Carol and her Pinterest boards and half-assed invitations to potlucks.’

‘God, I can’t stand all that.’ Marcus chuckled. 

‘I gotta get back now because I can see that Jack is about smush Cheetos over my break pedals but I’ll...’ you trailed off, forcing yourself to look at him and smile. ‘I’ll call you.’

‘I look forward to it.’