#merlin immediately thinks he’s been enchanted

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

Arthur: I’m in love with you.

Merlin, scoffing: Yeah, how many others have you said that to?

Arthur: Everyone.

Merlin: …what?

Arthur: I told everyone I’m in love with you.

[entitled-fangirl]

His betrothed. (P3)

Barty Crouch Jr. x reader

Summary: the two expand on their love while the Black brothers try to get used to it.

A/N: so sorry for the long wait! Trust me, there's more for these two!

Masterlist <3

Part 1 and Part 4

...................................................

Barty started to show up at the Black house unannounced during the rest of the winter break for a few reasons: to check on his soon-to-be bride, spend time with Regulus, and try to win over the twin's parents.

And luckily, it seemed to be working for him.

Of course, Regulus would never complain about hanging with the his best friend. Nor would he complain about said best friend caring for his sister so much.

"How is she doing?" Barty asked out of the blue.

"Oh," Regulus thought, "Um, I mean… she's okay. I wouldn't say great but, she's okay."

Barty nods, "Thought so. She in her room?"

Regulus nods, "She should be."

Barty smiles and stands, quickly leaving Regulus' room to journey towards Y/N's. 

He knocked lightly, hearing rustling sounds and finally the sound of the door being unlocked. 

He slowly opened the door. 

Y/N was sitting cross-legged on her bed, looking down at her fingers as she picked at them anxiously.

He quickly crossed the room to her and sat on the foot of her bed, giving her enough room to not feel suffocated, but close enough to be near. "Everything alright, love?"

She sighed and sniffled lightly, "'M fine."

He leaned forward and gently lifted her head up by her chin. Her eyes met his. They were red, and tear streaks stained her face. He felt his heart drop at the sight.

His thumb lightly caressed her cheek, "How do I fix this?"

She leans out of his grip, her voice soft, "Fix what?"

"What's happened?"

She looks away from him, "Just Mum. Like I said Barty, 'm fine."

He reaches forward again and places his hand on her leg. "Y/N. How can you know to trust me if you won't take the chance?"

She scoffs, "I don't take chances."

He smiles, "I know that."

A silence falls over them for a while as they stare at each other lovingly.

"Why do you want to marry me so badly?" She finally asked.

He shrugs, "You're enchanting. Everything you do just makes me want to figure you out all the more."

She laughs, "I've heard Sirius say that to girls before. Sounds like rubbish to me."

Barty smirks and leans back, "Alright. You want the truth, love? I love the way you see the world. You see… happiness where there's darkness. You see… good in people. In things. In life. But, it's not that just that. It's that you don't know you do that. You naturally love life. It's part of who you are." He stands up and runs a hand through his hair, "And think me mad but I'd like to have some of you to myself… To have… just… a bit of your happiness. And hope that maybe… just maybe… you could see good in me, too."

She's speechless as she stares up at him. How was she to respond to that?

He takes a deep breath, "You're like sunshine, love. You… you walk into a room and it lights up. Only a fool would deny that about you. I've seen the way some of them look at you. They want to ruin you. And perhaps I will somehow along the way… but I'll try anything. Anything. To preserve some of that sunlight. As long as I can. If you'll let me."

She wipes her cheek lightly as she sniffles. Her eyes now holding  their usual glow, "Barty?"

He looks up immediately, "Yes?"

She smiles, "I can't wait to marry you."

He lets out a breath. It feels like he's been punched in his gut the way his heart shifted. "I… I uh, I was gonna wait but… since I have it…"

He sits back on the bed and retrieves a box from his pocket.

A ring box.

He smiles as he opens it, "I know this is strange and… I'll give you a real proposal, I promise. But for today… maybe this will work."

The ring is gorgeous. The diamond practically glows along with its white gold band.

"Barty…" she finally says, "How… this is beautiful…"

"What do you think, love?"

…

"Merlin!" James cried.

Sirius held his sister's hand in his own with a vicious grip, glaring at the diamond in the ring that he could practically see his own reflection in.

Remus remained quiet with his jaw practically on the floor.

Peter's eyes shifted nervously to each of them in the Common room.

"I… I know this isn't what you wanted, Siri, but…" she started.

He held his other hand up to silence her, "It's not my favorite idea. But… I was wrong to take my anger out on you over it. After all, it's not your decision. It's not like YOU want to marry him."

She caught James' line of vision, clenching her jaw as their eyes met.

"No." James reasoned. "No… absolutely not."

"He asked me. And I said yes."

All four immediately stood from their spots on the various chairs and couches in the common room. Their voices all loudly proclaimed their thoughts, the sounds overlapping each other.

She involuntarily took a step back at the harsh tones of the boys. 

Even Peter was voicing his opinion for once, as small and squeaky as it came.

Remus noticed the way her eyes glazed over, and he finally snapped out of it. "Hey."

No one payed attention.

"HEY!" He finally yelled.

The other boys froze, staring at the scar-ridden boy.

"Let her speak. Merlin. We're acting like animals."

James smirked, "I mean technically-"

"Shut up, James." Remus snapped.

Sirius' jaw clenched harshly. His words came out of his mouth through his teeth, "Fine. We'll hear her out."

Remus pushed them down back into their seats, "Alright, dove. When you're ready."

She took a deep breath.

"I know you don't like him because of… of… well, he's honestly quite lovely. He said the most wonderful things to me. He… He told me he loves me."

"Oh, please," James scoffed. "How could Bartimus Crouch Jr. possibly love you?"

She gasped lightly. "I… what… what do you mean?"

"What do I-" He stood, angrily walking to her. He grabbed her wrist harshly and yanked her sleeve up, revealing the fresh dark mark on her forearm, "If he loved you, he'd have never let this FILTH get into your skin."

"James… he… he didn't…"

"No, dove." He persisted, "He will never love you. Anyone with this mark on them… is filled with nothing but hate. When I become an auror, the first thing I'll do is rid the world of this shit-"

"FUCK OFF!" She finally roared.

His lips drew into a thin line initially. She never raised her voice like that. He then smirked and let his voice relax, "You know, I'm just trying to help you. Don't be such a bitch-"

Sirius immediately stood, shoving James harshly, "You watch your motherfucking mouth, Prongs."

James stumbled, thrown off by the sudden shove, "Bloody hell, Pads. I thought you were fucking angry about this, too."

Remus stood next, "Let's all just settle down for a minute."

Sirius' head jerked towards Remus, "Watch it."

Remus nodded and sat back down.

"I am angry," Sirius continued, "But I won't stand by while my best friend insults her like this. I don't want your fucking input on this, James. I thought you were my brother. But you're not family, not for this."

It felt like a dagger went through James' heart, but he wouldn't let Sirius know that, "Fine."

And he stormed up the stairs to their room.

Sirius sighed and turned back to Y/N, "I'm sorry. I've been a foolish brother. Perhaps Regulus is right about all of this."

Peter spoke up, "But I thought you said-"

"-The only thing that matters," Remus said, "Is that she chooses who she marries. Is that not what you told us, Pads?"

Sirius sighed, "Yeah. I said that."

"Well, he asked her. And she said yes." Remus pointed out.

Sirius sighed again, "I know, I know. You're always right, Rem." He steps up to his little sister, pushing hair behind her ear. "I just want you to be happy."

She smiles, "I am happy."

He nodded, "Alright. Then I'm doing my job."

…

The next morning, Y/N practically ran to the dungeons. She had agreed to meet Barty there so they could walk to class together.

He was already there, smiling as she approached.

"Good morning, love. You look beautiful."

She smiled, "You're a charmer."

He shrugged, "Only to pretty girls with dimwit brothers."

"…what?"

He sighed, "Your brother is just being a fool again."

She tilted her head, "How did you find out about my fight with Sirius?"

"Sirius?" He laughed, "No. Regulus. Regulus is being a dimwit."

"Oh," she giggled, "'suppose that's fair. What's he done now?"

"Nothing. He and I just got into a fight. Nothing serious. Shall we?" He asked.

She nodded, taking his arm as always.

…

"Y/N, listen. I gotta talk to you." Regulus pleaded at the Gryffindor table of the Great Hall.

She turned to look at him over her shoulder, "Reg? What?"

He bent down to whisper in her ear. "It's… um… something happened this afternoon. After lunch."

Remus, who sat next to her, turned to look at him as well, "What?"

"It's about Barty. Listen… this isn't easy to hear, dear sister…"

She turned in her seat to face him fully, "Where is he?"

"Well, I suspect in the library. That's where I saw him last."

She immediately bolted up and ran out of the room.

Regulus' face lost color, "Y/N!"

Sirius stood, "What's happened?"

Regulus leaned to him and whispered in his ear.

Sirius froze, "Oh, fuck."

…

Y/N ran as quickly as her legs would take her to the library. 

She quickly walked past every aisle, desperate to find him.

Her feet stopped at the sight she saw.

Barty seemed to have his tongue down Andromeda Black's throat in a heated snogging session.

Y/N let out a gasp.

Barty pulled away immediately. He held a regretful look in his eyes, but his body didn't pull away, "Y/N?"

Andromeda smiled, "Oh. Hey, Y/N."

Y/N's eyes held tears as she covered her mouth to hold back a sob, "Barty… you…"

He sighed, "I what?"

Y/N let the sob go at his harsh tone, "I shouldn't have said yes to you. S…Sirius was right."

And she ran before another word could be said.

........................................................

A/N: NOT THE CLIFFHANGER! I'M SO SORRY!

If you wanna be part of the taglist, comment below!!!

Taglist: @marauders-81, @godofstory

[weasleyreidstyles]

Serendipity; Tulips & Starlight

series masterlist

i decided to make it super fluffy and cute - to make up for the angst to come (ig thats a spoiler?? but not really). if you want more one shots for this series send me a request because this was actually so fun 😁😁

Every year, without fail, the castle halls were full to the brim with wreathes of glittering hearts and ribbons of all sorts of reds, pinks and whites. The Hogwarts student body made a huge deal of Valentines Day every year – the muggleborn students had the most fun with the aspects that made it all the more magical. Each year, Professor Dumbledore would employ a series of real life Cupids to fly about the castle shooting 'arrows of love' towards their targets for the price of five whole Galleons.

Every year you find it sickening. This year is no different.

The Great Hall is swarming with people during breakfast and flying among the swooping owls are at least thirty or so Cupids who drift above the tables, skimming people's heads with the tips of their wrinkled feet. In place of the enchanted sky in the ceiling, red hearts have been enchanted to cascade like rain fall, bursting into balls of sparkling light that falls softly onto the tables, which are decorated in the same shade rather than the traditional scarlet, emerald, navy and yellow of the House colours.

You walk into the Great Hall, followed closely by Theo and Pansy, with distain painted across your face. Theo snickers as Pansy gushes silently over the Valentines decor.

"This is disgusting." You say with a scowl as the three of you wander in behind a group of giggling second year girls. Theo's snickering turns into a full on laughter as Pansy's head whips in your direction, disbelief written on her face.

"How can you possibly hate this?" she asks with wide eyes, as if you're committing some form of treason for hating this muggle holiday. "I think it's an endearing little thing."

"At least it's only for one day, tesoro." Theodore teases sarcastically, moving away just in time to avoid your swatting hand. "Don't you want to be swooned with flowers and chocolate?"

You curse his words as you part ways to the Ravenclaw table, shooting him daggers when he speaks to you in your mind as he sits down.

I wonder...should I pay one of those ugly Cupids to shoot an arrow at Matt for you? He smirks mischievously as said boy wanders into the Great Hall, deep brown eyes immediately seeking you out before he finds his friends.

You send him a smile, that goes unnoticed by everyone but him, before shooting as many cuss words you know towards Theo, who only laughs in response.

I'll take that as a no, then. Enjoy your breakfast, tesoro. Is all he can say before you kick him from your mind with a forceful shove.

He turns to Mattheo and they begin to have a lengthy discussion, but you're not curious enough to find out what it is, more content with drowning yourself in caffeine, if only to fuel your need to survive through the day.

~∞~

The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom is possibly the only room in the castle that doesn't reflect the rest of the hallways. You should be glad that it no longer looks like Saint Valentine threw up in every single crevice, but the gloomy atmosphere actually makes your mood deplete. Mattheo had been sending you secretive looks all day and you had to admit that you were curious.

He was definitely planning something; it made you nervous, butterflies fluttering anxiously in your stomach.

Professor Snape was still yet to make his dramatic entrance to the classroom; you were chatting with Hermione, Ron and Harry as you waited impatiently for the lesson to start when Harry pointed to something fluttering above your head.

It's not a Cupid. Thank Merlin. But it's still happening in front of so many people and you want the ground to swallow you whole, until you make eye contact with its sender, who was smirking into the crook of his elbow, avoiding your narrowed gaze.

Mattheo had somehow gotten some faeries to flutter about your head, silent and imposing as one by one, they made about a dozen tulips of varying shades of red, purple and yellow, appear on your desk. You bite the inside of your cheek hard to stop the smile spreading across your face, but it doesn't hinder the bright blush that floods your aching cheeks.

"What the fuck?" Ron guffaws loudly, drawing more attention to the four of you, but you ignore everyone in favour of the deep rasp of his voice that enters your mind.

Theo said it would be a hard no if I paid one of the Cupids to shoot an arrow at you. He says, voice filled with mirth.

Yes. I would've run out of this classroom and you would never see me again. You respond with sparkling eyes.

Well I'm glad I listened to him, for once. Do you like them? The flowers, I mean? He sounds almost... insecure; nervous. Two things Mattheo Riddle is not. Your expression softens.

I love them. Did you know that tulips are my favourite flower?

I asked little Weasley for some help with that one. I'm glad you like them, love. His smirk has transformed into a genuine smile as you brave looking at him amidst the sea of your peers, including the eyes of your three best friends.

Within your conversation that only took mere minutes, rather than the eternity you wished it was, the faeries flittered towards your books and rested upon your desk infront of you, bounding the fallen tulips into an intricate bouquet, bound by what looked like a string of glitter, but you knew better.

You and Hermione gasp simultaneously, along with the other girls in the near vicinity of your desk. Harry and Ron only look more baffled.

"I-is that starlight?" Mione whispers in awe as you both stare down at the faeries who grin up at you with sparkling teeth as the bright silvery light acts like a beacon amidst the darkness of the classroom. "Whoever this is has gone beyond what I thought possible for your attention."

"Yeah." you reply with glistening eyes that flick to Mattheo who looks like he's sat on the edge of his seat.

He sees it in your eyes. The emotion that neither of you have dared to voice, too scared to step even further over the line that you were already holding onto for dear life, but that grip was slipping with every passing day.

Mattheo knew then that he would gift you the world if you asked for it; he would give you anything, even something as rare and beautiful as starlight.

The rest of the day is a blur for you. You hardly notice the eyesores that are Cupids flying around like headless chickens, chasing people around the grounds. All you can think about are the Tulips wrapped up in glistening starlight that sit safely in a vase in your dorm room.

~∞~

Meet me in the Astronomy Tower – M

The lone note, that sits on your bedside table, reads. It was not there when you returned from dinner earlier, so it had appeared during the time you've spent in the company of your friends since then.

The day is almost over, the Grandfather clock in the common room is distantly chiming that it is eleven at night, marking one more hour of the day.

You had woken up in a sour mood over what you would have to endure from overbearing couples and lovesick idiots all day. But you had been pleasantly surprised by just how thoughtful Mattheo had been.

And you were not expecting it at all.

Mattheo Riddle who portrayed this persona of pure evil, stoicism and nonchalance to the world had gone above and beyond your expectations of Valentines Day and turned it into something truely magical.

You turn to look at your chest of drawers, where the tulips rest in a glass vase, starlight pooling around them, and into the air, casting a pleasant glow around your room. You had quickly discovered that he had also charmed the tulips to last forever. So they would never die; symbolic true love forever bathed in breathtaking starlight that was bestowed upon the bouquet like faery dust infront of your very eyes.

Quickly you changed into presentable, but comfortable clothes: Black flared leggings and you covered your cold arms with a fluffy jumper that cropped just above your belly button shoving on a pair of dark trainers before you made the short journey out of the Ravenclaw common room towards the neighbouring Astronomy tower.

It only took you ten slow minutes to sneak across corridors, silently praying the Filch and Mrs. Norris didn't turn the corners when you did. But you got to the Astronomy tower without a hitch and descended the steep staircase, wrapping your arms tighter around yourself at the bite of the cold.

"You came." his voice is a soft caress against the wind and you find yourself immediately wrapped up in his strong arms.

"Of course, I did." you mumble into his chest, hugging him tighter as a gust of wind circles the two of you. "I've been thinking about you all day."

"Have you now?" He asks with a smirk that turns into a startled chuckle as you shove against his chest with a laugh of your own.

It's only when you step out of his embrace that you see what he had planned. Your mouth gapes as you take in the scene in front of you.

Set up in the centre of the open room, surrounded by telescope's and magical orreries, is a red and white gingham picnic blanket surrounded by dazzling balls of light that cascade down the stone walls like fairy lights. There are candles dotted about the room, casting a warm glow.

"Matt-" you start but the feeling of his chest pressing into your back has your voice quieting as he presses languid kisses to your exposed neck. You sigh as you relax into his hold. "How long did this take you?"

"Not long. Pansy helped me with the decorations while I got food from the kitchens. Dobby heard your name and went all out." he chuckles quietly as he gently guides you towards the blanket, where a dark brown picnic basket sits among a series of long candlesticks.

"It looks lovely." you say as you move to sit down, Mattheo following closely behind.

Your thigh presses against his as he reaches into the basket, pulling out a bottle of sparkling wine. You smile as he turns to you with a cheeky grin.

"Ready to be wined and dined, sweetheart?" he asks with a smirk as he pops the cork and pours both of you a generous amount. Your smile gives way to a delightful giggle as you clink your glasses together, pulling out a series of food that Dobby had generously prepared for the two of you.

~∞~

"How did you manage to plan all this? From the tulips to the starlight to...to this? It's all so perfect." you ask as you take a bit out of a chocolate covered strawberry.

"Well...Weasley told me about your favourite flowers and their meaning and I figured out how to bargain with the faeries from the forest for the starlight."

"How?" you were intrigued.

"That's my secret, love." he teases. "I'm not allowed to say."

"Not even to me?" you pout and he laughs as he takes a bit out of the pumpkin pasty on his plate.

"Not even you. I can't break a faerie's promise. You know that."

You could reason with that, you supposed. Faerie promises were sacred in the wizarding world.

"I think this is our first real date." you say contently, as you lean back on your elbows, staring at the side of his chiselled face.

"It is, isn't it." he says, nodding his head. One of his hands rests idly against your thigh, thumb occasionally stroking against the fabric of your leggings. "Well I must say, I don't think you'll ever top this."

You let out a loud laugh at his arrogance that has Mattheo swooning as he stares at you.

"What?" you ask, face wide with a smile as you reach up to brush your hands against your mouth. "Do I have something on my face?"

He leans in closer, voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah, you have an eyelash right here-" he reaches his hand to brush away the stray lash that had fallen onto your cheek but before he does, he presses a searing kiss to your lips.

Momentarily stunned, you react a second late before you wrap your arms around his neck, letting him lay you across the gingham blanket. He smiles against your lips and you can't help but lick at the seam of them until he lets you explore his mouth with your tongue, groaning as he grinds his hips against your's.

The peaceful atmosphere is disrupted by the incessant flapping of wings that has you detaching your lips from his. Looking around curiously you spot the intruder floating around in your peripheral.

"I thought I made it clear that I abhored the idea of a Cupid shooting an arrow at us." you say with a huff as the angel like creature lines up it's bow and arrow. To his credit, Mattheo actually looks confused as he swivels his head in the direction you're looking in.

"I- I didn't-" he pauses before shooting a scathing look towards the door. "Fucking Theodore thinks he's so funny."

The Cupid's arrow makes it's mark and all you feel is a pinch, no less painful than a pin prick, before the loud laughter of your friend is heard from behind the door. You'd find it hillarious if it was anyone else, but not while you were having such an intimate moment.

Mattheo looks about ready to maim his best friend, but you stop him by wrapping your legs around his hips.

"Leave it, Théo. He's just being a dick because he's got no Valentine this year." you say, making your voice louder so that Theo can hear you clearly. You hear his receding footsteps along with his echoing laughter that has Mattheo easing up, but he's clearly speaking to Theo as there's a clouded look in his raging onyx eyes.

"Sorry love." he says as he presses kisses down your neck, reaching for the hem of your jumper that is quickly discarded. You look up at him with an expression that has him melting into you instantly. The words are on the tip of your tongue, but something was stopping you; you knew it was irrational, knew that he felt the same way about you.

But you wanted to tell him when the time was right, and no matter how perfect, you knew that this wasn't that moment. You were content in bathing in his otherworldly presence, pressing kisses to his mouth, nose, cheeks and neck as he worshipped you under the stars.

Your time together was a reprieve from everything happening around you; there was a darkness looming about the castle, but in Mattheo's arms you felt infinitely safe.

taglist:

(striked out users are ones that i couldn't tag)

@camille-1019 @lovelyygirl8 @xluansstuff @babeylover @thejadeazalea @undercover-smutlover @adhxmoony @dreamingofonceuponatime @thepassionatereader @urmomsgayforme5 @aphroditeisamilf @devotedlycrookeddonut @purplegirls-posts @nofacenonamelikekira @foxboyapologist @lafrone @lovely-maryj @nromanovaswife @leeknows-wife @dracygf @wildlyobserving @ravenclawprincess33 @melllinaa @vellicora @lantsovheiress @emiliahoward @stunkbiggu @vcosette @prongsprincessworld @mattiesgirl @rachmmb @x-kermit-x @sun-fiower-seed @cas-planet @certaindreampost @weirdowithnobeardo @mikalovesicecream @benwadsworthsgf @rainy-darling @faeriepigeons @lovely-blackinnon @hiireadstuff @gimalo135 @elsafromcabinsix @moonlightreader649 @blueshome @nopedefe @spencerreidsthings @navs-bhat @agent-tempest @magimtz23 @y0urm0m12 @sbrn0905 @leona-hawthorne @whatsupb18 @moni-cah @taylorann2013 @unstablereader @gisellesprettylies @nat1221

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

Things I've worked out so far for my Merlin Soulmate AU:

Soulmates and soulmarks are their own subset of magic, and one that Uther can not eradicate, because everyone is born with soulmates

So he does the next best thing and makes it practically illegal to find one's soulmate, mandating the use of gloves and long-sleeves around anyone that is not immediately blood related (soul bonds are solidified through touch)

(Except in the cases where he found someone with a soul mark that moved (a sign that their soulmate was born with magic) in which he would force a parade of citizens to come touch until he finds them. (Very rarely does he find them in this way))

Uther repeals most of the laws surrounding soulmates that ensure their rights. Such as the law that protected bonded soulmates (soulmates who have solidified their bond through touch) from having to testify against each other. In fact, under the new laws he made, if someone refused to testify against their soulmate, both/all would be assumed guilty of the crime in question and punished accordingly

Uther, being very classist and viewing common folk as inferior, also passes a law nulifying marriages between noble and common born soulmates, and outlawing any future marriages of the kind. So people that had been noble for decades were stripped of their title and standing and forced to return to their lives from before (in many instances this part was not strictly enforced, and it caused a lot of outrage when a noble spouse DID abide by this and shun their common born soulmate that had been their partner.)

Uther also repeals a law that allowed nobles to lend their noble status to their platonic soulmates, suddenly making GENERATIONS of nobility commonfolk.

This causes resentment from these nobles, as well as their friends. Sorcerers are not the only ones trying to kill Uther in this au, he wrongs just about everyone.

The only reason he continues to stay in power is because he's so brutal and he fosters a strong inner circle with similar views as his (or so he thinks in some cases)

Uther only had one soulmate and it was Ygraine. However, Ygraine had another soulmate and it was Nimeuh.

Nimeuh tried very hard to dissuade Ygraine from agreeing to the enchantment that lead to her giving birth to Arthur, and it was Ygraine that had to persuade Nimeuh into agreeing to even do it, as Nimeuh knew the risks and did not want to risk losing a part of her soul

She does anyway, despite her every effort

Uther makes it illegal to talk to others about their soulmates or soul marks or to show them to anyone.

Now even before Uther's bullshit, it wasn't polite to just ask, or to ask to see someone's marks (unless that mark was your own, then it was fine, lots of people wanted to know what the representation of their soul looked like)

But this made it so the generation(s) raised following the purge had next to no knowledge of soulmates (Same as with magic) or what made them "evil"

Well, they're magic. Measures of destiny, pieces of ones soul displayed on the skin of the people most important in one's life. And when a piece of one's soul dies, it's agony.

It was no secret that Queen Ygraine was King Uther's soulmate.

In the years of and following the Purge, those particularly bold and angry would whisper, "His entire soul died with her."

Everyone's soulmarks are as follows:

Merlin's is a fluttering blue butterfly

Arthur's is a gleaming golden crown

Gwen's is a forge bucket filled with lavender

Morgana's is a crescent moon with a bright star rotating around the bottom tip (thank you to @clotpoleofcamelot for the idea!)

Percival's is an acorn that is beginning to take root (thank you to @jgvfhl for the idea!)

Leon's is an owl in flight holding an arrow in its talons (I'm not entirely sold on this one, so if anyone has other suggestions, I'm open to it)

Gwaine’s is an oak with his necklace's symbol carved into the trunk (thank you to @donttouchtheneednoggle for the symbol idea!)

Lancelot's is a sword crossed diagonally over a shield with the crest of a winged beast

And Elyan's is a forge hammer circled by chainmail links (thank you again to @donttouchtheneednoggle for the idea!)

Arthur, Elyan, Gwaine, Gwen, Lancelot, Leon, Merlin, and Percival are all soulmates with each other. Gwen also has a soulmate in Morgana, and Merlin has a soulmate in Freya

(Merlin's soulmark for Freya does not start moving until she is cursed, and Merlin asks Gaius what it means. He has a crisis when he finds out, as he puts together that Arthur and Gwen (and Lancelot, but thats not an issue) must know that Merlin was born with magic.)

Merlin before that point is not aware that his soul mark on his soulmates moves, marking him as a born sorcerer. Should he have known this, since Huneth would know due to her soulmate being Balinor? Yeah, he probably should, but there's a lot Huneth didn't tell Merlin in the show and it might not have occurred to her to tell him, or even that he'd find his soulmates in Camelot.

Morgana's other soulmates are Morgause and Mordred.

Leon, Gwen, and Elyan find out they are soulmates when they are kids. The thing about young kids is that they don't really care a whole lot about rules that they don't understand, rules that no one explained, rules that don't make sense. You cant go swimming and catch frogs in full clothes with gloves! So they don't. And it's just the three of them present when they find out that Leon is soulmates with both Gwen and Elyan

(Gwen has known that she and Elyan are soulmates since she held him for the first time. Siblings that are soulmates are unusual but not unheard of)

They agree not to tell anyone, as they don't want to get in trouble

Leon and Arthur soulbond by accident.

Arthur comes over one day to Leon's estate and Leon, who does not have gloves on as he is in his home, greets Arthur with a hair ruffle without thinking.

This is in front of Leon’s parents and a guard, so there is no covering it up when both boys have the exact same reaction, and Arthur asks what that feeling was

Leon (a teenager at this point, maybe 15-16) is TERRIFIED. He just broke the law in front of several witnesses, and soulbound with the king's son. He's expecting to get executed or banished

Neither of those things happen.

In fact, Uther is not even mad. Leon is well on his way to becoming a skilled and respected knight, and he comes from a loyal noble family going back generations. If anything, Uther sees Leon being Arthur's soulmate as a sign of his loyalty and a garentee he will serve him well (Never let it be said that Uther isn't a hypocrite)

It's not long after this that a young Arthur asks Gaius what it means when a soulmark moves. Gaius stiffens and slowly explains that it means that the soulmate was born with magic. "But I thought magic is evil?" "According to your father, it is illegal, yes." "But I thought soulmates were supposed to have positive lasting impact on your life. Leon does." And Gaius is feeling a mix of emotions, cause if Arthur is implying what he *thinks* he is... "Arthur, do you have a soulmark that moves?" And Arthur nods and shows him the butterfly with the gently flapping wings. Gaius instructs Arthur not to tell or show anyone this, especially Uther, as it could be dangerous not only for his soulmate, but for him as well.

Arthur listens to Gaius and doesn't say a word to anyone, including Leon (if he had, they might have figured out they had all the same soulmates, and Leon could have pointed him towards Gwen and Elyan sooner)

Gwen almost doesn't take the job as Morgana’s servant because TWO of her soulmarks move and her parents warned her and Elyan (who shared most of the same soul marks as her) never to let anyone see, to never talk about it, or it would put both them and their soulmate(s) in danger.

A downside to always having to wear gloves it it makes it rather difficult to dress someone, even if tools had been invented to help with the process. One day Gwen gets frustrated and Morgana tells her to take them off if it would be easier. And Gwen freezes a bit. Because Morgana is the king's ward, and this is a bad idea, she's encouraging her to break the law. But then Morgana takes off her own gloves and wiggles her fingers at Gwen "It's fine, Gwen. No one needs to know. It's a stupid law anyway." And Gwen turns away, heading for the door, and for a second Morgana thinks she's gone too far and is about to apologize when Gwen flips the lock on the door, ensuring it's secure and coming back, removing her gloves as she does so. Morgana grins and promises that nothing that happens before that door gets unlocked will be repeated to anyone.

Morgana holds out her hand for Gwen to shake and after a long moment Gwen takes it. And their marks for each other go warm and and this feeling of *rightness* settles over them both, they've found another piece of their SOUL

This is how Morgana gets confirmation that she has magic, by asking to see her mark on Gwen and realizing what it means that her mark *moves*

I have more that starts moving into what changes and stays the same to canon, but this is already so long that it will have to be another post. If anyone has any clarifying questions, please feel free to ask me!

[ashdreams2023]

Hello! It's me again :)). Whenever you're free, could please do a Lucius x younger sister!reader? Where The two of them really has a special bond that makes Lucius very protective over her. What happens when Lucius caught his sister kissing Sev? Sev and reader have been secretly dating for months now.

Hi! Of course I’ll try my best

Severus snape x reader

Lucius malfoy & sister reader

Losing game

"Malfoy come on! Your sister is an absolute ba-" the ravenclaw boy swallowed back his words when the end of Lucius’s wand pressed into his throat.

"Dare complete that statement and feel the pain of a million electric shocks you’ll wish you were never born"

"Bloody hell mate what are you doing?!" The ravenclaw’s friend dragged him away and almost stumbled while doing so. Lucius had it up to the top of his head, why can’t these boys understand that none of them is worth the time of day of his sister.

You’re a malfoy for Merlin’s sake, isn’t that enough to make it clear that you’re a lady with class who wouldn’t put up with their pathetic tries to smooth talk you.

"Lucius I understand that you’re protective of her but don’t you think it would be better to give her the decision instead of scaring off every guy who’s shows the slightest interest in her?"

"Cissa she’s my only sister and I know how boys her age are, they are only after one thing and I don’t want her to get hurt….I have to make sure she’s safe and happy you know that, right?" Narcissa sighed, she understood, from the very beginning he made it clear how important you are to him, how he will kill anyone who just looks at you in a weird way.

You and lucius were very close, he was your shield that protected you from day one, from his father that wanted tried promising you to an awful pureblood that only cared about heirs.

"Ok but at least talk with her, she’s your sister and she’s not a baby anymore, I’m sure she at least like one person" Narcissa hoped she wouldn’t regret this, you made her promise not to tell but it was serious getting stupid.

"Fine, I’ll go talk to her now"

"Great!"

Let’s go severus can defend himself…

It took lucius using a tracking spell to locate you and when he finally found you his words stopped in his throat, what were you doing?!

Sitting there all cozy with severus, the genius potions boy, actually not just potions but that has nothing to do with his point, the point was that you were going behind his back and seeing severus because friends don’t just kiss each other or blush at closeness.

Why would you do something like this?! Were you not afraid of father’s furry and the punishment he might bestow upon you? Severus was a half blood, Merlin lucius is gonna have a heart attack.

He stomped his way towards you two and prepared his wand in hand, he wasn’t thinking at all but there was something that registered from the whole ordeal before doing something stupid….you looked happy.

Genuinely happy, the type of happy you experienced when you’re far away from home doing whatever you wanted, the type of happy he liked to see you feel.

Severus made you happy, he made you laugh and smile, he was blushing clearly but entirely enchanted by you.

Lucius knows a love struck puppy when he sees one, but still why? Why did you hide this from him? Maybe Narcissa was right…

"Lucius!" You finally seemed to notice your brother standing a few feet away, severus snapped his neck to look back and stood up immediately.

"Lucius I—"

"How long?" Said lucius, his knuckles turning more red on his albino skin "how long have you been hiding this from me?!" His voice dangerously over the volume he uses in school.

Severus swallowed then looked down at you, you looked defeated.

"A few months….I wanted to tell you but I knew you wouldn’t approve of it! You never let anyone approach me and severus is the nicest guy I could end up with!" You screamed at him divested, he always did this, you love your brother but sometimes he couldn’t get it through his skull that you’re grown and able to make your own decisions.

Lucius glared at severus, a headache was threatening to happen, he took a deep breath and collected himself before speaking again.

"Yes I would disapprove of this but not for the reasons you think, I would disapprove of this because I had no knowledge of it beforehand and because I know this is a dangerous step you’ve taken, I trust severus is a decent guy but that doesn’t mean you can go around sneaking with him behind my back."

His words hurt, they hurt like knives through your chest and you hated him for it, you hated how he was still right, how if your father knew you’ll be domed or disowned, you hated how he was still looking out for you.

"I choice this and I don’t want to step back brother" the simple statement left your lips and you stood up.

"I did too, I have no alternative motive lucius, I just…you know I would never hurt her intentionally!"

The worst part of all of this is that lucius believed him, that boy was telling the truth, he might do mistakes but he cares for those who show him love, which is exactly what you’re doing.

Damn it, this was a losing game and apparently you’re choosing to go through with it.

"Fine. Both of you are responsible for what happens if somebody finds but remember my words severus, I will kill you in an instant if my sister go hurt because of you, am I understood?"

Severus nodded "Crystal clear."

You sighed "thank you lucius"

[storygremlin]

Showing Merlin S2E5-6: Beauty and the Beast to my lesbian friend, A, for the first time:

• [Arthur waking up shirtless to Merlin spying on Catrina] Merlin’s face is so thirsty looking at him, don’t accuse him of infidelity Arthur, he can’t process your accusations right now

• [Merlin: she’s a troll! Arthur: *grinning* she’s not that bad] Aw, look at Arthur’s face, he’s so pleased thinking Merlin is taking his side. That’s not what’s happening Arthur, but you’re so gay for that.

• [Merlin breaking dramatically into the great hall as Uther and Catrina seal their marriage with a kiss] Thank god he was late, I would’ve hated being robbed of this moment—the best thing this show has ever done.

• [when Catrina puts Uther out with her troll breath] That’s not even magic, her breath is just so bad he passed out and forgot the whole thing

• [Arthur warning Merlin after Catrina accuses him of stealing her heirloom] Arthur responding to Merlin’s warnings about Catrina like ‘okay maybe the new queen of Camelot IS a troll, but more importantly—you.’ Insane behavior. I love it.

• [Arthur seeing the knights roughing up an old man for tax money] YOU BETTER NOT DISAPPOINT ME RIGHT NOW ARTHUR. [when he steps in] Aw good job, you’re doing great, look at Gwen watching him, she thinks he’s so hot after that.

• [Arthur standing up to Uther and refusing to participate in bullying the people over the ridiculous tax] This is the most attractive a man has ever been. I’d even let him kiss me on the mouth.

• [Uther trying to kiss Catrina] Do you think her Disguise Self includes hiding her breath, or does Uther just taste horseshit when he kisses her? Is he getting horseshit kisses? I bet he is.

• [Leon trying to persuade the king to postpone accepting Bayard’s suggestion to visit] No no, definitely let him come. Encourage him to visit immediately. Don’t ruin this for me.

• [Merlin and Gaius telling Arthur about their plan. Arthur: you never said anything about an antidote!] trust your boyfriend Arthur, he’s a powerful warlock [Merlin dropping the antidote] Yeah actually that tracks. Murphy’s law is really his thing. We should rename it. *contemplating* Maybe Merlin could just kiss him awake?

• [Uther: obviously there are many things I did under the enchantment I…regret. Arthur: I really don’t need to know, father.] *cackling* magic’s true revenge against Uther—his son knowing he fucked a troll.

[blueraineshadows]

Not Just Any Other Girl

Oscar Weasley (OC) x F!MC

NSFW 🔞 alcohol, sexual tension, smut

Sexy one shot for original character, Oscar (Garreth's brother), created by @eternalremorse and used with her permission. This is stand-alone and not connected to my Brothers fic series. Long fic.

Every year, at the start of summer, Garreth Weasley would host a campout party on his family's farmland for all his friends. A tradition that was started after their 6th year at Hogwarts and was continuing on despite the friends having long since left school.

This year, MC was attending with Poppy. Their charmed overnight bags were packed along with their tent and plenty of supplies as per Garreth's 'Bring a Bottle' stipulation. Poppy placed a wide brimmed straw hat on her head and picked up the pot of Floo Powder, holding it out to MC.

"Are you ready?"

MC took a breath as she looked at the pot, trying to muster up a smile. Poppy gave her a sympathetic look. "You can't mope around forever, MC. It's time to move on."

MC nodded. Poppy was right. Her failed relationship with her Ministry man boyfriend had been the latest disastrous chapter in her love life. After only a few short months, he had presented her with a ring, and MC had run like a Graphorn had been chasing her. Not because of the proposal as such, but more the reason behind it.

Men liked her for the power that flowed in her veins. Her ancient magic was both a blessing and a curse. Why couldn't they want her for her and not her magic?

Poppy's lips lifted a little, her eyes playful. "You never know. You might get lucky at the camp out. You did sneak into the hay barn with Sebastian the summer after graduation after all. Maybe you can make a revisit."

MC blushed. "Poppy! We promised we wouldn't talk about that again."

"No, you said that. I never made any promises."

MC rolled her eyes and moved towards the Floo point. "That was three years ago, and he is in a relationship now. There will be no sneaking into the hay barn with Sebastian Sallow."

Poppy smirked. "Who said it had to be with him?"

MC threw Poppy a stern look before pinching up some Floo Powder. "The Weasley Farm!"

MC disappeared in a flicker and flash of green light, Poppy's chuckle echoing in her ears.

....*....

The cook fires were working over time, the smell of burning wood and sizzling meat filling the air as the party guests helped themselves from kegs of Butterbeer and a table laden with various other alcoholic treats. Some of those bottles were lethal, concoctions of Garreth's own design that were sure to see you crawling on your knees into your tent if you went hard, and that was if you made it there at all.

As the sun was sinking into the horizon, the fiddles and drums had come out, and there would be dancing. Enchanted fire lanterns bobbed around the secluded patch of land, logs laid out around the campfire for guests to sit on, and the various tents were set up along the tree line. It was a festive air with much laughter and chatter.

MC refilled her glass with a rather lovely fruity cocktail that was going down nicely and took a generous mouthful. Poppy stumbled up to her, a garland of flowers on her head. She pointed to it. "Look what Garreth made me," she giggled. "Isn't it lovely?"

MC nodded. "It is," she replied. "Don't tell me you're going to abandon our tent for the hay barn with Garreth tonight?"

Poppy giggled again at MC's quirked eyebrow and shook her head. "I have no immediate plans, but that may change. What about you? Have you got your eye on anyone?"

MC shook her head and took another sip of drink. "I think we are getting to that age where all the good ones are getting snapped up."

Poppy sighed, and then her eyes widened, and she grabbed MC's arm. "Merlin's beard! Look who just showed up!"

A loud cheer sounded, and MC turned to see the superstar Beater from the Montrose Magpies Quidditch team being greeted by enthusiastic party guests. Oscar Weasley, the older brother of Garreth, was not only famous, he was incredibly charming and handsome to go with it. His charms had been directed towards MC ever since Garreth had introduced them, but she had always resisted. A couple of times, she had come close to falling for it, but somehow, she had managed to hold back. She had not been one to engrave her name inside a heart with his on the back of the toilet door in the girls' bathroom at Hogwarts. There were far too many of them there already.

"Still lapping up the attention I see," MC frowned. She watched as a girl practically tripped over her own skirts, trying to get to Oscar, her cheeks pink and her eyes shining with adoration. "His photographs on the sports pages of the Prophet have him with a different girl on his arm every week."

"Take notes do you?" Poppy asked.

MC's frown deepened. "Of course not. It's just that obvious."

Poppy gave her a knowing look and poured herself another drink. "Well, don't look now, but I think Mr Popular is heading this way. Turn your lips into a smile, MC. Maybe you'll be the next pretty girl to get her photograph in the paper."

MC gaped at Poppy's audacity and just got a giggle in response as Oscar arrived at the drinks table.

His lovely red hair tumbled across his forehead, and his face was covered in freckles just like Garreth. Tall with broad shoulders, he had the perfect physique for a Beater, his shirt the perfect fit for highlighting the muscle in his arms and chest. He held himself with confidence, and in his gaze, he had that cheeky Weasley twinkle that was most irresistible.

"Good evening ladies," he greeted. "Don't you look lovely."

Poppy immediately held out her hand and was rewarded with a kiss on the back of it. MC folded her arms and merely smiled, aloof and definitely not impressed. At least, that was the look she was going for. "Hello, Oscar."

His smile lit up his face, his blue eyes twinkling as he turned them on her. MC ignored the little flutter of her pulse as he did so. There was just something so alluring about the way his eyes seemed to caress you, drawing you in until everything else seemed to fade out.

"MC, I swear you grow prettier every time I see you," he said.

He didn't mind that she hadn't offered him her hand. He merely stepped up and pressed a kiss to her cheek instead, the alluring spice of his cologne filling her nose, the soft brush of his lips against her skin making the alcohol in her blood sing with fire.

His face lingered close after the kiss, his eyes blazing into hers, and she fought against the need to gulp down air into her lungs. His gaze dropped to her lips, and his own twitched ever so slightly before he straightened, his look almost predatory, and MC fought against the way it made her insides squirm with heat.

"I'm sure every girl you meet has the pleasure of hearing you say that," she said, tightening her folded arms. "You don't need to flatter me, however. I've known you too long for that."

He smirked, eyes devouring her. "Five years in fact, and yet you still manage to astound me with those beautiful eyes of yours."

Poppy was behind him, her face one of mischief as she stuck her thumb up, nodding her head enthusiastically before she scampered away, her flower crown jostling as she joined the dancers. MC would definitely be having words with her later for abandoning her like this, leaving her to the dangerous charms of Oscar Weasley.

In an attempt to distract him from staring at her the way he was, she turned to the drinks table. "What are you drinking? Or are you on a health drive being an athlete now and all that."

Oscar stepped up beside her, leaning over to glance at the varied bottles on the table, his shoulder brushing against hers. MC tensed and almost stepped back as he picked up a bottle of vivid blue. "I take it these are Garreth's monstrosities."

MC laughed, the sound slipping automatically from her lips. "Actually, these are pretty good," she said. "He deserves more credit for his talents."

Oscar grinned and put down the bottle, selecting another and taking a sniff. "You have always been Garreth's biggest supporter, MC. I'm surprised he hasn't pulled you into bed by now."

"Who says he hasn't?" She quipped.

He looked taken aback for a moment but recovered quickly. "And has he?"

MC laughed, holding her fingers to her mouth as she did so. "Oh, the look on your face," she chuckled. She shook her head. "No, he hasn't. I'm one of his best friends, Oscar. And that means something to us."

He gave her a long, heated look. "Well, I would say that's Garreth's loss."

"Of course you would," she said. She picked up her drink. "You're hardly short of simpering females to warm your bed though, Oscar. So I doubt it bothers you all that much. Oh, and I can recommend the fruity pink tipple. It's rather lovely."

She raised her glass and gave him a big smile before she sauntered off into the crowd, leaving him to shake his head in amusement.

....*....

The sun had finally slipped below the horizon, the sky a blanket of emerging stars as the music thumped and people danced. MC was dancing with a drink in her hand, Garreth beside her. He grabbed her free hand and twirled her around, laughing when she nearly spilt her drink.

"Down it," he said into her ear. She grinned and did just that, lifting her cup up when she was done with a cheer. Garreth grabbed her about the waist, lifting her off the ground and spinning around.

MC squealed, the scene around her blurring as she spun. She tilted her head back to look up at the starry sky, laughter pealing from her lips. Poppy was right. Coming here was the best medicine to pull her out of her slump. Then she was falling, both her and Garreth tumbling to the grass in a heap. She rolled, Garreth scrambling to check that she was alright.

"Bloody hell, I'm so sorry," he said. She looked up at him and burst out laughing again. He looked alarmed, and then he started laughing, too.

"I'm glad you two find it so funny," Oscar said, appearing above them. He held out his hand, and MC looked at him, her laughter fading as she reached up to clasp it. He pulled her up, and she staggered into his arms.

He held her steady, pressed up against his solid frame, his eyes blazing with amusement and something else. Something dangerous that stroked at her deep inside. MC couldn't seem to break the eye contact, and she thought she should before she did something stupid, like let him kiss her.

Because she didn't want that, did she? Oscar would warm her bed for the night, and then he would be gone the next day. She didn't really see herself as a conquest, but then she ran from any man who tried to put a ring on her finger, too. Maybe a warm bed for the night wouldn't be so bad.

"Watch those hands of his, MC," Garreth said from behind her. "Merlin knows where they have been."

Oscar flicked his gaze towards Garreth with narrowed eyes that were more impish than anything else. He murmured close to MC's ear, his words low and soft. "I know where I want them to be."

MC felt her body tighten, heat searing through her as an image materialised behind her eyes. Oscar, naked against bed sheets, his hands on her skin. She swallowed and felt the heat flare even more. His gaze moved to hers, and what he saw there pulled a smirk onto his lips.

She realised she was still pressed against him, his hands on her lower back. She stepped away, and his hands grazed her waist, reluctantly releasing her with the softest of touches. She tucked her hair behind her ear and forced herself to look away from the allure of his blue eyes.

"I'm rather thirsty after all that dancing," she said. "I'm going to grab another drink."

Garreth's eyes brightened. "I know what you need," he said. He grabbed her hand. "Come on, I've been saving the best till last. You're going to love it."

MC let him tug her through the dancers, glancing back over her shoulder as she followed, her eyes meeting immediately with Oscar's. He gave her a smile that sent a shiver along her spine, the warmth of his body still lingering from where he had held her. Her resistance was slipping.

....*....

It was late. The sky was at its darkest before the dawn. Some had retreated to their tents already, others were still drinking and making the most of things. There was still music and dancing, but somehow it had turned into couples, and she didn't know how it had happened, but MC was pressed up against Oscar. His arms were around her waist, her arms were around his neck, and the movement of their hips made her ache in ways that had her biting her lip.

His mouth was so close to her ear that she could feel the heat of his breath against her skin. It was borderline sinful how it made her feel. Her resistance slipped further, and her head tilted, just enough to be inviting, and she felt the slow scrape of teeth along the shell of her ear. A pulse of heat rolled upwards from her core, and a moan slipped from her mouth.

His grip on her tightened, his fingers curled into the soft fabric of her blouse. "Now that was a delicious moan," he said. His thumb traced circles through her blouse against her lower back. "I want to make you do that again."

Her breaths came quick and shallow, her fingertips delicately toying with his hair at his neck. His hand slid to her hip, and he held her against him, rolling his hips with the music and her mind spun. "Oscar..." She whispered.

"Hmm?" His low hum was close to her ear, the deep resonance of it sliding along her flesh. She shivered.

"Tell me what you want," he whispered. His lips were soft and delicate against her ear, almost like a kiss and her skin tingled for more. "I want to hear you say it."

The rocking of their hips was hypnotic. She relaxed into it, moving against him as the need for friction pierced her. His whispered words filtered through the haze of lust that clouded her mind.

Oh, she wanted him.

It was like a craving, a need that tugged at the deepest places, and she wanted relief. For years, she had held him back, and tonight, he had found a crack in her resolve. He had her held against him, dancing in ways that should be considered scandalous.

But, oh, did it feel good.

She turned her head slightly so that she could look at him, intense blue eyes framed with thick copper lashes offered her the fulfilment of deep desires, and she felt her weakening resistance slip a little more.

"I know what you want," she whispered.

He smirked. "I've been waiting years for you to admit you want it too. You're the one who always gets away, MC."

"So, what happens if I give in?"

His eyes darkened, and he moved his mouth back towards her ear. "I get to hear you moan for me, MC. I promise you, if you let me, you will have plenty of reasons to fall apart in my hands."

Her thoughts drifted to all the girls who had ever been on his arm. Had he whispered the same words to them, luring them into his bed with promises of pleasure. The temptation was real, and she could understand how easy it would be to give in.

"I don't want to be just another girl in a photograph on the back page of the Daily Prophet," she said quietly.

He held her jaw with his finger tips, his gaze travelling over her face. "You could never be just another girl, MC. Does the fact I've been trying to impress you for 5 years not tell you anything?"

She narrowed her gaze. "I hope you're not trying to convince me of your undying love for me here, Weasley."

He chuckled, his thumb grazing gently along her cheek. "I wouldn't go that far. But, I do like you, MC. There is something about you that always pulls me back every time I see you. You can tell me no, I won't hold it against you. But I do want you in my bed."

MC looked into his eyes. He stared back, unflinching and open, their bodies still moving to the music as the party carried on around them. For a moment, it had felt like they had dipped into a little bubble of their own.

No games, no promises he could break, just the offer of his bed and company. MC felt the last of her resistance crumble, and she admitted to herself that she very much liked the idea of being in Oscar Weasley's bed.

Her eyes dropped to his mouth, the curve and dip of his top lip sat so satisfyingly against the plumpness of his lower, and she wondered how soft it would be between her teeth. Her head moved closer as she considered it. She could just give it a little tug, a teasing test to satisfy a burning curiosity.

Her eyes hazed as she vaguely noticed his lips part, her eyelids fluttering fully closed as her teeth caught that plump, pink flesh. Her top lip brushed against his, soft and warm, before she pushed her teeth in harder and tugged. She heard his intake of breath. She savoured the sound as she rolled his lip, her tongue flicking forward to soothe her bite.

His hands slid down to cup her arse, fingers digging into the soft flesh as he pressed her firmly against him, the unmistakable bulge of his arousal pressed near her hip. She rubbed herself against it, and his soft, breathy groan sounded against her lips. Hearing him like that made her need twist sharp and hot. She turned his words back to him.

"That was a delicious moan, Oscar," she said. She stared into his eyes with intent. "Let me make you do that again."

He didn’t need to be told twice. Holding her hand, he led her away from the party, past the line of pitched tents and towards the gate that led back towards the farm. The music dwindled into the night, and she wondered idly if he was taking her to the hay barn.

However, they made a turn, cutting down the side of the barn and across the yard towards another outbuilding.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

As they walked out of the shadow of the barn, low, pale moonlight lit them both. He turned to give her a smirk, pausing in his step a moment to look at her. He looked carved from marble in this light, so utterly beautiful, and it stole her breath. He cupped her face, bending his head slowly until his lips brushed against hers.

"I'm taking you to my bed," he said.

He began to lead her again, around the back of a red brick building with a pitched roof, some kind of storage shed by the looks of it. At the rear was a flight of steps that led to a wooden door. Oscar unlocked it and pulled her inside. With a flick of his wand, a lamp was lit on a table to reveal a loft space that had been transformed into a bedroom.

There was a large bed and a dresser, a desk and chair and woven rugs scattered on the floor for warmth and colour. Quidditch posters adorned the low walls, and a Gryffindor flag hung from a beam in the ceiling. MC stared around the room, walking towards the centre as she gazed at his belongings. It was a glimpse into the real Oscar.

"You live here?"

He nodded, discarding his wand on the desktop. "When I am not touring the country with the Magpies, I live here. I don't take up room in the main house, and I get my privacy, but I still benefit from the perks of home cooked food and free laundry."

MC grinned. "Sneaky."

He chuckled and removed his waistcoat, draping it over the chair, before moving closer towards her. He cupped her face with both hands. "Finally, I've got you alone."

She toyed with the top button on his shirt, the collar of which was already open. "I fully expect you to have your wicked way with me," she whispered.

"Believe me, I intend to."

His kiss was no mere brush of his lips this time. This kiss was pure dominance, a claiming of her mouth that had her fingers clutching at the fabric of his shirt and a moan sounding in her throat. He tasted like firewhiskey, the scent of fire smoke clung to them both, and MC welcomed the deep swirl of his tongue against hers.

As dominant as his kiss was, he did not rush. If anything, Oscar took his time exploring the warmth of her mouth, his hands sliding down her back and over her hips at a leisurely pace. She had half expected him to tear her clothes free of her body and ravish her, but he didn't.

His mouth moved to her neck, fingers sliding into the hair at the back of her head as he titled her backwards, lips and tongue exploring from ear to collar bone. Deft fingers plucked at the buttons of her blouse, one at a time with gentle slowness, the fabric slipping from her shoulders in a graceful slide that made her shiver.

MC began to unbutton his shirt, her fingers fumbling with her eagerness as she tugged them free to expose the expanse of his chest. Her hands greedily smoothed across the firm muscle, her teeth sinking into her lower lip at the sculpted flesh before reaching for his trouser fastening. He chuckled before grasping her wrists, halting her movements.

"Easy now, MC," he said quietly. He kissed her cheek, the corner of her mouth, and then a slow, teasing kiss to her lips. "Slow down. I want to savour every moment of this now that I have you at my mercy."

He lifted her with ease, wrapping her legs around his waist as he kissed her, walking her slowly towards his bed before laying her down. His mouth found skin and kissed, sliding her chemise upwards over ribs, again with aching slowness, as he explored every inch of her.

As the soft cotton rumpled up to expose her breasts, his sigh fanned against her skin, goose bumps spreading as the tip of his tongue swirled over a hardening peak, his mouth claiming it to nip and suck until she was arching up from the bed. His free hand took care of her other breast, gently moulding it against his palm before he tugged her chemise clear of her head. He leant back on his knees to look down at her, his eyes hungry and dark, and he licked his lips.

"So beautiful," he murmured.

MC drew quick, deep breaths, her own eyes staring hungrily at his open shirt. She reached up to continue removing it, but again, he held her wrists, pinning her arms to the bed. He shook his head. "Not yet. I'm not done," he said.

He rolled her, MC gasping in surprise as he slid his palm up her back, sliding her hair to the side so that it fell over her shoulder onto the bed. She closed her eyes, a small whimper leaving her mouth as he pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. His lips moved with aching slowness, soft and teasing as he kissed across her shoulders, worshipping every piece of skin over shoulder blades and along her spine.

MC twitched, her hips flexing as the need for friction began to build to almost unbearable levels. His hands shaped her hips, moulded the curve of her backside, fingers dragging up the sides of her thighs as his tongue swirled in the small of her back.

Never before had a man taken so much time over her, worshipping her body in a way that made her feel almost shy. The edge had softened on the alcohol she had consumed, her senses on high alert as Oscar discovered inch after inch of her body with lips, tongue, and softly caressing fingers.

She groaned, leaning on her elbows, head pressed against the bed as she ached for more. As he undid her trousers and slid them down, exposing the delicate cotton and lace of her underwear, MC was almost panting with anticipation as he slightly parted her thighs. She felt his lips on the backs of them, moving slowly upwards as fingers slid under the edge of her knickers to grasp peachy flesh. He moaned, dragging her knickers down to sink his teeth into a cheek, biting gently before drawing the flesh into a sinful suck.

"You've got a delicious arse, MC," he moaned. He kissed all over it, tongue swirling, and MC squirmed, his hands gripping her hips to hold her steady as his tongue slid seductively at the top of her crack.

"Oscar..." She whined. The touch of his mouth there sent tingles over her skin, the flesh sensitive.

Teasing fingers tickled downwards, brushing through the crack of her backside before just glancing against her heat, the gentle probe of a finger sliding far too swiftly against the slick gathering there. She moaned, head lifting, thighs twitching open at that brief touch, hungry for more.

Oscar chuckled deeply, sliding her underwear completely free before rolling her back over. He began his slow, torturous kisses again, this time starting at her ankle and working up to her knee, parting her legs so he could suck at her inner thighs.

MC was quivering by now, so desperate for him that she pushed her fingers into his hair, trying to urge him higher. Again, he took her wrists, pinning them to the bed. "Patience, MC," he teased, his smirk sinful. "You are a greedy little thing."

"You're killing me here," she whined.

"All in good time, MC. I told you, I am going to savour every last inch of you. Don't make me tie your hands, because I will."

MC whimpered, hips flexing, her thighs desperate to squeeze together. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Weasley," she groaned through gritted teeth.

He crawled up her body, kissing as he went, claiming her mouth in a deep, probing kiss. He pressed his hips against her, and she wrapped her legs about him as he began to grind against her.

"Is this what you want?" He spoke into her mouth, breath hot as it mingled with hers, hips rolling and his arousal a firm tease against her heat.

"Yes," she panted.

Her fingers were seeking out his waistband, sliding around to try and get to his fastenings, and this time, he let her. She wasted no time with the freedom he allowed her, tugging them open and sliding a hand inside to seek out the silken, heated flesh of his arousal.

She made a delighted sound of triumph as she wrapped a hand around him and slid upwards. He moaned and thrust into her hold. "Fuck..."

She pumped twice, savouring his noises of approval before he pulled back away from her, grinning smugly as he grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head.

"Enough playtime for you," he said.

MC huffed, almost pouting up at him, bucking her hips upwards. He chuckled and bent to kiss at her neck, nipping at her ear. "How badly do you want it, MC? Are you at the point of begging yet?"

She gasped, eyes wide. "Is that what you want?"

"I'm going to taste you first," he whispered. He slid his tongue across her lower lip, sucking at it softly before sliding downwards, kissing down the valley of her breasts. He explored her ribs and stomach, tongue dipping into her navel before he paid close attention to her hips and then lower.

MC immediately widened her thighs, his hands pressing them even wider so he could slide his tongue at the junction of her leg. He kissed downwards, always avoiding where she desperately needed him, his mouth sucking at the flesh where her backside curved under into leg.

Her hands were in his hair, soft pleas spilling from her lips as he parted her open with his thumbs, the pads sliding along her folds and gathering up the juice that was already gathered in anticipation. He moaned, circling her entrance slowly before pushing upwards to press against her nub. She arched, mouth parting. "Please..." She whined. "Oh, fuck, please!"

"Gods, you're so perfect," he whispered.

His mouth claimed her, tongue sliding hungrily as he positioned his lips around her clit and slowly sucked, little flicks of his tongue adding to mix. MC's hands left his head to reach up and grab the sheet as her back arched, fire spreading with shocking speed through her veins at the bliss of him doing what she needed at long last. Moans of pleasure and relief left her mouth as he worked, his hands having to pin her hips down as she bucked upwards.

Almost immediately, her thighs began to tremble, her abdomen beginning to tighten, and she gasped, fingers flexing and gripping as she soared towards climax. With a wet sucking sound, Oscar removed his mouth, and MC whimpered in shock, her climax stuttering to a pause, and she pushed herself up onto her elbows.

"What are you doing?!" She cried. "Don't stop!"

"Oh, I'm not stopping, sweetheart," he said. "Trust me."

Oscar's eyes blazed as he looked up at her, his finger sliding slowly across her entrance before pushing inside, stretching her before sliding a second finger in to join it. MC stared, her cheeks flushed and mouth parted as he kept her gaze locked with his, his fingers sliding and curling up to press firmly against her sweet spot.

She had the urge to bear down, hips rolling as he pumped slowly, still looking up at her as he swirled his tongue against her again. Picking up where she left off, MC moaned, the pressure building swiftly until she felt the first flutter, toes curling, Oscar's fingers sinking deeper as her walls contracted around them.

MC gasped at the intensity, the tight heat that gripped her as she hit the peak. He urged her through her climax with lips and tongue, MC finally breaking their searing eye contact to sink back onto the bed, breathing hard.

She stared up at the rafters trying to regather her thoughts, her mind still reeling as her body twitched and pulsed with aftershocks. After such a slow and teasing build-up, her climax had shattered through her, the heat and throb almost overwhelming.

She felt the slow brush of fingers, Oscar stroking her again, gentle flicks against her that made her squirm from over stimulation. His tongue slid slowly upwards, joining his finger tip in the tease and she tried to scoot up the bed away from him, but strong hands gripped her hips and pulled her back, mouth claiming her again in a torturous slow suck that made her cry out.

"Oscar, please..." Her fingers grappled for purchase on the twisted sheets. His chuckle reverberated against her, and she gasped before he finally released her and sat up, wiping his mouth.

"Did you want me to stop?" He asked playfully.

MC pushed up, eyeing him, noticing that he had shed the rest of his clothing at some point and his cock was solid, pink and inviting with a gleam of precum at the tip. He smirked at the direction of her gaze, taking a hold of himself and sliding his hand along the shaft with deliberate strokes. "I know what you want," he teased.

He crawled up the bed towards her, his eyes like a predator coming to claim his kill, and MC shivered with anticipation, dropping back down onto the bed and reaching for him. His hands scooped under her back, pulling her up to sit facing him, his mouth claiming hers in a deep kiss, tilting her head back with the force of it. Her hands smoothed over his firm muscles, soft moans leaving her as she reached down to squeeze his backside. It was so peachy but firm.

He rolled them both, laying back on the bed with her on top of him, his hands adjusting her so that she straddled him. She immediately began to grind against him, his soft sounds of approval making him grip her hips. His gaze travelled over her as he urged her to sit up.

"I want to watch you," he said. His hands cupped her breasts, thumbs teasing at the peaks as he bit his lip. "I want to see everything as you fuck me."

MC squeezed her thighs around him, arousal waking up deep inside her again, stoked by the fire in his gaze. She brushed her fingertips over his abs, nails scraping slowly through the hair below his navel. Oscar gritted his teeth, muscles tensing under her touch and then groaning as she wrapped her hand around his length.

MC wasted no time settling over him, lining him up and pressing down, his hand splayed across her stomach as she did so. He whispered soft words of appreciation at the feel of her, gently rocking his hips upwards as MC sat firmly against him. Such a full feeling, she closed her eyes and gently swivelled her hips, savouring the deep penetrative feel of their joined bodies.

"You look so good sitting on my cock," he moaned. He grasped her hips, holding her down as he thrust upwards. "Fuck, yes..."

MC began to move, rolling and swivelling her hips at a slow pace, teasing him as much as he had teased her. His open-mouthed groan was filthy, his own hips rolling to her rhythm as he squeezed at her hips and thighs. His cheeks were flushing pink, red lines now blooming on his stomach where she had dragged her fingers across it.

The way they moved together seemed to mimic the dance they had shared in the field, slow, rthymic, sensual. MC let her head fall back, hair trailing down her back, eyes closed and biting her lip as she felt the heat gathering. It felt so good to fuck him, to hear his moans and feel his hands on her skin, she was lost in the sensations of it all.

When she looked back down at him, his eyes were all over her, drinking in the sight, hands roaming from her hips to her breasts to her thighs. She picked up the speed a bit, his face shifting with his pleasure as he gripped her hip, urging her. "That's it, sweetheart, faster..."

MC bounced harder and faster, knees and thighs beginning to burn with the effort, but gods did it feel good. She braced her hands on his chest, cries leaving her lips as the pressure began to tighten inside of her, rolling her hips to make him rub against her sweet spot just right.

"Fuck, I'm sorry, but I've got to do it," he gasped. He sat up, wrapping an arm about her waist and flipping them. MC hit the bed with a thump, hair splayed out behind her as Oscar pressed her legs wide and slid deep, bracing his hands against the bed as he began to thrust hard and fast.

His breaths were harsh through parted lips, his brow creased and sweat forming on his brow as he pounded into her. MC barely had time to catch her breath, hands clinging to the bed sheets, cries falling from her lips.

"Arch your back for me," he gasped.

The swift build of pressure made her lift her hips, Oscar holding on to them as he braced himself with his knees.

"Such a good girl," he groaned. "I can feel you clenching... so tight... fuck."

MC hit the peak for the second time with a keening sound that sent Oscar over the edge, he held her pelvis tightly against him, grinding deep as he came, heat pulsing deep within her as he filled her up, before easing them both gently back down to the bed.

Both of them breathing fairly hard, Oscar took hold of her chin, gently angling her face so that he could kiss her. Such a soft, gentle kiss after the heated finish before he moved to lay beside her, his arm circling her waist to tug her close against him.

MC closed her eyes, face buried against his sweat slicked chest, breathing in their combined scent and just existing in their bubble of heat.

....*....

The sun was quite high in the sky when MC blinked sleepily against the golden glow shining through the window at the far end of the loft room. A heavy warmth was pressed up against her back, a freckled arm wrapped snugly about her waist and steady even breaths near her ear of a sleeping Oscar.

MC lay there, slowly waking up, muscles aching pleasantly after their exertions in the early hours. Her head was a bit fuzzy from the alcohol, but she felt okay, her thoughts more geared towards wondering how things would play out this morning.

No doubt, Poppy was probably wondering where she was, although someone must have seen her leave with Oscar last night. She had finally given in, and she couldn't help the small smirk that lifted her lips. It had been worth it.

Shifting a little, feeling rather warm with Oscar wrapped around her, MC tried to be careful as she moved. Oscar's arm tightened, tucking her in even closer as he bent to nuzzle at her neck, mouth pressing a soft kiss there.

"Don't even think about escaping, MC," he murmured, voice husky with sleep. "I'm not done with you yet."

Her eyes widened. "Is that so?"

He hummed, his hand cupping her breast as he kissed her neck. "It took me so long to get you in my bed, I am not going to let you out of it."

"You will have to let me go at some point," she pointed out.

He turned her, pressing down on her, trapping her beneath him. His eyes were adorable, sleepy but lit with mischief, red indents from the creased pillow marking his cheek. He pressed kisses over her face, hands roaming freely along her body.

"And what if I don't want to?" He teased. "What will it take to keep you with me?"

MC felt her heart skip a little, her eyes searching his. "You don't mean that," she said, shaking her head. "... do you?"

He brushed her hair back from her face, fingers trailing down her cheek. "I do. I told you last night, you are not just any girl, MC."

She stared at him. Speechless.

He smiled, blue eyes twinkling, and he patted the bed beside her. "There is a space right here for you if you want it. And this isn't something I offer lightly. This room is my private space. I hardly ever bring anyone else here."

"So, why me?" She asked, stunned.

He studied her, hand gentle against her face. "You deserve so much more than a quick romp in a barn or against a tree," he said. "I wanted to enjoy you properly. I just hoped you would feel the same. I still can't believe you're actually here, to be honest."

She smiled, warmth spreading through her as she took hold of his wrist, thumb caressing his skin. "Well, I am here," she said softly. "And I'm not leaving, not just yet anyway."

His grin spread slowly across his face as bent down to kiss her.

....*....

The trees were turning, reds and golds eliminating the green of the leaves against a sky of blue, the breeze feeling just chilly enough to warn that winter would follow swiftly after the glory of autumn. MC tugged her black and white Montrose Magpie scarf tighter around her neck as she stood in the VIP stand at the Magpie's Quidditch stadium.

It was match day, and she was here to support Oscar alongside Garreth and Poppy. They, too, were wearing Magpie scarves, their cheeks pink as they giggled over their whispered secrets, Garreth sneaking kisses against her neck as he held her. MC smiled as she watched them. She wasn't the only one to have started something new the night of the camp out.

MC looked up as the players shot across the sky on their brooms, racing around the stadium before the start of the match. Oscar slowed to give her a wave as he passed, blowing her a kiss before zooming off.

All over the summer the back pages of the Daily Prophet had been charting the success of the Magpie team, the photographs of the players being somewhat more consistent, because the only girl ever photographed with Oscar now was MC.

She had taken up his offer of a spot in his bed, and he had kept his word about keeping her there. Not that she ever wanted to leave it, of course. With lips that kissed the way he did and hands that knew her every curve by now, there was nowhere else she would rather be.

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Be Nice | Do Better

Hey! Could you write some Merlin angst, maybe something where he has a misunderstanding with the knights and gets all angsty and sad, ending with comfort and hugs? Hopefully that’s not too vague. Thank you, love your writing! – anon

Read on Ao3 Part 1

Warnings: bullying, teasing

Pairings: merthur, merlin/leon

Word Count: 2303

It shouldn't be a surprise, really, if the knights think punching each other in the arm is a viable and efficient way of cheering each other up, that they also think insulting each other is a perfectly good way to show affection. Insults are compliments, threats are reassurances, and actual bodily harm is considered good manners or at the very least the mark of genuine companionship. Basically, take everything Merlin's ever been taught about how you actually treat the people you care about and flip it on its head, because stars know that if any one of these men actually behave as though being nice won't incinerate them, the world will actually end.

Alright, maybe he's being a bit harsh.

This time, from the knights' perspective.

Percival snickers as Merlin stumbles off into the trees. “He looks as if he’s using the horse as a walking cane.”

“I know he’s as skinny as a newly-grown tree but he’s not that tall.” Elyan tosses a waterskin over to him. “Besides, with his luck, he’ll spook the horse with his clumsiness and it’ll run off instead.”

There’s another round of laughter. Arthur shakes his head. “It’s been too long since we’ve had a good hunt.”

“You’re telling us,” Gwaine jokes with a groin, “you’ve been insufferable for nearly two months.”

Arthur swats at his leg half-heartedly. “Is that why you packed three of Cook’s stolen birds?”

“Oh, those are for me.”

To which half the camp immediately besieges him and his bags until he’s fending them all off with a stick.

“Back!” Gwaine roars, swiping at them. “Back, I say!”

“He’s like some great troll,” Lancelot laughs, to which Gwaine hunches his shoulders and makes these great panting breaths.

“Smells like one too.”

“OI!”

Arthur laughs along with the rest of them as Gwaine settles back down, still pouting and clutching his stick. “That’s not a half-bad impression, honestly.”

“Oh, and you’ve seen a great many trolls have you?”

Elyan kicks him. “Didn’t you hear? One almost married King Uther.”

Gwaine’s mouth drops open and his eyes nearly bug out of his head. “King Uther. Hates magic, head stuck up his arse—“

“Hey,” Arthur breaks in, “he is still the King. And my father.”

“Aye, and you’re telling me he almost married a troll?”

“There wasn’t much of an ‘almost’ about it.” Lancelot takes a bite of dried meats and nods his head in the direction Merlin had gone. “From the way Merlin tells it, he did marry a troll and it was only afterwards that they broke the enchantment.”

Gwaine’s guffaw startles a flock of nearby birds as he nearly falls over himself with the force of his laughter. The rest of the camp follows soon behind, except for Leon.

Elyan notices first, reaching over to lightly shake the knight’s shoulder. “What’s the matter?”

“He’s probably remembering the Council meetings,” Arthur sighs, lazing back against a tree, “he had to convince my father not to let Bayard of Mercia visit while the Queen was a troll sitting on top of a dung heap.”

Leon doesn’t laugh, nor does he look away from the direction Merlin had gone. Elyan follows his gaze, but doesn’t see anything other than the trees and the slope of the hill leading down towards the river. He puts his hand on Leon’s shoulder again.

“What troubles you, brother?”

“He was crying.”

The camp sobers. Gwaine sits up a little straighter as Lancelot furrows his brow. "What?”

“Merlin.” Leon glances over at them before returning to his stalwart watch. “He was crying as he left.”

Arthur huffs. “Merlin cries at a butterfly that falls from a flower, it’s hardly a novelty.”

“Still,” Lancelot says, sitting up, “it’s hardly something we should take lightly.”

Arthur glances at him, his mouth twisting back and forth as he thinks. Then he grunts, sitting up and putting his elbows on his knees. He scrubs a hand over his face. “Does anyone know why Merlin might be crying?”

“The thing with the tree?” Percival suggests. “He did almost fall from his horse.”

“That was hours ago.”

“You did startle him,” Elyan points out, gesturing to Percival. “Perhaps it was that.”

“Merlin jumps at about half a dozen things every minute, he doesn’t cry over them.”

”Maybe it doesn’t have to do with us.” Lancelot runs his fingers over the grip of his glove. “He hardly told anyone when his mother fell ill until Gwaine found him gathering herbs during the witching hour.”

They fall silent at that, the image of Merlin stubbornly refusing to shed a tear in front of them, hands twisted around the sprig of white sage as though he meant to wring its neck. How he hadn’t said a single word about his mother until Gaius had instead, how he’d refused to let them help until Arthur basically ordered the next patrol to pass near enough to Cenred’s kingdom to permit a detour to Merlin’s village. How he’d stayed up all night at his mother’s bedside until she was better and only then had he smiled.

Gwaine shifts his eight. “How is his mother? Has he said recently?”

“Last I heard she was still doing well.” Arthur follows Leon’s gaze. “I don’t…if it’s something like that, it’s not that.”

Elyan glances at Leon, who has yet to offer an opinion of his own. “What do you think it is?”

Leon doesn’t say anything for another moment. Then he turns and looks at the deer’s head. It’s sitting atop a flat rock near to where Merlin had been sitting when they killed it. Its body lies mostly beyond the rock, halfway out of the clearing, and from this angle it almost looks as if it’s just sleeping. A flower blooms near its muzzle and in the fading light, it near looks as though the dear could come alive and nibble it away at any moment.

Arthur follows his gaze. Something flickers across his expression. “He never was very good on hunts. Never liked the fact that it was to kill something.”

”He said it wasn’t hurting anything,” Gwaine adds, voice lowered. “You think he’s upset because we killed it anyway?”

“It’s only a deer,” Arthur says, but his voice is weaker.

“You’re right. It is only a deer.” Lancelot sighs. “And we killed it anyway. You said it yourself, Merlin doesn’t like hunts. He’s been under just as much pressure as we have, this…this wasn’t the same for him as it was for us.”

They fall back into silence.

After another moment, Leon stands. He moves off into the forest after Merlin, his red cloak vanishing between the trees. When his footsteps have faded into the ambient rustle of the forest, Elyan turns to the rest of them.

“Have I lost it, or did it seem like he was angry at us?”

“I felt it too.”

“You think he knows what’s actually going on?”

“I think he’s figured it out and he’s not pleased that we didn’t.” Arthur scrubs a hand over his face. “So it probably wasn’t the deer.”

”Or wasn’t just the deer.”

“What else could it be?” Percival picks up another branch and tosses it on the fire. “Did he get hurt when he ran into that tree and didn’t tell us?”

“He didn’t look hurt.”

“He’s Merlin, he’d break his arm and tell us it’s fine if we let him.”

“When did he start to look upset?”

“The moment we’d left Camelot,” Arthur says, eyes on the forest, “he had that twist in his mouth he gets when he’s upset at something.”

Gwaine rolls his eyes. “See, it’s hard for you to say you two aren’t married when you say things like that, Princess.”

“Shut up,” Arthur bites out, “this isn’t the time.”

Silence falls again.

“Whatever it is,” Lancelot says quietly, “when he gets back, we’ll ask him what’s wrong.”

Leon makes his way slowly through the woods. The sounds of camp fade behind him as he nears the river. No small part of him is frustrated that the others had yet to realize what it was that made Merlin so upset, but the majority is simply worried.

Merlin, despite what most people might think, was not one to express true discomfort. He would complain, surely, as much as any man would just to break the silence or grumble good-naturedly about something for the sake of appearances, but Merlin would scarcely breathe a word about something that truly, truly upset him. That fact alone had caused Leon more strife than he would care to admit.

He pushes aside another tree branch and there, at the base of the river, is Merlin. His horse stands next to him, its nose snuffling protectively at his hair. His shoulders shake. With no small ache in his chest, Leon realizes that his crying has only gotten worse.

He steps forward and accidentally kicks a rock. He raises his hand to pacify Merlin as he whirls around, only to shoot forward and catch him when the poor man almost overbalances into the river.

“Are you alright?”

Merlin’s face sets into a determined scowl and he takes Leon’s hand from him with a muttered thanks. He cannot fault Merlin’s discontent with him, not when he has played a part in upsetting him so, but he cannot deny that the ache in his chest is steadily worsening. As he looks at him, scratches and scrapes from his near-fall make themselves apparent and he sets about cleaning them up.

Poor Merlin looks as though he’s about to flee into the river as Leon carefully takes his face in hand, clearing the cuts with a handkerchief. At every sting he tries to gentle further, blowing on the raw and reddened skin in an effort to lessen the pain. When Merlin begins to cry again, he can’t help himself; he sets the handkerchief aside and cradles Merlin’s face proper, penitence lacing his movements as he wipes away his tears.

“I’m sorry. I should have realized.”

Merlin glares at him through his tears. A cold gust of wind makes him shiver and Leon opens his arms.

“Come here,” he coaxes with no small amount of hope, let me take care of you, I’m sorry, please, Merlin, let me help you.

Merlin folds himself into the too-small space between his arms. Leon wraps his cloak over him—how Merlin lets himself weather the chill of nights without so much as a hood, he’ll never understand—and Merlin shudders, pressing his nose into his neck. he closes his eyes, hand carding through his hair, alternating between soft hushing noises and murmuring sorry, sorry, I’m sorry.

"There, now," he manages, "there you are…forgive me, Merlin, I didn't realize they were hurting you so much. That we were hurting you so much."

"Why are you so mean to me," come the words that threaten to undo him, "why are you always so mean?"

"I don't know," because he doesn’t, doesn’t know what in the world could convince him that it was acceptable to hurt Merlin like this. "I'm sorry."

"It hurts, you know, when you all say those things. And when you hit me. And throw things at me."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you so mean," Merlin sobs, "why— why?"

Leon closes his eyes, tightening his hold. Merlin’s fist thuds into his shoulder and he takes it. It’s only fair, after all. He feels Merlin draw his hand back as if to strike him again, but it doesn’t come.

“Go on, Merlin,” he murmurs, ”it’s alright.”

But I don't want to. I don't want to hurt you. I know what that's like, it hurts, it doesn't feel good, I just—you just—I just want it to stop!"

"It'll stop," Leon says immediately, "it's over, now, Merlin, I swear to you. No more of this, I swear."

"It hurts, L-Leon, it—it really hurts."

"Shh, shh, I know, Merlin…hush, now, please, try and breathe a bit slower."

The poor man is practically hyperventilating at this point and he rests a hand on his back. He exaggerates his own breaths, rubbing to encourage Merlin to try and follow along. Gasping sobs and wheezing inhales choke themselves into his shoulder and he swallows the ache in his chest. Now is not the time for his guilt.

"There,” he says with no small amount of relief when Merlin begins to follow along, “in…and out…in…and out…that's it, shh, just like that."

After a long while of shuddering breaths, Merlin finally sags into him. He shifts his weight to hold them both more comfortably, the horse nickering its approval as he tucks Merlin’s head more securely into the crook of his neck. Like this, he can feel the slight dampness of Merlin’s cheeks and the way his breath is still uneven. At the very least the worst of the tears seem to have waned. The remaining sobs are softer, easier. He would fall on his sword before he let something hurt Merlin in this moment.

“I wish…”

His heart pounds at the words whispered into his collar. He adjusts his grip in wordless encouragement. Merlin swallows heavily.

“…I wish I didn’t have to hurt to get this.” His fingers curl into Leon’s cloak. “You’re only nice to me when I’m hurt.”

Leon has to close his eyes for a long moment to choke back the wave of grief that threatens to overwhelm him.

"I have failed, then," he manages, "more terribly than I could ever have feared, if you do not know how deeply I care for you."

"W-what?"

Leon moves away, cradling Merlin’s face in his hand. “You are a dear friend of mine, Merlin, and it is an honor to serve with you. Ever since the day you arrived and saved the Prince's life—hush, shh, none of that, now," he soothes when Merlin panics, "your secret is safe with me, I swear upon my honor and my life. I mean every word that I say, Merlin, you are one of the best men I have ever had the privilege of knowing, and more than that, you are a dear friend. If I have not made that clear to you, that is no one's fault but my own."

"You'll make me cry," Merlin accuses, even though he's already crying.

"Come, then, shed your tears. I will tend to you."

[tora-the-cat]

the knights find (in the vaults? Or maybe receive as a gift from another kingdom?) an artifact that clean-slate-factory-reset wipes them of any enchantments or curses or general magic effects? And they all obviously think this is an amazing idea. They would be right except, of course, Merlin has been placing protective charms on them for years (and only most of them on purpose). Another thing Merlin did not-quite-on-purpose was subconciously enchant the knights (or maybe just Arthur) to not be able to connect the increasingly obvious dots between Merlin and magic. Arthur uses the magic washer and has two almost-immediate thoughts; Oh no, Merlin has Magic, and god DAMN it, that traitorous snake brainwashed me!

So Arthur like. Is heartbroken, but fully convinced that Merlin is secretly evil. He doesn't confront Merlin, choosing to hold off until he knew what Merlin's nefarious plan was, after all these years. He had so long to set things up, Arthur can't just dispose of him- who knows what contingencies or spies or allies he has. He meets with the round table to give them his findings, and they all slowly realize that Arthur's right and they were under the same spell (except Lancelot, who is sweating BULLETS), and feel verry betrayed and upset by all this.

Merlin, on the other hand, is painfully oblivious and confused. He didn't KNOW he had all of his friends under an anxiety induced mind control spell! He has no idea what's going on! It was a reflexive protection!

[adhd-merlin]

wip word game

rules: you will be given a word. share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that start with each letter of that word.

I was tagged on main by @valsansretovr 💛 the word I was given is "KING" 👑 (the "k" was hard; there was literally only one sentence). first two excerpts are from my sefa-centric wip, last two from my merlin-and-gwaine-visit-the-druids wip.

K

King Arthur and his men reach Ismere from the West. It is a successful rescue operation, with only a few losses on Camelot’s side, as the king reports when he returns. The same cannot be said for Morgana’s men.

Sefa drops the pitcher she is holding when she hears it. Her hands tremble as she apologises and gets down on her knees to retrieve it from where it’s rolled under the table. The king and the queen keep talking.

“Morgana?” the queen asks, and the king replies: “Escaped”, in a sombre tone. He goes on to say he will post some more men at the fortress, in case she attempts to return to get whatever she was looking for.

It sounds like the kind of conversation Sefa should be listening in on, the sort of information she should remember, but the rush of blood in her ears has deafened her.

I

“I'm not going to run away,” Sefa tells Merlin when they meet at the agreed spot, near the kitchen door, “if that is what you’re scared of.”

Now that the immediate danger has passed, the fear clouding her mind has lifted enough to leave space for sullenness. She should be grateful to be alive, she knows that, and yet she can’t help but feel resentful for being once again turned into a pawn in a game of which she doesn’t know the rules. 

Merlin doesn’t appear to take it personally. He shrugs. “Best if you don't. Morgana doesn’t take kindly to being betrayed.”

From anyone else it would sound like a petty dig, or an attempt to intimidate her, but Merlin manages to make it sound like friendly advice. They haven’t talked since that night in the cells. It should be awkward, Sefa thinks, but Merlin’s acting like that conversation and Sefa’s subsequent meeting with the king and queen never happened.

N

“No one said anything about a score. It would only be a few men.”

“They asked to meet me alone.”

“Yes, alone. Out of Camelot.” Arthur repeats the Druids’ request back to Merlin with meaningful emphasis, as if he might hear the outrageousness of it if it’s spelled out to him slowly. He pauses — perhaps for dramatic effect, perhaps to let the words sink in fully — then adds: “In the middle of a forest.”

That ruffles Merlin's feathers even more. “That’s where they live!”

“Well, forgive me for finding it suspicious.”

G

Gwaine cannot tell what made Merlin stop — this bit of forest doesn’t look any different from what they’ve been riding through so far.

“Is it here?” Gwaine asks, guiding his horse towards Merlin’s. “There’s no one.”

Merlin doesn’t look up. “Leave your sword,” he commands.

Gwaine snorts. “I don’t think so,” he says, getting off his horse.

Merlin turns to him sharply, his expression unusually stern. “Leave your sword,” he repeats flintily, “or stay here.”

no-pressure tagging: @centurieslove @agapantoblu @sexy-sapphic-sorcerer @enchanted-blade @oleryn

word: FATE ✨

[an-entity-i-think]

Merlin & Gwen Bestfriends

"Uh.... no."

Arthur watches as Merlin's nose wrinkles in confusion before falling into complete confidence regardless of the fact that it's one of the most backwards, stupid responses he has ever given Arthur in their years of friendship.

Which is saying a lot.

Eye twitching, Arthur almost seething, "What the hell do you mean 'um no'," he ends mockingly.

Merlin rolls his eyes before looking back at him with an 'isn't this obvious?' kind of look.

"Gwen tells me everything. And by everything, I mean everything."

Arthur makes a face as if he's not sure what that entails and not sure if he wants to.

"I do the same of course. She knows things about me that you'd only dream about knowing-"

Arthur's face intensifies on what that means and if he wants to know what that means, and also if he should be upset by what that means, and also also by the fact he isn't upset by what that may mean and what that may mean.

Merlin gives him a brief look of pity and amusement, before continuing.

"I heard all the juicy details about Lancelot when they were almost a thing way back. And I've heard all the more juicy details about you."

Arthur's eye twitches. He pretends it isn't from a mix of embarrassment and wild curiosity.

Giving him a fonder, softer look, Merlin finishes with a smile, "I've also heard about how excited she was to marry you for hours into the night. Just last night in fact. So, no. I bet if you asked her right now, she's probably crying or something in immense guilt and will probably say something like 'I don't know what happened, Arthur, I was suddenly there and it was just suddenly happening and I'm so sorry'," Merlin ends in a mystically good impression of Guinevere.

Arthur stares blankly.

Merlin blinks and then looks at him deadpan, "Because she was obviously enchanted. Probably from the bracelet she's wearing that I've never seen before. Probably from the fake Lance that was 'suddenly' revived that doesn't act anything like him. And also you should probably trust your betrothed more instead of thinking the worst of her."

Arthur just blinks for a moment before scowling, "And why didn't you day something half an hour ago?"

Merlin rolls his eyes, "Because Agravaine was there. And as soon as I say something he would have been like 'No, Arthur. Don't you see your manservant is trying to manipulate you? Never trust anyone blah blah blah except me of course. I may have abandoned you for years and only shown up right when you were most vulnerable but trust me! Unlike the others who actually love you of course...'"

Again in a weirdly good impression,

Merlin huffs exasperated as he grabs the rest of the clothes, putting them into a laundry basket, as Arthur just looks at him with eyebrows slowly rising, "And then! You would have been such a prat and started prattling on about you can't trust Gwen even though you've been together for years and know full well that she loves you and would never cheat and- ugh did you seriously stuff your socks under the sofa padding? What's wrong with you?"

Arthur watches as Merlin pulls out a sock from the sofa that's been there for who knows how long in disgust before flinging it into the basket.

Merlin looks up at him and blinks, "Wait what was I talking about?"

Arthur gives him a head ruffle and pretends he doesn't miss the softness of Merlins hair immediately after and walks towards the door, "I'm going to talk to Guinevere now. Bye."

Merlin absently responds in similar and the last thing Arthur sees before closing the door is his manservants face in disgust once again as he finds the other sock.

Well. Maybe he should talk to Guinevere first, after all. And maybe talk to her about some other things, too.

[malinaa]

2023 WRITING REVIEW

tagged: no one i just wanted to do this and i forgot about it soz </3 tagging : board of directors i'd tag u here but this is mostly fic-based so sorree... anyway if u have already done this my b.... i wld like to see ur post tho @evcndiaz | @brimay | @usignedupforthis | @seek--rest | @posallys | @dustorangeheartssnowman | @adhd-merlin | @queerofthedagger

number of stories posted to ao3: 34 ±1 bc i updated a fic from a while back <3

word counted posted for last year: 90k... a feat (i wrote more but it was ofic so add like maybe 10k to that)

fandoms i wrote for: alex stern series, merlin, house md, pjo, spidey, hunger games, doctor who, & the grisha trilogy

pairings: merthur / arwen / mergwenthur / mergana, darlingstern, hilson, percabeth, petermj, everlark, tenrose, malina

stories with the most KUDOS: jealousy, jealousy (house md) with 522 <3 BOOKMARKS: except my life (merlin) with 137 <3 COMMENT THREADS: rip current (pjo) with 38 <3 *technically the answer to all of these is tested with torment but that's a fic i updated so i don't reallyyyyyy count it

work i'm most proud of (and why): thread of gold (arwen, bbc merlin) because i don't exactly post 2nd person fic and tbh most people HATEEEEE 2nd person fic AND i got people to enjoy it. HA!

work i'm least proud of (and why): coffee drinker (gen fic, bbc merlin) because it was just a promptfic and i didn't even really feel like posting it but i wrote it so i might as well yk?

share or describe a favorite review you received: any review that quotes a line but this one from judas kiss (arwen, bbc merlin)...

THIS. IS. WONDERFUL ❤️❤️❤️ *creates bookmark with gusto* I LOVE that you dug into what it might have been like for Gwen while she was under that enchantment! It was so creative to have her past memories blurring with glimpses of the present during the enchantment. I *felt* her disorientation, and it *hurt*. I felt so bad for Gwen all over again! 😭😭😭 That aspect of this story could have been a fantastic standalone one-shot in its own right, but noooo, you raised the bar and KEPT GOING and made it even better!!! I love that you showed Gwen and Merlin staying friends after Gwen becomes queen, and I love how she confides in him and how he immediately drops everything to go look for the offending piece of jewelry. The bit about Arthur’s incredulity at Merlin’s method of testing the enchantment was a great dash of humor, and I love that you fleshed out the concept of the enchantment to be something the others could experience so that they could truly *know* that Gwen had been innocent. And don’t even get me started on how much I love Arthur’s “Forgive me.” I love how he doesn’t think twice about humbling himself in front of everyone because his focus is solely on Gwen, consumed by the urgency of doing the right, honorable, and loving thing in that moment. You write Arthur and Gwen’s relationship so beautifully. 💕 Well done; I hate you (/affectionate) for all these feels. 🥰🫂👏

a time when writing was really, really hard: august through october... idek why i was literally in agony not writing

a scene or character you wrote that surprised you: writing jj in spider-man: homewrecker because i've NEVER written him before (in my memory) and i was like. Hello .

a favorite excerpt of your writing: cannae lie i have a few favs so... killing is a love language (mergana, bbc merlin) Heartbreak snakes up his throat, constricting him at the sight of her. Morgana’s beauty is incontestable even like this, but her hatred wore her down to her bones. Gone were the full cheeks and rosy lips, the perfectly combed hair, the wardrobe that would put princesses to shame. Now, her face is sunken in, her hair a curled storm, her dress is merely black rags at this point. thread of gold (arwen, bbc merlin) Your father’s presence is larger than life. Larger than love. It looms. It casts shadows long enough to hide every hope and dream you’ve ever had for yourself. the boy and the girl (malina, the grisha trilogy) Memory fractures into shards. Real or not real? There’s Mal in the meadow. Mal buried beneath the hanging tree. Mal cold in her palms. There’s a sky darker than night. Her hands bloodied. A knife lodged in his heart. Her knife. His blood. Her fault. She killed him. She loves him. Her fault. Rest her head on his still chest. Her fault. No heartbeat. Her fault. No warmth. Cold light spilling from her palms. She killed him. The Saint’s only true worshipper martyred.

how did you grow as a writer last year: my hopes from last year was that i finally finish a multichap fic.... 😭 does a short 3-shot count. besides that i wrote more consistently and i'm finally Used to my writing style. i think.

how do you hope to grow this year: hell if i know if i could write something longer than 20k that'd be great 😭😭😭😭

who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer, beta, cheerleader, etc.): the board.... @rosesau / @bipercabeth / @stellwood fnh...... i'd tag katie but she absconded from tumblr smh. anyway hi freaks n geeks

anything from your real life show up in your writing last year: oh i don't even know. nothing ig

any new wisdom you can share with other writers: bro idek the more i write the more writing becomes fundamentally so hard to talk about ... sorreeee

any projects you're looking to starting (or finishing) this year: IF I DON'T FUCKING MAKE PROGRESS ON MY PLAY I WILL BASH MY HEAD INTO A WALL. THIS CAN'T KEEP HAPPENING. ATLAS AND VIVIAN YOU WILL BE WRITTEN ON THE PAGE INSHALLAH

[princesspuffle8]

What can’t the Black money buy

“So now that you’re an official Black… what do you want your uncle to buy,” Regulus asked a 3 month old Polaris who was cooing up at him from where he was perched in his baby rocker which Regulus had personally enchanted himself to play soft melodies for the sweet little bean.

“I know, I know it’s a sucky deal being apart of this family… but at least you have magic and money. Well you probably may have always been gifted with magic but money is a different story,” Regulus argued more to himself than to Polaris who just discovered he could blow spit bubbles and was fascinated by this fact. 

Cringing at the gross but oddly sweet sight, a light bulb went off in the younger black brothers mind just as the baby's spit bubble popped. A devious, almost cheshire like, grin appeared on his face as he took a quick glance behind to see that you were pre-occupied and probably not paying attention to the two of them, as currently you were eating a snack and pumping breast milk to store for later usage. 

“So… would you like uncle Reggie to buy you a condo in Paris… or a mansion in the countryside. There’s perks to both…”

“What was that,” you exclaimed, unbeknownst to Regulus you had been listening to his conversation with your baby. Mildly amused but super happy that Regulus was spending one on one time with his nephew. He had turned over a new leaf since leaving the death eaters and although he was still a bit aloof, the one person he adored more than anyone was his baby nephew… a little too much sometimes… like right now…

“I’m asking him what kind of mansion he wants in France,” Regulus replied rolling his eyes, before he went back to ignoring you. 

“Now Polaris, Paris has its perks but there’s a lot of muggles so not a lot of chances to use your magic secretly but the art and the bakeries are nice…”

“Regulus!”

“And the country side is nice too. I like the lavender fields believe it or not. And you can practice your magic without anyone seeing. Would you like a manor by the sea? Or more inland?”

“Regulus! He’s not even one yet,” you exasperated unhooking your breast from the pump, attempting to get up from your seated position so that you could rescue your sweet ignorant child from his uncles weird ploy to buy him land in France.

“He’s a Black. Being a French lord is in his blood. Isn’t that right Polaris,” Regulus scoffed picking up baby Poly as he did so, who only cooed happily at being lifted out of his rocking chair.

“See, you tell that witch that you want your loving uncle to buy you a mansion in France…”

“Merlin’s sagging tits you are not buying MY son a mansion when he’s not even a year old!”

Just as Regulus was about to retort, baby Poly was snatched from his grasp by none other than his older brother, Sirius, who immediately showered the little man with kisses and cheek to cheek rubs before turning his attention to his wife and baby brother. 

“Who’s not buying what now,” Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow. Truth to be told he caught onto some of the conversation but not all of it since he just got back from Auror training.

“Tell your brother that he is not buying our child a house somewhere in bloody France,” you plead with him hoping for some reason from your husband.

“She’s right Reg, a house is a bit much…”

“See!”

“At least wait until after I get him a motorcycle. I was thinking about getting one for him for his first birthday,” Sirius finished as both Black brothers shared satisfying smirks at the thought of spoiling their newest family member.

“Merlins sagging tits what is wrong with you both…”

“We’re Blacks,” the brothers replied in unison like it was the obvious answer to your question which was starting to give you a headache.

“I don’t care if you are the chancellor of magic himself. No means no! No houses. No manors! I know you’ll try to loophole your way out of this regulus but no property at all! And you,” you redirected your not so amused rant to Sirius who stood there innocently holding your son against his chest, “no motorcycles! He’s not even one yet. Buy him something reasonable like felt blocks or a pacifier.” 

“… so a golden paci…”

“You know what, im done. Im done. This is insane,” you stated as your turned away from them both and headed back to your pumping station. There was no reasoning with them when it came to spoiling your child with things he didn’t need or couldn’t even use yet. And while you secretly thought it was sweet, both your husband and his brother tended to go WAY overboard and turn things into a competition. Which was something you didn’t wanna have to deal with again. 

“alors quelle maison veux-tu acheter,” Sirius asked Regulus who gave him a full blown Cheshire grin.

“je n'aurais jamais pensé que tu demanderais. Nous allons devoir t'apprendre le français,” Regulus replied, directing the last sentence to Polaris who cooed at both of them cluelessly. As far as the little babe was concerned this was the best day ever as almost all his favorite people were in one place. What they were happily talking about he didn’t know, but he was just glad to be there and that’s all that mattered.

[takekawa]

expanding on this while sick off my tits to give me something else to focus on

i love when bitches are CRAZY and/or pathetic which is admittedly funny thinking about my favorite beautiful lovely obeyme wife Solomon who is you know. not THAT crazy and not pathetic in the way i like. like he’s competent and his blustering social incompetence is in the “he just doesn’t know he’s kinda weird and mildly ominous at times” way not the “pathetic whimpering animal” (mammon) (leviathan) way i usually go for

although admittedly im just a sucker for the ‘jovial wizard who is definitely threatening’ trope. merlin fate. shahmat dirtycrown. in hindsight it’s funny all of these guys have white hair. would all be fluffy long white hair if Solomon didn’t have that fuckass cut

obey me in general is such a funny series for me to be into bc like. No one in it is THAT crazy due to the medium/target audience (except belphie I respect whatever the fuck is wrong with him) but they all still enchant me so bad. admittedly im reinterpreting them a teensy bit in my head to be bigger creeps because i have a rare disease where if i don’t make every character a little bit of a yandere stalker ill die. whatever. my vision is true

off the top of my head like

lucifer ok I can’t actually fuck this one bc he lives in my head and regularly talks to me but he’s still moe moe kyun. exhausted brat-tamer father is inherently crack cocaine to me. Cannot say more and still look that alter in the eye. my bad peepaw

satan HATER NATION REPRESENT 💥💥💃 also him being such a stuffy serious nerd gushing about cats is moe. Meow for me boy

beel definitely the least interested in him bc of how aggressively normal he is but it’s fine he’s smexy. and presumably built like a chubbier laios. Sultry little whore body type

belphie gotta love a guy who fakes being your friend to turbo murder you then goes back to being your friend with the limpest apology ever as if the attempted murder and false friendship wasn’t even that big a deal. love you casual psychopath. also a siscon so bonus points

mammon pathetic dog who would wear a leash if you asked him too and act really indignant the whole time like this is SUCH an ordeal UGH he’s so above this (he’s been nuclear levels of wet the entire time)

asmo see appearance wise im not interested. But. not a clue if im bastardizing his character but ive been assuming his total obsession (the like… measuring your body and pointing out tiny traits of yours that are cute/changed scene comes to mind) is in the “he’s definitely stalking you” vindictive possessive way. throwing dead birds at the window whenever you’re hanging out with someone else. starting shit on his fifth alternate instagram account so it doesn’t look like it’s HIM stirring the pot every time you don’t respond to his texts immediately. I like to think he’s very petty and pissy but that’s admittedly my debilitating stalker kink talking

levi pathetic ass neet nerd with zero game you enchant me. bend over while watching mid harem anime boy

the extraneous cast (outside of Solomon) i am woefully less knowledgeable on but at a glance i do like all of them. simeon is obscenely hot and also motherly-but-ominous (sexy). mephi seems like a raging cunt which i respect but he is a devoted cuck so we can’t fuck. diavolo is married to lucifer but i do respect the whole ‘outwardly jovial but will use his status to make you do what he says’ schebang. he’d aggravate the fuck out of me but i can’t diss the hustle

who the fuck else is there. barbatos is also a devoted cuck but i like how cunty and rude he is. luke does not hit the notes i like in that way but he’s a funny little guy i enjoy him. no fucking clue what the one woman with a number name im forgetting does but i like her fit and vibe

[hihimissamericanbi]

I am really REALLLLLY torn between window sex and enemies to lovers one bed. Pls help 🫶🏼

Hell's Kels I'M BACK and ready to tackle this puppy!!!!

Let's do window sex since Snitch beat you to enemies to lovers one bed. And let's do wolfstar.

Okay apologies in advance but for some reason these drabbles make me want to write the kind of wolfstar i usually avoid in my bigger projects: canon, angsty, fucked up. Cw: rough sex

Setting: Canon, OTP, the scene in the kitchen after Harry arrives at Grimmauld Pl. Molly is trying to protect Harry and doesn't want him involved in the Order. Sirius wants to include Harry in everything. Molly says some fucked up shit about Sirius not being a good godfather bc he's been in azkaban. Remus plays referee, tells Molly to back off, and "Sirius, sit down." (BARK BARK).

Later, after everyone has left or gone to bed:

Remus waits for him in Sirius' room. He's sat in the chair in the corner, book open on his lap, staring patiently at the door.

Shortly after midnight, it swings open, Sirius swaying slightly and flushed with whiskey.

"Oh, now you wait for me." Sirius' voice cuts sharper than his mother's rings across the soft flesh of his cheek.

Remus doesn't rise to the bait. "We need to talk."

Sirius stalks toward his wardrobe, peeling layers off haphazardly, stumbling a little, tugging his muggle jeans off. "Like fuck we do."

Without warning, Remus stands and shoots a sobering spell directly at Sirius' stomach. He yelps and clutches his belly, face like murder when he looks up at his former friend and long-ago lover. "What the hell was that for?"

"I told you," Remus replies mildly. "We need to talk. And we're not doing it while you're half off your tits on Orion's stash."

"Merlin, fucking fine! What do you want? Tell me off some more? Honestly I'm quite all right there, ta very much---"

"I'm sorry."

Sirius scoffs, a broken, barking sound. "What?"

Remus inhales. "I'm sorry. For all of it. I haven't told you that. I'm telling you now."

Sirius, tall, broad, all long hair and dark beard and flinted eyes glowing in the low candlelight, rises to his full height, squares up against this shell of a man with too-soon gray hair and wrinkles in all the wrong places (forehead, mouth).

(the knees of his trousers.)

"Why now?"

"You needed to hear it." Remus shrugs. "I needed to say it. So here we are."

"And where were you before? Last night? And the night before that?"

"I needed to think."

"In the Tube loos?"

Remus flushes and looks away.

"That's what I thought. Get out."

"No." Remus steps close, into Sirius' space. "I'm not letting you go again. This time, we're doing this together."

Sirius tries to back away, but something won't let him. His stubborn pride, his arrogance---

His nearly twenty-year devotion to a werewolf in sheep's clothing.

"Kiss me," the disgraced prince demands.

The unfaithful supplicant obeys.

AND FOR THE SMUT:

Sirius puts him on his knees immediately. They are jealous and petty and Sirius needs to fuck the taste of all these other men out of Remus' mouth.

It's not enough.

He hauls Remus up by his hair, swings him around until they are directly in front of the night-dark bedroom window overlooking the shabby square below.

Sirius can see their own reflection in the glass more easily than he can see the muggles straggling to and fro on this sticky summer night. But he knows they are there. Even if the enchantments over Grimmauld Place completely obscure them from the public eye--

Remus and Sirius know they are there.

"Show them." Sirius growls, pushing back in, hitting the back of Remus, throat, making him gag. "Show those filthy muggle men whose cock you belong to. How sweet you take it for me. They're not getting your mouth ever again. This mouth is mine. Fucking--mine--"

He thrusts hard on the last words, emptying hot and hard down Remus' throat.

He chokes it down, coughing and sputtering, but swallows it all nonetheless.

"Say it," Sirius growls overhead, panting and sweaty.

Remus swallows again and opens his mouth, voice absolutely wrecked. He loves it. "My mouth is yours."

"Good." Sirius strips off the rest of their clothes. "Now turn around, hands on the window," Sirius murmurs as he sinks to his knees and licks his lips. "Time to show them who owns this arse, too."

hee hee thanks for playing <3 xoxoxo

[its-all-a-little-bit-magical]

CW: brief mentions of abuse, violence, torture, as they appear in BBC Merlin

So I’m about ten years late on this but I’m really not seeing enough discourse about Morgana from BBC Merlin bc like. She is. Utterly Fascinating. She is a study in how writers at the time were absolutely panicking about how to deal with women activists and shows a really unnerving look at the way that people thought (and continue to think) that left wing activists are constantly on the borderline of falling into violent extremism and it is. Wild. And yet I barely ever seem to see people discussing her in depth?

It’s been mentioned a few times though on the Destiny and Chicken podcast (which if you haven’t listened, go do that immediately, it is a wonderful episode by episode breakdown and discussion and the hosts are brilliant) that Morgana’s obsession with killing Merlin (and kidnapping him, and torturing him, and emotionally wrecking him, etc., etc.) is strange because she doesn’t know about his magic and therefore she shouldn’t know that he is a legitimate threat. I actually completely disagree. I don’t think that it’s actually about his threat level at all. I always read her ‘oh he’s a thorn in my side’ type rhetoric, right from Season 3 and the scene where she says something like that to Morgause, as an excuse, rather than as her legitimate reason. I think that her obsession with hurting Merlin truly stems from his betrayal in the Fires of Idirsholas. I don’t think she ever recovers from it.

Think of it from Morgana’s point of view: she doesn’t know that Merlin was told that she was the vessel for the spell. In fact, she doesn’t even know that she is the vessel. Remember: Morgause enchants her to sleep before she a) consents to participate in the plan, and b) gives her any real detail about the plan. As far as she knows, something terrible is happening and someone is trying to kill Uther. With only that info to go on, she risks her life to help save Uther, despite everything he’s done to her and people like her (see: directly threatening her life, throttling her, locking her up etc.). Remember that she helps Merlin drag Uther out of danger. She has no idea what’s going on and she doesn’t have any expectation of her own safety throughout. When Merlin continues dragging Uther away after Morgana trips and a knight advances on her, she cowers because she’s fully expecting him to strike her.

Given this, when Merlin poisons her, there’s really only one thing that could motivate him, as far as she knows: she has magic. From Morgana’s POV, arguably her closest friend, the person who knows her most private and dangerous secrets and who seemed to accept her, turned on her at the first sign of a magical threat, without trying to speak to her or genuinely considering that she might literally be protected by her magic, but not be causing it. As far as she can see, he simply assumes that it’s her fault because she has magic, and his response is to straight up murder her. That’s intensely personal. She trusted this man with a secret that could kill her and he used that knowledge as justification to poison her.

Also, Merlin’s choice is essentially to kill her on the chance that it saves Arthur. He sees both Arthur and Morgana at risk and he chooses to sacrifice Morgana. There’s a repeating pattern of characters choosing Arthur over Morgana that I’ve always found intensely sad. Gwen falls for him and so Morgana loses her; when she comes back in S3, her best friend has moved on. Merlin chooses Arthur. Gaius chooses literally everyone in damn Camelot except her. Annis chooses Arthur. Uther prioritises Arthur and chooses not to claim Morgana as his family. She’s constantly isolated in favour of Arthur. Merlin might just have been the first and most traumatic loss.

(I will also point out that he used hemlock, a poison that, to this day, has no antidote. Without a ventilator and 21st century medical life-support machines, that girl should be dead. From what she can know, he didn’t want her brought to the point of death but maybe revivable, he wanted her Deceased. I assume Morgause healed her with magic but like, honestly, Merlin could not have expected that to be possible.)

I’ve gone on a bit but basically, I think that Morgana’s specific obsession with Merlin does make sense because it’s not partly political, like with Arthur, it’s primarily personal. I think this also explains why her plans re: Merlin are so centred on personally hurting him, rather than, as you said, simply sending someone in to slit his throat and be done with it. When he’s brought to her in A Servant of Two Masters, she literally stops someone from killing him so that she can hurt him herself. She tortures him physically and then tries to make him do the one thing that would hurt him most: kill Arthur. (This also ties in to Fires of Idirsholas, because in that situation Merlin chose Arthur’s life over hers and now she’s going to make him lose the person he sacrificed her to save.)

When she poisons him in The Hollow Queen, it’s violent and intimate and personal. Firstly, she uses poison, which is a direct callback to what he did to her. She forces it into his mouth and watches him. She barely uses magic at all, except to get him on the ground at first which is fair since she might not be able to do it manually any more since Colin Morgan suddenly grew three inches and got Shoulders. She uses something that will make him suffer for as long as possible. And she pushes his body over that ridge herself, without magic. Even the way in which she tricks him into following her into the woods is a sick recreation of her experience with Merlin and druidboy!Mordred.

Essentially, it comes down to her understanding of Merlin: i.e. she knows that Merlin will drop everything to help this innocent young boy that he’s known for thirty seconds—but not her. He will do anything to help anybody—but not her. It’s really fricking sad to me. She puts herself through watching him help a total stranger, knowing that he deemed her undeserving of his kindness; she forces herself to see, again, that he will help anyone, no matter what, even if they have magic—but, for some reason, not her. It must feel personal to her, which is I think why her attacks on Merlin are so personal in return.

Also, in the Hollow Queen episode, compare Morgana’s plan re: Merlin with her plan re: Sarrum. Sarrum imprisoned her for TWO YEARS in a pit and (it’s implied) physically or sexually abused her, and yet she’s willing to delegate that assassination to Gwen. She looks at her plan for the week, decides to get rid of both Merlin and Sarrum, and goes ‘mm yeah that’s too much, I simply don’t have time for both of those’ and chooses to prioritise killing Merlin herself over assassinating the man who, again, imprisoned and abused her for years. That, to me, really makes it seem like Merlin is still a more personal and important target. Sarrum she wants dead for his actions against her, sure, but she had no love for him beforehand so the trauma isn’t compounded by a previous relationship with the abuser. However, she loved and trusted Merlin before his betrayal and so her vengeance against him simply has to be carried out by her own hand.