#my parents were all proud of me when i got accepted into places

[atheneum-of-you]

There is...a lot of pain and discomfort that comes with "outgrowing" a devotion. Outgrowing is definitely the wrong word, but it's all I've got as I come to terms with things. I will never outgrow my gods. They are integral parts of my existence. But when I first started down this path, I was very new and unfamiliar with a lot of what hellenic polytheism is. I was severely depressed, suicidal, and lost in a Christian household. I had nothing to hold onto, and so like a lost little duckling I clung to the gods that I felt would pick me up best. Namely, Zeus, Ares, and Aphrodite. They were (ans still largely are) parental figures in my aimless life. They gave me a reason to not want to end it all. And while I still experience those emotions and feelings, I'm at a place with myself where their guidance and help has helped me stand on my own and seize my own life.

It is because of them that I am who I am today.

But the feeling is bittersweet, as I come to terms with the fact that I am no longer that little girl crying in her bed begging to wake up somewhere else. That what initially brought me to them has largely passed. And now I bow to them, not as a devotee, but as a simple follower in their flock. Writing this at all is painful, but Hermes speaks a great deal about authenticity within myself, and that's what I have to be. It's like moving out of your family home and setting off on your own.

It hurts.

But the woman I am today doesn't want to approach them with halfhearted feelings and selfish desires. I hope to stand before them properly, and make them proud of who I have become because of them and who I'll become under the guidance of another. I truly wouldn't have made it this far without them.

I hope they smile down on me as I walk this new path in life, as a devotee and future priestess of Lord Hermes, with the hopes of acceptance from Lord Dionysus.

[torahtot]

also it's like i wanna be excited abt this but im not even im just stressed. & my parents dont even seem happy for me either idk

[rieamena]

totally (not) beating the allegations

best friend!takuma ino headcanons

contains... best friends to lovers, mutual pining, casual confession of love, kisses (platonic), kisses (romantic), modern au, high school to university au, living together-ish, fem intended reader, pet names (baby, babe, love, sexy, handsome, beautiful, sweetie, the list goes on and on), lots of physical touch, nicknames (you call takuma, kuma.), reader has a mother and a father, y'all are basically dating just without the label...

word count: 2.3k (this wasn't supposed to be long. i told myself 0.8k maximum...)

riea's comments: all sixteen people living in takuma city RISE UP! i miss my husband of 35 years so much, come back to me loml :(( something to munch on while y'all wait for the next full throttle chapter. also not too much on me if this is a drabble and not hcs idk the difference :))

first off... i just wanna say that i KNOW I KNOW that ino is one of the funniest people in the jjk cast idc idc!!! if he had more screentime (and if the situation wasnt dire) my boy would be crackin some jokes!!!!

you've been friends with takuma for around 7 years, your first meeting happening in tenth grade, when your teacher paired you two up for an interview project. when time came to actually record the interviews, it was hard to edit out you two laughing uncontrollably every fifteen seconds or so

i mean, you two just had so much in common!!! same favorite color, same favorite franchise, same favorite tv show, same favorite video game; it was like yall were the same person. there was just one thing you both disagreed on: whether hex code #286061 was blue or green

your argument ended up being the last ten minutes of the final video you submitted...

without a doubt, after that, you two became inseparable. in school, people would take notice of your closeness. when one of you were absent, teachers would jokingly ask "where's the other one?"

there was not a single thing you didn't do together, homework, go to the gym, gossip, eavesdrop, etc etc. so of course, you ended up applying to the same universities and when it came time for college acceptance season...

takuma invited you over, forcing you to bring your mailed letters from the eight universities. sprawling out over his lap, you took in the all too familiar sight of his room. you've been in his room more times than you've been in your own (and vice versa!)

i mean ino's been over to your place so many times that he calls your parents mom and dad. and you've been over to his house so much that takuma's mom practically jumped for joy every time you burst through the front doors with a "guess who's home!!!" so it was completely normal that you guys knew the ins and outs of each other's rooms, right?

"kuma, baby," you started with a sigh, reveling in your best friend's repetitive motions. running his hand through your hair, ino looked down at you, eyes showing that he was listening. "i'm scared, what if we don't–"

"ah-ah-ah! no negativity here!" he cut you off, pushing you off his lap and grabbing the letters you left on his desk. "listen here beautiful," takuma says, bringing a hand to your cheek, his heart swelling when you subconsciously leaned into it, "we're gonna take each other's letters, and open them," he handed you a white envelope, the logo of both of yours dream university on it, "starting with, kyōmei."

taking a well needed deep breath, you nodded. "okay," you and ino began to open the envelopes at the same time, only looking at each other when you saw the status. "accepted or rejected in 3...2...1..."

"ACCEPTED"

"ACCEPTED"

cue the mandatory silence before the screaming. "holy shit. you got in." "you got in." "WE GOT IN!!! WE'RE GOING TO KYŌMEI!!!!" you two practically flew off the bed, jumping up and down in celebration. peppering his face in kisses, you nuzzled your face into takuma's neck. "i'm so proud of us! i mean, kyōmei," you pulled away from his neck, shaking his shoulders harshly, "the kyōmei?!!!"

anyways, soon enough, you both realized that you'd have to move away, resulting in a seven hour search for apartments near the university's campus. and just as takuma was about to give up, you found a listing for units 19A and 19B, right in the heart of the city and just a five minute walk from kyōmei

and with that, it was moving day, well, days is more like it considering that the whole process took like ten days... finding cute furniture is really hard! and moving all of it is even harder!! and don't even get me started on the appliances! although, you and takuma found a way around it

like what do both of you need a microwave for? and there isn't a reason to have two dishwashers, there wasn't even a reason to have one! y'all kept your fridges though... who was gonna be banging on the other's door in the middle of the night for some cold water??

with time, it came for the highly anticipated freshman formal, an welcome event hosted by kyōmei itself, and of course, you had to go. so here you were, staring at your figure in the mirror as your best friend's large hand rubbed your shoulder, the other zipping up your black dress. "all done!" he breathed, taking a step away so that you could see for yourself. "i look so cute~" you giggled, hearing the clack of your heels as you twirled. "you do!" he paused, looking you up and down, "when did you get that dress?"

"your mom gave it to me a couple days ago! where'd you get that tux? i don't think i've seen it before," you walked over and straightened takuma's suit, as he laughed in response, "your mom gave it to me..."

"this was planned."

"this was definitely planned."

"we should send a picture in the family group chat!"

"we should!!! but, hair first!"

notice how i said family group chat, singular, not plural. and that's because there's a gc for both of your families! it's name was a mix between "ino" and your last name, since, in all seriousness, your families were close

so here you were, sitting pretty on takuma's lap as you focused on straightening the front pieces of his hair, because that's what best friends do!

"okayyyy sexyyyy," you squealed, moving out of the way so that takuma could see himself in your vanity mirror, "damnn, i look hot!" he smiled as he checked himself out, his hand firmly on your waist (to make sure that you wouldn't fall, of course!). "i knew i was fine but, did i always look this fine?" he asked, looking up at you with his big dark brown eyes, a playful smirk evident on his face. "yes, takuma. you're the sexiest man ever. just a bit of eyeliner on you and we'll be on our way, okay?"

turning back to your station, you grabbed some brown and black pencils before starting to lightly draw over ino's outer eye corner, "do men as sexy as me really need eyeliner?" a look from you was all he needed to know to shut up and close his eyes

and oh, how he loved being so close to you. not just emotionally but physically as well. like, not every duo can say that they barge into the other's apartment to steal snacks! and speaking of snacks... let me just say, there's a whole cabinet in his kitchen reserved for your favorite foods and! he keeps your favorite ice cream flavor stocked in his freezer

you, on the other hand, have a little space where you hide takuma's favorite anything. chips, gummies, takeout menus, you name it, you have it. because your best friend is oh-so-optimistic, it can be harder for him when he's just not having the best of days. which is why when you go your (not so) separate ways at the end of the day, you pack up a basket for him. ribbons in his favorite color, his top 15 favorite snacks from that one time y'all bought one of everything in a nearby convenience store and ranked them, takeout on the way, horror flicks he's been wanting on dvd because he said "its cooler that way", and a handwritten letter from you, for my kuma, scribbled on the envelope

dropping off the basket at his door and retreating back to your place, you'd press your ear against the wall separating your units, physically feeling your heart break when you heard sniffles. that was all you needed to practically fly over to his, a few boxes of tissues in hand. because that's what best friends do!

and don't even get me started on how many belongings y'all have at the other's place... like that one time takuma walked into your apartment announcing his presence, only to be met with silence. let me set up the scene for you. you are taking a relaxing shower when you hear a knock on the door followed by four more and then three more. "come in!" you called out, unbeknownst to you, ino's voice was closer than you thought

"already in here..., anyways. is my shampoo in there?"

"the one with the purple cap?"

"yeah, thanks babe!"

"wait, can you get me my towel?"

or that time when you causally opened the door to his unit (because it was basically yours too) and greeted him with a simple pat on his head before skipping off to find those jeans you thrifted

slight cohabitation aside, the university life was definitely... something. it was clear and obvious that you two were close, a blind man could see it. but close is a really really really vague word, and it's surely not the word that describes the way the two of you act. in this friendship, terms of endearment drop like rain from clouds. every. other. sentence. contains a "babe" or "baby" or "sweetheart" or "darling" WE GET IT OKAY...

and it seems like if y'all go a single day without touching each other, a bomb will fall from the sky and earth would blow up. his hands are constantly on you, his favorite places (when in public) being your shoulders and arms, and when at home it was without a doubt your waist and thighs. just imagine how difficult it must be for people speak to you both on campus when his arm is slung around you and your hand is holding onto his side. the rumors practically created themselves....

and when i say people were shocked, i mean they were SHOCKED when y'all were like "haha, no, we're not dating!!! we're best friends!" everyone was thinking: yeah best friends who FUCK. best friends who are IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER. y'all became the campus' it couple without being a couple. how does that happen??!??

however... there were a couple of people who were particularly excited to hear that you both were single. a few girls approached you one day while in the general area, asking if it was true that you and ino weren't dating. "we aren't... why?" one of the girls shifted on her feet, clearly nervous. "well... could you um... give this to him for me?!" she bowed, presenting a pretty pink envelope. you froze, staring at the item before giggling. "i see what this is about! don't worry! i'll make sure this gets to him safely!" long story short, that letter was never delivered

and on ino's side, he had some classmates pestering him about you. asking for your favorite show, candy, date style, everything under the sun. "guys, guys! she doesn't even want a boyfriend right now!" takuma shouted, even though two days prior you were complaining about how spending too much time with him was scaring all the hotties away

but let's get into the real stuff... the realization of love

for takuma, there wasn't a "wow, i'm in love with her" moment. what he does know though is that he started feeling something different for you a few months before college admission season. to him, the world was always bright with you by his side but now... it was so much brighter. it was like looking directly into the sun; it hurt but he couldn't look away, he doesn't want to look away. you're the best thing to ever happen to him, and the mere thought of ruining what you have just for some feeling—no matter how intense—isn't... right to him

and you figured it out after a dream you had one night back in high school. you dreamt of being in takuma's arms, the ones you snuck glances at when he wasn't paying attention to you. in not dream world, all you had to do was ask and he'd gladly envelop you but the vibes in this dream were different. there was tension. and it was thick. his beanie was off and thrown somewhere on the bed, your bed. looking back at him, your breath caught in your throat, "hey pretty," he slurred, drunk off tiredness. ino's called you beautiful more times than you can count; he made sure to do it at least once a week, so why... just why did this time make your stomach heat up and your heart race? you woke up with a flushed face, queasy feeling in your gut, and a deep understanding. it wasn't just platonic love anymore

"hey," you started, eyes trained on the movie in front of you, but your mind was focused on something else, "y'know how everyone thinks we're dating?" ino nodded as you reached over to grab the bowl of popcorn. "i've been thinking... maybe they're onto something..."

takuma's gulp could be heard from miles away, "wh-what are you trying to say?"

"what are we? seriously. because i can't sit here and pretend like i don't wish we were something more."

"something more like...?"

"now's not the time to be oblivious! don't you get it?! i'm—"

"i'm in love with you,"

it was like time stood still as you looked at your best friend. his face was lit by the tv screen a couple feet away, his hair was a mess, and slightly prominent dark circles were under his eyes, but... he's never looked more beautiful to you. "have been. for a long time. we've basically been dating for like four years already. four more and then we'll get married?" he flashed his signature smile

"oh, shut up," he brought your face millimeters away from his, whispering "make me." before kissing you deeply, not on your cheek, or your forehead, or your shoulders, but on your lips this time. and all the times after that too

because that's what best friends lovers do, right?

jjk taglist

@blendingcaramal @gzchaos @theamazingrain @woah-girlz @voloslobotomyservice

@kyozvy @obessionofagrl @bubybubsters @sugurusbaobei @raindropsonrwses

@c-moon20-12 @saltynanobeanie @theamazingrain @synthiiiiis @ghostlyluminarycloud

@poopyyy @supernatrualqueen @bxrbie-jadeee @laitifly @discipleofthem

@cheesecake95 @strawberry-cherrypie @makeshiftproject @magiamad0ka @ncitygreen

@stillnotherapy @oniondrip @cloudy-yyy @definitely-not-leena @kidd3ath

@atigerandabear @russianremy @ohnoitsamistakee18 @ivy-vivii @ourfinalisation

@1ndee @yourhornysister @ancientimes

[tender-rosiey]

Can u do a drabble with jjk men where their child gets into a physical fight?

"MY KID IS NOT GUILTY, YOUR HONOR!"

— when your kid with gojo, sukuna, nanami, geto, and toji gets into a fight (f!reader)

GOJO SATORU:

your husband happily swings your hands together, as you walk to the principal’s office. meanwhile, you’re worried sick about s/n and what happened to him.

satoru rubs your hand reassuringly before slamming the door open and yelling, “did you win?!”

your eyes widen, but before you interject, s/n replies back enthusiastically, “yes, I did!”

you hurry to your son, kneeling in front of him to check him thoroughly.

you let out a sigh of relief when you see that he isn’t hurt in any way. sensing your distress, he hugs you. “I missed you, mama,” he says, snuggling into your neck.

“me too,” you smile and almost get lost in the moment, but then you hear a camera shutter. you look back and see your husband, holding a camera.

“oops, don’t mind me, hun.”

the dad of the other boy—who you didn’t notice was even there—stands up, livid, “can you take this a bit more seriously?! my son is injured!”

you’re about to reply yourself, but then satoru beats you to it. he stands right in front of the man and looks down at him, “surely, you’re not yelling at my wife, right?”

the man stumbles back into his chair, and satoru stares him down, making him sink even further into the chair.

the mother then speaks to you, “what your son did is unacceptable! look at how my baby is right now!”

looking at the other boy, you decide that the mother has every right to be mad. his nose is bleed profusely. you’re pretty sure it’s broken.

you look at your son and quirk an eyebrow, “s/n? what happened?”

“I was showing my friends the picture I got of you, and he said you were ugly! he can’t do that!”

your husband turns back and gasps, “he did what?!”

as if the dad himself is the one that is getting scolded, his eyes get teary.

meanwhile, you see the mother whispering to the boy, and he nods, ashamed. she looks back at you and says, “however, what your son did is not acceptable.”

“I know that the reaction was a bit much, but what your son did is also unacceptable,” you answer with your son nodding behind you.

“well—can you not be so close to my husband?” she snaps at satoru, whose cursed energy is increasing.

“you and your husband need to get taught a lesson if you raise a kid that’s so stupid he thinks my beautiful, divinie, and drop dead gorgeous wife is ugly,” he states, and the lady finds herself shrinking back beside her husband.

the little boy also scrambles into his parents’ embrace.

you place your hand on satoru’s forearm, and he immediately relaxes.

you smile and press a kiss to his cheek then pat your son’s back before instructing him softly, “you have to apologize for hurting him so much, though, s/n, okay?”

your son, ever the obedient sweetheart when it comes to you, looks at the boy, “I am sorry, but you should be sorry too!”

the other boy nods, crying, “I am sorry!”

your son nods, satisfied with the answer. your husband then picks s/n up and spins him around as he sings his praises, “I am so proud of you for defending mama like that! so so proud!��

the boy grins happily and hugs his dad. satoru then raises his finger, “but you gotta know that people are weak, so we can only do this to them all the time.”

your son nods eagerly, before wiggling to the ground. he runs to you, excited to tell you about his day. you grin and listen to him happily, ignoring the crying family on the other side.

your husband kisses the top of your head before turning to the principal with a smirk, “so, principal, is there anything you would like to say?”

“I am gonna piss myself.”

RYOMEN SUKUNA:

you dragged sukuna to the principal’s office, after you got a call of a major incident happening involving him. your husband insisted on dismissing it, but you just had a feeling that something is seriously wrong.

you both enter the office, eyes immediately falling on your son who is sitting unbothered on the chair. meanwhile, the principal is resting his elbows on the desk and striking a pose that could only be described as trouble.

when s/n sees you two, his eyes light up, and he runs to give you—and only you—a hug. sukuna scowls, “what about me?”

“you said you don’t like my hugs,” your son huffs, averting his eyes away. sukuna stares at him for a second, before picking him up by the scruff and placing him in his arms.

the boy looks at his dad, shocked, before snuggling into his embrace.

your husband leans his head just a bit on s/n’s head. you both then direct your attention to the waiting principal.

the principal taps his fingers together, but sukuna grumbles, “are you not gonna talk?”

you stifle a giggle—which sukuna notices and you notice the slight smirk now present on his face. the principal looks up at the three of you then speaks slowly, “well, you see…”

he looks up, “your son set my car on fire.”

a few beats pass.

then your husband barks out a laugh, one so hearty that it catches everyone but you off-guard.

the principal looks incredously at sukuna. your son tilts his head in confusion, before sukuna ruffles his hair, “how did you even do that? seriously, that’s my son for you!”

the boy thrives off his dad’s praise, and they get lost in their world, as your son details how he orchestrated everything.

the principal frowns, vexed. he clears his throat to speak up, “sir, I think you might have misheard. I am saying your son—”

“did I ask you to repeat yourself?”

the tone leaves no room for discussion, and it also sends shivers down the principal’s spine. your little boy snickers, and you side-eye him, effectively shutting him up.

the principal shakes his head slowly, then he looks at you for help.

truthfully, the man has every right to be both terrified and offended cause what the hell kinda is able to set a car on fire and act so nonchalant about it? it’s the kinda kid with a dad who backs him up for it.

however, the man assumes that voice of reason is you.

you want to help, but you’re just too tired. so, you smile, “I understand that what happened is harsh, sir,” he lights up, then you continue, “but surely, you can get a new one, right?”

the man pauses and looks at you with wide eyes, before spluttering, “wha—ma’am, you can’t be serious—"

“surely, you. can. get. a. new. one. right?” you glare.

the man nods frantically.

sukuna smirks pridefully, and he wraps an arm around you, pulling you close. he leans his face near your ear and whispers, “my kinda woman.”

you smile and wrap your arm around his waist and squeeze his hip in return. you both exchange affectionate bedroom looks, forgetting about the frightened principal.

meanwhile, s/n looks at you guys, wrorried, and murmurs, “mom, you’re scarier than dad.”

despite what he says, s/n jumps into your arms and nuzzles against your cheek. your husband rolls his eyes with no real annoyance behind them.

with all the courage left in him, the principal smiles nervously and stutters, “you—you can leave now; I sincerely and deeply apologize for the hold up.”

nobody moves an inch.

“…please leave.”

NANAMI KENTO:

you, your husband, and your daughter are now seated in the principal’s office.

you are waiting for the other kid and her parents to come in as well. you’re tapping your feet, restlessly, but kento lays his hand on your knee and rubs it gently.

he nods at you, and you smile.

you know your daughter would never fight unprovoked. said daughter gets off her chair and climbs into your lap. she hugs you tightly, and you instantly start petting her hair.

she lets a small sigh, but then the principal enters the office with the other parents in toe. you see your husband’s eyes narrow, before he leans close to d/n and asks gently, “isn’t that the girl you said was bullying your friend?”

your daughter nods intensely and whispers back, “she was about to hit her today, and you told me not to let people bully others! that’s why I hit her.”

you pat her head, and she grins. kento hums then nods, “I get that, but couldn’t you get a teacher, sweetheart?”

“the teacher would’ve taken too long!” your daughter huffs, and she is right. but, there still is a lesson that she needs to understand.

the principal clears his throat and sits in his chair. “well mr. and mrs. nanami, your daughter has inflicted pain on a friend of hers—”

“bullies aren’t my friends!”

good saying, but this probably isn’t the time. you pat her back, and she instantly understands what you mean, so she—begrudgingly—calms down.

the principal continues, “as I was saying, she hit her classmate, and as you can see, it left a bruise. such violent acts are prohibited in this respected establishment.”

“shouldn’t bullying be prohibited as well?” you ask, and the man splutters.

“that doesn’t happen—”

“i can assure you that my wife is speaking the truth,” kento backs you up, “if you would like, we can check the cameras or what the teachers say regarding the environment you’re fostering.”

your daughter’s head starts spinning from the big words.

your husband places a hand on the top of her head before resuming, “while I acknowledge that my daughter shouldn’t have been physical in defending her friend, you ought to acknowledge that what the other girl did was also unacceptable.”

“and since you want to solve the root of the problem, shouldn’t you punish the one that did the bullying and warranted my daughter to act in defense?” you press on, and the principal gulps.

the father of the girl stands up, “my princess would do no such thing—”

“your record isn’t that pretty either, so I suggest you sit down,” you say with a smile, and it does the trick. the man immediately sticks to his wife—who has said nothing, and you assume it’s because she knew what her daughter did.

everybody keeps staring at each other for a while, with your daughter having a staring contest with the other girl.

“we will deal with our daughter accordingly,” kento speaks up as he stands up, straightening his suit, “but we expect that the girl is also held accountable for her shameful actions. thank you.”

you and d/n get up, and the three of you exit the office—like icons. kento holds your hand and d/n’s, and you giggle, “did you see how they looked?”

“should you be encouraging d/n about laughing at others?” your husband asks with a small quirk of his eyebrow. you nod confidently.

“if they’re rude then yes!”

he shakes his head helplessly with a smile. then your daughter looks up to kento as you are walking and says excitedly, “dad, I won!”

your husband looks down at her then smiles gently, nodding as he gives her a thumbs up. you raise your eyebrows and gasp lowly, “hypocrisy?”

“hmm, I don’t know.”

GETO SUGURU:

your daughters hang off their dad’s back as you guys head to the principal’s office. they squeal and giggle, and suguru has an ever-permanent smile.

he is holding onto your hand gently and says, “don’t worry; I doubt that the girls actually caused damage.”

“I know, but what I am curious about is why they would get into something,” you reply, pensive, “I know my daughters very well,” you smile, and the girls grin.

they start chanting your name, clapping, and saying I love you a million times.

you open the door slowly and are met with the principal standing in front of his desk and a girl standing on top of it. your eyebrows furrow in confusion, as you all enter.

your husband wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you close. he tilts his head, “so, what’s wrong?”

the man drums his fingers on the desk, leaning back, “your daughters have ganged up on my daughter.”

the both of you take a moment to examine the girl from afar. there seems nothing wrong with her: no bruise, no blood, no nothing.

you exchange looks, and you take the turn to speak up, “your daughter looks okay to me.”

the man huffs and crosses his arms, “she was hurt emotionally! severely too!”

the girl nods strongly and pouts. her dad gasps and hugs her. he then starts coddling her before asking her, “what did they say to you, sugarplum?”

“they said that I looked like a mole rat, daddy!” she replies, hand on her chest as she ‘falls’ to her knees, “and—and that’s only one of the many bad things they said!”

the man gasps yet again and starts comforting her.

you and your husband let out a snort, barely containing your laughter. the girls puff their chest in confidence. you and suguru look at each other with a poorly hidden grin, and you get caught.

the man fumes, “you’re laughing at my dear sweet princess sugar?!”

“no, we are laughing at the insult,” you reply.

“it’s quite creative,” suguru chuckles before turning to the girls who have long let go of him. he kneels down and asks them, “why did you guys do that?”

“she pulled my hair!” one of the twins spoke.

the other chimes in, “and she made fun of me.”

“oh.”

just from that word alone, you can tell which path your husband is gonna take in continuing this conversation. you have a half a mind to make him summon rainbow dragon to take you home.

you just wanted to know the reason, and suguru is probably never going to leave it at that. forget how ‘calm’ he usually is, his family should never be insulted.

“…see, this why you’re all a bunch of monkeys.”

“monkeys!!” the twins scream in unison.

this time both the principal and the daughter gasp incredulously. your secretly a diva of a husband carries your girls then holds your hand before exiting the office.

he walks in silence, and you quirk an eyebrow, “so, what are you going to do, mister ‘filthy monkeys’?”

“I have a feeling that you’re making fun of me, honey.”

“and that feeling would be right.”

the girls settle on his shoulders, freeing his arms, and he takes the chance to tickle you. you squeal, “suguru, stop! I am serious! not in public!”

“but you’re being mean, sweetheart,” he mock pouts, “such bad things you’re saying.”

your roll your eyes, and you guys continue on your merry way back home.

that event passed by like a breeze, but for some reason, the school has been appointed a new principal because the last one went missing.

I wonder why.

FUSHIGURO TOJI:

“relax, ma,” your husband says as he rubs your shoulder in hopes of comforting you, “the kid is surely fine; he is our son after all.”

“I know, toji! but what if he did get hurt?” you fret then scowl, “I swear to god, if they harm a single hair on megumi’s head, I will make them wish they were never born!”

toji smirks lightly and ruffles your hair, pressing a kiss to the top of your head, before opening the door. he sees megumi sat, arms crossed and frowning.

involuntary, toji lets out a sigh of relief, and you waste no time in going to your son and checking on him, bombarding him with questions.

“did you get hurt?”

“no.”

“did he hurt you?”

“no.”

“are you okay?”

“yes.”

“are you sure?”

“yes, mom, I am fine,” megumi murmurs, cheeks heating up at your affection. toji chuckles at the display before looking at the principal.

the man purses his lips before sighing, “your son has beaten up jay.”

you and your husband blink silently. then your husband tilts his head, “who?”

the principal grits his teeth before standing up. he crosses his arms before huffing, “jay, the son of the town’s mayor! that boy is as important as his father, yet your son has so brazenly hurt him!”

you frown, “I don’t care who he is, and I am sure that my son won’t hit somebody for no reason!”

megumi nods, and you smile at him.

you pat his hair gently, and he reluctantly leans into the affection. meanwhile, toji has been listening silently before turning to megumi and asking, “who the hell is that?”

“the one with the sea slug hair,” he replies instantly. you let out a hum of recognition.

your husband stares blankly before he clicks his finger, “oh,” he then looks at megumi and ruffles his hair with a small grin, “I hated that kid’s dad—good job.”

megumi lets out a small smile before giving his dad a thumbs up. you roll your eyes with no real annoyance behind them and side-eye toji.

toji chuckles then looks at the fuming principal. the man, now red in the face, yells, “mr fushiguro, that is unacceptable behavior from both you and your son!”

“…okay?”

you shake your head and usher megumi out of the room. you and toji share a look, before you close the door. the moment it clicks, your husband turns to the principal with a blank face.

he takes a few steps, stopping right in front of the man. toji grabs the principal’s shoulder then speaks lowly, “you won’t speak of this, ‘kay?”

he nods frantically, face contorting as he tries to compose himself. toji smirks and heads to the door with a small wave, “see ya never, teach.”

your husband finds you and megumi in the school’s garden.

he sees megumi and yuuji—his friend—playing together, while you relax on the bench. for some reason, toji feels a wave of warmth flood his chest as when he sees you and megumi smiling.

yuuji yells something to you that makes you laugh heartily. toji feels himself relax and smile just slightly. it’s moments like these he feels ever so grateful to have you in his life.

and he swears to forever protect you and megumi. he has acknowledged a long time ago that his only wish is to be by your side.

that’s why, in no time, he is behind you, effectively blocking the sun. you look up from where you’re sat to your husband.

“hey pretty,” he hums.

you chuckle as he rests his elbows on the bench, “slain?”

he grins, “slain.”

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[hellofears]

wasn't me no one in this home of mine voted for anything of the sort and most likely anyone I know didn't either. I forget how many ppl live in the uk sometimes peace and love to the william wanters well and truly

[formulawolff]

x. bringing the heat in miami - t.w.

pairing: female driver! x toto wolff

word count: 3.6k

warnings: cursing, mentions of sex, mentions of masturbation, lewd humor, age gap relationship, ANGST, naughty text messages, banter, light flirting, toto being down astronomically bad (like actually in the trenches) yadayadayada

prev. | next.

party in the city where the heat is on 

all night, on the beach till the break of dawn

“welcome to miami”

“bienvenidos a miami"

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖

will smith’s infamous track fills your ears as you stroll in through the main gate of the track, fans clustered in thick waves. your name is called more times than you can count. posters, caps, shirts, you name it, wave about, begging to be signed. 

the sun shines overhead, casting bright, fiery light all around. although it was only around eight in the morning, humidity clung to the air, creating a sticky, dewy sensation on your exposed skin. fluffy clouds drift along, carried by a breeze as it rolls through. 

god, the weather was perfect.

hopefully it would be like this on race day.

“welcome to miamiiii,” alex bobs his head, singing along to the music, “are you excited? it is your home turf, after all.”

“if we were in phoenix, i think i would feel a little closer to home,” you suppress a giggle, “but yes, i am really fucking excited. everyone loves a race in their home country.”

“we’ll be in austin soon enough in october,,” alex shrugs, “when we’re in austin, i need you to show me how to ride a bull and teach me how to perfect that smooth texas drawl. i want to be like one of those little aunties who always say, ‘y’all come back now!’ like dolly parton! ” 

“you’re ridiculous,” the giggles blossom into a full-on laugh, “you don’t just start speaking with a southern accent. that’s not how that works.”

“sure it is,” alex nods, “hey, your parents are coming out for the race, right?”

“yes sir! they will finally get to see their baby girl in action!”

“they didn’t come out for a single grand prix last year?” alex raises a brow.

“i wasn’t winning races last year,” you counter, “i told them not to worry about spending that money during my rookie year. not everyone’s parents are loaded, you know.”

which, was a true statement. 

your parents had invested their time, hard-earned cash, weekends off, and a portion of their lives to get you here. you didn’t expect them to fly out for every single grand prix, make every event, or pay another dime towards your expenses. 

unlike many of the drivers, you were not born into an extremely lavish lifestyle. your parents were modest people, who happened to have a child later in life. ever since you were born, they lived in the same house, drove the same vehicles, and got by adequately. since they both worked full-time, getting you into the racing world was no simple feat. 

yet, they were determined to make your dreams become a reality. after years of careful coordination to the karting tracks, weekends devoted to races, and thousands upon thousands of dollars spent, you were offered a contract with williams racing. of course, you accepted that offer graciously. 

now, you were steadily paying your parents back for their dedication. once you signed your contract and those zeroes hit your bank account, you went out to the nearest dealership, purchasing a suburu wrx. with the premium package, at that. 

you would never forget your dad’s face the moment you pulled into the driveway, beaming as you placed the keys in his hand. 

that was one of the only moments you had ever watched him cry, wrapping you up in a tight, loving embrace.

“you didn’t have to do this. being your father is a gift in itself.”

“but you deserve it. you’ve sacrificed so much so that i could be in this position.”

“and you deserve nothing but the best, baby girl. you are going to be one of the greatest drivers formula one has ever seen. you make us so proud. keep making us proud. keep defying those odds. keep making history, baby girl.”

keep making history, baby girl.

as you stroll into the paddock, greeting the engineers, pit crew, and other team members, you can’t shake that feeling brewing deep within. 

it’s is a fiery desire, setting you ablaze with determination. 

you were going to keep making history. 

you were going to be the first american to win the miami grand prix. 

you were going to be the first woman to win two consecutive grand prixes. 

you were going to be the first woman to earn that title of world champion. 

you were going to chase that high. by any means possible. 

and nothing was going to stop you now. 

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“look at him,” lewis hamilton shakes his head, “he looks absolutely pitiful.”

“you think his little relationship is on the rocks?” 

“quite the contrary mate,” lewis remarks, folding his arms across his chest, “i think it’s more like the poor man is depraved. obviously the euphoria has worn off. he’s come down from that high. the man is craving more. plain and simple. a hand can only do–”

“i don’t need the mental image of my team principal wanking off,” george russell scoffs, rubbing his temple, “fuck, that is disgusting, lewis.”

toto wolff stood a few meters away from the drivers, engaged in deep conversation with bono and members of the crew. now that lewis knew the truth, he couldn’t help but notice how much power that american girl held over the team principal. it was almost as if he were deep in a trance, under some sort of spell. 

it was pitiful, really. just the sight of her was enough to send the team principal spiraling, intoxicated off her alluring aura. not like lewis could blame toto, though. there was no denying that the woman was extremely breathtaking. 

with her stunning features, witty mouth, unapologetic personality, and angelic presence, she was practically miss america.

well, not practically. 

she was miss america.  

everyone adored her. lewis could barely go throughout his morning without hearing her name being mentioned. whether it was fans, journalists, social media, even members of the mercedes crew, she was the hot topic of formula one, taking the world by storm.

toto was a lucky man. an extremely lucky man. 

if only she was into men her age. 

“my apologies mate,” lewis nudges george with his elbow playfully, “did we have anything going on today? any obligations?”

george’s brow furrow, sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose, “if we’re being honest, i can’t really remember. i think something to do with monster energy, maybe.”

“perfect,” lewis licks his lower lip, fishing his phone out of his pocket. 

time to text that little assistant. 

in all seriousness, he felt horrible for taking advantage of that young girl. she was only nineteen for fuck’s sakes, a fresh face to mercedes at the start of the 2024 season. that made her the perfect target to do his bidding. 

well, it wasn’t really bidding. 

more like investigative journalism. 

at least, that’s what lewis told himself to feel a little less guilty for what he was about to do. 

hey, do you by chance know toto’s schedule today?

seconds later, little text bubbles appear. 

he was meeting with you guys this morning, then he has an interview with the press around two-thirty p.m. it’s nothing super serious, just a brief session entailing his thoughts for the weekend. at four, he has a zoom call with a few of the mercedes execs. after that, he told me he was going to be out for the remainder of the evening. why? 

hmmm. how convenient. 

i was just curious. thanks for letting me know! i appreciate you, natila. 

of course, mr. hamilton! let me know if you need anything else! :))) 

it was now or never. go time.

after the meeting with the mercedes executives, lewis hamilton was going to knock on toto wolff’s door. he was going to stroll into that office, settling into one of those plush leather chairs. and before toto had the opportunity to speak, lewis was going to confront him about that american girl. 

how he was going to start that conversation, he had no idea. that would come to him in time as he went about his day, meeting with sponsors, flashing that lovely lewis smile, flirting with the reporters just a little. not too much so that it was obvious, but enough to make them blush a tad, giggling as they scrambled to stick to their script. 

but for now, it was time to focus on the matters at hand. 

across the track, a dutch driver strolls through the crowds, a jersey in one hand, phone in the other. glancing down at his screen, he curses under his breath at the throng of people. why were there so many people? where did they all come from? 

pausing for a moment, he taps his screen, thumb gliding through his contacts. 

“hey, where are you again?”

“we’re in the williams paddock!” her voice is an octave higher than usual, more than likely from anticipation, “we’ll see you soon!”

“sounds good,” max verstappen stifles a chuckle as he hears a voice on the other end, the words firm, demanding almost.  

“honey, who are you talking to? who’s coming over here?” 

“mom, please, just let me be on the phone for two seconds,” she exhales, “okay, i have to go. i’ll see you soon!” 

the walk to the williams paddock was excruciating, as max had to bob and weave through the masses to avoid reporters, potential sponsors, and any individual who called his name. it’s not like he didn’t like the fame that came with his success, it’s just that he didn’t like the constant cameras in his face. the prying questions. the intrusive comments. 

sometimes he wished he could just blend in, be like any other face in the crowd. yet, how could he when he was max verstappen? 

yet, as he steps into the paddock, he makes out the williams driver, her parents hovering around her as she introduces them to various members of the crew. at the sight, max can’t help but feel the corners of his lips curl into a smile as he notices the sheer and utter pride plastered across their faces. 

and they had every right to be proud of you. 

you earned it. 

“goedemorgen,” max clears his throat, raising his hand for a small wave, “i just came to stop by.”

the instant your mom realizes who is standing before her in the paddock, her eyes widen, lips parting, “oh my gosh – honey. look who it is!” 

“good morning max,” your laughter rings like bells as you cross over to the dutch driver, “how are you?”

“pretty good,” he nods, sticking out his right hand, “hallo, i’m max.”

your dad shakes his hand, squeezing it firmly, “nice to meet ya, max. i’m tony. this is my wife, heather.”

“pleased to meet you,” max beams, turning to your mom, “i brought something for you today. your daughter mentioned that you were a big fan of mine. so, i brought this jersey for you. she let me know your shirt size, so it should fit perfectly. my signature is on there somewhere, but i just can’t quite remember where.”

graciously, heather accepts the jersey, her eyes glossy, shifting to you as she wipes a tear, “oh, honey, you planned this?”

“of course i did,” wrapping an arm around her shoulders, you pull her in for a hug, “i couldn’t bear the thought of you guys attending the race without meeting any of my friends. besides, you deserve an all-inclusive experience at your first grand prix.”

“besides,” max shoots you a wink, “i wanted to meet the woman who crafted such a talented driver.”

at max’s compliment, your mom’s face flushes, “oh please! i can barely make it on the freeway without having a nervous breakdown. i don’t know how she can drive these things. it amazes me how confident she is and–.”

“i could show you,” max offers, “i have some free time tomorrow. i’m sure we could all meet up somewhere and i could take you for a spin, show you the ropes. how does that sound?”

“oh max,” your mom waves a hand, “you do not–”

“but i want to. it’s no issue. no issue at all.” 

“then it’s a plan,” you can’t help but grin as your moms’ eyes light up, “what time works for you, max? since it’s only thursday, we’ll have some time in the morning before the practice laps. or, we could go after. whatever works for you.”

“let’s go in the morning,” max suggests, checking his phone, “i think i can make a few calls. have someone bring in a car. we’ll take it out on the track.”

“is that allowed?” your mom arches a brow, “i just don’t want you two to get in any sort of trouble. 

“oh mom,” you roll your eyes playfully, gesturing to max, “that is max verstappen. whatever max verstappen wants, max verstappen gets.”

“she’s not wrong.”

“okay fine,” your mom nods, and you feel a giggle forming at her overprotective nature. 

“just don’t give me a heart attack out there, max. i have a very important race to watch on sunday.”

as your parents talk to max, alex making his way into the conversation, you feel the buzz of your phone in your pocket. carefully, you fish it out, ensuring to shield your screen from your mom’s wandering gaze. 

this is unbearable. i need to see you tonight. are you going to have any free time? i vaguely recall you mentioning that your parents were going to be here. i will take no offense if you would like to spend time with them. i know you do not get to see them often. 

i need to be inside you, schatzi. i can’t think straight right now because the only thing i can think about is fucking that perfect pussy of yours. 

i miss my golden girl. more than anything. 

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“lewis? this is a pleasant surprise.”

“how’s it going mate?” lewis hamilton bears a quaint smile as he settles into a chair, face-to-face with the team principal, “things going well?”

“eh,” toto shrugs, his head bowed as he types away on his phone, “same old shit, you know.” 

“things going well with the horseback rider?”

oh, so he wasn’t going to drop it. silently, toto curses the attentive nature of his british driver, “they’re fine.”

“so,” lewis leans back, folding his arms across his chest, “when were you going to fess up and admit that your little girlfriend doesn’t ride horses?”

“i don’t understand what you–”

lewis scoffs, clicking his tongue, “i know exactly who your little girlfriend is because she’s a few spaces ahead of me on the grid.”

shit.

the expression painting lewis’ features is brimmed with satisfaction, his gaze piercing right through the team principal as he shifts uneasily in his desk chair, running a hand through his hair. 

toto was well aware that lewis had completely blindsided him, pinning him in a corner. it was quite literally perfect timing, as the team principal was merely minutes away from organizing his things, shutting down his computer, and heading out the door, well on his way to his golden girl. 

well played, lewis. well played. 

yet, he had to maintain his composure. he had to maintain that poker face as lewis cocks his head, prompting him to formulate some sort of witty retort. 

“i’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“bullshit,” lewis shakes his head, “you’re not a very good liar, toto. you of all people should know that i can read you like a bloody book. how long has this been going on?”

well, he had to fess up now. lewis would continue to call him out on his shit if he kept up with the lies. letting out a shaky breath, the team principal hangs his head in defeat, his heart thumping against his rib-cage, wiping his damp palms on his slacks.

no going back now. time to come clean. 

“since she won in jeddah. but if we’re being technical, it started in bahrain.”

“wait,” lewis sticks his hands up, squeezing his eyes shut, “pause. this has been going on since the start of the season? for weeks you’ve been sneaking around, meeting up with her in secret or something? was she the one who came to brackley between melbourne and suzuka?”

with all of the questions pouring from lewis’ mouth, toto’s mind reeled, a swirling torrent of anxiety, fear, and disappointment. his cheeks burn with shame, tinged pink. 

“yes, she was.”

tilting his head, lewis’ lips purse, “you like her?”

“well isn’t that blatantly fucking obvious,” propping his elbows on the desk, he massages his temples with his fingers, “how did you find out?”

“it wasn’t hard,” lewis shrugs, “i mean, i see the way you look at her.” 

toto’s eyes narrow at lewis’ vague response, “how. did. you. find. out?”

“natila texted me about it,” lewis coughs, averting the team principal’s beady stare, “she may have heard a conversation or two.” 

“regarding?” toto presses, satisfaction pumping in his veins as lewis starts to crack, shifting in the chair, “come on, lewis. you can’t just march in here and demand answers from me without sharing your sources. what did natila hear?”

“she heard the entire conversation you had with the drive to survive crew while we were in suzuka. they mentioned that they had footage of you walking over to her motorhome. that’s all natila heard. don’t fire the poor girl,” the words were rushed, breathy, “it was my fault. i asked her what she heard. i told her i would pay her if she told me what she knew.”

“well,” toto blinks, swallowing thickly, “did you end up paying her?”

“only like five thousand.”

“that’s quite a large sum over something you could have just asked me about personally,” clasping his hands together, toto raises a brow, “why didn’t you just come to me instead?”

“because you got so fucking defensive the first time i asked about it!” 

lewis did have a point. 

a good point, at that.

it was not like the team principal would have withheld information regarding his developing relationship with the williams driver. it was more like he feared what would ensue if he did share what had transpired. he trusted lewis, he really did. additionally, it wasn’t like this was just some average woman. his career, her future, and so much more were at stake. the benefits of keeping it all under wraps greatly outweighed the risk of discovery. 

more importantly, he was protective of his golden girl. 

she was his little escape from it all. a breath of fresh air after excruciatingly long nights in the paddock or disappointing days on the track. she was his sun, shining her vivid, warm, golden rays into his dreary and dull life. 

sure, toto was a billionaire. but money was not everything. 

nearly every day, toto’s mind wandered to their time spent together in brackley. the way she felt against his skin. the way her shy smile was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. the way her fingers felt intertwined with his. the way her lashes fluttered as she slept, lips parted ever so slightly. the way his hands roamed her curves, relishing the softness of her. 

that memory alone was worth far more than the number of zeroes in his bank account. 

“you’re falling in love, aren’t you?”

lewis’ voice is low, dangerously quiet. yet, there’s a curious glint in his eyes, the bitterness and anger no longer present. his body language is more relaxed, legs crossed, the driver fiddling with his thumbs. 

“i –” toto stutters, scrambling to find the right words, “yes, i am.”

“does she know?” 

“no,” he inhales sharply, “she doesn’t.”

“you want to tell her though, don’t you?”

“it would just feel rushed,” the team principal dismisses lewis’ inquiry, his voice hardening, “i have to be realistic here. no one falls in love that quickly. that’s just petulant.”

“well look at it this way,” lewis offers, “if you’ve had your eye on her for some time, then it’s really not that rushed. clearly, if you’re feeling those emotions so deeply, then it’s accumulated over time. i don’t want to pry, but how long have you been attracted to her?”

“you don’t want to know,” a chuckle rumbles in the team principal’s chest, “it’s embarrassing, really.”

“no, no, no,” lewis tuts, “tell me, toto. how long?”

“december 2022, when she signed her contract with williams. when i saw that photo of her, i knew i had to have her. last summer, in monaco, i may have slipped up and approached her at the afterparty. i flirted with her, but she dismissed me. so, i kept my distance. however, it was just growing harder and harder to stay away. it was impulsive, that night in bahrain. but i wanted to make a move before anyone else got to her.”

as toto finishes, he can’t help but notice lewis’ smirk, “holy shit, toto. you’ve been wrapped around her finger for quite some time then, yeah?”

“i wouldn’t say that–” toto begins, clicking his tongue, yet, he’s swiftly cut off as a new figure cracks open the door. 

george russell leans against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest. his lips are pressed together, forming a tightly wound frown. 

“way to include me in the gossip session, guys. what did i miss? clearly, quite a lot. if you don’t mind, i would like to join the conversation. toto, would you start from the top? even though i’ve already heard most of it, when were you going to bring it to my attention that you were fucking that bloody williams driver?”

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taglist: @younxii @toldyouitwasamelodrama @kravitzwhore @persona1lies @pucksandpower @k3ira13 @prettiest-at-the-party @martwll @annewithaneofthegreengable @zoeyjadetice2010  @sinners-98-world @laura-naruto-fan1998 @nebarious @joalslibrary @swifth0lic

as always, if i forgot to include you, please let me know! thank you all for the continuous support! i love y'all sm!! <33

[aakeysmash]

Roommate or boss?

part 2, part 3, part 4

Pairing: f!reader x Katsuki Bakugou.

Warnings: none, really. AND THEY WERE POSSIBLE ROOMMATES, MAYBE?

Context: 3k words. Reader is a barista and she only meets Bakugo at the end of this </3. He’s her boss but she doesn’t know. I don’t delve into this tho, just so you know. They’re both 22.

A/N: never thought I’d write a slow burn but I HATE not giving context. This is just me yapping with zero grammar context whatsoever. The reader is super oc in this one, but all the girl names I thought about were UGLY. Let me know what you think about it!

“No.���

“Come onnnn it’s gonna be just this one time” pleads your best friend from the other end of the phone.

“Ochaco, you know I hate when you pull this shit” you reply, while putting your jacket on.

“I knowww, but listen, me and the cute guy have had NO time for ourselves lately and-“

“And you’re leaving me doing this assignment with who knows who? We’re always partners for physics, you know I can’t do it all alone and you can’t phrase your deductions to save your life. We complete each other. You’re my soulmate. Why are you leaving me for a guy?” you whine, while closing the door of your apartment and walking towards your car.

“It’s gonna be just this one time, I promise! It’s not like we’re gonna fail. I think. I hope…” she mumbles.

You sigh. “If we do fail, you’re getting your ass beaten, I am so for real” you concede after thinking about it. You start your car and put your phone on speaker.

“BABEEE I love youuuu! You know you’re the only one for me! I promise to finally tell you all the details on Saturday” she squeals.

You wince. “Nah, I can’t this Saturday. I have to work, manager is on vacay. Maybe Sunday?” you said, knowing she will start rambling.

“Y/N just leave that place, they don’t even value you as a person, let alone as a worker. Plus, your manager is a bitch” Ochaco says sternly. “I still haven’t got over the fact she makes you work double shifts just because she wants to be in Bali with her new stupid tomboy. Who, by the way, cheats on her. You said so yourself, and I heard him and your colleague going at it that one time I came to visit you last week -not Momo, bless her heart, how is she by the way?- oh and he steals her money. And-“

“I need the money, and I do love to make coffees for the nice old ladies that tip me” you interrupt your more-than-protective best friend, knowing that she could go on complaining for hours if you didn’t stop her. “Also, I just got to the cafe and I’m already running late. I’ll text you when I get off, okay? Love you”.

“Yeah yeah. Don’t overwork yourself too much, love you” and you hang up.

You and Ochaco have been friends since you were babies. Your parents were neighbours back in your hometown, and your moms coincidentally got pregnant in a span of 2 months apart from each other. You have been attached to the hip all of your school years, and fortunately you have been accepted at the same campus at university. You moved to different apartments because you wanted to be independent, but you are still living pretty near each other. You are enrolled in literature, while Ochaco has a passion for astronomy; you had chosen physics as a bonus class for some extra credits since Ochaco said it would be easy and you trusted her, but she didn’t take into consideration that you failed math throughout all of high school, and she had to save your ass multiple times in the past. You’ll never forget her face when she got an 86% on one of the graded tests she did for you: she was so disappointed she made you ask the professor to redo the test, which you barely knew the basics of. She got 100%, and the professor congratulated you (her) for being such an overachiever. You never felt more ashamed of yourself and proud of your best friend at the same time. On the other hand, she made you do her English essays on a monthly basis, so she really wasn’t in the place to complain about doing all the dirty work for you.

You had partnered up with her since she was a genius, but she met this “cute guy” a month ago and was head over heels for him. She still hasn’t said his name to you, all you know is that he is a part of the physics course and he apparently just stole your assignment partner.

You sigh inwardly. Sometimes you wished love could come to you as easily as it comes to Ochaco. She is a lover girl at heart, nicer than anybody could ever hope to be, but she sure could bite if she had to. She has been there for some of the worst moments of your life, and you have done the same for her. You really didn’t know what you would do without her. Maybe you should get her an apology pastry from the cafe’s leftovers to make up for the last two missed Saturdays (“they’re for the girls!” she said, and you meticulously met up every week up until you had gotten a job).

You’re a bit distracted by thinking about her when you get into the place you work at. It’s a cute cafe, a little bit too orange for your taste, but it’s cozy enough to make work pleasurable. Plus, it’s 5 minutes from your apartment (15 if you walk, but you are lazy). They pay on time, the coffee is good and the clientele isn’t too bad. If it wasn’t for-

“You’re 32 seconds late. You’re getting a formal complaint this time” says your manager, waiting for you with her arms crossed.

“Put that on the note that says I worked 8 extra hours a week for the last 5 months. Hello to you too, weren’t you supposed to be in the Philippines or whatever by now?” you say sickening sweet, with the fakest smile you can muster, while you pass next to her to get to the room behind the register.

“Shut your smart mouth up before I get you fired!” she almost screams. Some of the people at the table near her look at her like she’s crazy before going back to their cappuccino.

“My oh my miss Utsushimi, it’s not nice to use that tone before the rush hour” you reply, giving an apologetic look at your regulars next to her.

“Mpfh, whatever. Close up this place when you’re done, the boss will probably be in to ask you for the keys at the end of your shift. I’ll be MIA for the next two weeks, bye” she says to you. Then she turns around and smiles sweetly at the clients who previously looked at her with distaste and lies “pregnancy hormones I hope, me and my man are trying for a baby, I’m sorry for scaring you!”. You know damn well she had an IUD appointment last week, because she made you work instead of working herself. Fake bitch.

Without saying anything else, she leaves the place.

“I hate her ass so much”, says someone next to you.

You snicker. “Who doesn’t, Momo?” you face her with a genuine smile.

“Never leave me alone with her ever again, you know I can’t survive this place without you, work wifey” she kisses your cheek fast, before going back to making coffee for a client at the register.

“Ochaco will be hearing about this and she’ll slap you” you laugh heartily.

“I love her too, she’s my work wifey’s wifey, so she’s basically my wifey” she winks at you.

After a few more laughs here and there, you both go back to work like usual.

A couple of hours pass and it’s closing time. Momo waves you goodbye, clocking out. “I’m so tired I could sleep on the floor right now” she whines.

“Yeah, how about no. Let’s go, babe. We don’t want to drag Y/N’s time” says her boyfriend, Shoto, who shoots you a nod of acknowledgement before placing a hand on her lower back and escorting her out of the cafe. “I remember suffering at closing times, let’s leave her be and go home” he nudges your colleague, smiling down at her. He has been inside the cafe a lot in the years you’ve worked here, sometimes picking Momo up. Momo says he was one of the best bartenders the cafe ever had, but he found a job that payed him more and he decided to leave. You couldn’t blame him.

“See you soon, you two lovebirds!” you reply, waving a hand of your own.

Now all alone since even the waiters have gone home, you clean up the counter before packing up the pastry for Ochaco.

“Damn, I have to wait for the boss to give him the keys” you remember, rubbing your face.

You wait 45 minutes before a redhead makes his way into the cafe. He seems busy on the phone with someone.

“I’m here, let me just get- fuck no I don’t wanna talk to Camie about it, Baku- no, wait- fire? Are you going to take her place and finally come down here like the boss you are? Yes, I know- what? And where would we- what do I have to do with all of this? No, I’m going home- fuck, he hung up” the man sighs, before turning his body towards you.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting, not really manly from me” he smiles, looking sorry.

“Oh don’t worry about it!” your smile was really stretched, and you think he notices, because he says “sorry” again. “The manager said to give you the keys. So you’re the boss?” you say politely, stretching your hand with the keys towards him.

You’ve seen him multiple times, he’s a regular. He always gets the same order (one black coffee and one hot chocolate with extra cinnamon), and he always tips you and Momo well. Today he seems distressed.

“I wouldn’t wish to be the boss, to be fair. You could say I’m his right hand. Where’s Camie? Boss needs to talk to her in private before next week comes” he sighs.

“She said she’ll be gone for two weeks” you reply, confused.

“And who said she could do that?” Kirishima, you think that’s his name since you’ve written it on his order just yesterday, looks at you in disbelief. You shrug. “I don’t ask. The less I know about her, the better I feel about working here”. You start to pack your things up, before going towards the door with the man following behind you closely.

“This is nuts. I hate doing job interviews” he mumbles fast, turning the key in the lock. You raise an eyebrow, what is he even talking about?

“Do you live near? If not, I could give you a ride. I’d hate losing the only barista who makes boss man’s drink good enough to not make him pissy” he says, while pointing to his car.

You laugh. “It’s just a hot chocolate. Tell him he should try it with a few drops of hot sauce in it. Sounds disgusting but it’s actually pretty good. Also don’t worry, I live just down the street”. He nods and you wave each other goodbye.

“It does sound horrible. Thanks again for waiting, see you tomorrow for the same exact order I always make” he grins, then gets in his car and drives away, not after seeing you get in your car as well.

Once at home you call Ochaco, who’s “been worried sick, you never get home this late”.

“Y/N you seriously need a roommate. Did you even eat?” she reprimands.

You sigh. “I have to meet someone tomorrow. But you know, girls tend to look at you weirdly when you say you need them to know how to cook. They feel like you’re looking for a maid. Like, I can’t eat sandwiches every day like I did with the last roommate I had” you explain while opening your fridge. Sausages and smashed potatoes from yesterday will do the job for today.

“The psycho who thought vegetables made her look weak? Freak” you hear your best friend snicker. “At what time are they coming over?”

You groan and say “8 am. It’s a guy this time. Who wakes up before 8 am at uni? He’s already lost 2 points for this” while gulping down your food.

Ochaco’s snicker is now a full laugh. “People who have their lives together, maybe? But pay attention, males scare me” she replies quieting down.

“Yeah yeah. I’m gonna sleep now, text me the deets for Sunday, okay?” you clean your plate and go to the bathroom to wash your teeth.

“Will doooo. Good night, babe” she smooches on the mic before hanging up.

After making sure you locked your apartment door, you go to your bed, where you manage to fall asleep in thirty seconds.

The next morning you’re brutally awakened by the sound of your doorbell. You look at your phone screen: 7:42 am.

“Who the fuck is it now?” you grumble, before going down the stairs and looking through your peephole.

“Shitty hair I swear if this takes me more than 10 minutes… she hasn’t even opened the door. Yeah, she said 8 am, who cares if I’m early? I AM NOT the only one awake on a Saturday morning. Y’all are just lazy fucks” a blonde rudely says into his phone. You can hear him talking loudly from behind the door. You widen your eyes, before screaming “coming! Give me 5 minutes!” and rushing towards your bathroom to make yourself presentable. “Fuck, I forgot about the roommate appointment” you whine, while putting on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. At least they are clean.

You open the door to find a broad man staring at you menacingly. He’s kinda tall, kinda (really) fit, kinda underdressed for the winter. Kinda hot, too.

“Hi, how can I help you?” you offer him the nicest smile your still sleepy mind can muster.

He looks you up and down, before focusing on your face and levelling you with an indifferent look.

“You must be Y/N. I’m Katsuki Bakugo, we had to meet at 8 am for the spare room offer. I've been here for 15 minutes” he gruffly declares.

You add “rude” to your list of “kinda”. You don’t like his tone. -1 point.

“Yeah, and it’s 7:48” you bite back, your smile faltering while shaking his outstretched hand. He’s definitely going to the gym with the callouses he has.

“Come in, I’ll let you see what you’re getting yourself into”, you say, opening your door more.

You live in a nice apartment, you think. There’s a nice kitchen with a nice island that also serves as a table in front of it, a blueish couch in front of the tv, and a couple of steps that bring you to a corridor with three doors: your room, the spare one and the bathroom.

You describe everything while he stays in absolute silence next to you. It makes you feel uneasy. -1 point.

You just finished showing him the bathroom and are ready to tell him you don’t think he’s a good suitor when he finally speaks up.

“And how much do you pay for this shit?” he asks. Nice voice, you think. Gravelly and rough enough to not sound annoyingly forced. +1 point.

“500 a month” you reply, while returning to the kitchen.

“Your shower needs some work done, it leaks. Also, mold is starting to show on the bathroom ceiling, might wanna check on that. Your oven looks unusable in the condition it’s in. Small tv. At least you’re clean from what I've seen” he begins to say.

You frown and turn to look at him. Did this bitch talk for the first time in 15 minutes only to complain?

“Do you even know how to cook with said oven?” you say, ignoring everything else he just said, and giving him a nasty look.

He tsks. “Yes. Is this your way of asking me to cook you fucking breakfast? I don’t eat with lazy people who get out of bed at 11 am” he makes sure to say.

You scoff. Men really do find the audacity to say stuff like this nowadays? It seems like you've been out of the loop for too much.

“You showed up early. It’s a sign of disrespect, you know? Also no, I know how to fix myself something. I just don’t want you to burn my kitchen down to a crisp and smell takeout whenever I get home” you say in the rudest way you find possible.

He smirks before saying “might wanna check on that fucking attitude of yours too before I poison your food”, tapping your shoulder to get you out of the way and take out some pans. You showed him where to find them earlier on.

“What the fuck are you doing?” you say in disbelief. “This is still my kitchen. Get out”.

He rolls his eyes. “I’m making you fucking breakfast to say sorry for interrupting your princess sleep. Just make coffee while I come up with something. If you know how to make it, that is” he doesn’t even look at you while getting eggs, milk and bread out of the fridge.

You’re baffled. He’s making himself at home when you didn’t even say he was accepted.

“Wait, you’re still not-“

“I'll give you the money at the start of every month. I’ll paint the walls of the room, I hate that fucking green, but painters are scammers so I’m doing it myself. I’m clean, I’ll just need a spare key in a matter of days to take my shit here. I’ll keep myself in my room if you keep yourself in yours. Any further requests?” he interrupts you, assembling his french toasts on the pan.

You’re even more stunned. But you’ve always been quick with your thoughts, so you come up with something.

“I’ll say yes if those french toasts are good. If they’re not, your ass is out” you say, still not looking at him, while making coffee.

“Might say yes if you know how to make a hot chocolate from scratch instead of the poor coffee that machine will make” he watches you from the corner of his eye. You scoff, you’re a barista nonetheless: who does he think he’s talking to? Meanwhile, he could swear he knew you from somewhere.

“Deal”.

“Deal”.

Neither to say, the french toasts were “not that bad” and your hot chocolate was “barely fucking acceptable”.

[tojisbbg]

𝙤𝙝, 𝙞 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙣

❝oh.. cara mia, how i love him.❞  

♡ rin itoshi ♡

a/n: first time writing for blue lock!! ugh, guys, the brainrot is very severe. they’re all my babygirls fr.

content: rin itoshi x reader, sprinkle of sae in it (if you squint), fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, childhood friend to strangers to lovers, rin’s a little mean, unresolved feelings cause sudden confession, small little tweaks of events, not edited.

---

“rinnie!” your six-year-old self screamed loud and proud for your best friend in the entire world as you ran inside the itoshi household. your parents were left behind at the door, chuckling with the itoshi’s parents because of your excitement. 

you tightly gripped the coloring set to your chest, climbing the stairs as fast as you could upstairs to rin’s play room that he shared with his brother sae. you opened the door, seeing the familiar ravenette sitting on the child size chair, focused on drawing. 

“rin! you were supposed to wait for me.” you whined, your smile now becoming a small frown as you sat in front of him on the empty chair. rin looked up at you, finally acknowledging your presence. 

“ah! y/nie, you’re here so soon.” he gave you a bright smile, his eyes shimmering at your company. suddenly, you even forgot that you were mad at him in the first place, his smile being so contagious as you returned one yourself.

“look! papa got them from his business trip last week and it has crayons, markers, paints and so much more!” you showed him the coloring kit, making him awe from amazement from the variety. 

“so cool! hey, can we share?” rin asked and you eagerly nodded your head, laying out your coloring supplies on the table freely. 

“who are you drawing for the project?” you asked, beginning your masterpiece, which would consist of cutely drawn stick figures. 

“i’m gonna draw big bro, i wanna be just like him in the future. he’s just so cool, he’ll become the best striker in the world and i’ll be the second best.” rin spoke with such passion in his tone, his eyes holding a loving adoration at the thought of his brother. 

“nice, i wanna become like my mama. i want to make food as delicious as hers so that i could feed the people that i love.” you chirped, dipping your paint brush in a little bit of water before swirling it inside the watercolor paint palette. 

“even me?” rin asked, making you look at him with a slight dust of pink shading your cheeks. 

“of course, rinnie. you’re my best friend and i’ll always love you. i think you’re more awesome than sae.” you whispered the last part, making him giggle as he shook his head. 

“hm? talking about me?” you suddenly hear a voice behind you, your eyes being covered as you yelp in surprise. 

“sae!” you finally peeled his hands away from your eyes, eyes meeting another pair of emerald ones. sae chuckled before ruffling your hair. 

“hey! you’re messing up my pigtails.” you huffed, trying to fix your hair that slightly ruined, straightening the bows that were a little crooked. 

“sorry, sorry, cutie.” sae raised his hands in defense, making you hum as a response of accepting his apology. he sat on the ground, eyes watching what you and his brother was doing. 

“look, big bro! this is you and me when we win the world cup together.” rin eagerly showed his finished drawing, earning a proud grin from his brother as sae ruffled rin’s hair. 

“we’ll be the best of the best, together.” sae said, warmth spreading inside rin’s heart from satisfaction. 

“yup!” rin nodded. 

“hey, what about me? i don’t know how to play soccer.” you pout, feeling left out from the itoshi’s conversation. 

“i offered to teach you but you didn’t wanna.” sae replied, pinching your cheeks teasingly as you winced. 

“yeah ‘cause soccer is for boys not for girls.” you fake gagged, making sae roll his eyes from your overdramatic reaction.

“you can cheer us on, you’ll be in the front seats watching us.” rin suggested, making you think hard on if that’s the job you wanted to play in the itoshi brothers dream. 

“okay! i’ll be your good luck charm.” you gave them a thumbs up, making them both agree. 

“my, my! aren’t you three just so cute. let’s take a picture!” rin’s mom cooed, pulling out her phone as she ushered both brothers to stand by your side. you dropped your paint brush, holding your colorful hands up with a bright smile that made your eyes disappear. 

you felt rin and sae bent down, placing a kiss on either of your cheeks as a pose. 

“1...2...3... awwww!” your parents were in the middle of having a stroke from cuteness overload. on the other hand, you were combusting with happiness from how lucky you were to have two of the greatest friends ever. 

---

change is something inevitable. 

seasons change and so do other forms of life such as plants, animals and humans. it’s just the cycle of life that we must go through. 

the world was still too big for your liking at the age of sixteen, afraid to dip your toes in waters that seemed too cold and foreign. 

you were afraid to change.

and perhaps that was one of the reasons why you let the two most important people in your life slip out of your grasp. sae became a hotshot in a small period of time, hitting the news which spread like wildfire. of course, this alone made your and rin’s hearts soar from happiness. 

but that was two years ago. 

things were different now, so different that you don’t even recognize the itoshi brothers anymore. sae was absolutely no longer in the picture, frequently traveling to places like spain and his visits back in japan lasted no more than a couple of days. 

and your best friend, rin, has become nothing but a total stranger. he still lived within close premises, yet his aura felt like someone splashed you with cold water. that warmth that once resided within him was gone. 

you quickly barged into rin’s room, your face now becoming pale with horror as you saw him go berserk. his eyes were dark, smashing every single trophy, medal and picture frame him and sae owned. 

“i hate him! i hate, hate, hate, itoshi sae!” rin bellowed, not even caring about your existence that was terrified by the door. your shaky hands went behind you, closing the door as you slowly tip-toed your way to him. 

“rin?” you meekly called out his name, trying to catch his attention as he was heaving from frustration. he looked at you with a sharp glare, making your throat go dry. 

“what.” he spat out with so much venom, making you mentally wince. 

“sit down and talk to me.” you grabbed his arms, pushing him back until he sat on the bed and you stood in front of him. your hands were on his shoulders, grounding him on the mattress to make sure that he wouldn’t get up to do anything else. 

“there’s nothing to talk about. itoshi sae ruined my life by teaching me soccer, and i will get my revenge on him.” rin spoke with so much hate in his voice it made your stomach churn. 

“that’s crazy talk, you both are supposed to become the best together, remember?” you frowned, cupping his cheeks as you tried to somehow make this hateful glint of his disappear. 

until he swatted away your hands. 

“we’re not kids anymore, y/n. it’s time that you grow the fuck up and realize that this stupid dream the three of us dreamt of was never going to become reality. even seeing you makes me angry now.” rin harshly spat out, making your mouth agape from shock, looking at him with glossy eyes. 

“rin, the hell is that supposed to mean?” your voice croaked, your heart feeling like it was on the verge of cracking into two. 

“i hate you too, y/n.”

those were the last words that were ever exchanged between you and rin, the last time you both were even near each other. every time the both of your parents would try to organize an event together, you would make some lame excuse to not join them.

but, today it seemed that no matter how significant or desperate you tried to make your excuse look like, your parents didn’t buy it. 

“what happened between you guys? you all used to be such good buddies.” your dad asked out of the blue, looking at you through the mirror as he drove. you shrugged, playing with the hem of your dress. 

“we just grew up, i guess. besides, the both of them are pretty busy people so i don’t wanna butt in.” you quickly dismissed, not wanting to talk about this whole sibling rivalry they both had going on which eventually wrapped you into it as well. 

“yeah, it’s a shame. but, the itoshi brothers are doing very good. sae has gotten into nationals and rin got into some bootcamp place called blue lock. we’re going over for dinner because the brothers are gonna be off on their own path tomorrow.” your mom informed you, making your eyes go wide like the size of two full moons. 

it was bad enough that you’d be seeing both sae and rin after two years, but the fact that now even more distance was being created left you unsettled. there was no more hope in restoring whatever friendship you guys had. 

you didn’t care much about sae, but rin? he was your best friend, your person, the only person who could actually turn your frown upside down. 

what probably hurt the most was the stupid crush you had on him that never died down. you know him like the back of your hand, and you know that the itoshi rin right now is not the sweet rin you befriended and fell in love with as a child. yet, a piece of your heart knew that somewhere in those ferocious green flames of his, your rinnie was still there. 

the dinner party was like usual, a bunch of rich people all in one place. you felt stuffy and suffocated, deciding to go up to the balcony to get some fresh air. you noticed a tall figure leaning on the rails, peering down. 

“shouldn’t you be hosting your own party?” you snickered, standing beside him as your voice rang a bell in his ears. rin straightened his posture, easily towering over you as your mind couldn’t process how tall he has gotten within the span of two years. his body was more fit and muscular, yet his face was stoic and bored like the last ever time you had seen him. 

“tell that to mr. famous, he’s the hot topic of the table.” rin grumbled, stealing quick glances at you with a side eye that you failed to notice. he couldn’t help but notice how you’ve gotten even prettier within the years, his heart fluttering upon the sight of you. 

you grew up so well, yet you still reminded him of the old y/n he knew. 

“hm, well, congrats on getting in blue lock.” you awkwardly said, rubbing your bare arms as you avoided eye contact with him. 

“thanks.” he dryly responded and silence fell between you both. 

“so, you’re gonna go away for a long time?” you asked, trying to stir up a conversation with your best friend whom your heart ached and yearned for. 

“don’t know.” rin simply shrugged, his resistance making your blood boil. he was acting like it was your first day meeting him and that every single memory between you both never existed. 

“alright, i’m fucking done.” you said through gritted teeth, making rin look at you with a cocked eyebrow. suddenly, you grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down to make at eye-level with you. 

“the fuck is your problem, huh? i don’t know what went on between you and sae, but that shit does not involve me. i don’t give two flying fucks about soccer, i just want my best friend back. so stop being such an asshole!” you screamed in his face, your eyes pooling with tears that began to sting. rin looked into your eyes, his lips thining into a line before his larger hands peeled your fingers away. 

“are you fucking deaf or dumb, huh? that weak and pathetic version of rin itoshi you so dearly hold in your heart is dead. my dream is no one’s but only mine. only i will become the best of the best in the world, the best striker. i will defeat itoshi sae and make him eat his damn words.” his hands balled into fists, making you crouch down as you held your face in your hands, sobbing. 

“then why.. why am i looped into this shit?! did you mean what you said to me last time?” you asked, praying to whatever god up there that you overthought everything those past two years. 

“of course i did, y/n. you mean nothing to me, right now, the only thing important to me is soccer. hell, i’ll even put my life on the line for it. anything and anyone who gets in my way is nothing but a fucking pain the ass.” rin glared down at you, each of his words feeling like a few hundreds of knives stabbing your heart. 

“you fucking jerk. i hate you, itoshi rin! i hate you, i hate you, i hate you! go to fucking hell.” you yelled, getting up with tears in your eyes as you ran inside the house. you tried to navigate yourself to the bathroom to fix your face which was probably streaked with black remains of your mascara. 

you bumped into a hard chest, making you groan in pain as you mumbled a quick ‘sorry’. 

“y/n?” the familiarity of the voice sent chills down your spine, looking up to see none other than sae. his hairstyle changed completely, his eyes dull as he looked at you with an undecipherable look. 

but for some odd reason, his presence made you furious. a part of you couldn’t help but blame sae for the reason why everything went down the drain for the three of you. you roughly shoved him off, catching him off guard. 

“do me a favor and go back to spain so that i don’t ever have to see your face again, itoshi sae.” you said in a monotone, not even wanting to look him in the face as you walked away. 

a beautiful friendship that you once molded with both brothers turned nothing but into puddles of sorrow and agony. 

---

“come on, y/n! it’ll be fun, i promise.” your friend whined, trying to convince you to attend soccer match between u-20 and blue lock today. 

“eh, i don’t know. i’m not really a soccer person.” you nervously laughed, trying to shoo her away. but, your friend was persistent. 

“come on, pretty please? didn’t you say someone you know goes to blue lock?” your friend narrowed her eyes, making you look at the side as you tried to come up with a lie. 

“well, uhm, yeah? but like, i don’t know if he’s still playing in it.” you scratched the back of your neck, trying your best to decline her offer as politely as possible. 

you knew that these tickets were hot and porbably costed a lot of money, yet her friend who is playing in the match gave her two. 

“well then, i guess you’ll find out!” she said and you sighed in defeat. 

“fine.” you mumbled, taking the ticket from her hand. 

you both were now outside of the stadium, the lines were making you feel all sweaty and suffocated. you texted your friend, getting annoyed that she was running late and you felt a little stupid standing in the middle of all of these die-hard soccer fans. 

“ah, sorry! i’m here.” you friend waved to you at the distance, running over as you rolled your eyes. 

“i was gonna go home if you didn’t show up within the next minute.” you gave a small empty threat, making her chuckle. 

“hey, no worries. getting inside won’t take too long, let’s get jersey’s!” she sang out, dragging you the stand where they were selling the shirts. 

“i’ll get number eleven for blue lock please.” you friend said, pulling her wallet to pull out the money. you read the name on the shirt: isagi yoichi. it was most likely the friend that gave her these tickets. 

“what about you, y/n?” she looked at you and your eyes scanned the shirts for both u-20 and blue lock but the summer’s heat was making you feel dizzy. so you just went with some random number that popped inside your head. 

“uh, i don’t know, number ten?” you asked more than said. the man gave you a judgemental look which made you a little embarrassed. 

“for which team? u-20′s number ten is itoshi sae and blue lock’s number ten is itoshi rin.” the man informed you, making your heart drop as those two names rang loud and clear in your ears. 

no way that this could’ve all just been pure coincidence. you were broken out of your thought as the line grew, deciding that no one would even see you anyways from the distance. so, you’d cheer him on behind the scenes. 

“blue lock’s number ten, please.” you said with a small smile. 

after purchasing the jersey, you and your friend went to the bathroom to change into it. after you both were done, she guided you through different doors in which security people guarded it. 

“vip tickets.” you friend eagerly showed them both your and her ticket to the man before they gave her a brief nod. they opened the red rope barrier and allowed you two to enter. 

“hey, this is so close to the field.” you said in awe, looking at the huge green field before you. 

“of course, dummy. we have first row seats.” she gave you a wide smile, making your heart thump. you both took your seat, waiting for the match to start. the announcer people did their little speeches, making you bored. until, the doors opened and the players began to walk in. 

you watched how u-20 walked in, the familiar red head leading the team. your gaze fell on his jersey, it was number ten, itoshi sae. the door on the opposite side opened and the blue lock players walked in and it felt like time had stopped when your eyes fell on the person’s jersey whom you were wearing. 

itoshi rin. 

you noticed how rin’s eyes held a different glint in them, it was filled with determination and the will to devour. he was finally going to play against his brother whom he once dreamt of playing together with side by side. the more you remember that old childish dream that you three dreamt of, the more your heart ached. 

you could only wish that it could go back to that. 

the match has been going for what felt like an eternity, but you couldn’t help but have your palms get sweaty. it was intense, both teams filled with bery talented and skilled players. this was your first time watching rin and sae play soccer, as you’d always skip out on their practices in the past because it was boring to you. 

but now after witnessing it live, you were nothing but dumbstruck from amazement. their speed, intellect, strength, stamina and overall talent was unremarkable. you would be liar if you denied the fact that you were proud of both of them. 

yet, your heart was rooting for blue lock to take home the victory. unfortunately, things weren’t going towards your liking as u-20 was in the lead. one more goal in for u-20 sent the whole crowd roaring and cheering for none other than itoshi sae. 

however, your eyes not even once fell on him. you were more focused on rin, his every move was sharp and hypnotizing. you watched him pant from exhaustion, until a different aura replaced him. 

you looked at him and your heart dropped to your stomach, recognizing that look from before. it was a look as if a demonic entity has taken over him, his eyes darkening as his tongue slipped out in focus. 

fuck. 

you watched him go berserk, zooming past all the players and strategically knocking down everyone’s skills with his own. that was until he was now head on head against sae now. 

you noticed how his movements waivered for a little, but he shrugged it off and continue to get in his shooting range without being interrupted by sae. the crowd grew quiet as they began to whisper and murmur about the sibling rivalry. 

you heard them badmouthing rin, taking sae’s side just because rin wasn’t as well known like sae. you couldn’t take it anymore, leaning over. 

“you could do it, itoshi rin! make that fucking goal, rinnie!!” you screamed at the top of your lungs, your voice catching both brother’s attention. rin looked at you with shock, sharing the same look with sae. you gave rin a hopeful smile, giving him a thumbs up. 

“i believe in you, rin! you can make that goal!” and with that being said, it was as if his mind was being possessed by your voice, your words guiding him as his body acted on its own. 

rin surpressed sae, who didn’t even notice because he was startled by your sudden appearence amongst the crowd. and in a matter of seconds, rin’s leg swung and like fire the ball hit the net. 

“fuck yeah!!” you jumped from your seat as the announcers flooded everyones ears with compliments towards rin. 

blue lock won. 

---

“holy shit, that game was insane!” your friend babbled, making you chuckle as you nodded your head in agreement. 

“yeah, it was.” you smiled, the events of rin’s amazing goal and overall play rewinding in your mind. 

“hey, i’m gonna go catch up with my friend. i’ll text you when i get home.” you friend quickly excused herself and you nodded your head, wanting to leave as soon as possible to avoid bumping into either brothers. 

you were finally able to leave the stadium, now outside as you saw the sun was slowly setting. you leaned against the fence, taking in the breathtaking sight.

“running away from me so soon?” a voice spoke out, sending chills down your spine. you turned your head only to see the 6′1 striker walking towards you while drinking water. he was out of his uniform, now wearing nothing but sweats and a t-shirt. 

“rin..” you said under your breath, your voice already half gone from your screaming. you haven’t seen rin face to face for a while now, especially after that night. he made your heart tremble, your knees weak and you always grew nervous. 

“never expected you to show up to one of my games.” rin blurted out, making you scoff. 

“why? ‘cause you think i don’t know anything about soccer since you’re a hotshot player and i’m not?” you taunted, making his lips curl a little upwards into a small smirk. 

“you’re the one who said soccer was boring.” he argued, making you tsk. 

“well, it’s not as boring when watching you play it.” you mumbled under your breath, but your words were as clear as day to rin and it made his heart swell with pride. 

“is that so?” rin asked, tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear. his skin softly grazed your face, making your cheeks grow warm. your eyes remained on the ground, not being able to meet his intense eye contact. 

rin let out a sigh, grabbing your chin before forcing you to look up to him. he looked down at your flustered face, looking over every feature that he has memorized in his mind. you were still the same, the only difference is you’ve matured as you’ve grown. 

your adorable doey eyes that would look at him like he’s the most interesting person ever to exist, your cute button nose that would scrunch up in excitement, soft and chubby cheeks that would blush whenever he kissed them and plump lips that would say the sweetest things to him. 

you’ve never left itoshi rin’s mind. 

“why did you come today?” he asked, looking into your eyes like he’s trying his best to search for the truth. 

“my friend had extra tickets.” you admitted, watching his eyes droop a little and lose their shine. 

“oh.” his voice sounded disappointed. 

“the man in the jersey stall asked me if i wanted u-20′s number 10 or blue lock’s number 10. i chose you, rin.” you said before cupping his face, getting tired of knocking on this hard wall rin has built around his heart. 

rin could feel his heart hammering against his chest, the unfamiliar feeling of this weird fuzz made him confused. you were rooting for him from the beginning? 

“but why? sae is still a better player than me, i got that goal in by luck because he was distracted.” rin frowned, dropping your hands from his face as you heavily sighed. 

“even if everyone in that entire crowd cheered for sae, i would still be your number one supporter and wear your number and scream for you loud and proud. whether you won or lost, you’ll always be the one that i would root for, rinnie.” you gave him a ceshire smile, that beautiful shimmer in your eyes returning just like how you’d have it when talking to him as a child. 

suddenly, you grabbed his neck before pulling him into your chest, hugging him tightly. you didn’t want to fight against your feelings anymore, you no longer cared. 

“i’ll always choose you, rin. i love you, i love you so, so, so damn much that it hurts. all these years of being away from you made me become nothing but miserable. come back to me, rinnie, please.” you begged, tears streaming down your face as you sniffled. 

and it took only those few words to have that wall itoshi rin built around his heart to come crumbling down. he tightly wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you up as you wrapped your legs around his waist. 

“i missed you so much, y/n. i’m so sorry. i-i don’t even know what to say.” he stammered, as you felt him sniffling against your chest. your hand came down to his cheeks, wiping away his tears as you shook your head. 

“it’s okay, i know it was hard on you. you suffered a lot on your own.” you kissed his forehead lovingly, feeling him tighten his embrace. 

“but still, i was such an asshole to you because i was so consumed by my hatred. i’m so sorry for hurting you, y/n. i felt so guilty, i couldn’t even face you because i knew my feelings would conflict with me.” rin admitted, making your heart skip a beat. 

“i love you too, y/n. i always have and i always will.” he said, leaning away from your chest to meet your gaze as his eyes softened. you giggled in content, your hand going behind his neck to pull him into a kiss. 

it wasn’t anything too much, a soft yet savoring kiss that you both shared. rin could taste the sweet fruity gloss you used on your lips, humming at it’s sweetness. you smiled against his lips before pecking them multiple times. you cupped his cheeks, squishing them as a pout forcibly formed on his lips. 

“ahhh, you’re so cute, rinnie! i just wanna eat you up!” you squealed, continuing to pepper his face and pouty lips with smooches. rin’s face noticibly grew warm and red, but he liked getting this kind of attention from you. 

you both spent the next few minutes just hugging and pecking each other, enjoying each other’s close company that you both ached for all those years. 

“we got the whole week off, so uh, do you wanna go on a date?” rin asked, averting his eyes from you. a teasing grin danced on your lips as you decided to play with him a little. 

“hmm, i don’t know. let me think.” you pretended to think hard, making him scoff. 

“y/n!” rin whined, playfully smacking your thigh as you chuckled. 

“just kidding! of course i’ll go on a date with you, rin. but, only if you first ask me to be your girlfriend.” you asked with a cheeky smile, making him pinch your nose. 

“now you’re asking for too much.” rin teased, making you scoff. 

“hey, i was your lucky charm that helped you make that goal. the least you can do is ask me to be your girlfriend.” you roll your eyes, sending him a small glare. 

“now why would i give you any credit for that goal.” rin tilted his head, making you huff. 

“jerk, fine, then go on that date by yourself.” you said in a petty tone, squirming out of his release before walking off. rin chuckled to himself, knowing that you were right. your voice was the only thing that put him in that trance to make that goal, so yes, you were his lucky charm. 

rin lightly jogged behind your before engulfing your figure into a back hug. he snuggled his face in the crook of your neck before kissing your temple. 

“be my girlfriend and go on that date with me.” he said, pressing a tender kiss on your cheeks. a girly smile was now plastered on your face and you hummed. 

“if you insist, okay then!” you exclaimed, your stomach filled with butterflies. 

“good, i can’t win my games without my lucky charm.” rin breathed out in content, wrapping an arm around your waist as he held you close while you both walked. 

from a distance, the other itoshi watched, tightly clutching onto his duffle bag. an overwhelming amount of sadness washing over him as he watched his once beloved brother and childhood friend walk away together. 

sae let out a heavy sigh, walking in the opposite direction as a bitter smile was on his lips. in a way, the dream you three have dreamt came true today. 

the itoshi brothers played together in an intense soccer match while you were in the front rows cheering. only difference was the molten sea of hate and complicated feelings that made things more different. 

you only cheered for rin, completely ignoring sae’s existence and perhaps that why this feeling of tightness in his chest prevented him from even caring about what rin had in plan next during the match. 

although you and rin found each other once again in the same world, itoshi sae realized that he was way far gone from you both. 

he could no longer dream the same dream as you and rin. 

itoshi sae has lost his brother and his childhood best friend and he knew that he couldn’t blame anyone else but himself. 

[justsomewritingblog]

The Right Thing

Request:  Nope

Requested By:  Nobody

Prompt: "Don’t patronize me for something you were too scared to do!"

Pairing:  Draco Malfoy x Slytherin!OC/reader

Summary:  Hunt's best friend, Draco Malfoy, accepts the Dark Mark. She doesn't approve.

Warnings:  violence (battle), mentions of death, mentions of blood

A/N:  THIS IS SOOOO LATE. Holy moly, where does the time go?

Word Count:  12K+

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked through Hogwarts’ doors, looking up and marveling at the scale of the place.

“First years, follow me, please,” a woman- I assumed a witch- instructed before leading everyone up a staircase.  She wore a large pointy hat and green robes.

I followed her, grimacing as I bumped shoulders with a few other children.

“The sorting ceremony is your initiation at Hogwarts,” the woman explained, leading us through large double doors.

A big room with four long tables was revealed to us.  They were nearly full with teenagers.  Another table was at the end of the room, many adults sitting at it.  Candles floated in the air, casting a pleasant warm glow.

As we were led further into the room, I could see a stool with something sitting atop it in front of the adults’ table.

The witch turned to face us, gesturing to the space in front of her.  “Wait here, please.  Before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words.”

A man with long white hair and beard stood from his seat at the middle of the adult table.  “I have a few start-of-term notices I wish to announce.”  He paused.  “The first years, please note…that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students.  Also, our caretaker,” he gestured to the doors, “Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you… that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone that does not wish to die a most painful death.”

I cocked an eyebrow.

“Thank you.”  Dumbledore smiled before sitting back down.

The witch that led us in pulled out a scroll, opening it.  “Now, when I call your name, you will come forth… I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head,” she lifted the hat, “and you will be sorted into your houses.”  She looked down at the scroll she held in her right hand before looking back towards the crowd of first years.  “Hermione Granger.”

A girl near the front of the group slowly moved forward, sitting on the stool. The hat was placed on her bushy hair.  A few seconds later it shouted out “Gryffindor!”

One of the long tables erupted into cheers and applause.

I assumed that was the Gryffindor table.

Granger got off the stool, moving to sit at the table.

At the call of my name, I turned to the witch and eyed the hat in her hand before moving towards the stool, sitting down atop it.

“Ahh,” the hat said.  “What have we here?  Got a bit of bravery, a good deal of loyalty to your close friends…”

I looked up as best I could, trying to see the hat.

It went on.  “Smart, too.  I also see a great deal of passion and ambition.  You want things to go your way, and you’ll do much to get yourself there.”  The hat hummed.  “Do you have any preferences?”

“Wherever will benefit me the most,” I reasoned quietly, hoping that my parents would be proud no matter what house I was put in.

“Very well.  I will put you in…Slytherin!”

I let out a small breath of relief as the table by the right wall grew loud with claps. The hat was lifted off my head and I moved from the stool, making my way to the end table.  I slid down the empty end of the benches, sitting by another student before returning my attention to the ceremony.

The witch looked at her scroll again before lifting her head.  “Draco Malfoy.”

A boy near the front moved towards the stool, his hair the whitest blond I had ever seen.  He sat on the stool, turning to face the students.

The witch began to lower the hat.

“Slytherin!”

My table began clapping again.

I raised an eyebrow.  I didn’t think the hat even touched his head.

The boy walked over to the Slytherin table, sitting across from me.

“Susan Bones.”

A redheaded girl stepped forward to sit on the stool, a nervous look on her face.

“My name is Malfoy.  Draco Malfoy.”

I turned, looking at the boy addressing me.

His hand was outstretched.

I eyed it, extending my hand to shake it as I looked back into his grey eyes.  “I know.”

He cocked an intrigued eyebrow, his confident smirk growing as he returned his hand to his side.  “You’ve heard of me.”

“Most pureblood families know who the Malfoys are,” I reasoned, glancing back in time to see Bones walking towards a table.

It wasn’t the Gryffindor or Slytherin ones, but I couldn’t tell if it was Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw.

I turned back to the blond.  “Your name was also just announced.”

“Ronald Weasley.”

I looked back, seeing a redheaded boy move towards the seat.

The hat was placed on his head and shortly shouted out “Gryffindor”.

Weasley let out a sigh of relief, moving to the table and sitting amongst several other redheads.

“How many children does one family need?”

I turned to Malfoy, noting his displeased expression.

“Harry Potter.”

My eyes widened and I spun around.

A boy with dark hair and circular glasses moved out of the crowd, looking back briefly before settling on the stool.

The hat was placed on his head.  For many moments, it sat there.

Potter muttered something.

The hat finally yelled out “Gryffindor!”

Potter got off the seat and moved to the Gryffindor table as everyone greeted him with enthusiasm.

I heard a scoff and looked back at Malfoy.

“Precious Potter,” he said with a sneer.  “I’m surprised they didn’t have a parade for him.”

I smirked.  “The day’s not over, Malfoy.”

Malfoy’s frown turned into a mischievous smile.  “I think you and I can be great friends, Hunt.”

My smirk grew into a grin.  “I think so, too.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I stepped away from the display at the front of the bookshop, beginning to head towards the exit.

Gilderoy Lockhart was, unfortunately, selling the textbooks needed for the school year.

My parents walked behind me, talking to each other.

I lifted my gaze, seeing a mass of red hair.

Moving through the group of spectators, I approached them.  “Ah, the Weasleys,” I said, looking over at them.  “Fancy meeting you here.”

Some eyed me suspiciously, others in simple confusion.

“What do you want, Hunt?”

I turned to Ron.  “Nothing, Weasley.”  I cocked an eyebrow.  “I’m just here for my books.”  I looked between all of the children.  “I assume you’re here to do the same?”

Lockhart moved towards the group, grabbing Potter and pulling him up to the front, making some sort of remark about them being in the newspaper.

“Something like that,” Ron said coldly.

I raised an eyebrow.  “I’m not your enemy, Weasley.”

“Any friend of Malfoy is an enemy of mine,” he said, looking over at me.

I straightened, my clutch on my books tightening.  “I see.”  Turning around to face my parents, I nodded towards another area of the shop.  “I’m almost ready.  I just want to look at one more thing.”

“Alright,” my mother said, smiling down at me.

I moved to a different corner of the store, eyes raking over the bindings of the books.  I frowned. The book I was thinking about getting wasn’t there. I returned to my parents, nodding at them.  “I’m done.”

They nodded back and began to usher me towards the door.

The Weasleys and their crew had moved towards the exit, as well.

“-Potter.  You’ve got yourself a girlfriend.”

I smiled at the familiar voice.  Moving around the Weasleys, I made my way towards the blond.  “Draco,” I greeted with a smile.

Draco lifted his gaze to me before it was immediately drawn to his father’s cane that pushed on his shoulder to move him out of the way.

Mr. Malfoy began talking to Potter as I walked behind him, heading for Draco.

“Good to see you, Draco,” I said with a smile.

He gave a forced smile back before his gaze drifted over my shoulder to look at his father.

My smile dropped of its own accord, but I managed to keep it from falling completely into a frown.  Clearing my throat, I looked up at him.  “Did you get your books yet?”

“I got them earlier,” he replied distractedly, only glancing down at me for a brief moment.

“I see.”  Looking to the side, I huffed out a breath before looking back to the blond.  “I guess I’ll see you at school, Draco.”

He nodded, his eyes still on his father.

I frowned, returning to my parents.  “I’m ready to leave.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I looked around Platform Nine and Three Quarters, standing on the tips of my toes to see over people.  

Parents were saying goodbye to their children before they boarded the Hogwarts Express.

My gaze landed on a head of blond hair.  I smiled at the familiar shade.  Feet moving into action, I made my way over, the speed of my steps increasing as I got closer.  As I approached, his gaze scanned the area before landing on me.

A smile graced his sharpening features.  He turned and said something to Crabbe and Goyle, who both went inside the train, before striding towards me.

“Draco,” I greeted quietly as he approached me.  I met his gaze and let out a chuckle.  “I have to look up at you, now.”

He smirked down at me.  “Are you saying you haven’t always looked up to me?”

I rolled my eyes with a scoff.  “Hardly.” We made our way into the train. I followed behind Draco as he led me through the compartments.

He looked into each window before moving on.  He stopped, entering the box that Crabbe and Goyle were sitting in.

I followed, sitting opposite Goyle, Draco on my right.  Raising an eyebrow, I looked between the three.  “What nonsense do you think will go on at Hogwarts this year?”

Draco scoffed.  “Whatever it is, you can bet Potter and his friends will be at the center of it.”

I chuckled.  “Well, obviously.”  I adjusted in my seat.  “I swear those three look for trouble.”

The loud sound of the train’s breaks filled the air.

I winced, looking towards the window.  “We can’t be at Hogwarts yet.”  Turning to the door, I slid it open, sticking my head out to peer towards the front of the train.  I could see other students doing the same.

“The stupid thing probably broke down,” Draco sneered.

I drew my head back in, closing the door, as I turned to my housemates.

The lights went out.

“Oh, lovely,” I muttered.

The train jostled.

I gripped the edge of the bench to steady myself.  “What in the name of Salazar is going on here?”

A harsh chill fell over the room.

Ice began to form on the window.

The loud sounds of the rain hitting the still compartment filled my ears.

I reached towards the door, lowering the curtain.  Sliding backwards along the bench, I kept my eyes on the only entrance as I pulled out my wand.

A figure passed the compartment, casting a cloaked shadow on the curtain.

I held my breath.

Silence stretched on for a few moments.

My gaze stayed locked on the doorway, even as the lights came back on.

“What was that,” Crabbe asked after a few more beats of quiet.

The train began moving again.

I relaxed slightly, moving slightly away from Draco to look between the three of them.  “Nothing good.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament since its inception,” Professor McGonagall began, clasping her hands together as she began walking between the rows of seated students.  “On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for a night of well-mannered frivolity.”  She paused and looked around.  “As representatives of the host school I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward… and I mean this literally, because the Yule Ball is first and foremost… a dance.”

Whispers broke out among the students; excited sounds from the girls, irritated sounds from the boys.

I smirked.

Professor McGonagall held up her hands.  “Silence!”

The students quieted.

“The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizard world for nearly ten centuries.  I will not have you, in the course of a single evening, besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons.”  She smiled.  “Now, to dance is to let the body breathe.”  She turned towards us.  “Inside every girl, a secret swan slumbers, longing to burst forth and take flight.”

I shifted my gaze to Draco, who was sitting across the room.

His cool, grey eyes met mine.

I pointedly rolled my eyes before smirking.

He smirked back before wiping his expression, looking to the head of Gryffindor as she turned to them.

“Inside every boy, a lordly lion prepared to prance- Mister Weasley.”  Professor McGonagall walked towards him.

Ronald looked up at her, looking the most uncomfortable I’d ever seen him.  “Yes,” he asked quietly.

She reached her hand down.  “Will you join me please?”

Weasley got up silently as the rest of the boys laughed.

Potter gave his best friend a push, grinning at him.

The ginger met the Professor in the middle of the room.

She held up her arms.  “Now.  Place your right hand on my waist.”

He looked horrified.  “Where?”

“My waist.”

Weasley apprehensively placed his hand on his professor’s waist.

A wolf whistle sounded from the boy’s side of the room.

The redhead turned his head towards it, pulling his hand off.

Professor McGonagall grabbed it, putting it back.  “And extend your arm.”  She looked over her shoulder.  “Mr. Filch, if you please.”

Filch put the needle down on the gramophone.

Music filled the room.

Professor McGonagall looked back to Ron.  “One, two, three.  One, two, three.”  She began to lead him in dance steps.  “Everybody come together!”

The girls all stood in a hurry, moving onto the dance floor.

I sighed before pushing myself to my feet and joining them.

The boys sat further back in their chairs, seemingly trying to be swallowed by them.

“Boys!  On your feet!”

The boys all looked around at each other.

Longbottom finally stood, making his way towards us.

The rest of the group groaned before standing and walking over.

Professor McGonagall’s voice called above the noise.  “Everybody, Mister Malfoy!”

I stood on the tips of my toes, spotting the blond huff as he stood from his seat, slowly walking onto the dance floor.

His gaze raked the crowd.

I moved to make my way towards him when I bumped into someone.  “My apologies,” I said, looking up into the face of a Ravenclaw.

“It’s alright,” he assured with a small smile.

I paused, looking around him to see Draco.

“I guess we’re practicing…” the Ravenclaw said.  He looked down at me.  “Would you mind dancing with me?”

“Well, I was actually...” I looked to where Draco was, no longer seeing him.  My eyebrows furrowed.  I looked back up at the Ravenclaw.  “I’d… be delighted,” I said, forcing a practiced smile.

He grinned down at me, his white teeth standing out even more against his dark skin.  He placed his hands where they were supposed to go before beginning to move us along the floor.

I periodically looked around, trying to find my housemate.

“You’re very good.”

I looked back at the Ravenclaw.  “Thank you.  Knowing how to dance was a necessity with my family.”

“Have a lot of parties?”

I smiled.  “And things of similar nature.”

As soon as Professor McGonagall announced practice was over, I thanked my partner before stepping away, trying to find Draco.  Having no luck, I returned to the Slytherin Common Room.  “Pureblood,” I said distractedly before walking into the room.

The girls that were already there were excitedly discussing the upcoming dance.

I strode passed them, looking for the blond.

“Hunt!”

I turned around, looking at the group of girls.  “Yes?”

“Are you going to the ball?”

“Who was that man you were dancing with?”

I looked between my housemates.  “I don’t know, and I don’t know.”  I glanced to the side before turning back to them.  “Have any of you seen Draco?”

“I think he went up to the dorm rooms,” one of them said.

“Thank you.”  I moved towards the steps, grabbing Goyle’s sleeve, dragging him away from whatever he was doing, and pushed him up the stairs in front of me.

I was a little too old for slides.

Once at the top, I thanked him before turning to the dorm Draco was assigned.  I knocked on the door.

A few beats of silence followed before the sound of a quiet “it’s open” reached my ears.

I opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind me.

“What do you want,” Draco questioned, laying on his bed.  He was staring at the ceiling.

“Well, I wanted to dance with you, but you vanished.”

Draco snapped his head in my direction.  His surprised, and maybe even panicked, look quickly became masked by indifference.  “You were dancing with somebody else.”

I strode towards him, standing at the foot of his bed.  “I was trying to get to you,” I said, looking down at him.

He lifted his gaze to meet my eyes briefly before he lowered them again.  “Who were you dancing with, anyway?”

I shrugged.  “A Ravenclaw.  He’s nice.”

Draco’s eyes shifted to the side.

A few beats of silence passed.

My eyebrow quirked up for a split second.  “Are you going to the Yule Ball?”

“I don’t know.”

I hummed.  “Well, if you aren’t, I’m not.”

He finally moved his gaze back to my face.

I lifted a hand to gesture.  “Don’t let that affect your decision of course.  Just let me know what you choose.  I wouldn’t want to waste my time.”  I stepped away from his bed, moving towards the door.

“You aren’t going with that Ravenclaw?”

My steps halted.  “No.”  I turned around to face him.

A few more beats of silence passed.

“Did you want to go?”

I pursed my lips.  “I hadn’t decided.”

Another pause.

“I would only go if you did,” Draco said.  “You know how to dance, and I would never be seen with someone who would embarrass me,” he quickly tacked on.

I forced myself not to smile at his response.  “The choice is yours,” I said, moving towards the door.  I gripped the door handle before looking back at the blond.  “Goodnight, Draco.”

“Goodnight.”

I stepped out of his room, closing the door behind me.

~~~~~~~~~~

I made my way to the Great Hall.

Students were everywhere, standing in groups.

It was odd to see everyone dressed so nicely.

It was odd to be dressed so nicely at school.

Stopping by the steps, I ran my hand over my flowy skirt before reaching up and adjusting my hair.  Once I realized I had done the action I quickly dropped my hand to my side, chastising myself.

Why was I so nervous?

I fought the urge to fiddle with the jeweled silver necklace that rested at my collarbone.

Someone brushed my arm.

I turned to look at them.  “Oh, I-” I paused, seeing Potter and Weasley.  “Hello, boys.”  I silently eyed Weasley’s dress robes.

“Hunt,” Potter said tightly.

Weasley lowered his head.

I cleared my throat, looking over at the Boy Who Lived.  “Good job with the tournament so far, Potter.”

He forced a smile.  “Thanks.”

Two girls walked over.  “Hello, boys.”

The males lifted their heads, looking over at the pair.

Potter looked over at me.  “Excuse us.”

“Of course,” I said, gesturing at their dates.

The four of them moved a few steps away and began to converse.

“I see Potter managed to find a date.”

My head whipped around to the sound of the voice.

Draco’s head was turned towards Potter and Weasley, a grimace on his face.

My eyes traced his form in his dress robes appreciatively.  A twinge of horror ran through me, which I’m sure appeared on my face, before I forced the thoughts from my mind.  Clearing my throat, I followed his gaze.  “Yes.  I imagine it’s pretty easy when you’re as famous as he is.”

Draco scoffed.  “As if he wasn’t famous enough already.  Now he’s a part of the tourna-” Draco looked down at me, cutting himself off.  His eyes widened slightly.

I fought hard against fidgeting.  Instead, I raised a challenging eyebrow, hoping that if I ignored the red color growing on my cheeks, he wouldn’t notice it.  “Cat got your tongue, Malfoy?”  I smirked.

He met my gaze, an irritated look on his face, opening his mouth to reply.

“Ah, Mister Malfoy, Miss Hunt.”

Draco and I turned to the voice.

Professor McGonagall stood beside us.  “Please head inside the Great Hall.  The students are going to welcome the tournament champions and their dates.”

Draco’s face twitched in what I knew was him trying to not sneer.

I nodded.  “We will, Professor.”  Taking Draco’s arm, I pulled him towards the double doors.

We walked through, standing in one of the two lines along the entrance.

Music sounded and the champions walked in.

Fleur was first with her date, followed by Victor Krum and Granger.

Cedric Diggory and Chang followed them, Potter and his date taking up the rear.

I joined the others in clapping, noting that Draco’s clapping ceased once Krum had passed.

The champions and their dates began dancing.

Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall stepped onto the floor after a few minutes, beginning to dance as well.

Longbottom and Ginny Weasley followed.

Draco took my hand, pulling me onto the floor.  Turning to face me once he stopped, he took my hand in his, placing his other on my waist.

My heart jumped at the contact, and I fought to keep my expression from showing it, instead offering him a smile as I put my free hand on his shoulder.

We stepped in time with the music, effortlessly performing the familiar steps.

“Are you having fun yet?”

He looked down at me before his gaze drifted around the room.  “It could be worse,” he said as he lifted me into the air.

I smirked up at him as he set me back down, resuming our steps.  “Do I displease you that much?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”  He looked around.  “It’s crowded.  And Potter-”

“Don’t think about Potter.”  I held his gaze, trying to get my earnestness across.  “Not tonight, Draco.  Relax and enjoy the festivities, food, and people.”

Draco scanned the room again.  “I doubt I’ll get much enjoyment out of the people.”

I squeezed his hand that held mine.  “Try.”

Draco sighed through his nose before nodding.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Thank you for coming, Draco.”  I smiled softly.  “I hope you enjoyed yourself, at least a little.”

He shrugged one shoulder, looking to the wall.  “It wasn’t totally awful.”

I hummed a chuckle.

Draco looked back at me.  His grey eyes shifted between mine before flickering to my lips for a brief moment.  He held my gaze.  “Goodnight, Hunt.”

I nodded.  “Goodnight.”

We each turned around, heading towards our dormitories.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Did you know that Professor Umbridge is looking for people for an inquisitor squad?”

I turned the page of the textbook laid out on the Common Room table.  “No, I didn’t,” I replied, eyes scanning over the title of the next chapter.

“I’m going to volunteer.”

My gaze lifted from the page I was studying to meet Draco’s.  “What will that get you?”

“Power.  Authority.”

I wrote down something I expected would come up on a test in the near future.  “Both temporary.”

“Maybe.”  Draco paused.  “I might even get a good reputation with the Ministry.”

My quill stilled.  

Now that was interesting.

Eyes darting back and forth, I pondered the thought.  Lifting my head to look at Draco, I ignored his smirk.

He knew he had me.

“How many people is she looking for,” I asked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I stepped inside Malfoy Manor, falling into stride behind my parents.

“Lucius, Narcissa,” my father greeted, shaking their hands.  “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“And you,” Mrs. Malfoy replied, smiling.

“Have you…” Mr. Malfoy’s gaze shifted to me briefly, “informed her of the situation?”

“Not yet,” my mother said.

My eyebrows furrowed.  I opened my mouth to question them, but Mrs. Malfoy walked towards me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

“I imagine you want to see Draco, dear.”  She smiled down at me as she began to lead me towards their grand staircase.

“Mrs. Malfoy, what’s going on?”  I looked over at her as she walked with me up the steps.

“You’ll understand soon,” she assured, though her voice seemed off.

We reached the top of the steps.

“Draco,” Mrs. Malfoy called out.

I looked back down the steps, seeing Mr. Malfoy usher my parents into the dining area.

The sound of a door opening drew my attention back to the upstairs hallway.

Draco stepped out of his room, closing the door behind him.  He wore an entirely black suit, and when he turned to face his mother I could tell something was wrong.

My heart tugged and my stomach sank as I took in his furrowed eyebrows, dark circles under his eyes and prevalent frown on his face.

“-to see you, dear.”

Draco nodded, lowering his head as he cast his gaze at the floor.

Mrs. Malfoy placed her hand on Draco’s cheek for a few moments before walking back downstairs.

I waited with held breath.

Draco, without lifting his head, turned back around and went back inside his room.

The door was left ajar.

I waited a few moments, stuck in place, before forcing my feet to follow him.  Walking inside his room, I stared at his back, stopping just inside as I closed the door halfway.  Turning to him, I tried to fight against my nausea.  “Draco,” I called out quietly.  Taking a small step towards him, I asked “what’s wrong?”

He let out a shaky breath, one which I could see in his back and shoulders, and turned his head away from me slightly.

I took a couple more steps, lightly placing my hand on his shoulder.

He startled.

I moved around his right, trying to look at him, but he turned his head away further.  “Draco,” I said softly.

His jaw twitched.

“Look at me,” I whispered, my eyebrows pulling together.

He hesitated before turning his head towards me slightly.

I put my right hand on his cheek, bringing his head around to face me completely.

He still wouldn’t look me in the eyes.

“Draco.”

A few moments passed before he lifted his head.  His grey eyes were dim, filled with unshed tears.

My entire body got set on edge.  “Draco-”

He let out a short noise, similar to a sob, before crushing me in a hug.

I froze.

What in the world could get the Malfoy heir so upset?

I wrapped my arms around him.  “What’s wrong?”  I squeezed him.  “What happened?”

Nothing but muffled cries escaped him.

I tightened my hold, resting my head on his shoulder.  “Shhh.  It’s okay,” I tried to soothe.  Running my hand along his back, I reminded him to breathe.

“Children!”

My heart stopped.

Draco froze.

I lifted my head, turning to face the doorway.

“Come downstairs!”

My attention was drawn back to my best friend when I felt him pull away from me.

He stood up tall and straightened out his suit.

His eyes were red and wet.

I frowned.  “One moment,” I called back, not looking away from the boy before me.

He stared straight ahead, focused on the wall, as he wiped his eyes.

My frown deepened.

He moved around me, heading towards the door.

I quickly followed him out, needing to move fast to keep up with his purposeful steps.

Draco turned the corner, heading into the dining area.

I did the same, stopping dead in my tracks.

“Ah, Miss Hunt.”

My eyes widened.

The Dark Lord gestured at the free chairs at the table.  “Won’t you sit down?”

I looked to Voldemort’s right, seeing Mr. Malfoy.

Mrs. Malfoy sat on her husband’s other side, Draco sitting down beside her.

On Voldemort’s left… my parents.

As much as I wanted to sit by Draco, I reasoned with myself that sitting by my parents would be more professional.

Lowering myself into the seat beside my mother, I shifted my gaze briefly to Draco, who sat across from me, before looking back at Voldemort.

“Did you enjoy your visit with young Mister Malfoy?”

I blinked at the question, fighting to keep my expression neutral.

Not really.

“As much as could be expected,” I replied.

“Good.”  Voldemort nodded, grinning.  “I wanted to discuss business.”  He nodded his head towards my parents.  “Your parents have already accepted the Dark Mark, as have the Malfoys.”

I glanced at Draco, seeing his head still cast downward.  I looked back to the Dark Lord.

“The offer extends to you.”

All eyes turned on me, awaiting my decision.

I resisted the urge to shift in my seat.  “What do I get out of it?”

Voldemort laughed.

Everyone else looked baffled.

“What else?”  Voldemort grinned.  “Power.  The world will be yours.”

I nodded, sitting up straighter.  “And if I refuse?”

Everyone’s heads whipped around to face me.

They all looked horrified.

I saw a twinge of something flash across Voldemort’s face.

He chuckled.  “My dear Miss Hunt…” he clasped his hands on the table.  “If you are not with me… you are against me.”

The room fell silent.

“I see.”  I tilted my chin up.  “May I have some time to think it over?”

Voldemort’s expression fell for just a moment before he plastered a grin on his face.  “Certainly.  How long do you require?”

“A week.”

Voldemort nodded.  “Very well.  Until then.”  He nodded at me, but remained seated.

I stood.  “Thank you.”  Casting one last glance around the table at the people I grew up with, I walked out of the dining area.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I readjusted my grip on the bag I was carrying.  Stopping in front of my motel room, I pulled out the key and opened the door, closing and locking it behind me once inside.

It was getting late, and I wasn’t looking forward to the darkness that came with it.

Walking further into the room, I moved towards the kitchen before stopping in my tracks.

A figure was standing in the shadows.

I whipped out my wand.  “Stupe-”

“Expelliarmus!”

My wand flew out of my hand, hitting the floor several feet away.

I froze.

My heart skipped a beat and my stomach jumped to my throat.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I lowered my head, turning on the lightswitch.

The overhead lights illuminated the room.

I stared at a spot on the floor, not wanting to look my visitor in the eyes.  “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see you.”

“Why?”  I lifted my head to look at him.  “How did you find me?”

Draco hesitated.  “They never lost you.”

I stared at him for a few moments before walking the few steps to retrieve my wand.  “So why are they only sending you now?”

“They didn’t send me.”

I turned to face him.  “Then why are you here?  If You-Know-Who knows where I am, why haven’t they come to kill me?”

His posture shifted.  “You ask a lot of questions.”

My eyes narrowed.  “Draco-”

“You’re safe.”  He paused.  “For now, at least.”

My eyes scanned him for a few moments, gaze settling on his sleeved arm.  “I could say the same to you.”  I looked up to meet his eyes.  “Getting the Dark Mark won’t protect you, Draco.  You’re smart enough to know he’s only going to use you until you’re no longer needed.”  I marched past him and put the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter.

“Don’t patronize me for something you were too scared to do!”

I turned around, seeing that Draco had taken a step towards me.

For the first time in the six years we’ve known each other, he was glaring at me.

I fought against the instinct to take a step backwards.

I looked him in the eyes, forcing my voice to be steady.  “I think we both know who acted out of fear.”

He held my gaze for a few moments before it dropped to the floor.

I sighed quietly, turning around again to put the food away.

A few moments of silence passed.

I closed the cabinet door.  “Do you want something to eat,” I asked, voice just above a whisper.

“I can’t stay.”

I frowned.  Realizing I was still tense, I forced my shoulders down.

More silence.

I closed a drawer.

“Why didn’t you accept the…”

“The offer?”  Without looking, I knew Draco was watching me.  “Truthfully?”  I turned around to face him.  “I don’t want to dominate the earth.  I have no desire to rule England or anything of the sort.”  I walked passed him, towards the couch.  “I don’t need to control a nation to get what I want in life.”

“What are your ambitions then?

My steps faltered.  “I…” I spun around to face him again, seeing that he had followed me.  “I would like to run a business.  Be successful.  Maybe get married…”

Draco’s eyes darted to the floor before looking back at me.

While his expression didn’t change much, I could see the surprise in his eyes and the slight twitch of his eyebrows.

“I don’t think ‘world dictator’ suits you, either,” I said.

“I don’t really have a choice,” he mumbled.

“Yes you do.”  I walked towards him, standing less than a foot away.  “Draco, this isn’t you.”

“I promised,” he said, his concerned eyes peering into mine.

“Promised?  Since when have you been concerned about keeping your promises?”

“Since they involved the Dark Lord,” he whispered, irises showing his fear.

My eyes shifted between his.  “Draco,” I reached down, taking his hands in mine, never pulling my gaze from his.  “Run away with me.  Leave this behind.  You can get what you want a different way-”

“I can’t.  They’re already tracking you, and I promised-”

“Draco, he’s going to kill you anyway,” I hissed.  Tears formed in my eyes.  “It’s only a matter of time.”

Draco’s eyes, growing wet as well, darted between my own.  “I have to protect you.”

It was so quiet and under-his-breath I barely heard it.

“Draco Lucius Malfoy, don’t you dare,” I muttered, the tears flowing from my eyes.  Reaching forward, I pulled him into a hug, wrapping both of my arms around him as tightly as I could.

He reciprocated, clinging to me as if I were a raft on the open sea.

We buried our faces into each other’s shoulders.

I hugged him tighter.

It felt like I couldn’t get close enough.

“Draco, don’t risk your life for me,” I whispered.

His breath stuttered.  His grip on me strengthened.  “I can’t let anything happen to you.”

“Well, how do you think I feel?”  I pulled away just enough to look at his face.  “If you die because of me-” I cut myself off, my voice breaking.

“As long as I do what he wants, I won’t.”

“You don’t know that,” I retorted sharply.

Draco’s eyes shifted between mine for a few beats.  “I should go.”

Panic bloomed in my chest.  I couldn’t bear the thought of-  “What if…. what if I never see you again?”

Draco stared down at me for a few tense moments.  Leaning forward, he placed a kiss on my lips.

It only lasted a few seconds, and I was too in-shock to reciprocate before he pulled away.

“Be careful,” he whispered.

I swallowed hard as I stared up at him.  “You, too.”

Draco nodded, pulling out his wand.

I blinked, and he was gone.

Almost as if he was never there in the first place.

My mind raced.

I was only alive because Draco promised Lord Voldemort something.  Once that thing is done, whatever it is, or if Draco fails…

I took in a shaky breath, looking over at the kitchen.

What would happen if I left?

If the Death Eaters were no longer able to find me, would they have anything over Draco?  Would Draco be free, or would he simply be killed?

My stomach churned.

The risk wasn’t worth it.

I forced my legs to move towards the kitchen.

I would just have to trust that Harry Potter would fulfill his role and end this, once and for all.

My steps paused.

Harry Potter.

Gripping my wand, I walked towards the doorway.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Getting to the Boy Who Lived turned out to be harder than I had initially imagined.

I had presumed that the Weasley family would take him to protect him.

But first, I had to get rid of my babysitter.

Diagon Alley, since the shocking news of Dumbledore’s death, had become far less crowded than it had been.

Voldemort was free to do whatever he wanted.

Rightfully, the streets were nearly abandoned.

Losing the Death Eater was going to be harder than I thought.

I turned through several alleyways, going into shops and leaving them through different doors, sneaking around as best as I could.

Swiping a coat from a store, I tugged it on, tucking my hair into a hat I grabbed.  I strode out, altering my walk, as I made my way into the broom shop.  I grimaced as I looked at all of them.

Such an uncivilized form of travel.

With a sigh, I grabbed one and paid for it, wrapping it before exiting the building.

I had already tried apparating to the Weasleys’, but it wasn’t letting me.

They must have put spells against it.

Potter was definitely there.

I made my way to an apparition point, quickly traveling to the middle of nowhere.

The field I stood on was vast, and the plants around me were only just starting to grow.

My gaze dropped to the broom in my hand.

Letting out a sigh, I unwrapped it and straddled the object.

My heart began to race.

I had never once been on a broom before.

I gently pulled up on the object and it rose into the air.

I wobbled and clutched the broom tighter, leaning down closer to it in an attempt to be more stable.

The broom shot forward.

I leaned down lower, gasping.

The broom sped up.

That was interesting.

With all of my willpower and bravery, I unattached myself from the broom handle, sitting upright and leaning back.

The broom stopped.

I held on tightly, grunting as I was almost thrown from the sudden action.

Heaving out breaths, I brushed some of the hair out of my face.

Sitting upright, I cleared my throat.

Time to find the Weasleys.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I slowed down the broom as the Weasleys’ house grew closer.

A flying, uninvited, object approaching them from the sky would probably not be welcome.

I lowered into the tall grass surrounding the building.  Getting off the broom, I let out a relieved breath and looked around for any threats.

The Weasleys’ home was incredibly tall and skinny, almost as if whoever made it was trying to fit the whole family in there but only had a limited space to do so.

I saw some people wandering around the outside of the house.  Creeping closer, I could make out Professor Lupin.  My gaze lifted to one of the windows, noticing Potter walk by it, ascending a staircase.

They really should have their curtains closed.

I waited a few beats to see if anyone else was with him before apparating, landing on my feet behind the boy.

He spun around, drawing his wand.

I raised my hands in surrender.  “I’m not your enemy, Potter.”

His eyes narrowed behind his glasses.  “How do I know that?”

“If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you already,” I said with fake confidence, knowing deep down that Potter was likely more proficient than me at dueling.

But he didn’t know that.

“Yeah,” he nodded his head to the side briefly, “maybe.”

Slowly lowering my hands, I kept my gaze on him as I shifted my right hand to my left arm.

He watched me carefully as I rolled up my sleeve.

My bare forearm was revealed to him.

He let out a quiet relieved breath and lowered his wand to his side.  “What do you want?”

“I want to help you end this.”  I pulled my sleeve back down.  “I want this war to be over.”  My jaw clenched.  “I want my friend back.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Harry, you can’t be serious,” Weasley breathed.

“She hasn’t exactly proven herself to be one of us,” Granger said in a near whisper.  “Are you sure you can trust her,” she asked, her eyes darting to me.

“Yes,” Potter looked over at me.  “She doesn’t have the Dark Mark, and I believe her motivations.”

“But she’s a Slytherin.”

I rolled my eyes.  “Thank you, Weasley, I think he already figured that part out.”  I glared over at him.  “The point is, I have an idea.”

They eyed me suspiciously.

Hermione raised an eyebrow.  “And that would be?”

“Missy!”

An elf appeared beside me.  “Yes, Mistress?”

Potter and Weasley startled backwards slightly.

Granger gasped.

I looked down at the creature by my side.  “I need you to go to Malfoy Manor.”  I took a deep breath before continuing.  “The Dark Lord is there with all of his followers.”

“Oh, Mistress-!”

“I need you to find out all you can,” I insisted.  “Everything depends on it.”

Granger scoffed.  “Of all the-!”

I ignored her.

Missy’s ears drooped.  “Yes, Mistress.”

“Don’t be seen or heard.  When you get information, come back here.”  I looked over at Potter.  “I’ll be staying for a little while.”

Harry glanced over at me and nodded once, his jaw clenching briefly.

I turned back to Missy.  “Be careful.”

She nodded, her gaze on the floor.  “Yes, Mistress.”

She vanished.

“You can’t be serious!”  Granger glared.  “Sending her to her death like that!  Why don’t you do it yourself!?  She’s not your slave!”

“Actually, she is,” I corrected, standing back to my full height and looking over at the Gryffindor.  “But the simple fact is, Missy would have a better chance of getting in and out without being noticed.”  I cocked an eyebrow, side-eyeing her.  “I didn’t hear you volunteering to go in her place.”

Granger glanced away.

“Alright.”  Potter cleared his throat awkwardly.  He turned to his friend.  “Ron, would you…?”

Weasley looked over at me.  “Yeah, I’ll tell Mum…”  Turning around, he walked out of the room.

Potter looked back at me.  “Well,” he glanced at Granger, “would you mind sharing your room, Hermione?”

“Don’t bother.”  I tilted my chin up slightly.  “I’ll sleep on the couch or the floor.”

They both shifted their gaze towards me, watching me for only a few moments before nodding.  “All right.  We’ll, uh……” Potter pursed his lips.  “We’ll see you later.”

They walked out.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.  My posture sank slightly and I clenched and unclenched my fist, resisting the urge to run my hand along my face.

That wasn’t proper.

In an effort to distract myself, I looked around the room.

It was cluttered.

Pictures, books, and things filled every horizontal surface in the room.

Clothes and blankets were strewn about, and I assumed this is where the rest of Potter’s protectors slept.

I wondered if they rotated someone to stay up and keep watch.

The couch looked old and worn, and I was not looking forward to laying on it.

The pattern was also a crime against all things elegant.

“Uh…..”

I turned at the sound of the voice, seeing Weasley in the doorway.

He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.

I raised an eyebrow.

He mumbled a very fast “supper will be ready soon.”

I nodded.  “Thank you.”

As he exited, I tilted my head to the ceiling.

Salazar, help me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked into the dining area as everyone began to sit down.

There were several chairs that clearly weren’t supposed to be there crowded around the table.

It was odd; to be sitting around the dining table and eating like a family in such a time of fear and chaos.

But maybe that’s why they did it.

My gaze raked the room, spotting the only empty chair.  I moved towards it, ignoring everyone’s stares.  Pulling the seat out, I sat between Professor Lupin and what I assumed to be another Weasley.

This one I didn’t recognize.

The room was extremely quiet and tense as people began to get food.

I waited until everyone was served before getting some, myself.

The silence stretched on.

I swallowed the food in my mouth.  “If you would prefer to talk with me out of the room, I’ll leave,” I said, not looking up from my plate as I cut some beef.

“We’re just surprised, is all.”

I looked to the head of the table at Mister Weasley.  “Because I’m a Slytherin, right?”  I shrugged one shoulder, looking around the room.  “You all just assume I’m here to spy for You-Know-Who, don’t you?  I’ve got news,” I raised an eyebrow, “not all Gryffindors are saints, either.”

Several beats passed.

I rolled my eyes, taking my napkin off my lap and dropping it on the table before awkwardly sliding my chair back away from the table.

It was so ridiculously tight in here.

Finally freed from the table, I stood up, marching out of the room and back upstairs.

I wasn’t hungry anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bloody Gryffindors.

Just as prejudiced as they accuse Slytherins of being.

I sighed, placing my chin on my hands as my elbows rested on my knees.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

The hushed sounds of conversation- tense, but conversation- floated upstairs.

I fought tears.

It was scary to not belong.

Maybe I had become too used to belonging; too comfortable.

I always had a home to go to.  Loving parents.  A best friend.  My best friend’s home, when I didn’t feel like being at mine…

The sound of footsteps startled me from my thoughts.

I turned, looking up from my spot on the staircase.

The Weasley that was next to me for ‘supper’ approached, stopping at the bottom of the steps.

I resisted the urge to cross my arms, instead sitting up straighter and placing my hands on my knees.  I looked up at him.

It was silent for a few moments.

The Weasley cleared his throat and gestured vaguely before putting his hands in his pockets.  “Are you hungry?”

“I’m fine.”  I raised an eyebrow.  Truth be told, I was a little hungry, but I would rather not eat for a few days than experience whatever that was again.

He nodded, his fang earring jingling with the action.  He pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on the banister beside me.  “You can come back downstairs and eat, if you want.”

I let out a short, humorless laugh.  “No, thank you.  We’re all more comfortable if I don’t do that.  Besides,” I leaned back slightly, “if I’m up here, you all can discuss your plans without worrying about me hearing.”  I raised a challenging eyebrow.  “Although, I am surprised no one placed an Imperturbable charm.”

The Weasley nodded again, this time more slowly.  His gaze shifted towards me for a few seconds before he turned around and walked back out.

My eyebrows furrowed and I turned to look out the window.  What in the world-

The footsteps returned.

I whipped my head around.

The Weasley stopped by me again, handing me the plate I had earlier.  He looked at me for a few beats before exiting the room.

I stared at the doorway, dumbfounded.  Pulling myself from my shock, I looked down at my plate he had thrust into my hands.

I huffed a small chuckle.

He had forgotten the silverware.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Two days had passed since I first arrived at the Weasleys’ house; “the Burrow”, as they called it.

I had taken to referring to all of the redheads by their first names, at least when more than one was in the same room.

There were simply too many of them to all be called “Weasley”.

I marched up the stairs, pausing to look out the window.

No sign of anything.

A ‘pop’ sound filled my ears.

I spun around.  “Missy!”

The elf looked up at me with her giant eyes.  “Mistress!”

“Anything to report?”  I gazed down at her, hoping she would have discovered something- anything- useful.

Missy looked around, clutching her hands together at her chest.  She spoke in a whisper.  “Missy heard You-Know-Who say something about a cup in Lestrange’s bank vault.”

I looked down at the ground in thought, mouthing ‘her bank vault’ as my eyebrows furrowed.  Shaking my head, I shifted my gaze back to the elf.  “Anything else?”

“He spoke a lot about Harry Potter and the elder wand,” she said, her high-pitched voice quieting even further.

My eyes widened.  “The elder wand?”

Missy nodded.

“Oh dear.”  I took a deep breath.  “Is that everything?”

Missy paused, cocking her head as she tried to remember.  One of her long, pointy ears drooped.  “You-Know-Who wants to kill Harry Potter, himself.  It was very important to him.”  She fidgeted with her hands.  “I’m sorry Missy couldn’t find out more!”

I looked down at her.  “No, you did a wonderful job,” I said, somewhat distractedly.  “You should head back to my parents before they get suspicious.”

She nodded.

“Thank you, Missy.”

A smile appeared on her face.  Looking up at me, she snapped her fingers and vanished.

I stared at the now-vacant spot on the floor for a few seconds before turning around, hurrying to search the house.

Potter.  I had to find Potter.

I stepped into the dining room- which also happened to be the plotting area- the sound of my steps drawing everyone’s attention to me.  I ignored their confused looks as my eyes swept across the room.

He wasn’t here.

“Have any of you seen Potter,” I questioned.

“I think he’s with Ron,” Weasley- Bill- said.  His eyebrows furrowed.  “Everything alright?”

I looked over at him.

What an odd question at a time like this.

I placed my hand on the doorframe.  “Is anything?”  Pushing off, I spun around and ran to Ron’s room.

If my parents could see me running- to a boys’ room no less- they would have a coronary.

I frowned as I hurried up the steps, my feet heavy and loud against the wood.

They didn’t seem to care how I would react to them becoming Death Eaters.

Shaking my head, I rounded a corner and rapped assertively on Ron’s bedroom door.  I only had to wait a couple seconds for it to open.

Ron stood in the doorway, his hand still on the knob.  An eyebrow raised upon seeing me.

“Is Potter with you?”  I fought against the urge to try to see around the redhead’s form.  “I need to talk to him.”

Ron paused for a brief moment, looking me up and down- as if to inspect me- before nodding.  “Yeah, he’s in here.”  He took a step backwards, opening up the room for me.

“Thank you,” I said, striding in.  My eyes almost instantly landed on the boy sitting on the floor.  “Potter.”

“Hunt.”

I heard the door close behind me.  “I need to talk to you.”

The ‘Chosen One’ sat up straighter.

Ron moved towards us, standing between me and his friend, forming a small circle.

Potter glanced at the two of us before standing, himself.

I held his gaze intently.  “Missy came back.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you sure about this?”

I paused once I heard the voices, stopping before I rounded the corner.

“We have to look into it,” Potter said.  “There’s too much at risk to ignore.”

“What if it’s a trap,” Mister Weasley asked.

“I don’t think it is.”

“What if her elf was spotted and they let the information slip to lure you in?”

When a few beats of silence followed, I moved into view.

They both turned to look at me.

“Are you leaving, Potter?”

He nodded.  “The sooner this is taken care of, the better.”

Mister Weasley excused himself, walking out.

I nodded back to Potter.  “Be careful.”

“Thanks.”  Pausing briefly, his gaze dropped to the floor before looking back at me.  “What are you going to do?”

“Probably go back into hiding; see what else I can do from the shadows.”  I clasped my hands and pursed my lips, avoiding his gaze.

“Alright.  Are we doin this, or what?”

I turned at the sound of Ron’s voice.

He stood in the doorway, Granger by his side.

Potter straightened his posture.  “Right.”  He walked passed me, towards his friends.  “We’d…better say our goodbyes,” he said to them quietly.

They nodded.

Looking at me over his shoulder, Potter waved.  “Thanks for all your help.”  He paused.  “We appreciate it.”

“Oh, I didn’t do much,” I argued.  “But, you’re welcome.”

He let out a small sigh and turned to his companions.  “Alright, come on.”  He ushered them out of the doorway and out of sight.

I stared at the empty space where they had been standing, a sudden sinking feeling settling into the pit of my stomach.

For some reason I felt as though I’d sent them to their deaths.

~~~~~~~~~~

The night sky filled with a sudden bright light.

I looked up, squinting my now-sensitive eyes.  Moving around a tree to see better, I could make out whitish-bluish flashes, similar to fireworks.

Spells.

My gaze trailed down, seeing they sparked over Hogwarts.

Something was going down.

Something big.

I frowned, turning away.

Just look the other way, Hunt.  That’s not your battle, I told myself, resuming my walk to my hideout.

It was the smallest cave I had ever seen, barely big enough to fit me and a few necessities.

I sat down on the jacket I had laid on the stone ground, frowning.

I couldn’t live like this.

No one could.

But that’s how everyone would be living if Voldemort won.

My eyes narrowed.  Turning my head, I glanced back at the sky, barely able to still see the flashing from my location.

Allowing myself to sigh, I pushed myself to my feet, pulling out my wand.  I ran to a clearing, staring over at the school.

The school that held so many of my memories.

The blue shell around Hogwarts turned to orange and began to dissipate.

The shield was broken.

I tightened my grip on my wand.

Time to stop running.

~~~~~~~~~~

Everything was chaos.

I apparated from the shore to the school grounds, dodging a falling piece of wall.

“Get inside!”

I turned, seeing Professor McGonagall gesturing towards the castle.

People ran by me, too quickly and too numerous for me to make out any faces.

I winced as another explosion hit the wall.

She didn’t have to tell me twice.

Running with the crowd, I hurried inside, spinning around as I tried to find Potter.

Knowing him, he was going to do something incredibly stupid.

I spotted a flash of red hair and ran towards it.  “Ginny!”

She spun around, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked for the source of the voice.  Her gaze landed on me and her eyes widened.  “Hunt?”

“Have you seen Potter?”  I stopped next to her.  “I’m terribly afraid he’s going to do something foolish.”

“He ran that way.”  She pointed.  “But-”

“Thank you,” I called over my shoulder as I took off running.

He was probably faster than me, so I had to be extra fast to catch up, but not too fast to the point where I’d miss something.

“Potter!?”  I ran through the hallways, letting out a yell as I turned a corner and nearly tripped over a collapsed wall.

Debris lined this entire hallway.

I saw a figure disappear into the wall on the other side.

The Room of Requirement.

I apparated to the spot to avoid trying to climb over the rubble and jumped in just before the door closed.

Letting out a sharp exhale as I looked behind me at the closed door, I turned back to face the room.

It was extremely crowded, full of……things.  Random things like chairs and dishes, tables, cupboards, and more.

“Potter?”  I moved forward, looking around.

“Hunt?”

Turning my head to the right, I saw the boy by a stack of objects, looking at a box.  I walked over.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to help,” I said, coming to a stop alongside him.

He nodded.  “It’s good to see you.”

I smiled.  “You, too.”  I looked around.  “What are you doing in here?”

Potter nodded down at the box.  “I came for this.”  Opening the lid, he picked up a crown from inside.  “Ravenclaw’s diadem.  A Horcrux.”

I blinked at him as he stared down at it.

He began stroking the object.

I backed away slightly, further behind a stack of nonsense, eyebrows furrowing.

“Well, well.”

I froze at the sound of the voice, ducking more out of sight.

Potter snapped out of his state, looking to the right.

“What brings you here, Potter?”

Harry moved slightly more into the open.  “I could ask you the same.”

“You have something of mine.”  A brief pause.  “I’d like it back.”

“Well, what’s wrong with the one you have,” Harry asked, gesturing vaguely.

“It’s my mother’s,” Draco answered.  “It’s powerful, but it’s…not the same.  Doesn’t quite…understand me.”  Another pause.  “Know what I mean?”

I frowned.

“Why didn’t you tell her?”  Potter stared ahead.  “Bellatrix.  You knew it was me.”  He shook his head slightly.  “You didn’t say anything.”

My head turned to look at Harry.

Draco did what?

I heard hushed whispers from where Draco was.

Potter reached for his wand.

I pulled mine out, ready to join the fight.

“Expelliarmus!”

Turning, I saw Granger with her wand pointed in Draco’s direction.

The sound of wood hitting the floor implied her spell was successful.

“Avada Kedavra!”

I recognized the voice of Goyle’s as a flash of green struck close to Granger.

“Stupefy!”

The diadem went flying into a couch atop one of the stacks.

Ron ran passed my hiding spot, his wand extended as he yelled.  “That’s my girlfriend, you numpties!”

I stepped out of my corner as Potter and Granger began climbing, the objects wobbling from their weight.  I lifted my wand.  “Accio couch!”

The couch lifted from its perch, floating down to the floor.

I reached in the cushion, pulling out the crown and holding it up.  “Is this what you’re looking for?”

Potter and Granger exchanged a look before climbing down.

I handed the Horcrux to Harry before turning, pointing my wand at the floor.  “Accio wand.”

Mrs. Malfoy’s wand flew to my hand.

I pocketed it.

A yell filled the room.

We all turned, seeing Ron running towards us, an orange glow behind him.

“Goyle set the bloody place on fire!”  He ran by, grabbing Granger and pulling her with him.

“The fool!”  I gestured at all the wooden furniture around.  “This place will go up in a matter of minutes!”

Potter and I both turned, seeing a snake made of fire slithering towards us.

My eyes widened.  “He set a Fiendfyre!?!”

“Let’s go!”  Potter turned around and began running, me on his heels.

We followed Ron and Granger, turning corners as we tried to avoid fire snakes, birds and tigers.

Granger and Ron slid to a halt, Potter and I running into their backs.

“We’re cornered!”  Granger yelled as fire rushed from the front.

Potter turned around, casting a shielding spell right as fire approached us.

The force of the collision sent us all backwards, Ron falling into flying brooms.

He picked them up, passing them out.

“Not again,” I muttered as I accepted one.

“Hope you know how to fly these things,” Ron said.

Granger climbed onto the broom behind him and they took off.

Potter and I followed suit.

“Come on, this way!”  Ron exclaimed, nodding his head to the side.

We flew passed a tall stack.

Two figures stood atop it.

“Wait; we can’t let them die,” I yelled, trying to be heard over the fire.

Ron looked at me in disbelief.  “You’re joking, right!?”

My eyes narrowed.  “You know me; the jokester.”  I turned around, leaning down as the broom sped towards them.

Draco and Blaise.

Using all of my courage, I let go with one hand, extending it down as I neared Draco.

He reached up.

I zipped passed him, fingers grazing his hand.  “No!”  I turned around as quickly as I could, seeing Potter grabbing Draco.  I breathed a sigh of relief, heading towards Blaise.  As I approached, I slowed my broom, helping him on.

“Let’s get out of here!”  Ron turned around, leading the way out.

We all dodged the flames, a gasp leaving my throat as some fire sparked up, closer than comfortable.

Granger shot a spell, clearing a path.

Zipping through it, we neared the door, an explosion behind us pushing us through it.

We all tumbled off our brooms.

The diadem hit the ground.

“Harry!”

Potter caught something that Granger tossed to him, stabbing the Horcrux.

Black mist erupted from it.

Ron rushed forward, kicking it back into the Room of Requirement, into the flames.

Three fiery Voldemort faces yelled, rushing towards the door before it closed.

We all sat on the floor, trying to catch our breath.

I turned.

Draco and Blaise were gone.

Scrambling to my feet, I looked around.

Where on earth…?

“I’ve gotta go,” I informed absentmindedly.  My eyes scanned the hallway.  “Be careful, guys.”  With nothing more than a sincere look at them from over my shoulder, I took off down the corridor.

They couldn’t have gotten far.

My steps slowed and I halted with a sigh.

Unless they apparated.

I spun in a circle, looking around.

They could be literally anywhere.

Okay, think, Hunt.  Where would Draco go?

Somewhere he felt safe.

I apparated to the Slytherin common room.

Draco whipped around at the sound of my apparation, pointing a wand at me.  His eyes widened and his poised arm lowered slightly as we made eye contact.  “You’re the last person I expected to see here,” he said hesitantly.

“I’m the last person who would have expected myself to be here.”  I dropped my gaze to his wand briefly before nodding at it.  “Who’s is that?”

“I don’t know.”  He answered quickly, with a bit of a shake in his voice.

“So you don’t know how it pairs with you…”

“I tested it.”  He looked at it for a moment before looking back at me.  “It’ll have to do.”

“Not necessarily.”  I reached into my pocket, pulling out his mother’s wand.

His eyes softened with recognition almost instantly.  He looked up at me.  “How do I know this isn’t a trick?”

My eyes narrowed in offense.  “Why would it be a trick?”

“You’re with Potter and his friends, now.  That means you’re…” he paused, his expression falling.  “You’re an enemy of mine.”

“I’m not here to fight you, Draco.”

“Yeah?  Then what are you here for?”

“I came to keep Potter safe.  I came to protect the school I grew up in.”  I frowned.  “I came to find you.”

“You still stand against the Dark Lord, then.”

“Of course.”

His bottom lip trembled and his jaw clenched.  “I’m sorry.”  He shot a stunning spell at me.

I lifted my wand, producing a shield.  My eyes widened as I stared at him in disbelief.

He took half a step backwards and sent another one.

I blocked it, but barely, almost too shocked to think.

He sent two more.

They were easily deflected.

Draco huffed.  “Fight back!”

“No.”  I frowned.  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

His eyes widened and his posture stiffened before deflating.  “If I don’t at least try to hurt you, they’re gonna kill me,” he hissed.

“Why are you on their side,” I hissed back.  “You know it’s wrong!  There’s more people than ever in one place that want to take Voldemort down!  This is our best opportunity at beating him!”  I frowned.  “It may be our last.”  My eyes narrowed.  “Do you want to be remembered as a cowardly Death Eater who went down with Voldemort?  Or do you want to be remembered as the boy who did the right thing?  The boy that defected when it mattered the most?”

A high pitched noise filled my ears.

I winced.

Based on Draco’s expression, he heard it, too.

The sound was followed by a voice in my head.

“You have fought…valiantly, but in vain.  I do not wish this: every drop of magical blood spilt is a terrible waste.  I therefore command my forces to retreat.  In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity.  Harry Potter…I now speak directly to you.  On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me, yourself.  There is no greater dishonor.  Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate.  If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man, woman and child who tries to conceal you from me.”

Draco and I made eye contact.

The blond gestured, a snarl on his face.  “See?!  He’s going to kill you!”  His voice dropped as his expression softened.  “You can’t fight him.”

I stood up straighter, my eyes narrowing as I clenched my hand that was around my wand.  “I’d rather die against him than live for him.”  I turned to leave but paused.  Looking over my shoulder at him, I tossed him his mother’s wand before walking away, leaving my back exposed.

Only when I turned the corner did I break into a jog.

I had to find Potter.

Again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stopped, looking around the castle.

Where was everybody?

Stepping outside into the courtyard, I saw where everyone had gone.

Voldemort stood across from all the students, his Death Eaters behind him.  “Harry Potter….is dead!”

My eyes widened.

We failed.

“No!  No!!!”  Ginny rushed forward, but Arthur grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back.

“Silence!  Stupid girl.  Harry Potter…is dead.  From this day forth…you put your faith…in me.”  Voldemort turned around, walking towards his Death Eaters as he extended his arms.  “Harry Potter is dead!”

They all made various sounds of approval and excitement.

I spotted Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy at the front of the pack.

My parents weren’t far behind them.

Voldemort turned back around to face us, laughing.  “And now is the time to declare yourself.”  He extended his arms.  “Come forward and join us.”  His smile fell.  “Or die.”

Silence stretched on.

Mr. Malfoy shifted a little on his feet.  “Draco.”

All heads turned.

Draco was standing amongst the rest of the students, towards the back.  He looked around.

“Draco,” Mrs. Malfoy said softly.  “Come.”

The boy swallowed, his gaze darting around.  It settled on me.

My eyes silently pleaded with him.

Draco, please.

He began walking forward.

My eyes closed in disappointment as I fought tears.  A gasp left my throat as I felt a hand wrap around mine.  My eyes shot open, looking over at the culprit.

Draco tightened his hold on my hand, staring across the gap.  His eyes moved from his parents, to Voldemort, then back to his parents.  He swallowed nervously.  “I think I’ll stay right here.”

The students all looked over at Voldemort and the Death Eaters in shock, waiting to see what they would do.

“Draco,” Mr. Malfoy muttered, his eyes wide.

I had never seen Draco’s father look so unhealthy.

Dark circles under his eyes, unshaven, long blond hair stringy and unkempt, and paler than a ghost; he truly looked one step from death.

Voldemort pointed a long-nailed finger at Draco.  “I will deal with you later.”

I frowned, stepping slightly in front of the blond.

Voldemort turned to the rest of the students.  “Anyone who doesn’t want to die…”

Longbottom began limping forward.

Everyone stared on in shock.

“Well, I must say I hoped for better,” Voldemort said.

The Death Eaters all laughed.

Voldemort moved towards the Gryffindor.  “And who might you be, young man?”

“Neville Longbottom.”

More laughter.

Voldemort moved back slightly.  “Well, Neville, I’m sure we can find a place for you in our ranks-”

“I’d like to say somethin’.”

A few beats passed.

“Well, Neville, I’m sure we’d all be fascinated to hear what you have to say.”

“It doesn’t matter that Harry’s gone.”

“Stand down, Neville,” Seamus Finnigan urged.

Longbottom turned towards him.  “People die every day!  Friends…family.”  He paused.  “Yeah.  We lost Harry tonight.  But he’s still with us.”  He brought his free hand- what was he holding in the other one- up to his heart.  “In here.”  He looked around.  “So is Fred.”

My eyes widened in shock.

“Remus.  Tonks.  All of them.  But they didn’t die in vain!”  He hobbled back around to look at Voldemort.  “But you will!”

The Dark Lord started laughing.

Longbottom went on.  “Cause you’re wrong!  Harry’s heart did beat for us!  For all of us!”  He pulled a sword out of the object he was holding.  “It’s not over!”

Potter fell out of Hagrid’s grasp.

He stood up.

Everyone gasped.

I squeezed Draco’s hand.

Voldemort’s smile fell.

Potter shot a fireball at Voldemort’s snake.

The fire ricocheted off it.

Potter ran as Voldemort began casting fire spells at him.

Some of the Death Eaters vanished into smoke.

Potter hurried back towards the castle, ushering everyone inside.

I pulled Draco along behind me as Voldemort and the Death Eaters began approaching.

“We have to kill the snake,” Potter informed a little breathless.

Longbottom rushed forward.

Voldemort shot a spell at him, sending the Gryffindor flying backwards, before apparating away with his snake.

The Death Eaters kept approaching.

My eyes narrowed.  “Barricade the doors!”  Letting go of Draco’s hand, I rushed forward, grunting as I tried to close the doors.

Draco appeared on my left, helping to push them shut.

A few other students came forward to assist.

Once the doors were closed I flicked my wand at some of the tables, sending them flying towards the doors.

They piled up at the entrance, blocking it off.

More students aided in the action.

When all of the tables were set, everyone backed up, watching as the doors and the pile shook as the Death Eaters tried to get in.

The sound of breaking glass drew my attention to the windows.

Voldemort’s followers flew in as puffs of smoke before landing on the floor and beginning to cast spells.

Another fight broke out.

I produced spell after spell, barely thinking about what I was casting.

“No!!”

I froze at the sound of my father’s voice.  Turning around, I saw him kneeling on the floor.

He was clutching my mother to his chest.

My wand lowered and my shoulders slumped as I stared at the pair.

My father buried his head into my mother’s hair, sobbing.

I heard my name yelled.

I whipped around, seeing a shielding spell block an attack at me before my assailant was struck with another spell.  Turning to the left, I saw Draco approach.

“Are you alright,” he asked, stopping when he reached a foot away from me.

I blinked up at him with wide eyes, nodding slightly.

“Normally you’re more careful than tha-”  His eyes drifted over my shoulder and his sentence died in his throat.

I turned around, watching my father briefly.

“I’m sorry.”

I looked back to Draco as he lowered his gaze to meet mine.  My eyes narrowed as I looked away.  “They never should have gotten involved.”

“She-” Draco paused, “This could have happened even if they didn’t.”

“Not like this, at least.”  I looked back up at him.  “Where are your pare- look out!”  I pulled Draco with me to the ground, dodging a curse.  From the floor, I snarled as I shot a spell back.

It hit the target and the Death Eater collapsed.

Draco rolled off me to work on getting himself to his feet.  “I don’t know.”  He stood, wiping his hands on his already-dirty black slacks.  “I haven’t seen them.”  Reaching down, he helped me up.

We both winced as a blast hit the wall by us.

Looking at each other, I readjusted my grip on my wand.  “Be careful.”

“You, too.”

At my nod, Draco ran off to rejoin the fight.

I glanced back at my father before lifting my head higher and walking away.

~~~~~~~~~~

I let out a yell as I stunned another Death Eater.

He collapsed.

Gasping for air, I looked around.

Every student in the room was standing, catching their own breath.

The three Death Eaters that remained turned into smoke, speeding out of the windows and into the sky.

Silence stretched on and the dust seemed to settle.

I looked around at all the bodies on the floor.

Some of enemies.

Some of friends.

Letting out a sigh, I looked towards the blasted-open doors.

Even the courtyard was quiet.

Forcing my aching and battered body to move, I made my way outside.

Potter was standing in the middle, staring at the ground as he took in labored breaths.  He looked up at the sound of my footsteps.

“Are you alright, Potter?”

He nodded.  “Fine.  You?”

I shrugged one shoulder.  “Fine.”  My gaze dropped to the two wands he held; one in each hand.  “It’s over, then?”

He nodded, looking up into the sky and wincing at the slight sunlight peeking through the clouds.

“What happened?”

“Turned into ash…” Potter looked back at me.  “Drifted away.”

I pursed my lips and nodded, my eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion.

At the call of my name, I turned to the right, seeing Draco running- and what an odd sight it was- towards me.

I grinned- tiredly- as he approached.  “You’re okay.”  My eyes scanned his face, seeing his head had been bleeding, but it dried, and a couple bruises, burns and scratches.  Nothing more.  Or at least that was visible.

“So are you,” he bent down, wrapping me in a hug.

I winced in slight pain, but hugged him back.  Pulling away first, I adjusted my weight to be on my right leg a little less.

Draco looked down at me, raising a questioning eyebrow.

I nodded, waving a hand at him.

Draco nodded once in satisfaction before looking up at the Boy Who Lived.  “Thank you, Potter.”

It sounded slightly strained, but it was better than he usually gave.

Potter huffed a small laugh.  “Thank you.  For choosing to fight alongside me.”

Draco looked down at me.  “It wasn’t without convincing.”

I smiled up at him.

Potter cleared his throat.  “I’d better go check on everybody else.”  He pointed back to the castle before walking away.

I chuckled, turning slightly to watch him leave.

Once the boy was out of sight, Draco stepped around to my front.  He tucked some of my fallen stray hairs out of my face.  “It’s about time I did this properly.”

I raised an eyebrow.  “Oh?”

Draco reached his right hand forward, cupping the back of my neck.  His grey eyes shifted between mine.  Slowly leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine.

I closed my eyes, kissing him back with as much love as I could muster.

All of my memories from the past six years of my life came flooding back to me.  Meeting Draco, befriending him, growing up together, realizing our relationship was developing, the fear, the frustration, the betrayal, the hurt, and the pride.

It was almost too much to bear.

We pulled away.

Draco rested his forehead on mine.  “I love you.”

Tears that felt entirely unprompted slipped down my cheeks.

“I love you, too.”

Draco lifted his head, frowning as he noticed my tears.  Raising his hands, he swiped his thumbs over my cheeks, brushing the tears away.

I placed my hands on top of his.

“Are you going to be alright?”

I let out an exhale through my nose before nodding.  “As long as I have you.”

He smiled, lowering his hands and wrapping one around mine.  “I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n: 58 pages! Truly horrific! lol. Had a blast writing it, though. I also realize my 'sneak peak' out of context looked like an 'arranged marriage' story, but...it was too late.

I wanted to make Hunt clearly a Slytherin, with questionable Slytherin ideals, having grown up in a pureblooded Slytherin home, but I didn't want her to be evil. I tried to find a balance.

And I know McGonagall only taught the Gryffindors how to dance, but I thought I’d shake it up a little.

Just one note, I think:

- Hunt used some of her family’s wealth to go from motel room to motel room.  She used a different name each time in order to try to stay hidden.

[gd-dollopole]

“The Death Song of Uther Pendragon,” 05x03, has to be one of my favourite Merlin episodes (it opens the gate to so many theories)

I rewatched it today, and a lot of things and questions came to my mind:

1) What would have happened if Arthur had summoned Ygraine, instead of Uther?

Following the rules, Arthur should have been able to summon every spirit he wanted. If Ygraine had been able to respond to Arthur, I believe things would have been very different. She would have been proud of Arthur, who would have changed things for the better, and therefore the plot line of the entire show. Ygraine has only ever been the one to make Arthur see what was right in front of him, even more than Merlin, like when Arthur had tried to kill Uther in the second season, and accused him of his hypocrisy, once he knew of how his mother had died, and since the second person Arthur trusted the most, Merlin, told him that what Morgause had shown him was a lie, Arthur believed him, reinforcing the idea that Uther was a good man.

2) If it would have been possible to summon anyone, then why did Arthur choose Uther, of all people?

Even if the answer seems obvious, I don’t think it actually is. Arthur had always known one person that was meant to be family and who technically didn’t betray him. He still felt guilty for choosing magic to save Uther, and it was actually what brought his father away from him, the only parental and father figure (as horrible as he was) who Arthur had ever had. His choice was also influenced by the date, since it was the day after the celebration of his coronation, and the same day Uther died. The moment Arthur meets Uther in the Spirit World, he tells him, even as he fights with him, that he has so much more to say to him. I think Arthur wanted nothing more than validation, something he had never had, and hoped he could find in the same man who had told him, seconds before he died, while being held in his son’s arms, that he knew Arthur would make him proud. The last moment Arthur had with Uther was the only one in his entire life where Uther had actually rewarded him and his duty with kindness and sincerity. Which means, at least in my opinion, that Arthur had hoped that that was the man he was about to meet in the Spirit World. That rare man who had sacrificed himself to save his only son and who had called him Arthie and to whom he had said he was proud of. But it wasn’t that man, and Arthur left the Spirit World feeling disappointed.

3) But what if it wasn’t possible to actually summon Ygraine, or certain, specific people?

When they go back to Camelot, Arthur and Merlin ask Gaius about the Horn of Cathbhadh and they found out that summoning spirits has always been a ceremony, a tradition, even one that Gaius had multiple times attended, held by High Priestesses, meaning that many different people could have been able to participate, which explains while even a commoner or someone without magic or practice could use the Horn, like Arthur did. Later on, after Arthur meets Uther and Merlin confesses what they had gone to do to Gaius, telling him of his fear that Uther may have left the Spirit World, Gaius tells Merlin that those same High Priestesses trained for years before using the Horn, which makes me believe there were so many rules to follow and accept, which brings us to the question. What if one of these rules was to know in your heart who you’d believe had passed away and went into another realm, and who got stuck into the Spirit World?

4) Therefore, what if the Spirit World is actually a place where spirits, who have either undone/unfinished things in life, or are bitter, cruel, and with many grudges and anger inside, or had died in an unjust manner, get stuck there forever?

We have no explanation of it or of how it works, and no one else tried to blow the Horn, but that would explain why Arthur didn’t think of his mother first, Ygraine, instead of Uther. He thought it more simple and less dangerous, since he had no knowledge of magic and didn’t want to ask anyone, not even Gaius, about it (not knowing Merlin had magic, and still, even he had no knowledge of these practices) to summon someone, who deep inside his heart, he knew was still stuck, somehow, in the between of the Worlds, of the Dead and of the Living. This means that Arthur somehow knew that Uther had something he thought was unfinished, or even going more far, we might think Arthur sort of hoped it, and not only to see Uther again because he was his father, but to be right about his character and himself, as a sort of bitter sweet victory, as if Arthur wanted to say to Uther: “If you’re still here, if I’m able to see you, talk to you, you might have done something terribly wrong, which makes me right, because you have never actually been a good and just man, like you painted yourself to be.” It opens a great theory about where Arthur actually went to after his death, since he was burned and mourned by Merlin and sent into the Lake of Avalon.

Another thing I believe further proves my theory, is that all the people in the show that we see dying, are buried in a boat and burned in a lake. Now, I have no idea if it would have been unusual or even disrespectful to burn Uther and send him on a lake, but even Elyan, and Lancelot, two honourable knights with high status, who before were simple commoners, were burned and sent on a boat in the lake when they died.

All, except Uther.

I want to believe that it was a sign to show Uther the disrespect he deserved.

Others may think that it’s the opposite, that Uther was the king and had to be held on an higher position, and therefore buried in the same castle he had conquered, but it wouldn’t make sense, since Merlin buried and said goodbye to Arthur in the same way as the others.

It makes me think that all who had died in the show are free of the Spirit World, unlike Uther.

It also opens so much theory about where did Morgana, or Mordred go.

6) Did people’s beliefs matter?

If the majority of people had supported Morgana and Mordred in their conquest to kill King Arthur, maybe their support would have been enough to make Morgana and Mordred free, to be free in the after life. We also have to remember Mordred was buried, much like Balinor, under rocks, because it was illegal to do otherwise for sorcerers, to be buried in another way.

7) All these people, buried in another way, in an unjust way, like for sorceres, who didn’t even get a burial, but were killed unjustly, where did they go?

I like to imagine they are stuck in the Spirit World too, and take revenge on Uther in any way the can, knowing none of them will ever die again. Uther’s punishment is to live in an endless loop of what he had put magical beings, humans and non, under, while he, a tyrant, reigned.

5) If this is the case, this must mean, in order for the summoning and the ceremony to work in the Living World, there had to be rules in the Spirit World. Did Uther know these rules?

As soon as Arthur entered the Spirit World, taking in consideration the theory that is just a layer of another world, slightly pulled away from the Living one, where some can see the progress of humanity but not so clearly, as if looking through a damp glass, Uther was able to not only spit everything he hated about his son to him, but he also warned Arthur that he had seen the kingdom he had built and that he disagreed on, which is another proof to my theory that those who are like Uther, or simply left to death in an unfair way, without an inch of respect, are somewhat stuck in the Spirit World and damned to see what happens outside of it, but without the ability to stop or intervene in anything they witness (it would explain why Uther hadn’t discovered Merlin’s magic before, since his goal has always been the one to watch Arthur and how the kingdom progressed, in order to protect his legacy, as he puts it in the episode). Not only Uther told Arthur he had watched him, but he warned him that he had to go, otherwise he would have been stuck into the Spirit World forever. This means that Uther knew that there were bounds and rules and that summoning someone with the Horn of Cathbhadh could be dangerous, if a person didn’t know the exact rules.

8) Has Uther seen someone else being summoned?

In this episode, Gaius says the Horn has been saved before the Purge and never been used since. But someone else could have used it, even a simple person, who longed to see their dead lover and blew the Horn. Because of the Purge, many traditions had been forgotten and the use of the Horn could have been forgotten too, used only by simple people who found it or hid it, and who didn’t know what they were doing, but later found out about what it could do, once one of them, out of curiosity, blew it, and summoned a spirit. If the High priestess were people who were born as magic did, and had held these traditions for centuries, it would also explain why ghosts existed. Many people had been left out wandering without a chance to go back into their Spirit World. Uther may have seen, in a world where he wandered endlessly too, someone else being summoned before him, or met someone else who knew all of these things before him.

Which only means one thing:

The last thing Uther Pendragon did before Arthur would disappear from the Spirit World, was to manipulate him until the last moment, and hurt him in doing so:

With the knowledge Uther had, he may have understood that the person who summoned a spirit could have freed it by looking back at it. Uther was a tyrant, a bitter and cruel and murderous man, who without doubts, tried to kill Arthur in the same episode, in the name of his legacy and of “his” kingdom. Uther cared more about something that he couldn’t even rule anymore than his own and only son, manipulating Arthur to no end, so that he would do what Uther wanted him to. His last words to Arthur, that irremediably made the latter turn around, were: “I will always love you, Arthur.” It sounds as if Uther grasped at the little thing he had, knowing that those words would have made Arthur turn. Uther wanted to get out of there, and did not mean a single word he said to Arthur. To Uther, in that precise moment, Arthur was a mean to escape.

9) But what if the Spirits had some saying in being summoned, and refused to appear?

Arthur simply sounded the Horn and Uther appeared, which opens the door to so many possibilities. Uther had agreed to meeting him, but some other Spirit could have also refused to meet the people who had summoned it, and the Horn basically wouldn’t have worked.

10) What if the spirits simply got more bitter with ages of being stuck into the Spirit World and without nothing to do then relive their deaths, or past mistakes, and getting tired of it?

The spirits got stuck in their world for centuries and forgot why they were there or what they did, while they had lived, and just got so much anger inside themselves, they didn’t know anything else except that feeling, like those who believe the theory that every ghost is bad, and does bad things, because it wants to protect their surroundings, or does it because it doesn’t know anything else. Uther may have being fuled with even more hatred than ever and his true feelings actually came out once he got out of the Spirit World, showing himself to Arthur for who he truly was (Uther has always showed Arthur his tyrant personality, but it feels as if we had been the only ones to see it, until Arthur finally did too)

What if Merlin, at the end of the episode, smuggled the Horn into his satchel, promising Arthur he would have put it into a safe space, and went to the Stones of Nemethon instead.

Suspicious, Arthur followed him, and frightened of another Spirit wandering into the Living World again, he jumped into the light with Merlin, who had summoned Balinor,

and Arthur watched everything unfold.

And Merlin, after 1500 years of waiting, found the Horn again, under rubble and rubble of the Camelot castle, as he had desperately searched for it, and decided, in the last attempt to meet Arthur again, to blow the Horn.

But as Merlin had suspected, the Horn didn’t work, and no one, not even a light, appeared in his way. Merlin blamed it on so many factors, on the fact that Arthur had been dead for too long, or because he was in Avalon, and with an heavy heart, and a weary sigh, Merlin turned around and walked away from the dried up Lake.

But the sound of the Horn had been loud enough to disturb the Once and Future King.

And Arthur woke up from his old sleep.

[differenteagletragedy]

So yesterday someone requested a swap AU fic with Baxter as the boy who moved across the street, Cove as his friend you met at 13 and Derek as the guy who rented the condo for the summer. I promptly lost my mind, so here is more.

This is the part in Step 3 when everyone goes to the restaurant and Cove tells everyone he's going to get an apartment and he and MC have a moment, except Baxter style.

"Tell your boyfriend to stop fixing his hair and come on, I'm hungry," Liz said impatiently.

"He's not my boyfriend and he has his process," you replied, looking across the street at your best friend's house.

You, Liz, your moms and Lee were all outside, waiting to go to dinner. Baxter had been invited as well, but it seemed he was running a bit late.

As you were pulling out your phone to text him, he finally appeared. He had a troubled expression, but once he saw you and your family already assembled by your mom's car he turned on a practiced smile and jogged over.

"My apologies," he said, coming to a stop by your side. "I won't hold us up any further. Shall we?"

He held his arm up for you to take and Liz snorted, then said, "We'll meet you there."

Baxter, for all his eccentricities that you'd come to know so well in then ten years you'd been friends, fancied himself a bit of a gentleman. He always offered you his arm when walking anywhere, and you always accepted. You'd had a crush on him for years but had always been too nervous to tell him, so being close to him in any capacity was nice.

Tonight felt a bit different though. Usually he gave off a warmth when you were together, a sort of easygoing gentleness that you'd always noticed was reserved only for you, but now he was tense. As you settled in the passenger seat of his car, ready to follow your family to the restaurant, you saw that his shoulders were tense, and his jaw clenched. He wouldn't look at you.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said a little too quickly as he pulled out onto the street. You kept looking at him, and eventually he let out a sigh.

"Family stuff again?" you asked.

"It's miserable there," he responded, keeping his voice low as he always did when he talked about his parents. Being vulnerable was difficult for him, but he was able to manage it with you.

"I'm sorry," you told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's only gotten worse since I've turned 18," he continued. "It's like all the expectations they've placed on me my entire life should have suddenly manifested as soon as I became an adult, and because they haven't, and they won't, they're taking it out on me."

Baxter's voice got even lower, and there was a pain to it as he added, "It's unbearable."

You tried to comfort him as best you could, but the drive to the tropical place was a short one, and soon he was pulling into a parking space beside your parents. He took a breath, shot you another fake smile, then got out.

After you'd been seated and your orders had been taken, Baxter cleared his throat. The attention turned to him, and he began speaking.

"I have a bit of an announcement," he began. "I've been keeping it to myself until all the details were hammered out, but now I can share: I'll be headed east to start college in the fall. Virginia, to be precise. For a degree in business."

Your mothers were quick to congratulate him -- he'd become like a third child to them, so it was natural they'd be proud. Lee clapped her hands together, and Liz even joined in, but you just stared at him in shock.

You'd talked about your future plans, of course, and you knew Baxter was going to college but you assumed it would be somewhere nearby. Moving across the country was something someone would discuss with their best friend, but he'd kept you completely in the dark. It hurt.

Baxter answered your family's questions and thanked them for their support, but then he turned to you. You shared a look for a moment.

"If you'll excuse me, I believe I'd like to stretch my legs for just a moment before dinner arrives," he said, standing. He looked down to you, and held out his arm. "Care to join me?"

Without a word, you took his arm once again and followed him to the entrance.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," he said quietly, leaning in to speak to you. "If I'm being honest, I didn't know how."

"So you thought it would have been best to tell me like this? When do you even leave, in a month?"

"Three weeks," he corrected. You scoffed.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, grasping your hands and pulling them up to his chest. "I truly am. If there was a way I could stay, I would, and I have to believe you know that. I don't want to leave you, I need to leave them."

His parents. That was the reason for the cross-country move. He was running away.

There was something about his closeness, his hands gripping yours close to his heart that became too much. You loved him, and he was leaving. And as long as his parents lived in the area, you doubted he'd ever want to come back.

"I have to go," you said, pulling your hands back. He began to say something, but you raised your hand to stop him, then left the restaurant.

You felt tears welling up in your eyes and decided to take a seat in your mom's car to have a moment to yourself. You unlocked the back door with a shaky hand and climbed in, then let everything out.

Baxter had been there for over half your life at this point. His presence was a constant, something you could always count on. You'd spent countless days together, and so many nights after he started sneaking in your window for impromptu sleepovers when he couldn't stand being in his own house anymore. You couldn't imagine things being so different.

After a bit, you steadied your breath and wiped your face. When you felt steady enough, you moved to get out, but then you spotted a flash of black and white illuminated by a streetlight.

There was Baxter, leaning against the trunk of his car, waiting for you.

You couldn't help but smile, and at that moment he turned back and caught your eye. He gave a cautious smile back, then tapped on the window.

"Care for some company?" he asked when you opened the door.

And so he crawled in the backseat with you, and before you could say anything, he had his arms around you, pulling you close to his chest. He laid a kiss on top of your head, then rested his cheek there.

"I'm not going to be gone for good," he told you. "And honestly I'm a little ashamed of myself if I've let you believe you could get rid of me this easily."

"You're going to be on the other side of the continent, Baxter."

"I'll visit you. You'll visit me. We'll have summer breaks." He kissed your head again and pulled you even closer, then said, "It's four years, darling. You're stuck with me for a lifetime."

You snuggled into him, basking in his affection. He wasn't always this sweet, finding it more comfortable to joke and tease, but in moments like these, it was harder not to fall more deeply in love with him.

A few more minutes passed in comfortable silence, then you told him that you'd better get back to the restaurant. He agreed, and you stepped out of the car. Just before you got to the door, he stopped and turned to face you.

"There is one more thing I feel the need to say," he started. "Something I should have told you long ago."

Taking a look at his expression, you got nervous. He was about to tell you something serious. His expression was hard to read, but when you saw his eyes dart down to your lips, you stopped him.

"We better get going," you said, stepping toward the doors. "Maybe we can talk about this another time."

Baxter looked at you a moment longer, swallowed, then smiled.

"Yes. Another time."

[faeriekit]

some venting: on parent fandom acceptance and the danny phantom tag

Honestly, the worst thing that certain Danny Phantom fans have done on this site to other fans is say that dp x dc is its own fandom. It's not. There's no such thing as a "crossover fandom" unique unto itself. You can say that people are too into this crossover or too into this au or whatever, but people who are fans of DC and Danny Phantom are into Danny Phantom and DC. That's just. What it is. Both properties are cool and combining them adds more characters and settings to play with together. All lore leads back to one or both parent fandoms, because those are the source material.

"Well the DC crossovers are so different��" Please. There have been Danny Phantom and Teen Titans crossovers since Danny Phantom was airing. I have read crossovers with House, NCIS, Supernatural, and probably anything else ffn had to bother with. One of my favorite works is a Gravity Falls fancomic that I still hope will update one day. No one cared how it was crossover then. In fact, I would say that we were one of the most crossed-over properties I knew of at the time that wasn't a SuperWhoLock-type popular show. DC crossovers are not new, they're just popular now.

"Well, it's got its own lore! >:(" Oh, like the vivisection aus? The Full Ghost aus? The corpse aus? The Danny-is-a-portal aus?? Tell me more about how new it is for an au to have its own unique lore. Love to hear it. Definitely it's the same for every author with no variation. There's for sure no unique takes from fans at every step of the way.

"Well, there's so MUCH of it." Tell me more about how other people having fun in their own way is your problem. Go ahead. Tell me more about how other people doing their own thing is personally horrible to you. It's really terrible when people do things you don't want to engage with, isn't it. It has to be separate from your fun. There is definitely no place where they blend; it has to be segregated altogether.

"But they're doing it in MY tag!" Oh, the Danny Phantom tag? The one with Danny in it? Where he's a main character? In the art and fic where he features??

The result is exactly as you'd expect; people who would be interested in joining the Danny Phantom community and making art and fic long-term because they like the characters and the show are getting sidelined because they're failing to like the show in the 'right way'. People who might love to join in and participate in community events and discussion and bring new ideas and aus to the table are being told that they like something completely different than the show in a way that, you know, somehow the original and extremely malleable fandom isn't??

I've been following multiple Danny Phantom blogs (or their author blogs that used to post dp fic) on and off on different accounts since 2015. I used to read Danny Phantom fanfic on ffn on my ipod touch during lunch or on my laptop once I made it home from school years before I even made a tumblr. I used to look forward to Dannymay and Ectober and I think I was even on tumblr the year that Narwhals started the Dannypocalypse?? (I for sure only saw the fallout though. I think I was busy that day)

I don't even open the Danny Phantom tag anymore. I still follow the people I follow...minus the people who've talked crap about fans who like Danny Phantom wrong, apparently, and I hope that good art comes my way without the constant underlying message that we're a scourge on our own fandom, I guess.

Congrats. There are no Danny Phantom fans who find the show through this form of crossover content. You've convinced them there's no point. They have their own tag, their own headcanons, their own fics, and their own culture. Are you happy now? Are you proud to be the fandom that doesn't want new fans? Is it nice, that people won't want to see your art and fics now, despite being hungry for new content? Did it help? Are you better for it? Did you maintain that canon purity you craved??

I saw a supernatural x danny phantom art piece today that kicked ass. It's from an artist I really, really like, who makes a lot of great stuff. I've bought their merch before and was excited all the way through their creative journey. No one tried to jump on them for crossover posting in the Danny Phantom space, using lore that's unique to that crossover.

But it's not about the crossover itself, is it.

[walkingstackofbooks]

Doctor Bashir I Presume AU where Julian transitioned during the Academy but never told his parents: (This totally got out of hand I'm sorryyyy 😅)

"What did you do to your lovely hair?" - Amsha's first reaction to seeing him in Sisko's office (He always wore a wig to visit them. This is exactly why.)

"You must be very proud of your son." "Our... son?"

Richard and Amsha trying to hide how unimpressed they are because they know it's socially unacceptable to be transphobic

(Not that they'd call themselves transphobic, of course. They have trans friends! But with Jules, well, it's different, isn't it? With all that they spent on her enhancements, there's no way her DNA would have been left with any... imperfections. And when it comes down to it, their her parents - they know her better than she knows herself.)

Amsha complaining at dinner how Julian hadn't prepared them for the shock of seeing him. "How could you do this to us? We were so embarrassed in front of your Captain."

(As if it wasn't them in the first place who had showed up totally unannounced 🙃🙄)

Richard saying that if Julian had told them he'd been having these feelings from the beginning, they might have been able to get help for him before he ruined his body.

Richard (angrily): "You've got some nerve, asking us to be careful with this Zimmerman chap! With the sort of risks you've been taking? Don't you realise how easily you could have been found out, all for some unnecessary surgery?" Julian (painfully restrained): "I don't expect you to understand, father, but it was necessary for me." Amsha (sadly): "Your father's just looking out for you, Jules. Try to understand that."

Misunderstandings abound when talking to Miles*, but eventually it's cleared up that Julian's parents are shit.

Cue a lot of anger (and a lot more anger than Julian thought anyone would feel. Because, you know, when you grow up knowing that your parents aren't the most accepting people, you figure that's just what some parents are like, rather than assuming yours are among the most outliers of outliers...)

Miles tells Julian he should talk to Sisko and get his parents kicked off the station. Julian's like, "That's a nice idea, but the captain can't just do that unless he's got a good reason" and Miles is like "You do know that persistently misgendering someone is literally a Federation hate crime, right?"

The Bashirs of course deny any wrongdoing. Richard gets angry, claiming "it's a family matter". Amsha starts crying about how unfair it all is.

"You have to understand, Captain -- she's been our daughter for over thirty years. We know Jules is angry with us but please, she knows that we love her really. If you could just let us talk to her--"

Sisko is fuming. "I might believe you cared if you had made any attempt to get Julian's gender right." "You don't know what it's like!" Amsha protests. "This is all so sudden!" "I know exactly what it's like!" Ben snaps back. "And I'll tell you, I didn't for a second consider telling Jake that I didn't believe him, or that he must be mistaken, or that he needed to be patient with my mistakes. In fact, I made sure as hell that I didn't make mistakes. There's no case here, as far as I'm concerned. You're both confined to quarters until the next shuttle arrives."

So I guess in the aftermath of all that, Julian's enhancements never get revealed. Even if the Bashirs were to make an apology, Miles would shut the hologram down, now he knows what Julian's parents are like.

But I think they probably feel too betrayed to try and make an apology, even a bad one.

So yeah, they're forced off the station and Julina actually gets, like, support and stuff from his friends!

Also, for like, a month afterwards, all of Molly and Yoshi's bedtime stories have trans main characters because Miles is low-key anxious about them ever starting to feel like Julian had about it not being okay.

(Keiko catches onto this and just happens to invite Julian around one night when it's storytime. Molly gets Julian to read her book. It's cute.)

(Afterwards, he enthuses about how he wishes he'd had books like that when he was a kid. And that's... sad.)

About two months later, when enough time has passed that Jadzia can pretend this isn't about Julian (although it totally is), Jadzia gets Quark and Jake involved in digging up some Earth history and holding a stationwide Pride celebration. (Julian appreciates both the gesture and the pretense.)

Garak makes some huffy comment to Julian about how "of course the Federation would have a whole festival devoted to degeneracy". Julian rolls his eyes and is about to take the bait, when he suddenly realises, "Wait, didn't Dukat once accuse you of being a degenerate?" "Wholly unsubstantiated claims, my dear Doctor." "Of course," Julian agrees sagely. "Although," he adds, a grin dancing across his lips, "if you ever find yourself wanting to substantiate them, Mister Garak..."

*The Misunderstandings:

"No offense, Julian, but you look wrecked. Is everything okay?"

Not meeting Miles' eyes, Julian takes a breath, as if to compose himself. "Let's just say that my parents are not exactly taking the news that I'm trans well."

In the moment, Miles chooses the wrong part of the sentence to focus on. "Wait, you're trans?"

Julian shrugs unhappily, a flash of anxiety passing over his face. "That doesn't... change how you feel about me, does it?" he asks hesitantly.

"'Course not!" replies Miles. "It's a bit of a surprise, I'll give you that, but-- No, sorry, I mean: what pronouns do you want me to use? Do you want to go by a different name?"

Before Julian can respond, Miles has another thought. "And what do you mean, your parents aren't taking this well? You're their son! -- Sorry, daughter-- offspring-- their child, I mean--"

"Hold up, Chief," Julian says, shaking his head in bemusement. "I'm still Julian. I'm very much a man. My parents just didn't know that until... yesterday."

"You never told them?"

"No."

"For how long?"

"Twelve years, if you're counting from when I first came out. More like twenty if you go from when I first knew."

"Jesus." Miles runs a hand through his hair. "Well, at least that explains why they're mad. That's an awfully big thing to hide from your own parents, Julian."

Julian grimaces. "I know," he replies, looking down. "It wasn't exactly brave, I guess but... I don't know. It was easier to cope with being misgendered because they didn't know, than being misgendered on purpose, you know?"

Being misgendered on purpose? This is such a bizarre statement, so at odds with what Miles knows of the world, that it takes him a minute to try and wrap his head around it.

"I'm lost, I'm afraid," he says eventually. "I can't, um-- Julian, what happened when you told your parents?"

[queenslimeball]

Living in a Bush

Kurt Kunkle x male!reader

Requested by; @batzfailz

Contents; Fluff

Summary; M/n gets in Kurt's spree before recognising his childhood bestfriend.

Kurt bobs his head along to the music in his car while he sits on his phone. He's been driving people around on spree all day, but just now he's started to get tired. One more. He keeps on telling himself. Just one more, then I'll go home. There's been seven one mores.

The wait for one more passenger seems to be forever. There's no shock to it, though. It's the middle of winter and it's almost 1am. Kurt puts his car into drive, about to give up and drive home, but he gets a notification from his phone. One more.

He instantly clicks on accepting the passenger and puts his phone down. He doesn't really care who he picks up. He's just excited to talk to one last person. He follows the directions, and pulls up to where he hopes the person he's getting is.

Kurt lowers the window and sticks his head out to look for who he's getting. Nobody around. Strange. Kurt jumps and almost yells when he hears the door open and close behind him. He twists around with a smile to see what kind of person he's picked up this time.

"Hey, my name's Kurt!" He introduces like usual. But something seems different. He feels like he knows the boy sitting in his backseat and he can't quite place it. He opens his mouth to ask if he knows him, but the boy has already started talking.

"Nice to meet you, man. I'm so glad you could pick me up, like– you would not believe the day I've had." The boy starts. Kurt turns around and looks at his phone. He starts to drive with the directions from the app.

"I went over to my friend's for a chat, right? And she ended up inviting every damn person she knew, so it ended up a fuckin' party when I was not after that. But then her dog ran out because someone left the door open and everyone went out to find it and..."

Kurt's mind channels out the boy's non-stop talking as he stares at the name on his phone. M/n. He knows this guy from somewhere. But he just can't figure out where. He dives real deep into his memory, but can't find anything.

He looks into the rear view mirror and stares at M/n for a moment. Not to be creepy, but as if trying to solve the puzzle. Solve the puzzle.

While their parent's chat away, incoherent to their little ears, the two boys sit on the floor, rummaging through a pile of puzzle pieces to try and complete it. There are only few pieces layed out already. Neither of them can seem to figure out what next.

"Kurt, seriously, kid? You got the right piece in your hand." His dad says, pointing at where it should go. All the parents look his way. A small Kurt looks at the piece in his hand and looks at the floor. He fits it in place, looking rather proud of himself after. The small M/n looks just as proud of him, like he's just changed the world.

M/n! Kurt smiles to himself as he remembers his childhood friend. He looks in the rear view mirror again. He wants to tell him about it, but M/n just keeps on going on. It's like he doesn't stop. Kurt hears a slight pause and quickly jumps in.

"Hey, uh! I think I know you." Kurt says quickly, not wanting to let M/n start rambling again. He glances over his shoulder at him with a smile, hoping he remembers.

"...I don't think so, man." M/n replies, looking directly at Kurt, as if to try and remember his face.

"I think so." Kurt replies. "When we were kids... we went to school together... our parents were friends.. but I moved away. Kurt!"

M/n's face changes very quickly. "Woah! Oh my god, Kurt? Like, Kunkle? No way!"

"See, I told you!"

"Wow, I couldn't even recognise you. Sorry about that, man." M/n laughs, more out of embarrassment. Kurt shrugs, not taking any offence to it. "I guess it's the hair..?"

"It's all good. I wouldn't recognise me either, so it's okay."

Kurt runs around the garden, searching every perimeter. He spots a bush rustle, and he narrows his eyes. He slowly approaches, grabbing a toy sword on the way to prod at the bush. It rustles again, and Kurt giggles.

"Are you in there?" Kurt asks, sticking the sword further in. The "ow!" That comes from the bush proves him right. Kurt lowers down and crawls into the bush. He finds M/n curled up inside. He playfully gives him a push.

"Found ya!" Kurt exclaims, curling up with M/n in the bush. "It's nice in here, isn't it?"

"I don't really wanna leave." M/n nods in agreement.

"We could stay here forever." Kurt suggests, confidence in his gentle voice. "My parents can have the house, it's fine."

"Really? That sounds so fun!" M/n replies excitedly. They both giggle, Kurt's dirty blond hair becoming ruffled by the lose twigs. "Boys! Dinner is ready!" It's Kurt's mother.

"Shh! shh! shh!" "Quiet!"

Kurt had pulled over somewhere, anywhere, it doesn't matter. He's climbed into the back so he can catch up with M/n after so long.

"So what brings you to Azusa?" Kurt asks.

"I moved out, but it's more affordable here, so..." M/n shrugs.

"You have your own place!? That's crazy, man. I'm still at my parents'." Kurt replies, scratching the back of his neck.

"It's crazy we're not living in a Bush together, right?" M/n jokes.

"Oh my god! You remember that?" Kurt laughs. "We were so sure we'd stay out there forever."

"The rain kinda put me off, to be honest." M/n chuckles.

The laughter dies down, and they're left with a silence. Not exactly awkward, but unreadable. Neither can quite tell what's going on as they stare into each other's eyes.

"I missed you." Kurt admits, breaking the silence. What he intended to say was "How's life treating you?" . But, his mouth has betrayed him.

M/n is flattered. He doesn't know how to react at first, just making sounds between a laugh and a heavy exhale. "I missed you, too."

Kurt stands by his family car as he stares into M/n's eyes. Tears have already escaped down his face. His parents are moving back and forth from the house to the trunk with bags.

"You're leaving?" M/n is crying now, too.

"I didn't know." Kurt admits, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"You can't leave.."

"I'm sorry!" Kurt cries out as they both dash into each other's arms, sobs escaping from both of them. Kurt's parents awkwardly try to step around them as they hug and cry for what seems to be a little too long.

"C'mon, kid. We're going." Kurt's dad says, opening the door and nodding towards it to try and get Kurt to hurry up.

Kurt looks back to M/n. It's the hardest decision of his life so far, even when it's not a decision that he can even make. He can't choose to stay, as much as he wants to. He slowly steps back from M/n, their arms falling limp from each other.

"I'll never forget you." Kurt promises.

"I won't forget you either."

"I'll find you. I know I will." He says, looking over his shoulder as he gets in the car. Kurt's dad slams the door shut, and gets in the car, too. The car gradually starts to drive into the distance, but M/n chases after as fast as his little legs can carry him. Which, ultimately, is not very fast. He trips over a pothole and hits the asphalt on his forearms and chest. He lifts his head in a whip, not caring about the physical pain, but the emotional.

He makes eye contact with Kurt through the back window as the car disappears from sight.

"I, uh– Really don't wanna say goodbye again, y'know. So I was wondering.." Kurt murmurs quietly, feeling too awkward to spit the words out he needs.

"Are you gonna ask for my number?" M/n said it for him, which is a huge relief. Kurt points and nods.

"Yeah, that!"

"I'd love for you go have it." M/n assures, making sure Kurt doesn't feel nervous about this. They exchange numbers and save their contacts, making sure they've got it right before anything else.

"Haha... uh... maybe we could go out sometime?" Kurt questions.

"Like a date?"

"Like a date, yeah!"

The boys had snuck into M/n's sister's room. It's much different to their usual hangout spots, but they're too young to care.

Kurt sits at the small, child's table, pushing a teddy bear out the way, and M/n sits opposite. They pretend to sip tea from the empty teacups, discussing all sorts of things that go on in their underdeveloped minds.

"I brought you to this restaurant to ask you something." M/n says, getting off the chair and standing by the table. He slowly sinks onto one knee. "Kurt, will you marry me?" He asks with a haribo ring.

Kurt feigns an overdramatic gasp. He nods. "Yes, yes, yes!" He stands from the table and M/n puts the ring on the wrong finger, but neither notice. They jump about, holding onto each other.

"What are you boys so happy about?" M/n's mother asks as she enters to put some clothes away into the sister's wardrobe.

"I'm gonna marry Kurt!" "We're getting married!"

"That's nice, boys."

[hannahssimblr]

In the hallway after school on Tuesday, as I head to my locker to retrieve my gear bag, I spot Miss O’Reilly. She is locking up the art room, and gives me a big smile as I approach her. She’s always doing that, smiling at me, I mean, and it throws me off. It's usually not the expression teachers have when they see me coming.

I smile awkwardly in return and she turns her body towards me, takes a step, prompting me to halt beside her instead of barrelling past her like I would have, not enthused about facing the wrath of Doherty if I hit the rugby pitch even one minute late. 

“Jude! I've been meaning to congratulate you.”

“Um, for what?”

She laughs as though I’m being dense deliberately, “I spoke to Eileen, the guidance counsellor last Friday and she told me about your offers.”

“Oh, for college.”

“Yes! How wonderful. I’m just so pleased for you that everything worked out the way that you hoped it would, after all of the hard work you put in this last year it’s just fantastic to hear it. And tell me, did you get accepted to every college you applied for?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow,” she takes a big pause, taking it in, “wow. You must be delighted. How does it feel?”

“I dunno, miss.”

“Hard to get your head around, I’m sure. Your parents must be proud too.”

“Mm.”

She’s determined to ignore our mismatched attitudes towards this news, taking a big, jubilant breath before launching into more affirmations, “well, what a confirmation of your talent and skill. I had a really good feeling about your work when you came to my class last year, and I’m just so pleased that you got the results you wanted. Have you decided which college to choose yet?”

I shift my weight from one foot to the other, “yeah I’m choosing NCAD.”

“Oh!” I can tell she’s trying to maintain her upbeat attitude, but eyebrows slowly draw together in confusion, “I hadn’t realised you changed your plan. When we last spoke about it in March you told me you were looking forward to attending universities abroad.”

I shrug, “Yeah, I, um, I changed my mind in the end. I’m going to stay in Dublin.”

“Hm, okay, I just… Jude, do you mind if I ask you why?”

“Yeah, you can ask,” I say, and am instantly horrified by the tremor in my voice. I fight it back with a hard swallow, “It’s just, like… um,” Oh God. What is happening to me? I’m conscious of the crowds of students milling through the hallway right behind me, and of the fact that I categorically cannot do this here. “Sorry…”

“Oh, come in,” she says in a low voice, jangling the keys in the art room door with an urgency that feels entirely necessary, and when she lets me into the room ahead of her I stand dumbly in the middle of it as she fumbles with the blind over the glass doors, tingling jolts of anxiety running down my arms and through the tips of my fingers. 

“What is it, sweetheart?” She says, and simply that, the word she uses and the way she uses it makes me want to crumple onto the linoleum floor in front of her. 

“You’re alright, you’re just…” she purses her lips, searching for the word, “overwhelmed, I’d say. College and all of that kind of thing, it can get on top of you at this time of year. I know it’s a lot to think about.”

I manage a grunt of vague agreement. 

Miss O’Reilly drags a folding chair from the side of the room, “C’mere, sit down there and we’ll have a quick chat about it.”

“Um, Mr. Doherty…” I say, and she understands, “Don’t mind him. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

She settles into a seat across from me, and gives me an encouraging smile. As I search for the words I want to say I’m cognizant of how comforting this woman is, how unfazed she is by me and whatever it is that is happening to me in this room. She has a daughter, I know that, a daughter who goes to our school and for a moment I’m jealous of her, that fourteen year old girl who gets to have a mother like this one, that is soft and comforting in all the places where mine is sharp and disinterested in me and every feeling I have ever experienced. 

I’m not convinced that I even know how to talk about things like this, afraid that I will try to and come across like the weirdest, most unhinged person on the planet. My thoughts and feelings will be so nonsensical that they will make everyone around me cringe with discomfort. “I’m trying to do the right things,” I attempt, “but somehow the right things feel very wrong to me.”

“When you say ‘the right things’, Jude, do you mean you want to choose the right college?”

I nod. 

“And why does NCAD seem like the right choice?”

“Because of my girlfriend.”

“Michelle?”

“Yeah. I didn’t know you knew that to be honest.” I never thought that teachers noticed or cared about things that weren’t arbitrary uniform rules and homework assignments, but evidently I was wrong.

She smiles kindly, “So Michelle is going to NCAD?”

“Yeah if she gets the points in her leaving. She applied for all the same colleges as me but got none and now I feel sort of... like I have to stay for her.”

“Is that the right decision for you?”

“I dunno, miss.”

She hums contemplatively, “I’m sure you’re tired of hearing this kind of thing, but it’s not always the best choice to base big life choices on your girlfriend when you’re only eighteen years old. Especially one as important as your university.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s never an easy choice to make. I really empathise with you here, because when you’re in love with a person, you-”

“I don’t even know if I love her.”

There’s a pause, she looks surprised, and so am I. I'm stunned that I told her that, this thought that I've never dared to utter before.

And then everything comes spilling out of me. “Look, it’s just that I feel very trapped,” I say, “Sometimes I think there’s something abnormal about my brain, because I make decisions that even I don’t understand, like with Michelle... when I think about us being together and our relationship I can hardly remember anything good that’s happened between us for a long time, the last fun thing we did or the last time I felt happy. I can’t even remember what I was thinking when we got together. I feel like I’m on autopilot, or like things are just happening to me without me having a hand in it.

“Somehow I’ve just, like, ended up here and I’m making plans with her and promising her things that I haven’t even decided if I want yet. I thought that I wanted to move away, but maybe I don’t anymore. Maybe it’s wrong of me to do that, because what if I go away and then I realise that what I actually wanted was to be with Michelle?” 

I breathe in, knowing that I have probably been talking too much, but now I am unwilling to stop, “My parents, they’re fighting a lot at home. Something happened a few months ago and it's just been a battlefield ever since. I know that if I go away I’ll leave my sister alone to deal with all of it. She’s only nine, and the constant tension upsets her so much, she goes into a spin about it and starts fantasising about all of these awful scenarios, and see, my parents don’t know how to deal with her, they don’t really like it when kids act like kids. Or at least they’re not that interested in them– in her. I keep imagining this future where I’m gone, I’ve left home and I’m hundreds of miles away and she’s all on her own with them, and there’s nobody to really look after her because I can’t get home so easily, and when I think like that, even the thought of going away, even wanting it a little bit makes me feel like the most selfish boy on earth…”

Miss O’Reilly produces a tissue and holds it out to me. I stare at it for several seconds before I realise she is offering it because I have started to cry. My face is somehow wet with tears. “Oh,” I say, hoarsely and take it. 

“Jude, you’re still a teenager.” She says gently, “You can’t possibly be responsible for the emotions of every other person around you. It’s too much.”

“Yeah.”

“When you’re young you have to make selfish decisions, ones meant for yourself and yourself only. Nobody else is going to make them for you. You have to really ask yourself what the right choice is for you, whether you’ll be able to be truly happy in your current circumstance where nothing may change or will you be better off on your own, doing something you love and experiencing real freedom in spite of how others may feel about it.” 

I wipe my eyes and nod, staring down at my lap, still in a state of shame and disbelief that I have allowed myself to sob like this in front of my teacher, though if she is bothered she doesn’t show it. 

“When you imagine your ideal life,” she urges, “where none of these things are a factor, not the things you promised to Michelle, not what's going on at home, what does it look like?”

“God,” I breathe, almost chuckling because the answer is so easy, “I’m gone. I’m not here. I’m just miles away and I’m making art and hanging out and doing what I like.” It sounds so simple when I say it out loud, yet for the longest time now I’ve felt like a criminal for wanting these things. 

“And where do you see yourself?”

“Berlin,” I say, surprising myself. It’s not like I’ve put real time into thinking about this, visualised myself walking those streets, in fact I don’t even know what Berlin looks like, but it feels right to say it, as though there is some cosmic reason for me to go there. Perhaps only because it’s the furthest from home. 

Miss O’Reilly nods, “NCAD is a fine college, Jude, but your talent is wasted in a place where you don’t want to be. You could do anything you want. You have incredible potential and I’d be very sad to see it wasted. Life passes you by very quickly, you know, and these kinds of opportunities don’t present themselves as often as you think. It may seem obvious, but you only have one life to live.”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t tell you what to do. I can’t make a decision for you, but all I want you to do is really think about this. Put a good amount of thought into what you really want when you remove everyone else from the equation, then, once you know, you can decide what's worth sacrificing. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes, miss.”

“Good, then that's your homework,” She smiles and reaches to squeeze my hand, which I am embarrassed about because my skin is clammy, but just like everything else about this moment that is humiliating to me, it doesn't appear to faze her.

“Thank you,” I say, and she nods. “I hope you’re not in a hurry to get to your rugby practice.”

“No,” I sniff, and let out a thick laugh, “No miss, I think I’ll skip it today.”

“Good,” she says, “That’s a good start, see? Here you are, doing exactly as you wish.”

She smiles at me, once again, that bright, warm smile, and I give her one in return because maybe it's just me, my weird brain and the things it invents, but the feeling of hope that rises in me in that moment feels very real.

Beginning // Prev // Next

[h0ck3yl0v3r]

this love

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

sc26 x childhood!bestfriend reader

warnings: kissing, anything else lmk!

seamus casey, your destined best friend since you were babies. your parents both went to college together and were best friends. they also got pregnant around the same time. seamus was two months older, he always made fun of you for that.

when you and seamus were both finally 18, he was nhl draft bound and umich bound. you decided to follow him there both having gotten accepted and on scholarships. your parents couldn’t have been more proud, even going as far to throwing a party.

seamus was always so protective of you, always making sure you were okay. there was never a time where you were crying and he wasn’t there to hold you and tell you everything was going to be okay. he never liked talking to many people, he was kept to himself and you were the only person to bring him out of his shell. he was so nervous for the draft but your smile and pep talks were the only thing that could calm him down, and you couldn’t have been more proud of him for being drafted to the devils.

college came quick. you and seamus leaving your hometown to chase your dreams.

everything was great. you and seamus had a lot of classes together and he even made sure to include you in things he did. which landed you in a frat house at a party after a win against michigan state, one of umich’s biggest rivals. it was winter time, your favorite season but you cant help but feel so down.

as you were sitting near the kitchen you couldn’t help but keep looking at seamus. he had brought you to this party but ended up losing each other since he got dragged away by his teammates.

he currently sat in the living room with some random sorority girl. you had feelings for seamus since the 7th grade. never wanting to ruin a friendship you stayed quiet.

one of seamus teammates approached you, “hey i’m mark, you’re y/n right, seamus’s best friend?” he asked before taking a seat next to you. “yeah that’s me” you said giving him a small smile hoping he didn’t catch you staring at seamus.

“so you and seamus have been friends since you guys were babies? he always talks about you, its nice to finally meet you.” he said bringing his hand out to for a hand shake, which you shook his hand softly. “our parents are best friends and had us around the same time so they raised us together, we’ve been inseparable since.” you said and he let out a soft laugh.

you and mark talked for a while getting to know each other, but all you wanted was seamus, you kept looking over at him any chance you got. “you know y/n i think you have a crush on my boy seamus.” mark said and you choked on your water trying to hide the blush forming on your face. “me liking seamus? no way he’s just my best friend plus theres no way hes into me.” you said placing your water down. “yeah sure, best friends dont talk or look at each other the way you two do.” he said and you looked at him confused and he began talking again. “i said he talks about you a lot and when i say that i mean its non stop. any time you send him a selfie or anything he’s so quick to smile at his phone and he’ll say it was from you. every time you’re at our games he’s always looking for you never anyone else. and i see the way you look at him at every party. the way you get so upset whenever a girl goes up to him.” you couldn’t help but sit there and think about what mark had said almost on the verge of crying from feeling all your emotions overcome you.

“mark please dont be fucking with me right now. i’ve liked him since 7th grade and i never wanted to ruin anything between us so i kept quiet.” you said looking up at him and he gave you a genuine smile. “trust me, our whole team wants you two together, you bring out the best of him. he’s always so gloomy and grumpy and you’re his sunshine. you’re the only person who can calm him down or help him. now go get your man.” he said patting your back helping you up. you mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ before going to seamus.

you tapped his shoulder softly and he paused his conversation with the girl sitting with him. “can we talk?” you said softly, which had seamus up on his feet excusing himself from the girl and holding your hand leading you to an empty balcony.

you stood there enjoying the breeze and the night sky. “what’s up sunshine? you seem upset.” he said coming up behind you giving you a back hug, something he always did when he knew you were upset. you turned to face him, looking up you couldn’t help but to notice the moons reflection in his eyes. “you’re so pretty.” you mumbled and immediately realized what you said hoping he didn’t hear you, but he did. “you’re pretty too.” he said tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “shea, i like you, like a lot. actually scratch that. i love you. more than anything in this world, and it’s okay if you dont feel the same i totally get it i mean you have all these girls who-“ he cuts off your rant with a kiss. his hands tangled in your hair and yours on his chest. you pull away for a second to catch your breath and he whispers “i love you too.” against your lips before you pull him back in for another kiss.

your boy was finally yours. and he finally got his dream girl.