#oh wow beautiful story about this guy's fear of abandonment and how it affects his future relantioships + his journey in getting closure

[am-i-tho]

finished colorless tsukuru tazaki at 2 am today and I'm still a bit mad about it

[prose-for-hire]

Y/n the friendly ghost

Pairing: Xander Harris x reader

Request: For Halloween can you write about Xander falling for a ghost reader with the prompt "The afterlife can be fun. Sometimes. It's mostly scaring clueless teenagers to death."

Requested by: Anon

A/N: Again, I don’t know if Xander’s particularly popular with you guys but I have a bunch of inspiration for a second part to this if any of you are interested 🖤🦇

On Halloween night, it is said that if you are the first person to remove an apple from a water-filled bucket without using your hands, that night you would dream of your soulmate. Your betrothed. The one soul that was bound to yours... 

Xander had been having dreams. Ever since Halloween night. He had been apple bobbing and won, emerging victorious as he managed to bite into the crisp apple from under the water. For some reason, he wasn’t aware why, he had been really competitive. He had held the apple high above his head, showing it off to anyone that would look.

In the month since Halloween, the most attractive person he had ever seen would meet him inside his dream each night. He was besotted. Growing more in love by every second. He kept them to himself, not able to tell the others in fear of teasing. He was excited to go to sleep, finding himself willing the night to fall so that he could meet them again.

As he closed his eyes, the scene played out before him. It was always the same setting but they both spoke intimately every night. Some kind of regal ball, where the men wore suits and the women wore fancy dresses. It was vibrant with chatter and music playing.

Through the crowd, they came to him. The reason for his happiness. It was you.   Your eyes always lit up when you located him in the crowd. You and Xander had been sharing these dreams, such beautiful moments you enjoyed together. 

You would dance and laugh. Hiding from the eyes and idle gossip from the crowd around you. Both of your favourite part was when you managed to sneak away. the first few nights you went through the motions, enjoyed the dancing and the time period but eventually as soon as you found each other again, you found yourself a private corner immediately. You wore such grand clothing, such decadence surrounded you both, but neither of you had eyes for anything except each other. 

You thought it was very odd, you had only died last year. And you could tell by his humour and the way he spoke that he wasn’t from this period either. You were not familiar with the time frame and neither was he. And in some sense, this made it feel more natural. That your souls were meeting in your dreams, that may have found each other in a previous life.

Unfortunately (or fortunately as it meant you at least got to meet him) you had died but kept your soul. You hadn’t moved on to the other side yet, although you had been assured by the powers above that this process would happen eventually. But definitely not before next Halloween. 

Xander was falling in love. He had been enjoying every moment of your shared dream. He knew it sounded silly, you clearly weren’t real. But he was falling for you with every moment he spent with you in his dream. He longed for this to be true, he desperately pleaded to find you in reality. But knew you were too good to be true.

He had started to walk more often by himself, after dark. Tonight, he had felt this pull, this unusual feeling. Something deep within was navigating him. Willing him to step over the threshold of the house at the end of the street. He often walked to clear his head, or he would just try to go straight to bed. Trying to sleep. Trying to see you.

For some reason, unknown to him, he entered into an abandoned house. One that had been lived in by a priest and his wife, it had been abandoned for a long time. There was a small graveyard in the land at the back and it had always given him the creeps so he had stayed clear. However, he had walked straight in and let himself in as if he lived there. He turned to leave, but didn’t make it back through the door.

You sensed everything in the building. From rain leaking out of the badly patched hole in the roof to the mice family that lived in the basement. You had named all of the mice, pretending they were your pets. You scared away any cats or wild animals that wondered into the house, making sure the family were safe. You needed something like that, some kind of attachment. It could get lonely. The only thing to look forward to being your dreams.

You saw him turning to the door and you gasped. Could it be? It was! it was really him!

You became so excited that you floated at top speed towards him, forgetting your lack of corporeality in your excitement. Ideally you wanted to jump into his arms and wrap yourself around him. But you stopped short of attempting that.

Xander, who was already spooked from the strange little decaying house you resided in, wasn’t expecting a real ghost to come flying at him - only to stop abruptly about a centimetre from his face.

He screamed, using his whole body and pointing at you in surprise. It was a scream he was glad Buffy and Willow weren’t there to witness. As he was thinking this and recovering from a minor heart attack, he looked at you. Properly. That face. He knew that face. He loved that face.

“It’s you!”

“You know me?” You ask, snapping yourself out of just dreamily staring at the man of your dreams. Your eyes had started to light up in that way he loved, “Remember me…?” you questioned softly, confirming what you could have only hoped for.

“How could I not? I mean… wow” he gestured at you. You chuckled at him, shaking your head and looking down at yourself. 

When you looked back up after only a second, he had started to squint growing a little suspicious. He noted your weren’t corporeal. This didn’t lessen any affection, but he hadn’t had much luck when he was in high school with partners (they had ended up trying to eat him, or maim him at the very least). 

“Y-you’re a Casper right?” he checked, still squinting as you frowned, not quite catching up straight away.

“A Casper?”

“A friendly, how can I help kinda ghost?” he explained, which instantly made you smile.

“Oh! Yeah! I’m very nice when you get to know me… ghosts get a bad rap. But we can be helpful… we can joke” You smiled as he did, before dropping his eyes to his feet,  “We can even… fall in love”

The suggestion crackled through the air, he looked back up to where you were floating, slightly above him. You stayed in silence, just staring in awe at the other before he finally spoke.

“Cool... ‘cause I’m not one with the creepy scariness” He replied, nervous to tell you just how much he loved you in case he scared you off. This thought made him smile, the idea of scaring a ghost being humorous to him.

“The creepy, scary things are all around you, it’s the soundtrack of your life” You smiled, something he had referenced in one of the many stories he had told you in his dreams.

“Tell me about it”

“I believe you would actually enjoy being a ghost! The afterlife can be fun. Sometimes. It's mostly scaring clueless teenagers to death."

“Yeah, you’re doing a great job. What with the scary jumpiness” He confirmed and you took it as a compliment. You knew this man, you had kept his secrets over the last month or so. You had shared things so deep, you wondered why you felt so nervous. 

“Yes! It was funny, you almost jumped out of your skin!” You chuckled.

“I c-can’t actually do that right? You can’t make me do that… can you?”

“No! of course not! I wouldn’t want to do that…” You said softly, before revealing, “I’d rather kiss you”

“Yeah?” He asked and you nodded, perhaps a little shyly. You had visions of him whenever he was dreaming. You wanted it to be true, “Then lay it on me!” he started to move towards you and you panicked, stepping back. But it was too late. He fell straight through you which made you shiver and squirm, “What was that?!”

“I-I can’t-” You tried to explain but the rest of the sentence became stuck in your throat. His face dropped as he realised and you almost wept. You looked around and your face, which had dropped with his, suddenly lit up again, “We could… kiss through this” You offer shyly, pointing towards a surprisingly clean pane of glass (not that it mattered to you either way).

“Really-?” He looked unconvinced. As if you would laugh and make fun of him for even considering it. But you didn’t, you merely nodded softly. The sadness permeating in the air. Leaving you feeling his lack of touch that you had never had to experience when you met in your dreams. Touch felt real there.

You would touch a hard object for a very small moment in time. You moved in, landing a single kiss against the glass at the same time as him. You both sighed, wishing there was some way you could touch properly while you were awake. Your gazes meeting through the glass in a mix of adoration and despair. 

There was a desperation for more. A mutual wish, no a prayer, for you to be reunited in person the way you had in your dreams. You pleaded to have your physical body back, even for one day. You loved him so much you ached. It was as if you had known him forever. For your whole life. Longer.

You both felt the longing more physically than you could feel the glass beneath your palms. Your hands on the glass, his hand pressing against where yours was resting, corresponding between the glass. You willed to keep your touch for even a little longer, but you could feel yourself starting to disappear, an unknown pull to wherever you were sent in the house or in the gravesite in the garden.

“I’ll see you in our dreams...” You whispered, closing your eyes. When you opened them again, he was gone and you were confined to the loneliness of the decaying building once more.

[maraudersandlily20]

Hope

If you haven’t read the first part, probably go do that. But here’s a small recap: I wrote stories about Hope and Lyall Lupin before they got married, I made @the-moon-and-stars-my-love read it almost two years ago and her commentary still makes me laugh. So I am going to post the story with the commentary interspersed. Enjoy! Her commentary will be labeled, bolded, and italicized. 

Part 2

Carolina: i see that there is gonna be a part two and i aM READY AND HERE FOR IT

It had been two weeks since she had seen him. Two full weeks. She knew, because she had counted. Many, many times. And though she would never admit it, it rather hurt.

Carolina: ohhh goodness my heart is breaking a bit for her. she felt ghosted. or, well, as ghosted as you can be in the 1950s without things like snapchat and all that tech stuff but she literally has no way to contact him?? of course she's hurt :(

Had she made the whole thing up? Was Lyall Lupin simply a figment of her imagination? Those thoughts came to her as the first week came to an end. And then, she would look over on her dresser to see the gleam of silver of that piece of chocolate, which had earned a kind of place of honor beside her hairbrush, and knew she hadn’t made anything up. He was real. Which meant that he just hadn’t come to see her again.

That truth made her wish that he hadn’t been real at all.

Carolina: stop stop it right now that's so unfair they had such a lovely time and now you're making this happen??? rUDE

To her embarrassment, she had replayed their meeting over and over again in her mind, wondering if perhaps she had been too forward with her desire to see him again. But HE was the one who had said he wanted to return, even if it was just to “check up on her”. She had seen the way his eyes had lit up when she agreed to that and she knew he was just as intrigued by her as she was by him. 

At least, she had thought so.

Carolina: you can see how she's trying to rationalize and i mean she's really not wrong but her fear that she was too forward is so real and oh man Lyall you better make this up to her

Two weeks of radio silence was making her question that. It was making her question everything.

Groaning in frustration, Hope tried to push the annoying and persistent thoughts away. Her mother was at the market and had left Hope in charge of making the bread for dinner that evening. It was a tiring chore, but it gave her hands something to do while she contemplated the mysterious man again and again. She was kneading the dough slowly, rubbing in more and more flour, becoming rougher with her movements as she recalled the details of their meeting.

It had almost been a type of fairytale. He had rescued her from the brute in the forest, and sat beside her while she was unconscious to ensure her safety, then he had escorted her home, and had promised to return to see her again soon.

If anyone else had told her a similar story, she probably would have gushed along with them, reassuring them that the young man was just as interested in them as they thought. 

Carolina: you and me both Hope wheRE IS MY FAIRYTALE STORY???

And then, as time went on, she would change her tune, perhaps suggesting that he was too good to be true and wasn’t interested in letting the poor girl down. Hope knew that that’s how she would treat the situation from an outsider’s perspective. But she wasn’t an outsider. It had happened to her, and she really REALLY wanted him to return with his perfect explanation and tell her how mad he was for her.

It was very unrealistic.

“Stupid Lyall Lupin and his stupid beautiful face and his stupid kind gestures and his stupid chocolate and his stupid everything. Stupid, stupid, stupid!” she muttered, slamming the dough onto the table with her final exclamation. 

Carolina: "boys are stupid" is the vibe i'm getting from her and honestly what a mood

Realizing how foolish she was behaving, she took a step back and placed her hands on her hips, trying to calm herself. She stared down at the abandoned dough covered with deep indents from her fingers and shook her head. 

“And stupid me, for believing in him in the first place.”

Carolina: yOU DID NOTHING WRONG (Carolina will fight anyone in regards to Hope, as I have learned)

That was the rub, the thing that bothered Hope the most. She considered herself to be rather clever and not very naive. But this was different. She had met a beautiful stranger in the woods, let him sweet talk her, even escort her home. He was kind and amiable and seemed like the stuff of dreams. Then he vanished without another word. Now she was thinking it had all been a ruse, the stuff of dreams after all.

With a sigh, she made to go back to the dough and finish the task at hand, though it seemed like the least important thing to her at that moment. Bread had none of the answers she needed. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. She just had to get through the day, and then she could try to forget Lyall Lupin. It would probably never happen, but she could dream. Hope made to grab the dough again when she heard something, like a soft thump. The noise was coming from the front of the house and after a moment, it sounded almost as if someone was cursing softly. She peered around the table, curious, when a quick knock echoed in the air. It startled her enough to make her jump and she laughed at herself.

They weren’t expecting guests that night, so there shouldn’t have been anyone dropping by. But nobody in town cared much about boundaries and always did as they pleased regardless. It wasn’t uncharacteristic of the town to show up around supper and beg for scraps. Hope’s mother was always gracious toward their unexpected guests, while Hope always wanted to roll her eyes. She was curious though and headed toward the door. As she neared, she realized that there was a chance it was Miles. The thought almost made her ignore the knock completely. He had made his intentions toward her very clear and she was worried her refusal of his affection hadn’t been obvious enough. He was the type of suitor that believed in perseverance over anything. 

Carolina: oh my gosh he's THAT guy. i really want him to come back in the future and i want Lyall to be like "lmao bro nope u wish look at me i'm the lucky sod who gets to marry this girl"

She wouldn’t be surprised if he had been waiting for her mother to leave so they could have a moment alone together. The thought made her wince.

With a pause and prayer, Hope opened the door.

It wasn’t Miles, with his bouquets and love poems, nor was it any of the other villagers, looking for a free meal and a good piece of gossip. 

It wasn’t like that at all. 

What she found was nothing like she expected.

A man was lying on her porch, covered almost head to toe in mud and carrying on as if he were about to die. It was, simply put, rather shocking.

Carolina: i am genuinely concerned for Lyall rn

Hope sprang to action. “Sir! Are you alright?” She asked, concern coating her voice. 

The man looked up at her and she caught her breath. She knew those warm hazel eyes. She had been dreaming of them consistently for the past two weeks. He gave her a weak smile through a stifled groan. .

“Hello, Miss Howell. I do hope I’m not intruding.”

Lyall.

Carolina: wOW sure sure Lyall act like you aREN'T DYING SURE SURE WHY NOT

-

It took some effort, but Hope was able to get Lyall up off the porch and into the house. 

Carolina: we stan a strong woman yessss hope!!

The two had limped together through the front rooms, Lyall leaning heavily on her, much to her distaste. At least most of the mud was drying, she reasoned. Perhaps she wouldn’t have to wash her clothes. 

They reached the washroom and she released her hold of him to start gathering towels and soap. His eyes followed her movement before he slowly lowered himself onto the tile of the floor. He was quiet as she worked, watching as she filled up the tub with warm water, rubbing the soap bar between her hands in order to make the water have some suds. She had barely looked at him after getting him inside, though he had tried to get her eyes on him again. Hope was stubborn. Lyall had learned that faster than anything else. He had unintentionally  caused her some pain the past two weeks, and she wasn’t prepared to just let that go. The awkwardness between them was palpable and Lyall wasn’t sure what to do to ease it.

When the tub was full, Hope turned to him. “Are you hurt?”

He looked up at her, startled. “Hurt?”

“Yes, hurt. Do you need help getting your clothes off?” She tried to pretend that the thought of helping him undress didn’t cause a red hot blush to crawl up her neck. 

Carolina: lmao okay Hope sure yeah act like you wouldn't love to see him without his shirt mhm suuuure

Lyall shook his head. “I can manage my trousers but, uh… I may need some help with the shirt.” 

Carolina: sO MUCH OPPORTUNITY FOR CUTE STUFF RIGHT NOW DEAR GOODNESS

Hope nodded, placing her hands under his arms and attempting to help him to his feet. He laughed as they struggled and she almost smiled.

Almost.

Carolina: yes good don't give in yet Hope you've got this he still has to explain

Now that Lyall was once again standing, Hope tried to push on with the work. “Don’t think about it, Hope. Just imagine you’re helping Da with his shirt. Not an extremely handsome man who keeps staring at you with those lovely hazel eyes and that ridiculously sweet smile. It’s nothing. He just needs some help with the buttons. Don’t think about it!” she told herself as she gently pushed his coat over his shoulders. 

Carolina: hAHAHAHAHAHA THIS INNER MONOLOGUE I'M DEAD

He winced, hissing softly and her eyes shot up to his in concern. His eyes were squinted in pain, but he was looking at her. Still looking at her.

The coat fell to the ground with thud, but Hope found that she couldn’t look away from him. They stood in silence, watching the other for any sign of breaking the silence first. Hope still thought he was beautiful, as annoyed as that made her. He was covered in mud and his hair was sticking up in all directions, and she still thought he was beautiful.

Carolina: i just wanna say that i find the fact that she calls him beautiful to be very sweet and so so soft it genuinely makes my heart melt

But he hadn’t come back to see her.

This thought snapped her out of her reverie and she looked down, her attention on the buttons of his shirt once again. Her hands, she noticed, were shaking as she brought them up to the first button.

“I’m sorry.” The words were soft, so as not to startle her. 

Carolina: yOU SHOULD BE... okay continue Lyall

Hope shook her head, focusing on the task at hand, which was horribly embarrassing if she really thought about it. But she knew Lyall needed help, so she was going to help him. Just as he had helped her. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

Carolina: gIRL STOP LYING WHY U ALWAYS LYIN HE HURT YOU! AND THERE HAS BEEN NO EXPLANATION YET YOUR FRUSTRATION IS VALID

“I do.” His voice was full of regret as he said those two words. “I told you I’d come back to see you soon. And it’s been two weeks.”

Carolina: soon?? sOON?? LYALL LUPIN TWO WEEKS IS A LONG TIME IN THE 1950S WHEN YOU DONT HAVE ANOTHER WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH SOMEONE YOU RANDOMLY MET IN THE WOODS

“I know. It doesn’t matter.”

Carolina: BUT IT DOES HOPE IT DOES DO YOU NOT REMEMBER YOUR THOUGHTS MOMENTS AGO WHILE YOU ANGRILY MADE BREAD??

Jo: I love you so much

He reached up with his hand and covered both of hers as they attempted to undo his buttons. The warmth of his hand made her pause. He said nothing, as if waiting, and finally, she looked up to meet his gaze. “It does.”

Carolina: my heaaaaart

Lyall was not used to having to answer to someone. After leaving his parents for school, he had become very independent. He enjoyed being his own man, coming and going as he pleased without anything to worry about. But his independence had hurt Hope, he could tell, and he was desperate to salvage the situation. “I got sent to Scotland for work. I couldn’t remember exactly where you lived and so I couldn’t send a letter or anything. If I had been able to, Hope, I would have come back the next day.”

His reasoning settled in her mind and Hope cocked her head as she looked at him. He realized, after she said nothing, that she was looking for a lie. “Alright.” She dropped her eyes again.

He groaned, not releasing her hands on his shirt. “You don’t believe me.”

Carolina: well no shit sherlock (i still love u lyall but i stand by my bby hope)

Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and she let out a disparaging laugh. “Lyall, I thought you didn’t exist. I thought I had just… created you in mind. I didn’t hear from you for two weeks and then all of a sudden you’re on my doorstep, hurt and covered in mud, and I’m just supposed to accept that you were called away on work and couldn’t reach me?”

Carolina: she's a smart cookie

There was a truth to her words and he let out a dejected sigh. She began unbuttoning his shirt once again and he let her, trying to help as she pushed the dirtied fabric over his shoulders. It joined his coat on the ground.

And then, Hope stopped.

Because Lyall Lupin was incredibly beautiful.

Hope’s older brother, Rhys, was training to be a doctor, and on occasion, Hope had gone to the hospital to visit him. The hospital was always full of wounded, shirtless people, but Hope had never really thought about it in the way she was now. Because the people at the hospital weren’t standing in her bathroom, after rescuing her in the woods and then not coming to see her for two weeks with a sad explanation and a need for a bath. The people in the hospital weren’t well-constructed male specimens who were fit and tanned and very very handsome. The people at the hospital didn’t make Hope feel like could melt into a puddle on the floor if they touched her.

No.

No, only Lyall Lupin could do that.

Carolina: Hope, do you need a glass of water for your thirst?

She cleared her throat, her eyes glued to his skin. She could feel the heat emanating from him and never before in her life had she fought so hard to resist an urge to touch someone. 

Lyall smiled lightly at her attention and refused to move. He waited for her to make the first move. To touch him. To do something.

Hope turned away.

“I think you could leave your pants on and then get in the tub, that way I could help you wash. If you wanted.”

He had to laugh at that. “That sounds perfect,” came his response. 

Carolina: me too lyall i'm laughing too xD

She nodded and turned her back to him completely, hoping that it wasn’t too obvious that she was listening to him undo his belt and drop his trousers to the floor. She bit her lip and stared up at the ceiling.

“God help me,” she whispered. 

Carolina: she's a mess hahaha she's so far gone for him

Lyall stepped into the warm water with a quiet groan and situated himself comfortably before looking back at Hope. 

“You’re alright to turn around now.”

Hope wasn’t sure that was true. She didn’t know how she was going to last with him looking like that in the bath water. Hoping to somehow magically keep her thoughts to herself, she pulled up the footstool by the tub. 

Lyall began slowly scrubbing the mud from his skin with the small bar of soap. He winced as he stretched out his right shoulder and Hope felt concern pool in her stomach. She pushed him forward and examined his back. There, across his shoulder blade, was a deep gash that was surrounded with dark bruising. Her mouth fell open. He hadn’t said anything!

“Christ, Lyall! Why didn’t you tell me you were that hurt?”

He let out a pained laugh as she poked around the cut. “I don’t know. I was a bit preoccupied with the beautiful woman unbuttoning my shirt.”

Carolina: LYALL LUPIN YOU SHAMELESS MAN [fans self]

She leaned back and glared which made him bark out a genuine laugh. The sound made her heart flip in her chest. 

“It’s a superficial wound, Hope. Nothing to worry about. I’ll go see a healer and be fit as a fiddle in no time.”

She quirked her head at his choice of the word “healer”, but said nothing. 

Carolina: Lyall Lupin you're terrible at keeping magic a secret around a beautiful woman

Jo: CAN YOU BLAME HIM

She was sure he wouldn’t have an explanation anyway. So she went back to the task at hand. With a small towel,  she began cleaning out the mud from Lyall’s hair, watching as the thick strands of hair returned back to its original golden brown color, without all the leaves and twigs. 

“You certainly know how to make a right mess of yourself, Lyall Lupin,” she muttered. 

They returned to the silence from before as they worked to clean him off. When there was a considerable less amount of mud on his skin, she had him stand. “We need to get you and your cut cleaned, and we can’t do that with muddy water,” she explained after Lyall’s sharp complaint as the cool air hit his skin. As the water drained from beneath him, they stood staring at each other.

In fascination, she watched as his whole body became covered in goosebumps from the cold. Before she could stop herself, her hand reached out to feel this skin on his chest. They both froze, realizing what she had just done, but neither of them were willing to say anything to break the moment. Hope pulled her hand back quickly as if she had been burned and then began filling the tub once again with warm water. Stunned, Lyall sat down hard, grateful for the warmth of the water to occupy his thoughts instead of her soft skin against his.

With a red face and a muttered excuse, Hope left the bathroom. She found spare clothes that looked as if they would fit Lyall in her father’s trunk. As she sorted through different trousers, she berated herself.

“You couldn’t just keep your hands to yourself?” she whispered in horror, replaying that moment over and over again in her mind. Had she really just done that?

Carolina: yES YOU DID YOU REALLY DID ~waggles eyebrows~

When she had found adequate clothing for him, she went to Rhys’ old room and dug up his old medical kit. He had gotten a much nicer medical kit as a wedding present from their parents, and so had left the old one at home, in case of emergencies. Hope sifted through the contents and pulled out a roll of gauze and a sturdy bandage. She would have to let him know to watch the wound for infection, but it would do for the time being. 

Still horribly embarrassed over her lack of control, she returned to the bathroom.

“I brought you some clothes,” she announced, holding the pile in front of her. He smiled.

“Thank you. I know I’m intruding on your home and this wasn’t the way you expected to spend your evening, but I’m truly grateful Hope.”

Carolina: mhm mhm yes true but also consider: this was a much better way to spend her evening

She shrugged. “Consider us even.” She watched his face fall a bit before he plastered on a smile and laughed. 

Carolina: does he think she won't ever want to see him again now??? oh my gosh this is so much mutual pining even tho they aRE CLEARLY HEAD OVER HEELS FOR EACH OTHER ALREADY

She left the pile of clothes on the counter and turned to go. “When you’re ready, before you put your shirt on, let me bandage your cut,” she said over her shoulder.

“There’s really no need-” she cut him off with a sharp look and he held up his hands in surrender. “Of course.”

After Hope had left the bathroom, she started to close the door, but without registering what she was doing, left it open a sliver. Just enough to peek in.

She watched in fascination as Lyall heaved in a breath and settled back against the tub. She felt she could examine him now, at this safer distance, without getting too overwhelmed. He was fit, for certain. His shoulders were broad and his muscles taut, though he was thin. He must do heavy labor, she thought to herself. She realized then that she had no idea what he did for work or why he was in Scotland in the first place. Pushing away that nagging suspicion, she returned to the task of blatantly staring at the beautiful man in her bathtub. He was totally relaxed, his eyes shut against the lamp in the bathroom, and Hope couldn’t help but rest her head against the doorframe. He looked like a painting.

After a minute or two in this fashion, Hope realized how inappropriately she was behaving and shook her head to rid her of her thoughts. “Idiot,” she whispered to herself, turning away from the opening and pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes. What had gotten into her?

She stayed that way as she listened to Lyall stand from the bath. Next came the sound of rustling fabric as he toweled off and began putting on the clothes she had laid out for him. When the door opened a second later, he made a noise of surprise at seeing her there.

He had done as he was told and left the shirt off, but Hope fixed her eyes firmly on his face, determined not to let them go one inch lower. He smiled at her. “I’ve done as I’ve been told, captain. Where to next.”

She rolled her eyes at his quips and gestured for him to follow her through the back hallway and into the room at the very corner of the cottage. The light was slowly fading from the window and the sunlight caught Lyall’s hair in a way that was entirely too distracting. Annoyed at where her thoughts had gone once again, she pointed at the bed and commanded him to sit. He did so.

Hope picked up her pile of medical supplies and laid it out of the cover of the bed. The cut wasn’t deep enough for stitches, and she wasn’t sure she had the stomach for that now anyway. There was disinfectant and pain relievers and plenty of gauze.

“Do your worst, nurse Howell,” he said, his voice light, watching as she poured the disinfectant on a cloth to sanitize his wound. She thought for a moment that he seemed a little nervous. Hope rolled her eyes but slowly dabbed at the cut, ignoring the wince on Lyall’s face from the sting. The water had cleaned out the dirt and it had begun to bleed slightly at the attention. She covered the length of the cut with a strip of gauze and cut off the remains. After that, she wrapped the wound, pulling the bandage across his chest and under his arm over and over till she ran out. It wasn’t perfect but it would have to do.

He watched her as she did her work and couldn’t help but ask, “where did you learn about medicine?”

“My brother,” she shrugged. “He’s attempting to become a doctor, and with a mouth that big, you can’t help but pick up some things. Not to mention, he always wanted to practice on me as a patient.”

Lyall chucked, imagining Hope’s fury at being forced to participate. “How dreadful,” he said, though the humor was clear in his voice. She rolled her eyes.

While she finished the task at hand and began tying off the bandage, Lyall took notice of the room they were in. It was small and quaint. An old quilt hung up over the bed as decoration and there was a stack of various novels piled on the desk. The vase of flowers on the windowsill were slightly wilted, as if they weren’t important to the owner. The bedside table had a leatherbound journal and bible, and right next to the lamp, there was a small wrapped chocolate. Suddenly, Lyall understood.

“This is your bedroom,” he stated, looking up at her. It wasn’t a question, just a fact. 

She nodded. It dawned on her then that Lyall was there, in her bedroom, partially undressed and it sent her cheeks burning. Seeing him there, so casual in her room, on her bed, had her heart pounding almost as hard as it had that day in the woods, but for an entirely different reason.

Carolina: my eyebrows could not have flow up higher than they did. wHATS ON YOUR MIND HOPE HUH???

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.”

That made her roll her eyes. “If I thought you were intruding, Lyall, I wouldn’t have brought you in here. Besides, it’s just a room.”

His eyes locked back onto the chocolate while Hope got up and helped him into his new shirt. When the fabric was settled against his skin, and she had made sure it hadn’t ruined her bandaging, he looked up at her. “That’s the chocolate I gave you.”

Her eyes widened and darted over to the bedside table where the guilty chocolate stood. After an awkward beat, she shrugged.

“I try not to eat candy from strangers I meet in the woods.”

He nodded sagely. “No, no, of course not. You just leave it out on your bedside table to look at on occasion.”

Carolina: THEY'RE BOTH SMART ASSES I LOVE THEM

Her eyes narrowed down at him, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “It was the only thing I had to remind me that you were real.” He gave her a soft smile but she ignored it. “It also reminds me that you didn’t come to see me for two whole weeks and still haven’t given me a good explanation,” she all but snapped.

Lyall sighed. “I told you, I was in Scotland.”

“Right. Of course. How could I forget?” The sarcasm in her tone was clear and she rolled her eyes, turning away from him.

“Hope, I-”

He was cut short by the sound of the front door opening. Mam was home. Hope’s eyes widened in terror, because Lyall was there, in her room, where young men definitely should not be, and had just been in her bath. And her Mam had no idea he even existed. “Oh no,” she whispered.

Carolina: everything about this. comedy g o l d

“What?” he asked, matching her tone. 

“Calon Bach? Where are you? Why is the bread not done?” Her mother’s voice cut through the silence, making Hope wince.

Hope panicked. “She can’t know you’re here!” She whispered furiously. “She’ll beat me silly if she finds I have a man in the house. Let alone in my bedroom! You have to go! Right now!” She began pushing him toward the window, as he objected.

Carolina: oh my gosh. i am laughing as i type this. the window. thE WINDOW XD

“Hope, calm down. I’m sure it’ll be fine. We can just explain to her- Hope are you seriously going to push me out of the window?” She didn’t answer, she simply threw open the shutters and gestured for him to leave.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Deadly.”

He let out an incredulous laugh. “Really, Hope?”

An eyebrow lifted at his tone. “My mother will skin my hide if she finds you in here, and then she’ll hang you out by the toes on the back line. Trust me, Lyall, it’ll be better for both of us if you just go. Now. Please.”

Carolina: okay but i wasn't prepared to have all the pining and staring and then have it turn into this teen romantic comedy it's amazing and i love it and i'm straight up crying at this point because it's so funny

“Calon Bach?” Her mother’s voice echoed around the house.

“Coming, mam! Just a minute!” She shooed Lyall out of the window and with a horrified yet amused look on his face, he began to exit through the opening. She watched as he swung one leg over the windowsill and straddled it before he froze and turned to her with a look of horror on his face. 

“Hope, my clothes!”

Carolina: I FORGOT ABOUT THAT OMG THE CLOTHES IN THE BATHROOM

A gasp escaped her. “Go! I’ll go grab them.” Trying to be as quiet as possible, she rushed to the bathroom and gathered up his muddied clothes and boots. She returned to her room and saw Lyall standing in front of the window. She tossed him his clothes and then turned to leave.

In a flash, Lyall had reached through and clasped onto her arm, forcing her to stop in her tracks. “Wait.”

She turned, her face turning red at the physical contact. She really needed to get a better hold of herself. She waited, watching him as his eyes searched her face. 

“What?” she finally asked, feeling nervous from his attention. 

“Can I see you again?”

Without meaning to, she sighed. “Lyall-”

“I mean it, Hope. And this time, I’ll actually come soon. Probably tomorrow. But I have to know that’s what you want. If you don’t want to see me again, you just have to say, and I’ll never come back.”

Carolina: LYALL LUPIN YOU SWEET AND RESPECTFUL BOY

She stopped short, taking in the set position of his mouth and the honesty in his eyes. He was serious. He really would never come back if that’s what she wanted. Even though she hardly knew him, and even though she wanted better answers than the ones he had given her, and even though she was dreadfully annoyed at his absence for the past two weeks, she was still grateful to have met him. He made her feel something she had never felt before. And she wanted to keep feeling that way.

“Hope.”

She closed her eyes at the sound of his voice saying her name. She would never grow tired of that. 

Carolina: JO HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS THE TYPE OF STUFF THAT MELTS MY HEART INTO A PUDDLE OF HOPELESS ROMANTIC???

Jo: because we're the same person and IT DOES THE SAME THING TO ME. Also, please note i wrote this next part solely for you

Carolina: oh my goodness i love you and i'm ready to read it

“Yes.” the word popped out of her mouth suddenly and her eyes opened to meet his. “Yes, I want to see you again. Please.”

He grinned at her. 

“Tomorrow then.”

“I won’t get my hopes up.”

He laughed. “You’re wrong about me, Hope. I promise. You’ll see.” He slid his grasp from her forearm down to her hand. His touch was gentle as he drew her hand close to his lips and pressed a kiss to her heated skin. She was bright red, she was sure. 

Carolina: I AM A MESS OF HUMAN RIGHT NOW I JUST SCREAMED INTO MY PILLOW GET YOU A MAN LIKE LYALL LUPIN WHO KISSES YOUR HAND AND MAKES YOU PROMISES AND IS SO TENDER AND AHAAOIDHASILFJHAVWRVUWA

After a moment, he drew back and smiled up at her. It took her breath away.

Carolina: ME TOO HOPE ME TOO I DONT THINK MY HEART IS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY RIGHT NOW

He turned and started jogging away. She held herself up using the windowsill and watched him go. But she had to ask just one more question.

“Lyall!” 

Carolina: gIRL? do you not?? remember?? that your mother??? is in the house???? you are playing with fIRE RIGHT NOW

He turned around, a panicked look on his face as he registered her volume and held up a finger to his lips to quiet her. She winced as she remembered that her mother was just down the hall, but this was important. “Why? After you got hurt, why did you come here of all places? You must have guessed I didn’t want to see you. But somehow, you knew I would help you. How did you know? Why did you come?”

He smiled this strange kind of smile, as if he was sharing a joke with himself. And then he shrugged.

“Well, Miss Howell, it was the only place I could think of,” he winked as he said this, then turned again and headed down the path. 

Carolina: (because he apparated there) OH HEY NOW COOL YES I LIKE THAT BECAUSE THAT MEANS HE WAS THINKING OF HER YEAH I LIKE THIS IDEA! 

Also Carolina: ugh catch me swooning because of Lyall Lupin

Jo: Mood

Hope watched him until he became a blur in the distance. And then he was gone. 

Her heart was full of longing for whatever new adventure Lyall Lupin brought with him the next time they met and she bit her lip to keep herself from smiling.

“Til tomorrow,” she whispered.

Carolina: mhm mhm mhm i cANT WAIT I AM THOROUGHLY ENGAGED WITH THIS STORY AND IN LOVE WITH THIS LOVE STORY

-

I hope you enjoyed part two of my writing and Carolina having a heart attack over it. I hope I can finish this story eventually, but I just had to share the gem that Carolina is. I just like her a lot. That’s all!

[delysartfanart]

Satsuten ep. 14-15-16

 beiUhm... yes. £ episodes in one comment because before I hadn’t the time to write something about them, but finally I am here for comment the end of this anime. I will do a short comment for every episode (They are 3 in one post!!) and for them I will give a vote, then I will comment all the anime, how I found it, and the vote of the entire work.

Let’s start:

EPISODE 14:

It starts in this beautiful way: Danny being shoot by Ray (FUCK YEAH BABY!) and the dialogue between Ray and Zack. It was beautiful. I liked it. And what I told in another episode (I forgot the number, but was the end of the witch trial) about the zack’s face covered in a shadow was somehow true. A face that Ray couldn’t see before this scene. Like I said, she didn’t know Zack, and she thought he was her God, but then, when she saw finally his face, she understood that he is not a God, but a human. He is Zack. And this is what I liked very much about this episode. It was so beautiful the way in witch Ray finally see Zack for who he is. 

Then, they try to escape from the building, and after understanding that the real exit is in the B2 floor, they decide to come back to the elevator, but Danny disapeared.... again... Fuck... But it was really nice see how Zack was so protective after this. They back to the floor B2 and togheter move the giant organ (It was so funny here. Little Zack try to move something and doing noises like a car XD). Then he destroy the window and they arrive at the Kung fu panda stairs (No, really... in the game and in the anime they are too much stairs... it’s a kind of torture owo). Zack give to Ray his knife as a present, for let her to protect herself and “stay alive until he kills her”. And the episode ends with the allarm and a smiling Gray at the floor B7.

Vote: 8/9 (can’t decide. I liked very much this episode)

EPISODE 15:

Zack and Ray start to run fast for escape from the building that is going to be destroyed. Meanwhile Gray is walking from all the floors. Walking INSIDE the flames. OK. So.... he walks into the fire but he is not hurt. He is not human! (and we will see in the episode 16). During this scene, we can see the floors that are now destroyed. It was cool to see, and somehow... nostalgic (yeah, it was a place in which killers killed people, but also it is the place in which Zack and Ray met. for this is nostalgic). Zack and Ray continue to run, but in the middle of the stairs there is a... iron barrier. ok, I don’t comment this (after the pizza scene I can’t, fuuuuuuuuuu-). Zack try then to destroy them (He forgot ep 4 and 5, poor baby) but the flames come near him. And... wow, guys, it was so sad. it broke my hearth! Nobuhiko was so awesome here, voincing Zack’s panic. My poor baby :(. Ray then try to convince him that it’s everything ok, but the killer is so scared, and he can only sit down on the floor sobbing like a child. Ray try to “destroy” the iron barrier, but when Zack saw her, he gets back in himself and decide to destroy it. It was a nice scene because again we see Shadow Zack, but this time like his own enemy. Here Zack is fighting against himself, againts his worst fear, and he win, destroyng the iron barrier. (Ok, in the game here was a bit different, but I liked it too for this part). Then the duo escape, and Zack destroy everything is on their way. It was so funny when he grabbed Ray for jump over a hole that was created for the explosion. Then Zack destroy a huge barrier that was created with parts of the building, but in this way he destroy the scythe. I liked so much it, because 1. I loved how he asked to Ray if he could destroy the barrier. Was so cool, and 2. because the fact that he destroyed the scythe, and abandoned it (and Ray saying “bye bye” to it) I thinki was full of meanings. is like Zack abandoned one part of him in this build. is Like he is changed after the meeting with Ray, and that he is not only a serial killer covered with bandages. he is now more human.

They arrive at the exit, and I loved the scene in wich they talk about the promise. was so beautiful. BUT ALWAYS DANNY COMES TO DESTROY EVERYTHING.

He shoot Ray and the scene is was like the game... exept for two things: The fact that Danny shoots her 2 times and the fact that Zack is staying here looking at her. this scene has to be more dramatic, with Zack that was more close to her, like hugging her (it is canon, if you look at negiyan’s art in the novel!) but here no. Parts of the feels aren’t here, but anyway I cried here after Ray said that their promise isn’t something that it can be stolen. 

After this, the scene that I always wanted to see animated: GRAY WITH A CROSSBOW THAT HIT DANNY!!!! I loved it! I clapped so hard here! GOOD JOB GRAY! 

Zack said the sentence that I always loved, that “what is the meaning of going out if she dies?”! I loved it! and thank you J.C. Staff for let him finally say it! Thank you! I loved it because from this you can understand that Zack feel affection for Ray. He could escape alone, she anyway would die. He could anyway kill her here and then escape, but he didn’t. He was ready to die with her in the building. (ahhhhhhhhhhhh T3T). Gray says to him to escape with her, because she would be saved. the episode then ends with Zack that grab Ray in his arms for going out, with Danny that is close to shoot him.

Vote: 8. It could be 9, if the final scene were more dramatic.

EPISODE 16:

Ahhhhh, the end of this story. The end of the anime!

Gray shoot Danny before he could kill Zack, in this way Zack can escape from the building with Ray.

Gray teleport himself to Danny and... Wait what? TELEPORT? Uhm...

Yeah. he is definetly not human.... or the anime is confusing me :/

I don’t want to comment their dialogue, because in the game was so long, in the anime same, but we could see at the same time Zack with Ray, so it was... ok? but the dialogue... ahhh come on! I apreciate the fact that Gray understand his own mistakes, but from this we also understand why Danny did this crazy story: because he wanted to being loved, because his mother couldn’t give him love for his eye. 

Ok, Daniel, sit down, and listen to me. If you want to being loved, let the people love you geniunly, not with force. Don’t kill people for watch their dead eyes, for example. AND DON’T FUCKING KIDNAP A GIRL WITH DEAD EYES! You idiot! I am sorry, but I can’t apreciate this character. I hate his motivation. it’s so stupid.

Anyway, Zack with Ray escape finally from the building and they are out of it. there are people outside that watched the scene (uh... there weren’t people in the game but ok...). 

I loved this scene. I loved how Zack was initially desperate for Ray (also hugged her, ahhhhhh!!!) and then, when the police came, he smiled to her. I loved all parts of this, because it was exactly how I imaginated it!

Zack was arrested and Ray hospitalized. Then there are newspapers that tlaks about them and the building, and in the television that interview an agent and the psychologist of Ray. Then we can see how the time goes, with the change of the seasons, with Ray at the hospital. It’s so sad to see her in this way.

and it was so sad when her new psichologist (ah, p.s., I hated thsi woman here. SHUT UP! WHY YOU TOLD TO HER THIS???) tell to Ray that Zack is condamned to death. her eyes changed, again. Poor Ray... is like they killed again her emotions.

And finally... Oh, God!

The WINDOW SCENE!

I was scared for this, because I was sure J.C. staff would destroy it, but I was wrong. It was fast, yeah, and changed a bit the dialogues, but I loved it! It was so powerfull, so beautiful! I cried so much! And Zack’s hair are so AHHHHHH :Q___ ANd his eyes are so AHHHHHH :Q_____ (He is always so AHHHHHH :Q____). And the part that I was so much scared. The Escape from the window! They did like the game: OPEN ENDING! thank you! thank you so much for this! Because I was so scared to see their prob. idea of the ending, like both of them death, but, no, Is free! (AND THEY LIVE, OK? I DON’T WANNA HEAR ANYTHING!)

It was so beautiful this scene! And I cried so much here. The feels were over 9000!! T3T

Vote: 9 (It could be 10... but Danny.... arghhhh......)

Then, The comment about the entire anime. What I can say?

I love the anime version of Angels of Death. THey did a great job! Animations are soo good, their voices are awesome! They changed something, but some changes I loved (like the house doll in the Cathy floor). They added the Zack’s past with the old man (it is only in the manga, not in the game), the first scene that I cried for. Tcut some scenes (THE PIZZAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!), but for the rest I loved it. 

VOTE OF THE ENTIRE ANIME: 8

I recomend this anime for everyone! But first.... PLAY THE GAME :3 (or watch the gameplay, like me) :D