#okay yes the s3 one is a half ponytail

[hjea]

Deadwind - S1, S2, & S3

Karppi's crime-solving ponytail appreciation

[nothesc]

Trip to Zaorejas. A Damira fic.

Amira is invited to a trip to Zaorejas with Cris, Joana and Dani. Set before s3 began, based on the chats and stories we saw on Cris' pov

You can also read it on ao3

----------

“Okay, Dani says that my parents won't come until after dinner so we can go up to my house if you want. It's freezing on the rooftop," Cris tells Joana, putting her cell phone in her pocket after reading her brother's message.

She and Joana have been dating for a few months now but Cris is not ready to tell her parents yet and, although she could take Joana home with the excuse that she is a friend, she prefers to avoid forcing a meeting between her girlfriend and her parents just in case. Therefore, it is not until Dani assures her that her parents are not at home and that they do not plan to return soon that the girls decide to go up to Cris' house.

“Leave the coat there if you want to," says Chris to his girlfriend, pointing to the coat rack by the door.

“Hello!” “Joana greets Dani once they get on the couch.

“Hey, what's up?” Dani greets his sister”in”law with a smile.

“We're going to my room to watch a movie, okay?” reports Cris to her brother.

“I’m going to my room, I’ll make myself a quick sandwich and leave the living room to you if you're more comfortable on the couch”  says Dani heading to the kitchen.

Cris looks at Joana and asks her what she prefers to do. The truth is that watching the movie on Cris' laptop is more uncomfortable than watching it on the TV in the living room, so without saying anything both girls agree to stay in the living room and sit on the couch.

“Man, I feel terrible," says Cris to Joana.

“Why?”

“Because of Ami, I feel very sorry for her”

“What happened to Amira?” Cris hears behind her

Cris turns and sees her brother standing in the middle of the room with the sandwich in his hand, clearly listening to the conversation.

“But didn't you go to your room, gossip?” says Cris, rolling her eyes.

“Yes, but I have to go through here” Dani explains “what's wrong with Ami? Why do you say you feel sorry for her? Has something happened to her?”

Joana bites her lip to try to contain her smile. She has never talked about it with Cris, but since she has known Dani she has always thought that the boy has feelings for Amira, and it is not very hidden.

“Dude, relax, there's nothing wrong with her. Only that she told me to meet on the weekend and I said yes, but then I remembered that we were going to Zaorejas and the poor girl will be alone. Only Ev is free and she's going to go partying and well... Ami’s not especially happy about spending her weekend that way”

“Tell her to come to Zaorejas," says Dani before his brain can even process the words he is saying. He sees his sister looking at him with a strange face and immediately starts a speech to convince her “I'm saying this for Ami, so she doesn't stay home alone. And in the Zaorejas' house there is room for everyone. Dad and mom won't come for sure and Toni and Oscar aren't even expected.”

“Toni and Oscar?” asks Joana, confused, it's the first time she's heard those names.

“They are my older brothers” explains Cris to her girlfriend, then turns to her brother “do you think Amira will want to come to Zaorejas with us?”

“Of course, why not? Like when we were kids and she always came with us. Go on, tell her, you'll see how she likes the idea” insists Dani.

Cris looks at Joana to see what she thinks. Her girlfriend nods, she couldn't agree more with Amira coming. She has a very good relationship with all the girls but just as she is for Cris, Amira is special for Joana.

“Well, okay, I'll ask her”

Cris takes out her cell phone and writes to Amira telling her the plan but, when her friend doesn't seem very convinced, Cris can't help but frown.

“What? What is it? What did she say?” Dani asks insistently, the sandwich still intact on his plate.

“She says she doesn't know, because I'm going to be with Joana and you're going to be with your friends”

Dani feels like the illusions he had in the last five minutes are suddenly shattered. The idea of spending the weekend in Zaorejas with Amira...and with his sister and Joana, he liked it very much. He quickly tries to find a solution.

“Tell her that we can do things together... I don't know, look at a route, for example, the one by the river, she has never done it, right? I'm sure she’ll love it”.

“Your idea to convince Ami to come is to offer her to go hiking?” asks an incredulous Cris.

“Cris, not everyone is as lazy as you”

“What if I don't say anything and you just come as a thridwheel?” challenges Cris.

“What if I stay at home and you'll go to Zaorejas by foot?” Dani challenges back

“Let's see, let's see, calm down” Joana intervenes “Cris I think that Amira could really like the idea of hiking”

“Well, okay, I'll tell her that”

“Come on Cris, hurry up," says Dani in desperation as he looks at his watch. He has checked his backpack twenty times to make sure he has everything and is eager to get out the door, but his sister is still eating breakfast in total tranquility.

“Dani dude relax, don't stress me so early. “answers Cris, putting jam on her toast.

“Cris, it's 11:25 in the morning, so early in the morning? And we're meeting Amira and Joana downstairs at half past”

“Which means I have five more minutes for breakfast," says Cris, taking a bite of the toast. “Since when are you so worried about being on time? Mom always had to push you out of bed to go to class”

Dani opens her mouth to defend himself but realizes that he doesn't know how to answer his sister. It is true that there is a reason why he wants to be on time but he is not going to discuss it with her.

“Look, I pass. I'm heading out. Don't be long”

“Yeeeees”.

Once downstairs Dani looks around but doesn't see Joana or Amira, maybe he has gone a little overboard with punctuality.

“But what do my eyes see? A Soto being punctual?”

Dani doesn't even have to turn around to know whose voice that comes from, the smile that is immediately drawn on his lips says it all. Amira approaches him and stands in front of him. Dani greets her by bumping his fist against Amira's, just as they have been doing since they were little.

“Hey, the one who has created the bad reputation of the Soto's is my sister, I am ��very punctual”

“Of course, that's why you always come last at every party”

“One needs time to get ready," jokes Dani as he adjusts the zipper on his blue sweatshirt.

Amira laughs and rolls her eyes, Dani has the ability to always make her laugh in just minutes. Dani smiles when he sees Amira laugh, he likes to be the reason for her laughter.

“Give me the backpack and I'll put it in the car," says Dani, noticing how Amira is carrying the luggage.

He approaches her and after a little protest from Amira who insists that she doesn't need help, Dani takes the backpack and places it in the car he has parked a few meters from his gate. He places his backpack next to her. He goes to close the trunk when he sees Joana arrive at the end of the street.

“I'm sorry I'm late, the subway stopped," excuses Joana, dropping her backpack on the floor as she arrives at Dani and Amira. Dani picks it up and puts it in the trunk with the others.

“Calm down, we are waiting for Chris anyway “ says Dani.

“I'm already here! “ he hears Cris say. When they turn towards the portal they see her running as she picks up her hair in a high ponytail. “Why are you all in a hurry, Zaorejas won't move from the place”

Approaching the car Cris leaves her backpack in the trunk and closes it. She greets Amira with a hug and Joana with a quick kiss on the lips.

“Come on, let's go. “ says Cris heading for the co-pilot's door.

“Hey Cris, leave Amira in front better and sit with me behind, okay?”

Cris looks at her with a scowl, every time Dani has taken them somewhere Cris has always sat in front, but she will not be the one to complain about spending two and a half hours sharing a back seat with her girlfriend. Shrugging her shoulders Cris opens the back door and sits with Joana next to her. Amira hesitates a bit in front of the co-pilot's door, for some reason she is nervous about spending the whole trip so close to Dani.

“Ami “ Dani calls her from the other side of the car before entering.

“Hmm? “ Amira murmurs distractedly.

“Everything OK?”

“Yes, everything’s fine” she says smiling. He smiles back at her and for a few seconds they only look at each other.

“Well, are we going or what?“ shouts Cris from inside the car earning an elbow from Joana, although she does not understand very well why.

Once everyone is in the car, Dani leaves the parking lot and heads for the road.

“Ami, put on some music," says Cris from the back seat to her friend.

“Don't even think about touching the radio. My car, my music “ warns Dani to Amira.

“Come on, man, your music sucks," protests his sister.

“I still have time to turn around “ Dani jokes looking in the rearview mirror “ but you'll see that I've prepared a playlist that will blow your mind. Ami take my cell phone and connect it to the radio, there is a playlist called Zaorejas.”

Amira takes the cell phone that Dani offers and unlocks it. For a moment all she can do is look at the background. It's a photo from about a year ago. A photo of Amira, Cris and Dani. Amira remembers perfectly the day that photo was taken. It was the first weekend after Amira decided to wear the hijab. Amira had gone to Cris' house to show it to her and they had both gone up to the roof. Soon after, Dani went upstairs to tell Cris that it was time for lunch. Amira remembers how Dani was a little impressed when he saw Amira but didn't make any

comment, just asked her if she was going to stay for lunch. Before Amira could answer Cris told her brother that she was and that they were coming down but that she needed a selfie with her friend first to immortalize the moment. After taking the picture with Cris, Dani said that he wanted to be in the picture too, with the corresponding joke by Cris calling him a meddlesome man. Her brother passed her and placed himself on the other side of Amira so that she would be in the center for the photo.

“Ami, are you going to play the music or what? “ asks Cris, taking Amira out of her thoughts.

“Yes, yes, sorry," says Ami, feeling her cheeks blush. She dares to venture a quick glance at Dani and for a moment seems to see that he has blushed too, but it's probably just the result of the heating. Trying to come to her senses, Amira connects Dani's cell phone to the radio, playing the list mentioned above. As soon as the first chords of the song begin to play, Amira looks at Dani in disbelief “what’s this?”

“I told you, I've prepared a playlist that's a blast," says Dani, looking at her briefly and smiling.

Amira laughs and looks out the window, humming the song that is playing, Mona Haydar's Hijabi.

“Oh my god at last, what a long trip “ Cris hardly waits until the car is parked to get out of it.

“Cris, for God's sake, it's been two hours and a little while," Dani grumbles, opening the trunk to get out the backpacks.

“But without eating, I'm starving”

“I could really eat something now too. It must be almost 2 o'clock, right? “ Joana supports her girlfriend.

“My mother has prepared me a couple of tuppers with food so that we don't have to cook anything else when we arrive," says Amira.

“I knew it was a good idea for you to come“ Cris hugs her friend and gives her several kisses on her face.

“Excuse me? The idea of Ami coming was mine “ Dani lets go almost without thinking.

“Ah, yes? “ asks Amira raising her eyebrows

“Dani tries to find an excuse to save him from the humiliation, but he can't find one.

“He was very excited," adds Joana, emphasizing the "very”

“Come on, let's go inside now and eat “ Dani locks the car with the key and goes to the house before any of the girls can say anything else.

Once inside, the four of them drop their things each in the room they have been assigned and sit down to eat the food that Amira's mother has prepared for them.

“Phew, what a nap I’m going to take after this meal“ says Cris stroking her belly

“Aunt, are you really going to take a nap? “ Amira asks incredulously “we are going to be here for only two days”

“Well, it’s what you get when you make me wake up early, you can’t now ask me not to take nap “ tries to defend Cris, which causes the laughter of Joana who knows perfectly his girlfriend

“You got up at 11 o'clock in the morning “ Dani accuses her

“It's already an hour earlier than usual, I need my hour's sleep.“ Turning to Joana, Cris adds : what do you say, love? Do you want to take a nap?”

“I'm fine with it," says Joana, kissing Cris' hand.

“Well, I think I'm going to go to the soap store, my mother has ordered a couple of soaps from there, she says they are very good," Amira said, recalling what her mother told her.

“I'm going with you, I'd rather not be here while these two "take a nap" “ says Dani making the finger quote gesture.

“But how dare you insinuate that our intention is to do more than sleep? “ Cris takes a hand to her chest to play the offended one and everyone laughs at her performance.

“A little more and you take the whole store, girl“ Dani opens the door of the soap store to Amira and both go out to the street, adjusting their coats because of the cold.

“Yeah, they all smell so good that I didn't know which one to get," Amira admits as she checks the paper bag to see if everyone she bought is there.

“Whoa, look at all the snow there”

Amira raises her head and follows the direction Dani points out. At the end of the street you can see a stretch of countryside where there are still many traces of the last snowfall. Amira smiles when a memory comes to her mind.

“Remember when we played building snowmen as kids?”

“Of course," Dani says, "the one who finished first won”

“And you always cheated," adds Amira.

“And you would get angry and end up destroying mine”

“It's what you deserve”

Amira and Dani laugh as they recall the times they played as children at Zaorejas. In a moment their glances meet and the games are forgotten, at this moment only them two exist. Until...

“First one to finish wins! “ shouts Amira running towards the area where the snow is located while she listens to Dani shout "cheater" indignantly.

“Daniiiiii“ complains Amira for the fifth time in the last three minutes. “Stop”

“I don't know what you're talking about “ says Dani playing crazy.

“Stop throwing snow on my snowman, you're a cheater," Amira protests. Ever since they started making the snowmen, Dani hasn't stopped throwing snow on her, acting like he doesn't even know it.

“What are you saying, girl? I'm not throwing snow on you. Maybe I might’ve thrown a bit by mistake. Like now” Dani repeats the movement he has been doing since he started, takes a little amount of snow and throws it in Amira's direction, but this time, instead of pointing at the snowman, he points directly at Amira, who lets out a little cry of surprise. Dani immediately realizes his mistake.

“You are a dead man “ says Amira

Then Dani gets up to try to put some distance between the two but it's too late, the snowball war has started. And it continues for several minutes in which both Dani and Amira try to throw to the other all the snow that they can while avoiding the one they receive. Amira makes a mistake and is totally exposed to Dani, who has a snowball ready to throw. Trying to put some distance between them she starts walking backwards without realizing that she has the snowmen behind her. She stumbles over them and falls backwards on the figures, destroying them completely.

“Amiiii, you always end up destroying my snowman“ protests Dani in a little boy's voice.

“Because you always cheat," answers Amira, sitting down and stretching out her hand to Dani. “Help me up”

Dani sighs and approaches Amira. When he shakes her hand, Amira takes advantage of the impulse to throw Dani to the floor while she stands.

“You...”

Dani tries to get up but slips and falls again, causing Amira's laughter, which eventually catches up with Dani.

“Okay, okay, we're even," Amira says, still laughing. She sits down next to Dani and together they look at what's left of their dolls, which is only two piles of snow “ Man, they were so beautiful and now look at them”

“What if we make one together? It would be the superior snowman”

Amira laughs at Dani's choice of words to refer to the snowman, but the truth is that the idea does not displease her.

“We finally found you, we have looked for you all over the village”.

Amira and Dani turn to Joana's words and see her approaching with Cris.

“But what are you doing, playing with the snow? “ laughs Chris.

“Look at our baby," says Amira enthusiastically pointing to the snowman they made between her and Dani.

“Man Dani, when I said I wanted to be a young aunt I meant Toni giving me a little nephew, not you and my best friend.”

“You’re really an idiot” Dani says to his sister, shaking his head.

Cris laughs and sits next to Amira and Dani to inspect the snowman.

“What a shitty snowman, if it's all deformed, I'm sure we can make a better one, right, love?”

“Hey, well, we can try," laughs Joana.

“No, no, ours was much better. “ Amira discusses as they enter the house.

“But what do you say? If ours was super cute “ Cris protests

“Super cute and super tiny, it measured 10 centimeters “ says Dani closing the door and taking off his coat.

“Daniel, size doesn't matter, you guys have to get that into your heads," says Joana, making Cris and Amira laugh.

“Come on, I'm going to take a hot shower and go to bed early, we have a route tomorrow," says Dani, avoiding the subject.

“You have, you mean “ says Cris “ because I am not going.

“Cris girl...”protests Amira

“Ami, don't even try it, it's a losing battle for this girl. Joana, what do you say? “ Dani asks before entering the bathroom.

“I...” Joana looks from Dani to Amira and back to Dani “ I stay with Cris.

“It seems that we will do the route alone”.

Amira's cell phone alarm wakes her up in one go. With her eyes half closed she checks the time, 6:30. At first she feels a bit out of sorts, but then she remembers that they're in Zaorejas and that she and Dani were supposed to leave today at 7:30 and Amira wanted to get up in time to have breakfast. Suddenly she hears a noise coming from the kitchen and realizes that there is a strange smell in the air, as if something is burning. Exalted, she puts on her hijab quickly and leaves the room to see what is happening. She would almost be less surprised if she had found herself in the kitchen with a crazy pyromaniac. Instead she finds Dani, concentrating on cooking, or trying to cook something.

“What are you doing? “ Amira asks quietly so as not to wake up Cris and Joana who went to bed later.

“I don't know what's wrong with the pan, I can't turn the pancakes around, they get stuck. I woke up early to surprise you with breakfast but…”

Amira smiles, Dani is up early to make her breakfast and, although clearly things have not gone too well, it is the detail that matters. Amira looks at the plate next to the stove and sees the remains of deformed and burned pancakes.

“Did you put butter or oil in the pan? “ Amira asks. Dani's confused and surprised face tells her that it hadn't even crossed her mind, which makes Amira laugh.

“Fuck Ami, I wanted to surprise you “ says Dani in defeat, stepping aside so that Amira can clean up the mess.

“No, I'm surprised," laughs Amira, who is touched by Dani's pouting. “Besides, I'm sure the dough is very good, you just need a little help making them in the frying pan.”

“How are you doing? “ asks Dani turning to look at Amira. They've been walking for more than two hours without stopping.

“Well“ Amira answers, although with difficulty to breathe “ Is there much left to the river?

“About 15 minutes or so. “ Dani says “Are you doing well or do you want us to stop now?”

“No no, we stop when we get to the river.”

“Perfect “ Dani smiles at her and sets off again, this time going a little slower so that Amira can keep up with him.

Once those 15 minutes promised by Dani have passed, Amira gives a little shout of emotion when she sees the river.

“It's beautiful, my god," says Amira, admiring the view.

“I told you, you would like it," answers Dani, also admiring the view, although in his case, he is not looking at the river, but at Amira smiling. “Are you hungry?

“Very“ says Amira sitting on a rock near the river.

“Well, here I haven't made a mess because I brought... “Dani sits in front of Amira and searches in his backpack until he finds the bag of food “ tuna sandwiches”

“Yes, yummy!“ Amira reaches out for the sandwich Dani offers and takes a bite.

“And I haven't shown you the best part yet... “Dani makes a dramatic pause before taking out the package.

“Muffins “ says Amira enthusiastically

“And the ones you like”.

“Man, thank you. You've thought of everything”

“I mean, I'm the best“ Dani jokes

“Well, don't get too cocky, because I still have the smell of burnt pancakes in my nose”.

Dani laughs and looks at Amira, illuminated by the mid-morning sun, with the river and the forest behind her she looks even more spectacular than usual. Dani can't help but take out his cell phone to portray this moment.

“What are you doing? “ she asks when she sees him pointing his cell phone in her direction.

“Don't move, you're perfect for a photo”.

“Dani, please“ says Amira embarrassed, she has never liked to have her picture taken, especially if the person she has to pose for is Dani.

“Go, come on, smile, you look beautiful... I mean, the picture looks beautiful“ tries to make amends Dani

Amira smiles and bites her lower lip without wanting to make too many stories out of what Dani has said, or almost said. Dani takes a couple of pictures of Amira from different angles until she gets tired and tells her to change positions. Now it is Dani who bends down by the river and Amira stands in front of him to take the picture. Something behind Dani captures her attention.

“Dani, don't move," Amira says almost in a whisper, "I don't want you to scare it out of the picture.”

“Scare who?”

Dani turns to his right and jumps at the sight of a duck just a meter away in the river. Amira captures the moment with her cell phone and starts laughing, tears filling her eyes.

“It's not funny, girl! Don't you know that ducks can eat your finger? “ says Dani moving as far away from the river as possible

“What are you talking about? How can a duck eat your finger? Come on, don’t freak out”

“I've seen my life pass before my eyes," Dani exaggerates, holding his hand to his chest as if he were going to have a heart attack, which only makes Amira laugh even more.

“Dinner! “ shouts Cris from the living room of the house to Amira and Dani who are each in their room resting after the route.

Amira is the first to come out, dressed in her yellow sweatshirt and black leggings. Dani comes out in a minute, wearing her gray shirt, blue sweatshirt and gray pants.

“Boy, when are you going to retire that sweatshirt? Mom is tired of washingit already “ says Cris while Dani sits on the couch next to Joana and Amira.

“It's my favorite sweatshirt. Do I tell you anything about always going in braids? “ Dani defends himself

“But the fact is that the braids look good on me.”

“Come on, relax “ Joana intervenes “ let the kid wear what he wants. And you look beautiful with your braids.”

“I know," says Chris, kissing Joana.

“Well, what did you do for dinner? “ Amira asks “I'm hungry.”

“I mean…we didn’t do it... We bought some pizzas at the bakery. “ explains Cris opening the boxes on the table in the living room.

“You were supposed to be cooking today, we made dinner yesterday," Dani complains.

“Well, I made dinner yesterday, you cut the vegetables," Amira says.

“And without me we would have eaten the vegetables uncut, it's a vital job in the kitchen.”

“Of course, of course," says Amira, nodding and laughing.

“Well, there’s pizza. Are you really going to say no to a pizza?”

“Never," says Dani, agreeing with his sister and taking a piece of pizza.

Once they have finished dinner, Cris looks at the time on the clock and gets up from the table.

“So, what? We go out tonight, right? “ she asks.

“Uf, girl I pass, I am dead after the route”

“Amira giiiiiiiirl, you can't do this to me. Come on, just for a little while “ Cris pouts but it doesn't seem to be working.

“It's just that with you it's never just a little while, Cris. And I'm super tired. I'm sorry “ Amira apologizes.

“Okay, fine. What about you? You haven't seen your friends yet.!

“I...”Dani looks from her sister to Amira and back to her sister “ I pass too, I'm so tired”.

“Come on! You can hike that route with your eyes closed, what are you telling me?”

“But Cris, let them, if the children say they are tired, then they are tired. We'll go out and let them stay here, together. “ Joana says guessing Dani's intentions and giving him a hand.

“Well, you're missing out, waterparties. I'm going to change. Love, shall we leave in half an hour? “ asks Cris to Joana, going to her room with her behind.

Once they are alone in the room, Dani and Amira begin to clean up after their dinner.

“Hey, if you want to go out, you don't have to stay with me, I don't mind being alone. “ says Amira.

“Nah, I'm so tired. I don't feel like going out, to be honest”

Amira nods and smiles. The truth is that she doesn't mind spending the night in Dani's company.

“Would you like to watch a movie when they leave?

“I'm fine with that," answers Amira.

“Well, behave yourselves, don't do anything I wouldn't do “ Joana says goodbye to Dani and Amira half an hour later. Cris is already outside waiting for his impatient girlfriend.

“Should I make some popcorn? “ Dani asks Amira once they have been left alone.

“Hmm, okay sure yes.”

Dani gets up from the sofa and heads to the kitchen. Amira realizes that he has left his cell phone on the table.

“Hey Dani! Can I see today's photos on your mobile? “ says Amira aloud to let him know.

“Sure! They're in the gallery, send them to your mobile if you want “ Dani comes through the kitchen door and points to Amira “ but don't delete them”

“Promised”

Amira opens the gallery on Dani's phone and starts looking at this morning's photos. There is a little bit of everything, pictures of landscapes, pictures of Amira with the river behind, of Dani posing and then being scared of the duck, selfies of the two together etc.

“I love this one, it's very good, pure fantasy," Amira says to Dani when he returns to the room with the bowl of popcorn and sits down next to her.

Dani looks at his cell phone in Amira's hand and sees that she is referring to the photo in which he is jumping after the scare the duck gave him.

“I'm going to put it on as a background to cheer me up when I'm sad," jokes Amira, making Dani laugh. “Talking about backgrounds...”

Dani sees how Amira goes to the home page of his mobile and shows him the bakcground Dani has on his mobile, the photo of him, Cris and Amira on the roof.

“I really like this picture “ says Amira, not daring to look at Dani.

“Me too, that's why I put it on “ Dani looks at Amira and when she looks up and their eyes connect he smiles” We used to have a great time together, didn't we?

“Yes...” says Amira almost in a whisper.

“And this weekend has been great, Ami. It's been a while since we've spent any time together, both of us. I missed it. I barely want to go home tomorrow”

Amira smiles, and Dani reciprocates. For a few seconds they both look into each other's eyes, not knowing what to say. When Amira feels that the tension between the two is too much she decides to look away.

“Should we put the film on?”

Dani opens his eyes and wakes up. His neck hurts a little from being in the same position for so long. The first thing he notices is that the TV is on with the movie stopped on the home page. The second thing is Amira. She is sleeping peacefully next to him, curled up under the blanket, her head turned slightly towards him. Dani can't help but look at her, she looks so beautiful, so serene, so peaceful. Something is stirring inside Dani, a feeling that always comes up every time he looks at Amira, but now more than ever it beats inside him. He's not stupid, he knows perfectly well what's wrong with him. He has known for months, maybe even years. He is in love with Amira. It's a pity she would never notice him.

The sound of the door takes him out of his thoughts. He turns and sees Cris stumble in, followed by Joana trying to hold her. Dani gets up from the couch, as if he had just been

caught doing something wrong. He immediately tells his sister to shut up and nods to Amira, indicating that she is asleep.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry," says a very drunk Cris, "but we'll have to wake her up, won't we?

“If you keep shouting like that you will surely do it“ Dani protests in a low voice.

“Come on, Ami, get up," says Cris to her friend, but Joana stops her.

“Come on Cris, let's go to sleep, Dani will wake up Amira, right Dani? “ says Joana

Dani nods and smiles at Joana gratefully. Once the girls are gone Dani sits on the couch next to Amira and says her name several times. The third time Amira slowly opens her eyes.

It takes Amira a few seconds to adjust the vision to the dark room, only illuminated by the TV. When her eyes connect with Dani's something stirs inside her, a feeling that always comes up every time she looks at Dani, but now more than ever it beats inside her. She is not stupid, she knows perfectly well what is happening to her. She's known it for months, maybe even years. She is in love with Dani. It's a pity that he would never notice her.

“Hello “ whispers Dani, taking Amira out of his thoughts.

“Hello," she says, smiling at him.

“I didn't want to wake you up but you're going to catch a cold and...”

“Thank you. I'd better go to bed," says Amira, slowly rising from the sofa.

“Yes, me too, we have a long journey tomorrow.”

Dani turns off the TV and turns on the hall light. Both he and Amira go to their rooms but stand at the doors.

“Good night, Ami," says Dani.

“Good night, Dani," Amira answers, and before Dani can disappear behind his bedroom door, she adds, "I missed spending time together too”

[strangerthingsharrington]

Can’t Fight This Feeling

We’re following Dustin’s older sister Louise during S3. Started writing this after S3 came out, focused more on it during this quarantine! No posting schedule, just testing the water here.

-1-

Hawkins was a pretty boring town. But, that’s how I liked it, if I was going to be honest.

I’d been in Hawkins my entire life, except for the couple of times a year I’d go and stay with my grandparents. They lived not terribly far from Hawkins, but far away enough where it felt like I was taking my own little mini vacation.

Some days I loved and Hawkins...some days I wanted to get the hell outta there. I wanted away from some of the kids, mostly. Some of the kids from the high school were assholes, and that’s all they would ever be. But that’s the case with places all over too, I guess.

One of my good friends, Jonathan Byers, was always getting picked on. People calling him weird and a psycho and a freak and all this other shit, when Jonathan was one of the nicest people in the world.

No, we’re not dating, he’s dating Nancy Wheeler, and yes we did try dating in the very distant past, but we were definitely better off as friends. No question.

“Louise,” my mom called from the other side of my bedroom door.

“Yeah?” I called back to her from my position on my bed sorting through some of my old records.

She opened the door and smiled at me, “Do you want to come with me to pick up Dustin?”

My little brother Dustin’s last day of his month long summer camp was that day, so he needed to be picked up from Camp Know Where.

“Do you want me to?” I asked, putting a Bowie record off to the side.

She leaned against my doorframe and I knew what was coming next.

“LuLu, you haven’t seen your brother for a month,” she guilt tripped me.

I sighed as our newer cat, Tews, ran into my room and jumped onto my bed.

I grabbed him and held him, “I guess?”

She smiled at me, “Good, I’m leaving in ten minutes!”

I rolled my eyes, “Thanks for the heads up.”

“So you can’t back out like you probably would have,” she winked, “come on, Tews,” she said before turning and walking away from my room as the cat kept out of my arms and ran after her.

I sighed and stood up from my bed and stretched my arms and legs out, they were still a bit stiff from my earlier run.

I pulled my curly hair up into a ponytail and slipped on a pair of my converse, deciding not to change out of my jeans shorts and stripped tank top.

I grabbed my small messenger bag and tossed it over my head to hang around my shoulder and left my room shutting the door behind me.

I met my mom in the living room and extended my arms out to the sides of me.

“I’m so proud, you didn’t even try to wiggle your way out of coming,” she said, fake wiping a tear from her cheek.

I laughed and shook my head, “You’re a pretty convincing lady, what can i say,” I said with a smile.

We left the house a few moments later, getting into my moms car and starting the drive to the camp to get Dust.

It was a comfortable ride with my mom mostly asking me about my next year of school, which was my senior year and if I was excited about it.

Which I could honestly say that I was excited, because three of the kids who made my life a living hell there had graduated. Tommy H, Carole, and Steve.

Steve hadn’t been so bad since he and Nancy got together. And even since they had broken up the past November and he had become really good friends with my brother. But in my mind he was still a giant douchbag who loved to make peoples lives hell for some reason.

When we got to the camp pick up area Dustin was sitting alone on a bench looking sad and mopey with his head down. I got out of the car and called out to him.

“Dustin!”

He looked up and smiled at me before standing up and grabbing his suitcase that was next to him.

“Lou!” he called back to me.

Mom was out of the car and speed walking over to him where she pulled him into an awkward hug since his one hand was still grasping his suitcase and his other was holding his ever present walkie talkie.

When mom finally pulled away and wiped her face free of tears Dustin and I made eye contact and I had to hold my nose to try and contain the snort of laughter that was threatening to spill out. His eyes were wide and he shook his head slightly at moms over the topness.

Dustin finally came over to the car with mom prattling in the background about what he wanted for dinner and what he wanted to do for the rest of the summer.

“Mom, let the kid breathe for God sakes,” I told her as Dustin closed the trunk.

Dustin moved to the front seat, just as I had promised him when he was dropped off for camp, that I, as the older sibling, was willing to give up my automatic front seat privilege when we picked him back up.

I settled into the back seat, still not listening to a word mom was saying since I knew none of it was pertaining to me since little Dusty was back.

She eventually simmered down on the drive home after he gave his input for dinner, ‘Whatever you want, Ma,’ before he turned his walkie talkie on and changing it to the right channel of frequency. Then he began calling out to his friends, changing between Mike, Will and Lucas. There was never a response to him.

I leaned my head against my back headrest looking out the window, trying to block out the aggravating sound of static from his radio calls.

“Mike, do you copy? Over!”

“Lucas it’s Dustin! Do. You. Copy? Over!”

“Will! Answer me! Over!”

I rolled my eyes at Dustin’s insistent calls over the walkie talkie to the other kids in the party. I faced the back of Dustin’s head and huffed.

“Dustin,” I complained, “just call them when you get home.”

He put his walkie down and removed the headset and microphone combo he was using with the walkie talkie. He turned to me harshly from his spot in the front seat, “It’s bullshit, Lou. They knew I was coming home today and they’re ignoring me?”

“Dusty,” mom said, “language”

Dustin tolled his eyes and faced the front of the car once again, “What do you want from them?” I asked him, “Mike and Elle are dating and Lucas has Max...they have other shit going on!”

“Lulu!” mom scolded me, “you’re teaching Dusty bad habits.”

“I’m eighteen mom,” I said absent mindedly looming out of the window.

“I’ll call Steve when I get home,” Dustin said sullenly, “maybe he’ll be happy to see me”

I scoffed and lightly hit the back of my brothers head, “You’re gonna call Steve? Come on, Dustin, the guys a jerk!”

“He’s my friend,” he said defensively.

“Why are you even friends with him? He’s such a douchbag, Dust,” I asked disgusted. Dustin turned around with an annoyed look on his face.

“Maybe he was to you, but he’s turned into a good friend of mine.”

I rolled my eyes, “He was to almost everyone in the school, especially Jonathan Byers. And then all of a sudden he turned into what? Some nice young guy that’s friends with kids? Weird.”

“Lou, Steve has been nothing but nice to Dustin,” my mom started, as Dustin pointed at her with a nod before turning to face the road once again.

“So that makes the way he teeated me okay?” I asked harshly, staring at her through the rear view mirror.

My mom sighed in her seat, “No, of course not. But he’s not the same kid that he was in school.”

I looked down at my lap to my intertwined hands and sighed deeply, “All I’m saying is that he was awful...awful to me.”

“Has he been mean to you since he’s known me?” Dustin asked.

I looked up at the back of his head, “No, because I’m never around when he is. I avoid that kid like the plague.”

“Then that’s on you, Louise,” Dustin said, half turning towards me so i could only see one side of his face, “you don’t know him like I do. He’s a good guy and a good friend. Sorry that everyone isn’t as miserable as you all the time, and that you have a hard tome believing that people can change,” he turned more so he was fully facing me, “because no one will ever be as great as you!” he said adding the last part with some heavy sarcasm before turning back around.

I crossed my arms and looked out the window, my nose began tingling, and I knew I was close to tears because of what that shit head said.

“That’s enough, Dustin,” my mom told him sternly

Dustin huffed, “Sorry but it’s true,” he said a bit more gently.

I didn’t say anything else to either of them. I just continued watching the road of Hawkins pass me by as I watched from behind a window. My mind began drifting to one of the worst moments of my high school life, which Steve was a direct participant of.

“Hey Louise,” Tommy slyly said, leaning against my locker next to me.

I felt awkward being next to one of the popular kids, I smiled uncomfortably, “Hi Tommy.”

“I’ve got a secret to tell you,” he sang to me, as Carole scurried over to us and stood in front of us, popping her gum.

“Yeah,” she said with an edge to her voice and a fake smile on her face, “big secret.”

My heart rate increased at the thought of Tommy having something special to tell me.

“What’s that?”

He looked across the hall and jutted his chin out, “Steve Harrington has a crush on you,” he said loudly, drawing the attention of some people around us, including Steve, who was across from us.

I felt my face instantly begin burning. I knew it was bright red. From embarrassment and from excitement. Steve Harrington had a crush on me? It had to be a dream. That was something I had only ever daydreamed about.

Until Steve broke the deafening silence.

“What??” He said loudly before laughing, “You’re outta your fuckin mind, Tommy. That’s just messed up man,” he said through laughs, causing Tommy and Carole to burst out in laughs along with everyone around us.

Now my face was burning out of pure embarrassment. Everyone was laughing at me, which is one of the worst feelings ever.

“Don’t listen to him, Lisa,” he told me, still with a laughin edge to his voice, “he’s lying. Trust me on that,” he said, before laughing again and walking away with Tommy and Carole with him.

I only came back from that horrible memory when mom parked the car at home under the overhang. I knew full well that his friends were hiding in the house to surprise him and I was close to spoiling that for him based on how shitty he made me feel back in the car, but i knew I never would do that to him.

I got out of the car, slamming the door behind me only to have Dustin step in my way.

I looked at him and shrugged dramatically, throwing my arms out, “What?”

He looked woefully at me, “I ... just wanted to say I’m sorry...you know, for what I said in the car. You’re not a miserable person, and the fact that’s Steve’s my friend now doesn’t like...make what he did to to you or anyone else okay. He was a giant douchbag back then and I know that,” he explained, “but if you got to know him now...he’s not like that anymore.”

I sighed and shook my head slightly, “And that’s great for you, Dustin. But he made my high school existence awful. Seriously. So I’m sorry that I just can’t, ya know, be totally chill and whatever when it comes to him. Maybe eventually it’ll be okay, but not right now for me.”

And with that, I sidestepped him and went to the front door that mom had left open for us, before disappearing into my room closing the door behind me.

I walked to my bed and grabbed a Journey record before going and placing it on my record player.

I sat with my back against my headboard and hugged a pillow to my chest. I didnt like fighting with Dustin, but the shit with Steve...that was genuinely irritating.

I knew it was Dustin knocking on my door immediately. I rolled my eyes before calling for him to come in.

He opened the door and looked at me sadly before closing the door behind him.

He walked over to my bed and sat down next to me, leaning his hat covered curly head on my shoulder.

“I really am sorry for the shit you went through in school with Steve, Lou. You know that right?”

“I know,” I breathed, “just like you know how sorry I am about the shit you go through sometimes.”

“I’ll never excuse the shit that he put you through, none of it was right, ya know? And I would never be friends with someone who talks bad about you or anything, because he’s never said anything mean or bad about you in front of me.

“Trust me, Steve wasn’t exactly my frist choice. But I needed his help with some shit...and then we became friends.”

I scoffed and nudged him with my shoulder, “What did you need Steve for that I couldnt have helped with?”

I looked over at him and his eyebrows were furrowed together, “Huh....yeah ya know...girl...shit. Girl shit.”

I fought hard to keep the smile off my face, “Girl shit?”

He kept a straight face, but nodded.

“You...you realize that I am, in fact, a girl right? I could’ve helped you out too?”

At that his face relaxed into a small smile, “I know,” he said before looking to me, “I just...wanted a guys take on it. A guy that’s actually you know...had a girlfriend and shit.”

I smiled sadly at him, “I get it...I’m sorry, Dust. I’m not mad at you or anything...it just brings up bad memories is all. As long as he’s good to you...then it is what it is.”

Dustin sat up and smacked my knee, “Listen, do you wanna hang out? Since no one obviously cares that I’m back,” he said bitterly, “I have to go and build my radio, Cerebro, so I can talk to Suzie...you know...my girlfriend,” he said with a dreamy smile.

I smiled along with him. Yes I knew of the girlfriend. The one he never stopped talking about every single time he would call home.

“Anyways, I need to go to the top of the hill and build it so I can reach her...wanna come?”

I hummed in mock thought before I turned and patted his head.

“Absolutely not,” I said with a small laugh as his face dropped.

“Come on, Lou!”

I shook my head, “No! I’m not gonna spend one of my summer afternoons going to a hill and sitting there while you set up and still sitting there while you try to reach Suzie!” I said with a laugh.

“You’re so mean!” he told me with a smile.

I pushed his shoulder, “Go to your room and unpack and we’ll talk about this later!”

He got up from my bed dramatically, “Fiiiiine,” he told me before leaving my room.

I leaned my head against the headboard and grinned at the door, as I began the wait for the party to surprise little Dusty for his arrival back home.

I didn’t realize there was a character limit or whatever for tumblr posts??? Oops! GIF credit to owner and title credit to REO Speedwagon.

[ravenbrenna09]

the magic of betrayal scene 1

because I couldn’t get my Hogwarts AU out of my head, here’s the first scene of chapter one in Jana’s ‘season’. hope you guys enjoy! also, I wanted to include Lucas VDH somehow in this scene but it didn’t end up working out.

Note: characters that are depicted in college in s3 (namely Sander, Senne, and Noor) have been knocked down a year. so, while they should be in their seventh year with Jana, Zoë, and co. being in their fifth year, I bumped them down to sixth years so I wouldn’t have to rush to fit all of the first three seasons in their fifth year before they graduate.

Note #2: parts of this might change with my watching (and likely rewatching) of s1 before I finish the rest of the chapter.

...

“Don’t put me in your story!” 

There was a grin that spread across Robbe’s face, his phone in his hand, but Jana reached out, her hand covering the lens of his phone. Now that classes were out, their Care of Magical Creatures had been particularly draining since they were in the Forbidden Forest today, all of their technology was finally working again, the magical ban lifted immediately as their class had ended, allowing for the use of their phones and other technologies that they might’ve had on them. 

Ten years ago, Hogwarts had never been able to have any sort of Muggle technology, it did something weird with any electrical products, but with the Muggle world constantly growing, and the invention of social media and every social media app, the Ministry of Magic had to face the fact that students, specifically Muggleborns and half-bloods raised in the Muggle world, couldn’t be whisked away to an untraceable school without questions being arisen. And, somehow, they made phones powered by magic now, allowing them for use in the halls of Hogwarts as long as students didn’t expose the magical world.

They were strict about that. 

There was an entire department in the Department of Mysteries dedicated to the understanding of new and advancing Muggle technology and punishing Muggleborns that broke the rules by sending the rulebreakers to Azkaban (or, at least, that’s what their Muggle Studies professor, Professor Elwood, liked to tell them to make sure that they followed the rules). 

Despite the grin that formed on Robbe’s face, he pouted, pushing back a strand of his brown hair that had fallen in front of his face, “Why not?” He shifted the robes on his shoulders, the Ravenclaw robes getting a little messed up, his phone still in his hands. 

On Jana’s other side, Jens spoke up, a light laugh in his voice. “You look really good on camera.” There was a laugh from Robbe as Jana turned towards Jens, a Gryffindor like her and her boyfriend, giving him a look because she knew what he meant. Jens was handsome, taller than both her and Robbe, and the deep crimson red looked good on him, accenting the color of his skin. Spotting her looking, Jens’ lips quirked up in an all-knowing smirk. 

“He’s spoken,” Robbe spoke, drawing Jana’s attention back to the cameraman. Robbe was one of the youngest in their year, barely two weeks from being in the next year, and he had always been particularly close to Jana. The Ravenclaw was smaller than her, the blue of his robes standing out with their red ones, and his hair was getting so long that it could’ve been pulled back in a ponytail… or braided. Putting his phone in his pocket, Robbe ran a hand through his hair, brushing his long hair back. “Why don’t you want to be in my story?”

“I just don’t want to give unknown creeps the ability to stare at me is all.”

Jens nodded his head. “You’ve got a point there.” He reached out, grabbing Jana’s hand, pulling her in the direction of a tree along the edge of the Black Lake. Glancing behind her, she spotted Robbe’s equally confused expression as he followed after their steps. Arriving at his intended destination, Jens sat down in the shaded grass beneath the tree, pulling Jana to sit down beside him. 

Robbe followed suit, crouching down on Jens’ other side. “What are we doing? Aren’t we going to dinner?”

“Not yet,” Jens spoke, chuckling. He pulled his bag into his lap, placing Jana’s hand on his thigh, and opened his bag. It was a dark abyss, filled with books and a small pouch, only big enough to hold a quill or two maybe, which he pushed open wider. He stuck his entire hand in the pouch, which opened wider without the seam breaking, and pulled out a bottle that was three times the pocket’s size. Jana could identify it without Robbe’s low whistle.

Butterbeer.

“Where did you get butterbeer?” she asked curiously. The first Hogsmeade week wasn’t until another two weeks, but her mouth watered at the thought of butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. It would be a lot different now that she and Britt weren’t… Jens handed over a butterbeer to Robbe, who thanked him with a grin on his face, before her boyfriend turned towards her. 

“Do you want one?” 

Jana shook her head. “No, thank you though.” 

“You sure?” 

“Yeah,” Jana remarked. She curled her legs beneath her, turning towards Jens and smiling up at him. “I want to get a headstart on our Charms homework. I don’t know what type of grader and professor Victoire, I mean, Professor Weasley will be, but I remember that she was pretty strict as a Head Girl. I do not want to get on her bad side so early in the semester.” 

“Sounds like more reason to drink,” Jens remarked, shrugging his shoulder. Robbe nodded his head, agreeing with his best friend. There was the sound of laughter moving towards them and the group of them turned, spotting Moyo walking towards them with his friend, Aaron, by his side. 

Moyo Makadi was another fifth-year Gryffindor that Jens hung around with. During the summer, Jana had seen him once or twice, but never long enough to do more than be properly introduced. As a result, Jana didn’t get along with him all that well. Moyo and Jens seemed to click, sometimes acting like they were alone when they were together, which is why Jana always tended to gravitate towards Robbe, who was similarly outcasted. 

Aaron Jacobs, a Hufflepuff, was a follower, tagging along and having a good time. Jana hadn’t met Aaron, officially anyway, until the train ride to Hogwarts where he shook her hand and gave her an awkward hug. The two of them had been in classes since they were eleven, but they had been outside of the realm each of them resided in and so they never talked. Aaron seemed nice, always trying to keep up with the conversation, but he was a little awkward, saying the wrong things without meaning to. 

“You guys want a butterbeer?” Jens questioned. 

Moyo laughed, grinning from ear-to-ear. “Yes please!” 

“What about you, Aaron?”

“Yeah!”

As the two boys sitting down, Jens fished out another two bottles of butterbeer and Robbe shifted to the edge of the shade to give them more room. Jana smiled over at Robbe, who sent her a half-smile in response, a silent thought passing between them. Jana turned towards him, trying to pull him into a conversation about their Care of Magical Creatures class. 

As she did, she spotted a flash of blonde hair. A sense of dread washed over Jana’s shoulders, but she turned anyways, finding a group of girls heading back up from the castle over Moyo’s shoulder. At one of the edges was Britt Ingelbrecht, one of her best friends, with her blonde hair straightened beautifully and her Slytherin robes resting on her shoulders. The other girls were giggling, laughing with one another, and Britt was grinning, smiling with them. 

But, as if sensing Jana’s eyes, the girl turned, her brown eyes finding the group of them beneath the tree. Her face shifted and changed, shifting from laughter to an unreadable expression. Without blinking, Britt sent a glare in her direction that made Jana want to hide, or advert her gaze, but she didn’t. When the girls turned into the school, Britt sent them a glance over her shoulder before she turned around. 

Jens spotted the glance and Robbe breathed out, raising his eyebrows, “Drama.” 

“Dude!” Jens reached down, slapping Robbe on the back of his head, causing a sip of butterbeer to spill over their jeans. Both Moyo and Aaron were ripped into laughter. Robbe hissed, wiping his hand over his jeans, as Jens pulled out his wand to vanish the liquid on his own. Jens turned back to Jana, whispering to her, “You okay?” Jana nodded her head but they all knew that she wasn’t. Jens raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “You sure?”

“I’m going to get some food,” Jana spoke up, pushing herself up on her knees and straightened her bag on her shoulder. “I’ve just been starving all throughout Care of Magical Creatures and all I’ve been able to think about is those chicken sandwiches that the house-elves like to make. I’ll see you inside?” Jens nodded his head, tilting his head up with a raise of his eyebrows, and Jana smiled at him, leaning forward to press a kiss against his lips. 

Moyo whistled and Aaron laughed. 

Robbe remarked, “Kissing so soon after the class is going to ruin our reputation.”

“Of course, you would think that,” Moyo laughed, shaking his head like he thought it was funny.

“I’ll see you inside,” Jens promised, pressing another kiss against her lips before he grabbed her hand. As she stood up, he braced her, pushing upward on their joined hands. Jana nodded her head, smiling over at Aaron and Moyo, who both waved, and Robbe grinned up at her.

Turning away from them, Jana headed towards the castle, listening to the group of four immediately starting to chat about something that she turned out. Immediately after stepping in the Entrance Hall, she was swarmed by other students, who were trying to get into the Great Hall as well, all eagerly talking with their friends about food or classes. Jana ducked her head down, following the current to the Gryffindor table. 

Jana claimed a spot at the end, her back facing the wall, and she glanced around. With all these people around her, their friends swarming around them, laughing, Jana felt lonely without the boys, without Britt… Her eyes found her former friend, who sat on the other end of the Entrance Hall, talking excitedly with the other girls around her, and Jana quickly looked away before she was caught again.

Piling chicken sandwichs on her plate and beginning to pour herself a glass of pumpkin juice, Jana glanced down the table, spotting the groups and friends of the other Gryffindors. Nearly three groups of people away from her, Jana spotted a platinum-blonde haired girl with bright red lipstick, Zoë. The girl was another fifth year, the two of them shared the same dorm since their first year. But, the two of them had had never really spoken outside of “Good morning”s and “Did we have homework”s because Jana already had friends, just in other houses. 

But, Zoë was sitting alone by herself, a textbook propped up on the pitcher in front of her, and Jana wondered, briefly, why Zoë was sitting by herself too.

[okaybutlikeimagine]

Billy learning how to do cute hairstyles for el

LOVE IT you fuckin’ bet Billy would do this for El and my heart is bursting over it.

Okay, so i totally think Billy would also have helped Max w/ her hair when they were growing up and she was learning how to skate (i also totally like to think he taught her how to skate) Billy would be like: “You gotta get your hair out of your face, moron.”

“Fine.” and she pushes it behind her ears but the poor sweet dear has never been good at tying her hair up bc her hand gets caught in it and so Billy goes rummaging through the little drawer in their bathroom where Susan keeps a bunch of hair ties for Max that she never touches and just says: “C’mere, shitbird.”

And then he ties her hair up into a ponytail and says: “C’mon, let’s go. Grab your board.”

And I just SO believe Billy did Max’s hair a lot. Like, Max herself in S2 says that Billy was always kind of a dick but he just got bad when they moved away, so I like to think that her and Billy were bitchy w/ each other but still close. (also i haven’t read Runaway Max so sorry if this is kind of inaccurate in regards to that, woops! ♥) and so i like to think Billy just let her rely on him to do her hair. Like he’d throw it up in a ponytail or a couple of braids or whatever in the summer. He’d put it up in a bun for when she’d try to help him cook dinner for themselves when their parents left for the weekend. Just Billy doing Max’s hair bc Max was never really taught. and Billy just did it for her bc it was easier than sitting her down and teaching her.

(then of course when things go bad leading up to the move and after the move, Billy would bark at her to do it herself so she struggled to learn and then eventually did by S3)(we don’t have to talk about this right now though cuz I’m Sad)

So ANYWAY bc of that (and his own hair)(i don’t have any links but there are a lot of good posts talking about Billy’s hair in clips and scrunchies and stuff and i cry at the thought), Billy knows how to do hair! And so when El cycles through the like, 3 hairstyles she has (half up half down in a scrunchie, parted to the side, and parted down the middle w/ her hair behind her ears) Billy notices. And when they’re sitting around watching TV or whatever and El is playing w/ Billy’s hair (bc she likes to do that, she thinks his hair is pretty) Billy asks: “Want me to do your hair, short stuff?”

And El will sit on the ground and Billy will sit on the couch and he’ll brush her hair out and think about what he can do. Bc her hair is a LOT shorter than Max’s ever was so there’s not a lot of braiding options here. But Billy will twist her hair back and put a little pin in it and pull a couple of little delicate strands out and just kind of smile as she admires it in the mirror.

And so he starts doing her hair more often. He’s so much calmer now in his new home and has (a bit) more patience so he’ll just sit and do El’s hair. When they’re sitting around the house and listening to music he’ll do a few tiny braids just because. He teaches her how to braid on his own hair. He throws her hair up into two little buns before she goes to hang out with her friends.

“Like the space princess.” El says.

Billy chuckles.

“Yeah kinda.” he says and pokes her forehead.

And then one day, when Max is over to hang out with El, they put on the ABBA record that they know Billy loves (bc Billy LOVES the album Arrival. he just does and i have lots of thoughts on it) and the girls laugh and sing along to the little whispery parts of “Knowing Me Knowing You” as they make fun of him and make silly faces. And Billy is amused but plays it off as irritated and he’ll pick El up from behind and twirl her around and take her back to her room to “kidnap” her and says Max has to “save her” as El kicks and squeals.

but it really just ends up being Max barging into the room to find El brushing out Billy’s hair, still singing along to the song while Billy is sitting there grumbling a little bc “I wasn’t supposed to be the prisoner here…”

Then he sees Max, who looks confused, her face a little fallen bc Billy hasn’t done her hair for her since they were back in California.

And Billy sees the look on her face. Dejected and a little angry. And he pats the space on the bed in front of him and says: “C’mere, shitbird. Want me to braid your hair for you?”

And Max will never admit it, but her heart leaps bc she’s kind of… she’s kind of getting her brother back.

And so Max sits there and gets her hair braided and Billy lets El do his hair and he’s singing quietly along to the song before he starts talking to them about boys. Bc he knows Max has been having trouble with Lucas saying stupid things and Mike was a jerk to El a couple days ago and said she was “too emotional” (it took everything in Billy’s power not to go find him and set him straight bc Mike is the most emotional kid Billy’s ever met)

So Billy’s just like: “Y’know, you guys don’t have to be with boys if they’re being irritating. Life is too short to be with assholes.”

And Max just kinda grumbles bc yeah, Billy might be right, and maybe Lucas is a little dumb sometimes, but she likes him and he’s not an asshole.

“Then why does Steve still hang around with you?” Max asks.

Billy pulls a strand of Max’s hair out.

“Shut up, jerk, I’m getting better.”

So YES Billy doing BOTH of their hair whenever Max is around. And doing cute hairstyles on El like a high pony or little braids to pull it out of her face or a twisted ponytail. But also giving her kind of funny hairstyles, like one night when he gels it up into a mohawk with a laugh.

El eyes it curiously.

“Does it look good?” she asks.

Billy chuckles. “Killer.”

And that night Hop comes home to Billy and El rocking out to Shout at the Devil on full volume, and sees his little daughter w/ her hair gelled up into a mohawk.

[hufflepuff-ish]

The Skam 11 questions tag (don’t quote me on this, I just wanted to give this a title lol)

rules:

always repost the rules

answer the questions given to you by the one who tagged you!

give 11 questions

tag 11 people

Thank you @hufflepuffsh for tagging me babe x (lowkey would love to know your answers to my questions but don’t want you to be tagged twice lol)

1. Which remake/og sqaud do you think you would personally fit into the most? 

This is such a difficult question, oof. So I’m shy, but I’m also a good listener, and I try to be supportive of my friends, sometimes I’m more with myself between my own shell but I also like loosening up and having fun. I think because of that my answer is Skam NL’s squad (honesly maybe it’s just because I’m biased lol). They’re so accepting and loving, and I feel like their general energy is similar enough to mine (but way cooler), so I think they’d just accept me as I am and they would be easy for me to get along with.

2. What is your favourite remake and why? 

Skam NL. S2 was definitely a journey and I didn’t like all of its aspects, but I just love the dynamics between the characters, the aesthetics, the music choices, the cinematography, and the characters are probably the closest to my heart out of all the remakes.

3. What is objectively the best remake and why?

Probably Druck. They have great actors, they make changes but still keep the main issues of every season, their have great music choices, their social media team is great and that’s just what comes into mind.

4. Opinions on each of the girl squads? 

SKAM NL - where do I even start??? I love each one of them soooooooo much. I love them all together even more. I don't even need anything, just give me scenes of then together and I'll be thrilled. (GIVE US A THIRD SEASON). Each girl is really her own character and they definitely stand out to me when compared to the other remakes.

SKAM ITALIA - I have a complicated relationship the squad. I love them but it feels like I’m watching a group of college girl. Silvia isn't a character that I like too much, though the actress is cute. I like Eleonora, but that's pretty much it. My favorites are probably Eva and Federica (I relate a lot to Fede because of her looks). They have a good dynamic, though not as much as the Italian boy squad. They maybe feel a bit less close in my opinion. Also, the writers always make me feel like Federica is only there to give them information on stuff and make a joke here and there, so if they would have put more thought and effort into her character maybe it’d feel like the squad is more,,, real if you will.

DRUCK - hi, I'm controversial on main. I... don't really care for them as a squad?? They're cute but I don't feel much of a connection to them (as a squad), or to their friendships. No idea why. I do find them interesting as individual characters, though and seeing them happy at the end of s3 was great. I'm definitely excited for s4.

SKAM FRANCE - s4 ruined them for me. I liked Emma in s1, Manon was always nice in my opinion, Daphne was getting on my good side in s3, Alexia has always been one of my favorites in this remake, and Imane is absolutely great. Then their friendship got ruined. But, if I'll ignore s4, they were a squad that I enjoyed watching and I really felt like each girl had her own thing, and that they were more of a group of random girls brought together than the og squad.

SKAM AUSTIN - I honestly love them more than I realize. Their friendship has a lot of growing to do, but I loved the scene when Grace confessed to them about Daniel's brother. Within the squad I probably like Jo's relationships the most, partly because she's my fave and partly because she just has a really loving heart. The other girls aren’t may favorites out of all the remakes but they have a warm corner in my heart.

SKAM ESPANA - They’re my Spanish babies. I love them and they just seem like this cute and cool girl squad. They’re not perfect and there are definitely things to come, no matter who’ll be the main of s3, but they love each other a lot and I think that they’ll grow together as individuals. 

WTFOCK - I'm not the best person to talk about this remake because I missed like half of s1, but whatever. They remind me a bit more of the og squad, and I love the friendships between Hanna and Zoë, and Zoë and Yasmina. I don't really like Luka, I can't really explain why but she doesn't really feel as part of the squad to me, and Amber is just okay. 

5. Favourite hairstyle out of all the remakes? (this includes any hijab styles of the Sanas)

I love Cris with her hair in a low ponytail, and I love the half up hairstyle that Skam NL uses a lot. When it comes to hijabs, so far my favorite was Sana’ s in the og’s s4 when it was a bit loose under her chin because it really fit her well.

6. Who do you think from og/remakes would have a youtube channel and what would they post about? (not including hei briskeby or lucas rubio’s yt channel)

Liv could totally have a music youtube channel because I feel like that’s realistic to starting musicians these days.

I can see the Italian boy squad having a youtube channel where they post vlogs and pranks lmao.

Sam could totally have a beauty channel where she does hauls and stuff.

Basile would have a youtube channel for pranks and magic tricks (idk why but I can really imagine him doing magic tricks????? lmao)

7. Pick someone you think is underappreciated from og/remakes and explain why you think they should be appreciated more.

Hmmmmmm another difficult question. I’m going to ignore the fact that I’m only supposed to mention one character.

The balloon squad - they’re honestly the most refreshing Muslim representation that I’ve come across because they’re just this bunch of dudes who run a hilarious youtube channel and love to have a good time. I love them SO MUCH and I wish we got an Elias season so we could get to know them better. Highkey my favorite boys from og Skam.

Federica - I probably talked about it enough times but she’s so underappreciated. The actress (Martina) is gorgeous and Federica is a ray of sunshine that the fandom tends to ignore. Also, I want to know how she knows so much about almost everything that’s happening in their school.

Shay - She’s definitely the most underrates Isak. Hopefully s3 will happen and she’ll be the main, so she’ll be more appreciated. Personally, I’m on the fence about how I feel about Shay, but I would watch the hell out of her season and getting more music from her, Marlon and Tyler would be amazing!

8. Favourite outfit/clothing item?

Isa’s green scarf, and honestly, any scarf/coat that the og girl squad wore because they always seemed fluffy, warm, comfortable and had pretty pastel colors.

9. Which character do you think is most similar to you?

Physically, it’s definitley Federica in terms of height and her and Hanna in terms of body size. Aside from that, the characters that I feel I'm most like are Hanna, Martino and s1 og Eva. The three of them are pretty simple, dare I say “””boring”””, and that’s how I see myself, lol. Also, Martino has this keeping things to himself things that he does and I relate to the hell out of that. Hanna has a really soft and nice vibe, which I think can be said about me haha.

10. Do you like the Eva season (season 1)?

Yes! The more remakes I started watching, the more I realized that I actually really like s1 because we get to see the girls becoming friends, and there are a lot of iconic scenes in s1 (Noora dragging William, the girl squad fighting with Chris’ girlfriend) and I learned to appreciate Eva’s journey to becoming her own person.

11. (Insert your own question that you’d like to answer!) Which representation do you think Skam should show other than the existing ones?

I don’t remember if I ever posted about this, but I would LOVE to see a Jewish character in one of the remakes. I think this idea can have so much potential (and I’m part Jewish so I’m biased) because there are really interesting things that could be discussed and shown - anti-Semitism from what I know is becoming more popular again and I’m always waiting to see if one of the remakes (especially Skam France, Skam Austin and Druck) will discuss it, and a Jewish character could have a really interesting relationships with the Sana character and they could have great conversations about the expectation from them and that judgement they get from people inside and outside of their religion.

My 11 questions:

If you could create an ultimate girl squad, who out of the skam universe would be in it and why?

If you could change one thing in each remake, what would it be?

What is one plotline that you wish to see in a remake of your choice? (go wild lol)

Which side character would you want to have their own season?

What do you wish the fandom would appreciate more in each remake? (could be a season, a character, a scene, anything)

If you could create a crossover between the og/one of the remakes and a movie/tv series/book, what would it be?

A crack ship that you wish would happen?

Is there a character that is very different from you/you never thought you would like, but you ended up loving?

What is your favorite friendship? 

Do you read any og/remakes fanfiction and if so, do you have any favorite fanfictions?

Would you have preferred if Skam worked a bit more like Skins did, in terms of every character gets a full episode from their pov instead of an entire season?

I’m tagging: @lonelyfridays , @matteohnah, @feelinsorad, @amystylezz, @eliottlallemant, @xxviii-xi-mcmxcviii, @lil-milkovich, @spockhasfeelingstoo, @miaundalex, @pampammmxum, @vnesshudgens, @promisethestraz but of course only if you want to and if anyone who’s not tagged wants to answer these consider yourself tagged!