#on the other letting your family believe you're dead and grieve you for the rest of their lives? that sucks.

[betryl]

Hampden College dashboard simulator

(credit to @barnbridges too for some of the ideas :))

🧣 françois-abernathy follow

🥃 mcaulay-ch follow

@ richard-papen ?

📚 richard-papen follow

???

📚 richard-papen follow

no.

📚 richard-papen follow

who DOES keep voting yes????

📚 richard-papen follow

who even are you people reblogging this??????

#please stop.

351 notes

🐇 thebunster-deactivated follow

drew tihs

🥃 mcaulay-ch follow

this is really nice bun

👓 H-M-Winter follow

No, you did not draw this.

🐇 thebunster-deactivated follow

SHUT

🥃 mcaulay-ch follow

oh

🧣 françois-abernathy follow

HAHASJHASHJA

7 notes

💅 ritch-bitch-jpoovey follow

real talk what do you guys think is ACTUALLY going on at the lyceum atp cause like i've heard too much weird stuff about those freaks......

💅 ritch-bitch-jpoovey follow

not richard btw!! he's fine he's cool

🦌 mcaulay-cam follow

He still won't sleep with you anyways. Let it go. Get better soon ���

💅 ritch-bitch-jpoovey follow

what do you and your creepy ass brother want from me OMG leave me ALONE

#i'm blocking ALL five of you jfc

120 notes

🌝 hampd3ncore follow

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO REMEMBERS THAT MUTILATED FARMER THEY RANDOMLY FOUND IN THE WOODS IN NOVEMBER?? WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT IT ANYMORE?????

#like hello??? #that WASN'T normal #why isn't the police investigating...... #hampden #mystery #unsolved

666 notes

📰 The-Hampden-Examiner ☑️ follow

Edmund "Bunny" Corcoran — everything we know so far about the case of Hampden's missing youth:

https://www.thehampdenexaminer.com/disappearance-of-edmund-bunny-corcoran-1627125.html

🏫 student-council-president follow

‼️IMPORTANT!! STUDENTS OF HAMPDEN PLEASE REBLOG THIS!!!

🎀 bunnysbarnbridge follow

💔💔💔 Please guys help us find him...

👩🏻 dearest-sophie follow

^^^ reblog!!! i really hope he's fine... share if you know anything that might help!!

🚗 flipper follow

What have those greek guys got going on 😭 it's always them everytime something happens istg. let's hope they find him and all's well tho...

5.389 notes

🏛️ has-bunny-corcoran-been-found-yet follow

YES.

#04/14/1983 #THOUGHT IT WOULD TAKE LONGER OMG #it's not even been two weeks #this is crazy... #i can't believe he actually died #rest in peace #bunny corcoran #hampden #hampden college

2.473 notes

🏫 student-council-president follow

Guys they found Edmund Corcoran... He's dead...

🪞 stauralaura follow

HE'S DEAD????

🏫 student-council-president follow

The Examiner just confirmed it. They're saying it was an hiking accident. He went in the woods near college for a walk and fell down the ravine... It was a girl with her dog who found him the other day when the snow had melted and she called the police. Broken neck and everything...

🔍 truecrimeenjoyer63 follow

You still believe it was an hiking accident? lmao come on. There's clearly something else behind this. Not to mention NONE of his friends have ever spoken about it or anything. Ain't that suspicious for anyone else? They have to know something.

🏫 student-council-president follow

Stop using his death as an excuse to start fights and get clout omg... You people are horrible. Maybe let's not make assumptions on things we know nothing about and just be respectful towards him and the people grieving???? The police will take care of it it's literally not your business

⛓️ spik3yy follow

whatever he was awful tbh he deserved it

🏔️ mount-cataract follow

no he didn't?? what the hell? did you even know him

⛓️ spik3yy follow

you're all ridiculous he was an ass and you know it, no one could stand him and now everyone suddenly pretends to miss him just cause he's dead, be fr now 💀

🏫 student-council-president follow

If you think Bunny deserved what happened to him just block me. I'm so serious I don't want anything to do with you.

#i hate this school sometimes #if it was your family member or your friend you'd be devastated #maybe think about that before opening your mouths #bunny corcoran #justice for bunny #hampden #hampden college

3.749 notes

🚬 invisibilitycl0ke follow

stop spreadin shit aboyt bunny btw. he wsa NOT involved in drugs.

🚬 invisibilitycl0ke follow

ME NEITHER. jsut so were clear yk haha

🚬 invisibilitycl0ke follow

i swear

🚬 invisibilitycl0ke follow

listen to my pdocast

🔥 blazed 420 notes

🌝 hampd3ncore follow

THAT ONE HUGE GUY FROM THE GREEK CLASS SHOT HIMSELF??????????

🚗 flipper follow

?????? NO WAY IT'S THEM AGAIN

🏫 student-council-president follow

Yeah it's true... Chilling...

https://www.thehampdenexaminer.com/hampden-college-student-dead-by-suicide-3683920.html

🇺🇸 bornintheusa follow

Nah that place is cursed I tell you 😭 first that Corcoran guy they found in the ravine and now this... No wonder they shut the class down

✨ aesthetic-academic follow

they really did fuck around and find out with all that cult shit they were into 💀 bet they really got themselves some curse or something messing with dyonisus or the devil whatever it was 💀💀 crazy people. who cares the college is better off without them tbh they're creepy

🏫 student-council-president follow

Not the same discourse again... No one cares about your opinion on them. He died. TWO of them died. And you're here speculating on them and still treating the whole thing as a joke?? Gross.

🏔️ mount-cataract follow

no fr y'all did the same with bunny corcoran when he went missing and now you're doing it again... i don't care if you didn't like them i mean they were kind of weird but... at least just try to be a decent human being in front of an actual tragedy. all you people should be ashamed of yourselves.

🔍 truecrimeenjoyer63 follow

I CAN'T be the only one thinking there must be some kind of connection between these two events right????

#idk maybe i'm crazy but hear me out #just think about it #it's barely been a month since corcoran and now THIS happens?? #like yeah maybe he was just #depressed?? for corcoran???? and so he did that #idk #but it sounds REALLY weird to me #plus what was the whole fuss with julian morrow just #randomly leaving college out of nowhere?? #AND let's not forget mcree either like????? #WHAT IS HAPPENING #hampden #hampden college #bunny corcoran #henry winter

1.479 notes

[ilguna]

-> apocalypse survivor <-

mother nature took back what was rightfully hers, making the earth a beautiful place once more. it wasn’t easy to survive, but once the cure was announced, everyone knew they had to hold on just a little while longer.

--

THIS CELEBRATION IS OVER.

--

♪ castaway (peeta mellark) ♪

after being stuck on an island for years without contact to the outside, fate brings you a boy that might be your ticket back home.

♪ only friends (finnick odair) ♪

you and Finnick care about each other, you have your whole lives. it leads people to believe that you’re more than just friends.

♪ broken promise (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick promises that he won't join the rebel mission to the capitol, and breaks it a few hours later.

♪ history repeats itself (haymitch abernathy) ♪

you thought Haymitch was worried about going back into the games. when in reality, he was afraid of what might happened to you while he’s gone.

♪ slippery show (johanna mason) ♪

there's nothing you like more than watching your girlfriend win wrestling fights... naked.

♪ see you again (finnick odair) ♪

if shit hits the fan, Finnick wants you to save yourself at all costs. you can't, not when it means putting the rebellion on the line.

♪ the weight of the world (johanna mason) ♪

unable to grieve alone, you're forced to stay in Johanna's hospital room. it's bearable, until she begins to talk about your recently deceased family.

♪ moments notice (finnick odair) ♪

after being forced to listen to the jabberjays for an hour, Finnick feels the need to tell you that he'll be there when you need him. no questions asked.

♪ heather (cashmere ritchson) ♪

a sacrifice have to be made. either you can be with Cashmere, or you can be a rebel. there is no in-between.

♪ bloody flowers (peeta mellark) ♪

with Peeta being the face of the rebellion, you know better than to let him get hurt. however, he doesn’t appreciate your willingness to jump in front of him.

♪ cerulean pt1, pt2 (finnick odair) ♪

you were sucked into Finnick's charming demeanor last year, which almost ruined your reputation. he's come crawling back to you, but you won't fall for his tricks twice.

♪ when the dead rise pt1, pt2 (stephen strange) ♪

when Bruce falls from the sky, claiming that an evil being is coming to wipe out half the population, you're forced to help. what you don't know is that you'll end up losing the person that means the most to you.

♪ whisper of the beast (finnick odair)

on your own, you try to find your boyfriend in the arena. instead, you run across something much, much worse.

♪ NFWMB (finnick odair) ♪

nothing can tear the two of you down. they can try, but you’re always one step ahead.

♪ my tears ricochet (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick does the unthinkable, and proceeds to blame you for it during a court hearing, making it impossible for you to ever go home.

♪ cruel summer pt2 (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick tricked you into playing the damsel role, something the Capitol will be referencing for the rest of your life. still, you're not sure if you can forgive him for being so cruel to you in the first place.

♪ too close (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick doesn’t want Annie to move on, that’s why he asks you to be his fiancé to make her jealous. you agree to this, thinking that his feelings for her might change, but they never do.

♪ mother knows best (finnick odair) ♪

afraid that all the nice boys are being taken, your mom convinces you to go on a blind date with her friends’ son.

♪ sunburst (finnick odair) ♪

when you signed up to storm the Capitol, you had the front lines in mind. you get stuck with the star squad instead, forcing you to feature in propaganda videos. when you finally decide that you’re done playing pretend and you want to be reassigned, you’re given a reality check.

♪ lovestruck, lovesick, lovelorn pt1, pt2 (finnick odair) ♪

you and Finnick are similar in many ways, but all he chooses to see are the differences, even though you won your games eight years ago.

♪ plinth legacy (coriolanus snow) ♪

Coriolanus was nothing more than a passing thought before the mentoring program. it isn't until he's saved you several times, does he frequently cross your mind. and when pa catches wind of this, he decides to call back to district traditions.

♪ forget-me-nots (sejanus plinth) ♪

Sejanus is an old friend of yours. when he's assigned to be your mentor for the hunger games, you decide to trust him, despite the many cruel things that have been said about him. when tragedy strikes, you're set back.

♪ white leather (finnick odair) ♪

the capitol announces you dead after they're unable to find you in the arena, leading Finnick to believe the same. only, you're not dead, you're very much alive. and you're determined to see him again.

♪ falling leaves (johanna mason) ♪

through Finnick, Johanna finds out that you have a replica of her soulmate tattoo. she's quick to assume that you'll forgive how she treated you in the past, but you're over her entitlement.

♪ beneath the surface (haymitch abernathy) ♪

you care for Haymitch, you have for years. you just tend to show it in a different way.

♪ suburban legends (finnick odair) ♪

your mismatched star signs should've been the giveaway that you would never be able to work.

♪ blood run red (viktor) ♪

Viktor makes a mistake, and it isn't until you find out that he's dabbling with drugs, do you decide that you can't do it anymore.

♪ stepping stones (joel miller) ♪

it’s been almost five years since you survived outside of the quarantine zone, but Joel needs a temporary smuggling partner.

♪ succeed (tobias eaton) ♪

Four sees that you're unprepared to fight, so he manages to delay it. unfortunately, one day is not enough time for you to prepare for your fight with Peter.

♪ left behind but never forgotten (bucky barnes) ♪

the Winter Soldier is supposed to be a ghost story, but when he starts to come after you, Natasha and Steve while you're trying to uncover HYDRA secrets, you're forced into a hard reality check.

♪ marjorie (finnick odair) ♪

what died didn't stay dead. you're alive, you're alive in Finnick's head.

♪ anything for her (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick would do anything for you, including spilling all of his Capitol secrets, if it means that you'll come home.

♪ birds and stones (sejanus plinth) ♪

Sejanus hasn't been acting the same, ever since he witnessed the hanging in district twelve. you find out why a couple weeks later.

♪ wrong place, wrong time (johanna mason) ♪

Johanna pushes you away for two weeks following her rescue from the capitol. on the fifteenth day, you decide to give her what she wants.

♪ out of the woods (gloss ritchson) ♪

Gloss broke up with you last year to protect your happiness, even though you warned him it would have the opposite effect.

♪ trust fall pt2 (finnick odair) ♪

after begging Finnick to let you meet his son for almost a year, he finally gives in. and now he wants to call you mom.

♪ style (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick asks you to pretend to be his girlfriend one last time, not knowing it would lead to your feelings coming back.

♪ sleeping giants (raven reyes) ♪

when it’s discovered that someone needs to stay behind to keep an eye on the frozen prisoners, Raven volunteers to stay. you refuse to leave her behind, of course. even if it means you’ll be stuck in space forever.

♪ headspace (octavia blake) ♪

you’ve been in love with Octavia for years now, and even after being trapped in the bunker together, and her admitting she has the same feelings—you’ve gotten nowhere. you’re just friends.

♪ last man on earth (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick goes with Katniss to see the remnants of district twelve. his mind can’t help to wander, and he ends up imagining himself in the same situation.

♪ wanheda (clarke griffin) ♪

you overhear Abby mention the ache in her heart for Clarke. so, you take it upon yourself to go out searching for her again, not knowing you'd get injured in the process.

--

♪ HERE is a link to the original celebration post. this is mostly for me in the future and for those who are curious on what the post looked like. once again, the celebration is over, do not send in any prompts. ♪

[projectbluearcadia]

Epilogue

Diavolo: Ah, ah? Testing. There we are. To our dear students attending the Royal Academy of Diavolo, we have called you together today to make an important announcement.

Students that had been talking to each other in hushed and occasionally loud tones grow quiet. They look up at Diavolo on his podium.

Diavolo: It has come to our attention that many rumors are circulating about the demon that was known as Corde Lia, a vampire from the distinguished Erimav family that offers this academy, as well as myself, their very souls. Their brother, Hter Ric, has since been spreading a false rumor about Lia's confrontation with another student.

Hter: I daresay it wasn't false. My sibling is dead, are they not?

Diavolo raises one hand, and Hter reluctantly backs down.

Diavolo: I am getting to that. We will begin with what is correct. Corde Lia was killed by Annelie Glasgow after a confrontation. However, this confrontation was not instigated by her, nor was this killing intentional. Lia sexually harassed Ms. Glasgow and actively practiced species-related discrimination, despite knowing that Ms. Glasgow is in a committed relationship with our Vice-President, Lucifer.

Diavolo's brows furrow.

Diavolo: As such, Ms. Glasgow will be suspended from all academy activities for one week. I, as prince of the Devildom and as president of the academy, formally apologize to the family of Corde Lia, who grieves for their lost child.

Diavolo: However, I also believe I have made it very clear that I will protect those whose voices otherwise go unheard. There are 5 succubi, including Ms. Glasgow, in this entire academy. The number of incubi is even less. We as the student council, and I personally, not as a prince or a president but as a proud member of the demonic race, beg you not to indulge in familiar assumptions. Thank you.

Clapping slowly resounds in scattered areas of the crowd, then spreads to its majority as Lucifer and Annelie step forward from the crowd. Hter is noticeably restraining his anger, begging to tear Annelie to bits.

Diavolo: Lucifer, I now hand things off to you.

Diavolo covers the mic.

Diavolo: And please, seriously, do not threaten anyone else with death while you're speaking. That is not a surprise I want today.

Lucifer: I wasn't going to; rest assured.

Diavolo's hand leaves the mic, and he steps backward to allow Lucifer into the light. Annelie fidgets behind him nervously.

Why am I even here? I'm not going to speak, right?

Lucifer: Diavolo has already covered all student conduct topics that I had wished to address. However, because there still seems to be some kind of misconception regarding my relationship with Annelie Glasgow, let me make it perfectly clear for all of you now.

Lucifer drags Annelie away from the podium, well within view of hostile, neutral and friendly demons. She keeps looking at the crowd uneasily, then at Lucifer.

Annelie: (Softly) What are you doing?

Lucifer gets down on one knee, and a collective, excited gasp from everyone present makes the room feel as if a giant had inhaled. Lucifer pulls out a small, velvet box, popping it open for Annelie to reveal a stunning marquise-cut engagement ring. Several girls in the crowd scream. Annelie gapes stupidly at it like a fish out of water.

Lucifer: Annelie, you came into my life without me even wanting it. I thought you were an impudent girl that just liked stealing my bed. I was foolish. You have the gall to lecture me, insult me, and even baby me. You have the libido that drives me to borderline madness. And, even though your heart is fragile... you placed it in my hands and trusted me with your everything. You made me believe that I could do the same.

Annelie raises her hands to her smiling mouth and starts to cry, trying not to laugh out of joy (and his cheesiness).

Lucifer: You've made my family feel at ease, and for once in my life, the moniker "The Morning Star" seems to feel as if it describes me. So, Annelie... Will you, for the rest of your life, choose to marry me and officially become my wife?

Annelie: Yes. Yes, you silly demon, I love you. Hurry up and put that ring on so I can hug you.

Lucifer chuckles to himself as he slides the ring onto her finger.

Lucifer: Impatient as always, aren't we?

Annelie: Oh stop it and c'mere. Let me kiss you.

The great majority of the crowd loudly cheers, several demons whistling and screaming as Annelie and Lucifer share a long, sweet kiss, enjoying each other's embrace.

Lucifer: I'm never going to lose you again.

Annelie: Likewise. No more cursed grimoires. No more brotherly secrets. No more magic diseases. We'll just have a peaceful life together...

I'll make sure of it.

Sapphire World

The Power I Hold / END

[ thank you for reading! ]

[lovinggreeniehours]

🎫 here's a gush pass ^^ feel free to gush about whichever f/o you want, however much you want, then send this ask to 3 other self shippers!

OKAY im finally going to use this now because i have 763368632567 thoughts about adelaide and where his arc might go after penacony

tldr: [adelaide crying facedown on the pavement in the rain] (THIS IS LONG 😭)

man the constance reveal made me explode. im still so destroyed about it i am DEVASTATED for my boy HDDHJFSHJ 😭

im uncertain about the details but FIRST i need him to find out his siblings are still alive. the reveal will probably be from black swan, for whatever reason. maybe maybe constance tells black swan to leave him a message so he can find her/be aware she isn't dead

and god like. it is so crushing to me hfsgjfsdhk his angst hurts me extra bad 😭

PRIOR to me/adelaide finding out they were alive, adelaide's arc was really about him figuring out who he was when he wasn't attached to other people. it was him finding people that liked him just for being him, even if he didn't know who that was yet. it is so compelling because he had to wrestle between his loyalties for his old family that grew up with him and whom he swore to protect with his life and this new family that accepted him despite everything that he is and everything he's done. him relearning himself as adelaide, and not just a weapon of destruction. him growing into his own and finding happiness in the midst of grieving for his family

AND THEN THESE FUCKERS WERE ALIVE. THE ENTIRE TIME. HELLO?? I DID NOT EVEN PLAN THIS ONE???? the way the game gobsmacked me ba 😭 😭 😭 what the everloving fuck

pov you're adelaide you almost killed the first friends you ever made in your life to honor your dead family and then turns out you like these people too much to kill them so you spiral into an identity crisis because "isn't this betraying your family???" but "killing my friends won't make me happy!!!!!" so you have to very painfully let go of the old beliefs that made up your entire upbringing in order to find peace and accept the happiness he never allowed himself to have before with. his new family! who are ACTUALLY here and care for him!

pov you're adelaide and 2 minutes later you find out dead family was alive and they barely even went to look for you like what. WHAT

sorry i just. im never going to get over this ever. they DISBANDED?? JUST BECAUSE THEIR DAD DIED???? which means, probably, adelaide was the ONLY one who was ever dedicated to the everflame manson's creed?????? BUT IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE HE LOVED HIS FAMILY??? 🥹🥹🥹🥹 do you see my crisis here

sniffles and sobs ,,,,,he lob his family guys,,,,,,,,,,,, kicks a wall

the implication that they didn't care about him with the same ferocity he did them is SICKENING. like do these people like each other? yeah. do they get along? yes. would they kill for each other even if the mission didn't call for it? hm.

fun fact about adelaide i really wanted to make him an emanator. it's contradictory to the lore, but i had wanted it to sort of emphasize adelaide's status as his father's champion. adelaide would be his greatest success. and he still is, even without being an emanator, but look okay the reason i didn't do that was because i realized. adelaide never really believed in destruction he was just here to make his dad proud :T he just. wanted to be a good leader. so his younger siblings wouldn't think little of him :T huh

i kind of hope constance and the others are on amphoreus 🥺 because the grecian references are my favorite thing ever and like. adelaide arc thriving there???? on the greek planet????? yes please!!!!!

anyway yeah horrible effects on adelaide's psyche 😭 he's getting that second spiral for real. it is going to be so bad. trust issues galore

like watch this guy try to move entire galaxies to find them after finding out they're alive and the rest of them don't even like. try to call him 💀 while he's on penacony. excuse me

adelaide is very screaming in the rain zuko-style about this one okay. as am i

lowkey,,,i want his friends to come with him to find his siblings,,,,,, just for moral support,,,, the penacony four accidentally became a really big part of adelaide's story oops hdsgkfsfh but yeah he needs his little found family please

overall nothing is confirmed, and i have yet to see if the other 3 even survived, and also what the other two siblings are like. so i don't really know where to go from here. i really don't know where to go after he deals with that, but. i guess ill have to wait

my options i guess would be him briefly joining the astral express like black swan, him going with the stellaron hunters (elio makes deals like this right-?) (also the stellaron hunter sunday theory made me feral), or him just going there on his own or with his friends

the idea of him following up on the adelaide&levidia detective duo as private investigators is also amusing hfsghkjdfjjdsfhj and frankly, im not really sure where else to put him. amphoreus is probably nice but he's going to get lonely there really fast if sunday, robin, and levidia aren't there. tbh

[libraryfistfight]

You're 28 now and you threw your back out for the first time. That's what you're doing.

That was supposed to be the end of the joke. This sat in my drafts for a few days because once I wrote it, it stopped being funny to me. Not sad but not funny either. I dunno why.

Two years before you made that post you had what you thought was your first psychotic break. It wasn't-- you had two before it, both in childhood-- the 2013 one was by far the worst. You're going to destroy relationships and friendships are going to change shape permanently because you're half in your right mind, half out, most of the time. You're in and out of the hospital for severe damage you've done to your body. Your right eye still isn't the same, but does improve, and only really droops when you're tired or drunk.

In 2020 you're going to lose both your parents four days apart. You get out of dodge as soon as it happens because the rest of your small town American family will make certain you cannot grieve properly around them. It's harder still, grieving all alone.

You're going to move to the other side of the country. Your best friend at the time treats you in ways you don't understand and you think it's all your fault. It breaks your heart. You aren't touched, let alone hugged by another human being for a year. You are getting sicker and sicker and you don't know it because of how isolated you are. You still miss him, you just don't know how to get over it all.

Then you meet your spouse. Before they're your spouse they're a person you've been watching mutual friends interact with for years. They're the only person in the world you've ever tried to impress. That's how you know they're special. After some measure of fear, you give in, and work for their attention. It goes better than expdcted. You move back to the midwest, get married in 2023, and leave Ohio for good to live all the way in England, where they're from. You love it there. You don't even have to drive to get places.

Oh, and you two are writing a book together, which is pretty cool. Imagine that.

I wish I could tell you that you never get sick again. I wish I could promise you that you'll never be borderline catatonic with psychosis and continue to mess up with people. Or hurt yourself. Or end up in the hospital, the psych ward, because you've beaten yourself black and blue over concepts that make no sense to you now. But this is all going to happen, again and again, until you're 28, until you're properly medicated for the first time, like I am now.

It's going to feel like the worst time every time. You're not going to believe me when I tell you this, but I promise you it'll stop. You'll think you're dying and your life is over and you'll never love to draw or write again when a storyteller is all you've ever been. You'll pray to god, your dead mom and dad, your doctors.

Then you'll wake up married, safe, loved. Learning how to play instruments when you spent years thinking you were too stupid to remember a chord. All the friends you've made since you turn 20 are still there one way or another. The friend groups implode, but separately, the people remain. You're excited for your thirties to arrive because your body is becoming yours.

Your life will change in ways that are positive enough to find yourself thinking, "I'd live through it all over again just to get here."

I wish I could hold you. You're gonna be so scared for a while and it'll hurt so bad you'll have no choice but to become wise. You're a good kid. You're not the awful things you think you've done. You're not the paranoid delusions, either. You're just sick right now.

I miss you. I love you. I'm right here.

I’m gonna be 20 on the 20th and I just. Feel so intimidated. Like what am I even doing w/ my life lol

[rat-preserves]

thinking about grief, and the politics of grieving someone who is a "bad" person. I'm thinking local town bad, the person who might have a drug addiction who is abusive to their family, or even a violent "offender" whose in and out of prison or something like that.

there have been quite a few tragic deaths of tragic people in my family, and in the families of other people I'm close to. and one thing I've noticed is how complicated it is to grieve someone society has labelled ungrievable.

before they can grieve, if they are permitted to grieve at all, families of these people have to either be in complete denial of what the person was actually like, or be secretive, ashamed, perhaps even denying themselves the privilege of mourning someone society believes is subhuman. grieving is too human, and grieving a bad person gives them too much humanity for society to permit it without protest. how can we punish bad people, drive them to suicide by putting them in jail and destroying all their life prospects, if we were to give them a touch of humanity?

so we either have to think the bad person was actually an angel the whole time, they always brought a smile to people's faces, always lit up the room, etc - dress their life story with the stolen valor of a "good" person, stunting the grieving process by failing to mourn the whole person as they were - or deem them a life that is ungrievable, conducting mourning in private so that society won't shame you for mourning someone who is not human.

I hate this. bad people are still allowed to be grieved. it's rather concerning that the story of the person needs to be completely sterilised before you're allowed to grieve them and miss them and even want them back in your life. either that, or the grieving is completely hidden. the funeral is behind closed doors, you can't talk about your feelings with anyone or else people will say they deserved to die so you can't feel sad

I feel bad that he is gone. I feel bad that his life eventually became so terrible he had to kill himself in prison. I'm angry that the prison refused to put him on suicide watch when they were told by one of his friends ON THE DAY HE WAS SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON that he was going to kill himself. I feel bad that he was maligned by society and people wanted him dead for his nuisance behaviour before he even turned 18. I feel bad that the same people who commented on every single Facebook post about his crimes saying he was a disgusting piece of shit who didn't deserve to live were the same people who said that the prison needs to work on its mental health services, sorry for the loss etc on the post about his death. I feel bad that my step-dad is grieving so, and I feel terrible for the three children he left behind and never got to build meaningful relationships with. It pains my soul that his funeral is basically being held behind closed doors, because his family is so ashamed of him. They're not announcing the funeral. His friends and girlfriends are not welcome

my step-brother was not a good person. he abused his girlfriends, even sending one of them a picture of a gun saying he was going to shoot her, did violent drug-related crimes, threatened to come up to my house and kill my step-dad, stabbed someone with a craft knife, and the list goes on. I recognise that the trajectory his life took was not entirely his fault, because he was abused by my step-dad, and sent to jail when he was 18 for a petty crime, and upon his first release he could not adjust to real life so spent the rest of his life in and out of prison. who he became was still a bad person, but he was ultimately let down by our government who put extremely young offenders with bad home lives and mental health problems in jail when they could instead be shown compassion.

But I also understand that he was not a good person. I didn't like him although I cared about him. But this understanding is a meaningful part of coming to terms with my grief and recognising it for what it is: complicated. If I tried to pretend that he was always an angel, I would be living a lie, and I would never be able to complete the grieving process. I tried it with my uncle - who was never violent except for a few fights but was often abusive to me in my childhood due to his addiction and took advantage of my mum time and time again - and I'm still processing my grief for him.

[bookwyrminspiration]

Hi! I’m the anon who sent the ask about Sophie’s family. That’s my fault. The wording’s kinda confusing lol. I meant to say that it’s screwed up for Sophie and the elves to uproot her family’s entire lives and identity, even if the alternative was to fake her death. Both options are painful, but the one they ended up going with was really extreme and I’m really surprised Amy or no one else was really angry when they found out.

Hello! Welcome back! Once again my apologies for misinterpreting your wording on the previous ask. This makes a lot more sense than you somehow missing the whole ordeal about Sophie being erased and instead believing she'd been killed the whole series!

And you're right! it is extreme. There really weren't any good options and what you decide instead comes down to your beliefs. For Sophie, she valued her family's peace of mind and comfort and believed that any price--including uprooting their whole lives--would be acceptable. I mean, they weren't even supposed to know it happened, so there's an argument there that there's no harm since they can't remember their old life to miss or mourn. But others might believe that it's not justifiable to tamper with their lives in that way, regardless of the pain losing a child would cause them. Both perspectives are trying to act on what they think is best for Sophie's family, but their beliefs on what that is is different.

I will say I'm also surprised Amy didn't seem upset with it at all, but it was a very turbulent and stressful time in her life (two kidnapped parents) and any feelings she had about the situation aside from relief that there's someone else (Sophie) in her life she can look to and rely on dominated. But Amy and Sophie weren't super close before and they're in two different worlds now, so it's possible that Amy is wrestling with an internal conundrum about the whole situation. Knowing she used to be someone else and having that all taken from her could be infuriating and feel like a betrayal, but also knowing that it was done to try and save her immense grief and keep her safe and knowing it's an impossible situation could make her guilty for being upset about it. And letting Sophie know all that knowing she'd feel guilty and stress over it? That's the opposite of what Amy wants, so I think it could be a silent struggle.

But given that it's a fantasy story and people are generally more open so we can learn things, it is strange we hear nothing about it.

I wouldn't be surprised if the elves didn't really think about Sophie's human family outside of making sure they knew nothing. They're just humans after all, a mess to take care of. So what their whole lives are changed? Why should they care? They're just covering for themselves because these specific humans got involved with elven things. Sophie was the most concerned about her human family, and having herself erased was the choice she made.

I think both being erased and being killed off are screwed up, and which one is more acceptable to you depends on your personal beliefs and opinions. I can't say for certain what i'd choose in Sophie's situation, but I can 100% understand and support why she made her decision. I'd probably also be upset if I found out my life was fabricated and my memories were tampered with, but I could understand and forgive the reasoning.

but that's just me! other opinions on it are also valid, as there isn't one right answer to the question, just different justifications and explanations

[youandmedead]

Ì m裏 ¥ðµ - G掠 †ðmïðkå x Gñ RêåÐêr

Warnings: Angst, swearing, descriptions of gore, reader was killed during battle, Giyu finding the grieving process tough.

Requested by: No one

Synopsis: Giyu couldn’t save you in battle against an upper rank. When news breaks out about your death and your brother figure (Obanai) finds he's pissed.

Extra: This has been in my draft for fucking ages and I'm glad that I can finally get it out! I may or may not of kinda teared up while writing this too...

"You could have protected them! Because of you they're dead...you could've saved them you useless bastard! I don't believe we've lost another!" Obanai yelled.

"O-Obanai, p-please," Mitsuri cried out, trying to hold back the serpent pillar, "(Y/n)'s gone...there's nothing we can do." Giyu looked at the 2 other pillars before him, his emotionless facade slowly breaking. Fresh tears started trickling down his cheeks, he felt useless, he felt like a total failure. It was true that he could of protected you, but he was stupid enough to get injured in battle and you were stubborn enough to go out on your own.

"Because of you y/n is gone! Honestly and here I thought you couldn't be any more pathetic. You're fucking useless, you always have been! For fuck sakes Giyu now the demon slayer corps is down yet another hashira and a god damn strong one at that!"

As Obanai continued to yell profanities at him, the water pillar began to zone out. He couldn't be bothered to put up with any of this, he just lost you, the pain still coursed throughout him.

"If y/n wasn't able to defeat that upper rank, even with you present then what hope is there for the rest of us," the serpent pillar muttered under his breath so no one but him could here - grief had began to strike his seemingly stone cold heart.

Regret and anguish surged throughout Giyu's entire being. He began to grow numb and accustomed to the constant yelling and berating that came from Obanai's mouth.

"Did you seriously expect me to not care?!" Giyu clenched his fist, "Of course I would! Did you not think about how much pain I'm going through currently as well? You're not the only person who misses them you bastard don't you dare think that you are for one second!" Giyu screamed.

"After what happened nothing but guilt and hatred has been eating me alive! Y/n was my world, I loved them Iguro! I vowed that I would protect them forever, especially after what happened to my family and loved ones but I failed! I failed alright?! I know I'm a useless, good for nothing bastard..."

The water pillar had fell to his knees and sobbed into his hands and all Obanai could do was stare. Mitsuri's hand had left her significant others shoulder and she walked over to Giyu, "Tomioka, please...you didn't fail them. The only way you will fail y/n is if you continue to berate and hate yourself any further, I know that they would want you to live a life that is filled with joy, ridden of fear and a one full of promise...trust me."

xxx

Later that night Giyu grew restless and images of your cold lifeless body flashed in his mind. The way your tortured screams were torn from your throat as the upper ranked demon ripped you to shreds and tasted your flesh was an unruly and terrifying sight...what made it worse was that less experienced and much younger demon slayers were present during the scene. The sounds and images were fixed into his mind, he could never possibly forgive himself for what he let that demon do to you.

Giyu rose from his futon and stepped out onto the engawa of the home that you both had shared. He sat down and looked up at the night sky with his once again teary ocean blue eyes.

He remembered with a mixture of both sadness and fondness when you both would spend your nights gazing at the constellations. You would lay your head on his lap (or vice versa) and point out every constellation that littered the sky.

"God, I'm so useless." Giyu whispered.

He sat under the night sky for a few hours reminiscing more of the joyous moments you both shared together. You brightened his life, you were always there for him when he had the darkest days and in a way you were his salvation; he never got to thank you for saving him...from danger, from his demons, even from himself!

After a while Giyu grew drowsy he wasn't too sure if it was simply because of the time he had stayed up to or because of his on going low mood, but never the less he decided to drag himself back inside and over to his bedroom where he would sleep with a tear stained pillow.

xxx

Early in the morning Giyu got dressed in his demon slayer uniform and headed out. Yet he wasn't going off on a mission - at least not just yet.

He walked for about half an hour until he came to his destination, which was your grave. You were buried among thousands of other demon slayers, but you were specifically buried next to your best friend Kyojuro Rengoku.

Giyu knelt in front of Kyojuro's and your's graves and sighed, "Why does everyone I care about always leave me?" He looked at the wording that was engraved your gravestone and ran his fingertips over it.

"Y/n it's only been a few days since that brutal event but it feels like a decade. I-It should have been me who was in your place. I w-wish there was a way t-to swap our places."

"I know that you'd want me to go on and live a happy and fulfilling life but I don't know if I can do that without you! I miss you y/n! I miss you so so very much."

The tears appeared again and Giyu harshly wiped them away with the sleeve of his haori. He then reached out into his pocket and pulled out a ring, "I didn't even get to ask you."

Once he placed the ring that he had planned to present to you and ask if you'd accept his hand in marriage on your grave, he stood up and made his way to the demon slayer corps where he would await his next battle hoping that it would be his last and he could see you again.

[gifted-cardinal]

Lost and Found - Yandere Vi x GN Reader

Show: Arcane (contains spoilers)

Pairing: Yandere Vi x GN Reader

Series: Lost and Found masterlist

TW: cursing, panic attack, past catching up, possesive characters, yandere, mentions of death, violence, suicide, trauma

word count: 613

Headcanon for Reader being reunited with Vi.

You started a new life.

Life you led away from the dirty streets that held only memories of the day it all went up in flames. Of bodies found among burnt down warehouse and bodies that were never found.

But it was in the past now. Your friends died and you had two choices, one of them was to continue grieving and wasting away in the remnants of the past. Second choice was presented to you by an accident. Some overheard conversation, some twists of luck and you were able to quit the darkness of Zaun and enter the Piltover.

Until now the past was dead and burried far in the lowest lows of the lower city.

If you only knew how often the "dead" come back to life.

"You're not one of them so stop acting like these fucks!"

Vi would try to track you down, just as she did with Powder. No one in Zaun knew what happened to you. There only were rumours of you mysteriously disapearing some time after "death" of your friends.

She refuses to believe you're dead like others suggested. She'll search everywhere, using all contacts she can. Even if your name has disapeared over the years, she will not rest until she finds you. She has to be sure you're not out there held capture like Powder.

When she sees you on the streets of Piltover, just hurrying to your daily tasks that helped to keep your mind occupied and income stable, she halts.

It doesn't matter what she was doing at the moment. You were there, and even with all these years passing, she will always recognize you.

Shock wears off and a feeling of anxiety kicks in making Vi run up after you with every ounce of strenght in her body. Screaming out your old name, she soon has your attention.

Tears well up in her eyes as she sees the look of recognition in your eyes, a whisper of her name leaving your lips. She tackles you into a hug, apologizing for not finding you earlier. Promising that everything is fine now.

For her it was a relief. For you it was being thrown back into the thoughts you worked so hard to escape. Of everyday's struggles and pain you went through with the death of your friends. You were not even sure if it was real.

So even if you reacted by hugging her back, testing the realness of her warmth, the delay was noticed by Vi. Enough for her to let go and ask what's wrong.

She's here now and you two can get Powder back together. And everything will be alright, just like in the old days. Just don't struggle against her dragging you away. Away from the task you had to do, in order to maintain your job.

In order to maintain your new life.

If you struggle, even for a moment, she will stop. But she will not understand your poor excuse of not going with her. She will immediately assume that you are being held captive against your will. That some Piltover scum dragged you out of Zaun and fed you lies. And she will soon find people who "helped" you leave your old life behind. You denying this, saying that she is wrong and they helped you, will only make her sigh and shake her head.

"You're so damn naive Y/N. They never helped any of us when we were kids. And I'm fucking sure they didn't do so this time. Do you really trust them over me?"

So obviously best bet for you is to keep quiet and go with her. She was always the leader of your pack.

If you go with her, she will be happy. Saying how she has you back now and it's only Powder that you got to retrieve. Next will be getting rid of that damn Silco. And you will all be one happy family. Like you used to before in the old days.

If you struggle however, she will be sure that once she lets go of you, they will delude you even further. So she doesn't let go this time. Drags you with her, while saying that everything will be alright and she will show you who really your rescuers are. That you should know better than to trust these Piltover people.

But it's okay. She will remind you just how scummy these people trully are.

[carbondioxidewater]

ok so I kinda had this in my mind for a while, I got the inspiration for it from harry potter (the love triangle of snape, lily and james).

takes place after madara's fake "death" (so he's believed to be dead by everyone)

exceptionally from madara's pov !

one-shot: perceiving love

"Madara."

The way you said my name always made me feel some type of way.

How pathetic.

And still - I enjoyed those letters coming from your lips, the way your sweet little voice found it's way up to my ears and let me sink into the warmth it gifted me with.

Now I'll never experience this feeling anymore, will never hear the sound of your voice again. But it's for the better, one weakness less I have, making it one left in total.

You knew about my first weakness too well right, my dear? Hashirama told you about it when we were still young, making me feel embarrassed because little did you know I had a thing for you already back then, little did you know you were my second.

Your eyes always amazed me. They were so different from mine. Ours held power, brought destruction, yours did quite the contrary. And still, yours were more dangerous for sure, for me at least.

I never liked how you made me feel, always hated the way my heart betrayed me whenever you were around and...all of my cruelty disappeared for a while.

And I was even ready to settle my plans for you, neglected them for a period of time and left behind all my doubts.

You could have been mine, should have even. I granted you my love, but you were so stupid to decline. I would've brought you to glory, would have made you my equal.

But you still chose him, this Senju, my enemy. Over me, an Uchiha, a god. And look where you ended up now, my dear. Dead at my feet with that bastard next to you, both parents dying before their son could turn 4. Tell me, do you regret your choice now?

Of course you chose him, fought with them, those Senju's, and against me after finding out about our identities, all because your families were fraternized. You were practically born into this, pitiful you.

But now you're just resting here on a field. And with your corpse lying on the ground, I'm just wondering what you felt when you found out about my 'death'. Did it even get to you one single bit? Did you grieve the loss?

I'm over this already, over you since years. Worked on something more important, have been busy with own plans. And still, when I see you right in front of me - the life extracted from your body - something inside of me aches, a pain is stinging my heart.

The man beside you took my everything, being the killer he is. Responsible for the death of my brother and now I blame him for yours too.

I just wish that I was the one guilty of his.

You left something behind in this house you built your life in. And when I look into those eyes - those big sparkling ones he owns - I see you in him. And I can't bring myself to hate him, even though his hair is white and his skin is pale and he resembles his father in every other way - his eyes are yours and that's enough.

I could've killed him, had plenty of reasons to. But for you I didn't since his origin is you.

That doesn't mean I'll have an eye over him though, so don't expect me to, my love. I spared his life, that should be enough, don't you think?

That's what I thought at least few years ago.

I did look out for him on occasion - I still do. And I don't even know why. Don't know why I feel this fondness towards him. Why he doesn't disgust me. And on top of it, why he isn't afraid of me.

Tell me, did you make me do that, my beloved? Was it your power that sticked us together?

I don't know if it was. Yet, I do know that I'm not that easy to manipulate. I guess I just want to feel you around.

I guess at the end, regardless of what I thought, I've never been completely over you, still clinging to the tiniest part of yours I can find.

And it's just now that I've shown mercy - despite my dark nature - that I could finally understand...

What it really is, this love.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S1:E4; Chapter Four, The Body - [Pt. 3]

A Will Byers x Male!Reader Series

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘠/𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘥𝘥 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧.

WARNINGS: Cursing. Homophobic comments from Tr*y [his in script use of the word fa*ry once] Reader fucking SNAPS.

|| 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

The five of us rode our bikes down the road to school, El on the back of Mike's bike as usual. She seemed eager to soak in everything around her like she would never see it again. Wind brushed the wig aside and she clung tightly to Mike.

Mike was beginning to slow down, the group of us all growing tired from the ride. Soon enough, however, we were walking through the back doors to the schools. Mike was in the lead as he turns to speak to us as we walked.

"Okay, remember, if anyone sees us, look sad."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

'He is still missing, isn't he?'

My thoughts were interrupted by the crackling of the speaker.

"Attention students, there will be an assembly to honor Will Byers in the gymnasium now. Do not go to fourth period."

I looked to the ceiling at the mention of my best friend and by the time I looked ahead, we had made it outside the AV room. Mike was attempting to open the door but it must be locked.

"It's locked." Mike confirmed.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Hey, El, is there any way for you to open it?" I ask.

Before she could respond, we all jumped at the voice of Mr. Clarke and froze.

"Boys? Lady." He nodded towards El.

"Hey." Lucas breathed, obviously startled.

"Assembly's about to start."

"We know. We're just, you know..." Mike works a solemn look on his face as he spoke and the others seemed to join in, including me although it wasn't that difficult.

"Upset." Lucas nodded, dropping his nervous smile.

"Yeah, definitely upset," Dustin muttered.

I opened my mouth to speak, but thought better to say nothing at all and even looked down to the ground. Channeling all my emotions from just hours before.

"We need some alone time."

"To... cry." Dustin hesitated.

"Yeah, listen... I get it. I do. I know how hard this is, but let's just be there for Will, huh? And then," Mr. Clarke reached into his pocket and pulled out a key.

He tossed the key to Mike who caught it upon instinct.

"the Heathkit is all yours for the rest of the day. What do you say?"

We all looked to each other, wearing subtle triumphant smirks. It couldn't have been that easy, could it?

Mr. Clarke seemed to finally notice that he had no idea who El was.

"I don't believe we've met. What's your name?"

El seemed shocked and began to say 'Eleven' when Mike panicked and cut in.

"Eleanor! She's my, uh-"

"Cousin!" Lucas jumped in.

"Second cousin," Dustin added.

I started to laugh but caught myself just in time to play it off as a cough. I pretended to clear my throat as I looked to Mr. Clarke who was looking a bit confused.

"She's here for Will's funeral." Mike sighed.

Mr. Clarke seemed content with this answer as he shrugged and turned to her.

"Ah, well, welcome to Hawkins Middle, Eleanor. I wish you were here under better circumstances."

She looked to us and Mike, then turned to Mr. Clarke nodding her head. "Thank you."

A small smile fought its way into my face. She was doing great.

"Uh, where are you from exactly?"

El shook her head, sighing exasperatedly. "Bad place-"

"Sweden!" Dustin cuts in.

"I have a lot of Swedish family."

"She hates it there."

"Cold!"

"Subzero."

Meanwhile, I had fought back another laugh at the whole exchange and I had to play it off as a cough yet again.

"Are you alright, Mr. Henderson?"

My head snapped up, but luckily I was fairly quick on my feet this time.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I woke up with a fever, haven't been feeling well all morning. But I insisted on coming. For Will." Mr. Clarke seemed satisfied with my answer and dismissed our odd behavior.

"Shall we?"

"Yep!" We all follow Mr. Clarke to the gymnasium in silence.

As we get closer, I can hear the principal speaking from inside.

"At times like these, it is important that we come together as a community. We come-"

Dustin swung open the gymnasium doors far too hard and the loud bang echoed throughout the gym that had drawn the attention of the crowd. I elbow Dustin. I feel him shifting on his feet beside me as panic sets in.

"Abort." He whispers, turning to leave.

Thankfully, Lucas stops him and shoved him forward.

"We come together to heal... we come together to grieve..."

As the principle continues his speech, the five of us wander into the bleachers to find a seat.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Will Byers' death is an unimaginable tragedy. Will was an exceptional student and a wonderful friend to all of us. It's impossible to express the hole his loss will leave in our community. I'd like to introduce you to Sandy Sloane. She's a local grief counselor from the church over in Jonesboro."

While the principal carried on, the five of us all looked to each other, all sharing the same thought.

'We need to get to that radio. And soon.'

"I just want those of you who are having trouble dealing with this tragic loss..."

"Look at these fakers." I heard Mike whisper.

"They probably didn't even know his name till today." Lucas scoffed.

My head whipped to the side when I heard hushed chuckling. I wasn't surprised to see Troy and his friend as the source of the laughter. I glared daggers into them and my hands gripped the edge of my seat until I was sure my knuckles would tear.

The boys and El seemed quick to follow my gaze because soon enough, we were all leaning over glaring at them.

"Who is interested in this? This is so stupid." He laughed.

I grit my teeth as my vision filled with red.

"Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah..."

"Y/n..." Lucas warned, reaching out for my arm. I wasn't paying attention, but for some reason, I felt his hand leave my arm almost as soon as he grabbed it.

"'Oh, he was such a great student. Oh, he's going to leave a hole in the community.'" Troy mocked, beginning to fake sob.

I began to shake with rage, wanting nothing more than to stand up and scream 'fu-'

"Y/n,"

"What?!" I hissed at Lucas, my head whipping around to face him, my jaw clenched.

I saw fear in his eyes as he glanced between my eye line and my hands. I looked down at my own hands to see the dangerously strong grip on the wood. I yanked my hands off the bench and rubbed my hands together, keeping to myself.

I was shocked to see the faintest imprint of the most vaguely shaped hand on the bench. It was hardly noticeable and I had to do a double take.

'What the hell?'

El was leaning over and she met my gaze. She briefly looked at my hands, seeming to dismiss whatever thoughts she had. Then looked to Troy.

"Mouth breather." She whispered.

I let out a strained chuckle and nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, mouth breather." I whispered, looking back and Troy.

Eventually, the bell rang, dismissing the assembly. Even though Lucas and Dustin seemed to have let it go, Mike and I were not finished.

"Hey! Hey! Hey Troy." Mike called.

I could tell he could hear us because he barely slowed down but was clearly laughing. I stomped towards him and called him out, loud and clear.

"Hey, jackass!"

He stopped in his tracks and turned around. He seemed like he wanted to be mad, but almost like he was happy he got a rise out of us.

"You think that shit was funny?" My voice never wavered and the boys and El seemed just as shocked as I was feeling at my newfound courage.

"What'd you say, orphan?" He asked, dumbfounded.

He only called me that when he was really pissed at me.

"You heard me! And how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not an orphan if I was adopted, you dumbass! Now what the hell is in that tiny brain of yours that would compel you to laugh at someone dying, huh? I mean, shit, you must really be sick in the head. I feel sorry for you." I spit out my last few words, my voice dripping with malice.

By now I was in his face, finally letting out all the pent-up aggression I've harbored for years. And it felt good.

"Get the hell outta my face, freak!" He yells shoving me back.

I get ready to strike but Dustin grabs my arm before my fist can collide with Troy's face. I struggle to get free but my brother was determined to hold me back, with the help of Lucas of course.

"Control your 'brother', Toothless. Or he just might lose a few teeth of his own." He glares at me and I still attempt to break free.

Mike seems to have found his voice as all of this happened because he was the next to speak.

"H-Hey, he's right! Laughing like that? That's a pretty messed up thing to do."

Troy, glares at us as his minion speaks.

"Didn't you listen to the counselor, freaks? Grief shows itself in funny ways."

"You little shit-" I attempt once more to get a right hook in but Lucas stops me.

Troy laughs at me struggling.

"Besides, what's there to be sad about, anyway? Will's in fairyland now, right? Flying around with all the other little fairies. All happy and gay!"

Lucas loosened his grip on me, silently letting me go as Troy began dancing around, mocking Will.

I swung my fist and I felt it collide with his nose with a satisfying crack. He stumbled back and grasped his nose in surprise, he pulled his hand away to find a few drops of blood on his hands. The crowd that had gathered while all of this unfolded, gasped in surprise. I even earned some scattered cheers among the students.

I seemed to realize the consequences of my actions, but I was prepared to face them. It was worth it. I watched as he stormed towards me, blinded by fury.

"You're dead, freak!" He stomped towards me at a shocking speed and I stumbled back, bracing myself for the inevitable retaliation but it never came.

All I felt was a sudden pair of hands on my right arm, harshly pushing me out of the way. I looked in time to see it was Mike who pushed me out of the way. I gakwed in confusion at what happened next.

Troy had just begun to raise his arm as he was only inches from Mike when he froze.

He completely froze in place.

He seemed just as confused, if not more than anyone. That confusion quickly bubbled into fear as his eyes scanned the room as much as he could without moving his head.

It finally dawned on me and I spared a quick glance at El, who was laser-focused on Troy, head tilted down and the smallest hint of blood dripping from her nose. I smirked and looked back to Troy, a smug smile on my face.

I couldn't hold back the laughter as I saw his pants begin to dampen with urine. A stream of it began pooling at his leg, and it even soaked into his socks and shoes. Other students caught on quickly and one boy in particular, began laughing.

"Dude, Troy peed himself!"

The circle of kids erupted into laughter as Troy stood frozen in a puddle of his own pee. I turned to El, who wore a devilish smirk on her face as she glanced between Mike and me. She quickly wiped her nose and started walking away. The boys and I enjoyed this brief moment of bliss.

"Hey! What is going on here?" The principle shouted.

"Come on!" I whisper, gesturing for the boys who all had the same idea. Before people could start asking questions we grouped together and made our way to the AV room unnoticed.

[dreamersscape]

In Which I Attempt to Wreak Havoc Upon Panharmonium's Heart. Or Something.

Because I am an awesome friend, clearly, and possibly making people sad/verklempt is definitely an excellent way to (belatedly 😔 but I did start before the 15th!) celebrate Kakashi's birthday, right? ;)

I will admit up front that this is nowhere near as deftly structured and compiled as your Kakashi fanmix, @panharmonium, but that is precisely why I'm not even going to try to organize all these songs into individual playlists. Yet. Plus, I have a tendency to over-explain so this way I can better expound on why certain songs remind me of certain characters. Sorry that I sorta went a little... overboard?

Everything--except a few that aren't available on spotify, I'll link to them directly--can be listened to HERE.

What I'm Looking For - Brendan Benson | Kakashi → I may be a little biased with this one because it fits SO many of my favorite characters so well, somehow, but there's just something about the upbeat/tongue-in-cheek musical cues/delivery of lines such as 'I visit hell on a daily basis, and I see the sadness in all your faces' that just feels so Kakashi to me.

Happy Ending - MIKA | Kakashi → This is presumably a breakup song, but I enjoy it so much more in a non-romantic context (and the song itself isn't really boxed in with overtly romantic framing, so I appreciate that!). Anyway, some very important instructions IMO for listening to this with Kakashi in mind: everything before the bridge is about Kakashi up through his ANBU years, but when you get to the 'little bit of love' refrain, picture Kakashi meeting Tenzo, and then becoming Team 7's sensei, opening back up to Gai, adopting all the other leaf genin, assimilating Sai and Yamato into Team 7, and it keeps building with Kakashi gaining more and more loved ones to fill the hole in his heart, and then cry tears of joy with me! Just my personal suggestion. :D

Light - Sleeping At Last | Kakashi & Team 7 (/all his kids)

with every heartbeat I have left I will defend your every breath

→ I've seen this song used for ship vids and I'm all ????? about that because this is clearly a song about the love you have for your child! But I suppose if one of my favorite pastimes is aggressively re-interpreting love songs in non-romantic ways, I can't begrudge the opposite process... too much, lol.

Heroes - MIKA | Team Minato

your blood on me/and my blood on you/but to make you bleed/the only thing I wouldn't do/.../I wish there was a way/to give you a hand to hold/'cause you don't have to die in your glory/die, to never grow old

Long Lost Friends - Transit | Kakashi & Obito

how long/do you have to say that/this is not the person I used to know/you are not the person I used to know/.../because lately, you've been looking at me like you've seen a ghost/and isn't it obvious who's been missing who the most

→ What the heck! What the heck! What the heck! What the heck! What the heck!

Against the Voices - Switchfoot | Kakashi

'cause everybody knows/the hardest war to fight/is the fight to be yourself/when the voices try to turn you into someone else

Out of the Darkness - Matthew and the Atlas | Obito? Yamato? Kakashi? Itachi & Sasuke? Naruto & Kurama? → I'm a bit undecided about this one, or if I should just not worry about choosing one character and just let myself feel all the "inner darkness is not an innate characteristic, Danzo! They're just grieving/in a lot of pain, and they can find their way out of that dark place!" feels.

Save A Place - 1969 | Kakashi & Sasuke

so I'll keep away and save a place for you/and I'll only make the same mistakes as you/.../when all the blood all over your fingers is dried up/the pain will still linger

→ I'm not uber-confident in picking out really fitting Kakashi & Sasuke songs yet, but I hope this hits a lot of the right notes for you. :)

Thrive - Switchfoot | Kakashi

I'm always close, but I'm never enough/I'm always in line, but I'm never in love/I get so down, but I won't give up/I get so down, but I won't give up

→ See, it says right there that he's never in love! Not the crux of the song, and he's not always 'in line' either, but still! :)

Disarm - The Civil Wars | Kakashi & Obito

the years burn, burn, burn

→ I don't know how I keep collecting fictional relationships that work so well for this song, but literally every single line of this song hits so hard for these two?? Will never recover from this. (Also, I usually disregard when 'my love' pops up in the last line of the chorus, as the mood dictates. :) It's pretty incidental as is IMO.)

Renaissance - Paolo Buonvino & Skin | Sakumo & Obito & Kakashi & Naruto

let me show you one last time/let me show you one last sign/you can find it/I can't say that I can change the world/but if you let me, I can make another world for us/let me suffer all for you/make this vision all brand new/we can fight them/I can't say that I can win it all, [but] come with me and I will make my words stand tall

→ Okay, this is a very odd choice given that it's actually the theme song for a different show about the Italian renaissance (if you happen to see this, Mirjam, don't hate me!), but this could be IT! The "those who break the rules are scum, but those who would abandon their friends are worse than scum" anthem that's all about building a better world based on these principles! I really hope our sharing-a-brain talent translates to listening to this song in this way because I am feeling SOME KIND of way about this!

The Lament of Eustace Scrubb - The Oh Hellos | Kakashi → I really liked the song you chose from this album for your fanmix, so now I've feeling a tiny bit too on-the-nose with my choice, but I guess this is just a Kakashi album all around. 😆

Glass Heart Hymn - Paper Route | Kakashi(+ Obito) & Sasuke(+ Itachi)

memories as heavy as a stone/ I am empty, in my end you are my beginning

This Is Home - Switchfoot | Yamato & Kakashi (+ Team 7)

and now, after all my searching/after all my questions/I'm gonna call it home

→ All finding-where-you-belong songs are actually Yamato songs. True story!

Faust, Midas, & Myself - Switchfoot | Obito

you have one life left to leave/you have one life left to lead

→ Could this be any more perfect for Obito? It even has creepy-old-man!Madara!

Pluto - Sleeping At Last | Kakashi

Always Gold - Radical Face | Kakashi & Obito/Sasuke & Itachi/Naruto & Sasuke

all my life, I've never known where you've been/there were holes in you, the kind that I could not mend/and I heard you say, right when you left that day/does everything go away?/yeah, everything goes away/but I'm going to be here till forever/so just call when you're around

→ ...but mostly Kakashi & Obito because 'there were holes in you' 😭😭😭

Lemon Boy - Cavetown | Yamato & Kakashi → You already know the delights of this song of course, but I gots to be comprehensive. :)

Everywhere I Go - Lissie/cover by Sleeping At Last | Kakashi & Team Minato

danger will follow me now everywhere I go/angels will call on me and take me to my home/well, these tired eyes just want to remain closed

→ I chose the Sleeping At Last cover for maximum angst, 'cause sometimes it be like that.

Uneven Odds - Sleeping At Last | Kakashi

maybe your light is a seed, and the darkness the dirt, in spite of the uneven odds, beauty lifts from the earth

→ ...just like an earth style: mud wall :') Okay, okay, bad jokes aside, the seed metaphor of course makes me want to associate it with Tenzo, but this is clearly a Kakashi song!

Twenty-four - Switchfoot | Kakashi & Obito

life is not what I thought it was twenty-four hours ago/and I'm not who I thought I was twenty-four hours ago/still I'm singing spirit, take me up in arms with you/you're raising the dead in me/I wanna see miracles/to see the world change/wrestled the angel for more than a name/for more than a feeling, for more than a cause/I'm singing spirit, take me up in arms with you/and you're raising the dead in me

I'm Still Here (Jim's Theme) - John Rzeznik | Kakashi

and how can they say I never change?/they're the ones that stay the same/.../they can't tell me who to be/'cause I'm not what they see/.../and their words are just whispers/and lies that I'll never believe

→ Yeah, I might've accidentally imprinted on Treasure Planet as a 14 year old, and then someone made sure this song would forever live in my heart by making a fanvid of it with my favorite character from my robin hood show, but! He's still here!

See You Again - Wiz Khalifa (feat. Charlie Puth) | Kakashi & Obito/Team Minato

how can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?/everything I went through, you were standing there by my side/and now you gon' be with me for the last ride

→ I am being very unoriginal here, and there are in fact already fanvids made for these relationships set to this song (along with many others featuring different Naruto relationships), but I don't think I'll be able to rest until I translate the movie playing in my head whenever I hear this song now into an actually watchable format. After all, they have come a long way from where they began, and I intend to make that both as touching and ironically hilarious as possible!

Goodnight, Travel Well - The Killers | Kakashi → Admittedly, I got this idea from a magnificently crafted fanvid done for my robin hood show, but I genuinely think it would be really interesting to make something similar for Kakashi centered around the time he technically died but got better? I don't know how to explain it, but I think it fits quite well.

30 Lives - Imagine Dragons | Kakashi & all the people he's loved and lost → can be listened to here.

A Pound of Flesh - Radical Face | Kakashi

then today I wake up feeling easy/and find I'm on more familiar roads/I got a darkness wrapped inside me/but now it ain't so hard to let it go/so keep a candle burning in the window/I'm almost home

Hold Back The River - James Bay | Kakashi & life getting in the way of him being with his precious people (you may be sensing a pattern here) → @the road of life: Let! Kakashi! And his People! Hold! Each! Other!!! Also, 'tried to square not being there, but think that I should have been' is absolutely about Sasuke's defection and Kakashi adding it to his long list of undeserving self-recriminations.

The Fall - Imagine Dragons | Yamato & Kakashi → 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

Shadowman - K's Choice | could work equally well for Kakashi or Obito, I think

any time tomorrow a part of me will die/and a new one will be born/any time tomorrow/I'll get sick of asking why/sick of all the darkness I have worn/any time tomorrow/I will try to do what's right/making sense of all I can/any time tomorrow I'll pretend to see the light/I just might/.../and doesn't it make you sad?/to see so much love denied/see nothing but a shadowman inside

Paint - The Paper Kites | Kakashi & Team 7

still there's a wound and I'm moving slow/though it don't show, though it don't show/I've got a hole where nothing grows,/how little you know, how little you know

→ A song for just how much Team 7 doesn't know about their sensei.

Always Find Me Here - Transit | Kakashi → ...most likely at the memorial stone. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (why am I like this)

Taste - Sleeping At Last | Kakashi

it’s bittersweet, it’s poetry/a careful pruning of my dead leaves/it’s holy ground, a treasure chest/I'm on my knees and only scratch the surface/like fists unraveling, like glass unshattering/we’re breaking all the rules, we’re breaking bread again/we’re swallowing light ’til we’re fixed from the inside

Help - Hurts | Yamato & Kakashi

take my hand and lead the way/out of the darkness and into the light of the day/.../'cause I know what I've been missing/and I know that I should try/but there's hope in this admission/and there's freedom in your eyes/.../I can feel the darkness coming/and I'm afraid of myself/call my name and I'll come running/'cause I just need some help

→ NO ONE TOUCHE ME.

Your Soul - RHODES | A mish-mash of Kakashi & Tenzo and Rin & Obito & Kakashi and Gai & Kakashi vibes? → So like, 'oh you know when you're alone/I'm holding on and on and on and on/to your soul' reminded me of your 'when you're all alone...the only thing you really think about is dying' 'but when there are two of you...the only thing you can think about is surviving.' and now kakashi - who just saved his life - is asking him 'did you want to die' and yamato is saying 'no' there are two of them and yamato wants to SURVIVE. tags as well as Gai's steadfastness as a friend, and 'I just wanna hold your hand' made me think of Rin's "Well then, I'm just going to have to connect the two of you." while holding their hands, and the sunlight/'soul shine'/'your light' motif is just A Lot in this song!!

7 Years - Lukas Graham | Kakashi → Alright, yeah, there are already approximately a gazillion pre-existing Naruto AMVs for this song and even one or two focusing on Kakashi, but they don't capitalize on all the angst possibilities in many of the lyrics or reach the fluff potential of 'will I think the world is cold or will I have a lot of children who can warm me [when I'm old]' and I cannot abide that!

Putting The Dog To Sleep - The Antlers | Kakashi & Sasuke → Okay, on one hand, this song is One Big Oof. But I do like the (potentially odd) way I've conceptualized it for Kakashi & Sasuke? Like, the first half is Kakashi going through all the tragedies in his life and getting lost in ANBU, but then in the second half it transitions to him wanting to prevent Sasuke from having to be as alone as Kakashi once was and they can face life together? It makes me emotional!

Trust Me - The Fray | Kakashi & Obito

I found a friend, or should I say a foe?/said there's a few things you should know/we don't want you to see/we come, and we go/here today, gone tomorrow

→ There are a few lines that call Tenzo & Kakashi to mind, but mostly it's Obito & Kakashi.

The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?) - Snow Patrol | Kakashi → I had to, right? My mindscape is a little murky/scattered about what specifically I want to think about when I listen to this, but obviously it has to do with Kakashi in one way or another.

Kettering - The Antlers | Team Minato(???) → Honestly not sure if this will make any sense, but yeah, vague team minato vibes?

Swans - Unkle Bob | Kakashi & Obito/Rin/Minato/Kushina/Sakumo → They should be by his side always!!!

Looking Too Closely - Fink | Kakashi → I honestly feel rather ambivalent about this one too, but I can't deny 'truth is like blood underneath your fingernails/and you don't wanna hurt yourself, hurt yourself/looking too closely' always destroys me because... well, you know. I love suffering. :(

Souvenirs - Switchfoot | Kakashi & Obito & Rin

wolves - Switchfoot | Kakashi

snowfall for the battlefield/roses for the father's sons/see them red on the ground:/bleeding/when the revolution came/we were more than hungry men/we were hoping for more:/bleeding/end. begin again./all of my world is collision and spin/hope is a world that has yet to begin/awaken, oh sleeper/awaken, oh sleeper/a new day begins

→ I wanted a wolf-related song too. :)

PRODIGAL SOUL - Switchfoot | Obito, Itachi, & Sasuke; just all them wayward Uchiha boys

Coming Down - Dear Euphoria | kid!Kakashi & his relationships

the shell/that I wore/it wasn't for fun/it wasn't to make you/stick around/it was for survival/it was what I've learnt/it was for the sun/.../our love has grown/our love has flown

→ Another one I'm a little unsure of whether it makes sense outside of my head or not, but I like the vibes?

Ghosts That We Knew - Mumford & Sons | Kakashi & Yamato? → Hmm, can I maybe submit this as a Kakashi-&-Yamato-just-need-to-mske-it-through-this-war-so-they-can-have-a-bright-bright-future song?

All Is Well (It's Only Blood) - Radical Face | Kakashi → ...he said as he's bleeding out or after he's thrown himself in the line of fire protecting someone he thinks is a better person than himself...

Bleeding Out - Imagine Dragons | Kakashi

when the hour is nigh/and hopelessness is sinking in/and the wolves all cry/to fill the night with hollering/when your eyes are red/and emptiness is all you know/with the darkness fed/I will be your scarecrow/you tell me to hold on/oh, you tell me to hold on/but innocence is gone/and what was right is wrong

→ In a similar vein to the previous song. But goodness gracious! Were they NOT straight up describing Kakashi here?

Amaryllis - Shinedown | Yamato & Kakashi → Just tossing this one out there, not sure if it will make sense or if it's a reach... but I like it?

lost 'cause - Switchfoot | Kakashi & Sasuke

are we a lost cause?/or are we just lost 'cause/we won't be the future we refuse to see?/and if I'm your lost cause/it'll be your lost 'cause/you won't see me as I am, the possibility/that I'm not the enemy

→ 214 feels. (And before and after that, but yeah.)

Through the Ghost - Shinedown | Kakashi & Obito

so many silent sorrows/you never hear from again/and now that you've lost tomorrow/is yesterday still a friend?/.../everything that mattered is just/a city of dust/covering both of us/did you hide yourself away?/I can't see you anymore/.../did you hide yourself away?/are you living through the ghost?/did you finally find a place/above the shadows so the world will never know?/the world will never know you like I do ... like I still do

Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men | Kakashi → Just Kakashi having little chats with his ghosts, totally the most heartwarming way to conclude this section. 😅

Sleepyhead - Passion Pit | Kakashi → Just kidding! Here's a slightly less morbid song for the Most Tired Boy Of Them All.™ (Random aside: this was my customary song to listen to on my walks to 8AM organic chemistry classes; I found it strangely soothing! On a different occasion, after a particularly long day for her, one of my roommates didn't have the energy to make it to her bed but nevertheless requested a lullaby from us. So I obliged by playing this song for her, but she didn't seem to gain the same peace of mind from it as I did. 😄 I know it's not my place to propose anything like this, but it does amuse me to imagine bookends!Kakashi in these situations, even though it's not OChem classes he has to go to.)

General/Miscellaneous:

Rise Above It - Switchfoot | Ensemble

don't care what they're telling me/we can be what we want to be/.../just because it's law doesn't mean that it's fair/.../don't believe the system's on your side/.../the curse is spoken/the system's broken; rise above it

→ I mean, how could I not think about Naruto when this song also has the lines 'hear us sing tonight like the last night on earth/we will rise like the tide/like dead men coming back to life/we are rising, rising'? It's fun to be literal sometimes!

Doorways - Radical Face | Allllll the traumatized children → Someone has to put all those tragic childhood flashbacks to good use, after all.

Ghost Towns - Radical Face | take your pick of Itachi, Sasuke, or Post-Kannabi-Bridge!Obito

there's no comin' home/with a name like mine/I still think of you/but everyone knows/yeah everyone knows/if you care, let it go

Blinding Light - Switchfoot | Hey, Hiruzen? You may have coined the phrase, "children are the king" but I don't think you truly understand it... (insert Princess Bride joke here)

hey boy, don't believe them/we're the nation that eats our youth/.../still looking for the blinding light/still looking for the reason why/still looking for the sun to shine/all my life I've been living in the darkest night/still looking for the blinding light/to take me higher and higher

Brother's Blood - Kevin Devine | EVERYONE → ...but certainly so much you could do with Itachi & Sasuke, Obito & Kakashi, Shisui & Itachi, even Hashirama & Madara! Sakumo's teammates turning their backs on him and saying 'I don't know one thing about my brother's blood'?!?! There are SO MANY ideas I have for this song! It gives me chills and makes my brain scream.

We Need Each Other - Sanctus Real | Ensemble → Already mentioned this one to you, but I have to include it here for thoroughness' sake!

Whispering - Alex Clare | the Hidden Leaf's lost/ostracized children/orphans

who will care for the falling?/who will care for the falling leaves?

So this is probably a strange concept to come up with and apply to this song, but the 'whispering, whispering, whispering' parts brought Konaha's virulent gossiping/passing judgement about others and often kids they don't even know problem to mind, too, and yeah?

The World You Want - Switchfoot | Ensemble → If I were to make a fanvid set to this song, I would definitely keep a broad focus, but I can't deny that the lines 'you start to look like what you believe, you float through time like a stream, if the waters of time are made up by you and I, I could change the world for you, you change it for me' FOR SURE has strong Obito & Kakashi/Kakashi & Tenzo vibes.

Red Eyes - Switchfoot | Ensemble, but definitely many dashes of Uchihas 😄 → I would like to thank Masashi Kishimoto for creating a world where red eyes are a Thing of Importance so I can one day make a fanvid using this song in not just the tired or teary bloodshot-red eyes way, but in a very literal sense too.

TAKE MY FIRE - Switchfoot | The Will of Fire → 'Cause I think I'm sooooo clever. 😄

Above The Clouds Of Pompeii - Bear's Den | various parent & child relationships → This obviously derives from the not-caring-about-your-female-characters problem, but it always gets me that all the single parents in the Naruto universe are almost invariably the fathers! I guess sometimes you can safely guess that the mothers are still alive/exist, but either way we hardly ever get to see them. :/ The one exception I can think of right now is Kurenai, but maybe I'm forgetting another conspicuous single mother. Anyway, I don't know if this helps or hinders more a potential Naruto fanvid for this song, but regardless, it still gives me feelings?

Who We Are - Switchfoot | Ensemble → It just makes me inordinately happy that the chorus for this song starts with 'who we are (in the fever of our youth)', you know? :D

Brother - Kodaline | all the friendships we can stuff in here and then some → Quite a well known song I'm pretty sure, but I love how many dynamics one could showcase in a potential fanvid of this. And, not gonna lie, 'oh brother, we go deeper than the ink beneath the skin of our tattoos' deserves to be used in some sort of Tenzo 'n' Kakashi or Team Ro fan creation!

Special Bonus:

Shake It Out - Florence + The Machine | Kakashi & Obito → I'm not sure whether I would have realized how well this works for Kakashi & Obito on my own, funnily enough, but then I found this fanvid of it (containing only scenes you've seen naturally!) and it hit me like a ton of bricks. It's so well done!

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars CXXXVIII (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: Meet Mel’s little brother :)

Words: 5,235 

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Book Six

Listen to: ‘Thread’ -by Keane.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Leon Regulus Sultens-Black.

HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED RETURNS

[...]Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, re-instated member of the International Confederation of Wizards, and reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, was unavailable for comment last night. 

He has insisted for a year that You-Know-Who was not dead, as was widely hoped and believed, but recruiting followers once more for a fresh attempt to seize power. Meanwhile the Boy Who Lived —

"There you are, Harry, I knew they'd drag you into it somehow," Hermione interrupted.

"Of course they would," Erick rolled his eyes, he was sitting on the floor between the two beds, his back against Hermione's bed. 

Now that all his Slytherin friends knew the truth, they had stopped talking to him, so Erick was now spending all his time with Mel.

"He's 'the Boy Who Lived' again now, though, isn't he? Not such a show-off maniac anymore, eh?" Ron grabbed a bunch of chocolate frogs from his bedside table and handed one to each. 

He leaned over and stretched out his hand to Erick, the older boy stared down at the chocolate and then up to him, Ron waved it impatiently in front of his face and Erick grabbed it quickly.

"Yes, they're very complimentary about you now, Harry," Hermione agreed. "'A lone voice of truth... perceived as unbalanced, yet never wavered in his story... forced to bear ridicule and slander...' Hmm... I notice they don't mention the fact that it was them doing all the ridiculing and slandering, though... 'You-Know-Who's Last Attempt to Take Over, pages two to four, What the Ministry Should Have Told Us, page five, Why Nobody Listened to Albus Dumbledore, pages six to eight, Exclusive Interview with Harry Potter and Mel Dumbledore, page nine...' Well, it's certainly given them lots to write about. And that interview with Harry and Mel isn't exclusive, it's the one that was in The Quibbler months ago..."

"Daddy sold it to them," said Luna. "He got a very good price for it too, so we're going to go on an expedition to Sweden this summer and see if we can catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

"...That sounds lovely," Hermione said after a short silence.

"So anyway, what's going on in school?"

"Well, Flitwick's got rid of Fred and George's swamp," said Ginny. "He did it in about three seconds. But he left a tiny patch under the window and he's roped it off —"

"Why?" 

"Oh, he just says it was a really good bit of magic."

"I think he left it as a monument to Fred and George, they sent me all these, you know," Ron pointed at the bunch of Frogs. "Must be doing all right out of that joke shop, eh?" 

 "I'll miss them..." Mel sighed.

"You can always buy a few of their products and set them around the school," Harry offered, "it'll feel as if they were still here."

She chuckled softly, around them the group shared confused and relieved glances. It wasn't exactly like before, but they could sense the friendly tones of their conversations, they had stopped fighting.

Although it didn't mean there wouldn't be fights later, they had pushed the conversation about their lifeline further into the future, right now they didn't have the energy to discuss life-changing matters.

"So has all the trouble stopped now Dumbledore's back?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, everything's settled right back down again," Neville nodded.

"I s'pose Filch is happy, is he?" asked Ron.

"Not at all! He's really, really miserable, actually..." Ginny lowered her voice. "He keeps saying Umbridge was the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts..."

"If any of you feel like pranking Filch next year, let me know so I can look the other way," Erick joked.

All of them turned to see Professor Umbridge on the bed opposite Ron and Hermione's. Dumbledore had rescued her from the centaurs, nobody knew how, and Umbridge was out of it, therefore unable to speak.

"Madam Pomfrey says she's just in shock," Hermione explained. 

"Sulking, more like," said Ginny.

"Yeah, she shows signs of life if you do this," said Ron, and with his tongue he made soft clip-clopping noises. Umbridge sat bolt upright, looking wildly around.

"Anything wrong, Professor?" called Madam Pomfrey, poking her head around her office door.

"No... no..." said Umbridge, sinking back into her pillows, "no, I must have been dreaming..."

Hermione and Ginny muffled their laughter.

"Serves her right," Mel scowled. "She caused a lot of suffering this year..."

She looked down at Harry's hand, and the boy moved it only to hold hers.

"Speaking of centaurs," Hermione spoke, causing Harry to retreat his hand abruptly, "who's Divination teacher now? Is Firenze staying?"

"He's got to, the other centaurs won't take him back, will they?" Harry shrugged.

"It looks like he and Trelawney are both going to teach," said Ginny.

"Bet Dumbledore wishes he could've got rid of Trelawney for good. Mind you, the whole subjects useless if you ask me, Firenze isn't a lot better..."

"How can you say that?" Hermione frowned. "After we've just found out that there are real prophecies? It is a pity it broke..."

"Yeah, it is. Still, at least You-Know-Who never found out what was in it either, it was clever of you to break it, Mel. Though you really shouldn't have used your hand to do so..."

"I think it made you look really tough," Erick smiled.

Mel returned his gesture tensely, she wished she could feel as calm as the rest of her friends, she wanted to go back to normal but she couldn't ignore what was about to happen once the school year ended, now her home had as many ghosts as the castle.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ron asked in a hurt voice when Harry stood up to leave.

"Er — Hagrid's. You know, he just got back and I promised I'd go down and see him and tell him how you two are..." 

"Oh all right then," Ron grumbled. "Wish we could come..."

"Say hello to him for us!" said Hermione. "And ask him what's happening about... about his little friend!"

Erick occupied Harry's place, he nudged her arm. 

"You're going to let him go just like that?" 

Mel contemplated the door in silence. She was ready for Harry's grief this time, there would be moments when he would want to be left alone and she had no problem with it. She understood, there were moments in which she wanted to hide away forever and never wake up.

"He doesn't need me right now," The girl shrugged. "And before you give me a lecture, I don't mean it in a bad way. Whatever he's going through... I can't help him go through it faster. I can't even help myself..."

Mel looked out the window to avoid her friend's eyes.

"How about we go for a walk?" Erick suggested.

They stopped once they reached the courtyard. It was deserted, most of the students were out on the school grounds bathing in the sun. Mel sat on the edge of one of the archways while Erick remained standing, she could feel him staring, but she kept her eyes down.

"So you and Harry are okay now," He started, "no more fighting?"

"None at all," She sighed. "We have better things to do than to fight over our love life. Not that it matters, we've stopped liking each other that way."

"How come?"

"It just happened," She replied quietly.

Erick hummed, moving to sit next to her. 

"Maybe you're meant to be just friends. I mean, your relationship is already too complicated with the lifeline..."

Mel couldn't care less about what her relationship with Harry was destined to be. She didn't know what she wanted to do with the connection after hearing Harry's reasons to keep it.  All she could think of was her mother; she'd sacrificed so much to keep them safe, what Sirius had done to help them... She was running out of days to think of a proper way to apologize to her family. Dumbledore had taken the blame but those were just words, in the end, it was Mel and Harry who'd decided to drop every precaution, part of her felt she deserved all the hurt.

"You know," Erick said quietly. "I've been thinking about dropping out of school after this year."

"Why?"

"Well, my intention was to become a Ministry worker, but after these last few months, I realized they're useless. It would change my plans completely... but maybe I could join the Order?"

"Is that what you want?"

"I don't know what I want," He sighed tiredly. "I know I'm good at duelling and I have nowhere else to go... Did you know Sirius offered to take me in for the summer?"

Mel stared at him. 

"Well, he did," Erick continued. "He said I could live with him, that he didn't mind having me around — said I reminded him of his younger brother... Wish I could've done something to help him..."

"You should hate me," She blurted out. "My mother's going to hate me. She'll hate me for being impulsive and for not listening to my uncle — My brother will hate me..."

"Why would I hate you?" He frowned. 

"It's my fault that your parents kicked you out," She responded. "I made you write those letters to Anne. It was me who dragged you into this mess, you never wanted any of this, you would've lived a quiet, prosperous life —"

"And I would've been miserable," Erick shook his head. "You never forced me to do anything. You asked and I granted every time because I wanted to, I needed you to give me that final push... I made my choice the moment I met you, Mel."

"It's my fault you don't get to live with Sirius — it's because of me that you won't have a nice home —"

"It's because of you that I'm still alive," His voice trembled with incredulity. He moved closer and held her by the shoulders. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, I'm so lucky I found you..."

The girl had been shoving all her worries deep within herself for too long, she hadn't cried properly, refusing to let herself grieve since she felt she had no right to do so. Erick's voice sounded honest and comforting, she cracked under the pressure.

Erick hugged her and Mel wept like she hadn't done in months, not even while making peace with Harry. She sobbed as loud as she wanted, and the knot that had been stopping her from breathing finally loosened a bit, it made her feel as if she was slowly shrinking back into her child self, the girl cornered in the playground, but she wasn't alone anymore, and she was no longer a weak little thing.

Erick ran a hand through her hair gently, there was something about the way he touched her that made her feel safe. 

"You'll feel better. I promise you will..."

He'd lost someone not so long ago, the only adult he'd loved and cared for him. He was probably still grieving, but the fact that he was there, in one piece, was the definite and only proof she needed to hold onto her hopes.

When the last day of school arrived, it also meant having to sit there surrounded by curious eyes all staring at her and Harry, and she knew what Dumbledore would say during his speech. 

Stay together. 

She'd talked about the same thing for three days in a row and she was exhausted, if she could, she would drink a potion to forget everything, maybe even the fact that she was a witch, and she would go live with her uncle Lupin, surrounded by nothing but trees...

However, Mel had to keep fighting. It was far from over.

She decided to skip the feast and asked her friends to bring her food once it ended, she slowly made her way back to the tower. Mel turned right on one of the corridors and stopped abruptly when she saw Harry. 

For a second they stared at each other in mild confusion, they had been careful not to spend too much time alone because they knew they would end up discussing things they weren't ready to address. Mel gathered enough energy to give him a weak smile.

"Trying to find your appetite? Me too."

Harry raised his eyebrows. 

"You're not hungry?" 

"It's been happening all year," She sighed. "I guess I grew out of that too..."

"No way. You'll be eating in a week, I expect."

"I expect the same from you," She replied. "I'll make sure you eat twice as much. Merlin knows you need it."

A faint smile appeared on his face. 

"Care if I join you? I could use a walk."

The silence didn't last long when they found Luna.

"How come you're not at the feast?" asked Harry.

"Well, I've lost most of my possessions. People take them and hide them, you know. But as it's the last night, I really do need them back, so I've been putting up signs."

"That's horrible," Mel frowned.

"How come people hide your stuff?" 

"Oh... well... I think they think I'm a bit odd, you know. Some people call me 'Loony' Lovegood, actually," The girl said casually.

"That's no reason for them to take your things," Harry replied. "They used to call Mel a nutter too, but they didn't hide away her things."

"That's because they thought I was an attractive nutter," Mel rolled her eyes. "Prats. People need new brains, Luna. You're wonderful."

"D'you want help finding them?"

"Oh no," Luna smiled. "They'll come back, they always do in the end. It was just that I wanted to pack tonight. Anyway... why aren't you at the feast?"

Harry and Mel shared a look and shrugged. 

"We didn't feel like it."

"No," Luna agreed, and for a second, Mel was able to see something more than just the usual vagueness in her eyes. "I don't suppose you do. That man the Death Eaters killed was your godfather, wasn't he? Ginny told me. She also said your mother and him were expecting a baby, Mel."

Harry nodded, Mel barely replied with a broken 'yes'.

"Have you..." The boy started slowly. "I mean, who... has anyone you've known ever died?"

"Yes. My mother. She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day. I was nine."

"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled.

"Yes, it was rather horrible. I still feel very sad about it sometimes. But I've still got Dad. And anyway, it's not as though I'll never see Mum again, is it?"

"Er — isn't it?" Harry glanced back at Mel with slight worry.

"Oh, come on. You heard them, just behind the veil, didn't you?"

"You mean..." The boy started, but he didn't dare to finish.

"In that room with the archway. They were just lurking out of sight, that's all. You heard them. I could see you felt them too, Mel. They're always there."

Luna smiled at them carelessly, as if she'd just commented on the weather.

"Are you sure you don't want us to help you look for your stuff?"

"Oh no. No, I think I'll just go down and have some pudding and wait for it all to turn up... It always does in the end... Well, have a nice holiday."

"Yeah... yeah, you too."

"Bye, Luna."

As they watched her go, Harry turned his head slightly without withdrawing his eyes from the Ravenclaw.

"You think she's telling the truth?"

"About what?"

"Everything."

Mel stared at the notice on the wall for a moment, deciding to use her popular card one last time in order to help a friend. 

"I think I would love for it to be true," She responded. "And since I have the liberty to believe in whatever I please... then yes, I think she's right."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who had clearly been waiting all week for the opportunity to strike without teacher witnesses, attempted to ambush Harry halfway down the train as he made his way back from the toilet.

The attack might have succeeded had it not been for the fact that they unwittingly chose to stage the attack right outside a compartment full of D.A. members, who saw what was happening through the glass and rose as one to rush to Harry's aid. 

Ron and Harry walked back into their compartment and told them what had just happened outside, Erick put down the book he was reading and scoffed. 

"One would think that having your parents sent to Azkaban would knock some sense into you... I'll have to keep an eye on them next year, then."

Mel turned to look at him in surprise.

"You'll come back?"

"Yes," He said, a little smile playing on his lips. "I got a letter this morning ..."

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. It was her mother's handwriting.

"I'm welcomed to stay with you this summer, and I think I'll take the offer," He grinned. "I don't wish to work at the Ministry, but I could learn a few things before I'm off to become a member of the Order. Besides, I can't think of a better way to thank Sirius than to look after all of you in the meantime..."

"I think that's very sensible of you," Hermione agreed. "It would've been stupid to give up your education now."

"What's stupid is that he's been ignored by his housemates," Ron replied. "The only decent bloke that house got in decades and they hurled him out? That's rubbish!"

Everyone stared at Ron with amusement, the boy turned a bit red.

"What? I can admit when someone's a good person!"

"I don't know what to say," Erick laughed. "Gryffindor's king just gave me his blessing..."

Ron turned redder and threw a jellybean at him.

Harry and Ron whiled away most of the journey playing wizard chess while Hermione read out snippets from the Prophet. It was now full of articles about how to repel dementors, attempts by the Ministry to track down Death Eaters, and hysterical letters claiming that the writer had seen Lord Voldemort walking past their house that very morning...

"It hasn't really started yet," sighed Hermione gloomily, folding up the newspaper again. "But it won't be long now..."

Neville let out a short sigh, absently patting his Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Mel put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, he looked up and smiled tensely.

"Hey, Harry," Ron kicked his leg.

Cho Chang was passing by with Marietta Edgecombe, who made a great deal out of hiding her face. Harry barely reacted, glancing at her before returning his gaze to the game.

"What's — er — going on with you and her anyway?" Ron asked, unsure of whether this was a safe subject to handle with Mel around.

"Nothing," Harry answered.

"I — er — heard she's going out with someone else now," added Hermione, looking at Mel as well.

"You're well out of it, mate. I mean, she's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful."

"Right, because Harry's a ray of sunshine," Erick taunted.

"She's probably cheerful enough with someone else," Harry shrugged.

"Who's she with now anyway?" Ron asked.

"Michael Corner," Ginny responded.

"Michael — but —" Ron stammered. "But you were going out with him!"

"Not anymore. He didn't like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch and got really sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to comfort Cho instead," Ginny said distractedly, focused on her Quibbler.

"Well, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot," Ron said happily. "Good for you. Just choose someone... better, next time."

"Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?" Ginny replied. 

"WHAT?" 

Ron knocked over the chess and Crookshanks chased around the pieces. Grey merely opened one eye before going back to sleep. 

Erick laughed again, freedom suited him. The stiffness of his shoulders had vanished and although he kept some old-fashioned attitudes, he was slowly coming out of his shell. Affection settled on Mel's heart.

"What about you?" He asked her, bringing her back from her reverie.

"What about me?"

"Do you have any new prospects in mind? I know Fred's hard to beat, but..."

"I don't think I'm ready to date anyone yet," Mel responded sincerely. "Why?"

"No reason," He replied. 

His eyes lingered on her long after she'd looked away.

The moment came when the train got to the station, and she stayed behind, unsure of whether she wanted to see what was expecting her outside the platform. 

It was time to meet her brother.

"Remember what I told you," Erick offered his arm for her to hold.

Her mouth was dry, but she nodded and held his arm firmly, letting him guide her to the other side of the wall with a firm step.

There was Mad-Eye Moody, looking quite as sinister with his bowler hat pulled low over his magical eye as he would have done without it, his gnarled hands clutching a long staff, his body wrapped in a voluminous traveling cloak. 

Tonks stood just behind him, her bright bubble-gum-pink hair gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the dirty glass station ceiling, wearing heavily patched jeans and a bright purple T-shirt bearing the legend the weird sisters. 

Next to Tonks was Lupin, his face pale, his hair graying, a long and threadbare overcoat covering a shabby jumper and trousers. At the front of the group stood Mr and Mrs Weasley, dressed in their Muggle best, and Fred and George, who were both wearing brand-new jackets in some lurid green, scaly material.

Emily was next to Lupin, she was hugging a bundle of blankets that could only be one thing. She didn't look like Mel was expecting, there were dark circles under her eyes, but she was far from angry. 

Her face filled with relief as soon as she saw her. Mel stumbled back, not knowing what to do. Emily realized that her daughter was afraid and she looked at her in confusion. 

"Mel," She began carefully. "D'you remember what I told Harry last year after the third task?"

Mel remembered, of course. 

"You said no one would blame him for fighting as hard as he could."

"That's right," Emily cupped her daughter's cheek. "I was so scared of losing you... My brave, brave girl."

Mel hugged her mother tightly, around her, she heard the others welcoming the rest of their friends.

"Ron, Ginny! Oh, and Harry dear — how are you?"

"Fine..." 

"What are they supposed to be?" Ron's voice asked.

"Finest dragon skin, little bro," Fred responded, probably talking about his clothes. "Business is booming and we thought we'd treat ourselves."

Mel finally stepped back so Erick could say hi as well. She realized then that she was now as tall as her mother.

"It's time you meet someone," Emily said, drying her face with the back of her sleeve. "Come here... this is Leon Regulus. Reggie, this is your sister."

He was the tiniest person she'd ever seen, didn't have much hair yet, but his eyes were definitely grey. She remembered Luna's words and in a way, she felt that a part of Sirius still remained.

"I have a brother," She whispered in awe.

"Is that your sibling?" Ginny beamed. "Can I see him?"

Quickly, Ron and the girls approached to look at him. 

Harry stayed behind, a bit unsure of whether he was allowed to meet him.

"Hello, kids," Lupin greeted them while the rest of their friends surrounded Emily.

"Hi. I didn't expect... what are you all doing here?" Harry asked.

"Well, Emily can't drive and watch over the baby at the same time, as for the rest, we thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting them take you home."

"I dunno if that's a good idea," Harry said awkwardly.

"Oh, I think it is," Moody growled. "That'll be them, will it, Potter?"

Mel looked over Moody's shoulder and saw the Dursleys, shocked to the core at such scene. She couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it, the first genuine laughter ever since coming back from the Ministry.

She felt someone poking her shoulder and she turned, coming face to face with the twins.

"What, we stop seeing each other for a few weeks and you forget we exist?" Fred smirked. 

She jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. 

"I would never forget you. Have you met my brother?"

"Yes, ugly little thing," Fred grimaced, George hit the back of his head. "What? It's true! No newborn is pretty..."

"Bold words from someone with the ugliest taste in clothing," Mel laughed again, it was interesting what a bunch of familiar and happy faces could do to her soul.

"We heard Erick's staying with you this summer... Pitty, we were thinking about hiring him as our assistant."

"I would rather choke on my tongue," Erick walked up to them. "You look ridiculous, and that's coming from someone who likes to wear formal shirts on the weekends."

Fred and George trapped him in a bear hug and messed up his hair, Erick tried to fight back but it only made things worse. 

"You missed us!"

"Flimsy little prince like you must bore to death without us around to keep things interesting..."

"Trust me," Erick grunted, looking at her with a smile. "Mel made sure you weren't that sorely missed."

"Ah, kids!" Mr Weasley looked at them. "Boys, let go of him! Ah, look at what you did! He looks like a madman..."

Erick blushed a nice shade of pink, but he laughed it off. 

"It's okay, Mr Weasley..."

"He looks far better like this," Fred teased. 

"Don't listen to them, they're just jealous," Emily replied, followed shortly by the girls and Ron. "Harry, would you like to meet my son?"

Harry wasn't expecting her to address him, but he didn't have the nerve to say no. Emily took it as a yes and did something she hadn't done with the rest of them: She asked him if he wanted to hold him. 

Harry stared at the baby without uttering a word. He took him, and with a few pointers from Emily, soon enough Leon was safely tucked on his arms. 

"He's... he's got his eyes," Harry said quietly. "Reggie, you say? ...He's brilliant."

For a moment he forgot about the rest of the world, Harry could see his godfather reflected on those small, shiny eyes, and with that came a life with no mistakes in it yet, a new opportunity to make things right.

Emily didn't take the baby away, instead, she joined the group of adults.

"Well — shall we do it, then?" Mr Weasley then directed his attention to Moody.

"Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur." 

He and Mr Weasley took the lead across the station toward the place where the Dursleys stood, apparently rooted to the floor. Hermione disengaged herself gently from her mother to join the group.

"Good afternoon," said Mr Weasley pleasantly to Uncle Vernon, coming to a halt right in front of him. "You might remember me, my name's Arthur Weasley."

As Mr Weasley had singlehandedly demolished most of the Dursleys' living room two years previously, Harry would have been very surprised if Uncle Vernon had forgotten him. Sure enough, Uncle Vernon turned a deeper shade of puce and glared at Mr Weasley, but chose not to say anything, partly, perhaps, because the Dursleys were outnumbered two to one. 

Aunt Petunia looked both frightened and embarrassed. She kept glancing around, as though terrified somebody she knew would see her in such company. Dudley, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to look small and insignificant, a feat at which he was failing extravagantly.

"We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry." 

"Yeah. About how he's treated when he's at your place," Moody growled. "And trust us, Emily has made sure to tell us all about it."

Her mother smiled brightly.

"I am not aware that it is any of your business what goes on in my house —" Mr Dursley started, but he was soon interrupted.

"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley."

"Anyway, that's not the point," Tonks added. "The point is, if we find out you've been horrible to Harry —"

"— and make no mistake, we'll hear about it," Lupin added, looking briefly at Mel and winking.

"Yes, even if you won't let Harry use the fellytone —"

"Telephone," Hermione corrected under her breath.

"Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," Moody growled.

"Are you threatening me, sir?" Mr Dursley asked in anger.

"Yes, I am."

"And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?"

"Well..." said Moody, pushing back his bowler hat to reveal his sinisterly revolving magical eye. Uncle Vernon leapt backward in horror and collided painfully with a luggage trolley. "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley."

He turned from Uncle Vernon to Harry. "So, Potter... give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along..."

"We'll keep an eye on him, Moody," Mel's mother replied, "Erick, Mel and I will. Feel free to have every meal with us from now on, Harry. There's no reason for you to be eating rubbish."

Aunt Petunia gasped loudly at this.

"I..." Harry blinked. "Okay."

Emily stepped forward and seized Regulus, then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Harry's cheek. 

"We'll see you in a while, love."

"'Bye, then, Potter," Moody patted his shoulder.

"Take care, Harry," said Lupin. "Keep in touch."

"You're not coming?" Mel asked. 

"I'm afraid not," The man said, hugging her one last time. "We have work to do."

"I could help if you want," Erick responded quickly.

"You're not going anywhere," Mel argued, holding his arm protectively.

"Maybe later, kid," Lupin answered, staring at them in slight amusement.

"We should move," Emily responded before Erick could argue back.

"Harry, we'll have you away from there as soon as we can," Mrs Weasley said. "And of course, Emily dear, all of you are invited."

"We'll see you soon," said Ron shaking Harry and Erick's hands.

"Really soon," Hermione added. "We promise."

Harry then summoned a real, loving smile. He waved at everyone goodbye and then turned to Mel and Erick. 

A strange thought came to her when she watched those two boys standing next to her and her mother: Family.

Difficult times were ahead, but they would go through them. Together.

"Well," Harry scratched the back of his neck. "I'll see you later."

Erick sat in the backseat with restless curiosity, examining every detail.

"First time?" Mel grinned, looking over to the older boy and her little brother, completely asleep on the baby chair. "If you feel like vomiting don't stress, I get carsick too..."

"Ready?" Emily asked.

Mel stroke Grey's head and turned around to face forward. 

Yes, she was ready.

Next Part —>

Taglist.

@dee123ksha @vampiregirl1797 @siriuslysirius1107 @stardusthigh @mikariell95 @vernon-dursley @thesuitelifeofafangirl @tomshollandz @kylosleftbuttcheek @reverse-hxlland @hamiltonwc @omiwashere @t-rexs-world @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @21bruhs @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @dielgonacoffee @thelastpyle

[fulcrum-agent]

010. Heady [FFXIVwrite2021]

His voice comes over the Linkpearl unexpectedly.

"A-Aquila......Father is here...I don't know what to do; he's standing right outside Calcifer.....what do I do?" He says in a slightly panicked tone.

"You stay the fuck in the lab and let me deal with him," she replies immediately.

She's given a timid reply, "Ok...."

"Once some ground rules are out, I'll let you know," she explains to him. "But he gets to find out all the ways he will die if he messes with you."

His voice pitches upward a little as he asks, "A-are you bringing Leth? Rolno? Locke? any kind of backup?"

"Locke's still recovering, Rolno's about to get laid, and Leth got shanked earlier," she explains calmly. "Besides, I don't NEED back up now, thanks to Merrick."

Sounding more than just a little concerned, he murmurs, "Alright..."

Their father takes a sip from the cup in front of him as she arrives. Upon seeing him, she draws her blade, assuming the same stance that the former Blade who owned it used.

"...what are you doing here?" she asks coldly.

The man, without looking up, speaks - his cold, nearly monotone, and emotionless voice carries over the wind.

"Is that any way to address your Father? Daughter of mine, I taught you better."

He finally stands up and brushes himself off, and faces her fully, his hands neatly folded behind his back. His eyes looked down at the sword, then back to her; a slightly raised eyebrow was the only indication that he had acknowledged the weapon.

"You PROGRAMMED me - you didn't teach," she corrects him harshly, not taking well to him using that particular phrase. "Not that such'll save you anymore. One of your little projects saw to that."

The man tilts his head. "Oh?"

"Yeah. C-04-01B. Merrick. Somehow, you managed to make him even more monstrous than yourself," she retorts sharply, blade still ready to strike. "Again. Why. Are. YOU. Here."

Her father seems lost in thought for a moment.

"Interesting, I was sure I destroyed him when he malfunctioned.....I suppose he must have found an escape and has since degraded since his creation," He did not seem too concerned with the escaped Clone. "It took me quite a while to find you and Liocyon; I've come to bring you home....seeing as you failed to even do that."

"Spoilers: We're not going, and you've lost the power to make us," she immediately slings at him, still debating on just attacking him. "It was NEVER in the plan to go back, especially after finding out why Lio left."

He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he replies, "These antics of yours are growing tiresome, my child."

"You created them at the end of the day," she points out. "I'm pretty sure you were entirely aware of how trying to enslave me was gonna work out."

She's given what passes for an incredulous look by her father as he echoes, "Enslave? is that what you think I was doing?"

This finally breaks from her calm tone of voice.

"Septimus is DEAD because of what you did!" she shouts at him, giving him a gaze that likely has made some random primal rollover disturbed in their sleep. "YOU should be the dead one."

He gave the barest hint of emotion at the mention of Septimus's name; his eyes seemed to soften just slightly.

"What happened to your brother....was a tragedy," He said in a slightly softer tone, "Believe me when I say....that I grieved with the rest of you."

"If that's fucking so, why did you even programme me to kill our family!" she shouts; for the moment, the last vestiges of the conditioning can't fight past her seething rage. "I nearly killed LIO because of your bullshit!"

The almost emotionless state returns the response, "Better to die at the hands of a family member than one of these barbarians."

"If not for these 'savages', Merrick would have succeeded. You're only dealing with me because they rescued me," she retorts hotly, clearly provoked by his words. "If not for them, Lio would be dead. Because that's Merrick's goal - to replace my brother."

This actually gives her father pause before he brushes the information off again.

"That clone is delusional; I never made him for that purpose, for replacing Lio."

"Intent or not, that's what's going on, Father," she counters, the last word sounding like pure venom. "You've created one hell of a mess. He's MURDERED dozens of people - 'savage' and Garlean alike."

Her father furrows his brow as he flatly states, "A pity but hardly my problem or my concern."

"Oh?" she slowly lowers Talekeeper, assuming her...perceived lack of a stance. "Actually, it is. And you're going to fix it."

She's given what passes for a quizzical look as he states, "There is nothing to fix."

"Yeah. There is. Put on that damned monocle and LOOK," she orders him. "There's something only you can repair. It's the only reason you're not dead."

Without bothering to do as asked, he questions, "And what is that?"

"I have an aetherpool. Two pre-teen kids worth of aether. Enough to use aether," she explains to him, like he's five, "but not enough to dispatch your monster."

He makes a motion for her to continue, seeming undisturbed by this news, and she sighs a little.

"I...need you to finish what he attempted. So that I can eliminate the threat he poses to Liocyon," she explains, voice returning to that sort of mimicry of his own. "But don't think I won't stab you, somewhere non-fatal, if you do ANYTHING to Lio."

The man quirks his brow. "You want me to...expand your limited aetherpool?"

She nods at Cicero, "Yup."

"If this conversation had happened a few years ago, I would say it's impossible...." he ruminates before stating, "as it stands, I think I have knowledge and capability to do as you ask; there is one hiccup, though."

Her eyes narrow at him.

"Hiccup? The fact your lab in the Capital can't be accessed?" she asks him.

The man's lips form a thin smile as he gives what might be a mock-praise, "What a smart girl you are."

She smirks a little at that.

"Smart enough to know how to get all your equipment out," she almost teases him.

"Not only my lab equipment but my research notes..." he emphasises, "unless you have a team willing to infiltrate Empire territory and access my lab."

"Pfft. We HAVE your notes already. Tana grabbed every tomestone that wasn't nailed down when she left," she explains to him. "What we don't have, currently, is any of your equipment or anything close enough to it. All that shit here is Sharlayan."

He shrugs and continues, "If you can bring me my equipment, I can work on your little request...I have a condition, though."

She rolls her eyes faintly. "Because, of course, you do."

"I want to see Liocyon."

"And I have conditions on that," she retorts immediately, voice razor-sharp. "You do ANYTHING harmful to him; I will make you regret it. Slowly."

"To the pain."

With a faint sigh and a small wave of his hand, he agrees, "Your theatrics are noted. I assume he is inside that......establishment."

She nods once.

"Yeah, but Calficer's more likely to kill you than let you in," she somewhat smugly points out. "I can go get him, though."

He makes a motion, "By all means."

She decides to prove a point before such. Without warning, she blinks into the Lifestream only to reappear with her sword right across Cicero's neck, edge gently touching such - enough to leave an extremely thin red mark but not enough to cut deeply.

"Just remember my conditions, "Father," she states before blinking again, displacing back to where she was before turning to get Lio. Talekeeper stays out.

Her father seems unphased by the threat "Noted."

She enters the House of Mystery, looking to her pacing brother immediately. "He's aware of the conditions."

Her twin turns paler shade. "He's not g-gone?"

"Nope. We've a little arrangement. He's allowed to speak to you, so long as he doesn't do anything shitty," she explains to her twin. "If he does ANYTHING harmful, I'm corps-a-corps'ing his dick."

He takes a deep breath, his body trembling slightly.

"Alright..." he says weakly. "Ok...just....stay with me, please."

She nods at Lio, grinning. "He can't stop me anymore," she reminds Lio, "so I'll be right beside you unless I have to suddenly castrate him."

Her reflection nods before looking to the door. "Alright then..."

Aquila Aurelius returns with Lio in tow, the rapier still out and perhaps at the ready. Her lack of stance is maddening to anyone who knows how to sword fight.

After they exit the house, her brother stands behind her. "H-hello F-Father...." *He says weakly, his eyes looking towards the ground.*

Cicero Aurelius would calmly watch his daughter and son exit the building, a small smile turning the corner of his lip* "Liocyon....you've changed quite a bit since I last saw you, have you finally embraced science?"

She mutters, "...wears the coat better than you ever did..."

Her twin looks over at her before looking back to his father, trying to explain himself, "I have...it was...it was required, someone needed it..."

Their father looks over to her for a moment before looking back to Lio and nodding.

"Good, good..." He takes a few steps forward as he speaks, "You look so much like your mother....she wanted to be here, you know.."

She glares at him at the mention of their mother, despite the accuracy. "Then why isn't she?" she retorts sharply.

Their father gives her a look as he answers, "It is unsafe for us outside of the safehouse."

Her twin takes a step forward as he eagerly asks, "Mother is here? what about the others?"

She moves her blade between her reflection and their father.

"Ah ah ah," she notes to their father. "And who the fuck's fault is it that she's not safe?"

"The fool that sits on the throne now," the man said simply. "He turned our country into a damn cult."

This causes her blade to focus on their father again, pointed aimed right at his throat as she retorts, "Nah. YOU made it, so none of us are safe outside the estate."

Shaking his head, the man intones, "Everything I did was to make it safe for you and Liocyon."

Her brother gently places his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her, softly murmuring, "Aquila.."

Reluctantly, she drops the sword away from their father's throat, though Talekeeper remains out.

"I don't think experimenting on your own kids and turning them into monsters is really for the best," she points out with a huff.

"Perhaps one day you will understand what I was trying to do,"

their father sighs, "In any case, fine....bring me my equipment, and I will expand your aetherpool...after that, perhaps we can sit down and discuss things as adults?"

Her twin looks between her and their father, moving closer to his sister.

She shakes her head at her brother a little bit.

"...he wasn't supposed to know that, but...fine," she concedes, looking at their father before adding, "...but the conditions stand, even then."

For his part, the man makes a mock 'oops' face as he flippantly states, "My mistake, but fine."

"...I have a shorter blade that I can use," she points out. "Won't kill you, but it'll hurt."

Their father waves his hand as he mocks, "Yes, yes, you're threats are noted...I will take my leave; contact me as soon as you have my equipment."

She nods once, Talekeeper remaining out until he's well and gone.

"Yeah, sure. Say hi to mum for us," she quips.

The man looks back at Lio. "It was.....good to see you again, son."

Her reflection nods as he murmurs, "Father..."

In a flat tone, as he turns, their father states, "Aquila."

"Father."

((Adapted from an RP with Liocyon.))

[xbellaxcarolinax]

Forging A Heart (Ivar the Boneless) 18- Protection

Pairing: Ivar x Artemis (OFC)

Word Count: 4461

Warnings: None

17- Goddess

...

"Are you afraid of me?" He asks.

"...Should I be?"

"You once were."

"I was. You were an ass." Ivar chuckles.

"And now?"

"And now it is you who looks afraid." Artemis smiles, shifting under the furs. He sucks his teeth.

"I do not."

"But you are nervous."

"Are you not?" He asks, tugging her arm when she tried to leave the bed. She giggles in his warm embrace, laying her chin on his chest as she brings her eyes to his.

"I am," She says, "But I trust you.

Ivar grunts as he hobbled his way toward the church. He barely paid any mind to the meeting, thoughts of the night before circulating in his mind. Heat creeped up towards his neck and onto his chiseled cheeks.

He hoped Hvitserk paid enough attention to explain whatever the meeting was about.

Ivar felt like a child, worse, he felt like Arvid, the hopeless dope. But while Arvid displayed his hopeless romanticism, Ivar buried his true feelings, only displaying, well, his usual self. Cranky, bitter, and dissatisfied. Ivar could only hope that he wouldnt mess it up.

He couldn't mess it up.

The harshness of his braces scraped along the stone floors of the church. He could never be inconspicuous like he wanted, but not even he could disturb her from her prayers. The light shinning through the crucifix shaped windows casted over her, giving her an ethereal appearance.

Ivar blinks, biting his lips before grunting again.

"Must you do that?" He calls out to her, his voice palpitating against stone walls. The response was immediate.

"Yes. Must you always interrupt?"

"Yes," Ivar snorts, "Is your cross not enough?" Artemis flutters her eyes open, craning her head slightly to flash Ivar an annoyed expression. He never forbade her from praying to who ever she was praying to, but he didn't prefer it. He'd rather have her on her knees for him.

Before he could conjure up more inappropriate thoughts like a prepubescent boy, she interrupts him.

"You are ridiculous." Artemis stands, dusting off her skirts before making a sign of the cross.

"And you are like the bishop, always in prayer." Ivar grumbles, sending away the guards and sinking himself down onto the alter steps behind her to rest his aching legs. He twisted round to gaze at her "What are you even praying for, hmm?"

"Forgiveness." She says without hesitation.

"What for?"

"Fornication." She mutters, already knowing Ivar could not make sense of the word.

"What?"

"For mounting a heathen." She says, plopping down again on her knees beside him.

Ivar narrows his eyes, a pout ready to form as pink dusted over his cheekbones. He was more timid and introverted about such things than she was, for obvious reasons. He knew she'd heard the stories back in Kattegat, the rumors of his impotence. But they were just stories concocted to shame him, as he had been shamed the entirety of his life.

Perhaps she regretted it.

He prepared his words, fiery and dangerous on the very tip of his tongue in retaliation but cut himself short when she broke out into a grin.

"Ivar," He liked the way his name fell from her her lips, "I'm only teasing."

Oh.

He supposed he earned her teasing humor, it was her way of settling the score.

Ivar huffs with a roll of his eyes, but he couldn't stop the smile that itched at the corners of his mouth, eyes twinkling in amusement as she lowered her head upon his shoulder.

"You're not funny." He mutters.

"I think I am." She says, shyly playing with his fingers.

Ivar had...very skilled fingers.

"Protection." She clears her throat.

"Hmm?"

"I was praying for protection." Confused, Ivar nudges his shoulder to get her to look at him.

"Do you think I cannot protect you?" He asks, leaning forward enough to trace his nose along her face. He feels her smile, her lashes tickling his cheeks

"No, I know you can, but..." She pauses in all seriousness, struggling to find the right words, "Who will protect me from you?" He pulls away from her, the question hitting him full force, like a blow upon the head.

Ivar's eyes were wide in shame, brows curved in worry.

He hadn't forgotten that day, nor what he had done. He shamed her. He remembered her angry red back and the tears streaming down her face in humiliation. He wouldn't forget it, thinking it could be put into the farthest corner of his mind, but it was clear she couldn't do the same. He didn't blame her.

That night he had gone to see her, for no other reason than to sit with her, but once he saw Sigurd there attempting to comfort her, he crawled away in his anger. Sigurd was always-

Oh. Sigurd.

Had he forgotten already? His death had caused turmoil and distrust, and Ivar still wasn't sure if his brothers would ever forgive him. And Artemis? Perhaps she thought him a monster.

"I don't know what to say," Ivar frowns, his shoulders sagging, "My heart grieves for the pain I've caused you."

"Then say nothing," Artemis replies with a shrug, "But just so we are clear, I expect nothing of the sort to happen again." There was a sternness in her tone, a warning.

"Forgive me," Ivar pleads, shyly bringing her closer into an embrace. She melts against him, closing her eyes when he runs a hand down the expanse of her long hair. "I will always protect you, I swear it, upon all the gods. Do you believe me?"

"I believe you," She smiles into the crook of his neck, "But that is not up to us."

"Mmm," Ivar hums, finally loosing his patience and lack of courage, carefully hoisting her onto his lap, "I suppose you are right." She yelps in surprise, her arms going around his neck in support.

"It is up to the gods."

"Or God." Ivar scoffs.

"Explain to me what it is your God can do that Odin or Thor cannot?" Artemis places her brow against his temple as she thinks for a moment.

"He can give a man wealth and strip him of such luxuries, like he did in the story of Job." She says.

"I don't know of this Job."

"He was a rich man under the protection of God. One day the devil decided to test him, stripping him away from his luxuries and family to see if he would stray away from God. But he didn't. He remained faithful, and God restores him his wealth." Ivar didn't look impressed.

"A man can just take wealth," He snorts, "As I have here in York."

"A hainous act, if you ask me."

"Well, it is good I didn't asked you then." Ivar smiles against her wild hair, breathing in her scent. They sat like this, in comfortable silence with only the outside bustle as a disturbance.

"Do you... pray for me?" He asks hesitantly, lowering his chin onto her shoulder to shield his face away from her.

"I have," She nods, "I have prayed for the Lord to soften your heart." Ivar let's out a soft chuckle, tightening his hold on her. She felt so small in his arms, fragile and innocent, yet he knew she was capable of much more than a weak disposition. She could probably hammer a man to death if she wanted.

"Then I suppose your prayers were answered," He mutters, "Like...a miracle?"

"You know about miracles?"

"The bishop has attempted to enlighten me on such things."

"A heathen learning of Christian ways? Are you ill?" Artemis places the back of her hand upon his brow, checking for a fever she very well knew wasn't there. Ivar rolls his eyes but smiles, grabbing her hand to give her knuckles a quick kiss.

"There you go again believing you are funny."

She ignores his comment, bringing her fingers to probe at the tightness of his hairstyle. His hair was twisted away from his face and pulled back towards the nape, his preferred style. It made him look regal, but she missed his silken hair splayed out on his shoulders. It so easily slipped through her fingers.

"Baby bird?"

"Hmm?"

"Your mind wanders again." He chuckles, already knowing how easily her mind distracts her.

"Oh, well, I'm only thinking of you." She says, her eyes leaving his twisted hair in favor of looking at him.

"Good thoughts I hope?"

"Good thoughts," She repeats, offering him a bashful smile, "And how warm I feel in your arms." His brows shoot up, a smirk curling at the corners of his lips.

"Then I suppose you shall never leave my embrace."

...

There would be an attempted invasion of Kattegat, and Ivar's mission was to dethrone its queen. Ivar had grown weary of such ill feelings towards Queen Lagertha, and his desire was to end her life and take over his home as its rightful king.

Many claimed it to be a war that would bring about Ragnarok, the end of their world.

His mother was dead, living on in his memory, but his heart would never be at ease until Lagertha's blood was on his hands. He spoke of it many times in the past, but now it was becoming all too real. It was a dangerous mission, Lagertha was not a weak woman and neither were her warriors. The fortifications around her city were well guarded, and she was well loved by her people.

Such thoughts plagued Artemis, and for once, she truly worried for Ivar's life. He was never afraid to prove himself, and such was his pride, made to smile in the face of danger. So young yet so ambitious, Ivar could not be persuaded otherwise. He was certain he would be victorious with his gods by his side.

The journey back to Norway would not be long, but the winds worried some. The days of storm clouds finally broke into clearer skies, the perfect sign that the gods favored their journey. King Harald had left soon after the 2 kings were defeated with the intentions of carrying the news to Queen Lagertha. It was Ivar's hope that the king had made it back safely into his own lands. They would reunite soon enough.

Ivar's warriors were itching for war, blood thirsty men that were insatiable. Their entire lives were centered around war and the honor of dying on the battlefield. Valhalla was only a throat slit away, but imbedded in them was the lack of fear to be taken in the arms of the Valkyries.

Ivar was no different.

Although he wanted Lagertha dead, he did not mind dying for his cause, so long as he took her from the earth as well. He always thought his life useless, perhaps for his legs, and once Artemis had heard Sigurd say their father practically left him for dead. It didn't bother Ivar in the least, not anymore. He had come to terms with death since he left his mothers womb. He didn't fear it then, and he would not fear it now.

The anxiousness plagued her. It settled in the pit of her stomach uncomfortably. She felt this way when forced from Crete, and again when leaving Kattegat. Leaving meant more wars and no peace, more death and blood, and more distance between who she was and who she is now.

Day after day she felt less of a Christian, less of what she knew and who she was raised as. Ivar was keen on her forgetting her old ways, her old life, as it would serve her no good. At least, that was what he believed. But how could she? Heahmund was a bitter reminder, and although he was of western faith and she of eastern, they did believe in the same concept.

Odin, Thor, Loki, Frejya, Freyr, Baldor...these entities that were taught to her in constant lessons by Ivar and Hvitserk couldn't overshadow her own beliefs, not just yet, and not in the way they wanted.

Whenever the winds blew and carressed her cheeks, Ivar said it was a blessing from Frejya, or when the english skies boomed with thunder it was Thor riding his chariot towards the heavens. But they were just stories to her, greatly reminding her of the ancient tales of her ancestors.

Yet, in Ivar's eyes, she could see how he wanted her to take part in his traditions, in his warrior culture, and most importantly, in his life. To know their language was one thing but to completely assimilate into it was entirely different.

Artemis was reminded of Helga at such times, how the blonde woman would want her to be a part of them, even as a slave. How the woman would laugh if she knew how far she has come. She thought of her every now and then, reminiscing the few memories she had with the kind woman. Helga would be greatly missed.

She struggled with this, even now, with the sight of the dragon headed boats bobbing by the waters edge, intimidating, as they begin their preparations to sail away, back to where they came.

Artemis would be sailing back, not as a slave, but as a free woman. It was strange. Before, she wanted nothing more than to run, to escape and never look back. But things were different now.

Ivar was no longer just a crippled bastard, and she was no longer just a thrall.

Ivar said it was the gods who placed her there, and it was the gods that saw to her destiny.

It didn't make sense to her, but Ivar was certain everything was for a reason, that she was taken from home for a reason, and that his affections for her was for a reason.

Everything was for a reason.

Being taken away from home, only to get involved in foreign wars did not seem reasonable. But then again, love wasn't reasonable, and her new relationship with Ivar was beyond anyone's understanding, sometimes even her own.

She just hoped he was right.

...

Everything was set for departure, and the shoreline was littered with Ivar's army, scattered about in excitement for what was to come.

Artemis leans far over the side of the ship, swirling her fingers into the clear waters. She was thinking, that much was evident to Ivar. He sat behind her, watching her with keen eyes. If he wanted to, he could probably read her thoughts.

"Be careful, you might fall over." He warns.

"I'm fine."

"No, you are thinking again."

"No, I'm not." She calls from over her shoulder.

"What are you thinking of?" He tries again. She sighs, moving away from the edge to look at him. His brows were raised in question, motioning for her to sit. She drags her feet, plopping down in front of him.

"Well?"

"I was thinking of my father." She says quietly, her eyes appearing quite sad.

"You must miss him," Ivar comments, reaching for her hand to run his thumb over her skin, "I understand."

When his mother died, he was inconsolable, mourning her death deeply. It has been a year after her death, he still silently mourned her. Artemis was ripped away from all she knew, from her only family. He recounts the time she had mentioned the death of her mother and then her brother, leaving only a father in her life.

Although Ivar's family has been severed at this point, with his own brothers battling for dominance, he was always surrounded by family, slaves, and even Floki who watched over him when Ragnar never did.

He sympathizes for her.

"I do." She sighs, "He could be dead and I would never know."

She had twisted the scenarios over and over in her head till she mentally exhausted herself. The prospect of her father's demise sent pangs of pain to her heart. If he wasn't dead, then surely he was dying of heartache for a lost daughter, just as she had been suffering the heartache of separation. She hoped that he wasn't guilt ridden for her disappearance. It wasn't his fault.

Ivar continues to eye her, admiring her simple beauty. He smiles, mentally thanking the gods for her. She was not at all what he thought her to be.

Ivar let the silence fall upon them as he thought for a moment, pursing his lips before speaking.

"I will be king of Kattegat." He announces suddenly, almost haughtily, his chest puffing out in pride.

"...Indeed you will," She replies bewildered, "So?"

"So, as king, I will organize many expeditions." There was a smile on his face. He was speaking to her as if she already knew where his ramblings were going.

"And?"

"And perhaps one would be to the Mediterranean." She blinks, her face twisting into further confusion. She stares at him, their eyes in a constant battle.

"To raid?" She asks suspiciously.

"To explore," He corrects. Artemis snorts.

"You want to explore the Mediterranean?"

"Your island, Crete," Ivar shrugged, playing with his axe as he usually did. He runs his calloused thumb over the freshly sharpened blade before continuing, "We could inquire on your father, if you'd like."

He had never seen such a look on her face, mostly because he couldn't describe it. It was a mix of confusion, happiness and shock, all in one. Her mouth opened as if to speak but she immediately presses her lips together as she couldn’t find the right words to express her thoughts.

"Ivar, are you being serious?"

"Why would I be lying?" He demands, placing his axe aside in favor of pulling her closer to fill the gap between them. He kisses her as he so loved to do. He never realized how much he liked to kiss.

"So let me understand this," She says over his persistent lips, giggling when he takes a nip at her, "You are willing to take me back home to inquire on my father?"

"You sound doubtful." He mutters over her lips, still on his quest to devour her.

"It sounds impossible." She sighs, ducking away from him. Ivar frowns.

"Why? It wasn't impossible for Bjorn to bring you to Norway, why would it be impossible to bring you back?" Artemis licks her lips, shrugging her shoulders as she begins to play with the ends of her braided hair.

"You would do that for me?" She asks shyly, keeping her eyes low.

"I think you deserve it." He pushes a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"Please, just make sure not to make any promises that cannot be kept." When she finally brings her gaze to his, he sees the glossiness in her eyes. He gently pulls her forward into an embrace, and she immediately borrows within him.

"Once I secure Kattegat, it shall be done." He whispers in her ear, smiling when he feels her nods against him. She pulls away, offering him a peck to which he beams, right before catching a glimpse of someone that soured his mood immediately.

Annoyed, Ivar cocks his head, sneering at Arvid before crossing his arms like a child.

Artemis knew exactly what bothered him, and with a sigh she turns round to see Arvid at the shore line with Alfhild, bidding their farewells to the men. Alfhild waves at both Ivar and Artemis with a grin on her face before retreating back to their camp, leaving Arvid alone to brood. His eyes catch hers as if begging her not to go.

"Well go on, you have my permission." An annoyed Ivar says, clearly daring Arvid to try something.

"I am not sure I should." He sucks his teeth.

"He needs to understand you have chosen."

What he meant to say was that he needs to understand she has chosen Ivar.

Artemis cracks a smile at Ivar's brooding form, standing up slowly as if dreading the meeting.

"I will be here," He reassures, though it was not as if he were going anywhere else. He shoos her off, watching every step she took off the ship, onto land, and straight to Arvid.

The annoying prick.

Artemis timidly smiles at Arvid, mostly because she had no idea what else to do. He stood with his arms crossed in a disapproving manner, his eyes swimming with many questions.

"Have you forgotten you are a free woman now?"

"I haven't forgotten." She says.

"And still, you choose to go with him?"

"Clearly that is what you see, Arvid." She calmly says, not wanting to attract attention.

"I don't think it wise."

"And I am not seeking your approval."

"Hmm." Arvid snorts. He shakes his head but says nothing more of it, "I want you to have this." He says, fishing into the pocket of his trousers and revealing a leather cord with a small pendant hanging from it.

Artemis takes it in her hands, and upon closer inspection she comes to find it is Mjölnir, a small representation of Thor's hammer. She noticed it everywhere, Arvid wore it about his neck, as well as Hvitserk, and even Ivar, hidden under all his leather and armor.

"Do you know what this?" He asks her, watching her run her thumb over the grooves of the small pendant in curiosity.

"Thor's hammer," Artemis replies, peeling her eyes away from its details in favor of finding answers in Arvid's eyes,"Why are you giving this to me?"

"So that you may always have Thor's protection," He says, his eyes looking past her and onto a more focused point, "To protect you from those who would hurt you."

Artemis looks behind her, only to meet Ivar's cold eyes staring back at them with such intensity, a sneer settling on his handsome features. Arvid stared back just as fiercely, both stubborn men resembling hungry wolves with an innocent doe between them.

"I don't know what to say," She says, turning back to him, "This was thoughtful of you. Thank you."

"Take care of yourself." He says, finally looking away from Ivar and onto Artemis's softer features.

"You as well, and may your child come safely into this world. I shall keep you and Alfhild in my prayers." Her genuine words soften him a bit, and he rubs the back of his neck.

"Perhaps we shall cross paths again?"

"Perhaps."

Artemis smiles, casting him one last look before heading back towards the noisy docks. Ivar sat patiently waiting for her in the lead ship, Bishop Heahmund's sword appearing at his side suddenly, leaning against his left leg while he held his axe tightly in his right.

Ivar always had the appearance of being shrouded in mystery when wearing his black cloak, watching like a predator as Artemis came back to him.

She collapses beside him, running her fingers on the surface of the silver pendant over and over again.

"He is absolutely besotted with you." Ivar snorts.

"I haven't a clue why."

"You are a treaure." Artemis snorts this time, but the seriousness in Ivar's tone meant he was not jesting.

"What? I am but a woman."

"And?"

"A foreigner."

"So?" Ivar smiles, crossing his arms and leaning back against the ships railings.

"I thought you didn't favor foreign girls."

"Artemis, shut up." He breathes, draping an arm around her shoulders to bring her as close to him as possible.

She laughs, stretching her legs out right beside his. She watched his hounds whine in their cages in the farthest corner of the ship for their fear of the seas. The little hound that ran between her heels sat away in his own cage, attempting to sleep with all the noise going about.

Ivar grips the pendant in his own hand, and she was afraid he'd throw it over board. Instead he admires it.

"Certainly made by Arvid. His work never disappoints," He remarks, placing it back into her hands, "It's for protection."

"Just like yours." She says, placing her fingertips gently onto the delicate skin of his throat before reaching to grab his necklace that remained hidden. Ivar's Mjölnir was larger and in more detail compared to Artemis's dainty one.

She felt him swallow thickly under her touch, a much desired reaction that excited her.

"Mhm." He hums with a sigh, leaning in to plant a kiss to her brow, smiling against her skin. She leans against him, closing her eyes as the winds swept across her cheeks, and the small waves rocking the ships lulled her into comfort. There was a moment of peacefulness that happened often when they were alone, a comfortable silence where the singing of the sea birds brought about tranquility.

"Ivar," Hvitserk calls out to him, "Everything is ready for departure,"

"Very well, tell the men to sound the horns."

His older brother runs off, shouting for the horn signals. They were heard immediately, and men started to remove the ropes from the masts, the ships slowly drifting off into the calm waters.

The nervousness came back to haunt Artemis, settling again in the pit of her stomach. It must have shown on her face for Ivar quickly grabbed the pendant from her hands and gently placed the leather cord over her head and onto her exposed collarbone.

"Worry not, baby bird," He says to her with a reassuring smile, "You have our protection."

...

"Welcome Ivar, Hvitserk." Harald's smile was brighter than the sun, even from quite the distance away across the docks, his grin was blinding.

"Is that not Astird?" Artemis heard Hvitserk whisper to his limping younger brother, who only shrugged as best he could while maneuvering on his crutch.

"Seems Lagertha is running out of alies." He whispers back before politely smiling at Harald, who greeted both Ragnarssons with a firm shake of hands.

"My queen," The king introduces, "Astrid." Lagertha's former shieldmaiden wore a passive expression, her blue eyes outlined in the blackest khol. She was pretty, and quite tall, dressed in the finest of fabrics and jewels, but she still carried the air of a warrior.

"Welcome." She says to them, inclining her head in respect. Harald's intense stare falls behind the brothers and onto Artemis's small form, carrying her hound in her hands like a babe upon its mothers breast.

"Artemis?" He says her name with a chuckle, "Ivar hasn't killed you yet?"

"Not yet, King Harald." The king belts out a laugh, turning to look at Ivar who was not particularly amused.

"She is my companion." Ivar answers the silent question.

"Oh?" Harald turns his eyes back to her, brows raised.

"I am a free woman, King Harald." It felt strange to say such words.

"Well then, you shall be recieved in my home as a free woman. I welcome you all to Vestfold."

...

@heavenly1927 @didiintheblog @rastakami23 @inforapound @leilabeaux @ostra814 @zumzum96

[zwiezraczek]

Lover [Blurb]

Part 3: Player - Part 4

Note: It has been almost two months since I updated the Believer blurb! But now, here we are with the final part! I hope you'll enjoy it! Especially you, 🐼 Nonnie! 💕💕💕

~~~

You were sitting on this chair for hours, your muscles sore and your jaw clenched every single time one of the men you once directed took your face between his large fingers, tightening his grip on your cheeks until Billy spoke. With every new confrontation, you could feel your mouth bleed and you became accustomed to blood's taste. And to your father coming to give you food and water in order to have a breaking point for Billy, and probably because he still loved you somehow. But you couldn't figure out how.

You closed your eyes. You wished a painless death, because this became too much. Did you spent hours, days or weeks there? You had lost count. The harsh source of light was your only sun, and your moon became this little light they had put in the basement when nobody was there for a longer moment. And during these moments, you imagined yourself kicking their asses, with Billy and escape from there. He whispered a countless number of times that he was sorry about all of this, dragging you into this matter was probably his biggest mistake he said. But you had to open your eyes one day, and you preferred this way than any other.

“Y/N,” he said, as one of the guard left his position for a moment.

“What,” you asked, with a weakened voice and a your throat dry.

“Do you regret being my friend sometimes?” And even in the darkness, you could sense how this question burned his lips and made him wince.

“You're really asking me this, there, while you're living your best life with your BDSM kink,” you snapped in a lower tone in order to keep your voice consistent. “I regretted being your friend, when I found out that you lied about your death, but otherwise never.”

“You don't hate me for what's happening to you?” And before you could reply, you heard gunshots coming from outside the basement.

“What the hell,” you whispered.

Men seemed to be running through the corridors, heavy steps and heavy guns and you knew that this never meant anything good. But you were useless here, and you couldn't even save yourself from there. Neither could Billy with his kinky stuff. You closed your eyes, if you had to die now, you prayed the lord for a painless death.

Somebody opened the door, the light hitting your eyelids and you forced them to open again. You saw an impressive figure in the frame of the door, with a gun in each hand groping around for a switch. And when they finally found it, the basement became this harsh-lighted space again. He ran towards Billy, and you protested, kicking the ground and trying to free yourself from the cuffs, your voice refusing to cooperate in your actions. And then, you saw how calm Billy was when the man detached him and how he almost hugged him.

And then you understood. The Ghosts squad.

The tall masked man came towards you, and knelt right behind your chair.

“We've got you, senorita,” he whispered and you thanked him a countless number of times before getting up and walking, slowly towards the exit. He let you put your hand over his shoulder as he saw you struggling. “What did they do yo you?”

“Ugly shit,” you replied exhaling as walking became even harder than it was before.

“Four, you're doing alright,” he asked Billy and your bestfriend nodded vigorously.

“Have been worse, just take care of her Three,” he said as he looked at you, pain in his eyes.

“Don't worry Four, we're getting out of here,” he said with a smirk.

You noticed that Billy had a gun in his hands, and how much you wished to be less useless and to grab a gun and kill all of these man around, in a furious rage asking for blood. And even more blood than you could imagine. Patiently, the three of you made their way out of your house, with your help now, directing your small group towards the exit of this hell of a house. In the car, somebody was already waiting for you – you recognized the French woman's hair when you sat on the backseat. You closed your eyes for a moment, as you heard the rattle of the engine. You have had enough of all of this. You just hoped you were free.

And as soon as you entered the Ghost's place, Five greeted both of you by making you lay down in order to examine you. Apparently, you were the one who was the most injured of the two of you. Five left Billy on his bed, and came towards you to examine your stomach on to make sure that the bruises you had weren't the sign of internal bleeding, and even if it did hurt when she pressed her hands against your stomach, you seemed to be good, butextremely tired. Way more than Billy.

But then, a rush, you heard someone say to hurry up because Seven was shot. You closed your eyes, and for the first time in a long moment, you slept without any real preoccupation.

~~~

“Look who's here, with us,” One teased while he saw you entering the room, “our best solution and our biggest problem!”

You spent the past week laying down on one of the couched they had in their meeting room, trying to recover mentally from what had happened to you. You were first kidnapped, then you discovered that your bestfriend wasn't dead and that you killed a bitch for – almost – nothing, then you learned that your own father supported children traffic, and your father himself made sure to punish you once you dared to step up against him when you helped the Ghosts and you had to pay for it the highest price, but apparently Billy suffered the most because of it. And finally, you landed there, with the Ghosts, without any promise for your future, without any true hope.

The only little thing that had kept giving you a little light, was Billy. He stayed with you as much as he could – while he wasn't by Seven's side, Seven who got shot badly but recovered pretty quickly - talking to you, apologizing for what you dragged you into, again. But you didn't regret what had happened, you even enjoyed knowing that you contributed to something “good”. Something that wasn't your first thought, because what once was on your mind was murder, fun and money. But your little adventure taught you something about yourself, that even when somebody was rotten to the very core, they had feelings and weaknesses. Yours were children, your father's you and Billy's you too. But your father was gone now. Along with a lot of his personal guards, the ones knowing about the basement situation – because you could swear that he wasn't able to tell everybody that you betrayed him, ha had to come up with some excuse for your sudden disappearance, and the Ghosts found out that you just ran out, and probably died somewhere, which was pretty much convenient.

And now, you stood among them all, as they spoke about the rest of their plan. You couldn't believe how much had changed in so little time.

“I never wanted to be part of this,” you retorted before standing next to Billy.

“But turns out you're one of us now,” One said with a forced expression as you blinked looking at Billy first. “We've discussed about this, and we can't just let you go into the wild while knowing about us...”

“And because somebody will probably try to kill her,” Billy insisted while looking insistingly at One.

“Yeah, yeah,” One brushed him off, “so, basically we decided you should be part of our team.”

“You're joking,” you blurted, hardly believing what you had heard. The man who called you a 'good girl' once, while you were tied up sitting on a metallic chair said that you were now part of his squad? Impossible.

“Do I look like the Joker,” he asked you while pointing his serious face. You were tempted to say yes.

“Yes you do,” Two said and One just groaned but before he could say anything she continued. “We fucked up your life badly, so the least we can do is to give you another life.”

“Poetic, but not what I was going for,” One remarked. “I was about to say that she had value, and that probably she knew way more than we do about our next target but go on, Two, the floor's yours!”

“I'm in,” you finally said, and Billy looked at you with a little smile, “I don't have any other choice, and I probably can help you with many things, it's good to be bad but maybe it'sbetter to serve a better cause.”

“As an ex hitman, I can confirm that it's way better this way,” Three said with a grin as Two rolled her eyes.

“Welcome to the Ghost's family,” Billy whispered as everybody began to talk again about you entering the squad. You could only smile.

~~~

Between missions, you loved to sit in the trailer they had given to you. Your own little place, where you could swear, curse and cry. But mostly, a place where you had to learn to live again. But you weren't alone, Billy was by your side now. And how happy it made you feel, and how relieved you were about all of this. You had your bestfriend back. This was what mattered the most. Even if the price of what you were living was high – as your own father's death that you still couldn't grieve, you couldn't grasp enough courage to grieve him properly without letting your inner rage explode – you were happier than before. Your hunger for blood had stopped, and Three was there to help you as you began to live like somebody normal.

But Billy was your best ally in this game. You could count on him as you never had the opportunity to. During the first nights, he stayed with you, as you held your tears back because everything was too much for you, because it finally had hit you: you were alone again. But he caressed your forehead, kissed it, and reminded you that you would never be alone again. Not on his watch. And often, you would fall asleep between his arms. Feeling safe. And probably loved.

“Y/N,” he whispered during one night, as you had your face against his chest, resting. You only hummed in response. “You don't hate me for what's happening to you?”

“Billy,” you groaned as you pulled away a little from him, “I don't, I promise. I'm thankful I had the chance to find you and to feel freer than be...”

“But you had a stable life,” he cut you mid-sentence, and you could feel his anxiety grow as he spoke. “You had everything you ever wanted and could wish for, and with the Ghosts we destroyed it all because of our stupid plan, a plan to save the world... By crushing yours...”

“Billy,” you whispered as you put your hand on his cheek, rubbing it with your fingertips now. “I'm not regretting anything, and I don't hate you Billy. I will never hate you, I promise. I love you too much to hate you,” the words naturally flowed out your mouth and you hoped that he wouldn't catch it.

“I love you too, y/n, that was why I couldn't bear see you suffering when I died or not so long ago hen they wanted to have information from me,” he said, his eyes glistening in the dark. You felt yourself attracted towards him, your moth making its way towards him before you kissed him, delicately. You never knew how much you wanted this moment until it happened. His lips were soft, and he pulled you closer against him.

“I think the lucky bastard was right,” you whispered as you thought about the man who had mocked you when you spoke with Billy during your captivity, “I do have an undying love for you, Billy”

“And so do I, y/n.”