#or when his eyes go red when he's fighting at times. like against fenrir.

[lucifershots]

i think it's a big point a lot of people misunderstand. lucifer... cares for people, but not in the same way. mazikeen has idolized him since he saved her as a child- usually calls him 'lord lucifer' or something along those lines. she's respectful because of his power. i don't think either of them have actually fallen in love with another.

not that neither of them are capable of love. i think they could, maybe, if the circumstances came for it. for the right being. but it would be so, so hard.

and you'd really have to make me want it. in the show, i couldn't much care for deckerstar. doesn't make sense to me. also, i can't wrap my head around any characters from vertigo being genuinely romantically involved with a cop for an extended period of time. just because they're all incredibly off the walls. but in the case of lucifer, he doesn't need to debate morality. hell, he knows his morals are somewhat askew from what people view as "normal". but that's a note for another day.

anyways, i don't care for this ship, but this being added really shows that lucifer doesn't. care, exactly? like sure, it's nice to have her around. but i don't think he's ever explicitly told her he loved her. and being constantly loyal to him kind of prevented her from coming into her own for a little while. absolutely loved it when in the 2018-2020 run, she ended up basically telling him to fuck off when she was running her own little antique shop. it's nice.

[stubz]

"Hey Fenrir? What's the protocol on roughhousing?" asks the human looking up at the busy orc. Polishing his newly crafted warhammer.

"Headshots are okay for those older than 10 but no aiming for the eyes. No biting or hairpulling or hits below the belt. Keep the fighting on the field. Stop at first blood or when the other says 'stop' or they give up."

"Got it!"

"If you need anything check the shed!"

.

"Hey Fen, where's Max?"

"He's out training with my siblings and cousins." He looks at the steel, his reflection looking perfectly back at him.

"Training? Like running?"

"No, sparring lessons. He seemed quite excited about it." He leans down to nuzzle the much smaller human.

"Fen."

"Yes love?"

"What exactly did Max tell you he was doing?" the orc looks at her bemused.

"Well, he asked me what the rules were for roughhousing, which I told him, and then he left to go spar with them. Oh and I told him where the sparring weapons are."

"...Fen, roughhousing is play fighting for humans. Not sparring. Just play wrestling. Not actual training with sparring weapons."

"...oh shit."

..

They arrive just in time to watch Max suplexing Fenrir's younger brother to the ground. The teenage orc slams to the ground but is quick to wrestle out of the human's grip.

From opposite sides comes two other teenage orcs. Together they body slam the human while he's still on the ground.

Kim sucks in a breath through her teeth wincing. Fenrir takes a step forward.

The human waves him off though. For he had managed to capture one of the twins upon impact. She was stuck in a headlock and now being used as a meat shield.

From there he managed to stand up with her but was soon overpowered once again.

...

By the end Max was the last one standing although barely. He had just stayed up a second longer than the twins.

Together the human and orcs laid there in the field covered in bruises and dirt. All of them satisfied and rather pleased at a well done sparring session.

"Well it's a good thing they wrestled."

"Are you sure roughhousing doesn't mean the same here as it does on Earth?"

"Eh still no? I mean we do wrestle but don't use weapons."

"Love, Max just used Nyx as a weapon against Echo and Baldur."

"I still don't know you did that." muttered Nyx.

"Yeah but that's normal!" sputtered the red faced Kim.

"He threw my sister at me! Threw her on top of me!"

"We're like the exact same height as him.." Echo was still trying to figure out how a species weaker and smaller than theirs was able to do that.

"In my defense, Kim's family taught me that one."

"Yeah but I never thought you'd actually do it! It's made for short people against tall people, not humans against orc children!"

[alneedssleep]

Loki Children Headcannons

Disclaimer: probably obvious from the fact I am talking about his children, but this is myth Loki, not Marvel’s bastardisation. 

Sleipnir 

Sleipnir is the eldest and is non-binary (he/they). 

They are capable of taking on a human form and, when they do, they act like a diva who drinks way too much and complains about Odin using him as a steed. 

If they existed in the modern day, they would absolutely dress like a young woman in the 30s – shawl and all. 

Out of all the siblings, he is somehow the one with the highest alcohol tolerance. 

Loki struggled at first to bond with Sleipnir because they were born out of r*pe (depending on how you interpret the only source we actually have on his conception, it could be seen as consensual or not. I personally think it was supposed to be non-consensual but, because the author was Christian, was vague about it). 

Hel 

Her dead side is only mildly blue and bruised looking like a fresh corpse when she is happy. It becomes more grotesque the angrier she gets. She becomes a full-on skeleton on that side when she is furious.  

Hel is a lesbian and occasionally dates some of the women who die and come to Helheim but doesn’t have a consistent partner. 

She is the youngest of all her siblings but ends up acting like the eldest because the only place they can reunite is in Helheim after Ragnarök where she is queen. 

Loki, Sigyn and Angrboda still baby her though. She will never admit to secretly liking it. At least, not in front of her siblings. 

Narfi 

He is trans. I don’t know why, it's just vibes. 

He is the elder of him and Vali.

He is studious and generally much softer and nicer compared to Vali. 

He is a user of seidr (Norse magic) which he learnt from Loki and even Sigyn a bit. This made him a target of teasing as a child since seidr is a girl's thing. 

He has his mother’s dark hair and darker skin with Loki’s green eyes. 

Vali 

He is gay but started off with a lot of internalised homophobia because he was teased for being the child of Loki, a notorious genderfluid in a culture that saw feminine men as a bad thing, and became unwilling to accept what could make him seem like a girl. 

He is a warrior and is prone to rash decisions, making him a lot like Loki. 

Vali and Loki have a bit of a difficult relationship since Vali is a mama’s boy but he is so similar to Loki in many ways (which a large part of him hates but the rest of him can’t help but love). 

He is very muscular with Loki’s red hair and Sigyn’s black eyes. He has a long beard with he braids and decorates with Narfi’s help. 

Jörmungandr 

His first word was “Ssssssnack!” 

He used to either curl up in front of the fire, against Fenrir or in Hel or Loki’s laps. Those memories are the only thing staving off his pain from being a land serpent in the cold depths of the ocean. 

He and Fenrir used to get into play fights all the time as a pup and hatchling and someone would always end up having to break them up before they broke something. 

He can speak in human tongue, but not nearly as well as Fenrir. He is also the only non-human child of Loki who can’t take a human form. 

Fenrir 

He is a cuddly teddy bear and used to sleep curled up in bed with one of his siblings or Loki, Angrboda or Sigyn. 

He was the gentlest of his siblings before being chained up. Even after that, he remained shockingly kind but became very protective over his family as a result. 

He has black fur with an almost purplish tinge and bright yellow eyes. 

He is able to change his size, going from normal wolf to “able to eat the sun and moon” big. 

He has a human form with long, thick black hair, sideburns and the same eerie yellow eyes. 

[dominimoonbeam]

I end up with endlessly connecting stories because I fall in love with all of my side characters. I never learn. I give them the most incredible names or personalities and stick them in the background like they aren't going to demand their own damn stories--like I'm going to just be finished and leave it at that.

I mean... Pearl in Don't Touch My Stuff?

His pale skin was covered in tattoos, many of them drawn by Aurelio. In an oversized tank top, Aurelio could see one of his friend’s first tattoos on the back of his shoulder. It was a heart that had once contained the words Pearl + Turner. Turner had since been crossed out, one thin line through his name that meant his deletion from Pearl’s heart. Eventually, a new name had been written right under Turner, Brandon. But that one had been crossed out too with another beneath it. And then another. And another. And another. Each one crossed out for the next. It was a running tally of the men that had come and gone from Pearl’s heart, written on his back as though he had forgotten them there, never to be noticed by him again.

Aurelio sometimes wondered what Pearl would do when he ran out of space. His spine was only so long… Would he start writing them down his thigh and his leg all the way to the bottom of his foot? Would he be walking on those names one day?

Mehdi in Cosmic Dust?

He was beautiful in the worst way and suddenly she thought she knew why people used to believe in gods. Was this how people had felt the first time they saw lightning, a volcano, or a comet hit? This asshole was terrifying, and he hadn’t even done anything yet.

Sunny in Bite to Bruise...

He still wasn’t breathing.

“Sunny!” Ever shouted, as if he could command him to inhale.

The other man shook, mouth still gaping, and there, in his throat, squirmed the tendrils of a god’s blood—as though even this disconnected part of that deathless creature fought being consumed. The tendrils reached, cutting itself on his teeth, fighting his tongue. And Ever realized Sunny was still trying to force it down.

There was no going back.

“Fuck,” Ever ground his teeth and then grabbed his brother’s face and snapped his mouth shut. He pulled him close to make him look him in the eyes. “Swallow that fucking monster, Sunshine. You’re a fenrir. Nothing escapes your teeth once you bite down. Eat that god.”

Sunny stared back at him, still unbreathing, still struggling, but a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. He lurched just enough to bump his skull against Ever’s before he shifted. The shadows of his fenrir burst around him, crackling like lightning in the air, that deep red swirling against his black. He snapped his teeth, once and then twice, snarling and chewing until the piece of a midnight finally went down. His form still snapped and crackled at the edges, like static now, the thread of red slithering deep inside the black where it seemed to be held tightly by the rest of him.

[buffyfan145]

I knew I was going to get Haladriel thoughts reading "The Witch's Heart", which is a retelling of Norse mythology from Angrboda's (Loki's first partner/wife), POV but OMG this really is weirdly similar at times. It's well known Tolkien based Sauron/Mairon off of Loki and I know more about Sigyn since she's normally the most well known of his wives (and of course his other Marvel love interests) but I see Galadriel in both of them. 😏 LOL Also it's interesting all this is happening at the same time in this book as normally Loki's with Angrbody thousands of years before he even becomes a god and then marries Sigyn after they're parted, but so much more drama this way.

With Angrboda she's a witch that's been outcasted from all the others and especially Odin. She ends up being a feared witch in the woods that most are afraid of, similar to how Galadriel was talked of by the men that didn't actually know her as well as from the other elves. Angrboda ends up having 3 children by Loki (all with his green eyes): their daughter who almost died Hel (Hela) and later becomes the ruler of Hel or the underworld of the dead and in the book also falls in love with Baldur (Odin's son adored by everyone and now a very common thing in adaptations even though they weren't a couple in the original myths); Fenrir (Fenris) the large wolf and Jörmungandr (Jorm) the serpent and both boys play a part at the end of the world after they're taken from their mother. It ends badly between her and Loki making them enemies as their children are taken away and he ends their marriage revealing more of his deceiving. Angrboda's also has foresight like Galadriel too and knows how the world is going to end and how Loki plays a huge part in it but doesn't tell him. So their story goes more like how we know Galadriel and Sauron's does.

Then there's Sigyn. She's depicted here just like in the myths and Marvel as being a blonde-haired goddess of loyalty/fidelity. Regardless of what Loki does she forgives him and still loves him, and eventually turns against the gods when one son Váli kills the other Narfi (Nari) after the gods turned him into a werewolf and the torture they put Loki through. In Marvel she learns to use magic from Loki and I'm curious if the same happens in this book since I have some more left to read. Also at one point Angrboda has a vision of Loki leading an army on a boat to fight the gods at Ragnarök and Sigyn is the one by his side and reminded me so much of this scene with Haladriel. LOL 😀

So I'm really enjoying this book, and there's still a lot of romance in it as well, and Loki looks more like how the Norse myths described him with reddish hair and green eyes, and we know that's similar to "Rings of Power" Halbrand/Sauron (and still Tom's when he has red hair), and now getting this including the other gods calling him "The Shapeshifter", "Mischief Maker", and "Father of Wolves". I posted before about Loki and Sauron but there does seem to be a lot of similarities between them, which Tolkien likely planned, but for both his wives/partners in the myths to be so similar to Galadriel is great. And I'd totally rec anything Loki or Norse mythology related to read being a LOTR fan and Haladriel shipper.

[newyggdrasil]

Chapter 4 - Rock

Lunnec was stunned and confused. He was only able to see a small hole in the ceiling, the fall had been at least 6 meters. He tried to move but a rock gripped his right leg and he felt a terrible pain from his leg to all his body.

"Fenrir, Fenrir ... " he shouted when manage to focus.

"I'm here, Lunnec," Fenrir said from the other side of the cave.

Over Fenrir's body shimmered protection runes that his father forced him to conjure before each mission. The boy only had a few bruises which relaxed  Lunnec when he saw him finally. The negative part was that when he stopped worrying about his little brother, he began to feel all the pain.

Fenrir was getting closer trying to clean himself, he was covered in dust, and it was complicated to see well into the cave because of the little light that entered through the hole.

"We have fallen from very high. I hope that Dad is okay," Fenrir said looking at the ceiling.

"Of course, but now I need your help," the painful young man said.

"Okay. I'm going ..." The child shut up when he saw his brother under the rocks. His hands trembled while the rest of his body was static.

"Calm, little man, everything will be fine. You must breathe and help me with these rocks which hold my leg," Lunnec said trying to appear calm.

The boy began to take off the rocks that it was on his brother.

"Lunnec your leg," Fenrir said scared.

"Don't worry. This looks worse than really is. It will heal," Lunnec said breathing deeply.

The truth was that the leg was pretty bad. His tibia was likely broken, and although Lunnec couldn't see it, he felt it. But that wasn't the moment to think about, they needed to meet their father as soon as possible.

"Ahh, shit," Lunnec yelled when Fenrir moved a rock and others fall over the healthy leg of Lunnec. "Okay, okay. I'm fine, keep going."

Suddenly, they heard strong footsteps. Something heavy approached them.

"Lunnec, what is this? " Fenrir asked afraid.

"I don't know, hurry," Lunnec answered with concern.

Fenrir began to hurry but he didn't have time to liberate his brother before a rock troll appeared from a tunnel.

This rock troll wasn't different from the rest of the rock trolls. They look like gorillas in size and shape, but their legs, arms, and back are covered by irregular hard rock. Usually, they aren't violent as long as you aren't near their lair. Unfortunately for the boys, the troll was in an attack position with both arms protecting its chest while growling.

Lunnec was aware of the danger, he whistled and Nodric start to distract the troll.

Shit, in this condition I can't fight. What can I do? he thought.

At this moment he saw that his brother's iris was shining. Lunnec had an idea, but it was very risky; however, he had nothing to lose. He can't fight and Nodric only could distract the animal for a few seconds more.

"Fenrir let it out."

"But the last time was terrible," the kid replied.

"Don't think about the last time, you focus only on the troll."

Fenrir took off his shoes and clothes quickly. His body began to sweat, and his vein was a dark-red color, it was almost black. His body changed quickly. 

Fenrir transformed into some type of marsupial. He had black fur with white vertical stripes. Depending on the side you looked at him he appeared a giant muscular rat. From tail to head he would measure one and a half meter. His eyes were the only thing that hadn't changed, they were yellow like always although they were shiny.

"Are you kidding me? The last time you turn into a wolf, I have a mark on my back to prove it," Lunnec yelled.

Fenrir look at him and did a disturbing screech.

"Calm buddy! I'm not your enemy," Lunnec said trying that his brother wouldn't kill him.

Maybe a wolf would have been more useful, but Fenrir's fang and claws were terrifying, and Lunnec had no more options to defend himself besides trusting Fenrir or whatever was at that moment.

The troll threw the sword against the wall. Nodric was almost without magic, his swordsman has to hold a few minutes to charge it and Lunnec had used it a lot that day. Luckily, the noise had attracted Fenrir's attention. He began to attack the troll. In this shape he was very fast; he jumped on the troll and bit his ear and face. The troll frenetically shook trying to free itself from Fenrir's bites, but it wasn't capable.

Lunnec thought about how they will kill it. The troll had his chest unprotected because he was distracted by Fenrir.

If I'm able to take Fenris's bow, I could shoot at the troll's heart. He thought 

He crawled on the ground, the pain was unbearable. He stretch himself all he could but it didn't enough. He gathered all his strength and invoked roots that gave him the bow. He prepared himself, and when he had a chance he shot, he hit the bulls-eye, the heart of the troll. The years of training with the bow, when he was younger, had been worth it.

The troll dropped dead. As the troll didn't move, Fenrir began to approach his brother.

"Okay, buddy, well done. Now calm down and don't kill your brother," Lunnec had his hands cold and clammy.

If Fenrir attacked at that moment, he wouldn't opportunity to protect himself in any way. Fenrir screeched and Lunnec gripped the bow tighter in his hands. But almost immediately Fenrir turned into his normal self and Lunnec drop the bow scared of his own thought for the last few seconds.

"Wow, that has been amazing, hasn't it?" Fenrir said euphoric while he shivered because of the cold. "You saw me. I wasn't scared and when the troll..."

"Easy, what I see is my brother nuked. Can you put on some clothes?" Lunnec said at the same time to try to recover his own breathing.

"Oh, really but could you ..."

"Now!"

Fenrir took his clothes and got dressed. Then he moved away all rocks that gripped his brother. Lunnec, still on the ground, started to clean himself and looked at his leg, which was pretty bad.

"I wish Dad had seen me," Fenrir said at full speed while jumping around and grinning from ear to ear.

"I wish my brother would be considerate," Lunnec said.

"Really, you need my help to walk."

The kid was hyperactive and euphoric, this always happen to him after a transformation. He was full of energy and Lunnec didn't know if he preferred this Fenrir or normal Fenrir. This was brave and hot-blooded, but he never shut up. 

Fenrir helped his brother to stand up.

"Barf, what is this smell?" Lunnec said while he was nauseated.

Fenrir bring his nose to his underarm and pulled a disgusted face.

"I'm, but the troll didn't smell so bad. By the way, could you see me? It was amazing, he had claws and was very fast. The smell thing isn't cool but, did you see how I jumped over it?"

Lunnec became aware that he preferred the normal Fenrir, the road would be so long for him.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to read more, new chapters are upload Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays on tumblr and Wattpad.

[floor-tiles]

exerpt

Cecil peeked around the corner. King Adelio and his guard were arguing – about what Cecil couldn’t say – and getting progressively louder. He listened intently.

“All I’m saying is you never had to go this far!” I made you a ruler, just like you asked. You have money and power, just like you asked. You have everything you could ever want, so why use your status unjustly?” the guard snapped.

Cecil expected the king to murder him right then and there, but he didn’t. What really happened was something that wouldn’t have even been in Cecil’s worst dreams.

The king’s skin turned gaunt and ghastly. His plump stature shrunk to skin and bone. Honey eyes turned completely white. Towering over the guard, he reached his bony and spindly hand outwards and tightly grasped his throat before shoving him against the wall. The impact shook the paintings hung on the walls.

“You forget where you stand next to me,” his other hand came up to the guard's cheek, “Your life means nothing to me. It’s not even a fraction of mine, in worth or time. If I wanted, I could gut you, right here, for anyone walking by to see. I will live long after your death whether I do or not.”

He dropped the guard onto the tiled floor. He stayed there trembling with fear.

Turning back to his usual self, the king spoke a final time, “Don’t act like you’re any better than me. You murdered your own king for pocket money and notoriety! You’re equally as unjust as me, Fenrir.”

And he left.

Okay, so, Cecil thought, King Adelio is not actually King Adelio because he’s dead. Lovely!

It was not lovely. This new information brought a whole new layer of complexity to the situation. He left swiftly.

-skip to later part-

He charged towards the king, but he wasn’t fast enough. The king transformed and backhanded Cecil. He went flying and crashed into the dirt.

“I let you go the first time. Clearly, you’ve got a death wish.”

Cecil got up, ignoring the pain. He charged and yelled, only to get the wind knocked out of him again. His vision was going dark, but beyond the haze he could see the monster inching closer to him.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed on Rhys. He had a large hand up to the sky. He looked as though he was struggling to hold up his own weight. His long platinum hair twisted and turned like he was in a hurricane. Suddenly, the clouds parted and made way for the sun. The monster screeched. Rhys took his claymore and ran at him. With its strike, the sword released a red-hot glow. The powerful magic scorched the creature’s skin, but not enough to kill it.

This gave Cecil a chance to get up. He wasn’t a great fighter, but he’d be damned if he didn’t try. He slashed, cut, and stabbed, doing whatever he could. Rhys continued using melee and magic.

At times, Cecil found it hard to focus with all the magic. It was beautiful. Rhys seemed to fight with such ease, and he made life-threatening battle look like a dance. It was admirable, really, how good a soldier he was. Cecil supposed that was why he was a guard of the castle itself. When Cecil finally got a good stab in, it was safe to say he was shocked.

Suddenly, all the guards came rushing back. They drew their weapons, ready to fight the monster before them.

With the combined force of one loser and a small army, they managed to take him down. With a yell, he shifted into many different forms before a bolt of lightning came from the sky. With the final blow, he disintegrated into dust, the wind carrying the ashes of what was left. Cecil looked up to see Rhys, claymore held high. His hair was stuck up from static.

[awesomeanimelover39]

howdy hey

could I request headcanons with the red army ( maybe also black army if that's aight ? ) with an alice whose similar to black widow ( natasha romanoff ) ? like her being a master martial artists all those stuff ,,

I've always wanted to request but was always too scared to do so off anon :,] so this is my first time you could say (??)

that's all, have a nice day man 👀💦

Hi! YES this is such a great idea!! I love it! Sorry it took so long to get to, I've been going through some stuff with my family, so I didn't get the time. But now I am able to get back to writing and finally answer requests. I love this idea so much I HAVE to do both armies.

Requested by: @schleepyflocci

Red and Black Armies with an s/o who is the equivalent of Black Widow

Black Army

Ray Blackwell:

To say he was surprised would be an understatement

He always thought his s/o would need his help when it came to fighting

But after watching you training when you thought you were alone,

He realized he was wrong

He wants to spar with you now

And Ray is not the only one, all of the Black Army does once they find out

You beat all of them

Including Ray

Pouty baby

You assure him that even though he lost, it's only because you are the best at what you do

MC just got cocky

He wants to win one day so badly

But, in the end, you truly are the best

And he loves you for it

Sirius Oswald:

Okay here's the deal

He is impressed

But now he finds himself worrying about you more than ever

Why? You have no idea

He actually made a list of things you can't do

No practicing unless he is watching, no sparing with the others, no weapons of any kind inside, and there are many others and they are all stupid

He just doesn't want to see is s/o hurt

All of the movements you can do all of the strength that is within your body could damage you or others

Its cute how he thinks he can stop you from doing it anyway

You have to tell him over and over you know what you are doing

And after he gets past most of his fears, he can't stop watching you

He really is with the most talented fighter in the world

Luka Clemence:

Whoaaaaaahhhhhh

So there is someone out there who trains as hard as him

Pls train with him

He doesn't always want to be alone when he does it

And watching you do it motivates him to get even better

You can't tell if he likes your abilities or not, but he seems to be happy

Deep inside he is amazed

(He can't wait to shove this in Jonah's face the next time he starts bragging about something)

You went into battle with the Black Army once

Those Red Army soldiers didn't stand a chance against you

No one does

Seth Hyde:

Teehee

He always knew there was something you weren't telling him

As soon as he saw you training he knew your fighting skills were top-notch

To be honest he liked saving you but, he kinda likes feeling like the princess in the tower for once

No one has ever impressed him as much as you have

And he loves you even more

There is not a soul on earth the would screw with you two when you're both mad

A man tried to kidnap you once when you were on a date

Oh that ended well

For you guys 😇

Never before had you seen such fear in a mans eyes

Some part of Seth is even a little afraid of you

But he loves it

Fenrir Godspeed:

No freaking way

So his s/o is beautiful, smart, and an excellent fighter???

How many gifts have you been blessed with

Its become really hard for you to practice because every time he sees you, he runs up to you and begs to watch

Which wouldn't be so bad if he was only watching

But he is "woahhh" ing so loud and asking so many questions its hard to focus

But you love his enthusiasm 😃

He just HAD to show you off to Ray right now

You now spar with both Ray and Fenrir at the same time

You actually like training with them way more than being alone

Red Army

Lancelot Kingsley:

He's a little bit scared

I mean he's happy you can defend yourself but...

He hope you never get into a really heated argument with him

You have had to tell him multiple times that you would NEVER hit him

And that he has magic

You have no idea why he's nervous at first

You were way more nervous of him when you first met

After he gets used to it, he thinks it's impressive

He won't say anything about it, but watching you makes him happy

wether you are training or sparring he is impressed

Knowing that no matter what people can't hurt you even he is not around is comforting

Jonah Clemence:

Dear god

He didn't think you were capable of these sorts of things

You were not sure if you should show him at first

He doesn't take new things well

You didn't want it to turn into a whole dramatic thing

What you didn't predict is that he would be even more upset that you DIDN'T tell him

He had to find out from Edgar of all people

You hadn't meant for Edgar to find out, he just has silent steps and had snuck up behind you

After Jonah found out he went to find you immediately

You had been having a peaceful training session until you saw him storm up to you

Wow he had been jealous and upset about you not telling him first

You assured him you were going to tell him even though you really hadn't been planning on it

He forgave you

But now he demands to watch you every day

Its his favourite thing now

Edgar Bright:

Haha

He knew a loooong time ago

But he didn't know you were this good

Someone had stollen your wallet out in central

He had just happened to be patrolling around there

All he saw was you sprint after that man like a cheetah and tackle him to the ground

In one swift motion you had his hands behind his back with one hand and your wallet in the other

You let the man go and he was tripping over himself to get away

Then you heard Edgar clapping behind you, a smirk on his face

"That. Was. Awesome."

You are teaching him that

He has to know where you learnt that, how long you've been able to fight, and what kinds of other moves can you do

He feels the need to hide you when Claudius is anywhere near there

He loves you even more now

He is never letting you go

Kyle Ash:

Uhhhhhh

Please don't put more people in the infirmary

You haven't yet or anything he's just thinking ahead

You have never seen him so stressed

Or thirsty

After he calms down a bit, you ask him to watch you train

Just one time, and if he doesn't like it, he doesn't ever have to watch you again

He did like it

He could watch this all day

After that he started watching you spar with the others

Your movements are so quick and smooth

He is never going to tell you how attractive he thinks it is

Zero:

Yesss

Oh he thinks it's awesome

But you have no idea he feels that way

He wants to spar with you all the time

Ahh he wants to learn

After watching you for a while he learns a few things

You thought it was so cute that he was learning your style

It meant a lot to you

Before long you two together become very strong

Your connection with him has grown stronger too

You really are amazing

[chudleycanonficfest]

Rewrite the Stars

Day 7, Post #1 is by @adenei

Title: Rewrite the Stars

Author: adenei

Pairing: Ron/Hermione (Romione)

Prompt: Songfic

Rating: PG 

TW: Depiction of blood purity/discussion of prejudices against Muggleborns, Violence/Murder mentioned (but not graphic)

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*This fic is inspired not only by the song, but also Anne and Philip's relationship in the movie The Greatest Showman.*

Summary: AU In a world where there’s no Voldemort, but blood purity is strictly enforced, Ron and Hermione must navigate their budding relationship, and all the trials and tribulations that come with it.

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“Are you sure this is alright?” Hermione asks as she smooths the front of her dress, checking for wrinkles for the fifth time in as many minutes.

  “Yes, it’s fine! You look beautiful,” Ron assures her.

  He places a warm, comforting hand on the small of her back as they enter the grandiose ballroom where the Auror department is hosting their annual dinner. A handful of Aurors are honored for their achievements, but over the years, it’s turned into an event for the upper classes and Purebloods.

  Hermione knows she doesn’t belong here, amongst the men and women whose wealth and social status put them leagues ahead of anyone else, and it’s rare to receive an invitation to such an event even as a Halfblood. But as a Muggleborn, Hermione braces herself for an onslaught of jeers and slurs. If Ron wasn’t being honored for his success on a case he’d worked six months to solve, she wouldn’t be here at all.

  Ron has always encouraged Hermione to follow her dreams, even during their Hogwarts days. Though they were sorted into different houses, the two shared many Prefect rounds together. Being named Head Boy and Girl also brought them closer together, where they began seeing each other in secret . Neither had intended to break things off upon graduation, but when Hermione received rejection after rejection for potential jobs within the Ministry, she pushed him away too. 

  There was a time years ago when she hoped to be working within the Magical Law Department with dreams of making the magical world a more accepting place for every witch and wizard, no matter their blood status. But those bright-eyed and bushy-tailed dreams have long since dissipated. The rules are archaic, and there’s no chance of overturning something so set in stone until there’s a new Minister of Magic who would be open to the possibility. 

  So, for now, Hermione tends to a job that gives her equal satisfaction. She teaches young Muggleborn students in a special school that she founded with the help of Professor McGonagall. Hermione earned her certification to teach the primary levels at University after graduating from Hogwarts, and now works with Professor McGonagall to teach those students between the ages of five and eleven how to prepare for the world they’ll enter when they’re old enough to go to Hogwarts. This is in addition to all of the regular courses that Muggle England expects them to study.

  The prep school is what reconnected the pair, when Ron was assigned to work the case of an eight-year-old that disappeared last year. It was determined that the child was abducted by Fenrir Greyback and turned into a werewolf. Ron found the boy’s body deep in the Forest of Dean, where it was determined that Fenrir became too bloodthirsty on that particular hunt. 

  Hermione was distraught over the outcome and took comfort in Ron, who was equally shaken by the case. As the weeks following the case progressed, Hermione found herself spending more and more time with Ron. Slowly but surely, they found their way back to each other and had only just rekindled their relationship a couple of months ago.

  Since their relationship still feels so new to Hermione, they’ve kept things quiet. But she knows how important tonight is for Ron, and she wants to be there for him. To support him the same way he supports her. Hermione knows he will be by her side through it all, and has assured  her that no one will make any comments. 

  Ron leads them around the room, exchanging pleasantries and mingling with people Hermione’s only heard stories about. Thus far, everyone she’s encountered has been polite. They are about to make their way to their table when a voice calls out to them.

  “Ron! There you are, dear! We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  Hermione turns to see a plump woman with hair the same shade of red as Ron’s. A man follows in her wake who peers at them through half-moon spectacles with the same cerulean eyes that she’s so familiar with, only they’re attached to a different face. They’re much colder than the warmth Ron’s eyes emit, and that’s when the dread begins to expand from the pit in her stomach.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you were both attending tonight,” Ron attempts to hide the surprise as he greets his parents.

  “And miss the opportunity to see our son receive an award for his hard work? Don’t be silly,” his father responds with a wave of his hand.

  Hermione has yet to meet Ron’s parents. A chill crawls up her spine as they talk to their son as if he is standing by himself. Suddenly, all of Ron’s promises become emptier than the desk of her former student.

  “Er, right. Mum, Dad, I’d like you to meet someone.” Ron gestures toward Hermione.

  She can see his mouth moving, but no sound comes out, at least not that she hears. The blood drains from her ears, causing momentary deafness as she stands under the scrutinizing stares of his parents. Hermione holds her head high as his mother admonishes his choice of a date. There’s no empathy for them whatsoever.

  “...What will everyone think? You come from a certain class of people, and we need to uphold our status. At least go for a Halfblood, darling.”

  Years of following the mantra ‘hold your head high, don’t let it bother you, stay in your lane’ have still not prepared Hermione to endure this moment. She is a strong-willed woman, she fights for what is right, and she refuses to stand here and take this woman’s judgmental words all because of the family she was born into. 

  This is the exact reason why Hermione insisted on keeping their relationship private. Her feet move on their own accord as Hermione tears herself away from Ron’s side and weaves in and out of the clumps of people. She manages to find the visitor’s entrance and exits to the bustling streets of London. Refusing to cry, she rushes along the cobblestone sidewalk and down a deserted alleyway. 

  Hermione forces herself to forget the sound of Ron’s voice calling after her as she disapparates away from the Ministry of Magic. She finds herself in her classroom, staring at all the empty desks in front of her. Desks of students who would be forced to meet the same unfair limitations that she lives day to day. She feels so helpless, not knowing what to do in an effort to make their lives easier. 

  Looking down at the elegant maroon ball gown she’s still wearing, she feels dirty. This isn’t the life she’s meant for, no matter how many assurances Ron can give her. She doesn’t belong in his world. Thank goodness she keeps an extra outfit in her coat closet, which she rushes toward before shedding the expensive formalwear from her body. 

  Once she’s changed, Hermione sits down at her desk, staring at the piles of papers left to be graded. Ron insisted she leave them there so they could spend their weekend together. A heartbreaking realization enters her mind as she thinks of his name.

  We can’t be together. This is never going to work.

  It’s as if he knows that she’s thinking of him as the floo lights up and he stumbles out. Ron sheds his dress robes, leaving him in his starched white dress shirt and pressed black trousers. She refuses to look up even though she can feel his gaze boring into her as he stands at the head of her desk.

  “Hermione.”

  She says nothing because what is there to say?

  “They’re small-minded people. What do you care what they think?”*

  He reaches for her hand, but she tugs it away as she sits back in her chair.

  “It’s not just them, Ron. You haven’t lived this life. You don’t know what I’ve been up against. You’ll never know what it feels like to be looked at the way your parents looked at me tonight. The way they spoke down about me to my face. I can’t—I can’t be subjected to that. The way people will look at us because we’re together. I don’t deserve to feel that way.”

  Hermione stands up and exits the classroom, stepping into the abandoned hallway. She can’t do this anymore— it’s too painful. She’s learned to pick and choose her battles. It’s better to let people like the Weasleys think they’ve won while she keeps fighting on her own.

  You know I want you, it’s not a secret I try to hide.

I know you want me, so don’t keep saying our hands are tied.

You claim it’s not in the cards, that fate is pulling you miles away and out of reach from me,

But you’re here in my heart, so who can stop me if I decide that you’re my destiny?

  “Hermione, don’t do this. Please. I don’t care what they think. I want you, and nothing else matters.”

  She stops and only turns her head slightly to see him leaning out of the doorway, his hand gripping the door jamb as he calls after her.

  What if we rewrite the stars, say you were made to be mine

Nothing could keep us apart, you’d be the one I was meant to find.

It’s up to you, it’s up to me, no one can say what we get to be

So why don’t we rewrite the stars, maybe the world could be ours tonight.

  “Please, love, don’t let them dictate what our life looks like.”

  The desperation in Ron’s voice is what makes Hermione turn all the way around to face him. She begins to walk a few paces toward him before the voices in her head get a hold of her. He’d become an outcast if she stayed with him. She can’t let him risk everything he’s gained by choosing her.

  You think it’s easy? You think I don’t want to run to you?

But there are mountains, and there are doors that we can’t walk through.

I know you’re wondering why because we’re able to be just you and me within these walls

But when we go outside you’re gonna wake up and see that it was hopeless after all.

  “You know it’s not that easy. We can’t just run away from everything so we can be happy. Your family would never forgive you, or me for that matter! Everyone will do everything in their power to tear us apart. It’s not worth it.”

  “So, what? You’re saying we’re not worth it?”

  No one can rewrite the stars. How can you say you’ll be mine?

Everything keeps us apart, and I’m not the one you were meant to find.

It’s not up to you, it’s not up to me, when everyone tells us what we can be.

How can we rewrite the stars? Say that the world can be ours tonight.

  Hermione reaches out and clasps his hands with her own. “No, you’re not listening to me. You’re worth so much to me that I have to let you go.”

  “But what if I don’t want to let go?”

  All I want is to fly with you. 

All I want is to fall with you. 

So just give me all of you.

It feels impossible (It’s not impossible). 

Is it impossible? (Say that it’s possible.)

  “I don’t want to let go, either, Ron, but I have to. You mean too much to me.” 

  She knows it’s better to be hurt on her own terms than to let someone else hurt her instead. Ron will see reason eventually. He has to. Hermione wraps her arms around him, tighter than ever before, putting all her feelings into one single embrace, hoping that he can understand. 

  How do we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine?

Nothing can keep us apart, cause you are the one I was meant to find.

It’s up to you and it’s up to me, no one can say what we get to be

And why don’t we rewrite the stars, changing the world to be ours… 

  There are many things she can change, but her blood status isn’t one. Above all else, she’s proud of being a Muggleborn, and she’ll keep teaching her students to be proud of their roots as well. She’ll keep her memories of Ron and how wonderful he is locked up tight as she finds a way to navigate this world without him. Hermione has made her decision as she kisses his cheek and lets go. Perhaps in another lifetime, they’ll be able to be together with nothing standing in their way.

  You know I want you.

It’s not a secret I try to hide.

But I can’t have you.

We’re bound to break and our hands are tied.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Her voice leaves the faintest echo among the abandoned halls. Before she loses her nerve, she turns on the spot and apparates away, leaving the hurt look that is etched on Ron’s face burned into her mind as she leaves him alone.

[bloodxbat]

(Part 1) Triple W Mafia George x Fem! Y/N series

Warnings: Swearing! that’s it really (unless I've missed something then please let me know)

Word Count: 2,174

Summary:  George Weasley is a renowned Mafia boss who took over from his Father Arthur once he retired, to carry on the Triple W mafia legacy. The only mafia known to be able to keep the Death Eaters (their rival mafia) at bay. However there is one item that they stole from the Triple W’s which George is determined to get back...his mothers necklace, the family heirloom. Y/N Greyback has been forced to comply with the Death Eaters wishes as her family are high up members. What happens when George and Y/N meet? And what happens when they fall in love?

Series Masterlist 

The lights were dim in the what looked like to be an old bar room, the red hue coming from the red lamp shades hitting the walls. Smoke from cigars fogging up the top half of the room barely keeping the floor below visible. At each table there were groups of men, all sitting in perfectly tailored suits, sipping on their glasses of whiskey, laughing and having a good time. At the back of the room however, sat one man, alone. His elbow propped up on the arm of his chair, his finger brushing over his top lip as if he were deep in thought. His other hand held the same glass as every other man in the bar, lazily not caring if it were to fall and smash everywhere.

The man, George Weasley, a tall ginger man who’s eyes were the dark but kind shade of brown. Although seemingly intimidating, George had a kind heart, if he seen someone being attacked or robbed in the street, everyone would end up feeling bad for the attacker by the time George was finished with him. He had no time for the scum who go out of their way to make someone else’s life a living hell in order for them to feel a small, temporary taste for a God complex.

George had only recently taken over the title of the Triple W Mafia Boss, when his father Arthur had decided it was his time to retire and pass over the family ‘business’ to one of his sons. George was one of 6 sons and one daughter within the Weasley family. His identical twin brother Fred was technically supposed to become the next Mafia boss, as he was the older twin. But, he had decided that his brother George was more fit to the job than he was. So, George gratefully took over the role and appointed Fred and his younger brother Ron, to be his sort of ‘Body Guards’ although, of course George was far from needing any form of help when it came to beating or killing a criminal, it was still always good to have a little back up sometimes.

“Hey Georgie, what’s the plan then? What we gonna do about these damn Death Eaters?”

George sat, not moving, deep in thought. ‘What was he going to do about those Death Eaters?’ He has no where to start, the bastards are constantly on the run. He was determined to find their whereabouts however, as they had stolen something very precious to him, his mother’s necklace. The Weasley family heirloom.

-

In a room that was very clearly abandoned and covered in moss and mould, sat groups of men and some women in black cloaks with peculiar pointed hoods. These people, in contrast to that of which the Triple W members, appeared extremely intimidating. The members of Triple W were intimidating,  but these were the sort of people no one would want to encounter in the streets, day or night. There was no smoke from cigars in this small dingy room, there was however and eye watering stench, that was so strong some of the Death Eaters swore they seen a slight foggy green haze floating around the room.

All cloaked members were sitting in a circle all surrounding their leader Tom Riddle, or as he likes to call himself ‘Voldemort’. A tall man (not as tall as George) with black, short curly hair. He wasn’t wearing a cloak like his ‘followers’ but was wearing something that looked more like a bath robe, it was all black of course to fit in with the rest. All were listening in carefully to what he was saying, all apart form Y/N Greyback, daughter of Fenrir Greyback, a man who is considered very high up in the Death Eater mafia. She was sat in the corner, wearing a contrasting blood red dress that hugged all of her curves perfectly. Her Y/H/C hair was curled at the ends in neat ringlets, and she had some makeup on but not too much so she looked ‘dolled up’.

“We all know that the Triple W are cowering out in some fancy old bar, trouble is we don’t know where, I’ve had a few out scouting round the area, unfortunately they have all been caught” Riddle speaks out gesturing and engaging with his followers.

“What do you suggest we do then sir?” Said Fenrir who was sitting right next to where Riddle was parading around the room.

“I say we send out our most valuable member, of course, real them in, make them vulnerable” he smirked

“You don’t mean…”

“Oh yes, but I do, your daughter shall make excellent bate my dear friend, for she wears what Weasley most desires” Riddle finishes

Y/N too busy sat in the corner reading an old book, didn’t even notice that every Death Eater members eyes were on her, all smiling to themselves.

This may actually work, if we send out Y/N who is wearing that incredibly expensive looking, diamond necklace, it may just lure the idiot ginger straight to us” Fenrir laughed.

So their plan was set, send Y/N as bait and hopefully George would follow.

-     George still hadn’t moved from the position he was sat in, he hadn’t taken a single sip of his drink, his eyes focussed and barely ever blinking. He was seemingly ignoring every person who tried to get a word out of him for some sort of plan to take down their Rival mafia. Sure he had killed a lot of spies they had sent out, but he was getting absolutely no leads on where exactly they were coming from, Riddle was smarter than he thought. It seemed he had Death Eaters coming from all over the country in all different directions and disguises. George had to find some way in order to track down where exactly they were based.

The sounds of other members arguing, specifically Fred and Ron who were standing right next to where George was sat, started to sound like a horrible ringing noise, it was driving him insane, how could he concentrate when these buffoon’s were yelling nonsense at each other.

“WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP” He yelled now getting up from his seat and walking to the middle of the smoky room.

“I can’t fucking think when you’re all fighting and arguing with each other on what we’re going to do. I am very aware that those bastards are close to finding us, alright? They’ve gained more members in the past few months than I can count on my two hands. Problem is, they’re coming from all over the country, there is no set direction from where they’re all coming from, meaning that they aren’t coming from their base. This brings us to our next problem, what we’re going to do about it. The only thing I can suggest right now, which I believe may actually be our only two options, is either we leave and find a new base OR we send out multiple people all round the general area of here just outside the boarders of this town where the forests are. Each mile will have two of our members, armed and ready to capture and interrogate anyone that comes from outside the town. This includes anyone who seems innocent to the eye I.e. a mother and child as we all know by now there are families who have been a part of the Death Eaters for years, long enough for them to welcome their children. If you see a mother and child however, you of course don’t attack them straight away, you take them for questioning and more importantly, you look for that damn skull snake monstrosity that they all have tattooed on their left forearm.”

George stands looking between each of his guys trying to gauge what they were thinking by their faces.

“So what’s it to be? Hands up if you think we should move”

No one put their hands up and George smiled knowing that everyone in Triple W are too loyal to the town of Diagon to even consider leaving.

“Good choice boys, now” he rubs his hands together “who’s volunteering to be part of the watch team?”

- Y/N couldn’t believe her ears when she heard the plan to trick Triple W into following her back to the Death Eaters. She also had no idea that the beautiful silver diamond necklace that hung lazily round her neck was the stolen Weasley heirloom.

The actions of her family disgusted her, she knew that what they stood for and what they were doing was wrong, but putting her in harms way all over a stupid rivalry, AND tricking her into thinking that the necklace she had was a gift. She felt so stupid for believing them, Y/N had no options but to accept that she was going to have to go along with their horrendous plan and bait George and other members of Triple W into following her back into her family and Riddle’s evil grasp.

“Perfect” Riddle smiled grimly when Y/N accepted

“But of course, we can’t just lure them in, in one mere night, no, you have to spread this out over the course of a few days. Have him become intrigued by you, follow you a little while. You’ll be staying in a place called the Leaky Cauldron, don’t let him see you in there, it’ll blow your cover. Make sure he only sees you walking through the streets. Got it?”

Y/N tentatively nodded her head

“Good, and then, when the time is right, you’ll lead him straight here. We’ll be in communication with you, don’t let me down”

Y/N shakily made her way to Diagon, bags packed and the necklace still hanging round her neck. She had since changed into a black, silk dress, helping the bright silver of the necklace stand out against the dark colour of her clothes, further, of course to draw George Weasley’s attention.

Once she had settled into her room at the Leaky Cauldron, she was given specific instruction to make sure she wondered round the street at night, as that is most likely when Triple W members will come out from wherever they were hiding.

Y/N took a step out into the cold crisp night air, her heels click clacking off the stone pavements. She couldn’t help but take in the beauty of the town, cobblestone roads winding all through it, the windows on each building slightly askew but somehow didn’t seem out of place. It was as if she were walking through an old victorian town.

Snapping her thoughts back to the task at hand, she pulled her black shawl over her shoulders more and continued to wander aimlessly round, trying to find some form of clue as to were Triple W were hiding.

- George was more than satisfied with the outcome of the meeting they had today. He had 40 people on a list to keep watch each mile surrounding Diagon, meaning that all 20 miles would be covered. They all had their instructions ingrained into their heads and were ready to get to work the next day. Fred and Ron as usual would stay within Diagon with George, communicating to those who were out surrounding the area getting updates and passing round information. George had also decided to send a few extra spies out, including his younger sister Ginny to be on the look out for any Death Eater members who may still be lurking round the town.

George, Fred and Ron made their way out of the old bar room, and onto the streets. George made sure that they each had means of contacting each other. Fred whom George would normally live with, agreed that they each should have their own flats or place to stay in order to cover more of Diagon, and therefore be more accessible to those out in the forest. With their last goodbyes and a few phone calls to book places to stay, the three brothers separated all going in opposite directions.

George headed down the street, his hands becoming slightly red from the cold, and he could see his breath in the air. The dim orange streetlights barely lighting up the path as he walked past the old crooked houses and shops.

Just a George turned the corner he bumped into someone, a woman, dressed in a black dress and shawl.

“Oh I’m so sorry miss, I wasn’t looking where I was going properly, these damn street lights barely light up 2 feet in front of you. Are you alright” George asked looking into her eyes with worry

“I’m perfectly fine, sir, thank you” she smiled back and walked away

But George followed her with his eyes, more specifically he followed her neck, because what was hanging from it made him do a double take. He knew those diamonds from anywhere, they way they glistened brightly in every light. Was that, his mother’s stolen necklace?

Taglist: @amourtentiaa​ @love-peachh​ @pens-and-roses​ @rosietoesy​ @comfortwriting​ @famdomhideout​ @dracofknmalfoy​ @pandaxnienke​ @georgeweasleysbabe​ @le-weasley-simp​ (MESSAGE/ASK IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED)

[peggyrose19]

If you are taking prompts could you do Remus playing against Grayback for the first time on the Lions? I love your writing!!

gjkfajfkdfj thank you!! I’ve never gotten a prompt before, so I’m excited for this. Hope this gives you what you wanted. Finished this faster than I thought I would due to (ew) school and anxiety, but it’s possible I just ignored my responsibilities and spent my hour break at dance finishing this. Also, I don’t know how hockey works so sorry to anyone who does if this is horribly incorrect, I have no regrets. Characters by the always wonderful @lumosinlove Thank you all for reading!! <3

They were playing the Knights. It was early in the season, they were playing well. But the Knights… the Knights were a different story. The Knights had Fenrir Greyback. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Sirius asked Remus once again as they got in bed the night before the game. 

He nodded. “I’ll be okay, Pads.” 

“Okay.” But Sirius still wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close, unwilling to let go. In Sirius’ arms, he was okay, he was safe. On the ice tomorrow… well, who knew what would happen. 

“I love you,” Sirius murmured. 

“I love you, too,” Remus whispered back, and closed his eyes.

Curled in Sirius’ arms, Remus slept better than he expected to, although he hadn’t expected to sleep at all. He slipped out of bed before the sun had even risen, too wired to sit still. He looked down at his sleeping fiance, cheeks flushed and breathing even. So peaceful in rest. Remus smiled, running a gentle hand over Sirius’ soft hair, before pulling away and heading towards the bathroom to get ready.

When Sirius woke a little while later, Remus sat at the small table in their room, scrolling through his phone. Sirius whined when he reached out a hand and found the bed empty beside him. 

“Re?”

“I’m here.”

Sirius pushed himself up, glancing over at him blearily. His hair was a mess framing his face, cheek flushed red from where it had been pressed against the pillow. 

“What’re you doing up?”

Remus shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.” 

Sirius frowned, then clambered out of bed and padded over to him in just his pajama pants. He kissed the top of Remus’ head then sat down next to him. Remus leaned into him.

“What’s up?”

“It’s just,” Remus sighed. “Greyback. I don’t… I don’t know. I’m scared, I guess. We beat him last year, and I was okay, I made it. But it just feels different this time. Actually playing. What if he tries to hurt me again? Or you?” 

“We’ll be okay, mon loup,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to his temple. “I’ve got you. And so does the team, d’accord? We’re going to get through this.”

“I love you.”

“Love you.”

The crowd was wild. They could hear them even in the locker room as they got ready. Sirius stayed by Remus’ side as much as he could, not saying a word. Remus was grateful for it, for the quiet support. It settled him. He went through his routine mindlessly, forcing himself to focus on the game and not the man waiting for him on the other team. 

James came over at one point, talking quietly with Sirius, too low for Remus to hear. After a moment, Sirius slapped him on the back with a firm nod, and James headed back to his stall. 

“Everything good?” Remus leaned over and asked.

Sirius smiled and nodded. “He was just checking in, that mother hen. I swear Harry has only made him worse.”

“Oh hush. You like it.” Sirius just grumbled in response. 

The team made their way down the tunnel to cheers. It was electric, Remus could feel the energy and tension in the air. All of the boys were ready to take them down, payback for injuring him all those years ago, and hitting Sirius just the year before. They were furious and determined, and that was when they played their best. 

Remus stepped onto the ice amid cheers and boos. Sirius was by his side, grey eyes stormy. The whole team was glaring daggers at the Knights’ side, at Greyback specifically where he stood talking swiftly with their goalie. 

“Guys, don’t do anything stupid,” Remus said to them, and it reminded him of the last game they’d played against them. “We’ll beat them, but only if we play fair.”

“But-” Logan began to protest, and Remus fixed him with a glare.

“No, Tremz. I told you last time. Don’t fight on account of me. Or Sirius. It won’t help.”

“D’accord,” he sighed. 

Moments later, the game began. 

The first two periods passed fairly quickly. Logan got a goal ten minutes in, Sirius following it up with a goal of his own soon after. When second period ended, they were up three to one. As they headed back down the tunnel, Sirius grabbed Remus’ hand. 

“You doing okay?” he asked quietly.

“I’m fine,” he said reassuringly. He ignored the pounding of his heart, the shaking of his hands. What Sirius didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. “You okay?”

Sirius heaved a sigh as they entered the locker room. “Yeah, I’m good. They’ve been too quiet. It shouldn’t be this easy. He’s not putting up a fight.” 

“Don’t think about it, baby.” Sirius just shook his head and headed to his stall. 

The locker room was quiet, a few people talking quietly to each other, shuffling around for supplies. The cubs all stood together, Finn beside Leo in his stall with Logan standing above them. Logan was bright-eyed and flushed, Leo smiling up at him. His blond hair was sticking up in all directions, sweaty from his helmet, and Finn reached over to smooth it down. Remus watched them for a moment, smiling, before heading to his own stall to sit. 

Third period got dirty. In the last five minutes, the Knights got another goal, and they only pushed harder, determined to tie it up. It was the last shift, and Remus was on the ice, puck in his possession. He eyed Greyback warily, trying to focus on the puck in his possession and not his memories. But it was hard as Fenrir skated closer, a looming presence on the ice. 

Remus’ heart pounded harder, and not from exertion. He pushed as hard as he could, darting towards the goal. As soon as he was close enough, he shot the puck towards the goal, less concerned with scoring and more concerned with getting as far away from Greyback as he could. 

By some miracle, it went in, and in an instant, Remus found himself pushed against the boards by James and Sirius, both cheering in his ear. Remus smiled, but didn’t relax. On instinct, his eyes found Fenrir, snarling at him from across the ice. His helmet was off as he glared in their direction. One of his teammates approached him, but he spat something and they skated away. Remus couldn’t move. 

“Mon loup?” Sirius’ voice registered finally. “You okay?” Remus didn’t take his eyes off Greyback and Sirius followed his gaze. His face hardened as it fell on Fenrir and he put a protective arm around him. “I’ve got you.” 

With James on his other side, they headed towards the bench, where the rest of the team was celebrating. Remus stayed between them, focusing on the comforting weight of Sirius’ arm on his shoulder and the solid presence of James on his other side. He was safe, he told himself. He was safe and Fenrir couldn’t hurt him anymore. 

The locker room was awash with shouts as he entered, and Remus immediately found Finn nearly on top of him, Logan close behind. 

“Bitch ass move, Loops!” Finn crowed. 

“Thanks, Harz,” Remus managed to laugh. His hands were still shaking, breaths coming quick. But he fought it down as the team surrounded him, Sirius at his side. 

He was safe. His family had his back. 

And this time, as he repeated it to himself over again, he actually believed it.

[mornyavie]

Glossary of references in The Bifrost Incident

 It’s Very Long and yet also not really complete. If there are any questions / clarifications I can add, or I’ve messed anything up and need to fix it, let me know!

The tl;dr is that nearly every word in the album draws from either Norse mythology or the Lovecraft / Cthulhu mythos, directly or indirectly.

@moony221b here’s that glossary that I promised forever and a day ago.

Edit: I decided to create this document of annotations (x). Lyrics taken from Genius; I’m not totally sure how accurate they are, but hopefully they help get the point across! Again, questions and complaints both welcome.

Arcomba

I can’t find anything on this, would be interested if someone knows.

Asgard

One of the Nine Worlds, specifically the one where most of the Æsir (the subset of gods most associated with humans, including the well-known ones like Thor and Odin) live.

Thus Asgard is the planet on which the most powerful inhabitants of the Yggdrasil system, and those named after the gods, are found (though the subjugation / colonization relationship does not exist in myth).

Azathoth

This one’s from Lovecraft; Azathoth is the greatest of the Outer Gods, often served and worshiped by other gods themselves. Often described as mad, a demon, a sultan, or putting it all together as the Mad Demon Sultan. Resides at “the center of the universe,” where he appears as some sort of vast, amorphous, bubbling, roiling mass of “nuclear chaos.” (Nuclear probably refers to center, not nuclear power, which didn’t really exist when this was written). Servants about him play drums and flutes.

Mentioned briefly as the train travels through the Bifrost and into his realm, and a lot of the narration in those few verses draws directly from Lovecraft’s descriptions.

Baldur

The god of light and beloved by all, Baldr was killed by Loki in his final betrayal of the gods. After the murder Loki was tracked down and imprisoned, and will escape at the start of Ragnarok. In particular, Loki used a spear made of mistletoe... or, in the album, missile two. And tricked another god into throwing it, which I think is mimicked in the distance and impersonality of the crime. Look up more of his story if you want, it’s interesting and important, but that’s the relevant info here.

Bifrost

The rainbow bridge that the gods use to travel between worlds. 

Which is, of course, directly analogous to the wormhole-ish extradimensional-ish space of “shifting, undulating hues” through which the train travels.

Edda

The Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda are the names given to two pieces of literature that are most people��s main source for Norse mythology. The Prose Edda was written by Snorri Sturluson around 1200 to teach his (mostly Christian) contemporaries about the mythology and mythological references that made up a big chunk of Norse literature. The Poetic Edda is a set of poems that serve as a major source for Norse tales.

This is partially just a way to connect our hero Lyfrassir Edda to the Norse traditions, but also definitely a reference to their (presumed) role as the main “recorder” and source of information to get out of the Yggdrasil system.

Fate

Honestly the way the Mechanisms deal with fate in general is very interesting and arguably sometimes quite Nordic... but in particular, Bifrost Incident references fate or destiny a number of times and features a number of situations where the outcome is fixed and can’t be changed, but you have to fight anyways: “Killing me won’t save your world” “I don’t care” or how Loki and Sigyn can’t stop the train, but can only delay it. A lot of Norse tragedy revolves around people heading into battle knowing that they’re doomed and fighting anyways, or around the cycle of conflict that marked the cultural requirements for avenging insults. And the myth cycle is notable for the fact that the gods know, explicitly, exactly what Ragnarok is, what’s going to happen, and how they’re going to die, but will fight in it anyways. 

Inevitability and helplessness in the face of what you can’t possibly understand, let alone fight, which is a depiction slightly sideways of the Nordic version, are very Lovecraftian themes.

Fenrir

A wolf, child of Loki and father of Skoll and Hati, who was chained by the gods (particularly by Tyr, who placed his hand in the wolf’s mouth as “hostage” to assure him they would unchain him later, and lost the hand). He will break free at Ragnarok to join the battle against them and kill Odin.

With his association with monsters and with Loki, it’s fairly clear why he was aligned with the resistance movement. He’s serving “five life sentences” as a reference to his being chained, and the whole motif of the train’s journey being hijacked for a prison break certainly references the various characters who will be freed or break free as Ragnarok begins.

Frey

The brief reference of Frey being killed by the raging fire of the sun, with “no weapon, no defense,” is a direct translation of the god’s role in Ragnarok, when he will be killed by Surtr. Frey gave away his sword for the opportunity to woo his eventual wife, and so will be armed only with a stag’s antlers in his final combat. Also called Freyr.

Freya (“weeps tears of red-gold”)

Like her brother Frey (and yeah, these names get confusing), Freya is associated with harvest and fertility, though unlike him she also gets battle. In the song she weeps red-gold tears at the death of her husband Odr, which in myth she is said to do when her husband is absent. Also called Freyja.

Garm

Garm is another wolf, who guards Hel’s gates. He also breaks free at Ragnarok, and his howling heralds its coming. As in the album, he will fight and kill Tyr. Also called Garmr.

Hati

There’s a lot of wolves in Norse mythology. This one is a child of Fenrir. He chases the moon across the sky, and will swallow it when Ragnarok comes.

Mentioned briefly only as one of the resistance members on the train.

Heimdall

Heimdall is the watchman of the gods, with keen eyes and foresight, and guards the Bifrost as the entrance to Asgard. He will blow his horn to summon the gods to the final battle during Ragnarok, and he and Loki will kill one another. Also called Heimdallr; you’re probably noticing a pattern. It’s a grammar thing.

Mentioned as guarding the train and “doing his part.” His dying screams initiate the train’s destruction and echo throughout it, which presumably recalls the horn thing.

Hel

Another daughter of Loki, and, as the name will imply to English speakers, a guardian of the dead. She refuses to give Baldur back to the world of the living after Loki kills him. Also the name of the realm in which she resides, and to which go those who die of disease or old age. Doesn’t necessarily have the same bad-punishment connotation as modern Hell. I don’t know whether there’s any indication of what she herself is doing in Ragnarok, but many of her people and associates are certainly fighting against the gods, and I’m fairly certain the ship Naglfar, which carries Loki and his allies to Ragnarok, sets sail from Hel.

Hel as a prison colony clearly references the various characters the gods have chained or otherwise imprisoned (though, in myth, not all within Hel) as well as her alignment with “other side” during Ragnarok, and the jailbreak the resistance members are planning recalls the breaking of all these bonds as Ragnarok begins.

Hoddmimis

The woods in which Líf and Lífþrasir (see Lyfrassir) will shelter to survive Ragnarok and the various disasters accompanying it. 

So, good news! We can be marginally assured of Lyfrassir’s survival after taking shelter at the mining-colony of Hoddmimis.

Jormungandr

The world serpent, which lives in the seas and encircles the earth. Will arise during Ragnarok, causing great floods, and fight Thor; Thor will slay the serpent, but in turn the serpent’s poison will cause his death, after he staggers “nine steps back.”

Thor’s fight with Odin-turned-serpent is pretty clearly analogous to this, especially the taking nine steps to the window before destroying it with his hammer, resulting in both their deaths. I don’t think there’s any mythological basis to Odin turning into the serpent, though

Kvasir (“blood drained out”)

Kvasir was a very wise man/god and the originator of poetry. I’m leaving out a fair amount of his birth and life; the important information here is that two dwarves who were jealous of his knowledge tricked him, killed him, drained his blood, and mixed it with honey to make mead. Any who drank of the mead gained the gift of poetry / scholarship; eventually the gods stole it.

I’m not sure if there’s a reason they decided to specifically describe him as a resistance member, but there’s a clear parallel in Kvasir’s blood being drained and used to power the train, especially with the language of glyphs and sigils providing power.

Loki

Ah, Loki. Male in the general canon, though not without genderbending (he turns into a mare and gives birth to Fenrir, Hel, and Jormungandr, for instance). Inasmuch as the Norse myths we have can be organized into a “chronology,” you could do it (in my opinion) along Loki’s path from a mostly benevolent trickster god whose antics occasionally cause trouble to a genuinely malevolent figure. Associated with wit, magic, and trickery. Despite how modern lore (I suspect influenced by Marvel) often portrays Thor and Loki as brothers and children of Odin, in the myth Loki and Odin are bonded as blood-brothers. But Loki also often appears alongside Thor. As mentioned, parent of three of the main figures of Ragnarok. In the “final” myth, he jealously arranges the death of the god Baldr, who was loved by all; then he appears at a feast, where he exchanges insults with the other gods. This is the last straw; they capture him and chain him to a stone, over which they tie a serpent. Venom drips from the serpent’s fangs, causing him great agony. His wife Sigyn stays by his side, catching the venom in a bowl, but when she is forced to leave for a moment to dump it out his thrashing causes earthquakes. He will break free at the start of Ragnarok and sail to Asgard, where he and Heimdall will kill each other.

Hopefully that’s enough to give you a good background for Loki’s role in the album... it’s pretty clear why she’s framed as the opposition to the gods and the “leader” of the resistance movement, as a call to her role in Ragnarok. Her association with magic and trickery make sense for her being the “expert” in the twisted Lovecraftian “science” that produces the train. It also parallels her role in myth; her actions often get the gods into trouble, but they just as often need her wit and knowledge to get them out of it, as Odin needs her knowledge despite her taking action to destroy the train. And the setup at the end - drip, drip, drip, her face twisted in pain, her wife beside her, her “release” heralding the end of the world - precisely echoes the language of her bondage in myth; though her mind-destroying imprisonment by Odin also invokes this.

Lovecraft(ian)

A highly influential horror writer from the early 20th century. He’s largely credited with the creation of the creation of the “cosmic horror” genre, a type of horror which emphasises a vast, unknowable, uncaring universe against which we cannot hope to even begin to fight. His ideas and the gods / demons / creatures he created form the basis of the “Cthulhu mythos” or even “Lovecraft mythos,” which today is a sort of standard set of assumptions on which writers can build. Lovecraftian themes of apocalypse, inevitability, and powerlessness are highly prevalent in the album. Several of the gods in this mythos are used; in particular, Yog-Sothoth (see below). Also, a lot of the general description (madness, roiling chaos, undulating colors) draws from his distinctive vocabulary that remains staple of the genre. It’s worth noting that Lovecraft was a horrible and very racist person, but the genre today is widely used by people who are not terrible.

Lyfrassir

Líf and Lífþrasir in Norse mythology are the two humans who will survive Ragnarok and rebuild humanity; a hopeful sign for our album’s protagonist!

Midgard

In Norse mythology, the “middle” world where humans live. Earth.

Nagthrod

I don’t know this one.

@acorn-mushroom pointed out that it may be a mis-transcription of Naglfar, the name of the (ocean) ship which will carry Loki and his followers from the shores of Hel to the battlefield at Ragnarok. It’s made of dead men’s nails.

Odin

The king of the gods in Norse mythology. As the god of both wisdom and madness, Odin’s role in the album as a researcher and technological ruler whose discoveries drive her slowly mad is both very Lovecraftian and a reasonable leap. I could say a lot about the figure of Odin, but I think this character is one of the most divergent from the myth, in detail if not in role.

Odr

Óðr is Freya’s husband.

Outer gods

A Lovecraft thing referring to several of the most horrible and powerful gods, including Yog-Sothoth.

Ragnarok

The apocalypse, basically, in Norse mythology. Proceeded by various catastrophes, especially a very long winter, mentioned in the album, culminating in a great battle between the gods and their enemies, and resulting in the death of the majority of gods and other creatures of the world.

Ratatosk

A squirrel who runs up and down Yggdrasil, carrying messages between some of the tree’s other inhabitants and sowing discord. The Ratatosk Express links the worlds of the Yggdrasil System, and causes “discord” in the resistance’s opposition to it.

Sigyn

Loki’s wife. See Loki for her role in his imprisonment.

Skoll

Sköll in Norse mythology is the wolf that chases and will someday eat the sun. Association with Fenrir (another wolf) and other monsters motivates his inclusion in the list of resistance members.

Thor

A Norse god, associated with war, lightning/thunder, strength, and in general sort of... common people, as opposed to Odin’s association with kings and royalty. Prone to anger, which makes sense with his depiction as a volatile military leader in the album. He is heavily associated with his hammer mjölnir, hence jokes about “throwing a hammer in the works” and whatnot. Often associates with Loki, both as friends and as enemies as Loki progresses from a mostly-harmless trickster to actively opposing the other gods; thus how in the album he and Loki were once friends. See above for his death fighting Jormungandr.

Tyr

Another Norse god associated with war. He sacrificed a hand to bind Fenrir, and will be killed by Garmr during Ragnarok, both events referenced in the album.

Yggdrasil

The world-tree of Norse mythology, which supports the nine worlds of the cosmology. 

Yog-Sothoth

An Outer God of Lovecraftian mythos; also called the Gate and Key. It is associated as sort of the substance of time and space, binding together the cosmos. A lot of the description during the Ragnarok sequences draws directly from the “canonical” descriptions of this deity, and the invocation spoken by Lyfrassir in Red Signal draws from a story about this creature, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

[im-totally-not-an-alien]

Final fantasy 7 prompts #67

1. Tifa was trying really hard to teach Aerith how to fight hand to hand but...Aerith was terrible at it.

Little did she know that Aerith was purposely messing up so that Tifa would correct her staces and catch her when she fell.

2. Barret pissed Cid off, so now Marlene knows about twelve new curse words.

War breaks out between them

3. Tifa holding a chained up Sephiroth in a bridal carry while Genesis laughs

4. Sephiroth calling Cloud and the blond immediately hanging up on him.

If he's not going to pick up for his family then there's not a chance in hell he'll pick up for Sephiroth...even if he had been calling to apologize.

5. Bayonetta and Sephiroth bonding over crappy father figures and good fashion.

6. Au where instead of defecting in Wutai, Genesis returns to Midgar as scheduled and then proceeds to cause as much mayhem as he can. He has a hitlist of all the people he wants to torment.

The president? Enjoying permanent frog statis in the slums sewer systems.

Heidegger? That Tonberry was particularly aggressive.

Hojo and Hollander? He doesn't want to know what was in those vials. Especially since they turned the scientists into monsters...not that they weren't already monsters in thier own right.

He was near giddy when Rufus sent him and Sephiroth to finish them off.

Though, just to be petty, he also stole all of Sephiroths chocolate stash and hid it in Renos desk, leaving a subtle trail of crumbs behind.

A trail Sephiroth wouldn't miss.

7. Cloud gets slapped by one of Jenovas tentacles mid fight and lands in a dimension where everyone except him is a frog. Everything is proportionally sized for frogs, even skyscrapers.

Needless to say, Cloud is thoroughly amused, even as little frog SOLDIERS tried to attack him. It tickled.

8. Genesis wearing designer sunglasses and wielding a super soaker as if he's a secret agent.

Bonus points if it has Aeriths water in it.

9. His breath caught in his throat. The air around them seemed to freeze, like a paused movie, nothing seemed to move. The only things that assured him this was real was the feeling of sweat and ash on his skin and the smell of Tifa's blood in the air, as Sephiroth lifted her struggling form higher and higher.

No one dared move. They knew it would only take a single flick of the madmans wrist and the blade would slice through her heart. Green eyes met blue.

"You know what I want, puppet. On your knees. I want you to beg for forgiveness."

Cloud obeyed.

10. Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis are all yeeted into the future by unknown means and are eventually confronted by a stranger in a red cloak who takes them in.

Genesis for one, approves of the mans fashion sense and flare for the dramatic. Sephiroth has a headache...which may or may not be theater related.

11. Clouds life was wonderful. He and Tifa had finally tied the knot and were expecting a child. Everything was going so well

Then he came. It was always him. Sephiroth ruined everything, leaving Cloud covered in blood and fleeing atop Fenrir with three blond bundles. Cloud managed to find his way to a parallel world called Gigas, and appeared in a kingdom which was ruled by Genesis of all people. Thankfully they didn't use mako as a power source, but did have thier own version of the SOLDIER program (which he would forbid his children from joining). He doubted they would be able to stop his worlds Sephiroth if it came to that, but they would buy enough time for Cloud to grab his kids and flee again.

He was careful. Always so careful. He and his boys remained under this worlds radar for almost ten years, fleeing to different countries and hiding out in other kingdoms when people started looking too deep into thier identities.

But it wasn't enough.

12. Genesis returns and defeats Sephiroth once and for all. The world breathes a sigh of relief, only for Genesis to raise his sword against the W.R.O.

In some ways, Genesis was worse then Sephiroth.

13. Yuffie holding Frogged Sephiroth captive in a tiny cage and showing him off...but only Cloud knows he's thier arch-nemesis. He was trying his hardest not to laugh at the look of pure indignation the frog gave when Tifa called him "cute"

Cid happily placed a little pink bow on its head. "So he matches us"

14. Cloud visiting the orphanage and getting swarmed by children. He shot a panicked look to Barret as a few actually started climbing him and asking for autographs.

15. Au where everything is exactly the same but this AVALANCHE cell is also a band with no particular genre of music they stick to. They go around the world blowing up reactors in disguise and then preform the next day as if nothing happened.

The Turks know its them, but they can't seem to stop them, nor can they out them to the public without proof.

Bonus: In the spirit of Christmas, Sephiroth gets a gift.

He was expecting a bomb. Not a Cloud Strife body pillow.

(He loves it tho.)

[pomegranates-and-blood]

νοσταλγία (Chapter 19)

νοσταλγία Masterlist

Pairing: Ivar/Reader

Summary: This is a retelling/romantization of the Greek myth of Persephone’s abduction with Ivar as Hades and you as Persephone. The Reader character is a Byzantine woman, follower of the Greek Pantheon/Religion, and a devoted follower of Persephone. This takes place after 5A, but the universe of this is a little changed in relation with the series, of course. Thank you for giving it a chance, hope you enjoy!

Word Count: 3.4k

Warnings: The usual, human sacrifice, that’s an added one for this chapter

A/N: Hiiii, hope you like this chapter! The wedding is finally here lol, hope it doesn’t dissapoint :)

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius​​ @heavenly1927​​ @toe-vind-ek-jou​​ @xbellaxcarolinax​​ @pieces-by-me​​ @angelofthorr​​​ @samsationalwilson​​

Whatever it takes to escape. Whatever it takes.

You mull over Ubbe’s words as you wait for the thralls to come fetch you, to come wash and dress you, to come drag you down to make you Ivar’s wife.

The soft knock on your door is all the warning you have, before the meek girls slip through the door. You are familiar with them, not only because they’ve been the ones to care for you ever since you were given a place to call your own in this realm of cold, but because since you woke up this morning they’ve been coming and going, preparing your bath and tending to your hair, dutifully flocking around you in a manner you don’t have the heart to tell them is annoying.

Behind them, Freydis walks in, and you meet her gaze with wide eyes.

When the King lowers his guard and loosens what you call chains…

She only smiles calmly at you, greeting you with a slow blink and careful hands crossed over her stomach. The perfect picture of a maiden, and it unsettles you.

“Freydis.” You breathe out, and she bows her head with a murmur of your name in return. Her eyes trace your room, stopping on the planters and the plants you’ve managed to make blossom under your care.

She distracts you with simple topics of conversation while the thralls take care of your skin, of your clothes, of your hair. You feel her blue eyes settle with calculating interest as she watches you stop the girls and refuse to let them braid your hair, but says nothing.

They fasten the elegant red dress -the King’s choice, apparently- on you, and after quickly brushing your hair so it falls loosely down your back, one of the thralls moves to leave the room to fetch something, but Freydis’ voice stops her.

“I’ve got it.”

You turn around and find the blonde holding a delicate wreath of wildflowers in her hands, offering it to you. You blink and the breath leaves your lips as if a giant weight was dropped on your chest.

“W-What is that?”

“A wedding crown.”

You shake your head, stepping back.

“N-No, that’s…that’s…” Your panicked breaths quicken, your eyes find Freydis’ with what you are sure is a plea written in them.

“It means something to you, doesn’t it?”

You laugh bitterly to yourself, lifting your gaze to the wooden ceiling and wondering why you are still surprised Fate manages to be cruel to you.

The Hiereia brushes your hair back with gentle fingers, her bracelets clanking against each other and making crude music against your ears.

As she starts weaving your hair to hold the flower crown, you look into the mirror. For a moment you see a flash of red veiling your features, but when you blink it is gone.

You can remember the first time they put such a crown on you, your mother’s soft touch guiding the girl of barely six years into her first sacrifice.

“You feel Despoina’s touch upon you, don’t you?” Mother asked, a smile in her voice you can remember even today, even ten years later.

“I feel…” You couldn’t find the words, and you can’t now either. “I don’t know, mother.”

“It is her hand reaching for yours,” The Hiereia explains quietly, without any prompting, as if she too can glimpse into a past long gone. And the dried pomegranate branches make rustling sounds on your ears as she fixes the crown. “You wear the crown of flowers worn by the maiden she once was, and after tonight you bear blood to honor the crown of death and iron Lord Hades placed upon her head.”

The weight of memories, of grief, of nostalgia, burdens you more than it should. The woman at your back notices, and puts heavy hands on your shoulders and her mouth by your ear.

“Chosen by Persephone,” Hearing that name still makes a thrill run down your spine, and the title that she invokes hardens your heart but makes your soul sing. “You have nothing to fear.”

You didn’t notice your eyes lowering to your hands, but the Hiereia’s soft touch under your chin, making you lift your gaze to the mirror again, forces you to face the crown they have placed on your head and the thirst for something other than flowers that comes with it.

You look down at yourself, at the hands you are wringing together, and force your lungs to take a deep breath. You are tired of panic, you are tired of wanting to run knowing you can’t, you are tired of struggling.

You are tired, still far from defeated, but tired.

Closing your eyes, you try to center yourself, and trust. Trust in your mother, in her wisdom and in her protection, trust she had a reason for guiding you to Ivar’s side. Trust in her Gods, the Gods that she asked to protect and guide you even if you didn’t worship them, trust their hand in taking you here means there’s a purpose for you at Ivar’s side. Trust in your Gods, trust the deities you dedicated your life to wouldn’t fate it that you are defeated, trust Persephone, trust that she wouldn’t forget you when you haven’t forgotten her.

Trust Ivar, trust he can be a good husband, trust he will not try and silence you like many have before, trust he will never ask that you lower your gaze.

Trust yourself. Trust that all you survived means you can survive this, trust that you can and will fight for what you are owed, trust that no binds and certainly no men can keep you from the victories you are owed.

You take it from Freydis’ hands, and put the crown on your head yourself, raising your chin and straightening your back.

The view outside the small window shows you the kingdom you are to call our own now, but beyond it the horizon lays, the place where the skies meet the sea, and you allow yourself to feel at ease as you are escorted by Freydis to wherever it is she will take you.

____

A part of you that doesn’t hold a pit of dread growing in your chest, would have no qualms in saying the opening where they arranged for the wedding to take place is beautiful. Foreign, intimidating, Viking, but beautiful.

The sky has started to darken, and there’s carefully placed torches granting light to the ample circle where the people there to witness the union and the Völva stand.

They don’t need to tell you or guide you, you know you are supposed to walk towards the man you are supposed to marry, who stands before the witch in formal but still imposing clothes.

Leave it to him to get married in the closest thing possible to armor.

You bite down a manic smile at your own observation, and with a deep breath and a straightening of your back, you move to stand in front of him, with the officiant to your side.

A young girl is walked to the woman, and with no hesitation she signals for the women that assist her to tie the girl to a pillar behind her, a pillar you just now notice holds a container underneath, like the vessels you used back home.

The girl doesn’t squirm, doesn’t shake, doesn’t cry. She looks at Ivar, looks at you, and closes her eyes.

She does scream when she dies, when the Völva pierces her skin with the odd-looking blade, but her pain, you hope, is short-lived, and the blood of the sacrifice is collected and, you assume, that part of the ritual is over, judging by the dimming of the beat of the drums somewhere at your back.

The witch turns back towards you, dress proudly stained with blood, and says some words about Freyja and Frigg, about Odin and Fenrir, about what we are all here for: a binding before the Gods themselves, of a woman and man.

Without hesitation, and frankly startling you a bit, the woman reaches up and grabs Ivar’s face between her hands, looking into his eyes.

“Do you swear before the Gods you want to marry this woman?”

Ivar’s eyes stay on yours, burning like Greek Fire.

“I swear.”

The woman grabs your face between her rough hands, forces your eyes to meet hers,

“Do you swear before the Gods you want to marry this man?”

Your lips have breathed an answer before your mind can remember the words you should want to say.

“I swear, before your Gods and mine.”

She smiles then, pleased and warm, and releases you. You waver in the place where you stand, and a tremor makes its way past your parted lips.

This just might be the choice, the title, the name, that breaks you; you think to yourself. Everything would be easier if he could make you hate him, if he could make you see only the man that captured you and forced you to be at his side. Everything would be easier if you hadn’t realized this isn’t a captor you will grow to resent, if your foolish heart couldn’t latch on to the glimpses of the man you met in Aneridge that you still see in Ivar.

Because you wish you could tell yourself the captivating and enticing man you met in that old Saxon city was a mirage, a deceit by the cunning King of Kattegat. You wish, for it would make everything easier.

It would make marrying him only the blindly followed orders of an arrangement your mother made, and not a choice you could see yourself making. It would make marrying him in the eyes of the Gods what makes you swear loyalty to him and trusting in him, and not your loyalty and trust what makes you swear to be his wife before the Gods.

You are to be his wife. You are his wife.

In the eyes of his people, in the eyes of his Gods, in the eyes of yours. In his eyes.

Just as in your eyes, he is your husband.

You meet the eyes of the man before you, and a tremulous smile starts to curve at your lips. It is a bit broken, a bit mad; but there’s rush of freedom in finding yourself with no binds in that brief instant where you say yes.

You accept the title, not because Sieghild made the arrangement, not because Ivar wanted you to, not because ten thousand Greeks laid their hands over their hearts and kneeled, not because your legacy asked you to.

Because you wanted to.

Ivar takes his hand on yours and puts a bloodied ring the Völva hands him on your fourth finger. The woman hums a pleased sound, and you watch as she dips a small bouquet of branches into the sacrifice’s blood.

With a precise movement of her arm she specks Ivar’s face with the blood, and his eyes close. When she turns to you, she hesitates and considers you for a moment.

You meet her eyes, a new kind of fear in your stomach, and the witch raises her hand over your head.

The drops of blood fall on the flower crown on your head, and she smiles, she smiles like she knows a secret you don’t, she smiles like she knows every secret you’ve kept.

Another sharp movement of her wrist and your face is speckled in blood as well, but you feel the weight of those few drops on the crown on your head as if they were as heavy as iron.

“Before the Gods you are now married.”

The people clap and cheer, the drums beat louder and so does your heart.

Your husband’s eyes open and meet yours, and you cannot hear anything else.

You will tell yourself later that it was the pressure of the eyes of so many of the people of Kattegat on you, you will tell yourself later that it was the knowledge of what a bride’s duty is, you will tell yourself later whatever it is that can make the burden lighter.

But now you just stand on the balls of your feet, close your eyes and sink into the kiss Ivar breathes over your lips. You let him steal the breath from your lungs as his lips move tentatively against your own, and the steadiness from your hand as you raise it and let it cup his jaw and guide his mouth to press harder into yours.

You will tell yourself later that his hand is rough and forceful as he grips at the back of your head, you will tell yourself later you do not feel tenderness when his fingers run through the tresses of your hair as his hand moves to your lower back.

But now you just enjoy the touch of his lips on yours, the feeling of thrill that goes all the way down your spine, the heat that pools low in your stomach.

And no crown, no title, no kingdom, could make you feel as powerful as you do when you part from the kiss and have Ivar chase the touch of your lips, swaying forward, as if entranced.

Your eyes follow the red streak your hand now adorned with a ring leaves on his cheek and jaw, a path downwards to leave your hand on his chest, the delicate ring still shining with the red of the blood.

You ride a chariot -his chariot- all the way back to the main hall, reminded starkly of your own people’s traditions and realizing once again the Fates truly toy with us all.

Before long, the doors are opened by smiling warriors, and a feast awaits. You cannot take your eyes off the two identical thrones that await you where there used to be one.

Ivar guides you to them, and turning to his -yours too now, you suppose- people, and with his hand still holding onto yours, he turns his head to look at you, what you could swear is pride and satisfaction written all over his expression and his posture as he seems to stand taller, before raising his voice and announcing to the crowded room, to the kingdom now laid before you,

“Everyone! My wife, and Queen of Kattegat!”

When you walk outside of the tent aided by Galla’s firm hands, you find that the elders, the families, the soldiers and farmers, they all greet you with warm eyes, with kind and relieved smiles.

It feels like home and yet all there is around you is unfamiliar woods, it feels like peace even if your home burns at your backs, it feels

“Everyone’s been waiting to see you,” Galla whispers with the smile that hasn’t left her voice or her face since you awoke, weeks into your escape from Eleusis’ flames. “You know, they are going to need a leader, someone that can be their guide, someone they can love and admire.”

“Galla, wh-…”

“Someone that follows our Gods, someone that is willing to bleed and die for us, someone that when Attica is ours again rules our home.” She says, and when you turn to face her, she presses her forehead to yours, a gesture of affection and trust since you were but children.

Galla pulls back, black eyes looking into your own and even if the weariness of weeks on the road, of nights spent in the woods as sentinel, set on her dark skin like an unshakeable mark of pain and loss; when she smiles you cannot help but return the gesture, tremulous as yours is.

The Carthaginian straightens, and with a certain and proud movement, brings her fist to her heart before bending the knee. You accept her pledge, and all those that follow as the people surrounding you repeat the gesture.

“Anassa of Attica. May the Gods bless and guide you.”

You look at all those expectant faces, you face all your failures and your victories, you bear the burden your legacy earned you. And you cannot help but think if your body wasn’t burnt and broken you would have run away by now.

The Vikings cheer and raise their voices and their cups, and you find yourself smiling in thanks and in reflection of what seems to be genuine celebration.

You once again sit at Ivar’s side, this time on a throne of your own, and this time you don’t let go of his hand.

____

The feast lives on around you, loud and cheerful and chaotic, and you toy with the still-bloodied ring that now adorns your left hand, trying to make out the subtle design underneath the blood.

“You’ve been staring at it for a long time,” Ivar interrupts, and you lift your head to find him looking at you with his head cocked to the side, “Do you not exchange rings in Greece?”

Your right hand clasps at the place where you always keep your mother’s old pendant hanging from your neck, before dropping it once you realize tonight you wear some fancy jewels you don’t care much for. When Ivar’s eyes follow the movement of your hand before lifting to meet your own, you realize he may know without you telling him what it means to be given a piece of jewelry at your wedding day.

“No, it is not our custom. I…Sieghild never told me, she never…she never talked about these things.”

“And what did you make of it?”

You wear the crown of flowers worn by the maiden she once was, and after tonight you bear blood to honor the crown of blood and iron Lord Hades placed upon her head.

“It was all…familiar,” You reply honestly, clearing your throat to dispel the hoarseness that plagued it as you spoke past the memories and the stories they try to tell you. “They told me you ordered for my dress to be red.”

“I like red,” Ivar replies, shrugging one shoulder, before bowing his head to you, “And you look good in it.”

“It is a bride’s color to my people,” You reply with a rueful smile, before chuckling to yourself, “The Gods entertain themselves with this, you know.”

Ivar only smiles, tranquil and honest, but doesn’t argue, and returns his gaze ahead.

Whatever it is you are about to say is interrupted by the approaching figure. You turn your head and straighten in the throne as Freydis bows before the two of you.

You only watch with wide eyes, and she raises her head and meets Ivar’s eyes.

“My King,” She smiles calmly, innocently, “Congratulations on your marriage. May the Gods bless and reward you.”

You watch Ivar’s profile, and only because you are looking for the reaction it is that you notice the barely-there change in his posture, the subtle part of his lips, the questions in his pale gaze.

Freydis manic eyes on yours, her hand reaching for yours but it feels like it grasps at your throat, telling you those that endure pain are chosen of the Gods themselves.

Ivar sets new chains upon you and with the certainty of madness whispers that you are the reward for a lifetime of pain.

The realization of who it was that told Ivar those things, that put those ideas in his head, it strikes you and leaves you watching the interaction with wide eyes.

You wonder, like the prideful and arrogant woman the Gods made out of you, what exactly is the story neither of them has told you. You wonder, like the jealous and foolish girl you’ll never admit to being, why it is they haven’t.

Unaware to your thoughts -or pretending to be-, Freydis turns to you and smiles again, but it is truer, freer, hungrier. You don’t know if you should allow yourself to smile back.

But you shake yourself out of those thoughts, telling yourself you have no reason to distrust her. Right?

“I was hoping to steal the Queen from your side, only for a few moments.” The blonde continues, meek and unsettlingly calm.

Ivar considers her with a side smile that says he doesn’t particularly like this game she tries to play, but after exchanging a look with you, he signals with his hand in permission.

You stand from the throne and walk to Freydis’ side with careful steps. Ivar stops you before you can get too far, his hand trapping yours and keeping you close to the throne.

You turn around with an easy smile playing at your lips, because…Gods, you are a fool.

“Wife.”

Priestess.

“Husband.”

Viking.

____

Soooo, hope you liked it! I have a lot a lot of feelings about Norse and Ancient/Byzantine Greek traditions when it comes to weddings. The red is a true thing, and funnily enough the Ancient Greeks had a tradition of having the groom drive a chariot around the home he was gonna live in with his wife (or smth like that, I’ve been slowly bled for all I’m worth in these damn finals so my value as a source is a little off atm), and a lot of lil details like that that if I included would have made thisa  10k monstrosity that no one wnated to read lol

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this! Also, the wedding celebration/night of course isn’t over, but I try to keep my chapters on less than 5k lol

Thank you, sending you all my love!! <3 <3

[dominimoonbeam]

Bite to Bruise - 19

This work is mine and I do not give consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted without my permission. I am sharing chapters as I work on this story but it is copyrighted material that I plan to rework and publish when completed.

story tags: modern-fantasy mashup, werewolves, witches, monsters, romance, learning to trust, hurt/comfort, blood, violence, explicit sex, explicit language

The earlier parts can be found under the tag or over on patreon. <3

BITE TO BRUISE - CHAPTER 19.

Ever stared down at her.

The girl on the ground under him looked like Piper. Her face was the same shape with features more adolescent than grown, speckled in freckles under the wild mess of her brown hair. Yellow eyes stared up at him, seeing him but not quite recognizing.

She had smelled like fenrir, but it wasn’t right and it certainly wasn’t his niece. Now she smelled like blood and power. Witch.

She cried in shallow gasps, like she was barely holding back a scream.

He wished she would let it out. Better that than this.

“Bellamy,” Ever said. He wouldn’t use her true name out there. He wouldn’t risk anyone overhearing it.

Her expression shuddered surprise and then dawning understanding.

“Bellamy,” he said again, gently. Where was the blood coming from? He couldn’t see any injuries, but he also couldn’t see the bandages and wounds that should be on her arm. Another glamour, this one to make her look like Piper. Could she make herself look like anyone? There were stories about that sort of magic, fairytales really, and never good ones.

She exhaled and he watched her let the illusion go. Her eyes rolled shut and her whole body sagged on the grass like it had been a physical burden to uphold. Her black hair fell limply around her face, her body shrinking and her clothes changing. Blood smeared the side of her neck around an oval wound, red soaking into the collar of her top. Bits of glass clung to her, her leggings ripped, and her leg scratched up. Almost as quickly as one glamour dropped, the illusion of Bellamy slid into place. The clothes stayed the same, tears and stains too, but the body wearing them changed and her skin smoothed over—not even a welt left behind.

“Bell… Leave the wounds. I need to see them.”

She cringed, tears still rolling off her eyes, but her lips pressed into something close to a snarl, her hand coming up to grab at the side of her neck. “He bit me…” she whispered what he already knew. “He knows,” she added with dawning horror.

Ever shook his head, gently stroking her now blond hair out of her face. “He’s dead.”

Her eyes lost focus as exhaustion dragged her down but she reached up to push her palm against his chest, her fingers twisting in his shirt like she was trying to ground herself in him. “They don’t die…”

He leaned down, so that she would see him again and hopefully hear him before she passed out. “No one will find him, and he will never find you again.”

She stared up at him, either trying to hear him or trying to believe him.

Ever waited those long seconds with her until her strength finally failed, her hand releasing his shirt and falling.

She hadn’t changed the glamour of Bellamy to let him see where she was hurt, but he’d memorized what he could. He pulled his shirt off and pressed it against the side of her neck, soaking up the blood there. The flow was slowing. It would stop, and he’d clean it and bandage it when they got home.

A sharp howl sounded off behind him, telling him that the problem was settled and waiting for him.

Ever scooped up Bellamy carefully and started back toward the road.

Sunny shifted from wolf to man, standing beside the pavement over what was left of a shade. He spat blood into the grass. It wasn’t his own and it was nothing compared to the mess on his skin. Theo growled at the dead shades, probably because he remembered a time when fighting shades had seemed like an endless battle.

Ever hoped not to lead him back into those times, but he couldn’t control what the shades did and there were only so many options when it came to his response.

Sunny looked over his shoulder at him, his expression softening at the sight of the witch in his arms. He pulled his phone from his pocket and made a call. Oakley answered and in a quick exchange of words, Sunny had told the other man to get in his car and drive out to them.

“Tell him to bring kerosine,” Ever added. “And some plastic bags.” He settled his witch down in the soft grass beside the road, a patch clean of bloodshed and glass. What a fucking mess.

Sunny finished his call, eyes always on Ever. Leigh kept glancing between him and the fallen shades, while Theo knew to keep his eye on the not-always dead things. “So, I can guess what the kerosine is for,” Sunny said. “But why the plastic?”

Ever stepped over one piece of gore to reach the bulk of the shade who had called him—the one who had been crusted in Tate’s blood—the one who had had his hands and his teeth on Bellamy. He poked the side of the shade’s chest with his boot, rolling him thoughtfully on the pavement.

“That one’s not dead,” Theo told him what he could already feel. “I think the other three are though… We’ll know for certain if we wait.”

“We’ll wait,” Ever agreed. “We’ll burn whatever stays down, along with their car and that field.” He pointed at the orchard where he’d come from—where he’d found his witch.

“Burn the orchard?” Leigh asked, quiet even in their thoughts.

Ever growled lowly. “It belongs to the biters.”

“But not to Blackwell…” Theo pointed out. His head lifted and swung to the side, whisps of shadow trailing him with slivers of silver in all that darkness, outlining scars and underlining age. He looked at the witch, nostrils flaring before his gaze cut to the orchard. The old wolf huffed. “Burn it,” he agreed, but sounded less than happy about it.

“And the plastic bags?” Sunny pressed, one hand to his hip.

The shade under Ever’s boot twitched, his heart reforming from the growing matter inside his open chest. This one was too old to die.

“Do you think you can use him to barter with Blackwell?” Theo asked, but something in his tone suggested he already knew Ever wouldn’t do that. Couldn’t do that without this shade telling his master about their witch.

“I don’t want to barter.”

Sunny grinned, blood making his lips bright red and, for a strange second, Ever thought his baby brother would have made a great shade—if he weren’t wolf to his core. “We’re taking prisoners?” he asked excitedly.

Ever shook his head, watching the way that corpse put itself back together. It was making everything out of nothing, unstoppable. He wondered exactly how little it needed to regenerate. He had heard stories of shades being rendered to ash and still coming back. “We’re starting a garden.”

They moved the wreck of the car off the road and put the three dead shades in the grass nearby while they waited.

When Oakley got there, Ever moved Bellamy to the backseat of the car while the others pulled the supplies from the trunk. He splashed a trail of kerosine from the wreck, through the grass, into the orchard, following the path she’d crawled in her attempt to get away. He’d have to ask her later how she managed to crash the car, not that he doubted it had been all her doing.

When Ever came back to the road, the shade’s face had mostly reformed and his lungs were working in his chest again. One bright eye stared up at Ever, lips wide to drag gasps that reminded painfully of the way his witch had been sucking at life when he reached her.

Ever crouched over the shade. “Can you hear me?” he asked evenly. He wasn’t sure how their revivals worked. Was his mind repaired or just the bulk of that upper torso? He hadn’t regrown the lower half of himself yet. How long would that take? He could find out if he wanted to make a study of this…

The shade gulped, twitching in a way that suggested he tried to nod but realized his spine wasn’t all there. “Yes,” he ground out.

“What’s your name?” Ever asked. It seemed right to know and he’d like to have it for his next conversation with Florian Blackwell.

The shade cast his one eye around, making out all he could of the scene—the shadows of fenrir and the fire light shining against his sclera. He seemed to be deciding whether or not his name was a secret to keep. “Soren.”

“You fucked up, Soren,” Ever said, not raising his voice but studying the points of those teeth that had dared to break the skin of his witch.

Soren’s eye flicked to the side, toward the burning trees. Understanding dawned, and he grinned madly when he remembered what had brought him ruin. His gaze snapped up to Ever again. “What are you up to?” he marveled, voice rasping and the inner workings of his throat jumping. “Do you understand who she is?”

Ever tensed. He knew the others were listening too now. Sunny had known, yes, but the others had only ever known that they had a witch in their woods—a witch who had saved them once and was being spared.

Soren’s throat undulated. “You do.” Another twitch like he wanted to nod. “We can make a deal then. For that witch, you may be able to keep your woods. To give the duchess leverage like that… She could crush him…” His voice came in faster and faster rasps, like the possibilities were mounting before his eyes and making him salivate.

It was hunger.

It was greed.

Bellamy was something they wanted to own. Blackwell would want her because Baron wanted her. Fucking shades…

Ever thrust his arm down, right into the mess of that rebuilding cavity, and grabbed that new heart. The shade’s mouth dropped open in surprise, his one eye bulging up at Ever. Confusion gave way to shock. “No…” the shade rasped and Ever felt the man’s panic battering his palm. “Wolves and witches don’t coexist… You can’t…”

Ever closed his fist and pulled. He rose to his feet but didn’t let go, eventually the shell of the shade fell back onto the pavement, a little more hollow than before.

Theo, Leigh, Oakley, and Sunny watched him.

He pitched the heart into the fire and Sunny grabbed the plastic bags. They collected the husk of the shade and bagged him, tossing him into the trunk.

Theo and Leigh started on the run home and Oakley got into the front seat of the car and started the engine.

Ever stood by the backdoor, hesitating to close it. He’d intended to send Oakley back with the car, but then he laid his eyes on Bellamy in the backseat. His shirt was still pressed to her neck. If it weren’t for that and the red blooms soaking through the gauze on her arm, she would look like a beautiful, careless creature asleep in the back of that car. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, and bits of glass still flecked her hair, but the scratches and welts were unseen.

It felt impossible for him to close the door and leave separately from her.

But it felt unnatural to ride when he could run.

Sunny squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll ride back with Oakley.”

He said it like it was his idea and not an offer. Sunny loved to run and after a night like this, he’d probably be bouncing off the walls if he didn’t.

Ever shook his head, still watching her. “Run ahead and tell Sky what happened.”

Sunny nodded but didn’t move, still holding onto Ever’s shoulder. The blaze was loud and rolling heat through the night air around them. “She looked like Piper,” Sunny said quietly. He had been right there with Ever, ahead of the others, when they reached the scene. But he hadn’t known that Sunny saw that. “Why would she do that?” he whispered the question but Ever thought he knew the answer. Or, at least, enough of it.

She had done it to save Piper.

Ever’s heart constricted. No, it was to save him. To save all of them from what could have happened tonight.

He carefully moved Bellamy when he slid into the backseat, collecting her in his lap. Sunny nodded like he’d been given an answer and closed the door.

Even with the head start, he’d be back to the valley ahead of the others and the car.

Oakley drove, fists squeezing the steering wheel and gaze fixed ahead, like looking at the rearview mirror would be an offense. Ever wasn’t sure if he thought it was dangerous to look directly at the witch, or directly at him right now. Both seemed true to some degree.

She turned her face into Ever’s chest, breath puffing against his skin in a rhythm that soothed him in ways he’d never imagined. He absently stroked her hair, beginning the process of plucking out pebbles of glass.

Oakley was taking tight breaths.

“You can put the windows down,” Ever said, realizing it was the scent of her blood that was making the other fenrir anxious.

He remembered how overwhelming it had smelled when he found her wounded at the cabin. When had he gotten used to it? While he was cleaning her up, probably.

Oakley coughed gratitude and hit the button to drop the windows. Cold night air rolled through the cab. Bellamy didn’t seem to notice but Ever wrapped his arms around her anyway. It wasn’t a long drive at that speed. They hadn’t gotten far past his territory.

Still, he sighed gut-deep relief when they crossed that invisible line back into pack lands.

“Why did they take her?” Oakley asked. He was about the same age as Sunny and the youngest of all of Theo’s kids. His older sister and her family lived in the valley but the rest had passed away or moved elsewhere.

“They didn’t mean to,” Ever sighed. “They thought they got Piper and that we’d trade the land to get her back.” We would have, he thought. If they hadn’t been able to find another way, a way to get Piper back safely, they would have given anything. Of course, that wouldn’t have been the end of it. They would have gone to war and been forced to do it on their own land.

Oakley glanced in the rearview, at the back of the woman in Ever’s arms, and then quickly away again. “She doesn’t look like Pip…”

Ever rolled some of her blond hair around his fingers, thinking about how dark it had looked when she dropped the glamour. “Not anymore, no.”

“Witches…” Oakley exhaled, with awe rather than suspicion.

When they got to the valley, there was a gathering of the pack waiting in front of his house.

Sky had his big arms crossed and his chin down. Theo was talking and Sunny was baring teeth.

Great.

Ever got out of the car with Bellamy still in his arms.

They all went quiet and, again, he couldn’t be sure if it was because of him or her. They stared and they tried not to stare, but they all moved aside when he approached and no one tried to say anything when he walked up the porch steps.

Sunny got the door and Ever went inside.

They waited.

He carried her to the back of the house and settled her on his bed. He’d really hoped to lay her there under better circumstances, but he couldn’t imagine putting her anywhere else just then.

He closed the door gently and then marched back through the empty house and out front. No one had tried to follow him in, and they were just as silent and flustered as they had been seconds ago. He closed the front door and came to stand at the first step of the deck.

Sky wasn’t looking at him, and that chafed. Was he blaming him? Did he have the right to? Maybe… Maybe Ever had handled the situation with Blackwell wrong.

“She can’t stay here,” Theo said, breaking the silence.

[mediocre--writing]

Hi! I love your writing and your blog, I was wondering if you would write a second part for "and he loved you back" following the rest of events + a little epilogue when they are already married with kids? But just if you want! I just loved those headcanons so much, thank you! ❤️

Harry Potter x Gryffindor!Muggleborn!Reader

Summary: You and Harry are officially together (ish) but war can get in the way, though it can’t stop your happy ending

Word Count: 4367

Warnings: mentions of scars, torture, starvation, and war

I may have gotten carried away again, and I also may have added a few tweaks on the storyline because I believe in second chances and people being alive :)

Part I: And He Loved You Back

after you went back to school for the rest of 6th year, you and harry were back on your bullshit

joking around and being together

but in the happiness of the moment

you never really discussed

what

exactly

you

were

so you were in that weird gray area of bf/gf or just flirting???

everyone thought you were just getting over an argument because this is how you always were with each other

then

after a spectacular quidditch win

right in the middle of the common room party

you kissed

every

single

person

watched

ew

but it wasn’t like it was an important kiss, you’d been stealing kisses here and there since your night on the couch so it wasn’t anything big

though little colin

(who wasn’t very young anymore)

snapped a quick picture

he gave copies to you both that morning in the common room

yours was put in your pocket every day, no matter where you went

it was your favorite picture ever

the year remained pretty neutral

until

dumbledore died

you, ron, hermione, and others that were in dumbledore’s army were trying to fight off death eaters with the order of phoenix

it was terrifying

you were cornered by a wild woman with even wilder hair

she looked deranged and it wasn’t until she was standing over you with a wand pointed to your face that you realized

that was bellatrix lestrange

you knew she was at the department of mysteries with you all

but you never tried to remember her face

neville blasted her off you

you almost cried in relief

you hugged neville really tight when the hallway cleared out

he was so awkward but it was ok

then you sprinted off to find harry

he was crying over dumbledore’s body

you’d never been emotionally close to the headmaster

so his death wasn’t too life-altering to you

i mean nobody was safe anymore

but you didn’t feel like you were losing a friend

you were dragging harry away from him

when he saw snape

who he chased after

and got knocked down

multiple times

then bellatrix decided to make matters worse

and use the cruciatus curse

and we can’t have that now can we

so while she was being yelled at by snape for trying to get harry

you shot your own little curse at the mad woman

and you

sort of

kind of

maybe

used the cruciatus curse right back at her

oopsie

her screams of agony were what brought the other death eaters to turn around

and even though you were the one to cast the spell

you were the most shocked that you did it

your anger at her for hurting harry had controlled your feelings

you didn’t even know you knew how to do the spell

you just did it

and then one by one the death eaters started disapparating

and one whispered into snapes ear before disapparating himself

and snape strolled up to you and harry

you were defensively standing in front of harry, who was still in a great deal of pain

snape grabbed your arm tightly and disapparated

with you

harry screamed your name

but you weren’t there to hear it

you were being dragged into voldy’s headquarters

the malfoy manor

you were sick of those dumbass blond boys

utterly sick of them

you were oh so kindly greeted by a variety of death eaters, including, but not limited to:

snape

bellatrix

big malfoy

little malfoy

a man you assumed to be fenrir greyback

two other scary looking men you’d seen on wanted posters a time or two

and

the man of the year

old voldy toes

your wand was taken out of your hand with more aggression than necessary

and you were trying to stand up with the best posture you could muster

but you hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning and had gone through a lot in the past two hours

so it was a bit hard to maintain confidence

and consciousness

when you were being swarmed by scary adults

and you just got the ability to use magic outside of school

it just didn’t seem fair

but you didn’t have much time to dwell on it when there was a creepy, snakelike voice

“go on, bella”

then a high pitched giggle was heard before the world went fuzzy

you felt like there were a million pins sticking into every pore on your body

and you heard screaming

it sounded distant

but it was you

you were writhing on the floor screaming louder than gryffindors after a quidditch match win

after the third round of her torture,

you were laying on your back

clutching your head

trying to bang it on the floor

as if that would stop the pain

bellatrix stopped after because what was the point in torture if they died before it began?

so you were aggressively carried/thrown down to the cellar

it was dirty and gross and was barely lit

but you didn’t regain consciousness long enough to really survey the room

and that’s where you stayed for the next few days

you could barely stand the first day

your head was bleeding and your muscles felt more worn out then ever

blinking seemed like too hard a task

your vision still felt fuzzy

after the third day, you could move all your fingers individually at will again

which was more of an accomplishment than you would think

and then you realized

there was an odd bulge in your jean pocket

it was a crumpled piece of paper

but not just any paper

it was a picture

an amazingly wonderful picture

the wonderful gryffindor common room in all its glory

and right in the center

drawing the most attention

was you and harry

sharing your first public kiss

and you wondered if he was looking at the picture too

you wondered if he was looking for you

a part of you didn’t want him to find you because you didn’t want him to be subject to the same torture you had

and you cried quietly that night

you couldn’t stop

you were slumped against a dirty cement wall, tired and hungry and thirsty and you couldn’t stop crying

apparently your sobs were louder than you thought

because you could hear the stomping of someone’s feet on the stairs

you tried to stop crying and tried to hide the photo back in your pocket before the person got to the creepy door/gate thing

but you were still sniffling and you couldn’t get the photo back in your pocket while sitting down

and when you saw the platinum blond hair outside the gate, you tried to shove it into your pocket faster

he opened the door quietly and made eye contact with you before slowly walking towards you

you looked back down, not wanting to look him in the eye

until you saw a shiny, green apple to your left

slowly, you looked up and saw draco handing you an apple, pity in his eyes

you took it cautiously and he turned and walked away, back to the entrance

he looked over his shoulder once again

you were staring at him, eyebrows scrunched together

he mouthed two words before locking the door and going back upstairs

“i’m sorry”

the days went on

every once and a while, when bella was feeling particularly aggravated or thought you looked a bit too happy, she would torture you a bit

the day when she found the photo in your pocket was the worst

she craved the word “mudblood” into your arm

so now you had a werewolf scar and umbridge’s “i must respect my superriors” on your left arm and the messy carving of “mudblood” on your right

it went on for almost seven months before you finally gained a bit of hope

you were with the company of luna lovegood, ollivander, and a particularly crabby goblin

but one day, when you expected the same routine of one of you guys being pulled from the dungeon to be questioned or tortured

(though those were basically the same thing)

you heard bellatrix’s cackling before anything else

then some yelling

then a name

harry potter

your heart twisted in both longing and regret

he was here, but at what cost?

there was no telling how this would play out

voldy has been trying to kill him since he was born but harry had a knack for getting out of sticky situations

meanwhile, upstairs, harry was on his knees, ron and hermione were being held back, and draco was more conflicted then he ever had been

he knew it was harry

it was more obvious than the fact that he, himself had platinum blond hair

but he got flickers and memories every time he blinked

he saw the way you would clutch onto your picture when he would bring you an apple or a small piece of chicken from dinner

how sad you looked when you were writhing on his living room floor while being tortured

how, after christmas break during sixth year, you both looked absolutely unbothered by any upcoming war or disaster when you were in one another’s company

so he stalled

he knew that granger was smart

he knew that ron and harry had a strange way of getting out of trouble

so he waited for any of them to make a move

to do something so he wouldn’t have to

but the distraction came from the snatchers, though it did buy some time regardless

and as harry and ron were struggling to resist against being pushed down the stairs, draco felt a small pinch on his heart as he knew that harry and you would be reunited

you were laying against the wall, tired but not sleeping

sleeping during the day was like insulting bellatrix right to her face, and sleeping at night was almost as terrifying

but suddenly, you didn’t feel so tired anymore

because you saw it

the bright red hair that could only belong to a weasley

and with the mention of potter you heard echo through the house

it could only mean one thing

so the second the door was shut and nobody was left on the stairs, you stood up as quick as you could, not that it was very fast with the lack of food and sleep you’d had

but the sound of your footsteps caused harry--

who, no offense to him, looked hideously deformed--

to turn around

and he swears to this day that he could have cried in that very moment at the sight of your thinning body wobbling towards his, tears in your eyes, and arms reached out to him as he ran faster than when he was being chased by snatchers, just to hold you tight as possible in his arms

the sweet moment, however, was interrupted by hermione’s screaming, pulling a pitiful whisper of “no” from your lips

ron was banging on the gate and screaming for hermione, so was harry, but he was also switching between looking up the stairs and staring at you

it took a while, and a little help from dobby, but you all got out of the cellar and were in a kind of battle with the death eaters upstairs

you were barely able to do anything, given your wand was in the possession of one of the death eaters since you’d been there, and there was no way you were any good at wandless magic

but nothing seemed to hit you

and then you realized

while everyone was fighting each other

without the other knowing, both harry and draco had been taking turns sending defensive spells to whoever targeted you

hermione was in bellatrix’s grasp and there was a squeaking sound before dobby had released the chandelier, and you had sprinted to hermione to push her away

you both barely made it out from under the broken chandelier, and your legs were on fire from using them so vigorously after barely standing for the past few months

but you were all safe, and dobby had gotten you, hermione, harry, and ron into a cluster to disapparate, when two things were thrown at you before you could get away

a knife, thrown by bellatrix, was lodged into dobby’s stomach when you got away, sadly killing the sweet house elf

the second object, a wand, your wand, was laying on the sand beside you all

draco had had your wand and thrown it to you before you escaped

that night was rough

you were helping hermione, because you knew that the pain didn’t really go away after the spell stopped, 

it lingered and it didn’t feel like you were in your own body

you also made light of the carving that now graced both of your arms, yours was more healed over, of course, but the discoloration and raised skin still stuck out like a sore thumb

hermione fell asleep quickly that night, the mental and physical exhaustion and having a comfy bed again mixed and she was out like a light

you, however, were in the living room with harry, each of you talking about how your past seven months had been without the other

you sat with your back pressed into harry’s chest as he ran his fingers along your arms and shoulders

you were freshly showered for the first time in a while and you were in one of bill’s classic weasley sweaters and fleur’s sweatpants and fluffy socks and couldn't have been anymore comfy than you were in that moment

harry held you tighter when you talked about bellatrix

he loosened his grip when you talked about luna and ollivander

he felt a pang in his heart when he heard that you had looked at the picture frequently, just as he had done while with hermione and ron

he wasn’t sure how to feel when you talked about how kind draco was, how he was genuinely scared

he didn’t like draco but he was also glad that he had given you food and a bit of company or hope while you were stuck there

he felt happier than ever when you had fallen asleep in his arms, steady breathing lulling him to sleep as well

you weren’t allowed to go to the ministry with them, because you were still too malnourished and bill, who was more like his mother than he cared to admit, outright refused to let you do anything but eat homemade soup and lay on the couch with a book

you were grateful for his kindness but also anxious to know how harry was

you’d felt good as new after a day, thanks to fleur, who was really extremely talented at healing potions

the order was called to hogwarts to aid harry, and of course you weren’t technically part of the order, but you were good as

so as you all made your dramatic entrance, harry had a gleam of pride in his eyes as he looked at you, standing tall and with a dangerous glare that made him feel lucky you were fighting on the same side

the fighting began before you could realize

you had gone with fred, george, and percy to the courtyards, protecting any younger students who were still there or anyone else on their side

while fighting, you and george had taken one end of the courtyard and percy and fred had taken the other end

you had a twisting feeling erupt in your stomach, not the one that was there before, but now it was worry for something about to happen

and that’s when you saw the wall start to collapse right over fred and percy

“aresto momentum!”

the words came before you even realized, and the bricks were hovering over fred and percy as they ran towards you and george, then the bricks fell as you took your wand away

you felt more relieved than ever, until everything died down a bit and you made your way back to the great hall and saw the true destruction

you saw professor lupin and his wife, tonks

you saw poor colin creevy who, albeit being a little annoying, had a soft spot in your heart after he gave you your favorite picture

you saw lavender brown, who annoyed the living hell out of you, but never deserved to die

you grabbed harry’s hand when he came into the hall, scared he would all of a sudden drop dead too

and when harry said he was actually going to meet voldemort in the woods, you were going to be the reason he dropped dead

but you couldn’t truly stop him because it was his choice, so you told him everything

“i love you, and i know you know that, but it’s important that you go into this knowing that everyone here isn’t getting hurt because of you, they’re getting hurt because the cause is important, and you may not believe it, but everyone here cares about you. i care about you and i can’t lose you, too, h. please be cautious and safe and, if you can help it, don’t leave me.”

“marry me.”

“excuse me?”

“when i get back, marry me. that’s how i want the rest of my life to go, so marry me and we can live in a small house, or a big house if you want, and we can have a family-- or not, whatever you want-- but i want to be with you forever, so when i get back, let’s get married”

“of course, when you get back, i will marry you, harry”

“i love you”

“i love you as well”

so harry set off with a light ignited in his heart as he walked to what would surely be his last breath

and it wasn’t until students and order members were standing around the courtyard watching as voldemort and his army were walking with hagrid, who was carrying something

that something turned out to be a dead harry potter

you were standing in the crowd between with the twins to your left and draco malfoy to your right

your heart broke and you decided that nothing would feel as dreadful as this moment

as voldemort was making his official speech as if it would encourage everyone who had just been fighting him that they wanted to do a full 180, a certain long-haired blond began calling over draco

draco looked close to tears as you inched closer and closer to him

his dad was begging him to come across the courtyard to the death eater side and draco took a single step forward before you grabbed his elbow

he hadn’t been paying attention to anything but his father and the stares of the students

your grasp on his arm startled him

you raised your eyebrows at him as if saying “this is your choice, not his”

and that was all he needed

draco needed someone to see the good in him, to tell him that there were people who cared for him beyond whatever use he may serve as a weapon or soldier

he needed a real friend

he needed you

and so he didn’t move

and neville made his grand speech

and harry potter lept out of hagrid’s arms

and the war commenced, ending quite sooner than anyone had thought

once their leader was dead, the death eaters seemed to realize it was a losing battle

so the order and the students were all rallied in the great hall, the hallways, and sparsely in the courtyards

narcissa, who seemed to be the only one dressed in black robes at the castle, was looking for her son when she ran into you

“i’m sorry dear-” she apologised as she ran into you

“you’re fine,” you stopped when you realize who it was “draco is in the great hall, had a scratch or something so he’s getting checked”

“thank you” she hugged you as tight as she could, and you could feel the tears on your neck as she held you close “i’m so sorry and i couldn’t be happier that you stopped him from coming over, i couldn’t bare-- i don’t want him to be hurt--”

“i understand, mrs. malfoy”

“narcissa”

“ok, well he’s probably waiting for you, so,”

“oh, yes, well thank you darling,”

“it was no big deal. everyone deserves a second chance,”

you had made your way to harry, who was standing with the weasleys, and you kissed him like you had never done before

it was almost better than your first and almost as magical as the one in the common room

“so…” harry blushed

“so… i guess we’re getting married!”

you embraced once more, holding onto each other for dear life

it was barely two months after the war when harry finally told you about remus and tonks making him the godfather of their son, edward remus, and that he’d been staying with tonk’s mom, andromeda

harry wanted to make the young boy’s life better than his own

not that he had any doubt of adromeda being an amazing mother, but she had already raised a child, and didn’t need to start over again

you both relieved andromeda of her duties and kept young teddy with you full time

neither of you were too eager to get a job just yet, as harry could do basically anything he wanted, and you, while not being the best student or anything, were insured a job at weasley’s wizard wheezes once you felt like it

you both got married in the fall, outside the burrow

you wore a simple, lacy gown, and harry wore a simple set of dress robes

everyone wore casual clothes, as it was a very, very small wedding, including only the weasley family, ron, hermione, a few other gryffindors from school, and the malfoys

just draco and narcissa

who had only showed at the reception, as they didn’t want to intrude, even though they were invited

it was a little tense

but everyone knew that draco was on their side from the little thing at the battle of hogwarts

you and harry were happier than ever

you had two more kids besides teddy, who you loved like your own son

(and how that boy ended up being exactly like remus without ever truly meeting him, you both will never know)

your other children, twins, were james sirius and lily minerva

of course you don't name them after a teacher who bullied his students and a headmaster who didn’t do what was best for anybody

who would do that?

it’s just stupid???

ron and hermione had rose and hugo and lived close to the burrow

fred had never married, claiming that he was built to be the fun uncle to every niece and nephew

which he did flawlessly

a little recklessly...

but that was good ‘ol uncle fred

george and angelina had two children, fred and roxanne

the entire weasley family believes that george named his son fred just to cause a little more chaos during holidays

luna and ginny had gotten together about six years after the battle, living together for three of them, and molly wondered how she didn’t figure it out sooner

neville, along with harry, worked at hogwarts teaching

neville taught herbology and became gryffindor’s head of house after mcgonagall had decided that being both transfiguration and head of house was too stressful

harry took up the post of dada professor, in which he taught with remus in mind

you had gone on to work with fred and george in the joke shop when you could, along with working on products at home when you had to watch the kids

you still kept in close touch with draco malfoy, who had married a girl in the year below you, astoria, and had a son, scorpius

you made sure to meet up as often as possible, especially since your children were close in age

draco had become the potions professor at hogwarts, and was actually a favorite to most students, given he was an amazingly intelligent man and held kindness and compassion to the younger kids, making sure they all knew they had choices on who they were in life

you would visit the castle frequently once your kids all got out of the house

while you still had fred and george at work and the others to talk to sometimes, it got lonely in the big house that was usually filled with noise

you would go to the castle and sit in a student’s desk while mcgonagall taught, waiting for her to notice you

which she did, every time, as it seemed age never brought her personality down a bit

you would chat with neville and draco on their breaks, and you always went down to see hagrid when you were there, enjoying his big, bad, teddy bear persona

and you loved to watch harry teach, because he was so in his element that it made you feel a deep-rooted sense of happiness just being around him

and you made sure to come around every year, around the week before christmas break started, and you and harry would share stories of the war with the sixth and seventh years who were curious

but your favorite part of the trips to hogwarts was embarrassing your children, just as god intended

you would wave to and sit with teddy at the hufflepuff table and share stories that made his face turn as pink as his hair

you would go up to the twins, who had both been sorted into gryffindor, and pinch their cheeks and somehow mention the fact that you had baby pictures of them in the bath together

life was peaceful now

you still had the scars from your teenage years

and harry still had his lightning bolt scar on his forehead

but he was never mentioned as “harry potter: the boy who lived” anymore

he was now “cool professor potter”

and, occasionally, if a student was annoyed, they would call him “y/n l/n’s husband or whatever” (a nickname started by teddy lupin himself)

their life was small, and filled with gory details, but they wouldn’t change it for the world