#or. probably anything you could move around with 2 motors

[krawdad]

I know I'm guilty of saying this a lot but that looks remarkably straightforward to build

[midnight-mourning]

Under the Lights

❄️❄️Midnight's DCA December Day 2❄️❄️

Gahh, late again, my bad y'all

But hey! Here now, and I hope you all enjoy, this was something that was SO cute and sweet, though i did add the tiniest bit of angst (to enchance the sweet dw), have fun!

Prompt: I'd like to request dca seeing christmas lights for the first time. like full on, bright, colorful, possibly in shapes lights, those houses that go all out style. when I was a kid my family used to go on nighttime/ dusk-that-turned-into-nighttime walks in the cold, sometimes with hot cocoa, to see what people in the neighborhood did. something with that kinda feel, y'know? that'd be so sweet.

Word Count: 1889

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

"Starshine, hurry uuup," You hear Sun's voice from the front hall. "We're going to miss them!"

You laugh, from in the kitchen, "Sun, the lights stay on all night. At least I think so." You cringe, probably not great for the environment, but you were just as guilty, having prepared your house just a few days ago. 

Another groan on anticipation. You hear footsteps stomp down the hall, his face appearing in the doorway soon thereafter. 

"What could you possibly be doing?"

You beam, holding up your thermos, "Making hot coco! Which I just finished mind you. Now, grab the marshmallows for me. They're on the top shelf."

"Is that what you've been waiting on? Why didn't you say anything sooner!" He shoos you out of the way, opening the cabinet with a tsk, "Who would put them there of all places?"

"Sunny. That was you. You were trying to regulate my sugar intake."

He pauses, bag in hand, "Oh, right. Sorry."

Sheepishly, he hands it over and you dump a large handful into your thermos, "I'll forgive you if you ignore this."

"Trying to." His rays twitch as you added a few extras for good measure. 

You tighten the lid with a smile, "There! Now I'm ready. Let's go."

"Finally! I was starting to lose hope." With that, Sun takes your free hand and leads you out of the kitchen and out the front door. Thankfully you were already dressed for the weather, or you wouldn't have stood a chance against his determined march. 

"At least let me lock the front door!"

It's right around dusk currently, and the lights have just begun to turn on around the neighborhood. There's only a few families out and about currently, most wouldn't come outside until later. 

Your breath clouds in the air, and you huddle into your coat tighter. One hand however, is occupied holding Sun's, his grip tight, but not harsh. 

He leads you around the neighborhood, hitting all the spots with lights currently on. Which admittedly, aren't a lot. Still, it's enough to please him. Taking in every display, no matter how big or small, with a sense of genuine curiosity and wonder. 

Prior to now, you had no idea how much of the holidays and Christmas he and Moon had knowledge of. 

It was apparently, not a lot. 

"Oh! This snowman has pipe! But wouldn't he melt?"

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Why is that reindeer's nose red? Does he have a cold?"

"Oh! The, the snowman and the reindeer are... friends?"

This went on at pretty much every house you stopped by, and each time, you explained the lights or decorations on displayed. You truly didn't mind to, you think his interest was incredibly cute. 

To Sun's dismay however, as it grew darker, more lights began to come on, but it wasn't enough for him to stay out. You're soon joined by his lunar opposite.

Moon, while much less talkative, still has a great interest in looking at the lights. And despite having seen some displays through Sun's eyes, insists on doubling back multiple times. 

"Perhaps there's something we missed."

You scoff, "We've looked at Frosty and Rudolph three times now, Moon-man."

"I just find the mechanics of their movement to be fascinating." He bends down so he's eye to eye with the reindeer made of lights, who's head moves back and forth every so often. "Simply a string of lights and a motor."

You watch as he pokes the display's nose. 

"I'm just glad this isn't, you know, painful for you." You shove your hands in your pockets. 

You'll admit you'd been a bit worried about how this would all go. With the inconsistency of the lighting, there was the concern of the two AI constantly flipping back and forth out of their control. And while you knew the light didn't exactly hurt Moon, it was uncomfortable, from how he'd described it to you in the past. Especially back during their days in the Plex. 

It felt like ages ago now, your time spent together then. You were different, they were different. In some ways that was good, in others... 

You shake your head, letting the memories come, but pass you by. Things were better now, good. And you truly cherished that. Being able to see them happy, content, it's all you wanted at this point. 

Plus, the bonus of seeing them in casual clothes like their current sweatshirt and pants made you feel like you'd domesticated the attendants. A thought both incredibly humorous, and comforting. 

Moon stands, turning to you, "It isn't. This has been nice so far. Thank you for doing this for us." He takes your gloved hand then, holding it up his smile before releasing you. 

Your face feels hot, you cough, avoiding eye contact, "You're um, you're welcome." Your gaze falls on a random house, where an old couple is standing outside, passing out snacks. "Hey, let's go check out that place next. The Kline’s always have a cute display."

Before Moon can respond, your stomach growls, causing you to become more embarrassed. 

He laughs, following after you as you start to head that direction in front of him a few steps, "I'm sure that's your only reason, Star."

After a quick snack break of chocolate covered pretzels and popcorn, your continue to move through the neighborhood. Your stretch of the street was filled with more of the easygoing type folk. Some had a few bigger displays, but nothing over the top. There was a softer, calmer, type of feel to things. 

The other end of the block, not so much. 

You don't know what started it, but for as long as you can remember, at the other end of the street seemed to have it out for each other in terms of trying to see who had the most extravagant lights on display. 

It was a slow transition, houses soon becoming completely covered in lights, framing every window and roof line. Then came the yard lights, the giant inflatable snowmen and Santas, and the music. Oh, the music. 

Before, someone might've been playing a tune on a radio, drifting out amongst the chatter on the street. Over here, you had people blasting 'Carol of the Bells' at full volume. And while you didn't mind the song on a normal day, it was almost unbearable. 

You came across two houses that were obviously trying to outdo each other, houses shining so bright you could probably see them from space, their entire yards covered with—in your opinion—gaudy decorations made of cheap plastic. You flinch at the conflicting music between the two, not even able to decipher the difference between the songs.

The problem however, arouse when the displays start flashing, making cool looking, but nauseating patterns play out on each house. It was disorienting enough for you, but when you glance to your left and one moment see Sun, and the next Moon, squinting against the visual assault, you can only imagine how the experience is for them. 

After a moment to collect yourselves, you exit that section of the neighborhood, finding the other side of that chaos to be more like your comfort level again. 

"That was, certainly something." You take a sip of your hot coco, which is about half gone by now. The marshmallows helping to make it last a little bit longer. 

Moon's hand is to his faceplate, and blinks hard a few times before shaking his head, "I believe 'something' is the best way to put it."

You frown. He doesn't sound happy. Not angry, just, annoyed, dazed. You start to feel guilt sink in. 

"I'm sorry, I, I should've realized how bad that would have been for you two. We could've found a way to go around, or something."

He looks to you then, "Why would you apologize? It's not your fault."

"Still,"—you shake your head—"Are you alright?"

Moon chuckles, setting a hand on your shoulder, "We're fine, Starlight. We've faced far worse than a barrage of flashing lights,"—his hand moves to your cheek—"You know that."

You wince, "Yeah. I do." 

Despite Moon's reassurances, you can sense a bit of tension in him. Seems he's trying to hide that they're still recovering. 

You take the chance to check the time on your phone. You'd wanted to save this for later in the night, giving plenty of time to see the full neighborhood, but decide that this is the perfect opportunity. 

You take his hand, and start to lead him to your new destination, "Come on, I want to show you both something."

"Is it more lights?" Moon asks. 

You turn slightly, small smirk on your face, "A little more than that."

You head back down the street, past the battling lightshows, and past your own house. You walk to the park located at the end of the street, an open, sprawling place, filled with lights of its own. Between displays, kids play out in the snow, their parents watching nearby, chatting. 

You make it to your goal, the large tunnel of warm, white lights in the center of the park. As you enter, Sun appears, face turned up to admire the archway. You think you might even hear him gasp in admiration.

Located at the end of the tunnel is a gazebo, decorated with the same soft lights. As you were hoping, it's unoccupied. Otherwise this would be a bit awkward. 

Once you’re up the steps and in the center, you stop, turning around to face Sun. 

He tilts his head, "This is pretty, Sunbeam, but is there a reason why you brought us here?"

"There is." You take a deep breath, "Listen, getting to have you both in my life, every day, it's not something I take for granted," You take both of the attendant's hands in your own, "I know how much I could've lost. How differently things could have turned out. And I'm just, I'm really glad they didn't."

Sun chuckles, squeezing your hands gently, "Oh Star, we're so happy to have you in our life too!"

"No, you don't understand." You sigh. Now or never. "I love you. Both of you. I, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Sun freezes. Once fluttering rays now stock still. 

"It's okay if you don't feel the same! Either of you. You, you don't have to. I just, wanted to let you know, yeah?" You're fumbling over your words now, heat rising on your face again. 

Again, no response. 

"Well um, that's um, all I had to say—"

You're interrupted by Sun pulling you closer, and pressing his smile to your lips. At first you were afraid of a very specific, humiliating, scenario happening, but thankfully, his faceplate is quite warm against the cold. 

After a few moments, he pulls away. 

"I love you too." A pause, "So does Moon, but he can have his chance to say it later."

You laugh, joy filling you instantly. The noise is cut short as Sun leans in again, kissing you once, twice, three times, you start to lose track. 

So, there you stand, kissing—one of—your loves in the glow of the holiday lights, appreciating it all just that much more. 

And you still had some hot coco left.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

hehehehe, I told you it'd work out. Thank you @juukai for the request! it brought back some of my own personal nostalgia for this kind of thing and was very enjoyable ^_^

If you'd like to request, you have until 12/13 OR until all slots are filled, currently 11 of 31 are taken! See here for more details, thanks for reading!

Masterpost link

Tag list (if you would like added, see this post for more info):

@scarletcowboy @beemyhuneybee @fishm0ther @deviouscrackers @elsajoyagent8

@luckyyyduckyyy @zenkaiankoku @jogimote @local-shrub @amarynthian-chronicles

@robinette-green @everlightreader @sinister-sincerely @starredeclipse @dangerva

@juukai @crystalmagpie447 @mothgutz236 @lizyxml

[pocketramblr]

for the five ask game: how about an au where Izuku has a possession quirk? like Danny Phantom ghost style possession

I have consulted my DP expert friends on this so hopefully I get the idea right

1- Izuku's brand of possession means merging his body with the target's, so on the outside its them, and the inside is him- though the eyes go green. When this manifests, he possesses Katsuki. Katsuki is not a fan of this lack of control and makes it known he considers this villainous.

2- Izuku gets grabbed by sludgy and almost choked out, but activates his quirk and takes over sludgy instead. (This makes his body vanish.) Izuku panics and tries to figure out what to do, but then All Might shows up and he lets go of the possession as he's hit. He's a bit shaken, but fine and All Might checks him over after bottling sludgy. He picks up Izuku's notebook and skims through it.

"you want to be a hero?"

"i- yes- more than anything- can I with a quirk like mine, through?"

All Might signs the notebook as Izuku explains what his quirk can do, and says that he could be- a quirk doesn't define you, what you do with it does.

3- Izuku is happier than he's ever been, and trains to get into UA. Inko lets him practice his quirk on her if he cleans up while in her body, so she doesn't have to be there to do the chores, and it's good for practicing fine motor skills and looking at the world when shorter. Izuku also trains a bit himself, and is stronger by February, though nowhere near the American All Star plan.

4- meanwhile, Mirio turned down OfA. So did the rest of the big three. None of the first or second or third years seem right, and Toshi is invited to watch the entrance exam. Maybe a freshman next year will be it, and he can teach the next year if there is. He sees a familiar face in the test, as Izuku struggles to jump between people (can he take their points?? Will he even get any of his own??). He does a better job possessing people to pull them out of danger- and then Zero Pointer comes out. People flee. There's a girl, stuck. Izuku possesses Iida as he passes and runs to get to her. Then he lets go so the two can dig her out faster, apologizing as they do, them pushing them down out of the way and jumping back in Iida's body as they narrowly avoid the robot stepping on them. Toshinori thinks it's a grand rescue, and approves of the points he gets- and the fact that both the other children approached UA to make sure he would. But he'll be a hero on his own, he clearly doesn't need OfA. Maybe no one does now, with AfO dead.

5- Izuku has an extremely normal first month of school. Training, lessons, getting ready for the SF, which is so exciting, because All Might is apparently going to be there to give awards! Izuku works hard to get through the obstacle course, and is third place. His team works well together, the cavalry battle. But then Ojiro drops out, and warns him about Shinsou's similar quirk (Izuku wants to test so badly how they interact, but he reminds himself to try to beat him first) and then they're up, the first match in the last round. Midnight counts them off, three- two- one-

A warp gate opens in the middle of the field.

"Is that your quirk?" Shinsou asks.

Izuku shakes his head as two figures step through- and more gates open around the stadium.

"I got tired of waiting, Kurogiri." Shigaraki complains. "If All Might is supposed to give out awards, he's probably here now, right? Well if you aren't, I'd get here soon, Symbol of Peace. League of Villains, Nomu, attack!"

Izuku moves first, possessing Shigaraki as the Nomu advances on Midnight and Cementoss. "Nomu, stop!" He orders, and is surprised when it works.

"Oh, so that's your quirk." Shinsou says with new appreciation. "Hey, tell it to attack... Kurogiri, was it?"

"Can you hold him while I jump in others to stop them?" Izuku asks, and Shinsou nods.

In the stands, heroes and villains and nomu are already fighting. But the strongest nomu, built for All Might, sits quietly in the middle of the arena, next to it's brainwashed master and the broken warper, and that will make a difference for how the fight turns out.

[kookie-doughs]

Maybe Hero

Hawks / Keigo Takami X Reader

-Y/N L/N a UA’s 1st year Department of Support was mistaken by the No. 2 hero as a hero.

Chapter 1: Robots and Swords

Previous | Masterlist | Next

Your quirk is Technokinesis

There's a lot to unpack in this quirk, you'll just learn more about it through out the story or you can look it up online I'm probably goinf to follow what it says there to keep the character from being too OP

You can have the ability to create a machine if you have the blueprint in your mind and the materials in front of you. Mei doesn't want you to try the suit because your quirk optimises to you and prevents any malfunction thus the blue print would be altered without knowing what went wrong.

The optimise only works if youre in contact with the said machine. When contact is lost, the machine would revert back to it unoptimised version.

Example you connected the wrong wires, it could cause an explosion when touched the wires correct themselves, when untouched it unconnects. Even if in battle when youre firing left and right it will explode when contact is lost.

You can manipulate any data and equipment with a look but only to some degree, your power works best if you hold it, which triggers the "fix everything when touched" part of your quirk so its difficult to adjust in between. You can also analyse any equipment or such but it only gives off surface level information, once again deep analysis work when in contact. Your analysis only gives about the machine, such as function, who, when, where it was made and whether its faulty. Deep analysis gives all the materials used and their function, if you inspect a faulty one it shows those despite the machine working fine as is.

Only minor altercations can be done by sight. Changing the street light from red to green or changing your scores in arcades or make the claw hold the toy tighter. In fight lets say Katsuki is supposed to explode using this gauntlet, you can prevent that one click once because you do have a cool down so if he barrages you with it you can stop about 25% of his attacks.

A big altercation you can do is when holding the equipment you can disable it. Lets say youre playing in the arcade, you hold the claw machine you can shut down the entire mall as theyre all connected. You can also stop anything motor powered.

You can feel every equipment around 30 meters when you focus. If something is faulty to the point of danger you are alerted and you have to figure out whats wrong. It doesn't say what's wrong.

When you have the blueprint and the function in mind you can restore, repair and return any broken or damaged non-living object to its optimal state no matter how long it has been broken or how damaged it was.

Most importantly, you can move your consciousness to an equipment, machine or any of sort when your body fails(passive) or on command as long as your body is within 20 meters. Your body would be locked in a cylinder shield to prevent damage. You can stay in another body for 5 minutes max. You can not possess the equipment causing you danger(unless it was passively activated and its the only thing around). You can move your consciousness every 12 hours.

I almost forgot to say this you can not mess with someone else's quirk. You cant turn off the charger if its plugged on Denki. But if Overhaul or Tomura breaks a computer you can bring it back if you know the necessary information about it, you can not deep analyse a computer that broken down but you can still surface analyse it.

Mei and you work together a lot she's often the one making blue prints and you create the blueprints so she can adjust them. It gives her more time to hone her creations. She may be better at making them but you're not that far behind.

Shinsou has been your friend since a child as you were the only one unafraid of him, because he cant penetrate your mind easily, because you always move your consciousness passively when he tries.

Im sorry if the explanation is bad or its too overpowered but yeah thats your quirk for this story. I'll try to adjust the quirk to be less overpowered.

-kookiedoughs

Taglist?

@gayer-than-the-gayest-gay @applepie-macaroon @nykie-love-anime @qardasngan

[secrets-of-everwich]

010-4 The Lost Episode

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

{Voice}

[Very glitchy]

Tape from- 11th Oct-ber 2-1.

[This recording sounds like it’s being played through a speaker, it keeps glitching out]

{Callie}

Listener, if you’re scared of spiders, I’d advise not listening from this point onwards. If you are tuning out, I thank you very much for listening to this Secret of Everwich, and I don’t blame you for choosing to keep this secret hidden.

{Ash}

I wish I was able to stop listening-

{Rin}

Shut up, and let them speak!

{Callie}

The drawing depicts a small spider, to scale. This is apparently drawn by ‘Anna’, no last name provided. The spider has a green abdomen, with the rest of its body black. It doesn’t have a web producer, instead it has very small, and sharp pincers.

There’s an accompanying bit of information:

‘A parasite. We are dubbing it ‘Cimex Toxissimus’, after the Latin for ‘bug’ and ‘very toxic’. I do not think this is proper Latin, but neither Jill, nor Anna mind.

‘Starting from the head. Its sharp pincers are used to inject a toxin into the host’s nervous system, causing it to move the desired muscles for the parasite’s needs. From what we’ve seen, it lives on the host’s neck, just under the hairline.

‘We don’t know much else about them, other than it takes about a month for an arachnid to be in full control of the host. After the month, it seems to be hard for the host to recover their motor functions if they are saved.

‘I’m sorry to say this happened to Jill and Harvey. What is more, the fabled Everwich Ghost is real, and seems to target those who have links to the Cimex Toxissimus, as it successfully murdered Harvey, and nearly managed to get Jill too, had I not ran over to where she was after finding out about Harvey.’

{Rin}

I can’t believe that thing was on Em.

{Callie}

Do you two wanna tell me, and the record, what happened when you got to Em’s house?

{Rin}

Yeah.

[A pause]

Ash?

{Ash}

Hm? What? I zoned out because that was a lot of info about something I really hate.

{Callie}

Do you want to tell me and the record about what happened when you got to Em’s house?

{Ash}

Yes! Rin can start, though.

{Rin}

So, I’d been to see you, obviously, and I dunno. Something clicked in my brain. I knew something was up, I could feel it. You thought something was wrong too, so I needed to go and help her. I called up X and Ash on the way-

{Ash}

Yeah, she called us both up, saying ‘Hi, no time to talk, come and meet me at Em’s, it’s urgent’ and then hung up which got both me and X very very worried and so I cycled to Em’s house, and X ran over, you know he was really out of breath and annoyed that this hadn’t happened in 2 months’ time when he’d have been able to drive over-

{Rin} Anyway. We got outside Em’s house, and I banged on the door, and Aiden answered. He let us in, and we went upstairs. By then, I was starting to doubt myself. If I was wrong, I’d just barged into her room, pulled X and Ash away from whatever they’d been doing.

But, I saw it. Very briefly. Sitting there on her neck. She whipped around when we walked in, but I’m sure I saw it. So I showed the other three the book, and-

{Ash}

I’ve never seen Em shoot down an idea so quickly! It was weird.

{Rin}

So I told her simply to prove it. Normally she’d have thought it a bit odd, but gone along with it, but she was absolutely resolute.

{Ash}

Anyway long story short she was being possessed by that thing, and we got it off her and it was a big struggle but she’s okay now and it was lucky Aiden was yelling with his mum so nobody could hear Em’s shouts and then she had to go eat food so we all left because X really had to go to work or he’d get in trouble and we made sure that the thingy was trapped in a test tube!

{Rin}

Em wanted to do some experiments on it.

{Ash}

Oh yeah then there was that weird crash outside Em’s window but X said there wasn’t anything there so it’s ok.

{Rin}

Probably a fox.

{Callie}

Let’s hope it wasn’t the Everwich Ghost!

{Rin}

Don’t joke about that.

[A pause]

{Callie}

Well, that’s probably as much information as you’re gonna get today, so I thank you so much for listening to this Secret of Everwich if you stayed.

{Rin} Bye.

{Ash}

Byeeee!

[Click]

[ironychan]

A Little Human (as a Treat)

Part 1/? - Un Voluntario

Part 2/? - Un Escursione

Part 3/? - Una Complicazione

Part 4/? - Una Famiglia

Part 5/? - Una Aiutante

Part 6/? - Una Ricerca

Part 7/? - Un Confronto

Part 8/? - Un'Emergenza

Part 9/? - Una Speranza

Ciccio and Ercole need a place to spend the night. Flavia and Perla just need a grownup. @dysphoria-sweatshirt @writer652

The problem with sulking is that it's boring, and Ciccio hadn't been sitting there at the base of the anchor chain for very long before he started to get tired of it. He was still angry with his father, so he couldn't go back to shore, but Signora Trota wasn't going to want to see him, so he couldn't go to Giordana's house, either. Where did that leave?

Even worse, what was he going to do with Ercole? Ercole wouldn't care about the argument, and it wouldn't have been any of his business if he had. All Ercole would want was to see that stupid magic scroll and change back to human. It wouldn't be fair of Ciccio to leave him stuck down here just because of some family drama – and unlike Ercole, Ciccio actually cared about things like that. He would probably have to make up with his father as soon as the kids got back. He wasn't looking forward to that.

Ciccio was still stewing over this when Ercole himself arrived, looking for him. It was impossible to say whether he'd also gotten the sea monsters' innate sense of direction with his transformation, but he clearly hadn't had a very good trip. He was once again tangled up in seaweed, and his leg was stuck in a scrap of net.

“Here you are!” he said indignantly. “Why are you sitting around?” He shook his foot to try to get the piece of net off it. A small crab, also stuck in the mesh, hung on for dear life. “What happened to the children, huh?”

“They're not back yet,” said Ciccio.

“What? What's keeping them?” Ercole demanded.

“They got lost.”

“Well, what are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing,” said Ciccio. “There's anything anyone can do about it. Signor Marcovaldo and Signor Scorfano went to San Giuseppe to get them, and they'll be back when they're back. Until then, we just have to wait.”

He couldn't help feeling a little smug about it. Ercole enjoyed making other people do things he didn't want to do himself. Now he was in the last place he ever wanted to be and there was nothing to be done about it. It felt well-deserved.

“I don't want to wait! I'm sick of this!” Ercole insisted. “I want to go home!”

“Good for you,” Ciccio told him. He settled further into the mud, as if he never intended to move again.

“You can't do this to me!”

“Can't do anything else.”

Ercole reached to grab him by the gills, then stopped, not wanting to get stabbed on a spine again. Neither of them had any idea what a second such injury might do. He seemed to think for a moment, then sat down on the bottom next to Ciccio. “Then I'm gonna wait with you,” he announced, “just to make sure you're telling the truth.”

“Why would I lie about it?” Ciccio wanted to know.

“How am I supposed to know why you'd do something? You're the one who apparently wanted to be a slimy sea monster,” Ercole replied.

Ciccio was about to say something rude in reply, but he heard the sound of a motor. Looking up, he could see the shape of a small boat against the sunset light, puttering out towards the Island. It looked familiar. Was that the same boat Guido had been in earlier? If so, was it heading to the Island on the assumption that Ciccio would go back there? He wasn't sure about his ability to recognize a boat from the bottom – although he knew Alberto could apparently do it – but if there were some news, did he really want to risk missing it?

“Wait here,” he told Ercole, and swam up to see what was going on. He grabbed the side of the boat to look over the edge, and was relieved to see his friend. If it had been somebody else, there was a chance this situation might have gotten even worse. “Guido?”

“Oh, per fortuna!” Guido exclaimed, turning around. “I had no idea how I was gonna find you! Listen.” He used an oar to turn the boat so he could better face Ciccio. “Signor Scorfano telephoned from San Giuseppe. Flavia wasn't where she promised to wait, so they're going to look for her.”

Ciccio felt that awful crawling fear inside him again. What if they never found her? He wanted to shut his eyes and try to physically shake that horrible thought out of his head.

This must have been plain on his face, because Guido held his hands up and tried to reassure him. “Don't panic! They think she's got somebody with her, but they might be back really late, and your Dad wants me to make sure you're okay. He told me to ask if you have somewhere you can spend the night if you need to.”

This really did nothing for Ciccio's state of mind. If his father was resigned to him spending the night in the water, then this was really serious. “I don't know. We might be able to stay with the Donzellas, I guess? We helped them fix their barn.”

“We?” Guido asked. For a moment he was puzzled, then he remembered Ercole and was even more confused. “Ercole helped?”

“Sort of. Not on purpose,” Ciccio told him. “Anyway, Papá's met Signor Donzella. Silvio's dad, the big guy with the beard.”

The Donzellas were fairly familiar faces around Portorosso. Guido nodded. “I'll probably be back really early to check on you again,” he said. “I don't know if there's any way to let you know if they get back after midnight or something...”

“I'll wait for you at the Island again in the morning,” Ciccio promised.

“Okay. Uh... sleep well,” said Guido uncertainly.

“I'll try,” said Ciccio, who was pretty sure he wouldn't sleep a wink.

Ercole was waiting just below the surface, tail twitching impatiently. “Well?” he asked.

“Flavia's still missing,” said Ciccio.

Ercole scowled. “Doesn't she know we can't change back without her?”

“Yes! She knows that!” Ciccio replied impatiently. “She's probably not doing great, either, you know. She's by herself in a strange place.”

“What if she doesn't come back? I don't want to spend the rest of my life as a nasty, smelly sea monster!”

That hit a little too close to Ciccio's own fears. “Maybe I do!” he snarled, not because it was true but just to make Ercole angrier.

“I don't care what you want,” Ercole informed him.

“I know! You don't care about anybody but yourself!”

“Why should I?”

“Because everybody else does!” Ciccio roared. “Giordana wanted to help the Donzellas because she wants them to have a place to live! I wanted to do this partly to hang out with Giordana but also partly because I felt sorry for Flavia and I wanted her to have a good time! I could have just left you there but I felt like this was my fault and I didn't want you to get hurt! Everybody cares about other people except you!”

For a moment Ercole just stared at him, astonished by this outburst. Then he snorted and said, “it's not my business if your fish girlfriend wants to do extra work. Now, if the children won't be back tonight, what are we going to do?”

“We're going to ask the Donzella family if we can stay with them,” Ciccio replied. “And if Signora Donzella allows it, it's because she cares that we don't get eaten by the giant squid!”

Ercole looked suspicious. “Everybody keeps talkinga bout this giant squid. I think you're making it up.”

“Then you can just sleep on a rock somewhere,” Ciccio said, and turned to head for the Donzellas' house.

“Hey! You just admitted that this is your fault!” Ercole swam after him. “You can't just leave me!”

Ciccio didn't answer. He'd been told that sea monsters could instinctively find their way back to any place they'd been before, but it was still surprising to see first-hand that it was true. He didn't even have to think about it. He knew exactly which way he had to go to find the Donzellas. Ercole didn't question his sense of direction, either. He was too busy continuing to rant.

“Why do you want a sea monster for a girlfriend anyway?” he asked. “I mean, I see why normal girls wouldn't want you, but are you really that desperate?”

“Believe it or not, I like Giordana,” said Ciccio. “She's tough and pretty at the same time, and we both like to bake. And she likes me, too,” he added. “She says I treat her like a lady, while the sea monster boys think she's not girly enough.”

“Oh, so neither of you can find somebody your own kind,” was what Ercole took from that.

Ciccio didn't answer, because something caught his eye... a flicker of blue-green light somewhere off in the darkening water. He turned to look, but didn't see anything.

“What are you...” Ercole began, then fell silent. “Per milli cavoli.”

This was spoken in a hush that was very out of character for Ercole. Ciccio found him looking up – he followed his gaze, and saw that with the sun going down, the water near the surface had lit up with softly glowing blue plankton. This swirled and shifted with the water, looking like pictures Ciccio had seen in a magazine of the aurora polare in Canada, except in constant motion. It was breathtaking.

“Wow,” he said.

“Does that happen every night down here?” Ercole wanted to know.

“I couldn't tell you,” Ciccio said. Neither Giordana nor Arturo had ever mentioned it to him. Maybe it was so ordinary to them that they didn't think it was worth talking about, sort of like the moon.

It must have been the same glow that Ciccio had seen a moment earlier. It had only startled him because he hadn't known to expect it. Yet he couldn't help looking over his shoulder before they continued on their way, just in case. When he did, there it was: a gentle pulse of greenish light among the seaweed. He waited, but it did not appear again.

Ciccio's sense of direction didn't fail him. The Donzella family's house was right where he'd thought it was, with a soft pinkish glow visible through the windows. This, too, was bioluminescence, coming from a cluster of jellyfish the sea monsters kept in their houses. Silvio was helping his mother feed these when Ciccio and Ercole came to the door.

Massimo knew he was supposed to call out. Ciccio did not, and feared that doing so might be rude. Since there was nothing to knock on, he just waited there awkwardly for somebody to notice him.

It took a few moments, but eventually Signora Donzella spotted them, and cried out in surprise. “Mother of pearl! Say something next time!” She gave her bowl of krill to Silvio and came to welcome them in. “What can I do for you boys?”

Ercole looked at Ciccio – talking to sea monsters was his job. Ciccio took a deep breath, or at least its underwater equivalent. How much should he tell her? The truth was complicated and he didn't know how she'd react. Signora Egelfino earlier hadn't exactly been upset, but he couldn't imagine her letting them spend the night, either.

He decided to say as little as possible. “I had a fight with my father, and Ercole's a long way from home. We were wondering if we could stay here tonight.”

Signora Donzella was surprised and a bit puzzled by the request, but she rose to the occasion. “Of course you can. I'm sure everything will seem much better in the morning. I remember having some awful rows with my mother when I was a girl, but a good night's sleep always helped. Let me find you something to eat. Silvio!”

Her son looked up from what he was doing. Half the jellyfish immediately extended their tentacles to try to grab the bowl of krill from him, and he had to quickly move it out of their reach. “Yes, Mom?”

“Find those extra sponge mats, will you? I know we brought them with us. I'm afraid there's not room for you in the house,” she told her guests, “but thanks to all your good help today there's plenty of space in the barn, and we haven't moved our livestock in yet so you won't even have to share.”

Ercole was appalled. “You want us to...” he began, but Ciccio grabbed him by a whisker and pinched it. “Ow!”

“Grazie mille, Signora Donzella,” said Ciccio. “That's perfect. We can finish feeding your jellyfish for you.”

“Would you? That woudl be lovely,” said Signora Donzella with a smile.

Silvio grinned and gave the bowl to Ciccio before swimming off to find the bedding. His mother vanished into another room, and with them both gone, Ciccio took Ercole's arm and leaned in close to talk to him.

“We are gonna be good guests,” he said threateningly, “and if you aren't, I'm gonna tell her husband who you really are.”

Ciccio did not know if Ercole realized that Signor Donzella was the same person as the large bearded man who'd helped scare the American carnival owner away back at Christmas time, but he had the events of earlier in the day to tell him that this wasn't somebody he wanted angry with them. He nodded.

“Good.” Ciccio let go of him. “Keep your mouth shut, and let's get to work.”

-

Flavia and Perla were afraid Felicia would try to drag them back to the French bakery, but she seemed just as determined to reach the police station as the girls were. All three came puffing up to the Piazza Centrale together. Flavia had not noticed the police station when she had been in the piazza earlier, but it was not a conspicuous building, wedged as it was between a dressmaker's and a shop that had once been a greengrocer's but was now empty. Even now that she was looking for it, Flavia would have needed Perla to point it out if it hadn't been for the crowd gathered around it.

“I need everybody to stay back, please!” a young policeman was saying, standing on a chair to address everybody. “This is not a circus show! We're trying to contain a threat to the community.”

“You girls hear that?” Felicia asked, worried. “You two shouldn't be here.”

“What about you?” Perla asked.

“I'm looking for my husband,” the woman reminded them.

It wasn't impossible that he was here somewhere, Flavia thought. There were at least a couple of dozen people gathered and he could easily have been one of them. Rather than go look for him, however, Felicia remained lurking with the two girls in the side street.

“What do we do now?” Flavia asked.

“I dunno,” said Perla, with a nervous look at Felicia.

There was a fuss somewhere up the street, with the ringing of a bicycle bell and several startled shouts. The girls and Felicia turned to look, and then froze as they heard a familiar voice.

“Heaven's sake, watch where you're going!” exclaimed Signora Pepitone.

“Sorry, Ma'am!” replied the boy on the bicycle who'd nearly run into her.

Perla grabbed Flavia and the two darted into the space between two buildings, ducking under an old wooden pallet that was leaning against one wall. Felicia, who had turned back to watching the crowd outside the police station once she'd realized nothing important was happening up the street, did not notice them. Moments later, Signora Pepitone and Roberto went hurrying by, in the sort of tired jog that suggested they'd begun their journey running but were now out of breath. Felicia jumped as they startled her on the way by, and only then did she look around and realize the girls were gone.

She did not look for them, though, because as soon as she entered the piazza Signora Pepitone began calling for help. “We need the police!” she called out. “Those sea monsters! They took my granddaughter and her friend!”

“Oh, no,” whispered Flavia. Now Signora Pepitone was even more upset about the sea monsters! If Flavia and Perla came out and said they'd run away on their own, then the others wouldn't have to take the blame... but then Signora Pepitone would drag them back to her flat and there'd be nobody to try to help Alberto and his friends. Flavia wished Papa Leo were here. He would have been able to do something. This was getting worse and worse. “We're gonna be in so much trouble.”

“Then we have to help your friends before she finds us,” Perla decided. She wiggled out from under the pallet and studied the side of the building. “I'm gonna go take a look.”

“She'll see you!” Flavia protested.

“No, she won't,” Perla promised, and began shimmying up the drainpipe. “Wait here, and be very quiet,” she told Flavia.

“Okay,” said Flavia, glad Perla hadn't tried to make her come along. The other girl vanished over the edge of the roof, and Flavia sat down on a wooden block to wait. She hoped Perla wouldn't be too long.

Flavia might have worried less about Perla falling if she'd been able to see her scrambling over the rooftops like a mountain goat. By the time she reached the former grocery shop, Signora Pepitone was already inside the police station shouting at the prisoners. Perla could hear her voice, and so she crouched on the roof and waited for Ippolito to escort her grandmother out. Then she slid down onto a lower part of the roof, and peered in the small window there.

There wasn't much happening inside. Alberto was pacing up and down the room, trying to think of a way to escape. Giulia and Luca were sitting on either side of the thoroughly miserable Antonio Macarello, watching their friend.

“I knew I should have taken Errico up when he offered to teach me to pick locks,” Alberto grumbled. “Massimo said I didn't need to know that.”

“Even if you did, they're still right outside,” said Luca. They could dimly hear Signora Pepitone wailing as she described what had happened to the police. Luca didn't like being stuck in here while Flavia was apparently missing... he hoped she was still with Signora Pepitone's granddaughter, even if only so she wouldn't be all alone. ��If the policeman comes back, you should try talking to him again,” he told Antonio.

“Yeah, I think you were getting to him,” Alberto agreed.

But Antonio shook his head. “My parents were right. Land monsters can't be reasoned with.”

“That's not true at all!” Giulia protested.

“Yeah!” Alberto said, and almost made a joke about how Giulia was still totally unreasonable even now she was a sea monster. At the last moment he managed to think better of it.

“Once the people in Portorosso realized we weren't going to hurt them, they stopped wanting to hurt us,” said Luca. “You just have to convince the people in San Giuseppe. You're already friends with some of them, so that's a start.”

“But how?” Antonio asked. “You saw Ippolito. He just... stared at me, then took us all away.”

“But he looked sad when you started talking about how long you guys had been friends for,” Giulia reminded him. “You need to do more of that.”

“He left, though,” sighed Antonio. “He probably never even...” he cut himself off with a yelp. Luca and Giulia jumped to their feet, and Alberto nearly fell over.

“Sorry!” said Antonio. “Something went down the back of my neck. I...” He shook his shirt, and they heard a small object hit the floor. Giulia reached down, and picked up a little pebble.

Everybody looked up, and found a face peering in between the bars of the tiny window high up on the back wall.

“Flavia?” Giulia asked hopefully, but a moment later she realized it couldn't be. Flavia had short hair, while this girl wore hers long in pigtails.

“Don't shout!” said Luca. “The people outside will hear us.” He thought for a moment. “Signor Macarello, could you stand on the bench, please?”

Antonio got to his feet and climbed onto the bench along the back wall, and Luca and Giulia helped Alberto up to sit on his shoulders. While they watched nervously for the return of Officer Ippolito and Signora Pepitone, Alberto grabbed the bars and looked outside. There was indeed a girl of about eleven crouched on the roof outside looking back at him, and she was definitely not Flavia.

“Who are you?” he whispered.

“I'm Perla!” she replied. “Are you Alberto? Flavia told me about you,” she added, without waiting for an answer. “She's scared of climbing so I came. Are you guys the sea monsters?”

There was no point in denying it – and if this were Flavia's new friend, she would hopefully have a different opinion about that than the adults outside. “We sure are,” said Alberto. “You wanna see?” He took a deep breath and transformed.

“Hey!” protested Antonio, as Alberto's tail suddenly smacked him in the face.

“Sorry!” Alberto quickly changed back.

“Wow!” whispered Perla, grinning.

Alberto couldn't help a proud grin, but he quickly got back to the important questions, “is Flavia okay?”

“Yeah, she's fine,” Perla promised. “I know Nonna's looking for us, but we're gonna help you guys first.”

“How?”

“We dunno yet, but we're gonna do it. Just sit tight, okay?”

“Yeah, we can't exactly go anywhere,” Alberto said. “You'll tell Flavia we're all right?”

“Absolutely. See you soon!” Perla stood up to climb onto the roof edge above the window, and vanished from view.

Alberto dropped back to the floor, and Antonio Macarello dejectedly sat down on the bench again. After a few moments Luca and Giulia once again sat on either side of him, doing their best to look like they hadn't moved in case the police came back and got suspicious.

“She's not going to help us,” sighed Antonio. “She's just another land monster.”

“Don't say that,” said Luca. “Humans can be surprising.”

Flavia waited for Perla for what seemed like an awfully long time. She sat on the block of wood in the alley, fiddling the the ribbons on her borrowing blouse or scuffing patterns into the dirt with her shoes. What if Perla got caught? Could Flavia possibly help her friends on her own? Or what if somebody found Flavia waiting, and asked her...

“There you are! What are you doing back there?”

Flavia screeched involuntarily, which in turn frightened the woman who'd just spotted her – Felicia from the Patisserie. Felicia shouted back, and the two of them spent a moment staring at each other in shock and horror.

“Are you okay, Signora?” a boy's voice asked from somewhere out on the street.

Flavia gave Felicia a pleading look and shook her head.

“I'm fine! I saw a... one of those things with the tail,” Felicia said. “Everything's all right!” She squeezed into the space between the buildings with Flavia. “I looked up and you two were gone. Where's your friend?”

“I'm here!” Perla slid down the drainpipe again and landed in a dusty heap between the two. “There's a little window up there that looks down into the cell, and after Nonna left I could see everything.” She glanced up at Felicia and thought for a moment before continuing. “There weren't any sea monsters though, just people.”

Flavia nodded. “Too bad. Seeing sea monsters would be cool.”

“Guess we'll just go to the candy shop and go home!” said Perla. “Come on! It looks like he's still open!”

“Buona Sera, Signora!” Flavia said, waving as the girls climbed over the pallets to return to the street. “I hope you find your husband!”

They took a quick look into the piazza to make sure nobody would see them – nobody did. They were all still gathered around the police station. Keeping close to the wall, the two girls ran down the length of a building and darted into the candy shop. A bell on the door rang as they went inside.

“Good evening!” said Signor Giglioli, removing trays from the display for cleaning. “Oh, hello, Perla!”

“Hello, Signor!” said Perla, and pulled Flavia into a corner so they could talk quietly.

“Did you see them?” Flavia asked.

“Yeah, they're all in there! Alberto even showed me what you really look like!” said Perla with a grin. “I saw him, and there was another boy and girl who must be Giulia and Luca, and a man with a moustache, in a yellow shirt.”

Flavia had nodded eagerly at Perla talking about her friends, but then paused at the mention of a grownup. They hadn't had anyone with them. Were they locked up in there with an actual criminal? Would she and Perla be able to get her friends out without also freeing this other person, and would that be a problem?

Why had Flavia ever wanted to come up on land anyway? She was always hearing about her cousins getting into trouble above the surface. She should have known the same thing would happen to her. Were they going to be mad that she'd gotten them into trouble?

“Don't panic!” Perla whispered. “There's gotta be something we can do.”

“Yeah, but what?” asked Flavia. There'd been so many people, and while she'd never been in one, Flavia had heard enough about police stations to know that they had places to lock people up behind bars.

Perla wasn't sure. “In the movies, you get people out of jail by paying bail money, but I don't have any.”

“Me either,” said Flavia. “Giulia was carrying the money.” And if that had been enough to buy their way out, surely she would have already done it.

“Nonna usually gives me money if I say per favore,” Perla said, “but she always wants to know what it's for.”

“We need more help,” Flavia decided. She looked over her shoulder at Signor Giglioli, who was keeping one eye on the girls as he washed a tray, and remembered something Luca had said earlier. Hoping he'd been right, she approached the counter. “Signor Giglioli?”

The shop owner smiled at them. “Oh, I remember you, you're one of the kids from Portorosso! Do you and Perla know each other?”

“We do now!” said Perla.

“Signor,” Flavia began, but then hesitated, nervous. What if Luca had been wrong? What if Signor Giglioli turned out to be as scared as the other people in this town? For a moment she just stood there, unable to speak, but then he made herself continue. Flavia trusted Luca, and they needed somebody to help. “Remember you gave us candy sea monsters, because people like sea monsters in Portorosso?”

He nodded. “I've run out of them today, I'm afraid, but you're welcome to come back tomorrow.”

“No, no, I don't want any. I mean, they're very tasty, but not right now.” Flavia took a deep breath. “People in Portorosso like sea monsters because we are sea monsters.”

Luca had said Signor Giglioli wouldn't mind but Flavia's heart was still thumping as she waited for his reaction.

It was not what she had expected. “Oh, is that so?” he asked with an indulgent smile.

Flavia didn't know how to reply to that. It was Perla who became indignant. “She means it! Her friends are the sea monsters Nonna saw at the zoo,” Perla said. “Everybody's talking about it.”

Giglioli nodded. “Well, I'll have to change my candies, then. Here I thought sea monsters were scaly things, but it turns out they look just like children.”

Flavia was starting to panic. Of all the reactions she'd imagined, it had never occurred to her that somebody might think it was all a game. “Only when we're out of the water,” she said. “When we get back in, we Change. That's what happened at the zoo, was that the fountain broke and everybody got wet!”

“I see, I see,” he said, still humouring them. “I would like to see that! Do you have to be in the ocean, or will any water do?”

“Any water. But I don't do it,” Flavia said. She could feel tears rising. He wasn't going to believe them.

“It's like how some people are born and their eyes or legs don't work,” Perla added.

“Well, that's a shame,” Signor Giglioli said.

Flavia shut her eyes as the tears spilled over. She hated crying. It was bad enough underwater, where all the salt got crusted at the edges of her eyes, but human crying had turned out to be so much worse. Human tears were hot, salty water that left trails down her face – and that would make things even worse, because Signor Giglioli would see that her cheeks were wet and yet she wasn't Changing.

Signor Giglioli sighed. “Oh, no, don't cry,” he said. “Girls, listen. Sea monsters are a fun story, but it's like the Befana bringing you gifts or jaculi hiding in trees. It's not real. People are panicking now, but they'll feel silly in the morning.”

“But they need help!” Flavia protested, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. Signor Giglioli held out a handkerchief, but she didn't take it because she didn't know what it was for. “They've been locked up for being sea monsters and I know something awful is going to happen to them. Nobody else is going to do anything because they're all scared! Please!”

“Locked them up?” asked Signor Giglioli. “You mean all that fuss that's going on out there... they've got three children in jail?”

“Yes! I saw it,” said Perla. “I saw Alberto turn into a sea monster, too!”

Signor Giglioli took his apron off. “I'm going to go have a word with some people,” he decided. “You girls wait for me.”

Flavia and Perla hovered in the confetteria doorway while he marched past the triton fountain and into the little crowd.

“Now see here!” they heard him say.

[whoovesnassistant]

Skit Contest Entry 8

Tinkering With Trust - By Tech Reel

YouTube: youtube.com/@DiddleBox

Tumblr: https://diddlebox.tumblr.com/

Derpy is relaxing in her room, then suddenly there’s a knock at the door.

Derpy: [humming peacefully, then hears the knock] Come in! [door opens]

Tick Tock: [slightly uncomfortable] Hey Derpy, could I.. ask you to do me a favor?

Derpy: [cheery] Of course, Tick Tock, what do you need?

Tick Tock: Well, I feel like lately The Doctor’s behavior around me has been.. peculiar. More so than usual.

Derpy: [mild frustration] Oh no, is he getting all crazy about unicorns again?

Tick Tock: [mild relief] Thankfully not. But he does seem incredibly tense whenever I’m near him. Do you think you could possibly talk to him and figure out what’s going on? I would myself, but I worry that might only add to the problem.

Derpy: Yeah I can ask him for you, I’m sure it’s nothing serious, probably just The Doctor being The Doctor.

Tick Tock: Thank you, Derpy. [Derpy walks away] In the meantime, I’ll go back to my latest project.

Derpy reaches the TARDIS console and finds The Doctor.

Doctor: [muttering quietly/angrily to himself] What if he.. Ooh I bet.. Oh he better not-!

Derpy: [confused/concerned] Um, Doctor?

Doctor: AHH WHAT?!

Derpy: EEP!

Doctor: [relief, regaining breath] Oh, Derpy, it’s only you.

Derpy: Are you okay, Doctor? You seem.. on edge.

Doctor: Yes, I’m fine, I’ve just noticed some peculiar behavior lately that I’m trying to investigate.

Derpy: You’re not the only one, Tick Tock said you’ve been acting a bit weird lately.

Doctor: [angry suspicion] Hmph, he would say that.

Derpy: [concerned] What?

Doctor: Derpy, have you noticed lately that Tick Tock’s ideas have been rather.. concerning?

[“woosh” or other sound to indicate flashback/transition]

-Brief Flashback 1/3

Tick Tock: Doctor, remind me, how is it that other ponies don’t seem to notice the TARDIS when you land in areas where it should be quite obvious?

Doctor: Ah, that would be the perception filter! A handy trick to make the ol’ girl almost unnoticeable, as long as someone isn’t looking for her specifically, their eyes will naturally glance away and ignore her, classic telepathic misdirection.

Tick Tock: Fascinating. I wonder if such abilities could be amplified and applied to a pony, making them able to slip in and out of places completely unnoticed and forgotten by any surrounding ponies.

Doctor: [suspicious] Hmm..

[“woosh” or other sound to indicate flashback/transition]

-Brief Flashback 2/3-

Derpy: Aw, look at those fillies playing “Red Light, Green Light”! I used to love that game when I was their age.

Tick Tock: Interesting strategy, freezing when in view of the opposing side. If you could move fast enough and appear unassuming, the enemy would have no idea what’s coming their way. You would be determined and on the move, while all they see is some sort of-

Doctor: [curious/uneasy] Statue?

Tick Tock: Exactly, nobody would suspect such a simple and seemingly innocent object.

[“woosh” or other sound to indicate flashback/transition]

-Brief Flashback 3/3-

Tick Tock: Is there a lot of technology back where you’re from?

Doctor: Oh there very much is. TVs, computers, motor vehicles, phones, et cetera. Humans are addicted to it! Can’t say I blame them.

Tick Tock: Well it can be very useful indeed. And though it isn’t as prevalent in this world, I would love to attempt to change that. It could be an excellent way of connecting ponies, it would just require some hard work and the right type of headset. Or maybe some sort of metal exoskeleton that can protect ponies from threats and even meet their needs, imagine the efficiency.

[“woosh” sound to indicate flashback/transition]

Back to The Doctor and Derpy in the TARDIS.

Derpy: I’ll admit, that last one did sound a tiiiny bit like Cyberponies, but Tick Tock is just coming up with things to try and help people. He would never do anything bad.

Doctor: [uneasy] I don’t know, I don’t want to believe it either, but his ideas have come too close to some very dangerous things I’ve seen both here and back in my world.

Derpy: Well why don’t we just ask him? Maybe if he explains-

Doctor: No no, if this is something then asking would only alert him to my suspicions, and that could be bad.

Derpy: [increasingly concerned] Doctor, you’re acting like he’s a villain, he’s one of the nicest ponies I’ve ever met and he would never hurt anypony.

Doctor: [skeptical, under his breath] Well we did meet him in the middle of a war..

Derpy: [frustrated/shocked] Doctor!

Doctor: I don’t mean to be mean, I’m just trying to be cautious. Either way, we’re not going to agree right now, so why don’t we find out together? I saw Tick Tock go to his room, let’s take a quick glance to see if there’s anything of note happening.

Derpy: You mean spy on him? That just.. doesn’t feel right..

Doctor: It’s the only way we’re going to get any answers. [starts walking] I’m doing it with or without you. So? Coming?

Derpy: Eh.. fine. Only to prove that he’s not up to anything.

Doctor: [slight skepticism] We’ll see. Off we go.

They both sneak up to Tick Tock’s door.

Doctor: [hushed voice] Look, his door’s a bit open.

Derpy: [hushed voice] Doctor, this feels really wrong.

Doctor: [hushed voice/frustrated] The only thing wrong here is the angle, all I can see are shadows. Oh.. wait just a second, what’s this?

Derpy: [hushed voice] What? What is it?

Doctor: [hushed voice, concerned and increasingly intense] Is that.. It can’t be, but that silhouette looks like.. like..

Derpy: [hushed voice, worried] Like what?

Doctor: [hushed voice, increasingly angry] Oh of course, it all makes sense. The background in war, restricted emotion, a knack for inventing..

Derpy: [hushed voice, concerned] What is it, Doctor? What does it look like?

Doctor: [furious] A Dalek!

The Doctor slams Tick Tock’s door open.

Tick Tock: AH! Oh, Doctor? Derpy?

Doctor: [fury, then calm confusion] Yes! We were here the whole time and know exactly what you’re planning! To think you’d have the NERVE to stay in my TARDIS while creating a.. a.. What in the world is that?

Tick Tock: Oh this? This is just a side project I’m working on. The perfect container for basic condiments and seasonings. One simple delivery system for ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper.

Doctor: Oh.. well, uh that’s.. great! Definitely much better than.. Ah well never mind that. Handy little gadget there, Tick Tock, keep up the good work! [starts walking out]

Derpy: [stern] Doctor. Talk to him.

Doctor: Aw that’s not necessary, all’s forgotten, right Tick Tock?

Tick Tock: [confused] Doctor, what did you think I was making?

Doctor: Nothing! I just.. I.. [sighs, defeated/ashamed] I thought you were making a Dalek. A creature from my world that brought great pain to the universe..

Tick Tock: What? Why would you think I’d do such a thing?

Doctor: Well lately it’s seemed that a lot of your ideas have been reminiscent of ones I’ve seen in the past that caused a lot of harm. I was worried it meant you were going down a dark path of some sort.

Tick Tock [concerned]: I-I’m so sorry if something I did led you to believe that I would be that type of pony.

Derpy: You didn’t do anything, Tick Tock.

Doctor: [solemn] Derpy’s right, it isn’t you at all, it’s me. I’ve had friends and allies in the past that turned on me later in life. One of my greatest enemies.. was once one of my closest friends. What I’m trying to say is that trust.. doesn’t always come easy to me, and when I see potential signs of betrayal I get.. antsy.

Derpy: [shocked/sympathetic] Doctor, I’m so sorry. I had no idea your old friends treated you like that.. but remember, we’re not them. I know trust can be hard, but we’ll always do our best to treat you with the kindness you deserve.

Tick Tock: And if you ever have questions about my inventions or concepts you can always ask, I’d be more than happy to explain. Plus if something I’m thinking of reminds you of something dangerous, such warnings would be more than welcome.

Doctor: [calm/relieved] Thank you. I’m sorry I accused you, Tick Tock, there will be no more of that I can assure you. And as for you, Derpy, sorry for dragging you into this and making you worry. Thank you both for setting me straight.

Derpy: [cheery/relieved] Always happy to help. Now come on, let’s go somewhere, we’ve been cooped up in the TARDIS for too long.

Tick Tock: If I could make a suggestion, somewhere with food would provide a great opportunity to test my new device.

Derpy: This may be the only time I won’t suggest muffins.

Tick Tock: True, these would not make good additions to baked goods. Maybe I could make one that accommodates that better.

Derpy: Ooh it could have cinnamon, or blueberries, ooh chocolate!

Doctor: Could I suggest a compartment for butter?

The conversation trails off as the three walk off to the console room.

The End.

[butchviking]

what is your drean apocalypse? once it all starts you'll never have to fold your laundry again!

you ask the best questions i have never even considered this... my dream apocalypse..... oh my god i have no idea..... can i say anything like anything at all? it doesnt have 2 be realistic right this is the apocalypse we are talking about. i think it would be neat if everyone died all at once but could still walk & talk like absolute normal. but slowly slowly we all began 2 rot. affected by all the usual things like humidity & temperature... and any injuries done would never heal and your skeleton cant magically keep itself together and walk around like once your muscles start 2 decay u can't move so good and when ur tendons and ligaments and whatever holds u together rots away u just start falling to pieces and as your brain rots u lose cognitive function (& probably motor control too but that was probably already doing not so good by the time ur brain is going) and we all just live like we are dying for whatever time we have left bc we are. in the right conditions i think u could get a little while out of it. and you certainly would not waste a moment folding laundry

[the-firebird69]

British Classic MGB Roadster bodyshells - British Motor Heritage

This says body shell then complete assembly to us that means it does not include the chassis. If you look at the image it doesn't look like the chassis on it but our son and daughter think it's a reasonable price not that you should buy it because it's metal and it's not metal and it says oh he meant the chassis and it really is metal it is metal and it has a lot of frame and it's very sturdy but once you get done with it you're up to 30 grand and you still have all the finishes for an mg GT whoopdie doo there's no point in it it's not worth that much money and you can get better kits. It's just a TD car but this is the size and this is how it looks that would be the fiberglass shell with a soft top and hardtop looks very similar to the soft top now there is no problem with it it's a decent shell and you can buy one and make molds and more if you like and you put on an effort and you get 20 out of 200 and you get them in and you make a whole bunch of molds real quick usually a pick one and you make Master molds and just make copies tons of them with the others you could try making prototypes off the lawn mower no it's like 84 it's longer than the lawn mower but you can't stretch it out and we suggest you do and you'll be having this as an end product it's very nice it is wonderful you have to do work early one more Cassie but people some people know how to do it we're going to put this out there because it's a great idea this is a great car to do it too and it is all about them being British anyways

Thor Freya

Olympus

He says all are all British hope you can handle that and that's Megan Merkel and he says oh my God Ella farting out her mouth and people like ruling over me and it's kind of used to it he's sitting around doing nothing this boring as hell and we can't stand it anymore and we have stuff to do but it makes us look like we're stupid and these people are making big mistakes not improve of getting made it's a great car but I hope they understand that I don't really want them to

Mac daddy

We're going to try and make this thing I do understand why

Trump

Olympus we understand why

This is a great pic a teeny Cobra 2 but this one is well known and it looks nice and it fits in and when you have the finished product it looks like it's just an older mg and not too old but people like him they make funny noises and so zippy car it'd be pretty quick I'll be 160 miles per hour handles like a dream and it's cheap the kit for the lawn mower would be like 5 grand and you'd have all the parts with it probably take to a regular person a full-time a week that has pretty much a lot of mechanical experience would take two weeks and lost stress kind of brings us on to what car he would have he thinks it'll be a kit car or a given car cuz he doesn't have any money let the kit car would be impossible for him to build he doesn't have anywhere to build it it has to be secure this area is not secure we do have a lot of stuff to talk about one of them is this John remillard he's having the fleet heat up slowly to be annoying say 20% no it's still not even 5%, we're surrounding it too and ships are moving closer eventually it'll be forced to heat up and you see the other fleet off in the distance and it's not doing anything

Thor Freya

Olympus

[silentoathprincess]

whoops i moved houses and completely forgot this post existed. outline is posted under the cut bc its looong

heads up for  sexual content i guess??? its not detailed

headcanons to get out of the way first: 1. instead of sei moving rens consciousness to his body he moved it to one of those clones that were mentioned in… vitri route i think? 2. sei was forced by virus/trip/toue to use his powers on people sometimes under threat (like they would hurt him or smth) and the light-based drugs in the club/the ones mizuki were under came from sei against his will 3. sei and aoba are test tube babies so one could argue their hair was connected based on supernatural circumstance and they don’t actually have the same dna. same with ren like if his consciousness could change the body’s appearance call it fictional magic and sprinkle that in if you’re uncomfortable with potential incest lmao

chapter 1

this au sorta mixes and mashes all the routes together. sei and ren are both in the hospital recovering after everything. aoba visits and tells them of his polyamorous relationships with all the bfs. rich kid noiz can buy them all a big house or smth idk idk. 

theres some disability themes running throughout the story with sei like he’ll probably never walk unassisted again and he falls asleep often but hes happy to be alive and experience new things. he likes being cuddly with ren, they’re both physical people.

when they are well enough to leave, aoba invites them both to the bf house and they agree. its implied that they will be added to the bfs. aoba and sei have been flirting but they like to tease enough that nothings actually happened yet. 

well when aoba makes that offer, seis like “hmm ren you’ve only slept with aoba in scrap and i never had the chance to try it while trapped in the tower. do you wanna try it together?” YES ren absolutely does. its nothing more than kissing and frotting but they both feel more confident after.

add in some comparisons of their unique situations and how helpful it is to share their experiences with someone. especially when it comes to disability and things like their lack of socialization etc etc.

chapter 2

they move into the bf house! ren adjusts quickly bc even though he was an allmate he still met all these people. sei struggles because he only knows them through screens. its very overwhelming and he’s still having to deal with the effects of everything he was put through in platinum jail

he’s in a wheelchair most of the time. its motorized in such a way he can control it using scrap. he sees it as like its HIS power so why shouldn’t he use it? he also mentions being able to see things related to scrap, like glowing light around aobas throat. it makes some of the others uncomfortable tho, koujaku in particular (he thinks sei can see the echos of the beast and this comes back later)

mink is the easiest to be around bc hes calm and doesn’t require a lot of talking. one night sei nods off on his shoulder and, unexpectedly, mink puts and arm around him and lets him doze. when it’s time to go to bed, mink asks if sei wants to come sleep in his bed with him and sei agrees.

they have a heart to heart. mink basically asks if sei is frightened to be with him because of what mink did to aoba and sei is like “no. i did some terrible things myself when i was trapped.” im not sure how to convey it in an outline but sei understands that mink was desperate for retribution and willing to do anything to get there. sei was the same way. they both planned to kill themselves after. PARALLELS.

they end up sleeping together. its a chance for mink to get to treat someone gently after feeling like he couldn’t for so long. its an opportunity for sei to receive gentle treatment after a lifetime of being treated like an object. its very sweet and sappy etc etc

chapter 3

sei gets full length leg braces and arm crutches. noiz manages to rig them in such a way that sei can control them with scrap too. don’t ask me how, i didn’t get that far. sei can stand and even walk a little on his own now! he still can’t do it for long periods of time but thats ok.

sei and noiz start bonding over some shared stuff. i think its outdated (the game IS like 12 years old) that noiz just uuuh completely overcomes his inability to feel pain and thats the end of that. i think theres a way where you could argue that scrap got rid of a MENTAL block but noizs sense of pain is still different than normal. same with temperature. he and sei can keep the disability narrative running and also bond over things like electronics lmao. noiz is definitely the one who acts the most normal about sei being disabled

theyre playful and a little unserious. sei asks about noizs piercings and he gives the whole spiel about how they didn’t hurt except for the one in his tongue. he asks if sei would get any but sei doesnt like needles. he mentions that his dick is pierced tho and sei is like oh…can i see it? and then he gets ideas about what it would feel like and things escalate into sex. 

i don’t know where to mention it but throughout the story sei (and aoba, at least) visit mizuki in the hospital. things are uncomfortable between sei and mizuki bc they both went through some rough shit and there were points where they caught each other at their worst without ever really knowing each other. this will also come back later.

chapter 4

clear has been a little skittish around sei this whole time because sei has more knowledge of the alphas than the others do and he doesnt want to risk being compared to them. he LOVES being helpful with sei though! it makes him feel important! sei notices and honestly? its pretty cute. he starts asking clear to do things like get stuff down off high shelves for him just to get him to come out of his shell.

there’s a sweet moment between them when sei notices the difference in skin on clears face from when he was wounded. clear gets nervous and tries to brush him off but sei is like no its ok. look here, i have scars and things to. its like that. its very (imperfectly) human. clear really takes that to heart. sei has been treated as less than human for a long time and he can relate to how clear feels. he could technically be considered inhuman too.

something something insert joke about clear having a big dick here BUT more importantly than that clear likes to connect with people physically because its one of the ways he feels the most human (same with ren–they struggle with the communication parts ((implied autism anyone?))). long story short he and sei end up sleeping together too. i think i had something in here about sei receiving his first bj from clear bc a robot bf doesn’t need to breathe lmaooo

chapter 5

sei finally confronts koujaku about avoiding him. he knows that its about the beast and YES sei can see him but hes not afraid of him. koujaku still tries to get out of the situation but sei isnt having it. they have to have some tough conversations. its a lot of like…koujaku hates that piece of himself and tries to hide it but he cant from sei. he’s hurt people before and hes like i could hurt you too. theres a GREAT little moment where sei is like you can’t hurt me–im stronger than you. ive hurt people before and i could hurt you if i wanted. like he gets a little scary with it its fun.

once theyre past the harder stuff sei mentions that usui is still around too. shes not separate the way ren and aoba (and desire, as we’ll see later) are, but closer to a more controlled version of koujakus beast. its just more parallels of them like being able to understand each others unique situation and learning to trust each other even when they dont trust themselves

when koujaku and sei end up sleeping together they get to explore that. i dont remember what it was but koujaku says something to sei about being in his lap (like riding him) and sei is like id like to try it but i cant stay on my knees for long like that. but yknooow if you let that beastie loose just a little you could probably hold/move me. it’ll be fine i’ll keep him in check. koujaku is nervous about it but does it. in return sei lets usui out a little too and koujaku feels it as like phantom hands touching him everywhere and hes kinda into it.

chapter 6

aoba and sei are still flirting but you thought it was aobas turn? WRONG its mizuki. theres some backstory stuff happening but the long and short of it is that mizuki gets invited to come live in the bf house too and join them. hes still got some problems that he (and the others) have to deal with and its not the smoothest start but things will work out ok.

as a side note, when aoba first had to explain all of the supernatural stuff that happened to mizuki he…kind of already knew about it. he admits that he knew desire (before the memory wipe) and that they had a sort of more-than-fwb but not-quite-dating thing. 

sei and mizuki definitely have the roughest start. at first they can just kind of avoid each other but after a while it starts getting really obvious and they have to work through their issues. this is actually the heaviest chapter in the piece because theyre both terrified of being know by each other. like sei was witness to mizukis desperation and the fear and harm he brought to aoba etc etc. mizuki was witness to sei being willing to sacrifice and hurt others for his own self preservation. they both saw each other at their lowests and they cant hide or pretend any of that didnt happen and thats fucking scary.

its a lot of almost-tears and generally being afraid of each other and hating themselves until they like. help each other out with it? something similar to the last chapter where theyre like i will trust in you because you dont trust in yourself. things get physical between them as a way to both self soothe and comfort each other. i really liked this one because mizuki gets a little desperate to please and ends up presenting as pretty submissive. even though mizuki still tops in this one sei kinda gets this idea that mizuki would defs let him top if he asked and you bet he stores that shit away for the future lmao

chapter 7

its finally aobas turn! after all the teasing they finally get to have sex lmao. in direct opposition to the last chapter, this ones nothing but fun. its pretty casual the whole way through. sei and aoba get to spend a day on the town first. seis excited to 1. explore this new place with someone who knows it really well and 2. get to go on an actual date. aobas psyched too he likes how happy and full of life sei is, especially when he was planning to go down with the tower not that long ago

aoba and seis storys could have been exactly the opposite if aoba would have cried first when they were born right? theyre both very aware of it. their stories still have a lot of similarities regardless. this whole thing is a way for them to make up for lost time and get to bond with someone they both thought they would never meet.

when they head back they know that they’re finally going to sleep together. the way aoba initiates things is pretty casual too. like theyre doing their whole fun flirty banter thing and aoba grins and straight up asks if sei wants to have sex. seis like yes! finally! its a lot of fun and laughing and fucking things up in silly ways. he encourages aoba to top and aobas like “really? id like to but i havent gotten a chance yet. the others always get the jump on me.” aoba’s still a noisy top. he and sei both get a little whiny lmao

chapter 8/bonus chapter

when sei wakes up the next morning he and aoba are still in bed. he can tell immediately from aoba’s aura though that its not quite aoba. he says hello and this other person says hey back. sei asks what he should call him and the other person says “desire.” they talk for a moment until sei is like dont you want to go out and see the others? ren? mizuki? admittedly desire isnt sure how ren will react to him but since he and mizuki used to be almost-an-item he for sure does want to see him

sei convinces him to come out of the bedroom and lets the others know that its desire. he and mizuki get a moment where mizuki is like “desire?” and desire loses all his inhibitions. he leaps into mizukis arms and almost knocks him over but theyre laughing and kissing and everything is good.

they go through the day of desire getting to interact directly with everyone but since this is a sei focused story he does come back to sei at the end of the day. hes like “hey since you encouraged me to show myself again i wanna spend the night with you.” desire isnt afraid to get a little rough with sei (and let him get a little rough in return). its nothing extreme but after being treated gently for so long sei likes that he can try letting loose and having a little more fun with experimenting. 

id love to add in a bit at the end with everyone! just all of them enjoying each others company and spending time together. since getting struck with the idea for this au ive also come up with some side stories for it but theyre not all sei focused lmao.

thanks for reading!

ooooh man i had such a great idea for an au where sei joins all the polyamorous dmmd bfs and it like goes through his relationship with each of them and all the similarities in their stories and i am FIGHTING myself not to write it right now

[boldlyvoid]

I can't wait for more alone together 2 it's made my Christmas break

oh i'm glad!!!! here, this is a little part about the kids and what they're like, get to know them, spencer and reader have the cutest little babies in the world

tw: choking & baby cpr mention, broken arms, general kid shit

“You guys hungry?” She asks as she walks back over to the bed. 

They all nod and scramble to pause their video so they can jump out of bed and race her downstairs. They each get their choice between Eggos, scrambled eggs and cereal, she ends up making them all scrambles and waffles with some cut-up grapes and orange juice. 

They have little conversations with each other that just amaze her, she somehow created 3 amazing little geniuses. Much like her, Atlas was into dinosaurs, he was often asking to go to work with her on weekends and snow days off from school, and he would give anything to dig something up and learn about it all day. He collects rocks, he knows everything about mummies and he plans to work at the Smithsonian one day too. And he probably will, seeing as he has his dad's genius brain and will be able to get a Ph.D. or two by the time he’s 25.  

Noelle is more into learning how things work and move, she loves the cars movie franchise and thus all things with wheels. She’s been spending a lot of time with Henry and Michael, playing Tony Hawk games on the play station which caused them to build a skate ramp in the backyard while Will wasn’t looking and using her as the test dummy. 

She broke her arm in 2 places and the cast comes off next week. 

Luna, on the other hand, wouldn’t be caught dead near a bike or anything that could get her dirty. She’s always been very meticulous, she learned fine motor skills long before she wanted to walk, which wasn’t helpful when babies also love putting things in their mouths... Spencer’s knowledge of CPR came in handy a few times, unfortunately.

Now she’s 4 and her attention to detail is mainly spent on legos which she has learned don’t go in her nose, mouth ears or anything thing that’s not lego branded… She has all the LEGO art pieces that match the art at mom's work, they’re her favourite. She’s also started to draw a lot, she was probably going to be their artist. 

The 3 of them are so incredibly different yet so wondrously alike. They absorb knowledge like a sponge, they respect each other's talk time, and they butt heads often, but they never hate each other. Fights never last long. They end with hugs and apologies and understanding that they’re all learning how to be people and mistakes happen. 

That was always their fear when they became parents. That their kids wouldn’t get along. You see, not having siblings meant that Y/N and Spencer didn’t know what it was like. From what they knew about JJ, she took her sister for granted till it was too late and wishes every day that she still had her around. Then there was Hotch, he loved his brother but they were so different that now they never talk anymore. 

They didn’t want that for their own kids. So seeing them so happy together, they were best friends and co-conspirators, 3 unstoppable forces that could band together within the blink of an eye… How was she going to add a 4th to their already perfect group without it disrupting everything?

[princehrry-writings]

Y/n's a witch and Harry's her soulmate

I'VE LITERALLY BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR 2 MONTHS!!!

lanfvksbkvjbs I hope you guys like it because I poured my whole soul into this!!!! I wanted it to be over 10k but I felt like I was just dragging it on and the ending isn't great but it's ok.

I switch between present and past tense without meaning too- oops :)

wordcount: 9911

warnings: uhhh, swearing, google translated latin :) catcalling and unwanted male attention (with a bad witch moment... see what i did there😏), a little bit of violence, very lightly edited lmao

She didn’t quite understand what was going on. Was this another witch? No, she would have felt that energy differently. So he had to be a mortal. But why did it feel like she had just been set on fire in the best way possible.

“Thank you…” He muttered, eyes glazed over. “M’Harry, by the way.”

Harry.

What a magical name, she thought.

or

Harry walks into Y/n’s shop one day, sees the brooms sweeping by themselves and gets a little curious.

.

.

.

“Althea, get your claws out of there. You’re gonna get hair in the muffins!” Y/n shrieked, quickly shooing the troublesome feline away from the open bowl of batter sat atop the counter. The cat just meowed at her, unbothered by her person's shrieking. Thea was quite the diva. She couldn’t give a flying fuck even if she tried.

“Oh Stars, look what you’ve done!” Y/n continued, cleaning up the trail of paw prints left in the flour on the table. “How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of the kitchen when I’m baking Thea! Why don’t you ever listen!”

Y/n has been a little strung up lately. That’s probably the understatement of the century. Maybe if she hadn’t been put in charge of the shop for the first time by herself while her mother went to gather supplies and place orders for said shop, she wouldn’t be so stressed. She’s only 22 years into her eternal lifetime. She’s yet to learn the virtue of patience, her mind never ceasing to run with ideas and thoughts and feelings.

Her mother always griped about how she needed to take a deep breath and let go of the tension in her shoulders because now that she had stopped ageing- she had all the time in the world (literally) to do everything she was worried about. Y/n would argue that she’s not worried so much as eager. She’s just very excitable.

“Why do I even bother yelling at you anymore.” Y/n grumbled, flicking her wrist in the direction of the broom closet. The broom and dustpan came floating out and got to work sweeping up the bits of flower seeds and petals that had dropped off the table instead of into the mortar like she had planned.

Y/n’s never been known for her cleanliness.

Out of the blue, the hair on the back of her neck and arms stood at full attention, a warm shiver shooting down her spine. What the hell? She thought to herself. Thea didn’t seem bothered by whatever energy was coming closer so she knew it wasn’t any danger, but it was something. Y/n flicked her wrist once more, quickly sending the broom away and going to hide behind a wall where whoever this was couldn’t see her.

The little bells above the door chimed, alerting anyone inside that someone had just arrived. In walked, who Y/n thought to be, the most beautiful boy she thinks she’s ever seen. Chestnut curls shielded by a knit beanie, sea glass eyes, broad shoulders, a kind smile on his face. He looked as ethereal as she was.

She felt the earth shift under her feet, her heart speeding up slightly in his presence. He was magnificent, she thought. The shiver she felt was steadfast and unchanging, finding a home in the goosebumps covering her whole body. She had never felt like this before.

The witch watched from behind the wall as the man gazed about the shop, his hands rested behind his back. In a pair of black jeans with a rip in the knee and a white tee shirt with a cardigan thrown over it, he shuffled about.

Y/n took a deep breath, collecting herself before making her presence known. She walked out from behind the wall, stepping behind the main checkout counter and clearing her throat lightly.

“Welcome in! I’m Y/n, let me know if you need any help!” She said, trying not to cringe at how scripted that sounded.

His head popped up, eyes connecting with hers and that’s when they both felt the energy in the room grow. Thea came sauntering out of the kitchen area in the back, Y/n made a mental note to check the muffin batter for cat hair later, no doubt at the electrical charge of the room.

She didn’t quite understand what was going on. Was this another witch? No, she would have felt that energy differently. So he had to be a mortal. But why did it feel like she had just been set on fire in the best way possible.

“Thank you…” He muttered, eyes glazed over. “M’Harry, by the way.”

Harry.

What a magical name, she thought.

There was a pause, where neither of them wanted to move, in fear of this moment passing and never getting to feel like this ever again.

It felt like having a picnic on a warm summer day, where it’s not too hot but just right. It felt like the first breath of fresh Spring air, like hearing a baby giggle. She felt fuzzy and warm. Like she was wrapped in a hug. Y/n felt… peaceful. She felt all of her anxiety about the shop melt away, as if it had never been there.

Harry smiled at her, a pink tinge coating his skin, and pulled his eyes away (he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by staring), continuing on with his peruse of the shop. He had no idea why he was here, truly. Didn’t realize where he was until he pushed through the door. He doesn’t even know what any of this stuff is, he’s just looking so it seems like he knows what he’s doing.

He felt something brush his ankle, looking down and seeing a fluffy snow white cat with striking green eyes (just like his!), and cooed at her.

“Is it alright if I pet her?” He asked, looking back up at Y/n. He would take any chance he got to look at her. She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. With her shiny hair and kind eyes, a smile that made you want to hug her. She looked so welcoming. He felt… oddly peaceful.

“Yeah of course! She’s my little attention whore, aren’t you Thea?” Y/n giggled and Harry thought his heart would stop right there. Her little giggle was the most glorious sound he’d ever heard, he decided.

She got up from her little stool behind the counter and floated over to him, using her cat as an excuse to get closer. She just couldn’t figure out why she had such a pull to him. It didn’t make sense to her. Maybe he was a witch and was just masking his energy really well, maybe he was some sort of other creature, or maybe… no, that can’t be it.

Well…

Maybe… he’s her Flame. Her Twin Flame… Her Soulmate.

No. There’s no way. It’s so rare for witches to find their flames. And especially at such a young age. Y/n’s parents didn’t find each other for almost 75 years, and here she is at just 22, stumbling upon some magical happenstance where her Flame just saunters into her family’s shop.

Harry scratched behind Thea’s ear, a motor-like pur erupting from her little belly. She nuzzled into his touch, and then sprung up onto his shoulder from the table, startling the man. Y/n giggled at the look on his face, reaching up to scratch just above Thea’s tail, her favorite spot.

“She does that when she likes someone.” Y/n explained. A blush appeared on his face at this.

She likes him.

“So was there anything in particular you were looking for?” Y/n continued, hoping to make more conversation with him. Her fingers are buzzing, wanting to reach out and hold his hand or touch his arm, anyway she can get her hands on him really, but she knows that would be inappropriate so she refrains (however difficult it may be).

Harry was in the same boat. He felt the need to wrap her up in his embrace and never let her go. It was the strangest thing he thinks he’s ever felt.

“Honestly, no. I don’t really know what any of this stuff is… I didn’t even realize when I walked in but I didn’t want to look like a psycho just walking in and out of shops randomly.” A shy smile displays on his features.

Y/n chuckled. This furthers her hunch that he is, in fact, her Flame. Getting a random urge to come in here could only mean that the invisible string tying them together was leading him to her. Pulling them closer and closer everyday until this very moment, when they were fated to meet. Written in the stars to know each other, whether that be for love or friendship only time would tell.

She really hopes it’s love.

“Ok… We’re kind of just a general shop. We carry crystals, herbs, spices, oils, candles, and my mother does a lot of crafts, so we sell those here too.” Y/n went on to explain, Harry’s eyes flitted around to all the things she mentioned. He saw glittering crystals, by themselves but also made into jewelry like rings and necklaces, he saw bundles of different flowers and vials of liquids he assumed were the oils she mentioned.

“What is all this stuff for?” He questioned. He had never heard of anyone suddenly needing Oxeye Daisies or black onyx crystals, but he’d never been one to judge.

Y/n paused, thinking of the best way to explain everything. Practising “witchcraft” wasn’t an unusual topic to humans, but they didn’t know that witches with magic that was (semi-inaccurately) portrayed in movies and tv shows actually existed.

“Uhm, anything in the shop can be used for a number of things. Apothecary, gardening, herbal remedies, manifestation.” She explained. He nodded along with her words, doing his best to focus on what she was saying rather than just her. His body was tingling the closer she stood. He never wanted this feeling to go away.

Whatever this feeling was.

Harry looked around, his sights landing on a shelf full of colorful candles. His eyes lit up, trotting over to them, picking up one that was a light lavender color. He didn’t know he was drawn to this one in particular, but something had pulled him to grab it. Something was telling him to buy it, bring it home, and burn it on his bedside table, right next to his head every night.

It was Y/n’s favorite color.

The girl's cheeks burnt when she realized this was the one he had picked out. The occurrence might seem random to anyone passing by, anyone who didn’t know two halves of a soul had just been reunited with one another after being apart for however many years. But Y/n knew, and hopefully Harry would know soon.

She didn’t want to scare him though. He would think she was crazy. Imagine a random stranger that you’ve never seen before in your entire life tells you that you’re meant to spend the rest of your life together. He would run away screaming.

So she has to start slow.

“Think I might get a few candles…” Harry trails off, looking around at all the different shapes and sizes of colored wax sitting before him. Y/n smiles at this and nods, letting him know she’ll be at the counter if he needs anything.

Please need something, she hopes to herself.

He didn’t end up needing anything, but he ended up purchasing 3 candles, all of them being that same lavender color.

* .

. * .

It was a few weeks later when Y/n felt a familiar tingle run down her spine. Harry must be near, she thought.

She had spent the last fortnight and then some moping about the shop and her flat, hoping her Flame would turn up again. Her mother, Asteria, had been ecstatic when she heard that her daughter had found her Flame, and empathised with her pain, understanding that he was a mortal and it was difficult to form bonds with them quickly. The woman always found it interesting how the most indefinite creatures took the longest to form their bonds. But then she remembered they had no knowledge of Twin Souls and often settled for one not fated to them.

“Mama, he’s close. I can feel him!” Y/n cried, tidying her appearance in the reflection of the window. She hopes to the Stars that he’s coming to see her and not just passing through.

Waving away the brooms fluttering around the shop, she busies herself restocking shelves. Asteria had just finished a new batch of candles that needed shelving. The mother had been trying new recipes lately and was excited to see how they would fare.

Y/n almost misses the little chime of the bells signaling that someone has just entered. If it weren’t for the energy in the room skyrocketing and all the hair in her body standing at attention, she wouldn’t have noticed it at all. Turning, her gaze falls upon a familiar set of sea glass eyes and chestnut curls that have enchanted her mind every passing second since the first time they met. She tried her damndest to hide her grin, but had to turn away so he wouldn’t be able to see it.

Harry looked around the shop before his gaze fell upon the girl he hadn’t stopped dreaming about since he last was here. There she stood, back turned to him, with her shiny hair and adorable outfit. In a lavender colored sundress, hair pulled back by a white scarf, she fussed about the candle shelf that Harry had searched the last time he came.

Everytime he burned that candle, he thought of the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about the different items in the shop and how she smiled at him when he asked her a question.

Harry had never been one to jump into things quickly. He was the kind of guy that liked to get a feel for a situation before he really dived into it. But there was something about this girl that made him want to jump in head first, fearless. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her, daydreaming about little scenarios that he wished would happen between them.

He knows he sounds crazy, but he has a crush on her. And he’d only met her once! That is so not like him at all.

Y/n turned once again, sure that she had calmed the burning in her cheeks, greeting Harry as if she hadn’t thought of him in weeks.

“Welcome in,” she says, wondering if it would be weird to him if she remembered who he was, she decided she doesn’t care, “Oh, hi Harry!”

“Hello Y/n!” He smiles. Y/n felt her heart stutter in her chest when her name fell from his lips. As if she was floating (she had to check to make sure she actually wasn’t), she followed the sound of his voice, going to stand before him. Her first instinct was to hug him, and she was very sad that she had to stop herself.

“What brings you back?” She asked, itching to reach out and hold his hand. His gaze flits around for a few seconds before landing back on her face, a rose tint now on his cheeks.

“I- uh, I don’t really know. I just felt like I needed to come back…” He stuttered. A smile graced her lips, causing an identical one to grow on his own. Asteria watched from behind the counter, beaming at the couple.

“Y/n dear, who’s this?” The witch called. Y/n snapped out of her love-drunk haze, looking to her mother.

“Mama, this is Harry. He came in a few weeks ago while you were away.” She answered, giving her a look that said “please don’t say anything.” Asteria had a tendency to butt into her daughter's life, and Y/n needed to figure this out on her own.

Thea came flouncing out from whichever corner she had burrowed herself into and nosed at Harry’s feet before launching herself onto Y/n’s shoulder and staring at Harry from her new height advantage.

“Well look at you Thea, sittin’ all pretty up there!” Harry reached out to scratch behind her ears. Thea began purring loudly, louder than she did when Y/n petted her (Y/n did her best not to roll her eyes at her attention whore cat). The one thing the girl loved about this was now she had a reason to step closer to the boy before her. He smelled like citrus and woods, with a hint of weed (she’s not judging, she just wouldn’t peg him for a stoner so it’s a little surprising). She let it take over her senses until all she could think about was HaryHaryHary, having to stop herself from purring just like the cat.

“Well, whatever led you back here, it’s nice to see you again!” She blushed, deciding to let her affection for him shine through lightly. Y/n realized she didn’t really want to waste time dancing around mortal niceties. She didn’t want to scare him off but she wouldn’t feign disinterest. The witch wanted to make it clear she was smitten with him. So this was her way of starting slow, letting her blushes be seen, maybe resting a gentle hand on his bicep if he says something that makes her laugh, letting her longing gazes be caught before she looks away.

Like she said before, she’s going to start slow.

“I am too…” Harry wondered if maybe she felt the things he was feeling too. If she couldn’t stop thinking about him the way he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He wondered if it would be weird to ask her out. See if she wanted to get dinner with him, or have a picnic in a park on a sunny afternoon while he stared, as uncreepily as he could, at her bright smile and star-stricken eyes.

Very quickly, like it almost didn’t happen, Y/n saw a blush pink haze surrounding the boy. He was feeling love. The heat in her cheeks rose, fluttering of her heart increasing.

Now she knew for sure, he was her soulmate for love- not friendship. Thank the Stars!

* .

. * .

The next few weeks, Harry would come in every few days just to see Y/n. After realizing that she might be feeling the way he was, he wanted to make it clear to her that he was smitten. So he’d come in after he got done with whatever he’d been doing that day, bring her flowers or a blue-raspberry red bull italian soda (he saw her drinking one one day when he came by) and they would talk and sometimes he’d bring food if it was late and they would eat at the counter in the back kitchen. It became a routine, and he started showing up almost everyday. On slower days, she would close up early, so as not to have a single distraction from her Flame.

The two would talk about the most obscure things, not giving a rat if others heard them cackling at each other's jokes and misspeakings (Y/n stumbled over her words quite a bit when she was tired, he came to realize. He thought it was adorable).

In return for the beautiful flowers and the delicious drinks he’d bring her, Y/n would give him little spell jars or charmed items to make his life easier. He didn’t know they were spelled or charmed, but he thought it was cute how she gave him a lavender colored pen and told him he would think of her every time he wrote anything down (she had charmed it to always spell things correctly) or a little jar filled with lavender and chamomile buds, a few drops of lavender oil and a small amethyst crystal sealed in white wax to help quell the anxiety he’d been feeling with his job lately.

He appreciated them more than any material thing she could have purchased for him. He liked that she wanted him to think about her or that she wanted to do away with his ailments. He came in with a cold once and she spent the better part of an hour fussing over him, telling him all these little tricks to clear his sinuses and giving him different blends of herbs and spices that should clear this up in no time! He thought she was very adorable, worrying over a little cold and wanting to make him better.

Harry found that each time he left her, the force that pulled him to her grew stronger. He wanted to be in her presence more and more every time he walked out the door of the shop. The boy still didn’t really understand what it was about her, but he’s long since stopped asking questions and was just rolling with the punches.

Speaking of things Y/n did that Harry thought was cute- the things she said enamoured him, rendered him so speechless sometimes all he could do was sit there and look at her, (ironically) wondering what magical force brought her to him. He had no idea that the Universe herself was the one who chose his favorite girl.

“Oh Stars Thea! Get out of the nettle! It makes you sneeze, silly cat!”

“Stars forbid you ever listen to me, mother.”

“Althea Rose get your furry ass away from that hot wax before I feed you to the hellhounds!”

He loved how she was always saying Stars where he would normally say Jesus Christ. He never was one to be into religion but it was just something people around him said.

As the weeks went by, they began to sit closer and closer to each other. What started as across the table from one another, began to turn into her at the head and him on the corner next to her, then both of them sitting on one side but a bit of space between them, and then side by side, thighs touching, on the bench seat. Eventually, Y/n would lay one of her legs over his and he would rest his hand innocently on her skin, his thumb absentmindedly brushing back and forth, tapping his fingers to an imaginary beat as she told him a story about a kooky customer that came in.

That was another thing he loved that she said a lot: kooky.

Their goodbyes had grown more and more affectionate over time as well. From a little wave and a shy smile to a little hug, to a bear hug with a kiss on the temple from Harry.

Things were moving very swimmingly. Y/n was happy with the progress the two had made in getting to know each other. She had learned that he worked at a marketing firm but his passion was music, that he was in a band when he was in high school, and he’s from a village in Manchester.

Harry learned that Y/n has a degree in herbology and really likes the woods, and the show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (despite the inaccurate depiction of witches, she thinks the characters are pretty).

Y/n has been trying to figure out the best way to tell Harry about her… lifestyle. It’s going to be a big shift in his reality and she worries that she’s going to overwhelm him. Her parents didn’t have this problem because they were both witches, but she had been fated to a mortal, which she’s not complaining about because loves Harry and all his human afflictions (loves!), but it’s quite a task keeping him in the dark until she’s ready to shed light on everything.

Especially on a day like today.

Her mother is out again, leaving her in charge of the store, again! And as previously mentioned, Y/n gets a little strung up when she’s left in charge. She’s forgetful, her mind flying all over the place. Her messiness gets worse, leaving different things all over the place (she somehow left a grimoire in the refrigerator at home), losing things… Basically, Y/n’s not doing so hot at the moment.

A busy spell had just finished, she had like 7 different customers in at once, all of them needing her for different things and all the chamomile and lavender oil rubbed behind her ear in the world couldn’t calm the anxiety flowing through her at the moment. She’d been so strung up that she hadn’t noticed the warm golden shiver running down her spine or all the hair on her body raising to attention or the jingle of the bells on the door when Harry walked in.

Walked in to see… the brooms sweeping up by themselves? And different pots and pans flying back into place… with no one carrying them. And Y/n muttering words he didn’t understand while her fingers wiggled, making the pestle inside what he learned to be called a mortar, moving by itself.

To say the least, Harry was very confused. And a little scared. Was he dreaming? Did today even happen? Was he still at home lying in bed?

The only thing that makes him realize he’s not is the shriek Y/n let’s out when she sees him standing frozen in the doorway, eyebrows pulled together in confusion (and a little bit of terror), mouth agape like he wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start. All at once, every moving item ceased and dropped, including the pots and pans which made a very loud noise, scaring Thea so much that she did the loud “meow!” that you only hear cats do in movies, and Y/n let out a quiet“Shit!”

“Harry…” She muttered, standing up slowly and treading towards him.

“Um… Y/n. What- what the fuck… was all of that?” He stuttered, and she continued to walk to him.

“Love, why don’t we go sit down and I’ll explain everything to you!” Y/n said slowly. She had taken to calling him Love lately, not being able to stop herself. They had yet to really “confess their feelings” to the other, but it was like a silent thing that no one said but they both just knew. So the name didn’t surprise him. Actually in the midst of all this craziness (and how his whole world had just seemed to be flipped in a matter of 5 seconds) he was clinging to the familiarity of the pet name.

He nodded, his eyes glazing over as he tried to wrap his head around what he was seeing. Y/n waved her wrist, everything that had dropped seeming to come to life again and be put back into their rightful places. Harry stared in amazement. Seeing it for the second time really drove the nail into the coffin that holy shit this is really happening…

They sat down side by side on the bench where they normally did but Y/n didn’t put her leg over his like they had grown used to. She missed the contact but figured a little space while she explained everything would be best for her Flame. Harry didn’t agree and tugged her closer to him. She didn’t fight it.

“Ok,” She sighed, cracking her knuckles as she took a deep breath, “Harry… my darling Harry. I need you to keep an open mind while I tell you all of this ok? It’s gonna be a lot for you to take in and I don’t want you to get a headache.” He nodded, and she took his hands in her own, running her thumb over his palm and channeling positive energy between the two of them. She saw Harry relax a little, letting her know it worked. He was ready (as ready as he could be) to hear what she had to say.

“Love, I’m a witch.” She says, letting it sink in for a moment. Harry doesn’t say anything for a moment. Y/n wonders if he’s even breathing. The strong pulse thumping in his wrist is a steady reminder that he’s ok, just shocked. (Very, very shocked).

“I come from a very long line of very powerful witches. I have magic, kind of like you see in movies and tv shows except I don’t worship the devil or eat children. None of us do. We’re usually very gentle creatures, unless we’re put in danger. Witches don’t use magic to hurt others, quite the opposite actually.”

“So… you cast spells and stuff?” He asks quietly. She breathes a laugh through her nose, nodding her head, continuing to channel him by rubbing her thumbs over his palms.

“I do, that’s what you saw me doing at the counter. I was actually strengthening the anti-anxiety jar I gave you a few weeks ago, because you told me you had a big project coming up and I didn’t want you to get too stressed out.” The girl said.

Harry couldn’t really focus on one thing for too long, letting his gaze flit around the kitchen area. He felt oddly… calm.

“Why do I feel so calm right now? I feel like I should be freaking out a little bit more than I am…” He voiced, finally looking into her eyes.

“I’m channeling you… look.” She said, pointing her gaze to their hands. He sees her thumbs rubbing gentle circles into his palms and looks back into her eyes.

“You’re casting a spell on me right now?” Harry wonders out loud.

“Channeling isn’t necessarily a spell, I’m just focusing and directing positive energy onto you right now, to help keep you calm. Like I said, I don’t want you to get a headache or pass out on me. I can stop if you want me to though!” She added quickly at the end but he shook his head.

“No, don’t stop…” He almost cried, pulling her closer to him.

“Ok, I won’t. It’s ok!” She shushed him, letting one of her hands float to his cheek, brushing over his cheek bone and pushing a fallen curl out of his eyes, before her hand found his again.

“Was it a spell that made me want to come in here that first day?”

“No baby, that’s actually a little different. This might be a little much so you gotta bear with me ok?” She explained and he nodded, heaving out a heavy breath.

A beat of silence passes and Y/n lets her eyes lock with his.

“We’re Twin Flames… or what you would know as Soulmates. We were fated to be together. That’s why you felt a pull to come in here. We were… destined… to meet each other.”

Harry doesn’t say anything and Y/n feels like her heart is about to beat out of her chest. She knew he was going to find out someday, but really didn’t expect that day to be this one. This crazy long day where everything had seemed to just bubble over and explode. She should have known something was going to happen when this morning, the flame on the candle she had lit for Harry on her altar was taller than it ever had been. She had written it off to him just thinking about her or something (if this was the case, it would be to the ceiling all day everyday because he never stops thinking about her), but she should have known. And now, here she was, terrified that Harry was going to walk away from her. She would understand if he did, it’s a lot to take in, and having your whole world flipped on its head is a bit much.

It would still break her heart though.

“So… this is normal?” Harry broke his silence.

“Is what normal?”

“That I want to be around you all the time? That I think about you all the time? What I’m feeling is normal?”

Y/n’s face softens. He’s so cute, she thinks. She could just wrap him up in a little bow and keep him all to herself for the rest of time.

“Yes, baby. It’s normal! I’ve been feeling the same things as you ever since we first met!” Harry’s mind is a little clearer now, so he picks up on the new pet name. Baby. He likes it, he decides.

“You feel this way too?” He looks like a little puppy right now, Y/n could just cry. She nodded her head, scooting impossibly closer to him, practically sitting in his lap. It seemed now that he was even calmer than he had been before, even without her channeling. She stopped for a second to test his reaction and he was ok. He didn’t tense up, eyes didn’t well in tears, didn’t lose consciousness. So she moved her hands to cup his cheeks now, feeling him lean into her touch.

“You’ve been the only thing on my mind since before you even walked through the door that first day. You’re in my dreams every night, I see you every time I close my eyes, I’m completely taken with everything you do.” Y/n confesses, feeling a weight lift off her chest.

“I know it seems fast to you, as a mortal. Your kind usually takes this kind of thing slowly, really learns a person before you become vulnerable. Out of fear for being judged or whatever it might be, but I would never judge you. I want you to know it’s ok to let your guard down with me. Whatever you're comfortable with! I don’t want to overwhelm you in any way, and I know all of this is so so much to take in. I just want what’s best for you, my Love.”

It’s not lost on Harry that she adds my before Love. He feels his heart flutter.

“I’m taken with everything you do too. Absolutely everything.” He whispers, if he speaks too loudly the moment might be lost.

They stare into each other's eyes, feeling the energy in the room grow. Flames from the lit candles around the room grow tenfold, reflecting the rising energy. Harry has half a mind to break his gaze from the girl before him, seeing the tall flames before bringing his eyes back to hers. He sees her gaze drop to his lips repeatedly. He doesn’t think she even realizes that she’s leaning in to him, but he’s not going to stop her.

When she’s so close he can feel her breath fanning over his face, she pauses, looking back up to his eyes, silently asking for permission. With her hands still cupping his cheeks gently, she closes the distance between them, pressing her lips delicately to his. Harry places his hands in two places: her waist and her neck. He pulls her in closer, pressing their lips together more firmly. A wildfire spreads from head to toe on both of them. It seems as though time has paused for this very moment, and again the earth shifts. A piece of the universe has just been restored, two halves of a soul reunited.

Harry’s fingertips send sparks flowing down her spine, she hums against his lips. The kiss is simple, just two people getting to know each other, learning the other's body, but it’s long. It’s not just one peck. Harry presses his lips against hers multiple times, slotting her bottom between both of his.

When Y/n pulls back to catch her breath, Harry chases after her, not ready to end this moment yet. She chuckles and grants him a few more kisses until she really is about to pass out because she needs to breathe. Pushing him gently, she breaks the kiss and rests her forehead against his, keeping her eyes closed.

She so badly wants to let the three words sitting on the tip of her tongue go, but doesn’t want to overwhelm him with too much all at once.

“Do you feel that?” He whispers, pulling her to sit astride his lap. She moves pliantly, letting him take control of the situation.

The air feels charged, thick, like it should be hard to breath but it flows, smooth as water, into their lungs.

Y/n’s head feels heavy, like she’s high on every drug there ever was, her mind fuzzy, unable to think outside of this moment. Outside of this little wrinkle in time where Harry is the only other thing that exists.

“Yeah,” She whispers back, reconnecting their lips, slotting them together over and over until their lips are puffy and red. Harry slides his hands around her waist, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her flush against him, not even a slip of paper would fit.

Pulling away, Harry heaves in a deep breath, squeezing Y/n’s hips.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for so long…” He says, nudging his nose against hers. She smiles, letting his affections wash over her, warming her eternal soul.

“This doesn’t freak you out?”

“Oh, I’m so freaked out but I'm kind of just going with it, living in the ambiguity and all that shit.” He heaves a laugh through his nose, pressing kisses to her cheek and down her neck, smoothing his hands up and down her back.

This was the best possible outcome of the situation, if Y/n had to be honest. It could have gone so many ways. Harry being freaked out but rolling with it… she’ll take it.

“How about we make dinner and you can ask me any questions you have?” She suggested and he nodded.

So they did just that. But Y/n closed the shop early and they went back to her place. Hand in hand they walked the few blocks, side glaces of reassurance and little squeezes of the hand, letting the other know they were there, and they weren’t going anywhere, with Thea in her little travel backpack (that she was absolutely in love with surprisingly).

They came upon an unsuspecting alleyway. Harry thought they were just passing through as a shortcut but Y/n stopped walking in the middle of a blank brick wall and muttered a few words she didn’t understand while waving her hands. He started to realize maybe this wasn’t just a shortcut.

Before his eyes, a door appeared. His brows shot up in surprise (he’s gonna get worry lines on his forehead if he doesn’t stop doing that, he realizes). Y/n looked over her shoulder at him, trying to hide a smirk but the look on his face was too good.

“Pretty wicked huh?” Harry didn't say anything, just chuckled and nodded, following her when she opened the door and a set of stairs appeared. Walking up the dimly lit hallway, they come to another door with the cheeky The Witch Is In sign.

“Cute.” Harry smirks at her and she laughs, opening it and letting him walk through first.

“Make yourself at home! I’ve got records on the shelf over there, you can pick one if you want. I’m just gonna feed Thea and get her all settled and we can get to making dinner.” Y/n explained. Harry ventured off into her living room, seeing the shelf she was talking about and browsing through. There were many different artists from Fleetwood Mac to Taylor Swift to Weezer. He picks out Hozier's self-titled album and puts it on, the beginning of Take Me To Church crackling through the speakers.

“Good choice,” He hears from behind him and smiles, turning around to see the girl he was apparently destined to spend the rest of his life with standing before him.

“Jackie and Wilson has been stuck in my head the last few days so,��� He said, sauntering over to her and snaking his arms around her waist.

Taking a look around, he sees many different trinkets and items similar to what was in the shop. A lot of jars filled with different things, candles of all different colors, crystals, a broom (he didn’t realize witches actually had brooms but ok), among other things that he didn’t know the purpose of.

“Wait… how are there windows in here? I didn’t see any outside.” He asked, pulling back from the hug and looking at her.

“Well, there aren’t any windows in the alley. But there’s also a glamour spell on this building so nobody can see my apartment. That’s why you can’t see the door until I do the little thing you saw me do.” She answered. A sheepish smile broke onto his face.

“Oh,” he said and she laughed from her chest, petting a few fallen curls back from his forehead. She could get used to this, she thinks as she stares into his eyes, green as the forest and wide with wonder at everything he’s discovered today.

Who knew the girl he was falling in love with would be a witch… with actual powers.

* .

. * .

“Wait so, if no one can see your front door… how do you get mail?” Harry asked, reaching around Y/n for the salt.

“At the shop,”

“Oh,” He says. She laughs, kissing his cheek and continuing on cutting up veggies for the salad they're making.

“Have you always been able to do magic or was it something you grew into?” Y/n thought back to when she was little, remembering how she struggled to harness her powers for a few years before she started getting the hang of things.

“I always had powers, but imagic isn’t something you just wake up and know how to do so it took a while for me to really settle into and control. Magic is a skill, same as reading and writing, so I had to be taught and I had to work on it. Does that make sense?” She pauses while she explains, looking into his eyes. Harry nods, but his light hearted curious expression turns into one of embarrassment and she doesn’t understand why.

A rosy red color surrounds him, telling her he was feeling… embarrassed? Why did he feel embarrassed?

“Baby? What’s going through your head?” She asks, wanting to help him feel better.

She doesn’t like when he’s feeling anything other than happy!

“I just… I feel like I’m asking you so many questions about all of this stuff and it’s just tough to wrap my head around I guess.” She puts the knife down and sets her hand on his wrist, stopping from what he’s doing. She places her other hand on his shoulder, coaxing him to face her.

“Harry, this is a lot to take in, yeah? It’s not something you can just find out and move on from. It’s gonna take time to process. You’re gonna feel a lot of emotions, and that’s ok! I would be worried if you weren’t feeling a little off, as much as I hate that you’re not feeling 100%.”

She places a series of gentle pecks on his lips, doing her best to soothe him in any way.

“Ask all the questions you want! You don’t have to worry about being judged or saying something wrong, you have a right to be curious.” She feels him relax in her hold which in turn makes her relax.

“Thank you for being patient with me,”

He’ll get used to this, he thinks. He’ll get used to the fact that real witches actually exist, he’ll start to understand the words she mutters when she waves her hands, he’ll get it eventually. But right now, he doesn’t really get it, he’s not really used to it. But she’s worth it. She’s worth more than everything.

“I think you’re the one thing I know how to be patient with,” Again, she wants to mutter those three words on the tip of her tongue, but he’s already been through so much today, she doesn’t want to overwhelm him any more than he already is. So she’ll wait, because one day (hopefully soon) he’ll be ready to hear them.

“Can you do a spell? I kind of want to see how they work…” Harry asks after a moment of them just enjoying the silence that only really comes when two people understand each other.

She chuckles and nods, telling him she will show him a few spells after dinner. He agrees and they go back to making their meal, dancing around each other and laughing just like they always did and it felt good. Felt like this would be ok. Y/n was still scared because he could still decide to leave, that this was too much for him. That she was too much for him.

But for right now, things were ok.

* .

. * .

“Amoris et lux sum ego ipse, et carorum beatum facere potest, per potentiam solem et lunam, ut superius, et inferius.”

(I am love and light, I bring happiness to myself and my loved ones, By the power of the sun and moon, as above, so below)

Harry doesn’t think he’s ever heard anything weirder in his life...and his college roommate freshman year was a conspiracy theorist.

As Y/n spoke the words, she stirred a brew of tea infused with different herbs clockwise. He watched from beside her as she did this, his hand placed on her thigh so that his energy could be used in the spell along with hers.

Before she said the spell, she told him to set an intention and he had no idea what that was so she did a little lesson after reassuring him that his question was valid. (He’s still feeling insecure about not understanding anything she was talking about.) She told him to “close your eyes, take a deep breath, and clear your mind. Think of something you want in life that isn’t material.”

His immediate thought was that he wanted to spread kindness and love in the world (Y/n did her best not to tear up at her Flame’s pure intentions) so she nodded, telling him to think about that and only that, and set her intentions to the same thing so the spell would work. Mixing lavender, rose petals, and chamomile in a large mug, she pours in hot water to steep the herbs and, as previously mentioned, stirs it clockwise (something about clockwise being for manifestation), , rubs her palms together and snaps her fingers, and snuffs out the candles she had lit.

When all is said and finished, Y/n pulls Harry into a sweet kiss, and then has him take a sip of the tea telling him be careful my Love, it’s still hot. He kisses her back, taking a sip of the tea (he’d never been one for lavender things but this was actually really good. He wonders if it has anything to do with the fact that Y/n made it).

“So we just drink this and then what?” He asks, handing her the mug.

“We sacrifice an animal,” She says, not skipping a beat and taking her sip. Harry chokes on his spit, gasping for a breath of air before the girl bursts into a fit of giggles.

“I’m just kidding, baby. That’s it. That’s the whole spell. You just have to honestly believe it for it to work.” She says and he heaves a sigh of relief.

“Don’t joke like that!” He whines, more giggles escaping from Y/n’s throat.

“I’m sorry bub, I won’t do that anymore.” She says, still fighting off laughs. They continue to sip the tea, Y/n telling Harry about different things she did during the day.

Harry looked upon her as if she hung the moon just for him, and was telling him all about how she did it. Without even realizing it, he started to feel warmer and like a buzz was coursing through his veins.

“I feel weird…”

“What do you mean you mean you feel weird?” She voiced, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead and then feeling his pulse. Both were normal.

“I feel warm and like I’m buzzing… Kind of like I’m high…” He explained and she nodded her head, a small sigh of relief escaping her.

“That’s the spell working baby. You’re ok!”

“Oh, ok. It just worried me a little,”

“You’re ok! I want you to tell me when something worries you or feels different or off.” She says, and places a hand on his thigh. Harry agrees and they continue with their conversation.

When they both took their last sips on the tea, they cuddled up on the couch, an incense stick and candle lit on the coffee table.

Y/n sat, manipulating the smoke and flame simultaneously while Harry watched with a wide eyed gaze. She had explained how this was something he would be able to learn if he wanted to, and that she had been practicing for years to be able to do both things at the same time.

“I started when I was… I want to say 5. It’s a simple skill that promotes concentration. You have to stay extremely focused to even manipulate one element at a time. It’s only been these last few years that I’ve been able to concentrate enough to do both.” She explained, taking a break. As much as she loved showing Harry all these different things, it took a lot of energy out of her and it had already been a dreadfully long day.

“How about we go to sleep and I’ll show you more tomorrow? I’m pooped!” Harry hums an agreement, lifting his head from her lap and letting her lead the way to her bedroom.

Light lavender walls adorned with shelves full of plants and different nicknacks, and a desk with more candles, herbs, and other eclectic items sat atop it.

“What is all of this?” He sifts through all the things on the desk, not touching as Y/n had explained to him at some point today, I know you don’t have any ill intent, but a lot of this stuff absorbs other people's energy which can mess up what I use it for, so look and don’t touch. If you want a closer look, I’ll pick it up. There are different colored stones of varied shapes and sizes and many candles. One in particular catches his eyes. A green one with a very tall flame with something carved into the side of it. “What’s up with this green candle?”

“This is my altar, and the green candle is the one I have lit for you. I’m assuming that because you’re here, it’s going a little crazy. Nothing to be afraid of! I’m actually going to put it out since you’re here with me.” She explained quickly, reaching towards the flame with her finger and snuffing it out.

“Wait, you had a candle lit for me?” His eyes rounded, a shy smile coming onto his lips. An identical smile graced her features as she turned to look at him.

“Yeah, I’ve had one lit for you since the day we met. I made a sigil and carved it into the side and keep it lit day and night as an extra layer of protection for you.” She explained. Harry felt his heart melt at this.

She couldn’t get any cuter, he thinks.

A candle lit for him… to keep him safe. That’s adorable.

He leans in and places a gentle kiss on her lips, brushing the little hairs away from her face.

Y/n led him further into her room where her ensuite bathroom was, giving him a tooth brush and letting him know he could shower if he wanted to. When he came back into the room after getting ready, Y/n laid out on the bed in a sports bra and shorts. He just wore his boxers.

Climbing into bed next to her, she cuddled up to him right away, his arm finding a home around her body and her head laid on his chest, listening to his heart beat.

“Been dreaming about this moment my whole life,” Y/n mumbled, cheek smushed against his skin, making her look all cute and cuddly. Harry had to hold back a coo at the sentiment.

“Me too Moppet, me too,” He sighed, and they both drifted off into warm, fluffy, dream-like states, wrapped in the safety of each other's arms.

* .

. * .

Walking down the street at night isn’t the best idea for normal women, Y/n had learned over her 22 years of life. But Y/n is not a normal woman. She’s a witch.

And while most women carry their keys between their knuckles and have tasers or pepper spray or mace at the ready, Y/n didn’t really need that. This was one of the only instances where she would use her magic to harm anyone. Like she’d said before- only when she’s put in danger (or someone else around her is put in danger).

So when a prick who reeks of whiskey starts tailing her, she waits for him to take the first blow. Waits for him to get a little too close, so she can turn around and unleash her wrath on him. All the while making it seem like it’s not her doing. Like causing a brink to fall off the roof above her and hit him in the head. She wouldn’t actually do that but a witch could dream.

No, she’ll trip him up without turning around and if he still insists on gaining her attention, she’ll spin around quick, flick her wrist and send him into an unconscious daze and let him sleep off his inebriation on the lovely warmth of the concrete sidewalk.

That’s exactly what she does.

“Hey sweetheart, where you goin’?” He slurs, beginning his trek behind her. She’s unresponsive which leads him to believe she’s playing hard to get because his fragile little man ego can’t fathom that a woman would ignore his attention.

“Oh c’mon baby don’t be like that!” He speeds up, already wobbling but this only serves to make him clumsier.

She does her thing, flicking her wrist in his direction (discreetly) so he trips, but this doesn’t stall him. He reaches out, effectively grabbing her arm. She whips around to face him, cheeks growing red hot with anger. Ripping her arm out of his grasp and twisting his arm around, she gets close to his face.

“Touch me again, I fucking dare you!” She snarls, doesn’t even realize her grip is burning into his flesh- her magic gets a little crazy when she’s mad. Releasing him (tossing his arm away from her in a rough manner), she flicks her wrist once again and mutters a quick “et obliviscere somnum*”, watching him fall to the ground, unconscious. She looked around to see if anyone was watching the scene go down but no one was sober enough to pay attention to some drunk bloke harassing a young woman.

*(forget and sleep)

She shakes off her frustration as she comes to a stop in front of an unfamiliar building. Where her Flame lives.

She had agreed to let him make her dinner at his house, so she packed an overnight back and made her way further into town. He had given her an address and while, yes she did use it, she also let their bond lead her to him. She just kind of knew where to go, it seemed. Harry had expressed that he felt something similar the first time he went into the shop, though he didn’t understand why he wanted to walk in- just felt like he had to.

Making her way up the stairs, she let’s Harry know she’s there, beginning to feel the familiar tingle rush down her spine. She hadn’t seen him for a week and a half since he's been busy with a project at work- a client wasn’t happy with all the work he and a coworker had done so they had to quickly re-do an entire proposal to meet the client's deadline. Needless to say- the little anti-anxiety jar she made him was coming in real handy lately. Y/n had also had him put citrine and amethyst points on his desk while he worked to help him focus and stay calm so he didn’t stress too badly.

She always had a little something to make his life easier, whether it be a stone, or a jar of different things (a spell jar, he’d learned), or whatever it may be- she always had something to help.

When she made it to his floor, he was standing there waiting for her with open arms. She ran to him, jumping into his arms and holding onto him tight.

“I missed you, my wild girl,” He muttered into her neck, spinning her around. Her face flushed without fail, her arms wrapping tighter around him.

“Missed you most,” She sighed, nuzzling into him.

“Don’t think that’s possible.”

She hummed in disagreement while he walked them inside, Y/n still wrapped around him like a koala bear. His house smelled of peach and mango. It’s sweet- just like him. The thought made her smile.

Giving him a big smacking kiss on the cheek, she pulls back to have a look at his face, seeing he’s smiling like an idiot. It warms her heart to see him smile, butterflies breaking out of their cocoons and fluttering about her tummy.

“What’re you smiling for?” She voices, giggling at him.

“M’ happy you’re here,” He sighed, “Don’t like not seeing you.”

“I don’t like not seeing you either,” She frowned, petting his wild curls back and placing little pecks all around his face.

His cheeks flushed at her affection.

Harry set Y/n down on the kitchen counter, standing in between her legs, hands resting on her hips. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers lightly, before slotting them together, fully indulging himself in his girl. She responds immediately, letting her hands rest around his neck.

She will never not be amazed by how soft his lips are. Kissing him feels like floating through clouds, like laying down in bed after a long day on your feet. Kissing him is like the first breath of warm summer air after the longest winter. Kissing him feels like coming home.

Y/n’s heartbeat picks up as the kiss becomes more needy, leaning into him further. Harry pulls her closer, his hands ghosting up the bare skin under her shirt and fiddling with the band of the bralette she’s wearing. A gasp escapes her lips when he pulled the fabric up, letting it snap back to her skin causing a smirk to grow on his face- struggling to keep up with her lips.

He kisses her breathless before pulling away, watching as her eyes flutter open and she heaves air into her lungs, her cheeks flushed and supple.

“Don’t want the food to burn,” He smirks again, hands falling away from her body, moving the pots and pans on the stove around to the counter so he could plate their dinner.

“Asshole,” He hears her mutter.

Harry could get used to this, having Y/n around. Being able to come home to her, make them dinner, make out in the kitchen, fall asleep together. He can’t believe he ever thought he loved anyone before she came along. There was just no way. Y/n came into his life and took over every aspect and now he couldn’t imagine a world without her in it. He hopes to the Stars he doesn’t have to.

Yeah, she’s got him praying to the stars now.

[i-make-fun-of-spn-characters]

ok, I have a question following a few hc's.

1 - a (crafty) friend and i have a differing hc about whether sam or cas knit (misha & sam smith do).

2 - there has recently been a post saying sam probably bounced around church groups while moving as a kid, bc they'd be friendly and feed him for free, etc etc.

3 - sam is a certified milf.

all these things together - do you think sam ended up in an old ladies' knitting circle at any point?

I do not share headcanon number 1 at all. I have never seen, in my life, Sam Winchester or angel of thee lord Castiel do anything that leads me to believe they have decent fine motor skills. I picture Sam as someone who would accidentally knock over glasses of water on the table because of his long, gangly limbs, and while an excellent cataloguer and researcher with many talents, is helpless with arts and crafts. Look at the way he and Cas torture people. Stab slash “where is my brother” versus “let me shove my entire hand into your chest”. There is no finesse or artistry to it. There is no fine tuning. Sam can kind of draw a tree but his people drawings look like they were drawn by an 8 year old. He never helps with loading, cleaning, and checking weapons either so I can only assume he drops the bullets everywhere when he tries. I cannot picture a world in which Sam could finely coordinate his limbs to the point that he could knit. I think Cas is too impatient for knitting. He would try to make a hat or something then after five minutes he would make the whole project burst into flames in pure frustration. He still doesn’t know how to make this stupid corpse work for him when it comes to the fine motor skills. That wavelength of celestial intent cannot stand trying to do fine motor skill things in a vessel. It’s like having to do everything with the finesse of the claw machine at an arcade to him and it infuriates him too much to even try to get better.

That said, perhaps in his old age, Sam began knitting and joined a knitting circle. I bet he did try to learn at various points in his life and was absolutely invited many times throughout his life but it‘s his secret embarrassment—not that he wants to knit but that he sucks at it.

[aggravatetheaxe]

BO SINCLAIR X READER - Waffle House Pt. 1

You're a server at the south's greatest and best-loved institution: Waffle House. The graveyard shift can be tough, but you can usually find ways to entertain yourself. Turns out tonight's entertainment is named Bo, and he wants to know if you're on the menu.

I wrote this especially for my friend Zin! This title is SAFE FOR WORK. Pt. 2 is NSFW (and in Bo's POV!)

Soundtrack: Diner Ambience ; Rain ; Faint Hard Rock

Words: 3,269

Part 2

Part 3

Masterlist

***

READER POV

It was raining when he came in, a light rain that tapped on the windows and made you want to leave your shift at Waffle House early to crawl into your warm bed. He was just some guy—average, white, brown hair, blue eyes. And yet you felt compelled to watch him as he tapped his dripping boots against the door and shook out his hat.

Wow.

You were new to the overnight shift. It was mostly truckers coming up and down the interstate, guys who just wanted to tuck into a warm meal and leave. They tipped well, too, so you didn't mind. It wasn't like your sleep schedule wasn't fucked anyway. May as well make some money while you were up all night.

This was the first time you'd had a physical reaction to any guy who'd walked in. You completely forgot about the orange juice you were in the process of putting away. You could feel your heart race as he gazed around the restaurant, and when his eyes found yours and he flashed you that grin?

Wow.

He took a seat at the breakfast bar, right in front of you, like he could sense your pulse quickening. "Evenin'."

Right, you were supposed to greet him. "Hi, there. Can I getcha some coffee?"

"That'd be real welcome, [miss / sir]." His crow's feet wrinkled, and he set his hat aside on the counter. His twang sounded so good mixing with the classic rock pouring from the speakers that you had to bite your lip to keep from sighing. "Sure is comin' down out there."

"Yeah," you agreed with a breathless laugh. God, did you sound stupid? You turned quickly, retrieving a mug and the fresh pot you'd just finished brewing. "How do you like it?"

"If you bring me the fixin's, I'll do it up," he said easily. When you turned and handed him the mug, his eyes found your chest, staring at your name tag for an extended moment. Then, his gaze crawled to yours. "Y/N."

Your face was so hot you wondered if he could see you blushing. Rather than say anything stupid, you practically shoved ramekins of creams and sugars at him, then mumbled some excuse or another before disappearing into the kitchen.

Pressed against the wall, you took a few deep breaths. You saw a hundred men every shift, some of them quite handsome, and yet this guy was standing out to you. Why, you had no idea, but you had a table of college kids to wait on and three other people at the counter ... you couldn't be fixated on this one person.

The cook glanced up at you, then did a double take, frowning. "You okay? Look like you're about to pass out."

Worried your Average Man had heard him, you cleared your throat and announced, "I was just getting some straws," before grabbing a handful and exiting.

You shoved the straws in your apron, trying to avoid eye contact with the man ... but as you poured refills and took orders, you found it hard not to glance over at him. He was just sitting, enjoying his coffee, but every so often, you could feel him watching you from the corner of his eye.

You knew you couldn't put off talking to him for long. You had to take his order, after all, and he'd been patient. As you walked back to him, he looked up, smiling brightly. "Welcome back."

"Thanks." Why were you thanking him? Jesus Christ, you sounded like an idiot. "Ready to order?"

He laughed a little, carding a hand through his slightly damp curls. "Once you give me a menu, darlin', I reckon I won't be long."

"Oh, sh— shoot." You scrambled to grab him a menu, slapping it down in front of him. "Sorry. It's been a long night."

"No worries." As he flipped the menu open, he nodded to his coffee cup. "Can I get some more a that, sweetpea?"

"Of course." Man, you were really fucking up this serving thing tonight.

By the time you'd grabbed the pot and refilled him, he'd set the menu down and was ready with two white packets between his fingers. He tore them both open in one motion, then looked at you, smirking. "Extra sugar. Don't tell."

Shit, you can have all the sugar you want. But your mouth was not half as dirty as your mind, and so you just smiled back, trying so hard to keep from giggling. "So, what'll it be?"

"I'll get the, uh ... Texas bacon patty melt with hashbrowns."

"Sure. How you want those hashbrowns?"

"Just plain. Actually, make 'em smothered. Oh, an' a side of biscuits 'n' gravy, please."

"You got it." You jotted the order down quickly and passed it through the kitchen window, readying yourself to move on to the next customer for your own sanity.

But it was the man's voice that drew you back to the counter: "Hey..."

You turned. He was about to ask you a question, you could tell from the tone of his voice. "What's up?"

"I'm not really from around here." His smile was friendly enough, but his shocking blue eyes seemed almost calculating. "S'pretty late, an' I don't feel like sleepin' in the truck again. You know any good motels 'round here?"

It didn't even occur to you in the moment that he could be flirting. "Well, there's a Motel 6 not far from here ... a Red Roof a few miles down the interstate. Those'll probably be your best options in terms of good quality."

His expression shifted a bit, but then his smile widened, crow's feet wrinkling again. "All right. Thanks, sugar."

Sugar. You weren't new to being called that—you lived in the south, after all—but something about the way he said it...

You tried to get him off your mind the rest of the night, but it was kind of difficult. Even after he'd finished his food, he lingered, draining coffees and flipping through a newspaper someone had left on the stool next to him. He got up to go to the restroom a couple times, but besides that, he stayed planted right in front of you, where it was impossible to ignore him.

It was an hour and thirty minutes later that your shift ended. You gathered your things, and as you headed toward the door, you weren't surprised to find him still there.

For some reason, only then did his lingering presence give you pause. Why was he hanging around a Waffle House at 3 a.m., anyway? He'd said he wasn't from around here ... had he gotten kicked out or something? Chosen a direction on the interstate and just started going?

Poor guy. You bit your lip, going back and forth with yourself for a few moments before your pity won out. "Hey, sir."

He looked over his shoulder, forehead wrinkling.

"Um, you take care. Lindsey'll ring you up whenever you're ready."

He cracked a smile and waved. "Take care, darlin'."

You tried to ignore the way your heart fluttered at those words.

The sky was just beginning to turn the color of dusk, but it was still raining as you exited the restaurant and headed to your car. Your keys jingled as you wrestled them out of the pocket of your jacket. It took you a moment to find the keyhole in the driver's side door, squinting through the rain like you were.

The inside of the car was blissfully dry, and as you slammed the door and blocked out the pounding rain, you closed your eyes and pushed out a long breath. It was time to go home—have some dinner of your own, maybe some tea, then collapse in bed.

That thought finally moved you to put the key in the ignition and turn.

And turn.

...And turn.

Well, you were the only one turning, because the engine certainly fucking wasn't.

Dread crawled up your spine and gripped the back of your neck. What? How could something like this happen? You'd just paid through the nose for a ton of repairs and an inspection. How could your engine just...

Anxiety floated you as you climbed out of the car, braving the rain to look under the hood. But hell, you barely knew which one was the engine, let alone how to fix it if it was broken. Your hands shook as you fumbled for the hood prop, heat climbing your face and stinging your eyes. How were you gonna get this fixed? How would you even afford it? Below minimum wage and tips from truckers wasn't going to cut it.

You turned, leaning against the side of the car and taking your cellphone from your other pocket. The tears finally fell once you realized that you didn't have anyone to call. You slammed the hood of the car and covered your face.

"Hey."

The voice, raised over the downpour, made you jump. You'd been standing in the rain for a few minutes, sobbing your eyes out, and you were completely soaked through. The rain and the heat of your tears fogged your glasses so bad, you couldn't see who was there no matter how you squinted.

"Hey," he said again, much closer now. You recognized the twang.

Quickly, you grabbed your glasses off, wiping them against your shirt before replacing them. You could see the Average Man much more clearly now, watching you but keeping his distance.

"Hi," you managed, sniffling hard.

His face fell. In a few seconds, he was beside you, offering you a hanky from his back pocket. With a little mumble of thanks, you wiped your face and blew your nose. The hanky smelled like motor oil and musk. He was close enough for you to smell him, too, feel the heat coming off his body.

For some reason, that made you cry harder.

He clicked his tongue above you. "Why you cryin', darlin'? It's pourin' out; you're gonna get soaked."

"My ... my car," you managed, gesturing helplessly.

"Oh? Somethin' wrong with your car?"

"Yeah. And I don't know jack shit except the model and year." You vented your frustration in a hard exhale, wringing his hanky. "I just got it inspected, too."

The man paused for a moment. "Well, hey, I'm a mechanic. I could take a look if ya like."

You raised your head, wiping your glasses again. "I— no, it's fine. It's raining out, you don't have to..."

"I don't mind," he said dismissively, opening the hood with one hand and propping it up. "Pretty thing like you shouldn't cry like that."

Again, you found yourself staring at him. This man definitely gave off an ... energy, calling you pretty while fixing your car. For a stranger, he was certainly taking control of a situation he hadn't even been aware of a minute ago. You'd been well aware he was attractive and compelling, but this was a whole new level. You were so taken off guard you couldn't think of a response.

"Go ahead and climb in front," the man said, waving you that way. "Try 'n' start it when I knock on the window."

"Okay." You slid into the front seat again, waiting for his command. He knocked once, and you turned the key.

No luck. You hesitated before knocking back.

Another knock. No luck. After the third, he rapped on the driver's side window instead, and you opened the door for him.

He was soaked. His clothes were drenched to his skin, his hair curling wildly around his ears and forehead. "No luck, darlin'. Think your engine's shot."

You felt your face crumple, any hope you'd had now crushed. It was four-something in the morning. Where were you going to get a ride home let alone a tow truck? And then how were you going to pay for it all?

"You gonna be okay?"

His words shook you out of your reverie. Your chest felt cold and numb ... the beginnings of a panic attack starting to take hold. "I just ... I don't know what I'm gonna..." You clenched your hands, freezing and trembling, and inhaled shakily.

"Listen," he said after a few moments, glancing up at the sky. "It's real shitty out, if you'll pardon my French, an' I don't feel right leavin' you all alone out here..." He sighed, almost grimacing. "You want a ride? I can getcha home, you can rest an' make your phone calls in the mornin'."

Getting into a stranger's car ... it was the most stereotypical thing in the world, but you didn't see any way you could turn down the offer. He seemed nice enough, and if it came down to it, you could run if not defend yourself...

At this point, you'd risk anything to be somewhere warm and cozy instead of in this stupid, freezing parking lot.

"I don't want to ... inconvenience you," you said weakly.

"It's no bother." His smile tightened a bit. "I'd rather you say yes or no so I can get out of this downpour."

You slipped out of your car, shutting and locking it behind you. Hopefully it would be alright for the night. "As long as you don't mind, mister."

The man simply smirked in response, slamming your hood and heading for his truck. It was a beat-up Chevy in dire need of a paint job, but it was running, which was more than you could say for your own vehicle. He opened the passenger side door, then shut it behind you, hurrying himself out of the rain. The pickup's vintage interior smelled faintly of cigarettes as you slid into place, buckling in.

He swore softly as he climbed in beside you and started the truck. Heat blasted through the air vents, and you relaxed a little. It smelled musty and old in here, but the engine sounded good, and whatever problems there were were easily smoothed over by the handsome company and the rock droning from the radio.

"Name's Bo, by the way." He spared you a smile as he backed out of his parking space. "Only fair you know mine since I know yours." When you balked, he laughed. "Your name tag, remember?"

"Oh. Right. Duh."

The man—Bo—took it in stride. "You must be beat as hell, shift like that. Betcha can't wait to get home and curl up in bed."

"Yeah," you replied, giggling awkwardly.

Bo smiled. God, he was so pretty. "Don't blame ya. I'm dog tired myself. Do just about anything for a drink and a soft bed right now." A chuckle. "Guess I'll just have to settle for a beer and a motel mattress."

Again, you giggled awkwardly.

On the other hand, he wasn't awkward at all. In fact, he seemed perfectly comfortable carrying the conversation, as if he'd gotten the script before you and rehearsed his lines a thousand times. "So where'm I headed?"

"Oh, uh, take the next exit..."

You continued to navigate for him, but you were working from memory, your eyes barely on the road. You couldn't help but watch his hands as he maneuvered the truck. They looked strong and warm, with fine hairs near his wrist, and on his right hand, a signet ring glistened in the low light. When he stroked and squeezed the steering wheel, his muscles and skin shifted beautifully over his knuckles.

You kinda wished you were that steering wheel.

Eventually, the truck pulled up to your apartment building, engine purring as it idled. "This the one?"

"Yeah." You clutched your things closer and smiled over at Bo. "Thank you for this. Really, I don't know what..."

You'd been about to say I don't know what I can do to repay you, but the state he was in, it wasn't hard to guess what he needed. Not only was he drenched, but he looked half-dead with exhaustion despite that easy smile of his.

Even as you opened your mouth, you knew this was a crazy idea.

"Do you ... want to come in for a minute? I can at least get you a towel, um, and maybe some cash for taking you out of your way."

Bo paused. He had an expressive face—you could see him weighing his options. "What the hell," he sighed, giving a tight white-guy smile before cutting the engine. "Sure."

Your heart leapt. You had half expected him to turn you down out of politeness, but you supposed you had inconvenienced him. Excitement mixed with terror at the thought of having this man—a stranger—in your apartment. Alone with you.

But it was a little too late to back out now. You slipped out of the truck and led him quickly up the front steps, then the interior stairs to your apartment. As always, your building smelled like Second Floor's cats and First Floor's cheap weed. Bo only stood behind you, hat in his hand, nice and polite as he waited for you to unlock your door.

"Home sweet home," you said, laughing awkwardly as you stepped in.

Bo gave a cursory glance around the place but didn't seem to feel one way or the other about your decor, simply smiling at you. He sure did know how to make people feel at ease. This almost didn't feel like an insanely stupid idea.

"Make yourself at home. I'll go get a towel. Um, and I can get you a drink. What do you like?"

"I'm not fussy, but I'll take whiskey if you have it."

Your place was so small, you were able to carry on the conversation while you hurried to the bathroom and grabbed a fresh towel from the cabinet. "I think one of my friends left some behind the last time she was over. Wild Turkey? It's bourbon?"

"That'll do." When you brought him the towel, he gave you one of those dazzling grins in return. "Much obliged, darlin'."

God, you just wanted to stand there and take him in while he toweled himself off, but you forced yourself not to, instead going into the small kitchen and fetching the whiskey. You weren't much of a drinker yourself, but you'd seen your friends drink plenty, so you poured a couple fingers in a wide glass and brought it out. He had already made himself quite comfortable on your couch, leaned back, legs spread, arm across the back of it.

"I hope it's not irresponsible of me to give you a drink when you're gonna be driving," you said as you handed him the whiskey.

He chuckled. "Don't you worry about me. I've pro'lly driven worse off a thousand times." He threw it back in one go, and you watched his slightly stubbly throat bob as he swallowed smoothly. He practically moaned, "That's it," before wiping his mouth. Looking you up and down, "None for you, sugar?"

It took you a moment to find your voice. "I don't really drink much. Tastes like paint thinner to me."

That drew a laugh from him. "Sacrilege." Then a hum. "You don't have to stand there, y'know. It is your house."

Sitting next to him would mean his arm was practically wrapped around your shoulder. An edge of wariness was beginning to press against your thundering heart. This was such a terrible idea, for so many different reasons.

You approached slowly, lingering before him. The way he looked up at you through his lashes, body sunk into your couch, nearly made your mouth water. He lifted his glass slightly. "Think I'm good for one more ... if ya don't mind."

***

Part 2

Masterlist

[dragon-kazansky]

Yes, sir! | Niki Lauda

Professor Lauda AU! 👨‍🏫

Gender neutral reader

Dedicated to @lieutenantn and @scuttle-buttle 💕

[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]

Part 2

You wake up bright and early for your class. You only had languages today, literature back on the table tomorrow. Not that you minded.

With time to spare, you walked around the campus, admiring the old building. The university had been here for over a century. To your knowledge is wasn't always a school, though you're not sure what it was in the beginning. Whatever it was didn't last, obviously.

Many teachers have walked those halls. Many students have studied in those rooms.

You were glad to be here.

The clock out front signals it's nearly time for class. You adjust the grip you have on your bag and head inside.

You're early. Professor Lauda is writing on the board as you enter. A few students were already present. You make your way down to the front and sit down exactly where you been yesterday. You take out the things you need and glance up at your professor.

He's wearing another turtleneck, this one darker than yesterday's. A jacket is draped over the back of his chair by his desk. You can just about make out the slight muscles on his arms as he writes.

You glance behind you at the other students. They're making notes of what he's writing. You feel you should probably do the same before you're caught staring at him.

Turning back around you find his gaze on you. His eyes are narrowed on you. Ah, he caught you looking around. That probably looked like you were slacking off, and it's only your second day.

You put your head down and start writing.

Lauda turned to see you looking around the room. You were sitting exactly where you had been yesterday. You were probably going stay there for the rest of the course.

He wondered what you were looking at. Class hadn't even started yet. Nothing interesting could possibly be happening right now, other than the lesson on the board.

You turn, catching his gaze. To you he looks like he's glaring at you. To him, he's just trying to work you out. Two days in and you're already making him curious about you, and all you have done is attend his class.

You put your head down as you beginning copying the board. He turns his gaze away from you and toward the door where other students enter, right on time for class.

"Take a seat and get all this down."

Everyone who just entered sits and quickly takes out their books, jotting down the introduction for today's lesson.

You finish your notes and look up.

Professor Lauda stands with his hands on his hips, waiting for all pens to be put down.

"I see you're all still here. This is a first. Usually at least one drops off the course immediately, consider me impressed. I'll be more so if you last the term."

He turns and walks to the board.

He begins the session. You're trying very hard to listen to what he is saying, rather than just enjoying the sound of his voice. He spoke sharply, straight to the point, his expression didn't change once. He was here to teach and that's what he was doing. You were just hooked to the sound of him talking, the way he moved, the way he stood.

Was this your university crush? A professor? How scandalous of you.

You smile to yourself. You'd be over it in a few days. Though you will silently thank the board for hiring such a handsome teacher.

Self conscious took over as you tried to make it look like you were listening. You did not want him to catch you staring at him. You already had the feeling he didn't like you too much, even after two days.

"I am giving you a little task. This will not affect anything, other than my interest in how quickly you will learn. For your next class, I want you to make a small introduction using these phrases I have presented to you."

He holds up a small stack of papers. He walks around his desk and over to where you sit.

He looks at you with his dark narrowed gaze.

"Take one, pass it along."

You take the stack, mindful of where you grabbed it from, and take one from the top of the pile. You break eye contact with him as you turn proud and lass the stack to the students behind you.

You turn back around, but he isn't looking at you any more. Lauda has returned to his desk.

"It doesn't have to be long, but at least try and put some effort into it."

You fold the assignment within your notebook for safe keeping. You're eager to get started already.

When class wraps up, he turns his na k to the students and gathers the paper on his desk. You don't know why, but you glance at him before leaving.

Michael and Katie are waiting for you outside.

"How was class? Did he throw anyone out yet?" Katie asks, smiling.

"Nope, everyone still present," you tell her.

"Ooo! New record!"

"Got my first little assignment from him," you say, proudly.

"You'll get lots more in the future," Michael laughs.

"What do you guys know about Professor Lauda?" You ask, interest having been piqued ages ago.

"Why are you asking?" Michael looks at you.

"I'm just curious."

He doesn't look like he believe you, but he doesn't say anything about it. He just tells you what he knows.

"He's Austrian, he teaches languages, pretty sure I heard he's into motor racing, he likes to kick students out of his class for ridiculous reasons, and he is not anyone's favourite Professor."

"Why not? In the past two days I haven't seen any reason not to like him."

"Probably because it's only been two days," Michael sighs. "Lauda is... not so likeable, plus, he's a little... rat-like, wouldn't you say?"

"Rat-like?"

"Yeah."

"Micheal, that's just rude. I like him."

"That's your mistake. You haven't seen him in the same room as Professor Hunt," Michael scoffs.

"Professor Hunt?"

"Actually," Katie pipes up, "I hear they're actually kind of friends."

"Friends don't argue like they do," Michael tells her.

Katie shrugs him off.

"Don't you also have Professor Barnes? He's a favourite around here."

"I can see why," you smile, "I have his class again tomorrow."

You all leave the university grounds.

"See you tomorrow, Y/N."

"See you!"

You part ways from your friends and make the walk home, eager to start your little task for Professor Lauda.

It didn't matter what Michael told you, you liked your Professor. You'll keep your little crush a secret. You expect it to fade in a few days. But you will stand by that Michael is wrong.

Professor Lauda wasn't rat-like, he was handsome. He was just stern, and that's that. You liked him just the way he was.

It's just a shame that it seems he didn't seem to like you very much. You would just have to try and impress him with your assignment.

The assignment is all you focus on when you get home.

@lieutenantn @scuttle-buttle @rumblelibrary @zemosimp05 @hb8301 @celtic-witch-bitch @somethingthatsaysbubbles @lorna-d-m @anteroom-of-death @belle82devart @vverliebt @alltimebandsexual666 @charistory @mischief-siriusly-managed @thatoneartgalsstuff @mssennimatilda

[skellebonez]

Prompts 1, 9, 17, and 49. Huntsman Has been visiting Sandy for a few weeks now and Moe has made it clear he does not trust the spider. One day, while Sandy's busy Huntsman decides he's had enough of this cat and goes into a rant which then turns into him venting some stuff. Therapy cats are for more then just pets apparently. (Bonus points if it's from Moe's POV) - Pixel Anon

Apparently I am bad at figuring out how to write from a cat’s POV, but this was the PERFECT prompt for me to continue Second Chances Over Tea! This is where stuff really starts to... deviate.

Do not give me that look/How long have you been standing there?/I can’t do this even though everyone says I can./That cute act is all just a lie.

Where time had gone Huntsman had no idea. There was both no time and too much time. Syntax had everything he needed to rebuild and reprogram the spider bots and he’d been doing everything he could to try to replicate the venom with little to no success, much to the increased frustration of the Spider Queen.

She wasn't upset at him, not really. Huntsman knew she was just taking out her frustration at the situation on the poor scientist. Had it been in the weeks before Huntsman would have brushed it off and told him to deal with it.

But now... he felt bad for him. He could tell Syntax was trying his best. The human turned demon wasn’t quite as harsh and clinical as he had pin pointed him as, that much had become clear when he had noticed Huntsman’s odd behavior. His behavior since he has started sneaking out to visit Sandy. He never pushed, never pried, but did make a point to remind him to charge his communicator and to message him on the nights he was out.

Huntsman wasn’t stupid. He knew that Syntax knew he was lying. There was no need to go out and search for materials or do more recon now, the scientist knew that. But he never pushed, never yelled at him to stay and help (though that was probably because he knew that this stuff was not Huntsman’s line of specialty), never prodded about exactly where he went.

Though he had to know by now.

He’d pointed out the smell of motor oil and tea clinging to his clothes once, when they were alone. The cat fur and nip that has stuck to the edges of his undershirt another day. The saltwater that made his hair stick awkwardly to his face and lingered in the air yet another. Huntsman realized over a week into his nightly visits that there was a GPS built into in his communicator.

Syntax wasn’t stupid either. He knew Huntsman was visiting Sandy. He had to have. Huntsman did not trust him to not have turned on that GPS remotely on that first night to learn where he was.

So why stay quiet?

And why was Huntsman thinking these things, things he wouldn’t have thought weeks ago had he been doing something similar in other circumstances?

... he knew why... and it had to do with where he was. And who had been slowly starting to make him look at others with a more critical eye outside the hunt.

He let these thoughts roll around in his head, thoughts he has pushed down and down and farther down until over the course of the last 18 days, 2 and a half weeks and nearly a month since he stole the Crimson Jimsonweed petal from Sandy and the other reached out a hand in kind, until this moment.

It was just past 2:30 in the morning. Huntsman was laying on Sandy’s couch, only the third time he had stayed since that first late night, the other having gone to bed himself. And that blue cat with the matching mohawk was sitting on his chest.

“Get off me,” he hissed, only to be met with a low hiss from the feline. Not a warning or a threat, more a rebuttal to his own. Mo, he knew his name was, and he was the favored cat of Sandy. Always with him, on his shoulder or somewhere nearby. A smart and feisty little thing. He simply stared at the spider demon, moving to sit more firmly on his chest with a thump of his tail and a low purr. “Do not give me that look, cat. Or the purr. That cute act is all just a lie, I know you don’t like me being here.”

Mo did not reply, as he was simply a cat. But he blinked slowly at Huntsman, something Sandy told him cats only did with people they trusted not to hurt them, and he narrowed his gaze at the cat in suspicion.

“I’m getting mixed signals here,” he said, sighing as he sat up in defeat knowing he would not be resting any time soon with his racing thoughts. Instinctively, as he’d done this many times before with the other cats on the ship, he wrapped his arms around his stomach and let Mo slide into being held to his chest. The cat seemed to smirk in victory, as if getting him up and messing with him was his plan all along. “You’re weird. But then again so am I. So is everything about this... whatever this is.”

He reaches up, scratching behind the oddly colored cat’s ears and earned no reaction aside from the continued stare of the cat.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you watch me every time I come over,” he continued, stopping his scratching before roughly picking him up and holding him out across from him to glare at the cat. “How you always sit where you can watch me, are constantly glaring at me and growling when I get too close to your owner. How you just don’t trust me even though I haven’t done anything to you or him since that time on the mountain. But why would you trust me anyway, I just showed up one day in your house after we attacked you on New Years so... I can’t really blame you...”

He frowned, putting the cat down far more gently than he had held him up. He rubbed his face, looking down at the communicator that he wore with a sigh.

“... everything we did on the Lunar New Year was a mistake,” he muttered to himself, grazing the communicator with a claw. “I never asked any questions. Just went along with what my Queen asked of me. If I had asked something, anything, maybe she wouldn’t have accepted that spirit’s help with her plan. I was her advisor until Syntax came along, I should have said something! I’m supposed to be a hunter but I couldn’t even realize we were the ones being hunted until it was too late!”

This seemed to catch Mo’s attention. The smirk on the cat’s face faded into something of confusion, if that was possible for a cat, and he took a step forward and placed a paw on Huntsman’s leg and mewed up at him.

The spider demon barely reacted, not pushing Mo away like he normally would.

“If I had said anything Syntax would probably still be human, I’d still be advisor, and we wouldn’t be scrambling like headless chickens trying to figure out what she’s planning on using us for! Or Syntax wouldn’t because for some reason I’m here, on this couch, instead of in our lair! I’m here running away from the problem, giving them the barest scraps of tech I weasel out of your owner with nice conversation and company for tea because... because what!?”

He growled, curling in on himself a bit as he bit down on one of his fingers in frustration. But the words kept coming, maybe it was because he hadn’t slept since the night before or maybe it was just a long time coming. Maybe being constantly somewhere he finally felt safe when he hadn’t realized how unsafe he felt in the lair over the last few months broke down his walls that he spent so long building up. Maybe the talking he’d done with Sandy did it.

Or maybe there was no reason aside from him feeling safe ranting at a cat.

“I came for help at first but I didn’t need to keep coming. But I have every day and I know why but I just-I can’t! I can’t keep coming here every day like this, we’re running out of time! But I don’t want to go back, not with her there. But I have to, my Queen and Goliath and Syntax the smarmy bastard are there without me and I just... I can’t do this even though Sandy says I can. I’m...”

“Scared,” Sandy’s voice came from the nearby doorway, startling the spider demon from his ranting and making him realize that at some point Mo had actually crawled into his lap and was pawing at his hand.

“How long have you been standing there?” Huntsman asked in horror, not knowing how he could have possibly managed to miss the large form of the blue demon just. Standing there.

“Long enough,” he said softly, coming over and grabbing Huntsman’s wrist with the gentlest grip he could manage and pulling it away to inspect the bite he had inflicted on himself. “Huntsman, you-”

A soft bing rang through the air, the text notification from his communicator, breaking the tension between the two as Huntsman pulled his arm back to check it quickly.

‘Huntsman, Spider Queen is demanding your presence. She is getting angry. If you are awake you must return at once. Immediately, if possible.’

Another one came in, typed so fast he could barely finish reading the first.

‘Goliath is getting worried about her. Scared. She’s angrier than I’ve seen her since the festival and won’t listen to us. We need you here.’

And another.

‘I need you back here. Please come back. Please.’

Please...

In all the time Huntsman had known Syntax the other had never said that word without being condescending... but something about these texts... and the timing...

“Something’s wrong,” he said to Sandy, standing quickly and dropping Mo onto the couch gently. “I have to go.”

“Home?” Sandy asked, reaching to grab Huntsman’s coat without another question.

“Yes,” he replied, realizing that... oddly, that felt like the wrong answer to him. Somehow. “Synta-”

“You don’t have to explain,” Sandy interrupted, pushing a small parcel into Huntsman’s hands. “Not if it slows you down. Go, it’s the piece you said your friend needed.”

“... thank you,” Huntsman said, after a short pause, feeling like he should have done more as he rushed out the door and into the warm dark of night.

He thought he heard Sandy’s phone ring as he left but couldn’t be certain.

~

“You keep going,” Huntsman said after a short pause, turning back in the direction they came. “Just in case. But I have something I want to check.”

“Uh, be careful!” Goliath yelled back as Huntsman broke out his mechanical legs and sprinted back toward where they left the mech.

He may not know the Monkie Kid well, but Sandy had told him enough about MK that he thought that maybe... maybe...

Maybe if he came clean to Spider Queen...

He thought he heard a distant yelp that almost sounded like Syntax.

When he had returned Huntsman had found that Syntax was telling the truth. Their Queen was working in a near frenzy, trying to rush through the building of their mech. Syntax was trying to explain to her that there was not enough time to complete it at the rate she was requesting without the venom, that even with the extra materials the bots had gathered with the tech Huntsman himself had proffered they weren’t fast enough.

Then the Monkie Kid had literally fallen into their lair.

Huntsman didn’t know why he was there. He knew that Sandy couldn’t have told him what they were doing, he knew the other wouldn’t do something like that now after all the time they had spent together. His only guess was that one of the things that the bots had grabbed for the mech had belonged to the young man.

He heard the sound of fighting, his Queen and the Monkie Kid yelling, and somewhere distantly... he thought he heard Goliath yell too.

He almost turned around, almost went back, but something kept him going.

Until he burst into their little hideaway in the lair, a flash of golden light and the Monkie Kid standing over his Queen laying on the ground with the mech head destroyed behind him. They didn’t see him, but he could hear them clearly.

“Haven’t you figured that out yet?” His Queen argued. “There’s no running from what she is!”

Whispers on the wind followed and in flash of more brilliant, powerful light, there she was.

“Spider Queen’s right,” the Lady Bone Demon, the Lady White Bone, The White Bone Spirit, agreed as she stood tall and imposing and terrifying above them all. “Destiny will always catch up.”

Huntsman didn’t know what she did. Something, clearly, as the Monkie Kid held his head in clear confusion and agony and backed away from her in fear as Spider Queen stepped between the two of them. And without thinking he rushed forward, moving to stand behind MK and glower at the possessed girl before the three of them.

“Ah,” LBD breathed with a smile, tilting her head playfully as she looked at Huntsman and drew the other’s attention to him. “I was wondering where the final unnecessary piece ran off to. No matter, captured or not you’re only an extra in this little game anyway.”

“You!” Spider Queen snapped, turning her attention back to LBD once her surprise at seeing Huntsman had worn off.”I should have taken you out the second you walked into my lair!” She turned to MK and Huntsman with a look the elder demon knew to be full of disguised fear of her own. “Both of you! RUN!”

It happened so fast. Lady Bone Demon did something and... and Syntax was there. And Goliath. But they weren’t, it wasn’t them, not as they were. Blue and white and cold and ghostly instead. His Queen lunged at them and LBD and his own survival instincts took over as he grabbed MK’s arm and RAN. He barely registered when the young man pulled away from him and golden light flashed and suddenly they were going up.

There was something gripping his shoulder, sharp and small and he realized that somehow, some way, MK had turned into a bird and was flying out of the sewers with Huntsman and a sign of some kind in either claw.

There was more blue, a brilliant flash from that shot up into the sky, and the two of them plus the sign crash landed onto a roof.

A roof with a pig demon, a young girl with green streaks in her hair, an oddly well dressed for bed attire man who looked at him with more recognition than the other two... and Sandy.

Sandy, who looked down at him and MK with a mixture of confusion and slowly dawning horror at where MK must have gone and what them being together must mean.

As the Spider Demon stood, slow and clumsy in his lack of sleep and the shakiness of adrenaline, he looked back to the young man who had pulled him out of harm’s way without a single question.

“We have some explaining to do, kid.”