#peter when he's with benjy

[elmodoescrimes]

Peter is amazing. That little bitch is just as sarcastic as Remus. They bond over how fucking stupid everyone else is. Petr is the epitome of "only 11 and already over everything". He is tired, and snarky, and goddammit let him sleep in peace for once. He is wonderfully unhinged, and just doing his own thing. He is living. He is existing. He is wonderful.

[marauder-misprint]

hi! can you do something with the marauders preferably sirius or james where the reader has constantly been like kind of invisible her whole life and spoken over and in the end has just stopped speaking up much ? thankyou <33 ( no pressure though! )

Hi! Thank you for this request ❤︎ Not sure how I feel about the quality of this. I definitely feel like it's not James enough, but it is what it is. Or maybe it's the lack of interactions with the rest of the Marauders that has me feeling like this? Idk. (It also might be because I'm not a huge James writer? Who knows?)

ANYWAYS! I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Potions partner

James Potter x reader

4.6k words

cw: fluff, yapper!James

You’re not sure which is more peculiar: the story you’re telling or the fact that multiple people are listening to you tell it. 

It had happened during Care of Magical Creatures class that morning. Professor Kettleburn was trying to settle an aggravated Thestral and was failing horribly to the point where he dismissed class urgently. You were one of the few students who could actually see the beast so your retelling of the event was more descriptive than the rest of the class’. 

But what wasn’t peculiar was when a boy sat down a few seats away from you with complaints about the latest Transfiguration essay and all the attention that had been on you and your story moved on. Was the Thestral more interesting? Yes. But you were you, a background character in your own life. People didn’t pay attention to you if there was something else going on.  

You sigh and turn your attention to the food on your plate. You’ve barely touched it since you were talking for once. Now that attention has left you like it always does, you’re able to eat. It had been nice to feel heard, even if just for a few minutes. You never did hold people’s attention for long. You were just something to fill the background, nothing special to see. And often you weren’t seen. There were too many times for you to count when someone brushes past you, accidentally knocking you to the ground and they barely give you “Sorry, didn’t see you there.” 

In short, you weren’t seen and you weren’t heard. 

It wasn’t just your classmates either. It seemed like once a week, a professor would scan the classroom as they marked who was in attendance and they’d ask if you were there. You always were. You’d raise your hand and wave it around. Sometimes, even with that, they’d miss you until your friend spoke up and said that, yes, you were, in fact, in class. You weren’t sure how the professors managed to skip over you so much, but they did. Maybe it was because you weren’t an extreme. Your grades weren’t horrible enough to be of concern, nor were they exceptional enough to be used as examples and to earn house points. 

That afternoon in Potions, one of your least favorite things happened. Professor Slughorn announced a partnered-project.

“If everyone could get into pairs please! We will be working on brewing Felix Felicis and there will be various assignments with this. Pick someone you will be able to focus with. Yes, this means that Potter and Black cannot be partners.”

A pair of groans erupt from the back of the room. 

“I got dibs on Moony,” Sirius says.

James groans again, scanning the room. Lily had picked Mary. Marlene and Peter didn’t continue with Potions in N.E.W.T. level. People got into pairs quickly. You had immediately turned toward Emmeline. She was usually kind to you, but she paired with Benjy Fenwick. Your options dwindled fast. 

“Alright, anyone without a partner?” Slughorn asks the class as the room began to settle down. 

You and James both raise your hands. 

“Alright, you two are paired then. Here is the first assignment…”

You glance at James and cringe internally. Loud, boisterous James was your partner for the foreseeable future. Slughorn hadn’t given a timeframe for how long these assignments would be. You try to listen to everything that he’s saying about the first assignment, but it’s difficult when you’re dreading the assignment before it’s even really begun. 

After class ends, you approach James.

“Erm, I’ll do the essay if you want to do the first part of the potion?” you offer, hugging your books tight to your chest. 

“Huh? Oh, for the project. The essay’s long, don’t you want to work together on it?” James replies.

“I don’t-” you start to say.

Sirius interrupts you. “Mate, the girl’s just offered you the easy way out of the project. Take it and run.” 

You press your lips into a thin line, nod and walk away. Sirius got it. You’d split the project into separate pieces as much as you could. Plus, did Mr. Popular really want to be seen with someone as quiet and invisible as you? You didn’t think so. As you made your way to your next class, you assumed that was the end of the conversation. 

It wasn’t.

James finds you in the library after dinner. He’s slightly out of breath as he places his things on the table.

“You’re a hard one to find,” he says, taking a seat across from you.

You don’t say anything. In fact, you barely spare him a glance. 

“I wanted to talk to you about the Potions project,” he continues as he takes out homework for a different class. “It’s a multiple part project. It’s very interconnected, not something we can split down the middle and work on separately.”

He stops talking and waits for you to respond. You still don’t look up. You just work on your Herbology assignment.

“You… you are my partner for Potions, right?” he asks, running a hand through already-messy hair. “That’d be embarrassing if I just sat down across from the wrong girl…”

“We’re partners,” you whisper, more to your parchment than James.

“Great. So I’m at the right table! Like I was saying, you can’t do the entire essay and have me do all the brewing. I mean, we can do that. Like you write and I actually brew, which is fine. But we have to meet up to work on it, you know? Can’t do one part without the other.” 

“I prefer to work alone,” you say. “So take my offer or do it all by yourself.”

James’ eyes narrow. 

“That’s not how partner projects work.”

You raise your eyes to meet his for the first time since he sat down. Pretty. You sigh and look back at your assignment. You have work to get done. You hope that James will get the message, accept your terms and leave you alone. Instead, he starts to work on an essay for Astronomy.

“Do you study at this table often?” he asks nonchalantly. 

“Mhmm,” you hum. 

Part of you wants to ask why he’s asking. What’s it to him that you work at that table practically like clockwork? 

“This a daily thing or weekly? Every other day? Multiple times a day?” 

“Whenever I have assignments,” you answer, although it's a very non-answer. When didn’t you have homework as a sixth year? 

Every teacher assigned endless work to prepare you for the incoming exams. You were to be prepared and the way to prepare you was to assign work. 

“So you’re here every second of every day, got it,” James says cheekily. 

A quick glance at him reveals a smirk playing on his lips. Despite his quill hovering about parchment, he’s watching you, scanning your face for some kind of reaction. Something more than the quiet, short answers you’ve responded with so far. It’s a change of pace for James. Everyone wants to talk to him. He can talk with anyone about anything. It’s a gift that he and Sirius share. You, on the other hand, aren’t talking and it’s strange to James. Even Lily talks more when she’s shooting down his advances. 

“Do you need help with that for Sprout?” James offers, confident that he can get you to talk more. “I finished it over lunch.”

You shake your head. James frowns, having been hoping for a verbal answer. He gives up trying to get you to talk for the evening, although he doesn’t leave your table. The two of you work in tandem for a few hours. James is far more uncomfortable with the silence between you than you are. It’s something you’re used to, and even if James had decided to ramble on about something, you would’ve managed to get the same amount of work done. James was used to noise around him, even in the library. With friends like his, quiet work time didn’t exist. 

The next day James tries to say hi to you during the few classes that you share. You offer a small smile or a quiet ‘hello’ in response. You never stop and talk to him beyond that, which bothers him. You were partners for a project that would inevitably force you to spend some time together. Why didn’t you bother trying to get to know him at all? 

“That’s your Potions partner, right?” Sirius asks as you walk away from them for the fourth time. “The one you got stuck with?”

“Yeah. Clearly doesn’t talk much,” James answers, watching you go and wordlessly sit down next to a Hufflepuff. He runs a hand through his hair absentmindedly.

“Maybe she just doesn’t know you? Or like you,” Peter says.

“What do you mean, Wormtail?” James asks. 

“You’re not friends with everyone and some people don’t talk to people they don’t like.” Peter said it like it should’ve been common sense. 

“But how can she not like me if she doesn’t know me? Won’t even try to know me? I sat with her for hours last night and I got maybe five sentences out of her!”

“You were in the library,” Remus snorts. “Some people respect the library’s quiet.”

“I know how to whisper!” 

The other three boys burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter. James Potter whispering was more akin to a stage whisper. So, not a whisper. He was a loud person. 

Then after dinner, James sits across from you in the library again. 

“Same table. Easier to find,” he says as he takes out his homework. 

Just like yesterday, you don’t respond. You don’t look up. You just continue working. James, however, is more intent on getting you to talk. He tries to think of something that might get your attention. It’s more difficult than he originally imagined. He didn’t know you. “What’s today’s assignment?” 

“Care of Magical Creatures,” you say, voice barely qualifying as a whisper. 

That got James’ attention more than it should have.

“Were you in class with the rampant Thestral? I heard it was crazy. Can’t imagine dealing with a creature you can’t see!” he asks.

“Professor Kettleburn provoked it. He pulled its wing. It looked overstretched,” you say with certainty. 

Looked.

“Looked?” 

You nod, flipping the page of the book you have open in front of you.

“You can see them? I thought you could only see them if-”

“If you’ve seen death,” you interrupt James. 

He’s staring at you with wide eyes.

“You’ve seen death?” James asks. 

He’s certain that he won’t get any work done. Not when you can see Thestrals.

You nod, again. Yesterday you were thrilled to have people’s attention as you recounted the beast mauling Kettleburn with its hooves. Today, you want to get your assignment done so you can return to your dorm. You aren’t sure why James is so curious about it, or why he keeps talking to you. No one ever sits at your table two days in a row.

After you don’t speak, James lets the conversation, if you can call it that, die. He figures that you don’t want to talk about who you’ve seen die. Maybe it was someone close to you. Maybe it was recent and hurt too much to talk about. He tries to focus on his work, but he was right in his assumption that he wouldn’t get work done. Even if you weren’t talking, James found you fascinating. His eyes keep drifting up to watch you work. 

He breaks the silence after a while. “Can we work on that Potions essay tomorrow? I’m fine with brewing the potion, but we’ll work on the essay together.” 

You sigh yet you nod all the same. 

“Great!” 

And with that, James leaves you alone. 

The next day feels the same as the last. James says hi to you whenever he sees you, earning the same responses from you. There’s something nice about him taking the time to say  hi to you when most of your classmates barely acknowledge your existence. Still, he’s only your partner in Potions and he didn’t choose to be your partner. It just happened because Slughorn said he couldn’t be with Sirius. 

When James finds you in the library after dinner at your usual table, he’s lugging his cauldron with him. You stare as he sets it up next to the table, taking out a small collection of ingredients.

“Bit rough getting this past Madam Pince,” he tells you, seeing that he managed to catch your attention for once. “But I figured, if we’re working on the essay right now, might as well work on the potion too, right?” 

You open your mouth as if to speak but nothing comes out. You gape like a fish out of water. 

“You do have your Potions stuff with you, yeah?” he asks.

“Yeah… I do…” 

You move your unfinished Care of Magical Creatures assignment off to the side. You’d work on it more after James left. Or at least, whenever he was done insisting on this ‘working together’ thing. 

“Right, so Slughorn wants the first portion of Felix. And the essay is on the…” James says while looking over his scribbled notes.

“Essay is on the ingredients’ effect on the coloring. Pretty self-explanatory if you ask me,” you finish for him.

“How do you mean?” 

You try not to laugh at James. 

“Please, occamy and ashwinder eggs? Common rue? Shiny, shiny, yellow. It’s basic color theory.” 

“Huh,” is all James says for a moment. Then he follows with, “That’s why you offered to do all the writing, isn’t it!” 

“More like I thought you wouldn’t be bothered to work with me.” 

James gasps, putting his hand over his heart like you brutally offended him. “Ouch, sweetheart!” 

“Just get to brewing, Potter.”

And that’s the last that you spoke that evening. You worked intently on the essay as James brewed the potion. For some time, the sound between you was the crackling of the fire under James’ cauldron. But then he started talking. At first it was about the potion. He told you about everything he did and the immediate effects, every change of color and consistency. You didn’t need the commentary, although you used it to ensure that James was doing everything correctly. His descriptions matched what you had written. 

Then he reached the point where the potion needed to simmer, James started talking about quidditch. You humor him for a while, listening to him ramble about what you easily assume is his favorite topic. He talked about more than just the Gryffindor team. He talked about the different tactics he’d seen the other houses use this year and how well they executed them, how they compared to the professional teams and how each of those teams were doing this year. Then he went on a tangent about the new rules and regulations that were passed recently and how they affected the game. He went on for a while.

“Do you want to read this or not?” you ask with some snap to your voice. 

You slid the finished essay across the table toward James. You had written the entire thing as he brewed, only a testament to why you thought that partner part of the project was pointless. But if he wanted to ‘work together,’ you figure the least you could do was have him look over your work. 

“Oh, yes! Let me see,” he mumbles as he takes the parchment from you. 

You resume work on your Magical Creatures assignment. It takes James a few minutes to look over the whole thing. You had put a little extra effort into writing it since it was going to be James’ grade as well. It was one thing if your own work was subpar but when someone else got brought into the equation, you tried a little harder.

“This is great. You really did the whole thing while I brewed?”

You nod.

“You’re fantastic!” You feel a heat creep up your neck at the compliment. It was just an essay.

“Okay, so we have the potion and the essay for the first deadline! Great! I’ll clean up and get out of your hair. But I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” he asks, a wide smile on his face.

You nod again.

Over the next week, James continues to meet up with you in the library. He’s grateful that you never change tables. That at least means you don’t mind too much that he’s joining you. With each day, he tries to get you to talk. He tries topic after topic, hoping to come across one that you wouldn’t mind opening up a bit for. What James doesn’t know is that you’ve trained yourself to limit your responses. Even if someone asked about your deepest interest, you’d barely let on that you knew everything about it. 

Then, just as you’re getting used to James constantly being at your table, he says something that throws you off.

“I won’t be here tomorrow.”

You want to respond with “Okay?” He wasn’t required to do homework for you after dinner every day. He wasn’t obligated to sit at your table. You still didn’t even really consider him your friend.

“We got the quidditch pitch reserved for a last minute practice before Saturday’s match,” he says, pausing to watch your face with curiosity. If there was a change in your expression, he’d see it. There was no change. “You’re coming to the match on Saturday, right?”

There was hope in his voice. Like he really wanted to make sure that you’d be in the stands for the game. Almost like he wanted to know if you’d be watching him, and just maybe, cheering for him. 

You blink your eyes slowly.

“I… I’m not sure.”

“Oh?”

You bite the inside of your cheek. “Depends on how much work I get done, I guess.”

“Stay hard at work then, will you? I’d like you to be there. Heard it’s going to be a good match,” he says, his grin audible in his voice. 

It makes you look up at him rather than at the parchment in front of you. 

“Heard it’s going to be good?” you repeat back to him. “Wouldn’t you say that about every match you’re in?”

“I mean, yeah, but Saturday’s especially.” 

“We’ll see, Potter.”

“You’ll only see if you go.”

You flex your eyebrows and turn back to your assignment. James smiles to himself as he begins to work again too. Something about your demeanor made him think that you would show up. He wasn’t really sure why he cared if you did, but there was something about you. He had grown to like the quiet air that you maintained. He didn’t mind that you didn’t talk much, despite his desperate attempts to get you to talk. You kind of reminded him of Remus during first year, if he was being honest. And that means that you had the promise of becoming a very dear friend. 

You would be lying if you didn’t work extra hard the next evening while James was at practice. You didn’t promise anything but you felt that you owed it to James to at least try to be at a point where you could justify going to the match. You went to a handful of them. You could follow along enough with the game, not that it mattered. Balls were tossed around, some were hit and there was a super small one that only two players tried to catch. That’s about all you needed to know. 

Still, you don’t know why you felt the need to show up for James. It wasn’t like he would be able to see you in the sea of students. It was one thing to find you in the library. It was another to spot you from a broom while you were surrounded by hundreds of others pressed together and bundled up against the biting wind. You even figured that you could just tell James that you went, without actually going, and he wouldn’t know the difference. 

However, when morning came, you were bundling up. You join the masses heading to the pitch. You listen to the excited chatter about how epic the match is going to be. It was Gryffindor against Slytherin after all, which always made for a good match being the natural rivals that they were. You stood pressed between your friend and one of her closer friends. They cheer louder than you did. You were more focused on trying to keep up with the game as your mind continuously drifts to James. As your mind drifts, so do your eyes. You’re confident that you watched James for at least 90% of the match. Which shouldn’t be too shocking given the amount of times he was in the midst of the action. You swore he had his hands on the quaffle during every play. 

And then something happened that made your heart stop.

You swore James’ eyes found yours and then he flashed you a smile. All before proceeding to score again. Almost as if he was doing it just for you. 

Which was ridiculous. He was just your Potions partner who happened to be studying a lot with you as of recently. 

But still. He found you, in the middle of the crowd, where you should have been as invisible as you always were. 

How? How did he see you? It’s all you could think of for the last few minutes of the game. You were so in your own head that you missed the Gryffindor seeker catching the snitch, ending the game and sealing the win for them. You let your friend drag you out of the stands as students filled the pitch. Except you didn’t follow her into the pitch. You started down the path back towards the castle, but you didn’t make it far. 

The sun was shining brightly and the air wasn’t too frigid once you were hundreds of feet into the air. You veer from the path and find a nice patch of grass to sit down on. Some sunshine wouldn’t hurt. An occasional shadow passed over your face as clouds drifted across the sky. Each shadow was only momentary, a brief chill until it moved on.

Until one shadow didn’t move on. You waited a minute before opening your eyes to see how big this cloud was.

The cloud in question? James Potter. James Potter still in his quidditch uniform and sporting a smile so bright it could rival the sun itself. And he was standing in front of you.

“Potter,” you say shortly. 

“Didn’t see you on the pitch after the match,” he replies, sitting down across from you.

You don’t say anything. What was there to say?

“I was hoping to see you on the pitch. Maybe get a congratulations on the win?” he says with a tilt of his head. 

“You played well.” That was as close to a congratulations as he was going to get from you. 

“Did you see the goal I scored for you?” 

You cough. “For me?” 

“Well, yes. I swore I made eye contact with you before I did it.” He pauses thoughtfully. “Or did I look at a different pretty girl?” 

You swallow thickly. “No, you, erm, that was me.”

“Ah, then yes. For you. My pretty Potions partner.”

If your heart had stopped in the stands, it must’ve turned into stone now. There was no way that James just called you his pretty Potions partner. 

“That’s… ah… that’s alliteration,” you manage to say despite your mouth suddenly becoming drier than the desert. 

James tilts his head curiously. 

“I did want to thank you,” he says. “For coming to the match. I wasn’t sure if you were going to come. Because of homework, like you said. But I hoped you’d come.” He pauses for a moment. “Did you like it?”

“The-the match or you scoring… for me?” you ask, the end of your question feeling foreign in your mouth. 

People didn’t score goals for you. That didn’t happen. You were barely noticed. You were spoken over. You were forgotten about because you offered so little to conversation and friendships. 

“Erm, both, I suppose.” 

“The match was entertaining. Definitely a step from Binn’s lectures.” 

James laughs. It was a delightfully warm sound that draws the attention of students headed to the castle. 

“You scoring… for… me…” you continue, the words still feeling odd to you, “was… nice, I guess. Unexpected though.” 

James nods, accepting your commentary. He understands why it came across as unexpected. It wasn’t like he had flirted with you in the library. He hadn’t asked you to Hogsmeade or a picnic or even for a measly walk through the corridors together. 

“I suppose I did this a bit backwards, haven’t I?” he chuckles.

“Did what?” you ask.

“The fact that you have to ask…” He shakes his head and runs a hand through his windswept hair. “I think I want to ask you out.”

Your eyes go wide and a blush tints your cheeks pink. Your heart has been shocked back to life and is working overtime.

“You think?” you ask once you’re able to say words. 

“Okay, well, I do. I want to ask you out. I’m just not sure… if I should? Would you say yes if I did?”

You’re frozen in shock. He wants to ask you out. He grows increasingly nervous when you don’t respond.

“You don’t talk much and you seem to take your studies seriously. You remind me of Remus. You know Remus Lupin, right? Good, good friend of mine. And I think you’re rather pretty. So the combination of both, I want to see if we, you know, work together,” he says all too quickly. “And now I’ve gone and scored a goal for you, which I know most people usually save for after they’ve gone steady with someone or if they’re heavily chatting them up, but you don’t seem like the kind of person to appreciate a proper chatting up so…” He took a sharp breath. “Whatdoyousay?”

You continue to stare at James. It’s a lot. You’re not really sure when he started feeling all of this and you don’t know how to express that. You also don’t know how you managed to catch his eye. 

“Can I, ahem, get a nod or something? You, me, butterbeers next weekend?”

You nod slowly and that brings a brilliant grin to James’ face. 

“And I’ll see you in the library all week, yeah? Can’t be falling behind in our assignments, can we?” 

“Yeah,” you breathe. “Same table.”

“And there’s a party in the Gryffindor Common Room later, if you want to go. I don’t know if that’s your scene or not, but I’ll be there. Wouldn’t mind seeing you there. But only if you’re up to it.”

You nod, but then realize that he might take that as you agreeing that you’ll go to the party. 

“Maybe. I… I need to work on Astronomy but… I’ll consider it.”

His grin gets impossibly wider and he pushes his glasses further up his nose. Then he stands up and holds out a hand to help you up.

“Then let’s get you back to the castle. Can’t work on your Astronomy if you’re out here.” 

You take his hand and let him lead you inside. Something about James inviting you places makes you actually want to show up, even if a Gryffindor quidditch party is completely out of your comfort zone. 

[cheriladycl01]

Could you do fic for Peter 'Bono' Bonnington with wife reader? With him having to travel around the world almost everyday, he felt very left out in his kid(s) life. So, when they take their first steps & say their first word, he is the proudest father after getting the chance to witness it. Just something fluff and sweet for our Bono🥺 Thanks!! :))

What will I miss? - Peter x Wife! Reader

Plot: You take your childen to the paddock for the first time knowing that Peter had been on a triple header and was missing you all.

Peter often felt a little bit left out of the family. When it came to your guy's first son Benji he missed everything where he was travelling around with the F1 calander. He missed his first steps, his first words and it made him very sad whenever you'd call him all happy and excited to show him what you'd just witnessed less than 10 minutes ago.

Then your next son came along Bailey and he was more present at home however he seemed to get incredibly unlucky and continue to miss out on everything.

Your son's however were now 5 and 3 and you'd given birth only around a year ago to your daughter Brianyya.

You decided to try be with him as much as possible. You quit your job and started to teach the boys from home, they loved flying all over the world following their dad around and meeting all the drivers.

It was actually really sad for them when Lewis parted with Mercedes as he was quite the staple in their life. He would come round for dinners and he'd look after them whenever you and Peter asked which was incredibly kind but he would also show them all over the garage whenever you did manage to take them.

Now he was race engineer to the younger driver Kimi Antonelli who you absolutley adored. You owuld sit in the garage with him and help him with homework while they boys did theirs and would be his replacement mother for when his wasnt able to attend.

Now that Peter didnt have the pressure of being a 7 time world champions race engineer, he was a little more present which led up to the current moment with your daughter. He was holding her, mumbling words at her while making her giggle by poking different places on her face. You were with Kimi helping him choose song to add to his Monaco GP playlist.

"Dada" you heard before a gasp comes from your husbands mouth. Kimi looks up at you with a grin on his face before walking over to your husband.

"Sh-she said my name!" Peter grins looking up at you, and he heard it, his little girls first words.

Tears brim his eyes as he plays with her arms happily.

"Say it again Bri, say Dada, Dada" he repeats and she pouts giving him a confused look before some baby babble comes out.

"Did i imagine it?" he asks looking at you, severe upset and distress on his face.

"No, you heard her! She said you!" you grin, coming to your daughter and cooing at her as she grabs your finger in a tight grip. She watches both you and Peter with curious eyes before she looks at Peter again.

"Dada!" she exclaims before a fit of giggles follow and he nods in an encouraging way.

"Yes, thats right! I'm dada! Can you say mumma?" he asks before repeating the word a little her little head tilting in confusion. She looked deep in thought before frowning.

"Dada?" she asks in a curious tone making him grin and nod. He nuzzles into her kissing all over her face making her giggle even more.

He lifts her up and sits with her on the floor, holding her up so shes on her feet. She'd been able to be upright for a while that was nothing special but clearly Peter was eager to get everything out of her today so he didn't miss anything.

"You gonna try stand for Dada?" he asks and Benji comes over taking one hold of his sister's hand being the good and protective older brother he was to his little sister meaning that if she fell sideways he'd be able to help stabilise her upright. Kimi positioned himself to the other side so that he was the safety net for her other side.

The longer she was held up trying to get her to stand the more frustrated she got, small huffs coming from her confused red cheeks.

"Alright i think thats enough for tonight, she's getting tired and cranky" you say picking her up and cradling her making her sigh in relief and lean agaisnt your shoulder.

"But she didn't walk" Peter says looking up as if you'd just told him the worst most devisating news possible.

"Peter, we're with you almost everyday, i promise you you arent going to miss it while we all sleep and you know what if you do i'll have another kid just for the sheer purpose of you being a stay at home dad so you can take on all the joys of parenting that you fear you're missing out on!" you joke, laughing as you pull him in kissing him while one of your hands rests on his cheek.

"I do want it all though!" he exclaims after he pulls back from the kiss.

"Don't you see how much they all look up to you. They adore you and what you do" you smile at him, confused as to why he feels as though he is such an absent parent when in your mind he is the furthest thing away from that.

"I- I just worry that they'll grow up to resent me and wish i was around more" he sighs, a sad look on his face. You knew Peter didn't have the best parental figures growing up at that he didn't want to follow in their footsteps.

"They wont, they worship the ground you walk upon! Just like i do" you say, pulling him in to one more kiss before nodding at him to follow you as you take hold of Benji's hand as he goes to pick up Bailey.

As you walk out of the catering unit Lewis and his Ferrari PR assistant are walking past.

"Looking good Red!" you shout out to him, making the man's head spin in curiosity seeing you and a massive grin appearing on his face.

"Y/N!" he exclaims coming up to you and kissing your cheek before he pulls Peter into a hug.

"Bono" he grins, looking at his old race engineer.

"Uncle Lewis!" Benji cries legging go of your hand and replacing it with Lewis'.

"Hey little man, how are you! You've gotten so much bigger" Lewis says crouching down.

He talks to both Benji and Bailey before turning round to you and Bri whose now awake due to the commotion, her sleepy eyes trying to focus in on Lewis.

"And how's the little Princess of the family?" he asks squishing her cheeks making a giggle come from her and the grabby arms start in Lewis direction making him laugh and offer to take her off you.

He plays with her a little bit before Charles comes across smiling at all of you.

"Shall we go see Char Char?" Lewis asks in a high pitched voice watching Bri stand next to him, a firm grip on his hand.

Charles doesn't move any closer, not wanting to be told off for stepping onto the Mercedes lawn making the giggling girl take a step towards him. Before you know it Lewis is guiding her and helping her take her first steps towards Charles as Peter watches in fascination.

"Omg! She's doing it! Her first steps!" Peter cries looking at his little girl. Lewis looks behind and grins, happy to be sharing this moment with a family that he always felt like he was part of and welcomed into with open arms.

"Of course she'd walk when her Uncle Lew lew is here!" he grins looking down at her as her face looks determined to make her way to Charles whose now crouched down at the entrance with his arms out.

"Lew Lew" she mumbles out making him pick her up and spin her round, giggles spilling from her.

"She said my name! Hah beat that Bono" Lewis grins cheekily.

"She already said Dada, you beat Y/N though" he says turning to look at your pout at your daughter.

"Guess she's a daddy's girl and then an uncle girl before a mummy's girl" you sigh with a laugh before Benji and Bailey come up hugging your legs.

"We love you most mummy" Benji cries, gripping onto you, Bailey nodding in agreement. And all you can do is laugh, happy at your little family all together right now.

These are the moments that count after all.

Taglist:

@littlebitchsposts @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @daemyratwst @lauralarsen @the-untamed-soul @thewulf @itsjustkhaos @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @summissss @gulphulp @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhhhh @georgeparisole @youcannotcancelquidditch @tallbrownhairsarcastic @ourteenagetragedy @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @dark-night-sky-99 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @laneyspaulding19 @malynn @landosgirlxoxo @marie0v @yourbane @teamnovalak @nikfigueiredo @fionaschicken @0picels0 @tinydeskwriter @ironmaiden1313 @splaterparty0-0 @formula1mount

[of-yourblazingsun]

Part 1

James: What’s the punishment for the jelly-legs curse?

Sirius: Prongs.

Remus: A weekend detention, depending.

Peter: Are we talking just a wee bit of jellying?

James: Just a bit, yeah. While Benjy Fenwick is high up on his broom so he loses balance and plummets to the frozen ground.

Sirius: James.

Remus: Merlin’s beard, mate. What did he do?

James: He’s making an unreasonable amount of eye contact whilst waxing poetic about something or other to the Slytherin seeker.

Sirius: You mean he’s talking to your boyfriend about the practice game they’re about to have?

James: Why do they even need to practice? Regulus is the best there is. And why are they practicing with Ravenclaw? I could run through all the plays Reggie wants. Also, why does Fenwick need to look at him while speaking? Is that strictly necessary to communicate?

Sirius: You’re starting to sound like me when someone pretty talks to Moony. I��m not sure we should be watching this practice game.

James, appalled: You think Benjy’s pretty??

Remus, narrowing his eyes: Yeah, Sirius, do you think he’s pretty??

Peter: Someone needs to start paying me for putting up with you lot.

[thollandsgirl2013]

𝐍𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤

Parings → Dad! Peter Parker x Mum! Reader

Warnings → fluff

Summary → You and Peter find out Ben has powers.

"Where is he?" You mutter, your voice rising with each word as you move through the apartment. Your heart races, and panic starts to set in. You check the usual places—the crib, under the table, even behind the couch. But there’s no sign of your son.

"Peter!" You shout, your voice shaky. "I can’t find Ben!"

Peter rushes into the room, wiping his hands on a towel. "What do you mean you can't find him?" He asks, a frown forming on his face as he scans the room, just as puzzled.

"I just turned my back for a second, and now he's—he's gone!" Panic bubbles up in your chest, and you check every nook and cranny. The playpen is empty, the hallway quiet. Your heart is racing, your hands trembling. "I swear, he was right here. How does a two-year-old just disappear?"

Peter starts scanning the room with you, but suddenly, his expression shifts from panic to amusement.

"Uh, babe," Peter says, holding back a grin, "I think I found him."

You stop, turning to face Peter. "Where?"

Peter points upward, and your breath catches in your throat. There, clinging to the ceiling, is little Ben. His tiny hands are stuck to the surface like he belongs there, his wide eyes staring down at you both with pure innocence, completely unaware of the heart attack he nearly gave you.

"Oh my God," you whisper, your voice barely audible. "Peter... he's on the ceiling!"

Peter chuckles, pride shining in his eyes. "Yup, just like his old man."

You blink, still frozen in shock. "How is this even possible? He's—he's a baby!"

Peter beams, his chest puffing out with pride as he steps closer, wrapping an arm around your waist. "I mean, it was bound to happen eventually, right? He's my kid. Of course he's got powers."

He watches your son with an awe-struck expression, his smirk growing. "Look at him. He's a natural. A baby with some pretty cool powers." Glancing back at you, he adds with a playful glint, "Looks like our little guy’s inherited more than just my good looks."

You can't help but groan. "Peter, this isn't funny! Get him down before he falls!"

Peter gives you a reassuring smile, gently squeezing your hand. "I’ve got this, don’t worry." He jumps on the ceiling, pulling himself up effortlessly until he's level with Ben. "Hey, Benji," Peter says softly, grinning as he reaches for his son. "Having fun up here, buddy?"

Ben’s face lights up when he sees Peter. "Da-da!" He squeals, reaching his little arms out. "Fun!"

Peter’s heart melts as he carefully peels Ben off the ceiling and cradles him in his arms. He glances down at you with a proud smile before lowering himself and Ben back to the ground.

You rush over, wrapping both Peter and Ben in a tight hug. Your heart is still racing, but the sight of your little boy safe in Peter’s arms brings a wave of relief.

"I thought I was going to have a heart attack," you murmur, kissing Ben’s cheek. "You scared me, baby."

Ben looks at you with wide eyes, his little hand reaching for your face. "Ma-ma," he babbles, a sweet smile curling his lips. "Ma!"

Your heart melts. "Yes, sweetie, Mama’s here," you say softly, brushing your fingers through his messy curls.

Peter laughs softly, bouncing Ben in his arms. "I guess we’ve got a little spider on our hands." He looks down at Ben, his voice playful. "Benji, you showing off for us, huh?"

Ben giggles, bouncing in Peter’s arms. "Up!" He squeals, pointing to the ceiling again. "Up, Da-da!"

Peter laughs, clearly amused. "Oh, you wanna go back up there, huh?"

"Peter, no," you quickly interject, though you can’t help the small smile on your lips. "Please, no more ceiling adventures."

Ben turns to you, his chubby cheeks puffing out as he tries to copy the word. "No 'ventshurs?" He babbles, mispronouncing it with his little toddler tongue. His brows furrow as if he's trying to understand.

You giggle, cupping his cheek. "Yes, no more adventures for today, okay? You stay with Mama and Dada."

Ben frowns dramatically, his lower lip sticking out in a pout. "Up!" He declares stubbornly, making Peter laugh.

Peter nuzzles Ben’s cheek, tickling him gently. "Not today, little dude. But I gotta say, I’m pretty proud of you."

Ben giggles and squirms in Peter’s arms, his face lighting up with joy. "Pwoud?"

Peter nods, grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah, buddy, Daddy’s so proud of you. You're just like me."

You groan playfully, shaking your head as you run your fingers through Ben’s curls. "Great, another spider. I don’t think my heart can take this much worry."

Ben looks at you, his big, curious eyes blinking up at you. "Mama pwoud?"

Your heart melts at the sound of his sweet little voice. You cup his cheek and kiss his forehead. "Of course, Mama’s proud," you say softly. "But Mama’s also very tired, and you gave her quite the scare."

Ben tilts his head, clearly not understanding everything but catching onto your tone. He wraps his tiny arms around your neck, pulling you in for a hug. "Sowwy, Ma-ma."

Your chest tightens with emotion, and you hug him back. "It’s okay, baby. Just stay on the ground from now on, okay?"

Peter watches you both with an adoring smile, his hand resting on your back. "You know," he teases, "he’s probably gonna be crawling on walls more often now. It’s in his blood."

You groan, pulling back from Ben to give him a mock glare. "Don’t encourage him, Peter."

Peter laughs, pressing a kiss to your temple. "No promises. I mean, just look at him—he’s already got the hang of it." His gaze shifts down to Ben, pride and amusement lighting up his eyes. "Look at you, buddy. Already crawling on walls. You’re gonna be swinging through the city in no time."

Groaning again, you bury your face in Peter’s chest. "Please don’t give him any ideas."

Peter chuckles, gently rocking the baby. "Too late. I’m already imagining us swinging as a family. It'll be epic. Father and son duo."

You shake your head, though a small smile tugs at your lips despite the lingering panic. "I don’t think my heart can handle it."

Ben looks up at Peter with wide eyes, his lips curling into a mischievous smile. "Up, Da-da!" He demands again, making grabby hands at the ceiling.

You shake your head, a fond smile on your lips despite everything. "Definitely your kid."

Peter chuckles, bouncing Ben in his arms again. "Yeah, and I couldn’t be prouder."

‎∗ ࣪ ˖༺ 𓆩☆𓆪 ༻˖ ࣪ ∗

[traincat]

i’d pay you real money for that “maybe baby” fic.

You can have it for free, but I do have a ko-fi if anyone is interested: https://ko-fi.com/traincat.

Anyway, the baby fic! Based on Fantastic Four Annual 2010, set nebulously post-Secret Wars (2015). I started this in 2016, so we didn't have any definitive answers for the Fantastic Four's return, but it's not really relevant to the fic anyway. I'm still putting together a list of the other WIPs I'm willing to release, but this is one is easy, so here it is.

Baby fic!

***

a torch for you @JSTORM 1h well this is still less complicated than the time i rescued a highlander

a torch for you @JSTORM 1h aw she likes her uncle benjy @clobberintime #rockstar

a torch for you @JSTORM 1h good thing about this is @peterbparker never checks his phone so he's still gonna be surprised

--

The first thing Peter registered was the vaguely defensive look on Johnny's face. The second was the baby.

"Wherever you found it, you put it back right now," he said.

The look Johnny gave him was venomous. "Oh, sure. Let me just toss the helpless infant back where she came from! What a great idea, thank you, Peter!"

"I'll get the portal ready," Val said. She was sitting crosslegged way on the other end of the room, holding a tablet computer like a shield and eyeing the baby like she might try to bite her.

"Shush," Johnny said, but it wasn't clear whether he meant it for the baby or Val or possibly for Peter, whose jaw had started making a strange grinding noise of its own volition.

Peter leaned forward to get a better look. The baby had ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes and she was squirming in Johnny's arms even as he hummed and hushed and bounced her up and down, still dressed in his costume. She was so small, wrapped in what looked like one of the shock blankets from the Fantasticar's emergency kit.

"If I put her down, she starts to cry," Johnny confessed.

Peter's heart was doing something disturbingly close to melting. He tugged off a glove and reached out with tentative fingers, stroking soft cheek and wispy dark hair. The baby yawned, barely batting an eye.

Peter looked at Johnny and said, "Why are you doing this to me?"

Johnny wasn't looking at him, though - his gaze was fixed on the baby, eyes soft.

"Look, Peter, you need to know before this part gets out - Reed ran all the tests. She's mine, Pete."

That threw Peter for a loop, but looking for traces of Johnny in the baby's face - yeah, he could see it.

"How? And don't tell me the usual way. Where did she come from?"

Johnny told him: the club, the girl, the supervillain. Peter hissed in sympathy when he hit the part about Psycho Woman spending two months hanging around in Johnny’s brain, touching his fingers to Johnny's temple. Johnny's voice wavered as he got to the end: the fall, the jump, Amy's disappearance through time.

"But time travel's weird. And we've torn everything apart and rebuilt it so many times… Amy never came back after she made the temporal jump," Johnny said, sliding Peter a cautious look, like he thought he might - what, upset? "I've gone looking for her before, but if she was out there, she didn't want me to find her. And then today we were just looking between dimensions, you know?"

"Just your typical Sunday," Peter said, mouth on autopilot while the rest of him was stunned. Johnny's child, here, safe in Johnny's arms - and to think Peter had swung in to ask about dinner and beating up the Shocker.

"Reed found traces of a familiar cosmic radiation signature," Johnny said, shaking his head. "Mine. And then we found her."

"So," Peter echoed, feeling lost. "She's yours. Really yours."

"Yeah," Johnny said, nodding. "She was all alone and in between. But she's alive and she's mine."

Peter leaned his head against Johnny's. "She's a little small for the Future Foundation."

"Well, the weird thing is," Johnny said, smiling, "they don't stay that way for long."

Val put the tablet down and said, "Oh come on, are we seriously not going to throw her back?"

--

Peter Parker @peterbparker 15m he promised me life would never be boring…

--

It had been at the end of the world. The incursion had been fast approaching, and this time - this time Peter could feel it in his bones. The end, just over the horizon.

It had scared him more than he ever wanted to admit.

"You're coming with us," Johnny had told him in a voice that brooked no argument. He'd caught Peter's hands in his own inhumanly warm ones, squeezing. "Reed says we'll have time once we're beyond. We'll work something out. We can fix it."

Peter had wanted it, so badly - but. Always the but.

"I should stay with the city. You've got room for, what, a hundred people?"

"Sixty," Johnny admitted, forehead creased in worry. "Peter - you're one of the big brains. You belong with us."

"One of, but not big enough," Peter said. "You need my spot for someone smarter, someone who can help fix this -"

The kiss had been unexpected, a tentative thing, just the soft press of Johnny's lips against his masked mouth, Johnny's fingertips careful as anything underneath his chin.

"You're family," he said, breaking apart, his forehead resting against Peter's. "And you're coming with us. We'll have time."

Peter took a deep shuddering breath and said, "Okay."

He let himself have this one selfish thing, standing on top of the Statue of Liberty with Johnny Storm the day before the end of the world.

He let himself be selfish, and then the raft split apart and Johnny paid the price. He knew it deep in his bones, every second he watched Johnny fall away. Maybe that was why he didn't say anything when they were returned safe and sound to their own world. Or maybe it was cowardice, him waiting for Johnny to make the first move a second time. Maybe it was the way he still remembered blinking the spots from his eyes down in Battleworld, staring at the sun in search of a familiar face.

It didn't matter. He had Parker Industries, and Johnny had moved on with Medusa. Peter had gotten one kiss at their usual spot - if that was all he was granted, well, it was more than enough for two lifetimes. He could live with it.

Except he lost the company, Medusa worked it out with Black Bolt, the missing members of the Fantastic Family returned with a fairly literal bang, and Johnny and Peter ended up crash landing in a rooftop hotel pool.

Parker Luck, doing its very finest.

He'd taken the brunt of the hit, thankful for it - he was more durable than flamed-off Johnny - but the rush of cold water made him gasp, fighting his way to the surface. Johnny surfaced beside him, gasping, and Peter grabbed a handful of his collar. He dragged them both to the shallow end as tourists scattered left and right.

"We're fine, thanks for asking!" Peter shouted after them. "Can anybody grab me a towel?" Johnny was laughing by the time Peter collapsed against the steps, languishing in knee deep water. "New Yorkers. What's so funny?"

"You," Johnny said, looking at Peter with shining eyes. He started laughing again when Peter groaned, shoulders shaking with it. Peter slid a hand over the back of his head, checking for bumps.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Peter said. He told himself to take his hand off Johnny, but he didn't. He just kept touching him, pushing Johnny's soaked hair up off his forehead. Johnny was staring at him, all traces of humor gone from his face. Now or never. Peter swallowed hard. "Johnny, you know I -"

"Just shut up," Johnny said, climbing into Peter's lap. He shoved Peter's soaked mask up over the bridge of his nose, twining his arms around Peter's neck. "Shut up, shut, god, Pete, why don't you ever say anything important?"

The kiss made Peter's head spin -and he had to grab Johnny by the shoulders and put some considerable strength into prying him off just long enough so he could talk.

"Me? What about you?" he said. "I thought - you never said anything when we got back."

"What about me?" Johnny said, pouting a little when Peter wouldn't let him lean forward again. "You're supposed to be the smart one."

Peter couldn't argue with that without walking straight into a trap.

"Dammit," he said, and pulled Johnny back on top of him until security showed up.

--

May Parker-Jameson @mayparker 3m When you learn important family news from TWITTER of all places

--

"May - May, I am telling you, I did not know about this," Peter said, standing in the doorway with the phone sandwiched between his shoulder and ear, one hand in his hair, the other on his hip. "Because I'm pretty sure you knew before me, is why. No, I don't know - I got home and he was holding a baby, okay, that is the extent of the story. He found her. Yeah, like, with a dog - I'm not calling your grandchild a dog, your grandchild, what, whose side are you on?!"

Johnny was laughing at him from the other room, which he thought was completely unfair. Peter threw strangling motions at him, scowling. Johnny stuck his tongue out. The baby cooed.

"Can I put him on the phone? Can I make him explain this to you?" he said, listing to the side until his head hit the doorframe.

"Hi, May!" Johnny called cheerfully, making the baby wave. He was a monster and Peter deeply hated his coalition with his aunt. He zoned back in time to hear "- you're my nephew, I want to hear it from you."

"I'm your nephew, yeah, but he's the one who went time hopping and found his kid." He sobered, rubbing at his forehead. "Honestly, May, I'm telling you, I know as much as you do."

"Well, I could do with knowing her name," May said, clucking her tongue.

Peter blanked. He cupped a hand over the receiver and leaned forward. "Johnny. What's her name?"

Johnny blinked, then looked down at the baby. "Um."

"Yeah, May?" Peter said into the phone. "We're actually going to have to get back to you on that one."

--

Jennifer Walters @jenatlaw 30m Some days it's just not worth your custom ordered MAC foundation. "Crocodile” btw.

Jennifer Walters @jenatlaw 30m Told the woman I was really more of a shark. She didn't laugh. It's not easy being green, folks.

--

Jen dropped off paperwork with a lot of eyerolling, a threat of resignation, and an order that the baby be kept away from her.

"This is Stella McCartney," she said, gesturing to her blazer. "You keep that thing out of range."

"Hey!" Johnny protested.

(...)

Jen gave the baby one last warning look and then whirled out on her heels, moloid kids flocking in her wake.

"Auntie Jen is a scary Hulk," Johnny told the baby. The baby gurgled in agreement.

"Auntie Jen heard that!" Jen yelled from the hall. "Start with picking a name! Jennifer's a great one!"

"Have you considered Petunia?" Ben asked nonchalantly.

"I have never and will never consider Petunia," Johnny said blithely. "Next suggestion."

"Howzabout Benjamina?" said Ben.

"No," Johnny said. Peter made a hemming noise and he repeated, forcefully, "No."

"Benita?" Ben said, rocky brows raised high. Peter stifled a snicker with a fake cough, ducking his head.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Johnny asked Ben, scowling.

"I came back from space for this family and this is the treatment I get," Ben grumbled, getting up off the sofa. He paused in the doorway, looking back over his shoulder. His gaze went all soft at the sight of Johnny and the baby. Peter couldn't blame him. "Hey, kid. I'm really happy for ya."

Johnny looked up at him and smiled, tired and real. "Love you too, Rocky."

Ben heaved a great sigh like Johnny's love was some kind of terrible life sentence - Peter knew the feeling - and left the room.

"This is hard," Johnny said, throwing his head back. The baby was asleep in his arms, blissful in her ignorance. "Can I conference in Victor?"

"Please don't," Peter said. He stroked the baby's soft, downy hair with one gentle finger, feeling an equal mix of awe and terror. "Marie?"

"Like Mary?" Johnny said, contemplative. "My mom's name was Mary."

Peter shifted. "Uh, sure. But also like - Marie Curie?"

Johnny looked up at him, eyes narrowed. "Are you serious?"

"She discovered two elements!" Peter said, defensive.

"She died from radiation poisoning!" Johnny said. "I don't care if it worked out for you!"

(...)

"Just in the grand plan for my life, this is not how I thought it'd go," Peter said.

"And then you got bit by a radioactive spider and all the rules went out the window," Johnny said, yawning. "Old news. Pete, you know I'd never ask you to do anything you're not ready for. I want this, but if you don't -"

The sincerity on his face was unbearable. Peter cupped a hand to his face and shut him up the only way that ever really worked.

"Aimee," Johnny said at last. His head fell to Peter’s shoulder; Peter curled a hand in his hair. "After her mom."

"I like it," Peter said, watching her sleep. "Aimee it is."

Aimee Benni Storm was what was written on the birth certificate in the end. Johnny looked Peter straight in the eye and said, "You tell Ben and you're a dead man."

--

(...)

"See?" Sue said, humming. "Living with the in-laws has its perks. I remember this age - it's a good one. Just wait 'til they can talk back."

"I love you," Peter told her. "Leave Reed and run away with me to Majorca."

Sue smirked, leaning over to palm his cheek. "You're adorable."

--

"Whoa," Miles said, flipping out of nowhere and matching his swing with Peter's. "Is that a baby?"

"Here," Peter said. "Why don't you hold her for a sec?"

"Oh, I don't, um, okay, wow, hi, baby," Miles stammered when Peter didn't give him much of a choice. Aimee was a sucker for anyone in webs, so Miles ended up making alarmed sounds when tiny hands tried to grab his mask. "When did you get a baby?"

"She's the Human Torch's baby, technically," Peter said, stretching.

Miles looked down, clearly alarmed through the mask. "Is she gonna light on fire too?"

Aimee cooed.

"Nah," Peter said, arms high above his head. "Probably not."

"Peter!" Miles said.

"I am like 98% sure she will remain flame free," Peter said. "But fine, give her back."

Peter was pretty sure the only reason Miles didn't thrust Aimee back was because he was too afraid to make any sudden moves. She made a sleepy, annoyed noise when Peter lifted her from Miles's arms.

"Why do you have the Human Torch's baby?" Miles asked, a very quiet version of shouting.

(...)

"Last chance to keep her," Peter said.

"I'm good," Miles said.

--

“Okay,” Sue said when she found them in the kitchen at three in the afternoon. Johnny was still in pajamas; Peter was wearing half his spider-suit. Aimee was wearing brunch. “Enough is enough. When was the last time either you left this building?”

“Carjacking,” Peter said, yawning. “Guy dressed like a possum knocking over a Chase. Do I need to go on?”

Johnny was trying to get mashed banana out of his hair. “I don’t know, I think I did something - Tuesday? Was it Tuesday? I had that interview.”

“You cancelled that interview,” Sue told him.

“Huh,” said Johnny, then made an outraged squawking noise when Sue swept in and grabbed the baby from him. “Hey!”

“You’re going out tonight,” Sue said, eyes narrowed. “Together.”

Johnny and Peter stared at each other.

“Together, like, him and me?” Peter said, gesturing between them.

“I think we used to do that,” Johnny said faintly.

“Save the comedy routine,” Sue told them, bouncing Aimee in her arms. All the mashed banana didn’t seem to bother her. She jerked her chin first at Johnny, then at Peter. “You, put on something nice. You - try to do the same. I’m making a reservation for you someplace nice, without supervillains or babies.”

“Do we have to?” Peter asked.

“Can’t we just sleep instead?” Johnny said.

“No,” Sue said. “It’ll be good for you.”

“This is not paying me back for all the times I babysat for you!” Johnny called after her as she carried Aimee from the kitchen down the hall.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sue said. “Ben owes me a favor.”

Johnny scowled at her back. “She took my baby.”

“Aw no,” Peter said, plucking at his spandex. “I’m going to have to wear a dinner jacket, aren’t I.”

--

Peter came through the door so tired he couldn't see straight, only to have a baby shoved into his arms. Aimee gurgled happily when Peter's arms came up around her automatically.

"Oh no," he said. "Johnny, I'm about to fall over -"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Johnny said, not sounding very sorry at all. He leaned into kiss Peter - that Peter kissed back was muscle memory, he was pretty sure, because the only thing he felt towards Johnny in that second was the sleep-deprived urge to strangle. "I've got that photoshoot, remember? I'll be back soon, I promise. Love you!"

Peter watched him go with narrowed eyes.

"Should we tell him his shirt's on backwards, Firebug?" he asked Aimee. She put her head down against his shoulder with an annoyed sounding little sigh. "No? No." He hummed to her, heading for the couch. "I'm gonna go evil and I'm gonna kill your dad, yes I am. This is my supervillain origin story."

(...)

"Peter? Are you awake?" Franklin whispered.

"M'just resting my eyes," Peter replied.

"Okay," Franklin said hesitantly. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Peter cracked an eye open. "Do you have a Galactus stashed in the basement?"

"No," Franklin said, looking a little put out about it.

"Then go for it," Peter said, yawning.

Franklin was quiet for so long Peter had almost drifted off when he spoke.

"When Dad and Mr. Reece and I were putting the universes back the way they should be… I know I wasn’t supposed to, but I knew Uncle Johnny was going to be lonely without us, and I think I maybe accidentally gave him Aimee back."

Peter rolled over onto his back, fully awake now. He stared at the ceiling for a long moment, thoughts tumbling - how unfair it was that any kid in the universe should be able to do what Franklin could. How glad he was that if any kid could, it was Franklin.

"But I think I messed up," Franklin said. "She didn't end up where she was supposed to."

(...)

--

"Okay," Peter said, "I know this might not be the best kind for this conversation -"

"You are gifted with the understatement!" Johnny shouted as he streaked by a little too close for comfort, a rush of flames and heat.

"Spidey," Johnny said, swooping down to hover in front of him. "Get to the point, please."

"My point," Peter said, as best as he could with Johnny so bright and so hot and so close, "is that we might need a nanny."

Johnny turned his face towards him, his eyes glowing embers and his face barely more than an outline in flickering flames - and then he burst out laughing.

"Oh," he said, darting away. He circled a group of bugs, leaving them huddled together and clacking while Ben bagged them. "Now he wants a nanny. Do you believe this?"

(...)

--

Ben Grimm @clobberintime 1m when you wanna watch the game and the marrieds + kid are asleep on the couch. what a revoltin development.

--

Peter woke slowly, drifting in and out of consciousness, too warm and content to care.

"Ben took a photo of us and put it on the internet," Johnny said, waving his phone.

***

And that's the WIP! Not much action, just Johnny and Peter being cute with a baby.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

how many people do you think were in the order? what about death eaters? how did either group recruit?

Hello 👋

Okay, so the numbers are honestly pretty easy to track down as they are outright written in the books. The recruitment is, less clear, though not that different between the two organizations. The reason the recruitment process wasn't too different initially, is because they have a pretty small society where everyone kinda knows everyone, and all their systems are based on who knows who. So we see both Death Eaters and Order members operate on a sort of bring-a-friend system.

But let's start with some numbers:

How Many Members are in the Order of the Phoenix:

Moody gives us a very clear rundown of the first Order:

From an inner pocket of his robes Moody pulled a very tattered old Wizarding photograph. “Original Order of the Phoenix,” growled Moody. [...] Harry took the photograph. A small crowd of people, some waving at him, others lifting their glasses, looked back up at him. [...] “There’s me,” [...] “And there’s Dumbledore beside me, Dedalus Diggle on the other side . . . That’s Marlene McKinnon [...] That’s Frank and Alice Longbottom [...] and that’s Emmeline Vance, you’ve met her, and that there’s Lupin, obviously . . . Benjy Fenwick [...] That’s Edgar Bones [...] Sturgis Podmore, blimey, he looks young . . . Caradoc Dearborn [...] Hagrid, of course, [...] Elphias Doge, you’ve met him [...] Gideon Prewett, it took five Death Eaters to kill him and his brother Fabian [...] That’s Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth [...] That’s Dorcas Meadowes [...] Sirius, when he still had short hair . . . and . . . there you go, thought that would interest you!” Harry’s heart turned over. His mother and father were beaming up at him, sitting on either side of a small, watery-eyed man Harry recognized at once as Wormtail

(OotP, Ch9)

So the members of the first Order are:

Died or Otherwise out of action: Marlene McKinnon, Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom, Benjy Fenwick, Edgar Bones, Caradoc Dearborn, Gideon Prewett, Fabian Prewett, Dorcas Meadows, James Potter, Lily Potter -> 11 members

Still Alive: Alastor Moody*, Albus Dumbledore*, Dedalus Diggle*, Emmeline Vance*, Remus Lupin*, Sturgis Podmore*, Aberforth Dumbledore, Sirius Black*, Peter Pettigrew -> 8 members.

* Marks ones that are also in the second order.

So, that gives us 21 members in the first Order of the Phoenix. (23 if you count Arabella Fig and Hagrid who are not present in the picture).

And we get a pretty good rundown of the second one too:

We got the remaining members from the first order: Alastor Moody, Albus Dumbledore, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Remus Lupin, Sturgis Podmore, Sirius Black -> 7 members.

And new members: Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Hestia Jones, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley -> 7 members.

Reburs Hagrid and Arabella Figg are both involved with the Order but don't appear in the picture of the first Order, but we'll count them -> 2 members.

Placing the second Order in OotP at 16 members without the kids who are technically not members. Fred and George join upon leaving school, so we can up the number to 18 members.

That being said, we have periphery Order members or people who aren't quite members but are associated with the Order, which ups the numbers quite a bit. Because here we get Ted & Andromeda Tonks, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Slughorn, Fleur, Ginny and the entire D.A. who fought in the battle of Hogwarts, McGonagall, Flitwick, Srpout, Maxime, Augusta Longbottom (by book 7), Abeforth Dumbledore, etc. which will put their number closer to 60 members and semi-members.

(Periphery members like this also existed in the first Order probably. Like McGonagall, Mr. and Mrs. Bones (Edgar Bones' parents) who were both killed in the first war along with Edgar's wife, the McKinnons, etc.)

(The Order members are harder to give a solid number to since unlike Death Eaters, they don't have a mark that says "official Order Members" so some of the members I counted as "periphery members" are sometimes counted as "members proper")

How Many Members are in the Death Eaters:

As for the Death Eaters (marked and unmarked), we have about 20 times as many as the first Order of the Pheonix:

but we’re much better off than we were last time, you weren’t in the Order then, you don’t understand, last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one. . . .”

(OotP, Ch9)

And that part about this number being both marked and unmarked I think is important to remember. Becouse while it seems there were about (23*20=) 460 Death Eaters and semi-Death Eaters, there were only about 45-50 actually marked Death Eaters:

All he had learned there was the Disarming Spell, “Expelliarmus” . . . and what use would it be to deprive Voldemort of his wand, even if he could, when he was surrounded by Death Eaters, outnumbered by at least thirty to one?

(GoF, Ch34)

30 arrive at the graveyard + Severus + Barty + Rosier + Wilkes + Karkaroff + 10 Azkaban inmates = 45 Death Eaters in the first war -> Harry says "at least" thirty so I estimate them more at about 50 members.

In the second war, we have the aforementioned 30 + 10 Azkaban Inmates + Severus + Draco + ~10 other new recruits = 62-ish.

So, who are the other 400 semi-Death Eaters? Well, you have all the Werewolves, people like Narcissa who definitely works with the Death Eaters willingly (at first) but isn't marked. You also have all the imperiosed Death Eaters who are likely unmarked, like Stan Shunpike. So I expect the second war also has 460-is Death Eaters and semi-Death Eaters running around.

How do they recruit?

Both the Order and the Death Eaters work from mouth to ear. Members go to the leader (Dumbledore or Voldemort respectively) and mention a family member/friend/colleague/person they know who'd be good for the organization. You need to know someone inside the Order of the Phoenix to join (or be willing to approach a member in public).

The Death Eaters in the first war were similar, with wizards and witches likely vouching for each other and family members bringing their families over. I mean, we see both the Death Eaters and the Order have whole families in their ranks. Even if the Tonks aren't really in the Order, they are involved due to their relation to Nymphadora. Only Marlane was an Order member, but her entire family was killed. The entire Weasley family (bar Percy) is heavily involved from the word "go" in the second war. The same goes for the semi-Death Eaters, Narcissa isn't marked, but she's right there with her marked husband, sister, and son. Crabbe and Goyle are likely unmarked, but by book 7 are involved and would be counted toward that 460-ish Death Eaters and associates. Both organizations are family businesses in that the whole family gets involved when one member is involved.

(Sirius is a unique exception to that rule. I mean, after all, everyone believed he was a Death Eater so easily because his brother and cousin were Death Eaters. In-universe people are aware these organizations recruit whole families)

I mentioned in the past, the ministry kinda works like this too. Their society is based on nepotism and who you know. It's why things like the Slug Club exist. So it makes sense the recruitment for any semi-political organization (which both Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix are) will work like this too.

But there is another element to it. Both Dumbledore and Voldemort may approach someone themselves.

According to JKR, Voldemort offered both James and Lily a place among his Death Eaters. It's possible someone vouched for them, but it's also possible he glimpsed information about them from his followers/other sources and decided to recruit them.

Dumbledore does the same thing. For example, he approaches Slughorn himself since he is useful to him and Dumbledore knows he doesn't think like Voldemort (even though Slughorn doesn't really become an Order member proper).

Both Voldemort and Dumbledore sent envoys to the giants and werewolves in the second war.

The real difference in recruitment tactics is that Voldemort is probably promising everyone things he isn't actually planning to do (especially in the first war), threatens people to comply, and employs the Imperius Curse for those who still don't comply but whom he needs. Dumbledore doesn't employ these methods to recruit. Yes, he threatens Slughorn a little and gets an oath from Snape, but these are unique circumstances and not his usual recruitment. The usual method is to recruit people who want to fight against Voldemort and uphold the ministry more or less as is at the moment. The Order is about protecting the status quo and stopping a terrorist organization (which is what the Death Eaters are).

Also, Voldemort clearly doesn't mind allowing underage students in his organization (Draco) when he feels like he has enough to gain from it. However, from the Order's reactions to Hary's suspicions about Draco, it seems this isn't common and not something he did in the first war. The Order does not allow underage members to join.

[the-most-faithful]

The Marauders fandom has become toxic

The Harry Potter fandom has been fragmented for years. It is one of the few fandoms to have such active and separate sub-fandoms. And this has led many people to be fans of the story, or rather the world, of the setting of Harry Potter even without really knowing the saga. We have reached the point where there are fans who have never read the books and who are not even interested in doing so. and mind you, I am not talking about those who have only seen the films and are fans of those, that's fine, I am referring to those who are not interested in the canon and live the fandom only within a sub-fandom, like the Marauders that denies and distorts the canon. Even boasting about this. Obviously everyone should be free to experiment with their passion in a free and personal way, but in recent years they are reaching ridiculous and at times toxic levels.

The Marauders fandom was born with a fantastic intent and a commitment that I have always respected. fans have tried to deepen and expand the era of the first magical war and to give characterizations and backgrounds to characters barely mentioned. this led to a wonderful period made of elaborate fanfiction, various characterizations, which still respected the canon. and to the birth of headcanons that really stood up without, I repeat, distorting the canon. Today, however, the Marauders fandom does practically the opposite. Years ago the original OC characters were very trendy, some of the most famous fanfictions had an OC as the protagonist, but then over time they often became Mary Sues who ended up being very powerful and who overshadowed the canonical characters, becoming the real heroes of the story, distorting the entire plot. this led many fans to avoid the OCs.

Yet the Marauders fandom ended up doing the same thing. Original characters were created, with new characterizations, and not consistent with the little we know from the canon, and they were given the names of canonical characters. And if this can be accepted for characters named only once in seven books, like Marlene, Mary, Benji, Caradoc etc... it cannot be accepted for canonical characters about whom we have a lot of information. Writing AU fanficton, therefore with declared drastic changes is fine, be careful, some of the most famous stories are crossovers, with changes of setting and drastic modifications, as in the case of What If. They are fascinating stories that have their own dignity. But precisely this is what they are, AU, crossover, What If, nothing to do with the canon, and they do not pretend to be.

The real problem arose when some fans began to impose their own vision, forcing other fans to respect their fancasts, their headcanons and facts that not only conflicted with the canon but even drastically changed the story. The most toxic fans of the Marauders ended up creating fanon versions of their favorites that are totally the opposite of the canonical ones. James and Sirius, complex characters with flaws and dark sides have been transformed into sunny, carefree and kind-hearted characters. erasing their being arrogant bullies, one of the few canonical information we have. Peter Pettigrew, chubby and insecure boy has been transformed into an immediately ambiguous and casually very thin caricature in the most famous fancasts. And Remus Lupin... Merlin protect us, he was tortured, transformed into a popular boy, desired by everyone, described as the Casanova of Gryffindors. yes, him, the boy affected by lycanthropy, insecure and who tried to push Tonks away for months because he didn't want to have a relationship. and what's more, in one of the most famous fanfics, passed off by fans as canon compliant, Remus is described as an orphan boy. Oh yes, Remus is an orphan, his father was abusive and violent and Remus grows up in a Muggle orphanage. Grows up full of anger and problems managing aggression.

Now is it obvious that fans have robbed other characters of their traumas and foisted them on Remus? Tom Riddle grew up in a Muggle orphanage, abandoned to his own devices. And Severus Snape canonically had an abusive father who beat him. But hey for the Marauders fans all this happened to Remus. Who cares about poor Lyall and Hope Lupin, Remus' loving parents in canon, they are as good as dead. While Severus Snape, the half-blood, dirt-poor kid who has to wear his parents' clothes and is bullied for years is instead portrayed as a snobbish, arrogant boy who bullies his classmates just because he can. The fans of this distorted sub-fandom gave Snape the canon personality of James and then started loving the fanon they themselves created. Nine times out of ten, those who tell you they love the Marauders don't actually love them, what they means is that they love the original characters they created and gave them the names of the Marauders. It is ironic then to see how these people hate Severus Snape, in this snobbish, arrogant and bully version when in reality they should hate the canon James who is exactly like that.

And what is worse is that these fans have become so convinced of their own fantasies that they have started to spread confusion in the general fandom, claiming that Snape attacked his classmates, that Sirius and Regulus were tortured by their mother with the Cruciatus, that poor Regulus was forced to take the dark mark and many other absurdities that clearly deny the canon. I repeat, all these things can also be fine, but inserted in fanfiction set in parallel worlds, with what if or separate stories. Passing them off as pertaining to the canon makes no sense and above all is not respectful of the story. And yet these Marauders fans do not care about the canon. They say it themselves with pride.

“We don’t care about the canon.”

And yes in recent years their excuse has been that they don’t share Rowling’s transphobia ideas and they don’t want to have anything to do with her saga.

A more than respectable decision, everyone decides for themselves. I don’t support Rowling’s ideas either and for this reason I have decided not to support her financially as much as possible. I don’t buy official merchandising, I don’t buy books from which she makes money etc... But saying they want to completely detach themselves from the story means they have nothing to do with it, they don’t steal the names of the characters, the setting of the story and then rewrite everything confusing new fans and attacking those who instead stick to the canon. I don’t know if I can convey the idea, but I’ll try.

Imagine arguing with a friend of yours who owns a restaurant, you have supported him for years, you love his food, but after the argument you tell him that you don't want to have anything to do with him anymore, you distance yourself, you badmouth him to everyone and then in the meantime you have stolen all the recipes of his dishes and every day you eat his recooked food, you gain fame from re-cooking his recipes, you receive compliments and you try to convince as many people as possible that those dishes belong to you, that the real recipes are the ones you make. And you attack anyone who tries to say that in reality those same recipes belong to someone else.

You are not obligated to remain in a fandom, you are not obligated to support an author if you don't want to do so and yes you can certainly take refuge in fanfiction if you love them, but you must respect the clear distinction between canon and fanon.

Do not try to forcefully convince other fans of your fantasies. The canon is only one, made of nuances, complex characters, periods of which we know little and names barely mentioned. the beauty of fandom is also trying to fill these gaps that history brings with it, to delve deeper with personal versions. fandom is freedom, but it must be free for everyone, and not exclusive to those who stick to the versions that have been forcibly made more famous. if you only love the fan versions of some characters then you don't love those characters.

Forgive the comparison, but it would be like me saying that I love Darth Vader because he is a pure, candid and altruistic soul who fights for the light side of the force, since in my mind he is Obi-Wan with the mask.

You understand that by saying this people would think I'm crazy and point me out as not a fan of the saga. In the Marauders fandom, however, most people live in a collective hallucination, created at the table where the canon no longer has any importance and those who are part of it today often don't even remember how and why this sub-fandom was born. It was not born to distort the original story, nor to wage war on the author, but to create what we have never had, that is, an expanded Harry Potter universe with multiple visions. A free space where everyone can give their contribution without distorting the story (except in AU, What If etc. declared and not passed off as canonical) Instead, by challenging the desire to create a more tolerant and free space, the loudest fans have ended up limiting the freedom of others, imposing their visions that, I repeat, are in direct conflict with the canon.

If you really want to love characters created by you, do not pollute the Harry Potter fandom, create a new original story, with new characters and new names, detached from Harry Potter.

It is too easy to steal characters, stories and setting and then attack those who created all this while vandalizing the story. Have the courage and strength to create something new, or if you want to stay in this fandom stick to the canon or modify it but in a declared way without pretending that your prosternal vision is canonical. Fandom is freedom and it must remain so.

No one should set themselves up as the holder of truth, especially if that truth is invented.

[thedvilsinthedetails]

microfic for @wolfstarmicrofic with the prompt “passion”

word count:600

inspired by this post by @theres-an-endless-starry-sky

Remus glanced over at Sirius shyly out of the corner of his eye. James had prefect rounds that night and Peter had taken advantage of that to spend some quality time with Benjy in some broom closet somewhere which meant it was just them two in the dorm that evening. 

“Moony?”

Sirius said suddenly, turning to him with wide eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Can we- um talk? I need to talk to you.”

Sirius spun his wand around in his hand as he spoke. It was a nervous habit of his that he’d picked up during O.W.L.S. Remus nodded and Sirius quickly got up and hurried over to Remus’ bed, perching himself on the end next to Remus. Remus could easily hear his heartbeat now, the way it sped up as he moved closer, now thrumming wildly in his chest. 

It had started a few months ago. The morning after a full moon, Remus had woken up and glanced around the infirmary to see a boy resting on the bed opposite him, shooting him a bleary smile when he sat up. 

As it turned out Moony and Padfoot had gotten a bit too rough with all the play fighting the previous night. Sirius had broken a leg. Remus had felt terrible, crawled onto the infirmary bed as he repeated it over and over, wrapping his arms around Sirius as he apologised. Sirius had said it was fine, he didn’t mind. Still Remus had felt the way his heart started racing as soon as he got close. 

It’s pretty tough as is, being in love with your best friend. Turns out it’s even worse when you realise you scare the living daylights of said best friend. 

Remus had hoped it would lessen and disappear, he’d spent the next months being extra nice to Sirius, braiding his hair every day, sharing his chocolate, anything to try and make it up to him. It wasn’t working though judging by the pounding he could hear in the other boy’s chest. Sirius probably hated him with a burning passion at this point after all that annoying hovering around he’d done.

He reached out a hand and (after Sirius didn’t move away for a few seconds) placed it down on Sirius’ arm in an attempt to comfort him. He cringed internally as he felt Sirius shiver in response, skin covered in goosebumps. Keep going. You’re just doing great there aren’t you. Fucking hell.

“So? You uh- wanted to talk to me?”

He’s going to say he doesn’t want to be my friend anymore. Finally realised I’m a goddamn monster. It’s ok it’s ok it’s ok.

“Yeah…Moons you wouldn’t get angry if I said something stupid right? If I did something stupid? Not like what happened in fifth year. I promise I’m never doing anything like that again I swear I-“

“Sirius.”

“Right. It’s stupid. Yeah, it’s really really stupid but it’s about how I feel. You promise you won’t get mad yeah?”

How I feel. How I feel about you. How much I hate you now. 

“Sirius I wont get mad. I could never- I care about you so much.”

Sirius swallowed before turning to face Remus. 

“How much?”

“So fucking much. More than you could ever know.”

He felt tears pricking in his eyes as he spoke. Sirius was ending it all, Sirius was never going to talk to him again, Sirius was- 

straddling him?

Sirius was leaning in. Sirius was pressing their lips together and kissing him and wrapping his arms around Remus’ waist and holding their bodies close and- fucking hell.

Sirius was wonderful.

[astracoreiiisblog]

sirius shipping "analyze" that u might find interesting or not

i really wanted to address smth that it was also addressed by one of my moots, but oh well, why not write my own thing. i'm open to any sort of question about this bc i think that talks about ships are fun and make it very clear on how u view characters as well lol

i have said multiple times in my blog that i do ship wolfstar, i just don't ship them in a way most of the fandom does, and i also don't find the "dramatic star across lovers appeal" (or whatever the saying goes) about them. in theory, for me at least, this obviously is my personal take, everything about this is personal take, even sirius/snape is more interesting than sirius/remus. some of u know that i'm not wrong. in the books sirius and remus dynamic have "few colors." sirius and remus in consistent with their characters in the books would be dysfunctional and not like the fandom usually portrays them. if we go by the theory that sirius did have romantic feeling for james bc of his parallels with snape and his feelings for lily, sirius would probably be using remus because he can't get james and remus would probably be very much aware of that.

nothing in the books suggests that remus and sirius had a particularly close relationship when they were young. in fact!!! considering what transpired, they may have been the least close of the four lol. there is a typical adolescent boy group hierarchy in the willow scene (teen boys) it is never depicted as a friendship between equals. given that remus and peter are both followers in the group, and reminding remus's failure/struggle to monitor/stop/speak up sirius and james's behavior

but as adults we do see that they're different. and that's why adult wolfstar makes so much more sense, either sirius reciprocating remus's feelings after years or both getting to know each other again in romantic lenses.

and now where am i'm going with this? there is a clear reason, despite my constant whining in my blog why prongsfoot is not popular, and the reason is that jily, the actual canon couple, harry's parents, the main character's parents, will always be more powerful than any ship trying to separate them. it's easy math, it's always going to be like that. jily is simply more important as a couple than prongsfoot or jegulus, or any other ship with them in it. that's the hard truth my prongsfoot heart had to accept ages ago.

but this is just sad, isn't it? sirius literally on every side you looking at it not having any functional relationship, lmao😭. not that everyone necessarily needs one, let me be clear here, i actually am a huge huge huge huge fan of ace sirius. but i also think that love plays a part in human's life and i want to explore that with his character.

so this why marlene mckinnon become one of sirius partner. an order member, very niche no? very simple math in a literature sense AGAIN. (all im doing here is finding the x guys) but there is also, a very very interesting lookout to them. marlene as an ooc of the fandom, has now for years, been the female version of sirius, and the question airs, knowing what a complex individual sirius is, would he date someone similar to himself? how would that would work out.

dating someone that is a mirror of yourself, is exactly what someone like sirius needs in my personal opinion because it means sirius has to face the issues he knows he has, and people tend to do things better/healthier etc when they do things for other people rather than themselves. i think this is also something taught in martial arts, how your body strengths when you want to protect someone closer to you by much more than you protecting yourself.

now why marlene? marlene could not be barty, emma, emmeline, benjy, evans and the many more characters that the fandom has created and added to our marauders era to make it more full, is because marlene is the one we gave sirius's persona to. she is the one who can mirror him. she is the one who we can say "two sides of the same coin" for many fanon reason we have created along the jouney, she is the one that helps us the best to take sirius part by part bc they are mirrors of each other and dating ur mirror? ooff that sure sounds something i, personally, want to explore and devour.

edited here: oh no marlene is not a savior, that is not how i wanted to come across as AT ALL, marlene holds him accountable, and sirius would hold her accountable, bc i view their persona, morals, way of thinking, ethics, the same, so by dealing with each other's bullshit, they would simultaneously be dealing with their own bullshit. relationship like theirs, either go dysfunctional bc again, dealing with the package you carry and healing from it etc, it's not a walk on the park, but if they DO eventually deal with it, in which they also wouldn't bc marlene dies, but, oh well, they would fit together very perfectly<<<< just so no one thinks im making marlene any saint here, im just talking more about sirius

so sirius/marlene would either end as any other sirius ship, dysfunctional. or achieve what none of the other ships really can do, have sirius in a stable relationship and away from the environment he tried so hard to stay away from.

AND of fucking course, we chose the dead character for this.

we really don't want that man happy lmaooo

[erinwantstowrite]

Would you ever... create like... LOF au oneshots....? Like, one chapter lengths stuff for things that you were thinking of putting in but didn't, or doing like a "Peter if he was younger, meeting the bats" or "what if Bruce was his dad, not Dink?"

i have been collecting scenes that ended up not being in LoF... Like, some scenes that were in a different POV before they got changed (there's a Tim POV that got scrapped and ended up as Peter's instead, this is the hardware store scene), scenes that ended up not being in it at all (Peter and Dick were going to have dinner with Donna, but it wasn't coming out right when I tried writing it) etc.

I do like the idea of doing drabbles for LoF like I do for Home too, or maybe even writing someone else's POV of a scene that I did put in LoF, or writing things that the others were doing on certain days, etc.

though there are some things that i might end up putting in a different au instead of scrapping it all together. like this scene:

[ Peter is holding a fridge. Somehow, this is both a cause for alarm and also not at all what the problem really is.

See, Peter woke up this morning with the goal of going around and logging Gotham’s map so he could input it into the Jumping Radar. Peter really wants to avoid going back to the library, and doesn’t feel like testing his chances at a new library just yet. However, that plan ended up on the back burner sooner rather than later.

There’s this little old lady on Bourbank Avenue, a little close to Benny’s, that Peter says hello to when he sees. Her name is Margerie, and usually outside tending to her rickety garden. “Poison Ivy is more gentle with people who care about the plants.” She had told him, and taught Peter her ways of tending to beans, beets, carrots, and spinach.

Well, Peter said hello to her today. Stopped by to chat while she taught him about how to tell when a tomato is at its best. And that’s when he heard about her fridge.

“I’ve had it so long, it’s no wonder it gave out on me,” She had said.

“How long has it been?”

“Well, Benji was still alive…”

“Who?”

“My son.” Margerie had smiled. “He was the one who’d remember that kind of thing.”

And, well, jeez. Peter’s not a monster. He went looking for a damn fridge.

However, he didn’t have the money for a fridge. So what he could do was find where Margerie’s hired worker dumped the fridge, fix it, and find some way to bring it back without anyone noticing he’s a skinny 14 year old who shouldn’t be able to do that. This endeavour led him all the way to a dumpster, where it turns out he can’t save the fridge after all.

But there was an appliance store in the Diamond District that Peter had passed by. And wouldn’t you know it, he found a fridge outside in their dumpster that was able to be salvaged. It’s perfectly clean, too, just sitting there brand new and with a faulty ice box that no one wanted to work around.

So.

Peter is holding a fridge.

That’s somehow both a cause for alarm, and not the problem.

Cause of alarm- he dropped it on his foot when a group of people ran behind the appliance store, and he almost shrieked in pain and alerted them that he was behind the now dropped fridge. He heard the crack in his foot and felt it and prayed, but no- broken.

Peter pushes the fridge off of his foot, yanks the broken thing back, and gently drops the fridge back into place. He’s far enough against a chain link fence to be hidden very well, thankfully, and none of the people who ran back here had seen him. (Yet?) He presses his back against the chain link, biting his lip and pressing his thumb on the injury. It’s not that bad, he can already feel the healing itch. But it’s enough that with only a couple meals in him, that it’ll take longer than Peter would like for it to get back to normal.

“Fuck! Scatter! Why’re y’followin’ me, y’idiots!?”

The real problem: not the broken foot.

“This was tha only place ta run!” Another shouts back. “Fuck! This is bad!”

“No shit! Y’fuckin’ moron- y’led a Bat right to us!” A third hisses.

Peter peeks around the fridge in time to see the third guy grabbing the second by the collar, slamming him up against a wall with a thud.

hello! hey, watch? look it look it look it

Whatever scuffle was about to happen is quieted. Peter glances upwards, but he doesn’t see what he knows is there, in plain daylight. There’s a presence on the roof of the appliance store, but where? Peter should be able to see them, but…

there there there!

He doesn’t get to focus on the presence that’s there. Instead, his eyes are starting to adjust to the fact that- hold on-

Peter glances up. Gotham is usually cloudy and grey, but… there’s nothing blocking that light of a stormy early morning. And yet, everything in the area is growing darker and darker. Peter’s skin crawls, a tingle that settles down his spine and tries to make up for the increasing lack of light. The group of teens start to panic, looking for a way out that isn’t possible in this dead end.

Darkness encompasses the area. Peter takes short, silent breaths. His ears twitch with every movement from the teens, every whisper of panic. Their heartbeats are erratic, and it’s like they already know which Bat this is. There’s seven heartbeats, panicked, trying to escape…

And one that is calm. There’s a breath and the scuffle of a foot from the rooftop.

Peter closes his eyes even though it’s already dark. His spider-sense is making up for what he can’t see, a mental map of the area created in his head. He feels the air move around him, and listens as the Bat takes each of them out one by one.

The thuds of one companion freak out another. “Scotty?”

But then he’s out too. Peter hears two more meet the same fate, knocked out cold on the concrete. He opens his eyes as the Bat approaches the last of them, just in time for the shadows to recede back to where they should be.

Signal stands over the last, now unconscious guy.

The Bat hasn’t broken a sweat. He almost looks bored when he starts ziptieing the gang, complaining aloud, “Y’all couldn’t have waited until tomorrow to cause trouble?”

Whoa.

Peter had seen Signal doing his thing a couple times when he was out and about, but never this up close. That…

That was fucking awesome.

He heard the guy was a meta, and he didn’t know what to believe about that, but seriously? That was like some Shadow-jutsu shit- wait, could he do that? No, wait, because now Peter can see Signal again. He was fucking invisible! And he’s acting like it was nothing! ]

I really really really really really wanted this scene, but it never made it past the rough draft :( that's because it didn't make sense with the rest of the chapter (i can not remember which chapter it was for, but it was definitely before Two Face). I've been thinking about putting it in a deleted scenes for LoF fic, but I think I might take it and put it in a different au.

(The only consolation I have for this scene not making it in is that Signal gets to have a cool scene later)

[sommerregenjuniluft]

@jegulus-microfic feb 26 - bed - 1047words - cw: drinking—aka reg picking up a drunk james from the pub<3

for laurie @itsjaywalkers because she's a gem and also i was listening to wallows typing this out mwah

James wipes a stray tear from the corner of his eye as he straightens back up, belly hurting and cheeks straining as he claps Peter on the shoulder, laughing and shaking with his whole body.

His head feels pleasantly heavy and his vision is a little blurry, alcohol warming him up from the inside and James thinks Peter isn’t far off with the way the flush on his red cheeks starts spreading along his entire face as he tries to catch his breath. 

“Oh god,” James snickers, sucking in a much needed breath, chortling slightly on the way in which makes Peter send him a weird look and then in return makes James break into another fit of giggles. Everything is just so funny right now.

Peter joins right in, while simultaneously trying to take another sip of his nearly empty cup of beer, his laughter preventing him from actually swallowing. 

Predictably, he ends up coughing and James pounds him on the back with one hand as the other maintains a white knuckled grip on the round bar table to keep himself upright as he tries not to piss his pants from laughing.

Once Peter got himself back in order he clears his throat violently, warily eyeing his remaining beverage, “Shit, I don’t think I should finish that.”

James snorts, “That’s barely two gulps, Pete.”

His blonde friend groans, head sinking into his palms, “I think Benji might already have my head if I turn up back home like this.”

James turns solemn all the sudden, nodding in understanding and rubbing Peter’s back soothingly. Benji loves him though so it’ll be fine, James knows that, but he still wants to be there for Peter, obviously.

The other man grumbles something into his hands that James doesn’t catch over the music and loud noise of people.

“What was that?”

Peter’s head tilts back up, “What about you?”

James blinks, trying to decipher what his friend means through the alcohol clouding his brain.

Pete’s lips tug into a lopsided smirk, “How’re you gonna get home to your loverboy?”

“Oh,” James makes, understanding now. “Regulus said he’ll pick me up.”

“Mm,” Peter grunts into his cup, downing the flat beer, “Premium service.”

James feels himself turn a little more gooey where he’s draping his full weight onto the precariously wobbly bar table, and he sighs long and dreamily, “Yeah, he’s the best.”

“Hi, Regulus,” Peter says, head tipped to the side at a 90 degree angle.

“Yeah, obviously, Regulus, who else?” James makes, nose scrunching in confusion.

“Hello, Peter,” a voice says from behind him and James thinks he might nearly break a few cervical vertebraes in his haste to turn around.

“Baby,” James gasps when he sees Regulus standing there in all his beautiful glory. Head cocked to the side slightly, arms crossed and a mild scowl on his face. He’s in one of James’ grey printed hoodies and sporting some dark green and blue plaid pyjama bottoms that always make his butt look a little bigger, according to himself. James loves Regulus ass though, he loves that it’s perky and petite and perfectly bite-sized for when James is—

“I texted you,” Regulus says in lieu of greeting James, lips pursed into a pout James also would like to bite, “And I called four times.”

Another, softer gasp punches out of James and he fumbles for his phone in his jeans’ back pocket for a second, tapping the screen to see the missed calls and messages. 

James’ expression tips into a frown, a wounded noise coming from his chest as he shuffles closer with his head ducked, palms slowly reaching out to Regulus’ hips. “I’m so sorry, love,” James mumbles, tone apologetic and Regulus’ eyes narrow, “I swear I wasn’t ignoring you, I just didn’t hear.”

Regulus averts his eyes with a small tut, arms tightening where they’re crossed.

James can’t help but whine. The last thing he wants right now is for Regulus to be mad at him, “Baby, please, I promise.”

When Regulus doesn’t budge, James twirls one of his dark curls around his index, playing softly and contemplating giving into the urge of peppering his boyfriend’s face in kisses. He doesn’t want to make it worse though. 

James scrambles together all his might and tries navigating through the drunken haze of his brain and body, concentrating to remind himself what usually makes Regulus fold.

“We were just talking about you, too,” James tries. “Petey can confirm that.”

“Oh, I do not want to be dragged into this, thank you very much.”

James grumbles, rolling his eyes and simply winds his arms tighter around Regulus. It elicits a small inhale and yes, that’s good and it makes James tug his lower lip between his teeth, humming in satisfaction.

Regulus eyes snap back around to him, eyelids fluttering and James slips into a victorious grin. He leans closer and lets his lips brush over his boyfriends, inhaling that distinct citrus and bergamot smell of him, before he breathes needily, “Missed you so much, Reg.”

In the next second there are palms thumping against his pecs, punching a breath out of him before he’s reeled back in by the lapel of his flannel, Regulus glowering at him, cheeks flushed, “Ok, that’s officially enough of you, menace.”

James giggles and quickly squishes Regulus cheeks to plant a kiss on his slack mouth.

They bid their Goodbyes to Peter and make sure he’s got a cab that’ll bring him home safely and then James lets Regulus tug him out of the pub with their fingers intertwined.

Once they’re outside of the crowded space James can’t help himself when he snatches Regulus around the waist and squeezes him with a happy groan.

“James,” Regulus chides, voice tight and flustered, “Let go, we’re in the middle of a sidewalk.”

“But I love you so much,” James slurs into the space between the hoodie and Regulus’ exposed neck, nose nuzzling the skin contently.

Regulus sighs and James doesn’t have to look to see the smile playing at his rosy lips, “Let’s get you into bed.”

“Aw yeah, bed,” James snickers, reaching one hand around to grab at Regulus’ butt.

Regulus yelps and James ends up with a bruise on his ribcage that throbs softly once he cuddles up with Regulus under the sheets half an hour later.

[snapghoul]

More Maverick and Ethan being twins

The little idea of them being twins has infested my mind along with the Seresin twins. I’m also fighting off a cold by searing my throat with tea so this might be considered fever thoughts.

I just like dragging a character through the multiverse and throwing them at themselves in another world like “YOU’RE RELATED NOW!”

✰ Both of them are really chill with each other doing dumb shit. As long as they don’t die they’re good. They also can’t argue about it because it’s pot calling kettle black.

“Yeah, I jumped a bike off a cliff.”

“I got shot down by some SAMs, you have a chute?”

“Of course I had a chute.”

✰ Maverick keeps a trauma kit in his house for when Ethan drops in unexpectedly, he’s used to him bleeding in some way.

✰ Ethan is the only person who can call Mav, Peter.

✰ Ethan had to change his last name when becoming government property because they didn’t want him tied and tracked by Pete doing Pete things and vice versa.

⤷ Pete finds the last name Hunt very funny.

✰ They like to race on their bikes, Ethan almost crashes each time. They have the need for speed.

✰ Ethan gave Carol and Goose a heart attack when they first met him because he just appeared and they thought he was Mav.

✰ Very few people can tell them apart, even if they wear completely different styles. Benji and Luther can pick out Ethan and so can Bradley.

✰ Penny was also a victim of the Mitchell jump scare. So was Ice. They find it hilarious so they keep doing it.

✰ Pete was color coded red and Ethan was blue.

✰ Pete was born first.

✰ They are extremely competitive, things will be thrown, trash talk will be talked.

[kay-elle-cee]

A restless waves rise and fall microfic (series). 🏴‍☠️ Pirate Jily AU. @jilymicrofics March Prompt 21: Detour || 1020 Words

The strength of the sunlight momentarily stops Lily in her tracks as she emerges from below deck, Harry swaddled securely around her front, his little head resting soundly against her chest as he sleeps. Not wanting the sun to wake him but knowing that the fresh air would be good for his recovering lungs, she plucks the large-brimmed hat off the top of her head and holds it over him as she blinks a few more times and steps onto the deck.

Around her, life goes on as usual, though hers had been stopped. For a whole week, she had been stuck in her and James' quarters, doing her best to soothe their sick little boy as he coughed and fussed through night and day alike. Several times James had insisted that she take his place with the crew and let him care for Harry, but their son's feeding schedule unfortunately made it impractical.

Twice in the dead of night, she snuck up on deck while James and Harry slept. It had been enough to maintain her sanity, admiring the way the moon reflected off of the dark waters around them in the peaceful quiet that seemed all-too-rare in the five or so months since Harry's birth. Still, though—as much as she loved her son with every inch of her body, something deep in her soul had been yearning for the predictable chaos of a typical day above deck.

Now, with the December sun gently warming her skin, she rounds the corner to sit her and Harry on the steps to the quarterdeck and takes in the scene before her.

All is as it should be. One of the Prewetts is working with David Sims to clean up some of the knotted rigging on the foremast, Peter and Benjy are sparring to a small audience (including an apprehensive looking Remus), and somewhere nearby James, Sirius, Frank, and Henry all have their heads bent together as they look at something splayed out on a table.

Though she's curious, Lily enjoys the tableau for a moment. She watches as her husband's brow furrows in thought before his gaze shifts to Sirius on his right and his expression changes to one of eagerness and authority. Three years at sea has melded him into the most unique captain she'd ever seen; kind, sharp, decisive, all with an unparalleled sense of honor and responsibility for everyone on board. She revels in it—the change from boy to man. The evolution of uncertainty to fearless.

As though he can feel her eyes on him, his gaze catches hers across the deck and it sets her chest ablaze, even as she smiles back serenely and carefully moves to her feet. When she reaches their huddle, she's welcomed into the fold as naturally as anything else.

"Good to see you out, Evans," Frank nods, attention turning quickly to where Harry stirs, his green eyes blinking slowly as he looks around under the protection of the wide-brimmed hat. He salutes the infant. "Little Mate, I heard you've been giving these two quite the headache."

James chuckles at this and Lily hums tiredly, her eyes having already descended to the map splayed out between them all. It's a tattered old thing, and though some land masses appear familiar, much of the writing is faded. An unmistakable X is visible, however, and her captain's hand is resting near it. A swooping, wistful sensation sensation erupts in her stomach and her heart's pace speeds up.

"A treasure map?" Her eyes dart up to her husband's, and she ignores the snickering of Sirius somewhere to her right. "Seven days I'm waylaid below deck and you lot go and find something fantastical."

As it stands, they're on course to see James' parents in Eleuthera. The thought of a detour—for something so frivolous as a treasure hunt—both thrilled and annoyed her in equal measure. It's been so long since she's gotten to partake in any sort of piracy or landing parties, and she sorely misses it. She's told James as much—during those sleepy, hazy nights where they whisper back and forth so as to not wake Harry.

"Peter haggled for it at the last port stop. We've spend the week confirming its validity to make sure we're not walking into any sort of trap but..." James trails off and looks over at Frank, then Sirius, then back to Lily. There's a sparkle in his eye that ignites Lily at her core—a challenge, a promise. "It's only a half day's detour on our route."

It's convenient, and she tastes hope.

Sirius chimes in. "Negligible difference, really. With good wind."

Pressing her lips together, Lily looks down at Harry, who's happily kicking his feet and transfixed by the intricate hilt of Frank's sword. Today's been so much better than the last week of croup. Her little boy is so much happier, so much more like himself. It fills her with an indescribable joy and she realizes—she wants to feel more like herself too.

Breathing a sigh of what almost feels like relief, Lily raises her attention to where James has been carefully watching her and meets him with a mischievous smile. "How cross is your mother going to be if we keep her from her grandchild an extra day?"

Shaking his head, a wide grins breaks out on James' face. "You leave that to me and this little one here," he tells her, nodding at Harry, who's craning his neck towards the sound of his father's voice. "Two days until we arrive."

"Aye," she acknowledges, unable to keep the excitement from her response and the grin from her face. "We'll be ready, won't we Harry?"

"He'll be learning from the best," comes James' voice, and it shouldn't affect her the way it does but she can feel the blush on her neck and gives him a smile before turning abruptly on her heel before the others can notice, walking Harry over to watch the sparring match on the middle of the deck and eagerly counting the seconds until they cast anchor.

Read on Ao3

[moonytoasted]

marauders era sexuality headcanons

james potter: unlabeled. he had a crush on frank but it didn't compare to his crush on lily. he can't be bothered to label himself.

remus lupin: gay gay gay

sirius black: bi. can pull every gender and does. him and marlene were each others' first kisses.

peter pettigrew: demiro + demisexual :3

hestia jones: she loves her nerd boyfriend

amos diggory: he loves his strong quidditch girlfriend

lily evans: bi. dated emmeline vance (for like 3 days before they broke out in a screaming match. enemies to lovers speedrun)

marlene mckinnon: lesbianest lesbian to ever live. her, emmeline, and sirius combined have probably flirted with everyone in gryffindor.

mary macdonald: bi (and married dean thomas' dad rahhh)

dorcas meadows: bi/ace :3

emmeline vance: lesbian. or alternatively, sapphic enemies to lovers plot point.

regulus black: thought he was aroace. turns out he's demiro + ace

barty crouch (jr): evan. / evan: barty.

davey gudgeon: straight, acts gay w his friends

sybill trelawney: bi w a HEAVY preference for women.

xenophilius lovegood: straight. #1 ally

pandora: ace + straight but made out w sybill when they were high.

frank longbottom: bi + the crush of every new first year coming in

alice fortescue: straight + the crush of every other new first year.

caradoc dearborn: benjy. in love w him but not out :(

benjy fenwick: bi. he's out.

[thollandsgirl2013]

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢

Parings → Dad! Peter Parker x Mom! Pregnant! Reader

Warnings → awkward conversations

Summary → Ben asks his parents how babies are made, leading to a sweet, humorous family moment.

You’re sitting on the couch, your legs stretched out in front of you, leaning slightly against Peter. He’s wrapped an arm protectively around you, and his other hand rests on your ever-growing belly. Every so often, you feel the baby kick, and Peter’s eyes light up with that same joy he’s had ever since you told him the news.

Ben, your four-year-old son, is sitting on the floor in front of you, absorbed in stacking his colorful Legos into a tall tower. He occasionally glances over at you and your tummy, his little brows furrowed in concentration as if there’s something he’s been thinking about for a while.

You can see it in his eyes. He’s going to ask the question soon.

And sure enough, after a few more moments of silence, Ben puts down his Lego brick, crawls up onto the couch next to you, and rests his tiny hand on your belly. His eyes are wide with curiosity as he looks between you and Peter.

“Mama,” Ben begins, his voice as sweet as ever, “how did the baby get in your tummy?”

Peter freezes, and you bite your lip to keep from laughing. It’s one of those moments you knew would come eventually, but it’s still hilarious to see Peter's reaction. His face flushes, and he shifts a little uncomfortably beside you.

“Well,” you start, smoothing Ben’s curly hair with your hand, “the baby grows inside me, sweetheart.”

Ben tilts his head, clearly unsatisfied with the vague answer. “But how did the baby get in there?” He asks, tapping on your tummy as if knocking on a door.

Peter clears his throat, his voice cracking slightly when he speaks. “Uh, well, Benji, it’s… you see, when a mommy and daddy love each other very much…”

You shoot Peter a glare, knowing the classic answer isn’t going to satisfy Ben. He’s a sharp kid—gets that from his dad.

“Peter,” you whisper, nudging him with your elbow. “You’re going to confuse him more.”

Peter raises his hands in surrender, flashing you a sheepish grin. “Okay, okay.” He turns to Ben. “So, buddy, do you remember how you build things with your Legos? You take the pieces and connect them together to make something new, right?”

Ben nods eagerly. “Yeah! I make towers and cars and dinosaurs!”

“Exactly,” Peter says, ruffling Ben’s hair. “Well, just like how you build things, mommy and daddy worked together to help build the baby, kind of like putting pieces together to make a new person.”

Ben scrunches his nose. “Like Legos?”

You laugh softly, reaching down to take Ben’s tiny hand in yours. “Not exactly like Legos, but you’ve got the right idea. The baby started as something very small, and now she’s growing bigger and bigger inside me.”

Ben leans closer to your belly, his eyes wide with awe as if he’s imagining the baby like a little Lego creation. “Why is your tummy so big?” He asks innocently, patting your bump with both hands now.

You grin, feeling the baby shift slightly under his touch. “That’s because the baby is growing bigger every day, and she needs more space in there.”

Peter chuckles, his fingers tracing lazy circles on your belly. “Yeah, and your little sister is kicking up a storm in there. Maybe she’s practicing being a superhero like me.”

Ben’s eyes light up. “Really? She’s gonna have superpowers?”

Peter laughs, winking at you. “Who knows, buddy? Maybe she’ll have powers, maybe she won’t. But she’ll definitely be special.”

You smile, your heart swelling with love as you watch Peter and Ben interact. Peter’s always been such an amazing father, and you love how he’s able to make even the trickiest questions sound like an exciting adventure.

Ben, however, is still full of questions. He frowns slightly, deep in thought. “But why does the baby have to be in your tummy, Mommy? Why not in Daddy’s?”

Peter makes a dramatic, exaggerated face, clutching his stomach as if imagining himself pregnant. “Oh, buddy, you don’t want Daddy carrying the baby. I wouldn’t be able to swing around the city with a belly this big!”

You laugh, shaking your head. “Trust me, he would be a disaster if he had to carry the baby. I’m doing all the heavy lifting here.”

Ben giggles at the thought of his daddy swinging through New York with a big belly, but his curiosity isn’t quite satisfied yet. “When’s the baby gonna come out?”

You exchange a quick glance with Peter, both of you smiling at how determined Ben is to understand everything.

“Soon,” you say softly, rubbing your belly again. “The baby will come out when she’s ready. She still need to grow a little bit more.”

Peter nods, leaning in closer to kiss your temple. “And when she’s ready, you’ll get to be a big brother, Benji. You’ll have someone to play with, someone to teach all your superhero moves to.”

Ben’s face lights up at the idea of being a big brother. He puffs out his chest with pride, standing tall on the couch. “I’m gonna teach her how to build towers and fight bad guys like you, Daddy!”

Peter grins, reaching out to give Ben a high-five. “That’s the spirit, buddy.”

Suddenly, the baby kicks hard, and Ben gasps, his eyes going wide as he feels the movement under his hand. “Whoa! The baby moved!”

You smile, sharing a knowing look with Peter as you both watch Ben’s excitement grow. “Yep, the she’s saying hello.”

“Hi, baby sister!” Ben says loudly, pressing his face against your belly, his little hands still resting on your bump. “I’m your big brother, and I’m gonna take care of you!”

Tears prick at the corners of your eyes as you watch the sweet scene unfold. Peter notices and leans in to kiss your cheek, whispering, “We’re so lucky, aren’t we?”

You nod, feeling a warmth spread through your chest. “Yeah, we really are.”

Ben pulls back and looks at you with wide, innocent eyes. “Mommy, when the baby comes, will she play Legos with me?”

You laugh, wiping at your eyes. “One day, she will. But for now, she’ll be very small. You’ll have to be gentle with she, okay?”

Ben nods eagerly. “I can do that! I’ll be the best big brother ever!”

You and Peter exchange another look, both of you filled with so much love for this little family you’ve created.

“I have no doubt about that, Benji,” Peter says, wrapping his arm around you and Ben. “You’re already the best big brother in the world.”

‎∗ ࣪ ˖༺ 𓆩☆𓆪 ༻˖ ࣪ ∗