#plus she's insufferable for anyone but her father

[weirdwildwonderland]

How TUA should've ended

Lila and Five relationship-Lila and Five don't spend 7 years in the subway. They do get lost, but it's more like two years this time (whoever thought of 7 years was crazy). Two years is enough for Five and Lila to almost kill each other many times, enough for them to cry to each other one night and swear to never talk about it again. Enough for many bouts of food poisoning and starvation and cold nights when the train didn't show up. Enough for Lila to keep waking up with a sick feeling in her stomach because she keeps having dreams where she wakes up in her house, with Grace and the twins and Diego just downstairs. Enough for Five to stay awake as he wipes silent tears away because he's thinking of his siblings. The only ones who have been there for him. They find the strawberry timeline near the end of the two years, and it only makes them miss everyone more. There's a lump in Five's throat as he mutters something about how "wish we could've taken the idiots here" and Lila starts to cry, because something about this timeline is so warm and safe, because she would give ANYTHING to have a Saturday morning with her family again, Diego making her coffee, waking up the twins, reading to Grace. She finds a delicate silver bracelet on the floor of the greenhouse, and remembers how her father gave Grace a bracelet just like this when she was born, and that's when she breaks, and Five begrudgingly helps her off of the floor and pats her on the back. They find the notebook a few days later, and both of them well up as they ride the subway back. It's only been a few hours for the rest of them, and as Diego hugs Lila again, this guilty feeling wells up in her chest, because she remembers how they were before, how distant they had become. But he's still here, somehow. So they go inside and she starts crying when she sees everyone. Diego asks about the bracelet and Lila and Five exchange a look. You tell him. No, you. Diego asks if something has been going on, and it all comes out. Lila crumbles even more. Isolation does funny things to the emotions.

They all finish watching the dance of the sugar plum fairy before the news about Ben flashes onto the screen. It's the most peaceful hour or so of this whole fucked up week

2. They get swallowed by the cleanse.

3. And then they all wake up in the void. All of them are dazed and drained. The man on the TV is talking about shattered timelines (or something related to the themes of time in the show). God watches on her bicycle as they slowly figure out that they lost their powers again. Diego starts crying because he realizes Ben isn't there and Lila comforts him. Luther looks more worried about Diego than about the fact that they're dead. Allison, Klaus, and Viktor seem glad that their powers are gone. Five just looks happy that they're all still together. Klaus goes up to God.

He says something along the lines of "Hey, I'm happy that I can still come up here and all, but you need to get us back down somehow, because there's no way I'm spending all of eternity with THEM. Plus, I have nieces and a nephew and I hope they're...not up here too."

She says something like "They're not."

He stares at her.

She says "I think you're insufferable. I don't know anyone who comes up here multiple times and then goes back down."

"Look, God, I've had it up to HERE with my life so far, and I can say the same about all of them over there. But I've gone through some things recently, and it made me realize that I would really like to keep living it, if you wouldn't mind. And," he points at everyone "they have their reasons. And they deserve to live the rest of their lives out, too."

She stares at him. "I've had it up to here with you too. You know, I watch you down there, sometimes. I think you're better off there. Not up here, annoying me. Plus," she looks over at everyone else (they're freaking out/arguing etc) "it's too early for all of you to be here."

She picks 8 marigolds from her basket and plucks the heads off. They fall to the ground and new sprouts start coming up from the earth. "Whatever was in you, it's gone now." She looks over at everyone, annoyed. "Oh yeah, I forgot you need help to get back." She rolls her eyes.

"You know, you kind of remind me of my niece." Klaus says

She snaps her fingers

Cut to black again.

Cut to outside Diego and Lila's house. It's hot out, and they all wake up on the asphalt in their winter clothes. Everyone starts complaining about how hot it is. Diego gets up and knocks at the door. No one knows what day it is. For all they know, their kids could be teenagers now, and that scares him.

Someone bumps into Lila on the street, and it's the Handler. Only, she's not. She's just a normal woman talking on her cellphone, and she looks at Lila apologetically before continuing her conversation. A woman looks at Viktor and asks him if he needs help off the ground. It's Grace, and she's walking with a baby stroller. Viktor nudges Diego and they're both speechless.

The door opens, and Lila's mom answers. Lila bursts into tears and hugs her. Grace and Claire come to the door and Grace says something about "you didn't pick me up from camp on time, Mommy! And Coco's been crying for FIFTEEN minutes, that's what Grandma said. I think she misses you. Oh, and Ben (boy twin) broke a bowl, but Grandpa said it's okay" and Claire rolls her eyes and asks what they're all doing dressed in coats and tells them that they're all so weird. Grace turns to Claire and accusingly says "You never told me that grownups cry too." Klaus and Allison both burst into tears too, Luther and Viktor look like they're about to cry, and Five just looks the most relieved he's ever been in his life.

Lila's mom sighs and says "Come in, everyone. I don't want to know what you've gotten yourselves into now, but you look hungry. It's too hot out to cook, so you're eating the leftovers." Diego is still crying, but he starts to laugh. And then Five starts laughing too. And then the rest of them. Lila's mom tells them that they really need to get inside now before someone starts looking at them weird.

Cut to shot of all of them walking into the house, taking off their shoes, flopping onto the couch, hugging their kids, etc. Continue to "I think we're alone now" montage of all the side characters walking on the street living life as normal people.

POGO: On the twelfth hour of the 8th day of August, 2024, nothing out of the ordinary happened. You might say it was just a normal day.

Cut to black

Credits roll

Post credits scene

There's a knock on the door. Ben walks in looking dazed, holding Jennifer's hand. "What's up, assholes? I'm back!" he says, before everyone groans and the screen cuts to black again.

END S4E6

[kitthepurplepotato]

Chapter 3 - “Pillow Talk”

Summary: Katsuki is “forced” to tell his parents about his girlfriend. Later during the night, he shares his true feelings with Y/N.

Warnings: Swear words, that’s it!

Season 1 💥 Season 2 Chapter 1 💥 Master List

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Mitsuki’s mug falls on the floor as she takes in the view in front of her.

It’s not like she wasn’t sure these two will end up together eventually and there was also that phone call with Katsuki which made his son’s intentions with this girl obvious, she just didn’t think her boy will actually do it so soon. Plus, they acted more like two bickering siblings, teasing each other through the whole evening. Even though they were sharing a blanket they didn’t move towards each other at all. Mitsuki was sure they have a long way to go before the time feels like right for them confess to each other.

So… this… in front of her… was a massive surprise. Mitsuki stopped breathing when his son looked at Y/N with that confused and longing look. She froze completely when Y/N looked back at him. She has no idea how much time has passed since the impromptu staring contest but when she blinked herself back to life the two were kissing on her sofa, in each other’s arms while the movie rolled on the TV, completely ignored by the whole family.

Mitsuki didn’t mean to drop her mug and ruin the moment; she wanted to wait it out and then start yelling profanities to his ungrateful son of a bitch son who forgot to tell her about this massive change in his life.

“I’ll clean that up, honey.” Masaru jumps up from the sofa, leaving the soon-to-be battleground, the coward.

“Katsuki fucking Bakugou.” Mitsuki sneers. “Didn’t you forget to tell me something?!”

“Oh shut up, old hag.” Katsuki rolls his eyes while Y/N tries her best to hide under the blanket. “Stop staring and watch your fucking cheesy movie.”

“Oh, you mean the cheesy movie that made you do cheesy fucking shit on my couch that ended up in a make out session right in front of your parents?!” Mitsuki says, not believing his son’s shenanigans.

“Jesus, I kissed my girlfriend, put my head on a fucking spike!” Katsuki retorts, offended. She’s gonna kill this boy.

“Katsuki, that’s not the problem here.” Y/N mumbles under the blanket.

“Then what is the fucking problem?!” Katsuki yells, utterly confused. Mitsuki still can’t believe his son listens to someone.

“You didn’t tell her we are a couple! I knew this is a terrible way to tell them. Your father already ran away.” She sighs.

“Why didn’t you say so?!”

“Like you ever listen to anyone you fucking madman!” Y/N appears under the covers now; apparently she’s had enough time to get over her embarrassment.

“That’s true.” Katsuki deadpans and looks between the two ladies with a confused face. “Now what.”

“Oh my god, you are insufferable.” Y/N sighs again. “Mrs. Bakugou, I am dating your son.”

“We ain’t dating.” Katsuki retorts and you look at him with a confused look on your face. “We are in a serious relationship so get used to her cuz she’s ain’t going anywhere. Don’t bug her with your wedding dress designs though, she might freak out.”

“Are you not freaking out?” Y/N asks, utterly confused now.

“Why would I? It doesn’t matter if it’s now or in a few years, it will eventually happen, we might as well get over with it.” Katsuki deadpans. Mitsuki can’t help but snort at that.

“Really romantic Katsuki, can’t wait.” Y/N rolls her eyes but there is a slight blush on her cheeks.

“Okay, you menace, I’ll make it so fucking romantic you will cry your fucking eyes out. You just wait.” Katsuki clearly took it as a challenge which is funny and sad at the same time but to be honest, you knew what you’re getting into when you said yes to be the madman’s girlfriend; you might not have cheesy stories to tell your kids but funny ones?! You’ll have a shit ton of those, that’s for sure.

“That’s it.” Mitsuki throws her arms in the air. “I’m bringing out my wedding dress ideas!”

“MOM!” Katsuki yells after his mother but it’s a lost cause; the book is in her hands already.

~•💥•~

As the sun goes down and the world gets dark, another uncomfortable conversation is about to happen.

The conversation about…

“So, Y/N is sleeping with you, right? I ain’t gonna wash the sheets for no reason, work smarter not harder and shit.” Mama Bakugou looks at you two. Well, this is awkward.

It’s not like there is any shame in not sleeping together yet, one way or another, you haven’t been together for that long, but it’s still such a sensitive topic and you are quite sure your boyfriend does not want to have that conversation with his mother.

“Whatever he wants, I’m fine with both.” You mumble quietly. Katsuki rolls his eyes and tries to play it cool.

“Get ready to get your ass kicked, Menace.” He smirks. What the fuck does he mean by that?! He was fine the last time you shared a bed! And before… oh wow, you actually forgot you spent a few nights together already due to a a mission that went terribly wrong. The mission ended up with you two making out on Katsuki’s office desk though. Your cheeks heat up as you remember his soft touch in the middle of the night, on the day he got quirked by the villain, Anguish; and the time he pulled you close and inhaled your scent to calm himself after a nightmare, a day prior the incident.

“Uhm… wait until you wake up on the floor, Blasty boy.” You try to smirk back, but you probably only make yourself look like a foolish teen trying to flirt with the coolest boy in the class.

Mitsuki jumps into your conversation.

“I’ll ignore you two bantering like you’ve never slept in the same bed before.” Mitsuki says, her hands up in the air in surrender and moves towards her room to retreat for the night.

“Oi, we’ve slept together before.” Katsuki retorts, offended, yelling after his mother with a red face. “I ain’t scared to share a bed with my woman! Put in your earplugs, just in case.” Katsuki retorts and you roll your eyes; that’s a fucking bluff but what can you do with his fragile masculinity? It’s a part of him, let’s be honest.

“TMI, son. Good night.” She looks at her son one last time with one brow raised mockingly.

“Fuck off, hag.” Katsuki spits and makes his way towards the bathroom. “Let’s wash up.” He stomps away aggressively, pulling you with him for some weird ass reason. You stop in the middle of your tracks; Katsuki needs to take the chill-pill. Right now.

“Katsuki, calm down. First of all, you have no clothes to change into. Second of all, I’m quite sure you don’t want us to wash up together, but correct me if I’m wrong.” You grin while Katsuki rolls his eyes aggressively.

“You are still a fucking menace.” Katsuki grumbles as he changes his route to go back to his room instead.

“And you still like me.” You tease but his answer makes your insides churn in an uncomfortable way.

“I don’t like you.” Katsuki announces, his voice strong and unwavering; they also sting like a bitch. You’re rendered speechless. “Yeah, think about that.”

You will… definitely… think about that.

~•💥•~

“So… why did you act like a thirty year old virgin in front of your own mother, Katsuki?” You ask while Katsuki shuffles as far away from you as possible on the bed. It can’t get more awkward than this; your mind is still clouded by his cruel words and Katsuki… is being Katsuki. Rude and distant. You can’t believe this man was kissing your scars just a few hours ago, kneeling in front of you like you are the most valuable treasure the world has ever seen.

Well, family does that to people sometimes, you guess. You can love and appreciate your family but sometimes, it’s just hard be yourself around them. You can only hope his facade will slowly crumble as Katsuki takes a few deep breaths and settles in the bed.

“I don’t fucking know.” Katsuki grumbles. “It was so fucking awkward to talk about this with her. She always makes me feel so fucking small. She always does that and I hate it.” He shuffles to the side of the bed so you can’t see his face. This might not be the comfortable conversation you’ve been looking for, but seeing Katsuki’s vulnerable side is so rare you feel genuine gratitude towards the whole situation.

“She loves you. So much.” You mumble into your pillow, moving your body to the other side to face his bare back. It’s full of scars, probably rough to the touch, but you would do anything to be able touch all of them, slide your fingers over the broken tissue, one scar after another until you trace every single one on his body; you want to remember them all, have them carved into your heart so you can see them even when your eyes are closed and your mind is fuzzy. “She worked months on those wedding dresses, Katsuki. Months. One of them had small explosions embroidered onto the fabric which only you could see; it looked pure white from the distance. She took me into the family without a single fucking question, because she trusts you. Some people suck at showing affection and love, and it definitely runs in the family, but Katsuki, you are so fucking loved here.” You sigh, your hand reaching towards his back unconsciously. You take your hand back in the middle of the movement, terrified of scaring him away; vulnerable Katsuki must be handled with care and caution like a wounded wild animal; one single mistake and the softness is replaced by sharp teeth and aggressive growls.

“I can’t do it. I don’t know how. I can’t see it either. I can’t see someone loving me, there’s nothing here to love. I’m a fucking mess. I don’t know what I’m doing and I fucking hate this feeling.” The end of sentence is muffled by his pillow but you can hear it loud and clear. This whole situation reminds you of the day he got quirked and you hate it. Really, really hate it.

“Katsuki, can I touch you?” You ask hesitantly. Katsuki nods but doesn’t move towards you so you put your hands on his back and trace the scars, just how you wanted in the first place.

“There is so much to love, Kats.” You smile and Katsuki’s body tenses under your touch. “For instance, today you made me stand up for myself and ask for the food I like. You made me feel like I can have what I want. You reassured me you want me in your life forever. You looked at me like I’m the best thing in the world, while we watched that stupid movie with your mom. You kissed my scars like they are something to cherish and not something to hide. You gave me your favorite old T-shirt to sleep in.” You smile fondly.

“How do you know it’s my favorite T-shirt?” Katsuki asks, his voice deep and tired.

“Even though it’s freshly washed it still smells like burnt sugar.” You admit and take a deep breath to inhale the sweet scent. Katsuki doesn’t move towards you, he’s still facing the wall instead, but he takes a deep breath and sighs, some of the tension leaving his body with his exhale.

“When I said I don’t like you… I really don’t think I do. I don’t think it’s the right word. It doesn’t feel right.” Katsuki mumbles. Your hand stops on his back and your breath hitches. You have no idea where is he going with this; is it a good or a bad thing? Fuck, you are really tense.

“Describe it.” You whisper, snuggling closer to his back. He tenses for a second, but it doesn’t last long.

“I don’t like people in general. They annoy me. I always hated them, I hated how it was necessary to be surrounded by them to stay on the top; when I was a child, I kept a few idiots around just to have some people by my side… Just to bully the shit out of Deku and share the blame. I hated them. I thought I hated Deku even more, but… I really don’t. He annoys the shit out of me but he’s been the one constant thing in my life, the one person who stayed by my side even when I fucked everything up. When I was attacked by the sludge monster, those fuckers just left me there to die. But Izuku… he tried to save me even though he was very weak back then. Even though I told him to go and die, he decided to die for ME. And even then, I still resented him, the whole idea of him being my closest friend. I fought against it and made his whole life miserable, yet he stayed. I might have apologized to him, but I’ve never said thank you. I can’t do it.” Katsuki sighs, deep in thought. “Then Eijirou came along… that fucker was a true menace; I yelled at him so much yet he only grinned and looked at me like it’s a fucking praise. I hated him so much for being a nuisance, I thought he’s nothing but another useless idiot who’ll run away from me with the first chance he’s got. Then he saved my life. It was so fucking dangerous, Y/N, but he did it anyway. Then you…. Fuck.” Katsuki’s voice wavers. “You just barged into my fucking life, yelling and clawing at me at every available moment, then turned my whole fucking life upside down and I don’t even know who the fuck I am anymore. All these fucking feelings are choking me. I don’t know what to do with them. I thought I have everything I wanted except the number one title, but then I started to feel like something’s missing and hated you for it. I still do. You made me want all the things I thought I’ll never have. You opened up these fucking doors and I don’t know what to do with them. I know I should be thankful, but I’m not there yet. But one day, I’ll tell you how fucking thankful I am that you pulled me out of my misery. It’s like the world was black and white and you painted it with fucking colors, but they hurt my eyes so much, even though it’s so pleasant to see them. I don’t like you, Y/N. The word is too shallow. It means fucking nothing and you are way more than that. I feel like if this would be just a dream and I’d wake up from it, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. It’s like a part of you lives inside me and I’m a fucking zero without you in my life. I can’t see myself without you Y/N, and it really fucking terrifies me. You are my weakness. You are the bane of my fucking existence. You are something I’ve never wanted but I can’t live without. You are really important to me. A part of me. That’s what I feel. I hate it.”

You don’t know what to say. Your face is wet with tears, ugly sobs bubbling up as you repeat his words in your head, slowly understanding the implications of them.

You want to pour all your feelings into him, kiss him until he understands how much you love this side of him and how thankful you are for his existence. You want to go to bed with him every day, exchanging vulnerable secrets with each other under the blanket of the night, safe and content in each other’s arms.

“Are you crying?” Katsuki finally decides to show his face, turning around so you can see he him rolling his eyes. If it wouldn’t be so dark you would see how red-rimmed they are. “You are such a sap.”

“Oh, shut up, Kats.” You murmur and push yourself closer, your arm slowly snaking around his ridiculously thin middle. When Katsuki doesn’t pull away, you rest your head on his chest, snuggling impossible close until you are nothing but a mess of limbs. None of you say a anything after that, all the unsaid words swirling around you in the shape of tiny blades, they carve into your heart, quick and painful, but you try your best to resist.

I’m in love with you.

It’s not the right time to say it, so you bare with the pain in your chest and close your eyes; you take a deep breath, your mind already hazy from the scent of burnt sugar.

It’s a good kind of pain, because you know that one day, you’ll be able to speak freely about all of this and he’ll say it back.

And when that day comes, you’ll be the happiest person in the entire world.

Another day, another week, another month, another year… it doesn’t matter. You are willing to wait for eternity if it’s needed.

“Good night, love.” You mumble half asleep, not even aware of the words stumbling out of your mouth.

“Yeah. That’s the word.” Katsuki mumbles back, but you are way too sleepy to understand it.

The sleeps take you quickly in the safety of Katsuki’s arms and you don’t remember the last time you’ve slept so soundly through the night. One day, you need to thank Katsuki for that.

… Next Chapter!

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Potato ramble:

- This chapter was so cute 😭😭😭😭 (I’m also fangirling because I wrote this a few weeks ago so I kinda forgot how cute it is 😂) I love how Katsuki finally confessed in his own weird way.

- The way he described his feelings is actually a reference for the wedding chapter in first season where Y/N asked him how would he describe his dream partner. He literally said the same thing back then 😭

- Also, if you haven’t read the first season: Katsuki tends to talk a lot in bed and it’s easier for him to speak freely about his feelings before or after sleep so most of the emotional conversations will probably be in bed in the later chapters as well. The bed and the darkness is Katsuki’s safe place after all.

- The next chapter will be 18+, so if you are underage/not comfortable with that kind of stuff just ignore next week’s chapter; there will be a brief summary in the chapter after for those who decide to skip it! I’m trying my best not to make this season too explicit but Katsuki has his mind of his own and he just does things? (I don’t know how normal people write, but for me, my characters have their own mind. I had so many plans in the past that I had to scrap because I felt like that’s not what the character would do in certain situations. I’m a weirdo, I know.) When these two get their shit together there will be less of this kind of content, so don’t worry!

~•💥•~

Taglist: @sixxze @iwannahaveaprettyaesthetic @hanatsuki-hime @cloroxisadelectabletreat @cheesenmax @coffeent @smolsleepybat @therealpotatobish

[wildrose-briar]

Love On Winter Nights, prologue

word count - 1.1k

description - Despite the class divide between the two of you, Leon and yourself found that there was no one you’d rather be around than each other. 

tags/warnings - fluff, mutual pinning, angst, mentions of class/class difference, coming of age, female reader

The halls of Bramerley were never quiet, the sound of childish voices echoing no matter where you seemingly placed yourself. It wasn’t an uncommon sight either to see two small bodies barreling past anyone unfortunate to be in their way. The little mistress of the house dragging the boy places and him seemingly hanging from her every word.

You adored each other, in the simple innocent way children do, refusing to do any activity if the other wasn’t involved. Even your etiquette classes were not free from this treatment. On most days, the two of you found yourselves outside by the boundaries of the manor - more often than not looking like you’d been rolling in the grass. So much so, it was rare to see you dressed in white anymore, with its fate ending up being grass-stained, the white becoming green within hours of you putting the garment on.

Today was just like most other days, with Leon and yourself choosing to spend your time playing in the sun and consequently avoiding any of the lessons you were meant to attend that day. You found yourself chasing after Leon, hair falling from your neat updo, giggles coming from you every so often when he managed to evade your grasp.

Eventually, your giggles subsided (along with your breath) and the two of you found yourselves bundled in a heap of limbs on the ground. The sun blanketed you in a soft haze and it wasn’t long before you began lightly dozing when you heard your name.

“Hmm”

“Do you ever wonder what your future will look like?”

You turned your head to face the blonde, seeing blue eyes staring up at the sky.

“Not entirely but I suppose I already vaguely know what it entails.” At that blue eyes wandered to yours, eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. The sight caused you to smile. “Well, Father will arrange an adequate marriage for me and I shall become Lady of whatever estate that is.”

“And what about me? What will I do when you marry this Lord?”

“You’d come with me of course, don’t be so silly.”

The smile on his face was blindingly bright surrounded by your childhood naivety. Of course, he knew that to follow you he would have to live the rest of his life a servant, never having the freedom of being anything more. But, he rationalised, he would trade a lot worse to stay by your side.

“Bastard child, I’ve told ya once, I won’t tell you again boy!” The towel flung at his head was well worth the endeavour. For it’s not everyday a little lady turns 11 (you are little to him despite himself only being a handful of months older) and for this very special occasion only the best food can be offered on the daily play in the garden.

Angering the cook was only a plus side to this necessary mission.

With his handful of brioche and honey cakes (your personal favourite) Leon made his way to your spot in the garden. You had yet to arrive, considering you were still in lessons - on your birthday no less! - which gave Leon plenty of time to arrange his makeshift picnic. And if he ate a brioche or two whilst he waited no one would be able to testify so.

It seemed like hours Leon had to wait for the end of your lessons - which in reality was most likely only around half an hour. But, eventually, he could spot your figure cresting the slight hill that separates your spot from the rest of the garden, a small smile on your face. Your hair was pristine - a clear sign you had yet to leave the manor that day - but your dress was already starting to stain at the bottom.

“I see you’ve been busy whilst I had to suffer through Helen’s eternal critique of my tea-drinking etiquette.” The gleam in your eyes said you were only half serious. The old maid may be insufferable when it comes to manners but she seemed to have a soft spot for you - something about reminding her of your mother.

“Can’t say I’m all that envious of you. I am rather grateful they no longer allow you to bully them into allowing me to come. What was it? Something about proprietary?” His smile transitioned to that of a smirk. He knew that expression annoyed you (something about it “only managing to further highlight his arrogance”) of course that only made him do it more.

“I for one do not care about propriety. I find it only fair for you to experience the wonders of etiquette lessons alongside me.”

“Yes but when would I use them? I don’t see myself ever being invited to dinner let alone a ball.”

You didn’t deign him with a response, instead opting to roll your eyes whilst planting yourself firmly down beside him in the grass. With very little time you began inspecting his choice of food, carefully examining each to find the objectively best one.

“Honey cakes. How much trouble did you get in with the cook to obtain these?” you said, wiggling said cake in front of his face.

“Only as much as I usually do.”

“Ah. So plenty then.”

At fourteen, Leon’s mother passed of consumption -  a sight all too common for those unable to afford a physician. Days that used to be carefree had slowly become melancholic and with an ever growing awareness of what society deemed appropriate, the relationship you once shared no longer held the innocence it once did.

Where you used to lounge practically on top of each other, you now sat at least shoulder length apart. The only untouched place was your spot in the garden but even then the meetings had become shorter and less frequent. Your duties as lady of the house had only increased with age and Leon often found himself helping around the manor.

It was also at fourteen that you and Leon were separated. With his mother no longer working at the manor - for the fact that she had passed on - Leon had no right to continue living there and with the cooks' complete resentment for him, continuing the work his mother (who answered directly to the cook of his childhood feud) did was not an answer to this. Without an income, Leon had to find work and to find work meant leaving the manor.

You were loath to let him go, begging your father for him to stay but the decision was steadfast and one summer’s eve, you watched Leon be carted away from you.

Welcome to my Jane Austen AU. I wanted to introduce the relationship between the two but don’t worry little you and Leon are not yet done. As this is only a prologue, expect the rest of the story to be a lot longer. Leon’s speech is meant to be more refined (though still less so than reader’s) as I mentioned that reader had managed to have him in her earlier etiquette lessons.

[someone-elsa]

(part 3 of 5)

🔙 Chapter beginning ⬅ Part 2 • Part 4 ➡ 📝 About the story and characters

Harrison Stacks had invited his children and his musical stars over for dinner at his and Isabella Peña's townhouse. Plus ones had been allowed and since River didn't have anyone special at that moment, she had asked Paige to join her. Curious to meet the musical cast, Paige had happily agreed.

As usual, Isabella had wanted show off that she followed upcoming trends and served the hippest food available: sushi (she obviously didn't even like it; she only nibbled some rice before sticking to a strictly wine diet).

"They can't even make proper sushi in this so called city," she explained snobbily and rolled her eyes theatrically. This made the Stacks siblings exchange looks and roll their eyes in turn (when Harrison or Isabella weren't looking).

River was happy to see Wade and Emmy's relationship was thriving. Emmy wasn't as timid around the Stacks as she had been before. River couldn't imagine anything — or anyone — coming between them.

As River had expected, her father talked about himself and his own achievements but he was able to give credit to the actors and his beloved muse.   River had to wonder if Harrison had always been so insufferable and pretentious or was it Isabella's influence. Either way, they seemed perfect for each other.

When Paige mentioned she was reworking her business' social media strategy, Emmy couldn't help but give some tips. They had surprisingly pleasant conversation about marketing and social media.

Sara was as bubbly as the champagne they had had as an apéritif. She hadn't had a proper drink in more than a year so it hadn't taken much for her to get tipsy. She was carefree but it wasn't all wine's doing; she wasn't worried about the nature of Bayu and Jaylah's relationship anymore.

Still, River kept an eye on Bayu and Jaylah to see if Sara had been right to suspect something after all. But Jaylah barely spoke with anyone, and mostly pouted and sipped white and red wine in turns.

Bayu mostly talked with Harrison and even then he gave short answers. He ate more sushi than anyone else and loudly burped after his fourth beer.   What ever is so charming about this guy? River wondered (to be fair, she didn't find guys charming anyway).

Hours later, when everyone had eaten enough rice lumps and seafood, River walked to the bar where her dad kept his endless collection of wines and liquor. Her hands had been shaking again but she didn't want anyone to notice.   My blood sugar's low, she assured herself. Yes! That must be it.

But her moodiness didn't go unnoticed.

She didn't get to be alone for long. Wade decided to try and cheer up his big sister.

Notes: Posing the sims for this scene (9 sims 😵) was easier than I had expected. No-one tried to sneak out or anything 😁

Isabella was created by @haziewhims and Emmy by @cherisim ♥

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"I'm so glad that you could meet with me today. I've been looking forward to getting to know you better."

Ewan G Maricourt calmly sat beside the son he had just recently been informed was his. Ewan MacLeod had reluctantly accepted a quick visit with his father, even though magic still made him uneasy. Magic appeared to be everything to his father, though, so a relationship with him likely meant a relationship with some degree of magic.

If a relationship was even what he wanted from his father. Most days, Ewan wasn't sure. His half-siblings looked happy enough with him in their lives, but they also were magic users. Ewan was decidedly not interested in magic, nor was he aware that he even had the potential to cast magic.

"You have plenty of potential if you did want to study here," Ewan Maricourt announced, like he'd been somehow reading his son's mind. "Your tuition could even be covered as my son. That is if your mother agrees. Have you had any discussions with her about our...connection? Truthfully, I don't remember much about her magical inclinations. Our relationship was brief."

Brief? The younger Ewan was surprised that his father could even remember his mother. From what she said, their "relationship" was nothing more than a few ill-advised hookups.

"I don't think she has any interest in magic. She always says that you can't trust a warlock. That his first allegiance is to himself and then his coven and then finally to those who love him. I don't think I can even do magic if she wanted me to."

"My own mothers were hard on me," Ewan Sr scoffed. "They pushed me to greatness because they knew that I had the potential. Both of my great-grandfathers were kings, and my- our lineage is filled with great warlocks and witches. We descend from the main Maricourt lineage. Not the 'preferred' lineage our queen comes from, but a powerful one nonetheless."

"So you're saying that I might be able to do magic like your kids because of my ancestors?"

"You are my kid," Ewan Sr corrected. "But yes, magical power is generally passed in the blood. It's what makes the study of blood magic dangerous. At the same time though, magic exists everywhere, in every person. If you can find a way to connect to magic on a personal level, anyone can perform it. Several students here come to us from non magical families. They can take what they've learned to those families and maybe help them find a connection of their own. We all have both life and death in us, we are all their subjects. Bloodlines do tend to foster greater magical strength, though; there is no denying that."

"Devard, I'm busy. Go hit on someone else, I have an exam to study for."

Remy pushed Devard Auvrey away from her, rejecting his advances. Devard respectfully backed off, but still voiced his objection.

"You said today you were free to hook up," he protested. "Emily's gone on a study assignment."

"Ew, are you still sleeping with her?" Remy scoffed. "She's boring. Plus, she's bad at magic. She's practically got my grade average, and I work very hard to score so low. Stupidity comes naturally to her."

"You sound jealous," Devard laughed, making Remy fume beside him. He had met Remy the first year of their studies, but she had only started giving him the time of day recently, presumably because she was trying to make her girlfriend jealous. He was the son of a famous actress and a descendant of the king of Crystal Cove, making him far better a catch than the daughter of a Strangetown cult reject and a man barely holding onto power. Remy never saw it like that, of course. In Remy's eyes, she was practically the equal of the queen of Pleasantview.

"I am not jealous of Emily," the witch fumed. "If I wasn't going to fail this exam, I would prove it to you. If I fail this exam, Dad might keep me back a year. Can you imagine the indignity of repeating a year while my siblings all make fun of me? Elowen would never let me live it down and Theo? He'd be insufferable."

"Maybe work less hard at keeping your grades low," Devard teased. "You're overachieving at being a failure."

"Yeah, yeah. I can't suddenly miraculously get better to pass just this exam without giving the game away. It's a balance of lies that sells it."

Evren stood at the door of the magical academy, trying to settle on an approach to take with his stepson. Parenting was a hard job, and parenting a young demon hybrid who was studying blood magic seemed to be nearly impossible. The problem with raising Theo with three non-magical parents was being the only parent who could understand his use of spells. There was one spell Theo had used recently that Evren didn't know how to react to.

For months now, Evren had been charming Theo's day planner and workbook with the basic spell for birth control. On top of that spell, he had placed a ward that would send him a signal when it had been cast. Well, the day had finally come and the ward had been triggered, warning him that his young stepson was sexually active.

Telling Theo's biological parents was out of the question. Roman might just die of fear and never leave his bed, while Abe might backslide in his parenting and scream at his son for making poor decisions.

Adrian usually sided with Roman, but was fiercely protective of Theo. If Evren knew his partner, Adrian would launch himself at the Darktides, using his own political power to undermine Edana's duke husband, while Edana presumably got Theo expelled from school. There wasn't a single scenario where Theo's parents reacted in a sane, rational or mature way.

Which meant that it was entirely up to Evren to be the mature, responsible parent. It also meant that Evren had to be the mature magic user where Theo's parents couldn't. He hadn't placed a ward on the spell for curiosity or to punish Theo. Theo would probably see it that way if he found out, but Evren had other motivations.

He told Theo every time they crossed paths at the school to be careful with his magic. The hybrid had already attached himself to a powerful family while also casting blood magic, unaware that that same attachment needed to be compensated for. Every teacher had been instructed by Evren to remind Theo of this fact, and to limit any blood magic homework that Theo would be tempted to finish with his boyfriend. As hard as Evren tried to show Theo where the acceptable limits for blood magic were, the more Theo seemed to ignore him. The boy was cocky and seemed to think he knew everything, just like any other teenager.

Blood magic was primal. It didn't limit itself to spells and wards. It was a consuming power that invaded the entirety of a warlock or demon's life. Ritual feasts, the act of killing or dying, and sex and childbirth all took a toll on the caster, feeding and growing their power without conscious thought. Evren was pretty sure Theo wasn't about to go on a murder spree or hold ritualized feasts, but sex was an entirely plausible thing to worry about and Evren knew better than to assume that Theo had taken this under consideration before jumping into bed with someone he was dangerously bonded to.

As soon as the ward had triggered, Evren had spent every moment he could get thinking about this problem and how to keep Theo safe without Roman either hospitalized or demanding Evren's head on a platter for keeping this fact to himself. His only help had been Adam's father, who had grasped the problem immediately and without causing a scene. Both men decided to test the connection between the two boys discreetly before moving forward. There was at least a chance that their sons were using magic responsibly and a test would prove it. Edana was also conveniently at a royal event in Twikkii Island with her husband, so if nothing happened, she would never know that a test had taken place. Ewan made sure that he would be close by in case something happened. His visit with his son had been strategically planned so he could keep a discreet eye on the demon hybrid.

"Evren! You're visiting today! Did you come with an assignment for me?"

Despina ran to Evren and engulfed him in a hug. Evren hugged her back, happy to see at least one teenager he didn't have to worry about.

"No assignments," Evren laughed. "Trust me, you'll get more than enough here without me adding more. It's great to see that you have a passion for magic; never lose that sense of wonderment and your homework will be the most interesting part of your life here."

"Can you point me in the direction of Theo?" he asked.

Despina pointed down the hall where the sound of Theo's laughter echoed off the walls. Evren sighed. Whatever he was doing, it certainly didn't sound like schoolwork. Maybe Evren didn't have to rush to assess the condition of Theo and Adam's connection if they were both goofing off instead of studying.

When Evren made it down the hall, he could see Adam hunched over a large crystal, furiously muttering commands that clearly weren't working. Theo had one hand holding his notebook, and the other watching something on his phone.

"Hi, Evren!"

Theo looked up from his "spellwork" to see his step-father watching him intently. In an instant, the phone vanished into Theo's pocket.

"Theo, Adam. How are you two?" Evren asked cautiously. He didn't want to interrupt them if they were in the middle of a spell. Considering that he was there to judge their bond in the first place, interrupting them might lead to an incident, and Evren very much wanted to avoid an incident if he could.

"Fine," Theo answered. "A bit cold, but I guess someone opened the main hall window or something. Why are you here? Is something happening?"

It was somewhat common to see Evren come and go at the school while he completed official coven business, but judging from the stern look on his face, he was here for another reason.

"I'm fine too," Adam added, jumping in before Evren could speak. "We were assigned this crystal as a class project, not that Theo's been much help. I've gotten it to glow, but it's supposed to release a special kind if energy under the right circumstance."

"Of course I've been helping," Theo snapped irritably. "It's just a dumb rock. It's never going to do anything other than glow."

Evren froze, looking at the large crystal that Adam was working with. The boy had an affinity for crystals and could likely extract the correct energy in an hour or two given the chance. He was truly talented.

But that was what was dangerous. Whoever had assigned Theo and Adam this project was either not paying attention or was purposely trying to trigger something dangerous. Once Adam extracted the energy from the stone, Theo's natural pull towards that energy could land them in serious trouble. It was a good thing that Evren had arrived when he did. It looked like the faculty at this school listened to Evren's warnings in the exact same way that Theo did.

"Hmm, what about a new approach?" Evren suggested, trying to suppress his worry, but seeing an opportunity. "Theo, why don't you summon some small amount of energy and then get Adam to amplify it with his own. Sometimes, adding existing energy to crystals can awaken the energy inside."

And it will be the perfect test to see how the two of you function together within the bond you share.

Nothing about this test was dangerous. It was a simple task that even child witches could perform. Master Ewan had given his consent for this test along with several others and would be able to back up Evren should anything go wrong.

"Alright, that makes sense."

Theo extended his arm, calling a small ball of energy into existence. Beside him, Adam left the crystal and cupped Theo's hand with his own.

Within seconds, the ball had doubled in size and intensity. Evren felt his body relax despite his worries. The two of them were perfectly balanced, each of them maintaining a harmonious pull on the energy at all times. There was very little left distinguishing Adam's energy from Theo's. The two were wrapped around the other's magic so completely, it was hard to imagine them eventually separating into two different people. They had been friends since the age of six, recent lovers and partners in their magical studies. They were inseparable, both physically and magically.

"Theo, it's starting to hurt," Adam muttered softly, hoping that Evren wouldn't hear. "Theo, let go."

Adam tried jerking his hand away from Theo's, but it wouldn't move. The light was intensifying, growing more and more powerful with every second. Theo didn't respond to him. He kept their hands locked together, unable to move.

"Theo, stop! You're hurting my hands!"

Adam shouted at his boyfriend, despite wanting to keep his failure to maintain the spell a secret. His hand was burning now, and pain inflamed the nerves that ran down his arm. He was on fire, burning from the inside out.

Beside him, Theo was pulled into his dark form, only adding to the power in the room.

Brilliant light engulfed the school, suffocating the land with an unnatural brightness that was only getting stronger.

Evren stared at the sparkling light filling the room with curiosity. He had read Theo's school file a long time ago, when he had started dating Adrian. Theo had been just as much Adrian's child as his own biological girls, and Adrian had made sure that Evren understood this fact before dating him. In order to understand how to guide Theo in his magical journey, Evren had memorized everything in that file. He understood the basics of Theo's abilities and tried his best to explain them to Roman, Abe and Adrian. He was often Theo's advocate when his parents didn't understand how the magical world functioned.

This light show had been one of the first expressions of Theo's abilities. Abe had described the magic to him exactly like this. This blinding light, the eerie glow that hung in the air was demonic magic in its purest form. He had read papers that suggested that this magic often appeared in infant demons because they were newly born and still had some magic of the Life deity left in them from birth. After they experienced the cold of the Void and fed on energy for the first time, they lost the ability to access this type of magic.

How the hell was Theo still accessing Life’s magic? Demons first began as fallen servants of Life, but most of them never retained any of its power, except maybe the smallest spell of an infant. Whatever this was, Evren had not expected anything like it. At most, he had figured that maybe he'd have to sit the two teens down and shout at them to be more careful with their magic now that sex was a factor changing their connection. This? Ewan was not going to be happy about this. Evren shuddered just thinking about trying to break this news to Roman.

Sorry, Roman. Your son is sleeping with his boyfriend and that's making his magic so unstable that he's apparently doing impossible magic. I'm the one who decided to test him without asking you first because I knew that you'd blow up or self-destruct if I did.

"Theo, stop! It's hurting me!" Adam shouted again, trying to pull his arms away from his boyfriend but failing.

"I don't know how to stop," Theo whimpered. "I can't move. I'm trying to let go, it's just-"

Adam screamed as bright lines ravaged his body, taking over the visible skin and raising long welts across his face. Theo could feel the pain Adam felt just as strongly as he knew that this was all his fault. He'd messed up again and now Adam was in danger, all because he had trusted Theo.

"Adam! I'm sorry, i don't know how to stop this," Theo sobbed. "Tell me how to stop this! Evren, help!"

The familiar crackle of the Void rang through the air, illuminating whatever it touched in violent pink light. An unbearable coldness whipped around the school windows, trying as hard as it could to unite with Theo and the energy he was unleashing.

Theo's eyes were wide and terrified as he watched Adam fall to his feet, still unable to separate his and Theo's hands, screaming in agony.

"Adam, I can't let go! Please help me," Theo pleaded desperately. Adam's eyes rolled back into his head as he lost consciousness, still clinging to Theo against his will.

Evren already had his wand out at the ready. There were spells to disarm situations like this, but with a bonded pair and demonic Life magic in the mix, it was imperative that he chose the right spell. The wrong spell might only make the situation worse.

"Evren!" Ewan was already drawing power to himself, his own wand glowing dangerously. "Demonic exorcism level one. Start it now! I'll protect my son while you disarm Theo."

Evren frowned, but raised his wand as instructed. Exorcism was reserved for full demons usually, but the power radiating from Theo certaintly felt like it was comparable to a full demon. Exorcism usually returned a demon to the Void without the energy to return though. The last thing Evren wanted to do was banish his stepson to a realm he wasn't fully able to function in. He could see Ewan's plan, though. A level one exorcism started with draining demonic energy to weaken the demon enough to banish it to the Void. Draining just enough demonic magic might weaken Theo's grip on Adam enough to separate them. It would also seal the creeping expansion of the Void. Exorcism wasn't the first choice Evren would have gone with, but it was a solid plan.

"Theo, close your eyes!"

[mythandlaur]

Code: July Day 9 - Season & Day 22 - Snow/Warmth

Admittedly I lost some steam here and doubt I'll do all 30, that was kind of a pipe dream anyway. There's still a couple more I had ideas for that I did want to get out, though. Especially after people have left such kind comments, I really appreciate it ;;

To explain this one, I'd already gone through the whole "season > weather > OH GOD I'M NOT WRITING ABOUT THE HOLIDAY IN THE MIDDLE OF JULY > snow" thought process...before realizing snow was actually another prompt later on. So I'm just going to say this counts for both. Is it cheating? Maybe a bit. Who's counting. (Is someone counting?)

...

Yumi opens her eyes, and feels a pit of dread forming at the bottom of her stomach.

It takes her a few seconds to realize that dread stems from the light from her window painting her ceiling with a different tint than normal. Then another second to stand up, two to walk to the window, and ten solid seconds for her to stare at the thick blanket of snow covering her yard in abject dismay.

She'd thought she'd be over it by the time she had to worry about actual snow. Apparently, she isn't so lucky.

Yumi can already feel the chill from the other side of the window, and she doubles over on herself, trembling. Already, it cuts through her skin, straight into her bones, and there's no way she'll ever be warm again, until she is, she's so hot it's unbearable and she can't feel her fingers and--

"Yuu-chan! Hiiro-kun!"

Her mother's shout up the stairs snaps Yumi out of her thought spiral, and she lurches back from the window as if struck, mind already racing. She's going to have to walk to school with Hiroki, and she's going to have to do it without looking like she's freaking out because it's not even that much snow it's probably not that cold and as far as anyone else is concerned there's no reason she should be any worse about the cold than she was last year.

For the rest of the usual chaos that is a weekday morning at the Ishiyama household, Yumi tries desperately to think of a way out. Her mother sees her off, so she can't just not go. She can't play sick because her mother will see through it immediately, and if she doesn't show up to school, her friends might worry about her--If she freaks them out over something this minor, well, she might as well just die. She can't ask to go by car; the snow isn't that bad, plus her father's really conscious about gas and the school is in the opposite direction of his work, and a negligible drive anyway. Whatever exists of that hope departs with him as he heads out the door, grumbling.

Yumi's forced to begin resigning herself to the fact that there is no way out--she'll just have to do it and hope Hiroki doesn't notice, or that a car doesn't skid and hit her, or that a tree doesn't fall on top of her, or that she doesn't just collapse...She fruitlessly tries to will these thoughts out of her mind, channeling her frustration into helping Hiroki lace up his boots.

There's a knock at the front door, stopping them all mid-bundling.

Yumi's mother nudges past the rest of them to get it. Yumi peers up from her spot on the floor, trying to get a glimpse of the visitors--she gasps in surprise when she recognizes grey-brown and bright pink on her doorstep.

The green one attempts an awkward bow at Yumi's mother, mumbling something into the collar of his jacket that's probably supposed to be "konnichiwa", but comes out more like "coney-kiva". Still, the earnest attempt at least gets a chuckle out of her mother.

"Um...has Yumi left yet?"

"Ulrich! Aelita!"

Yumi ties the last knot in her brother's laces, ignoring the insufferable look he tries to give her, probably having to do with Ulrich coming to the house. She hurries up next to her mother in the doorway, crossing her arms instinctively as the chill wind blows in from outside.

"What are you guys doing here?"

...There's a sudden flash of fear--had she missed a phone call? Aelita must notice it on her face, because she smiles reassuringly. "It's nothing urgent," she says, telling Yumi everything she needs to know in three words. "We just wanted to walk you and Hiroki to school today." She glances sidelong at Ulrich with a sly smirk. "Well, I say we, but it was really Ulrich's idea."

"Mpff." Ulrich pulls his jacket collar up further as if trying to disappear inside it. He's wearing his ski goggles, and his hat's pulled down lower than strictly necessary--right, he'd been there for the snow incident, not to mention that whole held hostage in an industrial freezer situation. He had just as much reason to hate the cold, if not more. And yet, he'd come all the way out here...?

Yumi's mother sighs in relief. "I was a bit worried about it. Thank you both, you're good kids." She shuffles back from the doorway, giving an exaggerated shiver. "Now if you're both ready--Yumi, your mittens--go on and get going so I can shut the door."

Yumi nods, shoving her hands into the offered mittens before herding Hiroki out the door with an arm, Ulrich and Aelita stepping aside to make room. Yumi waves over her shoulder. "Ittekimasu," she calls, her brother halfheartedly chorusing halfway through.

"Itterasshai!" her mother replies, waving before quickly closing the door behind them to block out the cold.

The moment their mother's out of sight, Hiroki turns on Yumi's classmates with a squint of utmost suspicion. "Are you three gonna skip school again?" He says it like a whine, but Yumi knows full well he's just jealous of what he sees as 'cool rebellious teenage activities'. Not that they weren't rebellious (or weren't at all cool, if she's being entirely honest with herself), but given he treats warnings as challenges, it's probably best to let him keep believing it's that simple.

"No," Aelita hums, "We were just worried about you guys walking all this way in the snow."

"But you're missing breakfast..."

Ulrich shrugs. "Yeah, Odd's thrilled. I didn't really feel like eating, anyway."

Hiroki scowls. "You guys are up to something!"

Aelita makes a big show of glancing off to the side with a disappointed sigh. "Okay, you got me." She slips off one of her fluffy pink mittens, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small mp3 player. "I did want a test audience for my new mix..."

Hiroki's eyes go wide, and Yumi can practically see stars in them as he chucks off his backpack and starts digging around for his earbuds. Ever since finding out Aelita was not only a rebellious teenager but also a real DJ who made real actual music herself that had been good enough to get noticed by the Subdigitals, she'd sort of become one of the coolest people on Earth to Hiroki.

Aelita winks back at Yumi as Hiroki throws his backpack back on and runs up next to her. Yumi nods gratefully, and Aelita starts walking, Hiroki keeping pace with her as Ulrich and Yumi let themselves fall a ways behind.

"Your idea, huh," she murmurs to Ulrich, stuffing her hands in her pockets to mirror his stance.

He grunts again. "Yeah. Aelita only really came so your parents wouldn't freak out."

"Good thinking," Yumi snorts, "Plus she makes an excellent distraction." She glances down at their feet, noticing the twin ruts behind Ulrich as he drags his feet. Her voice softens. "Hey, are you okay? I know you--"

"M'fine. It's no big deal."

Yumi rolls her eyes. Of course. "You know, you don't have to pretend you're some big tough guy and that's why you're doing this," she says, though there's no real venom in her voice. She lightly elbows him, nearly knocking him off the sidewalk. "It could just be because you wanted to do something nice for me."

"Th-that's not what I'm trying to--!"

Yumi bites her lip to stifle a laugh as he tries to stare a hole in the ground. She can practically see his blush. God, he's an idiot. Sometimes, that's as charming as it is annoying. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Then what're you doing it for?"

"Uh...!" Ulrich looks up at her with wide eyes, then back down at his own coat, clearing his throat. "I just wanted to be sure that you'd make it. Not--not that I don't think you'd make it, but..."

"Don't worry, I think I get it," Yumi replies with a small smile. He worried she wouldn't bother, which was, considering her thought process all morning, a valid response. The fear still cuts into her, but it's a lot less sharp with them around. Him around. "...Thanks."

This time, it's less of a shove, more of a gentle nudge. He pushes back. "Don't mention it."

"That you care? Secret's safe with me, but the others might've figured it out by now."

"Shut up."

Yumi does let herself laugh, kicking up a bit of snow with a boot. It comes up in a small cloud, fresh and fluffy, not practically frozen under her foot--nothing like before.

It's not at all like before.

[bronanlynch]

approximately a million years later I have finished aai and also this post so here is The Lawyer Rankings (of whose file clerk I would rather be) (aai took me a long time to play but also I finished it forever ago so like. take these with a grain of salt)

miles: it would be interesting at least, sometimes your boss goes on a trip for a week and gets caught up in like 4 different murder investigations and all of them are absolutely bonkers, so those would be some fascinating documents to skim while you’re filing them. however. not entirely sure about what his job actually consists of at this point so it’s possible that you wouldn’t have much real work. 6/10, I’m not sure he’s like, consistently employed

miles (flashback): I know that I could not fix 20 year old miles edgeworth, especially not as his minimum wage employee whom he does not listen to, but it’s almost tempting to try because wow I’m very sad abt him. however. he’s so smug, is the thing. he needs you to know that he knows more than you and you’re like, dude I’m just trying to scan all of these exhibits I truly do not need to know or care abt your clever courtroom strategy or whatever. also I’m allergic to smug men talking down to me, it makes want to out-pretentious them and that would end badly for both of us. 4/10, which is more than I gave him for the aa3 flashback because 1) he didn’t call anyone a bimbo this time and 2) this one made me so sad

portsman: imagine this scenario: I am portsman’s file clerk, I poke my head into his office to ask if he has a file that someone else needs (he does, and he’s been ignoring my emails because I won’t talk to him about ~the big game that weekend), I get accidentally hit in the face with a baseball because he’s playing catch with himself in his office, I go to hr and I quit immediately and also fill out some workplace injury paperwork. 2/10, annoying and bad to interact with but not quite insufferable enough to go lower

payne: so forgettable that his coworkers can’t be bothered to remember he exists, which is valid but might mean they would also forget you by association, and that could be inconvenient when you’re trying to track down paperwork and schedule meetings. 3/10, no one would take me seriously by extension and I would get annoyed when my emails didn’t get answered

franziska: the international travel is a big plus as long as you get to travel with her, and if not then you get left alone to do your thing a lot of the thing, which is also a plus. however she doesn’t seem like a great boss on account of how she’s still always threatening to cut gumshoe’s pay which I would not enjoy, but at least she’s generally on top of things which makes your job easier. on the other other hand, at least once per post I’m obligated to say that I would simply not want to work for cops and. y’know. interpol prosecutor is like. double cop. 4/10, my pay would probably be low enough without getting cut tyvm

franziska (flashback): absolutely not, I’m taking a strong anti-child labor stance, and also working for a child prodigy would actually realistically mean working for her father which uh. see below. 1/10, sorry fran

manfred von karma: aside from the injustices he’s committed and also just his rancid vibes, he seems like he’d be incredibly unpleasant to work for. asks you to do an impossible task and then when you figure out a way to do it anyway he makes up something to scold you about even though it wasn’t something he’d originally asked for. and god forbid you not have something sent the courts on time even though he’s the one who emailed you the document to print at 4:55 on the day of the deadline when the mail goes out at 4:50. you’re still getting blamed. 0/10, absolutely not, I don’t care what the benefits are

calisto yew: my answer here changes based on whether I know she’s the yatagarasu, because I wouldn’t be able to have any respect for her if I thought she was actually just defending corporations, but if I knew that she was setting up their downfalls I would love to help. however she would probably make fun of me for taking my job too seriously and trying too hard, and she seems like the kind of casually disorganized that would drive me bonkers, so it might not be the greatest work environment. 8/10, as long I know she’s the yataragasu, otherwise 5/10, only if I’m desperate

byrne faraday: again, depends if I know about his extremely cool and valid crimes. aside from that, he seems like a dependable kind of boss who answers your emails and wouldn’t be too strict or mean, and if he needs you to do something that you’ve never done before he’s willing to show you how to do it. 10/10, if I can be the yatagarasu’s file clerk, otherwise 5/10

aa1 | aa 2 | aa 3 | aa4

[a-student-out-of-time]

Like I'm pretty sure that SDRA2 tells that in killing game you should trust nobody think about that. Kokoro end up trusting Teruya that he protect her but he mess up and she died. Setsuka end up trusting Hibiki and her sister and end up dying. Shinju was one of characters who says that they need trust each other end up be a tool that Nikea used for his plan. And Syobai survives who was isolated and trust nobody and he survivor unlike people who trust in someone.

//I think you're misunderstanding the real issues here. One, this is a terrible message in general because you can't get through any sort of game like this without trusting someone.

//Two, LINUJ absolutely has this very cynical perspective on human nature, but it feels incredibly selective and haphazardly applied. For example:

He's talked about how he created Kizuna to be the most hateable character in DRA and someone you'd want to suffer the worst death, yet he gives her some very sympathetic moments and backstory elements that show there's depth to her behavior. Everything about her sudden turn to murder doesn't feel like she's showing her true colors, but a contrived turn out of left field to make her a villain because that was the plan.

He'll talk constantly about how we should hold characters accountable for their actions and how no element of their backstory makes what they do okay. And he'll say this no matter how much those characters clearly show compassion, camaraderie, regret, guilt, sorrow, or how tragic their backstories are. He has this weird habit of giving them understandable backstories, but instead of using them to contextualize behavior or provide some sympathy, it's like he tells the audience "No, you can't agree with them, they're bad people."

Despite that, when Sora deliberately tries to save Yuki's life by using an unconscious Nikei's hand to injure Shinji, he was baffled and hurt that a lot of people were angry at her, when he felt she deserved sympathy for that. Honestly pretty hypocritical there, ngl.

When his characters aren't regressing as people or dying, they're just stagnant. Iroha doesn't undergo any kind of growth in this game, and her true colors turn out to be those of a self-centered coward. It honestly gets pretty insufferable, yet he hasn't really had a bad word to say about her.

He also has this uncomfortable desire to see the nicest and kindest characters suffer the worst deaths, and for no other reason than its emotional impact on the audience. Yet he's also sad that he did it and wishes it didn't have to be like that?

Third, your points don't make any sense within the story's logic:

Syobai does not survive because he "doesn't trust anyone." He survives because he has literal cheat codes and can leave the simulation whenever he wants. Plus, as a Broker, he makes deals with people, and deals require trust. He even made a deal with Emma and only broke it when it was clear his life would be in danger if he still upheld it.

Kokoro died not because she made a mistake trusting Teruya, but because she made the absolutely boneheaded decision to confront Emma about her status as a Void and her abusive father without any protection at her side. Bringing Teruya with her would not have been hard at all.

Setsuka's death happened because Kanade is a jealous clingy freak, and also because she read ahead in the script. Hibiki didn't betray Setsuka, she was in her puppet state and couldn't act on her own at the time, having no conscious awareness of her actions.

The closest you could really say was genuine betrayal was from Nikei, but that had nothing to do with Shinji. It was because Nikei wanted to ruin Mikado's plans out of petty spite, and that meant hurting Yuki by getting him to kill the guy who was there for him the entire game.

//Moreover, SDRA2's themes are so weakly-presented and executed that any messages you take away from this game feel accidental at best. Yes, it's the conclusion of the Another series' story, but there's no obvious exploration of themes or ideas in place, so I really can't say LINUJ had an aesop he wanted to share with us.

//So, no, it isn't saying anything about trust or betrayal. It's not saying much of anything beyond "Let's watch Yuki Maeda suffer for 6 chapters."

//LINUJ is capable of good ideas, but he has this very bad habit of failing to take advantage of them, undercutting them or throwing them out in favor of bad ones instead.

[prerodinu]

Vavrinac started the pack around 0500AD almost 200 years before the twins were born. Only 100 years after he started the pack did a siedr or sied (Norse equivalent of a shaman or witch also known as a vulva / volur) came to tell him that twins would be born upon the pack. One touched by Hel (the Norse goddess of hel or the underworld) who would always have her footing there and in the land of Midgard (the living human world) and One so loved and golden he would rival Baldr but he would not die like the real one by Loki’s hand, he would learn to become his own and thus foil and be the down fall of Vav just like Loki’s entrapment after killing Baldr was his downfall. 

Vav wanted this prophecy to never happen because he wanted his reign on his pack and children to be everlasting. Because he deemed this Siedr of Vulva so fucking terrible and a liar he killed her.  Which upset many people of the pack at the time considered that the pack all believed that you treat a siedr with respect regardless of the outcome of whatever fortune or future they told. To kill them was also seen the worst crime to Odin / Freyja. Most of the people of the pack decided of course that they would wait until those twins appeared and then of course kill off Vav whenever it was over with. 

Sadly that never came to pass because of Vavrinac’s insufferable need to be a terrible father to Katia. He fucked it all up and ended up getting away in the scuffle of all the BS that he caused. Plus his sister, Katarína used her siren magic to help make sure that no one questioned his rule. No one questioned what he did to his children.  

Now the part of the prophecy was true. Katia's blood is black, unlike Artem’s blood which is ‘pure’ red blood. The pack of course saw Katia as a version of Hel because she had black blood. Artem of course did turn out to be like Baldr because everyone loved him so much and he was of course the biggest helper of the pack. 

Now this of course brings me to kind of the point of this lore post. The pack over the years has met and been around so many different people who have become something of a staple in their pack and life currently. Either because of this prophecy that was handed down to many in the supernatural world seeing as the twins were a huge deal. Anyone who saw Katia after she was taken believed that for all purposes she was Hel because of how bad her back looked. Everyone knew Artem was probably Baldr based on the way he killed people and arranged them and now really nothing would pierce through him. 

Velkan ( @nvrcmplt​ ) is a prime example. While the Twins and the pack both keep mostly to the Norse deities and how they worship them. They do in fact worship  Velkan as a god who brought Vavrinac into this world and every other wolf (PLEASE NOT THIS IS LORE THAT I AM BRINGING INTO THIS WORLD IT MAY NOT, OF COURSE, BE THE SAME FOR OTHERS PLEASE RESPECT YOUR OC MUNS AND THEIR LORE THANK YOU) For a while the twin’s called the wolf “The black wolf” as the one who changed them because realistically they thought that’s who was the first werewolf. UPON VELKAN ABSOLUTELY DEMOLISHING VAVRINAC by killing the bastard. And thus brought Valentín Roman and Katarína back into the world upon Vavrinac's death. The twins decided to of course honor the god that saved Katia. They offer him traditional blot i.e.: Cooked foods, animal sacrifices, and the more famous blood. Blood offerings are only ever done by Artem as his blood is pure unless Katia kills something then it is the animal blood she is offering. Katia’s blood is black and that is seen as a stain upon her. She of course uses magic so everyone sees red blood but her blood is not. Velkan’s temple is simply an open space in the middle of the woods far off so that of course no one can stumble upon it. It’s for the pack and only the pack. 

Loni ( @shealfa) Is mainly the only ‘pack’ that the twins interact with simply because of connotations with Katia being Hel. This was mainly formed with Artem being a boss man and amazing as he is and then of course Loni and Katia becoming close. Loni and Katia knew each other, Loni being reincarnated several times over the course of the twin's lives. Every time they somehow find each other. Vav does not like to (before he dies) visit Loni because he simply doesn’t like her. Obviously, that is for a reason because she doesn’t give into his shit. We all love Loni here. 

Obviously, there are many more muses that will be talked about that will constantly be brought up from other muses. All of them are super important to the pack and important to the lore. IE threads or asks depending. Most importantly Velkan because he is now seen as the protector deity of this back. 

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Kyoko, to pass the time, read your tv tropes. you got a lot so just pick a few to react to.

You know, I never quite thought about it, but I suppose you DO get a bit angry when people diss your detective skills.

No angrier than anyone else would get if they were told the skill they devoted their life to wasn’t good enough. 

Fair point.

Here’s another one that I like though. “Broken Bird - Life has been far from easy on her, between her complicated relationship with her father, surviving a killing game that left many of her friends dead, and then almost dying herself from poison. But that's positively why she comes off as one of the most focused characters; she refuses to quit.”

Naturally~

Hm...A few of these make reference to your stoicism...

I feel like that’s not as true anymore. You’re a lot more emotive than you were when we first met.

Who’s fault is that then?

Hehe~

Speaking of which, there’s one here about us.

Yeah. And it’s just reminded me. There was a time when you WERE the vice principle of Hope’s Peak. It was only very brief, so I hardly remember it.

I’m not cut out for teaching. Plus, I wanted to devote my time to the Future Foundation. You’re doing fine at the academy without me.

“Insufferable Genius - She's smug, mentally dominant over submissive people, and doesn't hesitate to insult the rest of the cast's lack of wit.”

That’s not true! ...Is it?

“Insufferable” and “smug” are not the words I would use. You are very blunt though. It’s different from Kuripa’s bluntness since...he actively seems to TRY to be rude.

Anything else?

Hehe...One more thing. They made reference to this comic.

*He shows her the short comic.

Heh...Cheeky Naegi...

[alren-ki]

👪🎂🌙🕷️🌌🎁🌟for all

Oh this is gonna be Some Typing huh. Theres four of these guys.

👪 FAMILY - what is their family like? what is your ocs relationship to them? does your oc have any siblings?

Oleander: - Answered

Marius: Ok so, it should be noted that I am taking Fallout Three and using a whisk on it, that said: Marius has only ever known one of their mothers, and was basically attached to her leg their whole life, she was an alright mom, a bit overprotective at times, but it was understandable given the circumstances, non-biologically, eventually comes to consider Kellogg almost their father, and its one of the few healthy relationships to any other human they have after leaving the vault.

Nemesis: It was just him and his mother as well, though, for a large potion of his life it was him caring for her after she got sick and deteriorated, it was the whole reason for him becoming a courier, to get enough caps to support her. He knows Of several extended family members though, just never met them, thats how he knows the weird hair mutation he has is a family thing.

Morrie: Pre-War, Morrie had a HUGE family, cousins and aunts and all that. She also had an older brother, and they were practically inseparable. Mitchell was three years older and had some pretty severe undiagnosed ADHD, Morrie did her best to keep him grounded and keep jerks off his back, and he did his best to pull her back when she was going to far and help bridge the gaps left by her aggressiveness. The fact he's probably dead is genuinely impossible for her to process on top of everything else.

🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE - when is their birthday? do they like celebrating it?

Ole: Not quite sure themselves anymore, and they don't really, hard to celebrate when you don't have anyone to celebrate with (Its November 7th)

Marius: July 13th, the canon one for the LW. They haven't celebrated it since they left the vault, and it'd take a lot of convincing for them to even think about it.

Morrie: September 17th, She hasn't had time to in a few years, plus it just felt, wrong to do it without sharing it with Mitch, since his was literally the day after they always used to combine it, just another thing they shared.

Nem: April 6th, Yes He Celebrates it, You Celebrate it now, sprawls himself out and does the most pathetic birthday boy pout, flirts with guys and asks if they want to give a kiss to the birthday boy, its Insufferable and he's enjoying himself So Much.

🌙 MOON - what is your oc's greatest wish? how far are they willing to go for it?

Ole: If you asked them this question you'd break them. They, don't really know what they wish for, especially right after the Benny Incident, it takes them a long time to figure it out. But, what they really want is a life where they have what they need, have a small group of people to love them, and a place to go to sleep safe each night, and their willing to work for it however hard they have to.

Marius: They want to be able to keep the people they love safe for once, just once, just this *fucking* once. And they'll kill with their bare hands for that if they have to, if it will change just one outcome. And failing that? They Want Fucking Revenge, and they want it to fucking hurt.

Morrie: For people to stop being bullies, for the strong and cruel to stop picking on others, for someone like her to be unnecessary. For the world to un-end, to have the slightest fucking bit of luck, to have gotten the CHANCE for her and Jimmy to figure out if they could work or not. She wants fairness, The impartial judge to finally really be impartial. She wants a lot. She's not sure where she'd go to get it.

Nem: He just wants plenty of caps, plenty of power and for no one to expect him to lead shit. He doesn't care what it takes to get it, its him and anyone he likes against the world. Fuck everyone else. If they weren't made for the top, who gives a shit. Just means more booze for him.

🕷️ SPIDER - what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears?

Ole: ....I'mma be honest, I don't know what Ole's scared of, maybe being in a bad situation without an exit or someone taking the shrink-boy from them but like, thats all they got. Anything else is so close to their chest even I don't know it. Marius: Heights. They Fucking Hate Heights, They grew up underground people were not meant to go into the sky please let them climb down now, also, rickety buildings, they are fat and not very graceful, if something looks like it might come down at the wrong step, fuck that.

Morrie: She's just a little claustrophobic, also, spiderwebs specifically, spiders not on a web are fine but spiderwebs feature in WAY to many of her nightmares actually.

Nem: He's actually scared shitless of feral ghouls, like, climb up a tree level scared shitless, he can't manipulate, manwhore, Malewife his way out of this one. Please come get him. He's also not generally a fan of dogs.

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

Oleander: Ok so, originally, Ole was GOING to be an attempt to make another OC of mine but in Fallout, so, technically the Inspo for Ole was Dande, so the flat affect and trouble with emotions were the first building blocks, and then I decided the fact I picked specifically a poisonous flower should mean something about how they view themselves

Marius: *Looks directly at @flamestar1031* You know what you did. In less jokes directed at my dearest friends, I started thinking about how I might twist Fo3 to my whims the way I have with literally every other fallout game I have played, I have opinions and unfortunately the fallout fangame did not contain them. Due to a cross with a fic ANOTHER friend inflicted on me, I decided right off the bat they'd be deaf, nonbinary, and have a trans mom. Their name was the last thing they got and I fucking outsourced it lol.

Morrie: I just crumbled things together for her, didn't have any ideas going in, then, picked up the older brother thing and immediately decided the core tenant of her character was she Doesn't Like Bullies

Nem: He invaded my brain fully formed as a house run guy and I shot him in the fucking heart for it, Unfortunately it seems Doc Mitchell is a Heart Surgeon as well as a brain surgeon. Now everyone has to deal with my asshole man. I'd say I'm Sorry but I refuse to suffer alone.

🎁 PRESENT - what types of presents would they be most happy to receive? are they good at gift giving?

Ole: Practical, fabric to repair their clothes, sewing needles, food, anything really, also, No, They are so not, The best they got is putting things they think you might need on your bed and fucking booking it, They are So Unpracticed, help them. Please.

Marius: Nostalgic, things that remind them of the vault, of being a kid, that or chems, but thats not as sweet. Also, surprisingly, yes, Marius can be incredibly thoughtful at times, if you convince them to be.

Morrie: Things with weight, an inside joke, some acknowledgement of an event, kitschy tourist shit that reminds you of being close to someone, Morgan Farrier's a bit of a fucking dork. She does her best in the giving department but oftentimes is so shy about it its hard to not laugh at her a little, and then she's gotta hit ya just a little about it, so, if your good with that kind of interaction then yes.

Nem: All The Things, especially shiney things, This should be obvious by now lol, but also just, he's the person its best to just give money to. Granted, if he genuinely cares about you, you will also, straight up get spoiled about it. so, surprisingly decent at giving, for a prick.

🌟 GLOWING STAR - what do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

Ole: A map, a compass, all that, Bron taught them how to read the sky when they were younger, it reminds them a lot of being a kid sometimes, They don't have anyone in particular right now, but, maybe someday they'd also teach someone to see the sky like they do.

Marius: They Fucking Hate It, Its blurry and hard to see, just more reminders things aren't like they used to be, more reminders of uncomfortable corners they had to tuck into, if they had their way they'd never acknowledge the stars again.

Morrie: A lot of things, stargazing is one of those things that just makes her mind drift and forces her to actually think things through, she's admitted a lot of stuff while staring upwards, it reminds her of when she and Mitch were young, sneaking out at night to stargaze and talk where their parents couldn't hear them about kids stuff, she wishes she had gotten to do it with Jimmy more, maybe they could have worked more of their problems out with the sky as company.

Nem: I don't know if he thinks anything of the stars, surrounding himself in artificial ones the way he does, but stargazing sounds like a decent date with the right guy to him.

Questions from: [x]

[mrskurono]

Ik that this is a femdom/dark content blog but i can't help my self with all the Hina content can we get an hc of how would noritoshi react if hina comes home from daycare crying?

This. His reaction would be this. Noritoshi will commit murder for his daughter this is a simple fact.

[dangeroushologramcolor]

Being DJ Subatomic Supernova's daughter :

Image by TaranzasWig

(Reader is 10 years old)

Being the brightest star of his eyes.

Having a stellar related name, like Polaris, Cassiopeia, Andromeda or Stella.

He sees everyone as simpletons but him and you.

He had you by "accident": he was just freshly graduated doctor in astronomy and worked as a researcher and teacher at the university. He had the habit of drinking coffee in a little café near the university and grown close to one of the waitress. One thing leading to another, she became pregnant and Nova decided to marry her and have you.

He was very happy when you came into this world. You were perfect, his little girl, his shinning star. What worried him was that you mother didn't seemed to share his happiness, but he thought that she was just tired, and anxious about being a mother.

The following year shows him that it was more than that.

You mother had to quit her job to take care of you, but she just gave you the minimum of attention. She took care of you without love or care. She would let you cry when you cry for love and attention, only focusing on her daily life.

Nova and your mother often fight about that. He is tired of her complains about you being a noisy and insufferable child, while with your father, who took care of you and gave you all his love, you were an angel.

Nova was scared and worried that one day, after returning from work, he'll found you sick, hurt or worse, because of your mother's negligence.

One day, he had enough and asked for a divorce.

He wanted to have the full custody and your mother happily gave him without a second thought and leave your life and your father's forever.

Nova was relived that you were now in safe hands, but sad that you mother didn't loved you and that you'll grow up without one.

The seven years that followed those events were happy and peaceful for the two of you.

Since he didn't trust anyone to babysit you, he took you to his job.

You were a quiet and nice child, so his superiors were ok with your presence here. They even saw that Nova was more focused than before.

Your bedtimes stories were books about the solar system and space explained to children, or your father's explanations on astronomy.

When you were 5 years old, you stared to "help" him prepare his classes.

Aka making little drawing to schematize his class.

(He implanted some of them as little funny doddles in his power point, he was just so proud of you)

You attended to all his classes, listening to him explaining quantum science and black holes.

You were homeschooled by your father, so you are quite in advance compared to other 8 years old, plus your father's classes. His students were quite ashamed that a 8 years old better understand quantum physic than them.

The fact that they recognized your handwriting on some of their corrected copy make it worse.

After work, he will buy Mister Dodo popsicle for both him and you, while you walk the way home, watching the starry sky.

You were exited when your father said that you two will move out to Vinyl City and that he'll become a DJ.

At Vinyl City, you go to school instead of being homeschooled.

When your dad signed a contract with NSR, your living conditions skyrocketed.

He likes to spoil you with the newest technology, you always have the latest high-tech thing in your home.

Every time you get scared or are sad, he hug you. You always feel safe in his big arms.

When he goes to NSR meetings, you come with him (if you don't have school of course).

Tatiana likes you, you're smart, polite, disciplined, and your joyful personality isn't a problem to handle.

While your dad is at the meeting, you play with the other artists' children.

You all form a gang of friends, sticking for each other.

After the meeting, you both get Mister Dodo popsicle and goes to the best place in Vinyl City to watch the stars.

You often get tired and fall asleep after a long session of star gazing with comments about space.

Seeing you sleeping peacefully made him warm inside.

He's happy that he was able to offert you this life.

[hellotvshowtrash]

this broken feels free

A/N: This was originally a request from @xxwritemeastoryxx for a fake relationship/engagement + some yummy gifs of Daniel Gillies to inspire some ~ahem~ smut. Pretty much all of the characters are way ooc but like, it’s an AU, so whatever. This is my submission for this months prompt challenge! I did fake relationship (and kind of enemies to lovers? sort of) I am still in awe of the moodboard @elijahs-wife made for this fic, thank you so much! I am eternally grateful for you!

Please leave a like and reblog if you enjoyed!

Warnings: Hear me out. This fic is open to all ages, BUT there is some smut. It is in all italics. PLEASE SKIP IF YOU ARE A MINOR/UNCOMFORTABLE WITH SMUT. it’s literally less than 1k words of the fic. More warnings include: swearing, sadness, loneliness, generally Elijah being a douche, mentions of dead siblings, reader has abandonment issues, author projecting onto the fic. not tagging anyone due to the nature of this fic

Word count: 14.6k

Y/N sighs as she sits at her desk, struggling to keep her eyes open as she types away. Her job at the Mikaelson Design Co. was prestigious and she was grateful for it, she was. She'd have been more grateful for it if her direct manager and CEO of the architecture company, Elijah Mikaelson, hadn't been such an ever-living asshole, but she makes the best of it. He rings her for coffee at six forty-five in the morning, when she'd much rather be sleeping. She was already awake anyway, working on a report he needed from her by seven AM that day. Dark circles lined her eyes and she was happy for the excuse to get up and start walking to wake herself up. The memory of the hot coffee on her tongue made her sigh again, craving the bitter black drink. Her phone rings and startles her from her thoughts. 

"Mr. Mikaelson's office, how can I assist you?" Her customer service voice takes over as the person on the other end of the line starts chattering away.

-

Elijah watches from the corner of his office where the window has a vantage point of her. She's insufferable and perky and always so happy to help that it drives him mad. He watches and rolls his eyes as she smiles into the phone, but something about her smile makes him catch the corners of his own mouth quirking up, imagining what she's laughing about at seven forty-five in the morning. He clears his throat and moves from his hiding spot, back to his desk chair. The report he requested from her sits in his inbox, delivered at six fifty-eight AM, around the same time she marched in with his coffee that he demanded that morning. She must have his order memorized by now. He rolls his eyes and wonders just what parts of her aren't disgustingly perfect. 

Another email in his inbox catches his eye, from a one Finn Mikaelson. He squints his eyes at the screen, sure he read the name wrong. Dear, brother. Why are you reaching out now? He clicks on the email and stills at its contents, eyes scanning the screen. 

Wedding announcement. 

Invitation.

Plus One. 

He groans and closes his eyes. It's been, what, 4 years since he's seen Finn? Longer than that since he last saw his mother and father, the millionaire tycoons who essentially did nothing to earn their money. Elijah prided himself in building his own company, from the ground up. But that wouldn't mean anything to them unless he had someone successful - or at least attractive - on his arm. He doesn't have the time to devote to a relationship, he has a business to run. He stands from his desk again and begins to pace about his spacious office, a nervous habit. His glass enclosed room fills with his voice as he works the scene out to himself. 

"Freya will bring Keelin, lord knows Esther loves her," He mutters. "Rebekah has that fool, Marcel. Kol will be bringing Davina." His hands illustrate his point to no one, moving as he always needs to. He stops short in front of the wall farthest from his desk, his gaze fixed on a point in the paint. "Klaus will be bringing Hayley." His heart practically stops at the realization. He'll never forget finding his love in bed with Klaus, how she claimed Elijah to be neglectful, so she found solace in his dastardly brother. That was 4 years ago, as well. 

It made his stomach clench at the thought of his brother's happy family. What he could have had. The wedding he didn't have the courage to go to, even though the invitation had been extended. "Hayley wants to make amends with you." Rebekah's voice rings in his ears still. She had tried to plead with him to come, be with family, let go of the past. Let go of her, He thought. Something inside him cracks, deep and buried. He shook his head free of his thoughts and turned, facing the glass wall between him and the lobby of his tower floor. His eyes caught Y/N's gaze, who's eyebrows were furrowed. Her eyes widen as their eyes meet and she looks back down at her computer screen quickly. He huffs and maintains his stare, glaring at her. He turns again, smoothing his suit jacket with his palms as he walks back to his desk. He sits back down, closing his eyes as he curses his brother. 

He could simply just not go. That would be easy enough. Avoid his horrible parents, his brothers, his ex-lover. The only person he'd actually like to see would be Rebekah, anyway, and they can simply grab lunch sometime. Maybe Freya could tag along. He knows she'd never let him live this down if he doesn't go, though. He just can't go alone and he knows that. He's the second oldest brother and the longest relationship he's ever had imploded on itself and it was all his fault. Something inside him cracks again and he clears his throat. He opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling, his head swarming with thoughts of Hayley. God, she was beautiful. Carefree. Everything he needed and still needs in his life. He's working himself into the ground and he knows his work ethic will be the death of him. He's staring off now, lost in his thoughts until an idea occurs to him. Not an idea that Elijah finds himself particularly happy about, but one that could work. He knows her well enough to know she might just agree to this. Doesn't know her well enough to know how she'll act, though. He leans forward and presses a button on his office phone. 

"Yes, sir?" Y/N picks up almost immediately and he practically groans in annoyance. Her response is too damn perky. 

"Y/N, may I see you in my office, please?" It's not as much a question as it is a command, but she responds anyway. 

"Right away, sir." The line goes dead and Elijah finds himself adjusting himself to look more presentable. Repairing himself from the outside in. 

Y/N stands from her desk nervously, patting her hair and smoothing out her skirt before she marches into her boss's office, embodying the confidence she lacks. She knows he caught her staring, knows just how they feel about each other, how he feels about her. She knocks politely on the door and Elijah beckons her in through the glass. 

"Y/N, please, sit." He gestures to the leather chair in front of his dark wood desk and she moves quickly. She's nervous, hoping she's not in trouble for watching him pace around his office. She's worked for him long enough to know that he only does that when he's stressed about something. He has a lot of nervous habits that she's learned over the past few years. 

"Is everything okay, Mr. Mikaelson?" She asks politely. He restrains another eye roll and nods instead.

"Yes, I.. have a proposition for you." He answers hesitantly, his eyes averting hers. Y/N raises an eyebrow. "That sounds bad, let me clarify," he clears his throat. "I have an idea and I need you to be a part of it with as little question as possible." Now his eyes meet hers and she still looks confused. 

"O...kay?" She asks. "What's the idea?" 

Elijah sighs and closes his eyes. Maybe this isn't a good idea. "I need you," he pauses, this is your chance to forget this dumb idea and never speak of it again, a voice in his head rings.  "I need you to pretend to be in a relationship with me, at least for," He looks back at his computer screen to double check the date on the invitation. "Two months. And, it's more of an engagement, really." He says flatly, turning back to face her. His hands are folded in front of him on the desk and he fiddles with the ring on this middle finger, another nervous habit.

Y/N's jaw drops at the request and she blinks. Be professional, she reminds herself. "Sir, I-," He raises a hand to stop her and she's taken aback. She's used to him being an ass but he's never interrupted her like this.

"With as little question as possible." He repeats. Her eyes widen in disgust.

Professionalism be damned. "Sir, you can't expect me to not ask questions, which I have a lot of. You can't expect me to just be okay with this right off the bat. First of all, it's demeaning. Second of all, why? How could this possibly benefit you? Third," Y/N doesn't realize she has stood from her chair and is now pacing, asking questions and rambling anxiously, because did her boss really just ask her to do that?

Elijah watches her pace, leaning back in his chair and waiting, He's getting more annoyed with her. Why couldn't she just follow directions? "Y/N, let me stop you there." He interrupts her again. "I will buy a ring, put it on that finger of yours and you will be able to keep it when this is over. Sell it, keep it, I don't care what you do with it. It'll be expensive, too. And I'll ensure you a big quarterly bonus." 

She stopped pacing and her glare switches to an interested eyebrow raise. She turns to him slowly. The things she could do with that kind of money, no debt, she could possibly start the business she'd been dreaming of, on the side until it really kicks off. "No strings attached?" He nodded again. "I want a raise, too." She faces him and crosses her arms over her chest, raising her chin confidently. Elijah rolls his eyes but nods. He stands and extends his hand toward her. Y/N looks between the hand and his eyes before stepping toward the desk and shaking his hand. They both had the same look in their eye and they recognized it in the other. 

What did I just do?

 --

That afternoon, Elijah had begrudgingly taken Y/N to lunch to explain the situation, the idea and buy a ring she approved of.

"You should probably try to get to know me, then." She had said, looking over the menu of the restaurant Elijah had chosen. He looked up at her, startled. "You know, if you want to make this believable for your family." 'And Hayley.' He thought. He swallowed and nodded. She was right, he needed to make this convincing. He spent the next little while asking her questions about herself, the easy ones, mostly. Favourites, hobbies, plans for the future, friend's names. 

"Don't you have any questions for me?" He had asked after a lull in the conversation. The restaurant chatter around them continued as Y/N's eyes stuck to the menu in front of her.

"I pay attention, Mr. Mikaelson. I've worked for you long enough to know these kinds of things about you. You have a picture of your sisters, Rebekah and Freya on your desk. You like the colour green. This particular suit you're wearing today," She motioned at him, "is your favourite. You currently have a box of Wheat Thins stashed in your desk. They're your favourite." She told him as she sipped her drink. Her eyes met his brown ones that widened and he looked sheepish and he knows she's holding back more details, but her point is made. 

"Wow," He murmured. "I apologize, Y/N. I don't know that much about you." He really looked at her and felt his cheeks grow hot. He hadn't even realized his tendencies toward the colour green, his occasional snacks, the suit he takes more care of than the others. The picture of Freya and Rebekah laughing together that he has on his desk. The one he still has of Hayley. They remind him of easier times.

"It's okay." She said simply. "You'll learn." She gave him a small smile before turning back to her menu and he found himself looking forward to getting to know the little details of Y/N. 

Rather than commit the answers to these answers to memory, Elijah emails over a list of questions, some broad and some in depth, for her to fill out and send back to him. She rolls her eyes at the list as she fills it out, her laptop perched on her kitchen countertop as she tastes the simmering liquid she's put together. The ring on her finger continues to catch her off guard as she stirs.

"Question 1," she reads aloud, "What is your favourite colour?" Another eye roll. If they wanted this to be convincing, he would need to ask way better questions. She jots it down anyway. We need to start somewhere. 

She answers the questions absentmindedly, most of them are almost like she is taking a personality quiz anyway. Y/N laughs to herself as she imagines she's taking a "Which Disney Princess Are You?" quiz until she gets to a certain question. How many siblings do you have? Her eyes float over to the shelves in her living room, the small urn sitting atop them, staring back at her. Two. - one older brother, one deceased older sister. She types it out without putting much thought into it. It's easier that way. She moves on quickly, the questions are easy and she falls into a rhythm of answering them. It's almost like getting to know herself all over again. Checking the little spaces of her mind to see if anything has changed. 

She finishes cooking her food and plates it, taking her meal and laptop to the couch with her, continuing her 'assignment'. She finds peace in her small apartment, too quaint and cluttered to feel the creeping loneliness, the cracking interior of her weary heart kept at bay by the welcoming worn comforts of the blankets kept on her couch, just enough room for her, and for her alone. 

 --

Elijah sits in his study - more of a library, really- at home, tapping his fingers on the desk in front of him. He dwells on the things he thinks he would like to know about Y/N, continues to find her interesting and insufferable and he's confused about that. He sighs as he looks at the questions he sent her and scoffs at himself. Favourite holiday? He could do better than that - he wasn't sure he wanted to. The less involved they became, the easier it would be to end this whole arrangement. He tentatively presses the keys in front of him, creating more questions on a new document. He quiets the voice in his head telling him not to care. 

What is your relationship with your family?

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? 

What are you afraid of?

He shakes his head and stops typing as an email pings in his inbox. He huffs at the disruption, checking the time. Ten thirty-seven pm. Who on earth - "I'll show you mine if you show me yours. -Y/N" with a document attached. He practically chokes at the audacity of her, but finds himself chuckling anyway. He clicks on the PDF file to find her answers written out. 

Yellow

Christmas

Two. - one older brother, one deceased older sister.

He felt his heart sink to his stomach. She's worked for him for - how long now, six years? - and he was just learning this information. Guilt swarms him and pits in his stomach. He swallows harshly and moves on, finishing reading her answers. He'll have to ask her more in depth questions, but now, Elijah has to think next steps. Pictures, announcements, an engagement party. His hand snakes through his hair again. Nervous habit. He's been anxious since Y/N agreed to this con. He wonders if she's as anxious as he is. He couldn't put it past her, tricking his entire family could be nerve-racking. 

He can't stop thinking about her, and he hates himself for it. Elijah could feel his composure breaking down, anxiety and nerves breaking through his reinforced walls. Deep breaths. This will all be over soon. He is broken, more broken than he realized, more broken than he thought he could be. Deep breaths. This will all be over soon. He is broken, so much so that he doesn't know if he can come back from this wedding. He knows he hasn't been okay for.. Oh, yes, four years, now. And he knows he's been lying to his therapist, who will kill him for the mental breakdown he is causing himself. 

He stands from his desk, his empty stomach lurching. He thinks of Y/N, how well put together she is, how she'd never let him live down how goddamn broken he is and how her trauma has now sent him spiraling.

Deep breaths. This will all be over soon.

 --

The next morning, Y/N sits at her desk bright and early, coffee in hand as Elijah arrives at the office.

"Good morning, Mr. Mikaelson." She smiles as she hands him his coffee. 

"Thank you." He grumbles in response. "Come to my office, please." Once again, more of a command than a request, but Y/N obliges. He turns the corner to his office and she scoffs as he walks toward the glass enclosed room, her sickly sweet smile disappearing from her face to be replaced by a glare.  She's annoyed by his presence but something about his demeanor is different this morning. He seems tired. Moving into his office, she sits at the chair across from his desk again, where he sits, waiting. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, closing his eyes. She takes note of the bags under his eyes. He must've had a rough night, she thinks. She wonders if she can do anything to alleviate his pain, in spite of her dislike for him. He's been on her mind a lot lately. 

"We have an appointment today." He said. 

“Sir, you've only got one free slot in your schedule left and I-," 

"No, we have an appointment today." He dropped his hand and opened his eyes, meeting hers with a quirked eyebrow. 

"Oh," she nodded slowly, understanding his meaning, "what for?" 

"Engagement photos." Y/N's stomach twists at that. Now is where the hard part begins, the acting like they can stand each other part. "Send me a template of an engagement announcement that you like. I don't have the time to waste looking for a suitable one." He turns to his computer screen. "I'll send you links to the photographer's website, so you can see he is accredited. You may leave the office early today to get yourself ready." He's not looking at her anymore, and she sensed that there was no arguing. 

She nods again and stands silently, moving toward the door of his office. Not that she thought she'd be planning a whole engagement anytime soon - chronically single and decidedly not mingling - but this was never how she wanted it to go. She closes the door behind her and sighs, letting her shoulders sag the tiniest bit. Elijah watches her walk back around the corner toward her desk in the lobby. Annoyance and guilt pangs him. He's dragged her into something more than he ever thought they would experience together. She's his receptionist, a good one, but outside a work perspective, they could tear each other apart. 

She sits at her desk, taking a deep breath. She opens the email he sent, no subject, just links and location and time. I guess I get to see the Mikaelson Estate. She thinks to herself. Prior Friday night plans be damned.

  --

Six o'clock rolls around and Y/N is being buzzed into the gate at the entrance of Mr. Mikaelson's - she figures she should start calling him Elijah - hillside property. The gravel path is short as she pulls up to the mansion entrance, eyeing the black and white building. She sighs as she puts her car into park, her heart suddenly racing. She can't tear her eyes away from the estate. She knew Elijah had money, just not this much money. She exits the car, letting her dress fall loosely around her legs. The warm summer air floated the scent of roses over to her as she surveyed the property. Rose bushes lined a walking path on the other side of the lawn, which was more of a football field filled with bushes and trees than an ordinary yard. It's decorated with lawn lights along the path and, in the pre-twilight, she's reminded of romantic movies as the couple walks along, all hushed giggles and whispers and stolen kisses on the cheek. 

She glances back up at the black double door entrance to the house and makes her way up the steps, knocking nervously. She waits for maybe two seconds before the door is opened and she's facing a brown-haired man, clad in a light blue button down and black slacks. About her height in her heels, his blue eyes shining through his glasses as he smiles at her. 

"Ah, Ms. Y/L/N! Welcome to the Mikaelson estate. Mr. Mikaelson has asked that I invite you in and make sure you're comfortable until he is ready for you. Please, come in." He steps to the side and sweeps his arm across the threshold and Y/N feels as though she's walking into a fairy tale. She steps inside, her heels clicking against the granite floors as she looks, wide-eyed, into the bright estate. In the foyer, where she stands, a chandelier shines brightly. Across the wide space is a staircase, curling around the corner of the room. There are vases filled with flowers, white roses and dahlias, peonies, lilies. The scent of the place is sweet and floral, quite contrary to the heady, earthy scent she noted while around Elijah. In the back of the room is a walkway, leading to a room with floor to ceiling windows. 

"Ma'am, if you'll follow me." The man says behind her. She starts, shaking her head apologetically. 

"I'm so sorry, I've never been here." She says as she follows him, "I'm just a bit distracted." She trails off. The man in front of her chuckles as he leads her to a hallway to the right, past doors on either side. 

"This is Mr. Mikaelson's personal office. If you wouldn't mind waiting here, he will be with you shortly." He opens a door into a spacious room, darker than the rest of the house that she has seen.

"Thank you," she mutters as she steps into the room. Before he can close the door and leave her, she stops him, "What was your name?"

The man smiles at her again and she thinks about how pleasant it is. "Tristan, ma'am. I'll be just outside this door until Mr. Mikaelson gets here. Please, don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything at all." He nods before exiting the room, leaving her to wander. She turns back to face the room and is quickly blown away by the size.

"Office?" she whispers to herself. The room in front of her is covered in brown bookshelves, old leather-bound and new books alike lining the walls surrounding her. To the right is a desk, covered in papers, blueprints, drawings. A worn leather office chair sits empty at the desk. Across from the desk to the left of the room is a single fabric chair, no doubt more expensive than her monthly salary. A small lamp sits on a table beside the chair, a stack of books sits unread next to the lamp. She moves around the room slowly, taking in the scent of books and the familiar oak and bourbon fragrance she recognizes as Elijah's cologne. She walks to the bookcase across from the door, running her fingers along the spines as she walks along the wall. She makes her way over to the desk, glancing over drawings and notes scribbled along blueprints. 

She notices picture frames along the wall behind the desk, the only wall not covered in books, another door on the other end of the wall. A pretty blonde woman is smiling as she's holding a little boy in one. In another, a different blonde has her arm around a smiling Elijah. Y/N tilts her head and smiles at the picture. She's not sure she's ever seen him smile like that. She looks at a different photo, a smaller one. Another smiling woman, this time with brown hair and hazel eyes. She's laughing at the camera. Y/N remembers her face, but not her name. The woman used to come into the office and have lunch with Elijah. She still remembers the aftermath of the breakup, without knowing all the details. Y/N knows how long it took for him to come back from that. Knows that he's still not fully healed, obviously, given the picture of her still on his wall. She turns again to look at the desk, shuffling through papers while remembering the time she caught him crying at his desk, just a tear or two sliding down his cheek. He refused to take any time off during that period. She wanted to help him, console him, but he pushed her away, yelling at her when she saw his tears.

Elijah watches her from the doorway, waiting to announce his presence. He watches her move like water, graceful and flowing without even trying to. She's wearing a beautiful blue dress, light and casually elegant. She's looking at the pictures behind his desk, and he watches her smile to herself as she looks at the picture of Rebekah and him. He sips his glass, catching himself admiring her. She turns to look at the desk again, the scribbled words on sticky notes and spiral bound notebooks filled with his handwriting. He wonders what she's thinking about as her eyes trace over the papers. He's never noticed how long her lashes are, how she holds herself as if she is the stepping on glass, her touch airy and gentle. He has nothing to hide on the desk, and he's working on taming the beast in him that's yelling for her to be scolded, to be thrown out of his most private room, his sacred space. He compromises with the beast and starts walking toward her.

"Exploring, are we?" He says from across the room. Y/N jumps at the sudden voice, turning to see a chuckling Elijah. He raises a glass to his lips and holds one out for her. 

She closes the distance between them, taking the glass of brown liquid from him. "Thank you," she says as she takes a sip. The bourbon is harsh, burning her throat, but she enjoys it. "I'm sorry, I was just looking around while I waited for you." She says sheepishly. 

"No worries." He takes another sip of his drink, keeping his gaze trained on her as she continues to look around. Her eyes glimmer as she looks at all the books and he couldn't help but share her small smile, his eyes trailing hers around the library. "Do you like to read?" He asks, a small smile on his face.

"I love books." She turns to him and nods. Maybe he isn't so bad. 

"I've collected most of these from my travels. There's this quaint little bookshop in Venice, they have books in bath tubs in case the place floods." He chuckles to himself at the memory as he looks around the room. "I took Hay-," He stops himself as he remembers whose hand he was gripping in that memory. "Never mind," He murmurs, his eyes glued to the rug. Y/N's eyebrows furrow in concern.

"Is everything okay, Elijah?" She asks quietly, reaching out for to grasp his arm. The use of his name coming from her caught him off guard, making his head snap back up at her.

"It's Mr. Mikaelson, Y/N. You do still work for me." His voice is loud and confident, nothing like the warm softness he just was. It's irrational, he knows but, control over other people is the one thing he has right now and he's not willing to let that go. He moves back, making sure her grasp does not reach him. 

Y/N's face drops, her mouth pressing into a thin line. Her hand falls to her side. "Mr. Mikaelson." She says. She puts the glass down on the desk behind her. "Should we go get these pictures over with, then?" She asks coldly. She turns to the door of the library, making her way to the exit.

Elijah sighs regretfully, but what's done is done. They're simply not compatible, no matter how strong the urge to let her in is. She stands just outside the room in the hall, waiting for him to lead her to where they would be taking pictures. He, too, sets his glass down on the desk, straightening his suit and tie before walking out the door without looking at her. He turns left out the door and hears her clicking footsteps behind him. He takes her through the house, unaware of her gawking at the different rooms and decorations. He leads her outside to the back terrace, where a professional photographer is set up, facing the view of rolling hills and trees. The terrace is brick, with a glass barrier blocking off the edge of the building, overlooking a vast back garden. The back of the house faces west, the sunset creating orange and red hues throughout the sky above, the perfect background for engagement pictures. 

"Here are the lovebirds!" The photographer exclaims. He ushers and shoos them into poses, too close and intimate to be comfortable. 

"Could you be any more stiff?" She whispers at him through her smile at the camera.

"Could you be any more annoying?" He counters. 

"Can we just get this over with?" She looks up at him to glare, but realizes just how close they are. They're practically touching, trying desperately to keep some semblance of distance from each other. Her cheesy smile for the camera fades as she looks up at him, her breathing slows while she takes him in, his jawline, his cheekbones, the delicious brown of his eyes, still turned to face the photographer. She feels the static between them, the friction is heavy and palpable. Do you feel it too?

"What a beautiful look from the future missus!" The photographer grins and Y/N feels fer cheeks grow hot. Elijah looks down at her, his gaze meeting hers before brushing down to look at her lips. His hands are stiff on her waist, like a junior prom photo, posing painfully awkward. "Don't be afraid to loosen up! Just act natural, bask in your love! You're a beautiful couple, you have nothing to worry about," Another flash as the photographer flourishes, encouraging them. 

Y/N swallows hard, allowing herself to shakily get closer to him. Her gaze is still locked on his, she's craning her neck to look up at him now. He smells the way the library did, the bourbon a bit stronger from his drink earlier. His hand finds its way to the side of her neck, creeping up to gently caress her cheek. She lets a gentle gasp escape her lips as she feels his skin on hers for the first time. So many boundaries are being broken right now.

Elijah figures, why not one more?

He dips his head, his lips brushing hers as his hand moves to the base of her skull at her neck, keeping her in place. She slowly closes her eyes, feeling the energy between them shift. He kisses her, shyly at first, while she's shocked. Then, she reciprocates, letting their lips mold together in a blinding embrace. His other arm snakes around her waist, tangling in the loose blue fabric of her dress as he swipes her lips with the tip of his tongue. Her hand finds his hair, tangling her fingers in the soft strands. Her other hand grasps his suit jacket, pulling him into her. He bends her backward gently, dipping her and widening their kiss. 

"Oh, gorgeous! Beautiful!" The photographer calls, the camera clicking a million times over, but they don't hear him or the clicking. It's the two of them now, letting their kiss engulf them and their senses. Elijah thinks that maybe this could be it, maybe she could be his solace. Y/N wonders if he means this, or if he's good at faking passion.

The kiss feels like it lasts for hours, but it's only a few seconds before Elijah pulls away. Her eyes flutter as they pant in unison, their eyes never straying from the other. Her leg is extended outward as if they just finished a dance. The beast is back in his head and he can't compromise this time, can only give it what it wants. He shakes his head and helps her stand upright before taking a step back and straightening his suit again. His eyes refuse to meet hers, but he nods in her direction and then at the photographer. 

"That'll be enough. Thank you for your time." He stalks away, back into the house, leaving Y/N there to grasp with what just happened. She releases a shaky sigh and wills her legs to move, finding the entrance to the house and making her exit.

 --

Y/N spends the weekend agonizing over the kiss, their proximity, the undeniable chemistry, and she wonders what it means, what any of this means to him. Her quaint apartment does little for comfort this time. She writes, she paints, she watches, she walks, but nothing takes her mind from him. Why he acts the way he does, why he keeps her at arm's length, why she's feeling this way about him when she knows he's rude and spoiled and arrogant. Why she thinks he uses it as a defense mechanism. Why she thinks that maybe the Elijah she saw in the library was genuine, if only for a second. And why she knows she dislikes him, but that kiss was the best damn one she had ever had. 

She spends her spare time filling out more questions he has sent, taking his unending personality quiz, and thinking about how in depth the questions are getting. The silence is loud in her apartment and she finds herself missing the smooth baritone of Elijah's voice, not the voice he uses to command her, the voice from the library, the soft one filled with nostalgia as he recalls a memory he was fond of. 

He's not kind. He's not gentle. He's cold, and calloused. She wishes she had no reason to dislike him, wishes he was something he's not. He's never been kind to her other than professional pleasantries. Never taken an interest in her, while she's observed and gotten to know him from a distance. He didn't use to be so hard, before when Hayley - she remembers the name after it almost slipped past his lips in the library- was around, he was bearable, but still never paid her any mind. She can't bring herself to acknowledge the budding flurry in her stomach when she thinks of him. Always pristine and put together. Handsome. A good kisser.

Instead of letting herself think about her feelings for a man who would most certainly hurt her, she buries them. She saw the picture of Hayley hanging in his office. She knows what that means. So, she quashes the butterflies, tramples the seeds of hope planted in her heart at the thought that maybe he was feeling something too. It’s easier to dislike someone than to let yourself become attached. She makes another promise to herself. No attachments means no one leaving. She eyes the urn on her bookshelf again. 

 --

Elijah spends the weekend moping, locked in his study, the picture of Hayley taken down from the wall and grasped in his shaking hand. He shakes his head as he throws the frame, unable to comprehend that her hazel eyes are no longer the ones he wants to look into. Despite her not being in his life for so long, he doesn't know how to be anything but Hayley's, and he hates it. He hates her for hurting him the way she has. He hates himself more for continuing to love her the way he has.

He stands from the desk and robotically walks toward the broken frame on the floor of his library, the familiar crack in his chest expanding until it breaks wide open. It doesn't feel how he thought it would as he looks down at the shattered image of his long-gone love. He'd thought that when he broke, he'd be irreparable, inconsolable, too far gone. But this broken feels free. This broken feels like a release. This broken feels like the start of healing.

He stoops to pick up the broken picture and looks at it again. He studies it, picks apart the glass shards that are strewn about and pricks his finger, blood seeping onto the picture. It's then that he realizes he's crying, a sob escapes from his lips as the red stains spread quickly across the ink. He nods to himself as he sniffles, understanding. He walks back to the desk and promptly throws the frame away, blood and glass and Hayley included. 

The reality is that Elijah would have bled himself dry for Hayley, and he nearly did, each and every day for the last four years, thinking he might win her back while she married his brother and gave birth to their child. She's not the same person she was back then, and neither is he. For better or for worse, Elijah has changed and continues to change, and he hopes Y/N sees that. Y/N. 

The feelings he has toward her are by no means simple and clean cut. He's never able to pinpoint one singular emotion when he thinks of her, let alone when he sees her. He's always resented her because she was everything he wasn't, kind, warm, compassionate. He knows the feeling is mutual, he's never been entirely kind to her. He's resented himself for being attracted to her warmth like a moth to a flame. He'll have to work on that, along with the myriad of issues he needs to work on internally. He was sure she wouldn't see a positive change in him until he worked to fix the damage he held close to his chest, a wounded dog snarling at anyone that came close. 

He wipes his face with the back of his hand, pulling away with salt water covering it. He walks back to the chair, collapsing into it and pulling open a drawer to reach for a band-aid. One of many, many band-aids to come. 

 --

Elijah disappears for the week following their kiss, only sending her emails to cancel or reschedule his meetings. He tells her she too can take the week off, but Y/N is stubborn and she’d rather sit at her desk with nothing to do and get paid, infuriated by the man who quite literally ran away after kissing her. It isn't until the following Wednesday that another email comes through from him, this time, a blank subject line. Attached was a photo file, with a sentence typed underneath. "The photos turned out stunning. Choose one."

Y'N's heart skips as she opens the attachments, photos of the two of them pull up on the screen. The first few are stiff and their smiles are clearly faked. As she scrolls, she sees herself turn to look at Elijah as she presses closer against his chest. The last photo is undeniably stunning. The sky behind the pair is orange and red, fire alight in the clouds. Her light blue dress is a stark contrast to the scenery, it flows around her elegantly. Elijah is kissing her, her fist clutching his suit jacket, his hand tangled in her hair as he leans into her, causing her back to arch. Y/N's breath stills as she looks at the picture. They melted together perfectly, like puzzle pieces, meant for each other. She eyes the way his hand caresses her waist, the other hand's fingers grasping her neck gently. Her cheeks feel hot but she can't tear her eyes from the picture. It really is beautiful.

She saves the picture to the computer and sends it back to Elijah. "This one." She types out and fires the email back to him. She finds herself staring at the photo still, but he responds almost immediately.

"Will do. When are you free?" She furrows her eyebrows at his question. You literally make my schedule. She has to refrain from responding with her sarcastic thoughts and instead gives him a date on the upcoming weekend that she's not doing anything. She continues browsing the internet on company time, falling onto one Wikipedia page after another when she receives another email from Elijah. Simple subject line: Announcement.

She opens it curiously and finds an attached wedding announcement with the photo she just selected, with details underneath.

"Please join Mr. Elijah Mikaelson and Ms. Y/N Y/L/N in celebration of their engagement, Sunday, June 20th at 7PM. Formal black tie only, cocktails served."

Her jaw drops as she reads it. She sees that she's the only one he sent it to, so he's sending it for approval and not officially. She breathes deeply as she sits back into her chair, allowing herself to feel a thousand emotions all at once. Conflict, confusion, anger, sadness, grief. Grief for the relationship she's not actually in, but the one she wants. Conflicted sadness because none of this is real. No matter how many times she might wish for it to be, even if she wished for it to be someone, anyone else. No matter how many times she wished for it to be real, with him. Anger because it's him. Anger because she has feelings for him. And he doesn't feel the same. She tells herself.

She sits forward and types a short reply. "Looks good. Send it." She exits her emails and shuts down her computer. Maybe she will take the rest of the day off. I've got a party to prepare for.

 —

Elijah’s in and out of therapy the week following the kiss, working hard on himself and putting his needs first. He sets his priorities: number one being getting completely over Hayley, and actually trying to, this time. Number two, becoming happier with the life he lives without feeling the need to impress anyone, including his family. And his third priority: sort out his feelings for Y/N and actually try to move forward. He finds her interesting and annoying and beautiful and shrewd. She’s endlessly judgemental and always smiling. Has her smile always made his stomach twist? He’s unsure of what he feels for her but he’s sure it’s mostly positive.

Nevertheless, they will pull this off and will never have to speak of it again. Maybe he can find her a place somewhere else in the company, she won’t have to see him ever again. Head of Communications in New York doesn’t sound bad. He’d be doing both of them a favour and she is highly overqualified to be his secretary. 

He can’t help his mind wandering to when he finally gets to see what dress she picks for the engagement party.

 --

Y/N smiles gracefully as she makes her debut as the future Mrs. Elijah Mikaelson, her hand sliding along the banister as she descends the stairs of Elijah's estate slowly. Her dress is billowing around her, white and soft and flattering. Off the shoulder sleeves caress her arms and she can hear her heels click against the granite stairs. 

Elijah's mind goes blank when he sees her. He stands at the bottom of the stairs, smiling pleasantly as she makes her way down, alarms in his mind going off when he sees her in white. How fitting. She reaches him and he takes her arm, leaning down to gently kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear, "You look beautiful." She smiles sheepishly, looking up at him as the crowd watches dotingly. 

"Ladies and gentlemen" Elijah calls to the group. He raises the glass in his opposite hand, "To the future Mrs. Mikaelson." Multiple cheers rang throughout the room and she grinned, her cheeks burning. Elijah drank from his flute and proceeded to walk with her throughout the room, introducing her to people of importance. He finally introduces Y/N to his siblings, Finn, Rebekah, Freya and Klaus, who stand at the back of the room next to the bar. Rebekah and Freya offer Y/N a nice break on a bar stool, handing her her own glass of champagne as they begin to interrogate her in the most sisterly way possible. Y/N answers all their questions flawlessly, just as her and Elijah have been preparing for.

 Klaus moves over to stand with his brother, handing Elijah his own flute. Finn claps Elijah on the shoulder as the younger drinks. Elijah eyes both of them distrustfully, but accepts the drink and lets his resentment melt away, just for tonight.

Y/N looks at the Mikaelson girls gratefully as she downs the champagne. She sighs as she puts the glass on the bar, rubbing her aching legs over her dress as she chats with the sisters. Hours pass as the girl's talk, getting to know each other and they lose track of the room surrounding them. Occasionally, someone will make their way to Y/N and congratulate her.

"Hayley wanted to be here, but they couldn't find a sitter for Hope. She's looking forward to seeing you and Elijah at the wedding, though." Rebekah says from the bar stool next to Y/N and smiles.

Y/N's eyebrows furrow. "I wasn't aware Hayley was invit-,"

"Oh, dear god," Rebekah mutters, interrupting Y/N's question. Y/N hears it before she sees it, Elijah talking loudly to a group of men and Klaus, laughing rowdily. She closes her eyes slowly as she turns.

"Here we go." Y/N stands and huffs, marching her way over to the group and worming her way through the wall of tall men. She eyes Klaus as he smirks and hands his older brother yet another glass filled with the bubbly alcohol. Finn smiles at the scene, knowing just what Klaus is doing. 

 "There's no way she didn't know he invited Hayley, right?" Freya asks Rebekah. Rebekah's eyebrows quirk up as her sister speaks.

"Interesting." Rebekah takes another sip of champagne as she watches Y/N push her way into the small crowd surrounding Elijah.

"Speak of the devil!" Elijah slurs loudly once he catches sight of Y/N as she moves to stand next to him. She fakes her best smile and, through clenched teeth, whispers to him.

"Come with me, darling." The pet name is harsh and practically spat in Elijah's face. He sneers at her and looks toward the crowd that's growing. 

"Excuse us for a moment, my friends. It appears the future ball and chain is calling!" Her face heats up as she grabs him by the wrist and pulls him through the crowd while the people around snicker and chuckle. Klaus takes a sip from his own glass, eyebrow raising in a smirk as she tows his older brother away. Damn him, she curses to herself. 

"What is wrong with you?" She hisses, pulling him away from the crowd and into the room she knows to be the library. Elijah stumbles next to her as she pulls him by the wrist, he's confused and definitely not sober.

Elijah laughs as she closes the door behind them and he leans against a bookshelf as he chuckles humourlessly. "I'm just making friends!" He exclaims. "By telling them how not excited I am to be married to you." He lifts himself from the bookshelf and sneers at her. She rolls her eyes in his direction. 

"Yes, because I'm definitely the worst option out there." She snaps back. "We need to get you cleaned up; this isn't very proper." She murmurs, striding toward him. She swiftly pulls the handkerchief from his lapel pocket, dabbing the sweat on his face and straightening his hair. His eyes widen as he looks on in horror before he grabs the handkerchief from her hand roughly. She steps back exasperatedly. "Seriously? Don't be a child. Let me help," She offers. 

He scoffs and glares at her, moving the handkerchief on his own as he walks to the wall behind the desk where a small mirror is hung. "I don't need your help." He's swaying now, as he starts pacing in an effort to sober up the tiniest bit. Something in her heart comes alive as she watches him and she quashes it, turning her rising spark of hope into a licking flame of anger. It is quick to build and explode, forcing its way up her throat in harsh words.

“God, you drive me so fucking crazy!” Y/N yells as Elijah paces about the library. Maybe he wasn't as drunk as he let on, his demeanor changed quickly as the conversation escalates. He's rigid now, no longer sloppy and lazy like before. 

“I drive you crazy? Have you heard yourself talk?” He snaps. His eyes are wild and his hair is disheveled as he runs his hands through it, the brown strands like waves through his fingers. His suit is ruffled and her dress matches, the wrinkles from gripping it were starting to deepen. She eyes his messy hair and suit, her mind wandering from the situation at hand.

She shakes her head. “We need to get our shit together, okay?” She sighs as she looks at the business magnate, the young, handsome bachelor, her fiancée, and she hates him. She hates him more than she thought she would ever be able to hate someone. But the tugging sensation in the pit of her stomach doesn't seem to disappear, it only gets worse as she glares at him. She swallows roughly. "Let's pull this together. We need to fake this for three more weeks. Can you do that?" She asks.

His response is a cold laugh, spit out of his mouth like it burned. "I don't know if I can handle you." His hand drops from his head as he pivots to look at her. He shrugs and his mouth is agape, as if he's thinking of something to say. "I don't think I can handle you." He says quietly. His eyes fall from hers and this feels final, feels hard and broken. She's got tears in her eyes now, angry tears, but she will not let herself be hurt. She is determined to show him how much he doesn't affect her.

"It's not my fault that you can't handle me." She snarls, keeping her feet firmly planted in her beliefs that you are never too little nor too much. you are always enough. He stood across the room from her, his face a mix of remorse and anger, like he's trying to decide how he feels. She stomps her way over to him, standing on her tip toes to somewhat look him in the eye. "You gave me your word." She seethes, feeling her chest heave. His eyes decide on the remorse and he looks down, avoiding her gaze entirely. The tugging in her stomach is wild and hungry. She has too much at stake to lose now.

"I gave you my word," he says back, mirroring her statement. "Sometimes I can't keep my word." He lifts his gaze to meet hers, his eyes steely now, angry and mean. 

"I hate you," she says. Her voice is low, her teeth clenched. 

"That makes two of us." His stare pierces right through her. He inches closer to her, closing the gap between them. He tilts his head, his breath smells of alcohol and feels hot against her skin. Her jaw loosens the slightest bit, her lips parting as her breath picks up. His hand moves fluidly up to cup her cheek. He's flushed, his cheeks rosy from the alcohol and proximity to her. Memories of their first kiss linger in the back of her mind, her eyes flickering between his glassy ones and his lips, the same lips that he can't stop himself wetting. His tongue darts out across his bottom lip and her breath hitches. 

She surprises herself by being the one to close the gap between them, hoisting herself up on her toes to crash their lips together. He doesn't object, rather, he kicks himself for not being the one to initiate. He's quick to reciprocate, his hands finding purchase on her hips as hers find their way to his hair. Like the first time they kissed, their lips felt like the perfect fit, their bodies coming together eagerly. His tongue swipes her lips and she gets drunk off the champagne taste, sharing his buzzed vibrations.

His hands grasp her waist and turn her. He pushes her against the nearest bookshelf, his actions draw a moan from her lips. One he would give anything to hear over and over again. He lifts her ever so slightly and she takes the opportunity to wrap one of her legs around his waist, her dress hiking up and bunching around her hips. His hand moves itself to find her barely there thong and tugs at it, pulling it to the side as his fingers find her wet core. He's surprised to find her already soaked and chuckles into her mouth before pulling away slightly.

"Already so wet," he growls. "May I?" he whispers. She nods quickly, unsure of what exactly he's got planned but wants him to do something, anything to her. He disappears from in front of her as he takes to his knees, propping one of her thighs on his shoulder before his lips connect with her clit, planting a small peck then licking a long strip through her folds. Another sweet, low moan escapes her lips and it was all he needed. It's been too long since he's done anything like this, but his tongue remembers well. He licks circles around her clit, bringing a finger up to her entrance and entering her slowly. Her breathing is heavy and ragged, laced with moans. Her hand tangles in his hair and tugs, begging for him to somehow be closer. Her head falls back against a shelf as he laps at her, his nimble fingers curling inside her. He never wants to taste anything ever again if it's not her. 

When he finds the strength to pull himself away from her, he’s undoing his belt and removing himself from his boxers, letting his pants fall around his ankles. He grasps both her thighs, lifting her entirely off the floor and propping her butt up on the bookshelf. She grips the shelves tightly, trusting his steady hands to hold her thighs up. 

“Is this okay?” He asks as he lines himself up to her cunt. She nods and whines.

“Please.” Breathy and needy and sweet. He enters her effortlessly, sheathing himself entirely. He allows a groan to escape from deep in his chest, his eyes fluttering shut as she clenches around him. 

“You feel amazing.” He groans. Her slick covers every inch of him as he pulls out and thrusts again, experimentally slow. She whines as he fills her again and again. 

“Faster.” She whispers, a beg, a plea, a necessity. He obliges, quickening his rhythm. He snaps his hips against hers, the bookshelf rocking against the wall behind them as he fucks her. She lifts her head to open her eyes and look at him, gazing into his brown eyes. His gaze falls to her, their eyes not leaving the others as they breathe heavily in unison. 

Keeping her eyes glued to his, she lets a moan escape her lips. “Mr. Mikaelson,” she gasps. His gaze darkens and he fucks her faster, reaching the spot just where she needs him and she feels the coil wrap tightly in the pit of her stomach, a certain numbness creeping down her spine. He doesn’t slow as she comes, no efforts of staying quiet, no secrets hidden from the party just down the hall. She finally drops his gaze to squeeze her eyes shut as she nearly shouts, the release of her orgasm is intense and white hot, sparkling down her legs and up her torso. He growls as her chest heaves, his mouth making contact with her shoulder, collar bone, neck and he kisses, nibbles and bites the areas as he keeps his pace, giving her no time for respite.

“I’m not done yet,” He groans as he nips at her neck, sucking the skin beneath. She pants and a smile creeps on her face, angling so her lips are against his ear.

“You’ve never been one to leave things unfinished,” she whispers, “Mr. Mikaelson.”

He growls again, pulling her off the bookshelf entirely and spinning her around, much to her surprise. He makes sure her dress stays around her waist as he bends her over, lining himself again with her swollen entrance. She uses the bookshelf to balance herself, Elijah’s hands holding her up by her hips. He pushes into her slowly again, adjusting to the new position before picking up the pace, the sounds of her moaning, his panting and skin against skin filling the space around them.

“You’re such a brat, you know that?” He questions, his arm wrapping around her waist to give him access to her clit. He circles it with two fingers, drawing more moans from her throat.

“Sir-,” She’s cut off by a hand making contact with the bare skin of her ass, a slap plants itself, red welt in the shape of his hand already growing. A yelp escapes her and her eyes roll back, her mouth agape in shock and pleasure as he marks her. 

“You didn’t even ask permission before coming. You work for me, remember?” He growls, the same hand he spanked her with snaking up her spine and into her hair, gripping the base and pulling it back. She moans as he pulls her up slightly, still working her clit with the other hand. 

“Sir, please,” she gasps, the motions quickly becoming too much to contain. “I’m so close again.”

“Fine,” He admonishes. “Come.” Another demand but she obliges happily, becoming unraveled in his arms. She whines again, and she feels him release as well, spilling himself with a groan and a nip at her bare shoulder. 

“Elijah,” She whispers as he pulls himself free of her and he lets her go gently, making sure she’s steady on her feet. She stands shakily and turns to him. The realization dawns for both of them, a huge boundary was just crossed. She breathes heavily and he runs another hand through his hair.

“Oh, um, the bathroom is through that far door.” He says quietly, pointing toward the door on the wall behind his desk. She nods gently and moves in that direction, closing it behind her. Elijah sighs and moves to stare at the small mirror hanging behind his desk, ruffled and confused and awe stricken.

Y/N pushes her back against the cool door, her breathing heavy still as a quiet sob shakes her. Damn him. Her promises to herself are meaningless now, she's fallen for a man who will certainly hurt her. She looks herself in the mirror, her traitorous reflection stares back and she swears she sees a ghost of a smile on the twin’s face. She hurries to clean up and make herself presentable, making sure there isn't a stray hair out of place, nor a stray tear on her cheek. She sighs and nods at herself, unlocking the door and stepping out. 

Elijah is there still, waiting for her. His face is blank, any emotion he felt while she was in the bathroom is no longer evident on his face. His hair, once disheveled, is neatly combed how it was at the start of the party. She notices his handkerchief is missing from his lapel. He nods at her inquisitively and she nods back once. He offers his arm to her as they make their way out of the library together, no words spoken, back into the party where the music was still playing and people were still chatting. False smiles plastered, they emerge together into the oblivious crowd, making small talk with various attendees. 

“Elijah?” A woman’s voice rings from behind them and Elijah freezes for a split second before turning to look at the hazel eyed woman behind him. 

“Hayley?” For a moment, Elijah forgets where he is, who’s around him, the woman on his arm and all he sees is her. She’s wearing a vibrant red dress, sweetheart top with a slit in the skirt. Her lips match the colour of her dress and he wants to smear it. Priority number one practically disintegrates as he locks eyes with her.

“It’s so good to see you,” she smiles hesitantly at him and glances at Y/N. 

Elijah clears his throat and stiffens. “Hayley, this is Y/N, my fiancée.” 

“It’s really nice to meet you,” Hayley smiles and extends her hand to Y/N who shakes it and smiles back at her, completely ignores the fact that they have met before.

“You too,” Y/N smiles, but Hayley’s eyes are glued back on Elijah. 

“You look great, ‘Lijah,” She smiles again. Something in Y/N spikes and she shoves it away,

“Shouldn’t you be with Niklaus? Where is he, anyway?” Elijah looks away from her, over the crowd of people searching for his brother. His composure is glass, any more pressure and he may just break. The break in music ends as a song begins to play, slow and charming. Elijah finds the excuse and drags Y/N away and onto the dance floor. She stutters as he pulls her away until she sees the look on Hayley’s face, pure annoyance as their eyes meet. Klaus comes up behind Hayley, wraps his arm around her waist and whispers something in her ear that makes her annoyed frown quirk up into a curious smirk, her eyes still glued to Y/N's.

"Y/N," Elijah starts. "About what happened-,"

"It was a mistake, I know." She finishes for him as he swings her around, bringing her to face him. She can't bring herself to look him in the eyes, so she stares at his chest and collar bone directly in her eye line. His jaw opens and closes, like he's trying to find something to say but he can still see the scarlet in his peripheral and it's wildly distracting. They're dancing now, moving together in an elegant waltz as the crowd watches on, smiling at the couple.

"I didn't know you could dance," Elijah mutters to her as he tries to catch her gaze.

"You still don't know a lot of things about me." She finally breaks and meets his gaze, but it's not angry or mean like she expected. His brown eyes are soft and unexpectedly kind, fragile.

"I know, and I apologize for that," He spins her again and catches her against his chest, holding her close now. He wraps his arms around her waist, some part of his mind screaming that he is holding the wrong woman. But as he lifts his eyes to the crowd surrounding them, he catches Hayley and Klaus watching them, Klaus's arms around Hayley. Where his used to be, where they no longer belong and some part of him, some minuscule last part of him, tucks the thought of Hayley away and his eyes prick with tears. She is no longer his. He is no longer hers. He can finally move on. This broken feels free. 

Y/N sees his eyes change, his mind moving a million miles a minute and she sees the shine of tears. She looks over her shoulder, following his gaze directly to Hayley. I knew he's not over her. She looks down at his arms around her, hers around his neck as they sway together. It feels like it burns, her skin itches to be away from him. Her eyelids feel heavy as her own eyes brim with tears. Despite her convincing herself not to, drowning in every thought of him, of her, of every possibility, she let herself fall in love with him and she hates him for it. She looks back up at him and he meets her gaze, concern etching his eyes when he sees her own tear-filled ones.

"I know you still love her," She whispers to him. His eyes search hers, confusion creasing his face. "I know that you don't feel the same way about me that I do about you. I'll see this through to the end, for you, but once Finn's wedding is over, so is this, and I'm gone from the company. I can't do this, Mr. Mikaelson." She nods her head to the surrounding crowd, and his mouth is slightly agape. He shakes his head slightly.

"Y/N, you don't have to do that." Elijah whispers back. She drops her gaze again, staring at his tie instead. He unclenches his hand from her waist - had he really been holding on to her for dear life? - and brings it to her chin, making her look up at him. A small tear traces down her cheek as she reluctantly allows him to tilt her chin up. He doesn't say anything though, only leans in to bring his lips gently to hers, kissing her softly. She sighs into the kiss, allowing herself to feel everything she's been suppressing. The crowd gushes at the same time the song ends, and the couple remains in their embrace.

Applause breaks out around them as she pulls away from him, searching his eyes for something, but she doesn't know what. She's convinced herself that he could never even contemplate reciprocating her feelings, a lowly attempt at self-preservation. She quickly wipes her face and turns to face the crowd, delivering a dazzling grin. The party continues, their attention dispersing from the couple and Y/N makes her way toward the exit, away from Elijah. He watches her leave, stunned. His mouth still is agape as he stands in the center of the crowded room, feeling more alone without her by his side than he ever thought was possible.

 --

Elijah makes his return to the office casually, quietly with no fuss and no demands for her. He keeps his distance, allowing space between them to regrow, rebuilding boundaries that should have never been broken in the first place. The minute Y/N left the party, he's replayed her words in his mind. "I'll see this through to the end, for you." He was so sure that she hated him, so sure that she saw him as he saw himself. But somewhere along the way, she grew feelings for him, and that made their library escapade even worse. Guilt floods him and he is unable to feel much of anything else, the pestering need to care for Y/N that was a constant since they had started spending time together nagging at the corners of his guilt, telling him, apologize, make yourself known to her, let her see you.

Y/N doesn't look at him as he exits the elevator into the waiting area, simply pushes forward his coffee on her desk and continues writing in her notepad. He stares at the coffee on the table and sighs, thanking her quietly. His voice is gravelly, as if he too had spent the night crying. She doesn't dare speak, doesn't dare move for fear of exposing herself even more. Her heart thunders at his proximity. He walks across the room and around the corner to his office. As soon as his back is turned, she lets a sigh escape her lips, a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

He respects her boundaries; the silence sinks in between them every time they're together the weeks moving forward. Y/N's work is pristine, timely as always. Her eye contact with him is nonexistent and there's somehow less conversation than there had been before their agreement. The only non-business-related communication between the two is Y/N sending him a picture of the dress she bought for the wedding, a deep maroon shaded ballgown.

"Make sure your tie matches." The only note she leaves with it. Elijah smiles the tiniest bit at the bold comment. Audacious as always.

"Will do." He shoots back. Her heart flutters when she sees the email and she scolds herself. Truthfully, painfully, she wants nothing more than to talk with him, answer his questions about her, be held in his arms again while they danced. The aching in her chest to hear him tell stories like he almost did in the library. She finds herself daydreaming about him and the things he is able to do, hands, mind, body, tongue - no. She shakes her head and moves from those thoughts, continues typing on her computer. Elijah paces around his office much more often now, for no other reason than to catch glimpses of her while she works. She doesn't seem to notice his nervous habits anymore. She doesn't even seem to notice him anymore.

After the fourth time pacing back and forth in his office, Elijah collapses back into his plush chair, sighing heavily. If he could just talk to her, express his feelings to her. Tell her he's actually crazy about her, cares for her, wants to see her succeed in life but most of all, he wants to be there with her while she succeeds. Tell her she's the most interesting person he's ever met, get to know every detail of her. Tell her that he's no longer in love with Hayley. That thought makes him pause and smile to himself. He is no longer in love with Hayley. Elijah picks up the phone on his desk and dials a number.

 --

The Friday before the wedding feels surreal to Y/N. Her career with the Mikaelson Design Co. was coming to an end.  Her plans to start her own small company made her heart race as she rode the elevator up to her floor. She carried two coffees, one for her and for Eli- Mr. Mikaelson. In her purse was a hand written card to Mr. Mikaelson, explaining everything, how she felt, her thoughts. Her goodbye. A scribbled out rambling that she nervously scratched down and put into an envelope before she could stop herself. She would finish her day here and leave it on the desk for him, with a note to read it after the wedding. The elevator doors open and Y/N walks through them, only to stop short in front of her desk. On her desk is a giant vase, filled with flowers of different colours and sizes. She can't help the smile that spreads across her face as she slowly steps closer to her desk, leaning forward to smell the flowers. She spies a card amidst the bush and pulls it out, the smile remaining on her face.

"You're going to look beautiful tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll match your dress." She lets her heart flutter for just a second, pretending this is all real. Hope. She sighs and closes her eyes, her smile still lingering. She straightens, blinking as she remembers the coffee in her hand and pulls out the card in her purse. She turns to face Elijah's office, unable to see his desk from where she stands. She stifles her smile and straightens her outfit before clearing her throat and walking toward the corner, turning it while looking at the floor. 

She stands straight and goes to knock on the door, before her eyes catch on Elijah sitting behind his desk. Elijah, who is not alone. Elijah, who is facing a woman standing in front of his desk, her hands planted on the edges of the desk, holding her up as she leans over it. Her chest directly in Elijah's line of sight. Elijah, who is currently talking with Hayley.

The cup of coffee and envelope fall from her hands, her breath escaping her lungs. Elijah's attention was caught by the falling cup and his eyes glue to Y/N, watching through the glass door. His face pales and he goes to stand from the chair, but Hayley moves to stand in front of him, blocking his exit.

Y/N turns and walks toward the elevator, her heels splattered with coffee and a tear streaking down her cheek. The elevator welcomes her as the door to Elijah's office slams.

"Y/N, wait!" Elijah calls as he runs toward the reception area. The doors are closing when their eyes meet, hers filled with tears and his, regret. "Please," He rushes as the doors close and she leaves. He slumps against the cool metal, his hands covering his face. Hayley walks into the large waiting area, smirk on her face.

"Well, I guess I should be leaving now," She smiles at him sweetly before pushing the elevator button.

"Get. Out." Elijah growls, his hands dropping from his face as he steps away from the elevator. "You have no reason to be here other than to ruin my relationship. And to think, I thought you wanted to make amends. You just wanted her to see us together and get the wrong idea. After the wedding tomorrow, I never want to see you again, or my bastard brother." He snaps. Hayley's face falls and she reaches for him, grabbing onto his sleeve.

"You don't mean that, 'Lijah." She purrs, desperation creeping into her voice. "I know how you still feel about me. You love me."

“You're wrong," He tugs himself away from her grasp. "I don't love you. Not anymore." Speaking the words out loud, especially to Hayley, gives him a rush of freedom, of confidence. "There was a point in time when I would have given my life for you." He brings his gaze to look at her, earnestly. Her face had gone serious, no notes of deception left.

"I know." She looks to the floor. "For what it's worth, Elijah, I am sorry about what I did to you."

Elijah snorts, "I don't believe that. If you were, you wouldn't be here trying to sabotage my relationship." This was the second time he had referred to his "relationship" in seriousness, and it made his chest flutter. Hayley nods slowly as the elevator dings.

"Goodbye, Elijah." She enters the elevator where Y/N had just been. Elijah doesn't reply, doesn't turn to face her as the elevator doors close. Instead, he walks back down the hall, finding the spilled cup of coffee and an envelope left on the floor, coffee soaking into the white parchment. He furrows his brows and crouches to pick up the letter. Continuing into his office, he opens the envelope to see a small note written on the lip of it.

"Read after the wedding"

Y/N's familiar scrawl greets him and he exhales at the note. He rolls his eyes, thinking "She doesn't know me as well as she thinks she does." and pulls out the letter. He blots it with a tissue where the coffee seeped in, but it's mostly legible.

"Elijah,

By the time you're reading this, things between us have ended. The gig is up, the wedding is over and now you don't have to worry about dealing with me. I hope my leaving the company only made things easier for you. I know you never really liked me, anyway.

I want you to know my side of things. Over the last couple of months, we've gotten closer and you've learned more about me. Surprisingly, I've had a really great time with you, when we're not arguing."

Elijah chuckles and realizes the ache in his chest as he reads.

"I couldn't help myself, Elijah. I couldn't -and still can't- stop thinking about you. Even before our time as, well, a fake couple, I still thought about you. I guess you could say I had a crush on you then. My time with your company led me to you, and I'm thankful for that. I can only hope that the time we spent together was worth it for you. I think getting closer to you over the last two months have honestly changed me. Thank you, for the tough moments and the easy ones. I really, really hope you get everything you want in life.

I love you."

Elijah's heart falters at the last sentence, his mind screaming at his body to get up, go find her, tell her you love her too. But he stays there, frozen in the realization that he does love her.

He loves her.

 --

Y/N isn't sure about what she expected, but it certainly wasn't Hayley in Elijah's office. Her mind raced as she made her way back to her apartment. Had the flowers been for her? Had he invited her there? She looses herself in her thoughts, finding herself in front of her apartment door.

Salvation.

She unlocks the door and quickly enters the apartment, closing the door behind her quickly. She leans against the door and sighs. Finally, she can have peace. But something is different about the place before her. It's not the comfort it used to be. Cozy, yes. Salvation, no.

It's then that Y/N realizes her salvation is Elijah.

 --

The car ride to the wedding venue is silent and awkward between Elijah and Y/N. Tristan casts raised eyebrow glances at Elijah through the rearview, and Elijah gives him a minute shake of the head. Y/N stares out the window, ignoring Elijah to the best of her ability. 

Elijah looks at her through his peripheral and can’t help but think about how ethereal she looks. The maroon ballgown looks divine on her, she’s pinned her hair into an elegant style. 

Definitely the kind of woman his family would expect him to be with. 

They arrive at the venue and Elijah steps out of the car, rushing to the other side to open the door for Y/N and help her out. Arm in arm, the couple head down a stone path, surrounded by spiral topiaries and garden statues. 

“You look stunning, by the way.” He leans to the side to whisper into her ear as they approach security. She gives a curt ‘thank you’ as Elijah gives the security guard his name and relation. They’re allowed into the venue and step into a large room with a glass ceiling, natural light shining along the floor and walls, covered in wildflowers and lilies. Guests scattered around the room and into the back garden where the ceremony is set up, a beautiful simple arch with a white lace lining, blowing slightly in the summer breeze.  

Y/N spots Rebekah next to a tall, dark man, chatting quietly. Rebekah looks over in her direction and smiles, sending a small wave. Y/N can’t help but smile at the blonde, but as she did, a sadness came over her. She would never see Rebekah again after this. Or Freya. They really could have been great friends. 

Elijah nods in Rebekah’s direction and smiles slightly before noticing a blonde haired couple making their way toward them. Elijah’s lips purse and he moves in front of Y/N who stops abruptly. He faces her and looks into her eyes. 

“My parents are about to approach us. They’re quite literally the worse, so I will try to get us out of this conversation quickly. I apologize in advance for how this may go.” She’s confused, but nods anyway as he turns back to face his approaching mother and father.

“Mikael.” He nods and extends his hand.

The man takes it, scoffing. “What, boy, am I no longer your father?” He asks, taking Elijah’s hand anyway. “And this is the woman you’re marrying that we haven’t heard absolutely anything about?” He questions, his eyes moving to Y/N. 

She flashes him a regretful grin, and Elijah makes a mental note of just how terrifying it is that she is able to act so well. “I’m sorry we haven’t had the chance to meet until now, Eli’s just been so busy.” Her hand extends to Mikael, and he smiles pleasantly, kissing her hand. He’s impressed by her. Elijah realizes.  

“We understand, darling,” The woman chimes in, smile wide as she extends her arms to hug Y/N. “I’m just so glad we could finally meet you, and maybe have the chance to talk about your wedding!” Y/N’s eyes glaze for a second in panic as they pull apart.

“Of course! I would love to, Mrs. Mikaelson.” She smiles again. 

“Please, dear, call me Esther.” She reaches over to Elijah, pulling him into a reluctant hug as well.

“Well, the ceremony should be starting soon, Y/N and I are going to find our seats, and we will see you at the reception.” He nods to his parents and pulls Y/N away from them. 

“They didn’t seem to be the worst.” Y/N said curiously as they  walk away. 

“No, they usually don’t when you first meet them.” His eyes are dark and already annoyed. They make their way out of the ballroom and into the garden. Elijah spies Freya and another woman already sitting in a row of chairs in front of the alter and moves toward them.

“Y/N! I’m so happy to see you.” Freya jumps to her feet when she sees the couple and embraces Y/N, who smiles happily at the woman. 

“And what about your little brother?” Elijah gives her a small smile and chuckle as Freya rolls her eyes and hugs him as well. 

“Of course I’m excited to see you too,” She gestures to the seats next to them. “Y/N, this is my wife, Keelin.” Small greetings are made as the rest of the guests make their way outside and into seats. A buzz of whispers begins as the guests wait anxiously for the ceremony to start. 

Elijah spies Klaus standing next to Finn at the altar, and he’s almost - almost - jealous that he wasn’t asked to be in the bridal party. Klaus smirks at him and eyes Y/N next to him, his eyebrow raising like he’s surprised to see her. Elijah’s eyes narrow and he reaches his hand over to grab Y/N’s protectively. At first, she’s surprised, but lets herself relax into his hold. This may as well be the last time she’s letting herself feel these things for him, so she enjoys the warmth his touch brings. She doesn’t let go of his hand for the duration of the ceremony. 

--

The ceremony is beautiful and the crowd makes their way back into the reception hall where tables and chairs are now set up. The bridal party sits in front of the room at a long table, Klaus and Hayley included. Elijah and Y/N are sat at a large circular table with the rest of the Mikaelsons and their respective partners. Y/N chats and laughs with Elijah and his family, it feels so natural that it’s almost real. There’s a heaviness in Y/N’s heart as she remembers the reality of things.

A chime rings through the hall as Klaus stands from his seat, his spoon clinking against his glass. 

“If I could have everyone’s attention,” Klaus calls, “I’d like to make a speech about our bride and groom here.” He smiles at the couple who beam happily at each other. 

The speech is lost on Y/N as she gets lost in looking at Elijah. He glances at her and smiles before turning back to listen to the speech, but her eyes remain glued to his face, memorizing the details. Her hand finds his on the table and she grasps his gently. She’s jerked from her thoughts as she hears her name.

“And I’d like to acknowledge another wedding the Mikaelson family will be having in the near future, my brother Elijah and Y/N!” He smiles in their direction, but there is nothing kind about it. Elijah perks up and nods and smiles at the crowd as they applaud. Y/N feels her cheeks heat as she nods as well, embarrassed by the attention. “Going from co-workers to lovers in such a short amount of time is quite the feat,” Klaus continues. The smile falls from Elijah’s face. The blood drains from Y/N’s face as she swallows and tries to maintain her smile.

“Almost like it was planned, wasn’t it brother?” A silence falls over the crowd as he continues. “Almost like, there’s some sort of agreement between the two of you? Almost like, it’s not a real relationship?” Klaus’ grin is ice-cold and his eyes are full of amusement as Elijah shoots to his feet in a furious haste, his eyes glued to his younger brother. Y/N’s heart stops as she looks down at the table, she can feel the eyes of the family and crowd beyond their table on her. Her eyes brim with tears as she closes them, wishing to disappear. Hayley sits beside Klaus, her face full of shock as she pulls on Klaus, trying to get him to sit down. 

Elijah calmly adjusts his suit as he moves from the table, much to Y/N’s dismay as he leaves her side. He walks toward his little brother at the table. His eyes scan over the scene, Finn is looking down at the table. Bastard must’ve known too. Almost scarily calm, Elijah walks around the table to his brother, who can’t seem to wipe the grin from his face.

Elijah’s fist collides with the side of Klaus’ face so quickly that Y/N didn’t even have time to look up to see it before Klaus was on the ground, the force of the punch enough to knock him down. Hayley exclaims and moves to the ground beside him. Finn stays sitting at his chair, almost unsurprised by his brother’s actions. Gasps scatter throughout the reception hall.

“I’m not sure who may have spread this rumour.” Elijah turns to face the crowd, now shocked and appalled. “But I can assure you,” His eyes meet Y/N’s tear filled ones. “What Y/N and I feel for each other is indeed very real. I love you, Y/N. I never want to be apart from you. You make me feel whole.” 

The crowd disappears from Y/N’s sights as she looks at Elijah. He’s moving out from behind the table now, moving toward her, and she stands, wasting no time in moving toward him as well. They meet in the middle and collide like stars, world ending and white-hot. His lips meeting hers in incredible synchronicity. The crowd behind them awes. Elijah’s the first to pull away and he leans his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes. 

“I love you.” He whispers to her. “I love you.”

[magical-xirl-4]

I’ve sort of talked about this on my blog before but like… it’s the way that the Futuristic Four probably grew up all lonely friends-wise, and the way that they find that friendship in each other™️

Wilbur may have been well liked but not had any close friends. Kids could see him the charming goofball that doesn’t really get close to anyone because he doesn’t know how to properly. They could think he’s annoying, or worse, they may have gotten the wrong impression of him because he’s rich and they think he’d be insufferable to be around because of his privilege. Either the perception is that he’s annoying + arrogant, or he’s a nice kid but he’s off in his own world so no one really gets close to him. He’s solo for the most part, and it lines up with how at the end of the film he says that Lewis is his best friend, as though he’s never had one before.

With the other three, it’s probably more evident (especially Violet) that they would’ve grown up without many friends. Hiro graduated high school at thirteen, he was a boy genius and that definitely would’ve othered him. From his peers not being able to keep up with him because his intellect was far ahead of his, and then being in classes with kids almost double his age and surpassing all of them. He goes into SFT with obviously no friends his own age and then makes friends with Tadashi’s.

Penny is well… either a child star or a spy. With the first one, she would’ve only been friends with kids that were also famous and that would’ve been tough in of itself. Not every kid who’s on the same level as you is going to get along with you, because it wouldn’t be that diverse group of people like one you’d find in a school. Plus, famous kids can be super pompous and she wouldn’t like that. As for Spy Penny… in my own headcanon, she grew up homeschooled because of her father’s high profile job as a scientist working for a secret organisation. He taught her some things himself because he’s a smart man. And then she had to rescue him, which cut her off from living somewhat a normal life and basically having to go rogue and off the grid.

Violet’s the most easy to understand because we actually see her in school. She’s hiding in corner by herself wearing dark clothes and is covered by her dark hair, very much a person in their lonesome. She could have a friend out Cory maybe?? But even then that’s just one person, who might not even be close to her anyway. And also because the Parr’s had to move a lot, Violet wouldn’t have been able to generate or keep friendships, and because she’s super shy, it just didn’t work a lot. It’s really tough being an introverted teen and having to do that. Even though she became confident by the end of the first film and is managing okay by the second, she still grew up that way. 

So yeah, by the time these four ever become a team, they would find so much kinship with each other because of being alone for so long. They would have such fun and wholesome dynamics too and it’d basically be a found family type thing. They have their biological families, but choosing one is even more special because of the agency that comes with that and they’re in a way, rewriting their pasts.

[embrassemoi]

Surrounded by the Moon and Stars • 06

Pairings: Sirius Black x [F]Reader, Remus Lupin x [F]Reader Content: Language, possible errors, music snob!Remus,  Author’s notes: song used: Come Together by The Beatles

BTW: I always try to use little to no physical descriptions for the reader insert but I did add that the reader has some sort of hair. I didn't mention hair texture or length (Sorry if ur bald). My taller readers, I only mentioned that you were shorter than Remus (no height was given)

Masterlist: Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter 6: ABBA vs. The Beatles 

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“Merlin’s beard! Binns is a sadist; torturing students must be his only pastime,” James yawned, taking his glasses off to rub his eyes.

Nothing could ever compare to the History of Magic. Today, lessons were dreadful and muddy. Professor Binns’ monotone voice filtered throughout the class, rambling on and on about various dates in history. Hardly anyone paid attention before he started calling on students. Annoyed, Binns would continue to reiterate his inquiry until the student(s) got the correct answer, no matter how long it took.

A sadist indeed.

Although Binns wasn’t the sole reason why the class was pathetic, but rather the lack of any practical work was simply a joke. The class only reminded Y/N of her short time in public school. Geometry? Utterly useless for any daily life interactions. To make matters worse, Binns surprised the class with a pop-quiz and two chapters of reading. Luckily, he had an ounce of mercy in his ghostly body and dismissed the class early for lunch.

James continued, “I would rather fight a dragon than — Woah! Your hair! “

She glanced to look at herself through the reflection in James’ glasses. Her hair, which originally was emerald green, was now turning into a golden yellow. The different colours clashed together boldly.

“You look like the banner for the Holyhead Harpies,” Peter said, striding up to James’ side.

“The Holyhead Harpies,” James said dreamily, “They’re probably one of my favourite teams.

Remus, who had been trailing behind Peter jumps in, “You only like them because they’re all women, you wanker.” He turns to Peter, his hand shooting up to the side of his head, massaging small circles into his temples, “Why’d you get him going?”

James became insufferable whenever someone or something mentioned Quidditch. Not only would he boast about his abilities as a Chaser, but he seemingly was a never-ending encyclopedia about Quidditch. It only worsened as November neared, the start of the new Quidditch season was approaching.

One time Y/N found herself stuck listening to him babble about Ireland winning the world cup for about thirty minutes. She didn’t have the heart to stop him, though. Nobody listened to his rants and he could hardly contain his excitement. How could she tell him she wasn’t interested?    

A monstrous smirk etched its way onto his face, “Caught me.”

“Be anymore of a predator would ya, Prongs?”

“Hey! That’s not the only reason why I like them. Did you forget their victory in 1953 against the Heidelberg Harriers? Their strategy was blood-fucking-brilliant. They’re legendary! My father was there to see it in person. Lucky bastard. He told me…”

His voice fades into the background as Y/N catches Remus’ eyes. A glint of mischief shined through them before he forced a fake pitiful smile. He mouthed a quick ‘sorry’ to her before looping his arm around Peter’s shoulder, discreetly leaving James’ side and out of the classroom.

That sly, slippery bastard.  

"— and did I mention that their seeker was one of the most sought out —”

“Wait, James.”

He abruptly pauses, waiting patiently for her to continue. She leads them out into the corridor and towards the great hall. “Sorry, didn’t mean to cut you off like that, but when is my hair going back to normal?”

Y/N instantly regretted mentioning her hair. There was no trace of a smile on James. His shoulders slumped a bit and his walking even staggered. “Godric, I know, I know and I’m sorry. I thought it would have returned back to normal by now. I’ve been creating reversal spells — even started asking Moony to help.”

“Moony?”

“Remus.”

“Another one of your nicknames?”

“It’s not a nickname! It’s a brotherhood — a pack!”

“Oh, sorry Prongs,” she drawled, a sarcastic smile on her face, “If I didn’t know you I would assume you were an asshole.”

“What? How?!”

“You go around calling yourself a marauder, the king of Quidditch and now Prongs. Seems pretty assholely.”

James’ mouth opens before closing again, repeating the process several times.

“Plus, you pull silly pranks every day.”

He chuckles, “Oi! You helped us with that itching idea!”

Her eyebrows raised in acknowledgement, “Touché.”

To this, James shakes his head, directing the conversation back to the Holyhead Harpies. Inwardly, Y/N wanted to whack him with a broomstick.

They were among the first students to reach the Great Hall, aside from students who had a free or were excused early by Professor Binns. None of the girls were there yet. Unfortunately, Marlene was held back by Binns, so Y/N was left to sit beside James who sat opposite to Remus, Peter and Sirius.

She had been trying her best to avoid Sirius whenever she could. It was clear he didn’t like her. He never laughed whenever she made a joke, he hardly noticed her, he never praised her, even if she tried to compliment him. He was just rude for no apparent reason. The rest of the marauders and girls knew this, although they preferred not to comment about the obvious, strained relationship (which they didn’t even know the reason for. Granted, Y/N wasn't quite sure herself. Was it the rejection, he just didn't like her or is just an ass?).

Although, ignoring and avoiding him proved to be extremely challenging. Y/N was glued to Lily’s hip ever since the Sorting Ceremony. It also didn’t help that if you were with one marauder, another one was sure to follow. She and James started to spend more time with each other, and by extension, she was obligated to be around at least one other marauder. With the addition of study sessions with Remus, it was inevitable.

Surprisingly, Sirius hadn’t made any snarky remarks, excluding dirty looks, he was being… nice — nicer to her. The action was a stark contrast from his previous behaviour and she speculated a few reasons why:

Most likely, James or Lily, she assumed the former, said something to him. Since his little spat with James at breakfast a few weeks ago, Sirius was tight-lipped ever since.

Maybe he was done being a prick, deciding to stop by himself after realizing he was a prick.

Went through something personal, it stopped, and his behaviour improved.

Minutes after the bell rang, students began to trickle in for lunch. The comfortable chatter rose as Y/N finished eating an apple. Everyone seemed pleased when James’ Quidditch lecture was interrupted as hundreds of owls streamed in, packages and letters dropping into the laps of students. She hadn’t expected anything considering her owl, Celeste, didn’t drop anything off since the first week of October. However, today she fluttered down between the bread and fruit bowls, dropping off several letters and a small parcel onto Y/N’s plate, pecking at the bread crumbs on the table. She tore the letter open, inside it said:

Dear Y/N,  

Are you still having a hard time with Charms? If so, perhaps I find some textbooks and send them over.  

Don’t slack off this year. Send me a letter whenever you have the chance. (Make sure to tell Celeste to be quieter next time. You know I can, and never will get used to the owls.)  

Mom  

Her mother finally wrote to her. A sense of joy flooded her body as she placed the letter back down on the oak table. A part of her wondered if Celeste was dropping off her letters to the wrong house, the one back in Toronto as her mother never wrote back. She opened the next letter, immediately recognizing the messy scrawl:

October 19, 1975  

Y/N! I thought you replaced me with one of your brits, but a false alarm, your letters just take a while to arrive. Must be tiring for Celeste to travel to and from Scotland then America and back. You know, whenever people see her fly in, they still recognize her.  

Are you doing anything for Halloween? We’re throwing another dance. Going to be alone this year now that I can’t force you to come. I guess I’ll just watch half the school dry hump each other while I smuggle in firewhiskey.

How’s it going over there? I heard from a few students, even read in the papers about the war. It’s getting pretty crazy over here. Teachers have been meeting and trying to prevent students and parents from losing their shit. My mom has been worried too, writing to me like a lunatic and I’m not even in the UK. The MACUSA have been keeping quiet but they were caught having meetings with counsellors from the Ministry of Magic. Even heard that Jenkins is stepping down. If it keeps getting out of hand here, I can’t imagine what it must be like at Hogwarts. I truly thought the war was dying down, I was wrong. Keep your wand close. Surely, you’ll get away with a hex or two.

Until next time

Matthew G.  

So engrossed in her new environment, her old life slipped to the back of her mind. There was a detachment from her reality compared to the one at home. A pang of guilt hit her, swallowing her up from the inside out until another pang hit, loneliness. If she easily forgot everyone, would anyone remember her? None of her old friends, apart from Matthew, had made a move to contact her since she left.

Often thinking about writing them first, she had to remind herself if they wanted to, they would. Especially with the knowledge that people still recognized Celeste.

Was she forgettable and if so, was it karma for forgetting too?

It put a mechanical vice grip on her heart, applying just enough pressure to be a constant reminder. With every beat, it tightened more and more.

Looking around the table, she saw her peers huddle in groups, familiar laughter ringing throughout. So noisy, so taunting. She may have been friends with Lily, Dorcas, James or even Marlene, but they had their own friends. Friendships that had years to develop before she came. She had only known them for less than two months.

Forgettable.

How hilarious, she thought.

“Hey,” a gentle voice cooed into her ear, “Are you okay?”

She hummed back absentmindedly.

James wore a concerned expression, his eyes knitted together, one raised higher than the other like it always does when he was worried. The look he shot her suggested he wasn’t convinced, although he didn’t press; instead opting to stir the conversation. “So, who wrote to you?”

“A friend and my mom —”

A snort so loud that it caused the rest of the marauders, random onlookers and even Lily (who had a look of pure disgust on her face) turned towards them. “What did you say?”

“I got a few letters?”

“No!” He bellowed, “Who sent you them?”

“My friend and my mom —”

Nearly choking on his sandwich, James clutched his stomach laughing. Laughing so hard he has to grip the table to prevent falling off the hall bench. "Haha! Mom?! MOM?” He mocked in a poor American accent, “What the fuck is mom? It’s MUM. Bollocks!”

“We say vitamin.”

“It’s VIT-A-MIN! Who says VIGHT-A-MIN?” Without a pause, James presses his entire body onto her shoulder, smushing her before grabbing the letter her mother sent her. His eyes scanned across the pages before hitting a certain word. “Back home? Maple trees? Where did you use to live exactly?”

“Canada.”

“Canada?! You don’t mean those snowy gits?” At this, Peter and Remus snort under their breaths. Even Lily had to force down a smile.

Staring deadpanned at him, in an unamused voice, “Really?”

“You are a bundle of surprises! I thought you lived… I’m not sure. I assumed somewhere like New Hork.”

“York,” Lily corrects.

“Tomato, tomato,” he jokes, playfully batting his eyes at Lily before biting into his sandwich, “You do live in London, right?”

“Right.”

James takes a moment, letting the conversation die down before he quickly glances at Y/N again. An undecipherable expression crosses his face before it’s promptly replaced with elation, “I take back anything negative I’ve said about Canada. They have an amazing Quidditch rooster. Have you gone to any of their games?”

A low grumble of sighs follows at the mention of Quidditch from James. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus shake his head and sighed dejectedly.

“Nah, I’m a New-Maj, remember? My mom — “

“Mum —”

“ — sorry, Mum — hardly understands the wizarding world, let alone what Quidditch is.”

His eyes were wide, whimsical, as a hand flew to his chest dramatically, “Rubbish! Bloody ridiculous! You’ve never seen a real Quidditch game? One day, I swear I’ll bring you to one! Or you can bring me to Canada one day and we can watch a home game!”

As James continued to rant, Y/N’s mind slowly drifted back to the bitterness in her chest. Trying to distract herself, she borrowed Lily’s quill and a few sheets of parchment, scribbling down letters in response.

Mom,  

I’m fine with Charms, you don’t need to send anything. And don’t worry, I’ve been studying for my OWLs.  

Love you, write soon.

The next letter was addressed to Matthew:

Matty Matt,

Of course, I didn’t replace you… yet. 

Another dance? You would think the students’ protest last year would have influenced the professors this time. I guess it’s time for you to get wasted. I didn’t tell you last time but I think I’m going to a party. A friend of mine is throwing it and I know he’s going to force me to come no matter what. He briefly mentioned costumes and drinks. Plus, there’s going to be some kind of prank that I may or may have not been a part of? Sounds cool right?  

Yeah, I’d say it’s been bad up here. I don’t know much about what's going on outside of school, though. The professors are hiding it well. I didn’t even hear about Jenkins stepping down. Keep me updated.  

Until next time  

She sealed the letters before sending Celeste off again, “Be quieter when you drop off the letters, yeah?”

❉───────•~❉•᯽•❉~•───────❉

It must be her lucky day.

The ringing of the bell went off, signalling the end of class. Professor Flitwick asked the students to stay behind so he could hand out quizzes the students completed on Monday in preparation for their upcoming test on Growth and Reductor charms the following Tuesday.

It was never a good sign when a professor flips your test over to prevent other students from seeing their mark. Flipping it over at a downwards angle, Flitwick handed Y/N her quiz.

Turning it over nervously, a tight coil formed in the pit of her stomach. A large P was plastered on the top right corner in bold red ink. She studied hard for this too. Angrily, she shoved her work into her bag and left the class. This was the third poor she'd gotten in a row. She should have told her mother she needed those Charm books.

“I swear I’m going mad! Her brother is a complete cow! He even — are you listening?”

She looks at the girl beside her, Marlene. Her glossed over, doe eyes must have served as an answer before the blonde shook her head.

“Sorry, distracted,” she mumbles, before forcing out a fake-happy tone, “Continue your story! I wanna hear!”

“Hey,” Marlene says in a softer voice, “If something’s bothering you, you can talk about it.��

“No, it’s okay,” she replies instinctively. She felt bad spacing out during Marlene’s story but her mind was running through and under hoops. The last thing any fifth year student needed was to fall behind in their classes, let alone feeling like nobody cared about them.

At that moment, she wished she was wrapped away in red and gold blankets to wallow in her self-pity party, away from prying eyes. She could feel the burning sensations of tears building up.

Dammit.

Y/N looked out the window to her left. The sky was melting with the warm hues of reds and yellows while the other half was being slowly engulfed into a cloak of twilight. Even from here, she could feel the cool air seeping in from the windows making her tug on the sleeves of her robes.

She continued, “I’m just tired — been a long day. I’m going to take a nap before dinner. See you.”

Judging by the look on Marlene and Lily’s face, guilt riddles her body. They both look sympathetic. The pity only made Y/N feel disgusting. In all honesty, Y/N will care later. Right now wasn’t the time and she desperately needed some shut-eye.

Before she left the room, she overheard them talking.

“What’s up with her?”

“Dunno.”

Great.

❉───────•~❉•᯽•❉~•───────❉

Sleep did little to ease her thoughts.

The same uneasiness she felt on the train ride to Hogwarts settled deep into her bones again. She thought she was past this. The worrying about friends, missing home, feeling alone, failing class, stressing about her future. The rational part of her brain knew it was just one silly quiz (and old shitty friends), but knowing herself, if she were to continue to have this mindset, she would only fail in the end.

Dinner ended and Y/N belligerently climbed up the stairs towards the library to attend today’s study session. The Charms quiz threw her into a loop and it was better not to dwell on it, opting to rather use her time for something useful.

Her marks improved significantly since she attended her first session two weeks ago. The last couple of assignments and quizzes she handed in that she worked on during the groups were some of her best work, ever. Additionally, her ability to retain information was improving at astonishing rates and she found herself participating in lessons more often. Unfortunately, she started to doubt her abilities again.

There weren’t as many students as usual. Perhaps it was because of the Quidditch meeting for all teams tonight, or because nobody wanted to spend their time in a library Friday night. She assumed it was the latter.

Although, the same student with black hair from Slytherin was there; tucked away in his usual corner. He was always there. Whether it was the study sessions, another OWL or NEWT student or he simply just enjoyed the library, Y/N could always rely on him sitting there in his little nook.

In the far back, surrounded by tall bookshelves sat Remus. Another student, a first or second year, judging by their height, seemed to be asking him a question, rapidly writing down something on a piece of parchment whilst they walked away. Remus leaned back in the brown chair, his right leg was folded over the other as he stretched.

She spent over twelve hours minimum with Remus directly since the first session, minus the time he was around James and the girls. Perhaps she only started to notice afterwards but she swore Remus wasn’t around this much before. Now, he was everywhere.

In the past couple of weeks she’d gotten to know him, she made a mental list in her head of him:

1. Remus loves sweaters. They weren’t flashy, seemingly preferring to wear ones with small designs, stripes or a solid colour. He wore green the most. He also wore cardigans. Two, in particular, he wore the most; one was white and the other was a muted brown. They were big and hung off his loose frame, the pockets were often stuffed with books, rumpled parchment and his wand.

2. He’s a coffee addict. He drank it in the morning, the afternoon, at the study session and sometimes with meals at dinner. He loved to dump pounds of sugar, so if he only drank black coffee, it usually meant he was in a bad mood. James even joked that he became Sirius whenever he drank black coffee, because haha! Get it? It’s BLACK coffee!

3. He frequented the library whenever he wasn’t with the rest of the marauders. He enjoyed poetry, wrote post-it notes after post-it notes to annotate his favourite parts. He even slept there from time to time, not without having to persuade Pince to not give him detention.

As if Remus magically sensed her, he took a large inhale before he stopped stretching, opening his eyes to look at her. A small smile was plastered on each other’s faces. He stuck up a few fingers to wave at her, motioning her to come over.

“Hi Y/N. I thought you didn’t come on Fridays?”

“I don’t but I have a test, Charms, Tuesday.”

“Oh, well I’m happy to help.”

“Thanks for the offer, Professor Lupin, but just being down here will help me focus.”

A scarlet blush settled on his face at the mention of his tutoring. “Well come sit with me then.”

Pushing the chair out of the way, she sat down beside him, pulling out her cassette player and earbuds along with her notes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus staring at the player curiously.

“Do you want to listen?”

“If you don't mind. I didn’t know you could use these here.” Picking it up, he turned the rectangular device.

“If record players work here, why not this?”

She hands him an earbud, alongside a small collection of other tapes she had on hand.

“Choose whatever you want to listen to.”

Without much thought, he pressed the play button. The upbeat tune of Waterloo by ABBA trickled into their ears. Y/N bobbed her head up and down before the song was suddenly stopped.

A sour grimace sat on Remus’ face before their eyes met, his nose upturned slightly.

“Why’d you stop it?”

“I hate ABBA.”

“What!?”

“I just don’t like their cheesy disco-pop-esk sound. They sound generic and random words are thrown in when they don’t add to the song.”

“Jeez— never met anyone who hated them that much.”

A ghost of a smile appeared before he flicked through her collection of tapes. He picked up Abbey Road by The Beatles. Opening the player up, he slid out Waterloo. With a click and the press of a button, Come Together played.

“So you hate ABBA but not The Beatles? Benny and Bjorn said they were influenced by them!”

“Keyword: Influenced; which is just another word for a shitty knock-off version.”  

4. Remus Lupin is apparently a music snob.

“Well, I think both are good.”

“Respectfully, I disagree with you.”

“Whatever you say, professor.”  

"I've been thinking a bit, why did you come to Hogwarts? Why not just stay at your old school?"

The sudden switch of topics threw her into a loop. “Wasn’t by choice. My mom’s a doctor and got a position here. It was too good to turn down. But it’s not bad. There’s less wizarding laws.”

He nods his head, "I'm assuming you have dual citizenship?"

"Mhm."

About a half an hour passed as she sighed for the umpteenth time before putting down her quill. Her chair scraped back noisily as Y/N’s hand balled up into a tight fist, feeling her fingernails bite into her palm. She’d been flicking through her notes, the words all blended.

At this rate, if History of Magic didn’t exist, Charms would surely be her least favourite class.

“Are you sure you don’t need help?”

She was at a loss, this was the third time Remus had offered to help and he was persistent. She felt horrible that she was taking up his time to help her on a stupid Charms test.

He continued, “If you think bothering me is an issue, it’s not. I run the sessions on Friday. It’s my job.”

“Fine, but there has to be something I can do in return.”

“Hmm,” Remus pondered for a second, “How about this, I tutor you in Charms and in return you give me your Potions notes? I'm dreadful at it.”

“Deal.”

“Great. Before we start, is there anything in particular that you have questions on?”

Silently tapping on the quiz she received today, Remus snatched it and quickly scanned over her answers and Professor Flitwick’s notes.

“I see what happened. You know, the curriculum taught at Ilvermorny is different. That’s probably why you can’t understand some of this shit.” He cleared his throat, “So as we know, the growth charm increases the size of your intended target…”

His voice, like a light switch, changed instantly. Instead of his softer deep, raspier voice, it became commanding and steady. He never stumbled over his words and articulated his points elegantly. She found herself enraptured by him, understanding why he was in charge of the study groups.

Eventually, Remus takes a pause, “Does that make sense?”

“Yes. You know, you’re really good at this. No matter how much I asked Flitwick or even Lily I could never get it.”

A large blush bloomed on the apples of his cheeks before he shyly rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes. “I’m not that good.”

“No time for modesty, Professor Lupin!”

“Okay, okay! So here, do you see what went wrong? There would be a reaction with those two spells if —”

A boy, small, most likely a second year, stood at the foot of the shared table holding a large red and gold book. His hair, dark ginger, similar to Lily’s, was cut short. He fiddled with his fingers as he continued to stare at the two.

“... Um, hi. You're Remus — right?”

“Yup. Did you need help with something?”

“Yes! I’m having trouble with the Transfiguration spell, beetle into button.”

A look of understanding passed through his face before Remus turns to look at her, “Duty calls. It’ll be quick.”

“Of course, take your time.”

It was not quick. Understandably, very few were successful at the ginger’s age to perform the spell, but thirty minutes passed and the second year still didn’t understand the basic concepts. No matter how many times Remus had reiterated his point differently, the boy couldn’t retain it.

“I just don’t get it.”

“You learned this last year, it's a quick revision. I’m not sure what part you’re talking about. Look, do not wiggle or twirl your wand left, direct it towards the right. You have to picture the spell in your head before saying the incantation.”

He guided the boy's hand steadily before performing the spell himself.

“I don’t understand!” The boy whined.

He sighed, “Then we keep trying —”

“It’s too hard. Why are they teaching this crap anyway?”

“Could you stop complaining?” He snapped, closing his eyes before he realized what he’d just done. “I’m sorry about that. I’m… just tired. I can’t help you anymore, though. You should ask someone else,” Remus said brusquely, his eyes unnerving as he stared at the child. As a result, he yelped out a ‘thank you,’ rushing off in the opposite direction.

The muscles in his jaw tensed under the soft glow of the table lamps. There was a pale red tint rimming his eyes and he looked visibly paler than normal. Irritated, he bounced his knee rapidly, up and down, before looking out the large window beside them. The sky was mostly cloudy. Only the peak of the silvery moon appeared. A sliver was missing before it was fully complete.

He closed his eyes, before breathing in. His posture once stiffened, completely relaxed before a flimsy smile reappeared on his face, returning his attention to Y/N.

“Let’s continue, shall we?”

“If you’re tired we can stop.”

“No, s’okay. I’m fine — really.”

She chewed the inside of her cheek, adding to her list:

5. Remus was always so hard to read.