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legacygirlingreen · 1 year ago

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Part 4 - Chapter 4: A Reckoning // Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Authors Note: Next chapter is up and I apologize in advance for it being more along the lines of filler, I PROMISE next chapter the action is going to be at the forefront, it just needed to be set up. Thanks to everyone who continues to read and support. I truly appreciate you all. Special love and thanks again to @strawberrypinky, 💚.

If you’re new the Masterlist can be found here: https://www.tumblr.com/legacygirlingreen/713709759369560064/part-1-becoming-a-proper-gentlemen?source=share

link to audio section from chapter found here

word count: 7,000

warnings: slight mentions of blood, violence, child abuse

When they finally arrived in the hospital wing, Aesop was glad to finally have a place to set the injured girl. He’s sure that to Matilda, Nurse Blainey, Fig and the others standing nearby they were a sight for sore eyes. His jacket wrapped around her wounded frame in a crude attempt to veil her modesty, the deep cut going down her face leaving her covered in her own blood, and his own aggravated limp very apparent as he carried her towards the closest available bed.

“Heavens! Is she even still alive, Aesop?” Professor Weasley asked, rushing to the bedside along with the school nurse looking down at the severely injured young woman. The unpleasant groan that left her lips as she was set down, causing everyone to cringe.

“Yes she is. Someone will need to fetch Officer Singer.” he said, moving himself to sit on the bed next to her, the pain in his own leg suddenly becoming too much for him to bear.

“Officer Singer? Why?” Professor Ronen said coming closer as the majority of the Hogwarts professors piled in after them. Sensing it would be a while before anyone would be able to treat Poppy’s small scrapes, Professor Garlick turned towards the hufflepuff saying “let’s get you all fixed up sweetheart, I imagine it will be a while before the nurse can see you”, before steering Poppy to a bed at the far end of the ward.

“Because she managed to take down Victor Rookwood. He is dead.” he explained with an exasperated sigh. Running a hand over his face, he tried not to let the frustration at the situation show. Knowing the world was now rid of such a horrible dark wizard was a good thing, but to know it took a student to do so, no less after being tortured nearly to death didn’t sit right with him. He won’t lie, he was still extremely impressed that she had managed to fight him at all, given her condition, let alone successfully. Watching how she was able to repel the killing curse, using some form of magic he’d never seen to send the curse back into the man, thus bringing his reign of terror effectively to an end. The gasps that filled the room at the knowledge that she had won a duel against one of the most notorious criminals of their time, as a student with little experience within the magical world, confused many.

“Merlin… why did he take her?” Professor Hecat questioned coming closer to inspect the girl, who was now finally having Nurse Blainey tend to her wounds as the woman forced a potion down her throat.

“It’s a long story.” Sharp said, finally having caught his breath enough to stand again. He took one last look at the young woman, beaten like a rag doll but somehow still alive. Bending down he placed a hand on hers, squeezing it gently to let her know he was still there before moving back.

With that Nurse Blainey quickly drew curtains around her bedside, giving them some privacy as she removed the professor's jacket to see the damage inflicted on the young girl. Rushing around she asked the house elf she kept as an assistant to grab potions of various varieties in a hushed voice as she tended to her.

Y/n tried to keep her pained noises to a minimum, in order to listen in on what the others were saying. The first thing the matron had done when she arrived was force a potion to keep her alert, not knowing if she had a concussion and not wanting her to fall asleep if she did. From there she was stripped of the professor's jacket, along with the tattered camisole she wore, as the nurse brought forth a large bandage to quickly tend to the cuts along her chest before covering her breasts in case anyone came to look. Nurse Blainey, with the assistance of a house elf, helped raise her to sitting upright in order to assess the damage done to her back, as well as fasten the bandage around her so it would stay in place, before moving along to see the damage done to her face.

As the teachers discussed what had happened they almost didn’t realize that young Anne Sallow had gotten up from her bedside, looking stronger than she had in over a year, until they heard someone ask “so she is alive?” from behind them.

They all quickly turned around, recognizing her as Professor Sharp looked back to the bed in the corner, seeing the sheets back, along with two seats occupied nearby her bed. He had expected Ominis Gaunt their friend, as well as Sebastian her brother, but when he realized her twin was absent and in the place he assumed the Slytherin would be, instead was her Uncle, his blood boiled over.

“YOU!” Never since the accident that cost him his job, his health and a majority of his happiness had Aesop Sharp moved so quickly. It wasn’t but a few moments before he was standing directly in front of Solomon Sallow, his bloodied hands around the man’s shirt collar, pulling him from the chair. Sallow’s eyes barely came to his chin when resting but as he was aggressively pulled up by the ex Auror, Solomon was forced onto his toes.

“Aesop!” Professor Weasley shouted behind him and as he neglected to care about the audience in which they had collected.

“I knew you were a vile piece of scum Sallow, but this, this is a new low even for you” he yelled in the man's face as confusion filled the room. Aesop took to shaking the man's collar as he illustrated the point.

“Aesop calm down! Release Mr. Sallow” Professor Weasley continued to attempt to shout from behind him and he temporarily took a step back, dropping the man but keeping him close.

With the shouting and uproar, professor Ronen quietly encouraged Ominis to escort Anne out of the room, at least until they could discuss what had happened, and the blind boy obliged, taking Anne out of the ward. He was used to removing Anne at this rate from loud outbursts involving Solomon Sallow, only this time he was unsure the extent as to why a professor was angry with their uncle…

“Aesop, what is all this about?” Fig called out, attempting to alleviate the situation. He himself had witnessed the poor side of the man first hand, but was unsure the depth of how bad the situation they all found themselves in ran. The outburst called him to abandon the care of his protege who was quickly being patched up despite the large variety of flesh wounds she had sustained - the worst of which being the scar forming over her right eye - along with cuts on her back. The bloodied word carved into her skin, noticed by Nurse Blainey at the removal of the jacket, made the matron nauseous… it was evident the torture she had endured before she’d been rescued.

“He let poachers take her, and not once bothered to contact proper authorities. Not once did he try to help her. That girl would've died if we hadn’t arrived a moment later than we did. He just stood by, let Feldcroft burn to the ground without protecting it. He knowingly would have let her die to cover his own ass.” Sharp shouted, angry that it was him who had to go rescue the girl, frustrated that someone he worked with would allow a girl to be hurt, that he was not bothered as to the state of the girl at all. It angered him even more to know that he did so to a woman with whom his own Nephew shared relations.

“What would you have him do Sharp? He was here with Anne-” Matilda started yet was interrupted by Poppy, finally having her small scrapes attended, she spoke in place of the angry professor.

“He knew about the curse that afflicted Anne. He knew it was Rookwood. He didn’t try and tell the authorities because he was being threatened.” she explained as loud gasps filled the room. Solomon Sallow looked down, having realized he had finally been made, for allowing the curse to afflict his niece for so long.

“Miss Sweeting you know the gravity of that accusation I presume” Professor Hecat explained as Poppy nodded.

Hearing the commotion, Nurse Blainey pulled back the curtains, finally showing that y/n was awake. She had been listening, only briefly mentioning to the girl that while most of her injuries were recoverable considering they were bruises or flesh wounds, that unfortunately most of her scars would remain. Other than rest and some pain relieving potions there wasn’t much else she could do. With that she simply conjured a simple shirt to cover her before allowing her to rejoin their angered discussion.

She looked beaten to hell and back, but she would be okay. The nurse, having picked up on the conversation, walked over to her desk, retrieving the notebook discovered by Poppy and handing it to Professor Weasley.

“Poppy brought this from the camp when she initially brought Ms. Sallow. It is directly from Victor Rookwood’s desk. I believe a few pages will be… illuminating…” Professor Weasley flipped through a few pages, finding detailed descriptions of the curse, as well as conversations mentioned between Solomon and Rookwood.

“This is… troubling.” Matilda said, passing it off to Hecat who took a look.

“That is not all… according to Miss. y/l/n -” Sharp started, wanting to recount what she had told him when he rescued her but he was cut off by a strangled voice in the corner.

“He meant for it to be Sebastian.” The injured girl said, sitting at the edge of the bed, looking much more menacing now with the large scar across her face and the look of murder in her eye. Only revealed to her midst the argument by Nurse Blainey, that Rookwood laced the blade he used on her with something in order to leave behind scars, thus giving her a scabbed but healing wound that went from across the top of her eyebrow to near her nose, thankfully missing her actual eye, as well as some miscellaneous cuts along her chest and the word in which Victor had carved in her back. She had yet to see any of them herself, but as everyone looked at her, they felt her anger pointed directly to Solomon. The man shivered seeing the pure, and unaltered vexation she wore on her marred face.

She didn’t stop there, against every part of her body screaming to stay down and finally rest, she found the strength to stand up, stalking her way over to her beloved’s guardian. As she yelled the best she could with her failing voice.

“You knew Rookwood was going to curse one of the twins, and you agreed to let him do it, offering up Sebastian as a sacrifice for your misdeed,” she said, attempting to move closer when Professor Fig intercepted her, holding her back from the man, who ironically was cowering at her outburst. The former auror, the man who so openly would yell at and even sometimes assault Sebastian now cowering because of her no less. Fig spoke in a hushed tone trying to calm her as tears took to her face. The room fell silent as the professors looked between the young woman and Solomon, knowing she cared a great deal for Sebastian. The news alone disturbing them all, but they could hardly imagine her state of mind at discovering her beloved’s own guardian meant for him to take such a horrible fate.

“Why him?” she quietly questioned as Fig successfully calmed her down enough from anger. Solomon looked at her without much of an explanation, before simply sighing.

“I know you care for him… I care for him… he’s my nephew… but you have no clue what he was like before you came around… he truly was as reckless and stubborn as my-” Solomon started to speak but was so rudely interrupted when a fist met the side of his face. And then his chest. Followed closely by a kick to the groin.

No one said a word as y/n broke free from Fig, marching directly to Sebastian’s guardian, and repeatedly using muggle forms of violence against the man all the while shouting a single word through each punch she delivered. “Don’t. You. Dare. Speak. Of. Him. That. Way. You. Foul. Rotten. Git. Of. A. Man.”

Ultimately it was Professor Sharp who pulled the young woman, still kicking and screaming, off of Solomon despite his desire to let her continue.

The shock of the injured girl beating the Sallow Twin’s guardian and only surviving family to a pulp stunned the room, with the exception of Poppy and Professor Sharp. As he held the girl, whispering for her to calm down directly into her ear they all felt the castle begin to shake.

“Godrick’s heart!” Fig cried out as everyone looked around confused.

“Mr. Moon! Go collect the students and escort them all into the Great Hall. Wait there with professors Shah, Howin, Kogawa and Scribner. Everyone else we need to investigate what is going on” Matilda started to try and direct everyone’s attention as y/n stopped them all.

“It’s Ranrok, he’s drilling under the school, he is trying to get to a repository of Ancient Magic” she explained as the bewilderment took over.

“I certainly do not follow Miss y/l/n” Weasley explained and Fig took the time to explain very briefly that she in fact could see ancient forms of magic and had been attempting to put a stop to the goblin rebellion all year.

In the commotion Solomon Sallow was almost to the hospital door, and was intercepted by Abraham Ronan who simply offered an awkward smile while using his body to block the man’s attempt at an exit.

“Well this is all quite… disturbing and we will be discussing this later professor Fig. But you can’t possibly imagine I will allow you to march a student into battle, one who was very recently gravely injured” she said, annoyed that Fig would even suggest such.

“Professor… no one else can see what I can. If there’s any hope of stopping Ranrok, I am the only one who will be able to…” she quietly said, looking around seemingly looking for something.

“I can’t-” Matilda started but she was cut off by the student.

“It’s her choice, Matilda. Besides, we can protect her as we go.” Sharp explained as he heard a loud cry coming from the hallway.

“Let me through- where is he? Aesop?!” a voice called out from the hallway, pushing past the others as a short, red headed woman came bounding in, out of breath and very much pregnant.

“Becca? Oh Rebecca.” He called out, rushing to meet her as she flung herself into his arms.

“You’re alive. Oh thank Merlin. I got your owl and you hadn’t come home yet and I was so worried-” she cried out as he held her face in his large hands, stroking her hair down as he whispered against her skin.

“Shhh.. I am so sorry to have worried you, my love. I am alright. But I need you to wait here where it is safe.” he explained and she looked up to him as if they were the only two in the room.

“What’s happening?” She asked in confusion, pulling the tie from his hair, letting it fall back around his face as she combed it down.

“Goblins, attacking the school. Please promise me you will stay here while I and the other professors handle it.” He said sternly as he lightly gripped her stomach, happy to feel the light kicking.

“Aesop… that sounds dangerous…” she said looking scared as he continued to try and force her to look up at him.

“Becca please, the safety of every student in the castle is my responsibility.” He said with a frustrated sigh. And she nodded understanding his heroics were something despite retired from being an auror, would never go away. She attempted to speak but he did not let her as she tried to calm her frayed nerves by fixing his hair.

“And don’t even suggest going down there with me. I need to know you and the baby are safe.” He explained, still stroking her stomach.

“But-“ once again Mrs. Sharp tried to argue with her husband but he reached down, grabbing her waist and pulled her close as he bent his head down to her short stature planting his mouth on hers as the others turned away abruptly.

“It is going to be okay. I won’t be alone.” Aesop whispered to her trying to calm his wife’s nerves. She only nodded knowing there was no use in arguing with him. Instead she reached around her wrist, removing one of the bands she usually kept for her own hair, and started pulling his dark hair back from around his face so he wouldn’t have to fret over it in battle.

“Please come back, Aesop.” She whispered as he once again placed his mouth in hers, pulling away with a determined look on his face.

“It’ll all be fine I assure you,” Sharp looked over his wife’s shoulder, letting them fall to Solomon Sallow still attempting to escape the hospital ward and he got a bright idea when he saw the man.

“Sallow, care to join us?” he asked, not really issuing it as a genuine question, but giving the gentleman the ability to seem nobel regardless.

“I -” Solomon started, stuttering as he attempted to think of a reason as to why he couldn’t. He was instead met with a delicate hand pushing his shoulder. He looked down to once again see the girl standing at his side and he shuddered remembering how it felt to have her fist smash into the side of his face.

“As an Ex-Auror myself I cannot possibly fathom how one wouldn’t gladly jump at the chance to protect school children… especially considering they would likely face the ministry for conspiracy with a criminal if they didn’t.” Sharp levied. This caused Solomon’s face to turn into a frown realizing what Sharp was attempting to do.

“Are you threatening me, Sharp?” Solomon asked through an angered breath.

“I wouldn’t call it a threat, moreso just… putting things into perspective, Sallow.” Sharp explained, as if it was any consolation prize. Regardless of if the man helped or not, he still had every intention of marching him to officer Singer to at the very least have his wand snapped for his actions.

“It doesn’t really sound like I have much of a choice. And what would you do if I simply attempted to walk out of here?” Solomon moved again and she pressed her wand into his rib cage.

“I wouldn’t do that if I was you. See, that is a threat.” she explained with an annoyed sigh. Looking around she noticed most of the professors had abandoned their posts and were rushing about to situate the school before going into battle. She looked for Professor Fig realizing he too had left, leaving her and Sharp alone with Solomon in the hospital wing.

Before anyone could continue their terce conversation Ominis strolled back in, dragging Anne Sallow in behind him as he pointed his wand around looking for an explanation. Abandoning her post of guarding Mr. Sallow she moved closer to Anne. Tossing her arms around the girl she hugged Anne to her.

“I am so glad you are alright” she explained, glad to see the girl finally recovering after over a year of being inflicted with a curse. She decided at that moment she would later discuss with Sebastian about the discovery of Solomon’s betrayal, before bringing it up to Anne. Now was not the time to dump harsh truths on the recovering girl.

“Me?! You were kidnapped by Victor Rookwood, I am just glad you are alive” Anne said, hugging the girl close, thankful for her sacrifice but guilty it led to such a horrible place nonetheless. They separated for a moment, allowing Anne to finally see the damage inflicted upon her.

“Oh y/n…” she sighed, her slender fingers tracing over the forming scar over her face as she felt horrid seeing the woman her brother loved so dearly, injured all in her name.

“This is not your fault. I went into that camp knowing the risks. I am just glad Poppy managed to escape with the journal and you when she did. Scars are hardly anything to concern yourself with.” She explained, hoping to alleviate Anne’s concerns, despite deep down being terrified of how she looked. Worried that based on Anne’s reaction, possibly Sebastian too would no longer find her as fair as he once had. She hardly had time to worry about that now.

“But -” Anne started when she hushed the girl, placing her arms back around her. Looking over she saw Professor Sharp still attempting to alleviate the concerns of his wife.

“Anne, I need you to stay here. You are still quite weak and this is far from where the goblins should be. Ominis?” She asked, turning to their companion. The boy, so often ridged, softened at the tone of her voice. She stepped closer to him.

“Yes?” he asked as his unseeing eyes gazed at her. She found comfort knowing at the very least he could not treat her differently in his body language towards her. Ever since she had made it back to the castle she already could tell a difference in how people reacted to her, probably concerned at the injuries she bore. She knew going forward Ominis would be someone who, unable to see her changes, would not treat her differently. She sought solace in that thought.

“Do you know where Sebastian is? No one has seen him…” she said, concerned she was about to march into battle yet again, without being able to put her eyes on him, nor tell him how dearly she adored him.

“He was with Professor Fig last I heard. Running an errand to the town. He still hasn’t even seen Anne I am afraid.” Ominis said sadly, head bowed as he realized based on the drop in her voice she was unsure how dangerous this battle was to be.

“Shall I convey a message if I see him?” Ominis asked after a beat of silence.

“Just, - no. I will tell him myself. Please make sure Anne will be okay and stay out of sight if for some reason we cannot subdue Ranrok.” she explained, stepping forward and hugging him briefly. He hardly had time to force himself to relax before she stepped away repeating the action for Anne. She didn’t give either of them a moment to respond, as she walked away, hating that it felt an awful lot like a ‘goodbye’ and not a ‘see you later.

She returned to the professor’s side, as he gave his wife one last embrace before reaching down for her wand, transfiguring the plain clothes the nurse had given her, back into something slightly more fitting for battle. The dark leather and linen wrapped around her body and she stood, ready to face whatever may come.

“Uncle Solomon?” Anne asked meekly from the bed Ominis had made her relax back into. Everyone’s head turned to see what the girl wanted.

“Yes Anne.” He said with a sigh.

“Please keep her safe.” she expressed, wanting her guardian to help do his best to protect the girl on their way down to face the goblins. Solomon’s eyes went wide realizing what she asked, and that no one had told the girl what he had done. He simply nodded before responding.

“I will do everything I can to keep Ms. y/l/n safe,” he said sternly. While she was unsure the man meant it, to be honest she highly doubted it, he played the role well regardless.

“Where exactly are we headed?” Professor Sharp asked and she sighed.

“Professor Fig and I call it the map chamber, it's in the dungeon.” she explained, moving towards the stairwell, to escort the potions master and her lover’s guardian down to face the goblins in hopes wherever Eleazar had gotten off to, he would join them soon enough.

Sebastian took the Floo network, hoping it would be faster. He had been so tense he had nearly snapped at the wandmaker, who despite the challenge, seemed genuinely excited about the wand and its construction. Under normal circumstances he too would’ve been intrigued, ever the scholar himself, but these weren’t as such.

As he reappeared in the school's hallways, just outside the professor's door he was startled to feel the castle shaking. Why couldn’t he just get a break from all the chaos?

Just as he was about to head off in search of what was happening professor Fig reimerged from his classroom, relieved to see Sebastian.

“Ah Mr. Sallow, I presume Mr. Olivander was able to complete what we needed” he explained, reaching for the wand as Sebastian handed it over.

“Yes he did. What’s happening? Where is everyone? Is Professor Sharp back from the camp? Is she alive?” Sebastian allowed his questions to fall from his lips rather quickly as the older man looked at him sympathetically.

“She’s alive. She will be okay. I will say, it was quite disturbing the state she came back in, but regardless I think she is doing the best she can… as for what is happening, Ranrok is drilling under the school attempting to access the map chamber. We don't have much time. I need to take this wand-” Fig started to explain as Professor Weasley came bounding around the corner with Madam Scribner.

“Eleazar we must hurry! All the students have been escorted to the great hall where- Mr. Sallow? What are you doing here? You are supposed to be with the other students. I must insist you report to the great hall immediately.” She explained, reaching for the Slytherin boy by his tattered robes, pushing him towards the Librarian to head off to the great hall.

“But-” he started with the librarian cutting him off.

“Now Mr. Sallow. All students are to report to the Great Hall for their own safety. I won’t have any arguments.” she explained pushing him down the hall despite his attempts to look back over his shoulder at Professor’s Fig and Weasley.

“Professor Fig please” he begged, hoping the man would allow him to come, to help, to be reunited. Looking down sadly he shook his head.

“I am sorry Sebastian but she wouldn’t want you anywhere near it. Thank you for retrieving the wand, but please, for your own safety stay put until this is all over.” the man spoke, ashamed to have to prevent the young man from being reunited, yet doing it for his safety nonetheless.

“No, you don’t understand I need to see her. I can’t live with myself if she dies down there, and I haven’t said goodbye. I love her. Please-” he started but Fig simply looked at him one last time before apparating away with Professor Weasley leaving him with Madam Scribner.

“Mr. Sallow, please refrain from doing anything irrational.” the librarian spoke and Sebastian debated his chances of escape. He knew his skills with a wand far likely exceeded hers, if he was fast enough perhaps he could slip past her, take the floo network to the dungeon and -

Petrificus Totalus.

“I am sorry Sebastian.” Scribner said, actually sounding sympathetic to him, as he laid immobile on the floor of the hallway. Sebastian could feel her attempting to levitate his frozen body and internally he screamed to be released, that this wasn’t fair, that he wouldn’t accept his fate of being locked away with other students while she marched into battle alone.

Yet all he could do was sit there, frozen, as a single tear slipped down his face, his eyes unmoving as he was moved to join the rest of the students in the Great Hall amidst the goblin attack.

“How much further are we going?” Solomon asked, out of breath from all the stairs they were maneuvering down.

She elected to ignore him, annoyed he even felt so uncomfortable as to complain. She didn’t bother letting him know that it was merely down a few more stairs. They rounded the flight that led into the open cavern, giving way to the final bit of stairs, before coming to stand in the long elegant hallway that went into the map chamber. The quick change in architecture from normal stones, to elegant blue and bronze making the potions professor look around in awe.

“If it’s not destroyed in the goblin attack you should come down here and sketch it sometime” she said to Professor Sharp, hoping to alleviate the tension they were all feeling.

“And why would I do that?” he asked, shocked she knew of his hobby. Unbothered, the girl turned to him with a small smile.

“I found your drawing room exploring the castle. I’d apologize for snooping but truly Mr. Moon is to blame for teaching me alohomora and sending me after those Demiguise statutes… regardless, your art is quite lovely.” she said.

“Snooping around in a professor's private chambers is quite serious. The amount of house points you ought to lose -” he explained, frustrated the student felt so inclined to go into his chambers appalling him.

“I hardly think house points matter at the moment but if you feel so strongly when this is over I will take however many detentions you see fit Professor Sharp. Regardless, I still think your art is magnificent.” She explained, pushing open the doors to the map chamber, stepping inside with the two men following behind her. They stood to the side watching as she ran towards the portraits.

“Oh thank Merlin, it is so wonderful to see you are alive” Professor Rackham explained, glad to see her return and not Sebastian.

“I am alright, professor. We must hurry. Where is the final trial?” she asked, ready to rush through one last trial in order to gain access to the final repository.

“It has already been completed. We are simply waiting on Professor Fig and the boy to return-” San Bakar started, confounding her as she had not even attempted the final trial, just as Eleazar strolled in quickly, holding out a wand box as he moved across the main floor.

“Mr. Sallow returned the wand-” Fig began, only to be interrupted by her.

“Sebastian? Where is he? What do you mean the fourth trial has been completed?” she explained, looking over the man's shoulders hoping to see his handsome face strolling into the chamber but she was met with Eleazar’s stoic expression.

“While you were captured, your love took it upon himself to complete the final trial in your absence. Given the circumstances we allowed an exception. He was successful and in doing so, granting access to the final artifact, in which he brought to a wandmaker to construct the key to the final repository” Niham explained, looking down at the girl with a soft gaze.

“Sebastian, he -” she looked around confounded how he would even be able to attempt such a task.

“He is safe with the other students in the great hall, but he valiantly faced the final trial so you wouldn’t have to.” Fig explained, setting the wand in her hand.

“You mean to tell me that my nephew was here? That he neglected his sister’s side for what, some trial?” Solomon asked, reminding everyone in the room of his presence.

“Need I remind you Sallow, he hardly would’ve had to, if you hadn’t allowed that girl to be taken by Rookwood for so long.” Sharp hissed out, effectively cutting the conversation short. Another loud rumble shook the castle as she looked at the portraits.

“Victor said that the final repository is below the school, and that Ranrok knows of its location.” she explained and they nodded, indicating for everyone to step back. Doing so, the floor disappeared, as stairs emerged to a doorway below the map.

“The final repository is here. Protect it. And once the goblins have been subdued we shall begin instructing you how to effectively wield this magic. You are to only contain it. Do you understand?” They asked. She thought for a moment. What she had seen, how Isadora had used it to heal her fathers pain. A small part of her wanted to take it, wield it and save Anne, assuming that the journal had failed. She sighed, realizing if contained she could always come back for it later…

“Of course. I will guard it with my life.” she explained, starting down the stairs with the professors and Solomon.

Once the large doors opened, the four stepped inside, following the cavern as the castle began to shake around them.

“Sebastian” Poppy Sweeting said as the spell was dropped and he could finally move his limbs again. The Librarian had set him at the back of the Great Hall on the floor, after moving his immobile body through the castle.

He sat up, rubbing his head before discarding his torn school robes. He looked around and saw several other students in his year: Natsi, Garreth, Everett, Leander, Imelda, Samantha and the Hufflepuff directly in front of his face. He groaned, frustrated that he hadn’t been successful and now he found himself locked inside the hall with the rest of the students as the castle shook. Sebastian quickly noted the absence of his sister and Ominis, but figured they were still in the hospital wing.

Cries were coming from various spots around the room as the first years, seemed distraught as some of the professors and upper class students attempted to console them at the disturbing noises and shaking.

“Poppy what happened?” he asked, attempting not to be stern with the girl, but his patience for the situation growing thin.

“I am sorry Sebastian, I truly am… she was insistent upon going into that camp for Anne. Then even more insistent I leave to go warn Anne and Solomon, to escape with the journal.” Poppy explained, looking down at her hands as Sebastian sighed.

“It’s alright. We can discuss it later. I would, however, like to get out of here.” He explained, picking himself up off the floor.

“That’ll be hard to do, as the professor’s have charmed the door. My aunt did it herself before leaving with some of the faculty. It’s going to take a lot of magic to undo those charms, and we’d likely get caught before we can mutter the spells.” Garreth explained.

“Surely there’s a way to get out of here.” Sebastian had hoped that perhaps in the chaos he’d be able to slip away.

“What would we do even if we were successful?” Imelda asked, coming closer to join Poppy.

“Help her. She went down there with professor Fig. I haven’t much time to explain it, but she’s - she’s not like us. She can see magic that we can’t. I have seen her wield it. It is a very powerful, ancient magic that Ranrok is after. If he gets a hold of it, I fear we may all suffer.” he explained as everyone quietly observed.

“But we are just students, you can’t expect us to be able to stop a goblin rebellion” Samantha Dale spoke, frustrating him.

“Did she not help save your brother Samantha?” he asked sharply, turning towards the others.

“Or help you discover astronomy tables all over the highlands when you are too frightened to go alone Amit? What about beating your flying records Imelda? Or stealing things for your brews Garreth? Hell, she even helped Leander by rounding up his escaped chinese chomping cabbages. My point is that she has spent all year helping each and every one of us. What has she ever asked for in return?” He spoke and they all went sullen, realizing that the new 5th year had gone above and beyond in helping everyone, without ever expecting a return on her kindness.

“Hell, she’s spent so much time trying to do the right thing in order to satiate your moral fiber Natty or help you rescue magical creatures Poppy. I am not without blame in exhausting her either. I'm afraid by constantly going on about a cure for Anne… When she left the school yesterday she was leaving to help centaurs and wound up captured by Rookwood. I haven't a clue how bad it was but Poppy -'' he started once again and the poor Hufflepuff girl wracked with enough guilt to last the remainder of their school year looked solemnly at the group and shook her head as if to say ‘it was awful’.

“Regardless, we owe it to her. She has stretched herself parchment thin, and I’ll be damned if she dies down there alone, without aid and out of exhaustion. You can either come with me, or just help me get out of here, but please don’t let her go through this alone.” Sebastian said.

He turned to Poppy, gesturing to the girl while saying “we would be the most unloyal friends to sit idly by…” before looking at Amit and Samantha and continuing his train of thought. “And the most unintelligent classmates if we can’t find a way out of here”. He then turned to the bulk of their group mates clad in red, “We would be companions who lack the bravery she needs” and then lastly looking to himself and Imelda finally acknowledging his role; “not to mention unfit housemates to be called resourceful, if we haven’t the heart to help when we know we know that power is within us”.

“Sebastian is right. She deserves as much help as she can get.” Natty spoke, drawing a thankful nod from him.

“Look I am all for helping I suppose, but how exactly are we getting out of here to even go help? We wouldn’t know where to go even if we did get out to help” Leander spoke and the boy's easy dismissal frustrated Sebastian. Of course Leander would try and weasel out of helping. How the boy was Gryffindor when he lacked any form of bravery in Sebastian’s eyes, he’d never know.

“I think I may know where they are coming in from” Imelda spoke as the group turned towards her. “Behind the quidditch pitch, and the owlery, there’s a small cave atop the hill. I’ve noticed large machines made from goblin metal, along with many of Ranrok’s loyalists. I warned officer Singer, however I doubt she has done much.” Imelda explained. Thinking of the geography of the castle, Sebastian rationalized that it would make the most sense, as every other side of the castle was surrounded by water, and that would be the only area in which drilling could take place.

“Still doesn’t solve how we are getting out of here, or what we will do when we escape” Leander insisted.

“We can use the brooms. We can sneak around to the front of the school, and borrow the flying class brooms. They aren’t that nice, but I imagine they will suffice. Imelda don’t you still have the key?” Everett asked and she nodded.

“So Imelda and Everett can go snag the brooms. Natty, is there any way you can run by the potions classroom and collect some of the stores from professor Sharps closets? I know he has an abundance of wiggenweld, thunderbrew and invisibility potions because I’ve been making them during detentions. If we are going into battle it may not be the worst idea to come prepared.” Sebastian asked, forming a plan in his mind the best he could.

“That sounds like a great idea. I can meet Imelda and Everett on the lawn when I am finished.” Natty said with a nod.

“I will go Natty, and stop in the greenhouse. I have a few plants that could do some damage that I’ve been tending for Professor garlick” Leander explained and while Sebastian wanted to roll his eyes, the thoughts of his least favorite classmate hurling Chinese chomping cabbages at goblins did sound… interesting.

“We can go by the ravenclaw tower. I have the original schematics for the drills they are using in my dorm room. Samantha, would you like to tag along? You all could pick us up off the roof since we have a rooftop” Amit offered and while Sebastian wanted to question how Amit of all people wound up with Ranroks plans he didn’t question it.

“Alright that leaves Poppy, Garreth, Lucan and I. Poppy, would you mind joining me to stop by and retrieve something in the astronomy wing that might be useful?” Sebastian asked, alluding to the room of requirement and she nodded not giving away what he meant.

“Well we know what we do when we get out of here, but that doesn’t do much good if we can’t leave” Samantha explained frustrated.

“Leave that to me. I’ve been cooking up a brew for quite some time now and I think this is the perfect opportunity to test it out. Want to help me Lucan?” Garreth asked and the younger student nodded.

“So that settles it then. What exactly does this potion entail Weasley? Or what is our cue to leave?” Sebastian asked skeptically.

“Trust me, you’ll know”

To be continued…

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majoresca · 5 months ago

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A scepter, a feather and a wand.

Warning, long text ahead.

Headcanon:

There was a friendship for years between the trio Lorelei, Roland II and Cedric. Lorelei was the bridge that connected the two, and with her death, the bridge was weakened.

When the royal couple married, they expected to be a royal couple outside of the succession, with their family outside the focus of the royal court.

Even the couple's friend, Cedric, hoped to stay out of public view, as he was closer to them than the heiress Matilda, and he himself already suspected that his sister Cordelia would be chosen by her. Knowing that his father and King Roland I had low expectations for him.

The couple also planned to help Cedric in creating a new system of teaching magic, which could be applied to all schools in the kingdom, not just the elites. Having himself been a student whose learning curved, he wanted to make the teaching of magic more accessible to those who had difficulties. He would have been inspired by his old teacher, who had never given up on his progress despite his eventual complications. With the couple then funding Cedric's studies and research, which would be used to support his new practices. He sought to create a hybrid between magic and mechanical inventions, to relate the principles of science to those of magic, to make connections between different fields of knowledge. From the beginnings of everyday life, to those most hidden from view. He believed that the people's greater understanding of these phenomena would lead to the creation of more innovations and consequently the prosperity of the kingdom, just as the couple Lorelei and Roland II believed. However, Matilda renounced her place on the throne, as she longed for a life away from the responsibilities expected by the crown and the pressures of an arranged marriage, she wanted to choose her path and follow the decisions that her heart thought was right. With Matilda's resignation, the couple had to take her place, and consequently chose their friend as the royal sorcerer. Roland and Lorelei only wanted Matilda's happiness, even if her decision took them away from their initial plans. After the coronation, the royal couple was pressured about the lack of blood heirs. Which angered Roland II, as it hurt Lorelei's heart when she realized that perhaps she wouldn't be able to have the family she dreamed of. Roland II, being a young king, ended up being carried away by emotions, and defending his wife from unwanted comments. Which often affected court relations. Lorelei knew that the enmity between the members could harm the kingdom and its people, so she tried to ignore the bad words in favor of diplomacy. Cedric from time to time sabotaged critics behind the couple's back, which the queen reprimanded for worsening the sorcerer's reputation, Roland, however, turned a blind eye for agreeing with him.

The queen sought diplomacy between the kingdoms, because she loved her people and wanted the best for them. She also knew of the obstacles, created by outdated and ancient traditions, she hoped to mend and overcome these disagreements.

She knew that her husband was under a lot of pressure due to his father's expectations. By having the same name as him, the court expected the exact performance and continuation of his legacy. This left little room for deviation, which made his court relationships extremely rigid.

Lorelei knew that the two men in her life: her husband and the couple's best friend, suffered from the same weight of their parents' legacy. But where the sorcerer wanted to stand out among his ancestors, the king wanted to honor them by maintaining his principles.

Even the dreams of the two best friends were very different. Because while the royal sorcerer Cedric, wanted to be recognized and honored by everyone for his creations. King Roland II just wanted to create his own family, only wanting the love and affection of his future children with the queen. While the sorcerer's dreams were as eccentric as he wanted to be. The king's were simple but, of great value.

Queen Lorelei was a diplomat, in her public life as well as in her personal life. Balancing everyone's interests, so that there would be a peaceful and genuine union.

#sofia the fandom #sofia the first #headcanons #my hcs #queen lorelei #king roland ii #cedric the sorcerer

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badboyportrait · 1 year ago

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[Image ID:

A post from girlroach on Tumblr that says "Gripping my bathroom sink repeating I am not afraid to keep on living I am not afraid to work this world alone"

Lyrics from You're On Your Own, Kid by Taylor Swift: "You've got no reason to be afraid/You're on your own, kid /Yeah, you can face this/You're on your own, kid/You always have been"

Lyrics from Matilda by Harry Styles: "You can see the world, following the seasons/Anywhere you go, you don't need a reason /'Cause they never showed you love/You don't have to be sorry for doing it on your own" (last line highlighted in blue)

Artwork of a pale-skinned person in a bathtub of stars, with only their head and hand visible. They're holding a cigarette. Handwritten text next to their head says: "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY MONTHS I WASN'T AFRAID TO ADMIT I WALK THIS WORLD ALONE..."

Lyrics from Graceland, Too by Phoebe Bridgers: "No longer a danger to herself or others/She made up her mind and laced up her shoes/Yelled down the hall but nobody answered/So she walked outside without an excuse/She could do anything she wants to/She could do whatever she wants to do"

Quote from James Baldwin: "It took many years of vomiting up all the filth I'd be taught about myself, and half-believed, before I was able to walk on the earth as though I had a right to be here."

Post by guooey on Tumblr: "Constantly repeating to myself 'you are not broken you are young and learning how to live' during everything I do everywhere I go all the time"

Lyrics from Liability by Lorde: "So I guess I'll go home/Into the arms of the girl that I love/The only love I haven't screwed up/She's so hard to please, but she's a forest fire I do my best to meet her demands, play at romance, we slow dance/In the living room, but all that a stranger would see/Is one girl swaying alone, stroking her cheek"

Lyrics from It's Time To Go by Taylor Swift, highlighted in grey: "He's got my past frozen behind glass/But I've got me"

Text: "Where can my heart find peace if not in me?"

Anonymous said: I haven't written a love letter since. veinings said: Write one for yourself

Words from Take Me With You, Andrea Gibson: "COMMIT TO LOVING YOURSELF COMPLETELY. IT'S THE MOST RADICAL THING YOU WILL DO IN YOUR LIFETIME."

Words: "Sometimes you need to remind yourself that you were the one who carried you through the heartache. You are the one who sits with the cold body on the shower floor, and picks it up. You are the one who feeds it, who clothes it, who tucks it into bed, and you should be proud of that. Having the strength to take care of yourself when everyone around you is trying to bleed you dry, that is the strongest thing in the universe." (last sentence highlighted in yellow)

Post by babyspicegf: "its really comforting to know that all the times i was at my lowest and loneliest in the past the whole time i had my self in the future and present who had survived those things looking back with love and tenderness and wishing desperately to offer comfort…i am my own guardian angel and i can use that knowledge when im struggling now and remember that somewhere there is a version of me that has survived this and is watching me with love and pride and joy in her heart"

A blurry picture of running horses. Over it, text says "it is with blind faith i believe i am worthy"

Words by I.B. Vyache: "It's time to forgive my hands for being hands. I'm going to hate myself a little less tomorrow. I'm going to hate myself a little less tomorrow."

End ID.]

on self love

@girlroach // you're on your own, kid, taylor swift// mathilda, harry styles// ?// graceland too, phoebe bridgers// james baldwin// @guooey // liability, lorde// it's time to go, taylor swift// ?// @veinings// take me with you, andrea gibson// ?// @ babyspicegf // ?// i.b vyache

#img id #happy #q

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chaoticbritishqueen · 3 years ago

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Golden Trio Headcannons:

Ron was the one who taught Harry how to tie his shoe laces, after he noticed Harry tucked his laces into his shoes. "No-one ever cared enough to teach me..." "I care enough."

Both Ron and Harry were with Hermione when she started her period for the first time. "I'm...BLEEDING" "Calm down, it's your period, its just the shock of it, My sister got hers last year." "should I get Mcgonagall-"

Ron is the only one of the 3 who regularly goes to breakfast, he tends to pack toast in his bag to give to Harry and Hermione because sometimes they forget or they just don't bother and IT WORRIES HIM-

Harry and Hermione have the same favourite book as a child. Matilda, both relate to the book in very different ways. "It just gave me hope, really, she discovered her magic and found someone who loved her." "Harry, you also found people who love you" "I know"

Harry memorised how ron and Hermione drink their tea. Ron dash of milk, lots of sugar. Hermione, lots of milk, 1 sugar. He makes the best cups of tea. "It's really a ghastly amount of Sugar Ron-" "Your tea is literally whiter than me, don't judge"

Ron bakes treacle tart and jam tarts for Harry and Hermiones birthdays.

Harry and Hermione were once mistaken for siblings, and neither of them corrected the person. "Yeah, she's my older sister" ron would never forget the smiles on their faces. Everytime Hermione would go back to that Cafe, they would always ask about her younger brother.

Hermione was also the first person to hug Harry since he was placed with the Dursleys when he was 1. Ron was the second person to hug him.

Harry used to leave change around Rons room when he knew he was a few sickles short of something he knew Ron wanted. Because Ron would never accept money from Harry. Ron never found out, but Hermione saw him do it one day. "Your secret is safe with me"

Ron and Hermione are the Godparents to Harry and Ginny's children. And vice Versa. (Exept Lily Luna, whose God Parents are Neville and Luna)

Harry has a photo album filled with photos of him and his friends, that made in 2nd year, that album starts with him and ron and hermione, and ends with him and his family together.

It was actually Hermione who taught Harry how to tie his tie for school, and she wouldn't let him get on the boat without "being in proper uniform. Just because your the boy who lived doesn't mean you can just not tie your tie."

Harry and Ron were eachothers best men.

Ron and Hermione sometimes purposely walk slowly, when Harry finally starts to open up, so that he has more time to talk and won't close back up when they near where they're going.

Harry and Ron carrying some of hermiones work for her in lessons they share, because "Mione, you'll break your back carrying all that?!?!" "Yeah Ron's right- why the fuck do you have so much paper?!?!" "Parchment" "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT HERMIONE-"

Harry and hermione sharing their favourite muggle treats with ron "Mars bars mine" "I've always loved strawberry laces myself!!" And Ron sharing his favourite wizard treats with them.

Harry teaching Ron how to cook the muggle way and Ron teaching Harry how to cook the magic way. (Hermione was banned from the kitchen after she got frustrated with the spells and just decided to leave the boys to it as they actually enjoyed it) "I mean, you cooked for us during the hunt, the least we can do is cook for you now!" "You don't have to be good at everything, babe!!" "FINE-"

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione make sure too meet up for lunch at least twice a week, as they have busy lives now and they want to make that effort too see eachother. They've only missed around 15 of these, either because of honeymoons, child birth, Harry being "INJURED WHAT THE FUCK MATE DID YOU DO?!" "He was stabbed" "LIGHTLY stabbed" "YOU BLOODY PASSED OUT FROM BLOOD LOSS-" "eh" "EH?!?!?"

#harry potter #harry potter series #harry potter incorrect quotes #harry james potter #ron weasley #hermione granger #the golden trio #harry and ron #ginny weasley #harry and hermione #hinny #ronmione

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mad-hunts · 3 months ago

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with the recent development of how barton was dozing, the old car warehouse fell into a deep silence (at least on his part). and because matilda's voice was unintelligible from the kitchen — perhaps because she was purposely keeping her voice low, it was like you could now hear a pin drop in it. even matilda could tell from where she stood that the dynamic in the main room had suddenly changed. she just hoped that barton had fallen asleep again, and not that they'd killed each other while she had been gone. a sigh left matilda's mouth as she hung up the phone from the second person she'd called then.

she was tired, and she needed someplace to recuperate away from those two; though that was something matilda chose to keep a secret from her father for now. barton would probably be mad at her for what she'd done, but sleep was something she needed. and with the way things were at that moment? matilda would be lucky to even get a wink in as barton's condition only seemed to be worsening over time. plus, it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right? she really hoped that was the way to go here. returning to the main part of the warehouse felt like a little bit like she was entering a solemn hospital room.

it was grim, and there before her lied two people whom were definitely not at their best, after all. matilda only rearranged the blankets in her around barton while jervis informed her about cell regeneration. it's not that she wasn't listening, though; matilda was actually drawing up an antipyretic which she'd injected into the port of the IV bag. she kept her facial expression neutral as she capped the needle, before her eyes darted over to jervis. ❝ mhm. he's a doctor, like my dad. but that's about where the similarities end between them. his name is nico morselli; and hmm, that's interesting. was it just the brains complexities that appealed to you to get into neuroscience or? ❞

small-talk. matilda didn't usually like to engage in it, but she couldn't really think of anything else to talk about. barton was not something she particularly wanted to touch upon and jervis's own poor physical state wasn't either. the other looked like he was at war with himself over something in his head, and honestly, matilda could kind of relate to that. this whole situation was crazy. it was mind-bogglingly insane, but those were the types of conditions matilda dealt in more than 50% of the time. so she had gotten used to it long ago and tried her best to put anything she couldn't deal with in a metaphorical vault in her head. barton could be a pretty okay father at times, after all, but he could also be a terrible one.

failing him was like failing the world with how seriously he usually took it. but matilda was still glad that barton had been able to call her for help, because she loved him. which might be something that made her suffer sometimes... even though familial love isn't supposed to be like that. matilda was just about to go to throw away the vial she grabbed before she saw at the very last second that jervis didn't look well at all. her eyes widened slightly when she saw that, yes, he had fainted — a barely audible expletive leaving her lips before she speed-walked over to him.

thank god jervis was still breathing, had a pulse, and everything. pulling him into a fireman's carry was only a bit challenging for her since she had built some muscle up and upper body strength over the years; but matilda managed to do so eventually, the bed in the back room past the kitchen being where she put him down. it must've taken her about 15 minutes because that was when she'd heard a loud knock at the shutters of the warehouse. she quickly let the duo standing outside in, then, ❝ my dad is over there and i think he's got some brain swelling, so could you take care of him, please? i'm going to take care of jervis in the back. and you, i guess... come with me. ❞

from there, it was like matilda and the person in question were in overdrive: they had put an IV in jervis after some deliberation about whether they should and barton had, indeed, been revealed to have some swelling in the brain. so nico has given him medicine that would hopefully ease it all down, but wanted to stay to monitor him for a while anyhow. then... after chomping down on some food one of the people brought with them, matilda bid her adieu after swearing she'd be back once she got some sleep.

it was nearly a full four hours later when barton had finally come back to the land of the living. and the first thing he saw was nico, whom looked somewhat surprised, but still happy to see he was awake. all that barton could focus on however was that he couldn't see matilda anywhere; so, naturally, he asked about her and the doctor told him someone else had agreed to watch over the both of them while his daughter got some necessary rest from all of the 'insanity.'

the 'someone else' was in the main room and was just in the middle of turning around while practicing his aerial silking when they had caught eyes. it was perhaps one of the strangest things to see upon waking up, barton thought. but the way that jack quickly unfurled himself from the rope and landed perfectly was kind of impressive. jack waved at him then from where he stood, ❝ oh, hey, dad! i bet you're glad to see i didn't land on my face this time — right? ❞ self-depreciating humor. barton wanted to groan at that, but he found himself rolling his eyes playfully at that instead.

it was frustrating that he couldn't be angry at matilda for leaving at that, ❝ yeah, i am. but that wasn't exactly my first thought upon seeing you. what happened? is jervis still here, and is it true that matilda felt like she had to leave just to — ❞ barton couldn't even finish his sentence before he was suddenly being squeezed into a hug by jack. now, that was one thing he wasn't expecting. ❝ uhh... what's wrong, miel (honey)? ❞ he embraced his son back loosely at first before returning the hug fully. ❝ well, you were really sick, so i guess i'm just glad that you're okay. i was worried about you. ❞

barton was about to say something but then jack pulled away and his eyes actually looked watery with tears. his son rubbed at one of them before chuckling, ❝ sorry, sorry. i just... got something in my eye. if jervis is that guy in the back room, i've been checking to make sure he's still alive every now and again. just like you taught me, ❞ barton remained a bit speechless even now while he was just sitting there. it was easy to forget sometimes how warm he was compared to the rest of the family; for, although they weren't blood-related, jack had still grown up around someone who people was said was ice-cold. without a heart.

❝ speaking of, i have to check on him again. i'll be right back, ❞ and just like that, he was gone. jack looked at the IV he'd removed from jervis that was now in the hazardous waste trash and peeked around the side of him to make sure he was breathing. and indeed he was.

"Oh, frabjous day, callooh callay," Jervis responded unironically in a tone that's dryer than the dunes of the Sahara upon first hearing, but since his and Barton's initial stalemate over the falooda earlier today, there's now a visible gleam of warmth in his tired eyes. The dark gray of his irises brightens slightly behind his glasses as he took a step back from Barton's comatose figure; idly tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked backwards into his corner. "Talk about friends in high places."

As he leaned against the cool wall, he allowed himself a brief moment to breathe, the weight of the situation lifting just enough to let in a sliver of light. He lifted his fingers, took another drag from his joint, watching the tendrils of smoke coil and spin like wisps of white silk buffeted on the wind. The electric charge of anxiety in the room that had begun to reemerge now seemed to be snuffed out, for the second time in as many hours.

It was a wonder his very skeleton and musculature hadn't snapped under the weight. Though Jervis himself bore no physical wounds or signs of violence save for the deep indigo bruise blooming on his jaw - a parting gift from Marty's colleague, he now recalled with a twinge like snakes curling in his guts - his whole form felt battered to its marrow. Every nerve and every hair follicle felt as though they were soaked in a thick sludge of oil mixed with wet concrete.

He tilted his head, his eyes fluttering open as a strand of hair brushed against his cheek. The joint in his left hand continued to shed ash. "Fifteen minutes… that's just enough time for the body to generate more than 22 billion cells." Jervis was unsure why he had said that, the words spilling out before he could catch them, as if they had a life of their own.

He dragged his boot across the rough warehouse floor, the sound grating against his ears as he attempted to focus amidst the faint echo of dripping water, glanced over at Barton; gauged the shallow rise and fall of his chest, before turning back to Matilda, searching for any sign of doubt or hesitation in her face. "... this person, you trust they'll be able to handle the situation? I shouldn't think there's any permanent damage, but... appearances can be deceiving. And I'm not a neurologist by training; pharmacology and neuroscience was always my purview."

Why are you asking, you idiot? You can't care for these people, you shouldn't care. You don't, really; you barely know them to begin with, and you've stayed here long enough. You've already crossed two lines tonight, so much for Barton's claim of you being "self-righteous".... it's past time for you to go while you're still in one piece, and pray to whatever's out there you never cross paths with anybody named Mathis anytime soon. Let the GCPD or the Bat deal with them.

Even so, even as he deliberated, he knew could only run for so long in Gotham. So the next question was, where could Jervis possibly hide if he actually left the warehouse? Did he take his chances here, on the streets... or Arkham? Even if the situation was deplorable, the stakes nail-bitingly high; the tension in the city now likely rising to a boil thanks to the fallout of his and Barton's actions; his own instincts screaming for self-preservation; that emaciated, unspoken selfish part of him wanting to leave them to whatever came next... to die, to sleep, to dream - as Hamlet had once put it... damn it all... Jervis may as well pry out his own frontal lobes with a rusty spoon, for all the good it would do him. Indecision and exhaustion was calcifying his thought process into a knotted skein.

Maybe Arkham wouldn't be so bad, after all... maybe if they locked him away in some dank, dark hole and threw away the key, forgot about him... Gotham would forget. He would forget. But then the memory of Sylvie and Alice sprung to his mind, as sudden as a hurricane, and he cringed. No. He'd sacrificed too much... lost too much. The city's price for a life in its arms was blood... and it had been paid. And paid. And paid again. With interest, steadily compounding...

... god, he was so tired... Gray spots danced in front of his vision, and the room careened... his whole body lurched, right leg crumbled beneath him like a log burned to the core, and he distantly recognized he was slumping down the wall to the floor. It was his final clear thought before darkness overtook him.

#divingdownthehole #tw: medical.#tw: needles.#tw: illness.#tw: mentions of fainting.#AHH... i got inspired to do the good ol' switcheroo by the PARASITES so here we have matilda finally getting some rest-#because she has been taking care of barton endlessly and then assisting jervis as well so jack has now temporarily taken over for her #/ j LMAO i'm just joking about the parasites thing but honestly he is sooo fun to roleplay as because compared to the big ol' meanie™#that barton is jack is like... almost quote unquote 'normal.' and i put that in quotations bc OFC everyone has a different idea of-#normal BUT he is in the way that if you were to look at him in a room that had all of the mathis kids in it you probably wouldn't guess-#that jack is one on the first try because he doesn't really take after barton much at all and is like his polar opposite in behavior #but yeahhh i hope you enjoyed my reply here! i know it was more than a little long so please don't feel pressured to match the length #the song recommendation for this one is a little random but oh well LOL: it's you're the inspiration by chicago

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yespolkadotkitty · 3 years ago

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Wolfe in Sheep's Clothing, pt 13

I'm sorry it's been 600 years. I wonder if anyone is still interested!

Words: 1400 ~ Pairing: Pero Tovar x OFC Beatrix Wolfe ~ Content: swears

Masterlist of all chapters here

“Do you have any idea how worried I was? Your maid came to tell me you were unwell and that I wasn’t to see you - you could have died, Bea! I was out of my mind!”

Bea worried her lower lip between her teeth as her father chewed her out. She deserved it, she knew that, but it made it no easier.

“You are my only heir. You will carry on the Wolfe lineage! And you almost sacrificed it, for what? To ride your horse five minutes longer?”

“It was only a little rain,” Bea murmured, feeling six years old again.

“You must be more careful!” Lord Wolfe knelt before her, taking her hands in his larger ones. “Sometimes I look at you and see the small child you were. I didn’t take risks with her and I won’t take risks with you. Do you understand?” He frowned, pressing his lips to the backs of her hands, gently. “I’m not convinced that the mercenary - the foreign one - is a good influence.”

Bea scoffed. “He saved me from Sir Gareth!”

Lord Wolfe rose to his feet, sighing, his gaze scanning the walls of her room before landing on her again. “Be that as it may. He is wild, and I want you to walk the path appropriate for a lady. I will have William accompany you from today onwards.”

Bea bit the inside of her cheek to stop a retort. Defending Tovar would not help him.

“Very well,” she said, hollowly.

Lord Wolfe cupped her cheek. “You are your mother’s daughter, my precious girl, and I care for you deeply.”

You care for your legacy deeply, Bea almost snipped at him, but stopped herself. She was being unfair and she knew it.

Her father could have made her wed Sir Gareth. Could have turned a blind eye to his overstepping and brutish behaviour, but he’d sided with her, and she was grateful for that, and everything else he had done for her.

She leaned up to kiss his cheek. “I know you do, father.”

He smiled at last. “Perhaps you should rest. I’ll arrange for a meal to be brought up to your room.”

Bea swallowed. She couldn’t stay here, looking at the bed she’d seen Heaven in with Tovar - with Pero.

“I’d like to eat with everyone else. If that is all right with you.”

“That’s my girl. Come down when you’re ready.”

Bea gave him a smile and then let it drop when the door closed behind him.

A few seconds later, Matilda poked her head in.

“My lady?”

“Come in, Matilda.”

Her maid’s face was suspended in concern. “You are quite well?”

“Yes.” Bea embraced her, breathed in her lavender soap scent. “Thankyou. I’d like to join everyone for breakfast. Perhaps you would see to my appearance?”

Bea sat between William and her father during the meal.

Pero sat four tables away from them, with the other servants, liveried footmen, and such. He picked at his food, simultaneously trying to sneak looks at Bea and also not make it obvious that he was trying to look.

It was exhausting.

Mierda, he’d be lucky to ever get within six feet of her ever again.

He should leave now. Return to Spain. Or, travel this country in search of more work. He would need to leave William, he supposed. But the Irishman seemed settled here, and interested in Bea’s lady’s maid, Matilda.

It would be a good life. William deserved that.

Tovar deserved nothing. He’d been a breath away from stealing Bea’s innocence. In a way, he’d taken some of it already.

But he couldn’t regret that, not for a single heartbeat.

After the meal, none of which he tasted, he wore himself to exhaustion mucking out the stables, patrolling the perimeter, and taking on any menial tasks that needed to be done. He worked harder than he had in months, if not years.

By the end of the day, he opted to take supper with the kitchen staff, to avoid seeing Bea dressed in her finery for dinner.

When he finally dragged his exhausted old bones back to the room he shared with William, the Irishman was waiting there, a smug little smile on his irritatingly handsome face.

“What?” Pero all but snarled.

“Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, did we?” William, the little shit, asked.

“If I were you, I would move out of the way, pendejo,” Tovar grunted.

William held out a folded piece of paper. “Even if I have a message for you?”

Interest stirred Tovar out of his mood, and he took the parchment from his friend.

Meet me in the orchard when the moon is up

I need to see you

“La hostia,” Pero breathed. “My head will be separated from my fool body if I go. It would be insanity of the highest order.”

William folded his arms. “But you will go. I can see it on your face. And I’m going with you. If it all goes to shit, I’ll say Lady Wolfe asked me to take her on a walk because she couldn’t sleep.”

Pero arched a brow. “You think that will work?”

“Christ, no. But it’s better than the alternative, which is letting her out alone.”

Pero snorted. “Si. When the moon rises, then.”

***

Bea waited nervously under the branches of the biggest apple tree. Would he come? Had William given him the note?

Maybe he’d had his fill of her last night. Perhaps he would move on. Had she imagined the softness in his gaze when he’d touched her?

William stood a polite few feet away, hand on his scabbard. Bea trusted the Irishman. He was sweet, kind, funny.

A pity that he did not appeal to her on the level that Tovar did.

“Princesa.”

Her heart leapt and she turned to catch Pero’s gaze, dark amber under the hood of a grey cloak. “You came!”

She launched herself into his arms and he caught her, and she all but purred in delight at being so close to his warm, broad body.

She had a moment to wonder anxiously if maybe he had tired of her now they had been naked together, but then he buried his face in her hair and murmured, “I missed you, bonita. It is insanity, but it is true.”

Bea lifted her face for his kiss, and for heartbeats that stretched, they got lost in each other.

“Is this all we shall ever have?” Bea whispered into his neck. “Stolen moments under apple trees?”

Pero sighed, stroking small circles with the pad on his thumb on the small of her back. “Were I a better man, I would let you go. But I am not. I am greedy, and I want whatever time I can steal with you, for as long as you will stoop to be with me.”

A crack tore through Bea’s heart. “I am not stooping. You are worth a thousand of spoiled brats like Sir Gareth. I wish there were a way to show my father that.”

They held on to each other, not speaking. Bea listened to the steady thrum of Pero’s heart under her ear.

“My lady. As sorry as I am to interrupt, the guard will be changing soon,” William intoned a few feet away. “We can’t be caught.”

Bea squeezed Pero tight. He returned the hold, as if he was trying to press the memory of her into the lines of his body, and then he cupped her face for a deep, tender kiss.

William snagged her hand and Bea glanced back over her shoulder at the line of her lover, tall and proud and broad, in his black cloak. The moonlight kissed the outline of his figure against the column of the tree. She would have given anything to run away with him, and never have to look back.

----

Tags: @poenariuniverserse @sarahjkl82-blog @thirstworldproblemss @disgruntledspacedad @filthybookworm @frannyzooey @astroboots @littlemissthistle

@ourvisiontouchedthesky-blog @unicornsandgliiitter @wigwitch @randomness501 @tardisfangurl @nelba @lisbett168 @holographic-carmen @alienprincesspoop @wildchild1964 @mrsparknuts @idreamofboobear @frankiecatfish @zaniasky @f0rever15elf @thegreenkid @jaime1110 @heatherbel @songsformonkeys @gallowsjoker @becauseisme @missredherring @emeraldbears20 @rawkylove @thestrawberry-thief @gooddaykate @princess-and-pedro @ithinkwehitametaphor @badassbaker @emesispo @wyofabdoms @sketchy-britt @absurdthirst @agirllovespancakes @88dragon06 @soapjay @yoditostan @skdubbs @polly-djarin @yellowbubblewrap @mstgsmy @magikfanatic @itstheanxietyforme @pedropascalspain @hoeficsreblogged @knittingqueen13 @voteforpedropascal @dornish-queen @remmyswritings @mrschiltoncat @pedro4ever @radiowallet

@skvatnavle @grogusmum @strawberryperegrine @frankie-catfish-morales @miulola @lokiaddicted @starlight-starwrites @jazzelsaur @dihra-vesa @weirdowithnobeardo @2clones-1kamino @andiesturgss @mourningbirds1

#pero tovar x ofc #the great wall fic #pero tovar #pedro pascal fanfiction #sorry it's been 84 years

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the-blossica-fan · 12 days ago

Note

Turns about half of the Suitcase dwellers into Udimos.

Let their partners have fun with that.

😦 ← The silly that has to look up their Udimos

I can Imagine Mesmer Jr is pretty easy to take care of, I mean... It's not even an animal You just have to make sure it's in a safe place, and if it moves, you have to make sure it's not floating around where it shouldn't.

Vertin is just sitting by this thing that's Mesmer Jr taking a sip of her tea while offering some to the inanimate object (Mesmer says no)

Blonney is almost some sort of cursed doll so picture Jessica proudly showing off the weirdest toy ever and treating it like her girlfriend, because it is. Blonney is not even a menace she's just sitting there annoyed and fixing her fabric, it's Jessica that's the problem.

Jessica places Blonney on her back, asks her to hold tight and then runs around with Udimo Blonney and poor girl indeed, she's fearing for her life in case she flies away.

Udimo Jessica is more simple, it's a hyperactive deer that just cuddles up to Blonney. And Blonney has her on a leash for both of their safety, trust her, she knows her deer better.

Tooth Fairy is a simple bird, she perches on the top of Madam Z's head and stays there all the time, sometimes she flies all over the room of lies on her lover's hand, but other than that, she's just lying on her head. And chirping really loudly when Z goes through her fifth cup of coffee.

Imagine Windsong holding a fish in her hands with a red fabric on its head and a goofy smile, the fish is not in pain and is just there, in Windsong's hands. Windsong has no idea what to do or what just happened but the fish is asking for food and she delivers, and yes it does get put in water don't worry.

As for Vila, she carries Windsong on her scarf and from time to time, shows her off! It's her cute girlfriend that got turned into a small creature that's just as pitiful as her normal self! Best of cares for Udimo Windsong

I can imagine Kanjira picking up Ducktilda and showing her off to everybody else. She's just too cute!! But Matilda hates this embarrassment and is quacking the whole way, she's also not getting her feathers wet or anything, Nuh uh. Mercuria doesn't pick her up as much, she just lets her walk around and lay on her lap if she wants, but she's definitely pocking her or petting her.

Kanjira is pretty much like Punji, mischievous snake scaring everyone she sees and hiding under her lovers clothes because she can and because she wants to.

Mercuria Udimo? Girl looks like she consumed a stack of weed and just laid there in unicorn form. Yes she's just oddly calm and since she's no longer a human, it's rare. Matilda and Kanjira try to encourage her to run around and she just flops on the ground and sleeps. Me core ngl

Kakania in Udimo form is a smart parrot, she talks a lot and is moving around too much. She ends up in Isolde's arms eventually and is being spoiled, petting her head, giving her best quality food and providing her with warmth. What's better than being spoiled by your lover?

Isolde Udimo is similar to Tooth Fairy, she hides in Kakania's huge hat and only comes out when Kakania herself asks her to. She just likes being there for no reason at all.

Yes, rare not doomed Isolkania because I'm bitter.

#reverse 1999 #THE BUNNY #i have a rooster and he's a chatterbox and very spoiled #so I think Kakania would be similar #she woukd lay on Isolde's arms like a lazy bird while being spoiled #spoiled birds #Also Matilda being a hater in suck form biting everyone but her lovers #ducktilda is a hater

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ashiemochi · 2 years ago

Text

pussidon - ACT II | ii

✠ Pussidon ↳ sounds like trouble ↳↳ can we eat it?

➶ pairing: OC x Leon S(exy) Kennedy. ➶ genre: fluff, angst, gore, smut/suggestive themes ➶ word count: no

NOTE: ✠ = time skip ✠✠ = switching povs/characters

AN: starting from now on, it'll be one chapter per every other day <3 smth about suspense/anticipation or shit

prev -> next

The Han girls didn’t have time to react to the horrible news before hurried footsteps echoed outside, alarming the three agents.

“What was that?” Minji whispered, beginning to grow afraid and So Ah gave Leon a knowing look and then glanced at Helena who was eyeing outside of the room; she too wanted to know where that sound came from.

“Only one way to find out,” Leon said, taking out his gun and exiting the room to train his eyes onto a distant open door, narrowing them before nudging his head to it, “Let’s go.”

Helena gave him an affirmed nod and followed after him then So Ah faced Minji, Jiwoo standing next to her leg nearly huddling up to her. She let out a pent-up breath as she held her gun with both hands.

“I need you both to stay close, alright?” So Ah ordered gently yet firmly, “Just till we get out of here so I can contact the BSAA.”

“Right.” Minji nodded, taking a deep breath before grasping onto Jiwoo’s hand protectively, “We’ll stay out of your way.”

So Ah’s lip twitched, knowing she was referring to her aiming skills. She much preferred a sniper rifle because at least she’d be comfortable with it; but right now, all she’s got is a Matilda and whatever the other gun is.

She’s gonna call it James.

So Ah ran outside, joining Helena and Leon and just as Minji had said; she was following closely behind her little sister.

The auditorium was probably even worse. The floor was smeared with dinner plates and whatever was on them. Some confetti and balloons were still standing, giving the overall room an eerie atmosphere. Lightning would flash from moment to moment, adding to the spooky vibes.

With Minji following behind and Helena being ahead, So Ah was jogging next to Leon. He glanced down at her, noticing the worried look on her face.

“Let’s hope whatever’s made that sound is actually human.” Leon quipped and the girl sighed, peeking up at him but kept her eyes ahead as they entered the next room.

“So Ah?” Minji called out quietly from behind and So Ah looked at her over her shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“Can you tell your fiance to respectfully not open his mouth? Anything that comes out of it is creepy.”

Leon chuckled at that, slowing down to stop when Helena opened the door to the kitchen and So Ah smiled a little. Not at the little favour. No, but at that word. The jewellery around her ring finger seemed to make her skin tingle at the mention.

Fiance.

And Leon noticed her smile, mimicking it then Helena spoke, readying her gun.

“They went out the back.” She informed and just like that; the lighthearted air dissipated.

The group ran through the kitchen and around the assembly tables till they reached the exit door. A shiver ran down Agent Han’s spine and she didn’t know if it was from the open fridges – which she was sure were broken – or the tracker acting up again. As the years progressed with her carrying the virus and the device embedded into her bone, the check-ups have been getting longer.

They never stopped but the medics seemed a bit too concerned about the tracker than her own existence. She never had the chance to ask and assumed maybe the tracker was malfunctioning – as much as she had hoped for it – but then again, the BSAA wasn’t giving her the answers she wanted to hear.

Rolling her shoulders in irritation and tilting her head to the side once, she released a quiet breath.

She didn’t have the time to ponder about that when she’s got her sister and nephew to get to safety and figure out what happened here. Besides, she’s got Leon now – at least that’s one good thing she’s got going on.

They reached a door at the end of the corridor and stopped. So Ah could hear rough similar coughs coming from inside and familiar dread began bubbling from the pit of her stomach. Leon stood by the door as she stood on the other side, lips parted for her breaths and Leon’s azures connected with hers.

They were warm, contrasting to the weather outside, and comforting. Leon didn’t have to say anything and So Ah flashed him a small smile, nodding. Helena kept her aim trained on the door, finger on the trigger and Minji had Jiwoo behind her, tightening her grip around his hand.

“Ready?”

Leon received affirmations from the two agents and took a step back before slamming his foot against the door, kicking it open. So Ah did wonder - was that really necessary?

Minji stayed behind as the three agents rushed in, guns drawn.

“Wait! Don’t shoot!” The suited man shouted when So Ah’s aim landed on the man and she blinked when he dropped down onto his knees, coughing harshly.

Leon spared the two girls a glance and lowered his gun but So Ah kept it up, earning a narrowed look from Helena.

Shit, So Ah thought. If she weren’t so caught up with finally seeing Leon, she could’ve told him about the fog and what it does… About James.

Even Minji poked her head from outside, trying to see the commotion.

“Are you alright?” Leon asked, helping the man up who was breathless from his coughing fit.

He was in a simple formal suit, looked in his mid-forties, with kind brown eyes behind his specs; he was a father. That made So Ah lower her aim.

“The fog…” He muttered before swallowing thickly and Helena furrowed her brows.

“What?” She asked, tilting her head to the side and the man took some deep breaths to continue speaking.

“The fog… It came out of nowhere.” He finished and So Ah bit on the inside of her cheek, holding onto Leon’s arm gently to catch his attention.

She could recognize that glint in his eyes underneath the pale green lights of the monitors. He wanted to help this man.

“What is it?” Leon whispered, looking down at her.

“The vir –”

So Ah was interrupted by a distant womanly scream, sending Minji into a yelp as she pulled Jiwoo close, looking down the corridor they came from. The man’s eyes widened in fear, seemingly recognizing the sound.

“Liz!” He rushed forward and a device clacked to the floor from him as he shoved past Leon, inadvertently pushing past So Ah, emitting a little gasp from her as she stumbled backwards.

“Wait!” Leon tried to stop him but got his hands smacked away, “It’s too dangerous!”

So Ah noticed the glowing device on the floor and returned her gun into her holster. She picked it up, eyeing down at the picture of a young-looking woman and Helena stood next to her to see the photo. The man noticed the phone and rushed to So Ah, taking it as if cradling a child and her heart ached.

“My daughter! She’s all alone!”

But she was more concerned about how loud he was.

The man frantically looked at the agents, pleadingly, “If we don’t do something –”

She hurriedly held onto his rough hands, hushing him softly yet firmly and he looked at her with wide eyes, breathing heavily.

“Alright, alright, just take a breath,” She ordered and his lungs were only stuttering, “You need to keep it down if you want to see her, okay? It’s not safe to be loud right now… Understand?”

It was like she was reassuring a panicking child like Jiwoo and surprisingly, it worked. The suited man nodded, whimpering a little before she released his hands, taking a step back to stand next to Leon. Leon’s hand gently bumped against her and he gave her a subtle ‘good job’ smile. The man gazed down at the photo of the woman, sniffling as he muttered.

“Liz…”

“Is that your daughter?” Leon asked, glancing down at the picture and the man nodded, now calmer than before, “Alright, let’s find her.”

Helena’s brows furrowed, taking a step close with an impatient tone, “Leon, we don’t have the time –”

“We’re making the time.” Leon cut her off, giving her a glare and his fiancee instantly picked up on the firm tone in his voice.

Did something happen between them before they found the Han siblings?

Minji was seemingly happy to have found more survivors, releasing a sigh before the man made his way out, sparing a sorrowful glance down at Jiwoo and his mom. Helena was reluctant as she followed after.

“Is… You don’t trust Helena, do you?” So Ah whispered as Leon began walking and he grunted in passiveness.

“She said she played a part in this… Didn’t say much after that.” Leon answered and her eyes widened, shocked.

Was she one of the assassins?

So Ah did kind of recognize her a little and that’s only because she’d seen a glimpse of her on the upper floor but that was about it. Ironically, Minji thought she was pretty and even complimented her burnt oak-coloured vest.

“Why aren’t we turning her in then?” So Ah asked, watching as Helena walked ahead with Minji being nearby and the suited man was whisper-yelling, calling out for Liz.

“According to her, she’s got a lead in the cathedral… If she really does have a hand in this, we’ll turn her in.” Leon said, his grip on the gun tightening a bit - the same gun that killed the President.

“Ah!” Jiwoo suddenly screamed when the vent’s lid dropped and he clung to his mom in fear.

“They’re scared…” Leon watched a bunch of rats skitter by and So Ah cringed, feeling her skin crawl.

“Egh…”

Leon snickered a chuckle at her disgust towards rats as they made their way out of the kitchen and into the auditorium. Helena squinted her eyes through the sudden darkness.

“Who turned the lights off?” She whispered before turning on the little light attached to her earpiece and Leon followed suit.

“Stay sharp.”

So Ah didn’t have any lights and was going to comment on it but then light illuminated behind her. She looked over her shoulder and found Minji holding onto her phone, using its flashlight and she gave her a sheepish smile. So Ah smiled at her and nodded ahead, walking closely next to Leon.

They made their way briskly through the massive room then a body fell from the window, shattering it before the body collapsed on top of broken wood, seemingly completely dead. Or so she hoped so.

“Never know what to expect around here…” Helena muttered, on edge about the body.

“We need to find her.” The man was concerned again, glancing down at her picture again and So Ah frowned.

“We will. Just stay close.” Leon reassured gently and the man thanked him, unlocking a door that was previously closed.

So Ah kept her eyes trained on Helena, feeling cautious as they explored the new room whilst the man was searching for which key to unlock the next door. She found a couple of staircases leading up, tilting her head a little as she walked up, unaware of Leon following.

They came to a close in front of a dead body with a first aid spray next to it. The poor man was probably in the middle of patching his wounds up before it was a little too late.

“Wonder how much time we have before these corpses are on their feet…” Leon mumbled, eyes lowering down at the body and then the spray right next to its hand.

Silence washed over between the couple and Leon set his fist onto his palm, facing her. So Ah blinked, glancing down at it and then back at him.

“What are–” Her eyes widened a little in disbelief, “Are you serious?”

“Hey, I’m not trying to get my hand bitten off.” Leon retorted and she could’ve sworn that the playful glint replaced his cautious one.

So Ah rolled her eyes before setting her gun onto the railing and mimicked his hands.

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

So Ah beamed at having won the little game, holding onto scissors whilst he had paper. Leon groaned at this, huffing before defeatedly facing the corpse and she giggled faintly before picking up her gun just in case.

Ever so slowly, Leon walked towards the body and knelt down, his hand was steady as he reached for the spray. Quietly but quickly, Leon nabbed the first aid spray and stood up, taking a few steps back for a quick measure.

“Well,” Leon ticked his head to the side once with a relieved look on his face, “That wasn’t so bad.”

So Ah was going to comment before a flashing thunder shook the ground and lit up the room briefly, the loud cracking sound sent both agents to jump and the girl clung to his arm. As the atmosphere slowly returned to a calming rain with the lightning echoing in the distance, Leon looked down at her with a tilted smirk.

“Aren’t you a scaredy-cat,”

So Ah’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she released his arm, punching him lightly, “... Shut up, you got scared too.”

Leon chuckled at this, his hand coming up to rest on the back of her neck, leaning down to press a soft peck on her lips, “Fair point.”

“You guys okay?” Helena piped up as she got up the stairs then stopped at the intimate sight and furrowed her brows, “Is now really the time?”

“Are they making out again?” Minji’s voice came from below and Helena looked down at her, incredulously.

“We’re fine,” So Ah muttered, voice coming out shy as she removed herself from Leon’s embrace much to her dismay and Leon scoffed lightheartedly, setting the spray in his pocket inside his leather jacket.

The same leather jacket she had bought for him as a gift last year.

It was a black leather jacket with two grey stripes on both sleeves and too many pockets - way too many. It’s got four flap pockets on the front along with two zipper pockets to make it pop. The collar is styled like a shirt along with some straps on each shoulder.

Was it complex? Maybe, maybe not.

Did it bring out Leon’s broad shoulders? Yes, and maybe that’s why she bought it.

She tried to ignore the numerous pockets because like she had mentioned before; what was he trying to hide?

His undeniable sexiness?

Leon knew he was attractive and sexy – he’s got the confidence too which heightens the overall drool-inducing sex appeal. Also, he was a gentle and passionate lover and occasionally a rough fucker.

The doors were unlocked and the couple along with an in-disbelief Helena rushed down to the suited man, Minji and Jiwoo. They entered the room and So Ah found her eyes trained onto the glass casings in front of her, concealing wide-open books. She didn’t care enough to read and inspect though. Then the man began wheezing for air as if his lungs were refusing oxygen and she eyed him, worryingly.

“Are you okay?” Minji asked, setting a gentle hand on his shoulder which seemed to have calmed his little episode a bit.

“I will be once I find my daughter…” The man whispered before coughing into his hand as he made his way to the other door, “I called her cell, but we got cut off. I know she’s here… Somewhere.”

So Ah and Minji shared a sombre look, knowing he must’ve inhaled the fog or was in contact in some way. She didn’t bring herself to shoot him down, seeing how he was just a father searching for his daughter. Question was, how long does he have before he turns?

They slowly made their way into the now open room and took a left, coming to a close with a blocked hallway and… An elevator?

When did this place have an elevator?

The White House out of all places.

“An elevator?” So Ah asked, inspecting it from afar before noticing the turned-off lights inside, “Where does it lead to?”

“The underground parking lot,” The man answered, flashing his light on it, “It’s locked but I work here. I’ve got the keys. Once we’re in, we can take my car.”

“Thank you,” Helena said, seemingly relieved, “Now let’s find your daughter and get out of here.”

So Ah was on her tiptoes around Helena because according to Leon – who was told by Helena herself – she had a hand in this attack. She didn’t know why but Helena doesn’t really exert that ‘assassin’ vibe. It confused her, but So Ah knew something; the more she’s confused about something, the worse the outcome is going to be.

Just like back in the Green Life’s facility seven years ago; the more she wandered around all lost and tired, the shittier things she endured. In the end, she only hoped Minji and Jiwoo would be taken to safety.

“Liz! Liz, is that you?” The man whisper-yelled, jogging to the blocked hallway and So Ah heard it.

Piano. Someone was playing the piano.

Then it hit her; someone is playing the fucking piano? In this situation?!

Then it hit her again; there’s a piano here and no one told me?!

The man pushed the shelf standing and out of the way before beginning to walk faster down the hall. Before she knew it, they were following the calm tone of the piano – which only sounded terrifying at this hour.

“... Beginner stuff…” So Ah muttered lightly under her breath, and Leon raised an eyebrow at her.

“You know only one song, So Ah.”

“A complex one. Took me four months to learn that crap.” She shot back as they rounded the final hall.

“Why did you stop?” Leon asked curiously and she cringed subtly.

“Training took most of my time, not to mention the check-ups.” She answered, glancing over her shoulder to check if Minji was still close; and she was.

Leon frowned a little but his eyes froze on the bloody handprint on the door. The piano stopped abruptly, filling the place with silence once again other than the rain outside. Leon gave Helena a nod and she returned it then both headed to the door. Something stirred inside of the Han girl but shook it off as anxiety.

If anything, it wasn’t the time to worry about… Whatever it is her self-consciousness was rambling about.

Instead, she readied her gun as the man stepped back and Minji pulled Jiwoo to her, standing behind her little sister. Leon slowly slid the door open, revealing the… Piano!!

Oh, and the bloody smears on the carpet.

Leon glanced at Helena then walked ahead and she followed with her gun up, noticing the bloodstains on the floor. Once again, something itched inside of So Ah and this time, she shrugged it off annoyingly.

A girl ran in front of the room, stopping when Leon instantly aimed at her out of instinct. The girl seemed breathless and in pain before she dropped to the floor, tired and Leon lowered his aim. The once beautiful short-sleeved red shirt was now stained in blood and dirt, mimicking the blue shorts that she wore. Before Leon could ask if she was alright, the man rushed in, crying out.

“Liz!” He dropped down in front of her, hands on her shoulders to keep her steady as her eyes were blinking in and out of consciousness.

So Ah walked into the room, lowering her aim as she inspected the blood leading to two bodies toppling over one another. She… Had no clue what happened here. She could only guess Liz and these two men ran here to hide but it didn’t end well for the men.

She eyed the piano then at Liz – was she really playing in her condition?

Maybe it was like a comfort thing. A song her mom used to hum or something – if so, then good for her.

“Dad…” Liz spoke tiredly, “Where are mom and Liam?”

“They… They already got out.” The father replied, helping her stand before wrapping her arm over his shoulder to keep her up, “They’re waiting for us at home.”

“Want one for your next birthday?” Leon nudged So Ah’s shoulder, noticing her cinnamons drawing in the curvature and the slick designs of the piano.

She blinked at him, huffing a little with a smile as she shook her head, “Not my colour.”

✠

They rushed into the elevator, the lights turning on which received a sigh of relief from Minji.

“Thank god, my battery was about to die.” She muttered as she turned off her flash and shoved her phone into her pocket.

So Ah stood flushed next to Leon as Helena stood behind the man and Liz. Minji picked up Jiwoo into her arms and he seemed a bit calmer with him in her arms, relaxing into her touch and the warmth of his aunt’s jacket.

For some reason, So Ah felt like she was craving something. Reassurance maybe. Leon glanced down at the sudden cold hand holding his warm one then looked at So Ah. She didn’t look at him, just stayed close with her hand in his. A small frown twitched his lips and he tightened his grip a little; a quiet ‘I’m here.’

Yeah, that was all she craved. Those words.

Then Liz collapsed and began coughing harshly, cutting the quiet tension off and her dad followed, a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“You’re going to be okay, Lizzie.” He reassured, “You’re going to be okay.”

Liz looked at him, her once lively eyes were pale as she whimpered, “Dad…”

“We’re almost there!” He tried to calm her down again but to no avail.

Her brow was etched in pain before she inhaled one last breath and collapsed against the wall. The father shook her, calling out her name then his breaths laboured as he broke down in tears. Minji looked away with a deep frown, tears stinging her eyes as she covered her son’s confused but scared ones.

The agents shared a look, disheartened by the broken family then the man’s sobs were cut off by his coughing. They returned their eyes to him. His coughs were harsher, not allowing him to breathe and the lights began flickering. Leon released So Ah’s hand to grab his gun and she followed suit.

The lights went out, basking them in darkness and Minji gasped faintly, whispering, “The lights!”

A shiver ran down their spines at the squelching sound coming from where the father and daughter were. Along with low guttural snarls, there were biting and chewing.

Gnawing.

Helena was the first to turn on her light, shining it down only for her eyes to widen at the sight of undead Liz eating her father’s guts away.

“Oh, my god…!”

Liz glared hungrily at So Ah, as she was the closest, then launched her body at the agent, sending her stumbling back to the wall and shoved Helena aside, nearly tripping her. The Matilda clacked onto the floor next to their feet.

“So Ah!” Minji cried out as Jiwoo cried, covering his eyes.

“Shit, you’re strong.” So Ah grunted, trying to hold Liz’s biting teeth away from her, gasping when she almost slipped but Leon grabbed Liz’s shoulders and pushed her away.

“She’s already gone! Shoot her!” Leon shouted at frozen Helena, now he was struggling with Liz.

“But –” Helena hesitated but she was cut off when the zombie flat out fucking punched Leon in the face.

What in the shit?

Leon stumbled back as Liz changed targets, tackling Helena onto the ground. So Ah located her gun and hastily picked it up, aiming at the creature. She took the shot, the bullet hitting its back and it snarled but Helena took her chance to twist them around so that she was on top and then shot into its head.

The silence was back other than Jiwoo’s quiet cries and So Ah breathed heavily at the adrenaline subsiding as Helena stood up, clearly shocked.

“I can’t believe it…” She whispered and Leon exhaled, perceptive azures giving Agent Han a quick eye scan for injuries.

“Well, get used to it.” Leon spoke firmly, looking at Helena sharply, “It’s either them or us – and they don’t hesitate.”

“Why did this have to happen…”

Minji held onto So Ah’s arm, concerned, “Are you okay?”

So Ah nodded, giving her a slight smile, “I’m fine… Just stay behind me.”

Helena’s eyes lingered on the sisters apprehensively, lips frowning before she faced the door, picking up on the distant growling sound.

“I don’t think we’re alone in here…”

Minji instantly rushed to stand behind the agents, taking the hint as Leon took out his gun and then ordered in a hushed tone.

“Helena, So Ah, grab your guns!”

The elevator dinged innocently and the doors slid open only to reveal hordes of zombies trying to get in. Minji yelped, shoved back to the wall for more protection and out of the flesh-eating’s reach as the agents opened fire.

“Shit! Don’t let them in!” Leon yelled, dodging a swing from one of the creatures and So Ah shot said creature.

So Ah was focused on keeping her family safe, shooting them with precision as Helena took care of the rest. When they were down, the agents took a few seconds to breathe and the youngest Han glanced over her shoulder at Minji, noting she and her son were still safe. Shaken up, but safe.

“We have to keep moving.” So Ah muttered, mostly to herself as she took a cautious step out of the elevator only to see another man stumbling, seemingly on the brink of turning, towards a locked car.

Instantly, she shot his leg from her spot, eyes widening when he tumbled away from the car and to the ground, grunting. He was still human. Guilt ran up her spine and her tracker seemed to have glitched again at the intense emotion, causing her to bite on her inner cheek.

He was already gone. You did what you had to do. Get Minji and Jiwoo to safety. Get them out of here. You’re not a bad person. You are not a bad person.

“What was that for? He needed help!” Helena scolded, running up to glare at her as Leon stayed silent, observing how the man was now motionless and away from the car.

“She stopped him from triggering the car alarm,” Leon spoke lowly, gesturing to the body then he looked at Helena, “He was already turned.”

Helena’s scowl fell into a frown as So Ah blinked at the hand resting on her shoulder and she trailed her eyes up to Leon’s and he gave her a firm nod.

The locked doors of the parking lot had a swarm of zombies kicking and slamming against them, sending the noise of groans and rattles echoing throughout the barely filled parking lot. It was easy to take care of those wandering ones now that the car didn’t go off.

“Great work – now, let’s get the hell outta here.”

“Leon… You need to know something… About the fog…”

#leon kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy #leon s kennedy x reader #resident evil #resident evil infinite darkness #leon kennedy #dbd fanfic #resident evil fandom #resident evil fanfiction #leon kennedy imagines #resident evil memes #dbd memes #leon kennedy x you #leon kennedy fanfic #leon kennedy x reader smut #leon scott kennedy #leon scott kennedy smut

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leon-scott-kennedy · 3 years ago

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Distrail

Chreon, Rated-T

Read on Ao3

For a price, anyone could check into a seedy motel, even three people covered in blood, guts, and grime, no questions asked, especially with the ashes of Raccoon City still cooling 100 miles away. So the horizon still held a faint glow of destruction when Leon and Claire stumbled, barely conscious, through the front door of the Tadpole motel at 2 PM October 1st, using each other as support and Sherry clinging to Leon’s back like a koala if a koala drooled and snored.

Two other motels along the highway turned the odd couple away, rumours already flying about Raccoon City, zombies, and a nuclear cover-up. But at the right price, triple the going rate, Claire managed to convince the manager to let them bunk down, courtesy of Leon’s stressed credit card.

The fact Leon’s credit card worked, or that he even still had his credit card, was a miracle. His wallet hadn’t exactly been a priority, and honestly, they could sleep in a cockroach-infested basement, and Leon would be happy because they were dead on their feet after hiking on foot what Leon estimated to be a good 30 miles of rough terrain to get to the nearest town. The sun barely peeked over the horizon when the sky behind them exploded.

Raccoon City was gone. The people Leon had sworn to defend were gone. Sherry and Claire were all he managed to protect, and he’d be damned if he failed now.

The motel room wasn’t terrible; two double beds, a small tube TV, and a leaky faucet. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t something out of a horrible nightmare. They’d left that behind them.

“I’m glad we don’t have a blacklight,” Claire joked, but her tone fell flat.

Leon nudged the bed farthest from the door suspiciously with his boot, dragged back the yellow duvet, and inspected the mattress before he lay Sherry down and tucked her in. He even let Claire shower first, insisted, while he watched Sherry sleep, tossing and turning and whimpering from reliving the horrors in her dreams until Claire emerged from the bathroom, hair still damp, and crawled into bed beside Sherry.

By the time Leon scrubbed his skin raw, the water was cold, and Claire had passed out cold with Sherry cuddled up beside her, little hand tangled in the front of Claire’s dirty tank top like a lifeline. Leon passed out face first on the other bed. He couldn’t even muster the energy to get under the covers.

Movement woke Leon. He jolted awake, reaching for his gun on the bedside table, only to find Claire, fully dressed, perched on the end of his bed and tugging one of her boots. She smiled sadly at the gun levelled at her head.

Leon lowered Matilda, gasping for air. His arm fell limply to his side. “Claire?”

“Hey.” Claire pulled on her second boot. “Sorry.”

Leon blinked at the sleep crusting his eyes. “What... what are you doing?”

Claire sighed and set her foot back down solidly on the ground, hands grasping her thighs. “I need to find Chris. I need... I need to know he’s okay.”

“Now?” Leon glanced at the clock. The bright red numbers read 7:46. The setting sun outside glowed faintly behind the curtains.

“If you ever need me...”

“Forget me. What about Sherry?” Leon snapped, somewhat mollified when Claire winced.

“I know you’ll take good care of her.” Claire’s attention briefly snapped to the sleeping 12-year-old that had survived literal hell. “Leon... if I didn’t have to.”

“Yeah. Yeah, whatever,” Leon scoffed, then rolled over. His heart thundered in his chest. He heard Claire briefly wake up Sherry to say goodbye, promising they’d be in touch, that if Sherry ever needed her, all she needed to do was call.

The door creaked open. Leon clenched his eyes shut, willing down the panic swelling in his chest until it ached. This was it. He was all Sherry had left. They were on their own.

“Take care of our girl for me.” Claire’s voice was barely a whisper.

Leon’s hands trembled, buried in the sheets and pillows, he struggled to suck down air, and his hearing fuzzed. Claire was gone.

For hours, Leon faded in and out of consciousness, barely able to keep the crush of dread at bay. Finally, at some point around 3 AM, he gave up all pretense to sleep and kept a vigilant guard. He jumped at a car alarm, tensed at the slam of a door, and clenched Matilda tightly when soft footfalls passed their door. Eventually, Sherry climbed into his bed to watch early morning cartoons with him.

“Is Claire going to be okay?” Sherry asked softly. She hugged Leon’s arm, cuddling into his side like he used to with his grandma.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about her,” Leon said. He slumped to the side, gently resting his head on top of Sherry’s. “She’ll be fine, kiddo.”

When the sun rose, Leon and Sherry trekked down to the front office to extend their stay another night, then hiked into town searching for clothes and sustenance. Being out in public, surrounded by people, set both Leon and Sherry on edge. They jumped at the slightest sound, and Sherry refused to release Leon’s hand for anything less than going to the bathroom, and even then, he had to stand guard outside the stall. Thank god he had pissed before they left the motel because Sherry was clinging to the back of his jacket while he tried seemed ridiculous.

Their shopping trip was quick. They grabbed what they could, Sherry setting a brisk pace through the little thrift store they found, dragging Leon from rack to rack. They scrounged up a few changes of clothes, socks, underwear, which Leon was a little uncertain of, a jacket that fits over his side holster since he had a license to carry, and a backpack that they filled with snacks and a deck of cards from a little corner store. It turns out Leon’s palette was similar to a twelve-year-old.

The tenuous credit limit finally crapped out on Leon when he tried to buy a six-pack at a shady liquor store on the way back to the motel.

“No job. No money. Just great,” Leon sighed.

For the rest of the day, they holed up in their room munching on junk food, watching terrible daytime TV, and playing Go Fish until Leon made the brilliant decision to teach Sherry how to play poker, and she fleeced him for all the Cheetos.

Leon had no plan beyond survive, and he hadn’t even planned for that. His body ached from being tossed by mutated monsters and shot. His wrapped shoulder twinged.

“Shit,” Leon cursed and clutched his wound. They needed help. He needed help. Taking care of a kid without any resources would be impossible; never mind, he’d never taken care of a person in his life. He had no siblings, no parents. His grandma died when he was nine.

Leon smiled at Sherry in reassurance when she questioned him. This little girl couldn’t be another statistic of the system. He could fix that. He would fix that.

Covered in orange Cheeto dust, Sherry crashed around 8 in the evening. The glow of the sun behind the curtain reminded Leon of the mushroom cloud that had enveloped the sky 36 hours ago. Leon’s stomach twisted in knots. Every creak, every thump, every squeaky break, Leon tensed, waiting for something to crash through the door and disrupt the precarious peace.

Leon hunkered down on his bed, the one closest to the door and any potential threat that came for them, and prepared for another sleepless night on edge.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Around one in the morning, his eyes beginning to droop, Leon nearly fell off the bed in his mad scramble for his gun when someone knocked heavily on the door. Checking his clip, Leon cautiously crept to the door, motioning for now very awake Sherry to stay out of sight.

“Who is it,” Leon called.

“Hi. Look, I’m sorry to bother you. My name is Chris Redfield. I’m looking for my sister Claire.”

Leon blinked and glanced back at Sherry, whose head had popped out of the blanket at the sound of Claire’s name. Then, double-checking he had bolted the chain, Leon opened the door a crack to peek out.

A man a little taller than Leon stood under the flickering light outside the door, his hair cut short and a 5 o’clock shadow. Chris Redfield, decorated member of the Racoon City Stars Division. Leon recognized him from the old photo Claire had shown him, but also the records he’d run across during his frantic hunt through the Police Department.

“Chris?” Leon said, astonished it was actually him. He slammed the door, unbolted the chain, and flung the door open again. “What the- Claire’s looking for you. What are you doing here?”

Chris, who eyed the gun uncertainly, brightened at the mention of his sister. “Is she here? The manager at the front recognized her. Said she was here with some guy and a kid.” Chris glanced past Leon into the room to Sherry curled up in the other bed peering out with curious fear from under the blankets.

Leon shook his head, eyes scanning the parking lot. “She’s not here. She left this morning to find you.”

“Fuck.” Chris winced and glanced at Sherry again. “Shit, sorry.”

Sherry giggled into her hands, and Leon rolled his eyes. “I think she’s dealt with worse.” Like the apocalypse.

“But she’s okay. She’s alive?” Chris asked.

“Who? Claire? Yeah. Yeah, she’s fine. Saved my ass more than a few times.” Leon smiled wistfully and then frowned. So Claire had left, and now, here, her brother was trying to track her down. It must be nice to have someone that gave a damn about you.

“Oh, thank god.” Then, finally, all the tension and stiffness in Chris’ posture melted. “I got her message, and...”

Leon scanned the dark parking lot again for any sign of life, then gestured into the motel room. “You should come in.”

“No.” Chris waved off the invitation. “No, I need to find her.” But the fatigue in his voice threatened to topple him, and that would definitely fell Leon if he tried to catch him.

“Dude, you’re dead on your feet,” Leon said. “It’s the middle of the night. Crash for a few hours.”

“Yeah!” Sherry chimed in, bouncing on her bed. “Stay!”

Chris shook his head. “I can’t.”

Leon pursed his lips. “Look, I don’t know you, man. But I do know that if you pass out behind the wheel and wrap yourself around a pole, you’re pretty damn useless to her.”

Chris opened his mouth to argue, and Leon sighed, tilting his head to the side, ready to give up when Chris snapped his mouth closed and cleared his throat. He studied Leon closely, scrutinizing him like he would a suspect, but Chris must have been satisfied with what he found - weakness, terror, immaturity - because he finally said, “just a few hours.” And the anxiety squeezing the life out of Leon eased, just a tiny bit. Enough that he could breathe.

Chris excused himself to run and grab his go-bag, and Leon cursed his stupidity because nothing was stopping Chris from running. That tightness immediately returned, but a few minutes later, another sharp knock sounded at the door.

Leon smiled tiredly and welcomed Chris into the room, relieved to have the company, someone who knew what they were doing; an adult. Leon grew up fast, but he’d never been an adult in his life. Racoon City was supposed to be a fresh start, and now, he was back to square one. Not even. He was in the basement of square one—the root cellar.

Leon finally caught a good look at Sherry with the lights on, still covered in orange dust, her fingers and cheeks stained. “Jesus. Did you eat the Cheetos or roll in them?”

Sherry laughed. “Leon taught me to play poker, and then I won all the cheezies,” she said to Chris, who grinned.

“Nice job.” Chris offered her a high-five, which she eagerly accepted. The hero worship was already forming.

“He gets a little wrinkle right here when he lies,” Sherry said, pointing a small finger between her eyebrows.

“Okay,” Leon said, scooping Sherry off the bed and carrying her off under one arm. “Let’s get you cleaned up and back in bed, munchkin.”

Cheeto dust proved a formidable adversary, but they managed. When they walked back into the room, Chris was standing exactly where they had left him, his bag still slung over his shoulder and his boots laced.

Getting Sherry tucked back into bed became a struggle now that the brand new company hyped her up; no hesitation whatsoever. She liked Chris. She even made Chris put her to bed, Leon faking offence at being disregarded for the new guy, but there was something about seeing a six-foot boulder of a man coax a tiny twelve-year-old back to sleep that made Leon’s chest ache. Especially when Chris told the story of how Claire was convinced that if she left fake teeth under her pillow, she could trick the tooth fairy into giving her more money. It never worked. The tooth fairy left chocolate coins instead. Fake money for a fake tooth.

Leon watched perched on the edge of the other bed, a little envious of Chris’ skill with kids. He double-checked the safety on his handgun, then the clip. Chris eyed Leon as he set his weapon back down on the bedside table, and Leon couldn’t muster the energy to be self-conscious about his paranoia.

Chris may be Claire’s sister and a fellow survivor of Raccoon City, but Leon didn’t actually know him. For all he knew, he was a traitor like Irons or Wesker. Maybe he wasn’t the man Claire believed him to be. What the hell had he been thinking? Inviting a stranger to stay with them?

With Sherry asleep again, Leon and Chris were left to settle in for the remainder of the night. For Chris, that meant shedding his bulky jacket and combat boots.

“It’s Leon, right?” Chris said. He stood awkwardly beside the bed, watching Leon click off the light and climb under the blankets, tucking himself up against the edge of the mattress as close as he possibly could without toppling off. “Claire mentioned you in one of her messages.”

Leon almost facepalmed. He hadn’t introduced himself. He really was doing everything backwards. “Yeah. That’s me. Leon S. Kennedy.” He curled up into a small ball.

“Jesus Christ.” Chris swiped his palm across his mouth. “You’re the new rookie.”

Leon chuckled humourlessly, his hands tightening into fists around the sheets pulled up to his neck. “Was a hell of a first day.”

Chris picked up real quick that Leon didn’t want to talk about it. So instead, he climbed into his side of the bed, the one closest to the door. The mattress dipped under his weight, and Leon tensed. Where else would Chris have slept? The floor? The last person Leon shared a bed with was his ex, who had seemingly saved his life. If she hadn’t broken up with him, if he hadn’t gotten drunk, if he hadn’t slept in hungover as hell, he would have arrived right in the middle of the initial panic, and who knows if he would have survived that. No one else in the department had.

What would it have been like? The screams, the moans, the pleas for help- the sounds still played on repeat in Leon’s head. Lieutenant Marvin Branagh, mouth agape, stumbling towards him with his hands out. Leon had put two bullets between his eyes.

The first indications of a panic attack slammed into Leon. Abruptly, his throat closed. He couldn’t breathe, his vision slid out of focus, and his chest compressed. Like someone reached into his chest and squeezed his heart in a vice. His entire body shook.

Suddenly, a warm voice murmured in his ear, the soothing tone talking him down, calming him. Leon wasn’t alone. He wasn’t trapped in the police station battling endless waves of the undead, the people of Raccoon City he’d taken an oath to serve and protect.

“Leon, kid, you need to breathe,” Chris said. His presence was a solid wall behind Leon. “I’m going to touch you, okay?”

Leon focused on Chris’ voice. His vision began to swim back into focus, his hearing rushed back in a sudden wall of familiar night noises like the drip of the faucet in the bathroom or the lonely car that passed on the highway. He nodded, not fully understanding what Chris was saying. An arm slid around his waist and pulled him back into a firm chest. Leon flailed, seconds from panic again when Chris’ voice rumbled in his ear.

“You’re going to be okay. I got you.”

Leon grasped Chris’ arm, his grip probably tight enough to leave bruises, and he choked on a shuddering sob.

“It’s okay, Leon. You’re going to be okay.”

Gasping for air, Leon rolled over and buried his face in Chris’ chest, and Chris let him. Leon’s sobs were muffled in Chris’ arms, not wanting to disturb Sherry in the next bed. He felt every subtle muscle flex when Chris tightened his grip or shifted them into a more comfortable position. That’s how Leon passed out, wrapped in the reassuring embrace of a complete stranger, one who understood the hell he’d lived through and the fear and uncertainty he felt in his soul.

Morning came quickly. Leon woke up still curled into Chris’ chest with a death grip on the other man’s faded t-shirt. Chris’ nose was buried in Leon’s hair, each soft snore ruffling his hair, but his embrace hadn’t lessened overnight.

The warmth of embarrassment burning, Leon snuck out of bed, anxiously loosening Chris’ hold and dashing for the safety and solitude of the bathroom, horrified at his complete lack of control the night before. No one had held him like that before, at least not since he was a child and his grandma would sit up with him after a nightmare. But, sadly, this was another type of nightmare, a waking one.

When Leon finally mustered the courage to wander back into the room, Chris was up, sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his knees.

“You okay?” Chris asked the same time Leon burst out, “I’m sorry!”

Chris sighed. “You didn’t do anything wrong. When I showed up on your doorstep last night, I saw right away that you were barely holding it together.”

Leon’s fists clenched at his side. He couldn’t meet Chris’ gentle gaze.

Chris crossed the room in two enormous strides and considerately grasped Leon by the shoulders. “It was the shock finally hitting you. It happened to me too, but I was alone,” Chris admitted. “Hey. Hey, come on. Look at me.”

Leon bit his lower lip, but he slowly looked up, eyes stinging. “I don’t know what to do.”

Telegraphing his movements, Chris gently pulled Leon into a tight hug. “You’re not alone. We’re going to do this together. I want to take Umbrella down, but first, I wanna make sure you’re okay.”

Leon jerked back so fast Chris stumbled. “I want to help. I want to make those sons of bitches pay.”

Chris smiled. “Good. But first, I have a safe house.”

Together, they set the plans. Leon and Sherry would meet Chris in two days, hopefully with Claire in tow, at Chris’ new safehouse three states over. Sherry and Leon could catch a bus a couple miles down the highway to get them most of the way. The trick would be getting up the mountain to the cabin. But they were in this together. Hope simmered once again.

Armed with a freshly drawn map on motel stationery, Leon watched Chris pack. Umbrella wouldn’t know what hit them.

“Here. Take it.”Chris handed Leon two rumpled twenties, a five, and a few ones he dug out of his wallet. “It’s all the cash I have on me, but it should be enough to get you there. I’ll drop you off-”

“No.” Leon took the cash, but waved off Chris’ offer to give him and Sherry a lift to the bus station. “It’s in the opposite direction. We’ll be fine.”

“Two days,” Chris promised. Sherry had climbed out of bed and now clung to Chris’ arm as if he couldn’t leave as long as she was attached. He ruffled her hair. “With or without Claire, I’ll be there and we’ll go from there.” Chris grabbed Leon by the back of the neck and dragged him into a gruff hug, their foreheads lightly pressed together. “It’s gonna be okay, kid.”

And Leon believed him. That is, until two hours later when an unmarked vehicle pulled up on Leon and Sherry hiking down the side of the road, hand in hand. They never made it to the rendezvous.

#chreon #leon s kennedy #chris redfield #claire redfield #sherry birkin #re2make #re fanfic #leon kennedy #kennfield

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terrm9 · 4 years ago

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Father’s Day

Ethan makes sure to celebrate the Father’s Day with his daughter. (Ethan X Chiara X Matilda)

Words count: 4 000

Warnings: two swear words, fluff

Author’s note: I don’t know what happened here guys. I am so sorry, this fic lacks plot and point, depth, quality, this truly is one fluffy piece of shit. I had a good feeling about it when the idea appeared in my brain and then I started to write and nothing seemed right. And I just kept telling myself ‘just keep writing and it will start making sense. It will get better’... and suddenly the fic is finished and it still doesn’t make sense. I was so close to not posting it, but then I thought that sometimes mindless fluff can make my mood better and so maybe it can do some good to you too. Love you all and I promise I won’t be angry or hurt if you hate this:D

Also Ethan is ~47 in this fic, if you thought I wouldn't mention his graying hair, I am sorry but I did

Also also, I didn't find the strength needed for a proof reading this and so I didn't proof read it. If you see a mistake, please pretend you don't see it

The sun was long set at the time Ethan stepped into the apartment and even though he rationally knew that it was late, he couldn’t quite give up on his hope that maybe Matilda was still up. On the days like this, when more patients came in than out of the hospital and there was so much of a paperwork that he has to bring it home with him, there is nothing Ethan loved more than to put his daughter to sleep and then spend a nice quiet evening with Chiara.

But of course, Matilda was fast asleep – judging by the silence filling the whole apartment – and so Ethan was looking forward to skipping to the part of sharing an evening with his wife.

Chiara didn’t notice him as he stepped into the living room, her nose slightly crinkled as she was filling some papers spread on the dining table, white earpods in her ears.

Looks like I am not the only one to bring work home with me today.

Ethan stopped in his tracks for a moment, just inhaling the familiar scent of Chiara and home and absorbing the picture in front of him. Even after alsmot ten years since he met her for the first time, even though she was his wife now, someone he woke up next to every morning, Chiara still – always – managed to knock the air out of his lungs. How her smile only gained more brightness through the years and how she looked almost like a girl with her hair braided on one side.

Had he been an artist, he would call her his muse.

But he was just a man, a doctor with any artistic words stuck in his throat and so he just kept staring at Chiara and thought, inspiration, that’s what she was, because even the most rational of men could get inspired.

„I can feel you standing there,“ Chiara exclaimed suddenly, putting the earpods off and turning to him with that bright smile.

„My apologies,“ he smiled faintly and crossed the distance between them to give her, what Chiara called ‚a proper greeting‘. He kissed her softly and it only took the feeling of Chiara’s warm body under his hands to ease the tension in him almost completely.

„Matilda missed you tonight,“ Chiara murmured into his chest, not willing to break their embrance.

„As I missed her,“ Ethan sighed. „Did you have an eventful afternoon?“

Chiara chuckled at that, parting from him at last to switch her phone off and leave the work on the dining table.

„Just the usual. The teacher asked them to draw themselves in the future and she couldn’t decide which version of that future she should draw because she wants to be everything.“

Ethan could imagine the conversation very well. Matilda, at the age of five, knew exactly what she didn't want to become when she grows up - a doctor. She kept shifting between wishing to be a travel blogger like her aunt Kyra or a photographer like aunt Alicia. After a weekend spent in Providence, she proclaimed that she could also imagine being a cable repairwoman like grandpa, because grandpa has the coolest coworkers that came over and let her eat chocolate cookies and watch football with them. And if by any unfortunate coincidence she should become a doctor after all, she would definitely be a surgeon like uncle Bryce, because he actually cuts people and that's much more interesting than her parents' job. All they do is talk about the patients.

„I promised her you would take her to school tomorrow. You have rounds in the morning but I can taker over,“ which would only be a service for you, she thought to herself. „That would certainly make her feel better.“

„Was she that sad that I didn’t come home earlier?“

"Oh, she was more sad about the Father's Day program at her school – you know, the one where kids and their dads go together - but I explained her why you had to miss it."

Ethan furrowed his brows, confused for a while.

"Why do I have to miss it?" he asked as he picked Matilda's stuffed llama from the floor.

"It's the Wednesday when you are at the conference in Seattle."

Ethan put the toy on the couch next to Til's favourite blanket and sat down before responding, his voice carrying no sign of hesitation.

"If there's a Father's Day program at her school and she wants me to be there, I'll be there."

Ethan knew all too well why he was so persistent on being there.

He wished he didn’t know, but he did.

Because he knew what it felt like to spend so many of his Mother’s Days programms with his teeth gritted, wishing it could all just end.

He could still remember the first Mother’s Day without Luise, how his teacher walked into the class and told them that they would create nice postcards for their moms and how Ethan’s classmate pointed his finger at him and said: „And what is Ramsey going to do? It’s not fair that he doesn’t need to do anything for the whole hour.“

It was the first time Ethan punched someone.

There was no way, no way, that he would allow his daughter to feel any of those feelings.

His thoughts were interrupted by Chiara, now sitting right next to him, a soft concern visible on her features.

„Alan and Naveen would go with her, you know. She wouldn’t be alone.“

„I am her father.“

„And you are also an author of the study this whole conference is going to be about.“

Ethan knew Chiara was right, just as he knew that she was doing this not because she didn’t want him to attend the programm, rather because she respected and supported his career.

But her arguments were of no use. Ethan’s mind was made up and he only wondered if this is what it felt like, all those years ago, when he pushed Chiara away in order to support her career. The idea of putting career first was making him uncomfortable and all he could do was to think, how did Chiara see it all those years ago?

Or rather, how did he not see it back then?

He had no answers, only his gratitude that she stayed and showed him the world through her eyes.

„Aurora is just as much of an author as me. She can handle the conference without me just fine. You can go with her.“

„Me?“ Chiara asked incredulously.

„Sure. They don’t really care which Dr. Ramsey will come.“

Ethan aged well. More wrinkles circled the corners of his eyes and the grey hair on his temples were not an optical illusion anymore (and Chiara has never found him more handsome than now) and his gaze changed too, the cold blue of his eyes almost forgotten, as his eyes were warm and soft almost all the time he was with his family.

Ethan aged and changed and yet there was a thing that didn’t change in the slightest in these last years. His insufferable stubborness.

And so Chiara knew that he won’t change his mind and that there was no point in trying to and while it warmed her heart to see how in love with Matilda Ethan was, the study was important to him.

Obviously not important enough, however, and Chiara decided not to push him any further. Instead, she asked curiously.

„And what are you going to perform? What if Matilda wants to do something crazy?" Chiara raised an eyebrow.

"Of course she won't want anything crazy. What if it were my father and Naveen taking her?"

Chiara laughed wholeheartedly at his question, because for someone so brilliant, sometimes Ethan was desperately clueless when it came to people around him - and what they were willing to do for their daughter.

"Please, this is Naveen and Alan you are talking about. Matilda could say she wants to sing Hakuna Matata and they would come dressed as Timon and Pumba."

"Ah," Ethan exhaled, obviously only now realizing that Chiara was, indeed, right. And singing - or dancing, for God's sake - was not part of his plan. "Well, she can play some basic compound on the piano, she has learned some already. And I could accompany her on the cello."

Chiara choked on the water she was just drinking, turning to look at Ethan so swiftly, his brows furrowed in a concern for her neck.

"On a what now?"

“A cello. I thought you knew that I used to play the cello as a kid.”

“Of course, but the as a kid part is important. I mean, I played a piano as a kid and now I couldn’t play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star if my life depended on it.”

Ethan laughed, wrapping his arm around Chiara in a half-hug and had to bite his tongue not to tell her that maybe Matilda could teach her, as she already could play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star exceptionally well.

“I might have stopped playing actively when I was ten, but I found a certain sense of serenity in music – and playing – for a long time after that. I-,” Ethan stopped himself, mulling over his next words. It was not like he didn’t want to tell Chiara anything, but talking about his years at med school was not something he did often. “I befriended a music shop’s owner back in Baltimore. He was a nice guy, barely older than me and so very different. He had musical instruments for sale there and as we became closer, he let me borrow the cello and play a little in the back of the shop. It became a thing that helped me clear my head when school became too stressful and it also helped me not to forget how to play. I think Matilda’s level on the piano is very close to what I can remember with the cello.”

Now all he had to do was to find someone who would borrow him the cello.

*** *** ***

Ethan always found it amusing, how his mornings with Matilda differed compared to Matilda’s mornings with Chiara.

He made sure to wake her up earlier than usual, so that they could cook breakfast together and have some time to spare.

Chiara – the person that hated mornings more than eggplants – did all she could to stay in bed for as long as possible. She would rather prepare Matilda’s breakfast in the evening and run to the school than wake up before 6 AM.

And it seemed like Matilda realized this difference quite soon, for all the times Ethan came to wake her up, she knew she could ask him to join her in bed for a few minutes.

"Hey, little Rookie," Ethan whispered, softly stroking Matilda's curls out of her forehead so that he could press a gentle kiss on it. "Time to wake up. We don't want to be late for school."

The little Rookie nickname was first used when Til was perhaps one year old and it made her giggle so hard Ethan kept using it. Chiara found it extremely funny, always pointing out that Matilda was nothing if not Ethan’s exact copy – and she was right. With her big blue eyes and long curly dark hair, there was no doubt that she was Ethan’s daughter. Not that the similarities ended in her physical appearence – she was phenomenally subborn for a five year old (to which Ethan always argued that she could as well inherit that from Chiara) and sarcasm was her second language. She also might have used ‚fuck‘ once or twice and Ethan knew it’s not Chiara she heard that from.

You should call her little Terminator, Chiara always teased and partly, she was right.

But there were many traits and marks of Chiara in their daughter, marks not so visible but unmistakely hers. How Matilda’s smile was always bright and warm and sincere, something only Chiara could pass on. How she came home one day from school and asked Ethan if he could make cupcakes with her, because her classmate loves cupcakes but his parents are too busy to make them for him and so she would love to bring him some to school. How she appreciated the most common of things, like sun shining because it makes her skin warm and also rain falling because she can jump in the puddles. Her genuine curiosity and open heart and just her general need to make people around her feel good.

That was all Chiara’s mark and Ethan loved his two girls so much it sometimes still surprised him. That he was capable of such love.

It also made him want more sometimes. More people to love that much.

„Snuggle time, please?“ Matilda smiled, her eyes still closed and Ethan was prepared, he knew this request would come and so he didn’t even need to check the watch to know that he could lay down next to her, the tiny bed making his position rather awkward.

He snuggled Matilda from behind and between her slow stirs as she began to wake up and his soft kisses put on the back of her head, he whispered how excited he was to attend the Father’s Day program with her.

*** *** ***

Ethan didn’t even need to try hard to persuade Matilda that a piano-cello duet would be better to perform than a dance. She liked the idea from the beginning and after going through her music sheets with Chiara, she happily exclaimed that they could try to learn Hedwig’s Theme together. Her eyes were bright and full of excitement and Ethan knew the decision was already made, because he couldn’t resist that face.

And so they performed and for a girl who was five and her father, who was almost fifty, they did a great job. Seeing Matilda’s pure, unadultered joy and excitement and so much gratitude that her dad could be there with here, was something Ethan would consider one of the best moments of his life forever.

Tillie was almost jumping up and down with the happiness as they watched her classmates and their fathers or grandfathers or mothers in some cases or maybe even uncles perform their numbers. She was clapping hard after every single one and she kept waving at everyone, her smile so wide Ethan thought for a while that she resembled Bryce more than anyone. The thought made him chuckle, because Matilda would love to hear that, as Bryce was her hero and possibly the best person she could spend her sleepovers at.

Ethan could hardly say that he enjoyed being surrounded by so many people, but he sincerely did enjoy spending the day with his kid. He didn’t regret choosing making a fool out of himself in front of bunch of kids instead of the conference. He almost forgot about the conference altogether until Aurora’s call interrupted the bustle full of laughter around them.

She only called him to let him know that all went well and she was off to have a lunch with other diagnosticians that helped with the study.

"Yes, alright. I'll see you on Monday. Good job, Aurora," Ethan put the phone back into his pocket and turned to Matilda.

"I am sorry you missed the conference because of me, dad."

Ethan knelt down so that he could face his daughter, the very same blue eyes he knew from mirrors, looking back at him, wide and curious.

He smiled softly, kissing Matilda's forehead before responding.

"I am not. No conference is that important, and just between the two of us," Ethan lowered his voice and put his best serious face on, causing the mischievous sparks ignite in Tillie's eyes "Conferences are so boring. You saved me from a torture."

She giggled and threw her arms around Ethan's neck, squeezing him as hard as a five years old could.

"Now let's go, I think there's an ice cream that needs to be eaten."

"But daddy you said ice creams are sugar bomb!"

Ethan chuckled at her shocked expression - not sure is it was a genuine one or an act - and took her little hand into his.

"I'll pretend I don't see you eating it."

Matilda squealed and before her ‚no sugar in this house‘ dad could change his mind, she stormed off in the direction of the ice cream truck.

Before she could reach her destination, however, she stopped in her tracks and tugged on Ethan’s sleeve, pointing at the little girl sitting under one of the trees – alone.

„That’s Dorothy! She is my best friend.“

Yes, Ethan remembered Matilda mentioning Dorsey, her best friend, quite often, but he never got a chance to meet her before. The girl was tiny, much smaller than Matilda – which inherited Ethan’s significant height, too – her hair almost white and her eyes similar to Matilda’s, big and blue but not even close to being as bright.

„She doesn’t have a dad,“ Matilda added, her voice much less excited now. „She didn’t want to come here but her mom has to be at work.“

Ethan’s heart tightened at her words, the description of Dorothy’s situation reminding him of his own when he was a kid way too much.

„Why don’t you go and ask her to join us for an ice cream?“ Ethan smiled at Matilda faintly.

Before he could as much as blink, Matilda was gone and in the very next moment, both girls were back, smiling up at him, his own kid widely and Dorothy very shyly.

„Hello, Dorothy,“ Ethan knelt down and smiled at her encouragingly. „I am Ethan. It is my pleasure to meet you, Matilda talks about you a lot.“

„Hello,“ Dorothy muttered, not meeting his eyes and Ethan noticed she was holding Matilda’s hand.

Without any other word, he stood up and led both girls to find an ice cream truck, only half-listening to what they were talking about – enough to recognize that Dorothy was much more open when talking to Matilda, but not enough to register particular words.

Maybe that’s why Matilda’s next question took him off the guard.

„Right, daddy? I was just telling Dorsey that you could be her dad, right? And I would be her sister!“

Ethan’s eyes widened and before he could find the right words – gentle but also firm enough to explain that that’s not exactly how these things work, Matilda spoke again.

„She could come over anytime and we could have sleepovers like the ones I have with uncle Bryce or grandpa and we would play together and I could borrow her my toys, right?“

Ethan nodded and smiled, of course Dorothy is always welcome to stay at our place, and let the topic go, because there was nothing wrong about his daughter having best friend that would come over.

Thirty minutes later, all three of them sat at the grass and ate their ice creams and it was easy to forget the previous converstaions.

*** *** ***

Until he came into his office, a week after the Father’s Day and found Chiara waiting for him, her arms crossed at her chest and her expression unusually stoic.

Before he could ask what was wrong, Chiara spoke.

„Matilda’s teacher just called.“

„What?“ Ethan stepped closer, automatically reaching into his pocket to make sure his phone, wallet and car keys are there and he is ready to leave and pick up Matilda at any moment. „Is something wrong? Is she in trouble? Sick?“

„She is absolutely alright,“ Chiara shook her head sligthly, her face unreadable – something that scared Ethan more than her visible anger. „She just called me to let me know about the rumors going around Matilda’s class these past few days. She thought it would be better if I found out from her rather than from other parents.“

„Rumors?“ Ethan asked, utterly lost and confused.

It took all the willpower Chiara had not to let her facade slip and keep her expression neutral. But teasing Ethan was one of her main hobbies, even after ten years, and so she tried her best.

„Apparently, Matilda and Dorothy Wilkins told everyone that they are in fact sisters. They have different mommies but the same dad – no other than the famous Dr. Ramsey,“ now, it was really hard not to laugh. Ethan’s whole face paled and the confusion was quickly replaced by recognition. „The other kids shared the news with their parents and now those parents talk.“

Ethan didn’t know that Matilda told Chiara about her idea of Ethan becoming Dorothy’s dad the very same evening she shared it with Ethan himself and even though Chiara tried to explain why that idea is not going to work the way the wished it would, Matilda was stubborn. Meaning, Matilda adopted Dorothy as her sister anyway and didn’t mind sharing her dad with her.

„Fuck,“ Ethan whispered, pacing around the office, not really looking up at Chiara.

If he did, he would catch her grinning.

She cleared her throat quickly and added: „Some of the parents came to tell the poor teacher that they appreciate how civil the mothers of Matilda and Dorothy are about the whole thing and that it must’ve taken much strength of our spirits to put out kids into same school.“

She couldn’t anymore. The first chuckle escaped her and when Ethan’s eyes met hers, the mischievous sparks were dancing on full display in her irises, her smile wide and so amused.

Ethan exhaled a sigh full of relief and rolled his eyes and when he looked at Chiara again, she was laughing softly, badly trying to cover her laugh with the hand over her mouth.

The bizarreness of the whole situation and his wife’s reaction made Ethan laugh too and he slumped down on the couch, pulling Chiara with him.

„We should give some kind of explanation, right?“ he whispered when they both calmed down.

„Oh, I don’t know. I am the civil one,“ Chiara smirked smugly. „And with a strong spirit!“

Ethan laughed again at that, thinking about how any kind of rumors about him and Chiara startled him in the beginning of their relationship and how over the years, Chiara managed to teach him to just let people talk.

„She really wants that sibling, huh?“ Chiara broke the silence, poking his side softly.

„Yes, she does,“ Ethan nodded.

„And you would...want that too, right?“ Chiara asked again, this time much more seriousness in her voice.

Both Chiara and Ethan were decided to adopt a child back in the days they believed they would never have their own. After Matilda was born, they didn’t really talk about it anymore – they felt too blessed, too lucky that they’ve gotten her and they were happy.

But the thoughts of adoption never truly left their heads and Chiara knew that especially Ethan considered the option often. She could see him talking to Matilda when she asked for a sister or a brother for her birthday, she saw the dreamy smile as they spoke about little kids.

And it was not like she was against the idea of adopting a child – quite the opposite. She grew up with two siblings and her brother and sister were one of the best parts of her childhood. She wished she could give Matilda the same feeling, the same love she recieved at her age. She just felt like she would be asking for too much, like it would be selfish to want another little human that would make them happy, when they already had one.

Those thoughts were not rational, but they were there and they slowed her decisions down.

„Yes, I would,“ Ethan nodded after a long while, looking straight into Chiara’s eyes.

He would never push her. But he wouldn’t lie either.

Chiara nodded and leaned in to press a soft kiss on Ethan’s mouth, pouring her emotions into it, her excitement with the idea just as strong as her anxiety.

Deep down, she knew that the decision has just been made. That no matter how openly they talked about it or expressed themselves, all three Ramseys wished to share their love and happiness with another soul.

#open heart #open heart choices #open heart fanfiction #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x matilda

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stopeatingwhales · 4 years ago

Text

talk tonight x noel gallagher

i’m back with another noel fic ;) i know the meaning behind the song is completely different to how this story is presenting it, but i’m changing it up so it can fit the storyline. i don’t know why i always write so much for noel BUT he deserves it <3

Paring: 90s noel gallagher x reader

Warnings: its just really fucking soft okay

Word count: 3.809

Requested by anon <3

༉‧₊˚✧

“Stop writing so many mopey songs!” Liam yelled, tossing the now wrinkled piece of paper at his brother, containing heartfelt lyrics to another one of Noel’s melancholic masterpieces. “We’re not a sad band, for fucks sakes!”

Sighing, Noel looked away from his sibling’s frustrated stares. Taking a hold of the paper, he unfolded it slowly, attempting to stretch out its unfortunate bruises: formed when gripped firmly in Liam’s palm as he skim read it atrociously. His eyes trailed from the top, all the way to the bottom of the page, examining the lyrics that messily peppered the sheet. He had spent hours, days, relentlessly trying to get the words right; it seemingly sounded better in his head rather than on the paper, his heartfelt remorse towards the amounts of paper he used - and eventually binned - ghosting his mind as he stared at the title of the song. Talk Tonight.

Usually, he would be skilfully speedy with writing such anthems, yet, with this song, he felt it contained more of him than anything else did - his bare heart, unexpectedly torn out of its ligaments, dusted on a random chopping board, framed for the entire world to see. The public would have no idea who it was about and why he had written it, but knowing the obsessive fans that queued for hours just to buy a 7” single, crammed gigantic concert halls, chanted back memorable lyrics, which were either written hurriedly, wanting to complete the song or were age old melodies, well thought out in his childhood bedroom - accompanied by Liam’s occasional interrupting with his rowdy complaints about their mother not allowing him to go out and mess around with his friends at the time. His fans may either be oblivious as to the meanings of the song, or they may be able to depict it as adroitly as a neurosurgeon figuring out the exact muscle which broke apart the spine. You never knew.

Noel stayed silent, not replying to Liam, leaving the standing sibling puzzled by his distanced expression. Expectedly, he assumed Noel would answer him, perhaps with a scolding, reminding him that he doesn’t write the songs, and that Noel’s the mastermind of it all, to which Liam would throw a hissy fit, storming out of the room in anger towards his repetitive comeback. Nevertheless, all that sounded in the room was a light hiss of wind escaping from the outdoors, seemingly into the small crack of the slightly opened window; you couldn’t tell whether it was shut or open. The fresh seeping air felt like it was intruder, like a fox deciding it was their place to rummage through your neighbours’ bins for a midnight snack, and after not managing to find anything, leaving all the bin bags ripped open, the trash every place imaginable in the adjacent front yard. “Noel?” Liam spoke, walking up to where his brother was sat, eventually inviting himself to sit next to him.

Liam’s words snapped Noel out of his ponder over what seemed to be anything imaginable. Blinking a couple times, he rubbed his right eye irritatingly, finally responding to his awaiting brother. “What?” he asked, folding up the paper once again, hiding it from Liam, as if he hadn’t already seen it previously. There was an element of secrecy in this song, something he found himself afraid to admit, even to the closest person to him.

Taking note of this, Liam slowly gained an idea of the reasoning behind his aloof body language. “Who’s it about?” he questioned, snatching the piece of paper out of his sibling’s grip, once again. As he opened the fold, he noticed Noel’s tense body again from the abrupt clutch of his work. He re-read the roughly written lyrics - some endings of the words resulted in being smudged due to the pen his brother was using - this time seeing the lines in a completely different light. Noel was calling out for someone, a hint of plead, offhand desperation, a simple crave for attention, all effortlessly foreshadowed in his words. This wasn’t an ordinary song; this was about someone, someone close to him.

“Who’s it about?” he repeated, his tone on the stretch between rough and soft, like a baby’s screeching, features soft yet voice ever so repulsive. Noel’s dry, lifeless responses began to agitate him, though he tried to hide it, his eyes trailing off to study the older brother’s distinctive features in a midst of the silence, always taking interest into his sibling’s prescence. He took note of his messily arranged mop hair-do, decorated lightly with significant stands sticking out freely; it was obvious that his attention being undivided towards his meaningful lyrics made him feel that he had no need to do himself for anyone else, along with the curved bridge of his nose, morphed in a delicate overlay of skin, a unique microcosm to who he really was. Both Gallagher brothers were pictured in the magazines as loud, condescending, boisterous teenagers from a poor, working class background, each one oblivious to the understanding of how to control (and handle) the spotlight - yet always wanted it to be on them. However, the way the world pictured Noel wasn’t fully correct: yes, there were times he was off of his head, drugged up in all sorts of class A drugs he seemingly was able to purchase from the insane sales their debut album, Definitely Maybe, had scored. Regardless, the world saw Noel as the twin of Liam: the same, when without a doubt both carried such idiosyncratic differences.

Once again, Noel kept quiet, engrossed between his many thoughts and ideations, not knowing whether to answer Liam or keep his silence. Noel felt the strong stare of his sibling being emitted onto his flesh, drawing himself two options: telling Liam and having him shut up about it, although he knew he wouldn’t, or keep his brother asking the same questions, his curiosity - and aggravation - increasing every millisecond as his quietness progressed on. “Is it someone I know?” the sibling asked, causing Noel to swivel his head instantly - locking eyes with him in surprise. Yes, Liam, it is.

Liam was quick to catch Noel's startled expression, immediately thinking of all the girls they had been friends with, or had been working with them within the past year. They didn’t have many girl-friends; when you’re front page on practically every entertainment article about how loud and tatty you usually were tended to result in hatred by the mass population of women. Regardless, there were enough girls to be friendly with; when you’re drunk in a pub at three in the morning searching for a passionate night with someone, it’s less likely you’re going to keep your eye out to not sleep with someone as attractive as the Gallaghers. “Is it Matilda?”

“No,”

“Evelyn?”

“No,”

“Nicole?”

“No! It’s Y/N!” Noel yelled, agitated by his brother's bombarded neediness to know.

“So not Nicole?”

“No,” he repeated, his mind beginning to despise the word after the countless amounts of it rushing off his tongue in the mass of a few seconds.

“Good, because I like Nicole,” Liam mumbled, gazing straight at the window, intently listening to the quiet sound of cars driving by on the road beside them.

Shocked, the older brother bunched his eyebrows together and squinted his eyes. “You have Patsy, Liam,”

“Yeah, but,” the younger brother began, before being caught in realisation. “Wait, Y/N?”

Sighing, Noel came to a conclusion that there was no way of escaping the situation. “Yes, her,” he replied, taking the song out of Liam’s palms. He had stared blankly at the sheet hundreds of times, lost in a dream, yet each time he felt as if he was reading it for the first. Every time his eyes laid upon the first few lines, his heart felt as if it was a balloon being punctured with a toothpick on accident, cascading out of a little child’s hand in the middle of the sidewalk, flying onto the road making it unable to get a hold of it again. The kid cries, but the mother tells him to get over it, you’ll get another soon, she says. Noel rarely spoke to Y/N, and when he did, he either stuttered or was too drunk to finish a sentence. She made his heart flutter, in the most endearing ways, receiving a small smile from the girl brightened his day to the fullest. Sometimes he wondered if he was in love with her, love at first sight when they first locked eyes in the recording studio, the band’s manager introducing them to the band as the recording assistant. She was the prettiest girl he had ever laid eyes upon.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Liam asked, wrapping an arm around Noel. “Or even, why haven’t you gone out with the girl yet? She’s single ain’t she?”

Noel nodded his head, staring down at his fingers as they cradled the sheet cautiously, hoping not to rip it in the slightest. “I was thinking of showing the song to her, since I have no fuckin’ clue how I’m supposed to tell her how I feel,” he added, pulling his hand up to chew on his nails - out of nervousness of the idea of presenting such a heart-wrenching song to her.

“Tell her tomorrow, show her the song after recording,” Liam suggested, slipping his top lip into his mouth, wondering what was battling his brother’s thoughts. He had never seen his brother so naive to how to talk to a girl, tell her he wants to go out for a drink with her, enjoy each other’s company as friends, not co-workers, for once. It was like the entire topic was something so new to the sibling - not even his brother could aid him with directions over what to do, exactly presenting a child the quadratic form, they would never be able to understand it.

A few long, impatient seconds whistled by in the room - the ambience tense yet soft, bubbled to the brim with thought. Liam didn’t want to say anything else, knowing his brother wouldn’t answer; he wanted to wait for a well thought out response, one that would make sense - unlike receiving flat-out no’s, which brought both boys off guard over the repetitiveness. “You think it's good enough?” Noel questioned, locking eyes with the opposing brother once again. Funnily enough, he knew the exact answer he was going to receive; he could hear it in the room, bouncing off of the walls, the exact words rolling off of Liam’s tongue. He knew him so well, he didn’t need a conformation of words as they fell off of his lips.

“Go for it,”

~~~

After another strenuous day of recording, bickering, and a sporadic storming out by the lead singer, they somehow managed to record two songs: Acquiesce and Headshrinker, both songs to be included in their first single release, Some Might Say, for their upcoming album. There was high anticipation for this forthcoming LP - tabloids had the topic stained on their lips, the matter embossed in their heads, it being the only thing they were able to talk about with a such excitement, almost exactly like the buzz the band received with their first album, due to it becoming the fastest selling debut LP in the UK charts. Everyone was shocked by their sudden appearance, and along with their rugged up, tough looks, you couldn’t take your eyes off of them. Unsurprisingly, the air in the room was filled with up to the brim in fog - all from the hundreds of joints that were scruffily wrapped up and burnt, all up to its butt to be chucked away in the dustbins. There were ashtrays decorated all around the room; some practically overflowing in dust, others merely sprinkled in ash it could almost present as unused and clean. Time felt distant; with the clock itching to strike hour 5, the atmosphere was left fussy, all five boys drained entirely from the ridiculous amounts of re-recordings they had to do, along with Guigsy being especially annoyed by a decision their label had made for an upcoming gig they seemingly had to start planning for. Bollocks, he shouts, slouching down in his seat, as Bonehead scoffs at his continuous childlike behaviour.

“Right well, I’m out,” Liam yells, his eyes immediately drifting onto Noel. Giving his sibling a nod, he grabs hold of his spliff again, his fingers softly entwining with the roughened fabric, inhaling sharply before exhaling out its poignant contents in front of Y/N’s face. “Bye, Y/N,” he adds, turning his head away and swaying out the door - trying to present a cool-like physique. The rest of the boys follow, except Noel. She laughs at him, whispering a short bye before carrying on with her previous activities. The boys were planning on going to the nearest bar to hang out, we deserve it after all our hard work and dedication to this shitting album, Liam would always repeat. Not like their lives aren’t situated with cigarettes, bars and alcohol practically everyday. I want to find a bird to sleep with. You have Patsy! Oh, yeah.

After everyone had left, it was only Noel and Y/N left in the space. Noel was sat in the recording room, playing around with the strings on one of his many Gibson’s, his fingers lightly tapping on the metal cords, attempting to settle another melody for another upcoming song he had thought about. He was always like this. He was the definition of the I’ll-see-you-guys-there type; he constantly had something to do beforehand. He carried such a creative mind, you never wanted to interrupt him when he was left in his element, you knew he was going to create something amazing - he always did. Y/N currently had her headphones on, her head slowly bopping to the sounds of the music she was playing as her eyes were focused on the controls. Every few seconds she would mess around with the controls, either boosting the bass or lowering the sound of the guitars, continuously finding something fun to do with the tunes. As the song she was listening to had come to a close, she clapped lightly to herself, accompanied with a wide grin plastering on her face. Listening to music was her favourite thing in the world to do; it repeatedly gained her such emotional satisfaction you’d envy it from afar.

His eyes drifted onto stare at Y/N. Every time he laid her eyes on her, he was perpetually enthralled. Enthralled by her presence, enthralled by how much dedication she can hold to one small, simple thing - she never seemed to get tired by anything, even by his younger brother’s whiney behaviour. She was most certainly the best one to speak to him whenever he was pissed, agitated or refusing to do as everyone was telling him to: whether it be because of an argument he had in the midst of recording about how the lyrics sounded, resulting in him storming out, or about a petty comment that was slipped out of their managers’ lips about how hard they are to work with, she consistently knew what to do. Her voice always held this calming tone, almost like she could never shout, get mad, even if she tried to. What made Noel inspired for his songs wasn’t the same, rapid rush of exhilaration that he’d gain as he was nearing finishing the song; it was the Oasis in her eyes that motivated him. She saw them as this power, this light that no one was able to obtain, Noel being the only one able to unlock the true colours behind it. The mastermind. Whatever she said, whatever followed off her tongue professedly felt like it came straight out of a book - no matter what conversation was occurring. Her words would repeat in his head until they became engraved and cherished, saved for another moment to remember. It would never leave his mind. He was constantly captivated by her, in the most desiring ways.

“What are you doing?” Noel asked, attempting to hold a conversation. His fingers were still messing around with the cords, this time his other arm resting on his lap instead of situated on the neck of the guitar. He watched her head lift up, switching her gaze from the controls to instantly lock eyes with Noel, a bright smile now glued onto her face.

“Just having a bit of a play with the controls,” she grinned. “And you, mister Noel?”

Laughing lightly at the tiny nickname he had received from her, his heart warmed by her blissful aura of everything he had wanted to see in a girl. She always carried optimism wherever she went, consistently held her head up high. “Figuring out something for a song,” he mumbled to her, to which she nodded her head slowly in reply, her eyes now staring at the guitar placed on his lap. Her eyes kept switching from to the nape of the instrument straight to its body, practically analysing everything that was on it. This carried on for a few seconds, the air mute until Noel decided to speak up with something he was anxious about bringing up. “I wanted to show you something,”

Building up enough courage, Noel placed his electric guitar on the stand next him, exiting the crammed recording room to quickly enter the lounging space. Y/N’s eyes never left his body; her curiosity stretched out in the masses towards the lanky boy’s withdrawn approach, striking her attention right away. The entire time he avoided locking eyes with her, trotting into the space quickly as he went to grab a random acoustic thrown on one of the couches in the room, knowing his nerves would reach a breaking point soon enough, for even thinking of creating contact with her enticing, sunlit orbs, filled with an itch of interest and consistent undivided attention, would cause him to shrivel back into the young Mancunian boy he once was, before stuttering slightly and rushing out of the room - danced in embarrassment. He had never come across a girl who was able to strike him in such a way his nervous system was at a risk of collapsing, the only songs he was able to write about people tended to either be his brother, or situations with friends - for it was never a girl, he was never like that.

Snatching the previous seat of the acoustic that was cradled in his arms, Noel pulled the instrument closely to his body - the wooden material now in contact with his clothed chest. Inhaling the air as if it were a spliff coiled with weed, he took deep breaths, counting down from the number five before speaking up again. “This one’s called Talk Tonight,” he echoed, before his fingers - as if magically casted a spell - automatically shifted places on the fretboard, beginning to strum the solemn notes, beautified with adoration. At this point, Y/N’s chair was completely swivelled, her gaze fixated exactly on Noel, her heart agape as she marvelled at the boy merely inches in front of her. The heavy strums were the only thing sounding in the room, settling on a peaceful, luscious tone, containing powers to set you in a stupor of harmony, reconciliation, sending you straight to sleep in just a few seconds. It had power to heal you, like an antidote adorning your skin, the pain at first making your face scrunch up in distress, then relaxing after a short while, pleasure washing over your veins to realise you were finally healed.

Once Noel began singing, he became a different person. His nerves were long gone - escaped from his mind, for all tension was now released from his body as his fingers swept across the strings freely. Without even looking at Noel, it was clear that the piece he was performing meant a lot to him, his vocal chords perfecting the notes in hilarity, infatuated by the idea that he was truly presenting it, in real life, to the girl he couldn’t stop thinking about for days on end. He was singing it like he had nothing left to lose, for he was unmasking a side to him he never dared to even think of letting escape; it all his thoughts, his feelings, pouring out in a short 3-minute song, pacified with emotion - it was impossible not to feel an attachment to the music. As he was nearing the last couple lines of the song, he lifted his stare from his instrument, looking to see if Y/N was watching him, and to his surprise, he was instantly met with her gaping at him. Their eyes were glued to one another’s, almost like they were afraid to blink, or do something to prevent not sharing the moment with each other - even if that meant having your eyes burn out of dehydration.

“I wanna talk tonight, Until the morning light, ‘Bout how you saved my life, I wanna talk tonight.”

After the song ended, there was immediate clapping from Y/N. It was the same, quiet clapping she bestowed earlier when she had finished listening to one of their demos by the control centre, but this time for Noel, and only him. “Was that for me?” she asked, her grin blaring out in her words. She knew it was, all from the beginning with his awkward walking to grab the guitar, yet she still asked anyways. Noel didn’t answer, looking away to stare at his free hand stroking the couch nimbly. He didn’t know what to say, slightly embarrassed yet glad he finally accomplished what he was trying to muster out for months. At first it was a quickened heartbeat as she walked past him, him being all flushed out with a simple doing, to not even knowing what to say when she asked him a question about his guitar riff he performed, to which he’d turn to look at Bonehead, asking him to reply a question he didn’t know the answer to. “Because if that’s the case, I feel the same way,” she added, knowing Noel’s head would turn almost immediately. And it did. He was met with her lips, brushing against his teasingly, their noses colliding together, on the verge of morphing into each other. He felt that he had finally found the one person who understood him best among anyone he knew; he felt as if she knew him more than he knew himself, without even communicating. It was a feeling so scarce and infrequent, he finally understood life for what it really was, for he would prefer dying in that exact moment than pulling away, having to endure the ache of realisation: realisation he would never have a moment so perfect ever again.

#noel gallagher x reader #noel gallagher #liam gallagher #oasis #oasis band #britpop #90s #nineties #imagines #band imagines #fluff #smut #angst #my writing

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the-hilda-librarians-wife · 4 years ago

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A familiar Soul - Chapter Nine

Summary: Hilda decides to be completely honest with her mother, surprised when she seems to be a lot more in on magic than Hilda had expected her to be.

With her daughter’s association with witches, Johanna is forced to face some secrets of her own, bringing her back to feelings and people she’d rather have left behind

Dealing with insecurities and inner demons of her own, Kaisa finds herself face to face with the very issues that brought her to be so displeased with her own abilities

Or: the one where Johanna is Kaisa’s familiar

Notes: I suppose this is more of a filler chapter, but I hope you could enjoy some shippy fluff anyways. And look! We’re over the half way mark now :D

Read it on ao3: (chpt1) (chpt2) (chpt3) (chpt4) (chpt5) (chpt6) (chpt7) (chpt8) (chpt9)

The second time Matilda hears that story, the atmosphere is astoundingly different.

She pretends to never have heard about the recent happenings in the sewers, of course, because Frida sounded so excited about her success that she wanted to give the girl an opportunity to ramble about it all she wanted, without leaving any detail out. Tildy would be the first to admit she was no actress, but she thought she did quite well with making exclamations of surprise, worry and wonder at just the right times, all the while feeling the warmth of pride fill her chest.

Hilda had come with her that day, and even though she wasn’t as thrilled with the recent adventure as her witch, it was stark clear that she wasn’t traumatized or scarred from it like any other person would be. If there was anything bothering her, it seemed to have been her mother’s attitude, but she hadn’t talked much about it and Tildy hadn’t pressed her. Still, the sorceress couldn’t deny that the outcome could have easily been tragic had her apprentices taken any longer to arrive, and as someone who cared about Hilda that truly didn’t sit well with her. Besides, she had made a promise to Johanna, after all.

Having been told that story by Kaisa right after it had happened, she had had enough time to prepare for the girls’s next visit. On top of the small table by the door, there were two miniature drawstring velvet bags, the sort that was used to carry crystals when a witch wished to take them on a trip. Inside those two, however, there were no precious stones, and Tildy picked them up when she had finished congratulating Frida for her magic feat.

“Only one thing worries me.” As nonchalantly as she could, Tildy weighed the two bags on her hands, making sure they felt the same. “If something of the sort happens again, you might not be as close to Hilda, or vice versa. I made some of this for both of you, and it would make this old woman a lot calmer if you could promise to keep it with yourselves at all times.”

Frida took the bags from her hands and passed one on to Hilda, whose curiosity immediately led her to opening it. A bluish glow lit up the underside of her face as she stared inside, amazed. It looked like Tildy had captured all of the stars in the sky and trapped them in that tiny satchel.

“What is this?” Frida asked as she looked over Hiilda’s shoulder and into her friend’s bag. The scent of seawater tickled her nose, and traveled down to her lungs making her feel like she was on the beach on a stormy day.

“Enchanted kraken shell powder.”

Hilda gasped “Kraken shell?!”

“Enchanted powdered kraken shell. Should one of you ever be in danger, the other needs only to step on some amount of the powder and find themselves instantly by their side. Crafty, isn’t it?”

Blinking, Frida tried to get past her surprise. Yes, it was crafty, but most of all it was impossible. Wasn’t it?

“Tildy, how on earth did you get this?”

Her mentor shrugged. “I know people. And the kraken was already dead, so worry not for that.”

While Frida tried to comb her mind for any spell that had a similar end and could be manipulated to have that same result, attempting to figure out how such an awe inspiring feat was done, Hilda’s head was already filled with ideas of how useful that could come in the future.

“That’s so cool!” She exclaimed. “Could it work with other people too?”

Dialing Hilda’s excitement down, Tildy moved her head left to right in a negative gesture. “This powder only works between witch and familiar. That’s why it's so rare. Familiars are usually treated as pets, so they rarely stay away from their witch at all.”

“But how are we supposed to know when the other will need help if we’re not close by?’

“But that’s the exciting part!” Tildy clasped her hands together in glee. “I think it’s time for you two to learn about the call!”

Though she herself didn’t know what that was about, Hilda noticed Frida gasp softly; no doubt her witch had already read about that.

“That’s really true? I tried to send the call to Hilda one day to test it but… I don’t think it worked.”

“Wait, what?” Hilda turned to her friend while her mentor watched them with amusement. “I never got any call from you.”

“That’s why I’m saying it didn’t work, Hilda.”

“The call isn’t something you get, darling.” Moving past them, Tildy began walking in the direction of the room where they did their magic training. It was the girls’ cue to follow her. “It is something you feel. The bond between witch and familiar is so strong that you are able to send a signal of sorts to each other, but you have to properly learn how to do it first. Once this ability is activated, you never lose it.”

“So cool!” Both of them gasped at the same time as they followed on the sorceress’s tail.

Turning the brass knob clockwisely and sending a jolt of magic through it (after all, what kind of witch would she be if her spell room was protected only by mundane ways?), Tildy opened the door to allow them in.

“It’s good to see your excitement! Shall we begin?”

_#_#_#_

Even though Kaisa would be the first to say that rainy days were her favourite, she had to admit to being glad for the sun shining brightly that afternoon. The event would be ruined otherwise, and that would make Johanna terribly upset.

Children of different ages ran excitedly through the stands that were put up in the field near the Sparrow Scouts Hall, playing games which Kaisa couldn’t recognize or gathering close to said stands. The Raven Leader had had the idea of introducing the children to different crafts, in order to try and make them interested in parts of their culture that weren’t given much attention. Being one of the senior Sparrow Scouts, Johanna had taken upon herself great part of the responsibility for organizing that event, and Kaisa even had accompanied her to those professionals’ houses to be with her when she made the invitation. Artisans with a wide range of different abilities now showed their skills to the children, and Kaisa was sure her girlfriend must be feeling really proud of the result of her work.

As she looked for Johanna among the swarm of similarly dressed scouts, Kaisa could only imagine how livid Henrietta would be if she learned that a witch so close to being fully trained was attending such a human event; mingling with non witches was not something she was encouraged to do, and the feeling of rebellion made being there even more worth it. Of course, that still couldn’t compare to the chance of seeing her girlfriend doing something she felt comfortable with.

Kaisa found her in the middle of the crowd, giving information to a trio of children who didn’t know where to begin exploring the event. After sending them on their way to a woman who was demonstrating the making of julehjerters, little decorative hearts of weaved paper, Johanna lifted her gaze and noticed the witch observing her. With a smile on her face, she beckoned Kaisa closer and closed her in a tight hug.

“I’m so glad to see you here!” She chirped into Kaisa’s cardigan, both of them taking a couple of seconds to just hold each other.

“The pleasure is all mine.” Answered Kaisa, looking around without dislodging herself from the embrace. “Are you sure I can be here, though? I only see other scouts around.”

Granted, the witch knew she wasn't the best of influences when it came to following rules, but she still wouldn’t want Johanna to get into any kind of trouble because of her. There were no other outsiders around her, and Kaisa didn’t think stealing a sash from some random kid would be a good solution.

Johanna took a step back, though she kept herself close enough that they were still holding each other’s waits, and smiled. “Don’t worry about it! We were encouraged to call people for the event. I just asked you to come earlier so we could make the most out of it, but people will begin arriving soon enough.”

“‘The most of it?’” Kaisa lifted an eyebrow.

“Of course!” Johanna’s eyes glittered as she tugged on her hand, guiding her girlfriend through the gathering. Kaisa didn’t resist, trusting her girlfriend knew where she was going as she began feeling a scent of flour and hearth in the air, which got stronger with every step they took. “There are things we must try before there are queues! Have you ever eaten a traditional lefse?”

_#_#_#_

Johanna had been right; it didn’t take long before a crowd began gathering on the field, both people who seemed to be there for their Sparrow Scout loved ones or those who only happened to hear about the event and showed up to enjoy the activities. As she’d already worked hard to make that event happen, not much else was expected from her except helping a confused younger scout every now and then, leaving her with time to spend with Kaisa.

Already eating their second serving of lefse with butter, they were discussing a way to find the recipe (Kaisa had offered to use a spell to steal a copy from the stallman, but unfortunately Johanna had stopped her before she had the chance) when one of the faces among the ones surrounding them caught their attention. Not because it was familiar to them in any way, but because there was something unquestionably strange about it. Framed by eerily red bangs, the girl’s eyes seemed to reflect no light at all. Johanna tried to point her out subtly.

“There’s something weird about that girl.” She said, watching Kaisa’s eyes narrow as if she was staring right through the other teenager.

“She’s a marra.” The witch stated with not an inkling of doubt in her voice, even though Johanna couldn’t tell what kind of magic she might have used to reach that conclusion, and turned to her with a sly smile in the corner of her mouth. “Should we do something about it?”

“No, I don’t think we should. Let’s not ruin our lovely day.”

“Anna, where is your sense of adventure?” Kaisa lifted an eyebrow, only half joking. She had noticed that with each passing day her girlfriend became less and less excited about the things they used to do together. It didn't mean that they were drawing apart, since they still always enjoyed simply being together, but sometimes Kaisa worried that things were changing too fast; while Johanna got more mature, she still felt moved by the same things she did as a child. She could only hope Johanna would never outgrow magic. It’s not like Kaisa had anything else to offer her.

“Right here, as always.” Johanna tapped her chest playfully, making Kaisa giggle, and then slid her arm across her girlfriend’s back to keep her close. “But the only adventure I’m interested in right now is being with you.”

Rolling her eyes, Kaisa leaned her head against Johanna’s shoulder and resigned herself to not doing anything. She watched the bustling event with little interest, focusing only on Johanna’s comments about school, her family, the Sparrow Scouts and all the other things happening in her life. Adventurous or not, she would have loved to spend the whole evening like that. Soon, however, Johanna took her arm away from around her witch, which made her look up questioningly.

Johanna was wearing an apologetic expression, trying her best to not look away from Kaisa’s face. The few strands of curly copper hair falling in front of her eyes made her seem disheveled for a moment. “We should probably get going. People are leaving, the place will be deserted soon.”

“Right.” Kaisa sat upright on the bench. “Want to come over for dinner? Tildy said she was making stew.”

The smile that Johanna had managed to put up wavered. “I’d love to, but… not today.”

After so many years, Kaisa recognized that tone of voice, and her own happiness faltered. “Your parents?”

“Yeah.” As a cooler breeze brushed against their skins, Johanna shivered. “They don’t like it that I seem to be out more often than before.”

It took Kaisa effort not to huff. Of course Johanna was going out more; she was trying to get extracurriculars under her belt for when the time came to send out college applications, not to mention how she had taken to helping some of her friends with their studying. How it escaped Johanna’s parents' notice that they were lucky to have a daughter like Johanna, Kaisa didn’t know, but she did take them for fools for it. Though Kaisa had to admit that their wariness of her didn’t get them any points with her either.

She did, of course, know that Johanna was certainly more upset with this than she could be. It was her problem to deal with, after all, and Kaisa wouldn’t make it worse by protesting. As they lifted themselves up to their feet, she tried to smile reassuringly.

“You could come over some other day, then. Don’t worry about it.”

Despite her mood, Johanna’s spirits were lifted by Kaisa’s thoughtfulness, and she leaned in to kiss her girlfriend sweetly on her lips, uncaring of who could see them. She tasted of coffee and of the lefse they’d had some time before, leaving Johanna slightly breathless when she drew back. Their hands interlaced between them as their foreheads touched, they had to make an enormous amount of effort to let go.

“Good evening, then.” Kaisa whispered, wondering how on earth the day had passed by so fast. If she thought such magic even existed, she would have suspected of some wicked witch casting a spell to steal their time from them. “And good luck.”

#ao3 stopped being weird with me woohoo #fic: afs #my fic #sketchbook ship #sketchbook ship fanfiction #kaisa hilda fanfic #johanna hilda fanfic

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regrettablewritings · 4 years ago

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Animatic/Storyboard Music

Got bored/procrastinate-y on coloring in this ultra intricate card for my mom. So I’m just gonna make a list of songs I think make for good animatic material. Because why not/I wanna foist my musical tastes on people/ @locke-writes got me in a music binge. For the most part, it’s just gonna be me explaining the meanings or the vibe or what they generally tend to be used for, but really it’s mostly subjective so imaginate whatchu wanna.

“Trust Me” - The Devil’s Carnival Originally depicting a story about the Scorpion and the Frog, it’s the perfect song for when you want to depict the dynamic between a gullible or at the very least more grounded character and a figure whose intentions . . . may be less than pure. Or good for anyone, really.

“The Dismemberment Song” - The Blue Kid I have a playlist dedicated to songs whose content and sound are just . . . not married to one another, but got a weird flirtationship situation going on. Anyway, I’ve seen people say that they like to imagine it’s sung through the POV of a scorned housewife who’s finally Had Enough™️. And . . . They’re really not wrong for it. Really, though, it’s just the right song for when a sadist is just ready to gut a fucker but is disturbingly jolly about it.

“Love Me Dead” - Ludo Continuing with my trend of songs about people in less than ideal situations, “Love Me Dead” is straight to the point: The relationship is just awful and the guy gets nothing from it, but he can’t help but be hopelessly in a state of adoration for the woman he’s latched on to (“You’re born of a jackal! YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL!!”)

“Constellations” - The Oh Hellos There actually isn’t a plot to this song, it just feels really good (as all songs by The Oh Hellos are prone to be). However, if you feel a need to portray the concept of having to reorganize your thoughts after realizing that maybe they weren’t what you initially thought, and then coming to the conclusion that even though everything changes as a result, you’ll be alright? This is the song for you.

“A Kindling of Sorts” - The Oh Hellos An instrumental piece that is like . . . It’s related to another song of theirs about nationalism called “Torches”, so make of that what you will. (I personally have been using it to imagine storyboarding an opening for an animated The Witcher series.)

“The Other Side” - The Greatest Showman I know everyone and their mom has used this to portray situations like villains trying to get good guys to join their side. But I dun curr, it’s a fun song. That, and I like what Emilyamio did with her interpretation. It’s fun. For a basic rundown, know it’s another song about two characters’ dynamics being explored, with one coming to the other with a proposal that they join them in whatever endeavors they have in store. It’s often portrayed as something evil, but it really doesn’t have to be, as the original context was more about letting loose than anything.

“The Thief and the Moon” - Shawn James A much more mellow piece. Simple and straight to the point: A thief tells the Moon that he plans on stealing her light to shade the world in darkness. The Moon insists that the thief would only doom the world by doing so, to which the thief clarifies that he doesn’t care; if the world is shrouded in shadow, it means he will be able to steal with more ease (“My very existence is a race to attain wealth”). Disgusted, the Moon essentially curses the man with a warning that his greed can and will bring about his end -- and leave him to be forgotten by the rest of mankind, once it happens.

“Villainous Thing” - Shayfer James I’ve seen people say that this song is about singing to a cadaver but I can’t quite find anything confirming that (translation: I’m too lazy to look too into it). Regardless, it’s a fun ditty that yet again portrays someone with less than pure intentions encouraging someone to join him in some good old fashion villainy, as they’ve clearly endured their fair share of hardships and surely wanted to do evil anyway (“You’ll find no ever after here, it’s clear that isn’t what you came for“).

“Necromancin Dancin” - Bear Ghost Straight forward and fun as fuck: A necromancer apparently seems to cross classes and try his hand at barding by not only raising an army of the dead, but by also making them dance in order to make conquering the world easier. Because . . . a body doing Disco Duck isn’t scary, I guess.

"Aquaman” - Walk the Moon A song about one half of a couple wanting to become more involved in their relationship, but still having some nervousness about doing so. If you somehow haven’t heard this song yet, you gotta because it’s the cutest shit.

“Jenny’s Tale” - Ren I’ll be brutally honest, it’s about a woman named Jenny who just wants to get home after a long day of work and an unfortunate encounter with a 14 year old named Screech who gets way in over his head. As in, like, a death happens. That being said, I need. Like. An animated music video of this song. I imagine this shit in gritty charcoal or painted on glass, it just needs this. Somebody who isn’t me who knows what they’re doing, please look into this.

“The Curse of the Fold” - Shawn James As cheesy as it sounds, it basically boils down to not giving up or yielding. But what makes it so cool is the fact that Shawn James makes all his songs basically sound like a western gothic soundtrack. Which helps, because he admits that the title is also a reference to poker, in which giving up too often or too easily can often rob you of a delicious reward gained through perseverance and sacrifice.

“Thank God I’m Not You” - Himalayas I prefer to imagine this for an arrogant asshole of a character. Because that’s exactly what this song is about: They’re a liar and a thief, they’ve been called the son of Satan, and yet they consider themselves lucky -- ‘cause at least they ain’t you! If you have a character in mind who’s a delightful, punchable little shit, this is probably either their anthem or at least on the playlist you inevitably made for them.

"Passerine" - The Oh Hellos So there’s a common trend in The Oh Hellos’ discography that tends to explore the two founders’ experiences with faith and their growth in how they understand it or recognize it. With “Passerine”, the concept being explored is the experience they had when it came to taking a step back and realizing just how many of their supposed “fellow Christians” were actually doing some rather unchristian things, so to speak. When they “prune[d] their feathers”, it became clear that they had less in common with certain people proclaiming to be Christian while also spouting bigotry and greed. However, the desire to move away from such influences comes with the feeling of being torn, as moving too far away from the Bible leaves the singer feeling as though she is betraying something she holds dear. As a result, “Passerine” symbolizes not a breakage from faith, but a breakage from blind faith as they understood it, and the inevitable feeling of being torn that comes along with expanding upon how one views their beliefs and those around them. It’s therefore not uncommon to see Good Omens animatics using this song. (Something I also noticed is that throughout the song, you hear pieces of “Constellations”. TOH have a tendency to reference previous pieces, and considering “Constellations” is a song about changing perspective and the meanings we apply to them, it fits in beautifully with a song about reevaluating one’s stance.)

“Like the Dawn” - The Oh Hellos As stated before, a lot of TOH’s discography draws inspiration from their faith. In this case, it’s an outright retelling of the Garden of Eden, specifically when Adam awoke to find Eve had been created. What makes this iteration stand out to most, however, is that the singer is female, which seems to change the vibe you get. It sweetens the feeling of wonder we often forget the first man might’ve felt upon seeing somebody made for him, creating an air of beauty yet comfort with such lines as “And like the dawn, you broke the dark and my whole earth shook” or “You were the brightest shade of sun I had ever seen.” Even without the awareness or an interest in religious influences, it still manages to be a very feel-good song -- which is the mark of an overall good song in general!

“Confession” - RED Dealing with the constant battle of feeling ashamed that how you feel on the inside isn’t in sync with how you present yourself on the outside. That you should feel bad for smiling out at the world while screaming and thrashing -- like it’s a lie. But you can’t help it: It’s what you’re accustomed to. Though it does end on a hopeful note with the singer deciding that they want to reach out for help and rid themselves of this feeling of pain they have inside.

“When I Grow Up” - Matilda . . . Only if you want to cry. Seriously. When you’re a kid, everything seems difficult but you’re positive that once you grow up, everything will change: You’ll be tall enough to climb the trees you were too small to, you’ll be able to carry everything because you’re stronger, you’ll be brave enough to fight the monsters hiding in your room, you’ll finally have all the answers. . . . But life isn’t that simple. We wish it were, but it isn’t. There’s this bittersweetness about this song, about a sense of purity we unfortunately grow out of where we think things will be just the same enough for us to do what we want when we want, but things are more complicated than that. We still struggle to reach, to bear the weight, to not be afraid, to have even a fraction of the answers. But! We’re reminded that just because we’re told life isn’t fair, doesn’t mean we have to take it. After all, nothing changes when nothing happens. And even beyond that? It helps to remember that we’re never quite done growing up; there’s always more to learn, so remember to be patient with yourself.

“Hand Me My Shovel, I’m Going In!” - Will Wood and the Tapeworms This is . . . a song. The lyrics are honestly kinda all over the place and shooting rapid fire, making it a bit difficult to discern what exactly the singer is going on about. It makes for a pretty crazy song that suggests somebody’s going unhinged, which is apparently precisely the intention?? I’ve seen a lot of people interpret this as a song about a guy who is already at a low point in his life but nonetheless is going, “. . . I bet I can go deeper. Hand me my shovel.”

“No Reason” - Beetlejuice God if i had a youtube channel the segment i would spend on this song would be so juicy just ripe and thicc with thoughts and feelings i tell ya rich like a fresh fatty peach the apple that tempted Eve and gagged Adam yes ‘Nother song that explores the dynamic between two differing people and their worldviews. At its simplest, “No Reason” is about two opposite ends of a spectrum coming to a head: Idealistic and hippie-dippy Delia is convinced that everything happens for a reason, while cynical and depressed Lydia asserts that everything happens at random and it doesn’t matter anyway because we’re all going to die. And even though the delivery is ultimately a comedic one, you get more insight as to why one another feels the way that they do: Lydia, as we’ve previously learned, has recently lost her mother to an illness, which has left her depressed and feeling invisible (a theme in the show); whereas Delia’s failed marriage and desperate attempts to nonetheless be happy have left her dependent on the idea that these things had to have happened for a reason, otherwise, her pain would’ve been for nothing. What’s important is that neither side is actually appointed as the winner, with the song ultimately ending that the universe is random for a reason.

“Barbara 2.0″ - Beetlejuice Without spoiling anything (or at least too much), “Barbara 2.0″ is about growth. It’s about learning to put your foot down after a literal lifetime of being passive out of fear of what might happen and just accepting that nothing will happen if nothing happens -- but that doesn’t make whatever happens good.

“Bleed Magic” - IDHKBTFM It’s either about a killer or a vampire. No, seriously: When Dallon Weekes was asked about what the story of the song was, that was his answer. I personally prefer to think of it as a vampire or demon of some kind, given that the song came out around Halloween. Perfect for yet another example of somebody (likely supernatural) having an upper hand on an unsuspecting mortal. ...I have way too many of these on this list, I swear I don’t have a problem —

“Feel Good Drag” - Anberlin A toxic relationship of sorts. In that it shouldn’t be a relationship to begin with. Depicts the singer being approached by an ex, who seeks a one-night stand while her current boyfriend is out of town. However, the singer is aware that trying to continue anything regardless of the situation is a moot point: Even when they were together, their relationship was doomed from the start, and nothing about that is going to change -- especially now.

“Soviet Trumpeter” - Katzenjammer (It’s kinda difficult to work with this one but I’ve seen people work with less or stranger.) Based off the life of one Eddie Rosner, a Jewish Polish trumpeter whose fame within the USSR unfortunately faded due to the Soviet Union’s heavy censorship. Even if nothing is to be done with it, it still paints a melancholic picture of a talented man’s skills being largely unknown as a result of things beyond his control. All wrapped up in a song that denotes a strange deterioration in a way I can’t quite place.

“Apple Blossom” - The White Stripes On its face, it’s a very sweet song: The singer encourages his beloved to be vulnerable enough with him to tell him her troubles and to let him “sort them out for [her]”. She’s clearly saddened, and seeing so distresses him to where he insists that he will do whatever he can to make her happy. However, the tone of the song and certain lines make it easy to twist into yet another song of a character attempting to seduce somebody into a state of vulnerability . . .

“You’ve Got Possibilities” - It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman The one singular song people actually liked from this forgotten musical. Perfect for when somebody intends on giving somebody else a makeover. Y’know, after totally roasting them on their posture and clothing. If you want to add a lil something extra, know that the context is that a lady wants to give Clark Kent a makeover, insisting that in spite of his schlubby appearance, there’s gotta be something underneath. I repeat: She is telling this to Clark freaking Kent.

“Still” - Anastasia In the context, the show’s antagonist (not bad guy, there’s a difference) finds himself torn between obligation and personal interest: Does he fulfill his duty and live up to expectations set upon him by his father and the society he’s been selected to help uphold? Or does he let a woman he has become fond of go? Is she truly as innocent as she claims? Or is she well aware of what she’s doing? And every time he thinks he’s reached a conclusion, he can’t help but thing, “But still . . .” Good for when you want to portray a character conflicted between obligations of politics and what their heart wants.

“Two Nobodies in New York” - [title of show] Two young men plan on entering an upcoming theatrical festival but struggle with what to even submit. This song in particular focuses on them trying to figure out what to even write, the concept of fame, and if wanting the certain things that may come with fame can mean anything from being sell-outs to getting a sitcom. It’s admittedly specific, but it’s a cute and funny interaction between two guys who are, for the most part, actually in sync with their thoughts and anxieties. For the time being.

“Into the Unknown” - Idina Menzel Look, I refuse to watch that movie. I just do. But I will take this song over That Other One any day. Mostly because I personally like to imagine that the singer in this song is about to embark on a Pixaresque journey after accidentally leaving her home during the night of The Wild Hunt, accidentally separating her spirit from her body and thus giving her a very limited time to get back to it before she remains a soul trapped in a whirlwind of ghosts forever. But first: Let’s sing about that strange howling that coaxes her so.

“You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” - The Offspring I sure do long songs that can characterize a shithead . . . Anywho! The smoothest way to go is just to portray some cocky, manipulative shit who’s used to just lying and cheating their way to get what they want before slipping away without any consequences -- to a point. There’s the option of portraying the betrayer’s comeuppance, but there’s also the frustratingly delicious option of just letting them get away with whatever to lie another day.

“Why Should I Worry” - Billy Joel When in doubt, go to earlier Disney. Because like it or not, they had some bops. And when in the need of portraying a happy-go-lucky (probably idiotic) doofus and his more neurotic or cynical friend going about their life with the former just Mr. Magooing it while the latter suffers more realistic consequences? You go with this song. If you want. That’s just me.

“Transformation” - Brother Bear For when you want to invoke a mystical or otherworldly feeling. There’s really not much more I can say except to encourage you to listen to it and watch the scene if you can find it. You’ll get the vibe.

“No Girl’s Toy” - Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure It’s a big shame this movie is relatively unknown and never got a proper VHS release or anything -- mainly because the music in this cult classic is definitely stuff I could see becoming standards. I could see people performing “I Never Get Enough” for little shows, or recycling “Blue” for a different show. Thankfully, somebody was able to upload a clear enough sounding recording of “No Girl’s Toy”, so at least we have that. In context (just...follow me on this), Raggedy Ann’s brother, Raggedy Andy, has had enough of being subjected to “girly things” while in the nursery. Additionally, though, the way the song was written means it can also be interpreted as just a guy who refuses to let himself be yanked around regardless of how thick the sugar being laid on him is. . . . If you wanna poke fun as a character for trying to appear tougher than what he is, here’s the song. (That being said, Andy is a sweetheart at the end of the day. No amount of tough-fronting will hide that.)

“I Enjoy Being a Girl” - Flower Drum Song (It is by sheer coincidence that this song follows the above.) Really, it’s exactly what it says on the tin: The singer enjoys being a girl and what all it entails for her. She loves her feminine form, she loves the attention she gets, she loves dolling herself up, she loves frilly dresses, and she hopes to one day marry a guy who enjoys “having a girl like [her].” And honestly? Good on her! Love whatcha love, lovely! Seriously, though, it’s a cute song for anyone who just wants to indulge in some girliness.

“Chip on My Shoulder” - Legally Blonde Come on: It’s Legally Blonde. You know what this bop is, or at least have an idea of it. But since I love this song, I’ll indulge: Disheartened by her failure to both win back her ex and succeed in the fast-paced environment of Harvard, the normally bright-eyed Elle is ready to call it quits. That is, until junior partner Emmett gets involved. Unimpressed by her story, Emmett reveals that he got to where he was by busting his ass due to having a chip on his shoulder from his rough beginnings — and maybe a chip on the shoulder is exactly what Elle needs to survive. And as somebody driven by spite, I can appreciate that kind of message. Anywho, it all in all is a song about growth and learning how to be “driven as hell” to keep up with an opportunity that may not be easy to take, but is not one to be passed by.

“What Do I Need with Love?” - Thoroughly Modern Millie “What Do I Need with Love?” asks exactly that: He could date a different girl every night of the week if he so wanted, and never once had any desire to go steady before. He considers himself lucky to have never fallen for anyone -- until now. Which he’s not! He’s not in love. ...He totally is and, by his own admission, he’s got it bad it’s terribly adorable.

“Interlude IV” - Zach Callison The entire album is actually a narrative about a failed relationship of Callison’s and I’m sure the other songs are just as great fuel for animatics -- I’m just too caught up on listening to this one over and over. Sometimes, we just wanna listen to Steven Universe cuss and be openly furious. Seriously, though, even without the context of the rest of the story, you get the idea well enough: A spiteful Zach decides to get back at the one that broke his heart in such a painful way, whereas a well-meaning friend insists they just leave it be and move on. While this technically would be the better and healthier option, Zach is just too far gone with rage to let it go and decides to take care of things by himself.

“Evermore” - Beauty & the Beast Look, I know the remake wasn’t anything crazy. But also I don’t honestly care too terribly much. Besides, this song was nice and it really gets me after that key change. We all want a royal doofus to be enamored enough with us to let us go for our own happiness but still know that their life will forever be changed because they met us. Animate that shit. Over and over.

goddamn this list is long lemme just stop this now byyyyeeeee

#long post #boop #music post #sorta

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