#she’s not an ipad baby like her cousins i have high hopes for her

[livvyofthelake]

did i ever tell y’all about my little cousin who i’m very patiently waiting for her to turn 12 or 13 so i can get her to read city of bones as a long term comedic revenge plot against her father

[frostedfaves]

Repercussions (12)

Masterlist

Pairing: dark!Natasha Romanoff x dark!Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Summary: Your girlfriends meet your cousin before they leave, and you explain everything to him over a game of Go Fish.

Warnings: dark themes, manipulation

A/N: I truly hope this was worth the long ass wait! although, I’m glad I didn’t rush it, because it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. please feel free to share your thoughts, and I hope to have the next part out in the next couple days!

Previous part

-

“He’s here!”

You were on your feet and dragging your girlfriends to the door before the security gate bell even finished going off, letting go for a moment to open the front door and pulling them with you onto the porch.

“Printsessa, slow down!” Wanda slightly scolded with a laugh. “He can only drive so fast.”

The car approached the house quickly as it passed through the gate, and it was barely in park for two seconds before your cousin Wesley was climbing out and running to you. Running to meet him halfway, you jumped into his waiting arms and laughed when he lifted you as high as he could.

“I can’t believe you’re really here!”

“I know, me either!” Wesley agreed as he put you down. “I was starting to think you were too busy for widdle ol’ me.”

“Oh, whatever.” You hit his arm with a playful roll of your eyes. “Come meet my two reasons for being busy.”

Natasha and Wanda greeted your cousin with outstretched hands and surprised smiles when he hugged them instead. You watched with an appreciative grin as the three exchanged names and pleasantries before Wesley went back to the car to get his things, and Wanda pulled you back before you could move to help.

“Let Tash handle it, okay?” she instructed gently as Natasha stepped off the porch. “We don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

You nodded and laced your fingers through hers, following the pair as Natasha led Wesley to his room on the main level.

“Wow. This room is bigger than my first apartment after college,” he commented as he placed his suitcase by the bed, observing every inch of the space.

“I’m glad you like it,” Wanda replied sweetly, still holding your hand. “We were just about to serve lunch, so feel free to join us once you’re settled.”

“Oh, and there’s a bathroom just next door,” Natasha added as she grabbed your other hand, the two pulling you out of the room and closing the door behind you.

“So...what do you think?” you asked once the three of you made it to the kitchen table.

“I think…” Wanda began, and you raised your eyebrows hopefully. “I see why you like him.”

-

For the rest of the day, you were careful to keep Natasha and Wanda with you under the guise that you wanted them to get to know Wesley, as well as your increasing need to cling to them before they left. Really, you knew they were planning to bug the two bedrooms that you and your cousin would be occupying because the cameras they planted around the house after your ‘suicide attempt’ didn’t record audio. They were far too sneaky to do it in your presence.

Leaving Wesley in the backyard, you followed your girlfriends to your shared room, working hard on building tears as you watched them grab their bags for the mission.

“Okay, printsessa,” Natasha started as she faced you, sighing at the sight of your watery eyes and pouting lips. “Baby, please don’t cry. I promise that we’ll be back before you even have time to miss us.”

“It doesn’t feel like it,” you whined as you hugged yourself, averting your gaze to your feet.

“I know, sweet baby, I know.” Wanda hummed comfortingly as she wrapped her arms around you, Natasha joining on the other side. “But your cousin is here, and you’re going to have a really fun week! And I promise we will make it up to you when we get back.”

She pecked your cheek once, then twice, and suddenly the two of them were attacking you with cheek kisses until you playfully begged for mercy between giggles. You then took the time to give each of them a real kiss, once that hopefully conveyed how much you’d miss them in the upcoming days.

“Alright, printsessa, we really do have to go now.”

“Okay,” you sighed and grabbed their free hands in yours, walking them downstairs and to the front door in silence. You gave each of them one more prolonged hug before pulling away completely. “Get outta here before I cry again. And don’t forget to call me when you land.”

“Of course, and don’t forget your rules. We love you,” Wanda told you after a prolonged look with Natasha, and you took a shaky, deep breath.

“I love you, too.”

They squeezed your hands with tears in their eyes before grabbing their bags, and you watched from the porch as they got in the car, waving until they were past the gate. Once you were back inside, you went to the camera blind spot in the hallway and pulled the device from your pocket, turning it on to listen in from the bugs in their bags.

“Were you at least able to get a bug on his suitcase?”

“I thought you were going to!”

“I couldn’t. Printsessa’s eyes got all teary if I even stood too far away from her, and it broke my heart.”

“Well hopefully the cameras will be enough. I want to trust her more.”

“Me too...Can you believe she finally said it? I almost didn’t leave.”

You turned the device off after that, tucking it away again as you went toward the back door just as Wesley came back in.

“Are they gone?”

“Yeah.” You nodded toward the kitchen table. “Sit on the side facing the window so you can block my lips from the camera.”

He moved to take a seat while you grabbed a deck of cards, sitting on the opposite side of him with a wide smile. You shuffled the cards quickly and met his eyes again as you began to deal them out.

“I know you get into some wild situations, but I never expected that the next time I saw you would be to help you escape two Avengers.”

“Trust me, I didn’t see it coming either.” You sighed as you looked at the cards in your hand. “I appreciate you so much for coming though.”

“Of course...but how did you manage to get me here without them knowing it was your idea? They seem pretty detail oriented.”

“Pure observation, Wes.” The two of you played a silent game of Go Fish as you explained. “The plan kind of came together the day Wanda gave me the iPad. I’d taken some money in case I had a small chance to escape at any point and didn’t have a car to use, but I decided to use it for a cab ride when I got the message from Brittani.”

“But why meet with her if you knew you’d get caught with the tracker? You said so yourself that they found you pretty fast the first time.”

“I wanted to get caught, because I knew meeting with my ex-girlfriend would--at the very least--piss Natasha off enough to want to punish me. With the two of them knowing my mental health history, I knew I could use that as a tipping point for a downward spiral, leave little hints as the days passed that my mood was really dropping.”

“Okay…” Wesley paused to take the card you handed him and pair it off with the one in his hand. “So how did you know that Brittani would be at the store and have a phone for you?”

“She has an incredible memory, which is why I made it a point to drop a hint that I was only working with an iPad at the moment, and that I needed to run to the bodega across the street from the cafe to get a burner when I left.”

The two of you counted your pairs when you ran out of cards and you made sure to cheer with exaggeration when you realized you won. Wesley slid all of his cards toward you as you gathered them all to shuffle and deal again.

“I also told her the grocery store we go to is the best one in the city, and may have mentioned the day and time the three of us usually shop because it’s the least busiest time.”

“So when you got caught in front of her, she knew exactly how to help you!” he realized and you nodded. “Guess it only took one gun to the head to guilt them into letting you have a visitor. How are you feeling after that, by the way?”

“It was...nerve-wracking at first, but I was quick to remind myself that it was to help, not hurt.” You took the card from him and added it to yours. “You brought the tools, right?”

“Yeah. You want to do it tonight?” he asked, and you quickly shook your head.

“Absolutely not. They’re going to call in the morning when they get to the safe house, and then I’m going to listen in on the bug until they fall asleep. There’s a camera in the game room downstairs that can also see part of the TV room, but only the part of the couch near the doorway. We’re gonna sneak the tools down there and I’ll sit on that side while you remove the tracker from my ankle on the other side.”

“Good thing I paid attention in those surgical courses,” he joked and you laughed, drawing a card as your smile dropped.

“Listen, Wes...I know you agreed to this and already came out here, but I just want to give you one more chance to back out. If this whole plan works, we’re going to have to work hard to hide from them, and the consequences will be even more dire if we fail.”

“Despite how much time we spend apart, you’re always going to be my favorite person in the world. You have been since the day you were born, when your tiny middle finger flipped up at the doctor. I’m here until the finish line, no matter what that looks like.”

You offered him a grateful smile in return as the two of you moved to count your cards again, playfully rolling his eyes when he celebrated his win. As you gathered the pile for a tie-breaking game, you squeezed his hand across the table, grinning when he shifted into your childhood handshake. Every fiber of your being hoped everything went according to plan, for his sake more than anything. You refused to let him fall when he’d been catching you all your life.

-

Tags: @littlegasps @imnotasuperhero @natasha-danvers @nat-km-mh @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @creepingwolfberry @emilyprentisswife @cherrieloco @fayhar @bebe404 @becka107 @muted-stoneheart @its-a-long-way-to-ba-sing-se @seventeen0 @trikruismybitch @cosmicbrownies7 @sxphiaswitch @mjaudrey @messuhp @wannabe-fic-reader @buckmesidewaysandcallmesteve @beforeoursecrets @want-to-watch-it-burn @just-a-normalpersons @multi-images @witchxaf @darkangelxoxo @natashadeservedmore @haiiiloeee2 @sakurat123

[rina-writes]

Mom and Dad II

Part one: link

Summary: Sequel by popular demand! You and the Dolan Twins head home for Christmas, just in time for your six month anniversary with Grayson.  The only downside is that you fighting for Grayson’s attention with another girl....your toddler cousin, Monica

Your eyes fluttered open at the sound of that accompanied the seat belt sign flicking on.  You lifted your head off of Grayson’s shoulder and blinked the sleep out of your eyes.  The sweet smell of his cologne filled your nose and you resisted the urge to nuzzle into the crook of his neck.  You looked at him with a soft, slepy smile.  Grayson looked a bit bashful, his eyes glancing at your peripherally. You could tell he was pretending to not notice you waking up as he stared at his iPad in front of him. You pressed your lips to his cheek and his eyebrows raised slightly.  He turned to look at you and grinned, the little gems in his incisors sparkling in the low light of aircraft cabin.  His head dipped down and his lips pressed on to yours in one quick motion. You kissed back, massaging your lips softly against his.  Grayson’s hand slipped up your arm and he rested it at the back of your neck to pull you closer.  You adjusted yourself and tried to pull your weight in the kiss, but you had to be honest. The position was uncomfortable.

With the arm rest down and your seat belt digging into your stomach, you felt like you were in some kind of torture device.  But, you were kissing Grayson Dolan.  Correction, you were kissing your boyfriend, Grayson Dolan. This was going to be the first of many kisses over the next two weeks.  All your teenage fantasies of dating Grayson back in Jersey were going to come true.  Making out in the hot tub on the back patio, riding on the back of his ATV as your chin rested on his shoulder, baking cookies for Santa and then staying up all night watching movies and eating the treats yourself...the list went on. 

So, the fact that right now, your knee was a bit numb and you weren’t sure if your pinky was still working, you were still thrilled at what was to come.  Nothing could bring you down. You were dating your best friend.

“You two coming up for air anytime soon?” The flight attendant asked, making you both break apart with urgency.

You watched as Grayson’s face turned red, and wondered if you were blushing just as hard.  You tried to think of a retort, but the flight attendant just shoved the garbage bag toward you.

“Trash?” She asked, her Jersey accent reminding you of your own relatives.

“Nope.” You shook your head and Grayson did the same.

The flight attendant looked at Grayson, her red lipstick painted lips smacking together. Her eyes darted back at you before giving you an approving nod. “Not bad...” She said before moving to the next aisle.

You and Grayson stared at each other wide eyed, trying not to laugh.

“How freaking rude...” You muttered. “...no one asked for her opinion.”

“At least she said, I’m not bad...” Grayson’s eyes twinkled with a fake bravado as he stretched his arms over his head.

“Uh huh...” You rolled your eyes trying to hide your smile. “I’m glad she has reduced you to a piece of meat...and with a half-assed compliment at that.”

“You want to talk about rude...” Ethan said, slowly sitting up.

Oh yeah, the other reason you were uncomfortable was because your boyfriend’s twin’s head was as heavy as a boulder and it was resting on your arm the entire flight. Ethan had collapsed on your shoulder before the security video even started.  To be fair, it was early for him at 9am in the morning and Grayson wasn’t kind when waking him up.

“How are you going to make out with your brother right here?” Ethan asked, shaking his head as he leaned over to look at Grayson.  He then looked at you.  “I expected more from you, Y/N.  You’re way too mature for PDA.”

You blushed, once again at a loss for words. Had you been away from Jersey for too long? What happened to your clap back skills?

“Hey!” Grayson said, leaning over to look at Ethan. “You’re the one using my girlfriend as a pillow without asking.”

“I was using my BEST FRIEND as a pillow.” Ethan said, grabbing your arm and pulling you closer.  Not that he really needed to get closer.  Your seats were so close together, the twins’ thighs were infringing on your seat. Never again will you take the high ground and insist on traveling economy.  Not with the two largest twins in the world squishing you on a six hour flight.

“Oh here we go...” Grayson argued, grabbing your other arm.

You started to rub your temple and sighed.  With one hand still on your head and the other hand raised, you announced your signature move.

“I’m going to count to 3....” You warned, putting up a single finger. “1...”

“But, babe...” Grayson whined. 

“2...” You continued counting, another finger going up.

“Ugh, fine.” Ethan grunted, folding his arms.

The two silently faced forward, sulking.  You let out a sigh of relief.  If there was one perk about being the Mom friend, it was being able to control tantrums for all ages from age 2 to 20.

In the quiet of the plane landing, you couldn’t help, but start to drift back to your fantasies of you and Grayson over the winter break. By far,  you were most thrilled about your six month celebration.

 You didn’t have anything planned, but given the fact that Grayson went all out for your first month (a couple spa package followed by a candle-lit dinner), you couldn’t even fathom what he would do for six months. You even planned out your outfit. You found a similar red dress to the one Mariah Carey wore in ‘All I Want For Christmas is You.’ 

While you and Grayson hadn’t gotten frisky yet, you also splurged on a pretty number to wear underneath the dress as well.  Whether he got to see your undergarments or not, you had also prepared a more “family appropriate” gift that you were sure he would love. 

Your thoughts were interrupted by cabin lights flickering on.  You all hastily got out of your seats along with the other passengers, happy to feel your legs again. 

Once you were off the plane, Ethan and Grayson were back to the usual playful selves.  They were competing to see who could find and get all the suitcases off the belt the fastest.  You sat on the bench and called your parents to let them know you landed.  You glanced the boys and made the executive decision to call  their mom to let her know that you made it. 

With the responsible actions were complete, you sat back and watched the boys jumping over each other to grab suitcases.  You chuckled any time they grabbed the wrong suitcase and awkwardly apologized to the actual owner 

You smiled softly every time Grayson looked back to check if you were watching him.  It warmed your heart that he always wanted to impress you.  You gave him a little wave and he grinned brightly, like a little kid.  Whenever you were together, it felt like you catapulted back to your pre-teen selves, with you being the quiet cheerleader and him being the adventurous goof making you laugh.

Before you knew it, all the luggage was claimed.  Unfortunately, the winner of the challenge was indeterminate.  As the boys argued over who took the most cases and which ones were heavier, your parents called to say they were here.  Ethan hugged you first, knowing that Grayson’s goodbye was going to be longer.

“See you after Christmas!” Ethan said, rocking you from side to side in his bear hug. “Hopefully, Grayson doesn’t hog you too much at the ski resort.”

That was another reason you were over the moon about winter break.  Your family and the Dolans coordinated to go on a ski trip together.  This included some of your and the twins’ extended family as well. 

“I won’t let that happen, E.” You grinned. “We’ll all going to have a great time.”

You turned to Grayson who looked like he would explode if he had to wait a moment longer.  He hugged you tightly, pressing a kiss into your temple.  He was holding you like you weren’t going to see him in five days. 

“I can’t wait to see you.” Grayson cooed in your ear.  “Text me, okay?”

“Of course.” You smiled and pulled back to peck his lips. “Now, let’s go before my dad gets a ticket.”

“See you soon, baby.” Grayson gave you another kiss just below your ear, knowing it sent shivers up your spine. You smiled at him softly, willing your knees to not go weak.

“Come on!” Ethan said, grabbing one of your bags and gesturing for Grayson to grab the other.  

The boys greeted your parents and helped you packed the car.  You gave quicker hugs the second time around. The twins waved you off until you could no longer see them in the rear view mirror. You tried to hide your disappointment as you caught up with your parents.  You were happy to see them and wanted to tell them about school.  At the same time, you were counting down the days until the ski trip.

The day of the ski trip came faster than expected. You and Grayson didn’t text as much as you had hoped, but you had a great holiday.  You were grateful for the gifts you received and your family equally liked their gifts as well.  You also got to hang out with your favorite cousins, including Monica.  It seemed like she grew up so much in the last six months.  She was a lot more talkative now, mostly asking questions about everything she saw.  She was also adventurous and enjoyed climbing on top of things two to three times her height before jumping off. You had sent Grayson a few snaps of Monica’s tricks and he joked about being a proud papa. It made you miss him even more.

As your family checked into the ski lodge, you scanned the lobby for the Dolans who were eagerly awaiting your arrival.  You saw them instantly and waved dramatically before running over. Grayson hugged you tightly and immediately bent down to give you a strong kiss. It wasn’t super long or sensual, but there was enough force to remind you that he missed you dearly.

“Oh weird,” Cameron said from behind Grayson.  “I forgot you guys are together now.”

You blushed. “Ah yeah, I guess...” 

“No, no it’s good.” Cameron comforted you, moving to give you a hug. “The tension between you two was way weirder.  I’m happy for you. Both of you.”

You hugged her back. “Thanks, Cam.”

You hugged Ethan and their mom as well, engaging in the usual small talk until your family came over. 

“Grayson, so good to see you again!” You heard someone call from behind you. You glanced over your shoulder to see your cousin and his husband walking toward you with Monica holding your cousin’s hand.

“Hi!” Grayson said, more toward Monica than your cousins, but he was respectful enough to give your cousins hugs first before crouching down to talk to Monica.

While your cousins introduced themselves to the rest of the Dolans, you watched Grayson interact with Monica.  

“Do you remember me?” Grayson asked. “I’m Grayson.”

“I remember Gray.” She said, her voice soft and a shy. “Do you remember me?”

“She called me Gray!” Grayson said, turning back to look at you, his jaw dropping excitedly.  You walked closer to him and his eyes followed you, his head craning upward to meet your eyes.

“Apparently, Gray and beret were the only things she remembered about our trip.” You laughed. “Oh and dinosaur.”

“Not that is a competition,” Grayson smirked smugly. “But Gray is definitely a sign that she likes me more.”

“Whatever...” You rolled your eyes. “...if I had gorgeous hazel eyes and a dynamite smile, I’m sure toddlers would be fawning over me too.”

Grayson stood up and cupped your cheek. “You have the most beautiful eyes and the most stunning smile I’ve ever seen in my life.”

You blushed and glanced away. “D-Don’t say things like that with such a serious expression. It’s weird...”

Grayson chuckled before glancing down at Monica.  She reached her hands up to show she wanted to be picked up and Grayson obliged. 

“You want to meet my twin?” Grayson asked her.  Monica nodded and Grayson marched her over to Ethan to introduce the two. You were pretty sure Monica had no idea what a twin was, but she was just happy to be carried by someone.

You couldn’t help but laugh seeing Monica’s head turn from twin to twin. She stuttered out the word “G-Gray?” as she looked between the two men unable to comprehend why there were two of him.

“Babe,” Grayson laughed as he waved you over.  “Look at Monica’s face.”

He handed Monica to Ethan who took her laughing.  Monica gripped Ethan’s cheeks with her tiny hands and Ethan went the extra mile to suck in his cheeks and make silly faces for her.  Grayson took the opportunity to wrap his arms around you from behind and lay a soft kiss on your cheek.  Monica, seemingly realizing that she was not being held by Grayson, reached to go back into Grayson’s arms.

This earned laughter from the group as your cousin intercepted to take his daughter. Monica hugged on to your cousin, but her eyes didn’t break away from Grayson.

“I guess she has a type...” Ethan joked.

“Maybe it runs in the family.” Your cousin’s husband teased, earning more laughter.

You blushed as you and Grayson both chuckled nervously.

Monica was starting to fuss in your cousins arm.  She reached out to Grayson who finally relented. The warmth from his body disappeared as he pulled Monica into his arms.

Seeing Grayson with Monica warmed your heart.  At the same time, you couldn’t ignore the pang of jealousy in your chest. It was stupid, but for some reason, you were a bit worried that Monica would steal all your attention.  You scolded yourself.  This was your six months anniversary and winter vacation.  There was plenty of Grayson’s attention reserved for you that you could share with Monica.  

Or so, you thought.

The first day of the trip, Grayson and Ethan went off to go skiing.  This was understandable, as it was ski trip.  Except, you were quite new to the sport.  You had this fantasy of Grayson putting on your skis, and helping you go down the hill.  

You worked with the ski rental representative to get your skis on.  You balanced on your ski poles. Grayson chuckled as he walked over to adjust your goggles. 

“Don’t you look cute.” Grayson commented.

“I’m pretty nervous.” You said, looking down at the hill.  “You have to show me how to go down.”

“Oh...”Grayson’s voice trailed off as he looked behind him.  

Ethan was putting on his own skis and seemed to be waiting for Grayson to do the same.  Grayson bit his lip and looked at you sympathetically.

“So, I promised Ethan that we would start with the black diamond.” Grayson explained.

“Oh? Where is that?” You asked, looking around.  You looked down the hill to see if there was some kind of marking on the hill.

Grayson chuckled, “No, babe, it’s over there.”

Grayson pointed to another hill that was triple the size of yours, littered with trees and other obstacles.

“Oh...I see why this is called the bunny slope now.” You said, sadly.  “Maybe E would like a warm up.”

You and Grayson looked back at Ethan who looked like he had enough adrenaline coursing through his veins to jump out of an airplane.  Grayson looked at you and you smiled.

“It’s fine...” You nodded.  “...I’m sure I will surpass you soon enough.”

“Good luck, Y/N.” Grayson said with a smug chuckle.  “Don’t eat too much snow.”

You let out a “Hmph” sound as you turned to ski down the hill.  You couldn’t tell if you were screaming in your head or if the sound was actually leaving your lips. The tears streaming down your face, however, were very real.  You heard people yelling at you to make shapes with your feet, but it was too late.  Your were tumbling down and rolling like a ball to the end of the hill.  One minute you were staring at your feet and the next moment you were staring at the sky.  You coughed and sat up slowly.  You put up a thumbs up for the people who were watching you and they applauded.  You continued coughing and realized your tongue was like ice from...eating snow.

After three attempts down the hill, you were utterly humiliated.  As people, most parents, skied over with advice, you continued to struggle. As you walked back up the hill, your jaw dropped to see Grayson still at the top.  Ethan was nowhere to be found, and in his place was a little Monica.

 In that moment, you realized that Grayson had probably seen your embarrassing displays of your (apparent lack of) athleticism.  To avoid his teasing, you attempted to go back down the hill, really trying to impress.  As you landed on your butt, you were shocked to hear your boyfriend giggling...no actually giggling.  Except, it wasn’t at you, but at Monica. 

 If you weren’t so annoyed, you would have found it cute. Grayson’s large frame was contorting itself to fit on a little sled while he held Monica up on her skis. Her eyes danced between being wide open and clenched shut, the 2 mph speed probably feeling faster to her.  Grayson couldn’t stop laughing as her little winter coat bundled arms remained frozen in an outstretched position. 

Normally, you would have made a quip, but, you entire body was numb.  Unlike Monica, you were not as cozy in your jacket. Your confidence was also at an all time low and you also felt a bit lied to by Grayson. You left in a huff, ripping off your skis with great difficulty and marching back to the lodge to have hot chocolate.

When he and Monica reached the bottom of the slope, Grayson carried her back up with his sled underneath his free arm.  He was sweating and blotchy by the time he reached the top, suddenly realizing the weight of a toddler going uphill. He handed Monica to your cousin’s husband and Monica seemed more than ready to go back inside.

Grayson glanced around look for you, dusting his damp, dark brown hair from his eyes to get a better view.

“Where’s Y/N?” He asked, still out of breath.

“She went back inside.” Your cousin’s husband explained as he hugged Monica to his chest.  “Poor dear, couldn’t manage to stay up for longer than a few seconds.”

“Hah oh man I saw that,” Grayson managed to crack a smile. “I was hoping to help her out a bit. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.”

He motioned to go back to find you, but then Ethan approached him on bailing.  They both decided that they would switch to snowboards and go down shirtless.  He figured he would have a chance to cuddle and console you later, but the opportunity to be a savage with his twin, once in a....day.

Unbeknownst to Grayson, this decision just allowed you to stew in anger even more.  You were quiet and huffy at dinner. You also opted out of after dinner games and went to bed early.  

Grayson tried to hide his disappointment, as he didn’t want to guilt you into staying.  He walked you to your room and kissed your forehead.

“Are you sure you’re okay? I know you had a nasty--” He teased. 

You put a hand up to stop him. “I’m fine. It’s too embarrassing...”

Grayson chuckled and hugged you tightly.  “Sleep tight, love bug.”

“Yeah, you too.” You gave him a half smile and a weak hug.

As you turned to go into your room, Grayson grabbed your arm. He pulled you toward him with a gentle tug that didn’t hurt you, but still enough for your body to flow into his. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up as you met his eyes.  You were surprised to see them so soft.

“Are you mad at me?” He asked, his voice small and childlike.

“What? No...” You said, unable to look at him directly.  

“Come on, Y/N.” Grayson sighed. His tanned hand reached to your chin to force you to look at him. “You’re one of my childhood best friends, I think I can tell when you’re upset.”

“It’s stupid.” You said, suddenly feeling a jump in your eyes. You didn’t want to start crying over something so ridiculous.

“Nothing you do is stupid.  Just tell me, baby.” He smiled softly. “You know it’s been awhile since I’ve dated...I’m a little rusty. Tell me if I’m messing up”

“I really wanted to ski with you today.” You admitted, your voice quivering a little.

“Oh...” Grayson’s lips remained rounded as he nodded a bit. “Are you mad that I left you for E? Because I did think about...”

“No, no of course not.” You said, shaking your head quickly.  You hoped Grayson knew you better than that. “I don’t ever want to get between you and E.”

“I know! That’s why I’m kinda confused.” Grayson admitted, but he seemed relieved. “I’m guessing whatever it is...it’s why you decided to leave? I saw you still on the slope when I was coming down with Monica and then you just disappeared.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but then you closed it, hesitating.  Grayson used the bad of his thumb to rub your cheek as he waited patiently for your response.

“I guess, I had a hard time skiing and I was bummed that you didn’t help me, but you helped Monica.” You spoke quickly, your words almost blending together.

“Oh, baby...” Grayson said, his voice in between humored and consoling.  “I’m sorry...I guess I got a bit carried away taking care of Monica. I didn’t mean to make you jealous.”

“You’re laughing at me.” You complained, folding your arms.

Grayson grabbed your arms and pulled them down to rest at your side. 

“Just a little...” Grayson gave a soft laugh.  “But, you do realize that you’re my number one girl, right?”

You nodded and Grayson pursed his lips.  Using both hands he cupped your face and kissed you softly. Your eyes fluttered closed as you kissed back, instantly parting your lips for him.  His tongue slid in easily and quickly found yours. A soft moan left your lips which seemed to drive Grayson wild.  He backed you into the wall next to your hotel room door and pressed you against as he deepened the kiss. Your hands ran up and down Grayson’s chest and he grunted softly.  The sound of a door opening ripped you two apart.  You didn’t make eye contact with the elderly couple who walked past you, snickering.

Grayson looked at you and laughed, making you laugh as well.  He nibbled on his lower lip and kissed your forehead.

“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. I know you have a day planned with your family, but tomorrow night, you’re mine.” 

That sent a shiver up your spine and a shy smile crossed your lips. “Okay...”

“That’s my girl.” He kissed your lips. “Love seeing that smile.”

“Love that you’re the cause of it.” You grinned. “Good night, baby.”

“Good night.” Grayson said, biting his lip again as he watched you open your door.  You gave him a final wave and closed the door behind you.  Once you heard his footsteps down the hall, you let out a little squeal.

The next day, it was girl’s day with your mom, two of your aunts and two of your cousins.  One of your aunts was single, traveled all the time, and always came back with fun stories and presents.  Your other aunt was the mother of your two cousins, who was known to be a bit more high strung in her recent years, but a wild child in her younger days.  Your two cousins were a bit younger than you and were the ones who kept you up to date with all the trends and internet drama.  You dating Grayson Dolan was probably the most fun thing in their life, even if they weren’t allowed to talk about it given the privacy of your relationship.

The plan was a “Girls’ Day” where you were going to the spa at the ski resort. The adults had a show or something to go to later that night, so they were going all out.  The youngsters were going to fend for themselves and probably wreak havoc on the hotel. You were hoping that you and Grayson would be able to sneak off somewhere since it was your official six months date.  You were disappointed that none of his snaps or texts so far mentioned the significance of the day, but you figured he was building up anticipation.

You sat in the sauna, your towel neatly wrapped around your chest. You pointedly ignored your adventurous aunt sprawled out, naked, as did her sister and your cousins.  Your mom wasn’t a huge fan of saunas, so she went to do face masks with Lisa and Cameron.  You weren’t a big fan of sauna either, but it had been awhile since you hung out with your female cousins and didn’t want to miss the chance to hear what cooky things your aunt would say.

“You know,” One of your cousins said, “They have a deal on waxes today.”

“Have you ever gotten a wax, Y/N?” Your other cousin asked.

You shook your head.  You thought about the lingerie you had stashed in your bag.  The underwear was pretty high cut.  Maybe this would be a good opportunity to get waxed for the first time.

“I would be down to try.” You said, not wanting to sound too eager.

“You’re dating that big, tan boy, right?” Your aunt said, sitting up and closing her legs in the process.

You nodded. “Grayson.” You and your two cousins said at the same time.

This caused a bit of giggling and you pretended to give them disapproving faces.

“Yes, well what does he like?” Your aunt asked, back on the topic of the wax.

There was a mischievous grin on her face that told you this was not about the wax, but more about how far you two had gone.  Your other aunt seemed to pick this else.

Your other aunt gasped, covering her mouth. “You can’t ask her that! She’s...”

“In her twenties!” Your aunt reminded her sister in a loud voice.  She turned back to you. “I guess since you haven’t gotten it before, he wouldn’t have a preference. Or at least you haven’t talked about it.  What are you thinking?”

“Uhm...” With all eyes on you, you felt under pressure. You didn’t know any wax names so you just said, “...everything?”

“Oh honey, no!” Your aunt shook her head.  “He needs a little landing strip.”

“Okay!” You other aunt stood up, holding her towel to her body. “Don’t you think this is a bit inappropriate?” She sighed and looked at you. “If you’re going to get a wax, do it for you, hon,not a man.”

Your wilder aunt snapped her fingers with approval. “That is true! Ooh, you should get a little design...”

“A design?” You and your cousins asked in unison.

“Oh boy....” Both aunts looked at each other knowingly. “You ladies have a lot to learn...”

Four hours later and you were laying on your hotel bed with and ice pack on your crotch.  You had been falling in and out of sleep, but a text from Grayson put some pep in your step.

GrayBear: Come to your cousin’s cabin ;)

Your jaw dropped.  You completely forgot Monica and her parents were staying at a cabin.  The resort had different types of rooms you could book.  From the website, you knew the cabins were drop dead gorgeous.  They were on the other side of the resort from the hotels and allowed you to view the sunrise each morning. It was single story, but had a full kitchen, a Jacuzzi bath tub and king sized beds in each bedroom.  Your cousins had opted for the two bedroom in case any of the “young people” wanted to stay with them for a night.  You guessed that Grayson got his bid in pretty early.

You tried not to get too excited as you texted him back.  You crawled off the bed, putting the ice pack in the freezer.  You took a quick shower, unable to stop staring at your newly manicured crotch.  The “heart attack” style with a little heart on top really made it look cute.  Once out of the shower, you made sure to spritz on your Wakeheart Grayson Dolan fragrance before putting on the lingerie.  You moisturized with a body butter, styled your hair and put on some light makeup: eyebrow pencil, mascara and a tinted lip gloss. 

Then you put on the red dress that hugged your shape.  At first, you were concerned because you could see the intricate lacing of the top of the bra under the dress.  With a bit of adjusting, you were able to make it seamless.  You debated putting on the Santa hat you got, but decided against it. You put on some boots that were a bit more on the fashionable side as they went up to your knees.  With a final glance in the mirror, you smiled to yourself.  You grabbed Grayson’s gift and put on a jacket that hid your outfit while keeping you a bit warm.

The walk to your cousin’s cabin felt longer than you expected.  The cold air stung your cheeks and your thighs shivered each time wind pushed past your zipped jacket.  You double checked the number on the cabin before ringing the bell.  When Grayson answered the door, you couldn’t help, but smile brightly.  He was wearing a button down shirt and dress slacks, adorned with his favorite design accessories.  You could tell he even styled his hair the way you liked.

“Hey,” Grayson said, his voice coming out deep and husky.

“Hey...” You replied, your voice coming out high pitched and squeaky.  

You both laughed and Grayson stepped to the side to let you in.  You were surprised to see Monica watching television in the living room area.

“Oh, is my cousin still here?” You asked, taking off your boots.

“Nope, it’s just us.” Grayson said, walking over to the dining table.  “I’m watching Monica for them.”

You jaw dropped. “Grayson...why would you choose to babysit tonight?” You asked, the irritation evident in your voice.

Grayson frowned and he turned to look at you. “Well...they needed someone to watch Monica if they were going to the show tonight.”

“But it could have been anyone else, Grayson.” You complained. “I’m not exactly dressed to babysit tonight.”

You removed your jacket and Grayson’s eyes widened.

“Wow...Y/N...you look breathtaking.” He made his way over to you, his hands going for your hips.

“Oh no you don’t...” You wagged your finger as you side stepped. “I am not scarring her for life by getting frisky in front of her.”

Grayson pouted, following you as you walked to the living room. His breath hitched in his throat when you bent down to pick up Monica and he got an eyeful of your thighs.

“Geez....are you even wearing anything under there?” Grayson muttered mostly to himself.

“You’ll never find out now, will you?” You quipped, turning back to look at him. Monica seemed comfortable in your arms as her eyes remained glued to the tv. You sat on the couch and Monica adjusted herself on your lap, but was clearly entranced by the cartoon program.

“Are you still jealous of Monica?” Grayson asked, putting his hands on his hips.

You remained focus on the television, avoiding his eyes. You groaned as you started to speak.

“This isn’t about her. This is about you not prioritizing our alone time.” You finally looked at him, his annoyed expression mirrored on your face. “You didn’t have to choose our six months date to babysit.”

“Babe, don’t you get it?” Grayson groaned.  “I only asked to babysit so we would have this place to ourselves.  Monica goes to bed at 8:15, our dinner is set to arrive at 8:30 and we have the place to ourselves until midnight.  Sure, the first hour is going to be a bit lame, but I thought it was kinda fitting, you know? I mean Monica is the reason we are together right.”

Your eyebrows went up in surprise. “Wow, Gray that was actually...”

“Well thought out? Insightful?” Grayson filled in with a cocky smirk.  “Babe, did you really think I would mess this up?  I didn’t wait years to date my dream girl to lose her after six months.”

You moved Monica off your lap and placed gently on the couch.  She looked at you as if she was seeing you for the first time.

“Pretty!” Monica said, before turning back to the tv.

“Hey, she’s mine.” Grayson joked, taking you hand to pull you off the couch and into his arms. “And I’m not sharing.”

You pecked his lips. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

“It’s alright, you can just make it up to me.” Grayson teased.

“Oh, you better get ready.” You winked. “I may just give you a heart attack...”

A/N: Definitely let me know if I should continue this with their first time smut.  Thinking of making it more fluffy and cute kind of smut, but I’m not sure if the people who like this fic are a fan of smut.

[15001700tt]

Gray’s B&C Shop

Story cover!   

Word count: 4,016

Masterlist

It was a quiet day at the bookstore; only a few customers coming in and out. It was a cold November night and so not many people were out and about. Lucy sighed as she felt the cold breeze drift through the store and reach her small desk. She had a cozy ivory cardigan and some light jeans. her reading glasses perched low on her nose as she continued reading the encyclopedia of magical creatures of the wizarding world.

Shivering as a breeze caressed her warm body, she bookmarked her book and got up to close the door completely. It was an old building - she had to push on it a certain way for it to click correctly and seal the cold air outside. The bookstore was called ‘Gray’s BookStore’ and was founded in 1579 and is holding on strong in the new age of technology. Unlike many bookstores on Diagon Alley that were being shut down because they couldn't keep up with the trends of the ebook, Gray’s was able to integrate it in their store, they have a built-in coffee shop on one side that’s run by the bookstore as well as a business of renting Ipads to do some light reading if physical books aren’t your thing. Gray’s also is one of the only few bookstores to have the original printing of many books that are displayed like artifacts.

As you can see the owners (the Gray’s) have managed to successfully capitalize on the industry without ruining the joys of reading as well as browsing. Lucy works there as she attends college to pursue a career in the Ministry of Magic as a Mazigoologist. Lucy and her sister; Molly run the shop for the Grays’. Molly usually tends to the coffee shop while Lucy runs the bookshop. It was a very popular place to come wind down in after shopping all day in Diagon Alley.

The bookstore is huge, no lie. It has two entrances one from the coffee shop and one from the bookstore. It was actually a few hours before closing and Molly was just cleaning the cups and putting them back on the shelves. Molly was wearing high waisted light jeans similar to Lucy’s and an olive green shirt with an oversized brown flannel, a dark brown apron covering her front, and a white stained rag tucked in. Molly studies History of Magic and Education, she hopes to become a professor at Hogwarts. She was in her last year of College, unlike Lucy who still had one more year before she can start training for her career in the Ministry of Magic.

“Do you have anything to do when we get off?” Molly called out in the empty store.

“A hot date with my bed and hot chocolate” Lucy winked at her sister from like 15 feet away.

“Haha funny, c’mon hang out with me and Frank tonight” Molly suggested while laughing sarcastically.

“I really don’t want to third wheel,” Lucy responded, shrugging. She didn't hate hanging out with her sister and her boyfriend she just felt like she was intruding. Frank was a great guy and he’s also a great friend, she just felt awkward being the single one.

“I’ll think about it. I have some books I still need to finish reading so maybe another day?” Lucy excused softly trying to not seem like she didn't want to hang out with her sister but at the same time, she didn't want to spend her evening this way.

“It’s up to you, you haven’t socialized in weeks, I worry,” Molly yelled as she laughed. Lucy rolled her eyes at her sister.

“I am fine!” Lucy chuckled as she picked up her book once again and started reading again.

A few hours pass this way, in silence as the soft music plays. People come in hang around for a while then they leave with either a hot coffee or a new book. The silence is broken when a group of boys stumbled in laughing and shoving each other.

“Frank?” Molly’s soft voice drifted to Lucy’s desk. Lucy lifted her head to look at the group of boys, containing Frank; Molly’s boyfriend. Frank was wearing black jeans a tan jacket with a black long sleeve and a mustard yellow scarf.

“Hi love, we might need a raincheck on our evening” Frank grinned a childlike grin at his girlfriend.

Lucy once again closed her book and peered at the group talking to Molly, she knew them. She knew them from Hogwarts, where she spent 7 years with them, and… one of them is her very own cousin; Hugo Weasley. Percy Wood, Frank Longbottom, Hugo Weasley, Lorcan, and Lysander Scamander were standing in a circle around Molly; who had left her post behind the counter next to the coffee machines to greet the boys. These boys were her family per se, they spent every Christmas with her huge family as well as any other family event that was hosted.

Nevertheless, she had only exchanged a few words with the Scamander twins. But everyone else? Basically her siblings. Frank’s always at her house, and Percy is her best friend’s older brother; Annabelle Wood. Although they never interacted much due to being in different social circles, he was nice and polite to her so she didn't have any opinion of him.

Hugo was a very close friend/cousin, they were in the same department and share a love for creatures. So when she approached the group, he was the first one to notice her. Hugo was wearing black skinny jeans with a hazelnut brown long sleeve with an army green varsity jacket he was wearing a red beanie to fend off the cold air.

“Lu! How are you?” he grinned at her with rosy cheeks.

“I am good. how about you?” Lucy hugged Percy, Frank, and Hugo and nodded at the boys in acknowledgment. Percy was the only one that was a year older than everyone else, making him two years older than Lucy. He was wearing dark jeans and combat boots with a black sweater with the Hogwarts crest on it and the year he graduated on it, 2023. She greeted the twins.

“Hello,” Lorcan smirked at the girl. Lucy’s cheeks flushed. Lorcan and Lysander were dressed as if they were trying to make a statement against being related. Lorcan was sporting black skinny jeans and a black leather jacket as well as a white long sleeve. He had many necklaces and bracelets, if Lucy looked closer she could tell that they were probably little souvenirs from places he’d been or maybe sentimental pieces.

Lysander was dressed in a beige pullover with some dark skinny jeans and a black overcoat, and a black fedora. He was wearing one necklace and it seems to have some type of animal tooth on it. He smiled gently at her and tipped his head in a greeting as she made eye contact with her.

“So what brings you guys here?” Molly broke Lucy and Lysander’s eye contact. Lucy’s face flushed as she realized that they were both equally attractive and that she had been staring at them.

“We were all getting off from St. Mungo’s and we found this journal that had all these entries that talk about treasures and riddles that would lead to it” Frank started explaining, looking very excited.

“We’ve been following it for the last two hours,” Hugo finished off looking around the place.

“There’s one more cipher that we need that should lead us to the treasure” Lysander added, pulling out a pocket journal. It looked worn out and ancient.

“But we can’t figure out what language its in, so we thought that maybe you’d have a book that could help us” Frank smiled sheepishly at Molly. Molly looked at the boys with amusement. As she wiped her hands on her apron, she looked at Lucy trying to see whether that would be doable. Lucy pondered for a second, the flow of customers has been really sparse today so they could close an hour early.

“I guess the bookstore is closing at 10 tonight,” Lucy chuckled at the hopeful looks the boys were giving her. Molly clapped her hands and told the boys to take a seat as they closed the shop. Molly and Lucy only had to close the registers from the coffee shop and the bookstore and put them in the office and lock it, and maybe sweep but Molly had already done so before the guys came in.

Within thirty minutes, the boys had taken off their jackets and were lounging comfortably on of the tables, each with a cup of hot drinks in them. Lucy and Molly were in the office counting the money when Molly bumped her shoulder against Lucy’s and smirked.

“So, you fancy one of the Scamanders?” Molly teased, slightly pausing waiting to see Lucy’s reaction.

“Molly, Lorcan has been dating Lily since 6th year,” Lucy refuted, pointing out a very obvious fact. Lorcan is the type to have a very coy attitude. That wasn’t her type but it was amusing to witness.

“What about Lysander? He hasn’t dated anyone in a while” Molly responded, punching in numbers in the calculator.

“We are not having this conversation when they are only a few feet away from us!” Lucy whisper-yelled.

“It’s not hurting anyone! Besides I think he’s taking a fancy to you,” Molly voiced out with a little giggle.

“He’s known me since we were children, I am sure if he likes me he would’ve had a chance to say so in the last 20 years or so,” Lucy rolled her eyes at her sister.

“Hey! Frank and I didn't start dating until 7th year and we’ve known each other since we were babies, maybe it’s your time!” Molly suggested, putting a wad of cash in the safe.

“Oh my god, is this about not wanting to hang out tonight with you and Frank?” Lucy stopped abruptly to stare at her sister.

“What? No! This is about him not taking his eyes off of you that whole time we were closing the shop!” Molly shook her head and scoffed at her sister’s assumption.

Lucy just flushed at the thought of him just watching her, so she wasn't going crazy, he was watching her. She felt eyes following her around but she shook it off as she was being paranoid.

Lucy opened the checkbook and wrote down the total number of sales while Molly finished putting the rest of the money in the safe before locking it. They both high fived quietly and turned off the lights to the office and closed the door.

“Alright, tell me everything,” Molly tossed herself into one of the chairs, running her hands through her hair.

“Well, I found it in one of the old lockers that the residents can use. It was empty except for that” Frank started, pointing at the frayed journal.

“So there are three riddles, and two of them to two different places of Diagon Alley while the third one is in a different language” Lysander responded, furrowing his eyebrows.

“What were the two places?” Lucy asked, she was doodling in her notepad as she listened to them.

“Slug and Jiggers Apothecary and Borgin & Burkes,” he responded.

“A potion shop and an antique shop” Lucy reiterated.

“Maybe that’s the link, it’s an old book about potions?” Molly guessed as silence overtook the group, Frank looked at her with wide eyes.

“You’re brilliant!” he said with admiration. Molly rolled her eyes, getting up from her chair and walking over to Lucy and holding out her hand with fake politeness.

“After you, my lady” Molly said with a posh accent, Lucy laughed and grasped her sister’s hand.

“The potion section is at the end of the bookstore and should start in alphabetical order,” Lucy said, as the group moved from the front of the store to the back.

“The oldest book we have that is in another language is right...here,” Lucy paused as she squatted and reached in the bottom shelf somewhere almost hidden.

“How did you-” Lorcan started before getting interrupted by Hugo.

“If it’s a book then Lucy knows where it would be,” he chuckled at his shocked friend and Lucy’s grinning face. Lucy handed the book to Lysander, who brushed off the layer of dust that formed on the book frame.

“παρασκευή φίλτρων” Lysander read out loud.

“You can read that?” Lucy asked with surprise in her voice.

“I had to take Greek as an elective for a year.” Lysander shrugged, he propped the book up on the shelf and started flipping through it.

Lucy backed away from the shelf to stand next to Molly and Frank. Molly smirked as she saw Lucy look flabbergasted.

“Now you have someone to bother about your Greek class other than me,” Molly said with mirth in her voice. Lysander paused, before continuing to flip through the book, a small smile playing on his lips as Lorcan smirked at Lucy and winked.

“Guys, focus. Is there anything that can help with the riddle?” Hugo grinned catching Lucy’s look for help.

“What is the riddle anyway?” Molly asked as Lysander flipped through the pages, one by one. There would probably be a written message in there that could help. Gray’s Bookstore was also known for selling second-hand books, usually, there are some witty remarks written in the pages waiting for a reader.

‘Habeo tamen illa idiomata praeambula tamen exitum non sitim aquae sed vigent. Quld?’ Percy showed Molly the book, while Lysander finally got the middle of the book.

“So it’s all in Greek, no surprise there, but some of the words are randomly translated into another language,” Lysander stated. He paused and looked off into the distance.

“Wait, give me the book for a moment,” Lucy spoke as she peered over Lysander’s shoulder. She eyed one of the doodles before turning to the page of the journal the riddle was written on.

“This is Latin, it’s a dead language but someone was translating Latin words to Greek.” Lucy explained as she pointed out two identical words.

“I knew taking Ancient Runes would be handy at some point,” Lucy murmured as she found more words that matched with the riddle. Lucy asked someone for a pen, Molly handed her one from her hair, she had a habit of sticking things in her hair to put it up, her wand and many pens being the help she needed.

Lucy started writing down the words that they can translate. Within twenty minutes they had a loosely translated version of the riddle in Greek. Έχω εκφράσεις αλλά όχι ιδιώματα, προοίμιο, αλλά δεν υπάρχει διέξοδος, έχω νερό, αλλά μόνο η δίψα μπορεί να ευδοκιμήσει. τι είμαι εγώ?’ it was written in Lysander’s handwriting. He inhaled and said it out loud, before translating it into English.

“I have expressions but no idioms, a preamble but no way out, I have water but only the thirst can thrive. what am I?” Lysander finished, they all stood (well Lucy had sat down on the ground next to Lysander so that they could write) there to ponder what the riddle could mean.

“Okay ‘I have expressions but no idioms? Could be words, or books?” Molly pondered out loud.

“A ‘preamble’? Like an opening? ‘No way out’ would make sense there is no exit,” Frank continued to think out loud, backpacking onto Molly’s thought.

“‘I have water but the only thirst can thrive’? What does that even mean” Lorcan sighed resting his head against the bookshelf behind him. His head making a thudding sound, before the sound of gears overtook the silent bookstore. He was startled away from the bookshelf as all seven of them watched as the bookshelf against the end of the building starts to shift to the right revealing an opening. Lucy scrambled up and went to take a look at the book Lorcan hit with his head.

“Huh, secret seekers of potion-making,” Lucy mused out loud the title of the book.

“A secret seeker? Seriously?” Hugo scoffed at the easiness of the answer and yet the riddle was in tongues.

“I guess we don’t need to use our brains as long as we have Lorcan to lean against things,” Frank joked as he patted Lorcan’s back. The others chuckled as they all approached the dusty and old secret opening. Lysander and Lucy were the first to step into the hallway.

The hallway was dark, the only light shining through is of the bookstore, so the seven of them pulled out their wands and murmured the charm; ‘Lumos’, and started walking down the hallway in pairs. Lucy and Lysander were leading the group.

There were doors lining the hallway, from what they could see there’s four, two on each side. Lucy and Lysander turned to two different doors and tried to open them, they were both locked.

“Alohomora,” Lucy whispered, a little light coming out of her wand and into the doorknob, she tried again and it was still locked.

“Magic doesn’t work-,” Lucy gasped to the rest of the group, but suddenly the door swung open and she stumbled in, Lysander probably trying to catch her before she fell to the ground holding onto her sleeve but ended up toppling on top of her as the door swung shut behind them shrouding them into complete darkness and entanglement of limbs.

Lucy can only hear their heavy breathing before Lysander rolled off her. He mumbled a quick ‘sorry’ before murmuring ‘Lumos’ again.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly.

“I am okay, it’s like the door was reacting to the spell” Lucy shuddered as she remembered how her wand felt in her hand. Knocks caught their attention. And they both got up to try and open the door once again.

“You guys okay?” Frank asked through the door, his voice sounding muffled.

“We’re fine, we’re just locked in” Lysander responded as he wiggled the doorknob even more.

“Alright, we’ll try to bust you out!” Hugo responded. Lysander only heard some shuffling afterward.

“Lysander…” Lucy’s voice trailed off as she herself had charmed her wand with ‘Lumos’. She was gaping at what was revealed in front of her, while Lysander was facing the door, she was facing the room. Books littered the rooms, some before bars some were laying lifelessly looking old and dusty while others were looking as if they were just off the printing press.

“Wow…” Lysander left the door to stand next to Lucy, she quickly glanced at him. He was so attractive and enamored with books. Lucy flushed as soon as she caught onto the trail of thoughts that were heading in. she mentally shook her head and scolded herself. She needed to focus so that they can get out. Every romantic bone in her body is screaming that this was a scene from a book but Lucy’s logical bone (read: brain) was telling her that magic is of no use in this place so she would try her wits. Lucy exhaled, trying to slow down her breathing, she lowered her wand and tucked it into her back pocket.

“This room is protected by magic against magic” Lucy stated, Lysander nodded, being able to feel the lack of magic or the strength of the protection charm.

“Good thing muggles invented mobile flashlights,” Lysander joked as he distinguished his wand light and fished out his cellphone, and turned on the flashlight.

“Nifty,” Lucy responded, mentally smacking herself for saying ’nifty’. She sheepishly smiled at him as she started to look through the books and read their titles.

Lucy raised her eyebrow at some titles, because of how outdated some of these books are, and how some of them are recently published. Some were about muggle medicine, some about their medicinal charms, spells, and potions. Lucy moved some papers that were lying on the floor and squatted down as she spotted a book. It seemed out of space. She glanced up to check on Lysander’s location. He seemed engrossed in a book he was flipping through on the other side of the room. She looks back towards the door, she can hear some sort of noise coming from the other side, probably the boys and Molly trying to get them out. She glanced back towards the small book. She picked it and inspected it, shining the light from her cell phone to the front cover. It was leather-bound and pocket-sized.

“Isn’t this the same notebook that Percy found?” Lucy asked, holding up the journal towards Lysander.

“Yes, it is.”

“Maybe it can help us get out of here” Lucy dusted off her pants and moved back towards the door.

“I found a book that's identical to the one Frank found, maybe-” Lucy didn't even get to finish her sentence when the door clicked open and slowly opened to reveal Hugo on his knees and a hairpin in his mouth and two in the lock.

“Never underestimate the power of lock picking?” Lorcan sarcastically let out with a questioning tone.

“I think we found the treasure” Lysander said from behind Lucy, he was grinning as he held up the book he was looking through.

“There are so many medicinal books here muggle and wizarding alike.” he told the group as they went to look around the room. Molly raised an eyebrow trying to send discreet signals to Lucy to ask about what happened when they were alone. Lucy rolled her eyes and shook her head, basically telling her sister nothing had happened.

“So what you’re saying is that we spent three hours looking for a treasure that turned out to be just more books?” Percy asked with disbelief in his voice.

“Books are a treasure! They have unlimited knowledge,” Lucy scolded Percy.

“Frank found this journal at St. Mungo’s. What did you expect?” Lorcan stated, picking up a book and flipping through nonchalantly.

“Unlimited riches?” Percy guessed causing Hugo to punch his arm.

After browsing for a couple of hours, they tried to open the rest of the doors, but they could only get two more doors open and they just had a brick wall behind it. Lucy thinks it’s to form a decoy so that if someone got this far they still wouldn't be able to get very far. It was around one in the morning when they decided to call it a night. Frank was going to take Molly back to her apartment and Lucy was going to walk back to her apartment. It was a 15-minute walk. The boys decided that Lysander was going to walk Lucy back to her apartment. Hugo and Lorcan smirked as Lysander led Lucy out of the store. Frank chuckled as he hugged Molly and she whispered to him, that Lucy has a crush on Lysander.

Lucy felt her cheeks flush as the cold air brushed against her face, “It’s really not that necessary I live very close.”

“I understand but it's one clock in the morning. It's not safe for anyone to be walking alone,” he smiled at her and motioned for them to start their walk. As they walked they talked about different things, books, muggle movies, and Hogwarts. It wasn't as awkward as Lucy thought it would be. He was an extremely nice guy and a very attractive one at that too. They soon reached her apartment building and they had to bid their goodbyes. Lysander smiled, “it was a lot of fun hanging out with you, maybe we can grab a coffee sometime?” he smiled his pearly smile and Lucy can feel butterflies taking flight in her stomach. She blushed a rosy red and nodded.

“I would like that.” Lysander grinned back and nodded. He leaned down to her height and kissed her cheek. His warmth transferring through his lips to her cold red cheeks.

“I look forward to it,” he grinned and put his hands into his pockets and waited for her to make her way up to her home.

[big-dick-grayson-energy]

Can u make a fanfic where choni is living happily in the future, and one day Toni proposes to Cheryl? I love ur writing btw!

I’m just gonna post it here and I’ll upload it to archive of our own when it’s back up and running. Sorry this took so long. I wrote most of it weeks ago and then finished the rest a little while ago. 

“Why do we gotta be on Skype for this part?” Sweet Pea asked from his little square corner of  Toni’s Ipad while he rocked his newborn daughter in his arms, his hair slicked back the same way it had been when they were younger, the only difference now being it was a little shorter.

“Shouldn’t you be whispering or something, bro?” Fangs countered their friend’s question from his corner on Toni’s Ipad, seemingly in bed. He’d been working on growing a beard for the past 3 months, and it was finally starting to be a little less than what Toni classified as a ‘struggle beard’, and she had to admit it looked good on her baby faced friend.

“Nah, see I figure if she learns how to sleep with noise then we ain’t gotta walk around the house on pins and needles.” The oldest of the three Serpents explained, softly patting his daughter’s back now as she squirmed.

“I don’t know if that’s how that works.” Fangs raised an eyebrow, “Tiny, you’re the deciding factor here.”

“He’s actually right.” Toni sided with Sweet Pea, “It’s solid, my aunt did that with all of my cousins so it’s not like you’re going to scar her or anything.” She told her boys as she applied eyeliner in her bathroom mirror. The idle conversation was good. They’d done all of the brainstorming, and she heard all of the pep talks she needed from them. Now they were the distraction that kept her from losing her shit before Cheryl got home.

“Whatever. I’m not planning on having kids anytime soon anyway. Toni’s next on the block for sure. The tune ain’t wrong: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the ginger with a baby carriage.” Fangs grinned into the camera like a fox and Toni rolled her eyes, “Let’s get the marriage thing out of the way first.” Taking a step back, Toni surveyed herself in the mirror and then presented herself to the two men who would forever be her boys.

“A+ Tiny Toni.” Sweet Pea said with a smile, “And if Izzy was up she’d agree with me.” He told her as he rubbed her daughter’s back.

“Yeah, I’d say yes if you got on one knee. You look hot. You could ask me to knock a guy off and I’d say yes with you wearing that.”  Fangs agreed.

“Thanks guys.” Toni told them graciously, and for the 100th time, glanced at the clock on her Ipad. Cheryl would be due home in about 20 minutes.

“This is it, the last outfit you’ll be wearing as a single woman.” Fangs started, but Sweet Pea cut in, “She hasn’t been single since like junior year of high school, what are you talking about, you dope.”

Fangs sucked his teeth, “Technically a person is single until they are engaged and or married.”

“How can you be engaged and married?” Toni asked, the same hybrid of an confused and amused expression on her face as most times when she had a conversation with Fangs.

“You can ask my uncle Leo. He was engaged to Roxanne while he was still married to my aunt Pearl.”

The other two Serpents laughed, this one for Toni especially feeling like a release of nerves that built up as fast as she got rid of them it would seem.

“Come on, Toni. Tie breaker. Who’s right?” Sweets said when his laughter subsided, “Ummm I’m going to have to go with Sweets again, Fangs. That doesn’t sound so legit to me.”

“Eh, you two are in cahoots. I know what I’m talking about. Whatever. Let’s focus, we gotta get you engaged. Let’s see the bra.”

“Let’s not see the bra.” Sweet Pea argued, and Fangs countered, “Come on, man. We’ve given you the thumbs up on the make up, the outfit, the hair, we gotta make sure your lady is peeling off something worthy of the occasion later tonight, know what I mean? We’re grown ass men and there’s nothin’ on any of us the other hasn’t seen, don’t make it weird now.”

“I’ve got that covered, Fangs. Don’t worry. She will be very happy with what’s underneath here. If she says yes. There’s no guarantee.”

“If? Come on. We both know she’s saying yes. You’ve been together since we were literally teenagers, we’re 28, and Sweet Pea is like 80 or something.” Fangs told her, and Sweets narrowed his eyes, “If my hands weren’t full I’d flip you the bird.”

“It’s okay, buddy I can use my imagination. Back to you, Topaz. Don’t be dim okay? This is just you getting a chance to flex your romance muscles. You’ve got this. The next time we talk to you, you’re gonna be someone’s fiance’ and when the time comes for the cake tasting, remember you promised me I could come with.”

“How could I? You won’t let me forget.”

________________________________________________________________

Cheryl’s day had been a long one; not particularly tough, but time seemed to drag, so by the time she got home all she wanted to do was cuddle up to her girlfriend and spend the rest of their evening together being grossly domestic. She was running a little late (because of course she was) and anticipated finding Toni in sweats at her workstation touching up photos with a glass of wine while dinner stayed warm on the stove, or her girlfriend watching one of the many reality tv shows she dubbed as her guilty pleasure. The thought had the redhead smiling softly to herself, imagining what she anticipated seeing on the other side of the door.

In high school, (even before that, but especially after Jason died) Cheryl had too much bad happen to her that she didn’t have any real hope that things would change. She was a Blossom, and that meant she was cursed. When they were children, Cheryl and Jason made something of a joke about it, scoffed at it even, but by the time she was 17, she wasn’t scoffing anymore -- in her mind, the Blossom curse was all too real. At her very lowest, Cheryl felt so hopeless that the most logical solution was to end her life. She counted herself lucky that Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead had come to her rescue because it almost physically pained her to think that she could have missed out on the life she had now. Not only was she in love, in a happy and healthy relationship, but she was well on her way to being a legend in the business world, thriving in both her personal and professional life.

What she found instead of the mental images conjured when she walked into her apartment was dim lights, soft music playing, three boxes on the coffee table in the living room along with a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket and Toni looking like an absolute dream. “Toni? Did I forget something?” Cheryl wasn’t one to forget things like anniversaries or birthdays so she was thoroughly confused. Her girlfriend walked over to her and handed her a champagne flute then greeted her with a kiss, “No, you didn’t forget anything. Except maybe that I like to keep you on your toes. Surprised?” Toni asked as she helped Cheryl out of her coat.

“Are those my favorite Belgian chocolate truffles?” Cheryl asked as she moved further into the living room and noticed the box that sat near two white, unopened and unmarked boxes.

“Yeah, they are.” Toni smiled proudly as she hung Cheryl’s coat up near the door, then joined her hopefully soon to be fiance’ in their living room. Cheryl picked up a truffle and took a bite, moaning instantly at the taste and brought the remainder to Toni’s lips, who accepted the confection happily.

“Are you sure you didn’t do anything?” Cheryl teased. It had taken her a long time to get where she was when good things happened to her, where she wasn’t waiting for the other shoe to fall. Cheryl from as little as two years ago would have been freaking out thinking Toni had done something that needed her forgiveness, buttering her up before she dropped life shattering bad news on her, but now she could just enjoy the good things in life instead of worrying about how long they would last.

“Not yet.” Toni answered cryptically, then took a healthy drink from her flute, nearly finishing it in one swallow, “Can we play a game?”

Cheryl raised an eyebrow, “A game? Is it the kind of game we play in the bedroom?” She asked, her voice dropping an octave or two in a tone that she knew made Toni weak in the knees every time.

“It’s the kind that leads to the bedroom.” Toni told her, heart picking up it’s pace for more reasons than one.

“Then I’m in. What’s the game?” Cheryl agreed and finished off her champagne before putting down the glass and sitting on the couch.

“It’s called three objects and a question. Don’t ask me how to play, it’s pretty self-explanatory so I say let’s just jump in. Object one.” Toni removed the lid of the first white box, and inside was Cheryl’s Serpent jacket, well worn and distinguishable from Toni’s because of the specially sewn crimson red interior.

“My Serpents jacket? You got it out of storage? Why?” Cheryl questioned while she picked up the garment and held it to her nose, a wave of nostalgia hitting her from the smell alone.

“I was so afraid for you when you decided to join the Serpents. So against it for so long, but then you told me why you wanted to join, because you wanted to be my family, because you wanted to be connected to me forever, because you loved me and who I loved and what I am and you were so adamant about it, so sincere and willing...you hadn’t even told me that you loved me before that and I don’t think there’s been a better way anyone has been told in the history of the world.”

“You were pretty pouty at first. But it didn’t suck having me as your partner in crime, did it?” Cheryl mused as she laid the jacket over the arm of their couch.

“No it didn’t. Still doesn’t.” Toni winked at Cheryl, the simple action causing the pale woman to blush a bit. Sometimes she swore even after years with Toni, she still felt like she had a crush on her girlfriend, she didn’t even know if that was possible or if it was just the power of Toni Topaz, but figured it was the latter.

“Object two.” Two moved on and pulled the lid off of the second white box, revealing a diary, more specifically, Cheryl’s diary from their senior year of high school.

“Is that…?” Cheryl asked, her jaw dropping slightly and she picked the pink book up with delicate care, first running her fingers over the front, then flipping through the pages, stopping at one in particular. Pressed inside the book were flower petals. The page chronicled Cheryl’s first date with Toni and the petals were a physical reminder of that night as even when they started to wilt, she couldn’t find it in herself to just throw them away.

“Yeah. You gave it to me after we had that huge fight.” Toni started and Cheryl picked up, remembering that time in her life all too well. When the redhead thought back to it, she classified it as still being caught up in ‘that darkness’. Life was getting better then, but there was still so much looming over her, and she’d wanted to ask Toni to move away with her, go to school in the same city if not the same university because she didn’t want to lose her, but she couldn’t so she lashed out and they fought. A few times. “I was having the hardest time expressing myself, but I couldn’t lose you, not over something like me not being able to tell you what I needed you to know about how I felt so I left this on the doorstep of your trailer. It was very ‘Cruel Intentions’ of me, but it’s not a secret I’ve always had a flair for dramatics.” She took a beat to just flip through the pages some more, skimming over words the girl she used to be wrote.

The redhead got caught up in her diary and when she looked up, brought out of her bubble by Toni’s voice and the words “Last object,” she was met with the smaller girl on one knee, a white velvet box open in her hand with Nana Rose’s heirloom ring inside, only with a noticeably larger diamond attached to it. Cheryl gasped in surprise, her chest visibly rising and falling, “Toni…”

“Cheryl Marjorie Blossom: Delicate as flower petals, tough as leather, I am so in love with you. From the first time we met I couldn’t get you out of my head. Granted, not for the best reasons in the world, but the fact still remains the same that you made an impression. For all of the time I’ve known you, you’ve been nothing less than sensational and my life is undoubtedly better with you in it. When we were teenagers you told me that you wanted to be my family and that’s exactly what we’ve become. Now I want to make it official. Will you be my wife? Please marry me, baby.”

Cheryl Blossom had long ago mastered the art of the silent tears. The skill was learned out of necessity, of fear of someone seeing her as weak or fear of her mother chastising her for showing emotion, but it was only ever with Toni that she found herself crying silent tears of joy.Cheryl nodded furiously and wiped the tears from her cheek.

“Yeah?” Toni asked, letting out a relieved breath as she waited for verbal confirmation.

“Yes! Yes! Of course, yes!” Cheryl confirmed, dropping her hands in her face and letting out an excited squeal before Toni pried her left hand away and slipped the ring on her fiance's finger.

They both admired the ring on Cheryl’s finger. Toni had always been a bit of a deep thinker, so the notion of marriage wasn’t something she entered into lightly, the ring and all it symbolized being an effective tool in choking her up in that moment, as it was a symbol of never ending love; their never ending love. There was no beginning or end to it.

“I love you so much, Antoniette Topaz.” Cheryl told her soon to be wife with a sobering amount of sincerity as moist light brown eyes looked into equally moist dark ones, “I can’t wait for you to be Antoinette Blossom.” She finished.

“Umm…” Toni started, and Cheryl cracked a smile as she slipped her arms around Toni’s neck, “I’m kidding, we can hyphenate, of course.” The redhead leaned in, teasing her lover by hovering her lips close enough to just not quite make contact, then caught Toni’s bottom lip between her teeth, sucking gently before she kissed her properly, wanting to make their first kiss as an engaged couple count.

“I think I remembering you mentioning that this game leads to the bedroom.” Cheryl reminded Toni, the look in her eyes impossible to mistake as anything less than one meant to entice.

“You’re remembering correctly.” Toni confirmed and bit her bottom lip as her eyes took in the sight of the woman she’d fallen so hard for and hadn’t stopped falling for since -- her fiance’.

“Then take me to our bedroom.”

Without hesitation, Toni grabbed Cheryl’s hips and picked the redhead up, who wrapped her legs around the smaller girl’s waist, while she crashed their lips together for a heated kiss, that particular display of Toni’s strength never failing to drive her wild.

“Abso-fucking-lutely.” Toni said rushed, not wanting to separate their lips for too long. As they made it to the threshold, both women could hear Toni’s phone vibrating incessantly on their coffee table, “That’s probably the engagement group chat wanting to know the verdict.” Toni explained in between planting kisses on Cheryl’s jawline.

With her index finger, Cheryl pushed Toni’s face up towards her by her chin, “They can find out later. We’ve got a game to finish.”  

The End.