#so yeah fake romance who? never heard of her

[shinynewmemories]

I just realized that katniss has a "wuh HUH why no kisses for me??" moment in every book

1. THG when she first feels the "stirring" is her chest and wants Peeta to continue kissing her

2. CF the morning after the Quell announcement and Peeta is in Drill Sergeant Mode rather than Comforting Fiance Mode

3. MJ when Hijacked! Peeta greets her with violence rather than kissing her senseless like she was expecting

Okay the last one is a bit extreme but still it's soooo funny that she NOT ONLY completely expects kisses from Peeta, but is either disappointed or utterly shocked when she doesn't get them lol

[steddielations]

Eddie’s queer awakening Part 2 | Part 1

Steve doesn’t know what else to do to make Eddie realize he likes him. Never in his life has he had to work this hard at winning someone over. Never.

Even with Nancy in high school, there was always a hint that she wanted him to chase her, which made it worthwhile. Sometimes, Eddie will do something that makes Steve sure he feels the same, flirting back. Then Eddie will do something that makes Steve not so sure, laughing it off.

Steve doesn’t like resorting to bullshit queer stereotypes because he doesn’t exactly fit them either, but Eddie looks like those rugged guys on his posters and album covers. Sometimes it feels like a masculinity performance worthy of King Steve, but sometimes it feels genuine.

Eddie’s not dressing like Bowie, but he prances around on cafeteria tables yelling about sodomy and he’s never had a girlfriend that Steve knows of. He could like both, same as Steve, of course. Or it could be nothing, of course. Steve’s just putting all these moves on a straight boy, about to get his heart broken again.

Robin’s given him countless pep talks, assuring him that he’s right about Eddie when he starts to doubt it. “You sniffed Vickie out just from her VHS returns. If anyone has a functional queer detector here, it’s you. Trust it.”

“What if I ask him out and he rejects me?” Steve fully understands Robin’s worries now, it’s not the same as getting shot down by a girl. “I’ve got enough rumors about me already.” They all wanted to say it in high school, calling Steve a pretty boy in tight pants that spent too much time in the mirror.

Tommy used to shoot them all down. Now he’s not by Steve’s side, snarling at anyone who suggests it. Which was mostly just Tommy trying to convince himself that everything they did under the covers at sleepovers was “just guy stuff”, and he convinced Steve too. To the point where Steve hadn’t even considered any different until a few months ago when he told Robin and— yeah, that was an eventful conversation. The first time he stumbled across the word bisexual— from a Bowie interview in one of Robin’s magazines— it felt like something clicked into place.

“I don’t think Eddie’s the type to out anyone, either way.” Robin’s right. She’s not always right, everything would be easier if she was, but she’s right about that.

“I keep having to pretend to like his shitty weed to get him to come over. Not even the yawn and stretch move worked on him. Y’know, this,” Steve demonstrates, stretching an arm above his head and then draping it over Robin’s shoulder. She shrugs him off with a fake gag. “I kept looking at his lips and I thought we were gonna kiss, but he laughed and poked me in the ribs and called me dude.”

Robin listens to all his boy troubles and then they come up with a plan. Steve decides he’s going to come out to Eddie, just put it out there that he likes guys. In a totally platonic way and hopefully that gets the ball rolling the other way, where he tells Eddie he likes one guy in particular and hopes all his Romeo efforts don’t blow up in his face.

So he goes for it. Eddie strolls into Family Video and picks out a movie that Steve’s actually heard of for once. It’s easy for Steve to throw him a smile and invite himself over. “You know this is the closest thing to a romance movie you’ve picked? No way I’m letting you watch this alone, somebody’s gotta hold your hand through the sad ending, looks like it’s gonna be me.”

Several emotions fly across Eddie’s face, landing on overwhelmed disbelief. “I don’t get it, man. How do you not have a girlfriend? You’d be so easy to fall in love with. Hell, I feel like you've made me fall halfway in love with you already. If I was a girl, I’d date the shit out of you.”

It looks like Eddie wants to clap a hand over his mouth as soon as the words leave it.

Steve watches him carefully, trying to think clearly over his heart pounding in his chest because Eddie just said he loves him, kind of. This is it. “Would you still date me as a guy?”

Eddie’s nervous hands jingle with chain bracelets as they tug his hair and hide his face. “You mean, objectively? As a guy would I date another guy? I mean, could I want that? I hadn’t really considered that option until now. Uh. Shit. Wow, this is-”

“Because I would, you know,” Steve jumps to say, as earnestly as he can, needing Eddie to finally know. How could he not know? This is it. Steve didn’t come all this way just to tap out at the finish line. He goes for it. “I’d date you as a guy, Eddie. I’d date the shit out of you, too, just like you are.”

Eddie’s face is flushed now, his eyes wide and swimming with both questions and realizations. Steve snaps out of it for a second, looking around to see the store is thankfully empty, Robin’s still on her break, but this isn’t the place for this conversation.

“Wanna talk about it over the movie tonight?” He offers.

It moors Eddie, he relaxes more and Steve hopes he’s not imagining the faint hint of a smile. “Yeah, that’s— yeah, talk. I can do that.”

“Okay, it’s a date. See you then.” Steve hands over the tape, their fingers brushing and making warmth flutter all through him. He watches Eddie halfway trip out the door, running into it once and pulling on it three times before pushing it open.

Steve can’t stop grinning, thinking about later, determined to tell Eddie he’s already in love with him too.

[starsandhughes]

Didn't Know What Love Was— Quinn Hughes

summary: you were somewhat of a cynic when it came to love. you didn't believe in it, and if it was real, you didn't want it. that is, until your best friend sets you up with a certain hockey player named quinn.

warnings: swearing, fade to black smut (like extremely fade to black), fluff

word count: 3.9k+

MASTERLIST

this is inspired by the song 'didn't know what love was' by kane brown!

You weren’t expecting to feel this way. 

You didn’t think this feeling was real. 

Love.

You’ve said it, you’ve been told it, but all of those instances weren’t real to you. You get to a certain point in a relationship and someone says it first and you think, yeah, I guess that’s what this is. It was nothing like how it was portrayed in the movies, because they were just movies. Movies are fake, so you thought love was, too. It always ended. It always included drama. And then you’d find someone new.

You’ve never been more wrong. 

February 20, 2021

“Mack, have you ever thought of the fact that I’m just not meant for a relationship? It’s all bullshit anyways,” you grumbled. You were laying on your back horizontally on bed with your feet hanging off the edge, settled on the floor. Your best friend, Mackenzie, was once again setting you up on a date. “You’re single now! Find yourself a date!” 

Mackenzie rolled her eyes and sat next to you, “I’m not ready to get back out there! It’s only been two weeks since Jason and I broke up and we dated for seven months. You, however, have been single for almost a year!” 

“You’re only proving my point, Mack!” you said, sitting up. “Relationships end. They’re messy and leave us heartbroken. And maybe the magic blinds you for a while and you get married, but I’ve met more people with divorced parents than married ones. And I’ve seen so many loveless marriages that the couple only sticks together because they wouldn’t know what else to do. I’ve seen couples break up in restaurants. I’ve seen couples fight and scream at a public park.  Love isn’t real. And if it is, I can live without it.” 

Mackenzie looked at you with the most pity filled expression you’ve ever seen. She believes in love. She believes in the shitty romance novels and shitty movies. But you’ve picked up her pieces too many times to even contemplate believing in it. 

“Love is real!” she exclaimed. “How else could people have written sonnets and movies and books and songs about it?”

“People write stuff about monsters, too, but you don’t see any people bursting into flames in the sunlight,” you said. 

“In Twilight they sparkled!”

“I don’t give a shit what they did, they’re still made up,” you laughed. “It’s called fiction for a reason.” 

“You can’t make up a feeling. You can’t make up being so enamored by someone that you miss them so bad it hurts when they’re not with you!” 

“You’re just repeating things you’ve heard in movies about love!” you argued. “You haven’t even been in love. Not truly. You told me so when you broke up with Jason.” 

“So go on this date, and if it all works out, you can tell me what love is. They even call oxytocin the love chemical! You believe in science! And I believe that this guy is the perfect match for you,” your best friend continued to beg. “Think of it as a science experiment.” 

You ended up caving, more so to get Mackenzie to stop begging. It’s not like you were against dating, you’ve had plenty of relationships, but after so many failed ones you stop seeing the point. You could get your needs met without being tied down and risking becoming attached. That’s all that “love” really was. Attachment. Sure, it’s nice to have one person that’s somewhat of a best friend to spend your life with. But adding all of that “girlfriend and boyfriend” stuff to it is destined for failure. And you were done with it. 

When you found him at the restaurant, you were taken back. You’d seen pictures of him so that you’d know who to look for, but he looked so much better in person. His hair looked unbelievably soft, and he somehow made the locks seemingly out of place look perfect. His soft eyes were to die for, and the sleeves of his black shirt rolled up made the veins in his arm visible. All you wanted to do was trace them. 

“Y/N?” the boy asked when he noticed you staring. He stood up to greet you, helping you slip off your jacket to hang on the back of the chair as he pulled it out for you. He waited for you to sit down before taking a seat himself. “I’m Quinn.”

“So I’ve heard,” you chuckled. “I’ve been told that you’re the sweetest guy Mackenzie knows and are bound to change my mind about my stance on relationships.”

“I’ve heard you don’t believe in love,” Quinn countered. 

Your eyes widened, and if you were taking a drink, you would’ve choked on it.

“Wow,” you said amused. “Mack jumped to the nitty gritty then? I take it this means that you do believe in love?”

“I do,” Quinn confirmed. 

“Have you ever been in love?”

“Not yet. But I’ve seen it. My parents have the purest love I’ve ever seen. They spread it to everyone they know and everyone my brothers and I know. They make it hard to not believe in it.”

You couldn’t help but feel soft at his statement. You’ve never heard anyone tell you that they believe in love because of their parents. Hell, you haven’t really had a guy firmly tell you that he believes in love. It was always your girl friends swearing up and down that “the one” is out there. 

“Are you going to teach me how to love, Quinn Hughes?” you said flirtily, placing your hand under your chin.

Quinn reached across the table and grabbed your other hand, “I’m going to show you what a romantic date is supposed to be like. And if you like it, I’ll take you on another. And another. And if we get there, I’ll show you how a real man acts as a boyfriend. And hopefully, along the way, we’ll fall in love. And I won’t say it until I know it’s there.”

“How will you know it’s love?” you asked. He already had you melting at his advances. 

“I’ll know when it’s a feeling I’ve never felt before. I’ll know when it’s a feeling that can’t be described as anything but love. Are you in?”

You bit the inside of your cheek. Quinn was serious. He didn’t want a fling. He wasn’t here to get sex at the end of the night. He was here to see if he can find the real thing with you. He was here for a challenge. 

“I’m in.”

Over dinner you two did the usual small chat about yourselves, but that quickly developed into telling full out stories. It wasn’t awkward with him like it had been on some other first dates. You were strangely very comfortable with him. 

He told you about his summer at his lake house with his family and friends, you told him about your trip to London with your cousins. He told you about how he first met Mack when she was drunk off her ass at a party back when she was still dating Brock, the only ex she ended on good terms with and is still friends with, and you told him about how she was not her drunkest at that party, and that one time you two snuck out of a party to have a lightsaber fight but didn’t have lightsabers so you used traffic cones. 

“You did not!” Quinn laughed. 

“We did!” you shouted over your laughs. You were definitely getting stares, but you didn’t care. “I beat her ass, too.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked, quirking his eyebrow. 

“Oh yeah. I totally had the high ground.” 

Quinn walked you to your car at the end of the night. You two shut down the restaurant, neither one of you desired to leave. You boldly grabbed his hand as you started walking and were relieved when he looped your fingers together in response. 

“Did you have a good time?” Quinn asked you when you arrived at your car. 

“I really did. I’m not sure I want it to end,” you admitted. 

You wanted so badly to ask him to come over. But he told you that he wanted to give you a romantic date, not a pre-sex affair. He’s looking for something real. Something that isn’t just sex. 

“Me either,” he smiled. 

As you two looked at each other, your eyes started flickering from his to his lips. He noticed, but you knew that he was doing the same. 

Your hunger ended when Quinn finally leaned in. His hands slid down your waist and settled on your hips, pulling you closer to him. Yours went up and around his neck, happily content feeling the ends of his hair.

Quinn kissed you in a way that you’ve never been kissed before. It was soft. Sensual. It had you aching for more. The feeling that people describe as “sparks flying?” You were pretty sure this was it. 

The kiss wasn’t rough; it wasn’t filled with primal need. 

It left you breathless. Lightheaded. Warm. 

It was the type of kiss that told you there was more to him. And all you wanted to do was learn. 

“That was—“

“Don’t describe it,” Quinn cut you off in a whisper. He reached his hand out to cup your face, “Just feel it.” 

All you could do was nod your head. You felt your entire body quivering at his touch. 

Quinn smiled and opened up your car door for you, “Tell me when you get home?”

“Y-yeah. I will,” you stammered. You couldn’t stop looking at him. 

“Goodnight, Y/N. Drive safe!”

“Goodnight, Quinn,” you smiled. 

You watched him walk away in your rear view mirror, smiling madly. Quinn left you feeling like a giddy little girl. It was something that no one else has ever done. 

March 16, 2021

You were going on your fifth date with Quinn tonight, and Mack was swearing up and down that Quinn was going to make things official. 

“Y/N/N, trust me!” she said while dramatically shaking you by the shoulders. 

“I want to!” you laughed, shoving her off of you. “I just don’t want to get any hopes up. We’re going out to have a good time and that’s it!” 

“Hopes up you say?” Mack asked as she wiggled her eyebrows. “Does that mean you want Quinn to ask you? Do you, Y/N Y/L/N, WANT a boyfriend just mere weeks after saying you were done with dating forever?”

“I didn’t say forever!” 

“Alright!” she surrendered. “I’m keeping my mouth shut because I don’t want to jinx anything, but just know that I am a very happy girl right now!”

You shook your head at your best friend’s nonsense. Okay, maybe you were hoping what she was saying will turn out to be true tonight, and maybe you were liking the goodnight calls and good morning texts and mid day updates. And maybe you relish in the smile Quinn gives you when you stand at the glass during warm ups at his games while you wear his jersey. And maybe you’ve never felt like this before, and it was making you the happiest you’ve ever been. But you weren’t sure if it was love. Love was still a weary and scary concept for you at this point. But maybe… maybe this is pre-love? Maybe this is the build up. Maybe this is the jump before the fall. 

You weren’t scared of jumping.

Whatever it is, you’re pretty positive it’s too early for love. You’re just now open to the idea of love because of Quinn, so you certainly were skeptical at the notion of “love at first sight.” Although, it’s been a little too long to count as “first sight.” Love at fifth date? Love at hundredth facetime? Call it what you want, but it still felt way too soon. 

You were still doing your makeup when there was a knock at the door, signaling that Quinn was here. 

“Mack, could you—“

“I’m already on it!” she cut you off, rushing down the stairs to open the door. 

You tried to finish up your mascara really quickly, but that only resulted in your dropping it and smearing some across your cheek. 

“Shit!” 

“Shit?” you heard Quinn ask. You gasped in surprise, and he just laughed as he approached you. He placed his hands on your cheeks and kissed the top of your head before taking a look at you, “Ahh. I see the source of the shit.”

“It’ll wipe off, it’s fine,” you shrugged. “I’ll just need five more minutes?” 

Quinn smiled, “Take all the time you need to feel happy.” 

If you were alone and that was a text, you’d probably be kicking your feet at Quinn’s comment. He didn’t say anything teasing that you take forever, he didn’t use the cliché “you look pretty without makeup” or whatever, he said that he wants you to feel happy with your appearance. You didn’t know why that felt more romantic than a compliment; it just did. He was focusing on your emotions and confidence. He was validating you. Validation and understanding feels a lot more intimate than a compliment about your appearance. 

“I’m ready!” you sing-songed as you climbed down the stairs. 

Quinn was standing at the bottom of the stairs with his hands behind his back and a soft smile on his face. 

You jumped from the fourth step down to the second step. You reached out gently to tilt Quinn’s face towards yours and leaned down to crash your lips against his. You stepped down to the final step to become level with when he deepened the kiss. He released one of his hands to place it at the small of your back in order to draw you in, but the other remained. 

“Whatcha hidin’, handsome?” you asked cheekily. 

Quinn’s other hand quickly whipped around in front of his center and revealed a bouquet of daisies and lavender. You gasped and kissed him quick, taking the bouquet from him and inhaling its sweet scent with a smile after your lips parted.

“They’re beautiful,” you told him. 

“They’re not the only thing,” he whispered. 

“You flirt,” you blushed. 

You both bid your goodbyes to Mackenzie and walked out the door. Quinn rushed slightly ahead of you to open up the passenger door for you before making his way to the driver's seat. It was a quick drive to the mini golf place, and it was filled with you two goofily singing along to the radio. 

When you got there, you were surprised at how many people and families there were. It was a Saturday night, but still. You didn’t know this many people went mini golfing at any given moment. 

You picked out a pink club, and Quinn grabbed a green one. He held out his hand for you to take, and for once, you didn’t feel weird holding somebody’s hand in public. It was a small act, but it was still a big deal for you. You used to do it with previous boyfriends, but that was because you felt like you had to in order to try and feel like you were in a normal relationship. You want to hold Quinn’s hand. You love the way your hand fits in his and how warm his hands are. You love how rough they feel compared to your soft ones. Just this simple action made you feel safe and less overwhelmed by the amount of people. It made you feel like it was just you and him. 

“Ready to lose, Y/L/N?” Quinn taunted you.

“Don’t be so cocky,” you teased back. “I’m a pro at this.”

“You said you haven’t been mini golfing in years!” he pointed out with a laugh. 

“I’m trying to speak me winning into the universe, Quintin!” 

Needless to say, you were terrible, but Quinn gave you two extra puts each round to try and get you more points. It didn’t make much of a difference for how badly he was beating you, but it made you feel good.

“What ever happened to letting the girl win?” you groaned. “Some gentleman you are.”

Quinn softly smiled and walked over to you. Placing his hands on the small of your back, he kissed you gently, “I’m sorry, baby. I just can’t fake sucking.”

You dramatically threw your head back, groaned, then gave him a pout when you looked back at him. Quinn laughed and kissed you again, effectively wiping the pout off your face.

This was also something big for you– kissing in public. PDA. You’ve never done that. You always pulled away or forced the kiss to be a quick peck instead. You were worried about people staring and judging. But not with Quinn. You didn’t care who was around, you wanted them to know that you were happy. 

Unsurprisingly, Quinn won. He cheered with his club in both hands being held above his head, sending you into a fit of giggles. 

“Stop parading around like you just won the Stanley Cup!” you shouted. 

Quinn whipped his head towards you in mock offense. He walked towards you and kissed you again, much more firmly this time, “I’m sorry you sucked.”

“It’s okay,” you chuckled. 

“I do believe me winning deserves a prize!”

“Oh yeah? And what did you have in mind?” you smirked. 

You were expecting his answer to be something along the lines of another kiss or going out for ice cream, but what he said proved your best friend to be correct.

“Will you be my girlfriend?” he asked you softly. He was confident in his question. He had the biggest smile on his face that was filled with so much hope and admiration. 

“I’d love to,” you answered. 

Now Quinn really looked like he won the Stanley Cup. His eyes lit up brighter than you’ve ever seen them, and his smile looked like it hurt. You should know, because your smile was so big that it did hurt. Quinn hugged you so tightly that your feet kicked off the ground and he spun you in a circle. When he put you back down, he kissed you passionately. It was different than every other kiss you two have shared, given that is a small number since this was only your fifth date. This one meant more. This one said more. 

When he walked you to your door and kissed you goodbye, you reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned around slowly, and you knew that the look in your eyes said all that you wanted to say.

“Are you sure?” he whispered.

“Positive.”

Mackenzie was already in her room for the night, much to your relief. You and Quinn kissed all the way up the stairs and into your bedroom. The second your bedroom door closed; clothes began to be thrown off. He threw you on your back onto your bed like it was nothing, then he climbed on top of you and began to pepper kissed up your stomach, through your neck, across your jaw, until he finally reached your lips again. 

“Just tell me if you want me to stop,” he said low.

“Don’t stop,” you panted. “Please don’t stop.”

April 14, 2021

You were pretty sure you were feeling it. No, you knew you were feeling it. 

Love. 

You were feeling just like the movies and love songs and poems said– you were enamored by Quinn. You missed him so bad that it hurt when you weren’t with him, especially when he was on roadies during the season (you were selfishly glad that it’s over for the time being). You felt like the best version of yourself when he was around. But you were also learning that your definition of love was so much more than that.

“OH MY GOD! I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN! I KNEW IT!” Mackenzie screamed when you told her. 

“Alright!” you giggled. “You knew it, you did it, congratulations! Now how do I tell him? Do I wait for him to tell me? What if it goes away and I don’t–”

“Are you sure it’s love?” she cut you off.

“I am. It’s new, and it’s freeing, and it’s–agh! It’s perfect. It has to be,” you said, covering your hands over your face so that she couldn’t see how wildly you were blushing and grinning. 

Mack grabbed your wrists and yanked your hands off your face, “I don’t think that’s going away, babe! Now tell me! The deal was that you’d tell me what love is! Spill it! And don’t quote the movies!”

“I think love is different for everybody. I’m feeling the stuff that they say in the movies and the sonnets and the songs, but it’s so much more than that. Love is… wild. Love is like a never-ending joy ride with the windows down and your favorite songs blaring on the stereo. Love is like that feeling you get in your body when you hear a new song, and it absolutely consumes you to where you heat up and feel like you're vibrating. Love is feeling like you could do the impossible as long as your person is right there beside you. Love can feel like you’re flying.

“But love can also make you feel safe. Love is feeling at home with your person, no matter where you are. You could be in the backseat of a car, but if you were with your person? That could be home for the time being. Love is like that feeling of pride and relief when you deep clean your house for the first time in forever. Love is like sitting by the ocean and watching the waves crash against the sand, and none of the sand ends up in your shoes. 

“Loving Quinn feels like a breath of fresh air. Loving Quinn makes me feel like I finally know who I am and who I could be. Loving Quinn makes me feel alive for the very first time. It’s everything.”

Mack looked like she could burst into tears then and there. You were about to hug her when an all too familiar voice ceased your movements.

“Did you mean that?” 

You turned around so quickly that your head spun. There, standing at the edge of your living room, was Quinn.

“Yeah,” you whispered with a nod. “Every word.”

Quinn rushed towards you and cupped your face, slamming his lips onto yours. You heard Mack clap with glee, but you didn’t care. She was slipping away, and only you and Quinn existed in the world at this very moment.

“I love you,” you breathed when you two had to come up for air.

“I love you,” Quinn echoed. “You described it perfectly. I felt every word. I am helplessly, irrevocably, completely, and utterly in love with you. I’ll never stop saying it. Not now that I know what it means.”

“I didn’t believe in love before you. I didn’t know what love was. It’s you, Quinn. My love is yours, and only yours.”

The smile on Quinn’s face was contagious, but your face was already painted with one. You didn’t expect to fall in love, and you certainly didn’t expect to say it first. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was a god, maybe it was the stars aligning. You didn’t know why, but you did know that you were made to love Quinn Hughes alongside all of the other things you were made for. 

Love was real. And you can’t live without it. And you’re so glad that you learned that. 

———

reblogs appreciated! it helps spread the fic <3

[nyuzip]

˚₊‧ 심재윤 ─ puppy love ✧ jake / sim jaeyun

엔하이픈 𓂃 genderneutral ★ fluff ★ not proofread , wc 742 sum: what you thought was a normal day, taking your dog to the local dog park, you meet a cute boy who blends in with the puppies too well

it was your typical friday afternoon. your schedule after work was to take your golden retriever on her daily walk at the dog park and go grocery shopping to buy the food you’ll be eating for the rest of the week, nothing you weren’t used to. something about this specific day felt different, of course it was your co-workers’ karina’s doing. she has recently been dabbling in tarot card reading and asked if you wanted a reading during break. silly as it was, you agreed for the fun of it. karina had told you something unexpected will happen to you this afternoon. before you could worry, she immediately reassured you that it was good. of course, this lurked in your mind the entire walk to the park. will something really happen to me? you tried shaking it off your mind because, in retrospect, it was just a stupid little reading that is usually fake. oh well 

but you were wrong. as soon as you arrived at the dog park, someone held the gate open for you and your dog. you looked up to meet eyes with the cutest boy ever. you took a mental note of his messy brown hair, his eyes that had a hint of a sparkle, and honey skin. not to mention his fashion that matched your type perfectly. you tried to let out a thank you but your mind was already somewhere else. he just simply smiled at you before his dog began to start barking at yours. 

< layla! i’m so sorry. she usually never does this > he lets out an awkward embarrassed laugh 

< oh no it’s all good. she’s cute. > 

by this time, you could see more people going towards the entrance so collectively both of you entered in and kept walking together. your dog seemed to take a liking to layla. they began to play with one another, licking each other’s faces, and their tales wagging relentlessly. 

< wow our dogs really like each other. nini always stay to herself every time we go. > you chuckled watching them roll around in the dirt while you noticed in the corner of your eye, the boy looking at you. it was making you nervous. this never happened before. 

< i guess we didn’t need to bring any toys this time. do you always come here? > he questioned you with genuine curiosity in his tone.

< basically yeah! oh wait! i never asked your name. i’m y/n > 

< oh pretty name. i’m jake. nice to meet you y/n > 

he caught you off guard. hearing your name roll off his tongue melted your heart. his australian accent was strong but gorgeous. not even comprehending the fact he said your name was pretty as you were distracted being down bad. 

< it was nice to meet you too jake > you were able to let out with a beaming smile after you recollected yourself and your thoughts

for a good 30 minutes, you and jake continued a small conversation, mostly yapping about fun facts about each other’s dog. the sun was beginning to come down and that was usually when you would head to the store. 

< it was fun talking to you jake! the dog park has never been this fun before. i’ll definitely see you more often, right? > you questioned him, crossing your fingers in your mind because there is no way you could let him go like this. 

< definitely! it was fun for me too. > 

< okay! nice meeting you again. oh and layla too > you chuckled before proceeding to wave bye. this was enough for you and maybe in the future, it could lead to some sort of romance. it was exciting. 

suddenly, you felt nini’s leash coming loose from your hand. she had practically ran towards layla when you finally realized what she was doing. < nini! > 

< i guess they weren’t done playing. > jake let out a hearty laugh. it was the most attractive thing you had heard. < how about having dog playdates? > nothing could have prepared you for that question. oh it was an immediate yes in your head but you made sure to control yourself, so instead, a “nervous” sure came out of your mouth. god i’m such a mess. but you calmed down as jake gave you a warm smile.

it looks like your “typical friday” will be different moving forward with an australian boy who looks like a cute puppy himself. you made sure to thank karina the next day. 

had this idea for awhile and i'm so happy that i was able to write and execute it just like my vision. i hope this little meet-cute with jake will make you squeal like i did ! also if anyone has any requests please send them my way ᵔᴗᵔ also i apologize in advance if there are any errors, i rarely proofread LMAO also happy new year mwah

NYUZIP 2023 ─ do not use/steal my work

[verxsyon]

·:*¨༺ ❝ 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 ❞

it’s summer: the season of thrills and bittersweetness.

✧ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. bronya, dan heng, gepard, jing yuan, sampo, seele, & serval x gn!reader

✧ 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭. headcanon (written) ; 0.6k

✧ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞. modern au, summer romance au ; angst, fluff, hurt/comfort

✧ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. one night stand (sampo), unrequited love (gepard)

✧ 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚. omg vera comeback! i’m finally free from classes and i’m off from work for three weeks so yay proper summer break! oh yeah, i finally got bronya! my seele’s no longer gf-less. so this is supposed to be bittersweet with ambiguous endings throughout but uh, my mind went elsewhere with most of them lmao. hopefully this makes sense; my writing’s pretty rusty. special thanks to pigeon from the teahouse server who came up with the title!

𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐚. a sheltered heiress who is secretly a thrill seeker. at night, she sneaks into an underground club where she hangs out with the only person who doesn’t treat her any differently despite her status. on very last visit, she reveals she’ll be married soon and her mother discovered her escapades, forbidding her from such activities. that doesn’t stop you from crashing the wedding and presenting a (fake) ring to object to the marriage, having you as her spouse instead.

𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐠. a tenant under your grandparents as well as an assistant of their small business. his aloof personality is intimidating at first, not saying much as he accompanies you around your grandparents’ residence, but there’s more to him in his eyes. his nightmares catch up with him the moment he falls for you, and now he has to repress it to keep you safe. the more he pushes away, the more he wants to yell for help, and you hate to come home with a guilty conscience.

𝐠𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐝. an estranged friend who has been serving the military, and is spending his off-duty at home. you haven’t seen him in years, so it is expected to start off awkwardly, but the two of you are glad to see each other again. besides reconnecting with friends and family, he wishes to resolve his biggest regret, being unable to confess his love for you. but maybe it should stay that way when he meets your fiancé, and all he can say is congratulations.

𝐣𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐮𝐚𝐧. a playful businessman who visits the bar just for his new favorite bartender. your coworker is gone for the entire summer, so you become the target of his flirting. at this point you’ve known the guy for a while, except he has a son who you’ve met at the bar, both terrible in acting and flirting. soon his infamous father arrives, not surprised that his son is there and is happy that he finally met you, his “partner”. perhaps you’ll await an explanation on your date.

𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐨. a notorious thief who stole your precious belongings along with your dignity one fateful night. within this season, you’re set to finish your bucket list, however, thanks to a certain someone, there aren’t enough funds. speaking of which, he sees the nearest person and pulls you into an alleyway to hide from the police. recognizing each other, he offers to help you with your bucket list as a deal. not only did he steal your things, he stole your heart as well.

𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞. a free spirit with a rebellious streak. she’s invited to the road trip, viewing it as an opportunity to assess her strength and explore more of the world. the beginning starts off rocky, her clashing with you about meticulous things and the others are trying their best to diffuse the situation. if the arguments teach you one thing, the girl is honest. the one thing she isn’t is when it has to do with her crush on you, hoping the arguments will come in handy.

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐥. a fairly popular musician whose name you’ve never heard of until your friend drags you to attend her concert. forced to listen to her setlist before the big day, you slowly become a fan and are able to memorize some of the lyrics. while outside one day, you’re so in the moment that a stylish woman excitedly says she recognizes the music. the brief friendship results in her contact info and gratitude for your support. then you realize, you know who she is now.

✧ 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬. if your url is in bold, it means i can’t tag you!

@kamiyatos​​

[shadowqueenjude]

Ok man, I'm getting extremely tired of the Elriel's stagnant arguments. So let me debunk them. Forbidden romance! No, for God's sake, it is NOT forbidden. Feyre and Rhysand would support them both if Elain and Azriel truly loved each other. Not like Lucien would try to get in between them anyway. ElAiN dEsErVeS a ChOiCe! Choice implies multiple options! That means Lucien is a choice too! Elain has chosen Azriel for now! That doesn't mean she can't change her mind! Besides, haven't you EVER heard of the reluctant lovers trope? Be creative please. BuT wHaT iF tHe CaUlDrOn WaS wRoNg? Yeah, the Cauldron could be wrong about Eris and Mor, or it could be wrong about the Lady of Autumn and Helion. Why does this one line HAVE to be referring to elriel? SJM often uses lines like these to foreshadow plotlines yes, but she is never THAT obvious about it. Rhysand was being a hypocrite stopping the Azriel kiss! You could argue that he was, sure, but he was also trying to prevent a major political scandal. SJM isn't going to write Rhysand being wrong in any situation, lmao. Love or hate the character, it doesn't matter. That's just the way she has written him. Elain is an introvert! No. She's just traumatized. Nesta, her sister, says it. Lucien is a fake mate! Azriel showed mating behavior? Uhhhh no. Azriel went after MOR in the King of Hybern scene. Lucien went after guess who? Yeah, ELAIN. It was Nesta who realized Elain was gone and began to worry. Azriel only volunteered after Cassian couldn't go because he was wounded and he was the easy option aside from Feyre because he could hide in the shadows. And guess what? He saved Gwyn too! Maybe he just has a savior complex! Lucien is the one who was concerned about Elain's mental and physical health. Azriel seemed pretty chill when she wasn't eating. And he did NOT want to look after Elain. He made fun of Cassian for having to do it. ElAiN hAs TwO mAtEs! SJM is not going to write that. It would fuck everything up. She wants both characters to be happy. Gwyn is a lightsinger? Probably not, but so fucking what if she ends up being one? You think that's gonna deter Mr. Torturer Azriel? If anything that'll only bring them closer. Nice try. BuT luCiEn Is InTo VaSsA! NO. STOP IT. HE WAS CANONICALLY SEEN TO BE LOOKING AT ELAIN WITH LONGING IN ACOSF. DON'T SPREAD LIES. Vassa is definitely more into Jurian, which is a pairing that makes sense. Lucien is a side character. Um...no? Lucien has been around since book 1. He was a very significant character in that book as well. And in books 2 and 3, he might not have had as much screentime, but almost every moment he had was monumental. We see him survive the Night Court. We hear his story of fulfilling Calanmai, implying he is also chosen by the Spring Court. We have him helping Feyre kill off the twins of Hybern, bring back the army with Vassa, balance 3 roles and still dress immaculately, dominate Cassian with one word. He is also connected to almost every potential plotline in existence. Ok, this one isn't Elriel but some people say TaMlAiN! Because of the spring court foreshadowing. Guess who lived in the Spring Court for decades? Lucien! Guess who is the current Spring Court ruler but isn't doing much of ruling? Tamlin! Guess who also was able to do Spring Court Calanmai? Lucien! Wow, it almost looks like Lucien is going to replace Tamlin! SJM is not going to put one sister with another sister's ex anyway, that's weird. Elain has her chosen family in the Night Court in Nuala and Cerridwen! She belongs there! No. Just stop it. SJM could not be more clear with that line about the black dress sucking the life out of her and Elain being bothered by the cruelty in the Hewn City. Guess who is also pretty averse to violence? Oh yeah, Lucien! As for chosen family... Feyre had Tamlin and Lucien. They didn't end up being her chosen family, the IC did. Nesta didn't find her chosen family until her book. Lucien's band of exiles are not his chosen family either. Lucien and Elain are just really good at making friends.

[sleepytwilight]

An actual date

Pairing: Lilith x Sirius (I'm not good with romance)

"you good man? You've been pretty moody this entire morning." Pollux noticed Sirius change in demeanor.

"You noticed? Hah.. nothing particularly special—"

"I heard from Vega, you got rejected when you asked Lilith on a date. He was mocking you."

"..ouch." Sirius sighed. "I'm not in the mood, don't let others see my like this. I'll just know they'll make fun of me."

"Well I'm trying to help you." Said Pollux as he grabbed Sirius arm. "Come on, I set a playdate for you with Lilith."

"What? Why would she accepted—"

"Alright listen here you smarty-pants. She misunderstood your intention, she thought you were talking about dates, the fruit. Since she just learn that term of date and dates but the thing is she can't tell between them... And she don't like dates like me so-" Pollux faked a cough.

"Ah." A bulb lighten up as Sirius understands what's going on. "Oh... ... Well...."

"Yeah yeah I know. You guys need to communicate better I swear to God..." Sighed Pollux.

A little while later, Sirius is wearing his casual outfit. Pollux gave him a basket full of food for the picnic and a fresh bouquet of white lilies.

He saw Lilith waiting patiently at a picnic blanket.

'Pollux really prepared everything...-' Sirius is impressed by Pollux managed to do everything in such short time.

Lilith wears a yellow ruffle and white shorts. He never seen her wear that kind of clothing, to be honest he always seen her wearing the uniform or her only clothes that she have.

"Summoner." Sirius greet her with a smile. "For you, my lady." He handed Lilith the bouquet.

"Lilies..!" Lilith happily took it and smiles. "How did you know this is my favorite?"

"That... I noticed your scent match with lilies." Sirius quickly thought a lie, he can't just tell her that it was Pollux who chose it.

"You noticed?" She chuckles. "Thank you! I use that kind of perfume that use lilies."

"You mean I use a lily-scented perfume?" Sirius corrected Lilith. "But good job, you improved a lot at your accent." Sirius faked a cough. "May I?"

"Oh- ah right, you may take a seat." Lilith invited him to sit down next to her.

The silent was louder than Sirius thought it would be. Sirius is supposed to good at this but he feels nervous around her.

A minute had passed, they still haven't talk about anything-

"So-"

"So.."

Both stop when they synced.

"You go first." Sirius offers.

"Ahaha... Uhm... Sorry for rejecting you yesterday. I thought you were talking about the fruit."

"Oh, it's not a big deal. Everyone made mistake." Sirius laughed, he is not fine actually. Last night, he thought he made a horrible mistake that he could not sleep. The fact he wears concealer to hide his dark circles. "Anyway I brought lunch."

Sirius checked the basket, there are bottle of wine, two glasses, sandwiches and pancakes...

'yep, definitely Pollux and Arcturus who made this.' Sirius can recognized Arcturus homemade sandwich signature. He just hope Lilith won't notice a thing.

"Oh! Did you asked Arcturus and Pollux for help?" Asked Lilith as she look over the basket.

Sirius lost his chance to impress her again- Ahem..

"Not at all! They're the one who planned all of this. I just follows the flow." He said.

"Oh... So you didn't want this date?"

"No no, that's not what I mean. What I mean is that I was planning to take you on a expensive restaurant but they insisted I should take you out on a picnic! So I agreed because I realized you maybe like.. nature more?"

"Oh!" Lilith nodded in understanding. "Indeed you're correct! I don't enjoy being served in expensive restaurant, it overwhelm me a lot."

"I am always correct haha..!" Sirius is thankful that Lilith rejected him yesterday because that expensive restaurant was his idea in first place. "I thought since you're a princess, you'll like being treated like a princess but I just thought maybe you prefered something else."

"I mean you could've ask me but you worked so hard and even noticed the smallest thing about me, I'm happy." She smiles. "And you even brought my favorite wine!"

"Oh, of course. Since I only got my eye on you." Behind his smiles, he is in fact feels guilty for not knowing anything that Lilith likes or dislikes, he's going to give Pollux tips for this later.

Lilith chuckles, "I'll pour the wine, you can help by taking out the food." Said Lilith as she took the two glasses and the wine.

"Wait, Summoner. We have magic, why don't we just use it?" Sirius snapped his finger as the bottle of wine float and pour it into the two glasses by it self. "Impressive, right?"

"Very!" She beamed. "Magic is truly fascinating."

Sirius chuckles at her reaction, he couldn't get enough everytime she is impressed by something simple.

He took out a sandwich, try to feed her.

"Summoner, open your mouth."

"Oh-!" Lilith took a bite without hesitation, just like he expected, she will never hesitate when it come food. "Delicious! Feed me more, please!"

"Gladly." Sirius wipe the bread crumb from her lips with his fingers. He know has realized how soft is her lips is. "Right, Summoner... ... Uh—"

"You know, Phera also feed me like this and he called me good girl. At least he didn't call me good dog anymore but it's pretty weird. I'm pretty sure I am a woman now." Said Lilith. "Since Spica taught me the different because girl and woman in term-"

"That's enough Summoner, I understand...-" Sirius cracked a smile. "So you say you went to a date with Alpheratz hmm?"

"A date? Oh no, he just took me in a room and feed me cookies." Smiles Lilith, she in fact did not realized it was a date.

"... Well, my lady. I'll have a talk with Alpheratz, I'm pretty sure that bastard is stupid for calling you a good girl..."

"Shouldn't he call me good woman then?" Asked Lilith. "Should I ask Spica—"

"No, no. Don't ask Spica." Replied Sirius. "Just everytime Alpheratz try to invite you to somewhere, can you reject it? Nothing serious of course but don't you think you might waste him time since he's a very busy sorcerer..."

"Oh... If you say so then alright." She nodded.

The date went successful, they both had a good time. Sirius managed to get what he want, same with Lilith.

Pollux and Arcturus celebrated as they were watching them just to make sure everything went well.

[downthe-f4ndom-rabbith0le]

The Way Back Home (Spencer Reid x Reader) - Chapter Two

The Way Back Home (Spencer Reid x Reader) - Chapter Two Reader Insert: she/her pronouns Word Count: 4514 Warnings: major angst, major fluff, mentions of murder, graphic descriptions of dead bodies, crime scenes, near-death experiences, slow-burnish romance, death, canon violence, rape, swearing, guns, knives, prostitution, canon cuteness of the team. Spoilers: Maeve's death, mentions of previous cases or canon events from seasons 1-10.

Spencer and you have an unspoken connection with one another. Nothing has ever happened between you two, especially since everything went down with Maeve, but your love has grown and overcome and is now clear as day to everyone. However, just when Spencer builds up enough courage to ask you out officially, you're requested on an undercover mission that halts your budding relationship in its tracks.

Months go by without a word from you until bodies of prostitutes start showing up in New York and the BAU is brought in to help. Spencer and you finally reunite as both your cases collide, but your lives and your love are both on the line now.

Will you and Spencer be able to find the way back home this time?

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Epilogue

~~~

Eleven months.

Eleven months you had been Serena Vanguff: Brooklyn born and raised, with a dream to live life to the fullest. You'd built and sold your sob story of growing up with your single-parent mother and her single job income to six different clubs and brothels in those eleven months. You'd built up trust, inserted yourself into the upper ranks of each establishment. It had taken patience, precision, and a lot of self-discipline.

And Dr. Spencer Reid of all people was about to ruin all of that.

You hadn't registered the voice until it was too late. From the door of the loading bay, you could only make out your fake name being called, not who was calling. You'd been in the bay by yourself for most of the morning, the voice startled you so much you hit your toe on one of the boxes of spirits. But even bent over, eyes focused on your injury, you'd heard him as he rounded the corner, heard his voice, and there was no mistaking it.

'Are you okay,' he said, and you heard him rush over to help, but you held up a hand in the hopes to create some distance between you two.

'Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, doll,' you replied hastily, shakily. 'Just hit my toe, is all.'

'Well, here, let me get you some ice-'

'That's not necessary, hun. Really.' God, he was persistent as usual.

'Well, at least let me have a look at it. You might've gotten a splinter in it or-'

'Stop.'

You couldn't help it, your voice just slipped out. The voice you worked so hard to hide everyday. The voice you only let out in whispers or in the shower of your apartment to remind yourself you were still you. With him, it came out naturally, like it had never been hidden away.

He listened, but you knew it wasn't out of politeness. Spencer Reid had an IQ of 187 with an eidetic memory - he knew straight away. And when he slowly raised his head to look at you, you saw what he saw: a ghost.

'Y/N?'

You hadn't heard that name - your name - in months. The higher ups you reported to once a week didn't even use your name in case someone was listening in. You weren't prepared for the first person to call you by your true name after all this time to be the person you held most dear.

And the person you'd left behind without a word.

His voice was so soft; you'd always loved how he said your name. Like you were something to be revered and cared for. But realisation slapped you hard, and so you grabbed his head and pushed it down to make it look like he was looking at your injured toe. You also did it to avoid his shocked, pained gaze.

'Oh! You know, it actually does hurt a little, yeah. You're such a gentleman,' you said obnoxiously loud, holding his head steady as you bent slightly over, hair brushing his cheeks. Then, in a low voice you said, 'My name is Serena. I don't know you, and you don't know me. Make sure the cameras see that, okay?'

He nodded ever so slightly and you took his hand off his head. He slowly stood up, those amber eyes immediately locking onto yours. You followed him as he did, until you were craning your neck slightly upwards in a manner that pained you where it once was second nature. His gaze burned with so many unspoken things, but now that the shock had subsided, all you saw was hurt.

To his credit, he didn't express it verbally. Instead, he smiled a tight-lipped smile, slipping easily into his polite, greeting mode. 'Hi, I'm Dr. Spencer Reid with the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit,' he said, introducing himself like he would to any other person.

Even though you hadn't been expecting him or the rest of the team to be called in, it didn't take you long to realise what he would be doing here. 'Madame Lacroix said the feds would be coming around sometime,' you said, making sure you sounded both indifferent and concerned at the same time. 'Poor Roxy. She didn't deserve that.'

You held Spencer's gaze for what felt like an eternity, silently pleading with him to go along with what you were offering. You willed for him to see that you had many unspoken things to talk about with him, too. But now was not the place nor the time.

He watched you for a moment longer, his inner turmoil visible in his clenching jaw, his fidgety fingers. It warmed your heart when he tucked a loose curl behind his ear. His hair was longer. You'd always liked it that way. The last time you saw him, it was close-cropped.

Had it really been that long already?

Spencer seemed to silently agree with your logic, coughing to clear his throat before diving in with the questioning you both were more familiar with than your home addresses. 'How long have you been working at the Chateau, Miss...'

You plastered on a big smile, waving a hand dismissively at him. 'Vanderguff, but you can just call me Serena, doll. No titles except for Madame Lacroix 'round here. And about three months now.'

'Okay, Serena. Were you two close?' he asked. 'You and Roxy?'

You shrugged nonchalantly. 'Sure, we all are here. But I guess you could say there was a small group of us in particular that looked out for each other. You know, like sisters of sorts.'

'We spoke with Madame Lacroix just before,' Spencer said. 'She said Roxy and her group didn't usually let people in until they'd earned their keep. But you just... slipped right into the group?'

You didn't like how pointed his question was. It was passive aggressive, like he was having a dig at you personally and not your alter ego. You crossed your arms over your barely covered chest, your face pinching in an offended manner. 'What can I say? I'm a charmer.'

'Were you popular at your old establishment, too? The Guilty Pleasure?'

'Look here, doctor,' you said, daring to take a step forward, appearing to get up in his face out of annoyance. When really, you just needed to look him in the eye when you said, 'Instead of asking about me, maybe you should be asking about Roxy and what she was into that might've gotten her killed.' You surprised yourself when tears sprung to your eyes, the memory of finding that poor girl all bloodied and mutilated flashing forward.

You redirected your gaze to the bay doors, giving a subtle nod in their direction. 'Found her just lying outside in a pool of her own blood. I had the midnight shift so I finished at around two in the morning, but I'd forgotten my phone in my dressing room so I circled back around to collect it. But when I did... there was Roxy.'

Spencer followed your gaze, his expression softening as he took in the scene. CSU had finished up just before Spencer got there, leaving behind nothing but a dark stain where Roxy had bled out. You tried not to think about her cold, lifeless body now laying under a sheet on the M.E.'s slab in the morgue.

You were broken from that thought when Spencer turned back to face you. 'Did you see anything or anyone when you found her? Anything out of the ordinary?' he asked outwardly. But you heard his silent request: profile the unsub.

You shook your head, face falling serious as you fell back into old habits. 'I didn't see anyone, but her body was still warm when I checked for a pulse so the sicko who killed her must've just fled before I got there.'

'Or could've been waiting somewhere nearby to make sure the job was done,' Spencer added, concern morphing his handsome features. Concern, you realised, for you. 'What did you do after that?'

You'd wanted to notify your superiors straight away on your secret phone you only used to receive texts from your unit, never to. But you'd come to the same conclusion as Spencer and decided you'd have to wait for a safer time to contact them.

'I waited for a bit,' you answered, putting on a frightened front as you pouted and hugged yourself a little. 'Mainly because I was so shocked to see her just lying there. I mean, I hadn't seen her in like a day, but I just assumed she took a rest day to go shopping or something. Then I pulled it together and ran inside to notify Madame Lacroix. She was in the middle of a business meeting when I told her. She called it in immediately.'

'You did the smart thing, Serena,' Spencer said gently, offering a small smile out of comfort.

You nodded your gratitude. 'You know, people don't think much about prostitution. That those who sell their bodies don't love or respect themselves enough to get a corporate job like everybody else. But it takes a different kind of smarts to do what we do. Especially if its something we had no choice but to do.'

'Was that the case with Roxy?' he asked carefully, his words soft-spoken but full of double meaning. His eyes locked with your eyes now, amber upon (E/C). 'Is that your case, Serena?'

You nodded, too afraid to speak in case you cracked. Eleven months of hard work would not go down the drain because of your silly little feelings for the wonderful Dr. Spencer Reid.

You swallowed the lump in your throat because, you reminded yourself, you didn't know this man. 'You don't get to choose the cards you're dealt, doctor. Not in my line of work, anyways.'

'Had Roxy been acting off lately?' Spencer asked. 'Was she more anxious, more jumpy than usual? Did she think someone was following her?'

'I couldn't really tell ya. Like I said, didn't see her from the night before last until early this morning when I found her,' you answered. 'But that wasn't really unusual for her.'

Spencer raised an eyebrow. 'How so?'

'She took days off every second or third week - she was more a workaholic than the rest of us so she didn't have a designated rest day.'

'Do you know what she did on these days off?'

You shook your head. 'Could've been anything really. Shopping, spa day. Even figured she might've been visiting a secret boyfriend or something because she once came home with dark hickeys on her neck. But we're quite close as it is thanks to our line of work. It don't seem wrong to want a little privacy, so I never asked her about it.'

'Reid? You in here?'

The lump in your throat returned at the sound of Derek's voice, mainly at how close it sounded. You couldn't run away, so you steeled yourself as Serena Vanderguff ready to face the glorious figure that was SSA Derek Morgan as he rounded the stacks.

'There you are,' he said, walking up behind Spencer. 'I just finished with Madame Lacroix. How is Serena-'

That's when his eyes fell on you, and he pulled that same shocked expression Spencer had before. His mouth gaped as he looked over you. You couldn't tell if he was surprised by your appearance, or that he could hardly recognise you. Some days even you found it hard to find the true you underneath all the makeup and big hair.

Derek's gaze finally landed on your face, shaking his head in slight disbelief. 'Holy-'

'Thank you so much for your time, Serena,' Spencer intervened thankfully, flashing you a smile that resembled more of a grimace, and grabbed Derek's shirt to pull him back. 'You've been really helpful. We'll be in touch.'

Just for the cameras, you plastered on a Cheshire smile and gave them both a flirty wave goodbye. 'I'm looking forward to your call, doctor. But may I suggest that you keep asking the people upstairs, if you get my drift. They're the ones with answers.'

Derek was still too stunned to respond let alone speak, but Spencer held your gaze with an understanding that told you he knew what you really meant. So he just nodded and said. 'We'll keep that in mind... Serena.'

And just like that, they were gone. Spencer was gone. Again. You sucked in deep breaths the moment you heard the door open and they left, using the stacks to steady your exhausted body. You had not anticipated all that happening today, that was for sure.

The door opened again. You pushed yourself upright and steadied your breathing back to normal just as Madame Lacroix came to stand in front of you. Her billowy, silk sleeves slid down to her elbows as she crossed her arms over her chest, her frown giving away her displeasure.

'Did you speak with the agents?' she asked in a low voice. You nodded, prompting her to say, 'What did you tell them?'

'Exactly what you told me to say,' you said calmly, almost robotically.

Her frown lifted at your words, and she stepped closer to cup your cheeks gently with her hands. 'That's my girl,' she said, tapping your cheeks lightly before stepping away and walking back over to the door to the Pit. She paused at the door, green eyes piercing you even from so far away. 'Don't take too much longer, Serena. We've got real business to attend to, still.'

You nodded and she left, and you were once again left alone to ponder your situation. You were getting so close, but now your old team was involved. If you didn't expose these guys soon, your team would expose you.

And then you'd all end up dead.

~~~

'...may I suggest that you keep asking the people upstairs, if you get my drift. They're the ones with answers.'

'Reid... Reid... Hey, wait!'

Spencer stormed from the elevator, through the New York FBI office and into the conference room that had been set up as the BAU's personal office temporarily. There he found Hotch talking with Rossi and another man Spencer didn't recognise. But he didn't care who the heck he was, not as walked right up to them and said, 'Y/N L/N.'

The three men looked up at him, halting whatever they'd been discussing to give him incredulous looks. All except for the mystery new man.

'I'm sorry?' Hotch asked.

'You said she got a new job,' Spencer said lowly, almost growled out. 'That it was an offer she couldn't refuse. Now I understand what you meant by that.'

'What's going on?' JJ asked, walking through the door with Kate in tow. Derek closed the door behind them and went to close the blinds to the bullpen outside.

'I don't know,' Rossi answered, sitting up in his seat further. 'Reid, what are you talking about?'

'Y/N!' Spencer cried, curling his fists by his side so he didn't slam the table or break something, namely his hand. 'You made it out like she was happy, but she was forced to leave!'

Hotch's confusion quickly faded as guilt replaced it. 'That is classified information, Reid,' he said in a quiet voice very unlike the stoic and stern SSA Aaron Hotchner. 'How do you know that?'

'Because she told me herself,' Spencer said, leaning over the table that separated him and his boss. 'Does the name Serena Vanderguff ring a bell?'

It was the most emotions Spencer had ever seen his boss take on in such a small time, because his guilt turned into shock realisation as he turned to the mystery man on the other side of Rossi. 'Why didn't you tell me this was your case already, Steve?'

Steve. Spencer mentally ran through all the unit chiefs in the FBI and only one man came up with that name.

'Steven Holt, Unit Chief of Organised Crime,' Spencer said, eyes flicking to him as recognition dawned on him. 'You were Y/N's old unit chief before she transferred to us.'

Holt let out a sigh that said he knew he'd been caught. 'That's right. Y/N went on a lot of undercover missions for me back before she joined the BAU. She was the best of the best. I came down to inform you of the situation, Hotch...' Holt's gaze flickered to Spencer briefly before returning to hi boss, '...but seems as though you've beaten me to it.'

'I hate to admit that maybe my age is showing,' Rossi started, 'but I'm not following. What has Y/N got to do with any of this?'

'And this isn't old age,' Kate added, 'but I also am not following. Who is Y/N?'

Spencer's gaze flickered to Hotch, who seemed to be having an inner battle about what to do. He looked up at Holt for moment, and Holt nodded.

Hotch nodded back and stood from his seat to address the room properly. 'Eleven months ago, I was contacted by Unit Chief Holt about a potential underground trafficking network that dealt in young girls and women in the prostitute industry. Holt needed a profiler on the team to go undercover and find out who was in charge, then gain their trust, become part of their gang, and report back to the unit.' Hotch turned his attention solely on Holt. 'It wasn't my decision, but the Head Chief specifically requested L/N join the task force for this mission, as she has plenty of experience and success in undercover scenarios. I haven't been privy to anymore details than that, I'm sorry to say, since L/N is technically no longer part of the BAU. I trusted Holt would update us if anything had happened to her.'

'So she didn't leave us?' came Penelope's soft, hopeful voice. Spencer wasn't sure when she'd been phoned in - just now, or maybe before he'd even entered the room - but that meant everyone was there. Everyone was about to hear the truth.

'Not by choice, no,' Hotch said regrettably. Spencer saw and heard his shame, but he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for his boss right now. Not when he'd lied to for eleven months about the one person Spencer thought would always be there with him.

'I can take it from here, Hotch,' Holt said, also standing to address the room. 'L/N was the best of the best when we first worked together, and these past eleven months have only proven that she still is. She has found proof that girls from each of the establishments she's infiltrated never existed before they were hired at their respective establishments, which for some of them dates back into their mid-to-late teens.'

'Let me guess,' Derek said, 'all four of our victims are some of those girls.'

Holt nodded grimly. 'We believe these girls were just the beginning of an intricate trafficking system where young girls are picked out from low risk communities when they're impressionable, then groomed in the formative years of their lives by their owners before they're given new identities and hired at their owner's establishment. Agent L/N has been hopping from one establishment to the next trying to get a better idea of who these people are that are running it. The managers of each establishment are buyers, but there is a big seller that they're paying that is still unknown. Agent L/N's mission, now that we have a better idea of the linkage between each manager, is to work her way through the upper ranks of the Chateau to find out who that seller is so we can shut down the operation for good.'

He spared a quick glance at Hotch. 'In fact, we think these killings are being caused by the same person. That's why we brought you and your team in, Aaron. The pressure of Federal involvement could cause them to slip up, and we'll be ready to catch them in handcuffs when they do.'

'But we've profiled the unsub as a sadistic, calculative narcissist,' Spencer argued, anger rising in him once more. 'Have you seen what he does to his victims? What if they find out about Y/N? Will she be the next dead body we examine? You have to pull her out of there now!'

'Spence, calm down,' JJ said, but Spencer just brushed her off.

'No, I won't!' he said, voice cracking with annoyance and frustration. 'Because it seems to me like I'm the only one who actually cares about her still. Like you all just forgot about her as if she never existed.'

'Trust me, Reid,' Hotch said gently. 'No one has forgotten about her. But right now she is still our best chance at bringing this whole operation down and bringing these girls' killer to justice. She knew the risks involved, and she's lasted this long. Have some faith in her, Reid.'

'Aren't you forgetting that she was forced into this damn operation?' Spencer spat back. 'She's risking her life because some higher ups were too coward to do the job themselves.'

'Reid, walk with me,' Rossi said, not giving Spencer a chance to reject the instruction as he walked around the table and grabbed his arm so forcefully it almost popped right out of its socket.

They walked to the break room, but Spencer barely registered any of it. His anger was a buzzing white noise in his brain, stopping rational and logical thoughts from computing with his mouth. His heart had a stronger hold on that, it seemed.

'Sit,' Rossi instructed Spencer, pulling out a seat for him to do so. Spencer silently complied while Rossi started to make two coffees at the kitchenette bench.

'...it takes a different kind of smarts to do what we do. Especially if its something we had no choice but to do.'

For eleven months he'd thought you'd left them, left him. Eleven months, anger and grief for the loss of his closest confidant had festered into an ugly, mad creature that's only reason for living was to be angry at you. But you and Spencer had always been good at reading each other, even when your words told a different story entirely. You were someone else now, almost to the point he almost hadn't recognised you underneath all the glitz and glam. But he'd looked into your eyes and he had seen you, your fear, your guilt, your apology.

You hadn't wanted to leave him. And it was that one thought that fuelled his anger at Hotch, at Unit Chief Steven Holt of Organised Crime for all the lies and deceit.

'One cup of sugar with a dash of coffee,' Rossi announced as he placed Spencer's drink on the table he sat at, then pulled up a chair for himself, his own coffee in hand. 'Just how you like it.'

It was then Spencer realised how exhausted he was. Between the early flight, the long car rides, and then seeing you, his body was screaming for a reprieve. However, he couldn't even bring himself to pick up the sweet concoction no matter how much he craved it.

'Eleven months,' Spencer eventually said, his voice meek and quiet compared to the rage it spat out minutes before.

'I know,' Rossi said glumly. 'I can't quite believe it myself. All this time... and she's just been here?'

'I just-' Spencer caught himself, feeling his voice crack at the threat of hot, frustrated tears burning at the back of his eyes. 'Surely they could've let her say goodbye. Or let her contact us from time to time. This isn't like when Emily faked her death and we all believed her gone.'

'You know they couldn't risk it,' Rossi countered. 'This is how undercover operations work, Reid. If she tried contacting us at any point, it could've been her on the M.E.'s slab alongside those girls.'

'Maybe they should've faked her death like Emily,' Spencer muttered, but more to himself than to Rossi. 'Maybe it would've been easier to think she wasn't out there somewhere and just choosing to ignore us.'

'You don't mean that, kid.' Rossi paused for a moment to think about what he would say next. Spencer appreciated that about Rossi, how he always spoke with thought and meaning behind his words. 'Look, I don't like being lied to either, but you and I both know the team couldn't have gone through another cover up like Emily's. Use that logical brain of yours and tell me I'm wrong.'

Spencer tried reaching for an argument, but even he couldn't grasp onto anything even remotely logical to argue with. So he remained silent, prompting Rossi to continue his lecture.

'I understand you and Y/N have something special,' he said gently. 'And I get why you're so upset. But Y/N is an incredible agent who has survived this long before we came into the picture, both before joining the BAU and now. We pull her out now, they will kill her; or we alert them that they have a mole in their network and they go underground and we never catch them. The best we can do to help Y/N right now is to keep playing along. We treat this like any other case, and the quicker we do that, the quicker we can get Y/N back. All right?'

Spencer remained silent for a moment, running Rossi's words over and over again in his head on a loop. Somewhere in there was an image of Maeve, and a sudden wave of sadness hit him. He couldn't go through that again, never again.

He clenched his hands into fists in his lap. It won't. I won't let it.

He forced his gaze to match Rossi's and he silently nodded. Rossi nodded in return, lips upturning slightly. 'All right then,' he said, and pushed Spencer's coffee closer to him. 'Now, drink. We're going to need you at your best if we want to solve this case and bring Y/N home.'

Home.

Amidst his dark thoughts, he found a sliver of warmth in that one word, and what it insinuated. That you belonged with them, you always had.

He took a sip of his drink and was pleasantly surprised at how it tasted exactly how he liked it. The surprise must've extended to his face, as Rossi chuckled and clinked his coffee with his. 'Don't act so surprised. I'm a profiler after all - it's my job to observe behaviours and habits. And you, my nerdy friend, have an exceptionally unhealthy dependency on sugar.'

'Actually, pasta has a higher percentage of causing heart problems in middle-aged to elderly men than sugar because of the amount of carbs on top of sugar is in it,' Spencer stated, taking a sip of his coffee without breaking eye contact with Rossi.

Rossi narrowed his eyes on Spencer. 'Comment on my age and love for pasta again and see what happens.'

And for the first time that day, Spencer smiled.

[camels-pen]

oh to dream a dream

summary: Careless words can lead to indulgent sleep.

based on @seaglass-skies' prompt "Jazz has never had a sibling. So who is this other teenager in the old photo album she found? And why is the bedroom across from hers so empty?"

Ao3 Link | Phight ‘24 series

The atmosphere was quiet, homey. Chirping birds could be heard through the cracked window off to the side and there was a low level chatter throughout the whole place.

Jazz took a deep breath in, smelling the scent of dark roast and vanilla bean that had permeated itself into the walls and floor, that drifted up to greet her like a tired lover.

Usually, she'd chide herself on such cheesy thoughts—maybe make a mental note to stop reading so many romance novels and crack open more psych textbooks—but she was feeling good today. Good and content.

So much so, in fact, that she didn't even feel the sting of embarrassment as someone nudged past her where she was standing, blocking the open door to the coffee shop.

She gave a short apology, tapped each pocket on her shoulder bag just in case, and then walked to the front register.

“Jazzy-babe!” Edward said, grinning wide at her. “Girl, I haven't seen you in ages!”

Jazz smiled back, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. “Ugh, I know right? Sorry—” She paused to wipe her face, sniffling a little. “I've really missed this place.”

“Oh honey.” Ed came around the counter to scoop her into a hug. He patted her back as he said, “There's no need to cry, you're here now, aren't you?”

Jazz laughed. She must really be a mess for Ed to come all the way around for a hug rather than just lean over the counter. “Yeah—yeah I'm here now. These are more happy tears than anything else, to be honest.”

Ed gave her a few more pats before returning to the register. “Good. Happy tears are the best kind of tears. We don't need anything else.” Actually, tears of sadness and frustration were also rather important to keeping a healthy emotional balance, but Jazz understood and appreciated the sentiment. “What can I get for you, hon?”

“Just a latte, I've got to—” Jazz paused. “Oh, sorry, I just started talking on autopilot. I don't have any chores or homework today, so I'm staying for the long haul.”

“From open to close!” Ed laughed. “Just like when you first started coming here.”

Jazz smiled. ”Yup, back to my old ways.“

”So we're going with a large latte and three chocolate and almond croissants?“

”Make it four, please.“

The shop was rather slow—an odd sight for a coffee shop at 9 in the morning—so while Ed and his new coworker worked, Jazz propped herself against the counter and chatted with him. Turned out he'd gotten himself a new boyfriend—long distance this time, all the way up north in Ontario, Canada in some place called 'Barrie'—and he's planning to renew his passport and go visit him some time this summer.

Jazz shared her own news—the hazards of 12th grade English classes with a substitute teacher for half the semester, all of her friends managing to catch the flu at the same time a few months ago, and her overbearing parents insisting she apply for some fake program called 'ecto-biology' at the University of Madison Wisconsin.

Ed laughed along and, traitor that he was, said she should give it a shot anyway and that it might be fun. Jazz wasn't so sure.

Soon, her drink and pastries were done and she said her goodbyes before ensconcing herself to the little corner in the back of the shop, far from the door and mostly covered by a massive bird of paradise plant.

She set down her things, took out a hefty book titled 'Psychology and You: A Look into the Self' and cracked open the front cover.

—

“...azz!“

“...ease, don't wan... urt y...!”

“...rry!”

—

Jazz felt a tap at her shoulder and she blinked. She groaned and rubbed at her eyes. “Geez, I haven’t done that since middle school.” And damn, that was satisfying.

Ed chuckled as she stretched out her arms. “Sounds like you needed it.”

Jazz packed up her stuff and gave Ed a goodbye hug before heading out. If there's one thing Jazz Fenton knew, it was when she'd overstayed her welcome.

She blinked, then furrowed her brows. Where did that come from? It was closing time so she needed to leave, it wasn't like she'd stayed too long at a friend's house.

“Maybe I conflated it with the feeling of being in someone else's home?” she mumbled to herself. “The place does feel like it's Ed's pride and joy even though he's not the owner.”

The owner himself was a crabby man who had hated Jazz since the first moment he spotted her walking in, all of 12 years old and looking for a safe and quiet place to do her math homework. She didn't have any money then, thinking the shop was similar enough to a library what with all the people she saw reading quietly through the windows. The man was ready to kick her out, citing that only paying customers were allowed to sit in his shop and that all children were rabble and ruffians regardless of age.

It was Edward then, all of 16 and newly hired, who had bought her a hot cocoa and claimed her dad had already bought a drink for her earlier in the day and Ed had been waiting for her. Ed was chewed out for it since apparently that wasn't a thing they allowed at the shop, but Jazz was allowed to stay. She learned for future visits to bring along her allowance and when the owner wasn't here, Ed would let her sit in the shop without buying anything.

Now if only a certain someone else would be so kind—

Jazz stumbled. “Dumb rock,” she grumbled, shaking out her foot. “What was I thinking about again?”

—

“You’re always in my business! It’s annoying!”

“I’m in your business because I care about you!”

“You sound like mom and dad! And didn’t you always say privacy was important to growing kids?!”

“It is! It is, but this is different; Danny, I’m afraid you’re doing something dangerous. Something that could get you hurt. If there’s some big bad ghost villain you should come to me—”

“Of course.” He scoffed. “You can’t fucking trust me to take care of myself, as per usual. I’m just your idiot little brother who would die a horrible death the moment you take your eyes off me, aren’t I?”

She gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.

“W-Wait, I didn’t mean it like that—”

—

“Oh Jazzypants!” Dad called. “You think you could come down and help your old man with something?”

“Sorry Dad! I’m doing something important!” Jazz called back, laid on her stomach on her bed, a chewed up pencil in hand as she hovered over a ‘Who will be your boyfriend? (NSYNC edition)’ quiz. “I’m doing this for Kendra, but man I hope I get Justin.” 

She continued to circle the letters on the quiz and eventually finished and flipped to the back of the magazine. “Ugh, Lance? Maybe I should just burn this.” As she shifted her hand, she noticed neat cursive handwriting under the answer key that read: ‘Jazz, I don’t care if you got Lance, DO NOT BURN THIS.’

She was tempted to burn it anyway.

A gust of wind blew through her room, ruffling the pages of the magazine and throwing her hair all around. Jazz had to slap a hand on the book to keep it from flying away. The wind died down after a moment and she huffed, a bit of hair fluttering up with the action before falling back down. “Perfect, amazing, exactly what I needed.”

Jazz pushed herself up and slammed the window down. Her dad yelled if she was alright, but she didn’t answer. Flopping herself down on her bed, she flipped back to the quiz and erased her answers. “I’m gonna get Justin this time,” she grumbled, starting the quiz over.

Just as she had gotten to the second question, another gust of wind blew through her room. This time the magazine wasn’t safe and tumbled to the carpet. She pushed her hair back from her face and left her room to investigate. 

Mom and Dad’s room was fine. The bathroom too. The storage closet didn’t have a window and the hallway one has been busted shut for years. 

Jazz stood in front of the door across from her room. She slowly put a hand on the doorknob. Twisted it. Then pushed.

Peeking into the room, she looked around. It was empty and collecting dust, just as it always was. She always felt uneasy just looking into the room so hopefully the window was—

Ah, it was open. Of course.

Jazz gulped. She willed herself forward. Fear was just fear and there was nothing of any real harm in the room. She repeated that to herself over and over as she tiptoed inside, heading for the window.

There were no furniture, no decorations, no new paint on the walls. It was just a plain blue—

Jazz shook her head and rubbed her eyes. Beige, the original house’s wall colours were beige with a white trim.

She continued her journey and eventually made it, sliding the window closed as gently as she could, lest she disturb the stifling atmosphere she found herself in.

Jazz was about ready to tiptoe her way out—or maybe just run for it to make it quicker—when her eyes caught on a photo album on the floor. It was 4th of July themed and was laid spine up, as if it had falled off of something and landed on its pages. 

And, well, Jazz was never one to leave a book like that, no matter the circumstances.

With hesitant hands, she picked up the book, her thumb automatically marking the open pages. She marvelled at the peeling silver stars on the front and back cover and the almost sparkling blue colour. 4th of July themed seemed like a stretch, now that she had a closer look; it had more of a space theme or a starry night sky, than anything else.

She flipped over the book, only to find it was a photo album. The papers where starting to become yellow with age and the photos curling at the corners, as if ready to fall off at any moment. It looked so old and well loved, yet Jazz had never recalled seeing such an album around the house before.

The photos all included pictures of herself when she was far younger, her mom and dad, and some of Jazz’s friends from elementary school. Sometimes it was just one of them, sometimes all of them, and sometimes even none of them.

But with each picture there was one consistent theme: some part of the picture was complete static. Like someone had taken a TV without signal and used that to colour in nonsensical shapes and silhouettes in each and every picture.

It was strange. Odd, even. Jazz wasn’t one to vandalize anything as important as a photo album, even as a child. Her parents were always quite adamant that she’d been a rather mature child since she was small. And she doubted her mom or dad would’ve done that. 

Maybe one of her friends from the photos? Jazz could’ve invited them over one time and they could’ve scribbled all over the photos when she wasn’t looking. It wouldn’t be the first time.

She squinted at the pages. No, that didn’t seem quite right. The static colouring stopped right at the edge of each polaroid, not a single bit of it leaking into the white border edges of them. She doubted elementary schoolers would care so much about that, or be that precise. 

Page after page she found different pictures, with her and her parents at different ages and different clothes, with new friends and old. And yet that same static colouring persisted. In fact, it seemed to be growing over time, getting consistently bigger and bigger, at times looking like the outline of a person just a handful of inches shorter than herself. She started to get irritated as the static got closer to her height, but by the time she got to the end of the album—with whiter pages and more firmly glued pictures—it never overtook her. She felt satisfied about that fact, for some reason.

Back to the original problem, she still didn’t know what the purpose was of this odd destruction of her family’s photo album. She didn’t even know where this album had come from, the pictures in it unfamiliar and foreign.

She squinted at the last picture in the album, using her nail to scratch at the static colour. Not that she was expecting anything from it—

The static started to flake off.

“What is this, crayon?” she mumbled. Though it felt simultaneously thicker and thinner than crayon wax. Smoother, yet rougher. It was easy to pick at it, but hard to peel off anything larger than a toothpick, the colours coming off in long thin stripes as they did. 

She scratched and scratched and scratched at it. Jazz had just about had enough when no more pieces came off, but then—

The entire thing peeled off like an old sticker.

Staring back at her was a boy with messy black hair, annoyed blue eyes, and a contrasting grin with Jazz’s own arm wrapped around his shoulders.

“An… old friend, maybe? But this picture was taken recently and—” She paused to pick at another photo higher up the page. It revealed another picture of the same  boy, mouth open like he was talking animatedly about something while staring into a small telescope. Another picture, a few pages earlier, showed the whole family in their hazmat suits, and the boy himself standing with them in his own white and black suit.

“I’ve never had any siblings,” she whispered to herself. It didn’t feel right, almost like someone else coaxed the words through her mouth.

She stared around at the empty room. Thought of how it really should be blue, since that’s the colour it’s always been. The house was originally beige, but this room was always always blue. A specific shade of lighter blue, with glow in the dark stars on the ceiling and burn marks on the carpet. A scuffed up desk plastered with enough free Nasa stickers you could hand them out at a convention. Not to mention a bed that had never been made since it was bought.

She thought of that room. And she thought of this one, the real one all around her. The one full of life and the one that had never seen it. There was only so much she could do to try and remember it. Imagine it? Think of it, and yet it stuck out so clearly in her mind. 

She could hear the high pitched whiny voice calling her a nag. Could smell the dirty laundry ‘hidden’ under the desk. Could feel the ratty old cotton Star Wars blanket between her fingers. But none of it was here. 

Something ached fiercely in her chest. 

She gripped her shirt tight over her heart, tears welling up in her eyes.

She’d forgotten him. She looked out for him—cared for him—for so so long, but she’d forgotten him. Like some trashy teen magazine article. 

And—and she needed to find him. He was always being reckless out with his friends hunting—hunting ghosts of all things (oh god, ghosts exist and she forgot and he had been fighting them without her help—). 

She went for the door, yanking it open and trying not to hyperventilate. 

Jazz needed to find him, she needed to help him, she needed to—

Jazz blinked. She stared at the open door to her own room with a frown. “Why did I leave my room?” 

She jumped as she heard something swing shut behind her. When she turned she noticed the door to the empty room, shut and covered with cobwebs. She shuddered and inched away from it.

“Jazz, sweetie, would you mind closing the window?” Mom called. 

The window?

A gust of air blew against her side, sending her hair every which way. Right, the window.

She pulled the hallway window shut, an air of finality settling in her bones.

—

“Nocturn!” The shout echoed down the long, stretching corridor along with the bang of the door slamming open. Within moments, a blur of black and white sped into the room.

“You know you could’ve just knocked,” Nocturn said. “I would’ve considered letting you in my second favourite dreamer if you were polite about it.”

“What’d you do with—” Danny paused. “Wait. Second?”

Nocturn swept open his cloak, revealing a figure just a tad taller than Danny himself floating close to his chest, her head bowed.

A swirling mess of dark purple, blue, and black speckled with shining white stars were painted on her skin. Her hair was a dark shade of orange and flowed freely around her, as if underwater.

“Well, my dear? Shall we entertain our guest?”

She lifted her head and Danny gasped. Her face was free of paint, but blank, bereft of all features save a waterfall of neverending black tears down her cheeks. But even without a face, Danny could recognize her. Could never not recognize the very reason he came here in the first place. 

That—that was—

“Yes, Lord Nocturn,” Jazz said.

[lost-between-letters]

Let's Fight Tonight

Pairing: Jack Kline X Reader (she/her), side Destiel, side Claire X Kaia

Warnings: guns, fake death (as in no one actually dies but take care if you are sensitive to that kinda stuff), some making out

Word Count: 1,277

Summary: what says romance better than a good old battle where you're guarding your loved one's back?

A/N: beta'ed by the lovely @ohwowimlonley (so I'm blaming typos on her (no I don't))

Outraged shouts and guns going off filled the air.

"Jack!" Y/N whisper-shouted as she spotted the boy crouching behind a bookcase, gun pressed close to his body. He was unharmed though he turned and aimed at her with inhuman speed before recognition passed over his face.

Relief followed soon after. "They didn't get to you yet?"

"I'm faster than I look."

Jack nodded grimly and made to speak but stopped short and dragged her to the ground with him.

Moments later, his gun was going off at someone behind Y/N. Maniac laughter told them that Jack had missed though. Gabriel. He had been on Y/N's heels since this all began. Got Claire with a shot in the back before Y/N could save her. Jody would never let her hear the end of it for that - or Claire for that matter.

"Shit," Y/N voiced what they both were thinking when more footsteps approached, "any plans?"

"Shoot and hope?" Jack supplied. So pretty much their entire tactic for the day. And it had been supposed such a quiet day, spending time with people your own age for once. Oh what had become of that?

Yeah whatever. Wasn't like it would kill them or anything. "One last kiss?"

Jack smiled softly at the request and leaned over to press their lips together. His hand slid around her neck for just a moment and squeezed gently.

"I love you," Y/N breathed against his lips. She leaned their foreheads together as the steps grew louder, savouring the feeling of tender closeness before the fight would take them.

They had just gotten to their feet - standing with their backs to the bookshelf with just enough space between them to give the other room to fight - when a familiar voice echoed through the library.

"Told ya kids you can't win." Dean was coming from the left while Cas was rounding in on them from the right.

Both of them were walking the self assured walk of a warrior ready to take the win; their guns raised in perfect unison at the couple. Dean and his angel weren't here to take prisoners.

So Y/N and Jack had to be faster.

"What makes you think that?" Y/N stepped forward and deliberately drew their attention on her.

Worked like a charm too. Dean huffed, a smirk dancing over his face. "Oh I don't know maybe the fact the we've got you cornere-"

The hunter went down with a surprised sputter when Jack hit him straight in the chest.

And then all hell broke loose.

Sam - having heard his brother going down from some other part of the bunker - was suddenly right there, Gabriel at his side, and attacking Jack.

Meanwhile Castiel had turned towards Y/N who was determined to keep her stand next to her boyfriend. If they were going down, they were doing it together.

Guns were abandoned for fists and legs as the proximity didn't allow them, lest they wanted to accidentally hit someone on their team.

One shove sent Y/N to the ground, slithering to where Dean was laying. A grave mistake.

His hand was a vice around her ankle and pinned her to the ground with him. And here she had been thinking that he had been out already.

Jack - sweet Jack - noticed Y/N's peril almost immediately and bit and clawed his way over to her. "Leave her alone!"

"Yeah Dean-o no cheating," Gabriel sing-songed unexpectedly from the sidelines.

Wait, why wasn't anyone attacking them?

A glance to the prowl near the bookshelf confirmed Y/N's greatest hopes. Alex and Kaia were holding their own against two of the greatest hunters/warriors she knew. And that was saying a lot. Hell, they even were holding Gabriel back somehow - though he seemed more entertained than actually struggling.

Hey, whatever got them to the win.

Only that Dean had used her moment of observation to press his gun into her back.

"You tell me what you did to Charlie or I will pull the trigger," Dean threatened, his attention on Jack.

"You should be dead," Jack retorted and aimed again.

Which made Dean press harder. Y/N laughed. "You wanna know what happened to Charlie?"

She used the fracture of a second where his grip loosened and swung her free leg over his body.

"I shot her."

And then she shot Dean as well. This time, he stayed down.

"Dean!" Castiel lunged without thinking when he heard the body hit the ground for good.

His mistake.

Kaia took the opening as it was and shot him just as Alex got Gabriel.

Now only Sam was standing. With four victory high young adults turning towards him. He hadn't had the slightest of chance. He had been one of their best teachers after all.

"We won." The statement uttered with a sense of wonder came from Kaia. Her eyes were trained on the bodies around her, then slowly lifted to her team. Where one was missing.

"We did." Y/N nodded, a huge grin taking over her face.

They actually defeated them! A bunch of kids!

Jack was a step further already. Laughing freely. Without so much as warning, he drew her in and kissed her once again - in front of all of their family and friends. With tongue.

Y/N did not squak.

"Alright alright, game over, we do not need to see that," Claire said in that voice that clearly aimed for I-am-so-annoyed-with-my-little-brother-that-isn't-actually-related-to-me but didn't quite catch on that she was supposed to be, y'know, actually annoyed for that.

And with that, the spell was broken. Kaia flew into her arms, laughing and berating her for letting Gabriel get the drop on her.

"I still can't believe that you mojoed me to that damn floor," Dean grumbled and pointed his beer bottle at Gabriel.

The archangel in question was not impressed in the slightest bit and shrugged with his trademark shit eating grin. "Hey, you were cheating, I had to do something."

"I was not." Dean huffed indignant, "Jack missed."

"He didn't miss, I saw the freaking lights," Y/N stated as she re-entered the room. Beer bottles and glasses full of other beverages were handed to the grabby fingers of her friends.

They all let Dean complain some more while Jack pulled Y/N in his lap and rested his chin on her shoulder. This right there was his family. And Y/N loved it with all the parts that weren't already consumed by Jack.

The easy teasing that followed the aftermath of their laser-tag adventures was not-so-surprisingly aimed mainly at the adults.

"You're just a sore loser," Claire said and added smugly, "and still got shot the second time around."

"Yeah that was just sad to watch." Alex laughed and stretched out on her part of the sofa.

"At least I didn't get shot in the back."

"You really wanna go there Dean?" Charlie quipped, "your angel coming to your rescue?"

"Shut it."

Dean was getting grumpier by the second. It made Y/N want to tease him until he was as red as a tomato. But she was pretty comfortable right here with Jack and she didn't want one of his dads throwing her out for being giggly, thank you very much.

Turned out that she didn't even have to do anything to fulfill her goal. All it took was Castiel to look up from his own drink solemnly, nudge Dean's leg with his and say earnestly, "But I really was attempting to come to your rescue, Dean."

And there was tomato-Dean.

"Oh we are so doing this again," Gabriel proclaimed.

General Taglist: @immrbrightsideee, @fandomfoodiedancer, @lovesfandoms, @nyotamalfoy, @stixnstripesworld , @foxyjwls007 , @amythedoctor , @alexxavicry

Jack Taglist: @sweater-weather-spn, @xoxokiaraaxoxo

Join a Taglist

[posebean]

Summer Rain: Epilogue

Writer: Beanosei

Season: Spring

Characters: Kohaku, Himeru, Niki, Rinne

Kohaku: I hope we never have to see those two together again. They’re going to make me sick with how sappy they are.

The next day, Cafe Cinnamon

Kohaku: Anzu-han, over here. We have a spot for you.

Kohaku: You’re fine with standing? It’s fine, Niki-han and Rinne-han won’t be joining us so we have empty space at our table.

Kohaku: Where’s Niki-han and Rinne-han? Well- Himeru: It’s a long story, Anzu-san. It’ll be better if you hear the whole thing.

Himeru: First, Himeru is sure you’ve heard the news? The filming went off without any more issues.

Himeru: Himeru doesn’t know what you did to get Shiina to open his eyes, but Director-san and the crew extend their thanks.

Himeru: The Legendary Producer sure lives up to her, name, hmm~

Kohaku: Anzu-han, I’m sure you’ve heard a bit, but do you know the exact plot of the movie we were filming?

Kohaku: A cheesy summer romance film? Yeah, but do you know the exact plot, or did Director-san not tell you? Kohaku: Ah, so you don’t know besides that. Well…

Kohaku: It’s about two strangers that meet during the rainy season. One of them is cynical and thinks there’s nothing worth loving, about others and especially about themselves.

Kohaku: The other is a free spirit and doesn’t care about anything, only that life is short and they should live the most of it.

Kohaku: They by chance end up taking shelter under the same bus stop, and the free-spirited one is intrigued by the cynical one.

Kohaku: That character keeps returning to that bus stop in hope to see the other, which they succeed in.

Kohaku: The cynical one remains wary for a while, but they do become somewhat friends. They keep pushing the free-spirited one away though, not letting them get close.

Kohaku: Not thinking that they’re worth loving.

Himeru: (nods) It’s a whole film’s worth of a game of cat and mouse, that free-spirited one always trying to catch the other, who only keeps running away through the rain.

Himeru: Eventually, the cynical one does open up and realizes that love isn’t bad. That they’ve fallen for the free-spirited one. 

Himeru: In panic, they do the only thing they know how to do: They keep running.

Himeru: It leads up to that cynical one trying to take initiative, but then immediately attempting to flee, only to finally be caught.

Himeru: Isn’t it a little funny? How much these two characters remind us of Shiina and Amagi? Kohaku: Kohkohkoh, you’re saying it’s like these parts were made for them?

Kohaku: Ya know, that might be true. That director did really want Rinne-han to star, after all.

Kohaku: And that they listened to all of Rinne-han’s conditions…they must’ve really seen the bond between those two from the start~

Kohaku: I’m sure that this movie has turned out to become something better than what they originally planned, Rinne-han inadvertently helping people as he always does~

Kohaku: What’s that? Oh yeah, we haven’t answered your question.

Kohaku: Well…after filming that final scene, which I’m pretty sure you heard about seeing as you’re smiling…

Himeru: Neither the staff nor Shiina and Amagi moved for…a good while.

Kohaku: Yep, and well…Rinne-han and Niki-han just stood there in the fake rain kissing (he makes a gagging face)

Himeru: Himeru recalls that Oukawa dragged him away from that scene in disgust, despite the fact that we were supposed to turn the rain off.

Kohaku: Himeru-han don’t act like you didn’t come willingly. Anyways, they’re probably holed up in Niki-han’s old apartment, burning up with fevers.

Kohaku: I hope we never have to see those two together again. They’re going to make me sick with how sappy they are.

Himeru: Anzu-san finds that a little mean? Himeru disagrees, Shiina and Amagi deserved it completely.

Himeru: At least they’re actually sick and not lovesick anymore. 

Himeru: Anzu-san would agree if she had to witness it all.

Meanwhile at the same time, Shiina apartment

Niki: (Sneezes loudly)

Niki: ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Niki: UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Niki: UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Rinne: Shut up Niki~kyun~ I’m makin’ us some soup

Niki: UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Niki: (Rinne-kun’s fault! It’s all Rinne-kun’s fault that I’m here stuck in bed sneezing all over the place!)

Niki: (We- We kissed for so long in that damn fake rain that we both got sick! Actually sick!!!)

Niki: UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Rinne: Niki~ Soup’s ready~ Niki: Ew no. Gross, you probably coughed in it or something. Get that away from me-

Rinne: Eat your damn soup or I’ll feed it to you myself.

Niki: No, knowing you there’s a huge chance you over seasoned it and-

Rinne: ♪ (shoves a spoonful of soup into his mouth)

Niki: (Oh it’s good soup…)

Niki: Have I told you how much I love you yet?

Rinne: Nope~ ♡ You should tell your Rinne-kun as much as you want to~ Just so he knows exactly how much that is!

Rinne: The more the better!

Niki:♡ (Ignores him to finish the soup)

Rinne: You- (grabs the bowl of soup and holds it high in the air)

Niki: My soup! Give it back!

Rinne: Listen to people when they’re talking to you, bastard.

Niki: Okay, I love you sooooooo much. Can I have my soup back now?

Niki: MPHGHG- Not like that! Why can’t you just hand me back my bowl instead of kissing me!? We’re literally both sick!

Rinne: ♪ It’s as much my soup as it is Niki~Kyun’s. This way both of us can have it.

Niki: Intolerable! Inconceivable! The absolute worst!

Rinne: Yeah ~ yeah. You don’t mean any of that, cos you love me.

Niki: …(Pouts with his arms crossed, unable to deny.)

Rinne: I’ve been meaning to ask though, why the sudden change of heart? Not that I’m not happy, because my Niki~kyun finally accepts my love ♡

Rinne: What did Anzu Nee-san say to you~

Niki:...

Rinne:...

Rinne: (hands the bowl of soup back)

Niki: (Gets back to eating soup) ♪

Niki: Not much~ Just that Rinne-kun is useless without me and also she let me listen to…the song.

Niki: A rehash of our song. Our debut song. And then I figured things out myself.

Rinne: Niki’s finally seeing how much I love him~

Niki: Stop looking at me with that sappy look you’re going to make me sicker than I already am!

Rinne: (Gets close and nuzzles him) But we’re already both sick~ Let’s get sicker together~

Niki: Hgghhh.

Rinne: It serves to show Niki how far we’ve gone. That from that very song, we’ve gone from just us and a crowd of children, just me and an empty hall…

Rinne: We’ve gone from both of those to being in a film. Being on stage with Merumeru and Kohaku-chan. Shining like stars that we only dreamed we could be.

Rinne: But even after all that, we’re still us. We’re still the same duo, despite how much has changed~

Rinne: And of course, my love for Niki is also constant in that~

Rinne: Now shut up and let’s cuddle, Niki~kyun. We’ll get through these fevers together and be back to enact our revenge on the two that betrayed us and left the rain on~

Niki: (Rinne-kun’s being so earnest I could melt under his gaze…)

Niki: (He’s right though…We’ve really come so far.)

Niki: (And I do love him, I guess.)

Niki: (I’m sorry Rinne-kun, for making you wait all these years. I’m sorry for making you chase me in the rain.) [Back] [Masterlist]

WOOO ITS DONE. THANK U ALL FOR BEING HERE for me and sana's insanity <3 hope u liked it. happy pride month! rinky 4ever

-beanosei (cuz kinosei WISHES he was me)

p.s. lil bonus if you finished everything!! here

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

NCT Spooky Season [Day 20]

Madame Pseudo

TW: Language, ghosts, seances, Genre: Romance, Comedy Pairing: Moon Taeil x Reader YN Pronouns: Not specified Word Count: 0.6K Prompt: “Let’s do a seance!” “Let’s not”

[NCT Masterlist] | [NCT Spooky Season Masterlist] | [Yesterday] | [Tomorrow] [Ao3 Link] | [Wattpad Link]

Notes: Last day! ... or is it? It is lol but hopefully I'll have my last little treat ready by Halloween! Disclaimer: Please remember that this is an AU and a work of fiction, obviously the idols mentioned/written about in this story would never partake in these actions. The idols mentioned in this work are meant to be seen more as face claims rather than the actual idols themselves.

Feedback is greatly appreciated!! Thank you for reading!

"Jesus fucking Christ," you cursed as soon as the lampshade toppled over. "Haechan, we can't stay here," you called your boyfriend over and he poked his head out of the bedroom.

"Why not?" As soon as he asked, the picture frame behind you fell over.

"That's why."

"Okay? So what? We have a roommate."

"Haechan!"

"Okay, okay... let's do a seance, then."

"Let's not, I don't want to invite any bad energy into our life," you argued.

"Invite? Babe, we live with a ghost! Maybe we can help them cross over or something."

"Mm..." You weren't convinced.

And you still weren't convinced when Haechan's hired spiritualist came in, whole kit in hand as she set up the area on your dining room table.

"I don't buy this, Haechan," you whispered.

"What do you mean? The ad said that she's an expert."

"Babe, her name is Madame Pseudo. Do you know what 'pseudo' means?" You asked. Haechan didn't answer. "Fake, Haechan, it means fake, Pseudoscience is fake science, Pseudonews is fake news, Madame Pseudo has pseudo credentials," you whispered quickly and you heard the spiritualist laugh.

"They never believe me at first," she lights the candles and invites you and Haechan to sit in front of her. You both do so. "Alright, tell me about this spirit."

"Well, they like to knock things over," you nodded toward the lampshade.

"Yeah, sometimes they'll pull (Y/N)'s hair too," Haechan says.

"Sometimes they'll draw scribbles on our walls too."

"I see, you may be dealing with the spirit of a child then," the spiritualist mutters.

"A kid?" You asked, feeling a sudden pang of guilt.

"Yes, children tend to not realize they're no longer of this world," Madame says. "They stay where they are, waiting for parents who probably aren't of this world anymore too." You swallowed harshly.

What a sad existence.

"Well, hopefully, we'll be able to send them across the plane. Remember, when you speak to the spirit, please be kind. Guide them toward the light," she says and she holds her hands out. You and Haechan take one of hers before holding on to one another's. Madame says a slow and steady chant before her eyes shoot open, pupils rolled to the back of her head so that only the whites of her eyes remained. "Have you seen my parents?" Her voice was noticeably not of her own. You and Haechan look at each other, a cold bead of sweat ran down your neck.

"No, I'm sorry," you responded.

"Why?"

"They don't live here anymore," you responded.

"Mm... where do I go then?"

"Toward the light, probably," Haechan cuts in. The spiritualist's head turns toward the window.

"That one?"

"Yeah," Haechan looked over, but it was dark, only the moon was visible tonight.

"Hmm... I'm scared. What if my parents come back home?"

"They're waiting for you over there," you cut in. The voice whimpered.

"I believe you," then the spiritualist collapsed on the table and after a few moments she stood up slowly and a bit pained. "It is done."

"That's it?"

"The spirit of children tend to be rather obedient, if you had an adult it might have been harder."

"I see... and if the supernatural things keep happening?"

"Well, you have my card now, right?"

"Yes?"

"Good, then give me a call," the spiritualist packs her things and you walk her to the door.

"I feel kind of bad now," you commented.

"Well, at least they won't be bothering us anymore," Haechan sighs and you both look at each other. Then, a knife flies from your kitchen and lodges in the wall next to the spiritualist. Everyone holds their breaths, and then things start flying.

"Hell is real!" She shrieks. "You're both on your own now!" She runs out and leaves you and Haechan behind, now clinging onto each other as objects slammed against the door, but once it closed the items fell to the ground. You and Haechan were, noticeably, unharmed.

"What the hell?" You muttered.

"We should move."

"Yes."

General Tag List: @stopeatread @bat-shark-repellant @raeincitizen @umbralhelwolf @yangsrose @kazooms @sadcoffeecritic 

NCT Tag List: @cherrylovr @minjiville 

If you want to be added to either tag list or removed just send me a reply to this post, and ask, or a DM and I’ll add you as soon as possible!

[sk8termikey]

Chapter 7 of 21 Questions

better interface on wattpad

"Your boyfriend texted!" Alex called for her best friend who was in the kitchen, as the phone lit up from a message from Matt🍂.

"My hands are full of batter girl, just tell me what he says and maybe reply for me if it looks important", Lily replied as she was cooking. "And drop the boy in front of friend, unless you put a fucking space between the words.

As she used her fingerprint to unlock Lily's phone, Alex looked at the notification – she didn't want to actually open the message in case it could wait, fearing that she might leave the boy on read. She had been joking for the past month about Lily and her new friend's relationship since she discovered that he went out of his way to send a picture to Lily. This had been enough proof for Alex to start teasing her best friend about a possible romance – pretty pictures of the sky were in fact Lily's love language. Both girls did know it was just for fun, the same way they would qualify famous people as theirs when it was their ultimate celebrity crush.

Furrowing her brows at the phone in front of her, Alex didn't know whether to qualify the text as important or not.

Matt🍂

If I asked you to hide a body for me, would you?

Alex went to the kitchen where Lily was and read her the text, which led to the brunette letting out a laugh.

"Oh my god this kid I swear to god". Lily couldn’t stop laughing as she thought about an answer. "This sounds semi important lol but just tell him that of course I am always down to hide a body, I know a few tricks."

Alex laughed as well – more to her friend's reply than the actual subject – and wrote back a message, trying to imitate Lily's writing style. The two girls influenced each other a lot regarding their texting habits and the way they spoke, thus making it easy for Alex to fake it. Before sending it, she thought it could be funny to actually hold a conversation with the mystery guy as she had only heard about him and still needed to check if he was a good person for Lily.

Matt🍂

If I asked you to hide a body for me, would you?

Heya, your girl's bestie here

Obviously she would

Dw ab it

Oh

Hi

Thanks for the reassurance haha

You're the famous Alex?

I am, yes💃🏻

Glad to know I'm known even in whatever state you're in

I'm here to check if you're legit bro

Check all you want

I like to think I'm a good person

Well

You did ask help to bury a body

This doesn't help your case

Well

According to you, your "bestie" would help my case

Nice one

Ig talking for a couple of months led to you guys knowing each other

Yeah, it's fun getting to know Lily

She's really kind and we get along well :)

Friendship test then

You ready for it?

Go ahead

Simple questions to see if you deserve the honour of taking her time

Her favourite colour?

I know this one

It's purple

But she told me she actually doesn't have lots of purple things in her life, mostly blue

Wow bonus points

Yes!

I'm sure I can manage the rest

We'll see, pokemon boy

Her favourite food?

One of the first things we talked about 

I remember bc I don't like sushi

So it's this and pizza i think 

I-

I'm gonna ignore you not liking sushi and give you the point

Hmm next question 

Do you know where we work?

Like our job

Yeah, a café right?

With books

She loves talking about it

She just loves talking about you in general because you're related to her passions 

And also being the closest person to her

Damn this girl is absolutely getting the best birthday ever

She deserves the world

Ig you pass the test matty boy

Ok what

Unsent

The fuck is this nickname coming from

Unsent

We're just chilling, no need to panic

Unsent

Cool cool cool

Wait i kinda need a retake tho

What

Why

Idk her birthday??

I don't think we ever talked about it

Oh

That just means you'll never steal my best friend title

But yeah it's next week actually

Well in less than a week technically like in 4 days

Thanks, I'll wish it to her then

You better

I'm gonna delete the last texts so that she gets your text as a surprise

Counting on you bro

Of course, I won't let you or her down

As she deleted the last dozens of messages between her and Matt, Alex then put down the phone and looked up to see Lily smiling at her.

"You were having fun?" Lily asked her best friend. "I couldn't hear you for ten minutes and you looked like you were having fun."

"Oh". Alex was almost embarrassed to be caught enjoying a conversation with her friend's new friend. She shrugged it off and slided the phone back to its owner. "Just checking if the kid deserves your friendship."

"And? What's the verdict, judge Alex?" Lily playfully teased.

"Well, I guess he's not that bad. I trust you and you would have dropped him if he wasn't someone you liked talking to."

Lily's smile grew bigger at Alex's replies and took her arm to lead her to the couch as they would watch TV while waiting for Lily's desserts to cook.

~~~

A few days later and on the eve of Lily's birthday, Alex had everything planned: she was prepared to give her best friend a wonderful twentieth birthday, starting the day before with their out-of-work-coming-back-to-home ritual. As always for the last months, Wednesday meant a new video from the Sturniolo Triplets and Alex had prepared a comfortable scenery for Lily. The couch had been specially opened as a bed, with several blankets carefully folded on it. Snacks were ready and dinner was on its way as Alex had ordered some of Lily's favourites, which were pizza and sushi – damn Matt did get it right, Alex thought back to her conversation with him a few days prior. She hoped he could be part of Lily's happiness tomorrow, and maybe for a while after. Lily had always wished for simple birthdays. The sheer fact of knowing the people she loved took the time to think of her on this day was enough to her. Lily only needed her favourite people around her; just a day spent with her loved ones was the only gift she wished for and this is what Alex tried to stay faithful to, although a couple of surprises felt deserved for the special occasion.

As usual, Lily was coming home almost an hour after the video came out and Alex wasted no time to welcome her friend at the door. She took Lily's bag to put it down and closed the door behind them.

"Now now, just do whatever I say and don't ask questions", Alex ordered Lily who could only comply. 

The blonde led her best friend to the bathroom and to Lily's surprise, a bath had been drawn along with a few candles. Pink bubbles could be seen floating on top of the bath and Lily couldn't help but smile. It had been a long day at work – one of those rude customers who were unable to accept that their order was not ready within two seconds after having asked for it – so the girl had been exhausted and her mood started to lift up due to this pleasant surprise.

"I don't want to see you for at least the next half hour", Alex warned her friend. "Enjoy this and stay in it until your skin gets fucking wrinkles, okay?"

Lily nodded with a quiet laugh and got ready to enter the bath as Alex left the room, not without putting on a bit of music to help Lily relax.

Exactly thirty-one minutes later did Lily go back downstairs to see Alex setting up the freshly arrived food on the table in the living room. Lily definitely appreciated the bath and the calm music, but she had felt lonely and only wanted to come back to her friend so that they could do their weekly tradition in honour of a new vlog or challenge from their favourite triplets.

Lily saw the TV already set up to play this day's video which was entitled Chris forced us all to do COLD PLUNGES – it sounded even more chaotic than the previous videos and Lily knew it was possible for them to achieve that.

The two girls sat on the couch and put the food between them as the video started. What was a given from the title is that the triplets were going to bathe in ice cold water and so they had to go to the supermarket to buy ice. As they didn’t find enough – well in Chris’s opinion, the youngest triplet decided to ask if they had more in the back when they were paying. Luckily for them, the cashier managed to bring them more ice, which Chris thanked him for as he put them all in his arms.

“Damn, I feel cold just watching him with all this ice,” Lily said as she shivered. She had always been prone to being cold and getting sick easily so she knew the whole video was going to make her feel uncomfortable even though she wasn’t the one doing the activity with them.

Alex laughed at her friend’s comment and they started laughing even more when Chris wished for more ice, thus getting his brothers to go to another store and ending with a cart full of ice per Chris’s request.

“Okay, this is definitely too much ice like I gotta agree with Nick on this one”, Alex said as she was matching Nick’s apprehensive expression.

“Yeah for real”, Lily approved. “Chris is gonna regret saying that it’s never too much.”

After the bathtub was filled with ice and ice cold water, the triplets were finally ready to do their “cold plunges” as Chris tried to motivate himself by having to pretend to be a can of pepsi. Funnily enough, there had actually been a can of pepsi right before this. Therefore, Chris was the first to go in and he did regret it as he was barely able to put his feet in the bathtub. Followed Nick who imitated Chris with a spider-like position above the bathtub but did not end up fully in – unlike Matt who absolutely did not care and managed to get most of his body in the water.

“I. Am. amazed right now”, Lily commented as she was curled like a ball with a blanket around her. “I don’t know how he accepted the idea and succeeded in doing that. I would surely want to kill my brothers for this crazy situation.”

Alex hummed in agreement with her best friend and they both gasped when a couple of minutes later, Nick also fully went into the bathtub. The two girls then started laughing along with Matt and Chris as Nick ran into the shower while being shocked from what he had just done. After the middle and youngest decided to give it one last try, Lily couldn’t help but comment:

“Wait, I just noticed, is Chris the only one without tattoos?”

“Yeah, Nick and Matt both have an almost full sleeve but Chris doesn’t have any for now”, Alex explained. “I don’t know if he’ll ever get one but he would look great with a couple honestly.”

“I totally agree. And I absolutely love Nick’s and Matt’s tattoos, I might have to look at them more clearly to get a few inspirations for if I ever decide to get tattooed.” Lily was in awe of the triplets at the moment: since she started to follow them, Lily had to admit that they were all good-looking and tattoos really added something to their charm. “Also if I can say, Matt is slaying with the beard.”

“Right?” Alex exclaimed. “That was such a good move from him and I hope he’s gonna keep it for a while.”

As the girls kept talking after watching the video, Lily was feeling so much better. The simple things like spending time with her favourite person and eating her favourite foods were all Lily could ask for to enjoy life.

The night being still young, the two girls decided to watch some of their favourite Disney movies, such as Cars or Inside Out. They had a passion for animated movies that quickly brought them together when their friendship had started and everytime a new movie would come out, they would go see it together at the cinema. Lily and Alex had had this routine for a few years and none of them would ever trade the way they lived.

It was finally the actual date of Lily's birthday. As she had already spent a really nice evening the day before with Alex, she wasn't expecting much when she woke up. Obviously, everyone at the café had been giving a day off as the four coworkers were planning to maybe hang out to celebrate Lily's twentieth birthday. 

As it had happened last year as well – since the two girls started living together, both Lily's and Alex's parents called her to wish her a good day and catch up on what was new. The two families had been close since the two became best friends and would often have get-together, even as Lily and Alex moved out from their family houses.

After an hour spent talking to her parents and "second" parents, Lily received a message from the group chat with her friends.

gc: Caffeine addicts💃🏻💃🏻

Alexxx🫶🏻

Okayy guys

Everyone meet at noon at our house

We're going out :))

Luke🌈

Will I drive the whole way or be able to leave my car at yours?

Bc if i do, i need gas💀

Alexxx🫶🏻

Well-

That'd be great bc I'm not making my bestie drive on her bday

I'll pay for it even

Or you drive our car idk

Luke🌈

Kk, I'll go now

And no need dw<3

I'll regret not having gas and forgetting in a few days i know myself

Jade🌱

I'll be there, see you soon!!

Why am I only learning ab it now??

Where are we even going like

What's the dress code??

Jade🌱

Wear smth normal

It's gonna be chill, don't overthink

Okay😭

@Alexxx🫶🏻 where are you btw?

Alexxx🫶🏻

Just went to give back a plate to the neighbour 

Yk she cooked us the muffins last week

Oooh ye i remember

Ig I'll get ready then

What Lily didn't know is that Alex was absolutely not at their neighbour's. The plate had been given back a few days ago already but Alex took the opportunity of Lily forgetting to use that excuse. In reality, the blonde was at the bakery to get the birthday cake she had ordered: Lily's favourite, which was a triple chocolate cake with some fresh fruits on the top.

~~~

When she came home, Alex was right on time as Lily was descending the stairs. Alex went up to her best friend to wish her happy birthday for the tenth time – she had already said it the day before as a pre-birthday celebration, then at midnight, then she had sent a couple of texts to Lily during the night. The two girls hugged for a few minutes then let go as it was almost time for their friends to arrive. The four of them were all used to being punctual so it wasn't a surprise when at five to twelve, the doorbell rang. Lucas had picked Jade up as they were living near each other. Lily being ready and Alex having prepared what she needed earlier in the morning, they all decided to go. As agreed, Lucas drove his three friends to the secret place – secret only to Lily obviously – and for the whole ride, he had let the birthday girl choose the music, which was a once in a blue moon occasion for Lucas was very picky with what type of music was played in his car. Well, today was a special day and Lily took advantage of it.

After a ride full of pop music, the four friends arrived at the Weeki Wachee Spring State Park. It was not just a simple park, but it was filled with attractions and animals, appealing to both children and adults. Alex had purchased tickets knowing how much Lily loved nature and just walking around while admiring the beauty of the world they had the chance to live in. Speaking of the devil, Lilt was ecstatic when she realised where they were. She had been wanting to go there for a while but never had the chance so she was really excited to finally visit it. The weather was perfect for a day out and Alex knew it was because her friend brought happiness and warmth everywhere she went, just like the sun would.

After checking in, the group let Jade guide them as she had been to the place a couple of times and knew exactly where to bring Lily to make her have the best day ever. Lucas had brought some food and so once in a while they would just sit on a bench to eat as they appreciated what Mother Nature gave them. For the whole afternoon, they simply walked around and as Lily was smiling at every turn, her three friends could only be happy as well that she was having an amazing day.

As they were leaving the park due to it closing and coming back to Lucas's car, Jade suddenly gasped.

"Oh my god fuck–"

"What's wrong?" Lily immediately asked, afraid that her friend was in trouble.

"Oh sorry, I was just looking for my cardigan in my bag. I was so sure I packed it," Jade explained.

"Wait, do you mean the one you had on yesterday?" Lucas tried to confirm. "The brown one?"

"How did you know?"

"I'm pretty sure I saw it on the couch in the break room", Lucas replied.

Jade faced her friend as if he had revealed the world's biggest secret to her. The sad expression on her face was enough for Lily to react.

"Well, tomorrow is your day off so that would mean you won't get it back till Saturday. We can get it before coming home if you want, it's on the way." Lily suggested as she didn't want one of her friends to experience an issue.

Jade quickly thanked Lily for offering and so they all decided to make a quick stop by their workplace. Little did Lily know, she was so predictable that this whole conversation had been rehearsed and planned by her friends. Indeed, they knew the brunette would never let Jade go home without her beloved cardigan – which was actually at the café, but Jade didn't give a fuck about it as she could literally come get it the next day even if she didn't have a shift. It was usual for one of them to just come to the café and act as a customer who was absolutely not working there.

When they arrived at the café, Lily was the first to leave the car and take her keys to open the door. She was fully expecting it to take five minutes maximum as she just needed to go into the break room, take the cardigan and come back outside so that her friends didn't have anything to do – which was still according to their plan. As a matter of fact, when Lily entered the main room where most of the chairs and tables were, she actually stopped in her tracks and wondered why some of the chairs were down. Had she forgotten to put them all on the tables when she closed yesterday? To be sure of what she thought she was seeing, Lily turned the light on and was faced with a surprise. Nothing could have prepared her for the huge sign that was reading HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY and the heart balloons over the counter.

Turning back to the door through which she entered, Lily was met with her friends all smiling and singing to her. How had she not seen it coming? Lily had just expected the afternoon at the park to be the only thing they had planned, along with a small diner back at her house. She was still harbouring a shocked expression when Alex quickly slipped behind her to go open the fridge and took out the cake she had bought this morning. As she lit up twenty candles on the cake, Alex, Jade and Lucas started again to sing to Lily. When the cake was put down on the only table without any chair on it, they all sat down and told Lily to make a wish, which she did while blowing out her candles. Following some laughter during the explanations of how Alex had lied this morning as well as how Lucas and Jade had come in early to decorate the café, the four friends enjoyed the cake and discussed some memories of previous birthdays they had experienced together. Although Jade and Lucas had only been working with Lily and Alex for less than two years, it was enough for the four of them to develop a close bond.

After they finished eating, Jade, Lucas and Alex went to the break room to retrieve the gifts they had for Lily – plus the brown cardigan that Jade remembered. They all gave their presents to Lily, who started crying when opening them – emotions are really overwhelming sometimes. Lucas had bought her new headphones as her old ones stopped working a few weeks ago. They were decorated with heart and flower stickers which Lily found adorable. Jade, as a fan of crafts, had made her a set composed of a mug, a plate and a bowl that were all painted with Lily's favourite colour. Finally, Alex had bought her a Care Bear – the "Tenderheart" one, which was perfect to symbolise the girls' relationship. Lily thanked them all for their friendship and told them how glad she was to have them in her life as she hugged them first individually then decided she wanted a group hug.

Lily would never trade her friends for anything else and as she came home with Alex after bidding goodbye to Jade and Lucas who had dropped them off, she realised that another friend of hers was starting to be also important to her. Indeed, as she hadn't checked her phone since they left the park, Lily saw that she had actually received a birthday message a few hours ago from her new friend Matt, which brought a smile onto her face.

Matt🍂

Hi, I hope you had/have a good day

Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday, enjoy your twenties :)

Thank you so much omgg<3

How do you even know?

I don't remember ever mentioning it

Or i just have a bad memory-

It was actually your friend alex who told me

When she replied to me a few days ago?

Ooooh

Makes sense

So, did you enjoy your day?

Yess it was so fun!!

My friends organised me a great day, i love them sm

Good to know

While we're at it, I need to know your birthday now

It's only fair🤷🏻‍♀️

Here we go

Unsent

Hmm ok ok a random date far enough from now

Unsent

Oh yes of course 

It's november 6

Not very soon

I'll remember it :))

It's a bit late for me rn so I won't stay up long but thanks again

It was nice to know you thought of me

No problem

You're kinda in my thoughts lately tbh

Oh

I've been binge watching gravity falls so yeah haha

Oh haha

A man of taste

You know me!

Well i won't keep you awake so have a good night

Thaanks, you too

Talk to you soon

Thank you for reading. Votes and comments are always appreciated if you like this story :) The story is co-written w @/little_grapejuice on wattpad

[splendidissimus]

2004 - I haven't slept in days, but who's counting?

((Content warning: brief mentions of SA / nsfwhump / incest / sexual situations, imprisonment, emotional abuse, captivity, sleep deprivation, starvation (minor) ))

((Promptspiration: @whumptober 2023: day 12: I haven't slept in days, but who's counting? / Insomnia @whumpitlikeyoumeanit: "Whumpee tied up alone in a bare room... by Caretaker." (Hey, I'm allowed to use my own prompts, right?) ))

Description I feel is necessary: Draco is going insane from lack of sleep from a new potion, and his family have to confine him until it wears off, and Draco goes Full Malfoy in trying to get out. It's frankly hard to tell who is keeping whom hostage. He is brutal. This has Big Rough Draft Energy. It should probably break 10k words when done properly, but there is some yadda-yaddaing to hit the highlights.

Genre: whump

Romance level: some

Angst level: 4/5

Draco's headspace: vicious / irrational

((words: ~8500))

------------------------------------

Draco's previous record for going without sleep was five days. And then he had started hallucinating a little bit, which, yeah, obviously wasn't ideal. He had solved that, though. Now he was on day eighteen and he was fine — beyond fine. He had solved everything. Sleep was no longer a necessity, and it was glorious.

But they didn't understand. Or they were jealous. They were trying to make him sleep. They didn't know he'd already anticipated that, too. Theo had been watching him take his sleeping potions for three days now, and he obediently took it and made a show of being 'sleepy'. But what he didn't know was that Draco had developed — well, bought the formula for and then tweaked — the perfect antidote. He was now completely immune to sleeping potions, spells, hexes, curses, potions, poisons, and magical effects. Let them try. 

-

Theo stood in front of Lucius' excruciatingly neat desk with his hands behind his back, weathering his silently judgmental gaze and the more oblique inspection of the Elizabethan portrait behind him. Time was, that would have made him feel like he was a naughty student pulled up in front of McGonagall again; now he couldn't be bothered. "I need help getting Draco to Saint Mungo's." 

"Why?"

He sighed through his nose. "He hasn't slept in…" He shook his head. "I don't know how long, but I'm betting it's a lot longer than it should be. At least a week."

"It's your job to be keeping an eye on these things."

"Hey," he said firmly, rejecting the blame. "I'm doing the best I can. Do you forget how sneaky he is? I'm not the one who raised him to be a perfect liar who thinks he needs to hide stuff like this." Lucius raised one eyebrow, but Theo declined to be intimidated. "He's not just been avoiding sleep, he's been actively faking it. I knew something was up so I've sat there and watched him take his potions, watched him apparently fall asleep. I think he's developed or bought a new potion that nullifies sleep magic, so he just waits 'til I've gone. Hours, if he has to." 

"I was under the impression you were the one managing his potions."

"It's not like he's not got the use of his arms!" He threw up his hands in exasperation. "If he wants to go brew potions whilst my back is turned, there's nothing going to stop him. Unless you're going to hire in two more nurses and a house elf to physically hold onto him every hour of the day, he's going to be doing some stuff on his own, and some of it's going to be wrong, with the ideas he gets in his head and chases. And frankly, two nurses, a house elf, and me wouldn't be enough to stop him doing something he really wanted to, because you know there's only one thing that can even mostly control him."

"And, unfortunately, he can control her in turn," Lucius distantly agreed, tapping a quill on the blotter and looking thoughtful. 

The caught Theo a little off guard, because he was pretty sure he'd never heard Lucius agree with him so casually before, without couching it in insult or begrudging or some manner of sneer. Wait. Was the secret to getting Lucius Malfoy to interact with you like a human being just… standing up to him? Wow, that would have been nice to know years ago. 

"How is he functioning?"

"Weirdly well." Theo sat down in one of the chairs this side of the desk. "I want to be clear that I'm pretty sure he's off his nut, but at a casual interaction, you don't notice it. He seems energetic and in a good mood. A little volatile, but that's not really unusual."

"Is it actually a problem, then?" Lucius pointed out. "If he's found a way to be able to function without sleep, he might benefit from it."

"I did say he was off his nut, didn't I?" he pointed out. "But that's the problem, it's so subtle it doesn't look like a problem. Doesn't even sound like a problem when I try to explain it. But it's like… Okay, you know how when he's drunk, you can have whole hours of conversation, and it seems fine because he's all confident and charismatic, but if you really pay attention you notice he's not actually really responding to what you said at all? It's like that. His confidence and charm are carrying him, but I think he's actually starting to make really questionable decisions. For the moment it's mild enough that it looks like brilliance or eccentricity, but it won't last. And I want to point out that he's interacting with the public, just, constantly. He's going in front of the Wizengamot next week. Do you want him to do that in this state?"

Lucius made an acknowledging noise without actual words, continuing his pensive look.

"Plus," Theo said, slowly, trying to choose his words to phrase this with both the proper respect for Draco but also acknowledgment of the problem, "right now, he's in a good mood. He's basically treating everything as a game. Even me trying to sedate him, it's just a competition to him. That's fine, it's a good look for him. But I'm… kind of concerned… about what happens when that changes. If someone pisses him off, you know, with his,"  accidental, "magic and no impulse control? Or if something scares him, how'll he react?"

"It's a concern," Lucius allowed. 

Draco was naturally emotional; most of his moods were brief, but intense, turning like the weather. He was naturally cheerful and bright, and when he was up he was incandescent. But when he was down, he was brutal. 

—

((yadda-yadda-ing over the cat-and-mouse of actually capturing him))

—

Lucius brought Narcissa to the drawing room. "Take us off the floo network."

"What?"

"I'll get it repermitted, we can live without it for a month."

"Tell me what is going on."

"Draco hasn't slept in weeks. We can't let him leave." 

"That's absurd, if he truly hasn't slept he clearly should be in the hospital—"

"He just set fire to the house for a distraction, and Confounded you." That made her stop abruptly. "In the middle of a conversation, wandless and wordless. That is dangerous." It was impressive and could be beyond useful, but in this situation, uncontrolled… "And that's what he did to you. He can't be exposed to people he has no reason to care about." 

"That's hardly our concern. It's the healers' jobs to handle situations like this."

While her focus on Draco's wellbeing at the expense of everyone else was admirable, she was perhaps overconfident in their social stability. She thought that any repercussions for what Draco did would be easy to brush off — that everyone else must give him as much leeway as she did and forgive him as easily. 

"They can't hold him," he said flatly. "Putting him in the hospital will only give him more people to, at best, talk into releasing him — and more likely Confound or outright Imperius. Once he extracts himself from the hospital, he will be at large and increasingly more erratic. This may be our last chance to contain the situation."

"Draco does not need to be 'contained'. He has made it clear he has no intention of using the Imperius or of harming anyone." 

"When he's in his right mind," he pointed out. "In his right mind he would not be Confounding you to control a conversation. He has proven that he is still perfectly capable of using the Imperius, wand or no." She looked flatly displeased with his analysis, but didn't argue with it. "The best case scenario, should he make it out of the house now, whether to the hospital or of his own accord, is that his madness becomes public knowledge and his reputation is irreversibly undermined. The more likely outcome is that he destroys everything he's built and is eventually locked away, first in Saint Mungo's and eventually in Azkaban when nothing else can hold him."

"They would not."

"What else is there to do with a wizard who can control anyone he talks to and has no hesitation using it? They've no compunction imprisoning lunatics alongside criminals." 

Her lips pressed into a flat line. 

"Disconnect us," he repeated, stepping away. "I have Nott and the elf watching the doors so he can't Disapparate. I'll find him." 

She considered the fireplace thoughtfully as he left. 

—

When she went to her parlour, she wasn't surprised to find Draco there; he knew his father was looking for him and knew Lucius wouldn't come here, at least not until he exhausted everywhere else. He looked up from the book in his lap, chin resting on his fingers, a little smirk playing about his lips.

She allowed that she could believe Lucius' assessment that he wasn't entirely in his right mind. Lucius only ever saw the worst possible outcomes, though. 

"Is your father right, that you haven't been sleeping?"

Draco shrugged a little bit without changing expression. He seemed only mildly amused. "He might be."

"He considers this a problem worth solving." She studied him, the edge of smugness with which he was regarding her. "So do I," she added. "I need you to go to the hospital." 

He looked at her for several seconds without changing expression, but turning his ring around his finger with his thumb, then shrugged a little and set his book aside to stand. "Very well." 

Good — that would end this absurd situation with the least amount of drama possible. She nodded and led him out of her room, back to the floo fireplace in the drawing room. 

She was reaching for the floo powder when she heard a scuffle behind her and, turning, found the house elf latched onto Draco, just before they disappeared. 

—

Tolly Apparated with a struggling Draco down into a small room in the cellar where the wine had been moved out, leaving bare stone walls and ancient wooden cross-racks built into them. There was one solitary chair in the centre of the room. 

The very moment they appeared, Nott cast Incarcerus and caught Draco in magical ropes that bound his limbs and wrapped around his chest. Draco threw a wandless curse at him that deflected off a shield that Lucius raised just in the nick of time, and in the same moment, the elf took his wand from his robes and vanished. 

In the brief moment when Draco was disoriented by the loss of his wand, Lucius cast a different binding spell on him to replace the Incarcerus, because Draco would end that easily: the Living Rope curse, a Darker spell that needed the counter to be broken and would tighten as the subject struggled. It bound his wrists together and tied his arms behind him to the back of the chair, forcing him to sit. He also Silenced Draco, knowing that wouldn't hold long.

"I'll give you a moment to calm down," he said, pointed for Nott to leave behind him, and then stepped out of the room without turning his back, closed the heavy door firmly between them, and locked Draco in. 

Nott let out a heavy breath. "We got him."

"Yes. Now you have to identify and counter whatever he's been taking that allowed this to happen."

Nott nodded. "I have a sample of it. I can take it to Saint Mungo's and work it out with them."

"Horace Slughorn," he corrected.

"Ugh."

"Invoke Draco's name, and pay him whatever he's looking for." Lucius trusted people he was paying far more than those whose loyalties were split up between institutions and ideals that were hopefully encouraging them to do what he wanted. 

"I repeat: ugh. But fine. I'll work with Slughorn, for Draco."

"Master?" He looked down to see the elf at his feet, gingerly holding Draco's wand, and he immediately took it from her and set it on a high shelf that was now over-filled with disorganised wine bottles.

"You are not to free Draco," he told her, "tell anyone about this, or obey any of his orders until I tell you otherwise."

"Yes, Master…" She looked fearfully toward Draco's prison. 

His eyes narrowed slightly at her expression. That could be a problem. She obeyed him out of fear, propriety, and magic — but she actually liked Draco. A willful house elf had options. She might find a way to twist his words to allow her to help Draco, or manage to disobey his orders long enough to do so and then take the punishment. He needed to head that off. 

"This is for his good. He is unwell. He may sound reasonable, but he is not. Don't be fooled."

"Yes, Master." Her voice was more firm this time. "Mistress is coming," she added.

That wasn't surprising, but promised to be difficult.

Narcissa ran down to the cellar. "Lucius!" She was openly furious. The house elf cringed and disappeared, and Nott took one look at her and hurried up the stairs, managing to make his gangly frame scurry.

Lucius didn't move. "We have him," he said evenly. 

"You lied to me!"

"He can read you too easily. If you'd known the plan it wouldn't have worked." 

"You have no right to use me against my son!"

"Our son," he corrected patiently. "It isn't just you; he can read all of us. Whoever acted the bait would have been lied to. But you are the only one he would completely believe was trying to help him, so it had to be you leading him into the trap. I gambled that, it being for his sake, you would eventually forgive me." 

If she would eventually, she hadn't yet. Her expression only grew colder. "Where is he?" she demanded. 

He lifted his wand and drew a rectangle on the wall in front of him. The other side of the wall had been previously prepared, so his rectangle became semi-transparent, a greyish "window" into the room that was now Draco's cell. He was generally facing their direction, still bound to the chair, head hanging onto his chest. The light was coming from one torch beside the door, and there was a portrait on the side wall, the same Elizabethan Lucius Malfoy who hung in Lucius' study, currently looking fairly bored as he toyed with his walking stick and watched over Draco.

"What are you doing to him?" Her voice had risen, somewhere between fury and fear. Though she can't have thought he would actually harm him. It was likely just a shock to see him that way. 

"Ideally, I am stopping him from hurting anyone." 

"Lucius, this is mad!"

"Trust me." 

Nott's heavy step came down the stairs again, and hesitated, so Lucius glanced back at him to get him to speak. "He's still got his potions," Nott said. "I just thought about that. That might not be a good idea." 

He nodded toward the window again. "Relieve him of them."

"Right." He went around them and unlocked the door.

Draco lifted his head when he came in, and his eyes were wide. "Theo." His voice was breathy and relieved. "Thank Merlin, get me out of here…"

He knew better than to look him in the eyes, since that seemed to be helpful to Draco Confounding people, but it was hard. It was hard to see him like this at all. "I can't," he told him quietly, and came up to him, and started searching his pockets. 

"What? What do you mean, 'you can't'?" Draco squirmed to try to stop his search, but tied as he was it was only a little inconvenient. "Please!" 

"I'm sorry, Draco." He didn't find anything but Draco's potions bag and wallet in his pockets, and he cleaned them out quickly.

"Theo, Theo why are you doing this to me?" Draco pleaded, breath hitching. "Please look at me… please… Is it because I didn't want to suck your dick? I'm sorry, I just didn't feel good, but I will, I'll do whatever you want, just let me out. Please, I'll… you can fuck me, just please, please let me out," he sobbed.

Theo fled out of the room and slammed the door. He could still hear Draco sobbing with the occasional 'please' from the other side. Narcissa was staring at him coldly, while Lucius continued to look through the window at Draco.

"I didn't." His words tumbled over each other. "It's not— I wouldn't—"

"It's fine," Lucius observed clinically. "He's opening strong." 

"This is not a game!" Narcissa snapped. 

"We'll see. Nott, stay here a few minutes."

Theo hung around, trying not to look at Draco. Instead he unshrunk the potions bag and started setting them out on the wine shelf beside his wand, labels facing out, so they could be grabbed if they needed them.

Draco's sobbing eventually faded away to silence, and then, in a few minutes, he dropped his head across the back of the chair so that he was looking at the ceiling. A few minutes after that, he started pushing the chair up on its back legs, balancing there. 

"Go back in," Lucius instructed.

Theo glanced at him, and at Draco, and then silently did as he was told. 

Draco dropped his chair down when the door opened, and raised his eyebrows very slightly when Theo came in. "Oh, you're still here." Both face and voice were completely normal. "I actually thought that might work. They are watching, aren't they?"

"More like might get me killed! Why would you say something like that? You know I'd never hurt you."

"Technically, I never said you did. I suggested that you were leveraging your power over me for sex, which, let's be honest…"

"I never have done!"

Draco shrugged a little and leaned his chair back again, going back to looking at the ceiling. "If that's what you really think." 

"Draco…"

"No hard feelings, right? I mean, you are keeping me prisoner." 

"Draco, we're just trying to help you. You need to sleep." 

"With friends and family like you, one hardly needs enemies."

"I'm sorry." Theo backed out of the room again, and this time he locked the door.

When he looked at Draco's parents, his mother was staring blankly through the window with her arms crossed, and his father had his hands clasped behind his back. 

"If either of you doesn't have the stomach for this," Lucius said, "it would be best you leave now."

Neither of them answered, but neither of them left, either. 

—

Near the top of the first hour, Draco began calling for his mother, and after a few minutes she gave in and went to him. He leaned forward as much as he could, bound to his chair, when she came in. "Mother, please…"

She felt his forehead with the back of her hand and summoned the elf to bring her a blanket. 

"Mother." He was looking up at her with wide eyes, vulnerable in his drawn face. "Mother, look what he's doing." There was a quaver of fear in his voice. "This is insane."

"It is for your good." She put the blanket around his shoulders. "It won't be for long. Once you sleep, this will all be over." 

"That's crazy, Mother. Look at this…" He twisted to try to show his bound wrists. "This isn't for sleep, it's for torture!" 

"No one is here to torture you." She ran her hand down his hair. "You only need to sleep."

"I can't, not like this. Who could?" 

She stood with him for a while, but it wasn't really sustainable. Eventually she made a minor adjustment to the blanket to make sure it was tucked around him to keep him warm. "I have to go, but you are not being abandoned," she promised. "I'll be right outside." 

"You're going to leave me here?" His voice was getting shrill with fear. 

"Only for now." 

She was almost out the door when he called out to her again, voice cracking on the edge of tears. "Why are you letting him do this to me?"

She didn't allow herself to look back and quickly left, closing the door between them, only then clenching her hand into a quiet fist. 

"He's trying to drive a wedge between us," Lucius said.

"I know." She still didn't want to look at him. She silently took herself back upstairs. 

—

When Theo got back from meeting with Slughorn in Hogsmeade, he found Draco still tied to that same chair, in that same position. "We can't at least let him walk around, or lay down, or something…?" 

"It isn't possible," Lucius said flatly. "We only barely caught him the first time. To give him back his hands is to give him back a dangerous amount of magic. He's dangerous enough as it is. Without being able to Stun him, this is what controlling him looks like."

Theo looked at Draco again with an uneasy feeling. He didn't really disagree… He'd seen, he'd been on the receiving end of, what Draco could do without a wand. But this didn't feel right…

"He's also willing to hurt himself to manipulate us," Lucius said distantly. 

Theo glanced at him quickly, then looked back into the cell. There was a smudged back mark on the stone wall, that spread toward the ceiling, and he realised Draco's blanket was gone. He'd set another fire, he surmised. Trying to force them to send him to the hospital by breathing smoke? Trying to scare them? 

"At least this way, his options are limited." 

"I understand…"

—

"I'm bored of you," Draco commented to the portrait. "Go away," 

"Would that I could," the portrait sighed. "But you're such a scintillating conversationalist I find myself rapt." 

"Of course," Draco said. "It's my conversation, not your orders to spy upon me that keep you here." 

"Of course it is." He yawned delicately behind his sleeve. 

Draco silently considered the painting for a minute or two, then narrowed his eyes to focus. "Diffindo," he snapped, and a great slice raked it way across the canvas. The portrait's inhabitant yelled and ran for safety in a different frame.

"And that's what I think about your spies, Lucius!" he called out to the empty room, and smirked toward the ceiling. 

It was hours before anyone came to deal with that, and in that time Draco's smirk soured into a cold glare. He glowered and shoved the chair back, scraping over the floor, ramming it against the wall to try to break it, to no avail, although it did make his hands hurt. Then he started ripping out the shelves with his magic, littering the ground with broken shards of ancient wood, occasionally grabbing them and throwing them around the air with a yell. Those bastards! They just left him there to suffer…

When the door unlocked, he jerked his head up, and just as it opened he yanked his head to the side, and with that motion the ruined portrait frame flew off the wall and slammed into the floor right at his father's feet, spraying him with splinters and forcing him to cover his face. 

"Oops," Draco said blandly. "I must be doing accidental magic. Seems someone's taken my wand." 

His father gave him an unimpressed look and shook splinters out of his sleeve. "You know that was meant to keep you from being alone." 

"You know what else keeps me from being alone? People. Like the kind that I can be around by not being locked in this room." 

"That is true," his father said mildly. "You should have a nap and then go find some." 

Draco raised his chin with a sniff and glared. 

"Elf," Lucius said, looking over the room, and Tolly appeared at the doorway. "Clean up this mess before you bring Draco's breakfast." He looked back at Draco. "Next time you feel like throwing a tantrum and destroying your only company, perhaps wait until it isn't the middle of the night so someone will be there to deal with it." 

"You know, that is the one thing you have over Rowle," Draco noted. "When he had me locked away, I could still see hints of daylight. Not with you, though. Your torture is much more effective. This deprivation really goes nicely with my warped sense of time. I can't tell if it's been an hour or a week I've been here. Bravo."

"Well, I would give you a clock," Lucius said, using his wand to draw up another chair by the door and taking a seat, legs crossed amidst the detritus of Draco's night, to look at him. "But clearly it wouldn't be long for this world." 

"Well, at least the gears would be more interesting to throw around than this junk." Draco looked at a large chunk of wine shelf meaningfully and it flew across the room, making the house elf yelp.

His father didn't respond to that, just fastidiously cleaned under his fingernails, and Draco glared at him with mounting resentment. He was so smug… 

"When Rowle had me prisoner," he abruptly snapped, "he made me suck his dick. You know, because that's what fairies do. Is that where we're going here?"

His father's eyes shot up. "Disgusting," he said icily. 

But it gave him a reaction, that soothing balm that gave him back the feeling of control, and, satisfied, he leaned back in the chair. "I know," he agreed. "But I'm not the one who has me tied up in a cellar, just like the last guy. Forgive me if I can't help but notice some unflattering parallels." 

"It doesn't have to be like this." 

"Oh, no, of course not. Let me guess: I made you do this. Or Voldemort made you do this. Or your father made you do this. You didn't make any choices that led to this situation. Poor Lucius, just swept around on the currents of circumstance." 

His father's eyes remained cold, but his voice turned steady and calm. Patient. "Stop this, Draco."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" 

"Very much," he sighed. "Your only enemy here is whatever demon inside your head is making you behave this way." 

"Not from where I'm sitting."

His father didn't answer, and his resentment began mounting again. In a while, he rocked the chair back into the wall, then again, testing how hard it hit his head each time. 

After the third, his father summoned the chair back, scraping, to the centre of the floor, and then cast a sticking charm to hold it in place, so Draco couldn't even rock it back on its legs now. Draco twisted around in the chair, feeling the ropes tighten, and couldn't keep from yelling out his frustration. "Just fuck off already and leave me alone!" 

"I will not." 

—

Because he'd destroyed the portrait, it now fell on the three of them and the house elf to keep watch over Draco at all times. It wasn't safe to leave him alone, and if he was alone they wouldn't know if he actually did start giving in to sleep. 

But the real reason was that Draco simply couldn't handle being alone. Isolation was far crueller to him than to most people, as had been demonstrated repeatedly in the last several years, and the point genuinely wasn't to torture him. If there were any real way to simply hold Draco in a warm, comfortable bedroom where he could chat with his friends and play games until he fell asleep, that would have been far preferable. 

But no. His wandless magic — wandless but mostly assuredly not accidental, every single attempted Confounding and thrown teacup and fire set was under his complete and calculated control — turned every every small luxury into a weapon or an instrument of self-harm, so that he could have nothing but bare stone walls even he couldn't hurt himself with. He turned every attempt at care into a new gauntlet of emotional sadism as he probed for a crack in their defences to exploit, so that his mother had to steel himself before she entered the room and whatever fresh hell of accusation or pathos he was going to heap on her, and Nott threw himself into the analysis of his potion so that he had something more productive to do than weather another storm of Draco's guilting and debasement.

It was hardest to handle because probably very little of what Draco said was an outright lie. That was what made him such an excellent manipulator — he had a real gift for weaponising the truth. It was quite possible the pitiable things he was saying were his real thoughts, or had a kernel of his real thoughts at the core of them, merely now laid bare in the way calculated to elicit the most sympathy, or, if that failed, to hurt them the most. Every cruel observation wasn't merely a cutting insult but a blow to the heart of genuine insecurities he had gleaned. All of his accusations had either crossed his mind, perhaps not what he believed, but things he had at some point felt, or were things he knew they were afraid of. And he knew exactly how to turn every one of those feelings into a deadly curse. 

The house elf was largely immune to Draco's attacks because he knew it was pointless to manipulate her, knowing it was impossible to get her to do anything for him against her master's orders, but she couldn't watch him at all times; aside from the needs of the house itself, which were being neglected, when Draco grew too bored he would still attack her just for amusement. 

Lucius took most of the time the house elf did not. It was as much his role to keep Narcissa and Nott from being bewitched by him and giving in to him as it was to keep him bound there, and the best way to do that was to minimise their time with him. 

He was the most suited to bearing Draco's attacks… and the only one who managed to turn Draco's mind elsewhere for any length of time. He was able, temporarily, to distract Draco and keep him calm by challenging him to mental chess, or directing him into debate or diatribe where his vitriol could have free rein without turning personal.

But it wasn't safe. Draco was always looking for an opening. He once used chess, of all things, as a cover to Confound him, and the elf pulled him out of the room before he could free him; Draco's laughter after that episode was still haunting. His attention could turn in an instant, and the moment Lucius let his guard down the vitriol did turn personal and he found a way to turn the words against him. 

Even he could not hold up under Draco's attention indefinitely. He didn't let Draco be alone for more than a half hour at a time, but he did have to retreat to the other side of the door for respite every few hours. He stood in the same spot whenever Narcissa or Nott took his place, on guard for Draco's influence, and left the room only when the house elf took over the duty. 

This was not sustainable.

—

"Damn it, Draco!" Theo was this close to throwing the toast in his face. He probably hadn't been eating enough during all that time the potion was keeping him awake, and now he was refusing food entirely. He hadn't had more than water and a few cups of tea since he'd been imprisoned, and his body was showing it. He was quickly going from thin to skeletal, with his clothes hanging off of sharp shoulders and the ropes biting into the knobs of his wrists. It was like the potion keeping him awake was eating him alive from the inside to do it. "This isn't about control!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have got confused by the ropes and the locked door."

"I'm trying to save your life!"

"Of course you are; if I weren't here you'd have to go out and find yourself an actual personality. Could you be any more pathetic?" 

Theo let out a helpless groan and dropped onto his knees, with his arms on Draco's lap, holding his head. "Draco… Please, just fucking don't die…" 

"If I do, Theo, it's not going to be my fault." 

—

Draco was crying. Not sobbing, but almost silently, shoulders shaking like he was trying to suppress it, head bowed into his chest so no one could see. 

"This has gone far enough," Narcissa said sharply, going for the door.

"Stop."

"You're the one who needs to stop! Look at what you're doing!"

"He's manipulating you."

"It's not fake," Theo said quietly, staring through the window at Draco. "I've seen him cry enough… that's real."

He flicked that away. "So it's not false. It's still intentional. He's been making and allowing himself to cry to manipulate you since he was two years old; this is not a new tactic. If you let it work this time you're dooming him."

She ignored him and pushed her way into the cell. Draco looked up, eyes wide and startled, then ducked his head, embarrassed, to wipe away his tears against his shoulders. 

"Mother…" 

She came and wiped tears off his cheeks. He resisted at first, then gave in and leaned into her hands with a sigh, eyes closing. Maybe this would relax him. Maybe that was what he actually needed to sleep.

"Why don't you ever protect me from him…?" he asked in a faint, flat voice. 

She drew a sharp breath through her nose and gently lifted his chin to search his face. His eyes flinched away from hers in quiet shame and looked away to the corner of the floor. 

"I know what you're trying to do," she said quietly, and ran her hand over his hair. "It isn't going to work." 

He didn't look up, or give up the act. 

She ran her hand over his hair again, and stepped back out of the room. Lucius started to move, but she made a sharp gesture at him with one finger and carried on up the stairs.

Because she knew that Lucius had harmed Draco. Maybe even hurt him. She had laid ultimata when Draco was young to keep Lucius' darkness and violence away from him. She had intervened when his discipline became too harsh. But they were both prone to operating in shadows, to hiding and secrets. What did she not know? Had she been too distant? Placed too much trust in him? Should she have stood between them more? Had she failed Draco? 

She knew she had, on some level. But not this badly… 

—

"I'm cold," Draco said quietly. His voice was submissive, almost broken. Tired of fighting. 

"Then you shouldn't have set your blanket on fire." 

"You're right. I was just… scared, I guess. I thought you'd have to let me go. I wasn't thinking clearly. May I have another?"

"No."

"…I understand," he said in a small voice, and let his chin hang onto his chest. He was quiet for a little bit before he spoke up again. 

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "For everything. I should have been better. You deserve better. I'm trying, I try so damn hard, I just keep… fucking everything up…"

He didn't respond. Maybe, if he'd thought Draco were actually saying something he meant, he would have, but as it was, it was better for it to just be noise.

Draco was quiet for almost long enough that he thought he meant to stay that way. When he did speak, his voice was low, but without a trace of submission or meekness. "You have to sleep eventually," he said in a quiet, nearly casual voice, and then lifted his head just enough to meet his eyes. His eyes were piercing and cold as any blade. "I don't." 

Lucius was not intimidated — Draco interpreting the fact that he stood that way would be a mistake. But he was a realist, and he knew when wariness was appropriate; if there were any one of them Draco would actually try to harm, it would be him, and it would be best to change the situation before he started getting ideas. "You will, eventually," he promised, and left the room. 

—

The quality of Draco's breathing changed.

Lucius looked up and studied him. He was leaning forward, gasping quietly, eyes on the floor. "Draco?" He stood warily.

"...heart..." Draco gasped out.

Damn it, he'd been afraid of this. He stepped behind him to look, but he saw exactly what he expected to: on his wrist, above the ropes biting into him, the wrist cuff that measured his heartbeat was flashing in rapid alarm. Between the fact that he couldn't take his daily heart regulating potion and the stress...

He stepped out of the room without a word, leaving the door ajar to listen to Draco and looking over the shelf of his potions. He had medications for all of this. There was an emergency sedative precisely for the times his heart ran out of control.

The problem was, they couldn't use them. Nott had brought up a good point: in Draco's mindset of subterfuge and paranoia, they had no way to know which of his medications he had laced with the problematic anti-sleep concoction, but every reason to believe he had done so.

They also had every reason to believe the specific heart medication for this situation would be completely ineffective, at best. It was a sedative. It slowed his heart, for sure, but it also put him to sleep. The chances that his anti-sleep potion would nullify the sleep effect but leave the heart effect intact were slim. It was a carefully balanced blend custom formulated for him, and mixing it with this effect would be reckless and dangerous, even if it weren't laced.

He touched the bottle of sedative, still considering it, for a moment. What was the alternative? Sit back and stonily watch him have a heart attack?

Inside the cell, Draco groaned weakly.

He supposed the real only option was to bring him to the hospital. Maybe he was weak enough or distracted enough they would be able to control him. The risks of what he might do were real, but it would keep him alive...

"Wait!" Nott's voice came from the stairs, and his tromping steps brought him into sight soon thereafter. "Hold on, Tolly got me..."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. Hadn't he been with Slughorn, presumably in Hogsmeade? Willful elf...

"You haven't given him anything, right?"

"No." He dropped his hand from the potions. "There's nothing safe to give him."

"I'll see if there's anything I can do." He hurried past into the cell.

Lucius watched from the doorway as Nott inspected Draco, crouching in front of him, taking his pulse, taking a reading with his wand... Draco weakly twisted to get away from him.

In a minute, Nott stood again, face stony. "Draco, you..." His wand hand clenched tight as he turned away. "He did it to himself," he said in a flat voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"He hyperventilated to speed up his heart to set off the alarm so we'd give him his tainted potions, or send him to the hospital where he could escape, or... fuck it, just to watch us panic, probably. Who knows. It's already slowing down because he can't keep that up."

"Then he was never in any danger," he realised coldly, staring at Draco.

"No, that's the fucking stupid part! It's so bloody dangerous! When that alarm goes off it means his heart's going a hundred and forty times a minute or more, and just because he did it on purpose doesn't magically make it all right! It's still damaging his heart, still wearing out the spells holding it together, he's still going to throw himself into shock or a heart attack, and fucking die, and he doesn't care!"

Draco could obviously hear them; they were still standing there in his cell and Nott's voice was raised nearly to a yell now. But he didn't seem to care. He took a deeper breath and leaned back in the chair.

"He's just..."

"If it's any consolation," Draco said behind him, "it feels rather unpleasant."

Nott whirled on him, wand clenched, then stormed out of the room. "You want these bloody things so badly?" He yanked a potion off the shelf on the other side of the door and threw it. It exploded like a bomb at Draco's feet, spraying shards of glass and muddy red liquid that looked like old blood. "Have them!" Another flew past his head -- Draco flinched away from it -- and exploded against the back wall. A third one hit the floor beside the leg of his chair and didn't break, but skittered away toward the corner. "Fucking choke on them."

Draco looked up without a word, and Nott stomped away. In a second he was back in the door, though. "I just really want you to know that I was aiming for you," he said. "I just fucking missed." Then he was gone. They could hear the door at the top of the stairs slam distantly.

"You don't have anything to say?" Draco shook his head, leaning forward, to make sure there was no glass in his hair.

Lucius summoned the stray potion to hand before it could be forgotten and give Draco the chance to get it. "I applaud his restraint."

—

"You're the reason I tried to kill myself," Draco said in a casual, intimate voice, too quiet for anyone outside the room to overhear even if they were watching. "The thought of living with you a moment more was unbearable. Of being beaten down by you, pushed around by you, of trying to be made to live like you. The only way I could see to get away from you was to take all my potions and never wake up." He leaned back, gaze seeming wistful. "Even afterward, I still wished it had worked. I wished that she'd been a few minutes later and hadn't saved me. Shall we tell her that?" He dropped unblinking eyes down to watch him. "I think she deserves to know that, don't you?"

Lucius watched him expressionlessly, unmoving. 

"Or are you going to let me out?"

"You can say whatever you feel you need to," Lucius said evenly. "You are still not leaving this room." 

"She will never forgive you."

"So be it."

—

"I've got it." Tolly was the one spending the hour with Draco, and so Theo managed to find his parents both in the room outside the cell. They could have been using this time to rest, but instead they were still using it to watch Draco, compulsively, just out of reach of his abuse. 

"The antidote. Slughorn wanted credit for Draco's anti-sleep potion and I told him he was welcome to it, since it apparently drives people fucking crackers. But I've got it." He showed off a phial the size of a large finger. "Now we just need to get him to take it." 

"Asking nicely seems to be out of the question," Lucius said dryly. "Will it be effective diluted in his food?" Well, tea, which was all Draco really ate. 

"It would be, but I don't think he'd take it. He's so paranoid, so vigilant, he'd know something was up." Theo put the potion and his hand back into his pocket, watching Draco with them. "What about acting like it's a sleeping potion? Then he'd think he was immune to it and drink it out of arrogance, to rub it in."

"Maybe two days ago," Lucius said. "He's more likely to destroy it out of spite, now. It's useless to try to Bind him or similar, a wandless Protego is almost signature…"

"Imperius," Narcissa said.

They were both quiet. 

"He wouldn't forgive you," Theo said after a long minute. "He already feels like we control him too much. The moment he got better, he'd leave and we'd never see him again. …If he got better at all, instead of having a breakdown and being locked up in Saint Mungo's."

Lucius nodded. "I would rather not, anyway," he admitted. 

"…Do we have to just physically hold him down and pour it down his throat…?" Theo wondered. 

"A better question is if we can."

"I have four doses. If he breaks a couple…"

Lucius glanced over at met his eyes, considering, then looked at Narcissa, and Theo followed his train of thought with a moment of realisation. It might work. He took out all four potions and held them out to Draco's parents, keeping one for himself and giving her two of them; she blinked at it and at him, then noticed they were looking at her. She looked back at Draco, and nodded as she took them. 

—

On the fourth day, less than twelve hours after being fed the antidote, the quality of Draco's manipulations had changed. When Narcissa came to give him his breakfast, relieving the elf of its vigil, he jerked his head up to look. His eyes were red and sunken into dark circles. "Mother… I give in, all right? Just tell me what you want." 

She studied his face as she finished up his tea. Whatever Lucius believed, she knew Draco, and she wasn't blind to his manipulations, even if she, perhaps, found them difficult to resist; she could see there was something else there now. An edge of desperation, a genuine franticness. Perhaps he was such a master manipulator he could have faked trying-and-barely-failing to cover up his desperation, but he wasn't, not now. "We don't want anything from you."

She helped him to drink his tea, but he turned his face away, and she touched his hair to urge him back toward it. "I only want you to sleep and get better," she said.

"There's got to be something else!" He whipped his head away from her, and the teacup ripped out of her hand and shattered against the wall. "Let me go!" 

When he flipped the tea tray on her, she left the room and sent the elf to get Lucius. Theodore arrived swiftly as well, but Lucius kept anyone from going back into the room. It was cruel, but it was necessary; Draco was becoming more erratic in his desperation. For the first time, the flashes of his magic throwing things around the room did actually seem accidental. It was probably more dangerous than it ever had been; manipulative, he would be cruel, but erratic, he could truly hurt someone from fear or rage and regret it in the next instant, when it was too late.

They could watch the crumbling of his will as the treatment faded, quickly now that the first cracks had formed. His chin sank toward his chest and then jerked up seconds later, over and over. He lolled his head and squirmed in the chair, trying to keep himself alert. He muttered to himself, nothing really sensible, and then broke out into a scream. "Don't make me sleep! Please, I'm sorry, just don't make me!" He broke down into brittle sobs. "Please… please don't…"

He continued begging for some time, growing more incoherent, the words slurring into an exhausted mumble that faded into wordless sobs as he lost the energy even to voice his futile pleading, knowing it would do no good, no one was coming. His sobs trailed away into hitching wet breaths, and those evened out as he finally cried himself to sleep. 

Narcissa closed her eyes in quiet relief once she realised he was actually, finally asleep, and Theodore actually sagged against the wall with his head in his arms. Her arms ached from gripping them so tightly. "Elf," she summoned. She heard an acknowledging squeak and, looking down, realised that it had been there watching from the corner as well. 

"Wait," Lucius said grimly, staring into the other room. "It may be a ploy."

She nearly snapped at him, for caring so little about their son that he could watch even that and only see an enemy, but then she noticed his face. He looked tired. Maybe not physically, or not only physically, but from bearing most of the weight of keeping Draco imprisoned, of having to remain hard-hearted because someone must. Yet he still had to make sure that it was safe before he allowed himself to relax. While they gave in to relief, he didn't let himself feel it yet.

He was starting to move, but she touched his arm. "I'll check." She unlocked the door to Draco's cell. His wariness was contagious, and she wasn't entirely unguarded as she approached the lonely figure bound to the chair. She still didn't believe that Draco would hurt her, even now, but if he was making some last desperate effort for his freedom, he could lash out wildly…

"Draco?" She crouched in front of the chair, looking up into his face. He looked… if not peaceful, then at any rate unaware. He didn't move at her approach, and the quality of his breathing didn't change. After a moment, she reached up and lightly cupped his cheek, pulling her fingertips through his hair for a moment. Then she looked back to the window and nodded.

Theodore entered with the potion bag, taking out a Dreamless Sleep. "To keep him down," he said unnecessarily, and she held Draco's head to help him feed it to him. Draco stirred and tried to wake, alarming her, and she stroked his hair, settling him back into his sleep. She kept him until the potion had time to take effect.

He stood up, hesitating, watching Draco. "I do have some Draught of the Living Death left," he quietly, leaving the decision to them.

She glanced at him and at Lucius, looked into Draco's face, and in a moment nodded. The idea of him waking up again anytime soon was… unbearable. She held him while he fed him that, and Draco's breathing slowed to imperceptibility. Compared to the last few days, it was still a relief. 

Lucius released Draco from his bindings and caught him as he collapsed. Blood dripped from Draco's fingertip, a thin line winding from the deep, raw circles that showed how he had struggled against the ropes over the last few days, and especially the last few hours. 

"Put him to bed," she instructed the elf. "I'll be there shortly."

"I'll go," Theodore volunteered. "He needs healing… He might still need the hospital…"

"I'll be there regardless," she said firmly. The elf disappeared with Draco's limp body, and Theodore hurried after them. 

She touched Lucius' back. "You did well."

"There is no guarantee he will be in his right mind even after sleeping," he warned, looking distantly at the now-empty chair. 

"If not, we will handle it then. Rest."

[mxnkeydo]

so scarlet (it was maroon) ✧ sokeefe

✧ ship: Sophie x Keefe

✧ what to expect: it all went down went a book went soaring across the classroom but sophie never expects it to end the way it does. acrylic smeared on cheeks, pigment-stained clothes, and a whole keefe sencen later, maybe she never despised him as much as she thought she did.

✧ genre: romance, fluff, humor, sarcasm - enemies to lovers trope, human au, and a love triangle to torment you guys 😈

✧ word count: 1.77k

✧ warnings: fluffy moments. be prepared to scream.

✧ link to masterlist

✧ link to chapter five

✧ A/N: I had so much fun writing this, I really hope ya'll like it!

***

CHAPTER SIX

“Hey.”

Fitz slid into the seat next to her with his tray of lunch, happily snacking on a waffle. Sophie couldn’t help it; she grinned, moving over to make room for him.

“Hey.” From afar, she felt herself getting hypnotized by his teal eyes. Sometimes it was like Fitz could see into her soul and look at her deepest desires.

“So, I was wondering.” Fitz fiddled with his fork. “Do you wanna go to the movies with me tonight?”

“Oh!” Sophie blushed, looking down. “Fitz, I’d love to, but–”

“She has a tutoring session with me.”

Keefe sat down beside Sophie, sharing a secretive smile. Yesterday’s events rewinded themselves in her head, and she chuckled aloud, nudging him with her elbow.

“Okay, is there something I’m missing here?” Fitz asked. In unison, Sophie and Keefe burst in laughter regardless of the weird looks they were getting.

“Imagine Kelly actually–”

“I still can’t–”

Fitz calmly waited for the laughter to pass, gently taking Sophie’s hand afterwards. “What happened?”

“We pranked someone yesterday,” Sophie explained. “It was hilarious, you should’ve been there. Oh! I forgot.” She gestured to Keefe. “Fitz, this is Keefe, he’s helping me with the art elective I’m taking. Keefe, this is Fitz, my boyfriend.”

Keefe’s smile faded. “Yeah, we’ve met.”

“You have?”

“Mhm.”

For some reason, both the boys avoided looking at one another. Fitz scooched closer to Sophie, and she leaned into his warmth.

“No PDA, guys!” Biana exclaimed (for the thousandth time) as she sat in the seat across from Sophie. Dex, Tam, and Linh made themselves comfortable in the remaining spots.“I don’t need to see my best friend and brother snogging in public.”

“Biana, who even says snogging anymore?”

“Me!”

“I agree with Biana, coming to school is torturous enough as it is.”

Keefe broke into a smile. “Hey! Bangs Boy!” Biana jerked her head up, eyes widening. Sophie suppressed a smile, remembering all the times Biana would talk about Keefe’s “gorgeous curls” and his “wonderful blue eyes’. Her best friend’s dreams were basically coming true.

But Tam looked at Keefe like he was so done with him already. His eyes narrowed into thin slits, though you could barely see them because of his bangs. “You. What are you doing here?”

“Just because you hate making new friends doesn’t mean I have to.” Keefe whispered in Sophie’s ear, “That’s my science partner. He’s a lil grumpy, dontcha think?”

“And that’s Keefe Sencen,” Sophie heard Biana whisper (more like yell) into Dex’s ear. He, in return, put on a fake smile and replied, “Yup. That’s him.” Poor guy, she thought. His efforts were never enough for Biana’s attention.

“One lunch. One, peaceful, quiet lunch is all I ask for,” Linh muttered under her breath. 

“Tell me about it,” Dex said in agreement, shooting wistful side glances at Biana while she devoured a chocolate chip cookie. Sophie looked around at her friends, then at Keefe.

“Are you okay? I know it’s a lot.”

Keefe shot her a smile, but instead of lightening his face up it made him seem more weary. 

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

***

Keefe was walking with Sophie to art when Fitz tapped him on the shoulder. “We need to talk,” he said.

“I’ll catch up with you in a minute, Foster,” Keefe called, then turned to face his ex-best friend. “What do you want, Fitz?”

“I want you to stop getting comfy with my girlfriend.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You heard me.” Fitz crossed his arms, his chin lifted in defiance. “You think I can’t notice when you get all comfortable with her? There need to be boundaries; she has a boyfriend.”

“Okay, first of all, this is fucked up. You can’t tell her who she can or can’t be friends with.” Keefe emphasized the word so loudly, Bianca turned to look at them strangely before heading down the hallway with Linh.

“All I’m saying is she’s my girlfriend.”

“I’m pretty sure I heard you the first time.”

“Good.” Fitz opened his mouth like he was going to say something else - an apology, Keefe hoped, for the fallout they’d had over Alden, but he just closed it again and jogged the other way, his jacket fading to a black blur.

As much as Keefe grew to dislike him, Fitz was right. Sophie was happy with her relationship as it already was; he couldn’t just waltz in and demand Sophie’s heart when it already belonged to her boyfriend. No matter how much he hated it, he had to let them both be.

Ironic, isn’t it? His ex best friend and his crush. What a pair.

But for the moment, he shook his head and ran ahead to the head of blonde hair in the distance.

***

And so their sessions continued. Sophie slowly learned to draw, and Keefe kept a respectful distance from her as he taught her the basics of art. They eventually passed the strange-each-other stage, and soon they were actually really great friends, to Sophie’s surprise. She found herself knowing exactly when her tutor was nervous, when he was forcing a smile, and when his mind was completely elsewhere.

Which was why, when Keefe was in the middle of telling her all about perspective and shading, she interrupted him with her hand on his shoulder.

“What’s bothering you?” Sophie asked as she brushed the stray hair out of her eyes. She gazed at Keefe, who was fidgeting with his apron, noticing the cerulean paint streaks on his cheeks.

“Nothing. I’m tired, I guess.” Lips turning up gently, he picked up a paintbrush with his messy hands, covering it in pigment. Sophie didn’t budge. The slight crease between his eyebrows told her everything she needed to know. That, and subtle frown that would appear on his lips as he got lost in the purples and blues of his painting: a breathtaking sunset behind the tall grass of a prairie. 

“No, you’re not. What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s ‘going on’, Foster,” he snapped. “I’m just exhausted. End of story.”

Sophie reared back, slapped by his words. She turned back to her own canvas, which wasn’t nearly as good as his, but a good effort nonetheless. They worked in silence for the next few minutes. Keefe seemed to finally notice she was hurt because he said, softer this time: “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lash out like that.”

“I know, it’s just—“ She sighed. “I wish you would tell me. Is it school? Is it your family? I’ve never seen you this worried.”

“It isn’t either of those things.”

“Then what?”

Keefe finally tore his eyes off the canvas before him, gazing at her with an intensity that bore holes through her skull. Instead of their usual hard shine, his irises were soft, reminding Sophie of how ice melts under heat. The way he looked at her alone had her cheeks turning pink. But no matter what, she didn’t break eye contact. Keefe had gone through a lot, as she’d come to know over the past month. She needed to know he was alright, and not having an internal mental breakdown.

“It’s about you.”

“Me? Did I do something?”

Sophie waited impatiently, expecting an answer, but instead Keefe stepped closer and pressed his pigmented finger against her nose. She felt the cold acrylic seep into her skin as she said,

“You didn’t.”

“You sure about that? ‘Cause your nose is looking like an overripe blueberry right now.”

A silent staring contest began—and Sophie had to grudgingly admit she knew Keefe was going to win. So she dug three fingers into a container of green paint and smeared it all over Keefe’s face in squiggly lines.

“Oh, you’re so on!” Keefe slowly crept closer until Sophie could detect a hint of—was that cologne? He never wore cologne. It smelled somewhat spicy, but...also like vanilla? Whatever it was, it caught her completely off guard. Which gave Keefe just enough time to reach out and—

“Keefe!” Sophie yelped as he began to tickle her. She clawed at her neck but in turn he held her arms above her head, smirking villainously as his hands traveled to her stomach. She could do nothing but cackle and shriek as she wiggled under his touch. 

For the first time, Sophie glanced down, only to see that her magenta crew neck was soon stained with blue fingerprints. “Keefe, this is my favorite sweatshirt!” She whined. Lunging for the nearest two bottles of acrylic, she tackled him to the ground and dumped the yellow and pink paint all over him, from his perfect hair to the varsity jacket he wore. Keefe sputtered and coughed as Sophie laughed in glee above him, pinning him down with her knee against his chest.

Keefe couldn’t help but join her. They said to make a girl fall in love, you had to make her laugh. But every time she laughed, he was the one who fell in love, deeper and deeper each time.

You’re going to be the death of me, Sophie Foster. 

She was so close he could see her glistening lips, her perfectly-curled lashes, the flecks of gold in her irises so they shimmered in the fading daylight. There was only so much he could do to resist doing something that would jeopardize their friendship, so he tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear, watching in satisfaction as her cheeks, once again, bloomed with a scarlet hue.

“Sophie,” he breathed in all seriousness. “We’re friends, right?”

“Of course,” she replied without hesitation. Those two words were so sincere that Keefe’s heartbeat automatically slowed down.

A silence came over them like a cloud, but it wasn’t awkward. In fact, Keefe sort of enjoyed it. He watched the way Sophie’s eyes flickered back and forth between his own; how her lips parted; the way she blinked innocently while she stared at him.

But as much as he would’ve liked to, they couldn't stay there forever. With a sharp inhale from Keefe, Sophie scrambled to her feet, offering him a hand. He took it, and looked into the mirror, gasping.

“My hair!” He exclaimed, trying to wipe the pink out of his hair, but he only spread it more. Sophie snorted, swatting his hand out of the way.

“C’mon, you can wash your precious hair in the bathroom. I’m not letting you get in my car with all that paint on you.”

“Whose fault in the first place?”

“Yours, because you started it.” Sophie gestured to the bathroom, smiling uncontrollably. It lit her face like a lightbulb. “What are you waiting for? Go clean up, Sencen.”

[dewsdoit]

we're not really strangers pt. 1.1 - extras: Wonwoo's POV

wonu x y/n | soft romance with a bit of angst ❗️no professional proofreading. may contain grammatical errors.

it’s been a long time but i’m back. I honestly don’t know if I should continue this but I have some free time right now and I’m still kinda having fun. again, don’t take this seriously! it’s just purely fictional <33

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It's been extremely mundane these days. It feels like a routine going to school and getting up is the worst part. I thought I would be excited to finally take my last semester as a student in this school, but I feel numb.

As I was brushing my hair in front of the mirror, I started thinking about how my college life has been pretty eventful…yet it feels so empty. I've been active in school my whole life. I joined contests, I participated in different clubs and organizations, and I even tried joining our futsal team. Don't get me wrong, I've made a lot of friends and companions throughout these events. I'm grateful for the opportunities and I don't regret doing all those things, but I've been wanting some peace and quiet lately. My course isn’t helping as well since it started to feel more of a requirement than a hobby that I feel strongly passionate about. It just doesn’t feel the same anymore.

I stared at my reflection for awhile. The guy in front of me looks so familiar, but I don’t see the same guy who was so excited to take up film as their major and finally fulfill his dream as a director or producer.

My thoughts were disrupted when I heard a knock on my door. “Are you gonna take any longer? We’re gonna be late!” Jen says irritatedly. “Just a few more minutes! Be patient!”, I scold back at her.

Living with my mom’s bestfriend’s daughter has been quite eventful, honestly. Considering the fact that people would commonly mistake us as a couple, I actually treat her like the sister I (wish I) never had.

“What the heck took you so long??” That’s one cute way of saying good morning to someone who just experienced a little identity crisis this early in the morning.

“The shower wasn’t hot enough,” I responded. “Can we please go now?”

“You told me to wait patiently and now you’re bossing me around to head out? My god, aren’t you the sweetest?” She messes up my hair that took me three tries to make it look less fluffy. Oh I wanna push her so bad.

As I parted ways with Jen and entered our building, every thought I had this morning suddenly vanished. It's as if nothing happened. I guess I can still call this school as my second home, but only because I know my friends make it suck less. I took the easiest elective under my major, Film-101. Going back to the basics was a good idea since I feel the need to remember why I chose this course in the first place. Plus, some of my friends are taking up this course for fun too. "Hi, sorry, is this the room for Film-101?" a soft voice asked my friend, "Yeah. We were just heading inside too," my friend responded. "Thanks!" she replied, and my friend was following her with his eyes as she entered the room. I playfully elbowed him and he laughed it off. The truth is I also did the same thing, but not just because I find her pretty. It's because I know her, and I know her too well that my hands are suddenly sweating and my cheeks feel warm. I thought taking this class was gonna be a breeze, but now I find myself shifting my eyes in her direction from time to time. I might just be in awe because I haven't seen her since middle school, but why am I so nervous? It's just her. I shouldn't feel this way anymore. "Dude, are you even listening?" my friend snapped at me. "Yeah dude, just keep talking," I wasn't even looking at him when she suddenly looked back in my direction. Now my friend has truly got my full attention and I'm faking a reaction just to make a fool out of myself. TWICE. That was my sign to stop whatever the hell I was doing and just do what I was supposed to do. The last thing I want is to embarrass myself by failing this class. I have to get it together.

——————————————————————————

I can’t seem to start my car. I’m watching you walk away from the cafe and you look so cute with your hoodie almost making your face look so round. I waited for you to get on your ride back home.

I sit and ponder for a while. My mind keeps replaying how you gently removed my glasses. God, you were so close that it didn’t feel real. It took me back to middle school, when I couldn’t find my glasses after playing at the Mcdonald’s ball pit and you helped me find them. You asked me the same question with such gentleness. Your kind gesture easily made my heart pound so fast that I thought I was going to pass out.

But of course, I expected that you wouldn’t remember me anymore. I don’t think I’ve changed a lot physically, but I’m more active in school now compared to when we were kids. But you… I’ve always known how pretty you are but your eyes are sharper now. You parted your hair differently and you don’t put your hair up anymore. You put on a little bit of makeup to make your cheeks and lips look flushed but you still don’t smile too often. You’re still awfully quiet in class and you keep yourself well-reserved. You choose your crowd and I’m glad you get along with a lot of girls now. Kids used to make fun of you for having a gap between your teeth, but I personally think it’s what makes you stand out in the cutest way possible.

I think about you a little more often than I should. And how you’ve stayed pretty much the same, but also how much you’ve changed. I start to think about how I try not to miss the chances I have in everything I do, and I wanna take this chance I have to try and take my chance on you.

I glanced at my bag and I’m thanking my genius friend for suggesting this card game. Hopefully when we draw the last card, I’ll be able to get to know you better. And if things go the right way, I hope I’ll be brave enough to ask you to see me more than just a project partner. And again, hopefully, more than just a friend.