#the elf's birthday week bash

[dark-elf-writes]

Honestly I am just insanely cusius about the fall out of Bakugou in two heroes and I need to know what happens next please. A drabble of that would be beautiful. I just finished my rereading it lol

Masaru Bakugou wasn’t stupid.

He knew that he had dropped the ball raising his son. Knew that his choice to be the voice of reason between the two hotheads that were Katsuki and his wife had not been enough to mitigate the damage that had already been done both in their home and outside it. Knew that, when it came down to it, he had failed not only Katsuki but Izuku as well.

(He remembered innocent green eyes looking up at him through a sheen of tears. “Why are they so mean, Uncle Saru?”

He hadn’t had an answer then, before it was his son causing that pain. He didn’t have one now either.)

The chime of the doorbell almost went unnoticed in the cacophony of the house. Katsuki and Mitsuki had been screaming at each other since they had left the police station. Masaru was certain the only reason that their car, any furniture too large to throw, and most of the house was intact at all was the quirk suppressing cuff clamped around Katsuki’s ankle. The same cuff that would remain there until Katsuki’s trial.

Pushing that thought away, Masaru walked through the swath of destruction his family left in their wake and opened the front door.

He wasn’t particularly surprised to see the mismatched trio of pro heroes on the other side of the door, but he still felt his stomach sink when he saw the rage in their eyes.

(Rage he understood. Rage he could feel in the pit of his own gut. Rage for a child that had almost died only hours ago at the hands of his son.)

“Bakugou-san. We would like to speak to you and your family about what is to be expected moving forward.” The principal of UA said with deceptive calm. Masaru didn’t fall for it. Not when the rage in the mammal’s eyes burned brighter than the explosions that had nearly cost him a student on live television.

Something shattered deeper in the house. Masaru’s eye twitched.

“Please, come in. Don’t bother removing your shoes.” Knowing Katsuki and Mitsuki, there could be broken glass anywhere at this point. "I would offer tea, but I'm sure you are all very busy." And he wasn't certain that any of their drink ware had survived the war going on behind him.

They didn't give any of the polite deferring that was expected of guests. Masaru couldn't blame them. He was clinging to years if ingrained manners with little more than his fingernails, and with each shout and crash from behind him his grip wavered. If anything the woman, Midnight, if Masaru remembered correctly from the packets that had been sent out when Katsuki had been accepted to UA, seemed to be trembling with barely contained rage.

She had been there, he suddenly remembered. She had been the closest to the field. It was her hands that had caught Izuku when both children had been knocked unconscious, leaving Katsuki to hit the dirt on his own.

(He was a terrible father, he knew. What else could it mean when he was grateful she hadn't caught his son.)

"We should speak to all three of you at once," Nezu's voice was soft compared to the carnage in the house, but it rattled Masaru all the more. He would have preferred him to scream. To roar at him like his own thoughts did for being so blind.

Masaru nodded, leading the three of them to the living room swerving around broken glass and shattered pieces of the life that had once filled their home.

Katsuki and Mitsuki were facing off around the couch. Both of them red faced as they screamed curses at each other. Masaru had grown so used to the noise he hadn't even noticed when he had led the heroes in. Neither of them so much as looked in their direction, so lost in their fury.

Something sparked in his chest. White hot and with all the force of one of Katsuki's explosions.

"Enough!" He roared it at them, cutting through their shouts with a single word.

(He had never raised his voice to either of them. Never in all the time Katsuki had been alive. Never since he met Mitsuki in high school. Both of them looked at him with slack expressions, struck dumb in their shock.)

"Enough," He repeated at a normal volume but the iron in his voice made them both blink. "Both of you, just, enough."

It struck him then that he couldn't offer Katsuki's teachers a place to sit. Even with the couch still mostly in tact, the glass from every picture once the walls and the small fiddly blown glass figures Masaru had so adored was scattered over every inch of their living room. Like a bomb had gone off in their home.

(Like they had raised the bomb that would destroy them.)

None of the heroes seemed like they were much inclined to sit anyway. Midnight dropped back to lean against the farthest wall from Katsuki while Aizawa, with Nezu on his shoulder, stood in the center of the room where the mammal could keep his dark eyes on all three of them at once.

"We have come to inform you that Bakugou Katsuki has been formally expelled from UA as the result of an assault on one of his fellow students," Nezu kept his voice soft, so terribly soft.

Katsuki, however, did not. "The fuck do you mean expelled you fucking rat! Deku fucking—!"

"Katsuki!" Masaru's voice cut through the argument as well as any explosion. "I said enough. You will listen to your… to the heroes, and you will do so silently." It was probably the shock that made Katsuki listen more than any respect for Masaru as his father. Masaru didn't much care as long as he was quiet.

From all Nezu reacted, it was like neither of them had spoken at all. "He will be expelled with a black mark on his record and a personal note from myself attached listing my… concerns should he be accepted into another heroics program. We take the safety of our students seriously at UA, and we know that all of our fellow schools across the world feel much the same."

It was as good as the death of the dream Katsuki had held since he was a toddler. A black mark from UA. A personal condemnation from Nezu. There was not a single hero school in all of Japan that would stand against that. Not a single one in the world if Masaru were to make a guess.

Not that he would have tried to look.

Masaru bowed, a perfect ninety degrees, and kept his voice on the shattered glass under his feet when he spoke, "Thank you for taking the time to inform us. With consideration to what happened, I had already decided to pull Katsuki out of UA, and was already looking for an online program unrelated to heroics that would take him in spite of his… rather televised faults." If he wasn't convicted of attempted murder, Masaru couldn't help but think as he caught sight of the quirk suppressing cuff around his son's ankle from his position.

"What?" It spoke to just how stunned Katsuki was that the word had come out as a strangled whisper rather than a roar.

Masaru straightened, not daring to look at his son when he spoke. Instead his eyes caught on a patch of wall brighter than the rest where a picture had once resided.

(Izuku's smiling face had once looked back from that picture, where they were clinging to their mother's arm. Katsuki and Mitsuki had both also been smiling for once. A rare moment of peace caught on camera now crumpled and shattered on their floor.

He wondered what it said about all of them. Surely nothing good.)

"I have been too lenient toward the problems in your behavior for too long, which resulted in another child being hurt. I refuse to make that mistake again. It is my greatest shame that it took me this long to see."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Midnight's head dip in a nod. Confirmation and damnation in the movement. Her hands might have been the ones stained with Izuku's blood, but the ghost of that blood rested on Masaru's soul. He should have known, should have seen the warning signs, but he had not. Now he had to live with that failure for the rest of his life.

(It would be so easy not to. To run as far as he could. To leave nothing but signed divorce papers and a broken home full of rage and guilt behind him.

But Masaru had taken the easy route too much already, and he, frankly, didn't trust Mitsuki to keep Katsuki under control.)

He nodded back at Midnight, a message received and understood. "I apologize for the harm that Katsuki has done."

It wasn't enough, and he knew it.

It would never be enough.

Masaru had to say it all the same.

None of the heroes accepted the apology. None of them would lessen his guilt. None of them so much as bowed before showing themselves out of his home. Masaru was grateful for it, was grateful for the stunned silence that they left in their wake even more so.

[rolansrighthorn]

BG3 Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

I saw their post of this and thought it would be fun to do! I am choosing to do Willow Hvithrafn in this post and may do Daryna Stalwart in another post, just as I did for the Get To Know Your Tav post (Daryna's, Willow's) I am going to tag a few people who may be interested in doing this, but this is not a tag game. You don't need to make your own post or tag others. @underdark-dreams @my-favourite-zhent @dustdeepsea @voloslobotomyservice @faerunsbest

Baby:

Parents: Human father named Mathias, high (moon) elf mother named Estre

Birth: A difficult, long labor for Estre in the middle of Spring (sometime in the month of Tarsakh (April in Earth months))

First word: "No"

When they first walked: Trying to go after Estre as she left to relieve some of her wanderlust, which was very frequently.

Tantrum: When Estre left yet again on her fourth birthday.

First sickness: Days after Estre left on her fourth birthday, Willow fell into a serious flu-like sickness for several weeks that left her alone with the healers at Lathander's monastery as her father did not want to "deal with it".

Thunderstorm: She disliked storms only because the stars were hidden, and stars were her only friends growing up.

Childhood:

Friends: Willow was very cold and distant from everyone growing up because of the neglect from her father and perceived repeated abandonment from her mother who was never quite present when with Willow. Due to this behavior, she never had any friends growing up.

Siblings: Willow is unaware, but she has two half sisters and her mother and father has a son who they love after she left home.

Getting into trouble: She often was spoken to and reprimanded for pushing or punching local and school bullies.

Birthday: Sometime in the latter part of Tarsakh in the spring.

Games: Willow has no patience nor any interest in games.

Learning something new: Unless it is related to combat, strength training, or something related, she has little to no interest. She is not unintelligent, but she isn't especially talented at anything either. She is just average.

Trauma: Her father neglected her, her mother was hardly ever around, she was bullied for emotionally struggling and for crying over everything to the point she grew cold and distant and emotionless until she met Geraldus.

Teenager:

First love: Willow never loved anyone until she met Geraldus as an adult.

Rebellion: Her "rebellious" phase was standing up for others to bullies and being physically violent with them.

Running away: Willow hated her mother's wanderlust and leaving so much she tries to suppress that part of her and viewed running away as the same thing. Although, she exhibits similar behavior by walking away/removing herself from uncomfortable situations.

Reckless behavior: Standing up to anyone and everyone who were mean, especially those who physically bullied others. Sometimes she would get hurt trying to defend others.

Peer pressure: She has never been subject to peer pressure as she never cared what others thought after she emotionally sealed herself off.

Growing pains: She had a lot of knee and lower back pain.

Taking responsibility: When it comes to protecting others, she is good with responsibility. But if she misbehaves or hurts an innocent she gets defensive out of embarrassment and will walk away/storm off.

Adulthood:

Their “first time”: Their first time will be with Geraldus, several months or so after they officially get together.

Serious relationships: Her one and only serious relationship will be with Geraldus.

Work: She is a Harper, and growing up she did side jobs (vermin extermination, pet sitting, etc) to get money to pay for a special weapon.

Leaving home: She left home at 20, joined the Harpers at 27.

Aging: Gracefully as she is a half high elf.

Finding their place: She only finds her "place" once she's accepted Geraldus in the others as a part of her life.

Staring a family/found family: Willow does not want to have children, and will never have any. Kava, a Dragonborn who joined the Harpers, is the only one she considers a friend, almost like a brother, and Geraldus is her love.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC's Fic of the Week Masterlist

Each week, one fic on our CFWC Fics of the Week list is chosen at random as our Fic of the Week. We highlight that fic an additional 3 times the following week, and it will be kept on this list for all time!

Please see more about our Fic of the Week here.

Ⓜ️ = Adult Content 🔥 = NSFW/18+ Only

Week 44: Halloween: Chapter 3 | OH | Jensen Valentine (M!MC) - @mydemonsdrivealimo Week 43: Holiday Shopping | PM | Hayden Young x F!MC - @rosepetals1 Week 42: A Meeting in Wyoming | NB | Nik Ryder x F!MC - @ladylamrian Week 41: Dress Up | RCD | Thomas Hunt x F!MC - @tveitertotwrites Week 40: A Bit Dark... | OH | F!MC x F!OC - @jerzwriter Week 39: Birthday | TRR | Drake Walker x F!MC - @petiteboheme (art by @rosefuckinggenius) Week 38: Shadows Creeping Ⓜ️| BOLAS | Aerin Valleros x F!elf!MC - @zhoras-bitch Week 37: Midnights Like This: Part 11 | TRR | Leo Rys x MC - @queenrileyrose Week 36: Sophomore Secret ILITW | Dan Pierce x F!MC (Riikka Yläkorpi) ; Ash Clark (M!OC) - @aallotarenunelma Week 35: Black Silk Chapter 19: The Truth | TRR | Liam Rys x F!OC, Drake Walker x F!OC - @aussiegurl1234 Week 34: Together | OH | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @zealouscanonindeer Week 33: Little Star Falling | BOLAS | Tyril Starfury x F!ELF!MC - @secret-fungi Week 32: The Lover's Caress Ⓜ️| BOLAS | Tyril Starfury x F!HUMAN!MC - @lawrencebarkley Week 31: Fire & Water Part 3 | ELE | Shreya Mistry x M!OC - @korgbelmont Week 30: I'll Show You Little by Little | CoP | Trystan Thorne x F!MC - by @reveluving Week 29: Crimes Drabble | CoP | Trystan Thorne x MC - @lilyoffandoms Week 28: Coffee & Dinosaurs | RCD | Thomas Hunt x F!OC - @theartoflovingthomashunt Week 27: Marabelle Ch. 6 Ⓜ️| TRR | Liam Rys x MC - @tessa-liam Week 26: A Kiss on the Hand Part 1 | OH | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @cariantha Week 25: What Could Have Been. Ch. 3 | OH | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @liaromancewriter Week 24: Mixed Signals | OH | Multiple Pairings - @alj4890

Week 23: I'll Have What She's Having | OH | Tobias Carrick x F!MC - @jerzwriter Week 22: Victim of Love: Chapter 12 - Looking Forward | TRR | Drake Walker x MC - @angelasscribbles Week 21: ... Sometimes Not: Part 5 Back to How It Used to Be | TRR | Liam Rys x F!OC - @ao719 Week 20: Babysitting | OH | Bryce Lahela x F!OC - @storyofmychoices Week 19: Music for the Lost (and Found) | CoP | Trystan Thorne x F!MC - @inlocusmads Week 18: Here Comes the Sun Part 1 | TRR | Liam Rys x ?, Drake Walker x MC - @kristinamae093 Week 17: You and I (1/3) | OH | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @jamespotterthefirst Week 16: Never Have I Ever: Chapter 14: The Beaumont Bash Ⓜ️| TRR | Bertrand Beaumont x MC - @harleybeaumont Week 15: Dancing Between the Unknown | OH | Ethan Ramsey & F!MC - @potionsprefect Week 14: In Times of Comfort | TRR & RCD | Thomas Hunt x F!OC - @alj4890 Week 13: If (and When) the Cold Comes Crashing Through | OH | Bryce Lahela x M!MC - @mydemonsdrivealimo Week 12: Midnight Talks | OH | Sienna Trinh, F!MC - @trappedinfanfiction Week 11: Morning Selfie | OH | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @genevievemd Week 10: A Different Fate | OH | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @jerzwriter Week 9: Savage Love: Chapter 30 Ⓜ️- About Last Night | TRR | Liam Rys x MC, Drake Walker x MC - @angelasscribbles Week 8: The Date | OH | Tobias Carrick x F!MC - @alj4890 Week 7: Us Again: Trace the Steps | TRR | Liam Rys x MC - @ao719 Week 6: Stop the Clock | OH | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @liaromancewriter Week 5: A Theif in the Garden | BOLAS | Mal Volari x FOC - @storyofmychoices Week 4: Power to Overcome | OH | Aurora Emery, F!MC - @coffeeheartaddict2 Week 3: Coming Up Blank, Part 3 Ⓜ️| WTD | Eli Sipes by @jerzwriter Week 2: Special Surprise | OH | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @potionsprefect Week 1: Maxwell's Jolly Holiday, Part 2 Ⓜ️| TRR | Maxwell Beaumont x Liam Rys - @harleybeaumont

[liaromancewriter]

The Valentine Twins collection

A/N: While Max often appears in other fics, this collection of stories and edits focus mainly on Cassie & Max's sibling relationship.

Intern Year

First Day Jitters 🎨   Cassie Valentine’s first day at Edenbrook isn’t going as planned. Luckily her twin brother is there to lift her spirits.

Double the Fun 🎨 Cassie spends her day off with a quick trip home and a day out with her twin brother, Max.

SOS – a text fic 🎨🎭 When Cassie has an emergency, there’s only one person to talk her off the ledge. Text fic featuring my favorite twins.  

Zodiac Fun 🎨 Cassie is all about love that’s written in the stars.

Stop The Clock  🎭🎪 After almost six weeks without word from Ethan, Cassie needs her family more than anything.

Second Year

Spill the Tea 🎨  Cassie has been dating Ethan (discretely) for a couple of months now and her family and friends want to know who the mystery man is. 

Lost and Found 🌼 Cassie and Max celebrate their birthday under the Northern Lights and have a heart to heart about what’s happening in their lives. 

Falling Into Dust 🔖🌵 After surviving a deadly poison attack, Cassie struggles with guilt for her part in the tragedy and tries to find her way back to the person she was.

Part 1: The Aftermath

Part 2: The Healing 

Underneath the Tree 🌼 Cassie is in the mood to spread some Christmas cheer and her loved ones are happy to help. 

Not My Bestie 🎨 Cassie drills Max about his friendship with Sienna.

Beach Clean-up 🎨 Cassie is not happy about what she finds. 

Third Year

Reunions and Resets 🎨 After a grueling few weeks, Cassie spends three days in London with her brother to recharge and reset. Continuation from Checks and Balances. 

Crossed Wires 🎨 Cassie finds out Max kept a secret from her.

Reflections and Renewals 🎭🎪 Cassie’s temper flares up as the first anniversary of the poison attack approaches, but she soon learns the value of second chances. 

Yoga Fun 🎨 Cassie is all about trying new things, until she isn’t.

Gemini Calling 🎨 The Boards are finally here and Cassie wants the people she loves around her. But they don’t seem to want her. 

Much Tattoo About Nothing 🎨 When Cassie’s tattoo attracts interest from the tabloids, it has everyone buzzing.

Post Series

The Twin Code 🌼 For Cassie and Max Valentine, it’s always been them against the world, no matter who was in their lives or where they ended up in the world.

High 🎨 Cassie takes great pleasure in trolling Max after he and Sienna become official.

Reunions 🎨 Cassie visits Max and Sienna for some much-needed ‘Bestie Time’.

Three’s a Crowd 🎨🌼 Max, Sienna and Cassie end up in the tabloids after a night out on the town.

Sibling Rivalry 🌼 Cassie and Max play Monopoly and things get intense very quickly, much to the dismay of their loved ones. 

Twin Perspectives 🌼 The Valentine Twins know when and how to come through for each other.

Twinsies 🎨 Cassie and Max celebrate National Twin Day.

Anti Valentine 🎨 Cassie and Max commiserate each other on their most hated day.

Green-Eyed Girl 🎨 Random convo between Cassie and Max about family traits.

Hot Tea 🎨 Cassie makes the tabloids and finds new champions.

Perfect Day 🌼 When the leaves turn, it’s time for childhood fun.

Christmas Tree Traditions 🌼 Decorating the Christmas Tree is a chance to create new traditions.

Carry On 🌼   Family traditions have always been important to the Valentines, and now it’s time for a new generation to carry on the legacy. 

Twin Shenanigans

Gif edition

Java edition

Panda edition

Elf Edition

Random Edits

Reminiscing

Manips collection

Happy Birthday

Ride or Die

Birthday Bash

[herenortherenearnorfar]

I…uh, did not entirely follow the recommendations. Still, this did haunt me enough to require a follow up @undercat-overdog

Age is creeping over Gimli Treasurefinder, reshaping him as water reshapes a cliff. With his knees starting to ache he can’t meet with Celebrimbor as often as they once did, in the early days of their friendship. Celebrimbor knows he isn’t helping either, he should by rights come to Gimli and Legolas’s home but raising a child puts a crimp into a person’s schedule.

In the end it’s Elrond who forces both their hands by throwing a small party for Maitamië’s birth-begetting-appearing-day (Alyahtar refers to it as their collective comeuppance; he needs to stop being glib now that she’s old enough to understand three syllable words). Birthday parties are not a terribly elven practice, a begetting day might merit a celebration among family but not an evening long, gift giving extravaganza. All the practices are cribbed directly from the hobbits, a copy of their traditions cobbled together from Olórin’s guidance and memories of Bilbo Baggin’s excessive 150th birthday blowout bash.

There will be a designated party tree— Celeborn (Celeborn the elf always puts up with comparisons to his arborous equivalent good naturedly). There will be food, a spread of delicacies from four ages and seven lands but especially the Shire. They’re even promised fireworks, Olórin’s treat. The only thing the birthday girl— and given her age this includes her parents by default— is asked to provide are the presents, and the task of making a few hundred clever little mathoms keeps Alyahtar from growing restless in the weeks leading up to the event. Maitamië even helps, in distractible spurts, bouncing between the library, the workshop, and her aquariums. They are still working on the idea of giving away birthday presents instead of keeping them, she can have a greedy streak, but it’s been two months since a biting event so her refusal won’t hurt anyone

On the boat to Tol Eressea Maitamië kicks her feet in the water and hums a song neither of them recognize. At her happiest she looks like a sleek seal child, fine dark hair plastered to the back of her neck and over the tops of her toes, lanky legs and still chubby hands, huge eyes and flashing teeth.

“It’s my birthday, so I get my precious,” she tells them as they near their destination, speaking with all the authority of a just-turned six year old.

“We’ve discussed the birthday gift policy, hecilnya, and while I agree it’s a bit silly we do have to obey cultural strictures to reap cultural rewards,” Alyahtar explains.

“No, I have my precious—“

They can go on for some time like this. At times listening to his husband and daughter argue feels like listening to Sauron argue with himself. Celebrimbor doesn’t exactly ignore them, he’s just… developed a talent for monitoring their discussions without paying attention to the details. As the debate on property rights continues unimpeded he scans the shore for familiar faces.

There’s Galadriel waiting for them, Elrond must have been too busy finalizing party preparations to greet them in person. Next to her are her grandsons, Elladan and Elrohir, and caught between them, valiantly resisting efforts to put him in a headlock, is Legolas. Where Legolas is… yes, Gimli is just visible above the sea wall, his white hair shining in the sun.

Not just white hair, Celebrimbor notes with sadness. He’s balding where he wasn’t just three years ago, though, Smith keep his promises, his beard is still full and healthy.

“Auntie Galadriel!” Maitamië shrieks, tearing away from her father, flinging herself across the boat, and then, before either of them can stop her, diving into the water.

Queen of stars help them. At least she can swim; she barely needed any teaching. The oarsmen on the boat slow their pace to ensure she won’t be caught up in the churning water and by the time they dock she’s already pulling herself ashore. Hair dripping into her face and silk dress waterlogged to dull darkness, she resembles a salamander emerging from a pond, an odd amphibian surging out of the sea.

“Sinyerna,” Galadriel says formally, using the term for a one who left the halls in child garb, though Celebrimbor and Alyahtar’s ward is not in quite the same situation. She kneels and lets the child drip all over her pristine white dress with barely a grimace. “Have you changed your name?”

Maitamië shakes her head. She does go through spells of different appellations—old and new. She’s been Smië and Gollon and Pirindë, but usually she returns to the hasty nickname Celebrimbor gave her when she was first thrust upon them. At the end of the day, her tendency towards habit seems to overwhelm her half-processed memories. It’s easier for her to leave her name and gender in the configuration circumstances dictates. For now she’s limiting her explorations of identity to comfortable weekends at home.

“Still hungry?” Elladan, Celebrían’s son teases as Celebrimbor and Alyahtar clamber out of the boat.

“I am always hungry,” Maitamië grumbles, peeking out from underneath Galadriel’s arm. “Always, always, even since the dark days. It’s why I need second breakfasts! I am still growing.”

Legolas takes advantage of the distraction to extricate himself from Elrohir’s affectionate embrace. “Lord Elrond prepared a great deal of food according to Master Gamgee’s own recipes. I don’t know about second breakfast but we’ll be having third supper if he gets his way. Does that satisfy, tadpole?”

There are, by Celebrimbor’s count, five grown ups around his daughter now. The path back to the ocean is blocked. He takes a few steps back towards Gimli Elffriend, who he hasn’t seen in years. The dwarf’s smile hasn’t been changed at all by age. “Well met, stranger,” he says.

“Well met yourself,” Celebrimbor whispers back jovially.

A few paces away Maitamië has been emboldened by the wealth of adults paying attention to her. “I’m never satisfied. Never ever. They stole the happy part of me out and they won’t give it back.” She pauses, thoughtful. “But it is my birthday. That’s nice.”

Gimli wheezes, the sort of noise that it’s never encouraging to hear from an elderly friend. As Celebrimbor leans over him in concern, he hears, “More like Frodo by the day, Gandalf didn’t lie.”

Frodo. There are many ghosts haunting this experiment in child rearing. Frodo Baggins is the most spectrally active of the bunch. Though the hobbits have not dwelt in Valinor in two hundred years, they left deep marks on the land and people.

At times Maitamië can be generically hobbitish; she eats like a furnace and laughs like a bell, she’s fiendishly good at disappearing and reappearing where she’s least expected, she thinks of shoes as an invention for other people. Other habits are entirely Frodo. There is the quiet way she listens and the anxious way she chews her cuticles. The solitary spirit, the tendency to walk alone at night when she can’t sleep. Even the way she talks, at her most dismal, is a cross between Frodo’s dolefulness and the nostalgia of Tree-sick elves.

(“I am not allowed to want things, I have been forbidden, even though it is my birthday,” she says in response to a question about what she’s most excited for. The martyrs of Gondolin have nothing on her long-suffering mien.)

The Ringbearer was much in demand yet he still made time to speak with Celebrimbor. They spoke at first of little things, the Doors of Moria, word games, a hobbit invention called crossword puzzles. Later they talked of grief and guilt, the feeling of not having done enough and yet having done too much to ever bear within a lifetime. When Frodo was very old and close to leavetaking, Celebrimbor caught Sauron in a jam jar, beginning the long process that ended in an unexpected wedding. After that they had a conversation about second chances and Frodo said to him, “I am not sorry that Sauron should get an opportunity to remake himself, but I do feel that others are more deserving. Gandalf would say that we never deserve, we simply receive— still, when I think of poor Gollum…”

Sometimes it seems those words echo in his ears every time he looks at his child. He wonders if Gimli ever had a similar conversation with his friend, if there is some old debate on fate or mercy running through his head.

“She comes by it honestly,” Celebrimbor says, hedging around the common factor uniting Frodo Baggins and the poor soul that makes up most of the amalgam he’s raising. Gimli really doesn’t need any more excuses to hate Alyahtar. It’s difficult enough keeping everyone civil without reminders of all the terrible crimes! And though Celebrimbor’s husband can and should defend himself, Maitamië shouldn’t have a(nother) birthday ruined by past atrocities.

“That she does,” Gimli admits, “Your rings warped people like nothing else I’ve seen.”

Nothing like dwarves for a bit of frankness, Celebrimbor winces.

“Ah, don’t fret,” Gimli advises when he sees Celebrimbor’s dismay. “Nothing time and the Maker can’t fix.”

Fix is a strong word. Fix implies that Sméagol of the river people has been brought back, fresh and right and unharmed. Instead there is a child, who is a little Sauron and a little Celebrimbor, a bit of the other elven collaborators on the rings mixed in, some general malign influence, possibly some extra scraps of houseless spirits in there (they’ve caught her humming songs older than Mordor itself), but mostly Gollum. Gollum confused, Gollum furious, Gollum trapped in a maelstrom of power and looking for an out. Making a happy, healthy child out of that means making it not what it once was.

None of them are what they once were. You can only try to follow the curves of the old as you carve something new.

Their group is starting to move, Galadriel wringing out her dress, Elladan and Elrohir swinging Maitamië between them as they stride towards Elrond’s house. Celebrimbor nudges Gimli, “Do you need help?”

“I’m not that old!” Gimli complains as Legolas arrives.

“Of course not,” Legolas remarks dryly as he lends his hand. “By some counts you’re younger than the last of the hour.” Despite his protestations of vitality, the handholding does seem to help him— between the support and his cane he moves slowly but surely after the rapidly disappearing twins.

Perhaps he will not leave. Valinor would be poorer without him, and in truth Celebrimbor doesn’t know what he would do without people who remember hobbits, who remember Frodo, as something more than curiosities.

Rather than contemplate death in the Undying Lands, he turns to Alyahtar. “Shall we go get our daughter?“

When they catch up to Elladan and Elrohir, Maitamië pulls away from them and sprints to catch both of their hands. With strange solemnity she presses the backs of their palms to her cheeks. “There,” she says, “my precious. For my birthday.”

[silverkoushi]

haikyuu!! headcanons

⇢ scenario: how you’d spend the holidays with them!! | read pt.2 here! ⇢ feat. : suga, hinata, & kageyama (karasuno) x gn!reader ⇢  wc & warnings: 1.7k, none ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ this is me trying to psych myself up for the holidays aha... thinkin of doing more if i get the inspo and make it in time ><

sugawara koushi ୨୧ ˻˳˯ₑ*॰¨̮ the holiday spirit with him is unsurprisingly soft and domestic!! he’s the kind of guy that loves to uphold traditional celebrations like the holidays, your birthdays, new years— things like that because it’s important for him to create memories that you can look back on many years later. you bet the holiday decorations will be up mid-november, so once you see him struggling to hang multi-colored lights along the exterior of your house, you have no choice but to laugh at him at first but eventually help him out!! his cheerfulness and child-like excitement nearing the holidays becomes contagious so the two of you start matching everything: penguin sweaters, (ugly but comfortable) red/green pajamas, mugs that have those cringey couple labels on them— basically, you name it, you and suga have two versions of it to wear/use!! suga would be in an extra-baking mood, too!!

if there’s a holiday party (probably at the school he’s teaching at) that you would be attending with him, suga will volunteer to be in charge of baked goodies! sugar cookies, brownies, donuts with cinnamon sugar, maybe even a raspberry choco cake roll?? the possibilities are endless with your pastry chef of a man, and ofc you make it your duty to help him out in the kitchen!! baking til 2 or 3am, sometimes just goofing off with the flour, cookie dough on the tips of your noses, and suga stealing a kiss (or a lick) here and there. all the while your favorite holiday playlist hums in the background of your colorfully lit home, pictures of the two of you hanging around a tree, santa hats bouncing up and down atop your heads the way you dance everywhere, his arms snug around your waist. while you wait for the last batch of cookies in the oven, suga has already prepared his original hot cocoa for the two of you, making sure he adds extra mini marshmallows in your elf mug tonight— you sit by the couch overlooking the decorated frenzy of your surroundings. and you know you made the right choice spending it with him. :) when the actual party happens, o god the kids love you!! calls you his partner for lifey!! sth cute like that and u don’t know if suga taught them that or they just made it up lol either way, you’re so very excited to see how the love of ur life interacts with his students as, you guessed it, he’s so so good with them!! they run up to him, bouncing up and down just to get a bite of his baked goodies and while he’s handing them out, he also gives them a handwritten card. for each n every one of them!! when did he do that?? you question to yourself, but when he seesn you giving him an incredulous look, he just sheepishly smiles and says, “when you fell asleep on the couch last night, i wrote them last minute.” o,, that’s why when you woke up, u don’t even remember lying down in the bed but you surmise suga had carried you all the way there too :’) 

they sing a lot of holiday songs, play those party games like trip to jerusalem or once the music stops, you have to stop dancing or you’re out type of game and just overall lots of fun filled moments and you feel thankful for witnessing such a pure, innocent sight right around the holidays!! ofc once it’s all done and he bids them goodbye with a hug, a hi five or a pat on the head, suga doesn’t forget about you and puts up a mini mistletoe by the door when everyone had left. he has that teasing smirk on his face and you’d do more than just kiss him bec of it but uh, you’re still in the classroom so you give in with a chaste yet sweet kiss on his lips. he returns it a little deeper, but you push his chest off playfully, and boop! him on the nose. “later, sir,” you reprimand lightly, yet cheeks blushing at your interaction with him in his workplace. he shows that toothy grin, and intertwines ur fingers together as u walk to your car and finally spend more time together again <333 his most favorite part of this season!!

hinata shouyo ୨୧ ˻˳˯ₑ*॰¨̮ be prepared for a very hyper and energetic holiday week with this guy!! imagine you two are still in college, he has a break from playing professional volleyball to spend these times with his family. and he chooses to spend most of those days with you!! he is actually very excited to bring you home to meet his mom and (not-so) little sister, and it’s very nerve-wracking knowing that it’s an important holiday for them to be together as a family— and then you’re just gonna crash it like that??? BUT sho doesn’t see it that way! he already sees you as a person he’ll definitely experience even more holidays the next year, and the one after that, but in order to ease up the anxiety that has been building up in your system, he tells you of his extravagant plans for the two of you before going back to his parents’ house!! think amusement parks in the winter, ice skating in frozen lakes, walking on boardwalks with two styrofoam cups of hot choco for him, and a peppermint mocha for you!!

o, and if there’s some downtime with your adventure, he’ll drag you outside where the snow is ankle deep, tells you to take a picture of him in the cold, earmuffs hugging the sides of his temple so warmly that you find so adorable. you’re about to pull your phone out until you feel cold, wet, melting ice smacked onto your cheek!! “SHO, WHAT THE HECK—” you don’t even have time to protest because WHACK, one more snowball, but he missed and it got to your jacket this time. luckily, your phone was still okay but your boyfriend definitely won’t be once you find him as he had started running, your voice calling out to his name in the breezy wind. so that whole afternoon, you were seen having a ridiculous snowball fight around campus (you guys stayed in the dorms until you were ready to leave), laughing when you threw one directly at his open, cackling mouth. shouyo started choking on the snowball, but you were still wiping tears from your eyes at the hilarity of the situation. “STOTPF IM LITERALYLYL DYUINGGG” “don’t be ridiculous” “JDFSKFDJH” and that’s when you actually run towards him, patting his back rather forcefully because oh god what if you did make him choke and his family won’t have a son coming home this time around?!

while you worry in your head, shouyo had already tackled you to the ground, snow engulfing your bodies together. “let’s take a picture here, this is the perfect spot!” he’d chuckle, peppering you with winter kisses, sending shivers down your arms not just because they were cold but also wow, you’re so lucky to be with a guy like him during this season. suddenly, you anticipate meeting his family :)

kageyama tobio

୨୧ ˻˳˯ₑ*॰¨̮ you know what you’re very excited for that kags isn’t? his birthday falls on the week of christmas, and any other normal person would just think, “ah, i can just combine his gifts into one!” but for you that’s a big no-no. and kageyama knows it, and he’s flustered and shy because everyone in his life up until the point he’s met you had always just given him a 1 for 2 type of gift. not that he minded, that’s all he’s ever known in his life so when you promised him a big birthday bash and a special holiday gift, he’s scared for what’s to come,,, although, you know he’s not big on surprises or bigger gatherings, but you wanted to see his reaction as to how you planned it all out! in reality, you just wanted to spend precious time with your bf on his bday and an early christmas before he leaves to go visit his family :(

after tiring hours of vball practice and finals (he’s gotten better at studying, don’t underestimate this guy!) he sleeps in on the day of his birthday, not even realizing the night prior he’s turning a year older that day!! you creep up to his dorm with the spare key he has given you, place the milk and berries cake you ordered yesterday on his desk, and surreptitiously clasp the paper birthday hat on his sleeping head. the guy doesn’t even stir!! stifling your laughter, you pull out your phone and snap a picture of him and you together, your lips puckering to kiss his cheek and— you forgot to turn your phone into silent mode! apparently the click was loud enough for his eyes to flutter open, and when he realizes you’re next to him he feels a sense of relief, but at the same time the rubber around his face became bothersome… only when you start singing happy birthday did it dawn on him… and he can’t get mad, it’s you, how can he??

you eat a piece of the milk n berries creme cake on his bed, talking about the day you’re gonna spend with him.. and you ask what he wants to do bec it’s his special day!! this gets him blushing since he thought you had this elaborate party with lots of people come, and now he feels guilty and grateful as to how thoughtful you’re being for him… he asks if he can sneak in a practice session for vball for at least an hour and you agree, guessing that would’ve come up sooner or later. anyway, aside from that his birthday was spent strolling around the town center near campus, snow underneath your boots and snowflakes showering your hair,,, he places his beanie on yours so it doesn’t get messed up and you thank him with a nose kiss… rudolph, is that you??

you take him to shops so you can buy matching sweaters <3 and he OBLIGES, seeing the gleeful expression in your eyes and smile, how can he resist the beauty radiating off you today? this is the best birthday gift he can ask for. you end the day by grabbing some milk tea, spending the rest of the night getting cozy under blankets, and watching cheesy romcoms to which kags just shields his eyes away… the embarrassment!! >< you end up sleeping in his arms, the ending credits with christmas music playing in the background. the next day, you both wear your holiday outfits (he has polar bear and yours is a panda!!) and take lots of pictures bec you know you’ll miss him when he goes back home :(( he immediately makes one of the selfies u took as his lockscreen: the two of you squish yourselves in between the snowman you both created. your face is lit up with utmost happiness, and kags is just looking at you with a loving grin to his smile as well. :)

[writingmyselfout]

Because I Could Not Stop for Death - Chapter Four

Language: English

Rating: Teen+

Pairing: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter

Tags: AU - Canon Divergence, Reptilia28′s Don’t Fear the Reaper Challenge, Manipulative Dumbledore, Black Hermione Granger, Slight Ron Weasley Bashing

Prologue 1 2 3

Chapter 4: Writing on the Wall

Summary: Off to Hogwarts

                                                                                                    2 August 1991

DEAR Draco,

Sorry if this is messy. I thought I’d practice writing with a quill. It’s easier than I thought it’d be, but messier to. I have to remember not to leave the tip on the paper or it leaves big smudges.

What was the name of the restorant restaurant we went to lunch to? The cake at that place was the best I’ve had! I hope the food at Hogwarts is that good too. I can’t wait for classes to start. I’ve been reading a few of the books in the meantime. I decided to name my owl Hedwig, after a witch I read about in A History of Magic .

Will you be taking the train too? If you aren’t already sitting with friends, maybe we can sit together? If that’s okay, of course. You’ll be the only person I know so far. If you’ve got other friends sitting with you already no worries. I guess I’m just nervous. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape told me about being famous, but I didn’t realize what they meant until I saw people’s reaction to hearing my name and seeing me. Do you think it will be the same at school?

Write back soon please!

Harry Potter

4 August 1991

Dear Harry,

Practice writing with a quill? Do you mean you’ve never used a quill before? What were you using to write until now?

The Copper Crup was the name. Mother would take me there for my birthday because their food is of much better quality than most of the others around. Of course, they have nothing on what our House elves can prepare at home, but it’s nice to go out sometimes, as Mother points out.

Mother and Father have said they have gotten me an owl from a breeder to take with me to Hogwarts. I haven’t seen him yet, but I think I’ll name him Vespid, after the most famous Wimbourne Wasps Beater.

Of course I’ll be taking the Hogwarts Express. All students have to take the train. Some of the others starting in our year I think expect me to sit with them since our parents are friends. Father probably wants me to, since their families are part of the Sacred 28. You can probably sit with us. Some of them are kind of dumb, though.

Did you really not know you are famous? Have you been living under a rock? Forget just school, or even England. Every witch and wizard in the WORLD knows who you are! They write an article about you every year in the Daily Prophet.

Draco Malfoy

                                                                                                    5 August 1991

Draco,

They write a WHAT about me every year? What’s the Daily Prophet? Is that like a newspaper for wizards? I thought I was just a normal, non-magical kid for years. I live with non-magical family, and they don’t like to talk about magic. But after what you said, I looked at more recent years. Did you know I’m mentioned in our A History of Magic book? Only a small bit, I guess ‘cause they don’t know anything else, but it’s embaressing. Embarassing? I can’t remember how to write that.

I guess if you’re used to quills, maybe you’ve never heard of a pen? It’s what non-magical folks use. It’s a big of plastic with ink inside of it and a metal tip to write with. Or pencils, which is wood. I’ve sent one of each over for you ‘cause I think it’d be easier than trying to explain in writing.

It doesn’t sound like you like those other kids. Do you have to sit with them? Can we move seats during the trip? Maybe you can sit with them for a little while and then leave.

But what do you mean, their families are sacred? What are House elves? I remember what you said Beaters did, but who was Vespid? Sorry if my questions are dumb. There’s so much I don’t know. But if my questions bother you, I’ll stop asking them.

Harry Potter

8 August 1991

Harry,

You live with Muggles? No wonder you don’t know anything! I can’t imagine growing up with no magic. How terrible. Lucky for you, I know all there is to know.

The Daily Prophet is the wizarding world newspaper. It gets delivered by owl every day. House elves are magical servants, but only older, more magical families have them. Most of the Sacred 28 do, anyway. The Sacred 28 are the oldest, pureblood wizarding families, and a lot of them are very important. None, of course, more than the Malfoys. Father is on the Board of Governors for Hogwarts, and he knows the Minister of Magic personally. Mother says that because of that, I must be careful with who I become friends with, as they might be trying to get close to me so their parents can get closer to Father, or because we’re wealthy.

It will probably be the same for you, since you’re famous. Mother said the Potters were very wealthy, too, when I asked. Did you inherit everything? Are you and your Muggles relatives living at the Potter estate?

Most importantly, we must do something about how little you know about Quidditch. Elric Vespid was a Beater for the Wasps something like 600 years ago. He hit a wasps’ nest so hard at the Appleby Arrows’ Seeker that he retired, and it’s why the team became known as the Wasps. I have sent over my favorite book, Quidditch Through the Ages. It will tell you all you need to know about the game. Mother says it’s polite to return gifts when you’re given something, so consider it a thanks for what you sent me. I have never seen a pen or pencil before. They’re strange. I think I prefer a quill.

If there’s no magic at your house, what do you do for fun?

Draco Malfoy

                                                                                                  11 August 1991

Hey Draco,

Thank you for the book! I’ve read it all. I can’t wait to see a real game.

Muggles aren’t all bad. But you should probably never meet my family. They are pretty terrible. If they’re the first Muggles any witch or wizard meets, they’d never want to meet another ever again and I wouldn’t blame them. They’re the worst, really. But my mum’s parents were Muggles, and I’ve mostly only known Muggles.

Wow, is your dad really that important? You must’ve been surprised when I didn’t know who you were then! It sucks you have to worry about people being friends with you only ‘cause of your dad or your family’s money. I hope we can both make friends who don’t care and just want to be our friends ‘cause they like us , you know?

As for what my parents left me, I actually only found out at Gringotts right before meeting you that they left me a lot of money. I had no idea before, but I guess technically, I am wealthy now? But I don’t know anything about an estate. I tried to ask my aunt and uncle, but like always, they didn’t really give me an answer. I think they don’t actually know, ‘cause if they knew about how much money they’d left me, I’m sure they’d have tried to take it. My uncle actually said my dad wouldn’t have had anything to give me worth writing a will for. Can you believe it? I decided not to tell them anything. Maybe the professors can help me look into it.

How cool would it be to find out there’s some big ol’ house somewhere they left me?

Harry Potter

   With letters to read and respond to every few days, the month of August flies by for Harry. It helps that aside from when he first came by and his aunt informed him he was to move his things to the upstairs spare bedroom, his family has mostly ignored him. Their daily interactions were limited to letting him know meals are ready, and one time when Uncle Vernon told Harry to stop letting his owl come in and out of the bedroom before the neighbors noticed. Hedwig was less than pleased with the restriction, but Harry opts to avoid any issues by only letting her out at night.

   Draco’s letters were an insight into the world he would be entering in a way that reading through his books could not provide.Occasionally, his comments about Muggles or Muggle-borns, directly or what seems to be implied, make him pause. Harry tries to avoid complaining about the Dursleys once he notices, because he doesn’t think it helps his case when he tries to explain to Draco that Muggles aren’t all bad.

   After all, Harry isn’t exactly Muggle-born, but his mother was, and he feels like he may as well be when he grew up knowing nothing about magic. It makes him wonder if others think the same, or if maybe Draco grew up in a family similar to the Dursleys in that they hated people who were different. It meant either having an entire world that might think less of his mom if she were alive, or having a friend who might have a lot more in common with his dreaded cousin than he’d hoped. Harry prefers to not worry about it now and just enjoy having someone his own age to talk to for the time being.

   He’ll worry about everything else once school begins.

~~~

DRACO wakes up on the first of September practically vibrating with excitement, and much earlier than needed, as the sun is only just beginning to lighten the sky outside his window. It’s not as large as the one in his room back at Malfoy Manor, but this residence is in London, and therefore much closer to King’s Cross Station, where he’ll need to be in a few short hours. He calls for a House Elf to ready a bath for him and is a whirl of movement as he double checks his trunks to ensure that nothing was forgotten when the House Elves finished packing it the night before. They didn’t, of course, but he needs to move, to do something, or he feels like he might explode.

   He’s been waiting his whole life to go to Hogwarts. He’s imagined grand adventures and wow-ing other students with his natural talents at magic and Quidditch, and winning the House Cup for Slytherin for the next seven years. Sure, now that he knows he’ll be going to school with the Harry Potter, he realizes that maybe he won’t be the most popular, but he’s basically made the most famous kid in school his best friend before anyone else has even met him! So they’ll just be the most popular students together.

   The Malfoys had hosted an end of summer party to celebrate the incoming class of Slytherins a week before the term was to begin. Such get-togethers was really an excuse for the parents to talk privately of whatever matters adults spoke of, while the children basically bragged and attempted to ingratiate themselves with whoever their parents had told them to, often those present considered one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, or pestered the older among them to tell them more about Hogwarts.

   This specific gathering had only those whose families had children of Draco’s age and would be attending Hogwarts for the first time. Gregory Goyle, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, Theodore Nott, Gemma Runcorn, and Daphne Greengrass--with her little sister Astoria in tow--were all expected to be sorted into Slytherin with Draco. They talked about what they expected based on information gleaned from older Slytherin students they knew, or some of the wild rumors they couldn’t seem to get confirmation or denial about, such as the Sorting being a test of skills. It quickly devolved into comparing the quality and price of the things they would be bringing to school.

   “Did you know,” Pansy suddenly piped up, interrupting Daphne Greengrass bragging about robes she’d gotten in Paris over the summer for school, “that Harry Potter is supposed to be starting this year too?”

   A new round of rumors and speculations they’d overheard from their parents were shared. Draco had been tempted to tell them that he had met the famous Boy Who Lived, the elusive child celebrity no one had ever seen. At least not accurately. The Daily Prophet had an artist rendering every year when they ran their anniversary article about the end of the Wizarding War, but the only description that anyone knew to be accurate was the lightning bolt scar on Harry Potter’s forehead.

   Instead he had kept it to himself, thinking it would be much funnier to present his good friend Harry Potter to them all on the Hogwarts Express. Imagining their expressions had delighted him, and as he gets ready, still brings a grin to his face. It helps to pass the time, which seems to drag on as he waits for it to be time to leave. Once his parents are awake and breakfast is served, though, it seems to be no time at all before they are at the station.

   They aren’t the first ones there, although he thinks if he had rushed his parents through breakfast, they might have managed it. Draco is certain his mother, who would normally only allow them to be either promptly on-time or fashionably late, is indulging his excitement. Being early means he practically has his pick of compartments. He opts for one in the middle, the House Elf that accompanied them puts his trunk in the compartment for him before disappearing back to Malfoy Manor, and then he goes to say goodbye to his parents. He allows his mother to fuss over him, smoothing his hair back and adjusting his robes as he tries not to impatiently look around. Even his parents are in for a surprise, as he has only told them that he’s been writing to the student he met at Diagon Alley with the Slytherin Head of House, Professor Snape, but not who that student is.

   “Lucius!”

   The Malfoy family turns as one to the voice calling. Mr. Parkinson is heading over, wife and daughter in tow. He’s pushing a cart with two trunks, presumably Pansy’s. It’s left to one side as the parents start talking, and Pansy comes over to Draco’s side, asking if he’s picked a compartment and where, so she can go sit with him.

   Draco doesn’t particularly want to sit with any of the girls he knows. For one, in his small experience, they tend to get bored with talk of Quidditch. For another, the compartments look like they’d fit about four to six comfortably, which means there’s just enough room for him, Harry, Theodore, and likely Vincent and Gregory, and still be able to sit one more. But if Pansy joins them, she’ll want at least one other girl to come, and then they’ll be over by one or squished in together.

   So he lies. ““Somewhere towards the front.” He makes a vague gesture, glad that his mother, if she notices, doesn’t correct him even though he knows she kept an eye on where he went when he boarded. Narcissa Malfoy always knows where Draco is at all times.

   Pansy nods her head, intercepting Crabbe and Goyle when they head over to get their help with her trunk. Ordering them, really, and Draco realizes that since she got to them first, they don’t know where he’s really sitting. Ah well, he’ll have to try to catch them on their own otherwise they’ll just have to sit with Pansy the whole trip.

   Hoping to catch Theodore before Pansy does so he can at least give him the right compartment, he suddenly catches sight of a familiar figure coming through the barrier from the Muggle side of King’s Cross station.

   “Oh, he’s here!” Draco announces, catching the attention the adults with the outburst. Before either of his parents can react, Draco is off, weaving his way through the crowd.

   Harry is moving slowly, pushing the cart with his heavy trunk and his caged owl, fascinated with the sight before him. He’d known, logically, that the professors wouldn’t have lied to him about how to get to the platform. It hadn’t prevented him from feeling like he was going to crash into a solid wall and cause a scene as he moved towards the barrier. He’s surprised and delighted to instead find a whole hidden section of the station. There are people all around, adults saying goodbye to their children, students greeting each other and gathering in small groups, and then there’s a blond boy standing in front of him, bringing Harry to an abrupt stop.

   “There you are,” Draco says by way of greeting. “What took you so long?”

   “Hey! We left a bit later than I’d hoped,” Harry explains. “It’s like a two to three hour drive for us. How’d you get here?”

   “We have a London residence,” Draco explains, his tone suggesting that this should be obvious. “And of course, with Father’s connections, we got a Ministry car to drive us. Come on then, my parents will want to meet you before we board.”

   Harry follows after Draco, slowing his steps when he gets a good look at the group awaiting them. He recognizes Mrs. Malfoy from the glimpse he got of her at Diagon Alley, and Draco’s practically the spitting image of his father, so it’s easy to figure out which is Mr. Malfoy. The rest of the adults, however, he can’t begin to guess who they are. What’s more, all eyes are on him and although he’d tried to remind himself that morning that this might happen once people realized who he was, there’s something distinctly unnerving about the way he’s being watched right now. They leave his cart by the train entrance, just to the side so as to not be in anyone’s way, and then Draco leads him over to the group watching them.

   “Mother, Father.” Draco stops in front of his parents. “This is the boy I met at Diagon Alley, Harry Potter. Harry, my parents Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.”

   “H-How do you do?” Harry mutters, trying to stand still under their scrutiny.

   “Why, Mr. Harry Potter. This is a pleasant surprise,” Mr. Malfoy says, smiling. It’s not a very friendly look. “How exciting for the students of Hogwarts to get to go to school with the wizarding world’s biggest hero.”

   Something about the way Mr. Malfoy says it makes Harry feel like he’s being insulted or mocked to his face. “I, uh, I should put my stuff on the train.”

   Harry forces a smile, and then starts to move towards the train. He’s sure it’s his imagination, but he is certain he can feel their gaze on his back and he’s distinctly uncomfortable. He has a hard time trying to explain to himself what it is about these adults that makes him want to flee, as it’s not quite the instinctual knowing he’s occasionally felt since the day he received his Hogwarts letter. But it’s close enough that, as trusting his instincts thus far with the wizarding world has turned out in his favor, he thinks he would be better off leaving their company as soon as possible.

   “Hold on.” Draco hurries after him. “Go right from here, and it’s the fourth one down. My trunks have the Malfoy crest on them.”

   He’s basically being ordered, which might have bothered him if he weren’t so desperate to get away right now. Harry instead just nods before he grabs Hedwig’s cage, deciding to get her inside first and moving the heavier trunk once he knows for sure where he’s going. Finding Draco’s trunk with his family crest, an image he’d grown accustomed to seeing pressed into the wax Draco used to seal his letters, was rather easy. He set Hedwig’s cage inside, and then went back to get his trunk. He pauses briefly before stepping out, hoping to avoid notice, but a group of students coming off the train block him from view for a few moments as they stand around just a few steps away.

   Quick as he can, he grabs his trunk and starts to try to single handedly drag it up. “Need a hand?”

   Harry looks over his shoulder to find a tall, lanky redhead. “Oh, uh, yeah. That’d be great.”

   The redhead looks back down the train and yells out, “Oy! Oy, Fred! C’mere and help!” Looking back at Harry, the boy waved him away before coming around to grab one end of the trunk. When another, identical redhead appears, he grabs the other without question and the two lift the trunk onto the train.

   Harry quickly follows, directing them over to the right compartment. There’s an eyebrow raised at seeing the crest on the trunks already there, but they simply lift Harry’s trunk before nodding at him.

   “There you go, firstie. All set.”

   “Thanks,” Harry replies, pushing his glasses up.

   He stands out of their way to allow them to leave the compartment, debating on whether to introduce himself or not. Before he can decide, one of them seems to take a closer look, hitting the other’s arm suddenly. “Hey, is that a scar? You wouldn’t happen to be--”

   “Harry!”

   Harry turns around briefly to see Draco approaching, but his attention is drawn back to the twins as one says, “Well, we’ll be off then!”

   “Oh, okay, bye!”

   “The train will be leaving soon,” Draco tells Harry, eyes watching the twins leave for a moment before looking over at him. “I only saw a few of my friends, so I think they might be sitting with Pansy. I told her I was towards the front so she wouldn’t sit with us, but I think she told them the same, so they might be with her.”

   Harry frowns a little, thinking he doesn’t want to have to try to move his trunk. “Did you want to move over to where they are?” he asks.

   “Hm, no,” Draco responds after a moment’s consideration. “I’ll tell them I’m back here, see if they want to move. Do you want to come with me to find them?”

   “I think I’ll sit with Hedwig, I don’t think she’s used to all this activity yet.” It’s an excuse, when really Harry just doesn’t think he’s up for another group of people staring at him just yet, but when he looks over at his owl she seems to understand and starts flapping her wings and hooting loudly. “I should probably sit with her until she’s calmed down.”

   Draco shrugs. “Suit yourself. I’ll be back.”

   Harry closes the compartment door, goes and then sits down, reaching a finger into Hedwig’s cage to stroke her head. “Thanks.”

   She hoots at him once in reply before settling down. Harry turns to look out of the window, the panel above open so he can hear the sounds of the crowd of parents and students, many of them starting to say their goodbyes. The platform is starting to clear, an indication that they’ll be departing soon. A flash of red catches his eye, and he sees a group of redheads, only just visible as they stand a little ways down from his compartment

   He thinks for a moment it might be one of the twins, but decides what he can see of them isn’t quite right. This boy is shorter, though the hair is the right shade. The woman standing with him speaks up, and Harry can hear them clearly.

   “All right, Ron, you be sure to behave. Listen to Percy and, what’s that on your nose? Come here.”

   A younger boy jerks into view as he pulls away from the woman. “ Mom , geroff!”

   The twins appear then, and with them standing together, Harry notes the resemblance. He listens to them joke and tease the younger boy, who grows obviously more annoyed and sullen with the teasing, and then yet another boy appears. He’s already changed into his robe with a badge on his chest, and the twins start to tease him about being a prefect as well. Harry thinks it’s rather nice, to come from a family close enough to tease like that, even if the twins’ siblings seem to be annoyed by it. The one already in his robes allowed their mother to kiss his cheek, said goodbye to someone outside of Harry’s line of sight, and then seemed to board again.

   That was when one of the twins said, “Oh, guess who we just met on the train, Mom?”

   “Who?”

   “Harry Potter !”

   The one out of sight suddenly piped up, and it sounded like a little girl, her voice carrying as she loudly begged to be allowed on the train to see him. Harry leaned away from the window then, hoping to stay out of sight. How embarrassing would it be to be caught eavesdropping on them as they started to talk about him?

   “No, Ginny, the train is about to leave. You can’t get on,” the boys’ mother responded, cutting off the little girl’s begging. “Are you sure, Fred?”

   “Pretty sure,” was the response. “Saw a bit of a scar on his forehead. Malfoy’s kid called him ‘Harry’, too.”

   “Malfoy ?” The way the woman said the name made Harry frown automatically, not wanting someone to say anything bad about his only friend. Then he remembered Lucius Malfoy’s smile and thought perhaps, if that’s who she was thinking of when she said it, the reaction might be warranted. “Are they friends, do you think?”

   “Who knows? Maybe they just met? Anyway, we should be getting on, Mum. We’ll know for sure during Sorting. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be a Gryffindor!”

   “Be sure to let me know,” she tells them. “Try to befriend him if he is, okay? Poor thing, being an orphan raised goodness knows where or with who, he could probably use all the friends he can get.”

   Harry decides to close the window, distinctly uncomfortable with hearing the obvious pity, and not particularly interested in hearing any more. Especially since the little girl starts to cry, half-pleading and half-demanding to be allowed to go with her brothers or at least be allowed to get on and see Harry. It sounds like the beginning of a tantrum, at least in his experience based on his cousin’s tried and true methods, so he is relieved that closing the window prevents him from hearing the rest of it.

   What he is able to hear, loud and clear, is the train's whistle as it goes off to announce their departure. Outside, it looks like there are no more students on the platform, instead just a few parents and younger siblings, waving at students in other windows before leaving or waiting to see the train off.

   The door to the compartment opens as the train starts to move, and the youngest of the redheads is standing there. He’s taller than he appeared while standing outside, Harry notes absently. Ron, as they’d called him, starts to back out with an apology when he suddenly stops, staring at Harry.

   “Are you him?” he asks.

   Harry blinks at him for a moment, surprised. “Who?”

   “Harry Potter?”

   “Oh, him. I mean, yeah, that’s me.”

   His eyes go over to the trunks, and he frowns. Harry follows the direction he’s looking at and realizes it’s Draco’s trunks that have drawn that reaction. “I’m Ron Weasley. Are you really friends with the Malfoys’ kid?” Blue eyes lower again to meet Harry’s gaze. “You shouldn’t be, you know. Just warning ya, they’re-”

   “We’re what?” Behind Ron stands Draco, arms crossed, scowling.The redhead half turns, still standing in the compartment doorway.

   “Draco’s my friend,” Harry interrupts before either can say anything. “So can you step aside so he can come sit down?”

   Draco doesn’t wait for the other to obey, basically shoving him aside to come in and sit across from Harry. He gives him a smug look, crossing his arms as he waits to see what he’s going to do. He knows this kid’s type, trying to ingratiate himself with someone better than him. Clearly, he thinks, Harry can spot the type too.

   “Weasley, you said, right?” Draco drawls. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

   The stubborn look that comes over the other’s face makes Harry think that this might turn into a bigger confrontation when one of the twins comes by. “There you are, Ron. Are you bothering people?”

   “Yes,” Draco announces instantly, frowning at seeing another redhead.

   “Really, Ron, can’t leave you alone for a second.” The other twin appears, grabbing the youngest sibling by looping an arm around his neck and dragging him back away from the door. “Come on, you. You’re with us; Mum’s orders.”

   “We didn’t introduce ourselves earlier,” says the remaining twin. “I’m Fred Weasley, that was George--” the other twin, clearly still within earshot yells a hello “--and that was our brother Ron. Our fault for telling him Harry Potter was here. He’s not used to meeting famous people. Consider him an overzealous fan.”

   Harry blushes at the reminder. “Uh, no, no worries. Nice to meet you. Thanks for the help earlier.”

   “No worries.” George waves a hand dismissively. “We’ll see you later. Oy, Fred! You just passed our compartment!”

   The compartment door is closed behind them, and Draco shakes his head. “Weasley, the youngest one, clearly wanted to be friends with you because you’re famous. Like I wrote you, you’ll run into those types all over. Who knows, maybe the twins were in on it too.”

   “You think?” Harry considers it for a moment then shrugs. “George and Fred seemed nice even before they knew who I was earlier. As for their brother, well, I just don’t like people talking about my friends. Or telling me what to do. If he wanted to be friends, he should’ve just said so.”

   Draco is surprised at Harry’s reasoning, and starts laughing. “You’re weird, you know that?”

   “What happened with your friends?” Harry asks when Draco’s done laughing.

   “Ah, I ran into Theodore. Pansy convinced them I’d be sitting with her so they sat in her compartment. I told him we’d be back here, but it’s fine. They were being rather loud anyway. And this way, we don’t have to worry about Crabbe and Goyle trying to steal any snacks we buy. They’re always hungry.”

   “Their names are Crabbe and Goyle?”

   “Family names,” Draco clarifies.

   “Why do you call some of them by their first name and some by their last?”

   “Ah, it’s considered polite to only address those you’re close with by their first name, and everyone else by their last name.”

   “Oh, so when I wrote you that first letter, it should have said ‘Malfoy’ instead of ‘Draco’?” Harry wonders aloud.

   Draco shrugs. “Well, yes, but it’s fine. I realized since you were raised with Muggles, you probably didn’t know any better.”

   “I think it’s less because I grew up with Muggles, and more that your family is super upper class,” Harry argues. “That sounds like the kind of rule rich people have.”

   “Hm, maybe.” Draco thinks it over, never having thought of it like that. “Although,” he points out after a moment, “didn’t your parents leave you a bunch of money? So you’re rich, too.”

   “Honestly, I still forget,” Harry admits. “I’ve never really had my own money to buy whatever.”

   There was a knock on the door and then a woman opened the compartment door with a dimpled smile asking if they wanted anything from the cart she was pushing.

   Draco grins. “Well, here’s your chance to spend some, then.”

   Harry jumps up, more than a little hungry after skipping breakfast, only to realize he wasn’t familiar with any of the snacks on offer. “Wow, I’ve never seen any of these.”

   “Are you joking?” Draco shakes his head, answering himself. “No, of course you’re not. We’ll just have to take some of everything then.”

   Harry insists on paying, and then dumps the giant load on the seat next to Draco, sitting on the same side so the snacks are piled between them. Draco insists on letting him have the box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, laughing loudly when Harry immediately eats a green one he’d assumed would be apple or lime flavored only for it to turn out to be grass. The Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties are great follow-ups to recover from the strange jelly bean. When Harry opens a Chocolate Frog before Draco can explain it will jump, he’s so amused he opens a couple of the other ones, both of them laughing as the compartment is momentarily filled with half a dozen hopping frogs. All but one have stopped when the door opens and a round-faced boy is momentarily caught off guard when it suddenly jumps at him.

   “Trevor?” He pulls the treat off the front of his robe where it jumps and visibly deflates at seeing it’s just chocolate. “Oh, no. Have you seen a toad? I can’t find mine.”

   Harry shakes his head, smiling. “A toad? No. Sorry.” Draco shakes his head as well, and the boy leaves.

   Once he’s gone, Draco starts looking through the cards, showing them to Harry and explaining what they are when he realizes it’s yet another thing the Boy Who Lived knows nothing about. He’s highly amused at Harry’s surprise when, right before his eyes, Merlin stretches and then moves out of frame. But it’s Harry’s reaction to seeing the Albus Dumbledore, frowning down at it as he studies it, that piques Draco’s interest.

   “What is it?”

   Harry looks up at him, shrugging as he puts the card aside with the others he’d gotten. “Ah, no, I was just surprised. I’ve heard of Albus Dumbledore, but it’s the first I’m seeing of him.” Harry stops, wondering if he should explain the feeling of distrust that comes over him at hearing the name--and now seeing --Albus Dumbledore, but not quite sure how to explain himself. He has no frame of reference for what might be weird in the wizarding world, so he doesn’t know if this sense of déjà vu he gets is normal or not. “He’s older than I expected,” he finishes lamely.

   “He’s pretty famous too,” Draco informs him. “Father doesn’t like him.”

   Harry’s tempted to ask for more info but they’re once again interrupted by someone opening the door. The boy who’d asked about the toad is back, standing behind the girl who’d opened the door. She has brown skin, bushy brown hair, and brown eyes that look around the room, taking in both boys, the owl, and the pile of wrappers and uneaten snacks quickly before gazing back at the boys. When she speaks, her large front teeth stand out, and her tone is distinctively bossy, but something about her is so familiar that it takes Harry a moment to put together what she’s said.

   He is too busy realizing that the same sense he’d gotten from Draco back in Diagon Alley, that had prompted him to befriend him, is coming over him again twofold. Somehow, he knows that Draco might be his first friend, but this girl was going to be his best friend. He should probably look into why he gets these feelings at all.

   “Have either of you seen a toad? Neville’s lost one.”

   Draco sighs. “Harry already told him we haven’t. It’s just a toad anyway.”

   “Harry? As in Harry Potter?” the girl asks, eyes moving from Draco over to Harry. Blinking, Harry just nods. “I’m Hermione Granger and this is Neville Longbottom. I know all about you. You’re mentioned in our History of Magic book, of course, but I got some extra books for background reading and you’re in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts , as well as Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century .”

   Harry stares, surprised, looks over at Draco who shrugs, then back at her. “Am I?”

   “Didn’t you know? I’d have learned all I could if it were me,” she announces.

   “Yes, well, it’s not. Shouldn’t you be off looking for a toad?” Draco reminds her.

   Hermione frowns at Draco. “No need to be rude. Who are you?”

   “Draco Malfoy. We need to change since we’ll likely arrive soon, so leave already,” Draco orders.

   “Draco.” Harry shakes his head at him, then looks back at Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom. “I’ll keep an eye out for the toad, but we haven’t seen ‘em.”

   “All right, thank you.” She starts to close the door, telling Neville, “Come on, let’s ask them down there.”

   “Longbottom’s family is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight,” Draco says after they’ve left. “Granger, on the other hand, is probably Muggle-born . They really shouldn’t be letting any of them into Hogwarts, I think. Keep it in the old wizarding families.”

   “What?” Harry challenges. “Why does it matter?”

   Draco stares at him for a moment like he can’t believe he’s asking. “They’re just not the same! They’re not brought up to know our ways or anything.”

   “Neither have I,” Harry points out, then reminds his friend, “And my parents might have been a witch and wizard, but my mum was a Muggle-born. If she hadn’t been accepted at Hogwarts, my parents wouldn’t have met and I wouldn’t be here.”

   Draco is about to say something more to defend his point, but he closes his mouth with an audible click at this reminder. He wants to push back, make Harry understand why Muggle-borns just aren’t the same, but he can’t think of how to do so without sounding like he’s insulting Harry’s mother. If Harry got annoyed with Ron for seeming to insult Draco, a friend he’s only just made, chances are insulting his mum is a surefire way to make him angry.

   They change without exchanging another word, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Harry, wondering how he can get his friend to understand why his way of thinking is wrong. Draco, trying to think of a way to get through to Harry that pureblood witches and wizards are superior. It’s an awkward silence, and when they’ve finished changing, neither seems sure of what to say or how to change the subject. Finally, at a voice announcing they’re about to arrive and are to leave their luggage on the train, they decide to divvy up the remaining snacks and stuff them into their pockets.

   When the train stops, they shuffle out into the corridor and make their way onto the platform outside. The night is cooler here, farther up in the north, and Harry hopes they aren’t going to be outside for long. It’s with relief that he recognizes the booming voice calling for first years. When Hagrid spots him and greets him, Harry’s mood is instantly lifted.

   Draco is standing next to him still, and by the way he’s looking around Harry thinks he might be trying to find his other friends. He wonders if their brief friendship is due to be over already. Still, Harry nudges him and nods his head towards Hagrid and the lamp he’s holding as he calls the first years over before heading over. He doesn’t want Draco to think he doesn’t want to be friends anymore, but he also doesn’t know if now that he’s been reminded that Harry’s parentage isn’t as “pure” as his own, if he’ll want to stay friends. All he can do is act like he normally would and leave Draco to make his own choice.

   Hagrid leads them all down through a slippery dark path down to the edge of a large lake where they all get a glimpse of the castle for the first time. He gives them all a moment before announcing they’re to get into boats, keeping to 4 per boat, and he waves Harry over clearly to join him. When he reaches Hagrid, he’s holding up a toad he’s just found. Neville Longbottom cries out the toad’s name, rushing forward to claim the animal, and Hermione Granger comes following after him at a slower pace. It’s clear they’re going to also join Hagrid’s boat, and so Harry assumes even if he’d been inclined to join, chances are Draco will take one look at who else is there and opt to sit with his friends instead.

   It seems all the more certain when after getting in the boat, Harry spots Ron Weasley making a beeline for their boat to claim the last spot.

   So he’s surprised when Draco materializes in front of him, climbing in and muttering, “Mark my words, Potter. Longbottom is going to let that toad go and knock us all in the water trying to catch him.”

   “Hope you know how to swim then, Malfoy,” Harry answers with a grin.

   Then they’re off across the lake, making their way towards the glittering castle on the other side.

Story Notes:

Title is from a Pink Floyd song.

[long-cosmos-overhead]

Hi! 😊 Do you have any birthday headcanons/stories? Cause I just turned 19! 😄 And Im in the mood for some B-Day content 💛

Happy Birthday 🥳🥳🥳🥳. I hope you have/had an amazing day sadly I don’t but I’ll make a preference of a few of the characters you’ve requested as a birthday present 💝

(I do not own any of these characters/gif not mine)

Draco Malfoy

Draco treats you like a Queen anyways but your birthday is another story. He treats you like a goddess. He reminds everyone that it’s your birthday weeks in advance around the time he starts making plans. Draco is entirely sweet he takes you on a lavish date despite telling him he doesn’t need to spend money on you and refuses to let you pay for anything. You get dozens and dozens of gifts a fair few from friends and fellow Slytherins but at least a roomful from Draco. Honestly he can’t help it he loves seeing you smile so much he just has to rope you in and kiss you to the point that you get dizzy. His parents send you gifts too. How do they know? Draco won’t stop talking about it. At the end of the day he scoops you up laying down with you in his arms planting kisses on your skin until you fall asleep. Best birthday you’ve ever had.

John Watson

The first thing John will do is tell Sherlock to be nice to you for the day and then do all the housework, chores or work you have to do so you can relax for the day. He will make you breakfast in the morning telling you to get dressed in something warm only to smile when you opt for one of his jumpers. He takes you for a nice walk though the park and around town going into every shop and refusing to let you pay for anything. John sneaks his hand around your waist when you walk he wants you to feel special and beautiful especially on your birthday. He smothers you in compliments and love cuddling you on the sofa, watching whatever you want and plenty of kisses. His gifts are usually meaningful like the thing you’ve had your eye on for ages or something that made him think of you regardless of the price.

Thranduil

You’re awoken by the deepest kiss any elf could ever give followed by Thranduil rapidly scattering a few of the many gifts he got you around your bed. He spoils you on your birthday so much it’s overwhelming. To Thranduil your birthday is luxury and affectionate day where he can drown you in his love. He’s super clingy as well never dropping his hand from your side, sitting you in his lap on the throne, deep breathtaking kisses and you being locked in his arms. He will throw a formal sophisticated party for his Queen only for his jaw to drop when he sees you looking ethereal. Needless to say no one but him was allowed to touch you that night. You get hundreds upon hundreds of expensive gifts from the party and deep meaningful ones from Thranduil. He will take the entire week off to spend with you just so your birthday is the best one you’ve ever had

Credence Barebone

Possibly the cutest thing you’ve ever endured. Credence doesn’t have money nor time to look for anything for you so he took it upon himself to make you a birthday present. He individually found pretty beads and silver string to bind together a bracelet for you. It wasn’t the best and he knew it but your reaction made him want to cry. You adored it bringing him into a long hug which he never wanted to end whispering thank you’s and praises in his ear. He stays at yours for the night and cuddles up to you uttering a small happy birthday. You never took the bracelet off other than to do things that could damage it. Whenever you sensed Credence was panicked or upset handing out flyers you would ask for all of them showing the bracelet as a sign of comfort while Mary Lou was none the wiser

Newt Scamander

Very bashful when it comes to your birthday he’s planned out an entire day for you but he’s nervous. What if you don’t like his gift or you don’t want to go out? Everything went accordingly and you loved every minute of it. The pair of you went out rescuing and finding fantastic beasts for the whole day. One particularly loved you that you begged Newt to keep it and he complied without hesitation, he was too focused on how stunning you were and how lucky he was to have gotten you. He really hoped you loved his gift. Newt asks Jacob for a few of his baked goods whilst you go out with Queenie and Tina for some ladies time. You’re sat down beside Newt and Jacob, Queenie and Tina opposite you as you open the gifts they got you before Newt clears his throat ready to come out with what your gift stumbling over his words. It takes a few words of encouragement from Queenie until he nervously hands you over your own baby Niffler. You cried of happiness.

Loki Laufeyson

Loki is so sweet on your birthday he manages to get you off work so you can be all his for the day. Assuming you work for the avengers he knows you’ll want a nice relaxing day. He runs you a nice bath telling you to take your time then starts the plan. He covers the room in rose petals, does all the washing up, cleaning, work, sets up fairy lights, lays out some of his clothes for you and gets out the gifts he got you then waits patiently. You didn’t think it were possible to love Loki more but yet here you were your heart brimming with love as he held his arms out softly saying ‘come here darling.’ He’s definitely the best gift giver he spoils you but not to the point of being overwhelming. He gives you an enchanted crystal rose, a few books, a beautiful necklace woven with gold and diamond and hands you a box. You hear a little meow and immediately look at Loki. He got you a tiny black kitten so you wouldn’t get lonely by yourself. The rest of the night is spent with in Loki’s arms while he reads to you gently kissing you every so often with your new kitten asleep sprawled over you both.

[imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs]

Rayllum Birthday Bash: Written in the Stars

Here’s a chart of Runes and their meaning, just so people aren’t lost

Also, Aisling means “Dream” or “vision”, while Fothad means “foundation”

Fothad shook his head as the runes landed in an even worse way then before. Honestly, these stupid little tablets were supposed to relieve his worries, not exacerbate them.

Not that he wasn’t famously grumpy to begin with. Especially since his protégé had come bursting in, without this week’s shopping (again), saying wild things like ‘Did you hear? The Dragon Queen has sent Moonshadow elves to Katolis. Why Katolis of all places?’

Aisling was a promising seer and a good kid, but sometimes she could err on the side of gossip rather than knowledge.

‘Probably because of Avizandum’s death and the destruction of the egg,’ he’d told her, before promising to get the shopping himself in a few hours and telling her to go study the books he’d left in her room.

But even after that incident, Fothad had found himself unable to focus.

Assassins in Katolis? That would not bode well for anyone. True, he was as upset about the king’s death as anyone, but what would revenge do? It’s wouldn’t bring anyone back. You might as well be angry at a rabid animal.

Humans were careless and stupid, not the pure evil beasts that everyone needs to believe they are so they can feel morally right. Besides, the last three Dragon Kings had been sullen and self-serious. Especially Sol Regem. How someone that pompous and violent had wormed their way back to their old job was beyond him. Xadia could do with less of an alpha male leader.

Preferring not to dwell on that bumptious lizard, he decided to try some rune casting to ease his nerves.

Sure, divination wasn’t the flashiest of magic, but Fothad had been a seer most of his life and didn’t need to freeze helpless elves just to feel special about himself. Let Queen Khessa be the petty and insecure one.

He cleared his mind of all but his most burning question.

What will be the outcome of the Assassination attempt in Katolis.

The first two draws had ended up with less than stellar outcomes, with runes representing fallibility, slavery, frailty, and crisis. Fothad scooped the runes into his bag and shook it, readying to try a third time.

It didn’t matter if someone would call that cheating, he was trying to relax, dammit.

He reached into the bag and drew the first tablet, laying it down on his rune cloth.

Hagalaz; wrath of nature, trials, destruction, and tests, the same rune he’d drawn the first two times.

That was fair enough. Dragons were a force of nature onto themselves, and the assassins were going to bring destruction to the human king and his family. But tests and trials? That forewarned of consequences.

Not that the council of the Silvergrove would listen. As far as some elves were concerned, consequences were for people without magic. He sat the first rune down on his rune cloth and fished out another one.

The middle rune came up as Gebo on its side. That meant greed, loneliness, and obligation would be the challenges of this situation. Not what he’d have wanted, but he could see how it could tie into this whole affair.

Moonshadow elves loved their obligations (he was no stranger to this) and humans could be obscenely gluttonous. But where did loneliness come in?

Perhaps the third rune would reveal the answer, the possible course of action that could be taken.

Fothad reached into the bag for the final rune and scowled at what he drew out.

Tiwaz on it’s side. Strife, war, stupidity, and dumbness, his least favorite things.

“Fothad!”

Again? What was with his apprentice and bursting in today?

“Yes, Aisling, what is it?” he asked, keeping his tone even.

“I had a dream!”

Now that was interesting. Dreams could be gateways into things to be or were, if you believed some of the elders.

“I was reading like you asked me to, fell asleep and I had a dream!”

“You already said you had a dream, Aisling, just tell me what it is.”

Aisling paused, taking a seat at the table where Fothad was sitting.

“Well,” said Aisling, “I saw big long table, with elves eating on one side and humans eating on the other. And for some reason I knew it was a really wobbly table.”

“That could mean dissention and isolation within a group, even a close-knit one” said Fothad, stroking his chin, “go on.”

“Everyone had an abacus,” Aisling continued, “that means outdated views right?”

“That’s right,” said Fothad. She must have been studying after all and not lollygagging like he’d thought.”

“Right. So, anyway, everyone had an abacus except for these three kids at the front of the table.”

“Did you recognize them?”

Aisling shook her head.

“No. Two of them were humans and one was an elf. And they were all eating abalone.”

“Abalone,” said Fothad. He might be misremembering, but that was evocative of a transitional period in life.

“That’s right. Then, one of the boys and the elf got up and held hands. And that’s when everyone else in the room started fighting.”

Fothad didn’t know what to make of that.

“I think they’re important.”

“What?” Fothad asked.

“The elf girl and the human boy. I think they’re important.”

Fothad looked at his runes out of the corner of his eye. A bond between an elf and a human would certainly be a mess of obligations and trials. Did it have something to do with the assassins at the castle?

“Aisling,” he said, “how much do you know about the assassins sent to the castle?”

Aisling shrugged.

“Only that one of them’s about my age.”

“And do you know how old the human prince is?”

Aisling scratched her head, brows knit together in deep thought.

“I don’t know,” she said at last, “do you think that one of those boy’s was King Harrow’s son?”

“I’d bet a whole pickled Glow Toad on it.”

Aisling stuck her tongue out in disgust.

“Fothad, you eat the weirdest things.”

“Anything pickled is good. You’re just angry because it’s true,” Fothad replied, gathering up his runes,” but I do think your dream was important.”

Aisling perked up.

“Really?”

Fothad nodded.

“I have a feeling that something very big is going to happen.”

“Big in a good way,” Aisling asked, “or big in a bad way?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, looking out his window to the Silvergrove.

Who were the elf and the human boy Aisling had seen in her dream? Friends? Lovers? Saviors?

Who knew? The point was, things were about to get very interesting in Xadia.

He wondered if it would be in poor taste to plan a vacation.

[killemwithkawaii]

Last day of the birthday bash~ 🥳🍰🎉🎁💕

A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone that’s sent me gifts and ‘happy birthday’ messages this past week! It’s been a difficult time for everyone, and I cannot express how much I appreciate you taking the time to help me celebrate💕

I’ll be online on and off all day answering asks and working on commissions and having a few drinks to end my birthday week right- so feel free to stop by, say hello, and tell me what the vibe is for the day uwu

Here’s what I’m currently working on:

Starting on the flat coloring for these two-

Continuing the line art for the thirsty bitch and her side of beef-

maybe finally putting some clothes on sally-boy over here-

And working on the anatomy sketch for a battered and bruised elf man-

[strangerthanfiction]

and it's wrong, wrong, wrong            (but we'll do it anyway 'cos we love a bit of trouble)

𝖖 𝖚 𝖔 𝖙 𝖊 𝖘

“i don’t want to be just a nothing, a sick blank, withdrawal into myself forever. i just want something, beside the emptiness i’ve carried around in me all my life.” –– allen ginsburg

“a man takes his sadness down to the river and throws it into the river                but then he’s still left    with the river. a man takes his sadness and throws it away                                            but then he’s still left with his hands.” –– richard siken

"i was not a lovable child, and i'd grown into a deeply unlovable adult. draw a picture of my soul, and it'd be a scribble with fangs.” –– gillian flynn

“you will always be fond of me. i represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.” –– oscar wilde

“power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.” –– george orwell

𝖇 𝖆 𝖘 𝖎 𝖈

NAME: Rabastan Edric Lestrange NICKNAMES: “Rab” by most, “Bash” by those who know him best, “Eddy” by his grandparents AGE: Twenty-six BIRTHDAY: April 13th, 1954 GENDER: Male, cisgender PRONOUNS: He/him/his

𝖋 𝖆 𝖒 𝖎 𝖑 𝖞

MOTHER: Sabine Lestrange (nee Avery) (52) FATHER: Gaspard Lestrange (48) SIBLINGS: Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Lestrange (sister-in-law), Narcissa Lestrange (sister-in-law), Lucius Malfoy (brother-in-law), Andromeda Tonks (sister-in-law)

𝖕 𝖍 𝖞 𝖘 𝖎 𝖈 𝖆 𝖑 𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖇𝖚𝖙𝖊𝖘

FACE CLAIM: Penn Badgley BUILD: Fit, muscular, and clearly works at maintaining it. Wishes he was taller always. HAIR: Longer than it should be, according to his mother, growing out of the buzz cut he got in November, thick and wavy. He’s also sporting stubble that’s quickly turning into a beard. HAIR COLOR: Dark brown, almost black EYE COLOR: Hazel on a normal day, amber on a sunny day, murky brown on a cloudy day SKIN COLOR: Pale, thin and translucent, like parchment. Anyone can see when he’s hungover or had a shitty night of sleep because his eyes look hollow and the skin underneath it looks almost purple. DOMINANT HAND: Right ANOMALIES:

TATTOOS: The Dark Mark on the inside of his right arm, a sketch of the sculpture of Laocoon and His Sons sketched out from the top of his left rib cage to his hip, the first lines of the Iliad on his collar bone, stretching from his left shoulder to his right shoulder, a stick and poke of a muggle ghost on the inside of his ankle, and, perhaps his favorite of them all, the word “TERROR” on the inside of his bottom lip. He charmed it so that, any time he flips his bottom lip out at the world to show the tattoo, the letters pop out in a magical version of a jump scare.

SCARS: His elbows and knees are shredded up from years of Quidditch and not following proper rules when it comes to healing potions. He’s got the slightest scar in his left eyebrow from falling off his broom when he was nine. Plus, he’s got the scrapes and scars of a fighter, a soldier, and he wears his ragged skin with the brashness and boldness of someone unafraid of battle.

SCENT: Tobacco, crisp linen, and, if he’s getting all dolled up, he puts just the tiniest dab of amortentia at his throat, because, well, “then I always smell good.” ACCENT: RP because his mother wouldn’t have her children sounding like scoundrels. But his Northern accent slips out every now and again when he’s particularly hammered. ALLERGIES: Bees. DISORDERS: Rapidly developing alcoholism. Slowly developing PTSD. FASHION: Punk but make it pureblood. Lots of silver rings with huge gemstones inset or crests carved into the metal. Amazing shoes always – be it chunky black combat boots, beautiful leather loafers, or the occasional (slightly) healed Chelsea boot. Skinny jeans and slouchy hoodies on his days alone in Manchester. Pressed shirts rolled up to the elbows and perfectly fitted trousers on his days at Lestrange Manor. His favorite robes are black velvet, with a gold clasp across the chest in the shape of a skull. And, of course, his clubbing outfits. Leather, mesh, crop tops (yes, Rab wears crop tops, and no, none of you will ever see it because he’s CAREFUL heh), muscle tanks, and the odd denim shorterall (with nothing underneath) moment. NERVOUS TICS: He used to bite his fingernails as a kid, but the nannies spanked that out of him. His oral fixation has been replaced with cigarettes – any slight bit of tension, and he’s lighting up. QUIRKS: He doesn’t know how to sit normally in a chair because he’s gay.

𝖑 𝖎 𝖋 𝖊 𝖘 𝖙 𝖞 𝖑 𝖊

RESIDES: Lestrange Manor 75% of the time. His own flat in Manchester 25% of the time. BORN: In France, while his parents were on holiday. He wasn’t supposed to be due for another three weeks, but his mother’s water broke while she was on the beach, and Rabastan was born five hours later. RAISED: In Yorkshire, with every other summer abroad (France most years, but sometimes Italy or Spain, and one very special year, Norway), until he went to Hogwarts. PETS: Gunther, a black Great Dane, who lives at Lestrange Manor, and technically is both his and Rodolphus’ – their mother got the dog for them as a means to help them bond, but really, Gunther is Rabastan’s and only gets attention from Rodolphus when their mother is around, so as not to offend her. And, in Rabastan’s eyes, but probably not in the eyes of other, more progressive individuals, Iphigenia, the Lestrange family house elf.

CAREER: Spending the Lestrange fortune. Being a Death Eater. EXPERIENCE: He’s been doing it his whole life. Nine years. Since his final year at Hogwarts. EMPLOYER: Voldemort.

POLITICAL AFFILIATION: The Death Eaters / Pureblood values. BELIEFS: Purebloods created this world, and now it’s their time to defend it. The Dark Lord is the only one capable of leading them to victory, and the purpose of men like Rabastan is to give him the aid he needs, no matter the personal cost. MISDEMEANORS: Truancy, defacing Hogwarts property, breaking curfew, bullying, tardiness, breaking dress code, and infinite more. He was never quiet about his rebellions, always laughing in the face of authority. And, now that he’s no longer at school, there’s nothing he can’t buy himself out of. FELONIES: Well. He’s killed more than a few people and gotten away with it, so. You do the math from there. DRUGS: Rabastan likes muggle drugs a little too much. Cocaine, particularly. He’s also been known to dabble in expensive, experimental potions from an alchemist the Lestranges have been using to cure their every ail and malady since Rabastan was a boy. SMOKES: Religiously. He started because every young boy wants to be just like their father at one point or another, and then he just never stopped. ALCOHOL: Rabastan’s rarely without a drink in his hand. It’s a glass of brandy as soon as he comes home, flask of whisky constantly at his hip, a Bloody Mary and some pepper up potion to eliminate his hangover first thing when he wakes up. It’s not a problem, he can stop at any point, or so he says. He learned how to be a functional alcoholic from all of the men he observed around him at a young age, and he’s found a very specific line – enough to feel gently numb, to feel invincible, but not so much that he’s incapacitated. And more and more, in recent months, especially since the disappearance of his brother, has he crossed that line. He’ll go through spurts of detoxing, of getting painfully sober for a few days, and then, he’ll be so overwhelmed by the world around him, by how loud it is, by how unforgiving, by how painful it can be, and then he’s right back where he was, with a bottle in one hand and a bump on the back of the other. DIET: Rabastan eats extremely well. Mostly vegetarian, except for fish, lots of legumes and greens, lots of fiber, etc. He knows how much crap he puts into his body, and while he doesn’t particularly care about the fact that he’s shortening his life, he does care about what it does to his physique. And, of course, the trade off is never going to be equal, but he does try to eat as cleanly as he can.

LANGUAGES: English, French, German, and self-taught Latin

PHOBIAS: If you asked him, he’d say he has none. And that’s mostly true. But there isn’t a day that goes by where he doesn’t think about getting outed to his family and then being banished by the Lestranges for his deviant behavior, and there isn’t a day that goes by where the very thought is enough to turn his blood to ice. HOBBIES: Drinking, fighting, fucking. When he’s not indulging his vices, he’s actually quite a scholar – he’s read through every book in his father’s study twice, and he taught himself Latin when he was thirteen. He also loves flying and still takes to a broomstick when he needs to clear his head. He’s also surprisingly adept at tending to plants (he effortlessly got O’s in Herbology his whole time at Hogwarts), and he’s got a lovely, melodic voice.  TRAITS: { + }: Quick-thinking, fierce, loyal, playful { - }: Reckless, vulgar, lazy, submissive

𝖋 𝖆 𝖛 𝖔 𝖗 𝖎 𝖙 𝖊 𝖘

LOCATION: Spiny Serpent, specifically the secret fight club in the basement. It’s his favorite place in the world, the one place where he actually feels alive and free. He’ll heal all of his visible injuries with magic, but sometimes, he’ll leave a bruised rib or a tweaked knee because the pain of it reminds him that he’s alive, he’s present, he’s real. SPORTS TEAM: Wimbourne Wasps (and United ever since he started living in Manchester, but he’d rather be caught dead than admit to following the muggle Premiere league) GAME: Quidditch and he’s trying to start his own Swivenhodge league MUSIC: Much to his mother’s distaste, he’s an avid Hobgoblins fan, and his father begrudgingly took both his boys to meet Stubby when they were fifteen and eighteen respectively. Rab would never admit to listening to Celestina Warbeck, but after he’s had a few, he’s been known to do his own rendition of, “A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love” MOVIES: Too muggle. Absolutely not. (But he’d fucking love ALIEN if he knew it existed) FOOD: Venison, so rare it’s still bloody BEVERAGE: Double whisky on the rocks COLOR: Gold

𝖒 𝖆 𝖌 𝖎 𝖈

ALUMNI HOUSE: Slytherin WAND (length, flexibility, wood, & core): 13 inches, Holly, Dragon Heart String, Brittle AMORTENTIA: Pine trees, cigar smoke, candied ginger, and the unmistakable musk of all the men he’s ever fucked (oops) PATRONUS: A Deerhound BOGGART: A blue ticket. Even though he’s no expert in muggle history, he spends enough time in queer muggle spaces to know what they are, and the first time he found out about that, the first time someone told him about dishonorable discharge because of something so seemingly trivial, it made his blood turn to ice. He couldn’t shake the image, the idea of it, and to this day, he avoids boggarts at all costs because he knows it’ll give away his secret.

𝖈 𝖍 𝖆 𝖗 𝖆 𝖈 𝖙 𝖊 𝖗

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral MBTI: ENFP MBTI ROLE: The Campaigner ENNEAGRAM: Type 6 ENNEAGRAM ROLE: The Loyalist / the Skeptic TEMPERAMENT: Sanguine WESTERN ZODIAC: Aries CHINESE ZODIAC: Horse PRIMAL SIGN: Hammerhead Shark TAROT CARD: The Devil TV TROPES: Beard of Sorrow, Millionaire Playboy, Black Shirt, Draco in Leather Pants, Lovable Rogue, Punch-clock Villain SONGS:

1. balaclava by the arctic monkeys 2. bury a friend by billie eilish 3. to be so lonely by harry styles 4. make up your mind by florence & the machine 5. winter of our youth by bastille 6. broken crown by mumford & sons 7. i’m still standing by elton john 8. people by the 1975 9. ball and a biscuit by the white stripes 10. let’s have a kiki by scissor sisters (am i joking? idk)

IDEOLOGIES:

Adores birthdays and refuses to let people get away with not celebrating them. He loves any excuse to drink and party, and he knows he gives a mean toast, so people might as well fucking celebrate so he can put his skills on display. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Despite the contradictory nature of this, he doesn’t hate all members of the Order / all blood traitors on principle. He understands that they’re just trying to defend their place in the universe, and frankly, he respects the survival instincts he’s seeing play out. Of course, he knows his side is going to win – that’s inevitable. But it’s still admirable to see them all go down with such a valiant fight.

Hates cats. Period, full stop.

Refuses to go to St. Mungo’s, or any hospital for that matter. His uncle on his maternal side went there for a minor illness and came out in a box. Rabastan was seven, and his tiny brain came to the conclusion that the hospital was what did in his uncle, not his illness. And now, Rab knows how illogical it is, but he’d rather pay the family healer to come take a look at him than go to the doctor.

Would rather stand on public transportation than sit next to a stranger because he loves his own personal space just a little too much

As much as he does spend his family’s money a little too freely, no one can ever accuse Rab of hoarding his wealth. He always buys a round for everyone in the bar, picks up the check without being asked, buys things for his friends that they want but don’t need, lets people crash at Lestrange Manor whenever they need to. He’s not miserly in the slightest, not like Rodolphus.

Never makes a crucial decision without consulting a seer first. His mother taught him the habit.

Always flips one cigarette in the pack when he buys a new one.

No matter what time he wakes up, breakfast food has to be the first food he eats.

[dark-elf-writes]

Another prompt for birthday week if you dont mind: Inko tries to get back on Izuku’s good side after abandoning him at her brother Shouta’s place because Izuku is a famous hero. Izuku’s partner cuts her off

Hitoshi just wanted to go to sleep.

It was hardly a new feeling for him. There was little he loved more than sinking onto the nearest semi-flat surface to catch whatever sleep he could after finishing his patrols, made even better when he could coax Izuku to lay with him, so he could soak in their warmth and bury his face in their curls to just breathe them in. But here, standing halfway in one of the second floor windows and making eye contact with familiar green eyes in a very unfamiliar face standing in front of his front door, there was little he wanted more than to be decidedly unconscious.

Instead he sighed as he eased back out the window, making sure to slide it closed before he dropped down to meet their unwelcome guest. The last thing he wanted was the sound to carry and wake Izuku. They needed all the rest they could get before their own patrol started... or someone called in a Code Red that couldn't be solved by anyone else.

Hitoshi shoved his hands in the deep pockets of his jumpsuit, and dipped his head into the coils of his capture scarf, cursing himself for slinging off his persona chords and hanging them from his belt when he caught sight of their home.

"What?"

The woman blinked, seemingly taken aback by the rude demand. Hitoshi couldn't imagine what else she expected showing up on a stranger's doorstep before dawn.

"I want to see my s-- my child."

"Tough. Now leave."

"Excuse--!"

Hitoshi wanted to slam his head into the door, but that would, unfortunately, wake Izuku who would come running to find them on the doorstep. He settled for a bone deep sigh instead. "Look, there's no way in hell I'm letting you see anyone that you might think is in this house, and, no, I will not be passing a message either. It is as a courtesy you do not deserve and out of a deep desire not to do any more work tonight that I am not going to arrest you for trespassing right here. Leave before I decide that having you gone is worth more to me than my dislike of paperwork."

"You can't keep my from my child!"

A flash of anger had Hitoshi barking out a cruel laugh. "Your child? Where?"

"Izuku is--"

"An Aizawa. Or, technically, Shinsou-Aizawa now. You made it damn clear that they weren't your child when you abandoned them, just like they made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with you should you come crawling back now that you think they're suddenly valuable to you. Now I have had a very long night and don't have the patience to hold your hand through what child abandonment means. Get off of my property before I remove you from it. I guarantee I will enjoy the second option far more than you will."

Inko Midoriya huffed as she seemingly decided that whatever her plan was would work better when not in jail for trespassing and stomped her way back down the path. Hitoshi watched until she disappeared around the corner. Waited even longer until his phone buzzed in his pocket.

(How Nezu knew what was going on, Hitoshi didn't want to know. He liked being able to sleep whenever he could manage it, and the politest Not Shovel Talk of his life at sixteen had done enough damage to that already. All he needed to know was Nezu was just as protective over his former personal student as he was.)

Izuku stirred when Hitoshi finally slipped into bed, all sleep-warm skin and pillow lines through their smile as they seemingly tried to climb into him they pressed so close. "What took you so long?" They mumbled into his bare shoulder.

"Nothing important," He promised, pressing a kiss to their curls. "Just an annoyance."

They hummed and moments later their soft snores filled the room once more. Hitoshi smiled before following them into sleep.

[fallen029]

Dragon Appreciation Day

"Uh, Mirajane?"

"Hmmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Baking a cake."

"At," Lisanna paused to glance at a clock, "a quarter to eleven?"

"Uh-huh."

"Why?" the younger of the two asked as, with a yawn, she walked further into the kitchen. "I mean, did you forget someone's birthday tomorrow or something?"

"Not exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"Well," Mira sighed as continued to pour some sugar into a bowel. "Just that it's not a birthday, really, but it's more of a...day of great importance."

"Uh-huh," her sister said as she slowly came to stand next to the woman. "Well, if tomorrow's a day of great importance-"

'The utmost."

"Why did you wait so late to make the cake?"

"I just got off work," she explained. "Not to mention the dragon loves when I bring the cake over hot and fresh and-"

"Ew, gross. It's got something to do with Laxus?"

Mira nodded. "It's Dragon Appreciation Day. Or DAD day."

"DAD?"

"DAD," Mira agreed. "We also think it's cute because, you know, a dad's a father, but he's not one so it's funny, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, Mira," Lisanna said with a roll of her eyes. "So funny."

"I wanted to call it daddy day," Mira said with an even bigger smile, "but I couldn't work it into an acronym."

"Well, it happens." Still, Lisanna was kinda weary. "Um…why haven't I ever been informed about Dragon Appreciation Day before?"

"Because this is the first ever time we're having it," Mirajane told her. "We're thinking it'll be biannual."

"Semiannually, you mean."

"Uh, no, I mean-"

"Well, you shouldn't."

Mira blinked. Then she frowned over at her sister. "Why are you here again, Lisanna?"

"Mmmm," she yawned once more before getting out, "Elf and I got home for our job at, like, five this afternoon, so I've been asleep since then. I just woke up when I heard you in here, rustling around."

"Oops. Sorry."

"It's alright," the other woman assured her. "After all, I wouldn't want to miss Dragon Appreciation Day."

"Ah-ah."

"What?"

"I know your game, Lisanna."

"I'm not playing one."

"You think that I would possibly let you ruin this for me and Laxus?"

"Ruin it?" Lisanna huffed. "I would only make it better."

"No." Mira gave her a look then, a hard one. "You'll make fun of him and I can't have that. Then he'll get all bashful and embarrassed and it'll be a whole ordeal."

"But we love ordeals," her sister complained. "Come on. You love it when I make him uncomfortable with your relationship until he starts to think that he's too open or soft or something these days and has to take stock of his life and choices. Then you get to go in, fix him up, and have a great time making up, and then we do it again in a week or so, when we're all off from our jobs. Please, Mira. Don't break the cycle! We get so much filler from it."

"Nope." She shook her head. "Not this time.

"What am I supposed to do tonight then? Huh? Or tomorrow? If not bother Laxus?"

"Don't you have Natsu and Happy to play with? Or something?" Then she frowned. "Or, hey, Lisanna! You're supposed to be working for me tomorrow. Or did you forget?"

The younger woman blinked. That quickly turned into slinking right back out of that kitchen.

"Forget?" she called as she rushed off. "I would never."

"I mean it! You better be there. I'm not going in tomorrow! Lisanna, you have to open!"

That was the least of Mira's problems though. She still had to get the cake done, cooled a bit, frosted, and then over to Laxus' apartment. Not to mention slip on something lacey beneath her dress. Ooh, and make him sandwiches.

Laxus really liked sandwiches. She was going to go ahead and prepare some in advance and shove them in his fridge when she got to his place.

So much to do, so little time.

But, true to form, Mira got it all worked out and got to his apartment right on time, keying into the place at 11:59, hurrying off to the kitchen to dump the sandwiches, before taking everything else with her into the bedroom just as the clock rolled over.

Laxus was snoring rather loudly when she got in there, but Mira only went to set the stuff in her arms down on his dresser before turning her attention to him. Asleep, huh? Well, she'd just have to fix that, wouldn't she?

"Dragon," Mira cooed softly as she moved to climb right into bed with him, shoving aside the single sheet he had over his body to reveal, while shirtless, he did have a pair of jeans on beneath. "Wake up. It's DAD day."

"Mmmm?"

"C'mon, silly." He was flat on his back, leaving Mira to easily pin his arms down and lean over him. "Dragon. Wake up."

"Mira," he mumbled, blinking his eyes open. "What are you doin' here?"

"It's Dragon Appreciation Day," she reminded. "Did it slip your mind?"

"Mmmm." He tried to lift his arms then, languidly, but found she still had them pressed firmly against the mattress. Just how he liked it. "No. But it's the middle of the night."

"Is not." She nodded at the softly ticking clock at his bedside table. "It's midnight. Of Dragon Appreciation Day."

Turning his head, he only stared at the clock, still too bleary eyed to read the numbers. Still, he took her work for it.

"Guess it is," he agreed through a yawn.

"So," Mira whispered, her smile seemingly seductive then. "Let me appreciate you."

"I can give you a few suggestions if you- Uh, Mira?"

"Hmmm?"

"What are you doing? Get back here."

She was climbing right back out of bed though and going over to the dresser. "I'm getting your cake."

"Cake?" Growling then, he moved to sit up. "Damn it, woman. I don't- Ooh. Is it chocolate?"

"Mmmhmm."

"With strawberry frosting?"

"Mmmmhmm."

"Come appreciate me, baby." He rubbed his hands together and wiggled his butt. "I need some of that."

Giggling, Mira brought him the entire pan and a plastic fork she'd brought along. She knew her man. "Here you go."

With a snicker and a snatch, Laxus pulled back the aluminum covering the cake before digging right in. Mira just stood at the side of the bed though, frowning some.

"Wha'?" Laxus asked, mouth full then and only stared. Something hit him after a moment. "Oh. I'm so rude."

"Yeah, I was-"

"Here." Laxus moved to unzip his jeans then, setting the cake pan on the bed to do so. "Let me just giggle out of these and you can-"

"What? Laxus-"

"What?" He blinked at her. "You wanna give me head while I-"

"No! Ew!"

Another blink. "Why is that ew? That sounds like heaven to me."

Huffing, Mirajane looked off. "I was waiting for you to say something about what I wrote on the cake."

He looked down at it. "Babe, it's dark in here and-"

"You smudged it."

"Well, I ate it, yeah."

"Without even reading it first."

"Get a light," he groaned as she rushed to turn on his bedside lamp. With it on, he only stared. "You just wrote that you love me."

"With a little heart on the end."

"It's cute. Really cute."

"Thank-"

"Now about this blow as I'm eating cake," he began again, picking the pan right back up. "Do you think I should sit on the end of the bed and you wanna be on your- Or no, I'm reading your face and you're not into that. So right here then? Good? Demon, you're giving me these looks-"

"You're ruining it. Already."

Sighing, he said, "Sorry. Here. You wanna piece of cake? Baby? Demon? For Dragon Day? Huh? It'll make me feel real appreciated if you come snuggle up with me and have some of this."

Because ultimately, Dragon Appreciation Day was basically just going to be Laxus catering to Mirajane and her unbelievable neediness day. Basically.

Why had he ever thought any differently?

Slowly, Mirajane moved to relax on the bed as well. "I just had things all planned out."

He stabbed at the cake with his fork before moving to shove it in her mouth. Anything to get her quiet. "Uh-huh."

"And," she said after swallowing, apparently not giving up, "I did plan for us to do…stuff, but not right now."

"That's alright," he assured her. "Just eat and-"

"I just want to make today perfect, Lax," she said. "From this moment until the clock strikes midnight again, I want you to feel appreciated and loved and-"

"Uh, woman," he started, glancing at her. "You want me to stay up for this whole twenty-four hour period?"

'Well, no, Lax. Of course not."

"Good. Then-"

"You can have a nap for an hour at twelve till one while I make your lunch." Then, as if to mollify it, she sang, "I'm making your favorite."

He blinked. "An hour you say?"

"Dragon-"

"Well, what are we going to do now?" he asked. "After the cake is done?"

"Catch fireflies."

"What? Mira-"

"Then go for an early morning hike."

"A hike? And this is way more than early morning. I mean-"

"Then watch the sunrise."

"How is this appreciating me?"

"Uh, Laxus," she complained, frowning at him. "Because we're doing things together. I'm appreciating our time together. And you should be too."

"Demon, I was under the impression that this day we've created-"

"Together. DAD."

"Yeah. Thanks for that. But, uh, I thought that it would be more about, you know," he tried with a shrug. "Me."

"But dragon," she protested, staring up at him. "It is."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure." He went back to feeding himself. That cake was too good to waste on the demon just trying to talk around it. "This sounds more like a couples' day. You know? And I love you. So much. My little demon. My precious, little she-devil."

"Awe."

"But," he was quick to add, that single conjunction bringing a harsher tone to the rest of his sentence, "today wasn't supposed to be about us. It was supposed to be about me. Our anniversary is for us. Dragon Appreciation Day, in my mind at least, was going to be a day when you basically just did whatever I wanted. You know, a day spent telling me how great I was, putting out when I wanted, and basically just doing whatever I want you to do for the day."

"That doesn't sound fun."

"It is fun," he assured her. "For me."

Mirajane only frowned though. "Then on Demon Appreciation Day…what? You didn't plan anything for it?"

"No," Laxus said slowly as he tried to come up with a viable excuse. If he admitted that he'd forgotten all about her day (why would he ever waste time remembering it when every day was basically Mira's day), then he'd be in trouble for that. But saying that he had a plan for the day would mess up what he was trying to explain to her about how, on their respective days, they should get to choose what they do. Thinking quickly, he said, "I have some fancy reservations at a great restaurant. Everything else though is up for you to decide for us. Understand?"

No. But, with her bottom lip stuck out, Mira could only nod. What was the point of arguing?

"Good. Now, open wide, huh? I want you to enjoy this cake too."

"I thought," she grumbled instead, "that today was Dragon Appreciation Day? Not Do Whatever the Heck Laxus Wants Day."

"Same thing, I figure."

"I just don't see," she complained, "how doing whatever you want is appreciating you."

"Then what, Mira, do you think it means to appreciate me? And not that garb about spending all that time together."

Huffing, Mirajane looked off for a moment before saying, "I dunno. I… When you appreciate something, like art or music or something-"

"Ha. Like I'd ever do that."

He got a look for that before she said, "I guess when you appreciate something, you just…take it in, right? Isn't appreciation just showing how much you value something?"

"Yeah. Like you value me so you give me cake and blows." He nodded. "I'm glad you see things my way."

"Laxus."

"How are you going to try and tell me how I'm supposed to be appreciated? Huh? Shouldn't it have to do with my feelings?" Laxus was rather indignant on that point. "I want to be appreciated by enjoying the rest of this cake in silence and then fucking." He took the face she was making as a signal and said, "Err, uh, sleeping. Snuggling? What do you want, woman?"

"To catch-"

"No fireflies!"

"Fine," she gave in. "Snuggling sounds fine."

For her anyways…

The fact that Laxus ever expected the day to be anything other than just what Mirajane wanted was just foolish on his part, he knew. As he stated before, every day was Demon Day. Appreciation or no appreciation, it just was.

And, when she woke him back up later, the hour being (semi)godly finally, it was to make him breakfast and map out the rest of their day together. She'd brought over her guitar and offered to play him a few songs, something that he'd always enjoyed. Then she suggested they shower and head out to find something that he would enjoy.

Mira suggested a stroll through the park.

He rejected that.

Then she offered for them to go over to her house and spend some time working her garden.

Yeah right.

And getting a beer up at the guild? On, not only her off day, but also Dragon Appreciation Day? Was the woman crazy?

Yes. Apparently. She had to be, considering she asked just that of him.

After Laxus turned that down though, Mira was out of activities. Those were the only things that she really did, after all.

"I know," she said suddenly. "What if I left you completely alone?"

"Come again?"

They were seated on his couch, discussing the future plans and, at at that suggestion, he only frowned at her.

"You heard me," Mirajane insisted. "I could leave you alone for the rest of the day or, even, however long you want. Would you like that?"

"How would that make me feel appreciated?"

Shrugging, she said, "I dunno. I mean, it wouldn't if it were me, but I just know how you always say that I'm infringing on your space or that I'm annoying or that you wish that I would shut up-"

"I have never told you-"

"Not to my face, fine, but you definitely have behind my back."

Even though there was nothing in his mouth, somehow he managed to bite his tongue about then. "W-Well-"

"And I want to appreciate you by giving you what you want. Isn't that what we agreed on appreciate means?" She stared up at him with big eyes. "Lax?"

"I don't…"

"It's alright to want that," she said. "I know me. I can be a lot to deal with."

Yeah. He would definitely agree with that.

"But," she insisted, "you do such a good job at it, that you deserve a break. So I should, you know, appreciate your sensibilities or whatever, and give it to you."

Laxus blinked. Then he sat back and thought. After that was done, he only moved to toss an arm around Mirajane's shoulders and pull her close.

"Demon," he grumbled as he nuzzled his head against hers. "Why would you ever think that on my perfect day, the day where I should be worshipped in the streets-"

"I don't think we ever agreed to take it that far. Nor should we."

"-I would ever wanna send you away?" He grinned then, widely. It seemed odd on his face, but Mira enjoyed it anyways. "What would be the point in that, huh? You're only my favorite person in the world, demon."

"Really?"

Nodding, he said, "I mean, sure, you are a little rough to deal with-"

"We already established that," she grumbled. "You didn't have to say it again."

"-but who isn't? I know I am, right?"

"Well," she started, "It is your day, so I won't-"

"Fine. Then I'll say it. I am hard to deal with," he reiterated. "And that's okay. 'cause you appreciate all my qualities, the good and the bad. And I do with you too. You're my demon! The only one in the world I would say any of this to. So now do you get it? Huh?" He rested his forehead against hers then, waiting for her to look up at him. When she did, he said, "And I'm ready for you to show me just how much you appreciate me. Whatever way that means for you."

She leaned into his hold for a moment before saying, "Well, this is nice."

"It is."

"And if you just wanna do this for a bit more or even…I dunno. Did you wanna go to a bar? A different one? Or out somewhere? Do you have any friends that you wanna go hangout with?"

"Nah." He sighed then, releasing her as he fell back on the couch. "I think you were right."

"Hmmm?"

"This is a pretty good place to hang. Just for a bit."

Mirajane moved to rest against him. "Just for a bit."

"Until you get ready for that blow-"

"Laxus."

"Maybe later. After lunch?"

Rolling her eyes, Mira said, "Maybe."

With a grin down at her, Laxus shifted some before saying, "You know, demon, you don't ever have to feel like you gotta go anywhere. If anything, that'd make me feel even less appreciated. I just like you to be around me." Then, because he was him, he had to add, "And when you tell me how great I am."

"You are great, dragon."

"I am?"

"Uh-huh," she insisted. "You're amazing."

Laxus paused. "Well?"

"Hmmm?"

"Amazing...how?"

Sigh. It was his day though. She was going to have to brag on him a bit eventually.

"You're so great," she kept up. "You save people, like, constantly."

"Details, Mirajane. Paint me a picture here with your words, huh? What people do I save? How do I save them? Just how great is the Thunder God?"

Ugh.

"You're so underappreciated, Laxus."

"That's about right."

"No one gets you," she purred as she shut her eyes, stretching completely out on the couch then, head rested in his lap. "Except me."

"Damn straight."

"Such a tortured, dark soul. But look at all you do for us."

"What?"

"You take care of us. All of us. The entire planet, really."

"Mmmm."

"You're the best slayer there is. Why, if you hadn't been so tired out from Master Hades, you probably could have taken out Acnologia all by yourself."

"That's what I'm fuckin' sayin'."

"And when I watch your train, with the sweat dripping down your rippling muscles, it just makes me wanna-"

"I thought we were doing this later, but alright. Let's-"

"-hold you and tell you that you don't have to work so hard to impress-"

"Demon."

She just hummed. "I love you, dragon. And I appreciate everything you have ever done for me."

Sighing, he only reached down to rest a hand on her white locks. "Yeah. I love you too."

"Really?"

"What's a dragon without his demon? Huh?" Stroking her hair then, he whispered, "You're my everything."

And even though she got tired eventually of telling him just how stellar he was (the most stellar thing on the planet, universe, everywhere as far as he was concerned), she just knew that it would be paid back to her a thousand times forward on Demon Appreciation Day.

She was thinking…spa day. Or no! Mirajane Ovation Month! MOM. And they could go on a vacation and she'd take time off work and, really, after thirty days they'd probably have their fill of one another, so probably not really a month, but for the sake of the acronym why not?

Hmmmm. She'd have to run it by Laxus, of course, but no way he'd turn her down.

Just…not that day. Because it was Dragon Appreciation Day. And, well, he deserved it.

Her dragon was awesome. The most awesome. There was nothing else to it.

[leaughrilke]

(wriggles eyebrows) superbabies at hogwarts

BRUH

so kara’s a muggle born hufflepuff and lena’s a pure blood slytherin (who like......easily could have gone to ravenclaw if she wasnt so terrified of what lillian would say or do if she didn’t end up in the luthor’s typical house) and they’re p sure the kiddos are going to have magic (like 90% on finn and maia??  stella’s a lil more murky bc they’re p sure that her birth mom was a witch but its not as if they’ve got like.......Offical Records on her or anything)

so finn and maia show magic p early??  from like toddlers tbh so they’re expecting their letters and then stella’s like nine and hasn’t shown any inclination to magic and she’s starting to ask when she’ll get her letter, if she can get a cat for a pet instead of an owl like finn and maia did and like??  they’ll obviously love her exactly as they always have but like they’re like lowkey worried she’ll be destroyed if she doesn’t get a letter

so they’re gearing up to sit down with her and talk to her about the possibility of her maybe not having magic and then one day she sneezes and sets the curtains on fire

so

finn!!!  is the first, the oldest, and he like straight up cries when his letter comes bc he’s so excited??  but he’s also dreading being away from his moms, being away from his sisters, but kara wraps him up in a big hug and tells him all about how scared and sad she was when she got her letter, how much she desperately didnt want to go but she went and it was amazing and he’s going to have a wonderful time, she knows it.  

the whole family goes to diagon alley and like the kiddos have been before, kara and lena take them p regularly for ice cream or for birthdays or hell just for funsies but now it’s Big and Important

his wand is alder, unyielding, with unicorn hair as the core.  twelve inches even and like.......when he matches with it he literally makes flowers grow in every nook and cranny of ollivanders and stella’s literally six but she’s so entirely entranced, so finn just sort of thinks flowers and then she’s got a little bloom behind her ear, braided into her hair and she’s grinning and maybe she finally stops crying at the thought of her big brother going off to school for the year

meanwhile maia’s pretending like she’s not at all upset about this, bc she’s excited for finn??  she is!!!  but he’s her best friend and she’s not ready to lose him for nine months out of the year, but by the time they make it to the owl shop, she’s grinning and talking about what type of owl she thinks finn ought to get, what type of owl she’ll get bc she’s not pleased with finn’s final choice (a small, sleek little barn owl that he stares at and finally decides to name spock bc he’s a nerd just like lena tbh)

so he goes!!!!!  and he is a hufflepuff!!!!!  a giant soft sweet hufflepuff!!!!!!!  kara sends him her old scarf from when she was in school when he gets sorted, sends a rlly embarrassing howler that’s basically her and lena just crying and saying they’re so proud of him, they love him so much, call home as soon as you can and tell us everything! and he’s blushing a little bit but his house is full of kids with similar howlers and they’re all blushing a little, all making bashful eye contact with one another

and jesus does he belong in hufflepuff like.  he is so happy, like he’s homesick for the first few weeks??  but it helps that lena does guest lectures for muggle studies on how magic and muggle technology can be combined, helps that he can see one of his moms every few weeks or so, helps that he has a smartphone bc this is the 21st century and he’s able to facetime his family a lot.  but once the homesickness passes, once he falls into the rhythm of hogwarts, he just begins to belong u know??  like he makes friends across the board, in every house, in every year, often volunteers down in the infirmary when there’s need

jesus he writes his sisters so many letters bc they’re still young enough that getting mail is like A Thing.  like??  he asks his moms for a camera, just so he can send maia a picture of the giant squid in the lake bc she’s so fascinated by it, just so he can send stella a series of photos of the quidditch matches his new friends bring him out to bc she watches the matches on tv and is so entranced

so his first year is so awesome and quite frankly so is his second year and then!!!!!!  it’s his third year and maia’s coming and he legit cannot wait, like he knows all the secret passages and shortcuts and which house elf (no longer kept, but actually employed by the school !!!  bc mcfuck off thats why) is the easiest to persuade for a midnight snack and he cant wait to share that all with maia

so maia!!!!  she gets her letter and she literally screams, scares the fuck out of her moms and siblings but she’s like FUCK YES WHERE’S MY WAND WHERE’S MY GIANT SCREECH OWL SOMEONE GET ME SOME CHOCOLATE FROGS TO CELEBRATE like she’s been counting down the days to hogwarts since finn got his letter

her wand!!!  is dogwood with dragon heartstring, rigid, twelve and a quarter inches and is a bit, well.  it looks like a branch with a handle tbh but its kind of wild??  like a thing of nature and the minute it hits maia’s hand, she’s enthralled and there’s like a hum in the air??  like something’s clicked into place and she’s READY like hand her some SPELLS lets get this MAGIC HAPPENING

and she gets her giant ass screech owl, names it gene simmons bc why not (genie for short, obviously), gets her books and her supplies and asks if they can stop by weasley’s to grab a few things and her moms set her with a look and kara’s like maia you can’t prank any of the professors and lena’s like on that subject, you can’t prank any of your housemates until at least second term and maia’s kind of like fiiiiinnneeee but definitely slips in a few things that are definitely prank-worthy and grins when her moms pointedly look in the other direction as theyre paying

so then she gets to hogwarts and she’s sitting under the sorting hat for a solid ten minutes as it hems and haws between sorting her into gryffindor or ravenclaw and she’s a little sad she’s not even being considered for finn’s house, but she also knows she’d never fit in there, not ever.  and this goes on for a bit bc maia’s wildly smart, and she loves learning but she’s also hard headed and reckless and intensely committed to the idea of justice, fairness, always steps up to a fight, never away.  so FINALLY the sorting hat calls out GRYFFINDOR and then maia’s swept up in the celebration, catches finn’s eye as he gives her the biggest proud big brother smile and a thumbs up (meanwhile he’s secretly facetiming kara and lena so they can see this and what, they’re totally not crying)

and kara, secret old lady that she is, tries to knit maia a gryffindor scarf but its kind of terrible so they also buy her one but (and maia will never admit this) she sleeps with the fucked up one kara made her, tucked up next to her ratty old teddy bear from when she was a baby.  

what??  it makes her feel safe, reminds her of home

so she doesnt have that same adjustment period as finn did??  like she’s not super sad for the first few weeks, its more protracted than that, lasts a little longer but doesnt hit as hard, and it’s a lot of help that finn’s there, pulls her over to eat at his table when she doesnt have friends to eat with the first few days, who invites her round to his common room to eat the sweets their moms have sent them and to catch up on tv on his laptop.  but mostly???  she loves hogwarts.  she LOVES it

she excels at potions, in the same way that finn excels at herbology, great at defense against the dark arts, and shit if she’s not even better dueling, like she gets an actual invitation to join the dueling club on parchment and everything

and like???  she’s on the choir and gets her friends to dare her to explore the forbidden forest and quite frankly she’s having the time of her life

and then little stella!!!!!  she gets her owl and like.  just stares at it for a bit, trying to believe its real and then lena’s coming downstairs and sees stella sitting in front of the big kitchen window and sees what she’s staring at and shes like !!!!!  stella!!!!  cmon sweetheart, lets go get that letter!!!!  and stella’s so???  happy????  like its been weird like she’s basically been an only child in the three years since maia went to hogwarts, been on her own and now she’ll be back with her siblings and she’s so so happy oh my god

she very nearly cries when she finds her wand bc she takes the longest of all the kiddos.  no wand feels right, feels like home and she’s nearly at her wits end with it, just about to say nevermind, take me home and then, well, she finds it.  its pine, supple, fourteen and a half inches long with a dragon heartstring; god, it looks a little ridiculous when ollivander hands it to her, almost like its too long for such a small girl but then she’s holding it, then a hush is falling over the room and then there’s just light, everywhere and it feels right???  feels good, grounded

and she picks out a little black kitten!!!  its the runt of the litter and maia kind of knocks her shoulder and says awwww just like you and their moms fix her with a look but stella’s smiling, nodding, saying that one, i want that one and that’s the end of that

what does she name the cat, you ask?  well

she names it carmilla bc she’s a giant baby lesbian ok, like hell she didnt sneak the novella from lena’s bookshelf and struggle through it only to watch the series and then develop an as of yet unnamed crush on carmilla

so she finally gets to hogwarts, kind of terrified (she cried a lot on the train, only sort of soothed by her siblings refusing to go sit with their friends, instead squishing into the same bench and playing sudoku with her) but finn’s grinning at her from the hufflepuff table and maia’s giving her this steady look like you got this from gryffindor and stella’s like???  ok.  i’ll be happy in either of those houses

but then the sorting hat barely touches her hair before its screaming SLYTHERIN and stella’s like um what. 

this isnt to say any of the kiddos have that assbackwards belief that slytherin = evil bc like??  lena was slytherin and yeah, there’s some shit tied up with that but she did truly have a decent time and aunt alex was slytherin too and she’s good, the greatest, like none of them have grown up with that messed up idea

but at the same time stella’s like um.  i am the softest bitch here.  what the fuck bc while she knows slytherins arent evil, she also knows her mom and aunt alex, knows there’s an edge to slytherins that she can’t hope to ever match???  like ambition??  cunning/??  bitch WHERE

but its done, she’s sorted and she’s kind of in shock and most of slytherin is as well, kind of looking at her and then looking back to her siblings, kind of like???  the fuck????  the danvers kids are like........the Softest.  why do we have this one????  and maia’s the first to holler her name, whoop and clap and stamp her feet and celebrate her baby sister getting sorted and then finn’s joining and then the whole of slytherin is doing the same and stella kind of smiles a little bc when she sits down, the girl next to her gives her this appraising look then sticks out her hand and says i’m ari, we’re friends now before shoving a plate of food at her

and lena’s like???  worried that stella doesnt want to be in slytherin but also incredibly proud and excited???  like shit, ok, all my weird trivia abt the slytherin dorms can finally come in handy and she digs out all her old stuff, packs it up with a weepy howler that’s literally her and kara just crying about how much they love and miss stella and stella literally wears that scarf basically every cold day for the rest of her life tbh

stella feels the homesickness more??  like a Lot more, bc she had a lot more one on one time with kara and lena after maia left, isnt used to not being around them in the slightest and she’s kind of inconsolable for a while after lena’s lectures, but maia sometimes sneaks her into the gryffindor dorms so she doesnt have to feel so alone at night and that helps a lot, helps that she finds some good friends p early on as well

OH SHIT it also helps that stella’s like.  terrifyingly good at transfiguration and charms, and, later, divination and legilimancy (heh u see what i did there).  probably also helps that she’s scary good at most curses and hexes like.........she’ll Fuck U Up.  maia fights with her fists but stella doesnt hesitate to use her wand.  like ppl are a lil tiny bit scared of her but she’s tiny and adorable and v sweet, sweet enough that most ppl get over their fear p quickly

so the kiddos do alright??  finn never joins the quidditch team even though kara played and he’s never quite as fond of flying as stella; in fact, its only stella that joins quidditch for anything longer than one season, as a chaser (stella MAY be a little bit of an adrenaline junkie and MAY have the time of her life dodging bludgers).  maia joins as a beater for one season when gryffindor’s normal beater came down with dragon pox and had to go home to recuperate but she quits at the end of the season bc she hits a bludger that ends up knocking stella off her broom and like.......Fuck That ya know

hmmmmmm what shenanigans do they get up to 

well finn’s like every professors favorite student like he’s there on time and prepared for class every day and god help every professor the day maia comes to hogwarts like they’re all expecting another mild mannered danvers kiddo (like??  even their moms were so well behaved.........that said.  it shouldnt be a surprise bc alex was hell on wheels) but then maia sweeps into her first class, probably trailing glitter or something equally dramatic and like.  professor snapper looks like he wants to die tbh.  like just drop dead

i dont blame him tbh, maia is also hell on wheels, like constantly calling teachers out when they fuck up and starting fights when some punk kid starts saying shit about blood traitors like hey.  fuck u buddy

so then after maia’s torn through, everyone’s a lil cautious with stella but she’s like........a small bunny or something.  a small bunny that could probably murder you with some tricky non-verbal magic but a small bunny nonetheless 

finn’s a prefect and eventually head boy!!!  like he’s so proud of that and his sisters roll their eyes but theyre proud of him too and maybe kara and lena just.........dont shut up about how their son is head boy, their eldest daughter got an o in potions, how their youngest was the first in her class to cast a patronus charm successfully like they’re B R I M M I N G with pride tbh

hmmmm what else what else

finn goes on to be a healer!!  one of the best at st. mungos, the one you’d want caring for you after you’ve been blasted with some curse or the other.  maia first works for the ministry, in their muggle science department, but then decides to train as an auror (like why not, she’s got the grades and the grit for it).  stella bounces around for a bit before eventually opening her own little shop in diagon alley.  it’s a bit of an odds and ends sort of shop, somewhere halfway between an antique shop and a toy store tbh

and maybe she helps out on some of maia’s raids/cases

its not like there’s anyone more qualified to help, she is one of the foremost experts in legilimancy

[dark-elf-writes]

can you write something about Mina and Kyoka?

Kyoka wasn't sure how Mina had talked her into this, but she was pretty sure agreeing was the best decision she had ever made.

A rave had seemed like a spectacularly bad idea at first. Sure, Kyoka agreed they all needed a way to relax and celebrate "Being fucking alive!" as Mina had put it. Sure the only thing their class had to worry about now was the wrath of Mr. Aizawa if he caught them out after curfew. (A curfew that had grown more and more lax the closer they got to graduation.) Sure even that worry would be over tomorrow when they all officially graduated from UA and entered the world they had helped change as heroes in their own rights. Still she had been worried. The idea of being hungover, or from the looks of how hard the others were going still drunk, for their graduation had seemed like a disaster waiting to happen.

Then Mina, wearing more glitter than clothing, had pressed another drink into her hand, and all of Kyoka's worries had abruptly ceased to matter.

Mina had never looked more in her element than she did here under the flashing lights. She laughed as she went shot for shot with Bakugou. She dragged Toru to the dance floor. She passed out sealed waters to anyone who looked like they had tripped to the wrong end of the celebration and shouted encouragement over the music as she held back hair like she hadn't drank more than all of them.

Kyoka was wondering how her feet weren't screaming at her for those ridiculously high heels when the woman herself reappeared at her side, all bright smiles and pupils blown wide.

"You're thinking too hard!" Mina shouted over the music. "Just enjoy it!"

Kyoka lifted her drink in an agreement, knowing that there was no way Mina would hear her if she shouted back. Mina pouted at her for a second before a smile, bright and wild, won over.

Mina stole that drink from her, tipping her head back for a long drink. Kyoka was so stunned she didn't even fight it. Didn't even think to. Not even with Mina leaned down to press their lips together.

Liquid spilled over the the sloppy seal of their lips, but more still slipped into Kyoka's mouth. It tasted far sweeter than it had before. She thought wildly before Mina's tongue chased the shitty beer into Kyoka's mouth and short circuited her brain in the process. It was all Kyoka could do to hold onto Mina's arms and try her best to meet the kiss.

When Mina pulled back her lips were wet with beer and Kyoka's own saliva. The glitter on her skin flashed and sparkled under the strobe light. She was laughing bright and happy and fucking alive.

Kyoka thought she was right. She was thinking too hard.

So instead she threw her arms around Mina's neck and tugged her back in for another kiss, chasing the alcohol on her tongue and the electric feeling of being alive in her laugh.

This really was the best choice she had ever made.

[dark-elf-writes]

Write more biblically accurate Hawks you coward

“I’m going to regret asking this? But how?”

For his part Hawks didn’t so much as look up at the question, still sitting cross legged on his desk happily munching away from the bucket of fried chicken resting in his lap like he belonged there. It was almost enough for Vlad King to decide to try his luck at strangling the new Number Two hero… almost.

“How am I so handsome? Genetically lottery.”

Vlad sighed, long and soul deep. “How did 1-A convince you to cover yourself in googly eyes and serve as their high priest.”

That actually got a laugh out of Hawks. Bright and sharp. As sunning as his frequent displays of falling feathers and twice as deadly. “Convinced? Vladdy baby, I offered.”

A million questions jumped to his tongue. Why? What did Hawks get out of it? Why those kids? How the hell did Hawks have the time to humor them when he should be patrolling? Why the fucking eyes? The only thing that managed to trip its way over his clumsy tongue, however was, “Don’t call me that.”

A scoff around another bite of chicken, a dismissal of he had ever heard one, but Vlad stayed rooted to where he was. It was his desk that Hawks had taken over if nothing else. After a minute, and once the chicken bones had been picked clean and tossed in a perfect arc into the garbage can across the room, Hawks sighed.

“Look, I don’t expect someone like you to get it and honestly I don’t care enough to try to put it into words that you might actually understand, so let me tell you everything you need to know: those kids are different. Special even. That’s why I offered.”

Vlad blinked. “That’s it?”

“As far as you need to be concerned, yes. I think they’re interesting. They think the eyes are funny. Everyone except you wins in the end.”

“And you expect me to just accept that?”

All at once the air in the room changed. Hawks didn’t move. Didn’t rustle a single feather or set the bucket of fried chicken to the side. Still, Vald could feel the danger pouring off of him in waves. Could all but taste it on his tongue. He remembered then who Hawks was other than the odd little man that broke into UA every other week or covered himself in plastic eyes for the apparent delight of children he found “interesting”. He was Japan’s Number Two Hero hand picked and trained by the Commission themselves to be the ultimate idea of a hero. He took the missions no one ever heard about, taking care of all of the Commission’s dirty little secrets, then washed the blood from his hands and came out to pose for the cameras, the perfect irreverent pretty boy once again.

When Hawks smiled at him that time, it was nothing short of a threat. “It’s the answer you’re being given. I don’t care if you accept it or not.”

Vlad couldn’t say a word if he wanted to. Couldn’t drag his eyes away from the man, the predator, in front of him either.

Behind him, the door opened. Hawks didn’t look away from him when he spoke. “How’s it hanging, Eraser? Miss me?”

Great. Now Vlad was stuck between two eldritch abominations that wanted him dead. This was exactly how he wanted his afternoon to go.

Something sailed through the air, and Hawks caught it without looking, causing a merry jingle. When those eyes finally did leave Vlad’s face, slowly like they were savoring every second of his discomfort and wanted to draw it out just a bit longer, all of the tension left with it. Hawks was just a man again, sitting and enjoying lunch on a desk that wasn’t his.

Hawks snorted at the pack of little plastic eyes in his hand. “I thought I didn’t count as supervision, Eraser.”

“You don’t. Fuyumi will also be there.”

“Oh? The Princess?” Hawks’ smile went sharp in a completely different way.

Behind him, Eraserhead snorted. “She will eat you alive.”

Hawks laughed, bright and easy and so at odds from the animal stillness mere moments before. “As fun as that sounds, I’m gunning for her big brother and nothing pisses him off more than someone flirting with his sister.”

Vlad was out of the room before Eraser could respond again, wisely deciding that the desk was well and truly no longer his.