#theo devlin

[theodoradevlin]

Accio Pants

SUMMARY: That's right. Exactly what it sounds like.

In which - Ominis's theory about Accio is finally used on clothes. Inspired by: this beautiful fanart here (preview in the fic for reference- but pls give love to this most delicious work by @yoshitsuno)

Ominis, Theo, and Sebastian find ways to pass the time during a rainy day. Including some Ominis Fluff. Naughty Banter with Sebastian. Theo being a lady in the streets but a freak in the sheets like the Hufflepuff SHE IS.

Lots of banter, with hints of smut (that I may actually expand on later on when i'm feeling more determined), but in the mean time just got carried away with giving them a little banter moment :3 (ERM...esp since I'm working on more angsty one shots, and keep avoiding the hurt with more mindless goodness like the below but anywhooooo)

Enjoy!

It had been a rainy, uneventful, day at Hogwarts that spring afternoon.

Because of the storms happening outside, Theo, Ominis and Sebastian had found most of their usual activities had been cancelled. 

The usual ones…quidditch, beasts class …as well as the other extracurricular types they had been dabbling in recently..i.e hunting down poachers, killing spiders, trolls..fighting goblins... In other words, most of the things that cured them from insufferable boredom. 

So…they certainly had to find some other way to pass the time didn’t they? 

Theo had already been bothering Ominis all day to do something, until he finally convinced her to join him in the library. As much as Theo wanted to attempt to be responsible and catch up on their assignments for Professor Binn’s class, she was finding it near impossible not to nod off. 

They had hunkered down in the corner of the library just adjacent to the spiral staircase, and far away from the librarian - thank Merlin. Theo balanced her heavy head on her hands, casting annoyed looks in Ominis' direction. 

“You know…I don’t have to see you to know you’re not actually doing your work, Theo.” 

Ominis drawled as his hands continued to move along his own texts, not pausing even to scold her.  “Get back to work.” He commanded.

So she grumbled, but tried again…for the next few minutes. Until eventually, she became bored again. 

“Ominis..” She urged in a hush tone, with no reaction from him. She eyed the immediate vicinity for Scribner, and the old librarian was, luckily, still no where near their little corner.

“Ominis..” She hissed again. He had officially gotten into the zone, and was so focused on the way his fingers had trailed over the text that he, again, made no acknowledgment of her insistent pressing.

She rolled her eyes. She swore when Ominis got this focused on a subject, he might as well have been miles away. He had no sense of anything around him, especially his partner who was becoming increasingly unfocused. 

She reached over suddenly, her attacking fingers assailing a ticklish grab at his sides to get his attention.

The blonde’s body jerked in shock, falling against her and letting his book fly right out of his hands. 

“MERLIN'S BLOODY BALLS” 

His alarmed scream erupted across the room as his text landed with an unceremonious thump. 

Theo stifled a snort of laughter. She had forgotten that Ominis tended to startle easily, when in focus mode. But she hadn’t expect that to fly out of his mouth. 

 His shouts had echoed painfully through the library, with several students turning to look at them. 

He huffed briefly in frozen terror, before sliding a devastating glare towards Theo’s direction.

“People are staring ….aren’t they?” He hissed, as the color rose to his cheek. Theo felt instant remorse at her teasing, her own face flushing in shame. He was more apt in picking up sensitivities, lacking the one sense he didn't have…but he didn’t need it to know what was going on. 

“I do hope you have the decency to at least look ashamed, Devlin.” He hissed at her, knowing she was already feeling the need to make it up to him. 

She picked up his book for him, placing it back in his hand and leaning her head on his shoulder in attempt to get back in his good graces.

“OH. I am so sorry Ominis…I promise I’m very, very ashamed. Picture the absolute definition of shame and that is my face right now…but at least your glorious exclamation saved us all from the threat of falling asleep from the boredom of these assignments…” She teased gently with a more loving tone, attempting to make amends.

The silver haired boy’s face allowed a small smile at her jest, despite himself. He always seemed to have a most annoying soft spot for her, and Sebastian…. And Anne. 

When he was lost in thought, it was often about Anne. So, yes, he let himself get lost in his thoughts a lot, as if it was some pathetic attempt to get back at her. 

And no…he hadn’t cared too much about Binn’s assignment, but Theo had shocked him out of a rather long train of thought he had been lost in about when he might see Anne next. He missed her so much. And even Binn’s assignment couldn’t distract him from that. 

“It is is a rather tedious lesson isn’t it? The assignment?” He lamented finally. 

“Yes it is…” Theo confirmed, wondering curiously where else his mind had went at that moment.

“…But apparently not tedious enough for you to not even hear me trying to get your attention…?” 

Ominis poked her forehead with his finger, effectively throwing her off balance in retaliation. 

He deflected, naturally. 

“You can’t sit still for more than 10 minutes” He scolded. “I swear you’re worse than Sebastian. I’ve had to train myself to ignore you both out of necessity or else I would never get anything done.” 

“Ouch.”

Despite the jests, they both chuckled at in comfortable, quiet laughter. 

“Where is our dear old boy, by the way? Aren’t you the one that’s supposed to be keeping an eye on him this week, hm?.” 

Ominis said playfully, knowing very well that the reason there had been so much less angst between the three of them lately had been because his two friends were, essentially, banging out that angst every moment they could.

 Everything he knew, he knew against his will…but he had heard the tension in his friends voices, that were only to be replaced by senseless rambling after they had returned from a ‘session’ in the undercroft. He could tell in the way Theo lovingly called Sebastian a fool, or the way that Sebastian said her name... unnecessarily, and often, as if just to hear the sound of it. 

While he could do without the mental images- he was at least happy to no longer be their referee. 

Theo sat up suddenly. 

“Merlin’s Beard - I am such an idiot. I was supposed to meet him in the Undercroft 30 minutes ago.” 

Ominis made an exaggerated sigh. 

“Back to the Undercroft again? What a surprise.” He exclaimed, dryly…really not shocked at all. 

He sighed. “I’m sure in those 30 minutes he was alone, he probably has somehow found himself some other dark artifact to keep himself entertained, while also threatening all of our sanity in the imminent future.” 

Theo laughed nervously as she hastily gathered her books.

“Wouldn’t put it past him actually now that you mention it…he has been particularly infatuated with something called Pandora’s Box lately…?” She said breezily, pressing a quick his to her dear friend’s forehead.

Ominis stuttered. “Devlin! What did you say? Are you …hey..get back here! You BETTER be joking…” 

She just laughed as she called out. 

 “Don’t worry Ominis - like you said... my week to chaperone. I’ll send you an owl later to compare notes before Binn’s class?” 

Ominis grumbled as his friend went. They were going to exhaust him before he even graduated.

Reluctantly, he returned back to his books, but despite his best efforts, distraction never came, and his mind kept going back to that one thought.

That he wished so badly that he could be the one rushing late to meet someone. And that that someone was Anne. 

Instead, they were separated by hundreds of miles, and words left unsaid. 

So…he did all he could do. He turned to the book again for more useless reprieve.

~~~

Theo stumbled into the Undercroft to find a particularly annoyed Sebastian waiting for her.

“Forgotten about me already, have you?”  He sulked dully, his arms crossed and full lips pouting. Theo sighed. He could be so dramatic. 

“Sebastian - don’t be greedy. I was studying with Ominis and lost track of time.. I have things to do outside of being summoned here by you, you know.” 

“Well. …” He said, with false affront, “Now I’m definitely starting to feel left out….”

He came up to her suddenly, grabbing and pulling her to him. His mouth lifting at the corner in a way that made her want to kiss it. 

“You’re always welcome to join us...” She murmured as she settled in his embrace. He seemed to raise an eyebrow at that. 

“As much as I love spending time as the three of us…sometimes I want you all to myself.” He leaned forward, giving her a sharp nip on her ear. “Can you blame me?” 

She shivered, but pushed him off of her. 

“You’re incorrigible. Barely here five minutes and you’re already trying to leave more snake bites on me..” She teased him as he crossed his arms proudly. 

“It’s one of my favorite pass times, yes.” He confirmed smugly. 

She drew out her wand then, and he eyed her curiously. 

“I think it’s been making you slightly rusty on your other spell work, Sallow. You’re too…distracted…” She swished her wand, and the next thing he knew she had cast Leviosa and flipped him upside down. 

Despite the disgruntled sound of protest, Sebastian still kept his arms crossed as he glared at her in her hold. 

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” He mumbled, his hair askew and robes hanging down around him. She stifled another laugh. 

“Can you blame me? I am the school dueling champion after all…and it seems like that’s a title I won’t have to defend from you anytime soon.” She leaned closer to him, helpless in the hold, giving him a nip on his lips. Despite hanging in midair, he released a small groan. 

“Seems a rather confident claim, Devlin.” He growled, before drawing out his own wand, realizing himself from her cast. 

On his immediate reunion with the ground, his wand whipped out at attempt at Expelso, but not before Theo could beat him to it. 

“Accio!”

She shouted as he shifted just slightly at the most inopportune moment. Her spell cast missed his wand, hitting Sebastian’s robes instead.

 Next thing she knew, he was shirtless, and she was holding his robes. 

His face looked up to her in shock, and all she could manage was a very dignified giggle.

“Erm..” 

She blushed suddenly, as she eyed his bared and muscled (and also gloriously freckled) abdomen. At the blush AND the giggle, he threw a dangerous look in her direction. 

That was it….

“Now, Devlin. Nothing you haven’t seen before…” He chided her lightly, prowling closer to her. 

“…Accio? On clothes? How original.” He continued towards her, knowing full well whose that idea might have been.

“Guess you and Ominis really have been spending time together…” He said as cornered Theo, who was still frozen with his clothes in her hand. He reached her suddenly, using her distraction to back her up against the wall, placing one of his arms above her as he peered down at her. “Remind me to thank him.” He muttered dryly as she let out a small squeak, eyeing the shifting of his muscles as he leaned towards her.

“…You can thank him for both of us.” She muttered as her eyes pointedly dragged down his abdomen. 

His eyebrow raised quizzically again, as his chest continued to rise and fall underneath her gaze, and despite it all, her eyes on him gave him a jolt of electric intensity. 

“Hm. Are you planning on giving those back to me, Devlin?” He asked, as smirk spreading across his lips.

Her blush turned even deeper at that gaze. She knew where that look usually led.

“You know…I don’t know if I will.” She mused, leaning back further from him, robes firmly clasped in her grasp.  She smirked giddily, not totally upset at the fact that she could currently admire a shirtless Sebastian Sallow, like she had many times before. She knew his body was surprisingly fit - his arms and chest toned from all the dueling he had been doing….but she never got tired of looking at it.  And…the smattering of freckles and fuzz that led south was very tempting to fixate on. She forced her eyes upwards to him again, those brown eyes glinting with amusement. 

 He seemed to know the effect he was having on her, with the way he let his trousers hang lower beneath his hips, where the indentations of his muscle directed her attention further to what was beneath them. He rocked his hips against hers, using them to pin her place.

“…Is that so?” He questioned.

“Mhm. You know in fact…I have been learning how to draw together constellations lately….perhaps I can practice on those freckles of yours…with my tongue.” 

Sebastian froze, before his mind reloaded and he managed to huff a laugh.

“Merlin’s Beard. You Hufflepuffs do like to surprise don’t you? You’re mind is becoming dirtier than mine, Devlin. I’ll have to be on the look out for you.”

“What gave that away?” She teased. 

He continued to press towards her, not expecting today’s lesson to be all about the ways Hufflepuffs were apparently horny deviants, but also always loving that she surprised him. And she was his horny deviant. So yes…he was enjoying this game immensely. And he wouldn’t be lying if his thoughts weren’t going down the same damn path hers were.

“Hm. So how do you intend to keep me from my robes, then, Devlin?” He said in warning. 

“Hmmm.. maybe I’ll just try them on for myself. I’ve been told I look good in green…” She pushed him away suddenly as he froze.

In the next second, her own robes dropped to the floor. Sebastian took a step forward, involuntarily, and for a split second, he drank in the site of her delicate body, unable to remove his eyes from it. 

Just as soon as he was loosing himself in it, he found himself even more intrigued by the picture of her slipping on his shirt and his robe. His tie and jacket were clearly too big for her...somehow it was a delicious site to see.

“You’re a devious little thing, you know that?”He smirked, a sly glint in his eye as he moved closer, leaning until he was inches from her lips. 

“Entertain me, Devlin... What must I do to ever get my clothing back?’ He mused sarcastically. 

She watched his muscles shift as he moved towards her, a rise now straining against his trousers - the only article of clothing he still had on. She swallowed. 

“Well… I suppose you could try and take them off of me yourself..” She whispered in delight at his face sparked in interest.

His smiled widened as he took in the sight of her, his eyes taking their time wandering around her body. The idea of being the one to take them back off of her, well…it was definitely something. As much as he enjoyed them on her, he’d enjoy them much more on the floor. 

He smirked right back at her as if accepting her challenge, slowly backing her further and further against the wall. 

”Hm. That shouldn’t be a problem…” He murmured.

She was slowly starting to lose the upper hand at the sight of those eyes, looking at her as if she was a meal and he was starving. 

“You’re quite something when you’re putting me right where you want me.” He murmured, as she allowed him to press her closer to the wall until they were a breath apart, and his hands had found hers again, slowly raising them above her head. 

“Well…”She breathed, raising her eyebrow. “Now you have me cornered, Sallow. You better hope I don’t cast Accio again and confiscate what’s left of your clothes.” She teased, her eyes darting down to his trousers threateningly. 

“That doesn’t sound like quite a bad plan to me.” He brought his lips to her ear and whispered. “Maybe I’ll just go ahead and take them off myself.” He rubbed his hardness against her thigh as if she didn’t know what was begging there for her already. 

The brush of his lips against her ear sent her into overdrive, as she whipped her eyes back to his. She was definitely breathing harder. 

“Mm..maybe I’ll take them off first.” She flicked her want back out, ready to cast the spell. 

He raised a brow at her, and his grin widened to a cocky smile as he almost went to still her hand again with his own. But instead, he lifted both of his hands up in surrender. 

 He glanced back down at her wand.

“Go on, then.”

His encouragement had her pulse fluttering, but she didn’t hesitate. 

In one decisive movement, his trousers and anything underneath them were now marvelously out of the way. 

She looked down and appreciated the gracious, and demanding,  sight.

“Hm. Mr. Sallow…you seem to be lacking in patience today.” She teased with an edge of wanting and curiosity in her voice, her mouth watering at exactly what waited so impatiently. 

He had no shame. He enjoyed her eyes on him as he stood there proudly, taunting her.

“On the contrary, Devlin, you made me wait 30 whole minutes…then proceeded to torture me with your spell casts…so remind me how I haven’t been patient?” His voice replied roughly, his arms still raised as his eyes roaming all down her body. ���I’m quite at your mercy.” 

She huffed a small laugh.

“Mercy? Who said I had any of that? Incase you’ve forgotten…I’m still wearing all your robes. And you haven’t done much to try and get them back.” She teased him again, as she leaned forward to nip at his neck, as his arms still remained raised.

“Well..” He smirked, allowing his arms to slowly lower themselves and trail down her arms. He leaned into kiss her, but stopped barely a breadth away from her lips. “You know… I was thinking, why don’t we just forget about the spells for now, and see if there are some other, more fun, ways to get you out of your clothes?

She swore she had to fight back a small gasp at the way he teased her. Instead, she swallowed slowly and tried to remember how to breath. It was hard to do at his nearness. “I…like the way you think..” She said, her voice shaking. His robes were slightly…large on her…and the way she shifted, it suddenly slipped off her shoulders. She let it stay as she watched his lips.

“Oops..” She murmured.

 He smirked and brushed his thumb over her exposed shoulder in a gentle motion. 

“Oh, no. What a tragedy.” He huffed, sarcastically. 

She watched the way his thumb brushed against her skin, leaving goosebumps. She arched into him at the words he whispered alongside her ear. She had been effectively been melting under his touch for quite some time now. His hands were flitting over her abdomen now, his searching touches telling her how much more he wanted.

“Such a tragedy…” She murmured. “ I think the only way to fix the situation would definitely be for you to kiss me. Now. And good.” She gasped, pleading. 

He didn’t’t hesitate. He grabbed her waist, and pulled her against him. His kisses were hungry. As he held her, he brought one of his hands up to cusp her cheek, as if to tell her that he would always give into her, in any moment of weakness or strength. 

His other hand suddenly drifted down, and in the next instant his deft hands had pulled the robe off of her completely, revealing her bare figure to him. She gasped, and he gave her another devious grin, triumphant.

“Oh…look at that. I win…. Looks like you lost your title of dueling champion at last”  He deviously breathed into her lips as she huffed a laugh. 

“Damn you, Sallow.” She dragged him down to the floor then, despite his sounds of protest, showing him exactly what his prize would be. 

~~~

Later on, while still laying on the robes they had fought over earlier, they jumped at the sound of footsteps entering the Undercroft - followed by a quite disgruntled exclamation from none other than the third part of their trio: 

“MERLINS Beard. Why does it smell of sex every time I come in here now? You’re both savages…”

Theo begrudgingly noted she now had two things to make up to Ominis for…but at least her boredom was effectively cured for the day.

[demetrius-haggarty]

"Meech! Catch!"

Theo unceremoniously tosses him a parcel of sweets from Honeydukes, and clumsily plops next to him on the bench outside of Binn's classroom.

"Thought you may want those - heard Binn's planned a particularly...dry...lesson for us today. Merlin help us all stay awake." She chuckles by way of explanation.

Theo managed to appear in front of Meech just as he was in the middle of his hundredth yawn that morning. Caught off guard, his reflexes ever so sharp, the Gryffindor almost dropped the parcel in front of the bench after uselessly flailing his arms around, disoriented. He was up all night trying to finish up an essay and his body was demanding retribution: now he is certainly paying the price of double the amount of confusion and triple his regular quota of awkwardness. Demetrius blinks at the sweets in his hands for a second, then groans as Theo's words finally register in his mind.

‘There is no way it can possibly be anymore dry!’ he whines, hands none the less wasting no time as he opens the package and shoves the sweets into his mouth. Demetrius passes the sugary goodness to the Hufflepuff next to him assuming it is meant for the both of them.

‘You are spoiling—’ he begins saying and then yawns again before continuing. ‘Spoiling me today. Please kick me under the table if you notice me dozing off? The International Statute of Secrecy of... 1680s? 1693rd?’ he shakes his head, grimacing, hand making a vague dismissive gesture, clearly too tired to actually remember the date. ‘Whatever the year, it took so much out of me last night that I swear: I closed my eyes for a second — and it was morning alrea—’ he begins yawning again without finishing his sentence.

[theravenchild]

*a parcel arrives at your desk, inside you find an enchanted teacup. If you take it out, you’ll find that each time you want tea, a small cloud appears to refill the cup with the herbal blend of your choice*

The note enclosed along with it reads:

“Happy Birthday Hellendil! I hope this gift brings you the same warmth and happiness you bring to us all!

💜 Theo”

Hellendil finds the parcel waiting for him when he stops back at the dorm between classes to drop off some of his books. He unties the twine and carefully unwraps the package. He smiles as he recognizes Theo's handwriting on the note while he unpacks the box. "Ah, Theo, you're so sweet," he murmurs. As soon as he sets the teacup down, a cloud appears raining fragrant mint tea into it. The smile spreads wider across his face as he marvels at the magical gift. When the cloud fades he lifts the cup, warm in his hands and takes a deep breath to breathe in the clean, relaxing scent before taking a sip. He breathes a contented sigh. He didn't even realize he was so parched. Setting the cup back on the saucer, he reaches for his quill.

Darling Theo,

You're timing couldn't be more perfect. I didn't even know I needed a pick me up until I unwrapped your timely gift. It's brilliant, by the way! It will be an amazing boon for all those late night study sessions. You are a beautiful soul and it's warmth will always remind me of you. Thank you so much for this wonderful birthday gift and wishes. I'm so lucky to have friends as lovely as you in my life.

With love and appreciation,

Hellendil

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have I was a Teenage Zombie 1987

[tyresdeg]

I think that if Logan went to Indy, it would be with AJ Foyt or Dale Coyne. I feel like the only Prema seat that feels secured is Callum (he has experience with both Prema and Indycar) and the other seat would go to an F2 or IndyNXT rookie. Or they may go the route of having two experienced drivers (experience with Indycar) in the first year because it could help them grow a little bit more and adjust to Indycar faster and easier.

realistically foyt and dcr are probably the only options but i don’t know where he’d pull the money from :( and yeah i think callum is probably their top choice for the experienced seat. (even if i don’t want him in another developing team i’ll take what i can get.) really can’t see them going for a nxt driver but i also can’t see ollie, kimi or even fred coming over so idk 🤷🏼‍♀️ oooonly time will tell

[theravenchild]

"Theo! I'm so glad you made it!" Hellendil exclaims as he looks for an unoccupied place on one of the tables to set down his delicious burden. There are so many snacks piled high already, both savory and sweet, and all looking very appetizing. Another table set to serve both hot and cold drinks, alcoholic and non. The tall Ravenclaw couldn't resist the smell of Winter's warm sausage rolls and pops one into his mouth after setting down his tray. A satisfied 'Mmm' escapes his lips as he savors the delectable pastry. He gives Winter a smile and a thumbs up before turning back toward Theo.

Hellendil chuckles at Theo's sentiment. "I wouldn't dream of it," he replies with a wink. "I don't think any of us will get any sleep even if we tried tonight, though I suspect William will try."

@moonstruckmoony

@ask-elland-n-will

Attention all Hogwarts Legacy MCs!

I am starting an MC Sleepover! Everyone is welcome!

To participate just Reblog with an image, drawing, or even a sleepover story with your MC to THIS post

Sharing and “nominating” others is definitely encouraged! I would like as many peeps at this sleep over as possible!💜💙

I look forward to seeing everyone’s MCs in there pjs! 🌙✨

[blcssom]

hiiiiiiii to celebrate finally getting my life together (rp life no one ask abt my work life) i decided i want more things so !!!! like this for a wishlist starter <3

i'll come to you for a muse or two, so i've put the ones i'm feeling under the cut -- or if we're mutuals and you have a particular ship/muse (who may or may not be on my main muse list!!) you wanna revisit, just lmk !!!

alden richter || 40 - retired boxer/gym owner (assassin au) / bisexual / theo james

beau greer || 32 - librarian/cam boy / bisexual / drew starkey

brianne barlowe || 30 - personal stylist / bisexual / sarah catherine hook

clover beckett || 27 - fitness instructor / bisexual / michelle randolph

damini somerset || 32 - matchmaker / bisexual / simone ashley

esther devlin || 34 - sex therapist / bisexual / willa fitzgerald

ethan greer || 29 - intimacy coordinator / bisexual / harris dickinson

felix beckett || 45 - mechanic/ex-con / heterosexual / ryan gosling

gemma curtis || 30 - etsy store owner (crafter) / bisexual / aimee lou wood

katherine taylor || 53 - publicist / bisexual / jennifer connelly

paloma rubino || 25 - professional cuddler / bisexual / maia reficco

roxanne evans || 26 - stage sound designer / homosexual / ruby cruz

seth barlowe || 35 - sports journalist / heterosexual / glen powell

travis bell || 30 - stuntman / bisexual / nick robinson

virginia brooks || 29 - scam artist (serial thief) / bisexual / margaret qualley

[i-am-the-page-turner]

"The Real Deal" by Caitlin Devlin.

"The Real Deal" is a delightful romantic comedy that tells the story of April, a witty and independent woman who finds herself in need of a fake boyfriend. Enter Theo, a charming and handsome guy who agrees to play the role of her pretend partner. As April and Theo spend more time together, their fake relationship starts to feel surprisingly real. They navigate through hilarious situations, awkward encounters, and unexpected feelings. April begins to question whether her feelings for Theo are genuine or just a result of their fake relationship. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and readers will be rooting for them to find their happily ever after. The book is filled with witty banter, swoon-worthy moments, and heartwarming romance. It's a lighthearted and fun read that will leave you with a smile on your face. "The Real Deal" is perfect for fans of romantic comedies and anyone looking for a feel-good love story. So, if you're in the mood for a charming and entertaining read, give "The Real Deal" a try!

[adallegra]

*spots you in the halls between class, whistles over to catch your attention and slyly waves you over*

Allegra - hi! I know we haven't met yet since you transferred, so I just wanted to introduce myself! Theo Devlin, Hufflepuff. It's a pleasure!

I...erm.. hope you don't mind the sudden intrusion of your time, but since you're in the same house as Sallow I was wondering if you have any idea what this is....

*with raised eyebrow, shows an illicitly intercepted scroll with 'Sebastian Sallow Observer Organisation' stamped proudly across the top' *

I had to ask...because *giggles* it seems the man's somehow inspired an entire fan club....I don't know what's more impressive: effect he has on witch's and wizards around here or the fact that this club seems to be extremely well run.

Do you think he's aware? *giggles* this seems a bit like the perfect opportunity to crash the party....you're a witch that seems to be someone to conspire with....

*stifles more giggles*

What do you say we do with this most interesting info?

*looks around the corridor before realising it's me you're calling to*

Oh! Likewise, Theo. *peering at the scroll, the corners of my lips twitch* Ah, I think I vaguely recall Sallow looking slightly flustered at lunch today, so he's definitely aware. I did wonder what it was. I cannot say I'm surprised with the amount of owls flocking to him throughout the day, or *I give an exasperated sigh* how admirers sometimes approach him while we're leaving the classroom. Not entirely helpful when you're trying to rush to the next lesson, to be honest.

*taking another a quick glance at the contents of the letter, my lips purse in confusion* What is this... place on the seventh floor of the Astronomy Tower? As far as I know, it's merely an empty corridor.

*I pause to think* How about I send you an owl on Friday if I notice him leaving the common room? We can meet then. A better question, however, Theo, is how you managed to procure this rather classified invitation? I must commend your resourcefulness.

[sapphiccharacterstournament]

Masterpost of every character who has already competed

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Scylla Ramshorn (Motherland: Fort Salem) Amy Raudenfeld (Faking It) Logan Rawlings (Young & Hungry) Maia Rindell (The Good Fight) Arizona Robins (Grey's Anatomy) Eve Rothlo (How to Get Away with Murder) Root (Person of Interest) Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Kenya Rosewater (Defiance) Susan Ross (Seinfeld) Siuan Sanche (WoT) Ellaria Sand (Game of Thrones) Jenny Schecter (The L Word) Jinju Seong (Snowpiercer) Seven of Nine (Star Trek: Voyager & Star Trek: Picard) Toni Shalifoe (The Wilds) Kalinda Sharma (The Good Wife) Carson Shaw (A League of Their Own) Sameen Shaw (Person of Interest) Leslie Shay (Chicago Fire) Amy Silva (Vigil) Bea Smith (Wentworth) Petra Solano (Jane the Virgin) Rose Solano (Jane the Virgin) River Song (Doctor Who) Kitty Song Covey (XO, Kitty) Serena Southerlyn (Law & Order) Zelda Spellman (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) Maya St. Germain (Pretty Little Liars) Moira Strand (The Handmaid’s Tale) Della Street (Perry Mason) Tamsin (Lost Girl) Kit Tanthalos (Willow) Stahma Tarr (Defiance) Jamie Taylor (The Haunting of Bly Manor) Thirteen (House, MD) Thirteenth Doctor (Doctor Who) Tara Thornton (True Blood) Bess Till (Snowpiercer)

Tituba (Salem) Toni Topaz (Riverdale) Callie Torres (Grey’s Anatomy) Fabiola Torres (Never Have I Ever) Taissa Turner (Yellowjackets) Two / Portia Lin (Dark Matter) Alex Vause (OITNB) Mel Vera (Charmed) Villanelle (Killing Eve) Karen Walker (Will & Grace) Martha Walker (Silo) Poussey Washington (Orange is the New Black) Ellen Waverly (For All Mankind) Kerry Weaver (ER) HG Wells (Warehouse 13) Sterling Wesley (Teenage Bounty Hunters) Nora West-Allen (The Flash) Jayne Wetherby (Dracula) Lucy Westenra (Dracula) Ilana Wexler (Broad City) Ryan Wilder (Batwoman) Carol Willick (Friends) Lana Winters (American Horror Story) Bernie Wolfe (Holby City) Camile Wray (Stargate Universe) Xena (Xena: Warrior Princess) Meh Yewll (Defiance) Yorkie (Black Mirror - San Junipero)

[thehangeddemon]

Character Study of a Widowed Insomniac || Self Para || August 14, 2023

Before you read:

This self para is a writing exercise. It is a glimpse into Xavier Atlas’ life and his thoughts on a random night four months after the death of his fiance.

Context for the matters and people discussed can be found here and here.

It was too hot to sleep.

That’s what he told himself as he rolled onto his back and sighed, staring up at the ceiling while the hum of the air conditioner quietly made a liar of him.

They both knew this had become a regular occurrence.

For four months, more often than not, Xavier Atlas had been in this exact position: lying on his bed staring into the dark, hoping for sleep that insisted on eluding him. The bed had changed, the ceiling had changed, even the dark had changed, but this didn’t.  

He vaguely wondered if it ever would.

He rolled onto his side and looked at the clock on the bedside table. 1:21. He’d only been tossing and turning for a little over an hour, yet it felt much longer. Somehow it always did.

Heaving a resigned sigh, Xavier sat up and got to his feet, unearthing his robe from beneath the tangle of covers at the foot of the bed and slipping it on. As long as he was awake, he may as well get some work done.

And check on Devlin.

Xavier made the short walk down the hall to his son’s bedroom, turning the knob and pushing the door open as quietly as he could so as not to wake him. He wasn’t quiet enough not to stir Ethel, however, who lifted her head as Xavier entered. She watched him for a moment, then rested her head back on her paws and closed her eyes. She’d be asleep again before he even left the room.

He’d never thought he could envy a dog.

Xavier made his way over to Devlin’s bed, crouching beside it. Devlin was sleeping on his stomach, head turned to face the room with an arm and a leg sticking out of the side of the bed. He’d been on his back when Xavier had tucked him in earlier, which either meant that he’d done some tossing and turning of his own or more likely (the demon hoped), he’d reached down to pet Ethel and drifted off.

Gently, Xavier eased Devlin’s limbs back onto the bed and adjusted his blanket, kissed his head. However much he envied the dog and her sleep, Devlin was a different story. Seeing his son sleeping peacefully after everything he’d been through was all Xavier could ever ask of the universe. Even if he never slept a full night again in his life, as long as Devlin did, Xavier could be at ease.

That was the point of being here, wasn’t it? Peace. Something they wouldn’t have been able to have if they’d remained in California.

“Are you sure?”

Xavier nodded, absently swirling the glass of wine in his hand as he stared at nothing.

“Isn’t it a bit soon?” Rohan’s voice was gentle. Concerned. “It’s barely been a week since the funeral. There hasn’t been enough time for things to settle yet.”

“That’s why I want to leave. Do you really think things can settle here, where we’re surrounded by things constantly reminding us of him?”

Rohan sighed, setting the glass on the table and taking Xavier’s hand between both of his own. “I know it’s difficult, but you can’t just run from those reminders, X. This is your home. It’s always going to remind you of him because you shared it with him.”

“I’m not running away.”

“Aren’t you?”

“No. I just...” Xavier turned to Rohan and gave him a look of such desperate sadness that it made Rohan’s heart ache.

“I can’t stay here, Ro,” the demon whispered as a tear rolled down his cheek. “It doesn’t feel like my home, it feels like a mausoleum. I can’t look at anything or touch anything or go anywhere without thinking of him, without remembering that he’s gone and that I’ll never see him again. It—”

He turned away again and closed his eyes, knowing full well that doing so wouldn’t stop the memories or the tears from falling. It had barely been ten days since Theo’s death; everything was still excruciatingly raw.

A useless deep breath to attempt to gain his composure. “This may be my home, but existing in it hurts. I need distance.”

Rohan squeezed his friend’s hand. Distance wouldn’t change anything but… “Will it give you peace?”

Xavier sighed. He hadn’t had an answer for Rohan then but now, watching his son sleep soundly, he thought he did.

Distance might not change anything—hell, distance hadn’t changed his face back—but it helped. It always helped.

Leaving Devlin’s room, he made his way downstairs and through the dark house, only turning on the lights when he reached his office.

There were contracts and plans that needed going over, a meeting that had been rescheduled that needed to be prepared for. There were two estate agents in two different countries that would be baying for his blood if he didn’t return their messages this week. And then there was the pair of business proposals that had been sitting on his desk for days that he’d promised to consider.

However, the moment he sat at his desk and opened the first folder on the pile, the will to get into any of that simply…dissipated. Sleep wasn’t going to happen tonight, and apparently work wasn’t going to either. It had only been the excuse he needed to get out of bed.

He closed the folder and stood up again as the gleam of glass coming from the coffee table caught his eye. He may as well have a drink if he wasn’t going to work.

Brandy, gin, cognac… Xavier frowned at the bottles on the tray. Was he out of scotch? Hadn’t Lydia—yes, she had. He’d seen it in the kitchen.

Back through the house he went.

He flipped on the lights above the island and immediately found what he was looking for sitting beside the refrigerator. It was still unopened; Lydia must not have had a chance to refill the decanter yet.

As Xavier got a glass and poured himself a healthy measure, he noticed a piece of paper sitting on the counter beside the stove. Closer inspection and recognition of several of the words written revealed it to be a grocery list.

Today was Sun—no, Monday. It was past midnight already. Today was the day that Yok did the shopping for the week. She’d be up in just a few hours to make breakfast, then would head to the market with Abel in tow to get everything on the list before the market got too crowded and the sun too hot.

By the time they got back the language tutor would be here and already working with Devlin. Reading and writing in the morning, then the math tutor would arrive after lunch. His own tutor wouldn’t come until the evening, which reminded him of the worksheets sitting under the pile of work on his desk that were only halfway completed.

“I should finish those after breakfast,” he mused, sipping his scotch.

His meeting wasn’t until Wednesday, so he’d have time to practice with Devlin when the music teacher came on Tuesday.

Xavier wandered the house, cradling the bottle of scotch in his arm as he went over his schedule for the week in his head. The things that needed doing, the places he needed to go, the people he needed to see, and the when of it all. Sometimes it seemed like he had more on his plate here than he’d had back home but it really didn’t feel that way.

Sure his days were busier lately, sometimes longer as well. He dealt with more people, he was traveling more often for work and not just for pleasure. He wasn’t totally disconnected from his shipping company and the day-to-day of the estate. He went out several evenings a week.

But somehow there was an odd…serenity to it all. Although he had more to do, he didn’t feel harried by it. Hell, tonight notwithstanding, he generally looked forward to his work. It gave him something to focus on. It comforted him.

Rohan would say it was just distracting him. Abel probably would, too. Even he had to admit that the notion wasn’t entirely without merit but he also felt that questioning it too deeply would rather be like looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Wasn’t it better to call it progress and leave it at that?

Xavier had been staring into space for a few minutes before he realized that his feet had carried him to the living room.

He sank onto the couch with a sigh, reaching over to turn on the nearest lamp and setting down his glass and the bottle he’d been carrying. Devlin must have been doing his homework in here. The contents of his pencil case and his homework were strewn all over the coffee table.

One of his notebooks had been left open. Xavier picked it up and leafed through it, smiling at Devlin’s progress. His writing was coming along a treat. It wouldn’t be long before he was fluent.

“…What?”

Abel stared at him from the other side of the table, flabbergasted.

“There’s no need to sound so dramatic.” Xavier finished off his wine and refilled both their glasses.

“No nee—X. Are you thinking about enrolling Devlin in school? Seriously?”

The demon sighed. “I was just looking through the brochure, nothing more.”

“Yeah, ‘just looking’ through a brochure for the international school Saifah’s kid goes to. Is that why he was here?”

“No, Abel, that is not why he was here. He was here to talk about the hotel.”

“Then why were you guys talking about—!?”

“We weren’t,” Xavier assured patiently. “His wife wanted me to have the brochure and he was simply carrying out her wish. That’s all.”

Abel leaned his chair forward, studying Xavier intensely while battling his own emotions. It was hard to say whether he looked confused or concerned or skeptical of what Xavier was saying.

Xavier fixed his familiar with a deadpan look. “If you lean any farther, you’re going to fall into the pool.”

“You’re considering it.” Abel sat back. Shock seemed to have won out, softened by gently concerned affection. “You’re actually considering sending him to school,” he said quietly, as though confirming it to himself.

The demon’s voice gentled to match. “I’m not. Really. It was just…an option that was presented to me.”

“An option you’re taking seriously.” Otherwise Xavier wouldn’t have bothered to read the brochure, and they both knew it.

Maybe that was why Xavier didn’t bother to correct his familiar a fourth time.

He sighed. What was the harm in saying it aloud? It was only them in the courtyard, and besides, this was Abel. His familiar. The only person on this earth who knew him as well as Xavier knew himself, except for Rohan.

“I don’t know if I’m taking it seriously but I am…taking it, I suppose. At the very least…I’m not rejecting it outright. Is that so bad?”

Abel shook his head. “It’s not.”

“It’s only…Devlin’s been doing so much better. He’s smiling, he’s making friends. You see it, don’t you?”

Abel nodded, smiled softly. “Yeah, he is.” Devlin wasn’t the only one, he thought.

“Every day after the teacher leaves he can’t wait to run to Yok to show off what he learned. He can’t call Colleen without talking her ear off for an hour about everything he’s been doing. He’s excited to do things. After Theo died…”

Xavier closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The ache of those words hadn’t yet eased. Merely dulled. “After Theo died, there were days where I thought, this is it. Devlin is never going to be happy again. I’m never going to see another smile on his face. My son’s going to be unhappy for the rest of his life and there’s nothing I can do to fix it. Theo’s death was so sudden, it hit him so hard. He’d go days without saying a word. I couldn’t imagine when or even if he’d ever recover.

“Then things started to change. We came here and little by little he started coming out of his shell again. He got brighter, happier. He started talking. That day I looked out my window and saw him playing football with the boy across the street I nearly wept. That was the first moment I felt like he was going to be okay.

“There have been so many more since then and I can’t help but feel that they wouldn’t have happened if we were back home. Being here has made more of a difference than I ever could have hoped and if being here is making him happy…how could I not consider staying?”

Abel simply listened, mulling over the demon’s words as he got them off his chest. He’d obviously been thinking about this for a while, maybe even before Saifah had given him the school brochure. Abel was surprised, yet he wasn’t at the same time.

Xavier was the type who barely needed a push to fall into a pit of despair but this…this wasn’t that. This wasn’t like when he’d gone to London after his ordeal with his father, this was different. He hadn’t and wasn’t falling into a pit of despair this time because he couldn’t. Not with Devlin in the balance.

“What are you thinking?”

The question pulled Abel’s focus back to Xavier. He was looking at Abel expectantly. Nervously. “Do you disagree?”

Abel smiled gently and shook his head, pushing his wine glass aside so he could take his demon’s hand and rub his thumb along the back of it.

“No, I don’t disagree. I’ve seen how well Devy’s doing, it’s impossible not to. It’s like he’s not even the same kid.”

“But?”

The familiar shook his head. “No but. I don’t think it’s wrong or even weird that you’re thinking about staying. It’s just…” He sighed. “You’ve gotta realize how this all sounds, right? I mean…it wasn’t that long ago that you wanted to vet every person who came near him.”

Xavier nodded. “I know,” he murmured.

“You only let him go to school because it was in a tiny Druid village and partially taught by Colleen and there were only six other kids in class who were also Druids. And hell, after the shit with your father you didn’t even wanna allow that. You wanted to set up a school room in the library so he wouldn’t have to leave the house for hours at a time, remember?”

Xavier nodded again. “I remember.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” said Abel, rubbing Xavier’s hand soothingly. “I’m glad that even with everything that’s happened you’re not seeing the world as a dark horrible place that you have to shield him from anymore. I just think that the leap between only letting him go to school with six Druid kids in a small village and considering sending him to an international school in a major city with hundreds of kids is—is a lot. It’s a lot.”

Abel wasn’t wrong. The gravity and implications of the notion Xavier was entertaining hadn’t escaped him. He was also aware that the turnaround in his thinking could be called reactionary at best and extreme at worst. His familiar’s shock confirmed it.

Perhaps sensing the mental rabbit hole Xavier was about to disappear into, Abel squeezed his demon’s hand.

“I’m not trying to talk you out of it, X. This is me, okay? You can tell me things. I want you to tell me things.”

Xavier smiled and squeezed Abel’s hand back. “I tell you more than anyone else.”

“Damn right you do.” Abel sighed, bringing their joined hands to his cheek and resting his face on them. “You just kinda caught me off guard. When you said you wanted to go away for a while I thought it’d be like when we went to London, you know? Just a trip. Now I guess I’m wondering how long ‘a while’ actually is.”

How long was a while?

Xavier sat at the edge of the pool, gazing into its depths, mulling that question as he sipped his drink and watched the light spilling from the windows surrounding the courtyard dance across the surface of the water.

There was no singular answer. It changed every week, every day. Sometimes every hour. One thing that didn’t change, however, was that ‘a while’ never seemed to get any shorter. Only longer. The reasons for staying never seemed to dwindle. They only multiplied.

Were they reactionary? To some extent perhaps. Initially, most definitely. He could admit to himself that the reasons hadn’t been so much reasons as excuses at one point. He didn’t owe them to anyone but damn if he hadn’t felt compelled to give them, to justify himself whenever he so much as sensed that his judgment was being questioned.

But over time those excuses had become reasons. Legitimate ones. He’d built a business—mostly to give himself something to do—and it had started thriving. Devlin had started to thrive as well. The progress that he and Abel had noted when they’d talked about sending Devlin to school had only continued to flourish.

It hadn’t been an exaggeration then when Abel had said that Devlin hardly seemed like the same child and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say so now. His son was happier than he’d been in years, and whether that was due merely to the change of scenery or to the ways Xavier himself had grown and changed, that fact couldn’t be denied.

So if his son was happy and thriving here and hadn’t been someplace else? Well, it was just as he’d told Abel; how could he not consider staying? Devlin was above everything, Xavier’s entire world revolved around him. What Xavier wanted was secondary if in fact it mattered at all.  

Of course, he couldn’t entirely ignore the fact that there was maybe…possibly a chance that what was good for Devlin happened to coincide with what Xavier wanted, and that it coincided far more closely than he wanted or cared to admit. Admitting it would just…open a can of worms he’d rather keep closed.

Not because it would be troublesome to open it per se, but because…because…

Sighing, he got to his feet.

“Really, not even in the privacy of your own head?” he muttered to himself, pouring more scotch as he rounded the pool. He was starting to get sick of himself.

“I thought we were going out to eat,” Xavier said to the back of Saifah’s head, looking around as he followed him.

“We are.” He could practically hear the smile on Saifah’s face. “After.”

“After what?”

“After this.”

Saifah led him through a set of double doors and outside, where a motorcycle sat gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.

“Ta-daaaaa!” His companion gestured at the bike and turned to him with a mischievous, delighted grin. “What do you think?”

Xavier chuckled and shook his head. “Did you really bring me here just to show off your new toy? It couldn’t have waited until after lunch?”

“No no no, I’m not showing it off. It’s also not mine, it’s my friend’s. I’m just going to teach you to ride it.”

The demon blinked. “Teach me to—right now?”

“Of course! No time like the present, right?” Saifah produced a set of keys from his pocket and stuck them in the ignition.

“Is this why you insisted on taking a half day? To bring me to a racetrack so you could teach me how to ride a motorcycle?”

Saifah nodded, pleased with himself. “Mhmm.” He turned the keys and the engine roared to life. “Want to go for a ride or learn the controls first?”

“Now wait just a minute.” Xavier’s hands swept through his hair before landing on his hips. “Why are we doing this? Why are you doing this?” Never mind that he hadn’t actually agreed yet.

There was that winning grin again. “Do I need a reason to play hooky from work and spend time with my beloved junior?”

Xavier squinted.

“You never answered my question. Ride first or learning first?”

“P’Saifah.”

Saifah gave Xavier one more hopeful, innocent look before giving in and cutting the engine. He may not have known him for very long, but Saifah knew that Xavier wouldn’t budge without an explanation. It was one of the things that made him an admirable businessman but, in this case, it just made him difficult.

That saying about immovable objects ran through his mind as he sat on the bike.

“Okay,” Saifah said with a sigh. “I brought you here because you need to take a break. You haven’t been doing anything except go from the hotel to your house and back again.”

Now Xavier was crossing his arms defensively. “Have you been talking to Abel?”

“I don’t have to. I’ve been asking you to have a drink with me for almost two weeks and you keep turning me down. And don’t say it’s because you’re tired.”

“I have been.”

“Yes, because all you do is work. You need to rest. You need a hobby.”

“I have hobbies.”

Saifah arched a brow. “Name one.”

“I—” It annoyed Xavier how much he felt like a little brother in that moment. “I collect art.”

“Looking at paintings and buying them is not a hobby.”

“I play the piano.”

“That’s closer, but you do that to bond with your son.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it.” Hell, even Xavier could hear how defensive he sounded. “All right, I’m learning Thai.”

“That’s a necessity, you live here. Liam…” Saifah heaved another sigh. “I know that since your partner died you’ve dedicated yourself to your son. But you need to look after yourself as well.”

Xavier turned away. An admittedly useless attempt to shield himself and save face, but it was all he could do. “Are we really going to have this conversation in the middle of a racetrack?” he asked quietly.

“It has to happen somewhere. And it does have to happen. I’m worried about you. Abel’s worried about you, too.”

“So the two of you have been talking.”

Saifah nodded. “He thinks you’re punishing yourself and after observing you, I agree with him. At first, the happier your son became, the happier you became. Except now it seems that you’re not letting yourself be happy anymore even though he is. You’re going back to being a ghost like you were when we met.”

Xavier said nothing.

“No smiling, no laughing, no nothing. Just work, work, work, all the time. You’re not letting yourself have anything, not even a vacation.”

“That isn’t true.” Factual inaccuracies were easier to argue than everything else Saifah was saying, and Xavier clung to them with all his might. “I’ll grant you that I’ve been working a lot, however I did take a vacation. We went to the beach a few weeks ago.”

“Yes, you went to beach but only because it was Abel’s birthday and even then you couldn’t stop working.”

“I did!”

“You bought the resort you stayed in! How is that stepping away from work?”

Again, Xavier had no answer.

“The beach for Abel, the piano for Devy. When was the last time you did something for yourself, Liam? When was the last time you allowed yourself to be just a little bit selfish?”

The demon scoffed. “Talk to my brother, he’ll tell you I’ve been nothing but selfish since the day I was born.”

“Maybe you were,” Saifah said gently. “Maybe who you used to be was selfish and never did anything for anyone else. I may not have known you then, but I do know that that isn’t who you are now. I’ve seen how devoted you are to your son and how much you care about Abel and the people close to you. I’ve also seen how buried you are under all that guilt that you don’t have to carry. Yes, you heard me.”

The pained and incredulous look his friend gave him as he finally turned to look at him again just proved to Saifah that this conversation had been long overdue. These things needed to be said and whether or not it was his place to say them, they would be said.

He cared for the man in front of him and he wasn’t about to watch him wither away.

“You have no reason to feel guilty, Liam.”

Xavier shook his head. “How can you say that? Theo’s dead and I—”

“Theo’s death is not your fault. You didn’t cause it,” Saifah said imploringly. “Why should you feel guilty for something you’re not responsible for?”

“I could have stopped him! I could have tried harder to—!"

“Are you sure? Is there really anything you could have said or done to stop him from taking that job?”

When all his friend could do was stare at him helplessly, Saifah went to him and took him by the shoulders. “He knew the risks, Liam. He knew the risks and that you didn’t want him to do it and he still decided to go. You said you’d asked him to leave that job before, right? You wanted him to do something less dangerous?”

Xavier swallowed around the lump in his throat and nodded.

“Then how can you say it’s your fault when you did what was in your power to stop him? Even if you’d locked him in the house, do you think it would’ve made a difference?”

He wanted to say yes but would that even be true? Although he scarcely wanted to admit it, none of what Saifah said was a lie. Xavier had tried to stop Theo, he had voiced his disagreement, he had asked Theo for years to stop hunting, and it hadn’t made a difference. Not any of it.

And that was what hurt the most: that he’d tried to stop Theo long, long before he had gone on that final hunt and hadn’t been able to. That Xavier had failed him long before arriving too late that horrible night.

“I want it to.” Xavier drew a shaky breath and looked away again, wiping his eyes before tears could even think of falling. “I want it to have made a difference.”

“But it can’t.” Saifah’s voice was so gentle it almost hurt to hear it. “Are you really going to spend the rest of your life punishing yourself for a choice that someone else made? Because punishing yourself won’t bring him back. It can’t change the past or undo what’s been done. All you can do is move forward. For both your sakes.”

“What if I don’t feel like I deserve to?”

“Why? Because your guilt is making you feel that way?” Saifah shook his head. “Everyone deserves a chance to make a fresh start, Liam. It’s not wrong to want to be happy. Would you tell Devy that he’s not allowed to be happy just because his other parent died?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why are you telling yourself? You’re holding on to your guilt so fiercely that you won’t even allow yourself to be angry that your partner left you to raise your child alone. Are you going to deny yourself happiness as well? What good does that do?”

Yet again, Xavier had no answer. No answer, and no rebuttal.

Saifah squeezed his shoulders. “I’m a father and a second son just like you. If you need someone to give you permission, then I’m giving it to you. Let yourself want things. Let yourself try to be happy. You’ve already fulfilled your duty as a father by building a home and a future for your son. Now it’s time to build one for yourself.”

“By learning to ride a motorcycle?”

“Why not?” Saifah asked with a smile, shifting them around so one arm was around Xavier as they faced the bike. “The worst that can happen is you don’t like it. If you don’t, then we’ll go eat and have a drink and try drifting instead next time. What do you say?”

Xavier exhaled a laugh in spite of himself, rubbing his eyes as he shook his head. “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

“Nope. Now be a good boy and hop on. We’ve got about an hour left on our time.” Saifah gave him a cheerful pat and went to start the bike again.

Well…what was the harm? The demon did as he was told. “Are you sure your friend shouldn’t be the one teaching me? The only thing I’ve seen you drive is a car.”

“Don’t sass your senior,” Saifah chuckled, giving his chest a playful smack. “Now pay attention.”

Damn that Saifah and his perceptiveness, Xavier thought as he flipped on the garage lights and looked at the bike sitting pretty next to his Mercedes.

His bike. The bike that he’d purchased after begrudgingly accepting that not only was he enjoying his lessons with Saifah, he looked forward to them. The bike and the hobby and the happiness it gave him that he’d caved in and allowed himself to want.

So why couldn’t he open that can of worms then? Why couldn’t he admit to himself that staying in Bangkok—for however long that ended up being—wouldn’t just be good for Devlin, but that it was what he wanted?

Saifah and Abel had urged him again and again to try to let go of his guilt and by Lucifer, he had. He had tried. He was trying, and yet every time he felt like he was succeeding, like he was finally making a little bit of progress, there would be a night like this.

A night where he tossed and turned, where sleep eluded him and forced him to wander his house like a ghost while he pondered his life and his choices and whether or not he actually did have the right to feel anything other than guilt about Theo’s death. The right to start again. To be happy.

To want.

“Why does wanting anything feel like I’m betraying you?” the demon asked the air. “Why do I have to feel guilty when you’re the one who left? Is this how you’d want me to feel, or is it just more guilt because there was a moment…where I thought about leaving you?”

Punishing yourself won’t bring him back. It can’t change the past or undo what’s been done. All you can do is move forward, for both your sakes.

Move forward. What exactly did that mean, Xavier wondered as he emptied his glass and returned it to the kitchen.

At which point could one say that they’d done it, he asked himself as he went upstairs to his bedroom.

Was it when you managed to forget? When you finally made sense of what you felt?

He walked into his closet and shed his robe and pajama pants.

Was it when you started making plans again?

He pulled on some pants.

When you allowed yourself to be selfish?

He put on a shirt.

When you chose to honor the love that existed instead of letting it haunt you?

He grabbed his keys.

Or maybe it was when you decided, on a warm, humid Monday night at 3:37, to ride down to the beach to wait for the sunrise…because you wanted to.

[changingthelights]

For Theo - Ways your muse says i love you. Talk about your muse’s most prized possession(s). Does your muse know when to rest, or do they push themselves?

Ways your muse says I love you.

Theo loves to create memories with those he’s with. I call it a different version of “gift giving” - since it’s essentially one of his love languages. He’s not good at picking actual gifts, BUT- he’s excellent at creating a date, or a situation that will leave a lasting memory, and is meant to be something of a gift to his partner. 

There’s a thread that isn’t finished yet, but is Theo surprising Xavier and Devlin with a light show for Christmas that he had everyone in the mansion help set up. He grew up going to them with his mother and had many happy memories of that time, that he wanted to share with his son and Xavier. And since Xavier values privacy, he figured bringing it to their home verses going out to a public one might suit their family better. 

Things like that. 

Talk about your muse’s most prized possession(s).

His first shotgun, and his first dagger (given to him by Sally- his hunting mentor) are prized possessions. 

Theo has a box of scarves Xavier gave him that he keeps next to their bed, it was one of the first gifts Xavier ever gave him and he considers them a prized possession. 

He also keeps a box with a few precious items inside- the first blade Xavier gave him, as well as the first thing Devlin ever gave him, which was a hawk feather Devlin found outside. There’s also few seemingly average rocks that were also gifts from Devlin, and a letter his mother wrote to him when he left for his first hunt. 

Does your muse know when to rest, or do they push themselves?

When it comes to a hunt, Theo is more aware of his limits and does his best not to push himself too hard. Doesn’t mean he’s always successful, but he knows pushing himself too much could literally be the difference between life and death. 

When it comes to his research, Theo does NOT know when to rest. If he’s on a roll he’ll write notes, drink coffee, and compare sources until he passes out at the table or desk he’s working at. 

[potionboy3]

hphl: men - I'll Make a Man Out of You

HERE COME THE BOYS! 

Thank you so much for everyone who took part in this. I tried to get them all to fit. It may not be the most serious song but the video sure turned out even more dramatic than I had anticipated...

Cast:

Gabriel Sapieha - Colin Firth  Lysander Mercury - Leonardo DiCaprio Frederick Lavigne - Jared Padalecki 

@slytherindisaster

- - - - -

Oliver Gerard - Darren Criss

@kc-and-co

- - - - - 

William Devlin - Luke Thompson Grant Kennedy - Jonathan Bailey  Maxwell “Max” Pembroke - Leo Suter  Simon Battersea - William Moseley  Cillian Lynch - Hugh Grant Tadhg Lynch - Rob Lowe

@unfortunate-arrow

- - - - - 

Jesse Seymour -Toby Regbo  Ernest di Napoli - Aneurin Barnard  Marcellus Thorne - James Norton Phineas Falcon - Tom Hardy  Adonis Demiurgos - Henry Cavill

@endlessly-cursed

- - - - - 

Danny Gibson - Chris Pine

@catohphm

- - - - -

Deaglán Herrity - Calam Lynch

@magicallymalted

- - - - -

Varus de Fey - Timothée Chalamet

@sirfluffig

- - - - -

Reuben Willows - Hafþór Björnsson Cledwyn Ironwood - Kit Harrington

@that-scouse-wizard

- - - - -

Noah Taylor - Freddy Carter  Damian Maccarrick - Callum Turner 

@camillejeaneshphm

- - - - -

Lewis Gallach - Johnny Depp Kenneth Jones - Ezra miller

@nightmaresart

- - - - -

Galen Stagg - Ethan Hawke Eli Cairncross - Daniel Day-Lewis Rex Brokenshire - Jeremy Irons Teddy Ellison - Robert Sean Leonard Atticus Grimsley - Ben Whishaw

@cursebreakerfarrier

- - - - -

Atticus doharty - Richard Armitage

@hphmmatthewluther

- - - - -

Henry of Alderly - Harrison Osterfield Anthony Hawthorne -  Thomas Doherty Theo Goldcrest - Specner Macpherson Olyvar Yaxley - Diego Luna

@gaygryffindorgal

- - - - -

Elian Goldcrest - Gijs Blom Julian Flamel -  Jonah Hauer-King

Mine ❤️

- - - - -

Hope I remembered everyone and enjoy the video! 

[edsonlnoe]

P⬤21 Score Dune Hans Zimmer The Green Knight Daniel Hart The Lost Daughter Dickon Hinchliffe Luca Dan Romer Minari Emile Mosseri No Time to Die Hans Zimmer The Power of the Dog Jonny Greenwood Supernova Keaton Henson Swan Song Jay Wadley Soundtrack The Harder They Fall Judas and the Black Messiah Luca Nomadland Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Swan Song Canción “Akh Lar Gayee (ft. Surinderjit Singh)” — Prem-Hardeep Prem-Hardeep, Surinderjit Singh The White Tiger “Dos Oruguitas” — Sebastián Yatra Lin-Manuel Miranda Encanto “Fight For You” — H.E.R. Gabriella Wilson, Tiara Thomas, Dernst Emile II Judas and the Black Messiah “The Harder They Fall” — Koffee Shawn Carter, Jeymes Samuel, Mikayla Simpson The Harder They Fall “Lead the Way” — Jhené Aiko Jhené Aiko, James Newton Howard Raya and the Last Dragon “No Time to Die” — Billie Eilish Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell No Time To Die “Rain Song” — Han Ye-ri Stephanie Hong, Emile Mosseri Minari “Run It (ft. Rick Ross & Rich Brian)” — DJ Snake William Sami Étienne Grigahcine, Brian Imanuel, Christian Dold, Rick Ross, SIM  Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings “Speak Now” — Leslie Odom Jr. Leslie Odom Jr., Sam Ashworth One Night in Miami... Mezcla de Sonido Dune Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Alan Meyerson, Thomas J. O'Connell , Mac Ruth, Don White Encanto David Boucher, Scott Curtis, David E. Fluhr, Gabriel Guy, Doc Kane, Paul McGrath, Alvin Wee In the Heights Vinny Alfano, Ryan Collison, Lewis Goldstein, Eric Gotthelf, Drew Kunin, John Marquis, Connor Nagy, Aaron Southerland, Jerrell Suelto, Tami Treadwell No Time to Die Mark Appleby, Al Clay, Simon Hayes, Stephen Lipson, Paul Massey, Adam Mendez, Mark Taylor Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Sona Balam, Onnalee Blank, Jason Butler, Peter J. Devlin, Richard Duarte, Lora Hirschberg, Doc Kane, Yung Q, Fred Runner West Side Story Doc Kane, Tod A. Maitland, Shawn Murphy, Andy Nelson, Frank Rinella, Gary Rydstrom Edición de Sonido Dune David Bach, Clint Bennett, Theo Green, Mark A. Mangini, Ryan Rubin, Dave Whitehead The Green Knight Christopher Barnett, Richard Gould, Chris Manning, Johnny Marshall, Greg J. Peterson, Mark Jan Wlodarkiewicz Luca Barney Jones, Justin Doyle, André Fenley, Pascal Garneau, Samuel Lehmer, Justin Pearson, Larry Oatfield, Christopher Scarabosio, Lodge Worster No Time to Die Hugo Adams, Christopher Benstead, Bryan Bowen, Michael Fentum, Dawn Gough, James Harrison, Eilam Hoffman, Michael Maroussas, Becki Ponting, Oliver Tarney A Quiet Place Part II Erik Aadahl, Nancy Allen, Ramiro Belgardt, Malte Bieler, Chris Diebold, Brandon Jones, Vanessa Lapato, Nancy Nugent, Jim Schultz, Del Spiva, Ethan Van der Ryn Raya and the Last Dragon Chris Frazier, David C. Hughes, Shannon Mills, Samson Neslund, Steve Orlando, Brad Semenoff, Jim Weidman

[theodoradevlin]

Dearest @ask-sebastian & @ask-garreth-weasley,

How are you both doing? Good?! It's Friday...so hopefully good...

I...AM NOT GOOD. It seems someone has somehow documented proof of my pitifully graded potions assignment, as well as Garreth's smugness clearly showing off in my face Excellent score, as always.

Anyhow, if either you harbor a crumb of care regarding my well-being...I'm still waiting on my invitation to the next study session. If I keep getting grades like this in potions my aunt shall have my head, and you shan't have to worry about me any longer.

Your (hopefully) New & Devoted Young Tutor-ee,

Theo Devlin

P.S. Weasley, it looks like they left a little surprise in there for you. See if you can find it ;)

*groans as Sharp slides assignment back with a devastating [P] for Poor stamped across the top.*

*slides you shameless look*

I blame you, Sallow. Guess I spent more time listening to your musical owls yesterday than focusing on Potions...

*then playful grin*

Not that I can confess I regret it much....some of the song choices were so good it was criminal.

Now..where's @ask-garreth-weasley when you need him....

*content with the above average marks received, I tuck away my returned assignment before my attention turns to you*

I am a but a simple wizard in possession of many talents.

*a smug smirk tugs at my lips as I nudge @ask-garreth-weasley in the side*

[x7o7x]

“If youre the Star! Who m’ i?”

― Theo de Santis

New Rework of my sweet little Boi! Im so Happy that he’s finally done. Btw.: I don’t have a design for his stand yet. Soooo Now! Here comes some stats for him (i, still, let his Father Unknown and some details to get known his father out):  

Name: Theo de Santis

Name in Romaji: Shio do Santisu シオ (thx Romaji translater! Hope its right)

Nicknames: Star & TS (by Amira),  ***** (by Leo & ******)

Stand: [Savage]

Age: 15/16

Birthday: 15. June 2003

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Chinese Zodiac: Goat

Gender: Male

Height: 175cm (5’9 in)

Blood Type: B

Nationally: Italian & British & **********

Hair Colour: red & grease black

Eye Colour: cyan

Occupation: S*******

Favorites:

Movie: Donnie Darko, Million Dollar Baby, No Country for Old Men (Cuz it’s the Date of his Mothers Death November 9, 2007)  

Food:  Tuna Pizza, Sea Food, Chocolate Pudding

Music: B.I.G. & Michael Jackson

Dislike:

His Father, get called ****

Family:

Mother: Mayleen de Santis

Age: 30+

Status: Deceased

Father: ******* *********

Age: *****

Status: Alive

Status: Alive

Character References:

Yu Gi Oh – Duke Devlin

Stand Ref.: Savage - Time