#they might not end up wanting a housemate and we’d need to make sure the dogs get along

[writhe]

trying to play it REALLY COOL about needing to move out in a month and having nowhere to go

[kattwritesuwu]

Can I request a Clingy!monsterTom x Depressed!Reader? Maybe with cutting and suicidal thoughts?

I sure can!!! I LOVE angst!!!!!

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Fandom: Eddsworld

Character: Tom

Reader: Depressed

Fic type: Comfort/angst

Warnings: TRIGGER WARNING: This WILL heavily mention suic/de, blood, and perhaps other triggering topics, read at your own risk!!

Notes: People, I'm not trying to make depression and similar illness romantic, this is simply for comfort.

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I hate everything.

Well, not everything, but the majority, y'know? Everything just...sucks. Life in general, it's all terrible.

People are terrible. Sure, I've found a few choice people that aren't the bane of my existence, but even they have their flaws.

Am I saying that I'm some heaven sent angel? Hell no I'm not. I'm just as terrible if not more! I hate everyone, including myself.

Am I lying? Yeah. Do I have a crush on someone? Yeah. Am I gonna do something about it? Nope.

Why should I? It's not like I'll be here longer anyways...

I'm planning to kill myself.

Am I scared? Kind of. But at this point I don't care. I'm always scared anyways. Always on my guard around people.

Most people don't know the fear and pain of constantly feeling...numb.

It's not like I never feel anything, it's just so rare. My most common emotion is pain. I just want to curl up in a ball and die. But all I can ever being myself to do is cry, and even that's a rare occurrence at this point.

I feel so alone.

Friends? Yeah I have a few.... they're all a bit odd in their own way. Can't complain though, they're like family to me.

My real family? Not many immediate ones, plus, I moved to England five years ago. They called me everyday for the first couple of months. Nowadays, I can barely get a text back... I get that they have their own lives in their respective country, but man, it just makes me so cold-feeling...

I guess where I was going with this, is that I'm scared. Not of my inevitable death, but everything else.

I'm scared of anything and everything now that I think about it. I don't exactly mean common fears they talk about in elementary school, I'm talking real world problems.

I'm scared of failure, not sure why. I've failed enough in my life....it shouldn't even faze me at this point.

Im especially scared of people.

My friends? Yeah them too. What if I make a fool of myself and they think I'm an idiot? What if I make the wrong move, and they hate me? They probably hate me enough as it is...

That why I won't confess to Tom. He'll hate me afterwards. There's just no point in ruining something for nothing in return.

These were the thoughts that ran through my head as my arms and legs were sliced up by a blade driven by my own hands. It's wasn't like it hurt. All it really did was sting, I'm just that used to being hurt, I suppose.

As I was wrapping up my little 'session' I heard a knock on my door,

"(Y/N)! You in there? It's dinner time! I made breakfast for dinner!" A British accent leaked through my door.

I didn't scramble around at the thought of him walking in, my door was locked after all. It's not like I'm that stupid.

" I'll be there in a few minutes, Edd." I spoke back in a raspy voice, not bothering to yell. Edd has good ears, he can somehow hear a whisper from across the house.

It takes me a minute or two to get up and walk into the bathroom that connects to my room. I stumble a bit with the loss of blood.

Once I get in there I take a quick shower, just barely long enough to stop the bleeding and make it appear as if you just took an actual shower.

Once I get out of the shower, I slip on my (favorite color) hoodie.

That was an easy part of hiding my self abuse. Everyone in the house wore a hoodie of their own designated color.

I also slipped on a longer article of clothing to go onto my legs. Couldn't let them see my thighs either.

Once I finished the rest of my cleaning up, I headed out of my little bathroom, and in front of my door. I took a deep breath, put on a smile, and walked out.

I got about halfway down the stairs before a screech startled me, causing me to trip a bit,

" (Y/N) IS HERE! YAY!" The high pitch British scream could only belong to the narcissistic ginger known as Matt.

Once I got my balance back into my feet, I continued down the stairs and greeted Matt with a wave.

" Yeah she lives here, idiot. She's not going anywhere." A deeper voice had spoken, I turned around and Tom was there as expected. I smile shrunk a bit at his last comment.

" Sup (y/n)." You snapped out of your thoughts and responded with a casual 'yo.'

The three of us then heard a thick accent cursing in the kitchen, no doubt it was Tord,

" For jævla skyld! Just let me have the last piece!!"

Sure enough, when we walked into the kitchen, Edd and Tord were fighting over the last piece of bacon. I let out a sigh, and the two boys finally acknowledged our existence. That alone didn't stop their argument though.

I didn't even bother attempting to break up the fight, I never could anyways. Their little fuss always ends one of two ways. Edd steals the bacon from under Tord's nose, or vise versa.

I just grabbed a small portion of food, and sat down.

I knew I would be gone by the end of tonight...but I wanted to taste Edd's cooking one last time.

Something interesting happened, instead of one of the two boys getting the bacon, they halved it and sat down. Of all my four years living in this house with these people, they've never shared their bacon.

Strange.

Dinner wasn't as talkative as it usually was when we all ate at the table. Usually we'd all have a big group discussion about our day, or week. Tonight was quiet, giving me an opportunity,

" Hey, guys?" Each one of their heads turned to me, and Edd signalled me to continue,

" I just wanted to say, thank you." Their brows furrowed but I held out a hand to tell them to let me finish,

" You four have helped me with so much over the past few years. From when you let me live here when I couldn't find proper housing situations, to letting me borrow the car. I just wanted to formally tell you all how grateful I really am. You are truly the kindest people I've ever met." As I went on talking, I realized how bad of an idea this actually was.

I mean, will they get suspicious? I'm just showing gratitude right? It shouldn't sound like a cry for help or anything...

As I snapped out of thought for the fiftieth time today, I notice that all of the boys have some type of smile on their face, even Tom!

Edd was smiling like a proud mother,

Matt was smiling giddily,

Tord had a smug, 'cool guy' smile,

And Tom had the smallest smile that made my heart melt.

I awkwardly continued my fake smile, and sat down.

Conversation continued on as would on a normal night, with the topic being past pleasant memories.

I volunteered to wash the dishes, it was the least I could do. There was only one problem. For some ungodly reason, Tom had insisted on helping me.

I couldn't figure out why at first, untill it dawned on me that he probably needed something from me.

So as I scrubbed the forgetten food off of the ceramic plate, he rinsed and dried them. We did this in silence, aside from the running water. Tom's the first one to break the tension filled silence,

" So, how have you been?" It was such a simple question, I could have simply faked a toothy grin, and said that I was great. I could have thanked him for asking. I could have asked him back.

But I only did one of those things.

" I've been doing just as good as I always do." I reply with a small sad smile. I tear my eyes away from the dish water," How about you? You've been awfully quiet tonight."

He chuckles lowly," Just had a lot on my mind, trying to face some of my problems, that's all." I stop what I'm doing and look over at him,

" Do you want to talk about it? I think the others are asleep already."

Normally when Tom is having any type of problem, he comes to me for advice, or even just for someone to listen to him rant when he's drunk. I even gave him a spare key to my room if he ever needs me while I'm asleep. He's offered the same for me, but I told him that I have a counselor. I try not to lie to my housemates all the time, only when necessary.

He simply shakes his head in response," Nah, this is one I have to deal with on my own," I sigh,

" Alright then, but keep my offer in mind. Just try to remember to see me before I go to bed, I'm...going to bed early tonight. I have something to do tommorow." He nods in understanding.

After we finish the dishes, we say our goodnights,

" I'll see you in the morning, (y/n)." I give one last fake smile,

" Same to you, Tom. Sleep well." I see him nod and walk down the hall as I close my door and lock it for the final time.

I walk into my bathroom and look into the mirror. All I see is a monstrosity of a person glaring back at me.

The bags under my eyes had only gotten worse after the sleepless nights I spent writing my suicide note.

I decided to skip reading over it one last time, I want nothing that could alter my decision at hand here. If I read my dying love letter that's written to Tom, I might stop myself in some kind of silly hope that everything could be okay again. It was too late for all that now.

So, I grabbed my blade that had served me well over the years, and stepped into the bathtub. I didn't cry, I didn't shake in fear of what I was about to do. I sadly smiled instead. As I took my hoodie off, revealing a tank top that no one knew I owned. I set my hoodie softly onto the floor, and turned on the hot water.

I took a deep breath in, and sigh, grabbing my blade and getting to work on my first artery. It took me a couple tries to find it.

But once I did, it started the red tint in the once clear bath water. I took in a shaky breath, adjusting to the dizziness of loosing so much blood so quickly.

At this point I couldn't even hear the bathwater running, everything was muffled.

I reached to turn it off, and a hand was placed onto mine. It takes me a good second to register that there was someone next to the tub, yelling my name right next to my face.

I try my best to focus on who could have caught me. Yet it's so difficult to take in my surroundings at this point.

So as I stare at the person beside my bathtub with fading eyes. I feel pressure on my wound, and see something being wrapped around it.

I start panicking, trying to say no, to let me die.

But I just can't. I just watch as my life is saved against my will.

Suddenly I can see that I'm moving, I can't figure out how until I notice the arms carrying me bridal style to a soft surface. That's when I lost consciousness for the next hour.

I didn't exactly 'wake up' more like fazed into existence. It's like I just gradually became aware of what was around me.

I became aware of the sobs coming from my bedside, and of the pressure squeezing my hand.

I forced my eyes open and tried to sit up. Yet I instantly regretted my decision, pain shot throughout my body. I glance over to my hand and up the....purple arm....

Who is this? Or perhaps I should say, what is this?

It's some kind of...monster? Hybrid? It looked kind of human... I could only see the torso and up. Even then, the arms grew bigger the farther down the arms stretched, and turned a deeper and deeper shade of purple. Horns poked out of the head laying slightly onto my shin, poking me a bit.

" Am-" I hold my throat. That hurt. I clear my throat of the mucus and start again as the unknown monster wakes up,

" Am I dead?"

The monsters head shoots up, and I can't help but recognize the 'eyes' that I've grown to love.

" T-Tom..."

He tries to smile for me, but it twists into a sad frown as his black orbs start to water,

" (Y/n)....(y/n) you're...y-you're okay! You're okay..." He said this over and over again as he cupped my cheeks with his transformed hands.

I grab onto his forearm to steady his shaking. This was starting to scare me.

I had never seen this man shed a tear in front of me, yet alone bawl into my shoulder like he was doing now,

" Tom, it's okay, I'm right here." I whispered this, and many other reassurances into his ear. Confirming to him that it was going to be okay and that, to my displeasure, I wasn't going anywhere.

He seemed to get angry after a few minutes, he ripped himself away from me and took hold of my shoulders,

" WHAT IF YOU WEREN'T RIGHT HERE? WHAT IF I HADN'T OF WALKED IN!! WHAT THEN HUH? YOU WOULDN'T BE RIGHT HERE!!! YOU'D BE GONE!! I would have...lost you..." He slid down the side of my bed as he finished his outburst. He sat crying into his knees.

I didn't know what to do. Is he mad at me? But despite the questions, I acted without thinking.

I began to run my fingers through his hair, almost brushing it. He seemed surprised at first, before he leaned into my touch.

" I'm sorry Tom. I didn't think it would effect you like this..." All was silent for a few moments. Until,

" Why..?" He sniffled a few times before I could respond.

" Why? Why what?" He looked up to me,

" Why would you try to leave me?" I couldn't even bring myself to say anything after that. Tom seemed to sense the frog in my throat, and continued,

" You don't realize, (y/n). You don't realize how special you are. To your family, your friends. I mean bloody hell (y/n)! What about us?! Edd would be heartbroken! And how are we supposed to explain something like that to Matt?" I avoided the possible eye contact and twidled my thumbs in my lap,

" What about me (y/n)? How am I supposed to go on living with myself if you, the love of my life, killed herself?" My mind went blank. He took my hand in between both of his,

" I know this isn't the greatest time for this, but if it'll boost your self esteem even a little bit, I don't care about embarrassing myself. (Y/n) (L/n), I am deeply in love with you, and have been since you moved in. I've loved you since you helped me to bed when I came in drunk all those years ago. I've loved you since you beat my Pac-Man score at the arcade, I acted so mad, but you were just so cute so excited like that... (Y/n)... Please let me help you love yourself by loving you..."

By the time he was done with his speech, I was in tears, a small frown on my face. He seemed to get the wrong idea as he instantly dropped my hand and got up,

" I got the message, I'll just uhm... I'll just g-" I grabbed his hoodie strings and pulled him in for a kiss.

We could both tell that there would be many more to come.

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I'm sorry if it's extremely long, I just love to write angst haha...

[slytherinsnekxvii]

hi, remember that murder snily au i'm always talking abt but never have anything to show for? yeah, i've scrapped it like six times now and i finally have a version of it i'm marginally satisfied with. so, here you go, this is the first part of maybe three or four, i think? have fun:

anger

/ˈaŋɡə/

noun

noun: anger; plural noun: angers

1. Normal anger does not split open one's ribcage and wind itself around their heart. Normal anger does not coat itself in venom and sit behind one's teeth and hide under their tongue and lie patiently in wait. Normal anger is not cold and slow and remorseless. Lily thinks that what she calls anger is normal. Lily does not realise that she is extraordinary.

Lily's brand of anger is decidedly... different. What, exactly, makes it so different isn't exactly obvious to her, but she knows that it's not like anyone else's. At least, not as far as she's aware. Hers is a cold sort of anger, an all-encompassing thing that bites and burns and hurts. It's patient, too, winding in and around her ribcage and clawing its way upwards to settle behind her teeth, waiting for a reason to show itself. It's protective, aiming to eliminate a threat before it has a chance to do further damage.

She's... aware of her anger. Not very much so, but it's seen the light of day often enough to be familiar to her. She doesn't know it, though, hasn't made herself properly acquainted with the more... unfortunate spectrum of her emotions, and that is what makes it truly dangerous.

When she feels something scratching at her insides and festering beneath a vindictive sort of justice at seeing Black and Potter and Lupin and Pettigrew suffer the displeasure of the Slytherins, she thinks it's anger. She finds herself in a dusty, unused classroom in the dungeons, helping to refine a brutal spell designed to rend the flesh of anyone unlucky enough to be on the wrong end of it and she thinks it's anger that curls around her and whispers into her ear, "Make sure it hurts."

It isn't. She calls it anger, claims it a necessity, insists that she's protecting her best friend, but she doesn't realise she's mistaken.

The story of the "Prank" gets out—doctored, of course, to keep Black out of Azkaban, and Lupin away from execution—and Lily titters into the back of her hand when she hears it told in bits and pieces throughout the corridors.

"Did you hear?"

"Who would've thought—"

"—bloody idiots went into the Forest! At night! What kind of—"

"—ll five of them, yeah. Can't figure out for the life of me how they managed to get Snape to go—"

"—must've dragged 'im kicking an' screamin', I'm telling y—"

"—Gryffindors, my left tit! Damn cowards just ran off and left Lupin and Snape to deal with—"

"—no clue what happened, but have you seen the scars?"

"—out of the Hospital Wing, already? How—"

"—down fifty points! All because that lot wanted to play jokes aga—"

She smiles, a tiny, smug thing that she doesn't notice, and moves on. The Slytherins are properly riled up now, Rosier and Mulciber and Wilkes and Avery hovering around her and Severus with expressions she can't describe as anything but sadistic. At some point, she realises that their presence makes her feel much less uncomfortable than it did a week ago. She doesn't dwell on it, ignoring the small part of her that worries and shivers in favour of leaning over Severus's shoulder to read about the sort of magic that appears in nightmares.

She grips her wand, idly twirling the twelve-and-a-half inches of willow and dragon heartstring as she skims over detailings of ancient, arcane magic. It's always about blood, she thinks, staring a diagram of a pricked finger dripping red into a cauldron. Potion for Transferring Magic from One Wizard to Another, the heading proclaims. She shakes her head, accidentally knocking into Severus's in the process. "Ow."

He winces a little, and then tells her, "I'm turning the page."

She hums, eyes glued to a book she wouldn't dare look at not even a week ago, and says, "Okay."

It's fascinating, Lily has to admit. Gruesome in some cases and horrific in others, yes, but there's something... mesmerising about it, something hideously captivating in the way that the diagrams seem to eagerly demonstrate their attached spells. On the page, a young wizard is neatly flayed alive, the entire process precise. Her stomach rolls, but Lily can't seem to tear her gaze away for even a second. She doesn't think about it.

She doesn't think about a lot of things, actually, staunchly refusing to acknowledge the way she finds herself drawn away from her Housemates and friends, instead choosing to orbit around her best friend and the seemingly endless rotation of Dark Arts tomes he's somehow gotten his hands on.

Mary's sick of her excuses, she knows, responding to every one with a nod and an, "Oh, alright, then," in that tone that lands somewhere in the middle of disappointment, exasperation and concern.

Marlene has given up entirely, the whole of their interactions reduced to simple greetings in the hall and nods when they pass each other between classes.

Dorcas is nice about it, still catching her arm on the way to breakfast, still offering to study with her when they're all together in the Common and she doesn't want anyone to feel left out. It's undeniable, though, that her smile isn't near as warm as it used to be and it's tinged with worry at the corners.

No one makes it a secret of what they think about her recent activities. And as for the company she's keeping? Well, they'd always been particularly vocal about that.

Things must come to a head eventually, and they do, not even ten minutes after Professor Sprout has dismissed them from the classroom on Wednesday afternoon. She hears the whispers first, half of them from students she doesn't even know, has never said a word to.

"—conspiring with snakes—"

"—think it's the first time I've heard of a Gryff going Dark—"

"—ck was right about her, she's got no—"

Something ugly twists in her chest, and she forces her feet to turn and move, one step after the other. She can make it to the Common Room reasonably quickly, she thinks, and then she catches the self-proclaimed Marauders outside the Great Hall. Or rather, they catch her.

"You can do better than a bunch of slimy snakes, Evans," Potter crows, and she stops dead in her tracks. "Why bother with them when you've got a fine piece of Gryffindor right here?"

"Get lost," she says, the words ground flat between grit teeth.

Potter does not get lost. "Come on, Evans," he continues. "You're not acting like a proper Gryffindor. Where's your House loyalty? I can guarantee that chivalry and bravery are much better than whatever they're offering." It sounds... like a taunt, and this is when Lily realises that what she's been feeling isn't anger.

"Chivalry? Bravery? What would you know about any of that? It's not very chivalrous to corner students four-to-one, now, is it?" She hisses her words, each one more scathing than the last, and as she spits them out, every last one dripping venom, she realises that she wants it to hurt. "And it certainly doesn't seem brave to leave behind someone who needs help because you got cold feet! I'm not a proper Gryffindor? No, I think you've got it wrong, James. If you want to see an improper Gryffindor, the whole lot of you can go right ahead and look in a bloody mirror! I will not be talked down to by the likes of spiteful little cowards like you! I'm more Gryffindor than all four of you put together, but if you're what our House is supposed to look like, then I want nothing to do with it!"

Her ears are ringing when she's done, the whole world narrowed down to one singular focal point, the group of boys headed by the one who'd been desperate to get her attention and regrets it now that he has it. She looks at each of them in turn, summoning a contempt she didn't know she possessed until now. "Save your breath," she snaps, when Black's jaw unlocks, and she turns around and walks away.

Something slots into the place at the back of her mind, and she thinks, oh, her fingers itching to wrap themselves around her wand and whisper the words that will turn them inside out, call the blood from their pores and make it sing. Something clicks, when she thinks about she felt just then, and she can tell the difference quite clearly, very easily, between pure, white-hot, blinding rage and what she's been calling anger. She doesn't know what it really is, and she doesn't want to. She doesn't think about it, either, simply pushes the entire realisation to the back of her head and thinks, oh.

It changes... very little. Something inside of her has changed, and she finds herself growing steadily more unbothered by the voice in her that tells her about old, forbidden magicks of the body and the mind and the blood. It's always about blood.

She doesn't bother reading over Severus's shoulder anymore, the two of them scribbling notes as the pages flip on their own once they've both finished reading.

What does change things is when Rosier corners her after Defence one day, a sealed envelope held in his hand.

"What's this?" Lily asks, eyeing the pristine letter suspiciously. She might get along with the Slytherins much better now—especially after the incident with the Marauders that Rosier had found particularly amusing—but she can't say she truly trusts them.

"An invitation," he says, and before she can speak, he continues. "Every rule has its exceptions. We'd thought there was only room for one Mudblood prodigy, but it looks like there's space for two."

"Don't call me that," she bites, and he waves the envelope at her.

"Think about it. As it stands now, men like Potter and Dumbledore are holding too many of the cards. Men who would let people die and then cover it up to save their own hides. Don't you want to see them get what's coming to them?"

"There's no difference between you and them," she says.

"Isn't there? We've never claimed to be good."

She stares at him, silent.

"It's a new age, Evans. Don't you want to change the world?" he asks.

She takes the envelope.

anyways, i hope you enjoyed that! thanks for reading :)

[oh-katsuki]

i remember you got a corgi, do you have any tips or tricks on training puppies??

hmmm I mean it’s my housemates corgi so I don’t do much of the training but I know some stuff I picked up from her and just random stuff I know from my family dog!

if you have a puppy, take it outside at regular intervals to potty train them and reward them as SOON as they potty in the place they’re supposed to (outside). so like hve the treats with you and immediately reward them post-poop. if they go in the house (bc accidents happen with puppies) take them outside immediately and sit out there until they go again and reward them for going outside.

puppies also like to chew and bite, especially on hands, shoes, and fluffy things that are not always toys so when they do stuff like that, you gotta end “playtime” and redirect their attention to something they can chew. it’s also best to not get worked up or jerk your body when they do bite at you with their puppy teeth because they’ll think it’s play. just calmly redirect their attention and tell them no. if that doesn’t work though, whining like a dog works as well because they’ll respond to it as if they’ve hurt you. Toby rly likes to nibble (bc he’s teething) and before he understood what we meant by “no” we’d have to yelp like dogs that had been injured when he bit or chewed on us, but he got the message.

also if you’re crate training, never put them in the crate as punishment. instead make it a place that they feel happy going into where they know they’re safe.

on the subject of crate training, if you want to crate train them to sleep in there / just to have the crate as a space for them, make sure you stick to it. it’s gotta be regular, otherwise they won’t understand, which means no nights spent sleeping on the bed until they are FULLY trained. if you don’t plan on doing that, it’s usually best not to crate train them in that way at all, especially since it could create anxiety around the crate which might cause problems if you need to transport them in one or send them to a doggy day care.

also regular meal times!! make sure puppy gets meals at about the same times every day so they know that food is coming and that it’s coming at a specific time!

that’s about all I got for you! i hope it helped a bit!

[missmentelle]

Hello So i'm about to move from my parents house into an aprtment with my best friend and her friend as roomates. Do you've got any tips on how to make sure we won't get into huge fights, learning how to be responisble with the bugdet and getting to know her friend more? I am really stressed out about it but there's no going back now

It can definitely be nerve-wracking to live with people you aren’t related to for the first time, whether you are moving in with friends, your partner, or random roommates off the internet. I’ve lived with many, many people over the years - most of them strangers I found online - and the best advice I can give you to make the experience more pleasant is to set ground rules and boundaries early, and to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Even close friends can have very different expectations when it comes to sharing a living space, and the big things that you’ll probably want to figure out are:

Shared expenses. Are common staples like margarine, ketchup, salt, dish soap, toilet paper and cooking oil going to be shared by the entire household, or does everyone have to buy their own? If you are sharing stuff, can one person decide to just go buy stuff that’s running low and ask for reimbursement, or do you all need to agree in advance? My roommates and I used to keep a communal list on the fridge that one person would use to make our monthly Costco run, and we’d all just pay one-third of whatever the total ended up being. You might prefer a similar approach, or you might just take turns paying - ie “I bought the last pack of toilet paper, now you buy the next one”. It depends on your budget, and how good your housemates are about holding up their end of the bargain. If you are on a smaller budget than others, or if one roommate tends to use more than their fair share, it might be less of a headache if everyone just buys their own stuff. It’s also important to figure out how rent and bills will be paid - whose name are they in? Are you paying rent with three separate cheques, or is one person writing a cheque for the whole rent? If one person is writing a cheque, when do you need to give them your portion of the rent each month?

Shared household items and appliances. If everyone has brought some kitchen items - cups, mugs, plates, etc - into the household, is every item totally up for grabs, or are there any special items (like a favourite mug or expensive blender) that not everyone is allowed to use? How is fridge and pantry space going to be divided? Are everyone’s items just put into the cupboards together, or do you each get a cupboard for the things you individually own? Does anyone have any allergies or dietary restrictions - like Kosher or Halal requirements - that make it important for other people to not use their dishes? My roommates and I always put our kitchen stuff together in a jumble and just went with it, but I have friends with strict Kosher roommates who cannot share any kitchenware at all. Will you all chip in to buy shared items like a couch and coffee table, or will one person buy the item and own it by themselves? 

Chore schedule. Different people have different standards of cleanliness, and it’s important to figure out how often cleaning should be done so that no one feels like they’re living in a hovel. How quickly should people be doing their dishes - as soon as they’ve finished cooking? Within 24 hours? Or will you eat together and take turns washing dishes? How often will non-daily chores - like mopping the floors, cleaning the shower stall, and cleaning the oven - be done, and who will do them? My roommates and I used to block out 2-3 hours every Sunday as “cleaning time” when we would all deep-clean the apartment together, but you might prefer to have assigned individual chores that you can do on your own time. 

Guest policy. Overnight guests and partners are probably one of the biggest sources of tension in a roommate relationship. Namely, how long can you have a guest stay in the apartment with you before they need to start chipping in with the bills? Do you need to give the other roommates advance notice before a guest comes to stay for a while? How many days out of the month can someone’s partner stay over before they effectively become part of the household and need to pitch in with bills and chores? Is it even okay if someone’s partner is staying over constantly, or are you not cool with that at all? Are roommates allowed to give their partners a key to the apartment, or does everyone in the apartment need to be on board before that can happen? My roommates and I had a lot of long-term guests in our tiny Manhattan apartment, but that only went smoothly because everyone was 100% okay with having long-term guests, and we had a hard limit on how many days someone could stay out of the month before they needed to start putting money in our “toilet paper and dish soap” fund. 

Shower schedule. If everyone in the apartment is working on a similar Monday-Friday, 9-5 schedule (which is less likely to be the case these days, but still), it’s important to work out a basic schedule for who gets to shower when in the mornings. There is nothing that will make you want to flip out on your roommate quite like being late for work because they took a 45-minute shower when you needed to get ready. If you don’t each have your own ensuite bathroom, figure out who gets the bathroom when in the mornings, or decide who is going to shower at night to avoid conflict. 

Quiet hours. At what hours of the day is it inconsiderate for a roommate to be making noise or watching TV in common areas while people are trying to sleep? The answer may depend on the layout of the apartment, your individual work schedules, and how sensitive everyone is to noise. If you have roommates that work nights or are working from home during the day and need quiet for their conference calls, that’s something else to keep in mind. 

Breaking the lease. What happens if something comes up, and one person needs to leave before the lease is over? How much notice do they need to give the other roommates? Is it the departing roommate’s responsibility to find someone to take over their bedroom, or would the remaining roommates rather choose who they are living with? If you all pitched in to make a big purchase together - like a couch or a kitchen table - how will that work if one person leaves the lease? And how will the damage deposit be handled? The majority of leases I’ve been on have not had all the original roommates stay until the end, and it was important to plan for that in advance so that no one felt like they’d been tricked into living with someone new that they never agreed to live with. 

Above all, the secret to living with roommates is to communicate, and to try to be as considerate of others as you can. The way that you live and manage your finances directly affects your roommates’ quality of life, and everyone needs to put in some serious effort to make sure that everyone gets to enjoy the living space that they are paying for. The money stuff is especially important - talk to your roommates ahead of time about what costs you will be sharing and what costs you won’t, and make sure that you are setting aside the money you need for shared expenses each month so that no one is left holding the bag. And be sure to speak up if other roommates aren’t respecting your needs either - the occasional dirty coffee cup left in the sink or wine spilled on the rug is just a part of life and probably not worth fighting over, but if someone is consistently neglecting their chores, making huge messes, making lots of noise at night or failing to pay their fair share of household expenses, that’s a situation that you need to speak up about, so that you can all try to find a way to resolve the issue. Living with a friend, roommate or partner is all about finding a balance between accommodating other people and sticking up for yourself, and it’s a balance that will be become easier with time. 

It’s also important to find time to just enjoy hanging out with your roommates. Yes, living with other people can be scary and stressful, and there may be times when you’re ready to scream because someone ate your ice cream without permission and no one remembered to buy more toilet paper, but there will also be good times, especially if you are living with someone you are already friends with. Some of the best memories of my early 20s were just from hanging out with my roommates - like the time that we got drunk on cheap wine and painted some silly paintings because we couldn’t afford to decorate the apartment properly, or the time we got a huge box of breakfast food from the local diner and stayed up all night watching Game of Thrones, or the time we had to spend all day taking all our IKEA furniture apart in the lobby and carrying it up to our walk-up piece by piece because none of us could lift the boxes, and we barely made it up the stairs because we were laughing so hard. Being young and kind of broke and living with your friends can be a very fun time in your life, and it’s important to enjoy it - hang out together, do silly things, enjoy making mistakes because none of you have any real idea what you’re doing. Just because you have financial responsibilities and a chore chart doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun.  Best of luck to you! Miss Mentelle

[hidden-otaku-stuff]

Knowledge and Ambition

tw: Cursing, anxiety, insecurities, bullying/gossiping

Word count: 6.75k

Genre: Fluff, mild angst

Pairing: Ravenclaw Kuroo x Slytherin Female Reader

AN: It’s September 1st, aka the first day of school at Hogwarts! I’ve been procrastinating on this fic for like a month or so, so I forced myself to finish this at 3 AM LMAO.

The sound of turned pages stuttered by scratching quills clung to the darkness as flames flickered around the room. You kept blinking, eyes drying from how long you’ve been focused. A sigh, and you slumped against the back of the chair. You had been sitting in this dark corner for the past three hours, pouring over text after text as you tried to wrap your head around the contents. Another sigh left you as you re-read what you wrote, dipping your black quill into the blue ink to make corrections. “It’s almost curfew, wrap it up.” Madam Pince poked her head around the bookshelf, peering over her spectacles at the tower of books you had surrounding you. 

You pulled a note from your bag, standing up to give it to her. “I’m sorry Madam Pince, Professor Snape gave me permission to stay here past curfew.” She gingerly took the note from you, a scowl shadowing her face as she scrutinized it for legitimacy before turning on her heel with a huff to head back to her desk. Since you were already standing, you decided to stretch your legs and go look for that last text that should help push your claims about alternative ingredient usage and the degree of change to the potion. 

Snape had always liked you as a student, especially after third year. He had caught you switching out certain roots for other herbs which still ended up with perfect potions every time. Since then, you had to be honest with your professor. You wanted to impact the Potions community, whether as someone who created a new Potion or as someone who wrote the new standard textbook. You were fortunate enough that Snape preferred Slytherins, otherwise you might not have been afforded the same opportunity that he had granted. 

You sighed, (e/c) eyes scanning the shelves. Snape had recommended a very specific one. Its maroon binding caught your attention. With fingers reaching for it, they brushed against another hand. “Sorry!” You yanked your hand back, eyes following the hand up to the person. Looming over you was a familiar sight. Quidditch Captain, Prefect, and heart-throb of the school Kuroo Tetsurou stood over you. 

“Sorry, I should have paid more attention.” Kuroo pulled the book out, offering it to you. 

You shook your head, glancing back at your table. “It’s ok, you can use it.”

His hazel eyes followed yours, “are you sure? It must be important if you need this specifically amongst all the other ones.” 

You flushed, avoiding his eyes. “It’s not that important.” 

Kuroo’s finger dragged down the maroon binding. “I was just planning on doing some light reading.” He hands it to you, clearing his throat. “What are you working on?”

You offer him a small smile. “I’m working on a research paper.”

“On what?” He looked down at the book. “I’m assuming it’s something Potions-related.”

A soft giggle left you. “Yeah, I’m conducting research on alternative ingredients use in potions and the effects of using such alternatives.” Kuroo’s eyes widened. As he opened his mouth, Madam Pince hissed another demand for silence. A loud yawn overtook your features, eyes squeezing shut. Glancing at your watch, you clicked your tongue. “It’s getting late. I’ll probably finish whatever else I can in the common room.”  Kuroo frowned, he had just been about to ask if he could study with you. “Nice to meet you, Kuroo.” You scooped your books into your arms, cramming whatever would fit into your bag before sending him a wave. The maroon book felt heavy in his hands.  

****

“Are you looking at (Name)?” 

Kuroo flushed, whipping his head to face his best friend. Kenma just continued eating, not looking at Kuroo. “No.”

“Yes he is.” Yaku slid into the seat across from Kuroo.

“No I’m not!” 

“You’re blushing.” Kai sat across from the trio, smiling pleasantly at them. Akaashi sat beside him, flipping through one of his books as he ignored them. 

“Ok, maybe just a little bit.” Kuroo angrily stabbed a potato, chewing on it as he avoided his friends’ eyes. He couldn’t stop himself from peeking over at you every few seconds though. You were seated at the Slytherin table, throwing your head back in laughter as you teased your housemates. 

“Isn’t she known as the Cold Princess?” Akaashi inquired, still not looking up.

Kuroo glanced over at Akaashi then to the rest of the group when he heard them all agreeing. “‘Cold Princess’?”

“Yeah, heard she’s like super mean to everyone outside of her house.” Yaku commented, sipping his pumpkin juice. “Even some of her house-mates are scared of her.” 

Kuroo frowned, not seeing why they thought that. “She seemed pretty nice to me.” 

“Is that why you can’t keep your eyes off of her?”

“That’s besides the point.” Kuroo scowled, elbowing Akaashi. 

“Who knew we’d find a day where Kuroo Tetsurou would be smitten with a girl.” Yaku’s eyes sparkled with humour. “Let alone the Cold Princess herself.” Yaku and Kai laughed. 

“I’m not smitten!” Kuroo insisted. “She’s just...different.” 

“Didn’t think you’d go for a Slytherin though, Kuroo,” Kai remarked, eating some eggs.

Kuroo shrugged. “Y’know I don’t care about all those house rivalries outside of the Quidditch field.” 

Kenma snorted, “yeah cause all you care about is Quidditch.”

“And my education!” Kuroo argued. 

“How’d you meet her anyways?” 

He looked up to Kai. “I met her a few weeks ago in the library.” Kuroo pushed his food around on the plate, glancing between it and you. This time, you were patting a blonde male on the head. He didn’t recognize him, figuring that it was probably someone from your year. Was that your boyfriend? Kuroo wondered to himself. 

Kai hummed. “I see her in the library often. She always sits by herself.”

“Seriously?” Yaku glanced over at you. “I never see her.”

“She sits in the corner,” Kai replied. 

As the conversation changed to their homework, Kuroo blanked out. It had been a few weeks since that chance meeting between the two of you. He’d gone into the library most days since in an effort to talk to you, but he always found you buried in your books. Kuroo hated when people interrupted him in his readings, so he would just find a table where he could observe you - in the most nonchalant and least creepy way possible - to see if he could catch you before you left. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had much luck with that. He’d accidentally immerse himself in his own work, and by the time he took a break, you were either already gone or headed out the door. Hey, he was a Ravenclaw for a reason. Once he got into his reading, he was gone to the world. With a deep sigh, he resigned himself. If you guys were meant to be friends, it’ll happen. He should worry about his own work instead of a pretty Slytherin kouhai that he had only talked to for a few minutes.

****

“Miss (L.Name).” You look up at your professor’s voice.

“Yes, Professor Snape?” 

“Come to my desk at the end of class.” 

“Yes, sir.” Snape’s robes billowed as he turned, slinking back towards his desk. You turned back to your cauldron, waiting for your potion to change to orange. Carefully, you added powdered porcupine quills until your potion turned white. Today, Snape had your class brewing the Draught of Peace since it was one of the potions that would commonly come up during O.W.Ls. You sat back, stirring slightly before letting the potion simmer. It was a difficult potion only because getting it wrong would be dangerous. The wrong mix of ingredients, being heavy-handed with the porcupine quills or powdered moonstone could lead to irreversible sleep. The bell rang just as you added the 7 drops of hellebore. You observed your potion, satisfied. It had come out perfectly. Bottling two samples in a glass flask for Snape, you quickly cleaned up your cauldron and the area around it.

“Ugh, you’re so lucky (Name)!” 

You turned to your classmate, eyebrows furrowed. “And why’s that?” 

“You’re so gifted in potions.” Nishinoya, a Gryffindor in your class, glared at his potion. You stifled a laugh. His potion had somehow turned out an ugly chartreuse color. Even the fumes looked toxic as orange smoke billowed from it.

“What the hell did you do wrong this time, Nishi?” 

He threw his hands up in exasperation. “Fuck if I knew, to be honest.” He bottled it, wincing at the repulsive smell of his potion. 

You patted his back. “Well good luck with remedial potions.”

“Can’t you help me before it gets to that?” He whined. You and Nishinoya had been partnered in the third year of potions. Though you were typically more frosty, he had weaseled his way into your heart and became a close friend. Mostly by sheer persistence on his part. After all, who would willingly want to be friends with the Cold Princess of Slytherin? 

“You know I’m busy.” You dead-panned, waving your wand over the cauldrons so that the contents disappeared. Together, you and Nishinoya walked up to Snape’s desk. By now, the majority of your classmates had left. Snape glanced at your potions, his gaze sliding over to Nishinoya’s and his face contorted in disgust.

“Another T, Mr. Nishinoya.” Nishinoya’s cheeks flushed pink, grimacing. 

“I know, Professor.” His head hung low as he shuffled towards the door. “See you later, (Name).” 

You offered the Gryffindor a wave that he didn’t see before turning back to your professor. “You asked to see me, Professor?”

Snape cleared his throat. “Yes. As you know, I rarely offer remedial classes to students.” A sneer made its way on his face. “However, Professor Dumbledore has...implored me..to be kinder this term. So, I have offered remedial classes and tutoring for struggling students this semester. As one of the more competent potioneers in my classes, I would like to request your assistance as a tutor.”

“Me?” The door opened, his next class filing in. 

“That’s what I said, Miss (L.Name). Don’t make me take that back.” Snape’s eyes flashed dangerously as he began to put the flasks from your class away. “By taking on this task, I will be able to review the work you’ve assembled so far.” He cleared his throat, “and this would be a perfect opportunity for you to practice your teaching skills.” 

Your eyes sparkled. Being able to dabble in academia seemed like a perfect opportunity for you to figure out where you wanted your future to go. “Of course Professor. Thank you for the opportunity!” Snape gave you a stiff nod. 

“Now hurry up and get to class.” With a short bow, you spun on your heel to sprint out of the room. Your next class was Charms and you were most definitely going to be late if you didn’t hurry. Just as you reached the doorway, you collided into something tall and firm. 

You yelped, stumbling back only for arms to dart around and steady you. “Oh, it’s you!” You glanced up, recognising him. “Sorry, I’m in a rush!” With a blinding smile, you patted his arms before dashing out under his arms and down the corridor. 

“Get to your seat, Mr. Kuroo.” Kuroo’s head shot up, “and get that ridiculous look off of your face.” Pink crept up Kuroo’s face as he snapped his jaw shut, slinking towards his seat.

Snape began class, writing the instructions for the Potion for Dreamless Sleep onto the chalkboard. Yaku leaned over towards his housemate nudging him playfully, “you were staring again.” Pink turned to scarlet as Kuroo whipped around, shushing him. Yaku grinned, sitting back as he rewrote the instructions onto a piece of parchment. “She’s pretty.” Kuroo grunted in response, pulling out his ingredients. “Think she’s single?”

“Why are you so interested?” Kuroo snapped, glaring at the Keeper. “I thought you were scared of the Cold Princess.” Yaku just laughed, patting his back. 

“No reason, Kuroo. No reason at all.”      

****

“You’re late, Mr. Kuroo.”

“Sorry Professor,” Kuroo dipped his head. “Quidditch practice ran late today.”

Snape turned his nose, sneering. “Excuses do not belong in this classroom.” Snape turned on his heels, robes sweeping with the motion. “Hurry up then, or I will not grant you the extra credit.” Kuroo hurries into the classroom, glancing around at the dingy dungeon. He was glad that there were only eleven students. He froze, recognizing a familiar sight. Kuroo slips into the seat beside you, muttering a greeting to which you nodded in response. “With the exception of two students, you are all here because you have failed miserably to prove your worth in my class. However, this is your opportunity to redeem yourself.” Snape glowered at each and every one of the remedial students, sending chills down their spines. “Don’t squander it.” 

With that, he turned and walked to the blackboard, writing down the recipe for the Shrinking Potion. Placing the chalk down, he sends one final glare to the students before going to his desk. You step in front of the blackboard, smirking at the students. “This is a simple potion that any third-year should be able to do. Follow these instructions, and Kuroo and I will be walking around to provide you help should you need it.” More chills ran up the students’ back at your last words. It was obvious that you weren’t keen on helping them should they need it.

Kuroo pinched his nose, looking around the room. As he walked around, a tall grey-haired fourth-year Slytherin caught his attention. “Can you please help me, Kuroo?” He begged. 

“What seems to be the problem?”

The male winced as the potion billowed up green gas. “That,” he replied lamely. 

“You added the Shrivelfig too early,” Kuroo’s eyes widened, casting a charm to dispel the gas. “You’re going to have to start all over.”

“What?! I don’t want to,” he whined. The slamming of a book caused them both to flinch, both sets of eyes darting to Snape who glared at them. “Aren’t you a Ravenclaw? Help me fix this!” 

“You literally created poison gas,” Kuroo responded, pinching his nose.

Raising his wand to vanish the potion, a hand grabbed his wrist. “Lev, what did you do this time?” You pinched your nose with one hand as you stared at the potion.

“Something about Shrivelfig,” Lev muttered, crossing his arms. “I don’t see why I need to start over though!” 

Your face softened. “Look, Lev, this potion has become dangerous. Do you want to fail this class and potentially hurt your fellow classmates?” You glanced at Kuroo who pulled his arm away and tucked his wand back into his robe pocket. “If it wasn’t for Kuroo’s quick-thinking, the fumes would have overtaken the class and we would be in some serious danger.” You patted the male’s head. “Here, I’ll stay with you and make sure you do it right, ok? That way you don’t have to stay extra long.”

Lev perked up. “Okay! Thanks, (Name).” 

You grinned, before glancing back at Kuroo. “You can help the others now, Kuroo. Thank you for your quick-thinking.”

Heat crept up his neck as he shook his head. “It was nothing,” he replied dismissively. 

You raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Whatever you say.” You turned back to Lev, vanishing the potion. “Let’s get started then, shall we Lev?” Kuroo stood there for a few moments, watching with slight amazement as you carefully guided Lev through the procedures. You looked in your element as you sliced the caterpillars and showed the younger student the best way to peel Shrivelfig. Another student called for Kuroo’s attention, snapping him out of his stupor. As Kuroo proceeded to help the others, he couldn’t help but survey you in the corner of his eyes. Perhaps there was a softer side to the Cold Princess after all. 

****

Kuroo breathed a sigh of relief, stretching his shoulders. Due to the raging thunderstorm outside, he’d made the executive decision to cancel Quidditch classes. Exam season was coming up, and there was no reason to put his players’ health at risk if they could avoid it. Besides, they were doing pretty well this season. He walked up the stone stairs, following them to the library. As he entered, he couldn’t help the grimace that slid onto his face. It appeared that everyone thought to study today as the library was completely packed. He poked around, searching for an empty table only to find none. Kuroo sighed, contemplating whether or not he should go back to the dorms in order to study when he spotted you at your usual table. Luckily enough, nobody else had joined you at the table. 

Steeling his nerves, Kuroo began walking towards you. As he made his journey, he picked up some whispers as people threw dark looks in your direction. 

“Of course the Cold Princess would monetize an entire table.” A younger Ravenclaw scoffed.

“She threatened to hex me when I came too close,” a Hufflepuff whimpered. 

“Me too!” Another Hufflepuff whispered in response.

“She said that people ruin her concentration,” a Gryffindor sneered to his housemates.

Kuroo stopped by your table, waiting anxiously for you to acknowledge him. Your nose was firmly buried into your parchment, and after a few awkward minutes of waiting, it was obvious that you weren’t going to say anything. Clearing his throat, Kuroo said, “hi.” Internally, Kuroo was screaming. ‘Hi’? Is that really all he was going to say?

You jolted, looking up at him and blinking rapidly with weary eyes. “K-Kuroo?” You stammer, rubbing one of your eyes.

Kuroo adjusted his bag awkwardly. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat, gesturing to the other tables. “Everywhere else is full. Do you mind if I join you?”

You stare at him with sharp (e/c) eyes. Seconds dragged on, a cold sweat swept through his body and he was regretting every decision he had made since entering the library until you gave him a stiff nod. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”

Relief washed over him as he grinned. “Thank you so much, I promise I won’t be a bother.” You only gave him another stiff nod before you moved your books around to give him more space. Sliding into the chair beside you, Kuroo pulled out his Transfiguration homework.

The pair of you work in silence for an hour before you get up, stretching. Students flinched as you make your way down the shelves, burying themselves into their books or ducking behind empty aisles in order to avoid you. Just as quickly as you had gotten up, you had already plopped back into your seat. “Y’know, you’re a lot quieter than I expected,” you comment, flicking through the latest volumes you had pulled.

Kuroo glanced up, tilting his head. “What do you mean?”

Clearing your throat, your eyes met his. “I mean that for someone as popular as you are, you sure are quiet.” 

A red glow warmed his features. “I wouldn’t say that I’m popular.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Ya sure about that? Because I’m pretty sure being a Quidditch Captain, Prefect, and a top-ranking student are all qualities of popular students.” 

At your comment, he raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t know you paid so much attention to me, kitten,” he teased. 

You glowered at the nickname. “Don’t call me kitten.”

“Ok….kitten.” 

****

It became routine for you and Kuroo to meet at the library now. It was very rare that either of you missed a session. Your dark corner was brightened by his presence. Once the clock rang a certain hour, you were already moving the stacks of books to the side to make room for the rooster-head captain as he slunk in after Quidditch practice. He’d used to come directly after, only for you to yell at him to go to his dorm and shower, which would end up delaying him by twenty minutes. With that extra time, you’d sneak into the kitchen and snag some food for you both. 

Your quill scratched the parchment as you took down more notes from the text. The wooden chair besides you creaked, but your eyes remained on the book. “Hello, Kuroo.” You flipped a page, scanning the text for more information.

“Hey kitten.” The soft thump of his bag falling onto the ground had you looking up.

“You look tired,” you noted, surveying his face. Eye-bags darkened his face, not helped by the shadows of the flickering flames. “Maybe you should sleep early today.”

Kuroo shook his head. “No, I really have to finish this paper.” He pulled out his Transfiguration book.

“Do you have patrol later?” You chewed on your bottom lip, brows furrowed. Kuroo nodded glumly. “Alright, skip it.”

“I can’t just skip patrol,” Kuroo laughed, sipping at the pumpkin juice that you’d smuggle in.

“You can if someone takes it for you.” You looked back down at your books. “I’ll do your patrol for you.”

Kuroo choked, coughing. “W-what?” Madam Pince threw him a disgusted look as she hmph’d at her desk. “You can’t do that.” You shrugged, leaning forward to ruffle his hair. Kuroo let out a soft yelp. “What was that for?” 

You pulled back your hand, carefully examining the hair. “For the polyjuice potion.” A few months ago, you’d decided to try your hand at brewing polyjuice potion on a whim. You hadn’t had a chance to use it yet, so this was the perfect opportunity. 

“What?!” 

“Shh!” Madam Pince hissed, looking up over her books at you both. You folded the hair into a napkin, carefully tucking it into your robes.

Kuroo lowered his voice. “What do you mean polyjuice potion? Isn’t that against the rules?”

“Well it’s not exactly like I have a time-turner,” you rolled your eyes. “Nor am I a Metamorphmagus.”

“You don’t have to do that for me.” Kuroo surveyed you. For someone who was advertised as just another ‘big bad Slytherin’, you had such an incredibly soft side. 

You shrugged, pushing a sandwich in his direction. “Eat up.” You took a bite out of your own sandwich.

As you pulled your hand back, a warm weight dropped onto it. You swallowed, looking up. “Thank you.” His eyes sparkled. “I really appreciate you.”

Averting your eyes, your cheeks glowed. You hoped that the candle-light would hide it. “Just take care of yourself, rooster-head.” 

****

“I heard what happened.” 

You glanced up, grimacing. During potions, you had been helping Nishinoya only for his potion to explode everywhere. Snape ended up assigning him detention for the next month as well as remedial classes three times a week. You really weren’t sure how Nishinoya had fucked up his Wit-raising potion. But you’d walked away laughing, with admittedly terrible burns. You’d ended up teasing the boy saying that he needed to drink your wit-raising potion before he was allowed to speak to you again. 

“How are you doing?” Kuroo pressed. 

You let the utensils slip out of your fingers as you displayed your heavily bandaged hands up. “Miserable.” 

Kuroo’s eyes widened. “Madam Pomfrey couldn’t help?” You shook your head, frowning. There was still a residual stinging in your fingers. “Scoot over.”

“What?” 

“Only your hands are messed up, I’m sure you heard me just fine.” Kuroo waved his hands, forcing you aside. He took your seat, pulling your plate towards him.

“Kuroo, this is the Slytherin table, what the hell are you doing?” He shushed you, cutting up the meat on your plate. “Kuroo, I can take care of myself.” 

He fixed you with a hard stare, pushing the plate towards you. “Prove it then.” You glared at him, as you picked up the fork and knife. Pain coursed through your fingers but you simply bit your tongue, not wanting him to win. You focused on keeping your face blank, breathing deeper than you wanted. With sluggish movements, you sawed through the meat. Hazel eyes surveyed you, flicking between your hands and your face. 

“See?” You proclaimed, stabbing the meat and waving it in his face. He shrugged, holding his hands up.

“Whatever you say, Princess.” You glared at him, ice creeping through your heart. Eating it, you attempted to cut more meat only to drop the fork with a violent curse. It felt like someone had poured molten lava over your hands. Glaring at your fingers, you aggressively shoved the plate towards Kuroo who raised an eyebrow at you. “I thought you could do it yourself?”

“Help.” 

“I didn’t quite hear that, kitten.” 

You rolled your eyes at the pet-name. “Just help me, Kuroo.” 

“I didn’t hear the magic word,” he teased, pulling the plate towards himself.

“Please,” you muttered, tears pricking at your eyes. Kuroo paused, taking a moment to pat you on the head.

“Of course, silly. I’m always here to help you.” You offered him a small smile, before whispers from the Ravenclaw table caught your attention.

“What’s Kuroo doing with her?” 

“Doesn’t he know that she’s a cold-hearted bitch?” 

“He’s gonna get his heart broken.” 

“Bet you she’s going to curse him behind his back.” 

“Or poison him.” They snickered.

More tears welled up in your eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?” You asked, turning your face away from him. 

The clinks of cutlery stopped. “Do what?”

“Help me.” 

A hand grasped your chin, tilting your face up. He leaned forward, warm breath humming against your ear. “Keep your chin up, Princess, your crown is falling,” he whispered before he pulled back, brushing your hair aside. Scarlet roses bloomed in your cheeks. Cold Princess echoed in your mind. Kuroo cleared his throat, turning back to the plate, hiding his own pink flush. “Besides, you saved my ass the other week. This is the least that I can do for you.” 

 You chewed on your lip. Of course. He was returning a favor. Just a favor. Nothing more, nothing less. 

**** 

“I won’t be here tomorrow.” You looked up from the Honeydukes chocolate that he had brought you, tilting your head. “I have to patrol early, so I won’t be able to make this.” He gestured to the table. Your tower of books had slowly diminished in size, only a small stack remained. In between your rolls of parchment and his own books was an abundance of candies. You’d miss the Hogsmeade trip earlier that day due to another remedial lesson with Lev. Kuroo leaned forward, wiping away a bit of chocolate from the corner of your mouth.

“Don’t do that.” You whipped your face away, hoping that the darkness would hide the crimson glow. You cleared your throat. “That’s fine. It’s not like you’re of any help, you always distract me.”

“So I guess I should take back all this candy then,” Kuroo teased, reaching for it. You snatched it up, pulling it close to your chest. Kuroo let out a disgustingly loud bark of laughter causing you to cringe. Madam Pince snarled in annoyance at you both. 

“Keep laughing like that and I’ll use a Silencing charm on you,” you threatened, tucking the chocolates away into your bag. 

Kuroo reclined in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. “You say that, but you know you like it.” 

“Keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night, Kuroo.” 

The next day, you couldn’t stop fidgeting. It was...too quiet. Of course, being in a library meant that it should be quiet. But you couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. The bell chimed, and like clock-work, you began shifting your books to the side. Mid-motion, you froze, eyebrows creasing as you frowned. Why were you moving your stuff? It’s not like anyone was joining you tonight. You cursed silently. Of course you’d gotten used to him. You vaguely remembered a Muggle psychology term: mere exposure effect. The more you became familiar with something or were exposed to it, the more you’d have a preference for it. You violently slammed the books back to where they were, earning another reprimand from Madam Pince. Studying by yourself just became excruciatingly difficult.

Meanwhile, Kuroo was absent-mindedly flying down the corridors. His long legs allowed him to stride down the halls in a dozen steps or so, forcing his partner to sprint in order to keep up. “Jesus, Kuroo, what’s got you in a hurry?” Bokuto, the Hufflepuff Prefect, puffed. 

“Huh?” Kuroo paused, only to have Bokuto slam into his back. “Oh lord, I am so sorry Bokuto.” 

The Hufflepuff winced, prying himself off of Kuroo’s back, rubbing his nose. “It’s fine.” Kuroo continued down the hall, slower this time. “What’s got you all distracted?” Kuroo shrugged, opening one of the classrooms and looking around. He shut the door with a sigh, before rushing down the hall once more, the slower pace already forgotten. Bokuto scurried after him. “Or should I say, who is on your mind?” 

At this, Kuroo whirled around. “What do you mean?” 

Bokuto bellowed with laughter. “I heard that you were talking to someone, but I didn’t know it was this serious.”  

“Shut up.” The dark halls did nothing to save Kuroo as he stepped into a pool of moonlight. 

“Aw, you’re blushing!” Bokuto cackled, bending over as his rambunctious laughter echoed in the halls.

“Shut up!” 

Bokuto wiped a tear away from his eyes. “You really like this girl, don’t you?”  

Kuroo huffed, blowing his hair up. “Maybe.”

The Hufflepuff clapped a hand over his back. “I’m rooting for ya.” 

“I’ll need it,” Kuroo muttered. He pulled himself out of Bokuto’s grip. “C’mon, let’s just finish this patrol.” 

****

“Alright, I’m off.” You waved to your housemates, picking up your books as you left the Great Hall. 

“Make sure you come watch me play, sweetheart!” Atsumu shouted after you, waving eagerly. You rolled your eyes, ignoring him. You rarely ever went to Quidditch matches, let alone to support someone. That’s something you’d reserve for romantic partners, not house-mates. The few times you’d gone were because Snape offered extra points to everyone who attended. You shook your head, taking a deep breath. 

It was just any other Saturday morning and you would be headed back to your sanctuary: the library. A voice called out behind you, thundering footsteps following. You turned, stopping in the middle of the doorway. “Good morning, Kuroo.” You offered him a small smile that he returned.

“Hey (Name)!” He hugged you, pulling you into his chest; your heart pounded against your own. He’s never hugged you before. “Will you be going to the match later?” Kuroo released you and you took a few steps back. 

Holding up the book, you shook your head hoping that he didn’t see your flushed face. “No, Professor Snape gave me this book so I was going to work on it.”

“Aw that’s too bad, I was really hoping you’d come cheer for me.” Kuroo grinned before he draped a blue and bronze scarf around your neck. 

Your cheeks glowed like ripe apples, eyes wide. “Kuroo!” Your jaw dropped. 

“See you there!” With a cheeky smile, he waved running back towards his friends. 

An hour later, you found yourself walking down towards the Quidditch pitch. “Thought you didn’t go to Quidditch matches?” You crossed your arms, unamused. “And you’re wearing a Ravenclaw scarf? Talk about a traitor!” Osamu pinched your cheeks, tugging on it.

“Shut up, ‘Samu,” you scowled, shoving him away. “Are you finished yet?”

He shrugged. “Dunno why you even bothered to come.” He led you up the stands towards the Slytherin section. “Or why you’re sitting with us.”

“I’m a Slytherin!” You pouted, glaring at his back. Osamu just laughed.

“Yer still wearin’ a Ravenclaw scarf though. Don’t think I missed that display in the Great Hall.” He cackled as you slapped his back. “Didn’t know ya had a thing for the Captain.” 

You cleared your throat as you guys arrived at your destination. You greeted your house-mates, settling besides Osamu. “Why aren’t you playing, ‘Samu?” 

Osamu scowled, glaring at you. “Shaddup.” You chuckled, leaning back in your seat. Osamu was also on the team, but this year, the captain had decided to let more of the sixth and seventh years play. Atsumu was the only fifth-year on the team at the moment. You were grateful for the twins who had rapidly become your best friends since you’d started at Hogwarts. Both of them were ‘no-nonsense’ and didn’t care that you were plagued with nasty nicknames due to your ‘cold-hearted’ demeanor. 

“Ooh, look they’re starting.” As the match goes on, you can’t help but let your eyes trail the Ravenclaw captain. To say the least, you were impressed. He radiated a different energy from what he normally did during your late-night study sessions in the library. During those, he just seemed goofy and studious. But here, you could see the whole other side to him. The way he communicated with his team-mates, how happy he looked everytime one of their plays worked out, the satisfaction that seemed to completely fill him after he scored. He simply exuded a different type of confidence that you’ve never seen from him before. Your eyes widened with awe as he shuffled between the other Chasers, throwing the Quaffle to each other and thoroughly confusing the Slytherin chasers. As Kuroo scored, you couldn’t help the, “Whoooo, go Kuroo!” that escaped your lips.

Osamu jabbed you in the side, muttering, “traitor” but even that couldn’t wipe away the smile from your face. You were never interested in Quidditch, but maybe now you had a reason to be. 

The game quickly ended with Kenma snagging the Snitch out from Oikawa’s nose, leading to Atsumu flying towards the stands where you and Osamu were sitting. “Hey, ya made it sweetcheeks!” Atsumu cheered, hovering above your head in front of you. 

You cleared your throat. “Nice job out there, ‘Tsumu.” 

“I know right? I was definitely the star, wasn’t I?” He grinned. 

You pulled your cloak closer; it was getting late and cold. You desperately wanted to be back in the castle already. “If you were the real star, you would’ve won,” you shrugged. Osamu chuckled besides you as Atsumu squawked indignantly.  

“Oi, Atsumu!” Oikawa called, flying over. “C’mon, hit the showers. You can try to impress your girl later.” Oikawa patted your head, “hey there, (Name).”

“Hey Oikawa.” You offered him a small smile. “Sorry about the game. You did great out there though.”

“Thank you~!” He sang, flying lower so that he could pull you into a hug. You yelped at the sudden intrusion. “Lemme just have this moment of comfort,” he whined as you clawed at his arms in an attempt to struggle out of his grip. Defeated, you let the captain hang onto you, awkwardly patting his back. 

“You guys reek,” you muttered, looking away from the pair. “Go shower.”  

Finally escaping from the clingy twins and Oikawa, you let out a sigh of relief. You tugged your bag higher onto your shoulder as you made your way down the familiar path. Just as you were about to enter the library, a familiar voice called after you. Turning, your eyes widened. “Kuroo?” 

He slowed to a stop in front of you, winded slightly before he offered you a wide cheeky grin. “Hey there Princess!”

“What are you doing here, shouldn’t you be celebrating with your team?”

He shrugged, “I had to see my girl first.” 

Heat crawled up through your body. You cleared your throat. “Your girl?”

“Well yeah! Especially after how loudly you were cheering for me,” he teased. 

“And it’s Kuroo Tetsurou with the quaffle after a successful Sabryn steal from Miya Atsumu. He passes it to Sugawara Koushi, who passes it right back over Iwaizumi Hajime’s head. And Kuroo scores! Right through Matsukawa Issei’s finger-tips!” 

Kuroo did a loop, whooping before he soared beside Suga, giving the male a high-five. Mattsun grabbed the quaffle, putting it back into play. Kuroo smirked, darting off towards Atsumu who had the quaffle. They end up on the Ravenclaw side, with Iwaizumi attempting to score. Yaku successfully receives the ball, throwing it at Kuroo. “You’re playing better than ever today, Kuroo,” Yaku grins. “Better keep on impressing your girlfriend.” Kuroo scowled at the keeper. He hadn’t even seen you in the audience, who was to say that you were there at all?

Kuroo rolled his eyes, glancing over at Suga and Akaashi. Giving the males a curt nod, they enter the Hawkshead Attacking Formation. “Another Thimblerig Shuffle by the Ravenclaws! The Quaffle is bouncing around. Akaashi. Kuroo. Suga. Akaashi. Kuroo. And Kuroo takes the quaffle and scores once again! Slytherin does not look happy folks.” Loud cheers fill the stadium from the Ravenclaw, but as Kuroo flies back around the field, a lone cheer from the Slytherin section catches his attention. His head whips around, eyes widening at the sight. There you were, bundled up in his Ravenclaw scarf and actually cheering for him. Emotions flood his body, he hadn’t expected you to actually come or to actually wear his scarf. He couldn’t help the grin that slipped onto his face. Kuroo let out another loud whoop, before doing a heart-shaped loop in the air. A Bludger zoomed past him, drawing his attention back to the game. He’d have to deal with his emotions later. He had a game to win, and a girl to impress after all. 

You choked on air, averting your eyes. “Yeah well, you looked cool.” 

Kuroo grinned, “thanks kitten.”

You stared down at your book, fingers tracing the binding. “Anyways, your girl? I didn’t know you were serious.” 

It was his turn to avoid your eyes. “I mean! You were wearing my scarf,” he stammered. 

“You gave it to me,” you fired back, amusement flickering in your eyes as you observed him. Kuroo turns completely red at this, kicking at the stone floors awkwardly. You clear your throat, eyes softening. “Take me to Hogsmeade next weekend and we’ll talk about our relationship status then.” 

Relief floods his system as he eagerly nods. “I can make that happen.”

“Well good.” You smile, heading into the library only for Kuroo to follow you. “Again, don’t you have a party to get to?”

He shrugged, “rather spend time with you to be honest.” 

“Don’t let your team-mates hear you,” you grin as you guys make your way to your usual table. Kuroo just ruffled your hair, smiling as you both took a seat. After an hour or so of studying, you snapped your book shut. “Actually, let’s do something.”

He looked up at you, raising an eyebrow. “Like what?” 

You shrugged. “Find Hogwarts’ mysteries?”

Kuroo leaned back in his chair, a sly smile making its way onto his face. “Y’know, I hear there are some cursed chambers hidden in Hogwarts.”

“Breaking curses, treasure hunting? Sounds like my kind of date,” you smirk, packing your stuff away. Kuroo throws his head back in a boisterous laugh, only to be scolded by Madam Pince. You stood up, standing beside him before making your way out. “Y’know, you could have easily been a Slytherin,” you teased, bumping your hip into his as you held the textbooks to your chest. 

He smirked, slinging his arm over your shoulder as you both walked out of the library. “Why’s that?”

“You have more ambition than I do.” You shrugged his arm off of your shoulder. “You leave the library just as late as I do after coming here after your Quidditch practices and then heading straight to your Prefect duties. Hard-work goes hand-in-hand with ambition, Kuroo.” He plucked one of the books out of your hand. “Hey!”

“Well, Little Miss Slytherin, you could definitely have been a Ravenclaw.” Kuroo held the book over your head, flicking through the pages. “Your thirst for knowledge is never quite quenched.” 

You flush. “Well, a quest for knowledge is an ambitious one, isn’t it?”

He hummed, pulling the rest of your books out of your hands while ignoring your cries of protest. He tucks them into his right side, slipping his left hand into yours. “I guess us together makes the perfect Slytherin and Ravenclaw, doesn’t it?” Kuroo squeezed your hand, looking down at you. You grinned, giving him a light squeeze. Being together just felt right. He brought out your inner Ravenclaw, and you brought out his inner Slytherin. Knowledge and ambition went hand-in-hand, just like you and Kuroo.

[hyperpsychomaniac]

Who Says You Can't Go Home - Chapter 1

Darkwing Duck (90s series) fanfiction

Sequel to my recent fanfic The Other Side of Me

Summary: Down on his luck, the Negaverse Launchpad crashes at Launchpad’s parents looking for help. Launchpad, who has avoided visiting his family since he started working with Darkwing, returns in a panic to ensure his double isn’t causing trouble. And then it gets awkward.

***

The landing gear snapped off on impact. The aeroplane skidded across the wet earth, its momentum fast eaten by the mud that sucked at its belly, and lurched to rest. Launchpad pushed himself upright in the cockpit, weight on one arm, the other clutched tightly across his chest. He got a leg over the cockpit, then tumbled out and over the crumpled wing and slammed into the mud.

“Gawd damn it!” Launchpad sucked in a breath as pain shot through his arm. He’d broken bones before. But he was soaked through and exhausted. He could not stop trembling in the cold.

His remaining energy was draining fast, but he forced himself to raise his head. In the house barely fifty feet away, a light flickered on. Its residents could not have missed the fated flight of the aeroplane right above their very heads, nor the subsequent crash. Launchpad could only hope they were the same as those in his world had been. That in this world, they were still here. That they would even care. He dragged himself upright, still cradling his arm, and stumbled towards the front porch.

The front door opened, and a broad-shouldered man stepped out into the night. He held a shot gun, but it swung lazily down by his side. “Hey, what’s going on! Are you alright out there?”

A smaller woman stepped out beside him. She squinted into the darkness, then gasped faintly. She squeezed her husband’s shoulder. “Rip…”

He left the gun right there on the porch and rushed over. His wife beat him there. She reached up and grasped Launchpad’s shoulders, looked into his eyes. “Sweetheart, what have you done to yourself?”

Launchpad saw the realisation dawn on her face even as he shook his head. “I’m not your son. But I know him. He’s a friend of mine, and… I’m sorry. I didn’t know where else to go.” His knees buckled. The man who was not his father lunged forward. Launchpad felt his arms around him, taking his weight, as he sunk to the ground and the world blackened.

***

“Launchpad!” Gosalyn’s voice carried into the kitchen. “Your Mom is on the phone!”

Launchpad dropped his spoon into his cereal with a splash, put his face into his hands, and groaned loudly.

Across the other side of the kitchen table, Drake scoffed. “Seriously, LP? This is getting ridiculous. Go and talk to your mother.”

“She called like last week!” Launchpad shot back, face still in his hands.

“Last week? More like three weeks ago.” Drake pointed out. “You know, I didn’t always get on with my parents either. But if I had the chance to talk to them again…”

“The whole DW thing doesn’t exactly make it easy.” He’d tried to explain it to Drake before.

“Launchpad!”

Looked like he wouldn’t get the chance to now either. Launchpad pushed his cereal away with a huff and headed out to the phone. It could be worse. It could be his father. Gosalyn eagerly held out the receiver. The second Launchpad took it she bolted for the kitchen. “Hi, Mom.”

“Sweetheart! I’m so glad I got you.”

Launchpad smiled faintly. Despite the frustration talking to his parents always seemed to cause him, it was good to hear her voice again. With any luck, he’d get this over with before Drake got apprehensive about whatever secrets he thought his sidekick was giving away. His mother could be awkward, and with DW trying to listen in half the time, however justifiable his reasons, it only made the whole thing worse.

“Gosalyn, no!” Drake’s voice came from the kitchen. “You are not eating chocolate for breakfast!”

“But it’s cereal. Why do we even have it if we can’t eat it for breakfast?”

“Launchpad bought it. Put it back!”

Well, at least Gosalyn was distracting him. He might get to have a private conversation for once.

On the other end of the line, his mother chuckled. “Is that your boyfriend and his daughter?”

Launchpad flushed. “Mom! I told you; he’s my housemate. I’m just helping him out with his kid, and…” Numerous other activities DW would literally kill him for if he told his family about. “Stuff.”

“Okay,” said his mother, though she sounded thoroughly unconvinced. “How’s your job flying going? Was it private or commercial again?” She was fishing. Because, obviously, he’d told her nothing about the Thunderquack.

“Private,” he said tersely.

Back when he’d been working for Mr McDee, even though they hadn’t spoken often on the phone, when his mother called, she would always ask him about the planes. Working for a billionaire? Not a problem. They didn’t give a damn who you told about their assets. There were always new planes, and Launchpad had been unable to stop himself spilling everything. How high they were rated to fly, how far, the engine, make and model… And then his mother could tell him, right off the bat, every detail of the history of that engine, not missing, of course, any women who’d been involved in its manufacture.

Not for the first time, all Launchpad wanted to do was scream into the phone: “Mom, I designed and built a plane. It’s called the Thunderquack. It’s got complex electronics and everything. And it didn’t even matter that half my teachers to told me I had to be smart to make something like that!

“Was there a reason you called?” Launchpad forced himself to say instead.

There was a pause. Launchpad felt the energy drain from the conversation like fuel from a punctured tank. “I wanted to talk to you about you coming to visit.”

Launchpad stiffened. “I told you and Dad, I’m pretty busy.”

“I know, Launchpad. And I didn’t intend to bug you again so soon.”

Launchpad sagged back against the wall and closed his eyes. “You’re not bugging me, Mom.”

“It’s just that circumstances have changed. A friend of yours came to visit. I think he might need your help. And, well, he’s a little rough around the edges. Your father and I would be far more comfortable if you were here as well.”

Launchpad frowned. “A friend? Who?”

His mother paused for a long moment. “Well, that’s one of the things that’s making us a little uncomfortable. He tried to explain it to us, but… Launchpad, it’s… Launchpad.”

***

“I told him to stay away from Saint Canard!” Launchpad pelted a jacket across the room to join the steadily building pile of clothes atop the duffle bag that lay open on his bed. “You don’t think he would’ve realised I meant other places with people I care about too?”

Drake stood in Launchpad’s doorway, out of the firing line of various items of clothing. “He is you, LP. He may have missed that nuance. How many scarves do you need anyway?”

Launchpad held off hurling what was either the fourth or fifth scarf across the room, and fixed Drake with a glare.

It didn’t deter Drake in the slightest. “You chose to let him go. Behind my back. You knew you had to take responsibility for that choice.”

“Why do you think I’m packing?” Launchpad yanked on his duffle bag until the pile of clothes jostled inside. He wrestled with the zip. “I know he’s not going to hurt them on purpose or anything. But, you’re right, he’s my responsibility. I should be dealing with him, not my parents. I’m not surprised he’s done something to make them uncomfortable.”

“He makes me uncomfortable. He set you entire hanger alight, LP. I get he has issues. But, yeah, a rough as guts clone of their son rocking up on their doorstep? Your poor parents.”

“Come on. I feel bad enough already.” The zip finally cooperated.

“So, I guess we’d better finish packing and get on the road before he causes your family any trouble.”

“We?”

Drake’s gaze lowered to Launchpad’s bedroom floor. “I didn’t have your back last time he was here. If you want back up, either facing your parents or your double, Gos and I are more than happy to tag along.”

Launchpad swallowed. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

“How long will it take to drive to your parents?”

“Too long. I thought we could take the Thunderquack. It’d be quicker. And it might be a good idea to have it on hand.”

It wasn’t like Launchpad hadn’t seen it coming. Drake’s eyes widened, and his paranoia ratcheted up a couple notches. “No way, LP! How are you going to explain arriving at your folks’ place in the Thunderquack? Without giving away Darkwing’s secret identity.”

Launchpad rolled his eyes. “Look, if we have to arrive in the car, I’ve got an idea. Though I’m not sure your car insurance company would like it very much.”

***

Negaduck surveyed the dark streets of Saint Canard. He rubbed his hands together with glee. “Now what havoc can I cause in this peaceful city tonight? Burn down an orphanage? Nah. Oh, an old folks’ home? Hmm.” He sat on the edge of the building’s roof and pondered.

He was in no rush. Ever since Gosalyn had left home he’d had no reason to return at any given time. She had no idea how good she’d had it; how many exceptions he’d made for her. Why did he think he lumped all her punishments on Launchpad? She was his daughter after all. His. And she had no right to leave him. At least now he didn’t have to worry he’d return home to find she’d tried to make him something pretty. He didn’t know where she’d even picked up ideas like that. Now, he was unencumbered. His own man again. Free from his ungrateful daughter.

And that idiot Launchpad. Negaduck’s lip curled up in a sneer. He’d been useless at keeping his daughter in line in his absence, and useless at digging up her whereabouts when she’d run away. It hadn’t mattered how much ‘incentive’ Negaduck had given him. He’d failed to find her. And still come crawling back, half dead with exhaustion. At least he took Negaduck’s orders seriously, if too literally. ‘Don’t rest until you find her!’ had turned out hilariously. But after he’d failed, Negaduck should never have let him back in the house. In his daughter’s absence, the other man’s presence had been nothing but a nuisance. Taunting and overworking him hadn’t made it any more bearable. Oh yeah. It had been a stroke of genius getting rid of him in the barely functioning portal.

But what would occupy him tonight? The thought of tormenting his deceased minion had made him nostalgic. Negaduck needed to mess with somebody. And not just any random Saint Canardian.

A glint of light weaving among the buildings caught his eye. The Thunderquack. It headed out towards the bay, Duckberg, and then further inland. Swinging beneath its belly was a very strange cargo.

“Now where would that dingus do-gooder Darkwing Dark be carting an entire car?” Not some fancy over-the-top superhero gadget laden vehicle either, but a regular blue sedan.

Negaduck rubbed at his beak, and considered his own life in suburbia, back in the Negaverse. He would never drive something so lame, but Darkwing’s alter ego just might. He had never considered harassing Darkwing Duck in his normal life. More than often, it was Darkwing messing with him and spoiling his fun. Negaduck had no reason to seek him out more than necessary.

Negaduck chuckled. “This may be just what I need to get back on top of my game. Guess it’s time for a ROAD TRIP!” He threw his head back and cackled into the night air.

***

Chapter 2

[written-on-the-trees]

Yungblud Fan Fiction - Protego

Prompt: Wizard (meaning it’s the Hogwarts AU nobody asked for)

Word-count: 1625 words

Warnings: none

Description: It's hard being a muggle-born wizard at Hogwarts at the moment, since the school's been taken over by pureblood-supremicists, but Dom's determined to do his best to carry on as normal. Thankfully, he has help.

Dom looked both ways before exiting the Hufflepuff common room.

 Hogwarts wasn’t as safe as it used to be. Inside his house’s common room, he wasn’t in any danger; Hufflepuffs were inclusive by nature, but the rest of the school? Not so much. The place was being run by bloody Death Eaters, and even if Snape had ‘officially’ ordered that no students were to be targeted for unnecessary punishment, the Carrows had decided that people muggle-born - or a mud-blood, as they constantly spat at people who weren’t from wizarding families - was enough reason for a punishment to be ‘necessary’.

 And Dom was muggle-born.

 Muggle-born, and rapidly becoming aware that nowhere other than the Hufflepuff common room and dorms were safe. If it wasn’t the Carrows, it was the children of the Dark Lord’s Death Eaters, and if it wasn’t either of those two, then it was whichever student was looking to get on the Carrows’ good sides by throwing a bit of abuse at students who couldn’t (or weren’t allowed to) fight back. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, it didn’t matter - generally it was only Hufflepuffs that could be trusted, and even with some of them, Dom wouldn’t want to be around without his other housemates, just in case. There were exceptions to every rule, after all.

   Including the idea that most Gryffindors held that all Slytherins were on the side of the Carrows and the Dark Lord.

   “Good morning, Harrison.”

   Turning round, Dom smiled when he saw who’d spoken out to him.

 He was always happy to see Delphine Prewett. She was Slytherin’s star student, the embodiment of everything they wanted a witch to be. Powerful, smart and sly, beautiful and elegant, and - perhaps most importantly to the people who decided what the embodiment of a Slytherin witch was - a Pureblood. She was popular, got top marks in all her classes, was an immediate choice to be made a Prefect in her fifth year, and had been Slytherin’s Quidditch Captain until she stepped down to be Hogwarts Head Girl at the beginning of this year.

 When Delphine walked through the halls, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. When she spoke, rooms went quiet. When she made up her mind, no-one tried to change it.

 And she’d decided that she liked him.

 She was the best the school had to offer, and she had decided that she liked him.

 Dom had gotten so fucking lucky.

 With Delphine around, no-one challenged him over his blood status

   “Hi, Delphie.”

 Delphine didn’t smile at the nickname, but she allowed it, and that alone told Dom she liked it - because if she didn’t, she wouldn’t hesitate to let him know: “I thought we could walk to breakfast together.”

 “That’d be great - maybe we could talk about the charms homework? I think I’ve got a good idea but I wanted to see what you thought…”

   As always, Delphine was more than happy to listen to Dom ramble about his potions essay. He was no slouch when it came to any of his classes, but he had a tendency to go on tangents. Talking about what he was going to write down - and letting someone tell him when he was getting off topic - was really helpful. Delphine listened patiently as they sat at the Hufflepuff table, buttering slices of toast for both of them while Dom went through how he thought he was going to lay his essay out, writing notes on a scrap of paper about what was he was keeping, what he wasn’t keeping, and any additions Delphine thought might get him some extra marks.

 Of course, because of what Hogwarts was like this year, the peace and quiet didn’t last long.

 Helena Rookwood, a Ravenclaw student with a Death Eater father, appeared right behind Dom, sneering at him when he turned to look at her, and glaring at Delphine in a mixture of confusion and derision.

   “Why are you sitting over here, Prewett? And more importantly, why are you sitting with that?”

 Delphine looked up at Helena with a cold expression: “I beg your pardon?”

 Most people would’ve recognised the icy tone Delphine was using as one of warning and backed down, but although she had the thirst for knowledge that seemed to characterise Ravenclaws, Helena seemed to struggle with retaining important knowledge like what happened when witches like Delphine lost their temper: “Harrison’s a mudblood - and a Hufflepuff mudblood at that. Why on earth would you waste your time sitting with him.”

 “I don’t define a person’s worth on things like their house or incidental traits like blood status. After all, you are Ravenclaw and a pureblood,” Delphine sneered: “yet you are completely worthless.”

   Helena seemed taken aback, her mouth hanging open like a fish. Dom was struck with the urge to tell her she was not a codfish, but he knew better than to antagonise her right now. Delphine was basically untouchable - so if Helena was going to lash out, she was going to lash out at Dom. And given her quick temper, it was pretty likely she was going to end up trying to get back at him for what Delphine had said. Dom didn’t need to upset her any more than she already had been.

 As it was, Helena spluttered and glared, slowly went red in the face, but Delphine didn’t take mercy on her by dismissing her. She remained in her seat, looking at Helena with a raised eyebrow, waiting for either to respond or slink away in defeat. But Helena did neither.

 Dom grew increasingly nervous as the silence dragged on. With Amycus Carrow watching on with narrowed eyes from his position at the teacher’s table, Dom didn’t dare draw his wand. He was lucky that it hadn’t been taken away by the Ministry yet - if it got confiscated by Amycus, he’d never get it back. Even if Helena drew hers first, Dom would be punished for dueling if he fought back…meaning he’d be relying on Delphine to defend him.

 He had no doubt that she could - probably better than he could defend himself - but that didn’t mean he wasn’t nervous. He waited for something to happen, but the two girls just watched each other over the top of his head, waiting for the other to make their move. The stand-off seemed to drag out forever…

 …but then Helena drew her wand.

   “Confri- ”

 “Protgeo!”

   Delphine rose to her feet - but didn’t draw her wand. She didn’t need to.

   I didn’t know she was so good with wandless magic.

   The shield charm was so strong it sent Helena stumbling backwards before she fell onto her arse.

 Delphine stood, leaning forwards to brace her hands on the table so she could look down her nose at where the other girl was sprawled inelegantly on the floor, her eyes watering as she looked back up at Delphine and tried not cry.

   “Are you finished?” Delphine sneered, not taking it easy on Helena - despite having already beaten her.

 “Why are you standing up for him? He’s a mudblood!” Helena wailed.

 “And you’re a bigoted cu- ”

 “Is everything okay here?”

   All three of them turned to look at Alecto Carrow. The short, stocky woman was glaring down at Helena, her face wearing its usual pinched expression.

 Helena didn’t wait to be told to get to her feet; all the students knew better than to let either of the Carrows see you down, in case they decided to kick you while they were…literally or figuratively. Even the students who believed in the same rhetoric as they did weren’t safe, especially from Alecto. She liked hurting people, and she didn’t care who her victims were as long as she was infliction pain.

 Dom and Helena ducked their heads, but Delphine looked the other woman straight in the eye as she spoke.

   “Yes, thank you Professor Carrow.”

 “Make sure that it is, Prewett. As Head Girl, there are eyes on you.” Alecto warned: “Make sure you do not disappoint them.”

   With that, she strode away, shooing Helena away as she went.

 Everyone who had been trying to subtly watch without being caught went back to eating their breakfast. Delphine returned to her seat, but for the first time since they’d become friends in their third year, Dom saw her look shaken. Understandable; the ‘eyes’ on Delphine were the eyes of the Death Eaters interested in recruiting her…but Dom didn’t like it. There wasn’t a lot he could do (to speak out against the Death Eaters, even where they thought they couldn’t hear you, was a sure way to end up in trouble…or worse) but he reached out to take her hand and squeeze it reassuringly.

 She returned his comforting smile with a strained one of her own, before taking a deep breath to center herself, and the confident expression of Delphine Prewett was back in place. If he hadn’t been looking just a second ago, he wouldn’t have known it was a mask…as it was, he went along with it. She was just doing what all of them were doing it: faking it until they could make it a reality.

   “Well, we’d better get to class. The Head Girl can’t be late, after all.” she smirked.

 Dom followed her out, waiting until they were halfway up the stairs to Transfiguration: “I’ve got your back, Delphie. They can’t have you if you don’t want them to.”

 It might seem nonsensical to some…but Delphine understood, she always did: “Thanks, Dom. I’ve got yours too.”

 “I know.” Dom grinned: “And you look fuckin’ amazin’ doin’ it.”

 Delphine smiled: “I know.”

   This time, her smile was a lot more genuine.

[skelebonecentral]

Hothouse Rose Chapter 3

you meet the boys. well, most of them

words under cut

It’s less than five minutes, and you’ve managed to find your class ring from high school, showing Papyrus all the icons on it, when someone calls, “PAPYRUS, DEAR!”

“IN HERE, CHARM!” Papy calls back, and you turn to see a skeleton in a leotard and bright pink leather boots looking in. Well, his leotard also had a huge hole cut in the center, showing his ribs and the sheet of toned ecto-flesh that matched his boots to a T. Other than that, he looked like he and Papyrus had pulled lots out of the same gene pool for sure. He looked more like Papyrus than even Sans did.

“Ah! And this must be Y/N,” he came into the room and gently took your hand, bowing and kissing it in one go, “My name is Charm, and I’m so elated to finally meet you.”

You’re a little shocked, still, but clear your throat, “Y-yeah, it’s nice to meet you, too.”

There’s a bit of a shift to your right, and you see someone who looks like a more awake and confident version of Sans looking forlornly at your soot-covered sheets, “Oh, this poor satin is ruined…” As Charm backs away, they look up and run over, “Sweetheart, you’re even more gorgeous than I imagined! I’m Boa, Papyrus’ cousin, and oooh, you’re going to be a dream to make clothes for! I’ve never had a human model before and this is going to be amazing!”

He was wearing a bright blue button-down shirt that had been tailored with a very snatched waist and open shoulders, as well as a matching feather boa (ah, his namesake maybe?) around his shoulders, echoing the color of the upside-down hearts that were his eye lights. His pants were red denim capris, and a purple pillbox hat sporting three feathers sat jauntily on top of his skull.

“BOA, AS MUCH AS I LOVE THE IDEA OF MY DATEMATE IN LOVELY HANDMADE CLOTHES, THEY’RE HAVING A CRISIS AT THE MOMENT, SO MAYBE LATER?” Papyrus gently pulls his cousin away and you just smile. Thank stars for Papyrus.

“Oh, right, sorry.” Boa bops himself on the skull gently and sticks out a sparkling baby-blue tongue. It reminds you of how you found out about skeleton’s making ectoplasm bodies, from Papyrus doing the same thing when you laughed about a candy turning your tongue orange. He’d grinned and showed you his, that it was orange all the time, and you were amazed.

Papyrus gathers his cousins close to his ‘talking corner’ where he’d spoken on the phone, “ALRIGHT. THE GAMEPLAN THUS FAR IS THAT BOA HELPS ME FIGURE OUT WHAT FABRIC THINGS CAN BE SALVAGED AND I’LL DEAL WITH THE OTHER OBJECTS SINCE I’M USED TO UNDYNE’S HOUSE CATCHING FIRE ALL THE TIME. CHARM, YOU TAKE Y/N OUTSIDE SO THEY DON’T GET OVERWHELMED WITH THE LOSS AND MAYBE GET TO KNOW THEM? THEY’RE YOUR HOUSEMATE NOW, TOO, SO IT’S A GOOD IDEA!”

“And does that mean I get a turn to be one on one with Y/n later?” Boa asked, and Papyrus nodded, “Alright, that works for me!”

Charm chuckled, then separated from them and offered you his hand, letting you notice the sleeve of his outfit was tied by a band to his middle finger, “Alright, dear, let me take you to the yard and we’ll find a sitting place to talk a bit.”

“There’s a stump in the backyard, kind of a good seat along with the one deck chair…if it’s still there,” you offer, and he nods, steering you out of the collapsed side wall and to the back, letting you take the stump and he perches on the edge of the smoke-smelling chair since one arm has melted slightly, being made of plastic.

“Alright, Y/n, you already know I’m Papyrus’ cousin, and I know you’re his datemate, but we’re otherwise strangers. Let’s change that. Twenty questions?” Charm asked and you snort a bit.

“Sure. Why not? I’ll go first. What do you do for work?”

He smiled, “I’m a masseuse, I work at the massage parlor in the shops across from campus. Of course, that’s only since I came here, but it’s good work. What about you? What paid the rent here?” He crossed one leg over the other at the knee, using his hands to hold that leg steady. He sat straight as a board, just like Papyrus did.

“Well, I work for the main library. I mostly check in returns, make sure they’re not damaged, that kind of thing. I started off as a part timer, but last semester they hired me full time and I’m really liking it.” You had to call in to work, too. But that was tomorrow. “Okay, how are you finding the town? Is it anything like Snowdin? I know that’s where Papyrus comes from, I guess you do, too?”

Charm nodded, “Well, we’re from very different backgrounds, but no, it’s not like home at all. So many humans, so much isolation from other people. It’s very different up here. But I do like it. All the space, all the life and light and sound. It’s exciting. Now, I want to know,” he grinned as he tilted his head a bit, “What’s University like? I’ve never been, but humans seem to think it’s a very exciting time of self discovery. Is it rumor or truth?”

Finally getting used to the smell of smoke, you laugh without coughing now, “Ah, well, that depends on who’s talking. For me, it’s been more about discovering other people. I spent most of my childhood just being with my family since I was an awkward kid, so I’m making friends…though it’s ended up mostly making monster friends. Humans are weird, even to other humans.”

Humming a bit, Charm seems to consider it, then asks, “And your love life? That’s the thing about university I’m curious about. Well, human love in general is fascinating to me.”

You blush, feeling awkward now, “Uh…I didn’t date, before Papyrus. So um…I don’t have one? Never have?”

He blinks, then sighs, one hand being slapped over his sockets “Oh stars, no wonder he had to call me to ask if you could move in. You’re both hermit crabs all closed up in shells. Good grief.”

A spark of irritation ignites in your chest, “Well, that and he’s a polite person. You don’t just throw someone into a home and say ‘okay they live here now’ without asking the other people who live there. That would be horrid and incredibly insulting to everyone. A breach of privacy.”

Charm winces, nodding, “I didn’t think about it that way. Privacy wasn’t a big thing in my home, my brother and I just brought people in as we saw fit but…that’s no excuse for upsetting you. I’m sorry.”

Oh, you hadn’t meant to get an apology about it. “N-no, I…I got mad for no reason. I guess it’s the stress, you’re fine, Charm. I just am very private, about most everything, so it sort of panics me to think I’d have to suddenly…without warning deal with another person I didn’t know. I can understand why one of you didn’t want to let me in and I’m kind of scared to go if we’re honest.”

Something in his expression shifted, and Charm smiled warmly as he settled into a more basic sitting position, putting his leg down as he cooed, “Oh, human, I’m very sorry for overstepping then. It’s still so new for me, I forget people keep their walls up out of self-protection. You deserve to be comfortable, and there’s no need to be frightened. I won’t be snooping in your room or things once we get you home, and neither will Boa or my brother. Or Boa’s brother, now that I think about it, since he’s just as private. Our own little hermit, Sweet-pea is.”

“His name is Sweet-pea?” you smile a little, “All of you have such unique names, I really like them.”

Charm gets a bit of his confident glow back, “Oh, yes, thank you. They’re nicknames, actually, since we either didn’t like or didn’t want to use our real ones. Sans and Papyrus are the only ones going by legal names in our house.” He laughs a bit, sounding very much like Papyrus, if softer than normal.

“That’s cool. I knew a lot of kids that didn’t go by their full name, or went by middle names or something. It’s pretty common, especially if there’s more than one kid with the same name in a class.”

His sockets crinkle, “Well, that’s something I didn’t know. It’s rather fun talking to you, you know? I see how you charmed my cousin so completely now.”

You just blush. So many compliments…

---

“Papyrus, really, there’s nothing to be done! Alphys might be able to fix the computer, and we can dry the books, but I don’t know about the rest of this stuff. We’d have to call a professional conservator.” Boa frowned. “Human furniture isn’t made to hold up against water and soot like monster manufactured stuff.”

“I KNOW BUT…I JUST FEEL LIKE I FAILED THEM.” Papyrus slumps as he drops the ruined sweater he’d been holding. “AFTER SAYING I’D HELP, AND I HAVE TO TELL THEM IT’S USELESS.”

Boa sighed and touched his arm gently, “But you did help. You got them out there with Charm, away from this mess and all the soot and grime that could hurt their human body, and you called in the only expert you knew.” Seeing that Papyrus was crying, he moved in front, holding both Papyrus’ hands, “I know it hurts, but remember, they love you and trust you to make good choices for them. They wouldn’t have asked you to be with them during this time otherwise!”

He just nodded, “I’M JUST KIND OF OVERWHELMED WITH EVERYTHING. IT’S JUST SO SAD THEY’VE LOST SO MUCH, AND I DON’T KNOW IF THEY’RE GOING TO LIKE IT AT OUR HOUSE. I’M SCARED WHIP MIGHT SCARE THEM OFF, OR…”

Boa quirked his mouth, finishing the sentence, “Or any of the rest of us with our predilection toward pleasure. Because you’re both shy little virgins despite our best efforts on trying to help!”

“BOA!”

“No, it’s true!” Boa grinned, purposefully taking this thread to get Papyrus away from being sad, “We’re all about being sexy scary skeletons! Oh, look at me!” He took a sensual pose and pouted, “Aren’t I terrifying being an inch shorter than your human and covered in feathers! Look at my very obvious boner that’s always there because I’m so sexy! Are you looking, Papyrus?” He’s teasing, expression bright as he tries not to giggle, and Papryus groans and covers his face from blushing.

“BOA, I GET IT. I’M A NERVOUS NELLIE, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO ALL OF YOU, BUT THEY’RE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME! ALSO YOU’RE LUCKY I CAN FEEL YOUR INTENT OR I’D THINK YOU WERE HURT BY WHAT I SAID.”

Stopping his posturing, Boa waltzed back to his side and let his laughter out, “Oh, Papyrus, I’m sorry. I know reading people isn’t as easy for you as other monsters, but I had to make you smile. I did do that, didn’t I?”

He’s peeking around Papyrus’ hands, but beams as they’re lowered and a put-upon grin is on the taller skeleton’s face, “YOU DID AND I’M MAD ABOUT IT!”

“That’s my good cousin. Now, we’ll find someone reputable to help with this, but in the meantime, let’s pack everything that’s in one piece up carefully and get Y/n back to our house,” eye lights sparkling, Boa sets about doing just that, pulling various cardboard boxes out of his inventory and carefully placing things inside. “And of course we’re going to pay for the cleaning and such. Poor Y/n is still paying for school, after all. I remember how expensive that proposition was, and that was in the Underground!”

“I DO AGREE, BUT REMEMBER THAT JUST BECAUSE READER ISN’T RICH DOESN’T MEAN THEY’RE HELPLESS. HUMAN ECONOMICS ARE VERY STRANGE, BUT THEY LIKE TRYING TO MAKE IT ON THEIR OWN. I ALREADY HAD THAT TALKING TO, SO I’M GIVING YOU THE SHORT VERISON. THEY SEE US BUYING THEIR EVERY WHIM AS DEGRADING AND INFANTILIZING. SO DON’T,” Papyrus cringed internally thinking about the dressing down he got when the gold exchange finally came in. His idea of pampering was your idea of pity and it did NOT go over well. Your first fight, actually, and he was so glad you forgave him for the misstep when he explained where he was coming from. He didn’t try to buy everything for you, just gifts for special occasions, and you bought your own everything.

Boa blinked a bit, then nodded, “Oh, of course. I can understand that mindset. But…but they will let us help them a little, right? They at least have to buy new clothes…” His eyes lit up brighter, “Oh, that can be my turn! Charm got them this couple of hours and I get to take them shopping. I won’t!” he saw Papyrus’ mouth opening, “I won’t buy everything for them, but I will convince them to let us go halvesies as my welcome home present for them. That’s fair, right?”

“I…SUPPOSE SO, YES. OKAY.” Papyrus looked around the room, where he and y/n had spent so much time, where he’d first asked them to date, and felt incredibly down. Now it was just the memories left,  the place stolen from them in moments. “JUST ASK THEIR PERMISSION FIRST. ABOUT PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING.”

Boa took his hand and smiled, “Certainly. Now let’s go get your datemate.”

--

Boa eagerly ran out and giggled when he saw what was happening.

Charm was carefully massaging you as you sat on the deck chair, skilled hands having already turned you to putty as he worked out all your stress.

“I SEE YOU TWO GOT ALONG WELL,” Papyrus is very glad someone was helping you relax, and you did look much happier. “CHARM, THANK YOU FOR HELPING. WE’VE GOT WHAT WE’RE GOING TO SEND FOR CLEANING PACKED UP, AND WE’LL HAVE SOMEONE REVIEW THE FURNITURE ONCE WE DO SOME RESEARCH.” He then turned to you, as you opened your eyes, looking half asleep, “I’M AFRAID WE CAN’T LET YOU HAVE ANY OF THE CLOTHES, THOUGH. THEY’RE ALL WET AND/OR COVERED IN SOOT.”

A flash of worry, and Boa stepped up, “But! I thought maybe me and you could go shopping to get you things to hold you over. And I could buy some of it as your welcome home present~” He grins, and you relax a little.

“Aren’t you a fabrics expert? You aren’t going to like what I buy. I’m not fashionable. If it doesn’t have a fun picture or saying on it, I usually don’t buy it.”

Hands in the air like a surrendering general, Boa nodded, “It’s true, I make fashion, sew it together every day, but Y/n, dear, you’re Papyrus’ datemate, and I would rather you be comfy than stylish. Besides, how will I know what you like to wear if I don’t see what you pick yourself? Comfort is just as important as appearance, you know!”

“Human fashion doesn’t work that way, but I’m glad you think so,” you reluctantly leave your position of bliss and get up, brushing off your clothes. “Papy, are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”

“I’D LOVE TO, BUT CHARM AND I ARE GOING TO HEAD HOME AND GET YOUR ROOM READY FOR YOU. WE’VE GOT SOME STORED FURNITURE TO PUT BACK TOGETHER AND A DEEP CLEAN OF THE ROOM AND ALL COMMUNAL SPACES TO DO!” He did come over and nuzzle his teeth to your forehead gently, “BUT I TRUST BOA TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, AND I’LL BE A PHONE CALL AWAY IF YOU NEED ME, ALRIGHT?”

“Okay. You take care and don’t overdo yourself. I want you being safe more than I want a new room,” you did worry when he started doing projects. He was strong, but you weren’t sure where his limit was and preferred being cautious about it.

“I PROMISE! CHARM IS GOING TO HELP ME, RIGHT?” He looks to his cousin, who nods happily.

“I do love a good furniture assembly. Now, you two behave and I’ll see you both when you come home.” He gave you a squeeze, then did the same to Boa before heading to the front yard.

Sighing, you motioned for Boa to follow you to the street. Both you and Papyrus had been too upset last night to drive, so your car was still sitting in the driveway, undamaged. It was a nice little thing, navy blue Taurus with a few years on it, and you sank with a sigh into the familiar seat.

“Oooh, your car is so sweet! A little sedan, so family friendly. I love it.” Boa slipped into the passenger seat and clicked his belt on happily. “Nice choice, very forward thinking.”

“What? This was one of my Aunt’s car. She gifted it to me so I could drive around school.”

“Oh.” Boa blinked, then shrugged, “Still, if you and Papy do have kids, you have the room.”

“Boa!” You blushed, glad you’d only started the engine and not pulled out onto the street, “What is with you and Charm saying all these things about my relationship with Papyrus! We’re dating, we’re not anywhere close to thinking about children!”

Boa seemed to realize something and looked horrified, “Oh stars, I’m sorry! Kids are all people I knew thought about in relationships and I didn’t realize! It was different here! I’m sorry!” His voice got small, nervous, “It’s just so different here, and I don’t know what’s appropriate outside the house yet since most of the others think like that, too. I really don’t mean to overstep.”

Steadying breaths in and out, and you shook it off, “It’s okay. There’s going to be culture differences, I get that, and I’m going to try and be understanding.” You finally got started down the road, heading to the local Poplar, a big box store and your preferred shopping experience. “So, the goal of relationships underground was more about kids than love?”

“Oh, well…kind of? Short term ones were, anyway,” Boa thinks for a moment. “There was just this pervasive idea that the end goal of any relationship was to have kids. Not that there were many kids even so, but it was still a big deal and the whole town would help raise the cutie, but…love was more reserved for older folks who were done giving their all to increase the population.”

You blinked a bit. Papyrus had told you, early on, that the Underground was way too crowded by the time Frisk set them all free. The Capitol was overflowing into the other areas of the underground, and there were worries about what would happen when everywhere was full. But? Well, you weren’t exactly in a place to call out the hypocrisies in a different society than your own. “Huh. Interesting. I’m not good at conversation, so you tell me whether you want me to talk about how humans do things now or if you want more questions on your end of things.”

He giggled, and it sounded utterly adorable, “Well, I’d like to know about humans. Your relationships aren’t all about babies?”

“Oh heck no. Most folks my age would rather jump off a bridge than have kids willingly,” you snort. “I mean, outside of a marriage, having a kid would be really hard and upsetting. You don’t have the money, you don’t have a partner to support you and the kid, you don’t have two families worth of folks who’d maybe watch the kid while you work…nah, we mostly have kids as an obligation after marriage because it’s EXPECTED that you have them.”

The silence in the passenger seat makes you look over once you’re at a stop light and Boa looks grey from how much color his skull has lost.

“Boa? Did I go too ham on you? Is…is it that shocking?” you didn’t think about it, just spouting out what you thought and your view on the subject.

He just nodded, “I…first the implication that people are having children against their will is terrifying, secondly, what….how do…is the community unsupportive of people who are single but have children?”

“Kind of, yeah. Most of those people are either divorced, or had kids before they were married, and most of them are women.” You sigh, “Society up here tends to look down on women if they do anything, but especially if you aren’t ‘pure’ or whatever and have kids out of marriage. For some reason that I never understood, the idea that a woman had sex with someone without getting married to them first is scandalous and her having a child she can’t support is seen as just punishment. I don’t get it. Not at all.”

You pull into the parking lot and park in a far slot, turning to Boa. He’s shaking, the rattling of his bones very audible. “I’m sorry if this is hard for you to learn, but I just want to make that clear to you so you can know when some human says something nasty about that subject. It’s evil, it’s messed up, and I hate it, but it’s how things are on the surface right this moment. I hope it changes soon.”

Boa sniffles, then unbuckles his belt and hugs you tight. He doesn’t speak, not for a long time, but he does hold you and you can’t fault him. Stars, coming from a world where kids were supported by everyone to a world where people genuinely didn’t care if a child was well cared for or not must be horrible. Poor guy.

After a while, he calms down and finally talks, “No wonder Sans has kept us all close to the house. I’m kind of glad my brother isn’t out here exposed to that kind of warped thinking.” He searches your face for a moment, then sighs, “But you’re good. You genuinely love Papyrus, I can tell. Thank stars he found someone whose mind isn’t full of such negativity.”

Letting him go takes some doing, since you don’t want to, but you manage it, “I know. With how much he likes platonic cuddling, people could have really hurt him if he wasn’t just such a ray of sunshine. I’m very lucky to have him, too.”

Boa nodded, then opened his door, “Okay, enough culture shock for today! Now we focus on you and your wonderful new wardrobe. Or at least a week’s worth of clothes? I’m sure between Papyrus, Sans, Charm, and I, we can find a good conservator and get your things fixed and cleaned by then.”

That works for you, and you get out and lock the door behind you. The two of you walk into the shop and Boa looks eager now, all gloom gone and his bones gleaming white again. “OH, Y/n, there are so many options! They’re all a little conservative for my taste but they’re sure to work for you.”

Laughing, you nod and get to work. Clothes shopping is always tedious for you, but you at least know that comfy shirts are one size and dress shirts are a different one, at least at this store. Your everyday shirts are your basic graphic t’s, or maybe a colorful gradient of your favorite hues, and your dressy outfits consist of black pants or slacks and a fancy shirt. You went through the wracks of clothes, choosing seven comfy shirts, seven casual shirts, and three fancy ones. Then you went to the bottoms, picking out four pairs of jeans, black dress pants, and a pair of black slacks. Boa didn’t say much, just watching you, occasionally humming.

Then you got some more sleepwear, since MTT pajamas were nice but couldn’t be worn every night for the whole of your stay with the skeletons. So, you got some warm pajamas, and some cool ones. Four of each kind. All of them had pants because you were going to be living in a house with other people, thus you had to wear pants at all times in case others entered your space without warning. No flashing people.

But as you turned and headed toward the check out, Boa grabbed your arm, “Whoa! Human, where are you going? You didn’t even try any of them on to see if they fit right!”

“I…don’t care?” you were confused. You’d always bought clothes this way. “Trying on clothes just makes me feel bad, and I’d rather do it in my own home. I can bring them back for better sizes if they don’t fit.”

His eye lights widened, mouth ajar. Then he got a very stern look on his face, “I’m sorry, but as a tailor I can’t allow you to settle for bad fits. We’re going to the changing room, and you’re going to show me what you have there. I’ll tell you if it’s good or not, and we’ll make the exchange here. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right the first time!”

A man in an aisle across from you yelled, “Hey, monster tart! Leave them alone!”

You yelled back without even thinking, “Fuck off, asshat, that’s my roommate!”

He glared at you, then turned away and left you alone. Boa looked sort of deflated, though, and you had to ask, “Hey, are you okay? I’m sorry he called you names.”

“Oh, no…with what you told me about humans, he’s entirely correct but…it did hurt to feel how much he hated me. Um…” He was fidgeting with his feathers, wrapping them tighter around his neck.

“Let’s get to the changing rooms, okay?” you smile. It was worth you being a little self-conscious if it made up for this horrible interruption of your time with Boa.

He nodded, working up a smile again, and taking you back to the changing rooms.

It took a long time, putting on each of your outfits and coming out to show Boa. You knew what size you usually wore, but he still had to peruse your clothes in a circle before he agreed that any given item was probably the best ‘off the rack’ fit you were going to get. You did have to wave him off when he asked about your underthings.

“Nope! I’ll buy them after I send you to the car. I’m not letting you see those.”

“Huh? But foundation garments are important to fit! I’m guessing you have your best set on since you were on a date before the fire bu-“

“Boa! Personal space rules!”

“Oh. Oh right, you have those here,” he looked very frustrated, but sighed, “Okay. I’m going to be understanding of the ‘cultural difference’ too, and let you keep your foundations private even if I don’t understand why. You humored me, so I’ll do the same. I’m sorry I hit a nerve again.”

“Okay. Apology accepted.” You felt like that Jurassic Park guy fending off raptors, even if it was just Boa. “Okay. Here are my keys, go wait for me. Feel free to turn on the radio or air conditioning or whatever you need while you wait.”

Taking the keys, he suddenly seemed in awe, “Oh…oh wow, you really trust me! A car is a big investment and you gave me your keys!” He giggled and took off, waving at you as he went. Seems that little gesture was enough to brighten him back up fully.

Taking a deep breath, you turn back and go to pick up some packs of underwear and sportswear. Even if you did want to keep these garments private, it felt weirdly empty without the colorful skeleton next to you.

--

Boa was bopping along to some bubblegum pop when you get back to the car. You put your bags in the trunk, which he dutifully pops for you, and then come back to the front and get in the driver’s seat.

“I really didn’t meant to step on your toes at any point, Y/n,” he looked sheepish as you started the engine, “but I want to thank you so much for defending me. Papyrus really has chosen a wonderful person, if you’d stand up to someone else when we’re barely acquainted.”

“That’s just being decent, Boa. I shouldn’t need thanks for doing the right thing, but I do appreciate you helping me with my clothes so I feel like we’re even.” You couldn’t have the endless thanks. It made you squirm, someone praising you for something that just came automatically. Papyrus had learned not to go overboard quickly, and you really hoped Boa would, too.

“Alright, but I hope you don’t mind me talking you up to my brother when we get home.” Boa looked out the window and sighed, “As different as things are, I really want Sweet-pea to see the surface. Um, that’s his name, my brother.”

“Charm told me about him. He’s a homebody, right?”

Boa nodded, “He had a pretty bad relationship that made him…reclusive. I try to get him to go out, but the porch is about the limit at this point. And not even the front porch either…”

“Well, if he’s half as good a person as you are, then I’m sure I’ll adore him,” you might as well encourage him, after all. He was a fascinating little skeleton, and his energy really made you happy. That and just how vibrant he was. That cute little blue star painted on his right cheek and the little jewel you saw (glued?) on the front of his neck vertebra were adorable. “Now, you’re going to direct me to the house?”

“Oh! Yes. Here let me look, I’m a visual direction giver.”

--

The neighborhood the skeletons lived in was full of ostentatious mansions. It used to be part of the Greek life in the university, but had fallen out of grace and now was owned by the richer folks around town or had been turned into high end apartments. You marvelled at the nice gated carpark that your new home had, as well as the white columns and dark grey roof contrasting with the bright red brick. You could see faded areas above the door, where the Greek letters of the former owners resided, but if you squinted, it looked a bit like a sideways skull-and-crossbones. You liked that.

“We’re back, everyone!” Boa called, and there was a sudden surge of magic that left you tingling.

You were used to this by now. “Hi, Sans,” you smile as you look to your right, and there he is, standing right next to you looking exhausted. Well, more than usual.

“heya, pal.” He looked you over for a moment, then hugged you tight. “sorry, just felt like it. was still worried sick all last night.”

You hug him back and feel warm inside, “Sans, you know I appreciate that you care about me so much, but I don’t want you hurting yourself doing it. Remember, you are allowed to relax.”

“you taking Dr. Kevin’s job?”

“No. I am not your therapist, you dork,” You still kissed the top of his skull though, since he was hiding his face in your shoulder. “I’m your friend.”

“yeah, okay.”

Patting his back for a bit, he finally let go, “okay, I’ll stop monopolizing the human, as my bro is sure to say if I don’t stop.”

“I’d also say it!” Boa had his hands on his hips, looking smugly at Sans, “But it was just too cute to see you actually showing an emotion other than tired.”

“I’M COMING!” Came Papyrus’ voice from the staircase further back in the large entry hall you were standing in. There were beautiful wooden designs in the floor, lovely geometric patterns of squares and diamonds and other shapes, and a small Moroccan style chandelier above made of white smoked glass and gold scrollwork. The golden wood of the floor was matched by the slightly curved staircase that led up to the second floor (where you assumed the beds were) and where your dear Papyrus was currently bounding down.

Your giggles bounced off the high white walls as he spun you, making you glad you slipped off your shoes while looking about, “I MISSED YOU!”

“You just saw me a couple of hours ago!”

“THAT FELT LIKE FOREVER WHEN I’M SO EAGER FOR YOU TO SEE HOW CHARM AND I HAVE SET UP YOUR ROOM!”

Charm was at the top of the stairs, smiling as he leaned over, “Boa, did you make sure they did good picking out their new clothes?”

“I did! I made them try everything on first, but they wouldn’t let me help with foundation garments!” Boa gestured helplessly at you as Papyrus set you down, looking confused.

“Before you even ask, he means underthings,” you might as well warn them.

Sans, who was in the corner, turned bright navy blue all over his skull, and you grinned, “That’s how I reacted when he tried to help pick them out.”

Charm just smiled wider, “Oh, Y/n, so shy but so lovely. Has Papyrus even seen your ‘foundations’?”

“I DON’T THINK THAT’S APPROPRIATE!” the mentioned skeleton clears his ‘throat’ loudly and then pulls you toward the stairs, even grabbing the bags of your clothes with one hand, “SO, LET'S GO SEE YOUR NEW ROOM INSTEAD!”

Up the stairs you go as Boa and Charm laugh, and you hug Papyrus when he stops in front of the last door on the left of the corridor, “Hey, at least I know why you were going stir crazy when they first got here now.”

“YES, WELL, SMALL BLESSINGS.” He gave your head a pat and gestured to the door, “LET’S TAKE A LOOK?”

“Yes, let’s,” you let go and open the door, gasping.

The room itself is a nice size, though you realize it was probably meant for two students to share, but you get it to yourself, with the full bed sitting low on the floor and covered in a swirling rainbow sheet set. The walls were a soft yellow that felt like an early summer morning, and the floor was covered in a mocha carpet that felt so nice under your feet. “Papyrus, this is wonderful.”

“I TRIED TO MAKE IT NICE FOR YOU,” he points at the bed, but you’re guessing he means the mattress, “WE HAD THAT IN CASE FRISK’S HUMAN MOM WANTED TO STAY WHEN WE HAVE A SLEEPOVER. BUT WE NEVER USED IT AT THE OLD HOUSE SO WE BROUGHT IT HERE AND…WELL, IT WORKED OUT. CHARM AND BOA HAD ALREADY BOUGHT THE SHEETS BY THE TIME I GOT HERE,  AND THE REST OF THE FURNITURE,” being a lovely cherry wood wardrobe that matched the bed frame, chest of drawers, and bedside table, “WAS IN OUR HOUSE FOREVER AND I DON’T KNOW WHY. THE WARDROBE HAD A BUNCH OF OLD LAB COATS, SO I GUESS IT WAS SANS’ AT SOME POINT? BUT IT’S ALL CLEAN AND SHINED NOW.”

It didn’t strike you as likely that these classy, rather old-fashioned pieces would be something Sans owned, but why else would there be lab coats in it? But you didn’t mind either way. “This is amazing! I’m just…” You throw up your hands dramatically, “Look at it! It’s so beautiful and perfect and…and oh my gosh this is my room.” You start sniffling and put your hands over your mouth. You hate how emotional you are about this, all of this, but it was to be expected, wasn’t it? Losing your home only to gain a beautiful room in your boyfriend’s house and at least two new…friends? Would Charm and Boa count as friends yet? You weren’t sure but you did like both of them quite a bit.

Carefully, Papyrus lifted you up and set you on the bed, using his softest voice as he gets on his knees in front of you and holds your hands, “Just let out anything you need to, love. I was so happy to put all this together for you, and knowing I get to see you every morning now is so exciting. I know you need your space to process, because stars knows I would, so I’ll let you put your things away. I do have to go to work for a bit, but I will be back by six tonight.”

“Okay,” You give him a kiss, giggling wetly, “I just have so many emotions right now, but I’ll sort them out while I put my stuff away.”

A cry of outrage from downstairs, “THEY TRICKED ME INTO LETTING THEM BUY EVERYTHING!!!” and you laugh.

“DID YOU REALLY?” Papyrus looked at you as he got up.

“It wasn’t intentional, but yes.” You grin, “He had to leave before I bought the private stuff! I didn’t even think about Boa’s offer until just now.”

Papy scoffs, but he smiles, “YOU’RE CHEEKY, YOU ARE. BUT IT’S ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT YOU. ONE OF QUITE A LOT!” Stepping to the door, he sighs wistfully, “ALRIGHT. I’LL GO NOW, BUT WE’LL CELEBRATE YOUR HOMECOMING WITH A GOOD DINNER TONIGHT. I LOVE YOU!”

“Love you, too!” you call as he walks out, and you wipe your eyes before taking the bags  of your clothes and starting the process of ripping off tags.

--

You don’t know what to do now. You’re done putting your clothes away, you feel a little more emotionally stable, but you don’t want to leave your room. So here you are, sitting on the carpet, staring out the window on the back wall (though it’s the front of the house so…?)

There’s a knock on your door, and being used to Sans, you ask, “Who’s there?”

“maya”

That’s a new voice. Kind of soft like Sans’, more in his range than Papyrus’, but lighter and slightly higher. “Maya who?”

“maya come in and meet my new housemate?”

“Okay.” You look at the door as it opens, and are interested when it’s someone that looks like Sans but seems to be wearing a dancer’s outfit under a pimp coat. He’s got a black tanktop on that’s cropped just under his ribs, with a bright blue heart in the middle of it, purple ecto down to the wings of his hips, which stick out over his tight black capris. He chuckles and his sockets even crinkle a little as he smiles.

“heya. I’m charm’s older brother. name’s sugar.”

“Sugar and Charm…you two sound like a breakfast cereal.” He snorts and covers his mouth, laughing a little.

“I mean, mornings aren’t really my things, but midnight snacks are good for me. so you’re the human that has little innocent papyrus all flustered all the time, right? heh, it’s pretty cute. Gives my bro lots to work with on learning how things work around humans, so I have to thank you.” Sugar gestures a little, “can I come in?”

“Oh, yeah, sit anywhere. I spent hours with your brother earlier, you’re more than welcome.” You still don’t feel quite like this is actually YOUR room, even if you know it is objectively. It’ll take a while to set in, so you don’t feel intruded on.

“yeah, he told me you two had a good chat. Also told me you were one of the most tense people he’s ever massaged,” Sugar plopped onto the floor next to you, his purple jacket with blue fur trim flaring out around him, the heeled boots matching said fur clicking as he put the bottoms together, “but I can get that. you’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah…I really appreciated him doing that massage for me. It helped me not be teary while I was out buying clothes with Boa. Nobody wants to cry in public,” you shrug, and Sugar nods.

“hehe, you’re right. and boa’s going to get you back for not letting him spoil you on that. dunno how, but he’s going to do something extravagant to get you to accept his gesture of friendship,” He’s amused, you can tell by the glitter in his purple heart eye lights. Sans gets the same glitter when he’s about to tell a horrible pun just to make Papyrus react.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it from that outrage I heard earlier. But I do hope he realizes he can be my friend without gifts?” You look at Sugar and he nods.

“yeah, but that’s one of his love languages, gift giving. Me, I’m a cuddler, but he likes seeing his friends and family get happy about cool presents,” Sugar leaned on his hands in front of him, “so, what about you, y/n? what do you do to show folks you care?”

Thinking, you giggle, “Well, I guess Boa and I have gift giving in common, but I also like to just say it. Papyrus and I have been saying ‘I love you’ since before we were even dating. Yeah, he said it first, but I think he’d probably have stopped if I hadn’t kept going. It’s just so easy to say, when you believe it.”

“ah, a vocal one. That’s good. other than my brother, nobody else is really verbal with their feelings. That’ll be nice, hearing you and pap being so cute.” He chuckled, “ah, well, I also heard you like languages. How many are you fluent in?”

“oh,” you blush, “uh…I just started my language classes last semester, so just the one. I really would like to have at least five that I can read and understand, even if I can’t speak well or maybe write it if it’s something like Thai or Mandarin.”

“That’s a pretty cool goal,” Sugar thought about it. “so what do you plan to do with that job wise?”

“I want to translate, maybe for children’s books? Some of my favorites growing up came from Germany originally and I’d love to find something great and bring it to other people,” the thought of your career dream makes you perk up more. “What about you, Sugar? I know Charm is a massage person, but what do you do for work?”

He blinked, then laughed, “Oh, I’m an entertainer. I dance mostly, but I don’t think you’d like it.”

“Why not?” you think seeing one of the skeletons dancing would be a great time. You always thought watching Sans or Papyrus move was just fascinating.

“well,” he smirked a bit, “you enjoy strip clubs?”

You felt how big your eyes became as the heat burned your face, “Oh god no!”

He laughs, “See? It pays nice, since I found a reputable place, and I feel good about what I do, but for someone as sheltered as you, I figured you’d not like it.” Getting up, he sighs, “but it’s no harm done, sweetie. I just wanted to introduce myself and say I was glad we’re able to help you out when you’re down.” With a wave and a grin, he flounces out of the room, and you blink in mild shock.

Were….were you sheltered? You hadn’t thought so, you thought you were okay and reactions like yours were normal, but you supposed you could be wrong. Thinking back to what Boa had told you, you start to wonder.

--

Well, time to go see if you can borrow some of Papyrus’ text books. Thankfully, you were both taking Spanish right now, so even your language text book could be borrowed. You wanted to at least know you could put your hands on it when needed.

You’d gotten the idea an hour after Sugar left, when you were bored of pondering your state of sheltered-or-not, and now you opened your door and scurried over to Papyrus’ room. It was always spotless, or it had been the times you’d been over before the Sans incident. It was weird, realizing you hadn’t been back to his house since then.

His new room was set up just like his old one, about the same size, too, and you found his bookshelf easily. It was right against the wall opposite the door, after all. So you sat on his floor and started looking at the last lesson you remembered.

You were immersed in your studies, curiously glancing at future lessons, when a deep, gravelly voice said, “well well well, we got ourselves a little mouse in papyrus’ room.”

A squeak came out of your mouth, and when you looked up you did not feel reassured. Yes, it was a skeleton, like you’d been expecting, but he was so different than any you’d met before. His teeth were sharp, every one of them, and one was replaced with gold. A huge red dog collar hung around his neck, gold spikes all over, and he wore the tattered remains of a white muscle shirt around his chest. His most obvious features was the thick red ecto that spilled over the top of his black denim shorts and out the bottoms in hefty red thighs tapering off at the knee.

“Y-you’re one of his cousins, right? I’m Y/n,” it wasn’t supposed to come out so nervous, but this guy looked like he could crush you in fifty different ways.

His grin turned a little more into a smirk, “thought so. Name’s spice, sweet cheeks.” He came in and sat himself on Papyrus’ bed. “now, what exactly are ya doin’ in here with these books?”

“Mine are damaged from the fire, so I was looking over our lessons,” why did he make you feel like you’d done something horrible just by the look on his face?

“oh. yeah, forgot about that. heh, well, ain’t that cute?” He had his elbows on his knees, hands hanging between them as he leaned over to look at you, “really are a little bookworm, huh? sansy said you’re the one who got pap to go to school in the first place. wonder how that happened?”

“I really don’t know, but he seemed interested before I talked about what I do at school.” You didn’t like how his eye lights were analyzing every move you made, or maybe they were roaming over you, you didn’t know.

“yeah, sounds about right.” he leans back a bit, scratching at his cheekbone. “sugar said you an’ pap are peas in a pod, all shy’n shit about sex.”

“SHHH!!!” you are instantly on edge, looking at the wide open door and the skeleton who seems to have no boundaries.

He laughs hard, “Oh! Oh he was right! hahaha, oh shit, you’re turnin’ into’a tomato!”

Covering your face, you feel the fluster turning into tears because you can’t handle it, to the point you don’t notice when Spice stopped laughing and went quiet.

“hey, human. hey, you okay?”

You shook your head, and he groaned, “shit, I fucked it up. I was just tryin’ ta tease ya, an’ then I go and make ya upset. Geeze, no wonder I can’t get a date. ‘m sorry, okay? please don’t be upset or pap and sansy’ll probably dust me. wait, that’s manipulative, shit!”

He got up and ran out, and you heard a door shut down the hall. It took you a few moments to contain your fluster, but you finished your cry and gathered up the textbooks. You’d do your studying in your own room now until Papyrus got home.

Still, you’d now met four out of six of Papyrus’ cousins. And you remembered that one of them had voted against you staying. Was that Spice? Or was it one of the two you hadn’t met?

[writings-of-dumpy]

George Weasley and the Girl in Ravenclaw: Part 1

A/N: So basically I started in Goblet of Fire, which is Fred and George’s 6th year, sooo yeah. This is going to be a long series, so buckle up! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

“Come on!!” George yelled in the stands as the bunch made their way to their seats. Raven giggled at his enthusiasm and smiled to herself. She had always gone to Gryffindor’s games and even cheered them on despite being in Ravenclaw house. She’d never forget the first match she had attended between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in her third year. She cheered on her twin best friends from the opposing team’s stands. She saw George protect Oliver from a Bludger and prevented Ravenclaw from scoring a goal and she cheered for their move despite her housemates surrounding her booing. She laughed to herself.

“Look, it’s the Irish!” Ron said from a few people away. Music blared through the speakers and a team adorned in green robes flew through the air and sparked fireworks in the shape of a leprechaun that then began to dance. It was then that Raven noticed how far up they all were.

“Oh god, don’t lean so far, you might fall!” she warned Fred.

“Don’t worry, Ven, I’ll hold onto you,” Fred said with a sly smile and slung his arm around her waist. She blushed as his large hand smoothed across her back and secured itself around her opposite side. He saw George’s eyes narrow at his brother slightly, but the three of them were distracted by the deep drum sounds of the Bulgarian team’s entrance and the crowd chanting the seeker’s name. As his face pooped up as an image across the stadium, Hermione and Ginny shared and impressed look with each other and turned to Raven, who gave them a thumbs up.

Throughout the game, Raven noticed George and Fred getting increasingly riled up and when Ireland won the match. When the snitch was caught and the game ended, Ireland still came out on top and the twins cheered and hugged Raven close between them.

After a short walk back to the massive tent, Ron started to gush about how wonderful Viktor Krum was during the match and the twins teased him endlessly.

“I think you’re in love, Ron,” Ginny mused.

“Shut up!” he said to her in return.

“When we’re apart my heart beats only for yooouu…” Fred, George, and Harry sang to the younger redhead. Raven laughed harder than she had in quite a while and caught George’s eye as he sang the lyric. Shortly after, Ron started beating Fred with a pillow.

“Stop it! Stop! It! We’ve got to get out of here. Now,” Arthur said in a rush as he came practically running into the tent. Raven quickly stuffed what she had pulled out of her bag back in and ran with the Weasleys out of the tent.

“Get back to the portkey, everyone! Fred, George! Ginny is your responsibility!” Arthur barked as flames and explosions surrounded them. An explosive spell landed just shy of her head and hit a metal beam of a nearby tent. It feel away from her and she looked back to where the spell had originated. Arthur rushed to fight off the attackers, and in the chaos, Raven lost sight of him. She pulled out her wand and prayed that the ministry wouldn’t notice if she put out a few fires.

“I’m not risking you getting hurt,” she heard George shout over the screaming from beside her just as she was about to perform the enchantment. She felt his hand grip hers and he began to pull. With a shake of her head, they ran back up the hill together with their fingers locked together.

George looked over at Raven as they reached the top of the hill with the rest of the group minus Harry to make sure she hadn’t been injured.

“We have to go back and find him, he could be really hurt!” Raven protested and dropped her sack and began to head back toward the flames.

“No!” George said sternly as his adrenaline rushed through him. “YOU could get hurt too. I’m not letting that happen. Dad’s still down there, he’ll find him. We need to get back home.”

With a sigh, Raven nodded and once again took George’s hand and followed him to the portkey.

~*~

“That’s rubbish!” Fred and George called out among the boos from courageous but underaged Gryffindors and Slytherins after the age restriction was made on this year’s Triwizard Tournament.

George was livid. The tournament sounded like something he would kill to be a part of. Eternal glory? Riches beyond wildest dreams? Dangerous tasks requiring brave and creative solutions? Sign him up. He wasn’t a Gryffindor for nothing. But he fell a year short. He’d be 17 in April, but the tournament would have been well underway at that point.

Dumbledore shushed the hall and George stopped paying attention as he was already figuring out ways to circumvent the rules, as usual. The following day, he and Fred approached Raven after their potions lesson.

“Hello, love,” George greeted with a beaming smile.

“Cleverest witch we know,” Fred continued.

“Brightest in the school, I’d say,” George complimented.

Raven shot them a suspicious smile. “What are you two on about?”

“Well I’m sure you’ve heard of the Triwizard tournament,” Fred began. “And that horrible rule.”

“The one meant to keep children safe? Seems a bit hypocritical to me,” Raven said and the trio sat on a bench in the courtyard.

“Oh?” George asked.

“If they really wanted to keep children safe, the tournament wouldn’t be held at schools,” Raven said. “Now, what about it?”

“Well, Georgie and I want in on it,” Fred said. “One of us has to be champion enough, eh?”

Raven’s eyes went wide. “You’re joking, right?”

George felt slightly guilty and looked at Fred, who pressed on, “Not in the slightest, my dear.”

Raven scoffed. “Thank Merlin you’re too young to put your name in that goblet.”

“But that’s where you come in, darling,” George said with a sweet tone, remembering his goal.

Raven raised her brow at them in a quizzical manner.

“We need some ideas about how we can get our names in there. Got to be a way to do it, and who better to ask than the most intelligent person we know,” Fred said and began to put his arm around her. She shot up and looked at them both with a disapproving and shocked expression.

“Do you honestly expect me to help you get yourselves killed? I will absolutely not help you, and I can’t believe you two would think this was even a remotely good idea. What would Molly say? I’ve already lost my mother, and you two would have me help myself to lose more people I love? No,” Raven exclaimed with watery eyes. Before George could say anything, she turned and walked out of the courtyard and presumably to her dorm. Even though she was angry with them, George couldn’t help the butterflies he felt when she said she loved them.

A while after the butterflies subsided, George felt horribly guilty. He didn’t realize the kind of pain that Raven was feeling and he didn’t realize that by wanting to put himself in harm’s way, he would hurt her. As he and Fred scoured the library for an idea, he looked up at his brother.

“Hey Freddie?” George said in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, Georgie?” Fred replied without looking up from his book.

“I’ve been thinking… Raven may have a point. Putting ourselves in danger could hurt more than help,” George reasoned.

Fred looked up. “Think about the reward, though. Not to mention how fun it could be. If we win, we’d be richer than we could imagine! Finally be able to get mum the life she wants. And I’m willing to get hurt and die for that chance, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am, I’m just weighing options,” George said. “Raven just seemed so upset. I didn’t expect that from her, I suppose.”

“She’s unpredictable, that’s for sure. Part of what makes me like her so much, I guess,” Fred smirked and turned the page.

George’s head snapped up. “You what?”

���Like her. You do too,” Fred said with a sly smile and looked at his twin. “Why else would we call her our best friend?”

George stayed silent as he tried to understand what Fred meant. He knew he was developing feelings for Raven, but was Fred? He couldn’t pick between his brother and her, it wasn’t fair.  He knew Fred had often been the more mischievous of the two and certainly a charmer as they both were, but what was he playing at?

“An aging potion!” Fred said with glee. “That’s it!”

[lu-undy]

Chapter 87 - SBT

Here it is!

Keys jingled and finally entered the lock. Perle and Soot jumped to their feet and trotted to the front door as the tall man entered. 

"Lu', I'm home, love."

Both cats meowed repeatedly and brushed themselves on Mundy's legs. 

"Hey, babies…" He crouched down to pet them and they purred.

"And what time do you call this?" The voice with the French accent answered from the living room. 

Mundy kicked his boots away and threw his sleeveless jacket on the coat hanger before joining his lover on the sofa. 

"I know, it's taken ages, I'm sorry… Oh-?" As soon as Mundy sat next to his lover, Lucien cupped his face and inspected it. "What's wrong? Lookin' for lipstick marks? I'm not the sheila magnet, you are!" 

Lucien smiled and chuckled as he shook his head. 

"Non, I was just trying to see how it went. And I can tell that it went well in the end, even though you had very strong doubts somewhere about the middle of the discussion." 

"What the hell…? How on Earth do you see that on my face?!" Mundy asked. 

"Mon loup, you forget I was a secret intelligence expert…!"

[My wolf]

"Yeah, well, that's spooky magic alright!"

Lucien chuckled. 

"Nah, seriously, how did you know?" 

"Your eyes are still red from the tears but your comment about the lipstick mark shows that you are in a good mood. You cried, but it went well in the end." Lucien explained. 

"Ah, yeah, makes sense…" 

"I made some dinner, would you like to tell me more as we eat?" 

"Sure, I'll lay the table." Mundy stood up, followed by Lucien. "What did you make?" 

"Lasagna." 

"Oh?" 

"I thought that whatever the outcome, you might enjoy your favourite." Lucien added with a wink. 

"Thanks, love, really… C'mere…" Mundy pulled him from his waist and kissed him. 

"My pleasure." 

A few minutes later, they were at the table and enjoying their dinner. 

"And yeah… My Dad ended up… accepting? I don't know, but I used the thing you told me and it got to him." 

"What was it?" Lucien asked as he sliced more of the lasagna in his plate.

"That I might not understand him, but I respected it. I told him that and I think it got to him. He said he himself couldn't wrap his head around what he had done but he was scared to the bone for Mum and him." 

"See? I told you. Fear and situations of extreme stress will change a man." Lucien nodded to himself. He put his fork down for a second to do his bun again as his hair was falling in front of his eyes.

"Yeah, you're right. And yeah, he said the same to me. He didn't understand how I could torture a man and kill him… Said he himself wouldn't have the guts to do half of what I did…"

"I can believe that indeed." Lucien said. 

"What?" 

"I don't mean it about your father in particular." Lucien poured some red wine for his lover and him. "Not any man can kill and even fewer men can torture their fellow humans."

Mundy took a sip of the wine and put the glass back on the table. 

"Guess so." 

"Oh for sure. I have seen men drafted during a war that no one knew when it would end, men who had nothing in their heads yet, and I saw more than half of them at least hesitate before a kill; that, or faint, get into some sort of seizure, fits of nerves collapsing… And that was just to shoot a man far away, I am not talking about torture."

"But you… You felt like a fish in a pond." Mundy said. 

"Unfortunately so, oui."

"How d'you… I mean, how does it work in your head?" 

"Don't get me wrong," Lucien wiped the corners of his mouth elegantly. "The uneasiness and disgust never go away. I learnt to mute them during the act and let them out after the mission is accomplished."

"Oh… Right…"

"But enough about 'spooky business' as you call it, let us come back to your parents. Did you tell them that you work for Maurice now?" 

"Yeah, I did. Dad said he uh… He actually said he was proud of me…" Mundy raised glistening eyes to Lucien whose eyebrows jumped with excitement. He took Mundy's hand across the table, between both of his, and Mundy clenched his grip on his lover. 

"This is excellent news! Hahaha! You see? I told you it would go well! I told you! Whatever happens, your parents are your parents and they love you!" 

"Yeah…" Mundy wiped a tear of joy and chuckled. "And uh… I told them a bit about you too." 

"Oh? What did you say?" Lucien asked. 

"Told them you helped get Duchemin and now we work together for Maurice."

"Ah, very well." Lucien let go of his lover's hand and his eyes returned to his plate.

"I also said we uh… We live together." 

Lucien's eyebrows jumped. 

"Oh… You might have wanted to tell them about that later, non?" 

"N-no, I didn't say it like that. Mum asked me where I live, told her I was rentin' a place with you as a… well… a housemate…?"

"Ah, I see." Lucien nodded. "They don't know for…?"

"Nah, they don't. They assume I only fancy sheilas." 

"Fair enough." 

"They want to see you, y'know, get to know the bloke I live with." 

"Mh-hm." Lucien nodded. "Anything else you told them about me or would rather me not tell them?" 

"Told them you're French, but I didn't tell them you were a spy. I don't wanna scare them or anythin'."

"Wise decision." 

"Oh and I told them that the reason why you were after Duchemin was because of your fiancée and son. I think that's all I said." 

"Fair enough."

Mundy wiped his mouth and finished his glass of wine. 

"Are you uh… I mean d'you… Would you be ok to meet with my parents?" 

"Of course, I would love to." Lucien's face beamed up with a sweet smile. "And don't worry, we are housemates, nothing more." 

"Y-yeah, sorry about that… So yeah, no holding hands or anythin' like that…"

"I know and I understand." Lucien nodded. "Let us clean this mess and go to bed if you want, you must be tired."

"Yeah actually." 

They cleaned the table and Mundy filled the water bowl for the cats. Later on, as the sky was now dark, both Lucien and Mundy were in their bed. The Aussie laid his head on Lucien's shoulder. 

"I imagine you feel empty now, hm?" 

"Yeah… it was hard. Dad nearly called the police on me to get out." 

"Did he?" 

"Yeah, when I told him we killed Duchemin. Said he didn't want a murderer to set foot in his house." 

"So much for that, he is about to let a former spy in…!" 

Mundy and Lucien chuckled. 

"Guess so, yeah. Also, uh… They loved the pastries." 

"Glad they did." Lucien answered as his arm laced back and his hand dangled above Mundy's head. He scratched his lover's scalp softly through his hair. 

"Told them it was your idea." 

"Oh? You could have told them it was yours." 

"I could have, but I'm sure they wouldn't have believed me. I'm not that kind of guy." Mundy left a kiss on Lucien's chest and started stroking it slowly.

"When do you want us to meet?" Lucien asked. 

"I told Mum we'd be free in a few days, over the weekend or something. Is that alright with you?" 

"Parfait." Lucien turned to kiss his lover on his forehead. 

[Perfect.]

Mundy raised his head and they exchanged a good night kiss, while they locked their arms and legs together. 

"Mundy?" Lucien whispered. 

"Mh?" 

"I am proud of you, and proud to be the man you choose to spend your days and nights with." 

Mundy hummed low and smiled against Lucien's chest. He peppered a few more kisses there with his eyes closed. 

"You are a very brave man, a good human being. Please, never change." 

"I won't, love, don't worry." 

The hug tightened on both parts and they fell asleep with a smile of their lips.

-- A few days later -- 

"I'm home, love." 

"Mundy! Finally!" Lucien answered from the bathroom or bedroom, Mundy wasn't sure.

"What? What's wrong?" He answered while removing his boots and jacket. 

"Come and see, I need your opinion, please!" 

Mundy frowned and looked for his lover in the house. He didn't have to really put any effort as Perle and Soot showed him the way. The Aussie found his lover in their room with at least half his suits on the bed. 

"What's happenin'? You're opening a backyard sale of your suits?" 

"Non! I cannot bring myself to choose which one is best suited for the occasion!" Lucien answered, wearing a pair of black boxer shorts with matching socks and garters, as well as a white tanktop. "Black or white are too formal, Burgundy red might be a bit too colourful, grey is too dull, beige might not be formal enough… Arh…" He sighed and leaned on the cupboard that contained his clothes. 

"Aw, poor princess…" Mundy came to his lover and put his hands on his waist, he kissed his lips and went for his cheeks and his neck. "Don't know what dress to choose?" 

"Mundy, please, help me…" Lucien looked up with his feline eyes and Mundy's smile widened. 

"You don't need to put on a suit, love. Just come as you are." 

"With a pair of boxer shorts and a white tanktop? Non, Mundy." 

"Nah, of course not like that, I meant normally."

"Normally I wear a suit, mon loup. But that doesn't help…" He sighed. "Which one do you think they would prefer?" 

"Either beige or that navy blue one. Both make your eyes stand out, they're gorgeous…" Mundy nuzzled in his lover's neck. 

"Mh… Are they…?" Lucien teased. 

"Lu'... Don't be like that…" Mundy dug his fingers in Lucien's sides. 

"Ooh, or else…?"

"Or else we'll be late for dinner with my parents cause I'll take care of you first…" 

"Fine, I won't tease you further… for now." Lucien answered and met with Mundy's lips. He felt the Aussie's hands slither down his back and grab two handfuls of what the Aussie preferred. "Oooh…!" 

"That's just to remind you how good it feels, eh." 

"Liar, it was for you to remember how good it feels, non?" Lucien cocked a playful eyebrow.

"Might be… But yeah, go for beige maybe." 

"Beige it will be then. And what about my hair? I was thinking of either a low ponytail or a braid, something neat and tidy." 

"Both are nice but the braid is extra nice. Ends up being salt and pepper all along, it's beautiful."

Lucien raised an eyebrow. He didn't know Mundy paid attention to his looks as much. 

"Well then it is settled." The Frenchman put his suits back in the cupboard except for the beige one. 

"I can braid it for you if you want." 

Lucien's eyebrows jumped. 

"You know how?" 

"Yeah, it's not hard." 

"Let me put on my clothes first and then, yes please, I would love it." Lucien answered with a smile. "And what about you? Will you go like this?" 

Mundy looked down at his polo shirt and brown trousers. 

"Yeah, why not?" 

"Your top is beige, it would be strange for us to wear matching colours, mon loup." Lucien buttoned his white shirt up before putting on the trousers and the vest. 

"Ah, yeah… I'll get a quick shower and a change. See you in a bit luv'." 

"See you." 

Lucien finished dressing up and varnished his shoes again before Mundy exited the shower. He saw his silhouette cross the corridor and couldn't help but go after him, back in the bedroom. He leaned on the doorframe and watched the tall Aussie put on his clothes. First, his boxer shorts, which now covered a part of Mundy's body that always beckoned Lucien, may it be dressed or naked. Then, came a light blue polo shirt, which slid on the back with the scars - none from Lucien however, the Frenchman noted it and thought he should change that. Finally, Mundy slipped a pair of brown trousers on and slid a belt in. He was staring at his waist to adjust it when he saw two pale hands slithering from behind and lacing around his sides. 

"Oh? You're here?" 

"I have been, oui." 

"How long've you been watchin' me?" 

"A few minutes." Lucien leaned his head on Mundy's back, hugging him from behind.

"You creep…" Mundy chuckled as he finished with his belt. He then turned to Lucien and cupped his face. "You've been starin' for longer, eh?" 

"I might have." Lucien smirked, his head raised to his lover. 

"Pff, c'mere…" Mundy bent down to take Lucien's lips between his own. "Now, follow me." 

"Oh?" 

Mundy took Lucien by the hand and they went to the living-room. 

"Sit down here." Mundy pulled a chair and Lucien obeyed. "Gimme a minute." 

A few seconds later, the Aussie was back and stood behind Lucien. 

"Right, so we said a braid, right?"

"Oui, please." 

"Meow…?" 

"Viens, mon bébé." Lucien tapped his lap and Perle jumped on it.

[Come, my baby.]

She lay lazily and purred while he stroked her fur. 

"Right… Here we go…" Mundy was mumbling behind his back while Lucien felt his fingers part his hair and start braiding. "On top, below, on top, below, on top, below…" 

Lucien smiled and tried to not move his head at all. It lasted for about a minute of Mundy chanting "on top, below" and Lucien felt his lover's fingers brush and move his locks to his will, which he adored. He relaxed and closed his eyes during the entire process until he felt that Mundy let go of his hair. 

"There you go, gorgeous." 

"May I see?" 

"Course." 

Lucien stood and headed for the bathroom, where the nearest mirror was. 

"Not bad at all…"

"Oi, don't sound too surprised!" 

Lucien came back with a wide smile. 

"I just did not know you had a talent for hairdressing." 

"Not really a talent, eh." 

"It is, and a beautiful one." Mundy smiled and blushed. "Are you ready to go?" 

"Yeah, let's go." Mundy headed for the door.

"Attends."

[Wait.] 

Mundy stopped sharp, the door knob still in his hand, and turned to Lucien. The Frenchman went to the tip of his toes and pushed his lips against Mundy's. 

"I am delighted to go and meet your parents."

"Yeah, me too. Though I wish I could tell them the truth." 

"Each thing has its time, as we say in French. First, you need to make sure that your relationship with them is good. They can learn about us later." Lucien was brushing Mundy's sideburns and cheeks with his thumbs.

"Yeah, you're right…" The Aussie let go of the door knob to pull his lover's waist against his own. He rested his forehead against Lucien's. "I hope they'll like you."

"Of course they will. I charmed the son, I can charm the parents too." 

"You plannin' on seducing my parents now?" 

Lucien moved to pull the door open and stepped out of the house. 

"Your mother at least." He winked. 

"Oi! Get away from her!" 

Lucien snickered as they both went to their motorcycle and put on their helmets. 

"I shall try my best…! But go ahead, you drive." 

"You'd better…! She's my mom, bloody hell! Right, get on, darl'." 

Lucien hopped on behind Mundy and hugged him tightly. After that, they flew by in the streets. But again, at some point, Lucien tapped Mundy's shoulder and the Aussie followed his favourite GPS. 

"Right, this isn't pastries, eh?" 

"Non, this is a flower shop, and over there, across the street, a wine one." 

"Ooh, that's great."

"Come along." 

Both men entered the florist's. 

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. How may I help?" 

"We would like a bouquet, it is for an important family meeting." Lucien answered and Mundy's insides burnt when he heard him talk about 'family'.

"Any precise idea or requests?" The florist asked. 

"It has to have daisies." Lucien answered. "But other than that, you are the expert."

"Very well."

"We will go shortly to the wine shop opposite you, would you mind keeping the bouquet until we come back?" Lucien asked. 

"Of course. It will take me a few minutes to make it anyway. See you in a bit!"

"Many thanks. Come, Mundy." 

They crossed the road and entered. 

"Wow…" 

They were surrounded by dark bottles, shelves of them  entire rows and columns, nicely organised, of bottles that all looked the same to him. 

Lucien went straight to the shopkeeper and started having a chat with him while Mundy was still observing the bottles. A lot of them had French names on them. He tried reading them, deciphering each letter and following them with his index finger, like a young boy would. He frowned. French was a nightmare to read. Too many silent letters, or letters that should be pronounced in an odd and absolutely counter-intuitive way. 

"Mundy?" 

Mundy's head jerked up. 

"Huh? Yeah?" 

"Do you have any idea what your mother will cook for tonight?" 

"Uh, no idea, no…" 

"Very well." Lucien turned to the shop owner again and finished his chat. A minute later, he paid for the bottle and they exited the shop with an elegant glossy paper bag in his hand. 

"I'll go and grab the flowers, get ready to go." Mundy said. 

"Parfait."

[Perfect.]

A moment later, they were back on the motorcycle, heading for the suburbs, and it only took them a few minutes before they reached their destination. 

"Right, here we go!"

"Mundy, wait." 

Mundy stopped sharp, his fist in the air, about to knock on the dark brown, wooden door. 

"Yeah?" 

"How do I look?" Lucien adjusted his own jacket and pushed a thin lock of silver hair behind his ear. Mundy bent down to his ear and whispered. 

"You look gorgeous as ever…" 

"Merci." 

[Thank you.]

Mundy smiled, he moved forward to kiss Lucien but the Frenchman backed off and shook his head. 

"They might see." Lucien whispered and Mundy nodded. 

"You're right. Let's go." 

The Aussie knocked at the door and a few seconds later, Mike opened. 

"Hey Dad!"

"Micky!" 

They exchanged a hug. 

"Dad, this is Lucien, my housemate. Lu', this is my Dad, Mike."

They shook hands and Mundy blushed. It was absurd. He wasn't introducing Lucien as he should but still, the image of Mike and him shaking hands made the Aussie weak. He wished he could capture that image and frame it somewhere, to look at it later, when his mood would change. 

And it was absurd how oblivious Mike would be and in fact was. But so was Mundy himself when he had first caught a glimpse of Lucien. Never had he imagined for one second that that man he had seen through his scope, beaten up and tied to a chair in that hangar where the alligators were to be swapped trucks - never could he imagine that man in the ski mask would be his reason for happiness.

"Nice to meet you, son." Mike said. 

"The pleasure is all mine." Lucien answered. 

"Come in, boys, don't stay at the door. Caroline? The boys are here!" 

"Ooh! Micky!" Caroline erupted out of the kitchen and threw herself in her son's arms. 

"Hey, Mum…! How's it goin'?"

"Alright-ooh! I suppose this is Lucien, isn't it?" Caroline wiped her hands on a towel and adjusted her glasses to examine the Frenchman better. 

"Yeah, it's him, Mum. Lu', this is my Mum, Caroline." 

"I am delighted to meet you, Madame." Lucien took Caroline's hand and bowed down to leave a polite kiss on it. 

"Wooh! Good manners that is!" She said. "Mike, come and take his jacket…!"

"Would you perhaps have a vase for these flowers?" Lucien handed her the bouquet and Caroline's eyes popped out of her head. 

"Of course! Of course!" She excitedly answered. "Ooh, look at these daisies…!" 

"Mundy told me they were your favourites." 

"Thank you, dear." 

Lucien's smile was a sight to behold for Mundy, but even Caroline looked to be under his charm!

"Mike, this is for you, I hope you will enjoy it." Lucien handed Mike the bag he was holding. 

"What's that? Oh, that's some wine! Hold on, let me grab my glasses to read this, come in, c'mon boys, Micky, get your friend comfy at the table…" 

"Right, thanks, Dad. Mum, d'you need help with anything?" 

"No, you sit with your father and your friend, I'll bring some nibbles. Are you ok with beer, Lucien?"

"Of course, Madame." 

"You can call me Caroline…!"

The men sat around the table and Mike put on his glasses. 

"Right… What do we have here, eh…?" The old man adjusted his glasses and put the bottle of wine a bit further from his face to read it better. 

Lucien raised his head and his gaze crossed Mundy's eyes. He winked with a flash of his pearly white teeth and the Aussie melted as his face turned red. 

"Here, some fresh beers, and a few nibbles to snack on…" Caroline placed them on the table. "C'mon, Mike, the wine isn't a newspaper, serve it and then read it if you want!"

"Micky, tell your Mum to gimme a minute!" 

"Mum…"

"Mike, if you don't serve them the wine, I won't let you have dessert…"

"Right, I think it's time for the wine, boys, eh?" Mike uncorked the bottle and served everyone. 

Lucien watched and tilted his head on the side. So that was Mundy's family. He took a second to observe them all one after the other - spooky habits die hard, as Mundy would probably say - and it made Lucien smile. 

It was true that Mundy didn't share any visual resemblance with his parents. But they loved him very clearly. From the way Mike was handing his son his glass of wine, to the way Caroline ruffled his hair as she passed him, like a reflex, yes, their love was very clear.

"So, Lucien…?" Mike raised his glass. "Let's all try your wine, shall we?" 

Lucien raised his glass along with Mundy and Caroline. 

"Let us indeed!"

[alwayschoosechocolate]

One-night stands and one-shot chances (part xi)

University AU

Pairing: Jin x reader

Who says sex has to mean anything? Who says you can’t just screw around without all the heartache? Who says only guys get this privilege? What happens when the biggest playboy on campus suddenly meets his match and gets a taste of his own medicine?

Genre: casual sex, mentions of sex, bestfriend!Hoseok, onenightstand!Jin, romance, angst

Word count: 6,6k

Taglist: @esplosionedicoloriintesta​ @jeonjunggoodgod @rjsmochii@spookidema @pariz-lover @mymochimchimmy @seokjinnieismine @cloudyelizabeth @livesmileandstaystrong @thisistoooooomuch @okaysoplshelpme @secondstanza @eanielsen07 @lidda @6bottlesofwine @honeybeeforv

Masterpost with the other parts of the story can be found here and my masterlist is here

Waking up in Jin’s bed the next morning could have been awkward.

You were both pretty used to waking up next to people you’d barely be able to recall the name of, either slipping out before they woke up or making small talk over coffee before leaving them with a simple “see you around.”

You were more than used to sharing a bed with people whom you had no sexual interest in. Where waking up involved sleepy whispers and promises of coffee and breakfast before both of you stumbled into the kitchen in comfortable silence.

But this? This was foreign to you both.

And it had potential to be very awkward.

But it wasn’t.

As the heat of sharing a bed itched you to sleep, you groaned at the uncomfortableness that came with falling asleep fully clothed, as you moved away from the source of heat on your right, mind still lazed in sleep. Sitting up to tear the heavy fabric of your sweatshirt from your body, you threw it across the room before letting your body fall back against the bed again, relishing in the cold air of the room kissing your heated skin.

Taking a few heavy breaths, your eyes fluttered open to take in the room around you. Confused for a second at not being met by the sight of Hoseok’s room, you turned your head and caught sight of the man sleeping soundly on the pillow next to you. Hair sticking in every direction and mouth wide open as his snores filled the room, he was far from the poised handsome man, who had everyone on campus charmed. But for you, seeing him like this only made you enthralled, as you took in the details of his face. The small stubbles grazing his otherwise smooth face and the few misguided hairs in his eyebrows.

Not even processing what happened before you did it, your hand reached to smooth them out, but mere millimeters before your hand touched his face, your phone went off from its discarded position on the floor.

“Shit,” you whispered, as you quickly rolled over to reach it and turn it off before Jin woke up.

Seeing Hoseok’s name flash across the screen, you quickly swiped to answer it and tiptoed out of the room with one last look at Jin before you pulled the door closed behind you.

“Hi,” you whispered into the phone as you shuffled down the hallway to make yourself some coffee.

“Why are we whispering?”, he whispered back on the other end of the line, making you grin in glee and let out a small giggle.

“No reason. Just didn’t wanna wake up J-” Widening your eyes at how close you were to let Jin’s name slip, you quickly covered up your mistake by chuckling knowingly. “You know, I wanna say Jonathan but honestly I can’t remember his name.”

Hearing Hoseok’s laugh ring out in response, you sighed in relief as you secured the phone between your ear and your shoulder and started making a pot of coffee.

“Oh well. Is it the same guy as the other day? Cause then I really thing you should make an effort to remember his name, love.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” you hummed with a soft smile. Though you couldn’t tell him that the guy was actually his housemate, there was nothing stopping you from talking about what happened in general, right?

Right.

“Do I detect a loving smile in your tone?”, he cooed with a fond laugh. “Miss Y/l/n, did you start dating someone and forgot to tell me?”

“The smile is for you, you idiot. But yes, I might have met up with the same man twice,” you laughed, hopping up on the counter as you waited for the coffee to finish.

“And you didn’t tell me? I am hurt!”

“You’re so annoying, Hobi. I’m telling you now, aren’t I? Stop playing so insulted all the time.”  

Laughing at the whines coming from the other end of the phone, your mind took you back to the night before as well as the night you and Jin had shared together and an involuntary smile made its way on your face.

“Can I at least know who he is? Do I know him?”

The excitement was clear on his voice, and you could clearly imagine the way his giddy smile would make his eyes sparkle.

“Let’s just go with Jonathan for now,” you chuckled, happy that you at least didn’t have to lie about everything to your best friend. “If things continue, I might introduce you two.”

“Hmm. So I don’t even know him! How did you manage to find someone on campus that I don’t know?”, he asked, clearly already trying to piece together who your mystery-man could be.

“Seok, I’m not telling you anything,” you laughed. “Now come on, tell me about you and your family. What have you been doing?”

Answering with nothing but a chuckle, he started telling you about what he had been doing and how much his mom still asked about you.

“You know, I really do think you broke her heart a bit, Y/n,” he joked, knowing how much you hated disappointing his mom.

“Wow, Jung. Really? That’s a low blow. You know how much I love her! Please hug her and apologize again from me!”

“I’m just teasing, Y/n. She knows. She just misses you, that’s all. So do I btw. I think I might come back a day earlier, so we have some time to hang out before the others come back.”

“We hang out all the time, Hobi,” you laughed. “Just last week, you said that the holiday would be good for us, because we’d been together too much.”

“That can’t be,” he gasped in horror. “I would never say such a thing. And I even if I did, that was last week, and this is this week and I miss you. So I will hear no more complaining from you, young lady.”

“You know I hate when you call me that,” you scolded weakly, though you couldn’t keep the smile off your face.

“I know. Which is why I’m saying it,” he insisted proudly, making you roll your eyes in endearment. “So you can expect me to be home tomorrow evening, young lady. And Sunday we’ll do our thing and watch some movies, maybe even do one of those face masks you’ve been ranting about the last few days.”

“Yeah? You really want to do one of the face masks?”

“Of course! Who doesn’t love a good face mask?”

“Oh, I can think of one person, who doesn’t,” you hummed, laughing when Hoseok started guessing again about who this Jonathan was.

You really wanted to tell him about Jin and everything that was happening here, but you knew that the relationship between you and Jin still was on very thin ice and there was no need to jeopardize that with gossiping.

“So is there really no other news, babe? How long has it been since you went a week without any drama? Must be nice, huh? What are you using all that saved up energy on instead?”

Biting your lip in annoyance at how he seemed to know just what to ask, you scolded yourself for not telling him about the job application earlier. Jimin already knew, and you told Jin about it the other night because you had been a nervous wreck after the deadline had come and gone without any news from the professor.

Slaving through the hours at the café, what had really kept you going was the idea of getting to work with something that you actually found interesting instead, but it had been complete silence from the professor. Groaning when you thought about it once more, you poured yourself a cup of the fresh coffee and went to living room to bundle yourself up on the couch.

“No more news, no. But I did forgot to tell you that I applied for a job at one of the laboratories on campus a few weeks ago and the deadline for applying was this Monday and I still haven’t heard anything,” you sighed, quickly running him through the details.

“Well that sounds amazing, but you do realize that they need time to sort through the applications as well, right? Give them some more time before you give up,” he offered encouragingly, and you could hear the smile in his voice as he did so.

“You’re right, Seokie. Thank you.”

“Of course. Alright, I have to go help mom with the breakfast. But I’ll see you Saturday evening, yeah? Bye, babe!”, he called out before disconnecting the line before you even had time to return the goodbye. Removing the phone from your ear with a slight chuckle, you set down the phone next to you and dedicated your full attention to the coffee in your hands.

A few minutes later, Jin’s figure shuffled into the living room with a yawn.

“Morning,” you offered hesitantly, not sure where you were with each other after last night, but when he turned and gave you a sweet smile and melodic greeting back, your worries melted away.

As he joined you on the couch with his own coffee, you sat in silence for a few moments as the tension made the air around you thick and hard to breath.

“So,” you trailed off, offering Jin a hesitant smile. “I know you don’t want to talk about yesterday, but I think maybe we should. At least just to clear the air.”

He nodded slowly in agreement, though his eyes never rose to meet yours. He did however shift a little in his seat to rest his arm comfortable on your thigh between the two of you.

When he didn’t speak, you took it upon yourself to break the ice.

“You were right to call me out on the way I’ve been acting towards you,” you started, feeling your hands get slightly clammy. Despite how much more comfortable you had gotten with each other, this was still something you felt like wouldn’t work with Jin. Talking honestly about how you felt. Talking out an argument. But you were willing to give it a chance. “And as I said last night, I am sorry. But I feel like something triggered you yesterday. And you don’t have to tell me exactly what it was, but would you like to talk about it a bit?”

As your voice died out, the room fell back into silence as the man next to you did nothing to respond to your words. But you saw the way his jaw clenched and the furrowing of his brows. He was clearly still affected.

“Listen, you don’t have to tell me everything, but please let me in a little,” you pleaded with him, not missing the way his eyes briefly shifted towards yours. “I don’t want to upset you like that again, but in order to avoid that I need to understand what happened. This is how a friendship works, Jin. You share stuff with each other and do your best to understand the other person.”

“Why are you getting all shrink-y with me? I’m fine now. There is no need to analyze it,” Jin laughed nervously as he patted your thigh in an effort to reassure you.

“I’m not getting shrink-y,” you argued, fighting back the urge to roll your eyes. “I just want to help.”

“Y/n, I’m fine,” he laughed, finally looking you in the eye with a strained smile. “We talked it out yesterday.”

“No, Jin. We didn’t. You went your room-“

“Yes, and you followed me and then we slept. I don’t understand why it’s so important to you to talk about this,” he groaned with an eyeroll, making your blood simmer.

“Because something I did triggered you enough for you to start crying in the middle of an argument, and I need to know what it was, so I won’t do it again,” you insisted through clenched teeth, putting your cup down on the table and turning towards him with your arms crossed.

“Jesus, Y/n. I did not cry, alright! And even if I did, we are not talking about it. So quit it!”, he exclaimed in a defensive tone, mirroring your crossed arms, and meeting your eyes in defiance.

“Fine!”, you yelled, matching his volume and glaring at him in annoyance. “If you don’t want to talk about that, will you at least tell me why you’re not home with your parents this week? Cause I’m not buying your excuse about not wanting to go home.”

“Are you serious right now? Just let it go, will you?”, he groaned, getting up from the couch and walking away.

“And now you’re leaving again? Are you serious, Jin? If we’re going to make this relationship work, you need to work with me!”, you exclaimed in frustration, only realizing the word you’d used after it slipped your lips, causing you to widen your eyes in surprise and Jin to turn towards you again with equally wide eyes and an amused smile lurking in the corner of his mouth.

“What did you just say?”

“Relationship,” you repeated firmly, not shying away from his scrutinizing eyes or backing down when he stepped closed. “A friendship is just as much of a relationship as a romantic one is.”

Though that was true, you were fairly sure that he knew you were just using it as an excuse right now.

“Is that so?”, he hummed with a smirk and a cocky lift of an eyebrow, chuckling lowly when he saw the slight blush color your cheekbones. Closing the remaining space between you with a single step, he leaned down, so his mouth was hovering just behind your ear. “And are we sure that what’s happening here is just a friendship?”, he spoke in a hushed tone, causing shivers to appear where his warm breath met your skin. He ran his arm along yours and softly grabbed hold of your hand, gingerly intertwining your fingers with his, before pulling back to meet your eyes. “Are we?” he asked again, with the same cocky tone he always used on girls he wanted to get with.

It made your breath hitch and your heart start pounding, but when he met your eyes you noticed something.

His eyes were different from that first night you had shared.

Despite the complete power display, he had going on now, his eyes were soft and pleading, filled with adoration and not a hint of lust to be found.

Keeping his hold on your one hand, he slowly lifted his other hand to your face, letting his index finger carefully trace your jawline and tilting your face towards his with an assured smile.

“I thought we agreed on no flirting?”, you asked breathlessly, never breaking eye-contact, but almost losing your senses when you felt his breath on your face when he answered.

“Who says I’m flirting? Maybe I just felt like kissing you.”

Blinking in astonishment as you absorbed his words, you cocked your head slightly and sent him a small smile.

“Do you?”

Smiling at your question, he nodded his head softly and leaned forward to rest his forehead on yours.

“Can I?”

Feeling your breath getting caught in your throat all you could do was nod as your eyes were held captured by his.

Closing the distance between you, he placed the softest kiss upon your lips. Barely more than a peck, but enough to make both of you sigh in content.

Nudging him with your nose, you begged for one more as you lifted yourself on your toes to connect your lips once again, this time with an urgency you hadn’t realized you were feeling. Feeling Jin smile into the kiss, made your heart flutter as you withdrew from the kiss with a giggle, reaching up to cover your mouth with your hand as the giggles bubbled out of you, earning you a fond grin from the man in front of you.

“I can’t believe we just kissed,” you giggled with sparkling eyes.

“Wanna do it again?”, he teased, as he leaned in again, only for you to softly push him back.

“No, wait. This isn’t gonna work,” you spoke in sudden seriousness, eyebrows now furrowed in worry. “Jin, we’re not even supposed to like each other. All we ever do is fight and you’re not even supposed to be here and in theory this never happened and I-“

“Hey, calm down, Y/n,” Jin shushed with an enamored smile. “No need to get carried away. It was just a kiss. And we don’t have to decide on anything right now. We still have two days before the others come home.”

“Yes, but then what, Jin? You don’t want them to know why you’re here, and there is no way to explain this without telling them that,” you reasoned, your mind now working on overdrive to process what was happening and what consequences it would birth. “And by the way, I think I’m entitled to an explanation on that now.”

Chuckling nervously, he pulled you into a hug and caressed your back soothingly.

Dammit. You were right, he realized. He really hadn’t thought this through.

“Can we at least just relax and enjoy it today? There is really no idea in panicking until at least tomorrow,” he argued, trying to sound like he had a plan, when in reality he was freaking out.

Why the hell did he kiss you? Yes, he did want it and he didn’t regret it, but what now? You were right. There was no way this would ever work. What had he been thinking?

“I am not sleeping with you again, just because we kissed, Jin,” you scoffed with an eyeroll as you pulled yourself out of his embrace. “Especially not when you’re still not being honest with me.”

“Are you seriously using sex as bait now?”, Jin laughed in disbelief, making you squint your eyes at him and shake your head in amazement at his comment.

“No, Jin. I am not using sex as bait. I am telling you, that I won’t sleep with you again. This is never going to work anyway,” you stressed, stepping even further away from him and crossing your arms in front of you.

“We already kissed!”, Jin exclaimed in exasperation. “Hell, we even had sex. Why are you freaking out about a kiss?”

“Because I wasn’t planning on this, Jin! I didn’t plan on this whole mess to happen between us and effect all the others as well. I didn’t plan on you being here this week, and I didn’t know we would end up actually enjoying each other’s company. And I definitely didn’t plan on you kissing me! Why do you think I wanted the house to be a sexless and non-flirty zone? You flirt with anything that moves, Jin! And you don’t even care! I wasn’t going to let you charm me. And then somehow you managed to do it anyway without any flirting. I wasn’t planning on falling for you, because I know you would never care! So yes, I am freaking out about a kiss and I think I’m entitled to do so!”

You were close to tears in pure frustration and your breathing had gotten out of control, as you defiantly stared him down. You wouldn’t let him toy with you anymore. He wasn’t worth it.

“How can you even say that? You really think, I wouldn’t care?”, he whispered in disbelief, taking in your angry stance and hurt eyes. “After everything that happened this week, you really think I don’t care? Why do you think, I avoided you after we slept together? Cause it’s not because I hate you, I’ll tell you that much!”

“Oh, get off your high horse, Jin! Don’t act like you actually care! You just want me to sleep with you again, so you can hang on to your pathetic title of the only one everyone comes back to seconds for!”, you shouted at him, the tears now pressing on your vocal cords. “I am not going to be another one of your second rounds.”

Your voice broke as you stared him down, refusing to step down even as the tears blurred your vision.

There was no answer and as the silence stretched between you, he felt utterly lost. He had no idea how to make things better, how to make you believe him, how to fix this.

“This is not happening, Jin,” you sighed, when the silence had gotten almost deafening, turning around to hide yourself in Hoseok’s room. All you wanted was silence and preferable a hug from your best friend.

“I didn’t go home, because I got kicked out by my parents,” Jin blurted out in a panicked voice before he even realized what he was doing. “I’m not welcome in my own childhood home. Which sucks, cause I borrowed a book from Namjoon last time I was there, and now he’s asking for it and I have no way of getting it back,” he laughed cynically, keeping his eyes trained on the floor in front of him, too scared to check if you were still in the room or if you had actually left him alone.

“Which book?”

Your voice was flat and devoid of feeling, but it was still your voice and it evoked a feeling of hope in Jin’s heart.

“The Nix.”

“That’s a good book.”

Your words hung in the air between you. Like a peace offering waiting to be accepted, though in this moment it wasn’t clear who had offered it.

“I’m not at Hoseok’s because my parents aren’t going be there and it hurts too much doing the traditional stuff without them.”

Your words caused Jin’s head to snap up and find you standing aimlessly in the middle of the living room. He had overheard some of the conversations between you and Hoseok and he knew about the rumors going around on campus about what had happened to your parents, but he never actually heard you talk about it and Hoseok always said it wasn’t his story to tell.

Maybe the two of you had more in common than he had thought.

His mind was a chaos of questions, but there seemed to be an understanding between you to not dig any deeper than these confessions, so instead of asking any of them he simply walked up and enveloped you in a hug.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you. However you want to handle this, I’ll support it,” he mumbled against your hair, before pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “Wanna go to bed?”

“It’s not even noon yet, Jin,” you chuckled in a flat voice, though it calmed you down having Jin’s arms around you.

“We don’t have to sleep. We can just cuddle. Maybe nap,” he offered with a gentle smile, as he reached up to wipe a stray tear from your cheek and cradle your head closer to his chest in the process.

“I could use a nap,” you agreed, letting him lead you back into his bedroom, where your sweatshirt was still lying on the floor as a reminder of how little time had passed since this morning.

You spent the entire day in bed, drifting in and out of sleep, enveloped in each other’s arms, sharing kisses and cuddles, lazy compliments and sleepy smiles. When you got hungry, Jin cooked the both of you some food and brought it back to the room, where you both ate from the same plate, silently enjoying the food and each other.

Not once did any of you mention the subject of tomorrow. Too afraid of breaking the bubble around you, you tiptoed around the sensitive subjects and made sure to only touch upon safe areas.

But as nighttime rolled around and you were both too rested from a day of napping to sleep, the inevitable question got impossible to ignore.

“What do you want to do, flower?”, Jin whispered against your temple, as you lay cuddled against his side, one leg thrown over his and your arm draped across his stomach.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to do anything. This sucks,” you sighed, pouting as you pressed yourself closer to his side. “We don’t even know what this is yet and now we just have to end it.”

“No one says we have to end it,” he reminded you softly as he ran his fingers through your hair. “We just have to act like we don’t like each other again and then work up towards where we are now. Like when we’re with the others. But when we’re alone, we can still be like this.”

“But how would that even work, Jin? We hated each other before. I don’t think I can go back to that,” you sighed, recalling some of the arguments you had had over the past few weeks.

“I never hated you. I just found you infuriating,” he chuckled, which turned into a loud laugh when you smacked his chest.

“Well, I found you absolutely impossible and I really did hate how you treated me,” you reminded him. “I’m serious, Jinnie. I’m really not sure, I can go back to that.”

You pushed yourself up from his chest and lay down next to him instead, propping your head on your hand as you looked down at him.

“It’s either that or we give up now,” he reminded you with a gloomy voice, offering you an apologetic smile as he reached up to push some hair behind your ear.

You both knew there was another solution, but you didn’t dare bring it up to him. If he wasn’t comfortable telling his housemates about his family situation, then you weren’t going to push him. You had promised him to keep it a secret and you weren’t going to break that promise.

Though it would solve everything.

“Alright, fine,” you sighed, smiling fondly when he leaned in to press a kiss to your cheek in gratitude. “We’ll stick with the plan from before all of this and act like this week never happened,” you declared, though the dread was already heavy in your stomach. There was no way this was going to end well.

Waking up the next morning, you were once more met with the interior of Jin’s room, though you felt the dark clouds over your heart the second you opened your eyes.

Hoseok would get home today.

You would have to lie to your best friend.

For him. For Jin. Was he worth it?

As if on cue the man in question reached out and pulled you towards him entangling his legs with yours under the blanket.

“I can hear your brain panicking, flower,” he mumbled sleepily against your hair as his arms snaked around your waist, pulling you even closer in his embrace. “Relax. Hoseok isn’t going to be home until tonight. And we’ll just tell him that I went home early. He won’t question it.”

“I don’t like lying to him, Jin. I really hate it,” you groaned, biting your lip as the concern overtook your actions.

“Hey, come here,” he whispered, turning you around to face him. “Don’t bite your lip. It will just start bleeding,” he tutted, tapping your bottom lip with his finger, making you blush in embarrassment. “Look, I know you don’t like it, but it won’t be for long, alright? It took us a week to get here, so we won’t need more than maybe two weeks of this show before we’re back here, yeah?”

Allowing his words to comfort you, you leaned into his touch with a nod and let his hands caress you in all the right places for your mind to let go of the worry.

When you emerged from his room an hour later, it was hand in hand and lazily trotting towards the kitchen with Jin’s voice promising you a delicious breakfast and fresh coffee.

While he got started on the food, you went to search for your phone which you were fairly sure you’d left in the living room the day before.

Immediately spotting it on the couch, you happily reached for it and unlocked it while walking back to the kitchen, scrolling through all the missed notifications.

Clicking on your conversation with Hoseok first, you found 7 unread messages from him and 4 missed calls.

“Jinnie, Hoseok wrote me,” you spoke in a small voice, making Jin turn towards you from the stove. “He already left his parents place this morning. He’ll be here in less than 30 min.”

Meeting Jin’s shocked features, you knew they provided a perfect mirror for your own face at the moment.

“Okay, so it will be a bit sooner than we thought, but that’s okay, Y/n. We know what to do,” he reminded you, abandoning the stove to pull you into a tight embrace. “It’s okay. We can do this. Do you still want breakfast?”, he asked in a worried tone, pulling back to take in your already clouded feature.

“No, please just give me some coffee. I’ll just…” you trailed off, looking around the kitchen where you had shared so many happy hours with him in the last week. It didn’t feel like your space in anymore. Like it had already expelled you. Even Jin’s red speaker in the window suddenly seemed foreign to you. “I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“Just wait here for the coffee, will you? Just stay with me until it’s done,” he pleaded with you, sensing the inevitable in the air as well.

“Of course,” you answered, reaching up to cup his cheek with your hand, sending him a reassuring smile in the process.

While the coffee brewed you stayed glued to his side, not even stepping back when he turned back to the stove to cook some breakfast despite you declining it.

When he held the coffee cup out for you, your heart was pounding and you had to force yourself to accept it, fighting back the clump in your throat, when you thanked him with a strained smile.

“I’m gonna go to my room. Just in case he comes home earlier. But please eat something, flower,” he spoke softly, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to your lips before turning around and walking out of the kitchen, leaving you alone.

The 10 minutes that passed from Jin leaving you in the kitchen to Hoseok stepping through the front door felt like an eternity to you as each tick of the clock reminded you of the upcoming challenge.

“Babe? I’m home,” Hoseok yelled out as he stepped through the door, immediately calling out for you like he always did.

“In here, Seokie,” you answered with a strained smile from the kitchen, though the second your eyes fell on your best friend you couldn’t help but grin at him. He looked so happy to see you and you really had missed him like crazy.

“Hi Y/n,” he hummed as he threw his bags on the floor and walked up to give you a bone-crushing hug, humming in content when he heard you giggle in response. “Man, I’ve missed you. Teasing my sister just isn’t the same without you.”

“I’m sure, you did just fine without me, Seok,” you chuckled as you returned the hug.

“So? How did everything go? The house is still intact I see,” he teased, making you scoff in feigned annoyance at him. “And where is this Jonathan fellow? Do I get to meet him?”

“Unfortunately, he already went home,” you grinned at him. “Is that why you came home earlier? You were hoping to meet him?”

“If that was the case, I wouldn’t have written you that I was coming home,” he answered knowingly, as he tickled your sides lightly making you shriek out a laugh. “No, I came home because I missed you, and I didn’t want you to be alone today.”

“Seokie, I’m fine,” you reassured him, pulling back to send him a smile as you reached for your coffee again.

“Hmm. Sure, then why have you only been calling me Seokie, since I stepped through the door?”

He cocked his head slightly and gave you a concerned one over, before his eyes met yours again, just in time to catch you rolling your eyes at him.

“I just like the sound of it, Hobi. Trust me, I’m fine, okay?”, you chuckled, though your hands had gotten clammy at his comment. You should have been more careful with the names. He really was a bit too attentive.

“Alright,” he hummed, though he didn’t seem too convinced. “So, tell me about Jonathan! How often did you see him?”

Chuckling at your best friend’s excitement on the prospect of dating news, you figured it couldn’t hurt to play along. Really it was a small lie in comparison with the other.

“Actually, he stayed here the entire week,” you giggled, feeling your cheeks flush at Hoseok’s excited screech.

“Miss Y/n Y/l/n, I never thought this day would come!”, he giggled like a schoolgirl, making you shrug your shoulders with a grin. “Is he treating you right? I need to meet him to make sure he’s right for you,” he declared with a sudden seriousness to his voice and a stern look.

“Hobi, he’s sweet and caring. You really don’t have to worry,” you laughed at him, making him snap back into his bubbly self.

“And how is he in bed?”, he asked, wiggling his eyebrows knowingly.

“Oh no, I’m not sharing that with you, Hobi. If this turns into a real thing, I don’t need you knowing that,” you chuckled, snorting out a loud laugh at his insulted look.

“You find yourself a man, start dating him and then you won’t even introduce this Jonathan-dude to me? I am insulted, Y/n,” he teased, though his eyes sparkled in glee.

“Who’s Jonathan?”, Jin’s voice interrupted, making both you and Hoseok turn around to find Jin leaning against the doorframe with an annoyingly uninterested look on his face.

Showtime.

“Hey man, when did you get back?”, Hoseok asked with a wide smile.

“Just got back this morning,” he shrugged, not even bothering to look at you. Damn, this was going to be harder than you had thought. “Who’s Jonathan?”, he repeated.

“Y/n’s new man. Apparently, he’s been staying here with her the entire week,” Hoseok shared excitedly, too happy for you to be bothered with Jin’s moody self.

“She stayed here the entire week?”, he asked with a cocked eyebrow and a tint of disgust on his face. “With some random guy? I hope you’re going wash the sheets before going to bed tonight, Hoseok. You never know what they might have been carrying.”

Jaw dropping in pure shock, your mind had a hard time catching up to the situation unfolding in front of you. You knew the deal had been to go back to how things had been, but you had still hoped for at least a less annoying version of him, and instead you got this.

“You are unbelievable, Jin. You really are.” Your voice was icy, and your stare was nothing short of murderous.

“Jin, just quit it, will you? Why do you insist on being such an ass?”, Hoseok sighed in exasperation at his friend, who still looked utterly unimpressed.

“Just let it go, Hobi. I don’t care. He’s not worth it,” you interjected, starring Jin down while doing so. “Let’s just go to your room and let Jin have the rest of the house so his ego has enough space to unfold.”

Pushing Hoseok in front of you, you sent Jin another deadly glare, catching him mouthing an apology with pleading eyes before he disappeared out of sight.

As you pushed Hoseok into his room, you caught sight of the book, you had pulled out of your bag the previous day and placed on the desk.

Just the sight of it made your blood boil.

Giving Hoseok a quick excuse about using the bathroom, you grabbed the book off the table and crossed the hallway in long strides, throwing open Jin’s bedroom door and finding him sitting on the edge of his bed with a broken look on his face.

The second you stepped through the door, he got up to walk towards you. He felt terrible for what he had said, and he wanted to apologize, but before he could get a word out, you beat him to it.

“You fucking asshole!”, you whisper-yelled, as you threw the book at Jin’s surprised face only missing him by a few centimeters and hitting the wall behind him. “You’re such an idiot. This is what I get for keeping your secret for you? This is your way of saying thanks?”

“You were the one who said to act like it never happened?”, he countered with an annoyed look on his face, crossing his arms in front of him suddenly not feeling too bad about his word choice.

“Yes, but I didn’t tell you to go back to treating me like absolute scum! How the hell could you think that was okay?”

“Oh, come on! You should know by now, that I don’t mean any of it,” he laughed in disbelief, reaching out to pull you into a hug only to have you push away his hands.

“Oh, really? That’s your counterargument, Jin? Are you serious right now?” If it hadn’t been for Hoseok’s presence in the house, you would have been screaming at him by now, but you had to continue arguing in hushed voices. “The only reason we had to do this, is because you don’t want to come clean to your housemates, Jin! I agreed to lie to my best friend for you and this is how you repay me?”

“Are you blaming me for this?”, he asked in disbelief, though he couldn’t fight down the guilt squeezing his heart.

“Yes, Jin! I am! I blame you! You lured me in with your caring words and you pretend domestic aura and then you turn around and treat me like this? Wake up! This is all on you!”, you argue with eyes widened in anger and disbelief at his arguments.

“Oh, stop playing so holy,” he scoffed at you, almost losing his breath from the guilt tearing in his chest. “You agreed to this! I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Snorting out a laugh of disbelief, you could do nothing but stare at him with utter disgust on your face, making him visibly shrink back in front of you.

“You are by far the biggest dick I have ever met in my life, Jin, and only in the wrong ways! You act like you own the entire world, you manipulate and deceive the people around you and then whine about people not liking you. I’ve seen you actually act like a human being this week and you know what? I really liked that Jin. But this,” you gestured to him with angry movements. “I want no part in this Jin. This is over! And I really mean that, in case you weren’t sure.”

As you slammed the door behind you on your way out, Jin deflated in on himself as your words echoed through his head. Casting down his eye in defeat, he caught sight of the book you had thrown.

There is was, staring back at him from the floor with its condemning cover.

The Nix.

E/N: Here we are, my loves. This was a long one, but I couldn’t find a fitting place to break it up. There is a lot going on here! What do you think? Would you had played along with Jin, knowing that he would be treating you well when you were alone? Or do you agree with Reader? Let me know your thoughts! 

// part xii //

[rosesisupposes]

If you're craving prompts, might I humbly request DLAMP, "we keep doing everything out of order."

…this took much longer than I planned, and is far longer than I planned. Also, much fluffier. But I hope you like it, dearest @potestessemagishomosexualitatis 💗💗

Last To Know

Pairing: (hurtling towards) DLAMP

Warnings: immigration, marriage of convenience, mild swearing? I think that’s it

Word count: 3,135

Tag list: @residentanchor @royally-anxious @bewarethegrammarpolice  @jemthebookworm @arandompasserby  @sparkly-rainbow-salt @astral-eclipse​ @thelowlysatsuma @adorably-angsty @max-is-tired @almostoveranalyzed  @hawthornshadow @mariniacipher 

read on ao3

There was a very reasonable explanation for all of this. It had been purely a logistical decision. Four acquaintances of Logan’s needed a place to live in his city; Logan had four vacancies in the house he owned and rented. He always kept the top floor for himself, making new tenants a risk, but he at least knew of the others through a combination of mutual friends, shared classes back in undergrad, and generally living in the same area.

They’d settled in fairly easily, right up until Roman confessed his visa was running out and he would likely have to leave the country. Patton had immediately started crying and hugging Roman and insisting they’d find a way to keep him there. Logan was unaware of when Patton had started caring so much. But even Virgil looked distressed, and Damien started wondering aloud how well they could hide him in the house so that he didn’t have to leave.

“Why can’t you apply for a new visa?” Logan asked.

“I’m no longer a student, and I’d need a more regular job for them to sponsor me for a full green card…” Roman said, facing Logan with some difficult thanks to Patton still being twined around him.

Dee’s dark eyes alit. “I know! You should marry one of us! Spouse visa! And then you can work on citizenship!”

“Isn’t that a bit extreme-” Logan started, but he was interrupted by Patton and Virgil both raising their hands as volunteers and Dee cackling in delight.

“But how to choose,” Roman said mournfully. “All my best friends in the world, how could I possibly marry only one of you!”

Virgil suddenly smirked, and Logan looked over curiously. “You know…” the dark-clad man said thoughtfully. “If you’re marrying someone for a visa, it really should be someone responsible and trustworthy. Someone who could believably support you.”

Logan had no idea what he was talking about, but suddenly all heads were turned towards him, and there was a more-than-a-little disturbing resemblance in the mischievous grins on each of his housemates’ faces.

Roman gently dropped Patton back onto the couch, and strode over to Logan wearing his “pompous prince” face (as coined by Virgil, of course). Stopping a foot away, he bowed elegantly.

“Dearest Logan, generous landlord, resident nerd, first stop for endearing space trivia and Sherlock obsessions, would you do me the great honor of giving me your hand in transactional matrimony?”

Logan blinked once. Then twice. Then attempted to speak but only achieved opening his mouth like a particularly stunned fish.

“Is that a yes?” Patton whispered to Dee in the background.

“I think it’s just gay panic,” Dee whispered back, looping an arm around the smaller man’s waist.

“…me?” Logan finally got out.

“Yes, my textually-charged academic,” Roman purred, taking Logan’s hand in his. “I need a man to support me in this foreign land of haw-yees and rednecks, you are the only one I trust to protect me.”

“Hey, we’d protect you too!” Virgil objected, sitting down on top of the couch. “But if you were in trouble, Patton would cry, I’d probably end up punching someone by accident, and Dee’s plan would either end in flames or crimes or both.”

“…isn’t this proposal also Dee’s plan?” Logan asked weakly.

“Yes, but this one is wonderful,” Roman said, kissing Logan’s hand in a way that was not distracting at all, thank you. “Plus, this way you don’t need to find a new lodger midway through the year!”

“I suppose that is a perk,” Logan admitted. “And the immigration process is so convoluted, this would likely be easier…”

“That’s the spirit! Almost!” Patton cheered. “Logan, you own a tux, right?!”

“Yes, why?”

“For the wedding, silly!”

~~~~

Logan really should have thought this through more. But the house had dived into preparations before he could properly object. Dee had made a Pinterest board and “ironically” sent Logan post after post of nerdy wedding aesthetics. Patton kept sneaking up on Logan and Roman with cake samples to try. Virgil popped his head into Logan’s room on a regular basis with out of the blue questions like “Black Parade could be a reception song, right?” and “How many volts of fairy lights could we run without fucking over the electric bill?”

And Roman just kept… being Roman. Flirting outrageously in that way that clearly meant so little to him but was starting to mean something to Logan himself. He’d taken to kissing his hand a lot and greeting him as “my darling fiancé,” and sitting next to or practically on top of him whenever the group was in the same room. Logan found himself agitated by how easily he was blushing now, all the time.

Roman had apparently opened the floodgates, because everyone was being far too affectionate now. Yes, Patton had always been a hugger, but now he kept planting kisses on Logan’s cheek, and holding hands with Dee, and sitting on Virgil or Roman’s lap and sometimes both at once. Dee flirted with, Logan was quite sure, every single person he laid his eyes on ever. But now he kept upping the ante and using fantastical phrases and wordplay tailored to the object of his attention. Logan had had no idea that being called ‘starlight’ would be quite so jarring and endearing and infuriating all in a moment. And Virgil had entirely betrayed him. They used to be the two reasonable ones, or so he thought. But no, Virgil was willingly participating with all of this madness, and had an amazing irritating habit of rubbing the nape of his neck when he was stressed so that all his muscles went involuntarily fluid and relaxed.

Logan arrived home one day to see their small backyard decked in lights, all the lawn furniture moved to the side so that the patio was clear. Patton greeted him at the gate with a hug and yet another cheek kiss as he said, “Lolo! Thank goodness you’re home, you need to get changed!”

“Whatever for?”

“Silly, it’s the 15th! The wedding!”

Logan stopped in his tracks. “I thought we weren’t going to the courthouse until next week?”

“Yes, but the semester will be over and all our friends still in undergrad won’t be able to make it. So we’re having the reception part tonight. We had this whole conversation after the movie last week, don’t you remember?”

But Logan did not. He didn’t even remember which movie it had been. Because Virgil had been slowly stroking his hairline, right at the back of his neck, and Patton had been lying across his lap so that he was across all three of Roman, Logan, and Virgil, and Roman had been giggling and leaning into his side in a way that it only made sense for him to lift his arm and drape it around him, and Dee had been telling Virgil how lovely his eyes were and… Logan had absolutely no memory of any other conversation that may or may not have happened.

But apparently that meant they had a party tonight.

Virgil convinced him to wear the tux still, and Patton blocked off the kitchen to finish the cake in secret. Dee kept making cracks about helping him change, but Roman was mysteriously absent all afternoon. Logan definitely didn’t miss him. It had only been a couple of hours! That would be silly and ridiculous and not what a highly logical person would do.

As 5pm arrived, Logan was in his well-tailored midnight-blue tuxedo. Dee, grinning in a tux with a bright yellow tie and matching gloves, arrived at his bedroom door to ‘escort the groom to the festivities.’ Somewhere on the walk down the stairs, Virgil joined them in a plain but nice-looking suit in black with a purple vest.

They walked out into the yard, filled with friends from the city and university they’d all attended. Everyone was in various forms of ‘their best’ from sundresses to cocktail dresses to gowns, from suspenders to jackets to tuxes, and some wonderful mixes of the two. Patton, glorious in a blue dress, had a microphone (where had they found a mic?) and greeted all his housemates happily and loudly.

“And now that the whole gang’s here, we can welcome the star of our hearts and the show! Roman, come on out for your first dance!”

Logan was pushed into the middle of the patio and Virgil held his shoulders facing away from the house. He could hear the door opening behind him and some “awws” and gasps from the crowd. Logan turned to look but Virgil held him, grinning. “Patience,” Virgil said teasingly.

Finally, the arms released him and Logan turned. Roman was only a couple of feet away, and he looked… stunning. He was wearing a gorgeous fluffy gown of red and gold and sequins, and matching makeup. Logan reached out a hand without thinking, and Roman took it with a smile. Music began to pour out of the speakers.

“It’s a beautiful night/We’re looking for something dumb to do/Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you”

Logan snorted. “A little on the nose, perhaps?” he murmured.

“I wanted to be precise,” Roman said back, lacing their fingers together and placing his free hand on Logan’s waist. With Roman taking the lead, they started to dance around the small dance floor of the patio. Virgil had done an amazing job with the fairy lights, rigging them to create a ceiling of sparkles that cast them all into a warm golden glow.

Roman suddenly smiled wide, and spun Logan around, letting his hand go free. Before Logan could catch himself, Dee caught his hands instead. Now Logan and Dee were waltzing around the floor in parallel to Roman, who was now dancing with Virgil. Their height difference made it a little awkward for Virgil to reach Roman’s shoulders, but then he lifted Roman by the waist to spin him through the air. The watching crowd whooped, and Roman laughed out loud, and Logan accidentally stepped on Dee’s foot because he forgot to watch where he was going. He stumbled, but was caught by something soft and blue. He looked down into huge blue eyes and a freckle-dappled smile.

“Thank you, Patton,” he said. “I’ve not quite got the hang of this dancing thing.”

“Maybe I can help!” Patton replied, pulling Logan close and guiding them into a simple waltz. “One-two-three, one-two-three,” he counted softly, and Logan followed the count, watching his feet.

He kept looking up slightly and then down again. Something about how bright Patton’s smile was, and how the lights reflected in his glasses and eyes, he just couldn’t look too long. But he did note that Dee and Roman were dancing now, some complicated dance that Logan felt himself mentally tripping just watching. But the two biggest drama queens of their house were in perfect sync, moving with fluid precision and both grinning hugely.

A tap on his shoulder pulled Logan’s attention to his side. Virgil smiled comfortingly. “Can I cut in, Lo?”

“Of course, Virge!” Pat said, stepping back. Logan was going to object to yet more dancing, he was, but Virgil had dressed up for this, and he was just self-conscious in front of crowds, so it would just be more polite to not turn him down. Virgil guided Logan’s hand to his hip, and Logan most definitely did not blush to be able to feel the shorter man’s muscles even through his formal outfit. And Patton had swirled off to dance with Ro, something much less regimented but with plenty of twirls and giggles. Dee kept the music going with “Can’t Keep My Eyes Off Of You,” and Logan and Virgil danced sedately, just swaying and turning.

“Virgil, why isn’t anyone else dancing?” Logan asked. “I thought after the first dance, the guests joined in?”

“Well, that is how it works for traditional weddings, yeah,” Virgil said in his familiar rumble. “But what about this is traditional?”

Logan chuckled at that, and let himself relax into the dance. Roman parted from Patton to change the music as Dee and Patton started to swing dance. Virgil and Logan both grinned watching them. Clearly all those old movie marathons had paid off.

Finally, Patton broke off and grabbed Virgil away from Logan. As the shortest members of the household, they were matched perfectly, and Virgil was willing to twirl and lift Patton to make the other man wriggle and laugh. Roman took the opportunity to pull Logan into his arms once more, and the crowd finally started to fill out the dance floor.

“Have I told you how good you look tonight, Logan?”

Blushing would absolutely be his cause of death. He hoped there wasn’t an afterlife, otherwise he would never live it down.

“I… thank you. Your dress is very dramatic and a little ridiculous but it’s so you.”

“They told me I couldn’t have a quinceñara,” he replied with a sniff. “So what better way to celebrate now?” They spun in relative quiet for a moment, when Roman smiled softly. “So, are you enjoying our wedding so far, Lolo?”

“You know, I rather am,” Logan admitted. “My feet are starting to get a bit tired, though.”

Roman swept Logan up off his feet and into his arms. “Is that better?”

Logan blushed hotly, muttering, “I meant I needed to sit down.”

“But is it better?” Roman wheedled. “No lying to your almost-husband, dear nerd.”

“…yes,” Logan admitted, and Roman laughed. The world was fairy-lights and glittering gowns, Logan was surrounded by his favorite people in the world, and later there would be five-tier cake and Crofter’s. It wasn’t something he’d ever expected, but he wasn’t such a stick-in-the-mud that he wouldn’t admit that it was magical.

~~~~

The flourescent lights of the courthouse were a far cry from the dreamlike lights of their reception, but today was the day and they were getting legally married. Logan was still a bit unsure about how they had reached this point, but found he cared less and less.

The whole house had come, of course, Patton linking Virgil’s and Dee’s arms around his own as he bounced in excitement. They waited through the decently-sized line until they finally reached the desk.

“Good morning, we would like a marriage license, please,” Logan said.

The clerk grinned just a bit bigger. “Congratulations! And what date would you like it made out for?”

“Today, please,” Roman said happily, linking his arm with Logan’s and squeezing. Patton make a sound of delight behind them.

The clerk nodded, and typed on the computer until they were interrupted by a question. “Do you know if it’s possible to enter a legal partnership with more than one person in this municipality?” The seemingly-idle question was in Dee’s unmistakeable drawl.

“Oh, yes, certainly! Marriage, domestic partnerships, and adoption can all be amended to have any number of partners. I think we need special permission at ten or more, but even that is still possible, just a longer process.”

Roman squeezed Logan’s arm tighter. “Lo? Is that okay?”

Logan looked back in confusion. “This is for you, Roman. Whatever you’re most comfortable with.”

Patton squealed again, and hugged them both from behind. “Form for five, please!”

Logan supposed that was all right. That would make it more believable, right? If Roman was equally committed to all his housemates, that would be more reason to let him stay in the country. And it made Patton so happy.

He felt slightly divorced from his body as he went through the motions of showing his ID, and signing the forms, but suddenly they were finished, and Roman had his arm looped around him on one side and Dee was on the other. Pat and Virge were on the outside, both snickering as the group tried to walk down the hallway without detaching with varying levels of success.

They were married. All five of them. And Roman would get to stay.

As they got home again, they all ended up sprawling across the couches. They fell into their most comfortable configuration, with Logan the only one sitting normally. Patton was taking full advantage of being the small one to sit across their laps. Dee was lying on the back of the couch up against the wall, fingers intertwined with Roman’s where he lounged diagonally with Pat’s head in his lap. Virgil was upside-down from the back of the couch, curled oddly so his head was on Logan’s thigh but Pat could still hold his hand.

Logan sighed contentedly.

“Whatcha thinkin’, Lolo?” Dee asked, a little sleepily.

“I was just reflecting on how comfortable I feel with you all. Even though we started as mere acquaintances, I do think of you all as very much like my family, now. And it’s rather nice that we’re legally a family now, for however long.”

Logan didn’t see the glances exchanged around and over him, but did hear Roman’s question. “How long would you like us to be, Logan?”

“Well, as long as it takes for your citizenship, of course.”

“What about after that, L?” Virgil asked.

“I… I don’t know. Divorce is rather a process, I suppose we could stay in this arrangement until a large enough inconvenience comes along to justify it.”

“So… you would like to stay married to us all?” Patton asked. Logan couldn’t tell what his tone meant, but there were hints of… curiosity.

Logan answered slowly. “I believe… yes. I would. I am… rather fond of you all, and always appreciate the time we spend together, for whatever reason.”

Roman smiled softly, and reached out to pat his face. “We love you too, Logan.”

Logan blinked. “Love? In which sense of the word?”

“Romantic, you dummy,” Dee muttered, practically falling asleep on the back of the couch.

“…wait, you… all? Romantic? Love?” Logan stuttered.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Yeah, man. Normally that’s what marriage means. Plus our first dances? Of the people in love?”

“Hey, don’t make fun of Lolo, he’s not that good at his own feelings,” Patton chided. “Yes, cupcake, we all love you. We thought you knew.”

“Oh,” Logan said, blushing. “I… apologize for being the last to know. I suppose it’s a good thing that I’ve fallen in love with you all, too. We keep doing everything out of order, don’t we?”

“Nah, ‘s just you,” Dee said, snuggling into the blanket Roman had just passed him, seconds from sleep.

“But we all got here in the end,” Virgil said, a comfortable rumble on Logan’s left.

Logan ran a hand through Patton’s soft hair, and smiled at Roman, who’d started it all. “Here’s to arriving, then. I look forward to being your collective husband.”

“We love you too, Lolo.”

[everly-kindred]

Eve’s Diary - Entry #62

Date: 24th of April, 2027

Dear Diary, 

A lot has happened and… Once again, a lot of it is bad. It’s a different kind of bad this time, though. Something completely new. I think I… have a bully now? So I’ve been kinda putting off writing because I’ve not really had the want to, and I’ve been in a bit of a funk because of it. So this entry might be kinda long.

I guess I’ll go to the beginning of the week. I think Tom and Abe and Aloy were in a fight, there was something about kissing and boyfriends and… I dunno. A bunch of older year drama, I guess. I was walking through the halls at one point and even saw Aloy on top of Tom with her wand pointed at him. But after Arithmancy, they came out of the classroom all laughing together and stuff, which seemed to really bother Everett… so i don’t really know what’s going on. Especially since she and Everett seem just fine as of yesterday, anyways.

Marigold showed me the paper at lunch, where they had done an article about Hogsmeade and the fire. It showed a picture of her aunt Taffy standing outside of Honeydukes with a man in a cowboy hat comforting her. I told her he seemed sweet. She’s anxious to meet him, says she hasn’t met her aunts long-lost boyfriend yet. 

I caught up with Ruby and it felt as good as it did when we’d talk during summer. Turns out he’s not going to Bulgaria, so we’ll get to hang out this summer! And we’re also gonna study together to make sure we’re both ready for exams. We also talked about flowers, I conjured some more for him and told him he should show me that one flower (that I don’t know how to say or spell) that he said was his favourite. And we talked about how happy he seems during quidditch. I think he’s made good on the promise me made with me on New Years.

Ressy wrote O’Keeffe about learning mermish, and O’Keeffe wrote back asking for her to come to her office, and that she could bring me. She was all worried about it, and it was really cute. I knew that it was about O’Keeffe’s tutoring thing she invited me to do, though. So Ressy and I went to her office - which was absolutely HUGE and beautiful, by the way! - through a shortcut in a portrait, and then she got invited to join us. Of course, I haven’t been to one yet because I sort of forgot where it was, and O’Keeffe pointed that out and asked why… so when I told her why, she thought it was funny. I… think I’ve forgotten where she said to go and what the password was again, so hopefully Ressy remembered…

In herbology we dealt with belladonna and venomous tentacula, and even talked about Edna a bit since she is one, and there was some outburst Casey had about something Talula had said and I think they were talking about Everett and Aloy but I’m not sure… I’ve been able to care for all of the plants in my year so at least I know I’m prepared for the practical portion of Herbology - actually the practical portion of everything, it’s just the written tests I’m scared of now. 

In Defense Against the Dark Arts we did some exercises. Tomorrow is the Boggart class. I was able to do some of the exercises but I felt sick and ended up sneaking away while everyone was moving around. 

I had Dragonology with Ruby, and we passed notes and cute drawings to each other. I showed him this magic ink I have that lets you make moving sketches so we drew little stick figures back and forth to each other. 

In Astronomy, we did stargazing in the Great Hall for these…. Comets or meteors, I don’t remember which (I was really sleepy) and I drew a picture of a dragon that… either eats comets or spits comets. It’s kinda up to whoever is looking at it to decide. 

They’ve announced the summer tourney for dueling club, and in Artificer Club, the Head Boy took over and had us work on decorations for it. I practiced levitating a crystal fairy, and he had me do all these spells and moves. I had a hard time at first, but eventually I got the hang of it… after breaking the fairy twice, anyways. So he had me levitate it, flick it in the air, shower it with sparks and then scourgify it, before catching it with the levitation spell again. It was… really hard to do. But I got it!

I also “met” a housemate of mine that I’m not really familiar with, named Levi. I think they’re a second year? Me and Levi and Aures were talking in a courtyard when Tom, Arthur and some other people showed up. We had been talking about what to name Levi’s rat when Tom asked Ressy if Arthur could ride the clockwork unicorn I’ve borrowed from Bonnie and had following me around since… well…

I guess I should explain about the bullying situation. 

So we had transfigurations class. Aures told me her birthday was July 27th and we talked about our favourite flowers and practiced orchideous some more. That was when things started getting weird. Octavia was sitting behind me, and she threw a paper ball at my head, so I thought she needed something. But when I turned around and asked her, she told me to shut up. And then the professor told us to stay after class and told her to apologise to me, so she lied and said it was meant for Aures and apologised to her…

Anyways, I was freaking out, but then it turns out it was just the professor letting me know she got my extra credit and to tell my parents she said hi. So I booked it out of there, didn’t look at Octavia at ALL because I wanted to forget all of this had happened. 

So then me and Aures walked around the castle, and we talked about our ambitions and stuff. About her working with water creatures and me maybe writing fairytale plays or making wands or something. But then, Octavia found us and started shouting at me! So we got into this whole fight about it with her saying all these horrible things about me and Ressy - like how I have Ruby ‘fooled’ but I won’t fool her and she called Ressy things like beast and stuff. And then she tried to slap me! But I was able to grab her wrist before she could reach my face, and I told her to never talk that way again to us. 

And then she left, muttering something about how brave I’ll be when Ressy’s not there, which… I don’t know. We ran to the Great Hall, both of us were crying but the rain kind of hid it a bit. Essa and Jo and Ruby tried to ask what was wrong, but I lied and said we’d stepped on a toad. 

I didn’t want to like… I mean, I guess I’m worried if I tell, people will be even more mean to her and it’ll just give her more reason to keep being horrible to me? I don’t want her to go after me for being a tattle. I didn’t want any of this at all! The only thing I can think of as to WHY she’s as mad at me as she is is because I beat her in our duel… Ruby said to take it as a win, but I really think it was just luck, and now I wish it hadn’t happened at all. I’ve never done anything to her!

I guess I’m glad I stood up for myself at least. Talula and Casey told me to not travel alone and they think I should tell someone because they don’t believe she’ll ever change but… she’s young! We all are! We all have time to change and get better, and I don’t wanna take away that chance from her… 

And if I tell Ruby, would he stop wanting to be friends with her? Wouldn’t that just make it worse? But if I don’t tell him, Octavia might somehow turn him against me… I can’t lose my best friend, especially when I didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t know what to do. I wish she’d just forget about me, but I’m nowhere near old enough to know any memory charms. And even if I did, it seems wrong to mess with someone’s memories. But… if I did know it, I honestly probably would just wipe myself from her brain entirely. I saw her again in Charms class, but I refused to look at her. 

I don’t know. All of it makes me want to cry again. I talked to Murina again, and I met her sister Sabrina, and I asked them about what prank items I should order if I wanted to make a quick get away - like, if Octavia catches me alone. But they sort of convinced me I should tell a professor too. Everett even said I should tell Professor Rask, since she’s the Slytherin Head of House. 

I’m not sure what I’ll do. For now, I’ve been walking around with Bonnie’s clockwork unicorn sort of to protect myself, and I’ve been trying to stay close to friends. I’m glad it’s almost summer. Maybe once school ends she’ll stop thinking about me. Up until this point, I never even thought about her, and now I feel like she wants to kill me or something! And I don’t understand why…

Anyways, Magical Theory is soon. I’m going to find some Hufflepuffs and head to class, and think about the fairytale play I want to write. I don’t think it’ll be a musical, unless Ressy helps me with writing music to go with lyrics...

Much love, Everly

[ Eve’s Wiki Page ] 

[ Flickr ] 

[alindakb]

Letters to my Parents - Saturday 30 April 1994 - by Alinda

Saturday 30 April 1994

Dear mom and dad,

The Easter holiday didn’t feel like a holiday at all. We had so much homework we spend most of our time in the library studying. And when we weren’t studying, Draco and I had Quidditch practise. Hermione seemed to live in the library. She was always already there when Draco and I would finally get out of bed. And she never left before us. I think she was close to tears most of the time. I tried talking to her about her workload, but she just snapped at me and told me to leave her alone.

Draco took over all the responsibility for Buckbeak’s appeal. He’s always faster with his homework than me, and once he was done he would pore over enormously thick volumes with names like ‘the handbook of Hippogriff psychology’ and ‘Fowl or Foul? A study of Hippogriff Brutality’. And he did all this next to helping me with my homework. I think I’m really dating the smartest boy in this school.

Quidditch practise was every day during the holidays. Marcus wanted us to be ready for the match on the 23rd. We’d have endless discussions about tactics and Marcus kept drilling into me that I was only allowed to catch the snitch if we were more than 50 points ahead of Gryffindor. They had a lead of 200 points, so we needed more than that to win the cup this year. Draco would hide his laughter against my shoulders every time Marcus brought it up again.

The final was a big deal this year. Slytherin had lost the cup against Gryffindor in my first year and last year the cup had been cancelled. And with me and Draco on the team, the entire house was convinced we could win. Tensions in the school were at a breaking point. Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean stopped interacting with us because it ended up in heated words about which team was better every time. And other students also had scuffles in the corridors. A fourth-year Gryffindor and a sixth year Slytherin even ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears.

It was worst between Marcus and Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor team. They throw hexes at each other every time they saw each other. At one moment Wood treated to hurt me or Draco and ever since then Marcus made sure there were always people protection us. It made it hard to show up to classes on time.

I was more worried about my Firebolt. When I wasn’t flying on it I locked it into my trunk to make sure no Gryffindor would be able to sabotage it. Draco was worried that Nott or Crabbe might do something with it, but they wanted our house to win just as much as everyone else, so I believed they would not do anything to jeopardise our chances.

Hermione complained the day before the match that she didn’t know who she should support. She is a Gryffindor and all, but her two best friends are in Slytherin and on their team. She kept going back and forth with arguments why she wanted to support Gryffindor or Slytherin. It all seemed so unfair to her that she had to choose a side.

When we got back to the Slytherin common room that evening everyone was nervous. Marcus kept walking up and down the room muttering to himself. Derrick and Bole were polishing their beater bats and Adrian and Miles kept going over the tactics we all agreed on for the match. I just sat down next to Draco on a sofa. I didn’t want to talk because every time I opened my mouth I felt like making a run for the toilets.

Draco took me to bed that night. He kissed me and told me everything would be alright. He kept petting my hair until I fell asleep. Not that I had a good night of sleep. No, first I had a nightmare in which I had overslept and that they had to use Crabbe instead. And then I dreamed that the entire Gryffindor team showed up on flying lions that could spit fire. I tried to get away from them but I had seemed to have forgotten my Firebolt and I fell to the ground at rapid speed.

And that is when Draco woke me up. It took me some time to realise it was still the middle of the night. Draco handed me some water and then I curled back against his chest and let his sweet words dose me off to sleep.

The next day I spent a lot of time on braiding Draco’s hair. I was so nervous that the hair kept slipping through my shaking fingers. When it was finally done we went down to the Great Hall as a team. The Slytherin table applauded us on our entrance. It was nice to see how the entire house was supporting us, especially because the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had cheered for the Gryffindor team when they walked in. Only Luna had touched up her outfit with the Slytherin colours. She smiled at us when we left the Great Hall.

None of us spoke when we changed into our robes. I was glad when Draco sat down next to me on one of the benches and grabbed my hand. He looked paler than usual. And when Marcus told us it was time, Draco gave me a soft kiss before we left the locker rooms.

And before I knew it the game had started. All my nerves vanished as soon as I was up in the air. I glanced around and saw that McLaggen was on my tail, so I sped off in search of the Snitch. I listened to the commentary of Jordan who was a typical Gryffindor and made it sound like every goal Draco made was a lucky mistake. He couldn’t have it that our star player was better than all three Gryffindor girls. Spinnet, Johnson and Bell had trouble taking the Quaffle from Draco. And even Fred and George their well-aimed Bludgers didn’t slow down Draco.

I think it was a good thing that Wood was a keeper because he looked like he wanted to hurt one of our team. Points went back and forth for some time, but Slytherin stayed in the lead. If was just never enough to win the cup. So even though I spotted the snitch a couple of times, I didn’t chase it. Every time I spotted it I faked a look of concentration and pulled my Firebolt around toward the other side of the field. McLaggen kept following me, not spotting the snitch but being stupid enough to think I would lead him to it. Like he could outfly me if I would spot it first.

And then the moment came that we were sixty points ahead. I soared around the field, high above the rest of the game, with McLaggen speeding behind me. And then I saw it. The snitch was sparkling twenty feet above me. I put on a huge burst of speed, I stretched out my hand, and then suddenly, the Firebolt slowed down. I looked around and saw that McLaggen grabbed onto the Firebolt’s tail and was pulling it back. Madam Hooch saw and gave a penalty to Slytherin, which Adrian scored easily, making our lead even greater. Only the snitch had disappeared and McLaggen was still hovering beside me. I was sure he was going to try to stop me again if I saw the snitch now.

The game went on and the Gryffindor’s scored another twenty points. We needed ten more points for me to go after the snitch again. I watched as Draco and Marcus passed the Quaffle between them, trying to pass the Gryffindors, but they all blocked their way. So I raced down and made them all scatter so that Flint could score. We were again sixty points in the lead. I smiled until I saw McLaggen dive with a triumph on his face. A few feet above the grass was a tiny, golden glimmer and McLaggen was closing in on it. I urged my Firebolt downward but McLaggen was miles ahead. I flatten myself to go even faster. Slowly I got closer to McLaggen. I think a Bludger almost hit me, but I was only looking at the snitch. I passed McLaggen, reached out my arms and grabbed hold of the snitch. I pulled out of my dive and held up the golden ball tight in my fist.

The Slytherin side of the stadium exploded. Marcus sped towards me and seized me around the neck, sobbing unrestrainedly into my shoulder. And then I got hugged by Adrian, Miles, Draco and even Derrick and Bole. We were all shouting that we’d won the cup. We moved as one back to the ground and were greeted by our housemates. They lifted us onto their shoulders and walked us to the stands, where headmaster Dumbledore stood waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup. Marcus took the cup and kissed it before he handed it to me. I lifted it into the air while Draco wrapped his arms around my waist. We both couldn’t stop smiling. I handed the cup back to Marcus and Draco spun me around in his arms. His lips were on mine in seconds. We devoured each other until Professor Snape told us that we were ruining his good day.

That evening we had a massive party in the dungeon. There were Butterbeers and so many snacks. We celebrated until I couldn’t stand on my legs anymore. Draco carried me to our dormitory and Blaise shouted at us to remember to use silencing charms. We both laughed and once in bed, Draco took his time undressing me. He kissed me everywhere and I came inside his mouth. I thought getting jerked off by him was amazing, well I can tell you, having him suck me off is even better.

We both stayed in bed the entire Sunday, just enjoying the afterglow of winning the cup. Blaise and Gregory also couldn’t stop talking about it. We had a really fun afternoon. And then Monday started and we had to concentrate on our schoolwork again. Draco has me studying every night because exams are only two weeks away. So I probably won’t be writing to you until they’re done.

Love you both.

Harry James Potter.

[wrckhvck]

Tokyo: Hogwarts AU

       (   lowkey  based  off  of  james  and  lily  potter’s  seventh  year;   elena  is  head  girl  and  damon  is  head  boy  )

            when  their  hogwarts  letters  arrive  over  the  summer,  it’s  not  a  surprise  to  see  one  of  the  salvatore  brothers   has  a  head  boy  badge  enclosed  in  the  envelope.  the  surprise  is  which  brother  –  DAMON,   the  slytherin,  the  troublemaker,  the  one  who  probably  spent  more  time  in  detention  the  year  previous  than  on  the  quidditch  pitch.  maybe  that’s  the  trade  off;   stefan’s  gryffindor’s  quidditch  captain,   and  damon’s  the  one  left  to  pursue  less  FUN  endeavors  in  their  final  school  year.    

          “  dumbledore’s  finally  lost  his  marbles. ”   he  remarks,  turning  the  badge  over  in  his  hands.  he  thinks  that  maybe  there’s  a  small  part  of  him  that  feels  pride  but  he  mostly  believes  it’s  an  error  –  that  he’ll  turn  up  on  the  first  day  and  someone  will  rip  it  from  his  robes  and  pin  it  on  its  rightful  owner.    the  letter  says  damon  though  …  and  as  far  as  he  knows,  mistakes  like  this  have  never  been  made.   

          “  or  maybe  he’s  trying  to  keep  you  so  busy,  brother,  you  don’t  have  time  to  make  everyone  else’s  lives  hell. ”  stefan  smirks,  shoves  his  shoulder  as  he  heads  to  the  door.  “  c’mon,  let’s  practice.  we  might  play  for  opposing  teams,  but  we’ve  both  got  to  be  at  the  top  of  our  games.  ”    it’s  been gryffindor  vs  slytherin  in  the  finals  the  last  three  years  …  all  of  which  slytherin  has  won.      damon  smirks,  calls  out  after  him.   “  speak  for  yourself.   i  could  fly  blindfolded  and  we’d  STILL  win.  ”   he  ducks  a  curse  that  flies  by  his  head,  spares  one  last  look  at  the  badge  before  heading  out  into  the  gardens.  he  doesn’t  give  much  thought  to  who  his  head  girl  will  be  until  they  arrive  at  kings  cross  station  weeks  later.   too  little,  too late.

* * *

      he  goes  with  stefan  to  the  prefect’s  compartment  on  the  train,  catching  a  few  strange  looks  that  are  sent  his  way.   his  head  boy  badge  is  hidden  with  a  charm,  will  be  activated  with a  flourish  as  soon  as  someone  —     he’s  broken  off  mid-thought  by  an  unimpressed  looking  elena  gilbert.   pinned  to  her  chest  is,  of  course,   a  head  girl  badge.    for  fuck’s  sakes. 

         it  isn’t  just  that  they  can’t  stand  each  other.   it  isn’t  that  she  used  to  date  his  brother,  or  that  he  once  knocked  her  brother  off  his  broom  with  his  beater’s  club  in  a  match  against  gryffindor.  it’s  a  combination  of  events  that  have  culminated  over  their  hogwarts  career.   he  couldn’t  say  what  it  was  –  though  if  he’s  honest,  he  thinks  some  of  it  is  unavoidable:   slytherin  vs  gryffindor  drama  –   but  there’s  easily  no  one  in  the  entire  castle  he  could  work  less  amicably  with  than  elena.   he  is,  for  lack  of  a  better  word,  fucked.  

    “  you’re  not  supposed  to  be  back  here,  damon.  ”   she  levels  him  with  a  hard  stare,  motioning  to  the  compartment.   “  prefects  and  heads  only.   you’ll  have  to  go  sit  with  your  friends. ”   her  nose  wrinkles.   it’s  no  secret  she  hates  his  housemates,  especially  the  few  he  hangs  around  with  on  the regular.  katherine  and  elena’s  hatred  for  each  other  is  legendary,  even  worse  after  she  found  out  stefan  had  ‘  accidentally  ’  been  tricked  into  dating  both  of  them.   damon  doesn’t  even  begin  to  try  to  understand  their  relationship.   for  twins,  the  two  couldn’t  be  any  different.   the  only  person  he’d  really  claim  as  a  friend  is  enzo,  or  maybe  alaric  …  but  he’s  a  ravenclaw  and  one  of  the  few  people  who  knows  about  damon’s  head  boy  status.    he’s  snickering  from  behind  elena,  his  girlfriend  jo  looking  like  the  cat  that  ate  the  canary.  for  a  hufflepuff,  she’s  surprisingly  devious.   it’s  not  surprising  that  ric’s  already  spilled  the  beans.

         “  oh,  my  bad.  did  i  forget  to  tell  you  –   stefan,  did  i  forget  to  tell  her  ?  ”   stefan,  to  his  credit,  refuses  to  engage.   shakes  his  head,  tells  him  he’s  not  getting  in  the  middle  of  this.    “  i  actually  am  welcome  here  because  ...  would  you  look  at  that.  ”   he  taps  his  wand  against  the  front  of  his  robes,  the  badge  now  full  on  display  for  all  to  see.    “  i’m  your  head  boy.  ”     

           silence  stretches  throughout  the  cabin.   for  a  minute,  damon  is  sure  the  angry  vein  on  elena’s  forehead  is  going  to  lose  its  fight  and  give  in.   instead  she  grounds  her  foot  into  the  floor,  forces  a  smile,  and  grabs  his  hand.   “  that’s  great.  hey,  we  should talk  about  our  duties.  ”   before  he  has  a  chance  to  say   a  word,  she’s  tugged  him  out  into  the  hallway  and  her  hands  smack against  his  chest.    “  tell  me  what  you  did,  salvatore.  tell  me  how  you  –  how  you  tricked  your  way  into  this.   did  you  bewitch  the  professors  ?   use  polyjuice  to  have  a  decent  person  advocate  for  you  ?  it  doesn’t  add  up.  there’s  no  way  anyone  with  half  a  brain  would  think  YOU  are  fit  to  lead  the  students  …  to  be  a  leader.  ”

             he’s  had  the  same  thoughts,  but  he  didn’t  need  to  hear  her  repeat  them.  his  features  cool  as  he  wrenches  back.   “  i’m  not  the  one  moaning  in  the  corridor  about  how  unpleasant  my  co-head  is.  ”   he  reminds  her.   “  be  careful  you  don’t  fall  off  that  pedestal  you’re  teetering  on.  ”     he  flashes  a  smile;   all  teeth,  fake,  before  heading  into  the  compartment.   

         they  don’t  say  another  word  to  each  other  the  entire  journey  back  to  school.   

* * *

    “  this  is  where  you’ll  be  staying.  ”   professor  dumbledore  guides  them  down  a  hallway  off  the  great  hall.   “  there’s  an  office  through  here.  you  can  use  it  for  paperwork,  or  for  meeting  with  your  prefects.    yes,  mr.  salvatore  ….  there  will  be  paperwork …  and  no,  you  can’t  leave  it  all  to  ms.  gilbert.  ”   he  looks  over  at  them  from  under  his  glasses,  having  foretold  the  comments  he  would  have  made  before  he  could  make  them.  it  was  eerie.     “  through  here  are  your  rooms.  ”

     “  our  rooms  ?  ”   it’s  elena  who  speaks  first,  but  they  say something  to  the  same  effect   at  the  same  time.   professor  dumbledore  smiles  knowingly,  pushes  the  door  open.   there’s  a  common  sitting  area  with  plush  couches  and  a  coffee  table.  there’s  a  set  of  exploding  snap  cards  on  top,  and  what  looks  like  a  chess  set  underneath.   there  are  two  doors  –  one  in  each  direction.   the  first  thing  damon  notices  is  the  lack  of  doorknobs.   “  they’ll  be  linked  to  your  magical  signatures.  ”   the  headmaster  explains.   “  to  your  wand,  and  only  your  wand.  ”   he  motions  for  elena  to  follow  him  first,  linking  her  magic  before  doing  the  same  with  the  other  for  him.    “  you  two  have  been  chosen  to  be  role-models  for  your  fellow  students.  i  suggest  you  take  some  time  and  reflect  on  that  responsibility  and  what  that  means  for  you.   the  feast  is  at  seven  …  do  try  and  be  on  time.  ”   then,  as  abruptly  as  he’d  collected  them  at  the  carriages,  he’s  gone  again.  it’s  just  them.

        “  you  heard  him.  ”   it’s  elena  that  speaks  up,  her  trunk  following  behind  her  by  magic as  it  walks  itself  into  her  room  and  she sits  on  one  of  the  couches.  “  this  is  serious,  damon.   you  might  not  care  about  anything  but  i  do.  i  won’t  have  you  ruining  this  for  me.  ”    she  pauses,  adds.  “  for  either  of  us.  ”    he  resists  the  urge  to  roll  his  eyes,  says  nothing  as  he  fetches  his  own  things.     

       he  never  plans  on  ruining  things,  that’s  the  problem.  it  simply  happens  anyway. 

* * *

         the  first  few  weeks  actually  go  smoothly.   no  one  ends  up  in  tears,  damon’s  actually  surprisingly  good  at  rounds  even  if  he  does  keep  partnering  up  people  that  hate  each  other  for  his  own  amusement,  and  if  he’d  do  his  paperwork  ?  maybe  elena  would  have  had  no  complaints  about  him.   it’s  with  a  stack  of  paperwork  in  hand  that  she  enters  their  common  room,  voice  yelping  in  surprise  when  not  only  is  he  there  but  he’s  not  alone.   caroline  forbes  springs  away  from  damon  like  she’s  been  burned,  calculating  eyes  narrowed  in  elena’s  direction.   “  seriously  ?  knock  much  ?  ”      she’s  too  stunned  to  even  comment  back,  just  watches  the  slytherin  walk  off.   she’s  friends  with  katherine  for  some  strange  reason  –  elena  thinks  anyone  who  decides  to  be  friends  with  katherine  has  some  serious  judgement  issues –  but  they’ve  never  really  had  much  interaction.   nor  has,  elena  realizes,  she  had  much  with  damon.   this  is  a  new  development.

         “ since  when  are  you  hooking  up  with  caroline  ?  ”    his  response  is  said  casually,  standing  up  and  fastening  his  belt.   his  shirt  is  open,  exposing  his  chest,  and  she  covers  her  face  with  her  hands.  at  some  point  when  she’d  come  in,  the  papers  had  slipped  from  her  hands  and  were  decorating  their  floor.    “  —  since  when  do  you  care ?  ”       she  starts.    “  i  don’t  care.  i  care  that  you’re  —  that  you’re  doing  that  in  our  shared  common  room.   my  friends  sit  on   that  couch.  your  friends  sit  on  that  couch  !  ”    he  smirks.    “  mine  do  a  lot  more  than  sit.  ”      her  nose  wrinkles,  a  pillow  thrown  in  his  direction  as  she  stalks  to  her  room.   “  just  do  your  bloody  paperwork,  salvatore.  it  isn’t  rocket  science.  ”

* * *

       it’s  halloween.   there’s  a  party  in  the  gryffindor  commons,  so  somehow  it’s  fallen  on  elena  and  damon  to  do  rounds  with  their  prefects  out  of  commission.  they  walk  in  relative  silence,  their  route  taking  them  out  by  the  lake.  it’s  a  beautiful  night,  made  only  less  so  by  the  company.   or  it  would  be  maybe,  but  damon  hasn’t  said  a  word  since  they  left  the  castle.  it’s  …  unnerving,  if  she’s  honest.  

      “  you’re  unusually  quiet.  ”   she  stops,  turning  towards  him.  she  thinks  he  looks  pale  in  the  moonlight;   young,  less  like  the  prat  who  is  usually  trying  to  get  under  her  skin.   when  he  doesn’t  reply,  only  cracks  a  half-smile,  she  actually  feels  …  worry.   it’s  new  and  she’s  not  sure  she  likes  it.   “  i’m  serious,  damon.  ”   her  eyes  soften,  a  hand  reaches  for  his  arm.   “  is  something  wrong  ?  ”     she  watches  his  eyes  dart  to  her  arm,  like  maybe he’s  debating  throwing  her  off.   he  doesn’t  though,  simply  sighs.   “  our  mother  loved  halloween.  ”   he  says  instead,  throwing  her  off.   “  stefan  doesn’t  really  remember.  maybe  he  blocked  it  out,  or  maybe  he  doesn’t  want  to  remember  …  but  it  was  her  favorite  holiday.  ”     he  shrugs.   “  she  died  when  i  was  11.   it’s  why  i  started  late.  ”   it’s  never  something  he’s  talked  about  –  that  she  knows  of.   everyone  knew  that  the  salvatores  started  school  together,  were  in  the  same  year  even  though  they  weren’t  twins.    she  hadn’t  known  why  …  not  until  now.    “  i  miss  her  more  on  halloween  than  i  do  on  her  birthday,  or  on  the  anniversary of  her  death.  ”    he  smiles,  she  thinks  he  might  even  have  tears  in  his  eyes.    “  it’s  stupid  …  and  i  don’t  know  why  i’m  saying  any  of  this  to  you.  ”

          she   knows  why   he  is.   she  knows  that  he  knows  that  she  understands  the  feeling.   her  parents  had  died  2  years  earlier;   a  car  crash,  of  all  things.   magic  hadn’t  been  enough  to  save  them  and  she’d  lost  them  both  in  one  fell  swoop.   there’s  a  club  for  dead  parents,  a  feeling  that  you  don’t  understand  until  you  experience  it  for  yourself,  and  her  heart  breaks  for  him  similarly  to  how  it  breaks  for  herself.  it  never  gets  easier.  it’s  a  wound  that  heals  and  reopens  on  a  near  constant   basis.    “  i  won’t  tell  anyone.  ”   she  says  instead.   her  hand  finds  his,  squeezes  once.   “  i  promise.  ”      their  eyes  meet  and  she  feels  …  well,  she  isn’t  sure  what  she  feels,  or  if  she  even  wants  to.   they  continue  their  rounds,  say  goodnight  when  they  get  back  to  their  common  room,  and  she  thinks  about  that  moment  by  the  lake  up  until  the  moment  sleep  finally  claims  her.   

* * *

        they  fall  into  something  unfamiliar.   friendship,  or  something  like  it.   he  brings  her  breakfast,  she  finishes  his  paperwork  without  complaining.  they  become  symbiotic;  the  perfect  team.   she  actually  looks  forward  to  seeing  him  at  the  end  of  the  day,  of  sitting  with  him  by  the  fire  and  comparing  notes  on  their  days.   he  put  the  wrong  ingredient  in  his  potion  and  lost  12  house  points,  while  she  overslept  and  missed  breakfast  only  to  realize  when  she  got  to  her  class  that  she’d  grabbed  the  wrong  books.  they  laugh  until  their  sides  ache,  her  feet  in  his  lap  as  he  massages  them.   she  doesn’t  think  anything  of  it  until  she  meets  bonnie  for  their  study  date,  waves  goodbye  to  damon  as  he  passes  through  their  common  area  to  his  room.   

         when  the  door  clicks  shut,  bonnie  is  spinning  –  a  finger  pointed  straight  at  her.   “  what.  was.  that.  ”   her  best  friend  doesn’t  look  mad,  just  surprised.   “  am  i  losing  it  or  did  i  just  witness  you  and  damon  salvatore  having  a  moment  ?  ”    elena  rolls  her  eyes.   “  no,  no  moment.  geez,  bon.  this  isn’t  one  of  those  trashy  romance  novels  your  mom  reads.  ”   her  teeth  dig  into  her  lower  lip.     for  the  first  time  in  years,  she’s  lying  to  her  best  friend  …  but  he’s  also  lying  to  herself.    she  doesn’t  know  what’s  going  on  between  her  and  damon  but  she  knows  it’s  different.  maybe  he’s  different,  or  maybe  he’s  just  finally  let  her  see  the  good  parts  of  himself  that  he  usually tries  to hide.   “  we’re  friends.  ”          bonnie  isn’t  swayed.   “  friends  don’t  look  at  you  like  they  know  how  you  taste.  you  haven’t  –  ”     she  cuts  her  off.   “  god,  no.   he  used  to   have  a  thing  with  katherine.   we’re  –  it’s  not  like  that.  ”    it’s  not.   is  it?     they  go  back  to  studying  but  bonnie’s  words  haunt  her  well  into  the  night.  

* * *

         it’s  been  going  so  well,  so  it’s  no  surprise  things  take  a  turn  after  christmas  holidays.  damon  comes  back  from  break  and  elena  has  a  boyfriend.   some  guy  named  matt  donovan,  a  muggleborn  hufflepuff   he  thinks.   they  both  stayed  at  the  castle  over  the  break  and  somehow  decided  they  were  perfect  for  each  other.    he  hates  it.   he  especially  hates  seeing  matt  donovan  in  their  shared  common  room,  has  imagined  ripping  him  limb  from  limb  so  many times  he’s  even  checked  his  hands  to  make  sure  he  hasn’t  actually  done  it.   

             thankfully  quidditch  is  a  welcome  distraction,  something  he  throws  himself  into  leading  up  to  the  first  match  of  the  new  year;  slytherin  vs  hufflepuff.    he’s  at  the  top  of  his  game,  in  perfect  sync  with  enzo.   they’ve  always  been  in  tune  with  each  other,  the  best  set  of  beaters  hogwarts  has  seen  in  decades.   with  katherine  as  seeker  and  klaus  as  keeper  and captain  intimidating   everyone  into  submission,  their  team  has  shaped  into  something  even  more  formidable  than  in  year’s  past.   they’re  unstoppable  –  it’s  almost  unfair  to  let  hufflepuff  even  take  the field.    they  lose  280-10  and  that  10  was  a  pity  shot  klaus  ignored  when  cami  o’conner  sent  the  quaffle  hurling  his  way.   suffice  to  say,  damon’s  in  good  spirits  when  his  feet  hit  the  ground.   it  doesn’t  last  long  though  before  matt  donovan  is  on  him,  shoves  him  and  gets  up  in  his  face.  “  you  almost  killed  me,  you  dick.  ”     damon  stares,  has  no  idea  what  he’s  talking  about.   he  likes  to  think  he’d  remember  almost  killing  the  guy.   he  does  hate  him,  after  all.   “  you  look  fine  to  me.  ”   he  replies  instead,  pushing  the  boy  back  when  matt  advances.  it  turns  into  an  all  out  war,  the  teams  squabbling  with  each  other  until  madam  hooch  blows  the  whistle  and  separates  them.  

                                  “  ENOUGH.   DETENTION,  ALL  OF  YOU.  ”

        damon  doesn’t  bother  hitting  the  showers,  instead  going  straight  to  the  head  quarters  with  a  hand  pressed  to  his  jaw.   donovan  managed  to  get  at  least  two  square  punches  in;    one  along  his  jaw,  splitting  his  lip,  and  another  on  his  right  eye.   he’s  not  upset  about  it  though  …  he’s  pretty  sure  he  gave  the  boy  a  matching  set.   he’s  grinning  at  the  thought  as  he  walks  inside,  nearly  smacks  into  elena  on  her  way  out.  unsurprisingly,  she’s  livid.    “  are  you  out  of  your  mind  ?  ”    she’s  shouting,   eyes  wild  as  her  hands  come  up.    “  i  can’t  believe  you  started  a  fight  with  my  boyfriend.   especially  after  what  you  did.  ”       he’s  angry  now,  unable  to  believe  they’re  here  yet  again  with  her  assuming  he’s  done  the  worst  before  he’s  even  done  it.    “  i  didn’t  do  anything  to  matty  blue  eyes.  ”   he  snaps  back.   “  if  i  wanted  to  hurt  him,  he’d  be  in  the  hospital  wing.   bloody  hell,  elena.   what  kind  of  monster  do  you  think  i  am  ?   i  might  not  like  the  guy  but  i  wouldn’t  intentionally  hurt  him.   if  a  bludger  almost  hit  him,   it  was  an  accident.    but  i  can’t  say  i  regret  it  because  he’s  an  idiot.  maybe  getting  hit  in  the  head  will  shake  things  up  in  there  and  he’ll  be  a  smidgen  smarter  than  a  box  of  rocks.  ”    he  knows  he’s  gone  too  far,  sees  the  look  on  her  face  that  hasn’t  been  reserved  for  him  in  awhile.   “  you’re  such  a  dick.  ”   she  says  quietly,   voice  wavering.   “  i  don’t  know  why  i  thought  you  could  change.  ”  

* * *

       they  don’t  talk  for  three  weeks.  when  they  pass  each  other  in  the  halls,  they  pretend  the  other  doesn’t  exist.  if  you  ask  anyone,  it’s  almost  worse  than  the  fighting.  they  only  communicate  via  the  prefects  and  it’s  a  constant  headache.  currently  elena’s  finishing  up  some  paperwork  in  the  library,  avoiding  their  common  area  like  it’s  dragon  pox.   she’s  just  finishing  her  last  stack  when  a  group  of  students  pass  by  her  row,  sit  across  from  the  bookshelf  she’s  tucked  behind.  they  can’t  see  her  but  she  can  hear  them  clear  as  day.  it’s  matt  and  a  couple  of  his  friends  –  trip,  she  thinks,  and  maybe  gabe  ?  she’s  only  met  them  a  handful  of  times.    they’re  talking  about  plans  for  the  summer  —  trips  they  want  to take,  girls  they  want  to  date,  and  while  elena’s  not  trying  to  eavesdrop  she  does  perk  up  when  she  hears  her  name.   “  what  about  gilbert  ?   i  know  you  said  that  was  going  nowhere  with  salvatore  in  the  picture  but  — “     she  hears  matt  shh  him,  his  voice  dropping  into  a  whisper.    she  can’t  hear  what’s  being  said  but  she  has  a  feeling  she  knows.   matt  lied.   the  terrible  things  she  accused  damon  of  doing  –  of  being  –   were  all  a  set-up.     her  stomach  turns,  eyes  welling  up  with  tears.   god,  why  is  she  so  stupid  ?     damon  was  a  bad  guy,   did  bad  things,  but  he’d  been  better  and  she’d  completely  disregarded  that.    she  hadn’t  thought  anything   about  it  because  lately  he’d  been  up  to  his  old tricks:   mouthing  off  in  class,  living  out  of  the  detention  hall,  and  skiving  off  rounds  until  she  was  forced  to  yell  at  him  to  get  him  back  on  track.  she’d  just  assumed  it  was  damon  being  damon.   her  guilt  swallows  her  up  and  she  pales,  gathers  her  books  into  her  arms  and  flees.   

       she  breaks  up  with  matt  the  next  day.   she  doesn’t  tell  him  what  she  overheard,  just  says  that  she  doesn’t  feel  like  she’ll  ever  love  him  and  they  should  end  things  before  it  gets  too  serious.   he  says  he  understands  but  starts  calling  her  the  ice  queen  behind  her  back.   she  thinks  it’s  funny.   she  wishes  she  was  made  of  ice,  unattached  and  unaffected  by  her  surroundings.   she  thinks  it  would  be  easier  than  dealing  with  the  alternatives.   admitting  you’re  wrong  is  hard  …  made  even  harder  when  the  person  you  need  to  apologize  to  is  making  themselves  scarce.  

       it  takes  her  a  week  before  she’s  able  to  track  him  down.   he’s  up  on  the  astronomy  tower,  feet  dangling  over  the  edge  as  he  drinks  from  a  bottle  of  firewhiskey.   she  resists  the  urge  to  yell  at  him,  to  chastise  and  further  isolate  him  from  her.   instead  she  comes  to  stand  behind  him,  takes  the  bottle  and  sips  from  it.  she  coughs  as  it  burns,  her  throat  on  fire  as  she  tries  to  breathe  through  it.  he  seems  surprised  that  she  even  took  a  drink  which  emboldens  her.   he  underestimates  her.    “  i  came  to  apologize.  ”    she  says  it  slowly,  watches  as  he  moves  to  stand.  maybe  he  thinks  it’s  a  fake  out,  that  she’s  about  to  push  him  off  the  tower.  she  has  threatened  as  much  in  the  past.    “  for  what  i  said  before,  about  you  and  matt.  i  know  he  lied.  ”   she  swallows  hard.   “  it  wasn’t  your  fault.  it  was  mine.  ”    his  eyes  search  hers  and  she  can’t  do  it;   she’s  lost  her  nerve,  can’t  tell  him  WHY  matt  felt  the  need  to  lie.    she  can’t  tell  him  that  matt  figured  out  what  she’s  been  hiding  all  this  time,  that  he  knows  even  better  than  she  does  how  she  feels.   she  can’t.   she’s  not  ready.     “  i  just  thought  you  should  know.  ”       he  raises  a  brow,  catches  her  arm  when  she  turns  to  leave.   “  you  said  you  were  coming  to  apologize.  ”   he  reminds  her.    she  nods,  confused.   “  you  never  actually  said  you  were  sorry.  ”   he  points  out.   his  eyes  are  sparkling  and  lips  twitch  up  in  that  trademark  smirk  of  his.      that  damn  smirk.      “  you  know  what  i  meant.  ”   she  replies  with  a  roll  of  her  eyes,  steps  closer  to  him  and  tilts  her  head.   “  i  am  sorry.  ”     there’s  a  moment.   silence  stretches,  her  eyes  meet  his,  and  she  thinks  —  yes,  if  he  kisses  me  …  i’ll   kiss  him  back.     but  he  doesn’t.   he  smiles,  leans  in,   and  presses  a  kiss  against  her  cheek.   it  burns  long  after  he’s  left  the  astronomy  tower  in  his  wake.

* * *

         february  and  march  pass  without  excitement.  things  aren’t  quite  back  to  where  they  once  were,  but  there’s  a  change  between  them  —  an  electricity  that  never  existed  before.  for  damon,  he’s  always  been  cognizant  of  it;   a  pull  he’s  felt  towards  elena,  even  when  he  knew  he  shouldn’t.   but,  he’d  discounted  it  from   the  realm  of  possibility  given  their  histories  —  him,  with  katherine,  and  her  with  stefan.    the  more  time  they  spend  with  each  other,  the  more  they  gravitate  into  each  other’s  orbit,  the  less  problematic  it  seems.   they  fight;   they  squabble,  they  hardly  ever  agree,  and  she’s  constantly  curbing  his  worst  instincts  but  they  compliment  each  other.    he  tests  her,  brings  her  out  of  her  comfort  zone,  and  she  reels  him  back  in  when  he’s  about  to  go  off  the  rails.    they  weirdly  work,  which  is  why  he’s  been  so  hesitant  to  make  a  move.   somewhere  in  the  last  few  months  —  somehow  —   elena  gilbert  has  become  his  best  friend.   maybe  more  than,  if  he’s  being  honest.    but  if  they  cross  that  line,  if  they  try  and  they  fail  ?   all  that  goes  away.    he’s  selfish  in  that  he  needs  her  ...  can’t  decide  if  it’s  worth  the  risk.

               the  choice  is  made  for  him.   they’ve  got  people  over  in  the  common  area;   stefan  and  klaus  are  engaged  in  a  rousing  game  of  exploding  snap,  while  bonnie  alternates  between  making  out  with  enzo  and  braiding  caroline’s  hair.   no  one’s  seen  alaric  for  awhile  now  but  damon’s  pretty  sure  if  they  looked  out  in  the  hallway,  they’d  see  a  pair  of  prefects  wrapped  around  each  other  where  no  one  can  see  ...  unless  of  course  you’re  trying  to  leave.    his  suspicions  are  confirmed  when  he  tries  to  take  a  smoke  break,  rolls  his  eyes  and  returns  to  the  spot  next  to  elena.   she’s  drinking  firewhiskey  straight  from  the  bottle  —  an  improvement  from  that  first  time  where  she’d  nearly  spit  it  back  out.    he  smiles  to  himself,  leans  back  against  the  couch  as  her  head  settles  on  his  shoulder.   it’s  nice.   he  likes  it.    or  rather,  he  likes  her.    he’s  known  it  for  awhile,  but  knowing  and  putting  to  words  are  two  very  different  things.   as  her  hand  rests  on  his  knee,  he  knows  he’s  about  to  do  something  very  stupid.  thankfully  he’s  saved  by  the  returning  alaric,  who  holds  up  a  fresh bottle  of  firewhiskey  and  says  the  words  damon  will  never  forget:    “  who  wants  to  play  truth  or  dare  ?  ”

           nearly  everyone  says  yes,  so  they  all  find  their  way  to  the  floor  and  decide  to  spin  to  see  who  goes  first.  it  lands  on  bonnie  who  picks  truth,  and  they  find  out  that  her  first  crush  was  a  boy  named  kaleb  in  primary   school.   she  spins  and  it  lands  on  stefan,  who  picks  dare  and  is  forced  to  sit  in  klaus’  lap  until  one  of  them  cries  uncle.  given  their  combined  levels  of  stubbornness,  he  assumes  they’re  in  it  for  the  long  haul.   after  stefan,  caroline  is  dared  to  drink  until  she  can’t  anymore,  and  then  jo  confesses  her  secret  crush  on  professor  flitwick.     after  that,  it  finally  lands  on  damon.   he  has  a  choice  to  make,  so  he  makes  the  obvious  one.   “  dare.  ”     he  watches  how  jo’s  eyes  flit  from  alaric,  to  him,  and  then  over  to  elena.   he  knows  almost  instantly  that  this  is  going  to  end  poorly.   that  lines  will  be  crossed  ...  lines  that  can’t  be  uncrossed.    “ i  dare  you  to  kiss  someone  in  this  room.   on  the  lips,  no  cheating.  ”     she’s  given  him  an  out,  an  escape  ...  but  he  knows  he  won’t  take  it.    he  won’t  kiss  jo,  would  rather  swallow  razor blades  than  kiss  caroline  again,   and  bonnie  would  rip  his  lips  off  before  he  got  within  50  ft  of  her.   there’s  always  ric,  or  klaus,  but  neither  of  those  options  seem  appealing.    elena  seems  to  have  realized  it  too,  her  cheeks  turning  a  bright  shade  of  pink  as  she  straightens  up.   “  guys,  ”    she  drags  the  syllables  out.   “  c’mon  ...  how  old  are  we,  12  ?   give  him  another  one.  ”     he  cuts  her  off,  interjecting  with  a  shrug.   cavalier,  or  as  cavalier  as  he  can  be  when  his  heart  is  thudding  in  his  chest.   “  it’s  fine.  it’s  just  a  kiss,  right  ?  ”    elena  meets  his  gaze,  nods  her  head.  “ yeah.  ”   she  agrees.   “  just  a  kiss.  ”

         the  room  quiets  as  he  shifts,  brings  a  hand  up  to  curve  around  the  back  of  her  neck.   he  feels  his  cheeks  flushing  as  he  leans  in,  presses  his  lips  against  hers.   he  intends  for  it  to  be  soft;    slow,  even,  testing  the  waters,  but  what  he  plans  and  what  happens  are  two  very  different  things.   their  lips  touch  and  her  hand  comes  up  to  press  against  his  chest,  goosebumps  prickling  his  arms  as  he  shivers.   the  kiss  deepens  and  someone  shifts  closer  until  suddenly  she’s  half  in  his  lap,  a  leg  strewn  over  his  own  in  a  bid  to  get  closer.   he  thinks  he  hears  someone  whistling  but  it’s  impossible  to  think  of  anything  beyond  how  amazing  it  feels  to  kiss  her   ...  to  be  kissed  by  her.     when  they  pull  away,  neither  one  of  them  says  anything.   they  exchange  stolen  glances  out  of  the  corner  of  their  eyes,  don’t  talk  about  what  happened  even  after  all  of  their  friends  have  left.   it  should  be  weird  but  somehow  they  just  ...  fall  into  place.   he  carries  her  books  to  class,  she  snuggles  up  with  him  after  class  on  the  couch  and  falls  asleep  in  his  lap.     one  day  he  kisses  her  in  the  hallway  and  the  whole  school  collectively  loses  it.    they  go  from  friends,  to  lovers,  to  everything  in  the  span  of  a  few  weeks  without  missing  a  beat.   it  works  —  it  fits.

           on  the  last  day  of  school,  on  the  platform  where  they  first  met,  it’s  only  natural  that  damon  asks  her  to  spend  the  summer  with  him.   she  accepts  and  the  summer  bleeds  into  the  year,  and  then  another,  and  then  before  you  know  it  they’re  married  and  taking  their  kids  to  kings  cross  station  for  their  first  year  at  hogwarts.   

       the  years  pass  quickly  and  without  warning  but  through  it  all  ?    they  face  it  together  ...  as  a  team.     

             perhaps  albus  dumbledore  had  known  what  he  was  doing  all  along.