#this being when she first got her hat and cloak wraps everything up so well

[meringuejellyfish]

😭😢<3

[shaperaverse-brainrot]

subverted fairytale tropes?? In my Jill/Marjolein fanfic?? It's more likely than you think. Written for NADS au week for the prompt fairytale. Cw for implied transphobia.

This was as awful idea, an awful, stupid, terrible-

The thoughts rattled through Marjolein’s mind like the clatter of hooves in a horse’s gallop, even if her physical body couldn’t move as fast. She pulled the cloak she had tighter around her, concealing not only the lace of a well-made outfit from outside view, but her own skin from the bitter, biting cold as she walked on, one foot in front of the other.

This was far from the first time that she made the journey through the woods, although she wasn’t accustomed to treading it so late at night, flinching at any sound that she could hear over her own breathing. Usually, she made the journey under light of a warm sun, without fear that someone could be right behind her ready to drag her back, with the person she was journeying to at least aware that she was coming, who would know if she got lost in the woods and didn’t turn up and-

Panic wouldn’t get her anywhere except lost. She forced herself to breathe, a sharp, shaky inhale, and then a more steady exhale. She could do this.

She could do this.

She had packed as much as she could manage into the bag she carried on her shoulder. It wasn’t much, just whatever she could take without it being obvious, but it was better than nothing. It was better than staying in the castle, with her family, with people who would never let her be… She’d stolen the dress, too. It wasn’t the first time she’d stolen feminine clothes, and if her family found her out here, it wouldn’t be the first time they’d caught her doing so.

It was, however, the first time she’d done it without the intention to return.

She really, really should have planned this better.

She kept walking on. Why hadn’t she waited until morning, when it was safer? Couldn’t she have just waited it out? Pretended to play along until morning? When tales she’d been told as a child didn’t seem far too true? Any young royal had been terrified away from the woods, told of dragons they’d have to fight or witches they’d have to fear, and Marjolein had been no exception.  Even if she didn’t quite believe them, anymore, even if her family had been wrong about a lot of things, she still couldn’t help the dread that built in her, and the guilt that rose in her chest. Old habits die hard, it seemed.

Recognising a fallen log, next to an awfully familiar stream, she re-orientated herself. She was alright, she was almost there, in fact, she was so close to safety.

And then she heard a rustling in the trees, and she pressed a palm to her mouth to stop herself screaming, as she spun to face it, stumbling slightly over the roots and plants of the forest ground.

A witch stood there, a basket of potion ingredients and a pointy hat and everything.

Marjolein felt a wave of relief wash over her, as she dashed forward, wrapping the woman tightly in her arms.

“Marjolein?” She asked, voice full of concerned confusion. “What are you-”

“I came to see you.” Marjolein said, still not letting go of Jill. The woman she knew was most certainly not evil, who’d she’d laughed with and kissed and adored on too many “pretend kidnappings” to get her away from a home that didn’t quite accept her.

“What’s wrong?” Jill asked, bringing her hand up to cup the princess’s face. Marjolein shook her head, biting back tears.

“I can’t go back.”

“Why? What happened?”

Marjolein didn’t respond, simply casting her gaze around the pair. Even if Jill was one of - probably the safest person she’d met, she still didn’t want to risk her chances in the woods alone. Jill noticed her gaze, and sighed, giving a soft smile.

“Let’s go home, Leinie. I’ll get you a warm drink, okay?”

Marjolein found it in herself to smile back, as Jill held her hand through the rest of the journey, to the small place Jill had made in the woods, that Marjolein had started to consider more of a home each and every day.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

The Winter Solstice

Fantasy Masks AU: Chapter Seven

A JSE Fanfic

Well after last week’s brief foray into writing for a different fandom, we return to the septics once again. The FM!septics to be exact. It’s the winter solstice, meaning there are holidays to celebrate! Chase, Jackie, and Henrik have a great day that totally doesn’t become suddenly serious near the end haha nope just fun times all around with some world building and character development :) Enjoy :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The day dawned cold and snowy, but nobody at Wyvernlair cared. Not when today was the winter solstice. This was a time for celebration! And with all the people in the camp, there was bound to be a big party. Preparations had been ongoing for the past few weeks. Food was made, games were planned, and time was set aside for those honoring the various holy days. When the day itself dawned, normal duties were put on hold so that everyone could join in. 

Chase woke up at sunrise. He had a quick breakfast—light, since there would be a lot of food at the feast planned for that night—and strolled about, taking in the changes. Everyone was bustling about as usual, but now they chattered with excitement. Some people had hung decorations outside their tents: replicas of snowflakes made from white-painted sticks, candles with carved designs set on the ground, pine branches and snippets of other winter-blooming plants scattered about. Combined with the white layer of snow, it was quite beautiful.

Yet, Chase felt a pang somewhere deep in his chest. Last year, he’d spent Longest Night with his family and the rest of the village. There’d been town celebrations in the square. He helped Quentin carve his first candle. And now? Now, he didn’t know where his family was.

“Chase!”

He was snapped out of his melancholy thoughts when he heard someone call his name. In the middle of turning to see who it was, that ‘someone’ barrelled straight into him. “Oof!” He was about to respond, but found he couldn’t, because he’d been wrapped in a tight bear hug.

“Sorry, did I knock the wind out of you? Sorry!” Jackie was too full of energy to notice he apologized twice. He gave Chase one last squeeze before breaking off the hug.

“It’s okay, just give me more warning next time.” Chase took a minute to catch his breath. “Well. Happy Longest Night, then?”

“Happy Longest Night, then!” Jackie repeated. He whirled his cloak around dramatically. It was still red, but slightly nicer, with a fur lining. His wolf mask was pushed back, sitting on his forehead. “You know the plan, right? We’re having games all day. War games, dice games, card games—a few strategy games, too, the ones we have the boards for in storage. Then there’s the feast later, and the Dark Vigil tonight.”

“Yea, I understand,” Chase said, a faint smile on his face. He couldn’t help it; Jackie was contagious. “How many people will be at the Vigil?”

“A fair share. Schneep won’t; he does something at moonrise instead.” Jackie shrugged. “Are you planning to do any of the games? What about archery?!”

Chase laughed. “No, no, I’m not good enough to compete in a war game. I’ll probably just drift around and join in where I can. Do you think anyone will be playing Luck of the Deal? I’m very good at that.”

Jackie rolled his eyes. “Everyone’s good at Luck of the Deal. That’s the whole thing about it, it’s luck.”

“You don’t know that. There’s skill involved, too,” Chase insisted.

Jackie patted his shoulder. “Whatever you say, Hunter. It’ll be some time before everything really gets going. Anything you want to do before that?”

“Umm...” Chase thought about it. “Well, is there anything I can do to help with the feast preparations? That’s usually a community thing, isn’t it?”

“Well we already have a lot of volunteers for cooking. They’ve already gotten started, in fact.” Jackie thought about it. “But if you want to help, you could put your hunting skills to the test in the surrounding woods. Always good to have more food than less, on these occasions. People would eat their plates, if it was possible.”

Chase laughed. “Oh, I know that. Amabel would eat us out of home on Longest Night. She must’ve gotten her appetite from Stacia’s side of the family.” Saying their names, the melancholy threatened to return.

“Honestly? I have a confession.” Jackie leaned closer. “I’m one of those types, too.”

“Oh? Somehow, that makes sense.”

“And somehow I’m offended.” Jackie gave him a playful shove. “If you want to go ahead, you know where the shortbows and arrows are. Oh!” His eyes widened as he remembered something. “But try not to shoot any pigeons. Those are important.”

“Important?” Chase put the pieces together. “You mean...messenger birds?”

Jackie nodded. “I don’t expect anyone to send messages on the solstice except for an emergency, but there might be some arriving that were sent a fews days, or even a week, ago. It takes a while to fly across the island.”

“Got it. I won’t shoot any pigeons.” Chase shook his head, a bit in awe. “Messenger birds.” He’d heard of them, but never seen them in use. Somehow, they seemed almost as magical as actual magic. Getting letters sent across the kingdom in a matter of days? That was amazing. “I’ll just head out, then.”

“Good luck, Chase!” Jackie said cheerfully, waving as he turned to leave. “Be back before noon, that’s when the fun will start!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

If possible, it was even colder out in the forest, away from the magic heat of the dragon bones. Chase clutched his jacket tighter and made sure his hat was securely on his head. He doubted that he’d find any animals out here. By Longest Night, most of them were hibernating. But it was worth a shot.

Snow crunched under his feet, so he slowed down, carefully placing every step so it wouldn’t make too much noise. There wasn’t a lot of foliage to hide behind in the winter, but he had made sure to grab a white jacket from storage to help him blend in. He’d also turned his hat inside out so that the red ribbon around it didn’t show. After a while, he found what he thought was a good spot to wait. So he settled down, nocking an arrow so it would be ready to fly at any moment.

The world became very still. The only sound he heard was his breath, accompanied by the small puffs of mist that breath caused in the cold. He made sure not to move a muscle.

Until there was a sudden sound. Footsteps, very light, being pursued by much heavier ones. His eyes darted towards the sound. The bare branches of a bush rustled, and suddenly a streak of brown fur dashed out in front of him followed by something much larger—

Chase reacted, letting go of the bow string and loosing the arrow. It shot through the air and landed solidly in the brown furry something. Shocked, he laughed in the rush of actually shooting something moving that fast. But then a voice cried, “I knew it!”

“Wh...?” And Chase finally noticed what the large something pursuing the small animal actually was. He looked up from his position near the ground to see...Lukas. It took him a moment to recognize him without his usual fox mask, but once the brown-auburn hair and tall longbow registered, his heart immediately sank with dread. “What are you doing—”

Lukas took an arrow out of the quiver on his back and nocked it, aiming at Chase. “Did you think you could take me out when nobody was looking?! Claim it was an accident?!”

“What in the world?!” Chase stood up. Slowly, of course, he didn’t want to get skewered by that massive arrow. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t try to play dumb, you just tried to kill me!”

“I was shooting the rabbit!” He pointed at the small animal, which was, in fact, a rabbit.

“A likely cover story.”

All of a sudden, Chase felt hot rage rise up his throat. “I know you hate me but you don’t have to be an idiot about it!” he burst out.

That seemed to take Lukas by surprise. He blinked, and lowered his bow slightly.

“I don’t know what kind of trust issues you have or where they come from, but I’m sick of you always acting this way! I’ve been here for almost a full season now, and you still act like I’m about to stab you in the back the first opportunity I get! I know, you’re probably thinking something like ‘he’s playing a long game to get everyone to trust him,’ but let’s be honest, you’re just looking for any justification to be like this. I wouldn’t trust someone like me in your position either, but I wouldn’t be so obvious about it. You don’t have to like me, you don’t have to trust me, but elders be damned, you don’t have to stir up this much trouble for Jackie and Henrik and everyone else here!” Chase ran out of breath and was forced to stop. He waited silently for Lukas’s reaction.

For a while, there wasn’t one. Lukas just...stared at him. Then he lowered his bow fully, putting the arrow back in its quiver. “What are you doing out here?” he asked in a carefully-neutral tone.

“We have some time before the real celebrations start, so I thought I’d help out by trying to find more food for the feast,” Chase explained. He walked past Lukas and picked up the rabbit, trying not to feel sad. Something about shooting rabbits made him feel guilty. Maybe he respected how hard they worked to stay alive, running so swiftly. Or maybe he thought they were cute. “What are you doing out here?”

“The same thing,” Lukas answered.

Chase snorted. “And you decided to bring that monster of a bow for hunting?”

“It’s more powerful than yours,” Lukas retorted.

“Yes, but it’s also heavier and more cumbersome. I remember my second day here, Holly said that big bows like that were more suited for long range, while shortbows—” Chase waved his bow as an example. “—are better for mobility. Look at all these trees. Do you think you’re able to shoot long range in a forest? Not to mention if you miss, you’ll end up burying your arrow in a tree with all the force you need to fire it. That’ll just be a pain to pull out.”

“I know all this,” Lukas said irritably. “But I’m most familiar with this style of bow. I can make it work.”

“Maybe if you weren’t stomping around the woods,” Chase muttered.

“Excuse me?”

“You were running after the rabbit. Bad idea; you’ll never catch up with them. It’s better to wait and let the animals come to you. If you have to move, be quieter about it. And slow. Conserve your energy; animals get tired faster than humans.” Chase glanced downwards. “You’re wearing heavy boots, I see. Those will make a lot of sound no matter how much you try to be quiet. And your clothes stand out, too. Especially that red band on your wrist. It’s bright and you have to hide it. Like I did.” He turns his cap right-side out again, letting the red ribbon show.

“Hmm.” Lukas eyed him. He did that quite a lot, but somehow, it felt different this time. More...respectful. “Well. I’ll keep that in mind.” He turned away.

“Um...right.” Now that Lukas was leaving, Chase felt the sudden energy that had filled him starting to fade away. “I’ll...see you at the celebrations, then.”

Lukas didn’t say anything, but he raised his hand in acknowledgement, not stopping as he headed back to camp.

Well...that wasn’t too bad, all things considered. Lukas clearly didn’t think worse of him. And he had managed to shoot a rabbit, something he’d rarely done in all his years as a hunter. Though he’d only done that because the rabbit was too busy running from Lukas to notice him crouching nearby. So really, he should thank him.

Maybe later. For now, Chase headed back to camp, ready to join in on the festivities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   

By the time Chase returned to Wyvernlair, the festivities were starting to get underway. Games, mostly. People gathered in circles playing cards, or in threes playing dice, or in pairs playing board games. Others clustered around the players, watching the game and shouting encouragement. Some food was already prepared. Plates of sweet buns and meat pies were passed around. Chase grabbed a couple buns as he looked around.

But though the camp inside the circle of dragon bones was crowded, most people were out on the combat field. That was where the war games were set up. Chase decided to stop by for a moment. Even if he wasn’t going to participate, he wanted to see how things were going.

Targets were set up for archers to test their skill. People had grabbed close-quarters training weapons and were sparring, onlookers cheering on their favored winner. Someone had dragged over a rock and a large branch, setting up a makeshift see-saw that people were standing on top of, trying to knife-fight without losing their balance. Chase shook his head at that particular event. He himself had some scars on his hands from knife-fights as a young man; they really weren’t worth the bragging rights. 

There was an especially large crowd gathered around one particular sparring match. Chase stopped, edging his way into the mass of people as he tried to see what was going on. Wait a minute...was that Jackie?

Indeed, Jackie was one of the sparring participants. And he was easily outclassing his opponent. He easily danced around jabs and swipes, not striking for a while, then jumped forward and hit his opponent on the side with his wooden practice sword. The crowd cheered, and the two participants backed away, shaking hands as they parted. Chase could’ve sworn he saw money change hands among the watchers.

“Anyone want to go for another round?” Jackie called to the crowd. “Doesn’t have to be to the first contact. What about to the ground?”

At that, a tall man grabbed a practice sword from a nearby rack, stepped forward, and announced, “I accept the challenge!” The crowd cheered again. “To the ground!”

Jackie grinned. “To the ground! Someone give us a count!”

In unison, the crowd started chanting, counting down from five as Jackie and his opponent started circling each other. Chase joined in. “Five!...Four!...Three!...Two!...One!...Clash!”

The two men immediately started going at each other with the practice swords, jabbing and backing up, swiping and dodging. The new opponent tried to make use of his height advantage, but Jackie was just too fast. The sparring lasted a few minutes and the crowd was enthralled for every second. Until Jackie managed to get behind his opponent and knock out his legs, making him fall to the ground. The crowd cheered. The opponent got up, looking no worse for wear and in good spirits. He shook hands with Jackie before leaving. Now Chase was sure he saw people exchanging money.

“He’s got skill, doesn’t he?”

Chase looked up, and saw Holly standing beside him. “Oh. Yea, he’s really good.”

Holly laughed. “That’s an understatement. You know he trained at Fíornear Field?” Chase nodded. “Well, so did I. But he could beat me in a fight nine times out of ten.”

“Really?” Chase asked, interested. “That many times? I thought it would’ve been closer between you two.”

“Everyone does. I say it’s the size difference. But what Jackie lacks in height, he makes up for in practice and sheer determination.” Holly watched as Jackie started sparring with another opponent. “Anyway, Chase. Come to watch or try your hand?”

Chase laughed. “No, no, just watching.”

“Well. In that case.” Holly leaned closer. “Care to try for chance?”

“You mean betting? Don’t tempt me.” Chase shook his head. “Besides, I can tell that betting against Jackie is a waste of time and money.”

“Doesn’t have to be at this spar. There’s many more war games to be had. I hear there’s axe throwing.”

“Axe throwing?” Chase perked up. “Alright, I have to see that. Lead the way.”

Holly laughed, and the two of them left, heading towards a set of targets. Indeed, some people had taken up throwing axes at these targets. Not competing against each other at the moment, only themselves, and also showing off for the passersby. Chase watched as one of the axe-throwers hit the center of her target. Then, surprisingly, he recognized the axe-thrower. “Nemet!” he called.

Nemet turned around, smiling at him. “Hello, Chase! How are you?”

“I’m doing fine. What are you...uh...I didn’t know you threw axes.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Is it so unexpected?”

Chase shrugged. “Well, you’re a doctor.”

“I am. I am a doctor who likes to throw axes.” Nemet picked up a throwing axe on the ground beside her. She held it back, paused to aim, and threw. It landed right next to the last one she threw. Holly and Chase clapped, impressed.

“Wanna shoot something, Brodyson?”

Chase yelped in surprise at the voice that came from behind him. He spun around to see Tripp grinning up at him. “You did that on purpose,” he accused.

“Maybe,” Tripp said. He was tossing a rock back and forth between his hands. Getting bored of that, he threw it to the side. Magically, the rock curved around, shooting for the target, where it bounced off the handle of one of Nemet’s axes. “Ah, almost a bull’s eye. Anyway, wanna shoot something, Brodyson? We could have a triple competition, axes versus arrows versus sorcery.”

“Hmm.” Chase considered it. “You know I had only planned to watch, but...that doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Don’t let him pressure you if you don’t want to, Chase,” Nemet said.

“No, do let him pressure you, I want to see this!” Holly insisted.

Chase laughed. “Alright, fine. Just a few rounds.”

Though as the afternoon passed, those few rounds stretched out into many. Chase had never been one for war games, but somehow, he didn’t mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

Eventually, of course, came the main draw of the winter celebrations: the feast. The people who’d volunteered to cook had been preparing food all day, and shortly before sunset, declared it ready. Instantly, a good half of everyone dropped what they were doing and headed over to the cooking fires.

Chase wasn’t sure what to expect from the feast. Wyvernlair didn’t use tables for food, so would everyone be standing around with plates? But it seemed as though they’d found tables, if just for today. Probably borrowed from storage. Some of the meat stayed on the skewer, roasting over the fires to keep it hot until someone wanted it. But most food was lined up on the tables, free to take. Sweet buns and meat pies, of course, but also preserved fruits that had been kept for a special occasion like this, and tarts covered in sugar, and pumpkin pie, and roasted potatoes, and more than could be counted.

Everyone ate until they couldn’t anymore, washing down the food with water, juice, and ale. Chase savored it, mingling and talking with the other Phantoms. And for once, he didn’t feel out of place here.

Time passed. The sun set. And as the feast died down, most people began talking about the Dark Vigil, the ceremony used to honor the Elder of Dark and thank them for protecting humankind from the shadows. Chase yawned. They’d be holding that in the center of camp, where a spot had been cleared specifically for that purpose. But it would be some time before everyone was ready. So, Chase decided to slip out. He headed towards the outside of the skeleton, away from the noise and bustle.

The stars were beautiful tonight. It was clear, without any clouds fogging the view, and the moon was nearly full. Chase leaned back against the bone and stared upward. He hadn’t really had the opportunity to appreciate the world lately. It was all busy, working with the Masked Phantoms. But it was nice to slow down for a moment.

Some minutes passed in silence. Then, he heard footsteps approaching. And then, a small thud, the sound of stumbling, and a muttered “Shiesse!”

Chase looked over towards the sounds, already grinning. “You doing alright there, Henrik?”

With a huff, Henrik emerged from the darkness. “I would be better if I know no one heard that,” he muttered.

Chase laughed. “Anyway, how’re you doing? I haven’t seen you all day.”

“Ah, I am fine.” Henrik leaned against the bone next to Chase. “I have been stuck in a dice game for most of the evening. I almost missed the moonrise.”

“I see. Jackie told me you had to do something around then. Is it like the Dark Vigil?” Chase asked.

“Similar, in ways. Different, in others.” Henrik looked up at the sky. He pointed upwards, at the moon. “She is beautiful tonight, yes? I never understood why your Elders never come from the sky.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, I understand there is the Winged Elder One, but they are for more weather, yes?” Henrik kept his eyes fixed skywards. “None of them are for the heavens.”

“Well why would they be?” Chase shrugged. “The sky’s beautiful and wonderful. But it’s so far away. We live on the earth. Shouldn’t we be more concerned with what’s down here?”

“Hmm. Perhaps.” Henrik sighed. He reached down his belt, removing his flask and taking a drink.

“Oh—” Chase started to say something, then stopped. It would probably be rude to ask, wouldn’t it?

Henrik looked over at him, and guessed what he was about to say. “Yes, I am still taking the medicine. It is...not something that goes away.”

“Sorry,” Chase mumbled. “I shouldn’t have—”

“Is okay,” Henrik said, giving him a small smile. “You are polite about it, so I do not mind.” He returned the flask to his belt. “Ah, though I am afraid I must change the subject now. I just remembered. We managed to get the materials for more plaster this week. So you can finally have a mask of your own!”

“I can?” Chase repeated.

“No need to sound so surprised,” Henrik chuckled.

“I did? I didn’t mean to. It just seems a bit...unreal.” Chase had left his borrowed mask, the hedgehog one, back in his tent. Most people had—or at least he assumed they had, since most of them were walking around without them.

“Yes, I understand.” Henrik nodded thoughtfully. “Do you want to wait?”

“Wait no, I didn’t say that—”

“I am just making sure.” Henrik playfully nudged his shoulder. “You will need to choose an animal, you know. Do you have anything in mind?”

“Oh right. I forgot about that part.” Chase thought about it for a moment. “What about...a deer?”

Henrik raised an eyebrow. “A deer?”

“Is that not allowed? I mean, Tripp’s mask has those ram horns so I figured antlers would—”

“No, is not that, I just suppose I did not expect that.”

Chase shrugged. “I like deer. They’re good animals. Um...do I have to make the mask myself, or...?”

“You can if you want, but if you’re not artistically inclined, someone else could do it easily enough. It’s not that difficult if you are...” Henrik trailed off. He was staring out into the trees, eyes fixed on a point. “Chase. Is something moving there?” And he pointed.

“Hm?” Chase peered into the darkness. Indeed, he could see the faint movement of shadows. “Oh, yea. It’s probably just an animal.” He paused. “That’s...getting closer?”

They looked at each other, but unsure what to do with this information, just turned back to watch the animal get closer. And closer. It was too small to be a threat, but Chase felt Henrik tense anyway. Eventually, the animal got close enough to make out what it was. “A...cat?” Chase asked, confused.

“A cat,” Henrik agreed.

“What’s a cat doing all the way out here?”

“I am not sure...” Henrik said slowly, brows lowered as he thought through the possibilities.

The cat continued its course, walking in a straight line up to the two of them. Chase crouched down and held out his hand. “Here, kitty.” Once it was close enough, the cat sniffed his hand. Then, satisfied, butted its head against it. Chase laughed. “Y’know I haven’t met that many cats. When I was young, maybe about twelve, Pastor Cait had a cat. We joked about that, since her name was so similar, ha. But it’s gone now. I don’t think the town had another cat since then. A couple dogs, but no cats.” He reached out and petted it. And after a few seconds of that, scooped up the cat and stood. “Does someone here have a cat?”

“No, there are no animals in camp,” Henrik said, still puzzled. “Does it have a collar?”

Chase checked. Difficult, given that the cat clearly didn’t like being held and was wriggling a bit. “Yea, right here.” He pointed to a braided leather collar around the cat’s neck. “No name, though. For the cat or its person.”

“Well. It is cold and snowy, and even with that fur, I don’t think the cat enjoys being out here,” Henrik stated. “Maybe we should take it into camp? We have that fire set up in the skull now, that could warm it up.”

“Good idea.”

The two of them headed back, passing between the dragon bones and into the main body of Wyvernlair. By now, the festivities were starting to die down. Games were ending, and a lot of people were getting ready to attend the Dark Vigil. Chase and Henrik walked quickly by, since the cat was really struggling against being held by this point. Luckily, it hadn’t used its claws yet, but Chase could already feel them digging into the fabric of his jacket.

They reached the skull soon, passing through the gap where it joined the rest of the bones and ending up inside. It was almost empty here. Except for two people and several birds. Chase blinked a bit at the surprising sight, but then remembered what Jackie had told him that morning. So these must be messenger birds, then. There were about seven of them, pigeons in a variety of colors; white, gray, brown, spotted. Actually, Jackie was here, too. Along with Ana, who Chase had figured out by now was the head of organization at Wyvernlair. They both seemed rather impatient, quickly putting away documents. Probably heading to the Vigil like most others.

Ana looked up, noticed Chase and Henrik, then turned to Jackie and said, “It’s your best friend and his best friend. They have a cat.”

“They have a what?” Jackie spun to look at them. “Oh elders, you have a cat. Where’d you get a cat?”

“It just wandered up,” Chase said. “We thought it might like to get out of the cold—ow!” The cat dug its claws into his skin, managing to pierce the jacket, and Chase instinctively opened his arms. Of course, the cat landed on its feet, and trotted over to the side of the fire, which was slowly dying but still giving off a lot of heat.

“I’ve never seen a cat like that before,” Jackie muttered. “That’s a really unique pattern, isn’t it?” The cat was mostly a brownish off-white, but its ears and tails were dark gray, almost black, and the tail had rings of lighter gray. Its legs were striped with light brown, and it had markings on its face of the same color. Big blue eyes stared up at the strange people.

“Oh!” Henrik’s eyes lit up. “I had not noticed outside! It was fairly dark. Oh, you are a pretty kitty, aren’t you?” He slowly approached the cat, and when it didn’t run away, bent over and started petting it.

Meanwhile, Ana was bored, and anxious to leave. She looked at Chase, and her eyes lit up with a strangely sly expression. “Hey, it’s Chase, isn’t it? Do you mind helping me open this?” She held out a small tube made of metal and leather. “I’ve been trying for a while, I think it’s stuck.”

“Um..sure,” Chase said warily. Was this going to be a joke of some kind? He took the small tube and turned it over in his hands. There was a door on the side of it, and after some effort, he figured out how to open it. Out fell three items. Two folded pieces of paper, made of pressed wood pulp and therefore pale brown, and a rolled-up piece of vellum tied with twine. “What’s this?”

“Messages,” Ana said, grinning. “Can you see names written on them?”

Chase looked down at the items, sorting through them. There was writing on the folded papers, but...well, it could just be his lack of reading skills, but it looked like absolute nonsense. “These are names?” he asked doubtfully.

Jackie and Henrik looked away from the cat, noticing the exchange between Chase and Ana. “What do you mean?” Jackie asked.

“These words written here, these are...names?” Chase shook his head. “I’ve just never heard names like this before. Um...here, I-I’ll try to read them. Uh...” He squinted at the writing in ink on the two papers. “This one is ‘Ee-uh-oo-koh’ and this one is...um...‘Ffssehffmuh.’ I think? The handwriting could be—”

Henrik’s eyes widened. Suddenly, he was right next to Chase, grabbing his arm and squeezing it tightly. “What is it?! The two papers?! Which one is—that one, can I see that one?”

“Whoa, hey, calm down!” Chase leaned back. “You mean this one?” He held out the paper with the ‘Fsefma’ name on it.

“Yes!” Henrik snatched it up, then retreated, unfolding it.

Jackie leaned over his shoulder, then grinned. “Oh, I see. Vsevna sent you a little letter, didn’t he? What’s it say? Is he confessing his love?”

“Shut up, Jackie,” Henrik said, holding the letter far away from him so he couldn’t read it. “Is just another report.”

Jackie laughed. “Yea, with your name on it. Come on, Henrik.”

“That does not mean anything.”

Chase, listening, raised an eyebrow. “So...I don’t know everything that’s going on, but I think I can figure out that this Fsefna person—”

“Vsevna,” Henrik corrected.

“...Vsefna—”

“Vsevna. It is important that you voice those sounds.”

“He’s the person you’re pining for, huh, Henrik?” Chase pressed on.

Henrik was slowly turning red. “I say nothing.”

“Right,” Chase said, grinning. “So, who is he?”

“He’s another one of the Phantoms,” Jackie said, sensing that Henrik wasn’t going to answer. “He and Yuko—that’s the other name on that second paper. Last we heard, they were in the Southern Moors with the rest of their crew. They said they’d scout it out for a bit more, then move on. These are probably their reports. Or...Yuko’s is a report, at least.”

“Shush,” Henrik muttered. He retreated a few steps away from the others, clutching the letter. As he passed Ana, he shot her a glare. “You make Chase open that on purpose.”

Ana just smiled. “Same results, right? Anyway, that’s the last capsule. Do you mind if I head out now?”

“No, go ahead, Ana. Send Harrison to take care of the birds,” Jackie said. She nodded, and left the skull. He then looked at Chase. “Uh...can I have the other two things?”

“Oh right.” Chase forgot he was still holding the other paper and the vellum scroll. He handed them over to Jackie, and the metal tube as well. “I’m surprised. That’s a lot for a bird to carry.”

“Well these guys are trained for it.” Jackie gestured at the pigeons, now strutting around the table. “Especially Mokin here, who had this stuff.” He patted the wings of a particular pigeon, mostly white but with brown wings, which had strangely curly feathers. “They all deserve the best seeds before we send them out again. Anyway.” Jackie unfolded the paper with Yuko’s name on it, scanning the words written there. At first, he looked excited to get a letter from this person. But the more he read, the more serious his expression became. “Henrik.”

Henrik looked away from his own letter, picking up on the tone in Jackie’s voice. “What is it?”

“I...read this while I open this scroll.” Jackie passed Henrik the letter, then began working on the twine knot holding the vellum shut.

Henrik read the letter quickly, and soon his expression matched Jackie’s. “Oh. Oh, Schwestern. Oh, no.”

Chase started to back up, feeling he shouldn’t listen to something like this. But Jackie noticed him leaving and said, “No, it’s fine, Chase. We should tell everyone this, anyway. Tomorrow, maybe.”

“What is it?” Chase asked anxiously.

“Well...you remember we told you about Marvin, right?” Jackie said slowly. “About how he went out on his own and we sometimes get reports of him?” He waited for Chase to nod before continuing. “This...was a report about him. Apparently, he was in the Moors. But...he didn’t just cause chaos and leave. He’s been...caught.”

“Caught?” Chase repeated numbly.

Jackie managed to untie the twine, and unrolled the vellum, scanning what was written there. He nodded grimly. “Yep. You know what this is?” He turned it around so Chase could see.

“That’s...a royal declaration, isn’t it?” Chase asked slowly. He recognized the format, and the royal seal in the corner. “Um...‘The King...announces a...mighty...triumph.’”

“You do not have to keep going, Chase,” Henrik said bitterly. “There are better words to read than that.” He took the declaration from Jackie, glancing at it for just a moment. “I see. Marvin is accused of attempting to kill the King and some other nobility. They caught him in the act, and now...they plan to execute him. Four weeks from now.”

Jackie looked over at the cat, now sitting and licking its paws, and gasped. “Henrik. You don’t think that’s his cat, do you?!”

“What? I suppose perhaps. But if it is, how did it get all the way up here?” Henrik sounded puzzled. “It takes a week or two to get to the Moors from here, and that is for humans on horseback. For a cat...”

“Wizardry?” Jackie guessed. “I don’t know, it was just a thought, since he likes cats so much.”

Everyone fell silent. Henrik looked back at the royal declaration, reading it slowly, taking in the information. “So...how are we going to do this?”

“Do what?” Jackie asked.

Henrik stared at him in surprise. “Well, we have to rescue him, of course.” Jackie didn’t say anything. “Do not tell me that you’re going to let your grudge stand in the way!”

“No, it’s not that!” Jackie protested. “It’s just—you read the letter, right? Yuko said that these declarations were sent everywhere. Since when has the King announced his next move like this? Everything he does, he does in secret. I mean, damn, the Phantoms are just rumors, and we’ve been taking serious action for years now. He’s hushed up so much, why wouldn’t he just make Marvin...you know, disappear? Why a public execution?”

“You think it is a trap,” Henrik stated.

“Well...yes,” Jackie admitted.

“That is fair, but if it’s a trap, who is he planning to catch? If he wants information about us, he could get it from Marvin.”

“But Marvin hasn’t been part of the group for a year now! His information would be out of date.”

“This does not change the fact that there is no guarantee it’s a trap in the first place. Perhaps he wants to strike fear into the population. Given his actions, it seems likely.”

“If it does turn out to be a trap, though, we can’t afford to lose anyone!”

Chase coughed awkwardly. Jackie and Henrik jumped, then turned to him, looking embarrassed to be fighting while he was still there. “You know...I don’t know if I have any place in this. I mean, you two are in charge, after all. But...I think you should try to get him back.”

Henrik and Jackie looked at each other, then back to Chase. “Are you trying to say something?” Jackie asked.

“I just...” Chase paused for a moment, searching for the words. “I don’t think...you should leave someone behind. He was still part of the Phantoms, right? Didn’t he help create it? A-and weren’t you three...Well. You don’t have to talk to him after we rescue him, but it just doesn’t seem right to leave someone behind in this situation. I know you had your fight and all, but maybe...this could be...you know.” He paused. “Also, I want to know if this cat is his or if some random cat just wandered by.”

Jackie laughed. “Yea, that would be good to know, wouldn’t it?” He sighed, and his expression fell, becoming serious as he was lost in thought.

Henrik leaned closer to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Jackie. Chase is right, this does not mean he is rejoining the group. You do not even have to go. But...we should do it. Marvin does not deserve this.”

After a moment, Jackie nodded. “You’re both right. Of course. Even though he was an ass last time we talked, that doesn’t mean I want Marvin dead.” He took a deep breath. “But we should prepare for the possibility of a trap. Just in case.”

“Of course we will,” Henrik assured him.

“...Hey. Chase.” Jackie gave him a smile. “Thank you. I-I don’t know what it is about you, but you know what to say. It’s really easy to talk to you about stuff like this.”

“It’s not a problem,” Chase said, returning the smile. “But, um...I think the Vigil is happening soon, so if we want to go—”

“Shit, I almost forgot about that!” Jackie gasped. “Henrik, I don’t want to leave the cat alone, can you look after it or something?”

“Don’t worry, I will take it to my tent,” Henrik said. “You two go and...is it alright to wish you fun? In a ceremony like this?”

“Come on, Schneep, you’ve lived here for over a decade, don’t talk like it’s so strange to you,” Jackie chuckled.

“I think it’s fun,” Chase said.

“Well, you two go have fun, then,” Henrik said. “I will see you later. Tomorrow, if not tonight.”

“Thanks, Schneep.” Jackie gave him a quick one-armed hug, then headed towards the skull entrance. “Let’s go, Chase. We don’t want to be late.”

They almost were. The Dark Vigil was about to start when they arrived, shuffling into the crowd. Everyone stood in a circle around a set of candles, one blue and the rest black, which were in turn set in a circle around several smooth, round pieces of black onyx. Three people stood inside, lighting the candles.

After the candles were alight, everyone sat on the ground, clashing a bit as they all tried to make room. Then once everyone was sitting with their legs crossed, the three in the center started the Vigil. They spoke the traditional lines, describing the Elder of Dark—their vague appearance, their actions, their history with the other Elders—and finished it by thanking them for their guardianship. Everyone joined in on the final part: “As you stand and watch vigil, so shall we this night.” And then silence fell.

During the silence of the Dark Vigil, each individual offered their thoughts about those who needed protection. In the past, Chase had asked for his family to be alright. For them all to stay healthy and happy. Today, he asked for that again. He wished, silently, desperately, for them to be safe. And not just them, but everyone else who had disappeared from his town, as well as all the other mountain towns that had been destroyed. He thought about Henrik and Jackie and all the other Phantoms he’d met here, and wished for them to have luck in this fight against the King. He thought about Marvin, someone who he’d never met but who was dear to his friends, and wished for them to be able to rescue him.

As Chase stared at the candle flames, he thought he saw...something. He wasn’t sure what. A shape in the smoke. The shape of a four-legged animal, with...antlers. A deer.

Then as was the tradition, the candles were extinguished, and the night was left in darkness.

[tomtenadia]

Winter Bliss

This is a very old Rowaelin Oneshot that I wrote last year but never published here. So, while you all wait for chapter 3 of A Little Braver i give you my one shot and a lot of fluff. 

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Set sometime in the future after KoA. Aelin is working and Rowan decides to have some fun in the snow with their daughter. Loads of fluff.

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Their daughter is called Aisling which in Gaelic means dream or vision. First because I still think about the dream Rowan had of Aelin and their 5 kids. Also, in my head the Old Language is basically Gaelic.

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It had snowed heavily in Terrasen for the past few days. Rowan moved to the window and stared at the white countryside in front of him. The snow was so thick that it muffled the sounds of the world and a sense of peace swept over him. He opened the big window of his and Aelin’s royal chamber and took a deep breath, inhaling deeply the crisp scent of the air. He wished Aelin hadn’t been busy with crown business that afternoon. It was the perfect day for a walk in the woods, hand in hand, to enjoy a moment of peace just the two of them. Between the kingdom to run and their two years old daughter, they had very little time for themselves and he wished he could whisk her away just for a few hours.

He was deep in thought when he heard some light footsteps behind him. He turned and saw their daughter walking toward him with her stuffed toy in her hands. “Dada!” She cried, walking toward him, arms extended. Rowan ran to the girl and picked her up, hugging her tightly at his chest. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and she giggled. “What is it, my love?” His daughter leaned forward and with her hand pointed at the window and at the snow. “You like the snow?” Aisling’s green eyes lit up in joy “snow” she said pointing outside. At witnessing his daughter’s joy, Rowan had a sudden crazy idea. With her still in his arms he rushed out his chambers and went to the nursery. He put his daughter on the bed and went to the chest of drawers as if on a mission. “You and I are going on an adventure.” He confessed, turning his head to look at the little girl who was his exact copy “but we are not telling mum.” He knew Aelin was going to be busy for a few more hours so he had plenty of time to enjoy the snow with his daughter in all secrecy and come back in time before Aelin discovered anything. Aisling giggled, “snow” she repeated and clapped her hands feeling her father’s excitement at their upcoming adventure in the woods. Rowan went back to her with a selection of clothes to wrap up his daughter nicely. Aelin would have his head on a silver plate if he got their daughter sick. Once Aisling was bundled up in a cosy thick layer of clothes, with a wooly hat a scarf and some gloves he decided they were ready. They stopped quickly to his bedroom so he could grab his cloak and a scarf and they were ready to go. He sneakily opened the door and checked that the corridor was free of guards. He knew they were his wife little minions and there would be no hiding from her this little escape if they spotted him. Aisling hugged her father tightly around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder while he was walking as silently as possible through the castle. “We are almost out.” He whispered. He crossed the last corridor before reaching the main hall. Once he made sure his path was clear he dashed for the door and sneaked out. Once out in the open he took a deep breath and kissed his daughter on her head. She smelled of jasmine, like her mother and he wished she was there as well. Slowly he started walking and shifted the little girl on his shoulders. She put her tiny hands on his silver hair and babbled some nonsense and Rowan laughed at that sound. Once they were deeper in the woods he began singing a song to her in the Old Language and Aisling kept babbling gibberish as if she was singing along with him and Rowan’s heart almost melted with happiness. His two girls were the most precious thing in his world. The day Aisling came to the world he had held them both in the circle of his arms and cried of happiness. He finally had that family he had been dreaming about. And after all the pain he and Aelin had to go through to get to that moment, he felt like the luckiest male alive. He had all he needed. He reached a clearing and stopped, removing his daughter from his shoulders. He sat her down on the snow and Aisling started crawling and playing with the with icy substance on the ground. “Snow” she turned to Rowan smiling happily. Then a flurry of snow lifted from the ground creating a small vortex and Rowan laughed. Aelin and him had discovered quite recently that Aisling had affinity to wind like her father and on a few occasions her power had erupted uncontrolled. Aisling clapped her hands excited at the small flurry of snow and her father added a bit of his magic to make it a bit bigger and gently enveloped her. Then he stopped and the snow fell on his daughter, who was now covered with a light dust of snow. “That was fun, eh?” “Fun!” She repeated and tried to stand on her two feet. She moved a few steps and grabbed some snow and threw it at her dad, losing then her balance and falling with a thump on her backside. Rowan all of a sudden had an idea “Shall we build a snowman?” He asked but did not wait for Aisling to answer. Always keeping an eye on his daughter, who was now using her power to play with the snow in front of her, he started gathering snow to create the two big balls that would have made up the snowman’s body. “Big man!” shouted Aisling while staring at her dad at work. Once the body was completed he began thinking on how to decorated the snowman. He grabbed his daughter in his arms “mama!” She yelled happily. Rowan laughed “Oh yes, she could be mum.” He grabbed a stick and placed it as a mouth, then removed his scarf and tied around the neck of the snow-woman. Once his work was complete with eyes and sticky hands he took a step back. “What do you think, my love? Does it look like mum?” “I know I am pregnant, but I think you made me a bit too fat.” A feminine voice that he would recognise everywhere reached him and he froze. Fuck. He thought. How did she find out? He turned. Aisling leaned forward toward her mother “mama” she called happily. Aelin took her daughter in her arms and turned to her husband who was now frozen in place. “You thought you were being sneaky?” “I had the perfect plan.” He finally took a step toward her and placed a kiss on her cheek reddened by the cold. Aelin chuckled “You failed miserably, buzzard.” She snuggled close to his chest “you forgot to check that there was no staff about. Emrys was coming out of the kitchen when he spotted you.” Rowan growled happily and nibbled at her ear “I missed you.” He muttered as a sort of apology. “I am sure my snow version would have been more than happy to please you.” Rowan was about to add a snarky remark when Aisling started to get agitated to get off from her mother’s arms. Aelin placed the little girl on the snow and she ran happily toward the snow-woman. Rowan laughed and moved behind Aelin and with his arms he circled her waist and placed his hands on her swollen belly “I love all the three of you. Madly.” “You forgot the boobs.” Was Aelin’s comment, not allowing him to have a cheesy moment. She freed herself from his embrace and joined their daughter. Clumsily she tried to bend down and grab some snow but her belly was in the way. “Does your majesty require the help of her dutiful husband?” He joked, while walking toward her with a big grin painted on his face. “Yes, my dearest husband, it’s good to know you can be of some use.” And gave him a warm smile and blew him a kiss. Rowan grabbed some snow and passed it to her. Aelin moulded it in her hands and then pressed it on the ball of snow and attached the fake boobs. “Now it looks like me.” “You have a high opinion of your bosom’s size.” He teased her shamelessly. In response she glared at him, then grabbed one of the snow boobs and threw it at him, then grabbed the other and threw it as well until his hair was even whiter. Aisling laughed and created a bigger flurry of snow around her dad. Rowan grabbed the little girl in his arms and started spinning on his feet until he collapsed in the snow with his daughter on his chest. “Wait for me.” Shouted Aelin, while trying to sit on the snow. Rowan offered her a hand and slowly she made her way down. She pulled the hood of her cloak on top of her head and lay down beside her husband and daughter. A strong arm went behind her back and pulled her closer. She placed a hand on her daughter’s back and then looked in her husband’s green eyes. “Kiss me.” He took his time, and when she began to pout he finally leaned forward and gave her a chaste kiss on her lips. “You are bad at making snowmen.” “I already excel in almost everything I do,” he chuckled “it’s normal that I might have some flaws in other endeavours.” Her smile turned wanton and he noticed the glint of lust in her eyes. “Not here and not with our daughter.” He added, knowing exactly where her mind had wondered off to. “Then take me home, buzzard and show me some of this amazing skills you have.” He stood with a fluid motion and helped her stand as well. “At your service, my Fireheart.”a smirk painted on his face and desire in his eyes. Aelin took Aisling for his arms and started walking back to the castle. Rowan put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. He looked at his wife and daughter and smiled. A deep sense of happiness settled in his soul.

And in that instant it started to snow again…

[aggressive-positivity-network]

How do you think the mercs would react to engineer getting really tired and doing something absolutely idiotic? Like Engie don't lick the soap it won't taste good sweetie (totally not inspired by the fact ive done this same thing while exhausted)

Also your hcs are great!! They all seem super thought out and they're a thrill to read! Your writing is... Ok no word seems sufficient to describe it! It just too good!

Askers like you make my day! Thank you so much! Sorry if this is a little short, but I’m still working on the relationship ones, which take forever to write.

Scout:

“Hey, uh, Engie...buddy...you good?”

“Listen, I’m the only merc around here that does stupid stuff like that...you’re one of the smart guys, remember?”

Pretends to yawn so that Engie will feel more tired and go to bed faster.

When that doesn’t work - Engie doesn’t pay much attention to his surroundings when he’s working - he asks Sniper for help.

Sniper:

“Aw, bloody ‘ell, ‘as he gone into one of his fits again?”

‘Fits’ meaning bouts of creative invention that can last anywhere from several hours to a couple weeks.

Sniper waves a hand in front of Engie’s face, but to no avail.

“Nah, mate, he’s outta this world. All off in his own universe. There’s nothin’ that can bring him out now.”

Suddenly Medic walks by, and the pair practically pull him in to help.

Medic:

“Hm...zhere’s only vun thing that can avaken zhis building beauty!”

Medic wraps his arms around Engineer’s neck. No response.

Head on the shoulder. Nothing.

Chin resting on top of head. Nope.

Tugging on his collar. Still nada.

Finally, Medic uses his secret weapon: the cheek peck.

Engie still doesn’t look up - in fact, Medic has to pull his arm away from almost putting his hand on a sparking wire, something that an alert Engie would never do.

“Ach! Engie! Dummkopf! Vhat are you doing?!”

Suddenly, Spy peeks his head in as he walks by, but Medic grabs him by the tie.

“I need zhis vorktable for my experiment, and ve have all tried our luck. Any bright ideas?”

Spy:

“Why must I always find myself in these situations? Surrounded by idiots, waiting for my assistance.”

A murmur of complaints all around, but no one contradicts him. They still need a pair of fresh eyes.

Spy snaps in front of Engie’s face.

“Laborer? Do you mind coming down to earth so the good doctor can commit his nightly atrocities?”

No answer. Not even a look.

Spy thumps Engineer’s hat several times. Then knocks. Then takes it off completely. Still no reaction.

Spy has been getting increasingly more frustrated, as he has been waiting to unwind all week, and this is keeping him from a glass of scotch and a good magazine.

“Did your Texan weed of a mother never teach you manners? Or did she not know any herself? She most likely had yet to learn her alphabet, much less any sort of etiquette.”

Scout cringed, Sniper pulled his hat over his eyes, and even Medic put a hand on his bonesaw. You never talked about Engineer’s mom. Scout almost got a wrench through his forehead when he walked into Engie’s workshop in the middle of a Yo Mama joke.

This happened to be an exception, because Engie still stared blankly at his project. This infuriated Spy, whose sharp tongue usually had a much bigger impact.

“LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU, YOU SLACKJAWED SCREW MONKEY!”

Spy gave Engie a stinging, backhanded slap.

Engie scarcely stumbled.

Spy roared in rage and walked out, using his cloaking device so he wouldn’t have to bear a walk of shame. He was also holding his raw hand, which was hurt from the slap.

Demo walked in right after, rubbing his eyes and looking really hung over.

Demo:

“Mmph...whasall this, then? Aye...onea those, eh?”

Demo, being the night owl that he is, had seen Engie in his zone before - in fact, he was usually the first to snap Engie out of it.

“Comere, I’ll show ya how it’s done.”

Demo took the empty beer bottle he was holding and cracked Engie over the head with it. It shattered on impact.

“Don’tcha worry, lads, that hard hat ‘a his is made for more than a strong drink.”

Demo laughed at his own joke, then slowly got serious as he realized Engie still wasn’t reacting.

“Lad? Are ya...did anybody check for a pulse?”

Medic walked over and put two fingers on his neck. After a few minutes, his eyes went wide.

“No bloody pulse?! How the hell-!”

Pyro suddenly walked in, holding a bag of gummy bears.

Pyro:

He mumbles excitedly, then goes over to Engie.

She takes a red gummy bear, which are Engineer’s favorite, and holds it out to him.

No response.

Pyro laughs good-naturedly, as if he was joking about how silly Engineer was being. He put the gummy bear in Engineer’s mouth.

It fell out, but Pyro giggled and put it back in again.

It tumbled out once more, and Pyro cocked their head.

This whole process went on a few more times before Pyro decided to tap Engie on the shoulder.

When that didn’t work, he walked over in front of the table to look at Engie’s face, and hopefully get his attention.

Pyro took one look, started, then backed away slowly. After they had gotten a good distance, he ran to Medic and hid behind him, starting to cry.

Sniper translated: “He doesn’t look good...he doesn’t look like Engie...he didn’t even look...did I do something wrong?”

There was a rattling from above, and Soldier popped his head out of the vent and looked around.

Soldier:

“Morning, maggots!”

“It’s ten o’clock, mate...”

“You shut your godamn mouth before I write you up for insubordination!”

Soldier leapt down, took one look at Engie, and grunted.

“Gone A.W.O.L, huh?”

Everyone nodded, albeit unsure.

“I’ll show you landlubbers what we did in the army...”

He very slowly crept up to Engineer, grinning. Everybody took a step back, just in case.

Finally, Soldier pounced, taking Engineer’s hat and replacing it with his own, whooping and laughing as he went back up the vent.

Everyone just stared at each other, and while they were all recovering, Heavy walked in, still in his nightgown.

Heavy:

“Team is all here...what is wrong?”

Everyone started talking at once, but Heavy just held up a hand.

“One at time. Doktor. What is wrong?”

“Engineer doesn’t have a pulse, he hasn’t reacted to stimuli, his facial expression doesn’t change...he is a dead man valking!”

Heavy just chuckled. “Engie just sleepy. Here. Heavy will take him to bed.”

Heavy picked Engineer up by the underarms, lifting him over his shoulder.

Before he knew it, Engineer was falling apart. Arms, legs, body. It all crumbled to the floor in a mix of wires and cogs.

Pure. Chaos.

Everyone was either screaming, crying, looking like they were about to vomit, or were trying to salvage the pieces.

Suddenly, they heard a yawn behind them.

“Well, howdy, y’all!”

Engineer:

After everyone had gotten over the shock and had made a huge hug pile, Engineer explained everything.

The Engie at the desk was a robot with a realistic skin suit on. In the dark and dusty workshop, no one had noticed the difference.

He was actually doing an experiment - something that resembled a “straight face” experiment they had done with children. He wanted to see how people reacted when there...wasn’t any reaction. His hypotheses were mostly correct - except for Soldier, put he was a random variable anyway.

Scout was mildly put off, Sniper and Medic came up with a logical solution, Spy was furious because of his job’s emphasis on reaction, Demo joked around until it wasn’t funny anymore and then just froze, Pyro was very upset, and Heavy tried to physically change the situation.

“It was all real interestin’...but it had to be a blind study. Sorry I had to worry y’all. It’ll never happen again.”

He looked down at his broken robot.

“Especially not with my Engiebot in pieces.”

Engineer told everybody goodnight, apologized one more time, said he’d make it up to them, and then went to his room.

Needless to say, everyone followed Engie to bed that night.

And he had a certain Frenchman to apologize to over a cold-shouldered breakfast.

***************

I’m a writer...can’t you tell? No, but seriously, by the time I realized it was spinning out of control, I had written too much to delete. I know it wasn’t exactly a normal response, but I just couldn’t resist! I just felt a really good story in this one!

Anyway, I’m sorry this took so long! I have an ask blog and a lot of requests coming my way, so I may be a little slower on the upkeep. But a lot of the requests are pretty short, so I should be able to knock them out.

@catbunblue302

[citydreamgrls]

surprises

ron weasley x fem!reader

words: 4,049

a/n: i would just like to say a massive thank you to the love shown on my past two weasley fanfics. i hope this one can bring you just as much joy and escape in these horrible times ,, stay safe ! :)

warnings: smut (18+) , daddy kink , dominant ron ;)))

It was a sunny day in London, and people had flocked to the streets to enjoy the fleeting good weather before it was gone again. I was on my break, the top buttons of my work blouse undone as I leant over the bridge to watch the river’s water pass by. A cigarette went between my fingers and lips as I checked my watch, just another five minutes then I’d be back to serving coffee to rushing businessmen.

My lungs filled up and I turned around, my back on the railing as I puffed out a small cloud of smoke before my eyes. I froze, blinking a few times before laughing quietly to myself.

I really must be missing my friends, because I could’ve sworn I saw Harry, Ron and Hermione on the other side of the road. But there wasn’t anyone there when the smoke cleared. I snuffed out the cigarette and headed back into the coffee shop, doing up my buttons and grabbing my apron.

-

“Do you think she saw us Ron?” Hermione asked me as I fell against a lamppost.

“How would I know, I was there too.” I huffed, looking up at the house that stood in a row of identical ones.

“Come on you two,” Harry called, having aparated a few doors down “I think it’s this one?”

“Number 52?” Hermione shouted, grabbing her bag and following me as I caught up to Harry.

“Yep, it’s this one.”

“Well we better set up then,”

We had decided to visit y/n last minute, knowing her parents’ plans to visit her grandmother on her birthday weekend. So we decided to throw her a surprise party to cheer her up.

“When are the boys getting here?” Harry asked, preparing to pick the lock.

“One step ahead of you!” Fred and George pulled open y/n’s front door, making us all jump back. “Well come on you lot, this house won’t decorate itself.”

“It would if we could use magic,” I grumbled. 

-

“Bye guys, see you on monday.” I said to my co-workers, grabbing my bag and heading out into the warm evening air.

“Have a good birthday darling,” My boss, who was stacking the outdoor chairs, said as I walked past.

I opened cards on the walk home, mostly from regular costumers and people I worked with. A few of my muggle friends had come into the shop to give me gifts and wish me a happy birthday, even an aunt I hadn’t seen in months stopped by today. But nothing from Harry, Ron or Hermione.

In fact, I’d heard very little from them since the term ended. Not that I minded too much, they were spending the summer together and were probably busy. I had muggle friends in London too, which made the summer that little bit better.

“Oh y/n darling.” My neighbour hobbled down her doorstep, drawing me from my thoughts.

“Oh hi Mrs Hampton, is everything okay?” I asked, putting the cards in my bag and fishing around for my house keys. She bent down to pick something up from her front door.

“I made you a cake sweetie, I heard your parents are out of town and wanted to make sure you had something good to eat for your birthday.”

I took the cake from her outstretched hands and beamed with glee.

“Thank you so much, this is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me.”

She winked my way and chuckled,

“Just you promise that you won’t have too many friends round, my hearing might not be great but I can still sense a crowd.” she smirked.

“I promise it’ll be civilized if anything.”

“Well enjoy it anyway darling, bye bye.” I waved her off, turning to leave as she disappeared inside.

I caught a glimpse of something flashing by the window of my house and stopped again. Maybe I was just beginning to see things. I shook my head and carefully unlocked the front door so as not to drop the cake.

“Happy birthday buttercup,” A voice sounded from nearby, I turned round in the doorway to see my best (muggle) friend Jade leant against the garden gate with a smile on her face.

We’d known each other ever since the first day of nursery when I had an obsession with buttercups, hence the nickname. She had helped me find as many as I could to take home, and we’d been close from then on.

“Jade!” I put the cake down and went to give her a hug, I’d barely had a chance to see her before she had gone on holiday. “When did you land?”

“About an hour ago, I thought I’d come and say hi. And give you this.” A small blue box was placed into my hands gently, I frowned as I opened it up. Seeing a little silver bracelet, one that matched hers exactly. “Mum helped me find another one,” she laughed, “it took long enough.”

“I love it, thank you.” I hugged her again, holding her tight against me. “What are you doing later?” I asked.

“Nothing really, why?”

“I was thinking maybe we should have an early party, you know because the parents are out of town and all.” I offered up.

“Yeah, i’ll round up the others and be back here in an hour?”

“Perfect, oh and bring as much booze as you can.”

“Anything for you y/n,” she teased and went off down the road.

I picked everything up and went into the house, kicking the front door shut and heading to the kitchen to place the cake down carefully. I read the icing message with a smile and flicked on the kettle with a sigh, I didn’t have long to get ready.

A giggle sounded behind me, making me jump and grab my wand from the side. I stuck it up in the air and called out to the air.

“Who’s there!” I wasn’t sure what I’d do if an intruder came out. Especially if it was a muggle, I'd look a bit mental flinging a stick in their face.

Another noise caught my attention, this time from the living room. As I crept towards it, I could tell it was more of a fizzing of sorts. I turned the corner, wand still outstretched, and stopped in my tracks.

Right in the middle of the room a small firework was spinning around harmlessly. I got closer, frowning until it burst and displayed the small message.

Happy Birthday y/n !!!

Before I even had a chance to process it, Harry threw off his invisibility cloak in front of me and the rest of the group appeared out of thin air. I screamed in shock, amazed that they were all here for me. Suddenly the room was no longer dark and miserable, and now covered in balloons and streamers, music already playing.

“Surprise!!” The twins grabbed me from behind, and threw me into the air.

“Put her down you lunatics!” Ron shouted over the music. “The neighbours will think she’s being murdered.

“Don’t worry,” Hermione smirked, “I already put a silencer on the house.”

“What are you all doing here?” I asked, hugging them all in turn.

“We didn’t want you all on your own,” Harry smiled, quick to pour drinks for everyone.

“Yeah, especially not on your birthday.” Ron added, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, earning a teasing look from Fred and George who were wearing matching party hats.

“Oh guys this is great, but we have a small problem.” They all frowned at me as I explained what was gonna happen.

-

��So Fred, George, remember to keep the magic to a minimum but it isn’t the end of the world. Harry, you're in charge of making sure any pictures are hexed so they’re deleted immediately okay, we don’t need any traces of this party for my parents to see online. My friends I could explain, but you guys are strangers in their eyes and would be harder to explain if you two are performing charms in the background” I glared at the twins.

“Hermione, you’ve already obliviated the front door yes?” I asked.

“Anyone who crossed out of it will forget this entire night.” She promised me.

“Perfect.”

“Uhhh what’s my job?” Ron asked.

“Heavy lifting,” I smirked. “Take all the breakables and lock them in the coat cupboard, I can put it all back in the morning.”

The group nodded, rushing off to sort out everything while I sped up to my room to get ready for the party. Hermione followed closely, having missed her own muggle life for some time this felt like normality for her.

“It’s odd coming back isn’t it,” She nodded, looking round my room before chilling on my bed. “How has your guy’s summer been?” I asked her, starting my makeup.

“It’s been good, I stayed at the burrow. Ron wouldn’t shut up about you.”

“Do I irritate him that much?” I giggled.

“Come on he’s obsessed with you,” Hermione huffs, sick of trying to convince me yet again. “It was his idea to come here, he wouldn’t rest until we all agreed to come surprise you.”

“He’s just nice like that,”

“Have you ever seen him put as much effort into anyone else?” she smirked.

“I think you’re the only one who thinks he likes me mione,” She rolled her eyes, picking up an old magazine and waiting for me to finish.

-

On cue, Jade and a whole group of my muggle friends arrived each person with handfuls of booze to get through the night with. Soon the music was blasted and everyone was doing shots and dancing around my house.

The twins were impressing girls in the kitchen, this time with their new-found beer pong skills, instead of magic. But Harry was the one to watch, as he made up some wild story about his scar to a group of boys I’d known from down the street.

“Ron, I think she might be checking you out.” I giggled, leaning close so he could hear me over the music. He didn’t even bother looking at the girl I was talking about.

“Oh right,”

“Well aren’t you going to talk to her?” I nudged him.

“Oh, no I’m good thanks.” He took another gulp of his drink.

“Come on, you may as well give it a try. She won’t remember anything about tonight anyway,” I joked, he looked over at the girl giving him glances. She blushed when he noticed her.

“She’s not my type y/n,”

“God you’re so stubborn,” I laughed, finishing my drink. He didn’t say anything and just walked off, leaving me standing alone at my own party.

“Oh thanks a lot,” I scoffed and headed to the kitchen just to see Fred land another shot at the table. The boys on the opposing team were hammered and could barely see at this point.

“Having a good time y/n?” Fred asked, taking a break as they set up another round.

“Yeah this is fun, thanks you guys.”

“Oh it’s all Ron’s doing really,” George said, coming to my side as I poured another drink, not holding back on the spirits “Speaking of, where is he?”

“Oh he went off in a huff when I mentioned some girl was checking him out, I don’t know why he’s so stuck up about it. I was doing him a favour.”

Neither of the twins said a word, making me suspicious. “What?”

“Little Ronniekins does have a crush, you know.” George teased me.

“Oh not you guys too. Hermione said the same thing, he doesn’t like me like that.”

“Never underestimate how dim that boy can be y/n,” Fred huffed.

I gulped my drink down in a matter of seconds, sick of hearing them tell me something that didn’t feel true. I went to fill it up again, met with an empty bottle. In fact, there wasn’t much alcohol left at all.

“Great, looks like I’m off to the shops,” I rolled my eyes and turned around to see Hermione in the hallway. “I’m going out won’t be long.” I told her, she nodded in agreement. “Oh could you do me a favour-”

“I’ve already put a silencer on the house, no one on the street knows a thing.” She reassured me.

“God you’re good.” I laughed and took my coat off the hook. I temporarily lifted the obliviate spell on the door and passed through, seeing Ron sat on the front wall.

“So this is where the real party is,” I teased him, putting an arm around his shoulder.

He laughed lightly, unable to stay mad for too long.

“Are you going somewhere?” He pulled at my coat.

“Just to the shops, I won’t be long.”

“I can come if you want?” He offered.

“Yeah sure,” I smiled, jumping off the wall and stumbling back a bit with drunkenness.

“Careful darling,” He teased me, making me pout.

-

The streets were quiet on our walk back.

“This is fun,” He said in confidence.

“Do you mean us walking or the party?”

“Both, but this a bit more.” I was swaying about, the bottles in the bag rattling about. He took it from my hand with a laugh and used the other to hold me steady.

“Thank you, I can get clumsy when I’m drunk.” I rested my head on his shoulder as he slowed even more.

“It’s sweet.”

“You think so?” He nodded. “Hermione told me the surprise was your idea,”

“Uh yeah, sort of.”

“Well I think it was your best idea to date,”

Ron let go of my arm and took my hand in his, swinging it between the two of us.

“Hermione also told me something else,” I teased.

“What?” he seemed nervous.

“It’s a secret,”

“y/n,” he glared jokingly, “tell me.”

I stopped us in the street so I could get close to his ear to whisper.

“She told me that you’ve been talking about me all summer.” He was blushing slightly when I pulled away, but his hand remained in mine.

“Yeah I kinda have,” he kept his eyes on his feet as we started walking again. “But it’s only because I missed you.” “Aw I missed you too Ronniekins,” he shook his head.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Fred and George.”

“Are you jealous?” I joked.

“You’re my friend after all,”

We stopped at the front gate where Ron turned to face me as he leant against the wall, shoving his hands into his pockets as he spoke.

“I think you like me,” He declared boldly.

“You’re getting brave,” I teased.

“Am I right? That’s what matters.”

“Maybe a little,”

“I like you y/n,”

I smirked, moving closer to him so that he was pressed up against the brick.

“Does this mean I can kiss you already?”

Ron grabbed my face the second I had uttered those words, and kissed me hard as if it had been boiling inside him all this time. My hands grabbed at the collar of his shirt, playing with the fabric between my fingers while he caressed me gently.

He had a reserved sense of fierceness behind his actions. One part of him held me tight and close, unwilling to release me and halt our kiss. But the other side wondered whether he should savour this moment in all its glory.

A cough sounded at the door behind us, making both Ron and I jump apart.

“I would love to say ‘about time���, but we’re one down for our beer pong team and we can’t lose the streak.” George complained, and Ron nodded moving to follow his brother inside. “So come on y/n, you’re needed.”

“And that is why I am the best chaser on the quidditch team goalie,” I teased Ron, bringing him in with me.

-

Once all the alcohol had been consumed, one way or another, and all the muggle guests had left (with no recollection of the night at all) I began to clear up. Hermione was already in bed in my parents’ room, and Harry had been discarded on the kitchen table where he insisted he would spend the night.

The twins were dead asleep on the sofas when I checked on them, Ron clicking in their faces to try and rise them. With no luck.

“They’re out cold,” He laughed.

“Come on then, I’m tired.”

“Oh so you’re letting me join you,” Ron grabbed my waist, pulling me away from the staircase before I could even get a foot on the first step.

“Put me down Ron,” I giggled, jumping at the feeling of his lips on my neck. He began walking up the stairs and kicked open my door.

“Only when it’s safe to do so,” he joked, throwing me onto the bed.

I landed on my back, the air in my lungs knocked out.

“Careful, throw me around too much and I might just fuck you,” I joked, but Ron’s eyes were darker now as he smirked. I moaned internally, just seeing him like this got me excited.

“And if I did fuck you y/n?”

“I would never complain about anything, ever again.” I sighed and he threw his top off, getting on top of me and kissing my neck yet again. Deeper and harder, leaving little purple marks to show off the next morning.

His hands were all over my body, even more so when our clothes were gone. He reached down between my legs and pushed my thighs away ever so carefully. He whispered beside my ear, fingers ghosting over my panties.

“Is this what you want y/n?” I nodded, words seeming too complex. “You want my fingers inside you don’t you, knuckle deep?” All that came out was a gasp as he pulled the final item of clothing away and pushed a single finger in as promised.

I could hear how wet I was, and he could feel how, even around one finger, I was the tightest he had ever felt. One by one he added fingers, making my body seize up with the burning pleasure of their movements.

Then they were gone, dragged away, my back falling onto the mattress yet again this time with a disappointed sigh.

“Don’t worry darling, I’m not done.” He grinned, taking his cock from against his chest and pumping it. He was fully hard at just the sight of my naked body before him, all his to use as he desired. I had never wondered about the size of Ron’s cock, but this was beyond what I had ever imagined anyone’s.

It was thick and long and begging to be inside my dripping pussy. He leant closer, lining himself up with one hand and holding one of my thighs down with the other. I groaned at how forceful he was, enjoying that he was so openly having his way with me.

“You ready baby?” He asked.

“Yes… daddy,” Ron’s cock pushed deep inside me, and the nickname just made him want to get even deeper. He held one of my legs up, forcing me to tighten up around him.

“Oh fuck .. fuck.” I screamed, unbothered if I would wake the others.

“Turn around,” Ron demanded, to which I scrambled to bend over for him with my ass in the air. “Good girl,” He smacked my cheek with one hard slap and entered my pussy again in one smooth thrust, immediately groaning at the feeling.

He was hard, but I loved it. His rhythmic, strong thrusts would have sent me flying if it wasn’t for his iron grip on my waist keeping me down. I had no choice but to grip the bedsheets in my hand and scream myself silly while he pounded me like an animal.

One hand reached forward, round my neck and onto my throat. Ron pulled me up, so my back was pressed up against him.

“You’re gonna ride me now darling, like a dirty slut.” I moaned at his words, completely unravelled by them. I came then and there, being held like a willing prisoner and fucked like a whore. “Good girl,” He whispered, pushing me away and laying down, his hands resting behind his head as I climbed onto his cock and letting it slip up and into me.

This feeling, with his length, made riding an incredible experience. I felt unstoppable with Ron’s encouraging words and wandering hands that would rest upon my bouncing tits as my hips went up and down.

“Oh fuck, daddy I’m so close.” I screamed, getting faster as I chased my high like a hungry bitch.

“I want to cum inside you y/n,” He told me.

“Do it,” I groaned out. “I’ll cum too, I promise.”

“Beg,”

I pleaded out, over and over, before he spilled inside me. Less than a second after I came all over his thick cock, falling down in exhaustion and laying beside him. The only noise in the room was our laboured breathing, but Ron took my hand in his and kissed it.

“You’re incredible,” he spoke softly, now worried that we might have woken the whole street if it wasn’t for the house’s silencer.

A few moments later, once we had finally come round again, I pulled the covers over us and let Ron hold me close.

“We have to leave in the morning,” He told me.

“Can’t you just stay the rest of the weekend?” “Mum and dad are going away, and they can’t leave Ginny on her own.”

“I’ll miss you,” I told him.

“Come with us, you can stay the rest of the holiday.” He offered up, not wanting to sleep without me by his side now he felt how normal it felt to have me in his arms.

“I wish I could, but I have to work.”

“Just quit, it wouldn’t matter.”

“I need that job when I come back next summer,” I laughed, but Ron had a thought on his mind.

“Don’t come back next summer, just stay with us. You’re always complaining that your parents are never here. And if you want to see your friends, you can still visit.”

“Every summer at the burrow, with you?”

“Only if you want to,”

“I really want to.” I smiled, nustling into his side.

-

The next morning I packed a bag and wrote two letters. One for my boss, to explain that I had to quit under important circumstances and that I was very sorry. The other for my parents, telling them not to worry. That I was grateful for them always, but that I had friends to be my family now.

“Come on y/n,” Harry shouted down the stone steps, “I want to go to diagon alley before we leave London.” I threw my case down to George, who almost fell at the weight of it.

“Y/n?” Jade shouted to me across the road. The Weasley’s, Harry and Hermione froze at the sight of her but she smiled at them politely as if she’d never met them. A silent sigh of relief was sounded by us all. “What happened last night?” She asked, putting us on edge again.

“What do you mean?” I laughed it off.

“Well I remember bringing loads of people over, but I can’t for the life of me recall anything that happened last night.”

“You must have been really drunk Jade, I saw you and it looked bad.”

“Oh god, I feel awful. I must have been a real hassle.” She noticed the twins eyeing her from the group. “They look familiar, have I met them before?”

“No, they’ve just picked me up. I’m going away for a bit but I’ll let you know when I’m back.” Her attention was quickly back on me.

“Okay, well, have a good summer and ring me when you can.” She hugged me goodbye and headed off back up the road.

“She totally had a thing for me last night,” Fred gloated.

“No she did not, she wanted me.” George argued.

“Oh shut it you two!” Hermione huffed, sporting yet another hangover. “Are we all ready?”

I took Ron’s hand in mine and smiled at the ginger boy beside me, “Ready.”

[valkirsif]

Mad Hatter

Another gif for mine little smutty lady @learisa sorry for wait but finally finish <3

Jefferson (Sebastian Stan Mad Hatter) x Reader

Word 4300.. yea yea another long shot :)

Warning SMUT!! New kink calling Shibari, hold japanese art! 

Y/N opened her eyes looking around confused, she remembered the day just passed, went to work and to the gym and spent the evening at dinner with her friends then went home and, after giving the cat food, was went to bed and now woke up in a colorful forest surrounded by giant flowers and butterflies, she got up thinking it was a dream like those she had as a child but felt lucid, the air brushed her face bringing with it the scent of raspberries, why did that place seem so familiar to her?

She followed the path of white stones and came to a crystalline lake and looked in the mirror, she no longer had pajamas in place, was wearing a colorful silk dress and a patchwork corset, she smiled more and more sure was dreaming, a group of goldfish climbed in surface and splashed it with cold water, she shivered and realized was awake .. she started to get really scared, where was it .. turned around and retraced her steps and once back saw her cat waiting next to her to the flower where she had woken up, came up calling him,

" Mefi cone did you get here?" she said stroking it, the cat's purr calmed her, "Do you know where we are?", the cat moved walking towards a rose garden, it seemed different from usual, she decided to follow him,

" Mefi .. Mephisto wait for me" said reaching him, behind the rose garden she saw a village, took the cat in her arms and walked away.

A woman went to meet her smiling,

"You're back!!" she said hugging her, "Come on I just took your favorite cake out of the oven",

Y/N thanked her by following her around the house trying to figure out who she was and how she got to know her,

"And you were good at watching over her," said to the cat pouring him some milk,

"In a couple of days you will return to normal quiet",

"I, I'm sorry but I have no idea who you are there that this place is" Y/N was confused,

"Oh dear you will think quietly" answered the woman pouring her the tea, "You have been beyond the borders for years it's normal" she smiled,

"Now rest, your room is ready",

Y/N looked out, it was already night and yet it seemed to her that she had just woken up, she went up to the room followed by the cat and collapsed in bed exhausted.

As it happened to her as a child she dreamed of what was her best friend .. the Hatter, the other children laughed at her because only she saw him but she didn't care, it was as she remembered him tall with dark hair always unkempt and bright blue eyes, ran to meet laughing with him top hat too big to be true and his colored clothes, she had ribbons and bows sticking out of his pockets, took her in his arms and spun her around .. she woke up cheerful, when she sat up saw a boy sitting at the foot of the bed staring at her and got scared even though his eyes were familiar,

"Good morning Y/N" he said jumping on her lap, "You finally woke up", the girl was stunned that strange boy acted like a cat,

"Mephisto ??" she asked, bowing her head to the side to get a better look at him, yellow eyes and black hair, “Heaven is that you really? That woman said you'd be back to normal .. is this your usual shape?" she was full of questions and curious,

"Who did you think I was sorry?" he asked seriously, "I've lived with you for years and you don't recognize me?", Y/N shook her head pretending that it was all normal, they went down following the scent of cookies,

"Hello dear, I see that you have regained your shape" she said greeting them, "Sit down, the chocolate will arrive immediately",

"Thanks Marta" said Y/N by moving the chair, paused a moment remembering everything, Marta laughed putting them in front of a steaming cup,

"I have been here now I remember," she said in amazement, "As a child I was always from you .. I I hid in the attic when I was afraid .. ",

"You see you just had to rest to find your way home" smiled the woman giving her a pat on the head, "Do you remember anything else?",

"Only the Hatter" she answered smiling, " Where is he? I remember we were inseparable" she looked at Marta who had become serious, "Has something happened to him?",

"Child you have been missing for many years .. " she replied, ".. he is no longer the cheerful young man he used to be, when you disappeared something in him is broken, the cheerful Hatter no longer exists" she said sadly .. and scared,

"I can't believe it, please tell me everything .. " Y/N said desperately, Marta told her how he had changed little by little losing his colors and holing up in his shop,

".. he lives in solitude in the woods .. " she concluded, Y/N looked at her sad, the Hatter .. her Hatter, it was her fault even if she didn't know how it happened, it was her fault and she had to fix it, she got up putting on a cloak on the shoulders,

"Where do you think you're going miss?" Marta asked, stopping her, “You won't think about going to him .. ",

"Of course I'm going to him, it's my fault and I have to help him .. it's me he would never hurt me" Y/N replied coming out in a fury determined to save his friend, she asked for directions to the house and everyone tried to dissuade her, many had tried to talk to him without success, she reached the edge of the woods and took the road they told her.

She walked for hours little by little the wood was getting colder and bleaker, the only sound she heard was her footsteps on the dry leaves, reached the top of the hill and shivered for what she saw, under her there is were the house and the shop of the Hatter where once there was a green lawn full of daisies and tulips now desolation reigned, only barren earth and dead plants, even the house was different although it was the same as he remembered it had lost its colors, everything was black and gray, she felt like crying, noticed a light on in the shop while she was drying her eyes, took courage and walked to the house in less than 1 hour, walked around the house looking inside the windows to understand where he was, heard footsteps behind her and whirled around, she didn't have time to say anything .. someone put a hand on her mouth laughing, Y/N tried to wriggle away but the stranger held them tight and kept laughing dragging her into the store, he said something as soon as he took his hand from her mouth but could not, the hand was replaced by a bandage, the girl found herself bound and gagged sitting on an armchair without being able to do anything.

"Well well what do we have here?" said the familiar voice of the Hatter, "Someone new who sticks his nose where he should n't .. " he was walking around her touching her hair, lifting her face, ".. who are you?" he asked, stopping in front of her,

Y/N looked at him was what she remembered, tall, black hair disheveled, but the eyes did not ... those did not recognize them, the color of the sky in the morning had given way to the deep blue of the night, even the clothes were different the cylinder he was worn out and full of dust, he was wearing a waistcoat and black leather pants and a worn velvet jacket, shook her head trying to drop the bandage over his mouth to answer but couldn't move it was too tight,

"Who is this beautiful little girl?" he asked again taking her face in his hands, "So don't you want to tell me who you are?" he laughed maliciously, "Oh what a careless .. now you can answer" he said unfastening the gag,

"Hatter it's me" the girl answered anxiously, "I'm Y/N don't you remember me?" she asked, the man stepped back looking at her better, shaking his head,

" Mmm there is no Hatter here .. I'm Jefferson" he said taking a tape measure and measuring it, " Mmm no, you see, you're not Y/N .. she comes here .. did they stretch you maybe?" he asked showing her the sign of her height as a child,

"It's me I swear to you" she said desperately,

"I was lost but I came back for you" she said with shining eyes, "And you are my friend .." she couldn't finish the sentence, the man gagged her again and dragged into another room, Y/N immediately recognized her as a child playing among the fabrics in that room, the tables and sofas were gone, the woven fabrics hanging on the hooks on the wall and in the center of the room a kind of dark wooden X, the girl shivered when Jefferson took her by her wrists and tied her tight, the delicate silk had been thickly woven into a rope, she tried to rebel but it was useless he was stronger and more furious than her,

"Let's say I believe you" he laughed turning around her,

"And who are you who you say you are .. there is an easy way to find out .. " he said, taking a lock of hair in her hand, ".. but first the tea!!" he said disappearing into the house returning after a few minutes bringing with him a table set with tea, biscuits and sweets and he sat down pouring himself a steaming cup, sipping while continuing to look at her as if trying to figure out who it was, got up and took off the gag,

"So we can talk" he smiled, "I haven't talked to anyone for years .. no wait six months ago someone had the impudence to knock .. "

"And what happened to him?" Y/N asked scared,

" Nothing .. I sent him home" he said, shrugging,

"But let's come to us .. " he stood up and approached her, ".. let's see if you are who you say you are", he took a pair of big scissors from his pockets and started to cut the jacket starting from the wrists, slowly unstitched the sleeves .. one point at a time,

"Uh uh you are all wrapped up how nice !!" he laughed maniacally passing the booties that he blew one at a time, the jacket fell leaving her in a corset,

"How cute you are," he took her face in his hands and kissed her, Y/N tried to react by tightening the strings more,

"Too bad about the hair .. " he pulled back her head ferociously, unfastened her corset with a single theatrical gesture, took the ribbon and put her hair in a tight braid, "... so I like it more", he said two step back admiring her, Y/N was blushing violently, she was half naked and hung up and Jefferson was looking at her like a new toy,

"Really beautiful, pale and .." he complimented touching her breasts, ".. soft .. like a pastry" he laughed, letting the scissors down to her pants, quickly cut the fabric and the girl was naked and vulnerable in front of him,

"Let's see, let's see .. it should be here .. " he began to touch her, sliding his nimble fingers on her skin looking for something, ".. for all the cookies you are really her" he said amazed finding what he was looking for.. a small birthmark in the shape daisy on the thigh,

"I like what I see, you have grown well Y/N" he laughed going up bringing his hand between his legs, instinctively tried to close them,

"You said you came back for him .. " he whispered, "..you don't want him to touch you?" laughed kissing her, Y/N returned the kiss hoping to awaken the Hatter,

"Oh oh are you trying to get to him?" he asked tilting his head, "Quiet is safe .. in my head" he confided moving, he saw him moving happily around the room taking other colored ropes,

"Well and now let's play !!" he said removing her from the X and turning it, he brought her arms behind her back holding tightly, the girl wriggled, she began to pass the ribbons on the wrists intertwining them up on the arms creating a design,

"So it's cute .. " he laughed passing the ribbons on the breast, crossing them on the shoulders going down between the breasts with a braid, he continued on the hips embracing her ass with the design closing with a bow, walked away to see the result, "Beautiful beautiful beautiful "he hopped happily clapping his hands,

"You like?" he asked as continued to weave and tighten the ribbons on her back, "Hey I tell you .. I understand you don't like it" he said sadly,

"No no I like it" she said uncomfortably, " It's very tight though" she tried to move but the tapes tightened her,

".. mmm and how do they make you feel?" he asked mischievously pulling one of the ribbons that passed between her legs making her moan,

"Tell Jefferson .. I won't tell anyone" he whispered in her ear before biting her earlobe, Y/N threw her head back .. she wanted to be kissed,

".. it makes me feel good .." she moaned ".. Jefferson can I have a kiss?" she asked, ashamed of what she felt, the man went around her pulling her head back, putting his tongue in her mouth, pulling the ribbons on her breast, the knots tightened her nipples making her tremble,

"Let me finish sewing now" he said, leaving her hair and moving to take an armchair, "Here let's get comfortable" he invited her to sit down pushing her on the seat, made put her back straight and weaved new ribbons at the knots on the breast, fixing everything at the back supports, every time she breathed the ribbons tortured her breasts making her arch,

"Ah ah you have to stay still I'm not finished" he laughed bringing Y/N's legs up to the seat, there began again to weave ribbons on her skin blocking it, made two turns tying the calves to the thighs fixing everything to the armrest leaving her completely exposed and immobilized,

"Now you are perfect, a raspberry pastry" said approaching touching his work, every time she pulled a ribbon Y/N moaned, they were all connected in order to please her with every breath, he took two steps back and undressed, the girl couldn't take her eyes off his naked body, smooth muscular chest, strong arms and abdominals that looked like they were forged in granite, she blushed when saw his arousal, the man laughed as he touched his eyes fixed on hers,

"We haven't played in a long time .. " he laughed as approached, "..you want to play with me right? Like when you were little .. " he bit her lip making her scream, Y/N tasted her own blood, moved and a shock ran through her .. she had made the knots tighten all together and the pleasure invaded her, the man s 'he knelt in front of her, continuing to touch himself,

"Of course you want to play .. look at you, you're all wet" he laughed maliciously starting to touch her pussy, his nimble fingers slid over her, brushing her labia well away from her clit , went down to her ass and started to stimulate, pressing on her entered making her moan and pant, inserted a finger moving slowly to make her relax, entered and left her calmly laughing at her reactions,

"You would like to close these beautiful legs but you can't" he laughed, stopping touching and bringing the second hand on her pussy, spreading her labia and inserting two fingers into her pussy, stimulating both holes at the same time, Y/N snapped screaming with pleasure,

"Jefferson enough please .. " she cried panting, rivulets of salvation running down the sides of her lips, ".. it's too much .. I do n't want to .. ", the man raised his head and looked at her laughing,

"What don't you want pastry?" he asked pressing his palm on her clit , all the ribbons tightened in the girl's impetus,

"I do n't understand .. why are you stammering like crazy?" he asked inserting another finger into her pussy, felt her body try to contort to follow the rhythm dictated by her fingers and laughed maliciously,

"But if that's what you want .. " he said shrugging his shoulders removing his fingers from inside her, Y/N moaned in frustration, took the chair by the legs, lifted it and placed it on the ground making the girl almost upside down,

".. since you babbling at random let's make me fuck those beautiful pink lips" he suggested kneeling in front of her face, grabbed her by the hair smiling, "Come on like a good girl, open your mouth .. I want to see if it is true that you have lips soft as the Hatter says .." he held her nose,

Y/N had bright eyes she tried to resist but lacked air and opened her mouth, Jefferson put his cock in her delicate mouth enjoying the warm and moist sensation of her lips, he started to move holding her face so that she would not rebel,

".. oh yeah they are really soft .. " he moaned as picked up the pace, thrusting his cock into her throat, ".. soft and wet .. it's a really good feeling" he laughed stopping, moving her head as he wanted, every movement it made her shiver taking her breath away as Jefferson's cock gagged her more and more moving quickly in her mouth, he squeezed her hair enjoying it emptying inside her, Y/N tried to react but closed her nose,

"Come on up like a good girl .. drink it all .. " he growled panting, ".. here you clean it all up .. " he stared at her as she licked his cock with tears in her eyes, played with her nipples before getting back on her feet the armchair,

“It would take some music” he said to himself as opened a cabinet, “Oh there they are” he said victoriously, shaking some bells back towards her, “How do we fix them? Do you have any idea?" I watch her,

" I .. I don't know .. " she replied fearfully that he would hurt her,

" Mmm here .. " he said, passing a thread through the buttonholes, ".. stop .. I don't hurt you .. " he took her nipple and squeezed it to harden it to the maximum, the girl moaned when he tied one end of the thread to the nipple, passed to the second and went down by tying the thread of bells between the knots on the belly,

"Let's hear how it sounds .. " he said using two fingers to stimulate her clit with small circles, pressing to make her arch, the bells began to ring, ".. what heavenly music .." he laughed as happy as a child before raging on her lower abdomen, exposed her clit to be able to suck it by inserting fingers back into her pussy moving them like scissors inside her,

"JEFFERSON" she shouted fidgeting, ringing the bells and pulling the knots, her whole body trembled with excitement, "PLEASE", the man picked up the pace by inserting another finger into her pussy licking her clit fervently,

"Come on baby girl" he growled between her legs, "I want to drink your honey"

Y/N came panting, drowning in pleasure she didn't care where her Hatter was she just wanted Jefferson not to stop pleasing her, he continued to rage on her body ignoring her prayers,

" Enough .. ENOUGH .. " she shouted out of himself from the force of the orgasm that he kept giving her, Jefferson detached himself from her wiping his mouth, stood up and kissed her before getting comfortable pouring himself a cup of tea,

"I have to decide what to get first" he said to himself as he sipped, "You have a really nice ass, it looks so cozy .. " he smiled at her, ".. but your pussy is so soft it would be a shame not to fuck her right away .." he relaxed a few minutes starting to touch his cock again,

"Can I have some tea?" asked Y/N, the man looked at her as if it was strange that a toy asked for a drink,

" Oops sorry for the rudeness .. how many lumps?" he asked pouring her a cup and bringing it to her, helped her drink while holding the cup, "Better?", Y/N nodded thanking,

"Now that we have refreshed ourselves, let's play some more, do you like the idea?" he asked moving her ass to the edge of the chair, rubbed his cock on her still wet pussy while playing with her ass,

"I did the count," he laughed by stuffing a finger in the ass moving slowly because it relaxed, "Guess won the ass" off his finger and began to push the cocks coming little by little in her, Y/N stiffened by tightening your butt more for the knots than for the pain,

"You have to be relaxed little girl I'll go in anyway" he grunted pushing, entering her completely, squeezed her breast kissing her, licking her tears smiling,

"There was little sugar in the tea .. you are salty" he said amazed, "I felt like I had enough sugar in it .. your pussy was very sweet .. listen ?!" he explained putting two fingers in her pussy before putting them in her mouth, "Feel how sweet you are?" he asked bending her head, Y/N licked and sucked his fingers lost in pleasure, Jeffersono began to move inside her increasing the thrusts, making the strings tighten creating a concert of bells and moans, she was his musical instrument and he was playing tapping all her keys, planted his nails on her breasts making her scream,

"Oh stars .. " she cried drooling with pleasure, ".. Jefferson .. he's so beautiful .. " she wanted to cling to him, get bitten and scratched again, she planted nails in the armrest, the man laughed, pulling himself up,

"There you are here .. " he said, looking as if seeing her for the first time, "..look look at last my little girl has grown .." he laughed touching the hair that were changing color, slowed turning to the table and took what seemed a telescope,

"Now that you have arrived we can really play!" he said happily, “You want it right? Come on, tell me you want it!!" he laughed putting the strange object in front of her face,

"I want everything you give me .. " she gasped realizing that the telescope was actually a colored crystal dildo , ".. I want to learn new games Jefferson" she smiled excitedly, the man kissed her and Y/N bit him as did he first, parted from her laughing,

"You're learning .. the Hatter always said that you are brilliant" he smiled licking the blood, dipped the dildo in honey and started rubbing it on her pussy, pushing on her clit , Y/N moaned like an animal in heat stimulated by what it was happening, she felt the knots pulling and the ropes scratching her skin, Jefferson's nails on her breasts, his body pressed to hers as he fucked her, the dildo pressing on her pussy,

"Here it is slowly." laughed the man pushing the dildo into her pussy little by little, "Look, look how beautiful it all goes in!!" he said happy that the pieces fit together, Y/N rolled her eyes curling her toes as Jefferson moved quickly in her ass playing with the dildo inside her,

"You are everywhere .. " she grunted excitedly drooling, ".. I want EVERYTHING" she prayed drowning in his eyes, getting lost in pleasure, Jefferson laughed taking all his holes faster and faster, excited by the yells of  Y/N who came screaming, the last thing she saw before she fainted were the blue eyes of the Hatter, she woke up in her bed sweaty and breathless looking around, Mephisto was sleeping peacefully at the foot of the bed, she began to laugh .. had the most absurd and exciting dream of her life, she thought heard a laugh and saw the walls of the room as if they were out of focus .. from the outside Jefferson was looking at his new toy in the colored box he had put it in now it would never go away.

[imagine-that]

Snowball

Warnings: absolutely none, just a super cute, fluffy, wintery fic

Pairing: Fred Weasley x reader

AN: this is for @potterverseimagine ‘s 300 writing challenge, I used prompt #11 “You look freezing. Let me warm you up.” This is honestly one of my favourite ones I’ve written so far so I hope you guys like it too. Also, Fred is one of the main loves of my life right now so I kind of write a lot of him (yes all of them are fictional.)

As class is finally dismissed, you run through the halls, quickly making your way outside to the courtyard where your boyfriend had asked you to meet him.

Then again, when you really thought about it, he hadn’t so much asked as he’d told. From what you remembered, which was most of it, it was more like he’d said “You, me, the courtyard after class.” And winked in an overdramatic manner, his typical move.

Obviously you’d agreed, your curiosity getting the better of you.

As you spot his red locks of hair, you quietly tiptoe through the snow behind him, putting a finger to your smiling lips as one of his brothers notices you. You excitedly put your hands over his eyes, suppressing your giggles as his brother watches in amusement.

“Guess who.” You sing song, masking your voice awfully.

“Hm I wonder who it could possibly be?” He says sarcastically, a grin on his face. “Could it be y/n?” He asks thoughtfully, making you giggle.

“Afternoon Freddy.” You greet, confirming his suspicions as you peck him on the cheek and he removes your hands and turns around, grinning proudly at you.

The snow is falling in big, fluffy flakes all around the three of you in a beautiful manner but you’re too focused on the look across your scheming boyfriends face.

“I know that look... What’re you up to?” You ask with an eyebrow raised, arms crossed over your chest.

He looks over to George for permission to share, though you know he most likely would’ve told you anyways and his brother nods towards you, telling him to continue.

“What would you say if I told you we were going to start the biggest bloody fight Hogwarts has ever seen?” He asks with a mischievous grin, his brother showcasing a matching one.

“I’d say that you’re crazy and need to reconsider your choices.” You respond with a sigh.

They look between each other, both glancing back at you with a shrug and an apologetic smile.

“Merlin... why do I spend so much time with you two gits?” You ask, shaking your head with a smile tugging at your lips.

“Because you love me? And tolerate him of course.” George says, coming over and slinging an arm around your shoulder.

“Ah yes, how could I forget.” You respond sarcastically, laughing and rolling your eyes at his joke.

Fred scoffs in amusement. “As if. We all know I’m the better looking one.” He says, pulling you away from his brother and back into his arms.

You chuckle to yourself, squeezing him in a hug tightly.

“True, true. Now, please explain what exactly you two did?” You ask, almost scared to know what the answer to that question may entail.

“Well...” Fred says, grinning the way he did whenever they were up to something.

Before he can say anything more, students come flying through the doors to the grounds, some on brooms and some on foot, a bit of every house included. They’re all wearing their winter coats and gloves and hats and scarves, clearly prepared to spend time outdoors.

You stare at the students flooding through the doors, completely confused. You obviously knew that the majority of them were meant to be in a lesson, the twins and yourself included. The only reason you’d opted to come and meet him rather than get to class early was because you didn’t take much of a liking to potions.

“For Godric’s sake what did you two do?” You demand, pointing an accusatory finger at the boys.

“Something wicked of course!” Fred smirks, looking around at the chaos.

“Something bloody brilliant!” George adds.

Soon enough, you can hear Filch running anxiously down the hall, if you can call what he does running.

“Students out of class! Students out of class!” He cries to any staff member who will listen.

“We’re well aware you idiotic ninny!” Professor McGonagall exclaims, rolling her eyes as he stops to catch his breath, looking disappointed by the lack of action being taken.

“What’s happeni-.” You start but you’re quickly stopped as a ball of white goes flying past you, smacking Cormac McLagen directly in the face.

His face contorts in shock, clearly having not expected it.

A second later, another few whip through the air, one hitting a younger Slytherin boy and one hitting Cho Chang on the shoulder.

Everyone starts frantically forming balls out of the snow, tossing them at their friends and foes. The air fills with laughter as students get hit and dodge.

“Now I see what you mean by fight!” You shout at Fred, smiling from ear to ear as you throw one of your own at Fred. To your dismay, he easily dodges it and the ball instead hits George.

He gives you a look that makes you instantly regret the toss.

“Oh no....” You squeak, running over to Fred and hiding behind him, holding on to his arms to keep him there. “Protect me Freddy!” You order, squealing as you start getting pelted with them at least three or four at a time.

“Oi! I thought we said no wand tricks!” Fred says to his brother with an eyebrow raised teasingly.

George merely shrugs in response, continuing his previous tactic.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you love!” Fred declares, staying his ground in front of you.

Still, George manages to hit you with every last one he sends your way, your hair practically white from all the snow falling into it.

You adjust your hat, pulling it even further onto your head to cover your already rosey ears.

“Harry! We draw the line at the cloak, no one else has one it wouldn’t be fair!” George shouts as one flies at him out of nowhere. Thankfully, no one else around seems to hear him but you laugh to yourself as Harry appears out of midair with a defeated look across his face.

You all spend the afternoon pelting the snowballs at each other, some using their wands to do it in multiples, some flying around in the air on their broomsticks and dropping the snow on unexpecting students on the ground but no matter how everybody is doing it, you’re all having fun. You could swear you’d even seen Professor McGonagall throw a snowball or two, though you knew she’d never admit it if asked.

Even Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy seem to be enjoying themselves, even if they were mostly attacking the first years. Seeing as it was only snow, no one seemed to care.

The one time anyone almost gets in trouble is when the twins throw a snowball each at Filch, in nearly perfect sync with each other, both of them landing on their target. He grumbles on and on about detention or expulsion but professor Dumbledore winks at them, waving them back over to the fun.

Some students grow bored of the snowball fight but no one heads in, finding other ways to enjoy the beautiful winter day. You catch glimpses of snow angels, watch the younger students use anything and everything the can find to go tobogganing with, shooting down the hill at high speeds and several others figure out fun games for everyone to enjoy.

As the sun begins to set and the sky grows darker, more and more students make their way inside, all either tired of the snowball war or too cold and hungry to continue. Only when professor Snape is hit across the face by one thrown by one of the Gryffindor quidditch team members on their broom are students ordered back into the castle, of course by the potions teacher himself.

But that isn’t before Oliver Wood, fly’s overhead, dropping an oversized ball of snow directly over you. You shriek as the rush of cold hits your body, soaking you even more than every other one combined.

“Wood!” You cry, glaring up at him.

He shrugs with a playful smile. “It was requested.” He says simply, waving and flying off before he has to face your wrath.

“Let me take one guess who requested that...” You say as you turn to face Fred, the two of you happening to be two of the only ones left outside apart from the odd Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw passing by to get to their dinner.

“I don’t know what you mean.” He says innocently, coming closer to you and playfully tugging your hat down over your eyes.

You scoff, leaning into his chest and wrapping your arms around him, using one hand to push the brim of the hat back up.

“Mm you smell good.” You murmur into his jacket.

He chuckles, gently pulling you off of him.

“Let’s go back inside you nut.” He says, holding your hand in his contently.

As others file into the great hall, famished from the afternoon of fun, you and Fred push your way through the crowd and he gently pulls you along behind him as he says the Gryffindor password, only having to repeat it a few times as the lady insists on singing even louder. Finally she gives up and lets you two inside.

“You and your brother sure know how to make a scene.” You tease, grinning over at Fred as he smirks.

“Yes, yes we do. And we have bloody good fun doing it.” He responds.

You laugh. “And how did you come up with this particular idea, might I ask?” You question, head tilted to the side as you wait for an answer.

“Figured everyone could use a way to enjoy themselves before their O.W.L.S and their N.E.W.T.S. Or at the very least, make a few people laugh when we get the chance to hit professor snape or filch in the face with a snowball of course.” He explains.

“I don’t think I even want to know how you managed to pull it off either.” You say with a grimace.

“We partially got Dumbledore’s permission! That should count, even if it is only partially.” He counters, letting go of your hand and walking over to the boys dormitory entrance.

“Wha- hey! Where are you going?” You ask, your brows furrowed and your lip jutted out in a dramatic pout.

“Y/n, I don’t know if you realize but I’d rather not eat in soaking wet robes.” He laughs, smiling at your slight neediness.

“But Fred!” You whine, giving him a look you hope is just adorable enough to work, your y/e/c eyes twinkling hopefully.

He chuckles, giving you a sympathetic look. “I’ll be back in just a moment darling.” He promises. Before you can protest even a little bit, he’s walked away to his dorm, leaving you with your mouth wide open in shock.

You sink into the couch, waiting for him to return. A moment later, he hops into the spot next to you, coming to wrap his arms around you but immediately pulling away as he notices your overly rosey cheeks and your chattering teeth, your figure shivering heavily.

“Merlin y/n, You look freezing. Let me warm you up.” He exclaims, using a simple fire charm and starting a roaring fire in the fireplace in front of you, the lights dancing around in the darkened room.

You try to argue but he ignores you, pulling off his sweater and forcing it over your head.

He stares at you admiringly for a moment, making you smile like an idiot.

“What?” You ask through giggles.

“Nothing just that I think I might need a new sweater because that one is clearly better on you.” He compliments and your lips curl upwards, his words making you feel warmer already.

He runs back into his dorm before you have the chance to actually tell him so though, and comes back with his entire comforter trailing across the floor behind him.

He goes behind you, draping the blanket over your shoulders and wrapping you up in it in a hug from behind.

When he finally sits back down, he wraps his hands around your waist, pulling you over to him and onto his lap, blanket and all

“There. You don’t look nearly as blue as you did. Only a hint of the colour that I can see.” He says, grinning as you give him a pointed look, still shaking from the cold. “Might just help if you changed out of these sopping wet clothes love.” He adds, knitting his fingers in and out of your own.

“Oh fine.” You grumble, standing up and trudging off to your own dorm, quickly peeling off your clothes from earlier and changing into a fresh set of robes, pulling Fred’s sweater back over your body once you’re finished.

You eagerly head back, jumping into his arms and snuggling up to him in his lap.

“You were gone for a moment!” He states with a laugh.

“Yes but it was a moment too long.” You murmur into his chest.

“Ah yes well, I suppose a moment away from me must feel like an eternity.” He responds and you gently jab his shoulder with a roll of your eyes.

“Yeah yeah. I love you you idiot.” You giggle, moving your head up and placing your lips on his, kissing him deeply.

“I love you too darling. Really missed me that much though eh?” He teases with a grin and you laugh again.

“Always.” You whisper, resting your head back down on his shoulder. He pulls the blanket over both of you, pulling you even closer to him, your body pressed up against his chest.

“I suppose this is one good way to warm up.” He jokes in a hushed tone, the feeling of his breath tickling your ear.

“It’s the perfect way to warm up.” You correct softly, nuzzling your head up to him even closer and shutting your eyes.

Even though neither of you had eaten anything since lunch, you both drift off blissfully in each other’s arms, staying warm and cozy by the firelight of Gryffindor tower with wide and content grins practically etched on your faces.

[writingfortoomanyfandoms]

Penny For Your Thoughts (V)

Pairing: Young!Sirius Black x Reader

Series Summary: Y/N Y/L/N has lived in the Potter household since she was eight years old. Even amongst the Potters, whom she knew loved her, she has never felt truly accepted, never felt like anything other than a burden. Until she went to Hogwarts. For the first time she had friends who weren’t forced to act as such, she had a family who loved her by choice. There, she met Sirius, the first and only person to ever truly understand what she was going through, to listen to her and not judge.

Chapter Warnings: Ummm not sure - maybe swearing?

A/N: And here’s part five! Please let me know what you think - especially if you’re on the taglist, hearing your comments always inspires me to keep on writing, so please do let me know. If you wish to be added to the taglist send me an ASK, replies to the parts asking to be added onto it won’t be responded to

Just to remind you of what I said last time - there’s a bit of a time skip in the following chapters, here we jump to the end of the Xmas holidays but there are gonna be a few more of these kinds of skips in time in the next couple of chapters as well so please keep that in mind!

Y/N’s winter holidays passed in a flash. 

During her first term at Hogwarts, Y/N had spent so little time with the boy who had been her surrogate brother that she had actually forgotten how much she enjoyed his company when it was just the two of them, not feeling as though she was hiding something from her friends by just being in James’ presence. 

But back at the Potter’s house it was once again her and James, attached at the hip, as they had been for years now. 

In a way, Y/N dreaded going back to Hogwarts with the knowledge that she would be going back to spending minimal time with James since they were in different houses, had very different friends, shared few of the same classes and no one other than Beatrice knew that they lived together.

However, returning to Hogwarts after the break did bring a sense of relief, an overwhelming joy at finally being back with her friends who she had missed so much in the brief time that they been separated - a sentiment that she knew James shared regarding Sirius, him having confessed to her how worried he was for his newfound best friend. 

It was oddly comforting to walk back into the Great Hall the morning after the return train to Hogwarts, side-by-side with Beatrice, Liane and Jessica chatting animatedly behind them, the four of them catching up on their holidays, filling in the gaps that they hadn’t managed to on the train the previous day. 

Before she could actually enter the Great Hall to have breakfast with her friends, however, she heard a voice call out her name and turned around with a slight frown. Liane bumped into her, not having realised that Y/N had stopped.

“Sorry,” Y/N said, seeing her friend’s startled expression.

“Y/N!” The voice repeated.

“Sirius?” Y/N laughed a little as she finally placed the somewhat out of breath voice calling out to her.

“Hey! I wanted to talk to you!” 

“I kind of figured,” Y/N said with a grin. Feeling the gazes of her friends still on her, mild confusion hidden in all of their expressions, she turned to them and gave a half shrug. 

“Save me a crumpet?”

Sirius gave her a sheepish smile once her friends had left them standing in the entrance to the Great Hall, rubbing the back of his neck, tousling up his hair in the process.

“Where are the other three?” She asked, surprised that James had apparently not surgically attached himself to Sirius’ side.

“James is waiting in the common room to corner Evans,” Sirius informed her, the smile on his face becoming more mischievous.

“I thought you made every effort to try and be there whenever Lily was rejecting him?” Sirius laughed at that, shrugging his shoulders as they moved out of the way of the doors to allow older students past them.

“Remus and Peter will tell me about it - I wanted to talk to you.”

“What about?” 

“I just…” a dusting of pink tinted Sirius’ cheeks and he avoided her eyes in a show of uncharacteristic nervousness. “I mean - thank you for… you know… that Christmas present,” he said, peeking up at her from under his long lashes.

“Oh - that - Sirius, you don’t need to thank me for that, that box was filled with so much random stuff, you probably didn’t need-”

“No!” Sirius cut her off, shaking his head wildly. His face was scarlet with embarrassment but his eyes shone brightly with an emotion that Y/N couldn’t quite place. “It was really… nice of you and you didn’t have to do it so I just wanted to say thank you.” His words were spoken all in a rush, the look on his face conveying a sense of complete mortification, completely unable to meet her eyes, though his words bled with sincerity.

Y/N wasn’t sure what came over her in that moment, but she couldn’t stop herself from stepping closer to him and wrapping her arms around him, embracing him tightly.

“O-oh.”

“You okay, Sirius?” Y/N asked as the boy slowly lowered his arms, hugging her back unsurely.

“This may come as a surprise to you but my family aren’t exactly… big on the whole… affection thing.” 

Y/N laughed, pulling away from her friend and seeing the fleeting look of disappointment that crossed his face as she did so, putting an appropriate amount of distance between the two of them.

“Sorry.”

“No - I - I -” Sirius shut his eyes tightly, a slight groan escaping him. “Don’t be sorry,” he settled on at last. “I did have a question about the present, though,” Sirius hurried to add, evidently not wanting to dwell for too long over the sudden affection that had passed between the two of them.

“Oh?”

“Those… disk things you put in… what are they, exactly?”

“They’re records - haven’t you seen them before?”

“Records? Records of what?” Sirius’ expression was only sinking into deeper confusion, his eyes studying Y/N intently as though worried she was poking fun at him. She let out a laugh.

“Of music! You put them on a record player and they play music,” this explanation didn’t seem to alleviate Sirius’ confusion at all. “Sorry - I assumed you knew what they were when I put them in there.”

“Are they… muggle?”

“Yeah - ask Remus, or James actually. Both of them know how they work,” she shrugged and Sirius gave a slow nod of his head, deep in thought.

“And the sunflower seeds - why were they… in there?” 

“I just thought that they might cheer you up - when they grow, I mean,” Y/N explained, feeling herself growing a little embarrassed. 

Of course Sirius was questioning her gift to him - he came from a wealthy, pure-blood family. He didn’t want a care package consisting of baked goods, muggle records, sunflower seeds, a book and some socks. He was likely used to far more extravagant gifts than that - and it wasn’t even as though they were particularly close friends to begin with.

“So you like gardening?” Sirius asked and of everything that Y/N had thought he may ask her, that was not what she had expected.

“I’m in Hufflepuff - it’s basically one of our defining qualities.”

“Right up there with loyalty and hard-work?”

“Did you miss the Sorting Hat saying so?”

The two of them shared a moment of laughter.

“Thanks - I was expecting to have a pretty… awful Christmas, to be honest with you, so thank you for making it… less so.” Y/N laughed again at that, rolling her eyes.

“At least you didn’t have to put up with James - he insisted on sneaking up on me every five minutes in his invisibility cloak after he got it for Christmas.” Sirius laughed at her anecdote but a look of mingled surprise and confusion painted his features. Y/N realised her slip-up a moment too late and her eyes widened just a little. “I should - my friends are waiting for me,” she said, gesturing to the Great Hall, not waiting for a response from Sirius before darting away.

“What was that about?” Beatrice asked when Y/N sat down in her usual space on the bench beside her.

“He just wanted to say thanks for his Christmas present,” Y/N shrugged. 

“You got him a Christmas present?” Jessica asked, frowning a little when Y/N nodded in confirmation.

“I didn’t know you were actually friends with him,” Liane commented through a mouthful of toast.

Y/N made a non-commital noise, sharing a look with Beatrice, who held a certain amount of understanding in her eyes and offered her a slight smile. 

“My mum won’t shut up about exams, by the way,” Liane went on when she realised that Y/N wasn’t going to give anything more on the subject, evidently going back to the topic they had been discussing before Y/N had rejoined them.

“They don’t start for ages, though,” Beatrice groaned. “Plus we’re first years, surely they don’t matter that much.”

“Not really,” Liane agreed.

“But we should still work hard for them,” Jessica interrupted seriously, a determined expression on her face. “I refuse to let Eric beat me in the exams,” she added, causing the other three of them to laugh.

Their first lesson after breakfast was Charms with the Gryffindors, but considering how much time she had spent with James over the past few weeks, she had assumed that he wouldn’t have anything new to say to her in the hours since their return to Hogwarts, but outside the classroom he tugged her to the side.

“What?” Y/N asked, furrowing her brows as she watched him rifle in his bag.

“I have something for you,” he muttered distractedly.

“What?” She repeated incredulously, not being able to think of any reason why James would have something to give her.

 “Oh - it’s not from me,” he explained, flashing her  quick smile before returning to digging through his bag. 

“Here!” He pulled out a scruffily-wrapped package, a triumphant grin on his face as he held it out for her. Y/N took it, her eyebrows raised in amusement.

“Thanks.”

“It’s from Sirius,” James explained, zipping up his bag and hoisting it back up onto his shoulder. Y/N frowned, looking over at the aforementioned boy, who had been watching her and James but quickly looked away and engaged himself in the conversation being held between Remus and Peter, though Y/N thought she saw a trace of pink on his cheeks.

“We were talking outside the Great Hall before breakfast, why didn’t he just give it to me then?” 

“He didn’t want to see your reaction.” James said drily, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

“What?” Y/N laughed as Flitwick approached down the hall, gesturing for the students to enter into his classroom. Y/N walked side-by-side with James.

“He’s worried you’re not going to like it, I think.” 

“That’s…”

“Weird?”

“I was going to go with ‘nice’,” Y/N laughed, pushing James’ shoulder a little and rolling her eyes. 

James grinned cheekily at her, starting to make his way towards the back of the classroom where Sirius, Remus and Peter awaited him.

“Oh, by the way, Sirius also said that he has no idea who Rosa is so she definitely doesn’t exist,” he added before walking away, a smug smile in place.

Once Y/N had settled into her usual seat beside Beatrice with Liane and Jessica the table in front of them, she placed Sirius’ present in her lap, not wanting to draw Flitwick’s attention to it lest it get confiscated.

“What’s that?” Beatrice whispered.

“Christmas present,” Y/N responded, also keeping her voice low.

“Why didn’t James give you his present when you were at home?”

“It’s from Sirius,” Y/N replied, not looking at her friend and carefully beginning to unwrap the scruffy paper.

“From Sirius?” Liane repeated, turning around in her chair to try and catch a look at the gift on Y/N’s lap. Y/N nodded her ascent as she pulled out the gift.

A quiet laugh broke from her, a soft smile on her face as she stared down at the present.

“It’s a book?” Liane asked, craning her neck, evidently desperate to find out what it was.

“‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’,” Y/N confirmed.

“Don’t you already have a copy of that?” Jessica asked quietly, only sparing them a quick glance backwards, not wanting to be caught breaking the rules.

“Well, yeah - but it’s still nice of him,” Y/N shrugged, carefully tucking the book into her bag and getting out her charms textbook.

“Very sweet,” Beatrice agreed and it was clear to Y/N that she was trying her hardest not to laugh.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later that Y/N had another proper run-in with Sirius.

Y/N, Beatrice, Liane and Jessica had been studying outside, making good use of the rare day of warm sunshine that had occurred out of the blue. It hadn’t been long before they were joined by Eric and his friend Jason from Ravenclaw, who also stretched out in the sun rays with their books in front of them, beginning to revise for the upcoming exams.

Remus turned up nearly ten minutes after Eric and Jason, looking a little awkward and uncomfortable, evidently unsure of how welcome he would be within the group of Hufflepuffs and the singular Ravenclaw.

“Remus!” Y/N spotted him, smiling at the quiet boy.

“Hey…”

“Is there something wrong?” She asked, frowning a little.

“Mind if I join you?”

“James not letting you study?” Y/N grinned, which Remus appeared to take as agreement to his question as he settled himself with his back against the tree they were using as shade.

“No - him and Sirius were trying to rope me and Peter into pranking some Slytherins so I figured I ought to make myself scarce,” he confirmed, shooting her a wry smile and opening his books. “I was also hoping for some help?” He added, looking even more uncomfortable than before. But his eyes were no longer on her, instead he looked to Liane, who seemed to feel his gaze and looked up with a quizzical expression.

“What’s up?”

“I heard you’re good with Potions?”

“I’m pretty great at everything,” Liane corrected with a cheeky smile. “But I suppose I am known to specialise in Potions.”

Their productive studying, however, only lasted for half an hour at most. James, Sirius and Peter approached them, wide grins on their faces, evidently ready to disturb the group of students.

“I can’t believe you guys are studying already!” James laughed, standing by the edge of the group, looking at Y/N with raised eyebrows.

“Some of us want to do well in our exams, Potter,” Beatrice said, not looking up from the Herbology textbook that her and Jessica were both pouring over.

“I’m gonna do just fine in my exams, thank you very much,” James protested.

“He’s right, B - as annoying as it is, James can actually sometimes be rather smart.”

“I think that’s the closest you’ve ever been to paying me a compliment,” James informed Y/N, plopping down onto the floor beside her, ruffling her hair. Y/N groaned, reaching up to hit his hand away.

“Leave me alone!” She complained as Sirius settled down on her other side, lounging on the grass and looking completely at ease.

“Anyone would think you don’t like our company,” Sirius mused.

“There’s at least a ten percent drop in productivity whenever you’re in the same room as someone, Star Boy.”

“That’s because I’m just such a delight to be around that others find it distracting, Sunflower.”

“Sunflower?” Y/N asked, raising her eyebrows at him but Sirius just gave a wink in response, stretching out even more.

Y/N gave in, shutting her Defence Against the Dark Arts book, aware that as long as the Gryffindor boys were present, there was no way that she was going to be getting any actual revision done. 

Her friends appeared to be thinking the same thing as her, also allowing themselves to be pulled away from their work and taking James and Sirius’ approach to make themselves comfortable in the grass.

“I can’t wait for summer,” James declared with a content sigh.

“Neither,” Liane agreed.

“No homework for two months,” Peter added, a satisfied smile on his face from just the thought.

“You guys are aware that we haven’t even had Easter yet, right?” Y/N asked, shutting her eyes, feeling the tiredness that her body held beginning to wash over her.

“And we do get homework over the summer, Peter,” Remus added.

“Easter barely counts - we’ll all be studying,” Beatrice inputted.

“Though you guys have clearly got a headstart on that,” Sirius agreed and Y/N could tell just from his voice that he was smiling. 

“Do you guys have any plans for the summer yet?” Eric asked.

“We always go and visit family,” Liane murmured, evidently beginning to feel just as lethargic as Y/N was in the summer heat.

“So do we,” Beatrice inputted. “My sister and I will probably end up staying with my grandparents for a little while.”

“Quidditch - I’m going to play so much Quidditch,” James sighed contentedly.

“You thinking of trying out next year?” Jason asked interestedly. “What position.”

“Chaser.”

“He’s pretty good,” Y/N backed her friend up, opening one eye to see James beaming at her. She could feel Sirius’ gaze observing the two of them but chose not to acknowledge it. “What about you, Sirius?”

“I don’t play Quidditch all that much,” he said, misinterpreting what Y/N had been asking.

“I mean for your plans over the summer,” Y/N laughed, lolling her head over to look at him.

“Oh! Nothing interesting - the usual, you know? Galas, dances, dinners, that kind of thing.” 

No one responded immediately, all of them looking at Sirius in mild shock. He frowned, looking around the group. 

“What?”

“That’s the usual?” Beatrice asked.

“Well… yeah?”

“Bloody hell, Black, remind me to get out my ball dress next time I see you coming,” Liane burst out through her laughter. The rest of the group joined in, even Sirius laughing a little, though clearly a little uncomfortable.

“Sorry - must be a… pureblood thing, then.”

“Sacred twenty-eight, huh?” Y/N grinned and Sirius returned it bashfully.

“Guess so.”

[lovelylaurie]

Chronology - Part 3

Growing Up Laurie x (March) Reader Words: 3524 Request: @psychshawnjuleshanluke​ A series where each part follows reader and Laurie’s relationship over time. Part 1 | 2 | 3

--

     Winter, long awaited, wasted no time in cloaking the world under a shroud of chill and ice. The boughs of sturdy oaks hung heavy under the weight of snow. The forests and fields, once so full of adventure, were now treacherous, impassable landscapes. But you were not without consolation. Books offered a welcome escape, and you frequently visited Mr. Laurence to borrow more. And Laurie was making good on his promise to write letters. The first came barely a week after he had left, and every one since was an incredible boost to your spirits. You responded to each and every one, no matter how short or inconsequential. And thus your lengthy correspondence grew to be an immense comfort and joy. 

      You sat, now, in the living room of your house. The fire crackled and sputtered happily, providing some heat to combat the cold winter night outside. Laurie’s most recent letter was tucked into a book beside you.

Dearest (y/n),       How could you think I would spend Christmas anywhere but home? I may have some friendly acquaintances here, but I would never miss an opportunity to see you for their sake, and I still need to fulfill my promise to return at every chance I get. “The companions of our childhood always possess a certain power over our minds which hardly any later friend can obtain,” as Victor Frankenstein says. You would love it here, (y/n), there are so many libraries and bookstores and places to explore that I wish you were here with me to see them. And you will be. Soon, I hope, if you can come in the Spring as promised. But in the meantime, I have so many wonderful things to tell you next week. I will see you soon. Farewell and forever yours, Laurie

      Around you sat your sisters, as Meg had come to visit, talking and chatting, and musing on what name she would choose for the baby, because she was now pregnant and we did not yet know that it would be twins. Though humbled by domestic life, Meg was as starry-eyed as ever about Mr. Brooke, “I’m just so excited for my first Christmas with John. And with a baby by next summer! Everything’s happened so fast, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she beamed blissfully. “I can’t wait for the ice skating and snowball fights and all the fun we’ll have,” said Jo. Beth, who was leaning against her, simply smiled. “I’m looking forward to drawing the snow, it’ll be great practice,” proclaimed Amy  “What about you, (y/n)?” asked Jo, who was now looking at you expectantly. “Laurie,” you confessed. “We’ll have great fun, I can’t wait until he gets here.” “You and Laurie have grown very close…” Meg said, sounding awfully self-assured. “We’ve always been. He’s my closest friend and companion.” “Partner in crime, more like,” she interjected. You pretended not to hear her, “I loathe this separation.” Amy smiled playfully and teased, “Is that really all it is?” “Huh?” Jo leaned over to hit her, “No, Amy, don’t! Meg’s already gone off-” “I’m still here, Jo.” “-and I couldn’t bear to have any more of us drawn away,” she protested hotly. Everyone turned to look at you. “Well, I don’t really see what you’re all getting at. We’ve always been this way, Laurie and I.”   “How do you feel about him, (y/n)?” Meg asked softly. Jo tried to reach over and hit her, too, but she was brushed off. You were beginning to feel quite oblivious, not clued into something that seemed so obvious to everyone else. But then, through all the compiled worry, the longing, aching for his presence, it dawned on you. The rush you feel when he looks at you, when he smiles, the flutter in your chest when he laughs, the flush of your cheeks when he grabs your hand. And when he kissed you… It seemed so obvious now, so clear, you were astonished that you hadn’t realized it before. Love. “Oh...” Meg looked pleased, “And she’s realized.” “Meg,” Jo whined, glaring at her sister, “how could you?” Their bickering faded as waves of realization washed over you and everything fell into place. In the midst of this cacophony, Beth leaned over, quietly and tenderly, and whispered to you with excitement twinkling in her eye, “You love him?” “Yes,” you breathed, with a smile forming at the corner of your lips.

      The following morning, you were seated at the table, slowly picking through your breakfast with marked disinterest. Now more than ever you couldn’t wait for Laurie to arrive. Though holly and tinsel hung from everywhere, and Beth began to play Christmas carols throughout the day, it didn’t feel like the festivities could really start until he was here. But you had no idea when- Jo jumped up suddenly, “The Laurence’s carriage! It’s outside!” You sprang to your feet and ran to look. There it was, coming down the path. And in the window, you could just barely see, was Laurie. “It’s Laurie!” you shrieked as you threw on boots and a coat as fast as you could. Then you flew out of the house and down the path, barely stopping to close the door or notice the snow soaking the hem of your dress and toes of your socks. It didn’t matter. For him, it didn’t matter. “Laurie!” you called as the carriage came to a stop, “LAURIE!” The door burst open and he jumped out with a huge smile spread across his face. You engulfed him in an enormous hug, “Theodore Laurence, what took you so long?” His arms wrapped around you and his face nuzzled into your hair as you leaned your head on his shoulder, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Then his voice dropped and he held you tighter, “I have missed you so much, (y/n).” You remained in each other’s embrace until Mr. Laurence stepped out of the carriage as well, at which point you both pulled away and a blush crept onto your face. Laurie insisted that you get inside, after seeing that you had only a thin coat on, and no scarf, hat, or gloves. When you got to the house, he was embraced again by Jo and Marmee and everyone else.       His return was as sweet as his departure was bitter. Your whole life suddenly seemed a little brighter, and you were surprised to find yourself not remotely worried about his leaving once again in only a few weeks. His presence now was so precious, so wonderful, it overshadowed all those concerns. One afternoon, to get away from the prying eyes of your sisters, you had suggested a walk, on a path well-trodden over the years that started close to your house, looped through the forest, and then doubled back on itself. It was comforting and calming to be alone with Laurie, surrounded by the sparkling snow and featureless white of a winter sky. The conversation was jovial and friendly, flitting between Laurie’s life at University and yours back home. “Out of all of us, I believe Meg has changed the most,” Laurie posited. “She’s the only one to have really changed at all.” He paused a while before continuing, “Do you ever think about the future, (y/n)?” There was a sudden change and drop in his tone that frightened you and ignited a feeling of disquietude deep in your mind. He sounded incredibly trepidatious, and you wondered, uneasily, at the cause. “I rather enjoy the here and now,” you responded shakily.   “But we have so much to consider.” It was unlike Laurie to be this, so serious and deliberate. What was he hinting at? What was he trying to say? He had long held a special place in your heart, one you had recently put a name to. Meg’s future, marrying for love, was one you were just beginning to see for yourself. With Laurie. Possibly. But his hesitancy approaching this same subject was unsettling, and you began to think that he didn’t have the same plans. “I just want to enjoy a walk with you, Laurie, and not have to think about things that make me worried.” He was silent, and a nagging thought began to worm its way into your mind. Perhaps college had changed him during the past few months. Perhaps it had made him more realistic about his obligations and prospects. He couldn’t marry you.       The crisp sound of snowy footfalls ceased as Laurie came to a stop beside you. Turning to face him, now a few steps ahead, you saw the way he seemed to lean ever so slightly more on one foot than the other. His hands were stuck in the pockets of his coat, unbuttoned despite the cold. “Can’t we talk, (y/n)?” He was somber, pleading, and incredibly tense. “Why?” it came out almost as a whisper, as a plea for him to stop and allow you to ignore it for a little while longer. “Why?” he repeated, “You know why.” Laurie’s face always had a special look when tense. His eyebrows didn’t knot, he didn’t frown, his expression suspended by a stoic serenity. He gazed at you, with eyes half-lidded, conveying an intense depth of emotion that pulled at the pit of your stomach. You shook your head. “No. No, Laurie, you’re being mean.” Something in him broke. “I know I’m not fit for high society. I’m not like Amy, I was never supposed to marry rich. And- and I just- you can’t, so-” you could only speak in fragments as your thoughts devolved. He took more steps towards you, “But (y/n), It’s always been us, it’s always been you and me.” “What?” He held out his arms, “You’re my whole future, you always have been. That’s why I’m doing this. Everything, all of it, is for you.” Whatever had broken in him fell apart as his voice cracked, “And I realize I’m not this great man, but… I figured you’d have me, (y/n).” That took your breath. “Oh, Laurie, of course-” you stumbled towards him and he pulled you in a longing embrace. In his arms, the full weight of your admission crashed down on you. He is your future, just as you are his. You thought he couldn’t have you, and he thought you wouldn’t, and the very idea of that sickened you. Because losing Laurie would be losing a part of your life, your soul. He felt so warm, so real, as he held you close. “I love you,” you whispered. A smile, a twinge of glee, played behind his eyes and at the corners of his lips. He held your cheek in his hand, “I have loved you ever since I’ve known you, (y/n).”       Then he leaned down, catching your lips in a needful and tender kiss. You felt like you were about to explode, about to burst with emotion and passion. Whatever doubts, whatever fears and worries you had floated away as you melted into him. It was perfect.

--

      Christmas day dawned quietly as the dim light cast sweeping shadows across the sleepy room. But any semblance of serenity was soon broken as your sisters awoke. First Amy, then Jo, and finally Beth. They rushed at you and pulled you out of bed with shrieks and giggles. Marmee peered in with a kind and maternal smile, “Merry Christmas, girls.” “Merry Christmas!” was the instant reply. Amy and Jo sprinted past her down the stairs as you and Beth shuffled slowly after them. Presents were piled modestly beneath the tree and the table was heaped with plenty of breakfast treats. But as the gifts were doled out and began to be unwrapped, you noticed something was missing… Amy exclaimed fervently, “Laurie’s presents this year are spectacular, what did you get, (y/n)? I’m dying to know.”       He had given Meg some small domestic trinket, a picture frame which she immediately loved. Jo got some new pen nibs, because a recent writing frenzy had bent all of hers, as well as a dapper pocket watch. She had shrieked upon opening the box and now couldn’t stop pulling it out of her pocket every few minutes. Amy got a beautiful and tasteful pair of earrings that sparkled and glittered with her every movement. Beth got a new book of music, full of pieces she had somehow never learned before. It was quite a find. She flipped through the pages, running her fingers slowly across the bars and measures as the music played in her head. But for you… “Nothing.” They stared at you dumbly. “But we’ve agreed to meet later, so I’m sure he’s just waiting until then.” Sensing the tension, Beth proposed trying to play one of her new pieces, which everyone jumped up to hear. You were incredibly grateful. Touching her hand discreetly, you mouthed ‘thank you,’ which she understood and returned with a smile.       You eventually lost track of time listening to Beth work out and piece together phrases and melodies. Laurie had promised to meet you at ten, but it was already five past and there was no sign of him, no figure approaching down the path, no footsteps in the snow outside. So, confused and concerned, you elected to go to the Laurence house yourself. Though the sun was by now shining clear and bright, the morning air was utterly devoid of heat. You would have waited outside, but the biting cold and your growing sense of unease drew you in. A servant showed you to the study, where you began to wait. You gazed off at the window, lost in anxious thought. Five minutes passed. And then ten. And fifteen. Finally, Laurie greeted you with an unexpected kiss on the cheek and a quiet, “Merry Christmas, (y/n).” “Laurie!” you jumped up in surprise and immediately hugged him. Oddly, nothing seemed wrong. He wasn’t distant or unhappy. He clutched you close, perhaps tighter than normal, and you pulled away quickly. “You have some explaining to do. First, no present. Meg gets the picture frame, Jo the pen nibs and watch, Amy the earrings, and Beth the music. Even Marmee gets a matching scarf and glove set, and Hannah got cinnamon and saffron spices. Oh! And you gave Father those books on philosophy. Then there was no sign of you, and I’ve been here waiting, and you’re incredibly late-” you stopped speaking because he was looking at you so intently, so lovingly, his eyes brimming with a passionate, but quiet, intensity. He spoke evenly and softly, “That’s because I’ve been talking with my grandfather. And if you’ll have me, then-” he reached into his pocket, but you hardly noticed because you were so breathlessly, stunningly speechless. What he was telling you, asking you, was everything you had hoped for and everything you could ever want. It wasn’t a pair of earrings or a book, it was a life and a future full of love and happiness. “I have this for you,” he pressed something small into your hand and you had to tear your eyes away from him to look at it. It was a ring, with a gold band, delicately filigreed, and an elegantly small, but still sparkling, diamond set into it. His smile glowed. Your heart practically beat through your chest. You could barely speak but still managed to murmur, “Yes. Yes, Laurie, of course.” He beamed, “You will, you’ll marry me?” “Yes!” you exclaimed, and he kissed you, passionately and fervently. His relief and elation were clear, unquestionable, as he gazed at you after pulling away. You kissed him again, and he kissed back feverishly. It was a heated, exhilarating moment, and you found it nigh impossible to tear your eyes off the brilliant, beautiful boy in front of you.       As you left to tell your family, you found Mr. Laurence outside in the hall. Letting go of Laurie’s hand, you rushed to his grandfather, “Oh, Mr. Laurence, thank you! Thank you so much, I don’t have the words. I- I know Laurie can do so, so much better than me and that this is probably never what you had planned, but I can’t thank you enough.” Your eyes began to water, brimming with excitement and gratitude. “I think you know him as well as I do, Ms. March, if not better. He loves you, and no match could ever be better for him.” Laurie was practically bursting with emotion, a deep and affectionate ardor. You rejoined him and it warmed your heart to see the way he gazed at you. You could scarcely believe that you would get to spend the rest of your life with him. You were so young, so new to the real world. It was probably wiser to wait, until you were a little older, until Laurie graduated. But you couldn’t care less. You felt like running to your house, like running everywhere, anywhere, your limbs felt jittery, electrified. Instead, you walked slowly, with Laurie’s arm draped lovingly around your shoulders and a buoyant spring in his step. Somehow, you didn’t feel remotely cold. And neither did he, apparently, for as you approached the door, he leaned down and said softly, “I’ll wait out here.”       You rushed through the door and burst into the front room excitedly. Meg looked up “(y/n)! You’re back!” Jo ran in from the kitchen, a pastry in hand, “What did you get?” You stumbled over your words, unable to express your complete and utter joy, “I- and Laurie-” you stopped with a dumb grin stuck on your face, glancing from your sisters to your parents and back again. Then Amy burst into a smile almost bigger than yours and shrieked before pointing at your hand and screaming, “A RING!!” commotion erupted and everyone rushed forward to look at it, talking over each other with questions and congratulations. Then finally Marmee found you. “I know I should have asked you first, as Meg did, but I couldn’t. This is just- it’s everything.” “I understand, (y/n), of course,” she smiled warmly and lovingly, pulling you into a comforting hug. As the chaos began to die down, Jo looked at you intently, “Where’s Laurie?” “He’s outside.” Meg gasped, “What, in the cold?!”       They all rushed over and he could barely utter a ‘hello’ before he was pulled inside and everything erupted all over again. But once he could, the first thing Laurie did was turn to your father, “I’m sorry I didn’t ask you, Mr. March, I know I should have.” “You’re practically family, Laurie, this just puts it down on paper.”         You were inseparable for the rest of the day. Laurie was unable to go just a few minutes without holding your hand or putting his arm around you. As twilight approached, early in the evening, you settled on the couch together. You sat sideways in his lap with a book in hand. He wrapped his arms around you and twirled your hair in his fingers, reading lazily over your shoulder. The weight of the day’s events hung heavy on your eyelids and pulled them down. Drifting off every once in a while, you leaned closer and closer to Laurie until your eyes opened and you found yourself resting against his chest. He chuckled as you awoke and mumbled an incoherent “Wha?”  “You fell asleep.”  “Oh,” you replaced your bookmark and set the book down. “Keep me talking, I want to stay awake a little while longer.”  “Alright, then.” He cleared his throat. “How did you enjoy your Christmas present?” “It was perfect.” You gave him a small kiss before continuing, “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you anything.” You fidgeted with the fabric of your dress. It had been bugging you slightly, all day, that you had been unable to find or afford anything while he had literally proposed.  “That’s nothing,” he murmured, “you’re all I need.”  You reached out to hold his hand, “That’s sweet, Laurie.” “It’s true.” He tapped your hand with his thumb nervously, “I was worried you might say no.”  “How come?”  “We’re far too young, I’ve barely begun university, I’m being reckless and going too fast, I didn’t consult your parents.” His words didn’t sound entirely his own, as if he had been told them. “Is that what you discussed with your grandfather?” He nodded, and you could see his distinct look of blank, stoic tension begin to build in his now half-lidded eyes.  “I’m not worried,” you assured him softly, leaning your head back down on his chest. He held you closer.  “No?” His tone was incredibly earnest. “Why’s that?” You paused, for a while, to consider exactly how to express the depth of your feelings for him, your complete certainty that everything would be fine.  “Laurie…” He grasped your hand. “You’re a part of me, of my very soul. I don’t think we could be apart if we tried.” He said nothing, allowing a dreamy silence to surround you. So entwined in his arms, you surrendered to the lull of sleep. 

--

Taglist 

@sadhwstudent

[ahatintimestorybook]

Eclipse Chap. 2-No More Miss. Nice Girl

Hello! Got the next chapter out!!

I enjoyed the feedback I got on here and from discord and I was just motivated to get this next chapter out!!

Enjoy!!

Snatcher was relaxing in his tree home reading a book and letting out a sigh. Hat Kid was gone for a while now, and he was a bit concerned about where the kid ran off too. He shrugged it off and thought she was on her ship, in bed crying. He’ll check up on her later.

“Boss! Boss!” Two Subconites yelled. Snatcher looked up to see his two minions panicking as they ran inside his home. “It’s the newbie!”

The soul stealing ghost’s eyes widened hearing that something happened with Hat Kid. “What happened?” Snatcher asked.

“S-She’s walking towards her place!” Another Subconite shouted. Snatcher dropped his book and soon the ghost flew out of his home and quickly flew straight to Vanessa’s manor. He hoped the kid was still alive, and that he wasn’t too late.

Hat Kid and the “dweller” made it to the entrance of the Manor, which caused Hat Kid to gulp remembering the horror of being inside the manor and being chased by a mad woman, just to find her Time Piece. “W-what you're-looking for is in there?” Hat Kid stuttered.

“Yes.” The “dweller” replied. The “dweller” then saw Hat Kid in fear as she stared at the manor. The “dweller” wrapped around Hat Kid’s shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. “Hey you’ll be fine, I’m with you.” This gave Hat Kid a small smile, seeing how the “dweller” gave her comfort. The “dweller” then picked the lock with their tail, and the door to the manor opened.

Hat Kid went inside the manor and it was quiet. Too quiet. Like before. “So where is the item?” Hat Kid asked.

“The attic.” The “dweller” answered. The “dweller” then heard Hat Kid let out a frustrated sigh that she would have to find the keys all over again and go through all that trouble. However, before the girl could vent, the “dweller” added, “luckily I know a shortcut!”

The “dweller” then went straight towards the cellar door and opened it for Hat Kid. Just as Hat Kid went in the “dweller” heard footsteps coming from the owner of the manor, Queen Vanessa.

“WHO'S THERE?!” Queen Vanessa shouted as she stepped out of the room. “WHO DARES ENTER MY-“ just then the “dweller” released some green magic towards the corrupted queen, cutting her off and knocking her out.

Hat Kid stopped at her tracks and turned around hearing Queen Vanessa’s voice. “Was that the queen?” Hat Kid asked.

The “dweller” quickly caught up with Hat Kid. “Yeah, but I stopped her.”

The hat wearing child was surprised at the “dweller” and gave a small smile. “You're strong.” She commented.

“Thank you.” The “dweller” replied with a proud smile. Once inside the cellar, the “dweller” then took her to a part of the cellar and opened a small trap door inside. “After you.” Hat Kid bowed and went inside the secret entrance first. The “dweller” looked around the cellar before going inside and closing the door.

Just as the door closed, Snatcher just made it to the manor and stopped at the entrance of the cellar. He gulped and slowly went back inside to where he died, as well as his rebirth. Snatcher saw the secret door and followed Hat Kid and the “dweller”.

Once Hat Kid made it to the end of the secret passage she saw that the “dweller” was right and it did lead to the attic with no trouble from Vanessa. Inside the attic, Hat Kid saw what appeared to be a staff leaned against the window, something she didn’t see her last time here.

“Is that the treasure you're looking for?” Hat Kid asked.

“Yes!” The “dweller” replied, excited to find the said treasure.

Hat Kid walked up to it and grabbed the staff. It didn’t look special, just a rusty black staff with something that could fit on the top. The child inspected the staff and saw nothing special about it, except it was missing a piece.

“I think it’s broken.” Hat Kid said.

The “dweller” giggled. “Oh how silly of me.” They replied. Using their tail a Time Piece appeared, but not just any Time Piece it looked like the Time Piece from Snatcher’s death wishes. However, there was something odd about this one. “This staff could fit anything and everything, and it belongs to you Hat Kid.”

Hat Kid blinked in surprise. “For me?” She asked.

“Yes.” The “dweller” replied. Soon, the Time Piece floated and placed itself on the staff.

Then the unthinkable happened.

A bright purple light appeared and started to circle around Hat Kid. Snatcher finally made it to the attic and gasped seeing the aura circling Hat Kid. “KIDDO!” Snatcher yelled.

Hat Kid was confused as the light started to engulf her. “W-what’s happening to me?!” Hat Kid asked, fearful of what's going on with her. However, the “dweller” didn’t reply and just watched Hat Kid transform. “S-Snatcher! H-HELP!” She screamed once she was fully engulfed by the light.

Soon, little by little Hat Kid appeared, but she looked different. Her skin was pale, and she now wore a black cloak over a dark purple outfit, and the cloak was tied with a pink orb. Her brown boots were dark purple, and her bright sky blue eyes were dark blue and hollow. Her hair was brown, but with a black ombré and her hat was pale grey.

Snatcher was horrified at the child, and inside it felt like his fault this happened. “Kiddo?” Snatcher asked, as he tried to reach out for the little girl.

Hat Kid didn’t reply, and in a flash she used her new staff and shot a pink beam at Snatcher, which slammed him to the wall. The blast was painful and somehow made him feel weak. “K-kiddo. I’m.” Before he could apologize Snatcher passed out.

“Good job Hat Kid.” The “dweller” said as she floated towards the child. “Now, show me your true power.”

Hat Kid smirked as her staff started to glow brightly and soon she slammed the staff by the bottom end and a bright pink light engulfed everything, including the planet.

Snatcher groaned as he slowly opened his eyes to see he was in the cellar again. He tried to get up, but heard the dangling of chains. Feeling the air leaving him, he looked up to see he was chained up like he was 100 years ago. Snatcher’s eyes then widened when he looked at his arms again, and instead of his purple shadow arm, it was a human arm with a red sleeve.

The ghost, or should I say former ghost, was now human again wearing the same red prince’s outfit he wore that day.

[atinytokki]

The Windy Road

ix. The Ghost Friend 

The fish were thinning.

Some accident must have befallen them on their northern migration for the summer — pollution or overfishing due to the new military activity near the archipelago perhaps— and it was to the loss of the Song business.

The dry summer followed a dreary spring, which followed a dreary winter, which followed a dreary autumn.

Mingi had often seen Dahye and Bosung out in town on their way to and from school and various other outings.

He couldn’t tell whether Dahye truly had feelings for Bosung or not, but the backstabbing neighbour seemed to think she did and followed her around like a lost puppy.

It was sickening to watch.

When they both finished their courses of study, Mingi had some reprieve, but it was only until the day he woke up to see Dahye packing her trunks into a carriage and setting out for the capital. Her parents were sending her to start work there and as much as Mingi wanted to follow— to run away together and have a wild adventure in the city— his own family needed him. Badly.

With his mother’s occupation exposed, there had been a period where hardly anyone would buy from the Song fish stall at all.

In time it passed, and Mingi was thankful for the work but it was the type of work that felt like digging their own graves as they tried to save themselves from falling on hard times.

His father needed help with the business and his mother needed protection from slanderers. And Minseok was never coming back, so that meant Mingi was for all intents and purposes, the eldest. The responsible son. The adult.

A fire had been started and Mingi was fighting to keep up with it.

“I asked around at the market and there are hardly any in the usual places,” Father told him over the dinner table while the pair sat with the map in front of them.

“Bluefish, tuna, monkfish… I don’t know why, but they haven’t appeared and they’re long overdue.”

Mingi nodded and continued picking at the small scratch in the wood surface. “What did the other fishers find?”

“There were plenty of shellfish and carp,” Father sighed, and they both knew that wouldn’t last them the season unless they jacked up the price.

Mingi was tired of shellfish.

“You want to try eel?” He suggested, and Father looked affronted so he went on to explain. “Look inland for it, freshwater rivers and such. You’ll be able to sell at a higher price without question because it’s a delicacy.”

Father sat back and watched him for a moment, considering it.

“Alright, I’ll go to Ineo and see if I can find any at the end of the week, but it may be a long trip. I don’t want to end up wasting my time.”

Mingi nodded with something akin to excitement inside. It was fulfilling to be heard every once in awhile. He’d be eighteen next month, so it was about time he was treated as an adult.

The sound of the first few raindrops drumming on the wooden roof crescendoed into a torrential downpour while they looked out the window at the ocean.

Finally some miserable weather to match his mood.

It was the time of year when it could be deadly out there and Mingi was at least relieved Father would be safe inland and far away from the typhoons that plagued Panhang.

A fog began to cover the sea with the growing intensity of the warm rain meeting cool ocean water, and it created a spooky atmosphere that made Mingi remember an old story from his childhood.

“Hongjoong said it happened once with the gourami,” Mingi whispered as he lit a fire in the lantern on the table. “They just disappeared one season and came back like nothing happened the next. No one knew why, but some of the locals blamed it on a sea monster.”

Father turned to observe his reaction to mentioning Hongjoong when he stumbled over the name. It still hurt to think about him sometimes, dead at the bottom of the sea after being caught up in a pirate’s affairs. Mingi had been checking over his shoulder every day since for his ghost, haunting him as punishment for his idiotic behaviour.

They were his childhood— Hongjoong, Dahye, and Bosung. Without them, Mingi felt like he’d lost part of his own identity.

“You are more than your circumstances,” another voice shook him out of it, and there was Mother to encourage him. “That’s a truth I know well.”

“You’ll take care of your mother while I’m gone?” Father instructed, more of a command than a question, standing to wrap her in his arms before she ventured out into the night.

“Of course,” Mingi answered, joining the hug and relishing it while he could.

Everything else may have changed, but the three of them were still together.

It was difficult to say goodbye when Father set out with his smaller nets stuffed into the bag on his back, hiking southwest to meet the Chigu river. Mother refused to let Mingi walk her to town each night when she went to work, knowing her employer would be angry with her for doing so, but it made him feel useless to sit by the window and watch her walk away, keeping her head down and away from those who would mock her. Usually the angry townspeople dispersed after she left the house, but the whole affair made him uneasy every evening.

The rains continued into the next week, and Mingi began to understand how it might’ve been that night that Hongjoong’s parents died.

He wanted to cover as much area as possible but gave the rocks a wide berth while he could see them, adjusting the sails quickly to reach his traps and collect them before he lost the sunlight.

Rain poured into his eyes and the nagging voice in the back of his head berated him for not bringing a hat.

“I’ll have to buy one in town when I sell these,” he muttered to himself, hauling the last crate over the side and setting it down with the others.

He was cold, sore, and soaked to the bones but nevertheless took his time returning to shore, peering through the grey sheets of rain to make sure the rocks were still a good distance from him.

Father would be perturbed that he went out on the ocean alone, but they couldn’t afford to miss a day’s catch— even a poor one. They still had Minseok’s debts to pay.

While he stood at the stall, accompanied only by fish buried in ice, doing an adequate job selling his wares by emulating his father’s booming merchant voice, he wished more than ever that Hongjoong was still there.

They could have had the entire load done in half the time and maybe even gone searching for places where the sea was rich with catches with the extra hours.

Instead Mingi was left to pack his things and trudge home when the market closed to sit, shivering, by the fire with a book in his lap that he was only half paying attention to.

For a summer evening, the wind carried a strange chill and somewhere the sea goddess must have heard him, because a miracle came that night.

A knock at the door startled Mingi out of his reading. It was well past midnight, and highly unlikely either of his parents had returned, so he approached with caution, peering through the window.

Whoever had knocked was now slumped on the doorstep, having slipped in the rain. It looked like someone who needed help, not someone who wanted to kill him.

Mingi threw the door open and knelt by the huddled form, placing a hand on the bony shoulder gently.

A head shot up and even through the rain streaking down his cheeks, Mingi knew who it was.

He recognised all the angles of his face, the way he carried himself, even that nervous look in his eyes.

“Hongjoong?”

Slowly Hongjoong got to his feet, still staring at him with hesitation, like he wasn’t sure whether he would be accepted or not.

“Hongjoong—” Mingi’s voice broke and suddenly he couldn’t take it anymore.

He grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into a hug, clinging on and crying like he was afraid to lose him again. Tears mixed with rain dripped down his face, and his sobs were muffled in the cloak Hongjoong was wearing.

“It’s me,” Hongjoong whispered, rocking gently from side to side and reaching up to stroke the back of his head. “I’m here.”

A shiver from Hongjoong broke the spell, and Mingi pulled him inside, closing the door behind him. “I’m so sorry, where are my manners, you must be freezing...”

He ran to the linen closet to pull out some towels while Hongjoong attempted to explain what he was doing here all of a sudden.

“I tried docking all along the archipelago and even further south, but there was too much navy presence at every other port and I didn’t know where I...” he said, accepting the towel and wrapping it around himself. “I didn’t want to intrude but I needed shelter.”

“You could never intrude,” Mingi rushed you reassure him. “We... I thought you were dead.”

Hongjoong froze and stared at him for a moment before blinking it away and wandering into the living room.

As he looked around, a strange expression came over his face. It suddenly occurred to Mingi that he hadn’t been in here since the Song family moved in, years ago.

But the weight of that fact was buried under a lot more unspoken pain Mingi didn’t know about.

Once they were settled in chairs and Hongjoong was adequately dried off, Mingi played host.

“Father’s on a trip and Mother’s out... working. Minseok’s bed is always free. So you can stay the night if you need to.”

Hongjoong sighed and smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Or you can stay here as long as you like,” Mingi shrugged with a withering smile, still too embarrassed to ask him to stay forever outright. “I take it you aren’t returning to Jangwon.”

Hongjoong stiffened and nodded quickly.

After a moment more of sitting around awkwardly, Mingi just couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Hongjoong, where have you been? What happened?”

His appearance now was a third outcome Mingi hadn’t considered, and it was eating him up inside the more he wondered what had taken place.

There was a tense silence that followed the question before Hongjoong met his gaze.

Tears swam in his eyes but they didn’t fall. He was shaking his head slightly as if he wasn’t even sure where to begin. He pursed his lips and it occurred to Mingi that he probably didn’t even want to.

“Well, that’s alright,” Mingi coughed uncomfortably, heading towards the stairs and listening to the quiet sound of Hongjoong following. “You can tell me tomorrow. You look like you need the sleep.”

This Hongjoong had been to hell and back. He was a ghost, a shadow of Hongjoong.

Not until he was asleep did the darkness lift for awhile.

Mingi watched him from his own bed, trying not to stare at the scars decorating his bare collarbone, or the way his ribcage jutted out from beneath flimsy fabric. Whatever he had been eating, it wasn’t enough. If he wasn’t swimming in his clothes, Mingi would offer his own. From how small he looked lying there it was obvious Mingi towered over him even more now.

When drowsiness came over him, a small voice in the back of his head allowed itself to celebrate.

After an agonising year of merely surviving in this stale town while his life slipped out of his control, Hongjoong came back to him. He was really back.

Perhaps Mingi wouldn’t feel so alone anymore.

On waking to an otherwise empty room the next morning, Mingi wondered in a panic if he’d simply dreamed the encounter.

But there Hongjoong was, downstairs in the kitchen, cooking him a humble breakfast and clutching a cup of tea like a lifeline.

“You’re already up?” Mingi questioned softly, concern seeping into his voice. “You seemed exhausted last night...”

“I’m not really able to sleep much more than a couple hours at a time,” Hongjoong confessed, laying a plate on the table in front of his host. He continued to explain, seeing the clear curiosity in Mingi’s eyes. “Sailing solo against the currents and amongst all the trade route traffic will do that to you.”

“Let me get this straight,” Mingi pressed, swallowing a gulp of his own tea and pulling Hongjoong into the chair across from him. “You survived the naval ambush reported in all the papers and bulletins a year ago, and sailed here all by yourself without sleeping properly on what ship, exactly?”

Hongjoong bit his lip like he was having second thoughts before sighing and getting to his feet, motioning Mingi to follow him.

“I left her at our old spot on the beach,” he told him, following the familiar path down the cliffside. “She’s not much, but I think I’ve grown attached.”

By the time they reached the water, Mingi was bursting with curiosity. Hongjoong let him take a good look at the little boat sitting there, tied to the dock just north of them before he said anything.

It wasn’t the most impressive vessel Mingi had ever seen, a bit smaller than the Song fishing boat and composed of mismatched wood and sheets, but as Hongjoong went on, its appearance began to make sense.

“The bulletins were correct about the Stardust going down,” he told him through a strained throat. “This is all that is left of her.”

“You built this,” Mingi breathed, astounded. “Out of what, the wreckage? You must not have been on the open ocean when it was sunk, then. Unless you’ve gained the ability to dive hundreds of feet while carrying soaked lumber…”

Hongjoong snorted and shook his head, loving eyes on the little bobbing boat he had made. That thing was probably as close a companion as Mingi had been once, and it prompted him to ask what he’d been meaning to since yesterday.

“I guess the only question I have left is... where were you in the meantime?” He kept his voice low, afraid to startle Hongjoong out of his daze while he continued to stare at the boat. “I mean, a whole year has passed since word of the sinking of the Stardust. I always assumed you had-had, you know... drowned.”

There was a restrained silence for a few moments, and Mingi had quietly decided to try again later when his guest had been given more time to recover from the experience, but to his great surprise he suddenly received his answer.

“I don’t know what happened to Eden but his body wasn’t with the shipwreck when I returned to it. We were separated and I drifted ashore,” Hongjoong nearly whispered, digging his bare foot into the sand absently. It was probably too soon to be talking about it but Mingi couldn’t help himself. “I survived on an uninhabited island day by day through...” he trailed off again like he wasn’t sure he wanted to go into detail. “Through so many scrapes with death that I needed to find a way off. No one was coming to get me and I’d been there 292 days.”

Mingi followed his gaze past the boat and out to the ocean. It was cruel and unpredictable, even from his pleasant view here on the shore. He couldn’t imagine traversing it on his own, dead to the world and surviving a nightmare.

And to think it was his own loose lips that had caused all this...

“I’m so sorry,” Mingi choked, lowering his head. “About Eden and- and everything that happened to you. And being abandoned in the wild for that long? I can’t even imagine it. I probably wouldn’t have lasted a day,” he brushed Hongjoong in the shoulder lightly with a teary smile to lift the mood.

“You’re more resourceful than you think,” Hongjoong reminded him as he took his hand and squeezed it. “I was.”

Together they climbed the hill back to the house and watched the sunrise through the windows. The skies promised sunshine for once, and it was a welcome guest.

Mingi watched Hongjoong clean up the dishes then root around for more to fill his empty stomach with and considered how they’d both come full circle.

His first friend, the one he should have stuck with through everything, back to being a ghost boy and floating through this shell of a house as if he was haunting it.

Now hopefully he’d lead a quiet life, recovering from everything that had clearly already traumatised him, settling down with a trade he liked, maybe a family of his own.

And Mingi would be right there to support him. He’d never make the mistake of leaving his side again.

Although, he would have to explain things to his mother when she came home.

Speaking of Mother…

Mingi busied himself by hurrying around the cottage, cleaning up after Hongjoong. He’d tracked wet sand all over the place with his bare feet, there was a spot of dirt on the sofa where he’d been sitting, and the sheets on Minseok’s bed probably needed changing.

Generally, Mingi didn’t take much notice of the state of cleanliness the house was in, but as resident caretaker of it and an almost-adult, he felt the need to make the place presentable and also take good care of his guest.

“Hyung, do you happen to have a change of clothes?” Mingi called from the sitting room, glancing over to see Hongjoong turn sharply from where he was stuffing his face with toast and blink in surprise a few times.

“Everything I own is at Jangwon or the bottom of the sea,” he informed him, speaking with his mouth still full. “So, no.”

Mingi muffled his laugh at Hongjoong’s loss of manners and went to draw water for him to bathe in. He’d been alone in the wild for so long that it was hardly surprising to have banished all thought and memory of high society, but the fact that he also had untreated wounds and tattered rags hanging off him was a little more urgent in Mingi’s eyes.

“Let’s wash off some of that dirt first,” Mingi instructed, leading Hongjoong from the kitchen and into the bathroom, not prepared to have to drag him away and throw him in the tub, but unrelenting when that was the case.

It was a good thing he spent so much time hauling the squirming catches in his fishnets around, considering Hongjoong was as untamed as the ocean and of no mind to be scrubbed like a child, though that was what Mingi decided to do anyway.

“You’re shaking,” he frowned when Hongjoong finally stilled, fingers clutching the lip of the tub until he had a chance to grab the cleaning rag from him and scrub himself. “Is the water cold?”

Hongjoong shook his head, refusing to look at him, and snatched up the towel when Mingi offered it with a successful smile.

Now he was all clean and smooth again.

Eventually the new roughness around the edges would weather away too.

“Though we should most definitely get you something... else... to wear,” Mingi laughed when Hongjoong discovered a new hole in the shirt he’d been forcibly removed from.

“I don’t want to inconvenience you,” he started to say, but Mingi cut him off by handing him an outfit of his own for the meantime.

“No, I meant to take a trip to the market this morning anyway. Let’s just be sure to return before Mother does.”

For Hongjoong’s sake, Mingi decided he could miss a day’s fishing after all.

The first stop was the clothing booth, where they’d bought fabrics on Hongjoong’s birthday almost three years ago. It felt like much longer when a burning wave of nostalgia washed over him, but Mingi busied himself by looking for a hat like he’d meant to yesterday and didn’t dwell on it. He had a lot of regrets about that year.

Hongjoong wasn’t exactly shopping, mostly just standing around and watching the goings-on with a shrewd eye.

“Stop staring at people, you don’t want to end up back at Jangwon,” Mingi admonished nervously before steering him to another section of the booth. “Here, get yourself some shoes.”

It took over an hour to get him into a pair of boots he wouldn’t complain about and Mingi threw in a shirt, jacket, and pair of breeches for good measure when he went to buy them along with his hat.

“I know you like jewellery,” Mingi suggested as they returned to the main road, steering Hongjoong out of the way of some rowdy women in the middle of the road. “Let me introduce you to the latest styles in fashion.”

“I’m not a child,” Hongjoong groaned, brushing his hands off and striding ahead a few paces in rebellion.

“I know you aren’t,” Mingi explained, taking a couple steps to keep up with him. “I’m just… trying to make up for not spending more time with you when we were children.”

Hongjoong didn’t reply but slowed down and glanced up at his host with a nod that told him he was forgiven. “Yes, I do like jewellery.”

He fumbled with the chain of a necklace he already wore, a crystal swinging from it that Mingi didn’t recognise, and made a turn onto the street where the store was.

Deciding not to press Hongjoong about anything else, Mingi settled for following him around and paying for the items he chose. It was the least he could do.

They ended up eating lunch in the corner of a pub, and Mingi struggled to keep up with Hongjoong’s drinking pace but was glad to get him talking again with some alcoholic lubrication.

“So where is this island?”

Hongjoong frowned in thought before pulling a wanted sign off the wall and sketching on it with a quill from the nearby table.

“Here,” he finally passed him a map with the coastline, archipelago, and colonies plotted on it, as well as some smaller islands to the south that Mingi hadn’t known about. “This one is where I was, to the best of my knowledge. Admiral Kim’s fire ships ambushed us here, and this was where the Stardust went down.”

Mingi scoffed and finally looked back up at him. “You memorised all that well enough to recreate it?”

“Well, it’s more or less accurate to a couple of coordinates—”

“Kim Hongjoong, I’m amazed at you,” Mingi laughed and sat back, taking a swig of his drink. He was suddenly very glad he had suggested the pub and not one of the tea houses.

“I’m happy to see you smile again,” Hongjoong told him warmly as he folded up the paper and pushed it to the side, suddenly deep in thought.

“All I wanted on that island was not to be alone anymore. Somehow despite that, being in the marketplace is too suffocating. It’s much better in here tucked into a corner with just the two of us.”

Another reason Mingi was glad to have chosen the pub. Everything was in the open and capable of being scrutinised at the tea house. It would have been total disaster if anyone from Jangwon was there.

“You know, I thought about you a lot while I was gone,” Hongjoong suddenly said and Mingi tilted his head in disbelief.

“Truly?”

“Yes, I agree with what you said earlier about regretting not spending more time together,” Hongjoong explained with a shallow sigh. “There were things I couldn’t have told you, but I feel I ought to have done better, and those words I said that night when I ran away…”

“I deserved them. I should have done better, too,” Mingi confessed softly. “And I will. This is a second chance, hyung. We can live our lives side-by-side from now on.”

They clinked their glasses together and downed them to seal the deal, and as they stood to leave Mingi noticed Hongjoong barefoot again and sat him down to lace up his boots.

“But not if you won’t keep your shoes on, for heaven’s sake…”

He laughed it off with Hongjoong as they walked back into the street, but behind closed doors, he knew what it was. Between the way he ate that oyster soup like it was his last meal, how easily disquieted he was, and his aversion to being touched without warning, Hongjoong was struggling to turn off his survival instincts. If it was as bad as Mingi thought, he might not be able to return to society. Not in any meaningful way.

For a while longer, they wandered the stalls and Mingi tried not to let it bother him. It was one of those days where the sun transitioned between blazing hot and being hidden behind the moving clouds, and a headache was growing behind his eyes as a result.

“What do you think of this one?” Hongjoong had to ask twice when Mingi couldn’t keep his eyes open and pay attention.

He was standing in between two anchors of different sizes and materials and Mingi couldn’t help but snort as he imagined Hongjoong trying to figure out how to move them down to the waterfront.

“An anchor? Why would you need an anchor?”

He was becoming irritable and Hongjoong knew it.

“You head back, I’ll look around for some other things to buy for the ATEEZ,” Hongjoong finally suggested instead of explaining himself.

“ATEEZ?” Mingi mumbled, putting up a hand to shade his eyes as the sun came out again.

“That’s what I’ve decided to call her,” came the response and Mingi gave an approving nod, dropped his money bag into Hongjoong’s hands, and trudged home to get in a nap.

Mother was there mending some clothes in the sitting room and Mingi provided her with a short explanation before escaping to his bed and evading all the following questions.

Sleep came over him gradually and wasn’t the most peaceful, not with the worry that Hongjoong was alone in the market gnawing at the back of his mind. He might get into a fight or steal something from a shop owner for all he knew, and as host Mingi would feel responsible for whatever harm might come to the stranger.

Perhaps he was treating Hongjoong too much like a child.

Thankfully, Mingi woke to the smell of dinner wafting through the house and the sight of his mother and guest sitting and eating peacefully. Hongjoong had brought back a canola flower bunch to decorate the table and upon seeing it, Mingi remembered the way he gave Dahye flowers once and became overly excited. It was as if the old Hongjoong was back.

The feeling didn’t last as supper went on when conversation fizzled out and Hongjoong, already finished with his meagre fish, would stare at nothing, reliving a horror he didn’t share.

He did an excellent job of hiding his fragile state when a dark memory overtook him, but Mingi was better at seeing it than Hongjoong was at pretending.

Mingi had noticed it before in the old sailors who fought in wars once. Hongjoong carried a type of pain with him that never faded, it only changed form.

“What do you intend to do with the ATEEZ?” Mingi asked to break the silence when the two of them sat outside under the stars, watching Mingi’s mother head to town for work.

“I’m not sure where I’ll go yet, but I want to sail,” Hongjoong answered, fiddling with his hands. “I have a feeling Eden is still out there…”

He trailed off quietly and neither of them spoke for a long time. If there was something he wanted to add, he was having trouble expressing it, so Mingi let the silence stretch on and considered whether Eden could be alive.

Hongjoong had survived, and Eden was much more experienced a pirate to begin with which certainly put it in the realm of possibilities.

But to hunt him down and join him would make Hongjoong a true pirate as well, and Mingi knew if he went down that road it would mean being pursued by enemies across the ocean for the rest of his days.

Not the quiet seaside life they’d envisioned earlier.

When the moon came out, the pair retired to bed. Questions of the future could wait at least a day longer, and the exhaustion of their outing had finally caught up with them.

Mingi should have anticipated the night terrors.

Muttering from the other bed awoke him sometime in the night and at first he ignored it, rolling over and pressing a pillow over his ears, but the sound of Hongjoong suddenly yelling had him sit up and rub the sleep out of his eyes.

Now he was breathing heavily and his thrashing grew in force until Mingi was genuinely worried and decided to wake him up.

“It’s just a dream, hyung, open your—”

Before he could finish, Hongjoong’s eyes flashed open and a hand shot out to switch their positions, choking Mingi fiercely before he realised who he was.

When had he gotten so strong?

“It’s me,” Mingi tried to say, mouth working with only a breathless grunt coming out of his sore throat, but it seemed to do the trick.

Hongjoong released him with a gasp and slowly moved away, shrinking into a ball and struggling to regain control of himself while Mingi recovered his breath.

“Are you alright?” He whispered, as if being quiet now could atone for the violent episode he’d just had.

Mingi expected him to be crying, releasing that tumultuous emotion somehow, but he simply stared at nothing again, knuckles white as he curled his fingers tightly in the blanket and waited for a reply.

No, I’m terrified, Mingi wanted to say. I could’ve died just now, you could have killed me…

“Just startled is all, it wasn’t your fault.” The rasp in his voice made him pause to swallow carefully. “Are… are you?”

“We don’t… keep secrets from each other,” he answered so quietly that Mingi could barely hear, but he knew what Hongjoong was admitting.

He wasn’t alright. He wouldn’t be for a long time, maybe not ever.

This wasn’t the same Hongjoong who left Mingi alone in the cold, weather-beaten town that had turned against the both of them. This was someone else, someone who was part wild beast himself now.

Mingi didn’t know how to help him, and it made him feel useless.

“You’re soaked,” he mentioned absently as he laid a careful hand on his shoulder and noticed the shirt he wore was doused in sweat. “Let’s get this off…”

He should have known what a mistake that was before pulling the cloth off for him and being greeted with a frightening collection of jagged scars running down Hongjoong’s back, but instead he opened his mouth to ask, stunned, “What happened?”

Mingi hadn’t noticed the marks during the bath, probably because of the way his guest had been pressed against the tub, hiding it from him.

Hongjoong scooted as far away as possible with the speed of a cornered animal and pulled the blankets up to his chin. “Please,” he insisted through his teeth, and he didn’t need to finish the sentence. Mingi knew what he was asking.

Don’t make me lie to you.

He looked like he’d nearly been clawed to death by something, but apparently it wasn’t worth telling Mingi, who may not have experienced anything remotely similar but was doing everything in his power to aid his recovery from it.

He couldn’t help the annoyance from seeping into his voice. “I’m just trying to help—”

“You should go back to bed,” Hongjoong cut him off, voice hoarse and eyes shining with something akin to regret. “You need to sleep.”

Instead Mingi tossed the shirt to the floor and marched outside, upset.

He knew it was his frustration at more than Hongjoong coming through, but despite his friend’s return, life still felt unfair.

He was alive, but in a strange state of limbo, where for long periods of time he might as well not be. He was with Mingi but deep down wanted to go somewhere else, wherever Eden was.

Mingi swallowed his tears before they presented themselves and tried to formulate a plan.

Hongjoong’s suffering wasn’t his alone. It might take time but if he could let Mingi in, they’d both be better equipped to handle it.

Mingi just needed to be patient.

He started by going back inside and crawling into bed. Hongjoong was either asleep or pretending to be, facing the opposite wall to avoid another confrontation.

The two didn’t argue until the following morning, when Mingi found his guest outside again, watching the ATEEZ bob up and down on the water below.

“Why do you expect me to be the same as I was before I left?” Hongjoong asked tiredly without looking at him. Mingi wasn’t sure how he even knew he had approached. “Haven’t you noticed that you changed as well?”

Mingi furrowed his brows and tried to understand. “Me? What on earth are you referring to?”

Hongjoong faced him with his jaw set and a cold look in his eyes. “You’re always trailing behind like you can’t let me out of your sight. I told you before, I’m not a child… or a mangy dog for that matter.”

Mingi bristled but kept his clenched fist by his side.

“Well, I’m sorry I can’t be as aloof and insensitive as your pirate friends,” he scoffed bitterly, and regretted it as soon as it left his mouth.

Hongjoong got to his feet slowly and let his eyes rake over the little cottage he’d loved so dearly once.

“I think it’s best that I stay somewhere else.”

There was no emotion in his voice and it terrified Mingi.

“No, please, hyung! Don’t do this to me, don’t leave me again. I’ll do anything—”

Hongjoong sighed and raised a hand to stop him from going on. There was concern in his eyes that didn’t reach his voice as he explained, “Mingi, I could have killed you last night. I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”

Mingi was partially relieved this suggestion had nothing to do with his sarcastic comment, but still got to his feet and blocked Hongjoong’s route to the sea.

“What does it matter if you do? I deserve it!”

“Don’t say that,” Hongjoong snapped immediately. “You didn’t do this. I know you want to help but—”

“Nothing can be done?” Mingi finished for him. “Are you completely certain of that fact? Let me at least try. Give me another chance, hyung, I’m begging you.”

Hongjoong pursed his lips and glanced away. For a moment he said nothing and simply let the wind ruffle his hair, deciding whether to part on such terms or relent and let Mingi redeem himself.

“I’ll make you a deal— and you know I’m not the gambling type,” Mingi broke the silence breathlessly, for once in his life taking the first step himself. “Work on your ship all you want, but do it here. I won’t interfere, and if you ultimately decide to leave on it, I won’t stop you. But please just try for me. Wear your boots and join society if you can. Promise you’ll do your best… because I can’t bear the thought of being separated from you again.”

Hongjoong’s eyes swam before meeting his and he let out a wet chuckle before scratching the back of his head. “You really want me here?”

“We won’t even make you help with the fishing,” Mingi promised with a growing smile. He knew he’d managed to convince him by the way Hongjoong let out that little amused snort and offered his hand to be shaken.

“Alright,” he sighed, resigned, before setting his eyes on the town. “I have other means of earning my keep.”

Mingi overlooked the dark undertone of that statement, relieved he’d managed to win back Hongjoong’s company.

“I’ll return for supper,” Hongjoong bade him farewell as he slung a bag over his shoulder. “The ATEEZ needs some work.”

He had his word, and that held good for Mingi. His heart was lighter as he returned to the kitchen and looked around for something to cook breakfast with.

Not fish this time, Hongjoong was probably sick of them.

Mingi looked out the window that pointed toward the road inland, with still no sign of Father. When he returned with his eels, it was likely he would try to enlist Hongjoong’s help in finding the elusive catches, and that would be a breach of the verbal contract Mingi had just made.

But even then, no fish for breakfast. If it was the only food available on a remote tropical island, Mingi could do better.

There weren’t many new fish in Panhang in the first place.

...

A/N: With only a few chapters left, we’ve reached a turning point both in the story and Mingi’s character! Let me know if you managed to connect past and present by leaving a comment, and have a great week <3

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[overwatchworks]

Ooo I have a McGenji prompt! ((It sounds kinda dumb though)) Maybe some sort of apocalypse-wasteland like Au where Genji and McCree both got separated for years. But, the way the reunite is through some sort of brutal injury Genji receives when scavenging by himself. ((Oh god I am legit cringe, I’m so sorry-))

Okay, I have a few things to say about this first:

1.) Nonnie, you are enjoying a harmless, if a bit more rare, AU for a pairing you like. Do not talk yourself down for liking it. Don’t call your little joys or things that make you excited dumb, because if they make you happy, then that’s all that matters. It’s not cringy to enjoy things, and it’s not cringy to be excited about an idea. Don’t let yourself be the person that talks down on your own interests, rather, be the one to encourage yourself to enjoy them to their fullest! So what if no one else really talks about it or you’ve never seen it before? Enjoy it anyways! Offer the idea anyways—there is no harm in it whatsoever! And you’re not cringy for enjoying it!

2.) When I first saw this prompt, I in no way, shape, or form thought it was cringe. I was simply intrigued by an idea I have never seen before for a McGen AU. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it happen, or how I would make it work, but when I sat down to actually write it, I had a blast. Your idea is fun and creative and I had a really good time figuring out what to make from it! You absolutely do not need to apologize. Which leads me to my last point.

3.) This is a no judgement zone. You shoot me an idea, I will do my best to make it happen. You have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to be afraid of. The worst anyone can tell you for this is “no thanks”. And I’m telling you now, this was fun. This was great, and I’m glad you asked for it.

Now, with that out of the way; Nonnie, here is your Apocalypse-Wasteland AU McGenji!

Genji knew he should not have gone in to that airship carrier alone. Knew he should have brought some of his crew with him for back up in case something went wrong. Hana had said she would come with him in the morning. Said she needed parts for her mech and that Jamison would be with her as well. 

But Genji had not wanted to wait. 

There would be too many scavengers like them looking in such a prize overnight. All the good metals and wiring and fuel cells would be gone by morning. Precious materials he needed to keep his systems functioning and the joints of most of his limbs still working. So Genji had gone in alone, even when he knew he should not have, when he knew there was so much that could go wrong. 

And of course, of course, it all went wrong. 

The wires he had been using as a rope to climb to a communications room of some sort were frayed. They had snapped when he was half way up, suspended forty feet in the air. Vertigo, and then static when he hit the ground. Fell through some of the debris and down even further into the wreckage. Somewhere he would not be found, even by luck, buried too deep for any of his comm signals to work. 

He could feel the parts of him that were broken. The synthetic parts. Wiring exposed and sparking at the ends, lighting up his nerves with fire that had only subsided slightly with time. Half of his vision was gone, sensors pinging in the peripheral of what he had left in bright red warning. 

System failure. 

Ruptures in his prosthetics. 

Something puncturing his chest. 

He couldn’t move his legs, they were trapped beneath something. The dull thudding of his heart—one of the few human accessories he had left—was a constant throbbing in his ears, high-pitched ringing beneath that. 

Genji was dying. 

Could feel the mix of biofluids and blood dribbling out of him slowly. Everything that was supposed to keep him working and healthy failing him. He had been too reckless—this carrier was huge, there would have been plenty left over for them in the morning. He should have just waited, he should have judged the wiring better, he had done this his whole life, was built to be the best at it. 

And yet here he was. Bitterly, there was a thought that at least if someone did eventually find him, he would be quite the treasure to scavenge. Long after he had died and the human parts of him rotted away, of course. 

Genji was dying, and all he could do was wait.

-

He had almost drifted to the point of no return. Had almost let go and not been able to come back. There was the sounds of scraping and clattering, someone grunting. Underwater. Muted to his ears, like he was underwater. 

Genji blinked slowly, eyes barely able to open. A flash of red greeted him, glowing hellish in the darkness. Heavy breathing. From him or whatever it was in front of him, Genji could not tell. 

And then he was being lifted from the rubble, body dangling limply from the strong grip he was held in. A familiar voice swam to him through the darkness.

“Hang on, Genji. Just hang on.”

-

Laughter. Something sweet and innocent. Childish. Because they were children. Children running through a scavenger’s yard, a workshop of sorts. 

There were creatures made of metal and what they had thought was a little bit of magic; sentient, in a sense, but simply run by mechanics. By cybernetics. A tinker’s shop. 

Genji was hiding behind a piece of sheet metal leaning against a pile of scraps, hand pressed to his mouth to quiet his giggles. Someone grabbed him from behind, and he squealed in delight as Jesse lifted him off his feet.

“Caught you!”

“That’s not fair, you grew up here so you know all the good hiding spots!”

“Even when we play at your place I still win,” Jesse shot back playfully, Genji sticking out his tongue.

“You do not always win.”

“Do too! You’re too easy to find! I’ll always find you.”

Genji smiled, and so did Jesse. And they were happy, in a time where it was okay to be happy and carefree. In a world where it was still safe to be children.

-

Genji woke to quiet whirring. His sensors were offline, he could not feel the right side of his body from the neck down. His cybernetics were not connecting to his conscious nervous system. 

Manual override: system shutdown, they blinked at him in green beneath his eyelids. 

Alarm shot through him, fear a tangible thing in his mouth, sharp and tangy like iron. Something began to beep, Genji turning his head to look around frantically, snapping awake. Both his eyes worked, and clearly his auditory sensors were back online as well. At least there was that.

“Woah, woah there. You’re okay. I didn’t scavenge you or anythin’. You were pretty beat up as it was, not much worth takin’.”

The accent was odd. Not quite because it was out of place, but because it was so familiar. Like traces of a dream still clinging after waking up. The source of the voice was a man wrapped up in a metal chestplate and a gauntlet on one arm, a tattered cloak of some sort hanging from his shoulders. He had a hat, too, and a cigar. Something old school. 

One of his eyes was glowing red, brighter than the lit end of that which was hanging from his lips. Heavy boots, metal around his waist, chains hooked to his belts. He stepped closer, into the light, hand raising to tip his hat back from his eyes. On closer inspection, Genji saw that it was a prosthetic, not a gauntlet. 

And those eyes were strikingly familiar. That face was one he could never forget. 

Old memories that Genji had thought were lost came back to him. Laughter. Something sweet and innocent. Childish. Jesse grinning underneath the blazing sun, both of them sweating. Jesse playing in the dirt, drawing a poor rendition of Genji’s face in it. Jesse chasing one of the cybernetic dogs after it took off with part of their lunch, Genji laughing until the dog came back and stole more of his. 

Jesse, Jesse, Jesse.

“Sorry, had to shut you down to fix you up. It would have killed you otherwise, trying to keep all of you functioning at once and keeping up with pinging your sensors. Would’a been in agony. I kept your most important systems up and runnin’, but gave the rest of you a break,” he continued lightly, walking over and unplugging some of the wiring that had been hooked up to Genji’s body. 

All he could do was stare wide eyed as Jesse reached down and connected the rest of Genji’s ports, clasping his prosthetics back on for him. Each one shocked back to life, Genji feeling the nerves burn for a moment before they connected and resynchronized with the rest of him. He flexed his toes, stretched his legs and shook out his arm. It was muscle memory more than him actually being aware of doing it.

“Now, I’m trustin’ you not to immediately jump me here. I saved your life, you spare mine, yeah?”

“Jesse,” Genji finally breathed. Jesse blinked, brows raising slightly.

“Oh. So you do remember...”

“Of course I remember.”

“They said you would lose all your early memories with the modifications and whatnot. Figured that’d mean me too, especially after I had to leave. You had no chance to relearn who I was.”

Genji took him in, simply stared and recalled as much as he could about them. Childhood friends. His best friend. All the mischief they would get into. Jesse building things in the night and showing Genji how to bring them to life. Their first scavenge together, gathering materials to make some of the very first models of what eventually became Genji’s modifications. 

Jesse leaving before they were finished.

“I...Know who you are. I remember. There are gaps and places that are static,” Genji grimaced, fingertips brushing against his temple. Sometimes remembering was hard. Certain things were hard to recall, others impossible. But sometimes it wasn’t.

“But I know one thing for certain; you’re my Jesse.”

Jesse’s face softened, a smile gracing his lips. It was not as big or as carefree as it once was, weighed down by the harsh reality of their world. But it was familiar. Something Genji could never forget.

“It’s good to see you again, Genji. It’s real good to see you.”

Genji smiled back, something warm in him that was definitely human making him feel light in a way he had not been since the world had broken more than it already was.

“It is good to see you too, Jesse. Perhaps we can take some time to catch up while my systems reset.”

Jesse sat with a grunt, taking off his hat, running a hand through his hair. Genji watched the movements, eyes scrunching slightly with his grin.

“I’d like that,” Jesse nodded.

~~

[raging-violets]

Harry Potter OC Ask Game: Verity Calvert

No one asked me to do this, but HP has been on my mind lately (when I really should be finishing another chapter I’ve procrastinated on for ages), and I figured this was a chance to think through and organize ideas for my OC. So, here we go!

-Rhuben

PS: This is the OC, btw I’ve given myself too many faceclaim choices for. Kathryn Prescott I chose first, specifically because she’s underused, but I’ve also more recently been looking at Natalia Dyer (but feel like a LOT of people use her), Alexis Bledel, or Emily Rudd. Any opinions would be great.

What is their blood status (pureblood, muggleborn, etc)? What are their thoughts on the concept of blood status?

She would tell you her blood status is Pure-Blood. Blood status was never something she really thought about so much as she’s aware of how her parents keep telling her that it’s important for her to align herself with Pure-Blood families. Being Ministry workers (and overall a well known family - they have a lot of money), they have, just like Madeline’s teacher at Beauxbatons, always informed her about the importance of a good wizarding image and/or being a respectable member of Wizard Society. Funny thing is; she doesn’t realize she’s actually half-blood.

What is their wand wood and core?

Her wand is Beech Wood with a Dragon Heartstring core

Do they bring a pet to Hogwarts with them?

Yes, she brings her Great Hearned Owl, Nyx

What Hogwarts house were they sorted into? Why did the hat put them in that house over the others? Was it a quick sorting or a hatstall? Are they happy with their sorting? What Hogwarts house would they least fit into?

After transferring from Beauxbatons in her third year (despite the fact that most people have no idea where Beauxbatons is exactly, Madeline’s parents feel she’d be safer at Hogwarts under Dumbledore), she’s sorted into Gryffindor.

The decision was quick, but it confuses her as she’s always made top marks, and she believes she should be in Ravenclaw.

She’s not entirely happy with her sorting, and feels like that’s the one she least fits into, as she feels that she doesn’t show brave or courageous qualities as she’s always gone along with whatever her parents and teachers have told her to do. This also contributed to her success with her education as her act of rebellion at her home, whenever her parents would have Ministry co-workers over, was to hide out in the library and read.

What subject is their favorite at Hogwarts? Which is their least favorite? Is their favorite the same as their best subject?

Her favorite subject is Charms, least favorite is Astronomy. Her best subject is Potions. The theory behind magic is something Madeline excels at, but the wandwork behind spells and such, she has a harder time with.

What electives do they chose in third year?

Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy (she chooses to study Alchemy when she gets to her sixth year). She also has been known to spend her free time in the Hospital Wing with Madame Pomfrey, learning all about about the world of magical medicine.

Do they earn more house points or do they lose more?

Both. She earns them through her answering corrections correctly in class and following he rules, but also, as she finds her voice, loses them as she learns to speak up for herself

How do they do on their OWLs? On their NEWTs?

Verity does very well on her OWLS and NEWTs. She always viewed getting good marks as a sign of being well-taught and ready to enter the magical world as a respected member of magical society.

Thoughts on Quidditch? Do they play? And if so what position do they play?

Verity enjoys Quidditch. She’s a reserve member of the Gryffindor team playing Chaser.

What Wizarding treat (bertie botts, chocolate frogs, etc.) is their favorite?

By far, it’s a tie between Sugar Quills and Butterbeer

What is their Patronus? What happy memory do the use to conjure it?

Her patronus is a Dove. Her happy memory when she first successfully conjures it was the day he wand chose her.

What is their Boggart? What happens to it when they cast Riddikulus?

One of Verity’s biggest fears is drowning. Whether that’s actually in the literal sense or metaphorical; for example if she feels like she’s fallen too far behind with her homework and more and more keeps being piled on top of it.

At first, her boggart would be an image of herself drowning, but in air. Essentially she’d watch herself choke to death.

When she casts riddikulus, it turns into a mime. (Which I understand is scary for some people)

What does Amortentia smell like to them?

Lavender, Fresh Bread/Crepes/Pastries, Mountain Air

What spell is their favorite? Which do they use the most?

Her favorite spell is Stupefy. She uses Protego and Impedimenta often. Bombarda is possibly considered her signature spell.

If they needed it, what form would the Room of Requirement take for them?

A place to escape is the shortest answer: over the years, she just wanted to get away from her home and her parents. In her house, that area was the library. Hogwarts has one of those. The Room of Requirement would fill that sort of need for her when everything got to be too much. If at all possible, the room would take on the look of the mountains, much like how one of the first floor classrooms was transformed into a forest for Firenze.

If they trained as an Animagus what form would they take?

Probably some sort of stealthy animal; and her special marking would be a patch in the shape of a bow (because Madeline wears a lot of bows).

What do they do/want to do after Hogwarts?

Growing up, she wanted to be a Healer or a MediWizard; she likes animals and enjoys taking care of not only them, but people. Partly to overcome her feeling that she wasn’t really taken care of growing up, more groomed to look a certain way. It helped during the growing threat of Voldemort’s return, and when searching for Horcruxes with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Later in life, she also gained some notoriety for creating a “field guide” of sorts to help people learn how to create antidotes and the like when away from supplies such as cauldrons.

She would probably go into Magical Law, or, if it’s a thing, Archiving. She’s gone so long in her life with the world forgetting about her, (later on being dubbed, The Girl Who Disappeared), she doesn’t want anyone else to go through it.

Which Unforgivable Curse would they be most likely to use? What would be the reason for it?

Crucio; she has a lot of deep-seated anger in herself. She would never want anyone to die, but to feel even a tiny bit of the pain she’s felt, is something that’s crossed her mind a time or two. Prolonged torture as a whole, however, isn’t something she can wrap her head around.

Which Unforgivable Curse would they hate to have used on them the most?

Impero; because she’s already lived a long life of everyone else telling her what to do, or how to look. She no longer wishes to be under anyone’s control but herself.

Which Deathly Hallow (wand, stone, or cloak) would they want? Why?

The Resurrection Stone; it’d be nice for her to get advice from some of her friends/family that passed on. Or just to get general reassurance.

[tomtenadia]

Winter Bliss

Finally wrote my first TOG fic.

There is a lot of fluff and it has a wonderful wintery feeling... because I adore winter.

Of course it’s a Rowaelin because I adore those two and there is also a Rowaelin kid. A little adorable girl.

Their daughter is called Aisling which in Gaelic means dream or vision. First because I still think about the dream Rowan had of Aelin and their 5 kids. Also, in my head the Old Language is basically Gaelic.

I hope you will enjoy it :)

________________________

It had snowed heavily on Terrasen for the past few days.

Rowan moved to the window and stared at the white countryside in front of him. The snow was so thick that it muffled the sounds of the world and a sense of peace swept over him.

He opened the big window of his and Aelin’s royal chamber and took a deep breath, inhaling deeply the crisp scent of the air.

He wished Aelin hadn’t been busy with crown business that afternoon. It was the perfect day for a walk in the woods, hand in hand, to enjoy a moment of peace just the two of them.

Between the kingdom to run and their two years old daughter, they had very little time for themselves and he wished he could whisk her away just for a few hours.

He was deep in thought when he heard some light footsteps behind him.

He turned and saw their daughter walking toward him with her stuffed toy in her hands.

“Dada!” She cried, walking toward him, arms extended.

Rowan ran to the girl and picked her up, hugging her tightly at his chest. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and she giggled.

“What is it, my love?”

His daughter leaned forward and with her hand pointed at the window and at the snow.

“You like the snow?”

Aisling’s green eyes lit up in joy “snow” she said pointing outside.

At witnessing his daughter’s joy, Rowan had a sudden crazy idea. With her still in his arms he rushed out his chambers and went to the nursery.

He put his daughter on the bed and went to the chest of drawers as if on a mission.

“You and I are going on an adventure.” He confessed, turning his head to look at the little girl who was his exact copy “but we are not telling mum.”

He knew Aelin was going to be busy for a few more hours so he had plenty of time to enjoy the snow with his daughter in all secrecy and come back in time before Aelin discovered anything.

Aisling giggled, “snow” she repeated and clapped her hands feeling her father’s excitement at their upcoming adventure in the woods.

Rowan went back to her with a selection of clothes to wrap up his daughter nicely. Aelin would have his head on a silver plate if he got their daughter sick.

Once Aisling was bundled up in a cosy thick layer of clothes, with a wooly hat a scarf and some gloves he decided they were ready. They stopped quickly to his bedroom so he could grab his cloak and a scarf and they were ready to go.

He sneakily opened the door and checked that the corridor was free of guards. He knew they were his wife little minions and there would be no hiding from her this little escape if they spotted him.

Aisling hugged her father tightly around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder while he was walking as silently as possible through the castle.

“We are almost out.” He whispered.

He crossed the last corridor before reaching the main hall. Once he made sure his path was clear he dashed for the door and sneaked out.

Once out in the open he took a deep breath and kissed his daughter on her head. She smelled of jasmine, like her mother and he wished she was there as well.

Slowly he started walking and shifted the little girl on his shoulders. She put her tiny hands on his silver hair and babbled some nonsense and Rowan laughed at that sound.

Once they were deeper in the woods he began singing a song to her in the Old Language and Aisling kept babbling gibberish as if she was singing along with him and Rowan’s heart almost melted with happiness.

His two girls were the most precious thing in his world. The day Aisling came to the world he had held them both in the circle of his arms and cried of happiness. He finally had that family he had been dreaming about. And after all the pain he and Aelin had to go through to get to that moment, he felt like the luckiest male alive. He had all he needed.

He reached a clearing and stopped, removing his daughter from his shoulders. He sat her down on the snow and Aisling started crawling and playing with the with icy substance on the ground.

“Snow” she turned to Rowan smiling happily. Then a flurry of snow lifted from the ground creating a small vortex and Rowan laughed.

Aelin and him had discovered quite recently that Aisling had affinity to wind like her father and on a few occasions her power had erupted uncontrolled.

Aisling clapped her hands excited at the small flurry of snow and her father added a bit of his magic to make it a bit bigger and gently enveloped her. Then he stopped and the snow fell on his daughter, who was now covered with a light dust of snow.

“That was fun, eh?”

“Fun!” She repeated and tried to stand on her two feet. She moved a few steps and grabbed some snow and threw it at her dad, losing then her balance and falling with a thump on her backside.

Rowan all of a sudden had an idea “Shall we build a snowman?” He asked but did not wait for Aisling to answer. Always keeping an eye on his daughter, who was now using her power to play with the snow in front of her, he started gathering snow to create the two big ball that would have made up the snowman’s body.

“Big man!” shouted Aisling while staring at her dad at work. Once the body was completed he began thinking on how to decorated the snowman.

He grabbed his daughter in his arms “mama!” She yelled happily.

Rowan laughed “Oh yes, she could be mum.” He grabbed a stick and placed it as a mouth, then removed his scarf and tied around the neck of the snow-woman. Once his work was complete with eyes and sticky hands he took a step back.

“What do you think, my love? Does it look like mum?”

“I know I am pregnant, but I think you made me a bit too fat.”

A feminine voice that he would recognise everywhere reached him and he froze.

Fuck. He thought. How did she found out?

He turned.

Aisling leaned forward toward her mother “mama” she called happily.

Aelin took her daughter in her arms and turned to her husband who was now frozen in place.

“You thought you were being sneaky?”

“I had the perfect plan.” He finally took a step toward her and placed a kiss on her cheek reddened by the cold.

Aelin chuckled “You failed miserably, buzzard.” She snuggled close to his chest “you forgot to check that there was no staff about. Emrys was coming out of the kitchen when he spotted you.”

Rowan growled happily and nibbled at her ear “I missed you.” He muttered as a sort of apology.

“I am sure my snow version would have been more than happy to please you.”

Rowan was about to add a snarky remark when Aisling started to get agitated to get off from her mother’s arms.

Aelin placed the little girl on the snow and she ran happily toward the snow-woman.

Rowan laughed and moved behind Aelin and with his arms he circled her waist and place his hands on her swollen belly “I love all the three of you. Madly.”

“You forgot the boobs.” Was Aelin’s comment, not allowing him to have a cheesy moment.

She freed herself from his embrace and joined their daughter. Clumsily she tried to bend down and grab some snow but her belly was in the way.

“Does your majesty require the help of her dutiful husband?” He joked, while walking toward her with a big grin painted on his face.

“Yes, my dearest husband, it’s good to know you can be of some use.” And gave him a warm smile and blew him a kiss.

Rowan grabbed some snow and passed it to her.

Aelin moulded it in her hands and then pressed it on the ball of snow and attached the fake boobs.

“Now it looks like me.”

“You have a high opinion of your bosom’s size.” He teased her shamelessly.

In response she glared at him, then grabbed one of the snow boobs and threw it at him, then grabbed the other and threw it as well until his hair was even whiter.

Aisling laughed and created a bigger flurry of snow around her dad.

Rowan grabbed the little girl in his arms and started spinning on his feet until he collapsed in the snow with his daughter on his chest.

“Wait for me.” Shouted Aelin, while trying to sit on the snow.

Rowan offered her a hand and slowly she made her way down. She pulled the hood of her cloak on top of her head and lay down beside her husband and daughter.

A strong arm went behind her back and pulled her closer. She placed a hand on her daughter’s back and then looked in her husband’s green eyes.

“Kiss me.”

He took his time, and when she began to pout he finally leaned forward and gave her a chaste kiss on her lips.

“You are bad at making snowmen.”

“I already excel in almost everything I do,” he chuckled “it’s normal that I might have some flaws in other endeavours.”

Her smile turned wanton and he noticed the glint of lust in her eyes.

“Not here and not with our daughter.” He added, knowing exactly where her mind had wondered off to.

“Then take me home, buzzard and show me some of this amazing skills you have.”

He stood with a fluid motion and helped her stand as well.

“At your service, my Fireheart.”a smirk painted on his face and desire in his eyes.

Aelin took Aisling for his arms and started walking back to the castle. Rowan put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

He looked at his wife and daughter and smiled. A deep sense of happiness settled in his soul.

And in that instant it started to snow again…

[branching-paths]

Of Riddles and Hair

A solid week of nice weather, and nice traveling since we left Rivendell has been a blessing. If only everyone wouldn't second guess the calm. Even Gandalf said it was going to break into a storm sooner then later. "Hey hobbit," Fili called from ahead. I looked up from where my hands were wringing my wrists, and looked at the blonde prince. He had the biggest smirk on his face, adn I knew that wouldn't amount to anything good. Never trust Fili or Kili when they have that smile, they keep eye contact with you, or say they're right behind you. He noticed that he had my attention and leaned back in his saddle, looking smug. "I have a riddle for you, and I know you won't be able to get it," He said smugly. I inclined my head and looked him square in the eye.

"How much do you bet," I asked, knowing that I had him hooked. Dwarves, I found out, when tempted with a challenge, they bet a lot on who they think will win, and I felt that I was ready to get in on the action. Kili looked up from his saddle and stared at me. I didn't have that much coinage, everyone knew that, but I was betting the richest in the company, second only to Gloin. There wasn't much I could loose. Fili stroked his mustache and looked at me. "Ten gold," He said, knowing how much I had, how though was a mystery. "Raise ten more," I said. Fili and Kili looked at me, confusion on their faces. "How do you plan to pay fer tha' hobbit," Gloin asked. I turned around adn inclined my head a little more. "I have my ways," I mumbled, turning back around. "Deal or not," I asked Fili. Fili smirked and removed his hand from his mustache. "A hobbit walks into a bar and asks for a glass of water," Fili riddled. "The bartender pulls out a cross bow and aims it at the hobbit. The hobbit thanks the tender and walks out, without his water. What happened?" I thought for a moment. Fili took that moment to set the rules. "Yes or no questions may be asked, but that's it." I looked up at Fili, opened my mouth and shut it. "How long do I have to answer," I asked. "Till we reach the mountains. The second we step onto stone, I'll reveal the answer." Myrin, who was riding next to Thorin, rode up next to Fili and whispered into his ear. He pulled his ehad away and looked at her, a look of bemused horror across his face. Myrin cackled and rode back up to Thorin, whispered to him and sent him cackling. Then something happened. Thorin choked on his laughter. A good wack on his back, thanks to Balin, and all was seeminly right again, so I went back to solving the riddle. What could a hobbit need with water, but suddenly not need when a crossbow was aimed at them? I tapped my chin as I thought and mumbled to myself. "You seem to be enjoying yoruself," Gandalf said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Enjoyment, no, pleasure, yes," I mumbled to him. "Now leave me be." I waved him away. "It's been forever since I had a good riddling match." Gandalf smiled from under his hat and rode over to Gloin adn Oin, where he stayed most all the time. HPHLUMP! I sat up and looked around. What was that? Fili and Kili were just as puzzled. Myrin adn Thorin were having a little stare down. Thorin's shoulders jumped, HPHLUMP!  and Myrin's stare turned into a weird smirk stare. "What was that," Ori asked from behind. "Some sort of monster," Nori growled, getting out one of his crooked daggers. My hand flew to the sword Gandalf had given me, I hoped it wasn't another Orc pack. "Was it an Orc pack," Bofur growled, reading my thoughts and readying his pikestaff. Everyone was getting their weapons ready, looking around the fading dusk. Myrin and Thorin were still having that little stare down, Gandalf's gaze switching between the two. Dwalin growled as the sound came again, hefting one of his axes off his shoulder. Then Myrin started to loose it. Chuckling madly, she rocked back and forth on her saddle, trying to supress her laughter with her hand. "Come now, it's not that funny," Thorin said, shaking his head. Myrin's laughter doubled. Everyone relaxed and put away their weapons. HPHLUMP! "Hiccups," I shouted. Thorin had hiccups, and it was high pitched. Fili graoned adn looked at me, scowling half heartedly. "Yep, you got it," He growled, folding his arms at me. I frowned at him. Got what? OH, the riddle. "I meant Thorin had hiccups," I corrected. Kili snorted. "Is that what that was," He asked. Myrin nodded, still chortling on Lakita. Thorin's cheek was twitching with annoyence, glaring at Myrin. "But you still answered," Gloin yelled. "Hand it over Fili!" "But-" "It's fine, pay when you have it," I said, waving my hand. Fili growled and faced forward on his pony, Kili cast me a worried look. Apparently Fili didn't like to loose things by acceident. Thunder rumbled in the distance, Lakita trilled, growling at the end. Myrin rubbed the back of her neck, trilling back. Then the rain came, just like everyone thought it would. What's worse, it was a thunderstorm, so Lakita was screaming when lightning arced across the sky, bolting from tree to tree to rock, still screaming, all this with Myrin on her back. We stopped just after the first break in the storm, on the top of a litte rise. Myrin jumped off the griffon and kissed the ground, hugging the grass, dispite it being soaked. "Not once have I forgotten how terrified she gets," Myrin shouted. "Not once have I been on her while a thunderstorm, and never again!" She burried her face into the grass and sat there as we dismounted. I think Kili tripped over her.

Well, I really hoped this worked. Fili hadn't given me the coins after dinner, so I volenteered to take first watch. It hadn't stopped raining, so any sound I could make would be muffled, unless someone had elf hearing. Right now, I was leaned up against a tree, an aspen if you're interested, watching the company get ready for bed. Gandalf just leaned up against a tree, stuck his pipe in his mouth and went stock still, eyes open and normally his hat was off, but because of the rain it was on tonight. His sword was next to him, staff on the other side, bag wrapped around his staff. Gandalf got boring, so my eyes drifted to Bofur and his family. Bombur was snoring again, like he normally was. He was on his side so he wouldn't drown in his sleep. I was surprised that he didn't wake himself up with his snoring tonight, it was esspecially loud. Maybe he might, the night was young. Bofur leaned up agianst Bombur's belly and placed his hat over his face,  his quieter snores joining his cousin's soon after, muffled by the floppy hat. Bifur laid on his stomach, held his forehead in his palms and went to snoring with his brother and cousin. How he didn't drive that axe farther into his head when he slept was beyond me! I glanced around the camp, not everyone was sleeping yet. Oin was finally asleep, snoring louder then Bombur, somehow. And he wouldn't wake himself up, because of his hearing. Gloin, who took forever to get to sleep, was leaning against a rock, smiling at a locket which held a portraite of his son and wife, mumbling in Khuzdul. Yeah, Kili finally told me what it was called. "Get to sleep Gloin," Thorin growled at him. Gloin looked up and looked at Thorin, frowning. He tucked the locket into his shirt and currled up in his roll and blankets, next to Oin. I noticed that the snoring didn't bother the dwarves, and Gandalf could sleep through everything. I wished that I could... "Get this off me," Nori mumbled. To the left of the Ur's lay the Ri's. Nori threw off the thick blanket that was covering him, shoving it on Ori, who was samwiched in between Dori and Nori. His notebook was under his arm adn he was sleeping. "Get it back on, do you want to catch cold," Dori hissed. The elder brother threw the blanket over Nori again, not without much grumbling though. Soon their were sleeping, Balin adn Dwalin went to sleep as well, but they went to sleep weird, to say the least. Dwalin took off his axes, set them side by side next to him, leaned up against a tree, folded his arms, shut his eyes and didn't move. Sure he breathed, but other then that, he could pass for a statue. Balin was pretty normal, but he slept with his sword right next to him, and I mean like almost used as a pillow, it was that close. But it was useful when someone called the alarm. "NORI, GIVE BACK MY DAGGER," Myrin shouted, stomping over to Nori, who was sitting up, looking around wildly. He met Myrin's purple scowl and tryed to meet it, but failed myserably. "What dagger," He asked. Myrin's scowl deepened and she threw a dagger, from somewhere I haven't a clue, right next to his hand. "It's just like that, about half an inch longer," She growled. "If you don't return it right now, the next one's going a little more to the left!" Nori freaked out, dug in hi spack and pulled out a dagger. It was entirely black, the blade was semi-transparent and deadly sharp. Myrin grabbed it from him and slid it into her boot. She picked up the one on the ground and slid it into her sleeve. She walked away, leaving Nori to get some sleep. I shook my head, flinging raindrops everywhere. Myrin went and sat next to Lakita, who was hunckered down under a large drooping pine, her tail trembling and puffed up. "If you two don't get to sleep, I'll make you sleep," Thorin shouted at Fili and Kili. They had been whispering about something, but now were silent. "Thank you!" Thorin turned over in his roll, covering his head with the blanket. Soon all three Durin's were snoring, the only one up now was me and Myrin. She took forever to get to sleep, but when she did, she was out! "Finally," I mumbled as I got to my feet. Everyone was asleep, and I could pickpocket Fili now. I took off my cloak, that way I wouldn't drip on anything. Sure I'ld get a little wet, but truthfully, getting at Fili was something I would do nearly anything for. Creeping over silently, I knetl down next to Fili's bag. Kili mumbled something in his sleep, making me freeze. Kili's face was scrumched up in a terrified scowl, mumbling in his sleep still. Fili mumbled something back and flung his arm around his younger brother, pulling him close. Kili smiled adn turned over on his side, snuggling close to Fili. It was cute, in a brotherly sort of way. I sighed and went digging into Fili's pack. I almost wished I had a sibling...almost. I twig snapped near Thorin, startling me. I scanned the trees, looking for anything. Two large beady eyes came out from behind a tree. I reconized the snout from an old childhood memory. "BEAR," I shouted, kicking over Fili's pack onto him, waking him up immeadiately. I drew my sword, unsure what else to do, and jumped over Fili and Kili, running towards Thorin. The rest of the creature came into view, it was a Warg. I stopped short, terror halting my movements. Thorin was up, sword drawn, staring down the Warg. It circled Thorin, a snarl deep in it's throat. An arrow sprouted from his chest, making it yelp. Myrin shot another arrow, another yelp, then Thorin finished it off with a blow to the chest. Thorin pulled his sword out of the carcass and turned around. "Behind you hobbit," He yelled. I turned around just in time to get pounced on by another Warg. This one had a rider. The rider got off and drew his sword, his bloodshot eyes scanning me like prey. Lakita screeched and bowled into the Warg, scarring the Orc. "Flamebird's here," He snarled, lowering his sword to my throat. I gulped, feeling the cold steel brush my skin. "Where she at, hum?" Dwalin bowled into the Orc, knocking his sword away from my throat. I got up and looked around. Everyone was fighting somesort of thing, most of them were Wargs. Two other Orcs were there, fighting Thorin. Kili loosed an arrow and sent another Warg down, Fili stabbed it for good measure. Just as suddenly as it started, the fight ended, leaving everyone breathless. "Oakenshield," An Orc hissed. Thorin scowled at the creature as it heaved it's last breath. "You won't surrvive the nigh', Master will find you. And he'll take you down-" "Who is your master," Myrin hissed back, sword point at his throat. The creature chuckled, sending chills down my spine. It turned it's head and stared right at her, the scarriest smile on it's face. "You know him, Flamebird," It wheezed at her. "After all-" He said something in another language and Myrin stiffened. It's voice trailed off, and it's breathing stopped. "Get the ponies ready to ride," THorin ordered. Nobody moved. "NOW!" 'We can't, they bolted again," Nori shouted from where we left them last. "Then pack up, leave all the food, get ready to move out," Dwalin shouted. I stared at the warrior. No food?! How did he expect us to manage?! "No take the food, they'll follow us even without it," Thorin snapped back. I snapped out of my trance and sprinted to my pack, shoving everything into it that I could. I cast a glance at Myrin. She was still at the dead Orc, sword still out and at it's throat. She seemed frozen. "Myrin, come on," Fili shouted. Myrin snapped out of her own trance and started to pakc her bags back up. Her hands trembled as she rolled up her bedroll, so I walked over and helped her pack up. "Thanks Bilbo," She said quietly. Something was up, she never called me Bilbo unless something wasn't right. I strapped her bedroll to the saddle on Lakita. "What did the Orc say," I asked her. "Nothing..."

"What did the Orc really say Myrin," I asked as we wound back down the path from the mountains. One solid week of running, then nothing. No Orcs waking us up in the middle of the night, no fighting for our lives again, not even a peep from the Orcs since my feet touched stone. That's when Thorin adn Gandalf actually agreed on something, send back a scouting party, just to make sure that we really were safe. Myrin quickley volenteered, needing a reason to, "Get away from Dwalin!" Que sticking tongue out. Dwalin and Myrin had a fight a few days ago, all in Khuzdul, so I don't know what it was about. Then Kili shoved me forward, so I was picked to head back with Myrin. Right now, we had our backs pressed against a rock, breathing heavily from the quick climb. Myrin looked at me from under her white hood. She gripped her bow a litte harder, turning her knuckles white. "He said I knew who was hunting us," She said quietly. She took a deep, steady breath, slid up the rock and peered over it. Myrin ducked back under. "Are they there," I mouthed. She nodded adn peered over again. I turned over and looked down. Twelve Orcs were at the edge of the stone, ten more on the Wargs, eleven Wargs in all. One with a large scar across his face stood up and howled something to the others. He got on his Warg and they rode off, leaving a plume of dust behind them. They disappeared from sight adn Myring sighed. "What did he say," I asked. "They're going to report to their leader," She said while standing up. I got to my feet and brushed myself off. "Any idea who's that," I asked. "Nope," She said quickley. A little too quick.... We trotted back to the camp, over the spires of rock and sparse foilage. Fili and Kili met us at the gap in the path where we were resting in a little grotto. If we weren't running for our lives, I would of thought it beautiful. Lichen covered the entrance, just inside was covered in soft moss. About ten feet in was a nice creek fed pond, the water cool and sweet. The grotto was walled on four sides, the only entrance through the lichen, about fourty feet by twenty of floor space, that wasn't counting the pond. If it wasn't for Kili actually, we wouldn't of found it. I walked over to the pond and cupped my hands, drinking handfulls. Myrin just stuck her face in and gulped. When she resurfaced, her face was red from the cold. It was rather comical. "Well," Thorin asked. He was leaned up on a wall, arms folded, glaring at Myrin. Well, glaring wasn't the right word, but it was what best discribed the look on his face. "They've turned back, something about someone's territory and the consiquences if they crossed the border," Myrin said, brushing the wet strands of ahir from her face. She frowned and brushed her tongue across her teeth, through her lips and repeated the process. She reminded me of a cat and a hairball. She gagged adn grabbed something off her tongue. With her mouth wide open, tongue out, she pulled out the longest strand of hair from her mouth. If I had something in my stomach, it would  emptied it's self when Myrin finished. "Hairball done," Kili asked. He looked a little sick. Myrin looked at him and smirked. When he looked at her face, she started the process again, sending him reeling.

Well, that had to be the best night's sleep I had in a while... Then again, that was the first time in a week I had slept without getting attacked by Orcs and or Wargs. Someone moaned, so I knew we didn't get attacked in the night and I was in heaven. Still though, I peeked an eye open and met moss. Nope, not dead yet. "Can you get it undone," Someone whispered. I opened up both my eyes, wondering what someone was trying to get undone. Across the pond, where Thorin had hunkered down for the night next to Fili and Kili, I saw the princes working on some sort of red/black thing. I sat up and pulled my coat around my torso. I waddled over to Fili and Kili, yes waddled because my stomach was still full from the wonderful dinner we had last night. I touched Kili's shoulder and he jumped with a yelp. "What are you two doing," I asked. "Trying to undo their hair," Fili whispered, guesturing to the mess of red and black. That's when I remembered who had black and red ahri like that. "What did you two do," I shouted at them. "Nothing," Kili shouted, quieter then me but still pretty loud. "Okay, so we tried to braid their hair together again, and we did. It was fine when we went back to sleep, but when we woke up this morning...." Kili looked at the mess of tangles making up Myrin adn Thorin's hair. They were back to back, both snoring quietly, bundled in their own sperate blankets too. "Get out of the way," I shouted. I crouched next to Myrin and started to work on her hair, pulling at the knots and tangles. "What did you do, knot every other strand," I growled at the two idiots next to me and in front of me. I pulled a little to hard on part of Thorin's hair and he moaned, starting to wake up. "Take cover," I hissed at Fili and Kili. I got to my feet and sprinted back to my roll, threw the blankets over me and went still, but that didn't mean my brain didn't. Why did Myrin decide to sleep right there?! I mean, it was just asking Fili and Kili to do something! Another thing I had learned about dwarves was that they had a fire within them, and that menat that they were unnaturally warm. First time I found out, I thought that Bofur ahd gotten sick! I had noticed that Myrin was warmer then the rest, Kili said she had a fire brighter then most. That gets staying warm out of the way! Fili and Kili slept next to Thorin most of the time, and I knew that they and Myrin had something like a family like connection, maybe that's why..... Maybe, maybe not, but I had a feeling that wasn't it. Kili yelped half heartedly as something thumped. "Kili get up," Thorin hissed quietly. "Good morning Thorin," Kili mumbled through a yawn. I peeked over and almost laughed. Kili had this doppy smile on his face, looking at Thorin, who was frowning at him. "Get this undone," Thorin hissed again. "Get what undone?" Thorin growled and pointed to the back of his head. Myrin's entire hair had been braided all the way up his hair, all the way to his scalp, same with Thorin's to Myrin's. Kili's face fell. He elbowed Fili, who was right up, bleery eyed, eyes crossed. He reminded me of Radagast. Kili and Fili whispered quickly and quietly, then turned back to Thorin. "Neither of us can fix that," Kili whispered. Thorin growled again. That's when Bofur woke up. "Good morning," He mumbled as he sat up. His eyes flicked open as he reajused his hat. "Oh my...... Looks like you could use a tinker's hand...." Thorin growled again, but he motioned for Bofur to come over. As Bofur worked on the braid, for the next hours or so, everyone got up and put away camp. When they were finished with that, Bombur got cooking, and I decided to get up. Faking sleep that long can't be good for you. I sat up, rubbed my eyes and let them open. The sun was pouring into the grotto now, so it had to be around eleven in the morning. How I missed elevensies.... Bofur was still working at Thorin and Myrin's hair, and Myrin was still sleeping. Thorin was whispering orders to everyone, obviously very annoyed that he was stuck on the ground. Myrin moaned and all the people by her head, Thorin Bofur Fili and Kili, stiffened. All those who could hid out of her eyesight. In fact everyone, myself included, kept away from her vision. She mumbled something in Khuzdul and sat up. "We're right here," Kili made the mistake of saying. Myrin's eyes widened and she attempted to get up. "Why did you let me over sleep," She shouted while getting up. "Stop yanking," Thorin adn Bofur shouted, pulling on the hair to get her back down. "You stop yanking," Myrin shouted back. She fingered the begining of the braid, frowned and followed it down. As she did, her face turned sour, and when she touched Thorin's head, she turned around adn looked about ready to snap him. "I didn't do it," Thorin said, holding up his hands. Myrin's scowl turned even more cold, I didn't think it possible. "I know for a fact that I didn't, so who in Durin's name did!?" Few seconds of silence. "FILI AND KILI, GET YOUR SCRAWNY REAR ENDS OVER HERE AND HELP BOFUR UNTANGLE THIS MESS YOU TWO MADE!" Her loud voice rang through the mountains for a good while, left my ears ringing even longer then that. Fili and Kili ran towards the old tinker, who was shouting orders at the two shamed princes. Another good hour of hair care before Bofur came to a little problem. "I can't untangle this," He announced, sitting back on his heels. Silence fell over the company. All eyes, and ears turned towards Thorin. "We've wasted too much daylight already," Thorin growled. "Cut it..." Bofur clamped his teeth down on his bottom lip, but brought his pack over. He pulled out a pair of sciscors. "Hold on, let me see if I can untangle that," I shouted, scrambling over to Thorin adn Myrin. "We can't have a king shaved, can we," I added quickley. I crouched down between the two and looked the tangle over. There wasn't an end I could start at, so I started at Thorin's scalp. I wiggled my finger into the little gap I created when I pulled on the braid towards Thorin, then I pulled out Myrin's hair. Eventually, both their hair was untangled, sure it was a little wet, and we lost another two hours, but they hadn't lost a single lock. I dropped the last lock from Thorin's hair like a hot coal. "Done," I said, rubbing my face, which had been in a scowl the past two hours. Thorin jumped up, gathered his things together, and was ready within the next ten minuets. Myrin took a little longer, but she had to braid her hair again. We set out again, winding up the rocky terrain, slipping on the wet rocks, sometimes making more progress backwards then forwards. When we camped for th enight, however, we made substantual progress into the mountains. Everyone took a seat and pried their boots off their feet. Bofur promptly fainted at Dwalin's raw foot. Kili, who was sitting close to the seasoned warrior, snatched his boot and swished his hand in it, looking for something, I wasn't exactly sure what. "Ah-HA," Kili shouted, pulling out a little knife that had come loose off of a hidden sheath on the side of the boot. He twirled it in his hand as he set the boot back down, smirking smuggly at Dwalin. As Oin wrapped Dwlain's foot a few minuets later, Dwalin snatched his boot back, his little dagger too. "Stop yanking," Myrin shouted, drawing all the company's eyes. That's when I saw the most bazzar thing, Thorin was braiding Myrin's hair. "It would help if you hadn't lost my comb yesterday," Thorin countered. "It wasn't my fault you kept it in my bag, and it- Okay, it was my fault I forgot to tie the opening, but you should keep your things in your bag, not in mine! STOP YANKING!" Fili and Kili were trying not to explode via laughter, everyone else was trying to piece together what was going on. I knew exactly what was going on, I helped it happen actually. That was before I knew that Fili and Kili were braiding their hair together. I brought my sack over and pulled out my own comb, then threw it at Myrin. "Thanks hobbit," She said when she caught it. Thorin took it from her hand, and the night continued as normal as it could. I burrowed down in my roll after my watch. I found it weird that Thorin braided Myrin's hair. He just didn't seem like the type to do that.